Photo Challenge #3

This is my pic for Photo Challenge #3 - Girls
I know she isn't real pretty........although I am biased and think she's gorgeous!........but she is a girl, and she is sort of girly if you look long enough. lol! This is my son Michael's dog Raz.

Blog Award

I'd like to thank my wonderful family, my manager.........Ooops sorry, getting a bit carried away here lol!!!

I'd REALLY like to thank Jane for the fabulous award....thanks so much Jane.

I am so enjoying this new world of blogging as I get to keep a journal of the comings and goings in mine and my families lives....with pictures, plus I have an online 'brag book' to share with friends and family, and I get to occasionally vent when things aren't going so well. As I get so much enjoyment from writing this blog, it seems really strange that others might actually like what you are doing too.
I have made new friends and been able to keep up with other friends through their blogs, and I am amazed on a daily basis at how creative, artistic, and interesting these blogs are, and how talented and wonderful the people who run them are. Two of the people I would have put up for this award, because their blogs are little miracles of artistic creativity, have already just received it, (yes thats you Vicki and Jane) but never fear, I still have a list of blogs that I absolutely love visiting and that really deserve this award - so here we go:

Girls just right click on your award, save to your computer, and upload to your blog. Please pass it along to 6 blogs that you love to frequent.





1. Scrap'It by Breeza Bree

2. Around the World with Helen and Tony Helen M

3. Tales from Colorado Lenore

4. Now Then Habibi Maz

5. A Pene for your Thoughts Pene

6. Digital Creations Sharon


Congrats girls, and thanks for giving me such great sites to come and visit.

Happy Birthday Bree

Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday dear Bree ee
Happy birthday to you

Yep, its my little girls birthday today. Where does the time go? I can still remember the day she was born. Bringing her home from the hospital. Her growing up years. SO, how on earth did she suddenly become 31??? I DON'T KNOW! I don't think she knows where the time has gone either. But, no matter what, it is her birthday today, and I'd like to wish her the best birthday EVER! Happy birthday hon, love ya!

As an added aside: Bree and I have a really exciting day tomorrow. Two of the girls on Bree's CT, who live in Melbourne, are driving up to Bendigo tomorrow so that we can all finally meet and spend some time together. Sharon and Pene (skyezac and rtoose) are meeting us at the botanical gardens, where we are going to have a picnic lunch, watch the kids play, and get to know each other for the afternoon. I am sooooo looking forward to meeting them both. I have my camera charged and ready!!!!
Bruce, Michael, Chloe, Pheobe and I are taking Bree out for dinner tomorrow night for her birthday. We are going to one of Bree's favourite restaurants, so should be a good night.
I will report back.....with pics of course, in a couple of days. I will have to download tomorrows pics before going out in the evening I think lol!!

Oh So Windy

Thats the weather, not me lol!!!!
Yesterday was another very warm day, and late yesterday afternoon the wind started to blow, getting stronger as the evening wore on. By 3am this morning I was up and trying to find out what was banging, what was rattling, and checking our side gate was still latched as it tends to come undone in really strong winds. The wind at this time was whining and moaning and was extremely strong, hitting the house in regular huge gusts that actually shook the house. It has stayed that way all day. Hot, very windy, with so much dust in the air that it looked almost misty. It reached a high of 34C today, but now, at 10pm, the temperature is around 23C. Much cooler and so much nicer for sleeping. The wind is still blowing quite fiercely though. I just heard a huge crash before, and upon investigation found that the bathroom mirror had blown right off the wall. Bruce had opened the bathroom window to let some cool air blow through the house, but it decided to try wrecking the bathroom instead. Lol! Thankfully we will not be experiencing 7 years of bad luck as the mirror, believe it or not, is still in one piece. How lucky is that?
I am hoping the wind ceases a little by tomorrow, I'm not a big fan of strong wind....weather or otherwise!

ADSR Challenge 5

Welcome to Round 5 of the Amazing DigiScrapping Race! Your challenge for this stop is to create a layout that has no photos on it, but includes at least 3 different and separate photo frames. Sometimes we have special thoughts, feelings and/or memories about a person or place or event or pet or whatever, but no photos. OR, we could be missing someone who has passed on or something that is no longer in our lives and would dearly love to be able to express that on a page.Because scrapbooking is all about recording our life journey and that of our family we can still create a page to record and preserve those special thoughts, feelings and/or memories with a little thought and planning and with the creative use of photo frames and journaling (although journaling is not required for this challenge).You could even try doing a collage of elements and paper cut-outs within the photo frames to create a pictorial representation of your missing photos.
This is what I came up with.....it was a lot harder than I imagined.
Credits

ADSR Challenge 4

Challenge 4:
The Art and Soul Challenge!You both must complete this challenge! However, this is a FAST FORWARD challenge which means that the first team done can SKIP the January 18th challenge if they wish!
1. The Art of it: Your LO must have artistic flair! Literally! Your LO must have at least 3 things "artsy" and/or "altered" on it--(such as but not limited to: paint splatters, a paintbrush, paint spills, crayon doodles, goopy glitter, watercolors, canvas AND/OR altered art items such as wings on photos, art dolls, vintage doodads, ephemera, etc). Really stretch yourself and try something "artsy" that you haven't tried before!2. The Soul of it: You must journal something from your Soul. Something positive, heartfelt and meaningful to you in your life! Something you've learned, something you've gleaned from your life experience. Perhaps something you would want to pass on to the next generation! (It can even be your favorite quote and why it touches/inspires you) Uplift us, make us smile--inspire us! You must share your journaling with us-if it's hard to read or blended into the background-part of the challenge is to share your journaling in your description.
credits

We've Had a Busy Weekend

I had a little bit of a sleep in on Friday morning, but only a little bit. After a leisurely breakfast Bruce and I got stuck into the housework, washing, and FINALLY (I'm a little ashamed to say) taking down the Christmas decorations and packing them away. After lucnch we both headed off to our computers to do what we had to do.
Friday night we went out to a friends house for dinner. We had a great night, 3 other couples and a single lady, great food, good conversation, wonderful company. Most of these people don't drink alcohol, so it was a soft drink only night (ha! ha! you didn't think I could go out for dinner without having a champers or a wine did you...well! there you go, I have some secrets you don't know about!). The friends we visited only live a couple of blocks from us so we were able to walk to their house, which is so much better than having to load and unload the wheelchair. By the time we left at 10.30pm the evening had cooled down giving us a glorious evening to walk home.
Saturday morning we were up bright and early to meet friends (one of the couples from last night) for breakfast at a lakeside cafe called the Boardwalk. We arrived at 9.20am and after a very hearty breakfast, lots of coffee and water, and obviously a LOT of talking, we left at 11.30am. We strolled over to have a peek at an artist at work on the lakeside, and after about 1/2 hour of chatting to this wonderful Irishman, we dashed off home to grab the camera, then headed out to White Hills Botanical Gardens to take some pics of the sunflowers. The schools around the local area planted a maze of sundflowers and they are all in bloom at the moment.
The different sizes and different varieties were amazing, and so pretty.
Here are some pics we took:
A small portion of the maze of sunflowers.

Some were very tall, towering above like golden sentinels.

So many beautiful colours.

The bees were busy in nearly every bloom.

The different patterns in the centres of the flowers were amazingly beautiful.

This one had just started setting seed.

The seed looks brilliant up close.

After taking the pics we went home and had a fairly uneventful afternoon. I did race up to one of the local cafe`s where they encourage dog owners to take their pooches for coffee...puppicino's. It is a 'normal' cafe/resataurant, but they believe you can take your little furry friends with you...sitting outside of course. They even provide beds for the dogs to lie on.They have a picture wall of all the visiting dogs, and the person responsible for this little venture has asked me to do an album for her pets, so I went to pick up the phooto's. She is thinking that if she leaves her album on the counter, most pet owners will either want an album for themselves, or want a special page done to frame. We'll see what comes of it.

This morning, Sunday, I went to Bree's for the morning and picked her brains on CS2. I have been working on my lo for challenge 4, and this time totally needed to use a program other than FotoFusion. This afternoon I finally finished my page for the challenge and will post it after this post. I am having an early night tonight, then off to work again tomorrow. Won't that be fun????

Challenge 3 Finished

The weather here today was a really beautiful 28C AND we have been loaned a portable air conditioner for as long as we need it.......BLISS!!!

This is my lo for challenge 3 and a re-do of the lo below this one.
All the info on what the challenge was, the rules etc is here


This was my original lo, and also my very first digi lo.

Its SO HOT!!!

I've been back at work for nearly 2 weeks now, and if that isn't bad enough, the weather has decided to warm up considerably. Last week we had a few hottish days, but this week it has been horrendously hot. Yesterday 40C and today 41C....I HATE this weather. We, as yet, still have no air conditioning here at home, as we are still trying to save and get all the modifications done to the house for Bruce. It is travelling up the list now at very high speed lol!! We have the non slip bathroom floor going down in the next couple of weeks, then we only have to put the rails on the new ramp, then we can seriously start saving for the cooling/heating. It can't come soon enough for me....especially with the weather getting this hot. Everything else that needs to be done can wait until after the cooling/heating goes in, I'll be a happy little vegemite then!
I have been seriously thinking of changing jobs for a long time now. I used to LOVE my job, but I'm getting to the stage now where I hate all the responsibility, hate the beaurocracy and red tape, hate the inflexibility, and most of all I HATE how our clients have become less than important when it comes to the dreaded 'bottom line' and 'making a buck'.
Only problem is that after working in this position for 13 years, I have found that none of my qualifications are worth the paper they are written on any more......can you believe I'm not even qualified to clean toilets now....you even need a piece of paper to do that....pardon the pun!
So, I guess for awhile I am stuck in this rut......but don't worry, I am keeping my eyes and ears open for any possible solutions to this problem.
If anyone out there knows of a job that pays an excellent salary, especially the type of job where you can travel, try out different resorts, holiday destinations, hotels, restaurants etc, maybe to look at access options for people with a disability so that Bruce can travel too....I'm the gal for you lol!!!! OK stop your fighting, I know NONE of you would tell me about this job until you had tried out for it yourselves LOL!!!!
OK, I've had my vent for the day, and my only excuse for being such a sourpuss today is the damned HEAT!!!!! Looking forward to a cooler day tomorrow.

Second Challenge for ADSR

The second challenge for the ADSR was not very inspiring for either Bree or myself, but we finally managed to get a layout finished.
These were the challenge instructions:
Cabin Fever
(interpret this as you will, but it must be evident that this is the thought/theme behind your page!)

Must include:
3 photos
4 papers only (no more or less)
8 different elements - at least 1 must be acrylic
2 different fonts
Must have a title, and journaling (which must be visible - if it is not readable, please include in your description)
Bree and I spent some of Saturday and Sunday together and this is what we came up with:

Credits

First Challenge for ADSR

Well, after a very slow start I finally finished my lo for the first challenge. Bree finished hers way before me......and its gorgeous!
I haven't done much scrapping lately (actually neither has Bree) and I found it really difficult to get a page done, I had really lost my mojo. I started, restarted, restarted again, and again, and again! I finally got something done and uploaded, and I am happy with it.......not thrilled, but happy!

Challenge 1#
1) Rip and tear a photo into three or more pieces! (that's a photo, not papers!)
2) Use journaling on your layout (something I stress is SO important).
Journaling: Dictionary.com: A personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections
This is a challenge to be completed by both racers.
That's it! Anything else goes! You can have more than three tears. You can have more than one photo on your layout. You can have a lot or a few elements. You can use any theme. Just get a memory preserved as that is what scrapping is all about.


Credits

Challenge 2 has already been posted and has to be finished and uploaded by midnight Sunday. Its a hard one!

ADSR Season 4

Bree and I have teamed up and entered the ADSR (Amazing Digital Scrapbook Race)season 4, which starts on the 4th. It is being run by 'Natural Designs in Scrapbooking'. I am really excited, but also a little aprehensive. I start back at work on Monday 5th, (which also happens to be Sunday the 4th, the starting day, in the US) so I'm really hoping I can still squeeze in some scrapping time.......I don't want to let Bree down. I guess I will just have to make sure I MAKE the time! If you would like to follow our progress we have an ADSR blog site, which is listed here on the right side bar under ADSR. Bree set up the site (that was before I learned how to do ANYTHING on a blog), and made the blinkie. It looks great! I'll keep you posted on what we are up to. Wish us luck.....the prizes are AWESOME!!!!

Christmas Day

It seems strange writing about Christmas Day after New Year, but I'm a bit behind and still trying to catch up....so please bear with me.
Picture this.......Friday 19th December, Maz and Bruce still haven't bought one single Christmas present, no food for Christmas, NOTHING! I was having heart failures and having a little panic attack....especially as we were hosting Christmas at our house for Bree, Mick and the girls, as well as Bruce's family. Around 13 adults and 3 children.......and nothing prepared, crikey!
So off to the shops we went after my hairdressers appointment on Friday morning, vowing not to return home until all the shopping had been done. We arrived home at 6pm with most of the shopping done, and a list of things that we still had to buy....but at least we now had a list.
Saturday morning saw me up bright and early and off to finish the rest of the shopping on my own. I was back home triumphant at 9.45am. ALL DONE!!! Saturday afternoon Bree came round to wrap all her pressies (not safe to be left at her house), and I got all mine wrapped too. Whew!
We had arranged to eat Christmas lunch outside under the verandah, as there isn't enough room in our little house to seat all these people and still allow Bruce to get around in the wheelchair. The forecast was for a cool Christmas Day....we were keeping our fingers crossed.
I took Christmas Eve off work so that Bruce and I could prepare some of the food, bake, and set up for the following day. Everyone brings food too, so we never go short, in fact there is usually far too much food, but it doesn't stop us always having to make one extra thing! It never goes to waste.
Christmas morning Bree and the girls arrived followed by Mick and Ashlee. It is an early morning because the girls open most of their presents at our house, and its unfair to keep them waiting too long. This makes Christmas day for Bruce and I, we love watching the kids open their pressies.
After taking pics of the present openings, I put my camera down and didn't pick it up again for the rest of the day. I just seemed to be so busy, I forgot.......can you believe it? I am kicking myself now because I don't have any photo's of Christmas lunch, no pictures of the DS addict, the tipsie one, the sleeping rellie, the X Box competitors, the first ever bike ride on a 2 wheeler bike, the walk around the lake on a far too hot day. I have no pictures, but I do have the memories. So my challenge now is to do a scrapbook layout with no pictures, just journalling, so that I can keep those memories forever.....oh! and a big reminder for next year NOT to let that camera out of my sight........and USE IT!
Here are some of my favourite pics from Christmas Day:

Pheobe with the new dress she got from Aunty Gill. Don't you just love that cute little face????

Arrrhhhh! What about this cute little face too? Bruce with his charity teddy bear and CBR gift certificate from Bree and the girls.

Chloe opening one of her presents. I don't know what the orange glow is, but suspect it is the glow from the wrapping paper. Look how fast her hands are working...they are nothing but a blur.

Ashlee, our little present opening champ. She was a blur in most of the pics I took, this is the only one where you can actually make out it is Ashlee lol!


Bree was SOOOOO excited to get her present from Bruce and I....an external hard drive (1TB).

Now we can look forward to lots more new kits from her, with no excuses that her *%^&$%^$

computer is overloaded yet again. ROFL!!!!

Mick (with a lot of help from Ashlee) opening his present from Bruce and I....a new fish tank and everything to set it up......including a gift voucher for the fish. He was rapt!


Mick and Ashlee in a quiet moment.

We had a fabulous Christmas. It was hot, so we sweated and sweltered over lunch (so much for the weather forecast) but we had our family and loved one's around us, and to me, that is what Christmas is all about........being together, and being thankful that we are able to all be together. That is something so precious and special.