so at 5:30 last night the messenger post van pulls up out the front and the man hands me 4 cards for 4 packages, this was turning into a bumper day as 3 were at the door in the morning. Just to recap I called the distribution centre monday and asked to have my parcels held... sounds like someone ran out the back and FOUND my wayward packages.

Michael says we don't complain enough but try putting in a complaint about 'ordinary' packages and you get that blank stare.

So I scurried off and what did I find... my missing packages, they only took 22 days to make their way from the Eastern States to Perth. I did think they had been stolen from the front door, but I hoped they hadn't. So now here I sit with one of my new shirts on.

Well I am now out just over $150. Before I went away to Sydney I bought 2 tops off eBay and they were paid for and posted between the 8th and 12th, then I bought the carol Wingert class pack from Blue bazaar, well that class has come and gone and no class kit, I either have to say Australia post stuffed up in a big way or some low life stole the parcels from my front door.

Either way I lose. I called aus post and asked my packages not be delivered to the door, this is the first time in 2 years I have had a problem but this makes it a pretty expensive problem, and I was left without clothes for Sydney as I bought them especially so I had to take my daggy clothes.

The flu is holding on still, I'm trying to work out all the notes I scribbled to myself when people rang up for tickets. Fundraisers are a lot of work. I'm looking forward to it though, anything to lend a helping hand..

So Lissy and I arrived in Sydney at 6:20pm Thursday night and jumped in a taxi and headed straight for the hotel, I'm pretty sure if wasn't much after 7:30pm that we found ourselves sitting with about 16 of the scrap needs girls in the restaurant, lots of introductions and a very big amount of excitement for what the following days held for us. I know I was excited!

I did Ali and Donna classes and I loved every one of them, none are finished and now I have the dreded kiwi scraps lurgie which about 1/2 a dozen of us have sucumbed to, I am meant to be working today but I am lucky to be standing it is a rather nasty bug.

But back to kiwi scraps! I have come away with a new outlook on my scrapping and what it means to me and my family, it needs to touched and looked at, it came home to me when Donna threw her album, and did her 'showing the kids your album' skit, that was me all over!! we sit and look at the albums but i turn the pages, so now I am going to start doing a few more mini albums with all the 'other' photos I have that don't make it onto a layout.

And then all the people I met! Libby, Rach, Kell, Jen, Megan, Carol, Reggie, Roz, Sandra, Suze Doyle and so many more, it was such fun, but so strange as someone would sit next to you and you would chat away yet this was the first time you had talked in person

DRILLS ARE ALL GONE!!!!
I bought them from widget supply if anyone else is interested.
I have down for drills -

• Julie Love
• Carol Dillon
• Kelly
• Kim
• Reggie
• Me
• Lis
• Mel G

That leaves 2 available, I have put the order in and with the conversion they will be $24.50 each then postage to you, I'm pretty impressed I got them from widget tools, some sites had them listed at $17 US and widget had them for $11.67 each, of course postage was the killer at $65 US but it still works out at a great price, so if you want one let me know.

Still no kiwi scraps story yet, I have the flu and have been busily printing the tickets for the crop day.

ok so I have so much to say about kiwi scraps but more importanly of those of you who were there.... who wants a drill???? I am going to order 6 as they will only take $100 international order at a time, they will work out at $20 each so that is pretty good... if you want one leave me a comment and I will contact you. Watch out for a gajillion pictures and a 10 000 word essay on kiwi scraps.. I tell you if I could have folded up Donna and Ali and bought them home I would have, what totally gorgeous girls!

Tired...excited..inspired...planning planning planning, so much going on in my head right now due to those girls, and not only the classes but all the fantastic people I met, I had a ball!

but more later, got home at 1am and had 4 hours sleep before my babies came in, so good to see them.

"you can stay here and keep picking up mum, I'm going outside to play..... come on Riley lets go!"

So what can you say in response to that one? this is what Alec at all of 4 and 1/2 has just told me after helping me pick up for 3 and a 1/4 minutes. I suppose I should be thankful for those scant minutes. I am too tired to argue or threaten so I will just make an effort to do as much as i can around 2 grubby little boys. Right now I am just aiming for untidy rather than dump site which it is now.

On the upside I am almost finished my homework for kiwi scraps, should be able to do all that on Sunday along with my journaling and that gives me 3 days to pack and work out what scrap stuff I need to take, when we booked in march it seemed like a lifetime away and now we leave in 5 days! if I am pretty excited and it will be so cool travelling with Lissy and then all the people I will meet and then classes with Ali Edwards on top of that.

I'm off to the salt mine or whatever that stuff that crunches under my feet is as I walk across the floor...maybe I shouldn't look!

I had been feeling and looking very dowdy and was getting a bit down about my revolting lank cakky hair LOL so Di's daughter Gemma has a little salon at home and all the girls always have gorgeous hair that see her so I bit the bullet and booked myself in.

It was great being in such a nice setting and being the only one there and I LOVE my hair, I'm still working on getting it like Gemma did it but I am getting there, so Lissy was more excited than me and came and took before and after pictures, I am so glad she did I can't believe the difference.. oh and note to self put some make up on!

and another thing... my beloved didn't notice my hair, had many excuses even though he KNEW I was getting it done and his biggest defence was no men notice anything about their wives/girlfriends hair, so is it true girls? are your men as bad as mine, he told me to ask by the way LOL.. have a good one!