it's almost here ...

Christmas that is :)

How are things at your house?  are you ready?  or are you rushing?

We are *mostly* ready, and just a little rushing.

Our schedule was put a little behind when during a bit of festive fun at our home with friends, I managed to chop off the top of my thumb. Ah, yep - that would be a HUGE chunk right off onto the cutting board.  Lets just say our new Mundial knives are very very sharp.  It was chaos, with blood spurting, me crying/yelling, Justin trying to stop the blood.  It has taken two days for it to stop seeping.  BLERK!!!

I was looking through my photo's and found this super sweet layout of Miss Liv, which I hadn't posted yet.  It is about one year old and I still love it.  She was all dressed up for a Anne of Green Gables party - so gorgeous.

And in other super duper exciting news, this man (my rather gorgeous hubby) has been accepted into Sturt University to study his Bachelor of Wine Science.  We are so excited, and I am so proud of him for following his dream.  So come March, this families got a few changes to get use too.  Justin will still be working full time, while he studies.... and it is going to be busy.  But I think it is also going to be awesome.

What does the new year hold for you and your family?? I hope it is good, and full of joy and love.

Merry Christmas,

Love Lisa
x

December is here!

How quick has the year gone?  I feel like I have missed most of it.  My kindy girl, is through her first year of school, my tween-child has finished his first year of highschool (thank goodness), and Miss in-the-middle has taken massive steps forward in her confidence.  I am so proud of all of them.

Mis Liv has worked very very hard all year with her kindy buddies on a Christmas production called "you are His treasure".  She has been so excited all year, and I thought she was going to burst from excitement in the few days before her performance.  All the kindy's did an AMAZING job, telling the story f Jesus's birth and reminding us all that WE are His treasure.  Miss Liv was a little sheep, and the cutest little sheep ever!  She sang her little heart out, we are so blessed by her happy nature.  She is our treasure.

I just *have* to add a photo of her smile a few days later :)  I was BEGGING her to let me pull her tooth out, it was so loose and I was very worried it was going to fall out on stage and bleed all over her white costume  But she would have none of it.  It did everntually fall out, while she was at a friends party, in the swimming pool!  OMGosh!!!   after telling her the tooth fairy would visit anyway, because there was no way we were going to find it with 20 kids splashing around.  One of her friends popped out of the water with "I've got it".  Liv was very very excited indeed.

And my last (but not least) bit of news to tell is that I have been selected to join the Design Team at Scraptherapy  . I am so excited.  I have been patiently waiting for the *right* DT job to come up after leaving my last position almost 18 months ago.  I didn't want to jump at anything, I wanted to be somewhere that felt like home.  Well it seems I have found that place.  I officially kick off my role in Feb, but I am doing some unofficial stuff through January.  So pop in and say hello.

Stay safe and well, during this silly season,

Lisa
x

This boy ....

Has had another rough day .... passing a kidney stone!!  OUCHIE!

He woke up feeling unwell, and vomiting and was quite distressed but couldn't tell us what was going on.  We got a little frustrated, and gave him a panadol and sent him back to bed.  A few mins later he was back, groaning and really stressed.  But couldn't explain what was going on.....

*knowing* he had one kidney stone, and also where he said the pain was (near the apendix) Justin rushed him to John Hunter Hospital.

The gave him nurofen and a bed and something to stop the vomiting.  I was stressing at home, because I know the history of Jere's kidney condition better than anyone, and usually better than the doctors in emergency wards.  Jere is usually the youngest patient they have ever seen with idiopathic hypercalciuria, sometimes they even have to look it all up!

anyway, My Jere is a tough one.  Most adults pass kidney stones with serious pain relief, usually a shot or two of pethidine.  Jere just toughed it out (which just quietly annoyed me, they didn't offer him anything stronger).  They did an ultrasound, and he has three stones in his right kidney, two in his left and one in his bladder.  EEEEEKKKKKKK !!!

We are heading to the very clever Dr Roger in a week to see what we can do.

In true "Jere" fashion, as soon as the stone had passed and the pain was gone, all he wanted to do was talk and eat! LOL  So on the way home, I filled his belly with his fave KFC - a serious no no with his kidney condition (waaaaaay to much salt) but by this stage I figured it really couldn't do much more damage :)

He is back at school, happy and for the most part feeling healthy as well.

Take care everyone,
Lisa
x

December Daily

Yep, I FINALLY have managed to get it together and DO a December Daily Album. I am rather excited that I was organised enough!  Those that know me well *know* that organisation is NOT my strong point!  ha!

But here is the proof!!

Yep! Done and ready!

If you want to check out how I have put it all together you can see it here  . 

My beautiful friend Janelle has also made one.  It is super gorgeous and well worth a sticky beak.  I made mine the day before she posted her album on her blog and I was amazed how similar they were.

If you do one, PLEASE leave a link here so we can all have a lookie!

Love Lisa

x

Finding her happy soul again...

Yep she is!!!  and it is making my heart so happy.

Liv has been really strugling with Ruth's passing.  She adored Ruth (as we all did) and her 6 year old brain just couldn't sort it all out.  She went from being the life of the party, to being scared for everyone she loves.  It broke my mumma's heart.  Thankfully, we have an amazing support team here at family pate!  Plus she had an amazing kindy teacher who helped to much.

I know it is only baby steps, and I know she has a way to go.... but I am starting to see glimpses of her usual happy gorgeous self.  And the photo's to prove it.

Hugs and Love,

Lisa

x

so much to say..

Well with the best of  intentions to be around my blog more, unfortunately that just hasn't happened.

We have had a very big month, and are hearts are very sad. One of my besties has lost her battle with cancer.  She fought long and hard for around five years, and it was a PRIVILEGE to know and love her.  I am so thankful to have spent her last days in her presence.  I will never ever forget her birthday a few days before she went to be with the Lord.  Surrounded by her family, sipping coke and just soaking up their love. We love you Ruth, and we know that you are with your Lord and Saviour, Jesus. We are counting the days till we see you again. xxxxx

If you don't know Jesus, perhaps you may be uncomfortable with me speaking so plainly about where Ruth is and her and my beliefs.  That is not what I want, but I need to write freely and openly.  Our hearts are raw and there is no place for gently treading worrying about whether I might offend someone.

But I am back, and also back creating. 

Finally I  have managed to finish a challenge for Lets Get Shabby ..... I actually did last months, but with everything that happened didn't get to upload it :(  This months challenge was to ad a handmade embellishment and of course in the style of "shabby"  I am so pleased with my finished result.  Miss Livinia when she was just a little one.... so gorgeous!  I handmade the flowers, and I love them!!!

 

and if you want some of the flowers yourself ..... you need to visit lilli-lou vintage  :)

Back really soon!!!

Love Lisa

xx

something is keeping me busy....

 

With all the vintage loveliness around me (and the fact that I keep collecting it)  I have started a new venture.  I am so excited, come and take a peek!!!

www.lillilouvintage.blogspot.com

Lisa

x

Home Sweet Home ...

Back to my comfy bed, and ownspace with my gorgeous family to love on :)

But gosh and goodness I had me some fun!!

I love getting together with the LSBS girl's, it's like family really. I have been so blessed to be part of the teaching team for the last three years. This year I taught a mini album class made from scratch. It is one of my fave sizes for a mini album (12 x 6). We used some yummy Sass Lass papers, Vintage fabric and dictionary papers... YUMMY!!!!

Such FUN!!

So big hugs to all the girls, for the hugs and the laughs and the crazy fun you added to my weekend.

Love Lisa
x

Looking good!

Some of you will know that I have had a major health battle for the last six years, some of you will have no idea ! As the years have gone by I have been a little more open telling people what's going on, but I am still fairly carefull with who I share information with....

so when I started losing my hair 6 months ago, and it was starting to look like I couldn't hide it anymore, I totally freaked out.

You probably wonder why it has taken so long to share on my blog about my health. There are so many reasons. The main ones being that people just don't understand Rhematoid Arthritis, they assume it is an old person disease, they assume it only affects joints, they assume I have "sore knees".....blah blah blah.... they also have plenty of wonderful ways to cure me... *sigh* I get really really over it all.

ANYWAY.... six months ago I started losing my hair, and managed to lose over half of it, including a very very large bare spot on the crown of my head. EEEEEKKKKKKKK. Thankfully it is growing back and I have lots of lovely fluffy re-growth going on.

But everytime I looked in the mirror, because I was forced to cut my hair I saw a sick women, I saw an old women, I saw someone who wasn't me. So with encouragement and support from my hubby I had extensions put in my hair.

I can't even explain how wonderful it feels. I just see me now, not the disease and it is wonderful!!!

Onward and Upward!!

Busy Hands

I love having busy hands, and find it hard when I don't have at least one project on the go. While waitng in the car at various sporting stuff or at school I always have a stitchery to do. I have fabric strips and needle and thread in my handbag to make fabric flowers (which is great while the kids are playing at he park). I usually have a couple of scrapbooking projects on the go, and now you can also add at least one or two sewing projects....

It makes me happy, it de-stresses me, and I just love creating.

Yesterday I really wasn't feeling 100%, just a yukky head cold, but enough to make me feel really blah. SO instead of doing my housework (icky) I grabbed some fabric, and a gorgeous pattern from the Janelle Wind Collection that was kindly RAKed to me a few weeks ago and started sewing. Something about methodically cutting and pining and stitching (even for someone who HATES measuring *ahem* me) that just feels good.

So here it is in all it's goodness. I used some beautiful Amy Butler fabric and a pre-purchased flower to finish it off. I am so pleased how it looks!!!


So then of course I had to make something else, so after a visit with Miss Ally last week, where she showed me a really lovely table runner she made, and many questions from me about how you make prairie points.... I was off and racing and created this cute table runner.

I am not sure what fabrics they are (opps!) I know some are by Moda, and I bought them in a scrummy roll (no idea on the correct term) that made them look so lovely I had to buy them!!

Not sure what the plan is today, besides cooking pancakes for Miss Lilliana and her bestie Hayley who have enjoyed a sleep over .... I am guessing more stitching and less housework!

Love Lisa

We are going CAMPING!!!

and we are all so so so excited.... I am trying to not think about how much it has really cost us to set up! I know that everything we have will be used time and time again, but it hasn't exactly been a cheap set up.

We are heading up to the Barrington Tops, it is two hours from here and BEAUTIFUL. The girls are going horseriding (me too) Justin and I are intending to do a bit of bush walking (while mum and dad mind the kiddies, and generally just enjoy some time together.

I have been really busy creating stuff lately. A bit of everything really :) Scrapping, sewing, stitching. I feel in a really happy creative place at the moment, it is really lovely. No stress, just lots of projects and fun, the way it should be I guess.

Here are a few bits I have been up too....

This gorgeous bag from The Janelle Wind Collection


I still have the clutch to make and finally found the perfect fabric! YAY!!!

and also these layouts of my gorgeous girls using some older Basic Grey from Scraptherapy which are going to be displayed in their Babinda Store! Very excited about that!!



On a home front we are starting to talk about putting new floor boards down, a carport (for my new car!!! - more on that when it gets here) and in VERY exciting news.... converting our single garage to an office space for J and I. Yep finally I am going to get my own space. I am already imagining the antique table and chairs, vintage wardrobe for storage and all things yummy!!!

So excited.

off to keep organising & packing for our trip... see you all soon!
Love Lisa
xx

Time for some changes ...

Yep, time for some change of direction.

In my life in my blog, so just roll with it as I start to add links, change links, and even blog more.

I feel well and whole and healthy....probably the best I have in six years. It is liberating and scary and totally surreal. I am so blessed.

So get ready world, Lisa is totally back and ready for anything :)

a "beary" happy birthday ...

To Miss Livinia of course :)

Miss Liv turned 6 on the 17th of March, and I have been rather absent to blog about the whole adventure.

She was so excited, and really looking forward to her birthday party. We invited the entire kindy class, and celebrated at the local park. It was perfect.

Cupcakes, fairy bread, lollies, and sausage sanga's were the menu, with lots of water to wash it all down with. She recieved so many beautiful gifts, and the funniest was watching he open beanie kid after beanie kid - she was in HEAVEN!!! Not one doubled up - perfect.

Miss Liv is such a ray of sunshine in this house. I call her my fairy child, because she seems to float through life, always smiling and laughing and she is so so so EASY.

She loves music, singing listening and dancing to it. Quite often she has music blaring from her room regardless of the time. She is a very picky eater, with her favourite foods being peanut butter sandwiches, pancakes and strawberries.

She is an amazing reader, even though she is not quite through one term of kindy. She reads everything, and delights in learning new words. She also loves to draw, there are always piles of paper and pencils all over her room.

Tennis is the sport of choice atm, and in true Livinia fashion, she took to it like an old pro. She loves "smashes" the best followed by "volleys". She is so darn cute to watch.

We love this girl so much, our last baby, the child I prayed for two years for, my little monkey.

Love you baby girl,

Love Muma

xx

and this girl turned 9

Yep, my valentine baby turned nine. I can't beleive my little spikey haired baby girl is so grown up!

Lilliana is the quiet one in our family, you could say that she is shy, but we don't use that word in this family.

Sometimes she gets frustrated with the NOISE in this house, and people not hearing her. That's when she throws it!!! I am constantly reminding her that she does have a voice, and I want to hear it. It is pretty tricky sometimes.

Lilli loves animals, and makeup, and bling :) She mothers her sissy, and looks up to her big brother. She is thoughtfull and creative, and loves spending time on her own on her bed reading.

This girl healed my heart after losing a pregnancy. In fact she was conceived the next month! I spent her whole pregnancy worried and still greiving for the lost pregnancey, but the moment I heard her cry I knew everything was going to be ok.

Lilli is loved to the moon and back. She brings warmth and joy to us always.

Love Lisa

x

This boy turned 12

Yep, he is now a twelve year old and highschooler - and funny enough it isn't making me feel old :)

Jere loves reading (I mean obsessivly, three books at a time), soccer, computers and playstation, he is a talented drawer and he has a photographic memory - which is scary!!! He loves anything to do with history, and visiting the museums in London seriously "did it" for him. His fave movies are the Pirates of the Carribean triology, and

he asks for Nachos every night for dinner....which he doesn't get!!!!

His health has been a battle for years - since he was six. He has ongoing and lifelong kidney problems and last doctors visit we found a kidney stone! He struggles to put on weight, and we have had two "C" scares - one very very serious. Praise God that we are in the clear now.

He is his daddy's boy although they are as strong as eachother and sometimes butt heads (not literally). Jere is loved beyond measure. We are blessed to have him.

Oh and for the record - his name is really Jeremiah - which by year 4 was shortened to Jere (pronounced Jerry)

Love Lisa

x

Growing up.....

This little girl....started kindy this year.

It is amazing to see her in her uniform, all excited about the day ahead. She LOVES big school, I mean totally LOVES it. Justin picked her up from her first day (I was at work at preschool) and the first thing out of her mouth was "Daddy I love big school, thanks for letting me go". What a sweetie.

And today she can home with her first bit of homework - she was the only one who got some. They are reading words. And you would think being her mother and all, and working at a preschool I would have realised that she CAN ACTUALLY READ!!!!

I *thought* she was just "pre-reading" but um, no, the teacher has given her the first two groups of words (40 words all up) and when she knows them all she gets the third and so on....anyway. I was waiting for my big high school boy and thought I would see how she went if I showed them to her. SHE READ EVERY SINGLE WORD!!! I didn't help, or sound them out. She just could read. I thought I was going to fall over. Such a happy mummy moment.

Miss Lilli started year 3, and thankfully she is with her bestie Hayley. She couldn't be happier. He is my big girl and my bigger girl before the start of school. *love* them.

Jere started HIGH SCHOOL, when did I even get old enough to have a high school child?? I was so worried, and I could tell he was anxious (the tell tale sign was the shade of pale he was) but he was awesome, jumped out of the car and went. When Justin picked him up he had the BESTEST day ever....I was so so so so relieved. Jere continues to inform me that High School is so much better then primary. Thank goodness!!!!

I have some coolio work to share, but it is going up elsewhere first.....can't wait to show you what I have been working on.

Love Lisa

x

Welcome to January!!!

I love January :)

I love the swims at the beach and in (mums) pool

I love the end of the day when it starts to cool down, watching the kids play in the yard.

I love school holidays

I love pajama days

I love that it is my BIRTHDAY .....lol

so Christmas has come and gone, and it was quite a cruisy affair here. Which was totally lovely. Kids happy, we were happy - all good.

On a scrappy front, I have been taking a HUGE rest and just starting to get back into it all, which is very very nice. Doing projects I want, picking and choosing - very noice indeed. So no sharing layouts today, but soon, very soon :)

I am endeavouring (sp?) to do a 52 week project, nothing to complex. Just us as we are week to week. I have started taking and editing the photo's but I am WAITING EVER SO PATIENTLY (not) for my new printer .....hopefully tomorrow.... so I will share some of the pics I plan to use instead!!!

Here is the gorgous Miss Lilli - in front of a dump bin (and I so so so wish I could remember who I saw so this?? I am fairly sure it was on the front of SM......anyway whoever you are thanks for the inspiration!) WE were waiting for a new TV in the back docks of JB Hi Fi - it was hot, kids were bored, I was bored - then I spotted the bin....LOL!!!! She only stayed put for one minute, but I got the photo I wanted!!

and the girls having some seriously funny times on the trampoline with the help of a sprinkler - yep we don't have water restrictions here - though after living on the coast for years on level 4 restrictions I still feel very naughty doing this - so I don't do it very often.

Miss Lilli again, she decided a few days ago she wanted to sew....actually she had been badgering me for WEEKS, MONTHS even.....and today I caved in LOL. She wanted to do a stitchery (like I am currently working on) and thankfully her nanna gave me a whole heap of old transfers and we found an easy one and got to work - so proud of her patience!!!

Miss Liv, helping herself to three weatbix covered in sugar!! You should have seen my bench, she is so proud of herself though. As a side note she also made herself three peanut butter sanga's.

And Mr Jere, who hates his photo taken because of his teeth ( that makes my heart sad - we will be getting braces but his mouth is not ready yet) doing what he loves - computer time!!

anyway - it is a start..... lets hope I can keep it up!

Love Lisa

x