Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday little brother - he's the big 40 today - not that he checks out my blog - do you Andrew???

I'm going for dot point again this week - one day I'll have time - to sit down and pour out my heart and soul to you all - but for now - it's the quick & dirty version of my week with a few pics/LO's thrown in for good measure!!! For something different - I'll go backwards this week - starting with today!

* Two tupperware parties!!! Yes - TWO in one day - ekk!!!
* I'm now hosting a tupperware party (2.30pm 14 January) and you're ALL invited!!! Leave a comment if you want my addy!

* Tara had her Santa photo taken today and left a letter in his mailbox. She'd written out her "wish list" with 10 goodies listed! Managed to see it...and maybe able to help Santa with a couple on the list!
* Worked in the canteen at school - fund raising - Danah helped and commented on the way home "If that's what working is like - I don't like it!!!!"

* Big walk!
* Grocery shopping
* Swimming (Tara - not me)
* Friday night Crop - Serendipity SCrapbooks Stafford - enjoyable night although didn't get much done. Only knew Michelle (lovely as always) & her sister Kelly - but still enjoyed the night. Finished one 8.5 x 11 LO (Pool Time) and have since finished two others I started on the night. Also completed a money box for Tara (for Christmas so can't show you yet).

* Started Christmas shopping - mad rush around Thursday night without the girls.
* Thursday WW weigh went well again - total loss so far 5.8 kg so well on target to my 10kg by Christmas.
* Parent teacher interview with Danah's teacher - happy all round with her efforts this year :)
* Stopped in at a new scrap shop on the north side on my way back to work from Caboolture - love going to new shops.
* Dad's birthday - celebration Wednesday night.
* Scrap with Sandy Tuesday night.
* Mould taken for my new ortho footwear inserts - pick up this Tuesday - hopefully my foot pain will END now!

Blogger not playing nicely (again!) & won't let me upload other images - will try again tomorrow night.

Another Sunday closer

to Christmas. It's struck me this weekend how close Christmas is and how little I've done. We purchased a new "fake" tree yesterday and the girls were keen to put it up straight away but I'm making them wait at least until December!!!

Busy week - so here it is in dot point!

• In Toowoomba with work - while sick :(
• Hate being sick during warmer weather :(
• Surprise birthday dinner for girlfriend Tuesday night (we've been friends for 29 years!!!)
• Got 'stuck' in the storm on Wednesday afternoon - in the train - lucky Dad came to the rescue!
• Speech Night for school Wednesday night - still feeling sick :(
• Struggled @ work on Thursday - stayed home Friday!
• WW's weigh in positive again - lost another 2kgs - and no - I don't want them back if you find them!!!
• Physio & peditatrist trying to sort out my feet problems - orthopedic footwear likely :(
• Made a start on making goodies for school staff as the girls only have three weeks of school left - making present for each teacher + smaller gift for specialist teachers like choir, drama, music etc.
• Basketball on Saturday
• Picked up the cake for brother's celebration and promptly let it slip from my hands - lucky it didn't end up falling completely but I was so upset - one side all smashed against the box :( No one seemed to notice today thank goodness.
• Brother's 40th birthday celebration today with family and our godparents - who we haven't seen all year. Managed to take some pics for Christmas newsletter.

My Dad has reminded me that he checks out my blog occasionally - hi Dad, don't forget to leave a comment next time you drop by - so must remember this in future!!! He commented on some of my answers to the recent 50 questions tag - opps - forgot about that!!!

Can't blog without a pic - so here's one of Danah I took at basketball - just before tip off at the start of the game! She's the tallest on the team so she always does the tip off. We won't mention the score from the game this week :0

That's it - now I'm off for a walk!

I like orange but..

Okay, I'll admit it, I've started having my hair coloured!! All these years, people ask = "Is that your natural colour" and I've always been able to say "Yes". But this year I decided to take the plunge and have a semi-permanent colour (to hide the grey hairs that no one but me can see).

I've had it done a couple of times and no one has ever noticed (and that's a good thing - the way I wanted it) but this time....well...I asked for a slightly lighter shade to get into the summer swing of things....and perhaps I shouldn't have. I should've stuck with the tried and true format of the past two colours. It is a touch "oranger" or brighter than perhaps I wanted!!! It's not toooo bad...but next time I'll go back to the previous shade I think.

I woke up this morning feeling lousy - sore throat and aches and pains....NO! I don't have time to be sick. Off to Toowoomba tomorrow with work...and I've so much to do before I go. Will get a chance to catch up with my good friend Ann and probably my great-aunt which will be lovely. Work is crazy atm - too much to do and not enough time. Home is crazy too - end of year 'stuff' - speech night this week on Wednesday which will be a relatively late night. No use complaining I guess - just get on with it! (Oh and give me the coderal cold and flu tablets - to soldier on!)

My weight loss efforts are going well - lost just over 2kg first week at WW. I've been walking everyday although haven't been today. My great scrappin' friend Zane (who's a WW leader) is giving me lots of advice and support as is the group on LSBS who are all trying to lose weight too. I've just about finished my weight loss counter LO - for adding prima flowers to for each KG I lose - thanks to Narelle on LSBS who sent us all our own bag of prima's for the # of KG's we hope to lose. What a lovely gesture!

Received an email from Jenny U with a link to a blog I hadn't visited before - an Australian scrap critic blog - very interesting reading! Check it out.

Near death experience (well big fright!)

Out for my walk this morning around beautiful Cairns city centre! Humid - yes, hot - yes, but I still walked (for about 40 minutes). I had my earphones on listening to the radio, walking along a street, minding my own business...when....


a palm frond (big & heavy) fell from heaven just in front of me!!! If I'd been walking just a little faster it would've hit me on the noggin!


I said CR@P - loudly- and looked around as if to say .... "where did you come from"??? Of course, the palm tree just stood there not saying anything...and no one heard or saw what happened - just me and my even faster beatin' heart!!

So that's how I started my day! Exercise can be very dangerous....if you walk too fast!

Conference okay today - food lousy - greasy fried stuff + a little bit of salad = no fruit! Came back to my room at lunch time for fruit so I wouldn't be naughty! No wine tonight again!! (No one from work believes I've been two nights without wine while in Cairns!!) Tomorrow night might be a bit different - planning on having one or two glasses.

Did manage to check out the shops this morning for awhile. Bought myself two new CD's (Bernard FAnning & Pete Murray) and some 'cheap' jewellery to wear with my Christmas outfit this year. No scrap shops in the city area :(

Greetings from up North

I'm currently enjoying my last work trip for the year (well except for a night in Toowoomba next week) up in gorgeous Cairns. Flew up this afternoon for three days. Only hiccup is that I'm having to be good....no snacking, not too much wine and healthy choices in the restaurants! The real challenge will be Tuesday night when I go to my favourite Greek restaurant - where we normally have a fantastic banquet! Not this time...fish and salad for me! Oh..and lots of walking - in nice humid Cairns weather!!!

Been reading up about the Sydney Paper Festival this weekend (on forums & blogs) - sounds like those who attended had a fantastic time (except maybe Lisa P who sliced herself quite nastily on her craft knife) Sounds like the LSBS stall was a big hit! Michelle enjoyed classes (& pics) with Elsie and Zina. I'm looking forward to hearing more about it from Helen (here in Cairns) as she's been down to Sydney too.

Scrappin' to share this week - DT work: a LO using 3 Bugs pp and a MM 8 inch chipboard letter.

Get Serious Now!

Well, after all the good work I did during 2005 to lose 18kg - this year I've put it all back on and MORE!!! I have to do something about my weight...so I'm back walking - just 20 minutes a day initially AND I've joined Weight Watchers again. I've had success with them in the past...shame it didn't last but this time WILL be different!

At LSBS there's a group of us trying to support each other in our weight battles - and we set our own goals each week. This week (the first) my goals were to:

1. Walk at least 20 minutes each day
2. Join a WW again
3. Do a LO - based on the LSBS Cheap Ar$e Tuesday challenge (using old supplies) - about my need to lose weight again!

Keeping up with all my goals so far...here's the LO - using very old K & Company PP's and other products at least 12 months old.

Between the LSBS thread and my blog...I'm hoping my motivation will stay high (& you guys can help keep me honest!)