a-new

Yes, everything is going to be focused on NEW in 2009.

I have my new word
NOURISHED

Rainer begins a new school (or two LOL) and has a fantastic NEW occupational therapist.

Mackinley begins a new year and has a NEW teacher (god help her! i've seen her class list, she'll need it!!)

I'm working on some NEW projects
I'M A TOP TEN GIRL FOR AN UPCOMING ISSUE OF SCRAPBOOK CREATIONS!!!! (yipee..)

and I've made some NEW year resolutions

(Thank you for those who have shared their NEW WORD for 2009. I think it's great that each of us has a focus for the year because sometimes lots of individual goals get lost in the busy nature of the year. )

I'll be stamping the words from 2008 and 2009 on my craft room wall (if DH lets me).

Here's another pic from the ScrapBoutique day that I need permission to upload first (you'll see why)
Me and the fabulously funny/hysterical/naughty KERRY MURRAY

Jolene Pienaar had made these truly decadent meringues with caramel in the centre. I suffer from loopy sugar overload now when I go to these crops. I just become too silly.

I scrapped too.
This is Peta's sketch challenge at Bon's Scraps

Chinese New Year is the same day as Australia Day this year. I hope the gang can all make it again. Angela organises a great night for everyone.

I went to visit Belinda's blog and found a link to this

on the American Crafts blog/gallery. Then had to go to the Williams' last night to see their new house and have NYE drinks. PERFECT INSPIRATION.
Came up with this...


in one day!!! How pleased was I with myself??? We filled it with chocolates which went down a treat after copious amounts of champagne (for me and Jo) and a big BBQ steak dinner. Yummo!

MORE BIRTHDAY GOODNESS
A lovely card from my friend Michele in San Francisco. Thank you my dearest. We met on a Contiki tour in 1992 and haven't missed many Christmases of writing since.

This is THE book Michael gave me the night of my birthday!

sooo special.

Maybe I should upload one piece of advice a week and let's see if we can be better women. You'd be surprised at how "modern" some of the advice is. I was pretty shocked that this was coming from women in 1913!!!

Absolute pearlers...

There are so many NEW CHALLENGES AND COMPETITIONS to dip into already this year. However, I will remain my NEW focused self and not give into temptation at the first whiff of a "dare you to do...". I'm hoping that the boys will settle into the new school year and for the first time in a long time, I can relax and breathe a little deeper.

I deserve it!!

NOURISHED....

December pics (ready the scroll button...)

hello
would you like to see what I've been up to this month?

AEIOU Treven Glen hayride

and horse (not to Rainer's liking)

Cherpie (note the correct spelling by Mackinley, not chirpie as I spelt it)

one week just with Mackinley

last day for Rainer at C&K with Sally (we'll miss you)

knucklehead the possum takes refuge in our SES tarp after the storm

scrapboutique get-together (had a FABULOUS time)

me and Kerry (awesome surprise)

xmas drinks with Neil and his motorbike (he's had this since he was a kid)

Eumundi Markets The Great Little Bag (handmade of couse)

contact Chris or Jan at noosachic@yahoo.com - loads more styles, wish I could buy them all!!!!!

Wallallure (the nicest couple...please visit their website, just awesome. I'm covering the new house in their stuff)


the scott xmas at Sunshine Coast
the courtyard at Alan and Kathy's unit all decked out for Xmas breakfast


a "group" shot (laughed my head off)


me and my honey (frock from Eumundi Markets....LOVE IT!!)


and still to come
"that" present that Michael gave me on my birthday....photos were too blurry - have to do them again

and some more books I can't wait to get messy with......

brigher and buoyant.........
and soon to be nourished........

what's YOUR word for 2009???? please share!!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Here is what my beautiful FIRST-BORN gave me this afternoon.

Our divine Crepe Mertle is still standing and in bloom....ahhhh....

And this

from Michael. You can't imagine the illustrations inside this delectable hardcover!!

I'm not yet feeling FORTY, but I know I always get into this kind of introspective-brooding-pensive state which usually means there will be clarity soon. This state only occurs if I haven't been whisked away for a night of party-fuelled/Christmas-hangover/pre-NYE shennanigans!!

So in the meantime, I will retreat to my "cave", enjoy my in-laws who have been with us at the Sunshine Coast all week, and will be here until Monday, enjoy my husband while he has another 2 weeks off (woohoo), and start to make some plans for 2009.

Off to dinner tonight - ALONE with hubby....forgot what that feels like.....seriously, so I am all at once excited and tired and hungry and fearful because I don't know where we're going.

Not good for a control-freaking Capricorn!!!!

I hope everyone in blog-land had a lovely Christmas with family and - by some grand freak I don't get back to my blog - have a pleasant start to 2009!!

I am looking forward to it.....are you????

brighter and buoyant
and optimistically nourished..

Babies Babies everywhere!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO......

Fiona and Mark and James and Harrison
on the arrival of their sweet sweet baby girl/sister
Kate Margaret on Tuesday night

Super Fiona had a natural delivery and Kate is now out of Intensive Care and closer to home. We all hope she'll be home for Christmas, but that is unlikely. Can't wait for her to come home so we can all visit!!!

AND
Cara and Lucien and Kai
on the arrival of their handsome baby son/brother
(insert name here) - we think "Michael" or "Giovanni" would be perfect LOL
on Friday night(2 weeks early!!)

Super Mum Cara, drug-free labour for only 5.5 hours!!!!!!

I know this is a major achievement for both these families who have dealt with so much the last 3 years or so. Both of you deserve a whopping great big diamond tiara for this journey!!

When there is so much going on around you, sometimes you need to stop and delight in the most purest of things, like the birth of a new child - or two!! And I'm pausing and trying to remember what it was like when my babies came into this world and I get happy - and a little sad too.

Okay, now I'm crying.
So onto something else.

Here's what I made for Alex today (my unofficial god-daughter)

and as I thought, not sure if she liked it or not. It's a bit of a departure from the cutesy stuff I usually give her. But thought it was time for her to move into new territory. Charlotte LOVED it as I expected.

and some exciting news....
Susan Longman (the White with One genius) has taken over the helm of Scrap the Boys which I am SUPER SUPER excited about.
She's looking for a Creative Team.
Wondering if I should apply??????????????????????????????
(any "Oh yes Gi!! You'd be great!!" type encouragement would be appreciated LOL)

brighter and buoyant........
(p.s. still thinking about what I was thinking about yesterday)

Officially Teacher's Pet LOL

WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO????












I asked the girls at Bon's a while ago what I should do for the multitude of Rainer's teachers and the one that stood out was this idea of altering a notebook.

(apologies for the crappy pics - it's really really cloudy in Brisbane today - just not one photo is clear - these are the best)

The notebooks cost $1.99 from officworks and I just used up a heap of stash for the covers!! I really like them. I have one more to do for my god-daughter and then hopefully I'm done. I treated each front cover like a card, used some card sketches if I got way-laid/tired/blah and just dove into my scrap pile. Michael actually likes the back covers more than the front. Well, he would!! LOL

I'm working on a fantastic altered piece for the staff at AEIOU. There's just too many there to buy an individual present. I hope they'll like it. Won't arrive until next year unfortunately, but it'll get there.

MOre soon. I have some thinking to do............

brighter and buoyant.........

scrap for the hell of it

Ahem....who is this adorable boy???
When did you suddenly turn into this specimen of kindness and joy??

Oh yeah, I must have been busy with your brother.
Thank you Mackinley for just being the best son a mother could wish for.

I can't remember the last time I felt compelled to scrap without the aid of a challenge behind me!!




Gosh it felt good!! This kit is from Bon's months ago and have been seriously eyeing it off and NOW IT'S DONE.
I probably need to get off my backside and do some serious work/delightfulness before both the boys finish school.
Mackinley's chest is tight again. He might just finish a day earlier and be dragged around the ARt Shed and Reverse Garbage tomorrow with his "on a mission" mother.
LUCKY BOY!!!

Had Rainer's excursion to Trevena Glen Farm Stay today. I'm not quite sure what the purpose of the trip was. There was no schedule, pecs, support from the staff or real good communication from the Director. Quite cranky actually (I feel an email coming on). It only lasted about an hour and then we had to take them home!

Mackinley begged me to come to his excursion today. I should have and just put Rainer in his regular C&K day and spent some time with the "neglected one".

Rainer has his first Prep visitation tomorrow (yeah, a little late...tell me about it!!!) and again on Monday.

So, in retrospect I should learn to ask more detailed questions and not just leave the planning and preparation to people who are in control....to BE in control.

In the home stretch now, so should just let it wash over me. I don't have enough energy to do EVERYTHING!!

The meeting with the Austism Advisory people was FANTASTIC. Can access the full $12000 before Rainer starts Year 1!!! Another busy year ahead.....again!! LOL

brighter and buoyant....

catch up ... all things past

Just looking through my photos and realised I have forgotten some very important things lately (I wonder why?? LOL)

BON'S PHOTO SWAP
Malinda Gardner got my photo and sent me this GORGEOUS layout. It was a while ago, but only this week have I put some journaling on it and added a few rub-ons (just can't help myself).

Love it Malinda. Thanks again and again!!!

THE CHIRP-MEISTER
Mackinley now has a budgie. Do I dare re-tell the stories of how Chirpie came to be with us?? Only if you have a strong stomach, should you continue reading the next paragraph.

I came home from collecting the boys the Friday before "the storm". Noticed from the kitchen window, a dog INSIDE the chook pen!!!! yep, happily feasting on the chickens. The boys had followed me outside (probably because I screamed as I opened the doors) but luckily they didn't actually SEE anything. The dog wasn't collared, but found out later that it belonged to someone "living" in the house down the road. Reported the dog to council but didn't take photos of it because I thought it was feral (no collar, remember) and raced back inside, dragging the boys by the arm!!!

Mackinley spent the next hour HOWLING in his room. Later he decided that he had enough money in his money box for a hand-reared budgie (he stalks the local pet shop). So on Saturday, he and Michael bought "Peakie".

Then the storm came on Sunday night. On Monday, I asked Michael to go inside and keep an eye on Rainer while I checked on an elderley neighbour and to see the damage at the school. Came home, Michael's still in the car, charging his BlackBerry. Go inside. Rainer's laughing his head off, seed everywhere, NO PEAKIE!!!

Mackinley spent the next hour HOWLING in his room.
Dad is the most unpopular person in our street.

We return to the pet shop and buy Chirpie. But Chirpie is not like Peakie. Peakie was gentle and would let us hold her. Chirpie is a little like Rainer - doesn't stop moving and has serious "being held" issues.


But we still love Chirpie.

KAISERCRAFT/SCRAPBOOKING MEMORIES
I re-subscribed with Scrapbooking Memories a while ago and got a really good deal which included this awesome Kaisercraft pack!!

All current Christmas papers and loads of embellishments and off the page yumminess!! IT WAS BULGING!! It arrived the week I got back, so it really made me smile. Gotta love a good bargain. Can't wait to get started.

DAD'S ANNIVERSARY
Last Sunday was the anniversary of Dad's passing. I know, already a year!! Mum had a mass said for Dad and then we went to Rita and Marc's place for lunch. Their new house is great. They have a pool!!!

We took Rainer home early and Mackinley stayed on till late. That was the morning of Cara's Baby Shower.

CLEAN/CULL/CREATE
I've been culling my stash. Using a lot of old stuff I love and just being ruthless with all the old stuff. I'm not even bothering about gifting it, I just want it GONE. Mackinley thought it would be fun to take photos of Mummy "working" LOL.


I have my "art" text books out and I'm going to systematically go through each technique, from beginning to end. Only then will I be satisfied and feel less guilty about buying all these awesome arty/crafty books.

more soon.....