I’m distraught

Sandra, Hilary you will understand my pain.

At the moment I am “over the road”. Yesterday I was “over the road” and I thought it was just a blip. But today it is official. Panera no longer make cinnamon scones. (insert devastated face.) Do they not realise I have flown across the World, endured pain on the flight, put up with Hubbys incessant snoring, just for a daily, cinnamon scone.

I have tried to not let it ruin my trip, I have had  to resort to other ways of getting my fix. SHOPPING.

As Sunday was the only day I will get to share with Hubby, we spent the day down town on Michigan Avenue. The weather is amazing and this week it’s going to get real hot. But it seems very weird to be surrounded by spring flowers. Their flowers are about a month behind ours in the UK.

(taken by a man with serious camera envy)

It was mothers Day, so I lucked out in getting to celebrate it again. Hubby, as many of you know,  likes to ask if there are any offers or deals to be had. So imagine my surprise when we stocked up on our Kiehls  products and the lady gave me a full sized product I love, FREE!!! Just for us asking and it was Mothers Day.

Then it was off to Anthropologies new up town store. I nearly hyper-ventilated when I saw this lampshade.

God knows how we will get it home. I will wear it as a hat if I have to.

I purchased some more clothes to load Hubby up a bit more.

Then it was off for a little watch shopping for Hubby, but more of that later.

She sure does, love cupcakes!!.

This store hadn’t opened on my last trip, so it was top of my list for this visit. There was a long queue out of the door, but it gave us time to make important decisions over which cupcakes to choose. Hubby choose a chocolate marshmallow, I went for chocolate coconut and I added a peanut butter one for us to share. Hubby thought they were no better than mine, but I must say they were very moist and delicious.

 

we were suitably stuffed for our next leg of shopping and just generally enjoying the beautiful weather.

What’s this?

another tea party.

Yep, there were tea pots, party dresses, flowers and cakes.

Well that was the idea. There was no stopping these two when they saw the cake stand.

You may not recognise the little girl, Lily Anne. She’s one of my oldest friends grand daughter. I was lucky enough to photograph her when she was just 3 days old.

Or her brother Alfie , who was the first child I photographed when I was first learning to use my camera.

They are a dream to photograph, with their huge eyes.

Amy asked me a while back if I’d take some new photos. We had hoped to take some in the bluebell woods. But as we have both been so busy, we missed that window of opportunity. So my garden would have to do.

I have been in some serious pain this last week, after spending the day sitting at my computer editing my Tea Party photos for a My Publisher photo book. The pain has knocked me for six and I am seriously thinking the time has come for an operation. I can’t take much more. I did the entire photo shoot with loads of painkillers, a back brace and tons of adrenaline.

I was thrilled with the photos. But the editing will have to wait until I can sit at my computer screen again. I have quickly played around with some. The other 180+ ones will have to wait.

whilst I was taking this photo, this was going on behind us !!!!

 

I am off to Chicago tomorrow for a short break. It’s a surprise from my husband for our Anniversary as he knows how much I love going there. He shall be busy working day and night and I am hoping I will be able to enjoy myself as I normally do. But as sitting is a major problem, I’m seriously worried how I will cope. Driving is an issue, watching TV in bed is an issue and my favourite time waster of all, reading the magazines at Barnes & Noble will no doubt be a no go. So I haven’t made any real plans for my stay. I shall deal with each day as it comes. I fully expect to work my way through all of Shimelles blogging workshop prompts and hopefully, I will finally get to watch my Clean colour video I bought from Erin Cobb months ago.

Here's hoping my garden will not look like a desert when we return next week. It did the last time we went away during hot weather. Our charity garden opening is just 48 hours after we return. So fingers crossed the in laws will water it enough this time.

Here’s what it looked like a few days ago.

fingers crossed they’ll all still be alive.

Oh and Linda, here’s a snap of the basket I made with your lovely flower gift.

Thank you. X

PS Teddy says Hi.

and finally we’ve caught up with Project Life

 

and after my mammoth day getting my Project Life up to date I actually had time to make a layout

and look at the lovely bouquet Hubby bought home for me for our Anniversary.

That’s another photo sorted for this weeks Project Life.

Easy……..

I was trying to set up the camera for a natural shot of us eating a meal for this weeks pages.

It was a little trickier than I thought………

Project Life's little extras

 

A collage of photos from our day out at Sandringham on Easter Sunday.

and on the other side a collage of our little Easter break

 

 

 

and I must be getting old as I bought a postcard at Sandringham of the Queen.  I thought it would be a good addition to my Project Life album for future generations.

 

 

 

 

on the other side I have added the funny card my sister sent us for our Wedding Anniversary.

Project Life- Week sixteen +

 

I did try writing my Project Life blogs as one large, gigantic post. But the server couldn’t take it. So They are going to be in smaller doses now.

Week seventeen

Project Life

It’s about time I showed you what I have been up to with Project Life . As you know I have been a tad busy lately. Add to that,  the fact I needed to replace 5 ink cartridges on my printer !

But as of today, I am all up to date. In fact I even had some time to do a scrap layout…???…!!!!!!

So here goes. Lets begin at

Week fourteen.

Week fifteen

and there is a lot more to come………

A right Royal knees up.

How wonderful was the Royal Wedding. I was shocked that when I got up to start the baking for our Tea Party. That the wedding was in full swing. People were already gathering at Westminster Abbey. I had hoped to be dressed  when I watched the wedding, but all of us sat around the kitchen watching it in our PJ’s.

It was everything a wedding should be and I haven’t heard anyone say a negative comment about the entire day. It made you proud to be British. My mother in law said she felt Princess Diana was watching down from heaven. There must have been some divine intervention, as the weather forecast was dire leading up to the day. But the weather turned out to be perfect on the day.

I have NEVER been a party type person, my entire life. Because of my food issues, I have always found parties intimidating. As a child I was made to feel very uncomfortable, sat at the birthday tea. Then as an adult my friends were big drinkers and I always stood on the side-lines, the only one sober.

So it was with some trepidation that I decided to hold an Afternoon Tea Party to celebrate the Royal Wedding and our Silver Wedding Anniversary. But I could only have enjoyed the day more, if I could have been in more than one place at a time.

The food seemed to go in a flash. I only got to eat 2 sausage rolls and a piece of my Hummingbird cake. Only one person got tipsy, nothing got broken (amazing seeing's there were 7 children under 6 yrs.' old) and everyone commented at some stage, on how lovely everyone else was.

The only tears shed were by Chris ( when he read my card) , my MIL (from hysterics) and a poor boy who spent hours trying to catch a goldfish. Only to be told by his mum he couldn’t take it home.

Everyone got into the spirit of the special day and the hats worn were amazing.

 

A Royal even made time to pop into congratulate us.

 

I spent the entire day/night yesterday making a huge photo book. I am off to Chicago next week, so it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss to use a My Publisher discount I had received. I am now paying for all the sitting down .The last two nights I have only, finally, got to sleep after 4am. Luckily I felt really well on the party day, so fingers crossed, I will be back to fighting fit for Saturdays long plane journey.

I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to capture the day on my camera, as the hostess I had to be in lots of places at once. I asked one of my guests husband if he could capture moments on his camera. But the person who turned into my party angel was Phoebe, my friends 13 year old daughter. With just a few minutes tuition of how to work my camera, in a manual mode, she was away. She caught the moments I wouldn’t have been allowed/able to capture. Here are some of my favourites shots from the day.

My daughter and her boyfriend.

3 generations-Sister in law, my daughter and mother in law.

 

      my son and me

 

   Scrappi Sandi counting her WW points !!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

A sneaky peak through a window.

a special party cocktail.

and of course the happy couple…….

Thank-you to everyone who came and made the day so perfect.

It might not be another 40 years before I throw another party.

I enjoyed this one so much.

The Queen was out

when we popped around to her home over the Easter break. She obviously didn’t know we were coming.

She was obviously otherwise engaged, sorting out things for the Royal Wedding. I had hoped the gardens would be lovely to look around and give us some inspiration for our Garden opening. But it’s fair to say she obviously isn’t much of a gardener.

We had a lovely day looking around Sandringham and I must be old now, as I bought a Royal wedding commemoration tin of teabags. We even sat in the car eating our picnic. It could have been worse. We saw an elderly couple sat by their car on the Sandringham road, with a wind breaker, garden sunbed recliners and a flask. Shot me when I get like that. Please.

We arrived slightly early at the B&B, so I whipped out my camera to snatch some shots. Imagine my embarrassment when the owners, Libby & Robin drove around the corner and wound down their window, to say hi !

Caught in the act…………..

We had quite a giggle, as things happened to us, exactly as they had in the programme. I had a troubled sleep under the quilt “made of concrete”. There were some hairs that didn’t belong to us in the bathroom !! And I nearly pissed myself, as I watched one of our fellow guests, discreetly removing a hair from her breakfast.

Libby and Robin were a beautiful couple. It was with amazement that they told us they had lived in their home since the early 1960’s. They are truly lucky to live in such a beautiful home. They have created a beautiful garden. That takes years to achieve.

 

We spent our last day in Norfolk at Holkum. As I can’t sit down and relax, we decided we would take the pathway and walk to Wells Beach. It was lovely and sheltered, and then we walked back along the beach.

Imagine my surprise when we found out later, my friends were sat right in front of us.

Sheltering on the sand dunes….

Then it was a longggggggg journey home, laid in the back of the car.