Just Like Heaven

Mammoth Month!!!

So it's been madness like most families for some reason at this time of year!  For us, well me really, it's a happy kind of chaotic delight that sometimes overwhelms me, but it's all good.  I would rather be busy than bored and bored is something I haven't been for a long time!

The start of this month saw us finally get some snow.  This photo is a couple of weeks old now but this is from the front of our home.

On the clear days it's gorgeous.  We're hoping to get up there in the next couple of weeks - yay!  There's heaps of snow up there now!

Our baby girl Madeleine turned six at the start of this month.  Poor baby must have felt like she'd been waiting forever.  Hers and Alex's birthdays are a month and a day apart with his first so she has to wait knowing it's so close yet so far!

All she requested was a Baby Born that swims and a Mermaid party.  She got both. :)

It was freezing but she wanted to be a mermaid.  We had her party at a florist here that does kids' parties.  Normally fairies but they did the mermaid one just for Maddy.  She wouldn't let me take many photos, but her other Baby Born doll had to go along dressed up.  Love the huge smile on here face - she wore it ALL day!

Pick the scrapbooker's daughter - lol.  The ribbons woven into her plaits are from Simply Said and yes the braid around her forehead is Making Memories Noteworthy - lol!

The party was really sweet.  It was hosted by Tallulah-belle the fairy and her special mermaid friend Pearl.  They did a wonderful job with the little mermaids.  They made mini clam-shell books, had stories, danced, played games and of course ate cake!

Her cake was exactly as she requested (phew).   She wanted a love heart cake and a mermaid on top and it had to be pink and purple inside.  I managed to make the heart into an island and make icing water and add a few coloured shells and a new mermaid Barbie on top!  Well, she was so very happy she squealed!  I love this photo from the day -

Of course it was strictly 'girls only' so the boys stayed home and we had the all-important family photos in the afternoon.

So a very happy birthday was had by our girl.  Amazing how the time has flown! (Don't we all say that?)

The following weekend was my guest teaching gig at Scrapbook Sinners in Traralgon.

I can honestly say it was one of the best days of teaching I've ever had.  It was a long day - we left at 8.30am and didn't get home until close to 11PM but the time just flew.  I taught three lots of doodling classes and had a blast!  Mind you by the end class I had forgotten things that I'd told them but they were all a good humoured bunch of ladies in and out all day and very forgiving!

One of my favourite parts of the day was catching up with my one of my oldest (as in had longest lol) friends Dominique.  Dom and I went to Art School together which seems like an eternity ago yet only yesterday.  Dominique is one of those friends that I can not see for years yet when we see each other again, nothing has changed.  It's perfect!

Yes that IS a bottle of Passion Pop in my hand and YES I won it in one of the fundraiser auctions that Teresa ran on the day.  It came with a yummy woolly scarf too.  Mind you I paid $10!!  I thought it was steep for a bottle of our old favourite "2 buck chuck" lol but it's now $5.95 per bottle!!!  What the?  How do all the young kids afford that?  Anyway the old Passion Pop has spent some time with Dom and I in the past, but we refrained this time!

I was also very happy to catch up with this scrappy chick again who I haven't seen for ages - Naomi!

Naomi inspired me heaps last year by her persistence with blanket stitch.  She found it difficult in the past to get the hang of, but she kept trying until she got it  For the amount of time it took her, she has far more patience than me, I'd have thrown it but watching her patience as she tried again until she got it was amazing.  Mind you, she's the blanket stitch queen now!

It really was an awesome day.  Teresa did such a wonderful job of organising everything!  And best of all she took heaps of photos.  I have to admit in the past, I have forgotten but we are scrappers - der, take photos - roflmao.  I'm so glad she said now because now I have these wonderful memories.  I haven't seen her photos yet but I'm sure we all will soon!

Now speaking of scrappy chicks and stuff, I'm now working at Simply Said as well as teaching there.  The management has changed so I'm giving Marie a hand and LOVING it!  I'm so enjoying being back behind a scrappy counter and helping customers and meeting people and I'm really enjoying making displays and sharing ideas and and and......lol...even though I was incredibly busy having worked just about every day last week, I've found it all invigorating if that makes sense.  The upcoming plans for there are just so exciting that I can't believe I get to be a part of it but I'll keep you posted as I am!

Here we are in our photo for the local paper this week looking as spunky as ever - lmao!

Marie is having a HUGE sale on Thursday - 30% off EVERYTHING!  If you were thinking about visiting the store that would be the day to do it!!!

Here's the last class I taught there - the next Book of Me - "How I've Changed..."

I think it gets bigger if you click on it!  It was kind of a pain searching for all the photos but in hindsight now it was an interesting review!

I have heaps more scrapping to share but it will have to wait for now I'm too tired!

In amongst all of my madness, I joined some friends and auditioned for Deal Or No Deal yesterday - lol!  What a hoot.  We went all the way to Melbourne to fill out a form, have our photo taken and have a quick group interview.  I think we were accepted and now just wait to hear when we're on the show - woohoo!!  Here we are outside the audition - brr it was cold!

We had coffee and cake afterwards at a gorgeous cafe so it was a good excuse to get out for the afternoon.

Now, I think I need to leave it here for now.  I haven't been to bed before 1 or 2am for about 5 days now. I'm sure I'm running on pure adrenalin - lol!

Aprons, Art and other stuff :)

Oh dear this month has been crazy-busy!  Personally I blame the school holidays for starting the ball rolling on my disorganisation, but I know it's not that, it's ME! 

I have SO much that I want to blog from the last couple of weeks that I just do not know where to begin.  So I'll just start at the start.  Let's just pretend I blogged this two weeks ago and I'll try very hard to blog every day and catch up because I want to get it all down.

Okay well a couple of weeks ago I was sick.  I just had a cold.  A stupid head cold that made me feel stuffy, tired and flat.  It made me even more vague than I normally am if that at all is possible! So I cancelled my class that week at Simply Said.  It was good actually because I had sick students too!  It would have been one giant germ-fest so we had a break.  Except for Tanya. :)  Tanya had come a long way to do my class and since she is my gorgeous friend as well, I invited her to my home instead to scrap and she was kind enough to agree to that.

So she packed her scrapping gear and came to my house to scrap and chat and do the girly thing.  And Marie joined us too.  Only we didn't scrap at all - not a bit!  We just chatted and drank wine - lol.  I soon forgot about my cold and had a fabulous night and part of the next morning too!!!! 

I'm thinking it was fate that I met Tanya a.k.a the Apron Chick because she makes scrapping aprons.  Tanya married one of my High School friends and if i didn't eventually meet her through him maybe, I think we might have crossed paths somehow anyway.  We met at Crop 4 Kids and we have HEAPS in common.  So this visit was wonderful :)

Here's Tanya's aprons which you can buy from Simply Said, Scrapbook Sinners, or contact Tanya through her blog here.

If you did my classes at Paperific, you'd have heard me gushing on about them.  I wear mine to work all the time, the front pocket is great and they're just awesome. :)

So the next morning, Tanya came back to my house for a play with some scrappy stuff and her little girl Indy and Maddy had a wonderful time.  I must process all the gorgeous photos we took because they got along SO well :)  Here's the big girls out in the cold anyway :)

I look sooo tired and that's because I was - lol!!! It was a fabulous couple of days and a great way to forget about my silly cold!

The kids and I had a fabulous time during the second week of the holidays doing absolutely NOTHING!  We made plans to head to Melbourne on the Thursday.  We were packed ready to go on the train to the gallery and it was sooooo wet that day that we all decided to just stay home in our bed socks.  The week was restful and really really nice! 

The following Sunday was Madeleine's birthday.  I have heaps to blog about that but I'm so sleepy right now I'll leave it until next post.  My party bags feature is out this month in Scrapbook Creations.  This feature was ACE to put together.  It was sooo much fun to play with everything not to mention how many lollies we ate!  If you haven't seen it yet, here's what I made!

Hmm many lollies were eaten! He he he......

Before I leave it here for now, do yourself a FAVOUR and go and check out all the previews of CHA on the Aussie Scrap Source blog.  I can't tell you how much internal squealing I've been doing over all the gorgeous new stuff coming out and Marie has decided to somehow add another floor to her shop just to accommodate all the Halloween stuff - roflmao!

Okay I still have HEAPS to catch up on here but I need to sleep!  Thanks for dropping by and seeya xx!

OH one more thing.  I have my own domain name now - woohoo!  You can just type www.nicolefinlayson.com and you'll b brought straight to here - woohoo again!!!

OH and girls who have tagged me and stuff - I haven't forgotten I'm getting to them I promise :)

How cool is this?

Check out what I got today - woohoo!

I have to say I've been a bit slack in the blog department lately.  Partly I'm really busy (aren't we all?) and I've been a bit of a wuss over the last few months about blogging certain things.  I have my reasons, but I'm hoping to be back to normal - hence my last couple of posts :)

Thanks girls - I'm very honoured to have won this prestigious award!

Hey if you haven't already, you should check out Aussie Scrapbooking.  It's got heaps of great info!

Wow two posts in one day - I might need a lie down I think!!!

Mope {mostly}

I'm shattered.

My poor cat, he still hasn't come home.  It's looking grim - tomorrow will be a week since he went missing.

I'm just devastated, heartbroken even.  I'm even teary just typing this.  I was only twenty when he came to live with us.  We lived in a feral mouse-ridden house and Basil-cat scared them off.  He was the most feral of the bunch that we looked at and he has been with Nathan and I since.  Fourteen years he's been with us - even longer than we've had kids.  It was Basil-cat that kept me company when Nath was away for work, who has played with Maddy outside, who Alex used to hand feed.  I'm just so sad. :( So sad. :(  I have work due and I'm too sad to do it.

And today is the same date I lost my best friend.  It's been sixteen years and I still miss her terribly. I hate this week.  In fact I hate this month.  If it wasn't punctuated either side of this week with my babies being born I think I'd like to be in a big deep sleep every June.  It just sucks.  Blah....

Anyway it's making me re-assess some stuff.  I've made no decisions but you know how changes bring more changes.  Sigh....

Okay enough melancholy, I don't want you to catch it!  I made these for Aussie Scrap Source using Grungeboard.  DAMN I love that stuff!  I'm so collecting more - it totally rocks!

I made this little photo wallet thingo, and this -

Lol...okay I'm going to leave now and play with my new scrapping stuff in some attempt to cheer myself up. 
Hope your weekend is good - school holidays in an hour, will see how we go.....

Happy feet and a sad heart...

I've been doing a spot of shopping this week.  Anyone who knows me will know about my love of Mary Janes.  The shoes, not the drugs - lol!  I just acquired these babies and I am in LOVE!!!

We had the dreaded gastro bug go through our house on the weekend.  It's now Wednesday and I think I'm only just catching up on the washing!  Having to forsake the usual laundry for all the extra towels and sheets and things has been a pain with wet weather but these things happen.  Poor Maddy copped the worst of it, then Alexander followed but not as bad.  He had a day and a half off school though - grrr....

This week apart from washing I've been scrapping.  I'll be able to share tomorrow I think. ;) I'm having this week off teaching so slowly catching up on stuff.  It's all good there.

Our very old cat Basil has gone missing and I'm so sad about it.  He's almost 15 so he's had a good run but it's bothering me that I don't know what happened to him.  He's been inside a lot lately, in front of the heater and walking slow and we thought we should have him checked at the vet, just to see how he was faring.  Anyway Nathan and I were patting him and holding him and he wanted to go outside and we haven't seen him since.  That was Saturday night. I've checked all the vets, the roads, the council, the neighbours, it's a total mystery and we're so sad about it.  He was mine and Nathan's 'baby' right from when we hadn't been going out that long.  He's lived in every home we've had, it was him that Alexander was chasing that motivated him to crawl.  Madeleine's first real words were "Meow" and he has just been adored by our family. I hope he comes home.  But I somehow doubt it.  I just wish we knew what happened to him. :(

And I was meant to go somewhere tonight and chickened out.  I even took the night off work, cancelled my class to do so.  Seems that it was a good idea since we're all so sad anyway.  I was meant to go and do some training with RTSTV to become one of their speakers.  Okay I'm not ready.  And I wanted to help look for Basil.  And tomorrow is the anniversary of the stuff that started it all in the first place.  And I'm just not ready.  And that's that!  So I didn't do it.  I didn't spend all last year dealing with this stuff to undo it all.  So maybe another time down the track.  Maybe.

So with that, I have a big box of new goodies to play with so I'm off to do that!  Two days until school holidays - ah sleep ins, no rushing, kids fighting...hmmm....lol

Seeya xxx

Freezing Friday!

Wow it is COLD here today.  I can actually see snow on the mountains from my front windows - woohoo!

I've had another full week, kind of glad that there's only one week until school holidays.  This term has FLOWN! 

I did Canteen duty for the first time ever - lol.  I now understand the whole process and what my kiddos are talking about when they ask for stuff!

I've got lots to share with you today so I'll just get straight to it!

Firstly, these for Scrapbook Creations magazine.  FINALLY got to use more of the Cosmo Cricket Gretel range that I love - the button and swirl bits I'd been hanging to finally use up!....and an OLD song by The Turtles...

This one with a quote by Picasso -

And this one too of my friend Raelene and I.  We're STILL friends to this day!  Love that girl to bits!

And...........it was my turn to be scrapped at Aussie Scrap Source this week.  The girls assumed I'd use Cosmo Cricket, and believe me I wanted to, but I tricked them by using Basic Grey - lol!

I did sneak in a Cosmo chip button ;) You can see the other girls' layouts in my 'style' here

AND

also for Aussie Scrap Source this week, my layout using the new Luxe range -

And lastly for now - this week's Book of Me class for Simply Said - Childhood Memories!

Okay we're off to basketball now - it's SO cold!  Takeaway for dinner - kids to bed, hubby out with the boys.  Tossing up whether I'd rather sleep or scrap.  I'm quite motivated to scrap at the moment as my desk area is all new.  I'll post pics of it all soon - it's a mess again already!

Have a good weekend!

Second Week of Winter stuff....

Well the long weekend was lovely even though I spent all of it right here, on my ass, at my desk!  I finally finished my work that I had overdue on Wednesday - crikey!  I've never been late for a deadline before - oh well, had to happen some time I guess!

So aside from scrapping like a mad woman, our kids have been busy too!  Alexander had an excursion to the local tour of the Alfred Brash Soundhouse.

In between scrapping like a flustered mad woman, I went as a parent helper and walked with the kids to participate.  It was so cool  They got to make their own music and even burn a CD!  They just loved it.  Mind you, it's not the most ambient piece of symphony but it's precious all the same!

Madeleine and I had a very special girl's night out on Friday with one of my girlfriends and her daughter as well.  We went to see the musical Cats.

I thought Maddy would be bored silly but she was completely enthralled.  Even when I started to get bored, she was still completely mesmerised.  It was so beautiful to get to take her to real theatre and to have her enjoy it.  Far out it was LONG though!  Amazing singers, gorgeous costumes and a visit from the felines at interval.  Madeleine being maybe the tiniest audience member there attracted attention from the cats who were more than happy to have their photos taken with Miss Moo who was wary at first until they talked to her.  Sweethearts they were.

Getting these photos too made me grateful that I finally bought a point and shoot Canon camera because I could not have been bothered lugging my SLR around with me all night!  Maddy clung to the program book all night and talked about it non-stop all of yesterday!

In scrapping news, I have another class date to announce here for next month.  I will be teaching Doodling at Scrapbook Sinners in Traralgon on Sunday July 13th.  I have THREE classes on in total - morning, afternoon and night so if you want to book in, contact the store.  Woohoo it will be a full on fabulous day of doodling delight!!!

And in other scrappiness, my first Weekend Inspiration post has gone up at Aussie Scrap Source

I couldn't have been any happier with the first one I got to do.  Cosmo Cricket.  Hello, I think something cosmic happened to allow me to use my favourite ever company first!  Woohooey woo hoo!  Okay enough of the woohooing, here's my contributions!  Click them to see them bigger :)

That above range is Get Happy.  It seriously MAKES me happy!  It's sooo cool!

This range is Honey Pie.  Perfect Maddy colours.  Perfect Nic colours - lol!  I actually taught this as a class at Simply Said a few weeks ago.  It's now in a lush shabby white frame and when it's finished with at the shop it will be living in Madeleine's room!

Well my computer is running like a snail today, it's driving me mad!  And I have a couple of scrappy things to get done so I'll leave this post here.  Anyone got snow yet?  I keep looking at the mountain out my windows but so far nothing.  Mind you it's about cold enough - yay!!!

Pinch and a punch.....

It's the first day of Winter - yippee!!  I can't see any snow yet though.  There was a bit and then the weather warmed up and it's gone - sigh.....plenty of time yet!

Well we've had a MAD weekend!  I'm almost grateful it's Sunday night so I can have a rest - lol....

I've been working on some scrapping stuff and I have just finished one lot - hooray.  I had no real set idea of what I was going to do and I'm happy with how it ended up.  I have managed it in between the comings and goings of our household - somehow!

Friday I taught Alex's grade how to make friendship bands.  Sort of.  Who'd have thought it would be so hard to teach them - far out it was HARD!!!!  They weren't able to follow me, it took ages for me to cut all the thread, I wish I had thought it through better but anyway they eventually 'got' it.  Sort of.  I just assumed they'd be about the same as Alex - der.....on my part!!!

Still, they all gave it a go and the teacher is helping them again tomorrow!

Alex's basketball team seriously kicked butt again on Friday night beating their opponents by almost 20 points!  He has come such a long way with his skills and their gorgeous coach has been teaching them heaps - it's awesome!

Yesterday was a madness of people coming and going and Maddy was at a birthday party and Nath took Alex fishing and nothing I had planned actually happened!  We had visitors and phone calls and shopping that needed to be done and I didn't get to my desk until late and I didn't really care to be honest.  Nathan and I had too much wine last night and caught up with friends online before crashing way too late.  Love crazy nights like that.  I had the best sleep I've had in ages - until after 10am - woohoo!  Apparently Nath got up to kids in the night and everything and I heard - nothing!  Bliss :)

So besides running around after everyone and scrapping I bought this month's Scrapbooking Memories and I've got this in it.  I did the October Afternoon product challenge.  I've used this stuff heaps - it is yummy!



This gorgeous baby is almost six.  Wow the time has just gone......

Okay I need to get back to cleaning my desk.  Have a happy Monday!

Observations

I just saw THE most gorgeous thing I've seen in a while and when you read this you'll probably think I need to get out more but if you know me well, you'll know I have a bit of a 'thing' for Mary Janes.  The shoes I mean not the marijuana variety - lol!

 

Anyway I'm heading through a roundabout here today and an elderly lady crosses the road (I stopped for her) and she's got the funky purple rinse hair but best of all she's wearing a skirt with white socks and high heeled chunky Mary Janes.  GORGEOUS!  She would easily have been in her 80s.  I'm so still wearing Mary Janes in my 80s!!

Onto some ugliness now though while I'm observing stuff.  I was walking Maddy home from school yesterday and we're almost home and just around the corner from my house is a freaking used syringe on someone's nature strip right beside the footpath.  What the?  Ugh.  I'm so disgusted about it.  It's a direct route between primary schools here, what if a child had picked it up and been pricked by it?  They might not have even told their parents.  I'm sickened. I'm infuriated.  If people must shoot up at least dispose of the crap that goes along with it so I can avoid having to explain to my five year old that she must never touch one of these if she sees one, and then I had to carry it home in a plastic bag because I didn't want any of the many kids walking along the footpath to end up with it.  Grrrr......

I'm sick with the cold bug that my kids have had.  I was ignoring it in the hopes it would just go away but nope it has finally hit me.  That time of year i guess.  Still trying hard to ignore it, and scrapping like a mad woman.  I have so many things due, it's madness.  A happy kind of madness mind you, but madness all the same.

I've also made the decision to leave  KSK

I loved my six months there but I'm just so flat out that something had to give and that was it.  It's all good, it's been a great gig but I'm focussing on all my other stuff going on for now.

Okay I best get back to it - sniffling and scrapping that is - seeya !

Almost-Friday Fish Update

Our little fishies are growing nicely.  Alex has been home from school sick EVERY single day this week.  he's really been suffering poor baby and had to come to work with me on Tuesday.  He wasn't so bad on Tuesday so we went to the pet shop and fitted out our tank.  I figured the babies had survived and were actually growing so we should give them a proper home.

That's just one of the babies, hasn't he grown heaps already?

So I have happy fish and a happy family watching them grow :)

Well mostly happy other than my sick one who has hardly slept at all, it's wearing me down, so badly.....
I'm supposed to be heading off for a scrapping date tomorrow but I'm thinking Alexander will be home again and I'll have to postpone... :(

I worked last night, my class was BIG and spread over several rooms which was good because I got some exercise which goodness knows I need!  So there was champagne, giggles and gorgeous scrapping completed.  Speaking of work, Marie is giving away this month's Simply Said kit to a lucky comment leaver.  Click on her name or the Simply Said links and leave a comment and you might win.  It's a yummy kit!

More from Simply Said and I whipped this up the other night with CherryArte.  You will need your sunnies - isn't it bright??

Nice to just chuck together a quick layout and be happy with it :)

That's about it other than sickies, fish and lots of domestic stuff.  I'm hoping for a potter-around quiet weekend.....it's meant to snow near here (yay) so I reckon we'll be inside gathered around the heater - lol!

Okay have a happy Friday and seeya!!!!