Advent Candles

This year we decided to start educating our children a little more about our beliefs. I had read an article which spoke of the importance of religious traditions. This was our attempt at establishing one for our family. Last Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, we lit the first candle after Kevin read a story from the girls' bible.
They enjoy these candles on the table. Hollie and Daddy had to make a special trip to the shop to buy the wreath, well two infact, so we were ready in time. I was the slack mother who didn't get around to making one.
At least our girls know the reason for this silly season although today when Hollie was talking to my Dad, who is in hospital right now, on the phone and he asked what she was doing for Christmas, her response was, "Getting presents." I guess that is a typical response for a three year old.

Advent Calendar

Here is my Advent Calendar. Well it is actually a Christmas calendar because it doesn't start when Advent starts it starts on the 1st of December. This was supposed to be finished for last year but I ran out of time and paper and BG's Figgy Pudding paper is old news and thus hard to come by. Some of the newer boxes were completed using BG's latest range (name escape me right now) but they work well together so that's ok.
The boxes were cut on my craft robo and very minimally embellished. I've used velcro on the backs of the boxes for extra strength and so the littlest one can find what's in the box too. These photos were taken at night so they are pretty dodgy but you still get the idea. I am happy with the way it turned out. The Christmas title is temporary, for this year anyway, and of course the 2009 will change in 2010 which is nearly here. How crazy is that?

Some more layouts

Sketch LO for Young Scrap Birds Cyber Crop

I rotated the sketch from the cyber crop over at Young Scrap Birds to create this layout. This was a murder mystery dinner where we had to dress in the roll of the person we were to be. I was a doctor and I'm not sure what Kevin was. We played brother and sister though. Ryan organised the whole thing. I didn't really want to go as Jessica was only a month old at the time and I was tired. The main reason was because I didn't know what to expect at the murder mystery dinner and I was shy. Yes that's right me. I ended up having a really good time though.
I enjoyed using this sketch and I enjoyed doing this challenge. I wouldn't have thought to scrap this picture if it wasn't that everyone else was scrapping costumes. THe journaling square was made by Amanda Dobbs as part of our berrylicious swap on OzSwapTillYouDrop yahoo group. Thanks Amanda.

Some layouts for your viewing pleasure

This layout uses the sketch from the October sketch at Scrapbooking Memories forum.


This technique on the journaling block was the faux silk using tissue paper and stamps I learnt over at 123scrapbook. I made a card with it and thought this left over bit suited the colours of the layout really well.

New teeth and a chipped tooth

We have been dealing with teething children for almost 3 years now. One seems to get new teeth and goes out of teething as the other enters. I guess that's the price I have to pay for having kids so close together. Hannah 3rd tooth popped through yesterday and the 4th one today so thank God that is over for a while. Hopefully it will mean more sleep for all concerned.

This is Hannah at Playgroup with a funny hat on before her teeth were big and visible.

Jessica is also teething. Trying to get those 2 year old molars through. She has one through so we are just waiting for the other 3 to come now. SO she's getting teeth but she lost a part of her front tooth when she chipped it at the pool on Saturday. I only knew it was chipped because I saw the bit of tooth in her mouth and like the true scrapbooker I am I picked out the piece of tooth to scrap and then I gave her a cuddle. Poor little thing she had blood coming from gum of the broken tooth.

Here is Jessica eating ice cream at the Longreach Club when Mum was here. This was right before she tipped the bowl up and drank the remaining runny ice cream.

Hollie has all her teeth now until she's four. Then the unfortunate thing is they start to fall out.

This is Hollie is the hat at Playgroup too. Isn't she just beautiful?

I am hoping to follow later today with a few LOs I've recently completed. I just hope the kids think it's ok for Mummy to have Mummy time. We'll see.

Visit from Mum

Kevin's away on a school trip to Canberra for a week so Mum came to help me out with the kids. It's been so good having her here and so good for the kids to connect with her. It's a shame Jessica is in the terrible twos and doesn't want help from anyone let alone Nanny.

I haven't done any scrapping for weeks and I really want to get back into it but seem to have lost my mojo. I feel inspired and then as soon as I sit down to do anything scrapping related. Must just be tired from being away and being sick. I'm itching to do something. Probably need to log onto some challenges.

Here are some photos of the recent dust storms in SE Queensland. These were from while we were away visiting Mum. This is in the Mary Valley. This dust came from Longreach. From my current home to my old family home. Pretty dusty hey. You can imagine what my house in Longreach was like after I left the toilet window open. You can still taste the dust in the air in the house. Yuck.

Wahoo it's the weekend

I don't know who looks forward to the weekend more. Me or my working husband. I sure he does. I know he does but I DO. I love it when Kevin is home. Gosh it is so nice to be able to walk past him and give him a cuddle. It's so nice to have him around. Have him close to the girls. Close to help me out if I need him.

Our first crop

Last night we hd ou first crop. Jilly and I organised to use the local high school (thanks to my darling husband) for a crop once a month. It started last night with four of us. It will grow and grow or so we hope. I guess the best part is sharing ideas. I didn't get much done because Hannah was sore with her teeth. I didn't want to leave her home as she has been such a sooky, Mummy's girl of late. My aim was to get 3 pages done and I didn't even get one done!!! Oh well next time.
I'm off to make princess crowns for my girls.

Kaisercraft pp

Here is the latest page using the sketch on Young Scrap Birds forum. This was another 30 min page. I'm getting good at them. Not that the pageis brillant but all the info has been included and it's another memory and photo done.

I'm also including a card I made for the September Sketch on the Scrapbooking Memories forum. This is for a lady in OzSwapTillYouDrop yahoo group who has had some sad news recently.

7 Layouts in a weekend

Here are the other layouts I have done this weekend.

3 Layouts in 90 Minutes

This was a challenge on the Scrapbooking Memories forum. Here are my efforts in 90 minutes.

A card and a birthday

Jessica turned 2 yesterday. Where did the time go? I bet everyone says that as their children have another birthday but really what happened to that time?

I decorated 2 cakes for her. One for Playgroup and the other to have here at home. Dorothy the Dinosaur is her favourite so that's what we put on her cake. Not at all what I wanted but it did the job. As Kevin said, everyone that matters knew what it was. Everyone under 5. She liked it so that is all that matters to me. She had a wonderful day and was so exhausted but was too tired to go to bed. (They are supposed to be having a sleep now to compensate for yesterday but all they've done is played and now they are up and really really grumpy.) All three girls were up during the night so I was not a happy camper. Yes camper for real as I am camped out in the lounge room while the out laws are staying. (Hi Mum) I also made Jessica's card. Wasn't a little girly card but it did have roses on it for Jessica Rose.