The circle journal journey is complete ...

...almost. (Just waiting on mine to come home.)

I handed over both Kelly's and Janine's journals this afternoon. Janine was happy for me to take my time doing her 'Pamper' journal but I wanted to have it finished so that she had the option to take it to camp if she wanted. It weighs a ton though - so not sure if it'll fit in her luggage allowance! Here's a little sneak peak - you see Cloud 9 Chocolate Chalet papers there - yummy!

Wish I was going to camp too - it would be fun to see all the completed c.j's.

Thanks for your comments on the card - Julie I'll do up an instruction sheet for you - and anyone else that wants one. Maybe I could do my very first blog tutorial thing!

I have to figure out how to teach others to make it anyway because I've now made another one in a set of three cards for a class I'm planning.

Card for Lois

So this is the card I made for Lois. The front folds down and the insert is folded so that it explodes out to a larger size. On it's way to Canada now.


I'm busy circle journalling at the moment. I finished Kelly's passions one yesterday and am now working on Janine's Pamper Me one. It seems some people expect it finished so that she can take it to camp to show off - the pressure!

Jessi has a rather disgusting cold at the moment. Snotty noses are so gross! It's taking a lot of clever parenting (bribery) to get her to blow and not wipe it all over her face and arm and everywhere else.

Right - about that Pamper cj...

Make a difference.

You know the ad - where one person smiles and it gets passed around and has an influence on lots of other people. Same concept with one small card, or one 6x6 layout...

I've just signed up to make a card and send it to Lois who has cancer. Read about it here at Wilna's blog.


At first I thought I'd join in 'cause they are wanting cards from all over the world and then I thought wouldn't it be neat if they got not just one card from little old me in NZ but lots of cards from scrappers and cardmakers all over NZ. So - make a card, send it over and spread a little cheer throughout the world.


And then there's the Southern Cross Kids Camp 6x6 layouts that Nic and Trina are co-ordinating from the NZ side of things. I know a lot of you have already done heaps of these. I wrote a bit about why I support this project over at the Fiskars blog. And have you kept up with the Fiskars blog today? There has been like a million posts go up to celebrate Children's Day and the SCKC project. And there is even a RAK on offer - but you gotta be in before midnight Aus time.

And in a moment of domestic goddessness ... I made cupcakes!



Not sure what kind of difference that made to the world...

Things to Share...

Remember this...


and this....

and this one too...

which I already showed you around the middle of the month.

Well - check out Scrapbook Outlets latest Ezine.

There you will find this:


and this...


and even some words I wrote about using letter stickers. Go check it out, it's very cool - not just cause my stuff is in it but it's got lots of very cool inspiration and stuff from some very talented scrappers. And it's also really clever how you can flip the pages over and it's just like a real mag - only better - I don't have to fit this one on my bookshelf and it's free too!



So did you go see it yet?

I made it!

Day 29 and I've fulfilled two goals. To take a photo every day and to blog daily too.

So today's photo:

We were discussing on the SE forum about how we all came by our user names. Some have very interesting tales to tell, for some it's not rocket science, for me it's a fishy tale ...

Back in the day's when I was a student I had a thing for fish. Cute fish not slimy, smelly bait and rod sorts. When I got married it seemed that people knew this - we got lots of fishy gifts, including this cookie canister thing from my sister. (Photo 29)

Anyway, when it came to thinking up a forum name it had to be something fishy. Fish blow bubbles and bubbles starts with B just like Beverley (that's the phonetical teacher in me) and in a past life I was a bubbly person. (Now I'm all grown up and sensible and far too tired to be bubbly.) So that's it - probably not an interesting tale but a fishy one atleast.

And a little look at something I've been working on this week:

I was hoping some magazine might want to publish this one - of course if they don't, I can use it here to make my blog look pretty.

Have a good weekend everyone. I'm off to 'ladies night' with the Church ladies - I think we are painting our fingernails... and I'm taking my camera cause I need photos for Janine's pamper me circle journal which should be here any day now.

Oh and Christi - the cupcake holder - it still cost way more than my modest budget would generally allow - but I'm getting good at serving up rice and peas creatively so that the grocery money can be redistributed to other ... things. (My dh reads this so I'm not telling exactly how much!)

Look what I got.

Ever since seeing this on Ilka's blog I wanted one. Well, no, actually I wanted a cupcake holder before then - from the whole cupcake revival of the SOF girls. But once I saw Ilka's I wanted one like her's and she even told me where to go.

So I was in Spotlight today (yep I go there a lot) and by chance I happened to wander through the clearance area. And I found it - on special even! Well, I couldn't leave it there now could I? So I pick up the box and Rebekah says "What you're getting it? It's not fair adults get everything they want!" So out of fairness I told her I would put it on the top of the fridge till I've 'earned' it. (Just like the kids do when they desperately want something.) Only, the thing is - the top of the fridge is the only place it will fit anyway - so it will live there... except when I get it down on Sunday when I make cupcakes for afternoon tea!

Todays photo:


How to apply lipstick. It's the latest fashion ... honest!

Busy day and I have a layout on the go so trying not to spend too much time here at the computer.

Funny thing about Penny.

She got lost!

I spent ages searching the house. Finally found her in Jessi's drawer - next to her t-shirts! I don't think she was hiding her on purpose. More a blonde moment - like when I put the hairbrush in the freezer...

Playdough

2 cups Flour
1 cup Salt
4 tsps Cream of Tartar
2 tablespoons Oil
2 cups Water
Food Colouring

Put all the ingredients in a pot. Heat gently and turn slowly until it is cooked. (It may go lumpy at first but evens out later and leaves the sides of the saucepan when ready.)

Thanks for your comments on the homework issue. Alexander came home with a new concept in 'homework' today. Meet Penny.

The kids in his class have turns taking Penny home for the night. They have to write a story in the book to record Penny's adventures.

Of course Alexander didn't see this as homework and completed it mostly all by himself. But it gave me a good insight as to where he is at in terms of composing a story, spelling the tricky words and forming his letters - gotta work on those capital L's that pop up in the middle of words!

Now that's homework worth doing.

Homework

OK so I'm lacking inspiration for my photo today - just as well I signed up for a short month!

This is the first time Alexander has brought home a homework sheet. I wasn't expecting it, and I'm not ready for it. I was happy with the reading book and a few little spelling words. Not sure I'm going to manage any more than that. Not sure he will manage any more - he comes home from school grumpy and tired the last thing I want to do is make him do homework!

Maybe I'm over-reacting - his is the loose sheet, there isn't really a lot on it. Not compared to Rebekah's which is the sheet stuck in the book. I think it is more to satisfy the year three kids in Alexander's class. Most of the year three's are getting Rebekah's homework sheet.

I know it's been discussed on other blogs but tell me here:

Does your child get homework, what do they have to do?
How do you manage it?
Do you think it's worth it? I mean are they actually learning something or just keeping busy?
And if you don't have kids - lucky you! No - I mean lucky you don't have the homework issue...

She Scraps.

Well ... if you can call one layout in a weekend scrapping! I think it was the combination of the heat and not feeling well that made it rather hard to stand at my table and do anything useful.

I have a layout that I really need to get done - but have no inspiration for. It's bothering me. So I figured I'd have a go at the SE Friday night challenge just to get me going and then I'd be right.



Gotta go try that other layout now.

And the photo of the day - self saucing chocolate pudding.


Not the most eye pleasing pud but tastes good!

Just Another Lazy Saturday

A little bit of newspaper reading. Pikelets and jam for lunch. An afternoon nap - still not feeling 100% well...

Polly Pocket Goes to the Zoo

I've heard it said ... that when kids have friends over it's easier cause they entertain themselves.

Not for me!

I'm constantly trying to get Jessi to leave them alone and end up spending my time playing Jessi games. Today it was Polly Pocket and the animals. Maybe it will be better when she's a bit older...

I made some cards this week which I've put up on the Fiskars Blog. That has been pretty much all of my creative efforts this week - this cold has really taken a lot out of me. I even had to sit down and have a rest after each card!

Have some layouts coming together in my head though, so hopefully will get them done over the weekend.

Look what I did today!

I've been wanting to do this for ages. The post on Scrapscene this week helped to get me thinking about how it would work at my place. Then I got the latest Spotlight flier in the post and saw 40% off. So I was there at 9am this morning and came home with two of my very own rails.

It took all morning, and I had to go down to the garage for the man tools - my girly tool set just didn't cut it. But I got them up and I reckon they look pretty darn good with my layouts hanging off them.



I really need to tidy up the rest of the corner now! I guess I'm thinking people will look up to my layouts and miss seeing the mess on my table and surrounding areas.

Almost Forgot

After 19 days of daily blogging I almost forgot to post today. As I said when I started Janine's photo a day challenge - the photo part was easy it's the blogging part I've really had to focus on. I'm feeling a little frustrated that in 19 days there has been no layouts to share - what little I have done in the last few weeks can't be shared here yet. I've really got to find some more scrapping time.

Today's photo - my toothless six year old and his toothfairy windfall.

And some photos for Mich from the pirate party of 2006:

The cake.


The treasure chest.


Can't remember the name of this game but the kids had to steal the keys and the kid with his eyes closed had to guess who did it.

Parent Helper

Rebekah's class went on a trip to the beach today. They spent the whole day learning about surf and sun safety, playing on the beach and doing a little boogie boarding.

As a parent helper I had to be prepared to go in the water. I'm glad the sky looked like this for the whole day:

The cool southerly breeze wasn't so great, but it made for some fun waves atleast. I think I would have enjoyed myself if I didn't have a nasty little cold.

Ruled by the Clock

Today was one of those days - the sort when I had a constant stream of drop offs and pick ups to do. All with awkward gaps of time in between - not long enough to go home but I needed to do something.

So I picked up a copy of Up2Scrap and managed to grab moments here and there to browse through and build up my inspiration stores. I wonder if it would be worth setting up a portable scrap desk in the back of the car....

Fun Run

OK so I actually walked! 7km's in 70mins - I think. Will know for sure tomorrow when they publish the results in the paper...

Saturday

We went to the fair at Petone today. Crowds of people and stalls for miles. Didn't actually find much there but did stop at those clown thingys with the open mouths. We each had a turn feeding it a ball and ended up with this as a prize.

Day Fifteen

A tissue paper flower.

Girls and Boys Rally started again last night. Given that I had procrastinated so much and we didn't have a leaders meeting beforehand I had to organise the whole night myself.

I based it around Valentines Day - which of course you would do given that it was the 14th of Feb and all. So we played rob the nest with those heart shaped message lollies. We had a treasure hunt for red jellybeans and cardboard hearts cut out with my fiskars shape cutter thingy.

The cardboard hearts had a memory verse which they had to figure out. Then I talked a little about how God is Love and how they can show love to others by being kind and thoughtful etc.

Then we made these tissue paper flowers. On the leaves (cut from the fiskars shape thingy again) they wrote out the memory verse so they can learn it at home. Some had trouble with the scrunch and turn technique but we got there in the end. Everyone had a perfectly unique flower to take home. (Some more unique than others!)

For supper I made heart shaped biscuits of course with a choice of pink or chocolate icing.

Might just organise that leaders meeting now so that I don't have to do it all myself next time!

And I've been doing real scrapping this week too.

I can only show you sneak peeks at the moment, unfortunately.

But I've been having fun and loving the process.


Today was a great scrapping day. I had no other pressing things to do. Jessi played happily behind me with a family of pretend butterflies. I scrapped all morning with her happily chatting non stop about everything. Every so often I would have to stop and cut a bit of sellotape for her or pat her pet dinosaur. It's the times like this I'll miss when she goes to school next year. I plan to make the most of this year!

Oooops.

I've had a couple of 'duh' moments this morning.

The first was this:

Kelly awarded this to me a few days ago and I'd temporarily forgotten about it. Hey - it's been a busy week, I've had stuff on my mind... So anyway apparently this is a funky blog - thanks Kelly!

I've gotta admit, now that I've developed a daily blogging habit I'm enjoying writing stuff here - and it doesn't take half as long to write as it used to. I still have the slight problem of having a brilliant blog post composed in my head but when I actually sit here to type it up - the words all seem to get lost somewhere between my head and my fingers.

Anyway - because the funky blog thing is a tag, I need to pass it on. Which brings me to the second 'duh' moment of the day.

Yvette - I award the funky blog thing to you. Yvette has recently changed over to wordpress. I knew that but somehow didn't update my bloglines list. So I've been missing out on reading her funky blog for a week - duh me! Anyway, it's fixed now and I'll be checking out her funky blog regularly again.