Kim Archer | Mindful Living

{check out the challenge album...}

...it's overflowing with gorgeous creations. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to create a bright layout for my little challenge. As I said earlier, I thought it would either be a dismal flop or I would be inundated! I have LOVED looking at all your work and EVERY single layout is just so {bright - funny that} gorgeous.

The challenge ends at midnight tonight so there's still time {Roz & Fiona:O))))} to enter. Email me at [email protected]

To those who did enter, keep an eye out for your postie;O) but not just yet! I am still organising the little surprises!

We are off to Canberra for the weekend. Happy Friday to you all! And enjoy the weekend.

{a girly lunch}

Had a wonderful lunch on Tuesday with Alison, Fiona, Mishell and all our girls. A real girly get together.

A fun lunch at Blue Water Pizza. Opposite the lake. Crappy weather but great company. Mishell's daughter Daisy entertained us all. She's as crazy as her mum! 

Here's Em, Capri, Phoebe and Daisy as well as Occy, Phoebe's class 'pet'. Occy has the pleasure of spending the holidays with the Carter's and you can see his photographed time with them so far here.

And here we have Em, Rebecca, Capri and Phoebe. All the girls got along really well. Capri and Rebecca hit it off and were like long lost friends!

After lunch we took a quick walk along the lake and we all got some great photos of the girls on the jetty. Here's one of my favourites.

{she did it}

Yay Carolyne. And its a gorgeous layout too. 

Here's Carolyne's bright challenge layout.

And check out the gallery as I have uploaded some more great challenge layouts I received overnight. Everyone's work is so GORGEOUS!!

There's still time to send me your layouts. Email them to me at: [email protected] before midnight this Friday!

{challenge}

What a response so far! I thought when I set up this challenge for Miss Carolyne that it would either be a dismal flop or I would be organising RAKs for weeks to come! Looks like I am going to be busy! :O)

THANK YOU to everyone who has sent me layouts so far. They are all gorgeous. I am in the process of setting up a special challenge album so stay tuned.

Keep em coming:O)

{tagged}

Ok, ok I had better get my five random things done before Julie gets mad at me for taking so long:O)

I really struggled with my five random things and have been putting this off because I couldn't think of anything interesting enough about myself to post here. But here goes anyway:

1.  As a teenager, my cousin Jacki and I decided to change our names in preparation for when we became rich and famous:O) Goodness knows WHAT exactly we thought we were going to become rich and famous for! I became Kimberlee Blair and she became Jaclyn Towers and we proudly announced to family and friends that we expected to be referred to by these names from then on. Not many people took any notice of us (funny that) but to this day some friends STILL call me Blair! And Jacki still always calls me Kimberlee!

2.  I had my first taste of owning my own business when I was 15. I designed and made a beeeeautiful range of Fimo beaded necklaces and ear rings and sold them at school. I sold enough to buy a pair of white pleated pants and a turqoise shirt from Esprit and thought I looked pretty damn gorgeous in that outfit. Several years later at a school reunion one of my fellow students arrived and was most excited to tell me that she STILL owned the pair of Fimo ice cream shaped dangly ear rings she bought from me. I hope she wasn't still wearing them though:O)

3.  I don't smoke, drink much, have any tatts or piercings other than my ears pierced twice, although I never wear ear rings. But I do luuurve my cocktails!

4.  I am very passionate about small business, especially women in business. I have a bookcase full of small business books. I just love the whole behind the scenes stories of why people set up their businesses or come up with an innovative product or idea! I love to watch a small business start from a kitchen table and grow to mammoth proportions!

5. My favourite all time movie is Bridget Jones. Just love it! Love the sound track. Such a feel good movie!

And now...sorry Fiona, you're gonna hate this...but I TAG YOU!

{challenge}

Ok. This is for Carolyne who has recently lost her mojo and needs some challenging! And an idea which jumped into my head through an email with Roz a minute ago!

I want to set a challenge. To get Carolyne up and happening again! And to see who exactly out there might actually read this thing and join in!

So, here's my challenge. Some of you steer clear of bright papers (well besides julie who is the queen of the brights!) and I thought it would be fun to see some bright, colourful layouts. So pull out that hot pink cardstock, KI Memories papers or all those other bright papers and cardstock colours out there and come up with a layout on ANY theme. Single or double, it doesn't matter. Just make them bright and happy!

Email them to me at [email protected] before Friday 30 September and every entry will receive a special little RAK from me and I will post some of the entries here on my blog.

And yes Julie, I am doing my 5 random things....stay tuned.

{heidi masks!}

Love the Heidi masks. Very innovative. Also used some of the Heidi foam stamps and some other bits and pieces.

{what a night}

I was SOOOO nervous for Capri. And she was petrified last night just before her first dance. BUT she danced the best I have seen her dance. She remembered all her steps and where to stand for all three of her dances. She was in the second row from the front and so we got to see her clearly - I felt sorry for the mums and dads whose girls were tucked up the back amid a sea of other kids! There were 48 performers in Butterfly Kisses - the youngest was three.

Sadly, the photos are crap. I took some before we left home but we were in such a rush I said, 'That'll do' instead of checking them and snapping a few more.

I didn't smuggle my big camera into the theatre. They were being VERY RIDICULOUSLY strict and telling people off left, right and centre. But mum managed to bring her little digital in and got some photos and no one said anything. I don't know how they came out yet but I can't imagine they will be sensational as it was DARK, TOO FAR AWAY and Capri was behind one row of girls. Oh well.

It was a LOOOOONG night. Filled with too many other kids and endless songs!

Highlight of the night was from Capri's final dance. An S Club 7 song. 30 seconds from the end of the dance. They had all danced their little hearts out. They were all beaming proudly. And then...one high kick left to do and a JAZZ BALLET shoe came flying high across the stage. Over the heads of a couple of other dancers and landed on the edge of the stage! Seems one little girl hadn't tied her laces tightly enough. (thankfully it wasn't Capri - she would have been mortified)

Jamison thought that was the best bit of the whole night! Actually, so did his father;O)

And final quote comes from Capri, who afterwards told me with a smile from ear to ear that she just wanted to do it ALL AGAIN and that she wants to stay on at dancing and also now do tap dancing! *sigh*

{catching up}

Big week. Not much blogging happening. Last day of the school term and it's a beautiful sunny day.

Brandt's been home with a chest infection and asthma most of this week and we have had some long nights with him with his coughing and breathing problems. But he's on the mend after a trip to the doctors.

Thank you again to all of you who take the time to read my little blog and leave me comments or email me privately. I am always amazed at who does read this thing!

BIG night tonight. Capri's dance concert. I am nervous already for her. She seems to be fine though. It's being held at a big, grand old theatre in town - for those who know Newcastle it's being held at the Civic Theatre and the stage is gigantic for such little people.

They have to wear makeup! And lots of it. I'm not used to this dance thing and to slap makeup on Capri's little face and such young skin seems weird.

All the family is going. NO cameras or video cameras! Wonder if I can smuggle in my digital! Although its not really the small, discreet type of camera I can easily slip into my handbag!

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JAKE! I didn't get to post yesterday for his birthday and trying to find a pic of him to post here proved I need to TAKE MORE PHOTOS of him! So happy birthday Jake!!!! I know you had a great day yesterday!! And enjoy your school holidays! Ten years old! Double figures!! Woo hoo.

hugs from Aunty Kimxx

{chelsea bun}

Happy birthday to Chelsea, my neice and the blond girl who is often in the photos with Capri. My sister's youngest. She turned 8 last week. Which I can't believe! She's growing up waaaaay too fast!

Her brother Jake's 10th birthday is on Thursday so we celebrated both birthdays at mum and dads on Saturday with a family party.

Mum, as usual went overboard with the food. It was only supposed to be afternoon tea but there was enough food for half the street! The pavlova was glorious!! And ice cream cake for the kids!

So happy birthday to my little Chelsea bun. I hope you had a wonderful birthday! And Jake, check back here later this week for a birthday message for you;O)