Reflections

Dragonfly Metal Wall Art

Just look what we found on Ebay and that is now hanging on our kitchen wall!

It's probably not the best photo because there's a little bit of shadowing happening too but I'm sure you get the general idea!  Here's a close-up of one of the dragonflies so that you can see it in a little more detail!

It's got lovely Coppery & Gold highlights which is very similar in colour to another abstract metal wall art that we have hanging in the kitchen under our air conditioner.  I'd thought about getting another one for this smaller wall BUT we couldn't find anything that we liked or that was the right size - that was until we spotted this one!

Love it!  It's so much better than the other thing we had hanging on the wall - *grin*

Here's hoping you have a great day!

Shirley

Toyota Kluger

There's such exciting news in the Fyfe household!  We have a new addition to our family although not in the way you might first think!

Isn't she lovely?  She's an absolute dream to drive too!  We'd been thinking about getting a new car because our old Landcruiser was starting to show signs of age and with us enjoying travelling, we just didn't want to get caught out somewhere and find that it ends up starting to cost us big $$$'s.  So the end result was our lovely *new* little girl!

I also want to take this opportunity to wish my very dear Longford Crafters friend - Jan - a very Happy Birthday . . . here's hoping you have a wonderful day and the boys & I look forward to catching up for lunch tomorrow!

OK - we're off for a drive . . . *grin* . . . have a great day!

Shirley

Cluedo & UNO Stacko

Despite a relatively coolish start to our Australian Summer, the season has now taken hold with us enduring some days mid to high thirty degree temperatures.  Whilst I've been getting out into the garden nice & early - before the heat takes hold, we've spent the afternoons indoors - PS3, iPod Touch, Computer and Board & Card games all come in very handy to keep everyone occupied!

Here's a blast from the past with my old game of CLUEDO!

Online Image

I think it took Adam a little while to grasp the concept of the original board game, but I think he enjoyed playing the 'real thing' as opposed to the computer version that he's played in the past.

Another game we've had fun with is the game of UNO STACKO - a new one that Adam got for Christmas!  I wasn't too sure what it would be like BUT we've had lots of laughs so far!

Build the tower of UNO Stacko blocks and then take turns to remove a block - one hand only - from the tower & place it onto the top - it might at first sound like an easy game BUT remember in UNO you have to match a COLOUR OR NUMBER AND also someone might get nasty and play a DRAW TWO, in which case you have to remove two blocks & replace them onto the top.

As the game progresses, the tower becomes more & more unstable as it's foundation is tampered with and blocks are precariously balanced until ultimately the tower tumbles down!

I have to admit, despite lots of wobbles, the tower did get a lot higher than I thought it would!  Oh - and I don't think MAX our Miniature Schnauzer really liked all the noise when the tower did finally come crashing down . . . he may be going deaf BUT he still heard the noise everytime!

Before I sign off for today, I want to take this opportunity to wish two dear friends - Heather & Maree - a very Happy Birthday for today!  I hope that you both have the most wonderful day and that you get spoilt rotten too!

Have a great day!

Shirley

80 Years Young!

Today is my Auntie Sheila's 80th Birthday!  What a milestone!  Not that she'll read this BUT I do wish her the most wonderful day . . . Happy Birthday!

This year I thought I would give her an extra special Birthday Card and so decided to use one of Maxines Melange Card Kits for the occasion, adding of course a few details to make it special for the occasion - namely the number 80!

I love the colour combination on this card - the soft & subtle creams work so well together!

Of course I couldn't resist adding a little hand stitching to the original design too . . . yes I know . . . it's one of my trademarks - *grin*

In other news, I tackled my 2012 Diary today and wrote all my birthdays & anniversaries in to it.  I like having them listed in my diary so that hopefully I don't forget any!  Well - that's the plan anyway!  I've also marked all the Public Holidays as well as all the School Holidays too!  Yay!  I'm all set for the year ahead now!  Well - hopefully anyway!

Actually . . . that makes me wonder . . . are you a Calendar kind of person or do you prefer to use a Diary?  I know my Mum has always used a Calendar BUT for me, I prefer a Diary because I can take that with me anywhere and add to it at any time - it's just a bit more portable for my liking!

Have a great day!

Shirley

Happy New Year!

2012 has arrived & what a year it is going to be!

2012 will see me increasing my hours of work from 1 day to three and after a 13 year absence I'll become a 4-Year-Old Kindergarten Teacher once again.  With the increase in hours & responsibilities, I've decided to decrease some of my voluntary roles - there's only so many hours in the day and I know I won't be able to do everything!  Yes . . . I am being realistic!  *grin*

2012 will see the continuation of my Longford Crafters group.  We'll still have our fortnightly get togethers, but we'll now be meeting on a Friday . . . stay tuned for this section of my blog to be updated to reflect this change & also to advise when our first get together for 2012 will be!  I can't wait - I know this is going to be a wonderfully creative year for our members!

2012 will see Adam step up into Grade 4 & James will make the move from Primary School to Secondary School - my goodness - I'm still finding that hard to believe!  In only a few short weeks we'll be collecting new uniforn & books and preparing for that 'big' day!  The years sure do pass by quickly don't they?

At home, well - 2012 is going to be a year that we finish more of those uncompleted jobs around the place and tackle a few that have been on our 'To-Do-List' for quite some time.  I want to continue to simplify & organise - be creative (something I haven't done a lot of recently) - get back to blogging (something that I've truely missed) AND re-assess we're I'm at with our Family History Research too!

MY INSPIRATIONAL WORD FOR 2 0 1 2

B E L I E V E

I believe I can be a better mother, wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, work colleague & friend.

I believe I can better organise myself & feel more in control of the things that I need to.

I believe I can continue to lead a healthy lifestyle & provide a good role model for my family.

AND

Above all, I believe in ME!

 

So . . . what does 2012 hold for you?  What are your dreams for the year ahead?

Before I sign off on this post, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my family & friends a very Happy New Year!  May 2012 bring you much happiness, good health & all that you secretly desire!

Stay tuned over the coming days for a little creative sharing.  I know I haven't done much of that of late BUT I do have some photos of creative projects that I did before Christmas that I'd like to share . . . better late than never hey?

Shirley

2011 MS Readathon

Well, we're half way through the month of July and James is very proud to say that he's going great with his MS Readathon goals for this year!  You can take a peak by clicking here!

 
This is the 7th year that James has participated in the MS Readathon and each year he has been setting himself a higher goal to work towards - both in terms of actually reading more AND in raising more money as well!

There are some additional features on James' homepage this year which allow us to acknowledge everyone who have currently sponsored him, given donations or offered their support & encouragement for his efforts.  Thank-you one & all!

Happy Birthday! Random Act Of Kindness!

Yes!  It's my birthday today and what a lovely day I've had too!  I have been overwhelmed by the number of messages on my Facebook Page AND that I've received via SMS on my mobile!  Thank-you everyone - you've certainly made me feel so very special today!  I have indeed had a lovely day and it looks like I've got some serious shopping to do with several vouchers to spend - yippee!  My parents came for lunch and we enjoyed some of my homemade Pea & Ham Soup AS WELL AS homebaked Ciabatta Garlic Bread AND a Caramel Cheesecake compliments of the Cheesecake Shop in Traralgon that Mum & Dad picked up on the way!  Mmm - so yummy!  We've finished off the day with dinner in town and now Stuart & I are enjoying a lovely glass (or two) of wine!  Heaven!

Oh - I can't resist taking the opportunity to share a photo of a gorgeous handmade card that my dear "I'm not going to start papercrafting" friend Donna made for me . . . yes - she's been papercrafting!  *grin*  I love it Donna and I love the photo of us from our reunion that you included on it too!  Thank-you!  Mwah!

 

 
I've enjoyed such a wonderful Birthday and everyone both near & far has made me feel so very special!  Thank-you everyone!

Actually . . . that gives me an idea . . . a way to make one of my blog readers feel special too!  In honour of my birthday, I'm going to host a little giveaway here on my blog.  Now I won't tell you what the giveaway is going to be BUT I can assure you that the random drawn winner will receive something in the mail that is handmade from me!

To be in the running to win, please leave a comment to this post and tell how your friends & family make you feel special!

Good luck everyone!  I'll announce the winner next Wednesday!

Happy Easter!

[image via 'we heart it']

From my family to yours, we hope you are enjoying a most wonderful Easter!

Having just recently had our 5 week holiday to Tasmania , we decided to spend Easter at home this year and get some things done around the place - as you can imagine there has been a lot of catching up to do! 

The boys awoke to find a small selection of Easter goodies in their rooms from Mum & Dad before heading outside to see if the Easter Bunny had hidden anything in our garden!  We enjoyed homebaked Hot Cross Buns for breakfast but of course you can't go past having a little chocolate for breakfast on Easter Sunday morning either can you?  *grin*  Not that I'm a really big fan of chocolate, but the boys did spoil me with my all time 3 favourite Cadbury chocolate selections for Easter - Stuart with Cadbury Dream, James with Cadbury Turkish Delight and Adam with Cadbury Strawberry.  Mmm!  It's now all tucked away in the fridge (my favourite place to keep my chocolate) so that I can enjoy my daily ration in the coming weeks (mmm - maybe even months since I'm not about to undo all the good I have done losing weight recently) *grin*

Here's just a few pics from the day!

 

[Adam enjoying a few of his Easter Surprises]

[Look what we found scattered here and there in the garden - what a colourful collection]

[Mmm - just one or two . . . maybe three or four] 

How did you spend your Easter?  Did you have a favourite indulgence this Easter?

Shirley 

Mini Remote Control Cars

I'm sure you wouldn't be able to guess what my Kitchen Bench was used for today - oh - and it didn't involve me doing any cooking - although I have been doing plenty of that lately - *grin*

Here's a little clue!

With the aid of a little dish washing liquid and water, it became a donut drifting pad for the boys Mini Remote Control Cars that they got for Christmas!

This one is James' . . . 

This one is Adam's . . . 

They actually came in these cute imitation Coke Cans (so you can imagine their size) and the boys think they're just fantastic!  We'll have to wait to see exactly how long the batteries last in them though!

 

The Mining Game

As I mentioned in my earlier post, today's chosen old board game to play was The Mining Game.

 
The object is to earn as much money as possible by discovering mineral deposits, and mining and selling the metal in them. There are 4 metals in the game: Nickel, Copper, Tin, Lead/Zinc. As lead and zinc are often found associated together in nature they are treated in the game as one metal.

Each player represents a mining company is is given $20 million with which to buy leases and try to discover viable metal deposits. Players then obtain contracts for the sale of their metal and receive income from the bank depending on the prevailing metal share price.

 
Initially the boys thought the game sounded quite complicated BUT once we got into it, they quite enjoyed it and loved the fact that we were earning MILLIONS of dollars - *grin*  So, who ended up the eventual winner at the end of the days play?  No-one actually because the game is going to carry over into tomorrow - with James having his Guitar lesson this afternoon and Adam & I doing the shopping whilst he was there, we just ran out of time by the time all the groceries were then put away.  Not to worry - it's meant to rain tomorrow so with an indoor day on the cards, we'll be able to finish it off!