We are nicely settled into our new home. That is we are moved in and comfortable! I still have lots of boxes in the garage that need unpacking that I will do as time permits. Our old house sold fairly quickly after our third contract on it! It sold quick but the first two contracts fell through, but we were third time lucky. Unfortunately the bank wanted more of our equity than we expected so we don't have as much left over as we were hoping.

We were planning on using some of it to buy a new car, since our old one has died.. the engine is kaput and it is still sitting in the back yard. We need to get it to the wreckers but we haven't got to that yet. We got lucky because my brother bought a new one, and didn't need his old one any more and it wasn't worth selling so he let us have it. It will do just fine for the time being especially since….I am no longer working outside the home!!

That's right, if you haven't already heard, I am no longer working as an Admin Manager. After 3yrs in an accounting firm as the admin manager where I did payroll, in house accounts amongst other things, it was time for me to start putting my health first. My health was making it very difficult for me to maintain my work standards and I was finding it harder and harder to manage working full time with set hours.

So what now?? Well since I already have the best job in the world designing for DSP, which I was already doing on the side, I am now doing it full time, well full time with the added benefit of working when I am well and taking it easy when I am not. My hours are as flexible as they can get, I can work at 2am in my jammies, or 9.30am when the kids are at school or 8pm when the kids are in bed, or pretty much any time I feel like it. I love designing and am so lucky to be able to do it as a job now even tho I am unwell. I couldn't have a more suitable job for my illness which at this stage still looks to be Mixed Connective Tissue disease according to my Rheumatologist.

I have symptoms of several Auto-Immune diseases which may later develop into a specific one or may remain overlapping. Auto-immune diseases are notoriously difficult to diagnose even when the symptoms are clear but in the meantime at least I am being treated and now that I am no longer working outside the home, I can put my health first instead of my job but still earn money while doing so! YEAH!

The kids are doing great. Jasmine is about to turn 8 and is such a lovely young lady! She just got her ear's pierced today as an early birthday present. She is starting year 3 this year… boy it goes fast!! Kyan (my baby!!!) is starting prep this year! It will be good to have them in the one place instead of one at school and one at daycare. Although for the first time they have both been enjoying the entire Christmas break at home, and getting to know the kids in our new neighbourhood. I love that I can work even while they are home from school! Although maybe not as efficiently!!!

I think that is pretty much all of it. We had a lovely Christmas and new year and the kids are looking forward to going to school. I am loving spending more time designing although I think it will be easier when the kids are at school! I get so many interruptions at the moment while they are home, which is fine of course, I am enjoying spending so much time with them at the moment.

Oh nearly forgot! Dean has moved the workshop to home now and is now working at home which works well because if he wants to work extra hours, he can do so without feeling like he can't see the kids while he is gone. And now we don't have to waste rent on a shed and can put that money towards our house instead! We still in the process of organising curtains. We have some roman blinds on layby for the family room and have ordered some fabric for the kids rooms and will have them made very soon. Ours will be next after those I think. Yes, we just have sheets on the windows at the moment! It will take time to get it all done but it will happen bit by bit.

We need to get a ride on mower too because we don't have a mower and our block is an acre, so it is a bit expensive to have someone else mow each time! So that is on the priority list as well at the moment.

Anyway, so lots of changes for us, but hopefully all for the better! I think life will be a lot less stressful and much simpler now, and hopefully Dean won't have to work too many extra hours!! How else will he fit all that triathlon training in???

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I have lots of photos, but my laptop is being hidiously slow uploading the huge raw files so I will have to wait till I get home to upload them with the card reader.

We had lots of fun on the photo walk yesterday, scrapping paparazzi central!!!

I have also got some exciting news to share but I am going to keep you all in suspense for a little while longer.

I am missing my kids & Dean terribly, I have never been away from the kids for such a long time.

Thank goodness I have had so much good company to keep me busy and my mind off missing the family!!!

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I meant to take a photo of it last weekend but forgot to take the camera, so the photo from the listing will have to do for now. he photo below is mostly of the block next to us, ours is the bit behind the fence.

Here is the map of it (lot 54). Adrian & Rachael’s block is on there too. Theirs is three blocks up from ours.

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Jasmine has been getting very sad lately because she has not been getting any mail.. can you tell by the woeful expression on her face on the photo?? Too funny!

We get mail most days as you do, usually bills and junk, but sometimes parcels as well since I often buy stuff for the family on ebay or online stores. (much easier than dragging the kids out shopping) Anyway, despite the fact that I get stuff for her as well… she seems to have conveniently forgotten the Shortcake Stickers for her new bedroom walls… she is always dissappointed when there is no mail for her. Today she tells me it is always mail for me… well I guess since I am the one that pays the bills it usually is! Anyway, I told her to look sad for a photo because she wasn’t getting any mail and this was the result! ROFL!

So to those friends and family who have the time to do so, please put the poor girl out of her misery! The poor thing has been soo neglected!

Kyan soo looks up to his big sister, he loves to copy everything she does. Yesterday Jaz was playing with her shopping trolly so he got out his walker and copied her with it. He loves to try and dance the same way she does, and basically anything she does he likes to do too.

The other day she was doing some drawing and he decided he wanted to do some too. We normally keep him well away from the felt pens as he likes to draw on walls, cupboards, you name it.. it is a real challenge keeping that stuff away from him when little Miss 4 needs constant reminding to put them away and keep them out of his reach. Anyway, I thought I would share a pic of the two of them drawing together. I thought it was cute.

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From time to time she mentions things she would like to have, so I thought it worthwhile to add them to this list, in case friends and family would like to purchase something as a gift for her birthday or Christmas.

• Piano – (toy one)
• A Kite
• A Kick Board for swimming
• A Guitar – (toy one)
• Bubblator – she loves bubbles so any bubble machine would likely do!
  

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I am a hobbyist photographer and digiscrapping addict. I love doing layouts, designing kits and pretty much anything to do with photography and digital scrapbooking. I use Photoshop for my designs and LOVE it! It is so versatile and I am constantly learning new things on it.

My puta and camera are my two most prized material possessions. I have a Canon EOS (Rebel) 300D and hopefully would like to get a higher model, but for now it will have to do me. I am itching to get a laptop so I can access my website etc away from home.. will have to save my pennies!

Most of my posts will be about digital scrapbooking and our children. I have a lot of family in Europe so this is a great way to keep them up to date on happenings in our household.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you round here again soon!

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