2 posts in March - WOW...

I thought that I should get 2 post in for March and surprise you all, especially after the vast number of emails, texts, phonecalls that I've had over the past few days..Thanks everyone. I made a card the other day, a special thank you card and I loved it. I was going to take a photo and post it but then I kinda wanted the person to know that it was a real thank you and not something made for show, so I changed my mind, but am going to make a version of it and will post. Just wanted to say THANK YOU for all your well wishes...........

Soooooooooooo Slack..

Okay, okay - so everyone that I've seen recently has been telling me off for being so slack with my blog. I have some really good excuses though - honestly. First of all at the end of Jan through to the 1st week in Feb, John & I went down to Dunedin to see the surgeon, an awesome Professor from Otago University who finally found out part of what is wrong to which I had surgery 3 weeks ago. Between the 2 events, I got really, really really sick, we've got a major drought on the farm so I've had to put up with gool 'ol stresshead, I kinda got attacked by all of my friends on Facebook which becomes obsessional, and on top of it all, 3 of us - myself, Anne White & Natalie Pompey are organising 2 big events this year. 1 is Putaruru Think Pink Partay on Saturday October 18th and then we go into Movember finishing with Movember 80's on 27th November. We have 2 blogs running for them both and you can check them out here for Think Pink and here for Movember. Between me having surgery number 9, Nat having a brain tumor and Anne having 6 kids, we can push on the guilt factor to raise more money for the charities - lol..... Keep an eye out for the artworks that we'll be auctioning off.

I'm just about to rope the kids into helping me finish off the craft room, though I'm trying to get John to build a new American style barn for the "farm" so I can claim the entire upstairs but he doesn't seem to be falling for it at the moment, but I'm sure that I'll be able to work my magic.

I still keep looking for ideas for my soon to be studio, even if the said studio is still in a pamphlet amongst farming papers, but I'll have to ask him the question, can a farm really have too many barns, especially when you're short of storage and you want to get your wifes "crap" out of the house....

Tom's bloody deaf again - even with the grommets in, nobody could believe it last week at his hearing test, so we're back to basics again there.

2 weeks ago, John took both boys on school camp - the week after my surgery - which was bliss, even if very quiet. Everything that I had planned was put on the back burner as I weas too sick to do anything, then they came back, they all had dhelli belly, so within 2 hours of them arriving home, I was wishing them gone again - lol...

As you can see, the perfect excuses.............................

I've Found My Mo-Jo....YAY

Well, after a fantastic trip camping at the beach (well caravaning), I found my mojo!! Seems that all I needed was a rest [he he he]. Today Bex and I have been boxing up all of the accounts for the past 6 years into storage, so that once again, I can tackle my craft room now that the office is done. We're desperate on the farm for some rain, and it's just too hot to do anything else but surf the net in search of inspiration - and how about this lot on two peas to do it - who has this as a scrapping space??http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1285148 and my favourite http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1248545 - I think i feel a trip to Mitre 10 coming on... I'm off to Dunedin next week to see a surgeon down there so big fingers crossed - but, because this year is a big one of changes for me, I've started a perpetual calendar as a kind of diary. It's an 8 x 8 AMM one and I'm going to put on relevant photos of each month - obviously starting with this month and adding riminders on each day of little things that I want to remember seeing that my memory is still stuffed. Bex and I have a cardmaking spree planned for when I get back so bring it on....

Happy New Year....

I hope that everyone had a good safe New Year - I had Sams party on Saturday night with NONE of the boys going to sleep, then on Sunday we dragged them up and down the lake on the biscuit, and the kids finally went home on Sunday night - when Sam due to over exhaustion and eating too much shite, vomited his way through the house.....Then my water went on the blink, so at 2am, I'm carrying buckets of water from the milking shed, and New Years Eve saw me hiring the rug doctor from Woolies and washing the carpets throughout the house. So, last night, we cancelled every party we'd been invited to and got a chinese, bottle of wine and watched Abba, The Royal Variety Performance followed by Elton John and had the best 'chillin New Years Eve ever....boy oh boy, I'm getting old....

Inspiration found today....

Was stuck at home today not very well - and realised that Sam is 11 next Saturday. He's having some of the boys over for a campout so I made him these invites - it was easy because there's only 4 to make. The first part of working out the sizes on the computer for the side triangles took the longest, then the rest just flowed - they weren't planned this way, they just happened...Sam dropped one on the way to the car, and I did the old - great Sam, they only took 3 hours to make (oops), at the last drop off point, they were ooohing & aahhhing over them and said - lord, these must have taken forever to make - and yes you guessed that I played it down (like we all do) and said they were just something rustled up this afternoon - to which Sam turned round and said - but you said they took forever to make - WOAH - that totally came round and bit me on the bum......

Anyone in search of inspiration for 2008....

If anyone is in search of some New Years inspiration, drop us a comment....Bex & I are on the hunt fo continuity...I'd just be happy to find my mojo........I've even stopped buying on Trade Me so it must be bad. School prizegiving tomorrow and the ball and the float parade (which we won for our section) photos to develop & prizegiving in the morning. I'm currently making club sandwiches for Sam, and traffic light jellies for Tom - with lollipops in them, then I'll have the Christmas day pics (and last years still to do ) - I'd better set the challenge quick.......

White Lights.....Bah Humbug

Well this weekend say me having a nervous breakdown in the Warehouse - why - because my boys asked me for coloured lights for their tree - bloody coloured lights when they know that I'm a white light girl - I have thousands of them (literally) they usually adorn my house, garden, trees - I have books on white ight decoration, you name it...but only little white lights....So I had my own kinds silent temper tantrum... As everyone who knows me knows that I love boys ( never wanted daughters ) I actually found myself hissing under my breath - if I had daughters THEY wouldn't want coloured lights, because THEY would know that white lights with anything. Literally hyperventilating going through the checkouts with a box of 250 coloured bulb lights - got outside, and got home. Then had my wallet / cards / money taken off me - I'D LOST MY POCKET MONEY FOR A WEEK FOR BAD BEHAVIOUR..........As they say - what goes around.................

Thanks A for the comments....

I must admit theat the cards have been ringing the right bells rather than scrapbooking at the moment. Alot of these have been made with clip art too....You can tell when I've been in at school teaching......

Christmas Cards

Oh My Giddy Aunt

How long has it been since I posted. Most un-intentional. Sick kids, sick husbands & me being the most healthy of all of us (which is saying something).I've had Tom in hospital for grommets which wasn't expected - we went to the ear surgeons and he said we have to get him in right away - got in the car and drove down there....Then John fell in the milking shed and bust his hip and still can't use it properly - Sam got sinusitis & was really sick and I was on the verge of getting the house blessed -lol.......I'm waiting to do to Dunedin to see the surgeon and finally, 1st of December saw my friend and myself oraganise Putaruru Christmas Ball for 180 people which came round rather fast......The Christmas cards are about to go out, and I have spent a little more time on facebook than I should. Most of the girls from the shop were at the ball on Saturday night, and we all had a great time - even with me being the sober driver - actually John was more than tipsy before dinner, so I had to give in!! The Putaruru Hotel was taken back to yesteryear..As usual, I found myself in Tauranga on the morning of the ball buying an outfit - nothing ever changes. Well, I shall get my Christmas cards photographed and get them on line soon, and I won't leave it as long this time..

16th Annieversary

Well today is our 16th wedding anniversary and I can't believe that time has flown soooo quickly. It's been a busy build up over the last few weeks with me in and out of hospital for a few weeks - then the first hospital free break in a while - saw Tom writing in agony with an ear infection. By 1am last Sunday night / Monday morning, I had to ring through to A & E at Tokoroa because he was dosed up to the nines with Pamol, kids Ibruprofen AND the full sedative dose of Phenergan, so they asked me to whisk him down there (the longest 1/2 hour drive ever with him screaming in the back) - and he ended up high as a kite on morphine and laughing gas. It was funny to watch him lie on his back and laugh at the light shades - well that was until at 3am when he was loaded back into the car to go home, and the effects had worn off - so I had a 1/2 hour drive home with absolutely no chance of falling asleep at the wheel - because he screamed all the way home too.......He writhed in agony until 7am when his eardrum burst for the 4th time (aaagh), then it was time for me to get his brother on his merry way to school as the bus comes at 8am - to which Tom woke back up in agony and had to go to the doctors...I swear to God that it's taken me the whole week to get back on track - 1 night with no sleep buggered me out for the whole week. What happened to all night parties and into work the next day???? I feel soooooo old when I think about it. Probably because the Saturday before, we'd been to the beach with the motorbikes - John managed to get the truck stuck - to which he will never live that down because it's the second time - the kids stayed over at Bexs' and I had the best nights sleep ever - bloody kids have to spoil the memory - lol........ At least calving at our place is coming to an end, and everyones getting some time off for a break and a lie in. It's major de-clutter and spring clean in readdiness for the school holidays, so I'd better go back to room number 2 - the kids don't seem to notice that I've thrown away their broken toys etc....todays cull will need to be a little more radical.

World Cardmaking Day

Hey everyone - World Cardmaking Day is on 6th October an to celebrate - the girls from the shop are having a cardmaking day at the Puketurua Hall here in Putaruru - all welcome - but you must confirm numbers....Gold Coin donation, bring your own lunch and snacks - take-aways for tea and accommodation can be arranged No classes just heaps of people working away, bring your own supplies for a cool relaxed laid back day with the girls from psychoville - you know you miss us all - LOL

Crap Week

What a crap week - well 2 weeks (maybe a month) actually. The trusty laptop enables me to bosy from the ol sickbed tonight on the eve of my 38th Birthday. I'm sure in the UK I used to have summer bbq's at the farm...........

Whenever you're in hospital - DON'T get your hubbie to take the photos.....I think he's had a few too many - lol........ AS you can tell - the last 2 weeks have been spent at the hospital :0( As I got out of 1 - we got the call to be at another.....aaaaagh - anyway

Well HOT news (ish)

Myself, Bex, Jenny & Christine will be running some cardmaking classes in September/October in Putaruru, Hamilton, Cambridge & Rotorua to run in conjunction with WORLD CARD MAKING DAY on October 6th.............More news to follow...

just to say....

I've chosen the layouts above as I've been asked to show how to use the BEACH DAYS paper AND the BEACH BUBBLES paper NOT for beach layouts...I have overlaid the beach bubbles on top of the beach days paper and hidden the words underneath. John was in charge of the crap photography - but I'm too tired to complain at the moment - so a big thanks to Bex, for running the Trade Me side of things :0)

Until the next slide show.........

2 Horrible Weeks

Lordy lord - have spent the last 2 weeks in and out of hospital :0( Got out o one - to get home and find the call up to another!!! The nurses were fantastic though and Waikato nurses are the best - lol.......

Check out my Slide Show!

Meccano & Lego

Todays thought is on Meccano & Lego - you know the great stuff that we had growing up - well usually it was brothers, but I was such a tomboy....John still has - utterly protected - an entire Meccano set awaiting the time that he thinks his boys are worthy.....Anyway, I was delivering my boys to a friends house yesterday, and the parents got talking about the old stuff - you know, Lego when it came in 2 sizes of bricks with a green pad at the bottom, and now when you get a lego set - there's not even a square or rectangular brick in sight..You can now click onto the Lego website and play interactive games, even Meccano has gone all high tech...Then, as I came home - I looked around and wondered WHAT would be a lifelong legacy of our kids - when most things get easily broken before they get out of the packet - then I felt old - really old - in fact bloody old - lol....So I suppose that in a way - it's more important to capture the play times and scrapbook them to remember the toys of today. Take the time to list favourite TV programmes, songs, latest crazes as they won't be around as long as the old stuff was...Anyway, there's my excuse to do no housework next week - hehehe. Wilma is on our list to visit next week, she's spent most of the last few months in and out of hospital, the Josie has a housewarming party (again) as her partner has moved in and she needs very little excuse for a party :0) Jenny has her final school ball next week - it seems like yesterday that she was turning a teenager working Saturdays at the shop - Laura too, and she has had her final school ball the other week. Cill - now that she works at the school- had her photo taken with Laura, and Christine can usually be seen running around in the Unichem drug bug - unless one of the other girls has blown it up (long story) so, that's catch up for this week ....stay warm & dry

Cardmaking Time.........

Oh well, things have been rather busy in our household...Amongst the ususal (and unusual) chaos, it's been cardmaking time....I can't seen to find the inclination to scrapbook at the moment, so I've been buying like mad off trade me, and making cards. Todays 3 have been posted. We've suddenly found ourselves in possesion of another 100 acres of land, so we're frantically trying to find more cows and more hours in the day. No word of a lie, I honestly do not know where I found the time to work before....

Anyway, I'm a POM, so I'm entitled to whinge.....

So todays cards are 15 x 15cm square and are made using Chatterbox papers, Bazzill cardstock, K & Co chipboard alphabets, Karen Foster antique alphas on the congrats card, BasicGrey alphas on the first thank you card, and Scenic Route alphas on the 2nd Thank U card - oops and a Bazzill ink pad too, with the addition of mini Prima flowers to finish it off.

Soo, with that underway, I'm awaiting the arrival of Becks to start loading onto Trade Me again and filing, filing and more filing - yea, what an exciting life we lead out here in the wops :0)

Until next time....STAY WARM

That Bloody Puppy.....

Well last week was a shocker - I seemed to be flat tack for the whole week - sooooo much to get in here and no time to do it :0( Trade Me went beserk, but as the surgeon has told me that I have to rest, things will be slowing down there for a while.... I can't wait for the basketball ans soccer season to finish, and for soccer, we had a bye, then 2 of our school teams played-at school, then Queens birthday, so I got 3 weekends lazy ass lie ins in a row.....

Who went to SENZ???Bex, Zeetra and myself were supposed to be going on Saturday then 1 by 1 couldn't, John thinks it's great because I couldn't spend - so I've been buying off Trade Me too - lol.....He was totally pissed off when he found out that I had bought a magazine seeing that I was selling 500 of them, and he still doesn't know about the ones still to arrive (along with the new stamps, pearlex and charms too - thanks Maz lol) - hey, a change is as ggod as a rest...lol
I just went to bid on something, and that bloody Bex was bidding on the same thing..

Angela & one of the Pats came for lunch last week and we had a great time catching up, and we're (Bex and myself) going to organise a local crop soon so when bloody Carol & Nat can NOT work for a weekend, we can get it sorted, so if you want to join in, just let me know :0)

That Bloody Puppy is ruling the roost and has us all waiting on her hand an foot - it's a pampered farm pooch who the kids have nicknamed princess because she acts all regal....

Well, my eyes are closing so until next time.......

UNDERPANTS....

Today is the first day that I have been able to stay home in the morning and deal to my washing and what I've discovered is alarming....I think that my boys seem to be wearing a pair of undies for every hour that they are awake....aaahhhhggghhh, I wish that they could do the same with their clothes! I don't know how many times I have to turn them back to their rooms with the same old conversation:

Me: You wore that yesterday
Them: Yes but it's still clean
Me: No it has bits of food on it from dinner
Them: Yes but if I hold my arm like this nobody will be able to see it.
Me: But I saw it
Them: But you knew that it was there
Me: - I say nothing and just give them "THAT" look
- they turn around and change their tee shirt under duress

Why does it have to happen like this every day...The thing is, I know that in 3 - 4 years time they will be piling me up with washing when their tee shirts have the slightest speck of dust on them.....Is this a boy thing, or all kids in general???????

The perfect excuse.....

Okay - so this is my perfect excuse for not posting - well as well as loading stuff onto trade me too. Meet the new member of the family - Izzie - and of course she has us all running around after her like lunatics.....She really was sleep, hanging off the sofa-lol. She fits in with us very well here as she is as mad as a meat axe- but has a hint of sassyness with way too much cuteability factor too. So dh has his birthday pressie early, and we all get to share it too :0)