Over At Our Place

Never Say Never ...

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000+11:00

I have a pile of school clothes sitting right behind me. They are taunting me, beckoning me to attend to them; to make them crisp and then to hang them away.

This week is filled with appointments, last minute playing with friends and cousins and me wondering how I will expand my lunchbox repertoire. I have a good few staples, but I'm just not feeling it ... what was glossy in 2011 may not be what fits for 2012, regardless, I'd better make up my mind soon because Monday morning is fast approaching!

Like any self respecting dabbler in paper and pixels, it didn't take me too long to find a way to occupy my time.

After trying a variety of free photographic actions over the years I was sceptical, but you know, RadLab isn't too bad. Now, of course they are not free, but you can trial them for thirty days and that's exactly what I doing this month. Unfortunately I was expecting to have hours of fun, procrastinating and avoiding the ironing, but, RadLab takes about a minute to install and ten seconds to apply each action ... hardly seems fair!

What do you think, are you a fan of actions?

I Love A Sunburnt Country ....

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000+11:00

Last Thursday it was Australia Day, for some of us, in some situations, it means a long weekend. We were in that situation. The Engineer spent the weekend sailing with a mate from Sydney. I spent a final summer hurrah with my parents, firmly planted beside the pool, reading a book when and where possible. We have one more week of holidays. Soon I will have two school children.

It is hot.
It is humid.
The tennis has finished and summer draws to an end.

But, you know, that doesn't mean it is going to cool down any time soon. So, think of me ironing all the school uniforms and work shirts in 35C+ heat!

I've moved on from quirky methods of drawing names for particular prizes, I relented and conformed to Random.org for the Pass the Book handing over -

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2012-01-29 10:12:12 UTC

That's you Kirsty!

Kirsty.a said...

I'd love to have a look at this book. i keep trying to get into AJing, but I find it really hard. I loved what you did with JYC, so the book must be good

Kirsty, when you have a moment, email me at overatourplace[at]gmail[dot]com and I'll get this one out to you as soon as possible.

Raw Art: Combined With Holiday Behaviours, Expectations And Reality ...

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000+11:00

Summer holidays come with so many expectations. A lack of routine is a relief and a challenge all at once. The sound of children constantly whacking, thwacking, clicking and bumping is tiring. I am sick of the sound of my own voice but I am also grateful to have the time to share in activities which are not possible at other times of the year.

I am fortunate to be the current recipient of the book Raw Art Journaling, which is a part of the second year of Pass the Book organised by Melissa. The book came way of Rinda and when she first offered it I jumped at the chance to investigate more of this art medium ..... because, as most of you know, I am not a 'free spirited' creator.

I have been inspired by this book in many ways. There were aspects that were applicable to all journalers and photographers and indeed anyone who enjoys any form of art. Personally, I have taken away several ideas that will likely stay with me throughout my little journey, but, I found this book an excellent source of holiday crafting ideas for children.

One particular hot day saw us taking refuge inside to create art journals. To encourage the children, we decided on a theme: summer. One child chose to illustrate highlights of their summer experience thus far and another child wanted to record a particular couple of days which were important. I found this activity to be a great way to engage the children and, considering their ages, they worked away quietly for nearly two hours.

I am ready to Pass the Book. Let me know if you would like the chance to receive Raw Art Journaling in the comments section. Please don't feel as though you need to have some experience with this medium, I had none and the book has offered me many snippets of inspiration. More than anything, this book is about journaling, of course there are many techniques that cover ways to journal in an artistic manner, but the principles are applicable to anyone who likes to include writing in their art/hobby.

Leave a comment and I'll draw a winner on Monday.

It's New ...

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000+11:00

When The Engineer was stuck in an airport for ten hours last week, he came home saying he had read that Australians are hard workers, but they need to get rid of balls. Give an Australian a ball, or show them a ball, and it's all over. Apparently we are far too preoccupied with sport. I'm rather partial to balls and have been enjoying the little fuzzy yellow ones recently.

All this brings me to a new sport that was recently developed, right here in Australia and by none other than the resident Five Year Old.

Unfortunately, The Five Year Old's mother doesn't have suitable equipment to be shooting photos of high speed manoeuvres and she missed several of the critical facial expressions ... but that was due to laughing rather than a lack of equipment!

If you care to drop by again on Friday I have some more activities to share and a book that I know many of you will be interested in having the chance to read ... now, back to those balls!

Next ....

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000+11:00

Most of my layouts are conversational, it seems to be my favourite way to journal and what comes to me the easiest. Towards the end of last year I was feeling sick and tired of scrapping, probably ready for the end of the year and maybe ready to change my process. For a couple of months I was devising schemes to change things up, simply, and with as little fuss as possible - I was considering the Project Life approach, I think I even blogged about it at some stage. I went so far as to fill my wishlists at a couple of online stores with digital supplies and many divided page protectors, I thought this may be my last harrah at a fair dinkum hybrid project.

As it turns out I ummmed and ahhhed one too many times to a friend, she kindly pointed out that if I have to think it about it that much then it is obviously NOT the way to go. Sheesh, why didn't I think of that? To add to this wise, if not blunt advice, the very first blog I read after a short hiatus addressed my exact dilemma.

I am not ready for the Project Life format, brilliant idea that it is; I need my conversational layouts. I need them to be random. I don't want each week ordered, some weeks I might scrap ten layouts and then it will be another two before I even think about a page. Last year I made 114 layouts, productivity is not the problem.

This layout does have a white border, in my holiday laziness I forgot to add a drop shadow ...

What I am doing, is scrapping when the mood strikes and if the mood strikes. I have no commitments. The next big step is, no paper this year. Not for scrap pages anyway, digital photobooks all the way. Cards are excepted, again, if the mood strikes. Quick and simple and uncluttered ... and, a way to scrap 12x12 again and have the layouts printed easily.

Small projects, WITL, LSNED, DD/JYC and general pages will all be printed as photobooks. So far I am planning to print 12x12 pages through Viovio and 8x10 pages at Blurb, I have my 2011 DD/JYC, which is 12x12, currently in print at Viovio and will share when it arrives. I have set up folders with files for 12x12 and 8x10 psd and jpeg files, by month, ready for printing - easy, all ready to go. No searching external drives for lost files and no impatient deleting of psd's only to find a typo that really bugs me.

I feel like everything is as it should be - isn't it a funny thing to feel worried about your hobby?
2012 is well underway and I'm looking forward to another year of photos and stories and conversations, hopefully you'll join me along the way! At the very least I am counting on you to tell me that I am not completely nuts!

Holiday Photos:Part Three ...

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000+11:00

I have more than enough photos for the January prompts at FatMumSlim, in fact, many of them could serve more than one theme. There are more today, they show some of the activities we enjoy while away, as you will see, the majority are water based.

In your bag

Water

Reflection

Water

Old

Light

Love

Old

The summer before I became pregnant with The Eight Year Old, The Engineer and I bought a boat. At the time we thought it was frivolous and very expensive, be under no illusion, it was a modest purchase, but one we do not regret. This year is the first year we have all been able to go out together, we are fortunate my parents have the space to store our boat and that they live beside a river which leads to extensive and wonderful inland lakes.
When was the last time you made a seemingly large purchase which you don't regret?

Holiday Photos:Part Two ...

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000+11:00

I was quite determined in my thoughts that I hadn't taken many photos while we were away. I had a reality check when I uploaded 1000 last Sunday. Many of the photos were deleted as I was working through examples in the book Understanding Exposure, by Bryan Peterson. Most of my keepers were from the FatMumSlim check list; this fact was interesting to me. I certainly like to take lots of practise photos, but the ones with meaning, despite technical competency, are the ones I am interested in for their stories and emotions.

Colour

Love

Sleep

Sky

I made

Routine

Childhood

Light

I'm working on subtraction. The idea came to me from a newsletter I get from Ali Edwards and I would thoroughly recommend signing up if you haven't already. Years ago I enjoyed Ali's newsletters and again the themes are resonating.
Less doesn't necessarily mean bare or spartan. Taking away is often positive, think about the last time you took something away and your experience/creativity/reality was enhanced.

Holiday Photos:Part One ...

2012-01-16T08:20:00.000+11:00

I sat with a blank draft in front of me for about five minutes, waiting to plunge back into the world of blogging after three weeks away. We are half way through our summer holidays and home again.
In the early days of January, after a week of taking no photos, the January check list over at FatMumSlim caught my eye and I thought that would be a great way to share our days, so far, over the course of the week.

Breakfast

Shoes

Water - early morning window cleaning

Guilty Pleasure

In the fridge

Water - one of the various forms, but at our doorstep

Colour

Read - cooking inspiration

Routine

Love

An interesting observation; the last thing I do before leaving the house is to empty the bins and clean the toilets, last night the first two things I did were empty the bins and clean the toilets .... The Engineer returned home early to work. Do you have a similar 'leave the house routine' before a holiday?

Completely ...

2011-12-26T20:00:00.000+11:00

Source

I don't usually turn off completely, but, apart from emails, there will be no blogging here until after the 16th of January.

We are relaxing and enjoying the summer holidays.

Take care, I will see you all soon.

Merry Christmas ...

2011-12-25T00:30:00.000+11:00

Wishing friends and family, near and far, all the very best for a safe and peaceful Christmas.

Find The Peace ...

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000+11:00

Source

I'm taking the time to remember.

To see the joy.

To find the peace.

The Journal ...

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000+11:00

I haven't shared too much of my combined December Daily/Journal Your Christmas album this year. I've made as many pages as I like, some days have two entries and many have none. I have loved the entire process; I make these albums and pages because it's fun and I enjoy the results. I don't have to number things, keep up or post in various places if I don't want to, and this year, I didn't want to.

This is just a quick little look at a couple of entries, there is no real order to things this year, some are dated but most are generic. I have several photos. I am going to finish on Christmas Day this year, I'm not really sure, at this stage, how to tie everything together and I may end up with a couple of photo collage pages.
Documenting this time of the year is lovely, it combines many different aspects of our lives because it is also the end of the academic year, but, as I sit down and write this post I am struck by how wonderful April could also be, or August and possibly even February ... December gets a lot of focus and I have a feeling there are many other months of the year with their own unique stories waiting to be told.

Silly Things ...

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000+11:00

Sometimes I am scared of the silliest things.

Sometimes I assume I can't do something because I have never done it before.

Sometimes I rely on others too often.

Sometimes the bravery of a child shows me the answer.

Sometimes I realise I might be ridiculous.

We've got lights! Courtesy of an inquisitive Eight Year Old who helps his mother with a gentleness and respect of which she is grateful.

Photos taken with a Canon 50mm 1.8 fixed lens.

What If I don't Have Enough? ....

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000+11:00

Every now and then I feel heavy in the chest.

They are going to leave one day.

When they do; I hope they are filled with love, compassion, respect and generosity. I know they will have a sense of humour ...

Their year is finished, they are on holidays until February and I am very glad that I don't have to iron a uniform or pack a lunchbox until then.

You know what? I tried, really, I did. These are the best photos to show you, the ones where they are sort of clear and in focus ... sigh ....they really weren't up for it.

We are on holidays and I think it is about time to break out the decorations .....

Bags, Tags And Lights ...

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000+11:00

Because Beverly asked.

They are from Sharon, a Christmas gift last year and I am sure when she pops in she'll leave a comment to let us know which embossing plate and system she used.

** Sharon's answer is in the comments section **

I bought lights. The first time ever. I settled on a pack of 250; 600 were available but I thought 250 was potentially troublesome. Photos of a tangled mess will follow ... at some stage.

When buying the lights from a large multi-national chain store, I found the packaging particularly appealing.

Last day of term photos will come soon and perhaps an update on DD/JYC.

Wrapped ...

2011-12-19T08:27:00.000+11:00

The teacher gifts are wrapped.

The cards are made.

The envelopes are labelled.

Two more days.

We need to find some decorations.

Perhaps we shall buy some lights?

The Week That Was .. A Granny Update ....

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000+11:00

I wasn't going to post again until Monday, but I knew that some of these would be in demand. As I sit and write my eyes feel heavy, we have had a full week and we are slowly making our way towards Tuesday when the academic year finally comes to an end.

Last Tuesday was the school Christmas Carols service, for the past two years this night has been postponed due to rain; this year it didn't rain but it was very cold .. just what you imagine for summer in Australia isn't it?! As I looked across the oval I was overwhelmed by a sea of winter jackets and shivering children ... especially the fairies in their spangly summery dresses. This is us, rugged up and The Five Year Old in 'Mum Can Find You' in a crowd of 600, clothing, from past experience it was more than necessary.

On Thursday it was The Five Year Old's turn. You may have guessed by now that she is the personality of the family? Having said that, I was prepared for a head hung low and a wry smile on her face, especially since she was in tears earlier in the afternoon declaring that she couldn't possibly make it to the concert as her legs were tired and she was exhausted. She is fond of the dramatic. Our concerns were unfounded.

Oh, she ditched the tinsel halo, it was distracting and prevented her from acting out as a jolly, laughing Santa - glee, pure glee.

These photos are from only two of the several events on last week. We had a busy and, at times, dramatic week that included two birthdays and a couple of break ups, Taekwondo grading and a street party. Tomorrow is slated for a day of nothing, absolutely nothing!

Chill ...

2011-12-16T07:11:00.000+11:00

Okay, tell me the truth, are your eyes rolling in the back of your head? Are you frothing at the mouth, hyperventilating or having heart palpitations? A week and a half ago I drove past a large shopping centre and the line of cars to find a park at 9am was 2 kilometres away ... so glad I didn't have to go there, so glad I didn't have to go there, so glad I didn't have to go there!

Keeping all things in perspective, I thought we'd chat about music and chocolate. Now, I've had to add a bit to this post at the last minute, you see, I wrote this earlier in the week because I wanted to share a particular music clip with you all ... lo and behold I check my reader first thing on Wednesday and Cathy Zielskie has this exact clip on her blog! What can I say, great minds think alike! This won Song of the Year a couple of weeks ago and we all love it here, and, it is just the right vibe for this time of the year if you ask me, even though it is certainly not a Christmas song ... so, go on, click play and let's get on with the chocolatey goodness ....

This only gets made once a year at our place, when you read the recipe you will understand why.

1 x 250g packet plain chocolate biscuits
85g butter
400g dark chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (185ml) pouring (single) cream
½ cup chopped roasted pistachio kernels
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur

Place the biscuits and butter in a food processor and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Press the mixture into a 32 x 7½cm rectangular fluted loose-bottomed tart tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Smooth over with the back of a spoon. Place the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan over low heat and stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in the nuts. Pour the chocolate mixture over the base and smooth the top. Place the slice in the fridge for 2 hours or until firm to the touch. Carefully remove from the tin and slice to serve. Serves 6−8.

I omit the coffee liqueur and add in dried cranberries, I have a feeling this could be awfully good with a splash of Grand Marnier or any other plonk of your choice. Recipe is from Donna Hay.

I'm linking this recipe up at Beverly's place, I think we might be out with timing but she's sure to have plenty of sweet treats over the course of the weekend .... see you next week, and don't forget to chill!

Great Ideas ...

2011-12-14T07:08:00.000+11:00

One of the biggest problems I have with a journal/album such as December Daily and Journal Your Christmas is my continual self doubt over my design. I realise it is ridiculous, these projects are made special because they contain our words and stories, and, I think we all come up with a way to manage that suits our own style.

Having said all of that, I am squirrelling away a few ideas for future projects based on some wonderful albums I have seen in progress.

On Monday I blogged about our Friday at home and the story for that particular day has made it into my album.

Now, on to those links.

First is Robyn. I know many of you already read Robyn's blog so you may have seen how her album is coming along, if not, toot-scoot and click on the link ... a hybrid delight filled with wonderful, as always, journaling.

The next link is going to surprise a lot of you; it is a feast for the eyes and the colour palette is beautiful. Yes, I am linking to a project that is very detailed, but it's pretty clean and crisp and really, I have returned to gaze at it several times over the past week or so ... sigh ...

Lastly, a hybrid extravaganza - simply done. I'm actually kicking myself for not thinking of a design like this - but, it has given me lots of ideas for future projects.

Pretty cool hey? Thank you internets and thank you wonderful crafty people. By the way, if you have found any standouts and would like to share, please feel free to let me know in the comments section - I know there are thousands out there!

Needed Rest ....

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000+11:00

We had a day off last Friday. There was no school for The Eight Year Old so we enjoyed a slower pace to the day. Even though it was quite hot, we baked peach and choc chip muffins and spent most of the day addressing envelopes for classmates and making 3D fish.

There were a few tears from The Five Year Old as she was constructing her fish, she found the stuffing tricky to manage at times and relied on her brother for encouragement and support, which was not always forthright. However, they worked things out eventually and we now have a fish posse in the lounge room.

Last Night ...

2011-12-09T13:05:00.000+11:00

We are in the full throes of Christmas mania. Of course I am maintaining a calm exterior which is, surprisingly, permeating internally; despite the excursions, ill health of children and husband, the need to get children to their Grandparents so we can socialise and the forty-five permission slips and information sheets that need to be read.

Each year we have two Christmas functions to attend for The Engineer, one for the main office and one for his part of the division. The Engineer is a social being and is a great believer in team camaraderie through out of work get togethers, with partners. You see, The Engineer and his band of Merry Men travel a lot and are away from home frequently, so, the families/wives appreciate a night out on the town every now and then. We were on the town last night.

Source

I was far too busy enjoying the view and sipping from a chilled glass to worry about photos, and really, mine wouldn't have looked this good anyway! This next one is pretty close to our view last night, minus the groovy blue photoshopping.

Source

We have another function tonight, sometimes I wish we could spread them out a bit, the feast or famine scenario seems to happen at this time of the year!
Have a great weekend, I'm off to re-hydrate and sort through a few great links I have for you next week ... I have spied some fantastic DD/JYC albums in progress that I thought I could share .. ta-ta!

The Mundane Too ....

2011-12-07T07:06:00.000+11:00

Well, December may be the month of merriment, but it is still filled with many days where the washing has to be done, the beds have to be made and homework sheets need to be completed.

With all of this in mind, I have some house photos to share .... just to break up all that tinsel and glitter that seems to be everywhere!

Photos have been scarce because we are at a stage where the changes are relatively small, and take a long time coming. Since the middle of the year we have no longer had builders in the house, it's a double edged sword, we have some privacy, but work is slow. The Engineer is doing the work now, sometimes he ropes his brother in to help, especially with the painting - I am the 'keep the children out of the way' person. We always knew this was going to be a project where we would do the finishing off stuff, the small carpentry jobs and the painting. It's okay, we are comfortable, warm and cool when needs be and I have an almost entirely functioning kitchen - a simple fact of which I am extremely grateful!

I'll start with what seems to make the biggest difference, window surrounds. Even though they are yet to be painted, they tidy up and make the rooms seem as though they are a whole lot closer towards being finished. The thing is, they don't all get done at the same time!

The main bathroom. This room is a lot closer towards being done than it visually seems, or so I am reassured. Apparently it needs tiling and painting, close, but not complete.

It's summer here and that means lots of flies and mosquitoes, having open vents in the bedroom makes for quite a collection of all sorts of buzzy things; tends to the breezy side too!

And, in case you can't find that missing sock down at the bottom of the tub, we have a semi-permanent fixture of a huge light in the hallway. Fully fledged worker types need plenty of light, but this tends to the overkill ..... think operating theatre strength, at least the screws go in the right place and the painting is neat!

What I am really happy with is the colour on the walls, we went for Dulux Grand Piano in half strength, if you are in Australia and interested to know the colour. It's a warm colour but not too yellow and I know it is going to suit whatever decor we decide on over the years.

There you have it, we are slowly plugging away at the details. We are comfortable, but when we will be finished is an open ended question, we'll get there .... one day!

Catching Up In December ...

2011-12-05T10:05:00.000+11:00

I wanted to pop in quickly and show you how my December Daily/Journal Your Christmas project was progressing.
I'm making a photobook so each page is virtually a double page spread ... I know, I bit of a break through for me, but that is what seems to work best for what I want to do this year.

I'm showing you two of the pages that were taken from a prompt in the JYC class, they are both prompts I have skipped in the past two years so I thought I'd give them a go this year.

This year I have had an epiphany concerning my Christmas/December journal; for the past two years I have tried to document every single little thing that we have done, every single day. I knew I couldn't keep up with that pace this year and I knew that I really wanted to journal this month, this year. Another thing was annoying me, I never seemed to find the time to journal about the prompts in the JYC class, despite the fact they were excellent journaling ideas and obviously seasonally appropriate.

Anyway, back to the epiphany. Ali Edwards said it very succinctly - one story. Of course! One story is enough! Not only is one story enough, using photos out of order, not documenting all of the days and slipping in recipes or lyrics to carols is more than okay!

I feel so relaxed about this project, it is like I have had an entire mind shift about the album and how I approach the month - fantastic!

My little message today - let go of the pressure - whatever you manage, is enough.

Those journal pages look a bit hard to read ... here is each one individually so that you can click on them and enlarge -

Storytelling Sunday ...

2011-12-04T11:18:00.000+11:00

December.
The cicadas start to hum and fly wire doors slap shut. The evenings are longer and the mosquitoes linger as we sit outside beside the barbeque.
The waft of chlorine pervades our skin and the sun burns if we are not careful, slathering sunscreen and wearing a hat become second nature.

Packing the car we load in the esky, the towels, the knee boards, the umbrella, the bat, the ball, the fishing rods and maybe a book. The water is close, the smell of salt constantly in the air and the sea mist wafts over us each day. Parked under a gum tree we search for shade, or make it ourselves and run to the water with the sand scalding our feet. The first touch is icy cold, but it doesn't stop us, we splash and dunk and roll in the shallows; some are brave and venture out further, bobbing with the roll of the ocean.

The games are scattered over the floor and we wander between the pool and inside when it is too hot. We plan our meals, taking turns to cook and create, we experiment and rate the style. Drinks start early and often finish late. Bedtimes vary, sometimes we fall asleep wrapped in a blanket watching a movie only to watch the movie again and again, our favourites are often quoted. We read books, everyday.

The days run into one another, it is scorching; the whir of the air conditioner is soft and if you fall asleep while reading the newspaper, no one minds.
The lights of the tree twinkle, perhaps a lonely box of chocolate will remain until the recipient returns, it is hard to tell, it might have ended up under the couch. The cricket is on the television and the radio; the tennis will start soon, we watch them all, not always paying a lot of attention - sometimes we have our own cricket matches, bike races, tennis tournaments and swimming sports. Of course, the dress up musical performance is an annual highlight. Out come the wigs, the clothes from 1970, loud lipsticks and funny dance moves. A choreographers nightmare, a child's delight.

This is my December.

The is the last Storytelling Sunday for 2011. Thanks Sian for encouraging so many of us to get the story written, I've enjoyed visiting so many people and I have loved the funny, the sad and the ridiculous ... our stories are precious.

The Final Month ....

2011-12-02T06:30:00.000+11:00

December brings so much to our lives, it is the culmination of a year, a month of celebration, reflection and reverence. Looking back over the year I know there were times when I was caught up in my own situation and the needs of my family, a natural reaction I suppose, but 2011 has been a year of great hardship for so many people throughout the world. Various cyclones, tsunamis, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods have taken their toll; I am grateful that my friends and loved ones are safe.

December means summer and finishing up a school year. I am not going to spend time here saying that I am busy or that there is so much to do, it goes without saying. This month I am going to enjoy being with my family and friends; I am going to enjoy the concerts and the carols and the reports and the interviews; I will enjoy the services, the smiles and the efforts people make to connect and communicate.

December is also a time that isn't happy for everyone. My own family has had some very sad moments in Decembers past; through acknowledging difficulty, sadness and grief I know we celebrate the lives of wonderful people, we miss them dreadfully but their memory and spirit live on in us.

December is hopeful, playful and energetic. We plan on playing lots of games, we play cards and this year we will KLOP. December is full of stories and wonderful photo opportunities - I plan to write many and take many!

Hello December!

Indecisive ...

2011-11-29T16:15:00.001+11:00

The idea of changing my scrapping style has been floating around in my mind for a little while. I think it is safe to say I've converted to digital, but I have yet to make a photobook.

2012 is tempting change.

For the most part my thoughts have tended towards solely making photobooks. Scrap albums take up a lot of space, I am not sure if I want several tomes scattered throughout the house.

The weekly version of Project Life is appealing to me.

I won't be ordering a kit but I am tempted to either go hybrid and make my own kit with divided page protectors, or, wait for the new templates to arrive and stick with the photobook idea. The current version of the photobook was too limiting from a style perspective, perhaps layered templates will be the answer?

The Project Life format would encourage me to include more photos in my album, at the moment I feel as though I scrap plenty of great moments but I don't include as many photos as I would like. That doesn't simply mean I make pages with more photos - when I scrap, the story is the most important part - but having thousands of photos stuck on a hard drive is unsatisfying.

This is my choice; photobooks with templates of my choice in my normal scrapping style, or, a Project Life format with layouts added when and where appropriate, in either hybrid or digital style.

I'm interested in any constructive feedback or discussion regarding a project of this size, particularly if you have already used Project Life or 365, though, I am not aiming for a photo a day - more like weekly round ups.

Thanks :-)

Muddy-Arna ....

2011-11-28T09:12:00.001+11:00

I'd like to introduce you to Marianna. Marianna is a mermaid, carefully selected on an outing with Grandma. Marianna is named after a mermaid from the children's show Dora the Explorer.

It is very important you pronounce Marianna's name correctly. Sometimes you are required, no, make that instructed, to watch The Five Year Old's Mouth as she corrects your mispronunciation, Marianna should sound a little like Muddy-Arna, complete with a roll of the tongue.

Marianna is a prized possession, but she is rather fragile due to her high quality craftsmanship and she suffered a grave injury last weekend.
Marianna required an x-ray to fully comprehend the extent of her injury, the hot glue gun awaited the results.

Marianna is resting comfortably after her procedure, she is stuffed in a ice-cream container with an old tea towel as a blanket. The Five Year Old is now concerned that other toys are complaining of various hair line fractures, urgent x-rays have been ordered and the radiographer is busy. I am quite concerned because she thought Doggy required the needle and thread!

The page is a template I made myself that would specifically suit the scanned copy of the 'x-ray'.

How Many Do You Think I Took? ...

2011-11-27T17:44:00.001+11:00

It is not very often that I can offer you a good glimpse into our weekend. I had several photos over the span of the two days which I thought would be a good indication of all the things that happened, but, you see, it was my sister's birthday and I got a bit carried away.
At the end of the post I will tell you how many photos I took in two hours ... I am wondering if you can guess in the meantime?

Mum, these are really for you.
The Birthday Girl.

A game of KLOP, it follows the premise of Bocce and score keeping is wonderful maths practise for children in Grade Two.

The BBQ.

Engineers always have tools in their hands.

Random photos of children and their aunts.

Blowing out candles.

Too big!

So, how many shots do you think I fired off in two hours?

346.
All with the 50mm fixed lens, aperture priority, custom white balance and exposure set to +1 and 100 ISO. Apart from resizing and slight sharpening, which seems to happen as if I am on auto pilot with all of my shots, there is no editing. Not bad for an afternoon mucking around with a camera!

Hope you enjoy them Mum!

Edited to add: The lens is the 50mm f/1.8, more information found HERE.

Letting Go ...

2011-11-25T07:09:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I had two shop assistants comment on my signature and how difficult it would be to copy, they remarked that the legible ones were significantly more difficult to forge. I wasn't sure if this was a blow to my juvenile signature style or a proud moment of realising forgers around the world will be up against a challenge if they decide to take on my handwriting.

At the same time I also realised my shoulders softened slightly when I purchased a couple of packets of pre-made Christmas cards.
In my mind I had the whole card deal sorted, and it wasn't until I saw these ones in the shop that I realised it was one more thing that was sitting at the back of my mind, eating away slowly at my carefully calm exterior. Sometimes when you let go of one little thing it opens up a whole area of enjoyment and realisation.

This year, more than others in my recent past, I want to make sure I enjoy the lead up to Christmas. I have an Angel in the house who is gearing up for her kinder concert, her role is very important, she needs to help find the sheep. I have young children who believe this time of the year is magical, they are not tainted with adult worries or concerns and I think there is a lot to be learnt from their enthusiasm. Living in the moment and finding a way to record the next month is going to be a priority.

Shopping for little people, both mine and those close to me, is done. The distraction and worry is absent. Gifts for other adults will come in good time.

It is far more exciting to wash, press and label a new school uniform. So far, it is the hat I am most concerned about making its way to school in tip top shape, it is firmly on her head at any given opportunity.

Enjoy your weekend, let go and buy those Christmas cards or whatever other little thing .. it just might put a spring in your step!

In Various Places ...

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000+11:00

I have a short list of blogs in google reader but a whole host set aside in various folders, you know the ones? The ones people have recommended or the ones that caught your eye in a class or the ones you found through a link, they all have a place somewhere, but I don't need every update of every post.
Over time there are a few which continually capture my attention and they fall into two categories; great photography/visually pleasing or an engaging writing style, if they have both it is even better.

I don't read this blog very often but I buy most of my digital supplies from her shop and I love that she manages to come up with such beautiful simple designs. Her adaptation of PL seems realistic, is personalised and may possibly convert this sceptic who doesn't think she could manage.

This blog came via a link from a blog in my google reader, a 'trusted source' so to speak. It combines two of my favourite subjects, food and photography. Moody and evocative photos of food combined with some fantastic recipes.

If I could have whatever house I wanted, it would be this one, plonked on a hill overlooking the ocean. This one is so calm and peaceful, each photo is carefully selected and styled I am sure, I don't care though, it makes for a very pleasant few minutes once in a while.

Do you have a couple tucked away for rainy day reading?

On A Theme ...

2011-11-21T08:18:00.001+11:00

Continuing on from Friday, I thought I'd add in the UK version.

The speech can be found here.
Our PM has a dreadful sounding voice, but, I would tread very carefully Mr Cameron. Succession issues were not the biggest worry for Ms Gillard during CHOGM, thanks to a blanket strike by Qantas, she was more concerned on how to get everyone home!

I've used a Cathy Zielske freebie template available on her blog, it suited the smaller resolution photos I had to use but it wasn't a good choice for the journaling ... oh well, we do what we have to do!

Twenty-seven ....

2011-11-18T07:02:00.000+11:00

Generally speaking, I find it highly amusing when an American tries to imitate Australian colloquial vernacular; especially when that American is the President.
So, while Barry had a chinwag with Jules, the rest of us were bombarded with images of overt security paranoia. Security protocol reached the ridiculous when our First Bloke had to walk home because his car was not allowed through the strict enclave surrounding Mr Obama .... imagine if Michelle were left to 'walk' home?! Never mind, Tim assured us that Mr Obama was a really good bloke, very friendly and that he wasn't too fussed about the walk home, after all, it's only 200 metres away.

The visit was fleeting, a mere twenty-seven hours in between other pressing engagements. A sixty year alliance continues. Apparently we are making some land available, about the size of Belgium I am lead to believe, for the exclusive use of the American military ... because we have some to spare you know, and we are geographically convenient within the Asia Pacific region.

Now, while many in America may not have even realised their leader was visiting our fair shores, he has left us with a smile on his face and the determination to no longer put up with too much 'earbashing' out of Washington.

Have a great weekend everyone, summer is making its presence felt down here today ... and if the sun isn't shining for you today, I hope you manage to find some time for paper or pixels soon!

Not Quite Yet ....

2011-11-17T08:14:00.000+11:00

I think she knows she's cheeky.

'Mum, are you getting older?'

'Yes, and so are you.'

'No I am not. I have nice skin.'

'I have nice skin too, thankyouverymuch.'

The nerve ... I suppose they tell us how it is!

Girl Power ...

2011-11-16T11:17:00.000+11:00

Sometimes the stories are hard to come by after a pre-school session, it is quite common, when asked about the day, to get the stock answer of 'nuffing'.

I don't usually press if the conversation is sparse, this one takes great pleasure in denying her mother information - it's like sport.

At times, the information is free flowing.

Apparently none of the little boys at kinder know how to fold a paper plane.

My little girl had to make them.

Just in case they wanted more at the next session, she folded one for each boy and then wrote their names on their planes. One child in particular has a thing for Angry Birds, she drew birds on his plane. Custom made and collected into a bag ready for Thursday.

Pretty cool little miss, pretty cool!

Twelve Months ...

2011-11-15T16:04:00.000+11:00

Somethings change and some stay the same ....

All of the blueboard will eventually be covered with some type of stone cladding, just what sort still remains a mystery. Natural stone is very expensive and very heavy, we are mindul of keeping the building materials light-ish but we still want something that looks good.

I am very pleased that we won't be going through another summer with only tarps to keep out the heat and all the various creatures that manage to appear in the warmer months. I'm also really pleased to report that we are currently running even; those panels on the top of the roof? They are solar panels and we are making roughly the same amount of energy as what we are using ... this pleases The Engineer no end, it's the first gadget he checks when walking in the house each night!

Indecision, Procrastination ....

2011-11-13T12:26:00.001+11:00

I am exhibiting major avoidance tendencies today. Yesterday ended up being a day of sorting and purging, it was a successful day. Today is a slower day but I am finding that I am getting myself into a thought pattern that if a day isn't filled with many items on a to-do list than I am not accomplishing much. Really, that is ridiculous. I've decided to have a play day, it's still an organising day though because I am finalising my ideas for JYC and December Daily ... once again.

I have set up a folder that contains my paper choices, some word art choices and the templates I am going to use - everything is in one place. I have decided on my font and sized up a document/template in photoshop with all the margins and spacing ready to go. I will be using various shades of yellow and grey and white, most of the papers are solids but I do have two patterns chosen.

I've got a sneak peak at two of my pages. One is an idea for the title page and one is the lyrics to a carol. The digital cardstock is the shade I will be using for my journaling pages.

Silent Night is my favourite carol, but I have included that in a JYC before so I thought I'd go with another favourite. I have also organised my templates so that I can use full pages of digital paper, papers are so lovely and they can work well to break up the album and add extra interest, I'll show you those once I've started.

In some ways, my pages seem stark, actually, the fact is, they are. So, I am not looking at each page as an individual entity, this is an album I am making and it is meant to be viewed as a whole, it will include papers, a lot of text and photos - some that will be bright and busy and some that will be reflective and gentle. I am also hoping to include some recipes and photos of artwork and projects that we will be completing in December. The biggest aim for me is completing the album; in order to do that I have to have a very simple design and process - December is a very busy time of the year, that goes without saying, but if the decision making is already taken care of this is an achievable project ... actually, it ends up being a lot of fun.

If you are documenting December, do you have your design organised? Papers chosen? What is your coping strategy?

It's What You Make Of It ...

2011-11-12T10:28:00.001+11:00

The Five Year Old is crying because I wouldn't buy her a Pillow Pet at the supermarket this morning; the crying increased as we walked the aisles, as did my determination. She was momentarily distracted by the fact that she saw red and green M&Ms in the dedicated Christmas lolly aisle.
I am ignoring her the best that I can, with the suggestion that she draws a picture of a Pillow Pet and sends a letter to Santa with her request - that plan was going well until she saw that I had the Pillow Pet site up on the computer as I was linking it here to my post ... her enthusiastic request has a renewed vigor.

Despite all the crying and the pleading I have to say, I love days when I don't wake to the alarm clock. Our house was silent until 7.45am, it's actually a reason for all the crying and emotional pleading, The Eight Year Old and The Five Year Old were up late watching a movie last night - when I say late, I mean 9pm. The Eight Year Old can cope with 9pm every now and then, The Five Year Old obviously cannot and I dare say we will all be dealing her tired and emotional state for the rest of the day.

So far I'd say I'm sounding pretty chipper about it all. Last night while the children watched their movie, I re-watched an old favourite of mine.

Have you seen this adaptation? The whole series is fantastic and I had actually forgotten about it until last night, I think I first saw it when I was pregnant with The Five Year Old so I am not surprised I had forgotten. See if you can track it down, it's not full of old language and the acting in this particular episode is superb, not to mention funny and romantic ... but that's Shakespeare for you, human behaviour hasn't changed all that much over the last couple of centuries!

Before I know it, the drawing for Santa has been completed, it is even in an envelope .....

Addressed herself, in her own writing ... the accomplishment has outweighed the sorrow ... for now!

Ticking All The Boxes ...

2011-11-11T05:00:00.000+11:00

Whenever someone throws down the gauntlet of a scrap challenge, I find myself scheming to find a way to minimise the actual challenge and to manipulate the agenda to suit my needs.
Ever curious, Miss Smith set about the fine task of challenging herself, and, anyone else should they wish. Now, Miss Smith and I don't have similar scrapping styles, but we both enjoy a good story and lots of photos, so, really, how our paper looks doesn't matter too much.

I have five out of ten challenge items ticked off with this page. But, before you get too excited and think I have a job well done, I didn't include stitching or paint - because that would be a real challenge now wouldn't it?! Perhaps I will see if I can find something digital so I don't have to get my hands dirty .... oh, enough of that frivolous thinking! However, the keen eye will notice that I turned Number Eight into a short story rather than my usual long story, ever the adapter that I am.
Thank you Miss Smith, it is about time I scrapped about myself and used yellow on a page.

Cup Cakes ....

2011-11-10T05:00:00.000+11:00

A friend of mine emailed me a recipe recently. I told her she was a wicked, wicked woman.

Cup Cakes

4 tablespoons of self raising flour
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of oil or melted butter
a few choc chips
a splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee cup - 250ml+ capacity

Mix all the dry ingredients in the coffee cup
Add the egg and mix well

Add the milk, butter/oil, choc chips and vanilla
Mix well

Cook in the microwave - 1000w - for 3 minutes

It is slightly volcanic, but doesn't spatter or explode and it is cooked through.
Personally, it is not chocolaty enough, but it is perfect for the kids.
They end up being bigger than you think and I would say that one would do two adults nicely, that's relative to your personal cake and chocolate consumption.
Serving with cream or ice cream is optional and probably a good idea.

Go on, try one .... I dare you!

PS Sorry for the apparent identity crisis lately, I've been feeling the need to change things up a bit over here and I can't decide on a colour scheme .... hopefully there won't be too many more!

Activities ....

2011-11-09T08:20:00.000+11:00

Finding the right balance for socialisation and physical activity can be quite a juggling act for school aged children. We are generally quite modest when it comes to after school activities, mainly because The Eight Year Old seems to be exhausted after school each day and so I like to keep things fairly low key, and, I don't think the value of free and imaginative play can be forgotten.

How do you strike the balance? How often do you change activities? Is exposure to variety more important than developing one well? Is the joy after a session worth the protest before?
I know the answer to these questions is what we have to work out as a family; I have a feeling that they are not unique to us and that striking a balance isn't easy.

On the weekend, Melissa, once again, had some great links and I particularly enjoyed this one. Reading this particular post and several others on the blog led me to make my page today, the questions have been on my mind on and off all year, and so far, we are undecided.

Q&A ...

2011-11-07T13:32:00.004+11:00

I thought I'd answer a couple of questions which cropped up on yesterday's post. I'm really thrilled that so many of you enjoyed the photos and I have to say, I was very happy when I uploaded them during the week.

I am very fortunate to own two cameras, I think that is a luxury and I don't take it for granted. In the past five years the cameras have become an extension of me, I love the fact that I can see people, places or items and then manage to capture part of it or them with a camera. I don't know if it is just me, but I'm often surprised with how the camera translates my visual image - sometimes it is better and quite often it is a lot worse.

Over the past year I have had a couple of conversations with a blogging friend about joining a camera club or even taking a class or two, sadly, this has not eventuated and just now it probably won't. One day, one day!

My photos are hit and miss, but generally they are improving because I take so many of them. I get confused with terminology and I am slow to adopt new processes. I am the sort of person who doesn't touch a button, because if something happens I think that it is irreversible or broken ... actually, I should say, I used to be that sort of person. I have become a lot braver and this has come about as I have taught myself some basics in Photoshop after having one brief lesson with my brother-in-law. Photoshop is a big program but it is extremely forgiving, especially when you work in layers and have a clear understanding that you can erase/undo and delete whatever you want.

So, what cameras and lenses do I use?

My wonderful point and shoot is the Canon G11, which has now been superseded by the G12.

It's pretty much at the top end of the scale for P&S cameras and I made the decision to get this one after considerable research through local photography magazine reviews and some online research. This camera allows for a tremendous amount of creative freedom and its largest selling point for me was the fact that there was very little delay when depressing the shutter. It takes brilliant macro shots but isn't the best around for very low light conditions.

When it comes to my dSLR camera, I have a Canon 10D. This is a pretty old model now and it was given to me by my brother-in-law, who's a professional, when he upgraded years ago.

Most of the time I use a Sigma 24-70mm 2.8mm lens. I think it works pretty well and even though I'd love 'more glass' this will do just fine for the time being.

At the same time I purchased the G11, I also bought a Canon fixed 50mm 1.8mm lens. This lens is fantastic value and really takes a lovely photo, especially of people, for such a small financial outlay. I find that this lens takes a bit of getting used to because you can't zoom in and out.

I also use a polariser, a UV filter and a lens hood - don't be scared off by these though, they usually come with a camera when you purchase one now days or can be bought inexpensively over the net. I also have an external flash which is sometimes necessary to use.

I'm only showing you what I have and what works for me. As you can tell from this post, I am not overly technical and there is so much information available it becomes daunting when you are researching what you'd like to buy or upgrade. Equipment does help, but I really see a change in my photos because I take so many of them - I practice. Equipment does not make up for poor composition, and while editing can make a big difference, if you get it right in the first place, you have a lot more to work with, more easily, should you so choose.

If you regularly drop by here you will also know that I love all sorts of photos, some posed and some extremely natural! I think the point is, to just take the photo - capture the moment because that's what is important.

All photos are sourced through Google Images today.

Storytelling Sunday ...

2011-11-06T11:15:00.000+11:00

Up until 1.45pm yesterday I didn't know what I was going to write about for today's post. I suppose you could say I had writer's block.
In the morning I resorted to asking The Eight Year Old what I could use as a topic. He asked all the relevant questions, especially since they are working on recounts and narratives in Grade Two. He wanted to know if the topic was open ended, and who was I writing this for anyway? I explained it all and now I look back to the conversation and think that it is quite funny that he didn't miss a beat when I said it was for my blog and organised by a friend who lives overseas.

The Eight Year Old asked me what it was that I normally wrote about? Well, it's a bit of a mixture really, but I often write about funny things you kids say.

Earlier yesterday we were out and about and at one stage we were driving past the Army Barracks. The Eight Year Old was wondering if people, other than army people worked in there. I was explaining what it means to be in the Reserve and that, yes, some civilians do work there too.
"What's a civilian Mum?" was the obvious question and then duly explained. I wasn't ready for the next statement.

"Oh yes Mum, I think I'm a salami too!"

From the mouth of The Five Year Old who was sitting beside her brother and taking in the whole conversation as I thought she was daydreaming and thinking about her new squishy toy lizards who had been left behind at home.

Even though I thought I had writers bock, I now realise that it doesn't take too long to recognise a story, they're everywhere really. I'm also quite sure that there are many more over HERE too, thanks Sian.

This Month ...

2011-11-04T07:07:00.000+11:00

Racing towards the end of the year, I feel as though I am grasping 2011 for all that it is worth. I'm not feeling out of control but I am having to reassess my priorities and how to effectively time manage, it's not all that hard, just a different experience.

I feel all over the place as far as scrapping and blogging is concerned, I think it is because I know my schedule is going to change a lot next year and I'm not sure where blogging and scrapping will fit in the new agenda. There is a place for everything, I'm not worried about that, just a bit nervous wondering about what shape it will take.

This month I have three school orientation sessions for The Five Year Old, one introductory meeting with the Principal and other school leaders, five volunteering sessions in the classroom, three out of school science programs to attend, three birthdays, a welcome Mass for the new Prep students, a school working bee and dentists appointments all round. This is on top of regular school and kinder commitments, regular work, writing twenty cover letters for my resume and then feeling really nervous about interviews.

It feels like a lot when I write it all down, perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't, that's all relative I am sure. I've been out of the habit of list writing since we started renovating, I have a great calendar, but I need to have a few more reference points to glance at during the day.

Stepping forward into the outside of home workforce is feeling really daunting for me at the moment. In a way I am excited and nervous and I am also really worried about rejection. I have had a lot of positive reinforcement recently and I am really grateful for all the wonderful people who have given me the appropriate nudge when needed. Writing a resume is quite challenging, promoting myself has never been an easy task but I am learning a lot and realising much more again.

Some of my posts are likely to be more reflective in the next couple of months, this is what is on my mind and this is what we are doing.

Following On ...

2011-11-03T10:09:00.000+11:00

As this is the third time in the last few weeks that I have mentioned the 25th of the 12th, I suppose you will not believe it when I say that I'm not the sort to be organised for that time of the year? Really, I'm not. What I will say, is that now that I have children of a certain age, I really do have to be sorted, especially when I have limited time pockets that are assistant free.
I have not made any lists and the only project which has had any great attention is what I will do for a journal. I really liked the templates Alexa made last month and I have come up with a way to adapt them for what I have in mind. I plan to do something very similar to what I did for LSNED in a 7x5 format.

Of course it will be digital and of course it will be very simple and almost embellishment free, what else would you expect? I can flip this template so that the smaller photos are either on the left or the right and there is plenty of scope for journaling. Unlike LSNED 2011, I will not type directly onto my photos, well, not for the majority of the journaling. It looked good on the screen but didn't translate so well in print. The only thing it doesn't allow for is the collection of ephemera, but, I don't collect so that won't be too much of an issue, I'll take photos of the treasures and keepsakes.

During the past three years I have combined DD/JYC and our holiday pages all into one, this year I decided that I wasn't up for that pressure. This album will go until the 25th and whatever happens during the holidays, happens.

The other big issue is what papers to use. I have seen some lovely digital Christmas themed papers but I really like the yellow and grey scheme I used last week, plus, I already own those and the hard drive could do with a rest, not to mention the credit card!

So, as of early November, this is my plan. Now I think I might start a list ......

Then ...

2011-11-02T14:00:00.000+11:00

Last weekend we were away. We celebrate a long weekend for the Melbourne Cup, yes, four days off school and work, for many people, as the lovely horseys run around and the ladies dress up in all their finery.

We settled for frisbee in the backyard and a freshly mown track through the back paddock to enable plenty of plane and helicopter flying, with close attention given by the resident four legged bovines.

I finished up a short course I was doing and my presentation went very well, actually, the whole course went really well and hopefully it will lead to some exciting changes for me next year. I've just completed an Education Support/Integration Aide course through a local University. I met a wonderful group of people and have had quite an empowering time. After being at home with the kids for nearly nine years, I was wondering how much I would have to offer out there in the big wide world, as it turns out, I think I will do just fine; even though I am nervous about so many new challenges ahead.

Today I am catching up on a huge pile of household filing, with the house in such disarray over the past eighteen months, the filing has grown to epic proportions. Three and a half hours this morning has put a slight dent in all that needs to be done, this is not going to be hanging over me as we head into the craziness of the next two months so I'll see you when I resurface!

Stopping ...

2011-11-01T10:00:00.000+11:00

It's race day.
Melbourne Cup Day.
The Race that stops the nation ... it really does.

It's about horses.
It's about fashion.
It's about fun.
It's a holiday.

Just another quirk to living in Australia, we stop business and school to watch horses run around a track; it may seem like a funny priority, but, somehow it manages to unite most of us.

Blogging And Scrapbooking ...

2011-10-30T10:00:00.000+11:00

Since it is the weekend I thought this would be the perfect time to show you this layout.

Nothing beats a little cut and paste. Blog posts can translate really well into scrap pages, sometimes the word count poses a few issues!
This layout is an adaptation of one Shimelle's Sketches of the Week, apart from the photos, nothing really looks the same as the original.
I am starting to use my blog posts for layouts much more now, I really like the concept, but I am having difficulty finding templates with enough space for journaling ... I suppose I could always make some?!

A Self Portrait ...

2011-10-28T10:00:00.000+11:00

Capturing a view of what I wear might be important one day; maybe, to someone?

Caught a glimpse of yourself lately? It all adds to the depth of our stories I suppose.

Scale ...

2011-10-27T12:48:00.000+11:00

As we near the eighteen month mark of the great renovation of our lives, it became apparent to me just how much I have begun to appreciate my privacy. At this stage we don't have regular tradespeople in the house. When we did have regular tradespeople in the house, for the most part, I did not bat an eyelid, except for when the plasterers were here; but we were all batting our eyelids then.
Just when I thought my front entrance was clear, a great stack of skirting boards were delivered ... back to jumping over piles of timber!

So, when you come to visit, this is what you will see at the front door.

Sometimes I sit on the floor in this area, especially if I want to take a photo. I am not sure how I will ever clean that top window, the light and the open space is pretty spectacular though, especially when the sun is rising, actually, the moon is even better.
As you can see, things are still fairly 'gappy' and we haven't finished painting and the light fitting isn't up yet, I have bought it ... by the time I get to install it I am fairly sure it won't be in style anymore, luckily, or typically; it's fairly plain.

As crazy as it sounds, we are actually working on an area of the garden. It's one of those situations where one thing has to happen before another can, a small area of garden needs to be planned and cleared so that we can begin work on our wonderful deck. Summer is coming.
Our work in progress is still progressing, it's slow, but I'm patient ... most of the time!

Random, Again ...

2011-10-26T12:11:00.000+11:00

For the next two weeks this is about as indepth as it is likely to get here at Our Place.

Her Majesty has just arrived, a mere few minutes ago. She is here to open our newly developed Children's Hospital and to ride on a tram.

The Queen is being greeted by Mr Ted Baillieu, our state Premier. The Governor, Alex Chernov AO QC, is looking on.

Apparently more people are waiting to see her than the numbers for Oprah and Cadel Evans after winning Le Tour.

Breaking news ... the St. John's ambulance volunteers are asking people to hydrate well if waiting to see Her Majesty and The Duke, in the last forty minutes there have been several fainting incidents.

Royalty all around this week, Royal Mail even arrived here yesterday.

Thank you Mel, thank you Ruth.

There was silence in the house yesterday afternoon. The Children were each given an extremely important task, a task of international value and requiring great care and consideration.

The task has taken on a rather 'organic' feel; I do hope we live up to expectations as great care and pride was exhibited for at least an hour. I'm happy for you to send a few more over Mel, the silence at that time of the day was quite unusual and very much appreciated!

I am procrastinating about finishing up an assignment and preparing for a presentation I have to give this Friday, it's not all that difficult but the butterflies are still swarming in my stomach!

Hold Your Breath ...

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000+11:00

You have to imagine that when I am writing my blog I actually represent two parts of my personality. There is the scrapbooking Amy who likes to write about photos and stories and online classes, then there is the real life Amy, who is pretty much the same as the scrapbooking Amy, but she would be highly unimpressed if any mention of December was to start in October.

Of course, then the scrapbooking Amy sees that an online friend is offering some of her wonderful templates and then her mind starts ticking as to all the possibilities and then she has to drop everything and start to play with some supplies.

One has to be prepared if one wants to successfully negotiate the silly season, the end of the academic year, the end of the year full stop; and still think one can manage to keep some sort of record of all that craziness.
So, if you know scrapbooking Amy really well you will be nodding and hatching your own plans, and, if it's real life Amy you are more familiar with, just ignore all this rubbish and smile while I take your photo ..... again!

PS If you are lost, I am referrring to either Journal Your Christmas or December Daily.

She's Home ...

2011-10-24T11:58:00.000+11:00

Safe and sound and still refusing to look at the camera when I try to take her photo!

She was found very close to our house, very close to our friends actually and she may have been there because it was familiar and close to her friend.
People can be very kind and thoughtful. Strangers allowed an unfamiliar dog to sleep in their bedroom for two nights, they walked her, fed her and played with her.

Yesterday was a distressing day.

There are a couple of things to remember, the vet and the ranger were really confident she would be returned to us. Our dog is registered and microchipped, these two things certainly helped for her speedy return and contacting the correct people is what needs to happen.

Thank you for all of the support you showed us yesterday, we all appreciated your well wishes. Pets are such a big part of so many of our lives; our girl has more kinder pictures drawn of her than any other member of the family, she is spoken about at Show and Tell, she is walked and brushed as a priority by the children, they include her in all their outdoor activities and squabble over whose turn it is to feed her or fill her water bowl. She talks to us.

Another version of the roses ... some time on Photoshop was a good distraction yesterday!

Missing ...

2011-10-23T10:23:00.000+11:00

Our oldest girl is missing. She's not the sort to run away, she never has in nearly eleven years.
The Ranger is notified, so is the vet and the pound. We've walked her walks and driven the streets and all our neighbours know her well.

We are not ready for this. The 'here one minute and gone the next' situation is just terrible. The Engineer and I have had little sleep and the children are forlorn.
The irony of this scrap page is that is was made in response to a novel about a missing child and the relationship with the family dog, twelve months later, we have the missing dog.

We are hoping for a good phone call soon.

Randomly Right Now ....

2011-10-21T12:00:00.000+11:00

When I vacuum and The Five Year Old is at home, she procedes to 'lalallalalaaa' in her loudest possible voice. Or, she tries to have an indepth conversation about the merits of needing a haircut and how she has very long hair.

The Engineer called me from work to declare that he has just figured out that hot, windy days seem to make people cranky. Really? You have just worked that one out?

Even though there are a few things I am missing, I really don't want to unpack all of our boxes. I have become used to living with the bare minimum and it is no where near as bad as you might think. Luckily, we are not ready for that yet.

I need to sort through the children's clothing; this is a task I put off to the very last minute and then wonder what the fuss is about. Considering they both have one large tub each of clothing at the moment, the task should, theoretically, be even less onerous.

The Five Year Old has made a remarkable recovery from her recent stomach illness, she is constantly hungry and wants to snack all day.

We have had five service calls, at least, on our heater and at last, we hope, the entire unit is going to be replaced.

It's warming up down here; but, needing the fire one day and the air conditioning the next is really confusing.

We have penpals, they sent coded letters this time ... ooooh, that's good! We have performance anxiety about what to send back, well, I do, I don't think the children are all that fussed!

The Alternative ...

2011-10-20T11:19:00.000+11:00

When I first started to dip my toes into digital scrapbooking I was really overwhelmed with all of the terminology, I still am actually. Opening up an unfamiliar program like photoshop is quite daunting, the names and functions are very different to other programs I had used before; though, that's not saying much because I am not particularly comfortable with many applications.
Gradually, I started to pay attention when I heard or read certain things, I allowed myself to absorb the terminology very slowly. I paid for a class; it was money extremely well spent. Then I went away on holidays and didn't think about computers or scrapbooking for over a month, even though I was taking many photos.

When I think about my motivation to take up digital scrapbooking it is really simple. I was sick and tired of measuring, and lining up and cutting, and then having things move out of place and look like a shamozzle.

What I didn't realise, is how quick and easy it could become. It is fair to say I am in a groove with my style, I know what I like and it works for me. I am able to whip up pages reasonably quickly and the process of making a page does not take over from my story or my photos.

I've never accumulated many paper supplies, especially not patterned paper. Cardstock is slightly different, you can never have enough and I see it as a versatile product, the multi-tasker of the scrapping world you could say. At times, it is fair to say, I have guarded my cardstock a little too preciously. I'll share a little known secret, my now closed down local scrap shop used to hide the Bazzill kraft down on a low shelf out of the way; for two reasons. One, they thought that customers only wanted textured cardstock, and two, once they realised how popular it was, it was hard to keep in stock ... you had to be in the know! It was a funny little quirk, nothing anyone minded.

With all of this in mind, my actions over the past week would have made my former self, of three years ago, shudder. I have let the children use some of my cardstock. Not without reservations; they were not allowed to use the Nightmist, Ivy, Java, White or Kraft. Generously, they were allowed to use the mauves, of which I do not know their names, so therefore, they are deemed permissible children's crafting supplies.

Now, if any of you have any suggestions as to how I am able to finish this little thing-a-ma-bob, I would be very grateful. I never made them at school and my current instructions are rather scant.
On top of that, all my scrapping dreams would come true if Bazzill started producing their cardstock in a digital format, then the kids could really have some fun!

The Wrap ...

2011-10-19T06:30:00.000+11:00

Last Friday I headed to the printers and had my 2011 LSNED project printed. I used a landscape 5x7 black album which is a photo album I purchased from either Spotlight or Harvey Norman, I can't remember which it was now, I pick these up whenever I see them as they are really handy.
I used overlays from Ali Edwards and all the papers and embellishments are from Oscraps.

The overview

A few of the pages up close

This is one of my favourite projects, I really enjoy the simplicity and I like having something to record each day without it getting out of hand, expectations are kept low!
The front cover window has some red dotted Bazzill cardstock and some letter stickers which are available through Remember When, very cleverly they cut lettering on Bazzill cardstock; what could be better?

Variety ...

2011-10-17T12:07:00.001+11:00

Some of my favourite posts to read are recounts of events, especially the ones where people talk about what they did on the weekend. I have a couple of favourites in mind, and I suppose they have become favourites as I have developed some form of relationship with the particular author; and by relationship, I mean I have read their blog at least once a week for about a year. Mostly I enjoy the geography, which is funny because one such re-counter lives here in the same city as me.

The longer I blog, the more I start to question my motivations. After reading recounts, I start to feel as though my weekends are horribly inadequate. Last weekend, for instance, was a fine and lovely weekend; the sun was shining, most of the time, and the temperature was conducive to outdoor activity.

What happened to our weekend? Why didn't I take a single photo? Surely these days are worthy of documentation, either graphic or written?

At 7.45am last Saturday The Engineer and The Eight Year Old had left the house for the day, The Engineer and his brother are working under a labour share agreement. The Engineer engineers at his brother's house and his brother paints at ours, it works well and we alternate weekends.

So far so good, only one child to supervise for the day. At 8.20am, while I was cleaning my teeth, The Five Year Old appeared at the bathroom door to inform me she had vomited downstairs. Never mind, her version of vomit has been known to include droplets of spittle and a funny cough in the throat. Goodness me, her ability to grasp such a concept has vastly improved and my day was changing quicker by the minute.

Saturday was spent cleaning up; many times, rushing quickly to the supermarket, cleaning showers and toilets, vacuuming, changing bed linens, washing towels, ironing business shirts and school uniforms and hastily cobbling something together that we called dinner. No photos.

The full entourage was present and attending on Sunday, one crew member was huddled on the couch covered in her favourite pink blanket, pale, wobbly and weak. The Engineer and his right hand man set about the task of measuring and planning; a favourite past time of The Engineer on any given day. Mum, my sister, her husband and my nephew visited for morning tea, coffees and bun all round. The Five Year Old didn't stir. For the rest of the day I wrote assignments, checked that my youngest child was still breathing and consulted on several design issues. No photos.

Here I am on Monday morning, wondering what exactly happened this weekend. We didn't visit the park, ride our bikes or see any friends. Nor did we see the beach, peruse a painting or dine out in a cosmopolitan fashion. There were no activities, sports or festivals. I am not sure what sort of photos to pair with this post, quite clearly none were taken and perhaps that is just how it should be.

On the weekend, what did you do?

I Don't Even Follow The Rugby ...

2011-10-16T04:00:00.000+11:00

We do well as the underdog and our 'foreign' coach has developed a team that was not given much chance in this tournament. The South Pacific will be represented proudly next week either way.

In other news, I have my finished copy of LSNED in my hot little hand; we have had sun, rain and wind in rotation all weekend and the vomits have hit our place. Our pace is slow and gentle and that suits us just fine.

I'll share some of LSNED during the week and I have to return to the drawing board regarding the tile coasters I made last month, the white tiles have discoloured terribly; I used a clear gloss enamel .. any ideas?

Taking The Plunge ...

2011-10-14T08:10:00.000+11:00

Making a photobook has, so far, been a frustrating experience for me. I would say that is probably due to a slow-ish internet connection and my frustration at not being able to quickly add in my own templates, this is achievable of course, but some companies like you to use their own.
I have decided to make a photobook about our last little holiday just a week or so ago now. I am going to use the company Viovio on Melissa's recommendation and I have decided to use an album of templates by Biograffiti available through Oscraps.

This is an example of what the templates look like, of course they are all different and some have space for many photos and journaling can be added wherever you like. I'm not sure if this will end up as one page, I might swap things around and I am waiting on a disc from my brother with the shots he took as I'd like to add those in as well, I didn't take as many photos as usual this time around. So, little brother, please send those down at your earliest convenience!

I've had some great advice from Melissa as to how to sort out my photobook, if you have any tips or tricks, or even some feedback as to which company you liked, how the colour looked and the quality of the book, I would be very grateful. I am also interested, if you used your own templates, or scrapping ones, did they fit properly within the constraints of the book? As you can see, the templates I have chosen leave plenty of cropping room!

Lemonade ...

2011-10-12T11:35:00.000+11:00

Pleasantly, I am surprised that our change from one internet service provider to another has been relatively smooth and painless. Dealing with an enormous bag of lemons has actually occupied more of my time.

During my absence our hardwood staircase has started to take shape, the sanding and polyurethaning is a long and laborious process which I wisely delegated to one far more adept than myself.

After two weeks away from home and with a very busy October ahead I seem to have reached a lull in the scrap page making process. September was full with LSNED and perhaps this is the downtime I need before gearing up for end of year festivities and life recording? In October I don't really like talking about the 25th of the 12th month, despite seeing evidence all through the shops and even being one of those people who may have made a purchase for that time of the year. Like always, I'll muddle through and find my way. What I will do is try my hand at a photobook, for the first time, it may take a while before you see the results here but that is something I have started and hope to finish quite soon.

From The Sky ...

2011-10-10T08:26:00.002+11:00

A gentle reminder that things are not always necessarily as they seem.

Sitting on the beach watching children swim, despite being fully clothed, can be fraught with danger, especially when paragliders are floating around above you.

Of course, many pleasant surprises also come from the sky.

Returning home to colourful mail helps to ease the burden of a laundry volcanic eruption.

If you'd like to read the full paragliding story, it will be over HERE tomorrow.

The Fling ... A Pictorial ....

2011-10-08T18:28:00.000+11:00

From the front door.

The bigs.

The Bigs and the Littles.

Frolicking good time.

Vineyards.

Golf and the ocean.

Everywhere.

The necessary practicalities now ensue, see you when I resurface!

See You Later ...

2011-09-24T08:23:00.000+10:00

It's that time of term once again, time to switch off and recharge.

Have a great fortnight everyone, I may or may not get around to your blogs in the next two weeks, but will be back with plenty of stories to tell after the first week in October. I can't quite believe I just said October, where has the year gone?

Photography ...

2011-09-23T20:37:00.000+10:00

Earlier in the winter, or summer depending on where you live, I signed up for a photography scavenger hunt organised by Rinda. I have followed many a blog post now with tales of fantastic finds and many a length taken to capture items from the list.

Over At Our Place has not been overly successful in this venture. Rinda, I almost feel as though I need to apologise for this paltry effort, in my defense, it has been a long winter where we have not been out and about all that much.

You will notice in the collage an over abundance of item seventeen, which is rain. There could have been several entries for fire, but I stopped at one. The Town Fair was a virtual washout this year so that put an end to item nine and there was significant political activity close to home, but if I showed up there with a camera I don't think the 10D would have ever seen the light of day again.
Castles are not easily found down here, and when I suggested a lego creation, the junior members of the family decided they would prefer to make paper dioramas that day, I really couldn't take a trick!

Anyway, not to be defeated entirely, I have opportunity soon to spend more time searching for items on the list, I will have passed all deadlines but feel that I'd like to continue finding as many as possible.

Thanks Rinda for a great project!

Looking Up ...

2011-09-23T07:39:00.001+10:00

Sometimes it doesn't hurt to head outside and take a photo of the sky, undoubtedly it is better when it looks blue and sun-shiny, but grey and moody isn't too bad either.

Thank you very much for all of the wonderful crafting suggestions, they have all been viewed, where links were provided, or notes written where ideas were given and then saved into their own folder for future reference. I appreciate all of your ideas and look forward to seeing where the inspiration takes us!

The Days Go By ...

2011-09-22T14:36:00.000+10:00

Sometimes I wonder why I don't seem to learn that once you get into the thick of things it really isn't as bad as what you imagine.
I was wondering, late August, how I was going to keep up with LSNED this year, it's been a lot easier than I had first thought and I am finding it quite motivating to get a few different stories down here and there. What I also find quite disturbing, is that when you are focused on a project, time seems to slip through your fingers at an even greater speed than usual.

Now I need to work on getting those extra stories down on to pages, the focus has been on LSNED, which is entirely good, but, I find, as I do with WITL, there always seems to be more I want to get done once I start recording each day.

A little over a week to go, I wonder what will come our way?

Your Best Ideas Please ...

2011-09-21T19:15:00.000+10:00

With two days left until third term holidays, I am calling on the wise collective of all my blog readers. For the most part we have plenty which is organised these holidays, but, I am wondering if any of you have some simple craft ideas suitable for children aged eight and five?
Keep in mind, we will be away with three teachers during this time, so, nothing is beyond these women ... basically I hand it over to them!

Usually a significant amount of painting occurs, we have been known to produce our own musicals - but the chief choreographer had a baby only four months ago so she may not be as willing as usual - we also are more than happy to string beads and create anything out of cardboard or wood. But, I am looking for something with a little more panache, something that is simple, but may need more effort and concentration ... surely I am asking in the right place?

All ideas are welcome, this is a non discriminating call for all your arty and crafty projects suitable for the younger ones ...because, let's face it, there is only so much I can bear as they make chess rules up on the fly!

Lost In Translation ...

2011-09-20T12:48:00.000+10:00

One of the more difficult aspects to blogging is the ability to communicate effectively and accurately. Over the past couple of years I have noticed, through the comments section, that sometimes my meaning is misinterpreted. I like to think that over time a part of my personality is shown through my posts, but, really, it isn't the same as a face to face conversation. Trying to impart humour is difficult, or perhaps I am not all that funny ... and sometimes, regional and cultural differences are more pronounced that I had thought.

On the weekend when I posted about The Eight Year Old, one commentator pulled me up on my description of his photo as a 'rubbish' photo. The comment got me thinking, because you see, I agree with the commentator, I didn't think it was a 'rubbish' photo either and after re-reading the post I wanted to talk about photos a little more.

Right now, one of my favourite ways to take a photo is to get the camera down as low as possible and simply depress the shutter and see what I come up with, that's how I got all those flower shots yesterday when I was trampling in the garden - I don't even look through the view finder, it is truly press and go photography, leading to varied results, some pleasant and some ridiculous.

When you are not looking through the viewfinder you have to accept that most of your photos will not have any degree of technical proficiency, but that sort of makes them a little bit more interesting. So, when describing my photos in the future, I will try to not describe them as 'rubbish' even though, from a technical standpoint they probably are. I am loving photos which show details, I used to think that meant they had to be close ups, now I am seeing value in the wide shot - it is also an economical way to take photos ... one photo usually tells more than one story!

I really enjoy taking photos of flowers and plants, but capturing people in their environment is still a preference for me. At our place at the moment, one child is trying desperately to keep up with the other, it causes disputes, frustration and also a lot of joy. I didn't have time to change the white balance on my camera, something I am usually fastidious about, but in the end, it doesn't matter - I took the photos and now I have something to write about when I next feel like scrapping.

Anyway, apart from feeling the need to address this point of clarification, I wanted to say how much I appreciate and enjoy the interaction blogging brings. Finding a time during the day to be able to sit down and write is a wonderful creative outlet and another fantastic way to record the stories of our lives, but now my computer time is up so I'll see you again soon!

A Little Secret ...

2011-09-19T14:22:00.000+10:00

Imagine this. One thirty-eight year old female balancing precariously up on some rocks in her front garden, it is 30C and blowing an absolute gale, she is wearing black leggings, black patent leather flats with a large silver buckle and one over sized cotton grey tunic top, and of course she has her camera in hand.

Before heading out into what can only barely be described as a garden, she considered what she wanted to take photos of for a September project she is working on. Actually, she knew what she wanted to capture, it was more a case of logistics and specificity.

Now, she has read, on numerous occasions, that to capture something unique and special she would have to change her perspective.

By this stage the grey tunic is billowing and flapping, but fortunately her choice of shoe allows her to negotiate randomly placed rocks with care, because high on her mind is the urgent feeling of dread if she were to drop her camera, really, that would be worse than a broken ankle in her own mind.

After reading all these articles and books about capturing something unique and special, she is not sure how high she could really aim, after all, it is the midday sun glaring in full force and the northerly winds disturbing the ambiance which are making this task challenging, if not slightly absurd to observe.

In the end she found what she was after. It involved considerable stretching and bending, several adjustments to the camera and many, many photos.

After all, that is the secret, take lots of photos, more than you think, more than you are comfortable with because then statistics are on your side, at least one will be clear, at least one will have colour that you like and at least one will help portray this moment on this day.

The Ones You Love ...

2011-09-18T15:30:00.000+10:00

In between ironing and a couple of emails this afternoon, I sat down at the computer to make a scrap page. It is one that I have thought about a little bit over the past few weeks, and in some ways I have already made a couple of pages skirting around this topic.
Sometimes it just takes one little thing to spark an idea and your interest, and in this particular moment it was Di over at the SAG blog. Without wanting to sound sappy and soppy, I admire Di's ability to portray emotion and vulnerability within her blogging and her layouts, it is not always easy to convey your true meaning on a scrap page .. I mean, hey, we have paper and pretty things to play with so why let a good story get in the way?

I'm not posting this page today to gain any sympathy or any oohs and ahhs, we are past some of the worst of things and are now managing long term chronic conditions that many people live with every day successfully.

The photo I used in the layout is pretty rubbish, but you know what? This photo shows that the ceiling has not been put in under the veranda, it shows insulation peeking through the sides of the windows where window trims are yet to be fitted, it shows a clothes horse filled with washing to be folded after a week of rain, it shows couch cushions that have been put back the wrong way and it shows my son carefully putting together some car tracks which he bought with his own money. This photo shows that I have an inquisitive child who likes to build things. This photo shows that I have an unfinished house and when I see separate parts of the photo I can see there is a story I want to tell. In this photo I can see my life and how we live each day, that isn't important to you, but it is to me, and that is what I value in my scrapping albums.

It doesn't matter what you scrap or how you scrap, but the story does matter and so do the photos. Look at your photos and see the story - the rest comes easily ... and even those dodgy photos have a lot of value and character. Write the stories people, write the stories, they are what bring your pages to life!

Your Own Voice ...

2011-09-17T07:38:00.000+10:00

I was reading one of my favourite photography blogs earlier in the week, I have my blogs saved to several different folders and categories and those which I don't have in my reader I get to whenever I can or whenever I think of it - usually about once a fortnight.
This particular blogger was writing about all sorts of stuff, and a lot of it made sense to me even though I wasn't and am not dealing with similar issues.

How much do you write about yourself?

This question has so many sub-topics related to the main premise. The biggest thing for me is finding that fine line which makes me seem real without going overboard with details. I seem to be flipping between finding a connection with lots of people who like to take photos and write stories and then in the next breath feeling guilty because I write about part of our life in a public forum. I don't know about you, but we are bombarded with internet safety campaigns and there is a little nagging voice in the back of my head which is making me feel less than brilliant. On the other hand, I could sit in a box and never step out of my house and that really wouldn't be much of a life and it would certainly be a negative message for our kids.

So, this weekend, I will probably not go and sit in the grass, because it gives me hayfever, but I will take photos and write stories. I will also decant paint, cook for hungry workers and referee several sibling disputes. I'm also hoping I get lots of washing dry because I am sick and tired of my house looking like a Chinese laundry.

Let me know how you are managing to find connections with your blog and readers, it's not always easy and sometimes we lose motivation and inspiration. I found this post a great read and a great way to expand on a story - I'd love to hear your ideas.

Another Week ...

2011-09-15T08:18:00.000+10:00

I've got an update for you today, the next weeks worth of Learn Something New Every Day. I'm really pleased that I've been keeping up with this project, sometimes, dare I say it, it even makes me think I could attempt a 365 or Project Life ... then I shake my head and have a little internal discussion about how silly that is for me. A month is manageable, a year? Well, I'd end a crazed woman who focuses on nothing else I am sure of it!

Remember, these are 7x5 in size and I'm using overlays/brushes from Ali Edwards at Designer Digitals.

Just before I go, I wanted to quickly mention that my blogging friend Deb has suddenly been taken ill - send her some good wishes please, Deb is such a positive and thoughtful presence in the blogosphere and I know you will want to join me in hoping she makes a full and speedy recovery - take care Deb!

Has She Reached The Glass Ceiling? ...

2011-09-13T10:54:00.000+10:00

Ha!
Now, this sewing caper is far trickier than cutting out pretty paper and sticking it to tiles, at this stage I think I prefer the tiles, but I am not giving up on the needle and thread just yet.
Ever Miss Practicality, we jump straight into the next project, and yes Alexa, that book was a little hint - a fabric notebook cover.

The sewing tutorial came from this particular site - LINK HERE - and I, once again, converted the blog post into a PDF at Joliprint - LINK HERE.

Please don't look overly close, this was an experiment and it is far from perfect.

I used left over fabric from my pillow adventures.
The inside pockets were not made deep enough.
My cotton is the wrong colour.
Despite, what I thought was accurate measuring, my booklet didn't fit.
Trying to cut the book to size was a futile exercise.
I'll try this again, but need to gear up for it, you need to think for this project - well, I do!
I really like the look of top stitching - makes things look finished and neat.
Now that I have made it I am not sure if it is super practical.

Here ends my recent foray into the wider world of craft, and I think I have some way to go before I can even see that ceiling!

Perhaps She Is Crafty After All ...

2011-09-11T16:48:00.000+10:00

Ingredients -

White ceramic tiles from the hardware store at .40c each
PVA glue
Pretty scrapbook paper
Quick dry all purpose gloss enamel

Cut paper to size
Adhere to tile with PVA glue and a small paint brush
Once dry, coat tiles a further two times with PVA glue, allowing to dry in between each coat
When fully dry spray two coats of gloss enamel according to instructions on the can
Add squares of felt to the underside

Depending on the time of day, enjoy with your favourite beverage
Marvel at your craftiness
Consider the gift potential - especially for teachers at Christmas time
Take photos and post to your blog ... and hope others will also consider, in wonder and amazement, your new found craftiness

The End

More September Projects ...

2011-09-09T08:27:00.000+10:00

Earlier in the week I showed you my first pages for LSNED 2011, at the end of the post I asked what you had brewing in September, well, I have a few more September projects to share with you.

Yes, the sewing machine has been out again, using up the scraps from the great pillow experiment of August, and, I ventured to the hardware store for items non house renovation related for the first time in fifteen months. I'll share more next week, only because I haven't finished one project yet .. actually, I haven't started - this way it keeps me honest!

Have a great weekend, we have the Town Fair, science classes, crafty projects, cooking and a general house working bee to look forward to .. what about you?

September Project ...

2011-09-07T10:35:00.000+10:00

For the past three years I have participated in Shimelle Laine's Learn Something New Every Day project. The first year is one of my favourite mini albums, last year was a bit of a fizzer, we were away for a good deal of the month due to school holidays and my enthusiasm waned. This year, I was very enthusiastic to tackle the project, but our September plans have changed more than once and days before the start of the month I decided not to go ahead. Then things changed again at the very last minute and I have jumped in eagerly.

I love this class as I treat it very much like a Photo of the Day for September with a sentence or two for good measure. Each year I have done the project digitally and I do not spend more than half an hour, in total, including uploading of photos, paper choices and journaling and submitting to the gallery. It is not easy to find an uninterrupted thirty minutes each day, but it is certainly not impossible.

Today I have my title page and first seven days to share with you. My background page is landscape 7x5 size. I am using an Ali Edwards overlay, they are the 6x4 Journalers that I resized to suit and I am also using a kit from Oscraps, Fei Fei's Like Home range. Oh, I have also used an Anna Aspnes brush on the friends page.

Now, don't be overly alarmed by that last shot, The Five Year Old collided with the television cabinet when partaking in undue and excessive twirling ... when she should have been listening to Mum and getting ready to leave the house to pick up her brother from school! Also, it needs to be said, I did NOT take this photos until AFTER we came home from the doctor ... I am not the sort to take a photo of 'wet red stuff' when the injured party is screeching at the top of her lungs ... there was no time to clean the floor before we rushed out the door. Anyway, all is fine and any scarring will be well and truly hidden by hair.

So, this all begs the question, what September project do you have brewing?

It Couldn't Be Simpler ...

2011-09-06T14:04:00.000+10:00

Over the weekend the children and I decided to do a little cooking. They often help me with meals and they always seem to appear for cake baking - more accurately, spoon and bowl licking.

I'm not one for a lot of baking and it would never occur to me to hand make pastry. Generally I don't make biscuits, loaves, bread or rolls.

We generally bake muesli or fruit slice and about seventy-five birthday cakes in the month of June.

These could not be easier. A couple of sheets of frozen puff pastry. A medium jar of nutella or any chocolate spread that takes your fancy. Spread it out and roll them up. Bake. Eat.

If you have any fail safe recipes to make with children I'd love to hear, I think we can advance from the spread and roll now!

Storytelling Sunday ...

2011-09-04T10:38:00.000+10:00

Sheets tucked tight, they are firm and crisp, my toes are wriggling but I can't even bend my knees. An arc of white light seeps through a gap in the curtain, I can make out the shadow from the stained glass window. The cedar chest between our beds is enormous, it is filled with wonderful things I am sure. Wriggling some more, I still can't free my legs, eventually I fall asleep.

Wash your face first and then sit on the stool at the big brown bench. The pots are stacked on the stove, the hand beaters are whisking the milk in the jug and the dials on the old radio don't move. The water is rolling and the eggs are dropped in one at a time, the toast needs watching, otherwise it will need to be scraped. The row on top is filling slowly and the butter is still hard, I don't think we can use it yet.

Tick, tock, wait for the chime, the rest of the house is quiet. The little grey elephants are still in a row, leading one another with their fine gold chain. The dark wooden surfaces are cool to touch, but smooth and straight, a contrast to the fine lace upon which the porcelain sits, filled with treasure which is precious and delicate.

The chairs are up and the floors are swept, out comes the polish and the humming begins. We watch our feet and keep out of the way, intrigued but cautious we watch, observing the oscillating movement. Afterwards there are eggs to collect, the wisteria sways in the breeze and the washing machine rotates slowly as we pass the wash house, its large green and white drum gurgling and the smell of detergent fills the air.

We wander through the shed and then back again to the house, the large white fly wire door shutting firmly as we make our way to the kitchen. The table is set, through the middle the fine fabric lays, its edges delicate with lace, all hand made. The smooth eggshell blue bowl is filled with camellias, white, blush pink with glossy green leaves, how they sit so flat I can never quite see.

Soon it is time to go.
Spending time with my grandparents are some of my happiest memories.

A further Ode to Grandma -

A page template from Oscraps, along with the paper, and unknown source of stitching.

There are many wonderful stories to read today, head on over to Sian, High In The Sky and see what you can find!

Getting On With It ....

2011-09-01T11:52:00.000+10:00

Well we are sort of making our way back into a normal routine after nearly a fortnight of coughs and colds and infections. Thank you for all of your very kind comments regarding our health.
I'm not quite back into my normal blogging habits and it is likely to be a little while before I get around to visit you all, things run off the rails fairly quickly when Mum is also sick!

Anyway, I have two layouts to share today, the first is one about The Engineer and how we see him for most of our weekends.

The template is a combination overlay and photo grid which is a fairly recent addition to Cathy Zielske's collection, the papers are from Oscraps.

This next one was made in a haze of sinus pain, it was my day to post over on the SAG blog on Tuesday and being true to my belief of 'in the moment' scrapping I took a photo of our wonderful collection of medicines. I am counting out 5ml and 6ml and 7.5ml in my sleep I am sure ... not to mention how many puffs who has had when.

The colours in the page were selected using the colour picker from items in the photo and the template is indeed from Cathy Zielske, but has been slightly adapted to suit my needs.

That is it for today, I probably won't be back until Sunday when it is the next edition of Storytelling Sunday ... is it just me or do these Sundays seem to be coming around very quickly? Enjoy the rest of your week - hopefully it includes some time for scrapping!

The Dreaded M Word ...

2011-08-28T14:53:00.000+10:00

This afternoon I thought I would have the opportunity to sit down and read through some blogs at a leisurely pace.

As it turns out, my eyes hurt if I look at the screen and I cannot think of any coherent, let alone witty, comment to leave on any of my favourite blogs.

So, I am going to sit on my veranda in the sunshine and sip lemon and honey drinks. Three out of four of us have been hit hard, I have been up with The Eight Year Old since 1.30am and we even had a mad dash to the 24 hour clinic - all will be well, it just takes a little time.

I'll see you all later in the week, happy blogging in the meantime and keep out of Irene's way if she's headed in your direction!

Again ...

2011-08-26T11:03:00.000+10:00

I know this is twice in the one week, but, I am sending you off to the SAG blog again as it is my turn to set the challenge.

There was only so much blogging I could do in the one day - so head on over and see what I have to say - and you just might be inspired to scrap something a little different to the usual!

Have a great weekend!

Sharing Something Special ...

2011-08-25T11:35:00.000+10:00

Earlier in the week when I was at school as a class helper for The Eight Year Old, I had the wonderful experience of sitting in on a class incursion. The children were fortunate enough to have illustrator and author David Miller come in and explain how he creates fantastic paper sculptures which are then photographed for his books. Of course I immediately thought of so many of you who pop in over here, being fellow paper lovers, I thought you may like to see some of his work.

Photos are courtesy of a google search - I am not linking because it is a school site.

David explained to the children his process of writing in draft form and then setting out to create his magnificent sculptures. Most of his work is pieced together with paper and almost no adhesive - it was incredible to see and it is ALL hand cut. What this man can do with paper and scissors is beyond belief, just look at the detail in the tiger! The children were fascinated and broke out into spontaneous applause on several occasions as he pieced together animals in a mere blink of the eye, all with paper and scissors. The intricacy and care and love David showed for his work was palpable, the classroom teacher and I both commented on how lovely it must be to live with such passion and to be driven enough to make your work through such a creative and relaxing medium.

After a couple of google searches I couldn't find as much information as I would have liked to share with you all, but, you can read a lovely interview HERE.

Have you seen any fantastic paper creations recently?

A Needle And Thread, Part Two ...

2011-08-24T09:50:00.000+10:00

After my initial foray into pillow making and my frustration that my squares didn't line up, and, I gave up on the idea of using a envelope backing ... because I didn't understand the instructions, Sharon's advice was to try making one using strips of fabric. Perfect, sewing in single straight lines - everything lines up.
Into the next bundle of fat quarters I go.

I was so much happier with the results second time around, that's for a couple of reasons though. I prefer this design and I prefer this fabric. I haven't quite got the hemming right for the envelope closure and the inside is a disgraceful mess, but who looks inside? I need to get a new pillow insert, this one looks a bit flat and sad - but, apart from that I am quite happy.

Now, on to the important details.
Even though I get that the internet is a great resource, I have to admit, I don't always use it well. Sharon's advice was to search over on Pinterest and on Google of course. This is where it gets tricky for me, there is so much that looks lovely but it is not always easy to follow or understand. After wading through all the sites I saved, I have just a few that I think would be helpful, especially if you are a novice.

http://www.favequilts.com/Quilted-Pillows#
http://www.filminthefridge.com/2011/03/10/more-about-strip-quilts-a-mini-tutorial/
http://wilbertandherma.blogspot.com/2011/05/tutorials-envelope-cushion-covers.html

I used one of the tutorials from the first link for my pillow yesterday and the Wilbert and Herma one for the base of today's. Film In The Fridge was invaluable for ideas and advice regarding how to put together a strip quilt/pillow.

There is one more device which was crucial to the success of this little adventure ... I know a couple of you have used this service, but, have your heard of Joliprint? This website is a life saver, it converts website tutorials, or anything you like on a website, into a PDF ... fantastic! Here is the link, save it to your favourites and life will be easier!
I chose two of the above links to convert to PDF's, it certainly saved a lot of toing and froing from the computer, keep it in mind, I think it would work well for cooking sites and recipes too.

I have learnt that you need to go slowly, be methodical, keep things neat and tidy and read carefully. A couple of the sites I have linked up today are just a plethora of information, it pays to read further as there is much to absorb. I'm feeling quite excited about a couple of ideas that involve sewing ... and me .. what a breakthrough!

To Save On ...

2011-08-23T10:00:00.003+10:00

Doubling up.

This week over at SAG we are featuring, if that is the right word, all of our scrap spaces.

It's my turn today, and if you'd like to see what this is all about and how to scrap in possibly the most utilitarian of ways, head on over.

The needle and threading adventures return tomorrow with links to tutorials and the conquered envelope pillow, see you then.

A Needle And Thread, Part One ...

2011-08-22T12:47:00.000+10:00

I have a very good sewing machine, it was purchased with some money my Grandmother left me when she died. At the time I was very conscious to purchase something that would be useful and something that Grandma would like me to have. My Grandmother was an outstanding seamstress.

Over the years I have had little patience for sewing and the machine. Reading a pattern always seemed far too complicated and as soon as I open the machine manual my eyes glaze over, despite the urgent need to change a bobbin.

I have made the odd attempt here and there, enthusiastically bounding into the fabric shop only to have my mother complete the project - on numerous occasions. The justification was that we were spending time together, the reality was different, I gave up because I thought it was too hard.

Sometimes we are afraid of things we don't understand. Creating something useful and attractive is extremely gratifying. I would say that slowing down and taking your time is also gratifying, but, just as I scrap, I like to hurry through sewing too ... but I am getting better.
My weekend efforts were enhanced considerably through the generosity of Sharon, she sent me in the direction of easy to follow tutorials, deciphered my terminology questions and even emailed hand drawn instructions - I am very grateful.

The first attempt went reasonably well, part two is even better ... but you will have to wait and see!

Inflation ...

2011-08-19T12:11:00.000+10:00

One of the children here at our place is rather task oriented, I am reassured, by one who knows, that this is a good thing and I should be hoping it lasts into the teenage years and well beyond.
Unfortunately, I am not the parent who passed on this wonderful genetic trait.

In an earnest bid to break out beyond my limited creative ability I have unearthed the sewing machine ..... cough, cough, don't choke on your coffee Mum - and yes, it is another one of my hair brained ideas ... wish you were here to rescue me!
The task oriented child on the other hand, presented me with a bunch of flowers designed and created solely by herself - plastic bottle tops and pipe cleaners and a healthy swipe or two of sticky tape.

So, now that we are home from our rather expensive visit to the library, it does not pay to have late books now days .. whatever happened to 20cents per overdue ... we have set aside an afternoon and a considerable portion of the weekend to focus wholly and solely on one particular task.

Where is your focus directed this weekend?

Your Pages ...

2011-08-18T12:26:00.000+10:00

This weekend over at SAG we are hoping to post some pages from all those lovely people out there who have joined in on our challenges, if you have participated in any of the challenges and don't mind the idea of possibly seeing one of your pages on the SAG blog, leave a comment and a link just right HERE as soon as you can.

Speaking of SAG, this is one of the pages I made for our first colour challenge.

It is a simple digital page with a template made by myself and the coloured sections are taken from the photo with the colour picker. In the past twelve months or more I have made a concerted effort to scrap topics apart from my immediate family, tell me, other than your family, what and who do you scrap?

Turn It Around ...

2011-08-17T13:42:00.000+10:00

I tend to be a literalist when it comes to sketches and templates, it is something I've been working on recently, particularly with Shimelle's Sketches of the Week. Another great example would be the digital templates Ali Edwards designed for this years A Week In The Life project; I didn't end up using them because I thought they were limited, as it turns out, I should have thought a bit more because they can be adapted quite easily.

I nearly deleted this photo, I had the camera set slightly over exposed and it is pretty washed out, but I decided to use it to play around with a layout style. This is a page from The Monthly set by Cathy Zielske available at Designer Digitals and the papers are from Oscraps. This page is usually in portrait orientation but I flipped it to landscape, the title fonts are Impact and Honey Script.

How do you deal with sketches and templates? Are they springboards or are they rules?

Lessons ...

2011-08-16T08:11:00.000+10:00

The younger residents at our place have always been the creative types, conventional children's toys don't hold their attention for as long as either of their parents would like.

Templates for the layouts are courtesy of Cathy Zielske, one is even a recent freebie over on her blog, papers are all from Oscraps.

It's Not Really That Bad ...

2011-08-15T13:34:00.000+10:00

Sharon's got a great post up today, just the sort of thing my two love to do but don't all that often due to the constraints of where we live. At the end of her post she touched on commenting elsewhere about dreams and aspirations and being happy right where she is ... it got me thinking.

I am so grateful that my light switches are fitted in the en suite. Ridiculous I know, but all the other switches are not looking like this ... mostly we have extension cords running off power boxes. The simple act of flicking a switch is appreciated.

Anyway, I love the switches because my bedroom looks like this!

Cheer me up folks, I have a thumping sinus headache and I'd love to be distracted ... what small thing is putting a smile on your dial today?

Lunchboxes ...

2011-08-12T09:52:00.000+10:00

Lunchboxes.
Are they ever easy? Do they ever overcome that monotonous feel?
This is one of my solutions.

Recipe?
Well, you know by now how much I struggle with recipes and how I like to adapt as I go along .. this one had this in it -

1x 880g tin of pears, halved with the juice
butter, about 1 tablespoon
2x eggs
2 cups of self raising flour
raspberries, about a cup, frozen

Melt the butter in the microwave and add the entire tin of pears and eggs - whizz with the bamix/stick blender until combined and the pears are pureed.
Fold in the flour.
Pour into your prepared cake tin, I used what is called a lamington tin ... 22cm x 15cm I think.
Press some raspberries into the batter.
Bake for 50 minutes at 180C.

This recipe is made to have no fats or sugars, it works well but I find it keeps longer if I add just a little - try it either way, and, add any fruit on the top, the pear flavour is very mild.
Certified child tastebud friendly, it doesn't come home at the end of the day!

Dear Anon ....

2011-08-11T11:50:00.000+10:00

An anonymous commentator had a point of view which deserved expression, I am always happy to oblige.

The journaling is taken directly from Anon. it will sit adjacent to the layout from the previous post in the album and we will happily reminisce the funny, the sad and the disastrous along with the adventurous, the cosy and the hilarious.
Thanks Anon., you make a wonderful holiday companion, fair weather or not!

The template is one I made along with digital cardstock from Oscraps.

PS Anon, please do not be distressed by the format of the journaling - we are capturing the moment and I am appreciating your memories!

The Hard Copy ...

2011-08-09T14:34:00.000+10:00

If you are a participant in Storytelling Sunday, do you convert your stories into layouts, or make some other form of hard copy?
Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't, I'd say it depends on the story. This is how July's story ended up -

I copied my text directly from the blog post, pasted it into a digital template (Cathy Zielske of course) and added some papers, Oscraps or Jessica Sprague, I have forgotten but that is where the majority of my digital papers are sourced ... if it is otherwise, I apologise.
Simple.
Quick.
In hard copy.
Not forgotten.
Not lost to the internet when we decide blogging is equivalent to prehistoric behaviour and some new fandangled thing takes over ....

Creative Interpretation ...

2011-08-08T13:20:00.000+10:00

As I wander through my Google Reader and observe the many posts now appearing with references to Rinda's Summer Scavenger Hunt I have been very impressed with what I see. I am also lamenting at my significant lack of acquisitions, as we are in the middle of a winter term we are not out and about in the same way that we would be if we were on holidays ... excuses, excuses, yes, I should just think outside the square. Alison emailed me with a couple of suggestions of how to achieve the elusive Castle acquisition, one was already on my creatively interpretive list and I certainly appreciated her thoughts as castles are not common place in these parts.

Number Eighteen on the list specifies 'a person sketching or painting outside their house'. Now, in the winter time this is highly unlikely, actually, it is not something we see a lot in Australia at any time, but, over the weekend I noticed a little 'rock' painting going on in the garage. I've decided that this will be as close as I get to Number Eighteen, and anyway, it was spontaneous and therefore totally in the spirit of the Hunt wouldn't you say?

Storytelling Sunday ....

2011-08-07T15:43:00.000+10:00

Large plumes of fine red dust billowed behind them as they made their way down the track. If this area was your land you would know where they were headed, they were hoping it would lead them off these roads that were slippery, and yet dry and treacherous.

Undulations were barely discernible and the sharp tufty vegetation was both unyielding and unending. Their supplies were limited, their fuel was limited, as was their capacity to store fuel. There was one chance to restock this week, one chance for one hour; leaving early this morning was the best decision.

The track had a formidable reputation, but they realised there was little they were afraid of and they knew emery boards, two car batteries and an old weetbix packet could go a long way if you needed to do any bush welding. They were prepared and they had seen a lot worse.

The journey ahead faded into the ether of time. What they had left behind took on mythical proportion, films were made and legends developed. Their mothers are still unsure if they really did stay there, despite the photos.

You may have seen the film, you may have been there yourself, and, if you are brave, you may like to follow a couple of these links and find out much more. Of course, after all of that you'll probably need a stiff drink and a click or two over to Sian for many more stories .... none of which will be as hair raising ... I hope!

My image today was sourced HERE.
If you are the inquisitive sort, the adventurous sort, or, the sort to match the location to the movie, you can read more HERE, HERE and HERE.

Super Simple ...

2011-08-05T13:01:00.000+10:00

I am not exaggerating, I have a page today and it is exceedingly simple - but I know that you know that I like it that way!

I have made templates that look quite similar to the one I used today, and I should have looked through my handmade collection before delving into my bulging folder of Cathy Zielske templates ... believe it or not, the layout above comes from a template that is found HERE and looks quite different you would agree. Papers are from Oscraps.

Three more super simple things -

Since finishing WITL last week I have taken one photo.

I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses to my last post, from those who left a comment I know you feel that what we put up on our blogs belongs to us ... because we can't change the thought processes of others we are the ones who need to monitor how and what we put on the www - keep it in mind.

Today there is a great post over on the SAG blog, it covers a really important design principle and is applicable to every single scrapper out there, head on over and see what Nicole has to say, I am sure you will find the information very useful and the pages inspiring ... as always!

Have a great weekend, I'll be back on Sunday with a story to tell .... be warned though, this one has some teeny-tiny scary elements ..... see you then!

What Do You Think? ...

2011-08-03T01:00:00.000+10:00

If I make it, is it mine? If it is here on this blog is it mine?

These are two quite difficult questions to answer. If I take a photo I have no hesitation to say, yes, it is mine, all mine in fact. When I post a photo on my blog I understand I am putting visual information into a public forum.

Sometimes I create digital scrapbook pages, are they mine? The photo is mine as I have established, and therefore, I suppose, the story is mine too - unless we are living a parallel life, which of course, I highly doubt. Mostly, I like to use purchased digital templates, the design is not mine.

Digital supplies can be used for any number of creative pursuits, they are not solely for scrapbookers. Sometimes I have been known to use them for cards and the odd sign or two right here on my blog.

Is the internet an inspiring place? Do I find blogs inspiring? Do I use ideas taken from the blogs of others?
Yes.

When you see an image you like, photo/scrap layout, do you download it?
Now, here is the interesting part ... why?

Is it to create your own visual hard copy inspiration diary?
Do you like the colours?
Would you reuse it yourself?
Do you repost it on your own blog?
Do you post it on another forum, Pinterest for example?

If you see something of yours, elsewhere, on the internet and you have not posted or added it to a gallery, how does it make you feel? Isn't it yours? Are you flattered? Are you offended?

Lots of questions today, just a couple of things I have been thinking about - related to nothing in particular I might add - I am interested in your responses.

What do you think?

Changing The Pace ...

2011-08-02T07:18:00.000+10:00

I thought I would drop by and post a regular layout today. The 'A Week In The Life' project has been all consuming and I am pleased to say I have finished. I find that by hitting this hard and fast I stick with the project and tend to include reactionary journaling, basically I respond to a photo and write about it. I know I would write very differently if more time were to pass, perhaps I will try that another year, there is certainly merit to giving the journaling portion more consideration - however - what I have now is a fantastic springboard for numerous stories so I suppose the depth of journaling will be found that way.

I know that lots of you have also been on this WITL journey, I have found a great sense of camaraderie through visiting your blogs and reading what you have found along the way. Last year I chose an alternate week and while I loved that too, I have really enjoyed the community feel - it is a little like the Journal Your Christmas experience.

This week I plan to collate all my pages and make sure they make sense, correct the spelling errors and then resize them all to 8x10 to suit the printers here in Australia. I took over six months to print my 2010 edition, I do not plan to take that long this year.

I would love to hear how you are approaching the putting-it-all-together aspect of WITL. I made a few different decisions this year, I added no ephemera, we barely have any anyway, I did not add screen shots of the blog or any other news services, even though I journaled about both and I reduced the overall number of pages I made for each day. I will reserve my final judgement for when it is printed, when, of course, I shall share a few pages with you all.

Today's page is a template by Cathy Zielske with papers from Oscraps and Jessica Sprague.

The Domestic Edition ...

2011-08-01T03:00:00.003+10:00

Along with a little colour for good measure.

I'm going to preface today, as I have been linking up on Ali's blog this week, that we are living in the midst of a total house reconstruction, I decided long ago that the word renovation just wasn't going to cut it any longer.

Winter in Australia has the potential to be magnificent. Magnificent in terms of sunshine and glorious colour.

Of course, it doesn't matter where you live, ironing, though not the worst of chores, is still ironing. Predominantly we have business shirts and school uniforms to iron here.

One of our favourite meals is a pumpkin pasta dish. It is very loosely based on a dish from a popular Italian restaurant in our city, we often eat vegetarian meals here, for no other reason than we like them.

The colour?
Colour is not something we are short of here, especially when we have a five year old female in the house. One's greatest prerogative is to wear a dress, but one needs to keep warm and pink. Oh, the criteria for the dress? They are chosen on their potential swirl-a-bility ... yes, that is not a word, but it is a criteria.

Okay, I have made it! One week in our lives, if this project has been on your agenda .... how are you? Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel?

Saturday On Sunday And Still Going ....

2011-07-31T07:00:00.001+10:00

So now I am really out of whack regarding the uploading of photos. I'm still getting through them each day but I wasn't home much on Friday or Saturday, so today, being Sunday, I have some photos taken yesterday, being Saturday ... with me?

Saturday was one of those days where I got to midday and had taken one photo. Yes. One photo. The traditional Saturday morning early ritual, watching cartoons.

Then I thought I'd better pop in a self portrait.

Jo wanted to see this.

By this stage of the day the photos were coming thick and fast. Today I ended up taking the most photos of any day this week, it just goes to show, you don't need to start with a burst!

Waiting for dinner.

Hi everyone : ) Dinner was absolutely delicious - Vietnamese if you care to know.

Community Street Art underneath a railway overpass, adorned with regular old graffiti.

All hyped up after a dinner out, complete with silly giggles and pretend snoring.

One more day to go, when you are reading this I'll be in the thick of recording our Sunday. Saturday was the only day I did not finish off my pages as I went, I figure two days to catch up on is not too bad. I wonder how long it will take me to get it all printed?

Over At Our Place

Never Say Never ...

I Love A Sunburnt Country ....

Random Integer Generator

Raw Art: Combined With Holiday Behaviours, Expectations And Reality ...

It's New ...

Next ....

Holiday Photos:Part Three ...

Holiday Photos:Part Two ...

Holiday Photos:Part One ...

Completely ...

Merry Christmas ...

Find The Peace ...

The Journal ...

Silly Things ...

What If I don't Have Enough? ....

Bags, Tags And Lights ...

Wrapped ...

The Week That Was .. A Granny Update ....

Chill ...

function checkWholeForm88694(theForm){var why = "";if (why != ""){alert(why);return false;}return true;}

Great Ideas ...

Needed Rest ....

Last Night ...

The Mundane Too ....

Catching Up In December ...

Storytelling Sunday ...

The Final Month ....

Indecisive ...

Muddy-Arna ....

How Many Do You Think I Took? ...

Letting Go ...

In Various Places ...

On A Theme ...

Twenty-seven ....

Not Quite Yet ....

Girl Power ...

Twelve Months ...

Indecision, Procrastination ....

It's What You Make Of It ...

Ticking All The Boxes ...

Cup Cakes ....

Activities ....

Q&A ...

Storytelling Sunday ...

This Month ...

Following On ...

Then ...

Stopping ...

Blogging And Scrapbooking ...

A Self Portrait ...

Scale ...

Random, Again ...

Hold Your Breath ...

She's Home ...

Missing ...

Randomly Right Now ....

The Alternative ...

The Wrap ...

Variety ...

I Don't Even Follow The Rugby ...

Taking The Plunge ...

Lemonade ...

From The Sky ...

The Fling ... A Pictorial ....

See You Later ...

Photography ...

Looking Up ...

The Days Go By ...

Your Best Ideas Please ...

Lost In Translation ...

A Little Secret ...

The Ones You Love ...

Your Own Voice ...

Another Week ...

Has She Reached The Glass Ceiling? ...

Perhaps She Is Crafty After All ...

More September Projects ...

September Project ...

It Couldn't Be Simpler ...