Family Times are THE best!

So today I added my last journal entry for January....I know we're only one month into the year but I feel a sense of accomplishment that I managed to make an entry every day! I'm loving the 365 day challenge set up by Kate and can't wait to see what every one else's looks like!
Gotta get cracking on with February now, I've still not decided what I'll put on so will have a play later tonight.

Andy and I went to Leicester yesterday to visit Laura-Beth, Jim and Charlie.

Charlie loves his Wii - although he always tries to get me to play, I'm not too clever at it! There is too much going on and I can't co-ordinate the controls quickly enough - I'm always first to crash out of the game! It's funny to watch them at it though - running with their arms(!) going ten to the dozen.....oops - I've just noticed Laura-Beth is in her PJ's on this photo - she might be cross with me!

While we were there, went for a walk in Bradgate Park - it was REALLY cold so we had to play Gladiator games to keep warm! Laura-Beth chased Charlie, Jim chased them both - there were squeals of excitement - you can't beat that sound!

Then we had adventures like climbing over onto the island where they only speak Spanish.... imagination - you can't beat THAT either!

I LOVE this funny faced boy who came into our lives and captured our hearts just 3 years ago!

Dancin' the night Away

Andy and I had a great time at a Northern Soul evening at Drax Social Club last night. So I thought I'd just upload a few 'photos.....This is Julie, my best mate from our all nighter dancing days in the mid seventies. (And Chief Bridesmaid at our wedding)


We always have loads to catch up on

And Tony, our faithful Soul Brother and dancer extraordinaire! He's a real gentleman.

Over the last few years, Northern Soul music has resurfaced (although it NEVER died away!!) We've seen a younger generation of followers join the soul community with "that beatin' rhythm" who probably weren't even born when Andy and I used to trek all over the country to all nighter's and all dayer's! (Makes one feel old!) Here's one young chap doing the back drops and flips that were so indicative of our era...

Not that I used to get up to these acrobatics.....if only...!

Just like Jules here, I'm rather more sedate, especially as I'm approaching my half century birthday this year! For all you Soulies out there, hope this evoked a few memories for you!

Finding time for me!

Thank you everyone for your kind comments regarding my Aunty. She is now on pot number ten, but they have made this one specially - it is a full pot, split in two and is velcro-ed together...this means that when she tugs it off, it 'gives' (thereby not allowing her bones to move) and it can be replaced easily - I think the plaster man was fed-up of tripping round to the ward to re-pot her!
My Mum and Dad are visiting her this afternoon so I had a little ME time. I finalised my presentation for College (have to say I did that quickly!), then I started to prepare the next page in my art calendar. I used bright colours 'cos I felt a little dreary.

I have some background titivating to do yet but haven't decided what I shall use so I chose some appropriately coloured paper and punched out the squares....it looks a bit 'flag like' I think!

I did think I might use these stamps for the journaling blocks but they are a little too large to fit on the page so I had to abandon that idea...

I did use a heart stamp for the 14th though.

Actually, Andy and I don't really bother about Valentines day, but this year I might need some extra TLC, so watch out for that little journal block!

Art Therapy

Its true that art is therapy. I have just struggled through a difficult week. My Aunty has dementia, last week she fell and broke her arm....that's not the end of the story though, she won't keep the pot on. Its just one week since her fall and already she's had six pots on. They know our names at A & E.
A friend of mine is a Sister in the A & E Department and she happened to be on duty when we returned (for the 3rd time) They decided to put the pot up over the elbow so that my Aunty wouldn't be able to take it off. Judith said as she was putting the pot on, "If she gets this off she'll be Houdini!"
Well Houdini she was. Seven hours later we were back at the hospital. Aunty Glad thought it was "an outing" My Sister, Uncle and I were quite distressed that her mental health had deteriorated to this point. Long story short, my Aunty was re-potted and sent home. The next morning I had a call from my Uncle to say she had taken it off again! This was the sixth time.
There has been much said on the news about Dementia recently, indeed it is a cruel disease. No-one can know the impact it has on the whole family until you are going through it.

I was ill myself on Monday and Tuesday (partly due to the weekend activities... I think I picked up a bug. Also sitting in casualty is mind numbing!) So I've not been to the hospital since Sunday... I've shed a few tears over all this, so this morning decided to do a journal page as a little therapy...

I drew the image myself, inspired by a few drawings I had seen on other blogs, namely Kate and Dyan (you can also link to both from my side bar)
You can find out how I did it here It's a Teesha Moore drawing lesson. While you are at it, check out Teesha's website, she has great collage sheets and stamps.

And while I'm updating my blog, here is my art calendar, which I'm happy to say has kept me sane. I have managed to keep up my entry for each day. As I said before, because the journal blocks are only 1 and a half inch square, it's easy to do.

The white stuff keeps falling...

So while I'm tucked up nice and warm in the house, unable to do normal life stuff, I've spent more time than usual in my craft room.

I've made another page in my art journal... still more to add to it but its about secrets and if I showed them to you I would have to kill you (ha ha!)
I drew around my hand and stamped into the palm. It's a Paperartsy stamp, my train of thought is that I'm a good secret keeper and so I've included that in the words around the hand print. In the green space, I intend to write about the pain of having MY secrets broken by people I once trusted. Not nice.

It takes a while for my pages to come together so I do a bit, then walk away and when I come back to it, I can see where I need to add a bit more.

This page (well its 2 pages in an A5 journal) had to be gesso ed and painted again as I tried something and I didn't like it so its taken 3 days to get to this stage! (I know, how slow am I!)

I have to say if it hadn't been snowing and life had been tootling along as 'normal', it would probably not get touched until... well would you judge me if I said never?

So far I've just written around the fingers of my hand, I will fill the green space and perhaps add something else when I go back to it in a day or so.

Hope you are all keeping sane in these snowy and cold times and doing things that make you happy!

Snow is a good reason to play!

And I don't mean making snowmen...although I have done THAT recently! Our son (28 years old!) was home from Belfast over Christmas and we went out to play in the snow! Have to say, his Dad and I did most of the work as he wanted to take the photographs to show both his sisters who the real children are in this family!

Of course we used a flat cap in true Yorkshire tradition... Andy, who loves geology, even allowed me to use some of his slate for 'Snow Joe's' eyes and coat button! (he collects rocks etc and has a collection in the garage)

So, fun and games in the snow aside, while we have been snowed in I've taken the opportunity to do some art journaling.

The background for this page was already prepared as it was originally going to be my art calendar so the colour scheme was set, but it looks completely different now than when I started!

You can't quite see here but these eyes are gorgeously green! I was drawn to them when I saw a magazine clip advertising the new movie Avatar, I haven't seen it yet so if you have, let me know what it's like! (I'm presuming the creature that owns these eyes is from the movie)

So if we have more snowfall tomorrow, I shall just entertain myself by getting creative again!

Winter Wonderland!

Well it looks like the whole country is snowbound.... ok thats a slight exaggeration!
Snow looks very pretty until you need to go places!
This was the scene on the main road at the end of our lane yesterday.... cars inching forward and slithering all over the place....

A much prettier scene as Andy and I went for a walk to capture some of the lovely scenes before it all turned to mush....

This is the view from my craftroom window - you can see how much snowfall we had - what I call 'snowman snow' you know, the thick sticky kind... its still clinging to the telephone wires...

Here is my ongoing art calendar for Kate's 2010 challenge. (2010! sounds very futuristic doesn't it?)

I'm really enjoying doing this, once you've prepared the background and little journaling blocks, it's quite simple to find time to add your entry for each day (its a 365 day challenge) .... I know .... I used the word simple there and we're only 6 days into the New Year! I guess time will tell, but I feel pretty determined to keep on top of this. You can doodle and get more creative as time allows... that's the absolute beauty of it all!

Hope the snow isn't causing too much disruption for you all - keep safe and warm!