Hello 2010

2010...

new year...

new decade...

2010...

still can't get used to saying it! 

And if it's anything like last year, it will be over in the blink of an eye and I'll be trying to fathom 2011.....

Did you all have a magical Christmas and fun NY celebrations?  The best present many of us received is RAIN!!!  Oh my, such a relief......love that pitter-pattering on the iron roof, the whooshing through the downpipes refilling our tanks......and the green! - overnight our view turned from bare depressing brown to bright and brilliant emerald....a breath-taking sight that provides joy and optimism for a fantastic year.

A few pics from the Hackney family Chrissy:

Before....

After...

A new toy for the kids...

Another addition to the menagerie (Duffy the Kelpie - being loved by my adorable nephew Jake)...

A pre-santa-photo photo of the princesses....

Day spa...Sunnydale-style...

A visit to the infamous Green Valley Farm at Tingha...

Mia - free from training wheels at last...!

All alone for the first time in 10 days....waved goodbye to the last of our guests this morning....always a bit sad!  We are left with a fridge full of leftovers and three exhausted little girls who suddenly have only each other to play with (excuse me while I go break up another tiff....).

Holy heck....it's really bucketing down now!  A glorious noise!  Almost tempted to run out in it!

Yep....it's gonna be a good year....a really good year.

xxx

Speed scrapping & Mia's important day

I whipped up this page in under an hour today (incredibly speedy for me......)

...I like the circley bits.....simply scribbles on white cardstock, cut out.  And I added colour to my cardboard thickers with a quick swipe of inkpad.  Done!  When I showed Beth, she said she doesn't remember me taking the pictures....no wonder.....look how totally engrossed she is in that tomato sauce-covered dish!

Finally got around to scrapping our October happenings....close up.....

....and the whole layout.......

....it's fun to combine those odd leftover photos on the one double layout as a kind of 'monthly review'.  November is next on the list.

Ballet concert is in full swing.  Four performances down (since Tuesday!) and four more to go.  It all ends Sat night with the big presentation.  We will all be totally wiped out by the end of it.

Here are my two beauties in their makeup just before leaving the house....

....(remember my other beauty has switched from ballet to karate this year!!)  And here they are in costume ready to go.......

.....the production is Cinderella.....Mia is a Night Fairy who leads Cinderella home after the clock strikes 12.....Kate is one of the Townsfolk and is involved in two different scenes.

Mimi is dreadfully impressed to be in a tutu.....how cute are her golden wings and tiara?

A huge day for Mia today....following her ballet performance this morning, she arrived late to preschool for her final day EVER.....we brought along a plate of 'Reindeers' to share.....

......had icy poles outside in the shade, then the mums and dads chatted while watching the kids play happily....

.....a lovely way to spend an afternoon, delighting in the way my little girl has grown - not just in size, but in confidence and sense of self.  Was kind of a sad moment to say goodbye to preschool - but also exciting knowing that this little person has a big and happy future ahead.

Nite nite.
xxx.

Our hectic life

Life is simply crazy at this time of year, isn't it!

Here's some of what's been keeping us busy.......

Kate modelled for the life drawing class at the art gallery - a real test of her ability to keep still!  She held the final pose for nearly an hour....ouch!  It was so interesting to watch the artworks unfold - people are so talented.

Bethie earned her yellow belt in karate....she takes it all very seriously - this is definitely a girl with black belt in her sights......!

Mimi had her kindy orientation....so cute!  She insisted on going in full uniform....a shock to the system to see my little baby ready for big school.....

The last weekend of November (yes, that horrible blustery stinking hot one) we met up with my side of the family at Nambucca, which is kind of a halfway point for us, for a pre-Xmas Xmas.  Camping, pressies, food, beach....what more could one want?  Slightly more bearable temps would have been nicer, but in typical Budden tradition, fun was had by young and old.......

.....boogie boarding at the lovely sheltered Shelly Beach.....

This is my Granny....we were delighted to have her along too. Although not very mobile, and with an uncooperative hearing aid, she loved being surrounded by the grandkids and feeling the sand between her toes for the first time in 20 years! Gran turns 95 this January, pretty amazing huh.

The girls with their cousins Amarah and Jake.....played happily together all weekend!

Not much happening at the scrap desk, apart from my online class and some designing I'm doing for Totally Addicted to Sketch this month.  Hope to do some more pages soon.........but I can see life is going to get in the way!

Ballet concert rehearsals and performances will be happening almost every day this week, a Xmas get together with my Thai Cooking group on Sunday, and going to work in between......and I still haven't even got to the movies yet to see New Moon!

Come one and all...

Hey you!

Just this minute finished running an online class at the Scrapawhile forum.  Want to see?

The ladies are busily cutting, pasting and sewing as we speak!

The steps are here and are open to all and sundry to come and have a go whenever you get the urge.

There are still some kits available to purchase for $10 (see the Scrapawhile shop), or you can use your own stash.

If you do decide to play, please share your page with me!  Either upload to the gallery given in the tutorial, or just email it to me.  Pretty please?  It's the best part of the whole experience.....for me anyhow!

Have lots to catch up on, so I will post again soon.

Night night for now.

xxx

Free Online Class

Will you join me in a few weeks time for an online class I'm running?
I hope so!  I think you will really love it - and I always find them to be so much fun!

First, a couple of glimpses of the project......then the details......

WHEN: Saturday evening, December 5 @ 7.30pm (NSW time)

WHERE: Scrapawhile forum

WHAT: Bring on the Sunshine - a workshop all about injecting life into your pages with

handmade embellishments and lots of quirky little details

HOW MUCH:  It's free!

Find out how to join in here.

Hope I see you there!

P.S. To all worried friends and family who watched the news tonight.....the bushfires here are fairly close by in Gilgai (about 15 kms as the crow flies).  Crews and planes from all over have been fighting it, so far Tim has avoided being called out, but expects he will have to go out there tomorrow to relieve.

Happy List

Right now I'm loving:

1.  The Barnyard Buddies papers and stickers I got to play with for my guest DT spot....read my full review and how I created this page on the Scrapawhile blog.

2.  A day off work when Mimi and I get to do fun stuff like.....cook pikelets.....

3.  Thursday nights cos I get to watch my latest obsession......

4.  The handmade oatmeal soap I got at the Bellingen markets......mmmmm....so good!

5.  This little guy....

....Kate and I sewed our own version of him on the weekend out of the book "More Softies"......so many cute critters in there!

6. Kate's reply when I asked her if she had thought about her Christmas List yet....."the draft is in progress" she said to me.....god love 10 year olds!!!

7.  This movie......why hadn't I seen it before now???  Totally beautiful, heart felt and original.....you won't believe this one made me cry even more than The Notebook.  Still sobbing during the credits, had my shower....still sobbing.....cried myself to sleep.....no, it's OK, I LOVED IT!

Well, that's seven things making me happy right now.....how about you?

Chat soon xxx

What's happening...

First of all, I'm doing some Guest Designing this month for Scrapawhile.....playing with the extra-cute Barnyard Buddies range of products by Reminisce.  Have a fun challenge coming up as well as an online tutorial.  Keep an eye out!

Had my "Home" page published in Scrapbooking Memories last month (Vol 11 No 9).....I taught this class to my Gum Flat ladies a little while back.....love this layout!  One of my ladies had a layout published in the same issue......very exciting!  Yay Libet!

....actually, I still have one of these kits as a Class-in-a-Box if anyone wants it.....and heaps more "Little Guy" kits left as well (see last post).

This weekend was pretty much all about ballet.  Saturday Kate had exam practice with the pianist, and today was the big day in front of the examiner......my beautiful Grade 4 ballerina just before going in.....

....she came out smiling....relief!  Now the long wait for the results.....

I tidied my bedroom!  No more books and mags laying around everywhere, I have a huge box of old For Keeps and Scrapbook Creations mags to take to the library, even my jewellery box is neat and sorted......now just to get hubby to clean up his side.....!

Watched Slumdog Millionaire on DVD finally......love the way this tale was told.   Sad, scary, violent, tender, funny, sweet......I tell you, I am so grateful to be born in Australia.

Thanks for calling in........talk soon. xxx