KIDS - who'd have 'em??

GRRR ... what a day! Firstly, I was supposed to be at a behavioural management seminar for work- yay! The only problem was, I was told the wrong starting time, and the wrong section of the venue - so, when we sorted out where I was supposed to be, I was over an hour late.
About an hour or so into it, and I got a phone call, which I ignored, as it was from a number I didn't recognise - then another, then another, all from different numbers though. Finally, one of the staff members came in looking for "Tamara Rodgers - there's a phone call for you." It was from Kieran's high school, just telling me that he was involved in an incident and was injured, and they needed someone to pick him up. It turns out that another student had taken exception when Kieran reached for a pencil, and smashed him into a window sill. Kieran had a pen in his hand, and during the struggle the other child got scratched with the pen, so now Kieran is in trouble for that, even though he was trying to protect himself, and now has major strained muscles in his neck, and what likes like a developing black eye. Double GRRR! I just want to keep him home and teach him myself - I think it makes it harder because I work in a high school, so I know what they can be like. Dammit, I just want to protect him from all this crap, but at the same time I just know that I can't!

Ok, that's it - just a little vent. I'll return you to your scheduled programming!! LOL If you are up for some scrapping this weekend, LSBS is having their 2nd birthday Cybercrop this weekend - check it out!!
I'll catch you all later - hopefully with better news next time!!

The week (and a bit) in review ...

Wow, I'm getting slack aren't I? The past couple of weeks have been pretty full on, and I'm amazed that I'm here as sane and stable as I am at this point in time! So just a quick wrap up of what has been going on ...

Mum was hospitalised last week, with chest pains - she's ok now, following up on some Dr's appointments, but it was very scary seeing such a strong and capable woman lying in a hospital bed scared and helpless. Thanks to everyone who sent well-wishes to me, I really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. So that was monday - she was home on Tuesday, and Kieran was in hospital for his orthodontic surgery on Wednesday. The surgery itself went ok, but he doesn't react well to anaesthesia (spelling??), so it was very scary to see him laying there, semi-conscious in recovery, and not to be able to do a thing to help him (can you sense the theme of my week?) Still welling up a bit at the thought of it actually!! That whole night was not great for him (despite the spectacularly funny face plant as he tried to stand up and tumbled over the lounge, then went back to sleep completely oblivious) but by the next day he was getting back to his usual obnoxious self. I did take the rest of the week off work though - I think the stress of it all just got to me, and my body shut down. SO, I was more than ready for the weekend, and the Scrapgirls retreat!! I had a total blast, and it totally reminded me how much I love my friends - they are just awesome, and I'm so grateful for them. So here is a copy and paste version of my weekend, taken from the post I made at LSBS.

The weekend was SOOO awesome, you won’t even believe it. We did some great classes – a cool altered clock class run by Sheree which was great, a calendar class (I think Nic might have been the only one to do this though out of us lot!!) and a couple of other kit type ones – the BEST by far, though, (sorry Sheree!!) was Alison Shearer’s mini book/folder class … it’s too cool for words, really! Alison is such a great teacher – Nic and I are becoming her groupies!! Lol I haven’t taken pics of my projects yet, but I know Nic’s clock, plus some of her other layouts are already in the gallery.

So that’s the serious scrapping stuff … now for the rest. We played bingo … Sheree was no good at calling out the words (she kept calling the wrong ones) so Kylie was put in charge. Friday night was an early night for me – I went to bed at 3am, while Cath and Nic powered on till 4. I say powered on … what I mean is, Nic powered on, while Cath shuffled papers around and kept her company. LOL. Not much scrapping went on there!! Saturday arrived, and so did Sharon … and you would have thought that Nic won the lottery! You’ve never seen anyone more excited in your life – we joked for the rest of the weekend that they were conjoined twins, and Cath and I felt bad for separating them. They slept on opposite sides of the same wall on Saturday night, and you would have thought that woodpeckers were invading, or someone was trying to send morse code signals … LOL. We didn’t get to bed on Sunday morning until we heard the roosters crow – it was about 4.30 when we headed to our rooms, and much later than that when the tapping stopped and the snoring started.

You have never seen musical chairs in your life like we played it at Meroo. It was combat musical chairs. Bodies were flying, private parts were groped – it certainly needed an M rating. And that was before we saw the prize that Nic got for winning – otherwise the rest of us would have fought harder! I do know that Cath was NOT impressed with the choice of music (Hi-5), but you couldn’t tell from the enthusiasm with which she was grooving and shaking around those chairs with. Maybe she was just trying to put us off!! Lol Sheree got some pics, so hopefully she’ll share them with us.

I demo'ed my first SU card!! It was pretty simple, but a few people made one, and they seemed to really like it, so I was a happy camper. I don't have pics of that yet, but I'll find them when I eventually unpack my scrapping stuff.

Our motto for the weekend??? Scrapping is a contact sport. There’s nothing soft about it!! I know I’ve missed a LOT of stuff – but I’m at work, and I should probably go and earn some money. Some other highlights included a demonstration of Cath’s superior negotiation skills, Sharon and Nic doing their best on-stage performance of a Robbie song (of which there were MANY over the weekend!!!), and my ever-so graceful tumble UP the stairs as we were packing up to come home. I tell you, I can’t WAIT for the Little Scrapbook Shop retreat – it’s going to be totally awesome!! It's at the same venue as Scrapgirls, and I know that Cath is going to have some AMAZING stuff organised for us. Check out LSBS for some info if you are interested in joining us!

So after the retreat, it was back to work for the week - lots of running around, not much of a chance to organise anything meaningful though, and I got to the athletics carnival on Friday with a sense of relief. It was a great day - I was on Shot Put with a good friend, so we had a fun time. Friday night drinks across the road are becoming a bit of a regular event which we all enjoy, and after running around on Saturday to soccer, Kieran's high school for a uniform sale (OMG, what people will do for half price uniform, it put the Myer Boxing Day sales to shame!!!), then dancing with Kelsey before heading to Cath's for a great afternoon - no scrapping, but lots of great conversation. Love you, Cath!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!! I hope all you mothers out there had a great day, and all you aunties, god mothers, good friends who help and support other people with their kids, school teachers, child care workers ... it takes a village to raise a child, as somone famous once said (who WAS that???) and I'm so grateful for all the women around me who help me out, so I'm celebrating all of them today, not just the ones who are biologically mothers.

I had a great day - breakfast in bed (which I normally hate, but minimal crumbs on the sheets this morning, so that's good!) The classic quote for the day:

Kelsey: Mummy, you're going to have a surprise breakfast! We're having muffins.
Kieran: Good on you, Kelsey, you just told her!
Kelsey: It's ok, she doesn't know about the bacon and egg....

I PMSL at the look on her face when she realised that she'd given it away - she's too cute!

I got the most beautiful framed portrait of the kids for mothers day, which I didn't even know had been taken - Dennis had organised it while I was away last weekend. He even got extra copies in a few different sizes, so that I can scrap them - what a gem! Plus an assortment of handmade cards, and an address book and pen from Kelsey from the school fete - I'm a happy camper. We had lunch at my sisters place with my parents, and my sister in law's family, and it was great - really relaxed and fun. Home to a nap on the lounge, and to watch TJ get evicted from Big Brother - what could be better?

Wow, this has turned into a very long post ... I'll finish off with some layouts that I did last weekend. Totally loving everything I did, which is unusual for me!
This layout was made with the challenge pack that we were given - can't remember the papers, but I really like them. This was also made using a sketch from Little Book of Sketches - LOVE the resources there!











This second layout was done using the scraps left over from the first layout, and this is one of my faves - I love these pics of Kelsey!

This one is a pic that I know some people will recognise -I think it's about the third time I've scrapped it. Yes, I know, with the amount of photos I have I should really scrap something else. This is the first time I've used Stampin' Up! papers, and they are VERY nice - this layout is all SU stuff, the pp, cs, chipboard (yes chipboard in the new catty -very very nice!!) and of course stamps. Cool, huh??














And this last one, a quick and fun one of Tay splashing around - she's such a cutie!

K everyone, that's it from me today - if you've read this far, give yourself a pat on the back, and leave me a comment, I've got some lovely cards I've made here from the retreat that need a home! I'm going to pick someone at random to send one to. Take care, and have a great week!

Weekly roundup

Well, the school holidays are coming to a close ... only hours to go, really! I'm SO not ready to go back to work tomorrow -any volunteers to go for me? It's really easy, I promise - pay no attention to any of that other stuff I may have said in the past. hmmmm .... no takers? Oh, ok, well I tried.

So it's a big couple of weeks coming up - settling back in to the swing of things at work, punctuated by Kelsey's birthday party, Kieran's next round of dental surgery, and the most exciting (for me anyway) SCRAPGIRLS RETREAT! I am so looking forward to this, it's going to be great. So if your a scrapper (and I don't think anyone BUT scrappers reads this, really) and you want a great weekend of scrapping, classes, and a lot of fun, check out the Scrapgirls website! It's going to be wonderful, and I was talking to Kylie last week and she said that there are some spots left, so you should really book in now!!

I've spent most of the weekend scrapping - Friday at Tracey's place with Deanne and Leonie, and it was great ... thanks for helping cut out all those little flowers AT! Saturday I went to visit Nicole, and had a chat with her and Sheree, who was also popping around for a visit. Then Saturday night at Cath's place, with Sharon and Michelle. Today I finished a couple of layouts for the LSBS Little Book of Big Memories competition, and I'm pretty happy with them - 7 down, 5 to go. I can't wait to get them all finished - there are some wonderful layouts appearing in the gallery, it's really inspiring!

K, I guess that's it for me - I really should go and get myself organised for tomorrow. Oh, I almost forgot ... did you check out my new addition to the blog? I LOVE Natalie Merchant, she's one of my fave singers. I hope it works ok for you - make sure you leave a comment and let me know if you like it, and if it works ok for you!

Take care,
Tamara

Exciting News, and a great quote!

Ok, I mentioned the other day that there might be some exciting news coming? Well, here it is!! I've been asked to be on the Creative Team at Little Book of Sketches ... I'm so excited! It's such a great site, with a wonderful collection of sketches that you can't help but be inspired by. I totally love it, and I'm honoured to have been asked to work with them. If you head over there, you can check out my first layout appearing on the blog - it's one of my favourites lately, I just love it! And, it was made using scraps - even better!

So, the most exciting thing for me when I read the post announcing that I was on the creative team, and showcasing my layout? The fact that I was called "YOUNG" in my description ... LOL. (I have a sneaking suspicion that it's just so that Cath can be young by association, as she is ONLY JUST younger than me, but I'll let her get away with that indulgence, as she creates such awesome sketches.)

Don't forget - there is still time to link, blink and win over at LBOS! If you use one of their blinkies, or add them to your blog links, just leave a commment for your chance to win! Gotta love free stuff.

So here's my favourite quote of the moment ... I was blog surfing earlier, and stumbled across Zina Wright's blog, where she had posted this. I just love it - I'm going to make it my motto, I think.

I will grow.
I will become something new and grand,
But no grander than I now am.
Just as the sky will be different in a few hours, it's present perfection and completeness
is not deficient, so am I presently perfect
and not deficient, because
I will be different tomorrow.
Wayne Dyer

Thanks for checking in, everyone ... Take care!

What teachers make ...

I was just checking out the blogs of people who left a comment at Little Book of Sketches ... I found this at kpitt.typepad.com ... I love it! So during these school holidays, this is for all of you who teach, or who have a teacher in your lives somewhere - it's a great read!

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher ?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."
To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make ?" Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?
(She paused for a second, then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like a Medal of Honour. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental...
You want to know what I make?"
(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
I make kids wonder.

I make them question.

I make them criticize.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them to write and then I make them write.

I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

I make my students stand to sing Advance Australia Fair because we live in the best country in the world .
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.
(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)
"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
What do you make?"

THERE IS MUCH TRUTH IN THIS STATEMENT:
"Teachers make every other profession."

So big hugs to all the teachers out there!!!

Don't forget to check out Little Book Of Sketches ... there is a great comp running at the moment where you can win free scrapping products, and lets face it, are there any better kinds of products than free ones???

How exciting!

I just wanted to share with you an awesome new blog ... I totally love it, what an awesome resource! It's called the Little Book of Sketches, and it's filled with some amazing sketches to help you out in your scrapping, sorted into categories according to layout size and the number of photos used, as well as sketches for different shapes and styles of cards, and even ATC's!

Even more exciting - for me, anyway - is that I've been asked to be a part of this blog - keep an eye out for some exciting news coming up! I just love using these sketches - heaps of inspiration, and heaps of great ideas. And, they look TOTALLY great - really different to a lot of other sketch sites out there. So if you are in a scrapping slump, or just want to try something different, check it out - it looks fantastic!

Lets see if i have a life...

I'm off to the Royal Easter Show tomorrow, to demonstrate for Matisse, and meet up with the wonderful Michelle Roberts - I can't wait! So if you are going to be there tomorow, come and say hi ... I'll be the one at the Matisse stand getting all messy. LOL

Ok well I stole this from Sheree's blog and she thinks she has no life LOL... now its my turn to see if i have a life... if you want to find out just copy and paste the list onto your blog would love to see who has a life LOL....(after scrapping that is)
It’s been said that allegedly if you’ve seen over 85 movies you have no life. Mark the ones you’ve seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog, paste it in and put x’s by the ones that you have seen. Add them up, change the header adding your number, and post it.”
(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
( ) AnchorMan
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(X) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 11 out of 22.
(X) Scream
(X) Scream 2
(X) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(X) Scary Movie 2
(X) Scary Movie 3
(X) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(X) American Pie 2
(X) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 27 out of 43
(X) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(X) The Grinch
( x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
(x) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30 (Sundenny 30-for all us Aussies)
(x) I, Robot
( x) Robots
(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
(x) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
Total so far: 42 out of 66.
(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(X) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(X) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(X) Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
(X) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 53 out of 90.
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(X) Child’s Play
(x) Seed of Chucky
( x) Bride of Chucky
(X) Ten Things I Hate About You
(X) Just Married
( ) Gothika
(X) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( x) Remember the Titans
(x) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride (aka Roadkill - for us Aussies)
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
(x) Ocean’s Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( x) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(X) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 74 out of 121.
(X) Independence Day
( x) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(X) E.T.
(X) Children of the Corn
(X) My Bosses Daughter
(x ) Maid in Manhattan
( x) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x ) She’s All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 95 out of 147.
(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X3
(x ) Spider-Man
( x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
(x) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday*
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
Total so far: 108 out of 165.
(X) Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street*
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
(X) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old Virgin
(x) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 119 out of 181.
(x) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
(X) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(X) Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 126 out of 200.
( ) High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
(x ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
() Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 133 out of 220.
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(x) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix: Reloaded
() The Matrix: Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
So a grand total of 143 out of 239

WOW - that's a lot of hours in front of the television!
I'm signing off now - going to stretch my hip a bit more in the hope that I'll actually be able to walk tomorrow, and clean up the post easter chocolate hunt mess. Hope you all had a great easter!

My new best friend

I'd like to introduce you all to my new best friend. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'm in love. Slender, dark, powerful, and really switched on. He's also pretty fast. I've been lusting after him for a long time, and I've finally replaced my old defective model - he was just too slow, too boring, too blah.
So here he is - my SpeedTouch WiFi modem! Isn't he gorgeous?? LOL I don't know how I survived on Dial-up for so long, and I'm so thankful to be finally able to not waste time waiting for pages to upload. What did I do before broadband? I'll tell you what I did - wait, wait, wait, and wait. Curse the connection for dropping out halfway through posting, so I had to start all over again. And then, just for something a bit different, I waited. Now, I'm zooming along! I'm very grateful for you, my new man... and I'll try to wait at least a week before I start getting frustrated with your faults, and cursing you while I sit here and surf the net!

Funny faces

Ok, here is my layout for the UL comp at Scrap Therapy - I really love this one, some gorgeous paper, and the cutest pics of my girls mucking around, practising their air-guitar skills! I hand cut the title out of one sheet of pp, and the flowers were cut from another - I've given up saying that I'm not going to handcut stuff anymore, because let's face it, I'm a bit addicted, and everyone knows I'll be doing it again! lol

That's it for today - no amazing news, just a lo share. Oh, yeah - have you checked out the big comp at Little Scrapbook Shop yet? What are you waiting for??? Cath has just told us she's got some new stuff in - you know you want to look!! lol

Going, going, GONE!!

And we have a winner ... they're all packed up, and on their way to a new home. I could probably get rid of this much again, and still not notice the difference in my stash - so keep your eyes peeled, there could be another pack on its way.

So do you feel like you need to scrap something?? It's Urban Lily month at Scrap Therapy ... the monthly kit is one of my fave UL ranges, and there is a great competition running with an awesome prize of UL papers!! Check it out ... you have until the end of the month to upload your Urban Lily layout to the gallery! I've been doing that this afternoon, and I've scrapped a lo of some goofy pics of the girls ... I can't wait to get a pic of it in decent light tomorrow. I'll upload it for you then!

Take care people ... Love Tamara

Paper for sale, part 2

Ok, here is the final pack - it's an assorted mix of paper, including 3Bugs, Pebbles Inc, Fancy Pants, KandCO, Comstock Collection, Wild Asparagus, and others. 21 sheets of paper, a 2Bugs tag sheet with 3 tags missing, and a 12x12 creative imaginations overlar (it's the black and gold one - it's clear, but has a sheet of white paper behind it so you can see it better). $10.

Don't forget to check out the post below for the other packs!

Do you need paper??? ROFL

Ok, I'm clearing out some pp ... there is no WAY I need as much as I have! So here they are:

Chatterbox pack - there is a pack of paper patches, which retail for about $6 I think, plus 28 sheets from a number of ranges. $15










Basic Grey pack - these are older ranges, like Sweet Pea Jack and Alyssa, Motifica, Aged and Confused, Lollipop Shop, Acid Washed, and Black Tie. There are 20 full sheets, a 2/3 sheet in case you want to use it, plus a sheet of tags from the aged and confused range with one tag missing. $10











Black and white 8x8 pages. There are 25 assorted sheets of pp, most of them doubles - some gorgeous papers that I have WAY too many off! $5

Melissa Frances and KISS assorted pack - there are 18 sheets of Melissa Frances pp, and another 9 sheets of Designs Galore and KISS photograph range papers. The red range are christmas ones, and are just gorgeous - I love these Melissa Frances pp's! $10

Girly assortment - there are 2 Rasberry paper packs in this lot, with 4 sheets of pp each, and matching alpha stickers, plus a variety of other ranges, including AED, Scrapbooking Australia, and Karen Foster. There are 3 sheets of AED My Cuts, which do have a couple of tags or letters missing, and the purple letter paper has a couple of letters cut out of it. 20 sheets of pp altogether, and I'm throwing in some assorted blossoms with this lot. $10

There is one more assortment, but I can only upload 5 images per post, so I'll create another post above this one. If you are interested in any of these, let me know either by email or by leaving a comment here ... I've got them all packed up ready to go. Postage will be extra, but as an added bonus if you want 3 or more of these packs, I'll post them for free for you.

Have a great day!

A Quick Ad Break ...

Ok people, this will be quick - what do Channel 10 say? A 60 second ad break ... well, that all depends on how quickly you can read! lol

Friday night, I'm having a Total Learning demo ... it's basically a great range of educational books and CD-ROM's, some really awesome stuff! And let's face it, you can never have enough kids books (although my husband would vehemently disagree with this comment!!) If you are in my area, and you want to come along, email me and I'll give you the details. Or, if you can't make it, you can check out the online catalogue, and let me know if you want to place an order ... http://www.totallearning.ws/catalogue.php

While I'm advertising, don't forget - there isn't long until the new Stamping Up! Catalogue arrives, which means that there's not long to go until the Retiring items leave us forever! Here are the links if you are interested in checking out what is retiring ... email me if you want to place an order, but remember, anything on the Retirements list is only available while stocks last, or until March 31st, so don't leave it too late! (Note to self - ORDER SOME WATERCOLOUR CRAYONS!!)
Stamping Up! 2006-2007 Idea Book and Catalogue
Stamping Up! Retirement List

I hope that wasn't too long a break - I'll now return you to your scheduled progamming.

Take care everyone!

2 posts in one day ... what is the world coming to???

Ok, here are the pics I promised!!

http://www.littlescrapbookshop.com.au/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3296
This link will take you (hopefully!) to my Fancy Pants layout for the Little Scrapbook Shop Little Book of Big Memories comp - the girls and I camped out in the loungeroom, it was lots of fun!
And this next one is for my Cactus Pink lo - when I started working on this one, I really didn't like the paper, but I'm so happy with how this lo has turned out!!
http://www.littlescrapbookshop.com.au/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3377
Take a look at the other great lo's in the competition gallery so far - if you haven't registered yet, there is heaps of time, check out the posts in the forum for more details!













And then, finally, the soccer star - how cute is she?? lol

Ok, I'm off again - suffering with a sinus related headache and earache tonight, so I'm having a day of tomorrow to recover. Take care all!

Well hi there! I've been slack, I know, so I thought that in my few minutes of freedom from the tryranny of work today, I'd give you all a quick update as to what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks!

Firstly, Tayla had her first soccer game on Saturday - what a little legend! They had a trial game, and played so well - I can't wait till Saturday again, when the season starts, it was just the cutest thing!! lol I don't have pics here, but when I get home tonight I'll upload some, I promise - I can't wait to scrap them!

Scrapping, scrapping, scrapping - I've been on a roll with my Little Book of Big Memories comp lo's for Little Scrapbook Shop. I'll add some pics later, but you can check them out in the Competition gallery at www.littlescrapbookshop.com ... I can't wait to get some time this week to work on some more of them, I'll loving almost all the products that we are getting to use for this!

Speaking of loving products ... I got my big prize from Scrap Therapy! How much fun was it to go shopping, and not have to worry about paying for it - thanks Nat!! I got some awesome doublesided cardstock - doublemates, it's called, check it out if you haven't seen it yet! Some Urban Lily, blades for my trimmer, chipboard and plastic alphas, rubons ... can't remember what else, but it was all so nice! Oh, some Daisy Bucket - LOVE that stuff!!

So that's it for me today - I'd better go and type up this assignment for my year 10 students (they are going to love it!! lol). I'll post some pics of all the excitement tonight ... take care everyone!!

The winner takes it all ...

Woo hoo - this is just a quick brag post!! Natalie at Scrap Therapy have been having a competition to win a $100 gift voucher for the store ... you had to chat, and let's face it, that's something I'm good at! She announced the winner on Saturday night, during the cybercrop (which was great, by the way), and I guess you've worked out all by yourself now that I won ... woo hoo!!I can't wait to get shopping - Nat has some great stuff in store, and a great sale on Urban Lily this month, so check it out!

In other news - omg, I'm a scrapping legend this week!! I've been working on some of my lo's for the Little Book of Big Memories at Little Scrapbook Shop, and I'm loving every one of them so far - I'm even being a bit daring for me, and scrapping something other than my kids. Of the 12 lo's that we have to do, 3 of them are going to be on me - shock horror! I'm doing a lo about when I got by purple belt, one on my tattoo, and one on the experience of being a full time public school teacher for the first time. That last one is scary, and I'm not really sure how I'm going to tackle it, so we'll see what happens!

Ok, bloggers, I'm off to bed ... take care everyone, cya all another day!

And now, the end is near ...

Gee it was hard finding a song title for this post! lol

This is just a quick one - it's getting close to the time when we have to farewell some stamp sets from the Stampin' UP! 2006-2007 Idea Book and Catalogue, as well as from the mini catalogue. You can check out the retirements here .... there are a lot of them! If you are interested in purchasing any of these before they disappear forever, let me know - I'm offering a 10% discount of the total order cost for anyone who orders 2 or more items from the retirement list. You only have until March 31st to order any of the retirements, so don't delay ... sorry, I'm all out of steak knives, so you'll just have to miss out on those this time! lol

Ok, I'm off to do some work - I just had to check out the retirement list this morning, though, so I thought I'd share it with you. Email me if you have any questions! tamara_rodgers@hotmail.com

Have a great day!

Why does it always rain on me?

You know, I really love the rain ... it's my favourite weather!! But why is it that whenever I have heaps of stuff in my hands, or have parked miles away from where I need to go, that it starts to rain just as I need to leave the building? And why is it that no matter how long I wait for the rain to settle down a bit, it will continue unabated until I get inside the car, then it will stop?? It's a mystery.

Tayla had her first "big girl" gymnastics lesson at YMCA today - she totally loved it! They didn't stop working the whole time, unlike the kindygum class which consisted of lots of lining up to get on the equipment. The other great thing about it was that there is an advanced class on at the same time, so Tayla has decided that next week she'd like to learn how to walk on her hands. And, she wanted me to teach her ... rofl. I don't think so!

I'm scrapping, scrapping, scrapping my little heart out at the moment! I've got 2 lo's almost done for the HUGE comp at LittleScrapbookShop - if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure you do, it's awesome!

Do you want to get some scrapping done this weekend? How about the opportunity to win some AWESOME prizes? Scraptherapy is having their cybercrop this weekend ... it's going to be great, make sure you check it out. Challenges will be posted on friday night, but there are hints in the forum already, so check it out. Nat has done an awesome job on her site - her logo is just to die for, I love it!

Ok, I'm off to do something - take care, everyone!!

Tell me why I don't like mondays.

I forgot for a while there I was singing to you all with my post headings. So here we go - can't you just imagine how amazing I sound singing along while I'm typing?? lol




So what has everyone been up to this weekend? We had our last game of softball yesterday, and it was lots of fun - right up until the game got cancelled due to rain, lightning and thunder. I was a bit disappointed, as it was a fun game - got our butts royally kicked, but the other team were really great to play, and we did pretty well to restrict the score to what it was, so that was good. We had our night out last night - drove to Emu Plains, through torrential rain and car-shaking thunder, to discover that the Hotel we were planning on eating at was flooded, with no electricity. A quick change of venue, and we ended up at the Henry Lawson Club at Werrington. Great food, awesome service, and a really fun Karaoke set up (I didn't sing, but I was about the only one in our group ... go the Bon Jovi head banging!!) What an awesome night! I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I can't wait until next season starts. Most of our team is staying together - only 2 people are leaving, we think, so it's going to be a great season, and our coach is staying too - I think he's planning on whipping us into shape, and not letting us get away with our slackness at training of this year, so I'm kind of looking forward to that.
The up side of softball finishing is, no more early saturday mornings, as we rush to get the kids down to the fields in time for their games ... woo hoo! I can sleep in - at least till soccer starts.

Tayla has decided that she wants to play soccer this year - and that decision was solidified when she found out that her "boyfriend" Joshie is playing too. So we have been on the hunt for tiny soccer boots. After being told by a number of rude salespeople that I would never find any soccer boots in that small a size, as there was no demand for them (HELLO!! isn't the fact that I'm after a pair of them an indication that there is?? Boooooo Rebel Sports at Penrith for their rude customer service staff by the way!!) we found a pair at KMart - and the kicker is (ROFL) that they are Diadora brand ... cover up the first 3 letters, and they are DORA soccer boots!! She's so excited, it's adorable. So here are her new wardrobe additions - she's in heaven. She sat down watching SBS soccer coverage this afternoon, and was taking note of all the things she wants to learn when training starts - I didn't have the heart to tell her that she probably won't be learning an overhead goal kick in under 5's.


K, that's it for me for today ... I'm off to do a bit more shopping for LSBS's big competition! It's so hard to pick which products to use, Cath has put together an amazing selection of stuff for us to choose from! Make sure you check it out, if you haven't already - so far, there are about 50 people registered to have a go at it, so it's going to be pretty awesome. Tomorrow is back to work - I hope this rain keeps up, because we desperately need it, but at the same time I'm glad that I've got a fairly light teaching load this week - rain tends to send teenagers a little nutty!! lol Take care everyone, hope you all have a great monday!

Staying alive, staying alive!!

What a couple of days! Full on at work, full on at home, and to top it all off I'm starting to feel the effects of the February hay fever strike. Sore throat, itchy eyes - fun fun fun! So a trip to the chemist was in order today while I waited for Kelsey to finish dancing the afternoon away at her school disco. It's amazing what a few years at school will do - for her kindergarten disco, she wanted to know when I'd be picking her up, and what songs they'd play, and what she should do if ... I had to walk her in, and it took a while to prise her arms from my leg. Today, I barely got a kiss as she bolted for the door to find her friends!!

Well, a little bit of news - it's not really new news for some people, but it was pointed out to me that I hadn't mentioned it on my blog (sorry AT!) so here I am! I'm officially a Stampin' Up! demostrator. I'm planning on trying to fit some demo's around my busy life - so if you are interested in booking one, or you want to place an order for some of the amazing SU products, feel free to contact me!! I'm about to add the links to the online catalogues to my links on the side bar - take a look, you'll love them! (Warning ... SU! stuff can be addictive ... LOL)
One more SU! thing - the SellABrations promotion that Stampin' Up! has been running is drawing to an end, so if you are interested in getting a FREE set of stamps, all you need to do is place an order for $100, and you'll get to choose your free set from those in the SellABrations brochure ... You'll have to hurry, though, because it ends on monday night! So if you are interested in placing an order, and getting a set of free limited edition stamps, let me know ... you get a free set for every $100 you spend, it's a great deal!

Ok, that's my sales pitch for the night ... lol. Now on to some exciting news ... I think! Tayla has been going to gymnastics since the middle of last year - kindygym at the YMCA, where they teach them balance, coordination, tumbles, etc. Well, she just LOVES it, and is really good. The problem has been this year that since she can't start school till next year, she is back in the same kindygym class as last year, and is bored out of her brain. Well, yesterday Dennis talked to one of her instructors, and she agreed that Tay needs to be a bit more challenged - so she's going up to a higher grade, where she can learn to do cartwheels and more advanced skills. She's so excited - and so am I, but someone on LSBS mentioned last year that she loved gymnastics, and was informed of the costs, both financial and time, that gymnastics can consume when you have a talented child who gets right into it ... maybe I'm not so excited! Ah well, I'm sure I can take on a second job if it comes to that ... lol.

Ok, that's it from me tonight - I'm off to take some antihistamine, and hope that I can speak tomorrow. I can feel myself losing my voice, but I'd hate to not go in when it's an easy day (well, easy compared to the other days anyway ... I have a couple of free periods where I get to catch up on the mountains of paperwork that always seem to be waiting for me!) Take care everyone, have a great thursday!