Tutu Tuesday! 26 November 2019!

It's been a busy week already and I've not really done any creating that I can share before Saturday afternoon, it's the wedding you know!

How could I let a Tuesday go by without a pretty tutu for all to admire!

Yes, my son's wedding day is almost here.  He's just turned 28 too.  28yrs ago I was adjusting to life as a new mummy.  The 28 years have gone by so fast that I'm still wondering how did that happen LOL.  Don't they say time flies when you are having fun?  I recon!  This Saturday is going to be wonderful.  All things Harry Potter'ish at this wedding my son and DIL and her sister have put together.  I'm so very proud of them all, they have over come so much to get where they are now.  Pray that they don't have horrible, rainy weather at 3.30pm when the ceremony takes place.  After 5pm, it can bucket down as we will all be inside.

A few weeks ago I went with my new DIL, her sister & a few good friends for a weekend up in the Hunter Valley. We had one full day wine, cheese & chocolate tasting too.  I will leave you with a couple of photos of the weekend.  I'm so blessed they wanted little old me to go and enjoy the weekend with them.  It was so much fun and we did get a lot of tasting done. I even came home with some amazing wines, organic flavoured schapps too!  Who'd have known how good the vodka, gin & schapps at The Distillery up there would be sooooo delicious! Can you say Turkish Delight Flavoured Schapps! Yum!

Bye for now, and remember

happy stamping colouring & creating!

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Monday Musing, 28th October 2019!

Here we are again, Monday, it's a thing!

Happens every week LOL

So today I'm feeling a little sorry for myself because I had to see the skin cancer specialist again this morning.  All was really good until he had a much closer look at a patch under my right eye. Right in the corner at the bridge of my nose. You know that spot, if you wear glasses, where your glasses sit right?  So he says hmmm think I need to do a biopsy on that!  Within 2 minutes he's stabbed me with a local. Did you feel that he asked. I said have you done it yet? My eyes were shut and I was deep breathing.   Nope didn't feel it, he was surprised.  Must be all the injections I have regularly, and the fact I'm always doing BGL tests with my fingers.

However, right now, a bit over 2 hours later, it's hurting like a biatch, I've almost got feeling back there and I can almost blink properly again. I was looking a bit like a cyclops there for a few moments ☺.  Let's pray I do not get any phone calls in the next week in regards to this one, it's too close to our son's wedding and too close to OnStage Sydney and tooooo darn close to my eye!!   At least I could put my red lippy on afterwards!

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Have a great week everyone.  I'm working on tomorrow's Tutu Tuesday, stay tuned!

til next time, remember,

happy stamping, colouring & creating!

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Thursday Thoughts, 24 October 2019!

I didn't know what I was going to share with you all today but after just receiving a very very sad text message this afternoon, I'm going to share a bit of grief and happiness too! 

I have a dear, dear friend who is currently in Argentina.  Her older brother was diagnosed with cancer only in the last few months and had to undergo major surgery.  Not only did he have to suffer that, he got an infection and was rushed back in to surgery because his intestines burst (so I've been advised).

He's been on life support and in intensive care for weeks.  Today, he went to meet his Lord and Saviour.  I am crying as I type this because I can't hug my friend, I can't share her grief as she is so far away.  She will have family around her as she is from Argentina but her husband and 2 daughters had to stay here in Sydney.  This is my dear friend who is involved with Operation Christmas Child and Samaritans Purse, a Christian charity and organisation her husband has worked for for many years.

I am so thankful that Marian was able to get back to Argentina at a moment's notice.  I am so thankful, though it's been tough on her, that through the generosity of other Christians, her airfare was paid for to get her there in time to be with Gerardo, her only and older brother.

I am also thankful and happy I was online this morning to see a post go up for Operation Christmas Child and I made a comment.  I didn't expect anything of it but I have won a very cute cuddly toy Llama for making my comment.

If you do nothing else this week, please support this most worthy of causes.  You could be the difference in a child's life that can have a domino effect for their whole family, even their whole village!

Do it for the kids!!!!

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Rest in peace dear Gerardo, I never met you but talked so many times with Marian about you over he years.  May you be out of pain and suffering.

This is a few years old this photo but it shows Marian and I having fun with nail products one day after our bible study group finished.  It's the first photo I could find in a hurry, of us together, yeah before I went super short haired and lost the 'bob' cut ;-) .

Can't wait to hug you again & be there for you Marian, my dear friend and sister in Christ.

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Monday Musing, 21st October 2019

Here we are again, where has the last week gone, blink and it's passed me by.  It's been a busy time of it. Had some huge highs and some very very low lows over the last 8 days or so.

Currently I'm waiting to hear from my sister as my dad's been taken to hospital again by ambulance earlier this morning.  (he was only taken last Tuesday night) This getting old malarkey and this cancer bullsh*t is enough to raise the old blood pressure to alarming rates some days. But I know I'll get through this, I usually do. Staying focused on the positive and getting more done around my little hovel.

It's funny, yesterday I got hubby to get some things down off the top of my huge craft desk.  Stuff is only put up there when I don't need it during my every day routines.  As far as I can tell, I've nothing left up there since yesterday, yes!  Now to get to the shelves  and hanging baskets and be 'ruthless'.

I have the biggest pile of brown packing paper that my Stampin' Up! orders use to come packed in.  It's going to help me save some money on bubble wrap at the moment that's for sure.  Yes, it was up on top of my craft desk's hutch. No way I could have reached it down by myself. As it was I had a 'domino effect' with some that hubby didn't get down.  Handy tool that long handled 'grabber' I've got ;-)



Whilst hubby got one particular box down that I'd not opened in probably 10 years, I'm so glad he did.  I did a walk down memory lane from many different swaps I use to take part in from the late 1990's til I think about 2005 or 6 that box had stuff from.

My kitchen bench was all cattywampus for hours.  Now there's a word worth musing over. Here's what I found when I searched it's mean. It's now up there with my two favourite words "serendipity" and "extemporaneous" !

cattywampus  adjective

The definition of cattywampus, often spelled catawampus, is not lined up or not arranged correctly, or diagonally. An example of something cattywampus are the positions of the items on the top of a coffee table after a two year old has been playing with them and moving them around.

Man did we make some amazing things this box of gorgeous memories was telling me!  Check out photos of this creation!  Yes Louise Magetti, I've kept this all that time! I'm not sure of the date, but I think it goes back to either Stamping Top 50 or The Scrappers Stash days, or maybe even the old OzStampers yahoo group.  Yes, that long ago!

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And this funny card, which I can still chuckle about but I was being 'subtle' to my father, didn't help, he still got lung cancer and my Mum has been gone since January 2007! Both of them heavy smokers, sigh...



Check out this gorgeous card, yes I do own the stamps so I can't be sure if I made this or it was in a swap, there's no writing or post it note inside to jog my memory. I love this bear, it came with a front & back.  I recon it's coming out again real soon! Ooo & I have some crown stamps as well ;-)





Whilst I potter around the house and await any further information on my father, I'll leave you with these gorgeous creations my Mum made, yes she was a very talented parchment crafter. These would have been created around 2003 to 2006.

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Til next time, remember

happy stamping, colouring & creating!

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Thursday's Thoughts, 17October2019

Well hello there everyone.  Yes I know, I've not been very 'consistent' in my blogging lately but honestly, there have been days lately where I've not been able to concentrate and days where I've spend most of it driving hundreds of kilometres. 

I am just a tad tired at the moment.

My thoughts today?  They've been a bit all over the place but I'm gradually putting some of them into their 'compartments' or 'files' in my head and getting on with life.   My father has been a huge worry and he's not helping by being given a new driver's license for another 5 years. I honestly thought he wouldn't pass the eye test but he did, sigh. This now sees him 'procrastinating' even more on sorting out the house, having a clean out of and generally not leaving the place looking like a shrine to my mother. She's been gone nearly 13 years and still some things have not been sorted. Boxes in the garage that haven't been unpacked since they moved up there 20 years ago!  I'm so over it.

Any whoo on with some things that really did cheer me up big time....

Something very happy for me was that my son and his fiance have all their wedding favours done and in their possession now, my work for that side of the wedding is very happily and satisfyingly done! They love all that I did, yay!

So besides being up at my father's again and doing the driving for him, I also got to go to a dinner show at Lizotte's Live and Cooking venue in Newcastle.

AND I got to meet in person, prior to the dinner and show, Neil Byrne & Ryan Kelly!

Yes the very same well loved fellows who are "Byrne & Kelly" .

Oh my goodness, how beautiful are these two gentleman and so very funny too!  To mention talented is an understatement!  I'll leave you with some photos I took and one of me with the lads at the meet & greet too.  If you've not listened to any Byrne & Kelly music, do your selves a favour and check them out on Youtube. If you like Celtic Thunder, you'll love Byrne & Kelly for sure!   Ryan & Neil are the 2 founding members from Celtic Thunder!



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They were so sweet and bent down to get this great photo!

til next time, remember,

Happy stamping, colouring & creating!

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Thursday Thoughts revisited! 10th October 2019

This is another repeat of a post from 14th March 2019.  As you may have guessed, although I'm not that new to Wordpress anymore, some things can still baffle me and I found this post got saved as a page instead of a post too.  Like this week's Monday Musing had.  Glad I figured it out and am rectifying this.

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Well that's rather interesting to wake up to.  Both Facebook and Instagram are down, crashed, not working. LOL I have to laugh because Facebook can be my biggest time waster, are you like that?

Anywhoo, I thought of a new post theme, Thursday's Thoughts so I'm running with it this morning.

I have to say, there have been so many thoughts running through both mine and my dear hubby's heads a lot lately.  Something that has almost 'engulfed' us these last 2 years is the horrible saga about our beautiful Jacaranda tree.  You may recall me talking about the neighbour who was insisting that we have it removed completely before he would agree to a new fence.  All this has seen us end up being taken to the Australian Land & Environment Court back in early February.



I am so very happy and relieved to say that we won the court case and not only do we keep our tree, the neighbour has been given a deadline of 14 days to get 2 quotes to have the small section of his drive ground down level, not replaced as he has been insisting.  He then has 90 days to get the work done. Should he fail to meet those deadlines, we do not have to pay one cent towards the 50% cost of the grinding. PLUS, he can't contest or dispute the findings, they are final and can no longer claim anything from us again.   We are just about to find out from the fencing contractor when they start building our new fence.  What a huge relief.

The Judge also commented on how cruel the owner of next door had been towards my health conditions and the fact that when he came to our home and sat under our tree, see there in the photo, he witnessed first hand the whole of our little home in full shade from our Jacaranda.  The fact that I also had the best photo of the neighbour's driveway date stamped back in 2009 showing the drive way looking exactly as it is today, well, he said it was a no brainer, that the tree had not cause any further movement since then. NUFF SAID!

The judge also said that the complaint the neighbour was making about our cat enclosure were unfounded and had nothing to do with the tree and that the council did not have to be advised that we had it built as it was not a 'permanent' structure.  You can see it in the photo below our tree.

To say the Herbster and I are over the moon is an understatement.  So many of our friends have been praying for us and for a favourable outcome on this that we can't thank them and our Lord Jesus enough for looking out for us.

So that's my first Thursday Thoughts post. I'll leave you with a photo of a little fella who's been watching my computer screen as I've typed this.

'Til next time. remember

 happy stamping colouring & creating!

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Fabulous Fridays @ 5'o'clock'ish, 27th September 2019

Hello there everyone,

This is short and sweet but I wanted to say hi and share a quick little card I made this week.  I've been in a bit of a creative desert so I had to force myself to sit and just stamp. Pretty happy with this little creation.



I've had both my kitties at the Vets' in the last 10 days as well for their annual checks and vaccinations.  Whilst there, Nibbles our ragdoll had his yearly 'grooming'  ie, he went in a ragdoll and came out a temporary siamese LOL.  He's so darn cute!!

     

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So here is my finished card, it was very quick and I think I've almost broken the creative drought ;-)

'til next time, remember

happy stamping colouring & creating!

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Product List

Very Versailles Cling Stamp Set [149275] $40.00	Gray Granite 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Textured Weave Ribbon [147656] $13.00	1-3/8" (3.5 Cm) Scallop Circle Punch [146139] $28.00
Whisper White Note Cards & Envelopes [131527] $12.25	Card Stock A4 Coastal Cabana [131302] $15.25	Silvery Shimmer Delicata Metallic Ink Pad [150709] $19.25
Highland Heather Classic Stampin' Pad [147103] $13.00	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105] $13.00	Mini Glue Dots [103683] $8.00

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Monday Musing, 23rd September 2019!

 

Well if I blinked I'd have missed the last week or so!  It went by so fast that I'm wondering if it really did all happen LOL. 

I'm feeling a little worse for wear though so I am having a very quiet Monday.  I've been trying to get out of my creative 'slump' but all I seem to be doing is sorting, filing, putting things away and culling! Not just crafting things either, all around the house!   I start looking for something and get sidetracked by something else and the next thing you know I'm culling again.  Sigh sigh sigh!  Doesn't help I forgot to take a hat to Melbourne last week and lupus/fybro myalgia are being a bit bothersome!

The Herbster and I have had a fabulous time though we are both a bit tired and sorry for ourselves.  Too funny, we were up at 4am to go to Melbourne last week as my Thoughts on Thursday post explained. But I also had to be up with him at 4.30am on Friday.

Here's my SailorMan as he's been affectionately known as for the 30yrs we've known each other, yes 30yrs as of a couple of days ago!  This is in his refurbished workshop up the back yard where he creates those huge model ships. Doesn't do anything by halves does he? No model boats under 12ft long.  That finished one just under the bench, the Yamato! It's 14ft long and took 8 1/2 years to create right from the hull up!  You can see some of his pieces he's working on currently of the Kirishima.  Yes he's a world war two history buff!




Guess what?  Neither of us heard our alarms!!  5.30am and the Herbster's running down the hallway going sh*t, quick get the kitty meds and lets wrap that kitty up like a burrito and get it into him, I'm going to have to drive to work!!!  When he's lecturing/teaching, he starts at 7am sharp in the lecture/simulator rooms on the navy base.  Once a sailor always a sailor, must be on time!!!! I just hope he didn't speed through the back streets of Surry Hills and Paddington on his way to Randwick barracks, LOL, he's done that before, oops!



So why did we have to be up that early again?   This little fellow here, yup the 'all kinds of speshul' Mr Nibbles the Ragdoll was going in on Friday to have his yearly complete clipping (and vet check, vax and claw clipping too). He has to be sedated because he's terrified being at the Vets.  I was a tad worried because last week was quite horrible weather wise. When in Melbourne we baked, when in Sydney we were freezing.   Nibbles didn't mind, he has been hiding himself under any throw blanket or bed doona he can find LOL.  He went in a Ragdoll, came home a temporary Siamese ROFL.



  

He's very active again and quite vocal. Plus I feel looks rather handsome too! Miss Pip doesn't recognize him and has been hissing at him ever since. My the tables have turned. Nibbles the bully has become the bullied and Miss Pip is being the bully.  Ah cats, they are so unique and funny and so hard to work out some days but we love them and I think they love us and each other. They have a funny way of showing it though sometimes ;-)

Anywhooo that's all for this Monday, I do have to get dressed and go up to the shops for some fresh fruit & veggies.  I hope you all have a great week no matter where you are or what you are doing!

til next time, remember,

happy stamping, colouring & creating!

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Monday Musing - 16 September 2019

Hello there,

Yes, musing on Monday again.  Had a fabulous weekend, it was Aiden's 4th birthday party and so much fun! See that photo of him in the Buzz Lightyear tshirt?  That was my Ben's Tshirt which had been saved in a draw for nearly 22yrs!  Aiden did many tshirt changes through out his party but he finally put the Buzz one on and stayed in it!  How that warmed my heart!  We played totem tennis, we laughed, we ate pizza and cheese and crackers and dips and Aiden and I shared a pink musk stick lolly too. Ah he loves his GinGin and Herbie like he loves all those around him who love him so much.

  

  

  



Father and son got to battle out the totem tennis and yes Ben, ya mumma's arm did bruise, but not too bad, a bit like having a vaccination shot, I'll live ROFL.

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HOWEVER...

... the last few weeks have been hard. Really hard.  You see I took my father for a check up with his urologist 2 weeks ago and last week for his 3 monthly oncology check up.  Within the space of those 2 appointments, I saw my father, my Daddy, deteriorate into this feeble old man (his mind is still a 'naughty boy' mind though LOL)  He was completely different from one check up to the following one.  I've not cried, I think I've done so much of that but this time, I don't know. I think Dad and I both knew something wasn't quite right and we talked about it and we agreed with his oncologist's assistant that we expected there to be a return of the cancer in his right lung.

Well no said Roland when he walked in to to have a closer look of all the scans. No no, no no, we can't be certain.  You see your father is in this research trial, the radiation treatment was nearly a full year ago but it is still doing it's 'job', this shadow could still be the scarring forming.  But Dad was really breathless that day.  He said he's usually like it when he has to get up earlier than he usually gets up. Well to me getting up at 9am is not early but for Daddy it is, he's usually up about 11am'ish.  Anyway, Roland said Dad needs to get back to his respiratory specialist because this not being able to breath and the fluid/phlegm he can't seem to cough up from his lungs (it gets stuck in his throat) needs to be checked out.  Dad's on some antibiotics to help with what infection the oncologist feels is there.  A referral has been sent to Wyong hospital and Dad's letting me know when that appointment will be.

Now  to make matters worse, Dad can receive calls on his landline but for some strange reason no one can hear when calls are made out from his landline. Dad's paying for all these phone calls only to be hung up on because they can't hear him.  Talk about funny in a way because it's Dad's that going deaf! I feel the need, the need to call Optus faults and let rip again.  If I have them say to me on you'll have to get your father to call I will freak'in loose it!  I had more than 5 months of that at the beginning of the year.  Don't tell me that B/S all over again.  We know where that landed don't we!  Yes with the Telecommunications Ombudsman!!!!!

Between Dad and my sister, using her mobile is a comedy of errors.  You see my sister is mildly intellectually handicapped so relies on my father, as he does her.  She doesn't drive either, never has. My sister and I agree that we don't like Dad being on his own when she's got to/wants to go out. My sister can be quite independent but she doesn't handle change/technology/bad news very well, doesn't and can't mentally repeat things she's been told that she needs to tell others, she just hands my father her phone but poor dad can't hear properly on a mobile phone, sigh.

Talk about caught between a rock and a hard place!  My blogging, my crafting, my regular FF@F'o'clock'ish and Tutu Tuesday posts have taken a back seat for now.  I drove nearly 800ks in the last two visits and back. Taking Dad to oncology is not like in Sydney. I've got to drive up the day before to Chain Valley Bay North, then drive down to East Gosford, then drive Dad back up to Chain Valley Bay north then drive back home to my place in Sydney.  It's a lot of driving when the sun is getting warmer and bright sunshine hurts my eyes so very badly.  I have my own 'issues' and the sun makes them worse. Think lupus SLE and fibromyalgia for a start.

Any-who, if you read this far, thank you.  Writing some of this down helps me get out some of my frustration and grief without having to repeat myself.  I'm trying to cope as best I can but summer is coming. Our Ben's wedding is 30th November and the ceremony is outside.  I think I need a new hat!  A nice red one to go with my outfit I am wearing. Yes?  Yes, a new red hat may be perfect!

Bye for now, and remember,

happy stamping colouring & creating!

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Thursday's Thoughts, 29 August 2019

Well good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good day!

A short but sweet post today to say hello and thank you all for following along with me in my little world of all things paper crafting with a sprinkling of life at the affectionately named 'Hampson's Hovel'.

I can't believe we are almost at the end of August too.  It's been a full on year so far and there's no sign of it letting up. In fact, it's only going to get busier!  Ben's wedding is 94 days away (or is it 93 now?) and I've finished making all the wedding favour boxes.  Now to mould those chocolate frogs and fill the bean boxes too. Ah, having a Hogwarts themed wedding has been a lot of fun to work on.  They loved the invitations I created for them which I can finally share with you now that they've all been posted out!

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I had the brilliant idea of making them look somewhat like a 'howler'. If you've seen the Harry Potter movies, you'll know that Ron Weasley's Mum sent him one whilst they were in the great hall one time.  I loved that idea and so did the happy couple so I ran with it somewhat.   I even found them a gorgeous Hogwarts brass seal which they stamped into dark red wax on the backs of their envelopes too!





Each invitation also had an 'RSVP' ticket like those ones from platform 9 3/4's, sorry, no photo of those as they are full of wedding details, so you'll just have to trust me on that.

Thanks for dropping by. Do pop back tomorrow as I have scheduled a Fabulous Fridays @ Five'o'clock post for you too.  Next Tuesday's also got a tutorial ready to go as well.

Til next time, remember

happy stamping, colouring & creating!

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