not anymore! Yippee I’m packed for The Retreat – I don’t think I’m taking that much do you – although my desk has never looked so tidy and lonesome. Only 2 more sleeps for me and then its a weekend of scrapbooking, and fun with fabulous friends. Sounds almost amazingly to good to be true!
Tomorrow I have to bake (okay my wall oven is busted but I’m sure I can whip up muffins in my benchtop oven – they are actually quite yummy cooked in that because the top gets a wee crust) and I have to go to the supermarket and stock the cupboards for Leo and the kids so they dont tell me they starved and had to have takeaways for every meal! I have to keep it basic because Leo’s idea of cooking is peeling a massive pot of potatoes… thats it lol!

I have been surfing around for some different storage ideas and whats out there is just fabulous, some ideas are really doable – I say doable because honestly some very lucky people have scraprooms that the done over with the budget we have to do over the kitchen!
If you get the time check out this – Michelle sent it to me and I told Leo it looked easy and he has measured my bookcase that sits behind my scrap table – so maybe I will have this in the very close future : sticker storage.
But I just love these Ribbon Rings, I have oodles of ribbon but hardly any of it is on reels so the gorgeous little ribbon holders are no use to me. My ribbon is in glass jars all nicely muddled up.

In my travels on the WWW I find so many cool creative ideas but this one just ‘rocks’. Jess and I are going to head out to Riverton in the near future – it has the best rocks for this and have a go at making these.

And a great site for all you challenge junkies. One goal I set myself this year to journal more – check out The Journaler’s Junction for the neatest prompts and challenges and inspiration.

what to take on a scrap retreat is not as easy as I thought it would be! I want to take everything in case I forget something really important, and its not like I can pop home and get it! I’m guessing I will have a number of half done layouts done at camp and finish them when I get home. I do know that the March issue of Creating Keepsakes is coming with me – the article called Finish 5 Projects Today – get more pages and cards done with Easy Patterns – looks so cool this month. The concept is to create multiple projects with just a handful of supplies. Its probably very easy in theory – lol!
My niece has come for a visit. She lives in Perth Australia – my oldest sister having jumped the ditch nearly 10 years ago – check out his layout I did awhile back of her leaving – Tina is standing in front of her mother – and thats the last time I seen her…until she walked through the airport gate last night! OMG hasn’t she grown up!? Her and Ashleigh have been making plans since the laid eyes on each other. Donna’s 2 girls and Ashleigh were so close growing up, it was really difficult for Ash when Donna left. They have 2 weeks now to catch up. Mum I think was the most emotional – she last seen Tina 7 years ago! I don’t begrudge Donna leaving for a better life – but I just wished she had of gone somewhere a little closer. 10 years is far to long! Okay my sneaky peeks from a week or so back have been published in a fabulous online EZine put together by Scrapbook Outlet. It was a big thing for me when I was asked, no one had ever asked me to do that before so I’m talking major confidence boost and head swell – trust me I’m really hard to live with now – lol!AND finally tonight I’m the proud owner of this totally awesome book I just love how adventurous it is. This book has opened a whole new world for me I am a font lover from way back and a huge huge fan now of dingbats (thank you Mz Renfree - her fault – lol) so this book is just perfectly perfect in every way.

Thanks Trace for the totally neat wee “Funky Blog.
Now I have to admit I could never figure out how people seem to know that my blog had been updated – almost before I knew??!! I have the subscription doohickey but that has a few hours delay.
Anyhoo I was reading on the SE forum about Bloglines and you could have quite literally seen the lightbulb go on over my head. Now I have loaded all the blogs I read on regular basis onto it and you would think I invented it – man it rocks!! )
I can see this being a major time saver. So big thanks to Hannah for her random post that got me there

First things first – we popped all the names in a bowl and Brooke pulled out a piece of paper with the name Vicki on it – so Vicki I owe you!! ;o) but here are some flowers in the meantime, lol. Don’t forget to PIF and make someone else’s day.Its been an awful week here with a gastro bug laying the 2 males down low. Poor Josef was so upset he couldn’t participate in his school sports day. With all the news about the low water levels and the negative effect the dairy farmers are having on our environment we have banned drinking tap water here until we get a filter/purifier installed. Ive been buying water and its not a cheap option but since we have been drinking bottled water both Jess and I have noticed we don’t have queasy tummies anymore. Call me paranoid but we are just so sick of being sick! So if anyone else has a filter/purifier I’d love to know what you think of it and the ongoing costs if any.
On the scrapping front – its been pretty quiet – Ive been just to tired to scrap, to many sleepless nights make Julie a grumpy toad. So I was pretty pleased last night to find the energy and inspiration to whip up this layout of a Friday night challenge that was based on Ali Edwards use of patterned papers. Hands up those who like me have a teeny tiny issue with patterns? LOL its fun to be challenged and then really enjoy the process AND overcome that teeny tiny issue and discover patterns aren’t so darn scary after all.

Now Neen PIFed me this gorgeous notebook – how cool is that. So I will pick a name from my comment box of todays post and PIF someone – gotta love this piffing – lol!!
Neen also had the task of scrapping a layout for me in response to a draw at Jack Me Up in December. I emailed her a photo and she sent this back – it is stunning Neen!! Thank you so much.And to round out this post – I have a sneak peek – I have completed 2 layouts for an ezine and just love them – had to share – lolThank you all for the wonderful comments about my layouts – it is amazing to read them and it gives me those warm fuzzies that so many of you like what I do.

My take on the Jack being run over at Kiwi Jack Me Up – awesome challenge this. I really love the way this one turned out.
And a few more layouts to share. I have folder after folder of summers at Nokomai so I have trying to scrap at least one layout a week of what we get up to when we are at the crib. Because of the amount of photos I have, I’ve found Becky Higgins Sketch book a treasure trove of fabulous inspiration.
And these two layouts are the Friday Night Challenge and the Fortnightly Sketch Challenge from over at SE. I’m a mildly addicted challenge junkie don’t you think?

I’ve had a bit of fun playing with the template – all a learning curve – but fun! My blinkies don’t work anymore – but I will find them and reinsert them to their rightful places.

So A Quick Catch Up!!

This is my first layout that will ultimately make up my Book of Me.
I have always wanted to do one.

The month of January flew past for us, we had plenty to keep us well and truly busy.
Lots of BBQs, day trips and visiting friends and family and weekends in Nokomai helped make the summer holidays just zoom past.
A day trip to Dunedin to visit the amazing butterfly collection at the museum, and of course The Cadbury Factory. A picnic lunch in the Botanical Gardens – which are truly beautiful!
We took in a Rodeo – which Leo and I just loved but Josef totally surprised us by being upset at the calf roping – he didn’t like seeing the calves tossed to the ground. This from a boy who got stroppy in the video store because I wouldn’t let him hire a playstation game called “Kill All Humans” Jess enjoyed it for about an hour, and then read her book. Ash took the kids home with her so Leo and I could enjoy the rest of the show in peace.And then January turned into February and my son started Junior High. So far he loves it. He has a fabulous teacher who has had a deaf student before and is pretty clued up in dealing with that, which is a huge load of our minds because High School is a whole different ballgame to Primary.I hope you don’t mind the super fast catch up – lol – I have some layouts just itching to be put on paper but I hadn’t had a chance to get back to blogger all week.
So till next time…

well sort off )
I just checked my email to find an email from the lovely techies at Firefox to say my browser should be working as it should be – we think a Vista/Firefox glitch?? Me thinks a major Microsoft conspiracy!!!
Anyway I have busy afternoon ahead so I will pop back later and update the last month – A WHOLE MONTH!!!! Okay you will get highlights – lol, as its been a busy, busy month.

But OMG – I am posting again – yippee…

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

Took the 2 little ones tramping!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I get a gold star for effort! LOL. I made a few, kept them in spirit and didn’t make any this year – I plan to journal more though – I have been so slack in my journals!
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My daughter had a baby new years eve 2006
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.
5. What states/countries did you visit?
Canterbury – lol
6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

Better self confidence, new clothes in a smaller size, new church.
7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 1st – Brand new year and brand new granddaughter
October 10th – Oma and Opas 50th wedding anniversary – huge milestone
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting a new job
9. What was your biggest failure?
Failing to recognise the signs and falling back into the grip of depression.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Acute sinus troubles – drove me batty – lol!!
11. What was the best thing you bought?

The wee fake french antique looking window seat I have in my lounge – I love this seat!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Those in countries that are at war. The mind boggles trying to understand and the heart breaks thinking of the casualties.
14. Where did most of your money go?

My laptop, the carport and the section redevelopment.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

SENZ – I had never been to anything like this before so it was a wonderful experience for me.
16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Its Not Over – Daughtry
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? 
Happier
b) thinner or fatter? 
Fatter!!!!
c) richer or poorer?
Poorer – but thats only because we have doubled our savings plan for a while – need a new bathroom this year!!
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Take more time to listen to my inner self and stopped bottling feelings up, talked about things more.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Watching TV – such a time waster.
20. How did you spend Christmas?

With my parents and Leos parents for a long relaxing lunch
21. Did you fall in love in 2007?

I did – I discovered Daughtry – lol – a voice I can hear and I love listening to.
22. What was your favorite TV program?

NCIS
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope
24. What was the best book you read?
Slow Burn by Julie Garwood – loving her stuff at the moment
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Daughtry
26. What did you want and get?

A better relationship with Ashleigh. We have put all the past well and truly behind us and we have become great friends.
27. What did you want and not get?

The perfect job! ;o)
28. What was your favorite film of this year?

Pirates 3 and Transformers – lol
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Flipped over to the fast slide to 40 – hmmmm…. very quiet had tea here for family.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Oh dear???!!!
32. What kept you sane?

My husband )
33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I got a huge kick out of Captain Jack Sparrow.
34. What political issue stirred you the most?

John Keys has captured my attention. I’m not a terribly political person – NZ politics are pathetic – to many personal vendettas and not enough focus on real issues.
35. Who did you miss?
Miriam and Donna
36. Who was the best new person you met?
Brooke
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
Never take yourself for granted!