Trial, Error and Inspiration

I am new to scrap booking, so always on the look out for inspiration and also just a general guide on how to layout on the page nicely.
Whilst reading over at Alison's she had completed a mood/layout challenge and I liked the layout idea, so I borrowed the page layout and gave it a go.

Still not 100% happy with it but liking it more with time.

Tea Time

Today I would open my door with eagerness as it is bitterly cold outside and I wouldn't want you standing out there for too long. So stamp the mud off your boots and come in where it is nice and warm.

I guess you have come over here from Abi's, so nice to see you. I am actually quite glad to see you as I am home today and not at work as I was feeling all blah and low this morning so didn't go to work. So having a friend come over to visit for a while is just what I need today.

Let me get you a drink, as it is so cold outside then I can offer you coffee, tea or even a hot chocolate. I do have a few biscuits in the pantry but not much as we are trying to cut down on how many we get each week at the shops.

Well come on through to the living room, by the way did you see the small clear space on the study floor as you passed by? That is what I managed to clear this morning of the boys toys, let's see how long it stayes like that for.

So what have you been up to? How is work? Are the family all well?
I do so love to sit and chat and catch up with everything that has been going on in our lives.
Work for me is going well, I am enjoying my 2 jobs and managing to combine them together nicely. I am still enjoying helping out at school 1 day a week and have become inspired to try and come up with things the children can do that runs along side their topic of that week.
Oh by the way, please come and see the back garden, isn't it looking so nice now that we have grass growing out there? It has only taken us 5 years to get to this stage, but I am impressed with it.

And as I have just remembered that this is your first time to visit me here is a flash back of what the garden looked like when we brought the house.

I am very proud of the work my husband has done out there.

My other news to tell you about is that both of my cousins are having babies this year. One is due in about 3 weeks time and her sister is due in September. The boys are so excited they love little ones and can't wait to babysit. If they had their way we would be babysitting for them in the first week, but I have had to explain that maybe we will wait until they are being bottle fed before we have sleepovers!

Is your drink alright, do you need a top up? maybe another biscuit before you have to rush away?
It was so nice of you to stop by and visit today, although I hope the bitter cold snap we are having passes soon as it is icy cold when you open the door at the moment, so when you leave please do wrap up warm and don't hand around outside too long I would hate for you to get cold.
I look forward to meeting up with you again next month and hopefully we will all have lots to tell each other.

Take care and thanks for stopping by x x

Friend Makin Monday

Tis Monday again and time for answering some questions to help people get to know you better.
Kenlie over at All The Weigh puts up some questions for you to answer on your blog every Monday. Must admit some weeks I don't answer the questions, especially when they have  no interest to me although I do love trying to answer questions that are about weather and of course my seasons are out of wack with hers, so makes for some interesting answers. Todays is a little like that, the questions are all about summer and of course I am sat here with the heating on wondering how many more months we have until spring gets here? Sadly it is too many to count as winter officially rears its head on Saturday, so it is months away!

If you want to take part in this then answer the following questions on your blog and link back to Kenlie's so others can come and get to know you.
Leave me a message as well if you play along then I know to come and visit you too.

Summer Fun

1.  What is your favorite summer fruit?  I like strawberries. And we buy them at ever possible opportunity until they disappear from the store. Grapes too.

2.  Do you know how to swim?  Yes, although it is not one of my favorite things to do

3.  Do you prefer sun or snow?  I like both, but you’ll never hear me complain about sunshine. However if dressed correctly for the snow I have been known to ski. Sadly snow in NZ is a little spare unless you climb a very high mountain. The boys have seen the snow but not too much of it, sadly they will grow up without seeing too much of it!

4.  What temperature do you like most inside your home?  we have no A/C running in the summer, we just rely on the doors being open to allow the breeze through, however when it gets chilly we turn the heater on and keep it at about 21c (70 F)

5.  Is it humid where you live?  Sometimes, but you can bet that we get rain pretty soon after the humidity going up!

6. What is your favorite food to put on the grill?  Steak, although I do like chicken kebabs as well.

7. Do you prefer to wear a one-piece  or two-piece swim suit?  I would love to think I could wear a 2 piece but alas it is always a 1 piece.

8.  What is your favorite summer drink?  Anything ice cold from the fridge, oh and non alcoholic.

9.  Do you prefer the pool or the ocean?  As mentioned above, not a great fan of swimming but a pool over the ocean.

10.  What are you looking forward to most over the summer?  We have just had summer here in New Zealand but at the time when it was here I was looking forward to a lovely 3 week holiday away with the family and starting my 2 new jobs.

Sadly summer now feels like a life time ago. As I pull on my sweats and jumper I wonder if we will ever have warm weather again, but I know it will come and when it gets here we will glorify in it whilst it is here. Enjoy summer in the northern hemisphere, it will be gone before you know it.

Desktop for May

Still practising with my scrap book programme.
Here is the latest desktop for this month of May

It's Coming

Yes, once again Gallo Organico aka 'Rinda' is holding her annual Summertime Photography Scavanger Hunt.
She gives you a list of 21 items to photograph between June 1 and Sept 21.
You can look for them all in a week, a month or take the whole time.
Some people try and complete the list whilst on an overseas trip, others just dawdle away the time at home and do 1 or 2 items a week.

The boys and I, well in fact the whole family, had such fun doing this last year, the boys talk about it often and always ask if we will do it again this year.
Well here it is, starting June 1 when Rinda will publish the list the scavenger hunt will be on for 2013.

You want to join too?? Well go on over to Rinda's Place and follow her blog and then you won't miss the big start day. If not watch this space as I will definitely have the list up at the start of June.