It's Wednesday again!!  I loved the sketch this week for Let's Scrap and I knew straight away what I wanted to do with it..  Only problem was, I couldn't find the photos I wanted to use.  I hunted high and low and turned my craft room upside down with no luck.  I just had to go and re-print them again!  They are bound to appear at some point when I don't want them!

Usually  I am really critical about the layouts and cards I make, but I have to say I  love my tree!!!!!!!  I am really  happy with the way this turned out!  

Must go and get more cards done.  I have been asked to make 21st Birthday cards for  a girl by her Mum, Granny and Auntie so I need to get a move on!!  I will need to make them as different as I can too!!  Enjoy the rest of your day!!

Swimming Update!!!!! - I'VE DONE IT!!!!  Oh dear it was hard today - I was really tired and sore, so it slowed me down a bit and I finished in 1 hour and 20 minutes.  4 miles = 320 lengths and today I felt every single one!!!  I'm really glad I finished it though and the aches and pains are worth it.   I've raised £195 if everyone pays up!!  I will be sending a bigger cheque though, as I still have money from a quiz we held and the cards I've sold, and also from the collection boxes.  I will put the final total on here when it is in.  Thanks to everyone who sponsored me, and a big thank you to Mary for keeping me company and keeping me going in the pool.  Now I am going to relax for the rest of the day and work on a couple of challenges.

It's sketch time again at Let's Scrap and it is a card sketch this week.  I used an image from Mo Manning.  I love this wee image which is called  - I even love the box!!!  It is just typical of a small child to ignore the present and play with the box!! I have had to turn my craft room upside down looking for photographs which I had just a couple of weeks ago.  I need them for a Halloween layout I want to do and I just don't know where I have put them!!  I am so organised and have boxes for everything, but I have checked the places where I keep photos and they are not there.  I have even been looking in stupid places - you know - just in case!!!  I will have one last look today, then I will have to have to reprint them aaaaaahhhhhhh!!

Swimming Update - I had a lovely quiet swim today, at one point I was the only person in the whole pool!  Lovely!!!!  I love just gliding through the water when it is flat and still, unlike when there is a lot of people in the pool and it resembles swimming in the sea  complete with Tsunamis on occasion!!! I  kid you not LOL!!!  I took 1 hour and 10 minutes today, but I have pulled a muscle in my chest, so will have to watch what I am doing tomorrow and will probably have to slow down a bit.  I have such a laugh watching people at the pool, there are so many characters there.  A woman was in the other day, and she had her full make-up on as if she was going for a night out.  Bright red lipstick and long dangley earrings and a big flower scrunchy in her hair. Unbelievable!!  Then there is Jacuzzi man.  I see him getting out of his car and coming into the gym and he comes straight into the Jacuzzi and just sits there hopping between the two Jacuzzis.  Occasionally, he goes into the steam room, but not very often.  He chats away to people, then leaves, and I see him going back to his car.  He never actually does anything which I think is a bit weird, and he is there every single day!!!!!  Bizarre!! Okay must go and hunt for those photos!!!  Wish me luck!!

Here is another layout I have been working on.  It is based on the Let's Scrap Design team call for November - March.  Wish me Luck!!

These photos were taken in New Zealand near Taupo.  Corinne, Eric and I went on a Jet Boat and it was simply amazing!!!!  It was really scary but really exhilarating and I would do it again in a minute!!!  We were absolutely soaked when we finished, especially Eric as he was at the outside that seemed to get the most of the water.  The driver was called Stevo and he did a wee wave with his hand to let you know he was going to put the boat through 360 degrees - brilliant!!!!  Poor Rob was the official photographer and bag holder - well someone had to do it!!!!!!!

Sponsored Swim update : - I did my mile today in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  I realy began to feel my neck and shoulders sore so it slowed me down a bit - only by 5 minutes so that's not bad!!!  I have a rest day tomorrow and then back to it again on Thursday for mile 3.  I am really feeling good doing this, as for once I am doing the sponsored event myself and not relying on other people to do it for me.  Back soon for another update!!

Swimming update!!!!!  Today was the first day of my sponsored swim and I did my 80 lengths in 1 hour and 10 minutes.  Pool was lovely and quiet, so no pool rage!!!!  I could see a lovely big rainbow out the window when I was swimming and it was beautiful.  Unfortunately, by the time I came out, the rain was pouring down!!  I'm feeling my neck a bit sore, but it is a good sore if you know what I mean!!!  I will be back at the pool again tomorrow for the next mile!  I'll give you the update tomorrow.

 Here are some more cards I have been working on.  I love the traditional feel that they have.

 This one is Eric's favourite.  He loves owls.  I do like it, it's a bit different and could even be used as a winter birthday card.  Must go now and get another layout done!

Where does the time go?  I keep asking myself!!  I should have put this post on here on Wednesday and it is now Sunday!!!  This is the sketch for Let's Scrap and I have chosen photos from our trip to New Zealand earlier this year.

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We went away for a few days and stayed near Mount Manganui which is on the coast. We set off early one morning, (7 a.m. to be precise) on a trip to swim with Dolphins.  it was a cold, bleak day and to begin with we were pretty miserable and cold.  We sailed for hours and hours without seeing any dolphins and we were beginning to think we would not see any at all.  We did see flying fish and a massive shoal of fish which were right on the surface of the sea and they were flapping about all the time.  We were still sitting on the boat and I said to Corinne, shut your eyes and count to 3 and the dolphins will appear.  She did it and lo and behold, 2 minutes later, the Dolphins appeared! We had such a laugh about that!!   There were about 40 of them in the school and it was brilliant to watch them.  We got to go to the back of the boat and into the water, where we held onto a rail and the dolphins swam beside and underneath us.  I couldn't do it for very long as it hurt my shoulders, but Eric managed longer than me and Rob and Corinne did it twice and they loved it!! It was an amazing experience, but very hard trying to get a photo of the dolphins as they were so fast!!  It was an experience I will never forget and another thing off my bucket list!!

Now for the very late swimming update!!  I swam on Thursday and Friday last week, and did 80 lengths each time.  This is the first time I have done this two days in a row, so I have really been feeling the muscles in my legs and my bum!!!  (Hopefully I will tone them up a bit! LOL!!)  I have raised £170 so far through sponsorship which I am really pleased about.  This is the week I do it for real, so wish me luck!!  I'll let you know how I get on!!  Oh one other thing - Marie and Willie are having a wee boy!!!  Yet another Grandson for us!  Will never get the chance to knit up the pink wool I have!! LOL!!!  All is well and we are really happy about it!  Now the task of picking a name for the wee one - watch this space!!!

Swimming update

Yesterday (I know I'm late again!!)  I did my 80 lengths in 1 hour and 10 minutes which I thought was pretty good if I say so myself !!  the last 10 lengths were a killer and I struggled a bit but got there with brute force and determination!!  Back again tomorrow and Friday, then the real thing starts on Monday - wish me luck!!!

Swimming update!!!!


Drumroll please.................................................................  I managed to do 80 lengths today, so I have done my first ever mile!!  Woo Hoo!!!!!  Really pleased I have managed it at last, one more week of training until the big event, so fingers crossed I keep well until then!
 

Wednesday again!! Can you believe it?  The sketch at Let's Scrap has been revealed yet again, and although it is a 2-page sketch, I just decided to do the right hand side.  When Corinne sent over these photos I had to laugh as I thought they were so cute!!  Wee Dylan really looks like he means business doesn't he?!!?

 I have also entered the challenge at Some Odd Girl where you had to use the photo below as inspiration to make a card.  These are my favourite colours and this was right up my street!

 I took the photo against a sheet of green scrapbook paper so the card is at the front (don't think that makes much sense, does it? LOL!!!! Maybe I should say that the card is mostly white and ignore the bright green background!!!!

Now for the swimming update!!!  I have a song in my head - What is the song I here you ask? - It is "76 Trombones in the hit parade" and why do I have that song in my head you ask? - because I did 76 lengths today!!!!!!  The pool was a nightmare to begin with, it was so busy I had to swim in a zig-zag from end to end.   Once it quietened down it was a lot better.  Mind you, I probably did more than 76 lengths if you take the zig-zags into account!! LOL!!!!  Will aim for 78 on Friday, so I will let you know if I manage or not!! Have started to take my sponsor form around with me, so if you see people running off in the opposite direction from me, you will know why!! 

Here we go with the swimming update!!  I managed to do 74 lengths today Woo Hoo!!  I took 65 minutes which I think is not too bad if I say so myself!!  Pool was fairly empty, so no pool rage.  Mrs Back-to-front was there today, she wears her swimsuit back to front!! Honestly!!  What should be a racer back is at the front and she shows off half her bum as that bit isn't big enough as it should be at the front!  Very funny!! Trying to decide whether or not to put out washing as the sun is blinking off and on.  Think it may be safer to just hang it inside!!  Must go and get some crafting done!!

I have been very lax and I realised I did not write up my swimming blog on Friday. I did 70 lengths once again, in 60 minutes Woo!!  Lovely and quiet in the pool, so peace to get on and do my thing!!  Strange man in pool though, who is there from time to time and he does something like Tai Chi whilst walking through the pool.  He went one better on Friday and looked like he was trying to do synchronised swimming - on his own!!!  He was swimming underwater, with one hand up above the water pointed straight up at the ceiling.  Very strange indeed!!  Still busy making cards and these are my latest offerings. 

 This is an image from Kenny K and I thought it was brilliant!!  I am going to make a few cards using this image!!

This image is from Hanglar & StAnglar and I coloured it using my favourite colours at the moment for Christmas Cards!

This is the card for Challenge #102 Furry Friends  at Mo's digital challenge. This image is called Christmas Morning.  I love the way the wee dog is head first into his stocking! It reminds me of when I had my cats and they got a stocking too and dived in just like this!

Must go now and finish the layout I am working on for Let's Scrap!  Swimming again tomorrow, so hopefully will be back tomorrow!!