Looked out the kitchen window this moring and saw all the dew drops on the mini Japanese maple, it looked so pretty. Andy was obviously very taken with it, because I found these pics when I took my art journal pics.

Day 17 Art Journal Challenge. Yippee, Rhonna is back so I am back to her quotes again. Bother, I found heaps that I really liked.

Day 16 Art Journal Challenge

Day 15 Art Journal Challenge. Looks like I am on my own doing this now. Rhonna has had some trouble on her blog and is not posting any more quotes. Now that I have managed to get to Day 15 I am not keen to give up, so have decided to find my own quotes and keep the challenge going.

Workout.

Today has been a me day getting lots of bit and pieces done. We have just had one of those PowerPlate shops open in town where you stand on this machine in a squat and it vibrates like crazy. Apparently it contracts the muscles heaps and is the equivalent of an hour long workout. Anyway they have a free introductory session so I figured I would give it a go - wow, I can't believe how puffed I got just standing still and tightening various muscles. I can even feel the familiar tired ache of worked out muscles too, so it must work. Hmm, maybe combining that with the gym might be a bit of overkill.

Headed into Whitcoulls again (can't keep away from there lately), and picked up a leaflet on NZ Book Month. No giveaways, but they have excerpts of 25 books written by NZ authors. They are in the middle of judging at the moment and the top 6 will be sold in Whitcoulls. You get the opportunity to read these and pick your own top 6.

I have also made the decision about going back to work, and figured I don't really want to lose the freedom that I currently have unless it means I am working for us in a business of our own. To that end, opportunities keep cropping up and we are actively pursuing a couple of different things at the moment. So even though I am not going to work immediately things are definitely heading towards that way and the opportunity has got us thinking and talking in that direction again.

Day 14 Art Journal Challenge - loving these quick and easy pages. I think I need to take the idea of these and extend it to scrapping my photos too :-)

Day 13 Art Journal Challenge

Pick Me.

Yep, I was the annoying one that you get really peeved at in the supermarket! I knew I needed something at the deli, but there was a huge line so I figured I would get it after I had everything else. It wasn't until I had unloaded everything else at the checkout that I remembered I hadn't got it. The checkout girl gave me the OK to go so I ran and there was still a line. By the time I got back there were 3 people waiting behind my processed groceries. Oops! Lots of sorries etc, but did I feel guilty - not a bit!! Absolutely gorgeous day today, ya gotta live in the sunlight!

The baby cards that I spent the day making at my lss on Friday, bottom left one still to be finished. Lots of fun making these, the first cards I have really gotten into. I think I might have the bug now.

Day 12 Art Journal Challenge - nice and quick and easy for a lazy Sunday when I am trying to update my blog with dozens of pics.

Day 11 Art Journal Challenge. No quote posted by Rhonna today, so I went into the past challenges and found one that I really liked.

Day 10 Art Journal Challenge

The very proud new boat owner. Sarah puts the newest bu through its paces and can't stop smiling. Roll on summer!

Launched.

9 children, 8 adults, 5 cars, 1 boat and 1 lake and you have the perfect setting for a boat launching party. The weather was looking good this morning with lovely blue skies everywhere - launch party at 1pm! We all rug up and head on over to discover just how cold it is at the lake in the middle of winter when the wind is blowing into the camp.

Hugely successful day though with everything going very smoothly and Huw and Sarah being the proud owners of the newest Malibu in the Club. Lots of driver changes as they start the running in process. It is finally pulled out of the water with 2 hours on the clock and we have a celebratory bubbles to confirm the success of the day.

So the camera has lots of pics of the boat launch but none of my scrapping projects and now the light is not good enough to take a pic without the flash and I don't like how they come out!

Cards

For some reason we run late this morning and it is a rush out the door to get the boys to school on time. I go to the gym and do my full workout - the second day of weights in as many days for the first time in about 3weeks - just as well I have the weekend to recover. Home for a coffee and then off to my LSS so I can actually get some scrapping done. Aside from that it is way too cold to sit around at home.

I spend a very pleasant day the owners of the store, apparently most of the other ladies come a bit later. My aim was to get stuck in and make some cards which I managed to achieve - 3 cards completed and another 2 that need some finishing touches. Get a huge fright when I realise that it is now 2.30 and I have to pick up Nick at 3pm so we can get to the hockey game by 4pm.

Wrap up in the warmest clothes I can find and watch the boys put their best feet forward - not good enough unfortunately, they lost 2-0, although Nick came very close to scoring 2 goals. Andy tells me when he arrives that Sarah's new boat was delivered to their place at 4pm so we are heading there after the game.

Woohoo, new carpet and upholstery in the boat smells so good, the boys climb in and around, Andy shows Sarah how to hook up the hose to flush it out and the boat makes its first throaty grumbles - very exciting, bring on the champagne!

Home for pizza for dinner and I have just hopped out of the spa pool in an attempt to warm up a bit - very warm now :-) I am also way to lazy to go and take any pics of either my art journal challenges or the cards I completed today, so you will have to wait until tomorrow.

Homework

Nick hard at work on his science project that he has worked on continuously for the past 3weeks. He has been so interested in getting this done - I guess his chosen subject has a lot to do with it. He has been testing the aerodynamics on all his model cars in the hope of finding the most aerodynamic vehicle. I tell ya, I have learned more about streamlined vehicles than I ever wanted to know, I guess it will come in handy one day though. Andy and I have been watching Nick in amazement at how dedicated he is to this project, jumping on the computer any chance he gets to do more research - he is so completely different to way his brothers approach their homework. Keep it up Nick and you will go far!
 

I can't believe this, the shortest day tomorrow and look what I saw in our garden today. That gorgeous yellow really makes you feel warm and sunny even if the weather is cold and grey.

Day 9 Art Journal Challenge

Day 8 Art Journal Challenge - A couple of firsts here, printing the text onto a transparency and painting the background - cool fun.

Day 7 Art Journal Challenge