A warm welcome to all my visitors,

Thank you for taking the time to come and look at my blog, I really do appreciate it. I would love you to leave me a comment, even if it’s just to say Hi. It means I can come visit you!

All my designs are original, so copyrighted to me. If I have been inspired by someone elses work, I have named them in the post, and where able, I have provided a link.

Please feel free to use my designs for inspiration, I just ask you to credit me, and provide a link back to my blog.

Thanks, Shaz XX

Wednesday 27 August 2014

WOYWW #273

So, the post- Bank Holiday edition. That's us done for holidays now until Christmas. And that's coming waaaay too fast. Another Wednesday upon us faster than you'd believe possible, so time to go link up with Our Lady of the Desks, Julia, over at The Stamping Ground. Absolutely zero on my desk this week- mainly because we didn't stay at home for the weekend, instead we took ourselves off to Wiltshire, and stayed with LLJ and family, for a smashing relaxing weekend.  Saw Julia as well, for dinner at Jans on Saturday evening. Considering she's been ill you know, she is looking very well now. The weekend then. Jan and her Hubby took us to Winchester for the day on Saturday, where we spent some time walking around the cathedral. Its a most amazing place, there is so much art and architecture to see. The amount of carving, and the detail, is incredible.





 There was one wall which was covered in small animal carvings- Doug was seriously amused by this bear, which looked like it had tried to leap over a stump and got stuck! The little dragon on the right was amazing, as was the bat on the left.
















Me and Jans Hubby in a little side chapel, which has the most stunning carved wood altar. Its clearly a whole tree stump- and has been carved with fishes. The benches were very unusual too- curved and flowing.






After the Cathedral,we visited the cafe for coffee and cake. I was very restrained, and had some delicious shortbread. Can't say the same for Beloved Hubby though.


A towering cream and Strawberry jam scone.


A stroll around the town and along by the river helped him walk that off!



Back at Jans, and they've been very busy re-ordering the garden. She now has a lovely area to look out on from the kitchen window.


 Ron, sitting in what is clearly his favourite spot.

Does my bum look big on this?rofl!


Sunday, on our way home, we visited Bath for a walk around. Been through there before, but not actually stopped off. Gorgeous town, so many wonderful buildings, you spend all your time walking around looking up at them, not watching where you are going.
 The park was amazing too- these floral sculptures of butterflys and a dragonfly were wonderful.


 So, now we are waiting for an appointment  to see the consultant, and see what the plan of action is. You will see I've started a new page,and everything will appear on there now. I'll update it as and when we get any new info.Its running in sequence top to bottom, so you'll need to scroll down to the end each time there's something to update. Wasn't sure whether to do it like that, or reverse the order, and have the oldest stuff at the bottom, and newest at the top.That may be better-let me know what you think, will you?  Off to bed now, will be visiting later.

Wednesday 20 August 2014

WOYWW #272

Good Morning everyone- first pic this week is the card I couldn't show you last week, the one for Beloved Hubbys Birthday.


Next ones upcoming are a few of the pressies I received- a couple of crafting ones, and some personal. Haven't photographed the amazing platform boots Hubby bought me yet- they do have to be seen to be believed, lol.
A few of these had been on my Amazon wishlist- the two altered art books, and the Stix-2 layering tool.  Drawing pens and rainbow gel pens from the Grandchildren.


Some awesome personal ones, and LLJ, you will love this one!

An oak tree pendant, and an oak tree with two hares key ring, both from Beloved Hubby.


 Oak trees turned out to be a bit of a theme, with a gorgeous leather bound journal from my eldest son and daughter in law, which has an embossed oak tree on the front.

Beloved Hubby also bought me a journal- knowing full well that I was going to want to write the story of  where we find ourselves now.













 So, no real update from last week, I've had the CT scan now, which was a breeze, to be truthful. Next up on Thursday is the MRI. Did get a bit of an unexpected appointment last week, on Wednesday. Got up to a letter from the hospital, which I fully expected to be the MRI appointment, instead it was an appointment with the consultant at 5.30 that afternoon! Did panic me a bit, I will be honest, getting an appointment through that fast!  Turned out to just be a sort of 'fill us in' type chat- That they will have a meeting when they have all the results, discuss what to do, we will then get an appointment to tell us whats happening and when. He talked as if he'd be expecting to have a meeting with us in the first week of September, we will also get a meeting with the surgeon who will do the surgery, as that won't be him. It does seem that surgery will be the first step. I pressed him on what it was, asking him 'this is a cancer we are talking about, isn't it?' which he confirmed, so thats as we expected. He also told us its 15 cm along the colon, which from everything we've read, is good, as the further it is, the easier the removal and rejoining process is. Had a half- day holiday at work last week on Wednesday night, I think to be honest I'd been running on adrenaline since the previous Saturday, and the fuel ran out, lol. By 2 o clock in the morning, I knew I was done, so I went home, had a coffee and shower, went to bed and slept for 12 hours straight. What I will do soon, is set up another page on my blog, where I will keep a regular record of where I am and whats going on, so that I can keep my posts to a sensible length- and still keep you all up to date. So keep your eyes on my pages bar at the top. Thanks to everyone for all the support,and all the good wishes which I knew you'd provide.Have a great week, I'll be visiting later on.

Wednesday 13 August 2014

WOYWW #271

Good Wednesday everyone- time for the regular desk hopping known as WOYWW. Link in at The Stamping Ground, where our Hostess with the Mostest, Julia, will attempt to keep us all in some sort of order.
 A couple of pictures of stuff done recently, as there isn't much on my desk right now, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, being mine and Beloved Hubbys birthday on Thursday, so I can't show his card yet, and the other being some news I'll share a bit further down.
This one was for a friend at work, for her sisters birthday.




This was just playing with the resist stamping again- really like this technique.




So, my news, and its going to be a bit of a shocker. It looks like I have a Bowel Cancer diagnosis. Had a colonoscopy on Saturday just gone, and they found a growth. I've been booked for a CT scan and an MRI, the CT I now have the appointment for this Saturday, so things are moving along pretty quickly. They haven't said 100% thats what it is, obviously waiting on biopsy report, but I think they have seen enough of this sort of thing to know what they are seeing, and the scans are to give them info on size/accurate location/stage, rather than a diagnosis. I think you can also tell a lot from their demeanour when telling you stuff, you know its not a good thing. A few people on here are in the loop already, and if for any reason, treatments etc, I can't post, I know they will keep everyone updated. Silly thing is, I feel a bit of a fraud, as I feel perfectly fit and well- the only problem I've had was passing some blood, which is why the colonoscopy was done. Doesn't feel like I have anything wrong with me at all, which I take as a good sign that its fairly new and localised. Whatever it turns out to be, you can be sure that I am being very strong minded about this- I've decided that its beaten, it just doesn't know it yet!
 As such, this sums it up perfectly for me, lol:
My (slightly) weird sense of humour is intact, which is good, a friend the other day (she's been diagnosed with Leukemia) said' you do know the Grim Reapers a Goth, don't you?' I replied, ' Of course, I've watched Bill & Ted'. She also suggested we get together when we have a treatment gap and have a Cancer Cocktail party, which seems like a fine plan. She lives near Whitby, which makes it even better, lol. Theres only one 'C' word guaranteed to make me panic, and we all know which one that is! So, having dropped that bombshell, I will catch up with you all later on- off to get my beauty sleep. Have a great week folks, see you later.

Wednesday 6 August 2014

WOYWW #270

Flipping Heck! August already! Packed to the gills with birthdays- between the 13th and the 18th  we have 2 every day- with a couple in the following week.The highlight of the social calender being mine and Beloved Hubbys next week, lol. Not got his card made yet(!), but thanks to the wonders of the Amazon wishlist, I've had all my pressie buying done way ahead of time. I knew it would happen one year. Apologies in advance for all the earthquakes, plagues and tidal waves that will probably follow this momentous event. So, the desk then, which is what we are all here for, joining our much loved leader, Julia, at The Stamping Ground.
I spent some time yesterday playing with some of the new VI stamps, and mixing in some older ones,with resist embossing. Haven't decided exactly where I'm going with these yet, but I do have an idea or two.



 Now I have to share this picture with you- taken by my Daughter in Law last week, on my Sons birthday.


As Becky said on FB- Ants face on seeing his Facebook newsfeed this morning- priceless! You'll remember I said we were all changing our profile photo to this one of him.

  
Ant isn't one to have a big fuss made (epic fail there this year), but Beck wanted to make it special, and personal, so asked everyone who knows him for memories of Ant of the last 40 years. She was going to do it as 40 memories, but had so many responses that she had to change to 40 years.
 A huge pile of envelopes, all stamped with tiny ants, for him to open.


 He used to be an editor for the BBC, but when they closed the Birmingham Studio down he went freelance, and his business name is Green Ant Edits, hence the green envelopes! And beard.
 


Love the t-shirt- that is so Ant, lol.( I may be wrong, but its highly unlikely).
  
Loads of blast from the past pictures turned up on FB too- long black hair and dressed all in black- don't know who he got that from :).
So thats a quick round-up of my week, hope you all had a great one too.










An End of an era

An end of an era

I write this with a broken heart, that only time can heal My beautiful, wonderful wifelet Shaz (Silverwolf) passed away peacefully in the ea...