DESIGN TEAM PROJECTS

jenny over at RJR has put our January projects up on the site so i can now share then with you.

aren't these just the sweetest photos of our baby. she was about 4 years old and she used to just drop off to sleep and it was always a really deep sleep.
loved that i used some older supplies on this one - some of the flowers and those cloth tag thingys - can't even remember who made them now.

my niece, "Miss B", sitting in a wading pool on christmas eve in 2005. it was SOOOO hot so we put the wading pool up in the garage for the kids to paddle in.
i used the puffy flowers to make a tiara for her sweet little princess head.

just a couple of quick cards featuring the ribbons that jen sent as well as some felt, stitching a crocheted flowers, some bling and my new HS "happy birthday" stamp

pop on over to her blog and check out all the lovely work that pippa, toni and dee have also done.
JUST GORGEOUS...!!!
jenny has also sent through some great ribbons for this month's projects and once i get some art journal pages out of the way for a swap i am in...
(note to self - NEVER use texture paste again - bloody god awful stuff)
...i will be tackling my projects for jenny.

have a good one and be safe on the roads....it's POURING rain here again....just for something different...!!!

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

shazz xo

CAN YOU HELP...???

there is a wave of scrappers scrapping hundreds of 6x6 LOs as i type this.....
i scrapped 6 today in just under an hour.
it's a great cause.
and you can read all about it
HERE

so let's get scrapping and get behind this wonderful cause.

hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

shazz
xo

p.s. thanks to the gorgeous miss linda who made me aware of this great cause and a very happy birthday to you too my friend.

AUSTRALIA'S SHAME

if you, or one of your loved ones, have ever needed blood, you already know how important it is.

Many people today would not be alive if it wasn't for Australia's generous and voluntary, unpaid blood donors who give blood each week to help those in need.

It's one of those things that we just expect to be there for us, but

only a very small proportion (around 3%) of people actually give blood

This is one of the reasons we say it takes someone special to give blood. Yet sooner or later, one in three of us will need it.

People who give blood are united by their generosity and the desire to give something back to the community.

It truly does take someone special to give blood.

Call us now on 13 14 95 or complete the form and we will contact you to book you in for an appointment.
(this was taken directly from the ARCBS site)

VISIT HERE TO SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP SAVE A LIFE.

i have been donating blood since i was 16 years old, only taking time out to be pregnant, feed my babies and to have my wrists operated on.
i am now a permanent plasma donor and almost up to my 80th donation.
i feel blessed that i have the spare time to do this and i realise that many people don't.

but even worse than the shortage of people prepared to donate blood is the number of people who are prepared to donate the organs of their loved ones once they have passed away.

this is a great website to inform you of the argument for organ donation.

over 6 million australians have registered, either through the organ donor register or through marking a box on their driving license to be donors.

but despite this last year only 198 donors donated their organs.

and australia has the highest success rate for organ transplants in the world !!!!
over 90% of organ donation operations are successful.

even if you do mark on your license that you wish to donate your organs, your family can override your wishes.
as difficult and as emotive as it is, it might be a good idea to sit down with your families and discuss organ donation and see what the wishes are of your family members.

as a family, we have done this and we explained the process of organ donation to our children and we all now know what each family member's wishes are.

i was going to apologise for shoving so much information about donating blood and organs at my blog readers but you know what....???
i am NOT going to apologise for raising the awareness of these important issues.

god forbid that any one of us should ever need blood or blood products or an organ transplant.

and god bless those of you who who take the time to donate or make the decision to give a stranger another chance at life when your time here on earth is at it's end.

shazz xo

this post is made in memory of our dear friend and neighbour, rob.
whose tragic death 4 years ago broke our hearts but whose precious gifts gave a second chance of life to 7 strangers.

GOD BLESS YOU ROB
xo

NORMAL PROGRAMMING

WE WILL RESUME NORMAL PROGRAMMING SHORTLY.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

WHILE YOU WAIT, PLEASE ENJOY THE FOLLOWING...

shazz
xo

CROSSROADS

i am at the crossroads of my life....well that is what it feels like to me.

so many "little things" have happened in the past few weeks that have me questioning every single aspect of my life....who i am?; what should i be doing with my life?; my role as a mother, a wife, a friend, my place in our extended family.
and all these questions have added up to a HUGE realisation, that at almost the age of 44, i don't know who i am or where i should be or where my place is in the universe.
as i said to a friend the other night....i just don't "fit" in anywhere. and when i stop and think about it, i don't think i ever have.

and i am scared and alone and frightened and just not coping the best with life at the moment.
i need some direction and clarity in my life.
i have insomnia, my weight is creeping up again, i am teary and the panic attacks are coming more regularly.

i just need to know...
and to feel...
and to fit....
and to breathe.

xo

TOUCHING BASE

yes.....the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated....as someone famous once said.
despite my friends emailling me, asking was i recently deceased because i haven't blogged, i can assure you all i am very much alive.
i don't have the "blogging without obligation" icon in my sidebar for nothing
*WINK*

i will update my blog soon....lots to talk about and tell, just not that thrilling.

some scrapping to share now and an invite to head over to TSE and check out their cybercrop challenges.
i love that you have a week to complete them and that some pretty amazing designers have set the challenges this month.
i became a member of the TSE forum after the amazing miss ruthy was named as one of their design team members and miss marie is the guest designer for the next 6 months. just a lovely, friendly forum and some pretty awesome scrappers on their design team.

this was a vain attempt on my behalf to use up some of my "ample" stash, hence the "blast-from-the-past" elements - the mulberry paper, the old PPs, the chipchatter letters and the scrabble word tiles.
didn't put much of a dent in my stash at all to be honest.
maybe that should be a challenge to myself to use a whole lot of the older parts of my stash on a couple of LOs
who am i trying to kid.....my entire stash is old hence my less-than-ordinary scrapping attempts...LOL

this is for the tribute challenge set at TSE each month...you chose a person in your life, living or passed over, that you want to scrap a tribute album for.
i have chosen mark because....well, i have FINALLY got some photos of him as a child and they are gorgeous photos and i want the kids to know about their dad as a person. i am hoping (though don't hold much hope) that mark will contribute in some way but that remains to be seen i guess.
this LO shows mark as a 4 month old baby and would have been taken in early 1965.
the photo printed up really well seeing it was printed off a scan and i have done NO photo editing on it at all.
wasn't he just the cutest little fella....???

this is for the 123 challenge for january.
it shows the moment that the boys' team scored the goal that got them a berth in last year's FFNC grand final. click on it to see the photo a bit closer up. it a cracker of a photo (taken by yours truly) and there is talk of getting it enlarged to canvas size and placed over the bar at the club

the february challenge has been set too - go and check it out...!!!

now until next time....
always remember to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

shazz xo

MERRY CHRISTMAS

i want to wish everyone who reads my blog a very very merry chrismas and a happy, safe and healthy new year. may the craziness of the silly season not invade your life too much and may you have many wonderful times with your families and those you love.
may 2008 prove to be a peaceful and joy-filled year for us all.

just to wrap up the year - a few points.
* i have torn a tendon in my left forearm and am currently typing this one handed with my left arm in a sling to give it some relief. dunno how i did it - the ultrasound technician said it must have been one one almighty hard knock to tear it the way i have but i have no recollection of hitting my arm that hard. and being THIS time of the year i can't get into a physio until the new year so i am living on pain killers at the moment and resting it when i can.
all i know is that the pain is unending and excruciating.

* jake had his presentation dinner last week and came away with the following awards...
- the principal's award for best all-rounder in all areas (academic, social, peer support and sport)
- the Mitch Everleigh Memorial award for music excellence
- 16 years age champion for cross country
- excellence awards in maths, music and PD/H/PE
- outstanding senior player for football (soccer)
his school report was glowing to say the very least and his school certificate results were outstanding.
we are very very proud of him and as always jake was very humble in his acceptance of the awards.
this is what he looked like just before he left for the night.

pretty gorgeous hey...???

* kait had the lead in the school production for her presentation night. she played "ariel" the little mermaid and looked just gorgeous.
(no photos as yet sorry)
she missed out on being school captain which upset her as she was so proud of the speech she had written all by herself and practised for days beforehand.
the girl who won didn't even want the position so why she bribed the younger kids to vote for her is a bit of a mystery to us all.
she did really well in her report also and all of her teachers tell us that she is a polite and contributing member of the classroom - and we can't ask for more than that.
i am still trying to come to terms with next year being her last year at primary school...where have those years gone...???

* my torn tendon means i haven't been able to complete the last two months of the EMMies at EMM so i am out of the running for the major prize. not that i really needed anymore product.

* EMM is winding up before rondelle launches her new site "the scrap lounge"
it will be interesting to see how the future unfolds.

* i successfully hosted the last swap for EMM - a Secret Santa swap - and i am proud to say that all the girls now have their gifts under their trees waiting to be unwrapped tomorrow night. i was really pleased that everyone worked really hard to make sure all their gifts were delivered on time. can't wait to open mine.

so as i sign off on this post, i just want to wish everyone a very very happy and blessed christmas and may 2008 be a year filled with much happiness, love and scrappable moments.
thank you to my online friends and those of you i have been lucky enough to meet in person, for all your friendship, love and support.
at times, you have meant more to me than some of my "real life" friends.

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

see you in 2008

shazz xo

I MISS YOU

nana and i - christmas day 1995

you would think that after 11 years i would have stopped missing you;
but i haven't.
you would think that after 11 years i wouldn't reach for the phone everytime i wanted to share some news;
but i still do.
you would think that after 11 years the hurt and pain of your loss would be a little less; but it is still as raw and and painful as the day you left.
you would think that after 11 years my heart would be a little less broken when i think of all the wonderful things i want to share with you and can't;
but my heart still aches for you.
you would think that after 11 years i would have found another confidante that i could tell anything to;
but i haven't.
you would think that after 11 years i could think of you and not immediately have my eyes fill with tears;
but i can't.

i miss you my darling nana.
i miss your arms hugging me and telling me things would all be ok, even when you knew they wouldn't.
i miss our chats on the phone almost daily - you were always so interested in what i was doing; what my family was up to.
i miss our visits to the coffee shop so you could have your cup of tea and scone.
i miss taking you for drives - you always had such a good time.
i miss you laugh, and you smile and the way you called me "sharry"

i am so sorry i never got to say goodbye.
i am so sorry that i couldn't speak at your funeral.
i am so sorry you never got to see my boys grow up or to see what a beautiful angel my kait has become - and you did believe she was an angel.
i am so sorry i didn't push harder for you to see a doctor when i knew you were so ill.

i miss you nana
xxoo

DT PROJECTS

here are the first of my RJR projects in full living colour.

this is a KaiserCraft Christmas Countdown Tree.
jenny has them in the shop.
i covered it in the delicious BasicGrey Figgy Pudding PPs.
just delicious and double-sided to boot.
i have a love/hate relationship with double-sided PPs....i love using them but hate that one side has to be forsaken.

this is a close up of the star on top of my tree - i covered it in this gorgeous handmade gold paper i have that was given to me many years ago.
the jewels are Kaiser Bling available from jenny too.
the ribbon you can get here.
i curled the ribbon using ribbon stiff and twisting the ribbon around a pencil until it dried.
i love that it looks like candy canes.

these are the cards i made using more beautiful RJR ribbons, bling and the amazing Kaiser laser cut embellies. also lots of buttons, some stickers and rub-ons.
i just love the way they turned out and i have earmarked them to give to some certain special people.
i think the PPs are Bo Bunny Press.
very christmasy anyways.

i have a few more projects to share once they are finished - soon jen *grin*
pop over to the RJR blog to see what all the other DT girls have done - AMAZING !!!

i hope everyone is having a great weekend so far.
kait has been out partying all day with my dad and step-mum so we will be putting our tree up tomorrow.
and i also have HEAPS of christmas scrapping to do + cards to write in + taking christmas pics of the kids - i already have some simply GORGEOUS ones of matt, taken today when he was all dressed up to head out to the local race day.
it certainly is a busy time of the year.

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
the love of family and friends.
no matter how hopeless things can seem at ttimes, sometimes all you have to do is reach out and ask for a helping hand or a friendly ear.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS....

i have FINALLY completed some of my RJR DT projects....it was just another month where the gods seemed to be conspiring against me (in many more ways than i could ever tell you) and i was late in getting my projects sent off to jenny.
do i need a note jen...????

jen also has a great new range of heidi swapp ribbons at a really great price so check those out while you are there.

i have placed an order with jen today so i can't wait to get hold of all the goodies i have ordered.
some ribbons, some felt ribbon and some OTP kaiser craft goodies.

so until jen puts my projects up on her blog, here are a few sneak peeks.

a countdown tree made of delicious BG figgy pudding papers

every christmas tree needs a beautiful star on the top

"and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care"

buttons, bling and even more buttons

hope you have all had a great monday.
happy scrapping 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
i have all but finished my christmas shopping.
just a few more laybys to collect but i do have HEAPS and HEAPS of scrapping to get done before the robust jolly gentleman arrives.

TAGGED

the gorgeous tracy has tagged me and even though i have completed this tag before i will see if i can come up with 7 new random things about me.

no rules either about linking people and the like.
if you want to take part in this tag, do so on your own blog and just pop back here and let me know.

ok.....7 "new" random things about me that maybe you didn't know.

-> i only ever wagged school once - to line up to get tickets at the local cinema to see "Grease". along with my friends we got the last ten tickets available.

-> i had my appendix out when i was 20 years old.

-> i found out i had another younger brother only two years ago.
we "clicked" immediately and it is like he is a part of me and always has been.

-> i was by my step-dad's bedside and my maternal grandmother's bedside when they passed away.

-> i used to sit on my hair when i was 13.

-> i have had over $10,000 worth of work done on my teeth after a dentist caused them to become crooked and weakened after pulling out the wrong tooth when i was 12.

-> i once performed CPR on a little boy that my friend and i dragged from a backyard pool but sadly he passed away.

so there you go....random things about me that maybe you didn't know.
hope that you are all having a great weekend and getting all that christmas scrapping and preparation done.
i am behind on my RJR DT stuff - it's almost finished jen...i promise.
while you wait for it to appear on jenny's blog (go and see all the beautiful designs the other wonderful DT girls have come up with), pop over and check out all the gorgeous christmas ribbons and goodies she has on offer.

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
playing games with kait and mark earlier tonight. the boys are both out for the night and after dinner we played a couple of board games.

AN ANNIVERSARY OF SORTS....

it was 27 and 1/2 years ago today that, on the prompting of my friend danielle, i peered over my english text book and saw the most beautiful set of brown eyes looking at me from across the room.

danielle whispered to me that she was sure they were looking at me but if they weren't, she wanted to meet the guy who had those eyes.
everytime i looked up from my work and glanced over that way, those big gorgeous brown eyes were staring back at me.
and then at the end of the lesson he stood up and boy...did he have the cutest butt too...LOL
why had i never noticed this boy before...???

at lunch i saw him talking to one of the guys i was friends with and when he walked away i casually wandered over and asked my friend who he was.

"what's going on with you two?" asked my friend, "he was just asking about you !!!"

later that lunchtime, my friend dragged the guy with those big brown eyes over to me and said, "you two obviously have things to talk about"

his name was mark. he played soccer. he sailed catamarans with his father. his family owned one of the bigger car dealerships in town. he had two older sisters and a younger brother.

by the end of lunch we had swapped phone numbers.

every lunchtime after that, he came and sat with me and we talked.
i had lots going on in my life at that point in time. ian, my cousin, who had lived with us and was like a big brother to me, had been caught in singapore with drugs and there was so much tension at home as we fought the authorities to get him out of jail.

i was still broken and fragile and probably a little out of control after years of abuse as a child.
i didn't trust many people but this guy had a way of making feel like i was special and important and that i mattered.

it took a few weeks for him to eventually ask me out. we went to the cinema to see ice castles.
that first date we didn't even kiss...he just sat with his arm around my shoulder and after the movie was over, he held my hand as we left the cinema.
i can remember thinking that maybe had decided he didn't really like me after all because, as we all know, the gauge of whether a boy likes you when you are 16, is whether they kiss, or in some cases, attempt to kiss you.

but the lunchtime visits continued, and the occasional phone call.
and the rumour mill of 16 year olds and the bitchiness of teenage girls, as it does, worked overtime.
girls walked up to me at school and told me he liked someone else too and was trying to choose between us. being the person i was at that time, i spent hours at night crying and writing these painful letters to him (which i never sent), begging him to pick me over whoever this other girl was, promising that i would always love him.
looking back i must have looked so desperate and dateless.

a few weeks later i was at the beach with my family and i looked up to see this figure running up the beach towards us. it all sounds so corny and so cliche but i can still remember what he was wearing and what i had on too.
i introduced him to my mum and step-dad, we sat on the beach and talked.
when mum called me to go, he leaned over, put his hand on my cheek and kissed me.
it wasn't a passionate, "from-here-to-eternity" rolling-in-the-sand kiss, but a gentle first kiss.
i will never forget how i felt but i do remember thinking one thing.....

"this is the man i will spend the rest of my life with"

and the rest, so they say, is history
and here we are.....
3 kids,
2 dogs,
a mortgage,
a business,
almost 21 years of marriage
later.

mark and i at my 21st in 1985
look how young and in love and skinny we were...LOL
(i looked for some earlier photos of us but tis is all i could find)

so happy anniversary to us darl.
the road to this point hasn't always been an eight lane highway.
in fact at times it has resembled a country lane full of potholes.
but i still do love you.
thank you for 27 1/2 years of happiness and love, tears and joy, friendship and laughter.
thank you for our three beautiful children and fulfilling my dream of being part of a loving family.
thank you for believing in me when no one else did.
thank you for standing by me when no one else would.
thank you for being my anchor when the stormy seas of life got really really rough.

have a wonderful day everyone
and 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
he loves me
he loves me not
he loves me
he loves me not

no.....he really does love me !!!!

THE SONG SAYS IT ALL

weren't they just the cutest little bugs you ever did see...???
this LO has been in my head for ages and it came together in about an hour which is quick for me.

i have lots to update but also lots to keep me busy - EMMie scrapping, christmas gifts and cards, DT projects for RJR - (plus lots on my mind at the moment which is seriously messing with my head - hence the change in my choice of song - i'm just a little bit "over" being "easy-going-shazz") so i hope to find some balance over the weekend and get an update done.

have a great weekend everone and 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
jake has finished his school certificate and feels he has done well. he is SO happy to be finished with history and geography and science - his least favourite subjects - and was doing the "happy dance" when he arrived home from those exams this past week.
although he is 100% sure he is going onto year 11 and 12, i feel like another chapter of his schooling life has closed which is kinda sad (for me anyways)

SCRAPPING SHARING

this is the last of my EMMie projects for October.
YAY !!!

this was based on a sketch by sara one of the EMM DT members.
who would have thought a pic with such bright colours in it would have worked so well with a green/pink/white colour combo...???

this is my OTP project for September/October.
it is a baby journal for the daughter of my friend at work. i hope she likes it.
man i HATE doing OTP projects. yet there are some people who just LOVE to do them. i really struggle to do them every two months for the EMMies, i can tell you.

only 7 more sleeps until the EMM retreat and i have SO much to get done. ATCs, kits to pack, chocolate stash to buy....LOL
plus i have been busy tying hundreds of ribbon bows for my ribbon hat which is part of the saturday night fun and frivolity.

anyway....i just realised the time....OMG...!!!
i better toddle off to bed....have a great thursday and 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
mark's aunt ruthie, uncle colin and aunt helen are visiting from victoria and i am making a quick trip up to bruns (brunswick heads) to see them on saturday.
they are staying with mark's other aunt joanie and i am SO looking forward to catching up with these gorgeous and amazing people who have welcomed me so lovingly into their family.

ONE DAY,,,

this is my BOM (Book of Me) LO for the october EMMies.
we had to scrap somewhere that we would like to travel.
not as adventurous as some people but it's my dream.

i hope that the week so far has been good to you
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
i had a visit from my dear old dad and my step-mum today.
and despite dad and i having a little tiff over something really trivial, it is so good to have them near to us and able to visit.
i love you daddy....with all my heart xxoo

ISN'T SHE JUST....

...a picture of poise and elegance.

this is a LO i did of kait competing at the Surfers Paradise Interclub for physie early in august this year.
(i used the floral challenge pack from EMM)

this was the last comp that she would compete as a novice because at the zone comp last weekend she finalled (they compete twice and then the top 16 girls are chosen to compete in the final before the top 5 girls are chosen to move onto sydney in november)
and even though she didn't win a place, it was her goal (and my fervent hope) that she would final and she did !!!!!
i was so very very proud of her and cried like a baby when she marched out with the other 15 little girls that finaled as well.

and when you consider the fact that she has spent every day since, with her head in a bucket with this dreaded gastro bug, well i am just so very very proud of her acheivements.

hope that everyone is having a really wonderful weekend so far.
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
no one in our family currently has their head in a bucket.
a pretty gross thing to be happy about but after almost 2 weeks of this awful gastro bug making us all so ill, i am just grateful for a spew/poo free day
ROTFL !!!!!

STRUGGLING - AGAIN !!!!

again i am struggling with the whole scrapping "thing"
i feel like i am on the verge of really getting comfortable with the way i scrap - a bit like standing on the edge of a really high cliff and i know that if i step off i will be able to soar but it's just taking that first step that is holding me back.
what am i scared of...???
i honestly don't know.

i gave up years ago scrapping to please others - magazines never seemed to want to publish my work and the two times i have been on DT teams have probably been my two flashes of brilliant scrapping.

i have so many LOs of other people bookmarked; ideas of how i would like to scrap stuck in an ideas book; computer book marks of inspirational sites - so why can't i just get in and scrap and get my "groove thang" happening.

but when i think about why i scrap - to tell the story of my family for them and for future generations - i know that i am achieving this goal.
kait LOVES to sit and look through the albums. she laughs and giggles at the pictures and the journalling.
mark, matt and jakey are rather non-plussed about the whole scrapping thing i think.
"nice page" is probably the most encouraging comment any of them have ever given me.

so why do i scrap besides the archiving of our family's history and preserving the memories and the moments...???
well for one, i can't imagine NOT scrapping.
i like the whole process of telling the story behind the photo.
i love the creative process of scrapping.

but still i feel like i am holding back from scrapping in the way i want.
and i don't know how to allow that creativity to flow and develop.

please don't think i am fishing for compliments about my scrapping - i know it's not brilliant.
but if you can give me any suggestions about how to release the scrapping goddess within, feel free to do so.

sorry if this has been a bit rambly. i just needed to get my thoughts down and i hoped they would make some sort of sense once they were out of my head - well THAT didn't happen now did it...????
i am exhausted after a week of the dreaded gastro bug laying me low and now both kait and matt have it and i am averaging only a few hours sleep a night while i empty buckets, mop fevered brows, dole out flat lemonade and sit and worry about them.
i guess mark and jakey will be lining up for their turn in the next few days.
it is a nasty bug.

i also love the concept behind "blogging without obligation" hence i have placed a blinkie (is that what they are called..???) in my sidebar.
thanks to the lovely megan who inadvertantly lead me to this wonderful guilt-free way of blogging.

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
there is rain on the way - YAY !!!!!
&
jakey topped the WHOLE of year 10 in his trial school certificate maths paper.
we are SO proud of our beautiful son.

~*~ FOREVER YOUNG ~*~

COREY - PAUL
MITCH - BRYCE
*OUR BOYS*
~ forever young ~

it's been 12 months today since we lost our boys.
12 long months of sorrow and tears and anger and unimaginable grief.
12 long months of questioning "why them?"; "why our community?"; "what went wrong?"
so many questions we will never know the answers to.

my thoughts today have turned to the parents of these four young men - some of them known personally to mark and i.
i think of the siblings of the boys - still struggling to live each day without their brothers.
it has been a difficult day at the school where the boys attended (the school our boys attend(ed) - their mates are sitting their HSC exams today; the staff are still helping some students cope with the first taste of real grief they have known on their short lives - counsellors still attend the school when needed.
i have watched my boys for any signs of "not coping" - boys are a lot more reserved about what they are feeling than girls. they have coped by being with mates and remembering the boys through music.
and today i have thought of the young driver who survived the accident - a friend of our boys - a gentle young man who will carry the burden of that tragic night with him for the rst of his days.
a young man who still has so much more of this journey to travel before being able to make some kind of life for himself, and i pray that he can.

today, more than any other day, is a day to remember to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

shazz xo

SCRAPPING TO SHARE

i have LOTS of news to share but not a lot of time to write the post so instead i will share some scrapping instead.

this was the last of my EMMie challenges for september.

i LOVE ths pic of my fabbo friend marie - it is so her !!!!! lots and lots and LOTS of cutting up a piece of PP to frame the pic and lots of using up little letter stickers.
i think it looks great though.

rondelle from EMM did me the honour of asking me to be the guest designer for october and she sent me the "Top Up Box" to work with. what a beautifully gorgeous set of papers to work with. she has the top up boxes available in the shoppe.

my challenges revolve around the different ways you can add journalling to a LO.
so far i challenged the girls to use a quote or song lyrics on a LO.

this is my LO for that challenge.

and the second challenge was to interview someone for a LO.

here is my LO using that technique.

i have a few more challenges to set as well as lots of other ideas of how to add journalling to your pages.
and just a little secret too (look at the titles in my two guest DT challenges)
how nice do they look....cut out so nicely.
it's amazing how well a craft robo cuts a title
(mark bought me a craft robo at the PCF...!!!! but more about that in my next "newsy" post)

i am off to visit my friend kirsten today so she can help the blonde in me to put my stampin' up stamps together....just don't feel confident in making that first cut myself.....silly i know !!!!

have a wonderful tuesday and i promise to be back soon with a newsy post and hopefully more scrapping to share.
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
SCHOOL HOLIDAYS!!!!
love that lack of routine and rushing and hanging out with the kids, playing games and doing crafts and just taking time to relax and enjoy being a mum.

RJR DT PROJECTS

a quick share of my RJR DT work for this past month.

jenny has an amazing array of products at really great prices so head on over and have a look at what she has to offer. and no.....not just ribbons, although they are gorgeous too.
you should see what goodies she will be sending the DT in time for some christmas scrapping - yummy yum yum.

also check out the gorgeous work that the other DT girls have done too.
i am definitely the rookie of the group.

here are my projects for last month

love this pic of kait warming up before her last physie comp. i used some of the grogeous hand marbled papers made by auntie joanie.
isn't it just GORGEOUS...???

another warm up pic. used some of the kaiser bling that jenny has for sale to create the heart.
probably wouldn't use so many rub ons so late at night again - some of them rub on really well and others of them defy the title of "rub on"

a birthday card for my gorgeous gal-pal tam.
she hasn't received it yet so if you are reading this tam, just pretend you didn't see this part.
used some of the hand marbled paper made by joanie again. she has always been so generous in giving it to me and i love using it.

a quick and simple card using ribbon stiff on the ribbon to allow me to cut out the petals.
and some hand stitching of course.

will post again today or tomorrow with lots more news - both personal and scrapping.

enjoy your sunday and...

GO FORD !!!!!!
(it's bathurst weekend for those of you who don't know)

shazz xo