HAPPY HALLOWEEN

I know that i have friends that dont follow any of the halloween traditions, weather it be because of their religion or for other reasons, though we have celebrated Halloween every year with our friends in the states (long distance of course)... and every year..make decorations, fill little bags with goodies and answer the door to the children that come trick or treating.. and enjoy the excitement of our own children as they dress up with the spirit of things and go for a walk with either mum or dad as they trick or treat themselves...



Dad drew the straw to walk this year... lucky me gets to sit here with a stash of candy and halloween cookies that we created yesterday and wait for the door bell to ring!



Anyway... to those of you that doooooooo.. Happy Halloween..



Lyn... Cant wait to see Billie's costume this year!

xx

Pay It Forward... RAK WINNERS!

Well.. i may be an hour late, though better than never.. right!? ~L~

The lucky winners were pulled out of a tin on my desk by my Man....
They are as follows...

Madonna Dunn
Estavalia
Wendy

Congratulations girls.

I'll be in contact in the next few days for your mail address.
When you have recieved your RAK from me, then you need to put the same RAK on your blog!

:)

PS: If you have any really hated colours, could you please drop me a note here and let me know ASAP?
thank

Happy Friday!!!

Its grey and gloomy outside which means that it is a sucky day to get through the pile of washing that seems to have been breeding overnight, though a PERFECT day for listening to music while i scrap! Wooohoooo.

I hope that everyone elses week has been has been as good as mine. While i have not had anything super happen, been any where but to pay bills, do gorceries and see the doctor.. my week has been great none the less.. Ive been scrapping and playing at my desk for most of it.. though so far, nothing is complete enough to show here.. so ... i have to say,y'all wil lhave to wait a little. ~L~... though my list of things i wanted accomplished is slowly but surely being touched upon. I have no doubt that i will be well and truely fixed and ready for christmas way before. (though... i better not get cocky, right!? I know very well how that goes) I under estimated grandly on the paper required for one of the projects that i had to do..Don't you just hate it when you do that? sooooo.. it looks like im either going to have to compromise or find the same paper in a scrap store somewhere over the weekend. (i dont want to mail order just for a few sheets of paper).

I have lots of ideas in my head for what im going to do for the pay it forward RAK.. this morning after i set the kids out the door for school im going to put those ideas down on paper as we all know how shocking my mind is! ~L~

xxx

pay it forward... Happy mail ...bump

hi guys, i am thrilled to see that i have so far had 5 people who would like to play along in my pay it forward draw. Though, i have extended the time in which you have to put a message on the pay it forward entry (or this one).. i will keep from drawing 3 names until the 31st of October. That is one week away. Even though im in australia, i dont mind if girls from other countries join in.. the more, the merrier i think.. its all about spreading the love of our crafting around.. right?
All you have to do is leave me a message on either two Pay it forward blog entries.. by doing this you are agreeing that if you are drawn out to win something hand made by me, that when you recieve it, that you will then put a pay it forward RAK on your blog and create for three more people, in turn.. passing on a little happy mail.
Everyone loves happy mail.. right!?

If i get enough response i may just do a few more lil things for the fun of it.. who knows! ;)

PS: when i do the draw, i will contact you if you have won, as well as announce it here. Make sure to stop back often. :)

PPS: IF YOU DONT WANT TO COMMIT TO MAKING SOMETHING, YOU CAN ALWAYS PAY IT FORWARD IN THE WAY OF A SCRAPBOOK RELATED RAK

Nanny Naps & Christmas Scraps

and not an ounce of house work. Um mah! ~L~
Ive just woken up from the best little nanny nap on the sofa.. My sweet man came home from work with tonsilitis again.. to which, this time they are going to remove once they have un swelled. eeek. Though, thankfully.. no more snoring will be one of the outcomes.. and for him.. no more pain. Yay... anyway... i was so coy, snugled to him watching movies i drifted off to a lil nana nap... movies were well over.. and the day is over half done. haha. soooo.. i thought, it was time to get up off my lazy but and come out to my room and play with my scraps...

Ive been playing with the first of my christmas gifts for this year. My list is rather long, thus saying that i have a bit of work ahead of me is an understatement. I know.. i probably should have started a little earlier, though.. trust me, its not as late as the year that i was still working on my mothers mini album while i knew she was on her way down. I had my neice who was driving her down giving me updates, all the way so i knew just how much time i had left. This, i may add was only 2 nights before christmas. oops.
I didnt intentially leave things late.. infact id been working on it for quiet some weeks before hand.. and that, appart from a little gift that i had made for the lovely Cathy and Gail, i had no other OTP to do.. but... im a little bit of a perfectionist... (just a little.. haha.. NOT) so i tend to keep at it until im 200% happy with it. Thats my excuse.. and im sticking to it.. hah.

Anyway... so far im working on a 6x6 book for my mother in law.. its made with the cutest papers.. though, silly me used the piece that has the info on it so im going to have to source those details from my LSS a little later i think. Its got the cutest cupcake, jam jars and chocolate cake pattern on it with a pink background with black polka dots.... Its very cute..
Since my MIL has self declared what we have all known for a while that she is not the worlds best cook, i thought i would fill it will tonnes of blank pages, as well as some of the recipes of mine that she always wants and that my father in law loves.
While im sure mine (since i have enough paper left) will be a little more funky, hers, i think will be kinda plainish, since she is really a "country" interior sort of gal and as it is, im not too sure that this will match anything else.. though.. you know what? Its cute.. i will tell her its cute and MUST go in her kitchen and she is just gonna have to deal with it! hahah.
And.. no.. she doesnt read my blog. haha. nor am i the littlest bit bossy!

I'll pop up a piccy of it when im done.. let you see what you think.
Though.. since there are a few that DO read this blog to who i plan to make gifts, i may very well just add pics and not tell you who they are for.. makes it safer for them.. huh!?

Ohhh.. i FINALLY got some of my work back from that shop.. (insert rumpled brow and grr here).. some, would you believe, they damaged or plain outright lost at Paperific? Im so so mad. Though, alteast i have some of it back safe in my hands now.
I will post a few pics of some of the things a little later.

hope you are having a fun day..
xxx

Come fly with me..

I have to say that im writing this post with the biggest grin on my face. I have had my blog since 2005 and in that time, other than the friends that left notes to say they had stopped by, i had no idea who had come to visit.. not that it was a real concern, since my blog was created for me, foremost.. you know? Though, this morning, i woke to find that i had been visited from a lady all the way in Chile; Hello Estivalia!!! ~waves~ This in itself was excitement x 100 since it was really my first offical sign that my lil green blog had started its overseas tour.
Soooo.. After reading Jodies blog and seeing that she had this nifty lil gadget from FeedJit that lets you see where people have come from etc, i thought i would give it a go.. thanks Jodie for having it first so i could see it! :) Anyway... i have had more overseas visitors... im so excited.
I really don't know why.. i guess.. in a weird little way its rather cool to think that my blog has left the shores of Australia.. Since it seems that it will be forever before i physically leave again, perhaps i can live vicariously through my blog! ~LMAO~

Anyway.. to my visitors from Illinois, Virgina, and Oklahoma.. WELCOME! :)

Happy Birthday to a Gorgeous Girl

Well.. today most definately would not be complete without me stopping in here to wish a very very gorgeous lady a very very happy birthday.

KYLIE ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!!!

By now you should very well know how much you mean to me.. what it is to have you as part of my life and be aable to call you a dear friend..
Wish that i could be there with you today to help give you a great day, spoil you rotten and watch you blow those candles out, though... rudely, there is a whole damn state stuck between us! :( Sorry Babe.. i just didnt have the strength to shift it.

To a beautiful, soul, mind and lady... Happy birthday Sweetheart.
Love to pieces girl, today and every day.
Hope you have the best day ever!!!

xxxx

He is Live

Finally... Matt has taken his photography live through his own website. I cant tell you how proud i am to see his dreams becoming a reality.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT

While His website is still in its infancy and pages are still building up, its up..

If your looking for a photographer that knows what he is doing... spends as much time with the post production as taking the photos so that all you get is 200% quality and dont want to pay gob loads like some of the photographers out there, definately.. look him up.
Ofcourse.. im sure that if you were to mention my blog when you give him a call he could work out even a better rate! ;)

I know.. im bias, though seriously.. i think the imagery speaks for itself.

Matt, I love you!!

one proud lady
xx

Pay It Forward...

Well... after a wonderful surprise in the mail today, its my turn to pay it forward.
Have you heard of the "pay it forward" thing that has been going around blogs!? I was lucky enough to be one of three people who posted on a Nannascraps blog and recieved the lovliest handmade surprise.
So... its now my turn... what do you get if you post a comment!? Goodness knows at this point. I have the worst headache ever..ears that feel like ive been in a plane too long, a blocked nose that i fear will errupt like Mt Vesuvious (EWWW) and a throat coarse enough it feels, to grate cheese. Yuk..

Though.. i promise, what ever it is.. it will have 110% of my heart and soul put into it.

Are you game!?

All you have to do to be part of this is leave a comment for me on this thread. By leaving a comment on this thread you are binding yourself to the commitment of blogging & paying it forward with hand made creations or a scrapbook related RAK once you recieve your surprise from me.

Generally it is the first three that leave a comment that will be chosen to recieve a gift, though.. im thinking, i would like to do a spin on things and leave this open until WEDNESDAY 31st October. 5pm EST, and see how many comments i recieve, place them in a hat and pull out three lucky people.
Why!?
Well.. i have been to so many blogs where i have seen this pay it forward, though the comments have been made so quickly after the post was made that it was a little unlucky for the slow pokes (like me) to partake. This way, i think its giving everyone a fair go..
what do you think!?

Well... here goes, who wants to play!?
I don't care if your from Australia or anywhere else around the world... i just want to see a lil love spread!! So.. come on... join in :)




Have you heard of "Pay It Forward"? This has been going around the blogs at the moment and now it's my turn. I was lucky enough to be one of the first three people to comment on the Scrapbook Nook blog and now I will receive a handmade gift from Tammy. And now I must keep the challenge going and this is how it works: The first three people to comment on this post {who would like to be involved in the Pay It Forward Challenge} will receive a handmade gift from me. All you have to do is keep the fun challenge going by agreeing to create three handmade gifts for three more people, hence the term "Pay it Forward". So what are you waiting for?

SHES HERE!!!!

Welll.. SHES HERE!!!!!

She is sleeping.. but... hahahaha... shes here.. shes here!!!

no more sleeeps..

i soooooo sooooo can't wait until tomorrow.. how ever am i going to sleep!?
We have just made ourselves name tags for today.. just incase we bump into anyone from the forums.. I may pop a pic up tomorrow..
Caths taking her camera to paperific so im sure there will be piccies to share later.


its going to be soooo cool.

mwah mwah

So Excited

Up in the air
she flys...
zoom zoom a zoom zoom zoom
up in the clear blus sky
zoom zoom a zoom zoom zoom..
zoooom zooom
zooom zoooom a zoom zoom zoom
zooom... zooom.. zooom zoom a zoom zoom zoom!!!

AGGGGHHHHHHH... im so excited... Today is the day that Cath and i have been counting down too.. this afternoon.. she will finally be here again.. i so cant wait.
The kids are already preparing themselves for sugar rushed woman having chair races..

i say.. bring it on.. and let the time go slow

love ya gal... travel safely!
XXX

The Call to The DarkSide

It has finally happened..

I knew that it would happen one day.. and tonight.. it has happened... Ive given into the call to the dark side. As some would know.. before i moved up to the Northern Territory where it was toooooooo hot to house a quilt in my lap to work on, i was an avid quilter.
I have been going through Mirandas clothes and sorting what she needs bought for the up and coming summer and what can be handed on to another little girl. While doing this, i have been looking at the print on some things thinking.. oooooh..

i could use this for an accent on a page

or..

i could use this as a fabric stripe

or..

this one as the background

&

ooooh... this was her favourite.. or.. i loved her in that!...

etc

but even more so.. i have been seeing these gorgeous prints, ruffles, pockets and zipper fronts as panels in a quilt.

For one birthday, b1 and b2, each got their own throw size quilt to tote along with them when they stayed at grand-mas, or to use in the living room of a night to snuggle under.. though, through our living in the wilderness and my obsession with scrapping, Miranda has somehow missed out. So... while i was ultimately sorting clothes and considering pieces for use on scrap pages.. i have some how half created my next quilt in my head.
I am a methodical scrapper.. making sure that one quilt is complete before starting another.. though.. THIS WILL STOP.. IT HAS TO STOP.. as i think that this new quilt design will send me crazy if its call is not answered.

I have always been one to pass things on.. to recycle the childrens clothing.. Knowing that someone, somwhere would adore the gorgeous clothing that my children have in their wardrobes.. the thought of cutting it up, until i became a scrapper would have never crossed my mind. What an appauling thought!!! Though.. scrapping has opened my eyes.. so much so.. that this quilt will not just be a quilt.. though a warm.. usable scrap book of memories.. of not only when Mea was little.. but the pretty things that she adored will be able to go along with her even as she grows.

How ever will i be able to juggle scrapping and quilting.. how ever does Janelle Wind do both.. and for magazines no less!?

14 year olds + singstar = bleeding ears

~LMAO~ What can i say that my title has not said? Really.. what sad sick soul was it that thought it would be fantastic to create a game that allowed tone deaf people to sing into microphones like Divas? Really... OWWWWWWWWWWCH!!!

B1 has her darlin' best friend over.. they are having the best time in the living room with the stereo turned up loud, punching out the lyrics of the songs they barely know.. though even with two doors shut and our own music up loud in my scrap room Matt and i are not safe. B2 and mea are in there as well...it appears from all the cheering that MEA is kicking butt... you go girl!
Bai on the other hand, well he disapeared about a hour ago.. when the ruckus started... im sure he is somewhere hiding and hoping that we will rescue him soon.

God bless the man that invented aviation ear plugs!

The over stimulated thoughts of the sugar starved.

I'm just sitting here.. eating a bowl of Sherk the 3rd giant fruit loops.(with out milk).. pretty much simply for the fact that they are green.. (L) but also for the fact that i am dragging my butt big time this morning and thought that perhaps the copious amounts of sugar in those things would wake even the dead.. Not that it will change how i look as a result of dragging my butt.. the miss matched clothes... = pink tweetie flannelete PJ top matched with a pair of Matts track pants simply because i could not be buggered. Besides they were the first thing in arms reach wheen i fell out of be to my stupid phone waking me to remind me of a class at a shop that i no longer work at... dumb phone... surely i got rid of that wake up call. ggggrrrr.

Now that the sugar is finally kicking in it has got me to thinking... im writing this... though for who... ultimately it is for me... to remind me of the days past... and make me laugh on dark days when i read back in search for answers to what ever trivial question that my mind seeks answers for.. though.. i know that people do come here.. why? its beyond me.. something about them liking me? (foolish.. aren't they!? hahaha).. for my friends, whom i am teasing.. you know i love you!! xx

I have been to blogs... spent hours surfing the links that they provide.. which takes me to atleast a million and a half other blogs.. which sends me to surf further into the deep dark depths of cyber space.. Through this journey i have discovered that many promote RAKs through their blog. If you leave a message you are in the running for a RAK... though.. why!? What is the point.. I mean.. yeah, sure.. i love to give things to friends though most of these people are drawing people to their blog whom surely they know are ONLY there for the chance of something for nothing.. i mean.. how many of these freebie-hunters will give a rats and come back to check out the blog at a later date!? So.. what is the point!? Why do they do it!?

Is it in the hope that they will get more people reading their blog? Again.. i say why!? This is my little square of cyber space. A place that i reside.. a place where my friends will always feel welcome. Much like my kitchen table in my bricks and mortar home.. though that doesnt mean that i will welcome every door knocker in for a cuppa.
Is it the inner need to be liked!? The need to show the world what they are capable of? Weather it be scrapping, sewing, quilting, button making, photography...what ever it is that their passion is for!?

Now.. my rambling is simply that.. my sugar high thought processes running in overtime.. My words here are not intended to offend or upset anyone.. (except perhaps for the button maker, whoms i sure i offend, simply by existing (ha).... i am curious. That is all. Surely others have had the same thoughts as me at some point. Surely you have asked "Why!?".

I will just add that i totally understand the reason that stores have blogs.. and why they offer up lil prizes now and then.. though... the rest of the populations blogs.. come on.. why!?

Sooooooo.. Should i be worried that its only my dearest friends that seem to drop in and say hi... that i have lurkers here that dont feel the need to let me know they are there? (You know that is a crime in the bricks and Mortar world. haha) or that my blog is not perhaps reaching the 6.5 trillion people out there in cyber space!?

I wonder... if i was to add a RAK to my blog... just for shit sake.. who would come and knock on my door..

Perhaps... for halloween, i may do that...
Trick or Treat!?

haha.

__________________________
EDIT: I would like to just say.. before i get lynched by anyone that the above thoughts were those of which the title expressed.. they were my thoughts at the time.. i did say that i did not wish to offend anyone.
It has been public knowledge that Jodie & I had issues.. this post was in no way a direct poke at her, nor was i baiting anyone in anyway. I was not degradating the fact that she makes buttons.. or any other such thing.. to be totally honest, i think her buttons are totally fan-friggin-tabulous! ;)
As i have stated in PM on SM where this thread was addressed, i would like to just say.. as i did there, if i have said anything to offend... its simple that the only option you have is to not read. I will not sensor my posts, as i should not have to.. in my own little part of the web-universe. :)
Instead, take them with the grain of salt in which they were first intended. :)

On a roll..

Well... what a productive day i have.. ive been bopping around my room listening
to all manner of music.. and currently listening to My Chemical Romance (bows to the Gods) while i blog
instead of thinking of the horrid mess that both the desk.. and the floor have become. Productiveness comes at a cost.. right!?
As i have said yesterday (?).. i am totally loving these 12x6 sized layouts..
while you dont have tonnes of room.. they are perfect for the bundance of 6x4 photos that i have.. Boxes of them will now be scrapped way faster than they have been which will get me up to date a little before the 22nd century im hoping. hahaha.

Im so stoked that in the last few days i have been able to scrap all of us, save for Bailey, though i will be getting to him soon hopefully.. Just have to get a photo printed of him since ive scrapped his others. Loving using up my offcuts of papers.. makeing pretties out of every little..
Though.. for now.. i must away and be a better mother since B2 has just come out to tell me that HE had to put clothes in the dryer (godess forbid) because he didnt have any PJ pants. Um Mah..

See what scrapping has resulted in!? Father forgive me for i have sinned.. i took time out for me, made a mess and scrapped up a storm and loved it! Mahahaha.
XX

PS: The journalling on the Layout of myself was way easier to write and admit to, though doing it.. now there comes the struggle.. hah. We will see how i go. I plan on scrapping another Photo of me with some true-be-tolds in a few months.. hopefully i will have practiced what i have preached and it will be a little more uplifting! I scrap the good with the bad.. i think everyone has discovered that by now.

____________________________
10 Sleeps....... Zoom zoom a zoom zoom zoom!!!