TUESDAY

EMM had a cybercrop on the weekend but i only managed to get one of the challenges done.
well that's not entirely true. only one of the four challenges posted really appealed to me and i wasn't in the mood to scrap just for the sake of scrapping.
challenge 4 was to choose a LO from the DT's gallery and scraplift it.
this is the LO i chose to scraplift. the lovely miss karen did this LO and she certainly has a style that is unique and inspirational.
if you are ever stuck for an idea, she also has a sketch blog where there are always lots of fun sketches and ideas to try.
this is my scraplift of karen's LO

it is a pic taken out at pete's in january when we took the bikes out for the day. i love matt's hair at this length and i always get a chuckle out of the fact that we have called him "matty" his whole life ("matty-moo" when he was a real little fella) and now that he is a grown man, so many of his friends, team mates and even a few of his teachers when he was at school, call him "matty" too - usually with a "P" on the end because matt is such a popular name in his age group.

and how could today go by without remembering the amazing and sadly missed steve irwin.

the moment i found out he had died (and i must admit it took a good hour after i first heard the news for me to believe it) is one of those moments in your life that you never forget where you were and how you heard.
my thoughts turn to his family and the people at his beloved australia zoo.
it must still be so surreal for them.
crikey mate - RIP.

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

shazz xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
my baby girl is feeling much better and back at school and is SO excited that she will be well enough to go on her excursion next week.

BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW......

the lovely jenny over at RJR tagged me ages ago and i am finally getting on top of things so here is my 8 random things
(you have probably heard them all before so feel free to ignore this post....LOL)

1. Post these rules.

2. Each person tagged must post 8 random (... hopefully interesting) facts about themselves.

3. Taggees should write a blogpost of these facts.

4. At the end of the post 8 more bloggers are tagged and named and released back into the wild.
(i won't be doing this part....if you want to take part in this, just do it)

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 1
i met mark when i was 16 (27 years ago) and we were both at school together.
our eyes met across the english room and the rest, as they say, is history.
his parents have never liked me and i don't expect things will change in the future.

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 2
i was school captain and dux of the school in year 6; president of the student council, school captain and female student of the year in year 12.

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 3
i was age champion (16 years) for the 800 metres in year 10
(hard to believe when you see the size and shape of me now...!!!)

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 4
i have a degenerative disease in my right wrist that went undiagnosed until i was 31.
it is called kienbock's disease and is rare
(i was only the second case my orthopaedic surgeon had seen in 20 years)
i am at stage 5
(which means i have had my lunate removed and a scaphoid/capitate fusion and minimum rotation of my wrist)
i will eventually need a total fusion of the wrist but have so far avoided that and hopefully will for a few more years to come.
i take anti-inflammatories every day to help with the swelling and the pain.
a real b*tch of a thing to have in your right wrist when you are right handed.

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 5
i am a regular plasma and blood donor and i am on the registry as a bone marrow donor.
i started giving plasma over 12 months ago and so far have given it over 25 times in the past 12 months.
i started giving blood when i was 16.

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 6
i once met john paul young at a truck stop on the way home from canberra.
i was pregnant with jake (DS2), suffering shockingly from morning sickness and after i said "you're john paul young. i've loved you since i was a teenager", i had to run to the toilet and be violently ill.
bet i made a great impression on my teenage crush

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 7
i have a real "thing" for "men-in-uniform" (MIUs)
all my friends make fun of me and this "thing" i have because i have it SO BAD.
not real fussy on the type of uniform - army, navy, RAAF, police, ambos, security gurads, firies, men in race suits (loved the years mark raced karts and wore his race suit - Mmmmmm)
but i have a real preference for RAAF blues.

INTERESTING FACT NUMBER 8
i suffer terribly from "cyclical insomnia".
i might goes months and months of having a good night's sleep and then i will have weeks of waking up through the night, and despite being exhausted, i seem to be able to exist on a few hours sleep a night.
the GP tells me it is related to stress.

so now you know 8 totally random things about me - don't know that they are so interesting.

i hope that the men in your life have had a great father's day.
mark is so anti father's day that it makes me sad. i think it has a lot to do with the way his father was when they were growing up.
so the kids all spent some time with him this morning, i cooked him breakfast and he said that was more than enough for him.
i called my dad who is in town but unfortunately i can't see him. he is helping care for my uncle bob who has cancer and is having chemo so because we have all been ill, it is best we keep our distnace. i had a great chat to dad though and hopefully will be able to see him in the next few days.

off to do some scrapping and some ironing (YUCK!!!)
the pile is starting to resemble a small mountain.

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

shazz xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
seeing my children spend quality time with their dad

WELCOME SPRING

had a HUGE post typed up and saved, ready to post but thought i would just share some quick point form details of the goings-on around here and then share some scrapping.

* i am still battling the flu (trip to the GP last week only to be told a i had the flu; i need to rest; everyone has been battling it - and that will be $56.00 thanks)

* have had miss kait home ill since wednesday with the flu and we ended up in A&E last night to be told she has a massive middle ear infection. just want her well as her excursion is only 8 days away. i would hate her to miss out again this year because of illness

* didn't get half the scrapping done i wanted to this week but managed to reduce my stash somewhat by passing on some of my older supplies to a friend who is a teacher.
reckon i could do it again 10 times over and still have plenty of supplies left.
hoping to get the challenges finished for the EMM cybercrop that is happening as we speak.
the DT, as always, has managed to set some great challenges.

* my DT pack arrived last week from jen at RJR.
lots of yummy ribbons, flowers and bling.
can't wait to get stuck into using it all.
jen has so much gorgeous bling over at RJR at the moment - go and check it out. the prices are amazing...!!!

* joanie sent me the most amazing roll of marbled papers and the most gorgeous hand written letter that reduced me to tears.
love you joanie. you inspire me so much.

* had a great day with some of the EMM girls at linda's last sunday for a stampin' up party. so good to catch up with everyone again....specially my fellow rockstar, tam
"WE SO ROCK GIRLFRIEND"
but on a sadder note...i was so sorry to hear of the passing of your much loved "marnie" this week sweetie.

* both matt and jake are playing in their semis this weekend in football (soccer)
matt will start from the bench for prems
jakey will start on the paddock for reserves.
good luck to both my talented boys.

here is some scrapping i have managed to get done in a week that has been so topsy-turvey

this is my august BOM for the EMMies we had to scrap a saying/sayings unique to our family. the hidden journalling under the top pic reads.....
“THUMPER BISCUITS” are something I grew up with.
Better known as “milk arrowroot” biscuits, they got the name “Thumper Biscuits” after the kangaroo that my Gran and Poppy raised from a joey by feeding him “Thumper Biscuits” soaked in warm milk and brandy.
Thumper was orphaned after his mum was hit by a car and Poppy found him and brought him home for Gran to raise. As a child I can remember taking the Thumper biscuit, milk and brandy mix out into the Thumper’s pen and feeding him. Of course, that was before he got too big and cranky for us to feed. We used to drive the local shop keepers crazy when we were sent to the shop for “Thumper biscuits”. One shop keeper even phoned Arnotts asking if they actually made them.
Our kids call them Thumper biscuits too.

the hidden journalling under the bottom pic reads...
“SHEEP SHIT AND GOOLEYGUM” or macaroni and cheese is a dish that was one of Mark’s favourites when he was growing up. I learnt to cook it not long after Mark and I were married and we have always added cut up chicken to our version of it. It got the name of “SHEEP SHIT AND GOOLEYGUM” when Matt and Jake were little. One day they were pestering me about what we were having for dinner. In sheer frustration I blurted out that we would be having “SHEEP SHIT AND GOOLEYGUM” and that they had to eat every last drop of it. When I served them up a plate of macaroni and cheese that night for dinner, they cried because they thought for years they had been eating macaroni and cheese when they were really eating “SHEEP SHIT AND GOOLEYGUM”.
It is a name that has stuck with this family favourite.

this is for the guest DT challenge for the EMMies last month.
the beautiful julie challenged us to use paper tearing on a LO. i have torn the flower from some of the hand made paper that joanie has given me in the past. added some spider mesh for the leaves and some beads set in DM.
this was a tough LO to do. it is my favourite photo of our dear kristy-lee. doesn't show her beautiful face or her ever changing hairstyle/colour but everything about it screams her name to me.
it is how i remember her.

this LO is for the august EMMies sketch.
of course i had to alter it to the smaller size and the aspect of the photos meant i had to mirror the sketch but i am pleased with the way it turned out.
and what a handsome dude is this soccer dad...???
LOL

this is a canvas i made for rondelle (the gorgeous owner of EMM) celebrating the birth of her daughter. it doubles as my OTP for the july/august EMMies.
it certainly was a pleasure to scrap it for rondelle and her family and i am pleased to say that she loves it.
and thanks to ruthy's DD em for allowing me to use this photo.
em certainly is a very talented photographer.

well that's my lot...turned into a rather long post didn't it...???
thanks for taking time to stop by and if you do, please remember to say hi.

i hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and that you get to spend lots of quality time with your dads/hubbies/partners tomorrow.
wishing my darling mark a wonderful father's day...i couldn't have asked for a better dad for my children.
also want to wish my dad a happy father's day....love you dad and even though i won't get to see you, know that i love you.
and finally, a happy day to my darling pa. even though your physical presence is no longer here, your spirit and the love you gave me is with me everyday.
sending an after dinner mint to heaven just for you pa.

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

shazz xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
spring is here and with the recent rain we have had, everything is starting to green up and bloom

TOO SAD

it has been a sad day today.
for so many reasons and on so many levels.
i feel sadness at the loss of four beautiful young men; i feel sadness when i speak to their families and i am lost as to what i can say to them; i feel sorrow for the immense burden and guilt carried on such young shoulders and i feel shame that i am thankful that it wasn't one of my boys in the car on that fateful night.

feel free to print up the following letter written by inspector owen king, a local police officer who was first on the scene of the fatal accident that took four of our boys in october last year.

stick it on your fridge, give it to your kids.
if it makes them think twice about the way they choose to drive a car, it will not have been a waste of time giving it to them.

Car smashes are democratic. They do not discriminate. Good kids die as easily as ratbags.

One moment's lapse can kill you. That moment when you reach over to change the CD from The Herd to Cat Empire, that flicker of time with your eyes off the road is all it takes. And then there will be no more Big Day Out, no more Splendour in the Grass. If you want to hear music again that ain't harps, keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.

Wake your parents if you need a safe lift. They'll be tired and cranky but that's their job. Wake them up to come and get you. They'll crack up a little but that's nothing compared to a lifetime of grief.

Chill out. Every day on the roads, some dropkick may cut you off, try to drag you off, give you the finger, dare you to do something stupid. They are everywhere. They have big egos and little brains. Let them go. Chill out.

How much are you willing to trade for that one moment? It takes just one mad moment to be killed on the roads — speed, distraction, drink — and you lose so much. You won't get to take that overseas trip, you won't get to have that huge 21st party, you won't get to go to that grand final with you rmates, and you won't get to do that surfing safari around Australia. All that — gone.

Cars take two hands to drive. Not one hand for driving and one for texting on the mobile phone or putting on lipstick. Not one for driving and one on your girlfriend's leg. Not using knees to drive while writing down a phone number. It takes two hands to drive a car.

Seatbelts are made to stop your body exiting the car headfirst. Heads are not designed for this and split like melons. Wear your seatbelt.

The boot of a car is for the spare wheel. No matter what's happening — you urgently need a lift, it's not far, the car is full — don't climb into a boot. It's like willingly climbing into a coffin. You are made of soft flesh and bone. In a rollover or bad smash, it is like food in a blender.

You love speed? Go surf the face of a big wave down at Burleigh. Go bungee jump. Get your kicks that way. Because if you love speed on the road, sooner or later you will take a corner too fast and some big gum tree will get in the way and end the love affair.

The road toll only shows the dead. Modern car technology means more people are surviving bad car smashes but with horrific injuries. Brain-injury wards are filled with young women trying to learn how to feed themselves and young blokes who believed they were unbreakable trying to master wheelchairs. You may survive but the life you once knew has effectively ended.

If you drive a car full of passengers and cause a bad smash, grief and guilt will wrap you up like a skin. Minimise the chances. Lighten up. You probably learnt to drive with only one passenger. When all your mates pack into the car, that's an extra 320kg and the car will brake, corner and handle completely differently because of it. So slow down, for their sake. Better still, carry just one mate.

Anyone can drive fast. It just takes a heavy foot. No great driving finesse needed. It takes no great brains. Not everyone has restraint and control and maturity to drive to the limit. That takes more guts, especially when others are speeding.

The police, firies and ambos are tired of dragging broken young bodies from wrecks. They are tired of the smell of blood and despair and hot engines at car crash scenes. They are tired of knocking on front doors at 2am to parents dressed in pyjamas and bone-pale faces. They are tired and it is not even the start of the mad Christmas season. They are tired of the waste. Give them a break.

Living is the best revenge. You want to rebel against the system, against your parents, against authority. Great. Survive. Outlive them all and enjoy life.

You're precious to so many. Act it. You're someone's son or daughter, much-loved grandchild, best mate. Act it. You're potentially someone's great love. Act it.

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

shazz xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
it's still raining !!!

SCRAPPING TO SHARE

still fighting whatever illness it is that i have.
have had a headache for over a week now and panadol isn't doing anything to help with the pain so i am thinking that maybe a trip to the GP may be in order. i have to have my celebrex script renewed so maybe i should have my head checked too.
it's not fun being me at the moment, nor being my family i suspect.

this is playing out in the courts at the moment and if the news reports are anything to go on it will not end in a good way for the young driver who is a friend of our boys.
it was a silly, stupid lapse in judgement that changed so many lives on that dark wet night and i fear that the young man who survived will spend time in jail.
i really can't see it playing out any other way.
i am just so sad for everyone involved...for the families of those four beautiful boys who are gone forever; for their friends (including my boys); for the driver and for our community.
visiting the boys graves last week - all together, side by side, was just gut wrenching.
almost too much to bear for me so i cannot even fathom what the mothers of those four precious boys must feel and go through each time they have to visit those graves and walk away leaving their babies behind.
just too sad to even think about.

the DT projects are up on the RJR site but thought i would share my LOs here.
after seeing what the other girls did i am feeling rather inadequate and amatuerish about my attempts.
maybe i could blame being ill...or maybe my scrapping is inadequate and amatuerish.




all the LOs were created using the amazing ribbon stiff that jenny has for sale on the RJR site.
LOVE the stuff and some of the other DT members have done some amazing things with it.

hope that you are getting some of this beautiful rain we are experiencing up here on the far north coast.....beautiful, amazing, much-needed soaking rain.

remember to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~
and just as an after-thought today...go hug your kids....hug them tight and for a long time.

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
rain
rain
beautiful rain

BL**DY FLU

well here i go again....aches and pains and that delightful feeling that i have possibly been hit by a mack truck. and let's add a runny, snotty nose, watery eyes and a dose of sinus into the mix to make the picture complete.

managed to start my EMMies entries for this month today
(between bouts of lying on the bed and shivering under a doona)

this was using one of the gorgeous challenge packs that rondelle put together for this month.
she certainly has an eye for design and putting elements together that work.
the PP was gorgeous but i just couldn't get my mojo working to use it to it's maximum effect.
i'm happy with this though.

my DT work should be up on the RJR website this weekend.
click on the link for "jenny" in the sidebar under the RJR DT area
(couldn't be bothered putting a link in this post...LOL)
jen owns RJR and has recently added some bling and flowers to the site
(great value too)

hope everyone has a great weekend and that mine gets better.

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
jakey got 100% in his maths test this week.
what a smart kid he is....we are just so proud of him.

STILL KICKIN'

just so you know i haven't dropped off the face of the earth, here is some scrapping i have managed to finish in the past few weeks.
there will be a longer more interesting and informative post soon....i promise !!!

this LO was done in the class i did with zina at the scrapyard about a month ago
love these photos of kait. i think i was the only 8.5 x 11 inch scrapper in the class.
it was great catching up with zina again

another LO from the class with zina. love the combination of theB&W photo with the colour photos and the tilt of the 2 side photos.
the journalling stamp is one designed by zina. such a clever chookie she is.
love using those thickers too - give a great 3D effect to the LO.

a fun LO talking about mark and "the other woman" in his life, his Honda CBR 600.
the journalling is from a blog post i did ages ago.
not sure that i like seeing so much of my crappy handwriting in one spot but it's done now.
this is the third LO from the class i did with zina @ the scrapyard.
she is actually doing another class there on friday using my favourite medium of felt.
but seeing i am heading up the coast next weekend to linda's for a stamping up party i didn't think i would push my luck with mark nor the budget.

and finally another LO i did "just because" based on the class that zina taught using the frames. i love the way the frames give the illusion of movement and it is such a GORGEOUS photo of my sweet baby girl.

and speaking of felt, "i was wasn't i...???", it is great to see miss k back blogging and sharing all her amazing work with us.

and it is also amazing and long overdue to see my amazing and truly beautiful friend ruthy shortlisted for this year's masters for Scapbooking Memories. if you want true inspiration and artistic ability you need to look no further than ruthy's work.
just beautiful....just like her.

time to get dinner organised.
so until next time....when i will have more news of the happenings of our little tribe.

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
i'm still breathing
LOL

AND IT JUST GOES ON...AND ON...AND ON

my cold/flu/sniffles or whatever it is.
the news people said this morning that this flu season is one of the worst on record and i am starting to believe them.
add a good old dose of sinus to my flu in the past few days and i feel like is should be lying quietly in a pine box with a few shovels of dirt thrown in on top of me.
just when i think i am over it, i get another dose of the aching joints, sniffles, running nose and watery eyes.
it's ever so much fun...............NOT !!!

worse thing of all is i can't see my dad and step-mum who are in town at the moment because they are caring for my uncle bob who has cancer and he has started on chemo so he can't be around anyone with coughs or colds.

i did manage to finish my EMMies for this month with this LO

the photo was taken at the EMM retreat held @ lennox head in march this year.
ruthy, marie, julie and i had been chatting online for years but it was the first time we had ALL been together in the one spot so it was a fun, chatty, giggly time for us.
the challenge was to alter a piece of CS which i have done with cut out shapes and some chalk.
pretty basic but i like the effect.

thanks for looking and remember....

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
there is going to be another EMM retreat in november @ margate.
i'm all paid up and looking forward to catching up with everyone again.

IT'S BAAAAAAAAAAAACK....!!!!

my mojo that is
(well i THINK it's back)

i managed to get this LO today and i am pretty danged happy with it.
it is part of my EMMie contributions for july. just one LO left to do for the month and then we get off the see-saw and back on the merry-go-round again on wednesday, august 1 for the next round.
august is OTP month for me.
anyone else HATE OTPs...????

hope you all had a great day

~*~shazz ~*~
xo

STILL...!!!

i am still ill.
this flu has been very persistent, if nothing else.
i had to cancel my planned plasma donation on wednesday as the girls at the blood bank thought i looked awful, let alone how i felt.
i have spent a few nights in the past week sleeping, sitting up in the loungechair in the front loungeroom to avoid the coughing that not only gives me broken sleep but poor mark and the rest of the family too.
even the dogs moved out of our room (their bed is beside my bed) and i found them curled up on one of the kids' beds.

so the last thing on my mind has been scrapping.
i missed an online class that my friend marie ran over at EMM - have a look here at her gorgeous paper bag album that she made.
i still have two EMMie LOs to do before wednesday
EEEEEEEEEK
and it took me almost 4 days to do this LO

this for my BOM - a LO about where i am in my life RIGHT NOW.
i hid the journalling under the pic as it was pretty personal.
my friend ruthy's daughter, em took this pic of me at the EMM retreat in march.
it's the first pic i have seen of me in ages that i have actually liked.

hoping to get back some scrapping today though as i have to do the samples for my online class i am running over at EMM in a few weeks (and mark is photographing it for me) plus i have my DT projects to do for RJR.
*SIGH*
and all i want to do is crawl back into bed and sleep.

i hope everyone has had a great weekend and that today is a wonderful one for you

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
warmer days but the nights are still cool enough to be snuggling up under a doona in front of the fire.
stay.....just a little bit longer, winter, if you please

"JOLLY FANTASTIC"

this is a saying that i hear a lot from this gorgeous girl.
she makes my life "jolly fantastic" just by being my friend.
she inspires me, makes me laugh and makes the world a whole lot brighter whenever she flashes one of her gorgeous smiles.

love ya heaps ruthy

(this LO kinda just "happened" yesterday as i was cleaning up my desk to get ready to scrap some LOs.
i was piling pics and CS and PPs up together and i looked down and this LO sort of just appeared in front of my eyes)

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
it's raining at the moment here. not very hard but enough to make the garden look refreshed and to wash all the dust away from the paths and the steps.

OVER IT !!!!!

i am over the sniffling and the wheezing and the coughing til i pee my pants.
teach me for being smug and bragging only a few weeks ago that so far, i had missed out on getting the flu this year.
i don't get ill very often but when i do, i make a right old job of it.
started on thursday night last week with a few aches and pains that i don't usually have and ended up on saturday with me spending most of the day in either bed or curled up on the lounge.
didn't make for a fun day for poor kaity who had to be a nursemaid for mummy while the men of the house completed their soccer duties
(gotta get your priorities right i guess....ill mother or soccer game...???...hmmm...now that's a toughie)
i actually made the crazy decision to attend a class i had booked into with zina at the scrapyard on friday night. thankfully kirsten, a scrapping friend from lismore, offered to drive up cause in hindsight, as the night wore on i just felt worse and worse. just hope i didn't spread too many germs around to anyone.
i'll share those LOs soon.

anyways...i am taking myself off to have a lie down.
this flu has just zapped all my energy and i only have to do one chore and then i need to rest.
hope i can get over it soon as i have too much to get done in terms of scrapping and in preparation for this, this and this.
(august 11 @ 7.30 p.m.)

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
i have a bowl of homemade split pea and ham soup waiting for me in the fridge to heat up for lunch today.
i made it on the top of our fire yesterday.
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMO

FINALLY !!!! - MY EXCITING NEWS

well, a few days late but the excitement is still in the air around here.

last saturday, kait, along with mark and i, travelled to brisbane for kait to compete in an interclub for physie.
for those who don't know what physie is....check out THIS....and THIS

her teachers entered her in the novice section, even though this is her third year of competing.
if you haven't finalled at the zone comp (and kaity hasn't) you can compete as a novice.

and compete she did.....faultlessly. i have been watching her train and compete and practise for three years now and i couldn't find fault with any of her routines on the floor last saturday.
(maybe i had my "mummy rose-coloured glasses" on)

after the 15 girls completed their set of routines, they announced that they couldn't seperate the first and second places so they asked the girls to perform their floor exercises again.

i did notice kaity slightly overbalance on one of her leg lifts on the second go round.

and when they announced the place getters, kaity won second place !!!!!!
i was so sure, that given her faultless routine, first go round, that she would have placed first but i guess her overbalance saw her pipped at the post.

still she was ecstatic with second place as were we and her teachers and i cried more than a few tears as i watched our little princess bound up onto stage to receive her medal and certificate.
i am so very very proud of her.
she has worked so hard to perfect her routines and she genuinely loves doing it.

her greatest acheivement this year is that she can get right to the floor doing the splits with her right leg leading and is almost there with her left side.

anyways....here a few pics of her "doing her thing"

a very nervous little girl, waiting to take the floor

the marching component of her routine

one section finished and waiting to start the next

such poise and grace.....she looks perfect

i love this little girl so very very much and knowing the hell she has been through the past few years, to see her looking so healthy and well just makes my heart sing.

off to work for me tomorrow and then off to the gold coast on friday night to do a class with zina again at the scrapyard - YAY !!!!
can't wait.

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
even though some friends are so far far away physically, i can still hold them and the precious memories i have our times together, close to my heart.

SLIP SLIDING AWAY

well the month is creeping past me and my challenge of a LO every day has gone by the wayside...
oh well....i'll just keep plodding along with things.

now my LOs are up over at RJR i can share them here.
jenny has a cool deal that you can actually buy the same ribbons that the DT used on their LOs as a pack each month. hopefully we have inspired you to scrap LOs or cards using the ribbons that we have.
and i was excited to learn that jenny will be sending us some ribbon stiff as part of this month's DT pack....can't wait to have a play with it and see what i can come up with.
people tell me that the stuff is AMAZING to work with.
i guess we shall see.

so here are my very first DT LOs and a card for RJR.

3/31 - i love this photo of mark and jake that matt took in november last year. despite the fact that mark realised matt was taking his pic (from a long way off using the long lens), hence the "that's gold" hand signal, it shows just a dad and one of his boys deep in conversation. i love that mark always tries to be so involved in the kids' lives and constantly talks to them about things that interest them and tries to learn about the things that interest them.

4/31 - this is my old bean and nanna's wedding pic from 1939 that my dad had repaired and re-touched. i just love this pic (it's the second time i have scrapped it). it shows my old bean and nanna in a way that i never knew...young and so very much in love. i wanted the LO to be fairly simple yet elegant. i made the flowers using one of the sheers that jenny sent in our DT pack. they were a bit fiddly to make but i love the effect i created. and i guarantee that those gloves that old bean was holding never saw the light of day again....LOL he was such a rough and tumble, hard living man. geez i miss having them both here *SIGH*

5/31 - must admit this was a very quick LO that i did when i felt that i hadn't done enough with the ribbons that jenny sent me. i guess it showed because jenny didn't use it on her blog....but that's ok. still....it's a pic of kait that is now scrapped and the sentiments are very true.

and lastly a nice quick little card i whipped up. it's simple but i love it. not only used some of my RJR pack but also some of my left over PP from an EMM challenge pack. (the new packs for august are up on the site already and i am seriously thinking of getting the whole three of them - YUMMO)

i also travelled to the gold coast last friday night to take a class with the gorgeous and truly inspirational miss zina wright, help at the scrapyard.
i travelled up with kirsten, a lady also from lismore who i kinda "found" online and we have been emailing and calling each other for a few months now.
we finally met and well...we chatted and nattered all our way to the coast and back.
it blew me away the number of people that we both knew.
we are hoping to get together for a scrapping day one day soon plus we are heading back up to the scrapyard next friday night (with kirsten's SIL, lorraine) for another class with zina.

we were lucky enough to do the class last week, with the equally gorgeous and simply stunning linda, a friend from EMM who not only welcomed us into her home but fed us a delicious roast pork dinner and showed us her small but so sweet scrapping area where she creates all her amazing LOs.
i have only met linda on one other occasion, when we sat together at the EMM retreat in march, but i am still blown away by her elegance and her gorgeous nature.
and she is a simply amazing scrapper.
some serious drool material here.

oh....and i have yet to finish my "little birdie told me" album from zina's class....but i will share it when i have. it is very "handmade" and lots of doodling and handwriting.
(hmmmm....not so sure about that bit but oh well)

anyways....that is enough of a post for now.
i have more, VERY exciting news to share but that can wait for this afternoon.

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
spending time with like minded women, talking scrapping and life and anything else that take's our fancy at the time.
just being together is very good for one's soul.
i thank God every day for the blessings and friendships that have been brought to my life through this wonderful craft called scrapping.

NEW CHALLENGE

GRRRRRRRRRRRRR

this is the third flippin' time i have tried to create and upload this post.

NOT HAPPY JAN !!!!!!!

i have set myself the challenge of a LO each day for the month of july. that means 31 LOs this month. i am already a few behind but hoping to catch up today.
plus i completed the last of my EMMies for june and this is the double LO i did for the sketch component.

1/31...a LO of mark giving me "that look" when i have done something wrong.
(i have been getting it a lot lately as we have had some major issues in our marriage)

2/31...a LO of matt (who turned 19 yesterday BTW)
i love this pic of him....he really does become oblivious to all around him when he picks up that guitar.

you will just have to wait for another post to get any news about the family cause i am NOT re-typing all the info i had before blogger stole it away.

and the double LO of my niece, B, that i did based on the sketch for june at EMM will be at the end of this post because stupid blogger won't let me move it.

so as you enjoy this day remember...look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
mark has actually come to bed when i did the past few nights instead of staying up to work. it has been nice to lie there and talk and have some "us" time, which has been long overdue and much needed by us both.

DOES THIS MAKE ME FAMOUS....???

THIS appeared on the RJR blog this week.
so i ask you.....does this make me famous....????

i have been a slack blogger
I KNOW

but thought i would post these

my BOM challenge for this month....to scrap about your school years.
i was 16 in this photo...so self concious and finally emerging from a very troubled period in my life.
i had just met mark so things only got better from there on.

this was scrapped using the challenge pack from EMM.
i have wanted to scrap this pic since i had it printed but i'm not sure i am happy with the result.
oh well...it is a very important memory scrapped now.
move on.

and next week...with the school holidays here and a bit more of a laid back approach to life, i will have time to post a bit more of a meatier update.

hope you enjoy your weekend and if you are lacking inspiration you can head over to EMM for the latest cybercrop challenges and also rondelle is having a great 30% off storewide (except for cricuts and their bits) but it ends at midnight tonight.

also the sale at RJR ends tonight too.
great bargins to be had.

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
i have people in my life who care for me and who love me and that in itself is such a blessing.
one friend in particular, and you know who you are, is my voice of reason in the darkest hours and has such a calming influence on me and ALWAYS seems to know the right things to say to me when i am falling apart.
thank you.
i love you my friend
xxoo

BARGAINS TO BE HAD

jenny over at really just ribbons is having a great stocktake sale.
every single ribbon in the store has been reduced by a minimum 10%, with American Craft ribbons reduced by an amazing 40%.
the sale ends on june 30, so get yourself over there and grab yourslef a bargain.

jenny is also now stocking the new and exciting Ribbon Stiff which is the latest and greatest product to hit the scrapping/card making scene.
i can't wait to get my hands to some of this stuff because i hear that it is great.
and as jenny says in her sales blurb
"an essential for any ribbon addict"

and speaking of ribbon addicts -
not that i am one to point fingers but....check this out.
toni is one of my new fellow RJR DTers and man.....has she got it bad !!!

not much scrapping going on here at the moment....i have almost finished my first RJR DT project using the gorgeous ribbons that jenny sent us but have struggled a bit with the design.
jenny has been most generous with what she sent us
"thanks jen"
so hopefully i will be able to get a few LOs and some cards done.

we have had kait ill all weekend with migraines and high temps and a very sore throat. she has spent most of the weekend either on the lounge watching DVDs or asleep in our bed.
i had the fire going all day yesterday to take the chill off the air so today it was off to visit "big Al" the dear old fella out at the wood yard and get a bootload of wood.
matt and jake were with me and kept me laughing and giggling all the way with their banter and stories of their soccer team mates.
i feel so lucky and blessed that my sons are great mates as well as being brothers. i have friends whose sons seem to be constantly at war with each other but my boys really are the best of friends.

anyway....not much of a post so i won't bore you any more.

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
how blessed i am to have two wonderful sons who love, respect and care for each other.
love you guys
xxoo

SOME LAYOUTS TO SHARE

my latest entry in the june EMMies at EMM - the challenge was to use flowers as a feature, e.g. to form a frame, as part of a journalling block, etc + use bling.

love the colours in this one and i love this photo of kait.

this was a quick LO i did one night when i was at a loss as to what to scrap. the photos were taken at the EMM retreat in march and i taught jay, along with a few of the other girls, how to do french knots.

thanks for looking and remember.....

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY PHOTO FOR TODAY

this little girl really loves her daddy.
and he loves her right back.

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE....

...after many many tears and lots and lots of talking and clearing the air, mark and i seem to be slowly rebuilding the bridges that we burnt over the past few weeks.
there isn't much i can go into because it really is a private issue but i think we have a better understanding of where we are in our relationship. but more importantly what we have to do to keep our family together and happy and stable.

thank you to those of you that emailed me, concerned about what was going on.
your friendship and concern really does mean a lot to me.

now onto some pretty exciting news.
all that "secret" scrapping that has been going on over the past few weeks is a secret no more with the arrival of an email on friday night from the lovely jenny over at really just ribbons telling me that i was one of the lucky for people that she has chosen to be on her very first design team.
and with this announcement on her blog it was suddenly all official and very very exciting.
i am truly honoured and i can't wait to get started on some scrapping using some of the totally gorgeous ribbons that jenny has in her store.
i am also looking forward to getting to know jenny much better as well as the other girls chosen for the design team.
here are my pieces i scrapped for my application to be a part of the team.

this is a ribbon album i created by weaving ribbon to cover an album i bought from rabbit photos. i am planning to photocopy my favourite LOs and carry them in this album when i travel to see friends.

the back view of the album

a close up of the closure.

the album open

the album open showing the spine

a LO of my guy using lots of ribbon attached in different ways. i love this photo of mark looking so happy and relaxed
the card i made for my niece and her partner for their engagement...lots of delicious ribbons and i LOVE that allison ellis PP.
a close up of their initials....chipboard inked and layers and layers of UTEE (love the stuff)

a close up of the ribbons and charms

so that is my exciting scrapping news.

i want to congratulate my wonderful friend julie for winning the may round of the EMMies over at EMM. julie's work is amazing and you can see it all here in her gallery.
she is an amazing scrapper, a gorgeous gal, a great friend and SIL to the beautiful ruthy (my favourite of all time scrapper) - couldn't ask for me really could you.
well done julie and a well deserved win.

and on that note it is time to go and feed the troops.
teenage boys are always hungry....has anyone else noticed.
and they travel in packs....i have just had my two babies arrive home with a couple of friends in tow....hope i have enough spuds for dinner.

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY PHOTO FOR TODAY

my beautiful boy drumming at his CAPA performance last week.
he had the crowd on their feet, the girls screaming his name and his mum sitting in the audience with tears in her eyes and her heart so full of pride it almost burst.
his teacher tells me that he is one of the best drummers she has ever had the privilege of teaching.
and he plays a pretty mean guitar too.
(not the best photo but photos of drummers rarely are)

DOIN' IT TOUGH

it's been a tough week that's for sure.
on so many levels and for so many reasons.
sometimes i wish that life, just for once, could be easy...
that relationships could be black and white not these deceptive shades of grey.
*SIGH*

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

~*~ shazz ~*~
xo

HAPPY THOUGHT FOR TODAY
things can only get better
things can only get better
things can only get better
and with that she knocked her ruby slippers together and was transported home to where she was loved and felt safe