Twice the Fun

28th March

4 days after Lynne and Chris's wedding we celebrated Aaron's 9th and Ben's 5th Birthdays.

The best parts (according to the boys) were the respective Lighting McQueen and Harry Potty Birthday Cakes and the Egg spoon race that turned into egg throwing sessions.

Egg Throwing is a great family tradition from my side of the family. My Dad has all these theories about how you need to throw the egg (angle/speed etc) to get the fartherest distance.

Gotta watch those stray egg throws by some kids though;-)

Ben starts School

27th and 28th March

Finally it's happened, it's taken 5 (sometimes long) years, but my youngest child has entered the world of full day education.

Very Cool

I was probably more upset than him at leaving kindy. I have being very involved with the teachers and committee there since Oct 2000. Looonnng time, cool time, made friends forever and helped the centre grow and adapt to a Kindergarten from a playgroup.

Ben of course was only interested in what kind of cakes (FOOD) his Rannie and I made to give to the kindy kids on the last day, and what his favourite song would be to choose( NOISE). (the Snake dance song).

He was a bit apprehensive at first about school - lotsa rules, normal teacher away sick, no friends all made for a boy that didn't want to go for a week, but tough love and he has settled in. ..well sort of, whats a few time-outs a day anyway??

There is still that eerie feeling that I should be doing somethings around 11.30am - like remembering to pick up someone from kindy... weird, I've had to drive somewhere in the middle of the day for 6 1/2 years. It may take some time for that habit to break!

Cheers

Megs

Finally - an update

Firstly thanks for looking back at this blog in the never ending hope I will update someday..

and apologies for taking so bl***dy long to do so!

Things have been soo busy here, and that's not just lip service. Truely, ...very busy . There's lots of news to catch up on. Might take a couple of blog entries to bring you all up to date.

Here goes..

24th March (audio anouncers voice) When we left the Lamont Family they were busy helping prepare for Lynne and Chris's wedding. In this episode we find out if they finally managed to fix the computer in time for the slide show, and if Megan still fitted her bridesmaids dress...

Yep, the wedding was cool. Nope, not all parts of the speech slide/show thing worked because of a technicality (we didn't know the DVD from overseas was going to be in quicktime), and yes I still fitted the dress,

Even the weeks of hardout chocolate bar eating under stress didn't alter the figure too much (go figure - perhaps it could be a new diet).

A very cool part of the wedding was that it was held in Mum and Dad's Garden, which is the same as Pete and I but a very different garden is now there since the 12 years ago when we were married (Hi Hun).

Mum has planned this garden (and house) renovation for a long time, and as they say There is nothing like a wedding to get the job done. So here's what it looked like after the demolition stage and here's what it looked like on the day of the wedding. BIG Difference.

The speeches were the best part of the whole night. Lots of emotions, highs and lows, laughs and cries, and Lynne did the best speech I have ever heard a bride give.

We only had a couple of days to recover (and clean up) because 4 days later Ben started school!! Wohoo, so see the next post.

Stay tuned for our next episode, when you'll hear "Mum ..I don't want to go to school today.."

Lynnie's Hens Night

My sister Lynne celebrated her Hens night last Sat. Lotsa games and giggles, laughs and lovely gifts in the afternoon.

All her friends contributed a recipe and jem of relationship advice to a book I made for her (7 gyp journal kit thingy for all you scrappers).

It turned out very cool, and she loved it. The evening carried on to restaurants and pubs and was pretty tidy really.. er until the tray of tequila shots at some unnamed bar very late in the evening... :0) Go Lynnie!!!

Only 26 more sleeps to go!

School Books

I think I've figured it out... where my love of books, papers and pens originated.

This year as I spent some time (a whole day) covering the kids books for school, I remebered my mum and how she used to cover our books as kids.

They didn't have cover-seal in those days and so, to protect the books she used wallpaper. I can still clearly remember the patterns now, the same wallpaper on our walls as kids.

Then (and here's the special bit) we were allowed to choose a "swap" or a "scrap" to put on the cover of each book. If you don't remember - or had a life outside of 'swaps' or 'scraps' - these were pictures, often children, faires etc, embossed, often glittered and joined together in a sheet by tabs. There was definatly kudos and a rating system when it came to selecting which "swap" went on which book. Afterall there were four of us kids, and probably 5 books each. I just remember it being so special, and that she stayed up late at night doing it.

After the wallpaper and swap, she also carefully cut a plastic bag so that it wrapped around the whole book, sellotaped it into the insides and voila, there you have it - school books covered 1970's style.

so cool remembering that.

Catching up

Seems to be what I am doing so much of already... and it's only a few weeks into the school term!

My mum had a nice birthday, we went out for lunch to a new restaurant on the Karioitahi beach coast Agave. Awesome location, gorgeous food and friendly people.

Have completed a layout for the next Dare over at No8 Wired, had fun doing this. The challenge was to use black and white and one other colour. I choose red (my fave scrapping colour) and I immediately thought of my mothers toes! She has had them painted red for years. To have a pedicure is her absolute dream, I love them too.

My scrapping stuff has recently been organised into 'colour drawers' thanks to Stacey Julian and her Big Picture Book, so my 'Red' draw finally came into it's own during this challenge.

Organising photos - printed and digital has been a mammoth task for the Library of Memories class I am taking, but finally we are starting to 'see the light' and I'm having some 'aahaaa' moments as I realise the different connections you can see in photos when they are NOT organised chronologically but rather in groups and relationships. Very Cool Stuff.

Happy Birthday Mum!

Happy Birthday to my Mum.

56 years young today an awesome mother to her children

and pretty darn cool grandmother as well

able to see the funny side of anything,

and she has taught me that a good hard days work solves most problems.

Happy Birthday Mum

I love ya.

Back to School

Yep, Back to school for the boys tomorrow. Did the baking biscuits /grocery shopping thing today as usual, stocking up on supplies.

As a child I loooved the first day, new books, new felt tips (if I was lucky) and a new teacher. I loved the chance to start things new, learn new things etc.

I'm definitely a new starter kinda person and not so great at the finishing completing project kinda thing. If I ever went to a UFO (Un-Finished Objects) weekend, I swear I would need a big truck to load up all the stuff. Think back to those hook loop rugs we made as kids....

BUT.. I have finished this weeks dare at No8 Wired. Yep actually started and finished this layout in one night. Loved the Hot/Cold and New/Old products ideas. I really need to use some of my old stuff so this was a good challenge for me... now I just need to do another fifty layouts and I would have used all the old stuff I have.

Holiday Tricks and Treats

Was still at the beach for most of the last week. Kids loved riding the bikes around the footpaths and tarsearled roads (we don't have those at home) and especially loved the bike park, Cam really shone at the jump.

Home now, still motorbike madness around here, one of our apprentices Brent came over tonight with his bike as well, and showed us all how it is done!

I can only imagine what motorbike tricks the kids must be dreaming of tonight!

I finally put my layout for the NZ Dares site up, The theme this fortnight was 'Going round in Circles'. Well for me it's about motorbikes, there just doesn't seem to be anything else around here lately! I am helping a few friends with their wedding invitations in the next few days. Weddings are always a cool time to gather family and friends, this year I have been specially asked to be a bridesmaid, in not one, but two weddings. You would have thought at 35 yrs old you would be past that sort of thing but apparently not. I am very honored to be asked in both cases and now I can't wait for the weddings, and all the fluffy stuff that goes with them. Catch you soon Megs

And then there was another one

Just when you thought it was safe to walk outside and not get bowled over by the boys on their motorbikes screaming around the house, Pete has gone and got a trail bike for himeself. The noise of all threee bikes together is 'one of a kind' and certainly impressing the cows ...not.

Have had some lovely lazy summery days at home, catching up on chores and nights visiting friends (Hi Sam and Sonya) and Family (Hi Craig's and Lamont's). Still some ironing to do, but when isn't it there.

I thought that could be my Ali Edwards word of the year

'washdryandputawaytheclothesinthesameday',

but I was pretty sure that any resolution around that wouldn't last diddly pip, so my word for the year is

Balance

Between our work and family time, play time and volunteer time, sleep time and awake time, giving and receiving, etc. It would be great to have a bit more balance this year, less extremes. I am also feeling quite reflective tonight. A friend of the family that was diagnosed with cancer in Nov last year passed away quickly this week. It has been quite a shock to our family and a reminder to me of what may happen with dad's health as he heads into a new treatment next week. (Hi Dad)

On the scrapping front I have been very lucky to be asked to join the NZ No8 Wired Dares Blog and the first dare for the year should be on the site this Friday, so go have a look. My layout should be added later this weekend depending on internet connections.

I am off to the beach this weekend to catch a few waves with the kids, I am taking some scrapping stuff with me to do at night-time. ;)

Catch you soon, Megs :)