Here are the layouts that I have created for each of the challenges that I've tackled so far this year.
and her is a card challenge that I tackled. She doesn't know it yet, but this will be Tyler's birthday card this year.
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Scrapping
As I mentioned last night, I have joined a wonderful new Scrapbooking Forum online with a wonderful group of ladies to talk to and inspire me. They have some great challenges to do each week which I've tried to keep up with. I've even won 2 of them - to my surprise.
Here are the layouts that I have created for each of the challenges that I've tackled so far this year.
and her is a card challenge that I tackled. She doesn't know it yet, but this will be Tyler's birthday card this year.
Here are the layouts that I have created for each of the challenges that I've tackled so far this year.
and her is a card challenge that I tackled. She doesn't know it yet, but this will be Tyler's birthday card this year.
Crafty Business
And just for my own enjoyment, I have been trying to do a lot of crafting during "my" time.
I have started going back to quilting again once a fortnight and actually starting creating things again. It took a few visits just to get my mojo back, but I actually finished 2 UFO'S last week.
The first is a sewing machine cover, that I've been wanting to make for a couple of years now, but could never find a pattern that I liked that much.
The second thing is a little bag that hangs on the edge of the sewing table, armchair, desk etc and is somewhere to drop all my scraps of material, paper, threads etc. The top bit actually is filled with sand/shellgrit (or rice in my case) and is a pin cushion. The other girls that used shellgrit or sand have found that the tips of their pins are beginning to rust, so I decided to try rice instead.
I'm actually not that happy with this one, so I will be giving it to Tyler to put all her hair elastics and clips in, and I will make another one to match the sewing machine cover.
I have started going back to quilting again once a fortnight and actually starting creating things again. It took a few visits just to get my mojo back, but I actually finished 2 UFO'S last week.
The first is a sewing machine cover, that I've been wanting to make for a couple of years now, but could never find a pattern that I liked that much.
The second thing is a little bag that hangs on the edge of the sewing table, armchair, desk etc and is somewhere to drop all my scraps of material, paper, threads etc. The top bit actually is filled with sand/shellgrit (or rice in my case) and is a pin cushion. The other girls that used shellgrit or sand have found that the tips of their pins are beginning to rust, so I decided to try rice instead.
I'm actually not that happy with this one, so I will be giving it to Tyler to put all her hair elastics and clips in, and I will make another one to match the sewing machine cover.
A land of Contrasts
Haven't we had a contrast of weather conditions this year so far?
Rain, rain and more rain up north and to the north west, with not 1 but 2 floods in Ingham in the space of a few weeks, and then the horrific bushfires that savaged country Victoria. My heart goes out to all the victims of these natural disasters at both ends of this wonderful country. Not to mention the latest natural disaster, Cyclone Hamish that menaced almost the complete coastline of Queensland only last week, resultin the the terrible oil spill from a cargo ship that was caught in the storm. I haven't personally seen them, but most of our beautiful pristine surf beaches just to the north of Brisbane are now covered in the most disgusting black, toxic sludge.
What can you say:
Mother Nature can show her really ugly face when she's at work, but in the long run, it really is for the good. The sand on all the beaches will eventually replace itself with lovely new pristine white sand. The bushland will renew itself, and the image of brand new green growth emerging out of the blackness is a sight to behold. The same goes for the flood ravaged areas. The fresh new green growth will emerge soon too, if it hasn't already begun.
It's amazing, that in times like these that we've experienced, I still am amazed at the amount of compassion that the Australian people show and can come together to help out those less fortunate than ourselves. It brings a tear to my eye everytime I think of this.
WE REALLY DO LIVE IN THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD, DON'T WE?
We can't really complain here in Brisbane, because we've missed out on all of these disasters - touch wood. We only had the hot humid weather to complain about.
Summer Time, Summer Time......
As we all know, summer has been a scorcher for all of us. I particularly felt the heat and humidity this year, especially when I was at work.
On the weekends, over a couple of different weeks, I made the most of the hot weather and took the kids down to the Gold Coast for a swim in the surf. This was usually on days when Rick was on night shift and needed to sleep - so I got the kids out of the house. We would leave home really early, like about 7.30am and we'd be on the beach by 8.30 before it got too hot and not too many people on the beach. I could usually find a parking spot close to a patrolled beach that early too. After a couple of hours swimming and surfing, I get them out, we'd rinse off under the shower and have an early picnic lunch before heading home for the afternoon. The best way to spend a Sunday enjoying the great outdoors.
The kids' confidence in the surf is developing really well, although I still don't let them go too far out and I NEVER take my eye off them for a second.
On other occasions we just went down to the local beach just a block from home, like Australia Day when we launched another christmas present:
Or even to a near-by suburb on the bayside to try out the Council owned Rock Pool:
On the weekends, over a couple of different weeks, I made the most of the hot weather and took the kids down to the Gold Coast for a swim in the surf. This was usually on days when Rick was on night shift and needed to sleep - so I got the kids out of the house. We would leave home really early, like about 7.30am and we'd be on the beach by 8.30 before it got too hot and not too many people on the beach. I could usually find a parking spot close to a patrolled beach that early too. After a couple of hours swimming and surfing, I get them out, we'd rinse off under the shower and have an early picnic lunch before heading home for the afternoon. The best way to spend a Sunday enjoying the great outdoors.
The kids' confidence in the surf is developing really well, although I still don't let them go too far out and I NEVER take my eye off them for a second.
On other occasions we just went down to the local beach just a block from home, like Australia Day when we launched another christmas present:
Or even to a near-by suburb on the bayside to try out the Council owned Rock Pool:
As Promised................
last night, I am back to update on what we've been up to since I last put anything in here.
Christmas was the first big event and we spent it here at home. Neither of us took any holidays over the Christmas break, so Rick worked right through (12 hr shifts for 10 days) and I had just the Public Holidays off. David, now 22, was down from Julia Creek and spent about 2 weeks with us which was GREAT. He really hasn't been back since moving out west, so we all really enjoyed his company - especially the kids. They loved getting to know their big brother again and he loved spending time with them as well. He offered to stay at home and mind them every day so that I could go to work and not worry about them. From their point of view, there was certainly lots of BIG advantages in having a brother in his 20's come to stay - like having Pizza delivered for lunch on the first day. (We never have Home Delivery Pizza).
Here they are trying on David's Fireman's helmet.
About a week before christmas our neighbors got together with us and we organised a street christmas party on our shared front lawn. We delivered invitations/flyers to all the houses in the street and 11/14 of those houses came. Everybody brought a plate of savouries and something to BBQ. As the day got later and the sun diseappeared we slowly spread out onto the road in the cul-de-sac. It was a great atmosphere and nice to finally meet everyone in the street.
Santa even made a surprise visit and gave lollies out to all the kids.
Christmas Dinner was a small family affair. Because of work committments we decided to have it here at home the weekend before Christmas. Apart from ourselves we had Dad & Shirley, Aat, David, Kirsty & Cheryl and Cheryl's mum for dinner. We ate outside on the back patio and Rick cooked the Roast Pork in the new BBQ that I bought him for christmas. It was a really nice night.It really felt like all of the Christmas pressure had been lifted by the time that christmas eve arrived.The kids had a great christmas and Santa even brought a Wii for them which is a lot of fun for all of us.
Christmas was the first big event and we spent it here at home. Neither of us took any holidays over the Christmas break, so Rick worked right through (12 hr shifts for 10 days) and I had just the Public Holidays off. David, now 22, was down from Julia Creek and spent about 2 weeks with us which was GREAT. He really hasn't been back since moving out west, so we all really enjoyed his company - especially the kids. They loved getting to know their big brother again and he loved spending time with them as well. He offered to stay at home and mind them every day so that I could go to work and not worry about them. From their point of view, there was certainly lots of BIG advantages in having a brother in his 20's come to stay - like having Pizza delivered for lunch on the first day. (We never have Home Delivery Pizza).
Here they are trying on David's Fireman's helmet.
About a week before christmas our neighbors got together with us and we organised a street christmas party on our shared front lawn. We delivered invitations/flyers to all the houses in the street and 11/14 of those houses came. Everybody brought a plate of savouries and something to BBQ. As the day got later and the sun diseappeared we slowly spread out onto the road in the cul-de-sac. It was a great atmosphere and nice to finally meet everyone in the street.
Santa even made a surprise visit and gave lollies out to all the kids.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
On Tuesday 27th January, our baby girly finally started Grade 1. She had an absolute ball last year in Prep, but day 1 of Grade 1 just couldn't come around quickly enough.
Here are Bryce & Tyler together at the front door on on our way to school. It has been a great school holiday, but today finally arrived. I compare this photo to the same one last year and I can really see the changes in them both in the past year.
That's it for now - more tomorrow.
Here are Bryce & Tyler together at the front door on on our way to school. It has been a great school holiday, but today finally arrived. I compare this photo to the same one last year and I can really see the changes in them both in the past year.
That's it for now - more tomorrow.
OMG!!!!
Look how long it has been since I posted anything here! I am so ashamed! So much has happened in our lives since my last post.
I have changed Scrapbooking Forums and Tyler has started "Big School" - just to name 2. It is quite late now, so tomorrow I will endeavour to bring you up to date with what's happening with us and I may even upload a few of my recent layouts that I'm quite proud of.
I have changed Scrapbooking Forums and Tyler has started "Big School" - just to name 2. It is quite late now, so tomorrow I will endeavour to bring you up to date with what's happening with us and I may even upload a few of my recent layouts that I'm quite proud of.
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