BAD day!!!!

I know everybody goes there!!!! But I just took out all the frustrations of this shitty day on the floors - mopped sparkling clean. I then continued out the front door and scrubed the whole front pouch down and smashed all the spiders webs lurking around.
The morning started BADLY (like last Thursday - but I never had time to blog about that). It is all to do with my JOB!!!! I can't say too much or I will offend the ones that bought me to tears in a reading of the 3 little pigs. It just became tooo much that poor second little pig with no home I just really wanted to RUN from the wolf with him.BUT it is all about respect, the ability to be nice to those that supervise you and not to play favourites. ANYWAY!!!! maybe I can blog from the FREAKING nurses office next year as I have been kicked out of my home and devalued in a week. PLEASE lotto gods shine on me as I would love to take a running jump!!!!!!
Well back to making this house look a little respectable, cleaning my scraproom and then finishing the deadlines I have!!!!
I will finish on a happy note - they will start digging our pool next monday!!!! lucky it wasn't there tonight I might have drowned myself in it!!!!

Where did this all start???

Where did this obsession begin??? Why is it now part of my lifestyle?
Becuase that is just it! It is a lifestyle choice and it is not about being the BEST, pleasing others or being published. It is about creating memories to last forever. The red LO is a CJ entry and first bath was completed at scrap girls.
Donna Wild inspired me tonight to reflect on this great craft and think about what got me hooked!
Well it was two things! At a creative memories party I saw an album that
a teacher I worked with made! It told her LIFE Story! It was not about the product, it was about the story, the memories and the fact the shoebox of photos was now something special!
Then my friend Veronika found a shop with coloured cardstock and she slowly sucked me in. I met Jen Hall at a class and she inspired me to start my ME album (as I had no children). NOW with 3 full ME albums documenting birth to age 30 I am an addict. Scrapbooking has been therapy, it has allowed me to document the ups and downs of trying to fall pregnant and has introduced me to some wonderful real life and cyber friends. It is about the memories, the good times and bad!
I think back to all the great classes I have attended with Ali Edwards and Becky Higgins and I remember what it is all about!
SCRAPBOOKING ROCKS!!!!!!

Motherhood!!!

That really has been the word of today!!! I have a little cry in the car today as I realised the date and the fact that this brilliant year is almost over. As I drove past where Max was born and remembered the days of my tiny baby boy in the pram as I pushed him back to the hospital every 3 days to have him weighed as he had a weight gain problem.
Then on KSK a motherhood thread has started and I cried again as all of us talked about the joys of motherhood. After all those months of stress and living with the thought I may never be a mum I am SOO happy my life is here and I am crying as now it is going by too fast!!!
He is growing soo fast!!! LOOK at this. He is soo curious and soo determined to explore the world.
Our mothers group (which I am soo glad to be apart of) are catching up this Sunday and I can't wait to see the babies all together again!!!

Here is a story that will show how crazy the retail world is. I bought a FIsher Price toy for Max 2 months ago on special for $80. Tracy for mothers group picked it up so I did not have the docket. I then decided it was not the toy for him and carried the HEAVY thing back to Toys R US. they told me NO exchange EVER without a docket. they told me to go to big W and they would do it. I told the girl I was not going to lie and not carry this heavy thing back to the car so she should call the manager. she did and he told me to take it to KMART or Big W!!!! GESH!!! Anyway as this thing weighed the side of a house I had to go against my morals and LIE at Big W. I asked for an exchange and they said yes. It was worth $118. i told the lady that I got it on sale and it was worth about $80. She said yes they were on sale but not anymore so she had to give me $118. GEE i was feeling SO WRONG at this point - but it was toys r us fault!!!! I insisted to only get a $80 exchange credit. but she insisted she HAD to give me $118. So when I told her the toy I wanted was too big to carry Now and I would have to come back she preceeded to give me $118 IN CASH!!!!! ok so I went away cheering alittle but slightly worried I was going to be arrested!!!! moral to the story!!! Always keep receipts.
I wanted to share more but blogger is playing up!!!
Will do so tomorrow
Goodnight
chat soon

A great weekend!

I am sooo thankful that I did not have to work today as I SOOOO needed a recovery day! I had the best weekend at the Scrapgirls retreat.
I walked in after loosing 3 kilos and rolled out after a weekend of eating BEAUTIFUL food, cakes, pancakes, lollies and bacon and eggs. I ate nothing today as I am sure I ate enough for 5 days instead of 3.
Kylie and Sheree did the best job and the company was excellent. I really wish we could have stayed for another day as I was just getting into it!
I got a good bit done and I even did a 'freestyle' inspired page.
Alison taught 2 great classes and Sheree also taught a great class - to some very tired ladies!!!!. It was great sitting near the girls from Scrapbook Dreams and between the two talented Alisons.
Some lessons I learnt!
Alison is an Angel!!!! not only a great scrapper!!! look at her fly throught the air!!! such a big kid at heart!!!

Matting is OVERRATED!!! (hehehehehe) inside joke!
It takes an average of 3 hours to pack for crops, I OWN way tooo much stuff and it takes 4 hours to put it all away as i bought stuff from the scrapbook shop there!
Scrapbooking has allowed me to meet some wonderful people along the way . I am glad that they are now my friends for life!

It has kicked over to Tuesday so I better get to bed. I have not been 100% today - was sick and had a 2 hour nanna nap.

Will share more photos soon

47 shopping days until Christmas

Can you believe it???
Can you believe what I hear you ask!!!
that she dressed her son in a santa hat and bonds singlet in OCTOBER just so she can get some photos to use on some yummy Christmas papers or that the year is almost GONE!!!!!
I have been busy working as a casual teacher and then last weekend I worked at PAPERIFIC! I had a ball chatting with lots of friends and the new people I got to meet. On the Friday night I was asked by Addicted to Craft to work for them in the wholesale part. It was sooo much fun taking orders of product and I got to see all the yummy stuff from meory trends too! My fav's were the GEL-I-TINS stamps, a new FRENCH range of papers and the Maya Road chipboard car!!!!
This week is another busy weekend as I am off to a scrapgirls retreat and I get to do some classes and have some laughs. The down side is I am not organised so I really need to get on top of that so I can have a productive weekend.
I am also apart of an exciting new blog group called Scrapping the Scraps. So go and take a look at the fun being had.
I also had a little cry today when I started to clean out Max's drawers. All his baby clothes and the memories! He is still in size 00 and some 000 but he still seems so much more frown up! He pulled himself up today on the coffee table and it FREAKED me out!!! I want my baby forever, but still i cant wait forever!!!!
Has anyone seen scrapped the movie? I want to see it!
chat soon

belinda

thanks to my F.R.I.E.N.D.S

With the busy week i have just had I really have not had time to THANK my wonderful friends for everything!!!!
Firstly a big thanks to Alison!!!!! Not only did she get my the BEST goodie bag EVER from the US she also helped Darren get me the best 30th birthday present ever!!!! Ok I am going to stop to brag. Just in case you cant see ALL the stash I am going to point out the fiskars drill - toooooo coooollll, Designing with colour (a great book), ALL those sharpie pens, Heidi swapp and 7 G stamps, and everything COOL for boy pages!!!!! I even got a memory trends key chain!!! and Max got the coolest clothes from GAP and other cute US kids shops!!!!

I also want to thank Sally for the effort she went to get me my flowers, they were my favourites (sorry I cant find the pic).
A big thanksto my friends Tina, karen and Ann for helping me organise my party and my sensational dress maker Chris.
Another thanks to Paula for the surprise in the post and all my friends that got me sensational presents. Thanks to Narelle for the invite to IDOL but I had to say no as my week is sooo crazy.
Just a quick page to show you all that I did scrap on Friday night. I love the heidi fuzzy rub ons, they look so COOL IRL!!!! this page is for my 8.5 x 11 month by month album for Max.
Have a great week!!!
chat soon
p.s - thanks for all your emails but I am not the B on Alison's blog - I am fine!!!!

Just a few more photos

Just a few more photos as blogger was playing up last night!

Also needed to add that Max started swimming lessons yesterday and he LOVED it. I used to be a swmming instructor when I was at uni and I really felt he was such a natural. He smiled the whole time - even when i dunked him under. The teacher even commented on his confidence and how he was just loving it! Really showed up the 2 year old who screamed the whole lesson!!!
I really need to go and scrap so I am ducking off!!! enjoy!!!

80s costume for HIRE!!!

I am proud to say I remember everything that happened. I am proud to say that my 30th birthday was the BEST EVER!!!!!! Gee my friends and I can party. We danced, we sang, we laughed, we drank and ate and BOY did we look HOT!!!! We celebrated the decade of NO style, great music and cabbage patch kids. The karaoke machine got such a workout. Tina and Debbie you missed your calling and if there was an 80s idol you girls would have run 1st and 2nd!
I really need to thank my great friends for their wonderful presents and for making my night FANTASTIC!!! Karen you were a fantastic stylus, Chris your dressmaking skills are THE BEST and Alison thanks sooooo much for taking 300 sensational photos. Darren (my darling DH) you ROCK as you cleaned up ALL the mess and got 4 tired and sore girls McDonalds for brekkie.

The costumes were hot!!!! Hayley your ONJ – PHYSICAL costume was sensational and I will not show your wonderful g-string leotard here, I will leave it up to the imagination of the viewers. The PUNKS came and rocked the party, and Kathryn looked great in her GO GO shirt. I also had Madonna, Michael Jackson, Kerry Ann, George Michael and the hot leather look Sandra DEE!!!!! I am sooo sad I did not get a group shot as we really would have looked like a clash of the Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Girls just wanna have fun and Dirty Dancing. The party stopped at 3am and my feet thanked me for stopping I had blisters all over them from my patent leather shoes.
Turning 30 was great fun and I hope my 40th is just as much fun!!!!
I had a 60th on Sunday and I was sooo quiet – and as I had no nail polish remover I looked a bit weird with FLURO PINK nail polish.
Also head over to KSK and register for'the cyber crop on the28th. All for a great cause - the girls night in fundraiser

No longer in my 20's!

Just a quick post to mark my 30th birthday!!LOL! I am sitting here listening to TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - remembering the "good old days"!!!! I have been busy all morning setting up for my big 80s party.
Darren totally spoilt me! I got a flash for my SLR, some CD's and he tells me Alison is bringing me over some scrapping supplies from him as he did not want to pick them!!! So happy Miss A is doing the picking.
My costume is already to go and let me tell you it contains all the elements of the 80s - big, bright and bold! I will post some pics ASAP!!!
chat soon

Oh what a night!!!!!

WOW what a great night!!!! It was fantastic to hear the idols live and it really made me remember why I loved IDOL - for those spine-tingling moments, and tonight we got some. Dean kicked off the show with THOSE EYES and his song was easy to listen to and I even was huming along by the end. Jessica was just adorable - she sang the song from my all time fav movie MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING and it was gorgeous. Such a pocket rocket. In my opinion it was a touchdown. Damien also sang a great song and it was another one that you could really groove along tooo!!!! I actually had a great night trying to win a prize off the guy who warms up the audience. I kept screaming his name and telling him he was HOT!!!! HOT - yeah right - about 178 kg of HOT and sweaty man but he had the prizes and he was very funny. I think I embrassed him as at one point he refused to look at me. Sadly no prize for me!!!!! but my motto is - if your not in it you can never win it so i gave it a good go!!!!!
Also welcome home to my buddy Alison - I have missed you so much! and I can't wait to catch up and hear about all the fun you have had. Don't you ever go away and leave me that long again!!!!
Goodnight!

Look for me in the crowd!

Tomorrow night I am going to be in the Australian Idol audience so keep your eyes peeled!! I am a little sad the judges wont be commenting as this is my favourite part of the idol experience.

I am flat chat this week as I am working 4 days at school, orgainising my party, sewing a costume and trying my best to get this blog looking as I want. Can you believe I have spent 2 hours on this and my banner still will not fit! It is driving me crazy and if I did not have to go and iron clothes for tomorrow so I am not super late I would sit here to make it look RIGHT!

Happy Birthday to my great mate TOS (SAlly). I am sooo glad our addiction to scrapbooking and KSK has bought about this great friendship. I am sad that you live sooo far away as I would love you to be at my party this Saturday and have a drink with you. Here we are at KIWI SCRAPS - being totally crazy - this made me PIMP as i just could not hold the SLR out and take the photo due to its weight
Wish me luck SEWING my costume - once again I am a last minute wonder.

I have done it!!!

Yes I must be the last scrapper I know to do it!!! Yes I followed the CROWD and got myself a blog!!! I see it as a birthday present to myself. I wanted to document this month and see how things go.
YES i am 30 on the 21st!!!!
very scary!!!!
I make no promises to be witty or interesting - just general banter about my life as Max's mum, Darren's wife, an idol fan and a mad scrapper with a few typos chucked in!!!