Blossom Designs

Apologies

Hello!  I am still alive and well.....LOL.

UPDATE:

Emily is 5 weeks old today!  WOW, how that time has gone by so quickly....probably because the first two and a half weeks were such a blur.  I was breast feeding Emily but in the end I have put her on formula as she was hungry.  There were days where I couldn't move from the couch because she was on my boobs all day......I was up for 20 hours one day and boy was I tired.   I was mentally and physically exhausted.  Also my decision to put Emily on a bottle was because she wasn't gaining weight, she was losing weight.  I applaud those of you that have successfully breast fed.

What a different girl Emily is now she is on formula!  She has also been sleeping through the night!!  What a clever girl.  LOL.  She feeds more regularly and Rob is now able to feed her as well.  While he was all for me breast feeding, he did miss not being involved like he was with Oliver.

This picture was taken on Sunday.  We were on our way to a christening so Miss Emily is dressed up.  So cute.  Sunday was soooo hot (38 degrees) and you maybe asking why Emily has a cardigan on......Rob's mother knitted it so he wanted to take a photo of her in it and email it to her.

I've had a workshop so I have actually been stamping.......but that is it. :-(  The only way I was able to get ready for the workshop was with the help of Nicky!  Bless her.  She came over, took charge (LOL) and while I was feeding Emily, she was busy cutting out card stock for me.

Time to sign off........it is past my bedtime!  LOL

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Come And Meet.........

.........Miss Emily Rose Swain - with her very proud big brother Oliver!

Born: 30th September 2009
Weight: 3.315kg (7lb 5oz)
Time: 8:07am

How cute are these two!

After being induced on Tuesday evening, I had contractions all night and managed to get a little sleep before the contractions became more painful.  I was then up from 5am wondering up and down my room.  The doctor was coming around at 7am to check on how things were going.  When he did make it to me (about 7:30am), I was attached to the trace machine listening to Emily's heartbeat.  Unfortunately, her heartbeat was dipping and the doctor wasn't happy so he rushed me into the delivery ward and broke my water (7:40am) and he also put a trace on Emily's head to keep an eye on her during delivery - that was not pleasent!

After my water was broken, it became very intense and the contractions were VERY painful indeed! All I can say is, thank goodness it didn't take long for Emily to arrive.  In less than 30 minutes she made her entrance - with no daddy in sight!!!  Oh no, he missed it!  There just wasn't enough time for Rob to drop Oliver off on the way to the hospital - he did only miss her entrance by about 5 minutes.  He walked into the delivery room and couldn't see Emily on my front under the blankets and wondered why everyone was standing around.  LOL.  It wasn't until he walked over to me and saw her little face peering at him that he saw she had arrived.

Again, here they are together in Emily's first 'big' bath.  She is just so like Oliver when he was born that it is scary!  She looks like him and I've even called her Oliver twice now.  LOL.

Emily is officially 1 week old today!  Wow, has that week gone by quickly.  She is more into a routine now feeding every 3-4 hours and having long naps in between.  Rob went back to work today so I am home alone with 2 kids and so far, we've had a good morning.  It is pre school day tomorrow, so that will be interesting - getting us all ready.  I think I will get up when Rob leaves for work and get myself sorted first before Emily wakes for her feed.

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Still No Baby!!

I thought I'd better check in with you all as you may be wondering what had happened to me!! LOL

Well, the title says it all really!  My prediction of her coming early was just completely wrong (LOL) and she is following in her big brother's footsteps - being late and being evicted!  ROFLOL. 

I haven't posted anything as I just didn't feel like it and I was SOOOO over being pregnant that I didn't think what I would say would be on a happy note so best to say nothing at all.  Anyway, I am over that now and have accepted that she will come when she is ready or when I evict her.

I even have my induction day booked for Tuesday evening so I'm hoping that by Wednesday, she will have arrived and I will finally be holding my little girl!  All that said, at my hospital appointment last Thursday, she wasn't fully engaged (she is in the right position but just not down far enough), so if on Tuesday after I am examined, if she is still not far enough down, I guess they will postpone the induction for a few days or possibly deliver her by c-section.  I will have to ask about that!

As you may have guessed, I have not stamped in quite some time!  I am unmotivated at the moment but I'm hoping that once my bump is gone and I clean my studio up (hard bending over to pick things up off the floor), I will find my motivation again.  Probably in between sleeping!  LOL.  I'm afraid I cannot work in a mess and I can hardly walk into the room at the moment!  I dare not even take a photo to show you I am that embarrassed.  LOL

So that is where I am at and I thank you all for staying with me during this time.  I will try to be a better blogger!

I just had to show you this picture of my little boy, Oliver and the picture he drew on his chalk board.  It is me (LOL) with the baby in my tummy!  He was so proud of himself - just look at that smile!  LOL

Happy Stamping,

.

P.S. - I will update on baby news late next week. 

Happy Father's Day!

It is Father's Day here in Australia today.  Happy Father's Day to my dad!!

We were woken up at 6:30am by Oliver, he climbed in our bed and fell asleep so we all got to sleep in until 8:30am.  He did stay up late last night watching "Lord Of The Rings" with us which he called today 'Laura and the Ring!'  LOL.  Bless him.  We had a cooked breakfast this morning for hubby but unfortunately, he was working (from home) but it meant that he couldn't leave the house or the pc for very long.  So, Oliver and I left him to it and went over to my parents house after lunch.

My dad has a wacky sense of humour so when I saw this gift, I knew it was for him!  It is called a "Potty Putter"!!  As you can guess, my dad is an avid golfer so he loved it.

Here is Oliver playing with his poppy's gift.  My poor dad didn't get much of a go today with Oliver around.  LOL.  Although, it did keep Oliver entertained for the afternoon and when he wasn't putting, he was hitting the plastic golf ball around the house and chasing it.

See, poppy did eventually get a go!  LOL

It is also my brother's 30th on Tuesday and as he lives an hour away, we decided to have a double celebration today.  Look at that yummy cake......Oliver wanted a second piece!

Well, still no baby yet!  Boo hoo.  I have 2 weeks until my due date but I am soooo over it now.  It is funny how different pregnancies can be.  With Oliver, I really missed being pregnant but I can honestly say that I cannot wait for this one to be over with.  LOL.  I am just wanting to hold my little bundle in my arms now instead of her kicking and punching me - she is so active.  ROFLOL.

Happy Stamping,

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Baby Shower

Today is officially last day of winter!  I can't say that it has been a cold winter but the past few weeks we have had some outstanding weather - 28 degrees one day last week!  Bring on Summer!  Thankfully, I won't be pregnant during the Australian summer!

Just a few shots from my baby shower!  I didn't have one with Oliver while living in the UK so my friends decided I HAD to have one this time!  LOL. 

 

Not the greatest photo - sorry!  I was opening up the gifts from my friends.  We played a few games, ate lots of food and chatted a lot!!  LOL.  Vanessa had some gifts for the games we played.  One of them was like 'The Price Is Right' where we had to guess how much the items on the table were.  My group got 7 out of 9 right!!  Woo hoo.

This is my friend Lin Mei.  Vanessa, who organised everything is just out of the photo.  Her mum put together the sandwiches (yummy)!!  I had a great afternoon anyway!  :-)

Oh yes, there was always going to be a photo taken with me feeding my face!!  LOL.  My mum made some lovely slices and I am eating the caramel slice.  Look at THAT belly!!  I think I look big but then other's say I'm small.

I have been resting at home and feel better.  I also think the baby has moved 'down' in readiness.  I will ask on Thursday at my hospital appointment and hopefully they will say she is engaged.

Happy Stamping,

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Hospital Stay

I may not post too often at the moment.....I am very breathless and was admitted to hospital on Thursday morning because of it.  I cannot even talk without having to take a deep breath every few words.  They were thinking that my MVP (mitral valve prolapse) might have been the cause but after seeing the cardiologist on the 2nd day in hospital, he did an ultrasound and eco and couldn't see any deterioration so the MVP was no worse than the last scan (good news), but it didn't explain why I am breathless all the time.  Everything baby wise is perfectly fine, she is head down and still very active.

Anyway, I was discharged at 8:30pm last night and loved sleeping in my own bed with my pillow!  LOL.  Poor little Oliver was upset (at least to my face!) but on Thursday night he slept with his daddy on my side of the bed.  He put his hands behind his head as he lay on my pillow and said "No mummy, peace and quiet!"  ROFLOL.  Then yesterday when they came to visit me - thinking I would also be going home, Rob told Oliver to turn the television off and he said "No, I'm watching cartoons, mummy can catch the bus".  All this from a 4 year old!!

It seemed funny walking into the maternity ward with my belly and also leaving with my belly in tact and no baby to show for it!  LOL.  Oh well, I got to see the lady in the bed next to me leave for the delivery room and come back the following morning with her baby boy (Harry)!  He sooooo reminded me of Oliver as he was quiet except for those little noises.  Oliver was so quiet too, you hardly knew he was there!  Harry finally had a good cry while I was waiting to be discharged.  Then he settled back down again.

Today hubby put the washing on for me and I've repacked my hospital bag.  All ready to go again!  LOL.  I told the maternity ward, I'll see then in a few weeks again - hopefully!

I didn't get to take my laptop with me but will next time.  So, you now know if things go quiet there is more than likely a good reason for it!

Happy Stamping,

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Sorry Again

Tomorrow, I will only have 4 weeks until baby arrives and boy am I feeling it.

I haven't had a good week this week, hence the no posting!  I have been working on Oliver for a little while now to move out of his night time nappy and into wearing his underpants.  So, this week he asked to sleep in his underpants!  Luckily my friend Nicky had given me a mattress protector a few weeks before so I quickly whipped this on his bed.  His first night was going fine - we got him up twice before we went to bed and put him on the toilet.  He was half asleep but he did what he needed to do and went straight back to sleep.  The next morning, he came into us just a little wet.  I was prepared being his first night and had a change of pj's and nappy but he had under his arm and fresh pair of underpants.  Bless him.  He climbed into bed with us but he was wide awake and this was before 7am!!!  The next 2 nights, he didn't have any accidents at all.  So, my wake up call al week has been way tooo early for me and as a result, I have been so tired this week.  I hoovered on Monday and had to sit down to catch my breath on Monday.  I am breathless just getting up from the chair!  This kid is really doing a number on my lungs.  LOL

While Rob has fixed our wireless problems and my netbook works beautifully now, my poor desktop in my studio needs rebuilding and is running very slow.  When Rob get's a free moment, he will get onto that but he is very busy trying to get a lot of work done in a short space of time in case the baby comes early (I hope she does!).  Poor thing, he worked until 2:30am the other day.

Tomorrow is also my baby shower.  I didn't have one with Oliver (I'm not sure it is a big thing in the UK) so because of this, my friends wanted me to have one this time.  Vanessa is organising it all (bless her!) and has told me to just be there and to put my feet up!  I will have my camera on hand to take lots of pictures as there will be games to play and lovely food to eat.

Thank you to the 5 lovely ladies who came to my Christmas SAS on Tuesday night.  I had a great time and a good laugh.  Hope to see you all again next month.

Thanks to all my readers who have been patiently waiting for updates.  I have one scheduled for tomorrow and then I will have to schedule some more cards from the INKlings team weekend away.

I've waffled on for far toooo long now don't you think?!

Happy stamping,

.

Team Weekend Away

I am sorry about the lack of posts in the past few weeks.  We had visitors for 1 week and I didn't get on the pc while they were here, plus I had my Christmas SAS (stamp-a-stack) so I was busy preparing for that.  I also had to prep for my upline's team weekend away.

So, I was a little busy but last weekend the INKlings met up and spent Friday night, all day Saturday and most of Sunday stamping to our hearts content!  Ah, bliss.  What a great weekend we all had - I think there was 27 that attended.

Jayne made some lovely welcoming gifts for each person attending.  How cute are these?!

(picture is courtesy of Jayne Mercer's blog)

Jayne spent a lot of time putting these gift's together.  Thank You Jayne!

I haven't taken the photos off my camera yet and I have a lot of swap cards to photograph so as soon as I get myself into gear, you will see all the wonderful cards that were made.  I even managed to do an activity while there - archery!  I also have the bruise to prove it!  LOL.  I have never done archery before and my fingers definitely felt it but it was fun.  I even won a prize for my part in archery.......well, it was for making everyone laugh.  Our instructor asked why one of the feathers on the arrow was red......I was obviously in one of those stupid moods and said 'because red goes faster'.  It made the girls laugh and memorable for Jayne!  LOL

We will be back again for next year's team weekend away and I'm looking forward to it.

I must say a special thanks to my much needed and appreciated navigator - Lin Mei.  I borrowed my friends sat nav and it died on us - just as we were setting out on Friday night.  There was a problem with the charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter.  So, the only map we had was one I had printed off (luckily) from the centre we were going to.  It had very limited instructions and after a few wrong turns and a lot of laughing about it, we made it to a cafe where we met up with Fiona for dinner on Friday night. Thanks to Nicky too for her great company over the weekend and for carrying my basket full of cardstock!

I got to meet some of the new faces which I have spoken to on Jayne's forum.  Still, there were others that couldn't make it because they live interstate so I hope that next year, those girls will be able to attend.

Happy Stamping,

.

Apology & Choo Choo Birthday

Oh my!  Has it really been just over a week since I last posted?!  I do apologise to my readers.  Nothing has happened and I have only made a couple of cards but I have just not felt like sitting down at the pc to do anything.  My desk has been a bit untidy and I find I cannot create in a mess.  I think having to deal with my 4yo and his 'attitude' has just been draining.  He starts school next year and boy, I cannot wait.  He is more than ready for it going by his behaviour.  My mother told me I drove her nuts the 6 months before I started school.

I have made some swaps cards and sent them in weeks ago but they aren't due until the end of next week and I don't want to spoil it for the girls so you will have to wait for that one!!  LOL.  I'm such a tease!!

Ooohhh, we bought a new car last weekend!  WOO HOO!!!  Since hubby started his new job, he has been driving to work so, that left me to rely on others to get Oliver to pre-school 2 days a week.  As much as I appreciated it, I also hated it because I felt like I was putting those people out.  I know that is not how they felt but I'm sure you understand what I am saying.  Anyway, now I don't have to rely on anyone and am happily taking Oliver to pre-school and also taking myself out to the shops, not to buy anything but just to get myself out of the house.

I have my friend Nicole and her two lovely boys staying with us for a week.  It has been 3 years since we saw each other as they have been living in Berlin, Germany since 2005.  Nicole's husband will be joining them soon (after he completes his course for work) in Paris!!  I am so hoping that Oliver will start to mimic the boys as they have such wonderful manners.  Oliver used to up until a few months ago!!  ARGH!

Ok, I have really bored you enough with my ranting.  Time to show you a card.

I made this card the other day because I had to send it in a hurry to make this person's birthday in time!!  Nothing like leaving it until the last minute.  I am really liking these colours and I think they will be used again and again.

I used my crimper on the piece of chocolate chip cardstock.  A bit of paper piercing and there you go.  You could change the colour scheme to make it girly as every kid likes going on a train ride.  As this is meant for a boy, I kept to these colours.

As you can see, I used dimensionals on the trains to bring them to 'life'.

I hope this little boy likes his card.

The stamp set and matching wheel are from the soon to be released Spring Mini Catalogue - out on the 1st August and will run for 3 months.  Contact me if you would like to order your copy of the mini and I will send it out in time for the 1st August.

Happy Stamping,

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Supplies
Stamps: Choo Choo, Right On Track Wheel, Upsy Daisy.
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie.
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White.
Accessories: Paper Piercing Tool & Mat, Crimper, Dimensionals.

For Sale

I have update my 'For Sale' page in the Stampin' Up! links on the right.

Some have already been sold, so get in quick to grab a bargain.

Enjoy your week.

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I'm Back!

Wow, what a great time I had at convention........seriously, sign up to be a demo (I'm a hobby demo!) and you too can enjoy yourself at next years convention in Sydney on May 21st & 22nd.  I always hear people hype it up and thought that it was too good to be true, but you really do have a great time.  There are lots to do, speakers to give you inspiration whether you are a hobbyist like me or more serious demo with Stampin' Up! being your full time business.  There is a make and take session, free stamp sets, convention bag and you can even win more stamps!!  I did!  How cool.

I didn't end up taking photos but my roomy Nicky did, so she is sending me a copy of hers. Hopefully, I will post my make & take projects tomorrow or over the next few days.

Oliver had a great time with Nanny & Poppy and I think he wore them out!!  LOL  They took him to A Day Out With Thomason Sunday so I managed to have a nana nap after I got home and before they dropped him off.  Boy, I needed that nap.  Nicky and I sat up chatting until after midnight.

I'vegot to go to the airport tonight to pick Rob up and the sun is already fading here.  He will be excited to know that the baby is having a great time playing in my tummy and that he should be able to feel the nudges when I am lying down on my back - usually about 10:30pm when I am in bed!!  Better keep going with the house work before I leave.

K.

SU! Convention In Canberra

I leave for Canberra in a few hours and I just haven't had time to photograph my swap card to show you.  Naughty me!  Well, between packing and washing clothes for myself and packing for Oliver (he is staying with my parents), I've run out of time to do other stuff.

I will return on Sunday afternoon so hopefully on Monday I will be able to sit at the pc and post about what a great weekend I had. As I said in my previous post, that this is my first time to convention so I'm nervous and excited at the same time!!  LOL

Have a great weekend and speak to you soon.

K.

Has It Really Been That Long?

Wow, has it really been that long since I last posted?  If you are wondering what I've been doing, so am I!!  LOL

I did take my son to the Sydney Royal Easter Showon the 17th April.  It was a great day out and I haven't been for years due to living in the UK so this year I really wanted to take Oliver along.  I think he is old enough now to enjoy it more too.  He love it - apart from getting lost (gasp!).  He wasn't worried at all and headed for the ferris wheel which he wanted to go on all day.  I believe he was trying to enter the Haunted House without a ticket and by this stage, everyone at the show was looking for him, so a security guard found him and called it in (phew!).  It was towards dusk and the lights attracted him so he just headed off down the street and Oliver being Oliver probably blended in amongst the crowd and looked like be belonged to a family when he didn't!!  My heart was in my mouth and luckily I'm only 4 months pregnant and not 8 as I think I would have gone into labour right there and then!  When I was reunited with him, he said he missed me with a sad face but no tears.  We stayed for the fireworks and then went home.  I was waaaaay past his bed time and fell asleep 5 minutes after getting in the car.  I know to do things differently next year as I will have a baby in the buggy and he will be walking around.  I don't want another lost child.

I am still struggling to get over this cold I have and while I feel so much better, I am still coughing all the time.  Not much I can do about it but just wait until it goes away.  So I have been going to the doctor having and baby scans (18 week one).  Everything is good with baby but we couldn't find out the sex as baby had legs crossed......must be shy!  We think it is a girl but I guess we will have to wait to find out.  I felt the baby move on Tuesday so apart from my ever growing belly, I feel this pregnancy is more real.

I have done no stamping at all over the past week or so apart from making a wedding card for Rob to take with him for our friends wedding in the UK.  Rob leaves on Wednesday afternoon for a week as he is the best man.  In one way I am glad I am not going as 1 week is not long enough to fly all that way (22 hours), then turn around and fly back home again.  In another way I am really sad not to be attending Neill & Kath's wedding.  It would be great if you could just blink and you're there (like Samantha in Bewitched).  I will miss not seeing Neill & Kath and catching up with our other friends there.

This weekend is the Australian Stampin' Up! Convention in Canberra so you know where I will be!!  LOL  My parents offered to take care of Oliver for me so I could go.  This is my very first convention and I'm really looking forward to it.  You talk to so many people via email and forums, it will be so great to finally meet them in person.  At convention, there is a card swap - so I started making mine YESTERDAY!!   Yes, I said yesterday.  What was I thinking?!  With my in-laws being here (not a good time for me!), my mojo left me and I wasn't exactly in the right mood to sit down and create something nice.  So yesterday, I got my inspiration from the Idea Book & Catalogue and off I went.  I've made 10 so far but I will need to crack on and make some more.  I will post lots of photos next week.

The weather has certainly changed here in Sydney over the past week......brrrrrrr!  The mornings and evenings are chilly and some days have been nice when in the sun but a cold front has come and we are all going to get our winter woolies out to keep us warm.  Canberra will be even colder this weekend and I don't exactly have a coat that fits around my tummy anymore (I was pregnant in the summer with Oliver).

It was also my birthday on Thursday but with some news from my dad about my mum, I forgot what day it was and spent it in the hospital with her.  Luckily she was let out by early evening and the dinner I had planned went ahead with mum there too.  She is having a procedure done tomorrow with the possibility of having a pacemaker put in soon.

So there you go......that is what has been happening.  I should be posting the wedding card tomorrow (once I edit it) so stay tuned for that.  I'll also photograph my swap card to show you too.

If you've read this far, I applaud you!  LOL

Happy Stamping,

K.

Happy Easter

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all having a wonderful Easter today.  I am having lunch at my parents house with family which will be nice.  Oliver has been on his Easter egg hunt already - we cut out arrows last night and put them around the house pointing to the eggs. He had a lot of fun and handed out the chocolate to whoever it belonged to.

I am still here (although I wish I wasn't!) and so are the inlaws so I haven't been in my studio at all but rather I went out to get some peace!  That is a whole other story. LOL

The INKlings hadthere monthly cyberstamp night on Wednesday but I fell asleep at 7:30pm due to this cold/flu I have that has knocked me about so I missed the night but I do plan on getting onto the challenges that Dani posted.

Happy Easter to you and your families.

The Inlaws are here!

Rob's parents have flown in from the UK this morning so I probably won't be stamping for a few days (boo hoo!) but I'm sure I will be able to squeeze it in at some point.  I want to do something fun for Oliver for Easter.

Our plans for the next few days will be quiet so they can get over their jet lag and then we will probably do some sightseeing.  I think Taronga Zoo will be our first stop!

Have a great weekend!

Happy Stamping,

.

News

My blogging has been non-existent this week as has my time stamping and there is a good reason for it - I promise. 

It is called morning sickness!!  Oh yes, I am having a baby.  For those of you that don't know, we have a 4 year old boy, Oliver who is looking forward to seeing his 'baby brother'.  Now we have no idea what sex the baby is but he it looks like he is wanting a brother!  We have talked with him about the sex of the baby and his response to us asking 'what if you have a sister' is - "I will look after it".  Then he said, "I'm very clever, I have brains!"  ROFLOL  Although when we pointed out that the baby was in my tummy, he asked if I had eaten it!!  LOL.  I never experienced any sickness at all with Oliver so this is all new to me and I'm not liking it at all.  It is just amazing how different pregnancies can be.  Hubby is convinced it is a girl but my friend had two girls and both pregnancies were totally different so I guess we will have to wait and see.  I am starting to feel better as the week has gone on and as I am in my 12th week, I'm hoping it will all end soon.

Unfortunately, while my gp was giving me a check up, he found I have a heart murmur.  Not effecting me at all but it can occur during pregnancy.  I went to see a cardiologist and he was a little shocked to find I have a mitral valve prolapse {Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP) occurs when abnormalities in the mitral valve allow it to flop (i.e., to prolapse) back into the left atrium as the left ventricle contracts, thus allowing a certain amount of backflow of blood (i.e. regurgitation) from the ventricle to the atrium. In general, the abnormality that allows prolapse to occur is a congenital excess of tissue on the valve, making it "floppy." }  It does mean that when I have dental work, I will need antibiotics as well as when I give birth.  Funnily enough, my mum has exactly the same problem.

Anyway, all is good and baby has a good hearbeat with everything where it should be.  We got a clear picture of the legs and the profile of the face which was great.  I think it was nap time during the scan so it was quick and easy to get all the measurements done.

 

.

Bushfire Appeal Update

From Stampin' Up! this morning.

We're thrilled to report that to date, with the sales of the Bushfire Appeal stamp sets, we'll be able to donate $58,131.68 to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfires 2009 Appeal.

Thank you for your efforts to help those who've suffered from this tragedy.

This isn't the total just yet so check back to see that when it comes in!

Happy Stamping,

.

Not Well

Hello to my blog readers.  Apologies for not posting for the past week.  I have been unwell with some sort of bug as well as food poisoning.

I started to feel better on Sunday and luckily as we had a 1st birthday to attend.  I whipped up a card late Saturday night but I forgot to photograph it.  I'm hoping that my friend Janine will send me a photo or I might take one when I see her on Thursday - so no photo to show you today.

I also just wanted to say, please keep the people of Victoria in your thoughts at this time of such horrific tragedy.  This is the greatest disaster Australia has ever known with 173 people confirmed dead (at the latest count) but with more predicted in the coming days.  5000 people are homeless and the fires are still raging in a number of places.

I have a training day with my fellow INKlings this Saturday which I am looking forward to.  I will no doubt be able to show you what we got up to in Sunday's post, so keep checking back.

Happy Stamping,

.

I'm Back!

Hello! 

I apologise for not posting for so long.  We moved house a week ago and just before we moved I typed a post to let you know I was going offline but wouldn't you know it, when I clicked on 'saved' to publish it, it didn't go anywhere except that wonderful page that says Internet Explorer cannot find that page!  Oh no, was my first thought and then I clicked on the back arrow thinking I should be ok as Typepad now have an auto save function.  Yes, it sort of worked.  My title was there but none of the body of the post (gone, poof!).  I got a little frustrated and I ended up not posting anything!

As I said, we moved a week ago and are still unpacking!  We have been offline as well with Telstra giving us wrong information about our internet connection and thanks to my hubby (Mr IT!) we are now all set up and good to go.  Phew!  I guess you don't realise just how much you use and miss the internet until you don't have it.

It has been toooooo long since I made anything but my studio is still a bit of a mess (still finding things and working out where to put everything).  Hopefully I will be buying some storage in the next few days so that will help a lot in sorting things out.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Years and are well into creating for 2009.

Happy Stamping,

.

Hunter Valley

I won't be around for the next few days.  We decided very late in the day to go to the Hunter Valley for a little break.  We are here until Sunday and having a great time.  We are staying at the Eaglereach Wilderness Resort.  We have kangaroos right outside our lodge roaming free.  Oliver is loving it.

Speak to you when I get back.

A Week Goes By!

Wow, where did the past week go?!

I cannot believe that it has been a week since my last post.  I'm so sorry for being so slack!

What have I been doing you ask???  I have been busy finishing off my Christmas cards.  I am stuffing them in envelopes and hoping I have more than enough (so far so good!) but I have to do the inserts next.  Then I can post them.  Labels are also ready to adhere to the envelopes.  How are you going with your Christmas cards?  Are you really organised and finished already?? OR do you leave yours until the last minute??

We have a wedding to go to on Wednesday so naturally I have been out shopping for a dress and today I bought earings and matching necklace.  Phew!  I'm really looking forward to this wedding as I will get to see my friends I used to live with (8 years ago) in the UK before I met Rob.  We had some really great times living together.  Now, I'm just reminiscing!  LOL

Next is Oliver's 4th Birthday party on Sunday.  OMG, he will be 4!!!  Now, where has THAT time gone??  I've been going over his baby photos, remembering every one and what we were doing at the time.  He was so cute, now he is so cheeky!  LOL

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Happy Stamping,

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Halloween

I finally got around to getting the photos off the camera from Halloween -albeit a bit late!

Oh, look who it is!  It is Pirate Oliver!  LOL  The sleeves were a bit too long but he wanted to wear it.  He was really excited to be having a party and I wasn't sure he would dress up, but he did and had a ball with the other kids who also dressed up.  Can you believe that after taking these photos, we didn't get the camera out again to take anymore. 

So here is my spider cake.  What do you think?  Not bad for my first attempt at making a novelty cake.  I couldn't find the right sweets for the teeth so I had to improvise.

This is Rob's attempt at making a mushroom.  The top bit is what I cut off the bottom part of the spiderweb cake.  He didn't want to ice the whole thing so he just used the left over icing from me to make it look more like a mushroom.  He got a plastic cup and covered it in brown paper and coloured the red dots on it.  He was very pleased with himself!  LOL

I hope you all had a great Halloween if you celebrated it.

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Photos

I have some photos from our Halloween party but they are still on the camera and I have been busy cutting cardstock as 'wait for it', I have started on my Christmas cards.  I have made 4 so far (don't laugh) and have an assembly line going so there are bits of cardstock all over the table.  LOL.

As soon as I copy the photos to the pc, I will post them.  I even made a cake!  It is the first novelty cake I have ever made.  LOL.  Carol - if you are reading this, there is purple on it!

I'm off to bed now.  Night!

I'm Home!

I have been home for a week but have not been on the pc very much at all and absolutely no stamping.  I have ordered some cardstock so I can start on my Christmas cards and my dear friend Kari sent me a lovely gift too - I will photograph the gorgeous card she sent with the gift and post it here (hopefully today but the sun in not shining here in Sydney so it may be tomorrow).  To be honest, I just haven't been able to get into the swing of things.

The weather has been a bit weird.  The day we landed it was freezing, windy and raining.  I thought we must have boarded the wrong plane at Hong Kong and went back tothe UK!  LOL.

I know that Halloween is not a 'big' thing here but as Oliver is old enough to understand we are having friends over on Saturday for a kiddy Halloween party.  Now before you say "Halloween is on Friday, not Saturday" - some of the families already have things planned for Halloween so the kids can have 2 days of fun.  I cannot find Halloween cookie cutters anywhere and I think it would be too late now to order online so we will be making our own.  I'm not entirely sure how they will turn out and I knew I should have bought the ones I saw in the UK before we left.  Always the way!  I have been out and bought some decorations and goodie bags so the kids should have some fun while the adults chat, drink and eat!  Sounds good!

No Stamping

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your comments on my card in the post below.  You'll be pleased to know I wasn't going down the 'red ribbon' road !!  LOL  I have realised that I don't have the 5/8" grosgrain ribbon in white but only in the 1/4" so I thought that might stand out more than the blue.

So, as the title suggests, there's been no stamping for me.  There has however been a lot of painting!  I am even painting in my dreams.  LOL.  Luckily, Oliver hasn't touched any of the wet paint.  Phew!  Rob has been doing his chores too but there is still more to do before we leave.

It is almost 10pm and after Oliver waking me up at 5am for some water, then not getting back to sleep for an hour, I'm going to have an early night.

I hope you all have a lovely week.

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Where Does The Time Go?

Wow, it feels like I haven't been on here for ages, but it was only on Monday!  LOL.

Yesterday was a busy day with the house and although I managed to make a card on Monday night, it seems to have gone missing - well the photo has so I will take another one today and post in a little while.  You watch, I will find the missing photo after I post!  LOL  Always the way isn't it?

I'm in charge of painting, so you know what I will be doing today - hubby doesn't like painting but I do, hence why I am in charge!  LOL.  I find it relaxing.  I'm also in charge of all the admin stuff to do with our house, so I was on the phone a bit yesterday sorting things out.  We have and letting agent but I always like to know things for myself.

Have a good day!

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I'm Back!

...well back in the UK again.  We arrived home very late last night (Saturday) and today I was out so this is the first opportunity I've had to get on a pc.  We had a lovely time in France even though the weather wasn't the best.  It was lovely and sunny on Wednesday when we arrived (after our 5am start!) just after lunch (Europe time).  Oliver had a sleep in the car and was then full of energy so he played soccer with his dad and granddad to wear him out a bit - no such luck!  LOL.  As we were in a strange place (again), we took the stair gate to keep him from wondering about after going to bed.  We usually put him to bed and walk away and he happily talks to his soft toys for a while then all of a sudden it is quiet - he is asleep.  Not so on Wednesday night.  I ended up lying down with him and we fell asleep together!  LOL  We also went to a zoo, Mont Saint-Michele and the beach.  Normadie is such a lovely place if you are ever in the area, I would recommend you stay and have a look around! LOL

Happy Stamping,

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P.S. - no stamping yet, hopefully might get time tomorrow.  I'm off to bed now.

Fun Times

I don't know how much creating I will be doing over the next month.  We are in the UK until the beginning of October and I have limited supplies with me but I do know some demos here if I really need supplies!  LOL 

We are giving our house the once over (new coat of paint and some repairs) in readiness for new tenants.  We are very lucky that we have this property here to come back to.  We are even thinking of coming over for the 2012 Olympics in London.  We are only a short train ride away from central London.

The weather isn't great - rain.....and if you have seen any reports on the tv or internet, you may well know that a lot of places were flooded in Wales a few days ago and unfortunately, there is more rain to come!  Our house is up high so we have no danger of flooding but I do feel so sorry for those that have.

I won't be posting for the next 4 days at least as we are driving across to Normandie, France to where Rob's parents are.  They know the owner of the cottage and Dennis does some repair work on it while they are there - usuall for about 10 days.  I think they go about twice a year.  We are up very early in the morning to drive to Portsmouth where we will get on a ferry to Cherbourg, France.  Then it is a hour or two to Brehal (our destination).  I will be taking lots of photos as it is supposed to be very pretty but just having a look at the weather report, I don't know how much outdoor activities we will do.  We will return back to the UK on Saturday evening.

Okay, I am off to bed to get some sleep.  Have a great week!

Happy Stamping,

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Happy Birthday Brother!

Today is my brother's 29th birthday!  Oh my, how did he ever make it to 29!?  LOL.  I know I will also be asking myself this question with my Oliver long before he gets to 10!!

So, "Happy Birthday Michael".  I hope you have lovely dinner with Laura (they are going out to a nice seafood restaurant).

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Happy Father's Day

I know my parents go online to look at my blogs so apart from speaking to dad today, I want to also wish him here on his blog a very "Happy Father's Day".

Here is a great photo of my dad with my son, Oliver!

This was taken last year just before dad had his operation to have two stents put in.

I hope all the dad's out there have a great day!

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