Long time no see! Sorry

I am so very sorry i have not been around for so long. Unfortunately my fall is taking a long time to heal, my back/hip are still nowhere nr how they were before the fall, but they may never be. My Dr was telling me last wk about what a hard battle i have at the moment to stay mobile. If i do too little, i loose it, but, if i do too much, i loose it! Finding that middle ground is just so difficult. I won't bore you with just how bad i am. I will just say, sitting at the pc is one of the most painful things for me. So my time has been very limited. Also the time spent at pc this last couple of wks has been setting up a new forum. It is only small & that is how we intend to keep it, small & friendly. I have set it up with Sheila & it has been fun.

I have had a few problems with Oliver, starting just after my fall. His attitude changed drastically. Gone was my happy sweet natured little man, replaced by a horrid naughty little boy. It was so difficult, i knew something was worrying him, but could not get to the bottom. One moment he would be so clingy, the next, it was almost as if he hated me. He also became a little spiteful towards me. But through all of his bad behaviour i could see he was upset, worried & frightened about something. It was awful, i felt like i was watching my child fall to pieces! He went from always having a smile on his face, to not seeing any. He then got nasty little painful blisters all over his hands. His mouth got full of ulcers & blisters.
I have never seen so many. When i took him to get checked out, Dr was amazed the amount of ulcers he had. There were loads of small ones, but also lots of rather large ones. He couldn't eat or drink, it was heartbreaking. He also had a bad dose of oral thrush, The Dr said he was physically & emotionally exhausted. He gave him some great stuff for the ulcers & they started to slowly clear up.
By this time Oliver finally told me what it was all about, no wonder he had behaved as he had, he must have been petrified, bless him. Someone had either said to him or in front of him the following.
Whats going to happen to Oliver when his mummy's back gets even worse. Where will he live & who will look after him. Nicola will be too bad to cope with a young child & definitely won't be able to look after him. Grandma Carol is getting old & she won't want a child round the house all the time. So whats going to happen to Oliver?
I just could not believe anyone could be so vindictive & cruel to say things like that to a little boy who's not quite 5! It is just evil! God help me or maybe whoever said it, when Oliver finally tells me where it came from & he will tell me eventually.
The poor little mite had been thinking & dwelling on those vicious lies for about 4wks before he finally told me what it was all about. He has needed a lot of attention, love (which he always gets lots of) & reassurances. He is now confident that no matter what happens to me with my back, i will always be able to look after him & he will always live with me! It has taken what seems like forever to get his smiles back, but thankfully he is more or less back to himself again.
I would like to thank the ladies of CoC for helping to make him smile. Carolyn very kindly requested a card shower for him & they all stepped up to the mark wonderfully. Carolyn sent him two Steve Parish books (he loves them) & a wonderful keyring. PatM sent a huge envelope full of stickers & Sheila has been sending him all sorts of goodies! The other wonderful ladies of CoC have sent him some gorgeous cards & all sorts of stickers. He was getting so excited when the post came & when he saw an envelope with his name, he grinned from ear to ear. So thank you again ladies, for helping my wonderful little boy find his smile. I can never thank you enough!
I will quickly tell you about the photo's.
The little blue booties are parchment, they are just too small to get a good detailed picture i'm afraid. They are embossed & perforated, then the upper sown to the sole. They are just under 5cm's in length.
The fairy card is the card my mum made for my birthday, hasn't she done a wonderful job! The fairy & dragonflies are made from fantasy film. I just love this card, it is so me!
The bottom card is from Iris. It is just stunning when you see it. Thank you so much Iris, i adore this card.
Thank you to all the wonderful ladies that sent me such gorgeous birthday cards, i have never ever had so many! Unfortunately due to my back & everything else going on, i still have not had chance to scan/photograph them. But i promise you ladies i will get them scanned & let everyone see them. Too many to show on here, so i will put them in my photobucket & post the link here. I will post the odd one when i come on here.
Anyway, off to bed, been sat here far too long, hopefully i will be able to get back up LOL!!

Gorgeous cards received

I just had to share these gorgeous cards that i have been sent. They cheered me up so much, i just can't tell you what they all mean to me. Knowing that people are thinking of you really is such a wonderful feeling. Each one had a lovely personal note, thank you so very much ladies for your support & for caring. In everyday life, most of the people you meet do nothing to restore your faith in human nature. But you turn on your pc & visit CoC & you are reminded there still are wonderful, caring, genuine & honest people left in this world & most seem to be crafter's! I really have met some truly wonderful ladies on that forum, many of them are very caring, supportive & most important of all, genuine. Thank you ladies, you constantly restore my faith in human nature. I'm not saying everyone there is like that, but there are a great many. I truly have met some wonderful friends, some of the best friends i have ever had. Yet again to prove that you may be miles apart, but you are in their thoughts are these beautiful cards.
the 1st teabag card is from Barbara in Rhode Island. As always perfectly folded & layed out, also my favourite colour PURPLE! Thank you so much Barbara.
The gorgeous butterfly parchment card is from the lovely Panda & (even lovelier) Lily. Believe me, the photo does not do justice to the beauty of this card. Thank you Panda & yes your right, this card was so much nicer than a reply to my email.
Next this very pretty card from Sue in Jersey. Thank you Sue, it is really lovely & it had PURPLE in it!
Oops! Made a bit of a mix up with my photo's! The bear saying "the best antiques are old friends!" is what Gill gave to me. The bears dress matches my bedding perfectly. Thank you so much Gill & you are my favourite antique & always will be.
Before we went away, my Grandma gave Oliver some pennies for his holiday & also gave him some money to treat his mummy. He bought me this gorgeous Me to You bear with it's baby & it says "Best Mum in the world". He really is such a little sweetie. I like this one best out of all the ones "he" has bought me, as this one, he didn't have to by with MY money LOL! He really is such a love, i would be lost without him.
Back to my wonderful cards now. The beautiful pink flower is from Bev in Canada & came with a lovely bookmark. Thank you so much Bev for your heartfelt words & i pray your check up went well. I must catch up with you to find out, but from what you said, i think you are away at the moment. I hope your break does you as much good as ours did me x


The beautiful yellow Dahlia & gorgeous stitching is from the very talented Geert. Geert's threads are always an exact match for whatever image she uses & her stitching is always perfect. Dahlia's are one of my favourite flowers & i have one like this in a very deep burgundy. Thank you again Geert.

Next this pretty teabag card from Jenny in Cornwall. Thank you Jenny for your lovely note inside. Such a pretty tile you have used. I don't think i have used this fold myself. Thank you. Next is my early birthday/thinking of you card from Theresa in Oz. Koala, this beaded PURPLE pansy is just gorgeous! I tried scanning & photographing, but nothing would do this card justice! It really is gorgeous in the flesh, so to speak. Not only my favourite colour, but my most favourite flower. I just love pansies, i always think they look such a happy & cheerful flower & the are so very beautiful. Thank you so much mate.
Last, but by no means least, this beautiful card from Carole (Mogs). Such a beautiful image & you can't see here, but there is a lovely little butterfly on her shoulder. The beautiful backing paper is covered with butterflies too. Such an elegant & classy card. Thank you so much Carole.
Thank you once again to all of you lovely ladies for thinking of me & taking the time to make & send me cards. You really do brighten my days!

Now i have shown you my gorgeous cards & bears, i best go & check on Oliver. He is tucked up in bed. He had a high temp again over night, but also a very bad cough. Never heard him cough like that before, a really harsh bark, like a seal. So took him to the Dr's this morning & he has got croup! Dr said it is viral, so just to carry on with the medicines to keep him temp down. Bless him, he sounds awful once he starts & struggles to catch his breath in between. Hopefully he will start to feel better soon. I won't bore you with how i am, or those of you that do bother to read my blog, won't anymore LOL!

Take care & catch up with you all soon xxx

Dogs, backs & Oliver

What a week we have had since coming home!
I had to bath Diesel on Monday, as he stank of wee! He was very naughty at my mum's whilst we were away. So bad, she is refusing to have him again, so he must have been bad!! He spent the whole week weeing in her kitchen, she said it was constantly awash with it. He even did it while she was in their, if she turned her back on him. Hence him stinking when he got home & she had been washing the wee off him! He kept them awake all night for three nights, after which he woke them at 5am. He spent the week bullying & trying to dominate Mavis, which he never does at home. He was basically a nightmare & dog from hell! since he has come home, he has been a little angel, butter wouldn't melt!
After i had bathed him, i put him in his pen under the stairs for a while. I lent over the baby gate (not thinking about it having been moved) it wasn't as secure as normal & it fell over, taking me with it. I had Oliver with me & Diesel in the pen, so was more worried about them, neither was hurt at all. I on the other hand, trying to avoid both of them, twisted when i fell. I went with such force, i really was worried about trying to get up, thought this might be the fall that finished my back off. Thankfully it wasn't! But i have been in so much pain since, i hope it settles back down soon. Today i have been in more pain than the other days & it is a new pain. I get lots of different sorts of pain in my back & it is not normally good when i get a new one. This pain is so sharp & intense, it's awful. But it was my own stupid fault, hopefully i have learnt a lesson?
Oliver is also unwell, some sort of bug. He keeps getting a raging temperature & he hurts all over, but the headache is the worst thing. Gill has also got the same bug, lets hope they both keep it to themselves. He is being very very mardy & crying over the smallest thing bless him. Hopefully he will be feeling a bit better tomorrow.
I seem to have got my head round the news that my back is so bad i could end up in a wheelchair tomorrow. I feel much more positive about it now. I think a week away & the support from family & friends has helped a lot. Since i got the news, i have had some gorgeous cards from friends on CoC. I was going to post them on here, but it is not letting me post images tonight, so will do them another day. It means so much to know people care & are thinking of you. Mind, i did get an email off a so called friend that really upset me. She belittled the people who had replied to my thread on a forum, saying they didn't understand my condition or really mean what they said. Their words were shallow & empty. That really upset me, but she then went on to belittle my condition, which she dose not fully understand, as i have not told her everything. She also belittled the pain i am in & my prospect of ending up in a wheel chair. I was feeling very down & depressed at the time, she most certainly did not make me feel any better. In fact, i just sat crying. I'm still really upset about it. I'm so grateful to those who have offered their support etc... They don't need to fully understand my condition, the fact they care is what is important.
I really must go to bed. I'm sorry this hasn't been a jolly post, i didn't intend to moan. Oh well, never mind, very few read my blog. Those of you who do, goodnight xx

Cont.....

Sorry it has taken me a few days to get back.
On the Friday, Oliver went out for the day with his grandma & grandad, while i went into Preston to meet Sheila. We had a lovely day, it really was wonderful to see her again. We get on as though we have always known each other & we put the world to rights lol! We tend to have very similar views on most things, so we know we are always right!! She turned up with a suitcase for me! Full of cardstock mainly, but also other crafting stuff for me & lots of goodies for Oliver, it was like Christmas! She really is such a lovely lady & so very very good to me. We popped to card craft plus & spent a few pennies. The two ladies in there were wonderful & the younger one was a star. They were so helpful & really put themselves out for us, real customer service with a smile.
Saturday was raining hard & i hurt so much after my day in Preston, so we had a quiet day. We went to see Gill's mum & dad, it was lovely to see them, they are more like family. They sort of adopted me when i worked for Gill & lived so far from home. They gave Oliver some money to get a Transformer with. So off to ToysRus! Gill also bought the spoilt monster a Transformer, so he was very happy.
It really was a lovely week & we both thoroughly enjoyed it.

Back home

Well here we are back from our week away, i think it will take me a month to recover! We went to Peter & Isobel's on Sunday, i must say being sat in a car for two hrs rather took it out of me & i could hardly walk when we got there! But we had a lovely stay. On the Monday we went to Ribchester, one of the oldest villages in England. They have a wonderful playing field for children, a huge grass area & then lots of slides, climbing frames etc... Oliver had great fun running around, climbing & exploring. Isobel & i were freezing sat watching him! When he decided he had had enough, we went across the road to a lovely gift shop & cafe. I was very good & didn't spend many pennies, though i could have LOL! All Oliver wanted was some stretchy dinosaurs & some bath bombs. I was hoping Isobel would want a nice warm coffee, but she didn't. So being the big kid i am, i had an ice cream with Oliver. It was lovely home made mint choc chip yummy. We had the sugar cones with chocolate coating & 100 & 1000's, told you i was a big kid!
On the Tuesday, we went into Preston shopping for new clothes for Oliver. Isobel & Peter don't get to see him that often, hopefully they will come down a bit more this yr & we will go back in the summer holidays for a wk this time. Isobel loves taking Oliver clothes shopping & i mean loves, she sometimes gets a little carried away. Oliver will not need anymore clothes until winter, he is fully set now for summer, if we get one! She also got me three pairs of PJ's. I'm so easily pleased, i love my PJ's, but then i seem to spend a lot of time in the LOL! Oliver bought himself a Transformer "Barricade", so he was happy. We also popped to Hobbycraft, as we don't have one near us. I expected to be like a kid in a sweet shop, but could i find anything to buy? NO! How can a shop so large & with so much stock not have anything you want to buy? Rather disappointing really, but at least i still had pennies for my trip to card craft plus on Friday. We went to Pizza Hut for lunch, pizza is Oliver's favourite food. Isobel & i really enjoyed it, but himself didn't like their pizza! Wednesday we just went here & there & had a very nice day. Oliver loved the time he got to spend with his grandparents & i had a lovely time too.
Wednesday evening my friends Gill & Roy came to pick us up for our stay at their house. We started by having tea out as it was Gill's birthday, what was that Gill? Yes i know! I was going to tell them how great you look for 80, only joking LOL. Which birthday was it? That's right 45 hmmmmm & you look great for 45. When we got back to their house it was difficult to remember whose birthday it was! Oliver had lots & lots of pressies (spoilt brat) & i was also very spoilt, thank you both.
Thursday we went off to the Blue Planet, what a wonderful place! I have never seen a shark in the flesh before & i was not disappointed! Oliver loved it & had a great time. It really was amazing. Oliver loved all the frogs they had, they were so beautiful, various bright colours & very poisonous, but still beautiful! The way everything was set up was just wonderful. We had a stroke of the flat fish in the touch tanks. One fish (not flat) loved being stroked, so i stroked him for ages, before i read to ONLY touch the flat fish! Oliver loved the shark tunnel (so did i) & he made us go through twice. It was amazing to have all those fish, sharks & rays swimming around & over you. They were truly amazing, i could have stayed in there all day! I took much more photo's than i ended up with. Somehow many got lost, really do not understand where they went! I had some great photo's of huge dogfish, the ray's over the top of you etc... etc... But they vanished into thin air. After the sharks we went to the gift shop, ouch that really hurt! After spending all my money, Oliver went out to play on the playground. Gill, Roy & myself went to watch the otter's. There was a pen with mum & two youngsters, they were fascinating & so funny. Then there was a bigger pen with i think four adults in. First time i have ever seen otter's! Every time i have been anywhere with otter's they have been inside asleep! This lot put on a full show. The youngsters liked showing off their juggling, swimming & diving skills. We must have been watching them for ages!

I think i shall leave this for now & finish later. Oliver is out with his dad & I'm supposed to be doing all sorts, not sat talking to you! You could probably do with a break, are you still awake?

Get the funk on

I just have to show you this gorgeous lady that arrived this morning. Thank you so much Sunshine, i love her. The scan really does not do justice to her. She has an acetate wrap over her. She looks like she could walk straight off the card! Sunshine has been making lots of beautiful women cards & i have loved them all, so i was delighted when this beauty arrives.
I thought today i would show you some of my funky cards. Not my usual style at all, but such fun to make. I think they look very happy cards & if you got one, you would have to smile wouldn't you? Well unless they caused a migraine of course!
Well i have Oliver off school this wk, he started with a bug on Sunday & with the screaming abdabs on Monday. So if he goes back to school on Monday (sorry, no if about it! When!) He will only have a week & break up for two wks school holiday! When we are going to stay with his other grandparents in Preston & a few days with my best friend Gill, also in Preston. That should be fun, Gill & Roy are taking us down to Chester to the blue planet. Oliver will love that. Mind you, i can't wait to go, i will finally get to see real live sharks! I love these creatures & think they are given a real tough time.
I was hoping to start a parchment piece today, but Oliver is making sure thats not going to happen! I can't believe, i finally got some new glasses, so i will be able to see the grids (hopefull) Then i have Oliver off with a tummy bug & i get nothing at all done! Typical! I have my grids waiting, some beads & threads waiting for some stitch cards i want to make & not a cat in hells chance of getting anything started.
Well i now have a child sat on my knee chattering about his new Shrek DS game, so i have no chance. I give up & admit defeat. I will come back when Oliver is back at school & i have some peace & quiet lol! Bless him, i wouldn't be without him for the world.

Thankyou

I thought i would show you two cards i have received this wk. How lucky am i? They are both beautiful. The 1st card is from Kathy B in America. The tile she used is one of mine, i think it folded so pretty. As always from Kathy, perfectly folded. I just love the cardstock she used, perfect colour for the tile. This is one of my favourite folds as well! Thank you very much Kathy.
The 2nd card is from the lovely Catherine to Oliver & myself. I must say i have not tried this fold yet, but after seeing Catherine's, i must! The scan does it no justice & does not show how puffed up the medallion is. The center where the blue is, is a good cm high. I love it! Also a very pretty tile Catherine. Thank you so much & Oliver says thank you for the photo's you very kindly printed out & sent for him.
Thank you again ladies for thinking of us. You are both so kind & thoughtful. I really have made some truly wonderful friends xx