Happy birthday Karsten

A collage of Karsten's 13th birthday...caught the boys drinking greek coffee too...Happy birthday Karsten, you are now officially a teenager and can sit in the front seat...lol..

Muffins & Buttercake

Here is Darius baking his first tray of muffins and a buttercake...he was pleased with his efforts and we certainly enjoyed eating them hot out of the oven...well done Darius!

Nieces...

Just wanted to wish my niece Dimitra and Adam a happy 5th Wedding anniversary...May you both have a happy and everlasting relationship...The girls visited us a few weeks ago and it was so good to see all 3 of them...Both Nicole and Connor had a jump on the trampoline, played with the boys and Cooper...Love your hair Nicole, it looks like Aunty Georgina's...lol...Dim, your hair looks fabulous, fudging is so much fun.

Darius and I just finished baking muffins and a buttercake as I promised to make them with him today. He did a fantastic job with all the ingredients and tools that he needed to make them. Will upload picks after the cake is cooked.

Have a great weekend...!

Trampoline...

The boys new toy...even Eric and I had a go on it, it's a lot of fun and hard work...

Wedding...

Weddings are so much fun, other than seeing the bride, groom and the bridal party all looking fabulous it is also a time to see all the family and friends that you have not seen in years...I had a fantastic evening seeing all my cousins and their families...close family and friends, dancing and eating and best of all seeing my boys all dressed up in their suits, they looked smashing...!

Stalactites in Lonsdale St...

It was so hot on Tuesday night that I suggested to Eric that we go out for dinner...so we ended up at Stalactites my favourite greek restaurant who has the best calamari in Melbourne...I have not been to Stalactites for such a long time, but after having salt and pepper squid at the Malaysian restaurant on Sunday night it was time for a visit...I felt like a tourist taking photos of my food...lol...

More layouts to share....

I'll be back to post some more layouts soon....enjoy the 3 day long weekend everyone...Jorja

Helena's 21st...Layouts to share...Crop For Kids...

Happy 21st Birthday Helena...we had an awesome time celebrating your special day...you are our little princess...!

Another photo with the 3 of us...the boys seemed to have disappeared when the camera was around...

Eric took control of the bar when Chris went to have some dinner...he quite liked being a bar man...didn't you Eric! Now for some layouts that I want to share...!

Hope you have all been keeping cool this week with the warm days we have had here in Melbourne...

Don't forget to check out the Crop for Kids blog for updates on this years annual event...

Tickets to CROP FOR KIDS are now available for sale!!

Event: Crop For Kids All-Day Fundraising

CropDate: Saturday, 4th April 2009 (the weekend before Easter)

Time: 10am to 5pmVenue: Springvale City Hall in Springvale
Price: Tickets are A$30.00 per person

EMAIL US to order your tickets to this popular event that is going for its 3rd year.

Group bookings are welcomed. We would request that group bookings be paid for in one payment. Please do not hesitate to CONTACT US if you have any questions.

Note: No entry tickets will be sold on the day of the event.

Expect ample scrapbooking room, games, trash & treasure, shops, make & takes, etc. Cold and hot beverages, food (pizza, sandwiches, rolls, etc) will be available for sale on the day.

All proceeds will go towards Crop For Kids.
Once again, we thank you for your continual support for Crop For Kids. We can't wait to see you at the crop!!!!

On Sunday...

I made this box for Michelle's birthday and included her gift and card in it. I was quite pleased with how it turned out...

I also completed this 6x12 layout that on Sunday at Ruey's all day crop / Michelle's birthday....titled "the 4 of us"...it's a size that I really enjoy working with...

Ruey is such a beautiful host, with lots to offer and she served me my ultimate favourite wine...thank you Ruitsa mou...Eric also says thank you for his parcel of chocolate coated coffee beans...

Mich enjoyed her day by being surrounded by good friends and received some lovely gifts...I hope you have fun shopping Mich...It was so nice catching up with Jane, Felicity, Vita and Lyndal too...We had a beautiful dinner at Kota Raya who served up the best salt and pepper squid... Felicity and I were just so impressed with this dish, we could have gone for another round of it...Felicity bought her MM Slice machine which I had the pleasure of having a play with it...I think it's a nifty gadget but not something I'll run out to purchase...thanks for the play Felicity...I know Vita thoroughly enjoyed it...

I hope we can all get together again real soon...anyone's birthday coming up? ;) ;)

Kat's birthday

Happy birthday gorgeous girl...the gang once again got together to celebrate a relaxed birthday for Katerina down at the Mentone beach. She so loves the beach and what a better day to have spent it down there. As the sun disappeared it was getting too cold to be outdoors so we all crashed down at Roula's place for a hot cuppa and for some birthday cake. We had a great day even though Eric couldn't be there as he had sooo much work to do back at home...he sends you birthday wishes Kat xoxo

Also a happy birthday to my niece Nicole and Helena who both celebrate their birthdays on the same day...Happy birthday to Carolyn too who is celebrating hers today....lots of birthday hugs coming your way girls xoxoxox....Jorja

Mini Album...

Here is a Scrapware mini album that I put together at a crop that I attended at Scrapware...I was able to complete this little project with some gorgeous chipboard Christmas words and embellishments! Had lots of fun putting it together...

Recently I have been making lots of mini books and jazzing up small notebooks and giving them as gifts. Of course, I forget to take photos but I will be more diligent this year to do so before giving them out...I am finding this and cardmaking more rewarding than creating layouts at the moment. I have recently cleared out my scrap room and it's all nice and tidy, everything has a home which makes life easy when you are looking for things. Problem is that I have many products that have either not been used or a couple of pieces missing from packets and it's time to put them to good use...this will be my goal for 2009...

TFSB....Jorja

Johanna Beach...

Camping as a family was fantastic...the boys initially thought it wasn't going to be fun because Andrew wasn't going to be there but they really did have a great time. The camping grounds at Red Johanna Beach road are fantastic, with just one small exception but that is I suppose normal for the loo's to be built up on a pit. There was no power just a small candle that Roula had on the table and just the moon that had the night lit up...it was sooo cold to the point where I had to wear a t-shirt, 2 windcheaters, a jacket, my sleeping bag and a blanket which I then parted with and shared it with the boys...We stayed in a 6 man tent that Nick had set up for us and it was just wonderful...we cooked on the portable gas cook tops, drank, walked, flew a kite and walked along the beach...we drove up through Colac then to Lavers Hill on the way up, and on the way back we came along the Great Ocean Road...on our return trip we saw a motorbike accident which freaked us all out when we saw the cyclist on the road...we really enjoyed ourselves that weekend to the point where Eric has invested in a 3 man tent for the boys and is looking to purchase another one for us...the boys were so excited that they had their own tent that they set it up in the back yard last night and camped out there and invited Daniel from across the road to join them...they had a ball...now we are looking forward to our next camping trip and we will be more prepared with clothing and equipment...cheers!

Happy names day Jonte...

New Years Eve...

Once again an annual tradition of spending nye on the Yarra. We generally set up shop near Swan st bridge and we just eat, drink, laugh and play cricket, ride scooters, sit around talking until the 9.15pm fireworks...we take a 5 minute walk and watch the fireworks then back to our shop to drink and eat some more...this year there were about 40 of us...then back again at midnight to watch the fireworks again...we have been going to the Yarra for about 3 years now and I must say that the fireworks were rather poor this year compared to previous years...nevertheless we enjoyed the display with lots of photos taken on the night...happy new year everyone...

Christmas Day...

Christmas Day was spent opening presents with Eric and the boys...the boys received lots of money, clothing, board games, books, Wii games and a boxing bag...Cooper was in the pipelines but we couldn't get him before Christmas day so he was an added bonus to the boys...late afternoon we spent the day at my sisters place who put on a beautiful dinner with a selection of bbq'd meats, salads and Lebanese sweets, pavlova and fruit cake...Brian put on some arabic music and had Dyana, Souha and myself dancing the whole night...he also bought out a mini drum which kept the boys amused for quite some time and he ended up giving it to Jonte to take home to keep...he's getting the hang of it slowly and needs to practice more...Hope you all had a merry christmas...

Christmas Eve....

We had such an awesome evening. The night started with drinks and an antipasto platter, entree was baked fish parcels served with tomato salsa and skordalia (mashed potatoes with garlic butter), a side dish of sushi. Then for a main we had marinated lamb, pork and chicken souvlakia, vegetarian fried rice, greek salad and roasted vegetables. For dessert there was a selection of Cassata and Tartufo ice-creams, and my famous date cake with butterscotch sauce. Throughtout the night I surprised everyone who was there with an Elf Yourself clip starring them and they thought it was fabulous. The place settings were little noodle boxes that contained in them a selection of shortbread biscuits and white, green and red smarties...I also prepared a laminated menu for each family to take with them that had captured the nights menu plus a few greek features in it that entertained us all. The menu needed to be altered as someone forgot to bring the fruit platter (not mentioning any names Sofia and Chris) and the prawns...well the prawns lets just say there was a misunderstanding...it certainly didn't stop the party...then the fun began with the Kris Kringle...Katerina dressed as Santa and Roula as Rudolph (and a fine job they did)...we have a rather unique KK that we do every year which spices up the game...each member brings along a gift and places it under the tree...the first person to be drawn out of a hat gets to select a gift and he/she has no choice but to keep this present...the next person drawn gets to select a present and has the choice of keeping it or swapping it with the first person...and so on and so on...the last person in fact is the luckiest person as he/she can either keep their gift or swap it for any gift that anyone has...it is alot of fun and really creates interest, laughter and so much fun...thank you to my wonderful friends Katerina, Roula and Sofia...and to my best koumbara Koulla whom I love dearly for making this evening a memorable one...thanks for all your help and contributions because without you ladies it wouldn't have been possible...xo Jorja

December...

The month of December was a rather full on month with schools closing for the holidays, sporting events coming to year end and lots of socializing with good family and friends...

Congratulations to Jonte and his team mates for winning the grand final in their futsal competition. The team was undefeated throughout the term which was a fantastic effort by all the team players. Eric and I were both very proud of Jonte who was nominated by all the referees in his competition as the 'best and fairest' player. A proud moment for mum and dad :)

This is Cooper. He is the new addition to our family. He is a Mini Maltese X Shih Tsu, he's 11 weeks old, obedient and sooo darn cute. Cooper has had so much TLC given to him by not only my boys but the whole neighbourhood. I usually find 7 children outside playing with him, running with him and everyone wanting to have a hold of him. He also has 2 godmothers, Helen, Costa and Peter (one family) who came bearing sweets as an official term of being a godmother. The other godmother being Vana (Roula's daughter) who has yet to see Cooper and can't wait to see him soon. Once Cooper is a few months older we may even have a little get together with his godparents and have a small celebration (and here I am, one who has never ever wanted a dog...I don't know!).

Scrapware...

Ange from Scrapware has set up her blog and is up and running....yeah!!! I've been checking daily Ange!....She has the best chipboard products that are unique in the market so go and check out the Scrapware website and blog for yourselves. Ange is a talented designer and is the most generous person I know. I also had the pleasure of seeing her at Paperific this year and I would have to say that she had the best stand in the trade show on the day ;) A photo of us the night before the trade show.....

Ange has a gorgeous yet-to-be-released 3D birdhouse and all you do is leave a comment and put a link to her blog on yours! You have until midnight on Monday 24th November to go into the draw to win!

Ange (Scrapware Owner and Designer), Mich and me....

Goodluck everyone!!!

Wedding Anniversary...BIA...

Happy 18 year wedding anniversary Eric....xoxoxoxo

I couldn't remove a photo from our wedding album to scan so this one will have to do...

And look what arrived in the mail right on our anniversary day

A bind it all machine :)

For those who have asked the question, yes, Ivan is Eric Bana's father so that's how I got to get a photo with him. Ivan's family turned up on his special day and Eric who just flew in that morning was more than happy to take photos with anyone who asked. I was a little reluctant at first asking for a photo as it was Ivan's day and not about Eric. But his mother insisted and said "it's a once in a lifetime opportunity so have a photo taken now that you can" whilst dragging me up towards him. I'm so glad I did.

Have a great week ahead everyone :)

Ivan's Retirement...The highlight of my Day...

A huge week at work filled with me training a new employee, working with visitors from overseas and the biggest event of all was Ivan retiring after 46 years of service. He is the longest serving employee within our company in Australia, what a milestone. We had a morning tea provided by Wendy and Rosemary on Wednesday with fresh fruits, maison (the heavy stuff...lol...), sweets, cheese and crackers....lots of photos being taken around the office posing in various positions...I wont go there! There have been many sad moments and mixed emotions throughout the week leading up to this day.

I have known this man and his family for 18 years and are just wonderful people. I have a lot of respect for Ivan on a professional and personal level, love his sense of humour and his wonderful ways of flirting with us girls (in a good way)....lol....Ivan has always been my mentor, if I needed to ask for anything he would be the first person I would approach....he has a way with words and one of my favourites is the word birthday....he would say 'birsday'....lol....
He has left many stories for us to share amongst us all and I am going to miss him terribly....
He took such pride in his daily duties and his work ethics were of A class....Mrs B has always called upon me to help her out with some typing and I hope she still continues to do so....I know they will both keep in touch in one way or another so I guess it's not all goodbye....
If you ever want to off load your popcorn or chickpeas Ivan come and see Karsten your food buddy ;)
Happy Retirement Ivan and have a wonderful journey in your next chapter xo

Ivan and I in the office

Carmel, Ivan and myself after his presentation

Ivan and Eleonore (guess who's in the background?)

Wendy, Susan, Klaus, me, Eric Bana, Carmel, Chris and Evette

Guess who? Me and Eric Bana

To top of this wonderful day I leave you with a photo of The hightlight of my Day!

xo Jorja....

Crop For Kids is on again in 2009....

Crop For Kids is a scrapbooking event officially approved by Good Friday Appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. We successfully raised over $7,500 in 2007 and $12,000 in 2008. We hope to achieve more in 2009.

WHEN:
Saturday, 4th April 2009 10am - 5pm
WHERE:
Springvale City Hall
397-405 Springvale Road
Springvale (Melways Map 80 A11)
TICKETS:
EMAIL US at cropforkids@gmail.com or CALL US on 0437 850 953

October birthday wishes...Officially 40....

Happy birthday to my father!

Happy birthday Jonte!

Happy birthday Dimitra!

Happy birthday mother!


We have half our family who were born in the month of October. Many happy returns to everyone!

We had our closest family and friends come over on Saturday night to celebrate my 40th and Jonte's birthday. We couldn't have asked for better weather with the night being warm enough to sit outside under the pergola extending into a marquee just in case it rained. All up there were about 60 of us who just danced, laughed and drank the whole night away until 4.30am. There was gyro going all night and a bbq, lots of salads, savouries and sweets bought by everyone who came. Jonte had all his friends stay the night and they camped out in the rumpus room watching movies on Foxtel. I had my cousins and my sister and brother-in-law stay the night too. Here are some photos of the night and the morning after.

Jonte and I received some beautiful and thoughtful gifts including Swarovski crystal necklace and ear rings from my koumbari, dusk voucher (which I have happily spent) from my ever so gorgeous soccer mum Betty and family. Sportsco, rebel sport and coles/myer vouchers and some $ for Jonte to spend wisely. A wooden jewellery box from my one and only sister Helen and Brian -it's in my study already, a silver bracelet from my beautiful koumbara Koulla and family (thanks for coming along Helena and Koumbaro I need a copy of the photos you took on the night). Perfumes - Issey Miyake from my beautiful Cypriot friend Helen and family, Paris from Tash, Joseph, Michael, Anna and Andrew, Elizabeth Arden set from Sophie and family, MP3 docking station - he loves it Cyprea mou, glass perfume bottle from Dean and his mother, flowers from Peter (our little helper) and his mum, diesel cologne - he loves it Tash and Joseph, dinner voucher at the Sofitel from our beautiful and thoughtful friends Katerina, Nick, Andrew, Roula and their families - Eric and I can't wait to use it shisto mou Katerina and Roula bella mou. We also received movie tickets, a trendy dress from my parents - thanks mother, a special card and chocolates from my father-in-law, mini digital frame with photos of both my nieces and my great niece Connor and nephew Nathaniel on it, Sex and the City movie DVD with a corner rounder that I have been in search of in an earthy toned box from Adam and Dimitra. An upright lamp from cousins George, Maria and family who couldn't make it on the night but I got to see them on Sunday.

Speaking of Sunday, my sister, Brian, Anna and Andrew stayed the night so there was Helen and I making breakfast for 7 boys and 6 adults. It was like a production line, I made the eggs and bacon whilst sis made the toast and coffees, it was what was needed after only 3 hours sleep. Mwah Helen.

Thank you all so much from the bottom of our hearts, you touched us both with your warm wishes and generous gifts. Thank you to all the 40 year olds who have officially welcomed me to their club and I look forward to your 50th birthday celebrations. I wonder who of us will get there first? I know it wont be me...lol...

TFSB - Jorja xo

Paperific...40th Birthday Parties and still going....

It has certainly been an eventful month so far for me and the month is not over yet!

Karsten has been selected to play for the Western Regional soccer team and it just so happens that their first game is in Shepparton, yes Shepparton. Lucky Eric who needs to leave bright eyed and bushy tailed to get there for a 10am game. Just as I thought that soccer season was over, but no, it's still going....

I had the pleasure of scrapping with my gorgeous friends Ruey, Michelle, Vita and Ange at a crop that was held at the Scrapware factory. I had the privilege of playing with some new products that Ange was launching at Paperific. I completed 2 layouts and 1 mini bauble album which Ange still has for now....this layout was using some KI sheers that I purchased from KitiQ...

Don't you just love the stand that this layout is on! It is a Scrapware product so ask your retailer to order you one in. Actually, go to the Scrapware website and check out their gorgeous products....

I had the pleasure of working at Paperific once again with a wonderful group of people. Stacey, Roby, Robyn, Gary, Christine and George who have been fabulous bunch to work with. It was my 40th on Saturday and being at Paperific for the day was just great. With about 80 women at the door on Saturday morning ready to pour into the show at 8.58am and George decides to make a small announcement. He makes everyone turn around and look at me in the ticket booth and has everyone singing Happy Birthday to me. I was blushing yet excited as I have never really had 80 people all at once singing to me....Thanks George and Roby for a wonderful 3 days....I got to catch up with the team at Scraptacular, KSK which I made the plunge and pre-ordered a Bind it All, Memories2Remember (Jo you are awesome), the Collections stand (meeting the wonderful Jen Crossley who I did a make and take with - gorgeous person) and Kerrie from Scrapbook City who was the most genuinely beautiful person. Also got to see Felicity who was at The Scrapbook Scene , Carolyn who was with Alison Ellis Design, Lyn Dwyer, Michelle, Jess, Vita with her daughter Amanda and even my butcher lady was at the show....lol....I'm sure I've missed a couple of people but if I have it was nice seeing everyone....

I was also spoilt by Ruey, Michelle and Vita with a clip it up (has changed the whole look of my room - thank you ladies), some Basic Grey products, handmade cards and a gift box, stamps, crystals and a lovely bottle of wine from Lyndal which will be consumed on Saturday evening....Ange gave me a wooden "40" cover for signing in so I'll have all my family and friends sign in it.... Thank you ever so much.....!

I also had dinner with the girls from work at Galli Winery and received a lovely candleholder with a chocolate scented candle, a bunch of home grown orchids, rafia bag, necklace and a pair of fishnet stocking which I just adore. A gorgeous 8x8 album which I will attempt to complete with photos from my 40th before the end of the year.....Thank you girls....

I will leave you with this post for now....TFSB

Jorja

Bird Card..Retreat..Darius..Frame

I made this card which I think is just so darn cute....so cute that I had to put it on my blog...it's made from corrugated strips....check it out....

So much has been happening since I last blogged. Unfortunately I have not kept records but I did attend the Scraptacular retreat in July. I completed a few layouts and a jigsaw piece that I was really happy with for the EB girls.....

I even had the back of my masterpiece signed by the famous "Van Goof"....I have a completed layout with it which I will upload tomorrow...

It makes me so proud as a parent when my children receive special awards. Darius was given by his soccer coach today a trophy for being the MOST CONSISTENT player on his team. Pat (the coach for under 10's) had invited all the players and their families to a BBQ at his place. It was his way of saying thank you to the team and everyone who had taken part throughout the year. He had trophies for each and every player and a few extra special awards. Even the little girls received a medal for their cheer leading which I thought was just wonderful of him. He is truly a great leader and has earnt the respect from each and every player....Well done Darius and looking forward to 2009!

I bought this frame from Ikea some time ago and it has been sitting around waiting for me to fill it with photos. Instead, I decided to place patterned paper into each slot rather than photos. The beauty of this is that when you change your decor or need a change of colour then it is so simple to make this happen.....

Will post again tomorrow with some more layouts and photos....

Jorja....

Scraptacular Retreat 2008

I cannot believe it has been and gone, it was only months ago that tickets were on sale, discussions and arrangements being made...I must admit that I had the best time away with a great and talented group of scrappers...Thank you Julie and the committee members of Scraptacular for their fine and hard efforts...The retreat was a success with heaps of fun and games with prizes, the goodie bags, both name tags, drinking vessels, the classes, the venue, the food, the entertainment. Christmas in July dinner on the Saturday night was just wonderful and full of surprises from the Scraptacular team...A job well done girls....

Thank you Lyndal, Ruey, Carolyn and Michelle for a fabulous weekend away, without you all it wouldn't have been the same for me...Lyndal for her great sense of humour and generosity...Michelle for being my roomie...Carolyn for the chatting and Ruey for all the fun and laughter one could possibly imagine...

Here are some photos of the retreat:

Tagged

I have been tagged by the lovely Felicity

The rules are:
- Link the person who tagged you
- Mention the rules on your blog
- Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
- Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
- Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they have been tagged.


1: I love sleeping on the couch in winter near the heater.

2: I don't like window shopping. I only go to shopping centres in need of supermarket shopping or for something that is needed at home. I also don't like my bread to be packed with anything in my supermarket shopping. It needs to be on it's own and hung outside the trolley and kept separate from getting squished.

3: I take pride in my home therefore my style of cleaning would be considered as "anal". Ask my boys they'll tell you. I have a box of tissues and wet ones in every bathroom, toilet, bedroom, handbag, jacket and cars.

4: I don't like ugly feet. I know, it's pretty pathetic but I just can't stand it when people wearing thongs or sandals don't have groomed feet.

5: I don't like red lollies with the exception of Redskins.

6: I once used to bite my nails and have stopped for 18 years, and now my eldest son is doing the same and I hate it with a passion.

I have tagged anyone who wants to be tagged.

Also a special congratulations to Ruey for winning the Scrapbooking Memories People's Choice Award 2008.

And a very special "THANK YOU" to Vita for being a special friend to me.

Have a great night! Jorja :)

I know, I know....

It's been ages since I've last blogged. It's only due to having so much going on in my life at the moment that blogging has been the last thing on my mind. I still have last months SC and SM magazines in my gorgeous Coles bag that I have yet to read and that's telling you something. Isn't this bag just gorgeous for Autumn? It's made from PVC and it is so durable and versatile.

The boys and I have settled into a somewhat routine now that I have returned to full-time employment. I really love my job and of course the people that I work with are just fantastic. Lots happening in my department but I'll keep this topic for another post.

We also had the opportunity to go to QLD prior to my commencement and we had a great week away. We stayed in Caloundra, visited Noosa and also stayed in a high rise apartment in Mooloolaba which was fabulous. Eric and I fell in love with Mooloolaba, we thought it was a great place to relax, wine and dine, swim and have magnificent views of the beach and the main esplanade. I was fascinated with what I called "Dickie Trees", I don't know their official name but they were trees that had roots growing out of their trunks. I think I have taken more photos of these Dickie Trees than anything else. I even had the boys saying "take a photo of this one mum"....lol....We visited the Big Pineapple and let me tell you that was the freshest and tastiest pineapple I have ever eaten, it was delicious. Sorry Helen, but you had to be there to try it so maybe on our next trip you could possibly come along and test them out yourself.....!

I am also doing a 10 week SLR course with Michelle and I am finding this course at the moment a little dry. I probably expected it to be a little more hands on rather than being overloaded with theory. Jean-Claude tells me that the course this year is totally different to what was taught last year, therefore I am not sure what results I am going to achieve at the end of it all. We have a Coode-Island outing coming up next month so I am really looking forward to that. I know I have to pick up my camera and really play around with it on manual settings but I don't feel confident to do that yet. I'm really hoping by the end of this course I will feel that I have learnt something.

My 3 sons are all playing soccer this year for the same club so most of my nights are travelling from one venue to another for training sessions....so you can see why I have been a busy mum and I do hope to fit more blogging amongst it all.

I have been so longing to scrap this last month and I HAD the perfect opportunity to have achieved this last Sunday.....until our car had ISSUES and hubby was stranded with the kids. I wont elaborate on this topic as I am very sensitive about it. It's been 4 months too long.

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend ahead.

TFL :) Jorja

USA - Movie Stars Homes and Beverly Hills

Eric arranged a stretch limo on our last day before parting and going our own way. The boys were so surprised to see that a limo had rocked up in front of our hotel on our departure. Jonte said he wished that he could ride in a limo and sure enough it was for us. It was an awesome experience, something you don't do everyday.

We began our travels through Downtown LA, Hollywood and then stopped at the Chinese Theatre for some photos with Freddy Krueger. We saw many homes behind high hedges which was a little disappointing to only see tree lined homes through Beverly Hills. Drove through Rodeo Drive and then ended up at Farmers Market as our last stop before the airport. The tour was basically customized to our points of interest.

The boys and I returned home whilst Eric went onto Chicago for another week.

This is the last entry of our USA trip so now I can continue with the rest of our adventures.

TFL.....

USA - Disney's California Adventure Park

We spent the whole day here as they boys just loved the rides and the whole atmosphere. They took one look at this place and just didn't want to leave. They could not get enough rides into their system. Karsten and Darius were the more dare devils on the day whereas Jonte was a little reluctant at first. Jonte was feeling rather sick on this day but he managed to do the rides he felt comfortable with. California Scramin' was a high-speed roller coaster which Karsten and Darius went on first then they convinced Eric and Jonte that it is the best ride EVER. Then all four boys went on this terrifying ride, I was so proud of them all. Maliboomer launches straight up to 180 feet into the air in four seconds (equivalent to 18 stories high), Mulholland Madness which was a mini rollercoaster and all the boys went on this ride. Karsten and Darius dared to go into the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (you gotta love these boys for the courage) a ride where you board a phantom elevator, shoot up 13 stories and brace yourself for a thrilling plummet...

You're probably wondering which ride/s did I go on? Well, it was in fact the Orange Stinger which is a giant swing which is four stories tall and built on the site of orange groves in Orange County. This is a tribute to the Golden State's production of citrus and honey and even smeall like oranges. I also went on the Jumpin' Jellyfish ride, straight up 40 feet into the air. We also sat through and watched the Queen of California, as she makes a dazzling entrance into the theatre and invites you on a magical journey. This inspiring film brings to life the stories of the women and men who have made California the land of "Golden Dreams".

Last but not least "Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular". I am so embarrassed to even mention this show as Eric and I fell asleep 10 minutes into the show. We saw the opening and the ending. We were both so tired and perhaps we should have gone to see the show earlier in the day rather than at the end....

Karsten also found a trading pin which he had the pleasure of looking at everyone's lanyards with their collections. He ended up with a Mickey pin that has '08 on it.

After a long day and a nana nap we dined at Red Robin the headed out to a Michael's Craft store by taxi. I bought my MM paper trimmer and a few bits and pieces, ended up also buying a couple of suitcases to fill in all our extra products. We caught a bus back to our hotel and that was certainly an experience for me. It felt rather awkward commuting at 10.30pm on a public bus and being the only female on board.

USA - SeaWorld San Diego

This was the day my Kodak V550 decided to play up on me. The lens was not scrolling in or out. We got to see Shamu the killer whale, bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales, the sea lion and otter show, fresh water aquarium, shark and penguin encounters, Journey to Atlantis ride (Karsten and Darius only), Shipwreck rapids (all boys) and saw Flamingo's but had to video tape them as my camera died at this point. The whole day was captured on video too. On the way to our hotel a quick stop at Target to buy a new Kodak camera.

USA - Las Vegas

Las Vegas here we come...we start the morning early by catching the coach to Las Vegas which was approx. 4.5hours long. We had a great journey on the way as the coach was rather comfortable and plenty of refreshments on board. It was basically all desert and Joshua cactus' all the way up until we hit Las Vegas. There were buildings after buildings, this place was actually in the middle of nowhere. We checked in at the MGM where we had a gorgeous room with a view of the airport and the city. That night we had tickets to see Hannah Montana in concert which was quite a highlight for our boys until we arrived at the show and they were out numbered by thousands of screaming little Hannah Montana's. Right after the show we headed to Diego's for a meal before heading out to the main boulevard and do lots of walking and video taping of the city at night. It was absolutely fabulous. We shopped along our travels, found cheap Adidas products and heaps of souvenirs. Our last stop was a quick midnight snack at McDonalds before calling it a night. They don't call it "Sin City" for nothing and also known as the city that never sleeps. Monday morning we rise nice and early to get a bite to eat before we did more walking and sight seeing. Our bus was arriving at 3.30pm so we literally ran through the city. Our last stop was at a Frozen Daiquiri place where I bought a huge glass of mango daiquiri that I had to drink before boarding on the bus. Caught the bus back to Anaheim and had pizza's for dinner before turning in.

USA - The Block

This was the day we decided to go to the Block for some serious shopping. We bought clothing and shoes from Steven Barry's and visited heaps of stores which I cannot even name. Our morning started with a sunny days as you can see from the photo and within half an hour it went miserable and heavily rained all day, all afternoon and all evening. I mean rain and no showers, it basically pelted down. The rain did not stop us from shopping and getting extremely wet. We caught the bus to Target across the road from our hotel room and we continued to shop there as well, of course an umbrella was on our to buy list. We managed to get to our room, soaking wet so we ordered Chinese take-in.

USA - Disneyland

This is the morning where we caught the ART (Anaheim Resort Transit) that took us straight to Disneyland. What a truly magical place. We took videos of this place as it is truly an unbelieveable dreamland. We started the morning with a visit to Carnation Cafe for a cinnamon bun scrolly thing which was to just die for, it had frosting on top and just been freshly baked in the oven so it was still steaming. I normally do not eat pasty products but this scroll I actually went back for seconds. We did all the rides including, Disneyland Railroad, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, Big Thunder Ranch, Splash Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure, Jungle Cruise, Tarzan's Treehouse and visited Mickey's House and met and took photos with him as well. Karsten during the day found a pin that had been dropped by someone so we eventually worked out that they are pins you can swap with people. You display your collection on a landyard and people approach to see if they can swap them. Karsten swapped it a few times and ended up with one he was happy with. Photos of the pin is when we are in California Adventure Park as that was his last swap. It was a long day so after heading back to our room we dropped by Joe's Crab shack for a quick bite.

USA - Jan 08

We left on Friday the 18th and travelled to LA via Auckland. We entered the Qantas Club lounge, relaxed a little, had a bite to eat and drank some lemon lime bitters prior to boarding. The boys were quick to get to the computers to play some internet games whilst Eric and I caught up on some emails and reading material. We left on a Friday which meant that we arrive the same day in LA....pretty cool. Eric gave me his business class seat from Melbourne to AKL then I had the last 6 hours before we arrived in LA. What an experience! I was the seat right in front of the cockpit so when food was being taken in I could get a glimpse of the cockpit and the pilots. The headphones were massive and cushioned on your ears, the food was sensational. I was served a selection of mixed nuts with a glass of white wine before dinner. Dinner was salad of roast beef, pasta asparagus and cherry tomotoes, warm bread rolls with whipped butter, more white wine, a serving of fresh fruit and more white wine. For dessert there was burnt fig jam honeycomb and caramel ice-cream with biscotti, dark chocolate coated macadamias that were to die for (and I don't eat dark chocolate). All our tables had white tablecloths on them and cutlery was the real stuff. I don't think Eric should have done that though, now that I have had a taste of business class why would I want to travel any other way...lol...wishful thinking! I saw Transformers on the plane which I thoroughly enjoyed. The stewards were quite impressed that Eric gave his seat up for me, I just thought that was normal in most cases but not as far as these guys knew. As we were disembarking in Auckland one of the stewards gave me a whole box of dark chocolate coated macadamias as a result of Eric giving me his seat....! Wow, I then really felt special.

We arrive in LA airport with no fuss getting through customs and with Ruey's tips we hopped on a shuttle bus and were in our hotel room within the hour. Our room was great, it had all amenities and plenty of room to move. We decided to venture out to Target which was ideally located across the road from where we were staying in Anaheim on Harbor Boulevard. We bought a few things and what surprised us was a cafe in Target so we bought popcorn and coke for US$1.00. We knew we had an early rise the next day so we had an early dinner again conveniently located near our hotel at Joe's Crab Shack. This place was fantastic, I love crabs and what more did a girl want. We were given bibs and utensils to crack open the claws. We were so hungry that we ordered more crabs but this time cooked in a different sauce. Mmmmmmm! This place was so alive, the staff danced and sang on the hour every hour right up to closing time. If there was a birthday party being celebrated, all the staff would gather around sing and have fun with the patrons. We ended up going to this restaurant 4 times that's how much we loved this place. We ate so much and we were both so tired that the boys decided to take photos of us sleeping. Eric fell asleep on the table whilst working away on his computer, I on the other side of the room fell asleep on the couch reading a Scrapbooking magazine and writing the days events.

We had an early rise on Saturday as the bus came to collect us at 8.20am to take us to the bus depot. This is where you redeem your vouchers and get boarding passes to your final destination. We were off to Universal Studios for the day. This place was huge, it had 4 levels of steep escalators that took you to the lower lot...it was massive....The whole family enjoyed this day with glorious weather, heaps of rides, entertainment and shows to see. There was Revenge of the Mummy ride (indoor roller coaster) and Jurassic Park (84 foot raft plunge) and the House of Horrors. We did the studio tour towards the end of the day and I video taped the whole tour which went for an hour. We all got to see the homes of Wysteria Lane from Desperate Housewives, the plane crash from War of the Worlds, car chases and explosions from The Fast and the Furious, the foggy mist of Skull Island in Universal's King Kong, Psycho House and Bates Motel. We saw a Special Effects show, Backdraft, Fear Factor live and saw The Blues Brothers perform live. The last show we ended up seeing was Waterworld, this show was filled with stunts and awesome explosions. Overall; a fantastic day thoroughly enjoyed by all...TFL...

Thank You Card

This is a card that I whipped up today thanking Kim who helped me out a few weeks ago!

I've been tagged by Ruey...Topic - Food

6 unimportant facts about My food..........

1. I do not eat spaghetti, baked beans or tomato soup out of a tin. Not a big fan of tomato based sauces either.

2. My father always called me Skippy as I could never eat bread, olives and fetta or cheese as a meal.

3. I don't eat RED lollies (with the exception of Red Skins). I don't know why, but eating red lollies makes me feel like I have just eaten medicine.

4. I would rather choose to eat fruit than food. When I was younger I would fill up on fruit before my evening meal and I still do it today. I could live on fruit and vegetables quite happily.

5. I don't share my big thick skinned oranges with anyone, I love to segment them and eat them slowly.

6. I love seafood, especially prawns and crabs.

Like the heading says, 6 unimportant facts about my food.....
Have a safe and wonderful easter everyone.
TFL......Jorja