Winter lights

 

On Friday night it was so cold and I lit heaps of candles to try and achieve a warm feeling in the dining room, these are a few pics I took of the effects. I love them actually and can't wait to scrap them, but that might take awhile, with everything going on in the house at the moment my scrap table is somewhat "submerged", won't be for long and it will be worth it, it's so exciting to see things that we have planned for so long starting to happen, had a bench altered today in the kitchen, what a difference it has made.
The sun is shining out there at the moment and it's so beautiful but wow this has been a cold winter can't wait for spring.
Was busy at work last night so didn't feel the earthquake that everyone is talking about, must have been a real doozy, 7.8 on the richter scale, centred in the south west of the south island....yuk I just hate those things.
Anyway taking friends out for dinner tonight so better move.
Ltr.

On my MInd Today....

Is that I am sooo lucky and I don't think I really appreciate how lucky I am most of the time. Yesterday we put plans into action to start doing the repairs necessary on our house and the answers were all positive, and so it's going to happen. I can't stop grinning, when I think of all the times I thought we were going to have to lose our house, all the times it seemed impossible to survive from one week to another, all the times I've despaired about the work that needs doing and now we are looking at roof materials, paint colours and are so excited that it's going to be a new start. I love this house and feel so lucky that we still have it after all the job losses, struggling etc etc that's gone on over the years,that it feels like a new start, a time to have fun, celebrate and most of all be so grateful that fairy tales do happen. (And no I've not been sniffing anything LOL), I'm just grateful.
I guess what I'm trying to say is: That if anyone is reading this who is in a bad place right now, Hold on, believe in miracles they do happen, it may seem impossible but one foot in front of the other is the only way out. I'm thinking of a quote right now that goes like this:
It's only from the valley that the mountain seems so high.
To other things, the Big Picture class from Nic Howard "Point of View" started today and I'm so excited to be doing this. I love Nic's work (I stalk her blog all the time), it's going to be amazing to look at things from her point of view, and hopefully end up with some gorgeous layouts that might cure my slump of ideas at the moment. But I will be following roofers and painters around with the camera, (poor guys they are going to hate doing this place eh?), but there will be a book on the subject. Oh yeah and it will be called "Dreams Do Come True".

It's supposed to snow here this weekend yah or not, I'm working early over the weekend so that could be fun.
Have a great weekend, I know I will.

Nearly a day off..

Yah! Last day of my week got the next two days off, and I'm looking forward to it, seems to have been a long week.
Lots of "grown-up stuff" to do over the next couple of days, Have to: decide which quote we are accepting to have our roof replaced, decide on a Pellet fire and talk to the bank....oh yeah all fun. Did get an email from Elena and she's got Basic Grey's JUNEBUG might be just the ticket for a winter cheer up.

Anyway off on the round-a-bout again.

LTR.

Lost my Mojo.....

and I can't find it anywhere at the moment. Maybe it's frozen? Yeah that could be a possibility. I come up to my table and look at everything and just don't seem to be able to get the inspiration to do anything, mind you I always seem to be running at the moment, when I got my days off last week sitting in front of the heater with my knitting seemed to be all I wanted to do.
Didn't get to go to Scrap Day yesterday, I worked really late on Saturday night and was back at work at 2.45 yesterday afternoon, I was ready to go down and see the girls on my way to work at 2p.m but Gus was following me around the house like a little lost bunny and the minute I walked to the living room he jumped up on the couch and that little face just looked at me and I knew he needed a bit of "fuss time", he's on his own quite a bit lately and he gets lonely, so I gave in and sat with him for a while.But hey he loved the company and he doesn't ask for much.

Well today it's back to work, so far so good the winter hasn't really slowed us down too much still doing quite good business so long may it last.
Keep warm!

2 degrees c.

Wowee it's cold.
What a weird weekend? Michael Jackson stories are everywhere, I've heard more of his music in the last couple of days than I ever have, I sat and watched 2 hours of his videos on C4 channel yesterday, I've never seen half of them, his music is amazing really and to have been around for so long is quite and achievement. His Private life aside, I mean what can you believe with the media these days, the guy was a genius.

Anyway I just found this cute little video on "Crazy about Mini-albums", for all the coffee addicts out there this could be quite cute. I might make one and on each page list a reason why I shouldn't drink coffee LOL.
Gotta go can here the coffee perc bubbling.

New Look

Well as you can see I didn't make it away from the computer, I found "Shabby Blogs" instead and just had to "summer up "my blog....now that feels warmer.

Day Off Yah!

I'm excited I have two days off together and the sun is shining. Today I'm thinking about my Mum, it would be her birthday and she would be 93, she died 20yrs ago and for the last few days she has continually been on my mind. I mean I always think about her but right now she's right there. I realised in the middle of the night how much I miss her, so much she hasn't seen, well she probably has but we can't talk about it. So Happy Birthday Rosie, love ya heaps always.

I have been trying hard to catch up on the circle journal pages that I need to get finished, and I've decided that I really do work in the moment and to have to work to pre-determined topics is not me but however I will finish them all.

So going to go over to my table and start.....after I hang out the washing...make a coffee. LOL

Favourite CD

Did this one last night for a circle journal challenge I'm in,actually ashamed to say I'm way way behind and have just decided to go all out and get them all finished and away, so this is the first. Sat with it on my table last night, and just couldn't get a theme going at all, not used to working in A4, and nothing was working then suddenly it just fell together, really love it now and could get quite keen on working in A4. I love the way the blue background in the photo(actually the inside of the CD box) looks like paper and just pulls it all together. Anyway the main thing is I hope the recipient likes it.
And it definitely is my favourite cd at the moment. "The Great New Zealand Songbook" is never far from the stereo or the walkman.
Anyway off to tackle my next late page....shame on me!

From a Window....

This was the view from our living room window on Tuesday, isn't it gorgeous? So glad faye took the photo for me I was at work, although it was pretty much still like this when I got home around 3p.m. It's so pretty up here when it snows but so tricky to get in and out.... the joys of living on the hill I guess.
Anyway it's late and I'm off to bed.
Ltr.

George Street

The main street this morning around 8.15, the light had a real "surreal" look about it, and cars were moving very slowly.

It's Snowing....

Well after many predictions of snow which came to nothing this morning it happened, woke at 5am to go to work and the room was pink which is a sure sign of snow, looked out the window and yep sure enough white everywhere. Called a taxi at 545 and had a very slippery taxi ride to work, it looked very pretty going down the hill in the moonlight on the snow but scray all the same.
However after our breakfast function was underway I went out into the garden and took some photos, I think this one is my favourite.
Had to get taxi back up the hill this afternoon and the slushy snow is already turning into black ice.....so glad I don't go to work until tomorrow afternoon.
Dunedin is very pretty in the snow but with all the hills it sure is scary.
Hope everyone is keeping warm and safe and if it's not absolutely necessary home is the place to be tonight that's for sure.

Cool Quote Site

I found an advert for this site in the latest "Creative paper " mag and I just had to share, heaps of quotes for those times when you just can't think of something to add to your journalling on a layout, hope you find it interesting.

Dunedin Does it again....

here we are the middle of June and it's a gorgeous day out there, around 12deg. celsius and what's really good about that??? Well tomorrow we have an international rugby game here, France V The All Blacks, and Dunedin looks picture perfect dispelling everyone's ideas that we live in sub-zero temperatures down here...(well ok sometimes we do) but when the world's eyes are on us Dunedin turns it on and it's beautiful. Carisbrook is sold out, there is no accommodation to be had in the city or outer environs and the city looks stunning.
Well it's been a miserable old week for me, I've had a tooth nagging at me for a couple of weeks but last weekend it turned on the full force of it's anger and wow was I in trouble, had to go to an emergency dentist on Sunday to have it removed. Felt a bit miserable Sunday, Monday but Tuesday back at work doing ok then BOOM Wednesday night the most horrible intense pain started, back to the dentist yesterday and yes I have an infection in the gum, so now a cocktail of antibiotics, Nurofen for the pain and oh yeah don't forget my Glivec... wow shake me I rattle LOL. Thank heavens for the Health Line available 24 hrs, last night I had a panic about the compatiilbtlity of Nurofen with the anti-infection medicine and the wonderful nurse on the end of the phone looked it all up and double checked about involving Glivec and put my mind at rest about it all, anyway onwards and upwards.

I've just bought the Big Picture Scrapbooking Workshop, Point of View by Nic Howard. I'm looking forward to this as I am finding it hard sometimes to scrap those everyday pictures that have a story but you don't know what to say. And of course I just love Nic's style, I am definitely a stalker of her blog that's for sure.
I was looking forward to having my two days off this week to get organised for Scrap Sunday and of course do some scrapping, but it's been impossible to concentrate. I've cancelled out of going on Sunday cos I would hate to have to cancel at the last minute, would rather let someone else have the spot than wake up Sunday feeling yuk and not want to go.
A big week at work this coming week, starting today with a full house, busy tomorrow and Sunday with same and then two huge functions next week, I'm working them both so it's going to have to be a pain free, clear head week....ha ha. It will be I'm tough!.....most of the time.

Lucky Me

This page I've had on my mind since Scrap Camp. It tells the story of the surprise I got on the first morning, came to get breakfast, sat down by the fire and opened the tin in which I had my Gleevac tablets, (for Leukemia and must be taken every day) anyway I opened the tin and out popped my little Lucky Bear. This little bear has been on all my trips including to Australia (twice), but this time it blew me away. I knew that faye had put him in the tin for two reasons, (1) So that I'd have him with me for luck and (2), She knew that when I found him I'd txt her and she'd know that I'd taken my pills. Amazing friend, she was so worried that I'd get caught up in the excitement and forget to take the pills and she didn't want to txt and nag so she knew she'd know for sure that I'd taken them when I found Lucky.
Had a lot of fun doing this layout, the papers are prima, and Basic Grey Porcelain, the lace stamp is BG Porcelain, the bling Prima and the clock stamp Kaiser. Also discovered that I can cut scallops on the Cricut, why did it take me so long????
Anyway today the Mojo has disappeared, have the day off and I can't quite find the groove, kinda tossing up Cards? Page? Ah I know COFFEE! LOL

New Card...

I have just been reminded today of a very exciting thing I used to do that I'd forgotten about....and that is create in Paintshop Pro, a graphics programme similar to Photoshop. Some years ago when we first got the computer Faye and I discovered the fun you could have in this programme, that just about any image could be "tubed" and there fore used a stamp virtually on anything printable. So today we rediscovered all the amazing images we had collected and I totally fell in love with these very cute wee "Strawberry Shortcake" type images. Back then I always wanted to print them and make cards, but without all the tools I have now they never matched up to my intentions, but this one, without wanting to sound "big-headed" I'm nuts about.
So I can see this is going to be my latest fad cos there are heaps of images to play with and they just fit the bill of the type of image I've been looking for.
I actually scrapped last night and started and finished a layout in one night! Yeah I know, shock horroe, but I was definitely in the zone. Pics later.
Well I'm off to check out some more of these images.