A few of my Favourite Things

Terri has set a blog challenge at SBC and the first topic is "A few of your favourite things"... the weather has not been good and I found it hard to try and photograph stuff so I had to take it outside...

My first thing of course is my newest toy.... my 400D I just love it and really want to learn how to use it properly.





I went shopping today and I decided to buy a Cappuccino which I have become addicted too... I have never been a coffee drinker but now love to have my daily fix...it is 1/4 strength, decaf, skinny with equal...its a mouthful to tell the girls that everytime!



So my favourite food would have to be roast lamb and roast potatoes, this is what is cooking in my oven now..... unfortunately NO potatoes for ME :(



Bubble Baths..... I love them and really miss having them on a regular basis due to the water restrictions!








My most valuable possession is my bracelet, it is the first piece of jewellery Andrew bought me when we were first going out.... it means the world to ME...





Most of you who know me also know I love yellow roses and reality TV.... I am the biggest fan of this sort of TV..... and of course Greys Anatomy.... I LOVE LOVE that show....Well I could just rave on and on about all my favourite things but Terri did say a FEW!
Went alright today with my food and just managed to have my 2 shakes, a banana, grapes and my coffee:) So doing well for my first day....

Back on track

Well today I have decided to get back on track with my diet... I have been so slack since Christmas and have gone back to bad habits of eating junk.... I cant seem to get enough of it!!!!
I have been lucky since starting Tony Ferguson last year that I did manage to lose something like 18kgs.... and have managed to keep it off.... lucky for all the physical work I do at work or I think I would have put it all back on the way I have been eating.
I do want to lose another 10kgs and maybe get back into a little exercise to tone up.... I cant stand my tuckshop arms!!!
So I am going to keep an update on here on how I am going and if I stray anytime this week as the first couple of weeks are SO hard..... The thing I will miss the most will be my bread.... I just LOVE bread and don't know how I am going to go without it. I will probably be having withdrawls by the end of the day..... But I have done it before and I am determined to do it again...
Will be back later with my "Blog Challenge"
Have a great day.

Cyber Crop

SBC had a Cyber Crop this weekend and I have been so busy working 7 days straight and thought I would not be able to get round to completing any.... but I did manage to complete 2 and a Challenge from Tam also...
Firstly was Carole's Challenge, which was to use red as the core colour and a touch of another colour.... I chose teal. I did get my inspiration from Lyndal... when I saw the papers she used I knew straight away that I had to have them. I have had a thing with teal for awhile and the red just looked awesome together...

This is a photo of Charlene and my 2 nieces having a great time at the Engagement party....
The next was Ang's Sketch Challenge.... always love a sketch as you have the majority of the work done for you. So here is my take on the sketch...

School photos I find so hard to do.... but using these BG Recess papers made it so much easier..
Now this Challenge was from Tam.... She created a layout and we had to create a layout taking elements from her layout... Others had done doodling like Tam's layout so stupid me thought.... what about sewing!!!! OMG what was I thinking!!! Anyway the layout is growning on me.... would like to change a few things especially the coloured photo to black and white instead but this is all I had at home and all I had to work with. I did think the challenge had to be done by tonight but they are fortnightly challenges... oh well its done now.

So what do you think????? Defintiely very different for ME I know... I did take her doodling and changed to to sewing and the title I used from a song.... as her layout is based on a CD....

Sorry Michelle I did not get round to completing your Challenge maybe next time I wont be working so much and will have more time. I think I did great to complete 3 layouts in 24 hours...
Hope you all had a great weekend...
Till next time.

Weekly Update

Well as I promised the other day, I would upload a couple of layouts I have been working on.... Well I managed to finish another double layout for Tamara's album. I want to at least complete one a week, but I just feel they are all looking the same! I am not comfortable with double layouts but double 8.5 x 11 is even harder as the photo size is getting to me. I only have 4 x 6 photos and you can only do so much with this size!!!
My other layout on ME, well that is just coming along at all..... I just cant seem to make up my mind with the title... so you will have to wait for that one.
Too many new shows to watch at the moment and not enough time to scrap!!! As most of you know I am a reality TV fan and am hooked on "Biggest Loser" and "So you think you can dance"..... But Greys Anatomy is back which I LOVE! I have started to watch 'Brothers and Sisters' 'Underbelly' 'Womans Murder Club' ' Sarah Conner Cronicles' ' Burn Notice' and tonight is 'Cashmere Mafia'.....So you see TV is playing a big role in my life right NOW!!! But I still make time to scrap....
SO I will leave you with this layout of my Mum and her grandchildren...
Goodnight....

Hillbilly Bash.....

My brother had a surprise 40th Birthday party on Saturday night and what an awesome night! The theme was a Hillbilly party with a real country theme, they had a live band, bucking bull, hay bails, moonshine and the perfect grub! It was so well organised and my brother was so shocked and surprised! He had been away with his wife for his 20th Wedding Anniversay. They stopped them on the way home from the airport and blind folded them both and said they had an anniversary surprise for them at home.... well they arrived home and when his blind fold was taken off the look of total awe, he was speechless he could not believe what his back yard had become with at least 100 family and friends to greet him a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" His family really wanted to give him this after his major battle last year..... we are all glad to see him reach this milestone!!!
I took 386 photos of the night, just snapping away with the camera.... Everyone was in character and gave some awesome poses!!! I was totally impresses with the effort everyone made with dressing up... This was my first fancy dress party and have never had so much fun..... it was a unreal night!

The Birthday BOY....

This is my gorgeous boy Jamie :) He enjoyed the night so much and even got up and made a speech :)

My mum and Jamie, I even dressed her up like "Granny May"

Check out my Hubby!!!

Well this is my clan in character thank goodness :)

This is my brother his fiance and my mum and niece Ashley....

My Sister in Law Rachel

This is a good friend Sharon... love her wig...

My niece Wendy who organised most of the whole night with a good friend... he was so funny and always in character.

The Boys playing the part....

And I did manage to get in a few photos.... this is my brother and ME

Than the riding of the Mechanical Bull... this is Andrew

My Brother cutting his cake, it was a farm yard on top...

And the photo of the night I just had to share... its a classic.... everyone was so impressed with this shot!

WOW I know there are heaps of photos but I could not decided which ones were my favourites!! I cant wait to scrap these photos....
Have a couple of layouts to share will upload them tomorrow...
Hope you all had a great weekend.

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines day to my gorgeous husband.... I told him NO presents this year that we will only buy each other a card. As I know full well that we love each other, we dont really need Valentines day to prove it!
But I will admit that I have always been a big fan of Valentines day and always wanted to be spoilt rotten, needed that person to show me they loved ME..... but I think I have done a big 360 and am the complete opposite .... maybe I have grown and am comfortable with my life..... I know my husband loves me and I love him completely and we would not change our life for anything :)
I hope all you girls have someone to share your day with and if you need to know you are loved than I hope they come through for YOU!...

The Engagement Party

I thought I would share with you a few of my favourite photos of the night, did take plenty of photos but managed to miss plenty too :(

Love this photo of Charlene and Jamie, unfortunately Matthew is missing

This is the only descent photo of Jamie, Andrew and I....

This is my favourite photo of Jamie with my friend Maria, this is the first time Jamie had met Maria and he took to her so well..... he was a pure gentleman all night.

This is ME with my beautiful Mum...

The happy couple cutting the cake..

These are my gorgeous nieces with Charlene, they are all the same age, best of friends and have all grown up together!

My brother and his wife were unable to make the night as they were away celebrating their 20th Wedding Anniversary but these are his beautiful children....

SBC Sketch Challenge.

SBC has a montlhy sketch challenge and I thought I would join in... This is my interpertation of the sketch.














Well I wont be able to do any scrapbooking this weekend as it is Charlene and Stephen's Engagement Party so I will be busy with that... and yah I have the weekend off...

Bargain Shopping

It was my day off today and I really needed to find a pair of shoes for my daughters engagement party this Saturday... As usual I leave everything to the last minute! I am NOT a shoe person at all, cannot seem to manage those stilettos.... I am a Colorado Girl and always wear flat shoes or a little heel or have had a wedge shoe or two.. Nothing too fancy for ME... I am not one that has 50 shoes in my cupboard... But today I enjoyed trying on different shoes and had so much fun.... I managed to go shopping with Nikki at the new DFO at Jindalee... was a bit hesitant about going as I have been to the DFO at the Airport and was far from impressed!!!! But I was very impressed with the shops there and managed to get myself heaps of bargains.... I tried on shoe after shoe and was persuaded with the prices..... I went to buy one pair of shoes but managed to pick myself up 3... and am very happy with my purchases. My 3 pairs of shoes cost me the price of my normal one pair... I couldn't resist to take a photo either LOL...

Black, brown and my first ever red pair....















And I wanted to mention a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to my Bestest Friend Nikki who finally submitted a layout to SM and got an acceptance..... Her work is amazing, beautiful, gorgeous and very inspirational and everyone will finally get to see.... and I know that if she does submit more she will get many more acceptances....Brendy xx

Love Love Love

This is a layout I created for my album of Andrew and I....

I love how this turned out, at first I was a bit hesitant to use the Queen and Co felt as I thought it would be too heavy..... but I LOVE it. And I love the MM papers too...




I also have had a layout sitting here for awhile trying to add something extra to but have tried everything but nothing is working so I thought I would leave it... SO this is it... what do you think?

Tamara's Layouts....

I have been busy creating the last few days.... trying to get my nieces Tamara's Album completed... I am loving the 8.5 x 11 size. I have created 4 double layouts and the front page of the album so far for her and am working on another double at the moment. The photos are not great at all and this is why I have had trouble getting in the swing of things with them. But these are her photos and she wants them scrapped, she does not care about the quality. So I have not worried about matching papers with the photos, been using up scraps and papers I have had.

This is the page for the front of her album....

This is a double of her friends going out partying.

This is her family photos at her birthday party..

Weekend

I had a nice quiet weekend, did not have to work as it was very slow. So plenty of time to myself to scrap :)
Scrapbooks Etc had a 30% off sale on Saturday and I went early to grab some more supplies, didn't really need anything but decided to buy heaps of paper. As I donated hundreds of sheets to Jamie's school last year. I also bought a 8.5 x 11 American Crafts black leather 3 ring album.... I love it... It fits in your hand better than the 12 x 12 ones... So I have decided to do an album on my husband and I.... next year we have been together 10 years and married for 5 so I am going to do this as the first 10 years album about US...
I have almost completed the first layout, just need to collect a couple of flowers and it is done.
I also decided to change my nieces 18th birthday album to a 8.5 x 11... I have only done a few layouts and thought I would just keep them now for my album and start all over again... So yesterday I was scrapping up a storm and had completed the front page 2 doubles and a double that is almost complete, need to go get one more piece of paper to finish it off.... I hope they have it... I have a feeling I bought the last 2 pieces on Saturday.
I feel so bad as my nephew turned 18 last week and it made me realise that Tamara will be 20 this year and I have still not completed her album! So I want to make sure it is done before her 20th Birthday in July....
So while I was busy scrapping, Andrew was glued to the TV watching the cricket and preparing a roast for dinner... lucky ME.
We had an early dinner so we were able to sit and watch the Biggest Loser season 3 which started last night. I love the show, I love that it changes these peoples lives and all 30 of them deseved to be there! And I am sure the commando looks even hotter this year....
I also did watch "So you think you can Dance" have never been into the dance reality shows but I LOVED it and cant wait for this to become one of my regular shows too.

Will scan my layouts this afternoon when I get home from work.... till than take care.