and so that was Christmas...

... and a Happy New Year. Please excuse the evil, scary looking angel apparently perched on my head... mmmmmmmm... Kindy has much to answer for in this house!

Does anyone know how hard it is to get 7 people to all look at a camera without looking as though they are being held at gun point... or tortured... or under threat of extreme physical harm? I think out of 50 photos Albert is only actually looking at the camera in 5 of them... and that's with Callie holding his head in a vice-like grip! I would so love to have some professional shots taken but I don't think I can bring myself to actually inflict us upon some poor unsuspecting photographer. This is about as good as it gets I'm afraid... but I guess that's us (for the time being at least... hopefully one day I might have more success in bribing them)! ;)

Mortimer the Moose was a more co-operative subject! ;)

We ended up having our Christmas Day and present opening on Monday the 21st. Aaron had to fly out on the 24th which was a bit of a bummer but we made the best of it. We really didn't do much... we were all thoroughly spoiled rotten with lots of presents and too much food and drink... the kids seemed happy and the babies (just as predicted) were more interested in the paper than the gifts inside. I do love Christmas but most of the fun is the build up and anticipation I'm afraid and it was a bit lacking despite our best efforts. Oh well there is always next year I suppose. One of my New Year's resolution is to be more organised (as always!) LOL ;)

Here is a VERY rare photo indeed... me and my biggest (almost 18 year old) boy... I swear I was a mere CHILD when I had him! ;)

I then headed up to Walkaway on Christmas Eve (my Mum's birthday) with the girls and the babies... Brad chose to stay home which I was a bit sad about but he was happy so that's the main thing. They were excellent in the car... all of them... which is a major accomplishment... the girls normally get car sick so it was wonderful to have them all behaving and sleeping for the good majority of the 4 and a bit hour trip. Father Christmas managed to find us and the girls were very happy with all their new toys and clothes.

We had a wonderful time at my childhood home... despite the fact that the wind always blows like a m@#$%^ f!@#er every time I go up there. I am sure that it does it just to remind me how much I hate it just in case I was feeling a bit home sick or nostalgic for the old place. I had a fabulous childhood but there ain't no way in hell I could ever live there again! ;) Love visiting... but yeah, as my niece so succinctly put it, "it just isn't big enough for [me]".

Austin and Albert were little troopers and barely deviated from their routine... despite me having to bath them one at a time (I usually have them both in the bath together). The girls had fun playing with their cousins, climbing on Poppy BAH's old machinery, riding bikes and getting filthy dirty every day! I tried having a practice with the new camera to no avail... bloody wind!

I saw my Grandmother who has just turned 95 in October and she is looking very well and she loved seeing the boys rolling around and smiling. I think Mum and Dad were quite taken with them too. I am sure they will be crawling in the next couple of weeks... they are getting up on all fours now and rocking back and forth... almost sitting up but not quite... oh what fun we will have! ;)

Not much else to report I'm afraid... 2010 has started very quietly... but that is a good thing. Brad, Callie, Dylan, Aus, Albie and I all had a BBQ with my BIL and his family and were in bed by 9:30pm. We are going to take January at a strolling pace this year... only catching up with friends, a couple of birthdays, a spot of shopping, playing tourist, maybe some gardening and VacSwim on the agenda at this stage.

I have written down all my goals and aspirations... let's see how organised, decluttered, thin, rich, happy and clever (with my new camera) I am this time next year hey? LOL ;)

Have a great year... 2010 is the dawn of a new decade... live it well they said.

All the very best to you and yours...

... no bloody fingers!!!!

I actually made something... with a sewing machine... well not the shirt but the characters on the front... and look Mum, no blood!

I cannot sew... but I can iron and paste! LOL ;) All I did was added that iron-on bonding stuff to some quilter's fabric, cut out my shapes then ironed them on to a plain, white T-shirt. Then I did a zig-zag stitch around the border... added some buttons and ta da!

My darling girl had her last day of Year 2 today and they had a Christmas dress up day with a bouncy castle, pizza and ice cream for lunch... mmmmmmm... who ever came up with that combination wasn't thinking were they?

It's hard to believe she is in Junior School next year. I had tears in my eyes watching her have her fitting for her formal uniform. Don't grow up so fast sweet heart! It is amazing watching you grow into the beautiful girl you are becoming but jeez I'm going to miss my baby girl. Her and her friend presented the teachers with a little tag book that we made of cards with messages, photos and drawings from each child in the class... and me like and idiot forgot to take a photo of it! I'm very proud of you for being brave and standing up to speak in front of everyone my darling.

I am so looking forward to these school holidays... it's been a long year. We don't have a lot planned... and I have nothing organised! Just hanging out, relaxing... a bit of time away with family... catching up with friends... swimming lessons... picnic lunches and trips to the beach... as little as possible really.

We all need the rest I think. I always get a bit nostalgic this time of year... fond memories and not so great ones all flooding in and emotions running high.

Littlest DD had her last day of Kindy last week... lots of tears and hugs... she had one of the most amazing teachers I have ever had the privilege of knowing and seeing her all dressed up as an Angel to do the Nativity Play was my undoing I'm afraid. I cannot believe she is full time @ Pre-Primary next year.

It has been an extrodinary year... turning 37... two new babies... oldest boy finishing high school... kids growing up... 20 year school reunion... 17th wedding anniversary... DH changing jobs... a few plans in the pipeline for next year... I am exhausted!

I'm looking forward to 2010... but I am going to have a good long lie down first!

How are YOUR festive plans shaping up? I am always a last minute rush type girl... but I sort of think it adds to the charm of the holiday season in some weird way. ;)

Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year to you and yours.

I just LOVE Carols by Candlelight...

... especially when my little darlings are all being perfect little Christmas Angels for their Mumma! :) Remind me I said this next time they are driving me to distraction! ;)

Austin was getting in the spirit of things...

Yeah... Albert, not so much!

Is there anything cuter than a little girl in a twirly dress... this kid is such a little Huckleberry Finn... no shoes and there were shorts under that dress!

Callie is over her mother and her camera!

The school Chamber Choir sang and they were lovely... as were the individual performers. Courtney Murphy (a finalist from the first Australian Idol... I think it was the first series??) who is a local lad, was the host and I must say I am not a huge fan or anything but he did do a great job and it was a lovely night.

The girls had a ball, the boys were quite taken with all the goings on and then fell asleep with barely a whinge.

Ah there, that's better Albie...

Father Christmas arrived on a Harley ridden by the school Principal... it was a lovely site to see all the children's faces light up.

Yep, magic is in the air... I LOVE Christmas! ;)

Happy Anniversary My Darling...

This is my favourite wedding photo... we didn't have a professional photographer... just my cousin and my sister taking happy snaps. I love this photo... it says it all... I am laughing like that because my darling husband is saying something rude about the wine we are drinking.

I'll never forget how disgusting it tasted! It was 40 degrees Celsius that day in Geraldton, Aaron was hung over (from the Buck's Party... yes, like the true, blue redneck he is they had the buck's Party the night before!) & I was sick with the 'flu... yet despite all that this photo captured the joy of the moment and the day. Perhaps it's a bit symbolic about our life... no matter how bad things seem ( and how crappy the wine tastes!) we will always have each other & something to laugh about together.

Always with me, always with you by Joe Satriani (Surfing with the Alien) was our song. It was playing one day and Aaron suggested it before looking at the title. When we checked the album cover it was like, "Yep, that's the one... It's a sign." ;)

We've known each other 23 years... been together 22 years... now we have been married 17 years.

Amongst all that we have had 5 gorgeous children, 4 dogs, 5 cats, a dozen or so fish, 2 (smelly) mice, 9 cars, owned 4 houses of our own, built 2 of them, lived in 16 others, moved 20 times (or there abouts... I've sort of lost count!).


We've meet heaps of interesting people and made dozens of friends, had a near death experience of our own and then lost a great BIL . We've seen friends get married, seen them have children and seen some get divorced.

We've fought, we've laughed, we've cried... we've been happy, we've been sad, we've been excited... we've been worried, we've been scared, we've been relieved... we've been enthralled... we've been exhausted!

Most of all we've been there for each other... through all the triumphs and failures... through all the joys and sorrows. I could never have imagined that the boy who moved in next door would be my life partner, my true soul mate... the love of my life... but there you were... and here we are now... and oh what a ride it has been so far!

I am sure it will only get better... and even if there are more trials and tribulations I know without a shadow of a doubt that we have what it takes to get through it all. We might not have much but we have our family and we have each other.



I really do feel truly blessed... we don't DO mushy shit... but it's in my heart and I love you now, for ever and for always.

Happy Anniversary... love you, miss you, want you always. ;)

I made a card!

Big deal! I hear you say... well it is for me.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE...

Edited to add... I forgot! I have a card in this month's SM... and I kinda, sorta like it too... but usually I SUCK @ cards! ;) I think it is because I actually think they are a bit of a waste of stash and energy so I don't like wasting my goodies on them... maybe I need to stop being such a stingey Scrooge! LOL ;)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I am joining in the 12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza over at Scrapbook Divas.

There will be a pre-Christmas Sale and prizes to win too.

I hope you will pop in to the Free Classroom Blog and have a look starting Tuesday 1st December.

Here's a few sneak peaks of the projects I have created. I have even branched out into a very basic digital LO for which I will share VERY basic instructions for all you wanna-be digi scrappers out there like me! I also used this digi design as the basis for a hybrid LO.

Organised for Christamas for once? Must be a Christmas Miracle! ;)

I hope you are feeling festive!!!!

More LOs to share... and trying to take my mind off LOSING ALL MY FREAKING PHOTOS!!!!!!!

I am always banging on about Louise Nelson and how much I ADORE her style... so I finally got my act together and actually tried her Glimmer Mist technique. Loolabelle will ALWAYS be the mastermind behind this style in my eyes but I am really very pleased with how my first effort turned out...


This one is of my DH with his little brother...

They are proudly on display @ Tomorrow's Memories.