and a blue one

just a Layout to share..

1st Day

of Big School for Big Z- and Grade 4 for Miss T - all went well this morning - no tears (well from the kids anyway!!)

a change is in the air

So next week there are some big changes happening at my place... DS5 starts prep, DS9mths starts daycare 1 day, DD8 starts Yr4 and I start uni!
So it is the perfect time to undertake a new enormous project (not).. I have started a Kite quilt for DD - When we were on Hamilton Island she loved flying a kite they made - so I was inspired..
And being the manic, hyperactive, over committed person that I am I didn't have time to find a pattern that I liked ..so I am doing my own . I have cut all the blocks, and the first one is sewn up -plus a couple of layouts from the weekend..
So today is The Last Thursday: every Thursday for the past 3 years Zach has spent with Nanna and Poppy.
They have there own special routine, and always have a great day - so off he went with Poppy this morning for the last time..
Shame they have to grow up.

I have starting subbing again

and have a workshop featured in this months Creative Paper Magazine - how to make your own fabric brads..
I have got out of the habit of subbing last year with new baby and all - but this year I will make an effort! And I am actually now "Internationally Published" (LOL) as I have layout in an upcoming issue of New Zealands' UP2Scrap Magazine..
Don't worry if that was my 15 mins of fame, then I have had it! (and it hasn't changed me at all)

Ok

So it's time to share....
a: Some News..... I will spend the next 3 years as a full time student... Yep the Gap Year (only20 odd) has ended and I am going to University to attain a Bachelor of Learning Management (um Teaching) With my youngest child being only 9 months - I have 20 years of kids at school ahead of me - and HOLIDAYS are just a nightmare.. So I figured instead of trying to fit my kids into my job, that I would fit my job around my kids. So a BIG change ahead!
b: Congratulations to my mate Cassie for her 1st published Layout in this months Scrapbooking Memories - YAY CASS!!
c: Some Layouts - My Best of January has yet to have photos added for a once a month album..
d: A great tutorial to make this fab stationary box - thanks to Jackie Topa


I am counting down the days until school goes back -then there is 3 weeks grace to get ready for the new journey of studying.

Check out

the latest Fab Female Role Model - Zainab Salbi and her incredible work on Women for Women International -a charity helping women and children in wartorn countries. I have been flat researching ladies for my new blog - Seems to make scrapbooking seem frivolous..but I have managed a few layouts to upload tomorrow..

Small venture

I have started a blog to celebrate the lives of women and girls who can be held up as an example for our daughters. It's called Female Role Models .
I felt the need to do this after my 7 year old could only name Paris Hilton as her favourite role model. (OMG)
In this age of celebrity and fame - I hope to create a resource to teach about some amazing REAL women and girls. Pop over and have a look - and if you know of anyone who stands out as a great role model for our daughters, please send me the details and I will include her - no need to be famous - just someone who you think is inspiring..

who has time to blog???

where do the days go?? Finally re-connected my laptop so here are a few photos from Chrissy.. I have been on a scrapbooking roll while J is on hols - I have done 6 layouts in the last few days...Haven't quite got around to photographong them yet ..Happy New Year everyone -

Big Z is 5

Happy Birthday to the best little boy in the whole world!!! We have already had Z's party - before school broke up and everyone went away - so today is just a quiet celebration with Nanna and
Poppy and calls to Granny and Grandad in Ireland - he still scored 2 cakes though!!! We came home to Aus when he was 6 weeks old - I can't believe it was 5 years ago.

We have returned from a WONDERFUL, AMAZING, FAB (you get the idea) 10 days away - 7 spent on the beautiful Hamilton Island- Chrissy Day involved cocktails by the pool, swimming, prawns, more swimming, champagne and lots of time doing nothing together!!I got a v. spesh gift from here OMG and we have all arrived home rested and having had some real quality time together. (Just don't mention the cricket!)
Jeff and I have made some BIG decisions - that are going to change our lives somewhat (for the better in the long run - we hope!) although probably tougher in the short term.. So I am coming up to New Year with renewed energy and goals and priorities.... I will post some photos later - have got lots of lovely unpacking to do - and we are expecting some friends to arrive any minute from Texas - for New Years - So have a great New Years wherever you are in the world and I hope the New Year looks as exciting for you as it does for us!!!

layouts

from the last few weeks..

4 birthdays...

one graduation from pre-school, one concert and 2 hangovers later...
So much has happened in the last 2 weeks, and funnily enough, while being offline has been a complete pain in the bot... It made me realize how much time I spend online... Hmmn so one of my New Years Resolutions will be to set a limit, and stick to it!
So to catch up Big Z has finished pre-school and is all ready for Big school next year (and V. excited!0 He has also had his 5th birthday party - at the Bowling and indoor leisure centre. Which was a huge success! His birhday is not till the end of December - but it is such a hard time to organize a party with everyone away etc, that we have a Queens' birthday thing going for him!
Big C is crawling and pulling himself up, and of course has his first bump on his lovely little head "(..
T has finished grade 3 (wow) and is practically a teenager..she finished up with a beautiful school Christmas concert.
Dad, Mum and I have all turned a year older in the last week - so the less said about that the better.
and now the countdown begins to Hamilton Island!!!

man!

I was so happy to up and running and back online when...CRRRAAASSSHHH..yep my lovely Dell computer was suddenly inundated by 2 weeks worth of updates and chucked a fit - so I have dug out my old laptop until we can get through the Hellpdesk hell....
Amazing how quick this old thing is - because there is nothing on it!! I am coming back to play after baby goes to sleep..

yayayayayayayayyay

optus connected me today ...oh my, I felt like I was abandoned in a dark lonely place with no scrapbooking blogs or surfing or shopping.................
ok, breathe...
(and don't mention a certain telecommunications company who we WON'T be coming home to)

I"M BACK IN THE LAND OF THE BLOGGER>>> Our little pack arrived today from OPtus (when they said it would) and we plugged it in and it worked (like they said it would) and we got instant connection (yeah yeah you get the idea..)
what's going on?? Not quite used to service or things justing WORKING..

so here we are only 2 weeks from Christmas and I have so much to catch up on... Lots of photos and layouts to upload - will do it in a post later 2 night when all small children are asleep and not a mouse is stirring..........
have to go surf now and see what I've missed..

no internet??! what??

nope - haven't had any access for over a week- we are changing from optus to telstra - and of course the next available day to connect us is...... 12 th of December. yep. another week - I feel like I have had my air supply cut off...I am at Mums watering while she is away at Andre Reueueouoeui.....so Iam having a quick FIX online....please come back and see me ina week

"(

I think I lost a week

Man the last 3 months has gone quickly - I can't believe it was over a week since I sat and blogged...but sitting is something that I definitely haven't been doing much of!! Tilly had her swimmimg carnival earlier in the week - check out that Perfect dive!! She got a 1st in breatstroke, 3rd in backstroke, 3rd in free and 5th in butterfly - WAY TO GO TILLS!!! Not only that she showed great sportsmanship and really did her best- We are so proud of her~!!
Clancy is just growing too fast - already doing the commando crawl... and Big Z is just a man unto himself... I have managed a few Los, and have got my scrap groove back..

I feel like a new woman

(and so does my husband probably!!) We have just got back from 3 days away at the amazing Cania Gorge National Park,.
It's about 3 hours inland from here - on the odd dirt road that passes for the main road from Mt Perry to Monto - only in Australia!! The most hilarious thing is that we didn't see another car for about an hour and a half on this one road (in either direction) and then we came across some road works in the middle of nowhere - and Yes- there was a bloke with a Stop/Go sign ..We had to stop - we were the only car for about 150kms!!! Hope he isn't paid per unit of traffic!
Anyway we had a great time after a stressful week - Baby C has been sick with Roseola - miserable high temps - poor little thing..He is much better now, thankfully.
Cania Gorge is fantastic - the amount of wildlife is just stunning - the kids have hand fed kookaburras - that little guy in the photo spent most of time on our balcony -King Parrots, Rainbow Lorrikeets, Wallabies, Bettongs - (I didn't get any photos as they only come out at night - and I didn't want to scare them all off!) There is a great Tourist Park with camping sites or cabins - Friday night we had a camp oven roast and a wine tasting was provided on Saturday arvo. On Saturday night we had an open air (rainforest style) showing of Indiana Jones new movie.
In between swimming in one of 3 pools and jumping on this strange big air pillow thing (?) We went bushwalking and found a bat cave - with real (tiny) bats.. Tilly was very brave and climbed right inside, while I stayed outside looking after the baby and Being In Charge Of Things. Jeff and the kids had a game of Par 3 golf, and taught T and Z to Kayak. There is a beautiful lake (Cania) and apart from one tinny all the way around the other side - we were the only people on the lake - incredible. If you ever get the chance to visit I would highly recommend it!! There are a lot of much more serious bush walks - but just too far for the little ones (and their unfit Mother) Anyway - so no scrapping to share, but lots of photos to scrap!

BOO!!

I'm baaa-aack!
OK so C has 2 (yes 2!!) teeth , has been sitting unaided for 2 weeks and trying to crawl for 10 days, and.......he has worn his mini budgie smugglers for the first time.
I have scrapped 3 LO's, had too much to drink and danced to Whitney Houston and Duran Duran (Proper Music), I have painted ( a real painting - on a canvas and everything - not just a wall!) I have sewn, cooked 2 batches of scones, I have pulled apart one of the LO's that I STILL just aren't happy with, I have got a brand new air conditioner for my Scraproom - (Jeff won $700 on the Melbourne cup and bought me an air con - LOADS of brownie points for that) and I have finished Tilly's skating mini tag book thingy- so it has been a very busy week!!
And it is officially summer as I had a swim in the pool of my own volition..
The end of the school year is just around the corner - and less than 8 weeks until we go to Hamilton Island. ..but also fast approaching is the end of my maternity leave. I really don't want to go back to work - if only we can survive on one salary for a few years - but it is just so hard at the moment..anyway - I will cross that bridge when I come to it.. The cute Lo with the little houses is from Loretta Grayson's class I did a couple of weeks ago - I haven't put a title on it yet - how about "popeye??" Clancy looks just like him - he had just learnt to roll and kept rolling out of the photo before I could take it.

a blog free week

we have had some child routine/behaviour issues, so I have spent the week cut off from the outside world re-establishing our routines...works a treat - just takes a bit of effort and focus..
So I will be back in the world of the blogger this week - I have managed to scrap 6 lo's though - not as impressive as Petrina's 9 last weekend! So I have some things to share..
I made a mini album of DD's rollerskating party for her to hang on her wall..

so much for The Plan

well...people with small babies and husbands in Korea shouldn't make plans.
Poor C has had a bad reaction to his immunizations and just did not participate in my cunning plan to scrap all night..we cuddled all night instead. Oh well - gotta get the priorities right huh?? I did get my pink, grey and silver LO finished - I will upload tomorrow when I can photograph it. I have spent the evening playing with Cassie's Pazzle - oh what fun!! I could easily lose a few weeks just figuring out what it can do - it can cut paper, card, fabric, rubber stamp mat stuff, stickers, acrylic....the list goes on - AND - it can create an an image to cut from just about anything that you can put in a jpeg - even 3d images - it just cuts a number of layers..(and it makes a really cool R2D2 noise!!
I would love one - but at $900 odd buckeroonies....maybe not just at the moment.
(so I'll just borrow yours Cass).
Spent the day at home - and then had a lovely afternoon with friends at the beach followed by a fish and chip picnic. Clancy had his first dip in the ocean. (of course didn't have the camera- it's in Korea with Jeff) - so we will get the photo next time :) It's cold here tonight..What's going on???