The 'non-pet people' are now pet owners.

This week, we got talked into (or rather persuaded, pushed and queezed into!) accepting two new members into our family. It all started when the two girl guinea pigs, belonging to two kids next door, surprised the neighbourhood by one morning producing two little baby guinea pigs.

Apparently, one wasn't as 'girl' as we thought.

So there was two little guinea pigs (boys, according to the vet - not the pet shop owner who had already proven once before he couldn't tell the difference!!). There was a long list of willing takers for the babies, but the neighbours wanted our girls to have them, so they would be living only next door. As you can imagine, there was lots of pleases and pleadings and beggings, and initially some "no's' as responses, which gradually turned into 'maybe's'.

I secretly sought out a second hand hutch on Facebook (thank you Alana, who reads this blog) because I wasn't into spending a fortune on any member of the rodent species, and this week, the day came when the babies were ready to move house, and we told the girls they would finally be pet owners. They'd only been asking since they could speak, so I guess it's been a long time coming.

We've made it clear that we won't spend large (ie any) amounts to fix them if they need a hip replacement or something, and they are the FULL responsibility of the children. Food, water, warmth, clean hutch etc - it's all up to them. So far they are being super great and very maternal with their new pets - hoping that will last.

They are slightly cute, even if they are from the rodent family - ugh.

My favourite thing about the new additions is that they require hay for bedding, so we went to the pet shop to get some, and bought home a bale! How cool - I have a BALE of HAY! So country! It's currently in the garage (heavier than one would think) and I'm so excited to haul it somewhere cool with the kids in a cowboy hat and get out the camera...

PS. They are currently un-named - the negotiations and discussions are on going....

snapping the little things

This morning, as I should have been getting ready to go to work, a mad moment of inspiration hit me. It was completely nutty, but I just had to go with. For months, possibly years I have wanted to run around my house snapping little tidbits here and there, just to record for the kids, (and me) what the details of our house were like, right at this time. I looked around and the house was by no means perfect, but that is how is should be. No one wants to see perfection. Yuk. I want real life. So I didn't move the breakfast dishes of the kitchen counter, and I didn't move Amaris' slippers from behind the chair. The wii remote is out. There are even some crumbs on the stripey dining tablecloth which I left.

For the most part though, house was reasonable, so I spend a few minutes walking through two living areas and I snapped some everyday shots. Wouldn't we have liked our grandmother's to do this for us?? I would! As I said, I've wanted to do this for a long time, just never got around to it, or always thought about doing it at the wrong times (like at night when there's no good light, or when I'm out!). So the thought struck me to do it this morning, and I did. Now that I have Cathy Z templates in my life, (see my post here for info of this), and I have a better concept of digital photo collages in general I am more willing to take a big load of photos like this, because I know how I'm going to tackle them!

I share them with you now, cause I challenge you to do the same around your house right now and I also share them cause we all love a peek inside each others houses, don't we? Well I do, so I hope you will return the favour and share tidbits of your houses on your blogs. A page waiting to happen, hey? And a layout that's not about the kids! Now no cleaning up allowed - just find little bits that are typical of your house, and snap. Notice I didn't get too real, and didn't take any photos of my laundry floor - it's particularly scary at this moment!

In this photo below, is a chopped down shelf thingy from Ikea that we painted white. It is our makeshift entertainment unit. Bought it as a temporary thing 12 years ago, and haven't got around to updating it. The silver tin holds some leftover flowers that I use to use a LOT on my layouts. Kinda haven't for a while now. Why is this tin of flowers here, on the shelf that holds the TV? Well I don't know, and that's the real-life bit. Also real life, is the wii remote left out by hubby playing golf and apparently beating Tiger on the wii last night. A moose back massager (he's lost his ears) and a little fake bunch of flowers are here too.

I opened the back doors to take this photo cause whenever the sun is out we do try to keep these doors open a lot. Even in the winter, if the sun is streaming in, it's all good!

Our main TV/living area houses our photo shelf. From Ikea of course - I LOVE it. Although I had to commit to having the thin shelf up, I don't have to permanently commit to what is on the shelf, and I move things around on it quite a bit. Frames also from Ikea.

Looking at this serviette basket on our dining table reminds me I need to buy more serviettes!

mmm... this is a very 'neutral 'corner in the kitchen. The photo almost looks black and white. It's not!

Breakfast dishes, still there....

My mac is already very dated - can you imagine the kids seeing this in 20 years - they will be laughing hysterically!

Below on the coffee table is the only real plant in the house - it lives inside for a few days, then gets taken out to the deck for a few days.

That would be Amaris slippers left behind the chair...

More fakeness - This vase of fake blossoms is at the start of our hallway, leading down to the girls rooms.

A smaller lounge room at the front of the house has an old cream lounge (bought before we had kids, and therefore before we had brains). It's kinda seen better days now...probably should have fixed cushions!

I also snapped four other shots that I thought would make a good layout in themselves. I already partially scrapped it in photoshop and will get this image printed out as a 6x8 or 8x10, ready to scrap.

As I took the photos I was struck that as I use these items many times a week, over half the world's women, who are just like me, don't have such items. They don't have a machine to wash their clothes and dishes (or one that dries them!), nor an electric stove, or gas cooktop. Stuff we take for granted, stuff that makes our lives easier, is stuff that many don't have. So that was the inspiration for this collage and for the title! (The BBQ is there, cause I'm grateful for the fact that I don't always have to use the stove - and that someone else barbecues for me!). As I took the photos the thought that also crossed my mind, is that these items are really going to be interesting to look back on in a generation or two. They'll be vintage, or retro, or just plain pre-historic!

What can you snap today?

Best Breakfast Ever!

Mmm...breakfast. I love breakfast - always have. When you're in one of those big hotels (which I haven't been for many years) and there's that mega breakfast buffet, well that is pure heaven for me. I could have a different type of breakfast for breakfast lunch and dinner.

About 2 years ago, I came upon a healthy cafe type shop that sold little cups of the most divine bircher muesli ever. Bircher muesli is like a soft, wet, yogurty concoction made with oats nuts, fruit etc. This store was about 20 minutes from my house, and I couldn't afford to buy it too often cause they charged way too much, but ever since, I have been searching for the perfect bircher muesli recipe. None that I researched and tried were quite 'right' but now I think I have found what I've been looking for. I have to say, it is that of Neil Perry (famous Australian chef) so I give him full credit. Apparently he serves this at his Sydney restaurant, so it must be pretty decent.

My kids all go NUTS over it, and they are devastated if I don't have it for them. (You have to soak the oats overnight so if I forget to do it, it's boring cereal and toast).
Here it is.

Bircher Muesli

2 cups oats

1 cup water

juice of 2 lemons

Combine the above 3 ingredients, cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, spoon the desired amount into a bowl and add enough plain yogurt and several tablespoons of honey. to make it wet and soft. If I don't have natural yogurt, I use vanilla yogurt and omit the honey. Either way, it's fabulous. I use 99% fat free yogurt. I'm sure with creamy full fat yogurt, it would be even better. Scary.

Then throw on top:

Some chopped natural almonds

Some green apple that has been either grated, or chopped very finely. I chop.

And any or all of the following - whatever you have:

Chopped Strawberries (or other berries)

Chopped banana

Chopped Kiwi

Passionfruit

Any other fruit....

OMGOODNESS! TO. DIE. FOR.

How healthy is it??? Apart from the flavour in the vanilla yogurt, it's pretty darn great! Please try and let me know how you went.
Tonight I asked my children for some dinner ideas, and Amaris called out: "I want that breakfast for dinner!"

Now speaking of breakfast, last post Renee (aka 'res') requested another peak at this layout that I did YEARS ago. I must say, it is one of my all time favourites, so I'm happy to dig it up out of the archives again for you Renee.

It is a double page spread made up of photos that the kids and I both took of our Saturday morning ritual. We've done it forever, though during soccer season, we only do waffles if Amelia has a game after 9:30am. No way we are getting up early to make waffles before an early game. Marc actually does the waffles mixture making - I'm in charge of the strawberry puree that goes on top.

Here's the recipe if case you have, or want to get, or have access to a waffle iron. This recipe makes really light fluffy waffles, not heavy like some.

Strawberry topping for waffles (make this first)

1 punnet of fresh strawberries (or 2/3 cup frozen berries if strawberries are out of season or cost a million dollars)

3 tbsp caster sugar (fine white sugar)

Chop strawberries roughly into a microwave jug (pyrex) , add sugar, and microwave for a few minutes on med/high power until soft and bubbling (keep a watch out, cause they can boil and explode!)

I then put my hand blender into the microwave jug for 20 sec and puree them into a sauce. That's it.

Waffles:

2 egg whites, beaten in a small bowl til peaks form.

Then in a larger bowl, combine the following:

2 egg yolks

2 cups S.R. flour (or 2 cups plain flour plus 2 tspn baking powder)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups milk

Beat with electric beaters until combined, then fold through the egg whites with wooden spoon. Spoon dollops onto hot waffle iron - we cook for about 3 minutes. Depends on your machine, I guess. Have to serve immediately, and 3 minute old waffle is already too old.
As soon as waffle comes out of iron, spoon over some strawberry sauce and a squirt of maple syrup and eat. TO. DIE. FOR. (AGAIN!)

Let me know if anyone tries these recipes (you really need to do first one, like now, cause it is so easy and quick and healthy!).

Back to scrapbooking on Friday.

See ya.

lots of brown happening....

Well, I am afraid I don't have too much new to show you this week. I was asked to do an 'assignment' for an e-book put out by American company 'Ella Publishing' a couple of weeks ago, so last weekend I busily scrapped some layouts for that. I can't show you them yet, but I can (I think?) show you some of the photos that I used in one of the layouts. It's of Amaris (eldest at 10) during a semi private ballet lesson, taken about a month ago. For those of you without a ballet background - those black shoes are character shoes, and 'character' is a key part of ballet exams. Can you believe this is the same girl who was wears that ugly rusty hat non-stop? (Shown in a layout a few weeks ago).

She's actually not loving ballet at the moment and the Q word (quit) comes up often, but I can't let her just yet! Can I?? She's just naturally graceful and strong, so I am very torn at the moment...sigh. Why can't she just like what she's good at. GRR! Sorry. Venting on blog alert.

So, here is a snippet of a layout done for Ella Publishing, just to prove that I have been scrapping! It's on a dark grey bazzill cardstock called 'storm', and I'm loving this colour!

A Father type layout of mine was used in Ella's e-zine for the month of June, if you care to check it out.

The only other layout that I did this week other than the 'assignment' ones (feel like I'm studying again!) I wasn't planning to show you cause I've already used these photos, but maybe I will, just incase you like the concept of it, and can use the design somehow. The background another favourite bazzill colour called 'Bark'. I wanted each of the girls to have a layout with these photos, so here is another one.

I've just gone through some very old pages in the depths of my iphoto, and found a few more brown based layouts - in case you have some darkish brown cardstock laying around and want some ideas of how to use it up!

The first layout below is nearly 3 years old and was published in Creating Keepsakes many moons ago - it uses 'java' and white. I went through an incredibly full-on java stage, for about 2 years there, but I haven't actually used it for while now? Who'd have thought? I sanded around the edge of those photos to give them that white edge - go me - couldn't be bothered to do that now!

The layout below is about my middle girls brown eyes. I come from blonde, fair skinned blue eyed English background, with both parents having blue eyes, and all four grandparents having blue eyes - many many generations of fair skin and blue eyes. So when Amelia came along looking like her Dad I found, and still find myself, constantly amazed at her brown eyes.

The layout below was done when Amelia was THREE! She is almost eight now - I can't believe that much time has past and that I've been scrapping so long. And you know what the weirdest thing is? I still like this layout. It's simplicity has kept it timeless, and it hasn't dated, and I'm not totally embarrassed to share it - YAY for SIMPLE scrapping. Oh and they were so cute when they were little. If only I could remember it better - this is why I scrap.

The last two layouts are more recent, both done in the last 18 months. They both have that 'bark' coloured background - which is why I've dug them up.

Have had the occasional comment that suggests you don't mind too much if I dig up an old layout or two, now and then, so that's what I've done today!

Early next week, I'm going to share the BEST (and healthiest) breakfast recipe I have ever come across - I've been addicted for about a month now, and everyone goes crazy for it in the mornings here, so stay tuned - will share!
Goodbye for now.

PS. I very much appreciate you letting me know you were here - click on the comments tab below. Thank you!

Five on Friday.

No, not five layouts! If only I was that organised. Just 5 points on each layout, and then five other points, about nothing.

So, it's Friday again, and I dug up two layouts for you. First one is below, and I only did this last week. I do like this one.

Five things about this layout.

1. It is about my middle child and my nephew. They are partners in crime. If you double click on the image and read the journaling, you will get the gist. (Is that how you spell gist? Looks weird).

2. As you can see I am still committed to a good old paper scrap.

3. As you can also see, I still ADORE the Bazzill cardstock colour 'Whirlpool'

4. I can't see to resist a thin border to 'frame' a layout. in this case it's white. I think I'm gonna resist, but then at the last minute, I succumb.

5. The pp, the stickers, the brad and the little flower where all brought to you by American Crafts.

Second layout I found is older... done a few months ago and forgotten in the album.

Five things about this one:

1. I am drawn to some orange every now and then

2. These are my parents, sitting with my daughter on her 10th birthday.

3. Via email, cause it's just easier that way, I asked them to describe Amaris in their words, so they did (eventually) and I that's how I chose to scrap this photo. With their words, instead of mine. Often a nice change.

4. The little stamp is from a set of circles by fontworks. When I stamp on photos, it never seems to dry, hence the smudged stamp!

5. Sometimes it's nice to scrap landscape, just for a change.

And 5 other random things, just to keep it real. Got the 'keeping it real' idea from jody's post today.

1. I have been painting a bit lately, and was FIVE minutes off finishing a painting when I had to leave my studio and pick up the kids from school. Therefore, I was rushing to get the thing finished (didn't) and ran out of time for cleaning up. SO this it what my hands look like now, two hours later. My hands look like this for about a third of the time. Very attractive. Don't ever ask why I don't bother with manicures.

2. I am COLD. I think I have very sucky circulation, cause I have 5 layers on including huge puffy lumberjack coat and my hands are FREEZING. I'm chilled to the bone. I need a big hot bath.

3. I haven't looked at any laundry for a week, and there's going to be a huge load waiting for me tomorrow. I wait til Saturday to do it, because Hubby is usually home and he will hang it out for me if I ask nicely. If I did it during the week, I'd actually have to hang it out myself! So lazy. I like hung out washing better than dryer dried washing. Dryer dried washing doesn't smell or feel 'right' to me - it doesn't smell like the sun. And I stress about the environmental impact - other than cars, driers are the most environmentally damaging appliance apparently! I know some people don't have the choice (I did live in -30 degrees for a while) but if the sun shines.....

4. I am a bad sleeper. I am a very light sleeper. If I wake at 2am, that's it, I can't go back to sleep and I'm grumpy by 4pm the following afternoon. Just ask my kids. The wicked witch of the west arrives. Not pleasant.

5. I haven't done a layout about me for well over a year, and it's time to change that. I'm not sure what I can say though that's different to what I've scrapped about me before. ie I should exercise more (like any would be good), want to be a nicer mother, want to be more organised with meals and my house....yep said it all before and nothing's changed as of yet. Must think of something new to scrap about myself.

Here's the photo that I'll use. I have just, right now taken one of myself on photobooth. It's 5pm, I'm cold and covered in paint, I'm tired due to 2am waking and I haven't looked at my hair not once today - threw it up in a clip while driving the car this morning. Perfect time for a glamour shot, right? The photo effect on photobooth called 'color pencil' is fabulous for disguising some (not all) bags and wrinkles. I know I'm supposed to be keeping it real, but do I really need that much reality?? Hey, you can see my fabulously MESSY kitchen in the background - that's enough reality, don't you think?

Five on Friday. What are 5 'randomites' on your Friday? Give it a go.

template crazy....

Here are some of the results of my recent addiction to Cathy Zielske's templates found at designerdigitals.com . The templates are designed as a monthly solution - a way to scrap your photos through the months, but I have used them to just scrap photos that have been hanging around on my computer for a while waiting to be scrapped. I used these templates for events where I had a big pile of photos that I liked, or that held special memories for the children, yet I was fairly overwhelmed by them all. So I discovered these digital templates and found it very satisfying to just drop the photos in to the little blocks and make a little block or two a journaling space or title block if I needed it. On the last layout, I didn't have enough photos to fill the template so I actually dropped in a bit of digital patterned paper - am I out of control, of what?

You'll need photoshop elements to download the templates. If you don't have photoshop, or aren't into digital scrapbooking in general, you can always just copy the layout concept and scrap the old fashioned way. The templates are 8.5 x 11 (but you can also get them in 12 x 12) but because we can't get photos printed out at stores here as 8.5 x 11's, I got them printed out as 8x10 and just trimed down the sides of the white borders to make them even. I then stuck the 8 x 10 prints on an 8.5x11 piece of cardstock and da-da! A page! Done! (On the first two images, I added a strip of pp along the bottom of the photo to fill up a 1/4inch space - didn't bother on the last two).

These are photos from our holiday in January, a recent visit to a city beach with Amaris which was strangely very empty (and I don't ask Amaris to do weird things in the water - she just does that - it is very her!) And how else could I scrap a day when youngest was dressed as supergirl - the template was perfect!

There's not a lot of creativity going on here, on my behalf, or thinking outside any boxes, but I told you I would share what has kept me busy lately, so here's some of my template layouts, scrapped and in the album! Nice. Some are double page spreads (nice to use 12 or 13 photo across a layout!), and some are obviously single pagers!

PS. The girls are loving these layouts - they stare at them for ages! All those pics.....

PPS. I can see me doing this again in the future...whenever there's many photos from an event!!

PPPS. Thank you Cathy Z. You are my hero.

PPPPS. I mean that.

lifting, digi bits, collaging, stamping, you name it!

Hi all. It's been another hectic week here in this household with school fairs (which means I paint little faces for 2 days straight), school art competitions, 4 school performances and some other stuff thrown in for good measure, just in case I wasn't already busy enough! Bigger kids = craziness!

However, I have managed to fit in lots of scrapping (when? I have no idea) and my house is a fab mess, and my kids ate toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches for dinner last night! I've said it before - I can't do it all, so sometimes something's gotta give. And this week, it wasn't scrapping!

I've got hideously addicted to Cathy Z's new monthly templates, and have spent 3 nights this week welcoming in the wee hours of a new morning while I 'templated' millions of photos that have been waiting a long time to be scrapped. It was quite awesome, and I'll share some digital template layouts next week. As you might have guessed, by now, Friday, I am in great need of strong coffee, and I might not get to work to finish that painting I started yesterday.

Now back to paper scrapping, because i know that while digi scrapping is taking over a lot of the world, there are still plenty of non-techno scrappers out there! So here is a layout that was inspired by Moon Ko, who was originally inspired by Agata! Yay, Agata my Polish friend in Switzerland! It's a great layout, and I plan to use it many many times, rotated to a landscape version and all. You just rotate the textbox 90 degrees to get your title running up the side, and that is a little circle stamp by fontwerks at the top - need to fill the gap! You know I think my favourite scrap tool is my $6.80 date stamp from officeworks. So love it, and use it ALL the time.

And I'll share another layout this week, which is a double page spread, and used 6 photos in all. This is me combining some digital collaging with normal paper scrapping. It is about Lucy making her own cupcakes for her birthday party last month.

I set up a 6 x 8 canvas in photoshop and placed on it the five smaller photos. In the last box, I drew a box and filled in with mauve and a bit of text. The 6 x 8 print off from Harvey looked like this.

I don't print at home, cause I find it WAY too expensive with ink and top quality paper, and it still isn't up to scratch as far as the quality goes, in my opinion. And Harvey is 7 minutes drive away, and they make me wait 7 minutes for the photos. Sweet.

So I got home and chopped of the excess bits from the top and the bottom and scrapped it like a normal photo.

I also got a 6 x 8 enlargement to go with it on the facing page.

The patterned paper I used is here by 'Stampin' up' and is very 'cup-cakey', don't you think?

Speaking of Stampin 'up, my friend Emma, and former scrap student (and former fellow high school student!!) has become a stampin' up chick, and has her own stampin up blog, and you can order stuff through her. They sell very cute stamps if you're into stamping, and have some darn good punches, a big range of patterned paper, inks and other stuff. If you live far far away, you can order stuff online and she'll post it! I'm going to have a party with Emma soon, for all those who live around here, so listen out my friends. Next week, I'll show you a layout that I stamped on using Stampin' up stamps - it is a bit cute. Actually, what the heck, I'll share it now, cause you know that my mind is a sieve (or vortex of swirling air like the Lennox Heads tornado) and things get swept away and lost forever, so there's not much use in promising to do anything 'next week'. (Though WILL share template layouts!)

Here's a layout using stampin' up stamps that I did about how easy Lucy's transition to school was because her big sister Amelia was there to look out for her and show her the ropes. I have done a second identical page for Amelia but I changed the title to 'thank you'. I'm not normally into cutesy things, but I had to give these stamps a go. They come with whole families and a dog and a cat, and different outfits and hair-do's. My girls LOVE them as you can imagine. I even stamped the dresses onto blue cardstock and cut them out and stuck them on! SO crazy for me! Oh well, change is okay.

This post is possibly way too long, with too many layouts thrown in, but I got carried away. Til next week! (Mid week post, for sure!)

See ya.