My New Blog addy

Hi everyone.  I have a new blog for 2010.  I'll keep this one as an archive but the new one is a bit fresher.  It will be pretty much the same as this one but looks better ;)  Please update your links to the new addy and if you have my blog addy on your page, would you mind putting the new one there as well.  This blog is 2006-2009.  The new one will be 2010 onwards.  http://lynn-mccorry-2.blogspot.com/

The new one is called Dreamweaver - Scrapbooking, Art, Thoughts, Life  (I added the word "art" to it ha ha)  Big change eh?  If you don't have my link on your page, please feel free to add it (yes, I need all the links I can get.)

Happy New Year everyone!

Signing out ...

Being Accountable

I haven't been feeling very well for the past few days and think I need to take some time and rest up.  I probably won't be coming online at all for at least a few days (maybe more if my health worsens) but have been thinking about the following and wanted to get it on my blog before I forget all about it.   

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"We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily 

into the trap of being our own worst enemies." 

 ~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive

I've come to realise that I probably rely on others too much.  It's around this time every year that I start to think about my resolutions for the new year.  I've done this for so many years and I never seem to achieve any of the goals I set for myself.  I've given it a lot of thought and do believe it's because I always ask Brian to help me to achieve my goals. 

Let's be honest.  What it all boils down to is excuses.  However, now that I realise where my problem lies I can set about and do things to try and change the way I deal with things and approach my resolutions.

Yes, I shall once again give myself resolutions for the new year but I will make them myself and I will carry them out myself.  No asking for help anymore. 

I need to be accountable to only one person ... ME!

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go."
~Dr. Seuss

Random Photos

Two old photos and a new one :)

Jade and Steph - November 2009 ~ at a party

Jade and Aaron.  I think this was taken about 3 years ago (just look at his eyes LOL)

Jade's 18th (2008) ~ Jade

Bored - photos of Jade taken 4 December 2009

A couple of days ago (4 December) Jade was bored so she took some photos using her webcam.  She sent them to me and of course, like all mums, I have to share them. She certainly does look pretty bored LOL

Jade's Engagement Ring

You're engaged...
For all of your lives,
May you find in each other

The friend of your heart...
The joy of your world...
The love of your life!

Here are a couple of photos of Jade's engagement ring.  My photos don't do it justice ... it's even prettier in real life.  It's white gold with diamonds along the two sides of the band and a solitaire diamond in the middle.  The solitaire is inlaid so if she knocks her hand or the ring, it will be very hard to dislodge the diamond.   

It's the perfect ring for her and really suits her hand.  She adores it and it means even more to her because Aaron went alone and chose the ring.

 

Random Ramblings

BLOG

My blog is really bugging me. There's so much wasted space on the page.  I like the layout but I'd like it to fit more across the width of the page and I'd also like the headings in the right hand column to be bigger.

Only problem with changing the template now would be that it would mess up the way I've set out all my other pages and that would bug me even more!  There's no pleasing me sometimes LOL

DEATH 

Death seems to be on my mind a lot lately.  Over the past couple of years I've lost so many family members and friends.  One friend died from suicide, one in a freak accident along with a girl he was with, another friend died of cancer and I have family members who have died from illnesses.  It makes me so sad.  If I go back three years the rate of deaths of people I knew become even more.  I hope that their families are managing to cope with their losses.   

ART AND SCRAPBOOKING 

Alas I am still not scrapbooking or making art of any kind.  I sometimes walk into my scraproom, full of good intentions and turn around and walk back out again.  It's so weird.  The feelling of wanting to do something creative seems to leave me as soon as I'm faced with my room full of supplies.  I really don't know what's up with all this.  If you had told me I would feel this way, three years ago, I would have laughed and said "never!"

Maybe I should surf a few of the artistic and scrapbooking sites and see what happens?

JADE 

Well, this has been a bit of a downer post hasn't it?  So how about I leave you with a photo of my lovely Jade.  It was taken a couple of days ago.  She and Aaron have gone down South to Dunsborough for the weekend.  They're staying with one of their friends and when I spoke to Jade she said they were having a great time.  

I'm a dorky person who loves logic puzzles

OK, so there you have it.  I absolutely love doing logic puzzles.  You know those ones where you have a grid and clues?  You fill in the grid with ticks and crosses until you arrive at the right answers?  Well yea, I love them.  I decided to search for some, online, and found a great site which I'll share with you.  What I like about this site is that you can do the puzzles right there online.  I've also found that you can open the pages in different tabs and do them offline.  It's not quite the same as curling up with a puzzle book but it's free so I'm not going to complain.  They also have a heap of logic puzzles that you can print out.  It's well worth a look if you like this sort of stuff :)

Puzzlers Paradise

Tonsillitis

It seems that Jade has Tonsillitis.  This is about the fourth time she's had it in the last few years.  I'm happy it's nothing worse than that yet, at the same time am feeling sorry that she has to put up with this.  

Back when I was a kid (and yes, we are going back many, many years), they would just whip out your tonsils as soon as you complained of a sore throat.  They used to take out your adenoids at the same time.  My how times have changed.  

My cousin told me that nowadays they are very reluctant to remove them and that they actually have some sort of connection to the immune system.  Wow, to think that before I heard that I would have told Jade to ask the doctor to take them out. Not now, not unless she gets another bout of it fairly soon after this one.

Yes indeed, times sure have changed....

She has her final exam (a three hour one) this Friday.  Right now she's still really sick and has a temperature, headache and of course a very sore throat.  She's decided she will defer the exam.  Poor girl was feeling really guilty about it but I think she's made the right decision.  The uni doesn't mind deferring tests and it's much better to attempt it when you're feeling good rather than rotten.

So, if you're reading this Jade, don't worry.  Things will work out.  Just concentrate on getting better sweetheart.

Books and Jade

I've just finished reading Eclipse (Book 3 of the Twilight Series).  I found it slow to start but once I got about a fifth of the way into the book I just could not put it down.  

Today I started reading the final book, Breaking Dawn and can't wait to see how everything works out :)

I must say that so far I've enjoyed the series so much more than I thought I would.  Hopefully the last book will be the best of the lot!

Jade came over today and was so sick.  Brian rushed her down to the doctor's and he saw her straight away.  He made her have some urgent blood tests and we should get the results in the morning.  Hopefully it's nothing more than a virus.  She has a very sore throat (and had the flu last week).  She also had pretty bad stomach pains and that's what's worrying me the most. 

Layouts of Jade

I think this is the last of the layouts that I did at the start of the year.  As with most of my layouts, these are all about Jade :)

 Confidence

 A quick and simple layout using torn paper, a vellum quote, flowers and lots of rub-ons.

Lovely

A layout about how cute she looks, with no make-up and damp hair.

You Inspire Us

This layout talks about her enjoying the teaching course she was doing at Uni.  However, she has now decided that it's not quite for her so next year she'll start a six year course and will be studying to become a Psychologist

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM

"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."

Today is my mum's birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM

Thank you mum, for all the many things you do for us.  Thank you for being there when we need you, for your words, for your unconditional love, for all the little and big ways that you help us, for your strength, your courage and your unfailling belief in us.  Mostly mum, thank you for just being you.

We love you so much.

Layouts

I made these layouts at the start of 2009.  The photos are from 2007 and they are for Jade and Aaron's "Love" Album.  It seems fitting to post them now seeing as they are engaged.  Jade took my camera on holidays with her but it broke so I doubt I'll have many (if any) photos from their trip.  

When I made these layouts I was having trouble getting back into scrapbooking so I concentrated more on just having fun playing with the paper and embellishments and putting the layout together, rather than writing much or telling a story.  I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out and they look nice in their album.

TRUE LOVE

LOVE

I used my sewing machine to stitch the vellum quote

KISS

KISS

I used my sewing machine to sew the vellum quote to the photo.  Kinda like the way it worked out.

Jade and Arron are ENGAGED!

JADE AND AARON ARE ENGAGED!

OMG, I can't begin to express my happiness.  Jade and Aaron are in Melbourne right now.  They left last Wednesday and come back tomorrow night.  They are staying with Aarons brother and his family for most of the time but last week they stayed at the Crown Towers Hotel.  

The day before they left Aaron had asked us for our blessing and for Jade's hand in marriage.  Of course we said YES.  They have been together for over 4 years and we've known all along that one day they would marry.  They're made for each other and their love affair is so similar to Brian's and mine.  I guess it was just a matter of when they would get engaged in our minds.  Well to say we were thrilled with Aaron asking for Jade's hand is an understatement.  It meant so much to us that he would do that.

Jade had no idea he was going to propose on the holiday.  It took place on Friday 30th October while they were staying at the hotel.  Jade said it was so romantic.  Their room had huge windows that overlooked Melbourne and they were standing at the window at night, holding each other and looking at the view.  Then Aaron got down on his knee and proposed :)  She said the tears just poured down her face.  She was so happy when she phoned us to let us know.  

We couldn't have asked for a better young man to be our son-in-law.  They adore each other.  The engagement party won't be until next year and I think it will be a while till they get married.  

Jade has decided to leave teaching as it turns out it's not everything she expected.  She's going to follow a dream that she didn't realise she would be able to follow.  She wants to be a Psychologist.  The only down side is that it's a 6 year course.  It will be some time before they will have a dual income.  But as far as Brian and I are concerned, we just want her to do whatever it is that makes her happy.  I think she'll make a brilliant Psychologist (after all she's had to deal with Brian and myself and all our problems over the years LOL)

Jade and Aaron, your dad and I wish you the very best of everything for the future.  We love you both so much and know you are perfect for each other.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AARON

Happy Birthday Aaron

We hope you have a lovely birthday sweetie.  Enjoy your day!  Hope your party this weekend is awesome.  Brian is going to try and pop along for a while :)  (I had to give you some cupcakes!)

Miss you Dad

23 years ago today my dad died.  I can still remember it like it happened yesterday.  

You're always in my heart and my thoughts dad.  I miss you so very much and love you always.  xxx

Thanks to my friends - comments

I just wanted to say thank you to my friends for leaving comments on my blog and letting me know you are still around :)  It's such a thrill to hear from you all.  I lost most of my contact addys when my computer crashed ages ago so if I haven't written, that's the reason ... I don't have your email.  Please feel free to email me at my old lmccorry@space.net.au email addy anytime.  I'll do my best to answer you as soon as I can.  Love to you all. xxx Lynn

Jade turned 19

Yesterday (Saturday 17th) Jadie turned 19.  Oh wow, so now I'm officially old LOL  She came over for the day on Friday and we pigged out on almond fingers and ice cream.  We had already given her the wrist tattoo for her birthday present.  It was such a lovely, relaxed afternoon.

Yesterday her friend Mitch turned 21 so she and all her friends went to his 21st birthday bash.  I'm so happy she got to celebrate her birthday too.  There were lots of photos taken but alas my dear daughter managed to dodge them LOL  So this year I don't have a birthday photo of her.  

HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER

You are everything we could have asked for and so much more.  Enjoy this last year of being a teenager :)  Your daddy and I love you more than words can say and we are so proud of the incredible young woman that you are.

Handmade Cards

Here are a few handmade cards I made earlier this year.  They're all pretty simple, easy designs and were nice and quick to put together. 

Valentine's Day Card

I used the packaging from some Basic Grey Rub-On's for this card.  It was way too cool to just throw it out. It's hard to tell from the picture but the top left is pop dotted and the image is 3D.  Hand cut the heart and inked it, hand wrote the title and used rub-on words under it.  Finished it off with red Ric-rack ribbon.

Happy Everything

Just a fun little card with some paper tearing and flowers

Hello Card

Used copper and gold ink around title, flower nailhead and some pretty ribbon

Thinking of You

I kinda like the softness of this one.  It has a bit of a shabby chic look to it.  I really love the way that pink and brown works together.  It's one of my favourite colour combinations.

Thinking of You

Simple and earthy.  I just love that brown, natural-fibre Ric-rack ribbon. The white paper is embosssed with dots.

Thinking of You

Yet another simple card.  These actually look a lot better in real life.

In my Thoughts

I used a light weight bronze corner as a "hanger" for the title

Mum's back and thanks to family in Ireland

Mum came home yesterday and it was so lovely to see her.  She came over today and we chatted for hours.  I'm not sure if the trip back to Ireland brought her any closure as far as the deaths of her sister, brother and brother-in-law are concerned but I know she's really happy she went back.

I forgot to post condolences to my family in Ireland on the loss of my uncle Geoffrey.  We are so sorry and you have all been in our prayers.

I really want to thank everyone who looked after mum while she was in Ireland.  A really special thank you to Sandra, Stef and your boys.  Thank you for being so wonderful :)  

Love to all my Irish family and mum's Irish friends :)