January into February

It's not often that I get ahead of myself. But get me - I have not only finished my January journal page, but got my February page ready to go! I really like this format - just enough to have something to do each day, but not enough to feel any pressure to complete a whole page. I have taken to keeping a bucket of pens, pencils etc in the lounge so that I can doodle in front of the tv each evening.

The balloon images are from Rian. I also helped my 8 year old daughter make a journal today, she too is now taking part in the 365 challenge, starting tomorrow!

I'm baaaack!

At last - normal service is resumed! You don't realise how much you rely on a computer until you don't have one! I must say though, I'm not sure that it is a coincidence that I have had more time to do 'real' stuff since I haven't been able to spend ages cruising blogland!Anyway, some catching up to do!


I prepared this background using neocolours ages ago, and sat and filled it in on New Year's Eve when we were talking about what we wanted to achieve this year. I didn't like it to start with (might have been something to do with the fact that I had had a couple(!) of glasses of wine when I did it... However, I added some 7Gypsies rub-ons a few weeks later, and I am a bit happier with it now.


This is my own personal challenge for the year. A couple of years ago I started going to swimming lessons again - it makes a change from running and I wanted to improve my front crawl. Little did I know what it would turn into.... We are now a big group of swimmers who whilst not competitive with each other, are very competitive with ourselves. Last year some of the girls swam the Great North Swim - a mile in Lake Windemere. I can't do that kind of thing - I have this weird claustrophobia thing that makes swimming in large groups give me panic attacks, but it started a chain of events where we have taken any opportunity we can to indulge in a bit of 'wild' swimming. Co-incidentally it has become a real growth sport in the UK recently, and there is even a fabulous and beautiful book about it. Anyway, this year I want to swim the mile loop of the lake at our local racecourse, as much as possible in front crawl. I appreciate that for some it might not sound like much of challenge, but that putting your head in freezing cold water thing is quite an issue for me! The images are from Tumblefish Studio The lettering is from Cassiscreations on etsy.

Back (briefly)

I have a small amount of computer time, before the battery runs out and I am still waiting for a new power cable to arrive, so this will be brief! I have had a great Christmas, and even managed to get in a bit of journalling! First of all, here is my January page for Kate's 365 challenge:


After all the grey and whiteness of the past month, I needed lots of colour! I have had a lot of fun doing these pages, and found the little square quite manageable even during the hectic Christmas period. We have just a weekend away, and I even prepared the pages Feb, March and April!

Here's a page from my little journal, in which I have completed a staggering (for me) TEN pages sine I last blogged!:
This was our first Christmasat home as a family since my son was born 6 years ago, and I loved it!

As the snow began to melt, I felt I had to mark the occasion of a whole month of winter whiteness somehow. This whole weather thing is unprecedented in my living memory - I wonder if my kids will look back and think it always snowed in winter and was hot in the summer....?


My battery is fading fast, so better save the other pages for another day. Thaks for visiting - I will be back soon!

still here. honest!

I know it looks as though I have fallen off the blog planet, but believe me I have been busy in between all the Christmas and New Year festivities. I finished my December page and am enjoying my January page - have even prepped my February page, but my computer is broken, so whilst I can do aquick post like this, scanning and uploading pics is a bit beyond my technological capabilities at the mo. Should be back up and running next week though, so will deluge you with work then. Look forward to joining in with the challege proper then!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

 

So yesterday was a red letter day - the last day of school and it snowed! My children, who normally need to be persuaded, begged, threatened and cajoled into being ready to leave the house at 8.30 on a work day, were outside playing in the snow at 7.20 yesterday! It's amazing what a bit of the white stuff can do! This is a view of the walk to school! How picturesque does it look in the snow!

As we were the first in to school, the playground was a virginal white blanket, unsullied by human footprint...That is until I dared Charlie to make a snow angel!

 

I love the snow, but more than anything, I love the look on my kids' faces when we get this kind of snow. The pure glee on her face makes me giggle. Mind you, contrast that with the state of my son after an hour in the snow that afternoon when I left them sledging in the field next to the horse whilst I was busy breaking the ice in the water troughs and filling haynets. The poor mite was crying with the cold - the snow was so deep it was coming over the top of his wellies and his little feet were numb. A fire, 2 hot chocolates with marshmallows and a blanket later, plus the final of one man and his dog - he recovered.

Countdown...

 

 

 

Inspired by Kate, who in turn got her inspiration from somewhere else in Blogland, I have created a December calender page for my big journal. This month, as anyone who works with children or who has children will know, is mad. I knew that I wouldn't have much time, or come to that, energy for creative stuff, so this seemed to be the perfect answer to getting messy, getting a few things down without having to do a whole page. As you can see, I haven't had much creativity since I did this page, cos' I seem to have done little other that scribble a few words on some of the boxes, and I'm even behind on that! Still, on countdown now, and only 2 days to go until we break up.....

A la Teesha

So, like a lot of other people out in blogland, I have been watching the online tutorials that Teesha Moore has posted on her blog and utube. I thought it would be fun to give it a go. It was, but I'm not wild about the fact that it isn't really my page, it's me copying Teesha (and that not very well)and I need to seriously practise my lettering! And it took ages! I think I've been at this one page for well over a week! Admittedly I have been nose to the grindstone with college assignments and being VERY disciplined about not doing any art. I enjoyed the process, and learned a few techniques that I want to try on my own stuff, but I also added to my ongoing shopping list of things I 'need' next. If anyone finds a UK stockist of those Sharpie poster paint pens, or Uni Posca pens which I think might be similar, will they let me know please?