Pyromanic in the making???

Close call or what??? Gary was sitting on couch watching TV..i was blogging and scrapping (multi tasking !!)...now, my scrapdesk and computer are behind the couch with my back towards the lounge/hall and bedrooms...you get the picture?...Gary jumps up and heads calmly into Aaryn's bedroom (the first bedroom just off the lounge)..i hear him say.."you stupid little boy, your mother is going to kill you..just as well i smelt that isn't it?"...i turned around and said..smelt what/? then i smelt it..burning...the little SNOT had decided to do a little experiment...tore a page out of his book, and put it against the bedside lamp to see what would happen..oh yes..it scorched, thank god thats all it did, his bed is near his window, had it ignited, his curtains would have gone up first. I raced in, expecting to see a remorseful face at least, but no...the little TOAD was smirking, SMIRKING!!!! He isn't smirking now though, he has no bedlamp, no sony and a sore backside!! I'm only glad (for once lol) that Gary was home, because i wouldn't have smelt it until it was too late...I've stopped shaking now, just goes to show how quickly things can happen...(and i'm so glad we have insurance!!!!)

GREAT WEEKEND

WHAT a weekend in Maryborough it was, no sleep. lots of laughing, dips in the pool, dinner at the RSL and even managed to squeeze in a few layouts and 1 class!! the slide show's some of the pics taken in such a short time. Can't wait until the next weekend away!!!

OFF TO MARYBOROUGH!!!

SO EXCITED, 8 of us are heading off to Maryborough for a mini scrapping retreat at our friend Chrissie's house.. We've got mini classes happening, and Miss Maree is bringing along her new Click'n'Cut, for us to play with, if i like it I may think seriously about buying the Robo-cutter. I haven't seen Chrissie since just before Christmas, we were joined at the hip before she moved away so i can't really see much scrapping getting done, but you never know!! Thankfully, I haven't unpacked my scrap stash since SWIG, so all i have to do is throw it all in the car complete with NEW massage chair (other one died at J's the other night so Joyce Mayne, gave me a new upgraded model so i'm a happy camper!!!), RSL for dinner Saturday night should be nice!! Shall share pics when i get back on Monday!!!....

at last!!

Someone has recognised my potential....i've alway's said your a wonderful person Heike..the cheques in the mail!!!!!!!

The NEW improved TSH Inspiration team..

check out Bev's face....ROFL...

My moment of Glory..................

what a fantastic weekend..I have never laughed so much, Bev is just hilarious and just the best fun..even when i kicked her off the Inspiration Team and took over as scrapper extroadinare, now to be known as anon-Y-mous of buderim, she is a dreadful woman really and cases ALL my layouts, passing them off as her own etc, so it was about time i 'got even'. I even had my very own apron and name tag..but unfortunately, because Bev the scrapper from Nerang, had a tissy fit about being 'caught out' etc i reluctantly had to 'resign' my position and hand it back to her, but not to worry, i shall be sending her 'proofs' of my layouts for her to case after all, it's the only way i'm going to be published and well, she might as well have the glory and it's not really a coincidence that our daughters have the same name and also our grand-daughters too (who happen to belong to the daughters with the same name)...OK..i'll let you all in on the secret now...her daughter H's real name is Esmerelda and her grand-daughter E is really called Demelza, so now you can see why she has to name them the same as mine (also makes casing easier, she only has to remove my photo's and put her own there!!)

(THANKS BEV, for being not only a great friend but also one bloody hell of a good sport!!!!)

NOTE: this was a huge joke, by no means am i really on the design team, just a joke between 'friends'..that is all

Darer's go first??

I was issued a dare, by Jackie and Bev at SWIG..never one to back down from a dare i decided i would carry through when i got home.. SO ladies..yes..i came home, told my lovely husband how pleased i was to see him and how much i missed him, after 2 nights without him..gave him a huge kiss, put my tongue down his throat (as dared!)..choked him...the funeral is on THURSDAY...thanks a lot!!!!!!

I am so SLACK!

i mean that metaphorically, NOT literally LOL..look how long it has been since i blogged, DISGUSTING. I guess, however it means i have a life??..hmm..what has happened during January..WELL my brother, his wife and kids came to visit for 4 days. Will tell all later and add pics!...We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary..will tell all later...kids went back to school HOORAY!!!! Today is Gary's birthday, so i'm home NOT scrapping at daisy's (bah)..next week is SWIG so looking forward to getting away! Hayley and the kids move in on Monday, moving to mt isa on the 23rd, so i have 20 or so sleeps to try to persuade her to stay..i dont think that's going to happen...what else has been happening??? cant think at the moment...i think i'll try to find time over the weekend to add some photo's and do something interesting in here, well ihave to before my computer is taken over...hell that's why i haven't been in here LOL, Haylz keeps stealing the computer and i can never get online!!!!!!!!! my excuse..i'm sticking to it!!! oh...aaryn asked me tonight why when you die are you put in the ground?? my reply..(i'm very technical) because there is no room in the fridge....the look on his face was a classic!!!! yes i'm a horrible mother LOL

I cant believe it's all over!

Well, here we are, BOXING DAY already! Where has December gone? Christmas day, has been and gone, everyone is totally happy with this years pressies and peace reigns in the Youd household (for a few days anyway!). A big surprise for us on Christmas eve! Rosso, Lukes mate who is like a 4th son to us, walked down our driveway!! (he moved to Ingham about 18 months ago or more), I was only saying to Luke the day before, how much i missed him coming for his Christmas Dinner (he was bought up Jehovah, and had never had Christmas before he met us, he has spent every Christmas day at our house for the last 4 years, I felt overwhelmed that he had driven down especially to be with us! and to make it all the better, i had no idea!!)

Cameron received some (much needed?) PSP accessories and games and of course..the guiness book of records! Aaryn finally got his batman blaster and Hero guitar (which is one of the best sony accessories and i just love it!).

We had a great day starting at Tina's for Brekkie, Where Poppy, dressed as Santa and seemed to really enjoy his new role in life!! (very worrying lol)

then over to Hayley's for lunch and then back to ours for dinner! why do we just seem to eat all day?

Finished the day with the traditional Poker match! (hayley bought gary a poker set, so the 'boys' were very professional this year LOL.. (photo, Gary

, Rosso, Luke, Tina's head and Zeb)

I always feel a little sad on Boxing day so see Christmas gone, this year is the same, although not as bad as we get to do it all again in 2 weeks when my brother arrives!!...

It will soon be time to take down all the lights outside, but we'll leave them on for another week, AT least it's not going to be so hectic as it has been and we'll be able to relax and enjoy the Christmas season, hopefully do something nice new years eve with all the kids!

In regards to our wishing well, we have raised in excess of $300 for the precious babies at NGH, so will leave the well out until after new year, for passer's-by (we had heaps in last night, but left them to their own devices, we needed time out lol)..

I think to date, Christmas 2006 has been our best yet! Good friends, family and lots of love, that's the secret!!

Love this pic of Aaryn..the kewl dude he is!!

TA..DA..

and here is the finished project!!!...well most of it..you cant see the 8ft santa's on the lawn to the right of santa's workshop (aka the garage lol).. lights on the roof, move,and you cant quite see the blue drop lights that go along the front of the house between the blue poles..nor can you see the G'day Mate sign behind the palm tree, shall put in more photo's later, i was just learning how to use camera with aperture and some other technical term tonight LOL...

FINALLY

Fairy lights finished!

The end of painting the lights has arrived. I've painted 2050 bulbs this year now all that's left to do is put them up. I've just put the igloo into the garden and Gaz has to get on the roof and put up Santa and Rudolph and the other Santa in the chimney..The fairy goes on a 20ft pole to go up the 30ft Christmas tree in the front yard!!! BUT as luck would have it..it's too windy to get on the roof or put a pole up, so he's having the day off work tomorrow, hopefully it will be done then. That's it then, finished, ready for the big tour to start on Saturday!!..bit excited this year as a little birdy told me the newspaper is coming to surprise us with a little interview, quite famous, We've already been mentioned on the radio as we are fund-raising for the hospital and they arranged a little announcement to get the ball rolling!! which reminds me. THE WISHING WELL, has to be pulled out and put in the front garden with the signs around it. I guess everyone is sick and tired about hearing about the lights but to be honest, that's all that's happening here at the moment..give me til next week, then it's 3 of the 5 kids birthdays ..YES..3 of them in the space of 6 days!! Hayley on the 15th, Tina on the 20th and Cam on the 21st!! not to mention Monika (adopted daughter of sorts!!) on the 19th and her Citizenship ceremony on the same day..an exciting time for everyone!!... 20 MORE SLEEPS TO GO and then it's all over for another year!! (and still no presents bought, how slack i have been this year indeed!!!)

just an ordinary update!!!

Not a lot happening in this household other than LIGHTS, LIGHTS and more LIGHTS! we still haven't finished decorating but have to be by Friday ready for the start of the Wonderland of Lights tour!! I'll be painting light bulbs until new year the way i'm going, i'm still to paint the 6ft fairy and the 6ft santa going down the chimney, touch up some of the ones already up and paint the igloo doorway!! shouldn't take too long LOL...I'm going to work out exactly how many lights there are later too (just a bit of mathematics, Cameron will help me,!!! you get sick of people asking how many and just saying..A LOT..so this year i'm going to stump them by giving them a number LOL..) We are collecting for the Special Baby Care Unit at the hospital, so hope we can raise lots of $$ for them. Had the kids carols last night, we lasted 45 minutes! Absolutely DREADFUL, had to have them in the highschool hall because of rain, it was hot, stuffy and far too noisy, trying to fit a whole school into a far to small area, kids running riot, and the school band that they had were just woeful! couldn't hear the kids for the noise coming off the school, the classes were to have gone onstage at 5.30 at 6pm we were still waiting for the wretched noise makers to get off the stage so kids could get on..Usually our carols are one of the best around, but the last 2 years have been shocking..wont be going next year if they are in the hall, BRING BACK THE OVAL i say!!!..Cameron was pleased to leave as well, he said he wont go again!! Aaryn was not to pleased to say the least, he was having fun playing on the oval with his mates, and couldn't understand why we were so hot and frazzled..(probably because the man sitting beside me who i didn't know, was clapping so loudly, singing along to the songs just as badly as the kids and gave me a migraine) to add insult to injury, Miss Emily, decided that nanna's boobies would make a really good chair, so promptly, stood on my legs and then plopped her bottie square on them, she was the only comfortable person in the room LOL..when trying to get her off, the man beside me had a thrill, as my top came down with her and the 'seating arrangement' was revealed to all!! shall update with some photo's of the weekend later, i'm off to Tina's to do a bit of much needed christmas present scrapping now!!

Starting early!

This year, we have put up the tree a bit earlier than usual (well only 4 day's i'm sure nothing bad will happen)..we've just got so much on Friday that i'm sure we wouldn't have time to do it..what with outside to light up, and everyone coming to see that..The boys had a ball doing it, with absolutely no interference from mum! (which was really hard, but i didn't..ok i did..just once..i put my scotland and paris ornaments where they could be seen LOL)..have to yet put a little ribbon on the back of my little welsh doll and scottish doll to be used as a decoration too!! The boys did a really good job, it was funny to watch them step back to admire, then tweak and remove ornaments too close together..I thinkthey must be growing up!

It was Cam's turn to put the Angel on the top which he did just fine!!..

(probably not as lavish as other tree's but it's ours!! plain and simple!!)

The countdown to Christmas has begun. Today I got out the tree and Hayley made it all straight and tidy ready for me to mess up with decorations. Couldn't resist taking a few (well 30) photo's of the delightful Miss Em, just loved this blooper, which turned out quite cute...Emily trying to blow out the xmas lights!!! Aaryn was being a little snot today, so out came the telephone to ring the big fat man. I was having a very animated conversation with Santa (him and i are great friends you know), when suddenly the phone I was holding, rang!!! oh the embarrassment of it all..I've never been caught out before..and by the likes of a little snot too!!he had rung the house phone from my mobile to see if i was really on it, me thinks he is getting to old for THAT trick!!he hasn't let me live it down at all..I shall get him though...my brother is on standby, with his santa voice ready!!..It's a well known fact that I love everything Christmas..We had a test run of the lights extravaganza tonight and have to admit to feeling a little choked up when the kids went AWWW dad, it's fantastic..and we haven't even finished putting them up yet..Quote of the week has to be miss Em, when leaving the house today..looked at poppy, put her hands in the air and proclaimed..I JUST LOVE IT...I LOVE IT ALL...IT'S LOVELY!!! just too cute!!

birthday photos

what do you think??

SO,..what do you think of the new blog look?? i kinda like it!!..and clever me worked out how to replace music AND i'm finding the new beta blogger much easier and user friendly!!!

Birthday Fun

I had a wonderful birthday last week..lots of goodies came my way..a massage chair off gary and the boys, box of choccies off the boys...Tina made me the cutest photo box and gave me an assortment of goodies from the LSS. Hayley and the kids presented me with a beautiful vase with stick things in it!(how technical am i!!)..2 blue cannisters off Chris..beautifully decorated letter T off Tassie Deb...some beautiful earings off my adopted mother Heather, hand decorated card of adopted aunty Jenny and a $20 gift voucher for LSS off Jackie!! (with which i bought my photo album for my BOM. A party was had at daisy's, all the girls were going to be there..imagine my surprise when, out of the blue i heard a voice yell at me across the room..DONT JUST STAND THERE, HELP ME GET MY STUFF IN HERE!! i looked up to see Chris standing there, with the biggest grin on her face..I just froze, burst into tears and couldn't believe what my eyes were telling me.(see the photo, you can tell i've been bawling LOL) I hadn't seen her since swig, and she drove down after work especially to surprise me..WOW..even Tina never told!! (she actually avoided me for a couple of days so she wouldn't tell me LOL).. Jackie bought me a mud cake YUMMMYYY...photo's were taken..posed even LOL.. I sure wont forget my 46th birthday for quite a long time i reckon!!!.. ok having probs with naughty blogger uploading photos will post them later!!

Restaurant

The name of the restaurant was.....THE NAKED TURTLE...Kings Beach....YUMMMMMMMMM

WHAT a Night!!!!

Sunday night was one of the best nights out EVER (dare I even say, more fun than Michael Crawford concert! and that's saying something!).. First we went out for a nice dinner, just the 2 of us at The Naked Turtle at Kings Beach..the GARLIC PRAWNS are a MUST HAVE..just thinking about them makes my mouth water, reasonable prices too and the main courses were FANTASTIC (i had boring FishnChips, but they were the best i've ever tasted and so much!!)..Then we went to the Cultural Centre to pick up our tickets and wait for the Smokie Concert to start. First there was this guy singing (whose name i cant remember, Dennis someone) he was WOEFUL..he sang a song about going to the river to drown or something like that, i remember thinking..if he doesn't stop singing, i'll personally take him to the river and drown him. LOL..then on came Phil Emanuel..WOW WOW that man knows how to strum a guitar...AMAZING...then the highlight.,..SMOKIE!!!!!...WOWZERS!!!! They haven't lost any of their appeal, charisma, vim and vitality at all, I dont know where they get their energy, but boy do they know how to have an audience eat out of their hands.. They had us singing with them, up in our seats dancing..YES they even sang ALICE and everyone at the appropriate moments yelled out ** who the F**k is Alice** just like my cousin said we would LOL..oh so funny..I was so pumped..was a bit reserved at first because there was a man sitting beside me and he told me before the concert he hoped i wasn't one of 'those' women who liked to sing and dance along with the group..(and it wasn't gary) after about the 2nd song i thought, stuff you mister, i paid for my ticket, i'll sing and dance if i want to..SO I DID!!... NO camera's were allowed in the venue and those who did take them in paid the price of having them confiscated and photo's deleted..(tut tut)..another funny thing was this woman in front of us, during the 2nd song, started to crawl out of her seat, and had some sort of hysterical turn in the aisle..she lay down, thrashing about, overcome with it all SO FUNNY..the security guards came and sat with her for a little while but she couldn't be removed from the place..then she sat quietly on the steps, inching her way down to the floor area..Every now and again, the lights would come on so that we could all sing with the Band, she would sit up very straight and yell out to them..(so embarrassing lol)..during the last 2 songs which were the loudest and longest of the night (and most fun), she started to crawl her way to the stage, much to my amusement. i was in fits of giggles..the band noticed her and made a signal to the security, by this time i was nearly wetting myself laughing at her (I mean, she was at least 60, the stupid woman)..with that the Police came in, SMOKIE started to sing REALLY Loud..the lights dimmed down, and she was taken out, the lights came back up and they sang the final song of the night (Alice)..much to everyones delight!!..then they stayed onstage and shook hands with as many people as they could..WHAT LOVELY GUYS...i shook one of their hands, was so in shock i cant remember which one I think it was Mike the lead singer!!..had a kiss blown to me bySteve the Drummer, (because i blew him one!!). .. And had a Wave off Terry, (the original smokie!!) and off Martin (keyboard)...and had a thumbs up off the ever so sexy..Mick..(guitarist..)..so all in all it made for a terrific night i wont forget for a very long time..ROLL ON FEBRUARY 08..when they come back again...I'll be there, camera hidden!!! ready for after the show!!!...oh and yes..i did buy a cd.. but NOT the tshirt LOL..dont think i'd look good wearing a tshirt with (who the F**k is Alice) written on the front of it LOL

in loving memory of Angela...a victim of Breast cancer 1982..my dear cousin..still sadly missed