A layout i did for Mardi's weekly challenge on THE BOXX. As soon as I saw the challenge, I just knew I wanted to pink it up. No journalling on this one which is rare, but I do quite like it!! 

  

Mia after school tonight watching tele on our bed. She didn't want her photo taken. I had forgotten how tired and hungry and hot she is after school. Quiet couple of hours after school is called for for her, she so needs it. When she came home from school she ate 2 bananas, an icypole, some CC's, and a couple of biscuits. THEN tea of smiley loaf (YUCK) and a heap of salad. She ate the lot... I have felt calmer now that she is back at school. I love her so much, but she needs that extra stimulation that I just can't do all day every day.

 

Random photo. All of the toys in the lounge room for Lexi to be able to grab when she likes. Although she likes doing her commando crawl down the hallway into her sisters room to see what she can get up to in there. It's ok while Mia is at school, I make sure there are no Barbie shoes on the floor or any small choking hazards... But when Mia is at home, she carries on, "GET HER OUT MUM!!!" even though Mia may only be playing with her LITTLE PEOPLE it still is not on!! Ahh, the fun of it all! 

 

Yesterday we popped into Tatum's for a coffee, she makes the best!! YUM!! Love to catch up with that girl, for someone who found me on the net, even though we lived on the same street, she has turned out to be a wonderful friend, and the best bit is, we have lots to talk about which is good as talking is something we are both good at!! ANYWAY, I digress... While we were there, Tatum asked me if  I though this dress would fit Lexi. I said 'yes' without even thinking about it, so Tatum hemmed it up, ironed it and aren't we lucky, it is now in Lexi's wardrobe!! Thankyou so much Tatum!! Jealous of your sewing and crafting capabilities, and to have Lexi's own version is very spesh!! Look out, everyone will want one for their special little girl!! (Justine!!) So, about 35 photos later, here is Lexi in her deluxe little dress!!

 

Friday night, quiet one here. Off to bed in about 10 minutes... Brenton is very tired and I could go to sleep anytime... no, not a nightowl.... 

xxx

Yesterday had me making Mia a batch of play-do at 8am. I make it without any food colouring, then once it's 'ccoked' I cut into 4 sections and make different colours. She loves it. The last lot I made her of four colours is now called the MULTI-COLOUR play-do as it is well and truly mushed.

 

She set up a little restaurant in the lounge room, and 'ate' her creations... 

And baby had some too!! 

 

A LO of Lexi's first taste of sand at Farm Beach. SO cute, she didn't love it of course, but they all have to try and eat it don't they!

 

A LO of Mia with her Potato Man creation. Finished these both last night.

I am on a scrapping roll, well for me I am! 9 already this year! Pretty good considering I think I did about 25 last year. It was an up and down year that's for sure. I just did not have the energy to scrap. I WANTED to scrap, especially seeing as I have a wonderful inspirational scrap friend across town...(5 mins) And I get to drool over Tatum's LO's whenever my heart desires. I love looking at her work, so I'm truly spoilt in that way.... but I just COULDN'T BE BOTHERED. Feel so differently at the moment. It seems 'easy', I can look in a mag for a lil inspiration and then off I go. And I like that. So nice!! Everything (well mostly) feels good about this year so far. Decisions have been made, things are happening, and I feel as though we are truly moving in a positive direction!! 

 

Oh and a couple of cute photos of the bubba, she is cruising round on the floor while I type. She is so cute!! And has a wonderful little attitude, she cracks us up, she sure knows what she wants when she wants it.

The photos have a red tinge as the front curtains are shut as it's so stinking hot here today. 

 TFL!

xx 

 

I had a disaster during the week, I don't even know when it happened but my bookshelf broke. I must admit and as you can see, I do pile books up and not actually put them away properly. I love to play with my bookshelves when it's time to tidy them up but think I may have left it a tad too long this time!

Mia and I put together out gingerbread house today!! LOL!! Yes, I know, it is a bit late, is it traditional to do them at Christmas.. for us it is, we usually put our IKEA kit together a few days before Christmas so she can demolish it with other kids in our family. But when we arrived in Pt Lincoln, the fires were well away and quite consuming. And on Christmas Eve we did last minute shopping and then socialising with friends. So, today it was! I love playing with icing, so am thinking that Mia and I will have to make some egg biscuits from the Green and Gold cookbook and cut shapes and decorate them. I just love it.

 

A momentous day in our house today, Mia ended up losing her tooth. Excitement +++. I actually ended up pulling it out with a tissue, but it popped out so easily. I told her she couldn't cry and carry on, and that she had to be brave. AND SHE WAS. I couldn't believe it, she was so cute when it came out. Sooooo cute!! She is now very eager for the Tooth Fairy to come. I am thinking $2.50. What IS the going rate for a tooth? This amount is what her friend got from the Tooth Fairy, so the scene is already set! Excuse the dirty nose, but that's how we roll on a Sunday!

 

 

Random photo aswell for today, a heap of washing on my bed ready to be sorted and put away. I don't actually think I can be bothered to do it today, so it will probably be piled back into that tub and done maybe tommorow! Random I know, but it seems to be the cyber trend that everyone is taking photos of their everyday stuff.... I am not doing it everyday, I am taking photos when I remember but if I forget a day, I certainly won't be beating myself up! But it is fun to try and think about photo opportunities differently...

And now for something TOTALLY random and only to preserve my memory really.... Brenton drove to Adelaide yesterday with a friend to go to the 20/20 cricket at the Adelaide Oval, sacred ground and all that. I think they had a really good time which was nice. I think.... My friend stayed over with her kids while the fellas went to Adelaide. A few nice UDL cans, a perfect scotch fillet with a delish salad, kids in bed and we watched Brokeback Mountain which was a confronting movie to say the least....(have you watched it, what did you think??) Anyway, just before we went to bed at 11.30, I saw my mobile phone on the table and thought to myself,

'I better grab that, I bet that Brenton rings me in the middle of the night telling me he's lost the keys' 

We are able to use my parents unit in Adelaide while we are there any time, so that's where they were staying. Yep, at 4:50 am this morning, my phone started ringing, 'Uuuum, I've misplaced the keys....' he says!

'Pardon, what do you mean you've misplaced the keys?' Bit of a long-winded conversation ensues about the whereabouts of keys.... with me in a panicked state as to where they were because he just could not recall at all where he had put them!! And it was after a few beers too! LOL!

 Anyway, while the neighbour DOES have a spare set, I WAS NOT going to ring my Mum to get her to ring the neighbour to let them in.... Flat refusal from me. So, 24 hour locksmith was called with some kind of ridiculous amount of money for a call out fee....(I don't even want to write how much, because when I read this post in a year or so, I just don't want to remind myself)  they may as well of stayed in some fancy place in the city and had room service... but it had to be done...And I got a text saying they were in at 6am. They are driving back today, and are quite shabby I would imagine, and very tired, I will be happy that they are home safe and sound. I would say in about 45 minutes..... So that is my story. Boring it may be but I want to remember it. 

No scrapping to show, half a LO done, just have to finish it. But it won't be tonight, I am going to read my fave paper of the week, The Sunday Mail, and chill out! I'm tired too....

TFL...

xxx

This is Lexi yesterday. I was trying to take a passport photo of her. There is only one shop here that takes passport photos and of course they are closed for who knows how long AND they don't (can't be bothered) take photos of babies for passports at all.... What kind of service is that. I used to work in a photo shop and YES it is a pain to take babies/children, but why offer half a service. Bit like the service in a lot of places here. Sad but true.... Anyway, I think this photo is just cute, so cheeky. She has just started squeeling and screeching ALOT, and it's a little annoying but it's mainly as her big sister annoys the absolute beejeezers out of her. Mia got a good ol smack tonight, I'm not proud of it, but she has been warned repeatedly not to pick Lexi up or to drag her around. Yesterday Mia pulled a toy off of Lexi's bookshelf and it landed straight on Lexi's head. Mia said she didn't mean it to happen but if the baby is right below you, what do you think might happen? Then later on she sat her up but Lexi wasn't stable before she let her go and she fell right back and donged her head again... more repeated warnings, calmly talking to her, explaining why she has to be so careful with her. Then again tonight after Brenton had gone for nightshift after another day of 'please put her down' and ' she doesn't like it' especially while Lexi is screaming in protest, Mia picked her up, sat her on a pillow and she fell straight backwards and whacked her head on the floor. So she got a smack. I am so not proud of it, but how many times do you calmly warn and ask her not to do the same things... She was also sent to her room earlier. Mia if you ever read this, I LOVE YOU, but I seriously can't wait for you to go back to school and I suspect you can't either....

Enough of that rant... far out, they test you big time.... 

Unless you are a saint of a mother.... I'm just an honest one!  

Another LO, I am on a roll... PP, paint, bling, bits and pieces of stuff I'm finding in my stash. I love Mia's eyes in this photo. She is a gorgeous girl! (am I biased? and then I love it even more when people say she looks like me as then I think, well, maybe I'm not too ugly after all!!)

Over the last week I have been having a major sort out of my stash. I feel very invigorated toward my scrapping. I have LOTS of snap lock bags, labelled and things are sorted in them, I am finding all sorts of bits and pieces and feel like I know where things are more now. And I have so much stuff it's unbelievable. And for most of it, I still love it all. All I really need/want is some more DM, some Bazzill in stitches thingies, and some inspiration.... Although, all I have to do to be inspired is to look at a scrap book or mag and off I go. 

I did love some letters that Tatum had used on some of her LO's that I was lucky enough to drool over on Monday, a big supply of them would be good too... She had a couple of different sorts and to be honest I fell in love with them!! 

A sample of how I've sorted things out, feel so good about scrapping, think I have done more in the last two weeks than I did for the last half of the year... It's all good! 

 

Mia has a thing for pipe cleaners at the mo. She makes bangles, and already has a stash of decorations for our Christmas tree next year.. May as well be organised huh??

 

And little feral beral after her tea tonight. She seems to eat all day.. She is chubbing up really well now. She tries everything offered to her, and as you can maybe see by the pic, had fun squashing her avocado everywhere on her high chair at tea time. 

This wasn't meant to be another monster post, but there you go, I like to talk, especially to myself!!! xxx

I scrapped two layouts last night, and put the finishing touches on the one of Brenton and I. Simpletons are my LO's but I like them! TFL!

 

Mia loves to dress up in different outfits and has a dress up collection that I am envious of. I don't think I had one dress up as a kid! 

And a piccie of my gorgeous two! 

Chao for now!!

xxxxx 

Well, have been cooking a little bit, wish I had a dishwasher though, would be easier on my dishpan hands! 

 

Bacon and Herb muffins from the Women's Weekly Cook book. I really like the idea of savoury muffins. The idea was to make some and then put them in the freezer for Brenton to be able to grab and take to work, BUT everytime I make savoury muffins they are as dry as hell! Can someone tell me what I am doing wrong? Lauren? Tatum? I am thinking that I should put a bit more milk in them maybe.... sad, as these were no good to pop in the freezer, just so dry! YUCK!! 

Yesterday afternoon my friend came around after work with her kids for a swim and a couple of drinks, and then it turned into a BBQ, and then it turned into Vodka, Soda and Crushed Frozen Pineapple, which then led to them all sleeping over!! Love it when impromptu things like that happen!! Mia and her good friends...

 

And then all three of them diving off into the pool after photos were done!!! Love these guys!!  Toaster was running hot this morning, butter and vegemite thanks!! 

 

Bubba was there too, in the shady spot, she was so cute just sitting there... Yesterday when she woke up from her sleep, I went to pick her up and she was sitting up in her cot, so now we can add getting into a sitting position by herself to her achievements. She has done it about 6 or so more times since then but none of us has actually seen her doing it... Can't wait til we do!

 

Sitting on her rug, happy as larry!! 

 

 

Kylie and I taking about 35 self portraits of ourselves.... pretty much a fun little bit of our afty/evening! She is so special to me!! xxx

 

Today I made Lexi some Golden Chicken Bites, and they were a hit!! So yummy, I had myself a few too! Good for Bubbas that want to feed themselves like she likes to, and everything in them is non-chokeable!! 

 

I just love it when she actually eats what I make, makes it all worthwhile, unlike Mia who is a picky picky eater!! 

Lexi and her Golden Chicken Bite!! 

 

This little girls smile is about to change, one of her bottom teeth is VERY wobbly. she is being quite neurotic about it all.... Worried about her tooth falling out... will the Tooth Fairy come... It's actually very cute!! She has ground her teeth right down somehow, think it is the way she eats.... Will update when she is a gappy little girl!! 

 

Today Mia and I had a little sleep together on the recliner. She had a late night last night and was very tired today. And the cuddles were lovely. I had no idea that Brenton had taken a photo of us until later on when I grabbed my camera for the Chicken Balls. I have been saying to him lately about how our photos are important, especially of the everyday!! LOL!! So, he has been listening!! And although it far from my most flattering photo, it is a special memory already!! Mia rarely has an afternoon nap and even rarer that it's with me!! 

So, that's me for now, am going to make a cuppa and sink into the lounge with the Masters SM and the latest Creating Keepsakes which I love!! I'll be back scrapping tommorow night!! Tonight, I'm too tired!! 

xxx 

 

I have been scrapping up a storm this week. I have been really enjoying it. Been a long time since I have just put photo to paper and gone for it! The above one is of Lexi on her 1st birthday, eating her cake that her Nan (MIL) made her, we also had a cake at my Mum's earlier in the day but Dad took photos and I don't have any yet! 

 

And this one is last nights effort, I haven't journalled yet, but was really liking this when I finished. Bubba in our bed. So cute. 

No scrapping tonight, spent a much needed afternoon at a friends place, having a few CC's and cokes and a good ol natter. I feel so much better for it. 2010 is a year for changes in our life in a lot of ways. I am feeling very up in the air about it all. You just get in your comfort zone and get almost scared to move on out of that comfort zone IYKWIM?? It's all overload ATM. So it was lovely to just chill right out, and have Mia out of my hair, as she just played all afty with my friends kids, followed by ages in the pool. Nice times.....

I'm just sitting back on the recliner, have about an hour left on my laptop battery, so am going to cruise around the net being a nosey blog hopper. 

Congrats to all the new Masters, well done. I'm looking forward to getting my sub to have a closer look. It would be so hard for the judges to pick the Masters, I don't envy them..... 

Til next time 

Chao! xxx

Another stinking hot day here, not much better tommorow, but maybe Wednesday it will cool down.

I finished another LO last night, had the photo and papers together for ages, finally did it.. About Brenton's Dad.

Like I said it has been really hot so keeping Mia amused has been top priority today, LOTS of crafty stuff. Beados, scrapping, playing with her pretend food, being bored, and other stuff too! Here she is making a page. Can't wait until she is old enough to actually scrap and think about what she is doing. She just doesn't care at all, so she gets all of the gear that I think I probably won't use.... She loves it. 

 

And her page, which isn't the one in the photo, but I quite like her little effort at this one! 

 

Nice inclusion of my toes there!!

Chao for now!!
xxx 

Well, come to blogger today to upload some photos and tell abit of a story and it's all different in the way you upload photos! I haven't been able to work out the photo uploading thing for a while, mainly as I always upload so many photos and confuse myself! Anyway, I am going to try to keep this short as I have photos and paper surrounding me on the table so here goes...

Above is my family, Mum, Dad, Brother, his wife, my nephew and US! I set my camera on the coffee table, hence why it looks like it does! But I like it!! My family! Love them! I also have a photo of the McDonald clan, but maybe next time I'll upload them as I can't be bothered mucking around with any more photos! 

Lexi on her Daddy's lap having a story. Mia stayed with our parents for 5 sleeps after we came home so it was very quiet around here to say the least. I did miss her, but certainly notice that she is home again!! Peace is shattered!! LOL!! In (mostly) a good way though. And I also noticed that I'm much more productive when she is around. I was pretty lazy the days she was away. Maybe I just relaxed... 

Lexi in her chair eating something, as usual!! Think it was a choccy bisciut. She has totally weaned herself from breastfeeding. I didn't even have to think about it, she just decided, NO MORE! Bit sad to start with, but let's face it, she is grown up now... Still little but growing up. She started weaning in mid Dec, and basically was only having one drink of a morning mainly I think she was so hungry in the morning she would just drink, but as of the 1st of Jan, there is no more. Sad, I can't believe she is one....

While Mia was away, we have the BEST dinner of T-bone with a homemade VERY GARLICKY sauce, BBQ'd haloumi (YUM) and a couple of salads. I was really enjoying mine and so mid-chew, took a photo!

On Friday, lexi and I drove about 120kms or so down the road to collect Mia from my in-laws who very kindly bought her back for me. It really saved me alot of driving, (about 300kms) by them bringing her that far. So while waiting for her to arrive at our pick up point I hopped out of the car, and took a photo of the view. It was stinking hot, so left the car going with Lexi in it.

The swap taking place, it was so hot, there wasn't much mucking around, quick chat and a cuddle for my in-laws of Lexi then we went off in our different directions. I was really very grateful that they bought her up so far!

My girls this morning sharing a plate of toast. They are so cute... I am borrowing an idea from my fabulous friend of taking 'EVERYDAY' photos, although I have missed a couple of days of the year so far. I just want to remember the little things, which I do anyway, but by taking pics I am more likely to remember what was going on and when!

The only LO I have done lately, and if I don't hurry up and finish this post, I won't get any started tonight. Loving the simple style, and also loving looking at non-complicated but still classy LO's. I want to start really banging some layouts out, so need to keep it simple, stupid. (me stupid, not you!!!)

Whiting for tea here that Brenton and our Dad's caught on a fishing expedition in Lincoln, was yummy, but messy, as Mia LOVES to help with the crumbing. Makes a mess, but whatever keeps her happy. She had a few hours this afty where she was very hard to please. She seems to have lost the art of independent play, and to be honest, I'm not coping. She won't even sit and watch a movie anymore. So, no, I'm not coping with any of her demanding demands!! LOL! I'm laughing now but wasn't earlier. It was hot and I was frustrated. 

Ok, off to scrap, and maybe be a nosey parker on Facebook. 

I have lots of resolutions for the New Year, but really am going to go now, but does anyone know of any awesome motivational books?? I need some help to get my A into G, and I would love to know of any good reading out there. 

Oh, and I'm thinking of making my blog private, so if you come and drop in, let me know so that if I do make it private I can let you know the password. It's turned into more family than scrapping and am thinking I just might keep it a bit more to myself and of course any of my scrapping friends who are interested. I wanted to do it ages ago, but couldn't work out how, but now I know, so it's a very real possibility!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! May all good things come your way!

xxx

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEXI!!
*above she is just freshly born*

Our precious little girl turned one on the 30th of Dec, and today is the first year anniversary of her life saving operation. It has been a hard year, but good aswell. I am still the same silly Ali, but things inside have changed. Won't go into detail but I have I think changed inside. I have so much to be grateful for. My two gorgeous girls, my adoring husband, who also puts up with alot from me,(and I him) but we do both agree that it has made us stronger. And so thankful to our families who have supported us all the way while it must have been hard to be sitting on the sidelines, so helpless.... it was too hard for me to think about it all at the time, but I do admit how terrifying it would have been for them all. It has affected all of our families in different ways, but we look at her now and give thanks...

Here she is on her first birthday, so cute. Growing up too fast, just adorable, and worth every tear, every worry, EVERYTHING!
Be back again soon with photos from our Christmas escapades....