Living my dream

MIA

But I'm back! LOL! We had a huge weekend! So much on and I don't know where I got the time to sleep.....oh thats right I didn't! LOL! 1am one morning and 2am the next. Might be why my eyes feel like sandpaper today. LOL!

But it was wonderful. On Sunday instead of the normal get up and blog, I got up and made lunches. We had to be out of the house by 8.20am to drive up to Gulf harbour and catch a ferry across to Tiri Tiri Matangi. For those not in Auckland its a wonderful island just a 20 min ferry ride across the bay from Gulf Harbour. It houses many of NZ's native birds, but particularly endangered ones. It even has several Takahe which up until the 1940's people thought were extinct. Yep, you read that right! Do you find that as amazing as I do? That somehow a flock of birds evaded being discovered and so humans thought there were no more of them. Cool. Anyway, we saw several of them and it was pretty darn incredible!

Unfortunately this isn't the best shot of the Takahe, but I wanted to show just how close he got to us. And the amazing water in the background. The kids were in 7th heaven.

I'll try and put some more pics up over the next week or so.

Actually talking about water, on the Sat, we played in the water at the bottom of the garden. We've been feeding the little sprats that come in and wondered if we could catch any? Andy got the bait catcher out and we did! We were catching them 4 or more at a time! Some of them were even jumping out and back into the water making a real show for us. LOL. It was just soooo cool. The kids loved it. We threw them back once we'd had a look at them in a container, but what a way to spend a lazy Sat morning!

Then it was Monday. My sister Vonny and her family came over and we had a marvellous time trying to catch fish, kayaking and swimming, plus then digging in the garden. Check out this haul.....

The weather has been absolutely stunning hasn't it?! Whenever the weather comes up with shopkeepers etc I keep exclaiming about how its just like the 'old days'. LOL! Where summer was just one sunny day after another! And its been like that again this summer. I don't remember the last time it was like this! But I'm certainly not complaining! LOL!

Ok, its 7 and 12 so I'd better get going. Matts just spilt the rices all over the kitchen floor. Sigh. LOL!

Trina.

PS: We've got something exciting coming up for Valentines day over at the Fiskars ANZ blog. Check out the latest banner onsite for more information.

Oh hey, while I'm talking scrapbooking....have you checked out Jo Knellers blog???? Jo is a good friend and is the self proclaimed kit queen LOL! She's doing a wee giveaway...well its not wee. Its a Paper Pesto kit!!!!! Wow. How cool is that. Paper Pesto is a NZ kit company and they do lovely kits. Around the world entries welcome, so wherever you are, go check it out!

Its a bigger Saturday than most!

I always have lots to share on a Saturday and today is no different...... except I have some winners from my 'giveaway' post earlier in the week..... Yippee!!!!

But before I do, I'm gonna have a wee rant. Xtra. Is anyone else having problems with Xtra? I can send emails, but can't receive any. Its driving me nuts! As of about 5pm yesterday I just stopped getting them, except for the single occassional email....why do they come through but nothing else? ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, fun things.....

A new sketch this week. Here it is....

Do you like the stitching I've got around the edges? Just to throw in something different. Of course with any of my sketches theres lots of room to make it your own and maybe instead of stitching you might use some buttons/bling or even rub on stitching? Who knows? the beauty of a sketch is being able to use it as a base and then make it your own.

Now, where were those names of the winners??? I had them around here somewhere.....

Being Saturday I've finished a LO for SBO using the Jan Kit that Donna and I designed. Even after three LO's I'm still loving this kit. The papers are just so pretty. And there's still heaps left to keep creating! I hope you're liking it too!

For this LO I used the kit, plus added some stitching and a couple of extra crystals.

Have you been checking out the Fiskars ANZ blog this week? Lots of wonderful inspiration. Plus another giveaway. If you like our site, we've created a blinkie you can add to your own blogs sidebar. By doing this, writing a post which mentions it and linking back to the original post, you could win some cool Fiskars prizes (squeeze punch, new finger craft knife and some papers!). Gotta love how easy this is! Go here to check it out....

Ok, ok, not gonna keep you in suspense any longer..... here are the winners:

Vicki

Gwen

Felicia

Kathy W

Nettystamps

Annelie Maddock

Alison

Vesna

Danice

and Angela

Yep, I printed and cut out each and every one, put into a box, shook it all around and drew out the winners. Congrats everyone! If you could please email me here with your full name and address details I'll get your parcel out asap. And if my email is still bouncing, can you please try again later? Thanks! I've been assured it'll be fixed soon, but that was at 8pm last night and its still not working! Sigh.

And thanks again to everyone who left me messages. I loved reading each and everyone. You made my week this week.

I have lots of other stuff to share, but I might wait until tomorrow.

Have a great Sat!

T

Old LO's

Do you ever/often sit down and go through your old LO's? I happened to have a few out from showing a friend the other day and they weren't even that old, just from the last year, and I was about to put them away when I flicked open the cover of the top album and started going through them. This time instead of looking at each LO with my critical "I didn't put that in the right place" eye, I just looked at the photos and read the journaling. Sure I loved seeing the page as a whole as well, but I found I was really intriqued by what I'd written. Some of my stories were ones that of course I 'knew', but had forgotten. Some were things that made me laugh. Some made me smile (and almost cry) when I realised how much love was there. They were all special. They were all made with passion and love. They were a part of me left for someone to come along and find. Just like I did.

I know there are many many reasons to scrapbook. For some its an artform, for others its like therapy, yet others love to record their stories. Alot of us find joy in all of this. Thats what I love about scrapbooking. Its not about the way you do it or even why you do it. Its about looking back and seeing what you've done. Enjoying what you do, when you do it. doing what you love. Realising you've fulfilled part of your passion.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine yesterday about this very thing. Both of us when we started out. Would look through magazines, and try to emulate styles of what was in fashion at the time, sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. It wasn't until later, when we realised how we loved to scrap (our own 'styles') that things came together for us both. We realised its not about the latest trend (simple or complex, shabby chic or doodling), but about what makes us happy. That is when we create and feel fulfilled like never before.

I am so glad that I found these pages yesterday. It reminded me why "I" scrapbook and gave me a bit of a kickstart into thinking about my next projects and goals and stories I want to tell.

How about you? Ready to grab an album or two, sit down with your kids, hubby, friends or even just yourself, and laugh at the silly things you did or the fantastic holidays you had?

I've been wondering about how I'm going to keep my kids occupied today. I think this will give us a good hour of fun.

Have a great Friday!

Just rambling

Yesterday was a lovely day. The weather seems to have calmed down a little and I was able to get through the day without 50 million showers (ok, ok, so a little exagerated! LOL).

On the way to daycare we picked up the twins good friend Charlie. Since his Mum has recently had a baby we picked him up so she didn't have to wake the baby up. The kids were beside themselves with excitement. The noise was huge! And they got to daycare and for maybe the first time, Sarah just ran off with Matt and Charlie without doing the usual clinging to Mum thing. It was great!

Afterwards we had Charlie and another Charlie plus his Mum and sister over. We went down the back and looked for crabs. We didn't find as many today. But we did find a funny black worm as well. So the boys loved that!

Melissa and I got talking. She wants to do the Coast to Coast and needs someone to train with. So yep, looks like thats my goal for this year. We won't be doing the whole thing. Just the run/bike section. So we both have someone to train with. So if anyone is a white water kayaker out there? Let me know! Maybe we can team up! Will be really good for me to have a goal like this! Its been a long time since I last did it and I can't wait to get back into this amazing sport!

Dan has been eating by himself for a wee while now. But hes still learning. And each meal he ends up looking like his plate has exploded all over his face! Its really funny. And of course extemely messy! Yoghurt is especially fun! LOL! I so love this age when they just want to learn and grown and be.

Lately I've been buying wine which has reductions of more than $5 at the supermarket. I figure I get a 'good' bottle for a cheap price. Fantastic. And best part is I've come across some real goodies! Here's one I found yesterday. A 2006 Pinot Gris by Nobilo. Do you enjoy wine? Have you come across any good finds lately?

Don't forget to check down a few posts for my giveaway. I think being so close to the weekend now, I'll wait until Sat morning (NZ time) and make the draw then. Thanks for all your inspirational stories. I've got so much joy from reading them.

Fiskars back to school week

Over at the Fiskars ANZ blog we've got a week of inspirational ideas of fun and unique things to help make going back to school a little easier.

Here is my contribution using the gorgeous Heidi Grace 'Baby Boy' range (this range is available in selected The Warehouse stores now).

This bookmark was very easy to make and took less than an hour to do including thinking about which papers to use and finding photos! For me that is almost a miracle. LOL!

How to:

Cut double sided PP to the size you want the bookmark to be. Print a quote on the back and add photos and embellishments to both sides.

Cut two pieces of transparency slightly larger than your PP and put the design between them.

Use an awl to make holes around the edge of the bookmark. Keeping it all together and just catching the PP so it doesn't move once finished. Blanket stitch around the edge.

Punch a hole in the top and add ribbon or similar. Wala. You're done!

I was sitting in the hairdressers yesterday (do you remember me saying I was going last week......long story! Sigh)....and I remembered how my Grandma had heaps of these types of bookmarks around her house. I remembered the stitching on them. She always put dried flowers in hers. A sign of the times I think. LOL! And I thought what better way to encourage kids to read, but to make them their own personal bookmark. Now my kids are probably a little too young to really use it, but they love to see photos of themselves and they love having stuff I've made them so I don't think it matters.

Best part is that everything I used were 'left overs' so it didn't actually cost me anything, if that makes sense.

So don't forget to check out the ANZ blog.

C U.

WOW....just blown away

I have sat here over the last 24 hours reading all your amazing comments and finding myself in tears. It seems that I've touched on something within you, but what this has also done is touched me. How do I describe the feelings inside after reading your comments? You have all blessed me incredibly.

Words just can't describe my thoughts and feelings after reading about what you are doing and are planning to do. After all the horrible news we see on the tv nowadays it has brought a freshness, a breeze, a wonderful feeling that we can all make a difference, into my day. THANK YOU!

Thank you so much for sharing your stories with me. Thank you for taking the time to show your support. Thank you for making me smile. Thank you for wanting to take up this challenge.

May you be blessed with many peaceful times, smiles and laughter for being so generous (although if you're like me this is just an added bonus and not the reason for giving).

Yesterday Sarah suddenly announced that it was their doggies birthdays. It triggered a memory of reading Stacey Julians blog recently where something similar had happened in their family and they went ahead and celebrated it. Well we were already planning on going to the post office so I thought why not? Lets make a big deal of this, they can bring their doggies out (which NEVER happens, doggies need to stay home in case we loose them!) and we can have afternoon tea at a cafe.

We are just about to finish up and leave when I look down on Matts plate and see this:

Yep! Tell me I'm not seeing things! It looks just like NZ! He didn't plan this. He couldn't have! He's only 4! He was just eating his gingerbread man, exclaiming with excitement as he ate the leg, then the arm, then the head, then the....you get the picture. I just about fell off my seat! Too funny! I'm so glad I had the camera there. No one would have believed me otherwise! LOL!

Ok, well I'm off to start my day. Don't forget to check the post below if you want a chance to win some cool scrapping goodies and be challenged to do something wonderful!

Have a FANTASTIC day!

Giveaway

Ok, this post is all about giving.

When I was a child I attended church and each week my parents would tithe (give) money to the church. It wasn't a lot, but what they could afford. I took it all in as a child does and didn't really think much about it.

As an adult I've attended a number of property/wealth seminars with international teachers, plus read numerous books and listened to many motivational tapes. Each of them believe the same thing...... that when you give, it comes back to you.

Not many (if any?) of these teachers are religious, but it brought back the childhood memories and I realised it was the same principal. I tested it and it amazingly enough, it worked. LOL! Then it hit home that one of my philosophies "what goes around comes around" really does happen.

The really funny thing about giving is that is seems to come back bigger than what you gave.... and you never know when it'll come back.

Anyway, I know this is all a bit of a ramble, but I wanted to encourage people to think about giving. It might not even be about giving money, but time, or advice. The "Pay it forward" idea is wonderful and so inspiring, which brings me to my idea.....

I want to do a giveaway. But I'd also like you to think about giving and pay it forward. I want you to think about what you can do to brighten someones day, or week. Do you have a friend who's just had a baby? Perhaps you could take her a cooked meal? What about a friend who's going through a rough time? Can you mind her child/ren so she has a break for an hour? Do you have a spare card sitting in your drawer that you could put a stamp on and send to someone just to say 'thinking of you'. Do you have $10 spare cash? Could you give it to your favourite charity? Its not much. More the thought behind it. And the very best part? I GUARANTEE you'll feel happier, lighter, more in touch with yourself and the world once you've done it.

So my contribution to giving this week...... a giveaway!!!!! All you have to do is leave me a comment (even just your name if your nervous about commenting) and I'm going to give 10....yes TEN parcels of scrapping goodies away. Those odds are pretty good huh?! You've got a few days then I'll draw out some names randomly for the raks. Around the world welcome.

What do you recon? Are you up for it?

Dealing with awkward questions

Lying in bed with the kids this morning they ask me who took a photo that is on our bedside table.

Its Andy's favourite photo of me and was taken while I was in Africa with my first husband. Yep, for those that didn't know I've been married before. Its not a secret, but also not really something I bring up either.

So I'm lying there thinking how do I deal with this? They are too young to understand about stuff like this, but they are old enough to want an answer.

So I said that it was an old friend of Mummy's. Thinking how clever I am to deal with it so succinctly. I then get another question. Do you remember your friends name?

Hmmmm, let me see. We were together for 13 years, so yeah I remember it! LOL! So I simply say 'yeah, I remember'. Again congratulating myself for answering the question. Hmmmm, but they are cleverer than I give them credit for.....

But what was it Mummy? Bother. These guys are persistant! So I say....'Murray'. Oh says the question asker. Sarah. And just seconds later, Matt pipes up with Ohhhh, Murray is a wiggle. And the whole conversation takes a turn to wiggles and I give a big sigh of relief that this topic is dealt with for the moment.

I know one day we are both going to have to answer questions about our first partners but in my mind I haven't got there yet. Thankfully we can now get on with the process of making pancakes.

Have a great Sunday.

Did ya miss me?

LOL! Nearly two whole days since my last post.

So much has been going on, including some new technology here at home and you know how much technology and I get on! LOL!

So whats new?

NZ Dares for one! We've started 2008 with a bang and have a cool new dare to check out. Go here to see what it is.

If you haven't been keeping up with the Fiskars ANZ blog, then you're missing out! There is soooo much stuff going on and starting next week we've got a whole heap of inspiration for you and your kids going back to school. Check it out here.

As for me.....well its Saturday. And you know what that means right? Yep, sketch time.

This time I've got an example for you as well. It's made from the SBO Jan Kit that Donna and I put together. Such gorgeous colours in this kit. Enough for both boy and girl 'type' LO's. In this case I decided to use some of the pinks and yellows which went so well with my photo of Sarah.

And here's the LO.

Its got a white background which makes it a bit hard to see here. Whoops. Still trying to decide whether I need to do some journaling or not. I think probably, so it'll go across the top of the photo.

So what did you get up to this fine Saturday? We planted some decorative grasses down by the water and fed the fish and ducks while we were there. Wow. First time the ducks have come to see us. I think they were the babies all grown up and so a little more adventurous. Normally they all say away, but this time we started with just 2 but by the end, there were 5. Very cool for the kids.

Had a lovely night scrapping with some friends last night. Magic. Thanks guys. Even talk of maybe a girls trip somewhere. Could be interesting. LOL!

Alrighty, better dash. Cooking up a BBQ for dinner. Can't wait. I'm starving! LOL.

Yesterday

Had a big day yesterday. Lots on. Most important was my (younger) sister Vonny's birthday. Happy birthday you old thing! LOL! I hope you had a good day.

It was hot and I'm talking H O T! It was so hot that when I went to pick the kids up from daycare at 2.30pm the road was melting. Seriously. I've don't remember seeing this in NZ before. We just don't get those kind of temperatures. And in saying that, its not even as hot as Aussie. I don't know the actual temp, but it wouldn't have been more than about 25 degrees??? Anyone know for sure? Would be interesting. Looks like its gonna be another nice one too. We've already got every window in the house open and I'm still feeling it. LOL!

Thankfully Dan and I had a cool morning. Literally and figuratively. We spent the morning at Milford beach/park with my friends Jo, Donna and Andrea and their children. Dan was acting like the total flirt he is and wandered around kissing them all. But seemed to have a soft spot for Jo....

Too cute. Now as I type this I'm working on a new computer (eeeek), but so far so good. Apparently word is totally different? I need to use it later so will be interesting to see how this computer technophobe does.

Actually speaking of computers...you should see how our house looks right now. The lounge looks like a computer shop with one on the 'normal' desk and one on the coffee table. And wires and paraphenalia all over the place. The one of the coffee table(the shiny new black one!) is the one I'm using and I'm sitting down on this funny little stool. Should take a photo. LOL!

Also have you seen? The new Prima DT has been announced. Some well known names and some I don't know. All incredibly talented. Their LOs on the site are GORGEOUS! Wow! Congrats everyone!

We've been waiting for these to come out for some time. They have been slowly growing and growing and are now way taller than Andy (and that's saying something considering he's 6.3!). So with quite a few opening up yesterday I decided to get a couple of shots. I LOVE sunflowers. So bright. So happy. How can you not smile when you look at them?

  Funny comment of the day....Andy talking to Sarah. Putting his shoes and socks on has gotten distracted:

Andy: Sarah do you have my sock? There were two here and I'm missing one.

Sarah: looking around blankly

Me: Ummmmm, sweetheart you've got two on your feet already.

Everyone: lots of laughing!

Normally its the kids saying cute things. Today my wonderful husband! Gotta love him!

Dan is trying to say alot of new words. He is a little parrot right now. Everything we say he tries to say and everyday there seems to be a new one. The latest list includes car, truck, bye, more, ohoh, ta, and I'm sure more I've forgotten. He can't quite say them all. But he's trying eg truck is more like uck. Thankfully without another sound at the front! LOL!

And not only copying sounds. Anything the twins do, he does. And just now putting sunscreen on him. After hes done, he brings the bottle to me, tips it up on me and then starts rubbing my arm. Wow. Love this age. Such little sponges. Learning, growing taking everything in.

Alrighty, time to get moving. C U.

I love PJ's.

I have a friend who loves her PJ's and has done for years. I never 'got' it. She would tell me that she would come home at night after work and exercise, have a shower, then get into her PJ's. I just didn't 'get' it. Then at Xmas time out of the blue I decided I needed some PJ's and got a couple of Elle McPherson ones. They are light and made of gorgeous soft material which make you feel like you're not wearing anything. They are cool in this hot summer heat. They are simply wonderful. Now all of a sudden I find myself doing the same thing as my friend. After the kids are in bed, I've been for my walk, all that 'must do' stuff I jump in the shower and put on my PJ's. LOL! I looooooooove my PJ's.

Fiskars lovin....

over at the Fiskars ANZ blog. Go check it out. We had a little game just before Xmas to welcome the new Aussie lead ambassadors. But no one guessed the right answers. So this time we've given you the answers and all you have to do is match them up. Easy peasy right?! Go check it out you could win a Fiskars craft drill, Fiskars trimmer and Fiskars microtip scissors. Congrats to the girls who guessed the tools, they are getting a wee rak.

Yesterday was great. I managed to get a couple of things I needed doing done. And even managed to design and finish one item from a set of three. Whew. Now I just need to complete the rest of them.

I also went for a walk first thing which was lovely. The tide was just coming in down at the shell bank so I went along it before it was too late. And it was stunning. The water was absolutely flat.... except for the little fish that were swimming and jumping. They are only tiny sprats, but it was magic seeing the flash of light as the sun caught their skins when they jumped. Really beautiful.

Today daycare starts again. It wasn't a long break over Xmas but the kids are hanging out for it. They miss the activities, the friends, the fun they have there. And I must admit, it'll be more quiet just having one again. LOL!

I'm off to get my hair cut today. I have a love/hate relationship with the hairdressers. I love the pampering and time out. My hairdresser is lovely and I love to catch up on all his goss. I usually take some scrap mags or my sketch book to write notes in etc, BUT (and its a big but) I hate staring at myself in the mirror for so long. LOL! And it takes so darn long that I feel like I'm wasting time. Ya know? I desperately need to get some of these greys that are popping up out so will be good. Like I said love/hate. LOL!

Ok, well its been a bit here and there today, but that's it for me for now.

Have a fanatastic day.

A wonderful day

The weather around here has been amazing lately. Beautiful sunny days without too many clouds, often enough of a breeze to keep a little cool, without it being windy.

It was a perfect excuse to go to the beach with Vonny and her family. They have a really cute little beach just down from their house. And at high tide the water comes in and you can jump off the rocks just below the cliffs. Our kids were a little hesitant at first, but then loved it. The water was soooo warm. Everyone had a wonderful time.

I deliberately left my camera at home (I'm sure my family are sick of it being stuck in their faces the whole time), but as usual when I don't take it anywhere I regret it. LOL! Will definitely have to go back another day!

Afterwards we took the kids back to Vonny and Aers, gave them all showers, and then they stayed there for a sleepover. Yep. We were kid free. THANK YOU Vonny and Aer! Seriously. We stopped at the supermarket on the way home and got all of this yummy stuff:

Then sat there in the garden, reading magazines, drinking wine and listening to some of our favourite sounds. It was so peaceful. After we'd had enough to eat and I was nearly falling asleep in my mag, we had a wee snooze. Honestly, total decadance!

We haven't hung out just with ourselves like this for such a long time and it was wonderful. Of course we missed the kids (goes without saying), and when we went to bed, I felt quite bereft when I went to do the usual 'check the kids before we go to sleep' and they weren't there, but it was lovely to just have 'us' time. And I think we both needed it.

We had planned on going out, but were so happy just hanging out at home, that we stayed here. LOL!

And there we are...morning and no kids waking up running down the hall singing out "its 7 and 12" (meaning 7 o'clock and time to get up). Its weird. But I'm looking forward to my day where I can hang out, and get some work done before picking them back up again.

Hey, while I remember I got my SBO Jan Kit LO done. Here it is:

The yellow is quite a bit brighter here than IRL. LOL!

I had alot of fun with this kit. Lots of lovely colours and embellishments. I also used stitching and cutting out which are things I love. Yippee.

The metallic chipboard alphas are gorgeous. Totally into this look at the moment.

Have a great day!

PS: Happy birthday to Lucy and Jess for yesterday! Hope you had a wonderful day and got spoilt rotten!

If you were a snail....where would you hide?

For the last week I've been getting up and finding snail trails by the ranch slider in our lounge. We seem to have picked up a rouge snail somewhere, somehow. And try as I might, I just can't find it. So each morning I get up, clean off the snail trails and start looking for it again. Its really is quite funny! But my curiosity is getting the better of me. I just want to find this clever little snail. LOL!

Last night we had our neighbours over for dinner. It was so nice preparing a meal for someone other than ourselves from our garden. We dug up some potatoes, and cut off some rhubarb for rhubarb crumble. They brought a salad which was from their garden. Just wonderful to be able to share like this. So the meal was totally healthy (except the crumble! LOL) and fresh. Sorry you're probably getting bored by me talking about the garden. Its just such a novelty and I'm getting so much enjoyment out of it I can't believe it and just find myself raving. LOL!

Speaking of home made stuff. Have to have a little rave about Vals (Grannys) wonderful home made strawberry jam. Oh my! She made it from the left over strawberries from Xmas and gave us a jar a few days later. We LOVED it and it was gone within a week. Just divine! I have no idea how to do stuff like this, so to me its even more special! Thanks very much Val!

On Friday we had a big clean up in the kids rooms. They have these wonderful shelves with bright coloured baskets in them, but never seem to be able to put stuff away. Their room is constantly untidy and the baskets keep getting mixed up so they don't even look in them.

After hearing how successful my sisters new plan was I decided to give it a go as well. We labelled all the baskets with pictures of the toys that go in them. That way the kids know which basket has which toys in them. We are also trying to instil a routine where if they finish playing with something it goes back to its home. Basket or otherwise. At this stage it 'seems' to be working. The room has stayed tidy for a good 2 days!!!!!! What a miracle. LOL! And they get quite excited by knowing where to put their toys. Long may it last (however unlikely! LOL).

Heres a couple of pics:

 

On Friday I got my parcel from SBO with the Jan kit in it. Yippee! Donna and I put this one together and if I say so myself, it is really lovely. The colours are so beautiful. I got stuck into it yesterday and basically had the LO done, but left it overnight and now realise I need to add something else. So keep an eye out and you'll see it today or tomorrow.

I can hear pancakes starting to be cooked, so I must go help. Have a great Sunday.

Spontaneous Fun

Yesterday I was sitting there thinking how on earth am I going to keep these kids entertained for a day when I realised we hadn't really been out to too many places over the holidays. So being another beautiful day we decided to head off to the Auckland Domain. I really needed some adult company so gave Donna a quick call to see if she and her kids were busy. Luckily they weren't. So we all met up by some beautiful big trees with roots above ground that the children could clamber over. I had forgotten how beautiful this area is. A little scantuary in the middle of Auckland. Devine. We then headed off to the winter gardens with amazing greenhouses filled with beautiful exotic flowers and fish ponds. Stunning. Lots of pics taken. Heres a couple:

The kids totally loved seeing all the colour and the little bush walk. It was lovely to see them interacting with each other and telling each other about the flowers and enjoying the bush. We even got to see real life when a sparrow chased a moth, caught it then flew down just in front of us and ate it. Wow. They then got into all the trees and had a good run around outside. More pics of that to follow another day.

Last night I helped as a teachers aid at Jamie Waters class at NZ Scrapbook. Wow, she was so lovely. And to see her pages in real life was amazing. She had some beautiful papers and embellishments to use. And some stunning buttons from Autumn Leaves. Really really lovely! I had such a fun time. And I also got to catch up with Andrea and Jo who were taking the class. What fun!

She and her husband take the most incredible photos. Make sure you go check out what they've been doing in NZ and the experience from their eyes. I wish I could take photos like them!

Speaking of scrapping, have you seen the new post by Lyn at the Fiskars ANZ blog? You could win a rak from her, so pop on over and give it a go....

And being Saturday, here's another sketch. Trying to give you a bit more to work with this time. Lots of layers, shapes and fun to create. Enjoy.

Yesterday while I was having a good day, another family wasn't. Sir Edmond Hillary passed away early yesterday morning. He was one of NZ's most well known people and a real inspiration to young and old around the world. Words just don't express how much this wonderful man will be missed. He made a difference in peoples lives. He made them count. We need more people like him. My thoughts and best wishes go out to his family at this time.