Joanne and Mia's secrets.

Joanne'sJournalling:

Seriously I get myself into so many situations that I don't want to be in!

Just because I can't say no.

Mia's
Journaling: I love this picture of my two older girls. They seem to be sharing something they don't want the world to know. Some secret that's just between the two of them. I love watching them whispering to each other then giggling afterwards. I always wonder what they are talking about. I'm glad they have each other to share their secrets with.

challenge 37: secrets.

I am really battling with blogger tonight and can't access and change things like I want to.
However I am revealing challenge 37 to you.
It is from our very own Nicole.
My challenge: Do you have a secret?
Is it something lighthearted and silly like your secret love of the Spice Girls or it is something deeper and darker?
Has a secret that was revealed changed the course of your life?
Or do you not believe in secrets?
Journaling: Sometimes it really sucks to be small. Sometimes it means missing out on going on really cool rides that your older sister gets to go on while you have to wait. Sometimes it means we have to take matters into our own hands and make you 'grow'. How? With a little help from some folded maps and napkins, we jacked up your shoes so you'd meet the height requirements (you were soooo close on your own we had to do something!). It was totally cute how you knew we were breaking the rules a bit. You kept saying, 'I've go secrets in my shoes!' That's right, baby. Now shhh! And let's ride!

We do have a sponsor for October so all entrants will be in with a chance.
Every LO sent in for any of the October weekly challenges will have a ticket in the draw.
Unfortunately I will be AWOL for a week and unable to update the blog.
You can still send your submissions to me at eyeore@telkoma.net.
I will post the teams LO tomorrow providing that blogger plays along.
To all our SA readers and team members, have a good week's school holidays....

Tracy K's family tree

Dots
Journaling reads: Connect the dots of your family tree and you will find branches of love. Every name represents someone who loves you!

Nicole's family tree.

Journaling: I can definitely see myself and your Daddy in both of you. The love of sports and games comes from him while the more artistic interests come from me. Whatever you do, always follow your passions.

Melody's family tree.

Melody’sL
We are the same girl. Me @ 34. You @ 3. The same.

I have just learnt to cover my tantrums. I refer the them as 'mom meltdowns' or 'mom needs time out'. RIGHT NOW!

We both have quick, violent tempers. We yell and freak out. We need our tea and our blankets when we are in recovery.

You and me. Two peas in that pod.

Marisha's family tree

I’ve been asked to create my family tree many times in my life while I was in school. I dreaded it more and more with each time. It’s hard to create a family tree when some of your tree limbs have been “cut off”. On each side of the family our branches have a limited reach. They don’t span out like some families’. Some of our branches stop abruptly because various things such as adoption and rape have prevented us from knowing who some of our relatives are. And as if connecting the limbs of my tree wasn’t difficult enough, at times I would get stuck on trying to decide whether I should create the tree out of the individuals who I consider to be my family or those that are biologically my family. You see, creating a tree is not an easy task for everyone, and I’ve come to accept that my kind of family is tree is different compared to others. Mine is rooted in support rather than genetics alone. And in my eyes, my sister and I represent the fruit of our family tree. And my hope is that one day our seeds will help our family tree to grow into a mighty oak like tree with supportive roots and many branches that are nourished by love. One day.

Shannon's family tree.

Our family tree is an interesting one, just like everyone else's....it's also pretty ordinary just like everyone else's. We come from Poland, Russia, Ireland, England, Scotland, Italy, Germany and Czechoslovakia! Do we have any shady history? I doubt it. Royal bloodlines? Unless we were shamed into exile, I'm betting - probably not.

My guess is we came from hard working people who did everyday jobs....and that's ok with me.....because they had the wisdom, strength and courage to pass these traits and skills along to your great-great grandparents (on my side anyways) - they were no longer satisfied with these jobs, lives, circumstances and persevered against all the challenges that the early 1900's posed. They were brave enough to leave all they ever knew and begin anew in a new world where things weren't easy, safe or cozy....and they did this for you and for me....so we would have opportunity, free worship, possibly love and happiness.

I've mentioned it before to you and I know I'll mention it to you again...always know where you came from and ALWAYS be proud of that...it's something that will help shape who you become....you'll be able to find comfort knowing that they made it through major struggles and you will too....knowing that you are loved and cherished and supported by strong family roots...rich in history and strength of sacrifice. <3 - momma girl

Oops! more everyday LO's

This one is from Tracy K, celebrating the little things that make a day special.

Title: Day of the Duck
Journaling: It was just an ordinary day at the park and then it appeared. A duck. Just as interested in the boys as they were in her. They sat and stared for the longest time and then the moment was gone. It made an ordinary day a little "extra" ordinary! Summer 2005

Sorry Mia, this "thriller" of yours got filed in the wrong place and so overlooked until now.

Journaling: Funny but true! Alyssa is calmed by the songs of Michael Jackson and mesmerized by his videos. When she gets fussy, all we do is put on MJ's dvd and she stops crying instantly. She is also lulled to sleep by "Rock With You" and "Billie Jean." What a funny baby! Alyssa - 7 months

challenge 35: Reader's roundup

Journaling:
You were quite content to sit and watch Daddy's car show with him, even though you should have been in bed an hour ago. Quite relaxed and not a bit tired.
from Melita.

The journaling is as follows:
"Being the mother of five children is definitely cool. Always something going on with someone...never a dull moment...quiet time is a thing of the past...shopping for a family of 7 has become an artform. I LOVE being a mother to 5!"

All supplies are from Close to My Heat. I punched holes out of the top PP to show the cocoa cs underneath and stamped with white ink in those areas, the brackets are inked, the title is alpha stamps and the large ones are cut out after stamping, the flowers are stamped and layered cardstock, and the edges of the pics and cardstock are all distressed with a sharp edge and ink. I loved making this layout!

Party of five from Tamara.

Journaling:

Jigs and Dannah, I love seeing you like this. So when you weren't looking, I took these photos of you enjoying the water, beating the summer heat... PLAYING with one another like you never did before. April 2005

This brightly coloured gem is from Timi.

Challenge 36: Family Tree.

This week's challenge is from Tracy G and it is to create your family tree. If you visit her blog you will see that she is busy with a detailed Book Of Me (BOM).
Some of the DT struggled with this one (and I would have too) so to make it a little easier you may do a page about family traits or some other inherited characteristic.

Colour of Eyes - Brown

Colour of Hair - Brown

Height - 1.64m

Weight - HA! HA! HA!

Where I live - Durban, KZN

Fave time of the day - Early mornings and late at night

Latest Book - Mr Clarinet by Nick Stone

What I'm listening to in my car - Daughtry

Age - 30 (for the last 6 years)

I don't eat Beetroot

This is my FAMILY TREE ..
Father - Peter Eduard Niederberger (aka Tommy - born in Switzerland
married to my mother on 20th November 1970 and divorced in 1978
Mother - Vivien Meryl Niederberger (named after Vivien Leigh)
Brother - Dylan Thomas Niederberger (born in January 1971 - note same year as me - we are 10 months apart)
Sister in Law - Cavina (married to Dylan in 2000 - they have two boys, Bradin (5 yrs old) and Callum (3 yrs old)
Sister - Querita Storm Niederberger (aka Keri - born in 1978 - nearly 7 years after me - Keri did not have a middle name so she added "Storm" at Dept of Home Affairs - her daughter, Caitlin was born in 2002 - now 6 yrs old)
I was born on 28th November 1971. I married my childhood sweetheart, Greg, in 1994 and our gorgeous son, Bryce was born on the 8th October 1996.

Stefanie's everyday LO.

At the beginning of 2008 I realise that even though you have grown taller than me, your feet are three sizes bigger than mine, it is only a matter of time before these smooth cheeks of yours will have a five-o'clock shadow, where shaving the stubble will be a daily occurrence and my little man will be an adult, grown up and ready to leave the nest. These years have gone so fast, that while you are still at home, while you are 14 and still have these smooth cheeks, I should be making the most of kissing them. I love you, Mom.

Liza's everyday LO.

Journaling:
"Make it layered," that's what I told the hairdresser. It had been a year since my last haircut. I don't often go to the salon for a perm or a cut. Boy! Did my head felt light after that haircut! Almost 5 inches of hair off my head, wow! And I definitely liked the result. I hope it doesn't take me a year again to get my next haircut!
(8-17-08)

Melody's: everyday LO.

Mel's Journaling:
- making school lunches

- watching ''Wheels on the Bus' yet again....

- hot tea and fun stories on the couch

-puzzles, playdough, games

-trampolining in the rain

-nappies, bottles, dummies

- quiet moments

- loves, cuddles and hugs

Tracy G's : everyday event.

It doesn’t take much for two grown men to revert back to little boys – EVERYDAY it seems!!!

Here Greg and his father, Trevor, enjoyed the adventure almost as much as the two smaller guys (Bryce and Devin) – although, judging by the grins on their faces, I think they enjoyed it even more …

These pictures were taken on a holiday to Moreson Game Ranch in Vrede – as soon as the guys (BIG and SMALL) saw the zipline I could see that mischievous “LITTLE BOY” sparkle enter their eyes. What is it about ropes and heights and stuff that brings out the little boy in every grown man???

I LOVE that the grown man in my life, Greg, is such a little boy at heart!! He is responsible and loving and kind and caring and a terrible tease and even moody at times, but he has such a wonderful “little boy” soul and he connects so well with Bryce – sometimes it is difficult to tell who is the grown man and who is the boy … tee hee ….

I LOVE that Greg has not lost his sense of adventure and playfulness – at every opportunity he PLAYS – be it by cracking jokes or teasing me or playing with Bryce or riding like a mad kamikaze on his motor bike or playing Rugby with all the kids on the field or playing cards or Monopoly with Bryce and pretending that Bryce is cheating because he is beating his old “ballie” …

This wonderful MAN of mine will NEVER grow up and I wouldn’t have it any other way – EVERYDAY!!!

Yasu's : Everyday "love"

These are my favorite picture of my son who is 3 years old. He orderd pancakes at Denny's and then he was asleep and ended up not eating at all!
I used some vintage fabrics in my Lo, and most of the green color you see is what I painted using acrylic paint.

Visit Yasu here.

September week 2 contestants.

This is from Tamara:
The journaling itself reads "You boys can be so completely happy & full of smiles one second and then if something doesn't got your way or you get told [your least fave word] "No"...then the fireworks begin and we have ourselves a 100% 2 yr old boy FIT!"
The LO features my iden twin sons, Mason and Hayden. The little tabs off the pictures read (top to bottom): SMILE, WHINE, MELTDOWN.

Here is a close-up attachment of the journaling block to show not only the journaling but how I used a lighter to burn (distress) the edges of the paper. (did over the kitchen sink of course! =) I wanted the LO to have an angry-ish feel to it. I used all Close to my Heart products (except for the clear quote sticker on the top right (on the CTMH sticker) which says "Nobody know what a boy is worth, And the world must wait and see; For every man in a honored place, Is a boy that used to be."- Phillips Brooks; and the little alpha letters are Adornit.
This next one is from Timi:
Journaling: It's okay to be afraid of things we don't understand.It's okay to feel anxious when things aren't working our way.It's okay to feel lonely...even when you're with other people.But remember that you're going to realize that it's okay to laugh again. -Laine Parsons
Materials used: patterned papers: Fancy Pants - Holly Jolly and Basic Grey -Lucky, DCWV cardstock, Heidi Swapp mask (flowers), silk flowers and leaves, metal embellishments (photo corners,flower centers), Prima Say it in Crystals, Heidi Swapp and Craft Express alpha chipboards, acrylic paint, Doodlebug Designs antique brads, fibers and yarn, Hambly transparency, Inkssentials glossy accents, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink, Bic Skater pen (black)

And from Melita: I have included a 2nd photo showing the hidden journaling.
This layout was also based on Fiskars Sept. 2008 Monthly Sketch.

Materials used: patterned papers: Fancy Pants - Holly Jolly and Basic Grey -Lucky, DCWV cardstock, Heidi Swapp mask (flowers), silk flowers and leaves, metal embellishments (photo corners,flower centers), Prima Say it in Crystals, Heidi Swapp and Craft Express alpha chipboards, acrylic paint, Doodlebug Designs antique brads, fibers and yarn, Hambly transparency, Inkssentials glossy accents, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Ink, Bic Skater pen (black)On the hidden journaling tag.:

Good times...at least that's what it would appear by these photos. In fact, it wasn't quite the day we had hoped for. The overcast skies definitely matched your mood. You were a bit out of sorts; kind of moody, a little grouchy, not your usual self. When we asked if you were having fun, you just shrugged your shoulders. We weren't sure what was wrong. Were you tired? Bored? Were we too hard on you lately? Was it just a bad day? We weren't sure. Your mood eventually got better ~ it just took a bit longer than we expected.

Challenge 35: an everyday event.

This challenge is brought to you by Melissa Williams who has graciously agreed to let us use her stunning layout.
(I am posting it early because I will be away for the weekend, will post more of the DT's LO from Monday.
Please note: you still have until this Sunday evening for last week's and until next Sunday 21st midnight GMT for this one. Have fun with it!)

So much of our lives is spent doing ordinary things, making school lunches, driving to the library, visting the park, playing outside in the sprinkler etc. So just scrap something that happened, not a major something, just a little something that happened that would have been forgotten without your photos and LO.Journaling:
Ethan and Cameron had the BEST time playing in and running through the Elmo sprinkler at Grandma and Papa's house after the Meeth party on July 4th. It was a bigger hit than the s'mores and even the swimming pool. Ethan loved putting his face in the water to try to catch some with his tongue, while Cameron enjoyed the cold sprinkles between his fingers. It was a refreshing and fun end to the day.
I created this courtesy of MemoryWorks MemoryExpress. PP, diecut shape, and chipboard stars
are Scenic Route. Die-cut paper is Jenni Bowlin. Paper flowers are Prima.
Buttons are Doodlebug Designs. Swirls are Queen & Co. Chipboard letters are
American Crafts. Metal file tab is 7gypsies. Pen is Creative Memories. Other
is ribbon. :)

Shannon and Nicole's : grouchy's.

Shannon’s grouchy journaling.
the word "grouchy" doesn't even begin to describe you two when you are asked to vacate the bed for the night - do you see that terrible skunk eye staring back at us? Or the complete "I can't hear you if I'm not looking at you," from Cinna....spoiled, spoiled girls....you have no reason to be grouchy! August 2008

Nicole’s
For those who p*****d me off...I salute you!To *** who slagged me all over the internet and to anyone who would listen: guess what? Being a so-called 'Christian' and going to church on Sunday, does not make it okay to be an asshole the rest of the week.To ***for being a backstabbing opportunistic bitch. I should have went with my gut and walked away as soon as I met you. Lesson learned.To all the people who used me time and time again and didn't appreciate the things I did for them. It's over. Stand on your own 2 feet and organize your life like everyone else has to. Quit expecting me to bail you out because of lousy decisions you made.To all the people who think my job is a 'cute' hobby and don't realize the time and effort I put in Every Single Day.To all these and anyone else who jerked me around or ticked me off...I salute you!

Mel's : grouchy girl.

At 4yrs old you are incredibly in touch with your feelings - and very sensitve to others' too.

We taught you very early to try and articulate your emotions in an effort to help you process the physical intensity that builds up in your little body.

Our lives have improved dramatically - as has yours - with this skill you have mastered.

You are still prone to some serious Grouch-i-ness but you remain super cute!

September Contest: Week 1.

This super double LO is from Timi Mercado.

Journaling reads: My Supergirl! If there's a title that will fit Dannah to a T, it will be SUPERGIRL! She possesses the qualities of a real Supergirl - a strong set of values, a kindred spirit, a sharp mind, a happy heart and a healthy physique.Dannah, always remember that these Supergirl qualities will gain you respect and admiration from others. Just continue being the Supergirl that you are and you will surely go a long way. Dannah - July 2006.
Materials used: Cardstock- DCWV and Bazzill; Patterned papers - Autumn Leaves and MME; Plain paper- Provo Craft; Clear Stamps - Autumn Leaves Scribbles Hearts and Stars by Rhonna Farrer; DMC threads, fibers, ribbons, buttons, heart brads, heart charm, Inkessentials Glossy Accents by Ranger, AAS letter Chipboards, DCWV alphabet stickers, MM acrylic paints, Colorbox fluid chalk ink

I'm just dotty over this one from Melita Chow.

Journaling: You are so proud of your accomplishments and so am I. You were beaming when you brought home your gingerbread house from kindergarten. Your brought a smile to all of our faces!

(I used Creative Scrappers sketch # 15 by Lucy Chesna)

This fabulous one is from Tamara Limestahl.
Journaling for "I've been cloned!" is as follows:
"I did it! I have created an exact duplicate of "me"!
I made a daughter that is
-creative
-very girly
-very chatty
-fashionable
-silly
-loves to scrapbook
-has blonde short hair & green eyes
I have super powers I didn't even know I had!"


Thanks so much ladies for your participation.

Marisha's : Grouchy.

"When I'm grouchy, my mom calls me "Evil Devol" because I'm not too friendly. I mean who's heard of a friendly grouch anyways? If you don't want to meet Evil Devol there's a few things that I suggest you just don't do. Don't bother me when I'm hungry and don't attempt to play with my food. Don't ask me questions when I'm sleeping or wake me in the wee hours of the mourning-that's just irritating. Soo just don't cross me when I'm hungry or tired and you'll be just fine."

Challenge 34: from Tracy K.

We all have bad moments....bad days....bad weeks...bad jobs....that just make us grouchy. Sometimes there's a reason we can trace and other times the grouch-bug just sneaks up and bites us on the butt. For this challenge write about a bad day, a bad experience or something that just makes you GROUCHY!

Journaling Reads: You can shift from happy to grumpy in three second flat. Sometimes its because you are not getting your way. That can't happen all the time. You'll learn to make good choices eventually, but for now you have to trust our judgement. Sometimes the grouchiness comes from being disappointed. Sometimes its just there for no reason. Just grouchy. I wish I knew how to ease this for you. No matter what, Mr. Grouchy Pants, we love you and always will.
Tracy's blog.

Please note:

I am posting this challenge a little early as I will be away next weekend so will push all the postings forwards to give more time to complete the September challenge.

Challenge 33 :Super powers is due by Sunday 7th Sept midnight GMT

Challenge 34 :Grouchy is due by Sunday 14th September midnight GMT.

Stefanie's superpower:

When my daughter was two years old, she believed she could fly. Harmless you might think? I would lose sleep worrying if she, like Wendy would try to fly from our upstairs balcony. There is a fence up there, but her head could fit right through the bars and I was worried that the rest of her would follow suit. I only found out years later that "the boys", her brothers would shine a torch up the passage and tell her to chase the fairy...and she would set off with much glee. They only did it to get her out of their rooms, but it sure did serve to keep Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinkerbelle alive in her heart.
Sadly the only superpower I have is the ability to see what three children get up to behind my back, when the house is far too quiet, acute hearing and disecrnment help here too.
But I wish, how I wish that I too could fly...

Liza's superpower LO.

Journaling:
It's incredible to see the effect you have on all of us.
That look, that smile, that irresistible smile!
You have the power to melt our hearts without really doing much.
And who could ever resist you?
You are just so adorable.
May that smile capture everyone's hearts.
(Photo of Marga, 2001)
(Journal by Tita Liza, August 2008)

Joanne's superpower LO.

Journaling

Penny Pie, I really Admire your spunk your ability to bounce back under the most difficult of circumstances. I know school is not that easy for you yet you are up every morning without complaint to face one challenge after another. One day you will see the rewards. I have watched you handle so many awkward situations lately and you are doing so well. I admire the way you tackle these life lessons without procrastination. You wipe away any tears and get back up bravely. I know that you are much braver than I ever was and better at handling so many predicaments that you are faced with.