Holidays are over.....

They seem to go much faster when I don't go away. I did manage to catch up with Wendy for coffee and didn't even touch the surface of what has gone on in our families since we last saw each other - we'd better not leave it so long until the next time.

Going back to work was fun - 40+C and I don't have airconditioning in my office and my old computer hates even warm days. Luckily as the place (1900's terrace house) had been closed up the heat didn't really hit straight away. Boss has airco in his office...

Yesterday I went and saw Avatar with John and the girls - I can't remember the last time John and I were at the movies together. Em was seeing it for the second time - and Bec the third!

I have also done about 50 pages for the albums given to the kids at Southern Cross Kids Camps. Seems a lot but when each album needs 20 pages heaps more are needed. If you can help, the details are in an ealier post.

Tomorrow will be an exciting, although very scarey day for Emily as she starts her course in Animal Welfare at the RSPCA. We are hoping it is a great experience for her.

Imagine...

When I was a consultant for TLC they produced a line of Wall Art and discontinued it due to lack on interest in the US (this was years before House of 3 or any of the others started making it). While sorting through my boxes I found my wall word "Imagine" so guess what my word for this year is. It is now on the wall above my scrapping table.

I also managed to finish a page for Arabella

I've made something, after last year's lack of creativity - who could have imagined that!

It's SCKC 2010 time!

It is time for me to start making pages for the Southern Cross Kids Camps again. Usually I do these before Christmas but as there were so many generous scrappers out there Julie had enough pages for the first couple of camps. But now its time for action! These pages are 6 x 6 - and really simple. A spot for a photo, room for some writing - very little decoration. See the above link for more details.

This is a little from Julie's email to me today:

It is hard to fully explain the importance of these books to the kids. we have started a pilot Mentoring club for 14 of our local SCKC campers and their carers, parent or case workers always mention how much the kids look through them. It is a wonderful thing to think by getting together to do all this the children have beautiful books as keepsakes of their childhoods!

If you can help either contact me or send pages directly to:

Julie Stone

C/O SCKC Memory Books

PO Box 290

Unanderra

NSW 2526

2009 is over.....where did the year go?

Its been a busy year. During 2009 :-

Sadly.....

• I farewelled my mother in law Bessie, and Sarah's mother Toni, Lydia and Jen - and I miss them all
• We emptied my MIL's house
• We moved house after 5 years - packing and moving 2 houses in one year - not recommended.
• Em tried to return to her old school
• Em said goodbye to Molly and Nat, her rats
• My income reduced - but my blood pressure hasn't!
• My creative mojo went missing

BUT .....

• We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary
• Bec represented Australia at the Oceania Championships
• Emily and Bec went to the school formal
• We LOVE the new house (and I love that over 20 cubic metres of rubbish didn't come with us)
• Em turned 16 - and now has Abi and Ziva the rats
• Bec and Sarah both turned 18 - and neither have their P's yet even though they both have cars!
• Sean turned 20 - and now has a new car to play with
• Em completed year 9 and is much happier thanks to Alison
• Bec passed her VCE and is wants to go to Deakin University
• Sarah passed her VCE too and wants to do a science degree at Melbourne Uni
• Sean has almost completed his course.
• Em has been accepted into a Cert II in Animal Studies at Victoria University - this will be done at the RSPCA in Burwood.
• We have a new nephew - Lachlan
• John now has 3 grandchildren with the addition of Arabella and Emma and appreciated Kate's comment on what a lovely big family we now have at our Christmas gathering - and is so happy their relationship is now so good.

And for me - most of the time just taking life a day at a time was about all I could manage.....

Let's see what 2010 has in store for us.

Sweet 16

Left one thing off my list of 'happenings" - Emily turned 16

Where has the year gone?

It's been so long since I posted that I think this will be a dot point of what has been going on and I'll post some pictures later. Better grab your coffee...

• Sean's car was stolen the day after Toni's funeral and later recovered missing everything he owned from inside - including his rubbish
• He had his first accident in Sarah's grandfather's car which he was given when his was taken - and has now 2 months later received an invoice for $13,000.
• Bec skated in the State Championships - silver for figures and precision
• Bec skated in the Australian team at the Oceania championships and her team won gold and has now retired from the team
• She is studying hard for VCE exams and only training 3 days a week now.
• Emily made a decision to try to return to the high school that let her down so badly. It has not been successful yet - but she is now going to a psychologist to help with her anxiety disorder.
• She won an award from her school for attendance - a Pet's Paradise voucher - so now Ziva and Abi have a lovely new wheel to run around in.
• John has been working non stop and emptying his mother's house - a huge stressful job - at the same time. He coped well until the night we finished and it really hit him that he no longer has his parents. His sister as usual did almost nothing except complain.
• I have been working and spent my 2 week break fighting off a lung infection. Bit stressful when you are really not sure what your major client is up to and you know you are deliberately being left out of the loop. At least we can claim "plausible deniability".
• The girls went to the Senior Formal - the theme this year as Masquerade - Bec's friends hired a Hummer limo and had a great afternoon preparing for the night. Emi went too - she and her friend Elissa had spent many afternoons shopping for the "perfect" dress and Em made an elaborate mask.
• Our house has been sold and we are about to pack and moved again - we have accumulated a lot of junk in the 5 years we have been here. so its clean out time.

I'll be back later with the pictorial version...

So sad....

The update I had planned to write this weekend will have to wait for another day.

Tonight the beautiful Sarah and her two younger brothers lost their mum, and Gavin his fabulous wife. Toni was diagnosed with breast cancer fourteen months ago and was doing well. Her secondary cancer was discovered about 12 weeks ago when she fractured her hip. In the past few weeks after radiation and re-starting chemo her body started to shut down. Two weeks ago we were told she would be lucky to last 2 days. But after being highly sedated and giving her stressed body a rest, Toni amazed everyone by waking up and although the cancer was in her brain by this stage and she would sometimes hallucinate she recognised her family and Sean. They were able to then spend time talking with her - something Sarah though she was going to miss out on. Gavin left the hospital only twice from the time Toni was admitted - once last week while she was stable and asleep - and tonight to come home to tell them of her passing. Toni's father has been staying with the kids. He has now lost his wife and daughter at a young age to breast cancer. Toni's sister and brother in law have also been staying when they can.

I have been very proud of Sean during the past few months. He has taken Toni to doctor's appointments if Gavin was busy and as Toni was unable to drive he and Sarah took on the job of household shopping, picking up her brothers and taking them out with them and generally being a 'big brother' to them. I can always remember him inviting Sarah to his 17th birthday and asking me if I minded Toni ringing to check the details of the party and coming in to meet us when they arrived. Three years later they are still together and he is as much a loved member of their family as Sarah is of ours. Toni used to thank us for letting Sean go away with them - I always thought it should be the other way around.

She was only four weeks older than me.

Bye my friend.