Apple launches iPad

Over the last twelve months, the rumours have been rife as to what Apple will come up with. Stories have abounded on the net with regard to the 'new Apple Tablet'. What will they produce? How good will it be? How cool that it will rival the Kindle!

Yesterday, Apple announced their new product the iPad which is due for release in the next few months. Within moments of the launch, and for the next several hours, tech geeks and tech bloggers everywhere were quick to post their first impressions. A great resource when you're not willing to get up at 3.30am to watch the live streaming of the launch lol.......

However, I am disappointed with the naysayers..... I wonder if these were the same folk who rubbished the iPod and then again the iPhone? Somehow I think Apple's marketing will quash these doomsayers yet again!

The iPad for all intense and purposes looks like a larger iPod Touch, with many of the same capabilities. It will access the internet via wifi or with a mobile broadband USB. Like all 1st Gen products, this has so much room to grow. Capabilities for in the classroom, photo manipulation and lots of other wonderful possibilities with the touch screen are on the horizon. These products aren't launched without foresight. Apple knows where it's going, and we're just left to ponder, (or criticize whatever your inclination!).

Below is my post on a forum. I rarely post on geek forums, sometimes to ask questions, sometimes to answer them, but I rarely post an opinion. Below is what I wrote in reply to someone who was quick to point out the iPad's shortcomings. I was very interested to read that all the other positive comments like mine were from the women of the group.

I believe the iPad is aimed at a market not currently tapped. This device will suit people, who have not entered into the Apple arena as yet. For example, people who want an e reader, but wish to try an Apple product, may well be tempted to go this way. Just as the iPod Shuffle 'caught' people into the Apple web, I believe the iPad will capture the netbook/e reader market.

I have an iPhone, MacBook and an iMac, and have absolutely no use for an iPad, but I don't for one minute think that Apple doesn't know what they're doing. While this device doesn't suit my needs, I'm reluctant to join the chorus of people hasty to dismiss it's niche in the current market.

I believe the proof is in the pudding. Wait and see what happens with this product in the next twelve months. I think people will be surprised. Those in Geeksville anyway!

Things I've achieved

I'm following along on A Creative Challenge and have listed some things I'd like to achieve this year.

I've already started to roll a few things in motion and I'm glad I've got the focus and am trying for it to snow ball. I have scrapped quite a bit in the last few weeks, not loads but much more than I've done of late. My Copic marker collection has grown substantially thanks to some birthday $$$ and I'm playing and learning more about those. I forgot to mention in my 2010 goals, that I wanted to finish all the digi classes I've bought too. I love the self paced classes and bought them on sale, and am a little sad that I didn't do much over the holidays. Where oh where did those 7 weeks go?

This week's task on A Creative Challenge is to brag about things you've achieved. I like this because I am so hard on myself, and often feel 'not good enough'. I know no-one out there is judge and jury, and that it's all in my head, but I want to shift that way of thinking. Plus there's always the not so good things in one's life and I need to try to push them aside. They were all so long ago, but I wish my memory was as foggy of those things as it is with many others........maybe the clarity is there for a reason. The good Lord has ensured I will never repeat my old mistakes. I always was one who learned the hard way, but I did learn. I know there are many many people who just keep making the same mistakes over and over............

* Landed a job straight out of school (thanks to my Dad asking at the local health insurance company) The girl he asked is a Facebook friend of mine these days......and I've not seen her in over 25 years.

* Travelled overseas when I was with my first husband. I was so game back then, and walked around London on my own, and travelled on the underground on my own. I felt quite comfortable finding my way around and wasn't scared at all. I even did a bit of searching to find my Uncle in Vienna even though we were only dropping in a few weeks before our real scheduled visit. We befriended our bus driver, who was moving on to driving the bus at the Munich Oktoberfest Contiki Tour. He told us it was very unstructured and that if we just showed up, they wouldn't know we weren't supposed to be there. So for a few days we had a free tent to sleep in, and a free shuttle bus to the Oktoberfest.

* I'm proud that I left my first husband, permanently at the third try, I was so misrable. Just a shame I left him for someone else, and didn't try things on my own. Ah well, live and learn.

* When things all went pear shaped with ds#3 I'm so pleased that I moved up here to be with my family. I have missed Geelong for many many years, but have never regretted moving up here.

* Even after my back surgery, and being far from recovered, I went and moved away. I had no money, but the support of my parents and the love and support of my new partner. Thanks to Peter I was able to live in Hervey Bay in a gorgeous two bedroomed unit. We often reminisce about how little money we had. He would sometimes send me $5 in the post and that was enough for a stubby and a packet of cigarettes....... My books were paid for and I had food, albeit simple things like peanut butter, cheese, bread and two minute noodles.....on the weekends I always cooked a good meal and enjoyed my time with Peter. Every weekend was like honeymoon time, it was pretty special and I'll never forget what he sacrificed for me. He moved in with his parents so he could afford to help me study and eat......my austudy only covered my rent. This time away from family, taught me that I could do quite well on my own. Being the oldest person in my class, I was the Mother Hen figure and I loved helping out my friends. My work was always done in a timely manner and I would always help type out assignments of my friends. We had a ball in Hervey Bay.

* Maintaining a part time job and studying in Brisbane when I moved back to the coast for my next two years at uni. In my final year of uni, I was doing another degree externally, although I never did finish that one, the maths in the Applied Science degree was beyond me......

* Having a good enough result in my marks and interview that I landed a permanent position. Now that's something most teachers who graduate can't claim, not in this state anyway.

* The birth of my children. What can I say? They have forever changed who I am. I am a better person for having my children. They've given me joy and love that is beyond measure. The difficult early years have given me an appreciation for life that I can't explain. I love that I've given my parents beautiful grand children. I love that my children are a living symbol of the love and life that Peter and I share. I love watching them grow and develop into amazing people. I love that God gave me the job of being their mother. Because of my children, I have also begun to nurture myself more. I appreciate and maintain my friendships better. My love for my children has led me to scrapbooking and given me the impetus to explore and understand photography.

* Being a partner in a business. Starting Daisy Chain Scrapbooks with Barbi. After 8 years I'm involved in the store more than I've been in the intervening years and I'm excited about that.

And all this stuff, doesn't even address all that I'm grateful for. My life is truly truly blessed and for that I'm eternally grateful!

I scrapped

I am very happy with myself. I scrapped yet again. Ali Edwards, one of my most favourite bloggers, is running a week long item on digital scrapbooking. I was interested in reading it, it's always good to pick up some extra tips. I was pretty happy that she gave away a free template today too, and, in my bid to scrap the everyday, I did a layout straight away. It's very very simple, but I've told a story and I am happy with that. I have quite a few layouts running around in my head, so I feel good about that.

The week has quickly come to an end. The last full week of kids home on holidays. I am very sad to see it end. It's been great. This weekend will be fun, and on Tuesday Mum and Dad will come and join us four our annual Australia Day festivities. I've got my menu organized and am looking forward to a lovely day celebrating this wonderful country of ours.

Last week of holidays

Supplies, Kit by Karla Dudley, date stamp(January) K Pertiet, BG paper, can't remember....

I'm always a bit slow on the uptake with things. It takes me a while to get my act into gear, to really focus and plan what I'm doing. The whole project 365 started last year, and, while I loved the idea, taking photos every single day and recording our daily lives, I made it to about day 2 lol....... While I am not putting myself under that kind of pressure, I'm really going to try to photograph more of the everyday stuff. I love photos of food, I don't have the equipment or the time to set it up properly but I'll do my best. The above layout is my home made pizza which the whole family loves.

We've just been in town. Am very happy I got six pairs of leather shoes for $190. The kids were well behaved, so we had a very late morning tea at Donut King, and even met Julia and she sat with us while she had her lunch. We thought it was going to be really busy (with all mothers leaving back to school stuff at the last minute lol).....but we were lucky, just drove into a park.

Billy-Joe bought a deck of UNO carsds, so we're going to have a few games. Pizza chicken for dinner tonight. One day this week I might buy some nice ham and we can have a salad for dinner. It's so hot this week, perfect salad weather.

Relaxed days

Kids home, peacefully playing, Mummy enjoying them, enjoying husband, enjoying keeping house, enjoying life!

Playing on the computer this afternoon.......

This image captures all that is pure.

A Year in Review

A good week so far. I scrapped one layout. Template is from Designer Digitals. Papers are from other places lol.......(I now know why I don't upload layouts onto message boards, it's hard enough to scrap without keeping track of what everything is.....) You realize how quickly a year goes by when you do a year in review.

It's been hot this week. I've not had the a/c on all week, but I think I might cave now, the afternoons are of course always worse. Kids have had a great time at golf so far. I've done some Daisy work, scrapped. I had to have a nap today, not always a good idea, during the day, I think it's the heat. I haven't been on my Wii fit all week :(

I still want to organize my scrapping stuff this week and declutter some more.

Fun times of 2009

* My birthday dinner that was catered by Laurent

* All the Daisy retreats, including the card maker's one in October

* The kids playing and getting along

* Dinner at my parents house with all of us present

* Mothers Day

* Kids playing golf, and doing well

* My nieces old enough to come and visit on their own

* Book Week, only because I love how cute my kids look, not because I love the whole costume thing.

* Rainbow Beach

* Meeting my cousin Sara for the first time

* Christmas

A quiet week ahead

The kids are at a golf clinic all this week. I'm quite excited about the possibilities. I plan to do some more work on Daisy's site, and even fit in some digi scrapping. It will give me time to declutter too. I've done under Sammy's beds. The under the bed boxes are empty, so I may be able to reorganize somewhere else now, to utilize that space. I'll have time to catch up with my parents, and have another Thermomix demo to go to. I went to a Tupperware party yesterday. It was a lovely afternoon, seeing as it was held by one of my closest friends who prepared the most delicious food (all in her Thermomix) I bought some more plastic plates to replace the old faithfuls I've had for years. I'll keep them for picnic plates, but not for upstairs anymore. The kids used them as their first dinner plates, so the knives have left scratches in them. The new plates will only be used for sandwiches and snacks, so will stay nice. I wanted new plastic tumblers too, but can't afford them at the moment. I know Tupperware is expensive, but it's good stuff. Many of my pantry pieces are well over 20 years old. I've decided when I've got some money to spare, I can revamp my pantry, by replacing the lids. The new Chilli colour is vibrant and would suit my kitchen well too.

On Saturday I had time to play with my Copic markers. Billy-Joe is enjoying them too, so I'm doubly glad I've got them. Can't wait to have more colours. Karen and I are having a ball building up our collecting, talking about papers, youtube videos and ideas. Lots of good fun, and much easier than what the scrapbooking has been. My card collection is actually quite low, so I need to hook in and make some more. I hand made the cards for Mickey's birthday party on Saturday - it was for two of his friends. One card I already had, but I made another on Fri night using my markers....I realize now I should have photographed it.

The kids are having a ball on holidays. I'm going to miss them this week. I love hearing their laughter, and seeing them together and happy. Family Bliss! Nothing else like it.

I scrapped

I had a fabulous day today. And a very productive one too. In the morning Suzy came and brought her kidlets around. Bailey has an undiagnosed cat allergy and she wanted to see how he reacted. They spent two hours here. Suzy and I chatted. The boys played on their DSs and on Mario Kart, while Lily enjoyed playing with Izzy. So much so, that when she was told they were going home, Lilly had Izzy draped her arm. It was so funny. That kitten is amazing, she played with Lily the entire time and never got cranky, never scratched, never bit. Kittens can often scratch by accident, let alone when they're constantly picked up and not left alone. Izzy slept for four and a half hours after Lily left. I think after the attention we've given her, someone else's child is a walk in the park lol.... Very nice to know she's kid friendly. Bailey wasn't too interested in her. For the sake of our experiment, we had him pat her...... we were quite excited that he never had a watery eye or a single sneeze. I hope he stayed that way.

After Suzy left, we had lunch and I spent until well after four working on the website. I prepared a Carbonara for dinner which was just delicious, and also made a salad. In the early evening I started a digital layout and updated my blog with my goals for this year.

Thank goodness no one follows my blog because of my digi scrapping. For a start I don't do enough, and secondly I never remember whose stuff I use........

The journalling reads as follows

Every year I struggle with Book Week Parade. I’m so glad that Peter always helps me out and has some good ideas. He’s supportive and I can count on him to get any accessories I need. The reward is just the delight in my children’s eyes. This year, Sammy went as an Egyptian God, (Of course) and Mickey’s theme was an aboriginal one, and we were lucky and had a t’shirt with aboriginal art on it.

I am endeavouring to be more structured and goal oriented in my life. I know I need a map to get there, so I've signed up with Donna Lingard on A Creative Challenge.

Below are her exercises for Week 1. I don't even know if I can answer some of these. My life seems so simple.........okay, here goes.

1. Magic Moments of 2009

What were some of your Magic Moments?

Talking to Sammy about things which really bother him.

Watching the kids play golf.

Having some great fun nights with my husband.

Spending more times with my girlfriends

Tasting some fabulous wines

Eating some divine food which I cooked.

Falling in love with audiobooks

What was extraordinary in your life?

That my kids are growing up and things are getting easier

Amazing accomplishments?

Not sure about amazing...

Learned how to use Leopard (and Snow Leopard) really well

Adapted to using a MacBook

Read more in depth about my camera and am using more settings

Actually watched an entire two series of a show I was really interested in

Important decisions you made?

To ge gentle on myself, things don't have to be perfect all the time

To concentrate on my debt and reduce it to suit my reduced work hours

Exciting experiences you had?

Visiting Rainbow Beach for the first time, and staying in a nice big house

Food and Wine Show in Brisbane staying at the Mantra

I've kept my goal of a fairly personal nature. I will always give my best to my children and husband and that's always a given. These goals are for my own personal well being and my own sense of growth. I know that looking after myself only turns me into a better wife, mother and all round person. The more I give myself the more I have to offer.

2. Goal Setting Time

20 quick goals These are the very first ideas that come to mind

Scrap more. Digi or paper

Make more cards

Learn how to use Copics

Buy more Copics

Exercise regularly

Do Wii Fit Plus regularly

Play Wii with the kids frequently (and beat them!!)

Take more photos

Lose Weight

Blog/journal more regularly

Try to set more goals

Become more ambitious

Go to the movies more

Try more new recipes

Get rid of more crap and organize belongings better, eg with Ikea wardrobe stuff etc.

Learn Joomla

20 goals dreaming without limits

Go on a cruise

Go overseas often

Eat out regularly

Own a Honda

Pay for my kids to go to university

A bigger house

Take cooking lessons

Actually have my whole house matching and in the same state of repair/age

All walls painted

20 goals for 20 years look way into the future

3. Top 10 Goals for Twenty Ten

Learn how to use Copics

Lose weight and exercise regularly

Scrapbook more

Take more photos

Get Daisy's website to where it could be and keep it evolving.

Spend more time with family

Play more with the kids, the Wii is awesome for that

Organize wardrobes in all bedrooms.

Buy Billy-Joe a new bed

Paint rooms

I need three more goals. I'll have to think about them.

Welcome 2010

Didn't seem all that long ago, I was lying in a hospital bed, watching the fireworks over the GABBA while my baby boy lie in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at RBH. The fireworks were hailing the arrival of the new millenium. Now that baby boy is ten years old.

Sammy and I celebrated our birthdays a few days ago, and we had a fabulous day. Bunny and I decided that a new kitten would be a good idea, and we welcomed Izzy into our family. She is just an absolute delight and we all love her very much already. We had a talk with the kids, and explained that we couldn't replace Charlie, nor could we bring her back. Sammy wanted another Charlie. I'm sure he thought we could somehow replicate her. He misses her very much. Billy-Joe and I went and picked her up. We walked inside, Billy-Joe made Sammy sit on the couch and covered his eyes. We placed the new cat basket on his lap and the kitten inside it. His reaction when he opened his eyes was just beautiful. He couldn't believe it. He said he was having a beautiful dream and that she was just gorgeous. He even sat while he was having afternoon tea pinching himself to see if he was indeed awake.

She's been very good. She's already housetrained, and is no trouble at night time. I go to bed and leave my door open longer than normal just in case she cries and she's been great. She usually goes into the kids' rooms in the morning to say hello. She's settled in very quickly. Peter and I like it when the kids go to bed because then we can cuddle her lol......

The New Year is here. Full of possibilities, that's the fanciful and possibly unrealistic outlook....we're planning on more of the same. Bunny working huge hours. Money always needing to be watched, but bills paid and good food on the table, our annual holiday, fun times with family. On a personal front. I'm not sure. I know I need to get some weight off again. That's a lament that's boring me to tears, but unfortunately is necessary. Not sure what tack I'll take. I thought exercising would be a breeze with the kids on hols, but we've been busy, there's still chores to be done, and just chilling out together at home. We haven't even been to the beach together these hols as the weather hasn't been conducive. There are bluebottles abound at the moment, so it's best to stay away. I want to be healthy. I don't want to hurt anymore. Don't really know what I can do about that though. I have work with Barbi on the website, I'm excited about where that's heading. I still have much to learn, and a long way to go before the store is online but I've started making inroads.

On the kid front, my children will continue to play golf. I'm hoping they don't want to play footy. We'll see what happens there. So lovely to have them playing with nice kids and to have them at the same venue, and the fact Daddy can enjoy it with them. He enjoyed watching them play footy, but it was onerous having to drive here there and everywhere, and the whole footy culture is just not my cup of tea. Billy-Joe I'm going to have to watch closely again this year. I have to spend more time with him than the other two, I can see that.

I will think more about my goals for 2010. I don't make resolutions, but I do make intentions. I've learned to be softer on myself. It makes my goals more realistic and achievable.

Goodbye Charlie Goodbye

It's Boxing Day and I should be talking about the last two days and posting photos. I have a sad post which I'll get out of the way first. And what happened deserves a post on its own, not just as an addendum to my Christmas post.

On Christmas Eve night, over 15 years after we got her - Charlie died. Our cat.

Our kids have known no life without Charlie. They loved her so much. I must have sensed her days were ending. I've let her inside more, and let her sleep on the cool slate floor. Sammy used to go out and see her several times a day. We were brushing her, because she was moulting terribly. I was buying her different food to give her variety. Sammy loved giving her a tin of food and watching her eat the lot. She was a good cat. She would kindly share her food with the butcher birds, scrub turkeys and whoever else wanted to eat her food. They could just walk by her and eat from her bowl. Maggie, our resident magpie would share the bowl with her, and they'd both be inside downstairs with Peter...... When we moved across the road, I thought we'd have to lock Charlie inside for a few days, no she just followed us across....she did love us. Most cats are attached to their environment, she loved us.

Peter and I both cried so much. He said it was the worst burial he'd ever been to. Bunny has always had a philosophical attitude toward death. He sobbed..... Charlie would come up to the letter box everyday when she heard Peter come home, and then go up to the car and snake herself around his legs while he took his boots off.

Sammy barely cried when we told him. Mickey and Billy-Joe sobbed. Both nights now, I've had to give them huge cuddles and wipe away their tears. Mickey slept with me because he couldn't sleep for thinking of her. Last night I had him in with me for an hour and then he was able to go back to his own bed. Sammy crumbled yesterday. He didn't want to be out. He wanted to grieve in private.

The kids enjoyed their Christmas Day, but it was tainted with moments of down times for them, especially for Sammy.

Today, Boxing Day, is a better day. Peter and I feel much better too.

Charlie is buried down the back, with a full Egyptian burial site, her bowls and food with her.....

Quick Update

All the Daisy Girls.

Dot points because I'm busy, but want to update

* Valium helped me with the heart rate and feeling like doom was pending, but gave me worsening headaches......I get headaches anyway, without getting worse ones. By last Thursday I'd taken so many pills and nothing would touch the pain. That night I took no valium. No headache Friday morning!! I've had a racing heart a few times, but not as bad. I've started taking St Johns Wort so that is helping I think. I'm sleeping not too badly.....

* Went and saw Avatar 3D on Sunday with Billy-Joe after we finished our last minute Christmas shopping, movie was awesome. I just loved it. So glad decided to go and see it. I really wanted to see this, going to the movies could be my new hobby.....love it.

* Baked my fruit cake. Tried to weigh it but it's too heavy for my kitchen scales......weighs a tonne when I hold it in one hand. Tastes divine!! Linzer Augen are done.

* Had my hair coloured by my favourite hairdresser, my sister in law. Cath trimmed Sammy's hair too. I'd cut Billy-Joe's and Mickey's a few weeks ago and they're both still neat.

* Went to Daisy's Christmas party last night. Dinner was at a local pub. Food was great and the company even better. What a lovely night, thanks to Mark and Barbi's generosity. I got some little gifts too which I love.....

* SuzyQ is home from visiting her family, so I got to spend some time with her yesterday, which was lovely. Got a great present, a book from Kikki K where I can keep my receipts. Love it. And some gorgeous red tea towels which are washed and on the line, because I want to use them tomorrow...

* Tackled the shops this morning for the last shop before Christmas. Came home and Bunny put up my Christmas branch, will post photos later in the week. He deboned my chicken and I stuffed it with mince, pistachios, garlic, onion and ham, and sewed it into a roll. It's roasting now as it will be eaten cold tomorrow night.

* Tonight we're going to have Fish and chips down at the beach and go looking for Christmas lights.

* I still have to finish wrapping gifts.

* Tomorrow, I'll toast the almonds and cut up the wombok for the Crunchy salad. I'm making a hommous, and cooking french stick slices so they're crunchy. I'll top them later with feta and cream and smoked salmon for the late afternoon nibblies....

* Two boxes of wine have arrived. Loads of delicious sparkling wines and my new favourite 2 Wheels Rose....

* Am excited........

The good, the bad and the ugly

At Carols by Candlelight on Sunday night. The lady across the road wanted to take my boys, but I wanted to go too. As her car was then out of action, I ended up taking her. We had a lovely time. She's a very kind and generous lady and even bought us sausages in bread and iced coffees.....she also bought the kids glow sticks. The music was good and it was a pleasant evening, finishing with a great display of fireworks. The kids loved those....first time they've seen them close up since they were babies and would cry at them lol......

When Peter went downstairs to go to bed on Saturday night, he found this snake on the verandah. She was checking out Charlie. He brought the snake upstairs for me to see, but I wasn't really expecting it when I opened the front door!!! I patted her and thought she was beautiful. He let her go down in the backyard......and no the snake isn't the 'ugly' part of my post lol......

There's been lots of good happening of late and a little bad. No ugliness really, just had to make the title sound good!

The last two and a half weeks have been a little up and down, thankfully the trend in the last two and a half weeks has gradually and steadily gone up. Prior to that, things weren't good.

Every year, at this time of the year, I feel like crap, probably from before then too, but I've really noticed a pattern. I feel so tired and overwhelmed it's horrid. I emailed a close friend and told her of my heart racing and sense of doom. It's like I have a long list of 'to dos' and even though I'm organized I feel like I'm not getting anywhere. She said it sounded like a panic attack and that I should go to the doctor. I read up on panic attacks and I wasn't sure that's what I was having as I didn't feel like I was going to die, just like I had to react quickly. I felt so calm and relaxed and my insides were in turmoil. A girlfriend of mine explained it like the duck swimming on the lake. Above water all you see is a calm duck gliding around the lake, but under the water the little feet were going a hundred miles and hour. That's me..... I was so looking forward to the holidays, I'd not finished buying my gifts, I'd not cooked anything, it was still too early, I was busy, but organized, so I couldn't understand what I was feeling. I say 'no' to things I don't want to do, as I don't want to over extend myself. I protect myself a lot from over commitment, because of my depression and feelings of not coping...... The doctor was just lovely. He told me I was having anxiety attacks and that I could take a half a valium at night time just for a few weeks, just to get me over this time. Obviously my anti depressants just aren't enough in times of stress......even nice stress, which then becomes distress for me....

The half a pill gives me good nights sleeps, because I wasn't sleeping well anymore, and I feel calm and the racing heart has only happened a few times in the two weeks. The doctor said I could take half during the day too, but I haven't felt the need.

In the middle of the concerns for Christmas, I have been working on the website and feeling way in over my head. It's just become increasinly obvious that when the site was created so that we could manage it, it was done hastily and with no real thought to ease of use, or the future. Me trying to take over something created by someone no longer on the scene was creating an awful amount of stress on me....... There were such huge expectations on me and I'm not sure I can come to the party. I'm feeling a bit better now, I think the calm pills are keeping things in perspective for me. I've got the site to a point though, where it will be all new, and easy to use. The front page looks so much better and the shopping cart, will be built from scratch. I feel so much better about this now. I still have a lot of work ahead of me, and a steep learning curve, but it feels attainable now. I'm thankful that this time we're not dealing with an arrogant web designer like last time, but a young woman who is giving of her time and knowledge. A much nicer working relationship......

My Christmas shopping is all but done. When I wrap on Thursday (when the kids are at holiday care) the inequalities will become glaringly obvious, but I want to have a better view of things with everything out and wrapped, rather than just squashed in my cupboard. One of my children's gift tally in $$$ is much lower, so I may balance that out by buying something which will benefit us all. I've still got to get Peter's gift too. He wants a golf practice net, and the kids can use it too, so that's a visit to the pro shop which isn't a hassle. I've begun my baking, so that's a nice feeling. Now to not be tempted to try more than once lol...... Tomorrow I'll do another lot of biscuits and I hope to get my fruit cake done too. Next week I will have time to make some chocolate thing...not sure yet. I might even make a Panforte or Almond Bread. I also still want to get my hair coloured before Christmas although it's not diabolical, because I went a little darker last time and the regrowth isn't noticeable.

Two weeks ago I did my girlfriend's annual Christmas Album Class, I finished it last Friday and it's just gorgeous. I do enjoy playing with scrapbooking goodies. However I've not bought anything else for paper scrapping, I'm just over the clutter.......I've done a digi layout and had fun with the classes I'm doing. I'm still scrapping, taking photos and writing down my stories, so I'm happy with that.

Over the last couple of days my son has been teaching me how to play Spore.... I'm having a ball,but far out it's hard. I want to train my mind, I want to be able to focus better, so this takes speed, accuracy and thought......anyone who thinks kids' computer games are mindless wastes of time, really have no idea what they're talking about. There are so many thought processes involved.....its quite amazing really.

Just playing

I had a weekend of just relaxing. I needed it very much. It had been a long week. Need to update in detail but not sure if I'll post it here. All is good now though.

I signed up to a template class on Renee Pearson's website. I've caught up on six days of classes and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. I've been following the prompts as closely as possible on the Holidays in Hand class from Jessica Sprague's site.

On Friday I had a busy day. My iMac was finally repaired and I had the long drive to go and get it. I had to take all the kids with me as they 've now all finished school. I came home, hooked up the iMac to the Time Capsule and in under two hours the computer was running with EVERYTHING exactly the same as it was. I didn't have to reinstal a program, add a single bookmark or personalize anything. Even Billy-Joe's Sims games was exactly as it was the last time he played it. I'm so glad that when the iMac started playing up in May, that I went out and bought the Time Capsule. To have a cloned version of my entire hard drive is invaluable. Not only are all my settings safe, but of course my music, movies and photos too. I'm even happier than ever with my decision to go with Macs.

On Friday we also put up the Christmas tree, and I got to take some photos. I'll edit more as the days go by and upload them. I used Scott Kelby's portrait editing tips on the above photo and considering it was the first shot, taken with the incorrect white balance setting, it turned out lovely. I'm looking forward to editing more pics. It's been ages I've taken photos, and I'm excited again....

Technology

I love Technology with a passion........alas the more gizmos one has, the level of problems go up incrementally too. I had internet issues yesterday, and, instead of just ringing Optus and getting my modem reset, I rang AppleCare and went through the convoluted trouble shooting process to make sure my Time Capsule was okay. I ended up having to ring Optus anyway to get my connection issues sorted......entire process an hour and a half..... Unfortunately my Time Machine wasn't doing the scheduled backups on both my iMac and MacBook......grrrr. I decided to leave the problem till another day.

Today, I was organized early because I had work to do. Unfortunately I'm like a dog with a bone, when I have technical issues, so I rang AppleCare and spend an hour and three quarters on the phone. Two technicians later, and we had it solved. Resetting the Time Capsule just gave it a conniption with my passwords........on both computers!!!!

All fixed now. I have deleted old backups. I'm not sure how the old ones are supposed to 'fall off' when room runs out, but I got an error message saying that my TC is full! I'll just delete them manually. I don't need to go back that far. Love the automatic backups though, because I wouldn't remember.

Ahhh...............I feel better now.

Update

I formulate blog posts in my head nearly every single day. I could write something every day, but rarely get around to it. I wait until my thoughts and emotions are brimming over and I'm worried that I will forget them, so I hurry on over to my blog.

It's a quarter to nine in the morning, thankfully it's not going to be a hot day, just 26°C today which is respite from the heat we've been having. Last week there were many days with the a/c on and I was already worrying about Summer's electricity bill. My winter bill was higher than normal, Summer's will be worse I think.

I've done lots already this morning. Kitchen is tidy, we've breakfasted, dishwasher's finished, a load is on the line, I treadmilled, took the kids to school, showered when I got back and I'm ready to sit down and do some work. From last week, I've been doing some work on Daisy's website. We are going to make our dream come to fruition albeit many years after its inception. I have been collecting images for when we can revamp our site and get the shopping side of things happening again. There are exciting things afoot at Daisy's. Barbi has rented out the adjoining office space, which is a much needed area. The shop will become the largest shop in Queensland, even Australia I think. And where other shops have a spartan approach to decor and merchandising, Barbi's store is brimming with stock. It will be great for the girls to have a separate unpacking and prep area, plus Barbi will have an office, where she will truly not be bothered. At the moment, she works behind a furry wall, and is not left in peace for long. Customers know where to look for her lol.........

The kids have a week and a half left of school. I am very excited to see the end of term. I'm glad they don't have the added week like the state system, we're all ready for a rest.

Christmas is coming up very quickly. I have been doing Holidays in Hand, a free class which was on offer at Jessica Sprague's site. This is now the second year and the third class she's offered a freebie. It's a great introduction for people out there toying with digi scrapping, and even paper scrapbookers, and hybrid ones too. She's a very clever girl. I read posts on the forums of many a newly addicted person. I'm also looking forward to her Brushabilities class which has been offered again. She has a 20% off sale, so a great time to have a look, and even buy one for a friend. I'm always keen to learn how to use PSE better and she's a very good teacher. Her instructions are always so clear, I've never even had to put a 'help' call out yet. The Holidays in Hand class focusses on your memories of Christmas, current ones and those of your childhood. I've done the outline for the journalling of the entire month, so I'm pleased about that. I think I'll do it in an 8x8 digital book. I'm doing Suzy's book next Tuesday. Always a work of art I'm excited and looking forward to this annual event. I think it will be my fourth album, or maybe fifth - I'll have to look. The week has unfolded well for a close friend of mine. Her husband has been out of work for many months and they received the news yesterday that he had some work. It's only temporary at this stage, (I think), but may well roll over into more work. I'm very happy for them. It's not easy when your income has dropped so much, and I take my hat off to her, for keeping it all together. She's savvy with money and has done an awesome job at not only supporting her husband in his endeavour to find work, but in her ability to keep things travelling along comfortably. Christmas, is always a financial strain and would have been a big one for them.......I'm very relieved.

I have soooo much Christmas shopping still to do. I've made one trip with my parents, but that is always mainly to help my parents with me and my family, although they're not done either. I've still got heaps to get. My time is short, kids will be home soon, although, much to their chagrin I have put them into holiday care one day a week before Christmas.

Ok, I'm off to work now....

Happy Anniversary Bunny

It’s my wedding anniversary today. Peter and I have always celebrated two anniversaries, the one where we got together 19 years ago, and when we got married 13 years ago.

The last 19 years have gone by in the blink of an eye. So so quickly. In some ways I feel like not much has been packed in, and then I glance at my three boys and know that’s not so. Thirteen years ago, we married and our vows begun with ‘Today I marry my friend’. Were we to renew our vows, that same verse would be repeated. Through all our trials, frustrations and disappointments, there’s a strong and deep love and respect for one another, that seems to always float to the top. Sometimes it takes a lot longer to float to the top, and that’s an unsettling time - thankfully it always does.

While our relationship is not perfect, I know that I’m always trying to work toward that goal. Our strongest quality has always been that we are able to talk to one another, with honesty and without fear of reprisal. This doesn’t happen of course during the heat of an argument or in the midst of cross words, sadly.......but when things are quiet, there are no distractions and we take time out for us as a couple, we can always reconnect.

Today I downloaded ‘The Five Love Languages’, a book by Gary Chapman. It’s a book I’ve had a brief understanding of the concepts but have been meaning to read for the last ten years. The book is based on the premise that we all give and receive love different ways. Some need ‘Words of affirmation’, or ‘Acts of service’ or ‘Physical touch’, I can’t remember the other two, but these are the main ones I remember as they are strong players in our relationship. It also works on the idea that if your ‘Love tank’ is empty, there’s nothing left to give.......and I can so relate to this one. I’m looking forward to delving more deeply into these concepts and to applying them to my marriage.

In the voice of Dr Phil ‘Your love for each other is the greatest gift you can give to your children’. I believe that so strongly.

Happy Anniversary Bunny! Looking forward to a yummy roast pork dinner.

Love you. Forever and Always.

Chef Laurent launches his books

Remember the French Chef that my darling organized to cook a gourmet dinner for myself and five of my girlfriends? Well, he launched his cookbooks tonight with his wife at a book launch in Maroochydore, that I was very excited to get invited to.

Many of the foods which he has in his new books, include a few he cooked for me, were on fully laden tables. Suzy and I had a ball tasting camembert brioche, decadent chocolate cake, home made sorbets, white chocolate mousse, lemon tart, caesar salad, chicken and avocado wraps, just all good wholesome healthy food. Added in the demo of the Thermomix, and it was a great evening.

It was so cool to see Laurent, to buy a book and have him sign it, and see him enjoying the fruits of his labours. I love food, I love to cook, I love natural flavours, strong flavours......and seeing someone else taking that passion and interest to a whole new level was intoxicating.....

What a weekend

It's Monday morning and I'm very happy to just be moseying along at home. My chores are done. House is vacuumed, copious washing is almost all done and put away. I'm happy to be having a cup of tea and a piece of toast for morning tea, while I wonder where on earth my energy has gone....

We left Saturday morning, on schedule and dropped the kids off at Nanny's place. We drove onto Brisbane with Barbi's directions firmly clutched in my hand. They were my lifeline lol..... Pity I got the street name wrong though. We drove along a road, I still don't understand why we were on..... Actually that whole area of Brisbane confuses me. With one way streets and complexes taking up entire blocks, it's hard to get a grip of, for me anyway....

Finally with the help of a lady at a 7Eleven store, we found our way and checked into the Mantra Hotel. I loved this hotel. We will definitely stay here again. With a $250 per night price tag, it wasn't cheap, but worth every cent. Having paid for it months ago, always softens that blow too. The valet service, meant we didn't even have to park our car. A buffet breakfast was included for Sunday morning. We checked in, left our luggage and car in their capable hands and we headed to the Food and Wine Show, both really looking forward to a drink even though it was 10.30am!! We made our customary stop at Grinders, for the best coffee I've ever tasted. I went back three more times, and had a short black each time, just delicious, and I haven't drunk black coffee in years!

We walked around and started tasting wines, and I was surprised by a couple. I found a delicious Rose from Monahans Estate. It was a chardonnay/shiraz blend and had a lot more body and flavour than they normally do. We watched Matt Moran's show, which was fun as always, but some of his stories were a bit tired, as we'd hear them before. Might see someone else next year. Peter had to go and say hello to the people from Saddler's Creek Winery. He ended up signing up for a members' deal because he's been so impressed with the quality of their wines. We also ended up going to a dinner and tasting that evening with them as hosts. It was an expensive dinner at $140 a head. The function was at Era Bistro. The food was exceptional, actually if you peruse the menu, the foods we had are on the menu. I was happy to see that we didn't just get the mass produced stuff. I was sad that we'd eaten a late lunch, and I could only eat a small portion of the food. I was not at all hungry. In hindsight, we should have eaten lunch at the show much much earlier. The wines we tasted (comprised of 9 wines, which were glasses not tastings!!) were very very good. Having been drinking all day long, I was very very careful with the evening's offerings. I drank lots of water, and simply sipped at my wines. Had I even not been at the show all day, I wouldn't have been able to drink nine glasses lol.....I would have had fun trying though. Needless to say dear Bunny had to eat all my food too, and drink most of my wine as well......you can imagine how he felt yesterday morning, while I felt very smug.

The hotel bed was very comfortable and large. Not large enough that I didn't hear the snoring though, thankfully by 1.30am Peter quietened down a bit, and I dozed on and off all night. In the morning we were thankful for a late check out. We had a breakfast which was just divine. I was hungry and looking forward to it. The pastries were delicious and the muesli was the best I'd ever eaten. I wish I could have tried the waffles, specialty breads and cooked hash browns as well... There was so much variety. It was nice sitting watching the world go by. Many of these venues along Grey St open directly onto the street, so the warm air comes in and you can really enjoy the outside while sitting inside. Even the Era Bistro was the same, very clever and combining the indoors with the outdoors - signature stuff of the area we live in.

I also bought a new fry pan, seeing as I killed my Scanpan one...... I hope we don't kill this one.... I also bought a Christmas pudding . I bought the rum and raisin one, absolutely delicious.

Sunday, after breakfast, we walked down along Southbank, and enjoyed the markets. I didn't buy anything, I wasn't really interested in anything, just happy to be out in the fresh air sans kids..... We spent some time in the museum, as we knew it would be cool. We left Brisbane, after lunch, and came home to pick up our kids, who were happy to see us.

I was in bed very early last night, just after 8.30pm!! Next year we'd like to go on the Friday. It's far too busy on the Saturday. We enjoy talking to the wine makers and they have more time to spend with you on the Friday. I think the food would be much better too. The meals we had from the Wild Oats Restaurant, was a little mass produced this year. I wanted to eat at 11am, and Peter said it was a bit early. We couldn't get near the place though until later in the afternoon, and this impacted on our evening meal...... The show is definitely becoming more popular each year though, as the number of people was huge.....

Testing Flock

I'm a sucker for new software. I can't help myself. This browser has lots of functions I've never seen in another browser. I'm updating my blog with a function built in the browser....... Check out Flock if you're interested. Google Flock.......hang on I'll post a link.

Being on a Mac, it automatically takes me to the download page for Mac OS X. Not sure if Flock is Windows compatible.

Blogged with the Flock Browser