[happy day]

many many reasons to be happy today:
1. my Xmas tree is up! :D something so simple yet so magical.
2. we're going to KOREA!!!! can't you tell i'm already excited thinking about it!
3. gracie said- mummy i love you - kiss mummy!
4. my DT layouts are UP on the website - www.storyofmyown.com - so wierd yet really wonderful to be amongst all that talent!!

so here's the pix of the tree in it's sparkly glory-

sorry for the horribly blurred photo.. heehee can't be bothered getting my tripod out and i've no idea how to set the timer on my camera! hah!

[new stuff!]

Yup, attended a pajama party last night with the girls at TVC and M4M - the former an online shop for scrapstuff and the latter a local forum i'm very active in. It was a BLAST! How can it not be? with a roomful of women, all liberated from childcare for the night.... heehee ... i think we were just high on the shopping adrenaline! :D

So, how can i not scrap - even though by the time i got home, it was WAY past midnight....

Here's what i churned out -



Thanks to TVC for the yummy goodie bag and an enjoyable nite; Jenn for the generous hambly RAK; cousin fiona for the lift bag and wonderful pressies for G >.< GOOD WEEKEND!

[traditions]

MY VERY 1ST XMAS TREE!!!! EVER!!!!

I'm overjoyed! it's been great fun buying all the baubles, getting the tree - it finally arrived this morning! :D The whole house now smells of pine, the woody smell that is so reminiscent of europe. Now, if only it snowed here! :P

Anyways, here's what we've been doing -



will post more pics of the completed tree later!

[alike and different]

my mum has been bringing around pictures of me as a toddler, and pictures of gracie - to show how much alike we look. So i thought - why not put them together as a brag book of sorts :





*this will also be my very FIRST project made with my Design Team Kit at www.storyofmyown.com*

[baby party - 1 year later]

It has been exactly 1 year since we last met up and hosted a baby party at our place. It's been too long- let's hope the next one will not be so much later!
Here's the pics one year ago:


and just last weekend:

[newborn babes]

Went to visit a 'long-ago' friend last weekend. You know - the friends whom you were once close to, a very long time ago - in high school, in college. Life moves on, and sometimes our friendships move on as well with time, but for some of them, they just stay stagnant. For the longest time, I have tried (ok, not very hard) to maintain and upkeep these recalcitrant friendships. But it's taxing and i'm often left heartbroken, as i sense it's probably just me. Anways, M, one of those Long-Ago friends, who left straight after high school to another country, another life... has just given birth. As usual, i had mixed feelings about attending yet another 'gathering', only going as a sense of duty, and also, to meet the other girlfriends who were going (the ones i had more success in maintaining a semblance of friendship with). But, i have to say - a new born has a way of changing peoples lives. The said friendship has been rejuvenated by a common joy, a common topic of burping, breastfeeding, giving birth, being mum. And it's the most wonderful feeling, she's the happiest i've seen her for a long long time. I'm so happy that she's happy, and out of all that, i hope we can continue this ease of talking...

so, to celebrate little d's arrival, this is what i've made -

[weekends at home]

we were all set to go to the botanical gardens this morning, before me and vic drop gracie off at new house and go back to work. But we were too tired to wake up early, and the whole inertia continued through the morning. i manage to take good pictures though! :D heehee.... so here they are:





gracie's favorite new toy, the kitchen set..... :P