Preparing for December 25 the Aussie way

After printing off some of the pictures from our Christman photoshoot the other day, I was just itching to scrap some of them. I can tell that this is going to be the first of many Christmas layouts this year LOL. The title says, PREPARING FOR DECEMBER 25 THE AUSSIE WAY.


I love how these photos represent what Christmas in Australia means to me - hot weather, sunny skies and swimming. I think I will be doing this every year considering the fun the boys had swimming with Santa's hats.
Not a lot else to report. I should be getting the rest of the christmas stuff sorted and my bags for America packed but just can't get into the mood to do anything. I hope I do get in the mood soon. Christmas is next week and my plane leaves on New Year's Eve eeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkk!!!
Til next time
S xoxo

An Aussie Summer Christmas

The weather here yesterday was HOT HOT HOT. This was a pleasant change for us as we have had nothing but grey skies and rain for the last few weeks. Now being a farmer's wife, I would not normally complain about rain but even this wifey has to say enough is enough. We have already lost some paddocks of crops twice due to minor flood and water damage and the rest of it, particularly the cotton, is struggling to grow in the cooler conditions. Here's hoping we have a few more weeks of 35 degree C days with no rain - lol not looking likely though.
All that being said, I had to make the most of the sunny weather and get some Christmas photos. The only problem was that two little men were not interested in getting their photos taken at all - all they wanted to do was swim in the pool. So what was a girl to do? Fight and nag and whinge and whine until I got what I wanted (keeping in mind that I am the adult in this situation lol) or just come up with Plan B?
Well Plan B is what I did. Nothing like adding an Aussie Summer touch to Christmas IMO:








Pretty clever thinking on my part, even if I do say so myself. I have to say that I totally LOVE the last photo of Lachlan, a very cute Santa indeed. Now all I have to do is scrap some of the pictures lol.
Cheers,
Sarah

p.s. Are you as shocked as I am that I have blogged twice in the same day???!!!!!! hehehehe

All about the number ...

Yep that's right. The oldest of my two little men turned 8 at the start of December and we celebrated with a party at the local pool. Sounds like a good idea right? I mean it is summer, the weather is supposed to be hot hot hot, the sun is supposed to shine. Well the only thing we got right on that day weather wise was the fact that it was summer. There was no sun, it wasn't your typical December hot day - instead it bucketed down rain. Bucket loads - I am talking a few inches in the space of an hour or so. Originally the plan was to book the pool as well as the inflatable obstacle course for the two hours of Mitchell's party. Sadly, with all the rain that fell, the obstacle course was out of action as it would have been too dangerous considering the pump runs off electricity. That didn't stop the boys though - they had a great time swimming, jumping and racing each other from one side of the pool to the other. Unfortunately my favourite lens was still out of commission but luckily for me, one of Mitchell's friends' mother is a scrapbooker so she took lots of photos for me. Yay for scrapping Mums lol. I made this LO after being inspired by Pip Prosser's double page layouts (Yay for inspiration). I see me in the layout in terms of blocks of cs and pp but it is so not like me to use that many photos on a layout:

Some closeups:
I loved this next pic and even though I had it printed in a smaller size to use on the layout above, I just had to get it printed bigger and use it on a LO all by itself:

I uploaded the wrong picture to the computer as the LO does actually have a title 'It's all about the number 8', hence the title for this blog post. And some closeups:

These are just some of the many left over chipboard number 8's that are lying around in containers. I stuck them all to a sheet of cardstock, painted it with white paint, left it to dry overnight and then sprayed it with multiple layers of various blue glimmer mists from Tattered Angels. After the mist dried, I rubbed some red ink onto my finger and light brushed over the tops of each of the numbers and finished it off with a coat of Pearl glimmer mist. Doesn't look real shiny in this photo but it sure does IRL.
And lastly, where would I be without October Afternoon stickers??? They are the best way to finish off a page. Here I used a lot of different ones from a few of their ranges - even their Christmas one (the word magic). Gotta love that!!!:

I also forgot to share a LO with you that I created a few weeks ago. I was in desperate need of a scrapping fix to break up all the marking and report card writing I was doing at the time, so I went to a crop night with the girls at my LSS. Sadly for you but YAY for me, the LO has already been picked up for publication in the Aussie Reader Gallery in Creating Keepsakes magazine, so I will just have to leave you with a sneak peak or two lol:
I will leave things there for now. Have got some awesome pictures from my Aussie Christmas Photo Shoot to show, but I will do those another time. I really need to get back to covering school books - wtf??? school only finished for the boys and I last Friday so what am I doing covering books now??? Well the truth is that I am off to the USA on New Year's Eve for three weeks as part of a cultural exchange with students from my school. We are spending our time in San Francisco, San Diego (where we will be 'hosted' for 10 days by schools there) and Los Angeles. We get back the day before I am supposed to start school again (thank goodness it is only student free days) which means that I have to be SUPER organised before I go.
Ok, the books are calling me but swing by later because you might be in for a real treat with some photos.
Cheers
Me xoxoxoxox

In Bloom

We are lucky enough to have a huge Jacaranda tree right outside our bedroom window. Jacarandas are my all time favourite trees. There wasn't any on the farm I grew up on, nor do I recall there being many at friends houses but when I left home to go to Uni in Brisbane, I fell in love with them. Even though they come into bloom at one of the most stressful times of the year - end of Semester 2 exams - they will always hold a special place in my heart. My walk to Uni from Auchenflower to St Lucia each spring was like walking on a purple carpet.

My layout from the weekend is a tribute to my love of Jacarandas. Not happy with the layout - definitely struggled with the colours - sooooooooooooooooooo not into using purple.

My go-to camera lens is playing up something cronic at the moment. It has already been away for repairs once so I am grappling with sending it away again or ordering a new one. Given what I spent on repairing it last time, I could have almost paid for a new one. Part of me thinks it is a waste not to repair it as it sounds like such a simple repair job but the cost of sending away and paying just for it to be looked at makes me think twice. Anyone got advice for me? Should I buy a new one or get the old one fixed again???
Ok got a pile of marking sitting on the desk and unfortunately, it won't mark itself (bugger!) so I'd best get on with it.
Thanks for stopping by.
Sarah

Howdy Stranger

lol do people still say Howdy??? hehehe I think not. Oh well I like being different.
I have finally found a few spare minutes in the week to update this blog. Nothing special has been happening - just life. Have had a massive fortnight marking and preparing assessment. I finally finished the last lot of marking on Thursday around midnight. Felt good to have it done. I have about a two week break before getting inundated with all of the end of year exams. My Year 12's are definitely on the countdown - 5 teaching lessons with them until their exam. Where has the year gone???
Not a lot of scrapping has been done - in fact, just one layout since starting the term. Very plain and VERY SIMPLE but I actually like it, especially the Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology Ruffle Ribbon:

This is the boys' school photo for the year - the very first one of them together at 'big school' as Lachie still calls it. I cannot believe how much both boys, but particularly Lachie, has grown in the last six months. Hard to believe that Lachie is only in Prep - he looks so much more grown up.

Have spent last night and today trawling online shops looking for After 5 dresses for an awards ceremony I have been invited to attend next week. Nothing like short notice to kick a person's butt into action. Found out on Wednesday about it which meant 10 days to find something - not easy when you are a bit on the 'cuddly' side. I have two formal outfits in the cupboard but have worn them so much over the last few years I am sick of the sight of them. Found this one and have ordered it. It was love at first side. Just hope I don't end up looking like mutton dressed as lamb:

The sales assistant was soooooooooo helpful when I called (they have online plus store front). Promised me that they can get it from their end of the country to mine by Wednesday 9am at the very latest (fingers crossed). All I have to do is pray that it fits hehehe.
On the magazine front, the following page was recently published in Scrapbooking Memories Magazine. Not one of my favourites but was accepted for their 'banner' theme, even if the banners I used look a little like g-strings hanging on the line lol. Gotta love October Afternoon stuff though - all the pp is from their collections. I {heart} OA HEAPS and LOTS and MUCH

I have more to show but cannot just yet but if you get Scrapbooking Memories for yourself, turn to pages 29 AND 110 (still cannot believe having two layouts published at the same time). The colours of the layout on pg 29 are totally blown out but hey, who cares, it is published lol. The one on pg 110 is soooooooooooooooooooo not my colours but I love the basic design of it.
Anyway, I guess I should start to turn my attention to the neglected piles of folding that have multiplied in my push to get all the marking done. When oh when will someone invent a washing machine that washes, dries, folds and irons clothes? Oh and putting them away should be an optional extra lol.
Til next time

S xoxoxoxoxo

He loves me ...

I have to say that I am feeling very loved and totally spoilt today. When the boys and I arrived home from school and swimming training, this is what was waiting for me in my office:

A brand new iPod classic AND a bunch of flowers. And for what reason??? Birthday? Nope - been there done that already this year. Wedding anniversary??? Nope - be there done that already this year. Other special date??? Nope - have never done that sort of stuff, probably never will.
They arrived on my desk for two reasons:
1) I put my trusty, faithful iPod Nano through the wash on Friday night - not once BUT TWICE (running away in shame now - I mean who puts an iPod through the wash once let alone twice???!!!).
2) Tony thought I might need a bit of cheering up because I have been sad and upset lately.
I feel very spoilt. I planned on just getting another Nano - really don't have the need for a wiz-big iPod because all I use it for is listening to music but Tony said he saw this and liked it so who am I to complain hehehehe. 160GB - lots of room to put some movies onto for when I am going to the States later in the year - gotta do something to fill in the long plane flight. Just between you and me (please don't tell him) I actually went and got one of the new generation iPod Nanos this afternoon (whoops lol). Now have to work out what to do with it lol
And then there is the flowers - gerberas are my ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE of all time. Although fuschia pink is my favourite gerbera colour, I NEVER say no to geberas.

I have to say that for all the rough patches we have faced over the years and for the little arguments etc we have had, I don't regret (well 95% of the time anyway) making the decision to marry Tony all those years ago. Sure life gets in the way and it absorbs us but after all this time, I cannot image NOT having Tony in my life.
Nothing else to report, looks like it is another busy week ahead - but feels like that every week doesn't it???
Until next time,
S xoxoxoxo

What's doing???

Apart from work, swimming club, swimming lessons for Lachie and mini squad for Mitch, Tony spending hours upon hours in the tractor planting only to have the prospect of losing some of it after having rivers of rain - nothing much.

Don't get me wrong, rain is GREAT but with the amount of water lying in the paddocks at the moment, most of the seeds will rot before they get the chance to grow. But that is farming - it is all the luck of the draw and we just need to move forward now and get onto the next task; waiting for the water to drain away and the ground to dry out so cotton planting can begin.

School is back in for the final term - 1 week down; 9 to go. My Year 12's are in total countdown mode. It is very scary to know that I am now down to 10 lessons with them before their final exam. I just hope that the excitement of finishing off their school studies, coupled with formals, valedictory and (for most of them) 'schoolies' week doesn't make them lose too much focus. I feel slightly more settled after the first week of Term 4 compared to Term 3. I love my job and I love teaching SO much but man I HATE HATE HATE the politics and crap that goes on behind the scene. I know you get that in any job and I have to just deal with it but I get so frustrated because our primary concern should ALWAYS be the students but bureaucrats being the type of people they are, make it so dang hard. I really want to say to some of them - get out of your plush little office and get back into the thick of things in the classroom so you can see that a lot of the decision you make are so irrelevant and pointless. LOL how do you think that will go down??? hehehehehe

Scrapping has taken a back seat for the last week or so. Disappointed and annoyed with myself for not doing more during the holidays but thems the breaks. I only managed a paltry 3 single LO's and this double (which by the way, I am not sure I like):

Anyway I feel William Shakespeare and Martin Luther King calling me so I had best get back to planning work for the upcoming week.

Take care everyone and thanks for stopping by.

S xoxoxo

Look Mummy no Wheels .....

... is what Lachie told told me yesterday when Daddy took his training wheels off. Of course I had to laugh and force mself not to correct him and tell him that a bicycle has two wheels and that is how it moves because he was just so proud and he sounded cute when he said it LOL.

It was amazing to see how quickly he took to riding without his training wheels. His bike has been out of commission for quite some time (insert months rather than weeks) but I finally managed to get some new tubes yesterday morning and Tony finally had some time to fit them. Lachie's first request was for the wheels to come off but seeing as it had been so long since he had ridden the bike, we decided to lift the training wheels up a little bit. Of course, Lachie has always been wanting to push the boundaries - I think mainly to keep up with Mitchell - and within 30 minutes he was begging for them to be removed altogether. Needless to say he has taken to 'no wheels' like a duck to water. Sniffle sniffle, my baby is all grown up :-( .

On the scrapping front, things have been a little bit slow. Mojo is there but not flowing as fast as I would like but beggars can't be choosers. I was hoping to get a lot of scrapping done seeing as it is the holidays but a small handful of layouts for the album is better than no layouts at all. To be honest I am not really liking this layout - I haven't put it away yet in the vain hope that something comes to me. I know it is missing something but everything I have tried doesn't work. Feel free to offer any suggestions if you have any LOL. Ok off to see if something else will inspire me.

Thanks for stopping by
Me xoxoxo

Boys live here ........

While I am more than aware of this fact (how could I not be with all the noise, trucks, tractors and pieces of lego), I have never taken photos to document just how much 'blue' I have in my life. Here are a few random pics from around the house and farm today:

Monster trucks, graders and tractors and a patch of dirt - what more do little farm boys need?

Every little boy needs a Thomas (or 4) in their life, plus all of his friends.

Isn't it amazing what can be created with coloured pieces of plastic and little people? Gotta love the imaginations of kids.

Just some of the gang - lots more around but they were busy being played with and weren't available for an impromptu photoshoot lol.

Not a lot else to report. Have scrapped another layout but not happy with it. Still deciding on what else it needs to make it even remotely passable. Maybe these photos will inspire me.

Til next time

S xoxoxo

Monochromatic Madness

I have never attempted to scrap monochromatically but after reading the upcoming themes in the latest SBM, I thought I would give it a try as a bit of a challenge. Not sure I am liking the end result and couldn't stick to just one colour (had to throw in a little red just for a bit of something other than blue lol) but I have finally scrapped a photo I have been dying to scrap since I got it printed:

Can't wait for spring to start warming up and summer to arrive so I can get back out to the pool with my camera.
Off to see if I can manage more scrapping today. Not in the best of moods - feeling down in the dumps about a few things. Maybe I need to throw on some old eps of Sex in the City or Grey's Anatomy to take my mind off things.
Thanks for stopping by.
S xoxo

A little bit of awesome-ness and some ME time

Can't show it on the blog for another month or so but if you get Scrapbooking Memories Magazine, check out page 88. There is a cute little kid on there and he is all mine. Yep my very first publication in SBM and I am a BIG bit excited to say the least lol.
With this publication, that makes 2 of my scrapbooking goals complete for 2010. One more magazine to go and I will have accomplished most of my scrapbooking goals for the year. The great news about that is the in the next month or so CK will be publishing some of my layouts in the Aussie Reader gallery- gotta love that!
After all my 'marathons' over the weekend (not of the athletic variety but of the marking and housework variety) I finally decided that last night was the perfect time for ME time - something which has been a rare treat over the past month or so. I tried doing this layout about a month ago and didn't get anywhere with it. I found it late last night buried under some paperwork that I hadn't filed. Filing complete, I managed to pull it together reasonably quickly and have to say that I am reasonably pleased with the result:
Now that I have got that page done, I am hoping the inspiration and mojo will stay with me long enough to do some more.
No doubt, I will be back to post if I do manage to create more LOL.
Me xoxoxoxox

Holidays are here

School holidays are here and how did I spend the first day of Spring break? Buried in a pile of marking. The last week of school was filled with lots of action as the various subject areas prepared their Year 12 submissions to review at District Panel. As always, it was my job to prepare the Modern History submission. It is a huge job and, like usual, all of the other work got pushed to the side so I could concentrate on that. Of course, doing that means that it piled up, waiting patiently for me to turn my attention to it (yeah right - I make marking sound so enjoyable but it really isn't lol). I started last night and gave up around midnight but I am pleased to say that all I have concentrated on today (in between doing six loads of washing) is this pile of goodness:
There is a silver lining to all this pile of white paper. It is DONE, FINISHED, COMPLETED!!! Talk about doing a happy dance. It is such a huge relief to have it out of the way. I was going to make myself do an hour each day across the first week of the holidays but I forced myself to sit down and get it out of the way today. Very pleased with myself because now I can concentrate on better things for the rest of the holidays, like SCRAPPING!!! (I can dream and hope can't I hehe)

In other news, we have some welcome (well everyone else except me says welcome) additions to the family. I went scrapping with the girls a few weeks ago and was woken up early by the excited squeals of two little boys telling me about new chooks. Mummy was not a happy camper to say the least. First there was the issue with being woken up - I am much better if I am allowed to wake up in my own time. Next was the realisation that there were four chooks in the hen house. I have to admit (and you will probably hate me for this) that I am not a chook lover. I love eggs but given that I am the only one in the house who eats eggs on a regular basis, I thought it was kind of pointless getting chooks. Sadly, I was over-ruled on this one. Here they are and according to Lachie, they are Shay, Mahayla, Bee-Bee and Daisy. Not sure where some of the names came from but I know two are named after some of the girls in his class (I told him to keep that little gem to himself lol):
The next bit of excitement was Tony's decision to get himself another dog. To be honest, I am more of a cat person than a dog person but Tony is the exact opposite - he loves dogs, especially working dogs like Kelpies and Border Collies. Needless to say, my protests were not listened to and this is the result, little Toby:

Yeah I know he is cute and everything but at the end of the day it is a dog. I guess he will grow on me soon enough.

Nothing else to report. My brain is fried after all the reading. Was thinking about tackling some scrapping but I think I might just go sleep instead.
Hope the start of the holidays have been more exciting for the rest of you.

Me xoxoxox