OMG, I've Created...............A Bloke!

Xander drinking his milk last night: first sign that I've produced a pure bona fide Yorkshire bloke!

Reasons To Be Cheerful; 1, 2, 3...

With everything that's been happening round here the past few weeks, it's easy to get bogged down with all the bad things in life. So this morning, being in a contemplative mood, I started to think about all those little things in the day that are a light relief. Anyway, I then remembered something I had read on both Kim and Rachels' blogs called '5 Positives' and how I'd wanted to do that on here for a while.

Obvious things would be the kids etc but that's too obvious; so I've set about photographing the little lights of my life today (knowing how fickle I am, this could have all changed tomorrow!). So, here are my 5 positives:

1) The tree I planted for Babe (my cat who died 3 years ago) is looking all lush!

2) I replenished my stash of Oreos!

3) My lovely coffee pot, couldn't live without it! (It also goes very nicely with #2!)

4) The stash of books next to my bed; love having them lined up. Any less than 3 and I get jittery!

5) Getting jiggy with it; loving this jigsaw, though it's far too addictive!

Costa Cons Ritas?!

Do you know, I blame that Marie! Her and her whole family have had a really bad dose of the flu and I spent a good 10 days sending all the {{{GET WELL VIBES}}} I could over them hills to get them better. Well, I knew I should have kept a few back and it's now come to bite me in the bum!

First of all there's poor Billy Jim's chicken pox; though thankfully he seems much better today so I think we're over the worst of it. But, I've been having a lot of breathing difficulty lately and towards the end of last week it got quite painful. So, quick call the my cardiac nurse on Friday and she told me to get some ibuprofen down my neck and see my GP. So, off I trot to the docs this morning and it turns out I have something called costochondritis. Yes, my initial reaction was 'er, I've got what-itis?!' too. It's basically an inflammation of the cartlidge between my ribs and breast bone, so every time my ribcage expands to breath, it hurts.

So, I sort of guessed that I couldn't really do anything about breathing, but the doc's prescribed ibuprofen and told me not to lift any heavy objects or push the pram! Now, can anyone see a bit of a 2 stone object that may be a bit of a problem?!

So Marie, can you send some {{{get well vibes}}} back over the hills, just while this Costa bloke stops conning Rita?!

Scraplift Challenge #1

Right, I have my list (yes Kim, saw your post!). So, there are 6 of us for the scraplift, which I think will be quite a nice number. I have 1 person on holiday and 1 who needs a bit of time to get her stash together. I've also tried to mix it up a bit so that you're scraplifting someone's work who's style you don't really know (with the exception of me and Rach, but I know everyone and I've never lifted one of Rach's layouts before!). So I'm thinking the order can go something like this:

Rach

Lou

Kim

Lauren

Marie

Julie

Can you let me know if you don't have the following person's email and I'll make sure you get it.

Happy scrapping!

The Pox!!

Our poor little boy has come down with the pox of the poultry variety! There's been a bit of an epidemic round here so I suppose it was inevitable that he'd get them. Luckily, he only seems to have a mild dose and isn't covered from head to toe like Emily was (how exactly do you put calamine lotion inside eyelids?!), but is still a bit cranky. So, lots of {{{ANTI ITCHY VIBES}}} for Billy Jim please!
In other news, thanks to my sis Zo for the offer of the books, but it seems it's a bit of a dead duck. The course has an exam at the end...which is on the same day as Gemma and Dave's wedding! As I'd probably find it hard to get to the exam from Antigua, and they won't allow me to sit it at another time, I'm now on the lookout for another course! What were the chances eh?!

To All You Literary Types...

So, as many of you know, I'm in the middle of completing the last year of a degree with the Open University. Anyway, at the moment I'm doing English Grammar, but have to pick another course to complete the 3rd year, which in turn will complete my degree.

Anyway, I've decided on a course called 20th Century Literature: Texts & Debates. At first the whole English Lit thing was giving me shivers, but as this course starts as soon as the current one finishes (as opposed to others which don't start til 4 months afterwards!), I thought I'd take a look. Anyway, once I looked at a few of the novels it uses, I've actually became quite interested. So, I took a list of the 16 books used to the library today and how many could I find? A grand total of 2!!

So, I'm on the scrounge! Obviously if I do go ahead with this course I'll need to buy them all as the library doesn't take too kindly to members returning the books covered in highlighter pen; but if anyone has any of the following books they could lend me so I can have a quick look through before I sign up, I'd be really grateful!

The Cherry Tree - Chekhov
Sunset Song - Lewis Grassic Gibbon
1930s British Poetry - Robin Skelton
Profrock & other Observations - T. S. Elliot
Orlando - Virginia Woolf
Galileo - Bertrolt Brecht
Labyrinths with Path Of Thunder - Christopher Okigbo
1950s Poetry - Frank O'Hara & Allen Ginsberg
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep - Philip K Dick
Kiss Of the Spider Woman - Manuel Puig
Waiting For Godot - Samuel Beckett
New Selected Poems - Seamus Heaney
Paradise - Abdulrazak Gurnah
The Ghost Road - Pat Barker

TIA!!! xx

Happy Anniversary!

OK, so it's Happy Anniversary to me and Rob, but why not eh?! Yes, it's a whole 9 years since Rob was dragged up that aisle, kicking and screaming, to make an honest woman out of me (hmmm, that one didn't quite work did it?!)

So, for those of you who were there who fancy reminiscing, and for those of you who weren't who would like to see us both before the grey hairs and wrinkles kicked in (ie, pre kids!), here's a few pics of the day!

Iggle Piggle!

May I introduce Xander's new best friend, Iggle Piggle! For anyone who has persons of the under 3 variety in the house, you will be all too familiar with Iggle and his friends Makka Pakka and Upsy Daisy. For the rest of you, think Telletubbies for the new generation (i.e: can't understand a blinking word they say but the kids are transfixed by them!). Anyway, Xander loves Iggle Piggle more than anything else on earth! He can't hear you when Iggle's on telly (or is that just part of being a bloke?!) and he has to cuddle his Iggle Piggle at night....I've also done some more scrapbooking. After a trip over the hills the other week, I got to see this up close in real life and was mightily impressed. So, I decided to pull my finger out and get round to adding more to my Xmas scrapbook (4 months after the event!).I've been wanting to do this eyelet/beading combo for a while now so off I popped to buy an eyelet setter and away I went...I'm still having trouble with the whole scrapping in 8x8 rather than 12x12, but I'm getting there! Next on the agenda, Christmas trees!!

Who's Up For A Scraplift?

So, I have quite a nice little circle of scrapbooking buddies these days and I was contemplating the other day the varying styles they all seem to posess. So, I thought I might start a few little challenges to see how all these different scrappers would interperet the same theme, subject etc. It's also a fun way to do a bit of virtual scrapping as, with the exception of Lauren, I never get to scrap with these people face to face (though there could be a bit of a crop planned for the summer!)

Anyway, I thought that the best place to start would be a scraplift. Just to explain to anyone who hasn't done a scraplift before, it's basically like Chinese whispers: someone starts with a layout, then emails it to the next person in the list. They then scraplift the elements they like from the layout and add their own personal twist to it, and email it to the next person and so on and so on. At the end everyone will email their layouts to me and we'll post them on here and see how everyone interperetted each others designs.

So, I have 5 people so far. If any of my crafty blog hoppers out there would like to join in, add your name in the comments box and I'll add you to the list. At the end of the week I'll get the list in order and we'll get cracking!

We're Back

Hi everyone!

We've been on a little blogging break, thought we'd take a week off in tribute to our good friend and regular blog reader Eric. Anyway, the funeral was yesterday and we've said goodbye (in a very Eric-like way, he'd have been proud!) and so today the Garlics is back open for business.

Will be posting over the weekend, including a scrapping challenge for all you crafty blog readers out there....

Tribute To A Special Friend

It's a very sad time round here at the moment. Last night we got a call to say our good friend Eric had passed away yesterday afternoon. We've known Eric and his wife Ann for about 6 years; I met Ann through work and soon there was a little gang of 9 of us that would meet up for dinner and a few drinks. More recently Ann & Eric's grandaughter Olivia has become friends with Emily and we've often been round there for playdates; the last being just a month ago. They also never forget the kids' birthdays and are always on our doorstep with Xmas presents.

Eric himself was a lovely, homourous man; he would play prank calls on me, always had a hug and my glass was never empty with him around! He doted on his grandaughter and was such a lovely husband to Ann; I always knew my buddy was being well looked after by him.

We're just in shock here, it was so unexpected and we can't believe he's gone. Emily's really upset at losing her Uncle Eric, who always made her laugh when she saw him. Needless to say we're all going to miss him terribly.

So Eric, if you can get the internet in that great Jack Daniels bottle in the sky, here's to you my friend. Thank you for always being there and for being in our lives, you will be truely truely missed. Love ya.

Smile!

2 favourites here! First of all I've scraplifted my favourite layout by my scrapbooking friend Lauren. I just fell in love with what she'd done, weaving the ribbons etc and just had to have a go! I've changed a few things and also added some hidden journalling behind the picture,
but it's all Lauren's inspiration, thanks hun!!

So, for such a lovely layout, I had to pick a lovely picture. This has to be my favourite ever picture of Emily; she's only 7 months old and the expression on her face just melts my heart! We have this photo on our bedroom wall and I wake up to that gorgeous smiling face every day!

Heffalumps!

I've got yet another scrapbooking layout done this weekend. After struggling with colours at first, I had some inspiration from the old wise woman of all things crafty, Marie, on Friday and it was all I needed to get going!

I've scrapped the elephants that we saw at the safari park the other week. I also revived the old stitching on a layout for the pink on the leaf paper (thanks Marie!).

Speaking of haffalumps: I've put the whole family on a health kick this morning! Over Easter we've eaten far too much chocolate and all sorts of rubbish, and it shows! So, as from today we're all getting the standard 5 a day (and not 5 Cream Eggs a day, as has been the case!)

Ice Ice Baby!

We've had a lovely afternoon! My mum took me and Emily to see Dancing On Ice Live. The best part was we didn't tell Emily where we were going until we were stood outside the door to the arena, she thought we were going shopping! Once she found out she was ecstatic and got very excited when we got in there and she saw the ice and all the Dancing On Ice stuff...

Anyway, even though we had to spend the afternoon in the presence of Bonny Langford (really, she should have quit show business in the 80s. No second thoughts, she should never have started!) the show was fantastic! Highlight had to be Torville and Dean, I've loved them since I was 8. I even wasn't put off by the constant heart in my mouth feeling I get that they're going to fall when Linda Lusardi went flying (skating in a straight line too, seriously!).

The crowd were given score cards so Emily rated all the skaters along with the judges (she gave Bonny 1.0 and she was lucky to get that!) and she cheered and screamed for her favourite, Zaraah Abrahams, even though she was rubbish!

So Emily, how would you score this afternoon's excursion...

Have You Ever Tried...

... to get 2 18 month olds to look in the same direction at once? Believe me, it ain't easy!!

Today, we've been over them there hills to see this young lady...... my little crafty guru Marie, and her 2 cuter than cute munchkins, Gracie and Ewan. We had a lovely day: the girls got their arguing down to 50% of the time, Marie made us delicious home made pizza, and the boys both napped at the same time so I had time to catch up with Marie and raid her stash (crafting stash, for those who were wondering!).

Post naps, the girls were playing upstairs and so I thought I'd get my camera out and get a few pics of the boys. Hmmm easier said than done! No matter how hard I tried, I could not get them looking in the same direction at the same time; I swear these kids have a sixth sense. Anyway between the pics I think I have at least one of them looking at the camera on each one, so maybe a bit of cut and paste is in order!

Eh Xan, your mother's got that camera out again! Pretend you haven't seen.She's not still there is she?

Oooh, look at this speck on the floor, it's really interesting! She'll never catch me out Billy!

Look at the camera? I'd rather let the cat chew my arm off!

Awww, thanks for your help Xander, she didn't get one snap of me with that camera...Doh!

Crop

That's crop with an 'o' people!

So, today Emily and I have a scrapbooking crop with our neighbour and fellow scrapper, Lauren. Emily managed 2 layouts in the first hour (she had too much Hannah Montana to watch to mess about!). Lauren and I only managed 1 layout each all day, but in our defence we did have to break off for an emergency trip to Hobbycraft!

This is the layout I did. I love this picture of the kids on the steam train at Easter. They both look so pensive and I liked how their refelections show in the window. Also loving the retro colours around at the moment, expect a lot more browny oldy worldy work from me in the future!!