Babbling Brooke

Week four!

2012-01-28T15:58:00.001+11:00

Busy week this week, stuff for uni, day trips,Dr's appointment ,Australia Day, Beach! Phew! The boys go back to school next Thursday, planning to just kick back and relax!

Project life week 3!

2012-01-22T14:02:00.001+11:00

Project Life :Week Two

2012-01-14T14:46:00.001+11:00

Still loving it! We had some of the kids friends, stay over this week, so bowling,trip to the zoo! And lots of good buys at the Op-Shops for me!

Project Life! week one..

2012-01-07T14:12:00.006+11:00

SSSooooo couldn't wait to do my first week of PL (finishes tomorrow,)that I did them today,LOL! already super happy with how they are working out! I like the quick,no brainer aspect of it,but I also like that I can tailor each card how I like,and USE MY STASH!!!!!
That was the other new years resolution a made,to not buy any more scrap embellishments until I have finished up some of the stuff I have because....I HAVE A LOT! and I do want to use them,but because I don't really scrap full pages very often any more,they were just sitting here looking pretty,but I always felt guilty about not using them!

Lots of inspiration from Michelle Wooderson (mishmash) and Marcy Penner.

My other New obsession is Vintage Pyrex! Gosh its sooooo pretty,and Practical too! Hoping to go to a trash and Treasure Sunday to see of I can pounce on some more! LOL!

B

Bonnie Doon

2012-01-02T12:44:00.001+11:00

Came here for a picnic when Lincoln was about 6 months old... Sully would've been 2-1/2? There was no water, it was the height of the drought!!! Look at it now! Love these little churches too!

Project Life!

2011-12-29T18:40:00.001+11:00

My new "Project Life"station! Made using a large kaiser desk organiser without the drawers... I love how it turned out!

Glad that's over!

2011-12-27T17:49:00.003+11:00

ahhhhh christmas is over,but to normalcy of my hum drum life! love it!

Busily preparing for January 1's commencement for my "project Life" weekly scrapfest,I'm really looking forward to it! I even downloaded some of the printable versions of the original kit,and Cobalt,so I spent today printing and then cutting them all out...I also made up a batch of my own journalling cards,just because I like options!

On to...2012 and new years resolutions! Now I've never really made resolutions as such,I'm a non smoker, ( who has never been a smoker) I don't drink really much at all (now) and my weight has never really been an issue,(apart from the last 3-4 years)so here goes..

1. lose these damn last 5 Kgs! I've managed 8 kg in the last say, 5 months?...bit stuck at 75kg at the moment so stepping it up a bit with some running,combined with gasping afterwards..lol!
2. Take more photo's! have always loved camera's ( pretty sure I still own about 5? )And taking photo's,but that dropped off a bit as the children got older..(not as many firsts) so I will endeavour to record more of our day to day life.
3. Study harder,better,and enjoy it more,I did enjoy school,but I never took it seriously enough,apart from Maths,(EPIC FAIL)I was mostly a B or C grade student,and I did get an A in year nine for Music,I can play the Clarinet and Piano..Imagine what I can do now I'm mature (ha) focused and supported!!
5. Make more time for DH, we have in the last year developed the "Renegotiated Everett Marriage" contract...this coming year marks our 10 year wedding anniversary..and I felt we had perhaps fallen into a little bit of a rut.So more date notes,concerts,movies,more EFFORT!
6. HHHHmmmm that could be about it really? these were the area's I think need the most work.so we will see how it goes!

Cheers for now,
B

BTW blogger for iphone rocks!!!

2011-12-17T13:46:00.001+11:00

Should've done this ages ago!!! Been actually crafting today! Not working!! I make a couple of these calendars each year! Easy, quick, fun!

Baking!

2011-12-16T14:01:00.001+11:00

Oh I know what your thinking!!! She didn't? Hell yeah she did!!! Red Velvet... Whoopie Pies!!!

Righto!

2011-12-16T13:07:00.001+11:00

Well! I Have been made a First Round offer,for my first and only preference At RMIT doing a 3 year BA of fine art Degree!!!!Im studying Silversmithing.
Yay Me!

This is something I did,Me,on my own (totally supported by Hubby and Kids of course) But I filled in the forms,submitted my Folio,and was selected for an Interview,ME! I'm very proud of myself,Uni just was never on the cards for me when I finished year 12,I was at that stage living away from home, (left home at age 15 nearly 16)...and barely scraped through a pass in VCE,not because I couldn't do the work,but because I was barely surviving! had no financial support,nor familial support,I did that on my own too! But I have always regretted not going to Uni. Seeing as I'm now 37,And my life has never been better,I have wonderful supportive friends and Family,My kids are both at school and settled,I really wanted to do something for me,just for me...and have a crack at expanding my business and my love of jewellery making,and never did I think i'd get in first round!!! Whhhooo HOOO happy Dance!

So I will have to be Uber organised next year,I'm pretty much an organised person! but it's been 20 Years since I studied!How hard can it be?

Been baking like a fiend! Discovered Red Velvet Cupcakes,and Whoopie pies! Both up my baking alley...And am already organised for Becky Higgins,Project Life 2012,Just trying to keep up with the minutae of Life!!

Cheers
B

Well...

2011-11-10T16:16:00.003+11:00

What the hell happened there? may? sincerest apologies to the 2 followers of my blog! Lol!I'm not sure how that happened! I had intentions of sharing quite a bit more often!

I think part of it is FB and twitter is just much more immediate to post toshort and sweet...
Lots been happening,but nothing very exciting.Obsessed with Pinterest,it's soo good,I have learned so much from there.im really entrenched in my "Home",so Pinterest has helped a lot with that.I avoided it for as long as I could!
On the health front,I've lost 5 kgs,still another 7 to go.Basically with restricting calories and walking,it's coming off slowly..the endometriosis issue....not good :( after all that pain and suffering, and $, it's still not fixed,I have been back to my OB and we are still trying to find a solution ,I had to have an MRI last week,not pleasant ..

Add to that my DH is currently unemployed...long story..and is home with me ALL DAY...its just unnatural! I'll be glad to see the end of 2011. And I'm not usually one for wallowing but I feel like enough already!

Babbling bee is still doing well,I'm actually avoiding my shops at the moment,because I can't keep up with the orders! Lol! What a problem to have hey?ramping up for Xmas ,seeing as I got caught out last year.

The highlight of my week was going to the Prima Class with Ingvild Bolme,run by scrappy hollow,it was a hoot,I've followed Ingvild's blog for a few years now and it was pretty cool to meet her,and the page we did was really Lovely.I'll try to post some pics soon.
The kidlets are all good,another school year nearly over. Still waiting to hear if I have got a spot at Uni for next year,hopefully I'll know soon!

Cheers
B

Phew..

2011-05-30T16:12:00.003+10:00

Well that has been a busy few months!

I'm mostly fit,and feeling back to normal,The scar is healing really well,no complaints there...I'm still waiting to see if the Endo has gone for good,I've had a few niggles in the past month or so that make me think its not all gone,but we will see..

HHHmmm what else? Been reading like a fiend,and have even joined the local bookstore's Bookgroup.We have our first meeting next month after reading,"Past the Shallows",by Favel Parret,she's a local Melbourne girl.I like the book,but found it a little disjointed in parts,its told from the point of view of 3 brothers,so it skips from one short chapter to another,and I felt it was a bit confused in where it was going...But like I said I did enjoy it,looking forward to discussing it with the group.

I've also read book 4 of the "Mortal Instuments" series,and the prequel,"Clockwork Angel" to the same books,by Cassandra Clare.The most recent Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) book,VERY DISAPOINTING!!!! Charlaine is just going through the motions...:(

Still cooking heaps,am now making my own Muesli bars,As I decided there was too much unnecesary crap in the store bought ones.Sully won't eat dried fruit,(even tho he used to!)so I make them with choc chips...At least I know theres less preservatives etc in them...it's the lesser of 2 evils !

Business is good,bit quiet at the moment but I'm busy making stock so I have plenty on hand,less stressful that way.Have done a couple of weeks for my "Project Life" album,funnily enough not a great deal happening at the moment..*chuckle*

HHmmm what else?
Thought I'd post some pics of my most recent scrap pages,Mostly done with a page kit from Basic Grey..

Cheers,
B

Howdy...

2011-04-17T14:04:00.003+10:00

Hhhmmmmm thoughts on plastic surgery? I personally was pretty happy with the way I looked,yes I need to lose a few kilo's and my body in general was trashed from having kids...but I have never been tempted to alter my body surgically,having said that I can see why some people do.my tummy tuck has gone well,I'm healing nicely,the scar from hip to hip is a little more gruesome than I was hoping for,but I know it will mostly fade away to a thin white line,I have lost a whole tattoo,which is kinda weird,and had a muscle tightened that was overstretched by carrying Sully very low,and the fact he was 9-1/2 pounds!As for the endometriosis? Well only time will tell! I'm yet to speak at length with my plastic surgeon,I have an appt with him in May. The first couple of days were very unpleasant,after that it was just painful when getting up and down,and bending over etc.Our insurance company has knocked back our claim,for quite different reasons than we were told,apparently the scheduled fee for abdominoplasty is about 600$, my surgeon charges 5000$, so they give you back like 200$ from Medicare because that's what they deem reasonable ! Go figure! We are persuing it further,it's not like I just woke up one day and decided "hey I want a tummy tuck!" This was a last ditch attempt at fixing an ongoing, painful medical condition.

Anyway, another 2 weeks or so and I can start running, and get started on losing my 10 kilos...I did buy a size 12 pair of jeans yesterday! Much excitement,now my little mummy tummy is gone,things fit a lot better! Lol !

I'm also starting in the next week or so,a kind of weekly "project life" using w r memory keepers divided page protectors,and a kit of paper and elements and my own stash. Becky Higgins does the "Project Life" kit in the US and Amazon sells it,just not to Australia!!!! And the Au distributor sells out before they even get in to the shop, so I thought, bugger it I'll do my own! Basically my kids lives are passing me by,seeing as I only scrap the big events,first day of school ,Easter,birthdays etc ,and now I have my little selphy printer I want to do a week at a time,that's the beauty of the divided page protectors,and kit ,I can print off my pics here,in various sizes, then on a Friday nite,whilst the footy is on pop them in the album.I am actually really looking forward to having that to inspire me... That and a serious need to use some of my stash...lol! It's out of control!

Business has been on hold for a few weeks,seeing as I wasn't allowed to drive till last week. But after the school holidays I will be back doing restocks,and in production.

Well that's it for a lazy Sunday,I'm meant to be doing the ironing.... Can not be bothered!!!!
B

Nearly Tummy Tuck Time!

2011-03-20T15:34:00.003+11:00

Starting to get nervous now! Really hope they get all the endometriosis this time,so sick of the ongoing pain,and not looking forward to going through all this pain and inconvenience if it dosn't fix it! Babbling Bee is going from strength to strength,I've Established a nice customer base,with lovely customers! It keeps me busy but so far it's not crazy.

Boys have settled well into school,Lincoln seems to be enjoying prep,and well Sullivan just fits in anywhere really! So he's quite happy too.

Still teaching my cards classes as Ruckers Hill Retirement village,love getting in some nanna time! They really are a lovely bunch of ladies,and I feel like I'm a better person from being around them.

Totally obsessed with Papertrey Ink stamps from the US,absolutely the best value and quality acrylic stamps and individual dies that I have ever used! The only negative is they only ship registered mIl which can make it expensive.
Been baking up a storm, in the last few weeks I've made, cookies,a pavlova with custard,fig and raisin loaf,chocolate and beetroot muffins,cannelloni ,homemade musli slice...and the list goes on! All because I love using my Kitchenaid Mixer!

Life is just good at the moment....

Cheers
B

School holidays, nearing the end!!!!

2011-02-01T16:59:00.003+11:00

Much excitement,mostly from me!!!! Lol, Blondie goes back on Friday,Grade 2 thank you very much,and brownie starts prep on Monday!!! I'm so excited,I havnt had the house to myself in 7 years!!!!! I have many things both boring and exciting planned,cooking,sewing,lunching,manicuring,pedicuring,hair cutting and styling,lounging.....the list is pretty endless!!.no I must add that I have loved being at home with my boys,having never been particularly ambitious,nor university educated,it has suited me and my DH to have me at home all this time.I never felt I was missing out by not going back to work,I pretty happy with my lot as a housewife and mum.but the last 12 months have really brought home that I miss my old life,the freedom to do as I please I suppose.My boys are ready,they are happy well adjusted,bright boys,albeit full on....so even tho I may miss my wee poppet for a week or two, I doubt It will last!!

So onto the next few months,plans to expand my business,going a little further a field,getting fit and healthy,planning to lose about 10 kilos,dunno how much I weigh now,but it seemed like a good number! I am having a "mini tummy tuck" on the 23 rd of March,my surgeon assures me that this will remove the scar tissue and endemetriosis once and for all,bloody hope so! I thought about a full one for a nanosecond ,decided it was overkill,longer recovery,more painful,more expensive...and nothing I can't fix with a bit of exercise and portion control! A full one is quite gruesome,so just having my mummy tummy removed below my belly button should be a small improvement.Will be in hospital for 2 days,and then am instructed to do absolutely nothing,for at least 10 days,looking forward to some reading,and catching up on some Buffy on DVD! As long as the kids are dropped off and picked up I should be ok,although doing nothing is not something I am good at!!

Got my kitchen aid mixer,it is awesome !!!!!!! I luuurrrvvee it! I have made vanilla ice-cream ,watermelon,and raspberry sorbets with my ice-cream churn attachment,and some cakes and cookies. The badge maker is also lots of fun,waiting on the Chinese new year celebrations to finish so I can order more supplies direct from a manufacturer.

Oh well must go,things to do children to pull off one another.....
B

G'day

2011-01-19T16:34:00.003+11:00

I will only briefly mention how proud I am to be an Aussie .in times of despair and misery,we band together,have a cry,then we wipe our eyes survey the damage,and start again.

So what else has ben happening,.hhhmmmmm school holidays are starting to wear a bit thin the boys and are are all sick of each other,and they need to be constantly entertained!!!!! The weather hasn't been great,we did go to the Zoo this arvo that was a good outing.I've been buying far to much stuff on the net,I'm expecting a kitchen aid mixer,any day now,I finally ordered a badge making press,I ve always wanted one,and I am going to incorporate them into my business,once I have the larger die,I can make the cute little badge pocket mirrors, that are everywhere at the moment,hhhmm what else?An ice-cream churn for my kitchen aid ,I'm also dabbling in making soy candles,and found a great Aussie website,that sells everything you need at a great price.I've been making them in old teacups and vintage glass bowls after being inspired by a lovely lady called Martha at the last Blackbird Market,hers are of course much nicer,and I'm just making mine for fun,not to sell!!!!!

Sullivan my eldest boy,turned seven yesterday,new cricket bat=much excitement!!!!!!
The adopted kitties are doing ok,they hide under the bed all day,then they come out at night to eat and go to the toilet, some days I think we are making progress, other day days they hiss at me and I worry that I have made a huge mistake.I think once the boys go back to school I will do some trust building exercises with them lol!

Cheers B

Happy new year!!!

2011-01-02T17:12:00.003+11:00

I reckon it's going to be a cracker!!!!
Spent the afternoon updating my etsy shop,and my business worksite, depending on how business goes this year I may have to pay someone to take some more professional photo's.The shiny things are really hard to photograph well,the glare always shows up and the lighting is hard to get right.

Doing the Blackbird Market again this Saturday,probably the last market I will do for a while, they are fun I suppose but a bit too labour intensive,for the amount of money it makes me.If a nice small one comes along at the right time,I may decide to do it, my focus this year is on expanding my range in more retail shops, both here in Melbourne and maybe country Victoria.

This year seeing as my youngest is going to school, is also about me, I'm not one for making new years resolutions,but once things settle down with school etc, I'm planning on running 4 mornings a week watching my portion sizes,( I do not diet!!!) and generally getting back my body,this one is not the body I remember having Lol!!!and just generally focussing on me! I know selfish huh?
Having 2 boys that are so close in age,and that are totally full on ( in a typical boy way) has pretty much left me exhausted,and just going through the motions! Which has been fine ,you know being a mum has been my main priority but with both boys at school,I'm looking forward to doing more with my time.

I'm also planning on putting every book I read in 2011, on here as a regular thing...hopefully!

Cheers B

Sunny and Leo..

2010-12-29T10:03:00.002+11:00

Leo has the darker nose,and Sunny is HUGE!

Phew!

2010-12-28T20:05:00.003+11:00

Glad that's over for another year!
have a had a crazy and a bit crap couple of weeks, our beautiful kitten Luna died...we don't know exactly how,but we found her dead in my neighbors drive about a week ago.No signs of trauma,no blood... Possibly poison (unintentional ) ..but I was devastated. When my old kitties died I was sad, but it was kinda expected, man they were old! Luna had been part of our family for such a short while....So we have adopted 2 4 year old Russian blue/DSH boy cats from a lady who could no longer care for them,they are such beautiful,stunning cats!!! Sully named them Sunny and Leo, they are very shy,but coming around nicely.The same day Luna died I had to see my ob gyn again for my recurring endometriosis...with good and bad results,she thinks that maybe a abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) of sorts may be the way to go...ok if I must I must! Except that it will cost over $10,000!!!!!!!! the general idea being to remove all of the scar tissue and once and for all stopping the endo coming back,not something I would go out and do,but if it means no more chronic pain,then I suppose the flatter stomach bit is a bonus,and even tho it's for medical reasons not cosmetic,our FULLY COMPREHENSIVE health insurance dosn't cover it!! Have an appointment in January with a plastic reconstructive surgeon,let's hope he has a solution!

My business is booming,Christmas was insane! Looking forward to expanding next year.

Oh and Santa (DH) bought me an...wait for it.....iPad !!!'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Awesome! He nailed it this year lol!

Just stuff..

2010-10-22T16:42:00.002+11:00

I'm sure I mentioned it before,I don't just read books,I devour them!lol, My dad used to always say that about me,usually with a bit of frustration seeing I was probably reading at the time and ignoring him...I also read a lot of stuff that was probably too old for me at the time,but once I had read all of my books I had to go and pillage my Mum's bookshelf,I read "Drum" and "Mistress of Falconhurst" when I was about 11,and "Chariots of the gods" when I was about 12..Interesting reading! I used to sit behind the back of the couch and read them in secret until my mum figured out what I was doing there! I also have a sort of photo- graphic memeory,I can't re-read books over and over like some people do, My mother has read the harry potter books like 5 times each! I can't see the point? Surely you remember what happens?How can it be any different?

I'll pretty much read anything, I don't like murder mysteries so much, they seeem to not surprise me with the plots,Agatha Christie and such, I do appreciate the classics,and have but a handful to read, I like a good horror! Never was the "Sweet valley high" type, more "Virginia Andrews" I tend to stay away from best sellers,unless I hear really good reviews,speaking of which, Just plowed through "The Passage", By Justin Cronin,great book!!! I was going to start putting the names of all the books I had read since January 1st in my blog posts,but it snowballed pretty quickly, I'm probably up to about 50 already this year..It happens in bits tho, not evey day..I wish!

Having a kindle is sooooo good, because I know I can, at any time shop and buy a book,depending on my mood.I also like buying trashy horror novels from the op-shop,I'm loathe to pay full price for a book!

If I couldnt read anymore, I think it would be one of the worst things to ever happen to me! I had a rather lonely childhood,and Reading was my sanctuary,my way of escaping a small country town,narrow minded people,and the boredom and loneliness that comes with both!Funnily enough I married a man who for all intensive puposes,does not read!!! He used to read on holiday,which we never do now,but at least he leaves me alone! Sometimes I'm incomunicado for days on end while I finish a book,or series of books,once I start I have to finish it, I have maybe a few that I just could not finish,either because they were total shit,or just plain hard work!

So here are my top 10 books ever In no particular order..

Angela's Ashes -Frank Mccourt
To kill a mocking bird-Harper Lee
The Catcher in the Rye-J D Salinger
The Hope-James Lovgrove
The last Picture show-Larry McMurtry
A prayer for Owen Meany-John Irving
Gone with the wind-Margaret Mitchell
The Girl with the pearl Earring-Tracy Chevalier
The Picture of Dorian Gray-Oscar Wilde
Love is a dog from hell-Charles Bukowski

and the worst?

Dead Europe-Christos Tolkias... just the most awful book I have ever read!Seriously!
A clockwork Orange- anthony Burgess,still trying to finish it..20 years later!
Porno-Irvine Welsh
The winner stands alone-Paulo Coehlo...just ..pointless!And I do usually Like his stuff..
.....hhhmmmm I'm sure there are more,Just must've blocked them out LOL!

so there you go, not that it probably makes a whole lot of difference to anyone in particular..

B

Hello my name is Brooke...

2010-10-15T16:43:00.003+11:00

...and I'm an Etsyaholic!!! It's become an obsession,it satisfies my need to shop,seeing as I don't have a lot of actual time these days,and also my obsession with recieving parcels in the mail. It's so bad that I can pinpoint what time which type of parcel should arrive....The International Parcel man comes at 7.15am,the registered parcel man comes at 8.15...the Toll parcel man comes at 11,and the UPS man comes at 2.15,as well as the regular postie during the day....There's nothing quite like the rush I get when I hear the postie on his bike,and then see the unmistakeable orange of a US parcel peeking out of the letter box...

I'm also finally attuned to the sound of the 7.15 parcel man,he has his radio up really loud,and drives like a maniac!!!Reminds me of the postie from that chevy Chase movie...You know which one?

Busy still,and I think that it will only get busier as Christmas approaches,I'm doing the Blackbird Market again in November which is quite fun.So business is going well with the help my lovely little group of retailers...and my enablers from school!

Lots of social things on lately too,weddings,parties,dinners..finally having an executive for a husband is paying off!! LOL!
Well that's all for now.

Catch you later.
B

Hey

2010-10-10T14:56:00.003+11:00

Did my stall at the Blackbird Market yesterday with my friend Suze,had a blast! It went really quickly and was a lot of fun,I sold a fair bit and made about $290! The stall itself costs $60,so all in all a pretty good profit!It was a good indicator as to what sells really well,and that my pricing was pretty good.The music was good,the food was good,and the other girls on the stalls all seemed really lovely!
So I'm planning to go back on the 13th of November! Hope to see some more friendly faces there!
B

Hey..

2010-09-08T17:17:00.004+10:00

Sssoooooo busy!
I have actually had to stop taking orders at the moment as I'm so busy! It's just crazy!Something that was just meant to earn me a bit of spending money,doing something I love,is becoming very time consuming,sourcing supplies,prep,and actual manufacture is taking up a fair bit of my spare time!It would be better next year when I will have whole days to get stuff done,between school,kinder and my other bits and pieces it's really hard!

No I'm not whingeing...Just so surprised that it's taking off so quickly!lol!
I think I'm still in shock!

I've managed to track down a manufacturer in China to buy my materials from,for a fraction of the cost I was paying on Etsy..It was actually just more about finding a reliable company that I could get my orders as I needed them,the demand has surpassed supply!!! I'm doing the Blackbird Market in October,and hopefully November as well.I'm looking forward to it,being a chatterbox and a "people person" I love any chance to get out and meet new people!

Back soon,
Brooke

Ah ...I love weddings!

2010-08-07T19:47:00.003+10:00

Went to my BIL Rob's wedding yesterday,I'm so very very happy for him and his new wife,and my new SIL Jenny!! It was a cocktail reception at the Crittendon Estate winery in MT Martha,very nice food,lovely scenery(a bit wet) and lot's of very nice vino!

My boys looked absolutely spunky!!! Both are gonna break hearts one day,they had a ball at their first wedding,mostly well behaved,Sully waited until the very last half hour before he fell over in the mud,and trashed his very nice pants and shirt!!! Luckily mummy was pleasantly inebriated by this stage and his uncle cleaned him up a bit before I saw him!

I went to the Magnolia Square Handmade craft market in Malvern today, it was crazy busy,but the stuff I saw was really lovely,I'd love to have a crack at one of them one day...who knows?

Busy creating, having major supply issues at the moment,but trundling along nicely with some other things.Off to the NGV with DH's work on monday night for a viewing of the European Masters collection,with drinks and nibbles!! Noice! Hoping my Salon straightened hair lasts till then! lol! I wish I could get my hair straight like this myself...I quite like it!

Well here are some pics from the day,I'm going to do The official wedding photo's in an album for them as a wedding present.
Catch yah later!
Bx

Well Hello

2010-07-29T18:30:00.003+10:00

Hi all,
goodness,once one gets FOUR shops buying my stuff,that's right four! I find I have even less time to blog!

Every shop I have approached so far has bought all my stock,and then I have to rush home and make more! It's out of control people!Iv'e narrowed down some awesome suppliers,and figured out what works and what dosn't through trial and error!(trust me, lots of error) lol!

I've decided that resin is AWESOME,I've figured out how long it takes to set,usually by touching it when it hasn't set! and with my handy dandy toaster oven,I'm able to have a shorter turn around time,the problem being that every second thing I make I luuurrvvveee, so I have more jewllery than I know what to do with!!!

I'm diving back into Silver Smithing, now that I can easily access tools and materials more readily than when I was doing it 7 years ago,Thank goodness for Etsy!!!!DH is buying me a silver tumbler for my birthday, how romantic is that!!!!LOL!

I have a new website ,it's www.babblingbee.com

It's mainly for Retailers to get an idea of what's available, I have an option to pop a paypal cart on there in the future...And I need to put more photo's in the gallery too!

Anyway, DH has had to get me a new battery for the laptop,so it's nice to be able to blog in the kitchen, loungeroom etc...Kids are good,life is busy, I like it that way,off to my BIL's wedding on Friday next it's a cocktail reception at the Crittendon Estate,in Mt eliza! Looking forward to frocking up!!!Oh god! High Heels!AAARRRGGGhhh! And I still have tan lines from the Second degree sunburn I got from my Melbourne Cup Day Adventure...NOVEMBER LAST YEAR!!!VVEERRYY attractive!

Bye! B

Hi

2010-07-12T15:33:00.002+10:00

Whew! Thank goodness school holidays are over! I felt like a caged bear,so who knows how the boys must have felt!!!

Very quickly letting you know that "i dream a highway",Northcote is selling my stuff,and also "Birch living",in Clifton Hill!!! Super excited! The owners seem to really like what I'm doing which is nice,makes me feel like I am going in the right direction! I have also captured the 80 year old Grandma market amongst my MIL's friends!!! They are just buying the necklaces from seeing her wearing hers,marketing plus I say!

So super excited,super busy.

Catch you all soon,off to collect the poppets.
Cheers B

Due to popular demand...

2010-06-20T13:20:00.004+10:00

Here are some pics of my stuff..
Pink Karim is a gorgeous funky little boutique here in Fairfield,I sold 10 pendants to Ann last wednesday,and 4 had sold by Friday!This one is my own,it was back when I was trialling glue and stuff that worked the way I wanted..being both a perfectionist and impatient it's been hard work!I make all sorts of different designs.

Very simple design,lots of prep involved,but the end product is very nice.

I've also got an appt next thursday with "I dream a Highway" on high st Northcote.
These brooches are also a bit of a hit,made from old dominoes..

Cheers Enjoy.

Hey,

2010-06-09T12:26:00.002+10:00

Been slack,I know,just busy with life..as usual.

Here's a page of my gorgeous feline,Luna.The boys call her Luna-Tuna,and DH calls her Luna-tic...It's tough being surrounded by such comedic genious...LOL!

It's cold,really cold,so cold my glues and Dimensional Magic is taking forever to dry! It's during winter that I loathe our cold draughty old house,give me central heating and wall to wall carpet any day.

My Etsy shop is still going,no sales for a while tho,trying to get a cohesive brand happening,I've ordered a custom made rubber stamp,for packaging,tags etc,I have business cards,On the school holidays I'm going into the CBD where there is a Jeweller supply shop(it's sooo good!)thay have packaging and boxes.

I've also dropped some brooches into a little boutique here in Faifield,and will let you know if the lady there decides to stock them! Fingers crossed!

Anyhoo,hope to be back again soon,with another page,just have to finish it off..
Cheers B

Been scrappin'

2010-05-07T13:54:00.001+10:00

Here's 2 pages I have done this week,one photo is pretty recent(Anzac Day)..the other is from Melbourne Cup Day last year,oh my!

Just using lots of scraps and found objects at the moment..Loving the new October Afternoon tho! Vintage is sooo my thing!Have also been doing some Baby album covers pretty much by correspondance,for a friend in NSW..Lots of fun doing girly stuff!

After my last post, I had a virtual rush of sales in my Etsy shop,I am doing a 'showcase" promo on Sunday I think? where they put your stuff in a really heavy traffic area of the Website,it's supposed to bring more people to your shop.There's so much stuff on there,that you really need to list stuff everyday to keep it in the foreground!

All is well here,kids drive me nuts some days,lol! Looking forward to Mother's day with my boys,neither of them are very good at keeping things secret!! LOL! Lucky I can feign surprise and delight pretty convincingly by now!

Cheers B

G'day..

2010-04-28T16:18:00.002+10:00

Down with a charming eye infection at the moment,*note to self* don't use 5 year old mascara!!! Lol

Have loaded fair bit of stuff in my Etsy shop,nothing has sold as yet,so I'm just taking my time,and I'll put more stuff on later.Have also been madly making stuff for the mothers day stall at Sully's school.So that has been keeping me busy.

My bedroom makeover is complete,paint all done thanks to DH, new blinds up,new artwork above the bed,and new linen,looks much nicer...more "Grown up"!We have also bought blinds for both the boys rooms,as I reckon they have grown out of the alphabet curtains I put up when they were babies!

Busy also being the neighbourhood drop off centre too,lol! I love it,love having lots of kids around,something my mother never liked,other people's children..I have my friend Ange's baby James, on wednesday's for the whole day,various kids for school pick up's and drop off's, and lot's of playdates!I love the sense of community where I live,and that people know I'm around and can help out,and I know they would do the same for me.I can't wait until I have large groups of Sully and Lincoln's mates hanging around after school,staying for dinner and such...Something I never had,and I hope it will keep me close to my boys (and who they are hanging out with LOL!)

Well off to crash on the couch,tired,sore eye...:(

Might have some pics to share from our Annual Anzac day picninc to Warburton this year,might do some scrapping on Saturday night as DH and Sully will be at the footy.

Cheers B

Ok ok ok..I give in...

2010-04-20T16:40:00.001+10:00

I am in the process of opening an Etsy shop,so bear with me while I take all the photo's and load all the descriptions,then we will see if you have all been lying to me about how nice my stuff is!!? lol!Wish me luck.

B

Scrapping..kinda,almost,sort of...

2010-03-31T17:14:00.002+11:00

I finished these pages on Saturday when I had some scrappy friends over to play,we are scrap-shop-crop homeless as the shop in which we met has closed down, so I asked everyone to come on over while all my boys were at the footy..It was great! Not long enough tho,bugger having small children that need to have dinner and go to bed etc, LOL!

Anyway they were started a while back and I just pottered around finishing them. Oh and I took my cupcake pic,they are still coming out divine....
Hoping to re-paint my bedroom this long weekend,i had DH paint it when I was pregnant with Sully,Purple seemed like a great idea at the time...I still love it (it's my favourite colour)but it makes the room very dark,and I want to open it up a bit,then a new blind,new bedcovers, new artwork for above the bed...he he he..

So I hope you all have a great easter,we arent really doing much at all,vegeing,painting..stuff.Maybe a family drive somewhere, I need fresh family pics..

Cheers B

Change of scene...ery!

2010-03-22T10:48:00.002+11:00

As I stay at home mum,I think I spend waaayy to much time at home thinking of ways to improve my surrounds...so after years of looking at my ugly green dining chairs(which I intended to cover 7 years ago,straight after we bought them!)I popped out to Spotlight bought 2 meteres of upholstery fabric and voila!!! Fab new chairs!Really easy to do if your chair pads come off,just unscrew them, cover with fabric,and use a staple gun to tack the fabric down...It took me about and hour.Sorry the pic is so bad I was all excited and obvioulsy unsteady with the camera, lol! But you get how much better they look.HHmm what else? oh finally got my stampin' up! stamp pad storage box, that I've wanted for ages,I found a company in bendigo that makes them and after I bought it, it took one day to get here! DH mounted it on the wall for me yesterday,quite happy with how it looks.And I now know I can order another one if (or when) it gets filled...Last but not least,everyone is doing these on the WWW it seems,I always hated how ugly these baby wipes cases were,I really only use them for cleaning my stamps,and the odd grubby face these days,but have made a few for friends with babies...Oh and little travel tissue covers too,will post a pic of one later.
Anyway,I'm much better,My Dr thinks she got all the Endo out this time,but only time will tell!

Cheers B

Hellooo...

2010-03-11T17:48:00.005+11:00

Hey,feeling much better from my little op,dressing off tomorrow,still waiting to hear from my Doc,not holding my breath about it all being gone this time,we shall see...

As promised here's 2 recent pages,one of Linky (actualy with a mouthfull of food)can yah tell? I actually love the candidness of this one.Very him!
The other is a set up shot of Sully 2010 in his stripey t-shirt and Sunnies and of his Dad at roughly the same age...taken in 1968!!!!Most people do a double take,when the see it,they are sooooo alike...It's nice Linky looks more like me!!!

I got bored this afternoon...so I cut myself a fringe..LOL!

Cheers B

It's Baaaccckkkk...

2010-03-04T16:11:00.003+11:00

Ah yes the joys of being a woman! Off to have another minor surgery tommorow,the endemetriosis in my ceasar scar is back,not as big,seeing as it is only a year since the last lot was removed,but back nonetheless! So the DH off work,friends picking up and dropping off of the little ones shuffle, begins!

We (me and the boys) had gastro during the week too,so basically I'm a bit over my life at the moment...Cleaning,washing,shopping,etc etc...

I have a few pages happening at the moment..unfinished, so will pop some pics when I have them all done..

Looking forward to slow cooker season..I only discovered them last year and I love cooking in them..my kind of cooking,chuck it all in the one pot,and walk away!!!
I'm more of a baker,I like cakes and muffins and slices,speaking of which,thanks to my scrappy friend Sharon,I have discovered White Wings Vanilla Cupcakes....O-MG!!! absolutely the best cupcakes I have ever eaten,packet mix or from scratch!!!And I have eaten quite a few in my time...:) Next time I make them I'll post a picture.

Heres my slow cooker recipe for Lasagne,yes Lasagne!!!

Slow cooker Lasagne,

Made in an oval, 4.5 litre slow cooker, it will be about 4-5cm thick, but obviously the depth will vary depending on the size of the cooker you use.

2 cloves of Garlic Peeled and chopped
1x400 grm can of whole or diced tomatoes in juice
1x single serve packet of Tomato Soup(Soup in a cup)
500gm minced beef
1/4 cup of Tomato Paste
1 tsp each of dried basil and Oregano
2 tsp instant beef stock (I used powdered)
1 cup of hot water
250 grm of dry instant lasagne sheets

Topping

2tsp Cornflour
1 large egg
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup of grated tasty cheese
Paprika (optional)

Turn the slow cooker on High to pre heat and coat the bowl with non stick spray.
Put the garlic and tomatoes (with any juice) into a large bowl and mash with a fork to break up the tomatoes. Add the soup mix, minced beef, tomato paste, herbs, stock and water and then mix until well combined.

Spread one third of the mixture evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker bowl. Place half of the lasagne sheets over the meat .Repeat the layering with another third of the meat mixture, the remaining pasta then cover with the remaining meat mixture. To make the topping, mix together the cornflour, egg, milk and cheese. Pour this over everything in the slow cooker and sprinkle with Paprika (if using)

Turn the slow cooker to LOW and cook for 8-9 hours.

Enjoy!
Brooke

It's hard to blog with a kitten in your lap...

2010-02-17T09:27:00.004+11:00

..who likes to try and eat the keyboard!!!and attack the cursor!!!and walks on the keyboard...she's crazy!!!LOL!

Been super busy,had my big sis come and stay for a week,first week of school,and Kinder...Dr's appointments..etc etc,life!

Have 2 pages to share,one is from Sully's book week last year,and the other one I did from the DVD that came with SC one month and I finally got around to watching it! It's a Lorraine bate one,I think I like her stuff...I'd had the Webters paper for ages and wasn't sure how I was going to use them,very happy with how it turned out,the pic is of my MIL with her first born,I havn't put the year he was born on it yet.. How chipper does she look? Hair all nice and set,bit of lippy...Amazing that she looks that bright after giving birth!!

I managed to do this page whilst scrapping in the loungeroom,yes I
do have a "Space" as such but it's right next to my eldest son's room,and he yells at me to be quiet if he's already gone to bed...so I lashed out and bought a $25 fold out table so I can hang with the DH while the footy is on and not miss out on scrapping when I'm in the mood,which aint that often anymore!!

I also am very excited about my new string storage solution!!!... I did take some photo's but they werent very well(I was in a rush,as always) will take some more soon..Basically,you buy a metal screw top glass storage jar,like they have at the reject shop etc,mine was 3$ and punch a hole in the lid,put your ball of twine or Jute in the jar,poke your string through the hole...Voila! no more tangled string!!!

I thought I should also pop some pictures of my space on here,just so you can see how OC,yes OC,I am about storage and organisation...

Oh and very last crop at the Scrapbook scene this weekend...;( very sad,but I know Janet needs to do some stuff for her and her kids so I wish her well.

See you soon...

Luna..

2010-01-28T18:24:00.002+11:00

Well here she is,what a gorgeous little feline...nice to have a female in the house after all these boys! She's very funny,and very snuggly,she seems ok with the boys and I'm sure she will settle in just fine.

And the page I did at the crop on saturday,the picture was taken at Maroondah Dam,on boxing day,2009.One of our usual family outings.Lovin' the new Prima flowers...Maybe Luna can be my new Muse?

UUmm the vintage card I made using what I refer to as "Vintage gold",snap cards from a complete set with box,that I found cleaning out my MIL's house,I have big plans for them!! The other is just a very simple baby card,using my copics and scorpal.

Cheers B.

You take the good with the bad..

2010-01-27T16:45:00.005+11:00

Well my little old Kitty Pumpkin (silly name I know) died yesterday afternoon,after succumbing to the ravages of old age,his long time companin Jai died only a few months ago,and so an era ends..One of the pics Sully took last week,it's not a great photo technically,but it shows pumpkin in his favourite spot,in the sun in the front yard.

I love cats I'm a cat person,I have 2 cat tattoo's if I wasn't married and had kids,I'd for sure be a crazy ol' cat lady,like the one on the simpsons..and I may still be when my kids are all grown up and leave me! My DH on the other hand,not so much a cat person, I mean he likes animals,but wouldn't be fussed if we never had another pet....I on the other hand need to have a warm furry thing around, I like to come home to them, I let them sleep on my bed,cat's are clean,and smoochy,and soft,unlike our dog who is stinky,drooly,and HEAVY!!!

So today me and the kidlets went to the RSPCA,where I actually Volunteered, for about 2 years while I attempted to become a Vet Nurse....(nope never managed to finish my course)..And have brought home the most Divine girl tabby kitten,Sully picked the name "Luna" and I seconded it and Lincoln just goes along with stuff like that! LOL! She's a sweet little thing,and seems to be settling in ok.

I will miss my beautiful boys,Jai and Pumpkin,I have many memories of them both,and now I want my boys to grow up with a pet that is the whole family's and not just mine.

Will post some pics once she's settled in a bit more...

Went to Walhalla on Sunday,it's our favourite go-to touristy destination,and such a beautiful and interesting place...Took the boys on the goldmine tour and they both loved it.Got lots of pics of the fab cemetary,when you see them you'll understand why it's so cool!...

Have done a page,and some cards,will post them when I get around to it....

B

Time does fly...

2010-01-19T12:20:00.003+11:00

My big Boy,turned 6 yesterday,how did that happen?????(oh and the date is wrong on his "Birth Day" pic...

He loved his "Big" present, a camera,I bought him a tiny,Fuji,P&S and so far he's taken some very good pictures with it,I may have to comandere it for outings and such..it's a lot smaller than mine....

We went to the Zoo for the day with some friends,and he had a ball taking lot's of pictures of the animals...
Only 2 weeks to go until school starts,and so far it hasn't been that bad..Fingers crossed,LOL!!
Have read about 12 books in 2 weeks...Lovin' my kindle.

Am going to a crop on saturday,could be the last one at the Shop I go to,the owner is selling it:( and i can't imagine anyone else being as lovely as she is...:)

So maybe I'll have something to share...or maybe not!
Cheers B

A couple of Projects

2010-01-03T10:56:00.004+11:00

Hi,

Just thought I'd share some pages I've done recently,The Calender is something I do every year now,they are white board calenders from The Reject Shop/2$ shop,that I scrap over the white board bit,Voila, you have a much nicer customised calender!!

Iv'e used the new release Kaiser Prairie lane,I love the colours in this.Brown and blue is one of my favourite colour combo's.

The other is of my very spunky husband,and his family Daschund,Baron,he thinks he's about 14? years old,We recently got all of his family photo's,so I'm working my way slowly through them,and FYI,I was born the same year this photo was taken....LOL!I really only notice the age difference in circumstances like this.

So I'm finally doing some scrapping...
B

Happy New Year...

2010-01-01T15:35:00.003+11:00

My DH and I are pretty boring people,we've pretty much done all the partying and late nights out that we needed to do ...so we settled in to have a nice quiet nite at home...and Poppet no.2 decided to wake up at about 9pm covered in Vomit!!! Yep,as a parent is there anything worse than a small child,whose upset,covered in Vomit,and all they want from you is cuddles and comfort??? No idea what brought it on,he was a bit pale and sooky for about 1/2 an hour,had another smaller chuck,and off he went back to bed(after I stripped it and remade it of course).He got up this morning perfectly fine...

Went to Chaddy this arvo,I LOOOVVEEE chadstone,it is after all the fashion capital!!!

Christmas Day was a hoot,the boys loved everything that (Santa) brought for them.We had a very low key day with my MIL and the rest of DH's family arriving at various times.And I have been scrapping a bit too..

Cheers B

Digital Scrapbooking...

2009-12-24T18:42:00.007+11:00

You may or may not know,that I sometimes dabble in Digi Scrapping,and hybrid Scrapping too,this is a gorgeous Digi kit called "Clementine",from Shabby Princess,they do the most divine Downloadables.. I like to break out the Digi sometimes,when I'm in the lounge in front of the Tele,less messy!

So this picture is the same as the one below,just done as a Digital Scrapbook Page.

Cheers B.

Oh and Merry Christmas! I'm taking bets that the $5 jelly bean pooping reindeer will be the hit of the day!LOL!

Christmas photo shoot...

2009-12-21T11:10:00.002+11:00

I actually don't really like Christmas,if we didn't have kids we wouldn't really celebrate it at all...When you don't have any family,it's just build up to another day...That's a whole other story tho...LOL!

So I asked the boys to let me take some NICE pictures of them,which I havn't done for ages,as they are usually filthy,wearing orange and red,or just totally non co-operative.This morning I cleaned them up after brekky,dressed them in nuetral colours,and took some pics...probably about 60? Maybe 5 of them are any good,silly smiles,silly faces,not looking at the camera,fighting with each other....Oh my word it's hard work!!

So here's the pick of the bunch..

Merry Christmas (Bah Humbug)

Cheers B

Whoo Hoo...First Year of School over....

2009-12-18T16:44:00.005+11:00

Hi,
Yes we survived Prep! Sully has had a Fantastic year,made lots of friends,learned to read, spell and write.So I think it's been a fantastic start to his school career,his report was excellent,with the only negative comment being,that he rushes his work,so he can move on to the next thing,and needs to take more care with his colouring etc..

Lincoln has also finished up at his Daycare ,as next year he will be going to the same Kinder that Sully went to ,so I mourn the loss of my 2 child free whole days a week,back to 3, 3 hour sessions of 4 year old Kinder...pain in the arse really,but then the year after I will finally be able to perhaps turn my crafty talents to something a little more financially viable!! So everyone keeps telling me!

FRREEEDDDDOOMMMM!!!!! ha ha ha ha...nah I love being at home with my boys,it's just so very full on,and I have little in the way of Familial support,and have only recently started to Farm the boys off for a few playdates and stuff..

I have finished making this Kaiser Craft advent calender,quite easy to put together,but lots of prep needed and very fiddly,I am happy with how it has turned out tho...

Have just gotten Linky's kinder photo's,which are just adorable,so look out there may be some scrapping coming up..:)
And I have had yet another dose of Conjuctivitus,yyeerrcckkk....so sick of wiping snotty noses !!!!there's only so much hand washing and germ killer one can deal with!!!
Cheers B

Look out,even more Craft!!!,and my Kindle..

2009-12-08T14:30:00.003+11:00

I'm sure you've all been wanting to see,this is my Kindle!!!,the Skin is from the US,(of course),and you can get many designs,it just helps to personalise it and protect it from scratches and stuff....Still loving it,havn't had lots of time to read tho...

The other photo's are of a little post it note holder I've beem making,inspiration from Chic"n"scratch,in the USA,and My ribbon Jar which I got the inspiration from Nichole Heady's Blog(From Papertrey INK)...The Label is a free download from the "Graphics Fairy", she does beautiful Vintage inpired Clip art,love her stuff...
And a notebook,using Websters Pages,PP.

Cheers B

Look out...CRAFT!

2009-12-06T18:03:00.004+11:00

Here's some stuff I had made in the last few months,but hadn't taken pics of..
My Christmas card for this year,using a cuttlebug folder,ink,and a stamped image,very easy...My Mint tins that I mentioned ages ago,and my DS's Teacher gift for his first year at school,the stamps I used on the front and the design, comes from Papertrey Ink,an American company that does the most useful and beautiful acrylic stamps,and they arrived today!!!! (Sunday) I stalk my postie/parcel man,but he took me quite by surprise,apparently it's because of the huge Christmas influx.
Cheers B

New Moon...

2009-11-30T16:20:00.004+11:00

Saw it,loved it,can't wait till the next one...

Decided to avoid the screaming teenage girls on the opening night and went today on my kid free day,and it was sooo good,I suppose it's not in the "best movie ever made" catorgory,but it keeps the books alive for me...

Have no mojo ....still.Done all my christmas cards,survived children with chicken pox,not alot happening...have to go pick up poppet No.2...
Might be back later.
B

Quarantine Day 3...

2009-11-11T14:30:00.005+11:00

The pox are certainly in full swing now,Sully who hasn't been immunised is COVERED! in them,Linky who has been immunised has maybe 20?...so case in point,get your littlies,who missed out on the Scheduled Chicken Pox Vaccine, done!!!I have been meaning to get Sully done before he started School, and never got around to it..I mean he's ok,and I had chicken pox as a kid,having not being immunised, but it does seem
to be much milder if you immunise them...

On another very sad note,My beautiful Cat Jai died yesterday sometime.My neighbour across the road came to tell me late yesterday,that there was a black cat dead under a lavender bush in their back yard,I was sooo hoping it wasn't him...It was,he was nearly 17 years old,and until quite recently had been pretty healthy.I saw him last alive on Monday afternoon,and he looked hot and tired,I gave him a bit of a pat,and then he went outside...Looks like he just lay down under the shady bush,and fell asleep and passed away peacefully,can't ask for a much better way to go...He was the funniest cat,so many people from my life have great "Jai" stories...I've had lots of condolences already...I have another cat Pumpkin.that is also very old,and my heart is just broken thinking of losing them both....

RIP Jai,1993?-2009

The Pox!!

2009-11-09T16:11:00.002+11:00

Ah we have come across our first childhood disease...The chicken Pox!!! BOTH my boys have come down with it,at the same time...I'ts going to be a loonngg week!!

So far Sully seems to be a little worse off,than Linky.But they are both surprisingly chipper....

In other exciting news...My Kindle arrived in less than 4 days from the USA,and its fantastic!!! I love it!My only gripe would be that the screen needs to be just a bit bigger, it has a keyboard on the body , to search for titles,and that takes up a bit of room..But if the next version has a touch screen,with a pop up keyboard like the iphone has,it would be perfect!!!

I also am nursing a wicked case of Sunburn at the moment,yes totally my own fault...I had the very lovely pleasure of going to the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday,organised by one of my friends Steph,(that's me and her in the pic)and seeing as I was all dressed up,and a bit inebrieated(just a bit) I didn't put any SPF on and am paying for that now!!! And I NEVER expose my skin to the sun without SPF 30,or clothing,or a hat...bit of a Vampire in general in that regards...

I have also started my christmas cards for the year,not really enjoying it,but you know soldiering on..I have two pages to share,the Kitty one is a "blind Scrap" I did on the Scrap therapy website,hosted by Ali, I will certainly have another go at the next one,it's not my usual style,but I kinda like how it turned out..The other is a page about my Parent's in Law's house,they lived in it for over 40 years,and raised my Hubby,and his 2 brothers in it,and my boys have spent many an hour hanging out in the Yard with their much loved Grandpa and Gigi.

Cheers B

Techno Geek...

2009-10-22T17:56:00.003+11:00

I am an odd mix of old fashioned geekiness,and modern geekiness, I love reading(it was my first love) and came into computers quite late in life...I have however quite happily embraced the modern world.I have 3 Ipods, one very old one that sits on my craft desk,one that I walk/run with,and one that I use when trying to block out the child whinge factor..
I also have an Iphone,and yes I luurrvve it!!! About a year or so ago,Kristina Werner, blogged about a gadget called a "Kindle" from Amazon.....

Well ladies and Gents hopefully by this time next week I will have one in my very hot little hands!!!!OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!!!

In case you don't know what it is...it's an electronic book,about the size of a paperback,that you can download books to via the 3G network...amywhere, any time.It stores 1500 books,you can also download Newspapers and Magazines...And until this monday ot was not available internationally,due to the different networks and copyright laws....But finally (seeing as Australia is sometimes treated like the arse end of the world)lol! it is now winging its way via UPS to my hot little hands...Yes I suppose it is pricey at about $300 AU,but for someone who devours books rather than reads them,and never has time to go book shopping,it will be a godsend!!! And DH has bought it for me as an Early Christmas present, (even tho he already bought us Fleetwood Mac tickets for X-mas)...only because he knows I'm more inclined to let him watch more footy if I have something to read...

So I will start stalking the UPS Man on Monday...And hopefully it lives up to my expectations!!!

Sully is much better,I think he even missed school a bit,but didn't realise until he got back!!I've not done any scrapping,Sob :( but I have altered some mint tins,why do they make them so ugly? No woman wants a bright metallic blue tin in her handbag! or is that just me??? LOL!
Will post some pics when I'm finished.

Cheers B

Sick..

2009-10-20T11:39:00.002+11:00

My big boy is still sick,he got up for school today,but fell in a heap before even getting dressed...put him back to bed and he's just woken up now....

Sullivan tends to just go,and go,and go,everyone told me that starting school makes them tired....they lied! He still goes and goes...LOL!
So I know he's not well when he sleeps during the day.He's also very bubbly,(like me)and even when he's sick he still has a smile on his face,bless 'im!

So day two of being stuck at home on nice sunny days,Linky is with me,he's just filling in time by eating,its what he does...

I've been blogging,found some really great Vintage clip art sites...Almost makes me want to scrap...
Cheers B

G'day..

2009-10-19T13:59:00.003+11:00

Have a sick poppet at home today and my little fella was sick last week.Always something preventing me getting stuff done...LOL!

Some pics of the now completed Laundry...Not very exciting,but heeeaaapppsss better!! not alot to work with and like all old houses many compromises...
Alas there are no cards or Scrapbook Pages to show,there has been no activity there for weeks,months even..Stalled,totally...So yes I have walked away,hopefully just for now..There was just no joy in anything I was creating....Bit Sad ...what am I if not a Dedicated Scrapbooker???? Who will document every minute detail of my family's day to day drivel??? lol!

Cheers B

Bored!

2009-09-29T11:27:00.003+10:00

So Bored,and unmotivated....thinking I will walk away from scrapbooking for a while...Hopefully the new Christmas Ranges will perk my interest back up...Having my Laundry Renovated at the moment,and of course the boys both want to be in there "helping" The school holidays have been pretty quiet,and the weather has not been so good for outdoor activites...

Whinge Whinge,I know,but hey it's my blog and I'll whinge if I want to!!! LOL!

Linky is off to see a speech pathologist today,I'm not especially worried about his speech,but seeing as he has been a bit of a late bloomer I just want to get a marker of how he is going for his age...It's hard to tell if he's doin ok,compared to his friends who are all younger,and his brother who is/was a very good talker.

Not much else really...Bored, listless,blah,yawn...

XB

More Covered Notebooks

2009-09-08T14:05:00.002+10:00

Still making notebooks...These plain ones are from the Reject shop,you get 5 for a dollar!!! And I've been busy using my Cardstock scraps,to make the covers,So easy to do,I got the inspiration for these particular ones from "billieprd",shes an aussie Stampin' Up! demonstrator who does awesome little video tutorials...if you google her you should be able to find her stuff easy enough,sorry I kinda know how to add links,but they always seem to go awry!!!

Also making lots of these little packs of gift cards,using my new obsession,Copic markers!!! not sure who for,I just like makin' em! I'm happiest when I'm crafting LOL!

Cheers B

Linky turns Four!!!

2009-09-06T12:24:00.004+10:00

No I can't believe my baby boy has turned 4 either!!!

He had a lovely day at kinder, on wednesday,his actual birthday,and his first party on Saturday.Crazy!!!!Trying to corral them all in one place was hard work! But they all seemed to have a great time!!!

XB

Gotta Love Nestabilities...

2009-09-03T17:43:00.002+10:00

Made this card a while ago,I used to be crazy in love with Daisy D's paper,but it's not around as much these days...
Found a few decent sized scraps,and got to work!!the stamp is from Stampin'up's Eastern Blooms set....Oh and the reason I don't put "supplies" on my posts is because, honestly I use so many things that I've had for ages, I can never remember half the paper names or embellies etc...I use a lot of found objects too.

But love my nestabilities,really easy to use in my cuttlebug,and great value.

Enjoy,

B
P.S waiting for a parcel of Copic Markers so hopefully will get to play with them this weekend,and post some new cards next week...

Another Card...

2009-09-01T17:09:00.001+10:00

Was so excited the other day that my card photo's are now turning out so much better,thought I'd post another!

I finally bought a Bind-it-all on the weekend,its a lot of fun!! The first 2 things I made were ok,the 3rd...not so! LOL! will have to have a bit more of a play in doing wider things...
Lincoln,my "little" boy turns 4 tommorow! I can't believe how quickly that time has gone by.He's having a little party on Saturday,(his first)seeing as now he has his own friends as opposed to just hanging out with Sully's friends and their siblings..I'm making Jelly tonite to take to Daycare tommorow too...Busy,Busy...Busy!

Cheers B

Stuff I've Been doing..

2009-08-29T14:09:00.004+10:00

Hello, I've been working on my techniques for sharing some of my other projects,finally after reading Kristina Werner's Blog recently,I set up my own little "Studio" and have been using the Macro setting on my camera to get nice crisp shots of cards etc...Yes I make cards...lots of them,I just found them hard to photograph until now! so stay tuned for some more from now on!And I've recently discovered Copic Markers...I used them on Lincoln's Aligator birthday card I luuurrvvve them, tiny bit focused about getting all 300odd colours..yeah well I did say I was a bit obsessed!!! LOL!

Now the placemats are the ones I re-covered at the Retreat a few weeks back,and I'm happy to report that they are all still,"Stuck" and wipe off beautifully,with my two boys that's a must!

The little notebooks are an obession I've had since I was young, I have always loved notebooks,and used to make my own all the time,but now I think I've finally perfected my technique! So quick and easy to make with scraps,and even old ugly spiral ones that I had lying around.

What else? Oh the butterfly frame,I just love these Amy Butler Butterflies and it took me ages to find some,not sure if I'll keep this or give it to someone as a gift..I think it would look good on a little girls bedroom wall...

And a LO!, this is a classic freemasons dinner photo,from the mid to late
60's of my late father in Law Ray,and mother in Law Ellen..

This is my big Boy dressed up as "The very Hungry Caterpillar",paper crafty I am,sewing and costumey,I aint!!!But he had fun joining in the parade.

Lincoln turns 4 on Wednesday, I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast..I do wish Hubby and I had started just a bit earlier,so I could have had just one more baby...I love 'em.

So enjoy!
B

Back from Retreat...

2009-08-11T16:52:00.002+10:00

Had a blast at The annual Scrapbook Scene Retreat, and I think this one was even better than last year!!!

Didn't think I would get much done,but I did 4 pages,about 10 pre done pages for my friends "ready to add photo's "album.... re covered all of my placemats and coasters,(totally on to something there!!!)some christmas cards,a couple of card gift boxes,oh and lots of chatting,drinking and eating!!!

So some pages to share...and me and my Scrap bestie,Lauren...

Just a quick post...

2009-08-04T16:28:00.002+10:00

Did these a while ago,but wanted to get my Lovely friend Angela's permission before I put her and her gorgeous poppet,James on my Blog!

One is totally my "intelectual Property" lol,so to speak,and the other is a direct scraplift from the new kaiser Catalogue...like I said my Mojo had gone totally,so I had to resort to scraplifting...

Cheers,B
3 more sleeps to Reeetreeaat!!!

ooo eerr look out!

2009-07-30T13:57:00.002+10:00

I think...maybe...perhaps, my MOJO is back!!!! Yay!!,I don't care where it's been, I won't ask questions...I'm really pleased with this page,took less than a couple of hours to do,I used lots of things from my stash that I have had for ages...and the paper which is by Websters Pages really inspires me, I love vintage and the Shabby Chic look,it's right up my creative alley!

So I have tweaked it a bit more,since I took this photo,but anyway,very happy!

Whhoo Hoo!!!
oh and for my Scrap Scene friends who read this....REEEETREEEEEAT!!!!!! LOL!

25th July 2009

2009-07-25T16:48:00.004+10:00

hey,

Have been mega busy,was hoping that with one kidlet in School,I'd have more time on my hands,but nope! And I love it that way,LOL! Not much in the way of scrapping,but have some pics to share,and one of my cat "Guarding" the slow cooker, the smell drives him crazy,so he sits next to it all say waiting for something to happen so he can eat whats inside!!!He cracks me up!My annual Scrap retreat(holiday)is in 2 weeks time,so I'm saving what little Mojo I have for that, otherwise I'll just drive everyone nuts talking to them,..well more than usual!I'm re -covering all my placemats from home,seeing as they don't match,it's been driving me crazy for years,and rather than chuck them and buy new ones,I'll customize them! And I'm doing 2 albums for a non scrapping friend of mine,for her to pop stuff of her Kidlets in,just very simply done so all she has to do is add photo's.I may even start some christmas pressies and cards.

My classes are going ok,I have one for this monday using the "Wisteria" papers from BG and let's face it I'm a BG girl through and through...

I'm also loving the new Kaiser stuff,especially the storage it comes in!!!!,and the new quarterly mag is also very good,(I'll be scraplifting from that quite a bit on the retreat!)

DH and DS no.1 are at the footy this arvo...snore! and then this evening we are going to DH niece's engagement party.
Then tommorow,its off to target to do a bit of birthday and Christmas Shopping..I saw heaps of things today that the boys would love,but I had DS no.2 with me and we all know that wasn't gonna work!

Cheers B

Don't fall off your chairs!!...

2009-06-22T14:20:00.006+10:00

but I have scrapped!!! not a lot,and not terribly well,but I have cut paper nonetheless! Have printed up some more pics to play with so we will see where that goes.. Linky has a nasty cough,and a temp,could be Pig related,but who knows,it has been at Sully's school,last monday there were 7 kids in his class,normally there is 17!..so we are having a lovely "nothing" day at home. I am in need of a new printer however...have just spent 2 hours printing of 1 page of photo's,it get's jammed,and then dies,so I have to turn it off,and delete the print job,start again,very frustrating!!! Off to officeworks soon I think...Don't even get me started on the A3 printer I bought!! It's nothing but a huge waste of space now!!!:(

Been out a lot lately,busy...Another birthday party this Saturday nite,and an all day crop during the day..
Preparing for the SChool Holidays,went through all Sully's craft box,and sorted out what was dry and crusty,and bought both boys new texta's etc...AAhhh nothing like a good sort out!!

Cheers B

Don't fall off your chairs!!

2009-06-22T14:20:00.001+10:00

Some Piccies!!

2009-06-13T12:40:00.004+10:00

My Children are gorgeous, yes??!! Every Mum thinks that!!! LOL

These were taken on MOnday, the Queens Birthday Holiday,we went to the Arthurs Seat Maze, AWESOME! I highly reccomend that if you have kids,take them,Spring here would be Glorious!!

Still Here

2009-06-12T20:54:00.002+10:00

My Mojo has gone...I mean really gone!! nothing I can do about it,will just take a hiatus for a while and hope it comes back!! I've done maybe two pages in a Month??? I just hate everything I think of,and I don't have any new photo's to play with,so I will wait,it will come back,...it always does!!

Loving my new slow cooker...never wanted one before,as I really thought they were for just making stews and stuff,I never liked stew,so I won't force it on my kids lol!! But my friend Steph lent me her recipe book,and I have been slow cookin' up a storm!! Been reading lot's of Twighlight Fanfic,on the web,they are good,but not as good as Stephanie Myer...

Have a long lost friend coming up from Tassie tommorow,and we are all catching up for dinner and a few drinkies...I hav'nt seen her for nearly 10 years!!! I used to share a house with her and her then fella,so all of us Melbournites are reuniting for one big night!!!Should be good,looking forward to kicking back and having a few..

Then on Sunday I'm doing a class it's a whole album at Scrappy hollow,as a participant,not a teacher...should be lots of fun,may even kickstart my mojo!!!

Anyway I'm off...

Do have some photo's to download, may share them later..

Cheers B

Hello

2009-06-02T11:35:00.004+10:00

Hey everybody!!! (said like Dr.Nick from the Simpsons...)

Busy,but not really accomplishing anything..Have one of Lincoln's little friends over,playing Playdoh,so while they are in the proximity of the computer I thought I'd blog!

I have some interesting news to share(hopefully soon) but I'm waiting for someone to call me back...

I still have classes up at Scrappy Hollow,for June and July.I havn't really done much at all,I did one page for my friend Ange(will get her permission before popping it on here tho)..and so she thought my Mojo was back....sadly no:(
Footy season is upon my household in a big way,to say DH is fanatical is an understatement...I hate footy,most sport actually! and I become a footy widow this time very year...and just my luck I have 2 boys..so it's basically the rest of my life!! ha ha!

I have been really slack with Lincoln's toilet training,he finally had a break through about 2 weeks ago,and you still have to make him go, he won't ask..but he's coming on nicely after some major resistance!!

Sullivan is still loving school,hasn't missed a day yet,I think he would have to be dying,for him to not go (or have swine flu)...Yesterday as part as his SC role,he had to read a little statement up on stage at assembly,tommorow is a free dress day to raise money for the Guide dogs..He did so well, and I even teared up a little,he's just such a lovely little man, so confident and outgoing,everyone is a friend waiting to be made,I wish I was like him!!!

Went out to see a movie and dinner with my playgroup Mum's last nite,but the Movie was sold out,so we went to Brunetti's off Lygon street for Cake and Coffee and our Monthly catch up,was really nice.

That's about it really,life in a working household I a like to put it!!

Cheers B

Just stuff

2009-05-16T09:06:00.002+10:00

Hi,havn't been doing much so not much to post I'm afraid,Mojo has gone,I've done one page in 10 days,and after a handfull of mothers day cards...no others! I have 2 classes up at Scrappy Hollow,one I'm not so sure about,but one is with the new BG Wisteria papers and I reckon it will go well. Picture to page today with my friend Lauren!,hoping to get inspired...Also have been sucked in badly with an internet book,called "Wide Awake" it's a version of the Twighlight books,same characters,,,different story line,and the chick who is writing it is very talented,alas you can only read it on the net and my eyes are killing me from staring at the screen.....I've got 20 odd long chapters to go!!!

I have always been obsessive about books.Most of my childhood was lived with me holding a book,ready to read at a moments notice,drove my parents crazy!!!and my teachers,and my friends,later my boyfriends....I miss devouring books almost like a lost appendage...Having children is the biggest reason I stopped..no time,and too tired at the end of the day to concentrate,,My I am babbling today aren't I?

Mothers day was nice,the boys gave me some cute pressies,and brekky in bed.That's all I ask for really,My lovely big sis Robyn,smsed me to wish me Happy Mothers day...

That's a whole other blog entry,our Mother is being very difficult at the moment....again,another looong story.Have been running a bit,this last week I had a cold (or the same one from a month ago!!),so I didn't go,but this week I'm hoping to get back into it.,,Just feel Blah at the moment...

Cheers B

Some new pages

2009-04-28T13:43:00.003+10:00

My Mojo is coming and going at the moment,I've been more interested in sorting my space out,than actually scrapping!!

So here are a couple of pages I've done,lot's of yummy new papers about at the moment,still have some classes organised at Scrappy Hollow,but not enough people signing up for them,it's actually very hard,as you have to make sure it can be done in 2 hours,cater for differeng levels of expertise,and use stuff only available from the shop..and keep the cost down... I usually put a lot more on my pages so it is definately a challenge...

Cold here in Melbourne, but I like the cooler weather more...

Cheers B

Joy! tinged with a little sadness..

2009-04-17T09:18:00.002+10:00

We've been slowly clearing out my Mother in laws house,after my father in law, Ray passed away last December.DH went around last night to drop some stuff off at the salvo's,and found a file of Pictures,I had given them to Ray and Ellen after Sullivan was born,the lovely part is,I had actually lost these photo's by editing them in my old Photo software,and not saving the originals,the next time I opened them,they were "broken" and I thought I had lost them forever!!! So i'm very happy that Ray had them,they mean so very much to me,they were taken when Sully was just one day old...

Cheers B

2009-04-14T09:51:00.001+10:00

When I make OTP stuff I usually make useful things, like tissue boxes, or notepad holders,I try to avoid lots of layers and ribbons, flowers etc, as I find they just fall off and get wrecked, but I did see this in this months Creative Paper mag, so I thought I'd give it a go, quite like how it turned out,sorry some of my pics have been crooked lately, I have been trying to straighten them in Photoshop elements, but it dosn't seemt to be very effective... still learning:)

Anyhoo, my class went really well, I find teaching comes very naturally to me, and I talk alot,so I think I make people pretty comfortable,all my ladies managed to finish their pages,and nothing went wrong,so I was really pleased, and a few people have signed up for my next class too!! I even had a couple of newbies,and they seemed to be quite happy with how I was doing!!..

Not much on over the Easter break,we went to Hastings for a family outing yesterday, and it was perfect weather, for photo's,and footy! So here are some pics...

Cute, but not neccesarily great photo's...

2009-04-08T15:54:00.003+10:00

These two photo's are not the best...you try and take a picture with a 3 year old and a very naughty Beagle... LOL! And the other was with my self timer,and I'm still working out the manual settings on my camera...but I like them due to their quirkiness facter nonetheless!

Oh and other news...I'm teaching my first class of 5! ladies on thursday nite at Scrappy Hollow, bit excited!! Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off without too many stumbles,and get some more classes booked!! Yay Me!

Cheers B

School Holidays...

2009-04-07T09:53:00.002+10:00

Ah school holidays, Day 2! So far so good, Sully and I went to the movies yesterday, Sully for the first time, ever! and we had a lovely time.Today it's bowling with a group of friends...

So I have the picture of my Kaiser circus train, and I am happy with how it turned out, however,Never again! it was such a pain in the bum to do..But my lovely friend Angela who I made it for has it in her little babies room, so i'm happy to see the end of it!

Also on Saturday I went to the Annual Crop for Kids in Springvale,I sat on the Scrap therapy table,with Felicity (waving hello) and met some lovely ladies there. It wasn't as good as last year, not as much atmosphere... Anyway I did some of Sullivan's first day of school and his Official school photo's,and I'll put them on another day, I really struggle with boring documentation like school pictures, they are hard to make creative... I also made the kaiser tic tac toe, game set, fiddly,and I didn't put to much frou-frou on it,as it's going to get played with by a 3 1/2 and a 5 year old!!!

And finally...I have a scor-pal!!! I love it, I love it, I love it!!!! I like to make boxes and stuff for my cards, and it gets really tedious doing them with a stylus and a ruler,and they seem to get more innacurate as I go...LOL! so I popped out to Cranbourne and picked myself up one.Love it!!!

Cheers B

Bushfire Relief Crop Day

2009-03-29T13:39:00.002+11:00

Well yesterday was a hungdinger!!! Had a ball with my scrappy chicks, Lauren,Julie,Janette, Lisa (who had never been to a crop before!!!) And of course the fabulous Janet from the Scrap Scene,Felicity,Sharon, Brenda and Deb!!! Lots of other ladies I know,but don't see as often..

So here are my creations.. I made a whole heap of very basic cards,I also started the new Kaiser Circus Train,I have had some issues, I may post some pics when it's finished, cause at the moment I'm not loving it...

The 2 beach pages I did at home,but the other 3 I did yesterday.

Enjoy your Sunday,

XB

G'day

2009-03-21T11:43:00.002+11:00

Hi all, have been feeling like crap this week, I have a headcold,and I have totally lost my voice! Hahahaha....not funny for a person who can talk the leg off a table,and 2 chairs... And I can't yell at my kids! They are taking full advantage of the situation,I whispered at Sully last night after asking him to do something 6 times "why do you never listen to a word I say?",and his answer was "because you have a very quiet voice mummy"...lol! Have done a couple of pages recently, but have put them up for classes at Scrappy Hollow, and I'm saving my scrap mojo for the scrapbook scene Bushfire releif crop, on next saturday, then the crop for kids the saturday after.DH has been awayfor work since Tuesday,so he owes me many, many,many child free days!!! I'm so over being sick!!! I used to get a cold like once a year before kids,now I seem to always be sick,I hate it, I'm not a person who sits still for longer than 2 minutes, so being sick is a mega inconvenience, and not being able to speak is torture,Lets hope my voice is back before Saturday, I'm kinda classed as the entertainment at my crop days,( I use humour as a way to break the ice as I'm actually very shy)and it could be very quiet if I'm not annoying everyone with my talking!!!!

New Page..

2009-03-08T14:06:00.002+11:00

Hello,

Busy, busy, busy!! Sullivan has 3 parties to go to this weekend!! 2 yesterday and another tommorow!..I'ts very exhausting, and I'm torn between worrying about spoiling him, and letting him think this is the norm, and being glad he's well liked by his peers!! I was certainly not allowed to go to every party I was invited to (which wasn't that many my Mum is pretty scary to small children)ha ha, so I suppose I will just go along with it for now.

Did this page on Friday afternoon, it was the only time all week that I had some quiet time at home...It's of my Little Munchie Lincoln, with a footy, of course!!! taken at the now devastated Marysville, Anzac day last year, I do hope it recovers from the fires, Autumn up there is truly breathtaking.

My class at Scrappy Hollow, has been post poned, hopefully I will be able to do a class soon, and then the ice will be broken!!If not i may just keep my stuff to myself!!! LOL!

Cheers B

Some Stuff

2009-03-03T14:25:00.005+11:00

Iv'e done this Kaiser notepad thingy in Basic Grey,bittersweet,for a friend who has just moved into a new house..is it just me or does Kaiser stuff rock now? I used to think their papers and stuff were a bit naff,but the range is just soo good now, and very reasonably priced!

and the other is a very quick page, using mostly scraps,I seem to be going for a very clean visual style lately, less "frilly" than I usually do,but I still struggle with the whole "white space" school of thought.It's also the last of the K-mart printed photo's that I had, I quite often panic when I go to do them at the shops,the boys are always fighting or wandering off, people behind you waiting etc,and my mummy brain gets all confused!! Then the sizes and finish are never what I set out to print,that's one reason I am mourning the best Matte photo paper EVER!! I'd much rather print them at home....

The retired list is here!!

2009-03-02T17:02:00.002+11:00

I am a very slack Stampin' Up! demonstrator... I find it hard to push people to buy things, I just take orders from people, and put them with my own, I don't do parties, I don't do workshops, and I like it that way...But it's always exciting at this time of year, when the retiring list comes out,,, because it means that the new catalogue is on it's way!!! (we can place orders from the 1st of April) When it arrives I will spend waayy to much time and Money buying all the new stamp sets! I have just ordered the new 'In colours' for 2009, should be here by Thursday.. yay!

If you want a list of the retiring stamp sets,leave me your email address, and i'll shoot you off the list.And if you want a catalogue, I usually only buy one box of 8, and distribute those free of charge, after that they cost 15$ each...so if you want a copy, again let me know!I luuurvvve Stampin' Up!s products, they really are fab!
Hoping to get some scrapping done this week, last week just didn't seem to have enough hours in it!!

Cheers B

Busy, Busy,Busy!!

2009-02-25T10:13:00.002+11:00

Have heaps of stuff on at the Moment, been busy glamourising my Blog,in case you hadn't noticed!! Have been looking after lot's of Sullivan's friends, which I love doing...always wanted lots of kids, but we have stopped at two!We are as I type this having split system aircon, put in the 3 bedrooms,our house gets super hot in Summer and freezing in winter,and after the last couple of hot days we decided to just bite the bullet and get it done!!..And then I'm off to scrappy hollow with a friend, a Dr's appt at 3pm and picking up of Lincoln at his Daycare at 4.30!!! Phew!

And who says Mum's don't have work to do!!

Cheers B

Pretty in Pink..

2009-02-22T12:15:00.002+11:00

Ah love that movie, yes i'm an 80's child..LOL!

This is my friend Louisa's little Angel, Ellie, and our kids have all grown up together, Lincoln and I went to Ellies 3rd Birthday party a couple of weeks ago, and this was one of the Many cute pics I got of her.Don't get to do Pink girly stuff often, so this was a bit of a challenge..But i'm pretty pleased with it!

Cheers B

On the Mend..

2009-02-19T16:55:00.002+11:00

Feel much better today, am fairly Ambulant..(one of my favourite words!)Have walked the 4 blocks up and Back to Sully's school, and am mostly drug free!

Still a bit stiff if I sit for too long.

Managed this page today, have always loved this SEI paper, and had this transparency for ages,with no idea what to use it on!! I took the picture last winter, and hadn't really looked at it until recently, it just captures Linky's devotion to being an outdoor boy!

Had the pic printed at Teds,don't think I like them,Harvey Norman is next...

Cheers B

Scratch that...

2009-02-18T08:51:00.002+11:00

Ok it is almost as bad as my 2 ceasars...I sometimes pretend i'm superwoman (like all Mum's!) and I just go and go and go, and then crash in a heap!
Lay down on the couch last night, for a couple of hours to rest and watch teev, and found when I went to get up the local anaesthetic had worn off.....OMG, very bad!

So am a tad indisposed, and nothing much will be done today...And like most women, I find it very hard to do nothing,when my house is untidy, shopping needs to be done,and children need to be dressed etc..I'm not known for my ability to sit still for very long. LOL!

XB

The joys of being a woman...

2009-02-17T17:35:00.003+11:00

Just a quick post, bit ouchy!! Have had a "endemetrinoma" removed today, basically it's endemetriosis (which I've never suffered from as far as I can tell!)that formed in between my ceasarean scar internally, but under the skin externally, it was a big nasty lump that was worse when I got my period,just like endemetriosis!!!So anyway feeling a bit sore and sorry for myself,not nearly as bad as a Ceasarean tho!

Picking up some pictures that I had done at Ted's tommorow, so hopefully I will get some scrapping in soon.

Cheers B

Getting into the swing of things now...!

2009-02-13T17:24:00.003+11:00

This is of my very good friend Reg, with her little boy Alister, who is now 1! So it's been a long time coming!!! The colours were really hard to work with, so I kept it nice and simple,it's mostly scraplifted from a page in this months SB creations, by Helen Karanfilovski and here he is just recently...isnt he just adorable!!!??

Cheers B

Some Scrapping...finally!

2009-02-12T17:53:00.004+11:00

Totally into old book pages at the moment, these are from a very cheap copy of Alice in Wonderland LOL!...Really quick and easy page using october Afternoon papers...love them! My two little monsters,this was taken on one of our many little forays into the outer suburbs of Melbourne, we had a lovely picnic lunch, and the boys had these face cookies as a treat.

And the cards are from the Basic grey, card kits...Baby, and Marrakech, love basic grey, I'd marry their papers if I could!!! I now have so many of these cards I don't know what to do with them!!!

I'm mourning the loss of the best Photo printing paper EVER!!! It was in the Reject Shop about 6 months ago,it was matte, I mean really matte, mineral paper and only 2$ a packet! I should have bought evey packet they had, because now they don't sell it anymore....Poop!I hate gloss paper, and the matte paper from Rabbit etc, is not the same..:(

In other news,I have decided that if Lincoln's new Daycare centre has the same concerns, I will have him re-assessed, it breaks my heart to think he may not reach his full potential, because of some kind of label, but if it helps him along then what can do? I'm his Mum,I have to make sure that he gets all the extra help he needs, I suppose one way or another,I want a diagnosis this time!!And thanks to Marcia, for her take on things..:)

Cheers B

Here we go again..

2009-02-09T18:18:00.003+11:00

Feeling like crap this afternoon, Lincoln's Occasional Care Teacher, has brought up that she has some concerns about Lincoln's Language, and behavioural issues.. :( Nothing too alarming, but I went through this when he was 9 months old up to 18 months old, and all the specialists concluded he was fine)...I some times feel like I'm bluffing the world about him, and that eventually someone will figure out there is something wrong with him...I spent almost a year watching everything he did trying to see if there was an obvious sign that he wasn't doing "normal" things.... I think his speech and use of language is pretty good, but I don't really have anyone his age to compare him with...Sullivan was always pretty advanced, and so I really don't know what normal is??!! Anyway it's just brought up a lot of stuff that I really struggled with for a long time.

Cheers B

Hello,

2009-02-09T12:08:00.002+11:00

Well my first week of Sullivan at school has been bliss!!! Lincoln is so much easier to deal with on his own, and it allows his cheeky little personality to shine through!!! Looking at getting him into a WHOLE day of childcare, on a wednesday, selfish I know, but just one day of child free time would be fantastic, I don't have any family close by, and so it's just me, 24/7(and of course Hubby) but that's it!

Lincoln needs some other little kids to play with,and the centre I'm looking at is very stuctured, so I think it will be good for him.

On a sadder note, yes the bushfires are horrible, but we've been through this before, and as Aussies we'll pull together and Re-build,I lived in Hepburn Springs for 8 years as a kid, during that time we had Ash Wednesday,in Macedon, which is not far from there, as a kid it was terrifying..all can say is, thank god I no longer live in the Bush!!!

Not much else happening, still getting into the groove of being a school Mum!!!..Oh and listening to the Twighlight soundtrack...AWESOME!!

Cheers
XB

Sullivan's first Day of Prep..

2009-02-03T11:24:00.004+11:00

Hello,

well here he is, my firstborn, all grown up!!

He had a very exciting morning,and there were no tears from him or me!!
We will be picking him up at 12.40pm,and he dosn't have a full day until friday tho..

Cheers B

A New Page..

2009-02-02T09:28:00.003+11:00

This was taken last year, but I only just got around to doing it... As of Tommorow, Sullivan starts Prep!! So with just Lincoln around I'm hoping to get loads more done!!! In all aspects of my life!!!

Sullivan and Lincoln fight and argue, and wrestle constantly, but any time they are in a unfamiliar situation, they stick to each other like glue!!! So as they get older I hope they will stay close...I never had that, I have a brother that I no longer speak to (it's complicated..) and we were never close, I don't know if that's beacause we were brother and sister, and not brother and brother, or if it was just us.So I can only hope my boys get along better than we did!!

And if you were wondering, there will be no tears from me tommorow, I know Sully is sooo ready for school, and I've done the best I can do for the last 5 years, 24/7....I'll have the obigatory first day of school pics tommorow..:).

Cheers B

Photo Challenge Tag..

2009-02-01T12:53:00.003+11:00

Hello,
Marcia P from http://www.thestampspot.blogspot.com/ has asked me to participate in this challenge,this is the 6th photo in my 6th file..

The pic is of my Nephew, Stephen and My Sully,we went to visit them in Angelsea after christmas, for a day at the beach...it was awful weather, cold and windy!! But the boys and their cousins all get on famously so they had fun just being together.

Now I should know how to add URL's...but I don't!!! That's what happens when you don't work in an office with Adults for 6 years...you lose touch!!

So I will just put the URL's in but I can't link them...

http://www.jamsandwichesonthehill.blogspot.com/ is by my friend Sharon, who works at the Scrap book scene in Burwood..

http://felicity-lifeslittlemoments.blogspot.com/ is by my friend Felicity who I met through doing crops at the Scrap book scene..

http://www.jaynemercer.com/blogs/index.php is a blog I visit for Stampin'up Inspiration..

that's about all of the people I know personally through their blogs...

So have fun.

XB

P.S Sullivan starts Prep on Tuesday!!!! Whoo Hoo!!!

Whoo Hoo!!

2009-01-28T12:54:00.003+11:00

I have finally stepped out of my comfort Zone, and as of the 5th of March, I will be teaching a Distressed Vintage class,at Scrappy Hollow!!! I'm so excited! I love scrapping, and I love to teach people what I know, and I can talk the leg off a table, so hopefully the people who sign up for my class like what I do, and I get a bit of a following....:)

I'm also maybe going to do some stuff for their design team!!! Yay!!

Bit excited....!!!
Cheers B

Scrap Storage..

2009-01-22T08:50:00.005+11:00

I Get a bit excited when I find new ways to store all my craft stuff,I have a little area off from my kitchen where I scrap,I have one of those fabulous scrap table/storage units(My Space)...but I quite often just screw things to the wall, only to get disproving looks from Hubby...

Any way there was something similar to this idea at http://craftystorage.blogspot.com/

So off I went cordless drill in hand,Voila! I already had my stickers etc, on rings, but they were just lying in a box on my shelf, and I couldn't really see what I had, the curse of crafters everywhere!!This way it's all accessible, and I just love it!!

Cheers B

Hey

2009-01-20T09:20:00.003+11:00

Well, I'm back after a very nasty bout of Gastro, all four of us ended up getting it within 24 hours of each other! Poor Lincoln was the worst,he was up spewing from 11pm till 3am, every time he lay down, so even though he was ok in between spews, being horizontal didn't help, and he has issues with using a bucket,in that he WON"T!!!, so any way I got it at about 6am,which left me incapacitated for the better part of 2 days, today is the first day i've been able to stay upright for more than 5 minutes,I have really low blood pressure,and the fact that I hadn't eaten properly for 2 days wasn't helping things.But here i am ready to tackle 37 degree heat,,,YAY!

Too late she cried...

2009-01-16T11:02:00.002+11:00

Sullivan has come down with the same thing his Dad had on Wednesday...Great, only a matter of time before either Lincoln and I get it! And Sullivan's 5th birthday is on Sunday! He's had a bit of a sleep,which is how I know he's crook,seeing as he stopped sleeping in the day, from about 6 months old!!!

XB

Told you it was back...!!

2009-01-15T16:56:00.003+11:00

Alas this one is mostly scraplifted, from an American book called 601 great scrapbooking ideas, and it's by ,an Aussie of all people!!!, Sarah Van Wijck,I just tweaked it a bit, to make it my own..And sorry for the pic quality,I don't usually use gloss paper for just this reason...too hard to get a clear, non flash shot.
Cheers
B

The Mojo is back ..Yeah Baby!

2009-01-15T14:31:00.003+11:00

here's a couple of LO's I've done,one today, one at my last all day crop,Lincoln quite often falls asleep at dinner time, he's cute that way!! and the other is from our holiday in QLD and NSW last year. The friends we stayed with we met on our Honeymoon in Vanuatu,and we've stayed in touch.So it was great to catch up with them!

More coming...

A funny thing Happened at 4 in the morning...

2009-01-15T09:15:00.002+11:00

My very old Kitty ,Pumpkin, who very rarely hunts any more, brought me a little "Present" last night...a mouse, a live one!! And although I don't have any real issues with my cats bringing home vermin, I don't like having them let loose in the house, only to die of shock and internal bleeding somewhere where you can't get to them....

So I've jumped out of bed, in the Nuddy..yes I sleep in the Nude, and picked up the cat with mouse in mouth,the cat's little heart is pounding away, run to the front door opened it, whacked the cat in the face with the Screen door (I didn't realise it was closed..)and turfed the cat into the front yard...and all this being very bleary eyed,as I wear contacts to bed, and I need to put drops in my eyes just to get them lubricated after sleeping with them,...turned to go back to bed,and then I faltered...I couldn't just leave the poor little thing to be crunched up, had better give him a fighting chance!!! So prised open the cats mouth and out he plopped with a squeek...then he kinda half fell over and tried to run,so I picked him up ever so gently, to move him to safety...and he bit me!!!!!I admit I dropped the poor little thing out of surprise.. and of course the cat is frantic,sniffing and all wild eyed about where his catch is,so I pick up the mouse again, and try to find a place where the cat won't get to him, not easy, he's a cat!! He's gonna find him wherever I put him...almost considered running across the street,but of course,I'm STILL Naked....in the end I let him go in the bushes, while the cat was distracted..I will never know if he got away but at least I tried!!

XB cheers

Stuck at Home

2009-01-14T12:27:00.003+11:00

Here's a LO from ages ago, i'm not sure if it's in my gallery, but there are so many to upload, and it takes too long.This was done middle of last year, I had some amazing MOJO going, and I loved every page I did, well it's gone now...LOL! But it always comes back!

Well the change has come through early, but my boys are so feral at the moment I'm loathe to take them anywhere...And poor DH has come home from work sick as a dog,I'm assuming Gastro, but it usually manifests itself through the children first...AARRggh I hope not, as awful as it sounds I hope i'ts food poisioning, then at least I may avoid getting it...

Cheers
XB

My first attempt at Scanning and Stitching...

2009-01-12T16:31:00.004+11:00

Has to be easier than the 2 hours it took me....!!!???
Anyway you can tell its been scanned and stitched together, i'm hoping practice makes perfect...

2009-01-11T10:52:00.002+11:00

Hi All,

Have had Lot's of just "stuff" on lately, so have been unable to either Scrap or blog!! We are off to Sullivan's kinder friend Ethan's 5th birthday today, he's having it at the Altona Miniature Railway, so I'm sure it will be a blast!!! Me not being the particularly outdoorsy type, hates these type of outings, but hey , you don't do it for yourself do you?? LOL!! We spent a day down at Anglesea last week as Michael was off work for a week, so here's a pic of all the boys together, good lookin' bunch hey?

CHeers B