Craaaaazy

It's scrapbook retreat time!!

and off I go for the first one of the year.    The forecast is not looking great - but who cares - we will be warm and dry inside with a great bunch of people.    Lots of fun prizes, goodie bags and of course chocolate fondue both nights.   This time I also have lots of new products for everyone to drool over.

Presentation is so beautiful too - will be interesting to see it in the nearly springtime!  They feed us incredibly well - and the cottages we stay in are adorable.

SOME THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW

* If a small child is choking on an ice cube, don't panic. Simply pour  a jug of boiling water down its throat and hey presto! The blockage is  almost instantly removed.

 

* Give up smoking by sticking one cigarette from each new pack up a fat friend's arse, filter first, then replacing it in the box. The possibility of putting that one in your mouth will put you off smoking any of them.

 

* Dyslexics - Try deliberately spelling words wrongly. This way at least you have a chance of spelling them correctly.

 

* Weight Watchers - Avoid that devilish temptation to nibble at the  chocolate bar in the cupboard or fridge by not buying the f**king thing in the first place, you fat bastards.

 

* Save on booze by drinking cold tea instead of whisky. The following  morning you can create the effects of a hangover by drinking a thimble full  of washing up liquid and banging your head repeatedly on the wall.

 

* Make bath times as much fun for kiddies as a visit to the seaside by  pouring a bucket of sand, a bag of salt, some broken bottles and a dog turd  into the bath.

 

* Recreate the fun of a visit to a public swimming pool in your own  home by filling the bath with cold water, adding two bottles of bleach, then urinating into it, before jumping in.

 

* Girls - Too old to go on an 18 to 30 holiday? Simply get pissed,  lie in a pit in your garden and shag every bloke who looks at you over the  fence.

 

* Don't buy expensive 'ribbed' condoms, just buy an ordinary one and  slip a handful of frozen peas inside it before you put it on.

 

* Sci-fi fans - Create the effect of being abducted by aliens by  drinking two bottles of vodka. You'll invariably wake up in a strange place  the following morning, having had your memory mysteriously 'erased'.

 

* Minor skin grafts can be performed on pigs by covering any cuts and  grazes with thin strips of bacon.

 

* Save money on expensive personalised car number plates by simply  changing your name to match your existing plate, Mr. KVL 741Y

 

* Don't waste money buying expensive binoculars. Simply stand closer  to the object you wish to view.

A possibility was born the day you were born and it will live as long as long as you live.

I *wordle*d my blog - what fun!

oh yeah... click to see it bigger!

so who's watching??

     

ACK! ... and another week goes past without a post from me.

I just don't know where the time is are going to these days.  Well I do - and I was updating you all on why I had been MIA in January - and most of those reasons still hold true - although I never did finish the updates.  I can hardly believe that next weekend it will be March.

Hopefully I will be back to normal posting starting tomorrow - I at least will try to be better!

Had a lot of fun at the crop on Friday night.   I dragged out my half finished project that I had worked on in November!!   I was making the 8x8 Christmas album already for my Photo a Day in December pics.   I had started making it - and had planned to finish making it over the course of December as I took the photos.  

Famous last words!

Anyway - that never happened - so I dragged it out and got it almost finished on Friday night.  Well there are still no photos in it - but at least it is 90% put together and now just needs the photos!!   

Little steps people!!

Raining here today - I have to admit I am getting a little sick of the rain, but at the same time so glad we are getting some decent amounts.   We might actually have some lakes this summer.    So no biking again this weekend.

I am taking advantage of being stuck inside and finishing off the last of the bits and pieces I need to have ready for the retreat next weekend.   I am pretty much 95% done, just a few little things to be done.   Once I get back from that retreat there will be no rest though - as my next retreat follows just 4 weeks later.

Already 2pm here and I have not had lunch - so I think that is next on the agenda!

57 hours

970 miles

2 tanks of petrol

8 hours sleep

Thousands of kiwi supporters - who understood what we were saying - and we didn't have to slow down

xx? beers at the park

2 real kiwi meat pies (although they didn't have Watties sauce - shame)

1 night in a New Zealand pub

A real kiwi burger - with an egg AND beetroot

77 oz of SPEIGHTS!

44 games of rugby - PRICELESS

I think that was just about the best weekend EVER!!

Happy Valentines Everyone

we interrupt these updates....

cos I am off to San Diego for the weekend.    Last minute decision - made this morning - and it is a Valentines gift for Mike.    It is the USA Rugby Sevens tournament down there this weekend.     So I have bought the tickets, booked the hotel and filled up the car.

I emailed him this morning asking him could he leave work a little early.  He has no idea what for - when he gets home he can throw some clothes in a bag - heavy on the parochial side of course - and we will hit the road.

See you on Monday!!

Oh and of course - not hard to work out who we will be cheering for!!!

NEW ZEALAND

Team Notes:

2007 USA 7s: 4-1, Cup Semifinal
2006-07 IRB Sevens Series Points: 130 (1st)
Best Finish at USA 7s: 2005 Champions

What to watch for:

New Zealand lost their two leading players before Dubai to injury, and still won. But Zar Lawrence, Tomasi Cama, Lote Raikabula and Steven Yates can all play at a high level. The All Blacks do not have out-and-out pace-- few teams actually do--but they have great ball skills, they are physical and are unafraid to get into contact when they have to, and they maintain continuity

Scrapbook Retreats and Crops

another thing that has kept me away from the ole bloggity blog is the above!   

I do 4 scrap retreats a year - and the first one of 2009 in the hills behind Los Gatos is coming up fast - just 2 weeks away in fact.   The first one is the smaller of the two - but takes no less prep than the larger one.    I spent a lot of January getting all the goodies in for the goodie bags, organising prizes - and generally doing all the bits and pieces that need to be done for it - organising insurance, contracts, name tags - the list is long!

Just 4 weeks after that retreat is my next one for 2009 up in Sonora.    That is my biggie - and because it is following hot on the heels of the other one - I was also ordering goodies in January for the goodie bags and prize pool for that one as well.

I love the retreats - we have so much fun, and I have met so many fantastic people.   It is lovely to see all the familiar faces every time and catch up on their news - and also each time meeting the *newbies* who soon become friends!

Along with my retreats I am the organiser of a local Meetup scrapbooking group.    This started off slowly in early 2008 - but we are away now with a hiss and a roar.   We meet every month and have a core group of 6-8 who come all the time - and often have a new face or two joining us.

Last month I changed it up a bit and instead of having the crop on a Saturday afternoon - we had it on a Friday night.   What a hoot - we ordered in some pizza - okay actually we sent Mike out to buy it *LOL* - some bought wine, some bought cheesecake and other goodies - and we had a blast and a load of laughs.     We are having another Friday night crop next weekend - I am so looking forward to it.

Last month - my project for the crop was to make a new covered paint tin for the retreats.    I have had the same tin for a few years now that I put all the names in to draw out for prizes over the weekend.   

Here is the old model:

It was:

•  nearing the end of its life
• and it was old TLC papers
• and it had TLC on it
• and it had a hole cut in the top for when I used it for expo slips etc
• and.... well I was just sick of it

and here is the new model - I love it!!