New experiences

Well the weekend was full of new experiences!

I started off by going with Laura to her bridesmaid dress fitting. I cant say I am overly impressed with the place Kelly has chosen to have them made with. I thought this experience would be all cosy and girls together, mother and daughter stuff. The place we went is in the middle of nowwhere, a barn on a farmyard that has been converted into outlets. So my first new experience was using a sat nav system to find it.

Far from my ideal, it was literally in and out of the shop! Last time there wasnt even any seats out for those waiting, this time at least there was a huge chocolate fountain running although everyone felt too intimidated to munch any. The dresses are already late, they were promised the end of January and have only just got back to the shop from the suppliers, so they hadnt even been pressed when the girlies tried them on. And despite all three girls being vastly different in size and shape strangely all three dresses need taking in at the bust??!?? I only hope the alterations are good as there is only a week to the wedding once they come back.

Then it was back to my mum's as that is where Kelly is leaving her wedding gown so that Ollie cant see it before the wedding. She had picked it up that morning, so it was a full dress rehersal for me and the grandparents to see the dress. Wow! For obvious reasons I cant put the photo's up here, but it was a bit of a hanky moment seeing my little baby all growed up.

After that it was off to the hotel for the hen do. I've never been to a hen party, they didnt do them in my day, just a bit of a drink with your girlfriends down the pub if you were lucky. None of all the commercialism they have today. So another new experience. There were 13 of us including the bride, and we started off in the hotel pool, followed by yet another new experience for me - the steam room. The youngsters also piled into the sauna but that was one new experience too much for me and I stayed in the pool.

Up to the rooms for the opening of the 'brides' box and the rules of the evening. Then into our 'costumes' - a cowgirl theme, and down to the restaruant where a table had been booked, decorated by the waiters with goodies supplied by myself and the bridesmaid and an evening of laughter. I'm not going to put drink and food there because the service just wasnt up to it. We were very dissappointed as it took them an hour and a half to get our food to the table once we had ordered - it would have been quicker in weatherspoons and in my experience thats saying something!!! Maybe this is what put the waiters off?

In fact the service was so bad that the waiters never returned to take our desert orders so we retired to the bride's room for a slightly altered game of pin the tail on the donkey (involving a tastefully changed poster of the groom *wink wink*) and pass the parcel, chocolate and wine.

By 11 the main bridesmaid, Helen who was the organiser, had run out of steam, it being only the first time away from her beautiful baby boy of 7 months, so the games ceased and we listened to the chatter of two of the other girls as the rest of us snoozed gently against the walls of the room (seating being on the floor only).

Sadly a combination of excitement, toomany new experiences, chlorine, and rock hard very high pillows resulted in a migraine for me, so not only could I not enjoy my full english breakie included in the package, but Jan had to drive my car home, and I spent Sunday and Monday sleeping. But I did enjoy it all. I look forward to Laura's hen!!

Oh and to finish one more new experience. When we got home, Jan phoned her husband to come collect her, only to find he had managed to get their Landrover stuck in the mud at the stables!!!! Only he could manage to get a Landrover stuck!

Stinger

A couple of digi LO's I have been playing with. This one is of me and my younger brother taken on the hill at Pegwell Bay when we went to see the viking ship. No idea who the little fella in the middle is, he just happened to be there for some reason and came over for the photo call.

Shabby Princess Seasonal Sampler Winter
Katie Hatfield Doodle arrow
Shabby Princess Festival Frame
Colleen Lynch Sweetpea Kit

And this one is Laura taken last summer as she was watching Wayne play cricket.

Shabby princess colourful corners
Katie and Kirsty's Kit
I made this today doodles
Colleen Lynch Sweetpea kit

The plans for the wedding are down to final details now, one of which is the hen party and also the 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Kelly had asked me to find the baby blue garter that she had had as a youngster as part of a dressing up outfit so that it would cover old and blue. All dressing up clothes from when the girls were kids had gone up in the attic so she also asked that while I was up there I measure the internal doors stored there to see if they would fit her house. For some reason it seems a hobby of the people who own houses before us to take the doors off and put them in the attic space. There were 7 in our attic when we moved in, although all the rooms in the house did have doors hung on them. We left them up there and used as floor boards, making it less likely for Martin to fall between the joists and through the ceiling (he still did). And Kelly only has two internal doors in the whole house, seems the previous ocupier took them all away. So it seemed a good idea to see if the ones in our loft fitted her doorways.

I went up to look in the attic on Wednesday. I couldnt find the garter and the doors were hidden behind a pile of boxes so I asked Martin to measure them. Somewhere between getting his tape measure out of the shed and climbing into the attic he managed to harbour a wasp in the sleeve of his fleece though and, yes, it stung him not once but about 4/5 times. He then had an alergic reaction so that by the time he came home from work yesterday his arm from his knuckles to his elbow looked like the leg of an elephant. The pain we suffer for our kids! And whats worse it turns out the doors wont fit Kelly's doorways either.

Tomorrow morning the bridesmaids have their fittings and Kelly is collecting her dress to bring down and give us all a show, then tomorrow night is the hen night. We are off to stay in a hotel, enjoy the pool and spa and then a meal (dress not optional, cowgirl theme) followed by silly games in the hotel rooms. I must go put the camera batteries on charge.

CV Madam?

If you claim Jobseeker's allowance (which I am in order to get my National Insurance stamp paid) you have to agree to do at least three things a week in order to find yourself a job. So last week I signed up to Fish4jobs, and on a whim applied for a Trainee Microbiologist vacancy. I dont think I have much chance of getting it, after all its twelve years since I got my Science degree and I haven't really had call to use it much teaching 4 year olds.

Yesterday I got a phone call from someone claiming to have had my cv passed on to them from Fish4 jobs - convo went like this

Them: You have all the right qualifications and educational background but your cv lets you down so you havent been chosen this time.
Me: Oh right, what should I do about that?
Them: Would you like to talk to the recruiter about it?

Following my affirmative, I am left hanging for some time, then the original caller comes back

Them: I have spoken to the recruiter (I thought you were going to get him to talk to me?) and he says that its down to your CV. In light of the short time before the cut off date to apply (I thought you said I hadnt been successful, now your saying I havent been put forward yet?) he suggests you get a professional to write your cv for you.
Me: Ok what do I do?
Them: We have an account which means that it usually costs £99 but we can get it done for £39 which you would get refunded if we got you the job?
Me: (finally realising what this was about) Well as you appreciate I am unemployed so I would have to ask my husband to pay that but he isn't here.
Them: We are here until 6 tonight
Me: My husband wont be home until 9
Them: You can leave a message or phone me in the morning (Hang on I thought this was urgent?)
Me: Could I not just send you my own cv
Them: We already have your cv
Me (and here's the clincher) No you don't, you have what Fish4jobs wrote using the answers to the questions I answered on their site, they wrote that cv, I never sent in my own because I applied through their website. My CV isnt skills based though.
Them: (after pause and some excuses about not knowing how Fish4jobs works) It does need to be skilled based
Me Ok I will write a skilled based one and send it to you.

Honestly! How many people fall for this? I was disgusted that, already in a vunerable position of being unemployed there are sharks out there ready to prey on you.

I have been scrapping and have actually finished a paper LO! I will try and scan it in later today.

More before and after

I'm still trying to rescue those 1980's photos and came across this.



Sweep is no longer with us - but just how cute is this, and what do you think of the after photoshop effect?

Bluuugh!

I've not blogged for a bit. Just didnt feel like it and to be honest life has been so bloody borring there wasnt really anything to blog about. I guess its February blues. I do so hate January and February. On top of which a job which I really really wanted and which on paper I was highly suited for never called me for interview so feeling really down about that too. So anyway I have branched out and applied for a few jobs which have nothing to do with teaching but will call into use my Science degree. Perhaps it would be nice to actually use it??

I did also start making a Valentine digi kit to give away but seem to have lost steam on it. I will try and zip up and upload the bits I did make though. Someone may find them useful.

Wedding plans are steam rollering along and on Saturday I got invited to Kelly's for a cuppa. We ended up going through lists and lists of songs choosing stuff for the reception. Agerdoo made it to the final cut but sadly Hi Ho Silver lining and The Conga were veeto'd.

I've played with this digi LO for ages, it feels to me that it needs more but I just cant figure out what.



Papers by Ashley Olson (Digidare colaberation kit)
Shabby Princess colourful corners
Shabby Princess Sweet Serenity alpha
Miss Mint Blue Lavender pin
Coleen Lynch SweetPea Kit pink ric rac
Miss mint Cinnemon Tea wordart
Divine digital doodles

As promised

Gee this is a steep learning curve, I've been trying to work out how to upload and share these files for most of the day and I'm still not sure I've got it right but anyway here goes.

Blue Moon

They are saved in .png format and hopefully this is what you will be getting if technology goes to plan.

A few bits to build into flowers, some clips and a bookplate.

Two pattern papers

And one of whatever these are called.

Plus a set of corners that I accidentally zipped in there as well. LOL

And hopefully (fingers crossed) you can download them all here

Watch this space

I have been playing lots in photoshop and last night succeeded in making an eyelet which I then used to make an envelope fastener (don't know what they are called but the thing with the two circles that you wind the string round). Now if Katie and Kirsty can do it I am sure I can make a few elements and hand them out for free, so I am going to look at how to upload the files. If I can work out that bit of technology then there will be a few bits and bats - not a whole kit (I find I get sidetracked and loose concentration if I try to make too many bits that go together) but a few basic bits.

So watch this space!