Photos of 2014

2014 has been a year full of adventures, family and friends. Here are a few (well more than a few!) of my favourite photographs and memories on this, the last day, of 2014.

Mothers day in mum's garden taking silly selfies with Ellie - March2014

ScrapMates Mad Hatters Tea Party - March 2014

Scotland visit with friends & Matt Cardle Glasgow Gig - April 2014

Rob takes up and becomes addicted to running - June 2014

The arrival of Fred the Hamster - Jamie's pet! - June 2014

Robert receiving highest Cub Scout Award with his Dad & Grandad - July 2014

My gorgeous kids at our friends' wedding - July 2014

Frinton-on-Sea day out with mum and the boys - July 2014

Summer holidays day out to Kew Gardens - July 2014

Back to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games and more time with friends - July 2014

Go Ape Adventures - Leeds Castle Aug 2014

Homegrown Music Festival and Cardle cuddles - Aug 2014

Books about town with Caroline - Aug 2014

Summer holiday to Kos - Sept 2014

I stood up to Cancer and got Pretty Muddy - Sept 2014

ATDML Autumn retreat - Oct/Nov 2014

Ellie turned 18 - Nov 2014

Christmas jumpers day - Dec 2014

Return of Timmy with his trainee Elf Ted - Dec 2014

Fun times preparing for the festive season - Dec 2014

The newest Freeman - Ronnie - Dec2014

Thank you to everyone who made me smile, laugh, and shared in the good and bad times of 2014. You know who you are xx

It didn't end of the brightest of notes but it was a year full of adventure, travelling, friendship and family time and I look forward to more good times in 2015.

Fitbit Flex and return of the walking

My Christmas present to myself with a contribution from my lovely in laws was a Fitbit flex an activity tracking gadget. I had the Fitbit one previously and it really motivated my but it was attached to my clothing via a clip and I accidently washed it twice! So I rather fell in love with this version that I can wear on my wrist every day. It syncs wirelessly to my laptop (new one from hubby for Christmas - lucky me) and I have an app on my phone as well. I have set myself a target of 10,000 steps a day until the end of January when I might increase it - depending on how I get on. Walking really helps me to clear my head, is great all round exercise and can be done in short intervals so I can fit it in around my busy lifestyle.  I will be walking regularly once I get back in to my daily/weekly routine in the new year and with mum's funeral to start of 2015 I will need the windy wintery walks to blow away the pain. I find they really help and the natural endorphins created through exercise do make me feel better at this difficult time.

I was surprised I made the target today having spent the day decluttering and clearing out my craft room ready for a room swap to the top floor. The boys have decided not to share the larger bedroom any longer but to split up and move to smaller separate bedrooms and we have a craft/computer/games room in the larger room to all be together. It is going to take some organising but I have made a good start today and again the clear out has given me a focus and purpose at a time when I am struggling to know what to do on a daily basis.

Lets see what tomorrow brings xx

Stay close mum x

December 19th after many weeks in hospital with pancreatitus my mum passed away aged just 66. If you know me,  if you've met me then you'll  know I'm full of life.  I'm loud and strong willed,  I'm determined and confident (most of the time) and I smile from ear to ear. All these things I get from my mum.  She taught me to stand on my own two feet,  to strive to be a capable, confident women. She was such a significant person that it is hard to comprehend she is no longer here.  It's even harder to get up each day and start doing something when she doesn't get to.  It's beyond unfair.

I've had to keep the magic of Christmas  going for my children but my sparkle has been dimmed.  I'm glad I had already wrapped all my presents, apart from one which oddly enough was for mum.  I bought her a pair of porcelain lotus flower candle holders and hadn't yet found a nice right sized box for them. These will be mine now, forever a reminder each time I light a candle for mum.

Stay close mum, I miss you xx

Oh what fun...

Had the best time at my annual Christmas crop day yesterday!
I have been running ScrapMates for ten years next October (with a small break for childbirth!) and I do not think I will ever tire of sharing this hobby with friends new and old!

We set up a fun festive photo booth and with some inexpensive props (kit from Lakeland) we had a blast!.

Here are just a few photos!

And we have the special birthday bash to organise for next year as well with a whole heap of fun planned! I can hardly wait! I'll share our crafting from the crop this week :)

Festive Throwback Thursday & more December Daily

A rather festive throwback Thursday today - hubby and I Christmas 2009. We are both so much fitter and healthier now and this pleases me no end as it means we are setting good role model examples for our children. Indeed our Robert has been competing in two cross country competitions and along with his monthly time-trial race has not had a weekend off racing for a month and with a forthcoming karate grading this weekend he never ceases to amaze me with his fitness and sheer determination. Only last weekend he broke the 10 minute barrier on his month time-trial knocking almost a minute off his original time in the summer.

I've also been keeping up (almost) with my December Daily album and this is part of the 7th of December.

and this is the second part. I love the flipable page protectors from Simple Stories. More to follow of course and much festivities in our house with my Christmas Carol bumper crop this weekend. So excited to share with the ladies what I've been preparing!!

December Daily - Days one and two and .....up to six!

Sharing my pages for my December daily album which I have been keeping up to date with just been rubbish at sharing (busy, busy December and all that...
It's a good job I have elves visting so I am not short of things to write about but I will have other festive musings as the month goes on!

I am going to add more photos to my December 5th once I print them off from my main camera, all others having been taken on my phone.

More about my large gold letters on the Jingle all the way card for the 6th can be found on the ATDML blog today as part of our 12 days of Christmas crafting.

December Daily

I am undertaking the crafty project that is December Daily, or Journal your Christmas or Scrap you December or indeed a combination of them all.

I am using a 6x8 Snap Album by Simple Stories and my inside first page using the modular page protector system looks like this...

I have fake snow sprinkles with my reindeer (love him!) in the bottom pocket which I stitched closed (first time I have done that) and I can see more of that appearing in my album as the month progresses. As per my post yesterday December 1st saw the return of Timmy the Elf so naturally he will feature on a few of my pages. I have printed off my photos for Dec 1st and 2nd and am away to my craft space to play.