WOYWW 267

My desk actually looks fairly tidy this week after last week's clear up.  There are a couple of things on the go but you might first notice that there is no cup of tea.  I'm detoxing ready for my holiday and I'm desperate for proper food and a cuppa but I have to be strict until the holiday.  Its no good spending all this time in the gym and then not following up with healthy eating.  The detox will help me lose a bit of weight and hopefully feel a bit more refreshed and healthier.  And less time cooking and eating means more crafting time!

I had a little shopping outing with Sarah and purchased some embossing pastes and a couple more masks and had a little play.  I used white on the white cardstock on the box (which you obviously cant see at this point but hopefully it will add a little something to the layout), and then I mixed some paste up with some mist and used the chevron mask on another sheet.  I have no idea where I'm going to go with it yet but I enjoyed playing.

The cork baking tray was a previous make that needed repairing after being dropped from its hook.  The stuff in the black box is for some forthcoming projects so watch this space!

Well that's all for this What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - you can join in too, its easy, just head over to Julia's Stamping Ground.

Bye for now!
xx

Pick your precious - Trainers

This post is brought to you by Story Telling Sunday with Sian from High in the Sky.

Its been a frantic but wonderful bank holiday weekend here.  I've just realised that it is Monday and not Sunday so I am a day late with this post, THAT'S how lovely this weekend has been.  The sun was shining which always makes me happy and we had our first BBQ of the year.  We put our sun shade up for the season and even purchased some new garden furniture that we have been discussing for about 4 years now. There was a little bit of time for crafting, a day out at a country fair, a brief visit to Beaulieu to see Management at work, and I still managed to find time to put my trainers on.  These are my "precious" for this Sunday (Monday!)

Now many of you might think, well I know she is mad, but trainers?  Really?  Has she totally lost the plot?  Well yes, I am crackers and I make no apologies for that and I shall be honest and say that the last 2 weeks have been some of the lowest ever in my life but thanks to my trainers, I am pulling myself out of it again.

I am mid assignment for my writing course and my story is all about things that happen at the gym.  It was while working on that that I realised just how much my trainers have come to mean to me.  I bought them in September 2011 when I first considered needing some proper running shoes but they still look fantastic because I train on a treadmill.  Ordinarily I hate spending more than about £15-20 on shoes but these were £95!!!  I went to a specialist running shop for gait analysis and I was videoed running in different trainers to find the best support possible.  Knowing how much they cost means I don't wear them to walk to school or to go to the shops etc.  When I put these on, I mean business.  I know that when I wear these, I am doing something really good for myself.  As a bare minimum, we should all be doing 3x30mins per week for general health but yet it still feels a bit frivolous to spend that time on myself but it's becoming much more of a habit for me now.  Aside from the weight loss (I've lost a stone so far this year), the benefits to my mental health are better than any pill or therapy I have ever tried.  When I put my trainers on it's like taking a happy pill because I know that the endorphins are just there waiting for me to let them out.

I have a couple of set routines during the week and then I fit in other things around those.  On Wednesdays I do Combat training which is a mixed martial arts inspired cardio work out.  It feels like I am literally kicking and punching my demons away.  I'm working on my technique to get more out of the class but oh boy do I get sweaty or do I get sweaty?!  On Sunday afternoons I go to the gym to use the treadmill.  I do a combination of running and walking and I am working up to doing more and more of my time as running but it is hard on my shins.  I've got dodgy knees which is why I run on the treadmill rather than outside on hard pavements.  We live in an area with lots of slopes and I'm fine on the uphill but my knees just can't take the down.  I hope to rectify this as I get fitter and my legs get stronger but for now I am content with brisk walking in the local area.

Any time I am walking or running I use an app on my phone called Zombies, Run!  It's basically a story that plays clips in between your chosen running songs, all about the zombie apocalypse.  You are a runner helping to rescue people, retrieve medical supplies and technological equipment, find information about a vaccine etc to help build a base and rebuild a healthy population.  It uses GPS / pedometer to track your progress and rewards you with materials and unlocking extra missions.  If you are really crazy then you can enable the zombies to chase you and you have to speed up by 10% for one minute or risk being caught and you can hear them coughing and groaning and getting closer by the second.  Seriously, I've never been into zombies or anything but I can't wait to get my trainers on and find out what the next part of the story is - it has totally transformed my training.  They have just released Season 2 and have included missions written by a fan who had written some fan fiction about the characters in the story.  If ever there was a reason to praise fan fiction, this is it!  Can you imagine getting that call from the game you love asking for you to write some stuff for them?!

I'm really enjoying getting fit and even loving the ache in my muscles the next day (or two or three!) because I know it is because I am doing something really good for myself.  I have to continue to make time for this because the hard work reaps so many benefits.  I am looking forward to putting my trainers on again very soon.  And of course, at the end of the day, I am worth it :-)

Bye for now
xx

Goals? What goals?

Back in September I wrote this post about my short term goals.  To date, far from any progress with my goals, I have actually gone backwards in a few of them!  Here they are again, just for fun.

I want to get back to my running and hopefully start to attend the regular Park Runs held locally. 

I want to make real progress with my weight loss and head towards losing another 2 stone. 
I want to engage more with the children in the precious times that we have together now. 
I want to get back to enjoying cooking by planning ahead and researching my Slimming World recipe books. 
I want to stay in control of the house in terms of the housework, the de-cluttering and the decorating.
I want to make positive progress with my shoulder injury.
I want to keep on track with my coursework and start to look for outlets for my work.
I want to make progress on my unfinished projects and keep adding to my haul of finished layouts.
I want to make progress with my photo workflow.
I want to be calm and happy and feeling like I am moving forward.

Several things have gotten in the way of this, just normal life things like birthdays and parties (which seem more frequent when we are already busy... or is that just me?), illness (colds ALWAYS come when you really could do without them) and (still battling with side effects of anti-depression medication and trying to get the balance right), random events at Management's work causing him to be busier than normal (this week it is the new Bond film preview) and general family crisis type stuff (tests and results that don't go as planned, the inquest into my Step-Mum's death which, as we expected, gave no more answers than we had a year ago when she died).  

I tried to get this photo blown up onto a canvas for my Dad's birthday last week but I didn't check the size.  When I went to collect it there was no way it would fit in the car.  It was 1.5m tall and 1m wide.  My step-mum ended up bigger than Miss Bella when she stood next to it!  The quality wasn't brilliant but it was passable, however it was just too ridiculously big.  The hassle involved in getting it sent back was yet more time I didn't have and it left my Dad with no present for his birthday.  Thankfully we have another one on the way from another company at more realistic size and quality.

One event that took up a lot of time this week but was awesome, was a night out with friends from school, some of whom I haven't seen for 22 years!  I had a new outfit, I had my nails done, I even had a spray tan!  A friend did my face (she's a make-up artist for celebs dahling) and we went clubbing and then crashed out in the hotel room.  I felt absolutely fantastic on the night, better than I have for ages, it was such a boost to my lagging self esteem.  Unfortunately the come down has been less awesome but it reminded me just how much I used to love going out and looking after myself etc.  A lot happened over the weekend in terms of things being talked about or noticed or admitted (amongst all of us) and we all came back with a determination to make some changes in our lives.

I don't know where I am going to get the energy from as I am still carrying this cold about like Quasi Modo's hump but I need to make some changes and fast.  Life is always going to be hectic, that's our crazy life now and I have to find a way to work around it rather than trying to wait until is passes.  With that in mind, I am going to have an early night and hope I wake up refreshed and ready to attack!

Bye for now
xx

Some summing up

Its been a pretty crazy couple of months around here.  The children went on school holidays and a couple of weeks later we had a new little boy in the family.  Baby T is my Great Nephew and he is now 5 weeks old.  He and his Mum and Dad moved the week he was born and they are now sadly nearly 3 hours away so the poor little sausage gets the life squeezed out of him when he visits as we take turns to hold him.

He has been down visiting this week and so we helped out by having Harvey, their lovely Staffordshire Bull Terrier for a doggy sleepover.

Between baby-watching and doggy sitting, we've not achieved much this week I can tell you!  We just about managed to fit in a quick snuggle with my other Great Nephew, Baby E who arrived in the world last week (you might remember from this post.)  He is now a whopping 4lbs and 10oz!  Even Management managed to get a snuggle of this one!

Two babies in a week is almost more than Miss Bella can handle.  Throw Harvey the dog into the mix and we have been a little... erm... overexcited to say the least.

She has found the slightly longer days at preschool really hard to adjust to with all this extra excitement going on.  At the end of the week it was all too much for her... bless!

I was really glad to get back to a routine again and part of that routine is the monthly Artful Angels crop.  This month we were visited by Handmade Treasures with her lovely displays of ribbons and buttons that looked like a lovely sweetshop.  I admit, I broke my stash diet here but only a little bit.  I used some of the stuff on Thursday when my friend came over for a scrappy play date and I managed to catch up on a few projects.

So we are now 2 weeks into the school term and I have no plans to visit or be visited by any babies or dogs this week, or to go to or host any crops.  I've also decided that as I didn't get off to a very good start with all this going on, I am not going to try to catch up or continue with LSNED this year.  I have too much to keep me occupied to be going backwards.  I can start exercising again this week and my new course starts in about 10 days time so I need to get as much done as I can before then.  Look at all these lovely books!

My routine will be a little different from now on that it was before the summer holidays but I really hope it will take me forward as I have really stalled in the last year or so with all the goings on and I can really feel the difference in my mood.  I thought if I shared my resolutions here then I might be more accountable to actually continuing with them.  So:

I want to get back to my running and hopefully start to attend the regular Park Runs held locally.
I want to make real progress with my weight loss and head towards losing another 2 stone.
I want to engage more with the children in the precious times that we have together now.
I want to get back to enjoying cooking by planning ahead and researching my Slimming World recipe books.
I want to stay in control of the house in terms of the housework, the de-cluttering and the decorating.
I want to make positive progress with my shoulder injury.
I want to keep on track with my coursework and start to look for outlets for my work.
I want to make progress on my unfinished projects and keep adding to my haul of finished layouts.
I want to make progress with my photo workflow.
I want to be calm and happy and feeling like I am moving forward.

Feel free to nag me, if you got this far you deserve it! ;-)

Bye for now
xx

Ready for September

Well that was August.  Over in a flurry of showers and the occasional sunny moment.  September will bring a few changes here at Castle Johnson with Bella at preschool for 3 days and me going back to studying with the Open University.  I will also be going back to the gym to test the progress on my shoulder (or not) and I'm hopeful that by the end of the month, I will be the lightest that I have been for many years and dipping under the next stone mark at Slimming World.

Of course I will be recording this journey with Shimelle's Learn Something New Everyday.  You don't have to be a scrapbooker or a crafter of any sort to join in with this particular class because this is about the lessons we learn everyday and recording them in whichever way suits us individually.

I've mentioned before about my album, saved from last year, so here it is.  This is a bare chipboard album covered with Pink Paisley "Old School" papers and random bits from my stash.

This is the inside cover and I've cut all my pages to size and hole punched them ready to go.  I plan to do a lot of journalling this year.

This morning I finally finished my owls.  These will be the date markers with a little white number on their smart tummies, and I think I will add them to a label shape for the journalling.

Louis would like to show you his book that he made too.  We used the papers that come with Scrapbook Magazine (which I dislike intensely but are perfect for the children) and glued them back to back.  Then we cut them to size (6x4 so we can easily add photos where needed) and he rounded all the corners.  Then he cut the title element and wrote it out (several times as he wasn't happy with it) and made his own owl and a little flag.  He got very excited about we put it all together and almost combusted when I showed him how to insert the pin into the foam tape of the title!

He's got lots of different papers in his book and the spare bits are in a bag.  He has punched some shapes ready to decorate his pages and made a little pocket for these and his gems that he wants to use.  I tell you this kid is a chip off the old block!

September also sees a return of the Artful Angels crops and I am so excited because I get to take my new bag.  Look at this beauty!!!

The fabulous Lunch Lady Jan made it for me especially to fit my trimmer which won't fit in my rolling tote.  It is exactly what I wanted - pockets on the outside for my keys and purse and long straps to make it easier on my shoulder.

She chose the fabrics herself and I think she knows me well enough that she got it spot on, literally!  Pink polka dots and a pink and aqua tea cup fabric!  (She knows I love tea!)  She also made it extra sturdy by using a special backing.  I love it!

Louis took some photos of me "wearing" it but I looked awful so I ended up just holding it out so you can see all its gorgeousness.  I am very lucky to have such a talented and wonderful friend and I am planning a little something to say thank you in return.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have a cup of tea to drink.

Bye for now

xx

Learn Something New Everyday

Can you believe it is almost September?  I found a leaf this morning that was scarlet, so beautiful, and I knew  Autumn was suddenly saying hello.  September always brings Shimelle's Learn Something New Everyday class and last year I got very organised with making my own album, cutting all the pages to size etc.  For some reason, I never even completed day 1.  I made mental notes about what I was learning and most of it related to the exercise programmes that I was trying to achieve.  In the end, I took the photos that related to my lessons and this weekend I made a double page layout with those instead of the album.

I printed my journalling in a list and then cut it into strips.

I'm happy that they overlap the photos which is something I wouldn't normally do, because the journalling is the most important thing here.  

Of course, the end of September was when my Step-Mum died suddenly but this wasn't  about that at all and I didn't want to make a big thing of it here.  I made a note in relation to 29th which might sound a bit harsh on its own but I intend to do another page that preceeds this one with the story of that evening - I was on my way to the gym when I got the phone call.

I used Echo Park Paper's This and That Graceful collection because the pinks and reds were a great match for my red vest and pink iPod cover.

I can tell you that I have lost NO weight since then due to hovering around the same half stone mark but I have carried on with Slimming World because I knew if I stopped I would start gaining!  My shoulders are still causing me great problems so I have had to suspend my gym membership.  The next step is another MRI looking at a different area but I am going back to the gym in September regardless to work on the bits I can.  Although I am sad that the summer holidays are almost over, I am quietly looking forward to the changes that it will bring and I will have much to record for LSNED this year!

I haven't wasted the album from last year though.  I have changed the date to 2012 and got my basket of supplies ready and I am busy making owls to use for my journalling.  I'll share my preparations in another post very soon.  What are you looking forward to about September?  Anyone else joining us for LSNED this year?

Bye for now
xx

Just Me

I've had this layout planned for ages.  The photo is the first one I ever tried to take of myself nearly 2 years ago now.  I thought it was about time I featured in my own albums now and then!  

I wanted to use lots of the things I love so I included some of my favourite hoarded papers and ribbons, lots of pink and aqua, pieces of craft packaging, music paper, book style paper and cupcake transparency.  

This little chipboard house is a nod to my love of being at home.  There is bunting, hearts and roses, oh my! Everything on the page is special to me and relevant.  Its about what I liked at that time (which is much the same as now really!)

Of course what I really like is scrapping with my friends and eating delicious things like cakes and chocolate and chips.  However I am being very very good with my eating at the moment (more on that in another post)  so on Saturday I will be scrapping with my friends and eating fruit and a jacket potato!  Still, as long as I am playing with paper I am happy.  To be honest it will make a lovely change from the other playing with paper that I have been doing which is ripping it from our hallway walls.  I am literally twitching.  I despise the disruption that decorating causes but I hope to goodness it will be over quickly and worth it in the end.  Sing with me now "This too shall pass"... :-)


Bye for now
xx

Down on the Farm

Don't worry, we were not eaten by cows on holiday, it has just taken us a while to get back into the swing of normal life.  Louis turned 6 on the day after we got home and then there were various Jubilee activities and social occasions to attend and host - all good stuff!

We had a totally superb holiday down in Devon.  We were about 6 miles from Axminster in the Blackdown Hills staying at Aller Farm with Featherdown Farm Days.  We were glamping for the first time and we all agreed it was one of the best holidays ever.  Obviously I have lots of photos but many of them don't do justice to our experience.  Here are a handful of treasured memories from that week.

Ice-cream at West Bay

Inside our "home".

Bringing the luggage down the track.

The first egg from our own little hen coop.

Deer at Powderham Castle.

Bella helping Farmer Nigel at milking time.

Fantastic pizza in the bread oven.

Bella busy with her bucket at Lyme Regis.

My babies at the end of a cross country walk.

The village scarecrow competition.

Delicious stew cooked by hanging over an open fire.

Pudding.

One of the tent views.

As you can see, the children were in their element.  They were free to come and go around the fields with the other children and we often had either no children or 7 children in our tent!  They had a den building kit which they set up across the stream tucked away in the woods and they loved getting up every morning to check on the chickens.  Louis was able to run to the farm honesty shop for provisions and he loved the freedom and importance of his tasks.  Nigel and Emma were fantastic hosts and I put on WAY too much weight with Emma's fantastic baking.  We bottle fed a calf, cuddled a 5 week old puppy and narrowly missed a calf actually being born.  We were so blessed with the weather and we were able to go down to the various beaches and go rock pooling, dig in the sand or hunt for fossils.  We may have had a cream tea or two.  Or three...

It was wonderful to be without electricity and I was surprised how little I missed my instant cups of tea as it took about 45 minutes to make one from scratch on the wood burning stove!  Just sitting with a book, looking out onto the fields of cows, hearing only the sounds of them chewing and the birds singing, was glorious indeed.  We were all wonderfully relaxed and more than one of us cried when it was time to come home (can you guess who?  Yes okay, you got me, of course one of those people was me!)

We came back slightly pinker (me) or browner (the others), clear skinned, rosy cheeked, inspired, happy, relaxed, chubby and absolutely desperate to go back again some day.

Bye for now
xx

New Year's Resolutions!

Happy New Year!

Did anyone see where this year went?  And in particular this December?  I wish the first 24 days of December went by so quickly as a child!  It is the last night of the year and I can honestly say this has been one of the most frenetic and topsy turvy years of my life.  Christmas was wonderful but difficult too with various family issues, some old and some new.  In the main though, both of the children and also myself were thoroughly spoiled.  We ate so much and I put on more weight that I knew was physically possible in one week and we just spent time as a family which was wonderful.  Management had to work a few days and is working tomorrow as he doesn't drink so he always does the New Year's Day shift.  We'll be heading over to have lunch with him and get some much needed fresh air, even if it is raining!  I swear I could be abducted by aliens, dropped back to earth and have absolutely no idea which time of the year it is - it seems to have been mild and wet for the entire year.

Getting some fresh air is one of my main resolutions for the coming year.  I have many plans, some big and some small, but there are a lot of things that need to change.  Like many people, the New Year will see me getting back to my Slimming World plan (I've still been going to the weigh ins), heading back to the gym (with my new kit, water bottle and my new iPhone!!) and generally looking after myself a bit more.  B starts pre-school next week so it will be a little extra breathing time for me to achieve some of the things I plan to.  I would really like to be able to run outside and one of my aims for the year is to do the 5km Eastleigh Park Run.

As well as looking after myself physically, of course I need to REALLY look after myself mentally.  I have really struggled over Christmas, possible virally induced, probably exacerbated by too much of the wrong food etc but I am hopeful that a return to normal routine will help.

I read Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project over the Summer and so much of a struck a cord with me so I will be revisiting that book and using some of the advice to see if I can have me my very own happiness project.  I know crafting will be right up there of course and I have great plans to finish off some half completed projects.  I've done more scrapbooking in the last year than in the whole time since I started (I started collecting bits and being interested about 6 years ago but only actually started in earnest about 3 years ago).  Both Management and I also want to find some time for reading though too.  We used to devour books and we've both been given some new ones for Christmas but its finding the time.  I am going to try getting up earlier in the mornings as I only doze once the children are up anyway.  Who knows, it might even help me sleep!

Well that's an awful lot of changes for one person and I won't pretend it will be easy or that I will get all of it done but if I make an effort, that will be a start.

So raise a glass with me to toast the New Year, the year of the Olympics and the Golden Jubilee, and most importantly, the year when I achieve at least some of my goals.  What are your resolutions or do you not make them?  What would you like to achieve this year?  If you fancy some company on the journey, let me know.

Cheers!

WOYWW 129

A bit of this, a bit of that, that's my desk at the moment.  After a couple of weeks of solicitors and meeting lovely crafty friends in Ikea, I haven't joined in for a while.  My crafting has slipped a bit too because I just want to wrap myself in blankets and sleep right now!

I am about to clear the decks to do the wrapping.  I shall put on a silly hat and some Christmas music, light some festive smelling candles (whilst not leaving them unattended / going out to collect L from school / go to bed, as I have 3 times in the past week...)

Before I can start, there are bits of JYC which I need to sort and pack into my bag for the final crop of the year on Saturday, bits of the 11 layouts from the Stash Dive, and bits of Christmas planning, and I think I spied some bits of someone small's crafting there too.  Then there is a tie that needs stitching and some photos to be copied for my dear Dad.

I've just had my nails done (my new treat to myself for my weight loss) so I can't possible do anything other than a bit of blog hopping for a while.  You'll fine the list of desks to visit on Julia's blog and while you are there, why not upload and share yours?

Bye for now
xx

I'm excited to announce....

...that I have my very first DT role!

I will be designing for the newly opened S J Crafts which is a lovely on-line shop based in the Bournemouth area.  Sarah holds regular open days and crops so I hope to get down and meet her in person very soon.  In the meantime I can look forward to a parcel of goodies for my first assignment which I will obviously be sharing on here too.  I am really excited about this and I think it was fate that made our paths cross at just the right time.

Sarah has frequent special offers in the shop and P&P is free when you spend £15 (and who wouldn't want to spend £15 when she has such lovelies as this collection?)

The other wonderful team members are:
Jo
Jenny
Louise
Jennifer

I had actually guessed 3 of these but I'm not sure how!  They are blogs I have visited often and admired their work and I hope you will too.  I'm looking forward to seeing what we all come up with and I'm really excited to see an independent shop stocking lots of different product lines and I'm wondering what else will be coming to the shop soon.

I had such a great day yesterday and it started with Sarah's e-mail asking me to be on the team.  Then one of my layouts was used in one of Shimelle's prompts for LSNED.  Then a mum at school told me that I look slimmer everytime she sees me (that went down VERY well I can tell you!)  Then I lost 1.5lb at Slimming World and came home to a grocery delivery where we ended up with £5 of best ham for nothing.

This morning I went to the gym, as is my normal Tuesday routine, and I completed Day 1, Week 4 of C25k and I managed it okay!  I am feeling on top of the world right now and although I know I must be very careful with my moods, it finally feels like things are starting to fall into place.  I am even feeling brave enough to go to Alexandra Palace on my own on Sunday (please let me know if you will be there too!)

So I hope you will join me for a virtual cuppa, have a peruse of the shop blog and the other ladies blogs too, and say "chin chin" or "bottoms up" (or whatever it is you say where you are) in order to celebrate all that is good in the world.

Bye for now xx

Sketch of the Week 14th September

Just a flying visit to post up this fab sketch from Shimelle from last week.  

The colours are much better IRL but I really wanted to get the photo done and it was awful weather so I had to do it indoors which is not idea.  I decided against using MME again and went for Crate Paper's "Emma's Dresse Shop".   The butterflies are actually patterned and they are Jenni Bowlin.

That title is the thing that held me up for days.  I used some very thin pink and white polka dot letter stickers but they were a bit wishy washy.  I tried to outline them with my American Crafts brown pen but it is has never worked properly.  I swiped it across a Distress ink pad and that seemed to work but it looked crappy so I painted over the letters instead.  It still looked crappy so I put some crackle accent on top.  It still looks crappy but I gave up at that point!

I'm really pleased with this little cluster though.  I've been wanting to use this ballet ticket since I got it and it seemed like a good time to use the larger Emma's Shoppe sticker.  The ribbon flower is a new thing for me and it was something I picked up from Kirsty Wiseman.  Its one of those where you tack along one edge and then pull it tight.  It was a bit too long though and it ended up wrapping around on itself but I love it!

The beautiful cameo was stolen from another layout.  I am looking for something more masculine to replace it as it was a layout about Management.

Right, time to grab a spot of lunch (nothing too heavy as its Slimming World tonight!) and then I have to find out my programme for C25k tomorrow.  I'm now on Week 4!  Yikes!  More on that soon.

Bye for now xx

WOYWW 110

Well I had a bit of a tidy up after last week but it is still a work in progress.  I'm in the process of making a decision on replacing the furniture in my craft room but I'm reluctant to let go of the furniture I have as it was very special and expensive when we bought it! (you can see one of the dressers there, they were handmade in Indonesia before all the Cargo Homestores and Argos types starting doing it much cheaper!)  Anyway, I'm preparing for a 12 hour crop on Saturday (YAY) so I have all my card and patterned paper out ready to make up some kits.

A couple of my layouts may just involve this lovely load of lushiousness which I fell in love with.

I'm in the process of ordering a LOAD of photos, which will hopefully be here in time for the crop.  The glittery pink overload may just be appearing on a layout involving this little lady here...

Butter wouldn't melt huh...

She gets totally absorbed in her ballet class and a calm aura comes over her.

It's only half an hour but she is exhausted by the concentration at the end.

B works alone, the other girls have their mum's there, in September she will be moved up to the next class.

My little Diva...

Mid strop.  She doesn't like taking her ballet shoes off.

Thanks for looking at my work for the week and please do have a browse of other work spaces and see what other crafters and workers are up to.  Julia's blog is the place to visit for the list to have a good old snoop.

I'm off to have my running style looked at so I can make sure I have the right trainers and then I will be back for a peruse a little later on.  Wish me luck!

Bye for now xx