more layouts...

Here are the other layouts I did at the retreat...mostly keeping things simple and getting a few pages finished! The first one was from Gayle Smith's class...I missed the other classes...
And here is E on Sunday...she decided she would write down the numbers of her friends and family...and then rang a few of them...it is good she can now independently use the phone...Ben is hopefully arriving home today but we haven't heard yet...Lissy

i won...

I cannot believe I actually won something...Karen was raising money for the Leukaemia Foundation at the retreat so of course I bought some tickets...I didn't even look at the prizes as to me the cause was more than worth it...and I never win anything...and blow me down if I didn't win...such a generous prize too...thanks Karen...I wasn't there on Sunday so Sharon dropped it off for me today...Evangeline has already claimed the water colour pencils as she has been wanting some but I managed to keep the rest of the stuff...lol...And she got started using them straight away...
Here are some of the layouts I created while at the retreat...as usual I have not managed to photograph them very well...some of these photos I have printed for the last retreat in October so it was good to get them done...plenty more to go...I will share the rest later...
I hope your week has started well...I have been cleaning and sorting my scrap room as promised - Lissy

run for Charlotte...

If you live in Melbourne you may want to join in...This 5.6 km-run is called 'Run for the Kids' around the beautiful Botanical Garden to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital...

If you live else where you may want to donate for CharlotteChris and Raph are running to try and raise $1000...so every few dollars counts...Lissy

itching...

I am itching to do some more scrapping today....but I promised my self that before I unpacked from the retreat I would do some sorting and clearing out of my scrap stuff...clear off my work counter and reorganise my supplies...and get rid of some of it too...

Then I have a few projects I want to get onto...I am making a Pirate birthday album for Evangeline's 5th party...and I want to make her a big sister album too...

And my main project at the moment is for my friends' Chris and Raphael...I am going to make them an album for their photos of beautiful baby Charlotte...as I know the photos they have will be treasured memories off her short life...and to me recording the memories is what scrapping is all about...
I am hoping Ben will get home tomorrow sometime...he said he should be on the chopper tomorrow morning so then get a flight home in the afternoon...

Evangeline goes into hospital on Thursday to have her adenoids out and grommets put in her ears...I know she will be fine and I will stay the night with her but it is stressful none the less...Lissy

retreat...

I am back from the retreat...I was only able to go for one day but had a great time and did some scrapping for myself too...here are the layouts for the two classes I taught...Get Around to It
Roughin' It
I will share the layouts I did at the retreat soon...I would have loved to have stayed for the rest of the retreat but today is the memorial service to celebrate the life of a precious baby girl...Charlotte...Lissy

where we've been...

So we are back...not that you knew we were gone...but we had a short break down south spending a few days in Dunsborough and the Margaret River wine region...the weather was mild and nice...it looks dull as it was overcast but it was not cold...And we just did a bit of sight seeing and shopping and eating out...Morganne tried to split her head open on the table leg at the apartment...The Wyndham Apartments were very nice...We went to Hamelin Bay, Grace Town, Canal Rocks...and other places around...
Evangeline is learning to ride without trainer wheels...so Ben is getting come exercise... Morganne is having fun with the cat...he is so tolerant...And she is enjoying playing outside...Yesterday Ben went off to the airport at 4 a.m. only to be home again by 6.30 a.m. as the chopper flight was full so they sent him home...I could have done without such a early morning wake up! We took him to the airport today at a more civilised time of ten a.m.

I had lunch at Taylors yesterday with a good friend Ann Maree who couldn't make my birthday breakfast...mum is coming out to visit today and Evangeline's little friend Eden is coming for a sleep over tonight...and that is it for the last few days...Lissy

our days...

Other than my birthday we have been busy around here...Morganne has her first shoes...size 4...initially she cried and sat down and refused to stand at all...now she is crawling around in them and standing a little and picking her feet up in funny exaggerated steps and playing with them...so hopefully soon she will be used to it and decide she can walk in them!Ben & M had a nap this afternoon...And E and I went to a 5 year old birthday party!Evangeline's favourite thing at the moment is little note books and such...she loves them and writes and draws in them all the time and likes to make her own too...and Ike was here to play on Friday...And our littlest cutie...And the end of the weekend...Lissy

more...

More celebrations...with my family...We went to a lovely restaurant in the Valley near where we live called Chesters...it was a beautiful evening sitting out on the veranda and plenty of lawn for the kids to play on...the service, food and wine was superb...and best of all I had my family with me...I wished dad was still here...we took quite a few photos but I will just share a few...and not necessarily good photos...The only blot on the evening...a stupid couple who sat right on the edge of the veranda near where the kids were playing (the rest of the veranda was empty as we went early...and there was a lot of room inside too)..and then complained about the kids playing...Anyway I had a lovely day...Lissy

disbelief...

Utter disbelief...that I am forty today...born this day way back in 1969...I do not actually have a problem with turning 40 as that is the age I am...can't do anything about it...but on one hand it sounds so old...I mean when you are 20 it is positively ancient...but it doesn't feel old...and I really do not feel that much different to when I was 30...though my life has changed hugely since then...and my friends kindly say I do not look that old...lol...although I do have days when I feel that old...lol...

Anyway I have nice things planned...it started with breakfast with my girlfriends...most of all my closest friends were able to come and they spoiled me rotten...beautiful jewellery including a Pandora bracelet and some delicious pampering things and some lovely decorative pieces to add to my studio...the company of good friends is a precious thing......
But best of all was this...when I got home from breakfast Ben and the girls had made and all signed a card for me...look Ben even used the sewing machine...lol...made with love...very precious...Oh and I got a VERY nice ring from Ben...I chose it but he still had to say yes and cough up the money! And then tonight I celebrate with my family...Lissy

terribly sad sad day...

We had terribly sad news last night that this little sweet pea Charlotte didn't make it...she had been doing so well too...I hope she has gone to a more peaceful place...The grief her parents will be feeling is unimaginable...sending all our love just does not seem enough...life is so terribly cruel and unfair...it seems so unreal...a sad sad day...Lissy

fifteen months...

Look at this cheeky rabbit...Morganne is 15 months old today...She now has 8 teeth...she loves to get paper and draw...she has learnt to nod her head for yes...and so can say yes or no to food choices and to get more food...and has a few words like nana for banana, bubba for baby, mamma for mummy...she can climb on something to get higher reach...she loves to push her doll around in her pram...she loves to transfer things from container to container...she loves to play with Russian stacking dolls...she takes your finger to pull you somewhere she wants you to go...she walks all the time now and hardly crawls...she likes to sit on little stools and seats...she likes to close drawers and cupboards...and get into things in my scrap room... She mostly sleeps through the night and only has a couple of feeds a day...first thing in the morning and at bedtime...She can blow on her food to cool it and is pretty good with a spoon now to eat...and she can blow her nose! And we love her to bits - Lissy

home...

Ben is home...we went and met him at the airport...Evangeline was very excited...and Morganne has been happy to see him too...I have done a couple of other layouts while waiting for supplies to arrive for my next Wave Rock Retreat class...I have used some of the very nice My Little Shoebox papers...
Evangeline is off having a play date and a sleepover with Eden...Morganne is keeping me busy as always...she is starting to drink a bit of milk...and this is her favourite place...or here...and she is enjoying a bath without a bath chair! And that is it for now - Lissy