HELLO MONDAY

This week I'm saying:

HELLO to the May Fayre  being over....(sigh of relief!)

HELLO to having raised over 5000 euros!!!!.....making it WELL worth the effort!

HELLO to getting to BOTH Keep Fit AND Line Dancing...I  have managed to get to one or the other recently, but not both

HELLO to realising that my two brothers are capable of more than any of us (including them!) thought...dad's back in hospital and they are really keeping on top of his care and what can be put in place to make life easier for dad and mum ,when he gets home.

HELLO to being grateful for social networking...FB allows my sister in New Zealand, my brothers and myself to 'talk' without having to repeat the same things to each other constantly

HELLO to getting a package put together for SIAN'S GREAT BIG SWAP OF VERY SMALL THINGS (I honestly haven't forgotten, Cheri!)

HELLO to maybe..just maybe......getting some scrapbooking done this week! 

HELLO to trying not to feel guilty for getting on with my life, when I know how poorly my dad is

I do hope there are good things for you to be saying HELLO to this week!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

HELLO MONDAY

This week I'm saying:

HELLO to BEING HOME!..... I have enjoyed catching up with friends and family, but I have to admit to having been happy dancing round the house!

HELLO to feeling guilty for being glad to be home.

HELLO to  accepting that I am going to have to get over to help mum and dad more often

HELLO to noticing what's been happening in my garden since I've been away...pics later in the week!

HELLO to getting back to eating properly..I really lost the plot while I was away!

HELLO to Keep Fit tomorrow morning...but no Line Dancing tomorrow night - I'm off to a Committee Meeting instead

HELLO to the MAY DAY on Wednesday....unlike the UK, we have our Bank Holiday on May 1

What are you saying hello to this week?

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

HELLO MONDAY

This week I'm saying:

HELLO to some new plants

HELLO to finding time to plant said plants

HELLO to a visit to the hairdresser...much needed!

HELLO to finalising my travel plans and my social calendar for my upcoming trip to the UK...yes, ANOTHER one!...this time for a family wedding and checking up on mum and dad.

HELLO to Keep Fit, Line Dancing and Stitchcraft Classes

HELLO to trying to make my own baked beans from THIS RECIPE ( SYN free on Slimming World!)......I made the sauce earlier today and it's yummy!

I hope you have some good things to look forward to this week!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

THANK YOU....

.....for all the Birthday wishes, both on here and on FB! 

I had a very nice day.....and had THREE renditions of 'Happy Birthday'- one at Keep Fit, one at the Drop In Centre and one at Line Dancing! Word gets around quickly about such things in a small community!

I came in at lunchtime, to discover that Kirsty had made a batch of Fairy Cakes which I forgot to photograph, but remembered before I ate the last one with a cup of coffee this afternoon...

...she DOES make exceedingly good cakes!

It was a beautifully sunny day, and we headed to the coast for lunch....and I forgot to take photos AGAIN!

That allowed me to be back in time to go Line Dancing last night...a very nice Birthday indeed!

I managed to get another layout finished over the weekend...it's not the one I was intending to do- the printer had run out of ink, so I couldn't get my pics printed off...but I found these ones that I had printed ages ago-and had forgotten to anything with- so came up with this:

...using this STARTING POINT from SHIMELLE.

I made another journalling card using MISS SMITH'S TUTORIAL:

.....and I am now off to re-read the first prompts from her new class TELLING TALES, before I fall too far behind!

Hope you are all having a good week!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

HELLO (AHEM..) MONDAY...ON WEDNESDAY!!!!

WOW!...this is the latest yet to say :

HELLO to you, my bloggy friends!

HELLO to more beautiful weather, and a definate feeling of Spring in the Valley!

HELLO to a trip to Valencia, to drop Kirsty off to catch the bus back to Barcelona

HELLO to just being Boo and I at home for a couple of weeks...and therefore catching up with all sorts of jobs around the house and garden!

HELLO to three nights on Panto duty!......The Wizard of Oz this year , and I  start tonight..Oh Yes I Do!!

HELLO to starting back at Line Dancing

HELLO to the first weigh in of the year tomorrow...and I KNOW I've put on over Christmas!

I hope you are all getting back to 'normal' after the holidays and have some good things to say 'hello'to this week!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

HELLO MONDAY

This week I'm saying

HELLO to my first full week at home for almost a month

HELLO to being back at both Keep Fit and Line Dancing...the toe is still a bit swollen but not causing me pain..YAY!

HELLO to changing my 'twig tree' from Summer to autumn/ Fall /Halloween

HELLO to getting some work done in the garden....a few of my pots need changed and there's some pruning needing done too.

HELLO to SHIMELLE's new class which will hopefully get me back into the swing of scrapping again!

HELLO to 'Passing The Book' later this week


HELLO to sending out some HAPPY MAIL

HELLO to helping to organise three charity events coming up in November

Hoping you have some good things to be saying 'Hello' to this week

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

THE SILLY SEASON HAS STARTED!

If I were to tell you how often I have been to airports and bus stations over the last week (all of them at least an hour- an hour and a half's drive away), you would agree about the silly season title...and it's not finished yet! Tomorrow, I have DH's aunt to take to Alicante for 12 noon..and I had a text from DH this morning to say that he is arriving (totally unexpectedly) at 9.30 tomorrow night..so a double whammy!!


I am really happy that DH is getting here for a few unexpected days...he is a great help with mum and dad...they both love him to pieces and he really does make them laugh!


In between taxi-ing, I have managed to get a couple more LOs finished for my niece's Birthday.

I can't believe how young my brother and SIL look in this!

A double page spread I did for some of her copious amount of 'Friends' pics

I've been experimenting with Washi tape!

The REALLY good news is that mum and dad have brought over the final pics I need, which are the all-important 'birth' pics. One of the reasons I find it  so hard making albums for other people, is that you are constantly reminding them to scan pics for you and they think they have months in which to send them....they don't realise how long an album can take to do (well, at least how long it can take ME to do!)

Anyway, must go as it's Line Dancing tonight!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Grandma's Girl

At last I've got around to actually doing something with the first prompt from SHIMELLE'S new class! 

The last couple of days have just been a little bit crazy, what with getting mum and dad to the airport and attacking the laundry pile (DD was here for the weekend, and left some laundry too!)...then of course yesterday was big exercise day- Keep Fit and Line-dancing (I can manage one-and-a-half dances now, without causing damage to anyone else-or myself, for that matter!!)

This morning saw some shopping at the market (and let's not forget the floor-cleaning )...and then, eventually this afternoon I got this done:

Am now about to attempt Prompt 2!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Good Mail Day!

On Monday morning I found one of the few  things that EVER excite me in our mailbox.......the slip of paper telling me there's a parcel to collect from our tiny Post Office..... which, as some of you already know, only opens for one hour every weekday! 


I knew I hadn't ordered anything online...well, nothing that would be here so quickly ....I HAD just put in a little(ish) order to  SARAH'S CARDS...and though they are fairly quick, they're not THAT quick... and it didn't say that it was from 'Traffico', which would have meant DH had a speeding ticket from the previous weekend's trip to Barcelona (we had a spate of these last year!)....no, I really had no idea of what I was going to pick up.


At the allotted time, off I went ...and was delighted to discover some 'Happy Mail' !

Not only was there  the fab MAIL ART envelope itself to enjoy, and a very pretty card and word plaque from Ruth AKA ,FURRYPIG...but also 

this book, which is part of SIAN'S 'Pass the Book' series.  Thank you Ruth!

I have to say that this may be one of the books I look at the pretty, awe-inspiring pictures in and will not actually produce anything...though oddly enough an idea has just flashed through my mind- watch this space!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

P.S. I managed a whole dance last night at Line Dancing, without bumping into anyone!! YAY!

Unheard of!

NEVER! 
NOT EVEN ONCE!........and there are many who can confirm............


I did something TWICE yesterday, that I have very rarely done even ONCE in a day!


Here's a clue( well, two clues):

Yes world....yesterday I partook in two exercise classes!!!!!! Believe me, exercise is so not my thing.....I hate everything about it, normally. But I have decided that if I want to  keep on with my weightloss journey, it is a necessary evil....to be honest it's probably because I have lost weight, that I feel able to exercise!

Anyhow, it just so happens that the two classes I would want to go to , fall on the same day..though, fortunately, not at the same time (or I would need the time-turning 'thingie' Hermione had in one of the Harry Potter books!....actually I would LOVE a time-turning 'thingie'...but I digress!)

In the morning, the trainers went on, and off I went to a Keep Fit class, which was actually quite good. Bizarrely, they did a routine that was very akin to Scottish country dancing....my school days came flooding back and I had to stop myself going into a full-flung 'Gay Gordons' (I realise that by this time, many of you will be off 'googling', trying to work out what I'm chuntering on about!!)

In the evening it was more dancing...though Line Dancing this time! I mentioned this in a LSNED  post here......and I did indeed get some new shoes (the second pic). I can't say they turned me into a fantastic dancer, but they were certainly more flexible...and I actually cottoned on to quite a few of the steps this time....though there was still much stumbling and mixing up of feet!

Both classes were fun (anyone reading this who has known me for any length of time, pick yourself up off the floor now!) and it was good to meet some new people, so this looks as though it might be my new Tuesday routine.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

LSNED DAY 13

DD tells me that I didn't really have to go to the class, to learn that I may not be a 'line dancer'!


To explain; I have been looking for a form of exercise to partake in, once it becomes too cold to use the pool. I am not an aerobics or Gym person, but I do like to dance, and a neighbour of ours goes to a line-dancing class on a Tuesday night. I've been thinking about it for a while, but when Pam mentioned it was starting up again last night, I reckoned it was time to take the bull by the horns and agreed to go with her. 


So off I went, wearing (what I very mistakenly thought!!) was a comfortable pair of dancing shoes. The members of the group were all very nice, and assured me that I would 'get the hang of it' in no time.....and Linda (the instructor) went through the steps of every dance nice and slowly, and it was all going OK- till the music started!! Could I make all these steps fit in to the routines...NO WAY!  My feet suddenly belonged to someone else and wouldn't move at all in the  any way I wanted them  to...there was much tripping and apologising I can assure you.


Everyone assured me that they were all exactly the same when they started....but to me, most of them look like Professionals! Anyway, I did enjoy myself and I shall go back....but I need to find something to put on my feet that don't make me feel like I'm 'clumping around'....to be honest I am always better doing these things in my bare feet, I seem to be able to control the movements better! ....Watch this space!

I need something with more 'give' in them...and also some magic dancing dust!

With 'the girls' gone, yesterday was a 'normal' day......DD and I went and got some Banking business done and a bit of shopping...and between that and the laundry, I managed some scrappy time :)

The sketch was from Scrappy Thursday and the colour combo is from a challenge over at SCRAPBOOK CHALLENGES.


Thanks for dropping by!
take care of you
Alison xx