The new me

Decided it's time to measure up and get slinky.

Here's my motivation- I asked Santa for this mirror for Christmas, and he replied that I have to make it myself. So I'm starting.

Here's my before picture:


Hope the after one is a better shape!!!






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Week 2 Project 365

My layouts for week 2 - I have found a simple template I love for this project, so here is last week's redone, plus the new one for this week.

Many thanks to Hummie at HummiesWorld for this template.

I have had an interesting time with photos this week, including learning some skills for taking self-portraits through a mirror and using my tripod and self timer. I still cannot get the smile right on cue for the self-timer flash- either too forced from holding it for 10 seconds, or just missing altogether.

One of my hobbies is family history researching. Great news this week was the on-line release of the 1911 UK census images - 2 years earlier than expected.

I hoped it would help solve the biggest mystery of my research- the whereabouts of Sidney Edward Hill,(or Sydney) born in London between 1856 and 1859, parentage and place unknown, married in London (certificate found) and migration to Australia, Boer War service, occupation, voting in Australia (all recorded). The last known was that he might have returned to UK in 1907-1908, but no death has been found for him. And no, he wasn't on the 1911 census either. So the mystery continues.

Still, I found images of several other family lines, but nothing unexpected yet.

Happy New Year

Wishing everyone a wonderful new year - filled with peace, tolerance and justice for all.
A wonderful family Christmas was enjoyed by us, with family and friends and restrained celebrating by all.
Since then, I have spent time revisiting my Family History notes ( by way of reading before throwing out many handwritten paper pieces dating from 1996), taking photographs and scrapbooking both real life and digital forms.
I have chosen to take part in the Project 365- a photo a day recorded and scrapped (perhaps). I started this - a photo and a layout a day- first in 2007 and I created 2 months worth of layouts before work committments and life intervened. It is a big commitment, but highlights that something interesting happens every day- even mundane things can become interesting when photographed from a different angle, or journalled about in a clever way.
My first week's layouts: template by Claudette Wooddell-photo-a-day

Christmas Eve in Australia

We have as a family just celebrated Christmas Eve together. Four generations- Aunt Dorrie, my husband and I, our children Tracey and Glenn, and their fur babies Zoom, Jonty and Missy.

We decided on a typical Australian feast. Starters were nibbles of olives, gherkins, cocktail onions, kabana, cheese. Mains was seafood (prawns and coral trout) and salads, followed by pavlova (meringue, cream, kiwifruit and banana) with ice cream for dessert. The table was decorated and a Christmas tree was illuminated. We ate on the outside deck under the Christmas lights and listened to Christmas Carols from an old vinyl record (sung by Gene Autry). What a relaxing evening it was, before the hectic call of Christmas day.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year.

The Week before Christmas

The week before Christmas- and what am I doing?

Cleaning the house - washing internal walls, windows, refreshing curtains(good strong breeze and lots of sunshine today), rearranging furniture, changing quilt covers and preparing rooms for visitors. Plus the hugest clean out of cupboards for the recycling dumprun today- probably a car load full- periodicals and magazines from the last 5 years- family history, scrapbooking, Turf monthly etc.

And I'm finally moving some things into the new shed- jigsaws (of which I have 120 for my retirement) and suitcases and photo-frames. How all this stuff ever fitted in my cupboards is a puzzle in itself- the cupboards still look full, but so is the shed. Where did it all come from?

Christmas Around the World Blog Train

Christmas Around the World Blog Train- my contribution.
My 2 photo quickpage (png format) and my minikit (papers, frames, wordart and tree design)





Christmas around the world Blog train for Digiscrappers starts today.


I am joining in with Hummie's group with a minikit called SandieH-2008 Catw in blues, green and silver.


Here is the preview and the links for the minikit and an amended file,


http://www.4shared.com/file/74841591/ae11a583/SandieH_2008_CATW.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/75462142/3c7f15e9/SandieH_2008CATW_extrafile.html

and my Quickpage


http://www.4shared.com/file/74839947/8c527360/SandieH-2008_Catw-QP.html


Hope you join the train and find lots of goodies to share.

I am a member at Hummie's site- a digital scrapbooking community where Hummie provides an outlet for showcasing our scrapbooking pages. Hummie very generously provides tips, hints and video tutorials to help scrapbookers, especially users of PSE, master new skills and become adept with their digital programs. She also hosts a chat forum, a challenge board and a display gallery for challenge layouts. It's a great place to visit- it has a wonderful sense of closeness and community, and many online friendships are forged there. Drop in and say hi to the members.