NicoleScrap

Moving Day...

2008-01-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

I have finally decided to move my blog to wordpress. Blogger was just getting too painful and I have my family blog on wordpress so why not?

You can visit my new blog (with the same old stuff) here http://nicoleishida.wordpress.com/ .

Hope to see you over there.

P365 Day 20 - Jan 20th 2008

2008-01-20T20:53:00.000-08:00

A visit to Storables today. We are trying to get organized so it feels like we are here every week. This week - hardware to fit out the closet in the playroom. It is going to be Thomas' bedroom while they tear the roof off our house so it's important that I can actually reach the rod to hang his clothes.

I was actually trying to keep THomas out of the shot but it looks so much better with him running by. He spent most of his time in the store trying to hide from us.

This next photo was Kei's idea. A rare family portrait thanks to a clear window reflection.

P365 Day 19- Jan 19th 2008

2008-01-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

View from the top. This is as much as I can see of my feet right now. In fact it may be less. I think I leaned back a little to actully get my feet in the photo.

I also asked Kei to take a photo from the side so beware... gratuitous belly shot ahead. A full 22 weeks worth.

P365 Day 18- Jan 18th 2008

2008-01-19T11:41:00.000-08:00

Took this without flash or tripod but I think it looks kinda cool and artsy. :) Kei is getting a little embarrased by me taking photos in strange places but I told him I want to document our lives with this project which means taking photos that show what we do each day. Juno was a great movie by the way. Quirky and fun and interesting. Of course many parts made me cry and rub my belly. A movie like this provides a unique perspective when you're pregnant.

P365 Day 17 - Jan 17th 2008

2008-01-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

Big Owie right between the eyes. Thomas was standing on a round bolster cushion on the floor and of course slipped and fell. But not on the floor - on his wooden toy train. It was a little scray actually. He had that silent cry where he didn't even take a breath for a few seconds. Then the screaming started and even mummy's magic kisses couldn't make it better immediately.

Baby Love

2008-01-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

I have been creating quite few LOs featuring child yet to be named (Peanut) lately. This is a new thing for me because I didn't actually start digi scrapping until Thomas was about six months old. It is so nice to be able to document this time in my life and, with Thomas around, I can scrap more than just belly pics.

I created this LO for the Hump Day lift challenge on the Lauren Reid CT blog. There's still plenty of time to enter for a chance to win a GC to Lauren's store and such a great LO for inspiration this week.

I always struggle with ultrasound LOs but I think this one turned out nicely. Click on image for full credits and journaling.

This is one of my P365 pics. I am so glad I captured this moment because Thomas loves giving his baby brother hugs and kisses. I LOVE the color of this background paper from Tara's new Love Muffin Kit. There are so many different colors of red and I struggle to find the right one, but this one is perfect! Look for loads more pages using this color. :) And how many times have I used that alpha by Dani Mogstad now? I'm just saying....

So that's about it for today. My P365 pic from yesterday is still in my camera so will have to wait. Oh, and tonight is date night. Thomas' daycare extends hours every once in a while on a Friday night so we have until 10:30! I think we're going to see Juno and have a full dinner at a nice restaurant without having to manage a toddler. Can't wait!

Back soon
Nicole

Big News

2008-01-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

I am going to be published! One of my LOs is going to be included in the June/July issue of Digital Scrapbooks Mag. I have been submitting for a while now so it's wonderful to finally be able to see one of my pages in print.

Oh... and they pay! Excuse my ignorance but until one of my online buddies mentioned that they other day I really had o idea that there was money to be made. Not a lot, but anything I can earn to supplement my upcoming maternity leave is welcome. :)

Until next time
Nicole

P365 Day 16 - Jan 16th 2008

2008-01-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

Prince of the playground. Who knew the mall playground could be so much fun?

P365 Day 15 - Jan 15th 2008

2008-01-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

Not a great photo - but a great memory. Thomas and Kei clowning around. I love these like father, like son moments.

...and I've been scrapping

2008-01-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

I have actually been feeling pretty creative. Not sure if it's all the photos I have been taking or the fact that this baby has stopped sucking my mojo. Here are a couple with some Lauren Goodies and fonts from Darci Baldwin. Don't think I ever mentioned that I am guesting on her CT this month. It's so much fun being on a font CT and Darci's fonts are fabulous.

Click on images to see full credits.

Speaking of baby, I have been feeling him move around quite a bit lately. I have that feeling of butterflies in my stomach while I am relaxing watching TV or sitting at my desk at work. It's a nice feeling and makes me feel a little more connected to this baby. It's easy to forget I am pregnant with all the craziness of work and running after a toddler the rest of the time.

Don't think I'll ever get over the weirdness of having a live human being inside my body. Seriously - think about how strange that is.

Thanks for dropping by

Nicole

P365 Day 14 - Jan 14th 2008

2008-01-14T20:50:00.000-08:00

This pic is for my brother. We were instant messaging on google when I remembered I had to take my photo for the day. The calendar of Japanese prints was a gift from Ben and his girlfriend Emma for Christmas. I used Traci Murphy's photo overlays to funk it up a little.

P365 Day 13 - Jan 13th 2008

2008-01-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

Out and about on Sunday. Poor Thomas has not been outside a lot lately because the weather has just been too horrible. The rain stopped for a day in Portland and we decided to go for a quick walk. So our family trip consisted of lunch at Burgerville (LOVE Burgerville) and a walk around a seedy neighbourhood. This shot was taken in front of a weird mural on the wall of an events center - complete with weird tree/rock display thing. Jealous? :)

Must be a slow news day in Australia

2008-01-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Parents not happy, son not repentant

Oh, and this is post #100 - yay me!

P365 Day 12 - Jan 12th 2008

2008-01-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

Giving Peanut (i.e. Child yet to be named) a hug. Thomas already loves his baby brother and it is so sweet. He likes to give Peanut kisses and hugs and talks to him in a little baby voice.

P365 Day 11 - Jan 11th 2008

2008-01-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

P365 Day 10 - Jan 10th 2008

2008-01-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

Not sure what it is with lining up the ducks...

P365 Day 9 - Jan 9th 2008

2008-01-09T15:14:00.000-08:00

OK, so I realize this is becoming the 366 days of Thomas. Don't worry, that will change in May and become the 366 days of Thomas and (child yet to be named).

PS. Thanks Mr Trader Joe's checkout guy for the fun prop. :)

P365 Day 8 - Jan 8th 2008

2008-01-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Enjoying a little light reading over breakfast.

P365 Day 7 - Jan 7th 2008

2008-01-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is Kei's hat on top of Thomas' cap. He calls it his cowboy hat.

Drum Roll Please

2008-01-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

20 week prenatal appointment. The big one...

The baby is healthy, growing properly with no signs of any problems.

Before I share the BIG news, some new pics of our little peanut.

Profile. That's the little hand in front with a little thumb sticking out.

Close up of the face

A teeny tiny little foot

And....
.
.
.
.
.
.

.

.

.

.

And there is absolutely no doubting it. I saw the evidence many many times.

And yes, I have come to terms with the fact that my life will from now on be filled with dirt and mud and general craziness. :)

I think he already looks like Thomas. Take another look at the first photo - same nose and chin. :)

So there you have it. Baby Boy Ishida #2 is on his way. Now if we can only agree on a name... Suggestions welcome.

Nicole

Follically Challenged

2008-01-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to scrap a page about this for a long time. At two years and four months old, Thomas is yet to have a haircut. Apparently I was a bald baby until 12 months of age so I guess that's where he gets it from - definitely not from the Japanese side of the family. He is just starting to get bed head.

The funny thing is that his hair is growing in suprisingly evenly. No long tufts anywhere. In fact he looks like he's had a buzz cut. The good thing is that we have never had to spend a cent on haircuts.

Click on image for full journaling and credits.

Tomorrow is Monday and my first full week of work for some time. Wish me luck!

Nicole

P365 Day 6 - Jan 6th 2008

2008-01-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

I asked Thomas to come over to the window for a shot with natural light. It is so much fun now that he actually asks me to take his photo. We just have to work on his "cheese" face.

P365 Day 5 - Jan 5th, 2008

2008-01-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Thomas and a friend having fun at the playground during our monthly baby group get together. I still catch up with some of the people from the Baby and Me group that I started going to when Thomas was just 3 weeks old. That group was a lifesaver when I was a first time mum, having trouble with nursing and sleeping. It was the one safe place where I could go and be comfortable admitting my mistakes and ask questions with other women going through the same experiences. More than two years later I still love catching up with the same mothers and babies on a regular basis.

P365 Day 4 - Jan 4th, 2008

2008-01-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

Ducks in a row

P365 Day 3 - Jan 3rd, 2008

2008-01-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

Thomas chilling out during Curious George with his trusty "feathersword" - that's what he calls a tissue he carries around all day. Until it rips ad then he is in search of a new one. We have been through so many tissues this way and find them all over the house. And, yes, we have tried to break the habit with substitute items (white handkerchiefs, a Feather duster) but no luck so far.

These Rule

2008-01-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone! My first day back at work today - Yuck. It's appropriate that the weather is miserable and cold but luckily I have some flourescent lighting to brighten up my desk. (LOL)

I already need a distration from the 1300 emails in my mailbox (and that's no joke) so I thought I'd post a couple of new LOs with some fabulous Lauren goodies. She has some wonderful new ruled Alphas, Shapes and Big Ol' Brackets that have so much texture and are just a little bit wonky - the way I like 'em. Also check out the new Country Club Reject papers. You can find them all in her OScraps store here.

Here are the fun - and bright - LOs I created with these products. Click on the images to see a closer look and full credits.

Big day tomorrow - I have a doctor's appointment and if all goes well I will find out whether I am carrying a he or a she. Let the naming wars begin. :)

Until next time
Nicole

P365 Day 2 - Jan 2nd 2008

2008-01-02T15:27:00.000-08:00

Thomas and his toy of the moment - A Little People barn complete with a barn, animals and animal sounds. His favourite unofficial Xmas present and the best thing we have bought for him in a long time. Seriously - he has spent hours playing with this thing and it so much fun to observe his imagination in action.

P365 Day 1 - Jan 1st 2008

2008-01-02T15:16:00.001-08:00

First day of January. Photo taken outside local cafe "Muddy's" after a family Brunch.

One Word for 2008

2008-01-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

I want to post this on the first day of the year so have not had time to create a LO to make it all pretty. I was inspired by this post on Ali Edward's blog to choose one word for 2008.

My word for this year is IMMERSION. I feel as though I spent a large part of 2007 being distracted and focusing on too many things at once. This year I want to make sure I immerse myself in what is most important at that very moment.

I think it's going to be tough to live up to - I am expecting my second child in May, starting major renovations on our house in January and it looks like a busy year at work.

I am determined though to make sure that when I am with my family, I am really WITH my family. I am going to take more photos (OK that won't be hard :)) and write down more observations about our everyday lives.

A few definitions of Immersion:
* state of being deeply engaged or involved; absorption.
* concentrating on one course of instruction, subject, or project to the exclusion of all others
* complete attention; intense mental effort

So that's it. Rather than a New Year's resolution, I have a word. :)

One other thing I am going to try and do (and part of the whole immersion theme) is to take at least one photo each day. Not sure how that is going to go - especially in the middle of winter when my entire day before and after work is in darkness - but I am going to try. You can read more about Project 365 (the inspiration) here.

I did take a photo today but haven't had a chance to get it off the computer yet. will probably post a few at a time rather than one a day.

Happy New Year everyone.
Nicole

Just for me

2007-12-31T10:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I scrapped just for me. My mojo was MIA for a long time and everything I managed to pull together was to fulfll my CT obligations.

Well last week I scrapped just for me and it felt really good. I received Ali Edward's Life Artist book for Christmas and found it very inspiring. Just what I needed. AND I went back into my stash and used some beautiful designs that I had never used before. The Xmas LO is using a Michelle Coleman kit that I bought on sale LAST Christmas.

This LO is directly inspired by Ali and her painted pages. I love these photos that I took of Thomas in the bath. His facial expressions are just so funny these days.

This one is for the current (and final) Lift with Twist. I just love this photo of Thomas in front of the Chistmas tree. By the way, that's his "smile for the camera" face. :)

Click on images for full credits and journaling.

Have to do some more scapping for me - I forgot how much fun it is. Now thatmy CT period with Dani is coming to an end I should have more time - that is if I can fit it in around this baby brewing in my belly, major renovations on my house and running after a two ear old. :)

2008 is going to be one crazy year.

Happy new year everyone!
Nicole

Christmas Recap

2007-12-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

This year was a lot of fun - mainly because Thomas was really into the whole Santa thing. And he loves opening presents. I was talking to a friend of mine who said they had to keep stopping while opening the presents to give their son time to play with his toys for a little while. Not Thomas. he wanted to open them all first and then think about playing later. :)

I think the whole thing must have been way too exciting because Thomas decided not to take a nap at all - much to our dismay. I had this whole plan to cook dinner while he was napping but I suppose you can't really plan when you are relying on a toddler to stick to his routine.

We ended up eating dinner at around 5:30pm but we had been snacking on antipasto for the rest of the day. Kei and I have the same idea of what makes a holiday special - decadent food and not too much pressure. I cooked a Prime Rib roast for the very first time and have to say it was pretty darn good, even as left overs a couple of days later.

Thomas did quite well for christmas - a new bike with two wheels that doesn't have pedals. It's supposed to teach balance without training wheels. He hasn't quite warmed up to it yet but we plan to take it slow. He also got some books and a game called "Hullaballoo" from the people who make cranium. That one was for the whole family. We played it last night and it was loads of fun and also educational as it teaches colors and shapes AND makes the players move around the room. I also bought him a Fisher Price Little People set. Thomas loves the one at daycare and it's really fun to watch him using his imagination. In fact I went and bought him another set (a farm) that was on sale this morning. He loves it and it has kept him occupied for at least an hour. See? Everyone's a winner. :)

I did well also - lots of books (and a GC for more) so you can't beat that! I also got a monopod for my DSLR from my dear husband and photography book. I guess I have really icnreased the interest in photography over the last few months. The best thing is that it's a hobby the whole family can enjoy - that's my excuse anyway. :)

My mum and mother-in-law each received their Shutterfly books in plenty of time for Xmas and they both loved them. We haven't had much contact with my mother-in-law over the past few years (she lives in Japan) and she has never met her grandson so it nice to be able to share this with her. I think she was really touched.

So now onto the photos of our small family Xmas.

Presents under the tree - most are for Thomas.

Snacks for Santa - we only had baby carrots for the Reindeer but they didn't seem to mind.

Santa has been and left a large elephant sitting on a new bike for Thomas. Of course Thomas assumed the bike belonged to the elephant...

Opening presents

Awwww.

A few more days off work next week which is great. Kei is taking the whole week off to look after Thomas and I have Monday as a holiday. It will be so nice to spend some time together and refresh before we begin a very busy 2008.

Until next time
Nicole

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T20:29:00.001-08:00

Hope yours was a good one too. :)

Merry Christmas Aussies

2007-12-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas comes a day early in Australia. I'll be talking to my family later today and thinking about them as they all get together on the other side of the world.

Here is the text from the book we have been reading nightly in our house to make sure Thomas is aware that Santa doesn't always wear the hot furry suit and a lot of Australian homes don't have fireplaces (he comes in through the window). And in Australia we leave beer for Santa, not milk (at least we did in my house :)). Some may be a little difficult for American's to understand so here is a link to an Aussie dictionary to help you along.

AN AUSSIE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

'Twas the night before christmas;
there wasn't a sound.
Not a possum was stirring; no-one was around.

We'd left on the table
some tucker and beer,
Hoping that Santa Claus
soon would be here;

We children were snuggled up safe in our beds,
While dreams of pavlova danced 'round in our heads;
And Mum in her nightie,
and Dad in his shorts,
Had just settled down to watch TV sports.

When outside the house
a mad ruckus arose;
Loud squeaking and banging
woke us from our doze.
We ran to the screen door,
peeked cautiously out,
snuck onto the deck,
then let out a shout.

Guess what had woken us up from our snooze,
But a rusty old ute
pulled by eight mighty 'roos.

The cheerful man driving
was giggling with glee,
And we both knew at once
who this plump bloke must be.

Now, I'm telling the truth
it's all dinki-di,
Those eight kangaroos fairly soared through the sky.
Santa leaned out the window
to pull at the reins,
And encouraged the 'roos,
by calling their names.

'Now, Kylie! Now, Kirsty!
Now, Shazza and Shane!
On Kipper! On, Skipper!
On, Bazza and Wayne!
Park up on that water tank.
Grab a quick drink,
I'll scoot down the gum tree.
Be back in a wink!'

So up to the tank those eight kangaroos flew,
With the ute full of toys,
and Santa Claus too.
He slid down the gum tree
and jumped to the ground,
Then in through the window
he sprang with a bound.

He had bright sunburned cheeks
and a milky white beard.
A jolly old joker
was how he appeared.
He wore red stubby shorts
and old thongs on his feet,
And a hat of deep crimson
as shade from the heat.

His eyes - bright as opals -
Oh! how they twinkled!
And, like a goanna,
his skin was quite wrinkled!
His shirt was stretched over
a round bulging belly
Which shook when he moved,
like a plate full of jelly.

A fat stack of prezzies
he flung from his back,
And he looked like a swaggie
unfastening his pack.
He spoke not a word,
but bent down on one knee,
To position our goodies
beneath the yule tree.

Surfboard and footy-ball shapes
for us two.
And for Dad, tongs to use
on the new barbeque.
A mysterious package
he left for our Mum,
Then he turned and he winked
and he held up his thumb;

He strolled out on deck and his 'roos
came on cue;
Flung his sack in the back and prepared to shoot through.
He bellowed out loud
as they swooped past the gates-

'MERRY CHRISTMAS to all,
and goodonya, MATES!'

Merry Christmas!

Nicole

Top 7 of '07

2007-12-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this post by Kirsty Wiseman to share my top seven photos of 2007. When I look back through the photos I have taken (and there are a LOT!) I am actually pretty proud of the progress I have made with my photography. I think my blog browsing this year has paid off - given me great ideas for new, interesting shots and, of course, motivated me to buy my new camera. :)

And of course I had more than seven favourites so I have included a link below to my 42 favourites in my Picasa album.

Click below to see the full album of favourites

Top 7 of '07

Thanks for indulging my look back. :)
Nicole

A little Lauren Love

2007-12-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone,

Can you believe it's just 6 sleeps until Christmas? I am more excited this year than I have been in a long time. May be because Thomas is really into it. He has even started feeling the presents under the tree to try and work out what's inside. I had to tell him that some of the presents for Mummy and Daddy (yes, only some) - although most are for him, let's face it. I had to make myself stop buying things.

Onto scrappy things. Lauren's wonky templates are featured on Disctalk radio this week. To celebrate she is offering 20% off with coupon code dishin20. Available only until Xmas Eve though so you have to be quick.

Now I don't have a LO with the Wonky Templates, but I do have a page I created for the current Hump Day lift on the team blog. Great lift this week and something I have been wanting to scrap for a long time - the year of the pirate, aaargh!

Click on the image for credits.

Today is my day off and Thomas and I are going to hang out. May do some shopping so I can make Shepherd's Pie for dinner tonight (I have a craving) and perhaps a visit to the library. It's pretty miserable outside so I think we will need to get out of the house a couple of times to avoid driving each other crazy. Oh, and have to wrap the last of the Xmas presents while he naps.

Have a great day!

Nicole

Blogged Out

2007-12-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

Not only do I have this blog, but I also have a blog that I share with my family (consisting mainly of Thomas updates). In addition to that I have been posting on the Design by Dani Girltalk blog once a month although my term is just about over. Add to that an internal work blog that I am posting on all this week and my Mojo posts for Lauren's creative team and I am just about blogged out. I have absolutely nothing left to say.

Well, maybe tomorrow. In the meantime check out my profound (LOL) post at Mojo To Gogo and enjoy some quick pics of my very first christmas tree of my very own (trees when living with parents don't count).

Until then

Nicole

Check this out!

2007-12-12T15:17:00.001-08:00

Click on the image to go directly to the store.

Nicole

Crazy Busy

2007-12-11T09:14:00.000-08:00

I have no idea where December is going. It has been a crazy month and doesn't look like it is going to get any easier in the near future. I am so glad that we are staying at home for Christmas this year because I'm not sure how we would squeeze a vacation in amongst all this craziness.

Before I go any further I do have to wish my sweet husband a very Happy Birthday. I won't tell you how old he is... OK... 36! As long as he continues to stay older than me then our relationship will prevail. :) No fancy card from me today unfortunately. My best wishes will have to do.

The good news on the the to do list. I am mailing the last of my Christmas presents today (Yippee). When you have family in Australia in Japan then you have to be somewhat organised. Today is the last day to send packages abroad so that they make it there in time for Xmas. My Shutterfly books arrived just yesterday so I was cutting it fine - although some may call it perfect timing. :) My goal next year is to have everything done by Thanksgiving.

The books look fantastic! I ordered 8x8 and they are the perfect size. My mother only reads my family blog so I think it's safe to post the cover and back page of my book here. The back page was a favourite LO I created a while ago and I made a cover to match.

Front Cover

Back Cover

Papers and most elements are from the Weeds and Wildflowers Seeing Stars pack. The frame on the front is from Nancy Comelab and the frame on the back and the ribbon is from Christina Renee (Stand up and Scrap kit). Alpha and paint brush is from MandaJ Designs (Evan Kit).

And I have a new LO to share using Tara's Holly Days kit - a collab with Andie Smith. I opened this kit and the first thing that struck me were the gorgeous papers. Tara has really outdone herself with this one. I used a couple of things from other designers (eg. the overlay and alpha) but most of this is from the kit. Click on the image for full credits.

Finally a few quick (unedited) pics from our short walk through the Bybee Wetlands on Sunday. Such a great place to see wome wildlife and experience a little bit of nature near the heart of the city. We even saw a couple of Beavers.

I'll be back to post some photos of our very first Ishida family Christmas tree. Yes, Kei and I have nearly been married for nine years and this is the first year we will have a tree of our own.

I am feeling so festive!

Have a great day

Nicole

Xmas Tree Trains and Scrapping Madness

2007-12-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

All Aboard the Xmas Tree Train
We have lived in Oregon for about 4 years now and have not enjoyed the fun of the Mt Hood Railway - until last Saturday when we boarded the special Xmas Tree train. Thomas loved it! The best part? About two feet of snow at our destination which made me wish we had regular snowfall for Thomas' benefit - well for about five minutes anyway until I received the first snowball attack courtesy of my loving husband.

Only other downside was that my camera battery ran out right before we got back on the train which meant I missed pics of Good Old St Nick who came to say Hi. Thomas was a little tentative at first and kept saying that Santa was scary but apparently all it takes is the gift of a candy cane to have Thomas as a friend for life.

While we didn't pick up a Xmas tree (and still haven't got around to it) we did have a fun few hours together as a family which is what it is all about after all.

I picked up my wreath today. I had seen some special Eucalyptus wreaths at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and thankfully they still had some this morning. After I hang it you will be able to experience the smell of an Aussie Xmas as you walk through my front door. Heaven!

Xmas tree is being purchased and decorated on Saturday before friends arrive for pre-Xmas dinner. Can't wait!

Been a Scrappin'

Yes - I have finally been doing some scrapping. I feel bad that I have been neglecting my CTs but I feel the tide turning. Tara's designs deserve some love and are next on my list.

Here are a few of my latest to share. Click on images for credits.

I used PINK! Not sure if that has ever happened before. :)

Love this pic.

And my new Favourite LO created to complete my Shutterfly album. Can't wait until it arrives!

And there's even more but this would become the longest post in history if I showed them all so I will wait until next time.

Until Then - Have a great Day!

Nicole

Thanksgiving Weekend in Photos

2007-11-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

Better late than never right?

OMSI - From Polar Bears to Penguins Exhibit

Thomas "Being" A Penguin

Feeding the Ducks - Thanksgiving Morning

The Duck feed is a mix of wholegrain rice (uncooked) and unpopped corn - park approved duck feed.

A photo of me? How did that get in there?

The last leaf barely holding on - sigh! Winter is here.

Llamas

Thomas Running From The Baby Llama. He didn't spend much time at ground level.

And I love this one - looks like the Llama is smiling at me. :)

And this is beautiful

A random one from Sunday

We have plans to drive into the Gorge tomorrow but it looks like the weather is going to be pretty nasty. They are expecting snow and ice so off to buy some snow tires tonight. The good news is that we won't have to stray far from the freeway so we should be OK. Wish us luck! If all goes well I should have some fun pics to share on Monday - and a Xmas tree in my living room. So exciting!

Have a great weekend everyone.
Nicole

Thanksgiving Recap (Sans Photos)

2007-11-26T09:56:00.000-08:00

Alas, I have no photos to share from Thanksgiving weekend. Not that I don't have any (I took a LOT) but just too lazy to download them from my camera. Hope to have some posted tomorrow.

I can share a recap for now - as exciting as it is. :)

Wednesday
My regular day off work which works perfectly for picking up our take-out Turkey dinner from Marco's Cafe. As luck would have it, the Cafe is right near a really cute Toy store which happened to have the gift Kei wanted to get Thomas for Xmas. I won't share what it is yet, but I can say that my idea of a play kitchen has gone by the wayside.

Met Kei at OMSI for an afternoon of Science fun and then home for dinner. A fun day.

Thursday
Decided to visit the Rhodedendrun Gardens in the morning to feed the (very hungry) ducks. False start at first as Thomas fell asleep in the car as soon as we left the house. Turned around to take him home for a nap. As soon as I put him to bed he woke up and asked to feed the ducks. Got back in the car. Made it to the gardens. Fed the ducks. Took LOTS of pictures. Thomas passed out in the car on the way home and slept for two hours.

Heated up lunch around 2pm and ate till we couldn't eat any more.

8pm - couldn't resist another helping of turney dinner.

Friday
Visited the Llamas - yes, the Llamas. Kei works with someone who lives on a Llama farm. Hung out with the Llamas for a couple of hours and then stopped at Burgerville for lunch on the way home. Thomas pased out in the car shortly after.

PM - Thomas VERY cranky. Kei and I wonder where our happy little boy has gone and cross our fingers that this is not the beginnning of the REALLY terrible twos. Everything is a struggle and little things send Thomas into a whiny, crying mess. Hungry but doesn't want to eat. Wants Daddy - wants Mummy. Want's this toy - wants that toy. Doesn't want to get in the bath - doesn't want to get out of the bath. Wants to watch the Wiggles - NOW!!! Doesn't want to go to bed. Finally falls asleep and Kei and I consider the possibility of another 12 months of a grouchy, whiny, difficult Thomas. Too exhausting to contemplate.

Watch Fast Food nation and seriously rethink our Burgerville lunch. Then quickly decide that Burgerville is OK but Wendy's and McDonalds are definitely out.

Saturday
Kei plays golf with a friend who is experiencing his last days of pre-parenthood. The baby is due this week and I think this game was being viewed as a last hurrah. Thomas and I head downtown to do a spot of Xmas shopping and my happy, fun little boy is back. Whoever it was that took over his personality on Friday can stay away.

Buy a gift from Anthropologie for a digi friend, some books from Powells (the BEST bookstore in the entire universe) and then have rotating Sushi for lunch. Thomas and I have a great time together shopping and reading. Soon after lunch we ride the train to the Pioneer Square to see the Xmas tree. Thomas falls asleep in the stroller just before the tree comes into view. Do some more browsing and a little more shopping before Kei picks us up at around 2pm, almost the same time that Thomas wakes from his nap in the stroller.

Head home with a happy little boy who laughs and plays and runs around the house like his old self - quietly hope that this is the norm and not the exception.

Thomas is put to bed and Kei and I watch Who the ?$##? is Jackson Pollock? Fun little documentary about a female truck driver trying to prove that her $10 thrift store find is actually a $50 million piece of artwork. I'm convinced that it is the real thing and vow to start looking more closely in Thrift Stores.

Sunday
Otherwise known as the day before the end of vacation (sigh). Kei and I finish in fine form with an argument that basically ruins the entire day. The good news is that my little boy is in good spirits (maybe this is the norm) and we end up having a fun day while getting some stuff done before the week begins - Grocery shopping, Laundry, Raking leaves. Kei plays golf (enough said about that).

Evening ends with some TV viewing - Amazing Race (LOVE that show - if I were a US citizen I think I would sign up) and Desperate Housewives. So the day was not a total loss.

Monday
Kei heads to Seattle for two days so it is just Thomas and me. I think we'll have Sushi for dinner tonight (the cooked kind of course for the preggo woman). Fingers crossed that he is still his happy self when I pick him up from daycare tonight.

So overall a fun weekend (apart from the small hiccup on Sunday). I feel like I actually had a break but already looking forward to the next one. Just four weeks until Xmas after all. Hope your weekend was a good one too.

Thanks for stopping by.
Nicole

Random Stuff

2007-11-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

The one that didn't make it
I found it very difficult to get started in the Stand Up contest. The result was at least two or three designs for the first few LOs before I was happy with the result. Most of them went into the recycle bin on my computer, except this one. I actually really like it and may have to lift the design for another page. The challenge was to use at least three patterned papers on the page.

Credits: Lisa Whitney Chalked Papers and stitching (Scrapartist), Dani Mogstad Say It Journal Strips (Design by Dani).

Blech!
I am sick. I began coming down with a cold on the weekend and this one just won't let go. The worst part is the cough at night that not only keeps me awake but seems to wake the rest of the household as well. You really don't appreciate the cold and flu drugs until you are unable to use them. Just one of the downsides of being pregnant.

So I haven't felt like scrapping (again) but I was on a little bit of a roll before I got sick so I'm hoping my Mojo returns.

Christmas Mode
I know Thanksgiving is just around the corner but I am already geared up for Christmas. This is going to be the first year we have had our own Xmas tree in almost nine years of marriage. It will also be Thomas' first Xmas at home so I am really excited. We went to Ikea yesterday to get some Xmas decor - lots of candles (I love candles) and some other decorations. I have been collecting ornaments for the last few years in post Xmas sales so I should have enough to decorate a tree but I won't know until it's all put together.

I am really looking forward to starting our own traditions so I am doing some research. I am also thinking about Xmas dinner - I want it to be special but not too much trouble since there will only be three of us (and Thomas only counts for half). Tradition in Australia is to have turkey but since we have Thanksgiving just next week I was thinking about prime rib. I am a little undecided but I do plan to cook.... at least right now I do.

But first Thanksgiving...
I am not American so Thanksgiving is a relatively new holiday for me. Although I try to continue some of the traditions, I like to make Thanksgiving a very laid back and relaxed holiday with just Hubby and Thomas. No traveling and take out Turkey dinner. Believe me - it is delicious! And I make sure I order enough for plenty of leftovers.

I created this little page to commemorate our Thanksgiving tradition. Almost everything is from a Tara Sroka/Heather Milano Collab available from Tara's Store. Click on image for full credits.

So that's just about enough randomness for today. Have a great Thursday and thanks for stopping by.

Nicole

Incognito

2007-11-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post my SUAS alter ego. One fun, unexpected part of the contest was to create a fun avatar. Since we were all in diguise then obviously we couldn't include our own photo.

Here was mine - I was actually very proud of it, not for the quality of the image but for the concept. :)

Oh, and I received no points at all during the contest. Zero. Nada. I'm not upset about it - just realize that the judges were not looking for LOs with my style. I give myself top points for completion. :)

Nicole

The Big Reveal

2007-11-07T19:30:00.001-08:00

All six LOs from the Stand Up and Scrap Competition. Not thrilled with all of them but they do look better as a package. I think week two was my favourite. Vibrant and fun and something I will put in Thomas' album. I like week five too - just because he's so cute!

I will upload them all in my MSA gallery with credits etc. over the next couple of days. For now you can view them in my Sweet Shoppe and Little Dreamer Galleries (I am 16148A).

Until next time

Nicole

Validation

2007-11-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you need to know you're getting through. When Thomas decided to put his duck in time out (for a very good reason - refusing to put his shoes away) we knew that on some level he understood.

When he left the duck in time out for over 6 hours, well, that may be cause for concern. :)

On a scrapbooking related note... Stand up and Scrap is now over. No surprises that I didn't win - or even once make the top ten. When I look at the winner galleries it seems they were looking for more works of art/collage-type layouts and that's not why I scrap. So no real surprises - although making the top ten for one week would have been nice.

I'll post my LOs here over the next few days - even the ones I'm not very proud of. ;)

Have a great day
Nicole

Spooktacular!

2007-11-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

Halloween has come and gone for another year. But this time it had a different spin thanks to the fact that we nw have a child who will Trick or Treat - AND it was actually the very first time I have been trick or treating. OK, the treats are more likely to end up in our bellys than Thomas’ but the act of trick of treating can only be done by an adorable 2 year old in a dinosaur costume.

Kei stayed home to hand out the treats (including toothbrushes for the daycare group) while Thomas and I joined a group of kids from the street (and his daycare) to knock on doors. We pretty much know everyone in our street now so we were definitely trick or treating the safe way. Our street was buzzing! So many kids walking around - definitely more than last year. The weather was good this year and not too cold so I’m sure that had something to do with it.

And here’s my little contribution to the evening. Two perfectly carved pumpkins. Kei said they received a lot of compliments as people were walking up the path. I did use a stencil but I think it’s a pretty good effort.

Oh, and I scrapped this week (yippee!)- Well actually last week but I can post this week. Another fabulous Dani kit. Seriously, she blows me away with every creation. This one is called Winter Thrill and will be available from the Sweet Shoppe this weekend along with a whole buch of Xmas goodies.

A lot of fun stuff happening this weekend in digiland thanks to Digital Scrapbooking Day on Saturday. I have a busy weekend but hope to stop by a few stores - The Lilypad, Jen Wilson Designs, OScraps, Sweet Shoppe and of course Tara's brand new store which opens tomorrow. Should be fun!

Have a great weekend

Nicole

Berocca is the Aussie cure-all

2007-10-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

Reuters did a fun piece last week based on some stats from Google on which countries search which term most often. Apparently the Egyptians, Indians and Turkish searched most for "sex." But the most surprising thing for me is that Aussies are not listed next to the term hangover. I guess we already have our cure-all in Berocca so no need for a search. (NB: Berocca is a jolt of vitamin B in a plesant fizzy drink form - and the first thing you reach for after a big night of drinking).

Other findings based on three years of tracking were;

"Hangover" - Ireland, United Kingdom, United States

"Burrito" - United States, Argentina, Canada

"Jihad" - Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan

"Terrorism" - Pakistan, Philippines, Australia

"Iraq" - United States, Australia, Canada

"Taliban" - Pakistan, Australia, Canada

"Tom Cruise" - Canada, United States, Australia

"Britney Spears" - Mexico, Venezuela, Canada

"Homosexual" - Philippines, Chile, Venezuela

"Love" - Philippines, Australia, United States

"Botox" - Australia, United States, United Kingdom

"Viagra" - Italy, United Kingdom, Germany

"David Beckham" - Venezuela, United Kingdom, Mexico

"Kate Moss" - Ireland, United Kingdom, Sweden

"Car bomb" - Australia, United States, Canada

"Marijuana" - Canada, United States, Australia

Hmmm - seems the Aussies ARE a little obsessed with terrorism. What's that all about? And Botox? I thought we were above that. And I'm sorry to my neighbouring Americans but Burrito's? Seriously? There's a Taco Bell on every corner where I live.

One announcement before I go. As you probably are aware, My Digital Muse is closing its doors from Thursday. This is the last chance to use up those GCs if you have any. Some designers are retiring, others are moving and selling at different stores. You can stop by the forums to find out where people are going.

I am on Tara Sroka's personal CT and she is moving to her own store! I am so excited for her and I know she plans to keep up some of the challenges etc that were so poular over at MDM - including her fabulous card template challenge. She is also planning some fun stuff for digi scrapping day this weekend so make sure you pay her a visit at www.tarasrokadesigns.com. Here are some more details.

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

A Little Pumpkin Picking

2007-10-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

We finally had some nice Autumn weather in Portland over the weekend - and we made the most of it with our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch with some friends. Pumpkin picking is a relatively new tradition for me. Not a lot of pumkins in Australia in October and the whole Fall/Halloween frenzy is a little different here is the States - OK, a LOT different. I have really come to enjoy this annual tradition though and each year Thomas is able to appreciate it a little more. And, let's face it - plenty of great photo opps.

We are a little late in the season for pumpkins this year The best ones have already been picked and we found ourselves walking through a sad graveyard of decaying pumpkin flesh and dead vines. The good news is that the weather was great and we got to see some farm animals and take a trip on a hay ride. I think we’ll be aiming to take the pumpkin trip earlier in the season next year though.

Here are some favourite pics from the day (unedited and please ignore the runny nose - we were short on tissues, ugh!)

And a couple more favs from the park. We definitely made the most of the sunshine this weekend.

Oh, and I finished my final LO for Stand up and Scrap. What a relief! I really like my final LO but to be honest I don't really feel like I got a lot out of the contest. I didn't feel like I could really scrap about the things I love to scrap - everyday life. I felt I had to delve much deeper to create something truly "memorable", well in the judges eyes anyway. It just felt a little forced. This is the first big contest I have entered and I did learn a lot about why I scrap for myself. Not sure how many of my LOs will actually end up in an album...

I have been feeling a little creativity coming back though so that's the good news. I think the great weather has helped and I only have 1.5 weeks until I am in my second trimester when everything is supposed to magically change. Right? :)

Well, best get some work done. TTFN (Ta ta for now).
Nicole

I Scrapped!

2007-10-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

Wow - can you believe it?

And I used a girly kit to scrap this pic of my baby. Everything from Lauren Reid's Nelly kit available now at Oscraps. Frame is from KSharonK at Pickleberry Pop.

I even scrapped again last night with a new Dani kit but can't show you that one quite yet.

I'll be working on my Mojo over the weekend to finish up the final Stand Up and Scrap layout. This contest really could not have come at a worse time for me. The little peanut has really sapped my creativity but the second trimester is just around the corner and my energy and creativity is supposed to return with force then, right? Right? Anyway, I have been a little disappointed that not one of my LOs has been picked as top ten. I think I just scrap a little differently than what the judges are looking for. I have a more simple style and really don't enjoy doing fancy things like extractions. It's all about preserving my memories in the best way for me so that's the trade off. I wil post all my LOs here once I'm done. There are one or two that I really like but the others are just OK.

On the home front, things are going really well. I have not had any morning sickness or any other nasty preggo symptom apart from a little indigestion. Oh, and looking like I'm five months pregnant when I am not even three! People at work have started looking at me like they're trying to work out whether I am pregnant or not but I'm still at that stage where it's dangerous to ask. I hate the flabby belly stage. Can't wait until I have the nice round hard belly.

I actually loved being pregnant last time around - everything up until the emergency C-Section was just perfect. And this time I am pregnant in WINTER - so less chance of those huge elephant ankles. :)

Apologies for the LOOOOONG post. :) I should just post more often so that I can say everything that's on my mind.

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

The Reason...

2007-10-16T20:30:00.000-07:00

...I have been moody

...I have been tired

...I have been going to bed at 9pm every night

...I have been slacking on my blog posts

...I have been almost absent from my CT boards

...I have not been scrapping

...I have NOT been wanting to pick up my computer outside of work (actually not even AT work)

...My pants are too tight

...I can concentrate on less than one thing at a time

All because of this...

Who would have thought something so small could have such a big impact and (gasp!) stop me from wanting to scrap!

Yes, Baby number two is on his or her way on or around May 23rd of next year. The plan was to start trying in Agust. Seems when I plan something I REALLY like to stick with my plan. :)

So there's my excuse - and I have a full seven months left to use it so be prepared.

Nicole

I should just read other blogs

2007-10-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

I really need a lift this week and I think I found it thanks to others in the digi world.

Jodie's post about being a mother made me cry - in a good way.

And it seems Jessica Sprague is going through her own scrapping crisis. Sometimes it's good to be reminded that you need balance. I could have easily written the following sentence, I just didn't realize it what the problem was.

"Lately I’ve been feeling a little kind of scraped-out. Like there isn’t that much left of me to give. I don’t know if this feeling is exhaustion or burnout or just a mood-swing, or one of the ebbs and flows of life and creativity. One thing I do see clearly now, that I need to do better, is to take time for important things. I see now that part of this murky sort of “something’s wrong” feeling is that I’m unbalanced in the way I’ve been living."

This weekend I am getting back on track - with my life, with scrapping, with everyothing. I have a Lauren Reid raklift to do which is very important to me, a ew LO for Stand up and Scrap and a new Nancy LO. I need some scrapping therapy. :)

And here's a pic - just 'cause. Why do I need a reason? :) - I mean, it's not even edited, eeeck!

Have a great day

Nicole

Just not feeling it

2007-10-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

I don't what it is lately but I just don't feel like scrapping. I feel like my mojo has abandoned me and sitting on a computer to scrap just doesn't interest me at all right now. I hate this feeling.

Maybe it's because I have so much else on my mind. Can't share right now but but there is some big stuff happening that is taking up a lot of my brain power. You may be able to guess what it is if you read the next edition of Lauren's newsletter. LOL!

I have been scrapping for the Stand Up and Scrap competition. I was really happy with last week's LO (all about paper) but didn't end up in the top 10. Have to keep reminding myself that I'm doing it for myself, not to win. I guess that's a little difficult to focus on when I really don't feel like scrapping at the moment.

This change may also be because we went driectly from Summer to winter here in Oregon. What happened to the crisp autumn days I am used to? Why is it constantly raining already? I mean I expect it at some point but just not this early. I want to go outside and take some fun autumn pics. You know the ones where Thomas can jump in piles of leaves and frolic in the sunshine. Sigh!

Wow - this post has been a downer huh? Promise I will return with some good news soon... and maybe even a new LO. Now wouldn't that be nice?

Nicole

Don't miss it!

2007-10-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

Not much fun in our house right now. Thomas is sick with croup and been clinging to Mummy every moment he can. I wasn't at work on Friday and will be home today as well. Needless to say we didn't have the best weekend.

The good news is that it is Hybrid Week at MDM Here are the details. Click on the image to go straight there.

Promise I will post more soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicole

MIA

2007-10-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Haven't been around much lately. I had a work offsite last week which put me out of contact for a couple of days and I've just been feeling very tired. I am one of those people who can't go to be before 9pm, even if I am exhausted. I think it's all those years of being told to go to bed when I didn't want to. I am finally "rebelling".

We've also been very busy on the weekends. I seriously thought things would slow down in October but it seems to be getting worse. We had a pot luck at a friend's house on Saturday with about 5 other families (and their kids). We know most of them from our pre-natal classes when I was pregnant with Thomas so it was fun to catch up again. On Sunday we had second birthday number 132! This time it was for Ethan, one of Thomas' friends since birth so that was fun as well - but another couple of hours spent with a whole bunch of adults and their kids. It was really a kidfest this weekend.

I am looking forward to Wednesday - my day off and the day when Thomas and I can just hang out. He has been so sweet and funny lately and I am really having fun spending time with him. He even kept himself occupied in his playroom last night while I cooked an entire meal. Haven't made more than fish and rice in I don't know how long. Last night's chicken stroganoff was practically a gourmet meal!

A while ago we tried to teach Thomas to say "No Thank you" rather than NOOOOOOOO! when he didn't want something. The last few days he has started saying "No 'Hanks" and i is soooo cute. This morning we were walking down the stairs to his daycare and he said "Oh my gosh! That's Amazing!" Not sure exactly what he was referring to - but cute none the less. We definitely have a little chatterbox on our hands.

As for the scrapping - I just haven't been feeling it lately. I have been doing my Stand up and Scrap assignments (actually two for each challenge so far, and then I choose my favourite), but apart from that I have been on a little hiatus. I think with MDM closing I have been looking at how I spend my time. I am actually a little relieved that I will have some more time on my hands - time that I can spend on my other CT projects and on scrapping for myself.

A couple of CT things I have to mention.

Lauren Reid is leaving Scrapartist (don't worry she is going somewhere else) and she's having a 35% off sale. Details here and store here.
Dani Mogstad is celebrating 2 years of Design by Dani. Big savings in the store and a fabulous party bag if you spend $5 - and believe me, it is definitely worth it.
Big savings are starting at MDM for the final month. Make sure you keep stopping by to pick up some goodies from the designers and find out where they are going.

Well that's enough of my rambling today. I'll finish with a photo because I HAVE to include something visual.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Tuesday.

Nicole

Standing Up

2007-09-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

So I signed up for the Stand up and Scrap contest. I have no illusions of winning but could be a bit of fun and may stretch me a little. The first challenge involved brushes and the second one asks you to use different patterned papers. Neither of these are my strength. I am a fairly clean and simple scrapper so I am finding it difficult but I guess that's the point. I won't be able to show all of my pages until we're done.

I do have some LOs that I CAN share.

This one is for the quote challenge at MDM. I kept trying to add more to it but it didn't feel right so I guess this is it. :) Holly also posted it on the MDM homepage as Masterpiece of the week which is very cool.

This one uses Lauren Reid's Spookiest kit. I am not a big Hallowee person, but I guess since I now live in America I should expect at least one LO each year that shows Thomas in a costume. This is my first one. I am glad I scrapped it though because I just had those photos sitting there from Oct 2006 and thats where they would have stayed if I hadn't tried to create a Halloween LO.

This one uses a bunch of Lauren stuff, including her NZ Naturals kit which I love. Very simple and understated with muted grungy colors. Gorgeous. I also used her wonky templates (which I will HAVE to use again) and her new Mistaken alpha. I really like this one and have to create more pages about the everyday things.

So that's about it from me tody. I have an offsite meeting for work tomorrow and Friday but hopefully I'll fit some scrapping and blog browsing in at the end of the day. I can't be away for too long. :)

Off to think about the next Stand Up challenge now... hmmmm...

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

Mojo Kickstart

2007-09-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am blogging on Mojo to Gogo today for Lauren's team. Drop by and check it out. Today my little piece is of mojo is some water pics I took with my brand new camera. Did I mention I bought a brand new camera? :)

My weekend was nice and relaxing. I really felt like I had a weekend which is very nice. Kei played golf ALL DAY on Saturday. He was gone from 9am to 7pm. Not that I'm complaining, I mean it might be his last opportunity for a while.

Thomas and I hung out at the park near our house. They had an organic baby fair which was fun. Lots of people trying to sell their holistic wares - chirpractors, midwives, lead testing etc. It was a good way to kill a few hours and really tire Thomas out. He took a 3 hour nap when we got home!

Yesterday was quiet and restful. I even took a two hour nap while Thomas was sleeping.

So nothing too exciting to report I'm afraid. I may have some news to share later this week. ;)

Have a great Monday
Nicole

Girl Talk

2007-09-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

I posted on the Girl Talk blog today. Drop by to see a preview of Dani's new kit and read more of my witty banter. :). Here's a teaser.

See you over there

Nicole

A Sad Day in Digi Land

2007-09-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have not heard, My Digital Muse will be closing it's doors on November 1st. Hollly has made the difficult decision to focus on her photography and retire from digital scrapbooking.

While I will miss the community at MDM, I am glad Holly is making this decision for herself. I am also glad that MDM will not be continuing without her. I just don't think it would be the same.

I definitely had lot of fun on the team as one of the original CT members. It was my very first CT and I think I grew as an artist and gained more confidence in my abilities. It was also fun hosting the photography challenge. If you haven't seen this month's you still have some time to enter and win a GC to spend on all the bargains appearing in the store over the next few weeks. Click here for details. I don't think I'll do one next month so get in while you can. :)

October should be a fun month on the site with lots of specials and goodies to go around. Make sure you drop by and bid us farewell.

Work continues on my other CTs. I have been on a little bit of a scrapping slump lately and took a rest for a few days. The good news is that I think some of my mojo has returned - just in time for the first Stand up and Scrap challenge. It's a tough one but I have some ideas brewing. I have no illusions about winning the competition with more than 500 participants, but I will definitely have fun and learn something in the process.

Here's a couple of layouts I completed this week. I have another that I can show tomorrow with Dani's gorgeous new kit. I will also be posting over on the Girl Talk blog tomorrow so make sure you check it out.

This first LO is for the challenge on Nancy's blog this week. It uses a whole buch of photos I thought I had lost in the CF card disaster so the $40 recovery was definitely worth it - especially if I happen to win the challenge. :) Of course I haven't won one yet, but you never know... Whether I win or not, I have managed to create some great pages thanks to the challenge prompts. I don't usually use much yellow in my pages but I love this one. So much fun.

This one is for the current challenge with Jen Wilson's new line. A little more feminine than usual.

Oh, and one of my LOs is being lifted over at JW this week. I won a $5 GC for the honor. Just in time to purchase some of the new goodies. :) I love being lifted. It's so much fun to see what others do with my basic design. Some of the Lifts with a Twist pages are amazing!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day and... don't forget my challenge. :)

Nicole

Great News!

2007-09-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

My photos are saved! I paid $40 for a program that rescued my photos - even some that I had deleted off the camera on Friday (not that I wanted to keep them but good to know I can salvage if I ever want to).

I am so happy. And the $40 was worth it - even for just this little gem.

I am off to return the card today. I ordered another (different) card through Amazon which should arrive in the next few days and then I can start using my camera again - (almost) worry free.

Thanks everyone for the well wishes. I think it really helped. :)

Having a spa night with the girls this evening which should be a lot of fun. I of course won't get any more scrapping done - I think it's been about 5 days which is a lifetime for me. Just need to get out of this funk. Hopefully my mojo will return just in time for Stand up and Scrap which begins tomorrow.

Anyway, just wanted to share the good news. Must get back to work now.

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

Good News and Bad News

2007-09-17T15:32:00.000-07:00

The Bad News
I finally received my brand new Canon Digital Rebel XTi and I LOVE it. But there is a problem. The camera arrived on Friday so I ran out right away and bought a SanDisc 4gb CF card so I could use the camera right away. I made sure I did my research about the right card and read many sites that said the Extreme II was a good card for personal use.

On Friday afternoon I played around with the camera and it was working beautifully. On Saturday I had my son's 2nd B'day party and, when I reviewed the pics on Saturday night I was so happy with the results.

Then I went out on Sunday and took some more pics at a local fountain with my boys. When I tried to review the files that I had just taken I got an "Image Corrupted" message. I looked throught he rest of the pics and about 50% of them were missing - including a whole bunch from my son's birthday party.

I am devastated. I have since read some reviews on Amazon that mention a bad batch of this type of CF card. I found a card reader at work and I am going to try and recover some of the files tonight. I hope I can get some more of them back because there were some of Thomas eating cake that were so precious.

So far SanDisk hasn't been very helpful. They sent me an email with a list of "why this may be user error" responses which just made me mad. I am going to try some of their suggestions tomorrow and then send them a nasty message.

I can't believe it - I have had my camera for two days!!! Anyway, apologies for the long whiny post. I just had to vent.

The Good News
1. I did get this photo of Thomas in his Blues Clues ears. So cute! If I can recover some more photos I'll share them tomorrow

2. Thomas' birthday was a lot of fun. The weather held out and the kids had a great time (now if I can only recover the photographic proof). Only down side - someone gave him a gift that is, in a word, obnoxious. It's very loud and has no volume button or off switch. They are due to have a baby very soon themselves so I may have to re-gift somewhere down the line.

3. I am on a winning streak. My luck in didgi land has been in a full upward swing the last couple of weeks. Good thing too, because my mojo seems to be on a little hiatas right now.

I won a weekly challenge for Jen Wilson's Attire/Accessorize contest which means my LO was voted the best one for that week. You can see the LO here.
Then I won some cool photo overlays from Traci Murphy just from posting on her thread at My Scrapbook Art.
And then on Saturday night I won a book from Nancy Comelab. Looks pretty cool too, all about sourcing your inner creativity which I really need right now. I also exchanged a few emails with the lady herself. She is such a sweetheart and has been going through a tough time lately. THEN she left a comment on my blog. I was a double winner - well triple if you count the emails.
Then I was browsing my blog list today and happened across my own LO at Lifts with a Twist! Yes, people are lifting me this week. I feel so honoured. Click here to see the post.

4. So I have been winning all over the place. What I haven't been doing is scrapping. There may be a reason for that too, but I can't officially share it quite yet. It's also very good news and some of you may be able to guess. :)

5. It's my Mum's birthday today - Happy Birthday Mum!

So I guess I ended this one on a positive note. That's me - the ultimate optomist. :)

Have a great day everyone. :)

Nicole

The big day has arrived!

2007-09-14T09:22:00.000-07:00

My camera is coming today - whoo hoo! I usually work from home on Fridays but since I am having the camera delivered to the office I just HAD to come in so I could take it home and start playing. It feels like Christmas.

It's also grab bag weekend at MDM so maybe it IS christmas. :)

We are having Thomas' birthday party this weekend and the weather is looking a little dodgy. I certainly hope it clears up so we can enjoy our time at our UNCOVERED picnic area at the park. It's close to home so our house is the backup venue, but I paid to reserve space at the park so I hope we can have it there.

Is this bad? I had someone come in to clean my house on Wednesday. I always feel so guilty especially because Wednesday is my day off and I did spend sopme time sitting on the couch while she cleaned. Oh, and I forgot to give her a tip -ooops! It just doesn't cross my mind. You don't tip very often in Australia and it's certainly not expected so sometimes I forget. I don't think she did a great job anyway. I am still finding things that she didn't even touch - like the windowsils in the kitchen. Next time I'll just clean myslef when I can find a spare 5 hours...

Wow, this is a boring post. :) Best finish it off with a couple of layouts. Click on the image for credits.

This one is for current lifts with a twist challenge. The original is by Davita who is on Lauren's CT. For a little background: Thomas was given this necklace as a present at his friend Riley's (he calls it his "Birthday Present"). He wouldn't take it off for about a week. Then he found a headband of mine, took of his shirt and this was the result.

This one is for the MDM SOTB challenge - to scrap a new place in your hometown. Somewhere you have been meaning to visit for some time.

Well, that's all folks. have a great weekend.

Nicole

Huge!

2007-09-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is HUGE! I just placed an order for a brand new Canon Rebel Xti Digital SLR. I can in all honesty say that if I had not become so addicted to digital scrapbooking then I would not have a $700 charge on my credit card right now. I tell my husband to blame the digi scrapping community - especially the enablers over at My Digital Muse with their beautiful photos.

I am so excited! It should arrive by the end of the week - just in time for Thomas' birthday party on Saturday. Not that I am thinking for a moment that I will learn how to use in just one day.

Anyway, look for some blurry photos on Monday as proof of my new purchase.

Layouts

I have completely lost track of the layouts I have and haven't posted on this blog. Here are a few I am almost sure I haven't posted before but please forgive me if any of this seems repetitive. ;)

I created this one for the current challenge on Nancy Comelab's blog. The challenge was to create a layout about an event in your life without using photos. This was a tough one for me. Thankfully I had a lot of time to think about while I sat in traffic for almost two hours yesterday on my way home (yes, two hours! There was an accident that closed down all but one lane of 1-5).

I forgot how helpful it is to actually have some time alone to think (Now how's that for looking onthe bright side of rush hour traffic :)). I have been planning to document Thomas' birth story for...ohhh.. two years. I still plan to write EVERY detail down but I think this will be a great LO to accompany it. It really talks about the roller coaster ride of feelings during his birth. I love how it turned out. Click on the image for a larger view, credits and better look at the journaling.

This LO is using the new exotic adventures kit - a collab by Nancy Comelab, Chrsitine Renee, Tiff Brady and Emily Merritt. Such a cute kit! Click on the image yada yada yada.

I tried something new for this one. I actually used my tablet PC as a tablet and created my own "hand-cut" shapes. I really like the effect. The papers are from Tara Sroka at MDM. Again, image is clickable for more deets.

And this one's just pretty. I used Dani Mogstad's Saturday Market kit. The kit is pretty and girly (although I have used it for a boy LO) that I just had to scrap some pics of my favourite flower.

That's about all I have to report today...and that's enough right? Thanks for stopping by. :)

Nicole

Some Monday Mojo

2007-09-10T09:06:00.001-07:00

Posting on Lauren Reid's CT blog this morning. Head on over there and prepare to be inspired by some amazing artwork.

http://www.laurenreiddesigns.com/teamblog/

Back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

Nicole

Big day in the Ishida house!

2007-09-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

My baby turns two tomorrow. I really can't belive it. He is growing up in a blur and I need to stop and watch him more often so I don't miss anything.

The BIG news... news that he'll be mortified that I shared with the world in 18 years... He peed on the potty for the very first time. I was doing a jig in the bathroom. So exciting!

It all began when we were when he asked for a big sticker - we give Thomas little stickers for sitting on the potty but he has been told that he only gets a big sticker if he pees. I am all for bribery if it means Thomas is out of diapers more quickly. :) Anyway, he sat on the toilet and then it happened. I don't know who was more surprised. When he'd finished he said "more"? So I guess it was an enjoyable experience.

Anyway, just had to stop by quickly and share the news. Those of you with children will understand what a huge day this is. Those of you who don't have children are probably thinking "Why did I just read a whole post about someone peeing?"

A quick photo and LO to close. The photo is for my photography challenge on now at MDM. The topic this month is "3 is the magic number" - Submit any photo where the subject or composition relates in some way to the number three. You could have a photo of the number three, three objects, three strong components that make up your image, three colours, three divisions anything that relates your image in some way to THREE.

Here's one of my photos (although I took MANY more - just couldn't stop).

And my latest Favourite LO (Click on the image for credits).

Thanks for dropping by and indulging my excitement. :)

Nicole

Totally Ever So Not Fair

2007-09-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Today's blog post title brought to you by Lola of Charlie and Lola fame. My grammer isn't quite that bad. Very cute children's books and a TV show to go with them but I have only seen it once. Thomas likes Charlie and Lola (and secretly I do too).

But that's not the unfair part. Begin rant now...

I am 32 - not that old, but old enough that I sometimes need to take a moment and do the math to remember how old I am. And old enough that I should not have to worry about pimples any more! I am so tired of waking up in the morning with an eruption the size of vesuvius planted on my cheek, chin, forehead etc. etc. I mean when did the rules change? I was told in high school that I would grow out of it. That Acne is a temporary thing suffered by teenagers (like the teenage years were punishment enough on their own).

I have tried everything - creams, lotions, scrubs. At the end of the day I feel that I am now in my 30s and Acne should be a thing of the past. Come on universe, cut me some slack here. I deserve it.

Rant over.

And, no, I am not posting a photo today. :)

Had To Make a LO...

2007-09-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

... based on my last post. I love Manda J Designs. She is a new designer at MDM and if you haven't checked her out, you should. (Click on image for full credits)

Anyway, wanted to post before I go to bed.

Nighty Night

Nicole

So Proud

2007-09-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Thomas got into the cupboard where we keep the pots and pans the other night, pulled out a saucepan, found a wooden spoon somewhere on the floor (no, that's not usually where I leave my wooden spoons) and proceeded to "cook" something. He was yelling out to me in the other room and saying "Look Mummy, I'm Cooking".

Of course at this point I'm thinking I have the most intelligent child in the world. I mean he's not even two yet and he knows that saucepan plus wooden spoon means cooking. Especially impressive since he probably learned this from watching me do it.. oh.. three times in his entire life!

But then the thing that happened next pushed him into the genius category. He looks at me and says, clear as day, "Mummy, take a picture!". My heart sang with joy. I have a child who like to have his photo taken... at least for now.

Here are the resulting photos. A little blurry, but definitely worth pulling out the camera for this milestone moment.

This is one proud Mama. :)

Nicole

Just for Fun

2007-08-31T19:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to change up the look of my blog. You like? I was never happy with the all white design. I need color!

A few things going on this weekend. First of all, many many great sales at My Digital Muse. Do yourself a favor and check them out. Tara is taking 35% off everything!

Also, Jen Wilson is taking votes for her attire/accessorize challenge. It'simply a matter of looking through the runway challenge gallery, choosing one winner for each week's challenge (there are seven total) and sending them to Jen via email. CT layouts are not eligible so I may have 1/2 a chance. (hahahaha). Votes have to be in by midnight Saturday.

And one more thing just for fun. Not my normal style of LO - a little messy and funky - but then what really is my style?? Click on the image for credits.

Journaling:As soon as I say we're going to stop for a coffee, you yell "muffin!". I suppose I buy you one pretty much any time we stop for coffee. And the one thing I've discovered - you really really really like muffins!August, 2007

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

Post and Run

2007-08-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of time to post today but I did want to stop by quickly to say "Hi" and share a couple of fun things with you.

I picked up this little number online today. No, it's not a new accessory for a night on the town with the girls - but a rather cute little accessory for a certain soon to be two year old's Blues Clues themed party. How cute is this! There is definitely a photo shoot planned...

I also simpsonized myself many weeks ago but forgot to post. I'm not sure it really resembles me at all but you be the judge. Here's the link if you want to Simpsonize yourself.

And finally, another layout to share. This one is for the challenge on Nancy's blog this week where we were asked to use her horizontal or vertical frames in a creative way. Not sure this is creative enough so I may give it another shot, but I love the LO. I used some of Lauren Reid's gorgeous products as well as a glitter swirl from Kylie Clark that I have been wanting to use for a long time. Click on the image for credits and a clearer view of the journaling.

Anyway have to run. I need to call someone in Hong Kong for work and then I have to get home. Kei is spending the week at home with Thomas and I have to make sure I get home early enough so that I am still my baby's favourite person. ; ) Well I guess that goes for both of them.

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicole

A Scrapping Frenzy

2007-08-25T23:13:00.000-07:00

I have been scrapping up a storm thanks to some contest deadlines. Jen Wilson decided to make it especially difficult for me by posting not one, but the final four challenges for her attire/accessorize line while I was away. Deadline was today and I was determined to get as many done as possible. I ran out of time for the final challenge but I did manage to get three done in the past couple of days. Click on images for full credits.

I also completed two challenges for Nancy Comelab. The first one is a week late but still counts towards the 20 challenges I am determined to complete. This one is a scraplift of Peta, one of Nancy's CT team members and a fellow Aussie.

This Nancy challenge is due tomorrow and was all all about monochromatic layouts while I find extremely difficult. I do love a little bit of accent colour but I think I pulled it off. :)

Anyway, that's it for now. Next up: CT layouts for Tara, MDM, Dani and an article for Lauren's newsletter. Phew!

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicole

Home again

2007-08-24T13:36:00.000-07:00

As much as I miss my family (and Aussie winters that are more like spring) it feels so great to be home. Thomas and I survived the marathon 30 hour trek and arrived home late on Wednesday night.

The flight home is always more difficult, thanks to unecessary plane transfers in Sydney and a six hour layover in San Francisco. It's just painful to be so close to home, yet still so far. In addition to the agony of sitting in an airport trying to keep an (almost) two year old occupied after only 4 hours of sleep, Qantas mnaged to lose my stroller. If you have ever tried to carry two items of hand luggage, pay for food AND keep an (almost) two year old from heading to the nearest boarding plane all at the same time then you will understand my pain. All I can say is thank heavens for portable DVD players and movie length episodes of Blues Clues.

But we are home... (insert big deep breath here). So great to see my husband and my house and my own bed. Not so great to have to return to work while still jetlagged but I am now officially in negative digits with my personal leave time.

I have so much to catch up with. I hear Dani has released a couple of new kits (man she's been busy!) and I have layouts to do for Tara and MDM. In addition I was not able to announce something before I left... drum roll please... I am on the newsletter team for Lauren Reid. I love her designs and I am just so excited. Need to get working on something ASAP as her first newsletter is due soon. Make sure you sign up to receive it on her blog.

Before I get back to the 1500 work emails requiring my attention (and no, that is not an exaggeration!), thought I'd leave you with some more favourite pics from my trip.

"Helping" Grandpa

This is a fave

Having fun with Uncle Ben. Thomas' favourite phrase right now is "Right There!" with two pointing fingers. As in "Where's Mummy?" "Right There!"

Uncle Ben

The horses on the property behind my Mum and Dad's house were a daily attraction.

Watching Blues Clues with Uncle Ben.

Uncle Jono (a little blurry, I know but it's the best shot I was able to get. Jono is not very cooperative when it comes to taking phtos.

Thanks for stopping by

Ta Ta for Now

Nicole

Live from Oz

2007-08-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

We made it safely to Melbourne with only a minor meltdown as we passed through customs (Thomas, not me). Thomas was so great on the plane. He slept for eight hours, watched DVDs for two and happily played for the rest. It was only in the last couple of hours that he put on his backpack, grabbed his blanket and proceeded towards the exit doors. I don't blame him though. I was ready to disembark 12 hours into the flight as well.

I will never fly with a US airline again - at least not to Australia. We came over with United last time (two years ago) and this trip with Qantas was like night and day. They are just so much more thoughtful and understanding, which is what you want when you are traveling alone with a toddler. They also provide you with a menu that outlines exactly what AND when you will be eating. I will overlook the fact that the on-demand video system wasn't working. But a minor hiccup in the scheme of things.

So now that my Qantas commercial is over, I am able to share some photos. For the first few days we spent a lot of time catching up with friends and family in Melbourne, but then we traveled up to Yarrawonga where my parents live to really relax. Thomas is loving the wide open spaces - including the opportunity to get up close and personal with some Aussie animals courtesy of a local animal park. I was born and raised an Aussie and even I have not had the opportunity to experience feeding a joey before. Simply amazing.

I don't have much time to post tonight because... well it's freezing in my Dad's study (seriously - turn on the heat Dad!) and the connection is sooooo slow. I'll be back to post some more soon and can't wait to get home to muy husband and back to scrapping.

More soon.

Nicole

I Lied..

2007-08-05T21:43:00.000-07:00

I said I wouldn't take a new CT position, but an opportunity came along that was just too good to pass up. I will share the details soon... so exciting.

My travels begin tomorrow. I have to head to Seattle for a couple of days before I fly to Australia on Wednesday. I am starting to get very stressed out with all the work I have to do before them - both for my real job and at home. I think I'm going to have to reduce my scrap time for a couple days - unless the new Nancy Comelab and Jen Wilson challenges post of course.

I am not taking my computer to Australia. I just don't the distraction would be good given that I'm seeing some people for the first time in two years - brothers included. I think it may just kill me if the 24 hour solo flight with a two year old doesn't do me in first.

Anyway, here's a quick LO I made with Sasha Jane Products at MDM. Good reminder that I CANNOT forget the DVD player. :)

Credits

Have a great Monday

Nicole

My morning so far..

2007-08-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Enough said... Happy Friday everyone

Nicole

Me Me Me!

2007-08-02T21:27:00.000-07:00

The challenge on Nancy's blog this week was to scrap a page with many different photos of myself. Unfortunately this meant that I had to TAKE some photos of myself - something I hate. I am much more comfortable behind the camera.

So I set up a little makeshift studio in our back room. It's the best room in the house for lighting so that I could avoid flash. I hung a red blanket over a drying rack for a makeshift backdrop, put Blue's Clues on the TV to keep Thomas occupied and proceeded to take about 100 photos. About a quarter of them were subject to the delete key, but a few made it into my layout.

And here is the result - a page with nothing but me me me. Probably the toughest page I have ever pulled together.

Credits

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

Scrapapalooza!

2007-08-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

It's a scrapping frenzy! The start of the month means a new Muse Journal, which also means I can now share a whole bunch of LOs that I have been working on. Oh, and make sure you pick up the Journal. It has a some really interesting articles from the team and a free kit from Tara that rocks!

This one is for the Muse of the Month scraplift. I had the pleasure of lifting one of Dani's layouts - no easy task but a lot of fun.

Credits

This one is for Tiff's Multi-Photo template challenge which starts today. Fabulous template!

Credits

And last, but not least, a LO using Tara's free kit. She also has a lot of new products in the store that coordinate with the kit so make sure you check those out too.

Credits

Note: Credits today are all linked to the MDM store. It's DST's 1st birthday and the site is painfully slow today.

Oh, and I did some shopping late last night - if you are not aware, Jen Wilson is selling almost a;; of her element packs for $1 each! I picked up about 12. :) And Little Dreamer has a grab bag that combines products from all of the designers. The contents definitely did not disappoint. :)

Next on the list of things to do

Finalize September Muse article
LO for Tara's CT
MDM CT Layouts
Photo for MDM photo challenge (I am not hosting this month due to travel plans but I will contribute a pic)
Nancy Comelab blog challenge
LDD Blog Challenge with Grab bag items
JWD Attire Challenge #4 (not posted yet but I am eagerly awaiting)

And all of this during a crazy week at work and right before I head to Australia - in just one week! Eeeeck!

Have a great day.

Nicole

Challenged...

2007-07-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

...And not in a good way. Seems this parenting thing is getting more difficult. Kei played golf all afternoon on Saturday and Thomas was a challenge at best. He has finally realized that he has an opinion and is not afraid to express it. Don't get me wrong, I want him to become an independent child with a mind of his own - but not if EVERYTHING is the opposite of what I want. I wanted him to eat lunch at the table, HE wanted to eat on the floor. I gave him fish crackers, HE wanted peanut butter crackers. I wanted him to have a bath, HE didn't want a bath. HE wanted me to out on a diaper, I started to put on the diaper, HE wanted me to stop. Just one struggle after another. Exhausting.

Makes me wonder about a 20 hour trip to Australia...alone...with Thomas...Hmmm. That DVD battery had better sustain his attention.

I ordered Parenting with Love and Logic from Amazon. Should arrive just in time for the plane ride. I am expecting miracles.

I did get some scrapping though. I was feeling particularly creative on Saturday night and finshed three layouts - in addition to the two I finished on Friday. I am only able to share one right now. It is using Dani's new Stitches over at the Sweet Shoppe. I am always a sucker for good stitches, especially if they are a little funky and fun and these don't disappoint. She has some circles as well. Will definitely have to use those soon.

Credits

Have a great Monday!

Nicole

Busy Busy Busy

2007-07-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Seems those weeks of procrastination at work are finally catching up with me. I have so much to do that I am finding it difficult to get started on anything. I have to fly to Seattle a week from Monday for two days (Mon, Tues) and then I am flying to Australia on the Wednesday. So much to do in so little time.

But I thought I should at least share a couple of layout to keep this blog going in the meantime.

This layout is using the new Summer Breeze Colab kit at MDM. Such beautiful colors in this kit and lots of great embellishments.

See the kit here and here, and credits for the layout here.

Next up is a LO I made for the challenge hosted by Emily Merritt on Nancy's blog this week - Share your Summer traditions. I had created a similar LO for the Scrap Outside the Box challenge at MDM so I reworkd it to include some of Nancy's stuff. I really like how it turned out.

Credits and journaling here

And last but definitely not least is for another challenge on Nancy's blog. This time it was Nancy doing the challenging and asked us make a LO of our goals. I not a big person for thinking too far in the future. That doesn't mean I don't have any goals, just that I prefer to focus on what I want to achieve in the near future rather than a 10 year plan. But this turned out to be very cathartic experience. Who knew?

You can view a larger version of the page and credits here.

Thanks for stopping by - hope your day is a great one!

Nicole

Revising my To Do List

2007-07-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

I had a very productive weekend! I crossed four things off my to do list - whoo hoo! But the best thing is that I had fun doing it. I guess it wasn't such a bad thing that our weekend plans fell through (although I do still need a vacation - don't get me wrong).

I spoke with my brother tonight for the first time in probably a year. He only has a cell phone in Australia and it's too expensive for me to call so I try and catch up with him while he's visiting my parents. It made me want to leave to go home NOW - I can't believe I still have to wait for 2 and a half weeks. It's killing me.

But, back to my list. Here are the things I marked off the list:

Photo Swap layout
Layout with Dani's new kit
Small Project for Digi Scrapping Race (Dani's Girls blog is a stop)
Layout with the new MDM Collab Kit (coming soon)

And here are the results - well the two I can share anyway.

First of all, the photo swap challenge. This one was..well...challenging. There is so much more pressure when you are scrapping with someone else's photos, especially when that person is as talented as Traci Reed. In the end, though, I like how it turned out. IThe colors worked well togetehr and I think I used a good mix of elements. I just love that overlay from the Scrapartist Reverie kit. And it only took me three weeks!

Credits

And this one is my layout with Dani's new MVP kit. Fantastic kit and one I can see myself coming back to time and again as Thomas continues his sporting "career". There are just so many goodies in this kit that it's impossible to show them all in one layout. I love it when one kit allows for so many different pages. This was actually a re-scrap. I wasn't happy with my previous attempt but I was so proud of the journaling that I went back to try again.

Credits

Still remaining on my list...

Shopping with what remains of my GCs ($10 from Jen Wilson, $5 from Nancy Comelab)
Jen Wilson Challenge 4
Nancy Comelab Blog Challenge Goal LO (I think this will be a tough one)

Best get to bed now- another work week beckons... sigh...

Nicole

What's a girl to do? Shop!

2007-07-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to head to the coast for the weekend but when I called last night to confirm, I found they had no record of our reservation. Even though I had an email confirmation. I did tried to call when I made the reservation orginally but they never called me back and then I received an email message so I thought it was confirmed. But I guess not...

And finding last-minute accomodation on the Oregon Coast on a weekend in the middle of the summer is an impossible task.

So instead I shopped. I LOVE the Nordstrom anniversary sale. I bought these shoes - the heel is way too high and they are totally impractical but look how cute!

And then of course I had to buy some new jeans to wear them with. And a new top to finish off the whole outfit (couldn't find a pic of that).

I bought some sensible shoes as well. Still very cute, but sensible.

And it's all completely justified because they were on sale! Ahhh... I feel so much better. :) It has been so long since I bought something for myself.

I was supposed to be on leave today but since we're no longer going away I didn't want to waste it. So I do have to do some work. Then I think I'll pick Thomas up from daycare a little early and we can all go and get some sushi for dinner.

The weekend is looking better and better. Besides, I think it's going to rain all weekend on the coast.

See how I just turned that frown upside down?? :) Have a great weekend!

Nicole

I almost forgot...

2007-07-19T13:59:00.001-07:00

My Photography challenge is happening right now at MDM. You have until bnext Wednesday at midnight to be in the running for a GC to the store. Click on the image for details.

Lastly: Please indulge me as I update my task list here - it makes me personally accountable. :)

Photo Swap layout
Write article for the September Muse
Layout with Dani's new kit (coming soon)
Small Project for Digi Scrapping Race (Dani's Girls blog is a stop)
Layout with the new MDM Collab Kit (coming soon)
Shopping with all of my GCs :)
Jen Wilson Challenge 4
Nancy Comelab Blog Challenge Goal LO (I am determined to keep up with these)

Phew - busy days ahead and a vacation weekend in the middle. Best get started!

Nicole

The light at the end of the tunnel.

2007-07-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm having one of those mornings. I hate uncertainty and there is a lot of that with my job right now. I just want to know what my job IS I guess - too much to ask? Didn't think so.

Well, enough of my cryptic ramblings (you never know who might be reading this). The good news is that we are heading to the coast for a few days tomorrow. I can't wait. I really need a vacation and it will be so nice for us to spend time together as a family.

Oh, and it's now less that three weeks before I head home for a quick Aussie visit. I am so excited. My parents haven't seen Thomas since last October which was before he was even walking. He has changed so much since then and I can't wait for them to see how much he has grown up. I am also looking forward to catching up weith my brotehrs and some friends. Should be fun! If anyone has ideas for some magic products to keep a toddler occupied on a 20 hour flight I would appreciate it. I am going to buy a portable DVD player and went shopping for some new books yesterday, but I am looking for ideas for small, portable toys that will occupy an almost 2 year old. Preferably for a good 5 hours. (Hahaha).

Of course I can't leave without an image of some kind. Here my LO for Jen Wilson's Challenge week 3. The challenge was to couple things on a layout that you usually wouldn't put together. I chose to place a graphic brush and some bling (glitter border and sequins) on a fairly rustic layout. It's also a photo of my son with flowers - which I have never done before. This was a tough one for me but I think it turned out quite well.

Credits

Until next time

Nicole

A Quickie but a Cutie

2007-07-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Nancy's Blog challenge this week (hosted by Darla) is to use some color. Little did I know that it would be the perfect inspiration for this little layout.

Credits here

Have a great day!

Nicole

Loads of Digi Love

2007-07-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

I have been so fortunate lately to have my addiction funded in part by some wonderful designers. Here's a list of the GCs currently burning a hole in my pocket:

$5 GC for Jen Wilson Layout of the week
$10 GC for Jen Wilson week 1 attire challenge
$5 GC to Shabby Elements for being named Gypsy Gem of the day today at ScrapGypsies (!). I love all of the inspiration on this site - digital and hybrid.
and a $5 GC just for leaving a message on Nancy Comelab's blog - I think she is the most generous designer in digi land. Seriously!

I told you - I am a very lucky girl. :)

Here is the page that won Gypsy Gem of the day. I actually pulled it together for the challenge on Nancy's blog. Dani was hosting this week and challenged us to put at least 4 photos from different angles on the page. I ended up with seven. :)

I was actually a little nervous about the color scheme for this page. I was dying to use some of Tara's new papers but that much Orange was a little scary - and THEN I added the orange alpha (also from Tara). But in the end I think it looks great - the colors worked out perfectly and it was all finished off beautifully with those adorable animals from Shannon Lee's grab bag this month.

Credits

Speaking of grab bags: I have had to cut down on my grab bag splurges so I am trying to prevent myself from buying every single one. It;s incredibly difficult because they are such great value. I always buy Holly's (just because..) and then of course I already have Tara's (one of the CT perks) and then I try and mix it up with two additional bags each month. This month I decided to get Shannon's and Royanna's. I was so glad I did! Each of the bags had a bunch of stuff I can use right away and I absolutely LOVE Shannon's jungle kit. Seriously - these bags are getting better and better each month.

I also have to share this before I go. I was paired up for a photo swap with Traci Reed on the Dani's Girls CT. While I am ashamed to say that I still have her photos sitting in a folder on my desktop, Traci has definitely come through with a gorgeous layout of Thomas. I just love it!

Click on the image to see credits and to leave her some much-deserved love. I promise mine is coming soon. It is just so nerve wracking to scrap someone else's photos. I want to do a really good job. Plus I think the heat may have zapped some of my mojo this week.

Now that I am on 3 CTs I understand why people start keeping lists on their blog. I have a long to do list - things that I HAVE to get done before the end of the month.

Photo Swap layout
Write article for the September Muse
At least one Dani layout
Jen Wilson week three Attire challenge (as soon as I know what it is)
Nancy Comelab blog challenge (ditto)
Shopping with all of my GCs :)

I will post more about what I actually DID achieve this weekend later this week when I can show the pages. Besides, this post is just getting way too long.

Thanks for making it to the end.

Nicole

Zoo Perspectives

2007-07-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Thomas has been asking do go to the zoo for days. As soon as I realized he was not saying "shoe" and he started asking to "See Animals?" I figured it was time to visit again. We have a zoo membership so there's no pressure to go and spend a full day until we are all exhausted and Zoo'd out just to get our money's worth.

The forecast said we were expecting a hot day in Portland (100 degrees - close to 40C - and humid!) so Thomas and I were at the zoo gates practically when they opened (8am). If you have never been to the zoo when it opens before, then I HIGHLY recommend it. No one to block a toddler's view of the animals, no worrying about the next person that Thomas will bump into while he's wandering around and no fear of losing him in crowds of people. Perfect!

Here are a few of highlights from the day:

The Giraffe was still in his little room when we arrived, rather than out in the grassed area, so we were able to get a close up look at him through the glass. Of course then we had to stick around for quite some time.
The penguins were a favourite as always.
The butterfly enclosure was open and we got to see it for the first time since we have been visiting the zoo. OK, this was more of a highlight for me than Thomas.
Petting the goats AGAIN and seeing some running ducks from about 30cm away.
The Owl eating a real mouse right in front of us - more of a highlight for Thomas, than me.
The Northwest section where Thomas took some time to jump in puddles.

We spent about 3.5 hours there and Thomas walked around for about 2.5 of them. A very good effort. Of course he fell asleep as soon as we got in the car.

I also took the opportunity to take photos for the challenge that Dani Mogstad is currently hosting on Nancy Comelab's blog. The challenge is to take photos from many different angles and I took quite a few throughout the day. Now I just have to scrap them. :)

Here are a few of my favs.

Have a great day

Nicole

Two Great Opportunities

2007-07-11T21:18:00.000-07:00

Creative Team Call at MDM - Hybrid Artists Needed
You have until July 15th to apply. The call is out for Hybrid Artists in addition to pure digital so don't waste any time. Click here for details and scroll down to the bottom. And to look at past hybrid challenges to give you an idea of the fun projects you could be working on, click here.

Grab Bag Weekend
love MDMs Grab Bag weekends. You'd think that since I'm on the CT over there that I wouldn't need the grab bags but you would be wrong. They are such great value that I just can't help myself.

The next one is this coming Friday and Saturday and highly recommend this little bit of Retail therapy. I have already seen a preview of Tara's bag and it looks fantastic.

Auf Weidersehn

Nicole

A Favourite

2007-07-10T22:45:00.001-07:00

I just love this photo and I'm really pleased with how this page turned out, so I'm sharing...

Credits

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicole

Overindulged

2007-07-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

(sp?) I'm a little embarrassed to post my weekend recap. Mainly because, well, I'm well into my 30s (32!) and should really know better.

Let's start with the good stuff. On Saturday morning I got up bright and early and cleaned the upstairs portion of our house - as soon as I woke up! Nothing like getting it over and done with before it got too hot and before I lost the motivation.

Next, Thomas and I headed to the park for the monthly catch up with the mums and kids from my baby and me group. Small turnout this weekend due to vacation, but nevertheless it is fun seeing these now nearly two-year-olds who have known each other practically since birth. I am so glad we have maintained these get togethers since the kids outgrew the official group. And congrats to one friend who is now expecting baby number two. I think there must be something in the water.

After the park I returned home and finished cleaning the house in preparation for game night with some friends. 5 couples with three of them expecting babies (I told you there was something in the water).

Well it seems that I was trying to make up for the fact that three of the ladies could not drink because I drank enough for everyone! I seriously don't know how it happened. I think a lack of food, not enough water during the day and hosting duties blurred my ability to judge how much I was drinking. I managed to hold it together until everyone left - Kei said I didn't start acting drunk until then (lucky him!). Shortly after I went to bed I had to get up again and... I'll spare you the details. Needless to say I spent all day Sunday feeling under the weather which was much harder than it was in college when I didn't have a child demanding my attention. Luckily Thomas seemed content with crawling all over me as I lay on the grass outside, unwilling to move very much for fear of awakening the creature that was pounding the inside of my skull.

Note to self: hangovers are even less fun in your 30s. A hard learned lesson, that's for sure.

So, not much scrapping for me this weekend. I did submit one fun project for MDM which I can't show yet. And I am working on a LO for Jen Wilson's new challenge which is shaping up nicely.

This week is supposed to be a hot one! Two days over 100 degrees (that's almost 40 for those who subscribe to the Metric system). So look for many whining posts about the heat and how I can't use my laptop for fear of drowning in perspiration.

I will finish with a couple of quick photos that I took on July 4th. Not that you can tell that it's July 4th from the pictures. Who says boys and flowers don't go together? I think they work together beautifully. :)

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Nicole

Decisions, Decisions

2007-07-06T11:36:00.001-07:00

If you've ever been through a major renovation project then you will surely relate to my morning adventure. We are about to embark on a renovation project that involves changing our 4 bedroom 1 bath house into a 5 bedroom 2 bath house - mostly by ripping off our top floor (almost - we're putting in a dormer right across the back of the house). And when I read through that I realize the house sounds much bigger than it is - It's really not, which is why we need to renovate.

Anyway, my point? Oh yes. I had to choose bathroom tile this morning. What a difficult process. I mean this is a major decision. If I don't like the end product then there's really no turning back right? But I did settle on a couple of key things - basically the bathroom will be white and I will add color with paint and accessories. I know it sounds boring but as my Mum always said - better to be safe than sorry. I also chose subway tile which may prove to be beyond our budget and will require some negotiation, but may as well reach for the stars right?

I also chose carpet, but that was somewhat easier. Plush, soft and neutral - can't go wrong right? The hardwood floors will be another story and I am very much in denial about that right now. So that was my morning in a nutshell. Jealous? :)

So if you're still awake, I have a couple of layouts to share. These are both for challenges - The first is for the Multi Photo Challenge at My Digital Muse. Tiff provides a template for this challenge and it contains a couple of little felt goodies.

Credits

The next is for the Focus on Photos Challenge on the Little Dreamer Designs blog. Now THAT's a challenge that I can definitely do. :) Sometimes you just need a bog photo on a page.

Credits

And quickly before I go. I totally stole this from Christine Smith's blog. It just so much fun to play with http://www.wildcard.jp.org/. :) Enjoy!

Until next time

Nicole

4th of July Bargains

2007-07-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

Just have to share...

It's $2 Wednesday at MDM and Tara is selling THIS for $2. Crazy! (Papers included but not shown)

You should also know about this.

And don't forget the Bargain bin at Dani's store. Everything will be gone at the end of the month.

Happy Independence Day to my American friends.

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

A Jen Wilson Toot!

2007-07-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have the layout of the week over at Jen Wilson Designs! :) I was nervous about uploading the page actually because it's so far from what I usually create - very messy and random. I should do more of these types of layouts though. I mean, really, it's just replicating what is in my head. :)

So... Here it is.

Credits here

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

Happy Holiday Week Monday

2007-07-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

It’s Monday morning and for the first time in a long time I feel like a really had a weekend. I feel like I actually achieved some things this weekend – and, wait for it – I exercised!! Some exercise was planned (bike riding) and some was as bi-product of working around the house. But that counts too! So here are the things I checked off on my list this weekend. I know you will be impressed. :)

Saturday morning: OR Zoo. Highlights were the elephants (aren’t they always?) and the goats in the petting zoo. Exercise: Walking. The OR zoo has many hills.
Saturday afternoon: Gardening – that’s if you count weeding as actual gardening. Exercise: 2 hours of bending and pulling things from the ground.
Saturday night – dinner at a neighbor’s house. Exercise: Pulling the kids off each other and walking up her stairs to take a look around the house (OK that was a stretch)
Sunday Morning: Bike ride to a local park and then down to the river. Exercise: 1 hour of bike riding – hills involved and often short of breath.
Sunday early afternoon: Walk to the grocery store for the weekly shopping. Exercise: 4 miles of walking (albeit at a slow pace), including 2 miles of pushing a very heavy stroller filled with groceries and one toddler.
Sunday late afternoon: Cleaned a VERY dirty BBQ. Exercise: 1 hour of rapid arm movements and squats to reach the difficult spots under the grill.

So there you have it – A very productive weekend balanced with lots of fun family time and PLENTY of exercise. Now if I could just stop eating chocolate…

Unfortunately it didn’t leave a lot of time for scrapping but I do have some Digi news to share. My Digital Muse is having a CT call for Digi and Hybrid artists. Details are in the July Muse – right at the very end so make sure you scroll down. And if you’re reading this blog then it is a given that you are very intelligent and creative so we would love to have you join the team. J

In other MDM news, there are a couple of great sales right now – you can find all the details in the July Muse. Make sure you don’t miss this crazy deal. Tara is selling her store for just $25. I hear a couple of other stores are up for grabs too so don’t miss out. Click on the image to go directly to her store.

And finally, my photo of the day – an ode to Oral Hygeine and Father/Son bonding.

Have a great Monday.
Nicole

A couple of quick layouts

2007-06-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

So what's going on today? Well it's Friday which is always good. We have a potuck with Thomas' new daycare later today so I have to make a quick pasta salad - good thing I'm working from home today. It will be a great opportunity to meet some of the daycare parents. Most of them are from around the neighborhood so we will actually get to meet some of our neighbors after more than a year of living here.

Anyway, can't chat too much. I am taking a quick break from work to post a couple of layouts. The first one is using the new Dani/Amy Martin Collab kit called Funky Free, which will post at the Sweet Shoppe tomorrow. I usually have a problem with July 4th themed kits because, well, I'm not American (although I DO live here). I just don't feel right creating layouts with an independence day theme. Maybe I'll feel differently when I have my US citizenship.

Here is my layout - just LOVE this photo of Thomas.

Credits

And this one was a scraplift for the scavenger hunt at the Lilypad. Got my entry in and now I'm patiently waiting to see if I won anything. I already received some free frames from Nancy Comelab this week. They are the first release from her Ultimate Frame collection and are fantastic. I used a couple of them for this layout along with some of the papers from Jen Wilson's new Attire collection and some bits and pieces from Holly McCaig, Dani Mogstad, Little Dreamer Designs and Lauren Reid.

Credits

OK - best get back to work. Thanks for stopping by.

Nicole

A Meaningful Pic.

2007-06-26T20:27:00.000-07:00

Nancy Comelab's blog has been hijacked by her creative team and they are running some fun challenges for a few weeks. My goal is to complete all of the challenges - the prize is good but most of all because it gets me thinking and creating. I didn't understand the whole challenge phenomenon before I joined a few CTs. Now I realise how helpful they are to get the creative juices flowing - especially when you think you've used every last good photo in your stash.

So... should I get to the point? This week's challenge is to post a photo of a meaningful place or moment - trying not to include any people (at least as the focal point) and using one of Nancy's frames. Here is mine.

Tape is from the MDM Junk Trunk Collab kit and the pinned tag is by Holly McCaig, also from MDM.

I took this photo in October of '06. Mt St. Helens had just reopened after a period of closure due to some rumblings. But as you can see from the photo, it was still smoking a little. We were so fortunate to have a beautiful clear day in the NW and even more fortunate because my parents were visiting from Australia.

In the information center, they show a video presentation all about the big eruption that flattened the landscape about 25 years ago. When the video is finished, the screen lifts and this is the view through the window - just amazing. I waited until almost everyone had left the theatre to take this photo. One of the few times that I have had the patience to wait. Usually I just point and shoot. As you can see though, not quite everyone had left but I think the sillouettes add to the shot.

One more memory from that day... My father was very interested in the constrcution of the information center and convinced that it was built to withstand another eruption. I admit, it looked impressive but I wasn't convinced that we would survive an eruption being this close to the volcano. Sure enough, we were told by a park ranger that we would in fact die - albeit very quickly - should the volcano choose to put on a big show. Not really informaton I needed to know.

So there's my story. Thanks for stopping by to read it. :)

And one more thing before I go... run on over to My Digital Muse and check out the $2 Wednesday --- Tara's awesome new Rock Star Kit is just $2 - fantastic value! Click on the preview to go directly to her store.

Until next time
Nicole

"Back" in Business (get it?)

2007-06-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, that was a pun. Pretty good I'd say... it being a Monday and all. (Read the previous post if you have no clue how funny I am. :))

And speaking of Monday - who in their right mind schedules a 2 hour meeting at 8am? I hope no one expects me to remember anything that was discussed. What a way to start the week.

Now my weekend was another matter. Kei and I have decided to do away with our tradition of alternating our sleep in on the weekend. No, we are not going to let Thomas fend for himself until we finally drag ourselves out of bed. Rather we are on a renewed commitment to get healthy, which includes plenty of sleep and getting up early on the weekend to make the most of our day. In fact this concept is so new to us that we didn't quite know what to do with ourselves on Saturday. In Portland we experience 16 hours of daylight at this time of year - and that's a lot of time to kill.

We DID start choosing fixtures for our new bathroom on Sunday. Very exciting but I can see that I am more interested in the details than Kei. Of course, if he doesn't like the end result then I will definitely hear about it. He DID have a definite opinion on the toilet though - must have a good flush... and I think that's fair enough.

And I also had time to scrap a few pages. Tara sent me her new kit which I love. The colors are good for boys and girls (yes, even some pink!) and it is perfect for kids, teenagers and adults alike. Extremely versatile. Anyway, this layout is just a taste but you check out the real thing in the MDM store very soon. Rumour has it that it may even be around for $2 Wednesday... ;-).

Full LO and Credits here.

And this one with the Mahalo kit that I just can't get enough of. So versatile and I LOVE using Dani's shapes - so easy to use and so versatile. And I'm sorry, but how adorable is this picture? :)

LO and Credits

And another with some of Dani's stuff - I have been so inspired by everything linear and graphic lately.

LO and Credits

Before I go - I want to publically thank everyone who has left a message on my blog. Who knew that people would actually read this thing? :) It also makes me feel more confident leaving messages on other blogs. I am a lurker from way back and I never knew how great it feels to know that your ramblings were being read by others. So... THANK YOU!

Until next time.

Nicole

Back Problems

2007-06-22T08:58:00.001-07:00

My back has been a little sore so I had a seated massage at work yesterday (the masseurs come to the office but you stull have to pay). Anyway, she loosened something up because I was lifting Thomas into the bath last night and something tweaked. Ouch!

Those of you with toddlers are probably aware of how much they like to climb. And most often the thing they like to climb is Mama. Double Ouch. Well I have finally been able to rest my poor back because Thomas is at daycare so here I am sitting on the couch and afraid to move too much. We have friends coming over tonight so I have to clean the house and it's safe to say that it is the LAST THING I feel like doing.

So, instead I will do a little enabling.

New Dani Collab Kit - Mahalo

Dani has created this gorgeous collab kit with Miriam Lima. It's called "Mahalo" will be up for sale at Sweet Shoppe soon, but here is a taste in the meantime. Perfect for scrapping my Maui pics. :)

Click here for full credits and check out the rest of the product gallery here.

And I also used this kit with one of Tara's fabulous card templates to create this little number. I am loving those templates lately. SO easy and the results are beautiful.

Full credits here

Have I been living under a rock?
Before I go - just have to share that I have "discovered" this fabulous designer called Lauren Reid and I just love her stuff. Here are a couple of pages I created using her Hot Mama To Be kit which has just so many gorgeous colors. She also has a new kit out called Create Wings and it equally as beautiful. I have added it to my wishlist.

Full Credits

And here is my long to do list for the weekend:

Upload new CT layouts
Choose fixtures and furniture for our new bathroom (we are beginning renovations soon - eeck!)
Decide what I am going to cook for dinner tonight since we are having friends over.
Create a blog header
Shop at Lisa Whitney's 50% off sale at Scrapartist
Shop at Jen Wilson Designs for the Accessories to go with the Papers she has been teasing us with all week.

So that's about it.

Until next time
Nicole

Retail Therapy

2007-06-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

So I am having one of those days where I just do not want to be at work. You see, I don't work Wednesdays and I feel sometimes like people take advantage of that and throw things my way when I am not around to say no. So I am generally just feeling grumpy. Every email I open is like adding fuel to the fire. And it's not even 9:30.

So what do I do when I am feeling this way? Well, I go shopping of course. :) Thankfully my CTs make this a little easier (and cheaper) but I am always a sucker for new releases from my favourite designers.

I love Jen Wilson's new ATTIRE line and have been eyeing the papers she has been realeasing on a daily basis. They are on sale for 15% off for the first day but I think I will wait until the end of the week and choose the ones I like best - will probably save me more than 15% in the long run. :). And I can't wait until the accessories are released on Saturday.

So far I really like these:

Tara Sroka has just released some new frames at MDM. They are really very cute and I hear there's more on the way. Holly started a thread asking what MDM customers wanted to see in terms of designs. I requested more frames and I have not been disappointed. Those ladys are quick!

Here are Tara's new frames (click on the image to go directly to her store). And while you're there - you can grab her huge Big Apple kit for 20% off.

And I just HAVE to get these from Holly. I have started my a wishlist and plan to use a little Holly discount that I have tucked away.

By the way, if you haven't checked out the subscriber section at MDM yet, you really should. It's just $5 to try it out for a month or you can subscibe for a full year for just $15. And believe me when I say that you pretty much get your $15 worth with what is up there right now. Very Cool. If you're still unsure, check out the sneak peak at the bottom of the MDM home page.

HUGE bargains to be had over at Design by Dani too. A bunch of stuff has been marked down by 50% before it goes forever.
Here's just a couple of things that are definitely worth picking up.

Oh - and something that I waiting for this weekend... Lisa Whitney is having a huge sale. I can't wait! Word is she is going to post some new stuff and it will all be 50% off. And to make it even better - my layout was chosen as the winner of the Guest Goddess scraplift at The Hub Scrapartist blog.

Other non-digi shopping today: Calico corners to choose fabric to get my couch re-upholstered (i have been meaning to do this for two years...) and maybe a trip to Trader Joes. Definitely something that requires me to leave the office for a while.

Well, I feel better already and so far I haven't spent a cent. :) Window shopping is apparently also great therapy. :)

Have a great day everyone.

Nicole

My Very First Tag!

2007-06-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I must admit that it took me a VERY long time before I worked out what a tag was. I would read these blogs and then people would say "I was tagged" and then answer some seemingly random question or write a long list of things from out of the blue. Well thankfully I WAS aware of what a tag was when Tara sent one my way today.

The challenge is to list seven things people don't know about me. Since I'm a fairly open and honest person (actually I just talk WAY too much) I am having trouble remembering what I have shared with people and what I haven't. But since this is a new blog I will assume that most of you know very little about me... so here goes.

I lived in the same house from the age of 1 until I moved out at 23.
I have two younger brothers who both live in Australia. My son is (so far) the only grandchild.

My fingernails and toenails grow freakishly fast. I have to cut them at least once a week -usually more. (OK - that may have been TMI)

In just one year, I lived in Hawaii for seven months, saw the Kiluea Volcano in Hawaii, Universal Studios LA, Las Vegas, Memphis (including Graceland!), The Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park and Mt. Rushmore. That was quite a year!
I am currently working on getting my US Citizenship (I will maintain my Aussie Citizenship too, of course).

My husband and I met while we were both teaching English in Japan - he also happens to be Japanese-American.
My favourite movie of all time is When Harry Met Sally - and that hasn't changed since I first saw it at least 15 years ago.

So there you have it. I will tag everyone who happens to read this post on my blog - which is probably not many people if you cancel out everyone who has already been tagged by Tara. :)

And, in closing, a quick LO. I actually wrote the journaling for this first which is unusual. I usually scrap first and journal later, but this time I had to just share what was in my head. Oh, and I haven't worked out how to add a border to pictures in blogger so click on the link below if you want to see how it's really supposed to look.

Journaling:
My Dream: That you will grow up to be a very successful baseball player.. Does that make me a bad parent? It's a lot safer than football and more exciting than golf (your father's dream). And you are already showing some talent and interest at just 21 months... OK, it's mainly so that I can retire early and what's so bad about that? If Mama's happy, everybody's happy right? But really... No pressure. K?

Full Credits Here

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

A quick one before I get back to work

2007-06-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

I created this layout for the quote challenge at My Digital Muse. I just love quote challenges because they inspire the topic for my page. What I love about this one is that I was just going to do a page about my son collecting rocks, but then the quote about purpose made me think about how he is really on a mission to discover the perfect rock.

Full Credits here

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

Happy Dad's Day and CT Goodness

2007-06-17T19:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's day to my my dear husband. Father's day is not until September in Australia so I will save good wishes for my Dad until then (although I already send him good wishes daily). Nothing major to report on this Father's day in the Ishida household. Of course Daddy was allowed to sleep in and then do whatever he wanted for the rest of the day... which meant lying around watching golf. Each to his own I guess. Dinner was BBQ Ribs (takeout of course).

What, no present? Of course there was, but it came about two weeks early when a Nintendo Wii finally became available at our local Fred Meyer store. Since then he has had hours to enjoy his gift - and taken full advantage. Good thing we are out of TV ratings season otherwise I think there may have been a few arguments. I have to say though that the Tennis is really fun (with your's truly the reigning champion) and I am also quite good at bowling. Baseball is another story...

So as a final gift on Father's day I have promised to stop scrapping and play a game on the Wii. Best finish up soon or I will be breaking my promise.

But before I go, I quickly want to share my first LO as a member of Dani Mogstad's CT. I have been reading the latest Simple Scrapbooks Mag and was inspired to create a graphic layout.

Everything is from Dani's Spring Chick kit (a collab with Miss Huni Buni). This kit is retiring and 55% off right now at the Sweet Shoppe (just $3.15!). I just love the pretty colours that are good for Boys and Girls.

Thanks for dropping by
Nicole