Well that 7 weeks just flew by....school starts back for me next Wednesday. I am off on a team building retreat on the coast later next week. Its a nice way to ease back on into the school year.
Barney (my brother) has left us for a few weeks...he's traveling north to visit with friends and explore a little more of the sunshine state. We are missing him at the moment. It's been so nice catching up with him and we are looking forward to him coming back.
Crockett has managed to pick up a 16 week contract with a branch of the ICC, hopefully it will turn into something....if not...well the agency he has been with have told him that they will take him back on any time.
Boo is set to start school again...she is so excited to be getting back into it. She'll be in year 6 this year (holy moley!) and in the senior stage of our little school. She is well and truly in the cruel grasp of her hormones at the moment...and her life is all sunny and happy one moment and tears and hurt feelings the next. UGh!
Lolly is all wrapped up in her own little world right now. She has a boyfriend! It's so sweet watching her navigate her way through this new stage of her life. She has some very firm ideas of what is and isn't proper behavior...you go girl!
Well thats all for now, we are just floating along here at the zoo and hoping for the best.
These past few weeks my brother has been staying with us. He is on the start of a round Australia bike trip. We have been having a blast reconnecting and finding the closeness that we shared as kids.
Now...as you know I find it hard to get out of the house. I'd much rather be left alone in my safe little cage here in the zoo. But since Barney (my brother..not his real name) has been here we have taken a few road trips! Somehow every time we've taken a day trip Lolly has been at Sweetie's house. (Sweetie is her boyfriend...also not his real name)
We took a very wet drive to Mt Tambourine a few days after Christmas. I hadn't been up there in years....it's gorgeous!! Even with the leeches!!
Then yesterday we went to Queen Mary Falls....the views are stunning.
It always amazes me that so many people flock to the coasts when there is so much to see in our little corner of Queensland.
Last night in a fit of insomnia I went on a bit of a trip back through the archives of this blog.....wow I can't believe how big my kids have gotten. Some of the video footage brought tears to my eyes. These two girlies of ours are in the throes of puberty (yes even the little one) and some days I look at them and wonder just when the aliens came and abucted the real ones.
Other times though, we get to see the gorgeous young women that they are fast becoming....and oh I am loving it!
Yes it has been over a year since I last posted...and what a year that was. It saw a lot of changes for the Zoo family here. There are a lot of things I am just wanting to put behind us...and still some changes we want to make. Hopefully 2010 will see us turning a corner here.
The Zoo family spent the first few days of this year at one of our favourite places to camp. I got to spend a lot of time taking photos, reading, messing with a little art and doing a lot of thinking about what my "word" for this year would be.
For the last few years I have take Ali Edwards lead and chosen a word to be my mantra for the year. After much contemplating I have chosen the word ACCEPTANCE.
I suffer depression....and sometimes it spirals and is ugly. For 2010, I am going to face this head on and move right through everything. Given the pain and turmoil I experience at time, I need to accept that I am not the person I used to be. I need to accept that somethings are beyond my control. I need to accept that people don't know how I am feeling unless I tell them. I need to accept that I am doing the best I can with my children and my marriage. I need to accept compliments graciously. I need to accept me for who I am at this point in my life.
I know that acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. But I will do my best to move forward positively and with hope.
Earlier this year I applied for a position on the Feeling Scrappy design team...and for whatever reason I didn't get chosen. I have come to know Jodie well, and she is always very positive about my style of scrapping and the fact that I stand outside the box, and after giving her lots of encouragement she has started playing with paints and glitters. (you go girl!)
Anyways, while I was out at her shop the other day, fossicking through all her yummy goodies she asked if I would still be interested in holding a DT position with her shop. Ummmm...YES! And guess what...I got it..easy as that!
I am sooooooo looking forward to working with Jodie and passing on some of the things I've learnt in my scrapping journey to others.
Here are three layouts I created using one of the Cloud 9 packs available in her store.
*Oh man...I really have been listening to too much Disney Channel
This is an interesting question and one I was discussing with a friend a while ago. She is a CM all the way type scrapper and she had the hide to say that my work is not really scrapbooking its art with a photo attached. I don't say much when she gets on this stand...but it got me to thinking.
Yes it is art...LIFE ART! I am taking pieces of our lives (the photos) and turning them into works of art for my children and my future generations. A love of love and emotion goes into that art...a lot of time...a lot of me...and sometimes a little bit of DNA (I always seem to stab myself and bleed on a LO when stitching LOL). I am a big believer in telling my/our story...and while that is not for everyone it's part of who I am and why I scrap.
I am not about telling the general details...like we went here on this date and blah..blah..blah. But more about all the little things I want the girls to remember about themselves and about our lives together. DH was raised by his grandparents...both of whom have now passed on...his mother has passed and his father is only now starting to be a part of our lives. My grandparents have all passed and sadly we have very little of their stories to tell....but I am determined that my children won't have that problem.
So I think it's a bit of both....it is art...but art is what you make it. Art is a piece of you....and is it so wrong to take that and put it to something that you want to remember?
You and I have been through so much. There was a time when we were first making our way in this world as mother and daughter that the days were tough but I look back on them with pride. You taught me about a real no strings, no boundaries kind of love. You have been special since the moment I found out you existed, and the journey we have taken so far has been the best journey I have ever travelled.
There is only you and your sister and you are both very different people. You are each special and incredible. I know that being the oldest is not always easy. I know that I have made learning mistakes with you, and that does not seem fair. Your dad and I have always done everything in our power to make the right choices for you and for our family. Sometimes I am sure that it seems that Kate gets a lot of extra time and attention, but that in no way means she is more important than you or that we love her more in any way.
You have just turned 13! We are starting to have some ups and downs as you are well into you begin theprocess of breaking free. There are bound to be times that we will disagree, moments when we will feel that you are so wrapped up in your own life that we no longer matter, moments when we will be sure that you feel we have no clue about your feelings, and still a bit of fear of your growing up from both your side and ours. There will also those awesome moments when we will see you as the adult you are turning into.
This is a milestone birthday. Many new freedoms and responsibilities come with this age. Before you embark into new adventures, there are a few things I want you to remember and hold in your heart. We love and believe in you more than you know. We do remember how it feels to be your age. You are going to discover that you still need our advice, and that does not mean you are weak. You have a few year to go before you graduate high school. You have many dreams and goals for the future. While you are still in our home you have a built in safety net, use it. Learn as much as you can from us now so you will be prepared when that day comes that you leave the nest and fly. I know some days it might feel like we are against you but believe me our intentions are only to give you every possible opportunity to be the strong, independent, smart, beautiful woman that you are becoming.
We love you, we am very proud of you and we do accept that you are growing up. Just know that you will always be our baby and that it is a good thing. We apologize for our part for any disagreements we may have in the future. Please just remember who you are and where you come from. Remember that we love you and that no matter what happens in life, your family is always here. Like it or not. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl
I can't believe it has been so long since I posted here! A lot has happend at the zoo in the past two and a bit months...Crockett has changed jobs, we have had more fur babies arrive at our house, Lolly officially became a fully fledged teen and we had a visit from Grandad!
All too much to write in length about but I will make a few photo posts now so you can see whats been going on.
After much encouragement I finally took the step and entered some layouts and photos into the Rosewood Show....and look what happened
First Prize - Single Page 3 photos Third Prize - Double Layout
First Prize - Single Page one photo Highly Commended - Single Page one photo Third Prize - Single Layout 4 or more photos Second Prize - Single Page 2 photos Highly Reccomended - Special Occasion
