Living my dream

Scrapbook Outlet Cybercrop

Well, what a blast. I'm just heading off to bed, but for the first time ever, I got a LO done at one of these things! LOL. You see the incredible Elsie Flanagan (yes, for you scrappers out there it was THE Elsie) was there and she set us a challenge. Complete a LO in 30 mins (!) and it must have doodling on the photo. And I thought why not? I usually take AT LEAST that long just to pick out my papers, let alone the photo and everything, then stick it all down and send off a photo/scan! OMG! But guess what?! I did it. Then I've been surfing and chatting and looking at everyone elses. If you get a chance, go check them out. Awesome LO's!

 

No 8 Wired.....

I've just completed and posted my LO for the dare at No 8 Wired. It was a FUN dare. Something I haven't done before and which really challenged me. The dare this fortnight has a fantastic sponsor too. cherryArte! So make sure you get over to No 8 Wired and get your dare done! Here's a pic of mine.....

So did anyone else feel the earthquake last night?! Boy was it a surprise to find myself lifted in the air like that! The best way to describe it is to say it was like being on a boat going over a big rolling wave. Andy and I looked at each other and said 'what the heck was that'. And my reply was 'well, if it wasn't an earthquake it was a blimmin big animal under our house'. It was quite freaky!

And so much for me thinking Dan was ok. I got a phone call late yesterday from our doctor saying that he DOES have strep throat after all. Poor wee tyke. We had to rush to the emergency chemist to ensure he got on the antibiotics straight away, and he's been a real trooper. Not much crying. And even though he's now on antibiotics, at least he's learning to take his medicine. Sigh. 

Today he started using his highchair. Boy he looks cute in it. I'm hoping it will help him learn to sit up. Every time I try and sit him on the floor he just wiggles and slides so he is lying back down again. And, its way easier to feed him too.

Well for years now I've been saying to Andy I want to do some volunteer work. I want to give back somehow. And I've done a couple of things here and there, But tomorrow I start on a new venture. A friend of mine runs a local coffee group for Mums at a local church and she has asked me to be a helper. The idea is to give Mums a chance to get together to chat and relax and just have a bit of sanity time. We read stories to the kids and the Mums can have a coffee and relax a bit. I'm really excited about this and very much looking forward to being part of it!

Alrighty, its past my bed time. LOL. Take care.

A couple more LO's....

Yep, I've done some more creating. Good for the soul! LOL. The first one is for my 2007 Album. And yep, its even a double. I figured I'd like the pages to read like a book, so when you turn the page, they match. Besides which I always have a heap of photos. LOL. So here is our month of Jan.....

Next was one where I just loved the field the kids were playing in at the local school. All that bright green and yellow. Stunning. So had to take a picture aye?! LOL.

Other stuff:

Jaimie I'm scanning your photos as I type. Woman can multitask don't ya know?! LOL.

I've had a reshuffle of my blog. Added a couple of photo albums - yep, you can check out my SBO class to the left! And added some more LO's to the ones I already had. Plus delted one.

Andy has been sick. Ugh. Poor thing. We think hes had the same strep throat Matt had. And because Dan was crying today I raced him off to check him out too. Thankfully no probs there.

However, after I realised it could have been that third tooth that is trying to break through! Yep. Number three has made its entry and I don't think number 4 is too far away.

Oh and for me....well I went for a run today. We've pretty much got a ready made running/walking track in the back yard, so the aim was to run for 30 mins incorporating a lap of the house each time to regain my breath. So I did 5 laps in 12 mins, 8 laps in 20 mins and 12 laps in 30 mins. I feel good. It feels nice to do something for me again. So now I just need to keep it up and then get faster. Hmmmm, food for thought.

Happy Birthday ANDY!

Yep, happy birthday for yesterday my husband. You mean the world to me and I'm ever grateful for meeting you. I won't get too soppy. But.... luv ya lots babe!

It was a good day for us at home. We made Andy the special McClune Chocolate Log for his birthday cake. Oh dear. It was my first time and well, lets just say Andy was very nice about it. LOL. It looked fantastic, and I think it tasted ok, but putting it together you would never have thought it would turn out ok. I forgot to grease the tin, meaning there were little holes in it. I did try ever so hard to take it out of the tin gracefully and it 'mostly' came out ok, but there were holes! LOL! Then I put cream in it, thought it looked too little, so put the whole bottle in. Then it looked FANTASTIC! Until you cut it and it didn't even look like there was any sponge! Oh dear oh dear. But hey, I tried. And next year I might get it a bit closer to looking and tasting like Grannys!

The kids absolutely ADORE chocolate log and Andy was ever so proud of them when they kept going back for more and more and sneaking bits off each others plates.

And by the look of this photo, Dan is keen too. So cute.

Thanks to Abby we were able to go out for dinner just the two of us and it was lovely. We walked up to the local shops and had a great meal and lots of wine. Hmmmm. Thankfully no sore head this morning, but the way I was feeling last night there should've been.

So tell me, what were you doing at 5AM this morning? I don't suppose you were at North Head as well were you? We got up nice and early to go see the Queen Mary 2 come in. We managed to get there around 5.30am and the kids were so excited. They were stoked to be up a mountain while it was dark and to see the stars and all the lights on the water. And boy oh boy, were there a heap of people there. And the sun rise was STUNNING! Check out this pic.....

It was such a beautiful morning. And we couldn't believe how many people were there. Seriously. It was way cool. And when it tooted its horn, it sent shivers down my spine. I mean this ship (must remember its a ship, not a boat!) is HUGE. Actually bigger than huge. Its GINORMOUS!WOW! Well worth the early morning start.

We got home and wondered if we would see it from here, but its not quite THAT big. The point is blocking it.

Thursday night was cool. I got to hang out with some of my scrapping buddies. And while I didn't scrap I did get some paper out to go with my photo. So I'm half way there now. LOL. We had a lovely evening of chatting and looking at mags and comparing a few LO's. Thanks for coming everyone. Can't wait for next months.

As for Grey's anatomy. Anyone who was disappointed with the slow start last week, must be feeling better this week! I laughed and giggled ALOT and the twist at the end totally got me. I like that.

Yesterday after hassles getting a gas connection. Thanks Vector - NOT! - we got a temporary system put in and the pressure on our hot water is now incredible. Can't wait to get it all hooked up so we can start cooking with gas too! The shower is now FANTASTIC. Gee I had forgotten how bad low pressure can be until I moved in here. But that's just about all the 'immediate' remedial work that needs doing to the house, done. I'm thinking we just need stairs off our deck and we're all done until we rennovate or bulldoze and start again.

Well the kids are with Andy at the toy library. I was gonna go meet them later, but the traffic is shocking due to the wine and food festival. Are ya going? Should be a NICE day with weather like this! And Dan's just started crying so I better go sort him out. Its gonna be a bit of an unsettled day I think, after that early start? Hope you have a good one. 

Some scrapping stuff

I was meant to do this on my post this morning, but forgot. Got sidetracked. Bit funny considering what the last post was about. LOL!

So here is some of my stuff:

This is a tag I did for a friend who was going through a rough time. A few of us got together and all did cards and sent them to her. She loved them. It was such a pleasure to be involved in something like this. Thanks Paula for the great idea and organising it.

Then this is the card I did yesterday for Andy for Valentines day. I don't often do cards, but it was nice to do something so small and quick.

Last, here is my LO from last night. Its the cover for an album I'll put together for this coming year. The photos I've used aren't the 'best' photos I have of the kids right now (and definitely not of me! LOL), but I love them cause they really show their personalities. Sarah with her dog and sucking her thumb. Matt with his digger. And Dan smiling.

Catch up

You know sometimes life just gets in the way. LOL. Lately I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day. And its hard to just stop and take a breath to catch up. LOL. There is just so much happening. I think its the new house. The new lifestyle. The greatness of it all. How we want to be at home, just hanging out. I'm not moaning. Its a good thing. Just quite different.... and lovely. I feel like we've gone back to basics. You know? I think I've mentioned it before, but now we're here, we're hanging washing on the line. This is the first time (apart from occassional times at the old house) that we've done this on a regular basis. And boy does it smell good when it comes inside. I love it. I love going into the garden and picking chillis and mint to make our dinner (see receipe in the latest Up2Scrap). I love friends coming over and giving them lettuce from the garden cause we've got too much and it will go to waste. I love waking up in the morning, throwing open the doors and letting the kids run around the house, in and out, wherever they want to play. I love feeling safe and secure. I love feeling happy. And I love that I feel like a new wife/mother. This move has been so good for us.

Ok, so I did my class on Tues night and it was a blast. It was so great chatting to everyone and we had some interesting conversations about chainsaws! LOL. Can't wait to see the finished products.

I've also got Dans passport photo taken and application sent away. OMG, he looks like a criminal. Check this out!

And I scrapped again last night.

I'm looking forward to tonight . I've got a few scrapping buddies popping over for a crop. We arranged this before Grey's started. Cor you'd think the tv programmers would check with me first right?! LOL. Anyway, it can be taped!

So Tues was my class at SBO, Wed was Valentines (hope you all got spoilt!), Thurs is our crop, Fri is Andy's birthday, you can see why things are busy. LOL.

Ok, gotta get some pics ready for tonight. The ones I did have, were scrapped last night. LOL!

Later.

Breaking news......

Ok, a bit dramatic, LOL, but I just got the latest edition of UP2Scrap and its even better than the last one! OMG, its fantastic. It just keeps getting better and better! So, if you haven't seen it yet, go grab a copy and get stuck in.

I was in a hurry before so didn't get a chance to show you the cover. Here it is....

See that little booklet on the left hand side? "Cooking with Fire". Yep, thats mine. My first ever cover, ok, so its not really a cover, but it is ON the cover. LOL. So excited.

Another late night.

Yep, gotta get me some sleep! I'm tired, but feel good. I've been scrapping and its been fun.

We've had a big busy weekend again. We just wanna stay at home and enjoy the new house, but seems like we're just too busy! LOL. I did manage to spray a heap of weeds though. Here's hoping they die so we can get the bank area a bit more under control.

The kids have been to 3 birthday parties since Thurs and caught up with their best buddy Emma at the park today. Unfortunately the 2nd party wasn't a great hit. Even though they knew everyone, they clung to Daddys legs (somehow I managed to escape that one!) and wouldn't come out no matter what. And when the fairy arrived (yes, a FAIRY!), they got even worse. Any ideas on how to sort this? They seem to be really good with people they know well, but extraordinarily shy in bigger situations even if there are people they know (a little).

We also got our new office desk etc installed. Yeah! Do you remember the pic I showed here just after we moved? Yes, we all had a good laugh, didn't we?! LOL. Well, check it out now! So much better and I am actually comfortable. Whew!

And of course with Dan turning 6 months we got out his 12 month bear for the 6 month photos. Now this time round we were a day late, but that's ok. And I couldn't decide between 2 photos, so here they both are. LOL. What a cutie!

Edited to add: Jane, thats the singlet you gave Dan! Thanks. Its gorgeous on him!

These photos were very interesting to take. He now 'interacts' with the bear. Sucking on his nose, arm, pushing and pulling on it. Most of the shots were actually of him lying on it or it lying on him!

Bribery, yep it DOES work.

Cor, who would have thought we'd resort to bribery?! But we did. LOL. I was talking to Matt and Sarahs daycare teacher on Wed saying how difficult it is to get Matt to use the toilet. We had tried a couple of times, but no use. Initially I thought he knew what was going on, but he got wet pants every single time. So anyway, on Thurs afternoon we arrived at daycare to pick him up and his teacher comes up to me with a big smile on her face saying they decided to bribe Matt into wearing undies with lollipops and talk about what a big boy he is and it worked. He was in them all day with not a single accident. OMG! It was THAT easy! So yesterday we continued and sure enough he was absolutely fine. Provided he was given a BLACK jellybean (who likes black ones?! Weird!) he was absolutely perfect. We only had one accident all day and that was when we were at the sandpit and we had to run. And even then we only just missed getting there on time. I am so proud of my little man growing up. And so surprised that it was so easy. We just had to find the right currency to make it worth his while. I'll have to remember this with Dan.

Talking of which, guess where I found him the other day? Yep under the coffee table, looking very pleased with himself. I left the room for a min and came back and couldn't see him.  Hearing him giggle and chat, it was very easy to find him. Not sure if you can see it, but just in front of him is a little round ball. They are proving to be one of his favourites as they make a great noise when you roll them, and then he tries to chase them. Perfect to get him moving more. And yep, the inevitable happened yesterday. He actually started to move his knee while in the crawling position. More than once. Only about an inch, but its the start. Sarah was on the ground crawling around trying to show him how to do it. LOL! Should have got the camera out but the battery was on charge. Note to self. Buy another battery before April......

Why you ask? Because yesterday I booked a trip with Mum and I and the kids to go to Tasmania! Wow, how cool! I can't wait. Tassie is always somewhere I've wanted to visit. I hear it is BEAUTIFUL. And well, we will definitely need another battery for the camera. Its gonna be a great trip. And after explaining to the kids why Mummy and Nanny were sitting on the computer for a good hour (trying to find the best deals and book tickets - well worth it we saved $1500 on the price the travel agent quoted Mum). All I've had since is "I want to go on the plane". "NO Mummy, TODAY". Hmmmmm, April is a looooooooong way away.

Well its another busy day today. Matt and Sarah are off to their first birthday party that isn't theirs or family or a Mum and Dads friends kids. Their very own friend. Big heart happening in this Mummy's chest.

We are also getting our computer corner properly fitted out. We've had a real desk made, with lots of shelves that will fit the printers and scanners etc and its all gonna go in that tiny corner. Will upload a pic later.

AND, its the 10th. Dan is 6 months old today and yep, we'll be getting his bear out. So watch out for pics later.

I'm also expecting a parcel and then need to get my a into g to get working on it. Wow, gonna be tight, but will be a fun challenge. C'mon courier man!

Later!

Oh and hey, before I forget, go over to No 8 Wired and check out the new dare. It’s a goodie!

Less than half an hour

Until the new season of Grey's anatomy starts. Is anyone else peeing their pants with excitement?! LOL! I can't wait to see what happens and how the story develops. Man I don't think I've ever been this excited about a TV program?! I even went and brought the CD the other day with 'that' song. Man I'm such a sad person! LOL.

So we are back from our camping trip. It was great. The kids had such a ball living in the tents, playing at the beach, checking out crabs in the rock pools and fish at goat island, hanging out with their cousins. Its the stuff memories are made of and I'm so pleased and proud that we can do this for them.

Anyway, I won't bore you with a heap of photos. Just a couple. Me and my tired babies.

A typical days work for the kids. Digging big holes. Filling them with water, splashing,  playing and fighting until they are exhausted.

I've managed to get a couple of LO's finished. 'The Bride' was started before we left camping, but put aside when other things came up. 'Something New' was started about a year ago. Then I couldn't work with the colours and well, it just kept getting put off and off. Just when I thought it would never get finished Paula suggested to a group I belong to that we should all do our unfinished projects (She called them UFO's but I can't remember what the O stands for? Whoops). So here you go.

Ooooooh, nearly 8.30. Later!

Scrapbook Outlet NZ Class

Ok, so my exciting news is out ..... I'm doing a class at SBO (thanks for the opportunity Andrea!) on the 13th Feb (this link takes you directly to the post). Go check it out. Its gonna be fun and I'd love to share my romantic valentines idea with you.

Have you seen the sneak peek yet? Heres another look.....