howdy people,
Happy Saturday to you all! Phew another week done, and boy did it whiz by. I wish I could say i am not living in a constant brain fog, but that is a clear reality for me at the moment. All the sleep deprivation sure isn’t helping, but it is all worth it to see my lil man grow so well!
So this week the kids were still on school holidays (their 3rd week). I usually LOVE the school holidays, but i do confess to finding this set of holidays rather hard. It is very busy with 5 kids around and keeping them amused without the house turning into a bomb site 
and we actually had a week of rain too. The kids are now happy they could return to school this past thursday and i just savoured the silence… My darling hubby also ended up in hospital last week with a nasty case of Cellulitis….poor guy! Thankfully the intravenous antibiotics did the trick and it is healing well.
This morning we captured a couple of gorgeous shots of little Mr. Jo as he was having a bath. Handy that dad was home to get him on camera at last….you seriously have to remind yourself to take pictures as they grow so fast! Anyway you will see that he sure is eating in a good paddock, as he has GROWN so much. We had his paediatrican appointment this week and he is sitting on the 96% percentile line for his weight and height! I can’t believe he has grown 6.5cm’s in length in the past 6 weeks.
Anyway here is our little (or make that not so little) cherub…
All wrapped up after his bath….
Talking of little cherubs, my very dear friend Rita had a baby girl this week….a wee 5 pounder! I can hardly imagine that as my little man was almost 9 pounds! They called her Annie Rose. I so wish I could be in Perth to give her a wee cuddle. She has had a bit of difficulty breathing so has been in the humidi-crib since Tuesday night until she can breathe on her own. I made this little card for her…
I used the Baby Button Bits stamp set from PTI….(so love this set) to create her card with Regal rose and Pear pizazz cardstock from SU.
This past week it was my little guy Mali’s birthday. He turned 8! Boy does the time go fast. Last year he celebrated his birthday at the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. We couldn’t quite make his day as spectacular this year, but he still had a lovely day with some friends around after school for some cupcakes! Hey is such a little charmer as you will see on this photo, and a real softie, and still loves cuddles from his mumma bear.
Such a little charmer….
Now the other major thing that is happening around here is that we have finally started to build our house. Thankfully we rent the house that is right next door to our block. That way we can do lots of the work ourselves and be there for deliveries etc… Rod is building the house as an Owner Builder, so it is quite a bit of work behind the scenes to get quotes and line up all the contractors etc…. This past week the earth works were completed, so it helps to visualise things a little bit. Amazing how the land is so red and rich, and the view is breath taking…thought i would share a little photos with you so you can see what I am talking about…..Photos never quite give you the right depth, but you will get a brief idea of what I am talking about..
view from the right hand side of the block….
view from the left hand side of the block….
We so look forward to having our own place again, and to have our things out of storage too. And I can’t wait to start decorating and getting my stamp room set up too!
So with the baby, the house, birthdays, school holidays, hospital visits, and what not… we actually have also sold our pool business….phew! It was such a blessing and will lighten my load too, with not having to do all the paperwork, invoicing, tax etc….. each week. And it also frees Rod up a bit too. Still lots of work to pass all the info onto the new owners, but they are keen, so that is great!
Next on the agenda is my dear friend Monnie’s wedding in September. I have the honour of being one of her Bridesmaids, so we have been busy getting things planned for that….always lots to plan for… the kitchen tea, hen’s night, shoes, dresses, hair….! Monnie is so stylish, so it is sure to be a wonderful event!
And then talking of weddings…… We will be flying off in 10 weeks time to the USA for my brother Bryn’s wedding to his darling fiance Kate! We of course are very very excited about this special event. Bryn is my only sibling and so for our family it is quite special. We weren’t sure if all of us (ie, kids) were going to go, but we have managed to snag some reasonably priced tickets, and so i am most excited to have us all going together. I am sure we will get plenty of stares as we meander through the airports and also boarding the plane with 5 kids! It is a good thing that they are seasoned travellers after our big trip last year, as well as all being a year older will help too. Having to travel with a newborn sure will be a challenge though, so if you have done this before and have some tips to share, please do!
I again have the honour of being Bridesmaid for Bryn and Kate, which is so very exciting. I have a morning date with my runners these days so i can be nice and trim for these dresses! Anyway Kate and Bryn have just seen some of their Engagement photos, so i thought i would share some with you as they are just gorgeous!~ The photographer is from Baltimore, and wow her work is stunning. You can see her website here…
Gorgeous huh? I can’t wait to see what the Wedding photos turn out like!
So as you can see (read) we have SO much going on right now…hence the very pure lack of posts on the Blog-o! I think back to the past where i would stamp and post everyday, as well as doing photo and video tutorials….where did i find the time to do that? I miss a lot of that, but in other ways it is also nice to focus on other areas in my life too. You kinda realise that there is so much that life can bring, and whilst stamping is a passion of mine, so are many other things too!….Oh and there are so many more things i can’t wait to try, and experience too…one thing at a time though.
Lastly today i have to share some sad news. (left this bit till last) Usually around this time of year, I announce the details for the fabulous Stamp-a-thon to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. This year we won’t be hosting the Stamp-a-thon.
There are several reasons…
1.Very Sadly, my dear friend Louise has been re-diagnosed with Breast Cancer, this time appearing in her lymph nodes in her chest and abdomen. She has been having Chemo for the past 2 months, and thankfully her doctor is very impressed with her results so far! YAY! Much to be thankful for. The road ahead will still be long and it is hard for her hubby and two young sons to see their loved wife and mother travel this road for the 3rd time. Louise though is amazingly positive and is handling this challenge with all the style and grace she has always had! This gal truly amazes me each and everyday!
2. Charmaine our other Stamp-a-thon co-planner is flying out to England on Monday to be with her very ill mother who has also been diagnosed with Cancer that is looking to be terminal 
I just hate the big Cancer word! Please keep Char in your prayers, as she has left with a one way ticket and we are not sure when she will be back again, and that she is given the strength she needs to care for her mum..
3. Well for me the reason is having a newborn is so much work and with everything else going on, ie the house and two weddings to plan for, it really would be too much to take on the Stamp-a-thon, especially as i would have to travel across the country to do it too.
Please don’t despair though we will still endeavour to do the Stamp-a-thon again as it is for such a worthy cause and one that is very dear to my heart. It will just have to be at another time that is more suitable for us (the organisers) and we will be sure to keep you updated as to when we plan the next event Thanks for your understanding on this too, we really appreciate it!
Phew…. are you still with me here? Told ya there has been a crazy amount of things happening around here and in my life at the moment! So if im not popping into the Blog-o as much, then you understand why! Please know that you peeps are dear to my heart, so please don’t completely disappear on me I will be sure to share the fun and eventful times ahead with you all…
Hope you are having yourself a wonderful weekend and I’ll be back very soon!
