What's Rockin' Your Friday

Taking a leaf from the lovely Virginia's book (or blog) I have been adding to this post through the week as I forever send out my Friday Rockin' post and then remember things which I really truly meant to comment on! I truly believe in lists but just don't seem to have the hang of making them and keeping track of them physically!

First grateful is to the now sadly late, but nonetheless phenomenally great Tony Curtis who shuffled off to the great studio in the sky this week.



How much do I love his films. At the risk of sounding like someone's aged aunt - they really don't make films like they used to. Who can honestly argue when you sit and watch the marvellous fun and simplicity of something like "Some Like It Hot" with marvellous Ms Monroe and Mr Lemmon



Mr Curtis, you always were and always will be, one of the greats and you're one of my gratefuls for this week!

Next up is a surprise blog award from the fabulous Valerie Jael over in Germany. Now if you haven't visited Val's blog a) why not? and b) get yourself over there now (or when you're finished here!!) and see her marvellous work. This is one seriously talented lady. From you Val, a blog award is all the more special. Healing sparkles to you Val.



My next grateful if that I haven't actually gone totally grey this week. My daughter is appearing in a show at our local Town Hall this weekend. The title is "And now for something completely different". She's a member of our local operatic society and absolutely loves it. However I digress (nothing new there then). Demands for costumes, shoes, insoles for shoes because of her skinny feet, fishnet tights - the list goes on! Between working full time, running to and fro for rehearsals, dealing with car repairs, household shopping, managing my farm on Farmville ;-) and an ageing moggy who's overnight bladder capacity has a timespan of three hours (and who refuses to use a litter tray) life has just been that little bit more hectic than usual. So this grateful goes to my other half who has been off work this week and able to pick up on all the other bits of flotsam and jetsam of life which managed to escape me!

My next grateful and Maria knows how I mean it - is the reassurance that there's always someone else having a worse week than you so can you please pop over to Maria's blog and leave her massive hugs and many many sparkles - goodness knows she deserves and needs them!

On the craft front I did manage to complete a layout including a photo taken on afore-mentioned daughter's birthday. Just haven't had a chance to take a photo yet so will pop it on here hopefully over the weekend. My lovely new papers that I showed you last week have arrived - they are Kaisercraft's "Tis The Season" and I got the from Merly Impressions. This was the first time I'd visited their site and I will most certainly be back!

Right Rockettes and bloggers alike. Time I was getting on with the work of the day so I will wish you a safe, happy and content week to come and we all meet again.

Gillx

What's Rockin' Your Friday

Sorry bloggers and Rockettes alike

Have been a bad blogger. This has partly been due to being busy and partly a bit of apathy. When I received a message from Maria, posting me missing, I knew it was time to take time out and get my blogging act back together!

Still phenomenally busy at work and at home. I suppose my first grateful has to be that there are so many students wanting to come to us here in Stirling and wanting to study/participate in sport and that keeps me in a living!!!

In the last two weeks I've done a couple of return trips to Newcastle (3 hours each way) with my mum and dad who were away on a cruise which took in Germany, Denmark, Russia and other places although not in the particular order. It was lovely to hear what a fab time they had although after the Force 10 gale on the trip home I suspect they were glad to be back on dry ground!

I am grateful to my wide and extended family who keep in touch through the phenomenon that is Facebook and thought I'd share this fab photo which my cousin posted of the Northern Lights.



How marvellous a sight must that have been? For the record, Darren is a trawlerman and sails the wild north sea, often as far as Iceland!!!!!!!

Today is a good day as it is a second Friday and I am always grateful on these Fridays as they bring my precious boy home to me for the weekend. He has been treading an anxious path of late at school and has been heavily reliant on the love and support of his team of staff to see him through his dark days and nights. It is a worrying time for all who know and love Ross and it's at these times that I admit to hating having him away from home, no matter how necessary. So my biggest grateful, yet again, is to that marvellous bunch.

Crafting has been a seldom seen activity in the last couple of weeks but I should have another layout to show this weekend which will celebrate my darling daughter's 15th birthday. Where on earth does the time go?

I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that Christmas is making it's presence know. I remember hearing someone utter at some point that is was only 100 days until Christmas. There has been some fabulous blogging activity recently with people making use of freebie papers from Scrapbook Magazine and in particular I commend the work of my buddies Sue and Alma. Well done ladies - your work is so so fabulous as ever!!!!!!!!! I had a little browse on the web for Christmas inspiration the other day and found these gorgeous papers from Kaiserkraft - how gorgeous are they?



I feel a little spend coming up when payday arrives!!

Okay peeps - time to get on but at least my blogging conscience is clear. Why don't you hop on over to Virginia's blog and see who else is grateful for what - it's always an uplifting read.

TTFN and take care.

Gillxxxx

Second time this year?

Hi bloggers and friends alike

Second what I hear you ask - well I'm ashamed to say that it's ony my second LO this year.

It's unusual for, for a variety of reasons. The main reason is that is is of my baby boy - Ross. For the record, I should add that my baby was 13 two weeks ago!!



I know you're probably wondering why a layout of Ross is unusual. Those of you who know me well will know that my little man is profoundly and severely affected by autism. Any photos taken of him between the ages of 10 months and 5 years usually show him in some state of anxiety or off in his own little world. Very rarely did he ever smile in those distant days. Hence why I love this photo so much and was glad to discover it in an album yesterday. It was taklen in my mum's garden and I adore his gentle little smile which actually reaches his eyes - a peaceful little boy.

The papers are from an Oriental kit I got from QVC some time back - you may remember it, the one with the silk papers and silk covered album.



Anyway, I loved them because they toned in with the little top he's wearing in the photo. Although I appeared to have a garden theme running, I didn't want to use flowers and hence the pinwheels. Ross loves pinwheels and we used to have so many of the big plastic ones - acquiring a new one with each garden centre visit!!!



The papers are all double-sided and tone in beautifully. I have also used some of the little oriental tags and fabric covered brads which came in the kit. The numbers and surrounding plaque and grungeboard element by the notable Mr Holtz and came up beautifully with some ink, Glossy Accents and accidental Stickles - I didn't ave my glasses on so used the wrong accent on the numbers.



When I thought I'd finished the layout I found this embroidered bird motif and felt it was just the final finishing touch.



There certainly seems to be quite a lot of embellishment going on on this LO and that in itself is unusual for me but this kit was so lovely to work with and so easy to keep adding bits without a fear of a crowded page. Titles were cut using Cricut "George and Basic Shapes" font.

Let me know what you think people?

TTFN

Gillx

I've been tagged

Maria - you know that revenge will be mine!!!!

Getting to know me

1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

I don't blog anonymously but I tend to watch what I'm writing because I worry that people will be bored or that I'll be indiscreet to a greater or lesser degree.

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.

Oooooh - my Oh would probably be able to come up with 1001 instances for this bt I'm struggling LOL. Perhaps not an incident so much as a journey. Succeeding in getting my DS (profoundly affected by autism) to be allowed to access mainstream school in Primary 1.

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the face in the mirror?

Fat and spotty but with a great haircut LOL!!

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Full fat Coca Cola with ice and lemon!

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

Read -anything and everything!

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

Like most mums I want to do all I can to ensure that my children have the best possible futures but for me personally - VEGAS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school? Describe who you were if not one of these.

Distinctly average and a bit on the quiet side.

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?

My mum and dad walking into the hospital ward for the first time after my daughter was born. Won't ever forget the tears in my mum's eyes.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

Although I do share snippets about my family and my life I still lack the confidence to be as open as I would like to be. Although I worry about boring people I do think that I, as we all do, have had life experiences which would be useful to share.

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

Given the choice I will always opt for reading as I'm a totally useless conversationalist!!!

Am off now to tag Susie and Ann.

TTFN

Gillxxxx