Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone - will post some pictures later!!!

Mosaicing Week-end

Yes, this is a bit late, but at least I am updating!!!

Last week-end, Shelley and I flew up to JHB to spend time with Desire to help her with preparation for the Scrapday in December. But ....... Desire was sneaky and did that work and we had to take part in another craft - yes that is correct - mosaicing!

Desire is making mosaiced frames for her in-laws 50th wedding anniversary and needed assistance with getting them done. There were about 18 of them. So while Shelley sat painting the back of the frames and the stands, Desire and I got stuck into the actual frames. I so enjoyed doing this, that I will definitely do a mosaic of sorts for someone soon!! You will have to check out Desire's blog when it is updated of what we did as I did not take my camera.

We also took some time out and went to the Montecasino Bird Park on the Sunday morning. We had breakfast first and then watched the bird show. It was fantastic and their birds were most delightful - similar to our Umgeni Bird Park, but much bigger. Once the show was over, we walked around the park looking at all the different varieties of birds they have. It was a lovely sunny day and when we got home we realised how hot it had been as we all had bright red faces, necks and arms!!

Then it was back to mosaicing and at about 6pm Desire and Conroy drove us back to the airport.

All in all a most enjoyable week-end.

BOM Challenge #8 My Family and #9 Fashion

It is a lovely misty morning here in Pinetown, South Africa and Summer is certainly arriving. When I wake up at 5h30, before my alarm at 6h00, then I know that Summer is on its way!! So, that means that I have already taken the dogs out to do their business, fed them, done a load of washing, took the photos of my layouts and sent them to Tracy and now am updating my blog (while I suppose quite a few of you are still sleeping!! he he).


On Friday evening I finished my Family layout and here it is:

The journalling reads as follows:

Ok, so you want to know all about my family. Let me tell you about my side…….
My parents are Lu and Laura.
I am the eldest of 4 children and am married to Dereck. We have two children, Leanne (currently living and working in England) and Grant.
I have a brother, Malcolm who is 17 months younger than me. He is married to Carol and they have two children Byron and Cassandra.
I have a sister, Liesel who is not married and she is 5 years younger than me.
I have another brother, Warren who is 7 years younger than me. He is married to Debbie and they have two children, Luke and Rebekah.
My mom’s parents were known to us as Granny and Grandpa Farquharson and they were always very fair in what all of us grandchildren got. I certainly enjoyed spending week-ends with them at their house in Westbrook (near Tongaat) and a favourite treat there was having Melrose cheese wedges on toast and jelly everyday for pudding at lunch time. My Gran was a wonderful person so full of life, considering that she was crippled in a wheelchair with Rheumatoid Arthritis. She never complained of how much pain she was in and sadly passed away at the age of 83. My one good deed was giving them the pleasure of a great grandchild – Leanne. I was pregnant with Grant when my Gran died. My Grandpa was a very patient and perfect gentleman who always had such wonderful stories to tell us. He died at the age of 88.
My dad’s parents were known as Granny and Grandpa Engler and lived in East London. My Grandpa died while I was quite young, so don’t remember too much about him except that he used to have a pet crow called “Joe”. I always remember my Gran as someone who baked delicious biscuits, who crotched all the time and made lovely blankets for each of my children when they were borne and whenever we were around her, all we heard was the clinking of her 3 wide gold bracelets that she always wore. She also always had her hair under a hair net. When she passed away, each of the 3 girls on the Engler side of the family received one of these bangles. She passed away a few months short of her birthday when she would have turned 99!

Now, for Dereck’s side of the family…...
Dereck’s mom’s name was Francis but was referred to by all of us as “Papi”. A name she got from when Janine was small and she always used to call her “Poppet”. Sadly she passed away in July 2008 having suffered with Cancer. His dad’s name was John and he passed away tragically in a car accident in 1972. Dereck is the eldest of 4 children.
He has a sister, Lesley who is about 2 years younger than him. She is married to Alex and they have two children, Janine (who lives and works in England) and Nicholas. Lesley, Alex and Nicholas used to live in Holland and have recently come back to South Africa.
The next sister is Jennifer who is about 7 years younger than Dereck and she has recently got divorced from her husband Greg. They have two children, Samantha and Kirsten.
The youngest sister is Joanne and she is about 18 years younger than Dereck. Dereck’s mom was pregnant with Joanne when his dad was killed, so sadly she has never known her dad. She is married to Brendon and they have two children Kerin and Ryan.
Dereck’s Gran on his mom’s side was known as “Ouma”. She lived in Parys so we never saw her too often. But when she did visit, she used to make the most divine ginger pudding and then “Papi” used to make it and it is a definite Ramsay family favourite. As the family grew, we needed to have two of these puddings at any function as everyone liked it!!

I get on with all my family and especially enjoy our family get togethers as we always have so much fun – taking the mickey out of each other and generally just having a good laugh. Warren and I seem to have a similar sense of humour! Each family member in their own way is very special to me. I numbered all the pictures in order to indicate who they were:

1. Janine
2. Lu
3. Laura
4. Debbie
5. Nicholas
6. Papi
7. Joanne
8. Kirsten
9. Samantha
10. Luke
11. Byron
12. Cassandra
13. Rebekah
14. Carol
15. Leanne
16. Grandpa F
17. Ouma
18. Granny F
19. Malcolm
20. Warren
21. Dereck
22. Ryan
23. Lesley
24. Brendon
25. Kerin
26. Jennifer
27. Greg
28 Grandpa E
29. Alex
30. Granny E
31. Grant
32. Liesel

The next layout for the BOM Challenge #9 was to do with our fashion sense through the years. I managed to finish this layout yesterday - it helps when you have a husband who watches the Grand Prix and who was in so much pain from his gym session that he couldn't walk around too much, so we didn't need to go anywhere!!!! Here is my layout:

And the journalling reads as follows:

I am not a fashion conscious person. I like practicle clothes that can be mixed and matched and that will last. I like bright vibrant colours. For work I like to wear skirts and loose fitting shirts. For casual wear I enjoy jeans, shorts or ¾ pants with t/.shirts or loose shirts. I don’t often wear dresses. If I am at a shopping mall and I see something I like, I buy it as chances are that when I am looking for something I won’t find it. I have a few necklaces that I wear but I am not big on accessories. I have a couple of pairs of black and white shoes as this is the most common colour I wear to work. I do buy others that will match clothes that I already have. This saves on wearing the same shoes all the time. When I was younger I enjoyed long hair. Since I started walking and now doing gym, I find that that short hair suits me better as I wash it every day. I have had perms over the years but prefer it natural now. I have my hair highlighted – originally for a bit of colour but nowt it is to start hiding the grey!! I am not a big make-up person. I always wear lipstick and if I am going out I will add mascara and blush. My favourite perfume is CHANEL No. 5 and RED DOOR. My taste hasn’t changed – I am still a conservative and practicle dresser. The style of my glasses …… well at the time they were fashionable so I hope in 20 years time I won’t be laughed at!!!

Thanks for looking.

BOM Challenger up to date signing off ....

A relaxing day finished off with a Prawn Feast!

Got out of bed at 6:00am to let the dogs out and give them their breakfast. Collected the newspaper then got back into bed - very unusual for me!! I have had such a runny nose these last few days and was just feeling yuk. Slept until 8:00am then decided that I needed to get up and do some scrapping.

I had finished off My Family layout yesterday (I still need to take a photo and will send to you Tracy) and then got started on my next challenge which is about our fashion sense through the years. I finished that off and am very pleased at how it turned out. Again, I still need to take a photo and will send it through to Tracy to put on her blog.

Grant asked if we could go to Simply Fish at the Pavilion for Prawns. It costs you R98 per person and you can eat as much as you like. Between Lauren, Grant and I, we finished off 11 pans of Prawns. They were absolutely yummy. We liked the mediteranean sauce which was a bit peri-peri. Dereck had fish and then went off to Exclusive Books, while we carried on eating. even the waiter commented that Dereck had looked bored!!

All in all a nice relaxing day and a wonderful evening. Off to go and read my book.

Prawned out signing off ....

Bosses Day 16 October 2008

Here in South Africa it was Bosses Day today. Paula and I decided that we were going to treat our bosses Campbell and Julian and we also included our office manager - Debbie as well as our professional assistant - Kate.

Being a legal firm, we decided that we needed to invite them in a formal way, so we drafted up a Summons. Paula and I were known as "Da Chef", Campbell and Julian were "Da'Boss", Debbie was "Da'Boss'Boss" Kate was "Da'Boss-in-Training". The summons was formally served on Monday, 13 October 2008 and the date was set. Herewith a copy of what the summons looked like: Paula typed them out onto blue paper and I rolled them up and tied them with a white ribbon.

The start of Boss' Day was tea or coffee served with my home-made lemon merangue pie, which I must say, is really delicious:

"Da' Bosses" were summonsed to appear in our boardroom at 12h55 today, to be served a luncheon prepared by "Da'Chef 1 and 2". We bought a roasted butternut and ricotta quiche. While Paula was out collecting the quiche, I made a green salad, consisting of lettuce, cherry tomatoes, yellow pepper, cucumber, feta cheese and roasted nuts. We also had some coleslaw and wholewheat rolls. We had arranged gifts for each of "Da'Bosses"and these were placed on their plate with a paper bag over them so that they could only see them once we were ready. This is what the table and the food looked like:

Campbell (Da' Boss) and Kate (Da' Boss-in-Training) eagerly awaiting the instruction for them to lift the paper bags off their gifts and tuck into their food!

Julian (Da' Boss) and Debbie (Da' Boss' Boss) also eagerly awaiting the instruction to "lift and eat".

Even though the note said "please do not lift", both Campbell and Julian were bending down and trying to lift without us seeing them do it!!

The quiche above and salad below
This was all set on the table on a white table cloth with some beautiful roses from Paula's garden (they are called South Africa) and smelt beautiful.

Once they had finished this meal, we cleared the table and served them each a bowl of freshly made fruit salad (I made it last night) - problem - unbeknown to us Campbell did not like fruit salad, so did not end up eating his pudding!! This is what the fruit salad looked like and was made up with the following: pawpaw, granadilla, red and green apple, banana, oranges and a pineapple:

Once they had finished eating, they were each given 1 (and only 1) sparkle mint!

When Campbell left this afternoon, he thanked us and stated that "that was the best Bosses day I have ever had. It beats going to a restaurant". Thanks Campbell, it was a pleasure to "serve you".

Well, Michelle, what was under the paper bag, I hear you all asking - it was this:

Campbell and Julian each received their jar with the tag stating "Da' Boss".
This was Debbie's jar - "Da' Boss' Boss".

This was Kate's jar - "Da' Boss-in-Training".

I had some alphabet pins which I used on the top of each jar and this is what they looked like:

Campbell and Julian's jars with "c" and "j"on the top.

This was Debbie and Kate's jars with "d" and "k" on the top.

We finished off the afternoon with chocolate coated crunchies (home-made by Paula and very yummy), but I was so busy eating mine, I forgot to take a picture.

All in all a great day and worth all the effort we put into it.

Da Chef signing off ..........

Some more updates ....

Ok, so I have now finally caught up with my blogging - please read the few posts below this as well!

Last week, Tuesday, Shelley, Rayna, Liane (Rayna's daughter) and I went to the ICC areana to see Smokie (to the youngsters out there, they are a band who made the song "Alice" - living next door to Alice as you might know it, famous. They were brilliant and had us all bopping and jiving in our seats and then eventually standing up. That was certainly food for the soul and it is a long time since I have been out dancing.

Then on Thursday, Dereck's friend Mali who plays at the Heritage Theatre arranged free tickets for us to see The King and Queen - a tribute to Elvis and Freddie Mercury, so Rayna and Shelley joined us and we saw that show. If you haven't gone to see it, you better get booking - brilliant music and a good laugh! They also have the Gee Jays with Bad Moon Rising coming up soon and that should also be really good - we have already booked for this.

Friday evening I spent sorting out the gifts for bosses day. I have taken pictures but you will have to wait until after Thursday 16 October 2008 to see what Paula and I did.

On Saturday it was Rayna's birthday and Shelley, Kathy, Rayna, Nikki and I went to the Heritage Retreat for some pampering. I had a full body massage and my pedicure and the others also had massages, pedicures and hot stone massages. When we were finished we sat on the deck and had wonderful fresh muffins and orange juice while we decided where to go for lunch. We decided on Star Anise where we helped ourselves from the buffet menu and you then weigh your plate for the price. A most enjoyable meal. But most of all, a most enjoyable pampering session with great friends. Something we have all decided that we need to do again. If any of you want to go to the Heritage Retreat, I recommend the therapist by the name of Bronwyn - she is brilliant!

Today was a lovely day - really hot and a taste of what summer is going to be all about. Dereck and I went for breakfast at the Mugg and Bean in Pinetown, then went to visit my brother Malcolm and Carol (it was their 17 anniversary on 5 October 2008) and thereafter joined our friends Darryl and Bev for a braai at their place in Glenashley. We got home at about 5pm. I have been updating comments on the various blogs I visit and of course updating my own blog. So now that I am completely up to date and it is now almost 10pm, I think that it is time for me to go to bed.

Up to date signing off ....

BOM Challenge #7 Loves & Hates

This was an interesting challenge and gave me an opportunity to sit and think seriously about some of the things that I love and hate. This was a very time consuming layout, but it turned out exactly as I had envisioned it which is very pleasing for me. Thanks for looking:

The journalling reads as follows:

Things I love (in no particular order):

My brothers & and my sister - Malcolm, Warren & Liesel
Having a good spring clean every once in a while
Chocolate cake, brownies, muffins, lemon meringue pie
Flowers - Gerberas are my favourite, but I enjoy all
Spending time with my friends - they are all so special to me
Spending time with my family - we always have such a laugh!!
At this moment in time, I am really loving going to the Gym
Dancing – this puts me on a high!
Reading - a good book goes down very well
Watching movies - my favourites is Pretty Woman
Organising and helping people organise things
Seafood - calamari and prawns being my best
Music – loud - especially music that you can dance to
Seeing physically challenged people achieve
Really good jokes - I have a great sense of humour!
A really good, but not too hot, curry (especially prawn)
Salads - I have one for lunch every day
Chocolates, especially those which have nuts in them
Going on holidays overseas - seeing different cultures
Spending time away from home, just chilling
The satisfaction of achieving when others said I wouldn't
Watching monkeys, apes, gorillas - really fascinating
My husband, Dereck. We have certainly had a lot of fun
A good party - with the right people I can have lots of fun!
Chocolate ice-cream or chocolate milkshake
Mixing all my food together so that I can just use a fork
Buying & wrapping up presents
The feeling when having completed a walking race
Painting - I have painted most of the inside of our house
A good challenge - I must be interested in it though
Going shopping, especially if for me too!
Decorating and making things nice for a function
My children, Leanne & Grant
A good dare - have bungi jumped & loved it!
Just getting on with things - why wait?
Pork chops or chicken kebabs on a braai
Pasta in any form - meal or salad
My dogs – Zippa, Jemma & Izzy
The smell of freshly cut grass on a hot day
A good massage - legs or whole body
Soaking in a hot bubble bath (don't do this often enough!)
Freshly made fruit salad with granadilla
Waking up and wondering what the day has in store for me
Collecting Beatrix Potter & Swarovski Crystal figurines
Collecting teaspoons from around the world
Scrapbooking - I find this very relaxing and satisfing
Making things - cookies, teddy bears, anything creative
Eating nougat especially with berries and nuts
Drinking berry drinks especially smoothies
Just being accepted for who and what I am
The colour purple (mauve)
Watching ballroom dancing
Watching, diving, gymnastics & athletics
My mom and dad (Laura & Lu)
Spins, Brutul Fruit, Bacardi Breezers
Rose wine and peach champagne

Things I hate: –

Baked beans, beetroot, cooked cabbage, oats, sago pudding (I had sago pudding last week and I now love it, so this will have to come off!!!!)
People who are false & say things they really don't mean
Snakes – actually I am petrified of them!
When things don’t get put back where they belong
* Rude people, and bad service * Inconsiderate people
Eating a meal where you have to pick out the bones
Rainy weather - it's messy and the washing piles up!
Seeing people begging with their children

Ticking signing off .....

A Serious Blog Update ....

Ok, so I have been "blogging slack" and for that I must apologise, but I have been away, scrapping, attending concerts and getting things ready for bosses day - so hopefully I will be excused!

Here are some layouts that I have recently completed. It has certainly been fun and I am slooowly getting Grant's album done. Still have a bit to do and time is getting less - he turns 21 on 4 January 2009, so now you understand why I need to do lots of scrapping!!!!

This was the morning of Christmas 2006 and was taken of Grant & Lauren before we went to Joanne's place for the day.

This was Christmas eve at Debbie & Warren's place where the children were doing silly things on the trampoline and inside. This kit can be purchased from Doing Life .
This was also taken on Christmas Ever and I had asked the children to pose specifically so that I could send the pictures to Leanne to see. They co-operated very well!! This was a scraplift from one of Desire's designs (the prisoners)
This was taken on Christmas day at our house with all the Ramsay's. It is also a kit that can be bought from Doing life.

A few weeks ago Dereck, myself and 11 other scrappers (including two other men) went to Inkungu Estate in the Berg for 4 days. It was absolutely wonderful and Desire (check out her blog for the full story - I couldn't have told it better!) designed 3 layouts for each of us which we then completed - amongst other scrapping that we had taken with us. Below are my three layouts that I did:This was on the 15 June 2008, the day after the scrap day held at Makaranga. Dereck and I stayed over as it was my birthday and then our anniversary on the 16 June.
This was some of the ladies who attended the scrap day.
This was the Sani Stagger that Dereck took part in - I chose to be a helper and did the scenic route!!

seriously updated signing off ....