Reflections

This & That!

It's Tuesday and Adam is at Pre-School, so it's a day to catch-up on things at home - washing, ironing, vacuuming . . . such fun!  *grin*  It's amazing how quickly the day slips by when you are busy with one thing and another - I can't believe it's after midday already!

A very 'Happy Birthday' is extended to Jessica today too!  Here's hoping you have a wonderful day and that your Mum, Sarah & Ryan spoil you rotten!  I can't believe you are 14!  Best wishes! 

Last night, whilst watching the Big Brother finale, I managed to finish a card made from leftovers from the page I completed last week about James.  Quite simple in design but I think it looks quite effective - and yes . . . it's all hand-stitching!

Oh and just before I go grab some lunch, whislt browsing online this morning, I found this neat 'Vintage Watch Element' that you can download for free!  I just love the old pocket watches so I couldn't resist it . . . check it out here!  Inparticular, I think it would look great on men's heritage scrapbooking pages!

Have a great afternoon!

   

Go Karts

I've just added a heap of photos from James' Go Kart racing day yesterday to my 'Photography Photo Album' - note that he has his proper number 5 and his name added to his Go Kart now too!   He's actually got them on the back of his helmet - which reminds me, I must get a photo of that too!  He had a great day and really enjoyed himself once again.  There were 4 midget karts there this month and from the 4 races held, he had a DNF (he ended up spinning and got stuck in the 'kitty litter' - *grin*), a 4th, a 3rd and another 3rd!  He seems to be growing in confidence with each drive too which is great to see.  A highlight for him also was not only being mentioned in the Club newsletter but also having his photo from the June meeting in there as well - needless to say a copy of that went off to school with him today!

The number 64 midget kart (seen in a couple of the photos) belongs to the daughter of one of my scrapbooking friends who I originally met online - Dee.  Dee wasn't at the June Club day but made it along yesterday, so we managed to catch-up for a bit of a chat which was great!

On the scrapping front, tonight in the Scrappit newsletter the August Scrappitpacks are going to be released so I'll give you a sneak peak of the page I did using the 'Such A Boy' pack . . . I've also got some close-up pics of the smaller details over in my 'Scrappit Design Team Photo Album' if you want to see them as well.

Until next time!

It's race day again!

Yes, it's the last weekend in the month and that means Go Kart racing for James . . . his 2nd race day.  Stuart & James spent yesterday afternoon making sure they were all set and that the Go Kart looked it's best.  They have their fingers crossed that the forecast rain stays away until much later in the afternoon, as although we have managed to get some 2nd-hand wet weather tyres (thanks Robert), we still need to get the rims for them to go on . . . hopefully the weather will behave itself for this weekend!

Yesterday I made a big indent in my ironing pile - yuk - it's one 'domestic duty' that I really do detest BUT I do love the feeling of keeping up with it and having none to do sitting around - so catching up on a large portion of it certainly felt good.  I cooked up another half of one of the pumpkins Dad gave me a few weeks back,  into Pumpkin soup for lunch - yum - and made some scones as well!  I haven't made scones for quite some time as  the last time I made them, they were a total flop -  *grin* - BUT these ones were just lovely - they rose well, were light & fluffy and got the 'thumbs-up' from everyone!  So - a very nice lunch was had by all!  I then went on to make Chow Mein for tea which was also quite yummy too! 

Here's a funny story about Pumpkin with our boys too!  James & Adam both love my pumpkin soup - I can serve up quite a big bowl of it for them, and they always manage to eat the lot!  HOWEVER . . . if I cook pumkin any other way for them, they just won't eat it!  "I don't really like that" (pointing to the pumpkin) *grin*  Roast Pumpkin?  No!  Mashed Pumpkin?  No!  Steamed Pumpkin?  No! - and so the list goes on! *grin*  Actually, James did asked if the scones were Pumpkin Scones to go with the Pumpkin Soup, and I must admit that is one pumpkin 'creation' that I haven't tried with them, so I must give it go and see what they think.  Actually, they are funny about quite a few veggies - they'll eat them raw, but cook them and they just aren't all that keen - cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, peas, tomato to name a few - they are real salad boys - it seems so strange to see them eating many of their veggies uncooked - as I'm preparing them - or just cooked for 1-2 mins - because that's the way they like them the best.  At least they are eating them I suppose!

You might notice at left too, I've been playing with my Photo Albums again and have divided them into more detailed categories for you to browse through!  I'm planning on adding more entries & details to them all soon!

Anyway, have a great day everyone . . . and I promise to share my latest scrapping with you all soon!

Why?

Why is it that some people (adults) just can't say a simple 'thank-you'?

It's not like it's a really hard word to say OR that it makes you a lesser person for saying it!  It's one of those words that many of us encourage in our children as simple manners ie. please, thank-you, etc.  I certainly don't go about my daily activities meaning to get thanked for the things I do BUT I think that it's just being polite to recognise when others have done something to help you (especially when you've actually asked for the help in the first place!)  I know if roles were reversed in the situation I experienced yesterday, I could never consider not thanking the person who had done something for me which involved quite a bit of work!   It's such a small word really but I think it  does have a big impact on how you feel about doing things for the same person in the future!   Then again, maybe not everyone thinks like me in today's society . . . perhaps it's just a 'sign of the times' as they say?  Perhaps manners just aren't as important as what they might once have been?  Am I alone in my thinking?  Mmm, I hope not!

Anyway - off my soap box now . . .

Last night we had a lovely Thunderstorm - YEP - a thunderstorm in the middle of winter!  I can't say that happens all that often but we did experience a short one sometime after 2am this morning - I didn't look at the clock but I'm pretty sure I remember Stuart saying it was 2 something or other.  We had quite a bit of heavy rain & gusty winds with both thunder & lightening about too, but when I looked in the rain guage this morning, we had only had 5mm, so it certainly didn't last very long.  It was nice though, listening to the rain on the roof whilst snuggled up in a nice warm bed.  This morning had beautiful blue skies and lovely sunshine! but alas this afternoon the skies have turned overcast again.  Oh well!

I came across a couple of pics of the boys taken on our trip to Lake Glenmaggie and with them playing in the playground there . . . I've popped them into my Photo Gallery if your interested to see them!

I'll check back in later today or tomorrow to share the latest scrapbooking page I've been working on . . . I just need to add my journaling . . . until then . . .

Catch-up day!

Well, Adam had Pre-School today and after our Parent's Club meeting first thing this morning, I used today to catch-up on a few things about the house - I even managed to get some yummy pea & ham soup made which I enjoyed for lunch!

Last night I managed to finish off a page that didn't quite make it into the July CLUB Scrappit newsletter (see yesterday's post for a direct link) so I thought I would share it here.  I just ended up running out of time to play around in WordArt to create the quote which I've then printed onto a clear transparency sheet.  The centre of the page has scanned a little dark because of the double layered flower in the centre BUT I'm sure you get the general idea!

Incidentally, these photos were ones I thought I had lost when my camera had a hissy fit whilst we were on holidays earlier this year.  After taking a photo, my camera just froze and whilst I could turn it on and off, nothing was happening . . . I located a re-set button in near the memory card and whilst the camera has worked perfectly ever since . . . I 'lost' 160 photos!  I was so disheartened because I'd captured some wonderful family snaps that brought back a lot of fun memories of holidays that my brother and I enjoyed as kids growing up.  You can imagine my delight when our local kodak store was able to recover 'all' the images and I now have them all here burnt to a disk!

Have a great evening!

A new week!

Well, it's a new week and with it being the middle of the month, that also means it's time for the *new* CLUB Scrappit release over at Scrappit . . . the July CLUB Scrappit Newsletter is on the site and is definitely worth a look - Sharon has shared some great ideas again this month too - one I particularly like, is the one of folding over the corner of the double-sided paper and featuring a cluster of flowers!  I've seen this idea done before BUT thanks for the reminder to try it Sharon!

Here's one of my contributions for the newsletter!  I've played around with the photo a little and added a soft-filter . . . the sand was real dominate in this photo but by using the filter it has really faded it out and drawn the focus of the photo back onto my little niece!

I'll pop some of my other projects that are featured in the newsletter this month into my Design Team Gallery at left if you are interested in taking a peak too!

On the home front, boy did we have a cold morning this morning and what a frost!  It was so cold that our birdbath had a layer of ice on it!  I couldn't believe that birds would want to bath in it whilst it was like that BUT sure enough, about 8am, in they came . . . unbelievable that when it is that cold that birds want to take a bath and then sit in the branches of a tree and preen themselves!

Before I go, I'll just send my mum, who's still in hospital, all my love and best wishes . . . until next time . . . take care!

It's Friday!

Another coolish morning (nothing unusual there - *grin*) but a busy one at that.  The Pre-School & Primary School are combining together to hold a Games Show/Trivia Night on the 10th of next month and needless to say we are all busy with the planning of the event.  We had another quick meeting this morning and then I went and copied all the tickets to give to one of the ladies who is co-ordinating the table bookings.  I hope to get the minutes of todays meeting done later today as  will have Parents' Club minutes to add to my list of 'To Do' things on Tuesday!  Oh and Book Club needs to be distributed to all the kids next week too . . . like I said . . . busy busy busy!

Yesterday our local scrapbooking group got together and the majority of us made my Matchbook Albums - with a couple of slight amendments *grin* - I think everyone seemed really pleased with their results I can't wait to see them when they are complete!  The highlight of the day for many though was when Janet called in with her adorable little baby girl (who was even born on my birthday!) and everyone got to have a cuddle and we were able to give Janet the baby basket of goodies we'd all put together for her.  May she fill your lives with much love & happiness Janet & Mick!

On the Design Team front, CLUB Scrappit will be released on Monday and so I've been busy finishing off the last of my projects for the newsletter - whilst I can't show you them in their entirety . . . I will give you a sneak peak of some of my creations . . .

   

I've got a few others BUT you'll just have to wait to see them!  Here's hoping you are having a wonderful day!  Until next time . . .

Brr . . . it's cold!

Well - it's just gone 1pm and the temperature outside is finally climbed to 9 degrees . . . it seems to have really taken it's time to get to that!   No frost here this morning but we have had a little rain and now the sun is peaking through the breaks in the cloud.  Regardless though, it is nice to stay all warm and cozy in by the fire today.

I thought you might like to see some of the visitors that have started coming onto our front lawn - this photo was taken about this time yesterday (just before I walked out the door to collect Adam from Pre-School) but I noticed just now, that they have all flown in again.  Whatever they are finding out there in the lawn is certainly keeping them entertained!

Well . . . Adam informs me it's time for another car race that I have to par-take in . . . apparently I can be 'Blue Lightning' this time around and he is going to be 'King' and 'Chick Hicks' won't be racing - so it looks like it's a two way dash to the flag!  (Of course those names won't mean anything to you if you have never seen the 'Cars' movie - *grin*)  I'd better go . . . I wouldn't want to miss that green flag - *grin*.

Have a great afternoon!

 

Discoveries

On Sunday we decided to take a drive to Golden Beach to take a look at a local shipwreck that the rough seas had once again uncovered from sand.  The 'Trinculo' was an iron sailing barque which was driven ashore by a gale on Golden Beach in 1879 and I have to say we were all VERY impressed with the iron skeleton we were able to view up close.

Apparently, right next to the 'Trinculo' and covered with sand, also lies the 'PS Paynesville' .  It was an iron-framed, wooden-planked paddle steamer which was forced to beach at the same location in 1881 when it began leaking soon after leaving Lakes Entrance.  We did see some other pieces jutting out of the sand on the other side of the above pic, and wondered if these could have been the 'PS Paynesville' but we really couldn't be 100% sure.

The boys were very impressed with the shipwreck and had a good climb over a section of the bow, looked through the holes, felt the rusted hull and James even found some mechanical part buried in the sand and tried to uncover it but his digging just wasn't enough - it stayed stuck fast in the sand.  It was definitely worth a look . . . actually I was quite surprised that some people who came to look at it, remained up on the sand dunes and didn't venture down for a closer inspection - they really missed out on a wonderful experience!

Stuart remembers coming to see the shipwreck when he was a child BUT it was nothing like what we got to see - he remembers just seeing some of the pointy top sections sticking out of the sand!

Actually, Ive put a number of pics of the 'Trinculo' in my Photo Gallery (left hand menu) if you are interested in taking a peak!

After we returned to the car, we then went and enjoyed some yummy potato cakes & chips in Golden Beach and then decided to take a drive to Lake Glenmaggie to have a good look around over there.

We had taken a drive over there when Stuart's mum was visiting from northern New South Wales in May, so that we could see what the effect of the drought had had on the lake.

If you are interested, scroll to the bottom of my Photo gallery you will see some of the photos I'd taken of Lake Glenmaggie whilst we were there in May.  At the beginning of the gallery you will see a heap of photos that I took on the weekend which show the devastation of the floodwaters that occured at the beginning of the month.  There is such a mess!  The photos of the bridge were taken just downstream from the weir wall and as you can see, it has encountered a lot of damage and has even had a section completely washed away!  Such an unbelievable site!

Until next time . . .

Step-By-Step Matchbook Album

Finally . . . I have the instructions to make the 5 x 7 inch here on my blog for those of you who asked me to share how to make one!

Just scroll down on the left hand menu, just under the various Galleries I have and you will come to a section titled "Step-By-Step Creative Projects' and directly under that 'Matchbook Album'.

I do hope you enjoy making your own 'Matchbook Album', so much so that if you do happen to make one, I'd love to feature your work, here on my blog!  Just sent me a couple of photos of your completed album along with your name & location to [email protected]  Actually, to make it even more worthwhile, I'll even RAK (Random Act of Kindness) the 1st and 5th people who send their album pics through to me (in order of email receipt) with a spiral notebook that I've personally decorated!

I look forward to seeing what you create!