Random Bit of Cute...

Totally random, but wanted to post this as I'm sitting here thinking about it and it made me smile. I'm sure it will make me smile in 20 years too :)

Today Josh came out after having his midday nap. He's so cute when he first wakes up, he toddles down the hall and stands behind me (usually resulting in me screaming because he scares the living daylights out of me LOL), until I see him and give him a cuddle. He was still pretty sleepy today, so I got him a juice and he went and lied down on the couch and I kept cleaning the kitchen.

After I'd finished I thought he'd been quiet for too long, so I went into the loungeroom to see what he was up to (I swear this kid will be a cat burglar one day - his foot steps don't make a sound, hence all the screaming on my part - LOL). No Joshy. Oh no! The bathroom and toilet door are open, he'll be in there for sure. (Cue mad dash to the toilet to try and salvage as much toilet paper as possible). Still no Josh.

So I continue up the hallway, and here he is lying in the middle of my bed under the fan. So I lied down with him and we had a little chat like we usually do (mostly consisting of lots of "yep"s on my part because of his toddler babbling LOL). We were having a bit of a tickle and then he realised he still has his drink with him.

"Ooh. Nice cold juice. And it's orange!" (or "Ooh. Niss coold juice. An e ooange!").

Lately he has this new "trick" (that drives me nuts) of swishing his drinks around his mouth, like when you swish your mouth out after cleaning your teeth. Usually it results in a lot of spills, and water marks all over the furniture (hence the driving nuts). So he's on our bed, on my pristine white bed spread, with juice (ack!!!) and he starts with the swishing.

He would look me dead in the eye with a mouthful of juice. Almost like challenging me to make him laugh. It was a look of "I'll do it, I'll do it". The mouth was flickering at the sides, trying not to laugh. I'd wait until I could tell he was just about to swallow, and raise my eyebrows which would send him into hysterics. Still at this stage, bedspread is still in tact, no juice spilt.

But, I couldn't resist. I thought, bugger the white bedspread (hell, it only cost just over $100 :-/). He had a mouthful. He looked me in the eye with that look again. And I pulled a monkey face. Well, it was so cute. He's cracked up and trying to keep the juice in with his hands. So funny. He's giggling his little heart out, and I just love the sound of his giggle, it's the best sound in the world to me.

So, he's cracking up, and then out of nowhere he's completely serious again. And he goes "yum" in the cookie monster voice. Well, that had us both going. It was so funny. Maybe you had to be there... and I was, thankfully LOL :)

I guess I could just see a glimpse of my boy down the track. I saw a bit of his emerging sense of humour and I love it. My handsome, funny, cheeky, giggly toddler will one day be a handsome, funny, cheeky, giggly (or laughy??) man. And for once I didn't feel scared of that. I'm actually looking forward to it.

So, here's to juice on white bedspreads in exchange for giggles. Well worth it. :)

Happy Digital Scrapbooking Day! :)

Have You Seen...

Yup, you heard right... I'm doing another set of classes, but this time of the online variety!! I'll be using my newest release, Ooh La La from MME to make four fantastic projects (one Layout and one Mini Album per set)... The classes are FREE, and run over 4 nights, and the classes will be left up for a little while in case you miss them. You can also purchase the class kits (if you're in Australia LOL), but otherwise I'm sure you'd be able to just use some goodies from your stash...

Chelsea and the girls at ScrapBoutique are fabulous, and I'm sure it will be heaps of fun, so make sure you drop in to say hi! Also, those times are AEST (Qld Time), so if you're one of the lucky ones who has daylight savings time, it'll be 8pm ;) Classes will be held HERE .

See you there (hopefully - LOL)!

The Problem Is...

... I spend way too much time reading other people's blogs to update my own - LOL! I mean to almost every day, I swear, but then I get sidetracked, and well... Then I have just way too much to say so I don't bother. I will get better at it one of these days!! Although, I've been saying that for four years now, so don't hold your breath - LOL!

I think I need a blog makeover - what do you think? I just want something WHITE and simple and fresh... I feel like this one is too cluttered. Like my house. I like to have a lot of pretty things, but I have too many pretty things and then it annoys me. Like this blog - LOL!

So, what's been happening... Not too much really! I FINALLY got my fabric samples from My Mind's Eye the other day, and I was so excited!! It's so different to see my stuff as fabric!! Although I have NO idea what to do with it all, and seriously there are like 100 fat quarters... Hmmm... I might have to make the world's biggest patchwork quilt. (I think not!) :P

AND, I got a couple more copies of Ooh La La sent my way too, so that brings me up to like 5 spare sets of each now! So, I will be cleaning out my stash (new and old... I mean old - LOL) and will be doing some giveaways soon to make more room in my studio :)

My poor sweet little guy has been sick today :( I woke up this morning to him crying and his side of the bed was covered in vomit, and so was I - YUK!! (he's been coming into our bed LOTS lately, which secretly I love - LOL - but not this morning). He's been such a sweetie lately though... Lots of talking, like a parrot! He spits out everything I say at him verbatim, but the one thing he will NEVER say is "I Love You". And it is probably the thing I say MOST to him! He even says "come on ya turkey!" when we are in the car (that's my toned down road rage - LOL). Anyway, so today he's been so sweet and cuddly... and he FINALLY said it tonight!! I even got a kiss and a hug which are as rare as hen's teeth. I was so excited... I love it when he does something that completely surprises me :)

He discovered the hose last week, and here are some pics. So funny :) He gets more and more handsome every day, my boy...

In other earth-shattering news, LOL, Joshy will be moving to a big boy bed this weekend :( We think his cot is the reason he keeps waking up and coming into our bed because he's getting a bit big for it and knocks himself around a bit during the night. But, I'm going to be so sad, even if it does mean more sleep for me! It just seems that all the "baby" things are becoming few and far between, every milestone that happens is one step closer to him being all grown up, and truth is I miss him being my baby... *sigh*

Well, that's all I can think of to procrastinate with tonight, so I'll love you and leave you :) Goodnight and have a great weekend! :)

Philosophising???

Is that even a word?? Anyway... Just sharing some thoughts...

With my work in the scrapping industry, I'm starting to notice a common thread... A LOT of scrapping companies (including MME and the home decor company I also work for), Creating Keepsakes and a lot of the scrappers that I admire (Elizabeth Kartchner for example) are from Utah. So, I started looking up Utah, just out of interest... It all started when I noticed that the return postal address on one of my MME packages was from "Bountiful", and I thought that sounds like the most beautiful place on earth. What a name for a city, sounds full of good things, hope, luck, etc, etc... And it does look like a beautiful place.

So, anyway, the more I started to think that all roads seemed to lead to Utah, I started to notice another common thread... Most of the people mentioned above are also Mormons. I always knew that Utah is the "Mormon Capital" of the USA, but I didn't really think it would be so prevalent... Anyway, so I'm wondering if scrapbooking actually has some kind of link to Mormonism?? LOL - see, I get whacky when it's late on a Saturday night :P

Anyway, so now I want to move to Utah... It really does seem so beautiful!! Compared to Brisbane with it's one season for the whole year - LOL! I want snow and fall and trees and mountains. And one thing we definitely lack in Australia is family things to do... My husband told me that we would be eaten by mountain lions if we moved there (not to mention the fact that it's very hard to emigrate to America)- LMAO!!. But, mountain lions aren't my only concern...

See, religion terrifies the crap out of me. There, I've said it. Now, I totally respect and admire people who are religious and are strong in their faith... I respect the rights of people to have their beliefs, and I will not judge them for it. But I am an out and out Atheist/Agnostic. So, it would seem that I would have a problem if we moved to Utah - LOL! And I know that Atheist seems to always conjure images of devil worshippers and what-not, but I am far from that. It just means that I don't believe in a supreme being. (Don't shoot me!!) But, I have my reasons. I have had too much bad stuff happen in my life (I'm talking serious bad stuff, not just a broken nail here and there) and to others that I love, for me to believe that there really is or could be a God. I was a strong Baptist up until the age of 13, but after my brother died, and a lot of other bad stuff compiled to make me leave the church.

I am a good person, and I believe that you can be a good person without being a religious person. A lot of people are actually surprised when they find out that I'm not a Christian, as I still hold a lot of what I learnt during my younger days and try to live by the "ten commandments" (which I believe is mostly just common courtesy anyway and you will find that most religions have the same things as a base for their beliefs, so they are not exclusive to the Christian Bible).

I was brought up in a very liberal household, and I was always taught that religion is a choice, not something that is or should be put upon you by your family. And we are bringing Josh up the same way. I don't believe that's wrong, so please don't think bad of me for that. And if Josh ever decides that he wants to seek out a religious path, I will support him 100%. I just believe that I was too young to make a decision about an important thing such as religion at that age.

Anyway, so back to the Utah/Mormon thing... So, then I started researching Mormonism, and also referring back to the people that I admire, etc... And they all seem to be HAPPY people. They all seem to have such HAPPY families. And they all seem to lead a more colourful life than me. And, you know what? For the first time in 15 years, I have actually felt a bit sad that I don't have religion in my life anymore. I think just that feeling of believing in something, and feeling safe in that knowledge, you know?

So, anyway, those are my crazy thoughts for tonight... LOL! No, I'm not going to go out tomorrow and join a church. Nor am I going to move to Utah (LOL - I wish). But, I want to start on a journey to lead a more colourful life. To focus more on my family. To take the happy things from life instead of dwelling on the not-so-happy things. I believe you can learn from others, even if you don't agree with everything they believe in... I might even ask the Buddhist Monk who lives behind us about her beliefs next time I see her walking past. (Buddhism beliefs are very similar to the values that I try to live by, from what I've researched, but I don't really want to be pigeon-holed into a religion. Although Buddhism isn't a "religion", it is a belief system. And I don't want to seem like I'm shopping for a religion... Gah!! Decisions, decisions...)

Oh, and I joined the gym last week and am very, VERY sore...

Goodnight!

When I Grow Up...

... I want to be Helen Dardik!! LOL! I'm sitting here with the most massive headache, feeling like crap, but one trip to her blog always makes me happy... I think she's a total creative genius! Her artwork is amazing, and so free and innocent... just pure creativity. It always makes me happy on the inside.






Ahhhhhh. I hope to be like that one day!! And I love how she draws little things on her photos to bring them to life - so cute!! If you haven't seen her work before, you should really check it out - it will brighten your day :)

And, did I mention we are having a heatwave at the moment?? It's crazy hot. And it's meant to be WINTER!! Whoever is out there controlling the weather - Summer's not meant to be here for another 3 months - duh!! THIS is how hot it was today:





Yes, it's WINTER!! And I have my son out in the yard in nothing but a singlet and a nappy for modesty - LOL! And, if it weren't for the risk of sending my neighbours blind, I might just have gone out there and joined him in my knickers - LMAO! Luckily for the neighbours, I decided against it. There could have been some serious money made by psychiatrists in the greater Brisbane area :P

We got up to 33 degrees today and it is SO humid, it's disgusting... I'm not looking forward to summer at all now - LOL! Well, I am, but just not a stinking hot one.

Ooh, and speaking of fun things... I'm looking forward to finally getting my hands on my new line with My Mind's Eye, Ooh La La (for my digi peeps, that's "Some Like It Hot" and "C'est La Vie") I've been waiting for what seems like FOREVER and I've been told I have a parcel on it's way to me (including my FABRIC - so excited about that!!)... So I saw the TNT van pull up outside my house today, I got all excited and ran outside... just as he pulled away :( Why choose MY house to make a stop outside of - don't you know I'm waiting on important things like my scrapbooking goodies?? LOL!

Okay, my headache is not getting any better with sitting here procrastinating, so I'm going to bed like I was meant to over two hours ago.

Night night! :)

One Happy Day...

Today was such a beautiful day... It felt like Christmas morning. One of those days where you feel like anything is possible. Perfect weather, 31 degrees (celcius - that's HOT) in the middle of winter, blue skies, absolute bliss! I've been enjoying taking some time back for myself, so my weekends have been really relaxing lately. And I've been having a lot more family time. It's a good thing...

So, I finally had a chance to make some finishing touches to the mini-album that I made with my pics from last weekend, so I thought I'd share! It's totally inspired by Elizabeth Kartchner's mini book that was featured in the August issue of Creating Keepsakes, even down to the font she used (and it is an awesome font, one of my faves now - LOL). The layout of her mini was perfect for my photos and the story I wanted to tell, so I thought why not... a little bit of scrap-lifting never hurt anyone - LOL! Plus the test-shot I took of the grass worked perfectly for a cover...

You can click each image to make it larger if you can't see the journaling! :)

Chipboard Album: Bella; Papers: Sassafras Lass, Pink Paislee, Basic Grey; Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts, Creative, Craft Supply (wood letters), Carolee's Creations, Making Memories; Journal Spots: Collage Press, My Mind's Eye; Cardstock: American Crafts; Chipboard Bracket: Maya Road; Stamps: Maya Road; Making Memories; Hero Arts; Ink: Tsukineko; Lace & Trim: Prima, Craft Supply; Flower: Green Tara; Fonts: Pee Pants Script, AL Uncle Charles.

Phew - now that is what I call a supply list - LOL!! I had fun making it!

Hopefully you are having a wonderful weekend wherever you are too! I'm off to watch some TV, and enjoy the rest of my night!

Til next time...

xx Zoe

Finally!

So, I've been subscribing to Creating Keepsakes for many years... Each issue I manically flip through the pages trying to find layouts using my stuff. And I never do :( So, I basically gave up on the flicking through thing, cos I figured it was never going to happen anyway. Anyway, so I got my August issue on Friday (we get them way after everyone else over here in the land of Oz) and was reading through...

And finally it happened:

Woohoo!! Thanks Sheri!! What an awesome page, and I'm so excited!! I think this is the first page I've seen that has actually featured heaps of stuff from a kit and I could recognise it as mine! Well, truth be told, I didn't at first. I was staring at it for ages confused because at first I thought it was my Bloom & Grow set with My Mind's Eye, but I was like... it's the wrong colours?? And then it struck!! So that's how good this layout is peoples, I didn't even know it was digi ;)

Onto other news... There is none - LOL! We celebrated Joshy's second birthday a couple of weeks ago and that was fun (and a little scary - LOL!) I've been sick with the flu (for you Americans that is what us Australians call a cold-flu, not a stomach flu in case you are thinking I'm pregnant) for what seems like FOREVER! I finally got over it last week, and then it came back to me on Saturday and I am SO OVER BEING SICK!!!!! We've all got it, so I dragged the whole family up to the Doctor's office yesterday afternoon, and we are all on the same anti-biotics, except Joshy's is liquified of course - yum!! Poor Marty has been so sick that he's lost 5kg in just under a week. I wish I had the exact strain that he has cos I ain't lost a thing - LOL! So, yeah I've just been taking it easy for a little while trying to shake it...

And now I'm going to overload you with photos - yay!! It all started last Thursday. We've been having the most beautiful, sunny, HOT days over here even though it's supposedly "winter". Winter is a very loose term over here in Queensland, believe me - LOL! We've been getting up to 31 degrees (celcius) this last week, and it's been great! Though, I don't want summer if this is a taste of it... 50 degrees, here we come!!

Anyway, sorry got sidetracked by the weather. So, as I was saying it all started last Thursday when I decided that I wanted some photos of me and Josh in the green grass, and my new favourite photo spot in our yard is by our timber fence. I didn't get any ones of Josh on Thursday... He did come and press the button on the remote for a couple of these, and they actually turned out some of my favourites!




And then on Saturday, we had another glorious day, so Marty and I had a fun time with the camera, Josh and the tripod... These are seriously my favourite photos ever, I love all the green grass - LOL! I've tried to just pick a few and it was hard. Sorry there are so many!!

Oh yes, and Prima flowers also make for lovely hair-pins - LOL!! I just stuck a bobby pin through the back of one. Did I mention that I really love that watermelon, hurt-your-eyes-to-look-at pink/orange in my last post? The colour of that flower is what I'm talkin about.


You can tell Marty's right into this can't you??


And I have decided that 3/4 leggings under a denim skirt are not a good look for a short-arse like myself - LOL! Apparently I thought I looked alright when I got dressed, but the camera doesn't lie - unfortunately!! I am joining the gym this week.

My little two year old dude... How much has he grown?!? He's such a big boy now, it breaks my heart to look at these photos :(

Now for a quick costume change... No, I'm not that vain - LOL! I just had a heap of itchy grass stuck in my shirt from cavorting in the grass...

Josh hates having his photo taken at the moment and makes a bee-line for the door as soon as he sees the camera - LOL! So I have to resort to holding him down and tickling him to get a photo with him (probably to the point where he pees his pants - oh wait, he's still in nappies thank goodness) . Well worth it, even if his little face is a little smooshed!!

What a fun day (and lots of new pics to scrap!!) I've already made an album of these photos - I couldn't wait... I will show you when I have time to take photos, etc. Also have a stack of pages to share, but again just depends on when I get time to scan them in!

Thanks for reading if you made it this far... I hope you are all having a great week :)