PROUD

WARNING ... LONG POST AHEAD!!

The last few days in our family life have been filled with "proud" events!

On Friday, our school held a liturgy as part of their celebrations for 'Catholic Education Week'. As usual, the liturgy was lovely and the participation of the children makes it very special.



My little man was so excited to taking part in the special readings. He was so proud and so serious .... we were very proud too. He done a great job!!

Today were up at 5am and gone by 6am .... it has been a huge day.

REWIND .... A few months ago DH decided to set a personal goal of training to get fit and enter the 'Spark & Helmore Triathlon' in Newcastle (which raises money for the Hunter Medical Research Institute).

So, as planned, he has been training (swimming, jogging and riding his bike) for the big event.





As you can see in this photo he made it to the finish (completed the course in just over 1 hour) ...

He is was proud of himself as were his two biggest fans ... Blake & I!



I got some other great pics and hopefully will find the time to do some scrapbooking this week.

After all that excitement ... we made our way over to Energy Australia Stadium to see the Newcastle Knights & Bulldogs game. It has been years since i have been to a league game. DH is a mad knights supporter, DS has been brainwashed into being a mad knights supporter and I don't mind themeither! It was a great atmosphere, a very close game and the knights won by 1 point ... all in all it finished off a great day out.

Just one more thing ... through the week i lost a post (stupid blogger !!?!) and I can't be bothered retyping whatever the general conversation was but will share the LO i completed with the bright & beautiful American Craft papers from SCRAPBOOKnBITS.



I really like this range ... it is bold & bright which makes it easy to do simple layouts on a limited time budget! SnB has also just got in the biggest & bestest range of chipboard titles (approx 50 different titles) ... everything imaginable from boy titles, girl titles, easter, pets, ballet etc. etc. (if they are not showing on the website send Karen an email ... she's bound to have what you are looking for or at least something very close).

Have a great week everyone.

JULIE x

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK

I still haven't had a chance to redo the post i lost the other night; but more important post for now ....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DH ... MARK!!
16th March 2007




We got him a pair of crocs and the thing he wanted most ... surfing lessons !!
He has been talking for months about learning to surf ... so ... we brought him 4 x 2hr personal surfing lessons.

He was quite impressed with his present but i have to say ... i don't share his enthusiasm for the beach. I hate sand, and, wading around out there in the water makes you pretty good shark bait in my opinion!!! ... god forbid ... i hope he'll be safe!



Anyway ... once again ... Happy Birthday Mark xxx

JULIE :-)

STUPID BLOGGER

I have just sat and typed the longest bestest blog ... lots of pics ... yahdee yahdee yahdee ... and lost the lot!!!!

Can you hear that SCREEEEAAAMMMING ... yes, thats me!

Stupid Blogger ... SHIT, SHIT, SHIT !?*#!! (am i allowed to swear on this thing?)

Too tired to do it again ...

will try again tomorrow night!

JULIE :O(

ANOTHER WEEK GONE!

I can't believe how fast this year is flying ... but i guess we say that every year!!

Every week just feels like it rolls into one ... work, school, sport etc etc .... BUT ... i have finally found some time to scrap and actually finish some projects.

This week i completed a 'Mini Hanger Project' but can't share this with you yet 'cause it is one of the workshops with 'SCRAPBOOKnBITS' at the Craft Fair this weekend ... make sure to pop in and say "hi" if you get over there this weekend!

And ... talk about first time for everthing ... last night i completed by first on-line crop ( i have registered before but then something has cropped up and i haven't got to join in ). Kim Archer's 'ALWAYS' workshop was lots of fun and i have a completed LO to show for it!








Sorry that the pics are a bit dark ... i'm a bit "hit & miss' with my camera at the moment!

Anyway, back to scrapbooking ... hope to share some more LO's with you over the weekend.

PS: Is anyone out there going to KiwiScraps in April??

Have a great weekend.

JULIE x

MY BABY IS 10 !

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE xx






This weekend has been filled with celebrations for Blake's birthday - 3rd March.

10 YEARS ... Wow, where has it gone. A decade ... double figures, where has my baby gone??

We have had little friends here all weekend end, sleepovers etc. Last night we went to the drive-in with a little group of his friends and today was a big bbq birthday at the park.

Blake is now enjoying a quite evening putting together some of his 'much wanted' Star Wars Lego kits that he received and I am planning on a rest (that is after tea is organised, uniforms ironed for the week, everything tidied and packed away from today's party and the house is order for the start of another busy week) ... mmm, now what was that about a little rest !#*?!




This is my very happy boy with a few of his new Lego additions!





Here is Blake's best buddy (and our almose adopted son!) ... Matt & Blake met at Pre-School and have been best buddies ever since. They are such beautiful little boys .. i hope this is one of those friendships that continues into adult life when they have wives, children of their own etc etc.




What a bunch!! Oh how wonderful the world is to be 10 and life full of fun, fun, fun!!

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Off to do some projects with some of the gorgeous new products at
'SCRAPBOOK n BITS' for "Craft Alive" coming next weekend.

Cheers,
JULIE x

JAMBEROO

What a great weekend!






I mentioned in one of my previous posts that we were off to Kiama/Jamberoo for the weekend with a large group of friends ... 59 of us.

We stayed at a bunkhouse complex .... just like being back at school camp.

I love the South Coast ... it is just so country by the sea! Really think i could live there, just beautiful!!

Jamberoo recreation park was a great day. For anyone who hasn't been, do yourself a favour and take a trip. LOTS of fun!

This is just a quick post, hope to have the time to upload some projects i've been working in the next few days.

Talk soon,

JULIE x

VERY SPOILT

I have been very spoilt this week.
A wonderful birthday last Sunday which continued through to Monday with out to dinner with my girlfriends. Such a thoughtful bunch and lots of beautiful pressies ... a pink 'bling' ring, a recycled jeans dilly bag (very groovy), lotions and potions, scrapbooking supplies (they know me well), and a pretty little travelling jewellry case.
But wait there's more ... family presents ... a labelling machine, gorgeous jewellry set (chunky beaded necklace & matching earrings), candles & choccies !!
And, just when my birthday celebrations are over ... then there's Valentine's Day.
My DH is very thoughtful and always marks a special day. I got a very sweet & meaningful card & a beautiful flower arrangement. I think i'll keep him for a bit longer !!
On a different note ... you may have notice that i have changed my music video (I love playing with this thing!). I love the Dixie Chicks ... yes, i am not ashamed to admit it ... i am a Country Music girl. I like other music too (not heavy metal or the like), but my favourite is country especially the modern country music that is out these days. In particular, i love this song. I have it on one of their albums which i play in my car regularly. I turn it up and sing to my heart's content ... must be an interesting look for passers by !!?*#! LOL
Well, other than singing, the rest of my days have been filled with hectic schedules at work, busy finalising the details for out group trip to Kiama-Jamberoo next weekend (very excited ... can't wait) and even busier finalising the arrangements for a trivia night i am hosting in Sydney this weekend ... Phew, talk about no rest for the wicked ... I must be a very bad girl !
I won't get a chance to post again til next week ... so, have a great weekend!
Cheers,
JULIE x

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME !

Well ... I have entered the 2nd half of life in my 30's !!

I have had a wonderful birthday and been very spoilt by my DH, little man, family & friends.

Today i went out for lunch with my family (whilst DH was at work). Lovely weather & great food sitting on the pier at the yacht club ... very nice! Got some lovely pressies and will share some pics in the next few days.

After hubby got home from work, him & our little man had a lovely evening planned for us ...

Just need to rewind a little here .... It is a well known fact in our family (in fact everyone is probably sick of hearing it) that I would really love a BMW! They have always been my favourite car. When i got my new car last year (Mazda 3 - which i really love), i had the option of getting my dream car but the budget only allowed for a 2nd hand one. Now, don't get me wrong ... i am not being snobby or selfish here, but this is one of those life goals. I work hard and put in long hours; and one day hope to reach that personal reward/goal ... a new BMW!

So ... my little man (with some help from dad) built this model BMW as a present from him for my birthday. Priceless!




The idea is to take this to work to sit on my desk mantel and this will keep inspiring me to work harder!

The other beautiful present i received from my two men was this gorgeous Jadore perfume/beauty pack in it's own vanity case!



Then we headed out to 'Jonahs on the Beach' at Noahs Newcastle. A window table booked overlooking the beach, delicious meal, lovely wine, a yummy scrummy choc birthday cake and my two favourite men ... What more could a girl want!!

More celebrations tomorrow night with my girlfriends ...
Oooohhh, i luv birthdays!

Talk soon,
JULIE x

AUSTRALIA'S MOST WANTED!!

Just Kiddin' ......


We arranged our Passports yesterday for the secret ?? 10th Wedding Anniversary holiday in June ... only 4 months to go!

The list for the photo specification is nearly as long as my arm ... not too dark, not too light, not too close, not too far away, no smiling, must be front on, have to see both ears etc. etc. etc.

The end result is very flattering heh!

I am surprised that with "mugshots" like these that they will even let us out of the country!! LOL !!

Oh well ... at least we don't look like terrorists ... we just look very boring!!

I can't believe it has been nearly 2 weeks since I have blogged. I have been having a quick read-up on others; but, just didn't take the time to update mine!

What have i been doing ????? Getting back into the routine of back to school, P & F meetings and organising for 2007, work Work WorK WORK has been hectic, normal busy home life, organising passports & absolutely no time for more scrapbooking (will have to do something about that situation) and taking care of the final arrangements for our group weekend away in 2 weeks away ... can't wait!

57 of us are off to Kiama-Jamberoo for the weekend ... the South Coast won't know what has hit it and will never be the same again !!!

Birthday celebrations tomorrow ... the next time I blog i will be a year older !?#@!! Off to lunch with family tomorrow; and the two special men in my life have arranged a special outing tomorrow night ???? Have no idea where I am going, i've just been told that i have to 'dress up' .... oooooh sounds good!

Have a great weekend everyone.

JULIE C x

A PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND ...

Well .... scrapbooking wise anyway (the housework has suffered yet again!!).
Managed to get a few LO's done this weekend which was a really good feeling.
There is always something to sacrafice in order to enjoy a weekend of scrapping .... not to worry, the ironing, washing, vacuuming etc will wait!!

I hope this post is going to upload ok cause blogger is doint all sorts of weird things ... here goes ...


These pics were taken on our way down to Canberra about 18mths ago. We turned off to a little rest area to do morning tea and it was sooo quaint with all the leaves everywhere. Unfortunately my photos were a little underdeveloped and the colours came out a bit "pasty". Never mind.


I love Great Keppel Island! I had been there many years ago (prior husband, children etc) on a holiday with a group of girlfriends and had a fab time. On our last visit it was a different atmosphere (being a family holiday) but equally as fab and just beautiful. Now, you won't believe this .... i left the camera behind !#*?!! Mortal Sin!! So, we purchased one of the dreadful disposable cameras; however, i must say, we did get a few pretty good pics - so for that i am thankful for disposable cameras!


This is my nephew, Jacob! I took these pics at Xmas whislt he was playing with a piece of the foam packaging from the box of the present we brought him. Isn't is so true that old theory about the money you spend on little kids presents and they find such enjoyment with the simplest non expensive things like wrapping paper, foam packaging etc. LOL !! Anyway, he is a really cute photogenic (sp?) little fellow but an absolute nightmare to take photos of!! Don't be fooled, i took about 30 photos to get these few lovely pics (thank god for digital cameras!) It's not that he is bothered be having his photo taken, it is just that he is such a 'livewire' it is hard to get him still in one place for a mere second to take a photo! He is such funny little thing!!



I
I blogged part of this LO the other day (for the the SCRAPBOOKnBITS competition) but decided to make it a double LO cause i had so many pics of my little man's first day of school that i wanted to include! (They are meant to be the other way around)

Well, today we are off on one of our traditions .... the last day of the school hols we always do something special (Blake's Choice)as a family day out. Usually out to lunch and then who knows??!

Hope you all had a great weekend! Good luck to all the kiddies going back to school and all the mums/dads sending one of their babies for their first day!!

Cheers,
JULIE x

MORE SCRAPBOOKING

Hubby is on dogwatch this weekend and i feel like I am having my own little scrapbooking camp!
I sat until the wee hours of this morning and "scrapped" .... haven't done that in a loooong time.
I'll share my creations with you over the weekend.
One of the LO's i finished was my entry for the "first" theme competition at SCRAPBOOK'n'BITS .
Ironically this LO has two 'first' themes for me ...
1. Obviously this is my son's first day off school (he starts year 5 this year) ... where has the time gone??
>
2. His first day at school photos were originally used for my first ever LO done at a CM workshop ... oh dear, what a shocker!
Thank goodness I discovered a different scrapbooking style very quickly and thank goodness I had duplicate photos 'cause the other ones were cut into ovals etc .... Arghhh!
I don't have anything against CM, it is just that i don't find their style appealing.
I had 'that' layout sitting aside with every intention of pulling it apart one day and re-doing it (i probably wouldn't have worried only that it is
such an important event).
So ... the 'First' theme challenge was the ideal motivation!

Regarding the poem ... I could make up some wonderful story about my underlying poetry talent ... but ... I'd be lying! A quick and easy search on Google for "first day at school poem" led me to this! How Cute!

Well, that's all for now ...
might even be back for another visit and more LO's later.

Back to the scrapping!

Have a great weekend and a belated "Happy Aust Day" for yesterday!

Cheers.
JULIE x

TIME FOR SOME SCRAPBOOKING

Well my spare room & scrapbooking space cleanout is coming along nicely but still not finished .... sooo ... once again i have taken over the dining room to scrap.

I have actually had a little time to myself today so it was so nice to get a few LO's done.

I am in post Christmas scrapping mode and getting some of my Chrissy pics done.

these are some more of those yummy 'Scribble Scrabble' papers i mentioned previously.

and .... i love the Maya Road chipboard range, especially the swirls .... groooovy!!

Now i am off to finish a 'first' theme layout for the

Scrapbook'n'bits January Competition.

Check it out on their website www.scrapbooknbits.com.au

$20 Voucher to win!

Cheers, JULIE x

CLEVER DICK!

or is that CLEVER DICKTRESS ???!

Ok, so some of you "clever dick's" might think this is nothing to get excited over ... but ... i am pretty pleased with myself 'cause i finally worked out how to put music on my blog!!

And ... even happier ... it's Kasey Chambers whom i think is awesome.

That's all folks ..... aren't you pleased I shared that with you !!!!!!?

Cheers,
JULIE x

OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

I have admired so many other peoples layouts using flowers & doodling and thought how lovely some of them looked but this sort of style is sooo not me and i would basically say "out of my comfort zone". Evidently we all have our own style of scrapp'n; but, i decided to step out of that comfort zone and give something different a go .....

WHOLAAAH ! (sp?)

Whilst i can say i had fun doing the "doodling thing" it took me a while after the layout was finished to decide that "i think it looks ok" !

Some of you ever so clever talented doodling scrapbookers make it look so easy!

I think Jen Hall is a master at doodling ... her work is very inspiring!

The papers on my page are from the new range "scribble scrabble" from SCRAPBOOK 'n' BiTS ... very nice ... including the lovely christmas papers which i am working on a few layouts with at the moment.

Anyway, other than doodling the rest of my week has just been the usual stuff ... work, housework, washing and a bit of scrapbooking thrown in.

Oh ... and by the way ... my spare room/scrapbooking space cleanout is coming along nicely.

One thing i have discovered is that i need to go on a 'scrapbook shopping ban' ... i swear i have about 600 pieces of paper! You know those ones that you just have to have even though you have no immediate use or idea for them!!??

Have a great weekend everyone.

JULIE C x

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY KAREN

It is amazing how much a memory can hold ...

I can still remember when Karen was born and

the day she came home from hospital.

I was nearly 6 years old.

Fast forward 30 years ...

As I wrote on her birthday card ..
I'll have to stop calling you my little sister and
start calling you my younger sister!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!
xx

RRRRAAAAAAAHHH!!

That is a Dinosaur rrrraaaahhhh ...

just in case you were wondering!!

We have spent the last 2 days in Sydney which included

going to see the

Walking with Dinosaurs

stageshow.

It was a real "wow" factor for the kids (and the

grown-ups were pretty impressed too)!!

I reckon this is about as "life like" as it gets. These

incredibly amazing robotronic (i think that's what they're called)

dinosaurs were soooo realistic ... blinking eyes, weeping nostrils,

incredibly loud roars & deafning noises etc etc.

Besides all that, they were life size.

Yep ... I'm talking huge!

The adult Brachiasaurus (sp?) - or perhaps better known

as a "Long Neck" almost touched the lighting

equipment up in the top of the arena.

We were about 5 rows from the front and when they turned around their

huge tails swung out over the top of the audience.

In Blakes words ... "it was awesome"!

The people that put these shows and characters together are amazing!

Now as expected, it was well announced that no cameras, video recorders etc

were allowed to be used in the show.

But, i did take along Blake's new camera that Santa brought him for

Christmas (cause it's compact and fitted in my handbag) in the hope

of being able to take some photos being relevant to our outing.

I took these pics of Blake with one of the posters that were placed

around the foyer areas outside the arena so at least I would have

something for a scrapbook page.

When we got inside and the show began;

people were taking photos, flashes going off

'left, right & centre'!

I sooo wanted to join in but my DS must have seen that

i was itching to get the camera out of my handbag and

repeatedly informed me that it was the wrong thing to do

and "please don't take photos mum"!

The man in front of us was having a wonderful

"happy snappy" time and i could see his

camera screen with great pics throughout the show ... damn!

Well, at the last part of the show when the big

T-Rex came out (they always save the best for last),

the flashes were going off like a lightning show and in

his excitement Blake decided that it would be a good

idea to sneak one photo cause the T-Rex's were sooo cool ...

can you believe it !!??

Anyway, we did get a few pics of the T-Rex but this part of the show

was very dark & gloomy (setting the scene for the big battle) and

the photos are very ordinary ... more of a dark hazy shadow!#@?!!

Doesn't matter ... the night was a real hit and I think we

brought home half of the merchandise range they were

selling to remember what a great night it was!!

We stayed at our favourite hotel in North Sydney which looks out over the

Sydney Harbour. The lit up diamond & coat hanger are still being displayed on

the Bridge from New Year's which was a treat to see. I love looking out over the harbour etc at night, it is like everything comes to life in Sydney after dark ... all the lights, the boats on the harbour etc.

Our big buffet brekkie the next morning was a real treat and then we

caught the ferry over to Darling Harbour for the day.

We went and seen Open Season 3D at the imax theatre ... how cool is that place!

We arrived home just in time to go out for tea to celebrate my sisters birthday ...

and then all collapsed into bed last night absolutely exhausted!

Now for a busy weekend keeping up with my New Years goals ...

I am going to clean out & organise my spare room/scrapbooking room.

Wish me luck, it is a HUGE job!!

Cheers,

JULIE x

PINK SCRAPBOOKING FOR A CHANGE

I don't really do pink when it comes to scrapbooking 'cause 99% of my pages and projects are of my one and only little man!

So, i do enjoy doing pretty pink projects every now and then!

This mini album (love Maya Road chipboard products) was a special little gift to a dear friend of mine. About 2 years ago she gave me a gift of chocolates which came in a gorgeous unusual box ... so, being a scrapbooker ... i kept the box and when her first grandaughter was born i done a little album &
decorated the box as a gift to her. Sooo, when gd no.2 came along i thought i would do
another littlekeepsake for her ... here it is!

I love doing little & mini stuff. Even though it is fiddly it is always so cute.



On a different note ... here we go for another year. I wonder what 2007 will bring??

I was glad to see the back end of 2006 ... it wasn't really a bad year i think it was just that with Blake unexpectantly getting sick and being in hospital for nearly a month early in the year, it really through everything 'out of whack' and i felt as though we never got organised to start the year until about June ... but, by then the year was half over and we played 'catch-up' all year but just never seemed to get organised and/or on top of things.

There were plenty of good things too; like our wonderful holiday and we achieved our plans with improving our house (renovate bathroom & kitchen, outdoor improvements & landscaping).

Anyway, looking forward to 2007. I won't call them resolutions but three things on my Agenda this year are losing weight (that one tops the list every year!!?), going to bed earlier & getting organised!

Oh, and i forgot one more .... plenty of scrapbooking!!

Cheers,
JULIE x

JUST A FEW FAVOURITE CHRISSY PICS

I know Christmas now seems like a distant memory but

just wanted to share a few of my favourite

Chrissy Pics before I start with the New Year blogging.

this is 'THE PRESENT' ...

(you know ... the Santa present saga from a few blogs ago!!)

One very happy little boy on Christmas morning.

That Santa is an amazing fellow ... he can work miracles!!

I can see a very cute "Cousins" page coming on !! ...

This is our little nephew Jacob with my DH "the Kid Magnet".

I actually got a little project done for a friend just before Christmas

and will post it on my next blog.

Wishing you all wealth, health & happiness

for 2007!

Cheers,

JULIE x

ANOTHER CHRISTMAS GONE

"ONLY 365 MORE SLEEPS" ...

This is what my friend's little girl said to her on Christmas Morning after they had finished opening their presents from Santa .... priceless!

We were very late putting up our Christmas Tree this year.

Our usual tradition is the 1st December ... but ... this Christmas was just like the rest of 2006 ... a bit of a rite off!!

Anyway the tree did go up and we had lots of fun along the way ...

*

some Christmas Ball juggling

*

*

*

a time for Reflection & Tradition

(I hand painted this Christmas Ball for Blake on his 1st Christmas,

as well as one for my DH & I) ... these are the last things we hang on

the tree every year, at the top, before the star goes on)

*

*

*

and a photo for our family Christmas Card Insert ...

*

*

*

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

Cheers from
THE COLLINS CLAN
xxx

BUSY BUSY!!

WARNING: Long Post Ahead
Stop the world, I want to get off ....
I really love Christmas but the lead up is just so busy. It has been about 3 weeks since i have actually had the time to sit down and update my blog. I had a few minutes here and there to lurk around ad have a quick read of others but no time to do my own.
Now what have i been doing with all my spare time, or should I say non-spare time!
Besides being "flat out" at work organising holiday bookings and just the usual run of the mill at this time of year; i have been
trying to organise plans & paperwork for Council to get things underway for our pool. What a pain ... they make you jump through hoops, just another thing i really don't have the time or will for but we'll get there and the end result will be worth it.
I hosted a trivia night for the local fire brigade a few weeks ago ... all went well! Another job ticked off my list.
Two weeks ago we went to a wedding. My dear friend has found happiness with a great guy who treats her and the kids really well. The wedding (which was more like a big party) went off really well and we all had a great time. I done the cake which was a bit stressful but very happy with the end result (as was the bride & groom) so that was all good (sorry, didn't take any pics ... to pre-ocupied)!
I have at least managed to get some scrapbooking done. Last Sunday i attended a scrap day with SCRAPBOOK'n'BiTS and completed one of their Maya Road calendar kits using MR papers and some of my pics from our holiday. This is the first of my scrapbooking efforts ever that i am going to leave on display in my house! This will look lovely
sitting on the timber cabinet in the front loungeroom 'cause this room is blue (this is where i took these pics, hence the background).
I also done a gorgeous little teeny weeny mini album (also a MR kit) that came with a little window face chipboard box. Just finishing off the box and will post pics when done. This for a friend of mine for Chrissy with pics of her new granddaughter. I had lots of fun doing pink scrapbooking as all of mine are usually 99% boy scrapbooking.
Christmas shopping .... well that's another story! Only started last Thursday. I have never left my shopping this late. I am normally finished by the beginning of Dec 'cause i can't stand the christmas crowds. But this year lack of time and organisation means I'm just gonna have to grin & bare it!
I have an interesting story regarding one Christmas present ... oh, the joy of Santa Claus. My son found this fandangle Transformer in a product catalogue (that came with another Transformer he received lately) ... i am assuming you know what a mean - one of those figurine thingys that can be converted into other characters etc. Well ... we rang every Toys R Us store from here to Timbuktoo (sp?) and a couple of weeks ago in sheer desperation i did a yellow pages search on the internet for all Toy Stores in Australia and rang independent toy stores from here to Tasmania, Perth & back ... you get my drift!! No Luck. So, i had a heart to heart with Blake and explained to him that daddy & i really tried to find this Transformer because we were hoping to give him this for Christmas, explained the searching we had done etc etc. and basically this thing is almost non-existant and we could try again next year in March (for his birthday) when the Xmas rush is over ... he was fine with that. BUT ... a few days later (in his wisdom) he came to DH & I with a solution/theory. He had decided that he wanted absolutely nothing from us, and nothing else from Santa other than this darn Transformer and he was sure that given the fact he was being non-greedy, non-demanding and only wanted ONE thing, Santa would come to the party ... cause [quote] "Santa can do anything"!! HELLLLLPPP!! So we went to plan B .... i searched the internet through EBay and any other online shopping site in Australia ... no luck. BUT ... did find one in America. The things we do .... I just had to bite the bullet .... taking into account currency exchange rates & air postage of $50 ... this was quite an expensive exercise ... and then, pray beyond all hope that it arrived in time!
... hopefully you are still awake ....
I am soooo relieved 'cause it arrived yesterday ... YEAAAAH!
I am going to have one very excited little boy on Christmas Day .... and .... if this doesn't enhance his belief in Santa nothing will!!!

Now for the rest of the family .... hopefully, i'll get a chance this week to go with my 'shopping list' and just do it! Sounds good in theory anyway!! Oh, and by the way, Blake is receiving other presents too!!
Well, so far this weekend we have attended: 1 sporting presentation, 1 birthday party, 2 christmas parties and we leave this afternoon at 3pm to attend another birthday party .... phew ..... no wonder i don't get time to do anything!!

Well, hopefully i'll have time to blog again before Christmas,
Happy shopping and organising everyone.
Cheers,
JULIE x

LAST OF THE HOLIDAY PICS

Here is the last of some of our favourite pics from our holiday ...






These old buildings are at Silverton ... the ghost town about 25klm out of Broken Hill. There are 2 art galleries, a cafe, a museum (in the old jail) and the pub; which all still operate purely on tourism trade.


As you can see these two old "V-Dubs" parked out the front of the art gallery have been turned into art works with these gorgeous abstract type emus painted on them ... and ...


to make it even more interesting ...
apparantly with vegemite!!? Now


that's unique.


Inside the gallery they had these gorgeous life like statues of the abstract emus which I really loved but the price tag soon cured that!
We visited the little cafe which is in one of the old mud brick type buildings and had morning tea ... big home made scones with jam & cream, yummy scrummy!!
Then down to the old jail which had been turned into museum with lots of history about the area ... just the usual, lots of old stuff but pretty interesting.


Probably the most intriguing was the pub! Silverton is where the Mad Max movies were made and the car is parked out the front. We visited the pub, had a look around and had a drink out in the beer garden ... it actually felt like a movie prop! The pub walls are lined with photos taken whilst Mad Max was being filmed, the TV Series "A Town Like Alice" and numerous other commercial which have been made there.
The props such us the large signage on the pub giving it the different names it has been called
during filming now line roof under the beer garden verandah. All these things make it very unique and a great place to visit.

The photos taken of us with 'all that red dirt' are at Mundi Mundi Plains. This is approx another 10-15klms past Silverton (further away from Broken Hill) and is where the tar road ends ... basically it is the start of the desert!

Same thing quite a novelty to experience something so different.

I have to say though, by the time we left I was totally over red dirt & flies ... unbelievable.
I truly loved the experience of visiting such places but basically I have summed it up to my friends like
this ....
Definately great places that everyone should visit once in a lifetime ... then you can say "been there, done that"!

Have a great week,

JULIE x