Sunday best

Submitted this to Innovations but the deadline for the relevant theme has passed and I haven't heard it was accepted so here it is on my blog! Did this a while ago - BG Lime Rickey collection.

I've created a monster

I finally let DS have at the lego collection my sisters and I had when we were younger. The first thing he does in the morning is dig it out. As soon as he is home he is playing again. I'm continually getting pestered to "help" i.e. make things from the "constructions" he's found in there.

I surprised myself when I did actually sit down with him and make some stuff up - remembered how much fun it is to build things.

Style Quiz

Here's something fun to do - take the style quiz from International School of Colour and Design.

Here are my results... nostalgic nest ;-)

Waikato Crop II

Last Saturday DH and I left the children with my long suffering Mum and sisters, and made our way down to the Waikato. DH went looking for waterfalls, and I joined a bunch of scrapbookers for a crop. :-)

It was a lovely warm room and a nice, low key crop. I enjoyed it very much. Great company, sweet baking and generous Prima goodness from Andrea at SBO too! It was nice to have no "pressure" to do anything in particular... not that there is anything wrong with that from time to time, but I wasn't in the mood for it that day.

I got 3 layouts done...

Biker chick - about how DD likes to ride with me on my bike to daycare/work. Not that I'm doing much of that right now! Too rainy and too dark on my way home. The papers are Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel range.

Time out - DS in time out for some misbehaviour. He looks so pathetic! LOL! Still we love him even when his behaviour isn't so good. This one used Basic Grey Lime Rickey.

Morning cuddle - this one mostly uses stuff from one of the SBO kits. The birdcage is Basic Grey Porcelain "Windermere", a beautiful paper. :-) The base paper is MME Bella Bella Bellezo "Pappillion", also very beautiful. I like the muted tones. The swirl is a Basic Grey Marrakech "Honey Bush".

Some of the participants - Vicky, Trina, Rae (holding sweet Arlo), Vicky and Maria..

Bridgett and Neen - seem to have missed out Neen's sister sorry!

Favourite things

Somebody sent this to me via email today:

It wouldn't be funny if it weren't so true... Julie Andrews turned 69 and to commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/ vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "The Sound Of Music."

Here are the actual lyrics she used:
"Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things..
When the pipes leak, When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.
Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.
When the joints ache, When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."

Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores. Please share Ms. Andrews' clever wit and humor with others who would appreciate it.

Well, I'm not quite in that category yet so here is my "middle aged" version of my favourite things... feel free to add your own verses!

Sleep ins and unbroken sleep in the night,
Laughter and singing and kids that don't fight,
Occasional chances to have a wild fling,
These are a few of my favourite things...

Dinners with chocolate and wine in clean glasses,
Undies that hold in the wobbles and flounces,
Dresses that make me feel fit for a king,
These are a few of my favourite things!

When the kids whine,
when the cat pukes,
when the day goes bad...
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so drab.

Family that helps out with odd baby sitting,
Thighs that are covered to hide all the pitting,
Husbands that stick with you through PMT,
These are a few of my favourite things...

Good books and coffee and time to enjoy it,
Crafty activities and scrapbooking friendships,
Fellowship and faith that gives my heart wings,
These are a few of my favourite things!

What that bill comes,
when the tea burns,
when I'm feeling sad..

I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

:-)

June Reading Round Up | June's Book Club Book Review

The notebook / Nicholas Sparks
In a Southern nursing home, an 80-year-old man reads from his diary to his wife, suffering from Alzheimer's. It's the story of their teenage romance, followed by years of separation because he was from the wrong class, followed by her decision, on his return from World War II, to be her own woman and marry him.~ from the blurb.
Call me cynical but the idea of grand passion is something I'm not sure I believe is possible. I'm all for romance but this one just seemed to good to be true. The real bits were the struggles and pains of the old man seeing his wife deteriorate... the rest was just too fairytale and contrived for me. Maybe the movie is better?

Living the good life / Linda Cockburn
A day-to-day account of an inspirational family experience - to see whether it is possible to live by the principles of domestic sustainability to their utmost degree. Alongside are fascinating facts and anecdotes on the environment, recipes and tips for people interested in changing their own way of life.~ from the blurb
Very much enjoyed this one - a true story set in Queensland, Australia of a family who set out to be self-sufficient (from their own backyard) and not spend any money for 6 months. Authentic and inspiring. They are fortunate to live in a climate where things grow mostly all year (rain issues notwithstanding). Not sure it could be done in Auckland! The goat might cause some neighbourly problems...
Linda has a blog - she and her family now live in Tasmania and are building a straw bale house. (extreme jealousy from me! at the straw bale house, not the Tasmania bit).

Journal / Hélène Berr ; translated from the French by David Bellos ; with an introduction and an essay by David Bellos ; and an afterword by Mariette Job
With her colleagues, Helen Barr plays the violin and she seeks refuge from the everyday in the "selfish magic" of English literature and poetry. But this is Paris under the occupation and her family is Jewish. In March 1944, Helene and her family are arrested, taken to Drancy Transit Camp and soon sent to Auschwitz. This is her journal. ~ from the blurb
I'll have to admit I found this one pretty harrowing - not so much because of the writer's experience but the horrors she relates happening around her. Especially to children. I find it very hard to read about that kind of stuff at present. Her writing is extremely poignant and some of her observations are thought provoking. Recommend you read it when you feel like a gloomy read.

Book Club Book of the Month
The Zookeepers Wife/Dianne Ackerman
Synopsis:
A true story, in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands. When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw - and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socialising, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants - otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes. With her exuberant prose and exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Diane Ackerman engages us viscerally in the lives of the zoo animals, their keepers, and their hidden visitors. She shows us how Antonina refused to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her. ~ from the blurb

I was a bit disappointed in the book because I felt the writer didn't do the story true justice. There were moments of great descriptive writing, and the people themselves were obviously highly interesting people with a great story... but the book seemed to lack spark.

Janine, Mel, Sharon, have also reviewed this one.

I'm off to the Waikato on Saturday to crop in the presence of greatness! Some famous NZ scrapbookers will be there. :) :) I'll be in the corner fiddling with my photos and papers whilst trying to prevent my jaw opening too wide - might have to take some Malteasers to help keep it shut. LOL! Seriously looking forward to sitting down and doing some creative stuff. I'm managed to put together some page kit things and will attempt to leave the kitchen sink at home.

Wonder if I have time to make cookies to bring....