Thanks Ali

I'm really excited. I was just browsing around on the 'net' and checked out Ali Edwards' blog. She has this great display of a 'type drawer' with heaps and heaps of photos in it plus other bits of embellishments. I was just impressed with the whole thing.
So, following her prompts I googled 'type drawer' and instantly found one. It's just like hers and was selling on Ebay. It even comes with some history. It was made in 1890 and came to Australia from England.
I can't wait to make it into a great feature of photos etc.

So, Ali has been really inspiring me lately. Got my albums and pages organised and now I plan to 'copy' her idea with the type drawer.
Thanks Ali!!

What I've been up to this past week

I have been spending quite a bit of time with my grandchildren. Both Sara and Andrea moved houses. So since Thursday school pick up time till school drop-off time on Friday I have had Monty. And then Andrea's three children from late Friday untill Sunday afternoon and then again, Sahn all day Monday.
Phew!!! I am tired but.....I loved the fact that I could do it. I have a photo of Sahn in the shopping trolley...she is just not excited about the camera coming out these days. Orson finally found a toy to play with at his new home......everything else is in boxes!! And Blake was having a 'ball' (literally) in a bigger backyard. The backyard needs a lot of attention but we'll all get to that in a family working bee.

Colin and I went to The Temple last week as well. The first time I've been back there since having been diagnosed. It was so peaceful and beautiful and I always feel like I am 'coming home' whenever my eyes see this beautiful building.

Made some yummy bread rolls. In fact the bread maker is hard at work as I write this so I can make some more. Nothing like homemade!!!!!!!!

I finally took Riley to kinder and got some photos of him. He is growing so fast. He absolutely loves having a 'day with Nanna'. He asks to come over constantly.

And I have done a bit of creating. A card for Martins' birthday (he's gonna be 30!!!!!!!). And four more pages of may cancer journal. I am finally up to starting the chemotherapy treatment. I think I've done 18 pages already. It's so interesting re-reading my experiences then. I feel like I have woken up from a bad dream....and yet in my own words the whole experience is there.

Driving Monty to school this week he asked me two questions. "Are salt and vinegar potato chips a family tradition?" I had to laugh...I can't stand them but everyone else seems to like them.....so my answer was, "why not?" Anything can become a family tradition, right?

The next question was, "what is the oppositie of tomboy?" I thought the answer was a 'girly girl'....but no. He meant if a boy likes to do girls things. I couldn't think of any 'nice' terms for this one at all. So, we decided it wasn't good to label anyone at any time. Phew!! I mean I couldn't say some of the things that came to mind to a 7yr old.

Today I am going to do some more on my cancer journal. I'm kind of eager to get it finished so I can scrapbook some photos.
And, with that intent I had better get away from my keyboard!!!

Loved Freezing Saturday

It's been a busy week!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a great day on Friday. A crop at my house!!! It was the best fun and so nice to be with others who love scrapbooking like I do. Some of my friends want me to start running classes for them from my house. Not sure about that! At least not yet!
I did get 2 single and 1 double layouts of Harrison done. Which means his grand total of completed layouts has now doubled. I am to keep doing some more of him....he is such fun scrapbooking material. Being nearly 2yrs old and getting in to everything....it's just the best!!!
I got a newsletter from the Scrapboxx last week and only just looked at it. Their design team is amazing. Loving the layouts......great for me to copy. I use up more ink on my printer printing off layouts than I do photos. Who needs magazines???
Wednesday I am going with a few friends to Paper2....introducing them to a bricks and mortar store. I am sure they will spend plenty!!!

I loved the freezing cold weather we had last saturday. Real 'overcoat' weather. I have been hanging out for this type of weather....hot chocolate, home made cinnamon rolls...happy family, a bit of scrapbooking, a good book. Love it all!!!
Saturday night we had tickets for a performance from the BYU Ambassadors at Kingston Centre in Moorabbin. This is a group of 70 young singers, dancers and musicians from BY University in Utah, USA. Their performance was fantastic!!! They sang and danced music from the 50's to the 90's. I hate to admit but I really related to the 60's music. Saturday, in the park......la la la la la...!
On Sunday a lot of the performers were at our Church meetings because they were billeted with member families. A small group of them went to the home of our dear sweet young friend Taliane who is dying from cancer. She is now blind....and is pretty much out of it most of the day. These young Ambassadors went there to sing to her and after they had been there I spoke with a couple of the girls and they were in tears at the amazing experience this had been for them. They are the same age as Taliane (22) and could so identify with this young mother of two small children, loosing her battle with cancer.
I heard later from Taliane's husband, Jon, that Taliane was just mesmerized. She didn't know they were coming until a couple of hours beforehand and it was an especially strong spiritual experience for them all.
Last night went to a Fireside(meeting) from our Church Relief Society......there were about 200 there and the speakers were so inspiring.
I am enjoying being able to go to these events again. It's been a long time. And...like everyone else....I love to be nourished spiritually as well as emotionally etc.

Today, I finally went and did the Drug Allergy Test at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. It was really fascinating how it's all done, and then watching for reactions etc. The culprit is what my aneasthetist thought it would be....one of the muscle relaxants!!! I may have to go back to have further testing of drugs withing the same family....to have a complete picture of the whole deal.
Funnily my mobile rang when I was only home a short while and it was Rod Taylor the aneasthetist....to ask if I had done the test yet. So I was able to tell him the little I knew.

So, in a space of two weeks I've heard from both the surgeon and the aneasthetist who were part of my whole anaphylactic episode.

Time moves on and it was good to be able to tell both of them that I am now in remission....and am hoping to stay that way with the help of the 'wonder drug' mabthera.

Another busy week coming up. Both daughters are moving houses and I am booked for some heavy babysitting duties!!!!!!!!

Enough is Enough

It seems like I'm right back into the 'everything is medical' phase again. Two weeks ago I had the shell of the abscess removed from my neck (the one that caused the serious infection earlier this year). Last week I had to go and have the wound checked...and tomorrow the stitches will be removed. So that's one thing over and done with.
Then it was for a blood test to see if my blood is still doing good.
Last thursday I had the first of my once every eight weeks treatments....mabthera it's called. Back into the day oncology at Brighton Cabrini. It seemed like I hadn't had the 8 weeks break at all. It's a funny feeling really. I am in remission but to keep me there I have to have this treatment so I really do remain a cancer patient for another two years.
Now I feel lethargic and a bit nauseous but nothing like what it was on chemo. And....hopefully in a few days I will feel better again.
It's like have chronic fatigue constantly. No matter how much sleep you get, you just don't feel that bright and alert.
Today I have been for a hip xray. My Oncologists thinks I may have arthritis in my left hip! How does he know....well it hurt really badly when I was sick with the infection earlier this year and as soon as I was back on chemo the pain went away. Chemo is a great drug for arthritis pain!!! So now I have to have that investigated.
It's all downhill once you're over 50......maintenance constantly!!!

Next week I have my drug allergy test at the Royal Melbourne Hospital which is going to be interesting. In fact the surgeon who had to abort the operation got in touch with me the other day via a friend of mine and then rang me as well. He said some really special and nice things and he still has a very strong memory of the all the events of my anaphylaxis cardiac arrest and never wants me to return to him for surgery.......then he said 'only joking'! But, he is a cancer surgeon so I really don't want to return to see him. A christmas card once a year is enough.

Had a wonderful Mothers Day. Grandson Riley(4yrs) wanted to come and cook me a mothers day breakfast because they had just finished a yummy one at home and he wanted me to have some too. How sweet and gorgeous.
We all met at Andrea's home.......everyone made a special contribution towards a yummy dinner and dessert.
The grandchildren were all in fine form and played really good with eachother...for a change.
I got some lovely, sweet presents. Shoes, lots of 'stuff' from dusk (love that place) and a gorgeous long knitted jacket in dark purple. I feel totally spoiled.

Havn't done any creating. Well that's not true. I did help DIL, Tambi last week. She is making an album for our son, her husband for his 30th. So she came over and I helped her put some pages together. Thank goodness for the cuttlebug and the cricut. I made yummy home made pizza for lunch. The bread maker makes the best pizza dough and it's so easy.

I've ordered some more scrapbooking 'stuff'. Some from the US and some from Aus. There was a I love Elsie paper that she first brought out which I really loved and once site actually still had some so I ordered a few sheets. And from the US I can't really remember what I ordered except that Ali Edwards latest book (been out about a year) was very cheap so I know I am getting that.

Have to buy some more Printblocks D Ring albums as some of my grandchildrens' albums are overflowing. Will have to go to Paper2 for them I think they are the closest store that sells them.

Number 11

I've known for a couple of weeks but wasn't allowed to spill a word........however....now I am allowed.

So, here is the spill. I am going to be a grandma again!!! Number 11...proudly sponsored by eldest son Daniel and DIL Carolina. Their fourth child.....and after having 3 boys already guess what they are hoping for??????

So exciting....I'd better get some of the recent photos of their youngest, Harrison scrapbooked.....I just can't keep up.

Exciting news though....whoopee!!

This is a card I made for Carolina's 30th birthday.

I really love the colour combination, pretty happy with this design

Then of course, I had to make a 2nd one because that's my 'thing' to do with every card

that I make

Some of my 25 albums that I now have...organised chronologically or individual for my

10 grandchildren. I hung tags on each of the d-ring binders to identify who or what is in the album.

Part of getting myself organised. Mostly everything is back in albums.

I did take pictures of the piles of layouts that I had, but I can't find them now. Maybe I accidently deleted them from my camera because they are nowhere to be found on my computer.

Oh well, I am not going to pull everything out again.

I just ordered some of the lovely birds chipboard that collections have put out. So gorgeous. I have also been drawing some birds of my own and also a butterfly or two.

I wish that cuttlebug were bringing out a bird die. Not tiny birds but medium size ones.

I also ordered some of the strong clear transparency that hambly have put out....got to get into the transparency book thing and have a play with it.

I showed it to Colin and he said they use that occasionally at work, and he will check out in the factory store room to see if there is any laying about.

He also had the guys at work make me some clear acrylic stamp blocks. I got quite a few smallish ones but several of each size. Because that way if I am using a couple of stamps regularly on a project I can keep them all sitting on the blocks ready to use.

Saved me a few $'s

Now that my big project of organising is done, I can get back to working on my cancer journal. I still have so much to do on that.

Friday I met daughter Sara at Southland and we went to see Maid Of Honour. It was a fantastic movie and we had lots of laughs. Had lunch at TGI Friday and had more laughs together. I love spending time with my girl!!!!!!!

Tonight we are going to Hobsons Restuarant in Sandringham to celebrate Carolina's 30th birthday. Love that place!!!

And...tomorrow is a family BBQ at Braeside Park so we can meet Andrea's Matt. He is from Brisbane and has come down twice now to meet her. She has been up there once and is going again later this month. Sounds like they are pretty serious...and in all likely hood she will move up to Brisbane. (can't cope with that thought right now!!!)

It's such a beautiful day today that I'm going to do something creative!!!!