Photo - Brain Freeze...

I am guessing that the Hello Kitty ice cream was a little on the cold side...




Brain freeze!!! :) xx
- Posted on the move...

Musings - She bitr me!..

We have had the dog three and a half years and even in play fights and rough and tumble I have never been accidentally nibbled on.

Today the human child grabbed hold and wouldn't let go. Can you see the teeth marks?


It was my own fault really, she went to grab something in her teeth and I went to move it at the same time and crunch. My finger got squeezed in the vice of a one year old's lock jaw.

It wasn't my fault though that the more I squealed the harder she bit! OUCH!!! :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - Gutted...

Yup, as time goes on she is definitely going to be a righty. Sob, as a lefty Mother I am gutted.


But I can't grumble too much as she does draw (scribble) the most beautiful pictures (wiggly lines and odd circles). :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - 50p a ride...

I had a day off today and got to spend it with the girls. First thing we did was grab Grandma and head to the toy section of the supermarket.

While we were there we spotted this! And for only 50p Katharine was entertained and I got some cute photos out of it.


She looks like she is driving an Astin Martin with that posh expression ha ha. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - Oops...

New game... :) xx




- Posted shaking my head...

Photo - Addiction...

And this isn't all of them!


There is a whole bookshelf out of view, about seventy in the living room and if I remember rightly there are four lurking on the dining table.

Is there such a thing as Books Anonymous? :) xx


- Posted loosing count...

Musings - Travelling torch...

Today the Olympic Torch travelled through my town. We figured we would pop down and stand somewhere on the route and wave.

So we dressed Katharine for the occasion...


I think her face tells you she is part loving it and part humouring us...


But anyway, we never anticipated the crowds that turned up. Hundreds of people lined the streets, cheering, waving flags.


It was amazing to be part of it. I have some video footage and some photos on my camcorder which I need to find a way to edit, once they are done you can no doubt expect them on here.

It was such a fantastic afternoon, Katharine enjoyed it so much that even when she fell asleep she refused to relinquish her Union Jacks...


So question, are you looking forward to the Olympics? :) xx


- Posted all cheered out...

Musings - Caught my eye...

Today I decided to capture some photographs of things that caught my eye. Completely random things, things I was not looking for but which stood out long enough for me to document it.

So here goes...


The CDs piled up in the door pocket of my car. I have an iPod and a Creative Zen but nothing beats having the ability to change tracks on a CD using the easy buttons on my steering wheel. :)


Usually from this angle of the bridge you can't really see the water, which just goes to show how much rain actually fell yesterday.


It's National Market Day in our town centre which means that there were around fifty stalls selling all sorts of exciting foods and crafts. These meringues jumped out at me as they were the size of Katharine's head.


And finally we have some stunning architecture in Halifax that you could miss out on completely unless you take the time to stop and look. While stood in the pedestrian traffic of the market I spotted this beautiful ceiling that I have never seen before.

I set myself this challenge and it has made me realise that while I look I never actually see! I will definitely try this again.

What about you, what would you photograph? :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - Torrential...

Days and days of rain... In June! I refuse to get out of the car! :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - Looks a mess...

Looks a mess but tastes delicious.


This is my tea... Jacket potato, quark, cheese, cucumber, pepper, red onion and some Heinz Indian spice sauce.

I think this is becoming my favourite meal... Now that I can't have chilli nachos. Sob. :) xx


- Posted in the kitchen...

Photo - Tapping away...

Netty the NetBook almost looks normal sized in Katharine's wee hands.


She loves tapping away on it but I think it is the pink colour she loves best... What a girl, ha ha. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - Bridge in the bridge...

I took this photograph yesterday on my way to the train station. It is a bridge in the village of Sowerby Bridge.


It is a long time since I have crossed it but every time I do it always strikes me how eerie the alley looks between the buildings.

Can you see it? Would you dare walk through it? :) xx


- Posted on reflection...

Musings - PART 6 Year of Adventure...

We are now half way through our YEAR OF ADVENTURE! Can you believe it!

Today we went to see Boyce Avenue at the 02 Academy in Leeds. When they have been over in the UK the last couple of years I have either been pregnant or toting a new born so I have missed them. But this time round I made sure I got the tickets bought early and we even made it a notch on our YOA.

As usual I took a lot of photographs and videos but this time I was using my nifty little Olympics Camcorder. Watching them back I clearly need more help with keeping my hand steady but for a first try I did okay.

The first support act was Alex Goot, a young man who sang and entertained and who I ultimately started following on twitter. The second was the amazing and very charming Tyler Hilton, who some of you will know as Chris Keller in the TV show 'One Tree Hill'. He was fantastic!!!

Boyce Avenue when they came on were great as I expected but it was a shame they didn't play the cover songs they were famous for and at one point they sang a song about some dead friend which just made the room feel awkward. But I am glad I saw them, it is not every day that you can say that you saw a YouTube phenomenon in the flesh.

Anyway, here are some of the photos that I took... enjoy! :) xx

Photo - The cheek...

I am going to be cheeky today and not post a diary. And in honour of the cheekiness here is a photo of pure adorable cheek factor. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - App of entertainment...

I downloaded a fantastic app today... It does very little but it entertained me none the less.

You see, it lets you make your own Keep Calm posters. I had fun, see... :) xx








- Posted on the move...

Musings - Naughty Step...

Well the naughty step idea is scuppered!

Our little lady likes to sit all prim and proper at the bottom of our staircase.


She is growing up sooooo fast! :) xx


- Posted laughing...

Musings - Mama Kat's Workshop (14th June 2012)

The babe is in bed, the dog is on its back, the husband is on the phone so I have decided to visit with www.mamakatslosinit.com.

And this week I have chosen prompt 5.) Share something mean someone said to you once, why has it stuck with you after all these years.

My story goes back six and a half years, back to when I was a Miss rather than a Mrs and I was looking for the ultimate outfit... My wedding dress.

There is a dress shop which I had to drive past three or four times a week and I had always vowed that I would start my search there.

Now I know I am not built like Keira Knightley but then neither am I a doppelgänger of Brock Lesner...


But when I walked into that shop with one of my bridesmaids and smilingly said that I would like to look at wedding dresses the woman looked at me, pursed her lips in disgust and said...

"Hmm, you're broad."

What???? That is how you great customers, young woman excited and blooming with the promise of a magical day????

We were so flabbergasted that we merely followed her into the changing room where she started to bring dresses that she figured would fit my horrific frame.

The dresses were a mixture of ugly and pretty, frilly and sleek and when trying on one of the more fitted versions the idiot woman turned to me in complete surprise and said...

"Oh, you dooooo have a waist!"

How utterly utterly mean!!

Needless to say I did not buy a dress from that shop but did so from a lovely woman in another village who made me feel like I was special, made me feel like a bride!

And see... I don't look that hideous do I?


:) xx


- Posted joining in with Mama Kat, join in too at the link above...

Photo - Another fab purchase...

Look what I bought today for £1! You read that right, £1.


A Kermit backpack...

What a nifty Mummy I am. :) xx


- Posted feeling smug...

Musings - Storage wars...

As you know, I like to keep you informed of the latest crazes that hit our household...

While we have been sick this last week we have watched more television than normal and we have found 'Storage Wars'. For those of you that don't know, it is a show about people in America who buy abandoned but full storage spaces in an auction and then try and sell the contents.


It is an addictive watch, especially when they find safes full of coin collections. Yup, that is the episode we have just watched tonight. :) xx


- Posted on the sofa...

Photo - Best girl...

Katharine Lorelai is just the best girl ever!

See...


BEST!!!!!! :) xx


- Posted on the move...

DIARY - 4th to 10th June 2012

This week has been about three things…
1. Working only four hours what with holidays and the bug,
2. Yeah, catching a bug from the daughter,
3. Jubilee on ITV.

On Monday we had plans for the seaside, the weather was perfect for it, but as Katharine had spent several hours during the night emptying her stomach over everyone and everything we figured a two hour car journey might not be the wisest option for entertaining ourselves. Instead we went to the folks for some relaxing fun.

Tuesday was the Queen’s jubilee which we watched in and amongst the cake baking. If you look back over this week’s posts you can see a few photographs on just how fantastic (hmm) our chocolate and fondant wonder turned out. I have never used a whole jar of jam for the filling of a cake before ha ha. Almost a week later, no matter where I am, if I think of all that red white and blue fondant I get a sugar high. I fear that due to the wonder of my airtight container we will be eating it for weeks.

Wednesday was one of my scheduled holidays and I spent all of it with Katharine and Rohan. We read our books, played our games, watched Humphrey on the TV and had a good old bond. I don’t get to spend big batches of time with the offspring nowadays but I think that is what made our Wednesday even more special. I was knackered though, the girl has some energy!

Thursday and Friday had the drama of ‘The Bug’. Both the husband and I finally caught it which meant time of work and our house was turned into a vile seething (okay I am exaggerating) germ factory. I haven’t felt that rough since morning sickness but then again I quite enjoying my morning sickness as I had waited long enough to experience it ha ha.

And so we got to the weekend which involved the usual pub run but this time with the added frantic search for befitting Father’s Day presents. Why is it that since having Katharine these special occasions seem to suddenly appear from nowhere? Even though they are the same time each year? I am officially an unorganised woman! Blah.

Sunday I read The Lucky One. All of it. I could not put it down.. well, until near the end when I was sobbing so much I needed a break. Sigh. I wish I could write like Nicholas Sparks. I wish I had that kind of depth of character, both myself and the ones I create. Must try harder!

My advice for next week… Squeeze a Dad, any Dad but preferably yours. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Musings - I heart Nicholas Sparks...

I love the books by author Nicholas Sparks.

I think it will always amazing me how much insight this man has into the soul of women, his readers and how well he can write such amazing journeys into a story.

You can image then how excited I was today when my latest purchase arrived...


I can't wait to start it!!! :) xx




- Posted on the move...

Photo - Another first...

Yes, we had another first today involving our barm pot child...


She fell asleep as she was eating. A rite of passage! :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - Cheering me up...

Katharine had a stomach bug this week, which she passed on to the husband who in turn passed it to me... So life has been an upheaval ha ha. :)

When I was flaked out on the sofa today Katharine tried to cheer me up by bringing me her shoe.


It didn't stop the speedy trips to the bathroom but it did make me smile. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - Watching a classic...

Me and Katharine spent the day together... We even watched a classic old movie, 'Sabrina' staring Humphrey and Audrey.


It was really enjoyable and bizarrely held the one year olds attention throughout. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Musings - What we baked...

So we baked a little something to join in the Jubilee celebrations.

Some buns...


A cake...


All with entertaining red white and blue colours...


And little British themed toppings...


They don't have the greatest finesse but we love them and they taste amazing. :) xx


- Posted in the kitchen...

Photo - Prince and his Queen...

These photographs have been travelling around the public forums over the last few days.

They are of our own dear queen and her loving Prince. One from early in their relationship and then a more recent one.





They warm my heart.

Long live the Queen, long live her Prince. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

DIARY - 28th May to 3rd June 2012

This week has been about three things…

1. Being back at work and being worn out by it,

2. Continuing with Blue Bloods and falling a little for Danny Reagan,

3. Dealing with a badly blistering arm.

Being back at work I expected to have to sort out some drama and a huge back log of emails. I didn’t! Things ran smoothly while I was away, I would like to think due to my fore planning ha ha. It did however mean that this week flowed at a deathly pace and by Friday my eyes were red rimmed from being utterly knackered.

I had put on weight this week, at the slimming weigh in, but that was to be expected after our eating routine was so disrupted and, quite frankly, naughty last week. In some ways I think a lb increase is me getting off lightly. At the class we made plans about our Jubilee Party for the week after, I must remember to make something exciting to take.

Wednesday I was forced to visit the pharmacy. The sun burnt shoulder I mentioned last week has gotten pretty inflamed and blistered. They were so helpful though, I didn’t get the telling off I had expected and the Calamine lotion that they sold me has worked absolute wonders. I made a promise to myself that during the next freak bout of good weather I will keep my coat on, ha ha.

Thursday and Friday I struck up an entertaining email conversation with a drummer, a strawberry blonde drummer at that. I love it when someone enters your life, even for a brief time, and makes you chuckle with every sentence that they throw at you. I firmly believe that part of who we are is due to the sum of our encounters. This one has taught me that even behind angry themed drumming can lay the heart of someone who loves a good cheesy ‘80s power ballad.

The weekend has been spent in a lazy fashion of pyjama clad TV watching and a stroll around the town. We watched ‘The Help’ on Saturday night, fantastic film, nice to see Chris Lowell popping up in something again.

My advice for next week… remember, stalking is illegal!

Photo - Pound purchase...

I do love it when I find a bargain toy for Katharine that I know she will love!


This magic magnetic drawing board was only £1.

Great stuff. :) xx


- Posted on the move...

Photo - New read...

A couple of years ago I signed up to Goodreads, the website where you can log what you read and see what others are turning the pages of too. Once I signed up I admit I kind of forgot about it.

This week I re-downloaded the app for my phone and had a look around.

I found that a lot of people were recommending this book...


'Matched' by Ally Condie, a book about a future society that makes all your decisions for you... Even down to who you spend the rest of your life with.

And it arrived today. I cant wait to get it read and reviewed. :) xx


- Posted waiting for my friend's train to arrive...