a sunny sunday...and a rainy monday...

Well talk about a change in weather...yesterday was so lovely...another day of about 30C...We had pancakes for breakfast...E made up a game after watching Lunar Jim...she amazes me sometimes with what she comes up with...all her own idea and doing!Morganne played....not great photos...I have trouble photographing babies!and we headed to the park for a play and a quick BBQ lunch with some friends...and I took a lot of bad photos...these are the OK ones...not that this pair stopped still for very long! And later on Morganne had a snooze in her swing....Then today it was 18C and very wet...I did not enjoy struggling in the car park at swimming with a pram and baby and child on a very wet windy morning...but we survived...

Then this afternoon E played in the puddles while Morganne was asleep, and ran around and around...and I took some decent photos for a change that required no editing...yay! I love the total enjoyment she gets from such simple things! Then she had a big bubble bath!


Mum came for lunch today as did our friend Diana. Mum and I had to go and pick up a vehicle that was being serviced so Diana looked after the girls...Evangeline and her have a lovely time together when she comes...Diana's kids are in their twenties so I think she enjoys having little ones around again!

Evangeline is off on her first school excursion tomorrow...and I am not going...so no photos...how will I cope...lol...I think the weather is supposed to be better...

And two sleeps until Ben is home - hope you are having a good week so far - Lissy

chilled out parenting...and a chilled out saturday

I read an article about being a relaxed parent...and they mentioned a book called something like "chilled out parenting"...the gist of it all was slowing down and enjoying being a parent...and spending time with your kids...

When Ben was home last we started family time...from 3pm until bed time...time for us to do stuff together as a family as well as cook tea, give the kids a bath and get them to bed...and I think this is a good thing...we have plenty of time when Evangeline is at school to get our stuff done so surely we can give time to her and Morganne (and the dog!)...a few hours each day...when we focus on them...and we actually play with them...and it does mean things are more relaxed as there is less we are trying to do...and it means we share the parenting load...someone does tea while someone baths the kids...

When Ben is away I do it all by myself but I really appreciate the help when he is home...little things make a big difference...especially since he is gone 5 - 6 weeks. He gets home late next week...yay! It has been a long 5 weeks so far! One week to go...When he is away I try to do less so just the essentials get done as I get very tired...especially if we have a few bad nights...Ben is doing shifts on the boat too of about 6 hours I think...

So we will hopefully keep family time happening when Ben gets home and try and do a few things like go down to the park to play, take the dog and baby for walks (now the weather is a more pleasant 30 C most days!) and so on...One thing is for sure he will notice a huge change in Morganne after 6 weeks!

So today we have done not much...just hanging about the house...and I have spent time with Evangeline and Morganne...
They have had fun together today...I love this photo of them laughing at each other!
and mum came over for lunch...and that is about it...E made up some songs tonight so we had a little performance before bedtime!And E is counting the sleeps until daddy is home! Me too...5 to go! I have done no scrap booking...but some cleaning up in my scrap room...still working on the whole clearing out and re-arranging thing...so I have cleaned up my counter where I scrap...putting all the paper and bits away...and wishing I was at the retreat in Hyden getting some scrapping done...oh well! I hope to be teaching and scrapping again at the next one in October!

And YAY daylight saving is OVER!! YIPPEE...it just doesn't work here...it is too hot...when the temp is peaking at 5 or 6 pm in summer that is crazy...especially this summer when we have so many days over 35C ....so yippee the clocks go back an hour tonight...so I guess we will be up at 5 am tomorrow...more adjusting to do!

Did any of you turn off the lights for Earth Hour? I did...although I did have the TV on as the only show I watch all week is Doc Martin on ABC on saturday night...

Anyway hope you are having a good weekend! Lissy

art and other things....

I love both these artists....kind of black and white line drawings and collages with hints of colour...they are both very talented
swallowfield from Portland, Maine USA
pyglet whispers from Sydney, Australia
I have some work by both of them...I must get them up on the wall soon...You will have to click on the links to have a look...and find their etsy shops as I have no idea how to put any pics here...

I thought I should get on and get my Easter layouts done...so here is one...I had no plan here I just printed out some photos, decided I was going to use this pp as it seemed Easter like to me...and when else would I use it...so arranged the photos and then added some scraps of pp, title and journalling...and I am happy with the results...
It is not really wonky...I just photographed it wonky! I am finding that if I keep it all very simple on my pages I can get some scrapping done!
Anyway that is it for today - Lissy

tuesday...

There was no school today so Mum came over and we went off to do a few jobs including buying a chair for Morganne...a bumbo...they are such a great idea! E chose the pink one! E took this second photo...
It is made of real spongy foam stuff. I only put here in it for a short while now as she still flops her head around a bit but soon she will have more control. It is great as you can move it around the house and she can sit up and see what is going on....Morganne is also starting to laugh and has done a bit of rolling from side to side...it is amazing how quickly they develop and learn. She is 3 and a half months old now.

Evangeline has been dying to wear these matching PJs and finally we had a cooler night! And Morganne in her swing...she is such a happy little chubby baby!And we finally had a call from Ben as they have had phone reception again...it is raining a lot up there because of the latest cyclone...Now when E doesn't like what I have said she says Daddy is the boss....lol...anyway that is it from here - Lissy

more easter...

Easter Sunday....and the Easter Egg Hunt....I went out Saturday night and put the eggs and bunnies around the garden hoping nothing would eat them in the night...E wanted to check down the driveway and in the paddock to see if Easter Bunny had dropped any...she has put some egg and such away to share with Daddy when he gets home...chocolate really hypes her up so it will be rationed...
And a few more Easter Sunday pics...More layouts...this one is a scrap lift of sorts of a page Inner Beauty by Janelle Wind...I have had this lace paper for a while but couldn't get started on using it...so Janelle's page was great...though I put mine over top rather than under the photos... Then I scraplifted Jennifer Johner's page Baby Belly ...I wanted to try out using more bits and scraps on the page...
and one more layout I did...didn't quite turn out as I planned but it will do...
Today we are all tired and grumpy after too much chocolate and not a good night's sleep...both girls were awake several times last night which meant I was up nearly every hour or two...so not much has happened today! Lissy

easter so far....

All very quiet around here....not many plans for the Easter break...we usually go to the farm but not this year...I didn't really fancy packing up two kids, a cat, a dog and my mum and driving 5 hours....Anyway Mum came for lunch yesterday and we had some delicious salmon...Evangeline has been quite busy playing...I have been trying to get her into doing some Easter craft but she has been happy doing other stuff...here she is having a very serious conversation with Wendy while playing Bob the Builder...lol... Here is the Easter stuff she made at school...the bunny is made out of a wash cloth! Morganne is learning to sit up...she flops around a bit but can sit there for quite a while...she is also having slightly longer sleeps at night of 5 - 6 hours which is great! Not the best photo but it shows how she is sitting...And I have done some layouts...I figured it is a holiday so I would relax, leave all but essential washing and cleaning etc and create...and my layouts are pretty simple so are done quite quickly...I shall maybe do some more tonight or tomorrow...Ben is out at sea somewhere of the north west coast out of phone range so we haven't heard from him for a few days...Some friends (Pierre and the kids, Paige and Pearson)came over for a play this afternoon. And I have to play Easter Bunny later once E is in bed! She is watching "the Little Mermaid" at the moment then will be going to bed! Anyway hope you are having a Happy Easter so far - Lissy

my birthday and weekend...

OK so I turned 39 on Friday...and had a very nice day...I had a pedicure while Diana watched the kids...and then my sister and the boys came for lunch...Ike and Evangeline helped me make a birthday cake...chocolate bear shaped one! Then we went to mum's for tea...a delicious roast and then a very nice sponge with chocolate eggs on top...yummy...E helped me blow out the candles...Then the rest of the weekend...my sister and family came again on Saturday for lunch...Ace loves Morganne and sends a lot of time entertaining her....
then E had a little friend for a sleep over while her parents were at a wedding....they were very good really....Mum came over for lunch on Sunday and did some gardening with E while I slept...She has some little pots of seeds and stuff she is growing...Not a good pic I know but E and Morganne were watching TV together this morning...E never took any notice of the TV until she was two but I suppose since E is watching ABC kids then M is bound to notice it sooner...

This is Morganne looking at her new book in her swing tonight while I was cooking tea...she loves all the faces in it...Meanwhile E was writing a letter to Easter Bunny...And I managed to sort out my albums on the weekend...all into the same We R Memory Keepers red ring bound albums so I can have both 12x12 and 8.5x11 pages in the same albums...They are in albums according to the year of the photos but not in chronological order inside as I decided that would take too much time...maybe one day...I have 3 albums for 2006...my most prolific year....and going back I was pleasantly surprised as I liked most of my layouts...except maybe the 2004 ones when I fist started scrap booking...lol...but from then on I liked most of them! The ones I didn't were usually ones I had done for the LSS to promote products when I was working and teaching there...so kind of meaningless pages...I did start a page yesterday...but it is annoying me as I put a journalling sticker thing on it and it looks wrong and now I need to try and get it off....so I may finish it tomorrow...I have also have been clearing out a lot of scrapping stuff I no longer want...patterned paper and alphabets and embellishments...I am going to keep going through all my stuff until I have cleared a lot that I just will not use...

And here is Morganne fixating on her hand this morning!And that is it for now and I hope your week has started well...Lissy

three months old...

Morganne is three months old today. Photos by Sharon

We went to the child health nurse and she was weighed and measured. She is now 60.25cm long and weighs 7.16 kg ...so a chubby baby
She wears size 00 clothes
She loves her hands and swings her arms about batting at things in her play gym...and she has found her thumb (photo by Alli as i cant take decent baby pics!)She is very loud and vocal .... and is chatting away all the time
She can hold her head up quite well when on her tummy
She is very content and easy going baby except when she has wind or wants a feed...I love this photo as this is the smile she gives me when we "chat" when she is on my knee...She is too big for the bassinet and will now sleep in her cot. (photo by me..lol..)Morganne had her first night in her cot last night
And other news...I have started my birthday celebrations...lol...I met up with Alli at the Wild Fig for lunch today...it is a nice cafe on the coast....

and off to dance this afternoon...and this is E on the weekend being a super sleuth...and that is enough for today...more birthday celebrations tomorrow...I figure it is good to draw out your birthday over a few days! Lissy