It's got to stop!

I am waking up at 4am and sitting down at the computer and working on things!!
I am making Christmas cards and reading and making notes.
I am not sleeping.
I am falling asleep at 8pm and missing out on things I want to do in the evenings!
My body clock is failing me....

I  ought to just roll over and go back to sleep.
I ought to get a drink of water and slip back into that comfy position again.
I am going to try it because I need to sleep.
Sue xx

Almost the end of 2012

and December is just around the corner now. Listening to radio 2 brings it all a little bit closer!! Here it is the last shopping weekend before 5 December - and guess what? Sonny boy wants to go shopping on Saturday for his presents!!! I suspect he has not got a long list, in fact, no list at all. I asked him what he was buying for his girlfriend; 'don't know.' And your sister? 'don't know.' ' I'd like a gift certificate from Douglas please"....'I have got something else in mind so no, you are not getting that!' Well, at least he knows what he is NOT going to buy!!!!!!
My children do not like surprises. They are inquisitive and plague me with questions or go feeling presents until they are satisfied they know what they contain. I was the same when young too, so hardly surprising is it? But I do like the fact that I can remember during the whole year what they have mentioned and liked, and even though it might not come as a surprise, it will be what they really, really wanted.
On that note I am going to get ready for my trip to Christmas Wonderland in Zoetermeer!! Todays the day Ineke and I have our annual winters day in the garden centre De Driesprong. Its my favourite for its showiness and huge range of decorations. I am expecting a lot from the creators once again this year!!!
Will take photos!
Sue xx

one little word

Have you started thinking which will be yours for 2013? I have certainly got a shortlist this time!!!!!
Of course we have to get past 21-12-12 first, but if all the disasters that have befallen us so far this year are not enough, then bring it on. I am hoping that by 22-12-12  I will have passed the worst and be heading for a brighter future.
It is such hard work, living in the now; being mindful; practicing thinking only about what is happening and not what has or what is going to. I'm not very good at it to be perfectly honest. After a period of not sleeping properly I have returned to the vivid dreaming I am prone to. If Steven Spielberg could only read my mind whilst I dream I reckon we would earn a fortune together!!!! Sometimes they make no sense at all and at others I can see what it is all about. I remember them word for word, I seem to dream a whole film or book at a time!! Tiring? Yes it is!! Suggestions? There is a programme about sleep disorders coming to the BBC soon; guess I will be watching that!

Last night I went to Ann's for Strictly. We sat and had coffee watching Pointless . . .got to the credits and bang, the TV went fuzzy and suddenly the picture disappeared as the titles for Strictly started to roll!! We tried everything and couldn't decide if it was her TV or Ziggo....what to do? Race back to ours, turn the TV on . . .same thing here so it was ZIGGO!!!!! Watched a film and waited for the text to come that all was restored and we could enjoy Merlin after all. Ahhh.....
I have just watched the Strictly clips on their site; what are Flavia and Louis playing at?!!! Dropping down the leader board!! I do like Vincent and his partner and she can dance so well....dark horse indeed. Not too keen on Denise and think Lisa is wonderful. So, still an open competition which is good. Last four weeks!!

I've had a week of being ill and am just starting to feel slightly better. Hence the absence of blogposts recently. Just can't seem to concentrate on anything for too long right now.

If you are in the flood areas of the UK - just watching it on the news is awful, so I cannot imagine how terrible it must be for you all. Living here the need to manage the water is such a  top priority that it seems sad that so much expertise and knowledge does not seem to be available in Britain. If the water gets the better of us here the whole country would go under. There have been disasters enough over the years, so the Dutch have learnt from them and got the whole thing nicely under control nowadays.
So, perhaps it will now be time for the government to wake up and sort it for everyone who is at risk of flooding and stop the tide.
On that note,
Sue xx

A selection box of Christmas cards

As promised, some of the designs I have created this year for our cards. Keeping it simple as I also vowed, and using my distress inks and polychromos pencils and not buying any new stuff!!!! It worked out quite well. I sourced some ideas and techniques from various crafters and used stamps I have not used for a while to keep it all as easy and pretty as possible. What do you think? Colouring using a water pen and the distress inks is great. Works fast and with the card stock it doesn't leak through to the other side of the paper as ordinary stazon will do etc. So all done. Maybe I will do some more now I am in the swing of things!!!!
Sue xx

A Sunday walk

Yesterday it was lovely weather here so my friend and I took the opportunity to do a walk around the dijk near her home. It was peaceful, no wind, just sunshine and lovely skies. Since we are suffering an extraordinary amount of rain this year, it was good to be outside in the dry for a change!!!
Sue xx

Lest we Forget.

Remembrance Day.

My own thought for today..

 ' Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.'
  Ian MacLaren.

Sue xx

November

and my son is planning on doing the 'mo-vember' facial hair growing thing!! That he is old enough to do it is hard to believe, and whether or not he will achieve a whole month without shaving it, well, we will just have to wait and see. Good luck I say!!!

The weather feels rather like the backlash from Sandy with a weekend of so much rain I feel I am drowning! The skies overhead are magnificent however, and the many layers of light to dark storm clouds are simply stunning to see. I stayed indoors the whole weekend in the end, doing some more clearing out in the attic - well, moving around of boxes and reading their contents and putting them back in the same place - and making some Christmas Cards. Like I said, simple this year. Basic criteria being:

• do not buy anything to make them
• use up everything you already have
• every tiny scrap of paper is precious
• yes, you can use the lovely ribbons you have been saving for ever!
• making the same design is not a problem
• only a few are really necessary for those who appreciate home-made
• good for my stress levels
• do it because you enjoy it

So this is what I have stuck to and I am ok with the results so far. Can't help reading lots of lovely

crafting blogs and seeing amazing creations floating past my eyes which are sometimes quite green with envy at their creators imagination and dexterity!!! If this all goes to plan, then I will crick myself up a notch and consider my annual December Daily Project which I have been doing for several years now.

I only do 12 things though. Not having small children any longer, and not being in England, and not having my family around me, it is sometimes harder to make the month special enough to scrap!!!

What I do like, however, is getting the small albums out each year as part of the decorations, and looking back on Christmas's Past....that is the real pleasure in doing it. Once again, same criteria apply though I do think I will need some paper . . . . . a Christmas present to me.

Sue xx