Annnnnd.... we're back! (with a freebie)

(Note: if you're here for the Digi Chick Blog Train, scroll to the bottom of this post).

It's a feast or a famine with my blog huh. I alternate between posting 3 times a week to only once or twice a month when things get really busy. I don't suppose I'm the only blogger to do this though huh. Well where do I start? Christmas I guess. I was going to post a stack of photos, then thought I might as well just wait till I'd scrapped my pages and show them instead. So here is our Christmas. Since the photos had so much colour in them I decided to go with a fairly neutral background palette and let the pictures do the talking.

















And of course I had to scrap Elisa's broken arm didn't I? She was lucky it was just a greenstick fracture and that it healed quickly. She only stayed in the plaster cast for 2 weeks, getting it cut off on Christmas Eve.







I've done a few CT layouts too, though am still in the process of uploading them to my galleries. Lucky you, you get a sneak peek here on my blog first. There are a few more to come, but I can't post them for another day or two.









Oops, I nearly forgot. Here are my latest 365 pages. I've decided to continue Project 365 in 2010, but simplify it somewhat with Biograffiti's templates. I was lucky enough to win her January set this week. Yay!





OK, you've made it this far, now I guess some of you are here for the Digi Chick Blog Train.



Here is the template freebie I have for you. Perfect for scrapping Christmas photos, or any multiphoto page. Just swap the tree and snowflakes for other elements if you're not doing a christmas page. You can see the page I based it on HERE. I'd love it if you left a comment saying what you think. Click on the preview to download.



I should be your last stop, but if you've missed anyone, retry the links below. Remember, we're all on different time zones, so it may take a little longer for some to get sorted.

Tiffany: http://ascrapaway.blogspot.com/
Jenn: http://jennamy82.blogspot.com
Kelleigh: http://kelleighratzlaff.com/
Sylvia: http://sylviascraps.blogspot.com
Neenee: http://www.itzaneetdesign.com
Jude: http://lildigibits.blogspot.com/
Holly: http://lv2scrapnjp.blogspot.com
Pam: http://www.pameladonnis.com/blog/
Jana: http://www.janam-designs.com/blog/
Marianne: http://www.nowthenhabibi.com/scrapping-stuff/
Jacinda: www.digikiwichick.blogspot.com (you are here)

I hope you had fun and picked up lots of goodies on the blog train. Now go check out what yummy new things the Digi Chick Designers have released in the TDC Store this week. (Pssst.....while you're there you will definitely want to check out the huge NEW range of products in the Studio 365 section).

365

It's not until I do these 365 pages that I realise just how much we fit into one week. And really this is only a snapshot of each day. There are often multiple things going on that don't make it onto the layout.

Elisa is doing well. She favours the right arm a lot, and is becoming very good at doing things one handed. She CAN bend her elbow, but chooses not too, prefering to lift her arm from the shoulder if she has to. We're trying to think of ways to increase her arm mobility, and get her to do her finger exercises too.

Logan is here today and the two of them are playing happily. Elisa is running around nudie bum since we're trying to potty train her. She started it herself yesterday. I wanted to air her bum for a bit since she had a little rash, and over the course of the next 3 hours she went potty all by herself about 3-4 times. Totally without me saying a word. Of course Brooke and I made a huge deal of it after each potty session, giving Elisa heaps of positive reinforcement which she loved. We're trying to see if she'll continue today or not. I wasn't planning on starting potty training till next week, but hey....whatever works.

Scrappy stuff

OK so I was going to update the previous post, then thought hey....why not just start a new one. I have some exciting news to share too. I've been asked to be a layout artist for the Digital Artist Magazine! At first I was like "What? Me?! Seriously?" because the chicks that already create for the mag are like my heroes and their pages are just stunning. I have a much simpler style than them, so I'm hoping they just want to showcase a different scrapping style rather than think it's a mistake and they meant to ask someone else. LOL. OK here are my latest layouts. The first two are my latest 365 pages. Click on them and they'll take you to my 365 blog:

Gimme a break

They say trampolines and monkey bars are notorious for breaking the arms and legs of young kids. Well we have confirmed that theory now, with Elisa falling awkwardly on the tramp last night and breaking her right arm. She wasn't even bounced very high - it was just a bad landing when when already off balanced. I was standing right there at the edge of the tramp watching too. I took her straight to the local Emergency Clinic which thankfully was almost empty of patients. We got into the Dr at 7.30pm, got x-rayed, had a cast put on and were home by 9pm. She has a greenstick fracture of the distal radius (close to the wrist). She had a pretty rough night sleeping, but did manage to get a few hours in. Today we returned to the clinic to check the cast, then came home where Elisa slept for a good couple of hours. She seems happier now. We will return to the fracture clinic on December 24th where they will remove the cast, do another x-ray and put on a new cast for a few more weeks. I so didn't think our kids would be this young when they got their first break.

I've been meaning to update for ages, but for some reason there are only 24 hrs in the day and I need at least 30 to get everything done. First up I think is Elisa's birthday. She had a lovely little party with Ryan, Logan, Brooke, Nanny, Papa and Great Nana. The butterfly cake went down well, and she got some really lovely thoughtful presents from the family. Thankyou so much to everyone for sending/posting them through. She loves them.









OK, I have more to add, but Elisa wants to go play, so I'll be back to update this post later....

Busy, busy, busy

I'm a bad Mum. Elisa's 3rd birthday is on Saturday and I really have nothing organised except the presents. I have to bake the cake tomorrow and I still don't know exactly what I'm going to do. Well I know it's going to be a butterfly cake, but I haven't decided how it's going to be decorated yet. I was hoping she'd be happy to have little butterfly cupcakes, because I saw some online that were super cute and easy to make, but nooooo........she wants a big cake, much like the one I did for Brooke's 3rd birthday I think. She must have seen a photo of it in one of the scrapbooks. I have to shop tomorrow too for some little bits and pieces. I haven't even thought of what to feed the kids yet. At least I got the lawns mowed yesterday and the sandpit sanded and stained ready for DH to put together on Saturday morning. We had a Relief Society Board Meeting here last night, and tomorrow we have a morning tea to go to, so my week has been pretty busy. On top of that I've had to write up our Relief Society Newsletter, meeting minutes and organise our Visiting Teaching Conference for the 6th of December. That actually takes up quite a bit of my time since I'm doing everything (arranging speakers, the programme, the handouts and thankyou gifts). I don't mind doing it, I just have to find ways to fit it all in to my day.

Elisa and I spent two and a half hours at church this morning helping photocopy and put together the Relief Society Newsletter for December. It took four of us all that time to do it, writing the individual names on each newsletter, sorting them into visiting teaching groups, and bundling them up ready for delivery. Having close to 200 sisters on our roll makes this a team job each month. Elisa played quietly the whole time. The other ladies thought she was just a doll. Funnily enough one of them had JUST finished saying how good she was when I looked over at her to find her covered in black printer toner (powder). She'd been playing with the (not quite) empty cartridge in the bin. Oh dear. Most of it seems to have washed out anyway - I've got her shirt and pants soaking in the laundry now.

Brooke had a 'wheels' day at school on Tuesday. The junior school could bring a bike, scooter or skateboard to school, where they decorated it and then had a parade in the afternoon. Since she still needs a push start with her bike, and her 3-wheeled scooter was too small, she didn't really have anything to take. Poor poppet had a bit of a trembly lower lip thinking she might be left out of the fun. Since DH and I were going to get her a 2-wheel scooter for Christmas anyway, we decided to give it to her early for this special day. DH picked it up on his way home from work on Monday, and gave it to Brooke after dinner. Oh the SMILES! She was one very happy little girl. And to top it off, DH turned up at her school at 2.30pm to watch her parade. Totally unexpected, and it really made her day. Elisa's too for that matter. She wouldn't let him go. (He's been away a lot lately and the girls have really missed him).

What else has happened this week? Oh, I've done something to my leg, but I have NO idea how or even when. Just woke up the other morning and found myself limping. It feels like I've strained the ligaments right at the top of my leg at the front. Weird. Was quite sore today, but I bet the Dr would just say rest it, so haven't been to get checked out.

Elisa left her blankie and teddy at Nanny and Papas on Sunday. She really misses them. The first night she was fine, but each successive night she's been quite teary about it. She even makes me say a prayer for Nanny to bring them back on Saturday. So cute.

Here are the pages I've done this week. All images are linked to my galleries for credits.

Latest projects and another 365

So how was YOUR weekend? Mine was great. Packed the girls off to Mum and Dad's on Thursday night and pretty much did whatever I wanted the rest of the weekend. :D I shopped my heart out on Friday and got a haircut while I was at it. Saturday DH and I wandered around the shops buying more than we intended (par for the course for us). He's sorting out a new sandpit for the girls which will be ready for Elisa's birthday on Saturday. I found a couple of really nice Christmas Story books to use with my new Activities Advent Calendar (see pic below) in December. One of the books has a collection of christmas stories, while the other one is a kids version of Jesus' birth with accompanying nativity magnets and magnetised pages. Super cute. I intend to only bring these books out around christmas time so they stay special. Sunday I spent most of the day at church, so DH went south to pick up the girls and bring them home. We got the hugest hugs and kisses from them which was just lovely. They pretty much got home, brushed teeth and went straight to bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Thanks so much Mum and Dad for having them.

So first up here is my Advent Calendar. This is a template by Mari Koegelenberg, and was sooo easy to use. I searched the net and came up with a list of activities the girls can do each day. You can find the list HERE if you're interested. Between Brooke and I we went through the list and picked activities that interested us and that wouldn't be too hard to do. We also added a few of our own ideas.







Last week I was asked to speak at the Young Women's Excellence Night at church. Instead of throwing out my notes afterwards I decided to scrap them in the hopes Brooke and Elisa may get some benefit from them in the years to come. This layout made the Gallery Standouts Blog too which was a nice surprise. After church on Sunday I was ambushed by three of the Young Men wanting me to speak at their Careers Night this coming Tuesday. They must have heard the girls talking about my speech because they were all excited and really wanting me to come. LOL. I said yes, and went down to the Army Recruiting Office today to pick up some pamphlets and posters for them.


And my latest 365 to match last weeks.