Pics of a Pro!

Just wanted to share some awesome pics of my work! How much difference does it make having someone take pics of them who know what they are doing with their camera??? These are all DT lo's and projects for Acacia PaperCraft....

Another lo of my Beautiful Tayla - using Wild Asparagus "Beautiful" range of papers and embellishments, and Basic Grey Wholly Cow rubons. How totally GORGEOUS is that grin? I just adore this little munchkin - she's too cute for words!




Wild Asparagus again ... can you tell I love this stuff? Dennis and I when we first started dating ... how young do we look? lol. The Everlasting Keepsakes framedangoe at the top is my TOTAL favourite - I use it so much, it's not funny. I should be named it's ambassador or something!




And a detail pic - omg, I just love this, and it has me totally wishing for a new camera.









Ok, that's it for now - I was going to share some pics from the Matisse open day, and Chooks cybercrop, but they look a little sad next to these ones, so I'll wait till next time, and try and get some better pictures!

Scrapping, painting, scrapping!!

Wow, I'm tired already, and the weekend hasn't started yet! I'm cybercropping tonight at Chookscraps - pop over and check it out!Tomorrow, if you aren't busy, and you are in the Sydney area, Matisse is having their factory open day - I'm demonstrating there, so you can come and watch an artistic genius at work ... oh yes, you can see me too! (Rofl ... man I'm funny!!)

The lo below - the adorable one from the LittleScrapbookShop cybercrop? Well, it one the challenge ... yay me! I get a lovely new stash of May Arts and Maya Road ribbons - too cool! I also won a wonderful prize from ScrapbookingTop50 - the lovely Jude got together a wonderful group of Australian stores and manufacturers to sponsor a treasure hunt, and I won one of the prizes! Other winners included the Tara, and AuntyTracy ... congrats girls! Can't wait to receive my parcel - Jude had to go to the post office for bigger boxes, as our stash didn't fit in a pizza box - how awesome is that!!

Ok, I'm off to get ready for tomorrow ... wish me luck! I'll share some pics tomorrow when I get home - hopefully of lots of wonderful painted creations! Cya later bloggers!

A Scrappy Weekend!

I've had a really productive weekend, so I'm going to share it with you - I'm so happy with myself! lol
I'm in a Survivors competition at Chookscraps and got through to the second round! The first round was a sketch challenge - this is the lo that got me through!

I also Cybercropped at LittleScrapbookShop this weekend ... and with the lovely Cath and Shelee to scrap with, who wouldn't be inspired? This is one of my lo's from that.

And last, but not least, I finally finished this lo for the EDM comp, again at Chookscraps - been working on it for ages, and couldn't quite get it finished!

Ok, that's it - a quick pic share, and no whinging AT ALL about the fact that I started back at work today, and am already beginning the countdown to the christmas holidays. Aren't you proud of me? Bye bloggers!

Here are those pics you've been waiting for!

I've been trying to add pics to a previous post, and it wasn't working, so I'm just testing if I can add them in a new one! It seems that I can ... so here are the pics from 2 posts ago!
This is my Maya Road chipboard album ... wild asparagus papers, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters and rubons (YUCK! Love the font,hate using them.)

This is Kelseys' lo, where she very bravely kicked mummy off the computer to do some journalling strips, and raided my stash - she's a new fan of chatterbox, as she wanted to use every sheet she pulled out!

And this is the lo she was copying her journalling style from!
I'll upload some more pics later today - I just got some lo's back from a shop that was using them as display, and I'd forgotten how nice they were, so I'll take some pics of them.
I'm also scrapping later on today - I'm demonstrating for Matisse on the 21st of October, at their factory open day, so want to get some more cards and things made as samples. If you are in the area, come over and say hi - the first 200 people through the door get a goodie bag, and their products are awesome! Check it out here .... Matisse Open Day

POFPMSL ... it's new, it's innovative, and you'll have to check out here if you want to know what it means! Ok, I'm outta here ... cya later, have a great day, everyone!

PS

I just thought I would mention - Dennis commented on the fruit thing, because he was reading over my shoulder. Normally, I HATE that, but he was giving me a neck rub ... I love my husband! (That's just to make him feel bad ... he just called me a strange cookie, and that's not a very nice thing to say to someone who has just broadcast her eternal love for you over the internet, now is it? Well, to the 6 of you who read this, anyway!)

And now for something completely different ...

A happy post! I know, bloggers, I've been a bit down lately, but I'm making a concious effort to focus on the fun, the positive, the great things in my life. So no more injury stories, as amusing as they may be for you (sorry AT!!!) ... we have a bye at softball this week, so maybe in a couple of weeks I can continue the amusing saga that is my fitness regime. So what have I been up to? Scrapping, cleaning (yes I said cleaning -don't collapse in shock!) and generally making the most of the week I have left before I am once again slave to the government (AKA school holidays finish).

So what's happening in the scrapping world? I'm taking part in a Survivor challenge at ChookScraps ... the first challenge is a sketch one, and it's an awesome sketch, thanks Lorraine! I haven't finished it yet, but it's due on Friday, so I'll share when I get it finished. There are 55 talented scrappers taking part (well, 54 and me ... rofl) and 20 are being eliminated after this challenge, so it might be a short and sweet participation, but at least it's another lo finished!
The DT announcements have been made at LittleScrapbookShop. and the Design Team now has 3 amazing new members - HelenJ who is a part of the furniture there already (a very beautiful and talented piece of furniture though helen) and Deanne are our new stamping gurus, and Celeste is our new resident scrapping legend ... the funny thing is, I was looking through some mags on the weekend, and saw a lo that I fell in love with. I went back to it today to take another look at the colours in it, and it was one of Celeste's ... pretty cool, huh? (Ok, I'm easily amused, but at least I'm not bitching about something, so humour me, ok?)

Some pics, I hear you ask? Are you that sick of reading my drivel already? I'm just getting started! Ok, I'll humour you ... not many people appreciate the talents of a true literary genius, so I'll keep some visuals in here for you lot. (Again, talking to you, AT!!)
This is a Maya Road chipboard binder I did on the weekend - loving it, if I do say so myself. (What a stupid thing to say ... of course I said it myself! Did I expect you to think that an alien came along, abducted me, and typed complimentary things about my scrapping?)
Kelsey cybercropped on the weekend ... she's totally adicted, poor thing. Her future husband is going to HATE us - adictions to scrapbooking and swarovski crystal, he's got no chance! lol So here's her lo. She even kicked me off the computer so she could type up her journalling, and that's a pretty mammoth effort. She wanted to do her journalling like I had done in this one .... and she's done a pretty good job I think!

Ok, there were supposed to be pics, but blogger isn't playing nicely tonight. Am I going to let that get me down, though, bloggers? No I am not. I'll leave the wonderful stuff I've typed there, and you will just have to come back later to see the gorgeous pics that are supposed to be there. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait. Did you know that some of the greatest authors used to write things in serial form? Kept their audience in suspense. I'm really channelling Dickens here ... rofl. Ok, off to do something constructive, like eat a fundraising size Freddo and veg in front of the TV. Dennis says that I should have said I was going to eat a peach ... sounds more artistic, or something, but you know me, a freddo is much more likely. Cya later, alligator!

The ugly continues ...

Warning ...this is going to be a bitch session, so if you are pro-government legislation, pro-sticking it to the little guy by completely undervaluing workers compensation injuries, then please read no further.

Friday. Well, what a crap day. Went to the lawyers, to discover how little DH's pain and suffering from his back injury are worth. It totally sucks big time - I see how he struggles every day, and the pain on his face when he grits his teeth to pick up the girls, because he's sick of telling his 4 year old princess that "daddy can't pick you up darling, my back hurts too much", and how he pays for that for days afterwards ... both physically and emotionally. How he struggles because he spend 10 minutes throwing a ball around with his son, then pays for it for days afterwards. How is this fair? It tell you, the person who worked out the %TPI and corresponding payouts obviously didn't have to live with it.

That was originally a whole lot longer and more vitriolic, but I'm moving on ... we will deal with it, I guess, and deal with things the best that we can. We could certainly be a whole lot worse off - we are pretty blessed. So here's something a bit more lighthearted .... TAG, you're it! I don't know who visits here, so if you read this, and you want to do it, just add it to your blog, and let me know so I can check your answers out! Just BOLD anything on the list you have done.

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg ... (not unless lettuce counts!!)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone ... not unless you count fighting with my brothers
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (24 kilo's don't know what that is in pounds) ... then put it back on again
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111.Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating ... if fish count, anyway!!
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

Wow ... that's pretty cool, actually! I've done more than I thought I would ... none of the overseas ones, though. I haven't even been on a plane. Ok, I'm going to go and do something constructive, to try and get me out of this "wallowing in self-pity" funk ... take care everyone!

The good, the bad and the ugly.

This is going to be a quick one, but I got gently reminded by Tara the other night that it's been a little while since I blogged, so here I am!
It's been a mixed bag the past couple of weeks ....2 weeks on, and Tayla still isn't much better, the poor little munchkin. She woke up with a puffy swollen eye on Monday, and is back on antibiotics to try and get rid of this infection that's taken hold of her and doesn't seem to want to let go. She seems to be a bit better now, thanks to the antibiotics, but it's getting a bit old, her being sick all the time, I feel so sorry for the little sweety. She's such a trooper - I wish I was that resilience!
One of Kelsey's friends' from Lithgow had surgery this week - the Doctor's quite by accident found a tumour on her kidneys. Test results came back today, and it was benign, thank goodness, but we were pretty worried all week about her, and it really made me realise how totally blessed we are with our kids, but also how fleeting that can seem sometimes ... I've been really making the most of even the most insignificant moments with the kids the past couple of days as a result. It's a scary thing, when you hear the "T" word mentioned, so I can't even imagine how her mother must have been coping. Thinking of you, Bek!
We had some other bad news this week too - my grandfather isn't well, and things are looking progressively worse. "Not life threatening" were my Nan's words, but she didn't sound too convincing. I'm trying not to dwell too much on "what if's", but it's making me realise that I probably don't have too much time to waste if I want to get his stories down - he's a fair-dinkum Aussie yarn spinner, my Pa, and I could listen to him tell his tall tales for hours. So what I really need to do next time I indulge in that is to press record on the tape player, and get some of it captured.

I bet you're all waiting for the good? Well, here it is ... it's school holidays! I have been hanging out for these for a few weeks now, and I can't wait to get some serious relaxing happening. We are going to Colo River for some R&R tomorrow, so I'm planning on doing nothing but reading, resting, recuperating,... and anything else restfull that starts with R!! I'm scrapping tonight, so fingers crossed I can get out of this slump I've been in lately. That's it from me for now - hopefully next time I blog won't be too far away, and I'll have some slightly more happy news to share ... or at least some scrapping that I'm happy with!! Take care, everyone, and give your kids a special hug, if you have them!!

What a day!!

Tayla did not get better - in fact, she got substantially worse, and that resulted in an early morning dash to the Emergency Department as it became increasingly difficult for her to breath. She got a bit better as we arrived at the hospital - as they do!! - and some strong antibiotics today have helped her get a bit more lively, but still not anywhere near as lively as her usual bubbly self. Fingers crossed that tomorrow she is a whole lot better, as she is still planning on going to gymnastics tomorrow!

I just want to point out, for those of you who don't read the comments to my last post, that while Nic didn't keep us company, and inspire us with her brilliance, on Saturday night, she had a very good reason to pike - not just slackness! lol. So I hope you are getting better Russ, and you know I still love you nic!

On a much more exciting note, we went to karate tonight, and Kelsey graded! This is exciting on a number of levels - she has been hanging to get a different coloured belt, and while purple (her favourite colour) is still a while away, yellow is a good start. She is also really shy, and the fact that she trained at a different venue to where we normally go, and stood in front of strangers to do her kata, is pretty impressive. So congrats, my little yellow belted karate superstar!!

Happy birthday Tayla!

Just a quick share of some exciting news - Tayla is officially a big girl (well, in her eyes anyway.) She woke up this morning as a 4 year old, and a quite sick one at that. She felt like she was burning up, and had a horrid cough. She's a bit better now, but little trooper that she is, has had a great day so far. Dora is everywhere! Here is a pic of her favourite presents - a Dora bike from Mummy and Daddy, Dora scooter from her big sis Kattie and nephew and nieces, Boots and Swipter toys and Dora art set from Kieran and Kelsey, and her new Dora clothes. She also got some assorted toys (skipping rope, jacks, and pat and ball ... all Dora!) and some more Dora clothes and PJ's. Can you guess what her favourite show is at the moment?

It's pouring rain here today, so she has had to content herself with chucking laps of the house on her new bike ... she keeps trying to convince us that as she is a big girl, she doesn't need the training wheels on. Maybe next year! She had a Maccas party to go to for a friend from childcare, and had a great time - another friend's party next weekend, then Tayla's is the week after that. That'll teach me to get invitations out earlier, won't it? lol

I spent a great night scrapping last night with Cath, Shelee, and Sharon from LSBS ... Nic piked on us, but we managed to survive without her. I didn't get much in the way of scrapping done, just finished the journalling on one, and started another, but I did get 2 cards made, so that wasn't too bad. This is the lo I managed to finish - it's not quite how I wanted it to look, but how awesome is that face? She looks a bit happier than that today!

Ok, that's it from me today - I need to go and organise a cake for the birthday girl, and also for my sister-in-law, whose birthday is tomorrow. Take care, everyone!

Electrical Shock ...

as in, there are electrical appliances everywhere in shock after the events of the weekend!

(As a precursor to all this, so you don't think I'm completely nuts, I should let those of you who don't know me very well in on some inside info ... I don't DO housework. Or cooking. That's not to say that I can't, of course, but I work fulltime, and my husband is at home, so he does almost all of it. Of course, he did so too, when we were both working - so basically, I just don't do it, regardless of the circumstances. All set? Ok, here we go!!)

So father's day has come and gone for another year, and the biggest surprise in our household was the amount of electrical appliances that were used ... by me. We're talking cooking stuff here people! The frypan made an appearance, and was wondering who this strange person was pulling it from the cupboard. The sandwich toaster was wondering who she was too, and why she was sitting it on top of a hotplate that was actually hot - didn't she know that she needed to plug the cord in to use me? (In my defense, I forgot that the hotplate had been turned on, and wasn't really trying to heat up the Breville like that, honest. And it's only a little bit melted, not much!!) On the upside, breakfast was great, and DH seemed to enjoy eating a meal he hadn't prepared, which usually only happens when it's served with fries and a coke.

So then I did some vacuuming, and wonder of wonders, the house stayed standing. No walls collapsed, no buildings caving in from shock, no effects at all - except, of course, for the substantially cleaner floor. Perhaps this cleaning caper isn't so hazardous to my health after all! I did kick my toe though, and we don't want a repeat of that too often. Hmmm.

We took the dog for a walk, and went to see my stepdad and give him his presents. Came home to get dinner organised, and Dennis said he really wanted to cook, so who am I to stand in the way of a father on fathers' day? I did help, though, by staying well out of his way, and having a nap on the lounge while watching a movie with the kids. It was the least I could do.

We put the kids to bed, and settled down for a nice relaxing night. I decided to pull out the scrapping stuff, and Dennis started helping out ... surprisingly (or not, I guess, if you know my husband) he was a great help. I now have the perfect title for a pic I've been wanting to scrap, and he picked out some great papers to go with it. Then comes the next shock - I used the iron. (Insert ominous sounding music here) I've had some Heidi Swapp iron on letters for a while, after being inspired by a lo I saw at Scrapabout Australia, but hadn't used them. So, motivated by all my appliance adventures of the day, I pulled it out and got ironing. And they look really awesome! The only problem was the slightly melted section on the craft mat (note to self: maybe ironing on the ironing board next time would be a good ideaa). I just need to get one more pic printed before I can finish the lo properly, so I'll share that when it's done.

In other news, LittleScrapbookShop are looking for some new DT members - a scrapper, and a stamper. If that's something you might be interested in, check out the forums for info ... it's a great site to be a part of! They also have lots of great challenges going on at the moment, so if you are in the mood for some scrapping, head on over and be inspired.

Ok, I'd better go and do some work - today is my easy day, so I'm taking advantage of a bit of free time. Cya later, bloggers!

Who said they were soft?

I had my first softball training session today (still haven't gotten my head around the fact that I agreed to play - what's that all about?!?!) and I'm curious as to what form of drugs the person who named the game must have been on. I can personally attest to the fact that the balls are anything but soft, and I have the broken nose to prove it! Note to self: the glove needs to go between the ball and my face at all times. That's it. Just wanted to share my injuries with you all. Scrapping tonight, so I'll share some pics tomorrow. Bye all!

Stamping Up!!

So it's sunday afternoon, and I'm feeling much better! I went to bed early on Friday night after handing in all my programs (not quite finished, but as close as I was going to get in such a short period of time), and slept solidly for about 11 hours - the first time in ages that I've had a chance to do that, and actually been able to! I took Kelsey to dancing on Saturday morning, which she loved - I think the couple of weeks off was really good for her. I did a little bit of shopping (got some aDORAble swimmers for Tay for her birthday, she's a little Dora mad at the moment!) and some shirts that are really nice, reduced to $10 each - bargain! Did some scrapping last night, but nothing really finished, so I'll upload some pics when I get them done, and went to Gill's today for a SU demo with the lovely Jayne Mercer (what a stamping legend she is!) Ordered another set of SU stamps ... too cute!

In other news, my Aunty, who is getting married soon, has set a date - on my birthday! So I'm thinking pretty seriously of going over there (she's in Perth) ... probably flying over on Thursday night, and coming home on Sunday. It'll be my first time on a plane - how did I make it to almost 32 without going on a plane, you ask? I don't know. So I'm looking forward to that.

Ok, off to get some housework done, and get organised for work tomorrow - take care, everyone!

I can sleep next week!

Ok, people, this is going to be a long bitch session about work ... just skip it if you like, it's just a vent, and I really do love what I do ... just not right at this minute!!

Far out, people who think that teaching is a cushy job with wonderful holidays are just flat out daft. Here's my week in a nutshell. Extra lesson on monday, which would normally be fine (well not really, but anyway ...) except that it was with a particularly horrid class. The problem with this? I also had them for the lesson before. So that's 2 hours of hell, and just to make it better (notice the sarcasm) not ONE of them was away that day. Of course! 2 hours of stress and tension with a full class of behaviourally challenged students. Great! So to top that off, I've got an entire years worth of programs to write, for classes I don't even teach, due on friday. Complete with outcomes, work samples, etc etc ... yeah, sure, no problem! I can sleep next week maybe. So that's ok, it should all be ok shouldn't it? Well it would be, except for something I am rapidly discovering about myself ... I CAN'T SAY NO!! So today, after rushing from one class to another, then making a coffee that I think is still sitting on my desk, a colleague asks me if I would mind doing a presentation at a staff meeting tomorrow, as she won't be able to do it - sure, no problem, I say! This is in spite of the fact that I was kind of hoping to skip out on the staff meeting and get another program written, so I could maybe sleep tonight ... that's ok, I can sleep next week!
And to top it off, for the last couple of weeks I've been trying to get the unit folders to go with the units organised, only to find out today, after not one, not 2, but FOUR of them are finished, that my Dept. Head has decided that they don't need to be handed in, so no-one else is doing them - that would have been nice to know! So bring on holidays, when the biggest perk is that I get to stay home and do programming and planning without trying to fit it around going to classes. Today was officially hump day - the halfway point of the term, so five weeks and 2 days to go, woo hoo.

Ok, off to program ... hopefully a nicer post, maybe with some scrapping, next time!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to high school we go ...

So it's official - well, more official than it was before, really. We got the letter on Wednesday telling us that Kieran was accepted to the high school we were hoping for. It's public, but out-of-area for us, so we had to fill out heaps of forms to get approval to enrol him there, and they approved it ... yay! Except that with the letter came the enrollment forms, and the uniform price list, and the dates for the orientation sessions, and all of a sudden the whole "high school" thing is not so much of a distant thought anymore, but a sudden looming reality, and I don't know that I'm really ready to deal with my little man going to high school just yet! It's not as much to do with the fact that I'm getting older (thanks Kel!) as it has to do with the fact that he's getting older ... so the high school thing, combined with the other tell-tale signs of maturity (secretive phone calls to girls, (well one really!!) all of a sudden caring about the hair cut, being fussy about what the label on the clothes is when he never has before, and oh, did I mention the time spent on the phone?!?) are making me realise all of a sudden that he's not a little kid any more, and I'm kind of unsure how I feel about that. Off to scrap some more baby pics of him, I think ... lol.

A quick Monday night share ...

My aunty and her Significant Other are getting married! About time, Aunty Ruth! lol They are looking at getting hitched sometime over the christmas hols,which is when we were thinking about going over for a visit (they live in WA) so that's sounding all exciting!!

Here's a lo I did for the LittleScrapbookShop cybercrop on the weekend - I'm SOOO loving this one! Tayla is such a poser, and you just have to get the camera out and she's off. This was her "superhero" afternoon - gotta love the versatility of a teatowel, it was a baby blanket a few minutes later, then a bullfighters cape. She LOVED being a superhero though -and I love these pics! Fabric totally inspired by Jen Hall ... who else?

Ok, bedtime for me - off on a Geography field trip tomorrow, doesn't that sound like fun??? lol Night all!

Lip-gloss, anyone?

I spent yesterday scrapping with friends (more about that later) and called in on the way to get a few things, including a new lip-gloss. I get really dry lips, especially when I have playground duty at school in the wind, so it's kind of an essential. I got home after my big day out, and put it up- not in the loungeroom in plain sight, but in the hidey-hole in my bedhead. So this afternoon, I heard Dennis asking Tayla what she was doing ... I smelt a very strong strawberry scent. Sure enough, Tayla had not only found my lip balm, but eaten almost all of it. Yes, I said EATEN. How bizarre is that? I'm going to hide the rest of my makeup, I think ...

I spent all day yesterday scrapping at the lovely Cath's house, with the equally lovely Nicole and Shelee. What a great day - good snacks, good scrapping supplies, and great fun. I finished 3 lo's, and got another one almost finished. Definitely planning another one of these soon!! I'll upload some pics later.

I have a pretty busy week coming up - Geography excursion on Tuesday, full days at work every other day, physi competition for the girls on Saturday plus a stamping workshop to go to with the lovely Aunty Tracey if I get home in time, then we are booked in for a photo session on Sunday. Tayla's childcare centre runs a fundraiser where you get some awesome sepia photos (there are some in my slideshow above from the last session) so I need to find some clothes for the kids to wear before then. So what am I doing to night? Preparing for the excursion, marking assignments, getting clothes ready? No, I'm scrapping - finishing the challenges for LittleScrapbookShop's cybercrop, and doing the Friday and Sunday challenges too if I get time. I've gotten some beautiful pics printed, thanks to Rachel Richter, who provided a photo imaging pack (which I won) to the Breast Cancer Foundation raffle that Ngaire Bartlam was running, so thanks Ngaire and Rachel!

That's it from me tonight- I'll try and post some pics in the next couple of days, and update with some more news from everyone else. Take care!!

It's fun to stay at the YMCA!!

Tayla had her first Gymnastics class of many today - and boy, does she love it! She hasn't stopped talking about it all afternoon, and Dennis said her face just glowed the moment they stepped in the room and she saw all the equipment. She said that swinging on the rope into the foam block pit was her favourite - she's a natural, really, the little monkey. That's one of the sad things about me working full-time and Daddy staying home - he gets to experience all those fun special moments. And does he think to take the camera? NO!! I tell you, how can I scrap something without pictures? I'll pack it in her gym bag next week, I think. lol

Nothing much else to report - those of you waiting patiently (or not-so-patiently, as the case may be) for my ATC's, all but the rainbow ones are on their way, so keep an eye on your mailboxes, ladies! I was on a roll last night. Work sucked today, hopefully it won't suck so badly tomorrow and I won't walk out thinking of quitting. Well, not really, but it was getting close.
Oh, here's a lo I did on the weekend - don't you love old daggy pics of yourself? lol. This is Dennis and I not long after we first met ... I LOVE this Wild Asparagus paper, I'm going to get myself some more. I could almost frame it just the way it is! I'm on a mission to get through some older pics, but thankfully there aren't many more of them like this - mostly the kids. Phew!

Sunday, busy sunday!!

Wow, how on earth do we manange to cram so much into a weekend? Kieran has his birthday party yesterday, so after rushing around taking Kelsey to ballet and jazz in the morning, and dropping her back to Nanna's for the afternoon, it was off to the movies, with 8 12 year olds - what were we thinking? My god, Kieran has friends who talk as much as he does - I didn't know it was possible. His friend Remi (whose party he went to last weekend) came along too - what a sweetheart she is. They sat together in the movies, and talked and giggled, and then spent an hour on the phone today - the end result of all this is, my little boy now has a girlfriend. And a very nice one too!!
The movie was great, by the way - Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest. Quite funny, definitely setting up for the 3rd movie which I'm assuming will follow.

In other news, I've been scrapping up a storm - challenges for LSBS, DT work, and basically lots of pics that I've been wanting to scrap for ages. I've done about 6 lo's this weekend I think - some of them need a few finishing touches, which is what I'm planning on doing tonight, as well as some overdue ATC's (I'm getting to them, I promise, Judy!! Don't yell at me!!) Speaking of which, I'd better get working on them - right after I chase these girls off to bed, little toads! Cya later, everyone, I'll share some pics next time!

Some random musings on being a mother of a Man in the making ...

Some of you will remember that my son turned twelve a couple of weeks ago, and I've noticed all of a sudden how grown up he is. Maybe it's the sudden realisation that he's not a little boy anymore, and that in less than 6 months time he'll be in high school - one of those students that I teach, how's that possible!! He still drives me mental at home, but what kid doesn't every so often?
The thing I'm most proud of, I guess, is that he is growing up into such a great guy. He went to a birthday party last weekend, and it was all girls and him, the little chick magnet. But the thing that struck me was how well the girls all spoke of him, and how well he treated them, especially when he thought that I wasn't around. He's funny, and smart, and respectful, and generous, and I'm really proud that he's so well adjusted. I'm just a little sad that he's getting so grown up all of a sudden, as it means that he's a little less reliant on mummy ... but that's what parenting is about, I guess, isn't it? Thanks to Vita for my latest favourite quote, on that note -
"The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children". Elaine Heffner
I'm glad that my work of art is turning into such a masterpiece!

My main focus when I've been scrapping in the past week or so has been my not-so-little boy, and reflecting back on his life thus far. Here are a couple of lo's I've done in that vein... This lo is using Reminisce papers, from the LittleScrapbook Shop's monthly kit (GREAT job on the kits, cath!)

This is the hidden journalling from the above lo ... just some reflections on how alike my little boy still is to this pic, with his cheeky grin and smiling eyes.

This one is for a Wacky Wednesday challenge - using white, and no pp. I love it - can't stop looking at it, really! Gotta love primas.

Ok, that's it from me for now - off to scrap. Cya later all, don't forget to hug your kids, and cherish each moment. (Gee, that was a bit soppy, wasn't it?? lol)