Stuff2Scrap November Challenge

Finding the time to scrap can sometimes be really hard in my house but I'm slowly learning to make time, because existing without creating is like a life half lived and I really feel like I'm missing a piece of me when I'm not scrapping. So I'm happy to be involved with Stuff2Scrap and their creative team and this month it was my turn to set the challenge for November. I chose:

(1) Paint - but wait! No brushes, sponges, etc. Use your creative hands to get paint onto your layout.

(2) Stacked chippie! This is a great way to use up varying sizes of the same design or combine totally different chipboard patterns, pieces and styles to create something new.

(3) Song lyrics - these can either make up your title, your journalling, or just a line on the layout somewhere. Any song you like is fine, from nursery rhymes to your favourite rock anthems!

For my layout I used watered down acrylic paint, stacked Stuff2Scrap chipboard hearts in varying sizes, inked, painted and glimmer misted to give contrast, and used the title "We Are Family" for my song lyrics. I've also used red mesh from a bag of oranges, a jumbo playing card from a deck I bought from the Reject Shop, "vintage" postage stamps I bought from the fleamarket ($3 for about a hundred), and a couple of old book pages. The paper itself was from a pack I bought at Kmart for $3. There's also a cardboard tag I cut out from a box and ripped the top layer off to reveal the corrugated cardboard underneath, plus a couple of black bobby pins, two polka dot buttons (thanks again Reject Shop!), a couple of metal washer thingies I had in my stash and some cheap red flower ribbon ($2 from a discount shop). Don't ever let anyone tell you scrapping has to be expensive lol I've learned to look everywhere for scrap supplies as you can find them in the most unexpected places. Discount stores, sewing/quilting shops, fleamarkets and thrift stores can be the most awesome places to find things and I love discovering stuff that I won't see everywhere else.

I'm off again but I'll be back hopefully soon with some pictures of Miss Indi to share. I've uploaded a few on Facebook but the blog here is more than a bit neglected. I definitely need to take to it with a brush cutter, a whipper snipper and a lawnmower to get it looking nice again lol

Cheers, Lu xx

In the infamous words of Van Halen....

Here I go again!!! As you can see, there is a picture of a very gorgeous baby to the left. This is our latest arrival - Miss Indiana Ayla Benson, or Indi for short. For those who are long time readers, you will know that our very challenging (being polite here) 7yo has kept us more than a bit busy for a good few years now but as she has settled a bit, matured somewhat and we have found better strategies to deal with her, we have turned our attention to expanding our family. I have always felt there was "someone waiting", a prospect that has always excited me and terrified Doug, he believing we may end up with another child just like Caeligh. We love her to pieces but OMG she is hard work and definitely high maintenance lol Anyone with an ADHD child knows that it is a 24 hour a day job so we thought long and hard before deciding to pursue the "someone waiting" theory. My Dad was very ill last year with a life limiting illness that required surgery to reverse the damage. He was in hospital for weeks, went through a gruelling 8 hour surgery and had to stay with us for weeks afterwards until he was well enough to come home. Like so many things, as soon as we stopped thinking about trying for a baby, I realised weeks after Dad went back to his own home that I had skipped an important visitor! We were petrified but thrilled, and also apprehensive about peoples' reactions to our soon to be family of five, especially when a couple of our kids already have issues. On the whole, most people have been really good. We still get lots of "oh, you must be very busy" and the like, which is fine, because we are, but the reaction from the world in general has been great. Indi is a wonderful bub and she is very casual and easy going, which I think she somehow knows she needs to be to fit in with everyone else's chaos here lol! So I'm back to having a boob with a view, and a beautiful view at that. The kids all love her to bits and I can't imagine life without her. She's almost seven weeks now.

What else has been going on? Doug's mum fell ill very unexpectedly in April. We thought she was managing at home okay by herself at nearly 75 but it turns out this has not been the case. She ended up requiring a pacemaker and staying with us for a few weeks afterwards before we moved her back to her house, which was unfortunately in a state of unhygenic disrepair and mess due to her dogs. Yup, she is one of those "crazy dog lady" types that has her dogs living in the house, doing what they like where they like and because she has no sense of smell, the place, to me anyway, was virtually inhabitable! Doug has resigned from work to be her carer as it is clear she cannot manage the home alone and the cognitive problems that became shockingly apparent when she was in hospital have just continued to snowball. It's very sad as only a year ago she was completely independent, driving, managing her finances, etc, and now she cannot remember the day of the week and she is inclined to cut her own hair and leave the gas stove on if not supervised :( It won't be an easy road from here but we'd like to help her stay at home for as long as is safe and practicable so that's our goal right now.

Is there anything actually scrap related, you ask? Lol...well no, not really! I did put most of my stash into storage a couple of months ago, when we moved to stay with Doug's mum for a few months, so I've had to start purchasing a few things so I can scrap again. What is that saying?
"I, myself, am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions". I have never lost the desire to scrap or the inspiration to do so...it's always there I think, once you've been bitten by the scrap bug, but life gets in the way for many of us and for some of us, life just becomes overwhelming, with so much else to do that scrapping becomes a preoccupation for the mind but not for the hands...In the last three months we've moved house, put our whole life into storage, had a baby, become carers for an elderly Alzheimer's patient, I've continued to work, Doug has retired to become a carer for his mum, we've battled with his sister about what's the best thing for his mum, and we've continued to try and keep some semblance of normalcy and routine for the kids as best we have been able to. Not easy but important!

Our kids have managed better than I could have imagined with all of the unavoidable upheaval. Blayd is now 16, a strapping 6'5" almost-man who has just started learning to drive (yes, that is fear you hear in my voice!!!), Lachlann has gone through a very rough patch in the last six months, with aggression, anxiety, rebellion and misbehaviour being the order of the day for quite some time but he is now finally settling down (thank God!!!), James is enjoying living here at Gran's house and is slowly weaning off his sooky-la-la ways, and Caeligh keeps on keeping on, a huge enigma of a girl, a puzzle of sharp wit, incredible intelligence, out of control behaviour and a few other things all thrown in. Needless to say, they all love having a new sister and it has brought a positive influence to our family which is most welcome....

I saw a challenge blog looking for a new DT recently and it is one that I had participated in very occasionally in the past, so was suddenly struck with vim and vigor to try out. I have all of three days left and have not started anything yet lol. I had to purchase supplies, and would like to purchase more (lol), and need to get some photos printed tomorrow if I have any time at all. I have no idea whether I will have any luck with my application. Hell, I don't even know if I will have any luck remembering how to successfully scrap. I'm sure I can throw together dog's breakfast if I need to but to actually scrap, the way I remember being able to?, that's a different story altogether. I've been buoyed by the kindness of my FB buddies who have encouraged me to get back on the horse, and I really want to, so I will find my self a couple of hours in the next few days, a couple of hours to see if I can find myself again in amongst all of the other things I do every day. I'm also amazed at the confidence others have had in me, even though I've been on what could only be politely called an "extended break" from the scrapping world. I have had offers of guest and permanent DT positions since I expressed my desire to get back into the swing of things and I am completely humbled and grateful for the confidence others have in my ability, even though they've seen no evidence of it lately. I think it's the faith of others that will push me back into scrapping far more effectively than I could ever push myself lol I feel like I've missed the boat a bit though, as if I'm behind the eight ball so to speak, as those who were my peers when I started scrapping and getting fully immersed into the industry are now moving onward and upward, delving into the beautiful world of mixed media, canvas and all kinds of new things, whereas I feel like I'm trapped in a scrapping time warp, like I have so much more to do with paper and glue before I want to leave the art and move onto something more adventurous. Only time will tell I guess if that's true or not, but it's how I feel now. I feel like a kid repeating a grade while everyone else has gone up a level....I always was a bit remedial lol

So right now life is busier than ever, nothing new there, but with a few different challenges for us as a family. Doug is, as always, amazing...he looks after me, our family, his mother, with all of the fierce love and dogged determination he has always had, and with an optimism that swaddles me in a cozy blanket of "everything really WILL be okay". That is a feeling that can't have a price put on it, that holds me up when I feel down, that surpasses everything else going on, and that really does give me comfort that we are okay; as a family, we are always going to be okay. He's not a blog reader but if he happens to have a peek, love you babe!

I guess that's my update. There would be a lot more if I was a better record keeper throughout the last tumultuous year. ASI magazine proved to be a commitment I couldn't keep, like so many, and I feel like I really let people down there. Back to the saying about good intentions.... All I can do now is have a look at where I am, look back at where I've been, and turn to the future to see what that will bring...and take it from there.

Lu xx

I'm great at keeping secrets...

...cos I forget to come back and tell them lol!!!

This is the cover of the launch edition of Australian Scrapbook Ideas and I'm really excited to say I am a resident design team member for this fab new mag. That means that every issue I will be producing some hopefully great layouts plus lots of instructions, hints and tips so you can complete entire layouts from start to finish, as well as detailed info on where you can get your supplies from.

I'm very excited to be in the company of some truly awesome scrappers in this new venture - Jolene Pienaar, Mandy Collins, Cindy Porter, Jill Gerraghty-Groves, Barbara Shepherd, and of course, my bestie and partner in crime, Cass Glass!!!

I also have to give a big shout out to Tina, Robert and the team at Practical Publishing Australia for putting the new magazine together and for giving us all the freedom to create as we each do best. It's been a wonderful experience to be involved so far and it has really fired up the mojo which I haven't felt this much for a long, long time. We're looking forward to bringing something a little different to the Australian scrappers out there who are looking for that something extra. I know there are lots of opinions floating around out there as to what readers really want in a mag and of course we'd love to hear those ideas - they are what will help us to create a magazine that you truly love each and every issue! We want to give you cover-to-cover, can't put down, must go try that now reading that will send you to your stash in a flurry of creativity and hopefully inspiration.

If you were at the Brisbane Papercrafts Convention you may have had an opportunity to get your hands on an issue already, otherwise it goes on sale in newsagents on 17th July 2010. There is also a great subscription deal at Practical Publishing Australia's website that you can take advantage of.

I didn't end up going to the convention at all this year, which I really missed as there were so many girls I wanted to catch up with! Sorry especially to Nic - thanks for the phone chat the other week! and sorry Lou cos we didn't get our yearly photograph! We'll mebbe have to photoshop it huh? lol But life, work, kids and everything else gets in the way sometimes and circumstances can just bugger up the best of plans. I hope everyone who went had a great time though...I did live vicariously through your Facebook posts! lol I'm also sad that I didn't get to visit the Zenozam man who always has the cutest little acrylic jars of bling in all shapes and sizes that I love to use, and the clever people who bring the big plastic tubs of VersaColor and Brilliance Dew Drop inks that I can never get enough of! I think I see some online shopping in my future...

I've been working on a bit of off the page stuff, trying my hand at mixed media, but because I mainly have scrap supplies, it isn't technically mixed media yet lol I've decided that I need an entirely different stash of stuff for that so there's more hunting to be done. I have however done quite a few thrift shops lately and rummaged up some old 45 records in their paper covers, a few big LPs with nice album sleeve artwork, some vintage dress patterns, lots of habby stuff, plenty of old buttons, bits and bobs for my pages which makes me a happy girl. I've also been bitten by the hat and scarf bug so I've been picking up bargains here and there as I do my thrift shop trawling. If you're on the south side of Brisbane, some of the ones I've been to lately are The Salvos and Lifeline (at Woodridge, on the corner of Kingston & Wembley Roads), the big Endos store on Wembley (opposite KFC on the service road), there is a SVDP (St Vincent De Paul) and an ADRA up on the street that runs next to the train line - I can never remember if it is Railway Parade or Station Road, there is a huge Lifeline and Salvos superstores at Acacia Ridge, in Boniface Street (behind the big Tradelink/Stratco place on the corner of Granard and Beaudesert Roads), and some of the smaller shops like Aid for the Blind, the Asthma Foundation and RSPCA also have great thrift shops around the place if you google for them. There's also two in Watling Street, Springwood (opposite side of the road from Ikea - now there's a map reference we all understand!!!). There's always the multiple good shops on Annerley Road at Annerley to choose from, including that gorgeous huge antique shop that always lures me in even if I cannot afford to buy anything, and there's also Reverse Garbage at West End which I haven't visited in a while but am desperate to go back to. There are also quite a few thrift shops close together in Browns Plains/Regents Park too if you like to get to a few in one go. I'll take some pics of my finds and put them up when I get a minute, so you can appreciate the huge amount of tat and crap that I could not pass up lol

If you're a FB buddy, you'll be pleased to hear that while I'm not completely accepting of the crap life throws, I am (as a very wise lady did say to me) learning to catch and throw it back!

I hope you are all well and be sure to say hi if you stop by. I'll try to be a more faithful blogger now that the mag is out and I'm not quite so in the scrapbooking darkness anymore lol

Cheers, Lu xx

WHO LOVES ANNOUNCEMENTS?!?!

lol well I do! I have had something in the works for a little while now that will hopefully get me fully back into the scrappy swing of things and back into creating regularly. Sometimes it is easy for life to get in the way of the things we love to do and unless there is a driving force, a particular reason or deadline to be met, our hobbies can tend to slide under the mountain of family, work and life in general. I've been busily instilling rota charts, behaviour charts and schedules into my home over the last couple of weeks in preparation for wanting and needing to dedicate more time to my scrapping because now I am scrapping with a PURPOSE! I'll be able to blab over the weekend when I have a bit more time to blog but for now I just wanted to say that I'm back in the saddle and happily creating, with more organisation, more free time to create and a quieter, more orderly home!

March has been a month of change here...and a month of injuries. Lachlann broke a bone in his foot while attempting to get onto his Ripstick (yes the skateboard thingy of doom!) so it was a six hour late night hospital wait for x-rays, crutches, etc. Just as we were about to leave the emergency room he vomited - he's my kid with the delicate stomach and I think the shock and tiredness just got to him. Doug got a lovely alkaline burn while at work which hasn't healed after two weeks still. The kids and I have all been through the regular change of season cold, as well as vomits, and a couple of weeks ago the ganglion on my left wrist swelled up so badly I couldn't type much at all and had to wear a wrist splint for a week and a half. It's all gone now and you'd never know it had even been there - until next time it decides to play up! Blayd is currently away on his very first "man camp". I call it "man camp" cos the chaplain at his school is taking a group of boys all 14/15 in age out into the NSW bush for four days of camping. It's designed to help the boys build self confidence, trust and independence and he was so excited to be going. They had to take everything - AND I MEAN EVERYTHING! - they would need to survive for the four days and had to carry it all themselves. Good thing he's fit lol He comes home tomorrow and I'm sure he'll have heaps of stories to tell.

We've been implementing the charts etc that I mentioned above and it is all going really well. I got most of the charts from a website called http://www.freeprintablebehaviourcharts.com/ and they kids have really taken to them. The best part is they have charts already made up that target some of childrens' most annoying behaviours. Lachlann has a "no arguing" chart and he gets up to three points each day for not arguing with Doug and I, with teachers at school or if we are going out anywhere. He's such a chatterbox and is one of those kids who must have the last word, usually as he is flouncing off to his room to contemplate the indignity and injustice of his life hehe He's done very well and I'm really proud of him. James has a "no tantrum" chart which I really need to print up for his teacher to use at school. He's much better there but it would be good to continue the chart there and at home for consistency. James has a gran who indulges him very much and folds like a house of cards if James so much as whines in complaint so we are giving her a chart to so she can help undo the behaviour she has helped to create! Caeligh has a "no hitting" chart for early mornings and evenings when her medication has worn off and she tends to go a bit feral and get aggressive. It's also going surprisingly well. I've also printed off vouchers for things like "one hour of tv time - you pick the show", " one 50 cent ice cream at McDonalds", "a date night with mum/dad" etc and they are good for rewarding a good day or a good week. I keep them on the fridge so the kids see them all the time. There are also certificates on the website to that I give out once per week for different things but all four kids get one for something they have done in the week. It reinforces that I did notice their good behaviour even if I didn't comment directly on it at the time, and hopefully they realise that sometimes rewards can come later for good behaviour, good jobs, etc, and that they won't need immediate rewards all the time.

We also created a job rota. In our house, because I work such long days and Doug does too, it can be hard to get the basic things done each day. On a busy morning, someone will forget to empty the dishwasher so I can't reload it in the afternoon, or something that needed to be washed hasn't been, etc. So we've made a decision as a family that all six of us are on the job rota, so that way the kids can't say that we aren't helping them (but as any of us parents know, kids have no clue how much work actually does go into running a household and family, and it's a lot more than will fit onto a basic job rota!!!), and we've scheduled all the usual tasks like taking out rubbish, emptying the dishwasher, refilling the dishwasher, rebooting the laundry (emptying the dryer, putting the wet stuff in the dryer and putting dirty stuff in the washer), sweeping the tile floors, vacuuming the loungeroom and bedrooms, folding clothes and putting clothes away. It also stops kids from complaining that "I did that just yesterday - it's someone else's turn!!!" cos they can see when they did a job and that someone else is doing it today instead of them. We rotate all the jobs each day - we all have one job in the morning, one in the afternoon and one after dinner - but it's still only 3 jobs a day each for the kids and so they don't feel overburdened. They have a supplemental chore sheet that they can do if they want extra pocket money, and they've discovered that if they properly complete their three jobs per day, Doug and I don't ask them to do anything else and they have lots more free time, rather than us always asking them to help get things done so they feel like they never get a solid block of play time.

One ongoing drama is the mountain of socks - with four kids there are never-ending battles to find pairs of anything, even when we have what I'm sure is about fifty thousand pairs of white school socks!! How on earth can nobody find a pair of those?!?! So I decided to turn the sock drama into a game. I sat Caeligh down on the floor, put the sock basket between us, loaded with dozens of unmatched socks, and we took half the basket each. I then told Caeligh we were going to play "Go Fish" with the socks. She would hold up a sock and ask me if I had the other one. If I did have it, I gave it to her and she got a point. If I didn't have it, she had to put it to one side and move onto another sock. We must have found thirty or forty pairs of socks in half an hour, all because it was a game and didn't feel like a chore! I'm a little bit proud of myself for coming up with that one. It's not often a child will ask if they can sort the odd socks lol

I'm off to have a play. I bought some really cool big square (like one inch!) black, red and green bling from one of the cheap shops nearby and I also had to buy the apparently necessary barrage of easter themed crap for decorating easter hats for school tomorrow so that ought to be fun! Maybe I can get away with a supervisory role for that job lol

Cheers, Lu xx

PRIMA! PRIMA! PRIMA!!!

Big Secret Promotion Winners
And the winners are....
(Click on the purple curtain to reveal the names of our two winners from the Big Secret Blog post!)
You have 7 days from today to contact us at cari@primamarketinginc.com for your prize package.

If you don't have a blog, don't worry, you still have a chance to win.
That's Right! Prima is giving away two more AMAZING prize packages in conjunction with our BIG SECRET!
We want EVERYONE to have a chance to win so we are changing the rules a bit.
Please copy this write-up and link us on your blog, Facebook, or any other site that you frequent (please follow their TOU).
Then post here with a link to your blog, Facebook or site post for your chance to win BIG with Prima!
One US and one International winner will be chosen on Thursday, March 4th, 2010.
And we are getting closer and closer to revealing our secret-it won't be long now!
Just a couple more days of suspense!

Let's all face it girls - no matter how much Prima we already have in our stashes, there is always room for more of this divine stuff!!!

Cheers, Lu

Poking my head in for a quick hello!

So here are a few shots from our family Christmas.  It was an early start (isn't it always?!?!).  Caeligh was in charge of the camera that day so these are all of her pictures, slightly blurry but taken with much excitement and pride at being the photographer for the day.

My nan was down in Brisbane after moving from Townsville and she got to meet my children for the very first time.  This is my birth mother's mother whom I only met myself for the first time a couple of years ago.  It was lovely to have her in my home and getting to meet all the kids.  Caeligh felt instantly comfortable with her and even climbed onto her lap for a cuddle which is almost unheard of from Caeligh!

We had lots of family, friends,  food and fun.  The kids all loved their Nintendo DSs that they got, along with lots of outside toys like ripsticks and scooters.  It was a long day with a mad cleaning frenzy at the end of it, instead of a relax, because we left for two weeks of holidays at Golden Beach at Caloundra on Boxing Day.  Had a fantastic time, great unit with a full kitche, washing machine and dryer in the unit, the beach was across the street and so was the BBQ area.  The kids could swim or fish.  I think fishing has become our new favourite family activity.  Instead of the usual bickering and sniping at each other, they all would get really excited when someone caught something and there were lots of pats on the back and congratulations.  It was a nice change to see them being so supportive and encouraging of each other and thus it has become one of our new weekend activities to do with them.

Not a lot of scrapping going on but slowly doing a bit here and there.  I did have a third layout but SM accepted it for pub so I can't put it up here for ages according to their new publication rules.  It was nice to create something and I'm glad I haven't forgotten how to scrap!  I'm trying to make a little time here and there for it, so even if I don't get something finished in one hit (which has always been my style), I can come back to it and work on it some more when I do have time. 

School has been a big change this year.  Blayd is now in Senior School so he goes from 7.45am to 1pm every day.  I wish I had had hours like that when I was in high school!  Lachlann is in Middle Schoo, James is in Upper Junior and Caeligh is in Junior School.  She has settled down a lot at school but can still be quite the handful at home, especially in the mornings when waiting for her medication to kick in, and then in the evenings after it has worn off but otherwise, home life is on the up and up.  We all still have our crazy days - hell anyone with kids will tell you the best behaved kids can have off days - but overall I'm glad we're back into the routine of school.  We are going away to Caloundra again for the Easter holidays and Blayd's best friend is coming with us so the kids all have something to look forward to which I think helps as well.  We'll also be going back up at Christmas this year for two weeks again.  I can't believe how much we all enjoyed the break and how much we all needed it!  I was very strict with myself and I only worked for two hours the whole time we were gone!  Easter will be different but that's okay, all part of being self employed but I'm sure I will still have plenty of time to have fun with the kids.  

I'll post some holiday photos on a new post as I have to get back to work now but I wanted to come and share those couple of layouts.  It's nice to be scrapping again!

Hellooooo - is anybody out there?

I have to say that since I am no longer immersed in the world of scrapbooking, I've found it very hard to blog as I figure nobody is really interested in the daily goings on of my house, my job or that kind of stuff so I haven't updated. The only scrapping I have done in virtually the last year *sigh* was entries for the local Mt Gravatt Show up here in Brisbane. I was thrilled with my haul, two firsts, two seconds, a third and a couple of honorable mentions. I even won two shop vouchers that I haven't even used yet - how's that for falling of the face of the scrapping world??? But all the same, it reinforced that I hadn't forgotten how to scrap which is at least something.

The typing business has pretty much become all consuming, very early days, the occasional late night and more weekends than I would like to admit. A newfound love of online shopping has also filled a bit of the void of scrapbooking, but not buying scrapbooking things. Cass and I made a pledge that we would not buy a single scrapbooking item until the beginning of January as we both have far more crap than we could ever use and the point of the hobby is not to buy, admire, imagine what could be done with the product and then shoving it in a drawer at home, never to see daylight again.

I have however made good use of eBay for buying new clothes for the kids. They all outgrow their things so fast that it can be hard to keep up and by the time they outgrow them, they really aren't in any shape for hand-me-downs either. Blayd is now six feet tall!!! I swear he has shot up a whole foot this year alone, and with his mop of curly hair and great "def" (muscle definition from hours and hours of karate), he's turning into one good looking young man. Lachlann is still waiting for his chance to catch up and being 12 now, I think it will be over the Christmas holidays that he starts to sprout. James and Caeligh are both quite slight and a bit small for their age but they too are still managing to outgrow things at a rapid rate. I've also bought Doug lots of techy type things, a watch that is a remote control for the TV, sunglasses with a built in MP3 player and the like. He loves toys even at his age. As for myself, I have always loved jewellery and I don't even care if it's not real. Junk is fine with me! I wear mainly silver except for my wedding band and engagement ring so I've been stocking up on silver (plated I'm sure) bangles, big bling rings, turquoise earrings and that kind of stuff. Better still is that I love the chase of finding what I want at the cheapest possible price!

So the update is super quick but I wanted to share a recipe as I'm going to magically morph into some kind of kitchen goddess over the next four weeks. We have a housefull for Christmas this year, the biggest Christmas I have had to cater for, and I'm trawling the foodie mags trying to find great recipes and things I want to try. I thought I would share one that sounds particularly good and probably not so good for the waistline!

Recipe for Frangelico Cherry Cheesecake

1/3 cup Frangelico (and some for the cook!)
3/4 cup caster sugar
400g fresh pitted cherries
1 x 360g Sara Lee French Cream cheesecake, thawed

1. Place the Frangelico and sugar in a small saucepan over low head and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the syrup thickens slightly.

2. Add the cherries to the syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until cherries soften slightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to cool. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge for 30 mins to chill.

3. Place cheesecake on a serving platter. Top with the cherries and pour over some of the syrup.

This sounds divine - courtesy of Australian Good Taste magazine December 2009 issue.

I figure you could replace both the liqueur and the cherries for whatever kind you fancy. Strawberries and Cointreau would be nice too I think.

So that's my update for now. I will try to post some of my layouts for the Mt Gravatt Show when I get a chance. I'm hoping that when the kids finish school, I will have more time to maybe break out a few supplies and see if I feel the urge to create anything. I can't tell you how much I miss it.

Have a great week and I'll try to be back soon, if anyone is still reading!!! lol

Love Lu xx

Happy Birthday Mikayla

Happy birthday 11th Mikki Moo - we love you and miss you every day.

L xx

Sad Smack

Firstly, big congrats to the new Kaisercraft DT girls - they will all do a fab job I'm sure and wish them all every success as they start on what will be a fun, creative journey.

Thank you to the person who emailed me to let me know about this:  

You know the scrapping world has come to a shitty state when I got smacked on a smackblog for not doing enough work for Kaisercraft by someone who reads my blog, knows why I haven't been doing any scrapping and thus why I wasn't reapplying for the KC DT and smacked me for it anyway, while failing to mention why in their big, bad, anonymous blog post.

I even replied to it - begging for an even more thorough smacking no doubt! - because the world is full of people who love to make assumptions and don't even need a fraction of truth or knowledge to base them on.

For the record, if the anonymous world of smack thinks I'm an average scrapper, good for you.   Funny how you never see them offer up their own work for criticism, isn't it?

Get a life.  You suck.  (not you guys, just the anon smacker!).

L xx

Anzac Day

They shall grow not old,
As we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them,
Nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun,
And in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest We Forget.

WHERE THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU?!?!?

I guess that's been the question if you've come to have a look lately....

To be honest, I haven't been in the best of health and am finally finding out what it means when I used to think I was sick like if I had a cold or a stomach bug or something compared to what I'm going through now.

Basically, I've had a few "weird" neurological episodes over the years, nothing huge, a couple of numb patches on my body, my eyes flicking and doing weird stuff and my spatial perception (that thing in your brain that determines if you have enough room to reverse your car without hitting anything) being on holiday.  During one "episode" a few years ago I scraped the entire side of my van along the driveway gate because in my not quite right mind I swear it looked like I had plenty of room.  Nobody was more shocked than me to hear that noise of metal scraping on metal,  maybe except for Doug who looked at me like I was an idiot when I told him what I'd done.  Lucky for me the van is a heap of crap anyway lol

So these neurological symptoms came for a few weeks at a time and would go again, with a few years in between episodes so I really didn't think much of it but after the van incident I did tell my doctor who arranged for a CT scan of my head which was totally normal (but at least I had picture proof that no matter how scattered I am, I DO have a brain!).  Fast forward to last year as we were preparing to move.  Life was stressful, crazy, full of dramas and I was working ridiculous hours right up until the move the week before Christmas.  Around November I started to notice pins and needles in the fingers on my left hand.  Odd, I thought.  Didn't pay much attention.  The numb patches I had always had started to get a bit bigger and new ones appeared, like having a shot of novacaine at the dentist where you can feel pressure on your face but the sensation is really dulled if you know what I mean?  I also intermittently got the sensation of having something cold or hot on my left leg or arm but there was nothing there.  I started to get really tired and run down and naturally assumed it was because of all the stuff going on in life so pretty much tried to ignore it all and took on an "I'll deal with it after the holidays" type of thing.  I even went away for a few days with the fam to the beach and things settled down again.  Excellent, I thought, clearly just needed a break...

Hit the fast forward button again to the first week of February.  Here in Brisbane we had a full on heat wave that first week.  My office, which technically is a carpeted formal dining room, is the only room in the house with no air con and no ceiling fan.  It faces west and gets the afternoon sun from at least midday until the sun goes down and the temperature in the room was like an oven.  As the week progressed I got more and more exhausted even though I was sitting at my desk the whole time.  I started taking naps during the day because I was just so freaking tired.  My ankles swelled up (my beloved cankles have thankfully left the building and I dearly hope they never return) and my blood pressure shot up as well which is unheard of for me.  I am very proud of my rock solid 110/70 bp that never shifts, even when I'm hugely pregnant.  I figured it was just the heat and the ankles were from drinking three litres of water a day cos I was so hot.  So whinged and bitched and made Doug eventually put in the window mounted air con unit we had the garage which he had been putting off for a while as his computer sits right in the path of the big split system in the rumpus room.  Sorry, Doug is normally a wonderful and very considerate guy but I don't think he got how unwell the heat was making me feel and it wasn't like he had to sit in that room all day sweltering.

I was so grateful for the air con but the exhaustion and fatigue didn't improve and I was finding it a bit of a struggle to get up at 4am for my usual starts.  I also started getting the same other symptoms back with a big increase in pins and needles to the point where it was occurring all along my left side from the top of my head to my feet.  My brain basically went to mush and I forgot how to spell things, forgot conversations mid-sentence, had trouble remembering the names of things and my left hand became fumbly and incoordinated, not great for a typist!!!  I started having bladder problems with urgency and my left arm and leg started to feel a bit weak. I had an episode of a tremor in my right arm and tripping because my foot wasn't lifting high enough when I was walking, had an awful case of clumsy, dropping stuff, walking into doorways, walking into furniture, etc.  Within a few weeks the tremor in my left arm had become what's called an intention tremor, it's only really noticeable when I try to use my left arm/hand to do something in particular, like pick up a glass or carry something.  I started to get muscle ticks and jerks which don't hurt but are hugely annoying.  

By this time I'm worried and get a referral to a neurologist who sees me within a week.  I failed a few of the basic neurological tests they do, like close your eyes and heel-toe walk in a straight line, my reflexes were a bit off on my left side and the lack of sensation has spread to most of my left side.  I had an MRI scan done of my brain and whole spine (reassuringly I still had a brain cos I was starting to wonder...) which was a bit scary actually.  I'm not claustrophobic by nature but my gp gave me valium to take beforehand anyway.  Really glad I took it.  Anyway, upshot of the MRI was that it was "clean" meaning nothing obvious to see that would be causing stuff.  I had a sleep study done and it turns out I sleep just fine.  I had basic blood workups done and I don't have diabetes, high cholestserol or anything else for that matter except for slightly low B group vitamins.  My neurologist is seeing me again soon but I don't know where we'll go from here.

So my days now are made up of sleeping longer, taking a nap at lunchtime, cutting back my workload because I just can't type as fast right now, and trying to get on with things in spite of all the weird symptoms still going on.  My left leg weakness is bugging me some if I have to walk for anything more than a quick dash into the shops and I end up limping and exhausted as if my leg isn't strong enough to support me.  So I made the decision to get a "spazz stick" as I call it, not having a joke at anyone but myself there either.  The walking stick comes out if I know I have to be at the shops or walk any kind of longer distances, or if I have to stand for a long time.  It's taken some getting used to and luckily some days are better than others and I don't feel like I need it so I don't use it.  Other days I get so limpy and sore from just walking around that it goes with me if I leave the house for any reason.  It feels a bit strange because to look at me, there's literally nothing you can see from the outside to explain why I'd need it and because the dr isn't sure what's causing it all yet I can't say "well, it's because I have ....".  I figure it's better to give in and use the damned stick than to sit at home and not go out because I'm having trouble walking, which is the point I got to when I decided to go buy it after looking at them a few times already.  I hope this is something that will either fix itself or can be diagnosed and treated and I can put the stick in the garage until the kids need it for dress ups or a school play or something.

I'm not going to go so far as to say I'm messed up or scared because at least with my medical typing, I know that there are often solutions for the most minor of problems so I'm not really worried about what it might be (that being side, I was bloody relieved when the MRI didn't show anything ghastly like a brain tumour or something!), I'm just more concerned with getting it identified so I can get some treatment and get on with things.  I don't have time for this crap lol

So that's where I've been, not scrapping, not blogging, not doing much of anything but trying to get by.  I'm lucky that I'm good at denial and have mastered not thinking about things that upset or bother me.  I'm now pretty used to the pins and needles stuff and the other symptoms.  They've been going on for almost three months now and I guess I've gotten used to all the strange sensations and things that happen.  I'm starting to think of this as my new "normal" but it hopefully won't stay that way but to worry constantly, to fight every symptom and focus in on it just makes things harder, not easier, and I haven't got enough room in my head for that.  All in all I'm pretty optimistic, I'm not scared of what the future will throw at me and whatever happens I know I'm going to be okay.  I'm stronger than I know and I think most people are.  They just don't know it until something happens and they make it out the other side pretty much okay, or as okay as they can be.  

So, super quick round up of life in general whilst all the above crap has been trying to get in the way....

Doug has been wonderful, doing most of the housework and being a wonderful husband and dad as usual.  I know he sounds too good to be true and so many people have "sunshine and roses" blogs but he is just that great apart from being "zoned out" on his computer now and then and really I can't blame him as it's his relaxation time and he doesn't get much of it.  He's a happy camper now the V8s and F1 have started up again.

Blayd went to his second National All Styles Tournament for the year yesterday and came home with a third place trophy in points sparring and a first place in continuous sparring.  I'm really proud of him but he looks like crap with bruises all up and down his arms.  The big boys (the black belts) don't hold back....

Lachlann is LOVING his dance classes and eagerly wants to add tap and hip hop to his weekly jazz and ballet classes.  It means the world to see him come home after class with a huge smile on his face.  It has done wonders for his self-confidence and I believe he's truly found his "thing".  I have no idea if he's any good at dancing as he's only just started but he's a very emotive child, my deep and mysterious one, and so as long as it makes him happy then that's how long he'll be doing it I guess.

James has been busy doing lots of drawing and much watching of Avatar (a cartoon) supplemented with plenty of Sponge Bob.  He's having a "difficult" stage right now where he is having trouble giving up the screeching, choking, roll around on the floor tantrums when he doesn't get his own way.  He's always been fond of a bit of drama but at nearly 8 it's getting beyond a joke so we're trying a few parenting strategies to deal with that one.  I think he's feeling a bit left out of things so we've been trying to do more one-on-one stuff with him.

Caeligh has adjusted to school life remarkably well and she has heaps of friends already.  Her ADHD medication is the best thing we've ever done for her, giving her the opportunity to be just like any other child at school and improving her relationships with pretty much everyone around her.  Her medication is a bit like Cinderella and her pumpkin carriage though - as soon as it wears off she deteriorates rapidly into her impulsive, uncontrollable behaviour so we've been keeping an eagle eye on the timing so we don't have that problem.  She's now mastered cartwheels, handstands against a wall, and being able to flip over forward in a back arch type position.  She's trying to learn to balance her weight to be able to bring her hands up one at a time to get full circle up to standing position again but I don't think her little muscles are strong enough just yet.  Doesn't ever stop her trying though!!!  She's also taken a keen interest in any kind of animal documentaries on TV so each night we sit and watch half an hour of something.  Typically Caeligh though, her favourite ones are the dangerous animals, especially snakes, spiders, or anything that will kill something else.  I figure at least it's educational.

As I said before, I've done virtually no scrapping at all save for the layout I've created to teach at this year's Scrapbook Expo in June.  While I will no longer be on the Kaisercraft design team (I am not reapplying as I just don't know what my health will do and I'd rather they find new DT with passion, drive and plenty of time to promote the products) I will however be teaching in the Kaisercraft Classroom.  The layout at the start of this epic massive post is the one I'll be teaching.  The class description is on the website at www.scrapbookexpo.com.au in the Kaisercraft Classroom descriptions.  Sorry the photo isn't better.  I tried taking it outside, on Lola's rear bumper but it's not as great as I'd like.  It's covered in bling, doodling, mesh, inking, layering etc and looks so much better in real life - I promise!!! lol  The cropped photo will make it onto the expo's website this week.  I'm teaching from 2.30-4.30 Saturday, Sunday and Monday and I'm looking forward to "plugging back in" to the scrapping world I feel like I've been out of for so long and catching up with people as I've really turned into a bit of a hermit, not going out and not ringing people etc.  What's been going on has been hard to explain and I feel like maybe people won't understand anyway so I've kind of just withdrawn from the world in general a bit.

Anyway, this is my first venture back into the scrapping world, with the layout above and updating my blog.  I don't have any real plans other than teaching for Kaisercraft at the expo and I'm going to be gentle on myself and not scrap unless I really feel the urge to, which is not often these days and let's just say that fine motor skills aren't my greatest asset right now anyway lol

I've missed you guys!  I've missed documenting what's going on in my life even if nobody else reads it and I've missed feeling like a part of a community that I love so much no matter how infrequently I've been scrapping.   I'll keep y'all posted on the health thing; wish me luck in finding out what's going wrong and how to fix it.  I don't really feel like me anymore which is strange because I always said I didn't really know who I was but I do know now at least that this for sure isn't me and I'd like my old, don't know who I am self back please.... L xx

I have a lot of needs....apparently lol

The mwahlicious Ngaire B tagged me on Facebook to play this game.  You go to Google and type in your first name and the word "needs" in quotes so I typed "Lucinda needs" and got this:

Lucinda needs a husband, not a lover. (Shhhh, best not tell the husband I've already got lol)
Lucinda needs no introduction.
Lucinda needs to find a person who is as strong willed as she is.
Lucinda needs a lifestyle that allows her to be spontaneous.
Lucinda needs reading glasses.
Lucinda needs to turn 2 more or gain 48 more Werewolf points to reach the next level.
Lucinda needs her clinic (if there's one for me I'll gladly go lol I could use a holiday!)
Lucinda needs to come up with a spell to snag a guy (apparently I'm desperate but don't tell DH!!!).
Lucinda needs to talk.
Lucinda needs to toughen up.

Okay, so from what I can work out, I'm an infamous sex mad talkative yet sooky spinster who needs therapy and corrective lenses, who clearly likes to dabble in the odd game of Dungeons & Dragons....lol

Tagged by Mel K "25 random things about me" from Facebook (no I don't know how to link up all my technologies yet lol)

1. I can only drive an automatic car.

2. I met my husband on the internet (lucky neither of us turned out to be an axe murderer!)

3. I am adopted but have met both of my birth parents and have an ongoing relationship with my birth mother and her family.

4. I start work at about 4.00am most days.

5. I hate ceiling fans because I don't like the feeling of wind on my skin; actually I don't like wind and really windy days make me cranky (not sure why).

6. I crave food in cycles and will want lots of one particular food for maybe three to four weeks at a time and it's rarely anything healthy.

7. I love to sing.

8. When I yawn, my saliva glands squirt so I *always* have to cover my mouth when I yawn (besides the fact that it's good manners lol).

9. In my job as a medical typist, I know the terminology for over 30 different types of medical specialties.

10. I am guilty of reading the smack blogs from time to time.

11. I barely scrapbook at all anymore :( but this week I gave up two of my transcription clients so that I can find time to scrap again because it makes me happy and keeps me sane.

12. I have never seen snow.

13. I have never left the country.

14. I knew it was a mistake to get married the first time at 19 and I did it anyway.

15. I hate exercise.

16. I have never managed to gain control of my weight (see above!) but I also have reverse body dysmorphia - I don't see how big I really am.

17. My favourite colour is red.

18. I hate public speaking and having to teach scrapbooking as I get very nervous and think people won't like me.

19. I have never dealt with the death of my mother when I was 19 - I have "ignored" it for 15 years but plan to start counselling this year as I have only just realised the magnitude of the effect it has on me as a person, even if I choose to ignore it.

20. I am trying to be a less materialistic person - yes I have a Pandora bracelet but I bought a nice bead for it from Spotlight for $5!!! I care about how things look, not how much they cost.

21. I constantly lose sunglasses and as a consequence only buy $10 cheapies as I'd kick myself for losing anything expensive - and besides, if I like them, I don't care if they only cost $10.

22. I believe that loved ones we have lost are still present in our lives, and that if you look closely, you will see the signs that they leave for us.

23. I don't consider a mobile phone a necessity.

24. I have ADHD (diagnosed when I was a kid) and am in the process of finally getting medication for it so I can function like a *normal* person.  I feel sorry for my kids as I understand how hard it is to be scattered all the time but I am hopeful that, as has been the case with them, the medication will help me to be not so scattered and a lot more together.

25. My most favourite place in the world is on a beach, especially at sunset, and it feels almost physically painful to leave again to go home.

So there ya go!!!  I don't normally do tags as I get so easily distracted by this stuff and my mind wanders from work and doesn't want to go back lol  I figured I'd post it though because I love to read other people's random facts and maybe other people do too.  No photos today but I am planning on scrapping tonight as I don't have any work scheduled for after dinner.  YAY!!!!  L xx

I are a BAD mama!

This is a great photo of my eldest son, Blayd, who turns 14 in a few months. He's starting to get a bit of peach fuzz on the top lip, becoming a cranky "don't speak to me" teenager and is now as tall as me. He also as a wee hypochondriac streak which I know is an awful thing to say about your own kid but he does tend towards the dramatic when it comes to his health and will mention the same thing (whether it's a stubbed toe, a paper cut or a bruise) repeatedly, along with a description of how painful it is, to the point where I have to say "Yes, I can see that, you've told me already" and repeat whatever first aid directions I gave him the first time he told me what was wrong. As you can tell, there's not a whole lot of sympathy around here and I try not to let them obsess over little things. Don't get me wrong; if there's a serious injury, claret spilled, etc, then I am the protective mother bear to the rescue but I try not to let them sweat over the small things as usually once distracted, they just forget about it anyway.

So, when Blayd mentioned something last night about having a sore mouth, I admit I kind of brushed him off a bit. I said go brush your teeth then, thinking he might have something caught between his teeth, or a leftover from the sore throat he had on the weekend. It was one of those nights last night where Lachlann had dance class, I was working late, Blayd had karate and we had to fit in grocery shopping at some point. I wasn't especially focused last nght.

Blayd comes to me this morning, early and while I'm taking a phone call, and tries to tell me again that his mouth is sore and can I pleaes have a look at it for him. I say "yes, as soon as I get off the phone" but by then he's off making lunch, getting ready for school and I've started typing again.

He comes home this afternoon and casually wanders into the office while I'm working and asks if I want to have a look at his mouth now. I am full well expecting to see something caught between his teeth or maybe an ulcer at worst. What I do see is a very badly swollen and inflamed gum right up the back on the left - the poor little bugger has his first wisdom tooth erupting!!! Well now don't I feel like a shit mother?!?!?! It looks really awfully painful and I immediately thought back to when I had my wisdom teeth come through, about a year after I had Blayd actually, and I remember thinking I could understand why he cried so much when teething way back then - because it really bloody hurts!!!

So I've given him a panadol and asked him to rinse his mouth with warm salty water because it looks awful. I may go so far as to give him a Nurofen at bed time if it is hard for him to sleep. Honestly I don' t know anyone who got their wisdom teeth at this age!!! That's why I was thinking I would find something totally different. At least from what I can see it is coming through straight so that's one less worry. The one on the right is starting to push up too and I give that another week or so before it's as bad as the left. Thankfully there's no action up the top at the moment.

So there you have it - Crap Mother of the Day Award goes to me - yes, Lord, I promise to listen more carefully to my children when they bitch about things.....L xx

If you want to help...

...by donating whatever you can afford to the bushfire victims I can only imagine how grateful those affected would be. I have seen firsthand someone I love lose everything but the clothes on their back in a fire and the devastation was incomprehensible but to see it happen on such a large scale, whole suburbs and towns...there don't seem words enough to convey the tragedy of it all.

If you would like to help, here's how:

To donate to the Red Cross State Government Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund: 

* Visit www.redcross.org.au 
* Phone 1800 811 700 
* Any NAB, ANZ, Westpac or Commonwealth Bank branch 
* Any Bunnings store 
* By direct deposit to the Victorian Bushfire Relief Fund - BSB 082-001, Account number 860-046-797 

Myer Bushfire Appeal 
* All proceeds to the Salvation Army. Donate at any Victorian Myer store (if you live in Victoria).

The people of Victoria, the victims, families and emergency services staff are all in my prayers.

Kaiser Sneak Peek for February!

How cute is this paper?!?! This is a sneak peak of just some of the new paper Kaisercraft has coming for February. I'll post some more pics as I get them. Can't you see this being a hit with the little fairy in your life?

Trying to keep up with photos!

Only my two children would break into a near knock down, drag out fight over...a stick! A bit of a blurry action shot there.

This is "Fang" as I call him or "The Terminator" as the kids call him. He's a venus flytrap that sits on my kitchen bench. One seriously cool piece of Mother Nature's handiwork. The problem is the kids like to watch him in action so much that James will find deceased flies and try to feed them to him...ick. It's the equivalent of poking a lizard with a stick or something and I keep having to say to them "leave the poor plant alone!" lol

We get some amazing sunsets at the new place - the shot above is looking down the street and the shot below is looking up the street. Nearly all the sunsets here (on a clear day anyway) are that really beautiful golden light and all the trees and plants look hyper-green. It's great for taking photos of the kids or of just about anything really. I love, love, love the new place and it's become a little ritual to wander out the front at sunset most days and let the kids have a bit of a play in the front yard while I take a few pictures here and there. It's a small slice of happy, fun time in an otherwise hectic day.

This week I was literally sucked into the vortex that is Facebook. People have been asking me for ages and ages to get on there "because everyone's on Facebook!" but I've resisted for a long time as I know that I have the attention span of a budgie and I am really easily distracted. Working at home means having to constantly remind myself that even though I'm sitting at my computer and I may need to Google a medical term occaisonally or look up a doctor address, it is not then okay to just wander over to someone's blog for a *quick look* or check out a forum or a challenge blog, or *shamefully* catch up on the 99% meaningless gossip on the smack blogs or any of the other thousands of things I get distracted by on the huge, enormous place called the internet. I really struggle to maintain my focus and that just goes with the territory of working at home. So I figured Facebook would be another place that would sucker me in and eat up an hour or two of my day in what feels like only a few minutes - and it is!!!! So if you got one of my friend invites this week that claimed I was being sucked into the vortex, too late, I'm in....but I'm trying to do it in small, manageable bites lol I'll be one of those FB'ers that...like my blog...I get into for a couple of days and then don't get back to for a week or more only because I've found a way to drag myself out of the vortex for a while and get some work done lol But I am on there now so if you want to find me I'm listed as Lucinda Benson but my maiden name is Griffin. I haven't done anything exciting like created a nice, arty wall, haven't sent anyone an imaginary gift, drink, hug, kiss or crush, and haven't dared go near the games because that would just be the end of my working day if I did! I do however have all my friends on RSS feed so every now and then I get a little window on the bottom of my screen while I'm working that tells me the latest "what are you doing right now" thingy for whoever has posted one recently. The problem is that it would be so easy to just spend hours on there writing on everyone's walls, getting into networks and keeping up with everyone so I'm going to resign myself to doing "Facebook Lite" which is me getting on when I can and not letting it eat into working hours.

Work has been really crazy busy this week with all my clients having more work than usual to be done. Not entirely sure why it has all happened in the one week but I've been working 14 hour days to keep on top of things and I'm hoping for a quieter week this week!

The kids have had a busy week with Lachlann starting Jazz and Ballet this week which he was really excited about. Lachie is my one in the middle who tends to kind of float along and seems to just miss out sometimes so a big thanks to darling Cass who rang and reminded me that classes started this week when I otherwise might have forgotten in the midst of toothaches and masses of work. Blayd tried out for the school cricket team for the district comp and got in so he's a very happy camper as he hasn't made the cut the last couple of years he has tried. Now he wants a new cricket helmet, new bat, new gloves, yadda, yadda, yadda.... James is planning on starting Auskick again soon when it restarts at school. He's only small for his age and last year I think he and his friends spent more time chasing each other and talking in the in goal area than actually playing AFL but he seemed to enjoy it so he's going back again this year. Friday night Caeligh wanted to learn how to do a handstand after successfully teaching herself cartwheels over the Christmas holidays. Honestly within an hour of me showing her (well not literally, mama is a bloody long way from doing handstands and any attempt may well result in hospitalisation!!!) how to do them by holding her feet and then telling her how to do them up against a wall so she will have something to balance against, she had them down pat and was so proud of herself. I was proud of her too - I can't believe how fast she picks things up. So yesterday she went for her first gymnastics lesson which she absolutely loved! They did some circuit work in the gym room, having to do different exercises on all the apparatus like the parallel bars, uneven bars, springboard, balance beam, trampoline and vault. She mastered it all quickly and had the best time. Then the most fun of all was the rope climb. The gym room is two stories high as there is a viewing gallery above the main room for spectators to watch and the rope hangs from the very top. She was in a class with up to 7 year olds so she was the youngest one there. When it came her time to climb the rope, she was up it like a shot, nearly all the way to the roof and without an ounce of fear but the biggest silly grin on her face lol I sat and watched as she did all these climbing, balancing things that if she did anywhere but in side a padded floored gym they would be dangerous and thought about how funny it was that the teacher was telling her to do all the things I have spent her whole life telling her NOT to do because I was frightened she would hurt herself. Funny how she never has though, despite all the things she has gotten up to the second our backs were turned. So gymnastics appears to be her thing and she can't wait to go back next week so she can climb the rope again. I just have to keep a close on her during the week and repeat the age old sentiment "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!".

Hope you're all having a good weekend! Cheers, Lu

Trying to keep up with the pics and Kaiser winner

So I'm trying to keep up with the pics for the year so I'm playing catch up from Friday - you know me, there'll be lots of catch ups lol Naturally these pics aren't in order because Picasa has decided what order they go in and not me! So the pic above and below are from yesterday. I babysat my niece and nephews (Cass's son Ronin and daughter Lily, and Kris but he doesn't need babysitting, just company) yesterday while Cass and Kelly went to a movie. Ronin found Jamie's rollerskates and wanted to use them so we strapped him in and he was off like a shot, a real natural! I asked Lily if she wanted to use Caeligh's rollerblades so both of them were cruising around the house in no time. Last night was quiet at our place as Blayd and Lachie are with their dad and James and Caeligh went to gran's for a sleepover so Doug and I had the place to ourselves. The pic below is a present Doug got me as an early Christmas present - he knows how much I love to sing, in the shower, in the car, anywhere at all really. There are some great songs on there, recent stuff too as well as older stuff. Out of consideration for hour neighbours we made sure all the doors and windows were closed lol

The cleaning bucket is looking at me today, knowing that it will get its workout tomorrow morning once the kids are off to school. Damn Cass and her cleaning bucket - it's become a real fixture and with everything in one place I know where to go when I need something and it does make getting the cleaning done a bit easier. I'm not a Domestos addict yet however...I can't stand the smell that you can't get out of your nose for hours.

Below is Friday's picture, not a great one but one that I see everytime I look out my office window. We have pebbles all up one side of the house where it's too narrow for grass but it doesn't stop the weeds that have sprung up like...um...well like WEEDS!!! lol Apparently it's our responsibilty to spray regularly so the weeds don't take over but it's been raining all week and there doesn't seem to have been one totally dry day so far lately to go out and do it so the jungle continues to flourish.

What I didn't get a chance to take a pic of was the name Caeligh randomly picked for my Kaisercraft goodies which was Robyn W!!!! Robyn if you want to email me (there's a link on the left side bar) I can get your address and post your Kaiser goodies off to you.

I'm going to go get some typing work this afternoon - ugh. I've had a slow last few days because of yet another tooth abscess driving me insane. I've been chewing through Panadeine and anti-inflammatories and eventually caved in yesterday and went to the dr to get some antibiotics but they are slow to work this time so I'm still not entirely focused as there is a constant, low grade grumbling toothache going on all the time no matter what I take. I was going to get my teeth fixed as part of my Life List for last year but I just ran out of year! I do want to do it this year though - provided I can work up the courage to go to the dentist to get a quote!

I haven't done any more scrapping though have taken over the far end of my dining room table with a couple of baskets of necessities so that I can sit down when I have the time and urge and get something done. My office still remains like a storage shed for all of my other supplies and I can't bear to think of unpacking any of it until I know where it's all going to go, otherwise it's going to end up a huge mess and I won't know where anything is. I want to get to Ikea in the next week or two just to have a look at options and I'll work something out from there.

Caeligh and James have just come home so I'm going to go get them lunch and then show Caeligh the Gabriella Cilmi song "Sweet About Me" that we recorded on the Foxtel IQ last night from one of the music channels that does a karaoke segment on Saturday nights. It's the original film clip but a strip down the bottom with the words. She'll be quite excited as she loves the song so even though she can't read the words, she knows them all by heart anyway, and I'm sure she'll enjoy prancing around the lougeroom with the microphone. Maybe that'll be another photo for later today.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Sunday, love Lu xx

Tagged by Lis!!!!

I've been tagged by the lovely Lis and my challenge was to choose the sixth photograph in the sixth folder on my computer. This photograph was taken about a week before we moved from our old house. It was one of those afternoons with that really great late afternoon golden light, you know the ones I mean, where everything just photographs fantastically no matter what it is! Well this was at the beginning of sundown, just before the yellow light hit the backyard and I wanted some pics of Caeligh. She was sitting on the front steps and our poor cat, Towser, wasn't nearly fast enough lol Honestly all the cats should now by now that when they see Caeligh reaching for them they should RUN!!!! Anyway, she got him and clutched him to her like only a four year old girl with too much enthusiasm can. I did get one reasonable shot before this but it had to be the sixth picture so this is it - Caeligh trying to talk Towser into staying with her and Towser trying to get away....

I'm not a huge tagger, mainly because I find it hard to find time to do them "properly" and therefore feel I shouldn't burden another scrapper with something I usually can't manage myself but because I have found time to do this, I figure Jilly, Sue, Lusi and Ngaire should be able to do this as well. Love and respect you girls hugely, so I hope you take it for it's true intention - a compliment and an apology all in one!!! lol

Have a groovin' Saturday night! Lu xx

First Day of School (original title huh? lol)

Well today was a big day in our house. Caeligh started Prep grade after many discussions about whether she could take her headband out at first break (no), whether she could take off her shoes when she got there (another no!) and whether I could just wait outside her room for her from the time I dropped her off until it was time to go home again (absolutely NO!!!!). She was happy enough this morning to get up, get dressed in her big long schoolgirl dress, put on her shoes and let me do her hair which is almost unheard of for my darling little feral who would prefer to run around wearing as little as possible, filthy and with rat nest hair if only we would let her. She did draw the line at piggy tails however, prefering a simple stretchy navy headband which she proceeded to lose by the time I picked her up this afternoon. She has that kind of "slippery" hair that just about every hair accessory known to womankind slides or falls out of within an hour. She's buggered now though as I don't have another headband and hers didnt' turn up on a quick scan of the classroom. Quite frankly it could be anywhere! I think we'll just have to write that one off and she will have to live with piggies tomorrow if she likes it or not. As far as I know, she does plan on going back tomorrow so her first day must have been okay and she got her medication on time so I believe the teachers are happy for her to come back as well lol

The boys were all dressed nicely, new shoes which none of them have scuffed up yet after the first day and Blayd and Lachie were happy to walk because we live so close to school now. They weren't happy about the first day of school book overload that they had to carry in their backpacks but apart from that they were all fine. James went to a new pod this year to make room for the new Prep kids and he likes his teachers and has his friends with him in his class. Lachie loves middle school and the sudden extra independence that he will have, and loves having his best friend in his pod with him, especially as they can walk home together too as his friend lives a little further away from school than us. Blayd is at the top of middle school this year, his last year before senior school. He was just grateful to access full size handball courts again after a six week break of having "totally nowhere to play at all". I had no idea handball was so important for sustaining teenage life but as a mama, what do I know?!?!? lol

It was a good start to the year and for me I now have all of my kids at school. Still haven't given that much thought as I've had work to fall into straight away when I got home from school this morning but boy was the house quiet. Cass walked over for coffee and we discussed our respective first day of school stories and I've been typing ever since (except when I bravely walked up to the school this afternoon to pick up the kids - I say brave because I am overweight, unfit and haven't been feeling the greatest lately so it was a slight shock to the system to walk a kilometre in the heat and back again but I figure it's a kind of forced exercise and I so desperately need some of that!).

So many posts in one day but I'm trying to establish a regular blogging habit so if you get email updates or anything, sorry!

The pic of the bag in the doorway I took just because I noticed it sitting there and thought it looked like a nice shot so call it my photo of the day for today.

I hope everyone else had a great first day back and that you all waited until you were out of the kids' line of sight before you did the happy dance!!! lol Cheers, Lu xx