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Holy Cow another update

2006-08-05T22:35:00.000+12:00

Just wanted to put my class schedule up as suggested by yolande.

Friday - 11 am - imagine the possiblities
2.30 - one year one album

Saturday - 11 amThe two of us
1.30 favourite photos
3.45 Just doodle it

Sunday - 8.30 Jan to Dec
11am designing your life
1.30 - Today you

Ok that is it - lots of classes so i will be keeping very busy. I just finished my today you journalling tonight although i still have to print it out - have a couple more photos to take then have to get all my photos printed - must not forget this rather important step. Still have not finished my layout but am working on it slowly. Had a pretty good day today - the kids were very busy out and about and on the farm - Andrew is trying out a new gun so James and Brianna were pretty excited about that - I took Jonty and Amber to see Dianna's adorable puppy Cleo - she is lovely but it is kind of like when i see a newborn baby now - i think they are gorgeous but i thank god i have not got one lol. Amber had another really good netball game and Andrew once again had to get the younger kids ready for Brianna's hockey - i get down there and James has shorts on with no shoes, Jonty has no shoes and Brianna has no socks on just shin pads and no water, plus he forgot to take the player of the day trophy so i had to go back for it and he also rang me 4 times on my cell - honestly how is he going to cope next weekend. People will look at my kids at hockey and say to each other - wife's gone away again . And next week Andrew will have to put up Bree's hair all by himself. Oh dear.

Anybody still out there?

2006-08-04T23:50:00.000+12:00

Is there anyone out there that has not given up on me yet lol. I am not sure why i have been so useless at updating but i felt inspired tonight to give it a quick go. I have been doing well with my lifestyle change - still eating well, excercising and losing weight (a little). Went on a very long hard walk with a friend on tuesday - up hills, steps, just up up up and we really pushed hard cos we wanted to have a coffee before picking Jonty up - we even stretched afterwards....a little, and man have i suffered for it since - i did manage a walk the next day but that made my poor calf muscles even worse so took yesterday off and couldn't fit a walk in today - going for another longish one tomorrow - same friend (man does she owe me big) but tomorrow i will be sure to stretch properly afterwards. Makes all the difference.

I am still finding it pretty easy to make healthy food choices, however i did decide on a new "rule" and its a goodie - on the day i get my period - that evening i am allowed to eat whatever i want. See this is good on several levels, it is an unfortunate fact of my life that sometimes i just have to overindulge - so i fingure if i just do it this once a month then that can't hurt really, and the other thing is that i will actually look forward to getting my period! Last time i worked my way through almost an entire bag of rashuns - yummo! And now when i feel the need to really chow down (and its always chippies i want) i just tell myself i can but not yet - it really works.

I have not really done any scrapbooking for the last three weeks but yesterday i did start a page and i hope to get it finished before cco6 next week - i have almost finished all my homework for this. Needless to say i am really looking forward to it - only thing is that Amber is off on camp on tuesday and she gets back after i have left so i won't see her till Sunday night - she gets a bit homesick so i hope she will be ok.

Watched a very funny movie tonight - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - can definately recomend it - it has some real laugh out loud outrageously funny kinda moments. Last week saw Hotel Rwanda - i know its been out for ages but i was put off by the fact that its based on true story - don't usually like that kind of movie but have to say this one was amazing - gripping the whole way through , very moving - not the kind of movie that you can just go off to sleep after its over - brilliant acting too.

Ok - had my haircut yesterday and put a colour through it tonight in a feeble attempt to cover the grey - see i wanted to see what it looked like at the back so i took a close up photo but all this showed me really was how grey i am - at only 34 years. so i had to dye it. Anyway. Its late and amber has an early game tomorrow, so i will hopefully update this again soonl - but probably not till after CCO6 - night.

And another quick update

2006-07-15T00:18:00.000+12:00

Ok i am all about the quick update at the moment. I have actually finished the layout i was working on and may upload it over the weekend - not 100% happy with it but am happy to have finished one. I weight myself this week cos a friend had come up to way herself and i could not resist finding out if i had lost any and i have! Almost 5 kilos - in 3.5 weeks without trying to hard so am very happy about that. Helps to keep me motivated however i don't want to weigh myself for another month or two - so my friend took the scales home with her.

Watched Signs again tonight. Its funny how you can watch a movie more than a few times and still really love it. For some reason that movie is just the perfect movie to me. I know lots of people don't think much of it but i love its slow pacing, spooky, intense atmosphere - the adorable kids, the family drama, the sci fi aspects, its just perfect. Plus it has a happy ending.

In case anyone missed it Mother is off on a dirty weekend - sorry meleesa i did not know that you did not know that mum was seeing someone - she tells me nothing anyway so i know as much as you do. Or as little. Well Dianna and i have a class tomorrow - she has come up with an awesome page for the class so am looking forward to it - especially as its her turn to do the hard stuff - except for the computer journalling - doesn't seem to matter how many times i explain to people how to do it they have all forgotten again by the next month plus my printer is possessed by an evil spirit and likes to make my life a misery by stuffing up at least twice during the class - i really hate that printer! Anyway the point i was trying to make is that it is way past my bedtime - thanks to those people that still drop in and read my blog - i love it when you leave a comment - so thanks!

Quick Update

2006-07-10T23:18:00.000+12:00

I am still being really useless at updating - what can i say - my life is boring and i still have not done any scrapbooking....well thats not quite true as i have started a page tonight and actually made some progress on it so that is actually really big for me at the moment. Really i just wanted to respond to Mel's comment that she left today - first - wow you are amazing and well done on what you have achieved so far - i know from experience how hard it is and is just great to get that feedback that i am on the right track. Plus wanted to say that i am already noticing good changes from my new "lifestyle change" - for one I feel great!! I am alot more cheerful and energetic, i look better! And feel heaps better plus i am not finding it hard, mostly because if i am hungry i eat something - funny concept i know but i just keep it healthy. ANd i am enjoying the walking - its more me time - i get alot of thinking done when i am walking. So its all good! I will maybe have a layout to upload in the next day or to - if it doesn't suck - which is increasingly likely these days. And if any of my family are still checking out my blog, how 'bout a comment hmmm? Hey I went to see pirates of the carribean the other night - was sooo good, really funny and you gotta go see it just to see Johnny Depp as a fruit kebab - just to funny.

Its been awhile

2006-07-05T10:53:00.000+12:00

Ok its been awhile since I have updated my blog, not really sure why but just have not felt like it, plus I have not done very much of interest in the last month. Probably the biggest development is that I am pregnant again……hahahahahaha Mother I am just kidding I hope you did not choke on your ciggerette lol.

Ok so the biggest change in the last month is I have started a kind of diet thing while not actually going on a diet, I am exercising 5 or 6 times a week, eating really well but not counting points and not weighing myself, I am going for more of a sustainable lifestyle change and its working great so far, I am not sure about weight loss but I feel great! I figure that at this rate I will lose the weight I want in about a year which seems a really really long time but because I am going for the lifestyle change it really does not matter so much how long it takes.

As its been a month you would think I would have lots to say but nothing seems to come to mind. It’s the school holidays of course and I am enjoying waking up at 9am most mornings lucky me. Its funny Amber and Brianna both get up around 10 and James and Jonty are up around 7 – but they watch tv right next to my room so I can keep an ear out for them.

My favorite program – Invasion – is on its second to last week tonight – the big two hour finale is next week, anyone who has not watched this season has missed out on a fantastic show, its not really a sci fi show more a family drama with some very spooky, intense elements and very well acted – I am going to miss it. It’s the best thing on tv right now. Better even than Desparate Housewives which is saying something as I love that show – its always so amusing!

On the Scrapbooking front I have been almost as slack as I have on the blogging – I have completed two layouts in 5 weeks – the one below which I like and a scraplifted one which I really don’t like at all and I am going to redo it which is a waste of the materials I have used but hey its only paper right.

Amber has turned twelve since my last update - she had a great day and got a new cellphone among other things so she was happy - her good friend Nicki spent the weekend with us - look at this pic of them don't they look so cute and like they could be sisters. Ok try as i might i can't get the photo to load so wil try that one again later. Gotta run now as Jonty wants to show me how good he is at counting - he really is a fast learner!

2006-06-05T16:30:00.000+12:00

I have been very slack this week, I have been meaning to update my blog but I think i am still recovering from scrapcamp as i have been tired and unmotivated all week. I have not done ANY scrapbooking at all this week and we are having a house inspection on Wednesday to sort out a maintainence plan so we have spent the weekend springcleaning (as you do when someone is coming to inspect your house.) Actually if i am honest then i would say that Andrew has spent the weekend springcleaning and i have managed to kind of look busy while not actually achieving anything much but i don't think he is fooled anymore so i have been very busy today. Plus lucky for me he entirely blames Dianna for me not getting anything done as she lent me a book and of course i had to slope of every chance i could and read it. Anyway below is the layout i did on Friday night at SC after i have finished the scraplift challenge - this is a really quick and simple layout but i quite like it.

This layout my scraplift challenge layout - it is lifted off a Evana Willis layout that was in For Keeps last year I think. I like it and it was easy to get two layouts done when one was a scraplift......well when i say easy i did actually have to stay up to almost 3am to finish them both.

This is my Nic Howard class layout - i is pretty much the same as hers i just did my journalling different. Its a very pretty layout and i enjoyed doing the paper curling thing, i hope i remember to use that technique again. I hope you all have had a nice long weekend, i am sure you did not have to slave away (or at least look like your slaving away) all weekend on housework but the upside of this is that my house shall be very clean and tidy for a couple of days and i may actually get some scrapbooking done at some point. I must ask my family to please refrain from the usual "poorandrewhowdidheeverendupmarriedtoyou" comments. Its obvious to me he must have done something very bad in a previous life.

Another layout

2006-05-31T18:54:00.000+12:00

Had Amber's parent teacher meeting today - went really well Amber is doing well in everything and getting on well socially just did not get that effusive gushing that we are used to from Amber's teachers but at least she is settled and she really likes intermediate. Took her shopping afterwards and bought her first womens sized clothing - a cool denim jacket from farmers with some lovely beading/doodling thing going on - it was a size 8 - my girl is really growing up. And her she is in this layout i did in Wendy Redshaw's class - i really like this layout, the colours are so crisp, i changed it a little and i really did not want to put any journalling on it so thats why the heart is there but it looks cute and i love the photos though amber looks really grown up in them. Anyway it was a great class. Will post another layout tomorrow - hey Troy sorry i did not reply to your text but what a great idea about the blowflies - i am going to start collecting them and i will send them to you for 20% less - hows that for a bargin!!

Finaly recovering

2006-05-30T19:12:00.000+12:00

Starting to recover from scrapcamp lol - had a wonderful time but not enough sleep so have been very tired but I am so pleased i did not waste to much precious time sleeping. I loved all the scrapping i got done - we had lovely ladies at our table and it was fun meeting new people and some who i knew only from the internet. The classes were great and i can't wait to go again. The p party was fun and lots of people made a real effort. I went as a peasant/parlour maid type of person. Dianna went as a princess. Someone went as a plastered person - that was very funny. I did not win anything this year and my best buy was a pair of fiskars soft touch scissors which i love. I will post the layouts i got done including class layouts over the next few days - this one below is my favourite - simple layout of JOnty - he is so cute - there is journalling behing the photo - you pull on the chipboard shape to read it. ETA the layout has been removed for publication - wahoo!

Ok i am still really tired - will post another layout tomorrow - i see dianna has put a couple of her layouts on her blog - believe me these look even better in real life - Dianna managed to get about 8 pages done which is amazing and they all look great, i managed to do 5 which is really even more amazing since last year i only managed 3!

I am going to go and get my kids into bed - its still early but i am still feeling fragile and they are getting very loud - hope everyone had a great weekend!

Only 4 sleeps to scrapcamp!!!

2006-05-22T22:58:00.000+12:00

Thanks everyone who commented on my layout - all credit goes to Nic of course but I am very happy with it. I will definitely do another online class but I think next time I will try using my own stuff – simply because its cheaper and that as always will make Andrew happy.

I have been busy packing for James’ school camp, they go tomorrow to Hawkes Bay until Friday which actually seems rather to far and to long for a year 5 camp but Andrew is going also so that is all good – the house will seem quite quiet, then they get back on Friday about 4pm and we (Dianna and I) are leaving for scrapcamp about 5. I have been trying to get some page kits made up so that I will get more actual pages completed at camp, last year I think I only got 1 done apart from class layouts so it should be reasonably easy to beat that target, can’t do much worse at any rate.

Here is my most recent layout – I used the new fancy pants dapper range and to be honest I really struggle with this paper, I just did not like it but I thought it would be good for me to go outside my comfort zone and I am quite happy with what I came up with – the pics are of Andrew when he was 4 - the journaling may well be the worst I have ever done so I am grateful that it is unreadable. I am at a loss as to what to dress up as for the P party this weekend – a friends husband said we should go as a couple of plonkers – the implication being we would not have to dress up for this one – I am leaning towards Pajamas only because I don’t want to spend any money on a costume and I am not good at making stuff like this, I don’t see myself as a pixie or a princess – so any ideas???? I know someone who is going as a person – that might be a bit of a stretch for me though. SO any ideas appeciated - will let you know how it works out!

Beautiful

2006-05-19T17:27:00.000+12:00

Here is the layout i did in Nic Howards online class - i stuck to what she did as it is a gorgeous layout and works with my photo - love this layout. Gotta run now and make dinner - just wanted to get this uploaded. TFL.

First online class

2006-05-18T23:17:00.000+12:00

Sorry I have been so slack with updating - i get the feeling only my mother really reads my blog anyway. And then says mean things in the comments section. But she loves me really. Mother i am so worried about being wiped from your will because you are like, so rich, or something.

Anyway i had the pleasure of doing Nic Howards online class last night and i loved it, it was great fun and the layout is gorgeous - i have in fact finished it but not without making mistakes as i always do. It does look fantastic though and i am allowed to say that because i completely stuck with nic's design and the layout worked perfectly with my photo - i don't have a pic of it yet but will upload one at some stage tomorrow.

Meleesa I did tell you about the comp i entered but i had not won it then - you had to take an early layout and redo it so i chose this one of brianna.

Its a nice simple layout with a great photo - it was the 6th one i had done (i organise my lo's in order of when they were done - just works for me) and i came up with this layout for my redo

So a big thanks to scrapbook outlet and the design team for organising that - thanks guys and Rach i still have not come up with a name for my blog so any ideas?????

I am so tired as i stayed up till one last night trying to finish off my layout and i really should be in bed now - but before i go a couple of updates - Menumade worked really well for us this week - we loved the meals that i cooked (actually cooked them rather than opening tins etc it was fun) it was great not having to worry about what to have for dinner and i did not visit the supermarket every day which was fantastic - so worth it and i will def sign up with them.

Movieshack is also working really well, watched Contact last week its a great movie for sci fi fans. The service is great and the turnaround fast. I had some more to say but i am to tired so will post again tomorrow when i upload that photo. Night.

2006-05-12T21:00:00.000+12:00

Did my first shop after using menumade today - was a good feeling knowing that i had everything i needed for the next week except maybe some fresh fruit/vegs. Will let you know how it goes - tonight went pretty well - Andrew, I and Amber loved our new dinner, it did not make James vomit and Brianna and Jonty pretty much did not eat it so all in all a success really.

Yesterday i signed up to movieshack which is an online monthly dvd rental place - you pay a monthly fee and rent as many dvd's as you like for the month as long as you only have 3 out at a time and you just keep recycling them - i signed up after lunch yesterday and i got my first three dvds in the mail today - how is that for service. And they were the first three i wanted (you have to add your choices to your list and put them in the order you would like them but don't always get it in that order) one of the movies was Short Circut - who can remember that movie - we watched it this afternoon and loved it - it is a little inappropriate in places for younger children - just a little bad language (not to bad they hear worse at home occasionally but thats definately from their father lol) and two mild references to sex that would have gone over their heads - i was surprised and a little disapointed at this unnesecary content but it did not really detract from the movie - i loved this when i was a kid and i enjoyed it just as much today - neat movie! Anyway you can get a two week free trial from movieshack.co.nz so if you love movies go check them out - they have a huge selection.

I am still working on two layouts at the moment - one is a challange on scrapbook outlet - you redo either your first layout or an early layout - i am doing my sixth layout as it is the only one i can get more photos for - it is interesting but am not sure if I will finish it - if i do will post it here next week.

Two weeks to scrapcamp now - must get photos and things sorted - must go now as the rugby is almost finished and i can watch my movie - have a great weekend. Hopefully it will be sunny for those that have kids with saturday morning sport.

Invasion rocks!

2006-05-11T10:04:00.000+12:00

Yes its true - i am an Invasion addict. While i really enjoy Desparate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy i just love Invasion - i think its because its a bit creepy and spooky and I love sci fi - plus that Sherriff Underlay is hot - i know he is a creepy alien hybrid but maybe creepy alien hybrids are my type. But i was kind of relieved that it will be taking a break next wednesday cos that is when i am doing Nic Howards online class through shopandcrop - am really looking forward to that.

Jonty has been sick all week - the worst cold ever. Poor kid, and we have had to be the meanest parents ever after the meanest doctor ever made our poor boy drink pamol which he hates, and then expressed disbelief and disproval that we can't get him to do it. He is on antibugs and he is the worst kid at taking medicine but our new method (shown by the mean doctor) is show no hesitation or weakness or sympathy - it feels pretty awful - i did not like it at all but he is getting better and he feels alot better when the medicine dries everything up and he does not have a fever so it is better to make him take it - at least he is of an age now where i can tell him to do it and don't have to actually physically force him.

I have just done the free trial for menumade - has anyone else tried this and if so how did it work out for your family - i am thinking of joining but would love some feedback. I have a big shopping list and am a little bit worried that it will end up costing me more - although i guess that won't happen as i go to the supermarket so many times at the moment you would think it was my favourite thing to do rather than my most dreaded hated task!

Only 15 more sleeps to scrapcamp - and i have been working on my class layout for June's class, am using the fancy pants dapper papers and i have to say these are so not my fave papers - in fact i really found them a little hard to use but i am very happy with how the layout is coming together - i think it will be fine for the class and it has been interesting to use papers that i would normally never use - good to get me out of my comfort zone.

Going to go catch up on some housework now - have done almost nothing all week despite being home every day - man what a slacker i am.

2006-05-08T09:04:00.000+12:00

The kids started back at saturday sports this weekend. Andrew was away so it was very busy for me with three kids needing to be at different places at different times plus Jonty was sick but he was also sooooo good - he is just such a good kid - i had to drag him to Dianna's on Friday for the whole morning so we could do our class - which went very well and we have converted some new people way to go us - these classes are going really really well. Anyway JOnty has just been a trooper lately but now he is knackered and is staying home from morning kindy (boo hoo) in the hopes that he will be recovered by wednesday at the latest - its scary how quickly i have come to love morning kindy.

Congrats to Delys for being one of the runner ups in the SO April BG comp - I love your layouts Delys well done! Well done also to the other two winners - some cool pages there.

Mother I hope you are thinking about what we talked about on Friday - I will be giving you another lecture later in the week so be prepared.

Andrew had a really great time away and managed to shoot a poor wee deer so he is very happy and he folded most of the washing last night so i am very happy to. But i did have a very busy weekend without him and had an extra kid for some of it so i will not feel guilty when i go to scrapcamp in three weeks time for a well deserved break! Ok well have lots of things i want to get done today and probably should do some housework as well so will leave you with my latest layout of James - its about how he worked so hard for his swimming sports and we were so proud of him and what he achieved - his attitude has improved so much in the last year and he had his first hockey game ever this weekend and it was another opportunity to be proud of him as he gave it is all and really got involved - such a great kid. Brianna and Amber played really well to although i think Bree got a bit put off when she was hit right between the eyes with a hockey stick poor wee thing.

My baby is 4 today.

2006-05-04T22:35:00.000+12:00

Its hard for me to believe that my baby is 4 now, time is whipping by now and I am quite ready for things to slow down a bit. Jonty will be at school in less that a year (one day less but still). I will miss him however kindy will get me used to it. He will be away from me for 13 hours a week, wow - out of that 13 hours i plan to spend at least 6 scrapping - and then when he starts doing fridays thats a whole 6 more hours of which 3 will be for scrapping and thats like, 9 hours a week which is 39 hours a month which is 468 hours a year - mind you there are holidays so it will be less than that but still i should manage to get an extra 10 layouts done a year - because i am that slow.

I have finally finished the layout i have been working on - actually i finished it a couple of days ago but have been too lazy to post it - i am happy with this one - in fact i like it alot. I am not happy with the title area though - just doesn't feel quite right to me - if any one has any suggestions i would love to hear them.

Jonty had a good day today - went to the pools with Dianna and Arwen, Amber came with us. Then McD's for lunch - Andrew has gone on a hunting trip today - am not looking forward to getting all three of the kids to their various sports on Saturday - James is having is first ever hockey game so that will be exciting.

I was a bit dispointed to find out today that i cannot enter the Tarisota designer competition - such a great prize pack - I really hope someone i know wins - go delys!! Can't wait to see all of your layout.

Here is a pic from today - i cheated and bought Jonty a cake but he picked it and you can see by the look on his face that he was very happy with it.

Well I have a busy morning tomorrow - the scrapcanvas class that we did last weekend is being repeated tomorrow - i have pretty much packed everything but i think i need a bit of extra sleep for this one - have to take Jonty with me but he should be fine - he got a Party Animals dvd out for his birthday (the older kids were so thrilled) so that might have to be our background music tomorrow lol.

2006-05-02T12:47:00.000+12:00

I am having a pretty good day :o) - Jonty had his first morning kindy today and it was a big success, he told his teacher he was "having a really fun day" so i am thrilled about that. ALso i loved the almost three hours i had to myself - it almost felt like to much - i kept looking at the clock and thinking wow still 2 hours left etc - and tomorrow i get 4 hours because he has lunch there - Jonty is really excited about that.

One thing i did not do with all my free time is finish my current layout - i hope to do that today and post a pic later. I can't seem to work on a layout for more than a few minutes at a time then i wander off and do something else - i can't remember what it feels like to sit down and start and finish a layout in one time block but i want to try it real soon.

It is Jonty's 4th birthday this Thursday, it is so hard to buy for him because being child number 4 we have lots of the things you would maybe buy for this age - however i think i had decided to get him a harley davidson trike - these are so cool and while he does have a trike it is pretty crappy looking as the lovely sirus has chewed of the seat and knawed on the handle bars and even had a go at the pedals (sirus has chewed every seat off every bike we have but he is past that stage now) and the new trike is quite large and he will be able to ride it for a while yet.

Ok i am going to go finish that layout now and hopefully load it on here.

Been a busy busy day.

2006-04-29T22:52:00.000+12:00

I am exhausted after our class today. It was good though and everyone enjoyed themselves but by the time I got home I was pretty shattered. Today was an eventful day for my family. Brianna started the hockey season today and played well while having a great time. James was talked into giving hockey a go by Brianna’s coach so he will be practicing with the older kids on Monday – I am really pleased about this although it will mean a bit of juggling with practice etc. Then while watching Brianna play I received a call from Jonty’s kindy saying did I want to start him at morning kindy on Monday! Well this was a bit of a shock as it was all very sudden and Arwen is starting afternoon kindy on Monday and Jonty had been looking forward to this. However I cannot overlook the fact the morning kindy is for longer and this will be good for him (or is that me it will be good for ) so have decided to start him on Tuesday that way he can welcome Arwen on her first day. I have to admit I am pretty excited about the prospect of morning kindy – because my kids school finishes at 2.30 so I have to get them before I pick up Jonty I have never really got the full benefit of afternoon kindy - at the same time I am a bit anxious because he is my baby and he is not always thrilled about kindy. But it will be good for him. And me. I could start exercising and eating green stuff….or maybe I will just spend more time Scrapbooking. Which is what I was really looking forward to doing tonight but then was just way to tired. Still, here I am, at 10.45pm – when will I ever learn.

The final bit of news was that issue 42 of For Keeps came in the mail today – check out that gorgeous blond, laughing girl on the bottom left contents page – yep that’s my girl.

Ok I really do have to go to bed – but I may just have a quick gander at a layout I am working on first.

Yayy it finally worked!

2006-04-28T15:23:00.000+12:00

I have been trying for the last couple of days to book in for Nic Howard's class at shopandcrop and have been having trouble with the credit card (not that kind of trouble) but have finally sorted it through paypal so yayy!! I am really looking forward to this class (and to the few extra bits i added to my order to make the postage seem more worth it - kwim).

It has been very wet here today - not the day to be running around town picking up bits and peices for tomorrows class but i do always have to leave it to the last minute. I am nearly organised now and tomorrow should be fun and then i can look forward to next month when it will be Dianna's turn.

Our laundry/shower/toilet is almost but not quite finished - he is really dragging out the last few jobs and did not come at all today. It does look soooo much better now. Better go finish getting ready for tomorrow. Have a great weekend.

If you can't say anything nice....

2006-04-25T22:13:00.000+12:00

I keep writing mean stuff about our builder then deleting it cos I am trying to be nicer these days – lets just say I am fed up with the whole thing and leave it at that. Not much been happening at our place lately – no Scrapbooking though I am supposed to be getting ready for our scrap canvas class this weekend – most of the work is done tho so it should be easy. I wanted to get some pages done with my new goodies but I will have to wait til next week maybe.

Got a very exciting email from Yolande last night about scrapcamp – the classes look so exciting – cannot wait. And I think dh just said I could sign up for Nic’s online class next month so that is also something to look forward to - its on a Wednesday night though so Invasion better be finished by then!

It has been so stormy today – wish I had used the time to get some scrapping done but instead I have been trying to sort out the pocket pc my brother gave me – I very stupidly deleted all the stuff he put on it (don’t ask – it was a very blond moment – I get them from my mother) and I have been working all day to try to sort it out as I was really enjoying playing with my new toy – luckily I did not stuff things up till after I had finished reading Odd Thomas on it – which was a very enjoyable book and if you get the chance you should read it. Anyway I am slowly getting it sorted.

That’s it from me – I have posted this layout cos I do like to put pics on my blog and this was a layout I did a couple of years ago – very simple but I really like it – its of Andrew when he was a cute little boy – he looks a lot like Jonty actually - very cute - his Nan took these cool photos and i had them printed from slides which is why they don't look old. Ok kids are back at school tomorrow so its off to bed for me. Night.

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Edited to add this absolutely gorgeous photo of sirus i found on my computer - i know i have said it before but isn't he just the cutest! I should take a pic of him after he has been too stupid to get out of the rain - when he resembles a very large drowned rat!

Jelly Eyes and other bits and pieces.

2006-04-22T23:05:00.000+12:00

I have been reading a lot of terry pratchett lately – the discworld novels. Where the world floats through space on the back of 4 giant elephants who are carried on the back of a humongous turtle. Or something like that. My favourite character is Death and he TALKS LIKE THIS. Death is the best. His niece Susan is pretty cool too. And the wizards, they make me laugh too. So if you love to read and have not tried any of the discworld novels give them a go. He also writes for kids and James is reading Johnny and the Dead while Amber has read The Wee Free Men and A Hat full of Sky. I would not say they have raved about them but they did enjoy them.

It has been a very good mail day the last two days. Yesterday I got my scrapmuse kit and it was packed again – the papers were the new fancy pants dapper with lots of lovely embellies to go with it plus as usual I got carried away and added to much stuff to my kit – among my favorite would be the fancy pants big board chipboard and the new prima flowers to go with the FP papers – cute!

Then my brother sent me a Cassieopia hand held pc which I got today – yayy thanks so much Troy – its cool and I love listening to music on it – I plan to scrap and listen tonight while Andrew is watching the rugby (again) plus Troy put some books on it so I will have plenty to read for awhile – I think I will start with Dean Koontz Odd Thomas – I hope its good!

And the good news on the laundry front – we finally have a shower! We don’t actually all stink through the lack of shower as we have a bath but it is lots easier to have showers when there are 6 of you. The bad news on the shower front is that despite making it clear we needed one with opaque doors they hardly fog up at all and some of us will not be keen on people using the toilet while we are showering not to mention the poor person on the toilet – not sure what we are going to do about that.

Poor little Brianna – she has hayfever or something like that and her little eyeballs look all swollen – the nurse called it jelly eyes which is what it looks like really – it’s a bit gross.

Wow this is a long post for me – I hope nobody fell asleep before they got to the end – thanks for reading.

PS. Thanks for your lovely comments about my layout - still not sure about it. The green spotted letters that i used are scenic route chipboard/stencil letters - you can get them from kiwiscraps i think - they are very cute.

Update on laundry

2006-04-21T20:20:00.000+12:00

Its not finished yet - very frustrating. Tonight we have a washing machine as he temporarily rigged it up - it is very lucky i did 5 loads of washing at camp (cost $25!) and we have done another 5 tonight. I just want the guy to finish and he is doing a very shoddy job - but we did not hire him and its not our house so there is not much to be done but grin and bear it. Ok well its a very quick post tonight cos i have to say goodnight to the kids before Beverly Hills Cop starts lol - its and oldie but a goody and its not often i get to watch tv on a friday night as andrew is always watching the rugby. And finally here is a layout that i just finished today - really not too sure about it though i love the photos. Have a good weekend and pray that my laundry is finished this weekend and that we can have a shower. Ps the layout is straight in real life (more or less).

Home again.

2006-04-19T13:14:00.000+12:00

We had a great time camping - I really do love camping - it is such a family time for us plus we had some old friends join us for a couple of days, the weather held out till the last day and it was not too cold - in fact it was really cosy in the tent. We will definately go next easter - its a great campground as well. The only downside was when we came home the laundry was not anywhere near finished which really annoys us as we went away to give them the chance to get it done without us around but he still has several days work to go. Dammit. Never mind at least it will look great when its done.

One of those days

2006-04-13T23:10:00.000+12:00

Wow it has been a very tiring somewhat stressful day - just wanted to say that i am off camping for a few days so there will be no updates on my blog till next week. We are going camping while our laundry/toilet/shower room is renovated - we only have the one toilet for the 6 of us and as the builder is removing it for the duration it just seems simpler to remove us as well. I am soooo tired and i hate packing to go away but once we are unpacked and set up it will be great.

I am off to bed - i hope the builder does not get here to early.... and i am really looking forward to getting my scrapmuse kit later next week - just what i need to cheer me up.

Have a great easter everyone - i will leave you with this funny pic my sister sent me.

Nothing much going on

2006-04-11T15:54:00.000+12:00

Its been a quiet couple of days - i finished a layout, managed to look like i was doing housework when i was in fact doing none - (actually this is the easy bit - if anyone can do this but then have their house actually look like they have been busy doing housework when they have not done any please tell me your secret.) I have gone shopping but managed not to buy anything (this is Andrew's favourite kind of shopping) so basically i have perfected the art of doing very little at all, in fact it really is my particulalr talent i think. After all we are all supposed to be good at something.

I have posted a couple of my recent layouts - the sisters one i just finished today and might enter it in the basic grey gallery at scrapbook outlet although it did not end up how i had planned - i know that there are no "mistakes" in scrapbooking - just opportunities but i hate it when i create these "opportunities" for myself by doing something stupid! -Here is the Journalling for the sisters layout for those that may want to read it.

Amber and Brianna are very different people, they always have been. Probably one of the few things they have in common is that they are both beautiful! I think Amber is more of a people person than Brianna, she needs people a little more whereas Brianna is very independent and can play for hours by herself, in fact she loves it. There is quite a gap between them also - just over 4 years - which means they are really in quite different stages of their childhood, have different interests and like different things. It's kind of funny really, Amber has posters of her heroes on her walls, they are all girls, Hillary, Lindsay, other successful young women. Brianna has a few posters on her walls but they are all guys. Brianna has close friends that are boys, Amber I am sure would not consider it - she does not like boys. Not yet at least.

Amber has always been a girly girl, she used to love dresses and skirts, although not so much not that she is older. Brianna has always hated dresses and skirts even though she looks gorgeous in them, especially in pink wiht her brown eyed blond looks. So yes they are very different. But for all their differences they are still sisters. And friends - sometimes! We try to teach our children that family comes first, that we need to be there for each other. I know that this stage in their lives does not reflect what hteir relationship will be like when they are adults. I hope that as they grow up they will continue to look out for eafch other, and maybe if they are lucky, they will learn that sometimes your sister can be your best friend.

The sweet boy one is one of those ones that get put in the too hard basket cos it just won't come together - i put it aside over and over for about three weeks till i finally finished it - am quite happy with it now. And thanks to those who left such kind comments on yesterdays post - i really appeciate it.

Its Sunday night

2006-04-09T22:29:00.000+12:00

And as often is the case there is nothing on tv that i feel like watching so i am struggling along with my basic grey layout - have changed my mind yet again which papers i am using - have gone from urban couture to hang ten and back again many times but have finally settled on urban couture - these papers are gorgeous.

Went to see Walk the Line last night and totally loved it - did not expect to as it is not really my kind of movie and i know nothing about Johnny Cash however it was a very nice love story and extremely well acted - I have always like Joaquin Phoenix and he really shone in this movie - i am amazed he did not win an oscar for it.

Finally, i just wanted to mark this day really as it was a year ago on sunday night that i got a phone call telling me my father had died, very suddenly, from a heart attack - he was only 55 years old. I have thought of him and my step mum every day for the last year, I am sad for my kids that they will not remember him, and i am sad for myself and my sister and brothers that we had to lose him so young and i know we all miss him everyday. I did not want to let this day go without putting something on my blog - as i don't really have any photos on my computer of him i am posting this layout I did of Dad and Carol's wedding day.

2006-04-08T17:08:00.000+12:00

Wanted to post this pic to show my sister my new queen & co goodies - i have to admit to being sucked in a bit by the cute little containers - these companies really know there stuff - not saying i am not happy with the products - they are soooo cute. Especially the sequin flowers. However they are not quite as large as i thought they would be, and they are fairly expensive also - so i will have to make sure i use them and to be honest i can't wait.

Ok I sent my younger brother the pic of Jonty and Sirus that you can see in the earlier entry - he has not seen Jonty since before we cut his hair - he replied to my email and said "who is the boy with that ugly dog" - i mean talk about denial - just cos my dog is so much better looking than his ;o)

Here is one of the layouts i entered in the Scrapbook Outlet design team contest which i totally missed out on - its very simple but i like it - Jonty got his first fishing rod for christmas and Andrew took him fishing on christmas day - he caught three fish!! And they both loved it - so here is the layout. TFL.

A Boy and his Irish Setter

2006-04-06T13:39:00.000+12:00

Awwww this is so gorgeous. Jonty really loves Sirus and of course Sirus loves Jonty - he is so relaxed with the kids and loves playing with them - he lets Jonty climb all over him, and now that Jonty is bigger he never gets knocked over by Sirus' wagging tail any more. Can you see a layout coming up lol. Any title suggestions - if i use it i will RAK you.

The whole layout

2006-04-05T17:47:00.000+12:00

Ok here is the actual layout -

i did not submit i just thought the sneak peak looked cuter lol - i was pleased with this one because i used older photos again - i find it so much harder to create a layout i like with older photos so i am really happy that out of the last 5 layouts i have done 4 were done using photos taken before i started scrapbooking. Kind of reminds me of one of the reasons i do this.

2006-04-03T22:37:00.000+12:00

Look at the state of my desk in this first picture - absolutely anyone looking at this would say - that girl needs more storage - and fast. Right? So my lovely husband agreed with this verdict (well...admittedly he first said if i did not have enough space then i should sell some stuff but of course i just assumed he was kidding.) he picked up the cupboard and put it together for me. So look at my desk now.

And here is my cupboard - just a cheap one from warehouse stationary and it is not very large but it has made a big difference to the state of the lounge and computer room - i don't think i had realised quite how much all my scrap stuff was spreading to the rest of the living areas - so now it is tidy plus i have lots more room to work and lots more room to store new supplies. Yay.

Poor little Jonty is sick with a fever and we have just woken him up and given him some pamol because he is so hot, had a febrile convulsion recently and we don't want him to have another - when he saw the pamol he said - I don't want that i am really better now - poor thing but he took it and i am sure he will be glad of another day off kindy. Here is a sneak peak of a layout i just finished - i am giving you a sneak peak rather than the whole thing not because i have submitted it but because the sneak peak actually looks better than the whole layout.

And i would like to state for the record that i only snore under the following 2 circumstances.

- when i have had too much to drink.

- when i am sleeping.

Poor Jonty

2006-03-26T22:01:00.000+12:00

Lucky he is too young to object but i was going through my photos today and when i came accross this one i knew i had to put it on here - with the container on his head and his finger up his nose - it just makes a mother so proud....

The second photo is just because he was soo gorgeous with all that blond hair and of course he still is gorgeous with short hair and its a lot easier to look after. Its been a very quiet weekend here but we all enjoyed it - I spent alot of today going through some of my scrap mags ripping out pages and organising them into a binder - i need to make more space in my desk and my mags take up nearly three of my drawers - so if i can get rid of them then i can buy more stuff!!! Yeah! Cos you know i need more stuff.

I saw Pride and Prejudice on dvd the other night - the movie not the mini series and i have to say it really suffered from not having colin firth - the new guy had all the charisma of a dish rag and i found the movie really really dull so i cannot recomend it and if i ever see the lady from the video shop who swore that it was the best movie she had ever seen and that she watches it over and over - well if i ever see her then i am going to tell her she should watch....umm...i am trying to think of a movie worse than P and P and i am just drawing a blank. I went to Munich on thursday - now that is a movie i can recomend - Eric Bana (from Troy and The Hulk) is a very talented actor - check it out if you get the chance. And the final movie i saw this week was Donnie Darko - I found this movie really intriguing and well acted but when it finished andrew and i were like....huh??? WTH? So if anyone understood this movie and wants to clear up the ending for me i would really appreciate it. It also has a very freaky looking giant rabbit in it. Cool.

Great mail day.

2006-03-22T20:42:00.000+12:00

Just got my scrapmuse kit today and it rocked! My favourites were the maya road tin of chipboard flowers and clips and the green and white polka dot chipboard letters from senic route - loved these! I also had a few other things added to my kit this month(just a tiny few things) such as my basic grey hang 10 and urban couture - these are gorgeous! Can't wait to do something with them. I altered a clipboard today - have done these before but this is the first one for myself - i know its very plain but i wanted the photos to stand out so even tho i had been planning on using some pattern paper to make this i ended up with all cardstock - an am happy with the result.

Dianna and I had a great class on the weekend - with 15 women there the energy in the room was really buzzing - it amazes me that we have been able to get this up and running and it just seems to be getting bigger - which is fantastic. Hoping for another big one next month. What i am really looking forward to is going to Yolande's class in a couple of weeks - have not been through since last year so can't wait.

And finally you may be relieved to hear that the books have been posted - ransom drama is now over - and i think i have an idea who the anonymous poster was - and he is right about one thing - my mother is getting older lol.

I have been Tagged

2006-03-22T20:20:00.000+12:00

Thanks for that Dianna.

1. What scrapbook lines/products do you dislike? KI Memories - i like it in theory but have alot of there stuff and have just never been able to use most of it - like their ribbons tho.
2. What is the hardest thing you ever had to scrap? My wedding photos - they are just. so. dull.
3. What technique do you use more than anything else? Inking i guess - sewing - and i am using alot of chipboard lettering - thats not a technique tho i suppose.
4. What is the smallest scrap you save? I save almost every scrap - just find it hard to throw anything away.
5. Have you ever had a scrapping related injury? No but i may have a scrapbooking disorder - does that count?
6. If I wasn't a scrapbooker what would I spend my money on? dvd's - going to the movies and things for my house.
7. Give your best storage or organisation idea? dianna stole my jar one (that i stole) so i will say putting all my foam stamps in those plastic document case things from the warehouse (stole this idea from yolande).
8. You just won a scrapbooking cruise for 5 people who would you take? Well Dianna of course cos she is such a great person and finding a cool product and buying the last one will not be fun unless she is there. My sister Meleesa who is a scrapbooker - she would love to go, My other good friend sharon cos she is just recently hooked and still buzzing from it. Cathy Z cos she is so funny on her blog and will inspire me heaps and finally Christian Bale cos i will get a sore back and neck and need someone to massage it.
9. You just recieved your first publication notice who did you tell first? My wonderful husband.
Ok now i will tag Yolande cos she needs to update her blog.

2006-03-16T22:17:00.000+13:00

Well James did really well with his freestyle today - and he managed to do the swimming and the breathing thing together which was fantastic we were really proud of how hard he has worked. Kinda had a bad day today otherwise - probably due to all the junk food i have been eating (ok dianna stop reading now) such as a mini flake for breakfast (cos chocolate totally has a low gi and is therefore a perfect breakfast food) a mince pie for morning tea (yuk) nothing for lunch thankfully then a packet of chips cos i need the salt (really i do) and i am sure i did not eat the whole packet i think the kids must have been sneaking huge handfuls out of it. Dianna you can start reading again now - then i think i must have only eaten grapes and fat free tuna and rice cakes for the rest of the day. Anyway i am sure i will be less grumpy if i eat better - unfortunately just knowing this does not in fact make it easier to change the way i eat.

Ok well i uploaded that layout i did and discovered it definately looks better irl however the photo that looks kinda weird is actully like that irl but i wanted to use it anyway.

Finally a message to my mother - MUM! Read my blog already - its true i cannot get my mother to come read my blog - she says she has not managed to call in here yet - as if "here" is like 20 minutes out of her way when she is on her way home - I might totally hold your books ransom mother - if you want them back you must come here and leave me a comment - only then will you get your books back (actually i may be to scared to actually do this as my mother can be a very scary person - especially without her make up on). lol.

Quick update

2006-03-15T21:14:00.000+13:00

only because i said i would be a better bogger this week so feel i should not let another day go past without updating. We have still been taking James swimming to prepare for tomorrow and he has improved alot - just goes to show you don't have to pay for lessons if you can take time out to do it yourself. He can't quite get the swimming furiously to work with the breathing at the same time - so we said do one then the other lol - he is quite fast untill he needs to breath.

I finally did a layout which i will upload tomorrow and i quite like it - it is even using older photos which i always makes me feel quite virtuous. And today we had James and Brianna's goal setting interviews at school and both teachers had nice things to say so we are happy on that front. Gotta run now and watch invasion - will definately upload that layout tomorrow.

Under Pressure

2006-03-12T18:40:00.000+13:00

Hey sorry i have been a slack blogger this last week i promise to do better this week. Swimming sports is coming up this week and i feel the same guilt this time every year - my kids have not had swimming lessons. Yes i know its shameful and i am probably just about the only parent in all of Ohope School parents whos not taken the kids for lessons. But it is so expensive and i would have to do it for all of them and its hard to get in the classes(this last may not be true but i often use it when trying to justify the lack of swimming lessons) so today we were down at the pool trying to teach James to do freestyle (honestly don't they teach them anything in the school pool ;o) ) I have to say he is one plucky little fella - we were there for over an hour and he did not give up! I think he will be ok with a little more practise - mostly we took him because he was worried about the big outdoor pool where they will be holding the senior sports - he had never been in it before so he is less worried now that he knows he can stand up in the shallow end.

SO does anyone else feel that pressure that they are not giving their kids enough of the opportunities that many of their peers are getting - my children already do two things each a week (that includes saturday sport) but many of the kids we know do alot more - gym, swimming, guitar, surf club etc sometimes that guilt catches up with me and i think i should do more but then i remind myself i have 4 kids (as if i could forget) and they need plenty of down time each week - i am sure alot of kids thrive on being really busy but mine like to blob out and hang out at home just like their mum!

Gotta love camping

2006-03-06T22:45:00.000+13:00

We just got back today and i really enjoyed myself and the kids loved it. Of course its incredibly stressful getting packed to go camping and then setting up but once that is out of the way i am happy - my favourite thing is sleeping in our tent with the kids - i just love it - we have a big blow up bed for us and don't use a sleeping bag - we take our duvet and wool underley for softness lol so we are confortable and cosy - the sea was so loud last night but still i managed a good 10 hours sleep which is about 3.5 hrs more than i ever get at home. I also took some photos that i love - the ones of amber are my favourites but Brianna looks so cute too - she is so photogenic - it is hard to take a bad photo of her - i will upload my other favourites tomorrow cos i wanna go to bed now - feel like i have been on the computer since i got home trying to organise my classes for CC06 - all set now - cannot wait.

Happy Birthday Meleesa!!!

2006-03-06T22:38:00.000+13:00

Happy birthday to you - I wont sing my song again but just wanted to say in hope you enjoyed your wine and chocolate and managed to watch a nice movie or got some scrapbooking done.

Ribbons and flowers

2006-02-28T22:07:00.000+13:00

My latest obsessions - i am just loving my new ribbon storage. The best thing about the jars - other than how pretty it looks - is that i can just pull it all out to see if any of it works for a layout then stuff it all back in there super quick - i used to hate winding it back on the cards - the jars don't work so well for going to crops but i have an idea for that. Prima flowers are my other obsession at the moment - i love all the cute little jars and how pretty they look on my desk and sometimes i even use the flowers in a layout.

I have a head cold today and feel like crap - i really should go to bed early but seem to be genetically incapable of getting an early night - i actually love to sleep - it is probably my most favourite thing to do but when done properly it is over so quickly that i feel like the time could be better spent - does that make any sense? Does anyone else feel like this?

I am so disappointed about having to miss Yolande's class this weekend - especially after getting an email from her about having 40% off Urban Lily - i love that stuff.

Amber had her first surfing lesson yesterday and loved it - I knew she would she always gives everything a go - she was quite aprehensive about it but now can't wait till the next one. I would have liked to learn to surf but am too afraid of sharks to really relax in the sea - and its no use telling me that i am not going to meet a shark at ohope beach - I know this but hey what can i say - i watched Jaws to many times when i was growing up.

Hey Troy when are you going to start posting on your blog????

Another layout and my first ww weigh in.

2006-02-22T22:44:00.000+13:00

Lost 1.5 kilos this week so am quite pleased with that - i did work fairly hard at it with being quite strict with the diet - almost every day hehehe. And I walked with my dog nearly everyday also - he is just being so good at the moment. Irish setters are such quick learners - no really its true. Ok I love this layout of Jonty because of the photos for one thing - i had just got my new digital camera the day before and was thrilled that these photos turned out so good. ANd it was my first attempt at trying something different with pattern paper - i had seen this tecnique in a mag - i think nic howard had done it - love her style - and i was just pleased with how it all came together but mostly i love that i got to take these photos with Jonty not being aware of it at all - the zoom (10x) on my camera is great.

We (dianna and I) have a class on saturday and as usual i have a ton of stuff to do to get ready for it and all i really want to do is finish a page i have been working on - i will be so happy when the class is over - then dianna is doing the next one so i have a month off - and 4 books to read! And we are going camping next weekend - i am looking forward to that - unfortunately tho it means i can't go to Yolande next class - bummer - i really wanted to go to that. It looks great.

Lianne's layout challenge

2006-02-21T22:49:00.000+13:00

I am going to post 10 of my favourite layouts over the next few days as per a challange on lianne's blog - these two are among my faves although the simple pleasures one is a scraplift from another scraplift if you know what i mean - i saw the layout on 2peas but i think the original scrapper has scraplifted a cathy z layout - anyway this was my first A4 size layout and i loved the photo and i love the layout cos it just makes me smile when i see it - the other layout was in up2scrap a few months ago - i love it cos its just so pretty - just like amber and mikayla! Thanks for looking - and thanks for leaving comments guys - its great knowing someone out there is reading this.

Good class today

2006-02-18T22:07:00.001+13:00

But it was exhausting. We did a double page layout and there a quite a few beginners in the class so i felt like i was go go go the whole time with not a minute for myself - good thing i have given up smoking as i would not have had time to have one.

I am guessing that watching me fall/fly over a table and practically land on my head really brightened Dianna's day. She certainly laughed enough about it. Lucky everyone else had left by then - and btw i did not hurt myself - which is a wonder. The numbers in our classes are slowly going up - everyone seems to enjoy them and they all keep booking for the next month so we mustn't be doing to badly. It is hard work though. And then i had to come home and cook dinner - which really doesn't seem fair. I joined weight watchers this week - I am on day 4 and i have also just stopped using the nicotine patches two days ago and the really amazing thing is that no one in my family has been scarred or maimed or hardly anything permanant. We have survived the giving up smoking and it looks like we may survive the diet as well although it really is to early to tell on that front. I really really miss food though - Dianna and I were so good today and neither of us had a chocolate biscuit - such willpower! I am so tired i can hardly see straight so i am gonna go off to bed now.

My beautiful dog sirus

2006-02-13T14:34:00.000+13:00

Isn't he gorgeous. He used to be the most dreadful pain in the backside - really excitable. I mean really really excitable. You could not have him around anyone other than the family because he would a) jump all over them - I mean he is a big hairy dog with very hairy feet which get really muddy and b) slobber all over them - he has a really big tongue and after a close encounter of the sirus kind you definately feel like you have had a shower - just not the clean kind. But now he is nearly three he is like a different dog, so sweet, kind of biddable, basically he sleeps alot and that is my kind of dog, plus he is beautiful but on the downside he still has a really big tongue and you don't want to be near him when he gives his head a shake - trust me.

I have the too much washing and not enough money blues.

2006-02-13T14:18:00.000+13:00

I think I am having a bad day - i seem to have spent most of the day folding a never diminishing pile of washing and stopping to add to the mountain by hanging out untold more loads, and i mustn't forget the hour or so i have spent ironing. Washing, and all it entails, is probably the chore i hate the most except for grocery shopping. While its true i like to spend money i really hate to see it all wasted on food. It depresses me. The fact that we never seem to have any money also depresses me. I should probably stop spending every cent on food and scrapbooking supplies. At least we have given up smoking. Although i would kill for a smoke right now. I must go camping again soon.

Ok enough already - last week I managed to do a couple of canvases - they wer quick and easy - especially the wedding one which only took about 40 minutes which may be a record for me as i may be the slowest scrapper ever.

Scrappers Block

2006-02-03T23:07:00.000+13:00

I am stuck on a layout - so to avoid doing it I have been watching way to many movies - movie watching is one of my hobbies so i thought tonight i would mention a few of the ones i have seen this last week. The one i enjoyed the most was Equilibrium - if you love sci fi and have not seen this give it a go - it was trashed by the critics but is a hit on www.imdb.com - i thought it was way cool - with christian bale looking hot and some excellent gun battles. anotheri enjoyed this week was Primal Fear with Edward Norton, Laura Linney and Richard Gere - Ed Norton is such an awesome actor - this is an older movie but it is quite entertaining for a court room drama. Saw National Treasure tonight which was better than expected and also enjoyed Mr & Mrs Smith starring Brangelina - that was some light fun. Did not enjoy Red Eye to much - was to dull until the last 20 mins when they get off the plane. Is anyone else looking forward to seeing Brokeback Mountain when it gets here? If anyone has seen a movie they have enjoyed lately I would love to hear about it - I am always on the lookout for another good movie. I am going to go and try sleep now - it is so so hot here - I am sick of it and wish summer was over already!

First ever layout

2006-02-02T00:02:00.000+13:00

I still like this layout - the photos are of jonty and I paper pieced the teddy bears myself - i was very proud of those bears! I don't do paper piecing anymore and i also don't use title blocks now but this layout is not so different from some of the layouts i do now - i still like straight clean pages. Still feal safer with monochromatic colour but I use alot more pattern paper now. I spent a whole week on this layout - it was scary cutting up my photos for the first time. Ok well i am off to bed now - i will have to start getting to bed earlier so that i can get OUT of bed earlier next week when the kids go back to school. I am not sure if i want the holidays to end or not - i get to sleep in every day and not make school lunches on the other hand it would be nice to have some regular time to myself. Wow three posts in one day - but that is pretty typical of me - i start with a hiss and a roar and then....just....stop.

My Latest layouts

2006-02-01T16:07:00.000+13:00

Ok this does not mean that I have finished my housework it just means i would rather do this. This is one of my most recent layouts its very simple but i really like the after photo of Jonty with his lovely short hair.

This next layout is a scraplift from the April 4 page of designing with 2005 - i actually did most of the flowers myself which is brave of me as i am severely disadvantaged in the drawing department - yes i know its just a flower but usually i cannot manage to draw one that actually looks like a flower. I like the pink and orange and the fact that i used older photos which I almost never do now because I find them harder and less fun to scrap. I actually did 5 layouts last month which for me is really racing through them - my goal for the year is to do at least one a week. Now tht my desk is much tidier and has more space I think i will manage that number. I have just loaded all my ribbon into jars which looks fantastic and i will post a pic at some stage - now when i scrap i can just pull it out and then shove it back in the jar without having to wind it back onto cards which is just great. Ok better get back to work it just never ever goes away...ever!

2006-02-01T13:30:00.000+13:00

Ok I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and start my own blog. I am not sure how to go about this so it will be a bit of a learning curve. I am going to upload some photos as soon as I have tidied my house up (which means probably never). Its an ongoing battle I have trying to have the house tidy once in while - it would not be so hard but i have the attention span of a flea and i will be in the middle of doing some dreary job and suddenly think of something i want to check out on the computer or a scrapbook idea and i have to do it right now and thats it for the housework. Its something I am working on. Ok so i better go get started on that housework so i can come back and post some photos, maybe.