Scarf and flowers

I have a couple of craft project photos to show you today.

Firstly, here's the scarf I knitted for myself:

I've started making a matching hat; in fact, the knitting of it is done, and it just needs to be sewn up. I will also be making mittens to match. I know we're well and truely in to Spring now, but I'm going to keep working on them so I have them ready for Winter, when the cold weather and - I hope - snow comes again.

I also finally have a photo for you of the flower magnets I decorated for Ostara. Here they are:

It was a children's craft kit, but I thought it would be fun to work on as a Spring themed activity; especially since I don't have a garden to work in.

I mostly decorated them myself, though Kelly did help with which colour was which, and he put the glittery stuff on, because we weren't sure if it was a proper glaze or what. I hope I didn't do too badly, because I plan to give 4 of the 5 away as presents. Well, I tried, and that's what counts, right?

Celebrating Lammas 2011 (FD)

So, for those who have been looking forward to reading it, here is my post about how Lammas went for us this year. The lion kit didn't work out that well. First the glue with it was all dried up, so we had to use some of the PVA glue I have among the craft stuff I brought recently (good thing I brought that). PVA glue often takes some time to dry though, so we did a bit of it Monday, then continued Tuesday. Things went from bad to worse with the kit though. We followed the instructions to the letter, but when we put one piece in it jammed the mechanism in it, and when we went to pull it back out a vital piece of the mechanism snapped. We aren't 100% certain if it was our fault or not, but with the kit reduced to a pile of scrap timber pieces we were forced to admit defeat when it came to the craft kit. *Sigh* Our feast and the bread and juice blessing I mentioned we would be doing were much more successful. We had our sandwiches made with fresh bread, and this yummy apple pie: And we made sure to set aside a piece of each of our sandwiches, a bit of apple pie, and some of the blueberry tea we had as a drink as an offering to Lugh, and any other Gods or Goddesses who may have been in attendance during our feast: After the feast and the bread and juice blessing we put our offering outside, and I had just started setting up for doing the ritual for honoring Lugh, which I'd decided to do as a solitary ritual, when my Dad and Carl (my brother) showed up. They stayed for long enough to have a drink with us, have a bit of a chat, and for Dad and Carl to come with me to walk Kero, then they left. While they were here though Dad reported seeing birds helping themselves to our offering already. I told him to grab a photo, but by the time he actually mentioned it to me they'd noticed activity near the back door and flown off. Shame, because my camera was still on the kitchen counter... Maybe a foot away from where Dad was stood watching the birds. Anyway, Dad also noticed the beginnings of my altar setup for the ritual I was going to be doing, so got curious. I had Kelly take a photo when I was done setting up, so perhaps when you see it you'll understand why he was so confused: When Dad saw it the brailler (red typewriter type machine), knitting stuff, candle and altar tile were all that were on it (well, other than the cloth itself). He said he could understand the brailler, since that would be what I'd use to write stuff down if I didn't want to use the laptop, and the candle and altar tile... He definately understood those. But the knitting stuff really threw him. He was convinced it was going to be a long ritual and I was going to knit during slow parts or something. LOL! So I explained to him that: 1. It's not a long ritual, and 2. Even if it was, I wouldn't be knitting while doing it. I then went on to explain why I had knitting stuff on my altar. I will do the same for anyone still reading this: The ritual is all about honoring skills and crafts, and asking for blessings where needed in aspects of them, so I needed items on there to represent my various skills and the crafts that I do. The brailler is my writing tool - as I already mentioned - since, being blind, I can't just use a pen, and the brailler - for those who are interested and don't know - is basically a form of typewriter for the blind, which writes in braille. The knitting (which, if you're interested, is part of the rocket I was knitting for Emma's little brother) is there to, obviously, represent knitting. I later added a reel of cotton and the little plastic needle container that has a needle threader in it for sewing, the scissors I recently brought for use with paper crafts, and the little tub with seporate sections in it for seporating sequins in to, which was there as a representation of card making, but could be another sewing representation too, I guess. I then obviously had the candle, and my altar tile. Plus, there's the plate with an offering just for Lugh in return for him listening to me, etc. And the lot is on a purple cloth, because it's the only altar cloth I have. I would have also added some representation of harvest time or something, but felt the altar was full enough of items. I mean, the brailler is so bulky that it ttook up a huge chunk of the altar (which is why the candle isn't in the centre properly as it should have been), so I think to add anything more would have made it way too crowded. As it was both the brailled out version of the ritual and the candle snuffer ended up being on the kitchen counter behind me since there was no room for them on the altar. I also totally forgot to put something on the altar to represent the things I make out of clay. I'd already done the ritual before I thought about it though, so it was a bit late by then. Funny thing is, I expanded the ritual a bit by also saying the poem I'd written early that morning, and clay creations were mentioned in that. Yet I still forgot to put a representation of clay creations on there. Well, the altar was probably full enough already. :) So, that was our Lammas/Lughnasadh/First Harvest celebration for 2011. Next year I'm hoping we're in a position to be making our own fresh bread, and also that we have a more successful attempt at doing some kind of craft kit or project together!

Plans for Lammas 2011

So, as promised, I'm writing the post to tell you about our plans for celebrating Lammas this year. It's going to be a quiet celebration for this holiday; not nearly as much activity as there was in the Litha celebrations. Anyway...

You may remember the post I did about the Timberkit we brought back at the start of July? Well, on Monday we will be putting it together, since that's August 1st, which is - if you don't know - the date we celebrate Lammas (also called "Lughnasadh" or "The First Harvest" as well as a couple of other things, I believe).

Once that's done we will be having a "feast" based on some appropriate Lammas foods. I would have liked to bake some homemade bread, but that isn't an option for us this year, so instead Kelly will be fetching some from a bakery up town, and we will have it made in to sandwiches, and follow it with some apple pie, washing the lot down with some grape juice. But, before we enjoy our meal we will be doing a simple juice and bread blessing. If you're interested in what the blessing is, read on... I'm about to post it for you. I'm afraid I don't remember where I got this from, so I can't give credit for it. Anyway...

***

Juice and Bread Blessing
Person 1 holds the bread aloft, person 2 does the same with the juice.

Person 1: "Here is bread, here is life. The fertility of the land combined with the skill of the people who ground the grain and baked this bread. Here is the body of the Earth Mother and the seed of the gods. Without such gifts we shall perish. I slay thee bread with reverence and joy."

Person 2: "Here is juice, here is life. The water of the Earth combined with the nectar of the green things that grow upon it. Here is the life blood of the Land. This holds the sweet blessings of the Earth. Without such gifts we would perish. I bless this drink with humble gratitude."

The first piece of bread is placed in the offering bowl by person 1, and the first sip of juice is placed in another offering bowl by person 2. All say:

"We give the first of fruits to the gods with gratitude."

Bread and then juice is passed around to each participant. When all present has their bread and juice, all say:

"May you never hunger, May you never thirst."

All present eat their piece of bread and drink their juice.

***

We will be lighting a candle before we start the blessing while inviting Lugh - and any other Gods and/or Goddesses who wish to join us - to attend, and leaving it lit throughout both the blessing and the feast (you probably figured this out, but the feast will begin as soon as the blessing is over). Then, once the candle is extinguished, signifying the end of the feast, we will place the offerings outside somewhere where they can be returned to nature in some way.

Craft kits and supplies

Where possible I like to plan ahead, so within a few days of Litha being over with I started thinking about the next holiday we will be doing something for; Lughnasadh/Lammas (August 1st). It was agreed that we would spend some time doing some kind of craft kit or something together, so I needed to find one that we would both enjoy. If it was just me I'd probably have just spent at least a large part of the day working on my knitting projects and such, but Kelly doesn't knit, so I needed to find something we could do together (or, failing that, something he could do while I work on my knitting projects). I'd heard about a website called "Craft Kits UK" so I went there to look first. It looks like a pretty good website, but it seems to be focusing more on card making than anything, and I didn't really want to do card making. There's nothing wrong with card making; in fact, I'm thinking I might give it another go again in the future, but card making wasn't what I was looking for. So, I decided to do a Google search for "craft kits" to see what I could come up with. I found a website called "Make It Now" where they have a nice selection of craft kits, including sewing kits, candlemaking kits, and some "Timberkits mechanical models" which captured my attention... The following is from the page linked to above: "Timberkits are a range of mechanical models supplied in component form. Each kit comprises a selection of precision made wooden parts which are assembled using the supplied glue and sandpaper, to produce a finished model with moving parts. Timberkits are the perfect introduction to mechanical principles and Automata- one can see the effect of each part on the next and it's simple to understand how gears, cams and drive shafts work! All the components in Timberkits are made from natural wood which is sustainably sourced and FSC certified. Every Timberkit comes with clear, easy to follow instructions, often including illustrations, and all kits are suitable from 8 or 9 years and above. Once assembled, Timberkits can be painted or left to show the natural beauty of wood." They sound like they'll be fun to make, and since both Kelly and I have an interest in how things work, and most of Kelly's craft-like hobbies involve putting together models... Well, it seemed like a great idea. And when I saw the "Flatbits: Lion"" I knew we just had to get it; especially with my love of lions! We ordered it Monday morning, and it arrived on Tuesday morning. I can't wait for Lughnasadh now, because I'm looking forward to building a lion!

Snow, a realization, addictions & a Starfighter (LBE)

Today is February 2nd... Groundhog Day... Imbolc... Whatever you want to call it! Either way, it's "meant to be" the day when you can start looking for signs Spring is coming. People who - like me - follow the old Celtic calender to determine the seasons often refer to it as the first day of Spring. But when Spring is "meant to" start isn't important. People can believe what they want.

What is important is that... Only last night I was moaning to Kelly that it wasn't fair that everyone - including my Mam, who lives only a few miles away - was getting some decent snow except me. And I was the one wanting it!

So I'm sure you can imagine how pleased I was to find this waiting for me this morning when I got up. :)

I'm usually up before Kelly, but I had a bad night last night so never fell asleep until around 5:00 am. As a result of that I was still in bed - though awake - when Kelly got up to go up town. I didn't stay in bed long when he told me what was outside though. LOL!

Kero and I rushed straight outside... I didn't even stop to get dressed, I just threw my dressing gown on over my PJs and shoved my feet in my slippers with the hard bottoms that can cope with getting a bit wet. Then I grabbed my camera - giving Kelly instructions to "grab a photo or two of the snow for me" as I handed it to him - and out we went! LOL!

There's not loads of snow, but there was about half an inch or so when these pics were taken, and we've had a good half an inch more since. Like I said, not a lot compared to what most people are getting, but at least it's "real" snow!

I FINALLY got some PROPER snow!!!

And... It's started snowing a bit again... Still "proper" snow! :)

Anyway...

I tried to play with Kero in the snow, but he wasn't interested.

I realized something then... My little "Cubby Puppy" (one of my nicknames for him) is no longer a puppy! My little Cubby Puppy has grown up... And I either hadn't noticed it happening, or hadn't wanted to notice. *Sigh*

I don't know why it came as such a shock to me... I mean, he'll be 5 in May, and most dogs "grow up" by the time they're 3. I have to say most dogs, because Labradors often don't grow up at all... Willow (Mam's Lab who is 6 months younger than Kero) certainly doesn't seem in a hurry to grow up! LOL!

***~***

I got this award from CelticSpirit.

The rules are that you're supposed to list five addictions, then pass it on to other bloggers. So...

1. Chocolate (especially Guylians Chocolate Seashells)
2. Cups of tea... Gotta have my cups of tea!
3. Books, books and more books!
4. Writing... There may be times when I don't write much, but if I couldn't write - one way or another - I'd feel like part of me was missing.
5. Chips (as in fries)

As for the passing it on part... I'm going to cheat with that and say that if you haven't already been given it and want to join in, take it and call it a gift from me! :)

***~***

Kelly and I put my model of a Jedi Starfighter together the other day (Friday, I think).

Anyway, He took a couple of photos for me to share with anyone who is interested in seeing.

If you want to read about it then go here.

***~***

OK, I think that will do for today.

Enjoy the rest of your day! :)

Tori

Projects (LBE)

You may remember me saying a couple of days ago that I was tidying up the shed in preporation for doing certain "projects" I plan on doing? Well, I'm now going to tell you about those projects. In fact, I'm also going to tell you about the other projects I'm planning on doing... Ones I can do inside... So... On Wednesday my Mam and I were discussing projects we wanted to do to keep ourselves busy. She's figured out a couple for herself, and I said, "what about me?" So she asked what I wanted to do, and what I felt I could do. I told her I didn't know, but that I wanted it to be something useful, and which could lead to other projects or be built on or something. Anyway, we eventually came up with some ideas of things I could try and see if I was able to do them well enough and enjoy them enough to make them worth continuing with. A couple of them are ones I don't really want to be doing indoors though - not because of space, but because of mess - and it's too wet here as a general rule to rely on having dry days to do them outside. Hence tidying the shed to make some space for myself. And what are they? Well, I'll tell you. I'll let you figure out for yourself which ones I need the shed for. ;) The first thing is making things out of clay. I've always enjoyed working with clay. I'm sure I've mentioned before about how I can make almost anything from clay if I know what it looks like well enough, have enough clay to work with, and have enough time to work on it. OK, some things I can make better than others, but that's not important. Anyway, some things made out of clay (e.g. pots, vases, etc) can be useful. Admittedly a lot of things aren't, but clay is a good thing to work with, because you can make so many different things with it. You can make nice figurines as gifts or to display in your own home. Or - as I've already mentioned - you can make useful things like pots and vases. Another thing that I'm planning on doing - which could also be useful - is sewing. I've never been the best seamstress, but I used to do an "OK" job. My issue with sewing is threading needles, but if I get a needle threader then that problem is sorted. Anyway, I'm going to start off making simple things like cushion covers and maybe one of those make your own teddy kits and see how it goes. If I'm enjoying it enough and feel I'm doing a good enough job I may start doing something more complicated. I'd like, for example, to be able to make my own clothes. That way - if I can do it - I can avoid the issues I have when clothes shopping. You see, I'm short in the legs, long in the body, and quite round in the middle. Everything either fits me around the middle but has several inches too much leg, or is several inches too short in the body. It's annoying, it's frustrating, and it makes shopping a nightmare since finding something I like the feel of the fabric of, like the style of, and that fits is VERY difficult. So if I could just buy fabric I like the feel of and then make my own clothes it would be a lot less stressful and give me something to keep my hands busy while I listen to my stories. I've made draw string bags and a few other things before, and the stitching on those held nicely. The draw string bag I made for my plate, bowl, cup and cutlery to go in when I went camping with Guides, for example, lasted the whole time I was in Guides (so a couple of years). It's still in one piece as far as I know... I think it's in the attick at my parents' place. And some of the peg bags I made sold at a bring and buy sale we did at Guides, so I can't have done too bad of a job on them. ;) I also made a rag doll before... Not sure where that is now... Possibly among the toys in the spare room? Anyway, it was able to withstand being pulled about by a three year old, so it can't have been too bad. LOL! OK, moving on... There's also knitting. I've never been very good at knitting, but I'm going to try making some simple blankets to practice with. Then maybe I can progress to making scarves, hats, mittens and wooly socks... And maybe even a wooly jumper or two for myself? Again, something useful that will keep my hands busy while I listen to stories. I've never made anything more complicated than a couple of little blankets, a scarf for a doll, and a wooly hat for a doll. And I never could get the hang of more than plain stitches. But it doesn't matter if it's all done in plain stitches, does it? With the way things are going it will be cheaper to make clothes anyway. Besides, if I can make the stuff then it means that if a seam splits I can mend it instead of throwing it out. Or - at the very least - use the fabric or wool towards making something new. I'm sure my things wont be good enough to sell, but if I can just make things good enough to wear myself then it will be a great help. And maybe then my Mam will get her way and I'll start enjoying going shopping with her? LOL! Anyway... You may also remember me mentioning recently about wanting a bird table but disagreeing with the prices they're asking? If so, do you remember me saying about wanting someone to make a bird table instead? Well... I'm going to do it myself! I know that at least some of you will be thinking things along the lines of, "but you're blind," and "what if you hurt yourself?" And so on... But I want to point a couple of things out before you get started on those thoughts. 1. Yes, I'm blind. But so is Carl (my brother). He's been blind since the age of two and has never had a problem with carpentry/woodworking. He's even used those big machines that cut metal that they have in some workshops in the past. So if he can do it, why can't I? 2. Yes, I could hurt myself... But so could a sighted person. And I haven't hurt myself so far using hammers, screw drivers, etc. That doesn't mean I wont. But - as I already said - anyone could. The guy who laid our carpet, for example, cut the tip of his thumb clean off while cutting a piece of carpet not long before doing our carpet. But if you go through life avoiding something just because you could get hurt then you'll have a boring life and there wont be much you can do. I mean, you can easily get hurt just by turning over in bed if a spring has come through the matress, or if you're closer to the edge than you think and fall out of bed or something. So, like I said, I'm going to make my own bird table. We've got most of the tools already, and it's easy enough to get hold of some wood. So why not? Providing the bird table is successful I'm also considering making the gate we need for the side path that leads round to the front. We have a bit of wire stuff up there right now, but we don't really want access stopped completely. We can't buy a gate because they're all either too big or too small, so one needs to be made. Nobody - apart from Carl, but he lives all the way up in Norwich - seems interested in carpentry/woodworking though, so nobody's all that eager to make it. But I'd like to. I quite like the idea of being able to build things out of wood. And perhaps my wooden items will be sturdier than the flat packed rubbish you buy in most shops nowadays? I certainly hope so! I did consider gardening, but since I've never really had a green thumb, and since - though I enjoy being out in gardens - I've never been in the least bit keen on the year round work involved, I decided to give that one a miss. Besides, even when I could still see I never could tell the difference between weeds and flowers. LOL! So I think I'll leave the gardening to other people. I mean, it would be nice to have a herb garden, a vegetable patch, etc, but when I'm out in a garden I like to relax, listen to the birds, smell the flowers, etc... Not work. So that idea is so out the window! Mam's going to help me tidy up the garden, and Mam and Kelly will then help me keep it tidy (OK, OK, they'll do it, I'll make tea... LOL!) I'm not even going to pretend more than that will happen in our garden though. Anyway - and this one's more something fun to do than a project, but I thought I'd add it on here anyway - Carl told me about some kits you can get where you get some little wooden tools and a block of chalk and you have to use the tools to chip away the chalk and uncover the "fossils" (not real ones, obviously) inside. I like the sound of it, but the chalk gets EVERYWHERE (or so I've been told). I'd like to get one to see if it's as fun as it sounds. OK, I think that covers everything. If not then I'm sure I'll tell you about it at a later date. LOL! Enjoy whatever's left of your day! :) Tori

Millennium Falcom

Kelly took some photos of my big Millennium Falcom model that he got me for Christmas so that I could post them on here to show you all. It's a very detailed model... There's even a mini figure of Hans Solo and Chewbakka (sp?) in the cockpit (not sure if you can see them though... Kelly says they're really hard to see now that the top is put on). Anyway... Kelly and I put it together on Boxing Day.





If you want to read about the millennium Falcom then go to http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Millennium_Falcom.

Tori

Christmas 2008 (LBE & FD)

I hope you are enjoying the holidays... However you are spending them! :)

For anyone who wants to know how I've been spending mine...

Monday:

We spent most of Monday making sure housework was up to date... This included laundry, dishes, changing of bedding, etc, etc.

I also started reading a book I'd got online called "Treasury Of Christmas Tales" which - as the name suggests - is a collection of Christmas stories. Stories which include "The Little Match Girl" a condensed version of "A Christmas Carol" and some I hadn't heard before (like "The Christmas Mouse" and "The Christmas Bear"). It also had the poem "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" in it, and the story of "The Nutcracker"... It's a fantastic book! Well worth the US$20 I paid for it! It's a really thick book though, so I've only just finished reading it.

Tuesday:

Mam came to do some baking (as mentioned in the "Christmas Goodies 2008" post). We didn't make some of the things we planned to though, because we ended up with less time than planned.

Also, my Grandma and Grandad showed up to spend Christmas and the New Year with my parents, Nan and Wayne. So they dropped Jayde (Grandma's little Yorkshire Terrier) off here, because she is staying with us since she can't stay up there because Jayde and Willow have never gotten on.

Wednesday (Christmas Eve):

Grandma and Grandad came over for at least half the afternoon. Grandma and I took the dogs out for a walk by the river when they first got here while Grandad stayed at our place with Kelly. Then we just chatted for a while before they left.

And in the evening we watched "The Hogfather"... Which I'm sure I posted about when I watched it before. If I didn't then, sorry... If you don't know about it then feel free to ask.

Thursday (Christmas Day):

"Santa" sneakily filled the stockings at some point while we were watching the movie. *Wink* So we had our presents early... Since it was just the two of us and the two dogs we figured we might as well... Since we were up.

Here's a picture of each of the dogs with their stockings. This was the best one we could get of Jayde since she wasn't willing to stay still long enough for a better photo. It was all we could do to get this shot.

We kept most of the dogs' presents aside for them to have when they are seporate again. We figure that way they'll get to enjoy their own presents in peace. Grandma has Jayde's stuff, and Kero's stuff is put away in a bag out of the way until Jayde goes home.

We did keep a couple of things out though.

This huge teddy is one of them. As you can see Kero absolutely LOVES his giant teddy! He also has another slightly smaller one that looks a bit like a lion in a football shirt with a ball under its arm. He likes that one too, but seems to like the one in the photo most.

We also kept a big rawhide bone each out. And, of course, Kero's new harness.

This is another present of Kero's that got kept out. This was a present from Eleri, Faye, Daisy and Mia. He doesn't seem as pleased with it as he is with his teddies and his rawhide bone, but it's a lovely sweater.

The presents of Kero's that got put away are: A squeaky penguin, a squeaky Christmasy ball, a Squeaky bone, a little teddy with a rawhide bone with it, three different tuggy toys (a rope toy with stars on it, a rope toy with chicken legs on it and a soft tuggy toy with a squeaker in it), a big rawhide candy cane, another big rawhide bone, and a load of smaller treats (some rawhide, some not).

As for my presents...

I had some brain teaser type puzzles, some plastic Star Wars models to build, LOADS of chocolates and sweets, a fairy cup with a twisty straw, a Christmasy mug with a tactile Santa on it, a new pair of headphones for my Ipod since I don't like to use the in-ear ones that came with it, some audio books and the two presents I'm about to show you.

The first one I want to show you is the little lion on my shoulder in this picture. Father Christmas may not have been able to come through with the lion but Carl and Rachel came through without even realising it. They got this little lion for me when they went on their safari honeymoon back in August. LOL!

They also got me an elephant bracelet. But I don't have a photo of that to show you.

And, last but not least...

Kelly got me these awesome Eeyore slippers. They're really warm on the toes, and I absolutely LOVE them!

Anyway...

Once the presents were over with we watched Kelly's new DVD... Volume one of the animated TV show from the 80s "Dungeons And Dragons"... Great show!

At some point in the morning we also watched "The Polar Express"... Another movie I'm sure I posted about when I watched it before.

After that it was time for dinner... Turkey, sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, roast parsnips, sprouts, carrots and gravy... Delicious! Kelly cooked it, and he made so much it took me all day to eat mine. Actually, I only finished the last of it last night some time. LOL!

In the evening Kelly read a couple of stories to me from a book we had sent to us for Christmas from a friend in Finland. I can't remember what the book is called... It's a really good book though! :)

Friday (Boxing Day):

Kelly and I spent the morning preparing nibbles for when Mam, Dad, Grandma, Grandad and Wayne arrived. We made cocktail sausages, mini cheese pizzas, cheese bites, chicken dippers, pickled onions, little squares of cheese, roasted peanuts, salted peanuts and cheesy Doritos. We also had a variety of pops for people to drink... Cola, lemonade, Cherry coke and dandelion and burdock.

Anyway...

Mam, Dad, Grandma, Grandad and Wayne came to exchange presents with us (the stuff from them is mentioned in the list of what I got) and to spend a couple of hours with us.

While they were here Grandma and Wayne took the dogs for a walk. I couldn't go because I'd had a bath just before they came and my hair was still damp, and with this cold still lingering I didn't think I should go out in the freezing cold weather with damp hair.

And in the evening Kelly and I worked on my big model of a Millenneum Falcom together. It took us most of the evening to put it together. It's a very detailed model... It even has little Hans Solo and Chewbakka figures sat in the seats of the cockpit. I've got a smaller version of it too, but I don't think it'll be quite as detailed.

Saturday (today):

We haven't done much. We did watch "Scrooged" today though. And we're watching "School Of Rock" right now. Other than that I've pretty much just been working on getting caught up on blog posts.

I think that covers everything... Enjoy the rest of your day! :)

Tori

Dinosaurs

My dinosaurs are all finally finished. So, while Kelly had the camera out to take those photos of Kero yesterday (Sunday) I had him take a photo of them too.

The T-Rex was put together a few years ago. I just never got around to doing the Stegasaurus and Triceratops back then.

The Stegasaurus was definately the hardest to do. I had to have Kelly help with putting those spikey bits on its back. It was getting that sorted that made putting them together take so long. Even Kelly had to do one, let it completely dry, then do another... And so on. Very time consuming!

The Triceratops was more complicated than the T-Rex, but not nearly as difficult to do as the Stegasaurus. I got that one done while waiting for the Stegasaurus to get finished.

Triceratops are my favourite kind of dinosaur.

By the way - not sure how well you can see in the picture - but, just in case you can see... The T-Rex's left "hand" is a bit deformed because it got chewed on. I put the T-Rex together when Kero was a puppy, and he got hold of the arm (I obviously dropped it) and chewed on it. I rescued it, but it now looks kinda like the T-Rex had a bit of an accident that cost him the use of that arm.

And, before anyone asks, no... I'm not getting them painted. If I could do it myself, I'd paint them. But, I don't want anyone doing it for me, otherwise I didn't make them myself. As it was I had to have Kelly help put the Stegasaurus' spikes on its back.

Tori

Models, Nancys and other stuff

I've finished putting my Triceratops together. My Stegasaurus still needs some of its spiky bits put on it, but other than that it's done too. Will get Kelly to take a photo of the dinosaurs when the Stegasaurus has all its spiky bits.

My prediction for who would be voted off on "I'd Do Anything" was correct. Neeph was the one with the least votes, and - when faced with the choice between her or Rachel - Andrew Lloyd Webber didn't save her. It's a shame, but it can't be helped. At least Jody is still nice and safe. In fact, I don't think she's even been in the bottom two at all. So, next week is the "Nancy Semi-Final" and the four Nancys left are Jody, Jessie, Samantha and Rachel. Next week is also when they anounce which three boys will get the part of Oliver.

And, it turns out that next week is also when "Britain's Got Talent" finishes up the auditions and starts getting in to the actual compatition stage. So, with all that plus the final of "American Idol" it's going to be an interesting week of TV for me.

This time next week, Carl and Rachel's party will have happened and be over with (it's on Saturday May 24th). Mam is doing everything possible to make the party as enjoyable for them as possible, so I hope they enjoy it. Kelly and I wont be going. Nothing personal to them or anything. It's just that with us not being big fans of parties anyway and the fact we live a bit further away now, we decided it'd be best for everyone if we didn't go. Otherwise we'd have to arrange for someone else (like Wayne) to miss part of the party so we could go to it (we can't leave Kero alone, and we don't think it'd be fair to him to take him to a crowded party). Not to mention we'd have to either pay for a cab to bring us home and grab Wayne (from Mam's place to ours it costs a little over £10 for a cab during a weekday, can you imagine how much it'd cost to go from Mam's to ours, wait for Wayne, then take Wayne back to Mam's? AND on a Saturday night at that!) Or, we'd have to have either Mam and a co-driver or Dad not drinking anything (at least until we got taken home) so we could get home. So, we - Kelly, Mam and I - all agreed it would be easier if we didn't go. Besides, we're going to the actual wedding and the "evening do" for it, so it's not like we're not helping them celebrate.

I'm sure there were other things I was going to say, but I can't think what they were. So, I'm going to let this do for today. Enjoy whatever's left of your day, :)

Tori

Saturday night's nonsensical dribble

I ordered some talking kitchen scales, more labeling tape (to sort the rest of those movies) and a couple of other bits from the R.N.I.B on Monday, and they arrived on Thursday morning. It was only early this morning I figured out how to change the scales from grams to ounces though (a lot of my recipes are in ounces so I needed to know how to change it). And Kelly and I got some more movies labeled today. Still got loads to do, but between needing to get other stuff done and the fact the machine is hard on the wrist after a bit, it's taking longer than it should. And me having to keep stopping because I can't concentrate because of the pain in my eye doesn't help matters.

The "couple of other bits" consist of two games and a talking alarm clock, all of which are early anniversary presents from Kelly (I didn't know what I wanted, and he didn't know what to get me, so he told me to pick something from somewhere, order it and tell him what he was paying for... lol). The games are Snakes And Ladders and Solitaire. I do have a 3D Snakes And Ladders game my Dad got me for Christmas, but I wanted the ordinary version of the game too. And the Solitaire game is that game with the pegs where you have to try and get down to just one peg left. Mostly I only manage to get down to four left, but I did get down to three this morning. LOL! As for the clock... Well, my old clock had finally given up - after something like ten years of use - and I needed a new one, so figured "why not?" It's a little cube shaped one. I wanted a burgandy and cream one, but they didn't have any and weren't entirely certain when (or even if) they'd get more. So, since I needed one and couldn't just wait and hope, I ordered the grey and yellow one instead (it was that one or just a plain black and silver one, and just because I can't see the colours doesn't mean I don't want to know they exist, so I went for the one with some colour in it).

Anyway...

Almost done putting my dinosaurs together. My Stegasaurus just needs a few more of those spiky bits that are on its back put on, and my Triceratops just needs it's two top horns and its feet.

We (Kelly and I) did intend sorting the photos of the garden out today, but we didn't get around to it. We will sort them soon, I'm just not sure when "soon" is just yet. LOL!

That covers most of what I wanted to say. The only other things I have to say are comments on two of the TV shows I watch. "American Idol" and "I'd Do Anything" to be exact. I'll do "American Idol" first because what I have to say about that show will take the least amount of time. So...

I think almost everyone saw the "David Vs David" final coming. I know I wasn't the least bit surprised when it was Saisha who was voted off. So, now the question is, "which David will win?" *Shrugs* does it really matter?

As for the girls from "I'd Do Anything"...

I was glad that Ashley was voted off last week. I think Andrew Lloyd Webber did the right thing in saving Neeph. Unfortunately, Neeph had a VERY bad night and I think she's going to be the one to leave tomorrow. I don't think she got even one good comment from the judges tonight. It's a shame, because she's good. I guess not enough people feel that way though. But then... Maybe I'll be wrong and Neeph will survive to be in the "Nancy Semi-Finals" next week? That would be nice. I mean, it's Jody I want to win, but I'd like Neeph to make it to the semi-final at least. Maybe even the final? Personally, I'd send Samantha or Rachel off this week. Thing is, it's not up to me. Oh, well, I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow night, wont we?

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say today, so... "Goodnight" from me, :)

Oh yeah, I forgot to say yesterday (and almost forgot again today) that yesterday was my Mam's cat, Felix (AKA Baby)'s birthday. So, belated happy birthday to her.

Tori

Dogs and dinosaurs

I haven't really done much today, but since I'm kinda bored I thought I'd blog about the few things that did happen today.

While unpacking stuff I found my unassembled model dinosaurs. I'd already put the TRex together, but the Diplodocus and Triceratops were still in pieces in the box. So, I started to put them together today. I've got the body and legs of the Diplodocus all together, but they need to set properly before I can put the rest of him together. Not doing the Triceratops until I've done the Diplodocus because I don't want too many things on the go at once. Anyway, Kelly says he'll take a photo of them when I'm done for me to put on here.

I'd ended up with a tidy stack of papers to sort out again. Mostly this was from just adding any papers I found while unpacking to the pile instead of finding out what they were and either shredding them or putting them where they belong straight away. I'd managed to keep my desk clear, but this was only due to my cunning idea of using one of the shelves on it to put the pile of papers on. LOL! Anyway, I had Kelly help me sort them out today and now all paperwork is where it belongs... Well, until the next lot of mail arrives, LOL!

There's a field near the kiddy play park where it's fenced off but people can take their dogs in and let them loose. So, early this evening - when it was starting to cool down - Kelly took Kero there to have a run around. Apparently Kero loved it. They weren't gone long though, because Kero never stays out very long if I don't go for some reason. Besides, this place isn't far from us, so they were probably there in less than a minute with how fast the two of them walk without me. LOL!

There you go... Those are the highlights of my day. LOL! Hope your day has been more exciting so far, and that you enjoy whatever's left of it. :)

Tori

Smiles on a sunny Monday

These photos were taken this afternoon (or would you call the time between 4:00 pm and 5:00 pm evening?) My Mam was playing with my model dragon after taking the photo in the post below this one, and Kero was trying to figure out what planet she was on. LOL!

Makes a change for my Mam to be laughing and smiling so much.




There are more photos (not all from today) in my photo albums. Only about half a dozen photos (including these ones) but you can go look if you want to.

Anyway...

Today has been another one of those beautiful sunny days. The kind where it's warm enough not to need jumpers or coats, but still cool enough so you can get on and do stuff without getting all hot and snappy. So, perfect weather in other words.

I took Kero outside quite a few times just for an excuse to sit out there. I doubt he minded that though. LOL!

Mam came down for the afternoon. Normally when she comes down Kelly goes up and spends some time with my Dad, but he decided not to today. Instead he stayed home and spent the afternoon with Mam and me. We had a really nice afternoon. All of us were in good moods, which always helps.

We got some housework done, but messed about while doing it, so it made it more fun. Then Mam cooked us all dinner. Mam and I had bacon, herby mushrooms, scrambled eggs and chips, but Kelly had bacon, sausages and chips. Mam and I had already planned our meal not realising Kelly would be here, and he doesn't eat eggs and mushrooms as a rule, which is why he had sausages instead of the eggs and mushrooms. After today Mam is back on her diet again, which was part of the reason for us having the bacon and chips today. There was also the fact we wanted something different, and when Mam suggested the meal last week I liked the idea, and brought some bacon and mushrooms so it could be made.

While we're on the subject of food, here's our menu for this week:

Tuesday: Chicken pie, potatoes and veg
Wednesday: Sausages, mash and beans
Thursday: Dinner out (Mam, Dad, Kelly and I are going out to dinner for Valentine's day)
Friday: Gammon, chips and peas
Saturday: Baked potato and nut cutlets
Sunday: Chicken roast dinner (at my parents' place)
Monday: Lamb steaklets, potatoes and veg

OK, going back to today...

We called to speak to the housing officer, but he'd just been called out of the office. So, we've been told to call back at 9:00 am tomorrow morning. That's when he's meant to have only just clocked in, so we should be able to catch him before he goes out on any appointments or in to any meetings or whatever. So, we'll be calling him, then heading off to Asda to do some shopping. That's the plan anyway. LOL!

I think that covers just about everything for today. Don't forget to scroll down and look at my dragon (if you haven't already) :)

Enjoy whatever's left of your day :)

Tori

My model dragon

Here's the promised pic of the model dragon I made. We ended up taking a new pic with my camera, because for some reason we couldn't get the pic from Mam's phone to my PC. Anyway, here's the dragon.

Tori

My nice weekend

The weather has been beautiful yesterday (Saturday) and today (Sunday). After I did the post yesterday I took Kero out for a pee and noticed that it had warmed up quite nicely. We stayed out there for a good five or ten minutes longer than we normally do for a "potty break." We might have stayed out longer, but some of the local kids came racing past on their bikes and skateboards and Kero decided it was time to turn tail and head indoors. I can't say I was overly against it, because - although I like to be outside - I don't like to be out (at least not without another human) when I know the kids are around. Once we move I'll be able to enjoy being outside again, and let me tell you, it couldn't come soon enough for my liking.

Anyway, it stayed nice and sunny and warm all the rest of the day, and all of today. Although, it did start to get a little chilly as the sun was going down. But, I suppose that goes without saying.

Since Kelly goes up to my parents' place pretty much every Saturday, and often doesn't get home until quite late, we decided that - at least for the time being - when he goes up there for the gaming club, Mam will come down here. And, Kelly will stay the night at my parents' place, while Mam stays down with me. Of course, this wont be possible if Elizabeth is here on a Saturday night, but since she spends most nights (Saturday nights being one of them) with her boyfriend I don't see that becoming an issue. needless to say, Mam was here from around lunch time yesterday and stayed all night.

We spent most of the afternoon talking while doing our own thing. Mam was working on a character on one of the games she likes to play, and I was putting together a model dragon that my Dad brought for me.

It took me all afternoon and part of the evening to get that dragon put together. But, I really enjoyed doing it. It's now on top of our TV, and - if I do say so myself - looks really good. My Mam took a couple of photos of it on her phone to show my Dad, and she was going to e-mail them to me so I could get them on here. But we never got around to it. She's down tomorrow evening though, so we'll see about sorting them out then (hopefully).

Mam and I were going to watch some of my DVDs, but we never really got around to it, because we were too engrossed in what we were doing. Somehow we ended up just hanging out and not doing much of anything until gone midnight. And yet, we were both up and ready to face the day by 7:30 am (actually, Mam got up a little before that, but 7:30 am is when I got up).

We took our time getting ready to go up to my parents' place this morning, but were still ready to leave long before we needed to. We ended up leaving just before 11:00 am, planning on a slow walk through the park. It seems I'm learning to walk faster though, because - despite the fact I was setting the pace - we got to the other side of the park a good 35 to 40 minutes earlier than we'd planned to.

There's only one bus on a Sunday, and it was due about 50 minutes after we got to the bus stop. I've never liked the walk from that point to my Mam's place (the first bit's OK, but the second half of the walk is all up a steep hill) but we had a choice. Start walking or wait for almost an hour for a bus that may not even show up anyway (it's been known not to).

We walked.

I tell you what though, I was bloody knackered by the time I got to my parents' place. And Kero was just as tired as me. For the benifit of those who don't know the distance between my place and my Mam's place... There's about 2.5 miles between us. About 1/2 a mile of that is the park, and - as I said - the final mile is all up hill. It might not sound like too bad of a walk, but it's quite a walk for someone like me who rarely even does the 1/2 a mile through from one side of the park to the other without a long rest before heading for home. LOL!

We all spent the afternoon at my parents' place and had dinner with them. Mam made a roast beef dinner (roast beef, yorkshire puddings, parsnips, turnips, roast potatoes, cauliflower, sprouts, carrots and gravy) which was really nice. And, it was lucky it was a big joint of meat, because there were certainly enough of us to eat it. Besides the usual people (my parents, my Nan, Kelly, myself and my brother Wayne) there was also my sister (Elizabeth) and Dad's friend Lee.

Speaking of Lee. Today is his birthday. I don't usually put birthday wishes for friends of my parents on here, but Lee has been a family friend for as long as I can remember. So, I think he deserves a "happy birthday Lee!" :)

Kelly, Kero and I came home pretty much straight after dinner. Kero's now sprawled out on the sofa... Fast asleep. I'm thinking it wont be too long before I'm sleeping as well. LOL! In fact, I was thinking of finishing off this post and curling up in bed to listen to some more of my story (haven't listened to much over the past few days). Don't know how much I'll get to hear before I'm asleep, but never mind. LOL!

I want to go check a couple of blogs before I do that though, but before I do... Kaylee, I just wanted to say good luck to you for the tests at the hospital tomorrow. I hope they finally find some answers. *Hugs*

Enjoy whatever's left of your day :)

Tori

Raining... again!

I Got up at about 9:00 am this morning, had my breakfast, fed the animals, got dressed, then walked Kero. Got home and then headed back out to get the bus to go to my Mam's place. Had lunch with Mam and stayed there for the afternoon.

Mam got a wind chime making kit thingy for Christmas - I think it might have been from Grandma - so we did that. I think it looks pretty good, if I say so myself. And I didn't even get messy. LMAO!!!

So... I've been looking for different recipe ideas for healthy foods for me and I have a book that I'm writing them down in. Found some tasty looking stuff actually. I think some of them are a little bit over the rough 300 calories per meal estimate, but since most of them are under it then I think that shouldn't be an issue really. Especially since the stuff I have for breakfast usually is under 200 calories. I'm going to keep on looking for more meal ideas though so I can keep having a nice variety of meals. Especially since I don't want this to start feeling like a diet.

Tori

Some of my gifts

Thought I'd share pics of a couple of my presents with you.

This first one is the cat lovers gift set I got, but you probably figured that out by the cat and mug combination in the pic... lol!

There were a few gifts I got that I didn't list... like some slippers I got from Grandma and a few other bits. And I think this next gift was one of the ones I forgot to mention in my list yesterday.

It's a jewelry box. I appologise for the paint job, that's my doing. LOL! It came just in plain wood with paints to paint it with and the fluffy bit to put on top of it. On the box it was all pink and I was a bit worried I was going to end up with an all pink jewelry box, but nope, I got to pick the colours (though the fluffy bit was pink or nothing). The back of it is painted purple - the same purple as the butterfly handle on the top drawer - but I figured this would be a good enough photo for you. Not much to see on the back.

So, I guess now you'll be wanting to meet my hippo, right?

OK, well, here he is!

What? I never said I had a real hippo now did I? LOL!

Tori