• Sunday, May 28, 2006

    Miserable and more.....

    Blah.....
    Well I am feeling completely and utterly ILL! Grrrrrr I rarely get sick, but when I do, I really do! And, also, we had our opening crop at The Scrapping Garden today, which I mainly missed as friends called in right as it started! And they are NOT cyber people, so they just don't get it! But I did make the next crop which was great fun and we had a lot of Aussie and NZ mac girls there! So thanks to those of you that came to support us, I really appreciate it, and had fun too! Made me forget I felt so crappy for a while! :)

    Blah blah......
    The other thing that upset me is that when I went to watch my tapes from during the week, including Prison Break and Lost, I managed to tape the wrong b#$%^y channel! Not once but TWICE!!!!!! oh man! Lost I am not concerned with as a special friend (thanks Sharon) has given me hers, but Prison Break, oh man, now that is NOT eye candy I wanna miss out on!!

    Yay......
    But some good news! The girls lost netball again! LOL, But this week they got two goals! YAY So that now brings their average up to .833333 per game! LOL. They lost 4-2, so they are improving every week! It is so much fun watching them. They just love it and it doesn't bother them at all that they lose, which is great!

    House....
    I didn't get much packing done today, but Brian did a bit, I am so glad that we have two weeks to move as I really don't feel up to it at the moment. The only thing left to do now are the appliances, which I guess they leave last so they don't get stolen, so tomorrow or Tuesday, the Stove, Oven, Dishwasher, Hot water service and Splash back go in, and that's it! The window cleaners were there today (yes on a Sunday) and that has already made a big difference, they were just putrid, but the cleaners will come in tomorrow to really give it a good clean, like the tiles and floors etc. It's very very dusty. Our house has transformed into our home :)

    MAC Digi....
    I was so pleased that a couple more girls met from our MAC digiscrapping group recently. I really feel like I have formed special bonds and life long friendships through this group and can't wait to meet as well. If you want to see the work of these talented ladies, check out the blog links in my links section in the sidebar! They are amazing girls and I am proud to know them all.

    Anyway, off to bed to try and get some sleep, which I am sure will be hard as I hate breathing through my mouth! LOL

    Sleep well, and sweet dreams....... :)

    Wednesday, May 24, 2006

    Quickie....

    The Scrapping Garden.....
    Well the forum is up and you can register! Please hop on over and do it, I'd love to see all my cyber buddies there! You can upload all your wonderful layouts to the gallery and get posting in the forum! Woohoo and check out my first ever kit (for sale) at the store!





    Peaceful Moments.......
    OK this is the other layout, promised yesterday (who knows what I will upload tomorrow???) It is very plain but I love it, I think it's the pic that attracts me, I wanted to keep it simple so as not to take away from the photo.
    Journaling reads.. I love watching you sleep, you seem to eminate peace and tranquility. You must dream the most wonderful dreams, because you always sleep so soundly. Getting to sleep is another thing entirely. I feel bad that you often lay in bed for hours waiting for sleep to come. I know how you feel baby, sleep never comes easily to me either, but I know you always make the most of it when it comes, as do I. Sweet dreams, my darling girl.
    Of course she isn't really asleep! Just finished a hard game of soccer on one of our camping trips! I think you will get a better view by clicking on it.



    Days Of Miracle and Wonder.....
    Oh I just couldn't resist another play with this layout, whilst laying in bed last night I kept thinking that the kite wasn't showing enough, so thought I would try this. I cut the kite out and enlarged it and placed it on the black background to make it feature more. I think I am finally happy now (although, I didn't know I wasn't, until last night LOL).

    MAC Digi Girls....
    I don't want to hear any more negative comments about your blogging! I love your blogs and check all my links daily, for updates. Trust me mine is boring, you just haven't cottoned on to that yet! LOL Miss M, I hope you are on the mend! Sue and Judy, so glad you guys got to meet and I can't wait to get together with all you soon!.

    Dinner....
    I am off out to dinner tonight with work for my farewell! LOL Yes, I made them organise one for me despite the fact that I have only moved about 5 metres from where I was! Aaaahhh any excuse for a night out! LOL It's not just for me, another staff member is moving back to Melbourne and is leaving to, so I intend to feel slightly seedy at work tomorrow! LOL

    House Update.....
    Our floors are in!! Woohoo. So I guess the carpet will be in tomorrowish, so that just leaves the Glass Backsplash, the oven, stovetop, dishwasher, and hot water service..... hmmm think that's it, the list gets shorter everyday! I said to Brian last night I couldn't beleive that everything would be done by next Thursday, but I think it will be! It only takes a day or two to do the carpets and the rest of the stuff should only take 1/2 a day! Oh man, constant butterflies!

    Anyway, I gotta get changed for my farewell (LOL), so signing off and I'll catch y'all tomorrow....maybe :)

    Tuesday, May 23, 2006

    Layout and advice....

    I've been on a roll and got a few layouts done over the weekend. I was trying to get some kits done, for the big SCRAPPING GARDEN opening, which is coming very soon! But kept wanting to try them! Anyway, I will just post one tonight so I can save the other for tomorrow, LOL, sad isn't it?! Any way, I was never happy with the first layout I did with this pic, I rarely redo layouts, but I am soooo glad I did. Click on the image for a bigger version.


    SAD....
    We had our last digiscrapping class tonight, which was a bit sad. It has been so much fun, and the group has been fabulous. We are all going out for dinner next week and then head off to one of the class members castle, for dessert. YES castle! He lives in one! If any of you guys are reading this, I just want to say that it has been an absolute pleasure and honour to have taught this class. Your layouts, talent and enthusiasm have been inspiring, and I have enjoyed every moment with you. You are all truly creative and have created beautiful memories for yourselves and your families forever, and I am ecstatic to have been a part of that. The Digiscrapping with Lee Yahoo group will remain active and I am always around to answer your questions. Like I said, I will try and make a date every couple of months, so that we can get together and be nerds with our laptops on our knees, answering questions, at my place, so stay tuned girls and boy!

    ADVICE....
    My very good half European half Aussie (and a bit of CW thrown in too) Miss Angela, gave me a link to a hard driver cleaner the other day. Thought I'd give it a whirl and see how well it cleaned up my hard drive, and knock me down with a feather, it recovered 12 GIG, yes TWELVE gig of space!!!! Wooohooo, I was so happy, so thanks Miss A and here is the link for all you hard drive hungry nuts out there..... http://www.ccleaner.com/ . I think the biggest problem was the temp files that Photoshop holds, which we all know are more than a little LARGE at times! Anyway, if you want to get some space back, go for it!

    HOUSE.....
    Went and looked at the house again tonight (surprise surprise), all the taps and showerheads etc are in and they have cleaned up in there too and we finally have toilets (which were christened LOL), oh and we also have a garage door too! I can't believe that it will be ready by next Thursday, but we'll see.

    SIG TAG
    A HUGE thank you to Karen from MAC digi who made this tag for me and a few other of the very special MAC digi girls! Isn't she lovely? And is it Karen clever? Very, I say! Thanks Karen!



    Anyway, Miss M, you have spread your cyber germs and I have a very sore throat tonight, I don't have time to be sick right now, so I hope it doesn't develop into anything!

    Good night all :)

    Monday, May 22, 2006

    Intensity....

    I have been busy working on a new kit today, but, as is always the case, I got distracted doing a layout. This one is very grungy and not everyone's cup of tea, but I am pretty happy with the results. And, NO, I don't love Quinn more! It's just that all the ideas I have had for layouts are more suited to Quinn lately, but I have an idea forming for one on my precious Bronte Grace, which I will get to soon... unfortunately, while searching through my pics to find these two of Quinn, I found another of Quinn I'd like to use! Poor Bronte! Any way the journaling is hard to read on this so here it is..... (you should be able to click on the pic for a larger version).....
    INTENSITY.....Sometimes I am amazed at how intense you can be. Your intensity belies your years and shows a maturity and understanding beyond your age. i often wonder what you are thinking about, and would love to peek inside your mind, but it"s not to be, so I will just have to be satisfied with the intensity in your eyes.


    Davo....
    I have spent most of the day listening to my cousins CD that he gave me the other day (see previous post for the CD cover which I designed). It is fantastic and I wish you could all hear it! I am so proud of him and sent him a text today which said, "I LOVE your CD, I am so proud to be your cousin and manager". It has been a joke for a while that I am his manager, and that I am going to make him famous... his reply to my text was typically dry (we have a very similar sick sense of humour)"Thank you Colonel Tom" LOL, ah well at least I am amused! :)

    Ring Tones.....
    I was mucking around with the kids the other day on our mobile phones and found a voice recoreder on them, which I assume is to record messages, much like a dictophone. Anyway while Brian was out I realised that you can set the recordings as ringtones, so now when Brians mobile rings, it's Bronte saying "Daddy answer your phone, Daddy answer your phone, Daddy answer your phone", I am very attached to my ring tone "Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun) and didn't want to give it up, but now when I get a text message, it is Quinn calling out "Mummy you've got a text message, Mummy you've got a text message". Small things must amuse small minds, because we have been in hysterics over it! I called Brian today and he was in a business meeting, when he answered all I could hear was people laughing, not very business like, but cute nonetheless!

    Miss M.....
    I took the music thingy off for you, I must admit it was getting a bit repetitive! I am so good to you! How are you feeling by the way.... hugs!

    Miss A.....
    Oh you are a classic, I loved your comments, no matter how politically incorrect! ROFL! And thanks for your comments on my pics, I would love to improve my photography more and more, like I need another addiction, but I just find a good pic so satisfying..... btw loved your rainbow pic :)

    I feel like there was something else I wanted to say, but I can't remember what it was... I am sure it was yawn worthy though.....LOL......Signing off.....

    Saturday, May 20, 2006

    Great pic....

    Check out the pic below!!! What a beauty, wish I could claim it but I can't (surprise, surprise). I saw it on the digital camera mags site, click on the pic for the link! I love it!

    Well netball was fun again today, we got our 3rd goal YAY!! LOL It's the 5th game so we are averaging 0.6 goals per game!! And again, the only goal we scored was met with wild cheering, yelling and whistling! aaahhhhh at least we are good supportive parents! hehe

    Went and had a look at the house again after netball, just can't get enough! Pathetic isn't it! LOL The garage door is on now and a lot of the external lights are on too, which I didn't notice the other day! I get butterflies everytime I think about it!

    So how do you like my new blinking banner and music thingy? Not sure about the music thingy, but I'll leave it for a bit and see.....

    Caught up with the BB news today as I missed it Monday and Tuesday, but of course taped it. Whoa, did the house go crazy when they found out about Mikey being the insider!!! Never heard so many beeps in all my life LOL, but the biggest shock was that they were going to announce another insider on Wednesday, and unless I missed something, that never happened, so maybe they are rethinking it as it has caused such an upset, which the producers admit they didn't expect. Also watched the Amazing Race today (no we didn't pack anything oooops) it was good to see them come to Australia again and I think a bit part of next week will be in good old Australia too.

    Happy anniversary Judy and happy birthday to Miss M's DH!

    bye for now....

    Friday, May 19, 2006

    Going..... Going..... Gone.....

    Had a pretty quiet day today, but I did get a layout done. I used the same pic as I did for the one yesterday, just the perfect pic of Quinn really.... Anyway I did 3 different versions of this layout, one black, one white and the one below with a kind of pinkish tone... I think I like this one the best.

    The journaling reads as follows :
    "We have just come through a really trying time lately. Your moods have been like a teenager but you aren’t one yet. You sometimes walk around like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, I have worried that something was wrong, that maybe you were being bullied or having a hard time at school, but recently your outlook has changed and you have reverted to the happy, fun, special girl I have always known and loved. I can only put this down to my new job and that we now get to spend more time at home as a family. You are such a home body, just like me and love quiet time where you can think clearly and be still. I think that I am also happier with a new challenge and my reactions to you and your moods are more measured. It is so good to have the real you back, to enjoy, and to love. I want you to know that I am always here for you, in whatever way you need. To talk, to sit with, to hug, or just to be your Mum."



    I have an idea forming in my head for a layout on Bronte, so we will see how we go with that!

    Went to the movies today and saw a movie called "Proof" with Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins and Jake Gyllenhaal (yummy, boy!). It was very interesting, and I loved it, but it wouldn't beeveryone'ss cup of tea!

    Had my massage this morning which was lovely, but as expected I am a bit sore now, no pain, no gain!

    GOING.........Was scouring my pics this arvo and saw these, and thought I'd share! I think I may have mentioned at MACdigi in the past that we have done some kayaking when we go to the beach. I have a series of about 12 of these pics, but here are 3 that tell the story. This is John who is one of our camping buddies and friends, I hope these pics in some small way convey the buzz of the ride back in on the wave, it is so much fun and nerve racking at the same time.....

    GOING........

    Off to the netball tomorrow, so stay tuned for that amazing recap tomorrow night, who knows, we may even get another goal this week! LOL

    Things are hotting up on The Scrapping Garden front. Gallery and Forums are all set up and the store is up but needs to be loaded. I am getting butterflies when I think about it now. Better get designing some kits! How will I find the time????

    GONE

    Signing off.... catchya later

    PS: Close your mouth and stop yawning Miss Angela, I can see your tonsils! LOL

    Thursday, May 18, 2006

    Good news and a ramble....


    Well we have a date!!!! (To move into our house). Spoke to our project manager today and it is two weeks from today, which makes it the 1st of June! How exciting!!! We went and looked today and the mirrors have been put in the bathroom and ensuite and all the power points, light fitting and central heating vents have been put in and also the shower screens. So it is really just the flooring (wood) and carpets, the stove top, oven, dishwasher and rangehood in the kitchen as well as the glass splashback. I think that's it! So that is our exciting news! YAY. Oh one other thing, before he gave me the news, he said "Before I give you the update, I just wanted to say that I love what you have done with tiling in the bathrooms, it looks fantastic". I was so rapt to hear that, as I said to Brian he must see lots of lovely houses with budgets twice as much as ours so the fact he loved ours is really nice.

    Had a lovely Mothers Day very quiet, but the perfect day for me, just spent quiet time with my family, which was great.

    Monday night I had a fabulous night out at the Traveling Comedy Festival. There were 5 acts, 4 excellent, 1 so so. The best was Eddie Perfect who was hilarious and did a lot of his routine in song. He had an amazing singing voice and was very very funny. I went with 6 people from work and we laughed ourselves silly, I would pay to see it again.

    I finally got another layout done, they are few and far between at the moment, but I loved getting lost in the process last night, hopefully my life will be a little less busy, once the move is over and the digiscrapping course I am teaching finishes up. I am sad that the course is finishing, it is so much fun, and the students are all great and seem to be having a good time, and all seem to love learning the techniques, but it is also a lot of work and constantly on my mind, always thinking about things I can show them, so it will be bitter-sweet when we finish next week. I hope to keep in touch with everyone and catch up with them too.
    Anyway here is said layout... very simple but I think it's ok......


    This is the journaling....
    You are such an amazing girl, with so many special qualities. You are sometimes selfish but mostly aware of other people. You are sometimes moody, but mostly happy. You are sometimes a bad sport but mostly fun. You are sometimes lazy but mostly enthusiastic. You are sometimes grumpy, but mostly a joy to be with. You are sometimes solitary but mostly friendly. You are sometimes self involved but mostly helpful You are always our special Angel.
    I'm pretty happy with the two background layers (not sure they will show up that well here), I made them myself.....
    I have a very good friend who had a birthday yesterday and she wasn't too sure it was going to be a good day, but it turned out to be wonderful and I am so happy that she is feeling great about herself again! Happy Birthday Miss Maralyn.....
    Oh I think there was something else, but I can't remember what it is, I am also still loving my job, it is very busy but fun and I am slowly learning the ropes. My boss is great, and we get along well, the work is easy but as I become more confident I will begin to take on more responsibilty and training too.
    I have four days off in a row, school has a day off so I have switched my work days (another great thing about the job), I sooooo love my days at home with the girls and really hope it is pouring with rain, so we can have a jammie day, and snuggle in! And maybe get a layout or two done too!
    Off to have a therapeutic massage tomorrow, I am always very sore after them, but LOVE having them and feel so good afterward. And then off to see a movie called "Proof", I don't know anything about it, and that's the way I like to go and see a movie, without any pre conceptions and previews. And I guess my weekend will be filled with packing (groan), although as we have only just got a date and we have to give 4 weeks notice here then I guess the move won't be so bad as we will actually have two whole weeks to do it, so it won't be so rushed! Oh and we won't start moving in until Monday the 5th, as we are going to get the driveways concreted as soon as we take posession, so we will let them dry over that weekend, which happens to be the same weekend we take the kids off to see the Lion King....oh it's all happening in the Scott household! LOL... anyway I might go to bed, I kinda feel like I am coming down with something, I am a bit achy, so might try to nip it in the bud, honestly, who has times to get sick these days....:) signing off.....

    Saturday, May 13, 2006

    Nothing doing....

    Didn't do too much today. Quinn had her 4th netball game today and they got another goal! Yay, but lost 6 - 1. You all would have loved my comment of the day, all the parents certainly wet themselves when I burst out with the following. All the kids are constantly bunching up and they seem to jump up and down on the spot with their hands in the air, waiting for the person who has the ball to see them. I was getting so frustrated and yelled out "Spread out, it's not a bloody MOSH PIT". LOL Well all the parents nearly wet themselves, and we are now thinking of getting T-shirts printed! LOL

    Brian's Mum came over to watch the netball, and then came back here for a Mother's Day lunch afterward. But on the way home from the netball we stopped in at the new house. I get SOOOOO frustrated with that woman! Not one positive comment came out of her mouth. She just kept saying how big it was, and commenting, "oh that must have cost more, to do that" etc etc. She thinks it is too extravagant and can't be pleased for us, despite the fact we have lived in a tiny house for 3 years, scrimping and saving for this moment! It's like your life is worth less if you try to have the things you want! VERY FRUSTRATING! Anyway, lunch was OK and I selfishly must admit that I am happy she isn't coming tomorrow, to frustrate me on MY Mothers Day!

    I have had a splitting headache today, which I can't seem to shake, so I am heading off to bed soon. Although I am feeling pretty pleased that I helped out a special cyber friend tonight and hope to get a layout or two done tomorrow. Since I feel almost every blog entry should have a picture, here is a "Crying" layout, which has been the topic of conversation at MACdigi today. I must say that this is absolutely NO comparison to the Divine Miss A's amazing crying layout, but a crying layout, nonetheless.



    That's it from me, Happy Mother's Day to all you Mum's, Grandmother's and Almost Grandmother's (yes, you Judy).

    Oh and Miss A, get a blog!

    Friday, May 12, 2006

    Singers, CD's and Survivor....

    Below is a CD cover that my cousin asked me to do for him. He is an amazing singer, but is very shy and lacks confidence. It is a pity because I believe he could be a star, if he put himself out there. He is in a band but won't sing in the lead, the punters are missing out for sure! He makes a CD every year of songs he writes and I was honoured to do the cover for him! Anyway he loved it and I can't wait to get my copy and listen to him doin' his thang! I am glad we get to hear around the camp fire almost every camping trip! It is such a treat, I tell you! Again, I used the Iron Orchid Papers from my BnB win! (Lucky girl, is me).


    My MIL is coming over to see Quinns netball game tomorrow and for an early Mothers Day lunch, which means that I get to have a quiet Mothers Day at home! Just what the doctor ordered, I think.

    No action on the house front for the past two days! Grrrr! It's frustrating when we are getting so close! I shouldn't complain, we were told 6 months and it is just over 4, so we are well ahead of schedule! Should consider ourselves lucky really.

    OOOOOOOOOOHHH MMMMAAAAANNNNN
    Just watched Survivor from Tuesday! And I am spewing!!! I really liked Austin! bloody Bruce and Danielle! They are idiots! man oh man! Why do they always sabotage themselves! gggrrrrrrr

    LOL Rant over, I know, I know, it's just a show, but compelling none the less.... Plus I thought Austin was a HUGE cutie pie!

    Off My Chest....

    This will be a bit depressing and not really a fun read but I feel like I have to get it off my chest, so bare with me.
    I went to see Capote today and really loved it. It was a great movie, well filmed and also a story I didn't know anything about. It is basically the story of Truman Capote, who got to know two men that murdered a family of 4 in their own home in 1959. He wrote a book about it that became a best seller and made him the most famous author in America. Basically the thing that effected me most was the realization of the power we hold as parents. We can create well adjusted loving children that grow into wonderful adults, but if we treat them badly they have the potential to become monsters. It is very scary to know that there are parents out there like this and makes me want to wrap my kids up in cotton wool. In saying that there are many children that are treated badly that can become normal, contributing, functioning adults, but why would we take the chance?
    There was a line from the movie that stuck in my head. Truman Capote did not have the greatest upbringing either, as he explained to one of the jailed men, he said that his mother would lock him in hotel rooms while she went out on one night stands with men. He would stand at the door screaming and crying, night after night, until he collapsed from exhaustion and fell asleep on the floor beside the door. He explained to someone that he felt that he and one of the jailed men had been brought up in the same house, and that he had left by the front door, while the jailed man had left by the back door. I hope that no-one in my family or anyone that I know ever meets someone that left through the back door.

    I also saw two other moving things on TV recently. One was on the ABC Compass program and was about the Genocide in Rwanda that happened in 1994. It was about the man that was sent over as head of the UN peacekeeping force and his trip back after 20 years. It brought up things I didn't know, like the fact that 800,000 thousand men, women and children were murdered in 100 days. Yes 800,000 in 100 days. The worst part was that the world looked the other way and our indifference to it all. It was awful to actually see the footage, and know that there were people there that were trying to get the worlds attention and no-one would listen. And yet 4000 people die on Sept 11 and we are in an uproar (as we should be), how can these things happen, without us barely knowing about it. I don't know what I could do to change these things, but I do know that I feel incredibly impotent. Read more here, if you are interested.

    I also watched another program called Saving Andrew Mallard about a man with bi-polar that inferred (during a manic episode) that he murdered a woman. He was subsequently jailed, despite the fact that there was no evidence to support that he did it. His Mother and Sister contacted a journalist to champion their cause and she said she would read the transcripts of the trial, thinking that they were another family in denial. She concluded also that there was no evidence that this man committed the crime and enlisted the help of a lawyer. The appealed several times over an 11 year period and at the last opportunity (The Australian High Court) his conviction was eventually overturned.

    There are people out there that fight injustice, there are just not enough of them.

    I will do another, much lighter entry later tonight..... Sorry for the downer.....

    Thursday, May 11, 2006

    Angela, the Paris Hilton of Mac Digi...The Great Danes and more....

    Oh Miss A, I hope you are keeping your promise and are working on your blog as I type, you need to share with the world your amazing talent and I need to get some comments on my blog directed to me! ROFL!
    For those of you that aren't aquainted with this talented young lady, check out the layout below, this is just a small taste of the glorious Miss A..... (hope it's OK to show you off!)

    See... isn't she great! Angela.... GET A BLOG!

    The pic below is one I took tonight when we got home after netball training.. (we hope to get our 2nd goal this week!) I was checking out all the blog references to Miss A, on my laptop in the kitchen and the girls were in the lounge room watching TV, when I walked in this is what I saw! How cute... I quickly ran and got the camera, I love these special moments, I wish I captured more of them on camera, particularly first thing in the morning when Quinn jumps into Brontes bed and starts reading books to her, special moments for sure.


    Went back to the house tonight and this time remebered the camera, the pics are a sneek peek of our ensuite. I am not sure how they will show up her, but the colour of the cupboards and floor tiles are deep earthy brown. The grouting still hasn't been done yet, but hopefully it will be done by the weekend!


    I think if you click on the pic you will get a bigger pic, it's still pretty dirty and grotty there, but you will get the idea.

    SUE'S GREAT DANES

    I owe Sue Jones a big apology, I mistakenly referred to her Great Danes as Dalmations twice recently, and apparently she is quite miffed now because everyone will think her great danes are spotted! Sorry Sue, my mistake, does this rectify it? LMAO! (Great Danes is a euphamism, can you work out for what? Anyone that works it out (MAC digi members are not eligable) will get a freebie!)

    Off to watch Lost now.... I'll be back tomorrow with a short review on Capote!

    Have a great night all......

    PS: Get a BLOG Miss A~~~

    Wednesday, May 10, 2006

    Big Birthdays and Big Brother.....


    Poor little Quinn turned 9 a few weeks ago and she agreed to wait until we moved into our new house before we organised her party... which I thought would be about 1 month after her birthday, but it will probably be more like two. She has been wonderfully patient and understands the delay, but the other day I had (what I thought) was a great idea. After seeing a kit that Karin from MACdigi had purchased from Scrapbook Bytes, I thought it would be a great activity for the party. It's a collage kit, so the kids will get to make their own trading cards which we will laminate on the day. I will take pics of each of the kids when they arrive and they can make a few each and take them home. The kit is above as well as a sample of what you can do with them below. They
    are so cute and I hope they are a winner
    with kids, Quinn seems pretty pleased with the idea and wants to have a practice!

    Did anyone watch Big Brother tonight? Man that Anna is an annoying, selfish cow! I hope she goes ASAP she really grates on my nerves. Yep if you don't already know it, you soon will, I am a huge reality TV fan, Survivor, Amazing Race and Big Brother amongst my favourite TV shows. Don't know what happened on Survivor yet as I was at class last night, but I taped it and will watch it on the weekend, isn't that what winter weekends were invented for?

    I took the girls to see our house tonight after school, so they got to see all the tiling (still to be grouted) they are very excited and had fun running around and opening and closing all the doors (the door knobs are on now). It is so much fun to see their enthusiasm and gets me excited all over again, when I see them squealing and jumping up and down! LOL
    I did measure our fridge cavity while I was there and sadly the space isn't big enough for the fridge I would like to buy :( But I think Brian thinks that is bloody great! (But he is thinking of our finance!) The fridge I want would need to be plumbed in as it has a water dispenser and automatic ice maker. I just fell in love with it, it wouldn't be all that hard to get the space adjusted as it is only the height of the fridge that is a problem so I might have to work on that problem (need to get lessons from Judy on how exactly to attain that goal! ;) )! Anyway, pictures of my dream fridge are below....
    How cool is it? They call it french doors! On a fridge, what a riot! LOL.


    If you don't already know, I have a standing date on Fridays with my cousin... we both love the movies and since we both have no kids at home any more. It has been great getting together every week for this (She is the same cousin we go camping with and is more like my sister than my cousin...) This week we are off to see Capote, I am so excited and can't wait. I have wanted to see this one for ages and thought we must have missed it... so stay tuned.... I'll do a movie review! LOL

    ANGELA, START A BLOG YOU ARE STILL GETTING COMMENTS ADDRESSED TO YOU HERE! lol

    till then..........

    Tuesday, May 09, 2006

    MACdigiscrap and more....

    Well a huge thank you to all the MACdigiscrap girls, that gave me lots of feedback on my blog, everything was looking fine on my screen, but wasn't showing up properly on others, so I moved the two slides and went from there. I really appreciate your help in this girls, you are the greatest bunch of girls to be cyber buddies with ;)
    And Angela, it's time you got your own blog, as I seem to get more comments directed at you on my blog than I do about my blog! LOL, just kidding! If you want to be part of a great bunch of amazingly talented and diverse, Aussie and New Zealander girls who love digiscrapping, but frequently forget to talk about it, whilst covering every other topic on the known planet, and some that are out of this realm altogether, then come and join the fun! You might even get to hear more about Sue's dalmations ;)... Also Karen, if your reading this, when you get your website up and running send me the link too, I wanna add your site to my favs also!

    Below is a card a good friend of mine asked me to make for her brothers 40th birthday. Some of you may or may not have seen it before. I had a limited amount of photos to work with and not much time. I had forgotten all about it, but was reminded today when she emailed me to say that she had had it blown up and framed, and how fantastic it was. I was so pleased she liked it and he was very teary apparently, the ultimate compliment! Anyway, since she reminded me I thought I'd post it and show anyway that may not have seen it. The brushes used were from Rhonna Farrer and were part of the prize for winning the Best and Brightest Competition.


    Speaking of winning, I am not sure I actually told anyone about this, but I got a runner up prize in an epson competition for the layout below. The criteria was things about Summer and was A4 requirement which I rarely scrap in. I altered a layout I had done for BnB and was pretty happy with the result. Here is a link to the Runner Up Page, to see me and the other losers! LOL



    Had another great class tonight, that group are so clever and it is a pleasure to teach them, we covered the bubbles layout tonight, which can be seen at the bottom of this page, and also a brief overview of the Connections and My Hearts Desire layouts posted yesterday.

    Got to have a walk around our new home today, the builder had a question about the tiles, so I got to go in and have a look, almost all the floor and wall tiles were done in our ensuite and all the wall tiles were done in the girls bathroom. All the doorhandles are on now and all the painting is finished. The shelves in the linen press and the pantry are all and it gave me butterflies, feels so close now. Just the floors, toilets, showerscreen, dishwasher, stove, oven, power points and lights to go in now. (think that's all) but we are still looking at about 4 weeks. woohooo!!!!!

    Well wasn't it great that those miners finally got out today, I cried this morning when they showed it and cried even harder tonight when they showed it again on the news, it's such a miracle but at the same time heartbreakingly sad that one of them didn't make it. I think the highlight for me was about a week ago when they were interviewing the mine boss, he was saying that they had been able to get some food, I-pods, magazines and a few other things to the men, one reporter asked what sort of magazines, and with a sly half grin he answered "uh, I believe they were appropriate magazines", cracked me up and was a good light moment for all involved. Must be my twisted sense of humour.

    Monday, May 08, 2006

    Just testing


    This is just a test, I can't figure out why on one of my posted pics I can get a bigger version, but on others I can't... What a conundrum!

    Wow!!

    Two entries in two days, this can't last LOL! OK I forgot more news I had on the weekend, well not my news, but anyway.... Quinn's netball team (Go Gems) had their third netball game on the weekend. They finally got their first goal!!!! The roar from the crowd was reminiscent of the '89 AFL Grandfinal between Hawthorn and Geelong. It was a fabulous moment and our second smallest player, the amazing Bethany got the goal. It was very exciting and we hope to get at least a few more before the end of the season LOL!

    Also below are the other 3 layouts I completed on the weekend ( I am exhausted LOL). The first two are with Paper Packs from Iron Orchid and was an assignment for Digital Scrapbooking mag as part of the Best and Brightest team, I hope at least one gets in!! The journaling for the first one reads:

    "Connection.... You have such an amazing connection, you are sisters in the truest sense. Your sisterhood binds you by much more than blood, you are able to see each other as true friends, as companions and allies. You seem to understand each other as only those with true respect and love can. You are friends, not because you are sisters but because you are soul mates. It is a rare thing you have, and I am comforted when I think of all the times ahead that you will be thankful for having the other to rely on. My special children, you are not only a blessing to me, but to each other."

    The journaling for this one reads:

    "My Hearts Desire.....This was taken at Bronte's 6th birthday party. We all had so much fun at the gymnastics party, with all the kids running around, bouncing, climbing, tunneling and swinging. Bronte you are such a feisty, funny, intelligent girl, it is hard not to be proud of you. Your company is always so much fun and you always keep those around you entertained. I always wished for a little brown eyed girl and I got you, your eyes are definitely a window to your soul and I see your empathy and sense of mischievousness in them. You are everything that my hearts desires."


    These papers were a joy to work with, I recommend them, and I am not affiliated in anyway!

    Finally the layout below, I am not happy with, I love this photo but it was hard to work into a layout so I may have to revisit it again, which I never do, so I guess it will stay like that forever :(. Anyway, you decide for yourselves! (If there is more than one out there!) LOL. I am not sure if it will show up but the background is a linen look which may be lost here...


    Anyway, work was great today, I love the job and can't wait to feel completely competent! I wonder how long that will take.....

    Signing off... until, well, some other time....maybe :)

    Sunday, May 07, 2006

    Inspiration from Miss M....


    Well I have been in a huge creative slump recently, mainly because I have been so busy with other things....

    My new job, which I am loving and finding myself disappointed that Friday has come because that is my day off. I am sure it won't last but I hope I will always enjoy going to work. There is lots to learn and it has been a bit hard as I didn't get to spend much time with the girl that I replaced, and just quietly she and I have completely different working ethics and styles. My boss is out a lot so that can be hard when I have no-one to answer my questions, but that will be changing so things will get easier! Hopefully ;)

    Then there is the course I am teaching, (Digital Scrapbooking with Photoshop) that is also so much fun, but it is mentally draining, and doing the course notes is also tiring too, but I find it very rewarding and so blessed that all the students in my class are doing amazing layouts and are so enthusiastic, I am lucky to have had this opportunity.

    Of course then there is the brain space our new house is taking up, mainly worrying about finances and how to pay for all the extras, but at the same time it is so exciting, although the date has been put back again, and it now looks like we won't be in until the beginning of June... disappointing, but at least it gives us more time to pack etc!

    Then there is my new Scrapping website adventure, I have been unable to do as much as I would have liked to help out, but my new partners, Robin and Cheryl have been amazingly understanding of my situation. It is going well and I have my first kit in the shop... See preview below...


    I tried to jump out of my comfort zone and see if I could create a kit with colours I would not usually use, I think it is OK, but we'll see how it sells once the site is up and the advertising is out!

    Below is a layout I did using this kit....


    This was one of 4 layouts I created today and yesterday, I am so pleased that I finally got some done, I don't think I have done a layout since February, maybe even January! Anyway here are the others I created. I am not sure about "Days Of Miracle and Wonder". It was a hard pic to scrap but I got there in the end, might have to have another go one day....

    I think I will publish the others tomorrow (yeah right!) Someone tell me how to add links to the side aaaahhhhh!