Oh my - what a week!

Tuesday marked the start of term for me, at a new school, in a department that is to all intents and purposes totally new [ie all the staff in it are new to the school - Maths is a little bit older!]. 

We are just about learning to cope with the very slow network.  Which means if you don't load up your laptop a good 40 minutes before the kids arrive you won't have registers, powerpoints or anything else working.  And don't expect to get on the internet for at least two hours.  It's all working fairly ok by about lunchtime, so at least there is one lesson a day where it all works [ish]. 

Tonight I am going to enjoy not having to plan lessons until gone 9pm and forget that I need to spend tomorrow marking and Sunday planning, but at least that should free up some time next week for other things [like the 3 meetings that are planned for me already].  Hopefully after a few weeks of long hours I will get caught up with myself enough to get some spare time  - otherwise I'll be getting the next Quirky Kit before I've used any of the present one!

I would also like to be able to blog a bit more.  You know, possible a week day, and even better would be having the time to READ other people's blogs too.

Anyway until I feel that I am not running through treacle, with flippers on and a blindfold, I just have to grab the opportunity as it arises.  Which may mean I wont post again until half term,

Louise x

Me on Monday

It was a non-food quick shopping trip [for lots of things], scrapbooking, DD bedroom decluttering, dreary weather Saturday and a bright sunny Sunday that involved NO WALK [grumpy face - F1 was on, DD was out and boys were 'busy' so no-one was interested], quick Aldi trip, looking at the building site work behind us, F1 watching,  work planning/organising, laundry doing, hoovering and homework helping weekend. 

I don't really have an orange face - honest

It also involved some mental nail chewing and a bit of melancholy.  The former is because today I start my new teaching job.   Not sure why I should be sooo nervous as I have been teaching this-time-around for 7 years [I taught for 9 years, had a 7 year break to be a stay-at-home Mum and have been back teaching since 2014 - yes I am ancient].  The latter was caused by driving past the kids 'old' primary school.  We have had a child/children there for the previous 10 years.  I can't believe that we no longer are part of it.  Well OH is as he teaches music there 3 days a week but there will be no more assemblies, nativities/Christmas plays, summer productions, sports days etc. 

As I've said before, as a teacher I have missed most of the 'day time' events - although my parents and OH have between them have always been involved.  I still feel guilty about not being there, and sad to have missed them but there are all the things we have done as a family that we couldn't have done if I didn't work.

I look back on those stay-at-home years and remember them as being really happy, even though money was very, very, very tight.  Perhaps it's just because I am lazy and don't want to work!  I think a big pair of rose tinted glasses are involved too. But I am determined to enjoy today, NOT be shy and to make some new friends.  Hopefully in a few weeks I shall wonder what I was worrying about!

Louise x

Photo Bomb Number 2

One of the photos on Rinda's scavenger hunt was #10. A photo bomb.

I have already posted a photo for this but have just discovered another one that is much better - it is of Son No 2 [the younger by one minute one] photo bombing his sister and her friends.

This is typical of him - he loves to wind his sister up.

Louise x

A little bit nervous

Tomorrow I start teaching at a new school.  I discovered on Friday that I can no longer access the school drives remotely - so that rather put a spanner in the planning works.  It isn't helping my nerves either, I hate feeling unprepared.  Luckily tomorrow is an inset [staff only] day, so hopefully I can get the information I need then and will just have to spend tomorrow evening prepping for Tuesday and Wednesday.  The rest of the week will have to wait - especially as my planning is normally on a Tuesday, but I will lose it this week as I will be spending that time with my new tutor group. 

Like most of us I don't really like change - and this is the second time in as many years that I have worked in a new school [I did a one year temporary contract last year].  The day and lesson timing is very different at my new place so I will need to write down when lessons start and finish in my planning for a few weeks until I am used to it.


On a much more positive note, apart from journaling, I have finished the layout of my OH and I am really pleased with it.

 

The red paper is Studio Calico (from a multipack), the blue polka dot is Fancy Pants Down By The Shore - Whale [b-side] and the cream is the B side of My Minds Eye, Mildred - Girls.  I have seen the hearts [stitched] and loved them but do not sew, however I managed to glue them.  Title is mistable thickers and a simple stories alpha set.

 

 

 

 

 

I stamped the dark blue dots, 'love' and some stars, and used Mister Huey's for the 3 'dribbles', I also used silver Mister Huey and a mask for the silver splatter/firework bursts.  I am quite chuffed with how this turned out and am much more comfortable with my 'own style' these days,

 

thanks for stopping by,

 

Louise x



It's Saturday

Saturday is one of my favourite days.  Other than it being a weekend day [?] it means Dr Who and Casualty are on TV.  Along with Bake Off [and New Tricks when my son's aren't hogging the telly] these are the only programmes that I try really hard to watch each week.  My DD loves Casualty too but she often uses 'catch-up' on a sunday morning as the programme finishes a little late for her.  The more blood and gore the better as far as DD is concerned!

Thinking about my favourite telly programmes has lodged the thought in my head that I ought to do a LO of some of the kids favourite programmes from the past.  When they were littlies the big favourites were Kipper, Engie Benjy, Tractor Tom, Brum and Thomas The Tank Engine.  Now it's anything on Quest for the boys and You've Been Framed/Bake Off for DD.  When the boys were 2 or 3 we had a Thomas compilation video that they would watch from beginning to end - and when the final credits music began they would cry so I would have to rewind it and play it again [very long winded on a VHS player] or try and distract them BEFORE it ended and sneakily switch it off.

  

I have an ever growing list of 'pages to do' that just don't seem to be getting done, so I am going to challenge myself to combine one of them with a sketch or colour challenge and get it done for next week.

If I finish the LO of my OH then I will post that later today or tomorrow.

thanks for popping by,

Louise x

The very best of intentions

My DS2 [the younger by one minute one] seems to get himself into trouble for having the best of intentions. On their first day back he didn't want his sister [she off the long hair] to be late, or to not find her way to the main hall. Trouble is he went on about it so much, she got worried and upset. He then got uppity when told to back off as he thinks he is helping. Then DH joined in  - chaos!  Normally I would have been at work and would have been on the end of a phone trying to sort it, so I am very grateful to have been in situ this time.

Sometimes it feels like I have 4 kids :)

 

STILL can't get that sunrise shot due to thick cloud. I will not be beaten (I hope). But at least it turned sunnier today.

 

I did a few DIY jobs around the house and CLEANED the boys room - it took hours, most of which was spent trying to find the floor. I almost regretted looking for it as there was an awful  lot of dust there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am also getting on with that LO of my OH that I promised myself I would do - I will post pictures of it when it is finished.

In the meantime here is a layout that I made a few weeks ago.

 

Sorry about the wonky photo and the background should be white.  This used the very, very last scraps of my Quirky Kit - all I have left are some alpha's and enamel dots.  This is a re-working of one of those old pages that are so bad you eventually have to scrap them - or should that be re-scrap them.

The background paper is Studio Calico Wanderlust 'Napa Valley', the yellow squares were punched from a MME paper pad and the flowers from an offcut of the SC background paper. The birdies and notes are Lawn Fawn and the enamel

dots are Studio Calico. I stamped the word ASLEEP with a very old inkadinkado set.

As ever, thank you for joining me,

Louise x

Another layout

I have just a few days of holiday left and am determined to reduce the pile oh photos still waiting to be scrapped - and to paint the dining room, clean the teenagers bedroom, paint the bathroom ceiling and Rug Doctor the bedroom carpet.  No I can't quite see me managing it all either.

I saw this sketch over at Paper Secrets and at first was stumped which photos to use, but then I realised that it was perfect for scrapping PHOTOS FROM THIS YEAR [stands back in amazement].  My DD's primary school hold a special celebration evening for the leaving Y6's and I managed to get quite a few photos of her with various friends she has made over the years.

The challenge also includes a word that you have to spell out.  This time it was LABOR [as in our American cousin's Labor Day celebration].  Thank goodness it wasn't spelt the English way with a U, as I have no idea what I would have used for that!

Here is my layout

I used some of the last bits of a Quirky Kit Lite plus a couple of journaling cards.  I layered the papers up differently as I wanted to write on the cream one and none of my left overs were wide enough to span either side of the photos.
 I moved the title up as the two journaling cards didn't 'work' the other way around. I've also changed the number of photos - I couldn't leave out any of her besties now could I?

L - Lemon colour (of the enamel dots, brads, alpha stickers and heart on top right journaling card)
A - Alpha stickers
B - Butterfly punch outs, brads, border punch
O - Orange misting behind butterfly and layered papers
R - Rangers ink pad [in a grey shade] used to ink around edges of paper.

I have to say I am really pleased with how this page turned out, so a very big thank you to those at Paper Secrets for such a fab sketch challenge.

Thanks for popping by,

Louise x

First Day Back part 1... oh and another challenge (while I still have time!)

So, it was their first day back yesterday [first day today for DH].  Everything seemed to go well, photos were taken, friends arrived to walk with, lesson timings have changed slightly, DS1 and DS2 are not in as many lessons together as they thought they might be, but now they are worried which is the better computer science group and history group. Best of all (for once) I was there to greet them as they arrived home - all at very different times given that they are at the same place!

 DD had Mr D for science.  He is slightly mad and totally inspirational - I would love to have some of his energy and imagination.

I spent a couple of hours at my new place, organising my room [and getting rid of loads of 'stuff' from under my stairs at the same time].  I was hoping to see the Head of Dept. but although I said 'hello' to lots of people, I didn't see the people I really wanted too [or knew!].  I did get a bonus scavenger hunt item though and I have plans to get some others tomorrow.

 On the drive home it suddenly hit me that my 'baby' was at big school, a very large, confusing and possibly intimidating place.  I had a 'moment' but had to really clamp down and distract myself as it isn't the best of things to do at 65mph on the M1.

I cheered myself up in the afternoon by spending an hour or so finishing a couple of layouts and incorporated a couple of PL page protectors with extra photos and a few cards and embellies too.

Here is one layout inspired by the tic-tac-toe challenge over at The Studio Challenges.


Here is my layout using the top row of the challenge.

 



I have used three types of washi tape - the pink sticking out from under the circles and a blue floral in the bottom left just below the photo plus the aqua chequered along the top of the photos.  The hot pink is the washi tape and pearls, the stars are stamped both in black under the date, in yellow on the page and also in the circle embellishments. 

Note I am getting closer to scrapping 2014 photos (only 6 months off!) - it's why I must try and get into PL!

Thanks for visiting

Louise x

Endings and beginnings

As the new school year starts my mind has turned to several new beginnings.  My DD (the youngest one) is due to start secondary school today.  I can't believer that the "primary years" are over.  I was a SAHM for 7 years but went back to work when my daughter started reception year. 

Last years photo

 

Sometimes [frequently] I feel guilty that she was too young, and also that I missed assemblies, sports days etc.   [ I am teacher, so time off during the term is almost impossible. ]

However the money has allowed us to have experiences, days out and treats (as well as pay bills) that otherwise we could not afford.  And I do get to be with them during the holidays - well if seeing teenage boys emerge mid-morning/noon and communicate with grunts, is being with them! 

 

After an unsettled and, at times, unhappy 15 months, I too am starting at a new school.  I am in a different county so have an extra few days off.  However it is virtually a new department so we are spending most of this week going into school to prepare for the new term.  We need to tidy and organise the teaching rooms, organise the curriculum, decide what we will teach in those first few weeks, audit equipment and books, locate resources and get to know each other.

There will be photos of the kids in their uniforms tomorrow and no doubt a layout will follow [although I am still scrapping 2012 photos!].  Will I do a layout of me?  I have done one before and it has NO journaling, but I think pages of both me and my DH are very lacking in our albums.  That can be my "new year" challenge.

 

 

I have really enjoyed being able to blog so frequently [and ramblingly] and just hope I can keep blogging regularly [if not daily] when things get busy with work.

Of course I woke up today at 5.39am (bet on Monday my eyes will still be firmly shut at 6.15am!) and it was dark.  Yippee, thought I - now I can get my sunrise shot for Rinda's challenge. I googled for when sunrise would be (6.17am), waited patiently - and got this!!!

 

Damn that cloud cover - perhaps tomorrow or Friday will be more successful.

Whilst I am here I may as well cross a few more off my scavenger hunt list. 

#7. A rural landscape.

 

Rural wales - middle of nowhere, but in a very nice way!

 

 

#20. A bus with a picture painted on its side

 

 

and finally [for today] the one I have been dreading

 

#21. Me and something representing the season.  Yes the sunglasses - although it was very nearly an umbrella and my big thick cardigan!

 

 

and no, I simply refuse to do 'duck face' when taking a selfie,

 

thanks for joining me,

 

 

Louise x