LET ME PAINT A PICTURE FOR YOU...

a dog, two little girls and one flustered mother after a trip to the vets. Mother decides that on the way home she will stop at 7-Eleven to buy some bread and milk. She parks right out the front, leaves the kids and dog in the car while she quickly ducks in...she guesses she will only be a minute or two. The mother grabs the bread and milk and heads over to the counter to pay only to find that there is a queue. In total she is probably only in the store for less than five minutes. She returns to the car, finding nothing abnormal, and heads home to make lunch for the kids. The kids decide to eat their sandwiches and yoghurt out in the sunshine while the mother sits down for a much needed caffeine fix. The littlest of the two girls comes in wanting to wipe yoghurt off her face and the mother notices something different about her fringe. To end a long story short, whilst the mother had been in the store buying bread and milk the two little girls had undone their seatbelts climbed over into the front seat, grabbed some scissors from the glove box, returned to the back seat and gave each other a haircut. The mother is unsure of whether to laugh or cry and all she can think is thank god we had the professional photos taken last weekend!

I will have to take some photos later to show you the evidence.

DYLAN HARTUNG FUNDRAISER & OTHER NEWS

Wow!!! What a fantastic day I had on Saturday. I take my hat off to Jody White who did an amazing job of organising the event and who even managed to reach her goal of raising $10,000. It was great to catch up with the Scrap Pile girls (old friends and new) and although I only managed to complete two LO's in the seven hours I was there, it was well worth it. Dylan's dad was there and just hearing him speak about his adorable little boy, brought tears to my eyes. It also made me realise just how 'normal' a family they are and that none of us are immune to something like this happening in our families. Although the day was a huge success, the money raised only helps for so long, and still more money is needed. Please go and check out Jody's blog and if there is anything that you can do to help, just let her know.

In other news...we had a pretty full on weekend just gone. Isn't it always the way? You have nothing on for ages and then all of a sudden you need to be in a million different places at once. After driving down to Frankston North on Saturday I then had to come back to Coburg to pick the girls up from Mum and Dad's, come home and quickly get changed and then head out to a 21st in Wallan. Talk about driving half way around the world.

Yesterday I managed to recuperate, even with four kids in the house LOL I was looking after Jess' two boys yesterday and they were perfect ALL day. Ethan is the same age as Caitlin so the two of them headed outside and other than asking for lunch and a drink, we never saw them. Angus was happy to just plod around and then when he looked a little tired I set up the port-a-cot, put him down and didn't hear another thing for almost 2 and a half hours! Jess those gorgeous boys of yours are welcome here any time!

I can't believe that Paperific is here already...Where have the last eight weeks gone? If anyone is planning on heading in to Paperific this coming weekend I will be working at the Scrapanalia stand all three days so make sure you come by and say hello and have a look at all the yummy products that Jess will have there. There will also be some great 'surprises' so come and check it out.

Lastly, a big thankyou to everyone who left comments here, emailed me or phoned, to congratulate me on becoming a Lime Tart. I'm still pinching myself and looking forward to my first kit arriving in the next couple of days. Wait till you see it, it is just divine! As soon as I have had a play I will post a few sneak peaks and then you can head over to the November gallery and check out what my fellow talented 'Tarts' have created.

Hope everyone has a great week!

I'M A TART...

a Lime Tart to be exact! I can finally share my secret, not that I have been busting to at all LOL! I am so thrilled and excited to be part of this Design Team and I am in great company too, with the other Tarts being Lee Woodside, Mel Nunn and Marieke Broekman. Although I was unlucky not to win a spot in Wendy Redshaw Bruhns extra class at Kiwi Scraps, I was lucky enough to be able to see the Lime Tart kits the girls got to use in the class. They were divine, to say the least, and I have been stalking the Lime Tart website ever since. I am so looking forward to getting my hands on these kits every month and can't thank Philippa enough for giving me the wonderful opportunity. So don't forget to go and have a look-see (if you already haven't) and stay tuned for the upcoming November kit gallery.

HOW CUTE ...

is this little man? This is my gorgeous nephew Ethan, who at just 4 months old, is already a lady's man.

SHHHHH....

I have a secret that I should be able to tell you by this afternoon...

and before you all start emailing me, it's a scrap related secret so NO I am no pregnant

A FEW TOOT'S TO SEND OUT

for some great friends who have some great things happening in their lives...

Kass - who is in hot demand for part-time work after treading the pavement for a few months. All your hard work has paid off. And a big well done on getting through your first year of Uni.

Trina - my dearest JAFFA pal who has had her beautiful work recognised and been given an Elite Team position with the NZ mag Up 2 Scrap.

Katie - this wonderfully talented photographer has had the spotlight shined on her in the latest SC mag. Well deserved Katie.

Elizabeth - after several months of stress a 'sea change' is in order. Congratulations and good luck on your new journey.

I also want to send all my love and best wishes to the adorable Miss Wendy who had surgery on Monday afternoon. Always thinking of you Wend and wishing you and Dunc all the best for a speedy recovery.

Hope I haven't missed anyone.

Have a great weekend everyone and I hope there is great things happening in your lives too!

MMM...EYE CANDY

Been doing a little window shopping...Oohh how I love new release time! Here are a few of my fav's (hint hint Jess)

Crate Paper - I am just loving Crate at the moment. They are one of my all time fav's.

Cherry Arte - mmm more glorious chipboard

Prima - just a glimpse of the huge new range they have apparently brought out.

Chatterbox - this is for Kass, who loves Chatterbox

Ki Memories Stamps - Nothing more needs to be said other than "stamps".

Crate Avenue - most people that know me know that I have a thing for handbags so the thought of a scrapbooking company bringing out something like this is just bliss for me.

Art Warehouse - Just scroll down Danielle's blog to see all the new goodies. Gotta get me one of each of those swatch books.

Maya Road - I love chipboard and Maya Road have out done themselves this time. Check out the new chipboard books.

Pink Martini Designs - this is a great kit site and they have a newsletter that is worth signing uo for. They also accept submissions for OTP stuff to make into kits, so check it out.

Basic Grey - I don't think I am as obsessed with BG as much as I use to be but I have to say that I always love their Christmas range.

QUICK SHARE

I LOVE THESE GIRLS

Just a quick post to say a huge thankyou to Jaimie, Wendy, Jess, Coby and Kass for a wonderful afternoon on Sunday. Wish we could do it more often.

The adorable Miss Wendy & I
(with Kass as Psyclopse{sp})


The always funny gal Coby & I




The Boss Lady (and one of my bestes friends)
Jess aka Mrs Scrapanalia & I

Our special Guest the Norty Miss Jaimie &
I. God I can't wait till you're only an hours
plane ride away





Wendy's Angels

Jaimie, Wendy & I...I can't believe it has been
almost two years since we were last together

HELLOOOOOOOO OUT THERE

Its not that I have been neglecting my blog or even that I haven't had anything to say...its my bloody internet connection. For someone who has a laptop with wireless ADSL connection, it has taken six or seven minutes just for the page to load when I hit 'create new post'. Argh...I was told it would be fixed within 48 hours but here I am over a week later and still no fixo.

So what's news...I had all the BB girls over at my place last Sunday for our VIC get-together. We had such a blast. It was great to catch up with Liz, Melissa, Michelle, Sam, Stephanie, Sarah, Carolyn and Coby oh and of course Jess and Kass (although I am lucky enough to see them all the time) and of course I got to meet Ngarie and Ruey for the first time, which was an absolute pleasure. I'm looking forward to the next one already. Seeing everyone's albums was so inspiring and I definately took mental notes for some major scraplifting. I can't believe how much food we had and DH wasn't complaining when he got home to discover almost a full Bailey's Cheesecake in the fridge. I'm not sure who even brought it along with them but Andrew is in love with you whoever you are.

In other news I am still without my beloved DSLR. I desperately need to get my lens fixed but just haven't had the time to get over to Collingwood to drop it off and I can't tell you how many photo opportunities have come up in the last few weeks...note to self...must do this ASAP!

The renovations are still coming along even if they are a little slow but I do have some new walls. They definately make the new furniture look great. Speaking of new furniture, finally our new lounge suit is arriving tomorrow. I suppose I shouldn't say finally, as we were told we would have to wait 14 weeks because it is made overseas and they are delivering it 4 weeks early, but gosh it feels like forever ago that we ordered it.

WOW this post has definately gone on long enough...I'll come back at a later time and let you know what else is news. I've noticed that my counter is increasing with hits everyday, so don't be shy and drop in and say hello.

I have some BIG news too, so stayed tuned! I'm such a tease I know!

SOMETHING GOOD FOR SEPTEMBER 11TH

A very happy birthday to the gorgeous Katie Toland for yesterday.

While I know that it is nice to reflect on the events of five years ago, and hope to God it never happens again, it's also nice to have something to celebrate...so Katie, I hope you had a wonderful day and that your three boys spoilt you rotten.

TAGGED

I've been tagged by Libby (Liz), so here goes;

Which famous person would you most like to learn that you are descended from?
I'd have to agree with Libby on this one and say the Queen. I can so see myself as Princess Angela, can't you?

Which famous person would you hate to learn that you are descended from?
President George Bush...now that would be embarrasing!

If you could be an ancestor to any living person who would it be and why?
I was going to say Ben Dark (from Getaway) but then continuing to have 'those' kinda thoughts about him would be soooo wrong, so I'll have to have a bit more of a think about this one.

If you could go back in time and meet any known ancestors of yours who would it be?
Probably my Great Grandmother on my dad's side. She owned and ran hotels and was apparently a bit of a tirrant when she wanted to be but she also sounds like an amazingly strong women, especially for her time.

So now I'll tag Jess (this means you will actually have to continue to update your blog Jess LOL)

BAD WIFE, BAD, BAD WIFE

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Andrew
Happy Birthday to you!

To my wonderful husband, thankyou for being the extrodinary man that you are. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think how lucky I am to have found you. Happy 30th Birthday Sweetheart.

BAD BLOGGER, BAD, BAD BLOGGER

After all the subtle hints (and that not so subtle ones) I have finally found some time to sit down and blog. Things have been absolutely chaotic since getting home from Kiwi Scraps. Andrew, the girls and I all came down with a shocking cold and while they all seemed to be responding to their antibiotics, I on the other hand was getting worse. So after my second visit to the doctors in a week I have now been told I have a mild case of pleurisy. I've got another lot of antibiotics to take ontop of the fist lot and have also been given a ventalin puffer and I am pleased to say that it seems to be working, so keep everything crossed for me that I am finally on the mend.

Anyways I suppose I should tell you all about Kiwi Scraps even though most of you will have already read everyone else's wonderful accounts. My weekend certainly started off with a bang after I arrived at Melbourne Airport to be told that they didn't have me listed as flying that day. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! I tried to explain to the lovely Amanda as calmly as I could that she had to get me to Sydney as I had Donna Downey at 11 o'clock...to cut a long story short $150 later I was back on the 8am flight and on my way to Sydney.

I absolutely loved every single one of my classes with Donna, Ali and Wendy but I have to say that my favourite class was "A Simple Life" with Cathy Z. While I have always loved her books and found them to be a great source of inspiration, actually being in the same room as her and hearing the words come out of her mouth was a wonderful experience.

The other amazing part of the weekend was of course catching up with old friends as well as meeting many new ones. I was rooming with Al Goldsboro and it was so great to see her again. I hadn't seen her since ISC GC 05. I also got to catch up with Charleigh Mims, Debbie Bray, Robyn Wilkinson and Kylie Tout who were also at ISC. There was of course Kass and Miss Wendy who I am lucky enough to live close by to and then there were a heap of online buddies that I got to meet for the very first time. Patti Valance, Gran Jan, Rubilicious, Lee Woodside and Libby (I'm sure there is more so please forgive me if I have left you out).

Saturday night I drove out to Kathryn's place (uplatette), stopping at a Scrap shop and the pizza store on the way. I had a really great night relaxing with some wonderful girls who were a heap of fun. Thanks Kathryn, Wendy, Kass, Karen, Sally (TOS), Belinda, Alison, Lynita and Nicole for a wonderful night.

Sunday my very own tour guide (aka Kass) guided me around the sights of Sydney. While I have been lucky enough to have travelled all over the world, this was my first time in Sydney and Kass made sure I got to see as much as possible. By the time we had to get on our flight home to Melbourne at 8.45pm (with every Melbournite's customary box of Krispy Kreme's) we were exhausted.

I do have some pics of the weekend , I just have to get around to loading them onto my laptop, so stayed tuned.

Well there you have it...one extremely long and rambling post!

ANAKIE FAIRY PARK

We decided to take the girls to the Fairy Park today and we had a blast. I took a heap of photos (which I will share tomorrow) but my fav would have to be this one. Cheeky little fella, isn't he?
Have a good one !
Ange xx

QUICK SHARE

Oopps! Forgot to share this with you. Just a simple LO I did on Sunday night. TFL

THANKYOU, THANKYOU, THANKYOU

to all of you that either sent me a card or gift, rang or sent me an email for my birthday yesterday. You all make a girl feel very special.

My adorable husband spoilt me rotten especially considering that I wasn't expecting a gift after him organising for me to go to Kiwi Scraps. He gave me the Rogue Traders CD (which I'm bopping away to as I type) and an iPod...YAY!

I also got some money (actually lots of it which is SOOOO good), the Oprah 20th Anniversary Boxed set (I know it's sad, I love Oprah) and some much needed new clothes, so I am over the whole turning 31 blah thingy and am happy that we celebrate birthdays.

Hope your all having a good day!

QUICK SUNDAY UPDATE

Just another lazy Sunday morning here...

Friday night I went to Don's crop and although it was less than a productive night as far as my scrapping was concerned (I only managed one very simple LO), I still had a really good night. I got to catch up with Kass, Jen Hen, Jess, Liz, Melissa and Sam and also got to meet Sam's friend Steph who was just lovely. Of course my bossom buddy Karen was with me and she got a lot more done than I did, that's for sure.

Yesterday I just bummed around at home with the girls, did some washing, vacuuming and all that other fun mundane stuff before my Mum came over. Dad had gone away for the weekend and seeing as Andrew was working till 8pm I thought we should have a mini Girls night in. I cooked some Spag Bol, fed us all and then bathed the kids and put them to bed. My girlfriend Sue gave me the whole complete five seasons of the Gilmore Girls on DVD (god bless friends who love corny shows as much as me) so Mum, Andrew and I spent some quality time with the couches.

This morning has been a pretty lazy one and we have all only just got out of our pj's. Andrew is taking me to the movies this afternoon to see The Lake House and then we will head back to my in-laws for a birthday dinner just for me.

Well that's my weekend, how was yours? Hope you all had a good one.

Ange xx

AS PROMISED...

BEEN A WHILE BETWEEN POSTS

so much so that I don't know where to begin.

Let's see...

On the kitchen front I now have tiles on the wall. WOW it makes such a difference. They just need some grout and then they are done.

Seems everyone around here has been sick lately. Andrew had most of last week off work with badly infected sinus and then Caitlin came down with the flu. Georgia and I seemed to soldier on thru it until yesterday when it finally hit me. I got me some Cold and Flu tablets yesterday and they seem to be doing the trick.

My gorgeous little nephew Ethan has had a rough time of it too lately and I'm sure my SIL Kirsty was beginning to wonder what she had gotten herself into. We ended up taking him into the RCH last week where he was diagnosed with reflux and given a prescription for Zantac (sp). It seemed to help for a few days and then he got a rash all over his body and his tiny little eyes were all swollen. Seems he may be allergic to the Zantac, so its down to the Mylanta now. He is doing much better and seems to be the content little boy that he was just a few weeks ago.

YAY! I finally scrapped last night (and shh today as well). It seems like forever since I had done anything and I can proudly say that I managed to churn out 5 LO's. The bad side to this is that I am going to a crop on Friday night and am now wondering exactly what I am going to do?

Ohh, ohh, ohh! I can't believe I forgot to mention this. My wonderfully gorgeous husband Andrew has decided to send me to Kiwi Scraps for my birthday. I am SOOOOOO excited and am counting down the days. It did mean that I had to reschedule my photo shoot with the gorgeous and talented Katie Toland but being a fellow scrapbooker, she totally understood. Thanks Katie.

So I fly into Sydney at 9am Friday morning and my first class with Donna Downey is at 11am and then Wendy Redhaw-Bruhns' Canvas class at 1.30pm. The rest of the afternoon is mine. Saturday I have Cathy Zielske's A Simple Life class at 3.45pm, so a nice big sleep in is on the cards. Saturday night a few of us are heading to Kathryn Sloan's place so I will finally get to met her after hearing such wonderful stories from Kass and Wendy. I managed to get on the same flight home as Kass on the Sunday and we don't fly out until 8.45pm so we have that whole day to with as we please. I've never been to Sydney before so Kass has volunteered to be my tour guide (she just doesn't know it yet). I have also been asked to participate in three albums that are being made for the international tutors, and while the pressure is enormous I feel very privileged as well. There is something I ma forgetting, I'm sure of it.....Oh I know. I so have to thank Al (most of you will know her as ScrapperAL) for giving me a bed for the two nights I will be in Sydney. Booking so late I thought there would be now way I would find a roomy, but Al came to my rescue.

So I think I have waffled enough, I just can't help getting excited whenever I think about Kiwi Scraps. I promise to not talk about it all the time and drive you all nuts. Later on tonight I will upload some of the LO's that I have done in the last 24 hours and I will also have to take an updated pic of the kitchen.

Till then...

Ange xx