Happy New Year!!!

I have just completed my last LO for the year & entered it into Embellished's "Biggest Competition Yet"

This pic was taken the other day when Heidi & I tokk the girls & Ravey to the beach.

Well 2006 has been extremely good to me...I can vaguely recollect some goals from a year ago.

One of the things I definately wanted was to make new friends - who knew they would be this wonderful????

To all my peeps at Embellished, SBO, SE & SBBD you have made 2006 an incredible year for me.

The girls I have met in real life are just absolutely sensational.

I discovered an awesome friend in my own back yard, well almost - in my street - now I don't really want to move- but I still want to get out of this house LOL!

Looking back on 2006 I have had a superb year - but the best is yet to come...bring on 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Just A Quickie

I really should be in bed - but have been meaning to update for a while now.

Finally completed my 12th entry in Janine's 12 Days of Christmas Challenge. I was missing Day 10 (I think) about entertainment/Christmas arvo.

I decided to do my LO on our family pics - its a great time to get the group together to get a snap...although in the big group shot people are missing (not that you'd know) & I didn't get our family shot - cos Taigy had been picked upby then - but got great shots of my brother, Kane' family & my sis, Lis'a family - so I'm very pleased - I also took the tripod along so that I could be in the pic ;o)

I'm still working on my entries for Embellished's "biggest Comeptition Yet", completed November's LO (Daddy's Shadow) & just have December's to do.

I also managed to complete the LO for the SE swap - where I got "baking" buttons - I'm quite pleased with how it turned out...lifted the flower & tag/bookplate from Ali Russell . Heidi gave me the inspiration & motivation to get this one done - thanks chick!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry christmas everyone!!

What a wonderful day we had.

Woke to the delightful sound of Raven snoring, but when we walked past Taigy's door she was already awake...although not coherent.

When she got up she folloed her trail of chocolates out to the lounge room & when she saw the presents her face was priceless!!!

I think she got a bit caught up in the unwrapping of the presents cos she just wanted more & more LOL!!

But we had a fantastic morning & then headed over to Mum & Dad's for the big family lunch..man that was an awesome day...the kids got spoiled some more & we just ate, drank & were merry...so merry in fct that Wayne & I ended up staying the night over there...Wayne cos he had a feww too many & me cos I was thinking that Shaton & Ezybuy was just up the road & more convenient than going to them over our side LOL!

So, I managed to get myself a new outfit & some fitness gear for my new spin bike that Wayney got me - he's such an angel!!!!

Well, not much time to share. taigs will be getting dropped off soon & then the big kids & mokopuna are coming over to share their christmas, so I'll just share some pics.

Hope you all had a fabulous day :o)

12 Days of Christmas

I have managed to do another LO for the 12 days challenge set by Janine...this one is about Christmas Eve...so there is only one more to go...the entertainment/xmas afternoon LO..I want to get some fresh pics for this one - so that'll be a whipped up after the event.

I got the idea for this pic from this pic by Missymuh at Embellished....thanks miss!

Had a fabulous weekend....got some scrapping done - completed a canvas from Chris Millar's class on Friday night & got a LO done for the xmas swap @ SE...I'm going to have to do another LO for his one though - I got a packet of buttons..like the jesse james buttons - it has gingerbread man miniature cookie cutters, rolling pins, buttons, gingerbread men & had the word "believe"... I managed to use "believe" but will do some baking with Tai, take some pics & do another LO to use some more of the goods I got...I think I'll take a wee break from the swaps for now - so I'll try to make the next one delightful LOL!

I got the idea for the tag through the bookplate from the fabulous Miss Ali of Embellished, the stars were done using Nic Howards beadiful technique...I think I need to practise this...I didn't have a pencil handy, so was using a needle...note to self - get a pencil sharpener & pencil!!!

Well Taigy had a fabulous weekend.. she had a play date with Emma (Heidi's daughter) gee its lovely having them in the same street...we've been doing a bit of popping over lately & its been really nice.

Tai's play date went really well - the girls made cars out of big boxes & Taigy insisted on driving her's home - too cute.

She wanted to sleep over at Emma's, but we had Lexi (our grandaughter) coming for the night..I have to say I am a bit of a mean granny...we went shopping on Sunday to get some xmas shopping done & Lexi is going through a dress phase - so she was wearing a gorgeous dress - naturally Taigy wanted to wear a dress too (cos she's such a little sheep at times) - well she doesn't own any dresses so I said we'll buy her one while we're out - all good.

Now she has 2 dresses & just loves to twirl LOL!!

Yippeee, her watch arrived in the mail today...we bough a $2.50 digital watch off trademem the other day & she has been checking the letter box 5 times a day ever since I hit the buy-now button...tooo cute!!

OK, so no more pre-school & its raining...better feed the kids & try to get Ravey to have a sleep (fingers crossed) then Tai & I can do some scrapping :o)

NZ Dare #13

OK, so this dare was set by Nic Howard & it's based on the old wedding rhyme of "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" except we didn't need the blue - for the challenge.

My something old was the film strips

something new: Heidi Swapp arrows

Something borrowed: the stripey pp with 3 pics was borrowed from Brook Setwart's "Sweet Boy" LO from here, aslo "borrowed" the light & dark blue cs from Taigy's stash..which covers the blue ;o)

The pics were taken by Taiga when she went on holidays earlier this year with her Dad. The went to Rotorua & he bought a disposable camera to take pics.

Oh, I've used the word "pix" cos I didn't want to use my precious c & s when an x would do the trick LOL!

Journalling is about how she must like action shots cos if you take a closer look none of the pics are the same. The centre one has her lion with a mini puppy, then the left one he is rolling over & on the right he looks ready to pounce. Pics are crappy - but we've bought her a digi for xmas...a bit OTT for an almost 5 year old??? perhaps...but the plastic toys break & I toss them, she's got plenty of babies, a swing set, trampoline, bike & little castle - at least this will be something she'll use & treasure ;o)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 12

Well, I haven't done day 10 & 11 yet...but day 12 is done. I went with boxing day - cos it was an easier option....I'll probably do another LO with 12 items as there are 11 kids in the family & I think Troy (my sis's stepson) will be joining us this year (that'll make 12) - so it will be awesome to get a pic of each of the kids on the day...which reminds me, that's day 10's (?) LO...we always do pics in the afternoon - so that one is sort of half sorted - just the xmas eve one to nail down.

I lifted the idea of the 2 big photo anchors (different shapes) from Ali...she's a gem! her work is just gorgeous!!!

I seriously need to get some more white cardstock!!!

Rave is having his sleep at the mo, Taigs is at pre-school - last day (except for the performance on Friday)

Well I'm going to go see if I can knock out a LO for the NZ Dare.

Might be back later :o)

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

Ok - I hope Day 9 is the Cards one - cos that's what I've done today.

Ravey finally fell asleep when I got home from picking Taigy up - about 3.30 - then he slept til 6...so guess who's running amok with his Dad.

Oh, Wayne just told me that he walked into the lounge room, gave Taigy a poppa-jack & said "I love you"...how adorable!!

Ummmm is anyone out there thinking "Oh, she's such a candiate for Honey we're killing the kids"???? - the thought just crossed my mind :o)

So, anyhoo here is my day 9 LO...I'm thinking Rave will have a huge sleep tomorrow (did I say thinking - I meant hoping LOL) - and then I'll be able to cacth up with day 10, 11 & 12

the card does open to reveal journalling & another couple of pics...but I'm pulling my hair out with a wide awake 20 month old & a non-stop singing 4 year old (adorable as it is, she should definately be in bed) so I'm going with the simplest version possible.

that'll do for today I think...I have a couple of LO's to share tomorrow.

Still a bit behind

OMG - I cut Ravey's hair yesterday & now he thinks he's big enought to not have a nap - WHATEVER!!!

<<<<< before & after

So, 11.30 was my first attempt...he knocked on the door like a wide awake boy - so we went out & had a swing & then had some lunch 12.45 comes & I think I've got him for sure, so I put him in the room - 1.00 I hear knocking but think it'll pass....1.15 more knocking - but no crying..I let it go, 1.30 random knocks....1.35 maybe he needs a new nappy (even though I changed him just before I put him down) I open the door "Mum!" & out he struts....1.50 "I'm serious, you need a nap!"....2.20, is that him humming or the TV????

And right now I can hear knocking on the door again!!!!

Well, take a look & tell me if you could resist this face????

Meanwhile - my challenges haven't been done - I know a little boy who'll be going to bed VERY early tonight!!!

Here's hoping he falls asleep when I go to pick Taigy up!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 8

Oh, I'm a little bit behind the 8 ball at the mo.

I had Creed & Jorja to look after for most of Friday & that threw me out of whack - 4 under 5's - that was fun.

Jorjy is just an angel...so easy going...Creedy & Taigs - that's another story if one's not telling on the other they're usually playing nicely & my litte Prince, Raven well he's just perfect.

So, I didn't get round to doing the 8th day until today...and then we went over to Mum & Dad's - so I missed Donna's challenge from the SBO cybercrop on Friday night....nevermind.

On a brighter note we went to have a look at a Canon 400D today...but I've decided against it: ::SHOCK::

A couple of things don't suit me...I've become accustomed to using my LCD screen for taking shots & I can't seem to go back to the old school of looking through the viewfinder. Also it seems I'm not cut out for SLR at the mo - cos I really like my little movies of the kids...I love how on hollywood movies "happy families" always have footage of kids playing in the yard & stuff & I sooo want movies like that for when my kids are older.

So, at the end of the day it comes down to convenience over performance for me...so I'll stick with my little A620 for now....a bit disappointing cos Wayno had already made secret arrangements with my SIL who works at Harvey Normans for the hook-up...nevermind as a consolation he's going to get my laptop fixed on Monday :o)

Oh, now back to the point of this post......the 8th day's challenge was all about who you hang out with on Christmas Day.

In the morning, its family time - just the 4 of us. Lunch is the whole whanau ie Mum, Dad, bros, sis & the mokopunas.

Tai gets picked up by her Dad & goes off to do her family thing with Nan, Grandad, Aunty, Uncle & cousin

Then we come home & have the adult kids over & our mokopuna...a few drinks, a little reminscing...kicking back...oh & maybe just one more helping of trifle ;o)

Challenge 9 & 10 have been posted - so I'd better get my A into G tomorrow & get them sorted, along with Lara's foodie LO challenge from the SBO CC.

There are still Tarisota RAKs up for grabs for posting a comment on Janine's blog...gotta be in it to win it my friend:o)

Give Santa a Call

I've had my niece & nephew over this afternoon & together with Taigy we've been mucking around with the age old question of "what do you want for Christmas?"

So I got the phone & checked if the Santa's 0800 number is working yet...and sure enough he's back online.

So if you need to entertain the kids call 0800 222 222.

Apparently Creed is getting a motorbike & Taigy wants a "bird that goes tweet" (what's that????)

Ravey's latest word is "draw"..he hangs around my scrapbooking table or the office desk eyeing up the pens saying "draw, draw, draw" in the tone that means business.

I'm not one to limit a child's talent....but I'm thinking of the walls.

At the moment he's happily colouring in with Tai & Jorjy...except that he's put his whole body on the page.

Well my sis is here to pick the kids up YAAHOOOOOO!!!!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

Just a quick post cos I have both kids here with me today..precious little angels demading my attention LOL!!

OK so we're up to day 7 of Janine's 12 Days of Christmas Challenge, now just a quick heads up...Janine is having a daily RAK for the remander of the challenge for those who post a coment on her blog - so off you go...after you posted a comment on mine ;o)

Oh, I have also been trying to catch up on my entries for The Biggest Competition Yet at Embellished...completed October's LO today - not flash - but I wanted to try using this crillion pp that I got on sale - can I just say its lucky I got 2 pieces LOL!!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 6 (already)

uuummmm running out of white cardstock...nevermind - work with what you've got - that's my motto (unitl your next order arrives).

Today's challenge was based on

a christmas song/carol...I love the Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You"

So here's a quick simple LO of my 3 precious treasures.

I did a bit of doodling around the edge & quite happy with how my holly & berries turned out...I obviously haven't run out of kindyglitz yet...man, I LOVE that stuff...gotta get round to doing my Elsie challenge 8, set by JulieH over at embellished - but I want to use some of my Nov kit for that...on the to-do list :o)

I tell you these challenges are seriously occupying my mind (well at least that's the only excuse I can come up with for today's mishap)...

Raven has swimming lessons on Wednesday...and so I rush to get him all ready & in the car...running late (or so I think) - get to the pool, whip his clothes off & into a little swimmer, strip down to my swimmers (cos I have to get in with him) quickly make my way to the pool thinking I am 10 mins late...I look at the pool & see 2 girls having a lesson - I'm thinking "there's something wrong with this picture" walk over to the teacher & apologize for my lateness...meanwhile, Raven proceeds to climb into her arms & get himself in the pool...she gets me to check her class sheet and i'm not 10 minutes late.....I'M AN HOUR & 10 MINUTES LATE!!!!

Here I am thinking I have to be there by 10.45...and the class was at 9.45.....but here's where the confusion lies....Taiga's Friday clasis at 10.45 - still, what a freak aye!!! So anyhoo Ravey's in the pool all wet by now, so I figure we'll make the most of it & I ask her if its OK if we have a little play around in one of the spare lanes - sweet as - we're all happy.

The crazy thing is - I'm not that embarrassed, heck I didn't even blush - I'm actually getting used to the dumb things I do - how scarey is that!!!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 5

I am still manging to keep up-to-date...better still I found some xmas pics from 2003...still not sure where 2004/05 are.

So here is today's entry using pics from 2003 :o)

I think I may be inclined to over-compensate with my photography this year LOL!

I drew some inspiration from JulieH's "Five Years" LO ie the pp on an angle.

I chopped up some fancy pants frames (the diamonds) & I used a Heidi Swapp silouette - is it just me who has probs with Heidi Swapp stuf????

Oh, & I think I may have OD'd on kindyglitz - but I LOVE the stuff!!!!

Can't wai to see what tomorrow brings - cos I'm pretty sure I'm running out of pics ROFL!!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

Another fabulous lot of inspiration from Janine this morning.

Today, again working with the pics I have, I based my LO on the good times I had while working with the sweet crew at CSR Sugar HQ in Sydney - back in the day ('97).

I don't think I've changed that much in 9 years whaddya think ???LOL!!!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 3

Yep, still on a roll.

Day 3 was all about gifts...well the only xmas pressy I can actually remember asking for was a Cabbage Patch Kid - it was either '84 or '85, so I must've been either 11 or 12 -a bit old for dolls???

I can't imagine an 11/12 year old asking for a CPK today - can you ??

Well, anyway Mum & Dad definately said NO to my CPK.....but on the day there he was...signature & all LOL!!! And I think that's why it stands out so vividly in my memory cos I knew for sure I wasn't getting one & Mum & Dad actually surprised me LOL!!

I have nappy changing pics somewhere...just not in the 2 HUGE boxes or 6 albums or the box I have here LOL.

Oh, now I'm not sure if I've mentioned the bling frames before - but these were my prize for NZ Dares a couple of challenges ago...I got them from Meg & they are fab...they look great - a little tricky to use - but I find most Heidi Swapp stuff challenging...love it too much to give it up though LOL!

My little red tile was part of a RAK from the lovely Sarah (sares1) from Embellished...I added "wish" with doodlebug rub-ons...loving doodlebug rub-ons & sticker letters at the mo.

OK my little princess has returned home from her Dad's, so it's time to put the tree up :o)

Embellished Cyber Crop

What a fantastic night I had last night with the Embellished girls - they are an absolute hoot!!

With the time difference I ended up leaving at 2am, but they kept going into the wee small hours of their morning.

We had 3 challenges:

1. An xmas LO anything goes, but must have red on it

I'm hooked on Chris's wavey lines at the mo ;o) & I'm finally using some of the BG Blitzen pack that I bought last year LOL!

2. An anltered TP roll into a bon bon/cracker

I used more left-overs from Chris's class for this - just LOVING those KI pps!!!

3. A sketch challenge...using more of the blitzen pack

I must say it was really easy to scrap to a theme (xmas)...so I had all these done in a relatively short time - although I didn't print my pics til 2am LOL!

Which gave me time to do Janine's challenge, finish Chris's class LO(below) & get Elsie #7 challenge done ( singe BW pic as the focus)- just waiting for the dimensional magic to dry ;o). Oh, and I'll be doubling up with this LO - cos it also uses sheers - so that'll go towards the SE DT challenge that has been set ;o)

12 Days of Christmas #2

I'm really enjoying Janine's challenges for the 12 Days of Christmas...LOVE that she posts them early in the morning so I can get them done while Rave has his nap...give me time to find the pics too....although I swear I went through 2 huges boxes, 6 smaller albums (200 pic) & a box of photos looking for the typical food photo becasue we ALWAYS take photos of the food at Christmas...I'm talking we take MORE photos of food on the day than we do of people!!

But I couldn't find one - not one of the laid out table (not that its flash LOL!) and i did another hunt for the CD with 2003/04/05 xmas pics - nowhere to be found - ahhh well I'm sure it'll turn up in winter when I don't need it!!

Anyway I'm keeping up to date with the challenges - cos I know if I fall behind I won't do it - slack aye!!

So here is todays LO and I finally stuck down my LO from Chris's class so I'll share that one too - now I didn't have a sewing machine to do the stitching on Chris's example, so I'm a littl e gutted about that, but I'm happy to leave it as it is - I really love it!! Taigy was sooooo funny at Christmas time last year - she sees Santa at the shops & psyches herself up to go & sit on his knee, but when it comes to the crunch she doesn't follow through..but she really does want to..mind you this is a vast improvement on previous years...she'd cry at the sight of him & look out if he glanced her way ROFL - so I'm thinking this is the year that she has a breakthrough - she's grown soooo much this year I can't believe it!!!

Well I'll be back in a minute to share some other LOs I got done today...had a cyber crop at Embellished last night - man they're an awesome bunch of girls..can't wait til April - I'm going over for the Embellished Retreat, so I'll get to meet some of them.

Oh and I won a set of Heidi Swapp ghost alphas - yeehaaa.

But more of that in a sec :o)

12 Days of Christmas #1

Yay first challenge is done...had to hunt high & low for a pic of a tree - buggered if I know where my xmas pics from 2003/04 &05 are...somewhere safe on a cd no doubt - but where???

So I headed to the archives & came up with a special memory from '92 :o)

If you can't read the journalling it says:

In 1992 Michale Camini left a trail of lollies from Jordy's bear to the Christmas Tree.

I was 19 at the time & absolutely loved the idea.

Now that I have children the lolly trail has magically appeared at my house on Christmas morning.

The pps were left over from Chris Millars class from last night - gorgeous aye!!