Nic tagged me

So that means I have to say 5 things about me or idiosyncrasies as Nic said.
So here they are:

1. I always wanted to learn to drive a big truck. Rob drove trucks for awhile and we owned one but at that time I had babies and had no time for truck lessons. So it never happened.

2. I love painting my toenails with nail polish in the summer. It makes me feel fun and lively.

3. I have old hands. If you notice my hands they look older than me. They have always been like that since I was young. Does this mean something?

4. I took karate lessons for about 3 years with James and Emma before we shifted to Port Waikato 3 1/2 years ago. I achieved my Brown belt in that time. I still have the skills that were honed into me at the classes and I often enjoy a little play sparring with the kids.

5. I was a hippy. I was a vegetarian, I wore hippy clothes, I burnt incense, I hung out at Cook St Market, I listened to Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix. Rob and I lived on the beach in Gisborne for a summer in the days when you were allowed to live on the beach for the summer. It was the best time in my life - not a worry in the world.

And I tag Ruth Ross and Corinne

Found this ...

Found the link to this website at Ngaire's blog. Design your own billboard, graffiti and lots more. She has other cool links and a cool blog too.

Rock Star INXS and other ramblings

My favourites last night - Deanna, Marty and Ty. Those people can sing can't they. It's my favourite programme at the mo. Well the only one I really look forward to.

Thanks to those people who have been leaving comments. I love reading them and then I try and visit those blogs and leave comments. It's great to meet new people (so to speak) and catch up with friends.

I finished my first page (yes only my first) for For Keeps Awards for Ex yesterday and started my second. I figure if I can do a page in a day that's five days it doesn't sound so bad. But do you think I can do a page in a day. NO. I usually have to leave it overnight and then come back in the morning with a fresh head. I think I might need glasses cause sometimes if I've been scrapping all day I get quite a bad headache - I don't know if that's from looking so closely all day or the concentration. So if I finish #2 today and #3 tomorrow then next weekend #4 & 5 I should be right, right. But unfortunately you can't plan anything in this household. We'll have to see.

Ooohhh and For Keeps Issue 34 is coming out soon with the first of my Design Team stuff in it. Can't wait to see it. I'm a bit nervous but excited too.

Spirit of New Zealand

I found pics of the sailing ship James is going on. Apparently it used to be called The Spirit of Adventure but it has been replaced by The Spirit of New Zealand. Looks incredible.

The best news

I am so multi tasking at the moment - feeding the animals, getting dinner and blogging. I'm so excited. I just got off the phone from lots of calls to relies about some great news we just got.
James was nominated for a position on The Spirit of Adventure sailing ship by my wonderful Aunt who thinks the world of him. There were 17 nominations and they drew names from a hat. His name came out 3rd so yesterday he was a reserve. Today the guy said they were adding 2 more voyages so he had won a position. Awesome. That is the best news. Everything is paid for. It will be such an opportunity for him and one he will never forget. I'm so happy for him.
Also, he's just been to Raglan the last 2 days in a surf comp and he got 3rd. Soo good. He is over the moon.

And my little toot. My Urban Lily page below was accepted for their guest Gallery.
What a great day.

One day old

Will you look at these darling little creatures. These are one day old chickens that came to school yesterday for children to raise for Calf Club Day. They had to order them. So here are 38 little warm bodies all huddled together waiting to go to their new homes. Help.

One more thing ....

Please say hi if you call in to my blog. Would love to see who actually does stop by.

Make Scents

I did it, I made my header. I managed to fumble my way through it somehow.
I took the photo today of these beautiful flowers we gave a teacher at school (work) for completing her teacher registration. And i've never liked my blog title either so I changed that too.

Was reading on Ali Edwards blog about taking a photo a day to record each day visually for a period of time. I thought I'd do it for a month (if I remember to do it each day). So my first photo is my work space at work. I know, thrilling aye. But it was just what I thought of right then. I promise they won't be so boring. I will challenge myself to look for interesting subjects like Elsie Flannigan's pile of washing. How does she make that look so cool. I think it's just her that's so cool and anything she does is cool.

I really want a photobar at the top of my blog but I don't know how to make the photobar in PSE or any other way for that matter. If some nice person reading my blog knows how could you tell me please.

Finished my ScrapCanvas sample (this is going to be a very cool class) and last weeks Ad Inspiration (not that keen of my layout but oh well). Can focus on my FK Awards for Excellence pages now. Scary.

I know ...

OK I googled and I know who gets eliminated. They (the US) are 2 weeks ahead of us. But it's all good.

Rock INXS Rocks

Jordis, JD, Suzie, the blonde guy, they so rock. I can't believe how good they are. I love that programme. Might Google & see who gets eliminated. I know, I'm such a killer.

Have a pic.

[This *pick* is a crack up] James liked it.

I've swapped days this week and have today off instead of next Monday. I have so much to do. The last page of 3 for FK to finish and post today. A beginners class to organise for tomorrow, a ScrapCanvas to make and an Ad inspiration page I'd like to complete. No, I can't do all that today. Maybe the first two.
I've neglected this Blog too. Where is UnkyMoods?? I have changed my music video. Love this song - Addicted to Bass by Puretone. Takes a bit to load up though - wait and listen, it's a cool song.
Here's a cool website from a thread on 2peas. My colour is Caribbean Sea. YUM. Playful, Smart, Romantic. :)
It's such a gloriously beautiful day today. Summer's on its way YAY!!

NZ Idol update.

Well, well, well. NZ finally saw the light and put Theresa into the top 10. I still think Lissel should have been in there too instead of someone else but oh well, she's great and she'll do well anyway. I wonder if she scrapbooks, she would be great. Very out there and individual.

And what's happened to Unkymoods. I'm missing my mood indicator. The site seems to have been down for days.

About Emma ...

Emma's netball team won their last game of the season and also won their grade. Awesome. They played so well and hard this year. They totally deserved it. Emma played GA most of the time and sometimes WA. She played so well and shot lots of great goals. I'm so proud of her.
BTW she just got a fantastic school report too. (BIG SMILES)

Try this ...

Just found this fun idea on someone's blog.

Its called the "yourname is" game. You need to do a Google Search putting in "yourname is" as the searchee. (So I would put in " Lianne is" in apostrophes) and then chose your ten favourites.
My ten favourites are:

Lianne is in her late twenties, she has auburn hair and an understated beauty

Lianne is definitely the Lara Croft of QB

Lianne is dynamite

Lianne is one of the most talented players of her age in the country

Lianne is magical

Lianne is the hostess with the mostest

Lianne is the essence of the girl next door

Lianne is a graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the Universityof Saskatchewan, and also holds a Bachelor of Science in biology

Lianne is self-motivated, at least in the areas of her passion

Lianne is an extremely creative individual and a superb musician


Bit of a laugh anyway.

It dosen't matter how old your children are ...

A wonderful lady writes an article for our school newsletter each week and I just had to share some of it. It really hit home for me. My guys are teenagers now and I hardly ever go in and say goodnight to them anymore cause I'm usually so busy at that time. They just put themselves to bed now. So I read this, and last night I tucked Emma in and we talked for a bit. It was good.

"It doesn't matter how old your children are; tucking them into bed or saying goodnight can be a real bonding time. It is usually a time when the child is relaxed and willing to share or talk about things.
I know on many occasions I have been in a rush to get the children in my care into bed. I just wanted them to lie down so that I could get on with my projects, tasks, or even possibly - get to bed myself. When I do that - those are wasted times for both me and the children.
My heart truly loves taking a few extra minutes with them at bedtime. I often will lie down next to them and cuddle. One of the children, a 9 year old, uses this time to ask me every question under the sun.
"Do you like red or purple better?"
"Do all planets have moons?"
“What was the nationality of the first person born?”
“If all the water dried up in the world, would we be one country?”

Things that I haven't even really taken the time to think through!
It's a great time to instil morals, values, and most of all too simply love the children. I like to hold them tightly, caress their faces and stroke their hair. For they will be older all too soon and their bedroom door will be closed to all. I pray that these times I take with them now - will keep that door open to me in the future.
Bedtime can be a really rushed time. It can be a time to usher the children out of our sight. (By the way, I have found the children don't settle down as well when I do this but instead - when I take time with them at night, they feel more secure and readily go off to sleep!)
You can choose to enjoy the bedtime ritual with your children. Even if they are teens, sit on the edge of their bed and talk softly with them for a few minutes. Hug them and let them know you love them.

This is a valuable time of day. Slow down and enjoy it. Take in the moment. It is too easily overlooked."

I can't believe it ...

It happened again tonight on NZ Idol, the best singer didn't make it to the Top 10. It's so wrong. Competitions suck sometimes. Tonight Theresa should have made it thru and last week Lissel should have made it thru. Thank goodness Nik and Jessie were picked. Here's hoping Theresa or Lissel get thru on the Wildcard.

Blah, blah, blah....

It's Monday again here in NZ - my day off work. I've done baking again - this time Afghans for the lunches. And hopefully I'm on a roll again with my scrapping. Just about finished one of 3 pages for an upcoming For Keeps issue, and I have finished a page for next Saturdays crop using new Urban Lily. Still have to take the dogs for a walk yet.

Fire

The fire alarm went off this morning and we looked out the back to see huge puffs of smoke coming from down the road a bit. It took ages for the brigade to be able to respond I guess because they didn't have enough members to attend. Engines came from town as well.
We went down to have a look and these poor people's house was just about gone. I saw the look on the woman's face and I'll never forget it. I keep seeing her face. She looked so lost and grieved. Those poor people.
What a sad thing to happen, to lose your house and all your special possessions. It happened to my Mum when she was a girl. They lost everything except the clothes they had on. So sad. I fear it happening to us.

I think I found my mojo

I thought I'd lost it or should I say I had lost it.
I could not put a page together but I think the problem was I was trying to scrap like other people instead of me. It's easy to really like what other people do and try and scrap like them but really you have your own style. I could not put it together. I even tried having a couple of drinks the other night and just putting whatever came into my head on the page - not a good look. Definitely don't scrap after a couple of drinks. Well it didn't work for me. So I decided to go back to how I scrap. And it worked (well I think so anyway - I was happy with the result) So from now on I'm scrapping my way not anyone elses and if people don't like it - oh well. But I will like it and I won't be stressed. So I came up with this layout of James using his sponsors' stickers and labels. I like using different bits and pieces on my layouts.

Today's ramblings

Jobs for the day other than the usual washing, dishes etc:
Bake a banana cake and cupcakes for the family's lunches. Done.
Take the dogs for a walk. Done.
While walking the dogs in the sand dunes, the light was good for taking photos so I practised my photography on some interesting objects. Man I wish I had a good digital camera. One day.
I came across this very cool blog today. What an inspiring person.
And I added a cool mood emoticon to my blog. Fun.
I spend so much time adding nic nacs I don't have enough time to update.
And I found this thread on 2peas very interesting today.