More Pics and a Tag...

So here are some more pics from that sitting...

















and the tag (it was supposed to be for 8 things but I kept forgetting and doing 10!)


10 favorite TV Shows (in no particular order)

1. Heroes
2. Friends
3. Whatever Jamie Oliver happens to be up to at the time
4. My Family
5. The Good Life / Last of the Summer Wine / Dads Army. I know, I know, I'm SAD!
6. X Factor
7. Top Gear
8. History documentaries
9. The Apprentice
10. I don't watch it often, but, Antiques Roadshow!

10 things I did yesterday

1. Worked
2. Spoke to my sis on the phone
3. worked
4. stressed
5. worked
6. called at Asda for some brocoli and satsumas
7. Worked
8. Took delivery of Daves christmas present
9. emailed my art teacher (of 10 years ago ;o)
10.made a fab dinner in my slow cooker that dave called 'bland diet food' gggrrrrrrr!

10 favorite restaurants

1. Giraffe
2. la tasca
3. Hard Rock Cafe
4. Chiquitos
5. Texas Roadhouse
6. Chuck-a-rama
7. Cafe Rio
8. Gaucho
9. Passage to India (porthmadoc)
10.The chinese takeaway!

10 things on my wish list

1. Mortgage paid (give it 40 years or so ;o)
2. Troll beads and a new bracelet chain
3. A trip to new york
4. a custom made silver charm bracelet from Tiffany's
5. Perfume : deep red/ DKNY delicious (green) / Kylie Showtime / Angel
6. That sri-lankan sapphire eternity ring
7. a ton of DVDs and cds and books off amazon
8. 3 stone less around my waist
9. a hole in the lounge / dining room wall and 2 new fireplaces
10. Canon 1ds Mark II

Tag, you're it

1. Karen
2. Kerrin
3. Jenga
4. Becky
5. Naughty Minkie
6. Loni
7. Whitney
8. Emma

Thats it for now, got work to do I'm afraid :0(

I would just like to point out...

... that the last post WAS NOT by me. The truth would be that Dave got all my stuff from around the house that was buggin' him and dumped it all down my side of the bed, and then thought that publishing it on the internet would guilt me into shifting it! Unfortunately its a matter of priorities and lets face it, we all know mine are totally messed up! ;o)

I have more Pics from that last sitting to post but I have just been so busy. Maybe tonight...

and Betsy, I know you tagged me... I'll get to that too!...

My mess

This is the mess i have to clear up for dave to make him happy. He's so unreasonable.

Its that time of year again....

When these beautiful people come to visit!



These kids have been posing every year for 'christmas photos' since, well, before I started out - so they're all pros now! So much fun! And it was great this year to invite them to come visit us at our studio for the very first time instead of having to take the whole show on the road. ...but more about that soon. I am tired and need sleep. here is a couple more sneaks. Will be posting more but not until after the family have recieved their disk ;o)

Who was it that said...

... that a picture is worth a thousand words???

well, here it is then...



Firstly I would like to know, who stole my weekend?! and PLEASE! are we nearly at the next one yet?!?!

Dave took this pic a couple of weeks ago as we were setting up for the Benton's shoot (at 2am as he was working and wouldn't be able to help me with it the next day). Will post some sneaks from their session Monday or Tuesday.
Gotta run. The will to keep moving is running out fast!

Boo!

Hahaha! did ya jump? did ya did ya?
It was all deliberate, I didn't update my blog for so long because I was hiding and waiting for the right moment to jump out and scare eveyone! ;o)

ok, ok so thats a big fat lie. Things just kinda got out of hand over here and I have been paying the price for that in terms of lack of sleep and a life in general etc. but more of those joyous things later. Thanks to the blog police (Kerrin, Karen, Mireille and Em) for 'stopping in' to check if I was still alive! - panics over!

So hopefully this weekend there will be some major catching up! But in the mean time I have a project up today over at the Daily inspiration blog. Here is a sneak, but to see the full thing follow the link in the sidebar...

Our new shed

So here is our new shed. For the next couple of weeks it is going to be our fun house. Then the noveltz will ware off. Posted by Dave.

not quite recap no 2....

... I will post that soon. Have still got a horrible cold and a pretty terrible cough which I'm sure must be making people in the office consider putting me in quarantine! I haven't really done much this week except work and sleep. Did manage to squeeze out one project for ScrapbookMate....



thats just a sneak as it might go up on the Daily Inspiration blog in the next few days. If it doesn't I will post the whole thing at a later date.

and also... I was tagged a while ago, so here goes...

My 5 Most Influential Authors/ Reads....

1. S Michael Wilcox - for his Article the True Spirit of Christmas.
I must have been in in my early teens when I first came across this article, but for me, since reading it Christmas has never been the same.

2. John Byetheway. - Maybe a little predictable, and again one from my teens. His books just made me think about things which otherwise may have passed me by.

3. Khaled Hosseini - for A Thousand Splendid Suns. Perhaps the best book I have read. Not the nicest, but maybe the best. Whilst it is essentially a work of fiction I still found it very educational. before reading it I didn't really know anything about the history or trouble in Afghanistan. I finished it more grateful that ever for my own blessings and freedom.

4. Victoria Hislop - The Island. Again, leprosy was something I had heard of but didn't really understand. The thing that shocked me most was peoples attutude towards it even as recently as the second world war.

5. well, here I'm just going to list some of my other recent favourites...

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

ok, gotta go do some work. Back with another re-cap soon...

Oh! P.S! I tag the lovely Kayla, Betsy, Jenga, Loni and Michelle!

Recap no.1...

Hello!!!!!
Well, Its been a while but I think I'm ready to start up again! For those of you who haven't joined in the lil game in the post below, feel free to carry that on, but up here its time for a recap. And there'll be more coming every day / every other day for about the next week...

OK, well first off we said goodbye just before the weekend to Matt...



...or should I say Elder Roberts now, looking very swish with his celebratory trifle! For those who don't know Matthew is my oldest nephew and left on Friday for the Chorley MTC on his way to the Leeds, England Mission. We are all very proud of him ;o) although things will take some getting used to now with him not around.
On thursday evening we went over and celebrated our last evening with him for two years by....



Yep! Eating again ;o)

And here he is just before saying goodbye to Mum, Dad and brothers and sister at the MTC wearing his shiny new Missionary badge!



Elder Roberts We love you!!!! x

On a not so upbeat note, the Friday before we travelled to Wales for little Meg's funeral. A sad day and yet the one thing I wasn't prepared for was how beautiful it was! Obviously I didn't take any pictures however I wanted to include these from a local paper...



Meg's little coffin was beautifully hand painted by her mother with grass, flowers, butterflies etc



and arrived in this carriage, fit for a princess! Both lovely touches which I'm sure she would appreciate along with the sight of literally hundreds of friends and family all decked out in pink.
That said, I think the most beautiful part of the day to me was hearing her parents Peter and Lindsay speak at the funeral service. I can't even imagine the strength that would take under such circumstances, but to hear them stand and tell the hundreds gathered that they know they will see Meg again was such a precious gift, definitely the part of the day I think I will remember most. At the end of her talk Lindsay read a poem I had never heard before. I thought it was beautiful so I googled it
after we got back...

Gods Lent Child

Ill lend you for a little while,
A child of mine, God said
For you to love the while she lives,
And mourn for when shes dead.
It may be six or seven days
Or forty two or three,
But will you, till I call her back,
Take care of her for me?

Shell bring charms to gladden you
And (should her stay be brief)
You’ll have her memories
As solace for your grief.
I cannot promise she will stay
Since all from earth return
But there are lessons taught below
I want this child to learn.

I‘ve looked this whole world over
In my search for teachers true,
And from the things that crowd lifes lanes
I have chosen you.
Now will you give her all your love
Nor think the labour vain?
Nor hate me when I come to take
This lent child back again?

I will do that I heard them say,
Dear Lord, Thy will be done,
For all the joys this child will bring
The risk of grief well run.
We will shelter her with tenderness
Well love her while we may
And for the happiness we’ve known
Forever grateful stay.

But should the angels call for her
Much sooner than we planned
Well brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand.

Author Unknown

On a happier note, the week before that saw the Multi Stake Youth Conference (Steadfast and Immovable 2008) in our neck of the woods. I had to decorate the hall for the Dance. Not the best pic but Loni... this pics for you! I didn't do too bad in the end! Thanks for breakfast! ;o)



And, Finally for today...

This weekend was a little more chilled! Good thing as I had had a stinkin' cold all week (still have!) so heres the whole family chillin on the couch (you can just see a bit of my leg!)



Yes Dave, thats right. The cat IS part of the family, like it or not! Infact, She's been with me longer than you have ;oP

The worst thing about the weekend was that it saw our household spider combat stats rise sharply. I think we are up to about 10 really BIG ugly ones. I'm wondering if we should sell up and move!

So to finish, here is Dave the Avenger with the Mighty Dyson Spider Sucker!



I mean c'mon spiders! Give us a break!!! Surely this sight must scare you enough to make you GO AWAY!

Interactive blogging...

Ok ok, so I have been missing for a while. There will be catch- ups! staring in a day or two... watch this space but in the mean time lets play a little game...

I copied this from a friends blog so as to join in the fun. So if you are up for it, make youself known, and leave your mark... right... here!

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory (or many, I don't mind!) that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Birthdays, birthdays and goings....

all good excuses to go out and eat lots, and so we did...



this will be the last meal out for all 9 of us together for 2 years, and so, I geuss, a historic moment for our family as Matthew leaves for the England, Leeds Mission on the 29th of this month.



Georgia mustered a smile to mark the occaision...

Sometimes there are no words...

There just aren't. This saturday just gone Dave's side of our family suffered a tragic loss. I really am short on words at the moment so this or this will have to suffice for now. Since hearing the news my thoughts seem to constantly have been with her parents. I apologise to those who have been checking this blog for the lack of posts but sometimes there is just nothing you can say. So if you read this please spare a thought, maybe even a prayer for this enchanting little girls parents, and indeed all parents who suffer such tragic events. on monday I heard a report on the radio of a 3 year old girl who had drowned on holiday and was instantly moved to tears. I think often we become de-sensitized and forget what we are actually hearing and what it means to someone else whose whole world has just changed forever. sometimes it takes something a little closer to home to remind us...

The great Walnut Whip mystery...

Seriously! Who ate all the walnut whips??? I decided I fancied one the other day. A little treat to make up for eating carrot sticks all the way to Southampton rather than the usual pringles and peanut m&ms. I looked everywhere! Non to be found. I even checked a petrol station we stopped at on the way home... nothing!

according to google (how sad am I ?????)....

Launched in 1910, Walnut Whip is Nestle Rowntree's oldest current brand. It was previously made by Duncan's of Edinburgh. Over 1 million walnuts are used every week in the manufacture of Walnut Whips at Halifax, West Yorkshire. Most of them are imported from China and India. The original Walnut Whip used to have a walnut placed inside the shell as well as on top. Almost one Walnut Whip is eaten every 2 seconds in the UK. Walnut Whip generated £8million of sales in 2003.

but I could find no mention of anyone else suffering a shortage. So own up! Who is it? Who is the hairy little scoffer who is eating 'almost one walnut whip every 2 seconds' and clearly leaving non for me???

well imagine my joy at the local petrol station this morning...

look what I found...



if this is making absolutely no sense to some people then let me explain. A walnut whip is...



with a walnut on top!

I was considering buying the lot! food storage don't you know ;o) but I bought just 2. one for me and one for Dave. I mention that fact so that I can't get away with it should I be tempted to scoff the second one too. It will get back to him somehow. (I'll be in enough trouble for scoffing one ;o)

and finally, here is a clip of my fave song from the kylie concert the other night. I found it on youtube. Please excuse the quality, such are the bootleg recordings on youtube but I can assure you that had there been a legit copy of this song anywhere I would have gone for that, and will, just as soon as there is ;o)



well thats it for now...

what it says on the tin....

thats just what the miracle grow does....





impressive eh? and its time for us to say goodbye to these babies, They are headed home today!

so after wafting my miracle grow magic around the place we went out! (yes it happens occaisionally! ;o)
We tried a new place in the Printworks for dinner, mainly because the queues were too long at Hard Rock and Chiquitos. Old Orleans was quite nice. I liked the way they brought a bowl of warm popcorn with the menu...



that lasted all of 2 seconds ;o)

I think Dave thinks if he pulls a daft face I won't use the pic...



got that wrong eh?!

and why couldn't we wait over an hour for a table at the Hard Rock Cafe? because we were headed here...



yep! Dave's last birthday present was Kylie tickets. It was fab! I have heard loads of people say that this tour wasn't as good as the last 2, but I didn't go to those and I loved it (and I think he did too ;o)



One of my fave songs of the night was one I hadn't heard before and couldn't find anywhere! found some videos of it on youtube though so I will post one here later...

Green fingered Rach....

was busy last saturday! After our 'helping hands' effort which took place on an allotment I pruned my mum's basil tree (quite severely ;o), weeded our front patch, planted this basket...



... which belongs to mum (but once I was done I did consider hiding it - hee hee)

and repotted the seedlings....


thats right! They made it that far without dieing;o) Can't be so bad then ;o)
once I was done I mixed up a batch of that miracle grow plant food stuff and blasted everything...

will post another pic of the seedlings later tonight. (make sure you are sitting down ;o)

... (and no! Thats not because I killed them and bought full sized plants and now have to pass them off as the originals!)...

Seriously!.....

jumpin' on the OPAM train!

Just a quick update today as I am short on time (aren't I always?!)
so I saw a cool idea at this fabby blog
OPAM. One Project A Month. I'm so bad for having too much on the go and not finishing anything, but surely I can manage one thing a month. right?? We'll see ;o)
So, Here is my OPAM for this month (before pics of the guest bedroom)

this is how we started out probable a couple of months ago. so we are done with the painting...



Then we got this lovely bed for our guests (it pulls out to a double) and put it together...



and bought some of Mum's old furniture that would match it over from Gran's house...




So I want to finish this room. I need to...
clean the furniture
get some bedding
get a light fitting
make the curtains
a couple of other nice touches maybe
and get some frames and put some fabby pics on the wall.

so, er not much :os I was ahead but now chances are looking slim. Wish me luck!

New life at the Burgess's house...

I can't be doing so bad because just before the weekend this little fella appeared...



and the proud planter is...



Yes, in just a few days I managed to double the plant contents in one of Tim's sunflower pots. (Ok, really it happened with very little help from me) - but still! Not dead! Infact on the contrary, multiplying!

and last of all here is a sneak of the latest project of mine to go up on the ScrapbookMate blog. For the full version see the link in the sidebar...


Thats all for now.....

Responsability amongst other things...

So my sister decided to leave these in my care for 2 weeks!



My one job- make sure they don't die! fab! as much as she knew I am NOT plant friendly she ponted out that they'd stand a slightly better chance with me than mum and I had to agree (sorry mum!) ;o) My nephew and neice planted them so if they do die I'll be in BIG trouble. I have already considered the idea of buying full grown ones to replace them and saying that I just looked after them so well that they are all done ;o) hopefully it won't come to that!

So its Sunday afternoon. All is silent in the Burgess house except for the classical music coming from the kitchen - yes we are very chilled his afternoon!
Dave still swears he doesnt like the cat... I think he lies...



And the chirozo I burnt last week and threw out the back door is still sleeping on the lawn...



Dave reckons I burned it so well that even the lowliest of birds and bugs no longer consider it food!
ah well! off to try and get something done....