Happy 39th Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday to me

Happy Birthday dear Lisa

Happy Birthday to me

Book Review -- "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" - By Kim Edwards

BOOK REVIEW: " THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER" BY KIM EDWARDS

This would have to be one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. If you get a chance read it, or if you would like to read it I can send you my copy.

This stunning novel begins on a winter night in 1964, when a blizzard forces Dr David Henry to deliver his own twins, his son, born first, is perfectly healthy, but the doctor immediately recognises that his daughter has Down Syndrome.

For motives he tells himself are good, he makes a split- second decision that will haunt all their lives forever.  He asks his nurse, Caroline, to take the baby away to an institution.  Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child as her own.

Compulsively readable and deeply moving, The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a brilliantly crafted story of parallel lives, familial secrets, and the redemptive power of love.

My little Trip To Gunnedah

A couple of weeks ago hubby and I went to Gunnedah to see my friend Jodi Dolbel,

we left early on saturday morning and headed up there, we arrived about 10.15am and stayed till about 2.00pm in the afternoon, we had lunch at the Park View Hotel.

It was great to see Jodi again as I had never been to Gunnedah before, it had been about 6mths since she had stayed at our place with Emelia while they were down here visiting her brother Matt in the JHH.

Jodi it was great to see you again.



A Work Collegue & Friend --- Karen Grew

One of my work collegues and friends Karen Grew and I have worked together at the Newcastle Herald now for about 2 1/2 years now, well she has decided to retire on 5th January 2012, she will be sadly missed.

Karen enjoying caravanning with hubby Steve, we will all miss you alot..

This photo was taken on Thursday 15th December at our work christmas party.

Book Review: I've Been There (and Back again) by Joy McKean

I'VE BEEN THERE ( and Back Again) by Joy McKean

Lifetime of Travel, Stories and Songs

In this Book Slim Dusty and his wife Joy McKean come together to share stories of their life and many many travels...

Slim has been gone a few years now and is still sadly missed by a lot of people in this country and will be still sadly missed many many years from now..

My Mum

This is the latest pic of me with my Mummy.

She is doing so well, and is walking with her walker.

Book Review " On Thin Ice" by Ice Road Trucker "Hugh Rowland"

Book Review "On Thin Ice" by Ice Road Trucker "HUGH ROWLAND

ISBN:  978-1-4091-2074-2

Orion Books Ltd

Hugh Rowland is a star of the Hit TV Series "ICE ROAD TRUCKERS".

Breakdowns, Whiteouts and Survival with the ice road truckers.

For more than twenty years, Hugh Rowland has been the undisputed King of the Ice Roads as is now the star of the hit TV Show 'ICE ROAD TRUCKERS'

Every year when the temperature plummets to -60c, he leaves his family, home and successful business in Canada to dive 1,900 miles to the arctic circle, a region packed with natural resources. Locating the natural gas, conflict free diamonds and gold is pretty easy - but extracting and transporting them is another matter entirely.

Rowland and the other truckers must spend two months travelling hundreds of miles on a naturally formed road of ice.

IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS JOBS IN THE WORLD.

But danger is something Hugh Rowland ( THE POLAR BEAR) takes in his stride, he is a man with legendary stamina, a fearless personality and a bearish attitude. 

On Thin Ice is his story of the preparation for the trek and his nine-week journey across the infamous Ice Road, along which the truckers suffer epic breakdowns and pull off breathtaking acts of heroism -- all in a days work. From the first snowstorm to the final thaw, this is a journey to the edge of endurance and back an extraordinary look at an extreme life.

Ice Road Trucking is a hell of a good way, to make a living and its great that so many people know a little more about what is going on up there in the Artic, thanks to the history channel and the produce Doloris Gavin.

This is the second book I have read about Ice Road Trucking, and to be honest this has me hooked on the TV SHOW, and can't wait to see Season 4

Handmade Christmas for the Nursing Home Jumble Sale

Hi there,
Yes i know long time no blog, I have been reading all your blogs every week, I just havent had enough time to update my own blog.
Recently I made some Handmade Christmas Cards, for the Jumble Sale they are having at the Nursing Home where Mum is at the moment, next Saturday.
Here are some pictures of those cards......I will get back to scrapbooking very very soon, I am knitting a rug for my Mum and want to finish this first before I start doing my scrapbooking. I am looking forward to scrapbooking again as I have missed it, I have still been taking pictures of everything and anything to scrap with.
Talk Soon

Love Lisa  xoxoxo

Book Review -- "KING OF THE ROAD" -- Alex Debogorski

Howdy out there in blog world to all my friends, its been awhile between posts yet again.

I recently read a book written by one of the ICE ROAD TRUCKERS Alex Debogorski, have fun reading this book because its not all about ice road trucking its about his life.

KING OF THE ROAD -- ALEX DEBOGORSKI

The highest-rated reality show ever to hit the History Channel, Ice Road Truckers follows the heart-pounding adventure.

s of the tough-as-nails truckers who risk peril everyday to deliver goods and supplies in Alaska and across Canada's frozen north.

Alex shares tales of his adventures - and misadventures - in the north, and explain, in his own enteraining voice, how he got to where he is today - working class hero, bona-fide celebrity, and the improbable star of a smash-hit television show.

Alex is a natural storyteller who konws how to spin tales about his colorful life growing up in the backwoods. Wether he's recounting tales about his hair-raising confrontations with bears, calculating the strength of newly formed ice, divulging the secrets of providing security in a bar room full of combative, drunken miners, or saving the life of another trucker, he keeps you wanting more.

Book Review " TRUE SPIRIT" The Aussie Girl Whow Took on the World - Jessica Watson

TRUE SPIRIT - THE AUSSIE GIRL WHO TOOK ON THE WORLD

BY JESSICA WATSON

This is a true story -- written by Jessica Watson herself about her sailing solo around the world, its one of the best true stories I have ever read. and would recommend it to anyone to read:

As she said "I'm just an ordinary girl who believed in a dream".

On May 15th, 201 after 210 days at sea and 24,285 nautical miles, 16 year old Jessica Waton sailed her yacht, Ella's Pink Lady, triumphantly back into Sydney Harbour.
She became the youngest person to sail solo, unassisted and non-stop around the world. IT seem the whole country stopped to welcome her home.

Never Once did she lose sight of her goal.

Latest Scrapbooking Layouts

Family Photo

This photo was taken on the day before Mother's Day.

I love this photo.

A Little Scrapbooking Happened

I thought I had lost my Mojo, with everything that has been happening since February, I havent had a chance to really scrap or doing anything crafty, until recently about 2 weeks after we moved, when I was on in the middle of unpacking my scrapbooking stuff, I found my mojo, I had started this little off the page album for a woman I work with and had packed it away and hadn't looked at it since, until this day, and its now completed and been received by the woman who loved it immensely.

Here is a little sneak preview of the album from the front cover and a double page in the middle, now that I have my mojo back I am looking forward to getting back into it...

Update on My Mum

Just a quick update on my Mum for those of you who know me:

Mum is doing really well, she is still unable to return home as yet, she has gone to a nursing home for about 6 to 9 mths to give her the time she needs to be able to go home and be the way she was and be able to do things unassisted like walking...

She is already enjoying her time at the place where she is, I haven't seen her smile like I did today for a long long time.

As you can see by these pics, Mum is looking fantastic.

Mum I love you more and more everyday, and can't wait to see you again at the end of the week

Your loving Daughter

Lisa xoxoxo

Our New House

Its now been 6 weeks since we moved to our New House, yes we are still renting, but have moved a little further out of town and down the Lake a bit, but we love it, its a really nice quiet neighbourhood.

Yes we are in a two storey house, 3 bedrooms, bathroom with toilet, lounge and dining room combined and kitchen this is all upstairs, downstairs is the laundry, rumpus room and double garage. There is no internal access to the upstairs part except we have to walk up 16 stairs to get to our front door.

The yard is just right for the dogs, and they love it as well, the front yard is humungus, luckily we have a ride-on mower to mow it...

A Little Gift from Jodi

About 2 weeks before we moved to our new house, we had some visitors come visit us for one night, Jodi and her daughter Emelia had to come to Newcastle to do some stuff and see her brother Matt who was at JHH at the time, so we invited them to stay the night instead of driving here and back to Gunnedah in one day.

It was great to have them stay with us, Jodi made me a little Thank You gift for having them for the night... It was a lovely handmade card as well as a little canvas on a easel (see pic above).

A big THANK YOU to Jodi for making me this lovely handmade gift, I really appreciate it, and JODI you didnt have to. I hope that you both enjoyed my cooking of the meal.. Sorry I had to leave so early the next morning to get to work.

We all hope to see you soon..

Scrapbooking 2011 -- Latest Layouts

These are my latest layouts I have completed..Need to find some time to do some more, I guess that time will come soon....

My Mummy

This is part of the reason for me not blogging as much as I would like over the last couple of months.

These pics are not good quality but I still wanted to share them with you.

My Mum became very sick on 11th February, and has been in hospital ever since, she is currently at the rehabilitation place, and is doing well, but still has a long way to go.

Mum, I love you more and more everyday, I can't wait for the day you are able to come home and we can go on our regular shopping trips and also our trips to the hairdressers.

Love You.xoxoxoxoxo

Look at my Boys

These are probably the only photos I have ever gotten of the boys when they are both looking at the camera....Yes it would have to be a first....and will always be a first...

Flowers -- A gift from a friend

I want to say a big thank you to June Burrows and Karen Grew whom I work closely with everyday, you have been there for me while mum has been sick and other things that have been happening, thanks so much for the lovely flowers you both have brought me, it means a lot to me.

A Little Getaway --- "Manning Point"

On the weekend of the 18th of March, here in Newcastle was a Public Holiday on the Friday, and with everything that has been going on in our lives this last couple of months, Brett and I decided to go away for one day and night.

It was great, we went to Manning Point, we stayed in a cabin in the Ocean Caravan Park, we went fishing, we went to the club for dinner, lovely food I must say, even won a raffle prize in their Friday night raffle, I even managed to talk him in to taking me to Taree to check out the local Scrapbooking Shop called "Scrap Awhile", i brought a couple of little supplies. We came home again on the Saturday morning. It was nice to get away and I think we both needed it.

Approaching Storm

The other afternoon when I was on the way home from work, we had a very unsettled storm approaching off the coast, and like the other thousand people who decided to stop and take pictures of it, I certainly did, these pics arent the best as they were taken with my mobile phone.

Book Review --- "Beyond the Wave - A Tsunami Survivor's Story" - By Trisha Broadbridge

This book I really enjoyed it has a lot of heartache, but it comes straight from the heart of the author who will be affected by this for the rest of her life.

Who could imagine a more romantic spot for a honeymoon than the stunning Thai island of Phi Phi?

When newlyweds Trisha and AFL footballer Troy Broadbridge stepped onto the beach on the morning of 26 December 2004, their world seemed perfect, MOMENTS later, they were engulfed by the deadly tsunami and Troy, along with thousands of others in the region, was swept to his death, Trisha miraculously survived.

I would recommend this book to everyone to read, Happy Reading

ISBN: 1-74114-806-5

Latest Kosmo Photo

Look at my boy, he just loves to perform for the camera, NOT, but he doesn't mind having his photo taken.

Mowing the Lawn ???????

Well the other day hubby was mowing the lawn, it was around 8.30am in the morning and I was still in my pj's and decided that I wanted to have a go, so I did, yes thats right in my pyjamas, every seen someone riding a ride-on mower in there pj's, well now you have.

Cheers