Easy and Yummy Chocolate Fudge!

So the kids were bored, and I needed a quick gift for the lovely peole I work with. My friend Jen makes the worlds best fudge. For years she has been telling me how easy it is....but I resisted getting the 'recipe'. I preferred getting it made for me lol
Yesterday I relented and got the recipe.
OMG
So easy. So quick. So good!!!

Here it is my lovely friends. Worlds best and easiest fudge recipe!

Melt 1 3/4 packs of choc melts in a bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Set aside.
Open a tin of condensed milk.
Tip it all in together and stir (quickly cause it sets fast!!)
Pour it into a tin, and leave to set in the fridge :)

And then try not to eat it all.

Merry early Christmas my friends!!
(excuse the dodgier than usual spelling and pics etc. I am still computerless, this is all from my trusty little iPhone baby!)

Santa Came Early!

My kids have been stressing put because we don't have a digital television. Www were preparing them for a TV-less existence. I wasn't particularly keen, cause I love collapsing in front of the Telly at night when the kids go to bed. But I was preparing myself.
Then yesterday, there was a knock at the door.
It was our courier.
He said 'I have your flat screen television!'
I looked at him blankly.
He carried it in, this huge box, adressed to me. The kids were beyond excited. Sam kept jumping screaming 'this is my Christmas dream!!!' Nat keeps saying 'this is just awesome!' I still looked confused...
Then I texted my family....do any of you know anything about a flat screen television???....
And I got all these texts back simply saying 'Merry Christmas'
OMG
I am still in shock.
The kids are still stoked.
And I can't believe my beautiful dad, and my brothers and sisters organized this amazing gift for me and my family.
Mum would have been SO proud! She would have been giggling excitedly for weeks about this *lol*
So, I had best dash...I have television to watch!

I am AWOL :(

Yep
I am currently computerless! Whilst trying to complete my uni assignment (due Friday ARGH!!!) My computer got hijacked, and I can't access anything. No emails,websites, nothing. Actually,that's a lie...the nasty bug thingy quite happily will open up random p0rn or Viagra sites :-/
So,I am not dead...just incommunicado...and hopefully not for too long. Can you pray for a miracle for a computer???Cause I could really do with one of those right now! The week a big assignment is due is not a great time for this to happen :(

Uni Assignment Share

As a part of my uni assignment (due next week ARGH!!!) I had to create a digital story using photos, music and narrative. Not a great time to be narrating a story, as I am recovering from a cold and have a dreadful sounding voice LOL
Anyways...I thought my dad and brothers and sister might like to see what I did...I played it for my kids, and poor Sam and Charlotte ended up in floods of tears :(
(pooh AGAIN to the person who said that they wouldn't know why they were crying at mum's funeral)


Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Let's Get Shabby :)

Yep, again with my favourite challenge site!
I was lucky enough last week to get a visit from the gorgeous Lauren Bell. Yep. I had a Scrapbooking Memories Master in MY house. LOL
She brought her two gorgeous girls, a mudcake and some scrapping goodness for ME!!!! I was stoked! She gave me some gorgeous Graphic45 paper pads, which I had been dying to try, but never quite got around to buying! Thanks sooooo much Lauren...I had SO much fun using these papers yesterday...my pile had been calling to me since you gave them to me and yesterday was the first opportunity that I had to use them :)
Let's Get Shabby challenge #18 is to scrap a page that shares your favourite Christmas Carol. I have used my all time favourite carol 'Silent Night' as my title. Don't you just love that night before Christmas when all the kids finally fall asleep...it feels so magical!

I loved these little cherubs...handcut from the Graphic45 patterned papers :)

And some hidden journalling...just cause I couldn't find a spot for it actually visible on the page!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Alanna!?

Sorry honey...I have tried to get onto your blog, but I can't! In answer to your question about the 30 days thingy...here is the original post with all the links. I hope that helps!

Thirty Days Of Me!

Wow..Day 20...a little sporadic, but I am getting there!!
Explain the meaning behind your Blog's name...
I originally started my blog as part of an assessment task for uni.
Then my mumsy started reading and commenting, and I figured it was a GREAT way to keep her up to date with the kids and my everyday comings and goings. And she loved it. I named it Just Us, because it really was simply, just about *us*. Originally there was no 'scrapbookery', it was just family junk. I didn't think anyone else would be interested...and then I started getting comments from people other than my family :O
And then i was addicted ;)

So even though, there is now 'scrapbookery' mixed in between the boring family junk, its still just about *us*

In all our boring, nothingness. Which I love. I love the nothingness. The hanging out with my favourite people.

And yeah, I love the comments ;)

KaiserCraft Mini Stamp Sets

I got to play with KaiserCraft's new mini stamp sets this month...and I love 'em!
There is a sentiment or a little pic for any given occasion...perfect for card makers OR scrappers ;)
I first used the sweet mini Christmas Candy Cane stamp to make this quick card...I even embossed! (a big deal to a non-stampy, non-card maker type person...admittedly I did use my toaster to heat up the embossing stuff...completely outing my non-stampy, non-card makerness ) After exhausting myself making the one card lol, I moved onto some more familiar territory...a 12x12 LO!

Using the little Leaves stamp. I love this one...I can see it becoming a real 'go-to' item in my stash :)

Thanks for stopping by! I am off to snuggle a week and a half old baby this morning...I think it will help to soothe my soul :)

Quick and Easy Baby Gift

One of my beautiful friends had a baby last week, and I am so excited to be going out to meet her this week! I don't really have a lot of time to make a complicated, 'fancy-schmancy' gift, so I whipped this up, keeping it simple :)
The 'M' is for baby Mia, who has a gorgeous apple green nursery, and the 'L' is for Lily, the big sister, who loves all things pink:)

I am quite happy with how quick, and easy these were!

Graduation Keepsake

As soon as I got the KaiserCraft After Five range, I KNEW that I wanted to scrap a graduation. Unfortunately my kids were too young, and try as I might I couldn't find ANY of my own graduations.
Luckily a friend let me borrow her son's grad pics...and they were PERFECT! He wore red, black and white, which matched the papers perfectly ;)
I made a little accordian album, which can be a free standing display... Or it can be tucked away...

In the little trinket box I made :)

Thanks for stopping by!

4 Months

Today, since my mum left us.
I remember that day like it was yesterday. The hurting still feels like it was yesterday.
That morning my dad my sisters and I went in to the hospital early to be greeted with some incredible news. Mum had decided to proceed with chemo and treatment.
We were elated.
My sisters and I went and had a coffee.
My brothers arrived and we excitedly told them the good news.
We talked to aunts, telling them that maybe visits should be postponed until after treatment (mum had said she didn't want any visitors, she was too sick. We didn't physically stop anyone from visiting - despite what one person would have us believe. We just recommended that they not come yet. I still think this was the right thing, despite it being hard to say. We did what mum wanted.)
We snatched moments with mum throughout the day.
We spent most of the day in the waiting room. Just waiting for a stolen moment with her.
At 5 o'clock my little sis was asking to go late night shopping. Luckily we didn't go.
At 6 o'clock my dad came running out to tell us all to come in. It wasn't looking good. I will never forget his face.

We ran into the room. Mum looked sick. Sicker. I have never seen such a change in a person.
We sat and held her hands. We told her we loved her.
At 8 o'clock, she was gone.


I have so many regrets just thinking about her last day.
We left her to sleep on the Wednesday night, about 2 hours after we left, dad got a phone call from mum. She had dropped her sick bag and the nurses weren't responding to her. Why didn't I jump in the car and go back to her? I could have spent so many more precious hours with her. I could have just been there for her, like she was for me so many times throughout my life.
That afternoon, instead of telling my sister to go in and spend time with her, I should have taken it.
So many regrets.
If I knew then, what I know now.
And I know I can't change anything. I know she died knowing we love her. I know all that. But it doesn't stop the 'what ifs'.

I just feel dead inside. Like if someone was to look into my eyes, they would find nothing. yet I am expected to do and be so much to so many. Like nothing has changed. I feel as if, when such an amazing woman left us, that everything should have stopped. Should have changed. But it doesn't. Everything is the same...but so different.

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever; I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one:
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods:
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
W.H. Auden

And yes. I do have good days...I have days when I can remember her and smile. And I know they will become more frequent.

I know that the dreams will slowly stop. The horrible dreams where I am trying in vain to get to her. Where I am trying to save her. I know they will stop.

I just miss her. And am trying to come to terms with my own regrets.

I Done Some Scrapping!

Yay!
Wicked Princesses are hosting a Cyber Crop this weekend...and I actually got some LOs done...often I register, with the best of intentions, and then, thats as far as I get. *Life* happens, and scrapping gets pushed aside ;)
So this weekend I got Kerry's challenge done...
*Create a Lo using a christmassey word, and then having an item on your page that corresponds with each letter in that word*
I chose the word Merry
Stupid really cause ummm...there are not many emby's or items that start with 'y'.
M - Mist
E -Embroidery thread
R - Rhinestones (The ... after the word 'soccer')
R - Rub on
Y - Yellow! And I also got Krissy's sketch done!

I am still hoping to get Kate's handcut title challenge done, but I don't like my chances!! I have birthday cakes to cook!

Happy Birthday!

To the love of my life.
I really am quite glad you were born.
I hope you enjoy your day...the presents, the relaxing, the spoiling, the *yawn* cricket and the cakes!
You mean the world to the kids and I :)

Happiest of happy birthdays to you my love.

Hidden Journalling

Another LO with the Kaisercraft After Five collection.
Have I mentioned that this is my fave KaiserCraft range so far??
I really wanted to focus on using those cute journal tag pads that come with each range.
I often create my projects, and forget all about them, and the designs are usually far too cute to be forgotten! So this month I created a little booklet for some hidden journalling. A lot of the journalling I do on the LOs about my mum really don't need to be shared with the world...most people looking through my albums just want to quickly flick through, not read for ages ;)
I simply journalled on the tags for as long as I wanted.
I then mounted the tags on some accordian folded strips of Card. The strips needed to be longer than 12', so I simply joined strips when necessary in the 'hill' folds with double sided tape.

And then tucked it neatly away.

Aren't the beiges in this collection gorgeous?

Just for Sharon and Alanna ;)

In my last post Sharon and Alanna asked how I store my lumpy bumpy LOs.
I just store them in a regular 12x12 protector and then in these Print Blocks 3 ring binders. I usually trim about 5mm off the top and side of the page to give me a bit of 'wriggle room' I can't fit many in each album, but they seem to be okay in there!
How do you all store your LOs? Does anyone else have a *few* in boxes without albums?? LOL

KaiserCraft Blogging :)

Its my week to blog over at KaiserCraft this week. And, its all with my new favourite range After Five! I absolutely love love love this range!
Got a wedding to scrap? Perfect!
21st? Great!
Graduation? Awesome!
Like truly..sooo versatile, and its gender neutral, so it would be easy to use for anything!
I added a little touch of pastel pink on this LO, which really 'girlied' things up.
I had forgotten what an amazingly beautiful bride my little sister was.

And these Prima roses...*love*

And my new fave thing to do, is to use my scraps and any favourite techniques to make a card to add to my card stash.

If I don't use the scraps, the kids discover them and use them to create their own masterpieces!

Thanks for stopping by :)

I Woke Up This Morning...

As I do most mornings...LOL
Stumbled blearily through the kitchen towards a shower and then some caffeine...
Past my whiteboard to see this :) Chari had written me a love note.
(I love mum, you are a star, you are a shining star, you rock my world, you have a beautiful voice- just in case you couldn't make it out)
But my favourite part was this P.S.

(To dad, do not be offended I love you as much as mum from Charlotte).
*Heh*
She's a funny little egg.
I'm going to leave it up cause it makes me smile :)

Get Picky!

I have been busting to try this new challenge site Get Picky...I am a bit of a lazy scrapper. I tend to stick to my single photo LOs, and be done with it. I like that this site is challenging me to get out of my single pic *rut* and put a few on each page!
This month's sketch was nice and gentle LOL just two pics...yep, even this lazy scrapper can cope with that!
These are photos of my mum on her first day of school.
So cute! I used the gorgeous Storyboard kit for this month. I love these kits. Lisa seems to have SUCH a knack for coordinating patterns and product in ways that just work! Every month that I get my kit I discover a new fave product or paper that I never would have bought left to my own devices!

And this month...My new fave is this alpha! (or the teal and yellow polka dot paper...can't decide...two new faves this month??)

Love it!

Thanks for stopping by.

And again, thank you SO much for the love and support you guys give me. I am finding your loving comments so so precious and helpful during this time. Thank you.

Not over it yet.

Someone asked my sister during the week if she was *still* sad about mum dying.
DUH
Yeah, apparently the greiving time allocated for losing the woman who loved you, raised you is about 4 months.
Apparently, my sister isn't healed yet. And her friend was surprised by this.
I am still devastated.
Daily.
By the realization that I won't see her, be held by her or talk to her again.
And I know that people visiting here are probably over hearing about how sad I am, but if one person reads my *stuff* and realizes that its okay to be sad *still* after losing someone amazing in their life, then I am okay with still writing.
I am just so lost. *still*
I am so angry with people. Little things set me off. Reading Facebook status updates about someone being SO EXCITED about Christmas, when I am struggling to imagine my first Christmas without her.
Irrational? yes, absoltutely. But how I feel nonetheless.
I spoke to my dad the other day, and spent the rest of the day alternating between sobbing and being so angry that I could barely form a sentence.
He is hurting so very much. He has been let down by some people from whom he shouldn't have been let down by. Hurt by careless throw-away remarks. And I am hurting for him.
My whole heart wants to be down in Ballina with him. Helping him. Protecting him. And I am frustrated because I just can't.
And then because my heart is down there, I am doing a half a$$ed job here with my family.
I am struggling through a unit for university that I enrolled in way back in May. I enrolled in it, because it was going to be a snap, because my mum was going to help me. We had talked about it. And now she isn't helping. She's not here to ask advice. She's gone.
I am struggling with simple things, like keeping my house clean and keeping up to date with assignments, deadlines.
I feel a bit hollow.
I think the only thing keeping me slightly 'on track' are my happy pills. Yeah. So very thankful I was still taking them...I had wanted to stop earlier in the year, and my doctor recommended against it. *phew*
So yeah.
I am *still* sad. I am *still* not healed.
Sorry its taking so long.
I don't know what a normal time frame for this is.

Day 19

Of my Thirty Days Of Me!
Another picture of yourself!
Man, that was HARD...I have hardly any photos of myself!
This one was taken on Mick and my's last date.
Two years ago. It was wonderful.
A whole night to ourselves at a fancy schmancy motel.

Day 18

Of My Thirty Days!
Something you crave a lot of....
*sigh* I have so many cravings..but I am giving you my top two!
I crave the beach.
So so much. Even putting this pic up makes me yearn just to be there. I love the smell, the wind, the feeling. Surprisingly, I hate sand. LOL
I just love to watch the beach.
Love it.
I can't wait to go back down to visit dad at Christmas time!

And my number two craving?
Junk food from maccas

And pizza hut.

Not having them out here, yet still getting the TV ads seems cruel LOL

I miss me some good old junk food!

Day 17.

Of my Thirty Days :)
A recent family photo.
Well, here 'tis.
Us in all our rainy friday night glory :) The whiteness of Sam's shorts only JUST survived the trip from the car inside the kindy. Sam and white shorts=not a good combination.
Cute? Yes!
Practical? No.


I love that my sis buys them perfectly co ordinating outfits for Christmas each year! I thought she would give up once the boy arrived on the scene, but never to be beaten, she has instead gotten BETTER!
Thanks Clarey :)

Thanks for stopping by friends...I am back off to bed. This bug has ZAPPED me :-/

Saturday Sketch :)

Is up over on the KaiserCraft blog!
I loved this sketch! I used 3 instead of two photos, and the shield type shape instead of a circle in my background. I also used my fave christmas line this year 'Tis The Season :)
Love these Prima christmas flowers!

Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you mummy :)

I've been sick this week.
I think I have the Flu. Like the real flu...with fevers and aches and all, not a measly little cold masquerading as the 'flu' (one of my pet hates...people saying they have *the flu* when its a cold Grrr)
Or ebola.
My googling was a little unclear.
The symptoms seem so similar... After alternating between sweating and freezing on Wednesday night, I decided to change my sheets.
Mum used to change our sheets when we were sick.
She always said it was nice to hop into a fresh bed if you were feeling sick, and now its my first reaction both for myself and for my kids...

And so last night, after feeling like crap and dragging myself around all day, I climbed into my bed with its lovely fresh sheets.
And I was immediately transported back about 30 years.
I felt completely and utterly comforted for just a brief moment.
It was like my mum was there, smoothing my hair from my forehead and tucking me in.
And I felt safe.
I swear my soul sighed the word 'mummy'.


Thank you mummy. All those little things you did for us kids growing up made a BIG impact on our lives. The nurturing you did back then, still counts all these years later.

Day 16

Of my Thirty Days of Me!
Woohoo! Over halfway!
Todays prompt is to reveal your celebrity crush.
Now I was torn. I have so many LOL
But my top 2..
Chris O'Donell.
Only made MORE attractive by the fact that he has 5 children and been married for 13ish years. *swoon*
And my other crush?
Shemar Moore from Criminal Minds.

I love when he calls the blonde computer girl in the show 'baby girl'
*sigh*

Day 15

Of my Thirty Days of Me!
Something you never leave the house without...
Now a few years ago, this was easy!
I never went anywhere without my babies.
Now that they are all at school, I find myself often going places without them, and its sad :(

I remember at the time feeling kind of smothered and frustrated at never having time to myself. Now, I miss them. I remember Mum telling me how quickly the time goes when they are little, and me thinking at the time, that time wasn't going fast enough!

Well, its flown.

Once again, mum was right.

So now my never leave the house without item is....

lip gloss.

A lot less demanding, and a lot less fun LOL

I loves me a good lip gloss.

I have it stashed everywhere.

Even in my work station at work.

In my handbag, my car, my pockets, my scrapping bag.

Everywhere.

Thanks for stopping by!