SCRAPPING SHARING

two more LOs that i scrapped for the lounge cybercrop this past weekend.

this challenge was set by naomi and we had to scrap a "non-person" LO and use the colour combo of blue/green, white and pink + use some strip journaling on the LO.
this is the view from the rear balcony of jim and joan's (the "outlaws") unit at tweed - i never get tired of looking at it.
you can check out the everyone else's LOs for this challenge here

and this is my LO for Kym's challenge - we had to use a piece of recycled clothing, ie: tags, buttons, labels etc; 3 small photos (i cut down big ones to make small ones); a large title; and journaling with the word love in it!!!
my recycled piece of clothing is the pocket off my most favourite ever pair of jeans - i literally wore those jeans till they fell off me.
again you can see the gallery entries here

hoping to get back later in the week with some more scrappy shares....so until then -
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

GRAB A COFFEE....PULL UP A CHAIR

i could sit and write screens and screens of babble to catch up on what i have been doing but would anyone care to sit and read it - dunno......so point form it is.

* HEART CARDS is doing well...haven't spoken to Jodi to see if any cards have arrived yet but plenty of people seem to be making cards and lots have asked for fliers to be sent to them.
thank you everybody for your support.
and remember...it's never to late to get involved.
see here for details.

* let me introduce the newest member of our family....MISS COCO
she is a red toy poodle and despite my initial misgivings that it was "too soon" after losing Molly, she has fitted so well into our family.
even Mark seems besotted with her.
now to just get her toilet trained.

* Matt had a ball in NZ
Matt with his friends and their balloon hats.
he said that it was "the best time of his life" and he is hoping to save enough money to go back again next year for the youth camp.
one of the highlights of the trip was getting up one morning to watch the sunrise and then driving across the island all day to watch the sunset that night. i guess he was on a skinny part of NZ !!!!

* Jake was inducted as school captain a few weeks ago. i was SO proud of him and even more thrilled that my mum came along to see it all happen.
his thank you speech at the end of the ceremony had everyone talking - even the Mayor commented what a great speech it was.
i think the school community chose well when they elected him to the position - no bias here of course....LOL

* Kait has settled into high school really well. despite none of her friends going to the same school as her she has made some lovely new little friends and seems to have settled into the routines and hustle and bustle of high school life.
she hates the homework side of things - but who didn't.

* I still haven't found a job yet. had a few "thanks but sorry" letters and emails which were hard to take at first and made me feel pretty awful but i guess things are tough out there in the big wide world at the moment. something will come along - sooner rather than later i hope.

* a big congrats to my friend Ruthy on becoming a "noni" for the very first time. who wouldn't want this beautiful soul as a "noni" i ask you....???
she has already scrapped some LOs about Logan's arrival and i suspect we will see lots more as this dear little man grows up.

* i was honoured and blown away to be asked by Julie over at A 2 Z Scraplets to be a member of her DT - thanks to a recommendation from my beautiful gal-pal, Shari
Julie's Scraplets are just gorgeous and some of the designs are so intricate. i have had fun creating LOs and cards using them. here is one of the LOs i CAN share
there are more to share but i have to wait a little while until i can.

* i have taken on an admin role over at "The Lounge".
rondelle has asked me to co-ordinate the swaps and keep them on track and i am also in charge of keeping the Lounge's Blog up and running. lots of things in the pipeline so keep on checking back to see what we are up to.

* speaking of "the Lounge", there is a cyber crop up and running there this weekend.
pop on over and have a look at the challenges and the galleries too.
there are some awesome scrappers out there.
here is my take on challenge 3 - the sketch challenge
this is my mum and my aunty gail (mum is on the right). i just love these photos of the two of them together and i am thrilled with the way this LO turned out.
by the way, start to finish, this LO took me just under an hour to complete - fastest LO i have ever completed - EVER !!!!!!

* it's only 5 weeks until the Stick and Giggle retreat up at Marburg.
am i ready....???
well kinda - ATCs to complete, kits to pack, costume to get organised, class to plan.
am i excited....???
DAMN STRAIGHT I AM !!!!

I hope to be able to bring you some more happy scrapping in the next few days but until then....
be happy, stay safe but most of all.....
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

STILL KICKING

hellllllllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooooooooooo
is there anyone out there....???
i hope that you are all still out there and haven't deserted me. i really haven't felt much like blogging since we lost molly...it is a little easier but some days i am just so sad and depressed that she is gone.
silly i know cause she is at peace and out of pain but i still miss her terribly and often call her name without thinking.
anyways.....having her picture staring at me from my blog every time i checked it and hearing the song i had playing didn't help so i took a friend's advice and am going to start posting again.

i have lots of news to post about but for now i want to just post about one thing

(click to enlarge)

"HEART CARDS"
"HEART CARDS" is a project to help the families devastated by the recent bush fires in Victoria.
we are asking all scrappers, card makers and paper crafters to make 10 thank you cards that will be distributed to families affected by the bush fires. it will allow them to write a personal thank you note to anyone who has helped them.
you can read more about it --> here
and if you would like a flyer to hand out to friends or post on a noticeboard at work or school, please email me (shazz64@westnet.com.au) and i will send one to you.
this will be an ongoing project so if you can't help out this time around, maybe later in the year.

i promise i will be back with more news soon.

until then....be happy, stay safe but most of all.....remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

"MOLLY"

R.I.P. BABY GIRL
May 24, 1995 - December 6, 2008

"so good bye my friend.
though i'll never see you again.
the love you gave me through all the years.
will take away these tears.

i'm ok now

goodbye my friend

you can go now

goodbye my friend"

~*~

GOTTA LOVE POINT FORM...!!!

* kait's soccer team travelled to sydney to compete in the "small schools' soccer knockout" finals - yes....their little team, with over half the kids never having played soccer before, made it to the state finals.
and they came third !!!!!
beaten on the whistle in the first game but winning convincingly in the second game.
i went down with them in a little (and i DO mean little), cramped, rattly 22 seater bus - along with 3 other parents, drew - our principal - and "mr" walmsley, a prac student at the school and a friend of our boys.
certainly an experience but SO much fun hanging out with the kids, my friend jen and having fun.
the best part of the whole trip was catching up with louise and "miss B" who came out to the grounds on the friday to cheer kait on. louise made kait's day - well her year really - by telling her that she would have another cousin in april next year - HOW EXCITING.
kait was just so thrilled.
she loved hanging out with B and when it was time for louise and B to leave there were plenty of tears i can tell you. more than once, on the trip home, kait told me that she wished, more than anything, thet we lived closer to her aunty louise, uncle chris and bianca.
and she ain't the only one.

* jake was named the male school captain last week at his school.
not bad seeing he had to be talked into nominating by his teachers.
the principal rang us and said he was one of the most impressive candidates and will be a wonderful asset to the school.

* jakey also has a girlfriend. she has been his "mate" since year 7 but i noticed a distinct "change" in the way they were acting around each other during the holidays.
she is a lovely girl....down-to-earth; not giggly (which i know he would hate); and fun to have around.

* matt has joined a local church and seems to be still searching and looking for purpose in his life.
i guess it's a good thing. the people he hangs around with now are lovely. just not to sure of certain things he has said or commented on.

* both he and jake have been asked to play in the north coast team for futsal next february. i thought we might have got a break from sport for a while - the injuries, the pre-game rituals and the smelly, putrid clothes that are put in the laundry chute after every game but it wasn't to be. the roundabout of massages and post-game injuries continues.

* kait finalled at coffs for physie in october. she performed so well but didn't get through to sydney. she is all keen to step up to seniors next year and still busts out the occasional physie move or puts on her DVD and practices are routines.

* the countdown is on until kait finishes at rous and moves onto high school.
i will be very sad to leave rous and all the lovely people we have met in our years out there.
but as someone said a few weeks ago, "you never really leave rous. you leave a part of your heart here and take a part of rous with you wherever you go"
and it's true.

* lots of crafting of christmas gifts has been taking place. i am hoping (and fervently praying) that i will get it all done in time....just trying to do alittle each day and working off a "to-do" list. seems quite daunting when you first make the list and see how much work is ahead of you but at least you have a direction to go in, despite feeling like the proverbial chook with its' head cut off.....LOL

will leave you with a few pics so this post isn't a total bore

kait and her teacher "miss jenna" at the end of the physie comp in coffs. don't you just ADORE that colour leotard on my girl. she looked amazing out on the floor in it.

"the team" getting their halftime pep and tactics talk from mr green.
GO ROUS !!!!!

told you kait loved hanging around with her cousin "B"
*WINK*

me and my GORGEOUS baby sister.
love you sweetie.
i think of you everyday and miss you and wish we lived closer to each other

anyways....work tomorrow so time for bed.
enjoy what is left of the week
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

AN UPDATE OF SORTS

For Today...

Outside my Window... the sun is shining and the wind is drying the clothes on the line

I am thinking... that i am glad things have settled down a bit in our home....lots of tensions and stress this past week.
not much fun at all

I am thankful for... all the amazing women in my life that i am blessed to have as friends.
from my real life, lifelong friends who i can call on at the drop of a hat, to my online friends who help keep me sane and grounded and on track in all aspects of my life.
i love each and every one of you

From the kitchen...the dishes are done, the corn meat is ready to start cooking and the fuit bowl is overflowing

I love...relaxing sundays; just like today.

I am wearing...3/4 pants and a tshirt

I am reading...the scrapping books i bought from marie
thanks darls

I am hoping...i can get my act together and get LOTS done this week.

I am creating...projects using my CT goodies for the lounge's november challenges

I am hearing...my boys cheering and moaning as they watch the Futsal World Championships on the telly.

Around the house...there is washing to bring in and fold and iron - now where the heck is that blasted maid....????
she is never around when i need her
LOL

One of my favorite things...snuggling on the lounge under a doona, in front of a roaring fire and talking with mark and the kids.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...getting some christmas gifts ready to post; christmas crafts; making my christmas cards (can you see a theme happening here...???); getting the dogs clipped; taking molly back to the vet; work; and just trying to be the best mother, wife and friend i can be.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

this photo of kait and my niece, bianca was taken in sydney last friday.
my heart is so full of love for these two little ones....kait and i were just so thrilled that louise and B could come to the soccer and see us.
kait was over the moon when louise told her she would be getting a new cousin in april next year.
lots of tears when louise and i had to say goodbye - love you heaps little sis
MWAH
xxoo

have a great week everyone.
enjoy what is left of your sunday
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

day-light savings started last night so it has been a lazy old day in the pratten household.
it's 2 p.m. and i am still in my jimmy-jams, crusing around the house doing odd little jobs and popping into check the computer every so often;
mark is watching the Moto GP (GO CASEY !!!);
matt is strumming away on his guitar after a morning at church;
jake is organising things for his camping trip on tuesday;
and miss kait (who has spent the last few days with her head in a bucket - my poor poppet) is watching a movie on the telly.
we have all just hoed into last night's BBQ leftovers for lunch - no cooking or preparation - YAY...!!!

i spent some time this morning checking out some blogs i haven't visited for A-G-E-S and found this little pearler on naomi's blog...thought it was cool and a nice easy way to make a blog entry.

For Today...

Outside my Window...overcast and a light breeze is blowing. hope the clothes dry on the line.

I am thinking...that i really need to get stuck into cleaning up this house and making some time for scrapping.

I am thankful for... my gorgeous family. they drive me totally NUTS sometimes but i feel a sense of wholeness and completeness when we are all here at home together.

From the kitchen...clean, clean, clean (a minor miracle seeing we had SO many people here last night for a BBQ)

I love...men in uniform (what can i say....you all know it is my weakness)

I am wearing...my jimmy-jams. it's that kinda day.

I am reading...nothing at the moment. might crack open some scrapping mags later for some inspiration.

I am hoping...that jake will be safe on his camping trip and that they will have a great time.

I am creating...lots and lots and lots of christmas goodies.

I am hearing...too much noise.....i'm sure all these computers, stereos, TVs being on at once aren't helping the reduction of greenhouse gases.

Around the house...things are moderately tiday which is a miracle seeing the kids have been home on holidays and my dad and step-mum were here all last week.

One of my favorite things...spending time with my friends and having a good old laugh and chin wag. good for my soul.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...more christmas goodie making; kait has physie practices in preparation for the zone comp in a few weeks; school clothes shopping for kait; work on thursday; catching up with a friend who is having BIG TIME marital problems and needs a friendly ear; shopping for mark's birthday next weekend; just vegging out with the kids.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

the first decent photo of me taken in ages
(well i think so)
good that the sunnies hide the bags under my eyes and my crows feet.
and from that angle you would never know i have a HUMUNGOUS double chin.
kait took it out a rocky creek dam last wednesday when we took dad, nanny and auntie marg out for a picnic lunch. it is so relaxing out there and i can't wait to go back with mark and do some bush walking and hunting for platypuses along the walking trails.

time to get off this computer and get something done.
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

SHARING

it was a CC weekend over at the lounge last weekend and what a weekend of laughter, giggles, chatting, creating, inspiration and some mild bullying and lots of sulking when i failed to draw out the "right" bingo numbers.
ROTFL
all in all a wonderful weekend and the gallery is sparkling with lots of gorgeous LOs.
there are such talented people out there.

my challenge was to scrap a monochromatic LO - the girls could choose any colour they wanted and scrap any topic but they had to incorporate hand and/or machine stitching on their LOs.
you can see the results here
pretty amazing some of them aren't they...???

this is my LO for the challenge.
i am thinking i might use this photo (taken one foggy morning from our side door) for the calendars for christmas gifts this year.
i particularly like the effect of having the muslin as a base for the LO
(and muslin is as cheap as chips too)
the buttons are from my nana's stash that i "inherited" after she passed away....there are some pretty amazing buttons in it i can tell you, including these beauties.

the only other challenge i managed to get done was jo's
here is my LO.

i am really pleased with the way it turned out. LOVE those new prima flowers that i received this week from Scrapsadaisy
very vintage-y.
and as you may have noticed i managed to get one of the fiskars water threading punches or whatever you call them.
great punch - stupid name !!!
thanks to a heads up from kirsten i got one from spotlight of all places (and they still had 8 others hanging up) and paid only $16.00 for it - BARGAIN !!!!

i have been busy putting all my LOs into my new albums after i got three new ones last week.
i noticed that i have fallen into the "trap" of scrapping photos and not events and moments in our lives. so i am aiming to scrap more of the moments in our lives over the coming weeks/months. i love my "adored"; "loved"; "blessing" type LOs but i seem to be lacking LOs that tell the story of the moments in our lives.
and that's the things i want to remember and what the kids and hopefully, one day, the grandkids will want to know about.
who we were and the things we did.

anyways....time to get miss kait off to physie.
hope you have all had a wonderful tuesday.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

SHE REALLY IS A GORGEOUS GIRL

from the tip of her toes to tip of her nose she really is gorgeous.

she has a habit of knowing when i need a cuddle and will just walk up and put her arms around me, kiss my cheek and say "i love you mummy".
each and every day i feel so very blessed that the universe chose me to be a mother and a mentor and a friend to this beautiful soul.

i love you baby girl
xxoo

WHAT A CONTRAST

talk about the two ends of the spectrum....i love the contrast between this scary photo of kait (she was going to a school disco with the theme of "mummies, zombies and all things scary") and the lovely floral fabric (that was part of our CT pack this month) and the flower cluster and the bling.
under all that scary-ness is our beautiful princess.
and what was even more scary was the attempts the next morning to get all those knots out of her teased up and gelled hair.
a fun LO to do and a fun memory for kait to have.

it's been mixed bag this weekend - a bit of girlie shopping for kait and i - buying a few more gifts to add to mark's father's day pressie, paying some money of christmas lay-bys and checking out all the new spring fashions in the shops.

i have drafted a "letter of expression" for a job that i am going for (more on that later) and spent a few hours chatting and catching up with our neighbour, dell who helped me out with the letter.
dell is an amazing woman - my friend and mentor.

unfortunately, matt and jakey's football (soccer) team lost their knock-out semi today. jake is devastated after such an amazing season of coming from a start of minus nine points as punishment from the association for last year's grand final debarcle to coming 5th overall in the point score.
there's always next year but this year, that team, their coaches and our club as a whole can hold their heads up with pride cause we sure showed them all.
they can use bogus trumped up charges and try to break our spirit but those boys took everything that they could throw at them and still came out on top.
i am so proud of each and every one of them.

hope that you are all having a great weekend so far.
for those of you that will see your dads tomorrow, make sure you give them a great big hug and a kiss.
i'll be missing my dad terribly tomorrow but am looking forward to talking to him on the phone and wishing him a happy day.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

CRAZY GUY

boy do i love this kid - my sensible, well-rounded, bright, devoted, lovable "crazy guy"

he is under so much pressure at the moment with his year 11 exams and making the decisions that will affect the rest of his life - nothing i can do for him but give him reassuring cuddles, shout him a Subway lunch occasionally (his favourite take-away meal) and try to give him self-confidence and belief in himself.
he knows all the work but he has this in-built drive to do well and achieve greatness.

so my darling boy - dream big, study hard, remember your manners, be kind to others and always always always....know how much you are loved and cherished by your family.

love you "peg"
xxoo

NEW COMPS

the first of each month marks the start of the new comps over at "the lounge"
so wander on over, pull up a cushion on the lounge and check them all out.

you can take part in
-> the monthly challenge (i have still to scrap my LO for this challenge using some of the GORGEOUS material that rondelle sent me)
-> the OTP/upcycled challenge (this is a new comp and is spread over two months so you have plenty of time to get your entries in)
-> the monthly sketch - this month i got to design the sketch - my first time ever
and here is my LO based on the sketch

doesn't he look so handsome....???

and the new and exciting new comp starting today.....
THE
SPECTACULAR
SCRAPTEMBER
PROMOTION
if you can chat, say nice things about the others' work and like to introduce friends to a nice place to hang out, this is the comp for you.
so sign up and start earning your SLDs (scrap lounge dollars)
i do believe miss rondelle has a some great things for you to bid for at the end of the month.

off to do the dishes and some scrapping.
loving the fact that my mojo seems to have come home to mumma.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

NOT MUCH TO REPORT

like half of the population i have been fighting this damn flu - i am not ill ("half ill" if that makes any sense) but i am not 100% well either. just keep battling on like you do when you are a mum and have responsibilities.

kait competed in her first inter-club last weekend....she didn't place but i didn't really expect her too. she seems to be so busy this year with soccer and physie and isn't doing the hours of practice that she needs. i think she realises that now and she has started her stretching routine each morning. hopefully soccer will be over for the year soon and she can get back to twice-weekly physie classes which is where i think her downfall has been too.

here she is competing

love the colour of her new leotard this year
i was a little worried it might wash her out a bit but she looked great in it and it really stood out on the floor.

her hair looked great too
(thanks to my friend terri who curled it for me on friday night)

terri, my other friend cheryl and all our kids piled into jim's unit at tweed on friday and saturday night and had a great time. once all the kids were in bed we sat up chatting and laughing - great fun. not sure i would ever go away again with that many kids when i'm not feeling 100% but we coped.

just a few pages to share - one from the scrap lounge CC that was on a few weekends ago that i didn't get finished in time.
love this pic of miss kait taken at the futsal champhionsips in brisbane in april.

and a second one for my CT comittments...using the gorgeous double-sided Bella PPs that rondelle sent to us.
the biggest problem always being which side to use.
cutting out these flowers seemed like a good idea at 11 p.m. last night when i started it but i was pretty much over it by 2 a.m. when i finished.
though it does feel good to be back in the scrapping mood again - welcome home my little mojo
LOL

anyways....mark and i are off to a football (soccer) dinner tonight so i better run and get my glad rags on.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

THE LOUNGE CYBERCROP

we had our monthly cybercrop over at "the lounge" this weekend.
go and check out the challenges - they are a lot of fun.
here is my LO for my challenge...

and this was the criteria that you had to use....
BON'S SCRAPS was the sponsor for this cybercrop.
in honour of this, my challenge is based on Bon's name.

-> create a LO using only brown and/or orange patterned papers and cardstock (your patterned papers should be predominantly orange and/or brown or tonings of these)....but you can use small amounts of white and black for your journalling and/or stamping, stenciling, etc.

->no commercially made embellishments can be used on your LO - you must make them yourself (think handmade flowers, handcut shapes, punched shapes, cutting designs from your patterned papers, doodling, etc)

-> your title must be handcut or stenciled (no die-cuts or machine-cut headings)

-> you must use your own handwriting for your journaling.

-> you can use paint, chalks, ink and stamps (but only brown, orange, black or white) but no brads, sewing, ribbon, brads, stickers, die-cuts, etc.

you can see what the other girls have come up with here
not a lot of entries but those that are there are just gorgeous. the girls have really risen to the challenge i feel.

i hope that you have had a great weekend. been mighty chilly these past few weeks and our fire has more than earned it's keep. we will be looking for another delivery of wood early this coming week i think.

whatever you have done...however you have spent your time and whoever you have chosen to spend your time with, i hope that you have been blessed with lots of smiles, happiness and special moments .

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

SOME SCRAPPING AND SOME NEWS

a couple of LOs to share today.

this one is using some of the GORGEOUS bella products from THE LOUNGE CT pack that rondelle sent out.
simply gorgeous co-ordinated products and so easy to work with.
also used some of the UNLEASHED diecuts that are lots of fun and very topical.
for this challenge we had to scrap a LO with the words "MAD ABOUT...." in the title as "Mad About Scrappin" sponsored the challenge for this month.
we also had to include some handmade flowers - lots of the girls that have uploaded so far have used felt which looks great but i used some scraps of PP to make these funky flowers - easy as and FUN to make.
i "altered" the die-cut to change it from "KAPOW" to "MAD" which i thought was pretty cool.
there is no "scrapping rule" that says you have use embellies and PPs as they come.

this pic is of me and our baby girl, miss kait (although she tells me she isn't our baby girl anymore - sorry sweetie - you will ALWAYS be our baby girl) taken at a physie interclub in brisbane a few years ago - i was so ill that day.

this is our friends' baby boy, jack. isn't he just a cutie-patootie....???
we really enjoyed "meeting" jack a few weeks ago when nathan and beck brought him down and we were all quite taken with having a baby in the house again.
this LO uses the "BABY" die-cut from UNLEASHED and is the first time that i used my "new" typewriter for journaling.
let me just say that starting to do the journaling at 11.30 at night was not the best idea i have ever had - and after 6 attempts i was finally happy with what i had done.
turned out pretty cool though i think.

this weekend is the monthly cybercrop over at "THE LOUNGE"
head over here to grab some clues prior to the night and then join us at 7.30 on friday night for lots of fun challenges and some trivia and the infamous "challenge the challengers" challenge that debuted last month - and what a doozy it was i can tell you.

and an exciting bit of news in my inbox today.
i have won a sewing machine
i can't tell you how shocked/thrilled/stoked i am - i was sure that anna at "Living Creatively" had made a mistake until i emailed her back and then she called me.
she also is sending me some entry tickets into the Sydney Stitches and Craft show which i was going to give to my sister but she can't take them.
so i will offer them to a sydney-sider via THE LOUNGE forum i think.
i NEVER win anything so i am still grinning from ear-to-ear about the whole thing.

a quick family update.
mark is nursing torn ligaments in his shoulder after a heavy fall in soccer a week ago. has made sleeping difficult for him and he spent the first few days doped up on panadiene forte. he saw the physio on friday (i think we should have our own revolving entry door at the physios) and has it heavily strapped which is painful in itself.
he tells me he is playing this friday but i have my doubts.
hopefully common sense will prevail.

matt had his first game back last friday night after getting clearance from all his physios/chiros/doctors. i wish he had decided to sit out the rest of the season but you can't tell them i guess. he fell VERY heavily in the first 10 minutes of the game and i was reduced to tears. i know he has worked hard to get his back to as normal as he can, and i know that he has enough brains to stay down when he is hurt but as i told him after the game, it is my job to worry about him.

jakey is still studying hard at school. he missed out on the job he went for at McDonalds - maybe the girl who interviewed him and said, after seeing his awards that he took with him, "i think you might be TOO smart to work here", wasn't joking.
he has picked up some work out at VA (our new business) a few sundays ago and picked up a nice little pay packet at the end of the day.

kait is enjoying her soccer. she played in the school team last week and they won both games and even though she isn't winning a lot of games at club level, she is having a great time.
we are off to surfers in a few weeks for a physie interclub and will be staying at mark's dad's unit with some friends which will be a wonderful weekend.

and me....well, i'm still plodding along. trying to find some balance and peace in my life after so many years of being lost and wandering and broken.
it's happening - it's a slow process - well it did take 44 years to get to be the person i am - but i think i am finally on track to find that peace and balance that i crave.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

A TOUGH WEEK

it's been a tough week for our family, our school community and our community as a whole.
last week, as a direct result of bullying that was occurring at school and out of school, a young man from jake's school took his own life.

i just knew as i saw jake walking up the drive last friday afternoon that something terrible was wrong. his shoulders were hunched over and he had such a look of despair on his face.
when he reached the bottom of the stairs he just lifted his head and looked into my eyes and shook his head.

we sat and talked about what had happened - at that point he didn't know many of the details. he was confused and sad and lost and just wanted to know why.
jake didn't know the young man personally as a friend but they had crossed paths at school, as they both had a love of soccer and music.

so again our school community has been plunged into the terrible abyss of grief and anger and counsellors being on hand for the staff and students.
again we are forced to think of the parents and family of this young man, who felt so alone and so desperate that he saw taking his own life, as the only answer to his problems.

as parents, mark and i are again on the lookout for "the signs" that we are all too familiar with, in our own children that they are not coping with some aspect of their lives and can only see one way out of a situation they find themselves in.
is the fact they prefer to be in their room alone, just typical teenage behaviour or is there something more sinister to their behaviour...???
should they be listening to the music that they do...???
are they hanging around with the "right" people...???

this week we have held our children a little tighter when we have hugged them goodbye; taken the time to sit with them and talk about what they did at school/work; listened to what they have had to say, even when we were pushed for time ourselves; told them we loved them probably an embarrassing number of times; sat beside their beds and watched them sleep, praying that they know how much we love them and are always there for them.

please spare a thought for the family and friends of this young man.
he was laid to rest today.
they now have to move forward through the rest of their Life's journey without their son/brother/grandson/friend.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

LAYOUTS TO SHARE

just a quick post to upload some LOs.
the first is from the Stick and Giggle retreat run by the gorgeous jody up at Mt Tamborine a few weeks back. i was unable to go for the whole weekend but managed a surprise visit up there on the saturday -it was so nice to catch up with old friends and to meet so many lovely new ladies.
this LO is from a class that the gorgeous and VERY PATIENT jolene pienaar ran.
i just love jolene's style and i am thrilled with the way it turned out, even after linda and i sent jolene into a bit of a spin by telling her that we only scrapped in the smaller 8.5 x 11 size.

this photo of kait was taken at louise and chris's wedding back in 2003.
she had been such a good girl all day but by the time the photographer snapped this little gem i think kait was just about over being the cute little flower girl.

the second LO today is one for the scrap lounge CC last friday.
the challenge was set by my gorgeous pal, jodi
a.k.a. "the lounge hog"
LOL
the criteria was as follows.......
-> our patterned paper must be scraps - no NEW sheets
-> a border made from non-scrapping supplies or something recycled
-> a mixed FONT title, I want to see at LEAST 3 different types of alpha's in your titles girls - use up those letters.............
AND - because we are celebrating our FIRST CC as your Creative Team;
the topic of your LO should be about a "first" of some description

and here is my LO for the challenge

this was jakey on his very first day of preschool.
he was so chuffed to be heading off to preschool with all his "new" things including his ninja turtle sleeping bag and sheets.
he was such a little cutie-pie, don't you think...???
i used glad wrap in the bottom RH corner as my "recycled" object.
it was a fun LO to do but i am still unsure as to whether i like it or not.

my CT pack for august arrived today - FINALLY !!!!
rondelle and i were just about thinking that it had disappeared into an Aussie Post black hole.
the goodies within are lovely and i should be creating with them in the next few days.

anyways....that's it for today.
remember to always to look for the things in your life that make you smile
~~ and let those you love, know that you do ~~

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

FIRST CYBERCROP AT "THE LOUNGE"

this weekend was the first cybercrop for the new CT at "the lounge"
jody, jodi, jo and i had lots of fun (and lots of nerves) setting the challenges and making a few changes to try and drum up a bit of interest over at "the lounge" and for our sponsor for this month "scrapbook savvy"
go and check out their new range of rose moka papers - SERIOUS drool material.

my challenge for the CC was to create a LO using only the three colours on the Scrapbook Savvy online store banner (pink, green and white) + you had to use double letters in your title because the "double V" in the word "savvy" tickled my funny bone
(hey.....i know i'm weird)
here is my LO......

isn't she just the most beautiful little person....???
i have scrapped this photo of kait a few times and probably will again.

and you can find the other GORGEOUS LOs that the girls have uploaded here in "the lounge" gallery.

we also introduced a new CC challenge "challenge the CT" - and boy.....did those girls ever challenge us.....!!!
we had to scrap a LO using the following criteria:
-> Non - person LO, NO people allowed in photos
-> LO must REVEAL something about YOURSELF
-> Only use cream, brown and white
-> LO must include CIRCLES

here is what i came up with.......

these are my most favourite pair of boots in the whole world. i have had them just over 17 years and it will be a very sad day indeed when they finally wear out. they are SO comfortable. i guess this LO reveals that i like things to be comfortable and that i am not a trend-setter - i don't need the latest fashions - just give me comfy any day.

you will be able to see what the other girls have done if you take a peek here
(although they may need a bit more time to upload their LOs)

other weekend news includes soccer wins for jake and kait
YAY GUYS !!!!!
jake's win puts stars up into 4th position on the table which is amazing when you think they started the season on minus 9 points as punishment for the indiscretions at the grand final last year.
those young men, and our club overall can hold their heads up with total pride in the way they have conducted themselves this season.
the whole soccer community wrote us off as a club saying what a pack of losers we were but those boys have played the season with utter class and dignity despite officials and other clubs and their players and fans totally rubbishing us and our club throughout the season.
i am so proud of all the boys and their coaches, trainers and the club officialdom that has developed such a great code of conduct that we can all live with.
other clubs in this area would do well to look at our club and the way that our club has conducted itself throughout this season.

and miss kait's team of little under 12 girls won their second game this morning and kaity scored the winning goal
YAY KAIT !!!!!
pity i just looked the other way as she scored it - isn't that always the way.....LOL

anyways....a few more challenges to get done for the CC and dinner to get started.
i hope you have had a wonderful weekend - the weather here has been just GORGEOUS this past weekend (good for drying the clothes)
hoping that the week ahead is a great one for you.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

shazz xo

THIS DAY...

comes around every year.

it's not that a thought of you doesn't cross my mind almost every day but on THIS DAY, every year, i can only remember the horror of that late night phone call; the anguish in your dad's voice; the utter devastation that your mum felt; the utter helplessness that we felt; the anger at the injustice of it all; the tears; the sorrow; and the heart-wrenching realisation that we would never see your beautiful smiling face here on this earth again.

so many vivid memories of those dark days - so many more that i am sure my mind won't allow me to remember.

but more and more the memories of the horror of that night are being replaced by gentler memories of your smiles and laughter that we shared; of the times our families spent together and of the precious gift that you were to us all.

i will see your mum and dad today - there will be tears and lots of them, hugs, memories shared and the renewing of that part of our friendship that we share, that i would never wish on anyone.

this is my favourite photo of you....

it shows me the steely determination that was so much a part of you, whether you were out on the track or just living your life;
it shows me those beautiful eyes - focused and ready to race - ready to beat the boys (and you usually did);
i know under that helmet there would have been carefully applied make-up - not too much but just enough to enhance your beautiful features;
i don't know what colour your hair would have been - it was always a surprise and a bit of a guess what colour you would have dyed it each time we saw you.
yep......i love this photo of you.

this day i will cry an ocean of tears and my heart will break.
i will hold my children a little closer and a little longer and i will try to see the good and the beautiful things around me.

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~

today i dedicate this sign off to you sweet girl...
for making us smile;
for the love that you shared;
and for reminding us all to "LIVE OUT LOUD"

rest in peace Kristy Lee.
we love you precious girl.

shazz xo

DO YOU.....

...remember your first love...???

my first love's name was alan and he rode a dragster and i fell in love with him when i was 11, when he cooked marshmallows for me at a school camp.
i never kissed him or went out on a date with him but i can remember that he let me go ahead of him in "lines" at school and bought me a toffee and chocolate crackle at the school fete.

ahhhhhh....the innocence of your "first love".

tell me about your "first love"

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

~*~ LIVE OUT LOUD ~*~