Memories - My Teenage Bedroom

The other day on the radio I heard the DJ asking the listeners about the posters they had on their walls as they were growing up...and it got me thinking of my own bedroom as a teenager and the celebs that I had posters of!

I was (and still am) a bit crap when it comes to taste in music, as my regular readers will be well aware of! So you will probably have guessed already that the posters I had up were rather embarrassing!

My parents let me stick up pictures all over my walls, and I ended up with Blu tac marks everywhere. I was a big fan of Hanson and pretty much had a whole wall dedicated to them!!

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My other teenage crushes were David Duchovny (I loved The X Files) and Leonardo Dicaprio. I studied Romeo & Juliet at school and I remember going to the cinema to see the adaption with Dicaprio - I think I would have been about 14 years old. Then after that there was Titanic where I bawled my eyes out and fell more in love with Leonardo.

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I've tried to find some photographs of my bedroom back then but I can't find them - they must be at my sister's house as she's storing some of my stuff at the moment. I'll see if she can dig them out next time I'm in Aberdeen!

What posters did you have on your wall growing up?

{my kitchen table}

I have so many great memories that are associated with the table in the kitchen of the house I grew up in.

Painting, cutting, sketching, colouring in, glueing, rubber stamping....all manner of arts & crafts! My mum was rather crafty & I loved being sat at the table on one of the benches doing art work.

We also used to sit at the same benches drinking earl grey tea & eating delightful almond biscuits after having been outside playing in the cold (hilarious I know, but it's true!).

My sister & I also used to eat our dinner there most nights with our mum (dad didn't get home from work until later)... we used to have pink grapefruit as a starter regularly (seems bizarre as it's not something I eat now) and I was made to drink cups of milk (which I very much disliked!).

Now as a grown up (cough, cough!) with my own children, I am creating memories at our table.

We do lots of arts & crafts... painting, cutting, sketching, colouring in, glueing, rubber stamping (notice a similarity!?) and we eat dinner together every evening. 

Baking cakes at the old house. Yummy!

I don't have a dining kitchen anymore in the new house, but I have a dining recess in the playroom/dining room which is attached to my small galley kitchen. I've taken the furniture from my old house with me, and thankfully it fits perfectly.

This was the space when I first moved in!

Mild chilli with rice and pasta (her choice!) made into a smiley face!!

The boxes weren't unpacked and they were still at the table drawing!

Getting there!

Creating more art for the walls :)

I've attached two Ikea curtain wires to the wall to display their artwork with plastic bird clips that I bought from cloudy blue in Aberdeen.

Now the walls are painted, and I'm nearly finished this room!

{#ShareAdvent - Childhood memories}

I've shared quite a lot of my own childhood memories here on the Glasgow Mummy pages... from my favourite childhood books (that I still have to this day!) to my favourite childhood toy (again, that I still have to this day!!). I've even shared pictures from my Christmas in Doha when I was 10 years old... with a funny looking Christmas 'tree'! 

So for today's #ShareAdvent prompt, Childhood memories, I thought I'd share a recent discussion I had with my ex regarding my children and their childhood memories.

Apparently the situation with Gavin, my ex boyfriend, has scarred the children (not sure that was the actual words he used, but it was something along those lines) and that they still talk about him (they've mentioned his name once in front of me since June). Gavin came on a short holiday with the kids and myself (although there were other people there, like my cousin and my sister for parts of the trip) and the ex is of the opinion that I've ruined their memories of their first holiday. I did explain that Gavin was introduced as a friend and we weren't in physical contact with each other in front of the kids. Have I really ruined their memories? I'm not sure I agree. I can't even remember any holidays I went on when I was 6 or 7, let alone what I was doing between the ages of 2-4 years old.

I gave it considerable thought before Gavin met the kids, and it didn't work out. It was my decision to end things. I'm now in a position where I'd like my new boyfriend, R (who I have been seeing for 5 months) to meet them, but the ex thinks I'm being selfish and it's not in their best interests.

I know the situation is far from ideal and I didn't see myself being a separated single mummy. But I want to move on. Obviously I don't want to do anything to jeopardise the children's wellbeing or safety etc but is it selfish that I want R to meet them? They're a massive part of me and my life.

Would appreciate any relevant comments or suggestions on this, from either point of view.

{My Hilarious Mum}

Last week I was doing a lot of thinking. 

Friday, the longest day, was tough. 

It was the anniversary of my mum's death. 

12 years.

I miss her every day.

My mother with me as a baby

She would have been 31 years old in this photo - same age as me now

I was doing my best to think of all the hilarious things that my mum did, instead of thinking of all the sorrow, and a few things immediately popped into my mind.

We were very lucky to have a video camera from early in our childhood and we were encouraged to use it. The footage we have is majorly embarrassing, but I'm so pleased that we have all the memories of our mum captured on film.

We were on holiday one summer (I think it may have been at Oasis Holiday Village, which I think is now a Center Parc) and our lodge had a massive spa bath. My mum decided to have some time to herself and ran a hot bath. Next thing, we hear her laughing/screaming from the bathroom. The bubbles had completely overflowed and literally all you could see was her head. The soap had covered the floor and was seeping out into the hallway. Complete mess, but very amusing. And it's all on tape!

My mother was also really relaxed when it came to partying, alcohol, boyfriends etc. I think she would rather have known where I was at all times rather than me sneaking out bedrooms windows or lying which is what some of my friends had done.

Anyway, she went into the local off-licence one evening to get me something to take to a party. She asked the guy what would be an appropriate drink for her underage daughter and he refused to serve her! She came home empty handed!! Highly amusing.

A lot of people don't want to turn into their parents, but I'd be quite happy if I was like mine.

With my friends before our school disco in 6th year - alcopops in hand! :-/

{Wedding Anniversary}

Today would have been my 6 year wedding anniversary.

I remember waking up in the morning and being so excited and happy. I don't remember being nervous or anxious.

I had been continually told that I'd naturally lose weight on the run up to the wedding, but I was so organised (I do love a spreadsheet!) that I wasn't stressed at all. I spent the week before the wedding in Aberdeen with friends and family and all the eating out and cakes meant that my weight went up a bit. I really did panic on the morning as my bridesmaids literally had to squeeze me into my dress... thankfully they got it closed, just!

We had a little hiccup with our cars (my mother-in-law drove into the back of my own car that my father-in-law was driving and I had to get a new bumper!) and I was sad that my own mother wasn't there to share the day with us, but otherwise it went really well and the sun even made an appearance!

Despite all the heartache that has happened since, I've still got happy memories of this day.

My 'Tuscany' dress was from Joyce Young

Arriving at the church

My sister & I

We had dance lessons for our first dance as I've got two left feet!!

At the end of the night... drunk & happy! It was such a good day! 

(I've cropped out husband from photo!!)

{Selling Houses}

I'm a tad stressed out and emotions are running high.

I'm ready to move on... time for a fresh start... and as such my husband and I have decided to sell our marital home. There was no pressure put on me, but I know that it's the right thing to do. I would like to move to an area where the local schools are better and I also need to downsize. I really don't need to be living in a house this size when it's just me for 3 nights of the week!

There have been so many happy memories in this house, but coupled with that are the not so happy ones.

I'm sad to be leaving but excited for what the change will bring.

I'm doing my very best to declutter, organise and clear up as I make my way round the rooms. There are also a few small DIY jobs that are (still!) outstanding - work work to be freshened up and I'm halfway through painting my small internal bathroom.

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I want the house to be warm & welcoming for viewers - today I bought a plant for the office and I have some pictures to hang... I'm getting there, slowly!

I've also seen on Pinterest that you can put vanilla extract in a coffee cup in the oven for an hour and it makes the whole house smell like heaven apparently!

Here's hoping by the end of the week I will have the house sparkling and ready to go on the market. There's just the legal stuff to sort out and then we're set. Eek!

What are your tips for a successful sale?

{January Joy - 23rd Jan}

'Make some memories' is the prompt for today's #JanuaryJoy Florence Finds.

Sometimes the smallest of things can make the best memories... like spending half an hour in the kitchen baking cakes with my kiddies and watching my three year old son try to crack eggs or going to the local cafe for ice cream cones after a trip to the park. 

The best bit - licking the bowl :-)

Whoops - flour everywhere

Baking biscuits

The all important mixing...just keep it in the bowl!!

I'm forever taking photos on my phone of my adventures with my kids and this has prompted me to do something with them.

I was very good initially at printing photographs and putting them in date order into a photo album, but I've become so busy that this is low on my priorities. As such it hasn't been updated in well over a year.

I've decided that I will combine some of the best photographs with some photographs of their artwork and nursery creations and make them into a coffee table book. I realise that this will take some time but I know that the result will be amazing and something that I will treasure for years to come. I'm also thinking that I can print some extra copies which can be used as gifts for the grandparents.

{Similarities}

My sister put together such a lovely presentation for my own hen party, which must have been over 5 years ago now. It was heartfelt, humorous, touching and I loved it. A number of the girls at the party were in tears, in a good way. She's very good with computers though and had timed the photographs to appear to music, and it was just very well done.

I've been tasked with producing a similar presentation for her hen party in a week's time. Don't worry - it's not a secret that I'm ruining - she's even provided me with a CD of photographs to use for it!!

As such, I've been digging around in our old family photographs for embarrassing photographs of her and I've been scanning them like mad into my computer to put together her slides. Thankfully I think I'm nearly done. It's not timed to music as yet, but hopefully I can figure it out in time (any tips you might have would be greatly appreciated!!).

Anyway, the more I look at photographs of myself as a youngster, I can't believe just how similar my two kiddies look like me. It's just amazing... It's still so surreal that I (along with my husband of course) produced two lovely little people!

 So here I am as a little girl....

Me, aged about 6 months

My daughter does the exact same smile... she shuts one eye - it's hilarious!!

Me, maybe about a year old, possibly nearer 18 months?

With my grandfather (my dad's dad)

And here are my two kiddies (any excuse to share pictures of them!)...

Ok, so we're maybe not that similar... but there are definitely characteristics that are the same. I love that we all have the same 'bum chin'. Hee hee.

I wonder how they will change as they get that little bit older...

I guess I'm possibly 3 here??

At primary school with my sister...

I love the little bobs that Ali & I had... so cute!

{Poetry}

One of Kate's #groovingmums challenges was to investigate poetry and share a favourite, whether poetry is something you indulge in often, sometimes or never.

I did study Higher English at secondary school and we would have studied poetry at one point, but I'm not really a fan of poetry and it wouldn't really be something I'd choose to read. However, I did get thinking about poetry, and this is the first thing I thought of...

Shortly after my mum died, I saw a counsellor at a local Cruse Bereavement Centre. She (I think her name was Mary, but I may be wrong) was such a lovely lady and after a number of sessions I started to cope a bit better and was able to look ahead to the future. One week she gave me a piece of paper with a poem on it, and I still have this to this day pinned to a frame that sits in my room with a few passport photos of my mum and a picture I drew of her when I was 4 years old. I don't know who it is by, but I'll share it with you now...

"Those we love remain with us,

For love itself lives on

And cherished memories never fade

Because a loved one's gone.

Those we love can never be

More than a thought apart,

For as long as there is memory

They'll live on in the heart"