My Life's Ingredients

Today's scrimmage was quite funny with a very depleted Alumni side (Ironman Football ... everyone playing both ways and only 1 player getting a breather per drive!). The current Squad was not back to full strength due to mid-term either. It was a glorious day up in Stirling, with only a little "spittle" for a couple of minutes about halfway through. Got a lot of good shots as well, interesting lighting as I did half of the pics shooting into the sun, which gave the photos a hazy look, like the one of Shane's (I think!) catch! I was a bit disappointed that 2 alumni players and ex Wolves, Johnny Bannerman and Adam "Mung" Smith, didn't take part in the scrimmage... would have been great to catch up with them again (but I am going to see Johnny on Thursday anyway). However, managed to catch up with some 2009 Wolves after end of season (sometimes it's weird after spending so much time with them for 4 months and you suddenly don't see them e...

Now on to sewing... huh! Or fighting with the sewing machine ... we'll see what happens. ;) Pics for you (the second is to come once the first batch is out of the oven! ;) ):

Just taking a lunch break in between making Xmas tags for the Advent calendar Swap on Dani's Forum , making the first batch of cheesecake brownies for the next 2 weeks, sewing small Xmas bags for the swap above, filling them with the goodies and then sending them off in a parcel to Germany. ;) So far I think I am on track ok ... let's just hope my sewing machine is not playing up this time. Didn't get a new costume for tomorrow's party, but that's ok ... found my lab coat, still to find my goggles mind ... then "Mad Scientist" it is again. :) Wonder if I am going to be more prepared next year ... might actually SEW something ... again... provided sewing machine is compliant, but then ... I've to do a lot of sewing the next month, so it SHOULD BEHAVE!! Pumpkin soup tonight ... and want to carve the thing as well... no idea yet about WHAT I'm carving, will find out later ... ;) It's not first priority (that would be the swap today). So for now I ...

as I am about to fall asleep! :o Been back to work for the first time since the OP, and while my body is ok and was "compliant" from day 3 post OP, my brain just didn't want to play along at work today. I felt totally drained, and even 3 mugs of tea didn't help ... or a caffeine pill from one of my colleagues.. :o Nope, I actually got more tired and the last hour of work I probably walked around like a zombie!!! Going shopping after work for mainly baking ingredients (as I have to make a couple of batches of my "famous" cheesecake brownies over the next 2 or so weeks... ;)) and getting stuff for dinner probably didn't help much either. :( DH was busy and had to get stuff from B&Q for our shed (the roof was ripped off somehow - I didn't see it, but AP thinks it was the wind .. DH suspects vandals as we heard some clanging yesterday night! :=( ) so I beat my tiredness and cooked dinner (Pork Sausages with caramelized onions (YUM!), carrot...

I saw this one on Lynz's blog and thought I was too late to sign up ... but the girlie just told me there are only 2 sign ups so far, so there! ;) I think it sounds like a bit of fun and I quite like the idea! :) 1. I will make a little something for the first three people who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and it will arrive on your doorstep when you least expect it! 2. I will have 365 days to do it in. What's the catch? To get a handmade prezzie from me, you have to play too. This means YOU pledge to send a little handmade something to three readers of your blog. It doesn't have to be quilty or scrapbooky - just handmade. 3. You must have a blog. (obviously!) 4. BEFORE you comment here, you must post about your Pay It Forward on your blog to keep the fun going, and display the Pay It Forward button. I know I have lots of people reading my blog ... and as I have a couple of followers as well, I hope I won't have a problem with people taking part. :) I wi...

The reason we three came down to London in the first place... ;) I'm not particularly a fan of either the Patriots or the Bucs, but I just wanted to take in the atmosphere... goes back to me not having a specific NFL team really. 2 years ago we came down here with Neil and met up with my best friend from Germany, Markus, for the Dolphins v Giants game - the Dolphins of course being Doug's team, and the Giants ... well... I am surprised we've managed to see them live 3 TIMES considering that every single one of them was a snore-fest (even though they made it to SuperBowl XXXV in the 1999/2000 season (after we'd seen them play at Tampa Bay Bucs) and to SuperBowl XLII in 2007/2008 - which is after we saw them in the first of the "International Series" against the Dolphins in London. Anyway... enough of history ... ;) We got up early for breakfast, only to arrive at a 15 mins queue for the breakfast TABLES which would have probably resulted in another 15 mins...

Started early as I had to meet up at 9am with the Browns to catch the train down. :) And after the last problems we had with National Express to London I really wanted to make sure everything is sorted ... Fortunately, Nikki & Dave reserved a table so I was able to go online, keep in touch with DH and check FB etc. Trip was quick and uneventful, and we arrived in London without troubles, put up some money on the Oyster Card and off to the hotel we went (President Hotel at Russell Square). After checking in we decided to go to some of the official shops for NFL merchandise ... and were thoroughly disappointed! The space the shops (Reebok & Footlocker) had set aside for the merchandise was about half my kitchen!!! :o You'd think they'd push the sale a bit more, considering the influx of foreigners coming from America and mainland Europe for the "International Series" game!!! :( Only a couple of jerseys of the main teams (not even all), no kids sizes, no fema...

Not much, but I've been doing it! ;) Sharon's belated birthday card - one of my new "Whiff of Joy" stamps: Whiff of joy stamp "Fall Willow holding baby Turkey" Cuttlebug Embossing Folder "Swiss Dots" Cuttlebug Cut & Emboss Starter pack (included in Cuttlebug machine purchase) Ribbon Patterned Paper: Then her "New Job" card...: Prima flowers Bitmap courtesy Microsoft A tag for the latest "One Stamp Swap" (Pam's Indian Stamps): Stazon Gold Acrylic paint dabber Beadazzle Ribbon Gloo And then the CJ entry I have been procrastinating about for the last 4 (!!!) months! Apologies to the girlies at Dani's forum (life and all that getting in the way!). This is the one with the theme "Moments of Love". I am planning on doing the entry for the "Where I live" CJ this week. I have of course also been doing the Chinese Whispers (still got 1 to do) and will post the...

I wonder sometimes if I have favourites on the team (now teams) who I take pics of... Have had a look at the photos over the years, but have to say it's usually the ball carrier or QB on O (Offense) and the tackler on D (Defense) plus each line. And Special Teams I usually get the kicker/punter. I've got lots of shots of linemen at the LOS (Line of scrimmage) with the opposition just beside it (like below). I do seem to have a shuffle about D or O dominant years though... quite funny. However, I think this year it seems to be fairly even between O and D. :D Just to clear that up, as I had a couple of Wolves players complaining this year that I've taken so many pics of Stuey ... well... that's because he had the blimming ball!! ;) Wonder if I'm going to have one side of the Clansmen being predominantly this year in my shots ... we'll see. :) ETA: Oh ... ok ... I DO have favourites to take pics of ... I admit it! ;)

Today I spent downstairs on the couch - wanted to do soooo much ... read my Card Making mags for inspiration for Xmas cards, read my anatomy book & study notes, do some Xstitch, actually get a late birthday card done for Sharon ... and what did I do? I've watched 1 movie we had on Sky+ for Donkeys, ordered some scrapbooking stuff for the Advent Calendar at Dani's Forum , cooked the lamb shoulder (well.. prepped it and put it in the oven) and emptied the dishwasher (too much bending over there ... bad Kat!!). That was about it. Oh ... and I did a lot of browsing. Bad thing really, have to reduce that!! :o Had planned to pick DH up at his parents but at around 4:30pm I suddenly got a slump ... not sure if that's the anaesthetics still in my body, or if I'd overdone it afterall yesterday ... but I could have fallen asleep on the spot! :o So ... obviously didn't pick DH up. AP kindly did the veggies for dinner, and DH did the reheating ... right now we're watc...

Went to RIE for 11am yesterday for keyhole surgery/laparoscopy ... whatever they want to call it today. It was for the usual, cyst aspiration ... although, this time I was back in Ward 210 instead of day surgery (Dr Martin said it's usually only the early morning slots in the outpatients place, the afternoon ones are in Ward 210) - and the expected "aspiration" (i.e. drainage) turned into a "cystectomy" (i.e. removal). Was a bit worried when I signed the agreement, as Dr Martin said that depending on how things go, how much the cyst obstructs the ovary they may not "know" they removed parts of the ovary until it's too late ... not very comforting, is it!! :o And another thing - he suspects that there are a) more than one cyst (which I knew - but I thought the 2nd was much smaller than the 1st) and b) that they are located one on each ovary. HUH! Now THAT was news!!! :o We'd been waiting for 3 hours already, met a funny lady from Clermiston...

After the awards night yesterday I really could have done without getting up early, but I managed - and it was a wonderful crisp sunny morning! :) Enjoyed the drive up to Stirling (40 -45 mins instead of 60! ;) ) and love Love LOVE the campus!! Arrived about half into the QB training (which was about 30 mins earlier than most of the rest of the squad) and got some nice shots of Cammy going through the motions. Got quite a lot of shots during the full team training session, too. A total of 200 pics ... :o That's usually average for GAMEDAY, but I don't get them at training ... but then... I usually don't take photos at Wolves training, and have to do some catch up for the Clansmen pics. ;) After meeting only the vets at training camp it was quite interesting to see the full team - and it was even better to see one of the ex-Wolves Juniors kitting up again. FAB! :) The team seems to come along well, and it's really nice to work with a total different set of coaches. :)...

I've been hit by bouts of headache last week again and again ... spoken to some other migraine sufferers and we think it's because of the weather ... I really wish I wouldn't be so sensitive to changes in weather with the migraines... :( Yesterday was bad, today I was woken up by a telephone call from the inlaws to let us know they're back home from their holiday... :( Let's say it that way, that phone call didn't help really. But I think I should be able to get some stuff done at least today. Going to have breakfast now and then will look into some crafty stuff ... and get a start on the awards.

That's apparently today... ;) And while my migraine decided to disagree with the weather change outside (woke up with stinking "tight band" headaches and am still not 100%) I hope I will at least manage one card today. :)  Had a look at Dani's Forum where they have an online crop just for cards, and the talented Ladies have a lot of nice cards there. :D So - if you're a card maker, make a card today on World Card Making Day. :)  

Stuffy nose is still there, but puffiness has gone, and headache is fairly small too. PHEW! I just hate it to come back from an action-packed weekend at BritBowl just to get a cold and be out of commission for 3 days of my holidays! :o Fortunately I don't seem to have caught the swine flu that weekend like several others did. :o Planning on doing some crafty stuff today as well as doing some house work, and have to pop to the gym. Main priority for this and next week is the awards for the Senior and Junior Wolves and the Fusion players for our combined Awards Night on the 10th. So I'll look into my "Portfolio" of Wolves Seniors, Wolves Juniors and Fusion players to pick the photos that will be on the awards ... then I will have to look into what I am going to do for the awards. :o Also have to get a CJ entry done ... REALLY!!! And go to the gym. Glad I managed to go out shopping tomorrow afterall (with tension headaches), even though I didn't buy much for myself ....