Riley Connor White

Seems that I can't do things easy in life and last Sunday after a few days before being booked in for and elective c-section I went into labour. Twenty two hours or so later I was still in labour and seems as though "Bumpy" just couldn't find their way out. It was decided on Monday evening that the best and safest option was to have an emergency c-section and so at 18.37 on Monday 15th March 2010 Riley Connor White was born. We're both home safe and sound now but this last week has been a tiring and harrowing week for the White household. But hey look how cute a son I got!!

Life through a lens - Showcase Saturday, Still waiting

Bumpy still hasn't arrived and we've had a tiring and stressful week with hospital visit, scans, blood tests etc. This was taken on Thursday, we had to have a scan done as the consultant was concerned about my uterus size and Bumpy being big. I wish I had a photo of Bumpy in person rather than a scan photo but for the moment this will have to do.

I hope all my blogger friends are well I am so so so sorry I haven't been to visit any of your blogs lately, I am a terrible blogger friend. Have a lovely weekend all. xx

Life through a lens + Art Project - Flippety Flip It's Friday, Penguin

I found a wonderful set of books called Draw Write Now which teach you (well it's meant to be for your child really) how to draw things. There are currently 8 books and if you go to Amazon.com you'll find samples of each of the books with a help guide on how to draw one feature from each book. I chose this image from Draw Write Now book 4 and found it very easy to follow and do. I know it's not perfect but hey not bad for a first attempt! Plus I think it would be easy enough for most kids to follow.

Art Project - Thursday, I feel like something different today

As the title says I feel like something different today from Thumbprint Thursday, plus if I'm honest the thumbprint I was trying to do for this week just didn't turn out how I wanted it to. lol

So instead I had a play around using paint on the computer today. I wish springtime weather would hurry up, I want some warmth and some pretty colours in my garden.

Life through a lens - Wordless Wednesday, Prickly

Life through a lens - Tuesday, Carnation

Life through a lens - Miscellaneous Monday,

Not the greatest of photos but I'm at a stage today where I'm tired, achy and my hayfever is playing up. Anyway Bumpy is now two days overdue, come on Bumpy hurry up!!

Life through a lens - Surprise Sunday, Life With Callum

As mentioned many a time, life with Callum is never quiet... or still. You'll always find him running somewhere, climbing something or battling some imaginative evil force.

Last year we had Callum wanting to be Callum Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, Climber extraordinaire. What did being a Tomb Raider involve? Well firstly you needed your trusty backpack, Callum's contained a variety of books, a wind-up watch, some school socks and a clean unused doggy poop bag containing pens and pencils. Notice no food? And as for the selection of books....

I could just about lift the backpack up myself!

Now with all the necessary supplies packed the adventure can begin and what every explorer/tomb raider loves doing best is....

CLIMBING!!!!!!

After which you then need to learn to blend in with your surroundings and if needs be pretend you are a dinosaur.


So like I said, life with Callum is always full of adventures.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend. xx

Life through a lens - Showcase Saturday, C is for Candle

Art Project - Oh Flipperty Flip...it's Friday

Gah! I forgot it was Friday today and I have no food related projects/photos to hand so for today I'll post about something Callum and I have been doing.

The other week the two of us started and afterschool class called Family Art. When I first heard about it I thought it would just be about us just making things in class and getting all messy. I was wrong. lol. In fact it is proper art lessons and so far they have been awesome, what's even better is that the course is free. Anyway we've been learning about using imagination, observation, feelings and intellect along with how to do shading and this week we did charcoal drawings. I loved that lesson so much I asked Daz to go and buy Callum and I some charcoals and most of this week after homework has been done Callum and I have sat down and done some charcoal drawings.

So with no more words, here is one of the pieces of work I did this week. I need a lot more practice but I was just experimenting with the different charcoal sizes etc. It took me about ten minutes to do this and I'm quite happy with how it turned out.




Oh and it's meant to be a Heron although Callum thinks it looks like an Emu.

Have a lovely weekend all. xx

Art Project - Thumbprints Thursday, Love Heart

Life through a lens - Worldless Wednesday, Take Flight

Life through a lens - Tuesday, Ireland

The view of Na hAilichí (Allihies) which means "The cliff fields". It is my most favourite view and I could quite happily have a little house built here and wake up to that view.

Those that know me know that I have Irish heritage, my Nan (Mum's Mum) is Irish and moved over here in the WWII when she met and married my Grandad. Our family ancestry is related to the Beara Penisula, we're Murphy's and we're lucky in that we have a family farm house and land out there that has passed down through the generations. Some families have a piece of jewellery, we have a farm. It's been many many many years since I was last out there (1998 to be exact!) but I do want to one day go back out there and show Callum and Bumpy their ancestry. My parents still take numerous holidays a year there, our farm is set in them middle of the countryside with views of the sea and the mountains and if you're lucky on a clear night you can see shooting stars. I have lots of fond memories of family holidays there from as a young child running round the haystacks playing hide and seek while the adults built the stacks to as a teenager hanging out with my cousins (removed a few times) in town for a week to celebrate Regatta to going out there with Daz. Obviously over time the landscape does change but it never changes hugely. Anyway I was sorting through some old photos on my photobucket account and came across some shots so thought I'd share.

Knockroe (I think that's the correct spelling, I've never really been sure). We own part of that.

Various views of the farmhouse and the views we get from there.

Also as you may have guessed the last lot of photos aren't mine, the first is though.

Life through a lens - Miscellaneous Monday, Video Montage

This is an old one I did a few years back but I still love to watch it along with Callum.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Life through a lens - Surprise Sunday, Life with Callum

As Bumpy's due date looms ever closer (it's days now!!... hopefully!!) I'm thinking more and more about Callum's birth. We had a very traumatic birth with Callum, one that maybe one day I'll talk about but not today, for now I'll leave you with the first image I saw of my son Callum, 13 hours before I actually got to see and hold him in person.


Anyway I'm trying not to think too much so I don't get stressed about it, I'm staying positive but every day I think of this new life growing inside me I'm also reminded of the life that I've already grown inside me, given birth to (well in a way) and nurtured. Sure he drives me crazy at times, acts like he is a teenager already (and he's only 6.5 years old!), talks back but he also amazes me in how he tackles things in life, his love and knowledge of cars, how he can just say one thing and make me laugh and smile or just how he just sometimes gives you a little cuddle and melts your heart. He always cares for peoples feelings and hates it whenever someone is upset, if a friend of his at school gets hurt he'll take them to the nurse and wait until they are ok, he never sees any difference between colour/creed/religion like I've seen other kids of his age do, everyone is there to be friends with. Like I said he may drive me crazy but every day he makes me proud to be his Mum. I know when Bumpy does come into the world that they will have the best Big Brother ever and even if Bumpy is a sister (Callum's worst nightmare) I know that he'll always look out for them and not let anyone harm or upset them. So here's to my little superhero, I love you. xx

Life through a lens - Showcase Saturday, Sunset

Taken Boxing Day 2007. Over the road from my parents house is some fields and a farm that has footpaths around for us to use. This was taken on our way back home haveing walked all the way round and set off in daylight.

Life through a lens - Foody Friday, Strawberry

Art Project - Thumbprints Thursday, Superman

Not my best Thumbprints Thursday but still...

Life through a lens - Wordless Wednesday, Make a Wish

Life through a lens - Tuesday, Sunrise

This in an old photo taken from our previous home (first floor flat in a town centre) on my Olympus mju. Even though we were in the middle of a town centre we used to get beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

Motor Neurones Disease.

This is my Uncle Del. Sadly the other week he passed away after having suffered from Motor Neurones Disease. It's been a sad and terrible loss for our family, he was a one in a million guy my Uncle. MND is a terrible illness and at present our government doesn't have a National Strategy for the illness. The MND Association website currently has a petition going for people to sign to change this. I don't normally ask this of people but it would mean so much to my family and I if you could spare five seconds to sign the petition.

You can find the petition and more information here: www.mnd2010.org/

Or if you are on facebook you are welcome to add me as a friend (Sarah White) and join the group that has been created. www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=311162873891&ref=mf

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and in advance Thank You for signing the petition.

Sarah. x

Life through a lens - Surprise Sunday, Life With Callum

When Callum first started school he had trouble sitting still and with his legs crossed. So his first bit of homework he got from school was to practice sitting with his legs crossed and still. Of course he had to make it a bit different and make it so that he sat on my lap with his legs crossed. Eventually we got there though and nowadays he doesn't have any problems sitting cross-legged.

Life through a lens - Showcase Saturday, The Daftness of Dash

Callum chose the photo to use for this weeks Showcase Saturday. This is what we get if we don't fold up up our patio chairs. Even if we do he sometimes works out how to unfold them so he can get on top of the table. Why does he like to sit up there? Well he can then clearly see over the fences and survey the land, typical sheep dog. lol.

Life through a lens - Food Friday, Iced Gems

Art Project - Thumbprints Thursday,Piggy

Life through a lens - Wordless Wednesday

Life through a lens - Tuesday, Ill House

Yes he does have a sock on his hand & arm.

It seems lately that all we are in the White Household is ill. Last week Callum woke up with a really snotty nose but was well enough for school, then this week that snottyg nose has developed into a nasty chesty cough. Sunday and yesterday Callum was just not himself, he actually slept a lot of Sunday afternoon even though my in-laws were here and yesterday his cousins Eloise and Alex were around and even my sister commented on how he wasn't himself.

My poor little bubba

Today he seems a little perkier but he still has the rotten cough. But then last night it was my turn to be ill (again!) and I've spent most of the night in the bathroom. Plus it's all gloomy and raining outside which doesn't help moods either.



When will it all end?

Art Project - Miscellaneous Monday, Magic Painting

This was from the other week but today we did some more. Callum's cousins came round and together we all spent half hour or so doing magic painting. Basically all you need is a white crayon (although you can use other colours too), some white paper and some watered down paint. Start off by drawing a picture on the white paper with the white crayon and then you paint over the whole sheet or just the area you did your crayon drawing with the watered down paint and hey presto like magic you picture can be seen!

Life through a lens - Surprise Sunday, Life With Callum

As mentioned on last weeks Surprise Sunday, Life With Callum post I'm going to spend the next few Sunday's showing some of the ways that Callum shows affection.

This week:

A Spiderman to watch over me

Over New Year I was very ill with a tummy bug which resulted in me spending most of my time (well when not in the bathroom) in bed sleeping. Callum really worries when I'm ill like this but knows that he can't look after me all the time. The first night I was ill while I was asleep Callum snuck into our bedroom and placed Spidey where you see him above with instructions to look after me while he, Callum, was asleep. Spidey is still there all these months later, to now watch over me in case Bumpy decides to come during the night.

Life through a lens - Showcase Saturday, Valentine

Life through a lens - Food Friday, Pringles

Art Project - Thumbprints Thursday, Mr Valentine's Day

Life through a lens - Wordless Wednesday

Life through a lens - Tuesday , Sweet Heart

An old photo from the other year. I went to the sweet jar and found a red heart sweet just sitting there on the top like this, both hubby and Callum swear blind they didn't set it that way. Obviously the sweets thought I needed some love that day. lol

Life through a lens - Micellaneous Monday, Love Heart

This is something Callum made a few years ago using paint on our laptop. At the time he was just using the cutting tool and then the filling tool and wasn't aiming for a heart shape we just noticed it had taken that shape when it was finished and opted to change the colours of blue to pink. I then used flickr toys to add a frame etc

Life through a lens - Surprise Sunday, Life With Callum

The other day I took part in an interview that was to do with Family Life in Multicultural Britain. One of the questions I got asked was about how Callum shows affection. Now I'm lucky that I do have a very affectionate child (although he does swap like Jekyll and Hyde at times) and Callum shows affection in all forms. What forms? All forms, but I won't spoil it by telling you all, instead over the next few Sundays I'll post some of those ways.

This week:

Mrs Missile

Before school Callum was making Lego models, he made one each for hubby and I and before heading off to school (and without us knowing) he went and put each of our models on our bedside table. Mines called Mrs Missiles because she's married and has missiles and Daz' is called Lazer Eyes. lol. Callum will often do things like this, make a Lego model and put it either on our bedside table/s or somewhere for us.

Life through a lens - Showcase Saturday, Fan

I can't wait for summer to roll on so I have a choice when I feel cool.

Life through a lens - Foody Friday, Tomato

Art Project - Thumbprints Thursday, Bird