New Friends, CNY & Photography

Its been a very full week with workshops and planning technique classes. I'm feeling exhausted but strangely excited. Not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with all the new friendships I made at the workshops lately. You ladies are amazing.....get a bunch of you together, sharing our love, or should I say obsession, with stamp products, and hey presto, a friendship has formed!
LOVE that!
It was Chinese New Year last week. I won't even try to say it in Mandarin or Cantonese, so Happy New Year everyone! Hope this golden year of the pig is a good one for everybody. We celebrated CNY this year by joining a couple of friends for a chinese dinner, while watching a Lion Dance being preformed. Lots of noise and colour surrounded us. Here are a few pics I took:
I love the colours at CNY, but I'd never wear them on myself at any time! Christopher's fingers were in his ears quite a bit with the drums only being 10 feet away. And I just had to get one more picture of him in his too small Chinese outfit. The photo with his hand in the lion's mouth is when the kids in the restaurant were giving the lion "li-cee" or small envelopes of $, to bring good luck for the year. The lion surprised Christopher when he closed his mouth on his arm! Lots of fun....we'll do it again next year!

I've been inspired lately by colours and photography in general. I have a few websites that I look at everyday and am awestruck with the creativity of others with their cameras. Check out this blog 3191. These 2 ladies live 3191 miles apart (not sure what that is in kilometres). They each take a picture every morning and post those photos side by side. They don't know what the other is photographing. SO COOL! Love their contrasts, colours and angles. They have a gift in making an everyday moment look beautiful. Make sure you look at their photos from January and February too.

Another is a website that my brother-in-law showed me recently that I'm LOVING! If you know me, you'll know my love of cooking. I love being able to turn an ordinary meal into something special.
Check out 101 Cookbooks! The recipes look so yummy, but what grabbed my attention more was the amazing pictures taken of the food and the stories behind each recipe. For example "My Dad's Garlic Bread". What a Dad! And that photo just makes me want to make some! I can't wait to try the Curried Apple Couscous.

Enough about food. The other site that I'm keeping my eye on is Photogamer. They just started holding a photography challenge each week. I haven't participated as of yet, but I get so inspired by how others have captured the challenge. Espcecially challenge #1. I now go about my day looking for unique reflections, strangers in hats and telephones in a new, refreshing way.

My friend Katrina lives in South Africa, soon to move back to Australia. (Pause...I'm breathing a sigh of relief there) Her photos are beautiful and her writing can take your breath away. Katrina has had to attend a couple funerals as of late, and her description of them and of the people brings tears to my eyes. REALLY looking forward to seeing you again soon!

What a Month!

I'm not sure where the time has gone over this past month.....so sorry to those who have emailed me and are STILL waiting to hear from me.

Just after returning from our coast holiday, my Aunt and Uncle from Canada arrived for a week. I haven't seen them since I was 13 years old......about 23 years ago.....so as you can imagine, there was A LOT of catching up to do. It was lots of fun having them stay with us. Here is a pic of the 3 generations of Christophers in my family (my Uncle Chris, my brother Christopher and my son Christopher) just playing around. These are my favourite kind of photos.....fun, relaxed and natural.

Christopher is back at school, in Year 3 now. He couldn't wait to get back to school, and this year he has a "man teacher". I'm really hoping Christopher will make some good friends this year. Its much harder to get to know people here, compared to the close knit community we had in Discovery Bay in Hong Kong. We both miss our friends in Hong Kong dearly. I have to admit that I was a little sad when the holidays ended. We had a great summer together. Christopher is now just that little bit older, a little taller and a little more independant than he was last year. He's growing up too fast!

I AM very happy to have some time to myself again though. I didn't have much time to create anything over the holidays and I'm SO keen to get into it again. I've been clearing a lot of the stuff that has accumulated over the past year.....check out the mags and idea books that having been growing under my bed. I'm an idea book/magazine addict....although I'm not as bad and SOME of my friends....you know who you are!

Just for fun I did a layout about my favourite movie...and now I'm working on a page about why I do what I do. Will post a pic of that when its done. This has been a great way to ingite the creative juices again. I've also got 4 Stampin Up workshops booked this week, so I'm getting lots done on the card front. I'll have to post some of those pics soon too. Speaking of Stampin Up.....its starting up in New Zealand in April! Let me know if you're interested and I'll keep you posted on developments.

Valentines Day is a fun day in my home. Christopher has been buying little gifts over the past month to give to me. Our cards to each other have always been signed with a "?" or "from your secret admirer". This year I received a snowman cookie cutter, a large red beaded bead, a wooden bead that Christopher decorated & coloured, and a friendship pin he made. GORGEOUS! Better than roses and chocolates anyday!

My sister's birthday was just a couple of days ago. Happy Birthday Mary! It was great to celebrate with you this year...after SO MANY years of not being in the same country. My brother-in-law also arrived from the USA, a few days before Valentines day. I can't tell you enough how wonderful it is have family altogether again! Christopher is LOVING having cousins around to play with. Cole and Christopher play so well together and the age difference doesn't bother him.

Another big event that happenned in my family last week is my brother got engaged! CONGRATS to you both Christopher and Carol. (can you hear it now.....Chris-n-Carol.......Christmas Carol...hehehe!) That not as bad and my sister and her husband Joe....Mary-n-Joe......Mary and Joseph!!! Sorry guys! Love it!

A South Coast Break

Christopher and I have been away at the south coast of NSW for the past 5 days. It was 5 days of relaxing fun without having any schedules or plans. I left my watch behind each day so it wouldn't interfere with our time. We spent most of the mornings at the beach, Christopher digging rivers and building sandcastles, and I was the chief sea creature and water collector to keep the rivers flowing and the castles inhabited. There is just something about boys and sand that amazes me. I love watching Christopher dig, roll and create with it. He gets sand into places that even surprise him! Our hungry tummies usually brought us back to our caravan for lunch and a small break, then back out to the beach mid afternoon till the early evening. The beach was GORGEOUS but the water was freezing! At first I thought I just needed to persevere, and hopefully I would get used to it quickly. But my feet would cramp and go numb! I noticed some of the kids on the beach were wearing wet suits...so I didn't feel so bad then. When we returned to Canberra, I was told there were water currents traveling up from Antartica, around the south coast at the moment, so then I realised I wasn't a wimp after all! Kangaroos would meander throughout the caravan park during the day and the birds were very keen on some sunflower seeds that we had....enough so to eat from Christopher's hand. Christopher found the water cold as well, but he'd find warmer pools of water where he could lay down and roll around. We'll have to go back another time....we already miss it. These are just a few of my favourite pictures. They're a bit small but if you click on them, you'll see them in a better size.

4 Little Things, Time and A Pencil

A fun email circulated amongst my friends last week that I thought I'd share with you. We all had to list 4 things in several areas, about ourselves and then forward it on to 4 friends. Here are the questions and my answers:

A: FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:
1. Dental Assistant, Canberra
2. Dental Nursing @ University of Otago, Dept of Pediatrics, New Zealand
3. Medical Receptionist Hong Kong
4. Office Administrator for Medical Clinic in Hong Kong

B: FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER:
1. Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2
2. The Incredibles (I have to watch it with Christopher though!)
3. Anne of Green Gables
4. Finding Neverland

C: FOUR PLACES I HAVE LIVED:
1. Canada
2. Hawaii
3. New Zealand
4. Hong Kong

D: FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH
1. Greys Anatomy
2. Desperate Housewives
3. CSI
4. The Oscars

E: FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON HOLIDAY (vacation):
1. Cebu, Philippines
2. Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
3. Phuket, Thailand (twice)
4. B.C. Canada

F: WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY (or regularly)
1. My blog
2. StampinUp.com
3. Self-Addressed.com message board
4. allrecipes.com

G: FOUR OF MY FAVOURITE FOODS:
1. Enchiladas
2. Jaffas
3. A very soft creamy brie
4. Lasagna

H: FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
1. In bed with a good book, on a rainy night.
2. Somewhere exotic and tropical
3. On the set of Pirates 3
4. Scrapping with Ali Edwards

TIME
Another website I check out regularly is Ali Edwards' blog. From the beginning of my scrapping days, Ali has always been an inspiration in her lifestyle and scrapping style and who she is a person. I've been SO lucky to have taken a few of her classes, one at CKU in San Jose in 2004, and two classes in August last year in Sydney. The pictures added here are of a mini album I made at one of her classes.

Ali has challenged us to think about one single word that we could sum up, embrace, focus on and or incorporate into our daily lives in 2007. So many words came to mind but I decided for me, the word is TIME. Time to grow, time to heal, time to move on, time for new things to blossom and time to manage my time more wisely. I'm supposed to create small something to remind me daily of my word, like a note to stick on a mirror. But I'm in a bit of a creative rut at the moment. I think I OD'd before Christmas and I'm still recovering. I've been doing some other things I enjoy, like watching good movies, playing games and cooking, and just hanging out with family. I have a workshop next week that I'm getting excited about. After demonstrating Christmas cards since October, I'm soooo ready to do some fresh, fun, summery cards.

THE PENCIL
At the beginning of December, I mentioned a book I was reading. "Living out Loud" by Keri Smith. I was struggling through the exercise of finding 100 uses for the pencil. I'm still struggling! Here is what I have so far. The obvious ones are: sketch, shade, doodle, scribble, write, & draw. Some other ones are: a pointer, bookmark, plant straightener, to dig small articles out from hard to reach places, back scratcher, something to chew on when deep in thought, something to flip between ones fingers during lectures or meetings, something to always carry in ones handbag, & a flag staff for sand castles. That's all I've come up with so far. I'd appreciate any input!

Cool Gifts

Christopher and I have been thoroughly enjoying all the Christmas pressies we've received this year from everyone. Here are a few I want to share with you....

Check out this cool mini shopping cart! It arrived full of chocolates, soaps, face cloths and more candies. My nephew just loves to push it around our flat, and our cat, Min, loves to knock it over and empty the contents. Everything in the cart smells sooooo nice and yummy!!! Thanks again so much Ian & Allison!

Another is a gift voucher from my friend Gab. She made this

gorgeous voucher that I can't wait to redeem! I' m not sure what I'm looking forward to more, the pampering session at the Day Spa or an undisturbed sleep in. Thanks so much Gab!!

My friend Ange in Hong Kong must have been to the markets recently as she crammed lots of these beautiful silk flowers into the Christmas card envelope. Australian customs stopped this lumpy letter to check its contents, and it arrived just before

Christmas. Thanks Ange! I'll find LOTS ways to use them. Hope you make in down to Australia in 2007!

Another friend, Ainslee, gave me this really neat book. Its like a guest book with a twist. You don't just write in your name, where you're from and a date of visiting....you also add details about your favourite things (song, book, clothes, hobby, childhood toy, actor, thing about Sunday, and your favourite lie, just to name a few!) Some other details to include are: the naughtiest thing you've ever done, one thing you wished you had done yesterday, a turning point in your life, what you'd do with a million dollars, & what 3 people you'd like to have with you on a desert island. Great book Ainslee...Thank you!

So my friends, start thinking, as this little book will be arriving on your doorstep during 2007!!

Merry Christmas

For the first time in 8 years, my family had Christmas together. It was the first time Christopher has ever spent Christmas with cousins. There are really no words to describe how happy, peaceful, and relaxed I felt on Christmas day...after so many years away from the people I love most in this world. However on saying that, I REALLY missed those dear friends (Allison & Ian, Dunc & Tina, & Meegan and all the kids) that became my family while living in Hong Kong. We've spent the last 5 or so Christmas' together....so it was wonderful to hear their voices and to see them on
Skype yesterday. Christmas wouldn't be complete without them! And Katrina, Joel and Sylvia, who we'd always share Christmas eve and some or part of Christmas day with them too....hope you're having a wonderful Christmas together in South Africa.

These are some of my favourite photos from Christmas day...

Thank you everyone for all your gifts, cards and wishes. Love and Hugs to you all!

Santa Photo '06

Yes this is the pic that I cannot believe I paid $ to have....but this is as close to a real Santa as I could find. The things we do.......
Santa outdid himself with the gifts for Christopher. Christopher wanted some of the cars from the movie "CARS", that we have been unable to find in Australia. A lovely friend and her pilot husband became Santas elves in tracking down and flying these cars to us, from the USA, on time for Christmas morning. Thanks so much Ainslee and Kyle!

Enjoy the Process!

Its so easy to forget during this time of year to stop and enjoy the season. I get so caught up in the preparations, that the everyday moments slip by. So today I did stop a few times and appreciated the moment I was in. I was "busy" looking for the right size turkey for our Christmas dinner, "busy" posting away a bunch of cards to friends in Canberra, "busy" wrapping presents and finalising other gifts. This is the only time of year I do these things, so why rush through it all? I will get it done, but I'll try and stop more often and enjoy the process!

The photos here are my favourites from this week.

I've been receiving lovely Christmas cards from friends around the world. Today's card was from friends, Liz and Mike who, like myself, lived in Hong Kong for the past 10 years. They now live in California after Mike transferred with work this year. Thanks for the wonderful newsletter! Mike you have a real gift in writing....you had me in tears as well as laughing at the same time. Miss you heaps Liz!

Cousins & Santa

Its been an exciting last few days in my family.....My sister and her gorgeous kids have moved to Australia. Her husband will arrive after Christmas, due to the loooooonnnnng process that the Australian immigration puts people through who want to immigrate here. This is the first time in 14 years that my family has lived on the same continent. Christopher had only seen his cousins through the photos...and they are now 2 1/2 years old and 5 months old....and Christopher is 8. He looks so big next to them.
We're so happy they are here. Christmas should be lots of fun this year!


Christopher & I went to visit Santa today. I was feeling rather aprehensive due to the obviously fake outfit and beard that I've seen the Santas wearing here. We been lucky to have visited a REAL Santa in Hong Kong since Christopher was born and I knew that the fellow we'd be visiting today would look nothing him. The pics I've posted today were of last years Santa, in Hong Kong. That beard is REAL... And so are those rosey cheeks. I've always been allowed to take my own pics whenever we visit Santa, so when I was told today that no photos are to be taken, I was very disappointed. Only photos by a "professional" photographer were permitted...with a hefty fee as well. With my fear that this might be Christopher's last Christmas believing in the magic of Santa, I handed over the $ and recieved an average quality, very plastic looking photo of the 2 of them. I'll scan that pic and post it another day. All in all, Christopher enjoyed seeing Santa and ended up having a lovely little chat with him as there weren't any other kids waiting. Heres hoping that there will be another year of Christmas magic. I think we'll have to watch the Polar Express tonight!

Calendars & Friends

One calendar done...2 to go! The calendar class I held at my home this week was lots of fun. It took 4 hours, but the ladies finished their calendars and now they have a wonderful gift to give this Christmas, or a beautiful keepsake for themselves. There was lots of laughter, Christmas cookies and I came away feeling like I've made some lovely friends. Being a Stampin Up! Demonstrator has been the best way for me to get out and make friends since moving to Australia this year. I've met some of the lovliest people in my workshops and its been wonderful to get to know them more outside of the workshops.
Here are some of the pics from my calendar. I've got to finish the other 2 this weekend and get them in the mail!

CARDS!

I've finished making the first batch of my Christmas cards, and they're in the mail (to my overseas friends) as I write. What a great feeling. I know I'm a little late....but I'm always so busy helping others get their Christmas cards organised that mine always get left till the last minute. I tried starting making my Christmas cards in July one year, but I didn't have the Christmas spirit in the middle of the summer (in the northern hemisphere). For these cards, I used up some more of my Paper Salon goodies that I won last year. Click on the following link http://twopeasinabucket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=693232cmd=display&layout_id=693232ket.kaboose.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=693232 to check out my paper salon submissions for the contest. I'll be making another batch of cards for all my new Australian friends that I've made throughout the year. These cards will be all Stampin Up stuff.

CONGRATS to my friend Gab....I'm so proud her. 45 LAYOUTS!! Check out this link http://www.nycscraps.typepad.com/ .

There will be another One in 48 challenge in January. Its a fun way to get lots of layouts DONE as well attaining lots of fresh inspiration and do-able sketches. You can sign up for January, on the blog.

A Great Find!

I was purusing the supermarket isle on the weekend when this pack of Dutch Syrup Wafers jumped out at me. It was hidden among the jellies, puddings and the canned fruit section...not the biscuits section for some unknown reason! I used to enjoy these special treats with my dear friend Katrina on Sunday afternoons in Hong Kong. She knew somebody who would bring these wafers to HK whenever he was in our neighbourhood. For years, Katrina and I would spend EVERY Sunday afternoon together...drinking endless cups of tea, chatting, either sitting on a beach or at one of our homes, scrapping, card making and lots more chatting over cups of tea. Our boys have know each other since they were two years old....when Katrina moved to HK. The boys NEVER got along until they turned 4...then they became the best of buddies. We loved watching the 2 of them while they played. It was very hard to say good-bye to these dear friends and I must say now, on our Sunday afternoons, Christopher and I are a bit "lost" without them. snifff....snifff....

Ok....enough.....back to the wafers....for those who have never seen or tried these, Ill show you how its done!

The first photo is a package of them. 2nd - You place the wafer on top of a HOT cup of tea...I've found brewed coffee is not hot enough. Let it sit for a few minutes, turning it over when it starts to soften. The softening proces is the syrup melting and you can see in the 3rd photo the glistening syrup which oooozes out of the wafer while you eat it.....YUMMY!!! Stop round my home and you can try these as I'll have to keep a stock of them in my cupboards from now on. Cheers Katrina! Miss you my friend!