On the Ball

I know my trip to the States is exactly a year away but I can't help but getting excited about the prospect of purchasing my tickets in the new year. Hugh and I had a big conversation about how the money saving was going and how many weeks he can manage to be there with us. It was great! It was refreshing to see that we will definitely be able to manage the trip. My original date for leaving was the 15th of October and I've managed to talk him into the 26th of September. I'm working on the beginning of September but he says no more talk of leaving earlier right now ;) So we'll see. As it stands we will leave the 26th (obviously will know more once tickets are bought) and come back on January 5th. I'm soooooooo excited about going back and being able to show my girls where I lived. I haven't been back in 6 years but it will be 7 by the time I go. Hugh is going to meet us in November around the 19th and then we all fly back together. I'm sure it will be hard for him not having us around but he is hoping to get in more work while we are away to come maybe a week earlier. I'm just so relieved that everything is go. I was originally meant to go this year but that fell through so it's nice to know that everything will happen next year. Obviously some things still need to be sorted out like getting the tickets, making sure Hugh can get off for 8 weeks (even though he has the time we aren't sure they'll let him go that long) and hoping that Melissa can house sit. And yes, with it being a year away many many things can change but as it stands now, I can sooooooo see myself back home next year enjoying some fall weather and some awesome shopping and food!!!! ;)

Potty Mouth

So Lauryn has this thing for the word 'damnit' lol. Yes, I know where it comes from but she says it often. We just ignore her usually but lately it's getting a bit out of control lol. Like when I give her a kiss at night when she is all tucked up in bed, the words out of her mouth are 'move, damnit' lol. And then today while using chalk on the drive she said 'shit'. I can barely remember Kamryn saying bad words but it wasn't for long and never as often. So I'm not sure what to do in this instance. Ignoring her doesn't seem to be working, damnit ;)

And More Photos.....

Butterfly Creek

We finally managed to go!! We were meant to go last weekend but the weather was not good. So at the last minute, we packed up to go. It was a wonderful day yesterday and there were quite a few people there. We made decent time in too. I think it only took us like 50 minutes and it's out by the airport. So we decided to do the whole combo thing. Our entry covered the butterfly house, the small farm/petting zoo and train ride. First we went to see the much anticipated butterflies. As you walk through there are aquariums with fish, seahorses and a lizard. Lauryn loved that part and kept saying 'oh fish' and getting all excited. Going in to see the butterflies was cool! There were butterflies flying everywhere. Everywhere you looked there was a butterfly. Oh, I must mention the heat. It was very warm and humid in there! It was 30C (86F) and the humidity was 65%. And it was much smaller than we thought it was going to be so by the time we made our way around, I was sweating buckets lol. It didn't help that I had jeans on lol. But there were some amazing and beautiful butterflies to be seen. And Kamryn was ever so patient waiting and hoping that a butterfly would land on her. But it didn't happen. Hugh seemed to be the only one fortunate enough to have a butterfly land on his shoulder. One of the coolest parts of the butterfly enclousure was the nursery they had set up. It was awesome and it was good for Kamryn to see a butterfly cocoon. There was one butterfly that was virtually all the way out and you could see the green cocoons shaking just waiting for a butterfly to emerge. It was neat. And there were plates set around with fruit on them for them to eat.

Then we had a walk through the little animal farm. That was neat. There were piglets, lambs, calves, chicks, alpacas and a baby goat. Inside the little barn they had guinea pigs and rabbits. Kamryn got to hold a baby guinea pig. They are pretty cute. They also had baby rabbits but she sees them pretty regularly so wasn't over the moon with them. And Lauryn was beyond tired so she screamed and wailed everytime she got told off. Even for small things like 'put your foot down' lol. Next we had some lunch. We took our lunch. We weren't sure if you were allowed but we didn't want to pay to eat there. I have to say too that we didn't let the girls play on the playground. We wanted to do the train ride and get home so we didn't let them play. Kinda felt bad about it and it wasn't covered, so it was pretty warm. So we waited around for the train for 30 minutes. There were some very rude people there that day. We were going to leave Lauryn in the stroller (trying to get her to sleep) and ride and we had been waiting before anyone else showed up. Well as soon as the train driver arrived, people jumped on in front of us so Lauryn and I weren't able to go. Hugh was pretty pissed and almost left then because people are so damn rude. I seem to notice it more and more here. And after the train ride, we headed home. Neither of the girls slept and I have to say it was the longest trip home ever! We didn't get home until 4PM and put Lauryn to bed. She got up about 6 and was starving. Had a pancake before dinner. We had tacos for dinner which were a hit! Kamryn had 1 1/2 and Lauryn ate a full one with lots of extra cheese and meat lol. And then they were in bed by 7:30! What a day!!!!

Not a Creature Stirred

So it's 10AM and both of my girls are still sleeping! I woke with a fright at 9:30 wondering why no one was screaming, yelling or saying 'mommy'. So I told Hugh to run and check on Lauryn quickly as I was worried about what was going on. He came back and said she was fine. She must have gotten up and then went to sleep on the floor. So I got out of bed and then decided to wake Lauryn up at 10. I went in there and she didn't wake easily. She got up and gave me kisses and hugs and said 'fell, floor, hurt cheek'. LOL, so I'm assuming in all of that she means she fell on the floor and hurt her cheek lol. Who knows. But she was really tired, she probably would have slept for another hour! Kamryn didn't wake until 10:30 and I think she only woke up because she heard me in the kitchen making pancakes. She's been asking for pancakes all week so I decided to do them this morning with strawberries and blueberries. I did ask Hugh what he gave them last night for them to sleep so long lol. And do you think that could happen through the week when I really need them to sleep? Um, no.

Second Weigh In

Well the day has come! And my appointment was at 11 which I got in shortly there after and I didn't get out until noon! Ok, so I had to have that 6-monthly pap and a breast exam as well. So my weigh in went well. I lost another.............*are you ready for this*.................2.7kg (nearly 6lbs)! So I'm pretty happy! I've been walking on the beach for about 30 minutes for the last week and when I do my exercycle I've increased it by 5 more minutes. I'm even *tempted* to start running on the beach. TEMPTED though. I haven't convinced myself yet that no one will be watching or gawking at beached whale running up and down the beach lol. So two weeks for the next weigh in. I'm pretty happy with this week since I wasn't as good as I should be. Can't wait for the next appointment.

And now the pap. Since I had bad cells 6 months ago they recommend you go every 6 months until things are normal again. So today was the day. And apparently it's hard to find my cervix lol. I know I have one cause I had two kids lol. After many positions and different sized speculums, the exam was finally acheived while I was laying on my side. That's a new one for me! And she even used a condom! That was nice, right???? Sorry if this is all too much information! So next was the breast exam. I requested one simply because I have this pain in my left breast that is horrible. It's not constant nor is it consistent with my period or ovulation. So after a good feel, she could tell there was a thicker area on that side where I said it was hurting. Now I am being referred to have an ultrasound done for it. Which I'm fine with. Just to put my mind at ease over it but it does mean a 2 month wait since we will be using the public system. She did tell me a couple other things that I did not know. One was that women under the age of 40 have more dense breasts so there for it's near impossible to see anything with a mamogram. And second in women who get breast cancer under the age of 40, it tends to be more aggressive. All of which I wasn't aware. So it will be a while before I know something.

DTs, Bottle, Bubba and Bed

Ok, no DTs is not some sexually transmitted disease lol. As if I don't have enough on my plate, I am signing up for more! Some how I don't think Hugh working 54 hours a week and running kids here and there and taking care of home is enough.

DTs (design teams):
Among the numerous comps at SE forum that I have been entering, I've also been trying to keep up with the NZ Dare Blog. Also at SE I have a circle journal on the go and I have been participating in a card swap. Then Meg (yes, that woman!) goes and puts of a DT call for SE which ends the end of October. So of course I have to give this a go. The thing that stops me from entering some is the damn altered project part of the requirements. But I came up with an awesome idea for this one which I am completely happy about. Then reading Kelly's blog the other day, I see that Embellished has a comp on for Embellished Idol. So I figured I would give it a go. It's only 8 weeks with a new 'task' each week. So that kicked off this week. And then Lisa at Scrapbooking by Design (the one that hosted show your worst/best/first layout from the other day) also has a DT call out which ends mid-October. Again, one I would like to try for but there's that damn altered project again! I can't get away from it! So today I get another fabulous idea for a project so after kindy I was running all over getting photos. WHEW! What a day and it looks like I am going to be ultra busy! I might have to pull out of the card swap, Lynda, sorry.

Bottle:
Lauryn had her last drink at 1PM on Thursday lol. Really, she should attend meetings! So that was her last bottle and now she won't drink milk at all! I can scare her into having a few sips but then she says 'I done' and hands me the cup. I know Kamryn went through a stage where she stopped drinking milk after we took the bottle away. I just want her to come back to it. We are only changing her diaper like twice a day and I don't even have to do it first thing in the morning cause there is like no pee. I talked to Plunket and she said not to worry and a toddler isn't going to let themselves get dehydrated unless something else is going on but there isn't. She is acting fine. And no I don't think she gets enough calcium so I hope this milk dry spell doesn't last long. And she's just not drinking enough water to substitute, in my opinion. And she won't drink any juice either not even 3/4 diluted. Never has drank it. Oh well, I am going to cross my fingers that she comes back to milk.

Bubba:
We have always called our girls bubs or bubba. I used to think it was soooooo weird since it has to be a New Zealand thing but I definitely adapted it when I had Kamryn. My mom thinks it's odd since bubba sounds pretty redneck back home (re: Forrest Gump; Bubba Gump Shrimping Company lol). But lately Lauryn has been saying it which is sooooooo funny. Today leaving kindy she said to Kamryn 'stop, bubba'. Or she just walks around and says 'hey bubba'. Very funny!

Bed:
Ah, bed! I made an executive decision on Thursday night of last week. Yes, the same day we took the bottle away from Lauryn. I was putting her into a big bed. I figured she is probably old enough now and I got tired of the way the girls' bedroom was set up. So on Friday while Lauryn was at daycare, Kamryn and I changed the room around and took one side rail off of Lauryn's cot. This was a sad day for me. No longer a baby in need of her protective cot. And when Lauryn got home from daycare, she was pretty happy that she could climb on to her bed. And there was no looking back. She has slept fine in it. No falling out and no fits to get it. She's been great! She will climb into bed, hold the covers and then pull them as she 'scoochies' down to get comfortable. Fabulous! I don't think this could have gone any better, really. So many changes for my little girl. I just wonder what she will think about potty training this summer.....

Look at This.......

I was reading my baby blog today and read a post about Cindy Crawford's daughter posing in swimsuits. So I had a look. It wasn't until after I looked that I realized the post said 'Please note that the photos have made many readers uncomfortable, so please proceed with caution.' And they are right!!! I wasn't so shocked over the first one but the second and third are just wrong! And finally the fourth was fine too. But my mouth just dropped with the string bikini and the topless shot. Her daughter is only 5 and the topless one is definitely implying adult behavior in a sexual way! How sad! Now I know, to each their own but seriously! Are these swimsuits just too adorable to NOT let her daughter pose with them on??? Come on! Our girls don't wear bikinis and I surely haven't seen a string bikini for girls Kamryn's age before. Now, our girls do wear 2-piece bathing suits which is completely different to a bikini. To me a bikini's top is reflective of someone having breasts. When I see the triangle cuts on the tops, I just wonder why it's even like that. They don't have any breasts to put in them. We don't have anything that ties around here. They go completely around or clasp at the back or the neck. But I will keep my daughters out of these type of bikinis for a long time or as long as possible.

First Layout!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I'm doing this but heck it's for a package of goodies so I can't resist! Lisa has a draw that ends today (sorry, Hannah, only just found out about it) and all you have to do is show your worst/first/early layout. I've gone with my first. I started scrapping in June 2003. The main drive for me doing so was for Kamryn's 1st birthday. I wanted to start before she was born but didn't know how to begin. I dabbled a bit with this in the States in 1998-99 but nothing like it is now. Back then I did an 8.5x11 album and everyone seemed to be doing 12x12 but it also seemed WAY expensive.

So in June, I remember heading off to my beginner's class. I had been buying few bits here and there and knew I wanted to do Kamryn's first Easter pics. I went armed with my pics and some Fresh Cut's Easter eggs. And this is my layout. I was sooooooooo eager to get into it that I had to try a bit of everything; shapes, punches, deco scissors, raffia, pens, letter templates, ripping! I couldn't get enough! I really wanted to do more with my page. But I was extremely happy with this page. Estatic! I was hooked from then on even though I knew I would be. And of course as you get better over time, you look back and wonder about those 'beginner' layouts. I did redo this page. Well adding more pics and the appropriate journaling which turned out better but I won't ever destroy this one. This is my start. And I have to say, there are probably only about a handful that I really wonder 'what was I thinking' but for the most part I really like my pages. (And I sooooooooo can't stand shape templates! I don't think this should even be taught in a beginner class. I think they do it just to get you to purchase the cutter and templates. When I taught my beginners class I could never use the cutter or even encourage my students to buy one.) So here I am showing the 'then' and 'now'. Boy, I've come a LONG way!

***ETA: I meant to link back to Lisa's blog so have done it now.***

Cancer

Dale has breast cancer. I'm quite devestated by this news and have been upset about it even though I am trying not to be. She's been hanging out for 2 weeks waiting to hear the results and she was told this week. They are hopeful that they have caught it in time and that they will remove the lump in 4 weeks time. I really didn't think it would be cancer but when she told me tonight I had to ask again cause I wasn't sure I heard right. Then I just started crying. She says she is doing ok and feeling fine but she isn't sure how she will handle radiation. On the way home I tried not to think about it. But when I walked through the door, Hugh was up and I just let loose. I don't think I've ever had anyone this close to me heart-wise and friend-wise be diagnosed with cancer. So for now we are hanging out and I'm hoping I can take her mind off of things for at least the next 4 weeks.

Metal Page

(This post isn't to take away from the grommet one below. I just realized I finished this last night and wanted to get it up before I could no longer bother lol.)

Ok, so I finished another layout for the NZ Dare Blog. I'm finding it easier to complete these now that it's a 2 week thing. I just really don't get the time do get it done if it's one week not to mention all the other challenges or comps I'm in! So here's my page. I had fun with this one. There probably isn't enough metal on it to win but I think there is an adequate amount lol. I bought this sheet of metal from the Warehouse the other day that was just right. That's what's behind the main photo. Using scissors I was able to cut it and bend it and then ran wire through it. I think it looks awesome!!! I'm pretty happy with it and love the colors. It's not often I get to use orange but I love when I do.

No Grommets

Today we had an appointment with a doctor in regards to Lauryn's ears. Intially we figured she would need them put in since she's has 3 ear infections in 2 months and the last one wasn't cleared with antibiotics. But I have to say that since she has been off the antibiotic two weeks ago, she has been better. No snotty/runny nose and pretty happy. We have had the odd day where she has been a pain like Saturday. She still isn't sleeping straight through the night but again that could be habit now more than anything but I'm not going to let her suffer with her ear still being inflamed and red. Anyway, one look at her right ear and he said it was pretty gross with mucus and blood. But he then stuck this air syringe thing in her ear to see if the eardrum was working. And it was. He said her eardrum is functioning completely without any issues and that is what the concern is when considering grommets. He said most GPs will see the redness and mucus and right away think they need to see someone about grommets but unless they have one of the air bulbs then they can't see for sure how or if it's working. So his suggestion was not to have a grommet put in. Her left ear is completely fine. I'm happy with this decision. Obviously if her eardrum was not working properly then we would get the grommet put in. He also had some questions for us about her speech and interest in things. That hasn't declined. At the end of the day, it was our decision to make. I feel it's unneccessary at this stage. He said he certainly wouldn't recommend grommets now since we are going into summer. Since she should be better through summer. He also mentioned there were a few things we could do to help her with the mucus and blood build up. One is to stop giving her a bottle. Which I was going to work on this summer anyway but now is a good time. And two, to take her for walks along the beach so she can inhale the salty air to help dry it up and clear it away. So we'll be doing this. When you live only 5 minutes from the beach, that should be simple enough. And another great thing is if we have any more issues and need to see him, we don't need another doctor's referral. We can just call and make an appointment for him to see her and reassess her again. And obviously if she is sick then we treat the symptoms as you would any illness and keep watching the ears. He also said grommets weaken the eardrum as well and if she would need another one, then it makes it even more weaker since they would need to put in a bigger one. I'm not one that turns a nose up to intervention or scares easily when it comes to things needing done for my children but I also don't 'overdue' things either. I don't like over giving them antibiotics if their little bodies can heal themselves. Nor do I feel the need to put a grommet in her ear yet since everything is fuctioning normally. So for now we will hold on tight and hope her wee body can fight this and hope that the changes we instill will help her to improve as well.

Job Interview

So my husband has a job interview at 5PM tonight. I'm sitting on pins and needles about it. This could be a big step in his career. He isn't quitting his current job and is only looking to do part time or casual work for this other company. It's a big step in that he will get to learn how to run a bigger printing press. Right now he runs a 4-color one and he's also ran 5- and 6-color ones before but never an 8-color. And that is what this job is. We are hoping he gets the chance to take on this job simply for the experience. There aren't many 8-colors in NZ and most people luck into the job because they already work for the company that has one so they just advance someone. Hugh doesn't have that opportunity at his current job to run this press. He knows there are 2/3 other people applying for the job as well. We are just hoping they don't have more experience than Hugh. He called me and I asked if he was nervous about his interview and he said he isn't thinking about it but he is thinking about how he will spend his first paycheck lol. And that's because I told him if he gets the job then his first paycheck can be all his to do with what he wants lol. He's wanting to buy a guitar so I'm hoping he really sells himself in that interview. An hour and seven minutes and counting..............

Acceptance All Around!

So I got this e-mail today that says................

LAYOUT ACCEPTED

Yes, another one of mine has been accepted for Up2Scrap. I'm rather excited! And this will be a first where I am published along with my wonderful friend, Hannah! Yep, that's right, she has one being published in the same issue! And no, sorry, I can't show you said layout, so keep a look out for the mag! I'm very happy with this layout too.

Hola!

(Before I start, Ann has sworn me to secrecy where the SE board is concerned but I didn't promise anything about my blog ;) )

Well after much mucking around and a change of dates, we were finally all back on for heading to Hola! on Saturday night with Ann and Mal. Since I had canceled earlier in the week they made plans to have dinner with their neighbor. So in the end it was 6 couples at Hola! It was nice. We had a table inside reserved but it was quite a nice night and they had the burners on outside so we decided to sit out. Besides I wasn't quite sure how rowdy Mal was going to be ;) But it was all good! We placed our orders and had some wonderful conversation. I don't think I've laughed so hard in a looooooooong time! Mal is such a crack up and I completely enjoyed the night. Diane was a wonderful addition too and she just jumped right in without flinching an eye. Trevor didn't say much but he got a lot of ribbing from Mal. He is just so funny and made the night, really. I wasn't too sure how the conversation would flow or if we would have some dull moments but we didn't. There wasn't one dull moment! And after 5 strawberry margaritas I was getting that 'alcohol headache' that ya get when you aren't used to drinking lol. But it was all good. Things are a bit fuzzy today but not too bad. And the food was awesome! Wee Ann couldn't handle the minimum amount of spice on hers and I think at one point she was nearly choking lol. OH and you all should see the sombrero that she got because it was her birthday lol. That was definitely worth the pic that Diane took that I wish I could get from her to show everyone! So we rolled in about 11:30. So it was a good night and they basically kicked us out but they had to be happy that we sat outside ;)

(See, Ann, that wasn't so bad.)

First Weigh In

Well today was one of my follow-up appointments with my weight nurse. This if the first time I have weighed since I started. I did fine with cutting my portions but still had a bit of trouble cutting some things out. But even so I did cut the quantity at which I ate them. I also only managed to get 3 days of exercise in (period and being sick hindered that). So with all of that, when she weighed me I lost 2kg (4.4lb)!!! And my goal was only 1kg a month with losing 5kg by January. She is being pretty lenient with me as well. There are many other things we can cut but we are taking this slow which I am more than happy about. So two weeks again until my next weight in. Crossing fingers I have a good 2 weeks!

Father's Day

These things always seem to sneak up on me lol. Yesterday the girls and I went out and got Hugh some new tees only a man could love lol. I told Kamryn she could make him a card. Once we were home and Lauryn was in bed she immediately remembered about the card. I wrote 'Happy Father's Day, Daddy' on it and she drew herself on the front and drew her and daddy on the inside kicking a soccer ball. Pretty cool for my sweetie girl. Then we made a dessert with sponge fingers, mandarins and custard (good fun for kids her age!). Once Lauryn was up, she went and hid her card in one of the drawers in her bed. Then later when Lauryn was down for the night, we wrapped up daddy's t-shirts. She said she wanted to hide it. So she hid it under her table. Not sure why she thought that was a good place but it was fine with me.

And the on to the big day, today! I got up with the girls and figured I would let Hugh sleep. Kamryn and Lauryn were content playing and Kamryn let me know that they would tell me when they were ready for breakfast lol. Well it wasn't long and Kamryn said she wanted to give daddy is present. So I reminded her to get her card and to go and say 'happy father's day, daddy' and she did! Hugh loved his card and got a bit teary over it. It's really really nice seeing Kamryn free-draw now. It's amazing really. After that it was eggs for the girls and omelettes for us. Yum!

And I have to say that Hugh has done a complete 360 from Wednesday night. (those that I have talked to know what I am talking about) He was helping with everything today and even helped me clean the outside windows (it was a gorgeous day!). It was just a really nice relaxing day at home with no rushing around or needing to be anywhere. Just perfect.

So My Brother's Getting Married.......

Can anyone guess when they are getting married????

Mom called me last week and told me that Shaun was getting married. Ok, figured it would happen eventually. Well then mom says they are getting married in May! What?!?!? I will be there in October next year and they can't wait 5 months? Mom just gives her speech of 'it's their wedding you can't say much'. Now I realize this but come on. Five months??! It's not like I was asking them to postpone it for 2 years lol. Obviously it's not important to him to have me there. I haven't posted on my blog cause I wasn't real sure the date was set.

I talked to mom again today and she said it was most definitely going to be in May. Because they are going to try for a baby in like Feb/Mar and didn't want to wait until late in the pregnancy to get married. Whatever. She may not get pregnant right away anyway. And they are having a small wedding so what does it matter if she is 9 months pregnant lol. This will be her second marriage and she already has a 5 year old daughter. I think they have known each other quite a long time but they've only been together like 2 years, I believe. So I appears that we will miss the wedding and will also miss the last opportunity for my girls to ever be in a wedding as well. Like I said, obviously we aren't important enough.

7 Pieces of Patter Paper - OH MY!

Well the NZ Dare Blog is at it again! This time the challenge is to use 7 pieces of pattern paper on one layout. When I read that, I thought "oh that shouldn't be too difficult". But I was wrong. Way wrong! I couldn't get my head around how to even get started. I knew the pictures I wanted to use so I hunted for the papers. I initially took a piece of white card and started to cover it with blocks of patterned paper lol. What a dork! I just couldn't figure out how to do this. So I finally decided on strips. I decided to show the white card (something I don't think I've ever done) and also thought I would dig out my deco scissors. Also I grabbed my Making Memories ledger paper and had Kamryn write her name. (She's getting very good at this and fast!) And this is the end result. One I am quite happy with and even happier that it these pictures were HUGELY important to me and I'm glad they are scrapped!