Oh My Gosh!

It feels like its been one of those weeks but only lasted for 2 days- Wed and Thurs!

It was a long, tiring day on Wednesday  - taking Madison to my SILs for 7.30am, then we had to be at The Countess of Chester Hospital by 8.30 for the pre-op assessment, which didn't finish until 2pm!  Then collecting Madison, waiting to see some pictures of a friend getting married in Gibralter at 4pm (UK time) and getting home at 6pm!  Only to be topped off with my dear mum & dear son wanting a chippy tea!  I collected, I ordered, I plated it up for them, I threw away the remnants!  Not only did I not eat any, I didn't even lick my fingers!  Result!  Don't think I've ever been so determined as I am now to get on with this diet!

Everything went well, I met the anesthetist, one of the surgeons and the dietician.  I had already spoken with the psychotherapist the week before.  Met up again with a few ladies that I'd met briefly at the local support group - we all live within 20 minutes of each other and will be having surgery about the same time.

The burning question everyone wanted to know was how soon could the surgery be done?  We were told different things depending on who you asked!  The one thing that did remain the same was that we would get a phone call either this Friday or early next week.

Yet on Thursday, 9.15am, I got that call!  WOW!  Offering me a surgery date of Monday 12th August, with a gastroscopy to be done first on Tuesday 6th.

Its the date I was hoping for but I didn't really expect it to happen that soon!  I was shaking by the end of the call.  I was and still am a bundle of nerves & excitement & apprehension with a hefty dollop of impatience on the top!

The time came to 'buy lots of Slim Fast shakes for the days' and 'lots of salad ingredients to have with some protein, meat or fish' in the evenings.

So today I'm on day 2 of the pre-op diet and have 9 more days to go!  Roll on Mon 12th - to start my new 'healthy' relationship with food!


AND THEN...

I received the news from my friend Lesley who is on the design team over at Use Your Words that I had won their first challenge with my mixed media page here.

Thank you UYW team - I'm proudly displaying my blinkie  ----> somewhere over there ---> :)

The Story of finding a NEW Me

I'm about to embark on a different kind of weight-loss journey - the bariatric kind!  I've been seeing a dietician since November after referral from my GP. The dietician referred me for the surgery back in April and now, after a few bureaucratic problems, I finally have a date for my Pre-Op Assessment - Wed July 31st!

This Wednesday! Yikes!

So Wednesday morning, I'll be off to Chester to be 'assessed' then all being well, the surgery should be a couple of weeks after!  Double Yikes!!!

Anyhow, I decided I was going to write down my emotional journey and my physical journey - my feelings, my worries, my water intake, my food consumption as it goes through various stages from puréed to normal once again. 

And where else to start than in a new book, to fill it with my thoughts, my progress, my weight loss! And me being me, had to decorate the first page!  

And it couldn't have come at a better time as far as my craft hobby is concerned! I can use it to join in with the Use Your Word Challenge of using the word 'Story' in your creation. 

I wanted to do a title page - I'd had an idea swirling round the brain cells for a while but when it came to it, last night I just used stencils & my Derwent Inktense pencils that were close to hand. Its nothing like my original idea, but I really like it! Well, apart from the squiggles down the left side, that was one of those 'needs something else' moments but this time, it really didn't!

Oh well, live & learn! Lol

A new Challenge!

And why not start as I mean to carry on with my blog posts, with setting myself a challenge with the help of a new challenge blog.  As I've been getting messy with art journalling recently, its about time I got some scrapping done!

Use Your Words Challenge Blog is going to post two challenges each month with an inspiration word to use within the layout.  I like challenges like this, they get the brain cells working a bit more!  I'm looking forward to the first challenge!

Are you?

They are also doing a giveaway this month, hop on over there to see what you could win.

Go on, I'll still be here when you get back! :)

Yikes!

Oh my!  Looks like I've joined the ranks of other bloggers that keep meaning to do another blog post but just don't quite get round to it!  I just noticed the date on my last post and its almost 11 months!  I'd like to say that time flies when you're having fun, but truth be known, it hasn't been the best 11 months of my life!  But I'm not going to dwell on that time on here...  Onwards and upwards, as they say!  (btw, who are 'they'?)

Right, time to get my blog back into working order then!!!  I'll be back!

Our latest addition

Its about time I blog about our latest addition,

 this 8 week old cute little fella!

 

He appeared in our lives on June 30th after a fair bit of  'do we? don't we?' about getting another kitty, after the loss of Costa.  We went to look at him and we were smitten immediately.  Kyle and Madison had no idea what we were doing so once we showed him to them, Kyle aaaaaarrrrrrrrhhhhhhh'ed a lot and Madison said 'pudtat' :)

 

His name is Anakin 'middle name to be completely decided' Skywalker.  Why?  He was born on May the 4th - Star Wars Day!!!  Of course!

Middle name is likely to be Springs as he really is the springiest little creature.  He bounds around the place, chases anything that moves, loves to play with receipts rolled into balls, has an extremely loud purr and is sooooooo inquisitive!  His neck seems to elongate when he's seen something that interests him!

He and Gizmo are still making friends, we knew it would take a while after having introduced Gizmo to Costa, but they are getting there - there are definitely less hisses from Gizmo nowadays.
Madison just adores him, I spent the first couple of weeks saying 'DON'T PULL HIS TAIL!' and mostly 'PUT  THE CAT DOWN!' - Madison would pick him up by whichever part of him she could grab hold of, often round his neck!!!  She would sit on him, hug him which was usually by flopping her head and upper body on top of him and even try to snuggle him into her neck!!!  Strangely, Madison doesn't worry about any scratches she receives and Anakin just takes it all in his stride!

He is now the grand old age of 14 weeks and has certainly succeeded in giving us some laughs at his strange antics.  Fortunately he still has lots of sleep and gives us lots of cuddles!  He is a super little bundle of fluff, but I don't think he will remain little for long, judging by the size of his paws!!!

A Challenge you say... well WHY not!!!

Recently my craft desk has been tidy which means my Mojo is around more and I scrap more!

This afternoon's LO was in response to my BFF Suzy suggesting I take part in the Merly Impressions Layout Challenge this month which is to create a LO about why I scrap, including the words 'why I scrapbook'. 

Ok, good challenge but then as if that wasn't enough, I decided to challenge myself further by not using any patterned paper at all!  I must be mad considering I've just spent what seems like an eternity sorting out some of my older scrapbook kits to the point where I now have a Expedit square  full of beautiful patterned paper!  GULP!  Too much stash <----  hmmm, is that even possible???

Anyhow, here's my challenge LO, Why ...

So although there is no patterned paper in sight, I used lots of my favourite things at the moment instead - a Crafters Workshop Template used with Dylusions ink sprays (these are just pure lush colour in a bottle), the misted result cut out and machine sewn onto the LO, the netting from a mixed cheese bag from the supermarket, washi tape, a wood veneer heart which just happened to fit a stray heart I had on my desk from some Basic Grey paper (oooh, okay there is some pp but it is only a small amount - oops!), a strip of fab rips, a film strip die cut that I've been hoarding for a long time which house the miniature photos I printed, twine & some Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap all topped off with good ole corrugated lettering!  So even a little bit of recycling going on here too!

The six mini photos are a mix of myself, hubby, Kyle & Madison and you'll see why when you read the journalling ... "I'm often asked what is Scrapbooking but rarely Why?... For me, its my chance as a mother to record those memories that my otherwise be forgotten so that one day, Madison & Kyle will look back and reaize that they are the reason why I scrapbook now!"

So thank you Suzy for your suggestion and thank you Emilie for setting such a thought provoking challenge.

Until next time...
x

RIP Costa

Costa Princess Racoon
(6th May 2009 - 16th April 2012)

She was such a delicate little thing with such a sweet nature.  A really soppy puss cat when SHE wanted to be.  She was a very independent young lady, oh and she was a lady - don't let the photo of her sprawled across the bed fool you!  She just liked to stretch and boy, could she... she was such a long thing but so light.  She could jump upon you and you would barely know she was there.  She had the softest purr, the longest, bushiest tail we've ever seen on a cat - this is where the third name of Raccoon came from - and just the best kisses and snuggles.

It only just over 2 years ago we lost her brother Mickey and its heartbreaking that we lost Costa so young too and in the same horrible manner.  The siblings are now buried next to each other in our garden and I'm sure they are having lots of fun, causing mischief & mayhem, catching creatures of all sorts, wherever they may be as well as enjoying their cuddles that they so often had.

Kyle was understandably upset but he bounced back so much quicker this time, there were cuddles but he hadn't bonded as well with Costa, probably because she would jump just at him calling her name if he said it too loud!  Told you, the original scaredy cat at times!  Madison was able to stroke her many times but is still too young to realize that Costa is no longer with us.  

 

RIP Costa - we miss you so much but we will always love you.

x x x