Can I tell you a secret?

Shhhh... don't tell him I told you, but Mike just sat through the finale of "Project Runway" with me! te he. I know we're a bit behind America, and I already knew who won just from accidentally happening on an episode of The View one weekend on Austar. But yes, we have just had the finale. And Mike watched every bit of it.

Oh (cough cough) he said because he had nothing better to do, and it was a nice night to sit by the fire (cough cough) but I know better!!! I think he was getting into it. Time will tell as next Monday night the Australian version commences. I wonder if he will book a seat on the couch with me next Monday. Stay tuned.

Sharon has a new paper pack in at twolittlepixels at the moment called Sheer Joy and it just pops! Fabulous for bright summer layouts. Oh I wish we were in summer right now, it's way too cold and windy out there for my liking, I can hear the wind howling from here. But at least I get to play with some very cool colours.

And as I look at my faithful girl laying down by my feet right now, actually she's hogging the little blow heater I have in this room!! I'll share with you a page I did. This is her favourite toy which we call "woofer". I can say to her "go get woofer" and she'll retrieve it from anywhere in the yard it happens to be, she knows it by name. It squeaks a high pitched little squeak (actually that's how I get some of her ear up expressions for photographs!!) and it's her most prized possession, and when she carries it in her mouth more often than not the WOOF is the right way up, such a crack up!

Credits here.

That darn mouse!

I feel like I'm playing a role in "Mousical the Musical", this darn mouse is leading me on a merry chase. With two nights mouse-free I thought right, word had gotten out into the mouse kingdom that this was not a good place to be. No sight nor sound, no tell-tale signs. Then I walk into the laundry in the afternoon yesterday and mouse droppings!!!! In the middle of the floor. During broad daylight this time no less, with a cat in the house. Arrrrrgggghhhh!!!!

THIS IS WAR !

I sound all charged up don't I? But any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated. We fear this devious mouse (who is obviously the ringleader of the other poor suckers that met their dire ending) is far too slippery a character for even us to outwit.

Step son number 1 is coming for dinner tonight and possibly a sleepover. Now that he lives over the other side of Melbourne I thought we wouldn't see him as often, but I do believe we're seeing him more, which is a good thing. Gotta love how I've trained these kids. He has bought himself a motorbike to get around on. The other kids don't know that yet, that's a surprise tomorrow when he pulls up in their driveway. But he said to me last week, I'll come down on the motor bike so you can take pictures ... (then he added) to scrapbook !!! ROFLMAO. Is he trained well or what?

It's been a cruisy day today and quite frankly has felt like Sunday being that I had yesterday off. I finished another page for mum's book last night, utilising again some old slides but incorporating a current day picture. Hope you like it. Oh ... and if you read this and happen to know my brother, please don't ask him "where's puffin' billy?" In days gone by he would lift up his shirt, point to his belly button and say "there's puffin' billy" !! haha For overseas readers, Puffing Billy is an old steam train that takes tourists for rides in the Dandenongs.

Credits here.

Oh and as an aside, if you do know Trevor and are reading this blog, don't tell him about this book!

It's war !!!

The score is four for three, sounds like a cricket score doesn't it? Four mice caught in three nights. What is going on? Have they decided we have a nice house to move in to for the winter? And what's with Bo? Has the cat union called a stop work meeting that I haven't heard about? They're scarce during the day, I haven't seen one live one yet, only their demise in the morning in the mouse traps. Sorry if you are a mouse lover or animal liberationist, but ME + MICE = DON'T MIX ! Thank goodness Mike has a duty under his name of "mouse getter ridderer". Ick.

Now delving into my archives and once again finding some layouts I haven't shown. Creashens had an amazing paperpack which stunned us when she showed us, the colours and textures are just gorgeous. Pashmina Solids. Simply beautiful.

And I put one of the papers to good use here. I could see there was going to be a nice sky one evening so whipped up the road with the camera and took this across the paddocks.

Credits here.

I was just about to press 'publish post' but there was a big snore beside me. Molly is laying flat out at my feet and she's dreaming. I wonder what dogs dream about?

Tuesday night bliss

I've had Tuesday night bliss tonight. A lovely hour in the pool at my regular Tuesday night water aerobics, but it was fun and easy tonight as it was the last night before term holidays. One of the ladies is getting married soon so another lady had brought a fun glittery plastic tiara headpiece with netting attached and her bridesmaid wore a plastic shower cap complete with big flower in the front. It was quite fun watching them do their thing in the pool for an hour. One of those "had to be there" moments.

Then home and a nice hot shower and dinner ready for me, mmmm chicken stirfry, and then watching my favourite Tuesday night program on Nat Geo "Long Way Down" with Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman. Love love love this series.

And now a quick play on the 'puter before bed. Can an evening be any more perfect. Probably the best part was dinner being made for me!! te he

Operation Mouse is well underway, ick, one caught the first night so we thought we'd try again last night and ick, yet another. See I thought it wasn't a solo act, I figured there was an accomplice. Lets see what tonight will bring. One thing we have ascertained is that mice obviously like Kraft smoothy peanut butter!

I've been a bit slack in showing some recent layouts so I'll put a little gallery showing up now.

Using the lovely Faded Summer Kit by creashens.
Credits here.

Using the very inspired Rebecca's Art 2 paper pack by [ksharonkdesigns]. I thought I was going to struggle using these arty paper packs but they've been surprisingly fun to use. A real break out of the comfort zone.
Credits here.

And lastly using one of the Quick Albums, this one is the *shelley* quick album by [ksharonkdesigns]. Dress them up, dress them down, make them your own, they're a fabulous tool to use if you're stumped, if the creative mojo is not stopping at your fingertips, or if you just want to create a quick page.
Credits here.

All these pages are additions for my sister-in-law's album, but I can only take credit for the pictures in the drawing layout, the rest I sneakily have belong to my sister-in-law.

Now I think a cup of tea is in order and then bed. G'night.

Ick!

This weekend has had a few ick factors thrown this way.

First of all we have a mouse. I hate creepy crawlies of any persuasion, mice are definitely included. Although I haven't seen said mouse. I've just seen evidence of his or her comings and goings in the laundry room. All I'm wondering is how big and ferocious this mouse is seeings Bo has decided it is not worth her bother. Either that or it is very sneaky. Tonight "Operation Mouse" begins.

And my second ick moment was 6.30 this morning Molly decided to be sick. In the bedroom. Ewwwwwwwwwwwww! Up and cleaning and disinfecting at 6.30 in the morning on a Sunday no less is not my idea of a weekend. Poor poppet though, she looked thoroughly embarrassed, if it is at all possible for a dog to look that way.

Hey, I wonder if *SHE* ate the mouse in the middle of the night and it didn't agree with her? That's something I've only just thought of this minute. See and now that's moved me onto a third ick factor even thinking of that.

So fun and games for us this weekend. Ha! I say "us" very loosely, because it was me that cleaned up after both the mouse and Molly.

I went back to the slides and picked another couple for yet another page for mum's secret family history book. I really love how this has turned out, colourful and yet still with a vintage air about it, sympathetic to the era of the picture.

Credits here.

I actually shed a few tears when I finished up this page last night. When I looked at the pictures I could see how young mum and dad were and how much time has passed to bring us to 2008 and even though it's irrational to think I hadn't thought it before, because I had, but seeing these pictures really brought home to me how much of a void mum has in her life. See, completely irrational. I know they were together for 40-something years. I know that. But visualising it, looking at their young hopeful faces and now thinking of mum now, there's an awful lot of history between. And it made me really tearful thinking about all those years which are mere memories now.

So it's given me even more drive to get as many of these beautiful photos of our lives put together with stories forever, so both the pictures and the stories of our lives are never lost.

And with that I'll bid you goodnight.

Waiting...

Just waiting for Mike to get home, so we can have dinner. Quick, easy and delicious tonight, we're having breakfast for dinner! te he I love these types of nights, bacon, eggs, toast, grilled tomato and mushies. Doesn't it sound oh so yummy.

I've had a play with Sharon's new kit. One of my friends had puppies. Well ... *SHE* didn't have puppies, her dog had puppies, from memory there was about ten of them. Can you just imagine it, ten smoochy warm bundles of goodness like this. I was in puppy heaven when I went to visit and snapped this pic. Now this little bundle of joy is going to grow into a huge Hungarian Viszla when he grows up. But I love how his head looks abnormally big, it's just too cute.

When I see little puppies like this it makes me sad that I never got to see Molly as a pup. Mike got her when she was about a year old. I wonder if she had that grey streak on her nose and on her belly? I wonder what her parent dogs were, she's a black lab mixed with something, we know not what. I can't even imagine just how cute she would have been at the same age as this pupkins.

Now here is the best type of diet you could ever be on. Get your sugar fix with this sugared fruits kit by [ksharonkdesigns] which is what I used to create 'Puppy Love'. Click on the pic to take you to the store. And while you're at is visit Artistic Musings for a great freebie which matches this kit. For a limited time only.

I do feel the need for a bit of knitting coming on, and I think tonight will be the perfect night for it. Bacon, eggs, a comfy seat by the fireplace and knitting at hand. What could be a better way to spend the evening?

So so tired

My favourite time of the week has rocked around yet again, Friday night ... ahhhhh! I love my Friday nights.

I'm so tired I do believe it may just flash right past me though. I had a long long day yesterday. I had to take an early train to Melbourne which left at 6.15am which meant I had to leave about 5.45 to get to the train station. And I didn't walk back in the door here at home until 10pm. That was a huge day and I'm still feeling the effects of it now to the point of feeling dizzy sick.

So as I left work tonight my drive home lead me to my favourite butchers in town and I got some yummy looking chicken kievs for dinner and they are baking with all their garlicky goodness in the oven right now. I can't wait.

So again with the family album and I have this photo of my brother meeting the amazing Kostya Tszyu some years ago. Trevor absolutely loves this photo but the fact it was at a book signing the background was just rows and rows of books which he didn't like. Enter photoshop! I'm not going to show him this layout because it is going in the family book, I think he'll be really pleased with the outcome.

Credits here.

Love the weathered look I've put on the picture. Funny isn't it. When scrapbooking we take lovely new photographs and papers (well pixels of them anyway) and tear them, crumple them, bend them, to make them look old and worn for our bright and shiny albums of memories. The irony of that never fails to give me the giggles.

Now the smell of garlic is beckoning. Mmmmmm. G'night.