Summer Sunshine and Shopping!!!

Well the weekend is almost over, the sun is still shining, I have had four days off work and enjoyed every single one of them.

Took my girls and my lovely niece to Liverpool yesterday for a bit of shopping and girly giggles, it was a beautiful day, we really have been lucky with the weather the last few days...do we make the most of it or is it going to last!!!

So Saturday in Primark...OMG...I think the world and his wife were in there, we spent a whopping two hours browsing and trying clothes on and laughing and just generally having a really good girly time. Bought myself a gorgeous new dress which I wore when I went out last night...getting to be a hardcore rock and roll girl I am!!! Yep lugging amps about again but the band were amazing...again...they in a bigger venue this week, the sound was incredible. There was a guy on before them on an acoustic guitar and he performed Paolo Nutini`s Last Request which is still my favourite song in the whole world...he sung it so beautifully I had goose bumps...love that song.

So I rolled home in the early hours of this morning and slept until lunchtime...holiday over now though, have to be up with the birds in the morning, back to work, which I am actually looking forward to as I have two fabulous classes tomorrow; Embroidery and Jewellery making.

Took lots of photos yesterday in Liverpool and these are my favourite

Waiting for the train

Down on the Docks

A little Princess and Sleeping Beauty

Off now to enjoy the last of the weekend!!!

Marvellous Macrame!!!

I knew it was going to be one of those days today before I even went to sleep last night...well I use the term night loosely it really was about 3am this morning because I sat up watching ER night until then...oooh George Clooney and Noah Wyle eye fest mmm. I used to watch ER religiously my friends and I would text or phone each other after it had gone off and we would ooh and ahh over that episode, I have missed the last couple of seasons though and now it has finished completely...can see an Ebay search looming!!!

So slept in this morning until about ten then spent the entire day lesson planning for all my courses that are starting next week, this is what my dining room table looked like until 7pm tonight when I had to clear it off for tea...all the papers are my course outlines that I have very carefully planned...I know even I am impressed at just how organised I am!!!






...and my desk still looks like this...although I still think its very pretty





Finally I managed to teach myself macrame too, have been wanting to try this out for a while after one of my students made the most beautifully intricate bracelet...mine is nowhere near as good and it took me a good half hour to master the square knot but very happy with the end result.






...and a close up of my square knots and some rather delicious beads...






Off to do some tidying up....not...its Friday night!!!

Today I put the Esther in Chester!!!

Took my little darlings off to Chester for the day, not been to this lovely historic city for a number of years and of course the camera came too, in fact I had to run back to get it this morning because I initially forgot it!!!

What a gorgeous day we had too, the sun shone beautifully and we walked and walked and walked...oh and we walked...my feet are screaming at me at this moment...screaming why oh why did you encase me in a pair of cowboy boots in this blistering heat and walk uphill and downhill, along cobbles and up steps!!!

I am not so sure about this time off work and relaxing, I am exhausted and am actually looking forward to going back to work on Monday for a rest!!!

So I took about a thousand pictures today, we did the city centre, the Walls, the Cathedral, the River, the park and the Racecourse and then only then did we do the pub!!!

Here are my favourite pictures of our day out...

Mia outside Le Frog in Warrington

Awww she is so sweet!!!



Waiting for the train and posing for Harry

Waiting for the train and posing for Mum!!!

Chester Cathedral, one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen, really took my breath away

Taking a picture of me and my girl is not the easiest thing to do but great fun...

Me and my Gang, not only where we allowed into Chester, they let us out too!!!

On the Walls

The Olde Cottage!!!

Mia feeding a squirrel

Chester Racecourse...the only Racecourse in the country where you don`t need binoculars to see the whole track...yes I know I am a geek!!!

The park

My girls in the park

Est in the pub!!!

Off now to soak my poor aching feet!!!

Obviously Onomatopoeia...

...Oh yeah how does that sound, let that word just roll off your tongue!!!

Let me explain...I have a student, very educated, who brings me a word of the day when attending my classes because he knows how much I love learning new words...I love this one Onomatopoeia (On-a-mat-up-ere) which means suggesting the sound described...like woof or baa...how cool is that!!!

Well I was impressed anyway!!!

This is the class I taught today...the lighter green beads in between the bigger ones in the centre of the bracelet are actually a ring of beads and used as spacers...does that make sense!!!

Anyway I loved the design so much I made two bracelets in my class!!!

Here are the layouts I completed yesterday morning...when I got up at stupid o clock, took far better pics of them tonight but still not happy with the picture quality...can see an SLR becoming my latest investment!!!

Cosmopolitan Girl...because I love to drink them ;-)

Pose...because I totally told Harry to for the pictures...god my kids are great.

And I have actually been card making tonight...Shock!!!

Not took pictures because the light is pants now but will do tomorrow.

I now need to soak in a Radox bath...after the two hours gardening and the mammoth training session yesterday I could barely move when I got up this morning, had to seriously suffer some ribbing at work today from some of the older members of staff who think I was acting a little but honestly I have discovered muscles in my thighs I never even knew existed before...they are screaming at me every time I move!!! Got my own back though because apart from a couple of meetings and some training sessions and lesson planning I have five WHOLE days off work...oh yeah...celebrating tonight with a couple of glasses of the good stuff!!!

In Training!!!

Oh Yes...been training today for my 13 mile sponsored walk...13 whole miles...did you catch that!!!

Been on this site which lets you calculate how far you have walked or ran...and today I have walked 6 miles...give or take a little, now I am exhausted and my feet do hurt but...and its a big but...I spent two hours weeding the garden before I walked ...and...and its a big and...I was wearing little dolly shoes, not the most appropriate footwear for serious walking!!!

So I did almost half of what I am supposed to walk in blistering heat and wearing crappy shoes...feeling far more confident about it now!!! Especially since I have a tracksuit now...I know, Est and tracksuit in the same sentence!!! But I can hardly walk in jeans now can I ...I also have sunburn...which very nicely matches my new tracksuit, well there is nothing like colour co-ordination now is there!!!

I did get up early this morning as planned, 6.30am and it was lovely, the sun was shining, the house was peaceful and I enjoyed two cups of coffee and completed three scrapbook layouts before I got the kids up at 8.30am.

Have only one pic to show you though because the light here is crap and only this one turned out half decent

although to make up for it caught this one of Mia about ten minutes ago

Off now to rub after sun into my red raw shoulders!!!

Green Fingered....

Why do they refer to it as green fingered when really it should be black nails!!!

I have been gardening today and I have dirty black nails... I didn`t realise just how dirty they were until I was paying for my healthy apple juice in the shop earlier and was so embarrassed...I am blaming my Dad!!!

He text me yesterday to ask me if I wanted to go to a little nursery that we use every year for our plants...so off we went yesterday afternoon to spend an hour oohing and ahhing over plants in the sad geek like way that we do, wandering up and down the poly tunnels getting excited and planning our hanging baskets and containers.

So today I spent a couple of hours pottering in my front garden, I love my little garden everything is in containers and I just like messing out there moving plants around, deadheading the flowers and all the other sad stuff that helps to maintain a little garden. I bought myself a Jasmine too and it smells divine, planted in a big terracotta pot next to the front door so I can get a whiff every time I go in or out!!!

Look at my pretty flowers

The red flowers in the picture above are birds of paradise and look like this close up...so pretty

Messing with Macro...

Can you see that little strawberry nestling in there

So been a proper little housewife today and got all the washing done and dried on the line, ironed, cleaned, cooked and I am bloody exhausted, much rather be at work, but everything is done and I am planning a whole day of scrapbooking tomorrow, have printed all the pictures I want to scrap and selected all my papers...just hope my mojo is working!!!

Off now to hunt for the nail brush to restore my nails to their original colour!!!

Bad Bad Blogger!!!

I have not blogged for a week...and I would love to say it is because I have been de cluttering my house, bogged down with bin bags and making endless trips to the charity shop as I promised I would but alas no!!!

I have been working...hard honestly, it was Adult Learners week last week so ended up doing more hours than I planned for the college, I met some fabulous people though and my hard work paid off because I already have new learners signed onto some of my courses.

I haven`t crafted anything for a week apart from my lesson samples, I have stamps I bought from Aintree in April that are still in their packets and papers that still lie un-stroked...shocking I know. Although another Bank Holiday is looming and I have a couple of days off work next week too so I may get out those new stamps and play with some card making and scrap booking...although I really want to have a play around with some of the projects in this book which I picked up at the weekend.



Its all about making your own clothes and accessories...easily...and I have had a little play with some felt today starting a corsage...watch this space!!! I am really inspired at the moment by some of my students who I teach embroidery, they are all quilters...which I thought was a bit of an old fashioned craft but have been lent this book by one of them and I am just so in love with some of the projects in here.



Just have to treat myself to some gorgeous Cath Kidston or Amy Butler fabric and I will be quilting away!!!

Off now to sort through my paperwork and registers...oh the hidden joys of teaching!!!

Working Weekend!!!

I had one of those weekends that just passed in a bit of a blur and before I knew it it was Monday morning all over again...not that I am complaining that much...honestly it`s just that my house is a tip and I want to really get it sorted out...properly...bought this yesterday...which only cost me £1.99 and reading the introduction I swear it was actually written for me...this is going to be my bible over the next seven months...I know it says organise your home in seven days but there is no way I am going to trawl through all my crap in seven days!!! So I am setting a more realistic time limit...Hopefully by Christmas I will be sorted!!!

Have managed to clear out under the stairs this evening so far and have filled my recycling bin with boxes...you know those boxes we get when we buy a new phone or a camera and we keep them just in case...well I am being ruthless...have also thrown away about 100 magazines from 2005!!!

Now I am chilling out because I feel a little de cluttered and need to recover!!!

I worked all day Saturday...which didnt go down too well with the kids, they like their Saturday morning lie in as much as I do and were not amused when I got them up at silly o clock but they will get over it...eventually!!!

It is adult learners week this week so was helping out with some recruitment and marketing for the college in Warrington town centre, I must have spoke to about 400 people and had to gargle with a lemsip when I came home because my throat was so sore!!!

Then I had to go and watch my guys in the band...and I had to do a proper roadie act this week too as everyone went home and left me and two others to lug everything out down two flights of stairs to the cars...Amps and guitars are bloody heavy and mic stands are just bloody awkward!!!

Was rewarded though...chips with mayonnaise and pizza from good old Mike and Martha's...infamous in Warrington after a night out!!! Oh and stayed almost sober because I promised I would take some photos of the band...here are my faves from the night...

Good old cosmopolitans in "The Lounge" before the band went on.

My most bessiest friend in the whole world in the middle and lil me, with another friend.

And presenting The Selfish Lovers...coolest band in Warrington...and I am totally unbiased even though I know them all ;-) they are really good.

Off now to chill out...I have no lessons to plan shocking I know!!!

Drop Dead Gorgeous!!!

So tonight my little boy...ahem actually sweet 16 on Friday...went off to his Prom!!!

No Tux for him not even a suit though..."Mum I am not really a suit kinda guy am I" was his reply when I asked him if he wanted a suit...dear god no he shopped at Burton and Top Man for his outfit because "then I can wear them again can`t I Mum"

God that boy has his head screwed on, talking to a friend of mine this morning, who`s daughter is the same age as Jack made me realise that spending £30 on his ticket and getting his Dad to buy his outfit means I came off pretty lucky...My friends Daughter has had new contacts (because she doesn`t want to wear her glasses), spray tan, hair extensions, acrylic nails, new dress, shoes ....and OH My God I so have to start saving for Ella and Mia`s!!!

Look how grown up and drop dead gorgeous he looks...

Have also completed these tonight for my classes tomorrow...despite the fact that I am feeling depressed about feeling old...not really ha, thats the beauty of having your kids young...young enough to enjoy everything and with enough energy too...!!!

So these layouts are for my Scrapbooking class tomorrow, where we are using alphabet stamps and hand stitching...

And this little gift set is what we will be making in my candle making class tomorrow night...yep we will also be making our own tea lights although these came completely handcrafted from IKEA...shhh don`t tell my students!!!

Thought these would make nice little teacher gifts at the end of term.

Off now to try and wait up for Jack to come home...now thats sad!!!