Six

On this day … six years ago … this little princess arrived into our lives.

Then, a year later she turned one.

Then two.

Then three … she managed to grow hair this year too.

Four … complete with blue eyeshadow and plastic jewels.

Five.

And today …

she’s six.

Happy Birthday Jessianna Rose.

More on the heart party soon.

Wellington on a good day

… simply beautiful.

I’ve been keeping busy … enjoying the last few days of school holidays, enjoying the warm sunny weather, enjoying a bit of scrapping – planning a class or two for Craft House. Wanna see?

Bo Bunny, Scenic Route and Fiskars tools … gotta be good.

And then, cos I had papers left over, I made flowers …

And a running update … I’ve completed week one of the training … actually I’ve done week one for a week and a half … but I think I’m ready for week two now so I guess I’ll see how that goes tomorrow. I ended up buying some fancy running socks which seem to have fixed the blister problem. I’m now hoping that I’ll be able to keep it up next week with the change in routine when the kids go back to school.

Speaking of back to school … haircuts are done, school bags are clean … and they went down to school today to have a peek at the new class lists. Jessi’s happy with her new teacher and friends in her class, Alexander is happy with his teacher (so am I) but forgot to look at what friends were in his class, Rebekah has a new teacher and reported – with a few tears – that absolutely NO friends are in her class … I’m hoping when she gets there on Tuesday things won’t be as bad as they currently seem.

Eating my words …

… or never say never.

And not just on one matter … but two!

Never thought I’d do it … never thought I’d be sitting here blogging about it either.

The first matter … I DON”T RUN … never … why run when you can walk.

Uh … I just went for a run and I’m still alive! I have a blister on my toe and my face is bright red and dripping with sweat but I ran. So I guess I should share the events that led to this eating of my words. You see, this is the year of ME … so a few weeks ago … I guess around the 1st of Jan … I decided to up the exercise and walk back like I did in 2008. Well that’s all good, I was doing quite fine but then I read on Tamar’s blog about her running 5k and I thought … that’s nice – she’s insane … and continued my daily walks, turning up my ipod and throwing in an extra hill just cos. I forget exactly where, but I must have come across the same Couch to 5k link that Tamar pointed out 2 or 3 more times on various blogs over the last week or so and then Penny links to the Couch to 5k web site on facebook and Nic also talks about running on her latest blog post.

So I find myself with the Couch to 5k page open and this insane thought that maybe I could do this … I figured at least, that if I could master the little white ipod and work out how to put the podcast thingy on it I’d have to try this running idea.

And besides, it didn’t sound that bad when for the first week you only run for 60 seconds and then walk for 90 and the little voice on the ipod tells you exactly when to ‘run’ and ’stop running’ and ‘walk’ and ‘run again’ and every so often near the end ‘you can do it’ and ’see I knew you could do it’ … I used the Christian version … cos the music seemed a whole lot better than the first option. So yeah … I did it … well, day one of week one … and maybe in a couple of days I’ll do it again … (you’re supposed to have a day off in between – it’s in the rules – honest!) … I’m figuring on taking it slow … and learning how to tie my shoe laces properly …  but you never know … maybe I’ll actually learn to enjoy running.

So the other thing I’m eating my words over … would be this …

Yep … that would be a Becky Higgin’s Project Life kit … at my house.

I was the one saying ‘no way’ I’d never manage to take a photo a day, I’d definitely never manage to print them out and put them in an album and write journalling about each one … that’s just crazy. While I admire others that have … it just wasn’t my idea of a good time. When Becky introduced the kit on her blog I was still skeptical … why would you buy a kit that restricted your scrapping to slotting photos into divided page protectors … I like the cutting and gluing and creative mess that comes with real scrapping.

And then the kits arrived at Crafthouse. And I took one home with me. And I pulled all the bits out of the kit … and looking beyond the divided page protectors … it’s kinda cool … actually it’s very cool. It made me smile … the perfectly matching cards in various sizes … the clear dividers for each month … the little folding journalling cards … the date stamp … the perfect new ’stationery’ type smell (yes, I’m one of those that love wandering office supply shops just to look at stationery items)  … the little arrow stickers … the cool little index card box to store all the bits in … it’s all actually very neat.

And I like it.

So … I take back all that I said about the idea … the Project Life kit is full of awesomeness … and I’m quite happy that there’s one at my place, waiting for ME to put my photos in.

Just how I go about adding photos is yet to be decided … it’s probably safe to assume it won’t be strictly a photo a day … but I can quite likely manage 28 photos a month … and I kinda like the idea of capturing a total year in the life of the Warwicks … after all lets be honest … my current scrapping style, while fun, is very random as to what gets scrapped and what doesn’t.

So … I guess time will tell … and there will no doubt be more blog posts on the subject in the future!

About Jessi

Look what Jessi got for Christmas …

Yep … that would be a new front tooth. Not immediately evident on Christmas Day but it’s sure obvious now. She’s had a gap there in front since the baby tooth was knocked out way back when she was three-ish. I was starting to get a little worried that it wouldn’t arrive … she’s already got 6 other adult teeth but still the gap remained. Then … a few days after Christmas there it was. Very happy about that … although the missing tooth was so fitting for her character and we had got quite used to it not being there.

While I’m updating on Jessi … she’s only got one or two spots left evident of her Christmas case of chicken pox … they were rather concentrated on her broken arm … I’m so glad the cast had been taken off, it was bad enough dealing with the ones that came up under the sticking plasters they put on after surgery. She of course managed to pass them on to baby Liam … the only one in our family who hadn’t had them before.

Her arm has healed nicely … according to the x-rays taken last week at her hospital check-up. Although because she can’t straighten her arm fully she’ll go back for a further check-up in 3 months. Ironically her best friend Charlize now has a cast on her arm after falling off her trampoline … I think Jessi’s a little envious cos it’s a little pink one like she wanted. I felt a little bad though … cos I’d taken Charlize with us on the Wednesday to Jessi’s check-up, she’d sat through x-rays and waiting at the bone clinic … and given a little sigh saying ‘I wish I had a broken arm’ … and then 3 days later there she was back in the same place getting her own arm in a cast. Be careful what you wish for …  huh?

Of course our little health issues are nothing compared to some people.  Taking a look at what’s going on in Haiti helps to put our lives in perspective. Rebecca Sower has a very personal perspective on her blog … these are real people, really affected and really creative too … check out these crochet purses…

It seems that people world-wide can’t help but be creative … even when resources are limited … kinda makes me wonder if my overstocked creative corner is maybe a little unnecessary.

14 Years Ago

This happened…

Preceded by a wedding ceremony at our Church in Wellington and proceeded by a reception at a restaurant on the waters edge.

Apparently the kids are making dinner and then a babysitter has been arranged so we can take in a movie … nice.

So here it is …

… my very first layout for 2010.

Using mostly stuff I got in the November Tarisota kit. I had fun playing with Pink Paislee rubons and stamps … making the rubon more distressed by only using parts of it and also removing parts using sellotape. The light pink ribbon is apparently French … picked up from a little shop in Wyndham … it’s surprising what you can find in the middle of nowhere. And of course I got one or two pearls on there too.

So hopefully that’s a start to a more productively scrappy year for me … I guess time will tell.

edited to add: Those pics look kinda blurry once published on my blog … if you’re having a hard time looking at them, try clicking on them to view larger … they were definitely not blurry before I hit the publish button. grrrrr!!!

Surprise

The postie came to my house today … actually it was a courier guy, and I was still in my jammies … it was a good thing the kids were home to open the door and get the box. lol

So what did I get?

A box.

And inside the box was …

lots and lots of goodies.

Thanks Mrs Frizz!

So, I’m thinking … I may just have to make my own little box, and fill it with lots of good things … and pass on the love.

Pearls

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls off a string.”

I sort of, may have, an addiction to pearls … ’specially old ones that come from cool little antique shops. The pic above was only the beginning of a pearly week.

Those I found in Newtown on the way to Jessi’s hospital appointment. I guess it was lucky that Jessi’s hospital appointment had us pass close by to one of my favourite antique shops … and it was even more lucky that there was a carpark right outside the shop … and it was also lucky that the shop even appeared to be open (it’s often closed when I’m over that side of town) … and perhaps lucky-est of all was the 20% off everything sign in the window.

And then on Thursday … while out and about with Janine … only a small pearl find … a bracelet. But I came home with a handbag and a vintage dress too.

And yesterday … a long 5 strand pearl necklace … at a bargain, can’t leave it at the shop price too.

So my pearl collection is looking rather good this week. Not all vintage of course … but still, that pearl look I’m loving. And yes, the layout you see in behind … is finished, finally, it’s only taken a week … will take a pic in daylight tomorrow so I can share.

Other than that, not a lot has happened this week … just a lot of simple little pleasures. Like fish and chips at the beach with my little family.

My new Mii

After blogging about my word yesterday I found a fun button at the top of my screen under blog info … it said ‘random post’ … so I had a little random tour of my life via past blog posts … it was an interesting exercise. For instance I discovered that when Rebekah was 8 she had a blood test to help us work out why she was so lacking in energy … I’d forgotten about that. Anyway … it reminded me about why I blog … I do it for ME so I can remember … and it gave me new inspiration to blog about the little things, about life as it is in my corner of the world … so maybe you’ll be hearing from ME a bit more regularly this year.

Today I thought about scrapping … that counts for something right? I pulled out a photo and a bunch of yummy tarisota goodies and stood looking at the prettiness on my desk … then I got distracted and wandered off to do something else. Maybe tomorrow I’ll actually cut papers!  One step at a time I say.

Speaking of steps … I even went for a walk today … good ME time … only I found that my favourite path has become rather overgrown and I’m sure the hills have gotten taller and steeper … and somebody has built a great big fence alongside part of it … oh well, at least the view from the top was still breathtaking … or maybe that was the 30 odd steps I just climbed that took my breath away…

Anyway, after doing the walk thing, I decided it was time I made friends with Wii fit. I followed the steps and made myself a Mii (basically a little person that represents ME on the screen) I could pick my height, my width (went conservatively just over average on both of those), my hair style and colour, my eyes and eyebrows, my mouth  … every little detail combining to make my own little alter-ego Mii … and then I had to enter my real height and step on the board for it to find my weight … lets just say, my little alter-ego Mii suddenly got a little shorter and a whole lot rounder! Sheesh … good start to our friendship Wii.

Today was also the first day since returning home from the deep South that we actually saw blue sky and sunshine. I know this because the kids have been begging to try this Christmas present out.

And I told them they had to wait till the sun came out.

I then changed that till after lunch … if the sun is still out.

The sun was still out but it was windy … they froze. I’m starting to wonder if Wellington will ever get to see summer.

2010’s Word

Well … a new year means a new word.

And this year it’s all about ME.

ME looking after myself … my hair, my skin, my weight. ME spending time with God becoming the ME that He would have ME become. ME parenting … putting time and effort into being a great Mum. ME working and finding the work/life balance. ME creating … scrapping, sewing, crafting for ME instead of always for someone else. ME taking a step back from volunteering at the expense of my family. ME making my home a place that I like being in. ME enjoying life. ME building friendships that make ME happy. ME discovering who I am. ME putting myself first once in a while.

2010 has the potential to be a great year!

And  ‘cos I’m taking photos again … here’s one of ME and little Liam.