Scrappy Kea

yep. my baby is now 5. This is my cheats version of an icecream cake... he thought it was pretty good! His 'party' is on Friday night so this will do till then. He had a good day at school & I had a fantastic one at Playcentre . He was a bit sad in his lack of toy presents from us (we are tired of putting them away... actually we haven't been, we have been collecting what is left out each night & storing in a washing basket in our wardrobe... there have been a few sad moments... but they get them back after a week) but then we found a parcel that was tucked in beside the recycling bin... & he hasn't got off the scooter since! Thanks Granny & Pa. & yes, he's an April fools baby. born at 5:30am on 1st April 2003. I now have a 7 year old, a 6 year old & a 5 year old. He had to be an April Fools baby.

had his first school visit today. 9- 11am. he has one more next Thursday, then Starts school on April Fools day (yep, he was even born in the morning!!!).

is coming! the trees all the way to school are changing...soon the leaves will be like the above photo of Waitiri last year! check out the Scrap of Faith blog . I got a gorgeous thank you card & some wee goodies from one of our Scrap Retreaters today - such a lovely surprise in my mailbox - Thank You! Have been busy with MM 5th Avenue and the March Kit this week. Been fun doing some more creating. It's Playcentre Awareness Week this week (finishes tomorrow just in time for the 5 day weekend) and we have been doing 'green stuff' as the focus is "Small steps to effect change". fun times at Queenstown Playcentre! Have you been making Hot Cross Buns? Feeling the need to so looking out for some great recipes, love their smell as they cook, mmmm. Lara

all the way to Invercargill we saw gorgeous thick & strongly coloured rainbows... was a game of who can spot the rainbow first... we even saw one finish in Lake Wakatipu near Glenorchy. Back in the ward, a bit sore, bit nauseus, very hungry, very thirsty! & just cause I'm a scrapbooker & she's Katya... she posed LOL - gotta love her ability to have fun. Apparently she had a broken radial head... it needed set under General Anaesthetic...luckily it didn't need the K-wire inserted. have follow up xray next week... hopfully won't mean a trip to Invers. She has at least 5 weeks of wearing this cast... we'll see... she's a grub at the best of times & we are having her extremely belated 6th birthday party here on friday. Lazy boys aren't the best beds 6 people in a 4 bedder hospital room isn't relaxing I need sleep! nite.

as scrap retreat south was... so was this layout.... part of our Saturday night crop included us each starting a layout & when 7 minutes was up, passing it to the next person to work on for 7 minutes, then pass again... this layout is a culmination of lots of scrappers - love that it is something from others & a beautiful layout too! Thanks to everyone who made this a fantastic weekend. It was fantastic to meet people I hadn't met before... which was many of you... & to even have a couple of north islanders join us too! At the end of June a few of us are putting together another inspiration weekend, but on a larger scale... all and any profit will go to charity... check out Creative Inspiration South!

from my bed for the retreat this weekend... not far so I could sneak back...but really looking forward to some 'free' time to create, play, chat and generally chill out. Needed me thinks. check out the cool duvet cover mum & dad got Jase & I for a combined birthday present :-) Thanks mum, no you can't have it at the beach!

At the Scrapbook Outlet Tonight cool challenges, great prizes & some pretty cool company.... congrats to Donna & Trina on getting on the For Keeps Design Team!!!! WTG.

Ethan was really excited to see this pirate ship from the deck of the place we stayed at Sandspit. He is now talking Pirates at Playcentre...great topic for some further learning. Kate & Matt's wedding Matakana Ascension Vineyard February 23rd 2007 Easy date to remember cause it's the day before my birthday. Weather was rubbish, I appreciate being home! Less than 2 weeks till the scrap retreat in Queenstown, busy at Playcentre & have just created a new blog out of need for inspiration for boy cards ! Would love to have your cards to upload there too. I'll post something else one day.... no committments LOL.

ginormous slabs of the stuff... completely edible & if you like mushrroms... soo tasty! Jase was given these to take home for his family, he did & we enjoyed them! Away to my cousins wedding up North of Auckland Haven't been back to Auckland for about 3 or 4 years... I've missed the shopping... & since the wedding is up Matakana way... I won't even get much shopping in (& there's the need for money for shopping too LOL). But finding something to wear that I like is the difficulty I have at the moment. Continue to be busy with setting things up for the new year at Playcentre, organising a couple of weekend events and settling the girls into school too. Went out for lunch with Ethan last week & realised we won't be able to do this when he starts school on April 1st. We will have to have a 'date' in the weekends or school holidays instead. Just over 2 weeks till Scrap Retreat South starts. Wee bit to do before then.... Anyone know how to...

at the Scrapbook Outlet Sunday February 17th 2008 8:00-10:00pm double layout using the February kit - or you can purchase the class separately & use your own stash uses 9 photos - be prepared to crop these with scissors/tirmmers titled: snapshots of summer... so collect snaps of summer (perhaps ones that didn't quite make it onto a layout but that show a litle of your summer) and sign up! This kit was amazing to work with, within 6 hours of opening the pizza box I had created 2 layouts (as well as picking up kids from school and taking them to swimming lessons - there were 2 left, not sure now though!) Also check the forum for details on the Online Cyber Crop - Leaps of Creativity - on February 29th 2008 - challenges, cool prizes & lots of fun online.

Your fave cup was the theme for January at Overlooked . I used some yummy papers from Sassafrass Lass & Fancy Pants as well as the Sassa die cut journaling block & strips & monograms. Such easy papers & colours to work with. I got the papers to work with over January from Scrapbook Outlet ... speaking of which...check out the SBO blog for a wee comp & some sneaky peeps. My children have gone quiet... need to check! all ok - they were catching caterpillars from the garden to feed to the chickens. Back to school & work Thursday next week... seems as if the term break is coming to an end too quickly... unlike many I'm not actually looking forward to the kids going back, nor to the school fees and stationery costs & making lunches every night! Later.

at the beach! went to Taieri Beach for a few days while the sun was out! Great times! But did have a scary 10 minutes when I lost K just after we got there.... she thought I had gone to the beach so she ran down the track... but I was behind her after getting my phone from the car... by the time I got there she was no where to be seen! She had shot up the wrong track through the tussocks, easily done, but I was worried that she had gone up a track to a not very nice person! I called for her many times in between praying that she would come back safely. a text to mum & she was looking too - Dad went for a drive to see if he could see her too, luckily the track she went up - & was found in tears at a clothesline - belonged to a nice lady who took her out to the roadside to go for a walk to find the crib - mum met them at the gate on her mission to find K too! I was thankful that God answered my prayer and K was safe with me again! K turns 6 tomorrow! now isn't this a...

and my word for this year is faith. Have been learning about 'faith' recently and want mine to grow this year. Created this mini album as a summary of what I have learned so far to remind me through the year. This is also part of a 'stash 25' challenge. For the next 25 projects/layouts/cards... I can only use what's in my stash - dt work exclusive :-)

Loved the latest 'simplify 101' newsletter: Vol. 4 No. 1 December 2007 'Twas the night after Christmas, when all through the house Not a thing was away, not even my new blouse. The stockings were thrown by the chimney without care, And knickknacks and gadgets were strewn everywhere. The gift wrap was scattered. The boxes were strewn. I gasped as I looked all around the trashed room. What was I thinking, when I bought all this stuff? Why didn't I realize ten gifts were enough? The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of organization danced in my head. "But where should I start?" I wondered inside, "How can I begin, when I'd rather go hide?" And then in my in-box an email did appear, From a lady named Aby (who has no reindeer;) "Go slowly. Go easy. You'll get there", I think. "You can do this--use the tips right here in ink." You're asking yourself "Where will all this stuff go?" It feels...

The girls have been making these for their classmates - thanks for the recipe Nik :-) The colours on Katya's clothing are appropriate.. but it's actually a clown suit.... from her class performance yesterday. They have a thing about dressups at the moment. There's a little pirate running around somewhere too. Only 4 more days of work/school left before the Summer holiday's start - wahoo! Have a bit to get done in that time though so better get on with it.

& Karen tells me I need to update... well here are some pics to share! Moving went well, have one car in the garage but still have boxes to sort in the other half. The worm farm is up & running and the vegetables are growing - even the rhubarb is taking off. Water restrictions started today though so we can't use the lawn sprinklers - just hand held hoses. It feels like home here, though still a bit like staying in a hotel for us too - specially as there is still stuff to unpack... maybe I won't, maybe we'll just 'gift' the boxes to the Sallies.... now there's a thought! Recycling started (finally) in the Wakatipu but I was impressed that Ethan noticed the recycle bin had been emptied by the roadside & made it his job to bring it back up the drive. Mmmmm, Peonie season :-) Ali won't love them so much - she's picking them... but I love the big soft flowers :-) Here's the chicks (not so little any more) that we watched hatch in the l...

played a little last night with the supplies I have in my crop bag. did some 6 x 12's. was a nice break from packing & cleaning :-) Katya lost her first tooth this morning - much to her big sisters excitement (who is now trying to pull out her 4th tooth just so she doesn't miss out on the tooth fairy). & I found this 'arrangement' outside. Ethan was away... Katya & Alicia had tied all sorts of things to the tree: fairy wings, blankets, baskets (a swing/bed for teddy) & even chairs. they 'camped' out on the trampoline & only those who had 'decorated' could come into their house! They will miss this tree at the new house!

just some of the 'events' going on at SBO - keep an eye on the forum. .. & we are going to a real one tomorrow at Lake Hayes Pavilion :-) I must not purchase any junk LOL - with our move only 4 sleeps away :-). We have to get a mailbox for our new house... current owners have just used a PO Box... hmm, what sort to get... any suggestions? all stuffy with a cold at the moment, itchy eyes & all. The house is ready here for us to move out of.. as much as it can be with us & some boxes still in it LOL - just have windows, ovens, walls, doors & behind fridges etc to clean out. To those I owed PIF's & RAKS... they were all posted on Wednesday :-)

for want of a better title LOL SENZ was fantastic - met SBO dt members for the first time....taught scrapbooking for the first time & attended SENZ for the first time too :-) This is just a quick post - need to get some more packing done for our move in less than 2 weeks. Plans are under way for a south retreat in March next year - & it's full already!!!! For the decluttering challenge I'm doing... have finished my wardrobe, scrap stuff.. now onto the kids room!

Jase just pulled two names from a bowl for the journals..... AMANDA & ROCHELLE. So please send me an email scrappykea at xtra dot co dot nz with your snail mail addy... I will post them, but it may take a week or so as I have a lot on this week :-) ( Janine & Karen your PIF is coming... just me & the mail/post system don't get on too well.. guess it's cause I grew up rurally & we just put stuff in the mail box at the end of the drive & the mailperson took it away ... now I have to go to one of their specific buildings... just one of those things about being a townie! Didn't feel too much like a townie today out at Waitiri though... kids played in the rocks and adults enjoyed some clay shooting & each others company.... nice veiw of the snow covered mountains too! Ok must get on with SENZ preparation... back to work tomorrow... School, Playcentre.... & then off to Christchurch on Thursday :-)