Merry Christmas one and all......

Merry Christmas
Just a quick note amongst all the festivities to wish everyone a very merry christmas and good luck for 2010.
This year has been full of challenging events, family illness, redundancy to mention a few but I am ever hopefull that 2010 will bring pleasure and good luck.
My beautiful daughter Felicity (posing beautifully above)starts a new school when the holiday season is over and we are hoping for a smooth transition and many new friends.
Well thanks to one and all for the continuing support through my fathers illness and also for the community spirit within the scrapbooking network.
Heres to 2010.

much love
sarah
xx

Im a cat and Ill sleep where I want...

too cute.....

Look what santa brought early

Late last night santa dropped off a beautiful litter of siamese kittens ...5 to be exact. Mum and kittens all seem to be doing well but its very early days.
Id had a sneeky feeling all day that it was gonna be yesterday as willow had been following me around and talking to me allday. She chose 10.30pm to finally start in labour , actually begining to push whilst sat on my chest..... not a great prospect.... so she was quickly re located to hre comfy birthing bed.
Willow was great and coped really well so keep an eye out for all the wonderful mischief to come in the next few weeks .xxx

SNOW EVERYWHERE!!

Im sure the picture is much the same everywhere at the moment , just perfect timing for the children breaking up from school and having fun.........xx

More excitingly we think we may have kittens real soon...willoww is very restless usually a sigh that labour is iminent so watch this space for piccies. xx taking bets on how many.. I say 7!!

What an eventful evening....

What a fantastic movie...Avatar has got to be the movie of the year. It is exciting, full of action, great graphics and a fantastic storyline to boot. The 3d glasses took some time to get use to but very soon you forget they are there and settle into the film. I would encourage everyone to go see it. My 12 year old son thought this was a brilliant movie. Best Ive seen all year.

The cinema complex is situated in the Trafford Centre Shopping village and it looks so pretty this time of year, all the christmas decorations twinkle and glisten making it a lovely magical place to go for a night out. This chandelier takes pride of place in the food court , isn't it beautiful?
The evening was lovely only spoilt by the fact our meal in the restaurant was messed up with no time to re-order , I m sure I can survive one night without tea....the big tub of ben and jerrys made up for it. mmmmmmmmmm.

When we returned to the car this is what we were greeted with, the first snow of the year... what an end to a prefect evening....

"LOOK MUMMY CRUMPETS"

It still amazes me the funny little things that children say. This morning as the children were getting in the car for school Ruby (my 3year old) spotted a little crop of mushrooms under the tree, "look mummy crumpets " she cried........ well , hilarious...... we all laughed , as I corrected her , "no hunni they are mushrooms", " no they are definately crumpets " she declared... its totally made my day... god love her.
Do you have any funny stories of what the children say? Please feel free to share them with me. x

Lady in waiting...

Our beautiful lady in waiting is getting very fat!!!
Willow is positively blooming at the moment and oh so content, blissfully unaware of the hectic time about to begin. Last night whilst she was cuddled up on my knee, a rare peaceful moment, I could feel all the little movements of tiny kittens inside her belly, quite bizare to watch as her tummy jiggles and wiggles as she peacefully snores away. We are very excited and somewhat nervous as willow is a very efficient breeding queen producing massive litters of eight and nine at a time. Today however she looks positively glowing and happy, our graceful lady in waiting.xx

I couldn't resist taking this snapshot of my neighbours tree, its heavy branches fully of glistening red berries a pure feast for the feathered friends in the neighbourhood. The weather today is glorious but Im sure the locals wondered why I was scurrying around in pjs snapping shots of the trees?
I guess they all know Im the crazy cat lady in the corner with all the children...so probably they weren't fazed..


In a more crafty moment I created this canvas for my brother-in-laws christmas prezzie this year. He has been asking me for ages to do something for his living room, its so very hard to think of something a typical bachelor my like but hey this is what I came up with. Im sure it would have been more useful to take the pic before wrapping it but hey ...
I covered the canvas with a heavy duty hesian type material and a smaller one with faux leather. The cricut was used to cut template letters which then were covered in several mediums, buttons,pennies, cardboard,stones and just left as card. I think the overall affect is good and hopefully he will be pleased with it. My craft buddy was and has already commisioned me to make her one....The word says unique.
Well Im away now to do some much needed tidying up...yukkky housework .... with a much needed latte...enjoy your weekend. x

Where does time go?

Finally I seem to have a handle on the Christmas festivities with parties and carol concerts well under way I felt the need to catch up.
The house is looking very festive well at least until the kids land home from school and then it looks like something the goverment would like to hide from the masses....
Ive gone for a more modern feel this year at least in the main lounge area anyway. I felt the children would love the gentle blue lights and white tree for a change. Some may think its not traditionally christmassy but then you enter the conservatory and its a real transformation, beautiful warm reds and golds, relaxing twinkling garlands and beautiful santas , much more 'grown up'.
As the count down begins and the children begin to run on hyperdrive for the next two weeks I can only think about surviving the mayhem which is a Perham family christmas.
I have gone to great lengths to ensure my survival by pre chilling at least six bottles of champagne and a litre bottle of Baileys...... sure to survive now....!!!

Theres not many hiding places left in the house that father christmas doesn't know about (or the children I suspect) and we are busting at the seams with presents for friends and loved ones.

This week I found myself writing my fathers christmas card , the hardest thing I have had to do , not knowing what to write as I know this is his last christmas time with us.
He has been transfered to a local cottage hospital now to make it easier for visiting friends from the village and his wife, all we can hope for is a comfortable dignified stay and cherish the times we spend with him now.

This weekend is a round of social activity and X factor final, Im going to be glued to the gogglebox cheering for my little Joe to win... Who you backing?
Good luck to all the finalist and especially my little gordie pal Joe...xxxxxx

Nothing but Black Clouds

It seems there are nothing but black clouds looming..... Thursday my world began to shatter, the meeting with dads consultant was earth shattering as it seems dad is coming to the end of his road....as I sat with tears streaming down my face I could never imagine the pain and realisation that they were talking about my daddy.....still as I sit here now it feels sureal and distant when I know how heartbreakingly real it is.
Sadly tomorrow I must take my eldest son to say his goodbyes and know that each day we lose another small part of my father , my hero..... trying deperately to remember all the wonderful thinks and drink in every image now so as not to forget him.
Please god give me the strenght I need now to see myself and my family through this tragic time and spare dads suffering ............

Almighty and merciful God, You bestow on mankind both the remedies of health and the gifts of everlasting life. Look graciously on Your servant suffering from bodily infirmity and strengthen the soul which You have made. At the hour of his death, may he deserve to be offered without stain of sin to You his Creator by the hands of the holy angels. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The holidays are coming....

Holiday preparations are well under way, decorations up, some cards made, presents nearly bought and even a few wrapped under the tree, what a triumph and its only the first of december!
The week is proving to difficult from the offset with a round of trips to the vets with a still very poorley kitten and an even bigger worry of my father and his impending amputation. I am kindly asking my friends and followers to please send positive thoughts to me and my father at this difficult time. Dad has been sick in hospital since june this year , suffering from many things including mrsa, septaciemia,heart attacks and resulting in him having to lose his leg, a very difficult decision for him to make although the only one. My father is my source of inspiration and I am not ashammed to admit I am truely a daddys girl even now and rely on his guidance and support. It seems weird to now have the tables turned an his needing us for strength and support when he hardly seems to be the man we all knew.
Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness, and at the end of the day you don't look at it and wish you had painted something different.
-- Author Unknown
I spend my time wondering weather I have been a good daughter and everything he wanted me to be , I can only hope so.
Im trying to be strong and sending healing thoughts to him. Dad I love you so very much and wish you well. God bless. xx