02.26.07
My new Bathroom is about to be reality!
We have been planning and planning to fix up our downstairs bathroom for a while. The builsder and the plumber are good guys – but Sheeeesh – it’s taken them AAAAAges to finally co-ordinate their work and get here! We’re not doing a dream bathroom – we won’t be living in this house long enough to make that worthwhile. We do however want to have a bathroom that is pleasant to be in and use while we are here for the next few years!
So, rip out the bath (there’s one upstairs anyway), get rid of the scungy shower and hte 70s vanity. IN with the lovely no joins WHITE shower, the LOVELY modern “belly” vanity over by the area where the bath has been taken from. Away with the dark, ugly green walls – we are going crisp white – with some yummy green glass tiles under the wall mounted cupboards. There’s gong to be a big mirror, lots of light- and a heated towel rail. Oh Bliss!! I just took a look now the old walls have been ripped down – the room isn’t any bigger…. No secret Tardis room in there!!
I just hopped over to Janine’s page this morning too. Seems a whole lot of thinking going on about BOMs just now. I love visiting Janine’s blog as she shares her thoughts so openly with us all. She’s been thinking about the whole BOM thing too – and has some great links to go check out. It’s so true – the main message behind all the articles is not to forget to tell our own stories. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the layouts that are going to come out of it all…. there’s a few people that have decided to do a bit more about themselves.
I was thinking too this morning that I really want to get some more info about my grandparents and their lives. I’m lucky that I still have one set still around. However they are in Invercargill and I virtually never get to see them anymore. Fingers crossed I’ll pop down for a couple of days later this year. But I was thinking that I can’t rely on that visit to get me the info that I want. So, I thought that I’m going to send some questions down by mail and get nana and Grandad to return them along with some photos. Now THAT will be a fun project to see evolve!
Oh, and my first set of course material was delivered on Saturday. So, I’m going to have to be a good girl and make sure that I start hitting the books as well as doing my fun projects!!
……………………….. Anybody know where a girl can buy a few more hours in the day??! 
02.23.07
BOM Layout – the inside story of my bag!
Well, I did say that this was the year that I wanted to get a few more pages scrapped that were all about me. And thanks to Janine, I’ve started! I went shopping for a new album that is just for ME! Yes, I’m selfish like that!!
The whole concept of doing pages on me is a bit weird. I look through the albums and I seriously hardly ever feature. The reason being mainly that I have always HATED pictures of me. So this challenge was a good one to get me going – it has let me do something about me, yet not featuring me.
Yet in thinking about this over the last week or so, I realised that I have some quite big and quite personal items that I want to do. One idea came to be as Mr 5 asked why we don’t see a particular aunt and uncle anymore. We have spent a great deal of time with them until maybe 6 months ago. It was DH’s and my decision not to keep in contact – a rift that has been boiling below the surface for some time finally came to a head. We knew that it was a matter of time before we would have to explain what happened to ur boys – we just weren’t expecting it now. Goes to show that they might not have many years behind them, but kids don’t miss a thing.
We chose to explain it quite matter of factly and leave it at that for now. *X said something that we didn’t like and we don’t really want to be around people that say those sorts of things*. It’s an interesting lesson: Mr 5 is having some issues at school with some kids. We are trying to give him the message that it’s OK to not be around people that say or do hurtful things. So I guess the family situation is providing us with a model for him.
It also let me see that we will need to explain – probably in some detail – at some point just what happened. I’ve decided that I am going to scrap this. The whole situation made me very upset and while I try to be strong in the face of the person, I get quite anxious leading up to the inevitable (now rare) meetings. However, the thought of putting it all down for future reference actually is helping me deal with my thoughts and feelings surrounding the people involved. I’ll be interested to see the output of it. It also made me realise that it is important not to just scrap the good moments in life. It’s a challenge, but hopefully in the future there will be an understanding of why things are the way they are right now.
So, from the humble beginnings of the inside story of my handbag, I might just end up with something a whole lot deeper.
02.22.07
DCM Midweeker
Oh yay! Look what I found at the DCM blog - a mid-week dare to make a male card…. oh yay! I can join in this one – I’m making a few boys cards of late!
Look a bit lower down, there’s a baby boy card I made for a swap.
Then this one was made for the C-man (Mr 5’s best mate) who turned 6 just a couple of weeks ago.
And I AM going to be making another baby boy card in teh next day or two – so I think I can include myself in this challenge! So, hello all you DCMers!
Hello, Baby!
I ordered some things from Meg the other day – some stamps that I just adored on other people’s layouts and cards. She has been trying to get these and a bunch of others in for a wee while. I was so excited to get her e-mail that they had FINALLY arrived in, I ordered straight away on Tuesday afternoon.
I was even more excited that they arrived on my doorstep the very next day!
And now I am so very HAPPY because I’ve managed to have a play with them. The poxed one is asleep for a bit – so I made a tag to go with Libby’s Joy CJ and this, my final of 5 baby cards. I LOVE this one.
I think I might make this one again – my cousin’s girlfriend just had a baby boy on Tuesday. He is my aunt’s first granschild so she is waaay over the moon.
02.20.07
Oh Baby!
Ok, just a quick post tonight. Mr Almost 3 has had me sitting on the couch watching Thomas DVDs as long as he could manage it! After finally getting him into bed, pox and all, I finished the “Joy” CJ pages. Here’s a sneak peek. I send it off to Oz by Friday so I didn’t think it fair to show you all before Libby gets it in her mailbox!
And here are a couple of the baby cards for a swap of 5. They are rather simple, but I think they still look good. I should really have taken a pic in the daytime, but hey, I’m no photographer!
A Pox on our House!
…………make that on our Mr Almost 3!! Oh I feel bad for him ‘cos I know he’ll probably feel really grotty. He had been grumpy the last couple of days, ran a temperature last night, et voila! this morning a lovely, watery spot… By the time I got him to the chemist to get some relieving items, he had another half dozen spots coming up. Man, they move fast!!
Did you know…. in Flemish they are called waterpokken – *water-pox*. A far more accurate name, don’t you think?
Anyhoo, we have a couple of Thomas DVDs and Playhouse Disney at our disposal, so hopefully a few quiet days at home. Only fly in the ointment will be getting Mr 5 to and from school while limiting the contaigous one’s exposure to the neighbourhood.
Uh-oh - you know what – he is 3 on the 16th next month – goodness, hope the spots don’t go on his face / are not so bad come that day…………. hmmm……..could be a spotted birthday cake coming up rather than the Thomas one planned!!!
02.19.07
Today’s To Do list….
There are quite a few things on my list today. A lot of them craft related. Need to keep an eye on these things – remember I’m meant to be more organised this year. It’s getting there – I have a lot of lists. And I actually refer to them!
So, today:
- Up-load Weekly challenge to Ink-Stains – done – but was I in time?
- Baby Cards (x5) for SE Swap – completed 4, what am I going to do for #5?
- CJ: weddings – choose photos – think about paper, embellies etc – yes, re the pics, I think so re the paper – double check
- CJ: Joy – start working on this – almost started, keep this for tomorrow
- Call Dr re Mr almost 3 – done, needs follow up
- Call sports group re getting Mr 5 on the list for Wednesday – done
- Find DH’s cellphone – not done – he’ll have to sort
- Decide on dinner – we did eat so I think I did
- Play with Mr Almost 3… yup.
- Don’t forget to collect Mr 5 from school – yup managed that too.
I think I did OK today
I really like how my card for the challenge turned out. It’s the first time I’ve used my twinkling H2O’s. The colours look a little washed out from the scan, but you get the picture, right?!
So, how was your day?
02.17.07
The Contents of My Bag
One of the things that I am going to try and do this year is scrapbook me. I do a lot of the boys, a lot of the family but have avoided doing me. So, it might start out pretty simple, but there is going to be a book on all things ME.
Thanks to a Monthly BOM challenge over at SE that Janine has started, I have finally gotten around to taking a photo and looking at the contents of my handbag. Janine laughed when I commented on her post that I thought it was safe for me to do this. Yes, she was right: I had had a tidy up recently – I’d removed all the used tissues, the grubby receipts etc. No-one needs to see those, right?!
My bag is one that I bought while in Antwerp. Originally purchased ‘cos I knew it would be big enough to bring files etc home from work safely – and carry the latest mag I would read on the commute to Brussels. In actual fact, this bag has become almost a part of me! It goes virtually everywhere. It did, admittedly, have a brief spell when Mr 5 arrived – I used a baby bag then. but the truth was, once he was about 18 months or so, I used this bag again – it was a lot more convenient. And I guess it didn’t have “Mumsy” written all over it!
So, what is in my bag these days? Let’s see……
- My wallet and ALL its contents
- Mr 5’s wallet – with the teeny bit of pocket money left from last week
- Mr Almost 3’s wallet – ‘cos he’s just gotta have one even tho he doesn’t get pocket money yet!
- Sunglass case
- A flyer for McDs – bigger happy meals…hmmmmm
- Panadol – yup – gotta have access to that!
- My diary – ESSENTIAL!
- Spare stamps
- Purell – some things are just Yuk!
- Spare nappy – (the wipes would usually be here too but I just used them!)
- Mr almost3’s sunhat
- tissues
- Sample tube of toothpaste!?
- loose coins
- spotlight card
- Gloria jean’s coffee card
- Wendy’s free ice cream card – must use…..
- cellphone
- 2 lollipops – unopened
- batman toy?!
- Turtle toy????!
- Entry ticket from P’ram tram museum
- 2 lipsticks, 2 lipglosses – haven’t worn make-up for a while though!
- Hotwheels car?!!
- 4 pens
- ………..and a coke can tab – I’m a good recycler – they go on cards!
And we’re NOT doing what this might all mean, OK??
02.16.07
It’s been quiet
Well, so it seems. Yet when I look in my diary, I see that we have in fact been pretty full on. So I guess it’s just been quiet here in virtual land.
Mr 5 started his swimming lessons again this week. FINALLY I have managed to get him moved up a grade. It has been a really frustrating process. Last summer we had a breakthrough – he went from not wanting to get his head wet to growing gills!! BUT although his confidence is way up there, he was not floating on his back. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he is long and thin, he had trouble keeping himself all in a lovely straight line. So he wasn’t allowed to move through the grades. Trouble is, they don’t focus on back floating in that grade- it’s just something they are expected to do before progressing to the next 
At the end of last year’s lessons, we said surely, SURELY he must go up now? They said, he is still not floating on his back. But hey, he’s 5 so he needs to go into the Grade 1 group anyway.
So, we turned up on Wednesday. Only to find it’s the starter grade for 5-year olds that have NEVER swum before!! OMG! Anyway, the teacher taking him looked at me, asked me how was he on his back? I said, he doesn’t mind it but the whole bouyancy thing is an issue. She said *Look at him, he’s trying to teach himself FREESTYLE- go tell the office to move him* Sigh, so he’s now in the right grade. Yay!
Mr virtually3 doesn’t eat so great. Oh, yes, offer him chippies and lollies he’ll probably eat THOSE till the cows come home. He usually will eat a decent enough breakfast, an OKish lunch – but dinner – well who needs THAT? It’s a thing that has always been there – as a baby being offered milk – it was always *ohhhhhhhhhhhh, OK, if I must* kinda thing. Well, he’s almost 3 so I thought Well, if there’s any issues because of this, best find out sooner rather than later.
We went to the GP, and he agreed that it was probably best to check the sorts of things that blood can show to be on the safe side. So yesterday we went to the blood place. Poor wee man…. although I’d put that cream on to numb the area, I think just looking at it happening made him feel bad. He CERTAINLY has good lungs! A couple of weeks down the track I’m sure we’ll be told everything is A-OK but it will be good to have the reassurance.
I had a bunch of girls over last night – we did an Photo Organisation thing. It was a Creative Memories thing – the outfit is not really my cup of tea. But hey, anything for a few friends, a night out, and a few wines, hey?! PLUS I did actually get some photos sorted! Tonight I will be creating – it’s our monthly gathering in Tawa. Last month we got shown how to make a GORGEOUS little suitcase. I think I’m going to use mine to have as a card index – so I can keep track of who I need to make cards for and what I did for them last time.
02.13.07
There’s amazing things in Belgium
I’ve been doing a little surfing and discovering some amazing cards being produced by some fantastic artists over in Belgium. I lived there for four years myself – in Antwerp.
The whole time I was there, the only craft shops I found were cross stitch shops. Admittedly, I never knew about stamping and scrapbooking while I was there. But looking at the designs these ladies are doing and the lists of products they use, I cannot believe that I missed the opportunity to become addicted back then!! Products from a place called Stamps Antwerpen – oh why did I not know?? 
Ik heb een kleine surfen en ontdekken van sommige verbazingwekkende kaarten gedaan door sommige fantastische artiest over in België geproduceerd te worden. Ik leefde daar voor vier jaren mezelf – in Antwerpen.
Het geheel regeelt, was ik daar, de enige handwerk winkelt ik vond, waren kruis steek winkel. Toegegeven wist ik nooit ongeveer stempelend en scrapbooking terwijl ik daar was. Maar kijkend naar de ontwerpen deze dames doen en de lijsten van producten zij gebruiken, ik kan niet gelooft dat ik de gelegenheid miste om verslaafd terug dan te worden!! Producten van een plaats geroepen Stamps Antwerpen – oh waarom deed ik niet weet?
