WELL WELL WELL....

...does anyone even bother visiting anymore...???

it has been a while since last i posted. so much has happened - good and bad.
lots i can't and won't go into concerning my family but let me just say that the path has been a VERY rocky one these past few weeks and without the love and support of a few close friends, and one in particular, i don't know that i would have got through it all.
so thank you...you know who you are.

my birthday get together was a hoot.

surrounded by people i really care about, lots of laughs, giggles, good food, great conversation and WAYYYYY too much of the old "Asti Ruby" and a very very late finish but i had the best time.

even the hangover was worth it...LOL

matt is still recovering from his back injury, although the road ahead is still full of physio visits and learning to listen to his body. let me just say, i NEVER want another phonecall like that again from mark that starts "now don't panic darl, BUT..." nor to walk into an A&E and see one of my children hooked up to THAT many monitors.
i am glad to say that his coach is very mindful of his injury too and isn't letting him back on the paddock until he is 100% sure of matt's fitness and capabilities.

the EMM retreat was just SO much fun. despite all the giggling and laughing and chatting and singing AND that infamous sparkler run that NO-ONE got any pics of, i did manage to scrap lots. i was just so inspired by all the amazing talent around me. i learnt so much from the girls there, not only during the classes and demos but just be sitting next to the girls and seeing what they were doing. everyone was just so friendly and inspirational and encouraging.
i even managed to teach a few of the girls how to do french knots - and they all were doing them on LOs after that - i was kinda proud (and a little surprised...!!!) that i could actually impart some knowledge onto someone else.
so rondelle needs to have her baby and get the next retreat organised cause i can't wait for the next one now.

i have been scrapping heaps lately. since the big move from the scrapping "dungeon" up to our bedroom i find it so much easier to sit, even just for a few minutes and get some scrapping done.
i am currently on a 20 LO non-shopping challenge to myself - my stash is just SOOOOO huge and i honestly can't justify spending anymore money on scrapping supplies until my stash is somewhat reduced. i have given away some of my "older" stash to girls i know that are teachers and they are grateful for the supplies - just glad the things will be used and not just thrown out.
so unless i need to buy CS or one of the challenge packs for the EMMies i am planning on getting my stash reduced in a big way.
then i can go out and buy up big again....LOL

EMM is holding it's monthly cybercrop tonight so pop on over and join in the fun.
not too sure about the clues that the DT have given us but i am sure things will become obvious once we kick off.

and now some LOs to share.

a LO of my beautiful boy and his uncanny resemblance to a soapie character - LOL

using up lots of my PP scraps

a LO of my mum...used one of the old EMM challenge packs - kept it simple because i am not sure how to journal about the relationship i have with mum which, at the best of times, is very strained.


my interpretation of the EMM sketch for this month's EMMies. my biggest challenge is to alter the sketches to suit the smaller size i scrap in - sometimes having to do that is an advantage, sometimes it's not.

this is a pic of mark's darling Nanna taken in 1911. i love the serenity of this pic and even though it is almost 100 years old, i have not photoshopped the pic at all. it is amazing condition.
this LO is part of my EMMies entry too and i used the march challenge pack.

~~ thanks for looking ~~

have a great friday - i am having lunch with some of the mums from kait's school
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

BELATED BIRTHDAY

happy birthday to me for yesterday...43 hey...!!!
i was surprised by who remembered, who made an effort to make my day special and more importantly those who did neither.
surprised and hurt and a little sad i guess.
birthdays have always been bitter sweet for me but that's for another therapy session
ROTFL

but after reading this in the very early hours of this morning i am kind of embarrassed by my attitude to life at times.
always best, when feeling sorry for oneself, to take your eyes off yourself and look around.
i guess we often get so wound up in our own lives and perceived injustices that we don't stop to think of the pain that others might be in.

have been busy trying to get things organised for the EMM retreat next week.
i can't believe it is only a week away.
also busy getting ideas together for the EMMies.
i feel i will have a week of madly scrapping to get it all done by the end of the month.
sometimes i scrap better under pressure, sometimes i don't.

just want to share a LO that i did with a kit that the very talented zina put together for a class she ran from her home.


unfortunately i couldn't make the class but i am very pleased with the way this LO turned out.
my biggest challenge is resizing kits and sketches to suit the size i scrap in.
thanks to zina for putting together such a great kit.

enjoy the rest of your friday
i'm off to do some grocery shopping and then home to clean the house and garage up in preperation of a little get-together i am having tomorrow night with 30 or so of my closest friends....ROTFL

look for the things in your life that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

SHARING

never one to be pressured by deadlines, i got this LO entered into the EMM monthly sketch two days after it should have been uploaded.


oh well....i was never one to conform to a deadline and to be honest i never stood a chance against the other girls.
but it's a gorgeous photo of matt taken on the day we went bike riding back in january.
i just love his gorgeous smile and when things are tense between us, and that is more often than not these days, i like to think of this pic and that beautiful smile that he flashes.
and i am glad that i scrapped it.

i have also entered the EMMies over at EMM.
i am not sure what i was thinking but if nothing else it is a good way to get some scrapping done. i am determined to get lots done this year.

my lovely scrapping angels pack arrived this week....
thanks trish and tara...!!!
i hope i can do all the lovely papers and embellishments some justice.
while you are over there, check out the lovely work that the gorgeous marie has done with one of their kits - really lovely work my friend.

and spare a thought for my dear friend ruthy.
stay strong my friend....it will all work itself out and for the best.

have a great friday night
look for the things in your life that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

MY CLEVER GIRL

here is kait's entry in the Under 16's challenge of the EMM cybercrop for february.


i am so proud of her. she did most of the design herself and i helped her out a bit with some cutting and matting and giving her some ideas of how she should place things. she has set herself up on a little table beside me in our bedroom and we scrapped away yesterday afternoon, chatting and discussing things while we scrapped.
it was so much fun.

i managed to get only one of the challenges for the EMM CC done.
"Create a LO - any theme, any type of photo
BUT
You must cover the cardstock COMPLETELY with embellishments - I want as little of the cardstock underneath to show through as possible,. So get your buttons, your ribbons, your flowers and any other embellishment out of your stash and start glueing!!!!"

despite having trillions of buttons and flowers and other embellishments i ended up using PP to cover my page and some hand stitching.

i am really happy with the way it turned out and don't you just love the pic of my gorgeous boy...???

the other ladies did a great job on their LOs - some real heavy duty glueing and cutting out by some of them i can tell you.

the other two challenges eluded me and being so ill on saturday well, my creativity, or what little i do have, just flew out the window.
i was happy getting one of the challenges done though and helping kait out with hers.
as many of you know i am a bit CC challenged.

i did manage to scrap two other LOs over the weekend
(a record for me i am sure)
and i have another one almost completed.

this one of kait, documents her migraines and how hard it has been for her and i guess how guilty both mark and i feel that we didn't do enough to protect her from falling off that kitchen bench 5 years ago.
it's a bit dark on the scan but i wanted to convey the feeling of darkness by using darker colours.


.......and another i can't share as it has pics of our friends on it and i don't have their permission to put their pics on the net.

well lots to do today so time to get my a*se into gear.

have a wonderful monday
look for the things in your life that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

AND THE WINNER IS...PT 2

...ME!!!

i was stoked and a little overwhelmed to discover that i was one of the 5 winners of the scrapping angels comp, along with the delightful kim g and the gorgeous miss chris.
i was dancing around and laughing and just sooooo excited.
needless to say none of the family got it but hey....i think they were excited for me.

spent most of the day in a painkiller induced haze, either dozing on the lounge or smoring in bed.
i stayed up late completing one of the challenges over at the EMM cybercrop and dragged myself out of bed this morning to do a long overdue grocery shop.
after i got home i took some panadiene for my pounding headache which did nothing.
i'm not sure whether i am just tired or coming down with something.
i did sit at my scrapping table this afternoon with kait while she scrapped her entry in the under 16 challenge for the CC.
my little poppet certainly has an eye for design and what needs to go where on a page.
i'll share her page when she is finished.
i also managed to scrap 2 more LOs last night which i will share tomorrow - or is that today....???

have a great sunday
look for the things in your life that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

AND THE WINNER IS.........

...the lovely miss karen.
karen is one of the lovely ladies i hang out with over at EMM.
i hope you enjoy having my calendar hanging on your wall for the rest of this year karen.
it will be on it's way to you soon.
and thank you to all of you who left comments here on my blog, and over at EMM.

karen has also inspired me, as has the lovely miss em, to start my own art journal where i can write about anything and decorate it anyway i like and just explore my creativity.
i think my scrapping is held up so much by my fear of "doing the wrong thing"
(a very bad hang up from a childhood spent trying to please the twisted adults in my life who i thought loved me and who i tried my best to please even to my own detriment - but i digress)

and the monochromatic swap is all finished over at EMM and all the ladies are quite pleased with their goodies
*BIG SIGH OF RELIEF*
i have yet to open mine as i promised myself that i would hold off until all the girls had theirs - and the last of them was delivered today.
so i plan on having some fun looking at everything tonight when i finish up with taxi runs and dinner and dishes, etc.

i have also discovered a REALLY COOL new ribbon site.
--> HERE <--
well maybe it isn't a new site but it is new to me...LOL
i love the B&W pack they have on offer and let's face it....you can't have too many ribbons in your stash, especially black and white ones.
i could have done with a pack like this for the mono swap.
so go and check it out.
plus thay have a great comp running at the moment too.

i can't believe that in two weeks time i would be 43 !!!!
i can remember when i thought that people in their 40's seemed so old and now, i am one of them...!!!
how did that happen...???
i am throwing myself a little get together
(or "gathering" as the young ones now call it)
no big deal, just a few friends who i know i want around me, a few drinks and a few laughs i hope.
i have been feeling a little lost with my life and myself these past few months, unsettled and unsure of things, like i am on the verge of something great or a major change in my life.
i don't think i have cried as much in my whole life as i have the past few months...and it doesn't take much to get me started these days.
i have a very good friend who encourages me to keep on smiling and i do try.
i really do. it's just some days it just all gets too hard and i am left wondering why i am here on this earth and what my purpose is in life.
it's a scary place to be for me - i was always so sure of my place in this world and where i was heading.
but somewhere along the journey i stepped off the path and it's hard to find it again some days.

anyways....that's my lot for today.
my rantings and ravings.
my babbling on like a woman possessed.
hopefully i will have some scrapping to share soon.
my scrapping area is taking shape - slowly but surely. so much excessive stash to rid myself of (two friends in the teaching profession are going to be the recipients of a lot of my things)

so.......on that note.

have a wonderful and productive friday
look for the things in your life that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

GIVEAWAY

after scrapping SOOOOOO many of these calendars as christmas gifts, i was putting away some things this morning as i prepare for
"the great scrapping room move"
(more news on this soon)
and i discovered i had one calendar left over.

the photo is of a sunset taken from our balcony last june by yours truly.
i thought i was very clever actually
*WINK*


so if you would like me to send it to you, please leave a comment and i will put all the names in a hat (or similar recepticle....LOL) on wednesday night at 7 p.m. (DST) and have kait, my faithful offsider (and beautiful daughter) draw out a name.

off to continue with the great scrapping move and clean up.

have a wonderful and productive day
look for the things in your life that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

CARDS CARDS AND MORE CARDS

had a great day yesterday at my LSS doing a day long workshop on making 10 cards using only 1 piece of PP.
(i have the template if anyone is interested in it)

we used the papers from "designs galore" - just GORGEOUS and a nice strong paper to work with.
now anyone who has ever received a "shazzie card" knows that cards are not my forte so i decided to bite the bullet and attend the workshop.
aside from the fact that i love hanging out at the shop with julie and cheryl and "miss julie", the teacher, it was a good opportunity to overcome my obvious creative block when it comes to making cards.

it was a great day - even managed, although maybe not mastered, the art of stamping which is another "block" i have. i used the gorgeous AL clear stamps (you know the ones you adhere to the perspex blocks)
i would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get me some of them.
love the fact you can see where the stamp is going on the paper.
maybe that is my "block" when it coms to stamping...???
*SHRUG*

lots of laughs and giggling - i sat at the smaller table where there was only 5 of us so we got through our cards really quickly and had lots of time to chat.
such a wide diversity of ladies where at our table and yep....at almost 43 years old, i was the baby !!!
kendal, who sat opposite me, is a high school woodwork and metal work teacher - a rarity in the education system i am sure, but she was lovely and so interesting to chat to.
margie who sat beside her, was almost 70 and she was such a funny lady. she had us in stitches - and the other table wondering what was so funny - most of the day.

so here are my creations in all of their glory.
PLEASE...!!!
no laughing from the peanut gallery





have a wonderful sunday
look for the things in your life that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

p.s. exciting things are happening over at EMM.
go on over and have a look.
you won't be sorry you did...!!!

I HATE.....

...rejection emails.
whether they be computer generated or just a polite "thanks but no thanks", i hate getting them.

and i hate feeling so broken inside because i have once again allowed the thoughtless words and deeds of others to crush my spirit.
so much so i spent half my shopping time this morning sniffing back tears until a dear little old lady asked me if i was alright and patted me on the arm.
bless her.

on a brighter note, all the packages for the monochromatic swap i was hosting over at EMM have arrived......
FINALLY...!!!
so after i do a card making class at my LSS tomorrow, kait and i will spend sunday putting all the packages together + a little surprise for the girls and getting them ready to mail off on monday.
i hope the girls like what they get.

hope you all have a wonderful weekend
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HOW COOL IS THIS...???

in the words of a certain famous hat wearing music guru...
"DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR"
and go and check out the scrapping angels' site.
they have kits for pages and BTPs; a store front and a great team of designers to inspire you.
and not forgetting this great giveaway
- who wouldn't want to win this...???

now i don't personally know these two gals but my gorgeous friend marie is a great friend of trish and is often lucky enough to scrap with trish.

and trish has great taste too i might add because she has asked marie to be the guest designer for scrapping angels next month - a great honour and a chance for marie to showcase her beautiful work using the scrapping angels' kits.
i can't wait to see what she comes up with.

so pop on over to this gorgeous site (the link is in my side bar) and have a look.
i'm gonna save my pennies and buy me one of these gorgeous kits.

have a great day
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

A CONFESSION

i have a confession to make.
i am in love with another man other than my husband.
you can see his picture

HERE

in my humble opinion, this guy is one whole lotta eye candy all wrapped up in a rugged, rough-around-the-edges, delicious package.

if i had to have someone in my life i could call "mr big",
this guy would be it.

now i have confessed i feel much better
LOL

have a great day
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~
(anyone got mr big's number??...LOL)

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

ONLINE CLASS

i am not one for online classes - nor cybercrops either for that fact.
they do my head in, in a big way and my already low self esteem when it comes to my scrapping just seems to slip further from my grasp.
so with trepidation i signed up for ruthy's online class over at EMM.

i was surprised/shocked/amazed that i managed to not only do the class and with ease too but i just love my LO that i did - alhough i am thinking i might add a few more touches to it yet.

jake at jim's unit on boxing day - relaxing with a coke zero, watching the boxing day test.
i love this boy - my gorgeous, sweet baby boy is leaving me, being replaced by a young, handsome man.
where have the years gone...???


ruthy's instructions were great and she nailed it in keeping everyone motivated.
thanks heaps ruthy - loves ya sweetie.

i just want to get in and scrap now and i can't wait for the retreat in a mere 4.5 weeks.

i hope you all have a great week.....
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

p.s. a very happy birthday to my friend shari who celebrated her birthday today. i was lucky enough to talk to shari this afternoon and she sounds like she had a great day.
happy birthday pet !!!!

TODAY I AM THANKFUL FOR...

THIS

i am thankful for my beautiful daughter who really did complete our family when she was born.

i am thankful for my gorgeous and "oh-so-fabulous" friend, marie who i never thought i would have the chance to meet.

i am thankful that finally we did have the chance to meet and she really was as lovely and funny and amazing in person as she had seemed through cyberspace.

i am thankful that she took such an amazing photo of my kait and then went on to scrap it, not for herself, but for me.

i am thankful that in 5 weeks time, marie will be here for the EMM retreat and we will get to hang out again for 5 days together and she will get to meet ruthy.

so much to be thankful for today but most of all, today i am just thankful for my friend, marie.

have a great day.....
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

BAD BLOGGER

bad blogger

bad bad blogger
naughty shazz !!!!

despite every good intention of blogging regularly i have slipped off the wagon again.
oh well...put it behind me and move on.

i am still waiting for mark to help me get my new scrapping area set up. the old desk from the office at work has now migrated from the garage to the family room - lucky we have a B-I-G family room because it is plonked right in the middle of it.
i would move it into our bderoom, where my new scrapping area is going to be, by myself if it wasn't so big and heavy but that isn't gonna happen, i'm afraid.
i am hoping and praying that it will be in the corner of our bedroom ready for me to move my things up by the weekend and in time to do ruthy's EMM online class but alas i don't think it is meant to be.

have done a bit of scrapping this week. mainly finishing off calendars for rellies and a few cards for people.

a card for my cousin

a card for my aunt and uncle

a card for our friend kerrie who celebrated her 40th in dec, 06
(i know....it's late...!!!)

my scrapping room is such a mess and i am sure - in fact 100% sure - that if i clean it up i will be more productive with both my time and supplies.

my friend, nadia graduated from the goulburn police academy last week and started work with the northern rivers command on thursday. i can't wait to see her in her uniform. i am just SO very proud of her and all that she has done to achieve her dream of becoming a police officer.

mark worked from home yesterday and today. even though i barely spoke to him because he needed to concentrate, it was just so nice to have him working here at home. hopefully he can acheive his dreams of becoming financially secure enough to leave the business behind and program full time.

matt is at willowbank, near ipswich today, doing a defensive driving course that his godparents, graham and skip, bought for him last year after we had that tragic accident here that took the lives of 4 of matt's mates. i was so worried as he set off today on his own at 6 a.m. and it's now almost 5 p.m. and i am still worried. he had to drive all that way on his own and after starting his new job yesterday he was very very tired.
i just have to pray that he will arrrive home safely tonight.

we FINALLY had ceiling fans installed last week in the kids rooms and the family room (above the fire - it will help distribute the heat more evenly in winter) and of course...it hasn't been hot enough to have them on as yet.
isn't that always the way though...???

we had our twice-postponed street party on saturday night.
and what a fantastic night it was. about 70 people from the street (and a couple of streets over) turned up and it was just a great night. the older kids watched DVDs in the family room, the younger kids played the PS2 and "singstar" in the loungeroom and the adults all just hung around and chatted and laughed. it was great to see so many of the "new" faces come along and everyone agreed that it was a super night.
i won't tell you that i managed to consume 2 bottles (yes bottles...!!!) of Asti Ruby...!!!
but i will tell you that i won't be doing that again in a hurry.
i think the last of the stragglers left about 2 a.m.

i was shocked to learn last week that my uncle has bowel cancer.
why my mother chose to keep it from me i will never know.
i lived with this uncle and his wife (mum's sister) for 6 months before i married mark and of all my uncles he is probably my favourite. and that is despite the fact that when the family split, after the reading of my grandmother's will in 2000 (long story that will have to wait for a few glasses of wine and another day), i have had no contact with him, or most of my extended family in fact.
now i don't know what to do.
i would dearly love to go and see him again but that would mean re-initiating contact with other members of my extended family that i refuse to have any contact with whatsoever.
and i am scared that if i do take that step, that i am leaving myself open to more heartache and pain all over again at the hands of these vindictive and hateful people.
i just pray that he stays strong and has the strength, support and courage to fight this disease.
no-one deserves to get cancer, least of all this lovely man.

so if you are reading this, this is now the end of this rather long catch up post.
i will endeavour to update more regularly so as to not bore you too much with my ramblings and so i don't have to post such mammoth posts.

have a great wednesday.....
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

QUICK POST

hope that you all had a great australia day.
we did the very aussie thing of some gardening and mowing the lawn then had lamb chops for dinner.

yesterday we had a garage sale. despite advertising that we didn't want anyone here before 8 a.m. there was a couple literally waiting at the garage door when we put it up at 6 a.m.
and they weren't very polite either about us not being set up.
so we made them wait and they paced up and down at the end of the driveway until about 7.15 when we put the last of the things out.
and what were they so anxious to buy...???
ASOLUTELY BLOODY NOTHING!!!!!!!
but all in all jake, kait and i had a great day (mark and matt were away) and what we didn't sell will be donated to charity or we will make a trip to the local tender centre.
we made about $80.00 after costs

i didn't sleep very well last night as mark was at a conference on the gold coast with matt. i never sleep well when mark is away. didn't help either that a change came through about 10 p.m. and the wind was blowing like there was no tomorrow. i am always worried when it is really windy like it was last night about the gums around the house throwing a branch but all was well when i woke up this morning - except for the millions of leaves and strips of bark all around the house.
i eventually fell asleep about 3 a.m. and was awake again by 6.30.
so a nanny nap was on the cards this afternoon, which i had while kait was away playing at a friend's house.
mark is home now so hopefully i will get some decent sleep tonight.

i managed to get a little bit of scrapping done today. just some calendars i have to finish and the last of the cards for the monochromatic swap i am hosting over at EMM.
EMM also had a cyber crop this weekend
(one day i will get organised enough to do one)
one of the challenges was do scrap a white monochromatic layout.
go to the EMM gallery and have a look at some of the layouts that the girls have done.
they really are just stunning...!!!

off to watch the tennis now.
i am hoping gonzales will win although i do like federer too.

have a great week and remember.....
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

p.s. don't you just LOVE the kenny rogers song i have playing.
it makes me smile whenever i hear it playing.
mark often says to me that i always underestimate how special i am and how much i mean to him and the kids.
i'm not saying i am beautiful (i am not THAT deluded) but i do underestimate what i mean to my family.

JUST FOR A BIT OF FUN

have seen this tag on a few blogs about the place...feel free to complete it yourself.

1. available or single..... happily married
2. best friend.... mark
3. Cake or pie?...... cake (mud cake preferrably)
4. Drink of choice..... champagne OF COURSE
5. Essential item you use everyday..... my jimmy jams - would wear them ALL the time if i could
6. Favourite colour.... green (natural tones)
7. Gummy bears or worms.... gummy bears
8. Hometown.... goonellabah, NSW
9. Indulgence.... my scrapping supplies
10. January or february?..... january when the kids are on holidays
11. Kids and Names..... matt, jake and kait + the big one i married.
12. Life is incomplete without... my family and friends
13. Marriage date..... january 10, 1987 - 20 years this year...!!!
14. Siblings.. 6 - 1 x brother; 1 x sister; 1 x half-brother; 1 x half-sister; 2 x step-sisters
15. Oranges or apples.... red apples
16. Phobias or fears..... losing a member of my family
17. Fave quote... have a look here
18. Reason to smile.... the love of my family and the friends i have that truly care for me.
19. Season.... winter/winter/winter...!!!
20. Tag people..... whoever wants to take the challenge.
21. Unknown fact about me.... i have a rare degenerative bone disease in my right wrist
22. veggie you dont like.... brussell sprouts (BLECH!!!!)
23. Worst habit.... eating junk food when i am stressed
24. X rays... too many to list but about 30 on my right wrist
25. Favourite food... mexican and of course CHOCOLATE...!!!

have a great thursday
look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

ANOTHER WEEK GONE BY

so much for blogging more often - oh well...!!!
lots to share so make a cuppa and settle in for the long haul.
or leave now....your decision.
you have been warned.

* kait and i visited marie and her family down at lennox a few times last week. they headed back to wodonga yesterday. kait went swimming in the lake with kelvin, blake and andrew, while marie and i sat in the shade of the trees beside the lake and chatted and laughed and of course, took some pics.

our gorgeous kids

the "gorgeous" miss marie
(although she will hate me for posting this pic...LOL)
but don't you just LOVE that infectious smile...???

i can't tell you how wonderful this lady is and how amazed i am that we just "clicked" when we met for the first time in real life.
marie exudes confidence and happiness and inspiration - i feel blessed to call her my friend.
i can't wait for her to come back in about 6 weeks for the EMM retreat. it will be a blast and i know ruthy will love her as much as i do when they finally get to meet.

*saturday we took the bikes out for one last ride at pete's property before we sell them - although after we had such a great time, that is in doubt now.
love getting together with our friends "the campbells" - always lots of laughs and "no-frills fun" and amusement and with hanging out with pete, who so kindly let's us invade his lovely old farmhouse and farm on a regular basis.
the latest addition to pete's farm is an old "paddock basher" which the kidcs took great delight in driving around and around and around the paddock for most of the day. they all just had such a ball.
the kids all had a go at whip cracking and had us all in stiches when they managed to whip themselves and they were jumping around like they had ants in their pants.
it really was THE best day
here are a few pics from the day...
(although none of the campbells cause i haven't asked their permission to post them on here)

Kait and daddy ready to set out on a run around the farm - this is the first time she went on the "big bike" with mark and she controlled the throttle so they went a little faster than mummy would have liked...!!!

Matt just before he whipped himself on the butt...!!!

"did you hear THAT ma....i cracked the whip"
jake's look of amazement after he cracked the whip on the very first try

the aftermath of a fun-filled day..."cow by-product" all over the bikes


* we were lucky enoungh to see mcnaught's comet in the sky at pete's on saturday night. we couldn't see it from home but because there is nothing but 150 acres of farmland around pete's house, we all sat on blankets and chairs and patiently waited for it to make it's appearence.
i was the most excited out of everyone - i love "spacey" things.
using a very "spohisticated tripod" - a fence post in the middle of the paddock, mark managed to capture a few pics to immortalise the memory.
these are the best two

taken at 8.51 p.m.

taken at 8.56 p.m.

and that is the end of this mammoth post.
thanks for getting to the end, if you did.
more pics and hopefully some scrapping to share soon
so until then...

look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

WEDNESDAY

not much has been happening.
have only managed to finish scrapping some calendars that i started as christmas gifts for some friends. i really am itching to get back into some serious scrapping of pics - i have some gorgeous pics to scrap taken with the new camera. maybe today...
*SIGH*

marie and kelvin, blake and andrew turned up on monday afternoon. marie is as sweet and as bubbly and as gorgeous as i knew she would be. the happiness just bubbles up out of her. kait and her friend, lily and i are heading down to lennox this afternoon for a few hours to catch up with marie and her family and i am hoping that i will be able to take mark down to meet her before they head back next week.
hopefully i will have some pics of the two of us together to share soon.

last night i took kait and lily to see "Night at the Museum".
the three of us all thoroughly enjoyed it...it was such an entertaining movie - a little scary in parts maybe for littlies but just sooooo funny in other parts. the girls repeated lines from it the whole way home in the car and just about drove mark and the boys crazy acting out scenes from it after we got home.
always a good sign that a movie was a hit i think.
loved the "owen wilson/ben stiller" combination again. those two certainly have a comedic chemistry on the screen - love it.

good to see this gorgeous girl back blogging. she had a pretty rough year last year so pop into her blog and say "hi, glad to have you back"

also HUGE congrats to this very talented lady on her latest venture.
not only an awesome scrapper but a genuinely lovely chick to boot.

i am off to give plasma today. i am on the permanent plasma schedule now which means every two weeks i toddle off to the blood bank and give 650 mls of plasma.
it is used for burns patients, cancer patients and people with certain blood disorders.
giving blood is something i have done since i was 16, only stopping when i was pregnant and breast feeding.
i see it as my way of giving to the community without fanfare and seeing i don't work fulltime i am blessed to have the time to do it. the staff are always so friendly and welcoming.
maybe some of you could look at giving blood and/or plasma yourselves.
i figure one day it could be a loved one or friend of mine that needs a life saving transfusion of blood or plasma and i hope there is someone else out there who thinks the same as me so that there is blood for them to have.

anyways....off my soapbox for today.
hope you all have a great wednesday.

look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

WELCOME 2007

it has been such a busy time since i last posted...christmas, our first family holiday away (not sport or celebration related) in almost 10 years; our first christmas away from home ever; an outrageous and highly amusing new year's eve; catching up with good friends; a milestone for mark and i in our marriage; waiting to meet new friends.

i hope that each and every one of you had a wonderful, peaceful and joyous christmas and that the beginning of 2007 has been a good one for you and those you love.

some memories that i have so far this year...
* staying at mark's dad's unit at coolongatta. he bought it late last year and when he is not renting it out, the family is able to use it.
he kindly offered it to us from dec 22 - 29 and we took him up on it.
it was great to kick back and relax as a family and have a few friends visit us.
the units are only a few months old so everything was brand new and lovely and the views from the 11th floor balconies are to die for.
we even had the excitement of being evacuated at 3 a.m. on boxing day because some idiot on the floor above us burnt toast and set off the smoke detectors.
as a family we made our way down the fire escape stairs and i was actually quite surprised at how calm we all were becuase we could distinctly smell smoke but couldn't get anyone to tell us what was going on. i was more concerned at keeping kait calm and the boys in my sight. but we all did the right thing (except for putting shoes on which the firies told us was a "must" when evacuating a building) and it was just one of those things that added to the experience of our holiday.

*our neighbours del and alex spending christmas night with us. they were staying on the gold coast also and it was so nice that they could join us for christmas night.

* despite the fact it was our first christmas where none of the kids "believed" in santa they all eagerly opened their santa sacks and seemed well pleased with their gifts.

our very own little elf to help hand out the gifts

my three boys playing a game of soccer on the new PS2

* cricket on the beach at greenmount on christmas day. i think the kids were amazed, and slightly amused, that i got up and joined in.

* relaxing at the unit - reading, watching DVDs, chilling out on the balcony, "singstar" on the new ps2, a chance to read a good book, sleeping, minimal housework, eating out at some really yummy places (earth and sea's pasta is "to die for") spending quality time just hanging out with mark and the kids and enjoying their company

the view off the back balcony of the unit looking down towards coolangatta beach

* terry and roz, kait's godparents, battling christmas traffic to pay us a visit. it was great to see them again and for kait to see them.

* briefly caught up with zina the day we left the gold coast. i picked up a kit from her that i had ordered. unfortunately the visit was all too short (she had visitors) and i haven't had a chnace to scrap the LO using the kit as yet.

* NYE at geoff and di's (mark's brother and his wife) - we swam and ate and laughed til we cried, had a few ales and belted out a few tunes on singstar (not sure the neighbours appreciated geoff and mark's version of "working class man" at 3.30 a.m.) and we didn't crawl into bed until 4.45 a.m.

mark and i celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on Jan 10. we didn't do much. the sweetie bought me flowers and i cooked us a nice dinner and had a few wines. we spent the time at home with the kids and to be honest - it was just lovely. the kids created a powerpoint presentation for us on the computer letting us know how blessed they feel to have a mum and dad that have been married for 20 years - and yes....i bawled my eyes out.

and last but not least, the oh-so-fabulous and amazing miss marie arrives on the north coast tomorrow. to say that i am excited about her visit is an understatement.
marie and i became firm friends back in the old "snappy scrapping" days and have spoken a few times on the phone and emailed each other almost everyday for the past few years.
i will share some pics of us together when i get some...mark is convinced we will have our mouths open in every one of them (thanks dear)

so that's 2007 so far, in a nutshell.
i hope to get back into a routine of posting on a regular basis.

look for the things that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

MERRY CHRISTMAS

it seems like forever since i last posted...so much has been going on with organising things for our first christmas away in 15 years; writing in cards; checking addresses; buying gifts; making gifts; wrapping gifts; making gift cards; trying to organise the house; going to school presentation days/nights; work parties; get togethers with friends that go on WAY too late for this old girl
geez....i am tired just writing it all down.
i have lists upon list of what needs to be done/bought/taken/left, etc, etc
i have lists to tell me what is on what list even.

but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
just hope it's not an oncoming train barrelling down on me....LOL

i do hope that each and every one of you has an amazing christmas, filled with fun and laughter and the love of your family and friends.
i hope that you are blessd with as much happiness as i have felt each and every time i have read a comment you have posted in response to something i have written; or emailed me; or sometimes i have been blessed to have picked up my phone and heard some of your voices on the other end of the line.

thank you to all of you who have maintained your blogs, filling them with the comings and goings of your lives and the lives of your families.
i have laughed and cried, cheered and booed with you all through your blogs and always felt so blessed and thankful for the wonderful online community of friends that i have.
thank you everyone....from the bottom of my heart.

i will leave you with some photos of my beautiful children and a thought...
"the perfect family portrait is just one weird face away"






MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL...
AND TO ALL...
A GOOD NIGHT.

look for the things that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

SO TIRED

in the last week i have scrapped over 20 calendars and i still have a few more to go.
i have altered almost 20 notebooks.
i have sewn over 20 felt stockings and given them a hanging ribbon and a bell.
i have written almost 50 christmas cards and have as many again to make and a family newsletter to write.
i have helped kait make our christmas tags for gifts this year.
i have written and checked off so many lists of what we need for christmas in terms of food, clothing to take away, gifts that are still to be purchased, etc.
i have cleaned the house (well sort of), i have washed, folded, ironed, vacuumed, and cleaned bathrooms
(we have self-cleaning ovens - why not damn self-cleaning bathrooms...???)
i have had two bad nights of insomnia.
i have been to two christmas parties and i am getting ready for our street party this coming weekend - held on our front lawn and ALWAYS a great success and a late night
(well early morning actually - the last of the neighbours left at 3.45 a.m. last year...!!!!)

yep.....i am tired.
not really stressed but just tired.
if i sit for more than 5 minutes i drop off to sleep
(VERY embarrassing when matt has the new girlfriend over and his mother starts the old heavy sleeping breathing and drooling on the lounge - or so i am told)

and now it's time to get dinner for the troops and get back into making these chrissy cards.
if you receive one, admire it, marvel at it's construction and my creativity - just don't throw the buggar out til oh......at least late march....LOL

enjoy what's left of your monday

look for the things that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

JUST TOO FUNNY

with my darling baby sister's permission (hi sis) i have posted my niece's santa pic.
can anyone see what's wrong with this pic...???
(scroll down)

this is my niece bianca who obviously has serious issues with sitting on santa's knee.
just too funny and i laughed til i cried when i opened this email last night.
this DEFINITELY falls into the category of things that made me smile today.
have a wonderful sunday

look for the things that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

THAT DAMN WOMAN.....

why is it that some people, by their mere presence, can create anguish and sorrow and frustration
?????

mark's mother called in this afternoon - not sure why but she did.
she is in the house 20 minutes filling mark and i in on all that her and mark's dad have been doing, what mark's sisters and their families are up to.
not ONCE did she ask where our three kids were.
not ONCE did she ask what we had been doing.

and when the kids eventually did come downstairs, kait says to her "did you see our tree Nanna. i decorated most of it myself"
to which mark's mother replies, "well i hope you don't expect anything from us to put under it. we have given you a holiday in our unit for nothing...!!!!"
WHAT THE F*CK...???

the look on kait's face said it all. and she just turned on her heels and went back up to her room.
mark was seething and i am sure had mark's dad heard what she said, he would be horrified.
we offered to pay him something towards our time up there and he said it was his pleasure to own something that we all could use and enjoy.
i just looked at her and shook my head.
i was truly lost for words.

mark wanted to call his dad and say we wouldn't be going up there but the kids have so been looking forward to going and i said that if we didn't go, she wins.

i am actually past the point of being angry at her.
i just feel sorry for her.
she has three beautiful grandchildren, a smart, intelligent son and forget the fact she hates me.
her actions cause us not to want to spend anytime with them at all and they are the ones missing out.
i feel sorry for mark cause he can't understand why his own mother would be such a nasty piece of work. he's not said much at all since she left an hour ago.

but i will look for the good in this situation...i have three gorgeous, amazing, beautiful children and one gorgeous, amazing, beautiful husband.
we have a great life filled with good friends, love, music and laughter.

and SHE thinks SHE is the lucky one.
just look what she is missing out on.

look for the things that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

FRIDAY FROLICS

well not much frolicking but lots got done.

kait slept on the lounge last night
("i want to look at our christmas tree as i go off to sleep mum")
but woke with a crink neck and as soon as i looked at her i knew she would have a migraine sneak up on her.
and the mummy was right....within half and hour of waking she was complaining of a headache. so i dosed her up with nurofen and let her stay home today. the headache didn't progress to a full blown one but she did look awful just the same.

had heaps planned but couldn't do lots of it as it involved christmas gifts for the kids. so lots didn't get done that i had planned.
i went to my LSS and matched up some CS and PPs for the last of these calendars. should look great when they are done.
kait and i then did the groceries and then it was home to unpack and do lunch.

i sat on the lounge after lunch for an oprah fix and dropped off to sleep.
kait woke me at 3 o'clock !!!

so now i have spent the last few hours rushing around trying to get chores done so i can have the weekend free to scrap and get chrissy things done.
our street christmas party is next weekend and we have our friend, elizabeth coming to stay so i have lots to get done before then.

having a coffee and computer break and then back into it.
have to collect jake from the school at 5 p.m.
he had a "reward" excursion to dreamworld and the gold coast overnight last night.
it will be good to have him home....i miss his banter and even kait said she misses him.

sorry this is a bit rambly....i think i am still snoozy from my "nanny nap" earlier on.
enjoy the rest of your weekend.

look for the things that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

NEVER FORGET

Daniel Morcombe
Missing since December 7, 2003

how can it be three years...???
my thoughts and prayers go to Daniel's mother and father and his brothers;
his grandparents;
his friends;
his class mates.

i pray that he is found and that his family has closure.
i pray that whoever knows what happened to this sweet boy will come forward and do the right thing by the family and the community.

go hug your kids.
hug them for a long time and hug them tight.

look for the things that make you smile
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

BUSY BUSY BUSY

scrapping

scrapping
scrapping

i have altered about 5 calendars so far and only stopped because i need a certain colour cardstock - which i will get from my LSS on friday.
christmas is looming ever quicker as each day passes.
trying to make lists for things that need to be done and tha gifts that need to be bought/made.
mark and i have most of the kids christmas shopping out of the way which is great.

wanted to share some pics with you from jake's CAPA

(creative and performing arts) concert last week at the school.

yes...our boy is a leftie...but believe it or not, he can actually play a right handed guitar, upside down and back to front if a left handed guitar isn't available.

not the best pic - we must remember the tripod next time - just love the look of concentration on his face. this kid has got rhythm and the looks to go with it...the girls were all squealing his name.

to be honest, i didn't know how successful the concerts would be...2 of the boys that we lost in the accident in october were a big part of the music "scene" at the school and their sisters performed in the concert and jake was part of the two tribute songs that were sung by one of the boys' sisters.
jake told us that they couldn't manage to get through the songs at rehearsals without breaking down and "miss J"
- the most amazing and caring music teacher i have ever known -
didn't really expect that they would be able to get through the songs on the night.
but sing and play they did and it was an amazing performance to say the least.
there wasn't a dry eye in the house by the time she had finished singing but to her credit and to the credit of the rest of the young performers....they gave their very best in honour of the four boys.
a testament to the strength of the kids and the support they have all given each other and received from the the staff and support people at the school.
the grieving still goes on - don't think it will ever go away but these wonderful, amazing, talented, inspirational kids give me hope for the future.
both mark and i were SO proud of jake who, in his own words,
"drummed so the boys could hear me in heaven mum".
such a talented drummer and guitarist and such a kind and caring soul.
we love you baby.

have a great thursday
enjoy your day
look for the things that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

A HEARTFELT THANKS + BLESSINGS

thank you to all of you who posted such supportive comments or emailed me.
like always...things have improved.
i am so blessed to have the support of my gorgeous husband and despite my occasional whinging about them, my three beautiful kids. mark was especially supportive and sat and listened to me rant and rave for hours one night before just putting his arms around me and giving me what i think i needed the most...a great big hug and the reassurance that it is ok to be sad when sad things happen. each day he has been encouraging me to look for the good in things - even when the situation is sad or uncomfortable.
i am truly one very lucky woman to have a man so great to love and care for me.
i also have a very close friend who i can call on day or night and he is such a wise man and very supportive too. he reminds me to keep breathing and never stop smiling.
such a blessing in my life as well.
if i let the awful things that people sometimes say and do, rule how i feel and live my life, in a way they have hurt me twice. they win, if you like and my reaction validates what they have said or done, even if it's the wrong thing.
so again....my heartfelt thanks to all of you out there in cyberland.

had a great time at the EMM christmas crop and dinner on sunday.
it was wonderful, as always, to spend time with the totally gorgeous ruthy and diana.
to see carol-lea again and to meet all the lovely EMM ladies i have been chatting with for ages..
secret santa also popped in unnoticed and left me a gift under the tree -
NOT TO BE OPENED TIL CHRISTMAS DAY
- how on earth can i be expected to wait that long...???
i managed to scrap three of the calendars i am altering for christmas gifts - which is no mean feat when you realise just how much chatting and laughing and looking at what others were doing, went on.
it was a very hot, steamy day, culminating in a HUGE storm complete with a great sound and light show and lots of rain.
i can't believe how dry the ipswich area and the darling downs are - very sad.
i was surprised they are only on level 4 restrictions...i remember clearly being on level 5 restrictions and being just days away from level 6.
seems like a lifetime ago.

i spent sunday night at ruthy's and although i was SOOOO tired, i think ruthy and i managed to fit in a good deal of chatting.
it's so wonderful when you just click with someone and i think ruthy and i have done just that.
ruthy clarke, you are one of the most gorgeous, generous, honest people i know and i feel so blessed that i can call you my friend.
thanks again for putting me up (or is that putting up with me...???) and thanks to gorgeous em for so generously giving me her bed for the night.
my next visit will be a longer one, i promise...!!!

so much happening with the lead up to christmas...we have a busy few weeks ahead with school things and christmas parties and visitors staying overnight and all the hectic hustle and bustle that goes with the christmas season.
in saying that...it's time to scoot off into town to pick up some pics and some more notebooks to cover.

enjoy your day everyone.
look for the things that make you smile

~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

STUFF

i have some pretty heavy duty stuff going on at the moment and i feel like i have the weight of the world on my shoulders.
my health is suffering.
my sleep patterns are atrocious.
my time management skills are virtually non-existent.
i truly do have so very much to be thankful for and feel blessed in so many areas of my life.
it's just this one incident has crushed my spirit and this time i'm not bouncing back and i am finding it hard to be forgiving.

most of all my family is suffering because of the way i am and because of where my head is at.
so i am going to spend, what time i need, to get my mind and my soul "right" again so i can be the best wife and mother i can be to them.
they deserve nothing less.
i know what needs to happen to "fix things" and make it right.
i'm just not "there" yet.

so please forgive me if i owe you a post on your blog
(i have been trying to read all my "regulars" just haven't got the energy to comment like i know i should)
or if i owe you an email or a phonecall.

enjoy the rest of the week
~~ and remember, let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo