While the boys are out.....

i have a lot to say here.....

firstly
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL!!!!

I think he wants the whole of cyber space to know he turned 40 yesterday!! We spent all of yesterday like two ships in the night

I took Mackinley to soccer then shopped
then Michael took Rainer to the organic shop (because I forgot something...again)
then Michael and Mackinley left at 4pm to catch the train to Robina to watch the MIGHTY DRAGONS play the Titans

They got home at 10pm and were in a good mood....

1. The Dragons beat the Titans, breaking their unbeaten record at home in 2 years, and

2. Mackinley lost his FIRST TOOTH!!!


How relieved was I????? EXTREMELY - it's never good when the Dragons lose, and we've been watching all of Mackinley's class mates lose teeth and he was beginning to think he'd never lose one.

Here's the reality of my life at the moment......

medical bills (about 20) ready to be claimed (or not, you'd be surprised how much ASD costs)


balanced with cute yumminess from Riot - something compelled me to buy sequins and felt (???)


and Pfeiffer....we finally have Rainer's biomeds from the U.S. One bottle for morning and one for evening





















still haven't Kefired the goat's milk or collected the gut cleansing milk from the GP

but if I was WonderWoman.....these things would ALL be done by now, and I would have saved the world from nuclear peril, not canceled my hair appointment (again), taken better care of my skin, hair and nails (which reminds me I need to see my Naturopath and Dentist again...must make more appointments), and I'd be thinner and taller!!!!!!!

okay, point made

The boys are much healthier these days, since we've been on SCD, and I've lost more cms (I have scales, but don't use them) but Mackinley's put on 5 kilos!!! How strange!

Rainer's tantrums are shorter and I'm positive a lot more is sinking in. He now gets jokes and was invited to his FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! Unfortunately, it's at Hungry Jack's (grrrr) and there's no way he'll be able to resist the fries. We'll have to have Max over for a play instead.

It's tricky, but we're getting the hang of it.

brighter and buoyant....

9 years and counting...

a mostly low-key anniversary this year. There's been a lot of changes to his work and our home life that it has crept up on us. I was surprised by this gorgeous impressive bunch of roses last night. They smell divine!!!!

Mum is here today helping me around the house. We've cleaned rooms, re-potted plants, baked 2 batches of biscuits and I managed to complete some scrapbooking. She kindly made some pizza and pepperoncini to share for lunch today. Isn't she the sweetest person???

I joined in (belatedly) the Recipe Scrap last night at Forever Always. Kye did a fabulous job keeping the instructions running along at a swift pace and I was happily snoozing by 10pm.


I really hope Lilly likes these layouts because she gave me permission to cut the original 5x7 prints!! Thank goodness there are a few pics that are the same-ish and lots of scenery so makes for very easy cropping!!

"Mongol" (Palace Cinemas)
AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING story. If you like your History, you will LOVE this movie. It's the story of Genghis Khan (Temudgin) - his childhood, his banishment, his battles and eventual success in uniting all the Mongol tribes. I cried, I covered my eyes (those fight scenes are a little graphic) and I laughed. I knew the man from studying Chinese History at Uni, but it was still clouded with my neo-Euro prejudices. I find so many similarities between Temudgin and Saladin - it's making me want to grab my study materials and start all over again...................

maybe not!! PMSL...like I have time......

brighter and buoyant>>>>>>

tragic domestic + LUXE yumminess

Went into Robins Kitchens for a candy thermometer today.......

and walked out with this...

- GORGEOUS, RED, tragically domestic but really sturdy material, so I can easily jump from cooking to scrapping during the day!!!! At the moment I wipe my hands on my jeans, which although convenient, isn't quite hygenic!!!!-- and a new frypan (non-teflon, of course) and 2 preserving jars all ready for Kefiring some goat's milk next week. Hopefully Michelle will drop off the warming tray soon. Rainer really needs the good culture in his gut.

So I wandered around Indooroopilly for a while, bought a mag and decided to forego the TRAGIC lines at Medicare and MBF, picked up some claim forms instead, and headed off to my most favourite place for solitude - French Twist. He runs a good show there and I just love the fact that I can switch off despite the fact that it's in the middle of the shopping centre.

Dropped this layout off at Inkredible






using the LUXE "Colour Me" paper, Fancy Pants pp and stamps. Full how-to's on their blog soon.

Also dropped into Scrap Therapy to do the Blind Scrapping with PT last night. Needed to clear out some cob-webs and do another page for Lilly and Phil. Here's my spin on the hilarious instructions from Tamara. I swear she's got "end of semester" brain.



Tonight Forever Always have a Recipe Scrap happening, so I hope to finish off another layout for their album and just catch up on all those "promised projects" in July.

Seems change is all around me at the moment. Some good -- some not so good. Trying to visualise myself as a lotus flower


WHY? I hear you ask. This visual splendour exists only when the water is murky, dirty and down-right filthy - the murkier, the better. As the bud grows it makes it's way to the surface of the water and literally holds it's head above all the crap below.

Are you with me now???? So, I imagine it's with all of us, on the outside things might look in control, but deep within the murky depths of our true self, there is always more than meets the eye.

Thank you to my online and tactile friends who have been trustworthy enough to know the true ME and hold that to their heart. It's not really in my nature to open up, so I've taken a great risk and enormous amounts of courage to do so. And I love you for it......and to think half of them don't even read my BLOG!!!!!!

And finally, when Mummy says the word NO to Rainer......the boy bites back.....


there is a remarkably crafty brain at work in that perfectly shaped skull!!

brighter and buoyant.....

a QUICK 123 layout and inspiration

Here she is.....
the layout that's been sitting on my pile of crapola for 3 weeks....

she's - a - done now!!

criteria included using the lyrics or title of a song as your title -- OKAY, maybe I used a little artistic licence in the ACTUAL chorus and then again to make it the title....well, it's all about self-expression, isn't it?

and how much do I love this chikkie ~Santogold~?!!!!!
great voice, great back-story, great CLIP!!! omg....once again only for those who have an open mind and let the whole "free to express yourself creatively and submerge your clips with layers of meaning"

which I LURVE soooo much

enjoy....



more to come about organising every last detail of school holidays, a pissy girls night of chat with Trish, and the movie "Mongol".
brighter and buoyant.......

Transparent Mini Album

Latest offering for Inkredible.

I am addicted to the Making Memories Tiny Alphas!!! (who isn't...maybe I was just a little slow off the mark with these!!???)





Okay, acetate sheets are a bargain (45cents for A4 sheet) and this very FUNKY paper from Stamp It - "Pink Thongs"....oh yes, so very BRIGHT, but great for this project.

For some step-by-step instructions, go to the Inkredible Blog. There are a few other projects from Noelene too using the Teresa Collins range and some more Kaiser-lovin'. I love that Tamara and Kathleen are working the blog for us to showcase the products in the store. There are some real gems on the shelves!!

If you're still stuck, leave a comment or email me. The book is at the shop for a closer gander. This was so much fun, I think I'm going to have to do some more!!!!

My next favourite place to be -- 123 Challenge -- is looking for Creative Team members. A very attractive proposition but each time I think YES, I think of 3 things that would prevent me from fulfilling any obligation to any forum/site. "Stealing" moments to scrap or blog or scrap-chat are so rare these days. I'm sure things will get better, but right now is not the time. Thankfully, Charm and Kars have brought back the 123 Cyber Crop!!! YAY, my favourite way to kill - nay, DEMOLISH - a night doing just about anything else!! It's always much better with a wine or two and the talk is fast and furious. Everyone and anyone is welcome and I always feel ready to create after a great and supportive chat.

Here's a layout I started at the Scrap Therapy retreat and then finished at home. I can't believe I haven't uploaded it yet.


I feel a change in the air... maybe it's just end of financial year jitters!!

brighter and buoyant....

SCD - Intro stage ++ who's scrapping?

We started the SCD diet on Friday night and the little blighter's been pretty much on HUNGER STRIKE since!! It's really highlighted how much GRAIN we have in our pantry and diet -- it's quite scary really!! Another side-effect is he's sleeping an awful lot, especially mid-morning.

We boxed all the foods that are grain-based and shipped them off to the Watts who were amazed at the quantity and variety of grain-based foods. Things you forget, like Rice Milk -- grain-based. I think most of us are hot-wired into the whole "gluten free" trap that we forget that most all grains ferment in your stomach and cause all kinds of ailments.

And I've been cooking up a STORM!!!



(very pleased with my much-anticipated purchases)
I'm getting quite creative with 1001 things to do with chicken broth, cooked chicken, eggs, almond flour, coconut flour and plain gelatine (although the first batch of grape jelly was disgusting). Mind you, there have been many unpalatable creations too - they're in the bin or feeding the chooks (LOL, they love my mistakes!!) At least Rainer's trying some foods that have disappeared from his diet - like eggs. He used to love eggs!! He's not keen on hard-boiled so we'll try scrambled next.

At least we only have to be strict for the next few days and we can hopefully move onto Stage 1. A few more veges and spices can be added then (thank goodness!).

{TUTORIAL ON GASTRO-INTESTINAL HEALTH OVER FOR NOW....}

Lordy lordy lordy
thank the Lord for scrapbooking (or insert any pastime that breaks the busy-ness of the day)

Here's my extremely late layout for Bon's Scraps Paper of the Month. This was a toughie....then found this gorgeous photo of Meggie-Moo. Scrounged around for the million photoshop articles in Scrapbook Creations and voila!!

It's not really finished yet. I'm going to find a photo of Lilly at the same age and pop it either top corner (depends on the colour and size). Love the aqua-blue with the pink and the touch of brown just warmed everything up.

Here's another, just because I love my Mum...

a little tab pulls out a journaling card about how much I admire how Mum has handled things since Dad's death. She's sad but she's also becoming her own person. Dad wasn't a horrible person, but he wasn't an easy man to live with either.

THANK YOU to all of you, who have left comments and emails about the Kit project. I'm glad you like my work :-))
and thanks for your words of support. It's not easy some days, but a quick "hello" on msn or on the forums makes a world of difference to my day.

brighter and buoyant....