in less than 3 days we lost two very important people from our family. Uncle Alvin, my dads brother, had a massive aneurysm in his brain which exploded on Wednesday causing a massive stroke and leaving him on life support until he passed away on Wednesday night. That was hard enough but then on Saturday Uncle George final succumbed to the cancer he has been fighting for the last 2 years, passing away in his sleep.

my two very favourite uncles, one for each side of the family, both gone in less than a week. Its almost to much to bear. I still cant get my mind around it. I didn’t got to Uncle Alvin’s tangi, thinking it would be to hard on Katie to travel up to Waikane so close to our trip to Australia. Dad, my sister and two of my brothers went up. But Uncle George’s funeral isn’t until Wednesday and we leave for Australia tomorrow. Aunty Shirl wouldn’t let us postpone our trip till after the funeral but we will be taking the funeral in our hearts.

I keep feeling tears well up whenever I take a moment to catch my breath. Mum and I have been keeping ourselves busy packing and cleaning the house and other senseless occupations so we wont have time to think. It will be a relief to get on the plane tomorrow and spend time with the family in Australia.

So this time tomorrow we will be on the plane on the way to Sydney! after 6 months of planning and organising passports and tickets, motels and rental cars, we are finally going…I just cant wait!

so in case I dont get a chance to blog again before Christmas, everyone have a wonderful and safe holiday!

hugz

V xxx

Its been one of those weeks, I have been flat out doing…well stuff…finalising things for our trip to Oz next month (only 23 days to go!) Booking motels in Christchurch for the return trip, and finding a place to leave the car (we decided to drive down after working out it was going to cost over $600 for the 5 of us to fly from Nelson to Christchurch, nearly the same amount it cost to fly to Oz) Booked the hotel in Sydney for the night we arrive (No pool!, bugga) and making sure all was in place here for while we are away, paper cancelled, postie told, and brother staying to look after the animals…he better be nice to my cat lol.

So scarily enough we are all (fingers crossed) organised (touch wood) except I still have to organise travel insurance and my meds. That’s next weeks mission.

I just cant wait to go, I have been showing Katie the video we took last time we went over, when I was preggie with her, it has our trip to the Reptile Park and hanging out with these people. this photo was taken last time we were there, how young were the kids then. Katie wouldn’t believe it was Steve in the video because back then he barely came up to my shoulder lol, now I barely come up to his!

She’s so excited too, telling everyone at preschool she is going on a big plane to see her Uncle Shame lol. and her Totty, which is Tori (the one in the black top) she has called him Totty since she was tiny and he stayed with us, she was only just over a year old then and still remembers him. He made an impression lol.

Besides the planning and organising I have been busy making a special Christmas pressie for Shane and Tray. I will share photos at a later date, dont want to ruin the surprise but for once something came out exactly to plan…dont you just love it when that happens?

anyway, dinner wont cook its self, Mum is up in Wellington with Uncle George who is very very sick. She wanted to see him before we went just in case, if you know what I mean. He’s 84 and has terminal cancer so it doesnt look good.

anyway I better run

hugz

V xx

I have been as a lazy blogger as I have been a scrapbooker lately. I have done very little of both. There just isn’t much to write about. I have been very quiet and not a 100% well, though I have been ignoring the fact for the last few weeks but today its sort of caught up on me so I am couched up feeling like throwing up or sleeping, or both! not a good day and Mum and Dad are due home tomorrow and I wanted to get organised today…not going to happen but my home help lady has just been so at least the house is tidy. And if I rest today I will feel better tomorrow right? well that’s the theory anyway.

I have done a couple of layouts for the SBO Christmas Challenge which has been great, I enjoyed going back in time for the first one though it was hard to find a photo. (yes that’s me, sitting on the ground, all of 15 years old!

I took these photos at the beginning of Spring, I just love taking photos of these two, they are both so cute! (don’t tell Steve I said that, its not cool to be cute at 17 lol)

this weeks should be fun, making Christmas decorations! I love making Christmas decorations!!!

I have finished all the mini books for the neices and nephews and decided to do a clock for my brother and s.i.l which I ordered from trademe, it hasn’t arrived yet but I have a few ideas already.

but right now, I am going to have a rest and try and concentrate on getting better.

be good

hugz

V xx

I found this on the Cosmo Cricket blog, which has to be one of my all time favourite blogs. Lindsay took this while in Europe and I sooo want to go to this shop! its so very cool.

I am going to be a grandmother!!!!! how exciting is that? Tracey is due in June and I couldn’t be happier though it was not planned and they are so young, no younger than I was when I had Jodi I suppose.

And of course my darling son is in a real panic, he now has to get a better job RIGHT NOW! lol, he’s been happy being a baker but it doesn’t pay that well and he wants only the best for his family. he’s so sweet and so excited but also scared. I am so glad that he feels he can call me and talk when he needs to. And they have just brought a laptop with a web cam so now we talk on web cam a couple of times a week as well.

but most importantly I am going to be a NAN!!! And I get to spoil this wee person rotten lol….cant wait.

anyway right now I am still a Mum and this Mum has to take her wee Auntie-to-be to bed lol.

Good Night all

hugz

V xx

I had a rather strange appointment with my GP today. He is trained in trauma healing, teaching people how to deal when they have gone through a trauma in their lives like I have. After being so depressed for a while now I decided it was time to seek help so last week I went to see him and he made another appointment for me to see him today for some more in-depth help. it was all a bit bizarre in the fact we didn’t really talk about what happen and 5 minutes after walking into his office we both walked out and went down the road to grab a coffee!!! Never done that before. I suppose it was a way to make me relax and I suppose it worked. It wasn’t easy not so much reliving but reviewing my life before, during and after what happened (which I wont go into) but I think it has helped. Time will tell. But now I am exhausted!!!

I spent the better part of this afternoon playing with my silhouette, i just love it! I finished making the embellies for the Scrap the Girls fairytale swap and made a few bits a bobs for the fun of it. I have been making things for Katie’s room, her wardrobe door is now covered with birds and unicorns and allsorts lol

hope everyone has a good night, I am off to play farm town on facebook lol

night night all

hugz

V xx

No use crying over spilt glitter! Katie, my sweet, darling, daughter decided to start the day with a spot of scrapbooking. And because I am so very clever, I left my 3 favourite colours of Doddlebug sugar coating glitter on the table last night. I now have one new colour and 3 jars of it!

I didnt know whether to laugh or cry until Katie used the big eyes and the cute wee "I sowwie Mummy" then I just had to laugh, especial with her sweet wee face all covered with glitter shinning in the light. It will be weeks before I have got all the glitter off the floor, chair and table but it could have been worse, my laptop was sitting open right next to the glitter….just imagine what she could have done.

on another note, you may have noticed my rather erratic posting of late. I have been rather erratic with everything of late. I went to the doctor for a routine check up yesterday and ended up in tears, seems I am more than a little depressed, hence the lack of motivation for anything. So he has given me something to help me sleep and next week he is going to help me with some coping mechanises. Hopefully that will help because I really don’t need any more drugs than I already have to take.

Anyway now I am off to wash the floor and try and get rid of more of this glitter. Hope its not raining where you are, it is here…again

take care

hugz

V xx

I have to share this wee video I took of Katie last night. she was trying to avoid going to bed by hiding under it. She can be so cute! I might note that it took another hour before she was in bed asleep lol.

the other thing is for all those that have Quickutz Silhouettes or Cricut’s this will be very handy and save you a lot of money on cutting mats.

I found a website that shows you how to make cutting mats for your electronic cutter, at the Quilling Patch there is an excellent tutorial on how to do it. Since I don’t really like using spray adhesive and it is kind of hard to get repositionable spray on adhesive  in my part of the country anyway, I found some glue at Spotlight that does the trick fantastically, its called Craft Smart Off “N On Glue and its so easy to use. I use a foam brush and simply brush it over the mat, leave it to dry for about 10 minutes and the mat is all sticky again. I am still looking for somewhere to get thin enough plastic sheets from so I can make a couple of mats so if anyone knows where I can get some please let me know.

I also used a thicker sheet of plastic, off an old clear file folder, and made a sticky mat that I use to hold small bits that I have cut using the Silhouette when I want to put glue on them or don’t want to use them straight away but don’t want to lose all the little bits. Its so handy!

give it a go and let me know how you get on. Now I have a mini book and a layout to finish so have a great weekend all. Hope the sun is shining at your place, it is here…but its still cold! Thanks for stopping by

hugz

V xx

What a day, went to Picton to take Tracey and Jodi to the ferry, a good 5 hour round trip so I wont be walking far tomorrow…sore back…sore swollen ankle…sore shoulders…ok so yes I know…I am not suppose to drive that far but I didn’t want to stay in Blenheim at my brothers tonight, Katie doesn’t sleep properly out of her own bed and yes I know I am suppose to be getting her prepared for going to Aussie but that’s life huh. Plus I like my own bed and I am sad because my boy has gone back up north. It was so good having him home and I just love Tracey…she is the girl I would have picked for him, sensible and down to earth but lots of fun. The house is going to be far to quiet without them.

well I have caught up on my blog reading and now I am going to take a up a thing off Neen’s blog…20 question, but sorry wont be using as many photos she did, I haven’t got some things photographed yet.

1. Show us the inside of something cute

hhhmmm not exactly the inside but still cute…last night Tracey and I got sick of Jodi having fluffy earmuff hair….so I put it in piggy tails…thats cute right?

2. What’s the last home cooking you had?

Roast chicken, last night…and it was yum!

3. What do you miss?

my best friend Sandee who lives in Greymouth and of course my son Jodi who is on his way back to new plymouth as we speak

4. What makes you laugh often?

these four, my 3 kids and my soon to be daughter in law Tracey

5. What’s your favourite word?

bugga? fab? funk? cool? all words I use to often

6. What are you trying to quit?

being grouchy so often

7. What’s your favourite commercial right now?

that new one for Pacific blue. Its so cool!

8. Whose style do you dig?

Lily Allen..she rocks

9. Link to a great blog you’ve discovered lately…

Sketchy Thursday very cool sketches…great for inspiration to bring back the mojo

10. What’s the last craft you made?

this layout for Scrappin Patch colour challenge, I didnt finish in time so it didnt get entered but I still love it.

11. A photo of the last happy mail you got

the yummmy Luxe goodies I got from Sketchbook for the Spring it on challenge, I won the draw for week 2. Thanks Megan and all you awesome ladies at Sketchbook….your all so fab!

12. Something you’ve got lately?

PP’s from Cosmo Cricket that I got today from the scrapbook shop in Picton and some bits off trademe that arrived on Friday from one of my very favourite traders ceilidhinc

13. What are you looking forward to?

Our trip to Aussie in December

14. Post a recent snapshot of yourself.

eeewww do I have too? this is the best I can do…taken at Kaiteriteri beach on Thursday

15. Recent Favourite Movie?

dont really get time to watch movies but a mini series is almost the same so Torchwood-Children of Earth would have to be my all time fav at the moment

16. Something you’re working on right now?

I am suppose to working on my nephews mini album for christmas…start this week…probably

17. If a movie were made about you, who would play you?

Dawn French lol

18. What gives you goosebumps?

ghosts

19. Share a new obsession.

my silhouette and facebook games…mainly farmville and cafe world…feel free to come be one of my facebook friends….just look me up.

20. What’s the meaning of your life?

deep…ummmm what is the meaning of life??? pass….but the thing that gives my life meaning would be my kids. I wouldn’t be me without them.

so there you go…20 questions answered in under…ohhh about an hour and a half….and now….i am off to check my crops at farmville then check my cafe and then….go to bed….have a great week all….and remeber…like I tell Katie every night…happy thoughts make happy dreams

night night all

hugz

V xx

So I am sitting here watching Good Morning and its all about Sir Howard Morrison, wow ok I am behind the times I didn’t even know he had passed. Such a lovely man and did so much for New Zealand. He will be missed. and he had such a lovely smile. My parents, as teenagers, use to go to parties with him when he was just starting out. So sad he’s gone.

Daylight savings has started again, cant work out why its a month early but it has upset my routine as it always does, but on the upside, Katie has slept in 2 mornings in a row.

so if with daylight savings comes summer why is it raining? I am over this spring rain. and I have to go out in it today, I have jobs to do in town, school holidays, the mall and rain, a mix I really don’t like!!! and while I am out today I have to get Katie some washable markers, she used one of my slick writers to colour in this morning, while sitting on my bed, on my white duvet cover and pillow. do I need to describe the result? I like purple, I really do, but not scribbled over my favourite bed set. I was half asleep at the time so didn’t really realise what she was doing until it was to late. Definitely need washable markers, shes made on colouring and drawing and there is no stopping her drawing anywhere and everywhere, so might as well do it with something I can wash away afterwards.

So I am loving my new Silhouette SD, I have spent the weekend collecting new cut files and playing. It is amazing, I can cut anything and some very funky files are out there. I am still working on how to make some manish embellishments, Jodi has been helping. He’s always been an artist and has come up with some great ideas. Its so good having him home.

When I haven’t been playing we have been out and about showing Tracey all around Nelson. Its been fun. and on Saturday Katie and I went to Chipmunks to my cousins wee girls birthday party. it was fun, I have never been there before and Katie had a ball. She was one tired wee girl by the time we got home, after a quick trip to the beach to show Tracey. Just as well I got Katie some shorts and a tshirt before we went to the beach, I would have hated her purple fairy dress she wore to the party to get all wet and sandy. of course she had to play in the waves lol.

anyway time I was moving. things to do before I brave town. have a good and hopefully dry day where you are

hugz

V xx