The Great Abandoned Blog Mystery

If you asked me why I have not touched my blog in nearly twelve months I really couldn't tell you. I guess I could spout all the usual excuses of the 21st Century - I am busy, lack of inspiration but really it is a mystery to me. 

I got so much pleasure from blogging and interacting with friends and strangers from around the world and it was mentally really healthy for me to have an outlet for my thoughts and creative projects. I need to get back into this.

I was chatting online with my sister-in-law and our conversation touched on blogging and she reminded me just how much I enjoyed this space. I cannot be sure what shape it will take. I have not touched my scrapbook supplies since I finished LOAD last year so I doubt there will be much scrapping going on. I think I want to return to the original idea of the blog a little more and record some of the adventures we are having in Singapore and beyond. Life has changed a great deal with Miss S starting primary (elementary) school and turning five so there are things to explore there too.

I have returned to my passion for reading in the past year. The discovery of the amazing Modern Mrs Darcy has introduced me to a world of new and exciting books and book bloggers. I want to share the books I have enjoyed with my readers in the hope that some may strike a cord with you.

I am also making a concerted effort to get into yoga. I have been working my way through 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene via Youtube and although my body and fitness won't allow me to do everything in each of her sessions I feel really great after them. There is always a pose in the session that my body really requires even if it is just Corpse pose at the end!

So the plan is to blog once or twice a week and see if I can find my mojo again. I hope those of you that have hung in there will join me for this new installment of my adventure in Singapore.

Project Life Week 28

Sleep training Miss 3 is resulting in insomnia for me so this will be an earlier post than usual. I am hoping all the hard yards will pay off on that front but based on last night's effort I can't say I am feeling positive.

Week 28 was the first full week of our trip to New Zealand and it is quite photo heavy. We spent the first half of the week in Christchurch with my Dad and the second half down in Central Otago where my sister and sister-in-law live.

 

We relished all the open space and blue skies. This spread was kept very simple. I loved the little labels from my Life Paper Scrapbook kit. They are so versatile. As you can see we did encounter some snow on our journey south which Miss Three was very taken with. The novelty of tights and warm clothes had not worn off at this stage of the trip either so she happily dressed for the weather.

I decided to include an insert in this week. This side is devoted to food. We really enjoyed the standard of food and especially coffee on this trip. Two weeks and not a bad or even average coffee in that time. Miss Three renewed her relationship with the fluffy on this trip. The one pictured above with sprinkles and chocolate sauce was her favourite and she requested a special second trip back to the cafe in Clyde to have another one.

The rather amazing looking dessert was hubby's Creme Brulee at a Japanese restaurant in Tekapo. We all fought over the candy floss (cotton candy) that came with it. We even managed to squeeze in the kiwi favourite takeaway of fish and chips. 

The reverse side of the insert shares a couple of our favourite activities in Christchurch. We made the trip to the Antarctic Centre and it was an excellent outing. Lots of interesting displays, penguins and best of all, the Haglund ride. This is an all terrain vehicle used in Antarctica that takes you on a short obstacle course style ride. We all, including my Dad and Miss Three, loved this part of the day.

The other highlight of Christchurch as far as Miss Three was concerned was the Chipmunks indoor playground. We ended up going three times in the eight days we were in Christchurch! It was a great spot to catch up with friends who have small children as it has a cafe attached. We have already had to promise that she can go again when we are back in April!

This page is all down in Central Otago. We stayed with my sister in the tiny town of Clyde. It is a beautiful part of the world and I am a bit sad that she is moving into Alexandra next year as we really enjoyed being in Clyde. On our arrival in Alexandra (where she works) we called into school where Anne had arranged for Scarlett to spend the afternoon with her class. She had a lovely time playing games and reading stories with the big kids. It was the last day of term so a perfect time to be there. We went over to Wanaka that weekend to see Tet's sister and her fiance. No rest for returning expats, that is for sure.

Spending time in Central Otago really made us rethink our future. We were quite impressed by the quality of life in that part of the world. Miss Three loved the fact that people had chickens in their gardens and plenty of space to run about and play. The slower pace of life and friendliness of the people we met also reminded us why New Zealand will always be home for us. The bottom photos here are of the main street of Clyde. The middle set is of Miss Three having a massage from her aunty. Anne used to be a massage therapist so knows what she is doing but overall, S was too ticklish to last long.

This last spread is all about Miss Three. She was lucky enough to be lent a running bike while we were in Clyde and she loved it and got pretty good on it by the time we left. She also met a gorgeous and incredibly tolerant Cavoodle who enjoyed being pushed around the pram and showered in kisses. The opportunities we had to get outside and run were frequent and it would be true to say that Miss Three struggled with the lack of play spaces when we returned to Singapore.

Congratulations if you have made it this far! It has been a bit of an epic post. I apologise for some of the bad reflections on some of these spreads - nothing seemed to improve them much. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

Wordless Wednesday: Adventures with Daddy

We have all been sick for the past week or so. Miss Three was the first to recover so Daddy took her on an adventure by the Singapore River to get her some fresh air and me some much needed sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stash Bash and a very long weekend

I have been trying a few different ways to get on top of my stash lately. Project Life has been a great way to use patterned papers that have not made it to a layout but which I would still like to use. Challenging myself to use up my SC kits within three months using a drawer system has greatly reduced the amount of unused product that was building up. I am always open to new ideas though.

Simple Scrapper is currently running a Stash Bash challenge. It is a combination of scrapbooking projects and organisational prompts to help get rid of the stash that you are never going to use and focus on the items that you really love. The first days prompt was a five minute challenge to use up your older supplies. I had Miss Three as my willing assistant. We hit up my stash cabinet. I asked her to choose a paper she liked from the drawer. We then found a handful of other papers that worked with it and some embellishments. Once the five minutes was up we had the making of a layout.

I must apologise for the photo. I completed the challenge with ten minutes to spare to enter the daily prize draw, so the picture was taken at 8.50 pm with a lot of unnatural light. I had intended to reshoot it this morning but we have had a massive thunderstorm and the light is no better now. 

Miss Three originally chose the Poppy patterned paper and then she added the Crate Paper orangey red pattern too. The reverse of that is the green paper. I added in the script paper as I liked it but had never managed to make it work. The circle paper elements are from a Cosmo Cricket paper and I have added in some older OA flair and some Sassafrass lettering. I am so pleased to have used some papers I loved and to have scrapped a new photo. Miss Three was really happy to see herself and the papers she chose all made magically into a page while she slept. She is very keen to do a five minute challenge again today!

Miss Three has a very long weekend. School finishes for the week today! The staff are having some training for the next two days and Mummy gets extra time with her darling daughter. At this stage the plan is to take her to Zumba tomorrow (at the teacher's suggestion) and to then have a family fun day on Friday. If the weather is nice we hope to spend the day at the new water park on Sentosa. If the weather is bad we will spend the day at the Oceanarium instead. Hubby is taking some time off on Friday to make it all happen. I have my fingers crossed that her Lollibox (the Singapore equivalent to a Kiwi Crate) arrives today or tomorrow so we can do some fun crafting on Thursday afternoon. 

In other news, my Grandad is seriously ill in hospital back in New Zealand and we are trying to decide when or if to go back. My Nana has dementia and is very confused without her primary caregiver on board. My Dad and his brother are looking after Nana between the two of their families but they are finding it pretty tough going. They did look at respite care for Nana but it was so depressing they could not bring themselves to put Nana there. Nana and Grandad still live in their own home but it seems likely that this will have to end as it appears Grandad will require oxygen at all times which will make him unable to maintain the house. It is a pretty tough time for the family and one of the reasons I don't like living overseas.

On a more trivial note, I have found a fantastic new coffee joint. There is a new Farmer's Market called Pasar Bella opening at Turf City and there is a boutique coffee roaster open there called the Dutch Colony Coffee Company. Their flat white is amazing and I made a coffee using beans from there this morning and it was excellent too. I am thinking about taking a barista course and learning to make great coffee. I think it would be a useful skill to have.

I am off to enjoy a morning of crafting while listening to the Paperclipping Roundtable. I am also excited about trying the first recipe from my Jamie Oliver 15 Minute Meals book. I'll let you know if it is a success. Happy Hump Day!

The Blossoming Relationship

One of the things I have loved about becoming a parent is watching the relationship between my daughter and my Dad develop. He was the first to admit that babies are not really his thing but as Scarlett has grown older and become more capable the two of them love spending time together.

I kept this layout very simple. I wish there were sounds available with this photo as the shrieking from Scarlett as Grandad tickled her was off the scale! This is another photo that I love as it shows the living room at my Dad's house. We spend a lot of time in this room and it is nice to have it recorded, at least in part.

The layout is made almost entirely from the Roller Rink kit and add ons. I am still in love with the little lettering from Basic Grey ad the Studio Calico veneer stars. I don't know what I will do when they run out! 

I have had a really good couple of days on new medication and I am feeling almost like my old self. It is amazing the difference feeling well makes to my state of mind. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for at the moment.

Reasons to create

The layout I am sharing today is not one with amazing photos but I suspect it will be one that I look back on fondly in years to come. The pictures are of my daughter playing at my grandparents' home. She is lucky enough to have two living great grandparents and she loves spending time with them. The images do not show Grandad Ron and Nana but they do show their living room which tell me so much about them and their lives. 

This is another Roller Rink kit layout with a few October Afternoon and Amy Tangerine bits and pieces from my stash added in. I wasn't sure that I even liked the layout when I finished it but as it has been lying on the table for a few days waiting for me to file it into an album it has caught my eye over and over. I love the way the floral paper frame echos the wallpaper in the photos and the bright splashes of colour mimic the bright ginger jars my Nana loves.

The photos have really got me thinking about taking more place photos. Not so much places we visit but the spaces in which we spend our time. The supermarket we visit, the malls we like, the parks we play in all need to be recorded as these places are as much a part of us as the people we spend time in them with. I wish I had some photos of my late Nana's home. My grandad built it for her as a wedding present and she lived there until she died aged 94. I may have the odd shot taken in her lounge and her back step but nothing more.

Have you recorded those daily spaces in your layouts? I would love to see some examples of such layouts. I am inspired to scrap some people free layouts so we have a record of the places we inhabit right now. I love this hobby as it really encourages me to look at my life in a whole new way.

I hope all my American friends are making the most of their opportunity to vote today. Whatever the result, women fought long and hard for the right to have their voice heard and I feel very strongly that we should never take it for granted.

Road Trip Album Part Three

There has been a bit of a long gap between part two and three. I hope it was worth the wait!

I really loved the mix of papers in this Daybook. There was plenty of space to share the little details of the trip. We love this part of New Zealand so much and are seriously considering buying a holiday home there. Now we just need to find ourselves a money tree!

This page on the doily really has not photographed well. It shows the delicious scones we ate at one of the cafes in Tekapo. They were so good we had them two days in a row!

 

I love this photo of Tet's sister, Yaeh, and her fiance Henry. We had a lovely day with them when they drove over from Wanaka. The Amy Tangerine label was just perfect for this shot.

There was a great playground over looking the lake. Needless to say it wasn't just Scarlett who had fun there.

These are the two iconic images from Tekapo. The first is the church (Church of the Good Shepherd) which is right alongside the lake. It is a beautiful stone chapel with an amazing view and some beautiful stained glass. The other icon is the sheep dog statue bearing tribute to the role of dogs in settling this part of New Zealand. 

Here is Scarlett helping us pack up the car on our journey. We hoped she would be okay on the longer car journeys and she was a total star. I think it helped that her new car seat was super comfortable.

I was totally blown away by the wide skies when we home. Living in Singapore there are no long range vistas and I could feel my eyes relax. 

The sunsets were not too bad either.

A lovely shot of father and daughter on the Tekapo shore. 

I loved using the Daybook to record our journey and will definitely use one again for this kind of memory recording. I would love a Christmas style one for my December Daily actually.

I have decided to take part in the Blogtober initiative, albeit a little late. The aim is to blog every day in October and perhaps host a giveaway. This month will mark my 200th post so I am looking to give something away when we reach that milestone. If you would like to take part in Blogtober check out all the info here.

Wordless Wednesday NZ Fathers Day

Three of my favourite people

Doctor Week

We have been waiting for today for absolutely ages. Scarlett has finally got her appointment at the Paediatric Dermatologist so that we can get some answers about her terrible eczema. In true Scarlett fashion, her skin is much better than it has been for weeks this week. Hopefully they will still run the tests and determine what the allergy is that is triggering everything.

We have been advised by a couple of pharmacists that it is likely environmental as it is only on her body and not her face. This makes sense as her canola allergy caused red splotches all over her face. Unfortunately we cannot find anything that fits the time line that has changed. Most of our cleaning products are green. It is all a bit of a mystery. I am just hoping that it is not the cat!

On Monday, Tet and I have our annual physical. I really do not enjoy the poking and prodding but it does give you a little peace of mind when the results are good. If only they had overweight Kiwi sized gowns!

I was hoping to illustrate this post with some photos of Miss S but she was not in the mood for cooperating with Mummy today.

So instead here is my favourite piece from the Singapore Art Museum's Art Garden exhibit. Origami plants in a black lit room. Just stunning!

And the obligatory Scarlett shot. She was grumpy waiting for her lunch on Sunday. Thank goodness for technology!

Water Play at the Science Centre

Scarlett and I went out to the wilds of Jurong this week to meet up with her best buddy Joshua and have a look around the Science Centre.

I had not been there for ten years or more when I took a class field trip there in my teaching days Some things were familiar but there were a lot of new, fun interactive stations that even captured the attention of two very excited two year olds.

The favourite sections indoors for Scarlett and Joshua were the sound area where there were musical instruments and some incredible interactive displays to try out, and the Natural Disasters where they especially liked watching an eathquake cause a tsumani in a big tank of water!

The thing that I had heard about the Science Centre was that it had a great water play area. We were not disappointed. The children spent over an hour in the sun running around playing with water cannon, using water to shoot balls into hoops and generally having a great time. The joy of the SIngapore climate is that it is always warm enough to get wet. Joshua's helper and I managed to stay pretty dry and the children had their swimming togs on so a great time was had by all. I only took a few instagram pictures and a couple of camera shots but I think you will get the general idea.

Monkey and part of the giant animatronic dinoasaur outside the Science Centre

Scarlett working out how to get the balls into the whirlpool

Running through the fountain

I would whole heartedly recommend the Science Centre for children of all ages. There are lots of interesting things to do and the water play area is great. We were there  later in the afternoon and literally had the whole water play area to ourselves!

We are off on a quick weekend break to Johor Bahru or JB as it is better known. We have not been there since we moved and it is just across the border from Singapore into Malaysia. We are really looking forward to it.

Have a grand weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Scarlett with her Great Grandad Ron