Thank you EVERYONE!

Hi all,

We just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who has helped us and supported us in the organisation of our fundraiser. We raised approximately $2980. I can't tell you the exact number as I am posting this away from my own computer.

This was an amazing effort considering we had originally been hoping to clear $1000 and 30 people in attendance. In the end we had 75 people and we cleared almost $3000.

Thanks to everyone who came along for the day, listened to us talk, bought raffle tickets, lucky numbers, gave us gold coins for morning tea, attended our two exciting workshops and generally made the day an exciting and fun one.

Thanks again to Edgeworth Bowling Club, Wallsend Crafter's World, Jen Hall and Marion Werren for all of your support. We are so glad to hear that despite the storms last month that Wallsend Crafter's World is back on track and ready to deliver a better than ever scrapbooking experience.

If you ever get the chance, please help us support everyone who has supported us.

Edgeworth Bowling Club – Park Street Edgeworth
Wallsend Crafter’s World – Nelson St Wallsend
Kate Mason – http://katemason.blogs.com/kate/
Kim Archer - http://www.kimarcher.com.au/
Jen Hall - http://www.jenhall.typepad.com/
Marion Werren - http://marionspassionforscrappin.blogspot.com/
Carol-Lea Morgan - http://mrsmorgs.typepad.com/
Roz James - http://rozjames.squarespace.com/

Fiskars – www.fiskars.com.au
Fireside Crafts – www.firesidecrafts.com.au
Craft Queen www.craftqueen.com.au
123 Scrapbook www.123scrapbook.com.au
Urban Lily www.urbanlily.com.au
Scrap Apple – www.scrapapple.com.au
Scrapbook Megastore – Hunter Street Newcastle
Blue Bazaar – www.bluebazaar.com.au
Scrapper’s Delight www.scrappersdelight.com.au
Chris Millar - http://www.chrismillar.typepad.com/
Kellie Cavenett - http://www.kelliec.typepad.com/ www.scrapneeds.com.au
Jane Butler - http://www.janebutler.blogspot.com/
Shop and Crop – www.shopandcrop.com.au - Elder St Lambton
Scrap Apple – www.scrapapple.com.au
Carol Dillion - Regina Murdoch - Jennie Rose
Lorna Burns - Jennie Burns - Lisa Bramble
Stacey Pollak - Jan Gilchrist
Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb – www.bridgeclimb.com
Express Publications - Scrapbooking memories
Creative Living Media – For Keeps magazine
Universal Magazines – Scrapbook Creations
Michael Hill Jewellers Glendale
Woolworths Glendale
B&B Suppliers Cardiff
Scrapbookdivas – www.scrapbookdiva.com.au
Scrapsidaisy - www.scrapsidaisy.typepad.com
Cyber Scraps – www.cyberscraps.com.au

Until next time.....thanks.

A girl can never have too many places to shop!

Hi there,

Me again. I have another update for you all. This time its to introduce you to a totally new place to shop. Because a girl can NEVER have too many reasons to shop.

We have recieved another wonderful donation from a new and exciting site called 'Fireside Crafts'

Please go take a look at the gorgeous new site full of awesome scrapbooking kits to help you get creative. http://www.firesidecrafts.com.au/

They have some beautiful stuff over there and a talented design team to offer you all the inspiration you could possibly need.

I love kits....it's nice to have someone pick all the elements you need and then all you have to do is turn it into a work of art.

Thanks Pauline for your support.

cheers

Lauren.

So are you ready for a sneak peak?

So here it is girls. A sneaky peaky of Jen's class for the fundraiser.
This class is available for bookings now so please email us if you are interested.

There won't be any kits for the class due to the floods, but we will let you know soon what you need to bring if you are booked into the class.




Don't forget to book in for this class and also Marion's Paper Bag album by emailing us at newcastlefundraiser@hotmail.com

cheers
Lauren

All Booked Out!

Hi everyone,

We have confirmed our available numbers for the day and everyone has officially paid their money so we are now BOOKED OUT.
We are unable to take any more standbys or bookings.

Thank you all for your interest in attending our event and for your support so far.
This day is going to be huge and we are really looking forward to it.

We have tonnes of surprises for you all on the day so we will see you there.

ELEVEN MORE SLEEPS!

See you all then.
Oh...and stay tuned for a sneek peak of Jen's class tonight!

cheers
Lauren.

Here's the Latest.

Hi Ladies.

Just a couple of small things now that we are almost at the fundraiser.

Firstly, some exciting news. We may have told you before that the store that is supporting us on the day is Wallsend Crafter's World. The girls at Wallsend got swept away in Newcastle's wild weather a few weeks back but we are now happy to announce that they are back up and running and open for business. Please go and say hi to the girls, they are such wonderful girls and we are glad that they were able to make it through the floods and get back on their feet. And of course we are extremely thankful for all of their support.

Our next piece of news!!
We are now totally booked out.
We have been amazed at the huge response to our little shindig. And we have far exceeded our hopes for how many people we would have with us on the day.
If you were still wanting to come we apologise that we cannot take any more numbers but please email us and we will place your name on a standby list. If any seats become available before the day we will let you know. Please if you are emailing to be on the standby list leave us your phone number with your email so that we can reach you easliy.


As we have mentioned before we have two classes happening on the day. A paper bag class with Scrapbooking Memories Master Marion Werren & a layout class with Scrapbooking Memories Master Jen Hall.

If you would like to do either of these classes please send us an email, but remember to be quick. We have limited spaces for the class and they are being snatched up quickly.


For those of you who have been wanting to know what the timetable is for the day, we are working on it and it will be available on the day. If you are wondering what time you need to be there, the day is wide open for people to arrive whenever it suits them. Our first class for the day doesn't start until 11 so if you are there before then you will be right. If we have the final timetable finished before the day we will let you know, however there is a lot to be squeezed in and we are working flat out to make sure it is all done.

There will be raffles and prizes going on all throughout the day. There is no set time to give away all the prizes. We have many prizes and we are pretty sure you wont be dissapointed.


If you have booked a seat and have not yet paid please contact us to arrange payment as soon as possible. We have quite a few people who are asking to make bookings and we are turning them away as we have no seats left. If you still haven't paid you will need to do so by the close of business on Friday the 6th of July, after this date the seats will be made available to others who are on our standby list.

Ok...thats all from me for now.
I hope you are all getting excited. We have so much stuff happening on the day that you wont believe it.

stay tuned.

Lauren.

Shop Online and Help Us Raise Money!

So when I said stay tuned because I would be back with more stuff soon......I meant really soon.
And we have some really exciting news.

D and M Scrapbooking are very kindly and generously helping us to raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of New South Wales by donating a percentage of their sales directly to the Association.

And here's what you can do to help us......

Shop online anytime from now until August 31st, 2007 at http://www.dandmscrapbooking.com.au/
and when asked for a fundraising code select Muscular Dystrophy NSW from the drop down box and D and M Scrapbooking will donate 10% of your order amount (not including postage) to MDA NSW.

So you can start Scrapping, Shopping and raising funds online at http://www.dandmscrapbooking.com.au/

They also offer free postage on Australian Orders over $75.

So please please please.....go over and check out their wonderful site.
I was just taking a look around over there and they have something called a Mystery Scrap Box where they send you random products so you can be totally surprised. How cool is that?

So head on over there and see what they have......

Until next time....
cheers
Lauren.

A Layout From Our Two Winners

Hi All.....I have finally managed to get Blogger to behave itself and thought you might all like to see a layout from each of our two Challenge Winners.....Melanie Harris & Jenny Robertson.

Melanie HarrisJenny Robertson

Thanks for entering girls.....we hope you enjoy your prizes.

Now stay tuned.....cause I will be back very soon to announce something new.....

cheers
Lauren.

And the winner is....or should I say winners?

Hi everyone,

Our scrapbooking challenge has finally come to an end and we are ready to announce our winners. Although we originally intended to award only one prize, we have decided that due to the number of layouts we received that we would award 2 prizes.

So.....wanna know who won? Of course you do.

Our first prize - A layout scrapped for the winner by the talented Kate Mason goes to Melanie Harris. Congratulations Melanie.....we will let you know soon about making contact with Kate.

And our second prize - A layout scrapped for the winner by Roz James goes to Jenny Robertson. Congratulations Jenny.....we will also let you know soon how to make contact with Roz.

At this point I am unable to upload pictures of the winners layouts but I promise that I will do that as soon as possible.

Thanks to everyone who participated and who made donations.

Today's next piece of information is all about the fundraising day. We have had a great response for bookings so far. So if you were thinking about coming along for the day please contact us soon. We have only a limited number of seats available and they are filling quite fast. YAY!

Next up is a little bit of information about scrapbooking for beginners at the fundraiser. We have been working on putting together a workshop for beginners as we have mentioned before. The workshop will be a mini paper bag album and there will be kits available for purchase on the day. We will also have tools available for use on the day. So if you know of a friend or two who would like to give it a go while supporting a worthwhile cause please point them in our direction. And for those established scrapbookers on the day who would like to make a mini paper bag album, there will also be a limited number of kits with instructions available for separate purchase.

next time you hear from us hopefully I will have sorted out my computer issues and I will be able to post the layout pictures....until then. Thanks for stopping by.

cheers
Lauren.

Get ready for an Update!!!

Hi everyone.

Sorry it's been a while since I stopped by to let you know what is happening. But I promise I have been saving up some cool news for this post.

Ready....GO!

1. We have had a fantastic response so far with bookings for the day. If you were planning on booking a seat or two....or bringing a whole group don't miss out as numbers are limited.
The only way to guarantee a place is to book through our email and make your payment by cheque, money order or in person at Wallsend Craft World. Without the deposit we can't guarantee a seat.

2. We have been asked by a few people what scrapbooking is all about and if there is any way that non-scrapbookers can still come along and support us on the day. Absolutely, we have been working hard to arrange a workshop and kit for people who are new to the craft. With the generous help of Marion Werren we are working on a mini paper bag album to give all those non-scrapbookers a place to start. If you are interested please let us know and prior to the day we will give you all the details of what to bring along and what you will be able to purchase on the day.

Also, if you are a non-scrapbooker and would like to bring along another craft to work on throughout the day please do. Knitting, crochet, embroidery.....absolutely anything. Please join us, we'd love to see you there.

3. There is only a few days left for our challenge and then we will be announcing the winner. We can't wait to see everyones work and how they have put their own spin on the different projects. Thanks once again to Kim, Carol-Lea and Roz for creating the challenges for us.

4. We are still receiving some awesome donations. The latest ones to arrive are from For Keeps, Scrapbook Creations, The Craft Queen, 123 Scrapbook, Urban Lily & Fiskars.
Thanks for all of your support, it appears that we will have some really exciting prizes to give away on the day.

So there you have it.....cool prizes, fun workshops and lots of awesome girls joing us on the day to raise money for MDA NSW.

Thats all from me today. I hope you all have a great weekend and a fantastice Mothers Day to all you hard working mum's out there.

cheers
Lauren and Mandy

Janene's Story

Hi everyone,

Even though I am a bit late I have finally made it back here with another MD story as promised.

This month we would like to introduce you to Janene. Janene's son has MD and she has been kind enough to share her thoughts and feelings with us to help the wider community understand what MD is all about and why we are raising money for this cause.

Thanks so much Janene.

My Son’s FSH MD: A Diary Extract – by Janene

My son was diagnosed with Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy in April 2004 – he was aged 16.

At this time we were told there was no treatment and that whatever muscle loss had been experienced over the past 5 years would occur in the next 5 years! To say the least we were extremely concerned.

We approached a personal friend who is also a strength and conditioning coach with an in-depth knowledge of the muscular system (we had absolutely none!). We were desperate to do something that may at least slow down the progress of the condition. Together, we carried out research on the Internet, obtained a copy of the physiotherapist strength test results and devised a plan, which I also discussed with our GP.

Our Goals:
1. To keep my son functional in his day to day activities, and
2. If possible to stop any more deterioration of his muscles in the hope that is condition would plateau.

Our Plan:
1. Two 1 hour strength and conditioning sessions per week to include:
a) One session of massaging and stretching exercise
b) One session to do a controlled weights programme including aerobic exercise

Great care is taken to ensure plenty of recovery time between exercise/weight sessions.
He is weighed every week to monitor any change in his body mass.

2. Creatine supplement daily, together with a protein supplement taken from time to time if needed (especially when working).

3. High protein and low fat diet (he was overweight at the time of the diagnosis).

After only a few weeks we began to see some small improvements in his strength as well as noticeable fat loss.

It has now been over two years since my son was diagnosed and he continues with his strength and conditioning program. His strength has improved significantly and he is virtually symptom free.

The significant improvement has prompted me to write this diary. The memory of his early systems has begun to fade and those who did not know him at the time of diagnosis find it difficult to believe that his loss of strength could have been as bad as it was.

Whilst we are aware he will have to continue his therapy programme always, and that there will probably be further hurdles in years to come, we are heartened to have made such incredible progress and improvement.

One of my great concerns is that at the time of diagnosis, when most of us are shocked and grieving, we were unable to find any guidance or direction towards any therapy program. I feel that there is a great need for help and assistance in this area.

Timeline:

April 2003: First symptoms began to appear
April 2004: Diagnosis – moderate FSH MD
May 2004: Program starts
Feb 2005: Significant strength improvement – diagnosis downgraded to “mild”

Oct 2006: Continuing to remain strong and as always, positive.

Janelle's Layout scrapped by Kellie Cavenett from Scrapneeds.

Don't forget, you can also read Lisa's Story HERE!

Happy Easter and a new update!

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a wonderful easter break. I certainly enjoyed a little time away from the working world. I tried not to eat too many easter eggs but really, who am I kidding?

I know there seems to be a fair few people battling the computer gremlins at the moment, and of course it had to make it's way over to me. So I'm sorry for the extended absence in posting new info. And also to the girls who are waiting for their challenges to come out, I will be sending that information to you all individually any minute now.

Today we thought we would let you take a peek at all the cool stuff that has been coming our way for prizes from so many cool people and companies. So here goes...

4 Pylon Passes to the Pylon Lookout - Bridge Climb Sydney
Heidi Swapp Stamps & Making Memories coaster making kit and album - Scrap Needs
Full set of acrylic nails - Hair at home by Kelly. Call 0411380738 for an appointment with Kell - She does beautiful nails and hair.
4 x 6 month Subscriptions from Scrapboking Memories - Thanks to Marrion Werren for contacting SM on our behalf.
Chatterbox papers, ribbons, make an album kit and a T-shirt from Scrap Apple - don't forget to check out their retreat! (You can find their link in the side bar ---->)
Papers, Prima ribbon, letters and flowers along with some embellishments from The Scrapbook Mega Store in Newcastle
Handmade prizes from Kim Archer, Carol-lea Morgan, Roz James, Steph Caskey-Devlin and Lu Griffin, not to mention the wonderful LO donated by Kate Mason that is the prize for our challenge competition.
Bottles of wine from Edgeworth Bowling Club who are our kind hosts for the fundraiser.

So there you have it! Mandy is just itching to play with all this stuff, it probably doesn't help that it sits there and teases her every day when she gets home. Make sure you come along to the fundraiser for a chance to win some of these wonderful prizes.

Also....if you still wanted to join in our challenge competition to win a layout scrapped for you by Kate Mason there is still time to join in. Even though the challenges are being sent out today there is a month to complete them so you can still donate to MDA NSW and we will send you out the challenges.

All it takes is a donation to MDA NSW, there is no minimum or maximum, you can even purchase MDA merchandise from their website to enter.

Stay tuned to the site tomorrow and we will be posting our next MD story for you to read. We have had some wonderful people share their stories with us so that we can spread the word a little further.

Now I will be off....if you have stayed with me all the way to the end, THANKS!

cheers
Lauren.

Just a quick...late night update!

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by. We have been up to some interesting things this week. Donations are rolling in from all over the place. We have been overwhelmed by the amount of generosity that is out there in this wonderful world of scrapbooking.

We will be revealing details of some of these fabulous donations further down the track, but lets just say.....there will be some awesome prizes on the day and we hope to have more cool things happening here on the web so that we can give more of you an opportunity to win some cool stuff!

But for now, don't forget the online challenge to win a layout scrapped by Kate Mason. All you need to do is donate to MDA NSW and show us your receipt. There is no minimum amount, just donate what you can, send us an email with your receipt and we will be sending out the challenges in mid April. Not long to go now!! And don't forget that the challenges will be designed by three very talented ladies, Kim Archer, Roz James and Carol-Lea Morgan. Thanks girls.

A huge thanks goes out to the girls over at Aussie Pub Calls who have kindly agreed to spread the word via their fantastic new blog! They are doing a great job over there so go check out their site. They also helped me solve the mystery of how to get my banner up the top of this page. Thanks from saving me from pulling out all of my hair.

Also another thank you to the lovely ladies over at Scrapapple. They are holding a retreat in September, so if you are looking to take a relaxing break and you are in the North Sydney area go check out their forum.

For a list of some wonderful scrapbooking websites who have kindly supported us please take a look over to the right.....you will find links over in the sidebar. Please stop by their sites and say hello.....

anyhow.....it's rather late, work tomorrow (oh joy!)

catch you all later
cheers
Lauren.
(wasn't really so quick was it?)

Don't forget to challenge yourself....

Hi everyone.

Firstly I'd just like to say....Check out the counter.......OMG! 600+ hits. Can you tell I am a new blogger? I am getting all giddy about 600 hits to our little site. But seriously. Thanks for stopping by again and again and continuing to check whats happening over here. We are very grateful. We still have more to come....donations are pouring in for our raffles and prizes. We are very excited.

We will not only be holding raffles on the day of the fundraiser, but also in the weeks leading up to it. So if you are unable to make it on the day, then stay tuned because there will be other opportunities to win some great prizes.

So now.....just a bit of a competition plug.
Thank you to the girls who have made donations directly to MDA for their chance to win a LO scrapped by the wonderfully talented Kate Mason. There is still plenty of time to enter this fun competition, all you need to do is make a donation (no matter how small or big) directly to MDA NSW before April 13th and then email us your receipt. If you can't donate directly through the website then please email us for alternate donation options (cheques/money orders).

On April 15th we will email all those generous girls 3 fun challenges to complete by May 15th. Remember you don't need to complete all 3 challenges for a chance to win this amazing prize. You will recieve one entry in the draw just by making a donation, another entry for every challenge you complete and a bonus entry if you complete all 3 challenges. Its easy, its fun and its making a difference to those people living with MD.

So come on girls enter this fun comp, help make a difference and go in the draw to win an awesome layout created by Kate Mason. Kate was a member of the For Keeps Elite team in 2005 and then joined their design team through 2006. Kate runs her own business - Scraps Flea Market and is also on the design team at Blue Bazaar. She has also recently released her own book "The Heart of Design". How awesome would it be to have a layout created especially for you by Kate?

One more thing, thanks to two wonderful girls who have supported us by adding us to their blogs. Jane Butler and Chris Millar Thanks for sending traffic our way, you both rock!

Ok.....so thats all from me tonight. Please stop by again soon. You never know when we will have more exciting news for you.

cheers
Lauren

Latest Update!

Hi everyone,

Another update to let you know how things are going.

Our ticket sales have started and are going well. If you would like to book tickets you can email us here and we will take your details and arrange a payment method with you or you can buy them in person at Wallsend Crafters World - 96 Nelson St, Wallsend.

If you stop by the shop to buy a ticket, say hi to Karen, Trish and all the Girls. And don't forget to check out their new stock.....they have some really yummy products that have only just arrived. They also host classes for almost every craft you can think of. Karen is very generously supporting us at the fundraiser. Thanks Karen

Don't forget about our upcoming challenge, and if you have any friends who you think might like to join in, please let them know all about it. The more the merrier right? To enter the challenges all you need to do is make a donation to MDA NSW through their donation website or by contacting Mandy and Lauren so you can send a money order. There will be 3 fabulous challenges starting in mid-April, each one set by a very talented scrapbooker. Thank you to the girls who have already sent through their receipts. Keep an eye out next month, we will be sending through an email to everyone registered.

We have already received some really cool donations for our raffles too, but I will let you know more about that later.

Have a good weekend.....
cheers
Lauren.

Challenge News.

Hey Girls.....

Today's little update is cool....and rather exciting. So here it is.

We mentioned that we will be running a challenge for anyone who donates to the Muscular Dystrophy Association.....well, while I can't announce the actual challenges I am excited to let you all know that three lovely ladies will be creating the challenges for us.

There will be a challenge designed by Kim Archer, Carol-Lea Morgan and Roz James!!!!

How cool is that?
I think its groovy....shame I can't enter myself.

And don't forget that the wonderful prize for this challenge is a layout scrapped by the super talented Kate Mason - YAY!

So that's my news for today. There is so much more to tell you.....but I don't want to overload you all at once. But please stop by again soon....Have a good Thursday.

cheers
Lauren.

Thanks for the support!

Just a quick note.....thanks so much for all the support girls. We are so excited that our little counter over there has registered over 300 hits so far. Please keep dropping by to see what we are up to. We have so much more planned that we want to share......

Also....hopefully now the new banner is visible on everyones screens. The true test will be my work computer tomorrow....seeing as it is the one that keeps having the problems.

cheers
Lauren.

More news....and a little bit of a competition.

Well its official 2006 scrapbooking master Marion Werren will be at the fundraiser. She will be there joining in all the fun and games and helping out anyone who has a questions or needs some help. Marion has also made us a STUNNING prize to raffle via this blog, (so keep an eye out for it) We were blown away by her generosity and support. Thank you Marion we look forward to seeing you at the fundraiser.

So its now time to start booking your place for the fundraiser. The cost is $15 per person which includes entry and lots of fun prizes and games on the day. At the fundraiser we will be running raffles and competions to help raise extra money for MDA NSW. If you want to book in, email us at newcastlefundraiser@hotmail.com we will then be in touch about payment and tickets. Remember book early as seats are limited. There is a bistro at the club where you can purchase lunch and dinner, that way you can get in maximum scarpbooking time (wink wink) an Mandy says the food is very yummy! We look forward to seeing you all there. Remember spread the word and invite all your friends.

We are also running a challenge via this blog to help kick start the fundraising. So this is what you have to do to win a LO scrapped by the very talented KATE MASON. (Click here to find Kate) Make a donation to MDA here (Visit their website) no matter how big or small and then email your proof of donation to newcastlefundraiser@hotmail.com by the13th April and on the 15th of April we will email you the challenges. You will then have a month to complete as many as you like. We will not be judging this competion on talent, you will receive one entry into the draw for making a donation, and another entry for every challenge completed, PLUS a bonus entry if you complete all challenges.

We will then draw out a name from all of our entries and the winner will win a fantastic layout from Kate Mason. Thanks again Kate!

So there you have it.
Drop us a line, book your seat at the fundraiser, book a seat for a friend or two.....or even more. And don't forget to donate to MDA for a chance to be challenged and win a fantastic prize.

cheers
Lauren and Mandy

Edited to add....my apologies if the banner up the top is still not showing itself correctly on everyone's screens. This one thing is my pet peeve that just won't play nice. :) Lauren.

Lisa's Story

We would like to introduce you to a friend of ours......Lisa is our inspiration for this fundraiser. So we thought you might like to hear her story.

As I sit to write about my life as an adult with MD I have to think hard about how I am different to any other working wife and mother I know. After all, what is normal and what is the right and wrong way to go about your every day tasks?

My story starts as a young 24 year old. A life of working, partying and back packing around the world. My crazy hectic working week was normal and as my recent journey of a working holiday on one of our most beautiful islands had just come to an end, I decided to come back to my hometown and settle down.

With the exciting news that we were about to embark on the biggest adventure of our lives – A BABY my husband and I decided to settle our lives and prepare for our precious little boy.
Jake entered the world and boy did I know that I was alive!! As all mothers know, giving birth is certainly something that you will never forget and after what seemed like forever my baby was delivered emergency caesarean after an unexplained reason.

Our son grew and life went on. Although I was feeling exhausted I was kept busy learning how to be a mum and eventually went back to work a couple of days a week to have a little adult conversation.

If there was a time that I could pin point as the beginning of something being wrong with me it was at this time. My mind would be in “Go fast mode” but my body could not seem to keep up. This was frustrating, as I did not feel unwell. In my head I put it down to just being tired and kept on going to the best of my ability.

After the birth of our princess Emma and at the age of 26 I was starting to wonder what was happening to me. My family showed concern and I was developing and unusual “gait” when walking. I was always tired and found it difficult to lift my newborn. I developed my own way of picking up my kids, I also developed a quick and effective way of picking up things with my feet and flicking them into my hands.

My daughter was just a few months old when I was tested for MD and to this day I do not know what type of dystrophy I have. It took me a long time to admit to myself that I had a problem and no one I knew had even heard of muscular dystrophy before.

I live my life quite normal and have a lot of support from my family and friends and I don’t call my neurologist weekly anymore trying to find out answers or a diagnosis. I have good days and bad days just like everybody else. I think that my peace of mind comes with my acceptance of my disability.

My husband and children are wonderful helpers around the house and we are kept busy with activities such as sports, music lessons and work. Jake and Emma show no signs of MD and are full of energy and life.

I don’t fight the things that I cannot do any more and although I will never give into the impossible tasks I am able to comfortably ask for help from my family.I look at MD as the next challenge in my life and although it has been one of the biggest challenges yet I am ready to embrace it with a positive attitude and an open mind. You never know what cure is waiting just around the corner………….

Lisa's layout....scrapped by Mandy.

It's about that time!

Okie dokie girls.....so I told you that we had some kinda cool announcements to make today, and I thought it was about time to let you know what they were.

Mandy has been one busy little lady again this past week. She's a woman on a mission.....don't mess with her. She might run you over she's going that fast. Seriously!

We have secured our location for the fundraiser. We are extremely pleased to officially announce that Edgeworth Bowling Club have opened their doors for us on July 14th, 2007 for a 12 hour non-stop crop. (he he he that rhymes)

To help us kick start our fundraising efforts Edgeworth Bowling Club has already donated prizes for our raffle on the day. Thanks guys, we are very thankful for your support!

We are planning more than one raffle for this event. There will be raffles and lucky door prizes on the day. But the exciting news is that we are also planning some exciting online raffles for those of you who aren't close by.

And for all of the scrapbookers out there, starting next week, we will be issuing a few challenges. For the cost of a donation to MDA NSW we will send out an email challenge, you complete the challenge, send us a picture of the completed project, the projects will be featured in an online gallery and we'll pick a winner.

We would also like to announce the support of some wonderful women from the scrapbooking community. We have been very fortunate so far in our search for support and we are overwhelmed by the people who have without question, offered their support to us.

So now I'd like to tell you that two wonderful women have put forward their talents in support of this wonderful cause.

Thank you so much to Kate Mason and Carol-Lea Morgan, who are both generously giving of their time and talent to help us out. We cannot thank you enough. Though I will certainly try....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

So, thats it from me today. I think I have given you enough information for a fundraiser overload. Please stop by again soon to see what we have in store for you next.

thanks again
cheers
Lauren.

Edited to add: Mandy has just let me know that three more well known scrapbookers out there who are currently planning ways in which they can help us out. I'll let you know more about that when I am allowed to.

ALSO: I forgot to mention that on the day of the fundraiser we will have a shop there supporting us. The lovely ladies from Wallsend Crafters World will be there with all sorts of scrapbooking gear in tow so that you can pick up those bits and pieces that you forgot to bring along....or other stuff you just HAVE to have.
I will fill you in on the finer details when it's all been arranged.

Exciting News *COMING SOON*

Hi everyone,

I know I keep telling you all that we will be announcing some news soon.....but this time I really do mean it.

Mandy and I have been busy little chooks trying to get the main requirements for the fundraiser all set up so that we can pay closer attention to the finer details. And I am happy to say that the foundations for the whole thing are now almost finished.

We have also been getting stuck into the finer points which include prizes for our raffle and other fun bits and pieces.

Keep your eyes on this blog on Monday night and I will be uploading our first exciting news sometime in the evening. We have to finalise details but we should be ready to tell you all by then.

I promise you won't be dissapointed! But without giving anything away we were totally flawed to say the least at the fantastic support that has been coming our way over the last couple of days.

I wish I could let you all know what the secret is before monday, however I am off to Camp Quality for the weekend so alas I will be keeping you all in suspense till then.

chat soon
cheers
Lauren.

Quick Edit: I have noticed on other computers that our banner way up there doesn't always appear complete. I am hoping to fix this soon. But if anyone can tell me how to get it up the very top where it belongs I would be forever grateful. Blogspot just seems to have an attitude when it comes to my banner. :) bye

Thanks for the Support

Hi everyone,

I have added a couple of links to our sidebar.
We have some lovely ladies supporting us through their blogs.

Mel Harris, Karen Latham and Kellie Cavenett.

Please drop by their websites and say hello.

We will hopefully be announcing a first piece of news in the next week.....keep a lookout for it.

cheers
Lauren and Mandy

Why are we here?

You may well ask why we have chosen the Muscular Dystrophy Association as our charity of choice. So today we are here to let you know what Muscular Dystrophy is and why we are raising money for them.

What are the muscular dystrophies?

MD takes on many different forms but the way I always explain it to people is that it is a muscle wasting disease. It affects some more than others. If you would like to learn more about the condition you can find a link to the Muscular Dystrophy website in the sidebar on the right. Please go and take a look.

So why did we choose MD to fundraise for? That's an easy question to answer. This charity s very close to our heart and became so about 6 years ago when a very close friend of ours was diagnosed with MD at the age of 26. We decided that we would like to help out and so we find ourselves here, with the aim to raise funds to assist MDA in their research to find a cure and also to help bring a bigger awareness to MD. We hope that with a little help from all of you that we can do that.

Over the next few months we will be asking some friends who are living with MD to tell us their stories so we can share them with you to bring about a greater awareness of how this disease affects those in our community.

I hope this has helped to show you why we are here and how much this cause means to us. If there is anything that you would like to know please leave a comment and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Stay tuned for what exciting things we have planned to help raise money for this great cause.

Welcome to the Newcastle MD Fundraiser Blog

Hello and welcome.

You have found the blog for the Newcastle Muscular Dystrophy Fundraiser.
Here you will find updates on all of our plans and progress for our 2007 creative fundraiser.

This fundraiser, while primarily a scrapbooking event, is open to all people who enjoy being creative, no matter what their craft may be.

We believe that the creative community of scrapbookers, stampers & and crafters in general is a very powerful and generous community and we hope that you will all be willing to share your craft with us to raise money for this worthwhile cause.

Please stop by again and see what we are up to. We are hoping to have some very exciting ideas and news for you in the coming weeks.

cheers
Lauren and Mandy