Kaz was Here!!

Happy Happy Festive Season

2011-12-24T21:03:00.001+11:00

Hey there.

Just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and here's to a wonderful 2012.
My plans are to indulge over the the next week or 2, but within reason, and still maintain some form of exercise. Kickboxing is only twice a week over the next couple of weeks. I tried to do my own form of KB at home today and I did manage to burn 400 calories. But it was much harder without the structure of someone telling me exactly what to do. Not that I want to put on weight, but I would be happy to not exceed a kilo. Then come the new Year I will be keen to try to get to 60 kg. Somehow I have still been losing weight (small amounts). So Lets see. I really need to start tracking again. So easy to just let things slip by those lips.

Stats for the last 14 months are in -
(as at the 6th December)
Total loss - 30.7 kg (this is 31 now) which is 33.1% total body loss. Fark a third of me.

For the 12 week body transformation I lost 7.4kg (10.6%).

Overall I feel amazing, and look pretty good I guess. Still demons in my head that don't quite see the real me. and can't quite take all the compliments easily. I sometimes feel guilty and like a fraud, cause I know the flabby bits under the clothes, and I know I can still pop down the shops for a packet of Twisties or polish off more Chardonnay than I need!! But overall I know I am making healthy choices and my activity levels are 110% on what they were.

I should add that I went to Sydney for the finale party with my darling BFF and what an amazing weekend. You really feel like a part of something amazing. There were 1200 people at the workout which was a rocking super aerobics workout. In total the 12wbt family have lost 40,000 kg. Yes you read that right! That was in 12 weeks. Annie and I cemented our friendship with tattoos, hehe. And I can't post a pic because all the options are not showing above. So I will try that next time.

Stay safe and have fun!
Love Kaz

Then and Now

2011-12-04T16:04:00.005+11:00

Here is the transformation in pictures....

It should work if you click on the empty space .

Collage personalized with Smilebox

It finally happened...

2011-11-25T15:05:00.000+11:00

Finally I am a healthy BMI. Yippppeeeee

Although I know I 'look' healthy and BMI is not completely accurate because it does not account for body mass (muscle etc), it was still a measure that is solid and a measure I could reach for. So in Wednesday when I jumped on the scales I was pleasantly surprised to see a figure I had been aspiring for. When I joined WW last October I stated my goal weight to be 70 kg. I never dreamed I would even reach that, let alone surpass it.

I have a very busy weekend, with a school Pirate Car Rally tomorrow, which will be lots of fun, and then our Tae Kwon Do presentation on Sunday. I have watched 2 of these with Harry participating. BUT this year Emmy and I are also in it...EEEk I am quietly very anxious, but will also be very proud to stand up there as a nearly yellow belt (1 class away). Maybe I need to squeeze in a class Saturday and grade after it?

Ok have a wonderful weekend.

Excuses excuses

2011-10-30T23:12:00.000+11:00

I still make plenty of them....
BUT alas I try to JFDI!!

No one is perfect, and GOD I am the last to say I am, gee I ate a whole packet of Cheese and Bacon balls last night, but it is funny when trying to change ones own thought process, these days when people talk about their own efforts in weight loss, I just sit and nod and smile, because all you hear is excuses. And how amazing it is that we BELIEVE these as truths!!

I love this, someone posted it on the FB page of 12wbt....

Cheers xx

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-10-26T14:58:00.000+11:00

Well I am now well and truly in to my 40's. Yep I was 42 on Saturday. And what a lovely day I had. I went into the city with 9 of my most favourite people. 7 wonderful friends, my sister and mummy! I was so appreciative that they would want to spend so much money to eat yummy foodwith ME! The weather was absolutely miserable. BUT it didn't matter I was so happy. I felt confident, beautiful and loved :)

After a beautifully decadent lunch at The Windsor, for High Tea I went out to our favourite mexican with my family for more delicious food. Here is my wonderful sister Kim and I before we had eaten all those delicious pastries and cakes.

Funnily enough that weekend of over indulgence didn't hamper my weight loss of 1 kg this week. That takes me to under 65 kg. Yipeeee. I am also less concerned about BMI now (which is 25.6, so close to healthy), because as it states on the Government better health website, it cannot differentiate between body fat and muscle mass. Still getting regular comments that I am fading away, which is not entirely true, but hey who am I to argue?

Ok best get back to what I was meant to be doing...

GDay

2011-10-17T22:04:00.000+11:00

Hey there...
Week 6 of 12wbt this week.
I have lost a total of 3.2 kg (4.6 %), and improved my fitness test on all aspects.
I have booked flights to Sydney for the finale party. I was very brave and went with Tiger, eek..
Dawning on me more and more that you pretty much have to say no to food more often than not. Because there is always an outing, or an arvo tea, or a muffin in the shop or a packet of chips at work etc! So unless you are going to train like a bastard, you have to say NO!!

Feeling good about things though..Loving comments still. One of the creche carers told me I Iook HOT, LOL. And my brother was a bit shocked I think, he said I looked almost anorexic. Which is far from true, sheesh still chasing that healthy BMI. Whilst I appreciate and love the comments, I still at times don't feel worthy. But I am trying to, because I do notice things sometimes that make me accept that I am MUCH smaller. Like when I do sit ups I love how my legs look!

Family all good. Hubby did Around the Bay in a day bike ride yesterday, crazy man, I will never be able to keep up with his fitness. Harry has started tutoring today to help him with his reading. He is very keen for this, which is great. Emmy is her usual sweet, little Miss. The kids and I are loving TaeKwonDo. It is much harder than I ever imagined!

Ok I am sleepy, did a night duty Saturday night, (where there was an abundance of delicious Tuna dip!!)
so off to bed I should go. After I tidy up and get shit ready for tomorrow, which will end up being another hour I suppose....YAWN

Can't be bothered...

2011-10-01T22:52:00.001+10:00

....giving you a super funny or smart or detailed update. Or doing the latest blog challenge (soon!).
Sorry but I am just icing my very sore heel after finishing a late shift at the hospital. I have done Kickboxing 5 days in a row and topped off with being on it for 8 hours straight it is killing me. Can barely walk on it :(

I am being pretty good with my diet, sticking to 1200 most days. I have had some wine here and there and handful of chips here and there too. Whilst I recognise the value and benefit of eating "clean", 100% clean is not for me. I enjoy the naughty things in life, I just realise I CAN'T have them several times a week. In saying that I am super conscious of what I am eating and making many great choices and saying NO a LOT...(there was white mud cake at work, and there is fried rice in the fridge. I could go either of them, but NO! I did have a small glass of wine. Lets just say it is a night cap.

I have lost 3 kilos since I first weighed myself for this challenge, which I can't remember when that was, but I think it was the week before kickoff? So at the end of September last year I weighed 92.9 kilos (which I round up to 93 cause it's easier). I am now 66.6.. Yipee. I am so close to a healthy BMI that I can smell it. It is so close but also seems so far away. 63.2 kilos will put me in a healthy BMI and also the top of my healthy weight range. God my lowest range is 51 kg. I would have to eat sweet FA!!!
Anyway i am more than happy with how I am going, how I look and feel.

Night xx

Week 1 Bloggers challenge

2011-09-24T12:33:00.001+10:00

Thought I would mix things up a bit and do a BLOG challenge from - http://courage2start.blogspot.com/

1. Describe yourself in 25 words or less. You can get straight to the point - or bring your creativity into play.
Fun, loving, fun loving, go, go, go; confident, genuine

2. What brings you to 12wbt? Getting fitter? Losing weight? (Gaining weight??) Are you first timer, a repeat offender??
I had lost 20 kg doing Weight Watchers, and was slowly continuing on the weight loss and health journey. Michelle Bridges was stalking me from the sidelines of Facebook and on a big billboard on Nepean Highway and my friend Annie had great success. I thought the 12wbt might help fine tune things!

3. Why do you blog??
I originally started my blog to share bits and pieces, family, day to day and crafty for my friends and family to keep up to date. Then Facebook took hold and my blog was seriously neglected. Now I came back to revive it, using the 12wbt to put some energy back into my blog.

4. Who is your biggest inspiration in life and why (doesn't have to be weight loss)
Gee this is a hard one....Various aspect of certain people inspire me, but there is not 1 single person that singlehandedly influence me!

5. What things in life bring you the most joy?
My family..Makes the world go around.

6.What do you think your greatest challenge is going to be this round?
Working out 6 days a week!

7. What are you most excited about 12wbt?

Learning more about food, and fine tuning my body and mind

8. And what scares the pants off you?
Failure....

9. Tell me - right now - today - how do you feel about exercise in no more than 10 words
Disappointed I can't get out and do more (hello heel spur)!

10. Complete this sentence - in 12 weeks time - on the last day of 12wbt I am going to be feeling Indestructible!!

Okay gotta go get ready for kickboxing :)

So far, so good

2011-09-17T10:56:00.000+10:00

well here i am and it is Day 6 of the 12wbt....

I have stuck to the 1200 cals each day, including a glass of wine last night. I nearly had a second, but I actually processed it in my head, no I actually didn't feel like it, I am quite full, I will feel crap tomorrow if I have another etc. So alas I didn't have it. That is a downfall, I often drink for the sake of it being the weekend. I better have a glass of wine, it is Saturday..how ridiculous!

The food has been mostly nice. I have pretty much done my own thing for breakfast (toast or cereal) and lunch (taking inspiration from the 12wbt recipes)..dinners I have done exactly to the recipe. A lot of the stuff has lots of health fresh herbs, which my kids are not into. So I have tried to alter them to suit. Which is a little bit of a pain because I hate making separate meals. It has just meant I need to think and plan ahead a bit, so not too much of a drama!

I have also exercised every day so far, yea go me! I need to try to get something happening today. Today is typically SSS (super Saturday). which means burning 1000 calories. I am afraid I will not be doing this in a hurry. Call me lazy, but I want this to be sustainable and I am not going to bust my balls spending 2 hours working out. I am at home with both kids, and trying to do 1000 cals to a DVD is not gunna happen. I want to turn the volume down on Mish by the end of 1 DVD, LOL! No offence Michelle Bridges! My heel is still sore, but I think on the mend (I have a heel spur and plantar fasciitis if I haven't mentioned it, and to be honest it is quiet debilitating :(. I just picked up my orthotics on Thursday and currently wearing them in. I am still losing weight doing what I am doing, so I am more about doing exercise than being obsessed with the amount of calories!

I did my fitness test, killing my foot and I am pretty sure having an asthma attack in the process (I had asthma as a teenager) but I was being stubborn and wanted a number for the 1 km time trial. As it turned out I was intermediate in 3 categories and advanced in 2. The wall sit is a bloody killer, pity it isn't a plank instead...I can do 2 min and 5 seconds. I also did a shit load of (lady) push ups, which my kickboxing trainer tells me are a waste of time. So I attempted man push ups, and crikey I am hopeless, I struggled and managed 4. So I am just going to try them now!

Ok I need to go clean up this feral house. Get some washing out, which is a pain because the puppy is having a blast pulling it off (we have a 9 month old Border Collie). I should mention a bit about my family, because everyone checks in here for different reasons I guess. Hubby is a builder and currently working in the city (and hating it) he is also an ironman and training for a half ironman in Shepparton in November and Melbourne Ironman March next year. Harry is 7, in Grade 1 and enjoys TaeKwonDo...Emmy just turned 5 and also commenced TKD. But also loves Ballet, and is keen to do gymnastics. She will start prep next year..Yipee. I am a Paediatric nurse currently working at a local Community Health Service doing asthma education to families. I am also back doing some bank shifts at the hospital. I love TV, True Blood, Project Runway, X Factor, Housewives of NYC all the usual crap!
I enjoy reading, but never get much time to do it. And I recently found Sudoko a good challenge (only the easy ones though). I still love making cards for people and wish I had more time to scarpbook :(
Ok I must go, enjoy your weekend peeps

xx

12wbt kick off!

2011-09-13T22:09:00.000+10:00

Ok so it is 10 pm and I am cooking tomorrow nights lasagne. We have the school concert at 6.30, and I finish work at 5.30 and have 2 kids to pick up at seperate locations.

So blogging is the last thing on my mind, but I though I better check in and say yee haa, the body transformation has started. Today was Day 2....and although I said I would only exercise 4 days a week, I decided that what the hell, I will whack in some both mornings. My concern has been that I would get just as disappointed in myself with calories and exercise as i did for eating too much. So if I don't exercise, or if I do and don't burn 500 calories. Now I have decided, that I am happy burning ANYTHING! I am still battling a sore foot, although I think it has improved. So this morning I burnt nearly 300 on the treadmill (which was a slower walk because my foot hurt when I turned up the pace or the incline) and yesterday I did most of the Michelle Bridges Tone DVD, also not a huge calorie expenditure because I didn't really have much room in the lounge and I poorly planned time with getting to work, so had to cut it short, also had to do the low impact as the jumps hurt, :( I pick up my orthotic on thursday, so I hope that makes a real difference.
I sat and planned out the menu Sunday and did a big shop. I sorted what days I would eat each meal, with work, and nights out, some meals fitted in better on different days. I have also stuck with Special K advantage for breakfast because A/. I need something I don't have to think about when going to work, and B/. I just don't see a shake as a meal, lol. Still healthy and still within the calories, so all good. I did take a picture of tonights dinner, so will share that at some point.
Ok time for bed... soon anyway!

Pre Season

2011-09-10T23:01:00.000+10:00

I remembered why I am so crap at blogging, and that is because I finally think to do it just when I am ready for bed.
So I thought I would give a quick summary of the Michelle Bridges 12wbt pre season tasks. The idea of these tasks is to have you all ready for the journey ahead, like a Girl Guide the motto was 'be prepared'.

1/. Introduce Yourself - this was about jumping on the forums and introducing yourself...so most of you should know me from this blog alone. I am 42 in October, a mother, wife and nurse. I live in Melbourne, Australia. I have lost over 20 kgs in the last 10 months. I love reading, scrapbooking and hanging with my family and friends. More recently I developed a love of kickboxing and Zumba.

2/. Get Real - this is identifying your excuses in life..
Internal :
will do it tomorrow
doing ok at losing weight, so don't need to be strict
ate that, blown it, so doesn't matter if I eat the rest
too tired
too sore

External (control over)
too busy
gym too expensive

External (no control over)
sick kids / me sick
husband home from work late
kids having meltdowns when I want to go out

with each of these came thinking up solutions. Mine consist of not waiting for tomorrow, ensuring KB or Zumba at least 4 times a week, and walking the dog..focusing on different areas of the body when sore. Doing treadmill at home, pre warning the kids. Don't loosen the reigns!

3/. Set Your Goals : setting goals is about having measurable, achievable and realistic aims over the program, but also beyond. So they are 1 month, 3 month, 6 month and 12 month. My goals are to about losing weight, toning up and I am achieving this by following 12wbt and being consistent. (In my actual list they are more specific).

4/. Gear Up - this is about our exercise programs. This will involve 6 days a week of activity as follow
- 3 days of fitness, 2 days of toning, 1 day of light fitness, core and stretch (i.e yoga)

5/. Say it Out Load - simple as yelling it from the rooftops and making a commitment. Telling everyone you know you are doing the program, in order to be accountable and of course have support. My commitment was : I commit to this program to be the best person I can be whilst maintaining a realistic life....I will be healthier and fitter as I lose 10 kilos (I am actually less already, so not sure if I need to readjust that number, ah well we will see what happens) and tone my body.

6/. Kitchen Makeover _ yep that's right, throw all of the shit out of the house. There isn't too much for me because i have been mostly healthy for 10 months. Hubby won't give up chocolate, but lucky I am not too fussed by that.

7/. Organize and Diarise - plan out your diary so you know when you are training, shopping days etc. Highlight outings that might be 'red flags' for eating. Such as dinners / weddings etc.

8/. Measure Up - eek the scary bit. Do measurements and take a pic in bra and jox! I wished I did this in October last year (oh the visual I have in my head, blah). Never mind. Onwards!

Much of these tasks are outlined in Mish's book Crunchtime. Which is a really great reference with its own 12 week program, along with the Crunchtime Cookbook.

These are all very confronting, and make the challenge very real. Looking forward mostly to learning about what calories mean, and about what actual healthy food is. Mind be fun to get into my head too.

Gosh I should go to bed...I am hoping for an early morning call into work.

Cheers

Fat chick in a slim body!

2011-09-06T23:10:00.000+10:00

Well firstly I have to say I ALWAYS think of the best blog updates when I am driving or in bed about to go to sleep.! Alas, you will just have to put up with what comes to mind now as I am sitting in front of the computer. So here I am sitting on my slimmer butt on the couch after knocking off 600 calories at kickboxing. I am going to KB more now, because I currently can't go to Zumba....waaaaaaaaaaaaah! I have a bloody heel spur (and plantar fasciitis), and it friggin hurts like crazy :( Luckily I love KB and can alter the exercise and still get a good work out.

So how about this losing weight. I guess the thing about losing weight is how you feel and look. And I have found that I am having trouble coming to terms with this. Mostly I look in the mirror and like what I see. But I have trouble when I reach for a size 12 top and accepting that when I actually try it on that YES it does actually fit, oh and looks ok :) Or some of my tops, that are size 16, up until last week I still had in my wardrobe, because it will still look ok. NO it does NOT! When I bought a gorgeous dress recently I doubted that it looked nice, and questioned myself whether I was in fact still a fat chick trying to squeeze into a slim dress. Alas it looked fucking amazing, lol.

The other thing that is hard is the constant compliments, nearly every day, several times a day in fact. Even now, from the same people. Now don't get me wrong, I love it, it is very motivating to maintain a healthier lifestyle. But the old me creeps in and wonders are they just saying it. So I am trying to suck it up and say thank you and let it spur me on.

This brings me to the next step in my life. I have decided to do the Michelle Bridges 12 week body transformation. I contemplated her books I think before I started WW, but opted instead for the Tiffany Hall book (which admittedly didn't do much for me). I would see the ads for the 12wbt on the side of FB all the time, and in magazines. It sounded interesting. When my buddy joined I liked the page on FB, and this was great to see all of the buzz. Even though I know I am losing weight, and it still seems to be coming off, I thought this would consolidate my knowledge and add a new perspective on food. I am also keen to shape my body more. A big thing will be the mind lessons. Working through why I overeat, and why I can't be bothered exercising. This program is very hard core...and I don't know that I will be super dedicated. I know I won't burn the ideal 500 calories 5 days a week, and 1000 1 day a week. I guess I am lucky because I really only want to lose 10 kilos, so I don't feel like I have to be mega hard core. I don't think I will ever rid nachos, wine and chips from my life, but at least I will be doing it much less, and even make better choices at times. But I will exercise more than I am now, and my dietary intake will be less, and 'cleaner'. So this can only result in positive outcomes.

Ok we are currently at the end of 'pre-season' which involved 8 tasks in order to be ready for the coming slog! Hopefully I can get back in the next few days and update my 8 tasks before kick off on Monday.

Cheers peeps...and thanks for joining me :)

The Shrinking Story..

2011-08-31T11:06:00.001+10:00

Morning.

Well I have been trying to get clever with some photos for my next blog post, and I have a Mac now, and I just cannot get Mac savvy. To be honest it is not my favourite device in the house! I love its battery life and the sleekness of it. But for photos I find it shithouse...Grrr. Alas I went back to the old desk top and Paint to whip up some pics. Why do I need pics you ask. Well I have to tell you about my little journey that I started at the very beginning of October last year.

Yes thats right back in October 2010, I decided I needed to make some some serious changes in my life. I needed to lose weight. I had turned into a fat blimp! Over the years (about 5 I guess) i had ballooned to 93 kilos. FARK!!! I am only 159 cms. How could that little body possibly be that large. But it was. And it seemed to happen gradually, and I lived in denial. For awhile I told myself I wasn't that big, or I'd find clothes that I told myself looked ok, I didn't look that bad.. Who was I kidding? Myself actually! At some point I actually realised it was effecting me. I was getting short of breath when I went upstairs to our bedroom at home. It was uncomfortable doing up my shoes laces. I also had horrid indegestion most days and my cholesterol was on the upper limits of normal, I think it was high for one of the standards. For awhile I told myself I just needed to get "in the zone" to start losing weight. Well clearly the zone was no where in sight. And here I was looking like this!

Uuuugh, disgusting!! The left pic was from a scrap booking retreat in March 2010, and the one on the right is me at my 40th birthday party in October 2009 (where I thought I looked hot, I guess I looked okay for a boombah!)..LOL.

So here I was lumping around all of this weight, waiting for some miracle motivation and inspiration to bestow itself on me. Well girlfriends one morning I realised it ain't gunna happen, and I just had to do it. So I signed up for Weight Watchers at Southland, one of the Lifestyle centres. After a couple of weigh ins I ended up with Claudia, a different consultant. She was lovely, and very supportive. So I had begun the journey. I started Zumba and Kickboxing, and sort of tracking points. I was never 100% good at that. I probably did it written down for a couple of months, then in my head, then not at all. But the food choices were so far different from what I was doing that it didn't matter...I was still losing weight.

I love Zumba and Kickboxing, and also getting out for a walk with our new Border Collie. So here I am 10 months later (not much different in the last month), and I happy to report I am 20 + kilos lighter. I haven't weighed in on the WW scales for ages, but they were close to my scales at home. I feel so much better, and people tell me I look so much better too. Although at times it is hard to accept that in my head, more on that later.

These pics are all in the last 2 weeks. I have definition in my shoulders, my legs are slender, I have little muscles in my arms (I need to work on picture angles, because they are not always looking their best, hehe), my tractor tyre is more like a bike tyre now and I have only 1 chin now! I am still on a journey, and that is Part 2 of my story....

For anyone who has lost weight, you will know it is a bloody battle every day, some days easier than others, but I am here to show it can be done...take each day as it comes, chin up, onward we go!

Back soon to share my next stage of my journey, which is to fine tune my mind and body.

Cheers Kaz

Kaz is still here !

2011-08-11T13:39:00.003+10:00

Well hello there..I am still here. LOL. Gee it has been nearly a year. Updating to facebook often and having a page for my cards I have neglected my blog. But I think I might start it up. Can't say I will be regular. Don't want to make promises. But I will try. I have lots to tell you.

So stay tuned.

Cheers Kaz

and so the holidays come to an end...

2010-09-29T21:53:00.003+10:00

we have had some fun. I had last week off work, and took Harry to see Despicable Me, which we both really enjoyed. Then I was lucky enough to take a little trip to Canberra to visit their hospital and Community Health Service to suss out their asthma services. They run things very similiar and have the same sort of issues (like getting referrals and funding).
On the weekend the kids enjoyed the company of their cousin and we had a family day out at Ashcombe maze. I was a bit freaked out and worried I was going to get lost, or lose them, hehe. But is wasn't as bad as I thought, and we had a wonderful time. The sun was shining too so that was perfect, because it has only been peaking out here and there. We had a visit from my sister too, and just spent time at home. Always nice to see her, and the kids just love her so much.
I have been at work this week, and had the opportunity to attend a lovely (free) dinner at Brighten Baths tonight, for a drug company sponsored presentation about allergic rhinitis. How funny when I sneezed right in the middle of the talk, hehe.

Oh and last Saturday i took the opportunity to be far away from a TV and the AFL grand final and headed to a scrap crop. I had a lovely time and completed 5 layouts and 2 cards. The layout above is my favourite layout from the crop. And I purchased a punch, which is now my new favourite punch, by EK success, which i will share with you next time...
This weekend is for regrouping, because with all of the above I have hardly been home, and feel like everything is a mess, and Mark is working 12 hour days, so I don't need any extra outings or visitors. Just want to chill with the kids, clean up and have time to get sorted for back to school and routine too.
Hope you are all well, thanks for stopping by
Cheers Karen

Happy Spring...

2010-09-04T10:47:00.004+10:00

or is it, hehe.. It is raining cats and dogs in Melbourne, although I am finding it a little muggy..strange. and now it is sunny in the afternoon.

This is just a quick pop in as I am off to a HEN"S NIGHT. This could end in disaster...LOL. I am really looking forward to a girly night out.

A special Hi to Jo this time....thanks for stopping by my dearxxx

I have barely scrapped in between retreats this year, and mojo is lacking I must say. I forced myself to do this last week, and finish it off last night. I don't like it at all, but wanted to share it anyway, to just say, not every layout hads to be "perfect"

There was a bit of dirt on the bottom too, courtesy of my kids and this layout sitting in the loung all week, so I disguised it with some inking, lol!

Ok I have also set up a little card/invite store on facebook...just search it - Bunkaloo Design, I hope you 'like" it. Have a fab weekend, and pray my feet last the night in my killer heels.

xx Kaz

A special update...

2010-08-25T22:41:00.003+10:00

for Deb....cause someone reads my blog....woo hooo. Thanks love xxx

I would love to update more, but I get soo bloody side tracked with facebook and life in general I forget I even have a blog. I forget that there might be people who are not my 'friends' on facebook who might want to see a card or layout, or even hear what i have been up to.

Well I haven't been up to anything much really. I have started doing Zumba classes on a Thursday night, which is really fun and I haven't worked up a sweat like that in a million years.. I am slowly moving forward to getting healthier, but my motivation is going at about a snails pace!!

Slow and steady, hey?
The kids are great...busy, interested and into everything, wanting everything...like most kids I assume. Emmy is 4 tomorrow. OMG she has grown up so quick, I mean really quick, she acts 23 already, LOL. Stay tuned for pics of her party

Mark's back is still playing up, and so finally an MRI revealed he has a bulging disc and a fracture. The GP is useless, and I am trying to get him to go back to a physio. And despite all of that he is still insisting on doing the Shep half ironman in November, and the New Zealand Ironman in March next year. Crazy I tells ya..

Ok I have dragged up two creative things for you.. The card was for a challenge with a scrap shop Brittanahlee, of which I won, yea...and the layout I did on my retreat with the same shop..in Heathcote recently.

ThAnKs for StOpPinG by xxxx Cheers karen

School Holidays

2010-07-09T09:59:00.003+10:00

are a fairly new concept to me. With Harry only starting school this year, I am still adjusting to the whole routine of it. And school holidays are no exception...

What it basically means is my days off are not my own, and I don't mean because i have my children with me...but because it has meant I have an extra kid. And I reckon that third kid just tips me over the edge. I actually took 3 of them to day 1 of the KMart toy sale..Not sure what i was thinking...it wasn't mega terrible. But it was just tiring trying to keep 2 eyes on 3 kids going in different directions, in a busy store. I knew 3 kids wasn't for me!

The good thing about school holidays is I get to enjoy the company of my sister. We haven't done anything too exciting. More having fun with the kids. We took them to Toy Story 3, which I really enjoyed (Harry cried at the end, and that made me cry, hehe), and went out for lunch.

The kids and I also enjoyed an overnight stay in Ballarat, which wasn't too cold. We stayed at my brother Jon and his wife Leia's and had yummy noodle box for dinner. Love a good cheap feed..

I must go and get some washing on the line, although I am not convinced it will dry. It is only 9 degrees, but it is sunny..I don't generally waste my time hanging washing out in winter. But I don't think I have space today for all of my loads to hang around inside.

Right, I must get to it. I want to sort packs to take to my scrapping retreat in 2 weeks, and get Emmy's 4th birthday party invites done! Aaaagh, whenever there is a million things to do, I always reassure myself that it is okay because after this, it will all calm down. But there is always something to sort out, LOL!

This is a layout i did at a recent crop at my LSS. I decided to lash out for the day and took no papers with me. It was lovely to have new stuff for all of the layouts i completed. It helped freshen up my mojo!

Cheers to a great weekend peeps xxxx

Welcome back

2010-06-22T16:09:00.003+10:00

well I will welcome myself back....LOL..

It has been awhile, but i know lots of my friends have not updated their blogs for a whole lot longer, so i don't feel as bad!

So news is, pretty soon I will no longer be a Stampin Up consultant..I have failed in keeping up with the minimums. I am happy though, because I still love and will use their products.

I am however a Chefs toolbox consultant. I saw the product (kitchenware - knives, cookware and silicone bakeware) recently and new I HAD to have it in my home. So the cheapest and quickest way to do this was to sell it. Give me a yell if you would like any details, or you can check out the products and order directly at -

www.chefstoolbox.com/my/karenskitchen/

You can find product specials, hints and recipes on facebook too, just search Chefs Toolbox Karen Yates

I haven't really scrapped since the retreat. Just haven't had the time or energy. But i have made a few cards. So here are a couple -

I have used my three favourite Stampin' Up! products of the moment..The Top Note die, the Robot Stamp Set and The Bird Punch.

I am excited because I am going to a spur of the moment scrapbooking retreat at the end of July with 1 of my best buddies and my sister. It will be awesome.

Family are all doing well, hubby hurt his back recently, after a wall fell on him at work, so he is slowly recovering, and keen to get right back into training, having registered for the Shepparton Half Ironman and the New Zealand Ironman in March. Emmy is her usual cheeky self, although has had a shocker of a cough for about a month. Harry is looking forward to school holidays. I had a gastroscope yesterday, because i have fairly persistent reflux. Turns out I have a hiatus hernia, which means control with diet and medications. (Losing weight would help too, which is really on my to do list, just need to find motivation and devotion)!!

OK, hopefully I can stay on top of this and share some family and creative info for you more often.

Life spins by..

2010-04-23T22:06:00.003+10:00

I really can't keep up. It is April already and Term 2 of school. We had a wonderful trip to Port Macquarie. I wanted to just pop in and say hello. Here is a picture of me doing the giant swing on my recent scrap retreat. This is how life feels sometimes....just spinning. But alas I hold on tight to the rope and (try to) take control!

and one of my favourite recent layouts...

This picture is of Emmy at the beach in Inverloch. I love it..
Ok now I will be back soon with some new SU products.. Just had to get on the other computer to load a card I made with said product.
Enjoy your weekend
Cheers Karen

Perfect

2010-03-25T15:44:00.004+11:00

We headed off on our road trip with no hassles. Here we are stopped just near home for a bite to eat. The bike is safely strapped to the roof, and we have heaps of room. Including a spot for taffy the golden retriever, who is going to her cousin Maisy's in Deniliquin for a holiday (thanks sis, love you). We spent a night in Deni to help break the trip up, and then headed to Goulburn. We spent a night here in a lovely motel which had a pool and delicious dinner. The beds were scrumptious with huge big fluffy pillows.

We visited Rambo the huge merino Ram before our final leg to Port Macquarie. All trips in the car were essentially hassle free. The kids were as good as can be expected when sitting in a confined space for 6-7 hours at a time. We saw the remains of a terrible accident on the M7 and were reminded just how careful you have to be.

One of the awesome sights we had on the way, was a wind farm. I am fascinated by these big constructions. I think they look so regal.

We are all settled now on Port, and the weather is perfect, which I am thankful for, as it rained pretty much everyday last year. The kids and I have just been for a lengthy swim whilst mark went for a massage. He is feeling a bit dodgy in the guts, so hopefully it passes before Sunday (he had issues Monday after what we thought was dodgy Subway or pizza but it seems to be hanging on).

I am just relaxing now with some trashy mags and a glass of wine. Which may not go too well with the sudafed I have had. But they are helping my snuffly nose and fuzzy head.
For those checking in for some creativity, here is a layout I did a couple of months ago.

Enjoy your weekend, take care and I will catch ya soon.

Cheers Karen xxx

Road Trip

2010-03-19T14:55:00.004+11:00

Yes that is right we head off in a couple of days on a drive (about 15 hours, aaargh!)to Port Macquarie for the Port Ironman. Hubby claims this is his last one...Will have to wait and see if that is a true story, and if so what new hobby he comes up with. I am pretty sure it won't be scrapbooking.

Before we leave, and in the middle of packing, I need to have my new short high maintenance haircut spruced up, go out for dinner tonight with the prep mums, our first official night out. Looking forward to it. ALso going to see Daryl Braithwaite afterwards, should be fun. Then tomorrow night i have dinner with my friend Nicole who lives in Perth. And I haven't seen her for about 6 years or more...I think.. So that will be lovely. Goodness time flies and it is hard when you have our own busy lives...thank good for blogs and facebook (wish she would join, LOL).

These layouts are of Harry's first day of school and I completed them at the retreat.

Have a great weekend and i will catch up post holiday.

Wish me luck,

Cheers Karen

Weekend away

2010-03-08T18:27:00.004+11:00

Well I had a lovely 3 and a bit days away with fellow paper crafters. I completed about 11 layouts and 8 cards. Plus the bases ready to go for Harry's party invitations. Our retreat was really close this time, only in Mt Eliza, which is about 45 minutes from my house. As always there was massive amounts of food, a little alcohol consumed, great company with many laughs and lots of creating done..

Now we are planning our big trip to Port Macquarie..So that will be an epic journey i think. In between that I have my first prep school mums night out to look forward to. Ok best go unpack. Take care and chat soon

Cheers Kaz xxx

Weekend rambling..

2010-02-20T12:49:00.003+11:00

I am always a bit of a rambler, so I thought I would stop in on this warm weekend and say Hi. We have nothing much planned this weekend. Mark is still trainging for the Port Mac ironman, so spending hours on his bike and running. I am going to have a spruce up at the hairdressers this afternoon. Might even get a big haircut. I get bored with hair..it grows back!

Over Christmas we went to Cohuna and all had a wonderful time at the local pool on the waterslide, even me. It wasn't a particularly hot day, but since when has that stopped kids from water fun! Here are 2 layouts I did whilst in Inverloch at New Year. I thought these papers were too cute.

I have been having fun rearranging and roorganising my pantry. Tupperware have decided to discontinue the blue lids, which is of course the colour I have, sooo I had a few gaps that I need to fill up to complete my pantry. Unbeknown to me, after I rearranged things, I made even more gaps, and think I have tallied up $300 worth, hence decided to have a party in March so I can at least benefit. I also want some containers to put frozen vegies/chips/ etc in the freezer, as it really annoys me having them all in opened bags and boxes!

All is going well with the kids, Harry started school without any hassles, no tears from either of us, and he has not said he doesn't want to go yet! Emmy is doing ok at creche, fine once she is there, but a bit teary when I drop her off. Harry has been there with her, since she started, and she was in the same room as him for tha last 2 months. So a big change for her..

Ok I am off to tidy up, hang out some washing (that really never ends, in , out, fold and away, in out, fold and away)

Have a great weekend.

xxxx

2010-02-13T12:16:00.004+11:00

A recent layout...
I did this whilst away over the New Year.

we are off to Ocean Grove to spend the night with a dear old friend. Because hubby is doing triathalon in Port Arlington tomorrow. He did the Geelong Half Ironman last week, his third time. He scraped 2 minutes off his time, so he was very happy. He is training hard for his second Port Macquarie Ironman in March.., We are going to drive up, eeek, that will be interesting!
Have a nice weekend.

2010-01-29T21:11:00.001+11:00

Here is a card I made on behalf of the girls at work...for one of our lovely colleagues, who is setting off on a journey to Cairns for several months..

I love this Stampin'Up! set...with the clock

Have a great weekend xxx

A Layout too

2010-01-25T10:24:00.003+11:00

This is the layout I completed whilst watching the DVD Space Chimps (which I really enjoyed) with the kids yesterday. I was very proud to get my still new Slice out to cut the 2 flowers and the words. Turned out great. Can't wait for my 4 new cartridges to arrive from the states. Now does anyone wanna buy a cricut, LOL...Seriously.
The butterflies are a Stampin Up punch which I have borrowed, thanks Gail. Very handy, might need it!! This is Emmy at her Fairy Birthday party. She looked so cute..
Enjoy your week...

Galiforce Stampers challenge

2010-01-24T17:42:00.005+11:00

I am always up for a challenge. So when one of our team members chose this challenge out of left field I jumped on board...
The colours are from one of the DSP's in the Summer mini. They are so bright, but alas do look good together. We could also add Tempting Turqoise, but I didn't. I think it is perfect for a girls card, and will add an age somewhere with a bit of sparkle and I might add some bling to the 3D butterfly for antennas.

The colours used are - Pixie Pink, Pink Passion, Only Orange, Summer Sun and Green Galore. The cute butterfly (butterfly prints) set and punch are out of the mini too...

I hope you have all enjoyed your weekend. We have had a quiet one at home, with a nice dinner with friends last night. I got in a couple of movies, and completed a layout. And am looking forward to an extra day off this week. I also çan't believe in 8 sleeps I will be a school mum. I am so excited for the changes I will see in Harry, and for his new learning experiences.

catch Ya soon.

Cheers Karen xxx

Happy New Year

2010-01-16T09:37:00.004+11:00

Happy New Year, I hope you are all well and inspired for a rewarding twenty ten..

I have had a lovely holiday in Inverloch over the New Year with my family, including my sister. We enjoyed going to the movies, the races and out for New Years dinner. I also had a chance to scrap while away, and then at 2 crops since new year. I have 2 to share from last night, and need to finish 1 layout and I will post the others too.

I bought a(nother) new tote last night, and I love it, so much of a better shape than my old one. Everything fits in much better and is easier to access. I am motivated to keep creating today..however I have to get washing done too. I am also keen to maybe go to Zoo Twilights tonight, but hubby may not be keen after his 120 km bike ride (madly training again for more Ironman events, crazy!!).
I was meant to go back to work this week, but had to take sick leave after Harry swallowed a coin last Saturday night, I have been on poo duty, and although I believe I have been thorough, it is yet to surface!!
Ok off to get the washing on.... take care

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T21:55:00.003+11:00

Hi everybody.

Not much to report.

I am excited as i wait for Christmas morning. With a 3 and 5 year old, things are very joyous..

Harry goes to school next year, so a new challenge, and more fun times...I am really looking forward to his learning. I think Emmy will really miss him at Kinder/creche though.

I know this card isn't christmas at all, but I can't find my photo of my christmas card I sent out this year. So I will have to take another one, from my card which is at work! This train set is a very cute Stampin'Up! set..

I hope you have a beautiful Christmas and 2010 is full of love and laughter. See you soon.

Cheers Karen

hey there

2009-11-24T22:23:00.003+11:00

I had to pop in to say Hi.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by for WCMD. I was overwhelmed with the kind and generous comments. So glad you stopped by and liked my card.
I am hanging out on facebook way too much these days. Which means less tiome for my poor blog. So if you wanna stay in touch find me on FB and send me a message.
here is a cheery LO from the retreat i went to recently. I love how i painted the chipboard flowers to match the PP, turned out perfect i think. Inspired by my clever painting extraodinaire friend Annie, taa darling xx

I painted the chipboard with Brilliance inks, they are very effective for a sparkly result.

Cheers Karen

Moxie Fab WCMD countdown, hop to it

2009-09-29T10:43:00.011+10:00

lets blog hop, that is...the countdown is on :

Welcome to the World Card Making Day Countdown Blog Hop hosted by the Moxie Fab World. Cardmakers around the world are waiting for the big day, World Card Making Day, which is on this Saturday, October 3, where people all over the world will unite in the joy and celebration of the fantastic art of card making and card giving. Why not spend the time waiting with a world wide countdown blog hop with several chances of winning fabulous prizes over the next 5 days?

These prizes are amazing, I would love to win some. All you have to do is leave me a comment, and to increase your chances leave comments on the other blogs too, Comments need to be left by Sunday 4th to be elidgible. The hop started today in Europe and hits Aussie shores tomorrow. So to all of my Aussie friends, and to the international guests, I truly welcome you, thanks so much for stopping by. I have been looking at the other blogs this morning and all I can say is the talent of the participants is amazing. It is an absoloute honor to be asked to participate in this even, with all of the incredibly talented girls.

(YOU CAN CLICK ON THIS CARD FOR A CLOSER LOOK)
I made this card especially for all of you guys, just for today, but thought I would also make it for an occassion that was upcoming. So this card is for a very special friend who is turning 30. It features Bazzill basic card, Stampin' Up! designer series paper, punch's and ribbon. There is a zig zag stitch around the Bazzill and the chipboard bird (brand unknown sorry) is inked with brilliance ink and covered with dimensional magic. The numbers are Basic Grey and covered with Kindy Glitz. Simple in design, but that is my style..

So pop over here, where you will find more information and you can get lots of ideas on how to celebrate. You can can upload the cards you create to the WCMD gallery to share in the worldwide celebration and you can win a prize on both the Paper Crafts Connection blog and the Moxie Fab World blog. Prize winners will be announced on Tuesday, October 6.You have a chance to be published in the March/April 2010 issue of Paper Crafts magazine. The categories for this contest include birthday, Christmas/season’s greetings, hello/thinking of you, love, and thank you. Take a look to the WCMD Blog Tour in which you can not only see 25 more cards made specifically for WCMD, but you can also get a coupon code for 25% off your entire purchase on our online store. Anyone who is going to be doing something special on their own blog to celebrate World Card Making Day can add their blog URL to the WCMD website using the Mr. Linky widget.

Thanks again, and enjoy the tour..

Regards Karen

Moxie Fab world..

2009-09-26T21:55:00.003+10:00

sounds exciting doesn't it.

I was very honoured to be asked to join in an international blog hop for a countdown to World Card Making Day; by Cath Edvalson, the creative editor for an international paper crafting magazine called "Paper Crafts".

The focus of this event will be to showcase card makers all over the world to emphasize the connection that we all share as enthusiasts of such a warm and giving hobby. Each day will highlight a different region of the world.

So on the 26th of September I will display a card for bloggers around the world to have a look at and everyone will be encouraged to comment on my blog, then asked to go to the Moxie Fab World blog and leave a comment there as well in order to win fabulous prizes to give away..
You can also upload your own creations to the Moxie fab blog..

So I wil see you back here on the 29th..

Just a little card to keep you interested...I hope

2009-09-19T21:59:00.002+10:00

getting a bit boring around here isn't it...
Life is good, kids are great, growing and getting more attitude as the days go by.. Harry is all enrolled for school for nexy year. Emmy is sweet and mischievous.
mark is getting back into training, with a half ironman at the start of december.
I am still at work 5 days a fortnight, and planning my 40th birthday party. Can't wait.
Here is a little sweet girl card I made for one of the kids friends.
Take Care
Kaz xx

Gailforce World Card Making Day Charity Event

2009-09-15T21:24:00.004+10:00

All Welcome......

WORLD CARD MAKING
DAY CHARITY EVENT

Along with my team mates Gail and Felicity, we would like to invite you to participate in this fun event.

COME ALONG AND SPEND A FEW HOURS AWAY FROM THE HOUSEWORK BY SHARING IN THE FUN OF CREATING

WHAT : make 3 paper craft items (set of 3 Christmas cards, 2,5,7,10 Gift box & Handbag card).
Learn new techniques and enjoy time with likeminded others

WHERE : Central Bayside Community Health Services
335 Nepean Highway, Parkdale (enter off Carrier Avenue)

WHEN : 3rd October, 2009 TIME : 1 – 5 pm, afternoon tea provided

COST : $25 per person, $10 will be donated to Child Development Services at Central Bayside Community Health for the purchase of equipment

Gift for each participant and giveaways and raffles galore

PLEASE RSVP asap, as places are limited
via email or phone 0408 731 643, or leave a comment

A SprInG sPeCiaL..

2009-09-07T18:34:00.003+10:00

Stampin' Up! have got a great special for you this month! From now until
the end of September, simply purchase $100 of product and receive TWO rolls of wide ribbon for free! The Certainly Celery ribbon is the wide grosgrain and the So Saffron is poly twill - neither of these products are normally available to the Australian market. Each roll is 9m long. Beautiful colours for Spring!

So if you have an order sitting there, just give me a call or email, and some gorgeous ribbon will be all your for nothing.
If you still have not received your spring mini please leave a comment or email and i will get one to you asap..

Also save the date - October 3rd is world Card Making Day, and we have an event in store for you...

Cheers

PaRty FuN..

2009-08-24T11:06:00.005+10:00

Hi There,
wow what a month, I am busy preparing my 40th, and have completed the invites, and in between that organised Emmy's 3rd birthday party.

She is 3 on 26th August, and so she had a fairy party on Saturday 22nd. She had a wonderful day with some of her cousins, and a few friends frm creche, and a buddy who is my friends daughter. The had fun just generally playing in the cubby, swings, slide and jumping castle. but my niece also dressed up as a fairy and did a little story and some songs.

Thanks to everyone for your good wishes to Emmy and for your help and the gifts..We are going out for mexican with my friend jess and her hubby on the night of Emmy's actual birthday. Should be a blast. We all love Mexican..
In other news, Mark is all fixed up, LOL, if ya know what I mean....
Harry is all enrolled for school next year, very exciting, and his bunk ned is arriving today. Woo hoo.
Now i just need to declutter alot of the crap we don't need. Pram, clothes, toys etc.
Here are the lollie bags I made for our work Christmas in July. Everybody loved them..

Now here is my little sweet pea when she was a new bubba..
How fast they grow up...
Ok better go to do some household duties. Have my three day work week this week, get nothing done...
Bye and have a great week..

Howdy in blogland...

2009-08-01T14:59:00.003+10:00

Hi,

I am so cold today. Normally I am not too fussed by the temperature, but I am feeling the cold today. Wonder if it is some record. well i actually started that update yesterday, LOL. I didn't get far did I. I have been meaning to share this very cute mini album with you for ages, but just never got around to it. It is a Kaisercraft mini album. Very cute. It sits on Emmy's bookshelf now.
I am busy planning my 40th, which is on the 17th of October, slight hitch recently with a venue chang, but should be smooth sailing now...

Ok I worked night duty last night, so am vegging on front of the couch. There is washing to put away, but i just can't bring myself to do it.

Yada yada.....

2009-07-18T19:28:00.005+10:00

that is what life is like really, same stuff, different day. Not that that is a bad thing. I am not unhappy. We are all content at Keefer street as far as I am aware.
The catch up is _

the cat is good, settled in well. Got her vaccinated for cat aids and she went ballsitic when they tried to take blood. So they had to sedate her. Glad I got a fiesty one with a bit of personality

kids cute as ever, and boisterous (and probably put my sister off having kids every time she comes here). By all accounts they are fairly normal nearly 3 old and 5 year old. They are doing swimming on Saturdays, and creche / kinder 5 days a fortnight. Harry does computer gym at kinder, which he likes. His bunk is ordered too, and should be on its way. Need to sort their rooms out, get rid of a heap of toys and the pram, cot etc, and then I can get some order going on.

Mark has himself sorted for some upcoming triathalons, marathons and ironmen

I have joined the gym. I am also off on a short scrap retreat next week. Can't wait. It is with a group of girls I have slowly been getting friendlier with, so it should be a great bonding and fun time

we also have Foxtel IQ now. Not even a week in and it is fantastic. Altho I spent hours today watching on demand (which had a lady gaga special at the chapel, next top model and runway. Also nip tuck which I taped last night.

Ate too much yesterday with a yummy lunch with Kim and then our fave mexican for dinner.

I am off on night duty tonight. That 40th is only around the corner, and nights are perfect for invitation construction as well as paying for it!

Ok here is a little layout I did at a crop a couple of weeks ago. Hope you are all well and
thanks for stopping by.

I can't be bothered..

2009-07-10T22:56:00.003+10:00

been away to Cohuna which was nice, but had no internet access, so makes my life very dull.

am enjoying things on TV like Nip Tuck, and the US So you think you can dance. Going on a scrap retreat in 2 weeks, and to keith Urban in December.

Life is good.

Kids are healthy and happy, I think my hubby is too. LOL

we also have a new cat, Charlie, hubby finally gave in, hehe. we adopted her from the local cat shelter. She is cheeky and naughty and loveable.

Here are a couple of LO I did for remember When Paper Company.

Cheers

Fossilholic

2009-06-19T17:07:00.003+10:00

... I am not sure what it is about this shop, but once i walk in the door i am gone. The intoxicating smell of leather just draws me in. The soft, stylish leather handbags, classy sunnies and groovy watches get me everytime. I never usually spend much money on handbags because i get bored and like new ones. But these bags have changed me. I think i have chosen classic, practical styles that won't date and so i will be using them for a long time to come.

i have to say, i now think my fossil collection (hey i collect fossils, that is a hobby, a career even..i am a paleontoligist, LMAO)is complete. I have my sunnies, a watch, keyring, and a small and large bag. Yea. i must say i don't think the sunnies or the watch are at all expensive. BUT the bags are (well not compared to a Gucci or Berkin bag), but in comparsion to what I normally spend or can afford they are a bit pricey. BUT in my defense I bought both bags on special, Half price, so you can't beat that.
Plus I am working extra night duties to pay for my 40th, so a bit here and there for leather is not too much to ask, is it? I am actually working tonight AND tomorrow night. No idea how I will manage, because i am guessing there will not be alot of sleep between this morning and Sunday.
Ok have a wonderful weekend, and I will see you soon. I must post the sweet mini album i made Emmy.
Of course if you are desperate to see my current creations i post every Thursday over at http://rememberwhen.com.au/blog/

Ok bye

Not much to say..

2009-06-15T15:17:00.004+10:00

Things just plod along, same ole same old, really. I work 5 days a fortnight as a Paediatric asthma educator at the local community health service, hang with the kids in between. They do swimming on a Saturday, and we try to get to a park on Fridays. They attend creche / kinder when I work. Mark is back to running / riding for kilometres nearly every day of the week, he is also madly following the Cats.
I try to get out of the house for some me time as often as i can, and that recently included the most fabulous weekend where my best buddy Annie and i enjoyed a wander around DFO, yummy lunch on Bridge Rd, scrapping at our hotel, yummy dinner back on Bridge Rd and then to see Wicked, which was great. Then on Sunday we enjoyed a buffet breakfast, back to my house to scrap, and then to yummo Thai for dinner on Swan Street and to see the spectacle that is Pink. She was awesome, great singing, funny, down to earth, a fab show that included HER doing her OWN amazing trapeze routine. Our next thing will be the big scrap retreat over Cup weekend, and then to see Keith again in December!
The other weekend the family went to Werribee Zoo which I loved. So open and fresh. The lions looked so well. Full manes and shiny coats, much different to the ones at the zoo. The only dissapointment was a group of men smoking up near the lion enclosure where there was obviously groups of parents with their kids, not only did this piss me off, but worse was when one of the ferrals put his smoke out and left the butt right there. Don't worry i told them him he was disgusting!!
This weekend we went to my nephews 1st birthday. God they just grow like weeds,

here are some happy snaps from the day.

A flying visit

2009-06-11T22:16:00.003+10:00

Well hello, I used to be so good at updating, but now i have a new hobby. Something that is a comlete waste of time, but a challenge and compelling at the same time. I have a virtual farm, on facebok, called Farm Town.

But I thought I would pop in and show you a cute journal I made for a friend for her birthday. One is of it with the front plastic cover, and then the next is with the cover open. I love these for to do lists, party planning, or anything really. i also made a matching card.

The family are all good. We went to Werribbee Zoo last weekend which was great, and then we went out to montezumas mexican with the birthday girl and her hubby and daughter, it was delish and a lovely time.

OK i must get back my farm. LOL

Oh I don't think I have mentioned that i am no longer an ENJO consultant. I needed a rest after 2 and half years. So I have a mountain of new and barely used ENJO for sale if anyone is interested, just leave a comment or email me.

Cheers

A new special

2009-06-03T23:21:00.002+10:00

OMG I am way to busy working on my farm on facebook to blog, soo sorry, LMAO.

There is a new Stampin" Up special though..

You could be a happy hostess - just get a load of the promotion for June/July!

During these two months, any workshops that reach a total of at least $600 will earn the hostess an extra $40 in free merchandise. This is on top of the already great hostess benefits at this level (ie. a free Level 1 or Level 2 hostess stamp set plus $70 worth of catalogue goodies).

Contact me today to make your workshop date.

To find out more information go here - http://www3.stampinup.com/au/ena/

Ok, I have to get back to my farm, hehe.

No time to even check Google reader, aaaagh!

Last chance

2009-05-26T10:15:00.004+10:00

..........to become a Stampin' Up! demostrator for the bargain price of $150. Whether just for your own personal discount, or to make a career out of it, or anything in between.

It is also the last chance to get a free designer series paper set of your choice (when you buy 3).

Here is a quick card I made using the cool set, totally tools, and some paper from the designer series paper, Urban Garden. It is all ready to add a sentiment to, whether it is thanks, happy birthday, thinking of you, or happy fathers day.

Just drop me a line if you want more information, or call of course.

Give me a yell, if you are interested...

Challenges

2009-05-22T12:44:00.004+10:00

I have had heaps of fun doing a couple of challenges set on one of our Stampin' Up! groups.....
This 1st one was to be male, take 10 minutes, and feature a circle. My circle turned into an oval. OOps. This is a great stamp set for men. You can use it for thank yous, and birthdays, or fathers day. All those times you have trouble thinking of something for the man in your life, all you have to do is pull out the 'totally tools' set. I have also used a cut from the Urban Garden designer series paper, and our current in colours.

This next one wasn't a challenge, but i had all of the stuff out and leftover paper i thought I would make a card for my girlfriend who is having a birthday next week. This was one of those rare occassions when you have something in your head, and when finished you go, 'oh I really love that' and 'gee that was clever idea'. Which occured when I decided to tie the linen thread around the grosgrain ribbon to make a super cute bow.
This layout was then done for a sketch challenge. I had to drag out some old photos (I love that about a challenge, as sometimes you don't have what suits the theme of the challenge), and the papers, again Urban Garden, were perfect for our Fiji honeymoon pics. All of the products in this layout are Stampin' Up! (oh except the title, thanks thickers). So for the not quite converted, yes you can scrap just as beautifully with Stampin' Up! TFLOk I better put the washing on, I have been meaning to do it all day. Mark is off to the footy tonight, so I plan to relax tonight with a movie and maybe do a layout, as I am working tomorrow night. Enjoy your weekend.

Cheers Kaz

2009-05-19T22:48:00.002+10:00

Hi there,.

all is good here in the Yates household. I am still doing the same - working and trying to fit in some play. Mark had a little break from his training schdeule, but has started running again because i think he is bored senseless. He is also very happy with the Cats at the moment.
Harry is getting nervous about starting school, as we have started talking about it, he can't comprehend it is still 8 months away.
Emmy is day time toilet trained for a week now, with only 1 accident day.
Here is the little treasure enjoying a play. This was done for www.rememberwhen.com.au
for a sketch challenge. Tricky colours, but i think it works.

Ok I must stop watching crap on Foxtel whilst hanging out on facebook. It is stealing my sleep away.

xxxx

A couple of layouts

2009-05-16T22:43:00.003+10:00

Hi all, I thought I would pop in and share some layouts I came across in my tidy up tonight. They were in a pile, awaiting a date , they were completed at the retreat I did in November last year, I am pretty sure anyway. The first one is my SIL at her 30th in Geelong last year. We all had a really fun day.

The next one is of Harry and his cousin Bain, dressed as spiderman. They have such fun playing together, although in this picture you can tell it is the end of the day, they were both tired. The paper is Kaisercraft.

Then this one is of Emmerson and our dog Taffy. Taff is the most amazingly placid dog you will ever come across. She puts up with alot from the kids, who love her to bits. I love this picture, it is so tender. Emmy is not always so gentle with Taffy. This layout features ALL Stampin Up products. So for those out there who didn't realise it, we have more than just inks and stamps, the creative world is endless at Stampin' Up!

Ok Night, sweet dreams xxxooo

have a Great weekend

2009-05-15T22:59:00.008+10:00

Hi there on this chilly friday night. It has been raining a little tonight, which is a relief, because it has been threatening to all day. I had a lovely couple of red wines with the girls from work. Above is a layout I did for a colour challenge back in April for Remember When Paper Company. it has a white strip on the right, it isn't cut out.

I wanted to share a card I made last week for my lovely friend Sarah, and I made a second one for my dear cousin Amy who both had birthdays. I uses Stem Silhouettes again, it is a very cute and versatile stamp set. Boring old me used Urban Garden designer series paper. I hope you both had a wonderful day.

I am planning on a slow day tomorrow. Some laundry and clean the damn toilet probably, that is such a chore, because I know it will be yuk again within the day, LOL. I have been hunting down bunk beds for Harry, so we will have a spare bed for mates when they stay and when we have house guests, as Emmy can then go in with him and the guest can have Emmy's room. I found one I love, but it only comes in white, and today i discovered a local guy who should be able to make it from a picture, so i am hopeful he will be reasonably priced and I will be set.

I just watched Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2, which is a nice leighthearted movie. i need to go to bed now. Emmy woke at 0530 this morning and was not interested in snuggling for a little nap in mums bed. I am working tomorrow night too, so best get some beauty sleep.

xxxxxx

2009-05-12T16:02:00.001+10:00

This was emailed to me today, and I thought it would be more fun to put my answers here (beware it takes awhile to complete, but I would love to read your own responses on you blog!)

1. What time did you get up this morning? - some ungodly hour (0645 ish)
2. Diamonds or pearls? - yes diamonds please
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? - Shopoholic in Port Macquarie
4. What is your favourite TV show? - oh jeez, I love alot, just enjoyed watching True Blood, I love SYTYCD, and am enjoying what i get to see of Master chef. I love many really, too many to list. Some not on any more
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? - Toast,can't go past it, unless you wanna buy me eggs benedict
6. What is your middle name? - Michelle
7. What food do you dislike? - Silverside/corned beef, chocolate topping/milo etc
8. What is your favourite CD at moment? - probably Duffy or The Frey
9. What kind of car do you drive? - Mazda Tribute (black CX 9 in my dreams)
10. Favourite sandwich? - something fresh and tasty, with cheese, sundried toms, ham or chicken
11. What characteristic do you despise? - despise, hmm
12. Favourite item of clothing? - I love my new black winter coat
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? - Tahiti or Maldives
14. Favourite brand of clothing? - well it was ESPRIT, now it is Now, PMSL
15. Where would you retire to? - a nursing home probably, cause i will be as demented as all hell
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday? - this one coming, otherwise my 30th was awesome
17. Favourite sport to watch? - not really fussed, don't mind a bit of gymnastics or diving at the olympics.
18. Furthest place you are sending this? - around the world
19. Person you expect to send it back first? - probaly no one, I have you all on Google reader though
20. When is your birthday? - in October
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? - night, see I am still up now!
22. What is your shoe size? 8.5 - 9
23. Pets? - Taffy dog, (RIP Buffy)
24. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share with us? - I am having a fun weekend with Annie soon
25. What did you want to be when you were little? - nurse or police woman
26. How are you today? - fine, thanks you
27. What is your favourite candy? - columbines
28. What is your favourite flower? - any if you are buying
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? May 30th, see answer to 24!
30. What's your full name? Karen Michelle Yates nee Martin
31.What are you listening to right now? Chelsea Lately on Foxtel
32. What was the last thing you ate? Mandarin
33. Do you wish on stars? sometimes
34. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? - I wouldn't be a crayon
35. How is the weather right now? - chilly I assume, who knows the heating is cranking (sorry earth)
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? - Dad
37. Favourite soft drink? - Pepsi Max
38. Favourite restaurant? - Montezumas mexican in Parkdale
39.Real hair colour? - Grey
40. What was your favourite toy as a child? - my sister, LMAO, kidding, um probably Susie, baby alive
41. Summer or winter? - I am not fussed, I hope I am not one to complain about the weather, that shits me, get a jumper or go for a swim, move on people!
42.Hugs or kisses - I crave both
43.Chocolate or Vanilla? - Vanilla
44. Coffee or tea? - Coffee
45. Do you want your friends to email you back? - it is usually a good laugh
46. When was the last time you cried? - bloody watching Greys Anatomy and Bondi Vet last week
47. What is under your bed? - dust
48. What did you do last night? - the usual, TV, computer
49. What are you afraid of ? - I am not keen on snakes
50. Salty or sweet? - salty
51. How many keys on your key ring? - 2
52. How many years at your current job? - 2
53. Favorite day of the week? Friday
54. How many towns have you lived in? depends if you count suburbs of Melbourne as seperate? if so 10
55. Do you make friends easily? - of course
56. How many people will you send this to? - the big wide wed world, millions (maybe)
57. How many will respond? - haven't you already asked this?

Ok I hope you are so muc more knowledgeable about me now. Emmy is coughing up a lung so I must go.

Catch

Something for you to look at..

2009-05-12T13:16:00.002+10:00

Here Is a layout i did when I was guest blogger for RW Paper Company. I love getting out some really old photos to scrap. We are often so focues on the recent ones, we forget we have hundreds of photos sitting in albums collecting dust. Now to go prepare something for my Thursday post, I hope some of you are enjoying the inspiration over there at http://rememberwhen.com.au/blog/ , especially on a Thursday, hehe. I love my 2 day working weeks, the 3 day ones just take up too much of my week with work! Not enough time for family time, me time, or even housework time! But I have only 18 more sleeps before I hit the town with my bosom buddie and sole girl friend Annie. We are staying in Richmond, and going to just laze around with a bottle or two of wine and scrap/make cards, go to Wicked (can't wait), and then see pink the next night. So greedy, hehe, but we so DESERVE it!
Catch ya

Thanks thanks thanks

2009-05-10T14:48:00.003+10:00

I have to say a huge thank you to Chris , from Gailforce Stampers for the beautiful headers she makes for me. How bloody awesome does it look? I LOVE IT. Chris you are so clever, and it is so generous of you to give your time to make something special for me. MWAH! This is my all time fave, and it is perfect with my divine Aqua Poppy background, which are free backgrounds, thanks Aqua Poppy too.

Here is a little card I made for a friend who has had her second baby boy recently. I embossed the boat (from nursery necessities stamp set) the in my new white SU emboss powder onto kiwi kiss, which I then used the scallop punch to punch it out, I also used the Pacific Point ribbon again. The paper is from the SU designer series paper - Urban Garden. The Little Bundle Joy is from the Punches Three set, which is a hostess reward only. I used a blender pen so I could use the pacific point ink to coulur a section of the stamp only.

To all of the mothers out there, I hope you enjoyed the day. I got some very sweet cards made by the kids, and the novel Marley and me, well done Mark (hehe). I also bought myself (among other things, inclusing recently A Wii fit) a workout DVD - Biggest loser Fit and Trim. There was a bootcamp one too, but I didn't feel ready for that yet LOL. Need to kick some fat but out the door asap!

OK I am off to finish off a layout, which I am loving, and rest after night duty last night.

Cheers people

A treat for my mum

2009-05-08T18:02:00.003+10:00

Yep, she always gets double goodies at this time of the year, because her birthday is on the second, and then she gets mothers day. My sissy and I tried to give her some perfume, but it made her sneeze all night, oops. So instead we thought we would treat her to a nice hair do, thanks to my dear friend Andrea.

I thought it would be nice to give her it in the form of a gift voucher. And what better way than some of my new Stampin' Up! goodies. This stamp set is so divine, it is called Upsey Daisy, even the name is cute. The clours are the new in colours, Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point and with a dash of trusted Very Vanilla cardstock. And I love the ribbon, it is the Pacific Point striped Grosgrain.

I just received my most recent order, and I have a brayer, so I am very excited to try it out. So stay Tuned..

Not much on this weekend, thank goodness, I need some time to regroup after a busy few weeks.

Ok night..

Sailing away

2009-05-06T07:38:00.002+10:00

... to work that is, blah.
I thought I would give you something to look at while I was slaving away at work. This is a cute little card I did for the RW paper company blog a couple of weeks back, you can see lots of creativity and inspiration and challenges there - www.rememberwhen.com.au/blog
I loved this little boat and thought it just screamed going away card. The card features some of my fave simple but effective techniques - inking and edge distressing.
Have a great day.

There are no mistakes...

2009-05-04T14:58:00.003+10:00

in scrapbooking (or cardmaking), only design changes. Hehe.

I just wanted to share with you 2 of the projects from our make and takes at the Stampin' Up! convention. Now we had 4 projects to make and only 90 minutes to make them. So it was a huge rush. I completed 3 of them, but made some slight changes. The LO was a fold up layout, and I didn't want to do that, because I wanted to keep it as a 12 x 12, so i could use it (I am not much into mini albums). The placement of items is also slightly different too. I also made 2 cards, one we gave to the manager at the hotel where we were staying because she was very helpful, and the other is here somewhere. The last project I didn't get complete. It was 4 cute little gift cards in a sweet packet. I completed it this morning though with major design changes. I made it into 2 mothers day cards instead. Much more practical and useful for me.

OK I really need to go do some housework. I have been putting it off all morning. I have finally added Google reader to my favourites, so I can stop wasting time checking blogs that haven't been updated. Hello to those who have me on their reader. Mwah! Trying to be organised, in keeping with my 2009 word - BALANCE.

Working the next 3 days, so see you soon,

Fun at Convention

2009-05-03T17:13:00.006+10:00

Wow I have just had a fun weekend away in Canberra for my first annual Stampin' Up! convention. I was inspired and motivated in all aspects of my life, but overall enjoyed good company and good food (and wine, hehe).

This card is the card our team did as a little shoebox swap, although there were no shoeboxes involved, oh until I went to Canberra Centre and bought a new pair of shoes. This was my trial run card, the finished one we made had the sentiment in the darker blue and the stamped images were embossed, which looked 100% better. I love this stamp set, called Pocket silhouettes, too cute. The ribbon is divine too isn't it, kiwi kiss/very vanilla satin ribbon and it also features Urban Garden Designer series paper. Yummo. The colours are from the new In Colour, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze (that's Baha, not Ba ja, I loved stirring Gail about that all weekend). The base is Kraft, which is so versatile and so "in" at the moment.

Now if any of you have ever thought about joining Stampin' Up!, whether for hobby purposes to get the permanent discount on all of your supplies, or to start a new career, or anything in between, but couldn't afford it, now is the time for you.....

Because you can join this month for only $150.00, WOW

SCRAPBOOKING STARTER KIT PROMOTION
Dates: 1 May - 1 June 2009
Promotion Details :
In celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, join Stampin’ Up! as a demonstrator for only $150 with our limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit. The Scrapbooking Starter Kit contains the following:

Item Code Description Retail Value
112231 Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set* $77.95
113059 Simply Scrappin' Petal Party $36.95
108697 Earth Elements Assorted textured card stock (12" x 12") $21.95
105216 Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad $11.95
103179 Craft & Rubber Scissors $37.95

(*Substitutable for any stamp set up to $77.95 value)

Please note: Each of the products listed above may be substituted for like items.

The Scrapbooking Starter Kit also contains all the business supplies contained in the standard Starter Kit:
Getting Started DVD
Getting Started Guide
Guest Invitation Postcard (100)
Idea Book & Catalogue (8)
To My Hostess Envelope (10)
Project Sample Sheet
Recruit Brochures (20)
Hostess Brochure (20)
Hostess Benefits Form (10)
Customer Order Form (50)

This promotion is a very cheap way to get all of the products on your wishlist for a fab discount or start your very own business, with my team and I for support. For more information please see the website - http://www.stampinup.com.au/ and/or give me a call/email for any other queries.

The other MAY special is : Buy three packs of select Designer Series paper ($16.95 each), and get one FREE! The paper selections are gorgeous and feature birds, owls, flowers, silhouette images and more. With 14 designer series paper packs to chose from there is sure to be several to suit your style and taste (page 132 - 135 of catalogue).

If you still haven't received the current Ideas Book and Catalogue then please contact me. All orders over $100 will receive one for free, or if you host a workshop you also receive one for free. Otherwise I can post one to you for $12.50 (incl P & H).

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, I will be back soon with some creations with some new things I learnt on the weekend.

Cheers Karen

GDay

2009-04-28T14:33:00.003+10:00

Hi ,

I have been distracted by events and not had a chance to jump on, and then my damn laptop decided it won't turn on, so Iam stuck in the lonely old office.

In a nut shell -

Port Macquarie - was nice. It rained nearly non stop, but that didn't stop us from having an awesome time. The Ironman was a real experience. It was fun (altho tiring) chasing Mark around, and he was very happy with himself, and we were proud too. We didn't do too much, swimming in the spa was lovely. I took the kids to Timbertown, a little version of Soverign Hill, we had a drive to Lake Cathie, and went to the Seacres Rainforest. Which was just across the road from our resort. Th emanagers at Shelley Beach Resort were amazing and treated us like family. Thanks Ray and Dawn, you rock
Mark's 40th - I threw a little surprise party for mark in Geelong. It was a fun night, he loved it, and was very surprised, even after i told him he was having a party the night before, because he was being so difficult about going to Geelong
Wedding - the day after Mark's party we had my cousins wedding. It was fun to dress up, and I love getting together with family. Congrats Liz and Ben
Harry's 5th - Harry had a fun day in Geelong with his Nanny and Poppy and his cousins, and then on Saturday just gone had a blast with a group of friends from Kinder (and Bain his other cousin) at Ten Pin Bowling. Gosh I can't believe he is 5. It really just flashes by.

I have been doing a little creating, and here is a small snapshot, I have more on my laptop, but that is dead at the moment.

A card I made for Andrea, whose birthday is today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY my darling, love you.

The layout at the top is of the Australian War Museum in Canberra, from our trip last December.

Not much else I don't think. Take Care and see you soon.

Love Kaz

Lots happening

2009-04-20T21:50:00.003+10:00

Hi All,

it has been awhile. I have been to Port Macquarie for the Ironman, had Easter, Harry's 5th and Mark's 40th and a Wedding since my last post. I also have some exciting news, I am now a proud Design Team member for Lee over at http://www.rememberwhen.com.au/. I am the Thursday blog chick. So every Thursday I will post a layout and/or card for your inspiration. There are other girls on the other days if the week, and colour inspiration and photography tips too. Here is last weeks layout, see the blog for all of the post.

Ok I am running a big nurse asthma workshop tomorrow, so need to get some sleep. I will be back soon with a full run down of the last couple of weeks with photos.

Cheers Kaz

I married an Ironman..

2009-04-08T21:49:00.005+10:00

and I say GO TEAM YATA!
Mark completed the Port Macquarie Ironman on Sunday the 5th April, the day of his 40th birthday. So I wanted to quickly pop in and give you his stats -
he finished in 11 hours, 40 minutes and 34 seconds (11:40:34), and overall finished 614, out of over 1400 people. A stellar effort darling, we are very proud. Ok a few snaps, as I am so tired, we just got back today. I will do a full update with more pictures, and some exciting news next week...

Guest blogger

2009-03-29T18:38:00.004+11:00

I had my first guest blogger over at http://www.rememberwhen.com.au/ last week, which I really enjoyed. It was fun working with the new Bazzil Swiss Dots and Just the Edge products, so easy to use and I think the effect is really nice. I also love sharing creativity with everyone. Thank you for your comments. I also love Emmy and Ty Kim and Leia, and think it looks different because i managed to make purple, pink and red work together. Head over to RW again next Thursday to see my next guest entry.I thought I would pop in and share the 2 layouts i did for Lee, and say bye for a week or so whilst we jetset to Port Macquarie. During our epic holiday my husband not only turns 40, but will complete his first full Ironman. He has done many trialthalons and 4 half ironmans, but this will be his first full Ironman. Which consists of 3.8 km swim, 180km bike and 42.2 km run, of which he anticipates will take him 11.5 hours, but is striving for 11 hours. It is very exciting, and we wish him all the best, and will be there supporting him with our team Tshirts (lovingly made by me, hehe, which was a drama in itself).

Ok enjoy this week and I will see you soon with holiday pics.

Love Kaz

here are all 23...

2009-03-23T16:15:00.004+11:00

Gee scanning and stitching together and then uploading 23 layouts is hard work. Especially when my stitchng program decided it would play funny buggers. Anyway I finally sorted them, so here they are. I hope you like them. I must say I was really happy with the majority of them. I love the simpleness of Father of the Bride, and the boldness of the Take time. I really love Explore, and am fond of the other 2 beach ones. A great effort overall I think, considering there was alcohol involved, LOL. I am feeling very creative at the moment, which is great.
Ok I have to make a couple of baby cards.
Catch ya soon, and TFL (thanks for looking) I love having you stop by. Why not leave me a comment and tell me your favourinte LO!

Just poppin in..

2009-03-21T20:22:00.003+11:00

How sweet is this little card. It is all SU. The stamp set is Big Bold Birthday, and it is staying, which is great because I own it. And it is so handy for birthday cards for any age. I have been busy creating the last 2 days, in between kids and household chores. I have also been oggling the new 2009 - 2010 Stampin' Up! catalogue. It is really delish. I am so happy with it. I especially love the designer series papers, and one lot I pre ordered sohould be here Monday, and I can't wait. If you want a catalogue, feel free to email or call me. They are $12.95 or you can have a free one with any orders over $100. Current retiring stamps will be gone in just over a week and don't forget the inks are going up by $2.00 each from the 1st April, so now is a good time to stock up on your fave colours, or colours you are missing from your supplies. I just ordered 10, and then i am only missing 4. My colour caddy looks very full.
Ok night night, I am off to work night duty to help pay for my $400 wish list (I was being very good too).

Cheers

Using scraps

2009-03-19T22:19:00.002+11:00

I have been using the same papers on more than one layout recently, because I am sick of the waste. And today I had a sick day to recover from Gastro at the weekend, and I did a layout, and had these little babushkas and scraps of paper left over. I had Annie's challenge (to herself) of making 24 cards from scraps on my mind (sensational love, good luck), so thought perfect. It was so easy and I love it... The paper is from the new Kaisercraft Mumma babushka, which is very cute.

I took the kids to Deni on the weekend to see our favourite person, and well.. before we even got out of Melbourne Emmy had a vomit, and had 3 by the time we got to Deniliquin. She was ok the next day, but Harry had 2 vomits in the early hours of the morning, but then was ok the rest of the day. I then developed the big D the next morning, and vomits that arvo, oh lord what a weekend. Thanks for putting up with us Kim, we lub u so much. I think my body had a melt down after my mega scrap retreat followed by working all week, and then travelling 4 hours. So today was a relaxing day at home with no kids.

And now I am going to bed, why can I never go to bed early???

An Award

2009-03-18T21:16:00.003+11:00

Annie H over at http://www.scrapbookhub.com.au/ has bestowed upon me the honor of Premio Dardos Award :

The Premio Dardos Award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day. The Premio Dardos award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.
The rules are:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.The blogs I have listed are all talented, giving and generous creators ...please go visit their blogs and pass on some love and appreciation for all they do and share...

I have to thank Annie H very much, she is a dear sole. Unfortunately I don't have 15 blogs that I routinely visit,

but I will nominate all of the girls in my links, who I do visit often, and value their creativity -

Annie K -http://greetingsfromannie.blogspot.com/

Leia - http://www.leiacontd.blogspot.com/

Sarah -http://sassydesigns.wordpress.com/

Chris -http://stampstuff.blogspot.com/

Gail -http://www.stampwithgail.blogspot.com/

Anne Marie -http://www.stampeasy.blogspot.com/

Flick -http://stampinwithflick.blogspot.com/

Andrea - http://andreayoung67.blogspot.com/ ( don't wait up for the updates, LOL, but she is a genuinely beautiful girl, who can scrap the arse of a photo!)

Ok nigh night,
I am recovering from a touch of illness on the weekend so best go to bed.

First time published!!!

2009-03-16T20:30:00.002+11:00

Woo Hoo...

I made a real effort last year to submit some cards to be published in a mag. And I couldn't believe it, the first time I made a set of cards specifically to be submitted (not just one i I had previosuly made and had sitting in my stash), I had one accepted. This is really a nice feeling. It makes you feel worthy as a creative artist (LMAO). And I don't know why a magazine publication makes me feel validated, but strangely it does. So here it is in all its glory in Vol 14 No 9 of Australian Cardmaking Stamping and Papercraft, on page 72. It was a nice simple little masculine themed card, but effective I think.

2 of 23!

2009-03-11T20:47:00.003+11:00

Yep that's right, here are 2 of my 23 layouts from the weekend. Being a whole weekend of scrapping the layouts vary. Many are simple ones, and some are more gourment (LOL), yea, some stitching and even painted chipboard, so stay tuned. It just depended on my mood at the time. The first layout was one of my first ones I completed on Friday, which I based on a sketch, which I rarely do, but I needed to kick start things without too much pressure, hehe . The second one highlights Emmy's healing head.

I hope you have all popped over to http://www.rememberwhen.com.au/ to the blog because I have a few little guest blog entries coming up (one already), which is very exciting. And there is a new owner Lee, who is bringing in some fun, fab new products, including the fab Bazzill just the edge, and yea Bazzill in a Box is back.

Ok I best scan some more layouts, there a few I am really happy with. So don't forget to check back.

Bye

They tried to make me go to rehab..

2009-03-09T21:17:00.002+11:00

I said No No No. But I am thinking maybe, LOL. I had a mega weekend away at Rawsons Village at the Very Special Scrap Getaway which raises money for Very Special Kids. I went with a dear friend and a heap of fun girls. There was much fun and frivolity. I drank way too much alcohol, and have felt seedy for 3 days, LOL. So now I can detox this week. In amongst the fun I did get some scrapping done. I managed a stellar 23 layouts (one of which is a simple double), 2 cards, featured below and an 8 x 8 mini album of our Apollo Bay family getaway in January. I love my 2 cards. The first is for my dear friend Annie, whose birthday is in May, so I am getting in early. And the second is for my daughter Emmy, who is 3 in August, super organised, hey! But when you want to make a nice card it is nice to have the time to put some effort into it.

On looking at my layouts when I got home, I was pleasantly surprised. I had forgotten some of them, and would think oh that's nice. LOL Ok I am soo tired I better get to bed. I have a full week of work and then a trip to Deni. No rest for the wicked.

HAVE A FANTASTIC WEEK.

Doing a Happy Dance...

2009-03-03T21:19:00.003+11:00

Cause it is only 3 more sleeps til I hit Rawsons Village and scrap for 3 days or so. Yea. I cannot wait, true time to myself is few and far between. And also because I whipped up this card and I love it. I am now the social co ordinator at work, so I collect the money, organise a team building day, christmas function, birthday list and organise presents for people who leave/have a baby etc. Anyway someone is leaving this week, so we are having a lunch and so I got the pressie, and of course a card has to accompany it. Well I can't bring myself to buy a card so I made one. I used the paper from the gift wrap. It looks perfect sitting against the present. The brads, ribbon, cardstock and stamp is all Stampin' Up!

OK best I get sorted for work for the next 2 days.

See ya

Stampin' Up!s annual retired list is HERE

2009-03-01T10:41:00.003+11:00

Ok girlies,

Get your catty’s out and mark off the ones you love and haven’t got yet,or maybe you will find some new must haves. Now is the time because it is time to say goodbye. That’s right, the 2008 – 2009 catalogue and idea book retired list is out.

Go to the website to see the full list - http://www.stampinup.com.au/ or leave a comment (or email) and I can email you the full list.

This is exciting because it means you might get a bargain, because some of the sets are marked at between 25 – 50% off, and there are also the sets that go towards the bushfire appeal, of which we have amazingly already contributed $34,653.80. An amazing effort. So thank you.

This offer lasts until the 31st March, or until SOLD OUT.

And if any of you have current in colour ink pads (wild wasabi, soft sky, blue bayou, river rock, groovy guava, purely pomegranate), then I recommend you buy the re inker now, as they will be gone.

Also due to the current economic state, some of the products will have price rises. Ink Pads will be going up to $11.95. So if you have some you love and have been meaning to get, now is also a good time as, you will get a bargain.

The new designer series papers will also return to the proper price of $19.95 (the current bargain price was a print error that SU honoured). The new ones are beautiful, and I might have to get all 6 I think. But if you want to stock up on your patterned paper for a bargain, then the current ones are beautiful too.

Of course if your order comes to $300, you will get a FREE hostess set to and $30 to spend (more if the order is more)

Any orders over $100 will also receive the new 2009 -2010 Catalogue FREE as a BONUS from me!

Please contact me with any queries.

Orders are being taken any time from now until the end of March.

Kind Regards,

Karen

Butter wouldn'tmelt...

2009-02-28T18:16:00.003+11:00

OR WOULD IT, hehe.

Aren't they cute. Here are my treasures Harrison (Harry) and Emmerson (Emmy) at a recent photo snap.It looks so beautiful all framed in our lounge. Today they have been playing with play dough, and painting. Mostly they play very well together. Whether it is in the sand pit, cubby house, on the tramp or reading stories they are good mates. There is just the occasional whack, of course.

have an awesome weekend

2009-02-27T16:56:00.002+11:00

Hey there. Just wanted to pop in and say have a great weekend. We have a kiddies party on Sunday, hence the card post. Not my best work ever, I was in a hurry, but it is still cute. Hoping this cool dino set will be in our next catalogue, which comes out 1st April. Stay tuned for the Stampin' Up! retired list to be posted early next week.

Tomorrow will be a quiet day. I am heading to the library to chase a book by Charlaine Harris. The first one is called ‘Dead until Dark’. Also a vampire series, it is eerily similar (but more adult)to Twilight. But released in 2001, 3 years earlier. The series True Blood on Foxtel at the moment is based on it, and I am really loving it. I then have a night duty Saturday night, so my budget is coming along.

Ok I am off to the movies with Katrina (hey Kat) to see He's just not that into you. Looking ofrward to a laugh, and maybe some popcorn, yummo!!

2 months in..

2009-02-24T22:20:00.004+11:00

Ican't believe that the first 2 months of the year are nearly over. Oh well, just a step closer to turning 40. Hehe. I am busy doing a few extra night dutys, and getting a balance of life. I am really enjoying putting things into perspective. So much can wait til tomorrow. We had a fun trip to Mordialloc beach on Sunday, where we had lunch at a cafe and then the kids had a play. I am working 3 days at work this week, and then plan to see he's just not that into you on Friday. Can't wait for a girly laugh. Oh god i have a scrap retreat in just over a week too, how awesome. Woo Hoo.

Here are my babies, so beautiful and sweet and precious. and a card, which is a reject from a set of 10 quick cards i did for a mag submission.

Enjoy the rest of the week my dears.

XXXXX

Method in my madness

2009-02-20T00:06:00.003+11:00

Yep that's right, some hot new products..

head over here http://www.karensenjo.blogspot.com/ for more information

Environmentally friendly products to compliment the power of fibre based cleaning, sold exclusively through me

email me for more info - karensenjo@iprimus.com.au

The kidlettes

2009-02-19T21:21:00.003+11:00

I thought it might be nice for a quick update on my precious little munchkins. For any newbies (Welcome), these are my 2 children Harry who is nearly 5, and Emmerson (Emmy) who is 2 and 1/2. They had Crazy Hair day today to raise money for the bushfire appeal. Harry had bright blue glitter and then sparkles on the top. i tried to spike it up, but his hair is so thick and heavy it just won't. Emmy had a piggy tail with the sparkles, but came home with about 5 coloured piggy tails, hehe. It looked so cute.

They both go to childcare (which also has a kinder program), which Harry is doing. He will go to school next year. I wanted him to be a bit more mature, and the oldest in his class, instead of the baby. They are in school fo soo long, i didn't think being at home that bit longer would hurt, and most 'experts' suggest holding them back. And my favourite expert, my sister Kimba (who teaches prep, and has for years) say most of the littlies (kids who aren't yet 5) struggle.

They also normally do swimming and another activity, such as gymbaroo or Harry was doing Fizzed (a big kids Gymbaroo, sort of) but we missed out on swimming enrollment for a time that suits, so Mark takes them every couple of weeks for a splash, Fizzed was cancelled, and so with my goal for the year of balance, i have left extra activities for this term, so I can re group. We might go to the local community centre tomorrow though, as they have a play gym thing I thought we could check out. They are both very active, so these things are ideal.

Ok gotta find batman themed things for Harry's upcoming party.
Cheers

What I am up to today..

2009-02-14T19:23:00.006+11:00

Morning. Well it isn't really, but I worked night duty last night. Which was great because as I mentioned I have lots to fund this year. But I was on my own (which means bonus dollars), but even with only 5 patients was quite busy. I actually only sat down to write notes or fill in charts. There was no time to finish off Harry's party invites (how rude) or jump on the internet. Which was lucky because they have banned it, outrageous. I know some people abuse the internet at work, but for the rest of us that use it to check email or facebook here or there I think it is harmless. I know my regular job have the likes of my space and ebay banned, which is fair enough, butI couldn't even Google a patient's condtition which was frustrating. I got home and jumped into bed, whilst Mark took the kids out for a few hours.
Yesterday morning I went outside to the smell of smoke and a smokey haze over the world. The aftermath of the weeks earlier destruction had reached us, (with the change in wind, ongoing fires and back burning). It was just a terrible reminder of Victoria's own Ground Zero. It really makes one grateful for what we have, I don't want to take anything for granted.

I have a layout for you, because it makes my posts look a bit brighter and I like to share this part of my life. This is one I did at the retreat back in November, (oh and the next one is at the end of march, so close, excitement building).. these pics show how the computer takes over, they are of msn and my blog, which are just a ripple in the tsunami of my internet world. This layout is also maybe the reason (other than the several cock sucking cowboys) why I got, was it 23 layouts done, and perhaps not 25, because I stamped and then hand cut the bloody title. I do like it though, so worth the effort. Many of you may know I like to keep things quick and simple, hence cutting out things, or painting stuff is too time consuming and therefore avoided at all costs. So when I do it I am actually proud of the result.

I also have another little pic of my latest love. My new Fossil watch. I used to have a Fossil watch that I adored, and I lost it. I was very sad about this, so when I stumbled across the Fossil store at Southland I was excited (and scared, hehe). I woke to a little note from hubby for Valentines day saying ' Happy Valentines Day my love xx (and he was going for a ride to Portsea) so I knew I should take it upon myself to get a little treat, now I have been eyeing this watch off for months now, and have been restrained, but knowing I was doing extra work I thought I deserved it. I am a shocker like that. I have also put a picture of my bag for your viewing pleasure too (or nearly, this is the maddox hobo, and I have the amanda hobo) Almost identical, except where this one has buckles at the front near the zipper, mine has studs. Beautiful soft Italian leather and i got it for a steal. amazingly it fits all I need, my purse, phone, a little pack with lip balm, tissues and nail file, baby wipes and a nappy. All I need now are the Fossil sunnies I am eyeing off, and I will be sorted.

Oh I have honed in on a 40th function venue, very happy about that, and excited. Love it, it is perfect. Save the 17th of October my dear friends and family.

Enjoy the last few hours of your weekend. I am currently watching No Country for Old men on Foxtel. I am looking forward to Dance tonight, and a fun catch up with old work friends (and their kiddies) at a Play Centre tomorrow. I have every intention of making home made biscuits for us. Best get onto to that. Bye for now, and
much love xxx

SU Bushfire appeal

2009-02-12T22:02:00.002+11:00

In light of the recent devastation of the bushfires I am pleased to announce that Stampin' Up! will be donating 50% of sales of selected stamp sets to the bushfire victims. I have attached details of the promotion below. Not only will you being supporting the bushfire appeal but it may add to your sales for a sale a Bration set.. I will also be donating all of my commission from the sales of these sets to the appeal as my contribution.

For those who have been personally affected in any way, please know my thoughts are with you.

Bushfire Appeal Details:
To help those victims of the bushfires that have ravaged Victoria, join with us in supporting the Bushfire Appeal.From 12 February through 31 March 2009, Stampin' Up! will donate 50 percent of the retail value of all sales from a select group of 10 stamp sets to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfires 2009 Appeal. Here is a list of the Bushfire Appeal sets:

SET CODE PAGE NUMBER RETAIL PRICE (AUD)
Priceless 112312 105 48.95
Seeing Spots 108909 89 29.95
Baroque Motifs 112380 98 39.95
Live Your Dream 114261 3(Summer Mini Catalogue) 55.95
Looks Like Spring* 108864 76 58.95
The Snowflake Spot* 108934 27 39.95
Bodacious Boquet* 108756 80 58.95
Polka Dots & Paisley* 110247 46 35.95
G'day Mate* 111973 115 35.95
Be Happy* 108744 1 39.95

*These sets will appear on the upcoming list of retiring products, so they will only be available for the Bushfire Appeal--while supplies last.

Saleabration benefits are still available on these sets, so orders of $100 or more prior to Feb 28th will also get a free Sale A Bration set.
During the donation period, we will periodically update you with the amount of money we are collecting from the sales of these sets.

Call me for further details - 0408 731 643

Thanks you for your support

Much love and thoughts

2009-02-11T21:01:00.004+11:00

.........to all the people affected by the bushfires in whatever way. It is such a horrible thing, the devestation and heartbreak is beyond belief. But the Australian support from everyone from the Firemen, to the volunteers , and everyone in between, to the overwhelming genorosity of all Australians with all of their donations big or small, financial or otherwise is outstanding.

In happier news, our night away in Geelong was great, other than the extreme temp, we enjoyed a lovely morning at a play centre with my dear friend Jen (Hi Jen), and I also managed to get to the Kaisercraft outlet, and get some yummy papers. I was good though I only spent $20. The weather on the Sunday was perfect for a Half Ironman, and Mark did it in just under 5 hours (4.53), which was 40 minutes (or so) better than last year. Now he is prepping for a full ironman in April in Port Macquarie.

TV viewing has really enhanced recently. Dance is ready to rumble, I think I like Ben, Danny, Talia, and the blonde. I am not good with names this early on. Underbelly is good, not as many hot guys though, LOL. And Desperate Housewives is interesting and Brothers and Sisters is good too. I love Dexter and I forgot to watch Greys Anatomy.

I went to the movies and dinner with Jess last night. We saw Changeling, it was very good. Angelina (the husband stealer, LOL) was great.

I am also happy to report I have lost 2.6 kgs. It is coming off slowly, hey I still need to enjoy life, I love food. and when hubby suggests we go for mexican what's a girl to do.

Ok here is a layout I did in December, I forgot to share. It was a pic in one of those plastic frames from Thailand, and was looking a bit shabby, so I rescued it. The papers are Stampin' Up!

The weekend is nearly here, woo hoo. I have put my name down to do an agency shift. Need to roll in the big bucks. I have 2 scrap retreats planned for this year, plus the Stampin' Up! regionals in Canberra, AND the biggest news is I have decided to have a 40th, OMG I know, it can't be true. I know I don't look more than 30, but alas come October my life begins. So save the date (for those deserved, LMAO) for October 17th.

Nite

SwAp

2009-02-03T09:29:00.002+11:00

Here is a card I made for a swap amongst our little (but growing) Stampin' Up! team. We decided to do a swap using a stamp set from the sale A bration catalogue. So this is a set you can earn for free just for spending $100. I like this card as I think it could be for wedding, engagement, birthday or hey even Valentines day (ah good idea). A very versatile set. It was nice to get my stamps out, because the last few times I have made cards I didn't use Stampin' Up! I was reminded how with a couple of bits of card stock, some ink and ribbon how easy it is to produce something lovely.

Details -
Stamps - Polka Dot Punches (Sale A Bration set) and greeting is from For a Friend (Level 1 Hostesss set).
Card - Basic Grey, Perfect Plum, Pretty in Pink
Ink - Basic Grey, Perfect Plum, Pretty in Pink, Versamark
Other - Silver Emboss Powder, Emboss buddy, Heat Gun, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/2 " Circle punch

I hope they like it.

Here's to a good Feb

2009-02-01T22:41:00.003+11:00

I had the pleasure of going to a 40th last weekend and had a really good time. I don't often have the chance to get dressed up, with hair and make up done. Basically I am too lazy to do it on a day to day basis, so attending functions are a treat. Now I am not being self indulgent by putting a picture, but more so for you the readers to keep up with who the hell is writing all this babble. And of course for my dear friends and family who don't get to see me as often as they would like, here I am.

I am also inspired now to have my own 40th. Lets just see hey!

I also enjoyed some scrappin last night, although only got 2 layouts done, not my usual form. Both need some work, so stay tuned. Thanks for a nice catch up girls. I was a greedy girl and also went to a movie today. A freebie to see Bride Wars, with my purchase of my multi vitamins. Bonus.

Here are 2 cards i did today whilst catching up on my long awaited Summer TV viewing. Bring it all on I say...

Have a wonderful February, gee month 2 already. Better think about christmas presents...kidding.

Both cards are actually made using Stampin' Up! paper, ribbon, ink and card. All except for the hip hip hooray, on the girly card which is a Kaiser, and the aptterned paper on the star card, which I think is Basic Grey. Bad scrapper I know I am hopeless with recording products.

Ok nightie..

Freebies.

2009-01-29T09:26:00.003+11:00

God I think I forgot to tell you about Sale A Bration.

For all of you scrappers and stampers, or the Scrampers (LOL), who have been pondering what you want from the Summer Mini now is the time, because it is our biggest giveaway for the year..

Join the Sale-A-Bration!
It's Sale-A-Bration time again at Stampin' Up! and free product is what it's all about!

Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers, hostesses, and new recruits the opportunity to earn fantastic, FREE, limited-edition stamp sets they'll enjoy for years to come.

Here's how Sale-A-Bration works:

Customers
When you spend $100 on Stampin' Up! merchandise, you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration stamp set. There's no limit--for every $100 you spend, you can select another free Sale-A-Bration reward!

Hostesses
When you host a workshop of at least $600 (before tax and shipping), you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward--in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits! (as well as free stamps for every $100 you spend as a customer)

Recruits
During Sale-A-Bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set--a value of up to $79.95--from our current Idea Book and Catalogue!

The Sale-A-Bration promotion runs through 28 February, so don't miss your chance to earn free products! Give me a call or email to book in your workshop, or collect orders from your friends or just your self to get your free stamps. If you have not recieved your full-colour Sale-A-Bration brochure, full of beautiful project ideas you can make using these limited-edition Sale-A-Bration sets. You can also view the Sale-A-Bration brochure online.
Sale-A-Bration brochure online - http://www.stampinup.com.au/

(By the way this layout has nothing to do with Stampin' Up!, but all those words just looked a bit dull, and I am at work so my selection of creative things is limited.

Enjoy your day, in the cool I hope.

Scar

2009-01-23T21:57:00.004+11:00

Just a quickie to update and let you know Emmy's scar is coming along. I was horrified when the bandaid come off. Just so red and dots where the stitches had been (8), but it seems to be less prominent as the days go by.
She is very happy to tell anyone who will listen -“i bump my head, on soap in the shower, it was an accident”, she is a cutie.
I am off to a 40th tomorrow night, which i am very excited about. A night out, no kids, woo hoo. I have a new top, and my hair cut and coloured today, so it will be fun.
Here is an old layout of another of Emmy's bangs. She is quite accident prone this one.
Ok night.

I had some me time

2009-01-18T21:33:00.002+11:00

After a lovely time at Katrina and John's for a BBQ last night, I got a chance to pop off to my local scrap shop and have some time to myself. It was nice, as things are a bit tense at home ATM, and alhtough it is being sorted out, I was still feeling a bit down, with my weekend last weekend spent at the hospital and all, so to do something for me, that I enjoy was awesome. I got 5 layouts done in about 5 hours, gosh, that is a good effort. LOL. They are by no means award winning, but that is never my aim. My faves are me at 39, and xmas cheer. Thanks for looking. Have a great week.

Update

2009-01-14T20:24:00.002+11:00

As promised, here are are some shots from Apollo Bay. Like always it was a slow paced holiday. We share the house with Mark's parents, his sister and her husband and 3 kids. So it is great to spend quality time with family and i really enjoy it, but 3 families in 1 house is also trying. During the trip Mark and I enjoyed a yummy Thai dinner out with Alison and Chris, who live there. Most days generally involved a walk down the shops/pier etc, to the beach and evenings playing temptation (I was terrible, possibly too much wine, hehe). I also got a couple of layouts done whilst Emmy had her day sleep, will share soon.

Thanks to everyone who asked after Emmy and sent your best wishes after her recent injury, much appreciated. A special thank you to my sissy for all of her help and support, as always, LUV Ya hehe. Emmy is doing well, and we have her follow up appointment on Monday, will keep you posted.

Cheers

Ghastly day!!

2009-01-10T20:03:00.002+11:00

Well it started really well. Kim and I took the dogs for a lovely walk and then I gave Taffy (the dog a wash). Kim and I were then going to go for a quick shop to get photos printed and get some papers so we could go scrapping tonight. That all came to a grinding halt when Emmy joined me in the shower. In a nut shell I got out to get dressed, she was still in washing herself with the pump soap. Next I hear her yell "finished", as I yell back "hang on, mumma help" I hear an almighty crash. She had slipped on all the bloody soap whilst trying to push open the big glass shower door. I rushed to her and checked and saw blood and thought she had split her lip, then as i grabbed her i noticed this huge gapping hole in her head. There was blood everywhere. As i scooped her up in the towel, she was screaming of course, I noticed the blood all over her face, in her hair, you get the picture. I rushed her downstairs yelling call an ambulance, no idea where anyone was. I laid her down grabbed some gauze from the first aid kit and held it to her wound. I wanted it fixed, and it was wide, and so i told Mark to call the ambulance, wasn't sure she would be settled in her car seat anyway. Anyway we ended up at Monash, and they decided because of the location it would be better done by plastics, so we had to then go to Dandenong Hospital, where plastics is based. They then couldn't get theatre time, and so wanted us to stay the night, so she could be done first thing in the morning. We ended up with overnight leave thank god, otherwise I would be going spare. have to go back by 7 am tomorrow for them to sew her up. They assured me that it would not make any difference to her healing. There is a chance she may have severed some nerve, but they won't know until she is older and can say it feels numb. She has been sooo brave. Hasn't cried since we went to hospital. She is pretty happy with her new Upsey Daisy talking doll she got as a treat. Now I know it is nothing serious and there could be alot worse things to happen. But for today it was our little drama / mini crisis.

So brave!

Helloo

2009-01-09T21:49:00.003+11:00

and that's it for now.

Back real soon for an update on our trip to Apollo Bay, in the meantime here is the card i made for my sister's birthday. I loved it, altho I knew she wouldn't like the colours (and I was right)!!

Nigh Night

What will the New Year bring??

2008-12-31T21:08:00.004+11:00

Hey Happy New Year. I hope you are all out raging and having a fun time. I wanted to go out, but could find no takers, and my husband is a boring home body, hence I am on the couch at home. I have wine and food though, and maybe a DVD. LOL.

I have seen on a few blogs people chosing a word for 2009. I have decided that i would also like to do this, in order to have a focus and some clarity. So my word for next year, 2009 is .....

BALANCE...

this is kinda fitting seens as i am a Libran, and am always trying to keep those scales centered. I was trying to think of a word that would cover all of the things i wanted to achieve next year, including more order in my life, work / family equilibrium with some me time to create, and loose weight. So the word i came up with to encompass all of these things - decluttering, organising and not getting overwhelmed is indeed BALANCE!!

Anyway I will leave you with a very quick, simple card I made with a lovely pack from Annie at scrapbook hub.

Cheers and thank you for sharing 2008 with me, I look forward to more fun and frivolity next year..

I won't say it...

2008-12-28T21:10:00.005+11:00

No i won't say well it's over for another year, LOL. cause that is everyone's blog title. Instead I will say how exciting because it isn't long until Easter, hehe. Pre christmas we had a flying visit to Cohuna to share a festive lunch with Dad and the family. We had fun, and stayed at mums. We enjoyed a lovely chrissie day in Torquay with my family after a traditional early start. The kids were happy with their pressies. Emmy got a barbie car off Harry, and a learning centre off us, Harry got a remote batman car off Emmy and the Bat cave off us. They also got their bean bags as you know. Off Santa Harry got a transformer darth vader/death star, massive colouring book, pjs, dvd, 2 books, fireman fire hose (which he wanted last year and they had sold out, LOL), a little buzz light year, hoodie, transformer singlet and a little ben 10 car. Emmy got a pram/doll/high chair/porta cot set (very cute), shorts/ tshirt set, pjs, book, a dress up doll, mega colouring book, drink bottle, and a CD (Santa may have got Emmy less but she was none the wiser). They got lots of good things of family too, including Ben 10, speed racer car, transformers, barbie, tinkerbell costume and dora block set. We then stayed in Geelong at Mark's folks, which was nice to be able to see them too.

I got a Pandora charm for my KK from my family, and I can now say my bracelet is essentially full. Off mark/kids i got (on my behalf) my exercise bike and a suitcase. I also got my ipod and dock recently, so was not short of gifts. Mark bought flowers too which was nice. I may have also snuck in a new 'leather' bag, a real treat as I normally only spend about $30 or 40 on a bag as i tire of them quickly. Mark got a new 2XU suit for running/riding (I call it a leotard, LMAO) and some smellies and slippers (like thongs, he wasn't keen, but I have convinced him they are handy and comfy).

Mark and I then zipped off to Crown promenade to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary. We bummed around crown, had drinks in the bar and watched all of the interesting people, visited DFO and had a yummy dinner at Number 8. We enjoyed a buffet cooked breakfast, a swim in the pool and then back to reality.mark joked at dinner that 'we should do this every 7 years', it was funny, as it almost seems like that is as often as we get out (a huge thanks to Auntie Kim for babysitting)..
Now I will fit in a couple of work days before a week pff where we head to Apollo Bay with the Yates crew.

Ok the pics are of us in the bar at the casino for anniversary, my sister Kim and I xmas day, the kids and their cousins in Cohuna, us christmas day (excuse my poor choice of outfit, very unbecoming) and christmas morning and presents.

Ok cheers, I hope you have all recovered, my house still looks like a bomb, or semi bomb anyway. i had my friend jess and her hubby over for dinner, so had to have it a bit clean. I made prawn cocktails and a delish salmon fritatta. Lovely, always nice catching up with friends.

NIGHT, and enoy your week.

A very very MeRrY ChriStMaS

2008-12-21T20:59:00.002+11:00

Well the countdown is almost over. Only 4 more sleeps and the big fat man (actually I am a lady, hehe) will come rolling into Keefer Street, so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for Christmas and a fabulous 2009. I look forward to all that the New Year has in store, and I can't wait to share it with you.

Mwah.

Stay safe and enjoy

An award

2008-12-17T21:28:00.003+11:00

I am very honoured to recieve an award form the very lovely Annie Hilliar (of Scrapbook hub fame http://www.scrapbookhub.com.au/). You are a wonderful woman Annie, so grounded. I admire you very much.

This particular award is called - The Proximity Award.

"These blogs invest and believe in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."So the 8 bloggers I choose to pass on the award : (BTW, I can't do 8)

The naughty Annie Kofoed -http://greetingsfromannie.blogspot.com/

The naughtier Andrea - http://andreayoung67.blogspot.com/

My SIL Leia http://www.leiacontd.blogspot.com/

and all of my SU buddies, you know who you are..consider your self awarded.

OK off to bed, tired

The truth hits home.

2008-12-07T20:19:00.003+11:00

Yea that's right, I had some blood tests recently and the results were not surprising. This obese lard arse has an unhealthy body. Well no surprises there!! But i guess it made me think seriously about my lifestyle. My fasting blood glucose and cholesterol are high, and my Vitamin D level was low. So I need to get a grip and sort my shit.

On a brighter note, our work christmas party was fun, we had lunch mixed in with a murder mystery party. We dressed up for our parts. I was Constance Cheat, an elegently dressed partner in a law firm. I did not guess the murderer, but I was not murdered.

We also had Harry's kinder concert. We missed last years because we were in Surfers. It was really nice to go along and see the kids proudly sing their songs, and harry was very good with his singing.

The kids also got an ealry christmas pressie off us, a bean bag each, they look too cute sitting in them.

All content living together

2008-12-03T23:59:00.002+11:00

That's right, all of my Stampin' Up! punches are soo happy living together in perfect harmony in their new home. All snuggled up next to each other. I have all but 1 of the punches, including 2 of the latest releases from the Summer mini, so I am happy about that. Love them, love them, love them. So many choices, so many options.

Ok enought of that waffle. Here is a cute (oh well I like it anyway) card I made for my friend who finally had a girl, after 2 boys (she was desperate).

Night night

tYING uP cHRIStMAS

2008-12-03T18:55:00.004+11:00

Firstly the single Stampin' Write marker offer has been extended until the 14th December,

And an extra special, for the whole of December when you spend $20 on any product they'll give you 20% off 12 products that will help tie up Christmas. All of your crafting needs are covered here with this list.

Click here to download the flyer in detail.

Festive Favourites stamp set (p.27) was $45.95 now $36.76
Crazy For Christmas stamp set(p.28) was $39.95 now $31.96
Snow Flurries stamp set(p.29) $20.95 now $16.76
Tag Time stamp set(p.43) $53.95 now $43.16
Many Merry Messages stamp set(p.111) $64.95 now $51.96
12"x12" Days-to-Remember Calendar(p.133) was $20.95 now $16.76
6"x6" Days-to-Remember Calendar(p.133) was $18.95 now $15.16
Winter Bright Simply Scrappinf(p.138) was $36.95 now $29.56
Three for You Punch Box(p.143) was $85.95 now $68.76
Certainly Celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon(p.146) was $14.95 now $11.96
Very Vanilla 5/8" grosgrain ribbon(p.146) was $14.95 now $11.96
White Square Aluminium Metal Edge tags(p.147) was $7.50 now $6.00

and in even more exciting news the Summer mini is here, leave a comment or email me if you would like a FREE copy. The stamps are really cute, and the punches a MUST have.

Yep, Stampin' Up have some wonderful treats for you.

Ok I will be back later to share a card or 2.

Cheers

As good as it gets!

2008-11-28T16:19:00.002+11:00

OK so we attempted to go get some happy snaps (NOT) of the kids and santa. Emmy was hysterical last year and I could not even get her near him, but this year i though she might be better, as we talk about Santa, and she knows who he is etc. So today she hesitatingly went up to him, , but would not get on his knee, or even the chair. So I quickly snapped away. Of which I was only allowed to do, because i said i would buy a pic. In previous years they have let you take your own photos. Anyhoo, I realized i should have had my camera turned the other way. As it turns out the official photo chic had her camera flash still on from the night before, and so the only half decent pic they got was over exposed, and she wouldn't let me have it for half price. We tried again, and there were mega tears. So the first pic is as good as it gets, and the second is the result of trying to be too demanding of my young child. Hehe. Oh well there is always next year.So i am now off for a Thai dinner with a bunch of (scrappy) girls who I really should spend much more time with. I think next year is the year. Looking forward to tonight, yummo. i have been out a bit this month. But is has been more business than pleasure. My goal for next year is a better family / work / me time balance.

Ok have a great weekend peoples. We are off to a 40th in Geelong and a family lunch (pre xmas type number). I am also looking forward to this little weekend away.

SPECIALS ENDING SOON

2008-11-24T13:19:00.002+11:00

just wanted to remind any crafty readers about specials finishing at the end of the month -

· individual Stampin’ Write Marker special ends at the end of this month, 30th November,
· 20% off RUB ONS ends 30th November
· SPRING MINI ends at the end of the month too.

Please call or email if you would like to take up any of these special offers,

And just around the corner our yummy new Summer mini. I have to say the new punches are my favourite.
Please email me or leave a comment if you would like a copy.

Stay tuned for my quarterly newsletter, for release 1st December

Cheers Karen

Environmentally friendly me..

2008-11-24T13:04:00.004+11:00

Well I am trying to do a little bit. I know i could do more, but you have to start somewhere. I wanted to let you all know my efforts at cooling the globe, and would love to hear what you are doing too.

obviously I clean chemically free, love my ENJO, and have been using it for about 6 years
eco friendly laundry detergent
eco friendly hand wash
eco friendly dishwashing detergent
turn lights off when not needed
those environmentally friendly light globes
recycled toilet paper (a new move, coping just, and i will persist)
excess water on pot plants (like what the kids don't drink, or from steaming vegies)
recycle paper/ cardboard/plastic/ tin etc
a half arsed compost bin (our local rats and mice love it, LOL)
avoid using the dryer unless I am desperate
turning off power points when not in use (still not very good at this)
free range chicken and eggs

that is it I think. Love to hear what you do, maybe something new for me to do to0.

Cheers Kaz

Ballarat

2008-11-17T17:39:00.002+11:00

Well we had a lovely time in Ballarat over the weekend. I took Harry and Emmy to visit my brother, his wife Leia and their son Bain. Jon was 30 and was having a party on Saturday night, hope you had a blast bro. The kids enjoyed their time together as always. Tears when we left as they were going to miss each other. I had the most expensive (and not the nicest) Pad Thai. I also enjoyed some wandering around the shops without kids, such bliss (thanks Jon, sorry about the poo nappy, LMAO). I thought it was a really nice place, and could live there I reckon, if it wasn't bloody freezing. Mark did a half Marathon in Shep on the Sunday, and did it in 5 hours and 10 minutes, 23 minutes off his Geelong time. Awesome effort my darling, you are our super tri man. Okay here are somne snaps of the kids in Ballarat, and one of the adults killing it at guitar hero. No seriously we Rock. Oh I have the go ahead to get a Wii too, hehe, can't wait for that.

Lastly I am depserate to scrap and makes cards, but there is no time in my bloody life for it atm. Soon i hope.

also to my sister, woo hoo, the drought is over, and maybe some real love in your life. Fantastic. just chill and enjoy it.

My new baby

2008-11-11T21:17:00.002+11:00

I bought my christmas present yesterday. I got me an Ipod classic. It fits a measly 30,000 songs on it, and a wad of podcasts or dvd's. I have a shuffle, which is great if (yea if) I go walking, and even better if I remeber to put it on. But for some time I have been thinking about a bigger one, which could go in a dock, so I can have more acces to my music. because i rarely listen to music anymore, because i have to have it too loud because of our stereo location (as well as ridding all of Mark's shit), because i try to keep a minimum noise level, so as to ensure where all of the mischief is occuring. Well my need only increased after the retreat and everyone had one, I realised the benefit i would get. Actually it was still sitting in the back of my mind as a strong desire, (but probably could do without) until a special come about in the Big W catalogue. Which I didn't end up getting, because they all sold out, it was that good, but am still on a wait list for one at one Big W if someone wants it (if they ever ring me), they had lost the ket to the cabinet, oh der. Price is only $307 and it comes with a logitech dock. The Ipods on there own are $336.

Anyway enough crapping on about a bloody MP 3 player. he is sexy though. I have spent the day loading songs on it, and so far i have 616 songs, so I have ample to get me throught the days. But shit, I think I could load up my whole CD collection ( although I might leave out MC Hammer, but will put on Sonia dada, hehe). I love listening to old faves.

NiGht kids,

Love ya

Being Single never looked so good....

2008-11-09T20:55:00.003+11:00

Firstly thanks for all of your comments, advice and well wishes for Emmy. She looks heaps better ATM. I have chatted to the eczema nurse at RCH, and am following her advice.

OK now for a great offer -

For the first time ever here in Australia, our Stampin' Write markers will be available for you to purchase individually at the bargain price of only $4.95 each!!

This is a great opportunity to grab your favourite colours or replace old ones.
This Promotion Starts on the 10th of November (tomorrow) and only runs until 30th November!

So Don't miss out, jump on the phone or email me now to order what you need.
For the full range of colours, along with their relevant codes for ordering click here !

and maybe if it is popular it will become permanent, so stock up.

Flat out like a lizard drinking

2008-11-06T22:04:00.003+11:00

Busy, busy, as always. Trying to prioritise, so bloggy misses out. A few pics and basics to keep you interested. Here is my poor baby girl, she has eczema on her face, (mildly elsewhere), but nasty on her face. Having a bit of trouble getting it under control. Work in progress.
Here are the tarts during the scrapping retreat we went on, stayed at the Black Spur Inn, in Narbethong, so lovely. Christ it rains there though. I got 23 layouts done (including 1 double) and 5 cards (although 2 were the same) and will load them all one day (soon i hope). We enjoyed good food, great company and great wine , oh and some cock sucking cowboys (lots of them, yum)! Thanks to Cathy and the RW girsl for a fab time.

Here is my hubby Mark and I today at oaks day. We celebrated our 9th anniversary of being together on Derby day (but I was hamming it up with the girls), so Oaks day was the next best thing. We had a lovely time and lost all of our money. Emmy was cute when I came downstairs all dressed and put my hat on, she looked up at me and says "Princess", how cute.

POOR little precious girl, she hates her creams and cries.

Ok, night peoples, thanks for stopping by. Chat soon.

Sharing for the hell of it.

2008-10-29T21:16:00.000+11:00

Hope you are all having a good week.