Ballina!

So, we are now in beautiful Ballina NSW.
We have 'done' Mick's side of the family, including his 91 year old Nana. What an amazing woman.
Hope everyone has a safe, happy and wonderful Christmas....must go, the champers and the spa are calling my name!!!

Putting Mundubbera on the map...

We are famous today! The Courier mail ran a story about a local boy being bitten by a taipan, and surviving. He's okay, he is back in town and walking around with his friends. Its all good. Full story here

Yeah, so we are pretty much famous for having one of the worlds most deadliest snakes. Slithering around the local swimming hole.
Nice.

I think I'll be sticking to the pool thanks very much. And wearing shoes.

Its that time again!

Yes my friends...Its Friday Faves! Probably the last for a few weeks for me...

#1 is summer fruit.Mmmmmm, the peaches, the nectarines, the water melon....*drool*

Oh, and cherries!!! YUM! #2 is my family, and going on holidays!

This motley crew will all be in my mum and dads garage on Christmas morning participating in the frenzy that is our present unwrapping!

How cool:-)

This is also the reason that my blog posts and Friday faves may be a little thin on the ground over the next few weeks, a worthy reason I think!

#3 Crap day. How can you not love something that is designed to de clutter and get rid of junk???
#4 My new fave perfume. Yes, I had a new fave perfume last week, but this is this weeks fave! Lovely by SJP. It is gorgeous.
And #5 is having him home!
Its lovely....

So, what are your faves this week???

At least I am cute and stripy

You Are Socks!

Cozy and warm... but easily lost. You make a good puppet.

What Crappy Christmas Gift Are You?

We've been invited to what??? When???

Or some really last minute Christmas card ideas...LOL

After realising this morning before work, that I needed to hand out presents and cards to my work friends, TODAY, I quickly sat down and created some really last minute cards. And you know, at Christmas time, without fail you get invited somewhere, with not a lot of time to spare...and they close the shops over Christmas!!!! The horror!!!!!

Card one... Card 2...(got this idea off Mel Goodsell's blog)

And easiest of all, card 3...for my male boss. Not bad for a boy card I thought!

Enjoy!

Nothing says....

'I love you' or 'I'm thinking of you' like a parcel (at least thats what I think...)

And boy oh boy, have I been getting some parcels lately. I even get excited about the ones that I pay for myself. Sad, I know. I have justified these though lately - with Mick away - by telling myself that Mick would want me to have these, so its kind of like he is sending them. Kind of.

But yesterday, I got a parcel out of the blue. It was from my lovely forum friend Kate from down Melbourne way. And truly it was the lovliest surprise ever. She had asked me for my address a while back, and I told her, thinking she was sending me a Christmas card...but nope, it was a gift! A lovely handbag album :-D

I am SO excited! I can totally see a birthday being scrapped in this, and one little girly being thrilled. Thank you Kate!

D2U kit!

Marisa has got together the first ever D2U kit! SO many goodies, and SUCH good value! All this for $35 $29.99!



The kids and I are driving over to Maryborough today to pick up Mick. Yep, his 12 week stint over there is finished (Thank GOD!!!) and he is now on holidays for Christmas! Holy smokes...where has this year gone????

Thanks for all of your support while he has been gone. Some days have been VERY hard, and you guys have left me some lovely comments to brighten my days!

Hey Dena!!!

http://kirstypiper.blogspot.com/2008/12/friday-faves_11.html

LOL Just for you sweet cheeks;-)

Not Me Monday!

I did not just spend my whole Monday compiling my Not Me Monday list in my head. And then completely forget all the not so wonderful things I did this week!

I did NOT get VERY excited when Mick decided spur of the moment yesterday to take the kids away from the house for a total of 7 blissful silent hours yesterday. Nope, I am a nurturing mum, who loves spending every available moment with her treasures!

I did not go to a scrapping class on Saturday whilst feeling incredibly ill, leaving a child vomitting with her father. Nope, I am not at all feeling the strain of being mummy and daddy to three children after 12 weeks of Mick working away! Who would want to leave the house full of sick kidlets??? A bad mum, thats who!

I am not quietly panicking at the amount left to be done before we leave for our christmas holidays this coming Saturday, yet STILL am here fiddling around on the computer..Noooooo, I make lists and am VERY organised!

I am not counting down in minutes and seconds how long it is until we leave to spend time with my family...Oh wait yep, I am! I am coming family!!!!!

Holidays...Day 1

So, we have started school holidays in QLD as of today.

And we did some baking!

We had to mix,
then roll
then cut out shapes (then mummy had a quiet nervous break down in the corner and a hit of scotch vodka cooking sherry Pepsi Max)

Then we baked, and cooled....

then came the GOOD bit (!?!?!)

The decorating!

Oh those glorious colours!

Our kitchen looks as though someone has been massacred.

But they are pretty:-)

And cute...look at the angel..

I am loving the M&M feet!

Off for another belt of Pepsi Max.

Giving Gift Cards for Christmas?

I always think they look kind of boring...and I have on occasion lost them before I could give them. But I like giving them....the people I give them to can then get something that they really want, and my christmas shopping is done in minutes!

So this year Micks sisters and their partners are getting a $30 movie voucher. (I'm pretty sure they don't read this...if they do, SORRY!)

And I decided to try and jazz them up (and make them harder to lose LOL)

This was my first experiment..kind of 'eh', but I like the inside:-) See, pretty!

And then this one....

Oooooh....for me...really?!?

You shouldn't have!

And again with the falala papers. I love them!

Yeah, and the threading water punch.It gets SUCH a work out!

Thanks for stopping by....now where did I put those gift cards...

Its Crap Day!

Nooooo, not a crap day THE crap day!

You know...when everyone piles out all their crap (crap they are too cheap and busy to take to the dump - our dump now charges us $15 for the honour) and the council come get it...

(heh, taken out my scrap booking room window. I love that I can see the whole main street out of my window! Mick thinks I am a spy...or a creepy old stalker lady)


That is, if other people don't get to it first!

Yesterday, I noticed about 5 cars driving around with trailers (serious crap collectors obviously)

We even had a polite crap collector.

About 7 o clock last night, we heard a knock at our door. Someone was asking permission to take our crap!

This morning our pile was about half of what it was last night.

Is it wrong that I am proud that someone wanted our crap???

LOL

We Pipers have good crap (apparently!)

And now, crap day is over...all the crap is either in a new home or the dump. Either way I am happy, cause it is no longer in my house/shed/ under the house.

That idea stealer!!!

Mick that is...

He was sitting on the computer this morning (well, not on the computer, but you know...) and I asked him to check out movie times for High School Musical 3. I was thinking of taking the kids tomorrow....

we found a session at 11.45. "Great " I said, "so if I leave here at 9, I would get there in time?"

"sure" said Mick.... And before I could say " gosh I am brilliant and have some GREAT ideas" he had them dressed and in the car.

Yep, he stole my idea AND kidnapped my children.

So, I am sitting in a silent house.

What bliss!

I figure, it takes 2 1/2 hours to get there, 1 1/2 hours for the movie, 1/2 an hour for lunch and 2 1/2 hours back.....that leaves me with 7 glorious hours with which to scrap, sleep, read, stare at the walls miss my beautiful family!

WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Some Christmassey type stuff...

Been trying to make myself feel festive...the kids make it fairly difficult to be 'Grinchy' LOL

These are SO cute...not my original idea,(got this one off Mel Goodesells blog...some amazing ideas here!) made for Sammy to take to the Family Day Care Christmas party yesterday.
Using Royale biscuits, dipped in white chocolate and topped off with a Jaffa and a Spearmint leaf lolly. They look MUCH more impressive than they should for such an easy (I was going to say recipe, but its not even cooking, more like assembling LOL) 'thing' (yeah, 'thing' works here) And I have been wanting to make a cup cake for forever. I know. They are SO 6 months ago. But I couldn't bring myself to make one without a reason. And, well, Christmas decorations are ALL about pretties with no real purpose!

I got the idea for the 'button berries' from Linda Albrecht's blog.

Ribbon from my D2U DT kit. Love this ribbon!

And kindy glitz...LOTS of kindy glitz.

Thanks for stopping by!

Just one of my beautiful sisters...

My brother posted this on his blog, and I wanted to share it here too...all of my sisters are amazing (as are my wonderful brothers)...but Bethany Joy is the only one with a you tube video so far!!!

Speaking of which...Amy...I am surprised you haven't you tubed...you are kind of a big deal around there! LOL

It makes me cry. Mostly because I miss them so much, and also cause her and my brother are amazing. Love you guys!

Friday Faves:-)

#1 is kind of a bit psycho actually. I got the BIGGEST thrill last night 'snipering' ebay auctions LOL. It started when I saw something I liked, at a GREAT price. So I bid. And then lost with 3 seconds to go.
I got cranky.
And decided that I HAD to win. The universe required me to cut in front of someone else right at the last minute. Oh my gosh. I had so much fun! Of course, I also ended up with some 'stuff' that I really didn't need.
But I will enjoy it all the more cause I WON!!!!! LOL

#2 Love all of the little school 'things' we went to this week. loved seeing what the girls have done, and how they enjoyed what they are doing. heh. Still makes me smile to think that this is half the primary school:-)

#3 I am LOVING real books. Now I was SUPER excited to be able to read books #2 and 3 via e book (thanks Danny), but really nothingbeats holding a really truly book. And new books...is there anything more decadent??

#4 I am loving Collage Press scrapping gear at the moment. I am a little in love with the Grayson line..and got my hands on some gorgeous Collage Press stamps this week!!! I dunno...there is something about the colours and those gorgeous designs that are just begging to be cut out and layered with some foam pop dots...or it could just be me;-)

#5 Kev

Good old Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Now i am not suddenly going all political on you. Seriously. I am so NOT political.

But how can a man who gives me $1000 per child not be my favourite this week??? This man is funding my christmas!!!

(this is not saying that I agree with the stimulus package or how it was decided who got what, I am just saying that my family and i are enjoying having a little bit extra this christmas!)

Thanks kev!

So, what are your faves this week???

Why were you up until 1am

I hear you ask!?!

Why, I was making teachers gifts....
Well no, technically I was wrapping teacher gifts. In these cute fabric baskets:-)

Oh, and making mini cheese cakes. About 50ish. For the girls to take to school today for their break up party.

I also made a start on filling up my December Daily album...

Its starting to look full and inviting. I love mini albums that just beg you to open them up and look inside!

I am trying to let go of the idea that this has to be perfect, and just get it done.

And I am enjoying it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Swimming carnival!

Some shots for daddy and the grandparents:-)

How cute is this??? This is the entire lower primary school. Cute!

All ready and raring to go. Nat ready to duck and dive!

Charlotte..possible drowning?? maybe I should have put the camers down and rescued her?!?

heh, nope, thats just her swimming 'style'.

Go Charli go!

Natalie accusing me of distracting her. Pshaw. Whatever!

Enjoy rellos!