No updating for 2 weeks but the computer was out of commission - that is my story and I am sticking with it.
School has ended for both Rachel and Caitlin for the summer.

Caitlin had the big school play and luckily her arm was much better and she was able to perform with no problems, she remembered all her lines and sang beautifully - it was great and everything went perfectly thank goodness.


Rachel then had her graduation party at playschool on Wednesday, it was so cute they were singing and dancing and Rachel was right at the front giving it her all. They then were presented with their diploma's and pictures to bring home.


Caitlin finished her last day of school on Friday and is thrilled as she has her old teacher next year who she adores, unfortunately though her best friend is also leaving to emigrate to Australia so it was a bittersweet day for her.


With the weather been fantastic for a change we have taking full advantage of the lake - the girls and I went down after school finished - the weather has been so good that the lake is teeming with fish and the girls thought it was great to be able to just put their hands in and pick up baby fish.

They paddled and played with the local dog that is always down there. It was a good day.


The weather has been so good that ice-cream is a staple food for the kids, I have managed to get sunburned at Rachel's graduation and the cat is baffled by it all and seems to be more crazy than usual.

On Saturday the girls went riding with CJ while I stocked up on goodies so we could settle down and watch the rugby at 2 o'clock.

You see watching the Lions Team have taken over our lives for the last few weeks so much so even the kids could give you all the stats on the players if you ask and we were so excited about the match as they needed the win to tie the series.
Everyone gathered at our house to watch the most heartbreaking match I have ever seen it was so close and yet so far and so many of our players were injured but we are so proud of the guys they played their hearts out.


Afterward to literally drown their sorrows after the match Jennie took the kids swimming in the lake while we organised a barbie and then that evening we went to the local for a party to say goodbye to Lauren's family.
Today was another gorgeous day with a wonderful visit from an old friend - it was a great way to finish the weekend.

Happy birthday to you - Happy birthday to you - Happy birthday dear daddy - Happy birthday to you :)
It is this lovely man's birthday today and I did chat with him on the phone today but you know a mention on the blog is deserved too.

It has been a mightily quiet week this week with one big exception - On Thursday Caitlin had a run in with a go cart - the go cart won and Caitlin ended up in A and E with a dislocated bone in her wrist.
She is now wearing a very fetching sling and will be for at least a week until the swelling in her arm goes down and the bone moves back into place.

Typically it had to be the arm she writes with !!
Anyway it could be worse she could have broken it which is what they thought at the hospital because she was having problems feeling her fingers. She was very brave about it all no tears or anything it was funny though nearly every kid in the waiting room was waiting on an x ray for a broken arm - the nurse said it was the season for it.

I am still unable to work the printer is still on the fritz and I am now getting slightly miffed waiting but what can you do hey
So I thought I would share this - it is a project I did for a magazine and it has a story too it they wanted a block for a 40 year old - I am in my thirties and don't know many 40 year olds that I have lots of pictures of so I had to improvise and I used pictures of myself and aged myself prematurely just check out those fetching pictures of me in 70's clothing and my Mum in her very cool glasses . I am unfortunately feeling like a ninety year old at the moment as I pulled my back lifting Rachel yesterday that will teach me won't it.

What a week of summery weather we have had and long overdue it was too and to make life even more interesting we have had three days off school, two bbq's and one birthday to add to the mix.


The hose has never seen so much use and the kids took delight in playing with it and running around the back garden, we bar-be-cued everything we could - food tastes so much better outside in the sun.

Bank holiday Monday we had a bar-be-Que at Jennie and John's and Rachel was loving the sunshine and spraying anyone she could with the hose - she even made herself a rainbow.


The was lots of messing going on - first Becca soaked her Uncle Mark so he then wrestles the hose of her and soaked her and then decided to soak Jennie too leading to much hilarity, the sun obviously had gone to their heads !!


On Thursday Mum and Dad came up to visit and luckily the weather held out and they brought up another new member of the family, another rescue doggy called Ruby.

She is such a dote, well behaved, quiet and good with people and other animals too even though I know she is not the prettiest of pooches she more that makes up for it personality.


The weather held out even though we were warned it would break but in our little part of Ireland the temperature again rose to a gorgeous 25 degrees and we decided on another BBQ dinner but not before we took Ruby on a walk down to the lake to stretch her legs.


Turns out Ruby loves the water nearly as much as the kiddies do and even Rachel went in for a paddle with Caitlin.



We came back for our dinner but as the sun went down the temperature went too but we persevered even if we had to resort to blankets and jumpers to keep warm and even if we looked slightly mad to the neighbours.


The Friday was CJ's birthday but in the morning Rebecca had a hair appointment to get the fringe cut back in - I think she looks so grown up with it.


We also had to vote of course which meant Caitlin had another day off school although with the voting it was kind of like picking the best of a bad lot really.


After CJ got lots of Rugby related goodies including the Grand Slam top I had promised him we gave him his cake - lovely it was too.


Mum and Dad had to go home unfortunately but David came up to say Happy Birthday too finally we rounded the week up with horse riding and rugby which seems to be a feature of my Saturday's at the moment.


Oh and the only crafting I did at all this week was a birthday card I had to quickly throw together because in the middle of all the chaos Caitlin had a birthday party to attend thank goodness for Basic Grey Archaic line - lots of dinosaurs perfect for small boys.

First things first HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANA - her birthday is today and she is off gallivanting somewhere already. Love you Nana.


This is her and my Dad back in 1943 ( I think as I am guessing) She is still as pretty now I think and Dad is still cute in his own way too.

Back to news this week - Rachel was ill the poor thing with sky-high temperatures and the like she kept trying to get outside and play but I had to be mean and keep bringing her back inside.



Becca had her final exams and final day of First year on Friday - she is thrilled she has 3 months off for the summer - me I am not so thrilled my house has been full of teenagers since Friday afternoon.


After my trip to the supermarket last week I found these there this week - I love it when I find craft stuff in unusual places.


I have been scrapbooking but my printer is out of ink and the shop swore that I was wrong with the cartridge number and that the one they supplied was the right one - THEY were wrong !!
I am still ink-less darn it - but see I am mid layout - when I get ink I will share it properly.

This weekend the weather was amazing but unfortunately CJ had to work - typical - so I took the girls riding with Mark on Saturday, the weather was fab so they were outside. Caitlin begged me to bring the camera and get some pictures of her jumping and one of Chester the horse - he liked my camera.



She did well and she is very confident on a horse now, as is her sister.


Becca wasn't having a great lesson as Milly the horse rolled and she had to jump off to avoid being squashed but she pulled it together and was jumping too.


Rachel was finally better by this weekend and was out enjoying the sunshine and washing her Barbies, apparently we are having a Bar-b-que tomorrow if it stays nice.

Well I am off to enjoy the sunshine too it is way to nice to be inside.

Hello All - This week was Rachel's first week at playschool and so far she is going well - her first day was Monday and she was so excited to be going and luckily still seemed to be happy and excited when we picked her up again at home time.
She was thrilled they now have two rabbits and did drawings for the fridge and even brought home her first library book to share.


She also had her Mama all to herself for a week as Jennie had a well-deserved week off - she still came over everyday out of habit bless her and brought me some cupcakes she had made with her Mama on Tuesday- the kid loves to cook !


Sure last night Caitlin and Rachel helped me make cheese and onion pasties for tea after the Leinster rugby match and they turned out great.


Caitlin has got her school play in a couple of weeks - The children of Lir - she has to sing a verse of a song so is practising day and night as part of her homework.


Becca is finishing up school - she has summer exams next week and then is done the year has gone so fast and we have all manage to survive relatively unscathed.
As for the rest of the week - since when did Ireland have a monsoon season? This has been the view from my kitchen window all week - I am officially sick of rain which I swear gets heavier when I leave the house to walk anywhere !!


I went shopping on Friday with Jen and found these in the supermarket and couldn't resist - they will be showing up on a layout fairly soon.


Talking of layouts I did 2 this week - it would have been three but my printer ran out of ink ..... Anyway the first is about Becca the poor girl doesn't get as many layouts as her more photo obliging sister so occasionally I feel guilty and feel compelled to do a layout for her album.


And then of course Caitlin who poses constantly - well this layout is slightly different I suppose as is it about her behind the lens !!

Hello people - well if last week was uneventful this week was worse because about 20 minutes after Caitlin finished her singing last week she started to feel ill, at first I thought it was the excitement and the singing causing the sore throat and dizziness but her temperature went through the roof and I knew it was something more. She then slept pretty much solid for the next two days ( which is what she does when ill - she is a very good patient) and her sister came down with it pretty soon after.


So I had three kiddies here off school for the beginning of the week, they were all better by Thursday and back to school and no as far as I know it wasn't swine flu !
Rachel is finally starting playschool on Monday and has been getting into practise by going to the toilet like a big girl and learning all the songs - here she is attempting incey wincey spider ! Which must be followed by a storming rendition of I'm a little teapot or otherwise I get given out too - she is a bossy little madam when she wants to be !!

Caitlin's friend, knowing she had been ill,kindly gave her some Hama beads to keep her occupied and Caitlin made this cool horse modelled on the pony she rides on Saturday.


They were finally better this weekend and went riding on Saturday in the rain - good job they have an indoor arena as it was monsoon style rain.

When it cleared up in the afternoon the girls and I went down to the shops for smoothies and brought some herbs which Caitlin helped me plant up in the planter for the back garden.
We got Rosemary, Thyme and Parsley.


I did two layouts this week - I am actually so pleased with them but I am not happy with my picture taking skills - they never look quite right.
Anyway the first is of Caitlin riding she really is pony mad.



And of course one of the wee girl and her love of dress up.

It hasn't been the most eventful week to be honest - well it has and it hasn't - Becca had the dentist and it was yet more bad news, more work needs to be done but they are leaving the decision up to us as to when it will be done. Becca is happy to leave it for now as she is in enough pain with the wisdom teeth she has coming up and summer exams in a couple of weeks, she did manage to persuade her Dad to take her into Dublin and get these trousers though which kind of took the sting out of the bad news.

Caitlin found an abandoned nest at the beginning of the week which she was thrilled to be able to bring in for the nature table at school.

David came up to visit before he is off on his travels yesterday and the kids were thrilled to use him as a climbing frame and it was lovely to see him even if it was a flying visit.

And today Caitlin was singing in the school choir she even got a chance at the microphone in a duet with her friend Lauren - they are good little singers.

As promised here are the other two layouts I did last week - I was right I didn't do a thing this week in the end.
The first is one I did with older pictures from Tracy's wedding - well the day after the wedding when we went down to say goodbye to Trace and Simon and Tracy's parents.

And of course I had to do one about Meg's obsession with my scrap supply boxes - every time I got a new delivery of goodies Meg would be in it !! She hasn't been able to get in one of those boxes for awhile now - it has been an age since I have had any new supplies and that is the way it will stay it seems for now.