I can't remember whether I previously mentioned that my eldest daughter is expecting our first grandchild in January - there's a concept that takes some getting used to, I can tell you! I don't even feel old enough to be a parent most of the time, let alone a grandparent!! Clearly, I will be a very young grandmother...
My husband has decided that he wants to be called 'Grumpy' - no argument from me there - Grumpy by name and grumpy by nature!!! Just hope he doesn't read this. Anyway, eldest daughter and her fiancé are living in a rented flat at the moment, but have just had an offer accepted on a rather nice little house. 2 bedrooms, new build - fully furnished and all white goods included in the sale - they can literally just move their clothes in and that's it! Only problem is, she may have left home physically, but she still hasn't left mentally - she still phones at least 4 times a day with questions about this, that and the other - she really hasn't got her head round the fact that she has to make her own decisions now! Obviously we're happy to help where we can - but there are some things we just can't (or won't!) do. She lives 14 miles away from us, in the centre of town, literally around the corner from a large supermarket, yet still rings and asks if I will bring some milk over for her!! You can guess the answer to that one...
She's also been in and out of hospital a few times over the last couple of weeks - nothing serious, but like me, she's not one of these people who blooms when she's pregnant! She has, I think, been really floored by just how exhausting it is, and of course the hot weather we've been having hasn't helped. Baby is fine though, we saw it on a scan a couple of weeks ago - amazing! It never fails to leave me feeling completely in awe when I see an ultrasound scan - she's due for her anomaly scan on the 15th, and wants to know the sex of the baby - probably not a bad thing, as it's proving so difficult to get neutral baby stuff - everything seems really geared for one sex or the other - whatever happened to pastel greens and yellows? I suppose I really ought to get the knitting needles out - I'm sure I can remember what to do with them, maybe...
Our eldest son has just been diagnosed as having chronic fatigue, so we are now waiting for various appointments for him, and the LEA are supposed to be arranging home tuition for him when the new school year starts. Poor lad has been really badly affected and rarely leaves the house these days - his sleep patterns are completely shot and he has a very low tolerance for noise - which is not ideal in a house as noisy as ours!
We recently moved congregations - things weren't really working for us where we were, but the new congregation has made us feel extremely welcome and have tried to involve us in all sorts of different things, which is really lovely. Both of us had been feeling very low, spiritually speaking, but things are definitely picking up now.
Artwise, what have I been up to? I've really had to grab my chances where I can just lately, but in my previous post you will have seen the new stuff that I've produced over the last couple of weeks. I particularly love the 'Tree Frog' ATC's - the one with the black background is a digital ATC - I'm definitely beginning to get to grips with the photo manipulation software - still got a long way to go , but getting some really pleasing results now. Also included is my first ever hand-drawn ATC - the one of the gent in the hat. I have never considered myself to be artistic in the sense of being able to paint or draw, but I was really happy with this drawing - simple, maybe, but it is recognisable!!! I absolutely adore hats, but rarely have the chance to wear one, so I was delighted when 'Hats' was one of the themes chosen for last months swaps. Another of the swaps was on the theme of 'Adventure', now whenever I hear the word adventure, the first thought that comes to mind is of the Famous Five, Enid Blytons intrepid quintet of adolescent mystery solvers. With this in mind, I made a mock-up of the front cover of a Famous Five adventure story - brought back some memories, that did! As a child I read every Famous Five story I could get my hands on, as well as all the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys etc. I also loved the Billy Bunter stories - the thought of them still brings a smile to my face. I can't imagine what my children would make of Billy and his cohorts! Really, I read anything and everything when I was younger - never had my head out of a book! It looks as though my younger son might be heading the same way, he really enjoys reading and gets very involved in what he's reading. My youngest, who is 6, has decided that she wants to learn to read English - she is taught Welsh at school and doesn't start English until some time in the new school year, (She started school at 3!) She is teaching herself to read in English and is doing really well - none of the Janet and John books for her - she picks out a book she wants to read and away she goes - she certainly has an admirable persistence. She is absolutely determined that she's going to read English - very soon! She's also learning to spell in English - I'm just hoping that it's not going to cause too much confusion when she goes back to school!
Sorry, I digress, another of the cards in the 'Adventure' set is an image of Lara Croft - she of 'Tombraider' fame. I took a fairly standard image of her, and added some girly bits - much to the horror of my younger son! According to him, Lara Croft doesn't do handbags and make-up! I've also posted pictures of various greetings cards I've made recently - I've been trying to do something a little out of the ordinary - two of the cards are ones I've made to send to my brother and his wife for their wedding anniversary. The one with the jute and flower border is for my mum to send, and the one with the green vellum panel with flowers is from myself. I haven't worked much with vellum in the past, but a friend sent me some truly beautiful vellums, which were far too gorgeous to be hidden away, so I bit the bullet and had a play - I think I can safely say I will be working with vellum again! I've still got several projects on the go - I still have spreads to complete in 2 altered books, I have an clipboard to alter, and a jewellery piece to design and make, on the theme of 'Confectionary'. I really need to get moving on that, cos the closing date is only a couple of weeks away...
Enough wittering from me for now, catch you again in a few days.
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