Exciting News

I decided to send one of my LO's to the Basic Grey Gallery and then to my suprise this morning there was an email saying that it had been accepted into their gallery

So here it is

Had a Great Day

Firstly thank you to everyone that left comments here, emailed and called me about my last post...they were all truly appreciated and I love that if I am feeling down I can put it down here...it is somewhat cleansing to vent it all out. So thank you to everyone.

Well today I have had a great day and felt more like me than I have in a long time. I went shopping with my 2 best friends to try on a bridesmaid dress. It was perfect as the dress had already been picked out, so one shop, one dress - fits perfectly - looks good what more can you ask for.

So then we went and had lunch together and a great chat before we all had to go our seperate ways...

So thanks girls I really enjoyed today.

Plus look what I got in the mail today.

It is from all the money that we raised for Steven running in the "run 4 the kids fun run"...so thank you everyone and your official reciepts should be in the mail.

In Limbo

Seriously how much crap can one family have flung at them...I really think that both John and I stepped on an ant that was the re-incarnation of Mother Theresa...last week we had another bombshell dropped on our laps...one completely out of left field, so in no way were we prepared for it...don't we deserve some happiness...for the first time in a long time I was starting to feel secure in our future...not worried about what was around the corner...no stress, just enjoying the process of picking everythng for the house and generally getting on with life and then BANG!!! I think we are entitled to a little bit of happiness...as some of you may know we have had a hard time of things for the last 5 years or so (last year just made our life one hundered times worse) and just as there was light at the end of the tunnel, again we are knocked down...there is only so much of this that you can take and this got me to thinking...

I have been feeling kind of blah for weeks...first it was due to the flu and then Medications not reacting with my body and making me feel worse but there was also something hanging over my head and after spending all of last week pretty much in bed I realised.....

My life is in Limbo...

Now I know that I am never going to be 'that' person I was before having Rani and the almost last 2 years of my life have changed me forever - well my whole family - none of us will ever be the same - you are not meant to outlive your child - plain and simple!...but I am not liking the person I am becoming. So I am making some changes.

I feel that I lost my identity, to some people this has come my identity - I am Rani's Mum and not Mel - I have lost a number of friendships because of this as some people just didn't know what to say and still to this day some people still don't know what to say. This used to get me really down, but after being sick, depressed and lost I have decided it is not worth wasting my energy on. I have a lovely group of close friends that are there when I need them and that is enough for me.

Also I think not having a place of our own is making me feel in Limbo..We have no real base of our own...Don't get me wrong living with Mum and Dad has been a life saver, their support and understanding throughout the last almost 2 years has been invaluable...but I don't have a place of my own / our own...we will be getting this hopefully by December/January and this will definately help us move on with our lives.


But since I have decided to focus on Me - becoming somewhat the person I was and liked I have managed to catch the scrapping bug again and it feels so good. So thanks for listening to my rambles.

So here are a couple of LO's that I have comepleted for some Challenges for Bon's Scraps and 123 Challenges





















































and also the latest newsletter is out for S4L and here is my DT creation for May

WOW!!!

I was reading my emails tonight - well trying to catch up and I found one that said that my photo had one the photo comp at Scrappit.

Check it out here

I am so excited :)...just had to share

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers Day to all...I hope you all have had a fantastic day and all got spoilt rotten.

I know I certainly did..check out my haul....lol


Ok lets see...like last year alot of the presents that Josh and Teagan bought at the School Mothers Day Stall are to do with Rani. Last year Rani was still in Hospital and Josh and Teagan bought me angels and buddha's. This year as much as I loved my Mothers Day it would have been perfect having Rani here with us...so i have been a bit emotional today. Just like our Wedding Anniversary last year spent in the Hospital and also Mothers Day last year we were in there...I would have given anything today to have even been at the Hospital celebrating Mothers Day if it meant that my whole family were together today...well anyday.

Back to the gifts.

Josh got from School an angel figurine, some soap and a necklace. Teagan bought me a cow salt and pepper shaker, a dolphin figurine for my desk and a heart on a stick...plus in class she also made me a mini album...cool having one of the Grade 4 teachers being a scrapper :)

Also they both went shopping with Daddy and bought me "frank" my british bulldog...I love these dogs and have wanted one forever...so I got one today..shame he is a figurine..but one step closer to the real thing...lol...also they bought me this fantastic jade and wood wall hanging both the jade and the wood have buddha's carved into them. This is for Rani...she is our little buddha and we have lots of buddha things in memory of our little girl, so in the new house this hanging will take pride in the entry.

So after I opened all of my presents we headed upstairs to give Mum her presents and then Dad made everyone breakfast. Mum and Dad headed down to see her Mother and we all did our own things.

So all in all I have had a beautiful Mothers Day and I hope that everyone else enjoyed theres as well.

Our Weekend

Well Sunday was our Wedding Anniversary so John and I spent Saturday night in the City.

We arrived at the Stamford Plaza at about 2pm, put our bags in our room and headed down for some retail therapy. We thought we would check out the new DFO at Spenser Street Station - or whatever it is called now!!! Picked up lots of clothes for the 2 of us and even some stuff for the new kitchen that was to marked down not to get now...lol....then had to lug it all back to the Hotel. The walk down wasn't so bad as we had no shopping and it was all down hill...the walk back was a bit longer...lol

As John had worked Friday night he decided to have a little sleep before having dinner, so i took advantage of having a Spa in the bathroom and had a relaxing 1 hour bath. It was bliss, no interuptions, no little kiddies walking in, peace and quiet and did I mention relaxing!.

We had a lovely dinner and then had room service dessert and watched an in room movie...lol...such big party animals. But it was nice just spending time together and alone.

Sunday after sleeping in and then having our overly priced Hotel Breakfast...lol...we headed out shopping (window shopping this time) searching for furniture for the new house again without kiddies that don't want to be there...lol...have lots of ideas and now really want the house to play with all the stuff I want...lol
Pretty horrible piccy of us in our room....

Then we came home and saw Josh and Teagan - who got spoilt themselves by Nana and Grandpa - Macca's for dinner, trip to the Park and treat while doing the food shopping...so all in all everyone had a lovely weekend.

Celebrity Look Alikes

OK I took your challenge Connie...it was a bit of fun...here it is

HOLIDAY

We are coming up to Queensland.

John and I had been talking about taking the kiddies up to Queensland for the long awaited trip we have been promising them since Jan 2006 (when we were going to go and then as Rani was sick we weren't allowed to be more than 100km from the Hospital)...so anyway we decided that July would be good after the School Holidays and Josh's Camp.

So thanks to the price wars with the Airlines we are booked and paid to come up at the end of July..Josh and Teagan are so excited about this holiday - partly because they get out of 10 days of school...lol...and of course the theme parks...plus we get to catch up with family and friends.

Then we will be back at Christmas time again to have a whole family Christmas with Johns family. ...but this trip will be just relaxing and family time :)

Well I better get back to getting organised. It is our Wedding Anniversary on Sunday and John and I are staying in the City on Saturday night.

See Ya!

Been A While...

WOW has it really been that long since my last post...well grab a cuppa as I guess it will be a long one..lol

Well I guess I have been a bit slack as I have had this stupid flu for months - it is the most annoying flu...one day I wake and feel like rubbish and think YAY the flu is going to break today and then the next day I am fine. It finally did break a couple of weeks ago but it just keeps hanging around. I don't think the weather is helping much - I mean good old Melbourne weather is unpredictable at the best of times - but my poor body doesn't know what it is in for when I wake up...one minute it is hot, the next it is freezing and raining (which is good we need the rain) and then we have a mix of it all in one day...lol

OK so what have we been up to...I'll start with the kiddies

Teagan has been and gone on her School Camp - they went the first week back to school after the hoidays - she was very excited about it as it was her first camp by herself...not her actual first camp that was last year...but the Camps are Years 3 and 4 and then Years 5 and 6 go together...so last year Teagan was in Year 3 and Josh in Year 4 so they both went on Camp together...this year they are both excited as they don't have to see each other on Camp...lol...but next year I am looking forward to the peace and quiet with both of them on Camp together again..lol...anyway she had a great time, even if they did make her eat vegetables with dinner every night, she shared her Cabin with all of her best friends and they crammed lots of activities into the 3 days. She had hardly any voice left when I picked her up from School - so I definately knew she had a ball before even asking her. :)

Both Josh and Teagan also had their School Cross Country which the top 10 went to the District Cross Country. Josh suprised me when he told me he was hoping to get to District...not that I didn't think he could do it - but my little boy isn't much into any sports and most years whinges about how far it is to run when they do it at School and usually walks with his friends. i truly think he was a bit inspired by Steven and how far he ran in the RCH Fun Run and he has asked to do the 3km Run next year....again I go off track...lol... I told him this year to run for himself, that he doesn't have to stay with his friends and again it was great to have an example - as Steven ran with a friend at the Fun Run - but then went out on his own. Well I was very proud of both of them when they came home and told me where they came. You are put in the age group that you will turn this year - so Josh was put into the 11 year olds, even though he turns 11 Xmas Eve...well he held his own and came 18th out of 35 boys and Teagan came 35th out of 57 girls...a vast improvement from last year and although Josh was disappointed he didn't get to District he was very excited that he came 18th - so maybe next year.

OK HOUSE

Well we have picked all of our colours, floor coverings, bench tops, tiles, everything...today we have our final tender meeting to finalise any changes we want to make, or extras we want and then it is all put to Council. I am excited but at the same time over it all as I know from now until September when they start building will drag. John and I have also been out furniture shopping trying to get ideas for of course the most important room in the house "my scrapping room". I haven't managed to find the perfect furniture yet! Any ideas would be appreciated...and of course looking for new lounge suite, a new bedroom setting for Josh as he is a big boy now and refuses to sleep in his racing car bed when we move (althoug our agreement was always upgrading his bed when he was 10) and lots of other things. We went out to the display home the other weekend for more ideas, as I found it easier to visualise sizes and layout of furniture by actually being able to see the walls and windows...lol

ME

Well apart from having the flu I have been fine...haven't done any major scrapping except for DT stuff which I can't share yet!. Also really been a bit down...I really don't like April anymore...as it was when Rani went back to Hospital April 19th and never came home. I can't believe that it was over a year ago that she was only meant to stay for 10 days and ended up being there for 5 months. I went out the other day to see my girl...it was very noisy as they are expanding the memorial garden and there was a lot of diggers and trucks, so it was only a quick visit...although I don't feel the need to go down regularily....I talk to her whenever I feel like it. Also 1st May was 8 months since the worst day of our lives.

OTHER STUFF

John and Josh went to the taping of the Grand Final of Australia's Got Talent as John Cousin Al (the human knot) made it through. He didn't win the Grand Final but John said it was great to catch up with him and also his Uncle and Wife...I sadly didn't get to go...stupid flu, I didn't think they would like me coughing up a lung while they were recording...lol Here is pic from back stage of Al, Uncle Grim (Al's Dad), John and Josh.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Danielle for 26th April - the big 3-0...lucky thing flew to New York to celebrate.

Dad 1st May - we actually went out for Chinese last night for his birthday

and TD for TD.

Well that is it...well all I can be bothered typing...thanks for reading this far if you got all the way. :)