Josef's Graduation

Its the end of primary school for Josef! How incredibly sad that my boy has grown up so fast. Next year he will go to a whole new school and be a Junior High School student.

Last night we went to St Teresa's for the school leavers mass. It was so awesome to see the kids going up to get their "Children of the Light" candles lit by Father Hamish.
As each child went up to receive their candle and graduation certificate the child's teacher had a little to say about each child. Mrs Diane McFaul, who was Josef's teacher this year said this "Josef has a wicked sense of humour and is constantly teasing me and others in the class. He is kind to others and is reliable and responsible. He accepts and takes on challenges. He loves to draw and really enjoys graphics on the computer. Well done and good luck Josef."

All of Josef's teachers he has had at St Patricks have taken a very shy, withdrawn little boy who had major social and learning problems and shaped him into the bright, funny young boy he is now. For sure there have been some rocky moments but the teachers have persevered and each of them have given Josef the most solid foundations of which Josef will build his life on.

Thank you St Patricks.
Thank you Diane McFaul
Thank you Julie McElhinney
Thank you Trevor Morton
Thank you Caroline Rout.

Teachers are expected to reach unattainable goals with inadequate tools. The miracle is that at times they accomplish this impossible task. (Haim G. Ginott)

Counting down

sure does make the time go faster - not long until the jolly fat man who has caused a serious dent in our wallets drops in. My children are sitting on the fence as to whether they still believe. Jessie put it best - she visited Santa and told me he wasn't real because she could see his black eyebrows under his white ones!! I asked her what did she believe then and after a moments thought "I believe in the magic Mummy because Christmas makes us all so happy and we get to see all of our big family."
Yeah Jessie I still believe in the magic, its wonderful isnt it?

Anyway believe it or not I managed to find the time to plot, plan and create this layout for the Jack Me Up team.
The photos are a year old, but sometimes it takes a challenge to motivate me to use photos that can stump me. It turned in to a double page spread - but it was a perfect way to use the many, many photos I took that day.

A mother's joy begins when new life is stirring inside...
when a tiny heartbeat is heard for the very first time
and a playful kick reminds her that she is never alone.
unknown

Rested and ready

A weekend at the crib was just what I needed. I've been feeling a little iffy around the edges. Whether its because Christmas is just around the corner, I'm working 5 days now, I've felt a little let down by some people and the kids have discovered sibling rivalry and that has become a constant in the home of late. I have lately been wishing we could escape the city and get back to nature. I always feel so much more alive and at peace with myself and the world when I'm sitting in the middle of nowhere. So we packed up the car and went to Nokomai. Okay its not the bush but its remote - no shops, no traffic (unless you count the farm vehicles or fishermen) no people close by. No pressure! No need to get up at a certain time, no need to have meals at specific times! No tv, no computer, no scrapbooking, no diy projects for Leo. Just us. My family and I. Just 2 beautiful sunny days of sitting outside, going for walks, playing soccer, paddling in the creek, playing cluedo and payday. Lunch at 2pm and tea at 7pm.
What a huge difference those 2 days have made to us, the kids are calmer, Leo and I are more mentally prepared for the christmas season - which is hectic and fun - but with a stressed out mind can be ruined.
So I haven't scrapped all week. I'm not worried because I have oodles of new photos I took at Nokomai just waiting to be printed and played with. ;o)
Oh and Thank you so much NZDares for the delightful parcel I found waiting for me - what a thrill it was to have my name pulled out for the digital/hybrid dare.

A budding scrapbooker...

Most kids play with their food.
But how many ask to borrow the camera so they can take a picture?
And then wonder out loud what papers will she use to scrap it....

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like. (Mark Twain)

I got elfed

Check this out - the new wave in christmas cards huh??
Elf Yourself

A meme

… seen on Hannah's blog

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments … what is it?
1. Produce: a pineapple
2. Bakery: raspberry jam fingers
3. Meat: salmon
4. Frozen: WW cookies and cream icecream
5. Dry goods: egg noodles

Let’s say we’re heading out for a weekend getaway. You’re only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what’s in your bag?
1. yoga pants
2. t-shirt
3. clean knickers

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. If you know what I mean
2. Ditto/Mwah - (these are in texts alot)
3. I love you
4. 1...2...3
5. I am so tired!!!

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn’t get to do, you’d probably be in a pretty irritable/bad mood?
1. Brush my teeth - gotta do that or I cant talk, lol
2. Tea table talk!!
3. Spend time in my scraproom

What are 3 things that you have in your room that have been with you for the longest amount of time?
1. The floral hat a friend made me when I turned 15
2. The white teddy mum gave me when I turned 16
3. My plunket book - its in my bedside table lol

If you were only allowed to listen to 5 of your CDs for the rest of your life, never adding anything else, which 5 could you listen to & be content with?
1. John Denver - Favourites
2. 80's on your radio
3. Pat Benetar - Best Shots
4. Bon Jovi - Cross Roads
5. Grease Soundtrack

You’re driving down the road, and suddenly you’re hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?
1. Dazed and confused elderly driver in front
2. DH in the passenger seat being a backseat driver
3. That toad that just pulled in front of me with no warning!!

You just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We’re talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. Reading a book
2. Spending time online (there goes the 3 hours - lol)
3. Scrapbooking
4. Deep cleaning a room
5. Shopping

We’re going to the zoo. But it looks like it could start storming, so it’ll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Monkeys
2. Giraffes
3. Kiwis

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show of your choice. You can pick between 5, so what are you deciding between?
1. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
2. NCIS
3. Boston Legal
4. Sea Patrol
5. The View

You’re hungry for ice cream. I’ll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavours can I pile on for ya?
1. Pinky
2. Caramel chunks
3. Banana choc chip

Somebody stole your purse … in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what’s in there?
1. Wallet
2. Cellphone
3. Address Book
4. WW meeting book
5. Camera

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let’s pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 4 careers would be fun for you?
1. Writer
2. Geologist
3. Talk Show Host
4. Air Force Pilot

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things that you should or should not do, what would they be?
1. Keep having fun - you will grow up soon enough
2. Keep it fun - don't take risks and ask yourself WWJD
3. Stay in school!!!
4. That boy in that band is bad news! ;o)

Hybrid...

I made this up using a Rhonna Farrer free love digital kit that was available free from 2 peas.
Usually I might add something to a photo then print it out and scrap traditionally. But I quite liked the way this all sat together.
Its my entry into my 2nd NZ Dare. I often look and think man the talent that is there... its a Dare for me to post that I have done a Dare - LOL!

The words - which you cant read (sorry) are from the song that played as our first dance when we were married. It was sung by John McCall a country singer in Australia. He was one of my Dad's good friends so it was extra special.

Our song…

I want to share your life
every minute every day of your life
and I want you to know
that whatever you do
and where ever you go
Remember…

Someone loves you honey
no matter what
just be my girl baby
someone loves you honey
more than anything in the world

I’m so glad I’m the one
that you came to when you needed someone

that’s what my loves is for
it’s a shoulder to lean on
a boat in the storm
Remember…

Someone loves you honey
no matter what
just be my girl baby
someone loves you honey
more than anything in the world

Back...

I must have a had a wee dose of seeing into the future in my last post! 2 posts in one day and then nothing for 2 weeks..... hmmm - seriously we have had tummy bugs and accidents just doing the rounds here - and I am so over bugs. Lets start with Josef getting stuck in a window - we still don't know what he was thinking when he decided to climb out the window at school! But he slipped and got 'hung'. He was quite banged up when I got to school and after a quick consult with my doctor it was decided he was suffering a mild case of shock. What a dreadful experience, poor Josef was so shaken he slept 24 hours and it took over a week for him to bounce back.
Then we started taking turns with the gastro bug that has taken Southland by storm. Leo suffered the most, he was off work 5 days and he only went back because the telecom faults were pouring in and he works alone so wasn't a risk. Then Jessica, then Josef and then me. Ashleigh and Steven even joined in the fun!! Poor wee Brooke got it last week and ended up spending a few hours at A&E with a 41 degree temperature and a totally freaked out mother.
Last weekend I was moving a shelf in my scrap room and my back decided to let me know it existed - amazing how much we take the spine for granted. My lower back has been giving me so much grief lately. Its almost humorous to go to work and have my elderly clients demanding I sit!!!
Last Thursday I picked Jess up from school and she was in tears because she had a piece of grit in her eye and the teacher had given her an ice pack???? I rinsed her eye as soon as we got home and sure enough a piece of grit sailed out but by this time Jess had rubbed her eye so much it had scratched. Friday she was home with an infection in her eye!
Today I went up to the craft show for a wee looksie with Ashleigh and Brooke and before we left I noticed a small rash on Brooke's neck. Ash had assumed she was reacting to the wool washs he used to wash Brooke's sleeping bag. Ashleigh text me this afternoon to say she had been to Oma's and Oma took one look at Brooke and announced Brooke had the measles. So I went to look and yep sure enough Brooke has the measles!!! That poor baby has such a rough time of it lately. Those spots came out so fast!!!

But we have had some bright spots! Josef had his New Entrants Day at Boys High on Friday and he loved it!! He was so pleased to see Jeremy from his soccer team. Nathan another soccer team member but a year older made Josef feel good as well. Josef was shown around the school by PJ - PJ is deaf as well and is doing really well at school - this was a total confidence boost for us as we have had some people vocally knocking Boys High as a bad choice for Josef. When you have only have 2 schools to choose from you will get pros and cons for them but ultimately Josef is the one who has to go there.

And finally yesterday we had a most wonderful day spent with Ashleigh and Steven and a lot of family and friends as we celebrated my baby girls engagement. Yes I am having some trouble cutting the aprons strings, even though she is a mother herself, she is my baby now and forever!
The sun came out and we had a fabulous BBQ tea. It was such a great evening. I was so impressed with the goodwill and love that just flowed to Ash and Steven. The make such a lovely couple and they both work so hard to make things work out. They have come such a long way from the troubled teenagers to grow into mature, loving adults.
It really goes to show that sometimes just sticking by your kid when they go off the rails and quietly mending damage in the background can really pay off. The layout is my entry for the monthly challenge at Scrapbook Essentials. Brooke looked so adorable in the wee red jacket Oma had knitted her it seemed a perfect photo op!

The Winds of Fate (Ella Wheeler Wilcox 1850-1919)

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go

Like the winds of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life;
'Tis the set of a soul
That decides it's goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

Two Posts in One Day

Hmm - I must be ultra motivated or coming down with something...

Anyway I just wanted to share the awesome night I had on Saturday out at Sue's farm. It started out a Halloween party for the kids, we had some cool games. Like the Mummy Wrap - teams of 2 had to race to wrap each other in toilet paper. The eyeball and spoon race. The Pinata. Apple Bobbing. Lots and lots of fun!!
Rachel, Sue and I wen the whole deal and even made up Halloween treats for the table.
Then we sat down to a BBQ tea. Gotta love Southern BBQ's - yep it rained, lol - okay it was only a wee spit but still it felt right - LOL.
Sue and I got cracking and stuffed a guy for the bonfire. I swear I haven't laughed so hard in ages with all the adult humor that was flying while we sewed this 'guy' up.
We haven't purchased fireworks for a long time, so much money just to burn!!! But with the 3 families all sharing the cost we had a cracker of an evening around th bonfire. Our Guy took all of 5 minutes to burn up (big sigh - he was a good man - LOL) The children especially loved the sparklers. We all had a go at writing our names in the air with the sparkly effect.
Enjoy these photos - there are several layouts itching to be done now!

Q. Why don't witches like to ride their brooms when they're angry?
A. They're afraid of flying off the handle!
Q. How do witches keep their hair in place while flying?
A. With scare spray.
Q. What kind of mistakes do spooks make?
A. Boo boos.
Q: Why do mummies have trouble keeping friends?
A: They're so wrapped up in themselves
Q: What Do You Get When You Cross a Snowman With a Vampire?
A: Frostbite.

How Thrilling!!

My name was pulled out of the hat for this layout and it won this prize!!! Love the winner's cassette Neen makes up for the blog...So I put this together over the weekend for the latest song -yep "Thriller" LOL.Thanks so much Neen, I love these challenges so keep them coming :o)

"Fangs" for the memories

The Travellers Road Test

http://www.travellersroadtest.co.nz/

Miriam sent this to me and I took it for a bit of fun. I was actually pleasantly surprised at the results as they are very true. While I haven't traveled a fraction of what I wish I could - it will happen. Leo and I were just talking last night about which tracks we plan to tramp this summer. And on our wishlist of family activities is to attempt the cycle trip of the Central Otago goldfields with our kids.

You appear to be a direct descendant of Ed Hilary, viewing all geographical landmarks as something to be conquered. Nothing makes you happier than lacing up your slightly pungent boots and heading for the hills.

You’re self sufficient and independent and prefer to travel alone or with like-minded people. Large regimented tour groups make you twitchy.

You’re prepared to take risks but you’re also equipped for any occasion. Pocket knives are a basic accessory of any outfit and you could create a tourniquet out of an old jandal. Even your pants are waterproof, wrinkle-free and flame resistant.

Travel essentials: The necessary Lonely Planet, insect repellent
Favourite souvenirs: A piece of rock from Everest or the Berlin Wall
Similar travellers: Vikings, Christohper Columbus

LOL - I don't have a piece of Everest or the Berlin wall - but I do have a piece of Vanuatu and I always want to go back there!

So whats your traveling style - do share...

Some of them seemed possessed of an incorrigible inner urge simply to explore,
to use whatever excuse was necessary to travel into country where no one else had been, to see where the rivers went, to find a pass through a mountain range that no one else had crossed. (David Thompson)

Time after Time

My layout for this challenge - I'm glad Neen extended the deadline as I have had such a busy month and I really wanted to do it.

So here it is....

“Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
and think of you
caught up in circles confusion–
is nothing new
Flashback–warm nights–
almost left behind
suitcases of memories,
time after…”

“…If you’re lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you; I’ll be waiting
Time after time”

Cyndi Lauper

Whoa Jack!!

I was surfing around and realized I hadn't done this months Jack!! Okay so this month has had a life of its own and flown by. I know I'm a challenge junky and lately I seem to be a nick of time junky as well - LOL.
Anyhoo here is my Jack of the extremely talented Delys Crams layout.Buttons, stitching and the ever present glitz...and of course the gorgeous shot of Brooke - perfect ;o)

If I could sit on the porch with God, the first thing I would do is thank him for you.... author unknown

Layouts to share

Okay I managed to finish up a few layouts from SENZ.
This was from the brilliant Sequined Secrets class run by Kerrin Quall. I loved this class and I loved the whole idea of creating my embellishments with sequins and beads. Time consuming yes - but man it looks so good!!This is the Rocking Roxie Class layout. I really enjoyed the class - the new techniques and the doodling - all fun and bound to turn up in future layouts.And this was a layout I played with at the Saturday night crop at Tanya's old work. I played with the cricut and was suitably impressed by the way it cut me a big flourish without breaking into a sweat. Then I had oodles of fun doodling with an awesome Aussie Scrap Source DT kit I picked up at SENZ. The kit was Doodling Delight by Christine Miller. Not being a confident doodler this kit has really given me a fabulous taste of doodling.And these little beauties are the serviette canvases my sister Gaye taught me to make. With Christmas just around the corner they are going to make a stunning centerpiece. On the subject of Christmas the Scrapbook Essentials forum ran a 1 day challenge to make a Christmas card and tag. I made these. I had bookmarked this card a while ago in a Memory Makers magazine and figured I'd give it a crack. I doubt I would make these as the cards I send out to family and friends - it took ages and was as fiddly as heck!! LOL. But the tag was easy to whip up.The weather down this way has been positively awful. Yesterday was gale force winds up to 145km and today torrential rain and hail. I'm used to our totally weird unpredictable spring weather but these 2 days have been over the top even for Southland.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

SENZ

I know its been ages since I last posted and I do hope this is not a sign of things to come - but seriously folks - I am over rushing around and being so busy I don't have time to vege!

Before I get started HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELLE!!! I hope you have a fabulous day.I flew up to Christchurch last Wednesday, and from the touch down till lift off it was a pretty full on weekend. I loved the SENZ experience and I would definitely be keen to do it again.

I think the best part of the whole thing was doing something with my big sister and developing that childhood bond that can sometimes get lost in the rush and chaos that is adulthood. I am so pleased that Gaye and I have a common interest that we can share. Congratulations Gaye - btw - for having your name drawn as winner of the first Scrapbook Essentials Sketch Challenge - its a fabulous layout and I thought it was a buzz to see you win something on your very first entry!!
Okay back to my Christchurch trip - I distract myself!!
I spent Thursday with Miriam - huge hugs babe!!! Thank you for putting up with me and I will be thinking of you tonight!!! Miriam's sister Hannah has been nominated in the Best Gospel/Christian Album of the year, and Miriam is going to walk the red carpet with her. What an awesome experience that will be.
Friday, Gaye and I headed into SENZ and did some serious damage to our bank balances - we shopped! I spent time watching a demo for serviettes on canvases and I tell you this is my next big thing - everyone is going to get a canvas made by me!! LOL!
I found Michelle wandering around up at SENZ - woohoo photo opportunities - and we did - we had fun playing!!!We then attended my favourite SENZ class - Sequined Secrets with Kerrin Quall. The detail and work in this womans work is just awe inspiring - she is talented and I was so badly bitten by the sequin bug - move over brads - I have to make room for my now growing sequins and beads collection! My layout isnt finished for this class - the sewing and beadwork is complete - but I need a title so its sitting in my pile waiting patiently for me to be struck by inspiration.Friday night Gaye's friend Barb came over and we played with canvases and serviettes - oh what fun fun fun!!
Saturday we had to be in at SENZ with the birds to make the first class of the day which was run by Chris Miller. This lady can doodle something wicked!! And it always looks so fabulous. We had a play with the Love Elsie Roxie range. The layout when complete was stunning and just the sort of layout to 'rock' me!
Then I went and played with stamps!!! I'm not huge on stamps - they annoy me - but they are so much fun when they do as they are told! We took a class on using the same stamp for different looks and I was surprised how versatile a stamp can be - we made 3 cards and got instructions for more. And we got to keep the stamp - yay!
The classes were awesome and I learnt some great new techniques. In hindsight more classes would have been fun but this was my first SENZ and I wasn't sure what to expect.
Saturday night we got together with a bunch of SE ladies - thank you so much Tanya for arranging this and the cake was scrumptious!! We cropped, we shopped, we talked and we laughed - what a fun night! Meeting Tracy, Mich, Lynda and Vicky from SE forums was really great. I have to finish this post with a massive happy happy dance - I'm going to go to the Scrap Retreat next March in Queenstown. Meg, Sue, Rachel, Janine, Megan, Mich, Tanya, Gaye, Michele and maybe JulieMaree - to name the ones from SE going.... how gosh darn exciting can you get??!!! I am really looking forward to meeting you Janine - that will definitely be a major highlight for me!

"I wish I'd known from the beginning that I was born a strong woman.
What a difference it would have made!
I wish I'd known that I was born a courageous woman;
I've spent so much of my life cowering...
I wish I'd known that I'd been born to take on the world;
I wouldn't have run from it for so long,
but run to it with open arms.
(from Excavating Your Authentic Self by Sarah Ban Breathnach)

Happy Memories. Happy Times.

Happy Anniversary.Its been a very very busy week in this house. Maria is over from America. We have had 4 birthdays - Mum, Dad, Oma and Me (yep I hit the big 21 yet again ;o) ). We have had lunch dates and supper dates. We all still have worked. And the kids have been home for school holidays.

But the biggest milestone I think is the massive celebration we had in the weekend to celebrate the 5oth Wedding Anniversary of Oma and Opa.I will have been married to Leo for 10 years next year and truly that seems so long - 50 years is such a wonderful achievement and we had such a lovely day - its such a joy to have the entire family in one place!!

One can only wonder at what it must have been like for Oma and Opa as newlyweds to say goodbye to their family and friends and climb aboard a ship to sail to the other side of the world to start a new life together. And what a life they have had, they had 5 children, they have mourned the loss of one of these sons. Opa built many houses in Invercargill in his day as a bricklayer. They have traveled back to Holland and many of their family have visited here. A crib built by Oma and Opa in Nokomai is still a favourite place for the extended family to vacation and see in the New Year with the traditional dutch Olie Bollens made by Opa.
I share a love of needlework and juicy thrillers with Oma so we often swap books and compare notes.
I wonder where Leo and I will be in 40 years time? What will the passage of years bring us?
I hate farewells, I want to keep my family close, but the world has become so small that we have scattered.
The sad part is saying goodbye, Angie and Teresa-lee back to Christchurch, Lynette is off to a new job in Te Anau (and her partner, Allen is away to The Solomons for a stint as a peacekeeper), Maria is heading back to the US next week. And my Ash tells me that her and her partner Steven are planning to move to Australia.

Fiftieth Anniversary

(Nancy Smith)

Fifty years ago we started our life.
It was the day we became husband and wife.
The years passed by and our children are all gone.
Now our little ones have babes of their own.
And sometimes it seems like the time went too fast.
When we reminisce of our life in the past.
But there is still one thing that I know I would do...
I would still spend another 5 decades with you.

Jess loves me

I already knew that - LOL, but she was busy creating today and made me this...Each little card says something so sweet and honestly put a lump in my throat.

Things about Mum
- You Rock
-You Are Always There
- I Love You
- You Never Let Anyone Down
- You Are One Cool Mum
- I Would Never Forget What You Do
- It Wouldn't Be The Same Without You
- You Are The Best

If nothing else Lord, please let this little girl always hold me in such high esteem and
don't let me do anything to break her faith in me.

Tagged - What am I grateful for?

Hannah has tagged me and its such a cool tag - I have to list 6 - 8 things I am grateful for...

1. I am grateful I am sitting here and a friend has been thinking of me and added me to her list of tags, this means I have friends, I have people who think of me and care what I have to say - yes I am grateful for that.

2. I am grateful for my family, my husband Leo who has been my rock and my pillow for 12 years now. My children - Ashleigh who taught me how to grow a backbone and be a stronger Mum ;o) and Jess and Jos who bring me so much joy. To Brooke who has been such a wonder since day 1.

3. I am grateful I can believe, know and trust in my Heavenly Father and that he is watching over me. My personal faith has been very important to me as I struggled with life's curve balls.
4. I am grateful for the advances in technology that has opened doors for me and allowed me as a hearing impaired mum to be more independent, like my fax machine, my emails, my cellphone and my relay phone - all let me stand on my own 2 feet.

5. I am grateful that I have a creative bent that lets me scrapbook, I love the fact I am preserving our lives now for the future generations.

6. I am grateful I live in Southland - we are on the doorstep of some of the worlds most spectacular National Parks and I am grateful we have the means to be able to spend as much time in these parks as we wish.

7. I am grateful, today, that my sister and her family have driven down from ChCh for a visit. family is so very important and its always so wonderful to be able to see each other on a reasonable regular basis.

How wonderful it is to be grateful for all the little things that make up the 'big picture'.
Thanks Hannah for the cool tag!

I think for the fun of it I will tag
Ann
Michelle
and
Janine
have fun...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!! MWAH...

My desktop

Having a laptop in ones scrap room does not encourage scrapping!! LOL. I'm sitting in here looking for a quote for a card and go blog hopping instead - then I spot Hannah's blog and this cool post about sharing your desktop. Now I have just gotten this laptop and its running Vista. Ive heard a lot of bad things about Vista and Ive heard some pretty good things. I love how visually appealing it is and the folders are soooo much easier to navigate!!
Anyway this is my desktop right now.I love how there are no game icons scattered all over my picture - Josef and Jess have laid claim to the old desktop and it actually runs better without all my scrap stuff on it!!!
The icons on my laptop are all scrap related - LOL - photo editing, printing, hybrid scrapbooking word processing...
I love the vista gadgets - the sticky notes are a godsend to someone like me who writes mysefl notes about everything!!!
The big clock is there to theoretically keep me aware of the time, hasn't worked yet - but it looks good!
And the slideshow viewer is a nifty wee way of always seeing my photos.

At the time I had Hannahs blog open I had 6 tabs open in Firefox - I have 2 eyes and read 6 pages at once - go figure.
My Mail was open and I was also looking for a layout in 'my scanned layouts' folder.

And last but not least media player is pinned to the bottom bar and has several playlists loaded.

So that is my desktop!

Now Hannah issued an open tag and I will do the same. I 'normally' blog once or twice a week so I don't always notice tags etc so I will make that assumtion of others lol.

If you feel like doing this then here are the rules (as cut and pasted from Hannahs blog - thanx Hannah ;o)

My Desktop Free View Instruction:

A. Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun.
You can do a screen capture by: [1] Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key. [2] Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste. [3] If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.
For MAC users: Press [ Apple] [ Ctrl ] [ Shift ] and [ 3 ]
B. Post the picture in your blog. You can also give a short explanation on the look of your desktop just below it if you want.
C. Tag 5 of your friends and ask them to give you a Free View of their desktop as well.
D. Add your name to this list of Free Viewers with a link pointing directly to your Desktop Free View post to promote it to succeeding participants.

iRonnie
Rebecca
Jon
Vegan Momma
The Vaguetarian Tea Room
Blairs Boys

Here with Me

My 1st NZ Dare

Ive often looked but never tried...
Here is my very first NZ Dare.
The challenge was to scrapbook something in your life to do with television. Well I couldn't resist the attempt to scrapbook my very favorite television programme of all time.
The strip journalling is some of my favourite quotes from the show:

"You know, this is pretty good - someone should be writing this down!"
- Potter

Henry: “Pierce, are you scared?”
Hawkeye: “Don't be silly. I'm too frightened to be scared.”

“I will not carry a gun, Frank. When I got into this war I had a very clear understanding with the Pentagon. No guns. I'll carry your books, I'll carry a torch, I'll carry a tune, I'll carry on, carry over, carry forward, Cary Grant, cash and carry, carry me back to old Virginie, I'll even hari-kari if you show me how, but I will not carry a gun!”
- Hawkeye

Frank: “I insist on quiet in here!”
Trapper: “Will someone please turn the war down for Frank?”

B.J.'s early impressions of the Korean War: “I think I hate this.”

“Aw, pony pucks!”
- Potter

“These are the forms to get the forms to order more forms, sir.”
- Radar

Hawkeye: “You won again. You always win. Who do you know? “
(Father Mulcahy looks up.)
Hawkeye: “Name dropper.”

Frank, whatever it is, just write it down and put it on my desk where I can't find it.
- Henry

The journalling is tucked behind one of the bigger photos at the top and reads:

"I grew up watching M*A*S*H. My sisters and I would watch it on my parent’s bedroom TV while Mum and Dad watched the news.

As an adult I have a healthier appreciation for the humor and I still really enjoy watching this show. I have the entire collection on DVD and watch it whenever I am in the mood for Alan Alda, who will always be one of my favourite people."

And that was fun! It took me a lot longer than anticipated because I kept getting distracted and reading websites dedicated to MASH. LOL.

3 challenges and spring flowers

make for a happy Julie.

I decided to march all the kids over to the back of the old hospital where the gardens have been let to grow wild, the spring flowers are in full bloom and are simply stunning.

I have taken quite a few photos and will be scrapping them in the very near future. I have been suffering 'scrappers doubt' lately - wondering if my stuff is a good as I think it is. I woke up and smelt the daffodils - and quietly reminded myself that I scrap for me and my family. I share because I love the hobby and I like any other person love to be told I do well, but mostly I want to say "Hey look what I've done today."

And on that note here is what I have been up to...

This is my take on the layout by Ann up to be 'Jacked' over at Jack Me Up. I used to cross stitch all the time - small children put an end to the long hous spent stitching in a corner. So it was a lot of fun to stitch this wee soccer dude just for a page of my own little soccer star. And I just loved playing with all the circles.

This is my layout for Neens challenge over at The Music in Me. For future reference I have written on the back of the layout that the song is sung by Gwen Stefani. I just got the Scenic Route papers last Wednesday and have been itching to do this page with this photo.

And this little gem was put together as a result of a Friday Night Challenge offered up by Megan Renfree over at Scrapbook Essentials. We had to use decorative scissors, chipboard and a stamp. Hmmm... LOL I have decided I really, really like 'ingredient' challenges. Anyway Megan placed all the entrant sin a hat and my name popped out, so for my efforts I am to get a package of rubons from Imaginisce - yummy!!!

This is Brooke and her 2 great grandfathers! Opa and Grandpop. Both of them just love having a little one around again.

Grandpa and Me
(Nancy Wolthoff )
Come Grandpa, walk with me... Help me to be the best kid I can be. Take me here and take me there... Show me now how much you care. The many hours we share together... Will be the times I'll remember forever.