For Ava xx .....Each life touches this world in a way no other can, leaving not only memories, but a lasting imprint on our hearts ....

One thing that I am reminded of more and more, is that no matter what is going on in our lives, the world keeps on turning and time keeps on moving on.....we just have no control over it at all !!

It is 5 years now, since a blog friend of mine gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Ava.

Ava grew wings and flew to heaven a few short hours after she was born.
Today, we will be releasing balloons into the sky in memory of Ava, as we have done for the last few years.

Happy 5th Birthday dear sweet Ava, you are in our thoughts today xx

You will find Karlas blog HERE if you would like to pop over and send her your love today x

New Moon Night!!

Yesterday was a very exciting day here in our household....well for me and Lauren anyway (Daniel was less than interested!!)....It was an eagerly awaited day, New Moon came out on DVD!!

We rushed to Asda, where there were thankfully quite a few copies left!

We then rushed home, snuggled on the sofa and sat and absorbed 2 hours of yummy Edward and Yummy yummy Jacob!!

Lauren decided that although jacob did look nice (bless her, forget that she is only a little 8 year old sometimes!!), she would like to kiss Edward and so she liked him best :)

I must admit that I actually liked them both in this film, although Edward is still my fav by a small amount, Jacob taking his top off in various scenes did help the vote to swing in his favour sightly!!

I will be watching it again tonight....alone, so that I can actually hear what is happening! lauren is not the best person to watch a DVD with as she likes to ask questions about what is going on ...ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!

All we have to do now is sit....and wait for Eclipse to come out, which I think is later in the summer here YIPPPEEE!!!

Better late than never Christmas pictures!!!

At last I have managed to sort out the computer and get the photos uploaded, so here are a few of the children at christmas and one of the snow we had earlier this year, which resulted in us being snowed in for about a week!!

Lauren on Christmas day, trying to look angelic!! Excuse the airbrush tatoos on her arms, she got the set for christmas and promptly tatooed everyone !

Daniel posing by the tree!!

My two precious little stars on christmas day!!

THE SNOW!!!

Hello, Hello .....anyone out there??

I will be very suprised if anyone is actually still bothering with my blog, as I have been very hit and miss for so long now!

Have had a sickness bug this weekend, and spent some of the time sitting looking at some of my favourite blogs ! Basically I miss blogging and miss all my blog friends soooo much!

I have had major problems getting photos onto the computer, but I am going to sit here until I have cracked it today!!?

Then I think I will give my blog a small face lift and get on with 2010 in blog land ! and whatever it may have to offer!

Have lots to share, some good, some bad, some just down right silly....but hey that's life ??

Let the blogging re commence !!

Well, I cannot believe that January has flown by without me adding something to my blog !
I seem to have got well and truly out of the blogging loop and sat here last night and decided that if I don't get back into it now....I probably never ever will ..... so here I am !!

My camera is currently on charge, I have found the lead that uploads to the computer and I have photos ready to share with you all!

There has not really been alot happening here! We had lots (and I mean LOTS) of snow last month, so much infact that we ended up being snowed in for 4 whole days....not good!
The first day was quite fun, the kids loved it, but by the fourth day of being stuck in the village in the middle of nowhere, no shops, nowhere to go etc etc... cabin fever started to creep in and we all got very fed up!!

Luckily it eventually went away and life went back to normal, although it is still cold here and today we have rain......roll on summer I say!!

Daniel and Lauren both enjoyed their birthdays, I find it hard sometimes to get my head around the fact that my babies are now 12 and 8, where does the time go??

Daniel is well and truly an "almost" teenager and he has a great social life, he is out quite alot these days and I hardly see him, he spends alot of time with a school friend doing homework and playing out on his scooter !!

Lauren continues with her dancing and is still doing really well. She has her next round of dance exams coming soon and is already practicing her dances! She auditioned recently with her dance school for the west end show that they put on in London in July and she has passed. Her rehearsals start in a few weeks, so she will be dancing her little heart out!

Today is pancake day, so thw children will be busy making pancakes after tea! Last year was very interesting and I am wondering how many will be stuck on the ceiling this year ha ha !

Hope all my blogging friends are well, I have missed you all so much and will be spending tonight on a marathon blog visiting session to catch up with you all!

Hopefully I will find my blogging mojo again and rekindle the love of blogging that I had before .... so, let the blogging re commence xxxxx

Getting ready for Christmas !

Well, things have been a little bit hectic around here recently and my good intentions to blog more often have slightly gone astray!!

We have been busy getting ready for christmas, decorating the tree and wrapping presents, I have some great pictures that I would love to share with you, but the lead for my camera has hidden itself somewhere, so for now they cannot be transferred to the computer!!

We are all packed and ready to head off to my Mums tomorrow for christmas, we are spending a week there before coming back here for New Year, which we are spending with friends this year!

The children are both starting to get very excited about christmas and Lauren keeps adding new items to her christmas wish list.......which is a bit late, as we have sent her special list off to santa a few weeks ago (pheww!!).

I hope to have the time to blog a bit more while I am at my Mums and should be able to upload some photos when I find the lead.

For now, I hope that you are all safe and well and that your christmas preparations are coming along ok !! xxx

OMG ~ where have 2 months gone??

I just cannot believe that it has been over 2 months since I posted on my poor neglected blog (I am so sorry blog, I do still love you!). I have really missed blogging, missed all my blogging friends and your blogs. I have such alot of catching up to do and will be over to visit you all this week/weekend, so expect me to be popping up to say hello very soon! I will not be leaving it so long and am hoping that my love of blogging will still be there and indeed stay!

We have been really busy and there have been alot of changes. Daniel has moved up to senior school and is getting on really well and seems to enjoy it. He has grown up all of a sudden and doesnt actually tell me that much about what goes on at school........getting ready for the teenage years I fear!!

Lauren moved to junior school and she is also doing really well, she is the opposite of her brother and tells me everything that she does at school......EVERYTHING!!!!!



Lots and lots of events have taken place, the most recent being Laurens 8th birthday. She had a joint cheer leading party with one of her school friends, which she loved and then on her actual birthday we had a celebration at home ~ more presents and yet another cake!!

Here is my little birthday princess, blowing out the candles on her cake (yes, she is in her pyjamas ha ha !!)

cake and eight candles, how can my baby be 8 already!??

Lauren has recently joined the brownies and was actually sworn in to the brownie pack on her birthday, another nice celebration.

Lauren and her friend Caitlin at their joint cheer leading party!

Shake those pom poms!

We also celebrated haloween and the children enjoyed trick or treating. I have never seen so many sweets and they are still getting through them now (the poor teeth!!)

Here are some scary spider cakes that I made with Lauren, they were very yummy!!

Lauren and Daniel carved the pumpkin that had pride of place in the kitchen window, very spooky!!

The annual haloween party was great fun as always and Lauren decided that she wanted to be a purple witch this year, that face make up took forever to get off and she still had a slight purple tint to her a few days later!!!

My big boy, looking so smart on his first day at senior school. If only he looked that smart every day!!

That is just a quick update of what we have been doing. Life is much the same as always, busy but happy!! We are getting ready for Christmas and the children are excited that we are going to be putting up the tree and christmas decorations over the next few weeks (photos to follow!!). We are also planning to go and visit santas grotto in the local shopping centre and I have a few nights out planned in the lead up to Christmas, so good times ahead!

Will be over to visit you all very soon and promise that my next post will be in a matter of days and not months!! XXXX

Neglected!!!!

Yes, I am still in the land of the living........here is a photo to prove I am really still alive!! I know, I know ~ I have soooo neglected my blog and I am very sorry!!! I am afraid that I have something to admit to you all............I have an addiction.......I am trying to get help for it.........but I am totally adicted to.............Facebook (LOL)!!!!!

So, what have we been up to here??

It has been a few weeks full of happy moments and a few sad ones too!

We said goodbye to one of the little girls that I look after ~ she is moving to Germany with her parents and we will miss her so much. We had a little picnic in the garden for her to say goodbye!

I received a wonderful card and another Willow Tree figure to add to my collcetion ~ it is just lovely!!

I also received a birthday card from my Blog friend Tania and a lovely little card.

Thank you so much Tania ~ it is gorgeous and I have worn it today ~ it looks great!!

We also celebrated Andys birthday on the 8th ~ he had a really great day and we went for a meal in the evening ~ which was really nice ~ we don't get much time together ~ just the 2 of us ~ so it was a special evening!!

Here is the cake that I had made for Andys birthday.......I wish that I could lie to you and tell you that I made it......but I didn't ha ha ~ my friend Joan made it for him ~ it was very very yummy!!

The children are making the most of their school holidays and thankfully the weather has been quite hot, so they have managed to get out in the fresh air and sunshine quite alot.

They are back at school during the first week of September ~ so before then I have to kit them both out with new school uniforms and shoes ~ Daniel needs a school blazer as he is moving up to senior school.

I am counting down the days until I am going away with Andy ~ the chidren are (hopefully) going away with their Dad and we have 4 days away together ~ just the 2 of us ~ believe me.....I really need the break!!!!

I have the day off tomorrow ~ no children to look after ~ apart from my own 2 ~ so I am going to have a day of.......cleaning!! I do not get the chance to have a really good clean ~ so it will be out with the polish and duster and this place will get a much needed summer clean (as I have totally missed spring ha ha !!).

Well, best be off ~ have a pile of ironing the size of a small mountain to get done (yuck!).

See you all again soon XXX

Holidays

Well, we are now 2 weeks into the summer holidays and things are going ok. Lauren has recovered from her sickness episode ~ which thankfully did not develop into anything more serious and Daniels eye is getting better ~ although he still has some bruising 2 week on.

The children have been enjoying their time off school and have been busy doing craft and drawing and playing out in the sunshine ~ which seems to have left us today though! The last few weeks have been a mixture of bright and sunny days, followed by rain, rain and rain!!

We went to see the new Harry Potter film at the weekend and then Andy and I took the children out for a meal ~ which they thought was great!

The film was fantastic and I totally enjoyed it and would go and watch it again and again (yes, I am a bit of a Harry Potter fan!).

It is all change here over the next few weeks with 2 of my childminding children moving on ~ but another 2 start in September, so that will keep me busy.

I have been spending my spare time trying to have a major clear out and tidy up ~ which I have actually been trying to do for the 4 years that I have lived here (ha ha ). When I split with my ex husband, we were given very little time to leave the Navy accomodation that we were living in, so when I moved in here I just brought everything with me (whether we really needed it or not!!!). Now, 4 years later ~ the place is in need of a big clear out ~ especially the childrens bedroom ~ which is full to bursting (they have sooooo much stuff ~ I have no idea how that even happened!!!!!).

I am usually so busy with work and my 2 children and just life in general, that I never have the time to really get everything done, but between the children moving on and the new ones starting, I have a few weeks break ~ which will be put to good use..........cleaning and tidying (ha ha ~ I wish I could just spend it sitting about eating chocolate and being lazy tee hee!!!!!).

It is Andys birthday at the weekend and I am taking him out for a meal and have some suprise presents for him (since he made my birthday soooo special this year!!).

We are also going away together for 4 days at the end of the month ~ as the children are (hopefully!) going away with their dad (camping??!!!).

All in all ~ life is good and I am very happy (although I suppose that I shouldn't say that out loud ha ha ~ don't want to jinx it!!).

Hope you are all ok in blog land ~ am off to visit you all now and say hello!! XXXX

Bruises and Ballet

The first day of the holidays got off to a bit of a stressful start!

Lauren woke in the morning and promptly started to be sick everywhere and with the Swine Flu that is going around, I immediately started to worry ~ thankfully she was off colour for a few days and is now all fine and back to her usual self!!

Daniel had a leavers party at one of his friends houses and he stayed there overnight ~ he had a great time ~ but this is what met me when I picked him up in the morning!!

One very bruised boy!!

Aparently they had been playing with foam baseball bats and daniel had managed to get himself hit in the face ~ with the resulting bruising! What a great start to the holidays ~ only 6 weeks left and we have had this happen already.....the joys of having children ha ha !!

On a brighter note ~ I had some pictures taken of Lauren recently in her ballet tutu that she had for the show and they have come out really well ~ I still have to mess about with them and get them just perfect ~ but here is my favourite one ~ of my little ballet dancer!

I know that I am slightly biased as I am her Mummy ~ but I think that she is totally beautiful!!

We are having a bit of a lazy weekend here so far ~ I am just off to do the ironing ~ at least there are no uniforms to iron for the next 6 weeks ~ that can only be a good thing! Will be back with more photos and uodates soon XXX

Moving on out........moving on up!!!

Times are changing here in the Twinkle Twinkle household........

After 7 years at Primary school ~ my little (or should that be NOT SO LITTLE!!) lad left school today ~ ready to start Senior school in September!

It was a day of mixed emotions ~ and a day where I took another sharp in take of breath!
My little 4 year old that I sheepishly walked into school on his first day ~ is now an all grown up 11 year old ~ ready for his next step in life.........goodness knows where those years have gone!??

Daniel was a bit sad to leave ~ and went off to school this morning with a sad face.......however ~ this is him after the end of school today ~ cheering and glad to be free for the summer!

No, he did not go to school like this ~ he came home like this ~ after getting as many people as he could to sign his school shirt!! I think that it is something that he will keep forever!

Showing off his special signed shirt! (must remember not to wash it ha ha !!!)

There are also changes ahead for Lauren ~ who moves from the infant side of the school ~ up into the junior side and all that brings with it ~ homework and tests (poor thing ha ha !!)

I am sure that she will be just fine too ~ she takes everything in her stride and loves school!

A snap shot of a moment in time ~ Daniels last day at Primary school and Laurens last day in the infants......2009 is definitly a year of change!

It is all change for me too on the work front!

The little boy that I am looking after at the moment is moving to Las Vegas with his parents to start a new chaper in his life.

One of the little girls that I look after (who has a father in the army) is moving to germany in August ~ again to start a new part of her life!

The other little girl that I look after starts at the same school as Dan and Lauren in September ~ so it is all change!

We are in for a few lean months ~ as the other children that I have booked in do not start until October and November.......all food parcels gratefully received!! (Only joking honestly!!).

Just to let you all know that the little girls whose Mum had swine flu is fine and her mum has recovered well and has the all clear now. We have also stayed clear of any symptoms and are all doing just fine.

The children are now on school holidays for 6 weeks ~ so I will be extra busy ~ and extra stressed too ha ha !! Just pass me the wine and the valium and I should be just fine..................

Dance......

(Not the best photos I am afraid ~ if you click on them you may be able to view them larger??)

Lauren is at the front on the left hand side ~ this was a dance to a song from the musical Cats as part of her tap and modern dance classes.

Lauren is on the front row ~ second from the right. This was her Hip Hop class dance ~ to a song from High school musical 3.

Lauren is on the front row ~ third from the left. This was a character dance as part of her senior ballet class ~ which was actually one of my favourite dances in the whole show!!

AND FINALLY!!!! ~ my gorgeous little ballerina ~ Lauren is at the end on the right!

This dance was to the song from beauty and the beast and really brought tears to my eyes ~ they were all so sweet and so graceful ~ it was lovely to watch. (and best of all for Lauren ~ she gets to keep the tutu!!!!!)

Hello again! I am still here ~still trying to juggle all the different parts of my life and trying to NOT be the worlds worst blogger ever (amd failing at all of these ha ha !!).

We have had more busy days. Last weekend was Laurens dance show and she was a real star in every sense of the word. We had to be at the venue for 9am as I was helping with the stage makeup ~ basically a very long line of girls of all ages waiting patiently for their make up to be done!!

There was then a full rehearsal at 1030 am, followed by the first performance at 2.30pm and the final performance at 6.30 pm. It was gone 9.30pm before we were finally heading home. In true Tabitha fashion I totally forgot my camera so there are no pictures from the show and the rehearsals ~ I did however buy the official photos that were taken of each dance team and I am going to try and scan them in......if they are at the top of this post ~ I was successful at this ~ but if there are no pictures ~ I am just useless ha ha !!

Daniel is now on the countdown for his final week at school (the children break for a 6 week summer holiday next Tuesday) ~ he has been doing lots of fun things and this Friday he has a day full of fun at school ~ they are basically doing lots of activities that have been chosen by the whole class and then in the evening they are going out for a meal and to see the new Harry Potter film. To say that my little lad is excited would be an understatement ~ he is beyond excitement!!!! On Sunday we are going to the Goodwood racetrack, where Dan is taking part in the Green Goblin at Goodwood day. Basically this is an event where lots of schools take part and race motorised cars that they have designed and built ~ we are all going ~ all 4 of us ~ so should be a fun day out! (Hope the weather holds!!).

Things are going great with me and Andy ~ we are happy and I am enjoying every single last moment of having someone in my life who makes me feel so happy and so special. The children have taken to him so well and it is almost like he has been in our lives forever!!!

There is not alot else happening really ~ the only slightly worrying news is that the mother of one of the little girls that I look after has been diagnosed with Swine Flu yesterday ~ She will not be back at my house until they are given the all clear and the children and myself and of course Andy have to wait and see whether we develop any of the symptoms ~ I have been told that until we do ~ there is no other action that can be taken. Please keep your fingers crossed that we are all ok and nothing comes of it!!! I will keep you all updated as to how the situation develops!



I am going to be visiting you all to say hello ~ and try and scan these pictures in ~ yes, you all know how technically challenged I can be!!



Hope you are all well ~ take care and will be back with another update soon! XXX

Where on earth have I been????

Hello there everyone! For those of you who were thinking that I have fallen off the edge of the earth ~ or been abducted by aliens.......you are wrong (ha ha ) ~ I am still here ~ still in the land of the living and still plodding on as normal!!

Life has been amazingly busy ~ we are racing towards the end of the school term ~ with just over a week until the children break for the summer ~ alot of changes ahead ~ Daniel will be at senior school in September ~ Lauren will be moving up to the Juniors part of her school ~ it is all change and quite frankly quite unsettling really! BUT ~ we will all cope and I am sure that there are alot of fun times ahead for both my little stars!

So ~ as I have been officially the worlds very worst blogger ~ infact I just haven't blogged for at least a million years ~ and haven't visited you all in sooooo long ~ here is a quick update on what has been happening with the three of us.........

Firstly ~ thanks to all of you that left a comment on Laurens fairy post ~ her search for a fairy is continuing and if there are any developments I will let you know.
The dance show that Lauren is taking part in is this Sunday ~ we have to be at the venue for 10am and it looks like we will not be home much before 10pm ~ so that will be a very tiring and quite busy day. I will be doing the stage make up for the dancers as I did last year ~ it is basically like a conveyor belt ~ just doing make up for girl after girl after girl!!!
Lauren will be in 4 dances this year and she has been rehearsing like mad ~ she has now received her tutu ~ which is pale blue and totally gorgeous ~ she is just so made up with it and when I saw her little face I wanted to cry (I am such a softie!!). I have had some photos taken of her in the tutu that I need to get scanned into the computer and then I will let you all have a look! I know that I am slightly biased as her mother ~ but she looked beautiful.
Lauren had her swimming gala at school today and was proud to come first in both her races ~ she also did well in her fun sports day ~ with her team coming second overall.

Daniel is racing along towards the end of his primary education and is in the last weeks of his schooling at his current school ~ before he attends his new secondary school in September. He went on a visit there last week and was ok ~ a little daunted by the size and the amount of pupils that attend (his current school is very small) ~ but he will be ok. I cannot deny that I am quite nervous about the whole thing ~ it is a big step, a big move and I just hope and pray that he will be ok. Dan has now received his green belt in judo and has moved onto harder moves and throws ~ this resulted in him coming home with a very slight black eye last Sunday ~ he was quite proud of this fact and wanted to show it to everyone.
Daniel also did well in his swimming gala winning one race and coming second in another. His sports day was alot of fun ~ with him winning the sprint and coming second in the mini marathon ~ he was very good and should be rightly proud of himself (I am!!).
Daniel is quite happy this year ~ as he has been spared the pain of coming to the show all day with me and Lauren ~ this year he is going out with Andy for a 'BOYS' day ~ I think that they are going to go fishing and then go out after and do some other fun stuff ~ it gives them a chance to spend some time together and do boys stuff ha ha !!

As for me ~ I am happy ~ infact I would go as far as to say I am VERY VERY VERY happy!
Andy and I are getting on very well and things are just great. After all that happened in my marriage and all that I went through I promised myself that I would never let myself get involved with anyone ever again and I had given up hope of being with someone ~ and then when I least expected it ~ it happened (just as so many of you great blogging buddies told me it would!!!). We have had some great days out with the kids and have also had some 'date nights' where we have managed to spend time ~ just the two of us. Last night we went to a gorgeous little pub for a few drinks and a bite to eat. I got dressed up in a lovely new top that I got for my birthday and my tightest jeans (that I can just about still get into!!!!) ~ well, after a few drinks I was rather tipsy and somehow managed to let the wine glass completely slip out of my hand and smash on the table ~ there was wine all over me (and I mean ALL OVER!) and glass everywhere! Andy just rolled his eyes, asked me if I was ok and then headed off to get me a replacement drink (I so love that man ha ha ). Luckily there was no major damage done and my top had dried by the time we left the pub ~ saving me the embarassment of having to walk out with a huge stain down my front!!! A note to myself for next time ~ Take one of the childrens training cups with me ~ at least that way I will avoid any un expected spills!!

Our next date night is scheduled for next Wednesday ~ we are off to the cinema ~ where hopefully I will manage to keep hold of my popcorn and not throw it all over anyone!!

Well, I have lots of pictures to upload into the computer and will then do some photo posts so you can see Laurens show and her in her tutu and also Dans visit to swanage.

Off now to go visit some of you and say hello ~ hope you are all well and will see you all again soon XXXXXX

A blog post by Lauren ~ about Fairies!

Today I have handed the blogging reigns over to my sweet little daughter Lauren........
She is fascinated with fairies at the moment and wanted to do a post all about them ~ so here goes (I have no idea what she will say ~ as she has the controls for this post ~ so here goes......)


FAIRIES

Hello this is Lauren typing on Mummys blog (well Mummy is typing and has promised to type exactly what I tell her to!).........

Today I am going to tell you about fairies and what me and my friend Libby have been doing at school.

When we were at school, Libby found a wing in the playground ~ which we think may be a fairy wing, we are not sure. So, I have been trying to get pictures and find out where fairies live.

I have found out that they live in woodland gardens and Mummy has printed off the picture that is showing at the top, so I know what they look like.

If any of you have ever seen a fairy or have any stories about fairies can you tell me them on Mummys blog and I can tell them to Libby at school.

Well, let's get on with the fairy telling.

At school, as you know, Libby found a wing and it was by some logs that had been cut down. We have been searching on the mud by the logs for ages now for a fairy. We have seen all types of things ~ that could be clues ~ like a piece of blue shiny paper that they could use as a dress. We found some steps by the logs and I have found a little hole in the logs that we think fairies may live in. we are going to carry on looking for the fairies and Mummy will let me tell you on the blog how we are getting on.

Thank you for reading my blog about fairies.

Lots of love from Lauren XOXOXOXOXOXO

PS ~ if somebody does not believe in fairies ~ just laugh ha ha ha ha.

These little wonders....

These two little people mean the whole world to me ~ I love them more than life itself.

They are a constant source of fun and wonderment in my life ~ they love me totally ~ unconditionally ~ as I do them too!

They have been there when times have been hard ~ making me smile ~ cheering me up with their funny little ways ~ doing sweet little things for me ~ they have been my Rocks ~ one stable and firm point on the horizon ~ when the seas of life have been a bit choppy..........

They are two wonderful little people who never cease to amaze me..............they are precious and I thank my lucky stars every day that they came into my life ~

I love you both very very much, and I always will XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Happy Little Birthday To Me......

It was my birthday on Monday and I reached the grand old age of 39!!
For some reason this birthday has caused me quite alot of stress and an untold amount of soul searching too! I do not know what it is ~ but maybe my Mum hit the nail on the head when she said it is because it is my last '30' birthday!!!??

Well, the day has come and gone and I feel pretty much the same (ha ha ) ~ nothing awful has happened and I have not suddenly got 30 more wrinkles and there doesn't seem to be any bad effects so far......I will keep you updated on that one ha !!

I had the most wonderful day ~ the best birthday that I have ever had ~ a totally spoilt day that I will remember for a long time!

Andy had taken the children out the weekend before so that they could buy me a card and a present ~ they got me a gorgeous body shop set (unfortunately I do not have a photo as I have already used some of it!!).

Andy was very naughty and treated me to something that I have wanted for a very long time............my very own Blackberry.




I may atually get myself together now and be organised ........or maybe not!!!
He also took me out in the evening to a wonderful restaurant and we had a delicious meal (the diet has soooooo gone out the window ha ha ) ~ I even had a few glasses of Baileys over ice ~ which is my all time favourite tipple!! All in all it was a very nice day ~ I was totally spoilt and felt very very special!!


The suprises and feeling special did not end there however. I received a totally wonderful gift from my Dear blog friend Dani (over at Give Me A Second To Think About It) ~ she sent me this gorgeous bracelet watch ~ which was very personal to me ~ it had beads in my favourite colours and a little silver boy and girl ~ representing my Dan and Lauren ~ and it also had 2 silver stars ~ which is just perfect for my blog name Twinkle Twinkle ~ it was a very special gift ~


I have worn it non stop since opening it on my birthday and I love it so much ~ Thank you Dani ~ from the bottom of my heart XXX

I also received another snail mail package yesterday from another wonderful blog friend ~ Amanda over at Penny and Pounds. She sent me a totally wonderful bracelet in similar colours to the bracelet watch Dani sent me and a kitchen shopping list magnet ~ perfect for sticking on my fridge and noting all the bits that I need!!

Thank you Amanda ~ your gifts were so lovely and I am very grateful.

Amanda and Dani are such special blogging buddies to me ~ it always amazes me how blogging has brought me to so many wonderful and special people ~ who although I have never me them ~ I have the privelidge to call FRIEND XXX

Finally ~ my friend Joan made a cake just for me ~ for my birthday!

Andy and the children sang Happy Birthday to me and I blew out my candles ~ the perfect end to a perfect day!! I wish it was my birthday every day!! (or is that just a bit too greedy ha ha ).

So, that is my birthday over for another year ~ and next year is the big 40!

I will just have to see what that will bring!

Thank you to all of you that have left such nice birthday messages on my blog ~ it really did mean alot to me XXX

Happy fathers Day....

To My Dad.

On 6th August 1994 ~ the man who I absolutely adored and loved beyond belief died, at the age of 43. The world lost a great man that day and I lost my Dad ~ the world has never been the same since......

Sending Happy fathers Day wishes up to where you are Dad ~ I miss you so much ~ and I always will XXX

Happy Happy!

I know..... I know ~ I have now officially turned into the worlds worst blogger ha ha !!
I have had the busiest of weeks ~ I think that I deliberately kept myself busy so that I wouldn't miss my boy too much.........it didn't work ha ha !!

Dan is back now ~ I picked him up yesterday and he was a little bit tired and a little bit emotional ~ but he has had the most wonderful week and as predicted ~ has come back with the most fantastic stories and memories that will stay with him for a life time.

It is quite strange ~ he seems bigger ~ more grown up ~ more independent ~ which I suppose was the whole point of the week ~ to give them a chance to team build and find their feet a bit more before they all make that huge jump up to senior school in September.

He brought back the biggest bag of dirty washing that I have EVER seem (tee hee!!) ~ and believe me I mean DIRTY!! They have been doing so many activities and have been outdoors in the gorgeous weather all week ~ so his clothes are going to need washing about 50 times to get them clean! Never mind ~ he has had fun and that is what matters the most.

Well, I have quite an easy day today ~ apart from Laurens dance classes I do not have alot else to do ~ so I fully intend to sit down with a cup of tea and catch up with all my blog friends (I have been so bad lately that this could take the whole day to do ha ha ) ~ I need to find out what has been happening in your lives ~ as I have felt lately like something has been missing ~ blogging is a huge part of my life and I cannot deny that I have missed you all soooo much!!!

Laurens preparations for her summer dance show are in full swing ~ I cannot believe that it is almost a whole year since the last one!! That is the thing with blogging ~ you have a record of these milestones and then you also have the realisation that time just rolls on by so quickly.....this year is shooting by me exceptionally fast ~ someone press that pause button for me PLEASE!!

I must also share a little something with you all ~ as I know that I am amongst friends (please be kind ha ha ha !!) .............I will be 39 soon (very soon) and I am having a total and utter crisis about it! Do not ask me why ~ I have no idea ~ I just woke up a couple of days ago and thought 'Oh my God ~ where is my life going ~ where the hell have the last 20 years gone.......what the hell will the next 20 years hold?' and then I had a total meltdown (I am such a wally ha ha !!).
I do not know why 39 has caused me so much stress ~ I am 40 next year and that doesn't worry me at all (Weird ha!!!) ~ maybe it is just the realisation that this is the last '30' birthday that I will have ~ I do not know!!!

Anyway ~ I am sure that I will be ok ~ and that this crisis will pass ~ they usually do (ha!).

Will be back again very soon with Daniels photos from his week away ~ the only problem is that he used a disposable camera ~ so we have to get them developed and then I will have to scan them into the computer............you all know that I am slightly challenged where anything technical is concerned ~ so the results could be......well ~ er ~ interesting??

Hope you are all well ~ look forward to my cuppa and catch up with you all later.XXXX

One whole week.....

My gorgeous boy goes away with the School tomorrow......for one whole week!

He is very excited, he has everything packed (and I mean EVERYTHING!!), he has his pocket money and his games and bags of sweets ~ he is all set!!

During the week they will be staying in a Guest House and taking part in lots of fun activities ~ they will be playing games and putting on a talent show.

I know that he will have a wonderful week, another step towards independance ~ another sign that he is growing up ~

He will be fine, he will have fun and on Friday he will come home with lots and lots of stories.......

AND ~ for one whole very long week.........his Mummy will be missing him very very much XXX

My little sister.................

You are someone that I have known for ever ~ you have always been there ~
we have had good times and our fair share of the bad ~ we have seen each other at our lowest ~
and love each other no matter what......

Now we are no longer children and there are hundreds of miles between us ~ I sometimes feel like our special bond has somehow been broken ..........that the closeness that once was ~ is there no more..........no matter where you are ~ no matter what you ever do ~ you are my little sister.....and I will always love you XXXXXXXXX