The Spice of Life

And another year is over

Happy New Year to you! This past year has been a busy one for us and as the saying goes, it seems to have flown by. I'm looking forward to 2010, a new year and a new decade but before I move into the New Year I want to recap the last few wonderful, busy and hectic weeks that were our holiday celebrations.

There was time spent decorating, putting up the tree and arranging the ornaments so they were out of reach from enquisitive hands

 

time spent hunting for the perfect branch,

 
 
time spent making and painting decorations,

 

 

time spent making presents like wonderful hand made soap, personalised etched glasses, christmas ornaments and photobooks,

 

time spent at the beach, splashing and discovering and hunting,

 

time spent collecting pinecones and wondering through the forrest,

time spent with family, eating and laughing and being merry,

time spent cooking and baking and cleaning

 
more time spent at the beach, boogie boarding, digging, building sandcastles and getting a little pink (oops!)

It has been a busy, crazy, wonderful few weeks. We have one more visitor coming this Sunday and then we can settle down and enjoy a quiet few weeks before the year starts all over again.

Christmas Cards

I wanted to share the Christmas cards I made this year. They have been made for quite some time but I kept forgetting to take photos. So today, before I finished writing in them, I snapped some quick photos of the five different cards I made this year. I still have a few more to make as my list keeps longer but these are what I have so far.

 
 
 

 

 

I love to stalk Heather Nicols' blog. I find her card making style so appealing, which is odd really because I find my scrapping style to be so different. So ithink it fair to say that my inspiration this year came from her. It was needed as I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed with my to do list.
 
 
 

Charlee talk

I've been meaning to ge these down for some time. I need to record them somewhere before I forget.

Charlee's vocabulary has grown so much. She loves to chat and will try to repeat so many words we say. She loves to read books, animal ones in particular and loves to make the animal noises as she turns each pages.

So before she grows and changes too much, here are a few of the words and sounds she likes to say often:

• Mummee
• Daddee
• Ashy (sometimes said Aaaasssheeeee, when she calling to her sissy)
• Jameee
• milf (milk)
• bubble
• bottom (and sometimes bum)
• bottle
• bed (and sometimes beddy)
• wet
• mesthy (messy said a cute little lisp)
• wubbish
• tat (cat)
• dod (dog)
• bathtime (said quickly, like it is one word and often with emphasis on 'time' like it's a big 'I')
• alldone
• manana (banana)
• apple
• bread
• atyide (outside)
• shlide (slide)
• sandpit
• sand
• buck bucks (chickens)
• tar (car)
• chruck (truck, often followed by brum brum)
• tactor (tractor)
• by-eek (bike)
• han (hand)
• knee (her word for anything leg related)
• arm
• elmo (elbow and the little red monster)
• I-ee (eye)
• noshe (nose)
• book
• fyse (High Five)
• Darden (Night Garden, her fav show)
• UpDaiseee (Upsy Daisy - her fav character from her fav show
• Maaoo (Moo)
• Duck duck (quack quack)
• Ooofff (woof woof)
• Mine (the sound a seagul makes)
• dobbledobbledobble (Gobble gobble gobble)
• nap (snap -said while slapping hand down like a crocodile)
• neigh neigh

Meet Oliver

 
or Ollie as we like to call him. We picked him up today and he is settling in quite nicely. As I type he is in the lounge room with Greg, alternating between soft, snuggly cuddles in the crook of Greg's arm to honing his stalking skills by attemping to capture that sneeky piece of ribbon that has eluded him all afternoon.

 
Jaime has fussed over him and Ashleigh has proudly claimed the title of 'Poop Cleaner'. After her first attempt this afternoon I think I will be finding her another job. Something just as special of course, but something a little less icky!

Charlee's first words as she woke after her sleep were, "Raowwwww, raowwww'. She is quite facinated with Ollie's fluffyness and thinks his fur is very tickly. She also wanted to take him for a ride in her toy pram this evening. Luckly she had a better idea and found baby instead.

 
All afternoon we have been facinated with Ollie's cutness. We have snuggled him and watched as he practiced some awesome moves I can only describe as being some what like Capoeira. We have praised him when he used the litter tray and cheered when he worked out how to use the kitty door into the laundry.

We are told Ollie is a Russian/Ragdoll/cross so we are hoping he will display some of the traits that make Ragdolls such wonderful indoor cats.

Scrapping for CF

Kellie Cavenett from Simply Fresh Kits is the driving force behind Scrapping for CF (Cystic Fibrosis), a fundraising concept where all money raised from the sale of scrapping classes goes to CFNSW. When Kellie asked if I would like to create a class for Scrapping for CF, I of course said yes.

This year, class instructions and co-ordinating kits are available through Simply Fresh Kits. Here are the details:

Class instructions - $9.00

All proceeds raised from the sale of classes goes directly to CFNSW

Co-ordinating kits - $20.00

The profit from the sale of each kit goes directly to CFNSW. I am told this is around $10.00 per kit.

There are two classess and their co-ordinating kits available for sale:

• The Funky Retro kit and class designed by Yvette Adams
• The Raspberry Pie kit and class designed by Bec Spicer

To oder your kits and/or class, go here. If you would like to read some more information on Cystic Fibrosis, go here.

Quiet and quite busy

Life is busy right now. It's good, but busy and so I have been quiet. So for today I will share with you a layout published in issue 72 of Scrapbook Creations.

How I love those photos. They make me smile. My babies are such funny little people.

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

by Laurence Binyon (1869 - 1943)

Today

 

Well not today exactly.......more like three months ago. It had been raining for days and I was sick of being cooped up inside. We had a lovely but wet walk around the wildlife park enjoying the outdoors. Determined not to let a little rain get in the way of my grand plans, we continued on our way around the walk even though it started to rain again.

November Dare

'Keeping it all in perspective' is the new dare on Aussie Dares this month. I had to switch my thinking cap on for this one. Here is my take.

 

This page documents some of my thoughts about our decision for Greg to go back to the NT to work. Now that he is working back home, it was a great opportunity to reflect on the experience.
 

Echo Farm

During the last week of the holiday we went and explored Echo Farm. It's newly opened and offers an opportunity to explore relics, antiques and items from the past. I realy loved looking at all the old objects from farm machinery, hosehold items to clothing and children's toys. I think the kidlets enjoyed the animals the most. Who wouldn't enjoy looking at some Emu chicks (or Emulings as my hubby calls them), piglets, a lamb and a host of other farm animals.

 

 

 
  

Just look at how cute Miss Charlee is - all grown up and walking. In fact she's past walking and onto that funny half walk half run stage babies get, where their legs are going really fast but their body is struggling to keep up. I love that stage!!