ROCKING MY WORLD FRIDAY - DARCY'S 52 WORDS - DESIRE

Good morning my amazing blog friends how do I find you this morning?  How's the weather - stop pulling faces ours is just as bad!!!

Yes it's time to reflect, give thanks, raise our heart a little and find the silver linings in our week!  It's time to find out what has been Rocking My World this week

Despite the strangeness in the run up to Christmas, Christmas day proved to be just lovely, we weren't up too early (although said 11 year old was up from 4.30am onwards), we finally dragged ourselves out of bed about half seven.

We enjoyed a slow opening of presents, with many exclamations of happiness from said 11 year - the biggest of which was for his electric guitar and amp - I kid you not!!!!  We've had many new renditions of his new 'songs' since - don't know what the neighbours with their new born baby are going to be saying in the new year.

The usual hustle and bustle sorting out food on Christmas day but we were cooking for 10 and I always get to a point where things are just that bit mad - I usually start looking slightly frazzled by this point.

This year, present opening was after main course because when it's before main course it causes chaos with the timings (they were mildly better this year).  We had lots of talking, chats and giggles and everyone left thoroughly full and laden down with the exchanged presents that had been opened. So my first biggest grateful is that despite the strangest build up to Christmas, Christmas day itself was about as 'normal' as we could get which was blissful!

Boxing day at my Mum's with home made food - my Mum is such a great cook!  My hubby started to wind her up mid evening - trying to get her to dial a taxi with a wine bottle opener, then a mobile phone which she didn't want and finally with a hot dog sausage - much giggling as you can imagine.

27th of December was a blissful day when we all showered and then chilled and relaxed for the day, I scrapbooked, the boys played on the Wii, watched TV, played with new toys etc.  Absolutely fantastic fun and a thoroughly enjoyable day.

I also loved my Winter Walk this year which was just around the nearby Mill dam, with my sister, my hubby and said 11 year old, it was blowing a gale but we enjoyed the fresh air and blowing the cobwebs off!

Thursday has brought our first session at the gym - yes this is on my list of gratefuls - I didn't think it would actually happen if I'm honest - it didn't quite go according to plan, but we've taken the first step!!!  I'll keep you updated on how this proceeds!

My other grateful has to be finding the The Happiness Project - click the link find out more!  - I found this via a link on UK Scrappers and it was a gift from the universe to me at a time when I was looking for just this sort of website.  You see 2012 to me is a crucial year, I need and want and will be making changes, I've pretty much ignored the help my body needs and have treated it to over sized portions, wine drinking in recent months and lack of exercise.  But rather than making the usual resolution of "I must lose weight" I've come to realise in recent months that it's more than that, I have seen so many people join a slimming club and achieve great success to only then see them revert back to 'old ways' and put the weight and a bit more back on - it's a pattern I've followed for most of my adult life, so I don't want the approach to be just eating healthy and exercising - it's no good looking after just the body if the mind and soul need to be dealt with and looked after too!  So on Wednesday when I was trying to find ways to adjust and help my mind and soul I found the Happiness Project - someone who has a good life, with a good family but wanted to be happier and wanted to know how to become happier - this notion, this idea is right up my street - I have a good life, I adore my hubby and our 11 year old son, we aren't overly wealthy but neither are we on the bread line, I have a busy hectic crazy job - which I love - my life is good and I know it - I have a good family and although I don't have many friends the ones I have are amazing - in fact most that I have are my blogging friends - many of whom I've never met in person - doesn't mean that I don't know them!!!  But I want more I want to be happier - so the Happiness Project is going to help me to achieve this!!!!  So finding this little gem is one of my gratefuls!

Finding out my Secret Santa which was fabulous because I got to thank her properly!!!

So there we have it my list of gratefuls this week - joining in - link with Mr Linky at the bottom - no blog?  no problem - just leave a comment including your gratefuls and I'll post to my blog!!!

Now as always some crafting!

Yes sometimes images just speak to me and this was one of them.  This page documents how much I still adore and love my hubby after 21 years together our desire for one another has never diminished and I feel it's part of the foundation stone of our relationship, now don't ask me why I saw fit to use the colour pink on this one, I've no idea but I did lots and lots of pink finger painting LOL, added the journaling with little stamps and also some gorgeous Art from the Heart stamps that I've had forever and still love like a new stamp, they always lift a page completely but then Dyan has such an eye for gorgeous detail it doesn't surprise me that I drag out her stamps over and over again!

So there we go the last Rocking post of 2011 - 2012 looks set to be a brand new year that we can make our own if we so choose!!!  May you have a beautiful and blessed New Year and I'll see you for my first post in 2012! 

DARCY'S 52 WORDS - UNIQUE and boxing day

Well this was a great word for me to work on in my journal, the world Unique, I had a great image that I'd struggled to use previously but then this word comes along and before I know it I've got the journaling done, in amongst the tribal like verging on tattoo like paint on the individual!  It was a dark layout to do but I like the texture and feel of the image once I'd finished it!

Yesterday was boxing day which means it was my Mum's turn to do the cooking and my Mum is a great cook, not great just amazing, she just doesn't get the time like she used to.  She served up homemade quiches, homemade coleslaw, and real homemade chips which said 11 year old demolished and then she made him some more, I've always sworn that I will never ever ever own a chip pan or fryer because I'm big enough without adding to my hefty bulk believe you and me, but I can appreciate good food and mighty fine company!  

My sister, my brother, his girlfriend, my Mum, me, hubby and said 11 year old all clustered around in my Mum's kitchen chatting and laughing and giggling and well it was just blissful - so Mummy thank you for an amazing Boxing Day where I didn't have to cook.  

Today well - today I will be mainly doing whatever I want to do, posting on my blog, making scrapbook layouts, trying to finish my 52 word challenge before Darcy's new challenge.  Catching up on Christmas TV I've missed, eating chocolates and planning - ooooh yes time to start the New Year plan - it's formulating in my brain as we speak - I don't know what it's formulating but it's definitely formulating.

Now final question - which challenges are you doing next year?  I fancy some challenges as come the 6th January 'd' day arrives - that's right focus the moment I have to padlock the fridge and starting to lose some of this mahoosiveness - I know I know - you'll be saying - why bother - but honestly 2012 has to be the year of getting fitter because - gulp 2012 will be my 40th year - gulp gulp (did I say that out loud?) so I'm looking for things that can mentally keep me busy, I've spotted the stashbusting in 2012 thread on UK Scrappers which I think I'm up for and I've got my eyes on Darcy's new postcard challenge, I'm considering whether I could possibly manage the 365 day diary - but in the past two years I've started it twice and not managed to complete it - not sure if it's because it's not arty enough for me?  Not sure?

So what other things, challenges, classes are you doing that I could join in with? 

Hope you're having a great day.

THANK YOU SECRET SANTA

As part of the festivities Carmen organised a Secret Santa swap between a few of us bloggers and like a good girl I saved mine for Christmas day, I was really giddy about opening this present because I had no idea of who it was from let alone what it was - well I wasn't disappointed it was utterly gorgeous, there was a note on the outside with little clues to the contents but I couldn't have guessed for what loveliness was inside

So the goodies looked a little like this once opened

How gorgeous is this lovely lot!

So we had truffles which were yum

 Then a gorgeous Celtic knotwork stamp - I love this!!!

 Then this gorgeous Jack Skellington keyring

 Some ink for my artwork and scrapping and stamping

 Then this little beauty - how utterly gorgeous is this, a handmade fabric covered box with lid with what looks like hand felted knotwork on the outside - completely gorgeous and so much work on the same and unlike some people who don't 'get' knotwork and the way it works every under and over is absolutely perfect so Secret Santa thank you!  But wait - I'm not finished nope look at this little beauty

 A mini book or more like a maxi book - I love maxi books they feel so substantial when you pick them up a Halloween inspired book, I loved the outside and initially didn't know how to get in but discovered the door was in situ over a strong magnet which opened the book up into this

Wow wow wow wow wow wow wow - utterly amazed I was utterly amazed, I admire things like this on blogs all the time but this is just out of this world!

 Each bat hanging upside down (as they should) inside the book, each one pulling out with unfolding wings - this us just amazing!

So a massive thank you to my Secret Santa for making me a very happy girl on Christmas day and thank you to Carmen for organising this and keeping us all in check - can't wait til the next one!

ROCKING MY WORLD FRIDAY AND DARCY'S 52 WORDS - TRIBAL

Well I'll be - it's Friday again - how did that happen?  But it is - so tis the time to say what's made me smile and made me happy and made me just a little bit lighter in my heart! Fancy joining in - do yourself a post, link to Mr Linky at the bottom of this post and we can come and visit, no blog?  No problem - just put a comment telling us what rocked your world this week!

So things that have made me smile this week, shopping trip with said 11 year old was might fine earlier in the week, just a little bit of time with little man was great.

Being off work - that's definitely rocked my world, just time away from the madness to take time out and just let my mind quieten has been really enjoyable, even if it's been a bit odd.

Catching up with my journal your Christmas, even if I'm behind again now has to be a positive.

Chats with my sister in amongst the cleaning the other day also proved a positive this week.

But my favourite day has to be have been Thursday, first day that hubby has been off work and we all ventured to Chatsworth, said 11 year old said he didn't want to go, he was grumpy and tired, but after a little mental tussle I said tough and we went anyway.

First up we stopped at the carriage restaurant when we got there and had a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich, well said 11 year old soon brightened up - quite honestly beaming from ear to ear - said it was the best bacon sandwich that he'd had - ever!  Fact!  So that put him in a good mood.

This is one of the giant canvases around the restaurant and I love how the stars have cast fabulous shadows on the same.

 Then the ceiling with gorgeous lighting and more stars!

We had a two for one voucher so managed to save £13 on the entry ticket and headed down to the house in time to hear a talk by one of the guides on the history of Chatsworth, it made for a great intro into the house and told us quite a few things that we didn't know, like after they'd done three sides of the building they discovered that the house was several feet wider at one end than at the other and so they had to have a curved frontage in order to deal with the issue!

The house inside was spectacular with Christmas ornaments depicting favourite Christmas carols, each room playing the Carol in question.  From While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks By Night

Including the humorous take on the song! 

To this gorgeous setting in the Chapel, the silhouette could be found in the shop as a star book called the First Noel all silhouetted pictures!

Up close

The area where we put Christmas messages was already full of previous visitors wishes - but we added our thoughts just the same!

 This is always our favourite room at Chatsworth, but was even more special all dressed up!

 The dining room - honestly do you think - actually they could seat 20 to this table and we manage 10 at our house, think they should have managed a few more chairs LOL!

 I liked this silhouette on the way round, hubby says it would make a great stencil and I thoroughly agree!

 The statue gallery was all lit with strange colours bringing the statues to life!

 Outside we had chance to enjoy the gardens in the slightly balmy weather if I'm honest, 11 degrees this close to Christmas in the middle of Derbyshire did seem a little extreme!

The harsh winter sun making for some very atmospheric landscapes today!

It was also nice because the gardens were quiet, usually we visit during the summer or during the Beyond Limits exhibition when the gardens are full of people and picnics etc, but today it was much quieter!

The far end of Chatsworth has finally come out of it's scaffolding cover and we got to see the gold windows - real gold leaf apparently - not paint!

There's only one side now to be de-scaffolded and then she should be back to her former glory, next summer!

Hubby took this shot of me and said 11 year old - I love it - little man had just asked for a hug and we were having a great chat, hadn't realised Craig was photographing us!

We stayed til late, had to find the Farm Shop on the way back so said 11 year old could have some bacon, then hubby decided on the scenic route via Bakewell, got to Bakewell turned round and before we knew it we were back on the normal route, ne'er mind, we got back safe and sound despite the traffic which was mighty heavy through Woodseats at that time of night!

So there you have it, family time is probably one of my main positives this week, albeit that it's been a bit sporadic.

Discovering a present that had been sent by a certain mischievous person via stealth this week also had me giggling - Carmen is a very naughty girl but I will get her back tee hee, yes she had me utterly confused in amongst my present wrapping, I couldn't fathom out who I'd bought the items from and then thought I'd started ordering off my own list (it wouldn't have surprised me given the kind of month I'm having) but no it was Carmen being naughty - thank you hun you certainly surprised me and made me smile!

Cards from far and wide arriving this week have been lovely, the ones with the added bit of detail really have made it for me this week and Jo's handmade card is utterly gorgeous my favourite so far this Christmas.

Right well in a couple of days it'll all be over and done with, we'll be kicking the turkey around the garden and wondering what all the hassle was about, we'll make promises about not leaving things as late next year and cutting down on the money, not doing the headless mental shopping routine, or saying blow it we'll have an Indian take away like Carmen, but before all those thoughts cross your mind it's time to settle and try and enjoy the season.  After learning about the Jesse tree I'm seriously considering a memory tree, you know a place to remember all those that aren't here any more, using symbols as reminders of them, similar to a Jesse tree, it might be a new family tradition.  So in amongst the Christmas festivities or the bah humbug moments try and remember what it's actually all about and enjoy the time you have with your family and friends, cherish the moments for these are the memories we will look back on, I hope and pray that your Christmas is filled with happiness, that you get chance to spend time with people you love and that you have time to just be yourself and be happy.  Sending you all my love and happiness this Christmas remembering those who are no longer with us and those who have less than we have and hoping to share around a little Christmas spirit.

Now it wouldn't be a Rocking post without some crafting so you get one of my favourite pages from my Darcy book it didn't start out that way... but well perseverance

This page was done on holiday - following a trip to Warwick Castle - the word was Tribal and although painted by hand with no visual prompt (I'm no artist) I really didn't like it and it sat in my book for quite a while before I looked at it in a different light

This is the page duly changed, images added, clocks, bigger title and journaling in between - now this I love!

 Just goes to show when you get something that you don't like you just need to persevere and keep adding the layers until you finally feel that it's just right!

Mr Linky for my beautiful Rockettes

DARCY'S 52 WORDS - BARGAIN

Darcy's words - the word Bargain, not one of my favourite - but done whilst we were on holiday and the essence of the word - the calligraphy set we bought whilst away which I used to complete the entire page, quoting chunks of Shakespeare which is what the whole week was about

This is not one of my favourite pages if I'm honest, but with limited supplies and documenting a moment in time it is part of my year this year!  

Yesterday was a strange one, went to my sisters for a cuppa and stayed to help her clean, we managed a couple of rooms by the time I came away at midday.  Took hubby to his Christmas do, then sorted a few calendar pages at home ready for the new year (not very exciting but essential method of keeping track of what everyone is doing throughout the year).

Then picked hubby up from his 'do' and played Harry Potter Lego on the Wii with said 11 year old - honestly I'm utterly useless I spent half the time asking which character I was, said 11 year old kept screaming the button letters that I needed to press which made no sense and because he was faster he was managing to get through the game without my intervention if I'm honest, so I passed the controllers to hubby and headed for a shower!  Made a nice tea (which surprised me given I wasn't in a cooking mood) and then chilled in front of the TV (again) with a glass of wine (again) and fell asleep (again) - this is becoming a habit! 

Today?  Well who knows although we are considering Chatsworth for the day - maybe that's where my Christmas festive spirit is hiding I'll let you know tomorrow if it is LOL! 

DARCY'S 52 WORDS - DISCOVER

Darcy's 52 words challenged us to the word discover and this is my layout, I love the image and had fun using spray inks - yes this one was done in summer outside, now the other day I commented that I struggle with spray inks because they are messy and then proceeded to say I paint with my fingers, to which much confusion has since reigned - spray inks are awesome because they are quick - I grant you that, but they also like to spray everything around them, even with paper and card around the outside of said item I've found that not only the page gets treated to an ink job but also the paper and card surrounding it and then my laminate floor!  So this is why I claim they are a bit on the messy side, I love them but I love my flooring too - so when I use spray ink it's usually outside on the grass which doesn't mind when it's turned blue and red and yellow and orange and purple because I can simply mow it the following week and it disappears the same cannot be said for laminate floors LOL!  I use my fingers to paint because I get to blend the paints on the page much easier and I like the overall effect, now yes this is a messy method, but the only mess is on my fingers which with a quick blast of water and some soap are magically back to their original state (unless I use prussian blue in which case they are dyed forever).  As well as the spray inks I stamped butterflies and wrote scrawly journaling pages to bring it all together

Hope you don't mind the image too much but it totally spoke to me - she looks completely liberated covered in black paint don't you think?

Yesterday saw us venturing out for a wander around the retail park, I got pumps for said 11 year old and was told by the retail assistant that they don't go above the size of foot that he has now (5 and a half) so basically if he needs pumps for indoor PE (which I'm now reliably told he does despite being told at the beginning of the school year that they didn't need pumps this year) that his feet aren't allowed to grow between now and July - what are the chances of that?  Also managed to bag him a pair of Clark's shoes for the bargain price of £9 which given the last time I bought the same pair for him in a smaller size they were £30. 

Wandered around a few other shops, said 11 year old drove himself slightly nuts in Game which resulted in the purchase of yet another Wii game, I wandered around the magazine section of WHSmiths and was disappointed at the selection of magazines.  Wandered into Morrisons for some ready roll icing and some caster sugar as said 11 year old had decided he wanted to bake - well actually he'd decided he wanted to ice which meant baking grrrrrr.  

We thoroughly enjoyed our couple of hours out that weren't too fraught or stressful and headed home late morning to enjoy the rest of our day.  This meant baking, I thought (in my infinite wisdom) that biscuits were the way to go before said 11 year old informed me he doesn't like rubbing in the butter because it's messy, so before we knew it I was making the biscuits this is despite the fact I'm having a baking ban following the successful conclusion on not making gingerbread this year!  So shortbread biscuits were made and then liberally covered (in some instances entirely covered) in ready roll icing!  

Then the final hurdle we braved the supermarket for our Christmas shop, now I'm technically a Christmas person but I'll be honest the words Bah and Humbug very almost escaped my mouth last night, I was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo not in the mood for buying loads and loads and loads of food for a single day but that's what we did, we were then 'helped' by a local scout who was helping pack on the tills who then managed to give a running commentary on our purchases, he was the only highlight of the shopping expedition, I'm getting to the point where maybe in future years we won't want to be going to these extremes but not sure when that will be.  Oh so if you've seen my Christmas spirit can you send it this way because it's been missing for the duration of December and I really could do with it back before the big day! 

DARCY'S 52 WORDS - COMPROMISE and breaking a tradition

Another page with reference to Darcy's 52 words - the word Compromise - not something I'm actually very good at - I don't like to compromise as I feel it 'waters down' the real thing so that's what I documented about, another extended image with paint - much fun, and tattooing ladies again - I love images like this that actually talk to me!  The image speaks the "I don't care - this is who I am" attitude which I love

Not that I'd be brave or daft enough to do what the delightful lady is doing - yes smoking is bad for your health LOL! 

I'm in one of those moods today - you know the daft, silly stupid moods - well that seems to be where I'm at!  I had a chat with my sister yesterday who braved Meadowhall with my Mum and wondered why it was so busy LMAO! 

I however am going to brave the nearby retail park today - better get myself in gear otherwise it will be heaving before we get anywhere close. 

Felt a bit low yesterday - no one specific thing just an accumulation - this Christmas has been a hard one on so many levels, so I spent the day catching up with my Journal Your Christmas - yes 19 posts in one day I did in my book - which now resembles a book rather than a load of cut paper!  Maybe getting back into that will mean I get back into the 'spirit' of things. 

DH last full day at work today, tomorrow he's got his Christmas do! 

And finally we've decided to break with tradition and it feels quite 'freeing' - that's not the word I'm after but you get my drift - in the last few years we've done a gingerbread challenge for Christmas day and created a huge gingerbread centre piece for everyone to admire, it takes a huge amount of money to make (all butter gingerbread ain't cheap), a day of cooking, a half day of putting together and that's without the sweets to decorate and after lots of deliberating we decided that - well we decided we weren't going to do it - we'll find some other fun activity for the break between main course and dessert and say sod it!  So that's where we are at, I don't have a full day of baking to look forward to - result!  Means I can actually breath and enjoy the day with my hubby and son! 

Right off shopping - no idea what for just want to get out of the four walls LOL!