Embellish your World

Back from Legoland

 

What a lovely mini-break we had as a family - 2 days in Legoland, combined with an overnight stay in a hotel opposite Heathrow.  We have been so lucky to have great weather, packed our own picnic both days to save on take-away food and some of the queues, and explored the park in our own leisurely way.  Robert passed his Lego driving licence, Jamie navigated a hot air balloon, Eloise joined me on a high-rise climb for a birds eye view of the park and Matt and Robert attended Digger training!

I might have worn them out though - what do you think?

More photos from the park tomorrow as I too am tired out and need my bed!

I am such a loser!

After a very tearful Tuesday last week, when those horrid fibbing weighing scales had the audacity to say I had put weight on, despite having walked for miles in

Ireland

, swam for the first time in 3 years and not been naughty with nibbles, you can imagine my joy today when I lost 4.5lb! I am one happy bunny, and a big congrats to my buddy Clare too who lost half a stone in 2 weeks - way to go Clare!!

One day, hopefully this year! I will be doing this!

 

Other news, had a nice bank holiday weekend, spent mostly at home with the kids pottering around the home and garden.  Even with a super croaky voice and feeling slightly lousy I still managed to enjoy the sunshine and it was a shame to go back to the office today.  However, it is half term, and we are planning a trip to Legoland this week (probably an insane idea) but means even more photos for me and will put a smile on the kids’ faces.  Until then it is a few more days of work and finishing of some DT scrapping, one layout in particular that is taking me forever!!!

A wonderful day out

Despite the very occasional shower but the promise of a downpour at any moment I managed to spend a wonderful day at Chelsea Flower Show yesterday with my mother-in-law.  T'was a most decadent day as we spoilt ourselves with a seafood and champagne lunch - my first time with oysters - yummy!!

It was far less crowded than in previous years, and yet still so wonderfully inspiring - sadly my children would even ruin the plasticine garden, and I did not discover any fool proof ways of keeping a pair of boys from destroying a flower bed with a ball! Nevertheless I took some lovely photographs and bought some french lavendar seeds in 3 colour tones to start myself off gently with flowers in the garden.  Somehow though I think the veggie beds will still be more sucessful! Here are a few snaps from the show...

 

 

Loved the Ace of Spades garden - so clever!

Truly a great day out and I only wish I could go again on Saturday with a blank cheque book and shop!!

Off exploring once more...

yep, another day away from the office as I head off to Chelsea Flowers show tomorrow with my mother-in-law.  Am very much looking forward to it and hoping the weather perhaps holds off from being totally awful so I can grab myself a decent set of photographs and some inspiration for our front and back garden, particularly around the veggie beds.

Of course I want to see James May's garden (of Top Gear) made entirely from plasticine, the Eden project garden looks pretty great with some inspiring veggie ideas, local college Capel Manor have a Courtyard garden this year, there is a perfume garden where I am hoping to pick up some fragrant ideas, and of course the biker's garden,  where bike parts, oil drums, old tyres and memorabilia are interwoven into the garden as plants and motorcycles share the same space!!

Awesome or what?!!

 

Escape to Ireland

3 friends, 12 hours, miles of walking, 1 rope bridge, several castles and a billion rocks, not to mention a delicious pint of Guinness and almost 200 photographs! What a way to spend a day!!

Lazing on a sunny afternoon...

…in the summertime….in the summertime….

 

 

 

What a glorious Sunday afternoon, the sun shining down as we watched hubby and his team play cricket at the local pitch, seeing him take 2 wickets in 2 balls, one of which was an absolute belter!!  Was such a shame that I started the day with one hell of a hangover following my good friend Faith, who visited with my goddaughter Samantha and her brother Carl, bringing a delicious bottle (or two) of red with her...core did I suffer this morning!!

 

 

No scrapping at all this weekend, which was unusal for me, but sometimes it is good to have some quality family time and focus on nothing else :)  But here is my layout for last weeks PAWS sketch team.. and I am working on several other projects at present with my delicious ONIRIE DT papers having arrived from France and something special in mid-creation for Mr Pickle!!

 

 

And so another week starts tomorrow, but plenty happening with the much awaited trip to Ireland on Thursday to photograph Giants Causeway among other things, and the lovely Nicki's 40th on Friday.. whoo hoo!!

 

What a Pickle-licious day!

What a great day of scrapbooking we had yesterday in Enfield, celebrating National Scrapbooking day is style with a hall full of eager scrapbookers and the very lovely Mr Lance Anderson teaching an awesome 6”x12” “You Rock” album class in the afternoon.  I can’t wait to finish my book with those final touches and photos of the family playing guitar hero on the PS3!!  I will of course share when I’m done.

As well as Lance we also had the usual ScrapMates class kit with some great pages being created.  Pop over to our crop blog to see a selection of images showing what our croppers created!  My class layout is below...

 

 

After a long day scrapping we headed over to friends yesterday evening for a turkish meal – delicious, especially the homemade humous, and would you believe it spinach cake?? Seriously this was green sponge cake, so light and tasty, and of course I now have the recipe so will be giving this a try soon.  Even with the delicious food on offer last night, I still managed to stay within calories for the day, and am hoping for another good week of weight loss after my “slimmer of the week” achievements last week with a 4lb loss! Am hoping by my birthday at the end of June I will have lost 21-28lb – fingers crossed!