On the Countdown

Only 18 days until the LSBS Retreat....and I'm really starting to get excited about my weekend @ the base of the Blue Mountains with approximately 50 other scrappers!!! I fly down Friday 17th and home again on the Sunday night.

I've had a few 'tasks' to do for the retreat and am happy to say I've got them all under control. 36 ATC's made, one baby LO completed and a new name tag (which I'm really happy with!).

Other scrapping has included my first 12x6 LO....unusual size that I'm not sure I'll be doing again!

I also did another DT LO during the week. We'd been speaking about using songs - title or lyrics - in our LO's ..... and did this "Shiny happy people" LO of my great mate, Cath Black, and I last Christmas!

Did another LO for a SM Online CJ....a quotes and verses one.....

Also another calendar page for the LSBS 2008 calendar swap.....this one for Missty.....very different for me....hope she likes it ;)

A-Z tag

Bon has tagged me - so here goes ....

A-Z's of Me

A - Age: 43
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: Ironing
D - Dessert you love: Cheesecake
E - Eggs, favorite kind: Benedict (ham, spinach, hollandase sauce)
F - Favorite actor(S): Sean Connery
G - Gold or Silver: Gold
H - Height: 178cm
I - Instruments you play: Piano - sort of
J - Job title: Public Servant
K - Kid(s): Danah (almost 12) and Tara (8)
L - Living arrangements: Mortgaged, DH Peter (15 years), 2 girls, 2 cats (Bazzill & Heidi), 1 dog (Jack)
M - Mum's name: Ann
N - Nicknames: ? at school I was called "Big Bird"
O - Overnight hospital stay other than giving birth: Sinus operation
P - Phobia: Spiders
Q - Quotes: Treat your family like friends and your friends like family.
R - Right or left handed: Right handed
S - Siblings: 1 younger brother
T - Temper: I'm a red-head!
U - Unique habit: ? Great sense of direction ?
V - Vegetable you hate: Not fussed on .... hmmm...love all food!
W - Worst habit: Snoring
X - rays you've had: cat scan of my head, back
Y - Yummy food you make: lasagne
Z - Zodiac Sign: Cancer

I tag....Steph Davy, Megan, Sara N, Sara P :)

I'm NOT clucky....I'm NOT clucky

Pam from work has finished up and is on maternity leave! So we've had a morning tea and a ladies lunch and a baby shower - but I'm NOT clucky!! OKAY!

Work morning tea - me, Megan, Christine & Pam.

Pam looking radiant - at our girls lunch @ the London Club on Friday!

Pam's Mum, Camilla, the mum-to-be and Faye, Mark's Mum - baby shower @ the Coffee Club today.

I made Pam & Mark a little clipboard for a notebook - for all those lists you need as new parents...

Hope you have a fabulous relaxing few weeks as you await the safe arrival of your new little man, Pam.

Scrapwise....got some fun new Reminisce PP's from Cath @ LSBS as part of my DT pack this month...."Sports Chick". Danah's about to start basketball again so hope to get more pics from this season to have some more fun with this range.

Received back a Circle Journal this weekend from a very long running project on SM Online forum....I'll put up the pics from it over the week - so come back later in the week to check out all the entries in my "Favourite HOliday" CJ.

Other scrapping as involved getting ready for the LSBS Retreat next month. I've completed my "baby" LO - which I can't share (yet)....it's a guessing competition for the retreat to see if we can guess who's baby LO belongs to who! Don't think anyone will pick the photo but hopefully my style (whatever that is???) won't give it away! Getting VERY excited about the retreat now...although still have a few jobs to do beforehand (ATC's & a name tag).

Surviving

being back at work....JUST!

Did manage one more LO on Monday before heading back to the salt mines....lots of hand cutting (with a blister to show for it) in this one of eldest DD (10 in this pic)!

How cold is it where you are??? We're freezing here and expecting colder tomorrow!!! There was frost on my parents lawn when I dropped the girls off there this morning!!! What the!!! This is Brisbane folks....we have nice mild short winters here thank you!!!

I love holidays...

Shame I've only got a week off...could so get used to NOT working!

We've had a lovely week - managed to clean out the girls wardrobes and donate a heap of clothes to the needy and a heap more "stuff" to the Guide Garage Sale (that was on this morning).

We've also managed to see a few movies - "Pirates" (with my pirate loving Mum), "Nancy Drew" and "Harry Potter". Enjoyed them all!

I've also been able to do heaps of scrapping and received my latest DT Pack from Cath at LSBS! Yippee!!! New products to play with....and given my current scrap "diet" (no buying until the LSBS Retreat next month)....I'm even more happy than usual to receive goodies!

Have also picked up a few prizes from Debra at the Craft Attic - so that's broken my drought without breaking my "diet" too ;)

The LSBS Cyber Crop has been on this weekend - so lots happening there.....I'll start my scrap sharing this weekend with the LO I did as a sample for Challenge #2!

The DT at LSBS were challenged to use flowers in a different way this CC.....I used a gorgeous photo of Chelle's daughter Ella and framed it with flowers + wrote on the large blossom (saw this at Alicia's a while back and been dying to try it!)

I also did a digi LO for the LSBS CC - here it is!

Even Tara did a LO for the Kids Challenge at the LSBS CC! She did all this herself....I just helped with the cutting around the flower!

Some other layouts using pics from last year including a lovely one of the girls and I taken by Sara Pearcy (who's doing some awesome digi LO's...check out her blog) .....

My Attic Inspiration #6 LO - had fun using digi elements on a physical LO for this one - yummy Rhonna Farrer "Color My World" elements from 2 Peas.

I've also made a big start on my LSBS Retreat projects.....a name tag, 36 ATC's & a baby photo LO - won't share those just now ;)

For those of you who know Megan (Born2Shop, Miss Megan, + various other forums names!)...her, Bruce & furkid are safely in Hervey Bay having made the big move! A hectic time to get packed and up there in 2 weeks!!! Hope your first day in your new job is fabulous tomorrow (Monday 16/7). Megan was having trouble getting her broadband organised for up there, but I know she'll be back ONLINE as soon as humanly possible...lol!!

Also want to say a HUGE congrats to Narelle Riley for winning the Scrap Therapy Make-Believe Masters Comp!!! Woo Hoo!!! Way to go! You're so not a 'make-believe' master in my book Relsi!!!

The girls are both back to Guides/Brownies and looking forward to lots of activities...had the garage sale today, they both have low ropes and a city adventure next weekend + heaps more in the diary for the coming months!! So glad they are both enjoying it!

Tomorrow's my last day of hols :(....then back to the hassle of school/work etc. etc. etc....hope you all have a fabulous week!

Whale Watching

We had a fabulous day today visiting North Stradbroke Island and Danah's friend, Emmie & her family (Julie, Greg & brother Aiden).

We caught an early barge over to make the most of the day. After morning tea we went for a walk around the headlands of Point Lookout - and got some fabulous views including quite a few whales and lots of dolphins!! After enjoying a lunch of fresh prawns (and a few glasses of white) the day was almost over!! I picked up some more beautiful product from Julie's wonderful Nourish Naturally range - check it out!!! Took some great pics - check out how blue the water was!!

I'm on holidays this week with the girls (their last week of holidays)...so looking forward to cleaning bedrooms, a bit of shopping, some movies (Pirates on Saturday, Nancy Drew tomorrow and hopefull Harry later in the week!).

Also hoping for some scrapbooking time!

If you get a chance - pop over to Megan's blog (ScrapPrincess/ Born2Shop/Scrapwench)and say goodbye to her before she and Bruce pack up and move from Brissy up to Hervey Bay!!

Sara Tag

Tag time...thanks Sara ;)

Here's the deal:
1-post these rules
2-each person tagged must post 8 random (... hopefully interesting) facts about themselves
3-tags should write a blogpost of these facts
4- at the end of the post 8 more bloggers are tagged and named
5-go to their blog and leave a comment telling them they're tagged

Here's my eight (interesting???) facts...

1-I once filled a housemates lounge room full of beanbag beans so we could have a "snow" party (seemed like a good idea at the time - not so good the next day {{hung over}})

2-I lived at the northern most tip of Australia in an Aboriginal community called Bamaga when I was young.

3-I've travelled to every State and Territory in Australia with my work

4-I worked for a South AMerican family in a 24 hour restaurant in Brisbane city - for a very short time!

5-I also worked as a telemarkter (before they had a REALLY bad name) and made more $$ working part-time doing that than I did working 12 hour days for the Sth American mob!!!

6-I met my husband through my younger brother - they were mates!

7-I have two distant relatives who have been in Olympic games for Australia - in shooting and tennis

8-I flew the length of Australia (from Bamaga to Melbourne) on my OWN when I was eleven (to live with my grandparents for a year).

PHew...that was difficult....and this is going to be even more difficult (don't hate me please)...I tag:

Stephanie (Davy)
Tara
Chelle
Narelle
Debra
Leone
Sara N
Tamara

I haven't tagged Megan ... 'cos I know she's busy packing for the big move to Hervey Bay! Good luck with that ;)

Happiness CJ

Quick post before Peter & I go out for a "grown up" dinner with my girlfriend, Cath, and her new man! (Girls are at my folks for the night ;0)

Bought these pale green petals at IKEA and have been dying to use them....hope Scrapwitch likes it!

Calendar Swap

Two more calendars from the LSBS Calendar Swap.....I'm really enjoying doing this swap and can't wait to get my calendar back! What a pleasure it will be next year to have a beautiful scrap page each month to admire!

Also a LO to share for the Attic Inspiration Challenge at The Craft Attic - this was a tricky one - had to be a negative title with no pics of people + at least 5 things that tick you off on the LO!!

Finally tonight I'm sad to say that my great scrap & work buddy Megan is leaving Brisbane....moving to Hervey Bay for a wonderful new job at TAFE. I'm really excited for her and Bruce as I'm sure they'll love 'the Bay' and new jobs.....BUT I'm going to miss her terribly :( Will miss our scrap shopping and cropping!

Don't take too long getting your net connection happening Megan....so we can still chat like you're just down the road!! I'd better stock up on my white Bazzill too now ;)

Bit of a fizzer!

Another birthday come and gone!

Friday was the day - DH and girls all forgot to say "Happy Birthday" - luckily Mum said it (other than an online wish from Megan!) when I dropped Tara into her and Dad. Unfortunately TAra was SICK so Danah & I went into work quickly before coming back home to tend to TAra.

By Friday night Danah wasn't feeling so good either! So my birthday weekend has been very quiet! (Tara's better today but poor Danah's still not flash)

Peter did redeem himself with a nice bottle of red wine and take-away Indian for dinner on Friday night!

Saturday they came home with my gift - jewellery voucher, chocolates, iPod goodies and iTunes card - so I'm happy.

Received lots of lovely birthday wishes online from all my scrap and non-scrap friends....so that was extra nice too. Thank you to everyone who sent wishes!

Sick girls = plenty of scrap time and I've done FOUR layouts this weekend! Three for the Craft Attic Cyber Crop and one for the Scrap Pile CC. Here they are!

You'll be pleased (or very surprised) to hear I've survived my first weekend of NO SCRAP SHOPPING! No new supplies - other than cardstock! How many days 'til the retreat???!!!