Scrapalicious

Slowing Down

2008-06-15T20:09:00.002+10:00

I know, I have fallen off the daily blogging wagon, but am still trying for more regular updates!

Work this last week has been hectic, and add to that the digi course I teach once a term, which I thought was 21st and 28th turned out to be 14th and 21st...so was VERY unprepared! Luckily, I have only 2 students this term...both very lovely 40+ ladies who are an absolute pleasure to teach!

Other than that, not much has been happening this week! I did hear a lovely song on our local Christian radio station the other day...it is called "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman. It isn't a religious song, although he is a Christian singer/songwriter. This song was written for his youngest daughter. Not long after it was released, she was killed in a tragic accident when her teenage brother ran over her in their driveway. This little girl was 5 years old...

Hopefully I can get this thing to work...have a listen, it is a touching song.

Also, Ange commented that Feedblitz didn't appear to be working..but I can't seem to find anything wrong...so if anyone knows how to fix it, please let me know!

I Know, I Know

2008-06-08T23:19:00.004+10:00

I can hear you all saying "she's stopped already!", but I've just been busy - honest!!

Ashleigh cracked a dummy spit about "you don't spend any time with me" the other week (I think just because we have been so busy with the move, that it does seem like that to her) so we have dedicated Friday night as FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT. Last Friday we watched Happy Feet - what a great movie! Will have to find something else for next week!

Saturday was spent sleeping in (ahhh..bliss) for me and the kids, while Michael went to help some friends move. Saturday afternoon, I babysat my friend's little 2 and a half year old boy, and Ashleigh's (boy) friend came over for a play. It was a great afternoon, and the little one didn't worry about his mum at all! Here is a couple of photos of the kids playing...I can't really put one of Ashleigh's friend up, as I don't have his parents permission - sorry! These were taken with my new camera too :-)

My two terrors, relaxing on the grass.

And having fun on the trampoline

And my friend's little one...isn't he cute??

After all the hassle with my new car and over-heating, she seems to be running perfectly now. Isn't she cute too? (Sorry about the bit of trailer, bit of other car and bit of head in the shot!)

And finally, one of my hubby, just because he said not to (and he ain't so cute, rofl)

Now how's this for an exciting post - even has photos!

Lost for Words

2008-06-04T22:11:00.002+10:00

Although I have nothing much to say today, I am determined to keep my daily blogging happening!

The weather is wet and miserable here at the moment, and I am craving some sunshine!

A long weekend here for us this weekend, and am so looking forward to not having anything to do! Except some baby sitting, and maybe trying to con someone else to babysit for us so we can go to the movies - wouldn't that be nice?? I also plan on taking Miss Ash clothes shopping on Monday, although that will get Adam's knickers in a knot! He hates being left behind, but clothes shopping is definitely NOT the place for a 4 year old boy to be, no matter how much he thinks it is. AND he will expect me to buy him the exact same number of things I buy her (if not more). Last week, I bought him 2 shirts and a pair of jeans, and a DVD. I bought Ashleigh a skirt. The next day, I bought Ashleigh a couple of shirts and nothing for him - boy, didn't he complain! How can you explain this to a four year old? He doesn't understand the concept of how much I spend vs. the number of items, nor does he understand that 'you got such-and-such' yesterday but she didn't. Oh, the joys of being a parent!

Oops

2008-06-03T20:51:00.000+10:00

Make that SIX in a row (well, technically, now it is seven!)

I'm Still Posting

2008-06-03T20:46:00.002+10:00

Are you impressed? You should be. What is this? Five in a row? I'm impressed!

What a terrible day I've had...but after yesterday's miserable post, I'm not going to tell you about it, lol.

I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO looking forward to the long weekend coming. I didn't have anything at all planned, except church, but I had a call from my mum this morning, who had a call from an old friend of mine (I've known since I was 8) who was trying to get in touch with me. It turns out they are coming to stay near here on the weekend and wanted to catch up. Michael has suggested a BBQ here, but I think I will suggest a meal out somewhere. Although they have 4 kids, so might not be an option. I haven't seen her since Adam was a baby (so about 4 years), so it will be nice to catch up.

I don't see my friends nearly as often as I should. I think a trip to Victoria might just have to be on the cards sooner, rather than later. What do you think girls?

Mondayitis

2008-06-02T20:13:00.002+10:00

Yuck. It's Monday. It's cold. It's wet. It's winter. Is it any wonder a girl is a bad mood. Give me eternal summer PLEASE.

2nd June. Month end, which means busy at work, and only one month to go to the end of the financial year, which means super busy. I want a holiday. I want to be rich so I don't have to work. Don't want much do I?

Can any HTML experts out there (yes you Lee!) tell me how to put some code or other in my blog to make all the posts look the same font, colour, etc? Please??

Thanks for the tag Karen...I will try and address in my next post (although I don't know how many people I can tag...I don't know enough blogs, lol)

And I will TRY and get some photos with my new camera soon - maybe a photo of my new laptop...that would be nice!

Sorry for the feeling blue post - just a bad case on Mondayitis, I'm sure.

Have a great week!

Winter Blues

2008-06-01T22:29:00.002+10:00

Yep, first day of winter and it is cold, wet and miserable! I really dislike winter. I don't like being cold, I don't like coming home from work in the dark and I don't like wearing piles of clothes! Most of all, I don't like wearing stockings...but with "winter white" having set in, I would blind my co-workers with my legs, so if I wear a skirt, then stockings it is....blah!

Ash has now come down with the flu bug that I had last week, but isn't too bad. We didn't manage church today (because she was sick AND because we slept in), and now I feel like something is missing from my weekend. We were eating dinner and I said to Michael that I felt like I needed to go to church...but we didn't want to take Ash out in the night air, and the kids aren't that fussed on the evening service, so we didn't go.

Still madly trying to get my eBay store back up and running (no mean feat let me tell you!) as well as madly trying to sort out boxes in the garage that we haven't unpacked yet, and don't even mention the upstairs rumpus room! I think I will be waiting until the kids go away to mum's in July to do that :-)

Catch you all (well Lee anyway as you seem to be the only one reading my blog!) tomorrow - HOPEFULLY!

Yep, here again!

2008-05-31T22:39:00.002+10:00

But can I keep the momentum going? Probably not, but will try anyway :-).

Today was a slow day - went and did some paper scrapping with some friends this morning, which lasted to well in the afternoon, then did some grocery shopping and then went to pick up Ash from her friends place (who happens to be a boy, but don't dare call him her boyfriend, lol). Now when I went to pick her up, she was soaking wet as they had a water fight (it is freezing here today). The dad said "sorry, wasn't really watching what they were up to". Now, she has the sniffles, a barking cough and a sore throat (well, she coughs a lot anyway this time of year as her asthma plays up). Anyway, bed time comes around she starts coughing (in bed) and next thing vomits all over it. She said she didn't realise she was going to puke. So Michael and I had to pull all the bed clothes off, change the sheets and find another quilt for the bed. She is sleeping now, but hopefully it was just the coughing fit that made her sick.

I am busily trying to get my ebay stuff re-listed. Man, what a big job that is, so I had better get back to it!

Another One...

2008-05-30T20:08:00.002+10:00

Continuing on from yesterday, I am posting again! Even though no-one has yet checked to see if I have posted. Not that I blame anyone...it was safe to assume that me and blogging weren't getting along that well :-)

I am sad to say that the latest season of LOST is coming to an end *sniff*. What AM I going to do until next January?? It is really the only show on TV that I watch and I will miss it...and the suspense will kill me, because I am sure the last episode will, as usual, be a cliff-hanger!

This weekend I am off to a (paper) scrapbooking class (doing, not teaching), and that is about it, other than church. I really, really need to get my ebay shop up and running again, as I have been very slack since we moved! We have booked our holiday in Queensland for next January, now all I need to do is save the money to pay for it!

Oh, and I got a new camera today! While I LOVE our DSLR, sometimes it is just a pain in the bum to cart it around, so I bought a tiny little Fuji 'point and shoot'. But it does have 12 megapixels. Nice little unit it is too.

Ciao

Boring Bad Blogger

2008-05-29T23:49:00.002+10:00

Does anyone out there remember I have a blog? Does anyone still check to see if I post? I'm guessing not...since it has been six months since I last made a post. What is even worse, is that I don't (or rarely) check anyone else's either. I think I'll make an entry into my calendar to do this every second day - do the rounds, and make a post. Don't hold your breath though...

So much has happened since my last post, but since no-one is probably going to read this, I'll leave it for another day.

Oh boy, am I a BAD blogger!

2007-11-11T21:47:00.000+11:00

I can't believe I haven't posted to this thing since June! But since nobody will probably read it, I guess it doesn't matter!!

So much has happened over the last few months, yet so little seems to have changed. Let's see if I can remember everything:

** June 30 saw Michael finish up work to become primary care giver for our children. A bit tough for him at first, just as he seems to be enjoying it finally, our finances have hit the wall and he might have to find a part time job...

** July and most of August kept me busy at work with end of financial year. What a joy being an accountant is!

** The first weekend in September, Ashleigh and I took an early morning flight to Melbourne, and then a leisurely train trip out to Lee's place for our Macdigi get together. We then spend a day and a half in Melbourne ourselves shopping and sightseeing. It was a great mother/daughter weekend and we both had a ball. I am finding I seem to be enjoying Ashleigh so much more now that she is getting older, and we do quite a lot of things together which is really fun. I only hope this new found good relationship with her lasts!

** The day after we got back from Melbourne, Ashleigh went to Westmead Children's Hospital for surgery #4. This one was for a 'mouth hitch' where the plan was to take some spare tendon out of her arm, and use in her face to pull up the side of her mouth to stop it drooping. She came home from hospital on crutches, as they had to take tendon from her leg. She was MISERABLE and wouldn't speak to me for days for giving consent to the surgery. Her leg was sorer than her face and it was a bit of a drama. All is good now, and she loves her 'new' smile. She looks great.

** As we cruised into October we prepared for Adam's surgery. We had noticed that his speech was getting harder to understand and after 4 ear infections in 6 weeks and a hearing test later it was decided that he needed grommetts. All went smoothly - a four hour stay in hospital and perfect speech now!

** November sneaked up on us, and we are preparing for all of the 'end of year' stuff that goes with this time of year. Countless dance rehearsals, piano rehearsals, Adam' big FOURTH birthday and eventually Christmas, when we get around to it. Ashleigh is to dance on 29th & 30th November, tickets bought and costumes paid for BUT she broke her arm yesterday (Saturday 10th Nov) at dancing. ARGH!!! I think she will still dance, but we will have to wait and see...

** Finally, as part of work safety week, the boss decided to run a BIGGEST LOSER competition (voluntarily) and I seized upon this opportunity to motivate myself to lose some much-needed-to-be-lost weight. And while it was deeply embarassing to get on the scales in front of him, I am happy to report that in the first week I lost 2.8kgs...I won't tell you how much more to go...

If you made it this far, a big cyberhug for you for putting up with my rambling for so long..

I won't promise to update more often, but I will certainly try!!

Just Because Sue Asked Nicely

2007-06-25T22:04:00.000+10:00

Now that the lovely Sue (my ever-patient designer boss) has ever-so-subtely told me I need to update my blog, I thought I would!!

Things have been ever so hectic around here, that many things have taken a back seat lately - blogging and scrapping to name but two. I have done a mere 2 layouts in the last 6 months - isn't that disgraceful?? I am thinking of joining the Amazing Race 2 just to see if I can get myself back into it...but will need to find a partner. I have my feelers out for any friends that may trust me to actually do something with this!!

Now, a short summary of what has been going on around here...

** Back in May Miss Ashleigh had her annual checkup with the plastic surgeon and more surgery is scheduled for 4th September. This time he will be doing a "mouth hitch", which is a common operation for stroke patients. What he will do is take a tendon from her arm (apparently we have a spare one in each arm) and attach it to the corner of mouth and to the bone just in front of her ear, which should bring her mouth up. He said she will look a bit like the Joker (from Batman) initially, but that it will slacken over time. This operation should last about 10 years, by which time she will be fully grown and we can reasses the situation then. Naturally, she is apprehensive about it, but wants so much to look like a "normal girl" she wants to go through with it.

** Two weeks ago a boy whispered "I love you" into Ashleigh's ear at after school care...she was all in a dither, it was very sweet! Not bad for a 9 year old.

** This coming Friday (29th June) is Michael's last day at work, ever. While we are excited about having a parent at home all the time for the kids, the financial side is quite scary! Being a one income family is going to have its drawbacks, but hopefully the benefits will outweigh the problems!

** Work is gearing up for the end of the financial year. What joy it is to be an accountant at this time of year. I can hardly wait (yeah right).

** Mum and dad set off last Monday for their dream holiday. They are currently at Rainbow Beach (opposite Fraser Island in Queensland) and are not planning on coming back until Christmas!

**Adam has "a raging middle ear infection" (to quote the doctor) AGAIN! He has an appointment with the ear nose & throat doctor in July...hopefully we won't end up with 2 kids in hospital this year.

** Ashleigh is participating in the MS Read a Thon this year to help raise funds to help people who are living with MS. Having a family member with this terrible disease has shown us the difficulties they face in day to day living. There is still one week to go, and she is still accepting sponsors if you are interested!

**Michael will celebrate his birthday next Monday, but shhh, don't tell him, he is in denial, LOL.

**I have been asked back to teach my digi scrapping course again. I must be getting good feedback, as this is the fourth term in a row they have asked me back!!

I guess that is all from me right now, and if I take too long to post again, I am sure someone will let me know :-)

Blog? What Blog?

2007-03-12T22:25:00.000+11:00

Who remembers that I have a blog? Hands up if you have actually given up hope of me ever posting to it again? Honestly, I am so slack at posting I don't know why I keep it. So much for my resolution to post at least every second day. I guess my life just isn't interesting enough to warrant blog posting.

Soooo....what has happened since my last post? I might just do this in point form...

1) I turned 40! Although most of you probably knew that already.
2) Adam has had chicken pox, but that is common knowledge as well!
3) LOST has returned to our TV - the only show that I watch and it is back. It seems though, that they are wrapping up the story, and I am not hopeful for a Season 4.
4) We have made some life changing decisions....although have not yet put them into action. It seems that Michael will be leaving work in July to take up a much more responsible position of Domestic Engineer and Director of Child Care here in Albion Park. Our children are in day care/after school care for far too many hours and really need a parent at home with them, so this is what we have decided. Whether it is the right thing to do or not remains to be seen. I hope it is, because he will have next to chance of getting another job if it doesn't work out.
5) I have been teaching another digi class. Great fun! And asked back again next term.
6) Still very little happening on the "layout" front, lol.
7) I resigned from the position of "School Canteen Treasurer" this evening - and what a load of my mind!! I have instead taken on the position of P&C Vice President, which is much less demanding of my time.

I guess that is about it for now. Told you my life was boring.

Who Wants To Swap Places With Me?

2007-02-02T21:04:00.000+11:00

I am fed up with my life. I want to be someone else now...

This has been the week from hell...I'm tired and grumpy and everything is just falling apart. And I am depressed about turning 40 (which I am sure is what is contributing to my bad mood).

I so didn't want a party and Michael talked me into it. So now it is all organised - a small fortune spent on food and such and now it looks like Adam has the chicken pox. He has 1/2 dozen little spots all over his back and tummy. I guess we will know for sure tomorrow morning. About 15 or so people have indicated that they won't be able to come if he gets them as either they or their kids haven't had them..and I'm sure I will find more when I do the phone around in the morning. He couldn't wait just one more day could he? Oh well, the upside is at least I get my gorgeous new ring!

Ashleigh has been like the bride of Frankenstein tonight. That girl pushes so hard and can be the biggest bitch I've had the pleasure of living with and NOTHING works. So far tonight she has lost:

1. Her nintendo DS
2. TV rights
3. The dangly things off her door (which she screamed blue murder about)
4. No friends after school next week
5. Her pocket money

and she still didn't clean her room :-(

I am at my wits end what to do with her. We are doing everything the psychologist has suggested and it's not working. I am certain she does it just to see me lose my temper (but it didn't work today, lol).

Sorry to vent on my blog....please ignore it....I'll cheer up tomorrow, I promise...

OK...I guess It's Tomorrow Now

2007-01-29T20:52:00.000+11:00

I know...this is late!

I spent just about all of Friday on the lounge asleep with a migraine - what a waste of a day!!

And NO....I still haven't done any layouts. I am a really, really, really big creative rut at the moment (sorry Sue).

Things are oh so cheery around here at the moment, so that's all from me for today.

Hat Trick

2007-01-25T21:59:00.000+11:00

Well...this is unheard of! 3 posts in 3 days! But I have no-one to talk to :-(, Unless you count Michael of course...but he doesn't listen to me half the time, so there is no point!

We bought Singstar for the kids (Playstation game) and BOY what a problem it has caused!! They can't play nicely together...all they do is fight over it...grrr...and I have to play referee.

One of the songs on it is "Poison" by Alice Cooper and Ash sings it over and over and over....(Chelle, I can just hear you saying "that girl has taste", lol). Tonight she discovered Karma Chameleon by Boy George AND discovered she can get "lead singer" status by singing it, so I guess that is the new over and over song.

I decided that I was going to some layouts tonight, but it is 10pm and haven't started any. I don't know what is wrong with me, but they just aren't happening lately. Luckily my CT boss is a sooper-dooper nice lady (*waves to Sue*), or I'd be kicked off the team by now. Maybe I'll open Photoshop in a minute and see what happens....

TTFN...what this space.....tomorrow....

Don't faint....

2007-01-24T18:52:00.000+11:00

Just to keep certain people happy (and you know who you are, rofl)...this is another post!

Ashleigh's pox seem to be getting better. Only a few spots left now, so luckily she will be OK for back to school next week YAY!! BUT she is extremely bored. Michael is going to bring her into Wollongong tomorrow and they can have lunch with me - that will be nice! Now, we just play the waiting game to see if/when Adam gets them.

Speaking of Adam...man that kid has turned into a horror since he went to mum's. Tantrums over everything. Refuses to eat meals....he is currently throwing one because he wants ice-cream, but he hasn't eaten one bite of his dinner, so there is no ice-cream!!

Work is plodding along, same old, same old. At least it is a long weekend :-)

I've been feeling a bit down in the dumps this week...I don't know if it is my impending 40th birthday, being back at work, Ashleigh being sick or Adam being a horror. Probably a combination of all.

Anyway, time to go and see to my cranky children....

PS - still no layouts done...must find some creativity/inspiration/motivation....

Itchy Scratchy.....

2007-01-23T11:20:00.000+11:00

Chicken Pox!!

Ok...as Maralyn has kindly pointed out, I've broken my New Year's resolution to post more to my blog BUT I have excuses!!!

1. I went back to work
2. We have chicken pox
3. I forgot

Ok...poor excuses I know, but I'm sticking to them! ROFL.

After over 3 weeks off work, I had to go back and face the music...and boy, I didn't like the song they were playing, lol. I enjoyed my time off with my darling (well sometimes) children that it broke my heart to go back to work. I had all these grand plans to clean house, scrap and relax and didn't do any of it! Just spent the time with my kids. I even told the better half that I wanted to sell our house and rent so I could stay home. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) the rest of the family weren't up for this..

Secondly, the week I go back to work, Ash and Adam tooted off to my parents for a holiday. A fun time was being had by all (3 year old tantrums aside) until Ash came down with chicken pox! She is a terrible patient and had mum pulling our her hair. We went and got them on Saturday and Ashleigh sure is feeling sad and sorry for herself, although very much on the mend. Another juggle with work - Michael has taken most of this week off, except today (which is me!). I am sure Adam will be next, as soon as Ash gets better. I guess mum will have to come and mind him when that happens.

Thirdly - yes, I forgot. Updating my blog never even entered into my head. Maybe I shouldn't have a blog if I am going to neglect it in this way. But I guess with may advancing years, lol (40 in 1 week and 5 days - how did I get so old???) the loss of memory was bound to start settling in any day now, he he.

Finally, another good reason for blogging today was that my lovely friend Sue decided to tag me. I have to list 5 cool things about me...but I'll be pushing it...so here goes....

1. I (used to) have a photographic memory, passing exams with minimal study
2. I just finished my CPA qualifications
3. I have been asked to teach a second digi scrapping course (woo hoo)
4. I have met HEAPS of my scrapping buddies in IRL and they are all great
5. Michael and I just started our own business

Boring aren't they? LOL. I'm not a very "cool" or "exciting" person, he he.

Ok, I now tag

Maralyn
Angela
Judy
Shez
Chelle

Sorry to the Macdigi girls I left off...nothing personal, but Lis was tagged by Sue as well....

Oh No! It's A Blog Post!

2007-01-01T20:46:00.000+11:00

Well, here it is, my first post for 2007.

What can I say? Where do I start??

I guess the first thing to mention is that I passed my final CPA Exam with a Distinction - woo hoo!! How good is that for the short amount of study that I did? I have now finished, and I have vowed never to study again, LOL.

I have also been asked to teach my digital scrapping course again in March - yay! The little extra cash will come in handy right about Easter time.

The lead up to Christmas was very busy. We had several church committments, work committments (parties), kids parties, end of year concerts and such. All I know is that we didn't spend an entire weekend at home since the long weekend in October! Busy little socialites that we are.

Christmas was fun. This is the first year that Adam has seemed to understand and he was so excited to open his presents. Unfortunately, he doesn't play with toys, so what to buy him was hard...he got a remote control car, which he plays with a little, some play doh (that stuff is hard to get out of the carpet), art stuff, dvd's, books, clothes and pyjamas.

Ashleigh fared really well - she got a keyboard because she wants to take piano lessons this year, new clothes, shoes and pyjamas, back to school stuff, games, hama beads and books.

Both of them got a new (cheapie) CD player each, a boogie board each, and some playstation games to share.

I got from Michael and the kids a new Wacom graphic tablet, a book and a diary and Michael got a new external hard drive, some chockies and licorice allsorts, a book and a framed layout from me.

Our Christmas was quiet....mum and dad didn't make it down until boxing day, and while on one hand it was disappointing, it was also good because we managed to have a relaxing day and I didn't have to worry about running around after everybody!

Last night, for New Year's Eve we went to a party at one the church family's house. It was a fun night, and we barely saw the kids - which is unusual as they usually hang off us when they are somewhere they haven't been before :-). We were home by 10 o'clock as they had the "countdown" for the new year at 9pm for the sake of the children.

We have spent the last 3 days changing our house around and spring cleaning. What a job that has been - and we still haven't finished yet!

I am still off work now until 15th January, and then the children are off to my parent's for a week (Ashleigh for 2 weeks). While I will miss them heaps, I am looking forward to some "down" time.

All that said, I hope everyone who is reading this has a wonderful 2007, and all your wishes come true!!

Now It's Done

2006-12-11T22:33:00.000+11:00

Well, once again a busy weekend was had.

Friday night saw the annual Combined Churches Christmas Carols. What a great time we had! There were heaps of activities for the kids - all free - as well as great entertainment and a wonderful night with friends!

They had some Harley Davidson bikes there and were allowing the kids to sit on them. I got some cute pics of the kids!!

And fun on the jumping castle:

Saturday was fairly non-eventful, apart from Ashleigh's atrocious behaviour which seems to be the norm of late, with mum and dad arriving just after lunch, which was nice. Adam always gets so excited to his "mimi" and "poppy". I don't know where the mimi comes from, as Ash has always called her "nanny", but Adam had decided to call her mimi, and it sounds so cute!

Sunday, was church as usual - with a twist!! Michael and I decided that for our 10th wedding anniversay next Thursday (14th December) we would like to renew our wedding vows as Christians, given that we were initially married by a civil celebrant. We approached our minister to ask if this waos possible. Thinking that it would be a small, private ceremony but we were wrong!! They talked us into actually having it during the service (like they do with baptisms). So we had our 8 minutes of fame, lol. The kids got to come up with us, he asked us a few questions on how we found our way to Dapto Anglican Church and how finding God had changed our lives, Michael's rather dramatically. My very good friend Jo said a prayer for us, which was lovely. I know that she is a lot like me and does not like to stand up in front of people, but she did it for me, which means a lot! We then repeated our wedding vows and it was all over....we had a BBQ afterwards and a very pleasant afternoon with friends and family.

We didn't do the big dress up thing, just our usual clothes, but here is a pic anyway! As you can see, nothing fancy.

The fun still hasn't stopped...next weekend Michael and I have arranged a baby sitter for Saturday and are going Christmas shopping, Sunday is a special kids service at church and then off to my Aunt's (1.5 hours drive away!) for the annual family Christmas bash. I am off from work from 22nd December to 15th January, so can't wait to relax!

That's all from me for now. If I don't get to post again, Merry Christmas to you all!!

OMG

2006-11-25T23:01:00.000+11:00

I just realised that it has been over a month since I posted here. How bad am I? But you would not believe how crazy it has been around here since Michael had his operation on his hand. The craziness started then and hasn't stopped! So much has been going on, I have a feeling this is going to turn into one huge post (so sorry if I bore you, LOL).

So let me try and start where my last post finished up....if I can remember back that far!!.

October was the start of our "busy period" here in the Creighton household. I don't think we have had, or will have, a free weekend until Christmas. Mid-October sees us gearing up for Ashleigh's end of year dance concert, with rehearsals, costume fittings and extra rehearsals. So it begins....every Sunday for a month two extra rehearsals.

On the 11th November, I headed off to Melbourne to meet the wonderful MACdigi girls, and had the best weekend away I have had for a long time! What a great, fun bunch of ladies. Even though I was absolutely exhausted due to the 3.30am start on Saturday, it was a very memorable weekend and I can't wait to do it again. The only downside was that I missed out on meeting up with Karin due to the tight time squeeze while I was there - it was such a shame that I couldn't get a Friday night flight. We did a lot of eating, drinking and talking - and not much else, LOL. But I did manage to wander around Southbank markets and bring the kids home a little something.

The following weekend saw my first time at teaching a Digiscrapping class. It was a bit nerve-racking, but not so bad!! Lee kindly provided me with her notes from her teaching stint, and I managed to get a good idea on what to show them and how to structure the class. It was a small class - only 5 students and two of them men! - which was really lovely. We finished off with part 2 today and all the students said that they really enjoyed the course and would I be running and "advanced" course in about 6 months time when they have mastered what I taught them! One of the men had been doing a photo restoration course, and said how wonderfully my course fitted in with that and he now knew how to present all his newly restored photos. How cool is that?

Last weekend saw my darling (not so) baby boy turn 3. I can't believe how much my children are growing up! We had a little, last minute, party for him on Saturday night, with just us, Michael's best friend (who also happens to be Adam's godfather) and some friends from church. Adam had a really good time with little Sarah, who is only a few weeks older than he is. The Sunday saw dress rehearsals for dancing in the morning AND afternoon, with housework in between.

Tuesday came with a phone call from Adam's day-care mum to come and get him as he was vomitting. Michael went to get him, and he was sick again at home, and then seemed OK. We haven't figured out if it was something he ate or the heat, as he was still happy and hungry, which he wouldn't have been if he was sick. As they need to be away from day-care for 24 hours after they last sick "incident" I had to stay home on Wednesday with him. I didn't really mind, as I got caught up with my housework, but as I am out of sick leave, I won't get paid which isn't a good thing for us right now!

Wednesday afternoon my parents arrived to be a help during the hectic dancing days. In the evening we had full dress rehearsal at the theatre, and because Ash was in two dances - one at the start of the concert and one at the end, we were there from 4pm to 9pm. I had also curled her hair, after buying a brand new curling iron and spending a fortune on styling product, only to have the curl fall out before she even got on stage! How frustrating. I then had to go and buy a truckload of rollers and was up until midnight rolling her hair. It was worth it because it looked great on Thursday night.

The first concert was Thursday night and it was fantastic. The them was "Carnival Chaos" and Ash has improved so much with her dancing this year I was so proud of her. Friday night was the second performance and mum and dad came to watch. I stayed backstage to help look after the kids, and in Ash's second dance she had a "wardrobe malfunction". Her costume was a singlet top, with another top over it, which had one sleeve and tied up under the other arm - and it came undone! Like a true professional she just threw it to one side and kept dancing! Unfortunately the professional DVD was being filmed on that night, so will be on it!

Next Saturday will be bedlam - we have professional photo shoot for dancing in the morning (for tap) and afternoon (for jazz) as well as dancing's end of year party. We also have open day for Adam's new pre-school and my Christmas party for work in the evening!

The following weekend is also crazy - church carols on the Friday night, Michael is helping to set up, so is having the day off work. This means he needs to work on Saturday, and then on the Sunday (10th December) we are renewing our wedding vows and having a party - phew!!

Now, if you have got this far, congratulations for not falling asleep :-)

I would like to mention a big CONGRATULATIONS for the lovely "mama Judy" and the birth of her very first grandchild - Claire Amelia - during the week. I am sure I will be repeating this message in the not too distant future when grand-daughter number 2 arrives!

I am sorry I have no photos of dancing or Melbourne to upload, but they are all still on my camera - I have barely had time to think these last few weeks. And now I have to get ready for Christmas and all of the things we have lined up there as well.

See you in a month, when I get around to posting again :-)

And another...

2006-10-17T22:00:00.000+10:00

Spare a thought my little Ash...she is having a bit of a rough time at the moment. She is really down in the dumps about her face, wanting to "look like a normal girl" but not wanting any more operations.

I spoke to her surgeon today, and he said that he didn't want to do any more surgery just yet due to all the scar tissue and risk doing damage that he can't undo. He would rather wait until she grows a bit more. He thinks that by the time she is an adult, her face will look much better as she will "grow into her face" and that while her face will never be symmetrical, it will be better than it is today.

He further recommended a clinical psychologist for her so that she can establish some "coping mechanisms" to learn how to be comfortable with herself and her appearance. I pray for a miracle, but I know that isn't going to happen. She just wants it "gone" and it never will be. I only hope that as she grows older she finds people who look beyond physical beauty and see her for the person that she is.

I don't know how many tears I've cried for her, but as her mummy, I just want to be able to take away her worries, self-conciousness and sadness and deal with it for her. I want to be able to protect her from the nasty children (and sometimes nasty adults) that cross her path from time to time, but as her mummy I know that she doesn't need my protection, she needs my support and the strength to hold her head high and know that she is a beautiful, caring (although somewhat difficult) girl, no matter what other people may say about her. This isn't going to be an easy road for her over the next few years, as I remember all too vividly the teasing that I endured at school for being "four-eyed" and "fat" and there will be many more tears, all because society says we must be "perfect" and anyone who is different is inferior.

Love you Ash.

Time Challenged

2006-10-17T21:42:00.000+10:00

Oh dear! Why did I EVER start thing thing?? It has been forever since I posted and I just can't seem to find the time to do everything I want to do. My "to do" list is getting bigger by the minute!

So, to catch up, where do I start? How about I tell you all about our new little business venture. Michael and I have started a little business, specialising in Photo Restoration, Video to DVD conversions, Photo Books and DVD Photo Slideshows. Time will tell how well it goes, but you can check out our almost completed webpage at www.suspendedintime.com.au, if it takes your fancy!

What else has been happening in the land of the Creightons? Well...Michael finally had his operation on his hand. It was pretty much out of action for 3 weeks, which meant I barely had time to stop, but all is good now. Seems to have healed nicely.

We have a full calendar leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately I had to let the Melbourne trip slide due to lack of financial means, which is very disappointing because I could do with some time out, but there will be a next time, I'm sure! I have my FINAL CPA Exam next Thursday (26th October) so I must get some study done. I am also teaching a digi-scrapping course on the 18th and 25th of November - very nervous about that one.

Next up, we have Adam's 3rd (where did that time go) birthday on the 20th November, followed by Ash's dancing concerts on the 23rd and 24th, preceeded by endless weekends of rehearsals, photo shoots and more rehearsals.

Michael and I have been married 10 years on 14th December (again - where does time go???). We have decided that we will renew our marriage vows to mark this special event, and have organised this with our church for 10th December - very exciting!!

There is also the usual round of Michael's Saturday shifts, birthday parties for the kids to go to, church events, and work events to go to as well. I can't wait for Christmas Eve, as I then have three whole weeks off work.

So, if it takes me months to update again....you know I am too tired after all the events in my life right now, ROFL.

So....do you like it?

2006-10-01T23:49:00.000+10:00

I have spent ALL day and ALL night (until now...almost midnight) playing with the darn thing...I like it anyway - in my fave colour purple and a banner that I did myself (sorry Lee...). It started life as a template, until I modified it so much it is barely recognisable, lol. Comments are welcome :-)

Things

2006-09-10T19:27:00.000+10:00

Today I did something very careless and stupid today, which is quite out of character for me. To all those concerned, I apologise.

New Layouts

2006-08-07T23:08:00.000+10:00

OK, OK...I know I said I would post these a week ago but with 2 sick kids, life has been a bit hectic around here, lol. Adam started with conjunctivitis, which promptly went to his ears and we was sick for week. Closely followed by a bout of bronchitis by Ashleigh led to a week off school for her, a few days off work for me and an impromptu visit from my mum to mind both of them.

Anyway...it was bank holiday in NSW today and I had a lovely day ALL TO MYSELF! I ran into a friend when dropping Ash at school and she came over for a cup of tea. Then I met Maralyn for lunch at Rubys on Bulli Beach...and although it was freezing cold and windy, we had a lovely lunch and in normal fashion chatted non-stop for about 2 hours. We probably could have chatted for another two, lol, but she had a headache and I an earache from the wind!

Anyway, nothing much else has happened around here, so here are the promised LO's, but you have probably all seen them anyway by now!

This layout was done using Sue Jones' Kit "Summer Home", available from
www.digitalscrapbookpages.com

Another using Sue's Summer Home Kit, which is now one of my favourites! This is such a gorgeous kit - and goes perfectly with all my "pool photos".

These pics were taken at my gorgeous boy's 2nd birthday party. Layout is done using Harvey Blue Kit by Poppy Monkey Designs available at www.pickleberrypop.com.

My gorgeous girl at her cousin's wedding last year! Background paper is from Chris Turnbull's "Shabby Sherbet" kit and doodles are also by Chris, and both available at www.pickleberrypop.com.

OK...that's it for me tonight! Off to bed now :-)

Sleepwalking

2006-08-07T22:56:00.001+10:00

Well, my darling Ashleigh has always been a chatterbox - awake AND asleep, lol, but never a sleepwalker. 5 minutes ago, I heard her coughing in her sleep...Nothing unusual it has been a madhouse around here this last week or so with sick kids. Next thing I know, she is at the door of the study asking me to turn her computer up....conversation went like this:

Ash: Can you turn my computer up
Me: Why
Ash: I can't hear it.
Me: But you're not near it.
Ash: Just turn it up PLEASE (stamps foot)
Me: But you are supposed to be sleeping
Ash: stomps off to bedroom in true Ashleigh fashion.

So I went to her room, and she is back in bed...

Me: Did you mean you want the TV turned down?
Ash: No, I just wanted you to turn up the computer
Me: It's turned off, so you can't hear it anyway. I'll turn it up for you tomorrow
Ash: OK
Me: Goodnight sweetheart
Ash: Goodnight mummy
Me: I love you
Ash: I love you too....

Weird....

Blah, Sick Kids!

2006-08-01T21:57:00.000+10:00

Well...what can I say? Adam has shared his germs around...I got a phone call at work on Thursday to come pick him up, and he hasn't been back to daycare since! Now Ashleigh is really sick too, and will be off school for the rest of the week. I hope mum can make it down tomorrow to look after her as I have run out of sick leave......

After weeks of keeping my mouth shut, the long-anticipated Pickleberry Pop opened its cyber-doors on Sunday, and it is a great site!! Everyone is friendly, the designers are awesome and the site just oozes "FUN". Hop on over there if you haven't been already!

Well, that's it for me for now...I'm hoping to post some LO's tomorrow :-) Watch this space!

It's Time...

2006-07-23T18:48:00.000+10:00

for an update!

But what to say? I think I must lead a pretty boring life because I never know what to write on this thing, lol.

Work has finally settled down, although I still wish I didn't have to go there every day - it bores me to tears, lol.

Yesterday we had some family portraits done as a fundraiser for the day care centre. We could get three poses in the package, so we got a family one, one of the two kids together and the photographer talked us into one of just me and Michael. I don't think we have had photos together since our wedding! I hope they come out alright.

Today was church - Adam has decided that he no longer likes the creche and refuses to stay in there. This morning he went crazy, wouldn't sit still (well what do you expect from a 2 year old?) and kept running out into the foyer. Luckily they have a child proof gate across the front door (must be due to all the errant 2 year olds...). Needless to say, I spent most of the service in the foyer!

Home at lunch time and back to cleaning out my hard drive. I have run out of room and cannot download or save anything until I fix it. What a boring job that is. I had settled myself down to a night of scrapping last night when I started getting the "memory low" messages and to my horror (and Michael's!) discovered I only had 72mb left on the disk. So today has been a day of copying to the external and burning to DVD. I can think of better things to do.

I have two layouts done for my CT committment this month, but still have another 2 to go. Hopefully tomorrow if I can finish getting this hard drive sorted!

Anyway, here they are, using the lovely Sue Jone's "Lilacs for Lilach" kit. I just love this kit - not only because it is Sue's, but also because it is in my fave colour (yep, purple....)

Bad Blogger

2006-07-13T22:52:00.000+10:00

OK....because everyone keeps harassing me to update...here goes.

I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to write about, LOL. I have been flat out at work because it is end of financial year. Not getting enough sleep as usual. My to do list is 10 miles long....nothing exciting has happened in WEEKS!!

School holidays are almost over and back to normal routine next week...OMG this is a boring update....

No scrapping done...no progress on the website....nothing, nothing, nothing. I am the most boring person in the universe at the moment, LOL.

So now that I have put you all to sleep with my BORING update that you asked for, I'm off to bed!!

2006-06-16T17:58:00.000+10:00

Well 6pm and time for exam results...just received by SMS and I got a 'P'. Hopefully that means PASS and not PATHETIC.

What a relief!!

Sharon

Better late than Never!

2006-06-15T19:40:00.000+10:00

Well, it has been a while, but not had really anything to say, lol.

Last week I arrived home to find a lovely package waiting for me from a lovely friend! It was such a lovely thing to find after a not so good day. Thanks for brightening my day - a very unnecessary gift, but very much apppreciated all the same!

Our long weekend was nice - we went to see mum and dad, which was nice because we hadn't seen them since the big drama on Anzac day. There seems to be no grudges held, for which I am grateful. It would be awful to be without them!

Sunday was a busy day...I hadn't had much sleep, but off we went to church, and then in the afternoon we had a friend's little boy's birthday party. It was so cold, but nice to socialise for a change!

Monday Michael let me sleep in, which was good as I had been very sleep deprived over the weekend due to Adam thinking midnight was the "new morning", and then we spent the day cleaning house, washing and ironing!

Can you believe how cold it is here? Last winter, we had ice on our cars only once. This winter, we have had it for the last 3 days in a row, and it is very "brrr" in the mornings. Today, according to www.weatherzone.com.au it was -1.9 at 6.30am, but "feels like" -4.9. WAY too cold for me. I'm meant to live in the tropics I'm sure.

Well, thanks to Yahoo's inadequacies, I've managed to piss off a good friend this week. She knows who she is and I hope she is feeling better soon.

Silly Me

2006-06-02T22:23:00.000+10:00

I forgot to give credit to the very talented designer of the kit I used for Adam's "Wet" layout!

The kit is Aidan, by Retrodiva, available at www.digitalfreebies.com.

My Gorgeous Boy

2006-06-01T21:41:00.000+10:00

All right, I'll admit it...I'm bored. I've got no-one to talk to and I can't be bothered with the pile of paperwork on my desk. So I thought I would come here and post the latest layout of my gorgeous boy! I know most of you have seen it, but I don't care. I love this pic of him so I'm putting it here!

I also thought I would have a go at designing a kit. I've done four papers so far...but I'm not too sure. No point posting here, as the detail would be lost in the smallness, lol. When I think of what else I am going to do with it, I'll post something. Maybe I'll just support all of the other talented designers out there and keep buying their kits!

Work is boring, boring, boring at the moment....getting geared up for the end of the financial year when it will be 60 hour weeks ARGH! I hate being an accountant. I'd much rather do something more interesting like web-design or something that I can do from home. Anyone got any ideas?? Only problem is, we can't afford a drop in income...so there goes retraining to do something else :-(.

Michael has changed our office around, and now my back is to the door...don't know if I like it, but it is easier to ignore the kids this way, lol. I am trying to convince him to use some of our tax refund in July to build some built in desks and the like to make it look more roomy and tidier in here...I suppose if I nag long enough he MIGHT do it!

Ashleigh has been a nightmare again this week (what's new!!). She is pretty good, until bed time, and then we have all sorts of problems - she's not tired, this is sore or that is sore, she's hungry, blah, blah, blah! Her room is so close to Adam's we can't really let her go until she wears herself out. We tried that the other night and she woke him up, grrrr. I need a child-free holiday, I'm sure! Can't wait for my "weekend off" down at Lee's place.

Oh well, Friday tomorrow, YAY!!!

Adam

2006-05-29T21:12:00.000+10:00

All right, I could hear you all screaming at me through cyber-space, so here are the long-awaited, much-anticipated dancing photos of Adam that I mentioned two posts ago!

Please note these photos are yet untouched, so please ignore the distracting background!

Blah Blah Blah

2006-05-29T19:58:00.000+10:00

All right, I forgot to update my blog on the weekend, but really, I have nothing to say...so this is a post about nothing, LOL.

For all you that are patiently waiting for Adam's dress-up pics - they are still on the camera, lol.

Nothing exciting happened on the weekend (oh, except that I answered three trivia questions first at The Scrapping Garden's Chat, lol). Michael worked on Saturday and I cleaned the house. Yesterday we went to church and that was about it!!

We did take the kids to see some fireworks last night, but Adam was scared silly and I had to sit in the car with him. Michael reckons he's not his son because everyone else loves fireworks except for Adam.

Anyway, Michael wants to change the furniture around in the office tonight and I've got a whole pile of ironing to do (unlike Kate.....if you read her blog, you'll she doesn't iron, which I could be so disciplined, lol).

I have updated my slideshow with my latest LO's and that is probably about the most exciting thing to write about.

This is unheard of ...

2006-05-23T21:08:00.000+10:00

Me posting to my blog in the middle of the week, LOL.

BUT...I'm bored...there is no-one around to chat to, can't be bothered cleaning my office, or doing the family budget. I'm trying to get inspired to my CT stuff for Sue, but even that is proving difficult! I've done 2 lo's, but not really happy with either...she has given me an absolutely GORGEOUS kit to work with, and I love it, but I can't seem to make it work for me :-(.

A funny thing happened tonight. Ashleigh loves to put on dancing concerts for us (which are very exciting, lol). Adam loves to copy Ashleigh in everything, right down to the colour ice block she is eating to the flavour of chips she has! So tonight, Ashleigh dresses herself up in one of her old dancing outfits, complete with make-up. Next thing we know, Adam comes out of her bedroom with her, with another of her old dancing costumes on AND make up. Poor Michael nearly had a heart attack, but I thought it was quite funny. Will have to post some photos soon.

Adam got sent home from day care today for having a green runny nose. He didn't appear sick, but with kids you never know sometimes...so off Michael went to the doctor with him, but there is nothing wrong. We had to get clearance off the doctor for him to go back to daycare tomorrow...being a working mum can be so stressful at times. We also found out today that Ashleigh's best friend has chicken pox...which Ashleigh hasn't had, so we've got a wait and see game for this now as well. Knowing my luck, I will have both kids down with it one after the other!! Hello MUM...are you busy???

Our new little bird is going well...he eats so much it isn't funny!! So different compared to the dear departed Elvis. I think the lady that sold him to us lied about his age and I think he was actually too young to come to us. I currently have Jessie sitting on my shoulder eating my hair.

Well, off to find something to do.....

Oops

2006-05-21T14:35:00.000+10:00

I almost forgot...see my gorgeous new banner??

A very BIG thank you to my lovely friend Lee who did this for me.

That is what I like so much about our little MAC group - a bunch of very good, lovely friends who are always there when you need to rant, cry or whinge...and then they also do lovely things like this for you :-).

It's Late!

2006-05-21T14:30:00.000+10:00

Now I know it's a bit late as I usually update on Friday, but I've been busy, lol.

A pretty uneventful week as I spent most of it with my head stuck in text books, lol. And the exam was pretty hard. Hopefully I've scraped through!!

This morning, we went out and got a new cockatiel to replace the dearly departed Elvis. His/her name is Jessie and is a very placid little thing. We also got a new cage, because I am sure our other cage was jinxed - since we lost our first cockatiel, we have had no luck with our feathered friends at all. So here's hoping for many long and happy years with Jessie and his/her new home.

Nothing much else is doing around here...no scrapping....nothing!

Gotta pull my finger out and get started on this business, and I want to rearrange the computer room too.

Signing off for now.....

Friday Again

2006-05-12T23:25:00.000+10:00

Gee these Fridays roll around so quickly!!

Today is my "big" baby's 8th birthday. Where have the years gone. I still remember the day she was born and it seems like only yesterday. I just want to keep my babies as children forever. It worries me how they will get on when they grow up and what will happen to them...

Anyway - onto the birthday. I think she had a great day. She got very spoilt present-wise...although it was quantity rather than expense, lol. The most expensive thing she got was a little MP3 player for about $50. She also got some Barbie stuff, some school stuff (socks, shoes, drink bottle, art stuff), a new quilt cover for her bed, a bag, DVD and CD. She also had a friend over after school and to stay for dinner and we had home made hamburgers...yummy! And of course, birthday cake!

To top off her special day, she was also this week's recipient of the class award at school. Only one or two are given out each week and this is the first one for the year - very exciting for her!! I believe she is one of the top students in her class and we were supposed to have a meeting with her teacher today, but he has been off sick for a few days, so I am guessing that will need to be rescheduled.

We got a note home today that the Year 2 choir is performing at the Wollongong Eistedfordd in June. I am hoping that my boss is feeling generous to give me the morning off work to go and watch her.

On a sadder note, this week saw Adam's day-carer's father pass away. He was only 54 and had 2 strokes over the Easter weekend. He was just starting to improve when he took a turn for the worse and slipped into a coma last Wednesday evening (a week ago) and passed away without waking up on Tuesday. I dread the day that I am in her shoes...

I have my 2nd last CPA exam next Thursday (Financial Reporting and Disclosure - YUCK) - only one more after this one and I will be a fully qualified CPA accountant (woo hoo). A bit late in life but I got there in the end!

Finally, I am updating my slide show...but there's nothing new there, just want to show off really, LOL.

For all you mummies there - have a great Mother's Day on Sunday (think of me studying my brain into jelly).

Where does all the time go?

2006-05-08T22:20:00.000+10:00

Oh where does all the time go? I never seem to have enough time to do everything I have to do, let along what I WANT to do.

Here is a quick wrap up of my week....

1. Ashleigh's doctor's appointment went well. He was pleased with the lipsuction of her cheek, but not so pleased with the mouth hitch. Although her mouth looks a bit better, it is still not perfect. He is leaving things settle for a year and then decide if we need to do some more work or wait a while longer.

2. Ashleigh's slumber party went well. I was sick with the flu and bad headache, which didn't go down too well with 7 screaming, yelling little girls, but all in all it was a good night. There were no fights, arguing or tears - so that must be a plus! It is her actual birthday this Friday, so she is itching to get her hands on her birthday presents. Aren't we mean parents making her wait a week after her party to give her the gifts?

3. I've made up with mum. I hate arguing with her, but we have very different ideas - and she doesn't like to be proven wrong (nor do I for that matter, lol). But at least we are talking again - I would hate for a silly argument to wreck our good relationship.

4. I am so disappointed that I didn't make the cut for the first round of the Ultimate Digiscrapper contest. I put so much hard work into my layout and it was as good as many that made it! Oh well. Such is life.

I will post some pics of the birthday party once I get around to downloading from the camera.

I have my CPA exam next Thursday, so I MUST MUST MUST do some study, so I guess all other activities will be off for the next week and a half, so please don't hold your breath waiting for another post from me :-).

Ashleigh is off to the local wildlife park on mother's day with her cousin, so that will at least give me some peace and quiet to study BUT it means she will miss church again this week, which I am not too happy about - but a sacrifice I was willing to make to get some study done...it is too expensive to fail as the enrolment fee for each exam is almost $700. Work pays only if I pass.

Anyway, have a nice week everyone - I'm off to unzip my new purchases :-)

2 Days in a Row - Woo Hoo

2006-04-28T20:46:00.000+10:00

I know this is unusual for me, lol, but I just had to share. I made a VERY extravagant purchase today...and it wasn't even computer/scrapping related!!

I purchased four tickets for us all to go and see Disney on Ice in June. I could have got $25 tickets on opening night, and sat about half way between the front and the back - but did I? No!

This is the 5th year Disney on Ice has come to Wollongong. Michael and I took Ashleigh the first year and had reasonable seats and Ashleigh said "I wish we were sitting down there", pointing to the front because all of the characters came and spoke to the children there.

The second time just Ashleigh and I went, due to the cost, and we had better seats, but she still wanted to sit "there".

The last two times she has gone with her cousins, but told me it would have been better if she could sit down the front.

So, I decided "to hell with it". We aren't having a family holiday this year, after the expense of the last one and I purchased four VIP tickets which means we will be sitting in the 3rd row from the front. They were over $50 a ticket, and children were the same price as adults. I know it was an extravagance, but decided that it wouldn't do any harm to do it just once :-). Rock concert tickets cost a lot more than that!

I know that by sitting down the front the kids will feel like "part" of the show and hopefully hold Adam's attention for more than 5 minutes. I'm guessing that if we were watching it from miles away, it wouldn't seem that "real" to him and would get a bit bored. I'm hoping anyway!! He is such an active bugger I don't know how well he will sit there and watch. But all of his favourites are in it - Mickey Mouse, Toy Story and Nemo so hopefully it will be exciting for him!

About Time

2006-04-27T21:20:00.000+10:00

Well, I thought it was about time I put a post here :-). I tried to do it on the weekend, but blogger kept kicking me out, I lost the post a couple of times so I gave up.

Ashleigh's 2 weeks at nanna's house turned into only one week, and has created a lot of problems...there has been much unhappiness all round, but I won't go into that here.

On another note, things at home are pretty good. My little girl is fast becoming a big girl and will celebrate her 8th birthday in 2 weeks time, on 12th May. We are having her party a week early, on the 6th, because she wanted a sleep-over and we didn't want it to run into mother's day. I will have 6 little girls to take bowling, make dinner for and tell to be quiet all night!

Ashleigh's face is settling nicely after the operation, and goes back for her three months checkup next Friday. She is excited because after the appointment in Sydney I have promised to take her to Toys R Us so she can pick out something for her birthday. I already have other gifts for her, but we don't have toy stores as big as this near home, so I thought I would be a nice mummy and let her pick something out. I guess I will have to buy Adam something as well because he won't understand about birthdays, and that it isn't his, LOL.

I have absolutely NOTHING to report about my scrapping because I haven't done any, apart from six mini layouts that I used as inserts in some glass coasters for gifts. But the recipients were quite happy with them!

Last Sunday I had a lovely day - Michael was working and Ash was still away. My lovely friend Maralyn came for a visit, and we were going to do some scrapping related stuff together, but ended up just chatting, drinking cups of tea, updating her blog and having lunch. The day went so fast, but I really enjoyed the visit.

Hopefully I won't leave it quite so long until my next update!

Weekend Ramblings

2006-04-15T11:40:00.000+10:00

Here we are, Easter Saturday and it is just me and Adam today. Michael is working and Ashleigh has gone off to the Easter show with her cousins. This is day 2 without her, and boy the house seems quiet! She is off to mum's for two weeks on Monday, so it will be very quiet here....

As I am sitting here typing this, he is sitting at daddy's computer playing with Disney Magic Artist! I can't believe my not (not quite) 2 and a half year old can turn on the computer, get the cd, put it in and start it up and play his favourtie games. I guess that happens when you have computer geeks for parents eh?

Sadly, Elvis, our baby cockatiel "left the building" on Thursday night. We aren't quite sure what happend, but on Thursday afternoon he was very wonky and couldn't fly, wouldn't eat and wasn't very vocal. I took him to vet and he said he was stressed and in shock and gave him an injection - then he passed out, much to Ashleigh's horror! We took him home, set him up in a dark box with a hot water bottle (as per the vet's instructions), but sadly passed away 2 hours later. Ashleigh was at a sleep over and didn't know until late afternoon yesterday but she was inconsolable. We also had more tears at bed time which made me start crying all over again. As she said we hadn't had him very long but was already attached.

We don't seem to have much luck with birds since my darling Jezebel (another cockatiel) escaped several years ago. I am beginning to think the cage is cursed, so I have told Michael to throw it, and every single bird toy we have in the bin. I will purchase a new cage before I get a new bird.

Tomorrow we are planning a lovely quiet day with an egg hunt for the kids and pancakes for breakfast (Ashleigh's favourite Sundy brekkie) and hopefully after that I can get some work done. I have been speaking to our local community college about teaching digi-scrapping and they are keen, but would like me to make a submission to their planning committee....don't know if I am up for it as there are many more talented ladies than me out there, but I am willing to give it a go.

Happy Easter to everyone.

First "proper" post

2006-04-12T19:22:00.000+10:00

Well, I set this blog up a couple of week ago and promptly did nothing about it, so I decided that I should...but it really is hard to know what to write as I haven't kept a diary since I was a teenager and then it was all boys and crushes!!

I have had a busy week at work and have tomorrow off which means a five-day Easter break for me YAY!! Some time to catch up on the piles of paper on my desk, my creative team assignments and some study for my CPA exams next month (for which I haven't even studied for yet).

Tomorrow is Miss Ashleigh's Easter hat parade at school and afterwards a picnic lunch. She is has got a very busy weekend ahead of her, as she is have a friend over after school tomorrow, then off to another friend's place for a sleep-over tomorrow night. She is going to the Royal Easter Show on Saturday with her cousins. We have a very quiet day planned for Sunday and on Monday Miss Ashleigh is off to nanna's for the school holidays. WOW that is a lot for a little girl.

Also this week, I had to get her birthday invitations ready. Ash starts planning her next birthday the day after this birthday, lol. This year we are keeping it small - 6 girls for bowling, dinner and a sleepover. I am quite proud of the invitation and the mum's were impressed too!

Well, I've Now Done It

2006-03-26T21:03:00.000+11:00

...I've finally joined the bandwagon and got myself a blog!!

I don't know if I will have time to update often, but I will try.