Thursday 31 July 2008

Moving on Up

(and moving on out... hopefully)

Well there's not much left to go with the H-word apart from all the searches, which of course will turn up a billion things that need sorting, I am sure. DH and I and my friend and her kid went to see the house yesterday lunchtime. There is a MAHOOSIVE stain of wet and mould and cringeable stuff in one corner, that I somehow didn't see (I must have been suffering temporary BLINDNESS it is that big). I am an idiot and have been merrily beating myself up about it for the past 24 hours. But according to my Dad (not only a builder and surveyor but teacher of builders and surveyors) it is a classic condensation patch. PHEW. I don't know quite why you need to know this detail, but I have been keeping fairly quiet on the H front, because I am aware that there is no-one quite as boring as a house bore. I have been having everyone else's house stories, and yes, they are boring! I just want to tell you about mine! So yeah, hopefully things are going to be ok, hopefully the searches will pan out, hopefully we won't have to live in that tiny little room any more! Hopefully I won't pass out from the 3 flights of stairs I have to climb every day! Hopefully I will enjoy moving house! Hopefully I will be given a little bit of time off work to move since I have no holidays left....

This is why I don't tell you about the house ;-)

Okay, so in my non-house-related world - last weekend I went to a Hen Do. Yes I forgot to tell you about that! We went to Ladies' Day at Newcastle Races and dressed up and I made some cute little "Jen's Hen" badges with a little chickie on them! We went out for dinner and dancing and I was the tiredest thing on this earth. I almost fell asleep in the club, standing up!

On Sunday I met DH in Manchester and got some "Flurogoddess" coloured vest tops and a zippy hoodie! Then I passed out on the coach on the way home!

I took yesterday off work to pack stuff for the wedding tomorrow, and buy wrapping paper, and necklaces and dance with babies in Leicester Square.

I still have a ton of stuff to do tonight - I am training until 9pm and our train is at 6:15am tomorrow. Deep. Joy.

The weekend has a wedding, a craft fair, and a Traction Engine Rally. I can't wait. I hope there's some room for sleeping in there!

Monday 28 July 2008

Progress of Sorts

The bank is considering...

I am submersing myself in busy, travelling the length and breadth of the country over the weekend and trying to enjoy myself despite the tiredness. I downed 4 Red Bulls on Saturday evening in an attempt to stay awake, but I still passed straight out when my head hit the pillow.

Here's what I've been doing this lunchtime:

lovehearts

Thursday 24 July 2008

Badger badger badger badger badger badger BADGES!

Heh.

I have ordered a badge maker! Hoorah!

I have also made another little notebook with a blown dandelion on the front, that was cute to draw.

Things are still all over the place with the H-word, and it's getting tiring and emotional. There is also some rubbish stuff going on at work, which is horrid and makes me want to stay in bed in the mornings and not come in.

I wish I could just disappear into a little room, shut myself in for a while, and actually get on with some work, and some craft and then emerge like a beautiful, productive butterfly.

Thursday 17 July 2008

Clogs and Watermelons

Things here are all over the place, like clogs and watermelons.

The craft fair in Kilburn on Sunday was great! I met some wonderful ladies at the African Showcase and I got to wear my first African head wrap! The day was particularly profitable since we walked to the park with our wheelie suitcase rather than borrow the van from work and pay for the diesel.

On Monday I started my new gym workout incorporating plyometric exercises for jumping kicks. Grrr. I have a love hate relationship with it. Part of me thinks I'm not going to succeed, but part of me loves jumping around. I'm also really trying to "trim down" which is not conducive to optimal performance and makes it hard to go without my Pepsi Max crutch.

I ended up teaching 2 martial arts classes on Tuesday, one a private lesson and one a group of 30 students. It was so hot that I wasn't keen on doing any training anyway!

I have a couple of paper projects on the go at the moment - one is the Order of Service for my friends' wedding on Saturday, I just have to finish folding the rest of the 100 copies I printed out last night.

I'm also working on these

notes i

but with a sheep and "Notes from Goathland" on the front. The notepads are made from 100% recycled and reclaimed printer paper. They have plain, usable pages on both sides, unlike some of the recycled notepads that are just used printer pages bound together without any thought of use! Of course, these are available in the shop.

I am also thinking about buying a badge maker. In fact it's a pretty dead cert, but I have no-where to put it right at this moment in time. I might just wait a few more weeks since we have had a massive bundle of documents sent from the solicitor re: the H word. I must fax him some stuff today.

Monday 14 July 2008

A Leopard in Tesco!

I was waiting in the queue this morning and what should leap out on me but a snow leopard!

Ok, ok so perhaps I am a little sleep-deprived, but really, leopards in Tesco! Who knew!?

Photobucket

The girl's hair was completely white, cut in a short choppy crop 'do, then she'd shaved the back right quarter so that it was partially covered by her longer choppy hair, and on the shaved bit - was leopard print. Talk about a girl crush! I almost stalked her right out of the store!

Wednesday 9 July 2008

Crafter SHOCK!

Check me out!

here

On someone else's design blog!

Wahooo!

Thank you craftershock!

Tuesday 8 July 2008

So What's Happening Today?

Well.

Firstly I have orange eyes. Spooky. Well I have enough orange in my eyes to dye my contact lenses so the world is a little off-kilter. Nothing major, just a little bit.

I had a couple of new kiddies at martial arts last night and my only little girl has been practising her flexibility and won herself a tube of smarties. She was really really pleased! I love her, she is very quiet and very smiley, but she gets it. Her mum says she's been practising and wouldn't entertain the idea of not coming when the traffic was really bad, so they got out of the car and ran to my class!

I have spoken to the bank, and also to the solicitor, and to the surveyors today. I was going to call the estate agent and let them know what is happening, but the solicitor hasn't been to his office since last Tuesday. He will be there this evening to hopefully receive the HIPS pack, memorandum and draft contract. Hopefully our mortgage documents will be waiting for us to sign when we get home, and then I just have to hope that our solicitor moves quickly and that we don't have any search hiccups.

Monday 7 July 2008

We love you Craftzine (or: Famous for 5MPix)

Check it out

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/07/craft_flickr_pool_weekly_round_4.html

I am on the weekly round up of the Craftzine flickr pool! Or more precisely, Mr Breakfast Face is!

Breakfast face cushion

Friday 4 July 2008

Phew!

This has been one whirlwind week!

Monday I was resting at work! Tuesday I spent on the phone with solicitors, estate agents, solicitors, the bank, estate agents, estate agents, the fax, estate agents. Then I was training for 2 hours in the evening. Lee had me doing side kicks off one leg for AN HOUR. My knee has not recovered yet!

On Wednesday Lee and I spent the whole day teaching rowdy kids at Heston School. I ended up doing 5 hours of training too, since I was demonstrating and teaching and encouraging the kids to do kicks and punches. It was really great fun but very very tiring!

On Thursday I was training again for a couple of hours, and teaching too. My ladies class is dwindling at the moment, I only had 4 people last night, and 2 of them were new so they didn't pay. Huff.

Today I am planning on doing a bit of craft, and the weekend will be spent doing martial arts and more crafts since I am going a fair in Kilburn on July 13th! I'm really looking forward to scenting my candles over the weekend and introducing a couple more bits and bobs to the shop.

Tuesday 1 July 2008

Fancy a cuppa?

Although these are a lighter version of the regular cuppa!

Tea Light iii

Tea Light ii

Tea Light i

Available in the shop, of course!