My Life's Ingredients

Just didn't have the time to do any editing. Shot in RAW, so deffo need some editing, if only converting to JPEGs. Not sure if I can manage tomorrow (lots of stuff to do) but should find the time during my 4.5 hours down to London on the train on Friday. :) Will give the lowdown of the weekend then as well.

And yes, the Blitz #11 is SPARTAN from The New Gladiators!!! :D Comment from DH - "He's not as tall as he seems on TV!" LOL(and DH should know - he's been the TLO (Team Liaison Officer) for the London Blitz!!).

I've got lots to do today ... :) Including trying my hand on the new muffin recipe for the recipe swap, doing some Wolves stuff and going to the hairdressers. And maybe - if I am feeling ok and up for it - I'll even go to the gym tonight. Been yesterday evening, because I had the tummy trouble on Tuesday, so might go tomorrow early morning instead. That would mean to get up veeeery early - it's BBXXII!! :) We'll see how my day and my to-do list goes ... off to take a photo of my "old" haircut now, let's see what the hair dressers do with it. New photo will follow afterwards. :D

Have you been to Bev's Blog today? She's giving away yummie blog candy! Don't you just love nice people like her??? :D

My FIL's birthday card (now that he got it). :) It's from the "Making Cards - Cards for men" special issue and I quite like it. :) Took me about 45 mins to do the whole thing though. Not sure why I am always taking so long to do stuff, even CARDS!!! :o Oh, and I have booked 2 classes at Stamper's Grove again (haven't taken part in classes for 2 years now!) - one being the "Cuttlebug Christmas" and the other is the "Bind it all Calendar". REALLY looking forward to do them! :)

I actually managed to make the 3 birthday cards I planned to do. And I made 2 with one of my first 2 Magnolia stamps (Tilda in autumn wind). Usually I thought I wouldn't like them, because of the angel wings, but they grow on me!! :) So here they are - also managed to do them all (apart from the baby cards which are a couple of months old but I think I never showed them on here) using a sketch from "A Spoon Full of Sugar" - just left out the sentiment. Wanted to emboss the dragon but couldn't find my heating gun!!! :o So hopefully I am able to find it the next 2 days... :o Rubber stamp: unknown, ink: ColorBox pigment brush pad Silver, Bronze & Antique Pewter, background & ribbon: DCWV Far East pad. Rubber stamp : Magnolia Creations " HO07 Tilda i blåsväder / Windy Tilda " , ink : Versa Color Black, ribbon: unknown, flowers: Rebecca's Scrapbook Stash (Boomin Blossoms Kit), brads: HOTP Personal Shopper kit, background papers: DCWV ...

as it seems. At least not for myself. I usually get some stuff done in the kitchen (like washing up, emptying and filling the dishwasher, put on a wash, hang up washing, cook dinner and prepare much work lunches). But do I get done anything crafty? Do I EVER!! :( So I am planning to take up my dinner and make the 3 birthday cards I have been trying to do for AGES! 2 belated birthdays and one still to come. Also plan on preparing my recipe cards for the Christmas Cupcake/Muffin Recipe Swap on UKS . Let's hope I'll get at least the birthday cards done, eh? Probably spend too much time on the PC/laptop ... and I believe with the craft area still being a mess (YES, I KNOW!!!! :o) ) it doesn't really get me in a crafty mood. Won't be able to clear out the room before October though, with Britbowl and my annual trip down to London looming... :o AND we've got our Awards Night for the Junior and Senior Wolves the first weekend in October ... and I have to think of someth...

...and I should be packing my bag really. And print photos. And prep other stuff, like...oh, don't know... JOURNALLING?? Been to an early scan today, everything going fine, still on Zolly for a couple more months. They found fluid in the womb which has been there for quite some time, but they can't do anything about it unless they're going for a laparoscopy (AGAIN .. would be ... err... number 4-5 for me??) and as it's not doing anything bad to my body they are not going down that route. Dropped off DH at work with TONS of biccies from Burton's I got yesterday and then went for a quick shop (lunches for me are sorted for next week) and decided against getting card stock at the shop on Slateford road, and also against popping into Stampers Grove to pick up my ordered Cuttlebug embossing folders. Means I have to go tomorrow during the crop after all, but at least I don't have the hassle about where to park the car and pay for it as well. Got my new "ScrapArt...

of that 60 mins 3x per week regime Stewart signed us up for. ;) It's actually getting better/easier, and as long as I am remembering my knee and am careful if it feels like it starts hurting, then I should be fine. Let's face it - it's mostly BORING. Even with my MP3 player. Usually nothing interesting on TV either, so I think from tomorrow I'll bring one of my Sports Therapy books with me so I can do something useful and catch up again. Had the cryo cuff on yesterday for around 30 mins and that was all. Knee was fine this morning. Work was ok, lots of urgents that I get left, right and centre, and one case that's getting on my nerves as the other teams involved think I/my team can solve the problem, but we can't - we just don't have the info needed, and I told the other team that about 5 times over the last week. Let's hope the problem gets solved tomorrow, as getting e-mailed about it & replying/trying to find out who can help has cost me 1 ho...

I usually don't use my cryo cuffs on myself. They are there for the Wolves mostly. My shoulders and my knee has never been injured or hurt that much to warrant to put on the cuff myself. However... I DO have anatomically dodgy knees. My patellae (knee caps) are misshapen, one side longer than the other, and the apex is off centre as well. So long walks and jogging can cause problems (if I don't get the shin splints first, which can be due to avoiding knee pains). As a teen I had problems with my knee locking or hurting when I slipped (ice or muddy surface, usually down hill). As a result I got the scans which confirmed the above. Was diagnosed with "Chondromalacia Patellae" at the age of 12 I believe. Never had any problems with dislocation/subluxation of the patellae though (TOUCH WOOD!). Anyway, enough of the medical blurb - think the patella on my left leg must have shifted funnily yesterday when we did our 60 mins Cardio (bike & cross trainer), so now I am ly...

Seems I am getting regular with blogging on Fridays! :) Thoughts of today? Done some housework (been up and down to the loft for a bit, been to the Plastic & Clothes bank and arranged to get my last Zolly prescription sorted - the docs only gave me 2 last time in error - so picked up the 3rd today), have been doing the washing up and emptying/filling the dishwasher. Then I searched again for my Christmas Planner. .. printed most prompts and cleaning info off in 2005 but couldn't find it all week when I was searching for it. Printed a couple more prompts off and found birthday presents for FIL. Oh, and found some nice crafty Christmas planners (via links from above), printed off the instructions and will have a go at that at some point. Now I just have to make 3 birthday cards. Will do that tomorrow some time. Now DH and I will be off to do our 2nd session of the Killer - 60 - mins - Cardio in a bit... am still sore from Wednesday, but it's not too bad. Will get better with ...

Ok... it's not that I haven't been back to the gym in a while ... I just started to get regular again, and did 20 mins cardio-ish (walking as per Chip as running on the Treadmill is no good for me because of my knees) and then usually 40 mins resistant weights. Today DH had his induction again (last one was about ... errr... several years ago), and the instructor was Stewart, the only one left from the "old crew". Sooo.... a look in the PC showed we haven't been the most regular gym users over the last year (oops!) so they worry about us leaving. ;) And what does he do? He's putting us through 60 (!!!!!!) mins of cardio!!! Just to make up for the times we haven't been down. ;) ok, it was only 57 mins for me, but it's really killed me. :D Have to do the same again Friday, Monday and Wednesday. Then Wednesday it's weights induction. EVIL!!! I always knew it!! But hey, Stewart said he lost 1.5 st in 8 weeks doing this program 5 days/week plus strict ...

Finally recovered enough from the shock of the prizes and managed to book my train tickets to London for my annual "Sharon visit" and Ally Pally. :) It's blimming £63 - that's nearly £40 more than last year! Think I have to book once I know the dates for autumn Ally Pally 2009 so I get the lowest fare of £14 each way!!! Anyway, it's not a full week, as I have my (so far) last Zoladex injection on the Friday, but will leave at noon the same day and return on the Wednesday (so I don't lose out on working my 2 days and getting "holiday hours" for Florida!). Should be enough time with Sharon & her BF. But then ... there's never enough time to spend with them really, specially since they moved to "the big smoke". Looking forward to the trip though, may be even able to catch up with some old work colleagues from 1998's WORLDxCHANGE!! :) Have to speak to Trev about that. Just have to stick to very tight budget for Ally Pally ... beca...