Dont wanna miss

a beat... Have had a fab time scrapbooking and am trying to make the most of it while its flowing. Found that in between major laout keeping up with little mini albums helps me. So have completed on count 27 layouts this years. My first challenge was to complete one for every week of the year but hey half my year is already gone so its looking good to completing that one!

Spent the weekend at the weetbix tryatholon here in Tauranga and although my son did all the hard work, I came away injured LOL. What is that about, I ask? So yip now walking around with a phat purple ankle which without a doubt is ugly! My son Rangitautini (rangi - toe - tinny) did the team event with his uncle while he did the bike and run. He was awesome!!!
Have finished a few more layouts and decided will have a go at submitting some work as well to where not sure where but somewhere! This is the two I did this weekend.........

Just got in...

so another one of those long days that is vastly improved only when I a) see the smiles on my babies faces and b) look at all the pretty products! Memories Revisted have just posted up for pre orders of the new Basic Grey kits which are due in next week...... need to see what others are charging!

Today was buzy and am bummed that I will miss some of the exciting projects coming up at work including the launch of an new admission/ assesment/ care plan/ discharge protocol and project management course which I have been waiting for all year... but such is life but more so will miss the people that I have so enjoyed working with in such a large organisation.

Tonight my eldest son and I headed over to Pilot Bay where he did a practice run for the Weetbix triatholon. He managed the run and the bike really well (needs more pratice on going around the round abouts so thats tomorrow nights session!) that my father in law shouted him a pair of new Asics Shoes and a meal at Burger King! As he is not a confident swimmer in the ocean his Uncle is doing this leg of the race for him. This is his first triatholon but having the competitive edge that he seems to be born with, it can get ugly. He doesnt accept that his mind sometimes exceeds his physical body given his age, he focuses on winning, not trying, losing is not an option and in short when he does lose, it aint pretty (oh I like that INXS song). I have no idea where he gets that particular set of ugly traits from. But he is motivated and he is an over achiever which he thinks is acceptable because its tempered by "my good looks mum!"

Have done another mini boxed album but am too tired to get the camera out of car...... will post up later

Did some one say Yolande Lianne camp???? Feel like Homer Simpson ........... ummm scrapcamp

I want it all...

and yeah I got it all from Tarisota. My package arrived today so will really have to think about a heritage vintage album/ LO. Lime Tart also looks scrummy so many choices so little money. Kiwiscraps are you going to put some funky kits together???

Kitchen Table Take Over

is what I'm resigned to at the moment. My take over the world plans are currently on hold, however on winning of Lotto I shall recommence.... So back to the table. Made a hell of a lot of mess last night which isnt my usual style as am usually somewhat tidy I think.. but last night all went to custard and I create an abyss where things that were in my hand then disappeared for about 10 minutes despite my frantic search and words of 'where did I put that bloddy thing'... spouted forth so.............. felt chaotic which is unusual. So thats my kitchen table aka scrap space...

To that I actually only started and completed a double layout and a single page LO while the rest of the time was spent complete other pages which had no journalling. This took ages which I guess resulted in my OHT frenzy but felt good to get it done. Also finished of my mini boxed albu, from last KS Scrap n Relax which just need me to add in the photos. So all in all a great night which ended at 2.36am.... tonight I'm aiming for about 12.

My double LO is using the Blitzen pack I won from a game of Bingo and it just happened that the colours match the green tarp we had used one night and of course the Lion Red, Steinies and Waikato, which I think captures most of the Kiwi Xmas I have been too. However used them for an imprompt Easter Party we had so yip....

Did I mention that I love.......

photoshop brushes.... may be in passing like in every blog I put up, but yip am again constantly amazed at how this continues to contribute to my scrapbooking. Anyway wanted to share this.

Whilst laying in bed with my one year old, Joseph, impatiently trying to put him to sleep my mind wandered back to the Scrapcamp held with Yolande and Lianne June 2005 at Finlay Park. Wandering wandering.... came to think about the People and Places class held with Nic Howard and remembered the OHT we'd used. So tap my son on the back faster and a little harder to encourage sleeping (does that actually work) I then jump on Adobe and create my own full set of OHT using the brushes and damn do my OHT look good. Adobe gives you the freedom of the page that MS Publisher or MS Word doesnt. So open up a new A4 page, fill it with brushes of different colours and opacity and walah! Funky OHTs.

Now text is a little different as I seem to have more control but in MS Word but all good because once the OHT is printed, I do my text back in MS Word and then feed the transperancy back through. Honestly they are awesome and I have decided that no one else on earth has done this and that I am the first! (yeah right) but okay just wanted to share my joy with you all... Here is the OHT that I did for a page with my mum and baby brother Anaru. So imagine if you will journalling over top of this OHT and thats pretty much what mine looks like. Hint dont forget to paint the background using inks if using on PP. In a bit of a scrapbook frenzy so will keep moving. Today completed a double 12x12 LO which I havent done in a while so onwards and upwards.....

All is right in the blogging world

Yeah one of my fav bloggers is not leaving us for the password world so yah!!! My blogging eyes would have missed Keisha work (again would post link if i knew how... hint hint) so lovin it that she is back.... Yolande are you back on line properly yet???

The end is near

as the days have been long and hectic.

Apparently I have wings and can fly... if only!! Ok so where to start... Valentines days is as good as any........ long story short this particular day is not celebrated in our house because.... when hubby was 15 he gave me a miniature rose and in short again I killed it (his words not mine.. I like to reference it as "it died" as flowers do when you leave them on the back seat of a car for a couple of days... come on I was 17.....hubby build a brdige and get over it!!) so Valentines is not a feature and I'm not fazed because we kinda get it... well we get us, here for the long haul and we've almost been together more years than we have apart so life is good.... tempered with the occasional grump but hey means great make up s........ something...

Gave notice for my job today which was a little harder than expected given that I enjoy working with the team of people I do, who by the way are awesome...but, as buts go.... there are some opportunities that cant be missed and basically it came down to family and being near them. Might have to save my take over the world plan when my one year old turns 5... thats so far away numerically but only a blink away given how quickly he has grown.. ..

Am bummed to read that Keisha is pulling her blog from the public domain... not to sure that I understand the whole pay sites thing but certainly understand the no-link-lifting. So loss to me as I really love Keishas site and her brushes so might have to email her to access a password and hope I wasn't a link-lifter!

Here's my self potrait and am pleased that it was taken by this annoying tutor... what hers name ummm... thats right Yolande, man that lady is dangerous with a camera... like in your face following your every movement dangerous. Would love to post a photo of her but hey we shook hands that we wouldnt do that sort of thing despite all the tempatation and fonts world.. yeah right!! But anyway back to me... umm where was I ... oh yeah me .... umm photo of me hiding behind brushes but also behind the clone and healing brush tool as the meds I am on to stay "not pregnant" are playing merry spotty hell on my face and plain old hell on my hips.... Damn just realised its a great shot of my maori nose, and it looks like a crooked maori nose on closer inspection... but hey seen worse in my whanau so accepting the ugly and placing the blame (again another ugly trait) some where else ... like on my great great great great great grand father!!!

Ooophs am going to try Lianne's challenge tomorrow.... my fav papers at the moment are Scenic Route and the worse paper not sure of the name but stay posted!
Alright midnight is nigh.... new resolution to try sleep before 1am....

no longer in trouble:)

Because I have cleaned the house done all the washing and most importantly made him lunch..... the things we do! Oh well more importantly these are the photos from the work I did on Saturday as per promised... also check out sandras blog (if I knew how to link I would!) for an awesome sambuca dip.... heres hoping its posted.


So picture of my mini box album, one for hubby one for the sister in law. My brother asked me to do and true to form when I said 10 bucks for doing he asked me if he could borrow $30.00 so he could get some flowers to go with it! Not sure about him, I tell yah!

Think I'll do one for my parents as well dedicated to the last 35+ years they have been together... obviously not for valentines as such but at least in the celebration of love and life!

At home and in trouble...

because maybe hubby didnt realise that I wasnt going to be home till late tonight because Ihad a relax n scrap. Though cant see why I'm now hiding happily in the bedroom just coz he's got his grumpy pants on, oh thats right, I wanted to update my blog. (hehehe she thinks checking over her shoulder to make sure hubby not there:). Anyway had a great day today with Yolande and the ladies from the Tauranga area. It was awesome to catch up with everyone, though a pity as the Whakatane ladies werent able to make it with the Matata roads closed again. Had a great laugh and a great time making the little box album and a 12x12 LO. The Scenic Route papers are scrummy, love the colours and the chip board letters. Was gonna post photos my work but I'd have to walk past hubby to get the camera so will leave it till tomorrow..... night all

SPT... as in Thursday

Had a chance to take photos of my kids at Baywave, which by the way was okay, was stuffy and crowded but determine I'm a beach outdoor kinda swimming person... anyway after having a tutu with photo shop and colour balances am practicing my Keisha skills.


Well this photo was taken by my son again and whilst it was fuzzy it gave me a good chance to practice making the most of a fuzzy shot. At the moment I'm tired so much so that I fell asleep at the wheel yesterday so every LTSA ad on sleeping and driving rushed to my head. Pulled over about 10 mins from my house and rested. Had to otherwise wouldnt have made it home, or prevented someone else from getting home so decided that was the best course of action. So here I am exhausted but thankfully rested.

Its all over...

The reunion that is and on reflection thats not actually true as there is still work to be done in completing a Cd of photos and Booklet with the family history in it so.. had a great weekend in the scope of things, most of it went really well!

As promised here's is a copy of my sons first layouts. They choose a layout from Scrapbook Memories and chose one that had one photo on it and then choose from like a bizzillion photos, one that they wanted to do..Took them a while to get use to the photo splits and must have used half a box, the paper they cut using the slide gulliotine is crooked, they got glue all over the place and bits of papers got stuck to them, they didnt quite press down hard enough on the dymo and it took over two hours but they are the most perfect pages I have seen! They even chose the colours from the scraps I made avalaible to them and it was a mission to stand back and not try and tell them how to do things! Just received my MM Love stamps so was stoked to do a page with them and of course they have just arrived in time for Valentines! Now I just have to find one (hehehe). So again my sons are asking if they can may 10 Valentines cards each and I'm hoping I shall receive at least one from them... must find out who the other nine are going to! The third photo then is of my daughter and the love of her little three year old life, her cousins Caleb. Have a serious of layouts now that wont be completed until I get a printer so consider this maybe a peak preview

SPT okay okay SPF

Its been a while I know but this is it the big weekend for our whanau, but for myself a personal passion to have this type of wananga where we concentrate on sharing and being together so if successful can pitch to the trust to fund a couple of events a year!!! What else??? hmm stayed up with both my sons till midnight last night and we did a layout each which will post later and also my one day sister in law asked me to help her do something for Valentines for my brother... scary... my brother is someones valentine.... how did that happen. ok photo with my brother and I and photo of my brother with his partner Leanne (marry her boy!) Yeah have now got photoshop 4! I'm in love and I think I will send my camera, my computer and my photoshop a valentines card to tell them how much I love them:)