Some challenges:

Scrap the boys:

The challenge was to scrap your boys in their footy colours... So here you go..I couldn't just do black and white...Needed the colour.. My little man.. Getting ready to attend the 2010 grand final...Ooh I so love the houndstooth paper...Me wants a coat in this next winter..

Scrap the Girls:

The challenge was pink as the main colour and polka dots..It was nice to scrap the bigs for a change.. Although I did struggle with three photos...

This one was supposed to be for Show Us your Stuff - BUT agai I forgot to include a handmade embellie...So now it's just for you to see! I have old pattern paper underneath the white paint...Treasured photo....

Night!

forgetful:

I really like it when I look in a folder of photos and come across a gem..One that I had forgotten I took...Makes me feel nice..
That's it for me today...

xx

Stuck Nov 15 sketch:

This layout was based on the sketch this month over at Stuck from the lovely and talented Crystal Goulding.. I had a lot of fun with it..Obviously changed it to 12x12... But otherwise I stuck fairly closely to the sketch. I did this layout on the retreat a few weeks back..

You know since then I have struggled to find the time and the desire to scrap at all?

Anywho...The colour scheme for this layout was taken from his PJ's..Added a bit of gold and paint.. Success. Thanks so much to Sue at the Imagination Factory - who specifically put this Sassafras  Sunshine Broadcast paper away for me.. Mwah! I LOVE it...Escpecially since she informed me that they will be no more..Boo hoo...

One of my fave images at the moment.....
My baby boy is growing up... Another boo hoo!!

XX

Thanks..

for all your lovely comments about our dear Maggie.. Reading them makes me feel better.. I came across this photo in my my unedited photos today. Officially the last photo ever taken our our dog.. As per ususal she was hanging out for food, around the kids and was dishing out some love to Rylan while there.. Typical her:

Farwell our Maggie:

Yesterday our big, dumb, beautiful crazy dog passed away...

She was with us for 11 years.

She left peacefully... at home..

I have found that grieving for Maggie for me is twice as difficult..Now that she has gone I remember her as two dogs and I am incredibly sad at losing them both...

She was for a long time a young, stupid, rash, energetic and extraordinarily loyal and loving bundle of long legs and ginormous EARS.. Who at the time.... drove us quite mad with her antics..But I would have them all back in a heartbeat now..

We remember these special things about her during this time of her life:

She came from a pet shop..woops...She was sold to us as a Bordie Collie Cross..Hmmm. Crossed with a mental case?? LOL. More like a Kelpie Cross me thinks..

She loved to swim - But would only go out after Wilson..

She dug up all our plants in her first year...

She poked her head through the back of the wagon to the front and drooled incessantly on the windows..

She would endlessly round up Wilson when he was chasing the ball.. He was her 'sheep'..

She once barrelled right through a closed flywire sliding door. Over enthusiasm totally...

More than once she barrelled right into Wilson..Over enthusiasm...Totally...

 As we were about to throw the ball she would run out in an arc in anticipation and then crouch in wait.. (see photo above at water's edge)

At other times she would wait for Wilson to begin to bring the ball back and then try to take it from him... The ensuing 'playfight'over the ball would drive us to distraction as it woud take us forever to get the ball from them..

She was FAST...Always moving, running. A walk in the park for us and Wilson was three times as far for her.. Run up in front...Run back..Loop around behind us and do it all again..

She ATE everything...It would eventually catch up with her..

She would embarrass us appallingly by going off her NUT at any dog that passed us by.. She had a particular dislike of labs and retrievers..Crazy animal..

She PULLED on the lead endlessly..We tried everything to stop this and ended up with the lead running under her tummy and between her back legs...Still didn't solve the problem though..

She loved to jump up on the bed, the couch anywhere really...

Would go beserk at the word 'walkies'and/or me putting on my runners.. I used to torment her by going very slowly.. The whine would get intense!

She could pull a twin pram with three toddlers on board under her own steam.. No mean feat.. and STILL go beserk at a strange dog..

Rod often looped her leash around the back of a girls bike to help pull them up the hill to home..

When she wanted your attention or a pat, she would put her hulking paw up onto you hand or arm and drag it toward her. (See photo) she kept this trait right till the end. I have had to stop her from doing it to the babies at times..

She had a 'wierdo' meter like nothing we have ever seen.. Strangely dressed people and bums all copped a deep throated growl when walking by us..

She loved to run along while the girls rode their bikes..And the mad looping back kinda stopped when she had the girls to follow..

Very obedient. Sit, wait, drop, on your bed and lie down and shake were all in her repertoire. But she could only manage 'wait' in small distance doses.. Too far away from her and she would leave Wilson sitting their and either creep or just full on run toward you before hearing the command.

I developed a sytem of making her sit and covering her eyes with my hands when another dog approached us.. It seemed to work.. No mentalness..Just a low growl.. we did look a wee bit stupid and I always found myself trying to explain it to others..

Dogs, I was told know who is boss and will never maintain full eye contact with you. Hmmmm.. Check out the photos..ALL eye contact. She was never the first to look away. We used to have comps with her to see who would look away first.. She always won. But it was always the look of love..

And then....

While running MADLY one day she ruptured her cruciate ligament.. For a busy dog like our Mags..The recuperation was SLOW and hard for us all..

Within 2 years she ruptured the other one.. She was never quite the same... This is the OTHER Maggie that WE all remember..That the girls miss. They helped me write this part:

In her declining years Miss Maggie's speed lessened but her crazy antics did not...

She grew in size as she ATE every scrap of food leftover by three, then four, and then five children..

One of her favoured places was postioned under the high chair..I have seen her with her front feet up in and under the tray..More than once..

She once put her feet up and took a sausage off the BBQ.. She never did that again!

She bustled her great hulk under the kids legs at the dinner table EVERY night..Pushing chairs and legs out her way in her endless quest for dropped morsels.. More recently, she would just lay there taking up the entire space under our dining table..

She ate Santa's biscuits off the coffee table one Christmas Eve...

She took herself to 'timeout'in the bathroom when she had scoffed her dinner and got into trouble for hovering madly over Wilson's..

Drooled all over the tiles EVERY night.. While waiting for her dinner to be dished up..

Sent Rod in to hysterics when she walked out of the laundry with an empty cat food container stuck over her nose, covering her eyes. Causing her to walk into walls.. Seriously Rod just backed up into our lounge room crying with laughter..

Many a time we would come home to find lolly wrappers and half eaten lollies all around the girls bedroom.. Lollybags were her favourite snack.. (See photo) The girls had to learn to keep their lollies up high..She was even prone to opening their cupboard in search of the elusive sweet treat..

From sweet to ick - Mags also liked to poke her snout into the kitty litter.. Often getting caught and turfed outside.. Mostly coming out of the laundry with scraps of litter on her nose..Always a dead giveaway - so she still got turfed..

Her favourite spot to sit became our good leather couch. She would stretch herself out and Rod was forced to 'share'a small portion of it with her night after night.. Arguing and cajoling her to change positions.. Which she would eventually do - grudgingly and with a grunt and a moan..

If there wasn't space for her on a couch or if you tried to keep her off it.. She would constantly make attempts to get up. I am sure she thought she was being cagey and sly.. Have you even seen a sly 30kg dog?

She snored ALOT.. She gave Rod a run for his money!

She always enjoyed a pat.. Well.. LOTS of pats... You could pat her once and then she would continually nudge under your hand for more..To the point of distraction...

She would go out to the toilet and when she wanted to  come in she would stand at the sliding door and bark intermittedly until you let her back in.. Alternating with scratching with one paw..

She developed a benign tumor on her front shoulder that couldn't be removed.. It, combined with her dodgy back legs affected her walking and confined her to home.. I still expect to hear her funny, heavy, limpy step coming down the tiles when we place a bowl on the floor..

A small child coud not approach her without copping some serious love licking...The night before she passed...She gave Rylan a beauty...Full on tongue... The girls thought it was hilarious..

Gentle with small children to a fault. Never a growl.. Nothing. She let all of our kids,  pull her ears, legs, tail and crawl all over her. Right up till the end.. I have even seen Rylan shove his little finger up one of her nostrils...

On a personal note.. I am the designated dog walker.. When we made the decision to stop making her walk. I felt awful because initially I was relieved to not to have to deal with her behaviour. But that wore off and I just missed her company. I took to not looking at her sad face when I went out with Wilson. But lately she wasn;t even sad about it. Just resigned. As was I. She drove me mental when she was that young crazy mutt.. But oh how I miss it now.

She was a member of our family.. She was part of us. I like to describe her as the part of the background of our lives and now that she is gone..Well everything just feels a little off kilter.. Kinda like those 'spot the difference'games.. You can't really tell until you look closer.. We told her off alot.. Amd you know I think we all miss hearing her name cursed aloud...Hehehehehe..

I loved her...WE all loved her.. Our petstore puppy ..Our dear Maggie..  Mags... Margaret... Magret... Miss Maggie May... Maggers ... Maggie Pie...

You will be missed...

We were better for having had you in our lives..

Thanks darling girl...

xxx

Gumboots and love:

As per usual I have edited and blogged far too many. I get so eager when I see the ones I like...I totally overdo it!
We visited Claire and her family at the tail end of our anniversary weekend away and the weather wasn't playing nice.  Rod and I drove to the toward the Yarra Valley and the rain came at us..

I was a mildy concerned..

Bah! We all put on boots - ALL of us... and out we went.. And boy did we need the boots.... You should have seen me clunking around in the oversized Rossi's..But as Claire correctly pointed out - I wore them out nightclubbing - many a moon ago!! Ha!

Claire...Your little getaway is so pretty and is a wonderful location for my photography!

Your family is totally beautiful and I hope you love the shots as much as I do..I am sorry it rained on your hair...BUT..I think the photos are perfect.. The love was so obvious...

At least from Hugo the dog anyways!!!!   Just ask my husband.....LOL!

C xx

Thankful Thurs:

I am thankful today that she is 3. I love her so much and three year old her is just simply divine. She is adorable, forthright and downright charming. She is also stubborn and knows exactly what she wants..She had her 'boyfriends' over for a playdate this morning..Identical twin boys..Whom she thinks are the bee's knees...I wonder about the twin thing? Is she drawn to them because of her twin sisters?

She is so well spoken.. Has lovely manners, (now)....and loves on her baby brother to the point of absolute distraction. She is right into barbies..and cars too... Will hppily play on her own..But LOVES to be included in her big sisters games...

Brushes her own hair and let's her sisters wash it, (very brave)... Sleeps in a big bed..But loves to climb into ours in the wee hours at times...

Is enjoying story time now..Before turning three she couldn't and wouldn't sit still to be read to...
Loves 'lips'...(lipstick and lipgloss) and will fossick through my handbag to locate them and put it on..

Bye!

C xx

I can hardly believe it is November already?? Here is my sample for the Nov 1st sketch over at Stuck! This was another layout that I created at the retreat a couple of weekends ago.. I love it.. I have used the cute Kaiser paper that I bought as inspiration for his birthday invite.. I love these colours together..

Have a great Melbourne Cup day!

C xx