Do you ever seem to have so many things to do you get paralyzed?

I have a to do list the length of my body, I don't seem to be getting any further forward in fact just further back! I went out into the garden at the weekend to simply cut back my lavendar as it had got to the point that when it was raining you couldn't walk up the path without being soaked. I thought I could do this quickly and then plant my bulbs that arrived last week while I still remembered them, as past years some have gone very soggy before I got around to the task. Well five hours later and six bin bags of garden waste later I had a very nice tidy lawn and beds but the bulbs were still sat in the box on the bench :( One job seems to lead to another and create another ten that need doing before you can do the original job, are you still following me?

Anyway, last week was a right off as on Monday Ellie was sent home from school with the stomach bug Euan had had last week. Bless her after only being home thirty minutes she was throwing up and looking really peaky. She headed back to school on Wednesday and saw me heading off to the dentist. Well I made the dentist only to find myself home in double quick time with the very stomach bug but tens times worse. Not to be to graffic but I ended up on the toilet with bucket and not to great :P I had to call J home from High Wycombe to take care of me and the kids (who's harvest festival I missed:( and who I had to call several friends to pick up for me). I took me a good few days to get over it which I spent most of asleep in bed and for those who know me know that this doesn't happen often.

Sickness done and we hit the weekend again and the usual round of birthday parties to attend (does everyone else seem to get twenty invites a month?). Sunday was spent visiting my grandma who is 93 years old as my Mum was out of town and wanted to make sure she was okay. The girls and I went to visit while J took Euan to rugby and I was so shocked how much she has deteriorated in the last month. She looked so frail and I just wanted to cry. I am not sure how much longer we have her for but I made a promise to get over to visit with the kids more often as she loves seeing her great grandchildren.

Yesterday saw me attempting again to plant bulbs but that was side tracked when a friend came around in a great need of tlc. My Mum popped in on her way home from visiting my Godmother and Aunt and that was another day over! I did manage to get some invites started for Ellie's birthday party next month.

Below are a few pictures of some trading cards for my year to remember class which needed to be sent off quickly. We had to take a quote and pop it on some cards with our own design ideas.

The quote reads "Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you." by Carl Sandburg.

This really got me thinking about how I seem to be unable to say no to those asking for my help or time and made me realise that it is my time and I should really think carefully how I choose to spend it. Take yesterday, my friend needed to talk and I stopped what I was doing to give her that. Don't take me wrong I don't begrudge her that time, but now I feel on the back foot I am rushing to get things done, the weather has changed and the bulbs aren't in which in turn is stressing me out. The chain continues on to the kids when I get ratty at not being able to get my things done for my craft night because I have household stuff to sort out. I feel rightly or wrongly that I should take care of the house, garden and family issues before I do my crafting, even though that crafting brings in a little extra to the family coffers each month. I put myself and my "craft" last in the order. Is it right, who knows but I just get a bit grumpy from time to time about how my "time" is dictated by others and other things. Boy I bet you wish you hadn't popped in for a look:)

All the cards have been sent off and I should be receiving 10 different ones back next month from other course members.

Bunny invites close up - I used the basic shape from a Making Memories Chipboard. I cut out all the faces then inked the edges, cut out and inked ears and noses, then Ellie and Maddie helped me find and stick on pairs of buttons for the eyes. We hand wrote the invite on the back. We are having a Rabbit Cupcake Decorating Party, since the ladybird one last year was such a hit. (plus it is a new bunch of girls since the move so no one has done or heard of this yet!)
All thirteen (yes I am mad) invites ready to be handed out tomorrow.

Tonight I have been working on the name tags for the party bags, carrots of course! I have bought barbie sprinkles, a rabbit cookie cutter (in pink) and some chocolate bunnies for the party bags. I thought I would type out a cookie receipe and put that in the bag. Do you think it will be enough? I can't stand the usual rubbish you get home in party bags, I think it is such a waste because it all ends up in the bin usually within a day. I managed to get hold of some cute little stuffed rabbits for party prizes, which hopefully we wont have to spend to long playing if they get involved in the cupcake decorating. Last year it worked really well even if it was majorally messy!! Angelia I need your help again you were great last year please come for a visit ;)

Right it is 11 oclock and I should head to bed as I am grumpy Mum again today, even retail therapy didn't help :0 I have teaching tomorrow afternoon and a tag rugby tournament to attend. Love and good wishes to all and to all a good night.