Thursday, November 29, 2007

Gob Smacked

I have been quietly plodding away on my RAK for my blog presents as well as a new mini book that i have decided to make especially to take to my interview on monday.. Finally... Mirandas 6th birthday book is almost here. (pictures to come)... Anyway.. i decided that i should probably go and check the mail and tucked behind a pillar of our verandah was a box with my name on it..
The familiar hand writing brough a huge smile to my face immediately.. though it was quickly joined with total confusion as to what could be since i was not expecting anything, had not lent anything that could need returning.. sooooo.. i came out here to my scrap room in search of a craft knife to open all the tape that held the box shut.
Ofcourse, as soon as i opened the box the tears started..I have been spoilt beyond belief by the most thoughtful wonderful generous lady that i have the pleasure of knowing.. and better still, calling my friend.
Inside the box, not only was the most adorable miniture snow globe christmas tree ornament (glass) but a carefully wrapped gift in christmas paper, boxes & little bags. for each day through til christmas. Not because she had to... not because we had planned to do anything like this... simply "just because she thought i may need to polish my unwrapping skills before christmas." The girl has the best ability to blow me away and make me cry... in the best way possible only ofcourse...
I must have done something super special at some point in my life to be blessed with her presence in my life.. honestly.. I can't imagine what.. though I'm so happy that i do.
This was totally unexpected which i think has made it just that much more special. I feel so special... Cathy, you spoil me so much.. a girl seriously could not ask for a more beautiful friend.
Love ya babe.
xxx

Toot Toot Chugga Chugga

haahhaaah... woooooo woooooo!

I just went into the newsagency this morning to see if issue 61 of for keeps had hit ths shelves ... I knew that i had two things being featured in this months issue though when i opened up the magazine.. wow... totally blown away.Not only did i make it onto the index page, but 3 times on the actual section title page, a page for one of my books with a HUGE photo and a DOUBLE page for my christmas book.. Talk about stoked... That is 7 times in one magazine.. admittedly, its only the two mini books.. but.. ITS SEVEN TIMES!!!

I am sooooo excited. Anyway... i had to call my man and let him know since he had been waiting to hear if it had hit the shelves... a lady overheard me talking to him and reading the blurbs to him that went along with my books ... when i got off the phone she stopped me and asked for my email address and phone number. She is a professional photographer who is asked constantly if she knows someone that can put the photos she takes into scrap book styled albums.. Talk about over the moon happy!!! I could get work from her scrapping other peoples payouts as well..

Today is going to be a GREAT day!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Dreams are coming true..

OMG OMG OMG.. i have to tell someone before i bust...

I applied for a job within the scrapping industry with an Australian company whos office is right here in Victoria. I sent an application as well as a virtual portfolio off to them a few hours ago.. anyway... i just got off the phone with the guy that was advertising the position telling me that he was totally blown away by the quality of work that he had seen and that he would like me to come into their office with more of a portfolio on Monday for an interview....

How freakin' fantastic is that!?
I cant start to tell you how excited i am....

Just had to share!
xxxx

Monday, November 26, 2007

Its beginning to look a lot like christmas

Well.. the silly season has struck me... thankfully not like the mack truck that hit me about a week ago.. (i have a sinus infection which feels like a truck hit me)... though none the less... if i had a voice... i think... right now, id be singing some silly season song...

It truely is beginning to look a lot like christmas!
The neighbours are hanging lights.. there is a wreath on the door across the road and carols were playing in the supermarket earlier... decorations are now hung brightly from the lights on the roads and hanging from the roof in the stores..
its exciting.. i love this time of the year.. i love that in just a few weeks time families will be together... love will be spread and laughter will be heard..
Now... just to get feeling well enough to get the christmas tree up so that it really looks like christmas in our home too..
Maybe tomorrow... Yeah.. thats a plan.. I think no matter what, when the kids come through the door tomorrow afternoon we will make a start on the tree and decorating.


oooooh.. how exciting!!!

I love this time of the year :D


_________________________________________________
26 sleeps til family arrives!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Day Trippin'

Have you ever just jumped in the car and driven? Not really sure where you would end up though just went anyway? That is what we did today... We set the alarm at 8am so that we could be out the door by 9am. Our only real thought was to get to a place called Split Point at the bottom of Victoria, on the Great Ocean Road.. Anyway.. when we got there, we decided that we had not driven long enough and that we were sure that at the early-ish hour that it still was that we could see so much more... so on we drove... Apollo Bay in our sights. We have once before, about a month ago visited here and fell in love with the beach side town.. it had a home-y-ness that we were used too... an atmosphere that we find ourselves so often craving, since we have all grown up living only minutes from the beach. We stopped, wandered through the most trendy little market.. (which is on every Saturday morning) which we will be going back too.. then, headed to get some fish and chips for lunch. Sitting by the beach, under the shade of a gorgeous tree surrounded by grass filled with wildly growing seaside daisies, we wondered what ever in the world the "poor" people were doing. It was over those fish and chips that we decided that since it was only midday and there were still so many hours in the day since its day light saving, that it was the twelve Apostles or bust!!!!
Anyone that truly knows us would know that we have this crazy tendency just to get in the car sometimes and just drive.. one day, literally going interstate just for ice-cream. (about an 7-8 hour round trip)...
So.. back in the car we climbed and on down the great ocean road we drove.
Lyn... i was thinking of you all of the day. You would have been in your glory... the sea, the sights.. it was fantastic. The great Ocean road by the way, for the most travels right along the edge of the ocean between Torquay in Victoria and ends in South Australia. (though i don't know where). We will tell you one day, im sure... hmmm.. wonder if they have any good ice-creameries!!! ~L~
Anyway... about 40 mins down the road we saw a sign for Cape Otway Lighthouse, and since that is where we were meant to go and made the mistake of telling Miranda .. she by this stage was really starting to get on our nerves with
Miranda: "are we nearly at the lighthouse?"....
Us: "no, we passed it hours ago."
Miranda: "When are we getting to the lighthouse?"
Us: We aren't. perhaps on our way back if its not dark. We want to show you something way better."
Miranda: "is it a light house?"

Alright already, whats with this lighthouse thing? She was like a broken record.. You'd think she liked them or something..huh? Anyway... in an effort to try and satisfy her, not to mention shut her up, we made the turn off.. a detour... Who was the wise guy that didn't put a distance on the sign to the lighthouse? 20 mins of driving we get to the gate of the light house only to find that it was $35 for a family entry. What the!? I didn't pack the cash, Matt didn't pack the cash.. a day trip should not cost anything but time, fuel and camera battery charge!!
Of course, you guessed it.. we didn't see the lighthouse and Miranda's questions started again... by this stage we saw signs indicating that there were Koalas, Kangaroos, Echidnas and COWS (WTF?) for the next 15 km.. (spot the odd one out! ~L~)...in a last ditch effort to try and distract the light house obsessed kid in the back we decided we would koala spot... only seconds after i suggested it I'm screaming at the top of my lungs in an excited retards attempt to get the words "stop.. KOALA" out... There was a mama koala (new only by the size) sitting in the long grass at the side of the road... Matt stopped JUST in time to have it give us the evil eye as to say "pfft, I'm trying to walk here!!!" and it started to walk directly down the middle of the road... planning a quiet stroll.. (with Matt quickly in toe taking photos).. It was TOTALLY amazing.. by now.. others had stopped and everyone wanted to have a look.. she sat and just watched all these weird humans until one got stupid and got too close and scared her off.
Funnily enough, Miranda forgot all about the stupid lighthouses as we drove on.. spotting one koala after another lazing in the trees. For the non Aussies, koalas are not a plentiful everyday occurrence and after 33 years, this is the FIRST time i have seen one in the wild.

So.. finally... about 6 hours after we left home, there it was... what we waited all day to see... the Twelve Apostles... Aren't they just amazing?
These are limestone rock stacks which over stacks of years have been eroded from the mainland heads. Leaving these magnificent TALL towers in the water. Over time, a few have fallen, so there are no longer Twelve.. though what we discovered yesterday, that one of the platforms we were standing on, had a apostle, in the making, beneath.. and one day in the future, it would become another stack.. standing freely in the ocean.. Isnt Mother Nature amazing?

On a high still.. though ofcourse, photos already looked at and some edited, we are home... totally exhausted from the day, the winding roads and the excitement of the sights... though.. totally thrilled that we decided to deviate from our initial plans..

PS: We stopped about 3 hours from home at Wye River/beach to let the kids out and stretch their legs and splash in the water for a while.. of course, Matt had the camera out again... This picture of Jamie i think is just gorgeous... he could be anywhere in the world... on any postcard perfect beach in paradise.. though instead, he was almost on our back door step..

Life is great! I wonder where we will end up next weekend!!! Goodness only knows.. though... where ever it is.. it will have big shoes to fill in being better than today!!!

Friday, November 16, 2007

sickness = delays = :(

To the three lovely girls that have been waiting ever so patiently for their RAK, please dont think that you are going to be forgotten or will miss out...
For the last few weeks, we have had sickness dancing around us all here in our home and even while mummy has been sick as well, has had to cope with three children all sick, one after another and a hubby with reoccuring tonsilitis..
Life is always interesting.. though when trying to scrap and create... it can become more so.
I would like to thank you for your patience where these are concerned.. and to know that i would rather make something worthy, and have a slight delay, than to slip-slap something together in a hurry so to get it to you quickly.
I perhaps should have started these while the RAK was running.. though.. shoot me.. ~L~... i didnt think of that!

Trust me though... i think you will like what will head your way.
:D

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Patience is a virtue

I'm not the most patient person in the world when it comes to some things, though with other things.. have all the patience in the world. Wating for issue #61 of For Keeps is one of these times where to have patience, would be a good thing....
Im getting so excited at the realisation that in a very very short time i will have two of my works in one magazine at the same time. This is a first for me.. and very very nerve wracking while i wait.. i tell you.

I figured that after being told rather bluntly to get my arse on here and start blogging again that i better do what i was told.. afterall.. i am to have lunch with this person on friday and my god.. i would never hear the end of it if she found out that i had not blogged by then. You know the kind.. nag nag nag... hahaha.. JK. You know i love ya.. right Al!? ~L~
Really.. it would be more like.. nag nag.. hahaha... Again.. im just teasing her..
If it was not for her nagging me, i would not have bothered submitting anything for the call in For Keeps which has seen two of my mini books accepted.. simply.. well.. because i would bot have bothered. ~L~... Sometimes i need a case of explosives set on fire under my arse to get me happening.. though im so greatful for the push that time..

I cant wait to share one of these books with you all.. its a christmas one.. the other, a summer one.. some of you who have seen my work while i was on the design team at FTC would remember perhaps my summer "remember this" book..

Hmmm... soooo.. where have i been that is more important than prattling on here?
Really... i could not tell you what has kept me away for as long as i have been.. i know ive not been scrapping... it seems that my mojo has once again departed.. though i must say, i NEED it to come back in a rather big hurry!!! I have so much that i have to do.

I think i have a few entries drafted though not posted yet so i will go see what i cant find.. i think from memory i have some pictures of the kids on Halloween..

OOOOh.. i know some news!!

Im now a dark red head. I decided to go into the hairdressers for a trim and something else.. (which i was not too sure of at the time) ... I ended up coming out with half as much hair (which has been fabulous on these hot days) and red hair with platnium blode highlights..

haha. A change is as good as a holiday.. so they say.. right!?