Its a new dawn, its a new day.....

Good morning, I'm up early the boys have gone on paper round, its just me, a Himalayan salt lamp, laptop and a cup of tea. Its bliss and a secret time of the day when all is quiet before the day fully begins. A day full of anything you could imagine, so many possibilities, so many things to spend your time doing and if yesterday was not too great it doesn't matter because thats gone, it's a brand new day, a fresh start, are you ready? I am.

This morning I uploaded all my photos off my phone to my laptop, a crazy amount well over 1000, I realised if I lost my phone or it broke those photos and memories would be lost forever, some made me smile so Im going to share them with you, have a wonderful day xx
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1A. Eddie the rock monster, whilst making him it made me laugh as his face developed into such a character, Ive made many monsters but he will always be my favourite.
1.  Alice our youngest chicken, is so curious
2. Two guys at a roller derby event in Manchester
3. My youngest boy Chris and our puppy Badger
4. Me and my friend Colette in Ikea ( I know its blurry but it still makes me smile, we was in fits of laughter because my boys were so cross we was sat on the furniture!)
5. Badgers nose
6. Mr Bubbles, my friends dog
7. The Mr, how he poses when I ask to take his picture! T shirt from Me & Yu
8. Dennis Owen who always gets mistaken for the guy from Black Lace in Penny Lane
9. Me aged 4 or 5 with my big sister, look at my smile!
10. Chris, hes bonkers and always makes me smile.

Lovely day for the beach

In the gorgeous unusual sunshine we went to the beach, I've live in this seaside town of Blackpool for 36 years, when I was a kid we used to spend all summer on the beach but as I got older the visits dwindled and now we are lucky if we go twice a year. I'm guessing when you have something there you take it for granted really which is a massive shame because we had the nicest time. It was so relaxing listening to the noise of the sea and feeling the sun warm my face. At one point I even took my docs off and had a paddle, the water was so cold but really pleasant and refreshing. I would of loved to paddle more but with a bunkers puppy running round in circles and jumping up at me I thought it best not too, hope your having a fabulous week, make the most of the sun, this is probably our summer!!

Yorkshire sculpture park

Went to yorkshire sculpture park today with a coach load of artist people from Blackpool, really windy but good to be outdoors enjoying the gifts mother nature has given us x

my dreams and yours for 2012

It's already near the end of January and I really don't know where the time has gone too,it has flown by since Christmas and I'm sure the new years resolutions are becoming a distant memory and you have gone back to the normal routine of life, but wait remember that buzz, that promise of a new year filled with so many dreams and ideas, get that back right now, close your eyes and think of what YOU would like to achieve this year, what are YOUR dreams for the future, harness that amazing buzzy feeling and then get a pen and a piece of paper and write them down, go on I give you permission for 10 Min's of YOU time, put them all out there for the universe to answer them, they can be great and things you may not think you could do in a million years, they could be small, so tiny in fact you may think its silly to write them down, its not, these are YOUR dreams, and YOUR thoughts, so go for it, put whatever comes to mind, be free with your ideas, the more you write the easier it becomes to write more until suddenly you have filled a whole page with your dreams.

I did this last year after I printed off Goddess Leonie's workbook, it was such an inspiration to me, simply by filling it in made me open my eyes and see my true beauty and potential, this year it’s filled with over 100 pages of worksheets & a printable calendar to help you dream, manifest, set your intentions, plan & cultivate your amazing new year. It has help over 3000 ladies worldwide and it helped me too, I am sure it will help YOU along your journey, it will show you your full potential, how all your dreams can manifest by just asking the universe for them to come true.I love the way it has been lovingly handwritten and when you read it, it seems as tough it has been written personally for you.I also love Leonie's rainbow illustrations they make me smile and will make you feel happy. The workbook is perfect for you to print out, soak up the colours of the rainbow and get thoroughly inspired by.

I have lots of dreams for the year ahead, some are already coming true, some I'm sure will come to fruition soon and others may make me wait but I know in my heart that the journey I take getting to each one of them will be an amazing one:

1.I want to learn to swim

2.I want to organise a big craft and vintage fair

3.I want to ride in a hot air balloon

4.I want to plant and grow veg all year round (not have an empty gap after summer)

5.I want to paint more

6.I would love to go on holiday in Cornwall (thanks Clare)

7.I would like to inspire women to create

8.I would like a new pair of jeans that fit me well and make me feel confident

9.I would like to spend more time outside

10.I want to move to Portugal

11.I want a house with land to be self sufficient

12.I want the house to have solar panels and a stream running through the garden

13.I want to have my own craft room like the ones in the back of Mollie makes

14.I want to learn to take better photos

15. I want to go on more day trips with my boys

16. I want to learn Portuguese

17.I want to have a tea party just for the hell of it

18.I am going to give love and joy to as many people as I can

19. I will visit my mother more often

20.I will smile at stranger even if they think I'm crazy

21. I want to go to bed before midnight every night

22. I will be a kinder more gentle mum ( as long as I do number 21!)

23. I will expand my music tastes

24. I want to ride my tricycle on a long journey with a picnic in the basket

25.I will be more productive

26. I will not eat crisp sandwiches at night time as often as I do now

27. I want to decorate the kitchen

28. I will try and do more housework and enjoy it (pulls a face!)

29. I will blog more (yes I know I say it all the time but I mean it :)

30.I want a dog

I could sit here typing for ages but these are just a few of the things I want to achieve, what are yours? I would love it if you could write your own lists and send me the link to them in the comment box below, have a wonderful time writing them and do visit Leonie's page for some amazing free things and for inspiration she truly is a remarkable woman x

We braved the elements

Do you know I have felt trapped and cocooned sine Christmas I have wanted desperately to go somewhere green, see wildlife apart from the local putty picking magpie!, but the weather has been raining windy raining gales windy raining yeah you get the picture, now I appreciate the rain, it's great for the garden and for making things look clean and for filling up reservoirs but it's not so great for days at the park. Well one day it didn't rain, not a drop even the sun popped out to say "look at me hello, yes you hello I haven't left completely" so we got all wrapped up and off we went, it was bloody freezing!!! Chris my youngest loves the park, he was collecting twigs and rotted pine cones, watching squirrels and birds, taking it all in, Adam the older one does not like the park at all, he got chased and pinned up against a tree by a dog once in the park and is not petrified of dogs, his head swishes this way and that on the look out for dogs, I don't want to keep him away from the park in case his fear turns into a full blown phobia but it is frustrating dealing with it. In the end he said he needed a poo, his brother was building a den at this point and didn't want to leave, but of you need the loo then you can't hang around so we left the lovely park and rushed home because he refused to poo in the bushes!! It took me a while after being home that I realised he hadn't been to the toilet, I had been tricked with the threat of a poo, what a tricky mr, I will try and remember for next time the little beast!

Running with scissors, what a book!

I LOVE READING, I don't mention how much I read on here really and I don't know why, the thing is, I get a book and in two days I have read it and move onto the next, I am an author groupie who devours every book every written by a good author. I love crime, horror, true life and factual books, I used to read loads of chick lits when I was single but they don't appeal anymore. I love Richard Laymon and have read all of his work, unfortunately he died so I can't get hold of anymore. I loved in a weird way the Dave Pelzer series of true life books even though his story was a harrowing one it was also a story of a courageous and inspiring man. I'm always on the look out for a new book, I choose books by whether the cover grabs my attention, then I read the first page to see if the style of writing gets my attention and makes me want to read more. I don't read the blurb on the back, I don't like to read the critics reviews either because what appeals to one may not appeal to another, actually that's why I probably haven't posted on here about the books I read because I'm not sure about recommending them to others but the other day I read running with scissors, what an interesting, twisted childhood Augusten (the author) had, it made me laugh out loud, it made me squirm, it made me think hard about life and the way different people live and think it's normal (or not). It is a memoir but written in a story like way, there are some rather strange bits in like the Dr who thinks his turds are messages from god and the dysfunction house where patients live with their shrink and his children but overall it makes a brilliant read, I did have to keep reminding myself this was someones actual life, it seems like a story you would dream up only with the help of good drugs. If I'm aloud to recommend a book then it's this one. I got so engrossed in Augusten's life I needed more so when I asked at the library whether he had written any more books I was overjoyed to find he had and I promptly checked out his next memoir

"Dry", I'm only a few pages in and can't wait for bed time to read more. Whist looking up info about him I also realised he is rather hot!!

What are you reading?

A to Z of me

Saw this on Polly's blog and it looked like fun, I love to fill in questionaires, have a go at filling it in on your blog, leave me a comment with your blog link so I can have a nosey x

A: Age - 35 Ekkk!

B: bed size -double, full of homemade cushions and blankets

C: Chore that you hate - washing cutelry

D: Dogs - I had a collie dog when I was small but am waiting for a bigger house to get an airedale terrier and a french bulldog - although the mr thinks they are ugly

E: Essential start to the day - cup of clipper decaf tea and breakfast

F: Favourite colour - it varies but either green, pink or purple

H: Height - 5'2"

I: Instrument you play - little bit of drums but not for years

J: Job - full time mum/homeschool teacher/sewing crafts artist

K: Kids -three boys

L: Live - Blackpool

M: Mother's name - Eileen

N: Nickname - runty

O: Overnight hospital stays - 2 as a child, tonsils and appendix, 3 as an adult - all babies born in hospital

P: Pet peeves -littering, dog poo and people who stare rudely because of the way me and my boys look

Q: Quote from a film - " But the worst thing I ever done - I mixed a pot of fake puke at home and then I went to this movie theater, hid the puke in my jacket, climbed up to the balcony and then, t-t-then, I made a noise like this: hua-hua-hua-huaaaaaaa - and then I dumped it over the side, all over the people in the audience. And then, this was horrible, all the people started getting sick and throwing up all over each other. I never felt so bad in my entire life" Chunk in the goonies - best film of all time

R: Right or Left handed - right

S: Siblings - 2 sisters, I'm the youngest

T: Time you wake up - usually around 8am

U: Underware -depends on the occasion ;)

V: Vegetable you hate - parsnips

W: What makes you late - my children

X: X rays- foot, teeth

Y: Yummy food that you make -cakes, pies, stir fry, curry in fact loads of lovely food!

Z: Zoo Animal - elephant

Cheery things on a rainy wednesday....

Awesome finds to make a smile come on your face in this pissy October here in Blighty, best of all this stuff is FREE, oh yeah we all like a bargain and with Xmas on its way and no spare pennies, we like free things best off all.

Lovely, warm snuggly songs, full albums to download actually all for free and legit, I especially love this soundtrack for listening to with the kids, we listen to it at lunch and it keeps everyone cheery, it's a bit like feeling stoned without the drugs!! Have a good look around Brian Gossett's site, it's great.......

Art posters to download and print off, these are top notch pictures from really talented artists, Feed your soul, the free art site really does, for me anyway and I'm sure it will for you too....

102 free mandalas - what's a mandala?,

To relax and to improve concentration, there are many things that can be done. One of these is, in peace or with soft background music, to colour in a Mandala.
Mandala more or less means "circle" or "centre". Shapes and patterns are added to a clearly calming centre point.

•Mandalas are healing mediums for the soul
•Mandalas are the merging of body, spirit and soul
•They uncover your own creativity
•You discover yourself and the real you
•You master your every day life and stress easier
•You become calm and gain trust and composure

Children love these and spend ages colouring them, they look great hung back to back like a wind chime, or sun catcher.

Lovely Bella Dia has the most delectable blog filled with pretty things and here I found this crochet heart tutorial, I haven't tried it out yet but it is on my to do list!

(image from Bella Dia's site)

On this site you have to register, but that won't take long and you can get you hands on some great free patterns for sewing, Burda style -for people who sew I love the tag line on this site - you have arrived at your kind of candy store!

Free printable paper toys, this lovely children's site by Marylin takes me back years, all you need is a printer, paper and scissors to get cracking at making your own paper toys, I especially loved making the mermaid puppet theatre

(image from Marylin's site)

Hope you all have lots of fun, smiles and enjoyment from these sites, who by the way have nothing to do with me, I just find these things whilst surfing the virtual ocean ;)

Sunshine and buses

The boys and I went to Lancaster for the day, I love Lancaster it's so different from smelly Blackpool!, We went to see this exhibition and although it was great there was only two installations which was slightly disappointing, it has inspired me though after climbing into a podule to make over the trampoline into one too - the boys think I'm mad of course but I bet they will want to come in and share my adventure! We also went to the judges lodgings which is a period town house dating back to 1550, it is now a museum with rooms laid out as they would of been when the judges lodged in it from 1775 to 1975, the top floor is the museum of childhood and we liked this floor the best, there was a sindy collection and I was reminiscing, the boys just kept laughing at me but I got my own back when on entering the school room all set out with desks, blackboard etc i rang the school mistresses bell and wrote sums on the blackboard, they were horrified and ran off thinking we would be in so much trouble. They didn't find it funny either when I asked for a job as a fill in teacher and asked if the boys could dress up in costumes too, the poor girl on the desk looked quite perturbed and when the boys ran outside and I told her they had ran off again she looked bright red and panicky, I may be slightly twisted but things like hat make me smile.

We found with the help of two lovely ladies (thank you Lancaster ladies) a vegetarian/organic/fair trade cafe called the Whale Tale on Penny Street opp the church (if anyone goes). I couldn't believe the menu, its so refreshing to find somewhere we can eat that is not the chippy, I had a massive bean burger and salad and chips, the portions are huge and I had to share some with the boys even though the had eaten all theirs too. They cater for dairy free, vegans, allergies etc and downstairs under the cafe is a wholefoods shop, I was in heaven, call me names if you like but what a joy it was to buy the things we have to get off the net or trail around various shops for all in one shop, I was so happy!!

We went in almost every charity shop too, but I will post pics another day. After Lancaster we got the bus to Morcambe (we had an all day ticket) the boys cried -yes you read that correctly cried because they thought I had gone mad going further away from home and getting us lost, I assure you dear readers I have never got lost, well maybe once or twice but i always pretend with some conviction I know where we are and always manage to get home OK even if it does take 5 buses and a long walk, anyway once there they really enjoyed just being free on the windswept beach, collecting rocks and shiny things, we didn't get back home till gone 8pm, tired out but with a big smile x This is Morcambe beach, in real life you could see all the mountains and over the Lake District in this view

The boys enjoying carrying really big rocks!



A very windswept me! I must stop eating homemade cakes, Im getting wider each picture I see!!

On the oil pulling, I'm still doing it I can only last until 17 min's though as anymore and I feel like chocking, I suppose the time will increase as I get better at it, still no tooth ache -Yay!

Lancaster and spring at last!

Yippee the sun has finally returned in all its glory, what a beautiful few days it has been, we took the bus to Lancaster and it was a long lovely drive, we saw loads of sheep and a few lambs but for me because we live in a grey town, the green of the hills and trees made me feel so happy.We went to Williamson Park, which is Lancaster's biggest park high on a hill that overlooks the town and it was so clear we could see the lake district in the distance, the sea far off and Lancaster castle. We went to the top of the folly, a grand building that was built in 1909 by Lord Ashton, some say for his wife who died.
You can get married in Ashton memorial but I wouldn't fancy coming down the steps in a gown.
We went into the butterfly house and it was so hot but amazing seeing the huge butterflies, the boys however were taken with the turtles and sat for ages watching them bask on a rock.

This is an owl butterfly, it was bigger than my hand and it stayed in the same spot all the time we was in there.

Me outside after our picnic in the woodland, there were so many robins, blue tits and sparrows hopping around whilst we ate, birds singing in the background and warm sun flickering through the trees, it was such a lovely feeling to be outside and not freezing or in a rush to get home.

there are great hills and trees for climbing on, a park for younger ones and a lake that was still frozen, the park is that big we didn't see all of it, we went into the town to the museum because the boys like the metal soldier's!

I feel truly blessed that we had a good day and after a hot bath full of rose petals and some yoga
I slept like a log, happy spring xx