Snapshot Sunday ...

... almost there ... this time next week I will enjoying a fine sunny day (fingers crossed) with family and friends, and having a Merry old time ... can't wait!

Snapshot for the Sunday is ...

... a pic of the teachers presents I made for the kids teachers ...

Got the idea from chats on fb and from Debbie's Homemade and Heartfelt blog, also googled and found a few more jar recipes I might have to try in the new year.

Also created some basic Christmas cards on Friday ... so hope to get them in the mail tomorrow ... so they will all arrive before the weekend ... whew!

Sorry a quick post today, been a tad busy with a large family gathering followed by a Christmas trail organised by a few on our school PTA.

Hope this week isn't too hectic for you all ;)

Snapshot Sunday ...

... and it's starting to feel a lot like Christmas!

The past week has been very busy with all things festive - the school production, 2 Christmas functions, and this week is just as busy ... helping with annual candrive for Foodbank, end of year school things, and work fitted in there as well. But the end is in sight ... with just 12 days to go before I can enjoy 2 weeks of sunshine and fun with the family on our annual summer holiday. I have my camp chair and my jandals ready, a growing pile of novels and new magazines and a few beverages stocked up ... aahhhh bliss!

Snapshot for this Sunday was taken today at the annual Mosgiel Christmas markets ...

... with none other than the man himself ...

Took this snap just after the kids posted their letters to Santa at the post office. Emma piped up afterwards ... 'We should have just keep our letters and given them to Santa then, now he won't get them til tomorrow in his mailbox!' - ahhh so cute!

Hope you all get to spend some time with family and friends to enjoy the true spirit of Christmas.

Snapshot Sunday ...

... whew, well only 3 more Sundays of 2011, can't believe I managed to keep up this weekly blog post all year! And of course with the last Sunday of the year being the 25th I think I might give myself the day off - haha!
It has been a fun year, a busy year, a year that has passed all too quickly ... and even though I haven't had as many opportunities to scrap as I would have liked, at least I can look back at 52 Sundays worth of posts and scrap these moments when I do have the time.

So Snapshots for this Sunday ... are of my not so little girl. She was a 3rd Jan baby, and because we will be away on holiday then, as are her friends it makes it hard to organise a party around then. So for the past 4 years she has had a party a month early (around the 3rd Dec). This year she had one friend over (her bestie) ... I took them to the bead shop to make a necklace each, to McD's for a Sundae and then a walk along the beach. So here are some pics of my almost 7 year old ...

... finding 'treasure' ...

We will have a special day for her with family when we are away on her actual birthday. Also a couple of traditions then too - the day starts with ice cream for breakfast and lots of swimming in the pool!

So with the silly season almost upon us I thought I'd share some present wrapping tips with you. With lots of patterned paper, twine and dies lying around the place I thought I would put them to good use ...

... these presents above flew across the ditch yesterday and are now under the Christmas tree at my brothers house. Well actually with my almost 3 year old niece about they are probably hidden in a cupboard - hehehe!

Here is a different idea, I used for a baby pressie, but I am going to tweek it slightly for the festive season. I am now stocked up on those doilies so I am all set to wrap presents ... just have to go buy them now - opps!

Well must off, my eyes are half closed.

See you all next week :)

I scrapped ...

... I know, don't fall off your chair! LOL!

Hubby was away for a fishing weekend and I decided to get out my scrap stuff and do a few layouts ... I haven't had a lot of time to get creative lately, doesn't mean that I have stopped taking photos or looking at crafty sites on the net ... just the finding time to sit down and scrap has been a problem. This may be partly to the nice long evenings as I have been getting out and doing a lot of walking lately (all part of my health kick). But I love it when I can sneak a few minutes in playing with some funky papers ...

... so I completed a layout for a challenge over at Challenge me Happy ... the person in the photo inspired this layout ... using a pic of me in Qtown from the school holiday ...
... also you might note this is a 6x6 layout, something I have been creating a lot of recently ... they are quick and fun to do ...
... another 6x6 layout that also ties in with the challenge I think too ...

... and an 8x8 layout of morning tea treats in Queenstown ... a cold milk and hot cookie from the Cookie Time Shop - yummo! ...

Hope to have a play with some paper maybe tomorrow and Friday nights ... taking advantage of the calm before the storm of school events next week, and the pile of paper work I will be doing in the evenings for work ...

Night :)

Snapshot Sunday ...

... on a Monday (again ... opps).

A very hectic week, a houseful of family and friends for the weekend ... and so an early night last night was needed!

Friday night was a big night in Dunedin ... ok it was huge! The numbers of people in town on Friday was amazing, so many travelling from out of town, most hotels/motels were booked out and all for the man ... Sir Elton John. The first major act to play a concert in our new roofed stadium, hopefully the first of many! On the night along with 35,500 other people I sang and boogied away to Elton. I had no level of expectation before the concert, I knew a couple of his songs but found I actually knew more than that. He played his older stuff, some new ones, and all the favourites - Crocodile Rock, Daniel, Rocket Man and the last one Circle of Life (from Lion King movie).

So Snapshots for Sunday ... of the concert ... (care of hubby's phone) ...

Hoping this week will be a tad quieter on the work front, as I know the next few after that will be pretty hectic in the run up to Christmas. Need to get my lists written, pressies purchased, gear organised for camping, and take some time to breathe and relax in the spare moments!

Right off to start my lists! ;)

Snapshot Sunday ...

... hello, how are we this week?
On the mad countdown to Christmas already? Bit hectic in this house ... lots of hours at work so barely enough time to get everything sorted for few weeks left til the 25th of December! A bit of planning has taken place this weekend for present ideas ... right all sorted ... but wait I have a girl turning 7 on Jan 3rd ... argh ... now I have to rethink what I need to also get her for that day too!!!

A busy week ahead ... lots more hours at work, then a house full of family and friends coming for Mr Piano Man (Elton John) who is performing in town on Friday night. Should a fantastic concert ... well our Mum's are very excited anyway!

I had a fun day today ... after catching up with the Scrap girls for a few hours this morning, I headed to 'My Book and Bubbles' - an event put on by Paper Plus. Has anyone else been to one of these? If one comes to your area I would highly recommend going along - especially for the entertainment factor of Kerre Woodham - she is so funny! So with a glass of bubbly on arrival and high tea served during the couple of hours - it was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The authors who spoke were - Kerre Woodham, Sarah-Kate Lynch, Catherine Robertson, Nalini Singh and Laura Faire. Needless to say my list of books I want to read now has a few more added to it! I did come away with the first of Kerre's books - "Short Fat Chick to Marathon Runner", which I also got autographed afterwards.

So Snapshots for this Sunday ... yes another sporty shot ... and one especially for Janine ...

... Miss Emma up batting for her t-ball team ... they had a win 23-18 ...

... and two new characters that have come to live at my house ... the turquoise wooden one is from a very cool funky store (that I might just happen to work for hehehe) ... and the fabric one was purchased at a small giftstore in Clyde ...



Hope you all have a great week ... and to those of you travelling to Dunners for Mr Elton on Friday night, I hope you have lots of fun too - I'll try and spot you in the crowd of 35,000!!



m :)

Snapshot Sunday ...

... and normal transmission has resumed!

Whew for finally having a weekend to relax ... still had kids sports on, and hubby away on a fishing weekend ... but no stress ... ahhhhh!

So without further ado, snapshots for this Sunday ...

... friday night treats for all ... a new magazine each and a yummy cupcake from the Mosgiel Friday night farmers market ...

... and another sporty shot ... this one of my 'player of the day'! He bowled 2 wickets in his 3 overs of bowling, and got some good runs for the team when batting. He is getting really good at calling for runs etc when batting, as is learning to read whether the other team are able to get to the ball in time ...

I did manage to get some 'me' time last night ... 4 hours and 4 layouts later ... wahoo! Still a bit of journalling to complete but am happy with the result (esp after such a long break from it).

Hope you all had great weekends, and managed some 'me' time too!

Enjoy your week

Snapshot Sunday ...

... on a Wednesday! LOL!

Yes we are coming to the silly time of year and I feel like I am being pulled 4 ways at once ... somehow I don't quite think that is going to work! Am craving some me time ... fingers crossed Saturday arvo or Sunday morning I can sneak a couple of hours to do some scrapping! I am having major withdrawals ... I have heaps of photos and supplies ... lots of ideas ... just missing the spare hour! Also hoping to start some other crafty projects ... lots of ideas for homemade gifts for Christmas ... and if I don't start soon they will be presents for next year! ;)

Right now onto the Snapshot for Sunday (on a Wednesday) with photos taken on Moday and Tuesday ... haha that has you confused!

... Monday we went out to my Aunty's farm to help feed the (big fat) lambs ... it is the last couple of days of feeding as they are now onto eating the grass ...

... Tuesday was sports day for the kids ... combined with 4 other schools in the area ...

... Mr Finn checking out the scenery as he is racing in the 60m sprint ...

... and my little Miss Emma sprinting past me to finish sceond in the final of the 40m sprint for 6 year old girls ... WAHOO! ...

Emma was so excited about her result that she had a permanent smile all afternoon!

Right now must dash, tea to cook, work to crack on with after that ... and then hopefully and early-ish night.

Enjoy your week :)

Hello? ...

... anyone out there?


Whew ... ok so nobody noticed I didn't post my usual Snapshot Sunday ... ? Maybe I might post a real late one tomorrow night if you're lucky!


The weekend just passed in a blur ... as do weekends when you are involved in the organising and running of the school fair! Our fair was on Sunday ... so needless to say I didn't actually have a weekend to do what you should be able to do at weekends ... oh well the next is only 4 sleeps away ... can you tell I am hanging out for it?!


So short and sweet here ... but I will try and get back tomorrow night with my Snapshot for Sunday, which will be on Wednesday, with a pic actually taken today being a Tuesday ... confused? LOL!

m :)

Snapshot Sunday ...

... just when I thought the year was already going quick, another week whizzes past in record time!
It just seems to be getting busier, but with kids back at school we have got back into our usual routine during the week which has been great.
Next weekend is our school fair, so will be very busy over the next week getting everything sorted for that.

Have had a great weekend, with a super sunny warm day yesterday (followed by a chilly one today ... typical!) so we made the most of it ... enjoying the kids sports, getting a bit of gardening done, then a bit of an outing south to Waihola to give the jetskis a run.

Onto the snapshot for this Sunday ... unfortunately didn't have the camera out so we have a pic from the previous week, and one of my favs ...

... Mr Finn wearing hubby's sunglasses ... he is growing up so fast ... a typical boy ... doesn't sit still for long, eats and eats and eats, and is so loud ... and I love him sooooo much! ...

So what did you get up to during the weekend?

Snapshot Sunday ...

... on a Monday again! This is becoming a bit of a habit ... hahahaha!

We just got home tonight after a sunny, relaxing weekend in Alexandra - just what we needed. The vege garden at my in-laws is now planted ... an annual tradition to do this at Labour weekend ... Finn taking control of the planting under the watchful eye of Gran.
I enjoyed lots of walking in the warm evenings, so nice to get out somewhere different rather than the usual walking circuit at home.

So busy was I relaxing that I didn't take any photos other than the next few on hubby's phone ... so snapshots for this Sunday (on a Monday, that really feels like a Sunday!) ...

... a stop on the way home at the Ettrick Store ... made famous by the current ad on tv for the Toyota Hilux ... you know the story about the guy driving up a volcano etc and picking up a crazy monkey who wants hokey pokey ice-cream ... so yes we had to stop for a hokey pokey ice-cream ... hahahaha ...

... the kids in the back seat of the car on the way home ... still wearing the All Black tatoo they wore for last nights game ...

... and a funny shot ... a snap of a speed camera ... and no it didn't take a pic of us ... we were well under the limit in a line of cars heading back towards Mosgiel/Dunedin ...

Final words today would have to be about that game last night ... whew thought I was going to have a heart attack in the second half ... was too close for my liking! But the boys did us proud and hung in there ... just! And I am pretty sure I heard a hugh collective sigh of relief at the end of the match. So stoked for the team, and so happy for New Zealand after many years of heartache ... but also loved seeing the sense of pride in the eyes of my kids that our team had done it. Finn in particular has lived and breathed the World Cup over the last six weeks ... he has memorised so many facts and figures from the guide books ... it has been great to see his enthusiaism. I wonder what he will read at bedtime now?

Enjoy the short week!

Snapshot Sunday ...

... on a Monday!



Sorry I didn't post this last night, was jumping up and down off the couch last night was sure my laptop would have been dropped if I had tried to blog - LOL!



Awesome game for the All Blacks last night, now can't wait for the final this coming weekend - let's get that cup back in our trophy cabinet!


Well just a short post tonight ... hubby, the kids and I all had a wonderful weekend in Queenstown. The weather didn't play ball til the day we left, but we still managed to get out and about and have lots of fun. I have just downloaded 330 photos - so there will be show and tell at a future date when I get a chance to sift through them and do a bit of editing!


But for my snapshot this Sunday on a Monday ...


... jump shots are everywhere - I had never tried to take a pic of me doing one, obviously because I am normally behind the camera. So when hubby was having a go at taking some photos at the weekend I asked him to snap some of me - and this is the best of the lot. Pretty fun pic - watch out for it on a layout soon! ;)

Enjoy the rest of your week - am looking forward to a couple of days off later in the week with the kids during their school holidays. Then a long weekend - and celebrating another All Black victory (positive thinking!).

m :)

Apologies ...

... there will be a delay to the posting of Snapshot Sunday this week ... I am finding it very difficult to sit still to blog tonight ... got to go now ... second half of a certain important rugby game is on! ;)

Snapshot Sunday ...

... a bit late tonight ... have been sitting on the edge of the couch holding my breath for the last 80 minutes ... whew the All Blacks keep progressing ... but was a very close game for most of it. Come on boys, you can do it - lift that trophy in 2 weeks time!

So anyway back to my snaps for this Sunday ...

... loving all the gorgeous flowers that are more reasonably priced at the moment ... gerbras are my fav, closely followed by tulips ...

... kids are loving the hype of the World Cup. On friday we went to the Backing Black afternoon in town, where the kids had a go at some of the games ...

I have had just enjoyed a very quiet weekend, hubby took kids up to Central where they are having a few nights with the Grandparents for the school holidays. So I found my scrap mojo and started and completed pages - wahoo! Made a slight dent in my growing pile of photos, hope to finish off a couple more pages in the next few nights. So here are a couple ...

... and this layout is for the latest challenge over at 'Challenge me Happy' ... love that little snowflake stamp from SU ...

Thanks for checking for my weekly update!

Snapshot Sunday ...

... hello again!
For this weeks snapshots I have decided to post some pics taken from last weekend ... due to my camera not seeing much action this week. This headcold finally seems to be clearing but definitely flattened me for the week ... a bit disappointing as I had quite a few bits and pieces that I wanted to get done. Oh well ... energy is returning now so hopefully this week I can get to work crossing off a few things on the 'to do' list.

Right now, for snapshots for this Sunday ...

... a field of daffodils on the side of SH1 south of Dunedin ...

... my not so little boy running through them ... (must search my photos as I have a funny feeling I have a similar pic from when he was about 3 yrs) ...

... a gift for my new niece Harriet who lives in Melbourne ... it's it cool how affective a doily, some twine and a liitle handmade tag can make a pressie look special ...

The above present has got my thinking about Christmas gifts. Yes I know it is still a while away ... but really it's not that long! I'm thinking of trying to create handmade presents this year ... a bit of sewing here ... some homemade fudge ... maybe a minialbum or two ... uummmmm? So are any of you thinking of creating any handmade presents too? And if so what are they?

Snapshot Sunday ...

.. don't get too close ... *ahh-choo* ... after surviving the last few hectic months I have been attacked by the dreaded headcold ... yuck! Thankfully have had the weekend to lie low and catch up on some much needed sleep, and just relax at the in-laws places in Alexandra. We headed there to help my mother-in-law celebrate her birthday and to see the annual celebrations for the Blossom Festival.

So here are the best pics of the weekend for this weeks Snapshot Sunday ...


... the winning float entered by the Stadium Tavern ... I voted for this one :) ...

... the gorgeous blossom on the peach tree at the in-laws ... can't wait for the fruit in summer ... yum yum ...

... went for a drive out to Clyde this morning and took some pics of the rows of blossom trees at an orchard along the way ...

... I love the scenery in Central Otago ... with each season change, the different colours surrounded by the tall mountains and beautiful lakes ... so lucky to have this beautiful part of the world as my 'playground'!

Have been scrapping ... check out the SBO blog ...

Right off for an early night with a box of tissues very handy for my stuffed up nose

Wishing you a healthy week with loads of vitamin C - LOL!

Snapshot Sunday ...

... just a quick post tonight.

The highlight of the week would have to be going along to tonight's Rugby World Cup game here in Dunedin. England v Georgia in the new stadium and boy was it fantastic! The atmosphere was great with all the English supporters in town, it wasn't very cold, easy access to facilities and two excited kids having a blast!

So here are some Snaps for this Sunday ...


... looking towards the North stand ...


... the warm-up ...

... Jonny the superstar (hehehe) ...

... the Dunedin City Pipe Band ... check out the mini drummer, very cute ...

I hope you are all enjoying the RWC at the moment!

Go the All Blacks!

Snapshot Sunday ...

... is here again, and over the past weekend the start of possibly the biggest sporting event New Zealand will host for some time. Yes the Rugby World Cup 2011 has began, much to the excitement of one young fella in this house! ;)

Mr Finn (aged 8 1/2 yrs) has loved the new ITM format this year - it meant he could go to bed every night and listen to the rugby on the radio as he fell asleep (except Mondays when there was no game). This term at school he is learning all about the history of the RWC and about all the countries competing. And now he gets to watch all this international rugby for the next 6 weeks - he is stoked! The poster from the official guide is blu-tacked to the wall by the tv and he rushes to update it after every game.

To give both kids a taste of the cup in person I took them along to the official welcome for the England team at the town hall. The kids loved it, seeing the players in person and the welcome and performances by local groups - and they sang the national anthem so proudly (they have been learning both maori and english versions at school). Afterwards we even managed to get up close to a few of the players as they were heading back to their team bus.

So here are my pics from Tuesday night as a highlight of our week for this Sunday Snapshot ...

... the England Team after being presented with their caps, looking very impressive indeed in their 3 piece suits ;) hehe ...

... the kids with Lewis Moody, the England captain ...

... and the incredible talent of previous RWC's Jonny Wilkinson ...

We have purchased tickets for the England v Georgia for next Sunday. Is going to be a fantastic atmosphere in our new Dunedin Stadium, might even venture into town prior to the game to get amongst the atmosphere.

So is anyone else venturing to a game over the next few weeks?

P.S. Mr Finn is collecting the Weet-bix All Black cards but is missing a few - we have 4 boxes to munch through before I will buy anymore - LOL! So if you have any spare cards to give away to a good home, please let me know - thanks!

Snapshot Sunday ...

... whew back to reality over the past few days, and winter ... well it felt like it! Snow dusting the hills on the first day of spring ... what's with that?!!!

So it feels like my short holiday was months ago ... rather than just being last weekend. And since I haven't had a chance to get the camera out over the last few days (would have been boring pics of laundry, tidying kids rooms, cleaning windows ... the usual spring cleaning tasks) so needless to say the pic this week is me reliving last weekend. LOL!

So Snapshot for this Sunday ...

... stunning at 30,000 feet over the Tasman Sea, about 3/4 way through the flight from Dunedin, NZ to Brisbane, Australia ...


Funny story about the flight over actually - well not so funny really. Hubby received a text mid morning on Thursday to say our flight had been delayed/rescheduled. The text was a bit casual so we thought our travel companions were playing a joke on us. But apparently not! Our plane had a technical issue and so it's arrival into Dunedin was delayed by about 13 hours. That was ok except our dpearture time was moved from 4.20pm Thursday to 5.50am Friday ... yes with a checkin 2 hours beforehand ... so the alarm was set for 2.45am!!!! Yes you read that right - the middle of the blimmin' night!!!!!! Oh well, we didn't really lose too much 'shopping' time on the Friday as we arrived into Brisbane at 8am, but it did make for a very long day ... think I was awake for almost 24 hours in the end that day!

On the scrappy front I am having a play with a collection pack from Scrapbook Outlet ... Bo Bunny Sweet Tooth - a girly pack ... lots of ideas ... a layout and minibook in progress ... stay tuned for sneak peeks later in the week.

Hope you all have a fantastic week :)

Some good news ...

... I'm going to be published in Scrapbooking Memories - yes an 'overseas' magazine! LOL!
Wahoo, so exciting, I haven't submitted any layouts for a couple of years but decided to give it a go again ... and what do you know one got selected!
No this isn't the layout below ... you know the rules ... I can't show the layout until after magazine comes out ... but this was another layout done at the same time using the same papers. The papers are from the fun funky manufacturer Bella Blvd, liking the look of their new collection releases ... now just have to wait til they hit the shores of New Zealand and then I'll be filling my 'online' shopping trolley!

The layout is of Finn watching all the motorsport action at the Teretonga racetrack in Invercargill in January - complete with his binoculars watching all the cars - a fun day out for my petrolhead almost 8 year old.

So the first day of spring here, and you wouldn't know it! A light dusting of snow onthe hills this morning ... *sigh* ... let's hope mother nature is kind to us this year and we have a decent summer ...

Night

Tag fun ...

... the other weekend when I was creating some layouts, and a card with the bigger scraps, I had a few little bits left over. So I whipped up these little tags (using luggage tags from the stationery shop), so easy and quick to make. I thnk I might create a whole bunch of these to go with birthday presents, and dare I say it for Christmas which is less than 4 months away ... *gasp* where the last 8 months go?!?!?!

Supplies: Luggage tags, paper and alphas by Bella Blvd, flowers by Prima and Kaisercraft, misc resin flower, misc doily, and divine twine.

How about trying some of these for yourselves?

Snapshot Sunday (3 days late) ...

... so did you miss me?

We arrived home late yesterday after a long weekend across the ditch in Brisbane, Australia. Oh how much I enjoyed wearing shorts and t-shirts for a few days ... a small reminder that summer will be here ... soon, but wish it would hurry up already - hahaha!

Was hubby's birthday on Saturday, and what a birthday present ... tickets to the Bledisloe Cup game. Pity the All Blacks had to let the party down with the loss to the Wallabies - let's just hope that we don't let the next piece of silverware slip through our fingers!

So needless to say here is my Snapshot for Sunday/last week ... once again with help of the hipstamatic app on hubby's phone ...

... SunCorp Stadium prior to the game on Saturday night, with a record crowd of 51,858 other rugby fans ...



Call back in tomorrow and I will have some creations to show ;)

Weekend creations ...

... so over the weekend I created 4 layouts ... with a few scraps of paper leftover I decided that for every layout I made I would follow it with a card ... a good way to replenish the card reserves for those unexpected times when I require one.

So the papers I was playing with would be ... Bella Blvd! Now of all the scrapping manufacturers ... Bella Blvd is the favourite ... and I'm not just saying that.

So here are my cards ... quick and simple to create, but the bold patterns and designs are perfect for this style ...

... 'Have a blast' ... uses papers from the Mr Boy Collection, Alphas from Happy Sunny Skies & Sophisicates Collections ...


... 'Happy Birthday' ... uses Sophisticates Collection (alphas and papers) ...


... 'Thank You' ... using paper from the Family Dynamix Collection, stickers from Sophisiciates Collection ...

Right off to drag out the suitcase ... have a trip planned for the weekend ... a long weekend ... one that involves my passport ... yippee!