My youngest munchkin had a couple of "itchy" spots on her back the other day. As she is a veritable mosquito magnet we just put it down to that, and treated it accordingly.
Two days later the number had increased to over twenty spots and it is obvious they were not mossie bites. Some of them have that little whitish center like a chicken pox rash but don't seem to be developing any further than that.
This morning there were a couple more so I took her of to the Medical center for our Doctor to have a look at them. She also has the sniffles and a sore ear. There hasn't been any fever so I don't really think it is the Chicken Pox.
He isn't sure either!
He agree's it has some similarities to the Chicken Pox virus but can't tell for sure. As she has had a couple of viral infections in the last month with high temps he thinks it is just a post viral rash but to keep an eye on it. He gave her some anti-histamine for the itch and we'll have to see how it develops over the next couple of days.
Hopefully this will be the worst of it and it will just go away. 
I found this small cork board backed with chipboard in our local $ store. Straight away I imagined using it as a base for embossing flowers and stamping with ink for cards.
Rather than leave it plain a little pretty shabbying up was called for. Then it was ready for use whenever I am in need of a softer surface while I am stamping or embossing something
I also chose to make it double duty. The back was perfect for this quote that I have been wanting to use for a while. This way it can hang on the wall with the "used" side hidden when I am not using it. Saves space too in you are working in a small nook or cupboard.
I am sure that after a while of using it for stamping and rubbing or embossing shape into my hybrid digital flowers, that the other side will look decidedly more shabbier.
If you would like to see full step by step instructions of how I made this then go here for the tutorial.
Another layout. My oldest and youngest have a wonderful relationship – even given the age difference. She drives him up the wall and he bosses her around. Still they adore each other.
Perfect love!
I love watching their relationship develop and pray that they will always be there for each other.
For full kit and element credits go here.
Remember my news and the project I showed you that I was working on?
Here it is all finished.
It is handy dandy "hubby helper". When I made my very popular control center my hubby told me he though it was a great idea.
Now he will have his own scaled down version – for his birthday this month.
For all those who celebrate Fathers Day this month is would make a great gift for Dad. For more instructions on how I made it including lots of great photo's you can find my first ever tutorial post at The Hybrid Chick.
Another layout to share. Using Pri Rocha's new kit "You Rock" and a template from Dani Alencar. Both available at The Digi Chick.
After a gruelling two days of extreme high temperatures and a lot of humidity we came to the end of the 2009 National Swimming Championships.
Over 250 children from all over the country came together to compete for the coveted National titles.
JMan and Miss C were among them.
Miss C surpassed all expectations with 8 out of 10 swim being personal best times. She won bronze medal and also achieved gold with her freestyle relay team.
JMan had 6 gold medals, 3 silvers and one bronze and took first place over all in the 15-16 year age group. He also had 8 out of the 10 as personal best times and got 2 silver medals in his relay teams. One of his races he is less than a second from the National Record for his age.
We are thrilled with all their hard work and effort over the last 12 months to get to this stage and so excited for them. Now for a little well earned time of before we beging to think about the next step.
I got to play around with some new release products from The Digi Chick this week. This layout is the result. I have been wanting to scrap this pick about Miss S and her love of art. I think it needs another page with journaling too.
I have used The Art in Me – don't you think that is kinda appropriate for this layout's theme. It is from Tracie Stroud. I have also used Word Art 2 from Kristen Rice of K studio and Petite Borders by Dawn Inskip.
All delicious!
Here is just one days collecting – and that hasn't been the most we have gathered either. So what do you do when you have too many tomato's?
The first is give some away. We have been doing that, keeping a few of our neighbours well supplied.
Then you eat them – for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fortunately there are so many ways to prepare tomato's that you don't ever have to tire of them. I love to eat them straight off the bush as I am picking them. Growing organically lets you do that. Although I usually recommend a wash down first.
If it wasn't for the dust storms we have been having I could do that. You can see these are covered in dust. So they need a really good wash inside then wiping off with some paper towel.
I really enjoy having them on toast for breakfast. Here is my quick and easy way to prepare them.
Roughly chop up some white or yellow onion.
Do the same with some tomato's. Just quarter them. This amount will do 2 people.
Toss the onion and tomato into a small pan. If you are not on a diet you can put butter and olive oil in at this point. It really amps up the flavour. If you are dieting then leave those out.
You don't really need the butter or olive oil to cook as there is enough liquid in the tomato. Let this cook over a low to medium heat for a while.
While you are waiting for the mix to soften and stew down, run out to your garden and grab some Italian Flat leaf parsley and chop it up.
You don't have any – doesn't matter!
You could use dried, or leave it out. I just love the flavour kick it gives. It is so easy to grow. Even in a pot on your window sill.
Add plenty of black pepper, salt and a dash of Worchestireshire Sauce. Make sure it is the real stuff! Not one of these varieties that is appearing now in bigger bottles that is full of corn syrup and other "stuff".
When cooked to your liking, add in the parsley at the last minute and top a piece of lightly toasted wholemeal bread with it.
Enjoy!
Some of you will know from past posts that my Mum had Alzheimer's when she died. It is a terrible disease, not only robbing the person with it of their abilities to function normally but also robbing those around them on so many levels.
In fact Mum having this disease was one of the reason why I started this blog way back when. My life and hers had been altered and I wanted a way to share where I am now – with the future. Mum left little that explains about her. Little that tells her story. That hopefully won't be the same with me.
This week the papercrafting, scrapping, stamping and digital scrapbooking world comes together to raise funds to Stamp out Alzheimers. There are challenges, freebies and over $350 dollars worth of prizes to be won and given away over the week.
The event is called Stampin Out Alheimers and my online friend Jen Tapler, who is dealing with this on a daily basis as her father suffers, is heading it up. Along with her co-cordinator Susanna Boyd they have put together a wonderful site where you pay to play.
In Jen's words…
SOA is an exciting "pay to play" virtual papercrafting event to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. My father, like so many others, suffers from Alzheimer's disease. It's a horrible disease that really takes it's toll on an entire family.
Susanna and I, along with a group of generous sponsors and challenge hostesses, have teamed up to create a temporary online community where members can take part in a variety of challenges, contests, classes and workshops, and download several free products (a special digital kit, a printable 3-d template, tutorials, etc) in different papercrafting categories (stamping, cardmaking, paperscrapbooking, digi scrapping, hybrid, etc). All this for a suggested donation of $5. 100% of these funds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association to help with their efforts to provide and enhance care and support for all those affected by this heartbreaking disease.
You can click on the Paypal box in the sidebar to give your donation – you can determine the amount you donate using the drop-down menu, but we suggest a minimum $5 donation. Once you've made your donation, go register on the Stampin' Out Alzheimer's site.
The challenges, other content and freebies are all there ready to play.
I am hosting the Inspiration Challenge and have two wonderful prizes to give away for participants. So give today, be generous – then come and play.
Or if you don't feel like playing – please donate anyway.
The paper towel holder seems to have made it's home on the kitchen bench. Everyone likes it there and I have to admit that it is handy.
I don't really like the pine!
Of course I can fix that. Which I did.
Before
Sanded it back lightly then painted it with a lovely shade of creamy white house paint. I use what is available here and also what I have on hand. Plus I just love this colour.
Here it is all nicely painted up – but it is just a bit too perfect. Not shabby enough.
No problem – just take some sand paper or a emery fingernail file and rough it up a bit. Think about the places that it would get worn and gently rub it back. Distress it a little around the edges on the top where it would get handled. Not too much though. We want it to look shabby not old.
Set it in place for a few days – see if it needs more distressing and then varnish it with a nice semi matt/gloss finish.
Perfectly shabby, very useful paper towel holder that cost me 30 cents and about half an hours work.
