Right NOW!

First Netball Match of the season

I feel so tired this week - still recovering from Kiwi Scraps and then the Scrapgirls Retreat the next weekend...and being somewhat visually impaired for a week, which is actually quite tiring.  The situation with my glasses (or lack thereof) got worse on Friday night when I stood on my prescription sunglasses while I was visiting Addicted to Craft - probably because I wasn't wearing my real glasses, didn't notice I had dropped them, couldn't see them and stood on the damn things.  So no new glasses - and squashed sunglasses - just before I had to drive up to Kurrajong, then back to watch Rebecca play netball for the first time ever and the back to Kurrajong again.  Very funny really - I'm sure the girls at the Retreat were quite amused.

I now have new glasses (yay! - although after the third set of lenses the pair that arrived have a chip in them and have to be replaced already!!) and my sunglass lenses have been put into some new frames...such a relief.

Well - on to more important news - my darling daughter played her first game of netball ever on Saturday. I have never played so am no help in coaching her but her two closest friends have played before and have been so good in encouraging and helping her.  She wasn't  nervous at all which surprised me and for her first ever game I thought she was great. She played Wing Defense and Wing Attack and stuck to her opposing player like glue. She probably only touched the ball a few times but she was on the go all game and never went outside the area she was allowed in - I was so proud of her. 

So how did the Team go???  They won!! 23 - 0.  The opposing team was short of players poor things  and some of Rebecca's team played for the opposition as well. One of the girls in the other team was so good - if it wasn't for her the score would probably have been 40 - 0. 

I'm off to watch 'It Takes Two" - I loved this show last season...but not before sharing my latest favourite pic of Rebecca.  She had her hair straightened and looked so sophisticated - scary at the age of 9. I have used an action in Photoshop on this called Urban Acid - It is my new favourite thing - such a cool look I think.

Grrrrr! Still no glasses.

I still have no glasses and am so 'not happy Jan!".

I know it's partly my fault for not having a spare pair but at $100's of dollars I am reluctant to fork out for 'spares'.  I was lead to believe they would be ready today but they are not and I am now told maybe Monday - or Tuesday. I was told the anti-glare coating on the lenses had not been done well and they are re-doing it.  It's nice they want to get it right but  this is getting annoying.

In the past I have gone to Paris Miki and had glasses made the same day so I have been spoiled.  This time because of where I am working I have had to go to the local OPSM at the small shopping centre and they obviously don't have the facilities to make the glasses on site. 

I have been leaving work early to make sure I am driving home in the daylight - so I can wear my prescription sunglasses but on the weekend I am teaching at the Scrapgirls retreat in Kurrajong and will not be getting there until after dark. I will also be driving back down from Kurrajong on Saturday night in the dark.

I will have to wear my really, really old pair which I did find...they are awful - about 8-10 years old - round Harry Potter frames in a blue and toirteshell combination and the prescription is slightly different but I guess they will have to do for driving.

I am very lucky that I don't need them for close up work - except at least if I did I could go and buy a pair of the cheapy ones at the Chemist...ah well - can't have it all ways.

I have finished NONE of the Kiwi Scraps projects!! and I so want to play with the felting technique Tia showed us. Hopefully I will get some time to do that at the Retreat.

I will share my Retreat class project and some challenge pack samples when i get home tonight.

Ciao!

KIwi Scraps Crafting Connection 2007

I have no idea how Lee has managed to blog and upload a photo collage already!!! Amazing woman - really amazing.

I have not missed a Kiwi Scraps event since they started -they are always fantastic - great teachers and classes, great vibes and best of all an unparalleled opportunity to meet, socialise with, laugh, giggle,tell jokes and take a million crazy photos with  scrapping friends from around the country who I don't get to see much in person.

This year I was there as a teachers aide instead of  a 'participant' but I think I managed to have just about as much fun.

I got there at about 2.00pm on Friday -I should have been there at about 11.00 but woke up with a killer  'where's the mersyndol and a bucket' migraine. Managed to recover sufficiently to get there a bit late and then armed with a panadeine and later some mersyndol (thanks Marie) I got better and better. I helped  Tia Bennett all afternoon and early evening in her wonderful classes - such a beautiful, bubbly woman whose projects were amazing.  I might have been packing kits and cleaning a gazillion stamps LOL but I learned something great in every one of her classes. Thank you Tia - it was a pleasure to share that time with you.  I also got to stick my head in one of Emily's classes - - they looked like so much fun- paint and ink and dyes and paper towels and canvasses - I'm sad I never got to play in one of them.

I spent a fun evening chatting with Marie, Jo, Deb, Alison, Fee, Alison R, Jan and Katja and later with Jaimie and Lee, and Sasha and Kylie and probably 75 other people I have forgotten to mention. I drove home at about 10.30pm through the new Lane Cove Tunnel where much to my complete surprise the administrators can cut in or your radio signals and broadcast information about road works etc in the tunnel - very Big Brother'ish. I didn't know this happened and was beginning to  think I had taken waaaaaay too many pain killers during the day!!!!

I went home because it was Rebecca's first ever netball game and I didn't want to miss it.  Then  I found out  at 11.00am that it was canceled so off I  went back to Kiwi Scraps as Rebecca was with her Dad.  This time Belinda and Alison J were there helping too and we helped out in Rhonna's classes as well as Nic's Emily's and Tia's. More amazing projects and  a gazillion flourish stamps and black ink to clean up!! Geez you girls can use some ink! I think my nails are permanently stained with teal Stazon too.

Once the crop began we headed off to the St George Rowing Club for dinner - the food is good and cheap but man oh man!!! 1 hour it took to get fed - ridiculous. At least that gave us  more time for chatting, laughing and more photo taking.

I kept saying I had to go home and finally at midnight I did with every intention of watching Australia and Sri Lanka in the World Cup final. Sadly the rain delayed play and I fell asleep before play started. I was awake again at 7.00pm and watched the last hour and a half of play including the almost farcical ending....Anyway I digress.

Thanks to everyone involved for a great weekend.  David Roberts and his team - Sam and Rhonda this year - do such a great job with these events.  I hope they continue for many years to come.

Photos will need to wait until tomorrow night. After so little sleep all weekend I NEED to go to bed.

Oh and today my glasses broke!! What a pain - the optometrist was shut too - I have tried gluing the frame with Dimensional Magic but alas it didn't work - so now I have the Harry Potter sticky tape on the glasses look going on until tomorrow - very attractive I must say.

Alison

I have a new obsession..........

..............not that I'm giving up scrapbooking. It's a complimentary obsession...photography. I have always loved it and played with it but in the past few weeks my interest has grown.  First I have been checking out Photoshop Friday on Jessica Sprague's blog and discovering all sorts of wonderful things to do with my photos to make them look better and I've even ventured, very tentatively - into hybrid scrapbooking. ie. one layout with some digital elements.

Then I was encouraged by Belinda to check out the photography thread on the 2Peas site and wow - a whole new world has opened up. I have seen some amazing photography that just puts mine so far in the shade it's not funny...but I have also been encouraged and am enjoying learning a lot. I have discovered the world of Photoshop 'actions'. Hours have disappeared at the computer LOL!!

Anyway here are some examples of my pics altered using actions - there are some great ones our there. I love the Urban Acid look! I bought some actions from a photographer called Jessica Bell and downloaded some freebies from here. The street scape shot was taken the other day looking down either York or Kent  Street in the city. I went to a meeting up on the 9th floor of a building with an outside area and couldn't resist the opportunity. They were taken with my little Canon P&S not the 300D. I'm really happy with the shot.

School Holiday Madness

Long time no blog update (yet again!) Very long post ahead..warning, warning...

School holidays are always a busy time and this Easter holidays have been no exception.  I had the first week off work and Rebecca and I had a lot of fun together. Here's the weekly rundown.

Good Friday my brother came over for a visit and the chocolate eating began!

Went to see Mr Bean's Holiday at the movies - I found the first two thirds very boring but the last third was great - mostly thanks to Willem Dafoe. Even Rebecca said at one point "Mummy how long has this movie been going??"

Easter Sunday had a major egg hunt and Rebecca netted over 60 eggs of various sizes. It's a bit of a worry as she likes the hunting and gathering more than the eating and that usually means that I end up eating lots of chocolate over the next few months. I am determined to lose weight and this year I will have to find another option.

Rebecca spent the rest of the day with her Dad and I scrapped the day away with my friend Sue...finished a little 7 Gypsies album that I love.

Monday saw us celebrating Darren's 31 st birthday with Darren, Belinda , the gorgeous Max and friends. Their pool was meant to be ready in January but was finally finished in time for  the birthday celebrations and despite the fact that it was icy cold Rebecca, Belinda, Darren and Mark all went in. Rebecca loves the water and didn't test the temperature or anything jut straight in and swam for about 15 minutes - brave girl in my view.

Tuesday we  spent the day with  Ericksons and Bec and Brooke swam again although it was considerably warmer than the day before so not quite as radical a move! Belinda and Max came over too and we finally got to see Rebekka's great photos from the US in January - absolutely wonderful photos of New York under snow.  Rebecca ended up having a sleepover - she was so excited - made me feel a bit rejected LOL!

Wednesday we were off to the Easter Show - stinking hot day (same as when we went last year) but we had great fun. We caught the bus there and back and apart from having to listen to a pack of loud, self centred and obnoxious teenage girls on the way in it was a great way to go. The girls really were bad - Bec and Brooke kept rolling their eyes and muttering under their breath about them. The girls went on a few rides, we watched wood chopping, saw the dogs and rabbits and horses and bought a few show bags.  At the horse pavilion we met a lovely man whose horse had a first place ribbon it's stall. Rebecca adores horses (she would like to own one) and we started talking to the owner about what the horse had won. He told us the story and asked if the girls would like to pat the horse. He opened the stall, put a bridle on the horse and let the girls go in - he even posed for a few photos with them. Such a nice guy - thank you. See the collage for an overview.

On Thursday Rebecca and her two closest friends were invited to a birthday party and I took all three girls there and back. In between I popped in to Addicted to Craft to drop off some projects and pick up some new DT materials.  They have soooo much lovely new stuff in it was hard to decide what to do!

Friday Rebecca spent the day with her good friend Keira  - they were the best of friends through Years 1 and 2 and half of Year 3 and then Keira moved to Queensland. Rebecca was so sad so she was overjoyed when she found out Keira was at her Dad's in Sydney and she was invited over for the day. Sadly I had to go to work in the afternoon and then Bec went to her Dad's.  All up a very full on week.

I had a house guest on Friday and Saturday nights - Jen Hall came to stay as she was teaching at Scrapabout Australia on Saturday and Sunday. I taught a class Saturday morning too.

Belinda has a Stampin Up party on Friday night - it was MASSIVE 20 people and a record sales haul!! Jen and I scrapped for a few hours afterwards awhile Belinda agonised over what to spend her hostess $$ on - oh the dilemma.

I also scrapped up a storm for the rest of the weekend - did Jen's class, the Saturday night crop at Scrapabout and then scrapped all day Sunday - when I wasn't playing with my new obsession - Photoshop. I am hooked - thanks to Jessica Sprague and now the Photography board on 2 peas. I have so much to learn but the options for enhancing my photos seem endless. 

Here are some LOs and photo shares - hope those of you who are still on holidays are having lots of fun. The photos have been altered using actions from Jessica Sprague - go check out her blog and her wonderful Photoshop Friday tutorials.

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Copied from Sheree wh0 copied this from Kylie!  Apparently if you have seen more than 85 movies out of this list of over 200 then you are deemed (by someone - not sure who?) to HAVE NO LIFE!!!

So here goes. If you want to join in just copy and paste the list and mark x next to the movies you have seen.

(x)Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
() Pirates of the Caribbean
() Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
() Neverending Story
( x) Blazing Saddles
( ) Airplane
() The Princess Bride
() AnchorMan
( ) Napoleon Dynamite
() Labyrinth
() Saw
(  ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
() Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
( x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 6 out of 22.
() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x ) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
( ) The Village
(X) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 12 out of 43
(X) Finding Nemo
() Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
() The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
(X) 13 Going on 30 (Sundenny 30-for all us Aussies)
() I, Robot
( ) Robots
() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x ) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
(X) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
Total so far: 19 out of 66.
(x) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
(X) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
() Flubber*
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
(X) Chicago
() Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 20 out of 90.
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child’s Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
( x) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
(  ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
() The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride (aka Roadkill - for us Aussies)
( ) Lucky Number Sleven
(X) Ocean’s Eleven
( ) Ocean’s Twelve
(x ) Bourne Identity
() Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
(  ) Predator I
( ) Predator II
( ) The Fog
() Ice Age
() Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 24 out of 121.
(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo(x) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(X) E.T.
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
(x ) Maid in Manhattan
( x ) War of the Worlds
() Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2
( ) Best Bet
(X) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She’s All That
(X) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
( x) Mars Attacks
( x) Event Horizon
() Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 35 out of 147.
( x) X-Men
( ) X-2
( ) X3
( ) Spider-Man
( ) Spider-Man 2
( x) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(  ) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday*
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
Total so far: 41 out of 165.
() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street*
( ) Old School
() The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf’s Tribe
() A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old Virgin
( ) Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
() Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
() Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeTotal so far: 111 out of 181.
() Base-ketball
( ) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
() Elf
(x ) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
( ) Three
() The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters Inc.
() Titanic
(X) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 49 out of 200.
( ) High Tension
() Club Dread
( ) Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x ) Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
() Waterworld
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
() Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
Total so far: 51 out of 220.
() Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
() Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
( ) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks: Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks: The Battle For Endor
() The Matrix
() The Matrix: Reloaded
() The Matrix: Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(X) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal

Total - 56

Well apparently I have a life!! Yay!  I think the sad truth is that I have mainly seen childrens movies for the past 7 years or so - sine Rebecca has been old enough to take to the movies.

Alison

Hmmmm...not a lot to say

I feel I should update my blog but to be honest I don't feel I have a lot of great worth to say today. So maybe just a few random things..

Quote of the week from Rebecca - we went to her school for a parent/teacher interview (which went really well and I am very pleased with how she is going - but I digress!). Rebecca wanted to play in the playground with a few other kids who were there - just outside the library where the interviews were being held.  I said  ok  with the usual proviso's - stay close, go nowhere else in the school, don't talk to strangers and come inside if the other kids have to go.  Miss Rebecca's response  - after standing there with hands on hips giving me 'a look' - "I know Mum. I'm not stupid. I've had 5 years of education you know!". One of the other Mum's just looked at me and after Rebecca went outside we fell about laughing.

I am now on holidays for a week and a bit - thanks to the Easter weekend - Yay!

I have already eaten more chocolate than a person trying to lose weight should - thanks to the wonderful sharing of the Easter spirit at work..but hey -it's Easter and who am I to fight tradition!

I am back at the chiropractor on a weekly basis - stupid neck and back.  By the way - how is it that I can have lost (misplaced?) my heat/wheat pillow in the house?? I was using it on Monday when the pain was so bad I stayed home sick and hung around the house in a Mersyndol induced fog  - and now I can't find it anywhere...and it's not that small - a long sausage shaped thing.  Very puzzling??

I got some lovely new scrapping goodies from several sources in the past few weeks - my latest Tarisota kit, new 7 Gypsies goodies from Scraploot and beautiful Limited Edition Rouge de Garance papers and other goodies from Addicted to Craft for my DT project...a very nice  month indeed.

A happy snap to close with...just because - my cute pigtail girl.

A Birthday Celebration and other news

Not mine!!! (birthday that is LOL)

On the weekend it is the second birthday of  Scrapabout Australia in Castle Street, North Parramatta and Leanne has a major celebration planned!  There will be a huge sale, give aways and a wonderful 3 hour class with the very talented Jen Hall (which I think is booked out!). Do yourself a favour and take advantage of this opportunity.

It doesn't seem like 2 years since the store opened for business. Time has passed so quickly...Leanne and Pat have done such a great job with this business - great service, friendly staff and every calendar is jam packed with classes and inspiration. I am so happy to have been associated with this store more or less since it opened . If you haven't checked out the store or taken one of our classes this weekend is the perfect opportunity.

In other news I will be teaching at one of the great Scrapgirls retreats in May at Meroo in Kurrajong. These are such fun retreats - great company, a wonderful venue,  heaps of food, lots of scrapping and always really good kits for challenges and classes. If you haven't been to one of Kylie's retreats you are missing out on a really good experience. Follow the link for more information.

I will end this post with a few pics - my latest Layout for KSK which is on the home page at the moment - an ode to stamps (which I love!). I have used the new Stella Ruby range from Basic Grey - which was great  to work with.  Also two Los which I did  for the Use Your Stash Challenge at KSK - one using green and blue together and the other using scrapbooking tape.  Lastly a happy snap of Rebeccaplaying with Max - a delight as always. Rebecca is so good with Max - he is 14 months old and walking now.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe

Anyone who has ever seen this wonderful (pretty old) movie will understand my post today.

I so wish I had had the guts today to be like Kathy Bates in the shopping centre car park scene!!!!!!!!!!! Figuratively speaking - not literally.

Why do some people think that being young and attractive is a license to be rude, arrogant and smug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

People  - get over yourselves.

Alison

There's More to Easter than Eggs

On Good Friday this awesome event is happening. An all day crop to raise funds for the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.   Please check it out and get involved in anyway you can. My KSK Design Team buddy Ange Warren is one of the main organisers.