Another birthday boy this week....

and the boys and I thoroughly enjoyed spoiling him with flash choccies from Makana in Kerikeri, Champagne and posh nosh cooked by little old moi for dinner....oh and of course a cake.... vanilla sponge with homemade lemon curd (Delias of course)...a little tasty memory of home as it was Jims mum (Hi Sue!)who taught me to whip up these wonderful sponges when she was training me up to be his wife 10 years or so ago heh, heh!!

The boys had much fun searching for the corks from their sparkling juice and our very scrummy champagne...who needs restaurants when you can dine out in the late afternoon sunshine in your own garden!

(Look out old man, I'm an expert at this candle blowing lark!)

Here is my entry for the 4th challenge for the SE comp... using black and white pics, with a White OR black background and one other colour accent....a real challenge for this colour loving scrapper I tell you but I quite like the toned down result for a change!

ooops ...forgot to blog the last week or so lol...but here we are with.....

Birthday boy piccies!!! Yes Mr Bum-bum...blonde boy bombshell extraordinaire... is TWO!

Paaaarrppppp!!

Heh, heh, I think I love party blowers as much as the kids do!

He had a cool day, loves his pressies...thanks Gran and Pop, Nana and Grandad and Aunty C and Uncle Mafoo! Tool kits, dump trucks, trucks and trailer, big machines dvds, remote control car...harmonica and books...man he was happy as!! And the big bro's are enjoying sharing the love too lol!


This cake was a light bulb moment a couple of days before his birthday as Patrick (my right hand man birthday organiser) and I were racking our brains trying to think of a cool (Patrick) but easy (Mum) cake to make him....he loved it and he also loved us singing happy birthday...the next day I heard him singing a little tune under his breath and then puffing out his breath and wondered what he was doing until I realized...he was re-enacting singing and blowing out his candles from last night...cute!!

Oh, and here are the seed trays the boys planted up a few weekends back, just bursting out, they are so proud and check their trays every day for progress...might get those peas and beans in a garden patch this weekend.
and on to things scrappy...this one is my current contribution for the latest NZdare... the dare is to only use scraps to make your layout, so anything half used etc...lots of fun and so quick to do!! Just delve into your box of leftover scraps and start building a layout!

These next two were for the SE comp...having much fun with this too...this one was to scrap something in your life that you do every day..I am just loving using bright colours at the moment they make me feel good!
and this was last weeks challenge...a no photo layout and I chose to scrap why I love the Desiderata....

So this weeks challenge is scrap black and white photos, on a black OR white background with just one other accent colour.....should be good for an all nighter lol! At least I've finally chosen some pics....not really into bl and wh...can't see the point of losing all that lovely colour!! but will be good to try something new! watch this space!

Building ramps n digging holes

Jim 'ere. Hijacking Meek's blog.

Nice sunny weekend up north. Bit of a heavy drop on Saturday night but soon dry due to brisk (and warm) winds. Promised Joseph that I'd build a bike ramp and so got an old log and a few barrows of dirt and voila! He tried on the bike for a start and promptly fell off when I wasn't looking. Anyway.... who need's a bike!!

We've also found a novel was of disposing of green kitchen waste before we a) get a pig or b) build a compost. Yep dig a hole and chuck it in. The worms will love it..... so do little people!! Ok Meek back again...blimin people who start writing a blog entry and then give up halfway to go to bed...stating...you finish it cause you're quicker than I am rofl!!

Anway! next photo...you will remember last weekends cereal offender....well he was at it again...only this time emptied my big bag of rice onto the floor and was playing in it like a sandpit with a few kitchen utensils...oh my you gotta laugh or you would cry with that one...

(ummmm riiiiiight, you are probably thinking I did this, but uummmm yeah....I'm sure I saw Joseph and P poking around in there...you should go ask them *while I scarper*....

We also did garden shopping this weekend, after I got to spend a lovely half hours spend up at the scrapbook shop in Kerikeri while Jim took the boys to the car museum...little red car was taken out for a run too....before we treated ourselves to a cafe lunch! We bravely walked past the safe haven of McDonalds where kids can freely spill drinks and make noise(dragging Patrick mind lol!) and went to a 'proper' cafe where Jim and I indulged in grown up Paninis and coffee while the kids enjoyed cheese toasties and chips lol...well ya gotta have chips! and yes Samuel promptly spilt his juice 5 minutes after we sat down but luckily we were seated outside and it started raining so we moved inside away from the sticky puddle (luckily it missed my bag of new scrapbook papers!!)and only another lady with a baby laughed! I felt like saying 'yes you laugh now lady but give it another 6 months and this will be YOU' rofl!! It felt good though, the boys were very well behaved on the whole and they enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

and remember my vege patch vision....well we made a start on it...love digging lol!! but the seeds the boys sowed the other weekend are sprouting and will soon need somewhere to go!!

And I couldn't let a blog post go by without a layout or two to pretty things up heh, heh! They are both of my lovely Patrick....I think the next one of him should be of him in one of his grumps though cause when he does grump he GRUMPS!! lol!...This one was for Vicky G's cardstock/rubons/stickers/pen only challenge at SBO and the next one is for the new Jack Me Up that went up last night....check it out HERE , Christi's layout is just beautiful and was so much fun to jack with all those lovely layers to inspire! Thanks also to Hannah, our wonderful guest designer who created a fabulous layout and had to keep it top secret from her friend Christi for a good week!

And with that I am going to bed too....guess who is asleep already now!!!

Hump day today...heh, heh...sorry that one always cracks me up!


No news as such just showing off more layouts lol!


Thought the grandparents might like this one of their little pirates rrrawrr me hearties! My first 6x12 layout, so darn quick to make which is always a bonus and handy when you havn't got much to journal...its for Rach's challenge at SBO....shh don't tell the boys I used some of their pirate stickers hee hee!


And this one was for the 1st challenge at SE which was to make your own embellishments...so I've been seeing some cute mushroom paper on US sites (its heidi grace I think) and it inspired me to make some wee mushies for my layout....plus I made the 'Elsie' style buttons. I have just spent some time looking at all the wonderful layouts created for this competition, wowsers everybody did so goood with this challenge, neat to see so many taking part and having fun with this!

I've been wondering how to scrap this pic of me for ages, i was going to use it for the Tia class at CC freestyle earlier this year but never did, so after taking part in a truth or dare game at SIStv over the weekend I was dared to create a layout using 6 pattern papers, 6 brads, 6 ribbon and 6 flowers, all different...I came up with this for it last night...

Well we got to Rawene yesterday on our wee Sunday tikki tour...ate our sarnies overlooking the harbour and the boys indulged in a spot of seagull chasing, the tide was in so there was not much beach to play on so we decided to take the car ferry over to Kohukohu and drive back round from there....bit of an adventure for the boys and it is so fun to have somewhere new to explore, the scenery is amazing here, its got a wild edge to it which the 'manicured' farmland of the Waikato dosn't really have....and all the settlements are a little like stepping back in time!

I think I blinked and missed that week!

Juggling the housework between the scrapping is not easy you know...uh hang on maybe that should read the other way round....heh, heh! Finally got to the local playcentre this week so P and Samuel are very excited to be making some new friends...and Mum was relieved to have some adult company lol!!

Man, are there some fantastic scrapping challenges going on at the moment or what!...a 'beaut' new dare is up...and if you havn't given one of the dares a go yet, why not give this one a crack...come on Hannah you know you want too!!

there is also Scrapbook Essentials Ultimate Challenge contest happening at the moment, just love this mojo woman in her headscarf it cracks me up! I just get this mental image of scrappers all around the country making layouts with sleeves rolled up in their headscarfs!

Something else to get the inspiration going is the US Scrapjacked team jacking the Effer dare girls this month.

Speaking of jacking Raewyn has just announced this months Jack Me Up winner....and the new one will be up next week.....sorry to keep you hanging on but good things come to those who wait heh, heh...its not easy hijacking layouts you know....cue Mission Impossible music with Tom Cruise hanging over those red laser lights....Neen looks great in her cat burgler suit too I gotta say!

Scrapbook Outlet had another fun crop last night and some of the challenge deadlines are not until next week so there is still time to join in.

Well that should just about keep me busy this week I reckon!

We are heading off for a Sunday tiki tour today...pack a picnic, find a beach, blow out a few cobwebs and fill our clothes (and fur) full of sand lol! will add some pics later...

Edited to add: something tells me i spent too long updating the blog rofl! Joseph came to inform me that he thinks I need to come and arrest Samuel!!