Getting ready for Scouts...Joseph's age group are the Kea's.

In the end the wet weather mean't they had to have their campfire gathering indoors, but he came home with his face shining and full of stories so it by all accounts it was all good! He is very proud of his scarf and woggle so there was minor panic in the ranks when he couldn't find it the next morning...he had taken it off when he got home and left it on the couch...after much searching, and turning the couch upside down and inside out...we thought of the next possibility...BERT!! and yep sure enough there it was squirrelled away under the bed...should have looked there first before getting all hot and bothered lol!!...ah well...next time!

Patrick has decided he is going to be an author when he grows up and has written his first book all about dogs!!

Joseph takes after his Uncle Anton and loves baking...his choc chip cookies are pretty darn good too and they disappear fast!!!...he's also progressed to cooking himself up beans on toast with a fried egg on top for brekkie...one thing is certain when my boys leave home they are going to be able to fend for themselves! I can't stand it when I hear of grown lads who have no idea how to cook or use the washing machine...to all my future daughters-in-laws you can thank me later rofl!!

I love American Crafts papers and products and was so happy to get some in my Scrapbook Studio DT kit recently...the little chipboard piggies are sooo cute and in the same pack you also get elephants, speech bubbles and jigsaw pieces...good value!

The So You Think You Can Scrap competition is bombing along...the girls creativity with Lianne's style blew us all away...judging is so so hard....and I always have a list of favourites as long as my arm which is torture trying to whittle down to the top three....this week the contestants are scrapping up a storm in Heidi's style...good luck everybody and have fun with it!

The new dare is up and you need to bust out those stamps...I really need to organise my clear stamps better, they are tumbled all together in a plastic container and I saw a very cool idea recently using DVD covers to hold them....they stick nicely to the inside...must try...

Oh and the prize for this dare is sponsored by Stampin Up...they have a fantastic prize pack up for grabs so have fun stamping and be in to win!

No Soccer in the Far North this weekend...too wet...so we have been keeping occupied playing chuckit chicken, last card, battleships and listening to music. The kids have been loving this CD by Fatcat and Fishface called Dogbreath lots of fun to leap about the kitchen to singing at the top of our voices!

I came across these guys last week and love their music... Julia and Angus Stone have some of their stuff linkied up in the sidebar....Just a boy and Babylon are both really good.

Dad and Joseph are rugging up and heading off this evening to their first big Scout campfire in Whanga's...celebrating one hundred years of scouting in NZ. Joseph is really enjoying Kea's and was invested a couple of weeks back so has his t-shirt now and the woggle or toggle or whatever you call it that hold his Kea scarf in place....havn't got a pic yet...maybe tonight.

Yesterday was assembly at school...Patricks teacher had asked if Joseph and Patrick would give a little piano recital...they suprised me by being very keen even though they knew it mean't getting up in front of the whole school and so we practised all week and both of them made me very proud, as despite being nervous, they kept their cool and played their pieces beautifully!

I love that they have the confidence to do this...I would always avoid being under the spotlight if I could...I remember being asked to play (with other piano students) at an end of school thing and said no...keeping this info quiet from Mum and Dad...heh, heh...and they were rather suprised (or knowing what I was like maybe not) when I didn't give a little performance with the others....well I explained afterwards the teacher asked if I wanted to...and I didn't want to so i said no which I thought was fair enough!

Ka Kite and have a good weekend everybody!!

Meek

Scrappy stuff first up....My layout for this week's NZ dare ...it was Vicky's turn and the dare was to take a picture with you and someone else in it doing something you do every day..morning tea time...so yes that is why there was a pic on the blog with me in it a few days back heh, heh! It was a challenging dare to think about how I was going to get the pic I wanted, and in the end it was a complete fluke..yay for the self timer button....but I'm glad I persevered as I love the shot....and they wouldn't be dares if they weren't a challenge so hope you all give this one a go too!!

We are in week 3 into the So You Think You Can Scrap competition at Scrapbook Studio....the gallery is brim full of gorgeous layouts and the girls have been scrapping their butts off each week creating some stunning layouts! The aim of the competiton is to encourage you to try new things with your scrapping and its been great to see everyone rise to the challenge...cracks me up to see everyone having a bit of a freak out at the beginning of each challenge and then by the end they are really proud of what they have come up with...keep it up ladies you are doing GREAT!!

Only 2 more soccer games to go!! how quickly did that soccer season go by! Very exciting game yesterday...both teams were evenly matched and it ended in a 7-7 draw...Joseph scored one of the goals which is always a great boost for the confidence...not sure if they'll be playing soccer next year though...as they've been learning to play hockey during school and they've both asked if they can play it next year!! Well I'm all for it being a hockey player from way back and good to try different things...but we'll see wait and see what they feel next year...maybe they'll be into rugby by then lol!!

Here is a little joke that Patrick made up...it cracked me up...I don't know why it just tickles my funny bone imagining it...for ages now he has been trying to get the concept of what makes a good joke and we've been suffering for ages under a barrage of alot of very unfunny made up 'jokes' lol!! Joseph went through this stage too...where you don't know whether it is best to pretend to laugh just to make them feel good or not!!

Anway Patrick's joke of the day....

Q: What is green and red and white?

A: Peter Pan jumping from cloud to cloud with his butt on fire!

Thought Granddad might like to share that one with the fella's at Golf ha ha!!

Still here,
doing our thing,
enjoying the sunshine and birdsong whilst enjoying a morning milo,
Samuel dreaming up mischief,
Mum in scrapbooking la-la land,
Bert wondering if there will be any more homemade afghan bikkie crumbs forthcoming....
Big boys at school,
Dad away in Auckland for a few days doing a course for work..

The little manderin tree is loaded...nearly ready..still a bit sharp, need to sweeten up a little longer in the sunshine before we let the boys loose on it!

CHEEEESSSEEEE!!

Just having a little play learning how to attach a video clip...i had no clue you could do this until I saw you had done it Pop!

Anway we managed to dodge the showers yesterday and found some sunshine on Paihia beach! Just a snippet as I ran out of space on the camera...shall do better next time!

Yeehhaaaaa!!!

Bert rather worried Patrick was disappearing in the sand so threw himself into digging his feet out!

Hope everyone is having a good 'Queenies' birthday weekend...sun is shining here up North and we are all happily chilling out at home.

The new Kiwi Jack is up....I couldn't resist using these pics of 'the girls' when they were woolly little babies....although they are known as 'the two fat ladies now' rofl!

Hope to get out the fabric I bought down in Cambridge tomorrow and have a play sewing...watch this space...

Jim and the kids say...HI.