Where oh where have I been?

So I've been away a loooooooong while!!! lol But in the true spirit of blogging without obligation I'm not going to apologise for neglecting the blog for a while - life has been nothing short of crazy in our house for weeks now and I know you'll get it when I say that finding an hour or so to sit down and type about all the chaos instead of attending to the chaos just didn't seem important. I'm still not out of the chaotic woods yet and I don't know if I'll get to blogging much in the next week or two either. I'll nutshell it for ya so the friends and rellies get a catch up on the last few week and I can save a bit of time cos I've squeezed this in before getting ready for work.

• Cyberscraps had our first retreat the second-last weekend in November - some of our amazing, funny forum members came from near and far to spend a weekend with good food, good wine, good scrapping and a particuarly good stripper as it turned into a covert hen's night for me as organised by Cass and Cath - much appreciated girls - can you guess what I want for my birthday next year??? lol
• My fabulous Doug and I finally got married - ten years together, seven weeks to organise and one perfect day! Cass has some great pics on her blog, as does our lovely friend Kylie (Kat Browne). My dear friend Tash and her husband took the "professional" pics for us with their ridiculously expensive camera which weighs more than a six month old baby!! Can't wait to see those - seriously good scrapping fodder but no promises of a whole album or anything.
• Blayd went to Sydney last weekend to attend the Australian All Styles Championships with his karate club - a weekend of firsts for my eldest who went on a plane for the first time, went away without parents for the first time, was totally responsible for his diet and behaviour for the first time. He had a great time although we all missed him and he was well and truly mobbed at the airport when he got back by his little brothers and sister!
• I've got a commission album to do before Christmas - a full 20 page album which will be a Christmas present. I've done an album for this lady before for her mother for her birthday and she loved it and now I'm doing one for her grandmother for Christmas. It's very scary because she wants to include ORIGINAL photographs from the 30's and 40's - beautiful "porcelain doll" pictures I call them with some even hand tinted. They are beautiful but far out it makes me nervous to use originals so I'll have to be extra careful. So that's something I need to get stuck into but have bugger all time to do it in.
• I'm working full time - long hours like 9 and 10 hour days - doing temping for a doctor in a private hospital for two weeks. It was a quick way to get some extra cash for Christmas when the bank balance looked a bit moth eaten after the wedding! So I've had to go and buy "corporate attire" for the first time in about seven years! The only things I've called work clothes for a long time are jammies and gym gear!!! lol It's a front office job too, not straight typing so I've had to learn a million things in only a half day of training and I've been left to fend for myself but I figure if I can manage four kids and their daily disasters then I can handle this. I haven't buggered anything up majorly yet so that's a relief but I'll be glad when it's over!!! lol It's been a huge job in itself to get out of the house each morning by 7.15am, all dressed, full makeup so I'm at the hospital by 7.45am to open the rooms. And the joy of not getting home until 6pm at night with no time to spend with the kids, get dinner ready, relax or scrap reminds me why I stopped working in an office all those years ago!!! But you know my mantra - think of the money, think of the money! lol
• CHRISTMAS IS COMING!!!!! Like a freaking freight train!!!!! lol I have no idea if I'm organised or not. I have lay-by's to pick up, have done no food preparation, shopping, etc, I may get cards done or not and it's a job for the week before Christmas when I've been paid from my job and have nothing else to do but Christmas stuff - mind you the kids go on school hols that same week and Doug starts his holidays so who knows how much (or little!!!) I'll get done!!! lol
• All the end of year school/kindy stuff coming up which I'm either going to remember or have to let slide because I can't get there because of work
• Friday night crop this week at Cyberscraps and our Christmas party day on Saturday 8th December where we're having drinks and nibblies at a couple of scheduled times during the day (ring and book on 3274 5522 if you want to come join us for a drink or a cuppa) as well as 20% off everything in the store except Bazzill (always ridiculously cheap at 70 cents everday anyway!). It's our present from Cyberscraps to you so pop in and say hi as Cath, Cass and I will be in the shop all day from 10am to 4pm and we'd love to see everyone before the silly season well and truly takes hold!

Okay I can't think of anything else right now but that's probably cos my brain is full!!! lol I just wanted to do a quick update that's already taken me half an hour (really need to get ready for work now!!!) cos I miss chatting to the blogsphere in general. It's a diary, a place to vent, to share, to keep a record for me as well as my friends and fam who read this. I miss you my blog!!!! lol

Back when I can and thanks for sticking around if you're reading this!!! Love, Lu