Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas was wonderful, I hope yours was too!

Here's a pic of three kids you might recognise! Notice Jacob's toothless grin. The second top tooth came out last week, but he thought it would be cool for Santa AND the Tooth Fairy to come on the same night, so we "hid" the tooth until Christmas Eve. Sure enough, the Tooth Fairy may have actually seen Santa, as they both paid a visit to our house on Christmas Eve!!!

More cards!!

Creation Explosion over here! Perhaps it's because I'm procrastinating and trying to avoid painting the house! Shhhhh. Don't tell Steve.

This card was inspired by sketch #43 over at CPS. Those sketches just keep getting better and better!



The gorgeous brown felt scallops are from Remember When. I just love their felt range.



Speaking of their felt range, check out these adorable little birdies. They come in a variety of sizes in a packet. I am in love with them!

Check out my Slide Show!

Inspired

We just had the most amazing storm. The thunder rumbled constantly for about 40 minutes, then the rain came down. I thought we may have to build an ark, but it didn't get that bad. It'll be interesting to hear how many inches we got, because there was flash flooding everywhere.

Now, have you noticed that this is something like 3 blog posts in 4 days? How out of control am I?? We've had the most lovely day. My gorgeous husband had the day off work, and instead of rushing outside to work, he lay about and watched cricket all day. I realise many wives would rather the hubby go outside and work, but this is all Steve has done for the past 12 months. I've been nagging him to take it easy once in a while, and today he did. I'm so proud of him, and he feels very relaxed now. I did a few chores, last minute Chrissy things, and created some cards.

Remember When have a new range of felt Laser Cuts. These are gorgeous, and today a little package arrived for me to play with. I've only made two cards thus far, but I'm feeling very inspired today. Must be the storms and the mellow husband!!

Single figures!!!!

... until the jolly man in the red suit visits!! My kids are on the countdown, and getting super-excited. They still have school until Fri 21st, but it's winding down now. Oscar had his last EVER day of Kindergarten today. They hung out, ate party food, and had a visit from a very authentic looking Santa. Here he is...

Next time these kids are all together, they'll be school kids! Hard to believe, but oh so very close! Here are the silly boys. They were prompted with "Monkey's smelly Undies". The freckly boy is Oscar's best buddy "Logan" and the blondie is his second bestie "Jude"

Other than this, we've been consumed by Christmas parties and activities. I feel like I need a sleep that lasts for 3 days. Oh, and BTW? Me and alcohol? The relationship is all OFF. The lovely girls in my street all gathered for another cocktail party last weekend. We felt bulletproof after our last one where we drank copious amounts and woke up hangover-free. NOT so lucky this time. O. M. G. We disgraced ourselves, and woke up feeling very, very ordinary the next day. It may be Christmas in July before I can face a glass of wine or a cocktail again...

Jacob had a Mexican fancy dress and dinner at school last week. As usual, the school springs these things at the last minute, and us parents rush to gather supplies. This means many more $$$$$ in the pockets of Sparty's and Spotlight. The sombrero was easy, but the poncho took quite a few man hours (or woman hours) to pull off. My gorgeous neighbour got me the material, and it took me two attempts to achieve this:

I hope to post again before Xmas, but if I fail to, and this is completely on the the cards, Merry Christmas to all!!!

Side note: there is a storm brewing. I love storms! Love, love, love them. I think I'll go sit out on the 'proposed' front deck and watch the action!

Goodness...

Where does the time go? I am appearing very slack, and yet life is super busy and I certainly do not feel slack!

I am falling behind with this blog, due to the fact that I rarely get onto the computer out in the rumpus room these days, and this is the computer that the pics are all on. So, I shall blog in the absence of pictures!

The biggest news is that I've had my hair cut. Oh, it feels soooooo good. So much hair was cut off. It's a bit like the pics of Rihanna a few months ago. Sort of a bob, a bit longer at the front than the back, but not at all "Posh". Got the greys eradicated for the short term. Wish the suckers would be taken care of for good...

Not much creating going on... I'm working on a couple of projects to give to the kids teachers as gifts, but apart from that, time is being taken up with a series of social engagements. I love this time of year!!! I've just come home from a night out to dinner with the girls from Kinder. Once again, I am filled with a sense of warmth and community spirit. I'm so glad we moved back to Bendigo, a small town, where neighbours are your friends, and the Mum's you say hello to when you drop the kids off at kinder or school, actually become your friends and confidantes. This is what I wanted for my kids. To grow up surrounded by people who care and are looking out for them while they are out in the community, as opposed to the big cities, where you can go shopping or on an outing and not see a soul you know. I'm rambling now, but it just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.

Okay, next time I post (going by the frequency of previous posts, expect one some time about July 2008) I'll include some pics. Blog Candy.

Mwah!

Sketch this cards, #33

Another card sketch. I'm enjoying these so much.
This sketch can be found over at Sketch this: cards. Here's my interpretation of sketch # 33.

CPS #39

Here's a little card I made, inspired by sketch #39 over at CPS http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/




The cute reindeer is a chipboard number from Remember When. The stamp is from stampin up, and of course the paper is brought to you by Basic Grey.

I was going to share the numerous Christmas cards I have made, but thought this would spoil the surprise for those of you on my list!!

We bought seasons passes for the swimming pool again this year. Over the summer holidays, the kids are happy to spend the majority of the day at the pool, and it's nice for me to chill with a book, or with a friend just chatting about this and that. The kids are all swim safe, but I think I'll get them into lessons this summer. Just to advance their technique in readiness for school sports and for life skills in general.

I'm soaking up the last few weeks of having Oscar home with me. I'm sooo ready for him to go to school next year, but I'll miss him. He's great company. He has the most wicked sense of humour, and we have a good time when it's just the two of us home. So, while I won't be in tears on his first day (at least I don't think I will!!) I am determined to make the most of these last few weeks of 2007.

Phew

The annual school fair was last night. There's no logical reason why walking around the fair with 3 children should be exhausting, but I came home drained. Lara came home hyped (sugar and excitement) and was still complaining of not being able to sleep at 10.30pm. She'll be one tired little chicky today. Tired and grumpy I think. The kids enjoyed the fair. It was fun, but the flies! Man, they were thick. Enough to incite rage and violence...

The Chrisco came... for some! My freezer is chockers, literally cannot fit another thing in, and we have two big chest freezers. My neighbour, on the other hand, is not getting her frozen food for a few days. Too funny! She has freezer envy...

Okay, will post more later from the other computer and share some stuff I've been working on over the past few days. Might also have an interesting news article to share. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Amazing...

I have been working on Christmas cards today. Can you believe that?? Not long to go now. I have only started Xmas shopping. I traditionally leave it to the last minute, why should this year be any different? LOL

I loved Idol last night. Natalie is gorgeous. She's my fave. I think Matt has a good voice, but he drives me insane with his stupid hair.

Hmmmm, not much else to report. Should be getting the Chrisco stuff in the next few days. We'll be living off that for the next 6 months. Last year we had so much we had to go buy a larger chest freezer.

Whoah...

Where has the time gone???? Thought I should update my blog, only to find it's been nearly a month... In my defence, life has been super busy, and I'm sure it will stay that way until after Christmas now.

The house is almost completely rendered now. I'm still in a quandry as to what colour to paint it. I'm leaning towards brown now... Apparently Steve suggested brown some months ago and I emphatically said, "I am not living in a brown house!". I have no recollection of this statement, so I may or may not have utterred those words. LOL

Here's a pic of Steve trying to reach a high part, OH&S-savvy we are NOT!





No bones were broken so all is well that ends well. Could have easily ended in tears though!

The daredevil in question is away in Queensland for an extended weekend, drinking with the boys. He rang me yesterday morning at 11am, and I could tell he was already drunk! Today he's either very sick, or in jail!!!

The street party was a huge hit! The kids just loved the pony.

House pics, before and after

I finally tracked down an old pic of the house. It's one we took when we were considering buying it.

And this is what it looks like as of a couple of days ago:

I hope you can read the little notations I've made. Just a few bits of info regarding the grand plan!

World peace!

According to Steve, world peace all hinges on.... wait for it...

BACON!

Yep. Steve has a breakfast fry-up once per week. The other day as he tucked into his eggs, tomatoes,baked beans and bacon on toast he came up with this gem... (It's not 100% politically correct, but if you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that neither am I!)

"If Muslims could just eat Bacon, there'd be no terrorism or war. Bacon is awesome! Everything is made better with bacon".

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Don't think he'll gain a political seat based on that theory, but it sure made me laugh.

Where does the time go?

I swear I updated here only a day or so ago... I got a shock when it said it was back in September. Goodness, the time is just flying. In no time at all it'll be Christmas, and then in only another blink of an eye, my baby will start school (insert Annie doing happy dance here).

Speaking of Xmas, I have officially started shopping. Have purchased a Nintendo DS for Lara. Got a bargain on eBay, it came with 5 games. Lara's friend has one, and they drag it out everytime they are together. Lara wants one too, so they can "connect and play the Dog game" whatever that means! Thank goodness we're not hosting the event again this year. It was nice, but very stressful and busy last year. Felt like all I did was stay chained to the oven, then had to trot off to work night duty on Christmas night. :( This year I have 5 WONDERFUL WEEKS annual leave over Christmas and into January. We plan to go away for a week or two, and the rest of the time will be spent with family and friends. Just lovely.

The house is fully rendered now! It looks so different, and so much more modern. The fence is nearly painted, we just had to agree on a colour to paint the house. I think we have agreed, but I'm not sure if Steve's just "given in" and perhaps he's not truly happy with the colour choice. I'll give him a couple more days before I go ahead and buy paint. He may change his mind, and I aint painting the whole house again if that happens.

I took some pics of the house yesterday. When I get orgainised, I'll upload yesterdays pic side by side with the pic we took when we bought the house. Will give you a better idea of the whole before and after thing.

Okay, I'll be back later with some photos. Ooooh, and I have been scrapping. Stupidly I chose to cover an intricate chipboard flourish with patterned paper for my drought breaking layout, so it's been time consuming. However, as I sanded away at it, I reflected on the merits of a quick layout versus a time consuming one. I have concluded that it matters not (unless you have a deadline). The joy of scrapping, for me, is the relaxation and stress release it affords me.

Have a great day!
Annie
XXXXX

So much happening...

It's only Thursday, but I feel I've lived 2 weeks in the past 4 days...

On Monday I sacrificed sleep (worked Night Duty the night before) to spend a precious few hours with my dear, sweet friends from Uni. Jen and Kaz drove to Bendigo to lunch with Jocelyn and I. And all our kids of course. It was just lovely, and once again I lament the fact that we don't all live in the same street.

Got a couple of hours sleep in then went to my second Night Duty. I only lasted 2 hours. As soon as I arrived there was a message to call Steve at home. Turns out that Dad had just rang him. Mum was in hospital, and had sufferred a "bleed into her brain". I rang the hospital to hear what what happening. Basically, a few days ago Mum had a 3cm bleed into her brain (essentially a stroke). I spoke briefly with Mum, who was crying and feeling very frightened. I was just glad to hear her voice and know that at least she could still talk.

I didn't stay at work. Went home so that I could get a few hours sleep, then set off for Dad's first thing Tuesday morning. Dad was very relieved to see me. He had been holding it together well, but Mum is Dad's rock really, so I thought Dad would be in a worse state than he was. We drove the rest of the way to the hospital together. Mum looked good when we arrived. All her neurological exams checked out, so they discharged her. She needs an MRI of her brain in a couple of weeks, and depending on what that shows, she'll probably need a craniotomy (brain surgery) to clip an aneurysm. I put the fear of God into Mum, trying to ensure that if she has symptoms again, to call an ambulance, not hop in the car.

So, I loaded up the car and headed home Tuesday afternoon. I rang home to tell them I would be home in about an hour. Oscar must have left the phone off the hook after he spoke to me. This would be important in about an hour's time... Got halfway home and the freakin' car overheated. It's done this before, despite numerous mechanic visits, and despite Dad and I BOTH checking the oil and water before I left their place. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. I had 2 litres of water in the car with me, but it wasn't enough. I sat on the side of the road for about an hour, waiting for the car to cool off. I tried to ring home to tell them what was happening, but the phone was off the hook. I sent a text to my neighbour to ask her to go tell Steve to hang up the phone, but it turns out she was out of town too. Then my phone died. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I limped 500m up the road before the needle shot to HOT again. So, I decided to be grown up about it, and walked a kilometer or so, to find a farmhouse a bit off the main road. No one answered when I knocked, so I helped myself to some water from an outdoor tap. As I was walking back to the car, and old man finally heard me and came out of the house to help. Turns out the extra water was all I needed, and I was on my way.

Phew. I cursed the car the whole way home. Had a little cry as well, once all the drama was over. LOL

Poor Steve. When I walked in the door, I unleashed my fury. Called the car all the names I could possibly think of, then went on a rant about how surely two adults with jobs should be able to have a reliable car, capable of surviving a ONE HOUR drive when my mother is sick. So, scrap that previous post about the Territory being stalled. It's full steam ahead baby. Not a question of having Steve 100% on board now. I mean, he always was, but he kept cringing about the $$$$ factor. I care not now. Mum and Dad aren't getting any younger, and there will be more times when I need to just drop everything and go to them. The last thing I need to think about is whether the car will let me down.

Rant over.

So, the past few days have been... interesting. Watch this space for the sparkling new car. hehehe Actually, I have decided that perhaps NEW is not necessary. A used Territory will do the job I reckon.

Things to share!

As promised, I have taken pics of all the cards I made today. I also did something else... I sorted my ribbons out. They had become a little disorganised, so I tipped them all out of their jars and re-sorted them. Before you view this pic, please know that I admit I have a problem when it comes to ribbons. I have far more than I will use in many lifetimes. I know this, I admit this. However, having said that, I make no promises about not adding to my stash any time soon...

The ribbons are now all back in their jars, and look fab.

Here are the cards I've been working on today. I hope to do some "scrapping" tonight, now that the cards are out of my system!

Influenza A... a for awful

We've been struck down by the flu. First time in my life I've actually had the "flu". It has always irritated me when people describe the common cold as the "flu" and now it will annoy me even more. There's no confusing the two. You might feel lousy with the cold, but you feel like begging for a lethal injection when you have the flu! As it stands today, Jacob is the only one to have avoided it. Steve had it the worst, and I reckon mine was the mildest out of us all. Mothers are not allowed to get sick anyway... Oscar took out the prize for most miserable-looking. He insisted he wasn't overly sick, but his poor little face just looked miserable. Ossie and I were sick at the same time, so we spent a good deal of it cuddled up on the couch together. Awwwwwwww.

I have been mega busy making cards. I haven't photographed them yet, but aim to do it sometime today. I also sent off a heap of cards to Remember When to be photographed, so keep a look out for my stuff on their site.

I went a little crazy and ordered up big from Yankee Candle Company. I just love their candles, they have a mega long burn time, and the smell is divine. I get frustrated with candles that have next to no scent. These candles make me happy, and seem to inspire creativity for me.

The new car is stalled. Got the go ahead from everyone: Steve, the bank etc, but now I'm re-thinking it. The repayments are quite large, so I'm just having another look around to see if I can fall in love with a cheaper car, to the extent that I am in love with the Ford Territory! Probably aint gonna happen, but for one the voice of reason has prevailed. I'm turning into Steve!!! hehe

Okay, off to clean my scrapping space, take some pics and then back to share with you later.

Have a great day!
XXX

Just for fun...

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Candy Cressida

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Vanilla Raspberry Shortcake (hmmmm, doesn't sound too tough!)

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)Akof (Dude..................)

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Yellow Cat

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Gaye Melbourne.

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Kofan

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put "The") The Blue Chardonnay (OMG, I'm cracking myself up!)

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Bernard Patrick

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Allure Starburst.

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names ) Jean Patrick.

I'm back baby...

Back in the groove of cardmaking and scrapping! Yay. Here are a few cards I've been making in the past couple of days.

The scalloped edges are a new product from Remember When Paper Company. They are laser cut from bazzill, any colour you like, and adhesive backed. I want some in every Bazzill colour known to man!

In other news, Lara has been a permanant fixture on the couch this past week. Poor darling, she's had high fevers, vomiting and abdo pain. She's almost better today, but we decided that one more day off school, combined with the weekend, will see her 100% by Monday. Just cross your fingers that none of the rest of us come down with it by then.

Mmmmm...

I am just sampling the newest release from Omni. Omni Purple (Berry). Just the right degree of sweetness, plentiful bubbles and a very nice colour. I can see a new addiction is being born.
Omni is a sparkling wine for those non-Aussies amongst us.

Not much has been happening here. Fence is up to the rendering stage. The guinea pigs are still alive. Father's Day is tomorrow, and the kids are busting to give Steve the presents they made/bought at the Father's Day stall. It's so sweet to see them mega excited about "giving" as opposed to the receiving part.

Our weekends are our own again! Netball finished last week, so we're having a rest from weekend sport for a while. Lara's still putting in hours at Gym, but that's during the week after school.

Lara's ecxema has been out of control. She's covered in scabs and itchy sores. There have been many rumours going around school that she has chicken pox. LOL I'm blaming myself. At the end of summer I switched laundry detergents. The previous one was an environmentally friendly one that can be used in grey water. I didn't see the point in paying extra $$ for detergent that just goes down the plug hole in winter. I think this is the culprit. I have since switched back to our old detergent, sourced shampoo and conditioner that don't have soap or perfume (thanks Kazzy) and have been slathering her in sorbolene three times per day. Finally starting to see some improvement. It's minor in the scheme of things, but awful to see her beautiful skin looking so manky and sore.

I'm having a bit of a slump with regards to card making and scrapping. I need to get re-inspired. I ordered some things from www.twopeasinabucket.com today. I always feel inspired by new things!!

Because I have nothing better to do, and I need to find a life, I cut and paste this off Kazzy's blog. You pop an (x) next to the movies you've seen. If you score more than 100 you need to get a life. Here goes:


(x)Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
() Pirates of the Caribbean - loved this
() Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
() Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x)Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
() AnchorMan
() Napoleon Dynamite
( ) Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
() 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementTotal
(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
() Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
() American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
() The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
( )Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30 (Sundenny 30-for all us Aussies)
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
( ) King KongTotal
( ) A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
(x) The Ring
(x) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
(x) Flubber
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
() Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
(x) Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
() The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
(x) Son Of The Mask
() Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride (aka Roadkill - for us Aussies)
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(x) Ocean’s Eleven
() Ocean’s Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
( ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x ) Curious George
(x) Independence Day
(x) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) E.T.
(x ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
( ) Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She’s All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
( x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
( ) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
() The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
(x) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
( x) Freaky Friday*
( ) Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street*
( ) Old School
(x) The Notebook
(x) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
(x) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
( ) Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
(x) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
( ) Three
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
(x) Kill Bill Vol. 1
(x) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
(x) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
( ) Army of Darkness
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
( x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix: Reloaded
( ) The Matrix: Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
(x) Evil Dead
(x) Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
(x) Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs my fave movie
(x) Hannibal


That's 113. Apparently I still need to get a life. hehe

New furry babies.

We now have three little guinea pig babies.

The kids think this is very very special. From Left to Right we have:
Coochie (Oscar's), Spec (Lara's) and SmashMouth (Jacob's).
They are all boys (or at least that's what we were told!) so we shouldn't have the problem of ongoing breeding.

They have a hideously expensive hutch, but when the kids are home, they spend most of their time on their laps. Steve doesn't really like them, he claims they are too "rodent-like" but I think they are pretty cute.

Guess what...

I actually scrapped the other day! I KNOW! It was so much fun. Got stuck into the new Basic Grey Recess range. Just perfect for the kids school photo. I'm scanning it right now so I can share.

The work out the front of the house is coming along nicely. The front door is out of action at the moment, so it's all bricked in to make a front deck. The postie just knocked on the front door, and I greeted him with an amazed "How did you get up here?!". LOL He's very tall.

We spent a small fortune at the nursery the other day, and bought heaps of plants to plant out the border garden around the rumpus room. Hopefully we've seen the last of the heavy frosts, although they are quite protected by the wall and the eaves. Time will tell anyway.

I am having the hardest time choosing a colour to paint the house once it's rendered... We painted the garden beds around the perimeter of the back yard a lovely "bayleaf" green. I'm leaning towards that colour as it will look nice against the wood of the front deck and the slats in the fence. Part of me says, "a GREEN house"?????!! Ah well will give it some more thought.

Here's the drought breaking layout!!

Fun online goodies

Check out the cool Time Zone clock at the bottom of this page! I love it, as it's a great visual aid to determine what time of day it is with you in comparison to me. hehe I was referred to the Poodwaddle website by Carol, www.poodwaddle.com to see their statistic counter thingy. It is pretty cool, but depressing at the same time. Sort of feels like the end is nigh as you watch the Earth's temperature rise before your eyes. Yikes.

Exciting news!

I have news that I can finally share. I am now a "Barn-girl" at Remember When Paper Company! I am so thrilled. I have been a customer at RW for ages (we all need Bazzill, right?) and now I'm a part of their team. Thanks Kathy, for this remarkable opportunity.

I'm going to make the most of the quiet house right now (shhhhhhh, do you hear that? No, neither do I. It's peaceful here) and go get some card making, and well, even maybe some scrapping done!!

Have a good weekend!

Forgot to add...

I gave the new trampoline a go today. It is so much fun!! The kids thought it was the best thing in the world that I was jumping on there with them. We laughed and laughed until we could hardly stand up. Actually, Ossie couldn't stand up because a) he was giggling so hard, and b) we were jumping him around too much.
The pelvic floor muscles aren't what they used to be. The jumping combined with the hysterical laughing saw me having to empty my bladder a few times to avoid an inevitable accident. Must get onto those pelvic floor exercises. Those three kids in quick succession have taken their toll.
We have come up with a new game called "Brain Damage". OMG I'm giggling as I type this. It goes like this... The three kids lay down on their backs (stomachs don't work so well, as Jacob discovered) and they count to three then yell, "Brain Damage". I then jump as hard and fast as I can. The kids get tossed about - usually into each other - while I focus on my pelvic floor. LOL
It was honestly so much fun, and great exercise too. I was so puffed after just 20 minutes. Perhaps I'll get Steve to take a pic of "Brain Damage". I'm thinking it's something to have to see to understand how funny it is. (I've got the giggles again!)

Party time

Today we held a party for Jacob's 7th birthday. I couldn't help but be amazed at the sheer craziness of 7 year old boys. In their defence, they were all sugared-up, but still... A few boys were well behaved, while still being typical boys. A certain rogue element decided to up the ante and incite chaos amongst the others. Drinks were poured into the fountain, then cans thrown in as well. After I made them retrieve the cans, they were told there were no further drinks for the culprits. Jeez.

In spite, or perhaps because of, the above, Jacob declared it his best birthday party ever. And this is the main thing. My gorgeous boy had a wonderful day and came home feeling very special.

I finally got a pic of the "fence-in-progress". Not ideal lighting, but you get the idea. And you can see the sexy new letterbox. A friend came around today and as she was leaving she, jokingly, said she was going to put fingerprints all over it. Turns out you can't leave marks on it. Woo Hoo. Even better! The front of the house and the brick part of the fence will be rendered and painted soon. There will be horizontal timber slats between the brick piers.

Slowly but surely we are changing this manky house into the vision we have always had for it. Soon we will get to the inside and rip up carpets, polish floors, new kitchen, new bathroom etc etc. All comes down to time and the very important $$$$$$.

Hope you had a great weekend.

Thank God it's Friday

Phew, what an exhausting week. We've had our bricklayer here all week, with Steve working as brickie's labourer, and our front fence is taking place, as is another garden bed to the right front side of our property. We scored an absolute bargain on a new letterbox. It's not exactly the most honest we've ever been, but in our defence, we didn't realise anything was amiss until we left the shop. We chose a lovely stainless steel letterbox from amongst all the heritage coloured ones. We looked and saw that our nice shiny one was double the price of the others. We decided to hang the expense and get the one we wanted. As we drove home, Steve asked me to look at the receipt. Sure enough, the unenthusiastic 15 year-old serving us had charged us the price of the heritage coloured ones. Whoops. Bargain! So, our $230 letter box only cost us $115. I must go take some "work-in-progress" pics of the front of the house. We are also bricking up the foundations for our new front deck.

I put the trampoline together on Wednesday. It took me ALL day. I was so sore I could hardly move yesterday! Anyway, the kids love it. I am left wondering why we didn't do this earlier - thinking of all the peace I could have had. hehe Here's a pic of them in it, plus an extra kid (a friend of Lara's over for a play). And yes, that IS carpet on the ground. We aren't ready to put down turf yet, so the carpet is keeping the weeds at bay until we are ready!

Slack, slack, slack!

Goodness, I have been very slack and not posted here for quite a while. I tend to drop off the radar for days on end after I've done a stint of nights. Very naughty.

We've had a rather busy weekend, and I almost feel glad to be going to work this afternoon to catch a break! Friday was the Parent-Teacher interviews up at the school. Both kids got a glowing report, which was nice. Lara's day was very social: a friend over for a play in the morning, and then a different friend over for a play in the afternoon. We went down to the footy oval in the afternoon and flew Jacob's kite (a birthday present from his Nan). It was such fun! All of us were giggling and running with the kite. It almost felt like one of those Hallmark moments.

I've been busy creating cards again. Trying to get my head around some masculine cards in time for Father's Day (September). I pretty much suck at masculine cards... Here are a few non-Father's day cards I've been creating lately.

One of my good friends is just in the process of announcing her pregnancy (you know who you are!!). A huge congratulations to your little family!!

I'm tentatively planning a trip to Las Vegas in July 2008. My gorgeous American friends have decided it's time for another get-together. Our last one was in 2003 in California, so it's probably about time we did it again. My darling friend Kazzy is thinking about joining me, so if she can come too, it's going to be a very awesome holiday.

And other exciting news. Drum roll please... we are getting a new Ford Territory. OMG! Someone suggested that I had drugged Steve in order to gain permission for this foray into debt (my husband, God bless him, hates owing money on anything). Watch this space for pics of my newest toy. No word yet on how long it will take.

Time for one last card:

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Today my eldest boy turns 7! Wow, before I know it he'll be turning 17... We are planning a party for next weekend. He has asked for a party in the park so that they can play "footy". Boys are such delightfully simple creatures. LOL That's the kids' birthdays out of the way for another year. Starts all over again in February 2008 with both Oscar's and Lara's birthdays. I will have all three kids at school next year. I'm so excited I can hardly sit still. Oscar is mega-ready for school, being the oldest kid at his Kinder. I'll miss him, since we've had a lovely year with just the two of us at home, but I doubt if I'll be spending all my FREE time crying and pining. hehe

Oooh, gotta go. Meeting a friend for coffee. Have a great day.

Miserable Tuesday

Brrrrrrr! It's cold, wet and generally miserable here today. The sun has not peeked out once. We have abandoned all idea of any outdoor activities and have been slaves to the heater and winter woolies today.

I have been busy today, making cards, sorting business stuff. I've had a pretty lazy couple of weeks with the school holidays and heaps of work, so it really is time I sorted myself out.

Here are a couple of things I've been working on today:

MIA

Wow, time flies. I've been working heaps, and a few night duties thrown in there too, thus my absence. Not much has been happening around here. The school holidays are nearly over. Yay! Yes, I know I said I was looking forward to it, but the novelty of the sleep in has worn off, and I'd much rather have the kids back at school and out from under my feet. I swear, if I hear "Mum, there's nothing to do... " one more time...

As I await my massive tax return (should only be a couple of days away) I have been reflecting on purchases that have made (and continue to make) me so very happy. Here's my list, in no particular order:

1. Dyson vacuum.
2. My SLR camera.
3. My slow cooker
4. MM trimmer
5. cuttlebug.
6. Our massive chest freezer.


That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm sure if I had the Ford Territory, it'd be at the top of my list. hehe Yes, I'm still lusting after it.

Impressive

Impressive is my organisational skills. I just put down a deposit on the kids' Christmas present! I thought about this for them last year, but ran out of time, so I got in early this year. They, like most kids, love the trampoline. I have thus far denied them the pleasure of having one, due to having seen countless injuries as a result of trampolines in my nursing career. Two years ago, while Steve and I had a holiday in Qld, we saw the Springfree Trampoline at a shopping centre. We thought it was a great idea, as it is very safe etc. Then, yesterday, Lara went to play at a friend's house after netball. When we went to pick her up, all 5 kids spent 30 minutes jumping on the trampoline. I wouldn't usually allow that many kids, but this one had a safety net. Still those hard, dangerous springs though... So tonight, after consulting Steve, I went online and took the plunge. Very expensive, but worth the peace of mind I think. This is it...

Stupid thing saved it as blue when I "right-clicked" it... whatever!

On Saturday I was in my PJ's until 10.40am. Woo Hoo! Today I had to change earlier due to AusKick (Jacob) - he kicked two goals today. Also impressive.

Made lamb shanks in the slow cooker yesterday. To. Die. For. This is the second time I've cooked them. I think they have replaced risotto as my new fave food. I cooked Lentil soup in it today. Haven't tasted it yet, but you can't go wrong with a good red lentil soup. Surely...

Lara starred in netball yesterday. She went an hour early and played most of the game with the Grade 4's (they were down a few players). Then her usual game with her fellow Grade 3's. She was a bit disappointed as she didn't get to play in goals (her fave, and probably the best position for her - last week she shot 10 goals!!!!), however I told her that she had to accept the change around in positions. She informed me that she'd played Wing Attack for nearly 2 whole games now! LOL She's getting to be such a "miss". Ages 11 through to 20 are going to be... interesting! After speaking to friends with girls in Year 7, I can say that I am very happy to only have one girl. And I think the fact that she only has brothers saves Lara from being a bit "bitchy" as some of her friends (who only have sisters) are prone to be. I only had a sister, and I remember I was a bit of a bitch at times. Surely not me, with the halo intact??????

Have made a few more cards, and actually scrapped on Friday and today!! However, my burst of creativeness does not stretch as far as scanning them, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

The school holidays begin...

Woo Hoo! Here's to sleep-ins and staying in PJ's until 10am - okay, maybe lunchtime! On the downside, there will be loads more washing to do, heaps more food consumed and probably yelps of boredom by Monday! hehe

I am feeling inspired to scrap - look out! After a blitz on cards, I think I'll do a spot of scrapping tonight. I have quite the backlog of photos now. I spent the better part of an hour poring over the latest For Keeps, and it's inspired me to churn out a layout or two tonight. Perfect, as Steve is working until late. Friday nights are the best, very relaxing as there's no rush to get the kids off to bed since it's not a "school night". I hated that term when I was a kid and my parents used it regularly to deny treats etc, but now I use it all the time myself. Just one example of how I gasp when words escape my mouth that sound just like my mother. Yikes!!!

OMG! Jacob, just this very second came up to me, with all the innocence of a child and said, "Mum, you know Nathan at school? Today he taught me a swear word." Stupidly, I asked him what it was. My very sweet 6 year old (he'll be 7 next month) then uttered the words "he taught me 'fu#*ing arsehole". I was torn between thinking this was hysterically funny, but on the other hand had to remind him that we don't talk like that.

On a brighter note, here's a card I made yesterday. Trying to add some kids cards to my stock.

Thanks for looking!

love,

AnnieXX

Manic Monday!

Where did the weekend go? I worked Sat and Sun, and the times that I wasn't working, we were the main taxi for the kids to get to their desired sporting event. Work was incredibly quiet on Saturday afternoon. I managed to get an all time high score in Bejeweled 2 (LMAO) - well, I was sitting in front of that screen for close to 6 hours. Easiest money I've ever made.

School holidays are fast approaching. Thus far we have nothing planned, no major trips etc.,

This is one of the latest cards I have made. The gorgeous green bug (that would be the Cuttlebug!) really helped this one. It looks even better in real life. It's a bit hard to get the dimentional feel from a scan. Oh well. There's one of my favourite colour combo's again, as well. Pinks and browns. Yum!

Hope you all have a great week. It's certainly started out great here. Remember to leave me a comment when you have time. I love to hear from you.

love,

Annie

XXX

Bottle shop happenings...

OMG, I had the biggest LOL today. After school, I had to go pick up some wrapping paper for a present Lara was presenting to her best friend at her 9th birthday party tonight.

Once we had finished with the supermarket, I moved on to the bottle shop. A middle-aged man was serving me as I purchased a 4L cask of Chardonnay. As I was about to pay, Lara was on her back, on the floor, trying to shimmy under the infra-red detector, Jacob was kicking her in the head as I looked down, and Oscar was poking the beautiful display of shot glasses. They guy behind the counter shot me a sympathetic glance, and I commented "Hence, the need for alcohol". He laughed and said that he was "just thinking, that these years are behind me". I laughed also and then he said, "Make sure you drink it slowly!". LMAO At least others have been in the same position as me before.

Back in the land of the living!

I did two night shifts over the weekend, so have spent the better part of the last 3 days either sleeping or working. Back to the real world today. Night shifts are very unsociable hours, but I must say that I don't hate them entirely. The work itself is usually a bit easier, and there's plenty of time for mucking around and generalised chatting! Of course, there's the unwritten rule of "What you hear on night duty, stays on night duty". This is because, inevitably, at around the 4am mark, everyone is delirious with tiredness, and the subject usually turns to personal topics, gossip, or smut.

I'm having a lingerie party tomorrow, and contrary to what most males think, no we will not be parading about in lingerie! LMAO. Everyone gets to keep their clothes on, and you select garments from a catalogue. You go off privately into another room to try stuff on, or be fitted for a correct size bra. The company that run these parties is http://www.intimo.com.au/ They have some beautiful things.

Relaxing Thursday

Today was nice... Insomnia struck again, only to feel incredibly sleepy at 6.30am (why does that always happen?), but after a Chai tea, I was re-awakened. Made the kids lunches, put on a load of washing etc etc. After doing the reading thing at school, Oscar and I launched into the jobs for the day - which included buying a dress-up costume for Jacob for Friday. At super-short-notice, the school sprang a dress-up day on us. Kids are to come dressed up as a "Fairy tale" character. Of course I left it to the last minute ( why do I always do that??). Jacob is now going as a Wizard, and he's as happy as a pig in mud.

Anyway, went out for lunch at a pub that had this very cool kid's room. Oscar was happily amused with playstation games, a playground, and even old-fashioned arcade games like Pac Man. We went with an old friend of Steve's, and had an overall delish lunch. Back to pick the kids up, then took Lara to gym while I cut a few laps of the lake.

Right, I have one word for you: Cuttlebug. If you are a scrapper or a cardmaker, this is the latest "must have". Naughty, expensive, hot-on-the-heels of the Cricut, but oh so nice. I've been wanting one since I used it at Scraptacular in May. The lime green insect is finally mine.

A card? Why yes, why not...

This is an old one, but a cool one. Hope you like it.

One down, three to go.

I survived Day One with no chips or alcohol. Woo Hoo!

It's super cold today. Of course Oscar refuses to admit this, and would happily parade around wearing his t-shirt if I let him.

I am in the process of upgrading my website, so stay tuned. The thing is, that I suck at web design and html. I'm a nurse, not an IT guy. lol