My Month in Numbers - October

Beginning of November? That means catching up with October's Month In Numbers alongside Julie and the other calculators. My numbers for the month started out as a little bit of a story that went like this:

A Little Thing on a List

Every week, before I go shopping I write a list. I look for some scrap paper. I can't find it. I pinch a piece from the printer and I wait for someone to say "you're wasting printer paper". Then I disarm them with "strawberry ice cream this week/ or mint choc chip?" 

I write it all down. I put the list in my bag; and then, every week without fail, when I get to the shop I fail to find it. It falls to the very bottom of my bag and it's lost forever. But I've hit on the answer. I don't put the list in my bag any more. I put it in my coat pocket. Fiendish, eh? Oh yes. I'm pretty pleased with my plan. Or, as my Mum would have it: little amuses the innocent. And even less the fool..

So I made a page about my simple light bulb moment. I included the things on my list and I added a shopping lady. I'd been saving her to use as a travelling storyteller; but it turns out she's a travelling storyteller who needs to go to the shops. And then I looked at it and realised that a note of a months worth of shopping, in this year before the biggest eater leaves home, would be a fun thing to have. It turned out like this:

In October I brought home sixteen loaves of bread and twelve large boxes of cereal and thirty litres of milk and five bags of rice and six big bags of pasta and six cans of tomatoes and seven blocks of cheese and two sacks of coffee beans and four bags of chicken pieces and two roasts and thirty one apples and sixty two bananas  and  more potatoes than one small mother should reasonably be expected to carry and more biscuits than were strictly necessary.

There were other bits and pieces too, of course; but those were the basics. Makes you think when you see it laid out like that..

You can find out more about Month in Numbers here - it's a great way to count!

Storytelling Sunday this weekend! I have a little dark and stormy stormy almost ready to go..how about you?

My Month in Numbers - September

When you live with an accountant, it can be easy to dodge the numbers if you want to: easy to let someone else do the counting. And that's why Julie's Month in Numbers always feels like a fun challenge to me. For once, just once, a month  instead of pulling together some words, I have a go at thinking numerically.

Here, September for me was dominated by one set of numbers. And it was all down to a sweater.

At the beginning of the month I bought a new knitting pattern book: Knits Men Want. I blithely, blissfully ignored the Amazon review which said don't buy this book if you live in the UK, you won't understand a word of it and I sat back and waited for it to arrive.

It arrived. I didn't understand a word of it. 

So, I had one new knitting book Knits Men Want: The 10 Rules Every Woman Should Know Before Knitting For A Man (plus the only 10 patterns she'll ever need). And the 10 patterns were very nice. I just couldn't see how to make them work. I'd never come across a knitting pattern presented as a table of numbers before. It took me two nights of scratching my head and wondering before I decided to get stuck in and order twenty x 50g balls of chunky blue wool so that I could experiment. ..

..and experiment I did. I wanted to end up with a 40 inch chest sweater. The 40 inch example in the book was knitted on US size 8 needles with a tension of 18 stitches and 16 rows over 4 inches. The wool I had ordered wasn't the wool specified in the book. Mine was bargain, 50% off wool and it took me another two nights to decide what size needles I needed to use (4.5 mm) and which line of numbers I was supposed to be following in the table (are all US patterns like this? it's easy once you get the hang of it). So easy that I ended up knitting in one ball a night and the whole thing has taken me just under three weeks. I'm sewing it up now and I have one small hurdle left. The neckband is knitted on one circular needle. I have less than one ball of wool left. It might not be enough..

The table of numbers..

Month in Numbers runs over at Julie's - every month, of course - and a good place to start is with the Pinterest board full of fascinating numerical round ups right here.

The yarn? That's what we call a good story round here and it reminds me that before I go I want to give all of you a reminder that it's Storytelling Sunday this coming weekend. The theme, if you fancy it, is Let's Dress Up! But, as always, stories about anything at all are more than welcome.

My Month in Numbers - July

It's the end of the month (what? already?) - and of course that means it's time for a Month in Numbers, with our Numero Uno Julie Kirk.

Some months, the numbers I want to remember lodge themselves easily in my brain. other months, I'm not sure what to count because mostly, to be honest, I retain colours and textures and words better than numbers. That's why I find the challenge of this so enjoyable! 

But for Jluy I knew exactly what to count:

How far we travelled.

We drove 450 miles to Southampton. And then we sailed 

- 216 nautical miles to Zeebrugge

- another 707 nautical miles to Copenhagen

- another 20 to Helsingborg

and then 254 to Oslo

with a further 765 nautical miles back to our starting point. But that wasn't our trip finished! Oh, no. We then took in

- 5 university towns 

- in 2 countries

travelling a further 1000 miles by car until we reached home.

Playing around with the confetti trend - numbers cut with the Slice and sewed into a glassine bag

The nautical miles slipped by easily (no, I didn't count the number of times we went to the buffet..). The miles in the car? 

We did our best. I haven't decided yet whether to go ahead with a layout called "Contentious Car Music". But if I do, you'll be the first to know..

Are you counting with Julie this month? Find out more right here. And browse the numerical anthology that is the dedicated Pinterest board right here.

A map of the UK shaped into a heart. Cut from a sheet of Studio Calico paper - the piece with Scandinavia I used on the companion page to this one; and I blogged it here

My Month in Numbers - May

Last day of May? It's my Month in Numbers! I'm counting along with the excellent Julie of Notes on Paper (and you can find out more here)

Our May has felt like a month for hard work at the office. This is how the numbers stack up:

14 - When she was little, she says, 14 is the age she dreamed about. It sounded like a good age to be. Well now she has arrived and it's working out just fine. She has long legs, a wicked sense of humour and she can do things with chemical equations that I could only ever dream about.

5 - lovely invitations for guest posts and other fun stuff. I'm sorry I had to turn one down because I won't be around, but the others are in production.

4 - days I have been able to eat my lunch outside. That's momentous by weather standards round here

1- happy surprise late Christmas present from friends.

148 - slugs captured in 24 hours in the garden. (Thank you for the suggestions on Tuesday - we'll be trying all of them).

140 - stitches which still need picked up along the front band of a cardigan I've been trying to finish for months now. I hope this number won't be appearing again next month.

Plus, revision, exams, driving lessons, late nights at the office..and..

1 - new word from Little E. It's hoover-related. You have been warned. So if you have a hoover and a carpet shampooer and you keep them both in the same cupboard then you do a lot of ...shampoovering . Yes. Little E I guess I do.

Roll on June!

I used new October Afternoon this month for a work related page. Tags again as I've done before but this time with journalling card pockets so I could squeeze more in  (and even hide a thing or two). I wonder what theme next month will suggest..


 Don't forget - Storytelling Sunday this weekend! I have a Jubilee story planned how about you? Something about anniversaries maybe? or meeting the queen? whatver yu choose I'm sure it'll be - diamond.

My Month in Numbers - April

Month in Numbers scarcely needs an introduction anymore, does it? Thanks to Julie's cleverly cunning counting, lots of us are noting numbers throughout the month (and if you aren't, yet, you can find out more here).

My numbers for April go a little like this:

105 - Cadbury mini eggs in a bumper pack. I counted before I ate because I'd never seen a bag that big before.

5 - minutes of acceptable picnic weather before the rain attacked our annual Easter Monday outing. Which we've been enjoying for over 20 years with 9 adults and up to 11 children. The teenagers did their own thing this year.

2 pictures I've been trying to get on the walls here for about 5 years. Now they are framed, but still not up. Also 1 curtain which I've discovered needs majot surgery because it has rotted away in the sun. Another job for my list which still has 2 cardigans to mend for my Mum right at the top.

1 Band Concert. It was, as The (not So) Small One said, epic with 1 tap dancing band leader and 90 band members on stage for an audience of 600. We had 1 very moving Titanic tribute by an orchestra of 4 (it's a school with a lot of Titanic stories to tell) and a lot more besides. I think it's safe to say it was a highlight in a month which has also included many, many hours of revision, driving lessons, timetables..you get the idea..BUT it's only 2 months til we go on holiday. Already.

I mixed some new Crate Paper with some Dear Lizzy to give this month's page an Spring look; and the tags lift up so I could fit everything in.



My Month in Numbers - March

I'm a little late to the party with my Month in Numbers this time round. But then, I've always been a bit slower with maths. That's changing thanks to Julie from Notes on Paper and her cunning plan find out all the details here). The others marvel, here, when they see me keeping count - but I'm a complete convert. It's such a neat way to pull the month together!

My numbers for the month -

30 pieces of homemade potato bread. That was 6 bits each, for St Patrick's Day
20 Things: my favourite Scrap365 article
22-6: the score in that Rugby match I was telling you about. A win.
2 new dresses: well, I hadn't bought anything since before Christmas and they were in the sale!

140: the biggest number of the month. The number of entries in The (Not So Small) One's Dance Competition. That's a lot of dancing girls to enjoy. From a bench in a Sports Hall. All day Sunday. But we did get to the end and they were second in their group.

For this page I used another variation on the strips of paper idea - it's a sketch I spotted on the October Afternoon blog - and some Kraft tags I made with the Slice, Vintage Findings card.


You can check out the other Month in Numbers entries on the Pinterest board right here

..and before I go today I want to thank everyone who contributed to such a lovely Storytelling Sunday this month. I had such a fine time on Sunday reading them all. Don't forget - the linky is open all week if you still have a story you want to share. Come and join us - you won't find a friendlier bunch of bloggers and you are guaranteed a great welcome. Everyone meets someone new when they join Storytelling Sunday!

My Month in Numbers - February

It's time to count along with Julie and her excellent Month in Numbers. A strange kind of month, February was here; but the good thing about counting is that it helps you rediscover the bits you actually liked. A box of Violet Creams and a dozen red roses? Now there was a highlight. And this summer's holiday booked. Norway - we're coming back!

I used a couple of MME papers I've had for a while to make a soft, Valentine page for February. That script could be a love letter, maybe.

There are two words in the English Language I find impossible to spell and February is one of them. The other is soluble - I always think it needs a "a" in it. Soluable. Mmm, don't think it'll catch on..

At least March is easier! and I hope yours makes a good start today. Storytelling Sunday this Sunday - are you ready? What about a story about some mad March weather? or St. David's Day? or St. Patrick's? Or anything else you fancy! Long, short, we'll read them all. See you Sunday.



My Month in Numbers - January

I'm counting again this month. I'm joining Julie and her Month in Numbers

and I've changed my strips strategy. Instead of stacking them up, this month I've laid them side by side for a different layout look. Still trying to keep the colours in tune with the month, though, so I have picked a "pale and interesting" scheme for January. Then I couldn't resist adding a little bit of tartan. For a nod to Burns Night and the tartans we often see in magazine spreads at this time of year.

There are a couple of little spaces I'll be filling up with non-internet worthy stuff, but what you can see for now:

529 miles to Paris, for that much talked about school trip

31 days of photographs for 365+1 successfully taken

3 days of work experience with Bernard the Barrister for The Tall One. He loved every minute and would start work now if he could. Oh, and 3 extra dance sessions for The (Not So) Small One.

2 knitting projects still piled up beside me on the sofa. They'll be finished by this time next month...

4 purchases from Ikea, including a bargain mirror which is taller than I am and which we are turning on its side and hanging above the bathroom basin

and finally £50 for a provisional driving licence. To be closely followed by a set of lessons. Maybe he won't need too many. Here's hoping..


This month there is a Month In Numbers Pinterest board to follow. See you there?

My Month in Numbers - December

It's been pretty quiet here so far this morning. Everyone else is having one last long sleep before school starts back tomorrow. We've covered almost everything we wanted to do in the holidays, though. It's been good. We finally saw the new Sherlock Holmes film yesterday, we've finished up the leftovers in the fridge, so probably the only thing left is for me to post my December Month in Numbers. I've been following along with the excellent Julie from Notes on Paper as she counts.

One last chance to scrapbook a tree I thought - a slightly different take on the paper strips design I've been using over the past couple of months.

- We had two trips to the dentist for a girl who has been an absolute star about the whole business. Her stoicism knows no bounds.

- We have eaten four jars of Christmas mincemeat, all turned into delicious pies.

- We got up at 7.00am on Christmas morning. You can tell they are getting older, can't you? Used to be 5.30

- I took 6 days away from the computer over the holidays. I think my eyes thanked me for it. Let's be honest.

- My Facebook page gained 51 likes (but of course there is always room for one more). It's been a fun experiment for me and I'm enjoying adding little extra bits and pieces on there

- and, finally, I've added in the 300 stories gathered by Storytelling Sunday in 2011. Because I'm proud of that number - and I hope you are too. We have made an amazing start already for 2012! Thank you so much to everyone who made time to join in during their festivities. And a special hello to the newcomers. It's good to see you. Come back soon - February sounds good!

I'll be back before then though. Thursday, more than likely. Have a good start to the year whatever you are up to!

My Month in Numbers: November

Another month, another list. That's November very nearly done and dusted; and thanks to Julie's Month in Numbers, I have a permanent record of my most important numbers:

What I really enjoyed about putting this one together was the choosing of the appropriate November colours. Round here our sky bleaches to almost white, the clouds show grey against it and any splashes of colour become a very welcome relief. That's what I was thinking of when I was pulling paper. December will be different.

By the end of December I might even have recruited the rest of the family to the counting cause. I left out the macaroons, you see. Two dozen beautiful coffee flavoured treats, baked by The (Not So) Small One, and I left them off my list. I don't think she'll let that happen again. So, December, I'll be counting you carefully.

My Month in Numbers: October 2011

Last month I joined in with the excellent Julie's Month in Numbers. It turned out to be such a neat way to look back on what we had done, that I  felt myself counting things in October. And that felt kind of new! So I thought a layout might be the next step.

Funny thing, though. I might have been counting; but I don't seem to have been taking pictures (apart from party ones , of course. They'll be in a divided page protector next to this page.) So I did a no-photo layout; and if I get the chance I'll repeat the same design in November (and beyond) in a style to suit.

And our month?

The birthdays - 80 and 40
1 Autumn Concert in the Cathedral here, with the school choir giving us Faure's Requiem
2 tickets to Elvis Costello, so that 2 sisters could enjoy a night out on their own.
26 years together
429 (or maybe many, many more) punched out witch shapes for my Halloween Chandelier.

November? Bring it on!

Storytelling Sunday this Sunday. Are you ready?

My Month in Numbers: September 2011

Over at Notes on Paper, Julie counts things. Once a month she rounds up what she she has done and what has come her way, and she makes a list. In numbers. It's a fiendishly clever way of pulling a whole month of life together, as I discovered when I tried it for myself.

My September went like this:

A lot: (bit rough and ready, I know, but who wants to admit how much coffee they actually drink? Plus, I'm feeling my way in here..) - the number of empty coffee tins I have achieved. I just know I can come up with a plan for them. Eventually.

She was experimenting with ice cube moulds. Why do we have numbers for ice cubes? See below

30: bars of soap produced by The (Not So) Small One's soap kitchen. It's her top activity at the moment, combining as it does many of her favourite things - microwaves, mess and delicious smells. I have high hopes for Christmas.

1: picture of The Accountant looking accountant-ly in a new work ad campaign brochure. Not sure about the caption which says (essentially) Phone this man for added value. Really?!





2: books I have especially enjoyed. I've been recommending the Guide one to anyone I know who was a Girl Guide. It's not about making wonky gadgets and singing silly songs, it's actually a very moving story of real courage.



500: rows of knitting in the cardigan I'm making.

3: trips to the dentist, but the less said about that, the better.

7: buttons sewn back on a school blazer. And it only has 3 buttons to start with.

and 92 comments from bloghoppers and well wishers on my Scrap365 post. Again, thank you! It's just over 6 weeks until the first issue appears.

That was September. If you would like to join in, give Julie a shout. She'd be happy to see you!