6ichthusfish

Glam Style Fancy Dress...(with prop)...What I'm up to...

 Last Saturday, Husb, dd and I went to a fundraiser.  It was optional fancy dress....

 

Since the band were called Glambuster you can guess the theme was GLAM!!!

Husb was a brilliant sport wearing this get-up and wig and I thought dd looked gorgeous!! 

 Below, we are at the venue, in front of the Charity information board...

 I wore purple contact lenses and fake funky eyelashes (yep it was tricky to see anything!! and dd was pretending to bash me with the blow up guitar prop!! like you do)...

Below we were drawing the raffle in the band's break between sets...

A while ago, in the post 'New Beginnings' I explained all about what the children were doing now (ie University, College and school) and at the end I mentioned that I was starting something new aswell.  I have been helping an old friend with her African Charity, called 'Free 2 Be'.  We've been fundraising since last Summer and we are leaving today for a month's trip to Kenya.  I went in 2005 and never thought I'd ever get to go back.  Well, it's been a lot of work preparing for this trip and now it's finaly here.  Folks have given generously... clothing, toys, educational equipment, sewing and knitting supplies and cameras and mobile phones.  Below I will include some photos taken in Kenya.  Mainly I am super excited to be visiting lots of schools, helping the orphans and helping Kate run a 5 day business course to set up 60 individuals with micro-businesses.

Here is the school in Webuye...

Key stage One classroom...

Key stage Two classroom...

Many of the children are orphans.  We plan to buy land and build a brick built school.  At present this little school is bursting at the seams so we will add another room as a short term fix, but it has no electricity or water or proper toilets.  And no equipment at all.  we are taking books, pencils, learning resources etc.

Below is another member of the team going out to Kenya for the month.  She visited a rubbish dump on her previous trip to Kenya and we will be visiting the school near there too...

The local school at Nakuru...

Dinnertime in the Nakuru school...

I leave in about half an hour so just time to post this and grab all my stuff.  It's not easy sharing about Kenya.  Many times I tried to blog and it just wouldn't flow.  I feel so privileged to be able to go to Kenya and make a difference in people's lives.  So very privileged.

Photo challenge... add a laugh... heehee....

Here on the weekend crop at shimelle's blog there's a challenge to add a laugh to photos.  I took these photos of ds and our tortoise, Ruby, a few months ago and have added text today.

 

I used the free ( and fab) site Picnik to edit my photos.

Hope you had a laugh! 

Text paths & Photoshop fun...

I took a photo of T-g when she was in her band uniform at the last competition.  I wanted to put text paths on the photo (downloaded free from Creating Keepsakes online Oct 09).  The photo didn't have enough space to the left of T-g. Here's the original straight from the camera...

I elongated the photo (see if you can see the joins) and then added the text paths.  Fun to do.  Now I'm going to use the photo on a scrapbook page, using the June kit from sarah's cards webshop because the colours are perfect.

 

I'm mostly self-taught in photoshop (I have PSE5) and have watched a few online tutorials.  Frustrating at first then totally addictive fun!
   

Funia than Football...

Had fun tonight because I couldn't watch anymore football on TV   playing on this site making funny pics of myself (yes I know...I need to get a life... but it was amusing)...

Go and make one of yourself....seriously.... it's fun....it's free....it's way better than watching football (but don't tell Husb I said that).

99 random things..!

 

I've come across this list on a blog, and it was so interesting…so here are my answers. Everything from the list that I have done is in bold. (And there are only 98 things for some reason, so I added a random extra one at the end....)

Started your own blog (Obviously - you're reading it!)

Slept under the stars (Nope. But I slept on a train platform in Greece once...)

Played in a band (no but I was in the school orchestra briefly….playing violin)

Visited Hawaii (I wish!)

Watched a meteor shower (I'd love to!)

Given more than you can afford to charity (yep)

Been to Disneyworld (And LOVED IT!!!)

Climbed a mountain (Unbelievable but true!)

Held a praying mantis (No, but I have held a tarantula and several snakes. Not all at the same time though)

Sang a solo (you must be joking!)

Bungee jumped (quite fancy having a go at this...)

Visited Paris (With Husb for our 10th wedding anniversary & passed nearby on the road trip through Europe in 2007)

Watched a lightening storm (Yep - in Germany… Spectacular)

Taught yourself an art from scratch (I guess it depends on your definition of 'art', but I've tried many craft techniques and a lot of them I taught myself)

Adopted a child (No, but I have sponsored several children)

Had food poisoning (Sadly & stupidly my own fault)

Walked to the top of The Statue Of Liberty (Maybe one day)

Grown your own veg (Briefly. Then it died)

Seen the Mona Lisa in France (It was surrounded by Italians!)

Slept on an overnight train (Never been on an overnight train, but slept on an overnight coach from Germany to Manchester ….I am so blessed to be able to sleep practically anywhere)

Had a pillow fight (At boarding school)

Hitch hiked (sorry Mum!)

Taken a sick day when you're not ill (Hmmm. maybe I kinda could of struggled in on a couple of occasions and didn't...)

Built a snow fort (never had deep enough snow )

Held a lamb (and bottle fed it too...)

Gone skinnydipping (A long time ago. Sorry Mum (again)(!)

Run a marathon (Not likely!)

Ridden in a gondola in Venice (Not yet, but I’d be up for it)

Seen a total eclipse (Not as exciting as you’d think)

Watched a sunrise or sunset (Yep, both. The sunsets in Kenya near the Equator are amazing!!)

Hit a home run (As if… I wasn’t even any good at ‘Rounders‘!)

Been on a cruise (no but we rented a canal boat for a week)

Seen Niagara Falls in person (One day...)

Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Love Scotland!)

Seen an Amish community (No opportunity)

Taught yourself a new language (although I can just about ‘get by’ in France & Germany)

Had enough money to be truly satisfied (Which is to some extent a state of mind anyway)

Seen the Tower Of Pisa in person (would love to!)

Gone rock climbing (Does a scramble over/up some cliffs near Whitby count?)

Seen Michelangelo's David (Husb has though)

Sung Karaoke (Umm. Run for the hills!! Enough said)

Seen Old Faithful (Nope...)

Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant (Nope)

Visited Africa (Kenya)

Walked on a beach by moonlight (more like dusk!)

Been transported in an ambulance (with my DD as a baby who had viral meningitis)

Had your portrait painted (in Primary school...)

Gone deep sea fishing (Does catching crabs off a pier count here?)

Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower (With Husb, on that anniversary trip on New Year’s Day)

Gone scuba diving (Maybe one day?)

Kissed in the rain (A long time ago!)

Played in the mud (Of course… I‘ve been camping!)

Gone to a drive-in theatre (Only seen one at Disney!)

Been in a movie (Nope. Been interviewed for TV though.. In France on New Year’s Day when we were queuing for the Eiffel Tower)

Visited the Great Wall Of China (It's on my list!)

Started your own business (nah)

Taken a martial arts class (watched the kids learn Judo)

Visited Russia (Not yet. Would like to though)

Served in a soup kitchen (No, but ate in one in Colorado Springs)

Sold Girl Scout cookies (Nor eaten any)

Gone whale watching (went dolphin watching in Florida)

Got flowers for no reason (Although flowers aren’t really my ‘thing‘)

Donated blood (when I’m not anaemic!!)

Gone sky diving (maybe strapped to someone who knows what they’re doing)

Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (I don't know if this is something I'd want to do to be honest)

Bounced a cheque (Oops...)

Flown in a helicopter (on a simulator at the RAF Museum Cosford… it still counts!!!?)

Saved a favourite childhood toy (Still have a dolls house my folks made me & an old china doll of my Mum’s)

Visited the Lincoln Memorial (where’s that?!)

Eaten caviar (It's never appealed!)

Pieced a quilt (Two in fact)

Stood in Times Square (One day!)

Toured The Everglades (kind of were a bit near there in Florida)

Been fired from a job (Nope, and hope to keep it that way!)

Seen the Changing Of The Guard in London (Visited London on several occasions)

Broken a bone (never.)

Been a passenger on a motorcycle (I am a speed freak)

Seen The Grand Canyon (Would love to)

Published a book (Not yet! Only poems.)

Visited the Vatican (nope)

Bought a brand new car (for Husb when he was a Driving Instructor… it was a blue Metro & we had 3 kids under 4!!)

Walked in Jerusalem (One day)

Had your picture in the newspaper (A couple of times)

Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Years Eve (no… but Husb did… she was dressed as an Egyptian & he was a ‘Christmas Pudding‘!)

Visited the White House (Not yet)

Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Never!)

Had chickenpox (Oh yes & missed a Christmas party with a fancy hat competition)

Saved someone's life (Not knowingly!)

Sat on a jury (Never been asked)

Met someone famous (saw Russ Abbott in Stoke-On-Trent once)

Joined a book club (perhaps if I was asked)

Had a tattoo (nope...not too keen either)

Had a baby (three times but one of the times was twins!)

Seen The Alamo in person (nah)

Swam in The Great Salt Lake (Ditto)

Been involved in a lawsuit (Thankfully!)

Owned a cell phone (Several)

Been stung by a bee (Ow… only a week after having a baby too)

Took a Road Trip (Through Europe for 3 weeks with all the family in a 7 seater car full to the brim. This is the extra, random thing to make it up to 99....)

Spot the difference...!

I am seriously in love with this little crunchy girl (middle).

She came home with a BUGLE!!!

Ok.  Here's the skinny... Tiger-girl has been going to 'Girl's Brigade' since September.  There's a band (!)  Yep, she wanted to join the band.  OK said i since she's home educated and there's always a bit of (self-inflicted) pressure 'to get out there and socialise'.  My kids have never been anti-social or unsocial or sub-social in any way..but... back to the band.  She went to band practice.  To suss things out.  OR so I though.  YEP>>>  She came home with a BUGLE!!  My daughter is a bugler in a band.  Here's the photographic evidence...

[Don't smirk.  You know who you are.]

She's eagerly awaiting our Christmas get togethers so she can show off her bugling(!) is that how you spell it?  I'm trying to be a good and supportive mother.   Help.

Card making boy...

Smurf wanted to make a birthday card for Roman.  He decided that he wanted it to have a moving part, finally settling on a pop-out in the centre.  Smurf's idea then developed into his face popping out of the card saying "Happy Birthday".  So... I showed him how to "cut-out" using PSE5...

He had so much fun doing this that he thought he'd cut out Roman's face for the front of the card.  I suggested it would be funny to draw a small body under the huge head...

There was some serious concentration went on when he glued his 'pop-out' face to the inside of the card...

He stuck a "Happy Birthday" peel-off in the card & drew a big cupcake with 17 candles...

 
 
 He was pretty proud of his card... 

 

Well, Roman opened his cards and pressies this morning before heading out to College.  Although he loved the PS3 football game we gave him & Chef's DVD set of 'Hornblower' (historical drama stuff with battles that Roman loves) and T-G's PS3 game and Smurf's cappochino chocs... the highlight of the morning was the card that Smurf made.  Here's a pic of Roman opening the homemade envelope (covered in Doctor Who stickers)...

... admiring the front cover...

... laughs then hugs when he sees the inside of the card...

 
Yep, Roman's birthday began well.  You can see the Thornton's chocolate car in the pic below.  We bought him that & it represents learning to drive.  Husb used to be a driving instructor and will be teaching Roman in our car.  He's already been using a CD Rom to learn the theory bit.  There's no rush, but when he's ready we'll put him in for the test. 

Happy Birthday big son.  I love you xx Moog xx

Finished gesso tags & a nose around the Red House Glass Cone....

Yesterday I added colour to the gesso textured tags that I made.  I decided to try out three different media...

 
This was so much fun to do...

 

It seems a while ago now that we went to the 'Red House Glass Cone' museum with my parents, but I do want to post about it. We'd actually had bright dry weather all the week they were here until Thursday when it turned wet and yuck.  I do so love an interesting museum on a rainy day, especially when you can dress-up as a Roman soldier... 

 

There was some Roman glass on show but our boys were way more drawn to putting on the Roman armour (no surprises there then!)

 

Tiger-girl searched for hidden treasures...

 

In the original old glass cone building itself, Chef and Granda role-played the BOSSES while Tiger-girl and Smurf were the WORKERS.... Note how the Bosses get crazier and wierder as the shift goes on...!...

 

 

 

Yes, well, moving swiftly on.

The open-topped lift was a hoot too...

 
We know how to enjoy ourselves  ;}

GET ME SOME SERIOUS EARPLUGS!!!!

OK, I've never been one to stunt anyone's creativity or personal expression, but seriously...  PENNY WHISTLES!!??

Stereo penny whistles at that!

They look so innocent with their instruments of torture...!

Well, you can hear the phrase "Shut the bedroom door!" regularly in this house at the moment.  Sigh.