Its a.......

Well today we had our Anatomy Scan to see how Pebbles is growing and to also find out the gender...Simon came alone to this scan, I went with with Orminston Road Hospital this time instead of going through my step mum's work at Ascot Hospital and having her settle the bill each time - much appreciated for the first two scans I had, but my last one I wasnt overly happy with the quality and care from the radiologist. All we paid for with this scan was the CD of the photos. It was important for Simon to be at the scan especially given this would be the one we would find out if we would be having our much hoped for little girl....or if we were going to have a little boy.

The sonographer was really great - he explained everything he was looking at, took photos of each thing, he took his time and didnt rush it. This was really good for Simon who has a fear of these being something wrong with baby. I was concerned we wouldnt be able to find out the gender as bubs had their legs tucked up to their tummy and thumb and hands up to their mouth (so much like me hahaha) - but he managed to get a view between the legs and we are very happy to say that we are having a little.......

GIRL!!!

Simon is happy he is gets his little girl he wanted so much - and Im glad too I wasnt overly interested in changing boys nappies...they have to much to clean...haha and it meant I got higher say over the name of her too!! We just coldnt agree with boys names....it was a big debate...names in general were but since he knows what we are having and has seen our baby on the scan, not just through photos, the name he said means alot more to him now....so he will be able to think of a name to call her. So far we have a first name I believe we have agreed too - the middle name I think its a battle...I know the name Simon really wants but I dont fully like it....so I have told him to pick the middle name...and that he can have as long as he likes to do so, doesnt have to be now...it can be at birth...which ever he prefers...

Here is our little girl at 18wk5d.

Pebble's Album

Ive been secretly working away at Pebble's Album.

So far I have completed TWO layouts - I have been using Shannon White's monthly sketch Challenge to complete them with. The album is 8x8 in size. The following are what i have completed so far. I have yet to do Janurary and April's layouts but I will still use the sketchs for in this album. Ive still to start May's one. I was trying to do them somewhat nutural in colour but my paper selection isnt overly great - and its sort of girly looking...thankful we are having a girl so now i dont have to worry so much about it looking to girly...!! The papers are from My Mind's Eye - I have a couple of large pads full of paper.

From Feb's Sketch Challenge: I just missed the cut off entry for this, as the place I get my photos printed at didnt tell me that their printer had broken down, and that they had a huge order in for 200 photos to be printed..!!! So I couldnt get my photos in - this isnt the first time Ive had this happen from this store, I had it last year when doing my Catering Plus Magazing Comp entry..!

My bump photos through my first trimester - I have been taking a photo almost every week of my bump since I was 4wks pregnant (when I found out on New Years Day that we were expecting)

I had some yellow thickers that I sanded back to almost white, coated them in baby blue fiskars ink and some clear sparkly embossing powder to alter them a little bit to make them fit in with the layout.

From the March Sketch Challenge:

This is from the dating scan I had done - thats my little girl in the top left had corner...! She was about the size of a pea getting onto the size of a blueberry.

Took my fiskars limited edition spring 2010 Birds the Word Punch and punched out a few layers of cardboard glued them all together inked it up with some baby blue ink and embossed it...finished it off with a little pink ribbon....

And like with the Feb layout did the same thing with the thicker number....and using I think it was a Colorbok stamp set, I created a little Journalling patch.

If you havent done so already - head on over and check out the layouts from the April Sketch Challenge on Shannon's Blog....there is even a little RAK too - say I sent you!! And by all means join in with the sketch challenge too. xx

Happy 2nd Birthday JAMES!!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Nephew James...!!!

Hope you have a wonderful day my cheeky little monkey...!!! How much you have grown in the past two years....you always make me laugh and put a smile on my face...!! xx

60th Birthday Album - Chef Martin Harrap

I have formed a really close relationship over the past couple of years with one of my lecturers at Uni - Gina Harrap, she is who trained me for the culinary comps. She is always blown away at my work, not just my academic work but my creativity and why I come up with in terms of my table setting designs, how I have always hand made everyone from Menus and Name cards right now to Cookie Favours and Wine Charms for on my table settings.Having seen some of my work, and seen photos of my scrapbooks she asked me for a big favour last month in Feb. She asked me to make for her Husband Martin Harrap a scrapbook album of his life for  his 60th Birthday, as well as one for their 10yr wedding anniversary. I of course accepted the job - having made only a few albums for other people mostly ones I have done as gifts and a few for my neighbour when ever she sold a kitten that she had breed, I was prepared to take this on and I was able to now that Uni is over and done with and I have the time to be able to sit down and do scrapbooking again.

She handed me over a box fill of photos - she had written on most of them years and dates, she had given me both her CV and Martin's for assitance with putting the photos and events into order and she had written a list of dates and events on a piece of paper to also give me some sort of a picture. I sat down with this box and sorted them all out, detective work became involved matching photos up to events, breaking them down into years and working out who were in the photos - along the way learning little things more about this LEGEND of the industry that I work in myself. I was able to see how his love and passion started from when he was a teen and it has grown, how he has been so heavy involved in competition work both in the UK where he was born and brought up  and into NZ where he lives today....

I spent a while restoring photos too - I had never done this before, I am a complete beginner/novice which ever you call it, I had read an article in a scrapbook magizine which gave tips and sadly I didnt copy it to keep for record. I had tried a few years ago using Paintshoppro 9 but it didnt really work out...fortunately when my best mate Shane built our new computer in the last 6months, he installed Photoshop for me and it was using that programme again something ive started to self taught myself how to use I started to slowly restore childhood photos of Martin. A few I am so impressed with how I managed to do such a thing. Sadly I was brought down with sickness during the process with a few trips into the hospital for fluids and meds....but I knew I had to get it finished and done by the set date (I work well with my scrapbook when I have a date put in place it needs to be done by....ironically not so great with assignments there...!)

I found lots of sites - ok Kerri sent me lots of links to sites with layout sketchs/maps and I used them to set my pages out, this took alot of stress off when your completely struggling to get your mojo flowing and dont know what to do - colour is another problem I have, and I tried to keep this album as masculine feeling as possible - THICKERS became an addiction, I developed at the same time a hate towards the prices charged for them here in New Zealand but ohhhh I do love them. I was able to get photos printed for half price - I had so much fun figuring out which size to make them. Eventually the day it was due I had mum and me sitting in the dinner room busting these layouts all out to complete the album and to get into the CBD to Uni to met with Gina and present the album - a slight spelling error on one page, and a few photos that needed to be changed around gave me one extra day to complete a couple more layouts I didnt quiet get to finish and get into Uni again to present the finished Album.

I sat in awe watching Martin go through his album on his life, there was so much more I wanted to do, but that is something together than can add too - I was really special seeing him go through these memories of his life, telling us about each photo and event, how old he was, what he was doing those things.

Special moment and Im so thankful and fortunate to have and know this lovely and wonderful couple in my life. (one little side note I learnt through this album - I learnt me and Gina had actually met once before when I was younger way back in 2003 when I had my first ever true taste of working in hospitality at a work expereince day, and it was actually doing a function set up...back then I wanted to be a chef but i really enjoyed doing this table setting for Sacret Heart Collages Reunion they had in 2003......it was destiny maybe??)

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY MARTIN - and a Happy 10yr Wedding Anniversary to you and Gina also.

Pitty Patter of Tiny Feet....

Well today I have decided to annouce something. A few people know, some family members, and a few close friends and co workers. But I think now is the right time to be able to let this one out.

Me and Simon are please to annouce that we are expecting our first child..!!!

I am currently 13wks in gestation - and I have been experiencing some REALLY wicked morning sickness for the past 6wks - the vomiting started the day I was due to have my 6wk dating scan (I was a couple of days shy of 7wks) and because I started to vomit it meant I was unable to attend my appointment I had booked as a result it was rebooked the following day - sadly Simon was not able to make it to this one due to having a second interview for a job he had gone for last year. He was later offered a job at this place. Infact my morning sickness has been so bad that I have been in hospital for it and been put on medication to control it. The meds help me feel somewhat human again and is stopping the vomiting and feeling of wanting to be sick. (I love you Ondansetron!!)

Yesturday would of been my Poppa's 82nd birthday and it would of been my son's 3rd birthday had I not miscarried him in 2007. I had my 12wk Nuchal Fold Scan booked in and again Simon wasnt present for this - I hadnt told him about it, partly because he has only just started a new job and i didnt want him taking time off work and partly because we have split from being in a relationship and havent fulled worked out how things are going to be. Its a long story that I dont want to go into...but we have to do what is best for our unborn baby.

So here is our little one - we are due on the 9th of September. This will be my parents 5th Grandchild and Simon's parents 1st Grandchild. At the moment we have nicknames Baby - PEBBLES.

Happy Birthday Poppa and Gummi

Happy Birthday to my loving Poppa Sidney Watters.

Today would have been your birthday, you would of been 82yrs old.

And a special Happy Birthday to my son Keiran Stefano James "Gummi Bear" Denham-Bell. Today my sweet little angel you would be off been 3yrs old! Mummy and Daddy love you so much and we miss you alot too.

Im so sorry that I couldnt come up to the Cemetry today like I had planned but I am full of a chest infection as well as spewing my guts out. I just cant hold my own weight right now or have the energy. But I know you are both there with me today and right now - for today has a special event happening on it.

xxx

Whangarei Road Trip with Simon

Me and Simon have been having a few little hiccups in our Relationship - there is a BIG reason for this but that is something I will talk about at a later date just not right now. I think we rushed into things a bit, and were really thrown in the deep in over Xmas when Simon's parents moved house and had a 3-4wk period between when they moved out of their old house and into their new house...and during that time they went off camping with his sister down to the South Island and he moved in with me and my mum. We suddenly were in each others face 24/7 - we had no privacy and no ME TIME...I found it hard not being able to go to my room, shut the door and turn my radio and blast it up really loud to cool out and calm down...no if I was in a grump or what ever and went to my room he would be there...the house seemed very very small then. My santurary and personal space was compromised majorly it had been to the point Simon had cleared my desk off in my bedroom and had installed his TV and PS3 there - I have never had a TV in my room and probably never will I dont really see the point in it...in the past I have managed to watch DVDs on my Laptop at night, that was before all the over heating issues and stuff...and other nights I would just read a book to go to sleep with...I wasnt able to do that with Simon. Ok the watching movies on his laptop and PS3 yes..but reading no..he hated me doing it...infact its taken me since NOVEMBER when i went to Christchurch until now to FINALLY finish a book I got out of the library, and its only since he moved out and back home to his parents that Ive infact read two more additional books in the past week or so.

To try and save out relationship he has been taking me out on dates, the other day it was to a Restaurant for dinner which I wasnt expecting, we had a nice little chat about things, we spoke about the BIG thing that is trialling us - had a nice meal and stuff....so he decided as an early valentines present since he is working to take me up north to Whangarei - Ive been through there and stopped at a motel for a toilet break on a trip to Northland and the Bay of Island in 2004 in High school with my tourism class but ive never been to the actual village. My nana is from there, it is where her side of the family landed after the came over from Australia I believe the story goes (the family roots from there go back to N. Ireland and Germany) and its also where Abby was original born on a farm up there somewhere before someone rescuse her and her little siblings.

Simon spent New Years there in 2008/2009 I think it was, at a little cafe/restaurant thing and he wanted to take me there but I just wasnt really drawn in by the menu for starters the special board had all pork dishes...I like a bit of pork but yea...we walked around a bit to see what else was there and we settled on a little pub....the meal expereince was NOT good at all I tell you - and Ive said many times before how I struggle going out to places to eat working in the industry...this place was just terrible..I ended up putting in a MASSIVE complaint when I got back to Auckland. I had put in a couple of complaints there at the time...but yea...didnt want to make a big show and dance at the time.

I dont know how things are going to be between us...we are trying - with these date things...we had never ever been on one at all in the time we met each other - we got together as soon as we met each other in person, which was only a couple of days after talking online, then i was off down to Christchurch then we spent more less everyday in each others face staying over at one anothers house...