A proud mother

Yes, I am! Found this while I was internet exploring. Hope you enjoy it too.

What did I do?

Ha, what a good question! I was wondering myself too... nearly a week of holiday is gone! But I had a great week!!! Finally I welcomed my friend Wenting and his family, it's hard to believe the last time we saw each other was 5 years ago! I don't think that we have changed much since, even compare to 20 over years ago, haha...

I can tell the children all had a good time too! Especially with water! They actually spent their afternoons in the pool! I didn't take any photo when we were at the Yacht Club on Sunday, but believe me, they stayed in water for more than 3 hours every day! They also visited the Jungle Gym and made pizza in Frattini's !

little mermaid Kaiyee Rafeeqa

the little wondering boy Xuezheng

can you believe this girl was afraid of water two years ago?

It's yummy, of course!

You see, though we visit museum, mosques only when we have visitors, I do enjoy them, especially the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque and the Jame Asr' Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, beautiful and magnificent! The water cruise was interesting too, and this would be my first time in 10 years! After a fanastic time in Brunei, they departed to KK yesterday and we will join them tomorrow after my course and Renee's summer school.

Scrapping Side

It's so good to have a long holiday... what I enjoyed most so far? Sitting in front of my table, scrapping without time restriction! I received Shabby's kit for July, I just love the paper, I made two LOs, a card and still more left! I have to send to Shabby today!Plus have a look at the new arrivals...

Sneak peek of Shabby's look

Besides that, I scrapped every moring and made a few LOs:

The harmonica girl

I tried putting ghost letters on the photo, and quite like it! Don't you have those moment that you are clueness on how to use some embelishment? But still keep buying them?

Moment

I like this photo very much and always hope that I could catch another one like this! The crochet flower is beautiful and handmade by Bev, she is so good, isn't she! I tried knitting years ago in my early teens and my level is still at "able to finish one long scarf", simply have no idea how to knit a whole sweater, do not know where to fix the sleeve nor neck, lol. Thanks, Bev. I still have the other two!

Everyone enjoyed

Yes, I believed that everyone came to the crop party had a good time. Everyone participated in making one layout, altering one file folder and making one card. I have to say that I was really inspired by all the ladies. Though everyone received the same instruction but the finished products were so different and interesting!

It's a shame that I forgot all about taking photo. But I am sure soon all of you will see from Jazz!

Just one more week, school is off... great, isn't it? Renee wants to join the summer school and after that we shall be away for a while. I still need to work on my course which only finishes in end of August! "sign" 

It's absolutely hoooooot out there, so I decided to lazy at home, while Renee is busy with her new digital pet and Rafeeqa is trying to clean her lovely doll--Chloe ( I don't know how exactly she will do it, but she just asked me for some cotton buds, let's see what will happen later...)

I finally managed  to clean up my space upstairs after all these months. Made a trip to Growing Star last Sunday while my dear hubby was away pursuing his racing car career, I bought table, bookshelves and cupboards and now this is how my scrapping place looks like:

I just had enough fighting space with the girls, in front of my white table is their study table, I have to place the two computers as far as possible, if you are parenting two children, you might understand why. I can use my laptop on my new table too! 

I put some of the stuff on the shelves behind my chair, as it's a open shelf, so it's so 

easy for me to just turn, look and grab the things I want to use. The second layer of the shelves now become the display space, I can just leave the new LOs there. Ha, now I am a really happy woman. On top of that, I collected a few boxes from post office last week and my favorite is this:

I have been waiting from amazon since the day I ordered it! The coolest thing about it is the layout cards which came along! I can just bring them anywhere I go, imagine you are in one of the crop party and out of idea, just take one and use! Ha, love it!

The girls are calling now, they need some afternoon tea! Can you believe, I just gave them apples, well, they are growing, so I have to sign off and make them some pancake, I think, actually I am in the mood for that! My book, my coffee and pancake... 

A date in your diary

Scrap Inspire Create

{  Crop Party  }

Yes, that's it! Jazz decided our first Crop party in the hotel, so please put this date in your diary, 28th June 2008, 2pm-5pm  (you can find out more details here ) I'm sure there are many games and challenges for you ladies ( guys ), I do hope to see you all  and I am sure we will have a fun & creative time.  By the way, school is out soon, soon, very soon...

I read Ali Edwards' blog this morning and felt so touched. I read hers everyday, get inspired in different ways.  But today's is different:  being a parent is something simply not what we can say that we are very good at it... I know there are millions of books on parenting, but are you sure you can just find one and copy the way to deal with your own children? If it's yes, then you are LUCKY! But the truth is every single child is unique, and I have two! I need to use different ways to talk to them even! Well, compare to those who have 3, 4, or more, I really admire you!  I especially admire the way Ali Edwards does, I was nearly in tears after that read.

I always wanted to be a fine parent to my girls and am still trying. Ever since I started scrapbooking, I feel that I might find a way, this hobby definitely cool me down and let me think more.  By not only tell their/our story, but also remind them/us how we once were, and the person we will/shall be. Recording those precious moment for them, also for us, when we are elder one day, we won't regret that we have missed something important in their/our lives. 

We scrap everything, kinda anything, yes, why? Because we simply can not afford just let anything go like a snap! Big or little, these are the things happened once in our lives and we wish to keep them, don't you? When I was little, I kept anything in my old cookie tins, my parents moved many times and I did too, but I still have 4 or 5 with me now, you know what is inside? All my TREASURE: my first pair imported hair pin from my dad ( picture a 7 years old girl crying over the Japanese goods); some really old stickers from a boy I once loved ( ok, ok, yes, there was someone long time ago, he bought stickers for me in a rainy day and kept them under his shirt to keep them dry); some nice jade necklace from old frenz; my collection of newspaper and poster on my fav actress Lin Qin Xia... many many things, I would put myself into those old days every time I go through them. I guess all the things I do now, will help my girls to remember their days as a child and let them treasure for what they have. 

Talk to them, record what they say, listen to them, write what they think and play with them

, just like you once were ... believe or not we can give them the best and make them a better one.

I guess I have talked too much today, just felt into this mood... Renee had her recital this afternoon after school, yes, this is not her first time but it's her first duet with her friend Alissa.

I do not expect her to be one fine musician one day but I am sure she loves music and will enjoy it all her life. 

I am in!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I am officially in the Design Team for Shabby Chic with the other two talented ladies: Sharon and Erlia. Now I started to wonder what's our first project? Haha...lol

The craft sales is still on, I have students knocked on the door and asked whether they can "order" a notebook, these girls love the notebook I altered... Stayed up late for the last few days, I can't disappoint those lovely angels. By end of this week, we will hand over all the money to China Embassy.

Craft Sale

It went well for the past two days and now I have nearly $500 in the envelope... And it will continue next week till most of them are all gone.

that's the display board at school

some of the book marks, cards, altered frame and boxes

more note books, cards

Thank you, my fellow scrappers in Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, thank you very much, you did make the difference.

"Busy -very much - and nearly crazy " that is how I can decribe my past weeks. But now I shall have a slightly less stressed two weeks till the long summer holiday.

But again, I have many plan for the less stressed weeks ...

The best thing so far, I received a call from a very close friend from junior high, he and his family is coming to visit me next month! So happy, now I will have my 2nd visiter from China besides my parents. I've been here for 11 years, only my mum, dad visited me in the first few years, then Carolyn came last year and now Ting is coming. My aunt and uncle will come in October too, what a great year for me!

Any scrapping? Since I made so many notebooks this week, I consider myself did some scrapping, lol. I bought some MM passport collection yesterday from Shabby,they are beautiful! I knew I said no more shopping but what to do? Cupcake scrapbook shop is closing down, I will miss those wonderful things, thus I gave myself excuse to buy the passport collection as I won't be receiving them from Cupcake any more. JB is always giving her own line, so , you know, I have to get the passport collection!

It's so quiet...

Yes, now, at the moment, the kids have gone to bed.

I'm kind of sorting out my scrap space after sitting there for a few hours. But, do not even think about "CLEAN", coz it is very far from that meaning. Went to Jazz's place and worked with 2 ladies for the charity items. I think we actually chat more, ate more... I'm so impressed by all the work done today and previously. A big and warm "Thank you" goes to everyone who helped in this event.

I made this there:

also made these too during the week, 3 or 4 cards in the box:

Just hope everything will go well as I planned and we shall get some decent money for the move which will go to the right people. I can not bear watching news or even reading it...

It's hard to believe today is 31st of May, another 4 weeks to go for my summer holidays. To end today's post, I show you a sneak for June's SIC title:

This is an interesting item and a challenged one too.

Now, good night. I need to get my beauty sleep...