Well, that's it!

My holidays have come to an end AND our girls are back at school....

First day for them today and all went well. We tried to come up with some different ideas for first-day-of-school photo's - but didn't come up with anything too unusual. You'll have to wait for the layout for our idea...for now here they are....our gorgeous two!!! Danah's in Year 7 and Tara's in Year 3. Only hiccup for the day....Danah's uniforms no longer fit her!!! Both happy with their (male) teachers....not nearly as bad as they'd imagined.

I used my one day on my own to have coffee with another school Mum (Julie from straddie), get a hair cut, try and buy shoes - see below - visit my reflexologist, a quick trip to the shops (for a sports bra - well if I'm going to attempt to JOG!!! - I needed this big time!) and then a quick trip to the second-hand and new uniform shops (to get uniforms for Danah).

Thanks for all your concern about my poor feet...they are much better now! Although I did try and buy new work shoes today (yes, I know I've had 6 weeks to do it but left it until the last day to do this!!!) and my reflexologist shook her head in dismay when she saw them!!! Thanks also for various comments about my toe nail polish!!!

In closing if you want a good laugh - you have to drop in and visit Narelle's blog - this post cracked me up!!! (Hope you don't mind me sharing Relsi :) )

Well that's it...it's 10.30pm and I'm supposed to be off the computer and tucked up in bed so I can get up at 4.50am....ekkkk! Goodness knows when I'll blog again!!

Unhappy Feet

Yep...even though I did put sunscreen on the tops of my feet - this happened!!!

The girls and I have had a almost perfect day @ North Stradbroke Island with Danah's friend Emmie & her Mum, Julie. A great way to spend our second last day before we start the school year.

We caught the water taxi over and went straight to their local beach near Point Lookout. We'd sunscreened up before leaving home but I must admit I was aware that we'd been out in the sun too long by lunchtime :( (we did re-apply throughout the day - honest!)

The water was soooo blue, the water sooooo clear & cool....it was perfect. Em had her young (11 weeks) pup, Rosie, with us too. Way cute.

I'm blaming my shoes for the 'damage' to the top of my feet. I've been caught out before with my feet, so made sure to lather up with the sunscreen, but I think my silly 'plastic' croc type shoes sweated the protection off before we got the beach!

After lunch we stopped at Brown Lake for a final swim before coming back on the water taxi - all sun-kissed and tired from our island day.

Took almost 200 pics - so I'm sure you'll see one or two in LO's sometime soon.

What a horrid night...

Last night, after finishing a LO for my Book of Me (see below), I decided to try and put my new tupperware in the ~~scary~~ plastics cupboard!!

This is at about 10pm, on one of the hottest night we've had - and after I'd turned the main air conditioner off!! Well - 2.5 hours later - while the rest of the house slept soundly in their air conditioned bedrooms - I'd vamped up the tupperware cupboard AND cleaned out three shelves in the pantry.

How hideous was my pantry??!! Ekkk... A huge garbage bag later....spilt sugar AND curry powder on the floor (did you know that curry powder if a very similar colour to cork floor tiles and if you don't "get" it all off the floor you end up with yellow feet!!!) How could I have soooo much out-of-date food in the pantry??? So at 1am this morning I had this strange satisfied feeling of having tackled the tupperware cupboard and most of the pantry (just did another shelf now) - sure I was hot and sweaty AND had sweet & sour feet - but my cupboards looked great. Guess I should've taken a before and after shot - but getting the camera out after that experience just didn't enter my mind!!



This cute photograph is of my Mum & I probably about July 1964. I played around with the photo - scanned it on a really high resolution so I could crop it but the shadows around Mum were quite dark - so played some more. Love how you can almost see the apprehension/concern in Mum's brow - and wasn't I cute? Journalled my birth stats on the front of the layout and the story behind my birth day in the hidden journalling.

Dad, as a young police officer, was on duty the day I was born....providing security for the arrival of the Beatles (yes, those Beatles) at the airport. My godfather had to drive Mum to the hospital and Dad missed the birth (the norm I think in those days). As a side note, my Grandma won a radio contest years ago - when the question for the competition asked "what day did the Beatles arrive in Brisbane?" - she knew it was my birth day!

We had a fun night on Friday night with Zane, Mark, Caroline & Marissa + the girls @ Hogs Breath Cafe in Victoria Point (check out their blog - the Hog Blog - to see the full story & pics). Always love our visits to Hogs Breath and the Vicy Point one is a favourite of ours too!

Happy news with my weekly weigh in (notice I didn't blog my weigh in last week :0 - a 0.9kg gain) as I'm down a massive 2.2 kg!!! Not sure how....I have been eating "good" this week but I've only done the one gym session with Sandy at the time of my weigh in (did another session after my weigh in). Not that I'm complaining. My weight loss LO now has 13 prima flowers on it! Woo hoo!

Well, hopefully next time I blog I'll be wireless!!! Peter's got one the tech/computer guys from his work coming over today to try and sort out our network/wireless system. Will be great to use the laptop in other areas of the house, as our study isn't air conditioned and gets very very hot. We'll also be attempting to set Danah's computer up so she can access the net on her computer. That might, of course, open up a whole other can of worms!!!!

Houses, Hotels & Capitalism!

I've created a monster! Yesterday afternoon we dug out the Monopoly game and started playing (my first game is years & years). The girls have both played with Peter a couple of times but I think Tara was probably a bit young to get the idea then.

Well, she's got it now!!! We played for a few hours late yesterday with Tara, Danah & I - I nearly missed by 6.30 eye lash tint appointment because I didn't want to leave the game!!! We put it on hold until I got home at which stage I managed to gain control and win!

Today Tara really wanted to play again but Danah had a friend over for the day so it was just Tara & I. Little miss money-bags whooped my butt! What have I done? She did play more strategically today - didn't spend every cent every chance she got and it paid off in the end. Maybe not such a bad idea after all.

I've also been searching today.....for a photograph....one I KNOW I've got....somewhere! It's an old one of me (circa 1980's) with a 80's hairdo! I can see the photo in my mind and I know I've seen it recently (well in the last four years!) but do you think, now that I NEED it, that I can find it??? Of course not!

Finished another DT LO for LSBS - as soon as I saw Tara wearing this green shirt (which has a white swirly motif on it) I knew I had to photograph her wearing it. REally pleased with the result although my experimenting with angles might have been a bit severe. Next time I'll tilt a little less.

My new tupperware arrived today - have lots to deliver to others as well. It was like Christmas all over again unwrapping it all. My fridge is already looking better for it. WAtch out panty...it's your turn tomorrow!

It's also my turn tomorrow!! I've been taking the exercise a bit easy the last two weeks - while my back has been "tender"! But my darling friend, Sandy, is picking me up at 9.30am and taking me to the local Zest gym....for "take-a-friend-for-free" day! Ekkk...hope I survive! I've also pledged (to the LSBS Losers) to visit our local Curves gym (with my guest pass) on Wednesday to check it out as several of them rave about it! So it's back into it - no more excuses!!!

Finally - here's a fun pic of Tara and I both wearing our glasses! She was in tears last night because she couldn't find them *she uses them just for reading* She hasn't wanted them all holidays and searched high and low for them. Luckily I knew where they were. SHe hasn't had them off since! Even when she's not reading!!

CJ's Galore!

I'd finished one of the two SM Forum CJ"s I had the other day (see previous post). Today I finished the other one. It was "A Day in the Life" for Lisa @ Scrapbook Cupboard in Nerang.

Here's my pages for it - had fun playing around with the ol' Dolly Parton song "9 to 5" (which I've been singing on Sing Star!!). Hope Lisa likes it. Used some yummy Scenic Route PP & alpha stickers (which I've also used in my new "Touch" CJ).

The other CJ I've finished today is my new one - through SM again - with a very talented group of ladies participating. Got the idea from a children's 'touch & feel' book that the girls both loved called "I won't bite" - which has cut outs throughout the book with different textures incorporated in the story. I hope you get the idea from these pages. Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with for this one :)

I'm now looking forward to doing some more LO's before I go back to work.

Holiday fun....cleaning out the tupperware cupboard....I think not!!! But that's what my two DD's volunteered to do today (well started anyway!). Here's the proof! The bottom shelf still needs doing but they worked together and got the job done without fighting (much!).

We went to the movies again tonight - the four of us and my Mum! We're all enjoying this little early week treat although tonight will be the last for awhile. Might still manage to see one more movie before school starts again but during the day. We saw "Night at the Museum" tonight. What a hoot! I loved it - even more than Casino Royale or Happy Feet. Think it was because I didn't have very high expectations of this one!

The girls are excited about tomorrow....we're picking up their school books! Tara's already admitted to being a little nervous about going back to school but they both LOVE getting their new stationery and text books (we get a pack put together and just have to pick that up - oh and pay for it!!!).

I'm excited about tomorrow...but for a different reason....Joan (our cleaning lady) comes - yay! I love a clean house (even if it's only for a little while).

Temporary Header

As you can see, I'm playing around with my blog header...what a nightmare! This is a quickie I whipped up to see if I could actually get it up and working and while it might be 1am in the morning - I have got it sort of working.

I've lost my counter, slide show and other bits 'n' pieces too :(

I'll work on a more "attractive" header....later today :)

My First Class

I've been working on a project today for my very first face-to-face scrap class!


I made an offer at my local scrap shop to help her out with some classes - if she wanted (she's only just starting to offer classes and does them all herself....complained about how much some "scrappers" charge to run classes and that's where I jumped in and offerred to help). She accepted my offer and I'm now preparing an "off the page" class for early March. Should be fun and it's something I had on my list to try this year. So I can tick that off now (well in March)!!


I mentioned Scrapbook Widower in my last post - he's done a quick survey on "Scrapbooking & Sex" - what a hoot! Did the survey - just for fun - and he's now got some 'results' up.



The girls had fun at their scrap class on Friday...making a clipboard. Here's their lovely clipboards - Tara's is the pink one! The shop certainly doesn't miss you with the kids class...$15 for the class and then you have to buy the clip board and other bits as well + a $2 charge to use their paints! Ended up being an expensive morning but the girls enjoyed it.



















Had a lovely lunch on Saturday...and NO...it wasn't a wedding! My girlfriend Jo and her partner Bob, had asked a few friends out for lunch before they flew back to Mt Isa (today). I got it in my head that it could be their wedding...but it was just a lovely lunch. I gave them the frame and even gave them the "wedding" card I'd made (just in case)...we all had a laugh about it. I wasn't the only one...some of her other friends thought it might be a wedding too!


I also dropped in to Sara's place on Saturday. She was selling off her eBay scrap shop goodies and even though I got there quite late (as far as garage sales go) I did pick up a couple of great buys including some buttons I happened to NEED for a CJ I'm working on. Didn't get quite as many items as our lovely friend Zane, who along with her sister Miranda, was @ Sara's at 6am!!!





Finished one of two other CJ's I currently have for the SM forum...this CJ has been going FOReVeR (Jan 2006) but is almost finished (I hope). Here's my entry for the "All About Me" CJ that needs just one more entry before it heads home!


I've been watching "The Day After Tomorrow" tonight on DVD with the girls...one of those disaster - the world's going to end - type movies. I couldn't help but think of Leish over there in NY...as New York city flooded and then froze over in the movie...hope it doesn't get that cold over there for you this year lovie!


Well I'm coming into my last full week of holidays - I'm now planning on going back on 1 February as the girls don't start school until 31 Jan, that is, unless Peter wins Lotto between now and then.

A Whole Other world..

Someone at LSBS posted a link to a very interesting blog.....Scrapbook Widower!

Yes, it's a blog written (very well) by a scrapper husband! In reading through this blog (and a whole range of links within it) I realised that there's a whole other world out there...of DH's who love our passion as much as we do....just in a different way. They watch, learn and participate in our love of preserving family memories. I mentioned it to my DH, but unfortunately he didn't share the enthusiasm for having found this side of scrapping.

I also recognised the author as a chap who used to work for the "company" I still work for...when he lived on this side of the country.

Had to share this gorgeous pic of youngest DD (almost 8) - Tara. Danah cracked her first major tantrum over NOT wanting photographs taken yesterday afternoon when this photo was snapped - so she can't complain that I'm sharing (and scrapping) more pics of her little sister!

I've been in a "frame" kind of mood - making frames as gifts for my MIL's birthday, Tara's friend who's leaving and now for my girlfriend Jo (who we're having a special lunch with tomorrow - is it a wedding???). I'm sure she doesn't check out my blog (not likely to before I give her the frame) so here they are! Used the very 'noice' Fancy Pants Mulberry Road range for Jo & Bob's frame - still have lots left over to do a LO or two!

Two more weeks

Yay..I've still got two more weeks of holidays...I never EVER want them to end! Unforunately I figure the money will run out about the time my holidays run out!!!

More positive news after my WW weigh in...lost another 1.3 kg - so that's a total of 11.6 gone for good!!! Mind you I've had a 'naughty' weekend (food wise folks that's all!!!) so I'd better get stuck into the exercise this week to make sure I keep losin'!

Dad, Peter, Danah & I ventured over to Rocklea to the fresh food markets Saturday after my weigh in and purchased a heap of fresh fruit and vegies. Found the stuffed olives I was looking for...yummo - green olives stuffed with feta. Also got green olives stuffed with sun dried tomato and plain pitted kalamata's.

Saturday night we BBQ'd with friends from school who are leaving to live in Blackwater this week. Very enjoyable night. Tracey put me onto the local Curves gym - gave me a guest pass to try it out. Heard lots of ladies raving (0nline) about this gym so keen to give it a try.

Sunday was the tupperware party - the champagne sorbets were very yummy...and as I didn't have to drive I managed to taste test a couple!!! Had a few laughs, sold a bit of t'ware and the lovely Sara is kindly going to have one too.

Sara also hung around long enough for us to have a laugh and sing a few songs on Sing Star - my new favourite past time. I'm slowly learning how to use it (set it up and get it working) - the family wouldn't show me how to do it....afraid they'd never get me off me thinks!!

Cath @ LSBS set the DT a challenge for our monthly cyber crop this weekend. Here's my LO - we had to do one about ourselves with some "interesting" facts - mine aren't so interesting as "random" (Danah's fav word atm).

The 'random' facts are:

· I have never had Christmas away from my parents.
· I’ve lived in 25 different houses.
· I knew & remember all four of my grandparents and one great grandfather.
· I was 41 before I went overseas for the first time.
· I left home when I was eleven to live with my grandparents (while our family lived in remote north Queensland).
· I have sleep apnea.
· I love riding pillion on very fast motorbikes.
· My brother introduced me to my husband.

The girls and I have had a very lazy day today - ventured out and bought Tara's new school shoes, sandshoes and casual shoes....this girl's feet just keep on growing!!! A relatively painless experience (financially and emotionally) given how scary shoe shopping can be at this time of the year!!

Girls booked in...

Spent the morning yesterday with a friend who's recently returned from 2 years living in London. She's a scrapper too!

We took the children with us to visit the relatively new shop at Carbrook...the Scrap Princess....and I spent a little more - not that I NEEDED anything really. I also booked the girls into a kids class next Friday - do make an altered clipboard. Karen's daughter, Steph (about a year older than Danah) is coming along to it too.

Now to just remember it (unlike a few years ago when I booked them into a scrap class and then took them along the week AFTER the class had been on :0 )

I asked if they are affiliated with SB Etc @ Underwood - but they aren't. She said they both got their shop layout ideas from a large US company (Achievers?). She's chasing some Fancy Pants ribbon for me...to use on Jo & Bob's (possible wedding) present (altered frame with pic).

Posted some fairly basic "paper distressing" ideas in a post yesterday @ LSBS - good for those starting out I hope. Whipped up a very quick LO to support it. Unfortunately it hasn't scanned very well - the colours just aren't "right" but here it is anyway :)

Speaking of LSBS - we have our monthly cyber crop starting this Friday night - drop in and check out the challenges for the chance at some great prizes.

Went out to the movies last night with Sandy, Brian & Candice - Peter stayed home with the girls as we went to see a "chic flick" - "The Holiday". Really enjoyed it - had a laugh, a cry and relaxed!!! Hope to see Casino Royale with them next week - might as Mum & Dad to have the girls for that so Peter can have a night out too!

Getting set for my Tupperware Party on Sunday - feel free to drop in for a Champagne Sorbet - 2.30pm.

Who would've thought

You wouldn't read about it.....seven scrappin' ladies together (each with a camera in their stash somewhere) and NO photo's taken!!! What the??!!! Hard to believe but true....sorry Leish we did think about you but don't have any evidence to send your way :(

Enjoyed my Friday night crop with Sara, Sara, Ang, Chelle, Zane, Miranda (& her MIL for a while) at Scrapbook City. Here's the LO I started and finally finished today - stitching while watching the girls in the pool!

Used a Becky Fleck circle sketch for this LO - was having trouble downloading her sketches so sent her an email....very friendly....and we've sorted out the problem with the latest version of Acrobat Reader.

Visited a new scrapbook shop on Saturday morning - Scrapbook Princess - near Carbrook. Not bad...very similar to Scrapbook Etc I'm thinking. Ran into (not literally) Megan who was checking it out for the first time too.

Managed to pick up a few goodies for a CJ I've been invited to participate in (yes, I know, swore I wouldn't do anymore CJ's but the group doing it are all very talented and committed scrappers so I'm sure it will be a pleasant experience - unlike some I've been in :( )

My other pleasing news on Saturday was .... my weigh in at WW :) After riding my push bike to the meeting (took me about 30 minutes to get there and only 15 minutes on the way home!!) I weighed in at my pre-Christmas weight! Yay! Lost that pesky 1.9kg I'd found over Christmas. Very pleased with myself given I've been exercising more frequently BUT having a little drinkie ~~ read alcoholic drinkie ~~ every afternoon - I'm a little surprised!! Well I am on HoLidAys afterall!!!

One less magazine

I was sad to find out today that one of the USA magazines I've been buying for the last 12 months is no longer being published.

Scrapbook Answers provided a CD ROM with every issue and while it cost $15 - I found it really good value (so much so that I've rarely bought the Australian mags over the past 12 months favouring this one instead). So I was very disappointed when I checked out their website - to find an email address so I could send a copy of a LO to them - that was inspired by their mag....that their November issue was their last :(

On a more fun note....I'm a Sing Star Queen!!! I managed to beat Danah yesterday in a challenge and haven't let her forget about it all day today. Mind you it'll probably never happen again!!! The four of us played for an hour tonight after dinner and other than my eyes hurting from trying to read the words...I had a blast. I even managed to do a rap song duet with Danah quite successfully!!! Maybe at my Tupperware Party next week (Sunday 14th) we can break into a Sing Star competition as the "party game"??!!! Speaking of tupperware - you're all invited don't forget :)

I'm looking forward to a get together tomorrow night at SCrapbook City...better go and get some LO's organised.

She's still my little girl

I've been up since 4am today.....why you might ask??? My big girl still needs her Mummy!! Danah (11) woke at 4am yelling out for me...having a nightmare - terrified there was something in the house - poor chicken! So she jumped into bed with Peter and I tried to snooze in her bed...unsuccessfully. Gave in @ 5am and got up when Peter got up to go to work. So here I am...forum hopping and blog surfing way too early in the day (Nana-nap for me this arvo!!).

Now...yesterday....the big shopping trip...well I survived and the girls had a ball :)

I've never spent so much time standing around OUTSIDE shops - that I normally wouldn't go into - that play music way too loud (so loud I couldn't ask Danah how she was going - well I could ask but I couldn't hear her reply!!) OMGoodness - I sound like my mother (not that that's a bad thing Mum) !!!!

Mum and Dad only lasted until 12.30pm - so much for moral support!!! We left just on 2pm - so FIVE hours of shopping!!! Car parking wasn't a problem Chelle - we were there at 9am to overcome that problem :)

Danah managed to get her new swimmers (last year it was the very high heels this year the very brief swimmers), very short shorts and sunglasses (you know those huge big sunnies like Paris Hilton wears!!!) + other goodies. Tara purchased some little gifts for a friend who is leaving Brissy to live elsewhere very soon, a lockable diary, lip gloss, chocolates/lollies, a shirt and a pair of jeans. They both still have a $25 card left - which we'll use locally.

I picked myself up a 50% off cheapie necklace and the Playstation 80's Sing Star disk (watch out - I'm ready to sing!!!) All in all - not too bad an experience.

I did consider taking my camera but decided against it knowing I'd have to carry it around all day. But I did take some pics of Danah and Emmie (her friend) with their new mega sunnies when we got home.

I topped the day off by exchanging the external hard drive I received for Christmas from the family (had one already that Peter didn't remember me telling him about months ago ) for a new iPod nano - woo hoo! I'm wrapped. I'm wired for sound now (listening to Wolfmother "Joker & the Thief" now) on my daily walks!

Here it is

Okay - once again - this looked so much better in my mind ;) Maybe I should keep these ideas there - in my mind....anyway - here's my crocheting effort with the edging and the two circles plus my felt pocket and felt flower. Used the My Minds Eye Signature series - "Happiness is Bliss" goodies from Little SCrapbook Shop.

This LO lists (on the tags in the pocket) some of my Mum's childhood memories and of course the pic is of her (printed on canvas). Funny I should crochet on Mum's LO as she was never a crocheter (??sp??) and joked only today how she only ever managed to crochet a 100 miles of chain. Not sure who taught me....certainly not Mum (love ya anyway Mama!!).

Have a list from Dad too so will have to see if I can use fly tie techniques on that one - LOL!!! Just joking :)

Wish me luck for tomorrow - we're off to Chemside shopping centre (huge Westfield centre) so the girls can spend their Christmas gift cards. Mum & Dad are coming too. The girls have been studying the map (which they found on the net and printed off) so they know exactly what shops are there and where they want to go. They have about $100 each which must seem like a fortune to them (and to me!!!) but not sure how they'll go spending it (Danah should be right but Tara I'm not so sure about). My darling Tara even has Dara Lee (chocolates), Donut King and Macca's on her list to visit :) Wonder where her sweet tooth/love of food came from??? Danah's talking bikinis and sunglasses.

2007...it's here.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you had a great New Years Eve and that the year ahead is a beauty!

We saw in the NY - the girls too - we watched DVD's (after yummy home made pizza) until just before midnight and then went out the front armed with poppers. Funny how different this is to the way I used to celebrate NYE!!! (a lifetime ago).

Anyway - managed another couple of LO's between 'holidaying' (read lazying around doing nothing much - all though I did clean out my wardrobe today and found 2 huge garbage bags of reject clothing).

The iTara LO hasn't turned out how I expected and I kept trying to "fix" it which of course only made it worse....anyway.....sometimes they just don't turn out the way you want!

I've also started crocheting....yes...crocheting!! Just little pieces for a LO I"m doing on my Mum's childhood memories....so watch out for it :)