It's been one of those days...

Burning the candle.

"Shush Braden, Mummy's asleep! 
I'm only going to wake her up when Jacob arrives back or if she starts snoring!"

I'm vaguely aware of my head on Abby's shoulder and her little arm around me.  "How sweet" I think dreamingly to myself.  And then I realise where I am. 
At the library.

What's that saying? Burning the candle at both ends.  I can't even tell you how far I'm pushing it right now, and it's not just scrapbooking.  It's life in general.   It's mostly the business my hubby and I have, but it's also the work I do.  It's the kids' commitments, it's end of year build up, it's just everything.  I'm tired.

Clearly.  As I fell asleep in the library on Abby's shoulder within 10 minutes of arriving. 

It's nice to know I have her trained well, and she would have woken me if I started snoring. 
(Takes me back to tertiary education days.  3 hour economics lectures and the agreement I had with my best friend that we'd only sleep one at a time and nudge awake if snoring started.  It was in a huge lecture theatre and really the tutor didn't care if you slept, we were adults, it was our perogative!)
Lucky for me.

Tarisota gallery is up, and looking fantastic.  See it here.  Here is one of my favourites.  Off to try and catch up on sleep.

Laters.

 
 
 

The weekend...

It was the Auckland marathon today.  I've thought for the past couple of years that I'd like to participate in one of the smaller events of the day.  One that goes up and over the bridge.  That'd be cool.  I did try and register this year but clearly I was too late (who would have thought that it'd sell out so quick).  Next year.  Next year is my year.  Congrats to everyone that reached their goals today.  I did walk nearly 9km in your honour.  The streets of Pukekohe weren't nearly as exciting, even with Miley Cyrus on the ipod.

And so another weekend ends. 
* The weekend we planted out the rest of our vegies for summer.
* The weekend my first gladioli flower bloomed - that's really early. I love Gladioli.
* The weekend my doctor told me to treat my sons' 2 infected ears with hayfever medication.  (How's that working for us?  It's not - wonder whether hayfever medication will work for the throat infection he now has as well?)
* The weekend I booked my plane tickets to go to Timaru in February, teaching at Embellish It!
* The weekend I fell asleep at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon reading my latest book, digging to Australia.
* The weekend I am reminded, at 4.30am, why I don't drink wine.  I shouldn't drink wine.

Good things happening this week.  Like the reason I created this layout for LG, the Mum to this gorgeous little bubba.  Stay tuned to 2peas to see why I've been busy creating for Nov 1st ...

And lastly, this is the weekend after the weekend when we went searching for this.
And we found it.
And the kids couldn't have been prouder.

laters

Inspiration.

Inspiration comes in many forms without us even knowing.  I was inspired last week after watching a show on TV called "Eat yourself skinny" to make nacho chips out of flour tortillas.  I never thought the good old CCs would be cast aside for flour tortilla chips, but I did it and I have a new favourite.  who woulda thought.

Inspiration for my scrapbooking pages normally comes from everything around me.  I love watching galleries like those on blogs and on 2peas.  I've always said if inspiration doesn't hit, to find a layout you love, start to do your version of some small element on that layout and pretty soon you are away.

Aussie Scrap Source has been visiting different forms of inspiration and recently I completed an assignment to find an article or something in print as inspiration.  This is the advertisment I chose.

At first it was the colours that got me.  Then there was the huge amount of journaling.  Then the flowers.  The title - the pic on the angle.  The whole thing had so many possibilities.

In the end this is what I came up with, I'll try and put a close-up of the journaling to read.  Hoping you can see the connection!

Have a good one, everyone... I'll be back in day or so with photographic evidence of our trip searching out the cemetary that has William Howard.   I'm now officially obsessed with searching old census records and other family tree type things.  Like I need another obsession. 

Laters.

Searching.

Geneology has always fascinated me, goodness knows I have an interesting family tree, but seriously, nothing compares to Paul's family tree.  Paul's sister (talented scrapbooker Lesley Cooper) emailed me the other day with a few stories of Paul's great-grandfather.

The shortened version of the story is that this lad come out from England in 1875.  He was travelling with his cousin but as they went to board the ship he was turned away, the ship staff telling him at the gang-plank that the ship was overloaded already and he could board the next ship for the 90 day trip from London to New Zealand.  His luggage would stay on the ship he thought he was travelling on though, and he could collect it on his arrival in New Zealand.

Some 90-odd days later he arrived in NZ with nothing to his name.  He went to collect his luggage, only to be told that they were sorry but the ship he was meant to be on was lost at sea, it went down in the Bay of Biscay.  Paul's great grandfather started his life as a lad of 17 years old trying to start a new life in a new country with nothing but the clothes he stood up in.  By all accounts he was lucky to be alive.

And so it starts.  William Howard went on to have 12 children and died in his early 70s.  He was a very well respected man in the district.  At his time of passing he already had 42 grandchildren, most of his children went on to have 5-6 children each.  That was in the 1930s and since then his family has extended in a huge way, and spread throughout the district. 

I sat on the couch the other night re-telling this story my amazed 10year old.  Even at 10years old he could grasp the fine-line feeling of "If he got on that ship, none of us may have been here".  Life truly is a series of sliding doors, and this story is a fine example.

We don't know where William Howard is buried, but we know where his funeral was held back in the 1930s.  Lesly still has his a copy of his carefully typed out obituary.  Sometime today we start to search, camera in hand, great-great chandchildren in tow.  To find the gravesite of the man that started it all here in NZ.  Wish us luck.
laters

Barking noises, fun links and Prima.

A barking noise greeted me as I woke this morning and my first thought, as it would be when one hears such a noise, was ..we don't have a dog?.  On further investigation I discovered that the barking was coming from Brady's room.  He's been a little down for a few days, I guess now we know he was habouring a few nasty gremlins.  Nothing a few days on the couch with a nintendo won't fix.  I'm just hoping the awful headaches I've had for 3 days now don't turn into something similar.  Because I don't have a nintendo.  ;o)

I haven't welcomed the new design team members to the Aussie Scrap Source blog team yet.  Happy days as Janine K, (and isn't her new bubba just gorgeous!), Kathie Link and Louise Nelson join us.  Welcome ladies!

A page call for Ella Publishing here.  It involves a sketch, might be fun.

A DT call for Collage Press here.  You only have til the 21st, so be quick.  I'm a fan of Collage Press myself, so I watch the blog with interest!

A favourite layout, I spotted at 2peas... Ingvild really is amazing. 

And lastly, I joined the Prima Design Team this week.  I was already on the educators team, but joining the design team takes my work with Prima to a different level, it kind of completes the circle.  Things as an educator should become easier and clearer to those reading my blog, as I'm bound to have more posts with Prima layouts and products.  Nothing like a completed circle ;o)
(and just a note, they have a giveaway for Internationals, go leave a comment on the Prima blog for a chance to win a product pack)

Here's the layout I created with the ballerina-Pjs conversation....
Laters.

South Africa, Ballerinas and lost teeth.

I've been blog surfing this morning.  Among other things.  I came across this blog on my travels.  Mel from Kaisercraft recently attended the South African event that I was originally meant to travel to.  Her write-up of the trip is amazing and makes me wish even more that I had been able to attend the event.  My favourite part of Mel's blog though?  This quote.

When I stand before God at the end of my LIFE, i would hope that i would not have a single bit of talent left, and can say " I USED EVERYTHING you gave me"

Oh so true and something to think about.

Tracie Hudson also attended the same event.  Her write-up is lovely also.  It makes me look forward to next year even more, when I'm due to hop on the big plane and head over to South Africa to teach.  Bring it on.

Congrats to Trina and Heidi for their winning pages on the Prima blog today!  Go kiwi!

A short post from me today. Abby told me when I asked her to get into her pajamas the other day that "Ballerinas don't wear pajamas".  Silly me, what was I thinking?  It's something I need to get on a layout before I forget. 

Here's a layout from the latest Tarisota kit.  These pics taken at the start of 2008 when Brady lost both his two front teeth.  The lovelyLG edited the pics and I've been scrapping them over and over since.  I promise I'll move on soon. 
I'm so enjoying getting the story back into my pages.  I'd slipped for a while and scrapbooking started to lose it's gloss.  A friend encouraged me to start telling more stories like I used to.  I've started doing so and all of a sudden scrapbooking is so much more important again.

Now to find those ballerina in pajama embellishments. ;o)

Laters

 

 

 

 

Climbing trees, spring equinox and being 10 and a half.

I sit in my not-so-warm office contemplating the end of the school holidays and just how much I've been able to get out with the kids and play.  There was the one day we sat on the neighbours driveway in the sun soaking up the sun as if we hadn't seen it for a few weeks.  wait.  I don't think we'd seen it for a few weeks.  The kids were picking onion weed from the section next door and making potions.  Of the onion weed variety.  In a bucket with chalk dust, bark and grass.  Guaranteed to clear the sinuses, no doubt.

Then there was the day we walked to the school and the kids climbed the trees they aren't allowed to climb during school hours, and I read for an hour.  With no guilt.  Because I was doing something, not just reading.  I just finished that book, True Believer by Nicholas Sparks of the 'Notebook' fame.  It's a lovely book.  As far as lovely books go, recommended for a rainy weekend read.

Then there was yesterday.  Sunny enough to make me want to wash things.  Lesson learnt though.  Duvets shoved in a smallish washing machine does not work.  I take the car out of the garage, give the two littlest kids a broom each and ask them to push as much of the water out of the garage as possible.  I think I did the same thing about this time last year. 

So today is Friday.  I always get so thirsty on Fridays.  But the radio has forecast all those weather warnings again, mid north island, bring your lambies down to the low-lands.  Wellingtonites, put your flippers and water wings on before trying to float home.  Everyone in the south, put chains on the car and extra food in the glove-box.  Does anyone ever keep gloves in the glove box?  Batten down the hatches NZ, we are in for another weekend of it.

As for the Howards, the oldest child follows me around asking for jobs to earn money to buy more nintendo games ("Are you getting paid for that?" he says to two young kiddies sweeping the water out of the garage).  The middle one limps around the place playing imaginary games with the youngest one.  Apparently climbing out-of-bounds trees at school pulls more muscles than one counted on. 

Me?  I'm happy the Tarisota gallery is done for another month, that's always an amazing feeling.  I'm going to do some more BasicGrey assignments, write more of the outline for my BPS workshop, chat to some more sponsors for the Autumn Escape and update myself with the status of the classes (some of which have sold out, most others 75% full).

I'll work on getting a certain soaking duvet dry, I'll find jobs for a boy keen to earn money and then, then when I'm done the real work for the day, I'll consider making some peanut butter bickies and settling in for the weekend.  I love spring.

laters 


 

Sunday is the day...

Sunday. 
The day I will remember that yesterday was World Card Making Day and that I had even created cards with the latest Tarisota Kit.  I'll post them below.

The day after the day we stayed up late to watch the boxing.  You know.  THE boxing.  Conversation, drinks and good food with great friends - all this rating way higher than the actual fight.  Which was over before it began.

The day I set up a conference call with Stacy Julian to finalise the content in my big 3 month workshop on Big Picture Scrapbooking .  

The day I decide all plans of taking the kids to the school and reading my book under a tree while they run riot would be silly.  Due to the torrential rain.  The spring rain that hasn't stopped for a few weeks now.

But most of all.
Today is the day I discover that running uphill uses an entirely different set of muscles than running on the flat.  Tomorrow I may not even be moving, never mind running.  Today I enjoy moving as I think tomorrow movement might be a luxury.

Happy World Card making day for those of you a time zone or two behind.
Laters.

 
 

Monday NZ time

It's Monday NZ time which means it's time to get a hat and pull out a random name.  Or I could ask Jacob for a number between one and thirty-two and just grab a comment that way.

So the winner:
Big Picture Scrapbooking workshop sounds like it is full of all kinds of wonderful ideas to spark the creative imagination.

Posted by: Mandy Collins| September 23, 2009 at 08:19 AM

Email me, Mandy, and I'll send a big ol' RAk your way!

So what's on this week?  Work for the Aussie Scrap Source blog.  A new Tarisota Kit.  Work for a new book (not my own).  The usual Howard Construction admin stuff,  but I might fit in some shrinky-dinking, some dancing to bad music on Juice TV, some creating Collections houses, feeding nintendogs, baking, a trip to the zoo, watching the occasional bad DVD and reading my book at the park.  Since it's the school holidays and all.

Something cute.... the kids were in bed last night and Paul was outside.  I was in the kitchen.  I called to Paul outside (raising my voice, should have just opened the window, really...).  Abby must have thought I was angry because she went to our bookshelf and got this 'Dammit Doll' down and said "Do you need this Mummy?"

Made with the Tarisota kit last month, meet the Dammit Doll.  Because, you know... I don't make things without a purpose.... and apparently I've told Abby all about it... yes I sewed the whole thing myself.  Don't look too closely.

Laters.

Autumn Escape, Spring and a giveaway.

Spring is here.  We have sunlight.  We have new life in plants, we have spring winds and we have an overwhelming urge to sit in the sun drinking, more often.  (Anyone else?!)  Spring makes me feel optimistic, it makes me feel more social, it makes me overlook some of the things that annoyed me in winter.  How can one feel dreary when this is just two doors down...

This is the Awanui cherry tree that flowered a full two weeks early this year.  It's losing it's blossoms now.  In those Spring winds.  The Westerly that is currently flying thousands of pink blossoms horiztonally past my window at an alarming rate, and then plastering them all over the other neighbours car.  I might not feel so optimistic if it was my car.

I'm saving that photo to use on a special layout.  You know the one.  Where I use that special paper.  that I didn't use last time because I like it so much.  Honestly, sometimes I question myself. 

I chatted to Megan from Sketchbook during the week and she has some places opened up in her retreat.  6-8 November.  See more info here.  I've been to one of Megan's retreats and they are fabulous. 

Autumn Escape classes due to go up next week sometime, keep an eye out for those, as well as an email from Lucy packed with details of what Rachel Tucker, Kelly Goree and I will have to offer.  I'm slowly securing sponsors for our event, with Pink Paislee joining in the fun this week, plus a few other different kinds of sponsors that we'll keep a surprise. 

Thanks for your comments and congrats with the Big Picture Scrapbooking workshop I have coming up next year.  It's going to be chocka FULL of technique.  It's going to have 12 weeks of how-to and this-is-how.  Step by step instructions, tips and techniques with some manufacturer support ang giveaways thrown in.
The main question as I start to work on content is this though... what exactly do you want to learn?  What techniques?  What *kind* of stuff is it that you see that you wish you knew how to do?  I have a list about 3 miles long of possibilities, I have so much to say and show you, if you could help me narrow it down, that'd be appreciated!  Leave me a comment and I'll put together a giveaway to send to one comment, drawn next Monday NZ time.
Free stuff is always fun, right?

Apparently spring makes me feel more generous, too.

Leaving you with a layout from the last Tarisota kit. 
Fun at the Autumn Escape with some amazing ladies.  how 'bout that.
(Photo edited by LG).