I went with a group of mums (& a few of their friends & hubbys) to the Apollo Theatre in London to see "Wicked" last night.
What a fantastic show. Truly amazing performances & singing coming from the main cast, stunning costumes & just all round brilliance upon the stage!
Our seats were about 5 rows back in the balcony & the view we got was fab. Sometimes i think it is better to be above rather than in the stalls looking up . 
So 10/10 from me!!

Rob & i went out with Emma & David on Friday night to a charity barn dancing evening!! Never done so in my life but we all thought it would be an "experience" if nothing else.
Well i am proud to say that it was a throughly enjoyable evening & something i would easily do again!
Rob & i did about 5 dance i think (there was maybe 10 all evening as there was a tutorial too before each dance as of course we were all of us in the same boat!) & it was fantastic fun. Showed me how unfit i am mind...!!i

I've wanted to get a 2nd dog for ages. As i have said before, i was prepared to wait until we either move or don't have Barney anymore (even though the thought of no Barney upsets me) however then i started to think "no i want another doggy now!" So still preparing to wait a while, until the end of this year to get the big summer hols out the way.Although to Little Miss Impatient here even that feels like ages away!! I prefebly would like a Springer Spaniel , although i love my little Westie lots so that is another tempting option!

Anyway Rob came home yesterday & asked in a rather loud voice " do we want an 18 month old male Spirnger Spaniel?!" So of course i reply "well yes but ..er...explain please?" So not too much details & tbh i not even sure the chap is actually wanting a home for it yet. But a chap has 3 of them but still needs a home for this 1. But said chap is away atm (grr) & so Rob only got snippet details from the neighbour to this chap!
The dog is fully trained to the off the lead point aswell which as we have never got Barney fully off the lead , will be better in some ways! Plus means less training for us to have to do in that respect!
But it may never actually happen. Things rarely go my way. Until i see the dog & hear the owner is wanting a new home for him (for free too) then i shall try not to get my hopes up too high at all!!

Well everyone seemed to have a great time. Lots of laughter around the room, even if i did get a few shocked looks from my mother when we were playing a game that involved shouting out swear words & i actually knew some:P!
Not many sales though which actually was slightly dissappointing. But its Ann Summers & you can't make people buy this kind of stuff in front of you. Whilst your order is a secret (unless you tell) it still is hard for some people to actually order there. Plus there was a woman of a "Larger size" which whilst Ann Summers are slowly starting to cater for there is still a way to go. There probably would have been 2 more orders if the sizes had been there! Never mind though. 
I won't have another in a hurry as its too much hard work in getting Brad out the house!! I didn't like that he was so late to bed last night! But it couldn't be helped as he couldn't have stayed here!
So, all done with, was fun anyway!

I.m hosting an Ann Summers party tonight. It seemed ages when i actually booked it but now its here it doesn't seem so!!
Really looking forward to it now. Spoke to Jane (the rep) last night for last min details which has heightened the excitement. As far as i know everyone is coming who should be. 1 person hasn't said yay or nay yet at all & i've yet to hear from my friend Wendy , when i texted everyone last week to recap about numbers. But she would be the sort of person who would let me no either way tbh. So probably no credit on her mobile.
That means if everyone comes who should then the number stands at 17!! Including myself & including the people coming as a plus 1!  fingers crossed they do all come along. It will be a little crowded but it is times like this i am pleased of the bigger room we have!!
Got my mum coming along aswell with a friend of hers from the flats they live so that could be interesting! 
It will be great for me to be able to get my friends all in the 1 room. So far its a case of going out with 2 different sets, plus friends i see as individuals! So this will be great!
Update tomorrow , hopefully with pics!!

Well OK not quite but IZ VERY TIRED!!!
Started back to work today. Thought i would be maybe envelope stuffing as i said previously. But turns out that , that wasn't the case.
I was back in the green hose tunnell doing the orders again. On my own too!! mainly filling orders that have already gone out but where certain plants couldn't be sent & go later date! 
I don't mind this of course, great , easy, fast work & makes the time go-o so-o quick. Didn't even mind having to work alone. Its nice to have company but i work just aswell on my own, especially in that kind of environment anyway! 
No, it was the heat that got me!! Hehe.OK i expected it too be hot & did dress as accordingly as i could but it wasn't enough!  So come 2 (well about 5 to i think actually) i was so ready to flake! A nice cool shower when i got home & a nice long cold drink where just the thing.
So, for tomorrow i have put out a different set of clothes. A tshirt with a vest top under it (for if it is as hot) but a sweater in the car (if its not) plus i shall wear calf length jeans no matter what! 

I am supposed to be working Tues, Wed & thurs this week. There are talks though of strikes & not sure yet if Brads school is 1 of them!! Emma is aware though & i would like to think that they would have told us today even with just a letter in the book bag! 

 Got a headache atm!  I think its the pressure of doing this book! LOL! 
I recieved the Bazzill i ordered today for matting the photographs! So decided to crack on abit. I have now completed the front page & the 1st page. I am now half way through the 2nd & 3rd pages. Just had to cut out the wording i needed for those pages & i think thats what causing the headache. Just got to complete sticking the letters down then add any decoration & those pages will be done too. Then i;ll possibly call it a day for today. Try to get more done over the weekend & Monday,. hoping to get it totally finished over the following weekend then i have a whole week to check it over & do any changes etc that may need doing! Its fun though & hopefully i am doing a good job...plus all those points i wll get for my UKS team will be fab as i will add them all at once , instead of dribs & drabs as will make easy for loading the pics upto the UKS gallery!

Been round to Emmas this morning to pick up my wages from the last week i worked (seems ages ago actually now!) I am needed next week & will be in 3 days. Then after that i am being kept on for just 1 day per week (until theres more days avaliable) to go in & either do orders if there are any or keep the tunnel i work in tidy. So weeding , stuff like that.
I think next week, for Tuesday at least i will be envelope stuffing. Might be abit tediious but its MONEY!! So i don't care at all! Just glad of the work! 

Well for most of the time atm & that is only a good thing on my part. Whilst certain people still drive me mad (on to that very shortly) i can let it all just wash over me & thus a happier state i am in!

This week i need to start on a a4 sized scrapbook i am doing for my mum & stepdads Pearl anniversary next month. Its been abit of a nightmare trying to organise photos of all my siblings & their families as the book is going to contain pics of us all plus my mum & stepdad of course. Thanks to my sister Elaine i managed to get photos of most of us. The only ones missing atm are Georgina & Luke. So if i don't get them before i need the book finished i;ll just have to take pics if they come for the celebration meal on the 3rd May  (when i will present the book although their anniversary isn't until 13th may) & add them later date.
I''ve spent the weekend sourcing the papers etc i will need & so hoping to start in the next day or 2.

Ok moan time!  So i cannot atm naturally concieve & haven't been able too for 4 years (even though i had Brad over 5 years ago with no issues WHATSOEVER! Shit happens, lifes like that, no explanations for me anyway.)
So last year , only 2 days after we were told by the hospital, not that i CAN'T have kids but that there is no more they can do & the only routes for us are IVF or adoption. So knowing that IVF isn't an option for us as we can't afford it i was naturally upset after only 2 days that i may never have another child of my own! So when Lisa made a remark on the saturday night, quite innocently , she after didn't know a thing about it, i was naturally upset. & cried. But after much explantion it was all fine (that night at least , although Lisa will barely talk to me now . )
The person who seems to have mdade the bigger deal is Tracy! Who is driving me mad!! OK she was there that night & saw how upset i was & was then the one who bore the brunt of Lisas displeasure ever since , so its natural for a while she was abit wary of mentioning the fact that "so & so is pregnant!" But she is STILL DOING IT NOW!! She cagily said to Rob on Friday that George (her brothers girlfriend) is pregnant with their 3rd (well 4th if we count the sad miscarrige she had) child & she didn't know how she was going to tell me! Shes been like this ever since that incident & tbh , well i have been fins since a few weeks after that if we are honest at all. I just needed a time to get my head round it & in all honesty aswell , i have never had problems with people being pregnant anyway. I am delighted for everyone when they fall pregnant & adore each niece or nephew i get as much as the 1st born. OK yes of course there is a slight part of me that goes "why not me this time" but its nothing more than that & i;m fine (actually my biggest issue has always been why the hell does someone like Gail have to have as many kids as she does , but again, it nothing more than that! Shes just lucky!!
So yeh Rob said to Tracy "BUT SHES FINE!!!" Well yes i know its just me replies Tracy . But i wonder if she realises that actually i am fine until SHE opens her big gob again! If she does mention it too me i think i will have to sit her down & have a quiet word about it because ....well... if she is saying to ther people "how am i going to tell mandy" what are they all thinking? I was in my craft room when Rob was telling me & i was like " omg wheres my craft room, i mst slit my wrists!!" I have to joke about it because if not i would have to cry, not from the fact someone is pregnant, but from the frustration of Tracy!!
Funnily enough its actually Tracy & her mum who were insensitive on that night!! Because just before i ran off crying we were havinga caht with others about how many kids we had etc. naturally i was quiet on this , apart from mentioning Brad. So Angie (Tracys mum) sits there & goes " Oh Tracy would have LOADS if she could!" 2s not enough for her!! It was actually a split 2nd after that Lisa made her remark & that was it for me!
Angie apologised afterwards aswell saying that she didn't give it a thought when she said it. But its like i said "Its OK" because , well it is. You can't go through life worrying about what you say will offend or upset someone. Kids happen, if they didn't , there would be nothing! I just have demons at this moment to deal with , then like any other time i will be fine.
But like i say i am long over it & this rant is for frustration, not woe that i cannot have my own anymore...or at this moment in time i cannot anyway!
Funnily enough i had a dream last night that i was pregnant , then discovered actually i wasn't! That says it all. LOL!

Anyway enough from me for today. I have got that off my chest now & can now resume normality...whatever that is!!

I  am about to recieve yet another prize!!
Di Hickman had a Friday blog candy giveaway of a lovely little clear stamp set. All you had to do was leave a comment on the relevant blog entry. the winner was then picked at random!! How excited am i? 
My 3rd prize win in a month...why am i not getting my own lottery ticket?? lol.

 I am a huge fan of this show since it began but am i the only one who thinks this seasons storylines just got sillier & siller?
Last nights episode whilst funny in places was juts too silly for most of it too actually enjoy it. Above all atm i still think Charlie leaving has left quite a big gp that Jack (is it Jack??) can't fill. 
Even the John Barrowman epsiode was ridiculous...loved Johns character though immensely.
I know Babylon is supposed to be quirky but i think its getting too much so now.
Anyway i am waffling really & not making much sense at all!!

To feel ill. I didn't get a great night sleep anyway so was hoping that it really was just where i feel very tired . But i kid myself i think & thus now seem to have Brads bug.
So i have called Rob as i think were gonna have to cancel our holiday. OK so noone wants to do that but well we go saturday early & really need to make a descision now.
Hoping we can book it for the week after instead maybe. have to see:)

My card got picked this week at Arty Girls for THIS challenge  . 
With this card
Its only through random name out hat system but hell it feels good to win aswell:) My prize looks yummy too. Wonder if it will arrive before i go away at the weekend?

Brads brighter today. He still won't eat much so he won't be going to school tomorrow either! We did just take a quick walk to the postbox at the end of our road. He moaned a little but didn't want picking up when i offered to carry him home. If i could just get him eating again then i think the sickness would stop. Hell , i above alot of people know its just a question of getting your appetite back. However, thats hard to explain to a 5 year old who just feels sick! Fingers crossed he'll be OK to go away on Saturday!

Altered plant pot!

 

So i wanted a new money box or something i could put money into for my Ally Pally fund. I found this plant pot at the back of my cupboard & decided to alter it. Of course i had to go with using my magnolias on it (what else atm?)

I used wrapping paper to cover it as that seemed the most flexible thing to use. Plus with the pattern on it, it suits the girlie theme i wanted.
Always love an excuse to use many Magnolia images too.

Hopefully i'll save lots & lots of money for Ally Pally in September now. It certaninly looks like it could inspire me to put money into like this!!