Scrapbook Creations Issue 57 and a massive TOOT!!!

Now first of all this is the big TOOT I'm talking about - nothing to do with scrapping cos that's a bit up oneself!!! lol  What we have above, courtesy of some Japanese car fan website, is a picture of this very lovely Black Mitsubishi Colt - identical to the one n ow sitting in my driveway!!!!

Her name is Lola and I'm definintely in love, or at least very appreciative, to have her.  We bought her last week, finally making the decision to buy a second car after managing with only one for about seven years.  Seven years is how long it's been since I have had my *own* car so that I can come and I go as I like.  I've been stranded at home on the days I'm working because Doug takes our slowly expiring old van to work every day and his mother has been dropping off and picking up the kids from school for me.  That hasn't been without it's problems so the children are all very happy with the arrival of Lola.  I was even a good girl and did my research first on what we were going to buy, reading car reviews, specifications on all the different types of small cars available etc.  I've never prepared for something quite so thoroughly!!!  I also went into the showroom knowing exactly what I wanted to pay for her and the extras I wanted that I wasn't prepared to pay for so the salesman had to figure out a way to have them incorporated into the price I was happy to pay.  It all worked out beautifully and while I'm probably paying a percent or so more in interest than I would have liked (because I've only been working for myself for such a short time) I figure I can wait it out a year, establish the business a bit more and refinance her next year at a better rate.  So I finally have my freedom back and boy does it feel good!  I went out the day after we got her and bought a pink fluffly steering wheel cover and black seatcovers with pink love hearts on them as well as matching floor mats.  Even a pink air freshener.  Can you tell I'm trying to discourage Doug from wanting to drive it all the time instead of me???? lol  It now definitely looks like he has borrowed his wife's car when he drives it.  It hasn't deterred him that much though because Doug has never owned a brand  new car before in his life and I let him drive her home from the showroom on the day we picked her up.  He's really enjoying driving something that doesn't make strange, unidentifiable noises and that will actually promise to get him where he is going!  And very unlike me, Lola is being kept spotlessly clean!!! lol  No rubbish left in the car, no eating in the car, nothing gets left in the car and she's been washed once already.  Black does show all the dirt sadly so every morning I use a special cloth to give her a quick wipe over before I drive her.  I plan on keeping her a long time so I want to take good care of her.  I figure cos she gives about 600km per tank of fuel I should really treat her nicely!!! lol  So there is my exciting news.  I'll take an actual picture of my Lola when I get a new camera as Caeligh dropped my good camera and busted the lens so it is stuck halfway and won't close or open fully anymore, completely crapped...not very happy about that......

In other exciting news....(not that a pic of my ever-widening arse is exciting, trust me....lol)

My first ever article for SC has come out in the latest issue - 57.  I have to say I'm really excited about it.  I'm glad that after doing the whole pubbing thing for a while I'm not sick of it or unappreciative of it.  I'm still feeling very thankful to have my article picked up and I think Kim and the team at SC have done a fab job with this issue.  I'm missing one layout - No Mama - because it's actually my Masters single layout entry from last year *my bad* but I figure somebody may as well use it if they like it.  I just can't find where I've put the photographs of my Masters stuff which is why it isnt' there.

The typing is going great guns to the point where work just keeps coming from the most unexpected places and with people coming to me instead of me having to go and find them.  One of those things that makes me thankful that God is working in my life even though I know I don't give Him nearly as much time or thought as I should.  But having the makings of what hopefully continues to be a successful business has brought so much change into our lives that I am grateful, really grateful, and it makes the long hours and lack of sleep far more bearable, knowing that hard work is paying off and that we can use that money to do things for our family that we couldn't afford to before AKA Lola.  Without the business there's no way we could have gotten another car, not even a second hand one let alone a new one.  How sad when I'm excited that we went lounge shopping last weekend while all the kids were off with their gran and we found a lounge we like.  We've also never owned a new lounge before, always hand-me-downs and cast-offs from other people or second hand from op shops (not that I haven't loved some of our old lounges!) and the one we have now is totally wrecked and another lounge is getting to be a priority.  So we've found the one we like and we're going to save up to go and buy it.  I even got excited about buying new towels!!!  I've never bought a set of towels before in my life, I've gotten one or two when I've had money or they've been really cheap so every towel in my house is mismatched, a beach towel or full of holes.  I went to KMart a couple of weeks ago when their manchester was on special and bought extra blankets for the kids' beds and I bought 10 matching big towels.  It's those kind of things that we've never spent money on before that I'm really grateful for too.  I'm sure for some people it's totally normal to regularly buy a new set of towels or linen etc on a regular basis but with four kids I know there's lots of you out there too who know that those kind of things are waaaay down the list of priorites and are just frivolous wants instead of actual needs.  It's also about knowing that when the bills come in we can pay them.  That in itself has been a huge stress relief for Doug as I know he worries about that kind of stuff alot and now I'm glad that I can do my part to help so he doesn't have to worry so much.

I've been getting ready for my first ever plane trip next week to Hughenden for Outback Scrap.  I'll put up a post about that shortly so you can see the layout and album I'll be doing.  It's been a lot of work in the lead up but I can't wait to get up there and meet everyone who has been involved and so helpful.  Karen and Lindy from Flinders Poppy - the craft group who has organised the event - have been absolutely amazing and performed some not so small miracles in the face of adversity.  I will definitely be buying those girls a drink!!!  

I'm also excited to hopefully be catching up with my Aunty Anne (my birth mother's sister) and my grandparents whom I've never met.  They live in Townsville and we have a stop-over there before flying out to Hughenden so I'm really looking forward to meeting them and getting some photos.

Well I'm going back to my typing.  I've got a whole pile of Kaisercraft goodies to do up for the coming months of releases along with the other v.talented Kaiser girls so I want to do some of that tonight as well once the typing is finished plus finish off the rest at Jilly's place tomorrow.

Take care y'all!!! Love Lu xx