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 :)