Got his grumpy on!

Here's a recent layout of my gorgeous little boy Ethan!

I love his pouty face!

Project Life - Week Three

So another week done and still thoroughly enjoying the Project Life process!

Another busy week for us too!
Personally cannot wait for the kids to go back to school just for a rest! It is so full on with all three of them home!

Still loving cutting with my Cameo too!

Page 1

Page 2

Using the different shaped page protectors made this week a bit more difficult, mostly because all the photos were iphone photos and the quality, well its not the same as with the dSLR is it? But I managed to pull it off and I really like the mixed up look. Looking forward to a few more mixed up pages!

Project Life Week 2

So I am still up to date - somehow! Still enjoying it! We had a big week this week because my little man turned four this week. The latter half of the week was mostly taken up with preparing for the big party.

Instead of trying to squish all of that into the standard page protectors I added in a 8.5X11 insert. On one side I interviewed my son about his favourite things. I really liked doing that so I think I'll do that for everyone's birthdays! The other side are some shots of his birthday - I find birthday party layouts REALLY hard, so it was great to just stick 'em down. In future if I want to do a grand birthday layout (which I doubt) I can always do that but at least the photos are in an album now!

Here's Week 2

and some close ups

and the insert

Sorry about the glare on that last photo - Yikes!

Enjoy - how's your Project Life coming?

SYL - What are your Core Values?

What are my core values? What do I stand for?

This was the challenge for SYL this week.

After working through a huge list of values I managed (somehow) to narrow mine down to five!

1. Family - my family are the reason I get out of bed each day. I adore each one of them and they bring me so much happiness - they also drive me crazy but isn't that what families are for? I am lucky that my sister is my best friend and confidante. She always knows what to say and do to make me feel better.

2. Honesty - seriously don't lie to me. The only time lying is acceptable is when I'm doing it and its to get me out of pickle or save me money!

3.Humour - because if you don't laugh you'd probably cry and crying is way uglier than laughing! Also laugh at yourself.

4. Openmindedness - is that a word??? But you know what I mean? Don't judge people because you have no idea what they are going through, have been through or are about to go through! Look for what you have in common with people instead of your differences!

5. Loyalty - if your on my side I want you on my side, because when I'm on your side - I'm totally on your side!

That's totally me!

Thanks for reading!

Project Life - Week One

After seeing all the great Project Life albums I decided late last year, ok very late last year to jump on board and do one for our family.

If you've not heard about Project Life head over here and Becky Higgins will explain it all to you.
I ordered the Cobalt Core kit and the Multi Page Protectors. I am trying to be really loose,easy and no rules about this project. I will not let it stress me out! I just want it to resemble our ordinary life, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes busy, sometimes quiet.

The great thing is the kids and Dan are completely on board! Helping me to find bits and pieces to include and posing for pictures! Bless them!

Here is the title page:

Now here's where I've been loose! Come the 1st of January I did not have my page protectors yet but I was VERY keen to get started. I did have these We R Memory Keepers ones, so I went ahead and used those ones. I was actually pretty happy with how turned out and I like the fact that its not the same as everyone else's!

Week One:

Again - note the two different page protectors! Normally this would send me CRAZY! but I am OK with it, seriously I am!

And some close ups:

and the other side:

So that's Week One - because I'm behind on my blogging I'll blog about Week 2 in a couple of days.

Enjoy!

Simplify your Life

You know how it goes I was reading a blog here and a blog there and followed a link and then another and somehow I ended up here at Home Life Simplified reading about their 52 Simplify Your Life Challenge.

2011 was a difficult year mostly because I fell out with my best friend. Of course that had repercussions to other relationships and groups we were connected with and that really sucked (for both of us). That was six months ago and  I am in a much better place and she's in a much better place (ie. away from me). I wont go into what the falling out was about, it is complicated yet simple and we both behaved badly and said hurtful things. I'm embarrassed to admit that it was my own reluctance to 'Let it go' that ultimately lead to the complete breakdown of our relationship. But it is what it is and here we are in 2012, a little bit older and wiser. 2011 was not all bad, in fact some pretty awesome things that I am grateful for in 2011.

1.Having the courage to finally start my degree through Open Uni. I've done lots of talking about it for years but now actual movement on it! One unit under my belt, midway through another!

2.Mackenzie starting school. She was so ready for school and  she has grown and blossomed so much. The school community is awesome, the teaching staff are so committed to teaching and I have meet so many new friends.

3.Continuing to have a open, honest and fun relationship with Dan

4.A relationship that emotionally drained me has ended.

5.The health and happiness of my family – especially as my parents get older.

6.The relationship between my brother and my sister is continuing to grow and develop and strengthen.

7.Making some amazing new friends, online and in real life -  they inspire me, make me laugh and make me want to be a better person

8.Creating a blog. I was initially worried no one would read it. I was racked with self doubt "who’d read it?" I'd ask myself. I still don't have huge traffic but that's ok.I don’t care if anyone reads it or not  – thats not why I do it?

9.Taking risks with my scrapping – pushing myself to find MY style. I've finally accepted that I like what I like and thats OK.

10. My kids – they drive me crazy but they are actually really good kids, with big hearts and good values.

11.Our house – I love our house,I love where I live in  and I  wouldn’t want to be anywhere else

12. Spending a month with my MIL in June when she came over from the UK. It was great to see the kids get to know and love their granny.

13.We have money in the bank and no debt. Dan earns enough money that I can stay at home and spend time with my kids.

14.We have finally gotten Ethan’s asthma and allergies under control.

Wow it turns out that I have heaps to be grateful for! Aren't I lucky?

Today

Here is a layout that was literally thrown together in 15 minutes but you know what, I really like it!

and what about a close up?

I cut the Today out with my Cameo - aka the love of my life! The hearts were actually scraps from a card I had cut out for my sister. I hate waste so I had to use them and they were perfect for this layout. Don't you love it when a plan comes together!

And that photo - out of focus and blurry but lovely just the same - doesn't matter just make it smaller and square no one will notice - well that's what i tell myself anyway!

This ones for you Nicolee!

A little while ago, ok it was quite some time ago now, over at Chat with Charm, a few of us agreed to do a photo swap to get the mojo going.

Nicolee and I swapped our photos. She sent me a picture of her gorgeous son on a feeling the cold one morning in Darwin - I know oxymoron right cold morning in Darwin!

So with out any further ado - here it is!

 And a close up too!

Hope you like it Nicolee!

Long time No Post

Wow its been a while since I've been on here! But that's December isn't it?

December was CRAZY busy - with the end of prep for Mackenzie, the end of kinder for Ethan and of course a visit from the big fella in red!

Mackenzie is going up to Grade One - she is delighted because she will have Ms. Osman next year. Unfortunately none of her friends will be in her class next which is a bit disappointing for her but she handled it so well. I think I was more upset than she was. I really liked all the mums from this year. I'm sure next years mum will be great too, but I'll just miss our little chats. She was sad to say goodbye to Miss Preston, but ready for a new adventure!

I was very sad to say goodbye to Ethan's kinder teacher, Catie. Ethan wont be staying at the centre for 4 year old kinder so we had to say a heart wrenching goodbye not only to catie but to the centre our family has been part of since 2006. Catie had taught Mackenzie for two years and this year she taught Ethan, so she was like a part of the family. I will miss our little chats everyday. She is going to live in the UK with her Scottish boyfriend and I just know great things will happen for her.

Christmas Day was full of excitement - some good, some not so good. The day started off hot and humid, I was in a mood and I was not much looking forward to the day. My sister prepared an awesome meal - roast turkey, roast pork, baked ham, potatoes, pumpkin, pavlova - the whole nine yards! It was a great meal. Not five minutes after we'd eaten the rain started. Slow, big, cold raindrops. Then came the HAIL. Hail, the likes of  which I had never seen. They were the size of golf balls and they rained down on us for hours. My sisters roof began to leak and the mad rush for buckets was on. The kids thought it was AWESOME, they ran from window to window to see the hail hitting different things! No damage at my sisters house.

I only live a few streets from my sister so we knew our house would have taken some hits too. At first it looked as though we'd gotten away with no damage; then we went into the laundry and our skylight had been decimated. The laundry and toilet were flooded and perspex was everywhere. Rain was still pouring down. I called the SES because there was no way I was letting Dan up there. They came the following day and patched up our skylight so we no longer have a hole in our ceiling. Thank God! Its still not fixed but its not just a big hole either - watch this space for more updates on operation skylight!