THE START OF SOMETHING NEW!

Well, it was time for a change, I thought! Something lighter and brighter. I'm not too fussed with my first attempt at hand-made banner but it was a fun experience!

A family of sick children and recovering MIL has left me drained and exhausted. I've had the drive to scrap but not the energy and when I have felt up to it, the creativity seemed missing. D'oh!

As I haven't shared any layouts with you for a while I've popped a few on today.First is my favourite layout of the moment. The lovely Debbie B of The Scrap Heap Inspiration Team challenged the rest of the team to create a "Then and Now" layout. I decided to finally scrap these old photos of Chris and his two brothers over the years. Loving the new Chatterbox papers from the CHA US Summer Release, especially the Decorative Cardstock! This one was in the Newsletter yesterday!

The next layout I have attached is my attempt at the current trend of Boho Chic, using some yummy papers and bits and pieces and a beautiful photo of Taylor taken a year or so ago.

The last one was one done for the Elsie Flanagan Weekly Challenges based on her fabulous Idea Book, this one was Challenge 1 - to use strip journaling (which I love to do anyway!). I was inspired by Elsie to do a journaling "stem" to my flower. Lovely photos from Jason and Rebecca's Wedding last November :) (Sorry, didn’t scan well!)

On to other things and I'm getting excited about the footy, with Colllingwood definitely in the AFL finals. Our form's not great but anything can happen and I'm crossing my fingers for a repeat of 1990 when we hit the finals in a similar form and shocked everyone by taking the flag! Oh well, one can dream!

It's a funny time of year on the TV front with the changing of the guard; one lot of shows finished for the year, the next lot including some new ones, starting up. I'm enjoying "BONES" which sees the return of one of my fave TV actors, the yummy David Boreanz of "Buffy" and "Angel" fame. But the big excitement is of course, the return of Australian Idol. I'm not a big fan of the early auditions, although Taylor enjoyed them (so I suffered through some of it) but now we're up to the final 24 I'm hanging out for the next show! No doubt we'll be texting off our votes each week like last year. It's something fun that Tay and I do now although Chris is totally horrified, lumping it in there with Big Brother and Survivor, but I consider it more of a talent contest than reality TV.

A big Happy Birthday for yesterday to Mel Millar's beautiful PRINCESS RANI! Happy first birthday sweetheart! Darling girl is in hospital awaiting a liver transplant - please send all your most positive vibes winging her way.

And a big, big hug to my beautiful niece Rhylie, who has had a bad trot of it herself the last couple of weeks with Pneumonia and a severe UTI and other complications. She is missing her Daddy, who is in his final days of training at Kapooka with the Army. Ron will be off to Bandiana soon for further courses. It's been hard for him being away from his girls, but we are very proud of him.

Also big kisses to my darling Daddy, who has had his own medical unpleasantness during the past week or so. News is pretty good though, and of course we are all thinking of him and the kids send Pa big hugs!

To all of you suffering the seasonal lurgies, including some of my fellow scrappers and their families, sending hugs to you all (((( )))) and catch you on the next entry!