40th Birthday Celebration at Montezumas

Here we all are celebrating my 40th on my actual birthday! I will be having another celebration on 5th July... which is my lovely daughter's birthday too.

On the way to Montville

Sunday, we decided to go and see Montville. We stopped along the way at a look out and took this photo. We were up so high that we could look down at pigeons flying. Looking at them from a different perspective was beautiful. The whole countryside was stunning from that height. By the time we got to Montville, it was raining... no, it was pouring! We ventured onto another little town further along which was also very busy. What did we buy??? an umbrella... It was raining and cold. We looked at some shops and considered having lunch but the cafes were packed out or closing. We thought we'd go back to Montville and have lunch, it was still raining and crowds of people everywhere!!! We went back to coast and had lunch at a little cafe at Alexandra Heads. By this time we were starving! We had the yummiest burgers too!

Queen's Birthday Long Weekend

Here we are on the Queens birthday long weekend. We had just had 2 wonderful days at Mooloolaba and had decided to go to Caloundra's beach for a walk. It was freezing and windy. We watched a para-surfer surf. We didnt stay as long as we hoped due to the temperature. Don't we look happy and in love!

June Update to a neglected blog!

How neglectful of me!!! I have been so busy this year I haven't even thought of this blog. After my sickness, I ended up with a perforated bowel and ended up having 20cm of it being removed and having a colostomy. The Drs were going to reverse it in June but they have decided to wait an extra 6 months for it to heal more. They are concerned about my bleeding problem which no one can account for.

Uni... well its been full on and prac was interesting. My prac teacher was an interesting woman and very eccentric. I wont be doing my prac in her classroom. Hopefully I will do it in a year 6/7 class with my prac teacher from last year.

Brad and I... well everything is going so well with us!!! Its like we were meant for each other! Its just so easy being me with him. He is so easy to be with. He is so genuine and loving. S0metimes I feel I have to pinch myself to see if its real. He took me to a wonderful resort/motel at mooloolaba for a long weekend. I was so excited. We were on the 7th floor and had a beachside view. It was fantastic.

Gym... I have started going to the gym! My goal is to lose at least 10 kgs by November. I know I will feel better for it. Not eating sugar will be the hardest to overcome... but I WILL DO IT!!!

BFN
K

Looting in Emerald

Emerald residents returning home to mop up after disastrous flooding are facing another obstacle with reports of looting from inundated homes.

Sadly, this doesnt shock me but it does disappoint me as I know there are many wonderful and great humans out there. Unfortunately, it only takes a few to wreck it for many and in this case we're not talking about shop lifting. These horrid people have targeted people when they are at their lowest.  I hope the police find them and charge them!

K

8 days of sickness

 

I've been sick for 8 days. Finally, after having a specimen tested, it turns out

I have been infected with a bug comes from poultry and/or pets.  I'm on the

mend now having taken the antibiotics. I never want to be that sick again! EVER!

A big thank you to Brad for sending me a lovely Get Well card with a cute little bear on it.

A week without food is just too much for this little black duck! I honestly dont know how

anorexics can do it. I certainly will never be anorexic!

Heath Ledger - dead at 28!

One of Australia's most promising young actors, Heath Ledger, was found dead in a New York apartment yesterday.

 

The 28-year-old actor's body was found at a residence in Broome St, SoHo, by a housekeeper and a masseuse at 3.31pm local time (7.31am AEDT).

 

The housekeeper and masseuse reportedly found Ledger naked and unconscious on a bed, with prescription and non-prescription pills strewn on a night table next to him. 

Bottles of the anti-anxiety drugs Diazempam and Alprazolam were reportedly found at the apartment.

 

Born in Perth in 1979, Ledger left for Sydney at age 17 to pursue a career in acting. He lived very modestly for a time before landing a role in the 1997 Aussie film Blackrock.

 

Ledger got his big break as the the naive Jimmy in 1999 film Two Hands, opposite Bryan Brown and Rose Byrne.

 

Next, Ledger hit the big time internationally with teen flick 10 Things I Hate About You.

 

He paired up with fellow Aussie Mel Gibson for American Civil War film The Patriot in 2000.

 

 

Ledger returned to his roots in 2003 to play one of the most famous Australians of all — Ned Kelly.

 

 

After a hiatus from commercial films, Ledger received great critical acclaim for his turn as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain.

 

 

Not all Ledger's performances received positive responses. Despite sharing the screen with fellow A-lister Matt Damon in the 2005 fantasy film The Brothers Grimm, it was a total flop.

 

 

Ledger's last completed role was portraying the psychopathic Joker for new Batman film The Dark Knight. He told reporters that it was both the most challenging and most enjoyable role of his career.

A Little Book of Everything - the cover

This is a project Im starting for this year!

You can find the project info here: http://www.karensscrappin.com.au/messageboard/viewforum.php?f=61

Emerald, North Qld Floods

The torrential rains have caused the Fairbairn Dam to overflow for the first time in 17 years, according to local reports. (Photo: Andrew Cramp)

 

Premier Anna Bligh described the overflow as breathtaking amid a message from authorities that the full force of the flood was not an immediate threat to anyone's safety. (Photo: Andrew Cramp)

 

More homes are expected to be inundated as flood waters peak in the central western Queensland town of Emerald on Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities project the town's swollen Nogoa River will reach a peak flow level of 15.5 metres around 2pm (AEST) on Tuesday.

"At the anticipated peak level, water will flow over the Vince Lester Bridge in Emerald," an Emergency Management Queensland (EMQ) statement said.

The river level was just over 15 metres at 5am (AEST) on Tuesday, and authorities say the water level is rising at about three centimetres per hour.

"The rate of the rise and rate of flow out of the (Fairbairn) dam has slowed allowing some reassessment of the rate of relocation of residents," the EMQ statement said.

"This has also been scaled back."

More than 2,000 people have told emergency services they have evacuated their homes.

Most are staying with relatives or friends on higher ground but more than 60 people are living temporarily in the Emerald town hall.

A further 60 people, along with their pets, are seeking shelter at an agricultural college.

Quote - Life...

Life   may  not  be  the  party  we  hoped   for
 but  while  we  are  here,  we  might  as  well
     Dance!

My name is Anton...

Hi, my name is Anton and I'm a short haired domestic moggy. In short, I'm a cat. Kim and Reuben came and adopted me from a refuge on the Gold Coast a few years ago (I was about 12 months old). I have to admit that I wanted to get out of that cage so much. I kind of tricked them into thinking that I would always be wanting to sit on their lap and snuggle up to them... hey it worked. They adopted me and took me home. I didn't like the box they put me in to travel in car but it wasn't for long. They let me out of the box once we got into their house.

Their house smelt of a dog!!! Hey a dog!!! They didn't let me meet her at first but I realised that the dog was no real threat. It was more like a little brown rat than a dog. The dog's name is Gypsy, she doesn't bother me at all.

Kim tried her best to keep me in but it didn't work. She also tried to give me lots of cuddles but she learnt that I had claws! I didn't want to scratch her but well I do have dignity. Me... getting cuddled... NO WAY!!! I was a street cat in Beaudesert for ages, I cant remember me ever sitting on a person's lap to be cuddled!

Kim and Reuben get annoyed with me sometimes because I knock on their screen door to come in... hey I'm a cat, I should be able to come and go as I please. They really do need to do a cat door just for me.

A year ago, Kim brought this little ball of fur in. It was grey. I didn't take too much notice until it started jumping on me. His name is Phoenix. I like to let him think he is the boss. Now he is 12months old and he's taller than I am and getting bigger and bigger but you know, I have got street smarts. That's probably why he got hit by a car 6 months ago. He was out of action for about 2 months. Kim and Reuben were really good to him, got him fixed and cared for him. I know they would do that for me.

The other day, I was in a cat fight. Kim only suspects it. I got hurt really badly and I limped home. I couldn't jump all the way over the fence so I squeezed through the little opening for the hand to open the gate. Kim took me inside and made me lay down in her spare room. A few days later when I was feeling really sick, Kim looked at my leg and I knew she was worried. God, she put me back in that box. I thought I was going back to the refuge. I tried really hard to get out. I even got my head out but Kim made me put it back in. We didn't go back to that refuge though. She took me to another place that I hadn't been before. It smelt terrible and felt scared. I heard my name called and Kim picked me up in the box and carried me into another room. Yay, the stranger took me out of the box but then started to look at my leg. I got worried when she took me into a back room. Kim looked worried too when the stranger said something about surgery. The stranger cleaned my leg. It had a huge hole in it and it was very infected. I realised that Kim was trying to help me. I didn't try to get out of the box on the way home. I knew Kim was taking me home.

When we got home, Kim made me wear the collar that the stranger put on me. I was not impressed. It really freaked me out. I couldn't get my bearings and I kept walking backwards. I managed to get it off a few times but every time Kim tied it a little tighter. I gave in. I couldn't get it off. I just laid on Kim's bed... she didn't mind except in the nights, she made me get down. I sneaked back up once she went to sleep. I wanted to be close to my human.

To cut a long story short, Kim pushed some round things into my throat twice a day and I finally was able to not wear the collar I hated so much. I'm feeling really well now. Kim tried to keep me in but I made sure that I missed the tray with the kitty litter in. I only did that twice and she let me outside. I'm just not an inside cat!!! Yesterday I wanted thank Kim so let her pick me up and stayed on her lap for about 5 minutes. I think she should be happy with that thank you, don't you! After all, I am a cat! I'm a very thankful cat!

Anton, the cat... meow!

Foliage after rain

More photos... rain...leaves. Flash is on.

Anton and Phoenix in the long grass

Here are the boys following me around the backyard while Im taking photos. Anton always does this. He's no where to be seen and as soon as I go out the back he comes out and says hello.

Rain Rain Dont Go Away!

It has rained most of the morning here. Its something we really need. The dams are still not 100% full and we are still on Level 6 water restrictions.

I havent been able to mow since before christmas.

99 scrapping ideas

by Rachel Myerson (Jan 4, 2008)

Are you in a rut and looking for something to get you motivated or are you just looking for some new ideas to try? Here are 99 ideas to help you get going:

Create a layout using the color scheme of light blue, brown, and cream.
Draw a large flourish on the back of your layout. Use a needle to punch evenly spaced holes along the flourish. Use a needle and thread to sew along the holes.
Make your own patterned paper using stamps and two shades of ink. Use a bigger background stamp with the lighter color and use smaller stamps with the darker shade.
Outline your title with a glue pen and sprinkle glitter over it.
 Scraplift the layout shown to the right.

Make a patchwork of little squares on your layout.
Use this phrase for your title: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...".
Take a picture of the inside of your car and make a layout about it.
Make a layout using different shades of red.
Make a layout using this sketch.

Make a layout about shoes.
Make a layout about your favorite recipe. Have someone take a photo of you making it and include that as well as a copy of the recipe on the layout.
Don't like to cook? Make a layout about your favorite restaurant. Include a photo of yourself eating there. Try to get a copy of the menu from the Internet and use that as well.
Find a blueprint of your house. Copy it and put it onto a sheet of cardstock. Put a photo of each room onto its section of the blueprint.
Tell your favorite story on a layout with at least three paragraphs of journaling.

Take your favorite holiday card that you received this year and copy its design onto a layout.
Make four 6" x 6" mini-layouts and combine them into a larger 12" x 12" layout.
Doodle or hand journal on your layout with five different colors of pens.
Use the color scheme of red, orange, and pink.
Use fall colors to make a layout about snow.

Use the title from a Barry Manilow song as the title of your layout. Here are a few:
Weekend in New England
It's a Miracle
Could It Be Magic?
This One's for You

Tryin' to get the Feeling again
Looks Like We Made It
Can't Smile Without You
Even Now
Somewhere in the Night

I Made It through the Rain
Ready to Take a Chance Again
If you haven't already done it, make a layout about September 11, 2001 or another tragedy in recent history.
Make a layout about a grandparent or great grandparent who is deceased. Journal your favorite memory about that person.
Have someone else do the journaling on your layout in their own handwriting. I suggest that you cut a piece of cardstock for them and hand them the correct pen. Let him or her know that mistakes are okay and that he or she can write on the back if he or she messes up.

Make a list of 25 of something and use it as the journaling on your layout.
There are 26 letters in the alphabet. Make layout that uses a word that starts with every letter.
Do a layout about something really yucky, like when your kids got head lice or pooped on the floor.
 Punch squares in a piece of paper. Use it as a template to put paint squares on your layout.
Chose a spot you like and take four photos of it during the four seasons of the year. Use them all on one layout.

If you're too impatient to wait a year, take photos of the same spot at four different times of the day and use those in a layout.
Use a phrase from "The Wizard of Oz" on your layout. Here are some:
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my!
Follow the Yellow Brick Road

We're Off to See the Wizard
There's No Place Like Home
Use an octagon on your layout. (That's a shape with eight sides, like a Stop sign).
Find the first layout you ever made and copy an element of it.
Open a magazine and find an ad you like. Use it as a layout inspiration.

Make a layout using this sketch.
Scraplift Sheredian.
Turn on the radio. Use the title of the first song you hear somewhere on your layout.
Draw waves on a piece of white cardstock. Fill them in with water colors. Make a layout on top of it.
Go into your closet and find a piece of clothing that you really like. Use it as inspiration for a layout.

Feeling cold? Make a summer layout in the middle of winter. Use the color scheme of turquoise and orange.
Take some close-up photos of flowers. Use them on a layout.
If you could take a vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go? Find some photos of that place on the Internet and make a layout about it.
Make a layout using only cardstock (no patterned paper). Stamp the title and handwrite the journaling.
Make a ribbon tree. Run a ribbon vertically the length of your layout. Tie pieces of other ribbons onto it.

What is your earliest memory? Make a layout about it.
Do you have any allergies or know someone with allergies? Make a layout about someone's allergies. Don't forget to include a photo of the allergic item.
Use a sepia-toned photo on a layout. Mat it with cream cardstock and ink the edges with brown. Make a layout using this sketch.
Use the color scheme of black, white, and purple on a layout. Use black-and-white photos so the purple is emphasized.

There are 50 states in the USA. Make layout about the ones you've visited or would like to visit. Scan in a map of the country and use it as the background.
If you're not an American and don't want to scrap about states, use a map of your own country and scrap about which parts you would like to visit.
Does the term "some assembly required" cause panic in your household or cause fight over whose turn it is to put something together? Make a layout about someone in your household assembling something.
 This is the basic design of an iPOD: Use it a sketch for a layout about music.

Use stamps to make vines for flowers. Use this layout as inspiration.
Use a big circle in the middle of your layout. Put several photos into the circle.

Find an old broken necklace and use the beads as embellishments.
Find a layout you really like, turn it upside down, and copy it.
Do you have lots of alphabet stickers without enough letters left to make a word? Combine letters from all different leftover alphabet stickers to make your title.

Crop several photos to 2" wide and 6" tall. Put them next to each other in a layout.
Create a layout using the color scheme of mint green and fuchsia.
Use pieces of fabric on a layout.
Doing a layout about an event with many people? Use a shape punch to punch out the face of each person who attended. Use the face punches as a border for your layout.
Do a layout about politics. Journal about your view on the current leaders.

Go to a home design store that sells tiles and find an arrangement of tiles you really like. Using pieces of cardstock, recreate the tile arrangement on a layout.
Make a round layout.
Triple mat your photos.
Make a layout using this sketch.
Use lots of buttons to make a line all the way across your layout. Choose the buttons quickly to give a random look.

Take a picture of a sunrise or sunset. Arrange papers on the background of your layout to imitate the colors in the photo.
If you normally scrap sitting down, then make an entire layout standing. If you normally scrap standing, then make an entire layout sitting down.
Stamp something with black ink, color it in, and cut it out. Use it as an embellishment.
Go to your favorite coffee shop chain. Look around the store and find something to inspire a layout. Sketch it while enjoying a warm beverage.
Do you make layouts about your garden? Save some seeds and attach the actual seeds to your layout. Coat them with some type of adhesive if you're worried about them lasting.

Use the title of a Beach Boys song as a title for a layout. Here are a few:
Be True to Your School
Fun, Fun, Fun
I Get Around
Good Vibrations
Wouldn't It Be Nice

Come Go with Me
California Dreamin'
Piece together a representation of your national flag and use it as a background for a layout about your country.
Use the color scheme of red, black, and tan on a layout.
Make a layout about your mother. Journal about the most important lesson you learned from her.
Make a layout about your father. Journal about the most important lesson you learned from him.
Take three coordinated patterned papers and cut them into the following sizes: 2"x 10", 3"x 3", and 5" x 6". Arrange them onto a piece of cardstock. Add two photos, hand journaling, and a title made from chipboard letters. Embellish with a 12" piece of ribbon.
Use the computer to journal on a piece of vellum. Attach it to your layout using eyelets.
Create a layout using only cardstock and photos. Hand-cut the title from cardstock.
Next time you go to an art museum, buy some postcards of modern art. Use them as inspiration for layouts.

Use a quote from Shakespeare on a layout.
Make a layout from this sketch.
Use hexagons on a layout.
Scraplift a layout from Andrea Steed. Use multiple photos.
Make a layout from this card sketch. Put photos in the little squares.

Use eight different patterned papers on a layout. Use eight different embellishments.
Make a rainbow layout. Use an embellishment in each color of the rainbow. Pair them with matching papers.
Make a layout about a man or boy using pink and flowers.
Make a layout about a girl or woman using brown and trucks.
Take a picture of someone with food on their face or stuck between their teeth. Use it in a layout.

Take a picture of someone. Use photo editing software to make their skin green. Use it on a layout with the title, "It isn't easy being green."
Do a layout about the environment. Recycle any scraps of paper that you don't use.
Print one of your favorite photos as large as you can. Use it on a layout with very little else. Put the title on an empty spot on the photo.
Do a speed color-blocking layout, using this article for guidance.
Use dental floss on a layout.

Divide a 12" x 12" piece page into nine square sections (4" x 4" each or slightly less if you want borders). Use one section for the title and another for journaling. Put photos in four of the sections. Fill the other three sections with patterned paper and embellishments.
Scraplift a magazine ad.
Use the number 99 on a layout.

Recipe for a happy home

HOW TO make a HAPPY HOME

Recipe:
Begin with love and lots of caring.
Add some trust, enough for sharing.
You'll need forgiveness to make it right
and plenty of laughter to keep it light.
Stir in some patience to bind it together.
With understanding it holds even better.
Add hugs and I love yous wherever you will,
then pour on some praise but don't overfill.
Stir very lightly, leave room to grow.
Don't bother with lumps, they won't even show.
 Spread on the topping of genuine pleasure.
Your happy home will be a treasure forever.

Love - a quote

I found this quote here - http://www.simplysentiments.com/sentiments/ I had to find a photo to go with it. This photo reminds me of Brad and I. Never letting go of our love but always sharing it with each other!

 

"Love is always bestowed as a gift... Freely, Willingly and without expectations. We don't love to be loved... We love to love.

Author: Unknown

What is the greatest lesson you've learned so far in your life?

Hmmm.... the greatest lesson would be...

 

You can't change a person... no matter how much you try.  All the talking and pleading wont change that person's being, personality, or ideals.  The only person you can change is yourself and only if you really want to.

 

I wish I had realised this when I was 13 and I was pleading for my dad to stop drinking. Yes, he had a disease but all my words were wasted because only him alone could do the changing and he wouldn't.... couldn't. 

 

This is a lesson that is only learnt through time and time alone. No one can tell you this.  They try but the youthful spirit says "yeah right... let me try!"  This is what brings disillusionment and disappointment.  When I realised this fact, life suddenly got a lot easier to live. I realised I couldnt change my then husband... that made the discision to leave much easier, he would never change his abusive ways. I can accept the ways of others... I just move on. I still get frustrated but life is easier to live... there are no longer the "why does he have to be so mean?"  Now its just me looking to the future and only working on me.

 

K

free fonts

I am putting this link here so I can remember to use these fonts one day soon.

 

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/scrapbook/fonts/freescrapbookfonts/index5.html

 

Smiley Monster is a knock off of the doodlebug font (scrapbooking).

 

 

Quote for dreams

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams" Eleanor Roosevelt

(I actually found this quote on someone's blog - http://pearlmaple.blogspot.com/   - check it out if you have time.)

 

 

Do we really need a goal or a dream?.... Yes! Definately!!!

 

My 5 year plan or goal has helped me push through the really hard times at uni. Some courses at uni have been enjoyable and mostly they have been the ones with the inspiring tutors. However some courses have been absolute nightmares. Im sure if I didnt have my goal set firmly in place, I would have left the uni building! Never to return. Also, knowing that I didnt want to work at Kmart etc helped me hang on to my goals and dreams.

 

This year is my final year at uni but not my final year of learning. In fact, my learning I believe as a teacher will have only just begun. Im going to savour this year. The last 4 years (including 12 months at tafe) have seen me learn so much about myself and has helped me grow as a mother, friend and individual. I like me. Not everyone can say that about themselves but I really do like the person I am and am becoming.

 

So.... my goal for 2008, savour each day - good or bad and Graduate! (oh and blog at least once a week).

 

K

Golden Globes ceremony cancelled

January 8, 2008

This year's Golden Globes ceremony will be cancelled after actors vowed to boycott it in support of striking Hollywood writers, the Los Angeles Times reported on its website today.

The Times, citing an email sent by broadcasters to studios, reported that the traditional televised dinner and prize presentation had been scrapped in favour of a press conference and a scaled back red carpet event.

The fate of the Golden Globes - due to be held in Beverly Hills on Sunday - had been hanging in the balance ever since striking writers vowed to place picket lines around the awards show last week.

On Friday, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced that its members would not cross picket lines set up by writers, who are locked in a bitter dispute with film and television producers.

Nicole Kidman - Pregnant

 

Congratulations Nicole and Keith!

 

I think she is due in July sometime. Im sure there will be much for news about this in the near future.

 

 

Raining raining and hot!

Its only 9.10am but its so hot and steamy.  Its raining off and on. The birds are loving it. I can hear them singing.  The was trying to push through but then the clouds won the argument and the sun went! There is no breeze or wind.  I would love to live on a hillside and have all the windows open with breeze running through the house. Now the sun has won but for how long nobody can predict! Im sure its going to be like this all day.

 

Its cheap movie day today being Tuesday but Reuben is not wanting to go out. He is just wanting to play his WOW game on the computer! I am really beginning to dislike that game!

 

Im going to take myself to Weight Watchers tonight. I hope I can develop or find some motivation!!! Motivation to start and motivation to keep going when uni begins! I want to lose about 20kgs however, I'm looking at 5kg increments. I just wish it was easy!!! Its so easy to put it on why cant it be easy to take it off!!!

 

K

Card sketches - more

 

 

 

 

 

 

Found it here: http://chrissyd723.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=38

 

 

A Card Sketch

I found this here: http://chrissyd723.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2007-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=38 

Card Blogs

http://caardvarks.blogspot.com/

 

http://sheetload.blogspot.com/

 

http://cardpositioningsystems.blogspot.com/

Baby card to case

I found this card here, I love the colours! Its one to case. This card can be found here: http://caardvarks.blogspot.com/ (Post: Pat, come on down, October 23, 2007).

 

A photo a day

This sounds like a great idea!

 

http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/

 

An exert from the article... (read the article... its great! You can also subscribe and get daily updates).

Why do it?

Taking a photo a day is a big undertaking with big payoffs. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider doing it:

• Imagine being able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!)

• Your year-long photo album will be an amazing way to document your travels and accomplishments, your haircuts and relationships. Time moves surprisingly fast.

• Taking a photo a day will make you a better photographer. Using your camera every day will help you learn its limits. You will get better at composing your shots, you'll start to care about lighting, and you'll become more creative with your photography when you're forced to come up with something new every single day.

2008 - A New Year!

Brad and I spent the first part of New Year's Eve at Doris's and then we went on to Brad's friend, Ivan's home. We came home pretty early after the new year came in as Ivan's wife and their friends were playing cards. I just cant stay up late anymore. When I woke up, I felt as if the weight of the world had lift from my shoulders. I felt so happy and truely happy! I havent ever felt like it before and if I had... I have forgotten what it feels like. Brad makes me feel that way though. Loved, he makes me feel loved. I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. I only hope he can feel it, see it and hear it from me because the love I feel for him is one of a kind. I dont think I have ever felt this way before.
Its a new year, with many things going to be happening. I have a 4 week prac, then I have my 40th birthday in June. Krystyl has her 21st in July, Brad has his 44th birthday in August and Reuben has his 16th birthday in September. The biggest celebration will be in early December when I graduate! That will see my 5 year goal come to its conclusion which means I will need to consider some new goals... this year is going to be the best year of my life! I have a wonderful and loving man by my side... can life get much better? (Maybe when Brad and I move in together... that might be the life getting better thing) Right now, Im just happy to enjoy what life has given me. Im enjoying exploring what its like to love and be loved. There is so much that Brad and I want to do and see and well just not enough hours in the day.

Until next time...
Kim

A Quote about Christmas

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace."
~ Agnes M. Pharo

Movie - Premonition my review

I watched this movie the other day. I was very disappointed!

I found it hard to follow and the pace was very slow. I got bored very quickly.

I got it because it had Sandra Bullock... this is not her best film or her best acting.

I hope she can find a better movie for 2008!

 

Christmas card 2

This is the 2nd card I made yesterday. I used the Christmas Cheer cartridge for the ornament, 2Peas font, Bazzille brads and Cuttlebug embossing folder.

Christmas card 1

I made this card yesterday using the Cricut and the cartridge Christmas Cheer. Its my first christmas card using this cartridge.

Believe Layout to case

 

How cute is this!!! This is on ebay but I love the way the artist has styled this LO.

Rape judge 'ignored our pleas'

My thoughts:   wow, so now knowing that the judge knew how bad the community crime was and she still did not do anything. Even without knowing how bad the crime was in the community, you would think the judge would convict these horrendous criminals of this devastating crime! What is going on!!! Im glad that there is going to be an investigation into this and others.

 

Russell Skelton, Aurukun, Queensland | December 19, 2007

SARAH Bradley, the district judge who shocked the nation when she declined to jail nine males found guilty of raping a 10-year-old girl, had been extensively briefed by prominent Aurukun community members on their desire for tough measures to deal with the culture of violence in their township.

Fairfax Media has been told that members of the Aurukun Justice Group — a state-funded community law-and-order consultative body — told the judge of the terrible problems that had beset the tiny Cape York community, including rampant teenage sexual promiscuity and high rates of serious juvenile crime.

Janine Chevathun, an Aurukun councillor and member of the justice group, said the committee had taken Judge Bradley out on the community boat and explained to her over several hours the levels of social dysfunction and alcohol-related crime tearing the community apart.

Bribie - Gypsy and me

Lastly, here's a photo of Gypsy and I on the beach at Bribie Island.

Bribie - Lunch and a tree

On Sunday morning, we packed the car up and said goodbye to the house. We found a table under some shade and had our lunch before we left to go back to Brisbane. This tree was just asking to have it's photo taken! The breeze was so refreshing! Gypsy loved sitting on the seat between Brad and I. She didnt want any kabana or her sausage but she did want the cheese we had. She would have eaten the whole block if we had let her!

Bribie - A panarama photo

This is the panarama I did with my camera. Next time, I will make sure the bridge is in one shot only.

Bribie - A photo opportunity

Driving home from the beach, I spotted this boat with the Glasshouse Mountains behind it. Brad stopped for me so I could take the photo.

Bribie's Beach

While sitting on the beach I saw this interesting tree branch. I just had to take a photo of it.

Bribie - Brad and Gypsy

A few photos of Brad at Bribie Island with Gypsy. We had such a relaxing weekend away. I wish we could have stayed for a whole week. Gypsy wasnt very impressed with the waves on the beach. She freaked out when we went near them. She really wasnt supposed to be on the beach either but we figured that she was more of a rat than a dog! The signs didnt say "No Rats"!!! I cant wait to go back again soon.

Our Stay at Bribie Island

This is the house we stayed in at Bribie. Its Brad's sister's house. It is very eclectic inside! Where ever you look there are things on the walls and books all around. It really is the kind of beach house I have dreamed about. So now I have a new goal after I get a house of my own... a little cottage near the beach... possibly on Bribie. I love the feel of Bribie Island. Not too commercialised yet, it still has a country feel to it.

Good bye Kate Ritchie (Sally Fletcher)

My thoughts:  What a sad sad day for australian television. Although I have moved away from watching Home Away due to the downward spiral of the storylines and plots, I have always enjoyed watching Kate Ritchie on the show. She is a great role model for young woman in Australia. I hope she goes on to greater things, she deserves it.

 

Michael Idato
December 14, 2007

FOR the actress Kate Ritchie today is her first day of unemployment in 20 years. The Home and Away star, who has matured from child actress to leading lady over two decades, filmed her final scenes as Summer Bay's Sally Fletcher last night.

It is a technicality - Ritchie has signed a contract to work for the radio station Nova next year - but the impact is no less significant. "It's a new beginning for me. I don't know myself without Sally Fletcher," she said.

Since announcing her intention to quit the top-rating soap in September, Ritchie said preparations for her departure had almost overwhelmed her. "I've been trying to gather my thoughts and reflect on a few things. I feel such an intense, deep sadness.

"It's so hard to explain because on the other hand there is this overwhelming sense of excitement as well. A lot of people are joking about whether I will enjoy retirement, but I really feel like it's the beginning of something."

Ritchie will start the first day of the rest of her life with her regular workout at the gym, followed by a day of running pre-Christmas errands.

"It's a good time of the year to be leaving, because life doesn't stop. I'm [going to be] hosting Carols in the Domain, and I have a lot to get done, which is a really good thing."

The show's producers paid tribute to her on the set last night, and tonight she will be the guest of honour at a farewell party thrown by the show's cast and crew. Tomorrow night she will have a small dinner with her family.

"I didn't make the decision to leave overnight. It was something that has been, if I want to be honest, floating around in my head for years, so to finally say the words out loud and to say I was leaving was almost a relief," Ritchie said.

"On days like today I worry about getting through the day, and saying goodbye, but there is never a moment that I worry I have made the wrong decision."

The final episode for 2007, which aired last week, featured the arrival of a stranger, played by Josh Quong Tart, the word "Milco" (the name of Sally's childhood imaginary friend) written in the sand and an on-air promotion campaign which promises to solve "a 20-year-old mystery".

For Ritchie, the link between her first and final storylines in the show is serendipitous. "When I first sat down with the producers , I was really pleased, not only with the way I leave the show, but all the stories which lead up to the last days of Sally Fletcher in Summer Bay," she said.

"Revisiting the past has given me an opportunity, as an actress, to tie up a few loose ends and say goodbye in a funny sort of way."

Ritchie's final episode will air next April.

'Knight Rider' Hits the Gas

My thoughts.... Wow, its happened... another remake... thank god they are not bringing back the HOFF for this one!!!

 

Gentlemen, start your artificially intelligent, shape-shifting supercar engines: The "Knight Rider" remake has a premiere date.

NBC will unveil its updated version of the 1982-86 series with a two-hour movie on Sunday, Feb. 17. The film will also serve as a back-door pilot for a series targeted for the 2008-09 season.

The new "Knight Rider" centers on Mike Tracer (Justin Bruening), an ex-Army Ranger who, reluctantly at first, agrees to help childhood friend Sarah Graiman (Deanna Russo) find her missing father, Charles (Bruce Davison), the creator of KITT. The car comes equipped with myriad weapons, a computer capable of hacking just about anything and nanotechnology that allows the body to change shape and color if needed. Will Arnett of "Arrested Development" fame will provide the car's voice.

Sydney Tamiia Poitier also stars as an FBI agent and friend of Sarah's who helps in the search. Original "Knight Rider" star David Hasselhoff will make a cameo appearance.

Girl gang-rape warnings ignored

By Padraic Murphy and Tony Koch

December 13, 2007 07:00am

THE family of a 10-year-old gang-rape victim have revealed they had warned child safety authorities she would be attacked if taken out of a Cairns foster home and returned to their remote Aboriginal community of Aurukun.

Amid a continuing public outcry over the Queensland Department of Child Safety's failure to protect the girl and a Queensland District Court judge's controversial decision not to jail her attackers, her family has told of a community in crisis and "a little girl who has had the light turned off on her life".

They expressed outrage at the sentence the nine males received, and claim some of the offenders had first raped the girl when she was seven.

"She should never have been allowed to come back from foster care while those boys were still here. We told that to welfare. (Some of) those boys had raped her in the past," the girl's mother said.

In October, judge Sarah Bradley decided not to record convictions against six teenage attackers and gave three others, aged 17, 18 and 26, suspended sentences over the rape.

The sentences will be appealed and dozens of other sex abuse cases from the cape reviewed after the lenient sentences in the gang-rape case were revealed.

The prosecutor in the case, Steve Carter - who described the rape as "a form of childish experimentation" of which the victim was a willing participant - has also been stood down pending an internal investigation.

The girl's aunt said she was deeply offended by Mr Carter's claim that the victim had consented to the rape, and said suggestions underage sex was a fact of life in cape communities was abhorrent.

"That's not right. It's not traditional to have sex without parents' consent. Something is not right. She is a little girl who has had the light turned off on her life," she said.

Her uncle, the family patriarch, said sexual assaults, family violence and drugs had become so bad in the community he would support a Northern Territory-style intervention.

"The violence happens all the time. Something needs to be done, we shouldn't have to live like this," he said.

Cape York Aboriginal leader Noel Pearson last night described the case as "just the tip of the iceberg" of dysfunction in indigenous communities.

Mr Pearson blasted the notion that indigenous children taken into care and placed with non-indigenous foster carers were "another Stolen Generation" - as social workers in the Aurukun case believed.

He said that where children's welfare was under threat, the placement should be "one of safety, whether it is whitefellas or blackfellas".

"Those child protection practices that have sought to place Aboriginal children exclusively with Aboriginal carers have resulted in a great deal of harm for the individual children under care," Mr Pearson said.

"This is a case of children in urgent need of protection. As long as Aboriginal society is so dysfunctional that we have to take children into care and protection, we should never hear people bleat about some Stolen Generation.

"Today children on communities are living in dysfunctional situations where their welfare is under threat. There should be no hesitation in taking them out of those threatening circumstances and placing them with carers - whitefellas or blackfellas."

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has vowed to take radical action and work with federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin if the review of sex abuse cases finds systemic problems.

"What's not clear until we look at all of these cases is, is it a systemic issue where the standard of justice is somehow different or lower in these communities?" Ms Bligh said.

"Or is this a one-off aberration from one particular officer?"

The girl's family speak to her once a week by satellite link because she is housed in a secret location in north Queensland.

"She sleeps with the light on. She gets jumpy when they get new case workers," her uncle said.
The uncle said no authority had contacted the family since the story was reported. He first heard about it on the radio, and he welcomed the opportunity to speak to the media.

Authorities had neglected to inform the family the case was being heard in October in a courthouse less than 100m from the victim's former home.

 

cards to case

 

I absolutely love these cards that this artist has made.

Love the colours and the design! They can be found here:

http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1270715&f=n

 

 

Casing a Layout - comforts of home

 

Another great idea to do one day!!! This layout can be found here: http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?set=recent&gallery=1&cmd=display&layout_id=1270808

Casing a Layout - Tags

 

What a great idea!!! This layout can be found here: http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?set=recent&gallery=1&cmd=display&layout_id=1270882

 

Wine Charms - CASE

What a great idea!!! I think I will do this for my 40th next year!

 

 

You can find this idea here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/739404?limit=last7

Stamper: Melmel