Quintessentially Me

My Little Man started school this week.  Wow!

He is so very ready, and had no anxiety about going.  He actually asked every other day throughout January, when the 'end of January' was.  He looks very cute in his uniform, and has taken it all in his stride.  He is even very happy to sit down and do his homework.  Which I might add...I totally enjoy.  This is what I know how to do!  It is so exciting watching your child be so eager to learn how to read.  It is all he wants to get from school ATM.

Just before School started My DH took a few days off work ( just after he returned from holidays ( lucky me) and stayed with the kids for 3 days while I went to my sisters and had some time to scrap, and be without children for a few days ( well, my children, she has two of her own!)  It was lovely....

I have just bought a binding machine, the cute little scrapbooking pink one!  I have a big one, but this one has more flexibility on where you punch the holes.  I love it, and have made several albums already ( all given away so far....) But I have gotten through quite a few pages of mine, titled "The Daily Grind"  Have a look.....                                            

Thats it so far.  It was fun!  Ran out of photos!!  Need to take more of daily stuff that has to be done around here.  On a slightly different note...Finally my DH has taken an interest in cameras.  I bought mine quite a while ago now, and love it,  But the megapixels leave a bit to be desired compared to cameras these days, and is only a 4.  I must say though, it has been a fabulous camera ( Panasonic FZ10 as close to an SLR as can be without being one) I have been really happy with the quality.  In saying all that though, DH actually has a very good understanding of photography and had a film SLR back in the day, but took no interest in taking photos when I got into scrapping.  Very annoying.  Now he is all interested in the new Canon that has just been released in the US.  While yes, it does mean I will have no idea how to take a general photo, after being the sole photographer in our family...it does however, mean he may take an interest in what I do, and give me material to work on! (I may even be in it for a change!)  He goes for another work trip to the US in April, so maybe around then, we will have a few more megapixels up our sleeves!

Well..I have been on an organising, sorting and decluttering mission throughout January, and man am I on fire.  I threw out everything I don't need or use, especially in the kitchen, linen closet, main WIR and kids wardrobes.  I just have the downstairs room to do.....and she's a doozie!  Not at all looking forward to that one.  It is a guest room/storage/ & remainder of when it was my scrapping room, room.....whoo hoo!  It will take some time, and make a huge mess in the process.  It will be nice when it is done though.  Then I just need to sell some baby stuff and a sofa bed futon lounge and all the stuff we don't need will be gone!!!  Looking forward to that!

Must go....TFL

Lydell x

Tell me it's over!

That pretty much says it all I believe.  Sounds a little anti Christmas I guess....We have just finished off Christmas in our emalgamated family.  Honestly...I have had a migraine since Christmas Eve.  It's January 2nd, and now we can get back to 'normal life'  I even took down the tree and got the christmas out of the house yesterday....moving on!  We had 3 BIG family Christmas get togethers.  Which was nice in theory, but each of these required food, christmas presents for at least 15 + people ( each party) and in one, motel stay.  There are several things I could have done to alleviate stress, but chose not to......

1.  'Purchase' presents for adults instead of dreaming up interesting things to hand create...May have needed to remorgage the house, but I wouldn't have had to sit for hours upon hours creating the night before EACH party.  This would have required more shopping though, and with 1 attempt to go shopping with two young children, under my belt, (vowing NEVER to undertake that particular endeavour again in my lifetime) I had already organised John to take a day off while I went shopping for the bulk of just 1 of these parties,  any more and he would have had to take holidays.  I came home slightly frazzled!  Not nice.

2.  NOT try to make special little nicities for the dinner table, to make Christmas a bit more special.  I made a Christmas tree cake, (which was cute, but needed to be done Christmas morning, which made us late, and added more stress to an already rushed morning) and cute little decorated star biscuits with each persons name piped on, which doubled as place seating thingies.  Very cute, but again just something else to get done!

3. NOT agree to a time Christmas morning which does not allow for a casual relaxed Christmas breakfast with my own immediate family.  This is one I regret most.  I want to start our own family traditions, not just race off here and there and not get our own time to celebrate Christmas.  11.30am at a destination more than an hour away ( as it turned out -1hr 20mins with 19 traffic lights.....trying to balance a melting towering Christmas tree cake piled high and held together with only wooden skewers on my lap....mmmm!)

4.  Suggest that all these family get togethers start a fortnight before Christmas, and finish a fortnight after christmas.  Create space between parties!!!

5.  Try to minimise travelling.  We spent 10 hours travelling in the car over less than a week.  For us...that is excessive! (especially being in a confined space with two kids that don't like travelling!)

6.  Start now for next Christmas!

In saying all that...It was lovely catching up with people we hadn't seen for a long time, even though at the final party we were on a farm which recorded the temperature out in direct sun at 50 degrees I believe.  EWWW.  It was extremely hot, but.... we got a motel in Loxton and it had VERY good air conditioning, so when we could retreat to our room for the night each day over the weekend, we were cold, instead of sweltering!

Here are some pics.....

An advent Calendar I made for the kids for the month of December.  It was a hit.  I got the idea from a family craft website and a link to an ETSY shop.  someone had made a calendar from toilet rolls.  Very cute!

Our Christmas cards for people who live away from us.  It included a letter about our year 2007.  I have tried to do this for years now, and never actually got to it.  They were sent AFTER christmas, as a holiday card, but they were sent!!!!

I made a coupon booklet for some couples (with kids mostly) for the couples to use to give each other 'space' or 'mental health time'!!! (well that is what we call it in my home!!)  I dreamt up all the things I like to occur in my house for me to get relief here and there.  'A coffee out with a friend', or 'a meal You did not cook', or ' put your feet up with coffee and a biscuit for half an hour -child free'  'Pizza and a movie tonight - when kids are in bed!"  There were 30 coupons in each booklet, and I got to use my perforating tool for the first time ever.  I like it a lot!!!  Made them look very professional!

                                                               That cake!           

And our family Christmas photo. One of the better ones!  Man, that was a mission!       

Well That's it.  Now I just want to do some creating!  Lots of new stuff to use,  Lots of fun ahead,  as long as the kids will allow it!!!

Till next time....

Lydell x