A new year ...

Well then, 2008 is fast drawing to a close.


No idea what 2009 has in store for us … I haven’t got around to cleaning the crystal ball yet – ROFLMAO. It’s on my ‘to do’ list.



I truly hope that 2009 is a good year for you all.


I could write a list of all the things that I would like the New Year to bring me … but my piece of paper would not be long enough.

I would be more than happy with the following …



A year filled with pleasant surprises.

The opportunity to meet new friends [even some of those imaginary on-line friends – you know the ones, I’m sure that you have one or two, or three or four of them], and it goes without saying, catching up with old friends – well we might not dwell on the ‘old’ bit too much – but you know what I mean! We are all getting a little older – who said that!?!?!?!?

Good health – yep, that’s on the list too.

Precious family memories – yep, another one on that list – no flat camera batteries and a memory card that doesn’t show as being full at a totally inconvenient moment.

Plenty of time for being creative for scrapping said precious family memories.



A healthy bank account – now one of them would be super duper fabbo …

New scrapping supplies – dependant on the above – lol.



And if it’s my turn to win Lotto and all my numbers come out of the barrel … I’m ready and waiting – please let it be ‘my’ turn … please!!!! Pretty please … I did use my manners.

Sometime between now and the beginning of March would be good … I would love to celebrate a special day with Mom and Dad.




And …

If I had the means to stop the countries around the world that are at war, to feed the people of the world that are starving and to house them … at the push of the button … I would push that button willingly. It saddens me to see the children around the world that live in such sickening environs … it truly does.






On that note …

Live, love and laugh.
Talk to you next year. Take care my friends.
M

Hi ho ...

Hi ho ... it's off to work I go ... well very soon.

If you are still having a little R&R between Christmas and New Year ... enjoy your Monday people.

Hi ho ... Hi ho ... it's off to work I go.

Later,
M

Christmas Day

... just for you ...


the wee robin pic is a litle blurred ... but it was so tiny and cute and so I wanted to share with you all.






Today is muggy and very warm in the deep south ... DH has been outside and mowed the lawns. I've done a little housework and now I plan on being a little creative ... a lot creative would be better.

Still have to get up close and personal with the lux, followed closely with a visit on the same floor with disinfectant ... but hey, it will happen.

Back to work for me tomorrow. Must say, I have enjoyed having these last few days off ... could get used to this.

Later,
M

Christmas Day

was spent here ... how peaceful is this ... absolutely beautiful.



Picasa has updated itself and now I'm not sure how to make another collage, which is what I was planning on doing.

Technology ... grrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Enjoy your Sunday ...

Merry Christmas

from our household to yours ... I hope that you spent a wonderful day with family and friends.

We definitely had a full on day ... starting at 7.30 am whipping downstairs to turn the oven on to cook the turkey. Someone has to do it ... thank you my darling!!!

Well I stuffed the bleedin thing on Christmas Eve - lol.

And then of course sneaking back up to bed ... cos who wants to be up that early if you really don't have to ... ROFLMAO ... not us !!!

9.00 ish is a far more civilised hour to venture out of bed on Christmas morning.

Don't think that DS was outta bed though until closer to 10 [or thereabouts] ...

So we had a lovely day. Mother Nature was kind to us and we had a gorgeous day weather-wise in the deep south, which in itself was a bonus.

You've definitely got to feel for all the littlies that receive bikes and skateboards, any set of wheels really and it's raining ... but not down here this year, just for a change we had a cracker day. It didn't sound promising weather-wise earlier in the week that's for real ... but it was all good on the day.

So after a full on day of seemingly never-ending eating I arrived home about 9.30 last night absolutely exhausted ... totally exhausted and as full as a bull.

Eat, drink and be merry is right ... cos today I blob [or something].

On that note ... if you are a shopper at the Boxing Day sales - hope you find a bargain or two or three or four.

To my family in the States, Merry Christmas, cos today you will be celebrating while we are blobbing.

With love
Me

I went shopping on line

here yesterday ... [hope this works]

Barkers Fruit, Jams, Fruit Spreads, Savoury Sauces, New Zealand

and my goodies arrived today ... yummy!!!!!

I love Barkers products ... and this special for $39.95 is a brilliant buy - I also grabbed another box for a Christmas present and got them to throw in a few more goodies as well.

If you have never tried red pepper and chilli jelly and you want to try something new with your next cheese platter ... go on ... buy it ... absolutely divine!!! Not joking ... a cracker, a piece of salami, some Brie and a dollop of red pepper and chilli jelly ... ooh-la-la!!!! That really should be plural - ROFLMAO. Yummo!!!!!!


And before I go and before I forget ... doing the luxing in the lounge before, looked out to the conservatory and thought to myself that floor is long overdue for a wash down ... because ... let me tell you something ... Mr and Mrs Duck have obviously been to visit again ... I had to wash duck poop off the table in the conservatory. I'm NOT impressed!!!!

Ewwwwhhhhhhhhhh ... gross!!!

Enjoy your Saturday afternoon everyone!
Later
M

There is a time to

laugh and there is a time to cry ...

and believe you me, I've done both of them today.

Every now and again I head to the beauty salon, if that's what it is called ... no idea really!!!! But I head there to have the eyebrows plucked, tweezed or whatever, read here ... tidied up and the eyelashes tinted. It's normally all good.

Today was a little bit different, I kid you not!!!

I'm setting the scene here ... think to yourselves nice and relaxed ... lying on the bed, eyes closed, stretching the toes ... thinking to myself nice and relaxed and I was for a few minutes.




Then think of this picture ... a magician waving his wand, doing the abra-ca-dabra and lifting your body off the table, putting his hand underneath your body and you think to yourself ... wow ... that's magic, how did he do that!?!?!?!


Well I did that today, but there was no magician ... I was lifted off the table ... nope that was me lifting myself bodily off the table.


Remember the scene, nice and relaxed, lying on the bed ... well I was screaming and swearing and half off the table.

You can stop laughing now !!!


Today I encountered my first eyebrow waxing ... I had absolutely no bl**dy idea it was coming and boy-oh-boy did she hear about it. I have never had my eyebrows waxed, they have ALWAYS been plucked. I mean hello ... my eyes were closed, I was lying there relaxed, felt her 'smooth' said eyebrows ... obviously not ... 'smoothing' was right ... and then hello, wham bam, thank you mam ...

Not a word of warning ...

I'm not impressed ... needless to say the other eyebrow was plucked ...

After the waxing and the plucking, I was lying on the table, in agony, truly ... trying not to scrunch anything and everything ... lying there waiting for the potions on my eyelashes to run the timer out. I was totally all tensed up ... couldn't relax again.


All I kept thinking to myself was ... is it time yet ... come on ticker tocker, get a move on.


And then I was outta there.

I'm truly thankful that I didn't have the potion stuff on my eyelashes doing the tinting thing while she did the waxing thing ... otherwise I would probably be as blind as a bat now ...


So guess what ... I am SO NOT going back there ... I will make my next appointment elsewhere!!!



Right then, you have all had your laughter medicine today at my expense!!!


I'm going to have a wee play in my scrap room.

Before I go though ... a big thank you to Tanya ... wow, was I spoilt today - a courier parcel landed on my doorstep at some stage today. It was waiting for me when I got home ... scrapping goodies and a Christmas parcel ... woo hoo ...

I've been nice most of the year ... truly!!!

But I was just a little bit naughty tonight ... and I opened up my Christmas parcel early ... well at least I am honest!!!

Thank you my friend.


Later people,
M

Sunburnt ...

Well just a little ...

Went to watch some cricket at lunchtime today ... DS was playing a rep game in town. It was rather warm, albeit cloudy-ish, but when the sun came out - there was some serious heat my friends.

Being fair skinned and a few years older, I tend to try and stay out of the sun now ... and when I'm out in it for whatever reason, I normally use sunblock ... whereast 30 years ago, I lived in the sun, smothered said body in baby oil and baked till I was toasty and black ... truly! Cos, that's what you did back then ...

Well I didn't do that today did I ... I had 3/4 sleeves on today and my arms now look bl**dy ridiculous don't they ... ummmmmmmmmm ... that would be yes!!!!!!!

And you can guess why ... ummmmmmmmm ... that little word known as 'sunburn' - ouch!!!

Now I've also learnt something new this afternoon ... and one that I will be a little wary of in future.

You do not, well that should read ... you should NOT, put up a Christmas tree and decorate said Christmas tree with sunburnt arms people.

It hurts!!!
Later,
M

Velodrome

Wow ...

Last night DH and I went to the ILT velodrome as spectators to watch a Christmas cycling carnival and let me tell you something ... I had a ball ... what a wonderful way to spend a few hours and boy-oh-boy did those hours fly.

What a well run cycling programme. I was quite literally gobsmacked at the way the night went. No mucking around ... wham bam thank you mam. The whole programme ran like a well oiled cog.

If you get the opportunity to go to a cycling meet of that calibre, I suggest you take the time and do just that. This was an international meeting and featured Olympic riders from Malaysia as well as our own New Zealand team and local riders.

I took pics, just haven't downloaded them yet.
Later ... I'll be back.

Merry Christmas

A wee peek at the Christmas tree that I have decorated for the Annual Christmas Tree Festival at Stadium Southland ...

Corporates decorate trees and the public can go and look at all the wonderful trees and decorations and make monetary donations to vote for the best tree with it all going to charity.

I was talking to my cousin's wee girl today [3 years old] and she told me that she had gone to see all the pretty trees [kindy excursion].

All those sparkling lights and decorations must seem very magical to the littlies ...




Before I head off ... Christmas cards in the mail box today ... very nice Vicki and Tracy, both hand made ... thank you.

AND ... Carol's RAK arrived at my house yesterday ... and woo hoo ... what a lovely treasure trove. Thank you my friend. Looking forward to playing with my goodies, time permitting.

On that note,
Later,
M

Happy birthday

to a very special man in my life ... a man that I never knew growing up and unfortunately I don't have all those special father/daughter memories, but that's okay ... [we won't go there on my blog].

But a very special man he is ... and he is my Dad ... so a big happy birthday Dad ...

Love you,
Your youngest daughter at the bottom of the world.
Me
xx

P.S. well actually if you were in New Zealand it would have been your birthday yesterday, but you're not, so happy birthday to you from me today and from me for yesterday ... if that makes sense!!! lol.

Don't fall off your chair ...

Now I've never done this before ... and OMG, I so cannot believe that I actually am - ROFLMAO.

Remember I told you that I cannot create in a sterile environment, well at the moment, I can't create in a bleedin' mess either and this is what my scrap room looks like at the moment.

No laughing ...

And these pics have been taken after at least two bags of rubbish have been removed ... I have approximately six pizza boxes in the hall way and another big box as well ...





And so now the clean up begins ... I have just put a double paper rack on my scrap desk against the back wall ... which is now about to be filled up. I have two big white double cupboards that are absolutely chocca and we so will not talk about the wardrobe that over-floweth ... so there you have it.

You know that when I start cleaning and paper shuffling in my scrap room, that things have really got out of control somewhat ... lol.

And when DH threatens to lock the door ... well we won't go there!

You know where I am heading ...

CYA
Me

It's like this ...

I'm about to have a bitch ... and I don't do that too often.

You have been warned people!

I've thought long and hard about this one and yep, I'm going to have to get it off my chest.

I was brought up to use my manners ... and I'm guessing most people out there would have been too ... well I certainly hope so.

If someone is given something ... it's natural to say, thank you. How hard is it???

Two small words that go a long way and I believe that they really do go a long way.

How hard is it ... I'm repeating myself and I know it!!!

I know we all lead busy lives and at this time of the year, life can be more than a little crazy and I'm no different than anyone else in this regard. Some days there are simply not enough hours in the day ...

Now why am I going on about these thank you's???

I sent half a dozen [or so] envelopes out in the mail a few weeks ago and I have received 'one' thank you. At the end of the day I'm not wanting anyone to make a big fuss over receiving mail, I'm truly not, but a thank you would be nice and it's also a way of me knowing that something has arrived.

When I send someone mail I'm not wanting something in return, a simple thank you would be sufficient.

Sometimes I might read somewhere that someone is having a bad run, sometimes I might just want to cheer someone up and so I pop something in the mail and hopefully that small something might just make them smile and take their mind off whatever it is that has been to the fore of late ... well I hope so.

At the end of the day it isn't a biggie, it's not a matter of life or death ... it's simply a thank you.

So remember, if it's annoying me, I bet that I'm not the only one!

To one and all, enjoy your Sunday afternoon everyone.
Take care,
Me


P.S. received a couple of Christmas cards in the mail in the last couple of days ... very nice they are too ... very creative ... thank you ladies!

Sketchbook weekend challenge

The weekend challenge with the girls at Sketchbook ... to use something non traditional on a layout ... I found this old star paper clip and for me, this is totally non-traditional, I've also got a few pins as well - the heart pin and the green ball pin. No idea how old it is [the star paper clip, but I've had it for a while - lol] ... I've also used BG papers and a rub-on that was RAK'd - thank you Janine, a few Primas, a few buttons and fibres, inking, distressing and tags ... oops ... and a HS heart that was RAK'd to me from Delys.

Thank you ladies.

I also came home from work one day this week with the gorgeous felt from Inkspiration ... loved it when I saw it and knew exactly which paper it was going against ... gotta love that when you know things like that in advance - ROFLMAO.

Looks a little askew, but it isn't!!!

Right then, had better finish this coffee and head back into my scrap room.

So many ideas rolling around in that head of mine ... not enough hours in the day.
Later,
Me

Bragging rights

As a Mum, when our kids do something that makes us feel proud, we want to share and I'm about to do just that ...

This Mum has bragging rights cos of this score sheet, amongst other things.





Most of you know that we have both a sporting and academic son ... cos I've told you all that before now - ROFLMAO and I'm about to tell you that again ...

And - most of you know that at 14, DS is bordering on 6 foot ... so it kinda figures that he grows out of stuff - read, gear and equipment here ... and it truly is quite expensive to keep him in clothes and sporting kit - IYKWIM.

So this week we bought him a new cricket bat ... that was on Thursday. Today, this afternoon he used his new cricket bat for its first outing and this is his score sheet ... for real!!!

A batter, truly, he is NOT!!!! his top score would have been somewhere around 30, before today. His prowess in the cricket arena would be his bowling and his fielding more so. He can return one cricket ball with amazing accuracy and boy-oh-boy, he has some speed behind it ... but that's not what I'm sharing ... it's his batting that excelled today - big time!!!

I received a text this afternoon and it read ... " I gOt 124 nOt Owt. NO shIt "

I'm thinking to myself, yeah right ... my text to DS ... "R u 4 real. Wana c the score sheet so thr. Cya. M"

DS response ... "124! [can't tell you what he put here - beep beep] yea!!


So guess what he did ... he brought home the score book to show me ... even his mates in other teams didn't believe him.


Now we all know that no two cricket matches are ever the same and we may never see a score sheet like it ... but I did today and trust me on this one - he is more than a little stoked!!!

Ye-ah!!!!!!

So wowser, go little Frizz ... most impressed buddy ... new cricket bat eh???!!! Let's see what you can do tomorrow buddy!!!

Tomorrow he ventures out in another one day match as an Invercargill rep ... totally different calibre of cricket ...

and I'm not done yet ...

yesterday's mail was opened and he is on the prize giving list again this year ... no idea what for ... he is in the top class in his year ... and he is absolutely certain he isn't in the top three of his class over all subjects ... so this one could be interesting - all will be revealed in a week or so ...

So wee man, I may very rarely see you do any shall we say 'homework' ... you are lucky enough to be one of those kids that cruise through and you can pull the results ... just like that. Long may it continue.

I'm going to have to stop calling you wee man, cos you really aren't ... but regardless of size, you will always be my wee man.
Love you buddy
Mum
x

Let's try this time ...

Hopefully this time, my Christmas cracker will be sitting here in all its glory instead of being a little red cross - ROFLMAO.



And ... guess what ... I scored four points for this wee creation ... I was absolutely gobsmacked to be honest ...
See ya
M

My first round

layout for the competition with the girls at Scrappin Patch - stars in your eyes and we had to scrap Nic Howard style ...

There's a whole lot of scrapping talent in that lady. One day I hope to meet her, but I'm thinking that I would be a little tongue-tied girls.



But this is what I came up with ... love this layout, the colours and the way it came together.

There's some really big guns playing along in this competition ... I know it's all about being creative and scrapping the memories and all that, and I'm fine with that ... but holy ska-moley there's some amazing creations in the gallery. Truly!!!

Right then, on that note, I'm outta here ... I've got lots of things that need to be done and I was going to go and play in my scrap room for a while. Time will tell.

Later
M

Scrapbox challenge

last week was to create something scrappy [a decoration] for the Christmas dinner table.

I had my thinking cap on for days ... and Wednesday I was visiting our local scrapbooking shop in town - Inkspiration and I was talking to Karen ... asking the question, what am I going to make ... I came away with a template for one of these ...

Whipped it up late Saturday afternoon.

No idea what it is actually called, but I've called it a pyramid Christmas cracker ... made of Bazzill and scraps of paper. I used a toothpick to help close it ... so once the toothpick is pulled out, you lift the square lid off and the goodies are revealed inside the Christmas cracker. I thrown in a few Prima' [as you do], fibres, silver baubles, brads and a whole lot of inking.

Quite like the way it turned out, although in this case, my photography skills leave a lot to be desired. Looks way better in real life.





Some brilliant scrappy ideas are up in the gallery. Some very talented ladies that's for real. Definitely thinking outside the square.

Now we await the next challenge which can't be too far away from being announced.

And later tonight, with the girls at Scrappin' Patch the gallery will be revealed ... first round challenge, scrapping Nic Howard style ... now that in itself is/was scary and I say that in the nicest possible way ... can't wait for the gallery to be unveiled ... wonder what Nic is going to think of all our creations. What a scrapper ... and boy-oh-boy does she have style and some ...

The second round challenge is to scrap in Mou Saha's style - this one I'm going to struggle with big time ... I so DO NOT DOODLE ... truly so this is going to be an interesting challenge and some.

I finished my recipe swap layouts in the weekend and they will be winging their way to Northern pastures as I write.

So all in all, I was rather creative really ...

Still have to wrap Christmas pressies and box them up and send them over to the big ol' US of A ... and if I don't get my A into G ... they won't be going anywhere, any time soon, well not before Christmas.

On that note,
Later,
Me

Our visitors

Mr and Mrs Duck come and pay us a visit on a daily basis ... they might miss a day once in a blue moon, but that's about all. This pic was taken while I was hanging outside the conservatory window one day last week. Mr and Mrs Duck were sitting no more than a step away from the conservatory door and didn't flinch when I went to take their pic.



Today, Mr Duck got even closer than that ... it's been a stinking hot day in the Deep South today ... and it's still 28 degrees in the lounge ... truly!!!

DH opened the conservatory door earlier today to try and get rid of some of the heat and to allow a breeze to do its thing ... no breeze at the time though.

Some time later I came walking into the kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. Mr and Mrs Duck had come to visit and Mr Duck had one foot inside the conservatory people, truly. Okay, I ran to the door, shoo-ing Mr Duck as I did so ...

It doesn't bear thinking about how much mess one Mr Duck could have created if he had have fully entered said conservatory and then flown [when frightened] in and around the kitchen and dining room and lounge, let alone going into the hallway ... gulp - nope - it doesn't bear thinking about.

On that note ... you can all stop laughing now ... and I am going to go and watch the rest of the news.
Later,
M

It's not long now ...

and this little snowman will have lots of friends in my lounge [or wherever].

Apart from collecting scrapbooking stuff, I also collect a few other things, namely snowmen and Santa's ... and this friendly looking snowman came to visit my house for my birthday from my angelic friend [thank you Janine] ... and very soon he will be able to play with his cobbers ... why???

Cos it's not long now and my Christmas decorations will be out on display.




Cos Santa Claus is coming to town ... so you had better watch out!!!!

and ... just cos

I can ...

Bula vinaka Miss Meg ...



I love the smell of Frangipani ...

Another one ...

These pics were taken ages ago ... a little colour in our back yard ...




I did warn you that I was going to play!!!

And as I can't show you any creativity, I may as well share some pics - ROFLMAO.

Later,
M

Playing in Picasa2

think back a couple of weeks ... remember I said that DH and I had been walking around the estuary walk ...

I've just gone in to have a look at a couple of pics and I noticed the collage button, so totally unedited, I quite simply selected pics and then went click on the collage button - and now you have this ...



I think that I am gonna love this button ... it does all the hard work for you ... ROFLMAO ... my kind of button.

So be warned, you could see some more of these in the near future.

and

Last night Jules came to scrap for a few hours ... I completed one layout and a canvas before I hit the sack. Layout was for the second round challenge at Scrapbox ... to scrap a Christmas layout in non-traditional colours ... I did this one tough to be honest ... I mean hello, Christmas is green, red and gold in my house, not blue, pink, black and silver ... ROFLMAO.

Thanks Jules, I enjoyed your company and why on earth we don't find time to do this more often is beyond me. Life gets in the way I guess.

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon everyone ...

and another one

Now I love that you can blog this straight from Picasa ... but I have no idea how to blog more than one this way ... can you ...



This is our 'first' opened rose in the garden for us ... it's been interesting to see what has flourished and grown since we have moved in ... the rose garden looks so healthy, so long may we have roses looking like this - this one absolute smells divine ...

Wonder what the garden looks like at our 'old house' - oops ... not allowed to think like that ...

Enjoy your afternoon.
Me

P.S. have more to share ... but you are probably in overdose mode atm with all my blogging ... ROFLMAO

No playing around

and this is what this photo looks like ... I think I was on manual and then foliage ... no playing, no nothing ... quite like this one.

A few more to share as well shortly.

Haven't blogged for a while ...

and then you get three hits in one night ... crikey ... you're lucky!!!


I have overlooked sharing this layout with you ... had a play with a little Scenic Route and some paint a couple of weeks ago together with a photo of DS at four years old. He was a mischievious wee monkey - but he truly was adorable ... so I scanned an old photo and played a little with it in Picasa2 ... and this is what I came up with.




Quite like how it turned out ... I picked up some blue cord recently while browsing through all the haberdashery stuff at our big local department store in town ... [I go and have a nosey in the aisles every now and again] and I have been using paint and bubblewrap and stamping the bubblewrap image ... I remember Neen doing that on one of her layouts, months and months and months ago and thought to myself, there will come a day when I can use that idea and I have done, a few times now ...

I've been a little creative this weekend ... last night was disastrous, wasn't a happening thing ... but today I've whipped up a layout for the first round of a competition, don't know that I am overly happy with it ... but I can't share until after midnight tomorrow night [by which time I will be in bed - ROFLMAO - so that will have to wait] and then tonight I have whipped up another creation, well still waiting on paint to dry and I can't share that on my blog either, cos I'm thinking that's going to be wrapped up as a Christmas gift.

I'm told that the latest edition of Up2Scrap is out ... woo hoo ... I've got a layout in this one and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turned out.

Right then, that's it from me ... better go and check out my painting abilities and see how everything dried ...
Take care.
M

P.S. Neen ... I got mail ... thank you so very much ... awesome!!!

Just remembered

Have to share this pic ... remember a couple of weeks ago when I said that I walked the estuary walk ... well I saw this at the start of the walk and said to DH have to take a pic of this ...

The date is what you should be looking at ... it's exactly 100 years before I was born ... couldn't resist.




Night ...
M

Busy, busy, busy

doesn't even come close really ...

Life has been full on for quite some time now [more than usual] and for the most part it has been enjoyable. There have been days that I really have been tearing my hair out. There's been swearing, laughter [sometimes hysterically], a few tears, but I'm hanging in there.

So if you have been wondering a little why it is that I have been a little quiet, I guess I've been spreading myself a little thin at times.

Mom, Dad, yep, I'm still here ... emails have been few and far between ... sorry!!!

There is light at the end of the tunnel, I know that ... next week in fact. We have a new marketing executive starting at work next week and come Monday ... oops ... it's not this Monday at all, got my days mixed up ... it's still a week away ... anyway, our new marketing exec will start on the 17th ... and I can 110% say that it is going to be a good day ... cos I can hand over all the marketing stuff ... I've been filling in temporarily for the last few months while we went through the recruitment process etc and doing my own role as well ... some days, I'm sure, doing neither of them very well ... but it's all good.

So it's all been go, go, go!!!!! [and some].

The last wee while I have been involved with the Tour of Southland ... we were a joint team sponsor and what a ride it has been ... it's totally amazing what goes on behind the scenes in an event like this - truly! A real eye opener. And I have only seen some of it.

I guess most people tend to think these guys get on a bike and ride ... well in a nutshell yes they do ... BUT!!!

I take my hat off to the guys out on their bikes this week ... we have had sun, we have had rain, we have had hail, we have had sleet, we have had snow ... and with all of that ... we have had wind. These athletes have been competing under extremely trying conditions, and believe you me ... you and I would not have been out there on a bike ... I was moaning and whinging walking to the bank - a block away from work ... the weather was abyssmal. Downright shocking.

I will leave you with these logos ...



Why, cos these logos were worn by the overall winner of the Tour of Southland for 2008 ...

One of our riders won the tour - Hayden Roulston [to some, he is known as Roly] ... now believe you me ... he had a wonderful team of riders with him and alongside him, and an absolutely brilliant support crew as well and our team overall were runners-up in the tour this
year.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Tour of Southland, there is an overall individual title [which Hayden won this year] as well as a teams title, King of the Mountains, Sprint Ace amongst others [you are learning here, I know] ... check out http://www.tourofsouthland.com/ for more details ... great reading and great pics as well.

A big congratulations to Hayden, Sam, Paul, Michael and Shane - you guys rock ... I take my hat off to all of you and to your support team ... what an awesome group of people.

May you all enjoy a nice relaxing day tomorrow. You totally deserve it.

So on that note ...

Later
M


P.S. Mom, Dad, Terry, remember us driving over the Crown Range road coming back from Wanaka heading to Queenstown ... well these guys ride up to the top of the Crown Range road ... I was in a car driving and didn't like it ... these guys are on bikes ... and their legs are doing all the work!!! Wow!!!!

Weekend challenge

with the girls at Sketchbook - a black and orange theme [Halloween colours] ...

Black and orange I can do and have done!!!

So ... black and orange it is [on white]. Packaging from a box of Continental choccies pulled apart and painted black, after I had already stamped the paint on my white cardstock background, black netting left over from flowers [I mean to say, you can't throw some things out now can you??!!] black and orange coredinations cardstock, embossed and sanded [as you do], BG Ambrosia papers, orange ribbon, orange thread, adhesive thickers, hand-journalling, a little ink and there you have it - oops, black staples and black paint and Bazzill brads, the big ones.



I've had a real play with this one and I'm more than happy with the way this layout has turned out ...

Enjoy your Sunday afternoon everyone.
Later,
M

P.S. before I go ...

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to a special friend and scrapping buddy [said in one big breath and sung in my bestest voice]
Happy birthday to YOU

That would be you Miss Meg!!!!

Have you been here

and had a look ... go on ... you know you want to ... [well that's if the linky thing works] ...

http://scrappinpatch.co.nz/phpBB2/index.php

Ta da ...

One missing in action layout ... no idea why ...

Always take the scenic route

Yesterday afternoon DH said to me ... come on, we're going for a walk ... I could handle that I thought to myself. Jumped in his truck and went over to the estuary. First time we have walked over there and we walked the whole circuit - said at the start it would take an hour, so I thought, right-oh, yep give or take a little bit. It was blowing a gale, sun was shining and it was more than a little warm. Tell you what, out of the wind it was stinking hot ... holy ska-moley.

Grabbed the camera before we went - good move on my part. Very enjoyable walk and passed quite a few people out for a leisurely stroll as well.

A lot of the walk is a work in progress, there has been quite a large area that has had a board walk built, so that you actually walk over water ... sounds good doesn't it?

There has been a lot of native planting, so give it a couple of years, perhaps even months, the plant life will flourish, I'm sure of it.

It was brilliant.

So today I had some pics developed, well that's what you do when you take pics, and I take quite a few of them from time to time.

So I whipped up this layout tonight to put up in the gallery over at Country Papercraft ... tonight is the last night for loading any of the layouts for the cyber crop.

The challenge, a 9 grid layout ... four pics, four pps and whatever else ... so I dug out some Jenni Bowlin paper [background], I've used BG Ambrosia papers and a BG Cupcake paper as well, used some new My Minds Eye rub-ons, gave the scissors a work out again on some more leaves, threw in a little handjournalling and a few brads and there you have it.

Now taking pics with these colours after dark does not make for a flash photo of a layout ... it's quite grainy in places and in real life, the pics are brilliant ... but there's not much I can do about that now, can I ... leaving things to the last minute ... never mind!



Right then, my bed is calling out to me. So on that note ... night ...
Later
M

This didn't do its thing for some reason ... perhaps this time ...

Revlon ...

I was in buying another bottle of foundation this week and I am a Revlon girl through and through ... and this little bit of brightness caught my eye and had to come home with me.

A limited edition, smaller sized bottle of nail polish ... looks flash on the toes girl ... did that yesterday - ROFLMAO.

Lots of new colours in a limited release [apparently].

I'm a sucker for nail polish for the toes over Summer and this one being a smaller bottle might actually be empty by the end of Summer ... might not either. Time will tell!!!




Couldn't resist sharing - lol!
Later,
M

Eye candy

I've been playing with the girls over the ditch this weekend.

Country Papercraft have had virtual cyber crop - and I've had a ball.
They've actually had a real live fair dinkum scrap retreat on as well and for those of us that
are more than a little geographically challenged, they thought of us too and had a cyber crop for us.

First layout is based on one of Lynlee's sketches and has hidden journalling under the purple tag
and we had to use the word 'just' somewhere in the title.

A big thank you to Jane ... for the tag and the purple embossed butterfly, they were in an envelope of goodies that
I received as a birthday RAK this week ... AWESOME.

And I used the paper that I received as an extra in the kit from Scrappin Patch this week,
or perhaps it was last week, can't remember to be honest!

But it actually came out of the pizza box and was used ... thank you ladies.

Next up ... a card based loosely on Leonie's card sketch and I have used a new wee toy instead of my scissors ... one Heidi Swapp distresser tool ... what a brilliant wee toy it is ... thank you Beverley [another birthday gift] - I received an envelope in the mail on Saturday - woo hoo ... love it.

Then I put this layout together ... it had to have one photo, three patterned papers and stickers ... well you can see all three on this one ... I love this line of BG papers and this layout was put together in no time and it probably shows. I'm thinking about putting this layout onto a canvas and hanging it on the wall - time will tell. I have used the silk flowers that came from another birthday gift ... talk about recycling things ... ROFLMAO.

I did put together another card based on a sketch but it's not appearing on my blog post for some reason. Looks like it's missing in action girls - ROFLMAO - quite like the way that it turned out.

Heaps of other challenges were on offer and I plan on completing another few over the next few days, time permitting.


Hopefully I will play a little more today in my scrap room ... haven't quite finished a layout that I have had on the go for over a week, but if I ever get around to it ... I've got lots of room to tweak it and it could go in the weekend challenge with the girls at Sketchbook - still on my to do list.


So in between family reunion luncheons [yesterday] and visitors for tea last night that didn't leave until close to midnight ... I still managed to find time for a little scrapping, not much housework though, well sometimes you have to get your priorities right people.

So on that note ... I had better jump in the shower, get myself dressed and ready to face the day ... perhaps a cup of nice coffee beforehand might be a good idea.

Enjoy your Labour Day everyone ... I'm sure I could do this three day weekend more often ... truly.
Later,
M

A little eye candy

I was in the bath tub on Friday night still trying to shake my migraine/headache ...
feeling a little bit dull around the edges and I was thinking scrapbooking - funny that ...
being creative was never going to actually happen on Friday night as such, but I was still thinking about it ... lol.
So come Saturday I decided to have a wee play and a wee play I had ...
so a few minutes here and there on Saturday and Sunday and last night and this is what I came up with this layout

... now trust me on this one ... this looks way better in real life ...

the colours are much sharper and the photos aren't blurred in any way, shape or form ...
and this layout is SO NOT going in my album.


I am going to splash out and buy a frame to put this one on the wall in my scrap room ...

I love the colours ... I'm a BG girl at heart, throw in a little Prima, a little MM journalling pad and the leaves ...
and I'm a happy camper. I painted my butterfly blue and then used Glimmermist on top of it ...
the stitching comes in the form of rub-ons.

This one is going into the gallery with the girls at Sketchbook for Layle's celebrity challenge, get those scissors working and cut out patterned paper ... so I cut out some leaves, more leaves and still wasn't done, so I needed a few more - ROFLMAO.

The scissors also did the distressing thing on my BG papers.

Love the colours of these BG papers. So there you have it ... it might not be everyone's cup of tea and I must admit, it does look a little busy ... but I love this one ...

I've been more than a little creative and I've got ideas rolling around in my head, [edited to read ... not bed - OMG ... where did that come from - ROFLMAO]
well actually they are fair flying to be honest ...

I will be putting together another layout, something similar but in a different BG paper scheme ....

I actually played around with each one as a 6x6 layout with the intention of making it a 12 x 12
- if that makes sense.

So on that note ... will leave you with it.

And if you haven't already popped into my wee angelic friend's blog to catch up on her news today, I suggest you do ... woo hoo go Angel!!! Then ... oopsy nearly, nope, I'm not going to tell you ... go and have a looksy!!!

Later,
M

Look at these

hopefully this link will take you to these wee goodies ...

Okay, I'm a sucker for the Bazzill just the edge cardstock strips ... but woo hoo ... have a looksy at these wee treasures ... these are gorgeous and they are even more gorgeous in real life ... I've just had some of these land on my doorstep today ... and I'm liking the look of these ... can see my paints coming out for an airing ...

Check out just the edge II - you might have to scroll down a little on the page that this link will take you to ...


Scrappin' Patch


I'm about to head into my messy scrap room for a little play, but before I go ... a big thank you ... I had two envelopes in my mail box when I got home tonight ... a big thank you to Vicki and to Lianne ... thank you for so very much ladies ... I received some more scrapping goodies to play with - woo hoo ... awesome!!! and I haven't seen any of them before ... but I will share with everyone else when I have a play ... wow, so totally spoiled.

So thank you ladies from the bottom of my heart ... truly ... totally spoiled.

Later,
M

Another year older

yep ... that would be moi!!!

Yesterday was the day ... another age number turned over.

Yep siree, I can say that I was more than a little spoilt to be honest and I had a super duper day.

I woke up to find gifts on the bench ... and I read this ...

To my Wife,
Our Love is forever

I wonder if you know how much
I love being married to you.
Sometimes I get so caught up
with the everyday details of life,
I forget just how lucky I am
to be sharing it with you.
And then there are times
when we're apart
that I think about how much
I love you,
but for some reason,
I don't share my feelings with you.
Every time I think about
all we've been through together,
how much we've grown,
I'm so proud of us ...
so happy for us ...
so thankful our love
is forever.

So just in case
I haven't told you
in a while,
I love being married to you.
I wouldn't have it
any other way.

Renee Duvall


This was the verse on my birthday card ... have you still got dry eyes ... I didn't yesterday and now I have just reread it, I still don't. What a lovely verse ... a right wee tear jerker.

I also had a DVD to play on the computer and it was gorgeous ...

A double layered box of Continental choccies, so I'm thinking I am going to be doing a little more walking working that lot off and there was yet another parcel. I also received a 7" digitor [I think] electronic photo album - you know what I mean ... you put in your memory card and it continuously plays your photos ... very nice it is too ... totally spoiled. Mr Friz had grabbed one of the memory cards from when Mom and Dad and my sister and BIL were over here ... totally unedited ... so what I am going to have to do at some stage is go through some of my edited pics and put them on another memory stick just to play on my album ... very cool - thanks babe.

NanJules, Ash and her two wee mites came to visit yesterday afternoon and I was spoilt with scrapping gifts and a book and I've also got a parcel in my freezer ... ummmmmmmmmm ... wanna know what it is ... ummmmmmmmmmm ... let me think about whether I want to share ... oh okay, my arm has been twisted ... I've got WHITEBAIT!!! Woo hoo ... what an extra special treat for moi!!!! DS wanted to know if 'we' were having that for lunch today ... as if buddy, as if !!!! That parcel has got 'my' name on it people, 'my' name ... ROFLMAO. Thank you Julie.

Now before I move on ... one of the two little mites that came to visit yesterday is 'tiny' ... she is doll-like - I kid you not ... I asked Ash ... where is the rest of her ... this tiny little baby came to visit and yes I had cuddles, but she spent more time lying on my dining room table on a blanket and I kept staring at her and I was just so amazed at the size of her ... her little feet are the size of DH's thumb, well actually his thumb was a little bigger ... she is just so tiny ... it's been a long time since I have cuddled anything that small - talk about dainty ...

And onto the birthday happenings again ...

I opened a parcel that arrived in my mail box a couple of weeks ago, that had remained unopened all that time ... a birthday parcel from Trace ... so thank you Trace for my birthday parcel ... Christmas stamps ... very nice they are too!!!


Lots of birthday cards ... the postie must have been wondering what's been going on at our house ... with the influx of mail.

My sister Tracy sent me scrapping supplies, lots of goodies that I haven't seen before ... and in amongst the goodies, a Prima embossed chippie album - very noice, very noice indeed!!!

I had orchids dropped off on Friday, now sitting in a vase on the dining room table.

We all went out for dinner last night to the Workingmen's Club - I didn't have to cook, so that was a bonus, a bigger bonus, was that I didn't have to clean up either.

And today I went out for lunch to the Cabbage Tree - sat outside and dined and it was beautiful ... lovely day outside - in fact I do believe that my neck may have seen a little too much sun, it is a little sore - lol. A lovely relaxing way to spend a few hours on a Sunday ... might have to talk DH into dining out there for lunch before the Summer is over ... delightful.

My cell phone has been beeping all weekend with incoming birthday texts, the phone has been ringing and I've received lots of emails as well - so thank you to everyone that has sent me birthday wishes ... woo hoo!!!

So now I've revealed my birthday treats ... told you I was totally spoiled, yep I feel like a princess!!!!

I must go and stuff a chook or two for tonight's dinner and get them in the oven, even though right at this particular point in time, eating is the last thing I feel like doing ... I really just feel like blobbing ... lol ... but it was my birthday yesterday, not today, so I suppose I have to feed the boys tonight ... crikey!!!

I started playing with a layout on Friday night and I aim to finish it at some stage today - all going well ... and this one I'm seriously thinking of framing for the wall ... all will be revealed when it is finished.

To all of you ... enjoy lazing away your Sunday afternoon.
Later,
M

P.S. It was another scrapping buddy's birthday recently and she now has to tick the box 45 - 49 ... ROFLMAO ... she knows who she is ... that would be 'Vicki' ... so for another year, I can at least still tick the 40-44 ... lol

Another Wednesday

has rolled around again.

It's time to woo hoot again ... the weeks just fly by these days ...

Still doing the walking ... was lucky enough to be dropped off after work tonight part way home ... so my walk was 25-30 minutes ... a far better option I think ... I wasn't so totally buggered when I got home.
An hour is probably a bit much some days to be honest. But I'm still doing it ... and proud of myself to boot.

School is back and that's a big enough woo hoot in itself ... yahoo!!!

Yesterday morning I earned a few brownie points. Caught the bus to work and was sitting minding my own business when a young lady went to get on the bus. She had her money in a snaplock bag and when she got it out, a $20 flew out of her hand [and she didn't realise it had happened]. I ran off the bus saying to the bus driver as I got off ... I'm coming back, don't leave without me type thing ... I chased a $20 note down the road, I kid you not ... kept thinking, please stay there, don't fly away any further ... please!!!! Finally nabbed it, ran back to the bus and said lady was still talking to the bus driver ... she had no idea ... she was focussed on the fact that she was supposed to get $5 back in change from buying her monthly bus ticket. The bus driver told her what I had done ... and so she kept turning around throughout the ride ... saying thank you ... thank you ... thank you ...

Good deed done for the day.

Another woo hoot - and a not such a woo hoot.

Learning to play with Picasa2 ... well teaching myself. I'm a bit of a techno klutz really ... give me something to type up - not a problem ... learning about other techno stuff and sometimes I can honestly say, that I don't have a bleedin' clue - well at least I am honest!!!

Took some awesome pics of the kids and have been having a play with them.

Must remember ... to play with the 'copy' and NOT, I repeat, NOT the original ... cos said original is no longer an original when one plays - okay, some things you learn the hard way - ROFLMAO ... sometimes though, this is NOT funny!!! Need I say more ???

But ... trying to make a layout smaller to upload to a gallery ... NOPE ... NOT a happening thing.

Mish from Country Papercraft across the ditch has given me a few pointers ... so this weekend, might have to spend a little time playing.


And my last woo hoot for the week ... the days are drawing out and it really is quite noticeable. Okay, so Mother Nature hasn't been playing ball with us lately. We have had extreme winds, read gale force winds here people and shitty weather ...
but I must admit it has been nice with the days drawing out ... it's still really light outside and it is nearly 8pm ...

Roll on Summer ...



A N D ...

Show and tell before I go ... this layout is of the not so wee fella in my life. I used the September monthly kit that I bought from over the ditch from the girls at Country Papercraft ... the rules again ... you can only use the contents of the monthly kit if you want to upload for the monthly competition, but you can add ink, paint, stamping and a few others things, had to check that I was allowed hand sewing ... but no other embellishments etc. So out came the Cuttlebug to keep with the circle theme and my trusty Fiskars circle punches. These pics were taken on DS's 14th birthday last month and wouldn't you know it, he would NOT smile for me ... little toe rag - all in all I like the way the layout ended up. Just for the record we did the height thing ... I might have already said in a previous post, can't remember - he is a smidgin under 6 foot or if you look at it the other way, he is a smidgin over 5.11 ... I guess it depends on the way you think. LOL.


On that note ...
Night
M