My little Artist

My little boy Mitchell has all of a sudden decided that he is into drawing and colouring in. Last month he would pick up a piece of paper and just do one massive scribble, now he is colouring in neatly, cutting out shapes & drawing. This is the first drawing he has done and come and shown me. It's Cowper in Mummy's tummy. I love the drawing for heaps of reasons. He has finally made a big developmental step on the way to schooling and it shows that he is thinking about a new little brother that is going to come into the world. Both bubs and I are smiling so Mitch must be pretty happy about the whole thing :)

Alec boy is just happy & cheeky :) I have been dying to capture the cheeky grin that he flashes all the time.








And I decided to take two on the tin I did for Scrap of Faith. I will run another close at the end of the month for people who like take two :)









What else is going on? The girls and I had our first appointment up at the hospital yesterday. Would have to be the first time ever I've in and out of the RBH clinic within 1/2 hr!!! From now on all my appointments will be up at the birth center with the lovely Marg & Jo :) I just love having my own midwife :) Mark and I worked out that Marg has delivered over 30000 babies!!!!!! and 2 of those were Mitchell & Alec. It would be great if she is on call when Cowper arrives!! Marg is a pretty amazing woman, she got the Birth Centre up and running and although she still runs the birth centre and cares for 4 women a month I think she thinks she's semi retired!!! LOL she is wonder woman!!

Okay 5 things I am thankful for :) (Make it 6 LOL)

1. Never changing will always be at the top of the list - God :)
2. An understanding Husband
3. Scrapbooking
4. Crown Financial Ministries
5. Scrap of Faith
6. Sleep ins

It's a........ !!!!!!!!!

Babies Babies everywhere!!!

My beautiful friend Jacqui has just given birth to a precious little angel Emily Deborah. Mum and bub are both too beautiful and doing really well. Also the much anticipated Scrapping Bubbies of Evana & Trina made their late entrance into the world. Congratulations gilrs on Joel & Daniel!!! None of theses babies were under 9lb 6oz, wow you girls breed em well!!!!

We had our 19wk scan with some more of my beautiful friends. Penny did the scan & Chris was there as fantastic support & offical photographer. I now have some great "Scan" photos and Penny has some brilliant "me at work" photos. So we are adding to the Male population!!! It's funny as soon as you find out the sex that name that you just couldn't think of all of a sudden just fits!!! So we have to wait til January to meet our little Cowper (pronounced Cooper).

I finally got to met and have copy with the gorgeous Nat Mardon!! She is a super sweet girl, such a beautiful soul and full of such passion. I keep thinking she is the 6ft version of me LOL. The kids had a great afternoon playing in the fantastic Playground of the Everton Park Hotel while Nat & I could sit and chat and drool over eachothers scrap books. I just love Nat's style. It is so fresh and funky and I really wish I could capture some of that in my own work. So Scrap of Faith is so lucky to have Nat on the DT!!!

Mark & I have been doing a finaincial course through our church and have been having some really big "wake up" moments that can only benifit and strengthen our family. So lots of seeking God's counsel and planning happening here :)

Okay I'm going to Join Nat & Lusi in listing 5 things I am grateful for:

1) My faith
2) My family
3) The new friends that Scrap of Faith has bought me
4) My Friday Cropper Girls
5) Healthy babies & Healthy Mummies

What a week!!!

Well I got my classes done for my Scrap of Faith website!!!

Here's a sneak peak of the tin & LO that you can get aPDF of instructions and an on-line class on how to do these projects!!! And you get to support charity too!!!

A tag & catch up :)

Okay the beautiful Nat has tagged me :)

1. How old are you? 30
2. How many kids do you have if any? 4 beautiful cute & cuddly ones and one in the tum :) Holly 6, Hannah nearly 5, Mitchell 3 1/2, Alec 1/2
3. Are you married, single, divorced, widow? Married to Mark 7 yrs (together 10)
4. What is your occupation? I am WHAM Quantity Surveyor doing Tax Depreciation reports & Home School mumma :)
5. What are your passions? God & all that goes with my faith, my family, scrapping & Scrap of Faith (all my close friends I met through scrapping :) ).
6. Are you a dreamer or a dream seeker? A mixture of both half my dreams I seek out :)
7. Are you happy with the way you life has turned out? Yep totally. So far life couldn't be more beautiful I have such a beautiful family, God meets all our needs and we have our health. I've done some dumb things but why dwell or regret them all have contributed to being here today.
8. Are you a scrapper and if so how many hours a week do you scrap? YEP :) I go from nothing to 15 depends on the week and what I got to do.
9. What do you want to do before you die? Live a long healthy life with Mark and still have the love of my children.
10. What are is your favorite food? Strawberries, chocolate, salads. And right now I'm craving a warm friand with fresh cream.......
11. What is the food you hate the most? SEAFOOD!!!!!
12. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? I guess a caravan toilet exploding on me.
13. What is the happiest day of your life thus far? Oh getting married (or the day Mark agreed to go on a date, that was the start of it all :) ) all the kids births. The days I really feel God talking to me and guiding me.
14. Are you a neat freak? Or a dirty house cleaner? OK no neat freak here. I love a clean house, but just can't get into cleaning it LOL. Perhaps my goal before I die should be to have it in the budget to afford a regular house cleaner. I almost need a full time maid to keep up with the kids!!!!

Thanks for that Nat :)

I tag Chris, Roz & Mel M.

So this week I have been really busy with the usual stuff plus trying to get things happening for Scrap of Faith. I think this month will be a biggy then it will be pretty cool sailing after that. I just am so touched by all the people who have shown their support and help :) Mandi for doing the banner, All the girls who leave comments and keep me going & everyone who as emailed me and said hey wow thanks for this how can I help. You all know who you are and you all mean so much :) What wonderful blessings you all are.

Check this out

Another post before the month is out, what has gotten into me???

Well I want you all to go check out this site that I got inspired to create. It's a work in progress but hopefully the work and the progress will happen quickly and we'll have it looking mighty flash and inspiring really soon.

http://scrapoffaith.typepad.com/

Can't have only 1 for the month!!!!

Okay there is no way I am going to let July go with only 1 post so I had better get this one in!!!

Okay so what has been going on for July?? well let me think

- Did my entry for Masters, yep left it till the last weekend
- Did an entry for Memories & More Search for A DT comp, left that till the last day!!!
- Started going back to Church
- Had a glorious blessing way for Jacqui's new baby due in August
- Started volounteering at Girls Brigade as a Uniform Shop Lady & floating helper in the classes.
- Finally my morning sickness left!!!
- Got in trouble from the doctor for being too relaxed about this pregnancy!
- Back to School with kidletts!!!
- Oh and got more school texts and work books, very exiting in this house LOL.

So now it's the end of the month. Feeling seriously lacking in Iron, tierd and lazy when I shouldn't be LOL. So far we have been spared winter sickness in our house, only Mark has been affected and that was only mild, so hopefully August wont bring any nasty surprises.

And now I sit and wait hoping that I might be one of the lucky 100 to get a phone call from Scrapbooking Memories!! If not I can finally share what I did. I hate doing stuff and not being able to share it any where!!!!!

So as for sharing here's my last LO I did.















I Just love a cooked breakfast, don't have time for one every day, but around 3 times a week I'll have one.

Shameless Plug

Well here I am blogging to get in two shameless plugs. 1 for me Yeah!!! and 1 for Ngaire Bartlam's fantastic fundrasing efforts for Breast Cancer.

So first of all my shameless plug. Click here to check out my contribution to the SN newsletter. Both Lib Morris and I got to be Guest DT this month and the two of us had such a great time creating for the newsletter. I am sooooo jealous of anyone who gets to do DT stuff every month. Guess a regular spot is my next 2006 scrap goal. Here's a sneak peek, but really get over to Scrap Needs check out the other awesome work done by the DT and get inspired. And while you're there have a shop, Kell has the freindliest service and fastest turn around on orders I have ever seen and such a beautiful range of product in her shop.


Next get yourself over to Ngaire's blog and check out the amazing fundraising effort she has got going on for Breast Cancer. She has got some awesome talant in Australian Scrapping donating prizes and some wonderful product up for grabs also. Do me a favour and check it out. My wonderful DH and beautiful children are without a Mum and Grandma because of this horrible disease called Breast Cancer, so just for me go and support Ngaire's efforts in trying to raise money to beat this disease.

Oh Pooh Bum!!!!!

Well my little photo challange is going to have to wait. I can't get that photo up no matter how hard I try!!! So I'm going to have to wait for Mark to post it on a hidden page on our site and link it. So that challange to come.

So this week I have been working really well. I have given myself detention and set up my laptop on the spare desk in Mark's office so he can make sure I don't procrastinate, so so far so good. I actually like being in the same office with Mark so looks like my office will become even more of a cropping room. Just have to tidy it up now.

There are two things in my life that I am ashamed of, my bedroom & my office. They are total disasters, even the kids tell me to clean them up. I read a book about different personalities and what it said about mine was, I am often well groomed when going out and look like a really together person, but if you saw where I got changed you would freak. Well yep that's me to a t "Sparky Sanguine". I just really really really hate house work!! It's not fun!!! Who want's to do stuff that is not fun after a day of work??!! Now if there is anybody out there who cannot understand my loathing of housework then you're just freaky!!! But you can come and do my house any day!!!

Okay while I'm at it I'll divulge my other secrets that I shouldn't really be too proud of.

1. I'm an email addict send/recive, send/recive, send/recive
2. I like to drive FAST!!!!!
3. I procrastinate
4. Will send Alec to Mark to get a his pooey nappies changed. "What he's done a poo again??!!! You're kidding me!!!" hehehehehe.
5. And I think every other scrapper shares this one, I spend more on product than what I actually need!! Although this year I have really been good on that one.

So this leads me to wonder what would you spend $27 Million on if you won last Saturday's million. Here's my wish list.

1. Gift some to family
2. Buy a house
3. Buy a property out west
4. Invest
5. Trust funds for the kids
6. Keep a little aside for a few luxuries, new car, home theatre, ski boat, caravan, clothes, scrapping supplies, and wardrobe systems for all the cupboards in the new house oh and a holiday. If things were invested properly then when all the kids were older we would do a big overseas trip with them. And I forget I would love to be able to afford a house keeper/nanny.

So that's my mega wish list. What's yours?

Oh well I am procrastinating right now. Work is calling so must answer LOL.

Take care all

OKAY STOP NAGGING!!!!!!!!!`

Oh Boy how many death threats can a girl get for not updating her blog??? So for fear of my life here's an update!!!! But in all seriousness it is flattering for people to email me and say "Can we have an update please". Okay no, sorry I was being polite there, they really go more like "UPDATE YOUR BLOG!!!!!"

Okay so I really really do have a good excuse for not being a good blogger and now my Mum knows I can tell you all, yep I'm pregnant. I have just been sooooooo unmotivated to do anything, things I love doing I just look at and go "Nah, later"... This is so not me & I must admit I'm having a hard time dealing with this!!! So does anyone know how to get Mojo Back & no not the team on the Amazing Race I would like to loose that Mojo, but my Mojo for life??? The only thing I can muster the energy to do is flop in front of the TV at night & I HATE TV!!! I even know the people's names on Big Brother!!!!! What has my life come too?????

So what's been neglected that I normally love due to pregnancy hormones-
1. My hair and clothes, I look like a slob!!!
2. Blogging
3. Scrapping (and now is not the time to be Mojo Less with a DT job this month!!!)
4. Sex!!
5. Exercise (sorry, I used to go running and skiing... REALLY???)
6. Schooling (just doing the bare necessities no extras)
7. Going out.
Things I don't Love but must do that have slumped.
1. Work (not good!!! jobs coming in, but I have to get them out!!!)
2. House work (Who cares LOL)

So Baby I'm telling you know "STOP SAPPING MY MOJO"!! and hey you had better turn out to be one cool kid, from all this Mojo sapping you are doing buddy. The little blighter is even due on New Years Eve!!! So what's a bet this is the first bubby of mine that ever arrives on it's due date. Now I could handle that if it get's the First baby born in 2007 title, then it could be forgiven.

So My first plan of attack is to clean up my office, get it a bit organised so work won't look like such a huge Mission. I think I might ask my Mum if I can palm the kids off to her for a couple of days next week so I can just get my head around work without worrying about them. I'm also thinking I might have to move my work stuff to the spare desk in Mark's office so I don't spend my time procrastinating with temptations, such as the Forum, email & stuff.

So there you have it I have been a slack blogger due to a Mojo Sapping Baby!!

Oh and email me baby names, after naming 4 kids Mark and I are totally at loss on even thinking of names that we remotely like for the 5th.. Can I just be like Michael Jackson and reuse a name, Perhaps Holly the 2nd or Mitchell the 2nd, or hey Blanket is a winner!!!!

So photos to share, I'm going to set a weekly challenge to everyone who reads this blog. I want you to share the following photos and tell us a bit about it. First week I want a photo of you pre 10, Week 2 a photo 10 - 15, Week 3 Senior High school, Week 4 18yrs, Week 5 21yrs, Week 6 your wedding. So I will start with my Pre 10 photo. Sorry about the quality, but old scanned photos aren't the best. It's of me and my sisters at the Lookout in Cardwell where we grew up. I'm the yongest & just gotta love those tight tight shorts and knee high socks, I was sooooooo cool LOL.

Sorry I cannot for the life of me get that photo to upload. I'll try putting it as it's own post. ARRGGHH!! Blogger!!!!!

I've been tagged!!

Okay Miss Millar has guilted me into being a slack blogger this last week LOL. And as punishment has tagged me so I’ll update my blog. I know I have been a slack blogger this week, sorry everyone who has visited and gone “Dang, same stuff, bugger!!”.

So last Friday the girls school teacher from Groves Mr Healey came for a visit to see how we were doing. Well we passed with flying colours and was so reassuring to know we are headed along the right path. He made some origami fish with the kids and on Monday we gave them scales and eyes to finish them off.

I had a little bit of an embarrassing moment on Wednesday. I was having one of those silly mornings of having wonderful plans but not getting any of them achieved. I had a massive pile of washing on the rug to fold, I still hadn’t vacuumed under the table & the sink still had the breakfast dishes in it and the table was piled high with school work. At 11:30 I still hadn’t made it out of my PJ’s. I thought there was a chance to salvage the day so I went to get changed to tackle the challenge. Thought if I was at least out of my PJ’s then I was off to a good start. Well in the middle of getting changed the phone rang, so I’m sitting in my office in just a T-Shirt and undies chatting on the phone, when my neighbor decides to pop over. Well she’s not one to really knock and just waltzes in the back door right into the disaster zone and the kids tell her I’m in the office. So next thing I have my neighbor come right into my office me sitting there only half dressed and the two of us looking at each other like dear caught in the headlights. The quickest visit she ever made LOL. I told Mark when he got home and he laughed and said she probably thinks our household has gone to hell in a hand basket. I just thought, well that’s what you get for not knocking!!! I also think the back door might need locking during the day LOL.

Okay so I’d better do Miss Millar’s tag.

What’s in my……

Fridge –

Marinades
Breakfast spreads
Butter & Milk both real not fake stuff
Fruit & Veg
Fresh batch of cupcakes

Closet –

Cothes
Shoes
Belts & Handbags
Books
Safe

Handbag –

Wallet
Keys
Phone

Car –

Street Directory
Chamois
Kids shoes
Snatch ‘em
Shovel
Winch

DVD / Video Player –

Into The Woods
Snatch
Arlington Road
Blackhawk Down
All the Pixar Films
Ice Age
Other kids ones.

I’m Tagging…..

Kelley and Kirst.

This weekend we have a big Picnic with the other Groves' home schoolers & Mark's birthday on Sunday. So should be fun weekend :)

Well that’s it for today. Better organize lunch for the masses.

Take care everyone & a big thank you to all those who have left comments. Sorry I don’t reply individually to them all, wish I had more time to do that, but they do mean a lot. Thanks & Hugs.

Lest We Forget

To all of you that have loved ones serving in our armed forces my thoughts and prayers go out to all of you for their safe return. To our diggers who have served and are serving thank you and God Bless. Don't forget our ANZAC spirit and be proud to be Australian!

I can finally reveal more about my guest DT position. It is with Scrap Needs. The wonderful Kell owner of Scrap Needs has had a fantastic Ideas Center on the site and will now be offering a newsletter. The first one will be out in May. I will be doing some Layouts and BTP projects for the June Newsletter. May's Newsletter will be full of wonderful work from the talented Chris Millar, Roz James, Mishell Lancette & Jen Hall plus another guest DT. So get over to the Scrap Needs website and create an account so you can get your hands on a newsletter (top left corner click on the 'log on'). Also online classes & kits are also coming up and revealed in the Newsletter. DON'T MISS OUT!!!!

We're alive, all is good!!

We had the night from hell on Thursday and lived to tell the tale. I will not go into the gorey details, but will leave it as 2 adults, 4 kids no one spared from the vomit gremlin, yep that all ads up to one night I choose not to revisit!!! This picture sums up our thoughts on the night LOL.


Sickness in the house does have some advantages, kids laying around chilling out giving Mum lots of scrapping time. Is that bad addicted scrapping lady talk going on there, taking advantage of unwell kids like that? So here is the latest creation.

The title is on a flap of cardstock that lifts up to reveal journaling that says "Mr Mickey you delight us so much when you call out "What you say?" Daddy & I now always say this instead of pardon. You even have the girls saying it too! you continue to delight us with other funny things you say, such as Excabaytor=Excavator, Cucumback=Cucumber, Choke=vomit, Bomince=Taco mince & silly dodo & Kongkong"

So I'm now on a mission to break the world record for folding laundry. Why I let it pile up is beyond me, but this way I put on a DVD and Mark helps, gotta suck those fellas into housework somehow. Oh and I have resupplied the chocolate stash & hey after you hurl all your stomach contents up does that mean you can have double the chocolate allowance because non of Thursday's eating counts? I think so!!

Thanks again for all the lovely comment and stopping by. BIG HUGS!!!

Exciting things

Okay some wonderful things happening in my life right now.

Firstly one of my goals is on its way I hope. I have been offered a guest DT position!!!! So far it's a little hush hush, but next week I'll be able to share all the details, that's just a little too exciting for me.

The other one is about the movie I'm in, Sweet FA I will have to quote the wise Mick for this one. "I had a suspicious phone call form the AFC asking about what we were spending, our equipment etc. I have since found out they wanted the info because we are being featured in promotional material for the Cannes Film Festival". So cool for the guys doing the movie as they are working so hard and completely funding this themselves to get some recognition in the film industry. Let's hope the end result is a pretty cool movie :) Check out their site here awesomely-awesome .

Schools In!!!

Well it's back to heads down tails up. After a great Easter break we are back into the routine. Amazing how much cleaner the kitchen stays when we're not all slacking off LOL. The girls are back into the school work full swing and I'm just so amazed at what Hannah knows. She just sits there ever so quietly listening to what I'm doing with Holly and sucking it all in. I'll ask Holly a question and often Hannah will beat her to the answer.

Our Easter weekend was busy busy busy!!! Friday was the Friday Cropper night, Saturday mates came over for lunch and then we headed up to the Coast for Dinner for my Dad's 65th (opppss sorry his 21st, I don't have a Dad whose 65 yet!! LOL). We went out to Trader Dukes for dinner and found out they don't do the kids eat free anymore!! What The??? You get my business then you change the game plan??? We then found out that my Sister and her husband had been skiing with Dad that day and wanted him to put the boat in the next day. SKIING!!!!!! No one said we'd be skiing!!! Oh hell, crap, bugger I didn't bring my togs, let alone wetsuit!!! So mad dash back to Brissie that night to get my stuff and up at 6am to go back first thing in the morning. Kids stayed with Mum and Dad while we did the wetsuit mission.

Came back to a poor little sick Alec who was having a lot of coughing and breathing difficulties. Mark took to the medical centre and the Doctor could not tell what his problem was if it was bronchitis or asthma. He gave him the nebuliser which cleared it up and prescribed him some ventalin. We have had him sleeping in the porta cot in our room so we can keep an eye on him and give him a puff if he has a middle of the night coughing fit. The last couple of nights he's been much better but I kind of like having him there so wont rush him back to his room just yet.

So anyway back to the weekend we took the kids to Ice Age 2 Sunday afternoon and came back to Brissie Sunday night. Monday I spent the day shopping with Caryn at Chermside having a cool girlie afternoon. We spent all afternoon going into shop after shop just not really liking anything. Had in my mind what I wanted but it was either ridiculously priced or just very poorly made. So after a cup of hot chocolate I was about to go home defeated, but I saw a shop called Cotton On while we were sitting there and said let's check it out. Well huge sale later and everything I wanted I walked out with 7 items!! As it was just my birthday Ms Caryn insisted she pick up the tab!! What a girl and the best birthday treat ever!! I am just so loving my new tops and shrugs.

So a little photo share for you all. The girls and I were mucking around in the back yard. I had dragged the camera out for to take pictures of Mr Alec, the girls had stuck him in the dozer and were pushing him around. So serious he was, didn't want to get out, but wouldn't smile either cheeky boy. The girls and I couldn't resist getting in front of the camera being idiots either.

I just love Mr Aleco's expressive eyebrows.

All the chocolate's gone, will we ever get over it LOL.

So now it's back to work and school again. Which really for us is not a drama LOL. I love the "settled" feeling that the house has when we are in the weekly grove, the kids behave so much better and life is good. But I do love the craziness of a jam packed weekend :) Been on Chrissy's blog and I think an O'Rielly's trip is in order for this one, Hot Chocolate on their balcony is too much of a tempation I can't resist :)

Hugs to you all & have a great first week back :)

I've been Hijacked!!!

AARRRGGHHHH!!!!!!! Why do kids have to be so computer savvy??!!!

Here I am trying to update my blog change the music etc & here is Holly hovering. Do this Mum, play that one, no I don't like that one, put on Delta, How about Dixie Chicks!!??? "WHO'S BLOG IS THIS???!!!!". So the song I have chosen with Holly's approval is "Beautiful".

Okay so this is the last weekend of holidays & the serious work/school routine starts on Monday. I have 3 goals this term, be better organised, be more motivated with the business & get on a scrapping DT. I'm giving acting and singing a bit of a rest. I just got so exhausted from the last play I did & really can't handle that again until the end of the year. So I am really enjoying my scrapping loving the time and space I have to do it so would love the challenge and commitment from a DT team. I also want to teach here and there but Mark is worried about that limiting our freedom to go places, but my point is we don't go now!!

Here is one of my recent creations. I did this for the Scrap Needs cyber crop challenge. The challenge was have 'complete' in the title, do handwritten journaling & incorporate rub-ons in to the journaling. I also did a page in Penny's CJ which I did at the FC crop and gave it straight to her and didn't get a chance to photograph.
So this weekend is up to the Sunshine Coast for Dad's 65th, over to the farm to check out Mark's family & then having a day of Shopping with Caryn then up to her place to tear around in the buggy and the boys hunt toads. Will have to get some photos of that. I should also make Dad a card and share that too. But must run Jade & JJ are here with lunch so better get it while it's hot.

Enjoy tomorrow everyone and go easy on the eggs!!!!

I hate to do this but......

I really hate censorship and removal of freedoms etc, but I had to activate the moderate comments feature on the blog. I had someone (not a friend just an idiot wandering out there in the world) use my comments page for advertising. I can't remove the comment and I hate that a blog can be abused this way. So I will post all comments good or bad just not the ones where people try to sabotage someone else's space to advertise crap.

Okay Rant OFF!!

For those of you who would like to leave a comment but don't want it to be public domain, you can leave it and at the bottom say "please do not publish" and I won't. By any chance any wired freaks are popping by my blog and are reading this and you start sending me really sick comments with "do not publish" at the bottom thinking it will remain private, think again.

So your comments aren't disappearing into thin air they just go to my email to say "Publish" or "Delete". So comment away YEAHHHH!!!!

It's about time!!

Well so much for being a regular blogger last week!!! What's going on??!! I was going to post about the ski crew and other things & it never happened.

I ended up having a bit of a busy week last week. Thursday was a busy/slack day got a heap of work done in the morning then dropped the kids off & saw V for Vendetta, loved loved loved it!! I'm always up for a bit of conspiracy and action so this was right up my alley :) We arrived 5 min late for the film and I always hate that going in when it's really dark thinking "I don't want to be standing here for too long" so you get in take a quick look and go for the seats as quick as you can. Well I decided back row of the front section was the best bet. So off I dash get half way along the row and think excellent now sit down before you piss people off..... WHAT THE!!!!!! There are no chairs in the middle of the row & I go down like a sack of taters splat in the middle of the theatre frozen coke and popcorn everywhere, rip a hole in my black shawl. (I know my black shawl sob sob I love that thing sob...) Very unlady like of me in my "holy cow what the hell happened moment" say out loud "OOOHHHH SHIT!!!" So much for my quick and quiet no one notice me entrance. So wet bum, ripped shawl & the movie was still excellent. Why is this movie not in the Gold Class I ask, that would have been great.

So movie finished we head off to do an inspection on the Southside on the way to dinner and shooting with Nigel and Caryn. Once a month Thursday night shoots are fun & for those of you out there who don't know "Yes I have a gun license 3 of them in fact" so I have to go to comps to keep them. Mark is the big "Hunter" in the house so for ease of both adults being responsible etc I got my license so I can if I ever have to open the safe and it not be illegal. Anyway I digress, we had dinner at the Glen Hotel and did the shoot at Belmont, because we were doing movie, work, dinner etc I had on my bling shirt (one in all the photos) well the shoot is at night and you have to walk out into the range 100 yards if you shoot the ram and put him back up at the end of the round (metal one not a live one LOL) so I wonder out put my little ram up and when I got back everyone was saying that the spotlight on the range lit my shirt up like you wouldn't believe and I was this silver V walking around out there. Well at least you guys won't shoot me LOL. Next month I want disco music :)

So how you all going, still hanging in there good, this is going to be a long one LOL.

On the weekend we visited my Grandma in hospital, my Grandma is in her 80's doing pretty well for her age still hardly any greys on her head, but she had a case of pneumonia and they put her on IV antibiotics. Granddad was able to stay home with Mum, Kerry & Greg popping in during the day and taking turns to stay the night with him. Sunday was a massive day had so many things to get done in the morning and we were supposed to be at my sisters for lunch and we just kept getting latter and latter the faster and faster we tried to get out the door. I thought we were just having a casual lunch, but when we arrived my whole family was there!! So was great to have lunch with them all. Then off to a kids birthday party then after that we drove to the Coast to have the night and Monday with the kids while Mark did an afternoon inspection at Marcoola. Took the opportunity to insect bomb the place while we were gone.

So here we are at Tuesday. Spent the morning with Chris Millar & Penny so the kidlettes could have a play date and the afternoon working & then an evening run. I'm a bit happy with my running, well as happy as I can be considering I don't go enough. Mark tries to do the same distance faster I was just wanting to do the same distance with less pain, didn't care if I went slower or faster, I just do each run with the "I will not walk" at all mentality and the last two runs I've got to home and said stuff this I'm not finished and kept running. So today I added about another 1/2 klm to the run so very happy with that!!

Well do I end it here I think so, before I forget again the wonderful Chris Millar made me a fancy card which I will share tomorrow. For those of you who are still awake thanks for making it LOL. For all those who pop buy and say "Hi" thank you and for those who do drop by and don't say "Hi" please do I would love know you stopped by :)

Take care & big hugs to you all :)

I'll leave you with some photos of Mr Aleco's first haircut.

Steady as she goes.

Okay not much is happening with life, kids are on holidays, work is picking up and other wise things are pretty cruisy. So not too much to say (I know that's a shock for most of you!). I got my photos from Rachel yesterday so I'll share them with you all :) You've already seen the super close up so I won't go there again LOL.




















I took yesterday off as it was a Passover Celebration for us, so spent the day doing not too much. I'm pretty lucky as our Passover Sabath always falls either on or after my birthday so I get some time off around then. So today I've got to get work done this morning, Mark and I are dropping the kids off in the afternoon to Sam's because we have to do our shoot tonight, so we might try to get in a movie this afternoon. So better get the work part started!! Have a great day everyone.

I'm 30 !!

Well yesterday was my 30th Birthday. A big thank you to all of you who sent birthday wishes and hoped I had a day full of spoiling and cake!!. It wasn't a day full of fanfare and excitement, but just a nice casual day with not a lot going on. I took the day off work and just had a relaxing day, had a cuppa and chocolate with my neighbor, did some scrapping, had a nice steak for dinner & the girls had a sleepover at Aunty Sams. I was the only girl in the house last night. Mark and Hannah went out and bought me some flowers & Mark helped cook dinner and did all the tidying up for me and made sure I had a steady supply of tea and chocolate at my scrapping desk.

This was my scrapping achievement for my birthday. That scrapping space of mine must be working as I got the doodling happening and this is the first time I've actually doodled on to the LO itself not on an embellishments that can be done over if I go wrong. I had wanted to use a white gel pen, but the pen & I were having issues so I found a pencil that gave me a similar effect. I also started to alter some shelves.

Tonight I'm going out to dinner with all the Friday Croppers, Penny & Tracey from the group had their Birthday last week, so we all try to make sure we have a night out this time of year to celebrate together. On Friday I'll have a BBQ and it's also Holly's Birthday on Friday so we'll share our party :)

So there you go that's 30 for you LOL. I think I like 30, just old enough that you feel like you've been an adult long enough to be taken seriously, but still young enough to have no excuses to not get out there and enjoy life! But hey if I can be anything like the ski crew when I'm older I have nothing to worry about. I'll do a post later in the week about those guys.

It's Done!!!

YEAHHH!!! I have a scrapping space!!! Finally it's all together and done! I got everything from IKEA on the Thursday and dumped it all in the room and it looked like a bomb had hit. I had the cropper girls here friday night for our crop so the room got ignored on the Friday and by Saturday afternoon, was getting a bit fed up that nothing else had happened. I got the stubbon cranky streak going and decided it was going to happen, time would not wait for Mark and I would do it on my own. So I got stuck in and put the shelves up on the wall by my self. So today with no more excueses of "I need the shelves up" I got stuck in and gave everything a home :) So it's basically finished, over time I'll alter the containers to give it a bit more of a "me" feel.

The desk on the left is my work desk and the one in the middle and to the right is for cropping

Main cropping desk with those shelves. The embelishement continer on the right (brown drawers) is only half it's potential size, I have another 21 little drawers before I run out of room :) That was a pressie from a mate who cleaned out his garage and thought they might be good for my cropping obsession. Those drawers are just the best :)

Paper storage, hopefully will get some vertical storage containers and move it up out of little peoples reach.

Basket with stamps, punches etc. Little Mr Alec got stuck in here head first trying to get everythign out. Should have been a camera moment but the poor fella was really freaking out.

Ikea Super Shopping challenge

I'm going to make you all wait LOL.

I had a great day yesterday doing the storage shop & my room looks like a bomb has hit it with bits and pieces everywhere. I'll give you all a pre, during & finished update over the weekend.

Right now got to go save a boy who's up to boy stuff.

Today's the day!!

Okay I'm just a little excited this morning, have been waiting all week for today. Today I get an early birthday present. Chris & Ky are both helping me get my scrapping space sorted and were having a girlie day of shopping & lunch and playing around with getting my room looking pretty cool. I know I know I've mentioned this a dozen times before, but this is a pretty big deal for me!! (doesn't take much to turn me on LOL!)

Jac, Chris, Ky & Me, another Rachel Greig photo I just had to share.

My scrapping space has been a total up in the air thing for me. I have a spare desk in my office, but I didn't want to feel that I worked and played in the same room, but my computer is here with printer etc and in the end I thought no lets do it. Lets get a good space organised & if I use the Michelle Grant approach to scrapping there's nothing stopping me taking a LO to the Meals table on occasion. So the girls and I are doin it!! I just feel so spoilt to think I would do this. To me a scrapping space was something only "serious" scrappers had, and I don't crop enough to be serious. Well hopefully that will all change now that I wont have to unload and re-pack everything each time I want to do something.

So best get this exciting day started. School work & house clean first then girlie day away!!!

I'm Excited!!!

Wow is all I can say!!! Chris Millar emailed me to say that Rachel Greig had put up the photos that she took of us on the weekend at her blog. I have been dying to see what she did and was truly amazed at the result. Go here to check out all the gorgeous ladies from the retreat.

I copied mine and changed it to B&W to post here check out the colour original on Rachel's blog. I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas I just can't wait to get my package of photos from her a fantastic 30th birthday present I think :)
Also a big proud moment for me tonight. Holly has been going to Girls Brigade and as a Homeschooler you always worry that they are fitting in when they go to activities like that. Well last week was the first time Holly has missed Girls Brigade, so this week we are standing in line together waiting to pay & she's standing there just beaming that she's at Girls Brigade. Some of the bigger kids walk past her and say hi & she gives her little wave, flashes a big smile and says "hi". I'm doing the big proud mumma thing quietly thinking yeah that's my girl, then her little friends from her class come bounding in the door (they had been playing outside) and one grabs the other and with a big smile points at Holly as if to say "Look she's here!" Holly was looking the other way & I gave her a nudge to look over and she just about burst with happiness that her friends had come in to get her to play. I asked her if she wanted me to wait there till GB started properly & I got "No Mum I've got to get out there with my friends!!" I had to grab her before she ran off and get that kiss!! So I walked out of there just feeling on top of the world that she's got little friends and she's a pretty together kid. Here's a picture of her in her formal GB uniform (I know she's a little thunderbird!!)
Oh and we have a winner!!!!! The winner is Kelley and all the other ladies, Kell, Shell & Jo get a little runner's up prize. They all named my perfume of choice, Christian Dior Poison. Although I tried some Dunhill Desire the other day & that could be knocking Dior off the winners podium! Don't forget to PM me your address, you're all on the Scrap Needs forum so just PM me there :) Good one girls!!!

Scrappin' Again, YEHA!!!

Well I'm doin' it LOL. It takes me forever to get into a cropping grove after a retreat or a whole month to do a Layout, but I sat down last night to finish a retreat LO and got it all done. I had covered the chipboard at the retreat and chosen the papers, but pulled it out last night and had to think all over again as to what the hell I was originally thinking. I think I got it back okay. There is a little bit of Roz influence with the ribbon and note paper.

Now I'm busy thinking about the next one!!

I've spent all weekend designing a new website for my work & this afternoon Mark has been doing the behind the scenes things with getting it all happening to upload so later tonight the site will be live. So check out www.ads-qs.com.au and tell me what you think. Right now the front page is up and by about 8pm tonight all the links will be working. I would really love feedback as to any ideas for improvement or if I should leave it alone.

Getting a little excited about Thursday, Chris, Ky and I are doing the whole shopping for storage (like I haven't mentioned that a million times) and for those people reading this who aren't scrapers, getting storage for your cropping space is a big deal, almost a dream come true. I don't know of a cropper out there who has had a new house built and hasn't had a cropping room designed in there somewhere. Oh I can dream of my own cropping room, for now I'll just have to share my office.

Check back for Thursday before & after photos :) Thanks for dropping by :)

Passionate Readings, Karaoke & Wetsuits

Well Friday night was spent reading passionate romance & Karaoke. I went with The Odd Couple cast to a murder mystery play out at Samford where the audience gets to chose "Who dun it". It was a great night of audience participation & I was one of the lucky ones to get up on stage and read the passionate tale of Bliss & Chance from Passage to Savannah.

Afterwards I joined the Samford mob at the Samford Hotel for Friday night Karaoke. Was great to catch up with friends whom I don't get a chance to see as much as I'd like & sing some songs.

Thursday was a great day I got to go skiing which I haven't done in ages. Beautiful weather, but windy gotta hate wind, the water gets choppy and it's a killer on the back especially when it's been two months between skis.

(an older photo, but one of my favourite ski pics)

So a great end to the week with some of my passions indulged skiing, singing, acting & being with good friends.

I was emailed some photos from the weekend to share, these are the 3 super fun ladies that I was lucky to share my weekend with. Chris, Ky & Jac are also part of the Friday Cropper Girls.

This is the beautiful Chris Millar

The gorgeous Kyle (KY)

& radiant Jacqui

I'll stop being slack and put up the only LO I got completed. Hopefully this week I'll finish the others that got started.

For better retreat Stories and photos check out the following blogs Roz James, Chris Millar & Michelle Grant.

Getting Back to Reality

Okay the retreat is over and life must get back to normal. I can't believe what a lazy day I had yesterday. I schooled the kids then after that any idea of work went out the window. I spent 3 hours trying to get my blog sorted, the kids had their CF lollypops so were off the wall burning energy and we looked at the time and went "Holly cow it's 3pm!!!" we hadn't had lunch!! So finally at 3pm we thought maybe we should do some tidying up or something so when Daddy got home it looked like we were good kids all day LOL.

While at the retreat I was chatting to Mark on the phone & he said to me "You know I just can't get anything done around here! As soon as you think you've got it Alec will wake up and trash the joint! I can't get any work done at all!" Ahhhhh that's one to store away for when ever he asks what did you get done today?

I was going to scrap last night but instead thought I would tackle organising my scrap stash. Ages ago I had been given a set of little storage boxes that interconnect with a clear front on them. There are probably 40 of these little draws all connected together. You can make them 3 wide 14 high or 6 wide seven high any combination you like. So they have been sitting in my office and I keep thinking how am I going to do this. So far I have stuff in a few places and most of it in my tote. So while talking to the lovely Michelle Grant I asked her how on earth does she keep it all organised and get her pages so full? I'm sure she wont mind me sharing her secret. She told me to colour coordinate all her embelishments, so when she get her photo and her paper and thinks right this needs pink she grabs the pink drawer, the pink ribbons, the pink flowers, maybe the metal embellishment drawer & chipboard etc puts it all in a little tray and takes the tray to her table with just what she needs & doesn't get overwhelmed by all this other "Stuff". Well I started sorting last night & I first got down my trays that have the "stuff that I always forget" things in it then I went through my tote. I could not believe the amount of stuff I had!!! And I all the little bits and pieces that were in with other little bits and pieces and just looked so "uugghhh what will I ever do with that?" now look exciting!!! So thank you Michelle I'm on a mission to get organised and hopefully get more out of my embellishments. (photos of oganised scrapping space to come!!!)

It's my 30th coming up in a few weeks and I was going to have a big party, but put that in the two hard basket, my other idea was to get Chris Millar take her to Ikea by storage & get her to help me organise my scrap space or Mark & I get the kids babysat for the night have a night in a motel together & do the bridge climb. Now that I have started to sort my space I'm getting excited about having a space!! I think I'll get the kids looked after do the bridge climb forfeit the hotel room & use that money at Ikea. Chris are you up for some shopping??? I'm going to Lone Star with the FC'ers (Friday Croppers) as 3 of us have a birthday within 5 days of each other so that will be a bit of a "party" & I might do the quiet BBQ with Mark & my friends. This is going to make my poor DH look bad, but 10 years of being together I have never got a birthday present from him. Part of it is my fault I can never decide & then I tell him I just want to go clothes shopping. This year I started seeing my self shying away from having the night out, getting the cropping stuff etc & doing the "Don't worry" kind of thing again, but this year I'm determined to do it! I think I know why I have the whole "just let it slide" birthday thing going on. My Mum is hopeless at birthdays, the amount of times we got presents that night because she completely forgot and had to buy something when we were at school. The times we got nothing at all & I only ever had 1 birthday party. What shits me about this is we were not hard up for cash, it's just something my Mum didn't really get into as a kid so we shouldn't either.

Wow another long one LOL. I can't offer a RAK everyday LOL so I'll just remind you to read Tuesday's post to find the little comp that ends Friday :) Luvs Yas All!!!

Scrapneeds Retreat Weekend

Well what an absolute fantastic weekend at the Scrapneeds retreat. I'm not sure if retreat is an appropriate name LOL. I'm not sure how much relaxing and scrapping got done?

I have to say what a blast it was meeting some great ladies. I traveled with the wonderful Chris, Ky & Jac whom I scrap with in Brissie who are such fun talented & supportive girlfriends, so lucky to have you guys. We were joined by the beautiful Michelle Grant. If ever you get to meet Michelle in real life it is a true blessing, this girl is fun, generous, talented beyond belief and the biggest sweetheart, can't wait to see her again :)

The Scrapneeds DT is the most awesome DT in Australia. These girls Chris Millar, Roz James, Mishell Lancett & Jen Hall are super talented and super nice. Rozzie is such a sweetheart and I can't believe the page she scrapped of my georgeous girl Holly for me. At Sat night dinner after way too many drinks Chris & I were practicing a drunk acceptance speech for when I was to get the LO. Chris was begging me to put on the tears & I was adamant that the only thing I can't act is crying, I just can't do it. Well I didn't even have to try, I took one look at that LO and started bawling. What's that I hear you saying Ky ? "But you told me you don't get emotional tierd!!! How many girls cried with me? Oh we're a big bunch of Saps. Jen Hall has the eveidence LOL.


I can go on and on about how super sweet Mishell Lancett is, a true Angel is this girl. She knows she has a special place in my heart. Both her & Michelle Grant do, must be the name hey girls LOL.

Jen Hall's work is beautiful, just to hold and feel it in real life is a treasure. The amount of detail and lumpy bumpy is fantastic & she is a scrap demon! I can't believe the amount of LO's she finished. She was also a real gem getting us back home and making sure we were looked after Monday morning before flying home. A super super girl.

Kellie did such a great job of organizing the retreat & has so many amazing ideas about future events and her shop. You really must go over and check out Scrapneeds.

Sorry to have gone on and on about this bunch of girls, but I have been to retreats & Confrences before and walked away feeling really ddisillusioned dissolusioned with the scrapping world. Some places it's like the worst day at highschool, but I have not one bad thing to say about the Scrapneeds girls. Those I can't remember by name I'm so sorry but every lady in that room was a true gem and it was the most welcoming group I have ever cropped with. Oh I mustn't forget Naomi & her mum, two such fun sweet ladies, Kirst a real blast and a sweetheart & Fiona a really fun gal who I can't believe arrived on Sat night, but felt like she'd been there all weekend. I really can't wait to meet up with all these girls again. So glad I joined the forum to keep in touch.

I don't have a heap of photos to share as I did the lazy well I'll get coppies thing, but I'm a littl nervous of the damaging eveidence on other peoples cameras. I think I've got a few cheques to write to Chris LOL.

Coming home to my DH and 4 snugglies was fantastic :) Mark is such a great guy I couldn't ask for a better DH. I tried and tried in vain to get the house cleaned etc before I went and was going overboard with the extras that I didn't get to do the bathrooms and vacuum etc. Well my beautiful DH cleaned the house for me while I was gone on top of looking after the four babies. He also said the sweetest thing ever, while cleaning the bathroom he got some perfume on his fingers and said all day he kept getting a whiff of it. I asked him if that pissed him off & he said "Oh no I loved it!! It was the best thing because it kept reminding me of you and I could smell it as I was trying to go to sleep". I love you Darl & Thanks Christian Dior Poison LOL.

Anyway what a long and sappy post!!!! For those of you who made it to the end I think I need to come up with a RAK for the effort. All those people who can tell me what perfume I wear by Friday I'll put you're name in a draw and raffle off a first & second prize to send you out a little pressie :)

Challenge day 2

Well nothing like procrastination to start the day LOL.

I thought I'd upload the next two LO's in my favorites challenge.

This one is one I did recently of Mark and I. It had been a long time since I had done a LO about the two of us always doing ones about our kids.

The next one is a calendar I did for my Grandma. I love the colours and especially the photo in this one. I used the same papers as in the one of Mark & I, but they go so well with a bright photo or a B & W one.











Well gotta rush right now, nappy to change and school work to do :)

Bugger!!!!

Well here I sat finally updating my blog, just about finished and yep I lost it AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!.

Well the most wonderful Chris Millar has inspired me to get blogging again. Thanks Chris :) It's been 6 weeks since I posted anything, can I use rehersals for the play, homeschooling and work as an excuse?

So last year in early December I started rehersals for "The Odd Couple". This has been a great couple of months doing this and it really is a fantastic cast. The play opens next Friday and there are going to be a few late nights getting everything set to go. Our set builder Terry has been ill so that's going to be a mad dash for the finish line getting the set finished. But somehow I don't think the set will be the main attraction anyway. This really is a funny play & I even have a hard time keeping a straight face delivering my lines. So for a great night of laughs, come and check it out if you can!!


The first week of January we had a week up at the beach house in Maroochydore, the kids went swimming & we finally got my dad to let me ski behind his boat. After we got back to Brissy I get a phone call from my Dad saying he's putting the boat in and wants to teach my sister and her girls how to ski, do I want to come up for the day again. HELL YES!!!! That was a great day of skiing, kneeboarding & tubing. I had fun driving the boat also. Just can't wait for the motorbike to sell & buy our own boat.

On the 23rd of January was Holly's first day of Grade 1 and Hannan's first day of Prep. Although it was a bit of a first day with a difference. We are home schooling and enrolled in Groves Distance Ed program. So far we are loving it and so glad we took on the challange. Holly though spent the first day at the dentist getting a general anesthetic and 4 stainless steel crowns on her teeth. She did great & loves her silver teeth.

Okay now for the challange. This was on Chris Millar's site and I thought I'd give it a go. It was created by the very talanted Ali Stafford.

I want you all to post in your blogs 10 of your layouts. It doesn't matter if you've already uploaded them to your blog before - just think of it as giving us all a "refresher". Now - these 10 layouts - they have to be a *certain* 10. I want to see the 10 layouts which are either:(a) your favourite 10 layouts; or(b) the 10 layouts that you're most proud of; or(c) 10 layouts that have some really special significance*** ; or(d) a combination of any of the above!*** I know that *all* our pages are special and signficant - but i'm referring to those layouts that really have that extra "meaning" to you...

So here we go, i'll post 2 a day (gotta keep you comming back for more LOL).

Here's a fairly recent one. I just love the photo and the jouranlling. Mitch is a full on boy, a little cyclone and sooooo loud!! But he has a real soft spot for his mum.















The next one is one of my daughter Hannah, again I love the photos and how tiny she looks in the train seats. She has such an innocent personality and is often the one who silently watches and listens and is just taking so much in.














Well that's it for today, gotta get kiddies to bed & finally put some stuff on eBay I have been meaning to do for ages.