Hunter Valley and extras...

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I wonder where the time has gone...it seems like not that long ago that Steve and I went to the Hunter Valley on our trip away.

We've been pretty busy with work etc and the kids seem to be getting more and more social the older they get...well alot more social than us!!

Madi got her braces on her top teeth (bottom teeth are still to come) and Lozzie has now got a learners drivers license - that's been a bit frightening especially when she first started to drive...





We have booked a trip away with friends on a cruise up to North Queensland and I am getting very excited about that. I have always wanted to go to Cairns and the Whitsundays and now it's only 3 months away...Yay!!

I have put myself on an exercise regime to get myself trim for the trip..,.the first week consisted of me telling myself that I should start exercising to get into shape for the trip - that week went really well. The second week I told my hubby about my excersice plans and he thought they sounded good and so I am on my way...

The third week which was last week both my kids have cooked yummy deserts on several occassions so I decided to take a break seeing my plan was on track!!

So far... I am doing quite well although I'm not sure how trim I am going to be when we set sail!!

A Matter of Memories...

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I am really excited cause I found this unreal blog called A Matter of Memories by Jill Paulson who shares her Creativity Prompts each month to get you inspired each month with your scrapping. I have added her button to my page...click on it to have a look...you can sign up for her newsletter also - Great blog Jill!!

Sweet 16 Party...

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The party has been had and everything went really well.

The backyard was lit up with tea lights everywhere including the milk container ones that all the lovely scrapbooking ladies helped with by donating their empties. We had the bamboo flame thingies (like in survivor) up one end of the yard and tea light lanterns hanging all around the pergola. All the electric lights were turned off, a gas heater under the pergola and a fire pit which the kids kept fired up all night meant we had a really pretty setting.

The kids were great - we had 24 turn up and they danced, melted marshmallows over the fire and generally had a good time.

Having a fire pit we wondered if they would be sensible with it - the worst that happened was a couple of them burnt a spring roll till it was black and then dared one of the boys to eat it and he did!!

I wasn't able to take as many photos as I have at past parties because being 16 they didn't want me hanging around too much and I respected the fact that they didn't need a flash in their faces (I know - it was really hard!!) but will post them as soon as I download them in the next day or so.

Organising the Sweet 16 Party...

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I'm organising a 16th birthday party for Lozza. Her birthday is in June and I asked her 2 months ago to let me know what she wanted to do so I could get started on the arrangements. A week ago she made up her mind...a party in our backyard brought forward to the 15th May because it might be too cold in June for outside. Just dancing and hanging around Mum that's all I want.

Well. Just dancing and hanging around still requires organisation and I am normally extremely organised but along with starting a new business, helping Steve with his and running a household I am feeling extremely unorganised about this party and the soundtrack in my head is starting to look something like this...

Buy marshmallows! How many packs do you buy for a 16th birthday party with 35 kids (yes, both girls and boys) where they will be dipping them into a chocolate fountain AND melting them over the fire pit - am I mad?? Yes, I think I might just be, why oh why did I say Yes to this party - oh, I hope the "no alcohol" written at the bottom of the invite worked -I just don't need under aged kids sneaking drinks in and throwing up everywhere. Mmmm do you think it will rain, do we need a marquee as well as the pergola? How much Pizza do 16 year olds eat - don't worry just order it from Domino's on the night. OK...Chips...10 packets enough...I have girls and I have no idea how much do boys eat? Lollies!! "A mirror ball Lozza? OK - I'll look into it". Oh good I can hire that along with the chairs...Thank goodness for Google and websites that display their prices...I need to scrap for classes...Balloons - check, Plastic Plates - check, OMG look at my floors - I need to vacuum!! Ok where was I... far out I've forgotten what I was thinking...mmmm...mmmm...oh yeah...serviettes - check, plastic cups - check, chocolate for chocolate fountain - "LAUREN Have you asked how much chocolate I need to buy for this chocolate fountain - not yet - well could you please ask?" OK on the list - chocolate - check. Alright, working Saturday will have to clean paving on Sunday - oh that's right it's Mother's Day - well this mother will be cleaning and organising the yard!! Headache!! No I haven't got time for a headache - you can just go away!! "Dinner Madi? I have no idea" I better look what we have for dinner tonight - GEE it's 6.19pm already - where did today go...OK ...I think the party is all sorted...well in my head anyway...OH NO CAKE!! I forgot to order the cake!! "What was that Lauren, can Nicole, Taihla, Hannah and Amanda all bring their boyfriends...(sigh) I guess so!!" Where was I? Oh yes CAKE!!

So if you ask me a question anytime in the next week and I stutter and then look at you blankly it's probably because the soundtrack volume seems to be getting louder and I just can't seem to find the knob to turn it down!!

I'll let you know how it goes...the party I mean...and I might even get around to posting some photos...ON NO CAMERA!!! I need to put that on the list!!

Tip...

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I saw these gorgeous cards today and a tip that said to try mixing Perfect Pearls, Distress Ink and water in a mini spray bottle and spray onto your cards or pages. It makes an unreal background.

I have Perfect Pearls somewhere, I'll go dig them out and then I think I will try it out...

Has anyone ever tried this before??

Oh...Memories...

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Wow, what a busy couple of weeks I've had.

Sharon and I are launching Creatively Inspired tonight and the first offical class goes ahead on 3rd May so we have been madly getting ourselves organised. I've got a sore neck from the amount of computer work I've done setting up the website, blog and emails but am about to hit the email SEND button and send out our first email blast, so now I can concentrate on the creative side!!

Steve, the girls and I have been travelling back and forth to Newcastle every other week to see my father-in-law who has been in and out of hospital after his heart attack. A couple of ops to put stents in and now a couple of medication adjustments and hopefully he is on the mend.

Wow, after losing my mother-in-law last year at age 66 and now this with my father-in-law, aged 65, it makes you realise how short life can be and how important it is to live it the best you can.

As I near my 43rd birthday in a couple of weeks I realise that my mid sixties are not that far away and it will probably fly faster than the last 20 odd years have.

Actually, talking about the last 20 odd years - I am back in touch with some old friends from school via Facebook. I'm not hooked but gee I've had fun catching up. I created a page for our Year 12 class and some of the photos that have been posted on it are hilarious especially as they are sooooooo 80's. I left school in 1984, smack bang in the middle of the 80's and we have had such fun reminiscing about the bands we would listen to, our fave teachers, what we used to get up to (actually alot of those memories are quite scary) and what we used to say back then and after looking back it is so different to my teenage daughters "talk" of today! They both think I am quite mad!!

Oh...Memories....

Recipe Album Idea...

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With the Basic Grey Nook and Pantry Collection I am planning a major scrapbooking project that I would like to share with you.

A few years ago my Dad gave me a recipe that he had found tucked away in one of his cookbooks. It was hand written on lined note paper by my Mum (who passed away when I was 16) and although I remember the recipe as one I didn't particularly like as a kid, the fact that it was written by my Mum brought back so many memories of her.

The paper is almost falling apart so I immediately put it into an acid free album to preserve it. then I got to thinking...I would like to scrapbook an album of my families favourite recipes - the ones they are known for Eg: my mother-in-law's caramel slice which everyone loves, Steve's Nonna's spaghetti which, forget seconds, we all go back for fifths!!

I have asked different family members to HAND write their recipe and then I have chosen a photo of them and I will scrapbook an album for each of my girls using BG's Nook and Pantry. I will then give the album as a gift to each of them when they leave home.

Some of the photos I have actually had the girls pose with the family member just to add a difference to the photos.

This idea has been simmering in me for years but I obviously was waiting for this beautiful paper range to come along to get it started.

Of course, there was one little dilemma, as I have been able to have each family member write their recipe out twice - one for each of my girls, I only have one of my Mums receipe - who gets the original??

Easy - I do!! I will photocopy it for the girls recipe album and keep the original myself. Just so i can hold on to my memories -Love you Mum xx.

Why don't you have a think about doing a family recipe album - it would make a great heirloom.

Now to get started....