This week Im Grateful for : The Sun and the Snow

When a storm visits and you live in  New Hampshire the only thing you can do is run and hide....

Anyone who lives in my neck of the woods will tell you it can get fairly mean and nasty at times....

Waiting for the sun to come out is like waiting for the Queen of England to visit but she came today in all her glory and it was so pretty for a while.

So I'm so grateful this week for the sun ...... and blue skies

I'm also grateful that my husband made it home safety after plowing for nearly 30 hrs straight ...

And as much as it may not seem like I'm grateful for the snow I am ...it keeps my children busy as they build forts .... or Ice castles as I have just been informed.
It pays use a good wage, and puts food on our table, and that I'm totally grateful for

The two photos I have posted are for Maxabella ...

In her own words

 "I LOVE seeing the snowed-in photos. It's just so EXOTIC as I sit here in the sweltering humidity of a Sydney Summer. So beautiful your way and it makes me just want to come over right now. I think I would love to live in the snow... x "

You would be welcome anytime here my  friend... just make sure you bring your thermals 

What are you grateful for this week.
Hop on over to Maxabella Loves and link up with this weeks Grateful posts ......

Missing in Action ....

Well that's how it feels really .... I'm beginning to ask myself "who are you"
I'm sure the kids may feel this way to.... so where have I been and what am I up to... well if I said building a business would I be forgiven ....

I hope so cause right now I feel a bit of a let down on the whole blog/post front and I have to make a public apology to Cate at Keep Cate Busy  she awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award and I totally missed her comment ...

Cate really you can come across here and slap me ...

This is my award and Im totally made up about it ...... 

 

So here is what I now have to do...
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award -
2.Share 7 things about yourself
3.Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4.Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award.


So 7 things about me....

1: I have recently opened my own shop on Etsy
2: I'm a Christmas baby ...... and very recently turned 44..... wow am I really that old.
3: I have a pile of ironing sitting in my laundry room that is so big that I would be happy to pay someone else to do it.
4: I love Cheese and Onion sandwiches ..... you have to remember I am British
5: I would stay in my PJ's all day If I allowed myself to.
6: I have never followed a cooking recipe in my life.. I'm a throw in the pan type of girl and hope for the best

7: I love my life and my family with all my heart..even when times get rough I still hold on to what God has given me .

Now the hard easy bit 15 recently discovered blogs.

1: Acute Designs ... A fellow Etsy seller who is following her dreams and makes the most beautiful hair accessorizes
2: My Little Drummer Boys ..... I have a lot of admiration for this lady.... read her story.
3: Crazy Adorable ... another Etsy .... who's blog is just so cute, and product is adorable.
4: hanamik ... I know this gonna get boring but my fellow Etsy sellers have such wonderful blogs that I just cant help promote them... Hana is expecting her first baby soon and she looks so good doing it you really should check her out.
5: Dreamaginarius beautifully laid out blog ... totally styling it up here.
6: Pepper Glen  Love it here.
7: Small Town Woman I know she is my sister but hey she has style... she must have she is my sister
8: The Purple Notepad  I have read Katies blog for a while but this Lady has style and writes so beautifully ..and should be discovered a bit more so here is your chance.
9: Align Boutique ... a really friendly place to visit ....
10: hrushton art A gem I found today .... one follower but really there should be more...

So I'm gonna stop at 10 cause really I have not discovered any others recently that I can really list ...sorry ... but note to all you really should do 15 ..I'm just a bad girl ...don't follow my bad habits ... 

So off to contact them all now.... but before I leave .... let me just say you ladies are all stylish to me in one way or another...and I'm grateful for each and everyone of you ... Have a wonderful Holiday and I look forward to spending the New year with you all as we Blog Along together

Where will 2011 take you...

..... with 2011 just around the corner, what are your hopes and dreams for the coming years?


I can also show you know (cause its working) the treasury I was featured in.... your clicks( you click on the featured item) are still welcomed and needed.

This week Im Grateful for : Stars in my Life

This week I am grateful for so many things in my life.....

but I promise I'll only name a few

1: My best friend who is a star a bright shinny one..... whatever I do she is always there besides ...she encourage me and supports me ... I think she humors me as well ...and I love her for it ....*


2: The wonderful person (she is an awesome star) who featured one of my prints on her Treasury on Etsy ..... I hope she is truly blessed this weekend as she has blessed me. There is nothing better than waking up in a morning and checking your emails to find out that sort of news.


3: To all of you who left me encouraging comments yesterday .... You are all Bright Shining Stars.

Linking up with Maxabella for I'm Grateful For 

Happy weekend everyone...may it be a blessed one for all of you.

(*out of all my friends she was the only one who entered my failed attempted at a giver away .....) 

Featured in a Treasury on Etsy

I had an email today from Etsy.....

I had been featured in a Treasury....
I was totally excited.
Its not front page but if we get lots of clicks veiws and comments it might just make it ... which would be totally awesome .....

My print that got picked is this one 

 Featured on

There is Still Time...All Undiscovered in 10 Categories Whew!

I have all morning been trying to embed a code from Cultcraft that would show you all the treasury but it will not work for me ...totally gutted.. so if anyone knows how to get this silly code to work I would love to hear from you.....

But in the meantime do a girl a favour and go view click and comment if you can ...help me get to the from page

Id be really Grateful

I ♥ Quench Metalworks.

Have you ever been just trolling over web pages, facebook, Etsy and suddenly something hits you smack bang in the face and your in love. Yes/No?

This I have to say doesnt happen that ofton with me but it did today.
I was just checking emails and facebook while Bop was eating her lunch (remember Im homeschooling this week) and on the front page of my facebook this little gem shows up.

I have for sometime admired Quench Metalwork's work, they are unique in every sense of the word.

They are on my after Christmas list which I informed my husband a few nights ago (we also buy each other something after the Christmas session as affording something before is nearly always imposable)

The piece that made me fall in love today is in fact a custom piece of jewelry, which might not be offered to the public but even still it caught my eye and made me whoosh.

The embroidery is by Cindy Steiler of Mary's Granddaughter....her work can also be found on Etsy 

The rest  is Quench Metalworks

A totally wonderful collaboration!

 
Quench Metalworks Facebook page

Quench Metalworks Etsy Store

Quench Metalworks Blog

Go have a look round and then come back and tell me how much you love their work.

Signing off and going back to homeschooling .........

Sharing Sunday : this is my hopeful world.

As some of you know I stopped blogging for a while, lets just say my brain went on vacation.

The one thing I didnt stop doing was searching out Artists that inspire me. I have this creative bone and it bugs me daily, to the point where if I allowed this bone to take control of me nothing else would get done so a lot of the time I try to ignored, which I know isnt always a good thing but the ironing needs to be done cause I cant have kids walking around in creased up clothes.

So to help compensate for this bone I have decided that Sundays is my day for sharing the one thing that has inspired me this week.

If any of you would like to join me in this then by all means feel free .... just leave a comment saying what inspired you this week with a link if there is one, if enough people joined in we could set this up with a complete linky .....who knows

So sharing Sunday this week  .... just the name of this Shop on Etsy had my attention not sure how I ened up here but Im glad I found it. I have a habit of reading profiles call me a stalker I don't care.

So here are some detail about this Artist: and the store on Etsy:

The Store:
my name is jen lemen. this is my experiment in sharing profits from my art with my friends here and around the world. i'm operating this shop as a cooperative with a small circle of friends. what we learn here will help create hopeful world, a digital publishing platform designed to fuel and fund global leaders with brilliant ideas, new economic models and wisdom for the world at large.
(just that on its own would be enough for me to wnat to spread the word about this person and her friends)

This is what Jen has to say about herself 
I'm messy, hopeful, enthusiastic and helplessly in love with the idea that stories can change you and me forever.
(I have to say this I totally agree with, some of your stories change me daily)

Wow she had me hooked ... words can speak volumes to ones soul ecsspecially when one is trying to change a story ... which most of you know I am.

I emailed Jen and asked if I could share her work and she said  "of course! i would be honored."

So her art work ... it blows me away and inspires me all at the same time.....
Come see for yourself.

This one totally inspired my kindness post

This one helped me look at Bip and Bop and believe they can move on from where they are with RAD

Words speak volumes to me here.... I can do this and I will

The light at the end of the tunnel for me

So a big thank you to Jen for letting me share what has inspired me this week.

If Jen's work inspires you then please go show her some love.

Her store on etsy can be found here  thisismyhopefulworld

and her blog address is  jenlemen.com

Now your turn whats inspired you this week?

Fancy Pants: Not So Fancy

So I said I would join Kymmie over at A day in the Life of Us in her linky Fancy Pants

( I think the title speaks for its self no explanation needed)  .... ye I really should think before I type.... its Saturday here and not a day to get fancy that's for sure ..... its a work day and today we are moving core wood .... which my wonderful husband borough home from work last night .... I'm so in love with our wood stove right now cause its so cold and windy oh did I mention snow flurries yesterday .... that we need all the wood we can get....

The wood stove makes me feel cozy and totally uncivilized cause its so not the norm to me.... open fire yes I grow up with them but wood stove  no...but I do love it, it also comes in hand when you have a power loss and you cant cook ... ye that's right you can cook on them...awesome ...


So back to Fancy Pants ..... or in my case not so Fancy Pants ... so here is Bip and Bop all dressed up in their not so finest .....

I think If I'm going to do Fancy Pants we need to organizes ourselves and take a photo on a Sunday and upload the following Saturday to be honest that's the only day we get dressed up around here.

Kindness

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

Mark Twain

I have been thinking a lot lately about kindness and why it matters.... why its important to us as human beings, and how good we feel after receiving or producing an act of kindness.

I know as a mother how important it is to teach kindness especially to two children who maybe have never really understood kindness before and the true meaning behind the act of it, because to them just getting what they want and how they want it is whats important.

Different acts of Kindness matter in different communities, but really at the end of a hard long drawn out day each and every act of kindness is the same and it produces the same.

Someone somewhere benefits from that act and you (if your the one doing the producing) feel good about what you did for someone else.

Today we live in a world that is all to ready to grab what it can, to benefit its self, to profit from self righteous attitudes and to grab what it can when it can and not look back to see what a trail of disruption its left in its path.

Is this the way we want our children to grow ..... to live their future out ..... I'm guessing no, cause really on a personal note none of you come across as being like that.

But there are people out there who wouldn't even know what a kind act was if it came and hit them smack down square in the face. Why well maybe because they have never produced and act of kindness in their life's because no one every showed them kindness. 

So how do we change that ?

I don't have all the answers all I know is when I receive or give kindness it makes me feel good not in a self righteous "Look at me" type way but in a way that I know I have either put a smile on someones face or that someone was thinking about me.

Think about this for one moment ...... and think about how kindness makes you feel.

It doesn't matter if you receive it or give it, how does it make you feel.

Now here is the hard part, now think how you are going to spread the kindness.

I'm going to point out some acts of kindness Ive received lately and this may help you a little

I stopped blogging for two months someone was very concerned here in blog land and let it be known once I found out about their concern oh boy how touched did her concern make me feel .... that's kindness right there smacked down pulled together kindness ....
So is there a blogger that you haven't seen a post  form for sometime?.... go see if you can find an email address for them or just leave them a message asking if their alright.

Ask a neighbor if they need a ride somewhere..... maybe they cant get out because they don't have a car ... but you do, and it may not even be out of your way to take them to the post office or the grocery store ...and if it is just know that your doing an act of kindness and that person will be truly grateful.... (by the way Maria I know you will read this so thanks for the lift ride today)


There are many ways and I'm pretty sure you can thing of some yourself to show kindness to someone today

One of my favorite sits here in blog land is Kind over matter.

They focus on the handmade community which I know many of you are involved in or just plain old love,
well they are worth a visit and worth a vote..... yes that's right vote ... they have entered the Pepsi refresh project their aim is to help independent artists while promoting kindness and positivity

There is one act of kindness that wont take you long to do .....

You can find the vote button on the right hand side of their blog.


I would love to hear about your act of kindness, doesn't matter if you gave or received .... its a way to encourage others ...and lets be honest we all need that from time to time .

Flogging my Blog on a Thursday for the first time in months for Flog Yo Blog Friday over at

Random Ramblings of a SAHM.

Come join the fun 

Much Love Autumn

I did week one of Fall Festival over at This Blessed Nest ..... This has totally got me falling into Fall, Im so aware of Fall right now and loving it to bits.......


So this Labor Day weekend I love Autumn

 Also this weekend I love being at home with family .... the chill in the air ...... and the fact I can wear sock on my feet without being to hot, socks and slippers love it.


What are you loving this Monday ..... Hop over to ♥ Much Love ♥ and join in


*Image posted on Art ☂ Pixie

How can you do this

So I said sometime ago that Bop's birthday had stirred up some emotions in me.
Well its time to spill the emotions, cause I now have control of them.
Its always been evident to me that Bop's birth mother favors her over Bip, its a very sly favor, but never the less its there.
For 2 years now Bip has not received a birthday present from her let alone a card.
His first birthday that I was in his life he got a phone call, the second year a card with $5 in it and the last two years not a thing.

Bop on the other hand does get a card and normally a gift card, or a small present.
He now is beginning to notice this trend,and this year on Bop's birthday said something.

What do you say when you don't have the answer?
 
He wants to know why he is treated different, why he gets nothing and she gets something.
She didn't get a phone call this year but she did get a card with a gift card in it.

Bip is 10 next year and is very aware of what goes on around him... he would be he's at that age where things like birthdays now have a meaning.

He said to me some weeks ago birthdays are the day you celebrate the day your mother gave birth to you, he then went on to say that he wished that id given birth to him cause then he wouldn't expect anything from her ( her being his birth mother).

This totally breaks my heart cause I to wish it was that way just so I could ease his pain and make life easier for him.

Its not important to me weather I gave birth to Bip or not what is important is that he is at peace with himself, and he's not when it comes to things like this.

Bop still thinks I gave birth to her ...... I heard her tell Bip so.... and also heard Bip try to tell her this wasn't true..... but she just ignores it.

He has expectations of people ... I think this is only normal as you get older.

Cause as you get older people have expectations of you.

But if the exceptions are not meet do we stop meeting others expectation of us.... I'm worried this will happen is this carries on....

 Believe me no amount of explanation helps.... this child is hurt and confused.

My big question is this

As a mother who has given birth how do you turn your back and forget the day you brought that child into the world, how do you tell yourself its ok NOT to acknowledge this child on that day we call his birthday.

Fall Festival: Week One

So I decided to join the Fall Festival.... just torn which blog to do it on.... cause Ive had my camera out and as I post most photo's on LIMELITE, I didn't know if to do this over there.... but no I'm doing it here..... I'm so indecisive.

So Fall Festival is hosted by This Blessed Nest, I love it over there I read but as usual I'm a quiet reader, and don't say a lot, but honestly this lady is amazing with what she does and I'm a little in awe of her.
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, the only problem is once fall arrives I know winter is on its way and winter means snow and I hate that stuff.

This is what I like about fall today.... trees ...I'm passionate about trees, remind me to show you one day my love for tress.

The leaves are beginning to change color .....

With the sun behind them they look awesome

When they turn this color I love it.

And I just have to share the sunset with you this was how it looked from my drive way this evening

Fall Festival will be fun I'm going to capture it all on camera.... 

and I might even give you all a treat and draw something

Watch this space!

This is week one of the Fall Festival Posts

Perfect Monday: Fireworks and A Birthday Treat.

Every Monday Weebles Wobblog does a weekly post Called Perfect Moment Monday
Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between.
I mentioned yesterday that Saturday was a crazy day before Bops 7th birthday, every year we go to a firework display in a town near to us.
The gates open at 4pm and the display is at 9pm in between all that there is live music and a sky diving display, but it is a long wait for a 7 year old and a 9 year old.
So by the time the display starts they are hanging on the edge of their chairs with anticipation .....
 This year the music for the display was from Disney s Fantasia.
It is one of the most awesome things I have ever seen if I'm honest and I'm always totally blown away from it all.

The best moment is the look on Bop's face when it starts.

 Every year she tells us " It's the best day of my life" 

Perfect Moment to see how so delighted by it all

It mainly cause it is her Birthday treat 

and she goes on about it for at lest 3 weeks before the day

 Just some of the photo's I took of the display

 If you hop over to LIMELIGHT you can see more of my photo's from Jaffrey Fireworks

This is a Perfect Moments Post

I Capture Perfect Moments.

So When Did We Get Married?

So just before dinner my mother hands me and my hubby a present ....
On the front it says Happy Anniversary .... now me and my wonderful hubby just look at each other and smile

I say "Shall we open it today or wait til tomorrow"
He says " why would be wait till tomorrow"
"Because tomorrow is our wedding anniversary"
"Hunny" he smiles " It was yesterday"
I'm puzzled and I say "No Hunny its tomorrow"

The whole time my poor mother is standing there looking back and forth at us like we are a tennis match.
we in the meantime are still debateing weather its tomorrow or yesterday when finaly she says

"Hmmmmm sorry to interrupt but its today"

 Then the penny drops and I look at this wonderful man who three years ago today I committed my life to forever more and I smile

"Hunny" I say with my sweetest smile ever, can you here my sarcasm 
" If it was that it was yesterday ... how come you DIDN'T even say Happy Bloody Wedding  Anniversary to me yesterday morning when you kissed me good bye"

He in return says nothing and handed me a Vodka and Coke.


This is a Flog Yo Blog post on Thursday from the house where no one seems to know when they got married

Weekly Photo Prompt

 Its that time again...... yes thats right the weekly photo prompt

like I said last week I now post my prompt on my other blog 

LIMELITE

so please feel free to hop over the theme this week was

what summer means to me 

Bip was the perfect super model this week .... I think I may have bored him a bit cause I couldn't quiet get it how I wanted but bless my boy he stuck with me and finally we did it...he is such a trooper.

Also I hope you hop over to Kristi and Melissa's post to see their work.

 

 

 

 

 

Remind Me Next Time

Not to eat the Hubby's Chili con carne  again.

I can eat most things, I don't have a problem with eating a hot Biryani I pretty much grew up eating Indian food.

Peppers don't normally have an effect one me, but last night I believed at one point that I was going to faint after eating this Chilli.

This Chilli was a killer to me, you should of seen my face on the first mouth full, it must of been a picture cause my hubby even asked if I was ok.

I did finish it but after I had to go to bed..... it was 7pm ish

Today, this morning I still feel like Ive been kicked by a mule.

Everyone else enjoyed it even Bip and Bop wolfed it down.

All I can think is I must be getting old.

This is a Tuesday Train Post

Oh My Goodness

So I won this today...
My very first bloggy award.... so a big shout out to Angie from Like She's Somebody ..... This lady has had me laughing so many times.... she had a wonderful sense of humor, well you have to with frizzy hair I guess.... Angie you know I love you .... and your frizzy hair ..... So Angie awarded me this .... and now I have to tell you 7 things about me or post an old post ..... I'm going to go with 7 things I think...... Don't want to bore your pants off again with another one of my posts.....
Oh and after Ive done that I have to award this award to some of you out there.... so hold a breaths ....

1: I have a Dog who drinks vodka and Coke and a Rabbit that wont eat lettuce
2: I'm Dyslexic (letters and numbers)
3: I'm scared stiff of anything that flies except butterflies
4: I never passed my driving test in The UK but manged to do it in The USA (Failed 3 times)
5: My favorite comedian is Peter Kay
6: I admire people who speak their mind...... even if I don't always agree with you I admire you for standing up for what you believe in
7: I'm sarcastic ..... and it gets me in trouble.
So with no further a do I would like to award this award to the following Blogs....
Drum Roll Please

Life and love in the country 

Maxabella Loves 

and 

Good Moms Are a Lot of Things

 * So I just noticed that part of this post is missing

The part that was missing said this 

To the three blogs I awarded you can do the 7 questions about yourself or do nothing ...... but please pass the award on to another blog or blogs that you think deserves this

Getting To Know You Sunday.

At Mannland5 it is getting to know you Sunday ..... why not pop over and join in..... 

The Q's.

1. Do you think mustaches are sexy?

Not really  ..... 

2. What's the last concert you've been to?

I don't remember it was that long ago.... maybe Morcheeba

3  What was your favorite 80's sitcom?

I think I use to watch Knight Rider on a saturday evening....if that was the 80"s .... if it wast then I was to young to have a favorite

4. Were you named after anyone?

No..... Mom says she didn't want to offend anyone in the family so she gave me a name that had never been used before.

5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing?
Sometimes..... depends  if I have any clean ones to wear when I buy new ones...that was a joke by the way 

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time?
Play WOW.... 

7. What is your favorite department store

H&M and Next ...but if I want to shop at Next I have to order online .... Lucky for me they do deliver to the USA....

8. If  you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it?

 I wouldn't get it done.... I'm coward so if I think something might hurt I don't do it ..anyway that's what razors are for surely...

Spill The Beans: Saturday ....plus a new layout.

You know being a SAHM isn't all its cracked up to be ... by Saturday I'm so full to the brim that I need to let it all out.

There is a saying .... Spill the Beans ..... The English idiom “spill the  beans” means “to divulge a secret.”

Oh boy do I have some beans to spill ....

In the world of Select All + Delete the beans can be anything from something I found to something that's happened .... Good or Bad
So Saturday is Spill the Beans :Saturday ......

And here are my beans for the week:

Sunday:
Went food shopping nothing strange about that I know....

But have you ever tried doing it with two kids and 3 other adults in tow.... well if you haven't take my advice and DON'T....

Its a pain in the rear and you end up spending enough to feed a small third world country.

Monday:
Now this is scary, I'm just hope its not my info that's been leaked out there....

100 million Facebook pages leaked on torrent site

Tuesday:
Did you know that the little yellow sticky notes we all use are 30 years old .....

Yes I said  30 do you feel old now I sure do... can you believe it ....

They have a awesome celebration going on and you could win a $10,000 San Francisco Creative Retreat by entering your Post-it^® Products work of art.....

Post-it

Wednesday:
I love looking for new things online for Bip and Bop.....
I love sites that are educational with a fun factor ....
Found a few sites this week which they have both enjoyed ......

Amy's Kitchen :: The lemonslice.

National Geographic Kids ...... They have this magazine each moth so when they have done with it I send them to the wesite

Drawing Lessons ...... Bip loves to draw but often gets stuck for an idea....or he has an idea but isn't sure how to draw something .....he finds lots of idea's and help from this sit.

Thursday:
As a child I was brought up on soul music, ....
I remember that my Dad once brought me a cassette player and a collection of soul classic cassettes .....

The collection had 6 cassettes in it..and I played them that much I broke them ....

So I'm  looking through on You Tube the other day looking for some new Kiddies songs for Bop to learn (that child sings like an angel and learns songs like it was second nature) and I found this....

Oh the memories



Friday:
First Broken window..... I think we have done fairly well ...I mean he is 9 now and he's never broke one before..... AND .... he owned up to it straight away ...and took responsibility for the whole thing.
and it was just the garage so no biggie really .....

So that's my beans for this week ....

Do you have any beans you would like to spill ?

Have a wonderful weekend folks .....

  So this is the new layout.... wanted to change it for sometime just didn't find anything I liked.... Love this ..but
I lost my flag counter in the move.... slightly gutted by that.
Would love to know what you think to the new layout!!!

*layout by Yummy Lolly

Friday Flip Offs

Flip Off Friday ....... is about getting rid of  your weekday angst!

A big shout out for  Kludgy Mom  for hosting Flip Off Friday.

I don't have that much this week..... its been a really good week... had some awesome break through with Bip and Bop..... but there are a few out that sure need my flip off to complete their week.

Flip Off

To the Doctor who treated my neighbors for a simple plantar's wart on the bottom of her foot, he did his job so well that 9 hours later she had to go to the ER, jackass had treated the wrong area and she ended up with a chemical burn with infection...... 


To the bank who will not finance the car we want cause it had done to many miles....... you try being a one car family with a hubby at work and a son in summer school ......and no time to go look for another car right now.... 

To the driver who insisted on driving up my butt yesterday cause I was going a bit slower than normal cause I couldn't see, because of the storm we were driving in......idiot.


There that feels better....... 


Now your turn .... jump on over to Kludgy Mom  and join the flip of.

Fridays Flip Off