SCRAPPED WITH ELLIE YESTERDAY

I went to Ellie's house for an afternoon of scrapping bliss - I even managed to start an LO with some new paper she has in stock - BTW, if you live in or around Pinetown, you REALLY do want to pop in and see what she has - some yummy stuff. What a divine afternoon - we giggled and giggled and giggled and then we scrapped and then we giggled some more. There were many emotional moments too - thanks, girls, for sharing your stories ... funny and sad ... THIS IS WHY I LOVE SCRAPBOOKING SO MUCH .....

Having a lazy Sunday - may pop to Gateway for a bit of retail therapy just now and then going to my SIL, Mandi, to celebrate my MIL's birthday. Happy Birthday, Liz - hope you have a fantastic day with loads of pressies - we love ya!!

Whatever you all do today, ENJOY!!!

Love,

BOM CHALLENGE No. 6

Well done to all of you ... you are all doing so well with our BOM Challenges ... a few a little behind (I'll let you in on a little secret - not quite finished with Challenge No. 5) but it is certainly not the end of the Planet ...

When I started thinking about doing a Book of Me (about 4 years ago) it was inspired by an Australian lady (I'm sorry, I forget her name - will try and find it so I can credit here with the idea) who actually wrote an entire book with topics and suggestions for completing a Book of Me. I downloaded a few of the topics and decided that I would change or add topics as I went along - I actually planned ALL the challenges before I even started posting them but as we progress I am having to make loads of changes to the topics as I feel we are growing so fast and there is so much more I want us to document - the GOOD, the BAD and the UGLY!!

Having said that, I think we have had some pretty intense topics thus far (with quite a few more to come) so I'd like to jump "ahead" and complete a "fun" challenge. I was going to try and create our BOM with the intention of methodically working our way through our lives but I have decided that we can move our pages around to suit where we think they belong once we have completed the entire project - how does this sound?

This next challenge wasn't on my original "list" and it does not require much research ...

BOM CHALLENGE No. 6 - MY HABITS (good or bad)

Do you find yourself saying or doing something on a regular basis (like almost ALL the time)? These are HABITS or QUIRKS that we develop through the years - they change as we get older and as we progress through different stages in our lives but generally they make us who we are. Do you have an annoying habit? or an endearing habit? Do others comment on something you do or say all the time? Ask your family, friends and colleagues if they have noticed whether or not you regularly display a particular quirk or habit - find out whether it irritates them or endears them to you. Do you have a special PHRASE that you use all the time - again GOOD or BAD? Do you display your habits physically? (eg. do you have a compulsion to play with prestik all the time or do you feel compelled to pick at a pimple if it dares to show itself on your face?) If you are able to define a specific "physical" habit, you may want to get somebody to photograph you while you are doing it and add this to you LO. You DO NOT necessarily need to use photos - let your story inspire you ...

This is sooo much fun as it will certainly give us (and others) an insight into exactly who we are ...

As I will be away on the 14th September, this Challenge will end on the 16th September 2008.

If you have any wild suggestions for any future topics, or if there is a specific topic you wish to include in your BOM, please let me know. In fact, why don't we CHALLENGE ourselves even further for some FREE STUFF???? Each lady who joins the BOM Challenge is required to submit ONE TOPIC to me that you feel is an essential part of your STORY - it can be serious or funny or silly. If I select your topic during the course of our BOM journey, provided of course that I do not already have it on my list (I promise to give credit where credit is due), I will send you a small something as a token of my appreciation of your input. When you send me your suggested topic, please elaborate with ideas on what we are required to include in this topic - we ALL need guidelines, girls!!! And deadlines and straight lines (me anyway) and boundary lines and .... tee hee ...

Good Luck and HAVE FUN!!!

Love,

P.S. If you are falling behind, I suggest you try and complete current challenges and make your way back - this will help you to feel less overwhelmed ...

ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE ...

Had a bit of a crazy day yesterday ...

Took my friend Belma to the doctor - she has UVtitus (?? a form of Arthritis) in her eye and had to have a freaking needle put into her eye - couldn't stay and hold her hand - sorry, Bel - just too creepy for me - ouch, my eye is blurring ....

Anyway, I digress as usual ... whilst Bel was being so brave I sat in the coffee shop at Entabeni Hospital (Dulce) reading a new novel (crazy, can read about or watch people cutting other people's heads off but can't handle an injection and can't watch car accidents in Action Movies ... I obviously need more meds or something ...)

I digress again ... Bel met me at Dulce (she survived her ordeal). We were sitting talking about the needle thing when we heard a bang and glass shattering. I thought, ok, calm down a trolley has fallen with glasses and crockery all over the place. Then I saw people running out of the front entrance to the Hospital - so I thought BOMB (evacuate?????) or car accident. I turned to look outside and saw a guy running (pretty nonchalantly mind you) out of the parking lot of the Hospital with a Security Guard chasing him ...

OKAY, I'll tell you what actually happened - Security had apprehended some guy who has been stealing money and personal effects and stuff at Hospitals in and around Durban. This mad dude escaped and ran right through the safety glass at the entrance of the Hospital - this glass is thick, people and shatterprufe - you can imagine the chaos. Poor Security man couldn't continue the chase - had been knocked on the head and bleeding pretty profusely and the CREATURE got away ...

Needless to say we left almost immediately amidst the confusion and shock ... I don't like stuff like this ... all I want is PEACE in the world - is that too much to ask????

Had to have a little nap after this ordeal - my way of shutting out the nasty stuff that happens ...

Greg is STILL in Zambia - hoping to have him home by the end of next week or the beginning of the following week - miss you, hon, and NO!!! I won't send a photo via sms ... tee hee (naughty laugh) ...

Gonna chill today (Saturday) - maybe take Bryce to the Aquarium at uShaka - believe the Dolphin Show is good and the Shark Tank pretty awesome. Then possibly scrap a little this afternoon - need to complete two challenges TODAY - what are the chances?????.

Have a great weekend!!!

Love,

BOM No. 1 from LIBBY

Here is an LO from one our new BOMMERS (ha!! made up a new word ...), Libby - wow, what a creative LO - well done!! Love the circle within a circle ...





and here is her journalling ...

JOURNALING IN THE CENTRE CIRCLE READS:

Mother to Julia - Born on 17 December 1993 at Parklands in Durban. Precious baby girl & love of my life.
Employee - Three Cities Management Ltd, Office Manager, Personal Assistant to Alan Vels, CEO.
Child of God - Born on 18 November 1971 at 6h35am in Scottburgh, Durban
Daughter to David and Charlotte Blowers, Brown hair, green eyes, 1,75m tall.
Currently single and happy with my life.
Granddaughter to Rhona & Stanley Blowers & Oupa & Ouma Mans.
Sister to Jennifer & Douglas and Step-sister to Darren, Brett, Clinton, Lumar & Leannie.

JOURNALING IN THE OUTSIDE CIRCLES READS:

Scorpio, Libby, Home maker, ex-wife, AVON Consultant, Scrapbooker, Quilter, Sister-in-law, friend, confidant, Aunt, Niece, Cousin, God-parent, Miglio Consultant, Justine Consultant.

Well done on completing your first BOM Challenge ... look forward to learning more about you as we take this journey together ...

Love,

OVER 1000 VISITORS - RAK TIME

I have just noticed that I have had just over 1000 visitors since I started blogging - who would've guessed? I figured I'd have to rent-a-crowd or pay my family to view my blog.

So, as a BIG thank you to all, I am giving away some more goodies .... sorry International ladies but at this time the postage is way OTT (over the top) so I can only send it local. All you have to do to be in the lucky draw to "win" these goodies is post a comment on my blog every day for the next week - ends midnight 4th September 2008.

WE LOVE FREE STUFF!!! WOOHOO!!!

Love,

THE EASIEST MICROWAVE COCONUT ICE RECIPE EVER ...

Yes, I am Baker-challenged but even I can't flop this recipe so without further ado ....

COCONUT ICE

1 tin Condensed Milk

500g Icing Sugar

2oog fine Coconut

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

• Warm the condensed milk in a bowl in the microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes.
• Sift the icing sugar in a separate bowl and add the coconut. Mix well.
• Add the icing sugar and coconut mixture to the heated condensed milk, a bit at a time, stirring well each time.
• Place mixture into the microwave on high for 4 minutes, stirring every minute.
• Add Vanilla Essence.
• Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish and allow to cool.
• Cut into squares and forget about your waistline and your spreading bottom and enjoy ...
• (If you want to you can add 4 drops of food colouring before you pour the mixture into a baking dish but I like it creamy coloured from the Vanilla ...)

This is my friend, Annie's easy recipe and I must say it is divine. I have never been a fan of Coconut Ice but this is delish ...

I'll post her easy micro fudge recipe soon - also the best on the planet ...

Bryce has Market Day at School tomorrow so guess what last-minute-mom is off to do now - yup, make Coconut Ice (Annie has already made the fudge, bless her heart ...)

Happy Eating!!!!

Love,

MAMMA MIA

Ooooh, forgot to post this on Monday. Bryce and I went to see Mamma Mia at Suncoast on Sunday evening - Rotary had organised a special preview screening of the movie and we were lucky enough to get tickets from Vashi - thanks, girl! Bryce and I went a little early and had a dinner snack (what is that?? Well, I guess it means a small dinner??? - I don't know - just made it up - tee hee ...)


We met Stuart, Belma and Cam there and of course Vashi was there with her son, Kabir and a bunch of other eager beavers just waiting to rock to the sounds of ABBA!!!


I saw the original Show in London in 2001 and was enthralled by the musical then so I was sooo looking forward to the screen version and I must say that I was not disappointed!!!


Pierce (Brosnan) baby cannot sing, bless his heart, but then again, neither can I - but he did look his usual hot self so I forgave the bad singing ... What an entertaining movie - I think made even more so because of the fantastic music - just love ABBA - made me want to get up on stage and sing and dance and also made me want to connect with old friends and have a "wild girl time" ...


If you get the opportunity to see the movie, go for it!!! Not an Oscar-award winning movie but certainly light-hearted and entertaining ... even Bryce enjoyed it but then he has his mama's good taste in music so I would expect nothing less.

Oh, and a huge first for me - I made Coconut Ice for Bryce on Monday morning - he had to present an oral at school - their task was to write out a recipe and then explain to the other learners how to make the dish. I didn't realise coconut ice was so easy. Will post this delish recipe soon - thanks to Annie who gave me this easy (even I can't flop this ....) recipe.

Greg is still away - missing him like mad - love you hon - only about 10 more sleeps ...

Well, I'm off to bed now ... Sleep Tight.

Love,

T (deleted my signature again ... must be blonde or ... er... silver?)

I AM SOOO EXCITED ...

I received the nicest surprise the other day ... I have been invited to become a Design Team Member for Journaling Junkie - how cool is that ... and so down my alley.

Those of you that know me know that I LOOOOOOVE to journal and my students can testify to the fact that I harp on at them about how important telling your story is ... so I am truly honoured to be taking part in their challenges - thank you Stefanie. (I will add details of the other DT Members soon ...).

This is one of my motivations for the Book of Me Challenges - to get y'all to tell YOUR STORY - not the cat's, not the dog's, not your kids or your hubbies, but YOURS - who will tell it if you don't?????

I will be taking part in a Challenge on the JJ Blog in the middle of September so keep a look out there - it's going to be fun!!!

I will also be loading the next BOM Challenge on Sunday so come back then to see what the next topic is. BTW, I have set some difficult tasks so far, hopefully we'll all find them easier as we go along (me too - whew I battled with the School and Teenage challenges ...)!!!!

Sleep tight!!!

Love,

MY SCHOOL YEARS - BOM No. 4

I finally completed my School LO for BOM No. 4 - my nerves, who would've thought I'd have so much to say ....

It seems to be a trend with me lately, I am having to add tags for journaling (these 8x8 pages are way small) ... here are 4 of my tags ...

Didn't scan too well but you can get the idea of what I did. My journaling reads as follows: -

I don’t have many photographs of myself when I was growing up and unfortunately, somewhere along the line I have suppressed memories as well (not sure that I want those memories back if they are too painful …) but I will try as far as possible to fill this “Chapter” in my Life Story …

I started school in 1978 at the age of 6 years old. This was apparently the year that my mom and dad were separated and got divorced so I am assuming it was a pretty traumatic time for me (I say “assuming” as I do not remember much during this time in my life or even through most of my childhood). My mom tells me that I was very clingy as a child and I can only imagine what going to school must have been like for a little girl who would not let her mother out of her sight. I attended three schools during my first year (Rossetenville Primary School, Dinwiddie Primary School and Mondeor Primary School) – I think primarily because my parents were divorcing and it was an incredibly unsettling time for my mom who had to support us without the assistance of my dad. I have a very vague memory of Mondeor Primary School, which is the school I attended in Grade 2 (1979) – I remember a playground with trees running the full length of the fence around it and I remember playing kissing catches (tee hee) in the trees. I vaguely remember visiting with a friend who lived on the main road through Mondeor and I think her dad was a dentist because I remember a specific medicinal smell at her house and when I go to the dentist now I have memories of visiting her. I sadly do not recall her name but I do recall that we had a close bond.

Then in 1980 (Std 1 or Grade 3) I went to a boarding school in what was then called the Eastern Transvaal (now Limpopo) called Lord Milner. It was in a town called Settlers just outside of Warmbaths. I remember feeling very lonely and often very homesick. I used to write loads of letters to my mom and nanna asking them to take me out of school but I believe now that my mom was trying hard to cope financially and it was especially difficult for her because she had never been allowed to work whilst married to my dad. I recall that my mom used to either visit us or take us home just about every weekend and of course we went home for the school holidays. All our clothes had to be marked with our name and we packed a steel trunk which we lugged back to school at the beginning of every term. I recall that we used to have a Tuck Shop card which we were allowed to use once or twice a week. I recall vaguely that we had something like R2 a month to spend at the tuck shop and that this was more than enough to keep us in treats. I also recall that every time we came back from a school holiday we would be armed with loads of biscuits, chips and other snacks to keep us going for the next few weeks – I remember Clifton powder so that we could make our own juice. I remember that the school was quite large with a number of houses/hostels where each age group would stay. I was in Clarendon House and my brother was in Smuts House. My favourite teacher was Miss Pieterse. She must have made a huge impact on me because she is one of the few teachers I remember. She was also my class teacher in this year and I remember loving school and excelling under her tutelage. I remember developing my love for reading during this time and I recall that The Folk of the Faraway Tree was my favourite book – Miss Pieterse used to read it to us in class and I would be absorbed and enthralled by this story. The food was not marvellous – I learnt to eat just about anything but I could not tolerate spinach so I used to sneak it to my brother’s table and he used to eat it for me because we had to eat all of the food on our plates. At break, if we were hungry we had line up and were served a peanut butter and syrup sandwich and perhaps an orange – sounds like a sad existence but it really wasn’t so bad. I certainly did not go hungry but as I said the food was not the best that I can recall. Looking back this was probably a time when I learnt an important Life Skill – that of independence. I believe this experience is what taught me to become independent and self-sufficient and I am grateful for having learnt these two lessons, albeit at such an early age.

From 1981 – 1984 (Standards 1 through 5) I went to St. Conrads Brothers of Charity College in Klerksdorp. It was a private Catholic School and I have only a few memories of this period in my life. I am not ready as yet to delve into my home life during this time but I recall that I was not particularly happy at home. I recall that my teacher in Std 5 used to pinch the girls on the backs of our legs if we did something that he was not particularly pleased with and I also recall that the Priests were particularly strict. My brother tells me of a time when one the Priests slapped me through the face as he claims I was being cheeky – I do not remember this incident although my brother says he recalls is very clearly – I am sure I must have had something extremely vocal to say after this episode as I cannot imagine myself standing by and accepting this kind of behaviour, even bearing in mind that the schools were still allowed to practice corporal punishment in those days. I remember that I spent a lot of time in the Garden of Eden which was a quiet retreat with statues of Mary in it. I sat there on many afternoons reading and just contemplating my teenage life, which was tumultuous at the best of times. I recall mainly my last year in Primary School, Std 5, as being a very social year with many teenage parties. I did not always have loads of the latest fashionable clothing and, since I was attending a private school where many of the families were incredibly wealthy, I often felt somewhat inferior to the other girls who were always (a teenage word) dressed in the latest fashions. I made some really good friends at this time though AND danced my first slow dance with a boy in my class at one of the “social” events of the year – a party at Monique’s house. Funny how, looking back, life seemed so simple yet so complicated, what with the teenage hormones raging and wanting to remain part of the “in” crowd. Fortunately I always had a strong sense of self – who I was and how I was not prepared to compromise my principles for the sake of being popular. I was popular, although the boys were quite intimidated by my maturity and self-confidence and by the fact that I was one of the top students in my grade. I did not have a boyfriend per se but I recall many “love” letters and secret crushes. I was a Monitor (Prefect) in Std 5 and took the leading part of Mary Poppins in our School Play.

In 1985 I attended Northlands Girls High School – my first year of High School and our move to KwaZulu-Natal from Gauteng (then Transvaal). This was also a traumatic year as I had to make new friends and it was not easy coming to a school where most of the girls had already developed close friendships from Primary School. I do recall that I enjoyed French and that I excelled at this Language as well as being academically strong in all other areas. Towards the end of 1985 we moved to Yellowwood Park.

In 1986 I started Standard 7 at Mowat Park. I remained there for two terms before moving to Grosvenor Girls’ High School on the Bluff so that I could settle in and choose my subject package for Std 8. It was certainly not what I had been expecting. I preferred this school to both of the other High Schools I had already attended and quickly made friends. I was not particularly athletic and half-heartedly attended PE and compulsory swimming and athletic events.

In 1987 I began Std 8 at Grosvenor, where I would complete my final year of school in 1989. I had chosen English, Afrikaans, Maths, Biology, History and Accountancy as my main subjects and even tried my hand at AddMaths for a term or two.

I went on my first “real” date in Std 8 with a boy from Church. I was not particularly happy with going to movies with him alone so I convinced my best friend, Nicky, to go with me. Imagine the surprise on his face when he arrived to pick me up and I announced that my friend was coming too. I did avoid the goodnight kiss and of, course, he did not call me again – mission accomplished!!!

By now, I had met Greg and was “totally” in love. We started dating in October and my school report was never the same … although I maintained an above average report, I certainly was not working to my full potential.

I was on the Debating Team which won me a prize for “Best Defence Attorney” at a mock trial held at the University of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, presided over by a real, live Judge – I was so excited. I was a member of the Durban Youth Council and took part in the Junior Achievement Programme, where we had to run a mock business and produce and sell an item for profit – we made boring T-Shirts and, sad to say, our little business was not very successful. I also took part in various school plays and I did a little bit of cheerleading (blush blush). I did only the bare minimum of sport required of me, after all, my excuse was that you were either a sporty person or an academic and I was the latter … (tee hee – good excuse, huh?)

Looking back I can see that I was being prepped for the role of Head Girl or Deputy Head Girl at the least. I was selected by the Headmistress and Teachers, together with Karen Manos, who became Head Girl, to go on a Rotary Youth Leadership Course – a weekend away where we were taught leadership skills. I did not recognise this opportunity at the time – I was focussed instead on my love life and my unhappy home life. I was elected a prefect in Matric and I was the class Prefect of the Standard 7D class. My favourite subject was Accountancy and I was certain that I would complete Matric and either become an Accountant or an Attorney. Although I received a Matric Exemption, I was very disappointed with my final results as I knew that I could have done significantly better had I put in a little more effort. I did not have enough “points” to be accepted to ‘Varsity for the courses I wanted to take and I had left it too late to apply for an exception, so I commenced studying a B.Comm through Unisa, working towards a Law degree, the following year whilst working for a Shipping Company.

I enjoyed school as a whole and knew that I could achieve high results with very little effort. I was mature, popular, independent and self-confident and my report always said that I was well-liked by teachers and pupils and “had the courage of my convictions”.

Still working on my LO relating to my Teenage Years (BOM No. 5) - will upload once I am done ... whew ... a lot harder than I thought to put all of this info on paper. No wonder I haven't received all the LO's for this Challenge as yet - no pressure, girls - just keep at it ...

Love,

YOU DO NOT SLEEP, MICHELLE ...

Michelle e-mailed me these divine LO's relating to BOM Challenges No.'s 4 and 5 - wow, wow, wow - so much info and so well documented - very impressed, Michelle - thank you and well done!!! You are so lucky to have so many photos and so many wonderful memories.

So without further ado, here they are ...

FRIENDS

THE ATHLETE

MATRIC DANCE

Go along to Michelle's blog to read all about her interesting school career ... definitely worth a read ...

Love,

WELCOME CAROL to our BOM CHALLENGE

Please join me in welcoming Carol to our BOM Challenge (again at Desire's prompting - thanks, Desire - at this point you are the top of the log for recruiting - come on, the rest of you - yummy goodies to give away ...)

Hope you will get as much out of these challenges as we have so far and I think it is a fantastic idea to complete your album and then do a similar one for your husband ... a precious memory t leave behind for future generations ...

Love,

PASS ON THE LOVE ...

I received this sweet award from both Desire and Libby - thanks, girls, I really appreciate the sincere sentiment

The rules are simple: 1. Make a blog post where you pass the award on to seven blogs you like and 2. Post a comment at their blog to tell them about the award!

I would like to pass this award onto the following ladies: -

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge Sophia's blog - she is my blog inspiration and BTW has probably helped most of us Durban bloggers to get our blogs up and running. She is my BLOG IT GURU and my FRIEND - thanks, Sophs ...

Next I want to acknowledge Desire, Michelle and Jacqui, who between the three of them are always so kind and supportive and are truly inspirational women - thank you ...

Then to Jacki JVR - I always find something to giggle about on your blog and I love that you are so open and honest, thanks ...

I also really enjoy reading Andrea and Kim's blogs - thanks for the inspiration, girls ...

Love,

WELCOME LIBBY to our BOM CHALLENGE

This is just a quick hello and a BIG WELCOME to Libby who has decided to join our challenges (prompted by Desire - thanks, Desire). Please send me your e-mail address (oops, deleted your earlier comment by mistake, so sorry), Libby so that I can send you links to the previous challenges.

Good luck and don't worry about the challenges you have missed - my advice is to start with the latest Challenges and work back when you have time ...

Love,

SURVIVOR FOR MARRIED MEN ...

Just found a blog called "What's up with Cathy" and loved her post on a "Survivor" geared especially for married men ... so funny - click here to go directly to this entertaining post. BTW, I have linked Cathy's blog to my "Sista Bloggers" - pop in from time to time ...

Love,

THIS IS WHAT SCRAPBOOKING IS ALL ABOUT ...

I was just about to go to bed when I quickly popped into Desire's blog only to discover that she has completed her BOM Challenges 4 and 5 - fantastic - so I quickly went to my e-mails and found this lovely surprise waiting there for me. So, without further ado, here is Desire's LO ...

These are her journalling Tabs - she has so many wonderful memories - please go and read her beautiful story - it is so inspiring and uplifting. Click here for a quick link to Desire's blog.

You can also go along to Jacqui's blog to read all about the Meaning of her name for the LO in the post below this one ...

Really tired now - can't stay in front of my PC for so long unlike you other blogaholics outs there (I'm talking to you, Sophs and maybe Jacki JvR - LOL).

Love,

TAKE A PEEK AT THIS GORGEOUS LO

This is Jacqui's second BOM LO - the meaning of her name - loads of handwritten journalling - well done - love it!!. Sometimes this is the hardest part of scrapping - telling the story is easier for some people than accepting and using their own handwriting to journal so let's try and join Jacqui in appreciating our own handwriting - after all, it will be a gift to generations still to come ...

Well done, Jacqui! Look forward to more of your LO's.

Love,

MY LO - BOM CHALLENGE No. 3

I have finally printed my baby photo - here is my LO for BOM Challenge No. 3 - On the Day that I was Born ...

I don't normally use pastel colours but I fell in love with this DCWV glitter paper and it was perfect for my baby LO. I now love this look so may be experimenting with softer colours in the future ... (BTW the blue "line" on the second page is from the glass on my printer - not meant to be there ...)

I found loads of info on the net relating to the day that I was born - what fun - I had to try and make extra space on the right page to include all my journalling so I created a "flip booklet". The first page opens up to reveal the day of my birth and a photo of my mom and I ...

This is what I had to say (after interrogating my mom - tee hee) ...

My mom went into labour with me whilst her and my dad were camping and fishing. My mom says her waters broke late Sunday night and she woke my dad up at 1.00 am on Monday morning. He didn’t believe her as she had been complaining earlier that she wanted to go home and he thought this was her excuse to leave. When he saw the “gushing” waters he drove my mom to a doctor in Vereeniging who told her that it would be safe to travel home to Johannesburg. My mom says that she was in serious labour for about 8 hours and it was a difficult, natural birth. I was born 1 month premature at 7.45pm. My mom says that I had a rosebud complexion and was smooth and wrinkle-free (wish that had lasted …) and that I looked EXACTLY like her. She cried when I was born and said that she felt that she “knew me before I was even born”. My dad arrived at the Hospital with a huge champagne glass filled with red roses and carnations and my mom was the envy of all the other new moms in the ward … It must have been a pretty hectic time for my mom as my brother was only 10 months old at the time and she now had two babies to take care of – like having twins, I guess – you did a great job, Mom!! Love you!!

The next flap reveals an envelope which has two tags in it (titled "Top of the Music Charts on this day ..." and "Babies born in the month of November are said to display the following traits ...") and another bit of journalling "Famous People who share my Birthday" ...

Here is my journalling ...

Top of the Music Charts on this day…

1971 – “Family Affair” – Sly & the Family Stone
1972 – “Papa was a Rolling Stone” – The Temptations
1973 – “Top of the World” – The Carpenters
1980 – “Lady” – Kenny Rogers
1981 – “Physical” – Olivia Newton-John
1983 – “All Night Long” – Lionel Richie
1984 – “Wake me up before you go-go” – Wham!
1985 – “Separate Lives” – Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
1986 – “You Give Love a Bad Name” – Bon Jovi
1987 – “(I’ve Had) the Time of my Life” – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
1992 – “I will always Love You” – Whitney Houston
1993 – “I’d do anything for Love (but I won’t do that) – Meat Loaf
1997 – “Something about the way you look tonight” and “Candle in the Wind” – Elton John
1999 – “Smooth” – Santana feat. Rob Thomas

2007 – “No one” – Alicia Keys

Babies born in the month of November are said to display the following traits…

Have loads of ideas – thousands – have no idea how I’m going to implement them all
Difficult to fathom - sometimes
Think Forward – when I’m in the mood
Unique and Brilliant – well now … of course
Sharp Thinking – I say no more
Extraordinary Ideas - sometimes
Fine and Strong Clairvoyance – I think I see beyond this world at times – spooky …
Can become good doctors – too sympathetic and don’t like blood but am calm in a hysterical situation
Careful and cautious – not really
Dynamic in Personality – so “they” say … (tee hee)
Secretive – I am an open book – have serious “foot-in-mouth” disease
Inquisitive – oh yeah – I have to know everything
Knows how to dig secrets – like the freaking FBI, baby …
Always thinking – brain very seldom goes to sleep - exhausting
Less talkative but amiable – I can talk the hind leg off of any old donkey …
Brave and Generous - Yes
Patient – only when I am not waiting for photos to upload onto my Blog … grrrr. Oh, and in traffic – working on this …
Stubborn and hard-hearted – Can be stubborn but soft-hearted especially for the down-trodden but those who can help themselves, MUST

If there is a will, there is a Way – I can find it …
Determined - Yes
Never give up - sometimes
Hardly become angry unless provoked – Those close to me can push my buttons faster than anyone else
Loves to be alone – I do … I get back in touch with ME
Thinks differently from others – whackjob??????
Sharp-minded – I like to think so
Motivates oneself – not really – I guess only if I want to
Does not appreciate praises – only if they are sincere and I can usually tell if you are not…
High-spirited - YES
Well-built and tough – What do they mean by “well-built”? – Way Curvy? Yup that’s me – Tough? – I can be
Deep love and emotions – very deep
Romantic - Yes
Uncertain in relationships - No
Homely – Homely looking? I don’t think so!!! Have to keep the old self-image up …
Hardworking – when I want to
High abilities - YES
Trustworthy - YES
Honest and keeps secrets – YES, unless you LIE TO ME
Not able to control emotions – I have learnt to control my emotions
Unpredictable – I can be …

Famous people who share my birthday …

William Blake, English Poet, Painter and Engraver, born 1757
Manolo Blahnik, shoemaker (tee hee), born 1942
Anna Nicole Smith, nutcase, born 1967

You may not notice but the bottom border on the left hand page is actually a pocket for a tag titled "World events on this day ..."). This is what I found interesting on this day ...

World Events on this day …

1582 – William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were married
1948 – the first Polaroid Camera, invented by Dr Edwin Land, was sold
1987 – An SAA Boeing 747 crashed into the Indian Ocean, killing all 159 people on board
1994 – Jeffrey Dahmer, convicted serial killer, was clubbed to death in a Wisconsin prison by a fellow inmate

Hope you enjoy my story ...

Love,

FLEA-FREE ...

I am so happy!!! The Pest Control man came yesterday and sprayed the house and garden and I am thrilled to say that I have only seen a few fleas - mostly outside (the Pest Guy assures me these too will pass) - the best money I have ever spent (besides the scrapbooking goodies I bought online a little while ago, oh, and that gorgeous Table I have ordered at Finishing Touches, and ...).

Bryce and I tried so hard to stay out all afternoon yesterday but we succumbed and got home at 4.30pm - first we let the dogs out, washed their water bowl and refilled it, washed their food bowls and fed them, and then I braved the inside of the house while Bryce stayed outside so that I could determine whether or not the house was seriously toxic - to my delight, the smell was not overwhelming. Nonetheless, we decided to visit Mandi and her kids (my sister-in-law and Bryce's cousins) for the evening "just in case". (Mandi and I spent the evening packing all the glitter I bought from a wholesaler recently - so, for those of you who visit me for classes at home, I have loads of delicious glitter at ONLY R5 a pot - glitter is my new favourite "toy". While I am "selling" myself, I also have the most divine ribbons in stock - really gorgeous).

We returned home at about 8.30pm to find that the smell was really mild so we decided that we'd stay home last night (were going to go back to Mandi to sleep if the smell was bad). We slept in my room with the bathroom and bedroom windows open and the aircon on - sounds crazy but I wanted to make sure that we would wake this morning and not be in a "poison-induced" coma ... more worried about Bryce's little lungs ... anyway, as you can see, we are fine and I even woke early this morning to get a little "fix" on my blog.

That's all the news on the fleas (dead, most of them and the others, sad to say, dying shortly - sorry to all you serious animal lovers out there, but these are just pests - I guess they have their place in the cycle of nature but weren't they carriers of the "PLAGUE"? Nasty critters ...

So RIP FLEAS ....

Love,

I HAVE CALMED DOWN TO A MILD PANIC

STILL itching and still scratching - ewwww - but the good news is that I have decided to go straight to PLAN C and leave the exterminating up to the Experts. I am having the inside and outside of the house sprayed tomorrow (would do the whole neighbourhood if I could ...) - I have the heebie jeebies and at least this way the bug-"gers" will die fast whereas if I try all my little tricks, I could still be itching by Christmas and you may find me rocking silently in a little corner of my house (covered in fleas, of course - ewwww - shivering at the thought ... ewww) - Who will scrap my photos? - Do fleas eat paper? Oh no, something else to keep me awake at night - I shudder at the thought ...

Thanks so much for all the tips I received on how to get rid of these nasty critters - I'm afraid I have to put a limit of my many talents (tee hee) and admit that "My name is Tracy and I am no Exterminator". I think I'm gonna catch two, put them in jar, and call them "ITCHY" and "SCRATCHY" ... creepy ... just a thought ... Do having fleas start affecting your rational thinking? - I am not sure why I would want to catch fleas anyway ... ewwwww

This also gives me an excuse to go to my weekly social scrapping with Annamarie in 'Toti - my scrapping prayers are answered ... perhaps I should be grateful to the little creatures ... er .. NOT!!!!

Hi Cathy, I see you relate well to my dilemma - these creatures will drive us both demented - ewww - I'll reach out to you if I find myself rocking quietly in a corner ... (tee hee).

Okay, moving along - believe me I could write a thesis on these bug-"gers" ...

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank (I sound as though I am making an acceptance speech after receiving an Oscar ...) those ladies who always leave such kind comments on my blog and support my challenges - Sophia (my IT Guru), Desire, Jacqui B, Michelle and Jacki JvR. If you click on their names you will go straight to their blogs - read all about these interesting ladies - it's nice to know we are all "FAIRLY" normal ... (tee hee).

I want to welcome BELMA, MANDI and ANNAMARIE to our BOM Challenges - I finally convinced them to join and they are tackling the pages with a vengeance - well done, my friends!!!!

You will also notice that I have changed my settings to include 20 posts instead of 6 - thanks for the tip, Desire - makes sense ...

May pop in later and add some more LO's - time is eluding me ... so what's new???

Love,

"IF" CHALLENGE WINNER ...

Now for some GOOD NEWS ....

The winner of the "IF" Challenge is ... (drum roll, please) ....

MICHELLE RAMSAY

I decided it wasn't fair for me to choose a winner as I am not an impartial judge, so I got a friend to have a look at the entries and she chose Michelle's LO, based on her journalling ...

Her journalling reads as follows ...

IF .....

… I could start my married life over, is there someone else who I would have preferred to marry? No, because I am extremely happy to have such a wonderful husband as Dereck. I had been invited to my matric class Teacher’s wedding and didn’t have a partner and my friend arranged for Dereck to be my date. 28 years later, we are still together, having been married for 24 years. There was a stage in my live where I questioned my relationship, but that was me rather than any actual problems. Dereck is a wonderful support and I have had a lot of freedom to do the things that I have wanted to. Dereck has always been there and provided for us and we both have a lot of fun together even though our music tastes are “kilometers”apart!!

… I have to say how I am feeling about life right now, I can honestly say that I am content, happy and really satisfied with all that I have achieved.

… I could bring up my children in a different way, would I do it? No. I feel that I was strict enough but also gave them some space. I am happy with what both Leanne and Grant have achieved and I have a wonderful relationship with each of them. Leanne & I often used to go to the movies and shopping together and now that she is overseas, this is something that I really miss a lot. Leanne, Grant and I have a wicked sense of humour and have had many good laughs about someone else’s misfortune often to the horror of Dereck!

… I could go back to school, would I study harder? No, because then I would have got into University and gone and studied at Rhodes as a Phys Ed Teacher. Instead I chose to go to Natal Technikon and did a Computer Secretarial Course. In July 1999 I bought a Run/Walk for Life Franchise and felt that I had then achieved my “Phys Ed” dream.

… I had the choice of sitting at home and watching TV or going out with my friends, I would definitely choose my friends.

…. I had the choice between chicken or beef, I would chose chicken.

… I had the choice between a sandwich or a salad, I would choose a salad.

… I had to totally give up eating chocolate, I could not do it. I would have to have at least a piece in a month!

… past tense – implying that condition is not fulfilled

… the mind can dream it, the body can achieve it. This saying has kept me going through many difficult walking races that I have participated in over the years. It has also made me more determined to prove someone wrong if they ever told me that I was not capable of achieving something.

.. I had to choose between tidying up or scrapping - the tidying up would lose 100%!!

… I had to eat pigs brains, or bulls testicles to win a million rand, could I do it – NO!!

… I told you my nickname at school was “Frog” because I put a dead frog on a friend’s hair and it got tangled in it, please don’t laugh out too loud!!!

… If I had to buy a cake for a function or bake one, I would definitely bake one.

… means on the condition or supposition that

Congratulations and thanks for your heartfelt, indepth and honest journalling, Michelle - I really enjoyed reading about you - especially the bull's testicles bit (how did that enter you mind???? - too much Fear Factor, baby). Please e-mail me your addy and I will send you your FREE STASH ...

Well done to all the other ladies who entered this Challenge, I enjoyed everyone's stories ... Keep entering my Challenges ladies - the decision to choose a winner was really difficult as all were really good.

Greg has my camera in Zambia otherwise I would have uploaded a pic of the FREE goodies that Michelle will be receiving to show all of you what you are missing out on - if I could figure out how to transfer pics from my camera to my PC that is as Greg did it last time ...

I am almost finished BOM Challenge No. 4 - should be able to show you real soon and I am STILL getting around to printing my baby photo to add to Challenge No. 3 - Rome (my LO's) was not built in a day (or even a few weeks ... tee hee).

Sleep tite!!

Love,

FREAKED OUT!!!!

Sorry I haven't been back online - I am feeling kinda embarrassed here (blush blush) ... I couldn't get into the Internet on the weekend and so I called the guy who sorts out my computer - I was hysterical because I thought my motherboard had crashed and I imagined the worst, only to discover that I have used up my ADSL cap for the month ... ooooops - serious blonde moment ... so I am back with some awful, awful news ....

I have fleas invading my house ... ewwwww ... I am sooo freaked out!!!!

My dogs are not even allowed to put their noses near the front or back doors and we have lived here with them for about 4 years so if we were gonna have an infestation of fleas, I would imagine it would have happened before now.

The only thing I can think of is that we are building and there are sand fleas that are looking for a new home now that we have disturbed theirs ... I am so itchy .. ewwwww ...

Granted, in total we have only found about 20 - 25 fleas (the lady at the Pet Shop reckons she has spoken to people whose legs are covered in fleas within 30 seconds of entering their homes, so I guess I should be grateful that they aren't ready to carry me out the door) but the thought of it is freaking me out - I went off to the Pet Shop and looked for some "muti" to kill the bast#*^! (sorry, but I am really freaked out!!). I found some flea powder and Doom and have become a Flea-Annihilator. I reckon, Plan B is to Doom Fog the whole house on Wednesday because my domestic worker is coming tomorrow and I would hate to return home to see little Phyllis lying on her side with her wig all askew (she has been wearing a wig for a number of years now - not sure why????) and her last few remaining teeth (bless her heart, she is of the opinion that if it's bugging you, pull it out!!) lying next to her - the image is way too graphic ... We love you way too much, Phyllis ...

Sooo, I will put a Fogger in each room and evacuate the house for the day, hoping that on my return the bast#!!@ are dead - if this doesn't work, it's onto Plan C, which is tent and fumigate the whole neighbourhood - I am itching as I type and I don't see a single flea on me - just the thought gives me the creeps .... ewwww ....

Wish me luck - or should I say, wish them luck - the fleas, I mean ...

Love,

JOURNALLING on MY "ABOUT ME" PAGE

This is what I wrote about myself ....

Colour of Eyes - Brown
Colour of Hair - Brown
Height - 1.64m
Weight - HA! HA! HA!
Where I live - Durban, KZN
Fave time of the day - Early mornings and late at night
Latest Book - Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone
What I'm listening to in my car - Daughtry
Age - 30 (for the last 6 years)
I don't eat Beetroot

This is my FAMILY TREE ..

• Father - Peter Eduard Niederberger (aka Tommy - born in Switzerland
• married to my mother on 20th November 1970 and divorced in 1978
• Mother - Vivien Meryl Niederberger (named after Vivien Leigh)
• Brother - Dylan Thomas Niederberger (born in January 1971 - note same year as me - we are 10 months apart)
• Sister in Law - Cavina (married to Dylan in 2000 - they have two boys, Bradin (5 yrs old) and Callum (3 yrs old)
• Sister - Querita Storm Niederberger (aka Keri - born in 1978 - nearly 7 years after me - Keri did not have a middle name so she added "Storm" at Dept of Home Affairs - her daughter, Caitlin was born in 2002 - now 6 yrs old)
• I was born on 28th November 1971. I married my childhood sweetheart, Greg, in 1994 and our gorgeous son, Bryce was born on the 8th October 1996.

Hope this tells you a little bit more about me ...

Will post more LO's and photos later - now that I know how there will be no stopping me .... (insert evil giggle .... tee hee).

Love,

BOM LO No. 1 and No. 2

Well, now that I know how to upload my LO's, here are my LO's for the first and second Challenges ...

I created a Family Tree on my second page showing my immediate family - I had so much fun planning and measuring where each block had to go and then I drew lines with a brown fineliner to connect the blocks. I created the text boxes in Microsoft Word. The small lettering was a sheet of Basic Grey Stickers which I have had for some time - all I did was cover them with Diamond Glaze and then pour "Cocoa" Glitter over them so that the colouring matched my LO.

Here is an excerpt from my journalling of the Meaning of my Name Challenge (No. 2) ...

The hidden meaning in my Name ...

Bold, courageous “Latin”

“You are an inspiring leader whose originality, creativity
and wisdom are applied to creating practical solutions
to “unsolvable” problems. Humanitarian and idealistic,
your vision is to make the world a better place and
you will work to this end. Hardworking and tenacious
people admire you for your honesty and integrity. You
are a loved and loyal friend and partner. You have the
potential to achieve enormous success in the world.”

My mom was going to name me Genevieve or
Autumn but she was afraid I would be teased if I
were called “Autumn” so she named me Tracy as
she felt it was more “sophisticated and businesslike” and
when she saw me for the first time she said that she
knew that the name Tracy fitted me to a “T (tee hee).

I love my name but it seems so ordinary when
compared to my sister, whose name is Querita …

In 1990 Tracy was ranked the number 108
most popular girls name in the US …

I will load my LO for Challenge No. 3 tomorrow as I want to re-print my baby photo.

Oops, deleted my signature ...

Still playing around with stitching and tweaking my LO's in Photoshop so keep an eye on me for more LO's in the not too distant future - hope you can be inspired in some way by what I love to do ...

Sleep tight.

Love,
T

Under Surveillance - BLOGJACKER

This is Sophs, again under the beady eye of Tracy...

I have finally gotten thru to the technically challenged "Old Fart" and I have given her the right software to upload those gorgeous LOs.

So here is the first one (sans journaling of course)...

On behalf of Tracy, from Sophs her Personal "IT GURU"

PHOTOS - eventually

Hey Desire, now I know why you have so much time to scrap - your hubby also travels alot. I guess we get used to it but sometimes, I'm sure you'll agree, it gets too much - bless their hearts, they work so hard for us ....

Greg phoned me at about 8 last night to say that he had been at the SA border (going into Botswana) from about 11.30am - always problems with paperwork. He was so frustrated - this is a man who cannot sit idle for too long - always pottering around in the garden (sometimes mows the lawn at 9pm - with a manual lawnmower so that the neighbours don't complain - tee hee) or fixing something or making something in his "spare" time - we have a joke between us - when we don't have time to do something during the day we ask each other what on earth we could possibly be getting up to between 2 and 4 in the morning - the joke is that this is still time to do stuff - ha ha - sleep takes preference ...

Anyway, at 10.30pm he phoned me again to say that he had gotten through the SA border but was too late to get through the Bots border so .... he slept in his car last night (he is pretty tall so I doubt he slept much ...). Luckily he had taken two blankies with him so he did not altogether freeze but he says that during the early hours of this morning he was really cold, even with both blankets. He was first in the queue to go through the border at 6am today and says there was a looooong line of cars and trucks behind him - I wonder if those poor people had the good sense to take blankies with them - brrrr - hate the cold!!

Luckily, Greg was through the border at about 6.30am so he is on his way (about 950 kms) to Zambia and then onto Livingstone and finally, Mazibuko (about another 150 kms). Hope he gets through the Bots and Zambia borders today ...

He has learnt so much from travelling into "Africa" - he is a man who would never take or give a bribe but he has had to do what he has had to do to get through the borders with equipment for his job in Zambia- what an eye-opener - is it just Africa??? Doubt it - there is corruption everywhere .....

Drive safe, hon - Love you!!!

About those photos - Greg downloaded a whole bunch for me before he went away so...

here are some photos from the East London Rugby Tour: -

Embury vs Hudson Park - what a divine school ...

Embury College coaches - Ryan, Anne and Noleen - we love you guys ...

These are my BAYWATCH BOYS

BRYCE learning to surf - love this pic ...

This is my niece, CAITIE - my favourite pic of her - gorgeous ...

Gosh it takes so long to upload pics - will have to do some more later ...

Have a great day!!!

Love,

GREG OFF TO ZAMBIA AGAIN ...

Greg left for Zambia at 3am today - hate it when he goes so far but in these economic times any lucrative work is certainly a blessing so I will change this into a positive and say thank you for the work he has which enables us to live the relatively carefree life we do ... and of course, for me to stay at home and raise my son and last, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, it enables me to SCRAP ....

And a huge THANK YOU to GREG who works so hard for us - Drive safe babe - I love you!!! P.S. Don't forget to take loads of photos - I especially want a few of elephants crossing the road in the middle of nowhere ... (love elephants).

His dad plans on flying to Lusaka next week to meet Greg and drive back with him through either Botswana or Zimbabwe and take in a bit of the scenery as they go ... Greg says Zambia is beautiful and that the Vic Falls are gorgeous ... perhaps they'll even get to the Okavango Delta if they go through Bots - wow, I would love to see these magnificent sights ..

Speaking of which, my son and I watched "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman (two of my favourite actors). I was quite surprised at how much Bryce enjoyed the movie and the impact it has had on him. He talks about it quite a bit and even refers to things he wants to do as being on his "Bucket List".

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, it's sooo good. Basically, a rich, difficult man and a humble mechanic meet in Hospital after both are diagnosed with cancer. They form a deep friendship and decide to create a Bucket List which is a list of things they want to do before they "kick the bucket". The wealthy man (Nicholson) makes it possible for the mechanic (Freeman) to do things he wouldn't ordinarily be able to do because of lack of finances and then the mechanic teaches him about the value of people and more especially, family. It's such a lovely movie - get it if you haven't seen it!!

Anyway, Bryce refers to this "Bucket List" quite a bit and I have been thinking of jotting down all the things I would like to do. So I'm going to compile my list over the next few days and then I'll post it here for ALL to see - perhaps I'll do some "hidden" journalling on some posts (tee hee). I have already achieved one of my dreams - it was to play with lion, leopard or cheetah cubs and I did this earlier this year - it was such an awesome experience playing with those little lion cubs - I didn't think I would love it as much as I did - wow!!!

How about another CHALLENGE? Why don't you think about all the things you would like to accomplish (be they mundane or exciting) and jot them down then stick this piece of paper somewhere you can see it on a daily basis and start doing the things you yearn to do ... even if they seem WAY out of reach, take little steps towards the ultimate dream ... You can go one step further and start visualising your list by adding photos or pictures alongside each item - trust me, this brings it closer ...

Well, only FOUR more days until my "IF" challenge ends, so get those A's into G and send me your stuff - I can't wait to see what you come up with and I have some delicious goodies to give away ...

AND, for those of you taking part in the BOM RAK, send me your names and I will send the person who introduces the most people a pack of yummy scrapping stuff ....

Have a fantabulous day and take care of those you love ....

Love,

Hey, I just noticed, my signature is already in this post - how cool is that - thanks Sophs, you're a genius!!!

Hello....

Guess who, it's me Sophia, I hijacked your blog...LOL

Only cause I wanted to fix your signature, as that white block was starting to get to me.

Hope that was okay my friend!!! If not I have a present for you...to make up for it!

So tell me if you like it now.

BOM CHALLENGE No's. 4 and now 5

I have had a couple of requests to extend the amount of time you have to complete this challenge since there is sooooo much info you need to include. How about if we make your SCHOOL CAREER one challenge and your TEENAGE YEARS another challenge?

I will give you three weeks (ending 31st August 2008) to complete both challenges, after all, they are pretty entwined and it may be easier to complete them together.

Please let me know if this will suit you - if not, we can come up with PLAN C ...

Love,

P.S. I am most interested to see what you all got up to in your teenage years - bet there are a few secrets lurking in those closets - I know I have a few that my mom has only just found out about .... Bryce, I know all the tricks, my boy - you won't fool me!!! (please please please help me get through the teenage years with my son ... )

SOPHIA's 3rd BOM LO

Thanks, Sophs - you work really well under pressure - as usual, gorgeous ... and how cute were you!!!!

Here is her journalling ...

ON THE DAY THAT I WAS BORN

My Mom went into hospital on the 30th July 1968 at 8h20 and gave birth a la natural to me at 9h40 on a Tuesday. I weighed 3.24kgs and 21cms long. I was born at Parklands Hospital in Durban. My Dad was not there at the time of my birth, as when my Mom went in they told him to go home and have a nap as it was still going to be a while. Therefore, he missed out on my birth. When he came back my Mom told him he was a Dad to a beautiful girl and he did not want to believe her, as all along he wanted a girl. My Mom said she was very happy when I was born and was ready to have another 12 after me, as I was so easy. My Dad said he felt proud and excited to be a Dad that day. She said I had a good mixture of the both of them in me.

News Headlines - Pope Paul VI reaffirms stand against artificial birth control
Top Song - Hey Jude by Beatles
TV Shows - The Carol Burnett Show
Best Movie Picture – Oliver
Best Actor - Cliff Robertson
Best Actress – Katherine Hepburn

A HUGE scrappy welcome to Lisa who has joined our BOM challenges (introduced by Desire - thanks, girl). No pressure to catch up, Lisa - my advice is to work on the latest challenge and then work your way back ...

Love,