Cupcake Party ......

so today Emra turns 6 years old! It is hard to believe that time is going so fast .... it doesn't seem that long ago she was the gorgeous, perfect baby that was brand new.

So for her birthday we decided she would have a few friends to decorate cupcakes. Of course i ended up making it a bit more than that ... i just can't help myself. I made each of them aprons and stamped their names on them, and when i stayed at heidi's i made badges with her badge maker (am loving

that, i want one so bad) I found these cute cupcake boxes in america for them to take their cupcakes home, and these lolliepop lipglosses for gifts. I even covered the water bottles (another heidi idea - she is full of good ideas) Lucky i spoke to mum today and she reminded me to use the cool "P A R T Y" plates she'd given me (sorry mum i would have forgotten otherwise) they were so cute, so thanks for reminding me! We didn't have any lollies ... i am over lollies at the moment, so there were healthy options for a change (i know call me boring) note the photo of the finished cupcakes ... pretty darn cute! She had a banana cake for her birthday cake ... love heart shape of course!

The girls played outside a bit, before Emra opened her presents .... i'm glad i made her wait and she seemed alot more excited and absorbed each gift so much more.

We finished with pizza for dinner, before the mum's came to collect each lil baker!

One of Emra's best friends is staying for a sleep over tonight, they have only just settled down ... so cute tho, their lil conversations. Its been a fun day - busy - but fun. I have been using my new "Party Journal" which is one of our recent Y2R homework ... it was helpful in keeping me on track, i still was doing stuff right until it started, but i seemed alot calmer and enjoyed the experience more than i have before. I don't know if its because i've just had 2 weeks by myself ... hello, that would make anyone chill out ... or that i have made some choices to slow down and smell the roses and "enjoy the journey" whichever one it was ... i had fun and so did the girls! I am really shattered now tho ... time for an early night

WELCOME HOME MUM .....

so i arrived back in Brisvegas at 6am yesterday morning .... after waiting in arrivals till the bag carisol stopped then finding out my bags didn't arrive on the flight ... i finally got home to my darling family who had made me this gorgeous welcome home sign, which is still up! how sweet!

I have lots of photos to share, and was hard picking just a few to share as I have about 400 on my camera. So expect this post to be a long one as I share a bit of what i got up to in the last two weeks.

When i left you last we were in San Fran ... oh man, that city rocks. This pic is the view from our room ... the funny thing about america is you know where you are as there are american flags everywhere.

This pic was taken at night in San Fran. we stayed opposite this city square.

The shopping was amazing, and i am lucky heidi had that all sorted out cause she took us to the coolest shopping areas. this particular photo was taken at a quaint little shop called Timeless Treasures, it had all sorts of cool stuff, but is famous for its letters of all shapes and sizes. as you can see in the next pic "create" One of the best experiences i had was going to the Cheesecake Factory ... the food there was seriously devine (and I'm a big foodie - so quite critical of most places) i really was in heaven here. The cheesecake was out of this world .... say no more! and there were about 50 different flavours .. what more could a girl ask for! LOL!

I dragged heidi down to see the Golden Gate bridge even tho it was blowing a gail and freezing beyond all comprehension ... i couldn't not see it for real.

Right next to our hotel was this cool shop .. PINK ... so i had to do the right thing and purchase something from there. I got this really cool pink hoodie, with silver sequins all over the back ... its too cool for words. Its a very fun store. Don't you love the store window!

So leaving San Fran i had a bag luggage issue .. very heavy bags, and the mission of then travelling the San Diego and fitting anything else in???? hmmm, it was always going to be touch and go ... LOL!

It was time to head to San Deigo and say goodbye to my friend, which was sad! we had such a fun time together ...

Mum's cousin MJ and her family live in San Deigo, and she kindly picked me up from the airport. Their family were so welcoming and i felt just right at home there. MJ is an awesome tour guide and the following day we were up taking the dog for a walk around the local beach - stunning. Then off up the Lookout and highest point of San Diego ... this is the monument at the top.

From there we headed all over the place, stopping at the famous Hotel Del Coronado .. where some famous films have been shot.

We went to Belboa Park which has the most amazing buildings and gardens, its like something out of Europe. We went for lunch at Prado which has won awards, and the food was sensational. I had fish taco's (don't cringe heidi) they were so so so good! this photo doesn't do it justice!

We had mexican for dinner ... so happy about that, one thing i love about america was all the mexican food! so good. MJ took me to one of the local beaches about 10 mins drive from their house where they have seals which just live on the beach ... its so cool being able to get so close to them.

We also went to Jake's baseball games and i learnt a bit about one of the most popular sports in USA! i bought the girls home and pink glove and baseballs .. very cute!I love San Diego tho, the beaches are stunning and its a very cool place. I can't wait to take Gary back there one day!

Had to put a photo of Oreo their bunny which lives out of a cage - just roaming around, its too cute for words!

and this final pic was taken as we were coming back into brisbane on the plane, the sunrise ....

I had a fantastic time, and feel like my experiences have made me grow as a person .... its wonderful experiencing the world out there, and I am so blessed to have such a supportive and wonderful husband to encourage me to do this. The girls were great and appreciated their presents. It makes you appreciate the people you love when you spend some time apart too!

WOW ....
San Francisco is an amazing place. Its so cool .... i love it. There is so much happening here, its alive .... the shopping is truely out of this world, i am going to have to seriously use some control from now on ... its so darn hard tho with all this cool stuff EVERYWHERE. i got some groovy jewellery, went to some great paper/card type shops - one is particular called Paper Source - very very cool stuff there. The other major purchase was this pink hoodie from PINK ... its a victoria secret shop, and totally rad. This hoodie is the cutest thing tho, it has a puppy dog in sequins on it and a bunch of sequins on the back .... its sweet! Made it down to the wharf area, took a photo of the bridge ... it was windy as anything, and freezing windy (hence buying the hoodie) ok .... time to get some dinner, didn't realise it was 7.15pm already! Time flies when you are having fun!

off to san fran ....
i jet out of arizona today off to san fran .... yay! its supposed to be such a cool place - i have a serious luggage problem - had to borrow a bag to get the purchases to date out of here - LOL! my kids are going to love me when i get home.
I have had such a great time here in Arizona ... its a fun place to visit, and these guys are such good fun. we had cory's pirate party on the weekend ... it was so cute, the kids did a treasure hunt - it was awesome. Check out heidi's blog for all the pics (i can't get the link up sorry)
ok ... have to go get sorted, still have things to try and fit in my bags ... ahhhhh! seriously loving the shopping here tho (can you tell) I have lined up to go visit mum's cousin in San Deigo so my trip has been extended a few days (thanks Gary for being so cool) and maybe a night in Beverly Hills before i jet out. USA rocks!

not a normal kinda day ....

so i have some photos to show you all ... finally! I know, sorry people .... its hard being on holidays ok! He he!
Went to another scrapbook store today called Lucky 15 .... very cool shop, i loved it, she has it set out in colours and its so inspiring to shop that way. The girls had their haircut, so i played with Capri ... she is such a good little girl, honestly she's a gem. So somewhere in between the girls getting their hair finished I decided i wanted to do something different while I'm here, and their hairdresser has a nose ring .... you know i've always wanted one, i think they are cute ... but i have this totally bad thing with fainting, and so i always swore that i would never pay someone to make me faint - well I DID! I don't know what came over me .... but i just made up my mind in a flash and we were off to Halo, this peircing shop! We walk in, and the girl who is there is a kiwi ... i mean how bizarr is that .... so anyway we get chatting, suss it all out and she tells me I can't do it straight away as I haven't eaten (and I guess i've told her about the fainting problem and she is going to make me have a sandwiche) so we walk to the shop and get some food, walk back and its all go. I'll be honest here people, 5 mins before she did it .... I'm thinking what the heck am i doing, am I mad? and I didn't want to do it .... so it hurt .... and i felt yuk ... for about 10mins i had to lye down ... but now i'm good, its a bit tender - but i like it its so cute. So not an average day ..... had to share ... and I have photos of the lady who did it ... she was very colourful!
so i have some more photos to share .. the first is the cute welcome sign in my room ... i love it.
then one of my gorgeous host ...
and me and baby capri
and the last one is for Gary and my darling girls .... so they haven't forgotten what i look like!

seriously lots of shopping ....
so today i went for a run this morning after walking the kids to the bus stop its my first time since getting here - it was actually really cold this morning and here where i'm staying is on a hill, so it was like downhill then uphill no in between ... so my lungs were in a bit of shock, but i felt better once i'd got home (uphill) did need a nana nap after lunch tho ... was a bit tired. However, it may have also been the big shopping trip i had to Target! I did MAJOR damage .... so everyone in my family has lots of cool gifts now, so they will all be my favourite friends when i get home!
ok - i'm cooking a good nz roast chicken for dinner tonight .... will see what they think of it!
cool!

hello from Arizona ....
i made it ... yay! It was quite a journey and i am still sort of pinching myself that i am here in the US of A! The flight was ok, i only slept properly for about an hour, and just dozed the rest of the way ... seemed to take a long time. I didn't do so well in LAX tho. I lost my jacket, got in 2 wrong ques for the wrong airline, got an extra security search done (surprise, surprise) and my good ol monthly friend arrived too - hello! I survived, it just made me realise how unskilled i am at travelling in a new country. Oh well, i'll be styling when i get back here next time! he he!
So my friend heidi picked me up at Arizona, we have had such a ball ... she's a great host, and made me the cutest welcome banner, i will post a pic when i get them organised. i am too lazy to sort it out right now (sorry kids) i will try tomorrow as i took a load a pics of cactus' this afternoon - the landscape here is classic. We had a big day shopping yesterday ... the shops here totally rock! Things are so cheap compared to back in Oz, heaps more variety too - i am loving it. We went to Scrapbooks Etc today ... very very cool scrapbook shop, and i spent WAY too much money in there. So i did a scrapbook LO today, i wish i bought more photos with me - oh well. heidi is worried i won't be able to fit all my shopping in .... i feel confident, until i forgot about all the scrapbook gear i left upstairs.... never fear where there is a will there is a way!
the mexican food is wikid, and i am loving it. So i know there is heaps more to tell you, like i saw three Hummer (sp?) vehicles today just out driving around, i know Gary will spin out about that.
alrighty ... will update again soon. Driving on the other side of the road is freaking me out ... oh and Target is huge here, with amazing selection .... yay!

12 years ago today ....

we were married in Auckland, New Zealand. It doesn't feel like that long ago ... time flies when you are having fun hey!

I made MM box for Gary .... i love these boxes at the moment. I am also in love with the 7 Gypsies paper that was part of the latest DT projects - i can't stop using it!

I have butterflies in my stomach about my trip tomorrow .... its so exciting less than 24 hours to go!

good friday ....

a special day of the year ... like no other, the day we remember Jesus was put to death. Its a sad day, i guess cause i always put myself in his shoes (as much as you can when you are only imagining) and feel the emotional fear and physical pain he must have gone thru ... its hard to imagine. We have a 3pm service at our church, which i am going to go to ... its a pretty emotional service because of the circumstances, but i think its good to remind ourselves of the sacrifice that was made.

I am in organising mode, getting ready for my trip. Its a weird feeling - doesn't feel real. I have people saying "good bye" to me now, yet it just doesn't feel real. I guess once I'm on the plane it will kick in ... by myself - as usually i have little people with me all day, that will be strange. I am going to LA, then on to Pheonix, Arizona ... i have a friend who lives there, so it will be fun spending time with their family. Mum's cousin lives in San Deigo so i will pop in there on the way home for a couple of days ... its going to be fun! I will have my camera ready to take a zillion photos (or maybe not ... i have learned recently to slow down and make sure the photo is worth taking, so maybe I'll have better quality photos this time - LOL)

So yesterday the girls finished school for the term, so instead of giving easter eggs ... Kathy gave me this cute little cookie cutter - how could you not use it, its so sweet. So the teachers and various friends got given the biscuits you see pictured ... they are very yum! we have some more to make today ....

i had to include this photo of the kids jumping on the trampoline, its too funny.

Enjoy your Easter, we will enjoy some hot cross buns later ... they are delish!

back on track ...

got up early this morning for my first REAL run back after my calf injury. Its taken about 6weeks - maybe more .... but this morning it was sweet. It was a beautiful morning too, our temperatures are changing and the nights/mornings are starting to cool down - perfect for running. So it will be good to start getting focused again.

Am running around doing bits and bobs before i go away ... Emra's birthday is a week after i get back, so went to get a few things planned for that today - don't want to be swamped when i get back.

One more day left of school ... then the kids are on holidays. Of course there is chocolate flying around the place with Easter almost on us. The kids are into it, i always battle with the amount of sugar at this time of the year ... especially this year, as sugar isn't my fav friend. everything in moderation!

One of my best friends went into hospital on Monday for a big operation, I scrapbooked this making memories box ... it came out cute, i am going to give it to her tonight when i visit her.

I have been invited to be a part of a circle journal across the world ... i am very excited about it, and will have to start working on it tonight as it kicks off this month and I am going to loose half of the time with being away.

OK ... gotta keep moving, not long before school is out - enjoy your arvo!

start of the week ...

i almost cannot believe this day has finished already .... what happened? Time is flying by ....

Its been another good start to the week. Made a decision to get dinner on early tonight, and it made an enormous difference to how organised i was ... mental note to self: do this more often!

This weeks deck of me theme is: What is on your mind?

so at the moment, what is consuming most of my thoughts is my upcoming trip to USA in 7 sleeps. It is my first time to USA and i am getting more excited each day. Everything is falling into place and although i will be busy this week, its all going to plan.

I used 7 gypsies paper, mm stickers, heidi swapp chipboard, stamps and ribbon

Rags to riches ....

its sunday night, i enjoy sunday nights ... i love 60 Minutes, i like their stories and how they report on issues going on - it wasn't on tonight tho as the swimming is still on, and then they show a repeat of Grey's Anatomy - not happy! So its not my usual sunday night .... mum and dad called earlier so that was nice, the girls love chatting to them.

We have had a very productive weekend .... we have been clearing out our stuff, stuff you just hang on to (for whatever reason) and that you just don't need anymore. It was really good having a good clean out - i halved my wardrobe, cleared out some shoes ... we wanted to sell all the baby gear as we are finished with that stage of our lives now. Its amazing how much baby stuff you actually have after 3 kids.

So we had a GARAGE SALE. Friday afternoon and night was spent setting it all up ... it was alot of work actually - i was shattered on friday night. Lucky for us, we have a big mother front gate which can only be opened remotely - so nobody could come by too early and wake us up ... we just opened up the gate when we were ready .... it went pretty well. The girls were so into it, Emra was finding random things from her room and putting ridiculous prices on them ... so classic. They would rush up to their next "customers" it was too cute. While we were sitting, watching things and chatting ... we decided the next job was to start on the front doors. We have double front doors that we have decided to paint and renovate with new hardware etc, instead of the expensive option of getting new doors custom made ..... $$$$ ching ching! So we got stuck into sanding them ..... it was great to push on to the next job. Our house is 40 years old, so there are plenty of things to work on, but we are on this pretty good roll at the moment - where we feel motivated to get moving with it. I am enjoying the project actually. So we have them sanded down, and Gary is on his way thru sanding the door frame back ... it already looks so much better.

It was a treat to go to some kiwi friends for dinner on Sat night, as i wasn't feel up to cooking anyway ... great company, good food and our kids play really well together. They have 3 boys ... so its funny us all getting together.

After the garage sale we still had a heap of stuff left over, so i decided to bite the bullet and take it to the markets this morning and sell it off. 5.15am i was up ... yes people, its been a very long day for me. It went well, sold really random stuff ... quiet interesting people watching. I had this antique table that i'd bought like 10 years ago ... heaps and heaps of people inquired, however they wanted me to give it away to them ... a couple of guys told me they are worth $300 when they are done up, so i thought "darn it - i'll sand this up and paint it myself" yes, that is what i've been doing this afternoon ... i sanded the whole thing up, and its ready to paint, i'm so into it! Have to varnish the top, and choose a colour to paint it ... will show you the end result when its done! The girls were great, they played in cubby, which is sporting a new door knocker and door knob (from our front door)

So, i am going to soak my feet in my foot spa and paint my toe nails ... after such a productive weekend. We did well from our sales too ... maybe it will go toward my USA spending money - cool!