Happy 40th Birthday to Me

Hi there
yes its been 10mths since i have been to my blog.
i would really like to get back into it, so as of 1st January I promise to try to get here more often for those of you who still pop in.

Well today is my 40th Birthday.
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday dear me
Happy Birthday to me
Hip Hip Hooray

See you all soon....

BOOK REVIEW:

"HOUSE OF HORRORS" BY Nigel Cawthorne

The horrific trues story of Josef Fritzl, the father from hell.

ISBN: 978-1-84454-696-1

In the quiet Austrian town of Amstetten in the balmy spring of 2008, a truly horrifying vision of hell was discovered by Police, in the cellar of a normal suburban home.

Over the next days, in what turned out to be one of the worst cases in Austrian criminal history, a shocking story of incarceration and sexual abuse gradually came to light, disgusting the entire civilised world and raising many questions about the depths to which a human can sink.

This is the full and utterly distirubing, true story of what happened in those underground chambers of horror.

This book was hard to put down once I had started it...

Day Trip to thePet Porpoise Pool -- Coffs Harbour

PET PORPOISE POOL -- COFFS HARBOUR NSW

Yesterday day Hubby and I drove to Coffs Harbour to the Pet Porpoise Pool, to make one of my lifetime dreams come true, and that was to be able to touch a dolphin, and be very close to them...
Well it came true at around 1.00pm yesterday, as you can see by this photo above, I was leaning on the side of the Pool and got to have a dolphin kiss, and afterwards actually feel and touch them.. I also got to sit next to Maxine the Seal and she gave me a kiss as well.

What a great day!!!!!!!!

Book Review -- "No One Wants You" by Celine Roberts

Book Review --- "NO ONE WANTS YOU" By Celine Roberts..

A true story of a child forced into prostitution.

I don't normally read books like this, but picked it up at the Angus & Robertson Closing Down Sale last year.

This is a very powerful book and had me wanting to read it from start to finish straight away, so I started it one afternoon and was finished it the next day.

Given away by her mother at five months old, raped on the day of her first communion at age seven -- when Celine Roberts was told "NO ONE WANTS YOU", she believed it.

Illegitimate and unwanted. Celine was forced by her foster mother into prostitution. Her bones were broken, her nose was crushed and she ate candle wax to stay alive.

Celine was finally rescued and sent to an industrial school, where she picked up the pieces of her shattered life.  She also began the search for her parents. But what she found gave her battered survival instincts the hardest knock of all...

Full of the most heartbreaking tragedy but ultimately survival and hope, NO ONE WANTS YOU, is the remarkably honest and compelling memoir of a woman triumphing over her brutal past..

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..