Nappy Free

Having heard about 'Nappy Free' at La Leche League and done a little internet research I have been putting Vienna on the toilet when we are at home and 'catching' her business. It means she gets to play with no pants on heaps which is very freeing for her movement and also means washing less nappies - Yay! And is totally cute!

She thinks it is quite funny to be sitting there!

She Bakes!

She likes to help Mummy in the kitchen and is totally obsessed with all things food and drink at the moment.

Freestyle Cooking ... Scones

Having being inspired by Kat's yummy savoury scones she shared with me on Saturday I was whipping up a batch of cheese scones and I eyed the pot of savoury tomatoes (tomatoes, capsicum, onion and herbs) simmering away for my homemade spagetti dinner. I thought why not? and added in a big spoonful to my scone mix.

The finished product was a little orange in colour but very delicious! I will definitely be noting that down as a 'variation' and making them again!

Rock Star

Camp layout: 11

This page didn't turn out quite as I had planned and was a bloody mission! The iron on transfer that I used was old (Glenna and Paula bought it as a $5 surprise for me one camp long ago - when they went out shopping I would ask for a $5 surprise and wait to see what they would bring me back! FUN!) and did not want to iron onto the paper - I spent ages in the kitchen with the iron (longer than I have spent with an iron for 5? maybe 10? years!) and managed to get it off millimeter by millimetre. Not all off the transfer adhered to the page so Gypsy gave me some clear crackle and I added that - it looks very funky!

The photos are Vienna at First Steps Wiri - during those short few weeks when I went back to work and she came along with me.

So Tiny

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Little tiny Renee hands - it seems like only yesterday she was so little, how did she get to 7!

Cute Food - Ginger Crunch

Yesterday Sheta posted on facebook her recipe for ginger crunch, it reminded me how much I LOVE ginger crunch and yet I have NEVER made it before.

I thought that this had better be remedied and gave her recipe a try. Of course I couldn't just make it plain and simple - I had to Miss Wendy it and make it cute food.

These little babies are a tiny 5cm in diameter and have a tiny swirl of vanilla frosting with the tiniest hint of ground ginger dusting.

Yummy!

They even had cute leftovers - I'm sure I won't have any trouble cleaning these up though!

Helping - Jayden Kemp

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It was great to finally get this page finished - it has been sitting on the desk waiting for me to buy a new awl (I miss my old awl sooooo much!). I used Ashley's Dad's old portable typewriter to do the text under the title - it was lots of fun to be clickity and clackity! Jayden is helping me to add the final fresh peas to my traditional Christmas pasta salad (Christmas 2008). I love the real leaves and flowers up the left side - they look great and have been in my stash for ages!

Bind it All Combs

I was chatting with Kat one day about a way to keep the combs for the bind it all, the boxes take up more space than I thought was necessary in my cupboard.

While Ashley is away I have been trying to keep busy to stop from going insane, so the other day I came up with this:

Vienna helped by playing beautifully while I was busy! It is made entirely from stuff that was already in my stash! Yay! No shopping!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBERT

We love you.

xxx

Little Feet

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I love that I had a summer baby and we could chill out together not all covered up with clothes. These photos are from a different perspective and I think they are SUPER cute!

Cute Food - Chocolate Flower Cookies For La Leche League

Last Friday morning I whipped up these little cuties to take along for morning tea at our La Leche League meeting in Howick. Yummy chocolate cookies with fresh strawberry frosting and a tiny sprinkle of pink sugar crystals. Mmmmmm yummy!

Tap Dancing

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I invited Kat and Renee to come visit me at tap dancing one evening. I thought that Renee would like to see what it actually was that I kept talking about. They took a lot of photos for me that I used on the artist palette camp challenge shortly afterward, and I snapped of a few photos of them. Renee loved getting to try out my dancing shoes after the class.

This page was a little frustrating to make - I am trying to use up old supplies and I had this organza left over from the matching fairy dresses I made Renee and I when she was a baby (she just turned 7!) and I had a turn on Glenna's sewing maching while she was out shopping (he he - she didn't even know till right now!) but had a bit of trouble with it coming unthreaded all the time - luckily we don't see the back of the paper!

Up, Up, Up and Away

Busy day today - this morning we had Vienna's first swimming lesson, then a nap and now ...

She's up, up, up and away ....

And causing trouble!

Something to Think About - Gift Giving

I have often thought about gift giving and recieving, it can be such a joy and pleasure yet such a trial and trying experience. Dee from one of the blogs I regularly read recently posted a blog about gift giving that I found very interesting to read and with her permission I have re-posted a lot of her posting here for you to read and think about:

http://dee-clutteringmylife.blogspot.com/

Over the last couple of weeks many of my nearest and dearest have asked me what I would like for my birthday. My answers have varied between, "take me out for coffee" to "pick anything from my non-clutter gift list (I love the sound of this!) that I wrote at Christmas" (which included take me out for coffee). I am amused and curious at how this news had been received. At Christmas time, one person said that my gift wishes were not really gifts because most of them weren't things. This can be tricky to get your head around. I guess some people don't feel like they are giving a gift if they don't give an item (one of the most thrilling gifts I have ever recieved was a long ride on a fast red motor bike - it was amazing!) . I have been giving quite some thought to the whole subject.Why do we give gifts? What is a gift?I have concluded that we give gifts as tokens of how we feel about a person. It is a way of showing our care and love. At least it is for me. We give gifts to celebrate and sometimes just because one feels obligated to give a gift - this always seems to show.How we give a gift and what we give comunicate a lot about giver, the receiver and the relationship between giver and receiver. I think this is why gift giving is such a big deal for me. I like giving gifts. I want the receiver to be delighted with the gift (yep I have tended to put myself through all kinds of mental knots over this one).
...
Many of the wishes on my wish list are for treats that I rarely, if ever give to myself; like a manicure or pedicure or massage or go to the movies. To receive such things as a gift is special and all the more so if I get to share that time with someone special. Since I have been trying to change my way of seeing it, I have been discovering just how difficult gift giving is for many others (and i thought it was only me). I seem to end up having conversations with folks about gift giving occasions. I actually found it very freeing at Christmas when wanting to give a gift to the person who has everything or who needs so little. What do you give to an elderly relative? or your parents/parents-in-law? Taking someone out for coffee or spending time with them, going to the movies, etc these things are great gifts and don't have to be locked into one day. To receive a piece of decorated paper telling me that I will be taken somewhere or get to experience something makes my day and makes the celebraton last even longer.

- it certainly is food for thought isn't it.

Beth's First Christmas

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I love this page and I LOVE the photos! They show that this crazy sheep was still getting a bottle at 5 months old! I love that in the big photo you can see the froth at the side of her mouth! That crazy pair!

Seabright Family Portrait

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December 2007

The Seabright family gathered for family portraits at the Te Awamutu Memorial Park gardens. We got lots of photos of all of us but I really like this one of Ashley and his family - Dad, Mum and Boys ... nice.

Ultimate $21 Challenge

Have you heard of the $21 challenge? If not then head to http://www.simplesavings.co.nz/ if you want to check it out. The theory is: for those weeks when you need your $$$ for something else you can do your grocery shopping with just $21 if you plan your meals utilising the contents of your pantry and just buying enough to pad out these meals.

So ... while Ashley is away I am doing the ultimate $21 challenge - 21 Days on $21!

Today is day 7 of 21 and so far I have spent $2 something on 1 litre of milk. That's all! And I have still been eating healthy nutritious meals (apart from the day I had just warm fresh home made bread for dinner - that is not really a balanced meal but it was delicious and o so irrestible!).

Now the only question is: What to do with all those extra $$$? I think I am going to try to get a cheap flight down to visit Julie and baby Emma in Timaru.

Graduation

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Renee at her graduation from Steiner Kindy at the end of 2009, she is now at the Steiner School. It was a lovely day out with a very sweet ceremony and Vienna and I felt very special to be included.

Sliding Fun

Last Tuesday we were in the Waikato so we stopped in to visit Kat and family. Ashley took Vienna outside for some fun and games with Renee and Emily and decided that she was big enough for her first slide. She doesn't look too taken with the experience in the photo but I think she actually enjoyed it.

I freaked out a little that he actually let go of her as she slid but I guess that is why she has a Dad as well as a Mum so she does get to experience all that rough and tumble stuff.

Daddy

Camp Layout: 3

OK so I totally scrap lifted the idea for this page but I LOVE it! It was very fun to do and looks fab. It was a great way to use up odds and ends, a piece of advice for anyone planning such a page; set any eyelets first - they were a little tricky to set when I had already stuck something else next to them.

I am planning a girly version of this page - all pink and pretty :)

Plunket Visit

Vienna had her 5 month Plunket check up on Friday. She now weighs 6.1kg and is 63cms tall. She totally loves Emma the Plunket lady and had her charmed within seconds as only she can do so well! She also had a medical student to charm this time.





He he, check out her hair - it was freshly washed and all fluffly.

KISS Girl

An addon to todays scheduled posting to show off how cute my little rocker was last night at Ally and Gareth's 80's Rock party.

I had so much fun dressing Vienna up in her KISS outfit, it is such a shame her Daddy is still away in Melbourne and didn't get to join in for a party that he would have loved!

Being a rocker is in her blood! She was partying at gigs while still growing and this time she got to dress up and show everyone how cool she is! Everyone loved her baby fishnet stockings - they were the perfect finishing touch.

She loved seeing Roel (my cousin Nicola's husband) at the party - she knows all about KISS and was quite happy to hang out with him as he was on of the band from Daddy's DVD that they watch together. She had a yummy munch on his shiny outfit.

Making Friends is Fun

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Vienna making friends with Franki at First Steps Wiri. I also made a copy of this page for Franki.

Mmmm Homemade Bread

On Thursday I finally mastered my Mum's homemade bread recipe! I guess I bake a lot more now than when I last tried it so I had a lot more success this time.

I made a big loaf and 5 of these small loaves and was so pleased with how they turned out. So pleased in fact that I had bread for my dinner (not WITH my dinner but FOR my dinner), I am sure that the wholemeal flour makes up for covering the bread in melting butter.

My Mum made a lot of bread when I was growing up, so the smell and taste brings many memories rushing back. I just love how senses have the power to do this and I enjoyed the delicious memories.

BMX Boyz

Camp layout: 1

My godson Shayden and his big brother Kaleb at BMX in Te Awamutu.

Love the way the crayon looks on the chipboard letters.

Love Gypsy's scalloped edge circle punch. Thanks for sharing Gypsy :)

Whirinaki

Lately I have working on typing of my diary of my trip away to stay with the Land's in December 2008.

Yesterday I finally got it finished and printed out on high resolution paper. I then whipped it up into a book using some recycled cardboard and my bind it all, added a photo to the front and a map to the inside front cover and hey presto ... it is awesome!

It sure made me hungry typing it up as I had recorded all of the yummy meals I ate at their place.

Hello

Wow! I haven't posted for ages! I do have a very good reason though, I was up at Camp Maynard for all of last week.

Monday night was a kids camp that Carrie and I ran for 20 kids (21 including Vienna), it went well but was totally exhausting!

Tuesday and Wednesday nights were pre-scrapbook camp nights.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights were scrapbook camp nights.

Vienna loved having so many people to adore her all week and the lucky girl came home with more possesions than she went up there with.

I managed to get 15 (i think) pages and a gift done between seeing to the needs of my girl. I was pleased with this number as I had thought prior to camp that I wouldn't be getting a lot completed. Keep an eye out for the yummy pages to be posted over the following weeks.

Since Sunday I have been trying to catch up on SLEEP! Sunday afternoon and Monday were at the point of not being able to function anymore! Thanks to Ashley for taking over and letting me get some much needed sleep.

Cute Food - Easter Treats

I assembled these cute Easter treats using marshmellows, the peppermint creams I made and mini Easter eggs.

Vienna gave one to her Daddy and we shared the love by delivering some to the Kemp family and to our neighbours.

You can't see in the photo but the marshmellow under the chicken has an Easter egg drawn on it.

Unfortunately a chicken was harmed in the making of these creations - oh dear!

Cute Food - By Vienna

We have been drawing on marshmellows for Easter - well, I did most of them but Vienna did make her first ever cute food for her Daddy!

She learnt from the experience that: the orange food colouring wipes off easily, the blue not so much!

Bumbo

At Nicola's baby shower Vienna tried out Nicola's new 'bumbo', she thought that she should check it out and make sure it was safe for the new baby. Vienna doesn't get propped up a lot at home unless she is being held, she spends most of her time on the floor playing on her back or tummy, but she is developing a very strong little back and loved having a little sit up to check everything out. I think she thought she was pretty cool, and it appears she has given it the Ok for the new baby.

Panoramic View

Look what Ashley's Dad did with the photos from my blog post yesterday - now we have a panoramic view. Clever Man!

Moon

I love the moon! I love that the world below is resting and sleeping at the end of a long day, that our bodies are rejuvenating ready for a new day tomorrow and all possiblilites are open to us.

On Monday night the moon had this cool ring around it, I don't know what caused it and it didn't stay all night but it sure was cool. Unfortunately my camera is certainly not meant for photography like this and so didn't take the best photo but it was better than I expected when I gave it a try.