Check it out...

Isn't he the cutest little man...?

Ha ha ha - butter wouldn't melt in his mouth huh?! It's lies, I tell you, LIES!

Well, D is away (he left last night), and we have the place to ourselves. I'm about to go out to do some messages, then it'll be time to tackle the house. Time for a spring clean. Scrub from head to toe, etc etc. Anyone who wants to help out is welcome to pop in!

Catch ya later....

Toodles, B x

Surfing...

I've been doing a bit of surfing (of the blog variety, not the wetsuit and ocean variety!), and seen a few cool things I had to tell you about...

Check out this post about Carole Janson's scrap room. I am SO jealous! It looks like she has a whole store full of stuff at her disposal, and it all looks SO pretty, doesn't it? Maybe one day... when we win lotto... and have a much bigger house! Ha ha ha!

And then there's this post with a quick tutorial to make your own flowers... basically a different twist on the dahlia fold technique. Very fast, very simple, very effective. Might have to give that one a try soon.

And then I found this on YouTube:

I have recently put this on my phone as the alert when I receive text messages. When it goes off, J sits there and happily sings along... it's HILARIOUS! Teeheehee.

And then there's this wreath... I think it looks FAB, and might even try my hand at one for us. Just need to track down a foam wreath as the base, which I suppose I'd find at a florist?

And this I spotted on the Kaiser website - also another thing I might have a go at. Mmm, am thinking I might be running out of time in the day to get these things done!!! Oh well, not much different to normal then, is it?!

I had one of those days today, and just want to say thanks again to all my lovely friends. You guys rock. It's nice to know you're out there :)

Time to go and tuck in my wee man (apparently Daddy just doesn't do it RIGHT, ha ha ha!), then continue on with the spring cleaning I started this afternoon. In order to tidy up, you've gotta make a giant mess first, right? Well I do anyway!

Catch you maybe tomorrow, toodles, B x

Fa-la-la-la-laaaaa, la-la-la-laaaa

That's right folks, not long till that big fat man squeezes down your chimney now... only 35 sleeps to go! Yup, only 5 weeks :)

So, are YOU organised?

Like I've said earlier, we have most of our Christmas shopping done already, the only sticking point being J... being almost 6, he's now old enough to make a wish list, but the problem is that it is about 3 A4 pages long, and a lot of it is nonsense. The trouble is, what do you buy a child that, to be honest, has most things already? He doesn't NEED anything. He doesn't NEED more toys, or NEED more books, although those are the sorts of things he's likely to get. We were going to buy him a little CD player for his bedroom, but he's adopted D's old iPod and speakers, and seems happy enough with them, so there's that idea out the window! Bugger.

And if Christmas isn't bad enough, it's his birthday 2 weeks later... Mmmm. There's some serious thinking to be done here, me thinks. Any ideas? Suggestions welcome!

Movember is nearing it's completion (thank goodness), so it won't be long until I get my husband back. In the meantime he has been replaced by THIS. Yeah, no further comment required, really! Bring on November 30th!!!

He's away this weekend to the SuperX in Hamilton with the boys:

It was booked back in February, so it seems to have taken AGES to get here. They should have a blast. Definitely a boy's weekend, not for me really. The only thing that I'd enjoy would be playing with my camera - there'll be some great shots to be taken, I'm sure. D's going to take his camera. I offered him mine, but he decided it was too big to lug around. Fair enough.

I'll be spending the weekend at home with J, just chillin. We will probably head down to the Rose Festival Market Day on Sunday if the weather's nice. That's always a good market. And there's always HEAPS to look at.

Right, that's about it for now people. Time to get off to work for the day.

Toodles, B x

Movember... grrrrrr!

Yup, I had mentioned last week I think it was, the D was doing the 'Movember' thing... Well this year, I told him that if he was going to go out in public looking like a cross between Paul Snr from American Chopper and some sort of nasty paedophile, he had to do it official-like. So, to find the link to his Movember fundraising page, click here... Humour me and help him to raise funds, to make the god-awful Mo somewhat useful, please! I will post a pic of the Mo at halfway point, on the 15th.

Right, off to watch Packed to the Rafters...

Toodles, B x

A quickie...

This is a quickie post, as there is hot demand for the laptop tonight... D is itching to play on PokerStars! No wonder though, he has had a good poker week - he had the boys over while I was at the movies with Heath on Thursday night, and he won! It's been a while between drinks (so to speak), so he was stoked.

The movie on Friday night was great. As a big MJ fan myself, I really enjoyed it. They had done an awful lot of pre-production for the big screens on the stage - they filmed new versions of a Thriller sequence, some military shots in front of a green screen, etc. And although I know that MJ was not a 'normal' human being (well who wouldn't be a little bit strange with the life he's had), the movie showed that HE STILL HAD IT. You know, IT. He still had a presence, he still had the moves, he still had the voice, and he sure didn't look like he was on death's door. Kinds of sad really. He was very softly spoken, and talked a lot about love, and peace, and looking after our planet. The show would have been absolutely mind-blowing if it had gone ahead IRL. Just amazing.

Then, thanks to Transformers 2, I got to sleep in until 10am on Saturday! Fab-u-lous! After we'd had breakfast, J and I checked out the St Paul's church fair (where he bought himself a tomato shaped tomato sauce bottle for 10 cents, and tried candy floss for the first time), then headed to the Red Shed to get him some sandals for summer. It's fun taking a 5 year old shoe shopping, it really is. NOT! Everything is either the wrong colour, the wrong size, or scratchy underfoot. Grrrrr. We DID get a pair of sandals in the end. Eventually. Much, much later.

The rest of our weekend disappeared in a blur of washing, cleaning, eating, sleeping and, oh, painting! I got two coats of paint on my advent calendar, but another still needs to be done, which I am off to do now.

Righto, time to pass the torch...

Toodles, B x

Phew!

Wow, that movie last night was good, but what a tear-jerker. I literally have a tension headache this morning from all the blubbing! Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy it though. And I knew what I was in for, as I'd already read the book. The ending was different, but I think it was better... Highly recommended for chicks, definitely not a bloke's movie.

For those of you who have no idea what it's about, basically a little girls parents decide to genetically engineer another pregnancy as a perfect match so that they can prolong/save her life as she has a rare form of Leukaemia. Basically create a spare parts child. Then, later down the track, the 'parts' child sues her parents for the rights to her own body, and the choice to refuse invasive medical treatments if she wishes.

Obviously, with a child cancer involved, it's a bit tough to watch at times. They did a bloody good job of making the girl with Leukaemia look like crap as her condition deteriorated. It poses a lot of moral questions, and makes you think... If you were in that position, would you engineer another child to help save the life of another? Well, probably. You just would, wouldn't you?

It also shows the inner family tension that comes with a terminally sick child - stress between the parents as they differ in opinions, a mother giving up her life to strive for the survival of her child at the cost of her other children being left out and ignored/forgotten, each of them struggling in their own way. You want to disagree with their choices, but you can totally understand them, and in fact, would probably go down that track yourself if put in that position.

I think the reason that it's so upsetting to watch, is because it's so REAL.

Here's hoping none of us have to go down that track. Ever.

B x

Christmas and Movies...

Yup, y'all know that I've already made a good start on Christmas this year (for once!). Well, yesterday I popped over to see Rach and bought one of the Kaiser advent calendar kits to make. I have to say though that there appeared to be a bit more in the 'make' department than I thought. Bummer. Having said that though, last night I got all the wooden pieces sanded down and glued together, and as of this morning I have got about a third of the little boxes glued together too. Here's a pic of what the plain one will look like once assembled, but before decorating:

And considering it all came flat-packed and joined together with little tab-thingys that needed sanding off everywhere, I don't think I did too bad to get it put together last night!

Tonight D is having poker at our place, and I am off to see this with Heather:

I think I'll be taking a box of tissues... I've read the book (which was excellent), so have some idea of what to expect.... Although I hear that the movie has a different ending, so I'll reserve judgment on whether or not that's a good idea until after I've watched it tonight.

Then tomorrow, D and I are off to see this...




...which I am REALLY looking forward to. I am a big MJ fan, and I've heard that it's just fab. We have a babysitter coming round and we might even manage to have dinner together somewhere first. Wow, like a real date! Exciting!!!!!

Not a lot planned for this weekend, hoping to get a bit of tidying up done in the garden, christen my bike, and catch up on housework (fun, fun, fun!). What you lot up to for the weekend? Let me know, yeah?

Right, things to do, people to see, bills to dictate...

Toodles, B x

Grrrrr...

Now that it's November, that can mean only one thing.... MOVEMBER. Yuck.

Very soon I shall have a husband that resembles a ginga version of Paul Snr off American Chopper. Looking forward to that. NOT.

Anyone else have this problem?

Ok, here we go...

It's been a couple weeks since I posted. SO SOME PEOPLE KEEP TELLING ME. So shoot me. You can all shut up now! Sometimes I find I just can't get out of my own way, ya know? I seem to have been awfully busy doing a whole lot of... well, nothing. Working, Cooking, Eating, Sleeping, Washing, Rinse, Repeat. Like the little hamster that runs flat out in his wheel and gets nowhere! I'd like to say that the last few weeks have been full of memorable experiences, and life-changing incidences, but...no. Same sh*t, different day. Although I must say that I HAVE managed to be a little creative in my absence...

It was my little sister's boyfriend's birthday last month, so I threw together this card for him:

He's into surfing in a big way, and lately, this little monster keeps surfacing when I have to make boy cards. He's a handy little fella, and darn cute too!

On the sewing front, I made myself a reversible tote bag... I was quite proud of myself for having pulled it off, as generally most of my sewing is done on scrapbook pages and cards. I have managed a few simple things (like the lunch-bags I made for J to take to school), but to follow a REAL pattern and make a REAL item was pretty cool. Here's what it looks like:

It's a pretty good size, as it's just over 12" across the bottom, so I can cart scrapbook stuff around in it if I want. The original pattern only made a bag 10" wide, so I amended it slightly. Go me! I think I'll tackle some Christmas sewing crafts next. I managed to score a pattern book from a former workmate, so I'll give that a lash I reckon. You can always unpick things, right?! Ha ha ha.

Last Saturday was an Embellishit crop day, and I was pleased with what I managed to get done, given that I had J with me until lunchtime (D was working). He and I showed a couple of girls how to make the paper-pieced Santa cards we've been doing, and he sat and decorated some Kaiser Gingerbread men and drew a few pictures. He seemed to enjoy himself, which is the main thing.

I got two cards made in the morning, to add to my stash as 'just in case' cards.... They're good generic cards that you can add 'With Sympathy', 'Happy Birthday', or 'Thinking of You' to... Always good to have one or two of those up your sleeve!

The flowers on the front of the card are made with the Stampin Up scallop punch. There are 5 layers of punched scallops in each flower, and they were all scrunched into a ball and then unfolded before layering on top of each other. They are held together with a brad before being stuck on the card. The punch itself is pretty handy, and my mate Deb can hook you up if you are after one. Check out her blog here, or flick her an email at paperstylist@gmail.com

Then, after J went home with D, I got a two page layout done:

and I got the make and take flowers made:

Then I stuffed my face with Indian takeout (yum-o Butter Chicken, but my boys don't like it)... and got to work on a Caithness family reunion layout:

I didn't get it finished in time for Page of the Day, which was a bummer, as I think it's the best work I have done in AGES.... I got home and just HAD to finish it, there and then! And my mother-in-law loved it so much, that I have to reproduce another one for her. She wants to frame it and put it on the wall!

All in all a most successful day. Only disappointment was that the Kaiser Christmas papers and off-the-page projects didn't arrive in time (poor Rach). I bet they arrived today, after all that! I think I might make us an advent calendar, although it's hard to see what it's really like from the small pic on the net, so I can't wait to check it out 'in person'...

And on THAT note... did you know that as of today, November 2nd, there are only 53 sleeps until Christmas?! Yeah! Ha ha ha!

And once Christmas is out of the way, there are even MORE things to look forward to in 2010:

* the fabulous Nic Howard is coming to Timmers at the end of February to take a couple of classes

* Embellishit's Summer Camp at Raincliff is in March

* the Autumn Escape in Taupo being organised by Nic Howard and Lucy van der Loos is in April

* then SENZ is in Christchurch in July

Fan-tas-tic!!! Bring. It. On.

Right... is that enough for you? I can't think of ANYTHING else to tell you about for now, so that will just have to do! Ok? OK!

I'm off. Toodles, B x

Hi de hi campers...

How are we today? Just when I thought that the weather was improving, it turned to complete custard this evening. Bugger. I have a heap of towels etc to wash. Oh well, turning your lounge into a chinese laundry lookalike is trendy, right? NOT!

I found this on another blog - it's funny, check it out. I gotta get me some of those musical stairs. Would make the trips up and down to the cashier/WP dept MUCH more fun! Teeheehee

Right - I have things to do, very important things like watching E.R..... :) Oh, and about Shorty Street.... OMG, I was right... Can't believe they killed off Shanti, just like that. This week'll be full of depressing scenes and the funeral etc. Not cool. Lucky it's only telly!

Right, E.R beckons...

Toodles, B x

Hey up!

That greeting was for Heather! So peeps, how'd ya be? What's happening at your place?

We are off to Michelle's 40th birthday party tonight, which should be good... although it's not the nicest day to be going out. The sky has been crying most of the day, and MAN it's cold.

So, who watches Shorty? Who's dying next week? I have watched the teaser for next week a couple of times now, and I'm wondering if it's Shanti? You can watch the teaser on the TVNZ website here if you haven't seen it already. What do you think? Pregnant people and/or babies don't tend to last very long on soaps... Too hard to maintain the character? :) Just wondering.

D has now finished his first week in his new job as Assistant Manager at The Front Store. He seems to be really enjoying it, although I think it's a little busier than he was expecting it to be. All good though. He's been sleeping a lot better this week! It's hard work learning a whole lot of new stuff. And being on your feet a lot of the day when you're used to a more sedentary job must take a bit to get used to as well. Oh well, they say a change is as good as a holiday, so it's all good!

I'd better go and sort out something to put Michelle's present in (which I will explain AFTER the party, in case she reads this first).... Hope you're all somewhere warm and dry, cos it's NASTY out there.

Toodles, B x

Making a start on Christmas Cards...

J and I got settled inside in front of the fire and got creative this afternoon, seeing as it was raining and cold...

We had a play with a bunch of Stampin Up punches and made a Santa card each. Although J being J, he got a little impatient with the whole process and wandered off before finishing his one... They look cute though.

Love the rosy cheeks on his Santa :)

Blog takeover..purrrrrrr

Yeah gidday, Buzz here. Mum and Jake left a lovely HUGE ball of twine on the hall floor today - leftovers from the Father's Day lolly jar they made Dad. And it was just too tempting to resist!.... Shame I look like a bit of a goose playing with it, but nevermind, such is life.... Meow, Purr, Purr, Meow :)

Back-track to Father's Day...

Hey peeps... Time for a bit of a catch-up. D is out having farewell drinks as today was his last day at Cloughs, so I'm not expecting to see him till later :) In a slightly worse-for-wear condition, ha ha ha! I have been going through the photos on my camera, and found these ones of the card I made for Daddy-Jim for Fathers Day...

Jacob has learnt to write his last name - quite an accomplishment, given it's not as easy as 'Smith' or 'Jones', and now that he can write it, he writes it on EVERYTHING (as if my Dad wouldn't know who the Jacob was writing on his card, ha ha ha). Too cute for words :)

More soon... B x

A Pinch and a Punch for the first of the Month!

Yup, it's hard to believe, but it's the 1st of October already... scary!

The incredibly good news though, is that we have got most of our Christmas shopping out of the way already - yeehaaaaa!

We went to Christchurch for the day on Monday (SC Anniversary Day) and knocked a few off the list - nieces, nephews etc. Then this week we got our parents sorted - both sets! Fan-tas-tic! I love that super organised feeling that gives me. And y'all might jest and poke fun, but I KNOW you're all JEALOUS :)

Finally got some scrapping done the other day... although it DID take me all friggin day to do... Mojo is workin, it's just on the go-slow. It's a very recent photo of our not-so-little man, in the spring flowers in the Botanical Gardens. Totally cool place to hang out for pics at this time of the year.

Unfortunately the scanner does not really do it justice.... the white background is matted by a lovely lime green, some of which has been cut off by the scanner. The colours are a bit muted in this version too. Honestly, it looks a whole lot better IRL.

Journalling reads: 'All of a sudden it seems that you are really starting to grow up. I swear that you are getting taller and smarter every day. That five years sure went fast'

The fun part about this was that I FINALLY got to play a bit with photoshop properly, I used a clipping mask to make the grunged border around the photo, I used the clone stamp tool to remove the tomato sauce from his face (!!!), and I added a second layer so I could 'erase' the black and white to reveal the coloured flowers underneath. I am REALLY happy with how it turned out.

Right, speaking of being creative... Saturday 3rd October is WORLD CARDMAKING DAY. I am going to a Stampin Up make and take being run by Deb McRobie on Saturday from 1pm to 5pm. I challenge you all to make at least one card on Saturday, then email it to me to prove you've done it! I am going to set myself a challenge to try and get half a dozen made on Saturday. D is going out on Saturday night to watch the boxing (BORING) so I should have plenty of time! Go on then, challenge issued... get thinking! Ha ha ha. I'm SERIOUS!

Right. I have now watched 3 episodes of Grey's Anatomy reruns (screening on Vibe) back to back, to clear a bit of space on MySky. So I will probably start speaking like them a lot. Seriously! Ha ha ha. Time to go to bed, I have to go to work tomorrow after all.... And I suspect that I am no longer making much sense, as I am VERY tired.

Night night. B x