Chocolate Fest

How come these holidays zoom on by?? The girls had a great Easter, and had plenty of chocolate (in fact they still have plenty of chocolate!!) Molly had a great time, unwrapping her cousins chocolate bunnies and trying to disappear with them! Monkey.
She's been watching blues clues (we have about 3 videos and a DVD, but chooses to watch the same video over and over) lately, and has been coming out with words - she's now saying HI, which is really clear, Steve, blue, clue - so cute, and she does this little dance to the mailbox song! So, as annoying as it is, that she watches the same one over and over, she's really benefiting from it, so I'll suck it up and let her do it!
She's also learnt some sign language from a lanuage group we go to - so thats something I want to expand on!! oops, can hear the freezer door, someones getting the ice-cream out! I'm sure she'd almost live on ice-cream if she could! Phew, I won that battle and she's settled on toast.
Holidays, yay! I want to strip an old chest of drawers and a bookcase over these holidays and repaint them for Molly's room, the scotch chest she has is slowly falling to pieces, and we're having such wonderful weather! Hard to believe!

The photo makes Molly look like she's angry, but she's actually got a mouthful of easter egg! Can't wait to scrap that lot of pictures, and I took some yesterday of her making her own sandwich, the look on her face is priceless (must get a digimax card!)

GroundHog Day!

Do days just blend into one for everyone? Or do I need to snap out of this and get a life!? (lol). I just feel I'm living the same day over and over, get up, morning routines, school run, come home, washing, make beds, empty dishwasher, clean, lux, pick up toys, tell the bird and/or dog to be quiet - it's just the same old stuff!! Can I just say, thank goodness for Sundays and Carol!! We went scrapping on Sunday, and we're off again this Sunday - but the thing is, my mojo has gone - was talking with the others there, and we were talking about it - it's different from Scrappers block - you can't pick a magazine up or browse galleries - it's like I have a complete inablity to scrap - like I have no clue what I'm doing (hehe, not that I do most of the time) There have been times we're I've thought I'm kidding myself and should just sell the lot on TradeMe!! I'd really like to be able to scrap again!
Girls are fine, Molly's on a Blues Clues drive, so that's what we're watching, over and over! T'Keyah is back at school, playing rippa-rugby and miniball is going to start up soon - Marching season is over for now, so that's a little less taxi-ing about.
No kindy today, and no plans to go anywhere, I might get off here, do some housework and scrap for the afternoon (cross fingers I get something done!)

I had a great day

yesterday - and I don't feel that old (hehe). Got some nice smellies from the girls and didn't lift a finger - Craig was like my personal servant...nice too! Even if it was for one day.
I've just got back from another appt for Molly with the continence nurse - we're entitled to free nappies seeing as Molly is over four - but hang, they are butt UGLY! Must take a picture later and post them - T'Keyah has taken the morning off, and she was cracking up at them...but I'm thinking they will be only for nights anyway...I think the lady is sending out some pullups for day. Get this, they provide 3 nappies + 1 for night, and they courier them to us every three months...thats like over 300 nappies every three months!! Holy schmoly, I'm hoping the next place has some kickass storage LOL - and yup, we'll be moving again in about 5-6 weeks. The lease ends here and the landlords need to move in, and besides, I HATE driving over the hill 3-4 times a day, it kills my gas!
Well T'K is going to school at lunch time, and Molly is going to Kindy - which means I'm having an afternoon all to MYSELF!! Yay - might scrap some!

*GASP*

Finally, I can breathe - our house seems to finally be on the mend - crikey there are some yucky bugs about!! Craig coughed his liver out, well not really, but I reckon it was close. Molly puked on random days, then ate for the rest of the day, and T'Keyah puked on Tuesday night and has been in bed since!! It's been a real cheap week, no ones been eating!! But, tonight I think that everyone is definetely back...Molly has been better for a good three/four days, and T'Keyah has eaten today!! I really don't handle puking very well, so Craig has been such a rock!

Yup, my girl is wearing gumboots, or in Mollyspeak boooooooots - never, in all my wildest dreams did I think I'd let my kid wear gumboots....yeah, yeah, I'm weird, but back in the days when T'K was a wee dot, gumboots were U.G.L.Y. and I refused to buy them - they just looked nasty (hehe) but now they are so cool - there are some really awesome boots about, and Molly just adores her boots - she's real attractive in her pjs and boots!! But, what really amazes me with her, is she always has them on the right foot, no matter what! smart cookie. And she needs the next size up! Who woulda thunk, huh?!

Well, I submitted again this month, but still haven't had an acceptance - and yup, I know that one day it just might, just have to keep on scrapping, keep on scrapping (yup, we watched Nemo today). I really can't wait until Craig breathes those magic words and tells me to get my camera - I'm bursting to get a Cannon Rebel! soon, soon. I'm enjoying altering coasters though - I've got none left (only had 4 but!) and have some that I'm sourcing on trademe - though I have a sneaky suspicion that ma has some tucked away, and I know she doesn't use them! Might have to pay her a visit tomorrow. ooh, and she needs to measure Molly for a jersey she's knitting - a jersey she started knitting for T'Keyah, when she was 3!!! hehe, lucky Molly, it looks like she'll actually get to wear it!

Tomorrow I turn 34...3oblinken4! That is mighty scarey. I'm starting to realise that I'm aging...there are new wrinkles, loads more grey hairs, and even thinking about another child would probably mean I'd fall into the risk catergory! I can't be 34, there has to be some mistake - I certainly don't feel nor act 34!! (although the other day when I was coming down with the flu, and my bones ached, I felt like 64!!)

Righto, seeing as my body is crumbling away, I'd best be off for some beauty sleep - Muwhahaha, I'd need to sleep until I was 67!

Why 12 year olds versions differ

from coaches! T'Keyah came home from NZ champs on Monday, I asked her how they got on, answer - not good...that was it. Okay, so thats cool, they did their best and there are a heck of a lot of teams at the champs. She had a great time and that's what mattered. Then, the coach calls on Tuesday - general chit-chat, they had a great time, she was well behaved (just as well!) and she then tells me just how well they actually did! They qualifed for the plate march (i'm still lost with some of this) for both technical and display (great on it's own!!) The team was placed 13th on qualifying and 14th on the sunday for technical in a very tough and close competition. In display the girls came 4th - and were 4 points of being 3rd!! And one of the judges has the Under 16 display (T'Keyahs team) ranked higher than the team that eventually won!! So next year, the team should be on fire!!
She's got a display at the Go Otago celebrations in Dunedin on Sunday - so I hope to get some good shots of her all decked up in her uniform.
Molly is doing well, hanging out with a wee girl at kindy, and having a great time. I think that people are amazed at how well she's doing - and that's great!!
Scrapping is going well too.....I do get so annoyed when I can do a page and really get into it, be really stoked with the results and finish it - get out more photos (thinking I'm onto a good thing) and nothing works!! Drives me crazy!
I think that I'll pop into town shortly, my cutter blades are leaving those horrid fluffy edges - time to replace!! And then, off to coffee group, but today Molly is staying home with her dad - how nice it's going to be actually not having to worry what she's getting into!!

Can someone point me in the direction of the shishoni font? I'm spending waaaaaay too much time looking for it and getting really frustrated!

Saturday, and it's sunny!!

And warm even! Though, I can see some slightly dark clouds rolling in - shoo, I've got washing out!!
I have been admiring Keisha's altered coasters for ages, they are simply gorgeous - so I tried my hand, seeing as the coasters we have are pretty darn ugly & never get used, unless you class Molly using them like frisbee's, use!! So yesterday morning, I tried, and I'm pretty happy with the results! Cool, fast and good way of using up little photos too. I'm off for a crop tomorrow afternoon - really looking forward to it, even though I was just at one last weekend LOL! It's been a long week, and as much as I'm proud of Molly with her counting one-ten and back again - it does get old! Let's see how her Dad deals with it - though, knowing him, he'll take her out to his Mother's, so Molly can "spend time" with Nana & Grandad (in other words, so he doesn't have to be a fulltime Dad)
Must remember to text T'Keyah and see how her weekends going...feels weird knowing she's so far away! Hope she's having a blast though - and hasn't blown her spending money already!

And, so comes winter

in full force too!! It's 6 degrees right now - about 15 more and I'd be happy! LOL - I hate the cold!!

Isn't this face the cutest?? It's Molly doing her animal noises, I managed to catch her doing her "woof-woof" hehe, so cute!

I was just going through the photos on line, and they are shocking...that girl is becoming the worlds worst photographic subject!! She's just too fast, so I end up with shots of nothing, a blur, or her finger as she tries to touch the lens! Brat. She's a character though, and has become such a delight - just a year ago I could've given her up! (well, not really, but she was darn hard work!!)

T'Keyah is off tomorrow, flying to Wellington, then driving up to Wanganui for the Marching National finals - she's just buzzing - this is her third final comp, but her first in the under 16's! Just too exciting really! But on a sadder note, her stepmother has just been diagnosed with cancer, it's still really early, but she had a CT on Monday, and there is a mass near her heart, close to the sternum...it sounds like a hodgkins lymphoma - but T'Keyahs uncle (her dads brother) died just over 2 years ago from Leukemia, so its a bloody scarey time for all...and I know them all well (obviously seeing as he's T'K's dad, but I knew Cursey for years before they were even a couple - she was a great (and still is) friend. So we're all sending all the strength and courage we have - and hoping for a positive outcome, another CT is scheduled for Friday.

Righto, I'm off - have to watch Bad lads Army!!

Got Flowers?

I LOVE prima flowers, it probably borderlines addiction - but they are just so cool! I went halves with a great scrapping friend and got this lot! I'm busting to use them (but then again I don't want to cos my stash depletes! LOL) I just love the colours!
Oohh, and yesterday, Dunedin had a brand-spanking new scrapshop open up Paperworx. So cool, and they have a kids corner! So, yesterday while I shopped and browsed, Molly sat in her buggy eating a lollipop and watching the wiggles! Best of both worlds!! Here's a couple of pictures of what I got - there are truely some gorgeous papers out there!!















Oh, and I'm still sending in the odd submission, still no replies but... I'm really enjoying scrapping now, and especially since the weather has taken a dive - it's so cold today, I'm actually dreading going and taking Molly to Kindy - brrrr. Have an all day crop on Saturday, and I'm crossing my fingers madly that the second place for T'Keyah to go doesn't fall through!!

So now we're looking at dyspraxia

You know, I'm sick of Michelle just flinging out words and diagnosises just as she pleases!! Today at Molly's speech session, she announces that she now thinking dyspraxia (on top of everything else!!) but I've done some reading and to me, dyspraxia seems *it* BUT you know the thing that really gets me...this,

CAUSES
Dyspraxia is not the result of poor physical strength, impaired primary sensation, delayed development, body deformity, or anything that would show up on normal neurological examination. It can be acquired through damage to the brain from a STROKE, an accident, or medical disaster to the brain. These people are often older, and have a neurological memory of praxis to work towards. However, damage acquired at an early age may also impair the normal course of development, and thus be developmental. Developmental Dyspraxia occurs from birth or an early age, thus affecting the normal development of the child, and its causes are not obvious. There may be an inherited tendency towards similar neurological disorders.


A freaking stroke - something that they've all said all along, that Molly DIDN'T have, so what, now it's a possibility???!!! #*$@(*@@ I seriously wish they'd sort it out and get the facts/story/whatever straight!! Oh, and the best thing she said today, the blondest, most stupidest....what are your goals for Molly? ME: we want her to talk HER: yeah, but we need to break it down ME: Okay michelle, you've now flung a new word in here that I have no clue about - we're running blind it this, we have no clue at what each condition means for Molly - you're meant to be the one guiding us through this. HER: so we need to talk goals. OMG, it takes all my strength not to poke her eyes out.

Baby Girl going home

She's just so sweet! And yeah, she's making me clucky!! Hehe, maybe thats why I slept in the lounge last night (nah, actually, Craigs snoring at 1.30am kinda drove me insane!) but yeah, baby fever is sneaking on in there - but I'm resisting!! We so can't afford another one just now, and I really don't know if I could deal with one. I'll just have to get my fix from Kelsey (and Lynne's in October -woohoo!)

Not a lot else to report - life has been pretty mundane in our neck of the woods!

oooh Baby Girl!

Kirsten had her baby girl on Wednesday (finally, she says - she was huge, uncomfortable and was so over being pregnant!) - wee Miss Kelsey Maree was born around 1pm, weighing 8lbs 5.5oz and is just soooo sweet! I went in tonight to see them (I wasn't even going to attempt going in with Molly in tow) and she's just the sweetest....photos aren't the greatest (crappy night lighting) so I'm going to go in tomorrow and get some more shots of her.
It's so nice to see another wee one with hair! She's apparently a calm, contended wee poppett now (long may that continue!!) Can't wait to go back tomorrow and get some more pictures - will have to remember to get some hands and feet pictures! And yes, she possibly could be making this old trout clucky!

The year is just trundling by..

We're nearly at the end of February! What is it, a week left??? Sad thing is, Summer's almost over too...I've really loved the fine weather lately...not looking forward to endless cold and misery & all the bugs that come with it.
T'Keyah had a local marching competition in the weekend - three teams in both (techincal & display) and her team won gold in both! They are off soon, to Whangarei for the National finals, hopefully they'll do well there too. (lucky brat, she's done waaay more travelling than me!!!)

Molly is still coming on in leaps and bounds - everyday is exciting as she learns something new, she's such a sponge at the moment - it's like the switch has gone off, and she's going!! On Friday, Craig dropped me out at Mum's so I could bath dogs for the show, and pick Mum's car up to do all the show-related errands! I went out the garage door to our car to get my keys, and the garage door closed behind me! Molly (yes Molly!!) had used the switch to shut the door! Luckily for her, she opened it too....and she said, open door!! Except now we have to be ultra viligant that she doesn't do it and let dogs out!

I'm having a blast scrapping at the moment, and I should thank Nic Howard who is, for me, a HUGE inspiration. I've been implementing some of her style & I'm amazed (and pleased) how quickly a page can go together. I did one yesterday afternoon, started it about 4.30 (stupid time I know!) and finished it just after 7, and that was with breaking to do dinner & run T'Keyah to marching practice! I used my Heidi Swapp iron-ons (yup, I had to dig through boxes to find my blinken iron!) and I think that I need to practice a little with them - they are gorgeous, but I'm not stoked with how they look - operater error me thinks! But I like how the page turned out - I'd been trying to scrap that photo for ages, and it just wasn't a happening thing! Wonder if I'll manage to scrap today - might devote Molly's kindy time to me!!

Anyone know?

What's up with kiwiscraps?? I can't get into the forum at all - keep getting

ForbiddenYou don't have permission to access /index.php on this server.
Apache/1.3.34 Server at www.eforum.co.nz Port 80

What's up with that?? Anyone else getting it? I've cleared my history and all that jazz, but still getting it - waaah!!

My big girl is back - and she survived! Her class has just been on an outdoor experience - first day they walked for just over 6 hours - set up camp, cooked dinner and slept - Day 2 - made breakfast, cycled for 27km (poor bottoms) set up camp and had dinner and free time - Day three they were kakaying on the lake (this was all at Waihola, near Dunedin) and then went for another cycle. I seriously didn't think T'Keyah would live through it...she is not a walker kid by any means, but she did it and according to her teacher, she was delighted with her achievments, as are we all! I'm as proud as anything that she did it all, and gave 110%! She's looking rather healthy, and tanned! Molly was delighted when we picked her up yesterday. Today, she's at home, teacher gave them all the choice to come in or stay home and recover!
Oooh, and I'm on a roll with the scrapping - just think, I could get up to date (haha, well wishful thinking is great!!) I did this last night - I sooo lurve basic grey! I love how it just all fits together. Will have to save some pennies and stock up my supplies! Layout sort of talks a little about Molly and her world (the world of silence, hehe)

Well, I never managed to get to my table yesterday, but this morning I did - AND completed a layout even!! I'm trying to get organised to submit to the scrapbook outlet They are calling for people for a design team! Sounds great - everyones gotta start somewhere huh!? So I'm having fun doing some more layouts - it's great to have the motivation!! And after reading Evana's
blog, I submitted some layouts to Up2Scrap
So now I wait - I'm waiting (patiently) on hearing back from a few submission, but serioulsy, I won't hold my breath - I can only imagine what these magazine email in-boxes look like on a daily basis! Perhaps it's a little like the patene commercial - it doesn't happen over night, but it will happen LOL.
Craig is driving me mad at the moment - he's searching the house for his briefcase *rolleyes* I sit here laughing on the inside, because I so know what his looking is like - the typical man look!

It's amazing how long a day seems when a certain little child decides to wake while there is still the number 6 on the alarm clock...does she not *get* Saturdays mean a lie in???? She has no patience for anything, and if it didn't mean screwing up her sleeping, or the fact that she'd refuse point blank - the little cherub would be going for a nap!!
She's watching Madagascar now - don't know how long it'll last, but I'm mighty tired of her taking videos & dvds out all the time - we seem to watch 30 second snippets of all her collection!! Great to clean up after too.

T'Keyah went to her Dad's last night, and I don't see her now until Wednesday, she leaves tomorrow morning for school camp - yup, they've been back for 2 seconds and they're off on camp already -cept this is no run of the mill camp - walking for 5 hours on the first day just to get to the campsite, cycling 33kms the second day, cycling and kayaking the next - hehe, all this from the girl that hates walking!! I'm sure she'll love it though.

Right, I'm off, I have a huge urge to scrap today - and I've done my housework for the day, so the afternoon is mine - lets just cross fingers Molly allows me to get something done!!

Molly has a diary for Kindy - it's great, means I know what she's been up to during the day - bit hard asking her (and getting answers!) what she did during the day, so now we read what Susan wrote. But todays entry made my heart sing!!!
9/2
Molly went over to the playdough table and proceeded to press shapes into the dough herself today (first time I have actually seen Molly use this area of play). Wonderful to see. Got me to put on one of the ballet dressups on her. Was studying herself in the mirror and waving her arms up and down like a bird.
Not minding the children alongside her today while playing with the garages and cars (Good to see)
Enjoyed Hairy Maclary story, which we sat down and read outside.
End of week already, see you both on Monday, have an enjoyable weekend.

What a positive little entry!! I'm bursting with pride/happiness/joy!! It's so great to see all these things clicking into place for her! Dressups, my princess was in dressups!! and the whole letting kids play beside her is fantastic....I'm loving this progress!

Happy Birthday to my Princess

Four, Molly is four today - where on earth has that gone???? Actually, four years ago she wasn't even here yet...I'd have just dropped T'Keyah at school, and I was having mild pains, but nothing that was really any different from the braxton hick I'd been having for months! We went to the maternity unit at 12pm, I was in the bath by 12.30 and she was born at 1.17pm! Short and sweet! The joint party on Saturday was great - both birthday kids had an awesome day - Thanks everyone! Specially Kirsten for opening her house, and to Lynn for making the awesome cakes!! Molly loved her cake, a gorgeous pink dog - she has a thing with cakes, parties and candles now - so we're going to have a cake tonight after dinner. Still can't believe she's four!

I love scrapping mail...

Lianne's RAK arrived yesterday - couldn't take a picture because the camera battery was flat (thanks T'Keyah!) so I took one this morning....only a little peek though, because Lianne is having the wee thing published in For Keeps (lucky!)

It's just gorgeous and so perfect - I adore the colours and best of all, it has my name on it, so no-one else can *borrow* it! And all for looking up her middle name! Easy Peasy Hehe (still feel like a cheater though..)

We're off for a birthday tomorrow...a joint celebration with a wee lad from coffee group. Lachie turns 4 on the 11th and Molly is 4 on the 7th! So we thought we'd combine the celebration (considering the same kids will be at both parties) for them both! 4 years...where the heck did that go?? It still seems like yesterday that she was born (dontcha hear that a lot! LOL) but seriously, 4 years - It's kinda hard to get your head around!! This photo was taken on the Sunday after she was born, so she was 3 days old...yes still in the hospital, Craig was working over the weekend, T'Keyah was in Invercargill with my mum, and talking with the midwife, I decided to stay the weekend...Judy reckoned there'd be no point in going home to nothing!! And I had a four bed ward all to myself!!! Though I did say to Judy that I'd be gone if someone came in...can't stand listening to another baby crying or the mother snoring!! She was such a cute wee baby! And the hair still wigs me out to this day...never in a million years did I expect my child to come out with a mop like that!! ahhh, memories!!