37 (stitches) in a row

What's my excuse this month?

2009-02-15T13:05:00.000-08:00

....this.

Yep, 3 weeks into his school career and he has a broken arm. We got a call from the school last Tuesday to say that Small L had come to the office covered in dirt, crying with a bleeding nose and a sore arm and could we come and get him. Coincidentally tiny R had been sent home from daycare that morning with torrential gastro, so Big I was handy to go get him.

Small L happily came home but remained tight-lipped about what had happened, and has continued in this vein, despite lengthy and merciless interrogation. The school does not know what happened but another mother approached me later in the week to tell me that her son told her that there was an older boy who had been giving a group of Preps a hard time at lunch breaks and Small L had eventually stepped up to him, the challenge ending when Small L was pushed to the ground.

Big I administered what we call the "Playstation Test", and Small L proceeded to play Playstation for 2 hours straight without the slightest wince or grimace, so we decided he was fine and the week went on. Over the next few days Small L made the occasional complaint of pain in his arm, but in my defence this only occurred when he was being asked to do something he didn't want to do (e.g. pick up his toys, brush his teeth, go to school). It wasn't until he went to gymnastics (yep, I really did take him to gymnastics - so bonus points for me there) and couldn't put his hands on his head during the warm up that I twigged there might be a problem. Anyhoo, long story short, x-ray = greenstick fractures and a plaster cast (+ maternal guilt+++++).

As far as the incident goes, I've decided to try to be O.K about it for 2 reasons:

1) It is waaaay to early for me to get a rep. as an asshole parent.

2) It's not like my kid has never pushed anyone and I would rather be on this side than be the parent of a kid who has broken someone else's arm.

Big I is not quite as O.K. about it. Not so much that it happened but that no-one in authority saw it happen or tried to find out what happened (as far as we can tell). I see his point but there are 200 kids running around at lunchtime and realistically stuff will go under the radar.

As far as not picking up a problem for 3 days - I'm off frock shopping to be sure I have something to wear when I am named Mother of the Year (I'm thinking fabulous evening gown. With tiara. Definitely tiara).

Her beauty and her terror, the wide brown land for me

2009-02-10T04:03:00.000-08:00

Like all Aussies, I am horrified and devastated by the fires in Victoria. Our worst ever peacetime disaster, truly unfathomable loss and despair. Many are dead, others had just enough time to get themselves out of their houses but not enough time to collect any of their possessions. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people with literally nothing more than the clothes on their backs.

Please, if you are reading this, take a moment to send your thoughts, prayers or even a few bucks if you are able. God knows, they're going to need it. My heart goes out to them and everyone affected by this terrible tragedy.

Farewell Old Deck, You've Been Crap.

2009-01-30T20:08:00.000-08:00

There was nothing to like about you. You were ugly, dirty, dark green and downright perilous. You failed to meet even one of the required building safety standards. You had horizontal railings way lower than the required height and conveniently spaced 1.5 toddler width apart with a 3 metre drop below. You had huge spaces between floorboards......

And overlooked an ugly tin roof , old aircon unit and busy road......

The plumber that did the kitchen fit the pipes with the existing aesthetics, further enhancing your unsightliness.......

And the builder confirmed our fears that it was only a matter of time before you fell off the side of the house, taking everyone and everything with you. You were junk, and in keeping with this, we used you to store our other junk. Nothing to it, you had to go. Good riddance to bad rubbish and all that.

BUT AS OF YESTERDAY...........

Hellooooooo new deck, you gorgeous thing, WE HEART YOU!!!!! Unfortunately you had to follow the previous deck's footprint (the council being complete and utter bastards to deal with and all that), but that is where the similarities end.

You have beautiful, legal, safe vertical railings..........

A blackboard to cover the pipes and entertain the 2 small boys who want to spend their days on you.............

Lovely wood slats to cover the unsightly roof / aircon / road view yet still let the breezes in.......

Beautiful wooden floorboards with no gaps and a working gate at the end..............

A gate to the side so our second child will not fall down here and crack his head open the way the first one did....................................

New stairs down into the garden that are perfectly spaced and beautifully made........

And you look so good from inside the house too!!!!!!!

Now to find some furniture as lovely as you are and pick some paint colours for your railings. Oh and we need new awnings too. Exciting stuff!

Small L's First Day at School

2009-01-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

Small L started school yesterday.

I pretty much cried all day, starting with "The Goodbye Song", which according to educational theory "eases the transition for parents and children". What it actually did was rip my heart (still beating) from my chest. I ended up having to run out of the room after a hurried goodbye because I didn't want Small L to notice me crying. I managed to calm down and then felt guilty and utterly stupid, so I snuck back to the classroom only to witness my firstborn happily singing "Old MacDonald" as if I had never existed (cue tears again).

One of my biggest anxieties is having to pack a lunchbox. At daycare and kindly the boys get cooked lunches supplied to them so the whole packed lunch thing is a totally new and scary experience for me. I hope I calm down about it soon as I will have to do it five days a week for the next, oh, I don't know, 15 years or so.

Liam chose the contents of his lunchbox yesterday. For anyone who is interested he had:

A ham and cheese sandwich on multi grain
A mini babybel cheese
A home made apple crumble muffin
A strawberry yoghurt
An apple
Half a punnet of strawberries
A container of grapes
A carrot
A juice popper (not my idea but Big I thought I was being a mean old bag not letting Small L have a treat on his first day, so I gave in)

He ate the lot except for a small piece of crust and a quarter of the carrot (which he polished off in the car on the way home). At this rate he will soon need two backpacks just to get his lunch to school. He said that he liked it but "D had the best lunch". As D is African I thought for a moment that Small L must have been envying some sort of incredibly exotic cuisine. Nope. When I pressed him for details he told me (wide eyed) that D had a lunchbox "full of chocolate crankles" (I am assuming he meant chocolate crackles). I can't compete with that. No way.

Liam seemed to have had a good day. He was a bit sketchy on the details but proudly informed me that he has made friends with "the naughtiest boy in the class". Super.

Here are some pics, including the obligatory, unspoken and inexplicable traditional garden shot. Does everyone do this photo-in-the-garden-in-a-school-uniform-on-the-first-day or is it just an Aussie thing??

This Makes Me Happy

2009-01-24T14:50:00.001-08:00

If there was one good thing to come out of our disastrous festive season it is this. The re-organised playroom.

We already had one shelving unit from Ikea and we managed to find a second unit (different design but I think we got away with it) that would fit in the extra space. These square cubby-type shelves are awesome for playrooms, I totally recommend them. We have some clear tubs that fit the cubes perfectly - great for all the little bits and pieces (and oh,man, they fit a lot of stuff in them) and the open cubes are big enough for pretty much any larger toy. I'm thrilled with the way it has turned out and how easy it is to maintain. We (well, Big I) still need to set the train set up on the train table but the kids have been happy using it as a general play surface for now. And anyway, Tiny R still can't resist demolishing railways and seems to always be trying to beat his previous best times - a cause of much friction in the past!

Oh, and before anyone flips out at the amount of stuff my kids have I should point out that every single toy, book, musical instrument, board game and art utensil is in here. We no longer have toys and paraphernalia in every room (hooray for me!).

Now, if I could just get the rest of the house in this type of order!!

The Absolute Last Piece of Negativity (hey, it's still January)

2009-01-23T20:17:00.001-08:00

Important Disclaimer: I love teachers. I do. I have the deepest admiration for what they do, and firmly believe they are wonderful people who do a difficult job extremely well. I have the utmost respect for them and always do whatever I can to support them, including penning letters to the education department and MPs. I am consistently appalled at the stories they tell me of the way some parents behave towards them. I don't, however, believe that a teaching degree affords them absolute authority over all children everywhere. And until yesterday, I didn't think they thought so either.

An open letter to the woman in the McDonald's playground, just so I can have my say, get it off my chest and get on with the mammoth task of pulling myself together again.

Dear, sorry, I don't know your name,

Poor salutation, I know, but kind of my point. I don't know you and you don't know me. Ergo, you don't know my son. However, I do know that you are a teacher. I know this because you told me, in the same way a police officer might flash their badge in order to prove their authority in a situation.

The fact that you are a school teacher indeed makes you a far better school teacher than me. A million trillion times better, in fact. No argument. It does not, however, automatically make you a better parent. The fact that I was actually sitting outside in the McDonald's playground, feeling faint from the heat and sweating buckets, while you enjoyed a latte and adult conversation in air conditioned comfort without even so much as casting a glance in the direction of the playground kind of makes me inclined to feel just a wee bit superior on that point. (Unkind I know, but, hey, I'm being brutally honest here).

I do get your point about the fact that parents these days often fail to adequately supervise their children. I agree with you and empathise, however I suspect that the irony of you being one of those parents is pretty much lost. Where we diverge is on the subject of whether or not any random adult has the right to discipline any random child. Except for taking action in a critical situation where there is a real and immediate risk of harm, I would argue that they do not. Perhaps you would too, but with an obvious exception of teachers.

In any event, that was not the case in our little "situation". I was directly supervising my child. I watched while your children pushed him, hit him, blocked him at every turn and generally behaved in the same nasty fashion of small children let loose in a playground (mine included) across the globe. I observed the situation but did not intervene, allowing my child to try to work out a solution to the problem. Not surprisingly, Small L reached a point where he was unable to bear it any longer and he pushed one of your girls. I immediately jumped up and went to him, explained that it was wrong to push, acknowledged his protest that your girls had started it but reinforced that being rough was unacceptable. I then outlined some better options, like walking away, explaining he didn't like being hit and pushed or offering to play a nice game with the girls. Dealt with. Over. Sorted. And without me saying one word to your kids.

Imagine my surprise when you flew through the doors some minutes later (with your smirking princesses in tow) and proceeded to berate and humiliate my child in front of the entire playground. At this point I stepped forward and claimed parentage. Kind of would have been a good time for you to stop, apologise and listen to what actually happened (you didn't need to take my word for it, there were other adult witnesses there). Instead, you briefly turned to me and stated "I'm a teacher" then turned back and continued chastising my child. What the?? I'm a very experienced health professional. Did I march in and start abusing you for letting your kids eat the pure crap that we all know a Happy meal is? Would that be OK?

I had to ask you to stop three (yes 3) times!! You finally stopped and listened and argued about your rights in the matter. You then asked your children if they had been hitting and pushing. They looked at the floor, shuffled their feet and said "no". I must admit I was a little surprised that you, as a teacher, missed the subtle neurolinguistics of this. Even more surprised when you turned to me and stated "my children never lie". Um, they pretty much all do. It doesn't make us bad parents, it just is what it is. What makes us bad parents is when we refuse to acknowledge it and deal with it - but who would do that? (insert smiley face here).

I'm also a little confused at your advice that children should be taught to be compliant with adults, regardless of who the adults are. You looked a little younger than me so you might not remember the infamous Queensland case where an adult asked a child to get into their car and help them look for their lost dog. It did not end well. In fact the case was so horrific that it slammed home to me and many others that teaching children to automatically obey adults is not a super idea. Helping them to identify authority figures (e.g. parents, the teachers at their school, adults trusted by their parents) is a better one (but I grant you- not without risk).

I'm also gobsmacked at your ?husband/ ?male friend / whoever, who entered the playground after I had spoken to you and without having heard one word of the conversation stated "come on kids, we don't have to listen to bad language". Ummmmmmm, what bad language? Is he insane? Or was he just trying to save face given that you had made a monumental mistake on all sorts of levels? I was a little heartened by another parent in the playground saying "Ah, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I can see where the kids get their lying habit from". I also kind of liked that everyone then laughed at you all. I didn't laugh though. Instead, I took my kids to the car, discovered my battery was flat, and sobbed uncontrollably in the front seat (in full view of an obviously bemused middle aged man and his Jack Russell on a leash) while I waited for a mechanic. The mechanic was kind though (in a sort of "whoa-I'm-dealing-with-a-whole-can-of crazy-here" way).

To be fair you weren't to know that I'm just a person who is having a hard time trying to keep it all together at the moment. But I am, and I really didn't need you to march in and ruin the treat I had planned for my kids.

In any case, I feel better now that I have got it all off my chest and I'd like to think I have forgiven you. No hard feelings and all that. Who knows, maybe next time you might not be so quick to jump in without knowing the facts. Maybe if you held back your kids could learn some social skills and a sensitive little boy (who saw his beloved Gramps nearly die last week) might not cry himself to sleep after what should have been a happy trip to McDonalds.

Sincerely

Janet.

Why I am Starting My New Year in February

2009-01-22T05:14:00.000-08:00

My 2009 went to hell in a handbasket pretty much immediately. I woke on Christmas Day with some abdominal pain and felt mildly unwell but soldiered on and enjoyed a lovely lunch with my family, dinner with friends and lots of time playing with the kids and all their Santa booty. I didn't get time to muck around with my new iPhone but figured I had a week of holidays ahead so plenty of time to play. I was wrong.

I woke on Boxing Day with severe pain and an abdomen bigger than it had ever been in either Small L or Tiny R's pregnancies. I couldn't face the idea of sitting in a hospital waiting room and luckily found a doctor nearby who could see me and was willing to allow me to return home on the promise that I would go straight to hospital should things worsen in the slightest. Turns out I had an overwhelming intestinal infection and "mild" peritonitis (if that was mild I hate to see moderate). I came home loaded with industrial strength painkillers and megadoses of exceptionally nasty antibiotics and went straight to bed - for 3 whole days. I have never, ever, done that before. I literally could not move. Luckily Big I stepped up to the plate and kept things running , I could not have coped without him. (He was however, completely exhausted by day 4 and very relieved to have me up and about again. On the plus side, I don't think he will ever ask me "what do you do all day?" ever again!)

New Years eve was a total non event. Even if I had felt like celebrating, alcohol was absolutely contraindicated with the antibiotics I was taking. On the bright side, Big I and I installed some more shelving in the playroom and sorted the place out. The end result was awesome (will post some pics soon) - a little pocket of happiness in the week.

It took a week before I felt normal enough to do anything, which left me with 2 days before I had to return to work. I spent the first one of those with 2 of my brothers cleaning out Dad's storage sheds (more on that in another post or two) and the second exhausted from the day before.

I went back to work on the Monday, to the truly hideous job I have been doing for the last five months. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that I am returning to my old position in February - BRING IT ON!!!! It pays 50 bucks less a week but I couldn't be more thrilled. There will be no more working 3 times the hours I am payed for, no more fighting tooth and nail, no more ridiculous nonsense, no more impossible situations and an incredible amount of freedom.

Then the following week my Dad woke up at 5am on Sunday unable to breathe. What followed was the best part of a week in a Coronary Care unit with pulmonary oedema. Scary stuff but not totally unexpected - you can't maintain the lifestyle he has favoured for 70 years and expect to go on forever. It's very distressing to watch his health decline and especially to see him so acutely ill. I guess because he has always seen himself as bullet proof, I kind of saw him that way too. The illusion was shattered this time and I know from now on, every time he gets ill I will be thinking "is this the end?" and I am not a bit ready for that.

On top of all this a possum (we presume) had the audacity to die in an inaccessible crawlspace/cavity of our home. In the infernal summer heat. Putrid, unbearable, indescribable. Seriously, you had to be here. The smell has gone now, but the memory will linger for a long time to come. I feel nauseous just thinking about it.

On the verge of a nervous breakdown I stopped, took stock and came up with a solution: I will write off the whole month. Forget it ever happened. I will start my year fresh and positive and happy and enthusiastic in February. Stay tuned for my resolutions!!!!

Seasons Greetings

2008-12-24T04:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is Christmas Eve, where did the year go? The last month has been frantic with school preparation, Christmassy stuff, paid employment and the biggest time sucker on earth -facebook!! I worked until lunchtime today so am now madly rushing around trying to get everything ready for a fantastic day tomorrow. All the food prep that can be done tonight is done, Santa has an ice cold Corona with lime and a couple of snickerdoodles waiting for him, the reindeer have water and carrots, the presents are wrapped and the house is moderately presentable. I'm fading fast and I still have ironing and stocking stuffing to go but I wanted to pop in quickly and wish everyone a very happy, meaningful, wonderful Christmas and a safe and joyful holiday season. Enjoy!!!

Take some more said the March Hare............

2008-12-14T03:30:00.000-08:00

O.K, you my or may not know that I heart tea sets. LOOOVE them. They are my thang. I may not have many but that doesn't matter 'cause I now have the ultimate. As in as long as I live I will never love a tea set more. I am ruined for any future tea sets .

TADAAAAAA..................................................

Honestly, the photos don't capture the magic. It's gorgeous. I first saw it on Jul's blog and it was love at first sight. I immediately went to the Stash Tea site and started dreaming. Then my Dad said he wanted to buy me a tea set for my 40th birthday and the rest, as they say, is history. The folks at Stash Tea totally rock (Australia Post who managed to lose it for a time and weren't too worried about finding it, on the other hand, do not).

The downside is that I can't get near my favourite tea shop at this time of year due to the seething hordes of suburban Christmas shoppers. There are some nice tea shops close to my office though so I'll pop in this week and stock up with some special leaves for the festive season. (Plain everyday tea just won't do for this pot!).

Now to keep it safe from the evil forces of two small boys!!!!!!

Small L's Next Big Adventure

2008-11-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Another thing that has kept us busy is preparing for Small L to start school (our school year starts in January). Oh my! Where did the time go? Apart from meeting with his teacher (who thankfully seems just lovely) I've been struggling to get my head around logistics and forms and supplies etc - can anyone help me out with the dimensions of a library bag?

Starting school also means he will be saying goodbye to the wonderful women who have cared for him since he was a baby. He goes to daycare at Big I's work and I can honestly say that it is the most fabulous place. Every single staff member knows every child and it is clear that they all love each other like family. The facilities are perfect and everyone is happy and they cater for babies right through to preschool.

We went to his graduation on Thursday and I had tears in my eyes the whole time! The ceremony was great fun and the kids all did a terrific job.

Here he is collecting his certificate. An inner city Real Estate company who provide sponsorship and support to the centre sent along their giant bee (Boris, maybe? His name escapes me) to give each of the kids a bee toy and shake their hands. On the way home, Small L confided "That wasn't a real bee, Mum, because he didn't have a stinger on his bum........I Checked"!

And here he is posing with his certificate (and mortarboard). It seems like just yesterday that I brought that tiny baby home!

Whoa! Has it been that long?

2008-11-28T03:02:00.000-08:00

Well a lot has been happening and I have a whole heap of stuff to blog about but I'll spread it out over a few posts. In a nutshell, work has been up and down - I've landed a few blows and maintained a ferocious loyalty to my staff but I'm also starting to accept that I can't reason with the unreasonable. I'm only acting in this position and have chosen not to apply for it permanently (I'm not that deranged) and meanwhile my substantive job is shaping up to be pretty awesome so I'm really looking forward to returning to it (sooner rather than later, hopefully).

I also had a surgical procedure that was unsuccessful and so will have to go through it all again early next year. I've been pretty devastated and down about it ( which has probably made a significant contribution to my absence from here - I tend to go to ground at times like that) but with Big I's encouragement I'm trying to switch off and enjoy Christmas and worry about it closer to the time.

To this end, we have recently returned from a wonderful holiday at the beach. The current market crash has brought our dream of owning a beach weekender almost within reach and we have spent quite a bit of time trawling internet real estate sites and dreaming the dream. However, the reality is that we would have to rent it out to others for pretty much the entire year in order to make the interest payments etc. I'm trying to convince Big I that this is O.K and that in the long term (say, 20 years+) we might just get to use it ourselves!

And of course relaxing at the beach just wouldn't be quite as good without a bit of stitching! Before we left I ducked over to Peppermint Stitches - OMG!!!!!!!! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Definitely worth a visit for any Brissy peeps. The most gorgeous shop, full of wonderful designs, hand dyed fabrics, every fibre you could want and loads of gorgeous quilting supplies (I'm desperate to dabble in a bit of quilting, I plan on making it my next "thang"). It was very hard to restrain myself but I did and I eventually walked out with a pleasing bag of stitching booty.

I took one of my purchases away with me - Nora Corbett's "Fern" from the Pixie Couture Collection. I've been in love with these for ages and am thrilled that each of my nieces has picked one they want me to stitch for them. I only need to find another half a dozen or so more young girls who like pixies so I can stitch them all! Fern is a dream to stitch, so incredibly pretty and quick to progress. Here she is so far:

She is on a piece of PTP "Crystal Jade" (28 ct Cashel, I think) which is so lovely and shimmery and a delight to work with. I can't wait to add all the sparkly beads - joy!!

Speaking of Fern, I think I may dash off and put in a few stitches while the rest of the house is asleep. I've had 2 nights of no sleep this week as the kids have taken it in turn to each spend 24 hours projectile vomiting. Add to that the time it takes to wash every sheet, towel and pair of PJ's in the house (twice) and there has not been a lot of time left over for anything else. Big I has come down like a ton of bricks with it this afternoon so he's gone to bed (in between hugging the toilet) and I figure my turn has got to be coming so I'd better make hay while the sun shines.

Hope all is well with you and that my American friends have a safe, happy and memorable Thanksgiving.

Baking Booty and the Quest for the Ultimate Pie

2008-10-12T02:21:00.001-07:00

I was thrilled to get all this baking booty for my birthday (thanks M and R!!). I had mentioned that I really wanted a big pie dish but I didn't add that I had been looking for pastry weights (I always felt wasteful throwing the rice away after blind baking) and that secretly I have always had a thing for these blackbird steam vents. I got all this and more!!!! The pictured book is fantastic and I read it from cover to cover on Friday night drooling over pretty much all of the 500 recipes and trying to pick one with which to christen the dish.

It was a tough choice but in the end I couldn't go past the strawberry, rhubarb and ginger pie (I'm only human). The filling is just rhubarb, strawberries, preserved ginger (I think I'll try ground ginger next time though), sugar, cornflour and spices. The smell from the oven as it was baking was nothing short of divine. It came out looking heavenly too:

It tasted absolutely delicious (probably about as close to perfect as pie will ever get) but would have been even better had Big I remembered to pick me up some icecream. The one minor flaw is that the filling is very runny (despite the cornflour). Not a big deal as it only affects the presentation, but I would like to find a way to thicken it up a little. Any tips?

Happy Birthday To Me!

2008-10-10T05:42:00.000-07:00

I turned 40 today!! And, as I don't do that every day I made a conscious effort to put the worries of the week behind me and enjoy myself. I'm kind of half planning some celebrations with friends at a later date but wanted today to be about quiet time with my little family.

I had a wonderful sleep in on a rainy morning made exactly for staying in bed. Got up and was instantly absolved of any chores by my darling husband and presented with a gift from Big I, Small L and Tiny R - wrapped by Small L with a card written by him as well (he is a little genius ;) !). It was a beautiful watch that I will wear with pride and treasure forever.

We headed out for a lovely lunch at a local restaurant and were joined for coffee afterwards by a brother of mine who was in Brisbane for the day. The initial plan was to follow on to a new store that sells imported hand dyed fabric which I have been itching to visit. However, once our bellies were full Big I suggested we go tomorrow so that I could have an afternoon relaxing and stitching on the couch in front of the T.V - Bliss.

My Dad, brother R and sister-in-law M came over tonight for the best Thai food in Queensland (only 5 minutes from here and one of the few things I will truly miss if we ever manage to move house). I ate way too much, enjoyed my favourite wine and ended the evening with a cake proudly hand picked by my firstborn:

I'm off to the couch again for some more stitching and tonight's episode of Great British Menu.

All in all a dreamy day.

Nice Guys Come Last........

2008-10-08T03:12:00.000-07:00

Or so it seems. You see I (along with a wonderful colleague) have spent the last 5 weeks managing a team who were described by senior management as disengaged, malicious, back-stabbing, dysfunctional, incompetent trouble makers. I approached the task positively (albeit with some trepidation) and by valuing, supporting and respecting the team members I pretty quickly realised that the problem wasn't them. Sure there was some bad behaviour but it was clearly borne of frustration from the lack of support, disrespect and, well, downright bullying they had been on the receiving end of at the hands of their former (acting) manager. We quickly turned everything around and saw positive results instantly. We received compliments and excellent feedback from senior staff in other departments, and the team themselves were nothing but positive and enthusiastic.

However, there was some trouble in our midst and we quickly came to realise that we were being sabotaged by (surprise, surprise) the former manager who was now back in his lower position but was continuing to maliciously lie about team members to his friend, the next manager up (FF- the bacon an egg mcmuffin guy in a previous post). Things came to a head yesterday when some of these lies were repeated to me as gospel truth by a senior staff member (lets call her Cruella) who is also in the clique with the bully. Rather than argue outright I decided to check the facts and sure enough came up with plenty of objective evidence to prove beyond doubt that these were malicious lies.

I asked for a meeting with FF and Cruella in which I attempted to calmly present the evidence and appeal to them to be fair and respectful to the staff in my team and assist me in putting a stop to the bullying and character assassination that had been occurring. To say I came off second best is the understatement of the century. In trying to defend those below me I subjected myself to an unexpectedly vicious attack. I probably should have anticipated it, but I didn't. I gave these senior professionals the benefit of the doubt. Big mistake. Big. Huge.

I managed to make it back to my office and close the door before bursting into hysterical sobbing. A shame really as it probably wasn't the reaction the team members hiding in my office to surprise me with an enormous bunch of flowers and box of chocolates (for my birthday later in the week) were expecting.

I left soon after (for the week, luckily) and came home to resume the care of two energetic little boys who just don't empathise with melancholy and I realised pretty quickly that I had to pull myself together. So I put the flowers in a vase and poured a glass of Pink Cabernet (see picture above). I defied current water restrictions and poured a couple of inches of water into a tiny paddling pool on the deck and pretty soon the day became lighter and happier and summery.

The boys ate dinner, had a bath and went to bed happily and I've had some time to sit and think things through. And you know what? As much as I would love vindication, the reality is that its probably not going to happen as I'm punching above my weight with this crew. But at the end of the day I know in my heart I have done the right thing in standing up to vile behaviour and trying to support those more vulnerable than me. And that, my friends, just has to be good enough for now.

Thanks for listening.

Sampler Gameboard Progress

2008-09-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

I couldn't upload a progress pic last time I tried so here 'tis. For those of you who are playing along at home (and are particularly observant) I gave in and frogged the flower (which is the wrong way round on the chart). I feel a little better now that it is upside down but can see the holes of the previous stitching so, bleh.

To those of you who would judge me...

2008-09-28T03:09:00.000-07:00

........I say "Where you are now, I once was" (to quote these guys). But before you say anything further I have a challenge for you:

Go to a Croc shop.
Put a pair on.
Don't look down.
I repeat - DO NOT LOOK DOWN.
Tell me with a straight face that it is not exactly like popping two little clouds on your feet.

You can't, can you?

P.S. I bought these last week and I am yet to wear them outside the perimeter of my property but, perhaps somewhat alarmingly, I can almost imagine doing so.

Where did the last month go???

2008-09-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where the last month has gone and fully accept that I should aim to be a far more diligent blogger. For one reason or another I haven't been spending much time at all in the blogosphere and that makes me sad so I will, from this point forth, get my act together. I promise.

Anyhoo here's another finish:

It's letter "R" from the M Designs alphabet series (let me just say for the millionth time how totally cool these are). Its on plain raw linen in "Babbling Brook" Belle Soie silk by Crescent Colours. It looks a bit washed out in the photo but is very pretty in real life. It's for a gift and I can't wait to see it framed.

Apart from that I've tinkered a little with Sampler Gameboard:

Excuse the orientation of this photo, not sure what blogger is up to and can't bring myself to wrestle with it (I'm trying to pick my battles at present).

It's Winter Here

2008-08-23T04:59:00.000-07:00

Which means we are in the middle of our yearly 4 week "cold" snap, cold as in you might need something slightly warmer than a long sleeve shirt once the sun goes down. Still, I dream of living in a cold climate and try not to miss a moment of this poor excuse for a winter, 'cause its all I have. Although big coats and mittens are out of the question, we can get away with a scarf in the mornings and evenings and I admit I wear one as often as possible so I can pretend that I am actually living in some exotic winter wonderland full of open fires, hearty soup, hot chocolate, pure white snow and rosy cheeks and noses. It seems that small L has picked up on all this as he begged me to knit him a yellow scarf. Now my knitting skillz are basic to say the least but I was so thrilled that my boy wanted me to make something for him that I had to have a go. I sat down and channelled my inner Nanna and came up with this (and one for me just because I fell in love with the green yarn and it was in the bargain bin):

Small L is over the moon with it and it has kept him entertained for hours. You see it's not just a scarf- so far it has been a skipping rope, balance beam, river, leash (sorry Maisie) and a dancing snake!

Sitting on the couch in the evenings knitting away felt all lovely and winter-y. I think I'll do it again next year. Who knows, if I apply myself I might even progress past scarves one day!

I've Lost Count......

2008-08-17T06:52:00.000-07:00

Of the number of times I've had this conversation:

Me: Stop running around/jumping off/climbing on (insert misdemeanor of choice) that thing!!

Small L: Why?

Me: Because you will fall and crack your head open.

Small L: What does that look like?

Hmmmmmmm

Now he knows. It looks kind of like this. There is blood. A lot of blood. We're talking 3 soaked cloth nappies of blood. There is screaming and crying. There is a shocked husband yelling at me that I never should have let him supervise the kids unsupervised (while I partied with the vacuum cleaner in the totally frivolous pursuit of sanitary living). There is a trip to the hospital, wound glue and stitches. Oh, and iceblocks for being brave. There is Nickelodeon way, way, way past bedtime because the hospital says the child must be awake and observed for 6 hours. And the inevitable guilt fuelled day-after trip to the toy store, returning with Lego and Hi Ho Cherry-O booty.

Sadly it was no deterrent. Only now, rather than asking what it looks like he asks "do they have other flavours of iceblocks at the hospital, or just orange?"

Arrrrgh.

Hmmmm, Is This an Unfavourable Reflection of My Parenting Skills?

2008-08-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

Q: What do you want to do when you grow up?

A:

Anonymous Child #1: Be a Doctor

Anonymous Child #2: Be a Nurse

Anonymous Child #3: Be a Fireman

Anonymous Child #4: Be a Truck Driver

Anonymous Child #5: Be a Ballerina

Small L (yep, my kid): Work in a Video-Ezy store!!!!!!

Germs and a New Start

2008-08-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our current Family Round-Robin of illness has kept me away from pretty much every facet of modern human life. However, I have snatched an hour or two here and there for a new start:

It's another M Designs letter , "R". These designs are so good for the soul. They stitch up quickly and are a joy to watch come together. As usual, photos don't do this justice. I am stitching this as a gift, I've no clue what it is on - my guess is garden variety raw linen. The silk is as delicious as ever to stitch with - "Babbling Brook" Belle Soie silk by Crescent Colours.

I'm racing off to strip beds and wash sheets- yeah, it's all sunglasses and autographs around here. On that note - I will be back soon, perhaps to whine about the Jolie- Pitts (who I suspect implement rather different strategies when juggling family and every day stressors).

6 Years Ago Today..........

2008-07-05T01:16:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary Big I. I'm glad you're mine.

xxx

Tinkering

2008-07-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

This week I've been tinkering with some over 1 stitching. I've never done it before and although it takes a little more concentration, I totally get why people become hooked on it. The results are amazing.

The design (pictured with a bobbin for scale) is from the series "Rain, Rain, Go Away" by Prairie Schooler. It fits perfectly with the gloriously rainy day we are having today - bliss!! It's on a scrap from my paltry fabric stash, from memory 32ct "platinum" linen. I am kind of sort of thinking about making this into a needle book, I have another wee design from the series to stitch on the back, but I can't make up my mind about how to go about it - any suggestions?

Anyhoo, I'm still battling a cold and laryngitis so I'm off to sit on the couch in my quiet house and watch the rain -my kind of day!

Louisa's Sampler Finished

2008-06-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

Just to prove that, although I have been somewhat absent, I haven't been idle lately. Here is my finished reproduction of my Great Grandmother's sampler:

And the original:

I have really enjoyed retracing her stitches and spent a lot of time wondering about how she felt and what she was thinking as she stitched this piece. I'm surprised at how lovely the font is when newly stitched, the original is quite aged and fuzzy and has started to disintegrate. I matched the colours as best I could and am happy with the result. The original is wool on canvas and mine is cotton on linen (Stitches and Spice Tundra which worked perfectly) so it was always going to be a little different. I loved using the medium of stitching to preserve a memory of this piece rather than just having a photograph. Who knows, maybe a great grandchild of mine will stitch it again in another 126 years!

It's now in the framing queue, but I have a sneaking feeling it might jump a few places as I'm keen to have it hanging on the wall somewhere. As I amass more and more finished pieces, that framing course I have always intended to do becomes more urgent, maybe 2008 is the year?

Putting it here might just quell the urge I have to actually send it

2008-06-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

An email to my manager that I will send if I win a million dollars this week. (See, my secret plan if I ever win Lotto is to not tell a soul but keep going to work where I will just tell everyone what I think when I think it and see how far I can get.)

Dear FF

Thanks for meeting with me to discuss my view that you have been disrespecting me, sabotaging my efforts and actively undermining me with my staff. It certainly left both myself and the Human Resources manager who attended in no doubt as to your position.

Here's a little tip though, if you are going to put on an Oscar award winning act to try and convince a neutral third party (i.e. HR) that it is all a big misunderstanding and you feel just awful that I may have got this impression and would do anything to put things right (and, hey, good on you for trying - you weren't to know that they have copies of incriminating emails and have witnessed some stuff first hand) words alone might not really cut it.

Prolly better to show up to the meeting I organised on time rather than 20 minutes late (and after visibly and audibly engaging in social chitty chat with your mates outside the door for 10 minutes of that time), sit facing me (rather than side on), have breakfast beforehand rather than bringing it with you and (especially when no-one else present is eating or drinking) DON'T SPEND THE ENTIRE TIME SLURPING A CAN OF "V" AND SHOVELLING A BACON AND EGG MCMUFFIN INTO YOUR MOUTH WITH SUCH FEROCITY THAT I FEAR LOSING AN ARM LEST MY LIMB BE UNWITTINGLY TOO CLOSE TO YOUR FOOD.

Just sayin.

The Benefits of Endorphins From The Convenience of Your Garage

2008-06-09T06:23:00.000-07:00

You have to read the title in your best crappy documentary voice over voice. Anyone else finding that documentary voice overs are just getting stupider and stupider? I was watching one the other day and, I kid you not, heard the following line "The Intensive Care Unit is not only intensive, it's caring". What the??????? Do they just figure that nobody ever listens so they might as well bang out any old rubbish? Or did they get in a work experience kid to cover the writer's strike? What is the world coming to? How do I go about getting a job as a TV writer?

Anyway, I digress. Without further ado, here is my new toy:

It makes me happy, I think about it all the time and I can't imagine ever getting tired of it. Yep, true love. Its an Infiniti ST960 elliptical cross trainer. It is fabulous.

You see I am not one of those people who bounds out of bed and bounces around the room in anticipation of a day full of physical activity. My idea of fun involves a couch (preferably velvet or micro suede, neither of which I own, *sigh*) and anything passive. Yet the cruel irony is that I am a person whose mood, thoughts, energy levels and general feeling of wellbeing is directly and indisputably linked to strenuous physical activity. I work out stopping just short of a stroke and I'm on a high for the rest of the day. I sit around for days (weeks/months lately if I'm being honest) and everything just keeps sliding downhill. I talk about not having time to do stuff but really it has far more to do with not having the energy.

Now with this baby in my garage, that's all going to change. All I have to do is get myself into the garage (there's a door next to the kitchen) and I'm good to go. All for the price of the gym membership I would have bought and barely used because getting there, coping with all the gym crap and the bodily fluids of a hundred nameless faceless strangers then getting home again seems insurmountable most days. What a bargain!!!! So successful in fact that I plan on spending next year's membership on a WII fit (don't tell Big I though).

It looks like I now have a remote chance of reaching my secret (and until now, frankly ridiculous) goal to look and feel better on my 40th birthday than I did on my 30th. I've got 4 months, wish me luck.

Louisa's Sampler

2008-05-27T20:15:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to get back here and come hell or high water I'll post this today!! The absence of leisure time has a lot to do with the disagreeable habit tiny L has taken up that involves happily going to bed at night then waking 1 hour later and screaming for the next 2, unless he is lying on me on the couch. Neither option fares well for relaxation and the pursuit of interests other than kid wrangling! However, when I have been able I have put a stitch or two into Louisa's sampler (you can read the history here). I'm still enjoying the nostalgia of it all, it's a special piece for me. Some of the colours don't stand out well against the fabric (especially in a photo) but that's how the original is also so I'm not going to change it. Anyway, here's a pic:

Speaking of samplers, I'm a little bit in love with The Dutch Beast . Each motif is a humorous twist on classic dutch motifs and I thoroughly enjoyed following the design process through the dedicated blog and, before that, Tracy's blog. Sadly, I'm on a budgetary leash at the moment so it will remain on my wish list for a lttle while longer.

Beige.

2008-05-13T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well I disappeared for a while,I know, you're furious, but I'm back now. I wish I could say that my absence was due to me having a fabulously interesting time but sadly my life has been as beige as usual. Well, unmotivated disorganised beige really but I've picked myself up now and will endeavour to sort myself out from here on in. You have my word.

To get back into the swing of things (and because she sent me this forever ago and I absolutely should have posted it before now) I'm posting a list sent to me by Kim. If you would like to post one to your blog please feel free, I would love to see it and get to know a little more about you.

1. What is your occupation? I work in the public service in (low) middle management. I am also a Registered Nurse and Midwife, I worked in an extremely busy labour ward for 10 years. I loved the actual work but the politics, constant threat of litigation and abysmal working conditions drove me nuts in the end. I have lost count of how many babies I delivered but occasionally get a 10 year old proudly thrust at me in a supermarket that I have to pretend to recognise (maybe its just me but they all seem to have changed a bit since they were newborn).

2. What color are your socks? I love socks and own many pairs - mainly blues and browns.

3.. What are you listening to right now? The Wiggles.

4. What was the last thing that you ate? A vegemite sandwich (I know, gourmet!!)

5. Can you drive a stick shift? It's all I drive. Automatics don't feel like real driving, plus out of habit I occasionally go for the clutch (usually when travelling at speed) and subsequently hit the brake.

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Big I

7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes, she is truly fabulous, wickedly funny and very entertaining.

8. How old are you today? 39 years, 7 months and 2 days (there, I said it).

9. What is your favorite drink? Good coffee, Creme Brulee tea from T2, Diet Coke with lime, Gin and Tonic, smoothies.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? Snow skiing and ice skating. Locally I favour Australian Rules football. In particular, the Brisbane Lions.

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? I started getting foils a few years ago to cover the early greys.

12. Pets? A Jack Russell Terrier, Maisie. And a goldfish nobody cares about.

13. Favorite food? Pasta, sushi, Thai penang curry.

14. What was the last movie you watched? At home, The Golden Compass. At the movies, Whorton Hears a Who. I told Big I the other day that need to start sneaking out at night so I can watch something other than a kiddie flick. It's on my to do list.

15. Favorite holiday? Christmas, but I wish it was in winter.

16. What do you do to vent anger? Talk about it with a close friend. Blog. Physical exertion. Listen to MP3 player, up loud.

17. What was your favorite toy as a kid? A baby doll called Julia. Holly Hobby. Fuzzy Felt. Home made Slip'N'Slide (hill+ tarp + washing up detergent + sprinkler. Always = injury)

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall (we call it Autumn) it means cool weather is on it's way.

19. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs.

20. Cherry or Blueberry? Blueberry.

21. Do you want your friends to send this back? I'd love to read other people's lists.

22. Who is most likely to respond? No idea

23. Who is least likely to respond? Ditto

24. When was the last time you cried? Last week when the chaos overwhelmed me briefly.

25. What is on the floor of your closet? Shoes and assorted debris that the boys have put there.

26. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? I'm not sending it, just putting it out there.

27. What did you do last night? Came home from work, made dinner, tried to spoon food into a screaming overtired baby, tried to get a wound up four year old to stay at the table and eat nicely (failed), bathed 2 kids that were beyond it, wrestled kids to bed, cleaned up, watched Big Brother (my secret shame), did 2 loads of laundry, unpacked Kindy/Daycare bags, played the neverending movie quizz on facebook, read, went to sleep. Thrilling stuff, huh?

28. Late Night Owl or Early Riser? Easy, night owl, no question.

29. Favorite color? Blue but have started to fancy green (and pink to a lesser extent) in recent years.

30. How many sisters & brothers? 3 brothers (all younger so completely useless to me as a kid).

31. What city and state were you born? Roehampton, London (U.K)

32. How many TVS do you have? 2 but only one is hooked up, the other is in the playroom for kids DVDs and Playstation.

33. Do you have a cell phone? Yes, but it is old and has always been crap.

34. What is your middle name? I don't have one which has caused untold grief throughout my life. What were my parents thinking? Take it from me, it is not ever a good idea to not give your child a middle name.

35. What make is your vehicle? Daihatsu, sorry. I'd like a Peugot or a Honda.

36. How many rings do you have on your fingers? 4 - wedding, engagement, claddagh, signet.

37. What is your favorite junk food? Hot chips (especially with gravy).

So go ahead, post your list, I'd love to read it. It's bound to be more exciting than mine, and I get my excitement through others these days so I'm kind of counting on you all.

Let Them Eat Cake (for two weeks)

2008-04-27T03:42:00.000-07:00

With both boys birthday's within 10 days of each other it's been all cake all the time around here. Given that small L takes the "Women's Weekly Children's Party Cakes" book to bed with him, a store bought cake just woudn't cut it. I had to make a cake for each to take to Daycare/Kindy on their birthdays, a cake for tiny R at home on his birthday (Small L requested "Tuna Mornay with a candle in it" for his birthday night, so I got out of baking for that one) and a cake each for their parties. That's 5 cakes in 10 days. Here is the story in pictures:

For tiny R at home I made vanilla cupcakes with a chocolate butter frosting. I got all fancy and piped the frosting on but I probably won't again because I had to agree with small L (who inherited his father's preference for honesty over tact) that it did look a bit like dog poo.

For tiny R at Daycare, a banana cake with light yellow buttercream frosting. Please note the star in the centre fashioned entirely out of hundreds and thousands.

For tiny R's party, a butter cake in the shape of a rocket. Yep, it's meant to be a rocket, not a foot as someone incorrectly guessed (how rude). And yes, it took 24 hours for the dye to fully wear off the children's hands and faces.

Oh and by the way, if you are a bloke who is kindly helping your wife out by Googling "Rocket Cake" for the upcoming party she is singlehandedly organising the number one thing not to say when she is actually making this cake (and consequently tearing her hair out) is "wouldn't it have been easier just to buy a cake?". A simple "Honey, you rock!!!" would be better. Just sayin'.

For small L at kindy, a banana cake with bright yellow butter cream frosting and, well, bananas. I decorated this at 2am but fortunately checked it before sending it off that day and realised it was missing a fourth candle. Disaster averted.

And the cake that small L has dreamed about for months, the Number-Four-With-a-Race-Track-and-Chocolate-Cars cake. It looked so easy in the book. In real life it was, frankly, a bitch. Luckily, small L didn't notice the difference between my cake and the skillfully styled photo in the book and was thrilled to bits all the same. The other kids at the party were kind enough to love it as well, bless them.

My lame attempts have been the cause of considerable giggles by a few (male) friends who shall remain nameless. But hey, I've never held myself out as a pastry chef and I did try my very best. I hope my kids will feel very loved when they look back on the photos one day - that's all that matters.

Happy Birthday Small L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-22T03:40:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! 4 years, where did that time go? I marvel at the baby pictures and wonder how you grew into such a beautiful big boy so fast. I can barely remember life without you even though 4 years doesn't seem that long ago at all really when I think about it. I remember staring at the new-born you for hours on end hardly daring to believe you were mine and half expecting that it was all a beautiful dream that I would wake from sooner or later.

You are independent, individual and fiercely loyal to your family and friends. You are an awesome big brother, incredibly loving and caring and fearlessly protective. You always look out for tiny R, never hesitate to share with him, include him and entertain him. You have loved him madly since the moment you met him and keep asking when we can "get some twin babies" (you have voiced a preference for a boy named Harry Potter and a girl named Georgia - I've no idea why).

You are loving and affectionate and impishly charming. I particularly like the fact that you have recently taken to addressing me as "Your Majesty" when there is something you particularly want! ( I should also warn you at this point though that there will come a time years from now when random shop assistants will no longer smile and swoon when you say "thank you beautiful lady", in fact it will probably have the opposite effect but, hey, work it while you've got it baby) You are a Daddy's Boy through and through but careful to let me know how much you love me too and I'm always secretly thrilled when you choose to go somewhere just with me.

You are very, very smart and have the most amazing memory (or remembery as you call it). You only have to hear or see something once and you retain it forever - not always a good thing but for the most part it serves you well!

You are dashingly handsome and your "Blue Steel" (pictured) is second to none. You are certainly not camera shy and will look at pictures and videos of yourself for hours on end (you don't mind a mirror or two either). You are boisterous and delirious in a group and crave the company of others. You make friends and talk to people easily and relish any opportunity to entertain (especially if it will impress older kids, you admire them so and aspire to grow up way faster than I want you to). You are absolutely hilarious and make me laugh every day - often until I cry! You love dancing, music, books, toys, games, puzzles, movies and Nickelodeon Junior TV. You are fascinated by letters and numbers and approach new experiences with an unbridled joy.

You are my heart, my sunshine, my stars and moon. It is truly an honour and a privilege to be your Mummy, I love you with everything that I am and cannot begin to describe how proud I am that you are ours. We could not have wished for a son more perfect and wonderful than you. Happy Birthday my darling, beautiful, gorgeous boy and here's to many, many more.

All my love,

Mummy XXXXX

Expletive Deleted Part 2

2008-04-19T03:42:00.000-07:00

The next thrilling installment.........

This is the state of the outside of my (once neat and tidy) house. Yummy, isn't it? It got this way through 18 months of being showered with dirt and dust and other unimaginable pollutants by reckless roadworking contractors. We have continually complained (as have many other residents) to both our local council (who are financing the project) and the project officer herself. The responses have always been "sorry, we can't control the contractors, they just don't listen to us" (they might if you didn't keep paying them - just a suggestion) and "Don't worry, we will clean it up at the end of the project".

The project is nearly finished so I sent off a friendly email to the project officer asking how we go about organising the promised cleaning. Imagine my surprise when her response was suddenly that, given the myriad of construction projects the council was involved in it is just not economically feasible to clean up damage to private property and that doing so would be an "unfair burden on ratepayers". Yeah, WHAT THE??????????????????

I then fronted up to the local Councillor's Office, whose secretary at first said that there must be some mistake as she had been told that the mess would be cleaned up and had in turn promised quite some number of people that their houses would be cleaned. She said to leave it with her and she would sort out the misunderstanding.

After 2 weeks of nothing I flicked her a quick email that simply said "Hi M, Just seeking an update about my house being cleaned". In response I got a full page email from another secretary I had never met or spoken with, full of paragraphs beginning "As you are aware", "As you know", "As you have been told", "I imagine" and my favourite "I understand and empathise".

I replied asking how on earth she would know what I am aware of, know or have been told and pointing out that she was wrong on all counts. I also disputed her understanding and subsequent ability to empathise and said that furthermore, her understanding and empathy were in fact quite useless to me. I also explained that I had no interest in her "imagination", what I was seeking was an open, honest and factual answer to my query.

I then got a call from the Councillor who complained that my email was "unfriendly", I wondered aloud where he got the impression that I sent it to make a friend. He thought for a while and then agreed that perhaps it was a tad patronising but that I "need to remember that 99% of people who contact this office are irate". It took every fibre in my being not to respond with the classic Judd Nelson Breakfast Club line: "Well now, that wouldn't have anything to do with you people being assholes, would it?". He said he had been "working tirelessly" for me on this issue and he was "hurt" that I didn't appreciate it (frealz). I asked what he had done and he simply repeated "worked tirelessly". I asked three times for more detail and we finally got out of the "working tirelessly" loop and onto "I've had a chat with some people". Nameless, faceless people obviously as no further details were forthcoming despite my dogged persistence. He said he would "chat" some more and get back to me. Useful.

I then got a snarky email from the project officer now saying that there had never been any problems with "air quality" (thus implying that the dirt on my house did not come from the adjacent construction) and that this had been confirmed by the authorities. Luckily, I had already read this piece of spin in an online newsletter and had sent photos to the authorities asking why their air quality standards were so low that my house could look like this. I was immediately contacted by the authority in question who sensibly distanced themselves, explaining that they had never agreed that air standards had been acceptable. They had performed an on the spot audit or two but that only meant there was not an active problem during the few minutes they were on site. They agreed that the state of my house would seem to indicate there had been very real problems indeed. They said that they had notified the council that they were to stop misleading residents by claiming that audit results signalled the absence of a problem.

The project officer also addressed some other concerns I had raised about hazards (e.g. signposts erected in the middle of footpaths, the creation of a snake habitat on a shared pedestrian/ fauna bridge) as being "no more dangerous than any other hazards in Brisbane". Uh, duh. But wouldn't it be better to for them not to be hazards at all?

Anyway, the snippy missive ended in a demand that I meet with her at 3pm the following day. I replied saying I was happy to meet but unsure that it would be a terribly productive use of time. I outlined my discussions with the authority and my knowledge of the authority's discussions with her and said that I found it a little mischievous that she was continuing to make statements that she knew to be misleading and untrue. I provided a list of examples of people who could see the state of my house: friends, family, colleagues, neighbours and a blind man on a galloping horse and queried why it was that she, apparently, could not. I explained that I did not feel cleaning up the mess was a terribly significant burden to ratepayers given all we had personally endured for the sake of a road that ratepayers will benefit from. I pointed out that if I was to make a mess on council land I would be expected to clean it up and it was therefore perplexing to me that the equation doesn't work the other way around.

Needless to say she did not reply nor did she turn up to the meeting she requested.

Yeah............................................................................................

Happy Birthday Tiny R!!!!!!!

2008-04-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday my darling, wonderful, beautiful baby boy!!! I cannot believe that only a year ago you were so very tiny and new. You are everything that is good about this life and I love you to the moon and back again and then some. You are the happiest little boy I have ever known, you've yet to be fazed by anything. You love meeting new people, being held, your wonderful big brother, dancing, toys with "bells and whistles", Maisie the dog, animals,swimming and french crepes (you ate 5 this morning and didn't even look like stopping).

You are already quite the entertainer and will do anything for laughs. You love to climb and take a fall like a seasoned stuntman. You've yet to produce a tooth or take a step unaided but you can gum anything that's put in front of you and get around with alarming speed and ease.

Watching you grow has both thrilled and panicked me. It is truly amazing to see you learn and develop and reach so many milestones at such a rapid rate but at the same time I wonder where my baby went and know in my heart that as much as I want you to be tiny forever, you will be fully grown and independent in the blink of an eye.

Even now, I still can't quite believe that I get to be your mummy! You are absolutely, positively my heart and I hope and pray that I will be lucky enough to share many, many more wonderful birthdays with you .

All my love my gorgeous little sweetheart, now and forever.

Mummy xoxoxoxo.

Stop!! I want to get off!!

2008-04-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm wondering if my head will stop spinning any time soon. Along with fighting the good fight (see previous posts), planning two boy's birthdays, caring for a sick baby and trying to keep up with the miscellaneous madness of my household I have returned to work. I realise that I am incredibly lucky to have access to Maternity Leave and to have been able to spend the first year of my baby's life at home with him. I am also very appreciative of the fact that I have an industrial right to work part time until my youngest child starts school. But I am still a little sad about it all.

There were plenty of good things about returning - catching up with great friends, getting a lunchbreak and being able to spend it in city stores, being metres from a Starbucks (and being able to drink my coffee while it is still hot), not having to have eyes in the back of my head and be constantly tuned to what two little boys are doing, Sushi on tap, adult conversation, exercising my brain and having a pee all by myself to name a few.

The negatives (apart from leaving the kids in an albeit excellent daycare and the 5:30am starts to get everyone up and fed and dressed and out the door) relate to the fact that, as a part-timer, I seem to be a bit like a pet that no-one really wants anymore - there's no overt cruelty and I can get the basics but other than that, I'm largely ignored. I do realise this has its own advantages but at the same time it would be kinda nice to be valued and respected for the significant contribution I can still make. The big bosses seem very supportive but the tier in the middle, not so much. I've yet to decide whether I have the energy to try and change things, at the moment I'm veering towards just coasting along and enjoying some peace.

It's only 2 days a week which I thought would be easy but I now realise it's still going to take some getting used to. Apart from the fact that I now have 2 less days a week to fit everything else in, jumping in and out of routines will require some practice. For example, come Wednesday I was exhausted and decided the kids and I would have a quiet day at home. I pottered around feeding little people, cleaning up, washing clothes etc but all morning had the feeling that I had forgotten to do something. When the kids sat at the table for lunch it suddenly dawned on me that small L was still in his PJ's!!!

Anyway, I'm dashing off to organise Tiny R's first birthday (yes, I know that I've known all year it was coming but somehow it's still unbelievable that my baby is 1 tomorrow!).

Easy Pantry Dinner

2008-04-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

Just so I don't come across as a completely bitter crazy woman (well, any more than I already have), I thought I would post something non-ranty to break it up a bit. So here's what we had for dinner Thursday night:

It was torn from a magazine, not sure which one though. I modified it a little and it was delicious, easy and cheap so I thought I would share the recipe (we had eaten before I thought to take a pic in case you were wondering why the dish is half empty). As usual it's in Australian metric and some ingredients may have different names in your neck of the woods, I'm happy to try and translate if there are any queries.

Mediterranean Bread Bake

175g shortcut bacon rashers finely chopped (or substitute - shredded spicy or smoked chicken would be good)
6 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
150g fetta cheese, finely crumbled
10 thick bread slices, crusts removed, quartered into rectangles
250g small tomatoes, sliced (I used egg tomatoes but halved cherry or grape tomatoes would work)
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk

Fry bacon in frypan over medium high heat for 2 mins. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring for a few more minutes until bacon is golden. Remove from heat and stir in basil.
Spread half the bacon mixture and half the crumbled fetta over the base of an 8 cup capacity ovenproof dish.
Stand the bread slices in dish in rows, slot tomatoes and sprinkle remaining bacon and fetta between bread.
Whisk eggs and milk together, season with salt and cracked black pepper and pour over the bread.
Bake at 180 Celsius for 40 minutes or until golden and set. Stand for 5 mins before serving.

Great accompanied by a green salad. Would also be a good side for a BBQ lunch.

Expletive Deleted Part 1

2008-04-03T07:07:00.001-07:00

O.K, let's start with the most minor of the 3 disputes I have had this week with the local council re roadworks outside my house. It has also been the easiest to resolve, the other 2 remain outstanding. Bear in mind that this is the latest item on a laundry list of headaches caused by unnecessary action or inaction by a group of people who function from a platform of outstanding crapitude. Everything is just too much bother and standards are completely optional unless they will dissuade a complainant from seeking resolution -in that case they are mandatory.

Also consider the fact that, after 18 months of this utter construction hell (of which I have posted occasionally) my patience is wearing a tad thin.

The following is an excerpt of the telephone conversation I had with a council worker today after sending 5 emails and speaking to 2 other people who finally had this person call me. Let's call her K.

K: I'm calling with regards to the issue about the streetlight, I understand there is a problem.

Me: A streetlight has been installed a couple of metres from my bedroom window and consequently my bedroom now resembles the Melbourne Cricket Ground during night play.

K: Well, the street needs to be lit.

Me: Yep. But my bedroom doesn't. I believe there are shields that can be fitted to direct the light onto the road rather than into my house.

K: It's not that easy.

Me: Why not?

K: Well, in order to do that we need to conduct an investigation.

Me: A what now?

K: An investigation, you know to make sure that what you are saying is true. We need to establish the facts before things can move forward.

Me: I don't like being called a liar.

K: No-one is calling you a liar but we need to be confident that there is a problem before we progress the matter.

Me: There is a streetlight. Outside my bedroom window. Windows are transparent, i.e. they let light in. You don't need to embark on a fact finding mission to establish this. You need something called common sense.

K: Look, if you want us to do something, as a first step you will have to allow our technician, P, into your bedroom at night to check it out.

Me: Ahhh....No.

K: Well, there is no way around it. We have systems and policies that we have to follow. You might not understand but we have to have processes and they must be followed.

Me: a) If a man other than my husband is going to hang out in my bedroom at night it will be my choice, not yours. And it will not be without very good reason. I'm fussy like that.

And b) Can the bureaucratic claptrap. I'm a bureaucrat and I know the system inside out. There is a big difference between legislation and policy.

K: There is no way around it. Like I said, we have processes that must be followed.

Me: Even when they are nonsensical?

K: Yep.

Me: O.K, that's enough. I'm getting irritated right now so you need to listen to me. I don't want to continue this ridiculous discussion. I am tired of having to jump though 20 hoops every time I have a reasonable grievance. My neighbours are tired of having to do it too. We are tired of being so royally shafted week in and week out and having to fight tooth and nail to maintain a reasonable standard of living. We want you to have some respect for the fact that we are trying to live in this war zone that you have created. When you cause problems, you need to fix them. Mmmkay?

Now that I've established a frame of reference for you and I, here's what's going to happen. Like I said, I'm a bureaucrat - I know for a fact that for every governmental policy there is someone, somewhere with the authority to overrule it. You need to go find that person and tell them to fix it. Don't say you can't. Because you can. Just do it.

A short while later:

K: Hi, I've spoken to my manager and she says she will call the electrical company but because you're not being helpful, they probably won't be able to find the problem. There's also a couple of weeks wait. That's if they will accept the job without an investigation. Which they probably wont.

Me: O.K, I'm going to say this one more time. Slowly. It's a streetlight. It's outside my house. If that's not enough for the electrical guys to go on, they need more help than I can possibly ever give them. Goodbye.

An hour later:

"G'day, it's S from the electrical company. I'm outside your house looking at the light. No wonder it's causing problems. It needs a shield on it, mate. Should have had one in the first place. Easy fixed. Get straight onto it, no worries".

I'm not at all a violent person and am usually quite rational but I have an almost overwhelming compulsion to staple someones head to their desk.

Tiny Whinge with Wildflowers

2008-03-31T21:13:00.000-07:00

The roadwork drama continues and, as Judge Marilyn Milian says, "stick a fork in me I'm done" ( side note: How fabulous is that woman? - I so want her to be my new best friend). I won't expand at the moment as I have a rare afternoon alone and am trying to channel positive, relaxing vibes and reduce my blood pressure following this morning's dispute.

Anyhoo, for want of a better segue I thought I would post a progress pic of "Wildflowers". Yep, in a couple of weeks I have managed to double the progress of the last 11 years! The colours are truly beautiful but as always, they don't translate well into pictures. Here 'tis:

I Need a Holiday....

2008-03-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

but I'm not about to get one. So, as Big I is away again, I am planning a little chill out for one this evening. If you care to join me: get the kids to bed early, grab a glass of good red (I prefer mine chilled, weird I know but hey it's mine and I like it how I like it), jump on the couch, put your feet up and bung The Whitlams in the stereo.

(Disclaimer: tinny computer speakers such as mine do not do this band justice. The orchestral elements just seem to get lost. Through good quality audio - truly amazing. The kind of music that makes you want to sway a cigarette lighter flame aloft.)

Like with Like??

2008-03-22T02:54:00.000-07:00

Me: "What should we leave out for the Easter Bunny to put his eggs in?"

Small L: " A basket with a nest in it".

Me: "How should we make a nest?"

Small L: "Scrunch up some paper and put it in the bottom of the basket".

Me: "Where should we put the basket?"

Small L: "Under the CHRISTMAS TREE!!!"

Progress Pics

2008-03-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Pictured above is my breakfast, a hot cross bun. I have eaten a hot cross bun for breakfast every Good Friday that I can remember, except one year when I was working and the Nuns who owned the hospital ( and several million dollars of local real estate) spontaneously decided providing buns to nurses who were being paid a pittance to do far too much work was a frivolous waste of money. I am happy to report, however, that the following year buns were back on the menu.

Anyway, enough fascinating insight into my exciting life. In between cleaning fridges, being germy and playing servant to two small boys I have done a little pottering on Louisa's sampler (finished a bar) and Sampler Gameboard (3 more motifs).

Best wishes everyone for a safe and happy Easter.

Please don't feel sorry for me

2008-03-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

Although it might seem sad to some of you, this makes me happy:

A clean fridge full of fresh, healthy food. Apart from taking the boys swimming, this is what I achieved today. Sure, it will all come spectacularly undone come Sunday's visit from the Easter Bunny (chocolate + chocolate "crumbs" + tiny pieces of foil and other Easter detritus). But today, I shall enjoy. When it's all messed up again I can always come back here and enjoy the photographic record.

Reading Meme

2008-03-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

Im sick as a dog with some filthy influenza virus and Big I has been away all weekend. I have blurred vision from being poked in the eye by Tiny R (yep, he learned to point this week) so I nicked this one from Holley because it looked like fun and requires minimal effort from me.

Like Holley, I'm not sure quite how the list was compiled.

Here's how to play:

Look at the list of 100 books below. Bold the ones you’ve read (movies don't count).Italicize the ones you want to read. Leave the ones that you aren’t interested in as they are.

1.The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand) ....(but where would I find the time?)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) (**I started this years ago when I was going through a literary snob phase but got over myself and never finished it. I hate not finishing books and will get back to it someday).
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy) (see** above)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Answers to questions, shameful WIP and the fateful photo.

2008-03-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

Yep, I'm going to jam it all in here while I have 5 minutes. Big I has been working, studying and travelling every minute of the day since January and his exam in 3 weeks can't come quick enough for me, I'm just about beat! I can't seem to even organise the thoughts in my head at the moment let alone my day (or a blog post)!!

Anyway, thanks for the kind comments on "Letter J". My plan is to do each of our little family's initials and have them framed individually. I'll hang them together somewhere nice when they're done (maybe I'll have a new house by then. Well, I can dream, can't I?).

And sorry for the wild goose chase I may or may not have sent you on. It's a "Pako" needle organiser, not "Paco" as I typed in the original post. I googled it and found them out there so they are pretty easy to come by if you want to try them. After Jennifer's suggestion I had a closer look and I think I could actually crack one open and replace the sponge with something sturdier. I'll try it when I have a bit of time to fiddle. Kim asked for the meaning of "BAP". I'm not sure what it means to everyone else but to me it means "Big Ass Project".

And on to the shameful WIP, this one has been in a box for about 11 years! It was given to me by a colleague when I fell in love with the one she had stitched. It's called "Australian Bushland Wildflowers" by Jan Woodman and is based on a watercolour painting by the same person (I think). The chart is so old that the symbols are handwritten!! It's on (tiny) Aida which doesn't thrill me but it was the recommended fabric and I started it back in the bad old days when I didn't have access to all the lovely evenweaves out there now. I tossed around the idea of restarting it on something I like better but have ultimately decided to press on with the original. Here is the embarrassing picture of the woeful progress to date:

It's quite stop-start with loads of white space so I can see some frustration with slow progress ahead. I'm going to be wildly over ambitious however and hope for a finish sometime this year (can I hear the real world calling?).

And, speaking of frustration, I have been trying in vain for months now to get a decent shot of both boys together. Most of Big I's family live in the U.K so we try to send photos every now and again and are well overdue at this point. I almost had it the other day at the park but just as I pressed the button for what I hoped would be a lovely little series, I came to the painful realisation that I was, in fact, lying on a Green Ant nest. My thigh is still swollen but the sting has been replaced by a mind tearing itch so I guess that's something! I'll leave you with the fatal photo:

Another Finish!!!!!!!

2008-03-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Love it, love it, love it. All I want to do is stitch these now, I have several planned already including a couple of Christmas gifts.

To recap the stats: M Designs "Letter J" stitched 2/2 on 32 ct Antique White jobelan using Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Chester's Blue.

Finished!!!!!!

2008-03-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Woohoo!!!! After 4 years (most of which as just a bear head) "Bears in a Chair" is done!! There was a time not so long ago when I thought I would never finish this. My motivation was really the fact that I had committed myself by posting about it here and, of course, all of the encouraging comments (thanks everyone). I feel a real sense of achievement as this was just plain hard work a lot of the time and, as I've said before, there was a reasonable amount if guilt attached as well. I feel great now!! I think I will get it framed and hang it somewhere the littlies can enjoy it.

I guess Big I can stop saying "why don't you finish anything?" (he just doesn't get that it's the doing rather than the finishing that counts).

Next up: "Letter J"

Useful Stitching Tool

2008-02-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

I love reading other people's hints and tips especially when it comes to gadgets and organising so I thought I would add my own. For BAPS with loads of colour changes I find these Paco needle organisers invaluable:

They're not for everybody but if you are like me you might like to give one a go. I think a lot of my quirks stem from my nursing training in the olden days when it was hospital based and akin to what I imagine a boot camp in hell would be. One of the side effects is that to this day I am extremely task orientated. E.g. When I iron I have to do all the shirts together, then the shorts, then the jeans etc. So stitching a few stitches, stopping, unthreading the needle (and as I am a floss miser, winding the leftover thread back on to the bobbin) then rethreading the needle for a few stitches and repeating add nauseum drove me nuts on the big projects. And then I found these little babies, I can load up a whole heap of colours and just stitch away, bliss!

The top and bottom windows have foam behind them to insert the needles in and there is a pull out card (each organiser comes with 10 spare cards with squares front and back) to draw corresponding symbols on.

I did discover a problem, however, which was storing the thing when it wasn't in use. Small L was quite enamoured by the display of what he called "really tiny fighting swords" so leaving one lying around was not an option. Putting it away on its own didn't work as the needles fall out if it is jumbled about. Then I had this brilliant idea (if I say so myself) a $3.00 plastic tubular "spaghetti storer" from the local supermarket.

It fits inside perfectly and is very compact and portable and the needles stay put. I have three so I just stick a label on the lid of each (I heart labels and would label absolutely everything if I thought people wouldn't laugh at me) and there you go.

The only criticism I have is that the foam is not particularly sturdy and I am unsure as to how many projects one organiser would last for. I am hoping they might bring out a new and improved model with self-healing cutting mat rather than foam (hey, another brilliant idea of mine????? I'm full of them today!).

On the everyday life side of things Big I is off to New Zealand for the week (lucky bugger) which will mean either a lot of stitching time or none at all. I'm hoping my boys will be friendly but Tiny R seems to have itchy gums at the moment (and not a tooth in his head as yet) so we could be in for a cranky week. Pass the teething gel.

More Progress on Bears

2008-02-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

Before we were all struck down with the grotty gastro bug I had been diligently stitching Bears in Chair (aka the albatross). I did a little more last night so thought I would post a pic. It is much bigger than it seems in the picture and loaded with fractionals and confetti, the combination of which (plus the awful colour chart) has almost done my head in at times. Sammyjo promised to keep me honest with this one and I have been true to my word about focusing on it this year. I'm really pleased that it is finally coming together and the determination that only comes with a finish in sight has well and truly kicked in. I'm not planning on anything else until this is done which won't make for interesting blogging for the next couple of weeks but please, um, bear with me. (Apologies for the truly awful pun).

Ahhh, the silence.

2008-02-24T03:54:00.000-08:00

Yep. It's about 10pm here and I am sitting on my own in the silence, which is, in fact, golden as for the past 48 hours this house has been ringing with the dulcet tones of an entire family with gastroenteritis (yes, both ends people). I still have a fever and to top it all off the AC died today and we are in the middle of a tropical heatwave (hottest days this summer). It would be all together TMI to describe the state of the house at the moment and I have no idea where I will start when I can get myself together enough to do anything about it. Oh well, on the bright side every set of sheets we own has been recently laundered!!!!!!!

I will be back when I regain my sanity.

On Being Boring

2008-02-19T02:33:00.000-08:00

I have long hair. It's not as long as it used to be but it is still long and has been almost all my adult life. Years ago I had a conversation with a friend who is very tall. We realised that she was always identified as "the tall girl" and I was always identified as "the girl with long hair". So as a result I'm morbidly afraid to cut my hair in case there really is nothing else to say about me and I fade into complete obscurity for the rest of my days. E.g. now....Q:"do you know Janet?"... A:"long hair, right?". Post haircut....Q "do you know Janet?"...A: "who?".

But at least I happily admit I'm boring, unlike my hometown. I live in Brisbane (pronounced Bris-bn, not Bris-bane) and Brisbane has always been stuck in the shadows of its bigger and way more exciting siblings Sydney and Melbourne (pronounced Mel-bn, must be an Aussie thing). But we have never come to terms with this and the powers that be continually engage in a futile competitive (and somewhat embarassing) struggle for recognition and love. Once, many years ago we were awarded "Australia's Most Liveable City" and maybe we are, if you like to be in bed by 8pm. But they still go on and on about it. Oh and don't get me started about the cringeworthy "I Heart Brisbane" campaign or the laughable "Smart State" number plates.

Speaking of which our ex Premier, Mr Peter Beattie (who IMHO should have been marched out in disgrace but unfortunately jumped before he was pushed) has moved to South Carolina to take up a job at a university there. As you can probably tell, I don't like Mr Beattie. As far as I am concerned anyone who continually refers to themselves as "a self-professed Media Tart" is a total plonker, not to mention the mess he made of our essential infrastructure but it's all too boring to go into, even in a post about being boring.

(I feel at this point I should wholeheartedly apologise to the people of South Carolina for Mr Beattie, but then again they invited him so really what I want to say is "He's all yours - no returns"). Anyhoo, as we are so boring, this story made the newspaper and a journalist set off to South Carolina to reassure us that we are world famous and everybody loves us. He managed to find just two (2) people who could offer a comment. One nice lady said she had heard Brisbane was a lot like South Carolina (I got the feeling she was just saying that to be kind). The other nice lady said that she loved Brisbane, "especially the Parrots". Ummmmmmmm................., parrots?????? Er, what parrots?

O.K maybe it's a lost in translation type of thing, like thongs, biscuits and, dare I say it, fannys. See, when she mentioned parrots, I just assumed she was talking about those feathered, wing-ed creatures but maybe, just maybe, the word means something different across the pond??? (Feel free to enlighten me here).

But if not, my point is that we Brisbanites should just embrace the fact that we are, in light of the rest of the world, relatively boring. Let's be loud and proud about it so people have something to identify us by rather than forcing them into a corner where they feel they have to just blurt out the first thing that comes into their head.

E.g. Q: " You know Brisbane?"......A: "It's that boring place, right?". See, much better than the Monty Pythonesque parrots, isn't it?

I'd watch it.

2008-02-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

I was emailed this yesterday:

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES

Six married men will be dropped on an island with one car and 3 kids each for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports and either take music or dance classes.
There is no fast food.
Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of "pretend" bills with not enough money.
In addition, each man will have to budget in money for groceries each week.
Each man must remember the birthdays of all their friends and relatives, and send cards out on time.
Each man must also take each child to a doctor's appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut appointment. He must make one unscheduled and inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care (weekend, evening, on a holiday or right when they're about to leave for vacation).
He must also make cookies or cupcakes for a social function.
Each man will be responsible for decorating his own assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping it presentable at all times.
The men will only have access to television when the kids are asleep and all chores are done. There is only one TV between them, and a remote with dead batteries. Each father will be required to know all of the words to every stupid song that comes on TV and the name of each and every character on cartoons.
The men must shave their legs, wear makeup daily, which they will apply to themselves either while driving or making three lunches.
Each man will have to make an Indian hut model with six toothpicks, a tortilla and one marker; and get a 4 year old to eat a serving of peas.
Each man must adorn himself with jewelry, wear uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep their nails polished and eyebrows groomed. The men must try to get through each day without snot, spit-up or barf on their clothing.
During one of the six weeks, the men will have to endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once complain or slow down from other duties. They must try to explain what a tampon is for when the 6-yr old boy finds it in the purse.
They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the park or a similar setting.He will need to read a book and then pray with the children each night without falling asleep, and then feed them, dress them, brush their teeth and comb their hair each morning by 7:00. They must leave the home with no food on their face or clothes.
A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and each father will be required to know all of the following information: each child's birthday, height, weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name. Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song, favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what they want to be when they grow up.
They must clean up after their sick children at 2:00 a.m. and then spend the remainder of the day tending to that child and waiting on them hand and foot until they are better.
They must have a loving, age appropriate reply to, "You're not the boss of me."
The kids vote them off the island based on performance. The last man wins only if...he still has enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a moment's notice. If the last man does win, he can play the game over and over and over again for the next 18-25 years...eventually earning the right to be called Mother!

New Start

2008-02-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

I'd promised myself this start in January and it didn't happen for one reason or another. I'm kind of glad now though as I needed some cheering up this week and a happy start was just the thing. It's Sampler Gameboard by The Drawn Thread on 25 count raw Dublin Linen. Excuse the missing roof - I've lost a skein of DMC somewhere! If you are intending to stitch this one - beware. I happily followed the chart without thinking too much but later when I sat back to admire my handywork I realised that the flower motif is printed right way up on the chart when it should be upside down (as all the other motifs are). I'm not going to frog it as the same area will not be recovered and I think it will be obvious that stitches have been unpicked. Oh well, I'm jut going to pretend that it's an upside down flower and therefore appears right way up when stitched upside down. Clear as mud?

Conspiracy Theory

2008-02-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

Anyone watch 'The Bold and The Beautiful' back in the olden days before it became completely ridiculous? (O.K stop snorting, it used to be almost feasable - I swear).

Anyone remember when Sheila secretly poisoned Stephanie with daily doses of mercury and everyone just assumed that Stephanie had an extreme mental illness?

Anyone been following the whole bizarre Britney/Sam Lutfi thing?

Anyone thinking what I'm thinking?

Heavy Heart

2008-02-09T04:02:00.000-08:00

My friend, J, who I have known as long as any other friend, called me on Wednesday morning to tell me that her mother had died. I was shocked and sad and immediately remembered the dreadful day many years ago that I called her with the same news and the way she steadfastly stood by me, unfailingly propping me up and helping me get through what remains to this day the worst time of my life. I realised that in spite of the fact I had been where she now was, I still didn't know the right words to say. I remembered the raw and (surprisingly) physical pain and the sound of my world crashing down around me and I wanted nothing more than to protect her from this but I knew that I couldn't. She had headed back to her home town in the early hours of the morning and all that I could do was wait for today and hope and pray that I could somehow do for her what she had done for me.

We headed off today on a 7 hour round trip to her mother's funeral. The service was as lovely as such a service could be and J bravely gave the most beautiful eulogy I have ever heard. However, as I sat and watched my friend and her always happy family now consumed by such overwhelming grief I found myself having to concentrate on breathing in and out in order to hold myself together.

Scattered throughout the mourners was a group of friends, myself included, held together over the past 21 years by J. Some of these same friends were at my mother's funeral and I know that J was as comforted by their presence today as I was all that time ago.

This group went on to the cemetary and stood in the background as the casket was lowered into the ground with sombre words and pained sobs. And then came that truly awful moment that I remember so well myself. J sank to the ground beside the grave as the thought of leaving her mother there in that box seemed impossible. And, one by one, each of our own volition, we went to her and sat with her silently in the dirt, trying to give her strength and love and wishing against hope that this wasn't happening to her, that we could fix it together.

And I realised at that moment that we weren't girls anymore, we were women. The first babies born to this group were at the graveside too, no longer cheeky toddlers but strapping 16 year old lads, 2 years off adulthood themselves. How did we get here? For years we helped each other get through our nursing training, break the rules, love and lose, fill ourselves up with wine and somehow get home safely at the end of the night. We met the men that would become our friend's life-long partners, celebrated weddings, welcomed each other's babies to the world and collected more stories than we could ever find the time to tell. Now here we are, all approaching our 40's. The weddings are over and for the most part the families are complete. Nights out are subdued and we are way more likely to meet up at a Tupperware party (oh, the horror!) than a nightclub. It's been years since we have been blinded by the sun when leaving a venue we had arrived at in darkness. We now have a preference for quality over quantity when it comes to such things as wine and the conversations invariably turn to parenthood, baking, grown up T.V series and home renovation. It occurred to me that we are entering the autumn of our friendship and from this point, increasingly so, our purpose will be to help each other say goodbye. I realise that this is the cycle of life and all that but today it makes me feel quite melancholy.

Through my sadness, though, I am also immensely proud of this group of women to which I belong and so grateful in the knowledge we will be there for each other whenever and wherever we are required.

And as for J, I wish you peace and kindness, heal quickly my friend. And remember that while it is true that our mothers took a big piece of us when they left, it is also true that they filled that hole with a big piece of themselves. Wherever they are, they are not alone and neither are we.

Awww, thanks guys.

2008-02-08T01:56:00.000-08:00

I wasn't planning to post until later this weekend as I've some unpleasant stuff to do and I'm feeling a little down at the moment, but Jennifer and Kim have really cheered me up and I wanted to say a heartfelt thankyou and, hopefully, share the love!

Kim and Jennifer have both awarded me the "You Make My Day" Award and I'm humbled and thrilled that they read my crappy little blog, let alone single me out for something so special! I feel very lucky to have met such a wonderful bunch of people as I have in the blogosphere and I really hope to maintain these connections. When I started out exploring blogs I had no idea how much I would come to value this community. The blogs I read make me smile, laugh, cry, pick me up when I'm down and, occasionally, give me a kick in the pants when I need it. When I see that people take the time to visit my blog it makes my day and if they leave a comment, well, you can't wipe the smile off my face!

Anyway, the rules of the game require me to pass the award on to 10 other blogs. It's hard to pick just 10, but I'll list the blogs I frequent (and in some cases silently lurk feeling too shy to leave a comment) the most. Here goes:

Of course there are many more and I know as soon as I've hit "post" I'll think of others I should have listed!! So to everyone I visit and especially to those who visit me, big hugs - you really do make my day.

Weekend Crafting

2008-02-03T04:05:00.000-08:00

My SIL's M & H came over for a craft night Friday night. M wanted to make a button necklace and had found several hellishly difficult instruction sheets on the internet. I can't really crochet but can chain stitch so decided to tackle the crochet version as it looked the easiest. Armed with the crochet hook that M used to use to streak her hair (remember those excrutiating rubber caps?) I set about the frustrating task of mastering the art of crocheting a button necklace. By the time M left at midnight I had almost cracked the code and, by 4am I had a button necklace (that I'm not sure I will ever wear but this doesn't in any way detract from the immense satisfaction in completing it). M got as far as threading all the buttons onto the cotton before giving up so I'm thinking I might be a total show off and make hers as well! H used her time far more wisely and did some clothing alterations. All in all it was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to another craft night soon, any suggestions for a more straightfoward project?

On the stitchy side, although I achieved my January goal for Letter J and far exceeded it for the Bears, I didn't start Sampler Gameboard (I did kit it up though so part marks for that) and I only got a very small amount done on Louisa's sampler (pictured). I've blogged about this one before - I'm reproducing the sampler my great grandmother, Louisa, stitched in 1882. It's not the prettiest sampler in the world (far from it) but I'm really enjoying the feeling of stitching exactly the same stitches she did 126 years ago (although I have cursed her for incorporating so many time consuming algerian eyelets into her design!). I'm using DMC on a piece of Stitches and Spice "Tundra" (the pic is much darker than it really looks).

I'm hoping to concentrate on Bears and maybe start Gameboard this month.

From the sublime to the totally cool retro

2008-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Hey there, I've just wasted an entire evening on this site. (Be sure to check out the forums for some great ideas and examples). Way, way, way cool. My mind is spinning with the possibilities. I want to try this NOW!

ANZAC biscuits (Aussie Cuisine part 2)

2008-01-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to an all Australia Day weekend here at 37 stitches. I forgot to mention that a typical Australia Day weekend also includes a barbecue (Barbie) involving a truly carnivorous amount of meat and as much beer as is humanly possible to drink. Neither of which we did because I couldn't really be bothered ( which is pretty Aussie in itself really so I won't feel bad).

Anyway, one last Australia Day post - ANZAC biscuits. These are popular here year round but the peaks are Australia Day and ANZAC Day. For those interested in their origin you can read about it here. I would expain that what we call "biscuits" are known as "cookies" to friends in the USA and Canada (and possibly elsewhere) (oh, and what you call "biscuits' we call "scones" - crazy old world aint it?). However, it is apparently illegal to use the word "cookie" with the word "ANZAC" (what the??) so please ignore the previous sentence.

The recipe I use is at least 80 years old and utterly foolproof. It is as follows:

In a large bowl combine:

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cup dessicated coconut

1 cup plain flour

1 cup sugar

In a small saucepan melt:

125g butter

1 tablespoon golden syrup

Mix together:

1.5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

2 tablespoons boiling water

Combine:

melted butter mixture with bicarb mixture (will fizz a little)

then add this to the dry ingredients and mix well

Roll into balls (about the size of large walnuts) and place on a tray lined with baking paper.

Bake in a slow oven for about 12 mins if you like them chewy (I do) or 15 mins if you want them crunchy. (However, all ovens are different, my Granny used to say that you needed to do 3 batches of these in every oven to get them quite right)

Cool on a rack.

Enjoy.

Australia Day Cuisine

2008-01-27T04:07:00.000-08:00

In order to celebrate the Australia Day weekend we have been eating the very classy classic Australian dish- Tuna Mornay. As with any gourmet recipe, there are many variations but I think mine is pretty standard. Basically you just make about 4 cups of cheese sauce (from scratch, just white sauce with a whole heap of cheese melted in once the sauce thickens), mix this with a large can of tuna in springwater (drained and flaked) a large can of corn kernels (drained) a medium bag of pasta spirals (cooked) and salt and pepper to taste. Pour it into a large baking dish, cover with grated cheddar and cook in the oven at about 180 Celsius until the top browns. To jazz it up a bit (special occasion and all that) I sprinkled cornflake crumbs on top before baking. You see I recently found enormous boxes of cornflakes on sale for $1.00. I know, awesome bargain +++, so awesome that the fact we rarely eat cornflakes did little to dissuade me from the purchase and now I have a giant box to somehow use up. But you know what? it kind of worked!!! Big I has asked that the cornflake topping become standard from now on. (small L isn't so sure, he just found it confusing as he is only just beginning to understand the whole breakfast, lunch and dinner thing and why you can't have icecream for breakfast etc. ). My SIL H recommends adding the juice and zest of a lime so I will try this next time along with the cornflakes, I might be on to something here - could be the "Ultimate Tuna Mornay". I'll let you know!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi

2008-01-26T01:58:00.000-08:00

Well bugger me if I didn't almost forget it is Australia Day today (in my defence I rarely know what day of the week it is at the moment let alone the date). Had I thought ahead I might have organised an Australia Day giveaway. Perhaps a packet of these

Maybe next year. Today I will give you something else.

Some time last year, the then Federal Government (concerned that people of undesirable character might try to obtain Australian citizenship) introduced a "citizenship exam" , I know, WTF? For a start, if fanatics can memorise an aircraft manual, surely they can bluff their way through a short and predominantly multiple choice exam. The government explained that the questions were designed to determine an applicant's knowledge of Australian history and also their ability to embrace Australian values and therefore assimilate. Sure.

Anyway, in celebration of today I would like to post a list of sample questions that I was emailed recently. I was assured that these come directly from the exam (although I will concede that I am not 100% positive that this is the case). So, if you like, play along at home and see just how Australian you are.

2007 Australian Citizenship Test

Please answer as best you can within 30 mins.

1. Do you understand the meaning, but are unable to explain the origin of,the term "died in the @rse"? ___________________________________

2. What is a "bloody little beauty"? ___________________________________

3. Are these terms related: chuck a sickie; chuck a spaz; chuck a U-ey? ___________________________________
4. Explain the following passage: "In the arvo last Chrissy the relos rocked up for a barbie, some bevvies and a few snags. After a bit of a Bex and a lie down we opened the pressies, scoffed all the chockies, bickies and lollies. Then we drained a few tinnies and Mum did her block after Dad and Steve had a barney and a bit of biffo."

__________________________________

5. Macca, Chooka and Wanger are driving to Surfers in their Torana. If they are travelling at 100 km/h while listening to Barnsey, Farnsey and AccaDacca, how many slabs will each person on average consume between flashing a brown eye and having a slash? ___________________________

6. Complete the following sentences:
a) "If the van's rockin' don't bother ?
b) You're going home in the back of a ?
c) Fair crack of the ?
_________________________________

7. I've had a gutful and I can't be fagged. Discuss __________________________________

8. Have you ever been on the giving or receiving end of a wedgie? __________________________________

9. Do you have a friend or relative who has a car in their front yard "up on blocks"? Is his name Bruce and does he have a wife called Cheryl? __________________________________

10. Does your family regularly eat a dish involving mincemeat, cabbage,curry powder and a packet of chicken noodle soup called either chow mein,chop suey or kai see ming? __________________________________

11. What are the ingredients in a rissole? __________________________________

12. Demonstrate the correct procedure for eating a Tim Tam.

__________________________________

13. Do you have an Aunty Irene who smokes 30 cigarettes a day and sounds like a bloke?
__________________________________

14. In any two-hour period have you ever eaten three-bean salad, a chop and two serves of pav washed down with someone else's beer that has been flogged from a bath full of ice? __________________________________

15. When you go to a bring- your-own-meat barbie can you eat other people's meat or are you only allowed to eat your own? __________________________________

16. What purple root vegetable beginning with the letter "b" is required by law to be included in a hamburger with the lot? __________________________________
17. Do you own or have you ever owned a lawn mower, a pair of thongs, an Esky or Ugg boots? __________________________________

18. Is it possible to "prang a car" while doing "circle work"?

__________________________________

19. Who would you like to crack on to? __________________________________

20. Who is the most Australian: Kevin "Bloody" Wilson, John "True Blue" Williamson, Kylie Minogue or Warnie? __________________________________

21. Is there someone you are only mates with because they own a trailer or have a pool?
_________________________________

22. What does ' Sinkin piss at a mate's joint and getten para' mean?

The Matzo Ball Boy

2008-01-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

(Picture from Amazon.com)

This is one of Small L's all time favourite books. He picked it out at a bookstore one day and it has been read almost to death since. For those of you unfamiliar with the story it is an adaptation of "The Gingerbread Man" starring a little matzo ball made into the shape of a boy by a lonely bubbe. It really is delightful, whenever the bubbe is mentioned the sentence starts with "Not that she was complaining, but..." and the text is peppered with yiddish which really appeals to Small L (I endured 2 weeks of being called "Yenta" and he has heartily adopted the phrase "Oy vey" into his vocabulary). The matzo ball boy is, of course, somewhat smarter than the Gingerbread man - when the fox tries to trick him and eat him he replies "....I'm not made of gingerbread you know".

Anyway, the book has led to numerous requests/demands for Matzo Ball Soup. Although I suspect it would all end in tears when the matzo balls don't resemble a boy, jump out of the pot, say "boy-shmoy" and run away leaving smears of schmaltz!

Out of interest, I have looked up some recipes on the internet and as with any traditional dish there are hundreds of variations. One recipe suggested that the broth should be made out of up to 8 chickens (i.e. boil up a chicken, remove chicken and fat, boil another chicken in this broth and keep repeating). I am curious as to how many chickens are usually used and am hoping one of my friends can enlighten me.

Progress Pic - Bears

2008-01-22T17:12:00.000-08:00

Well here it is, my albatross. I am pleased to say that not only can I tick this monthly goal off my list but I can give myself 2 ticks as I have far exceeded my aim. As you can see I have resorted to griding - there are 7 shades of "white" in the bears jacket and the confetti was driving me nuts. Small L has bagsed it and you can see his bear, Spencer, modelling for this pic. I need to get on and finish this one while bears are still popular around here!

Lost in Translation

2008-01-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

Small L :"Mum, Mum, I need a womb stick for my magic Asian" .

Me (stalling for time while all these freaky visuals rush through my mind): "What for?"

Small L (looking at me like I am the dumbest human on the planet): "to fly on"

Me (totally confused but not wanting to admit it): "What a shame, we are fresh out of womb sticks"

Small L (indignantly): " No we are not! You tell the truth. I am very cross with you".

He then went to the garage, stormed back in and said "see!!"

Turns out he wanted a "broomstick for his imagination". Stupid me.

About Me

2008-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

I stole this countdown idea from Jennifer (Sweet Pea) as I thought it might be fun. Please understand that these lists are not in any way exhaustive as it would be way too hard to narrow stuff down. Given that I am trying the crazy lady motif on for size this month I did kind of a word association thing and banged out the first things that came into my head (in no particular order).

12 places I have been

USA
England
Ireland
Scotland
Northern Ireland
Austria
Czech Republic
Italy
New Zealand
Fiji
Switzerland
Denmark

11 things about me

I have absolutely no sense of direction.
I love the cold but hate the heat (so the fact that I live in a sub tropical climate makes no sense whatsoever)
I started a law degree but never finished it
I am morbidly afraid of dead animals (can't even deal with a dead goldfish)
I abhor bullying and refuse to be bullied (which in one case led to a frivolous lawsuit being brought against me. While it was no fun, it ended in a spectacular win for me and I gained the admiration of many people way more important than me who had been threatened and intimidated by this person in the past. The best bit was seeing the cheque for $4o,ooo that the plaintiff had to write to cover my legal costs).
I love storage systems and label makers and any other organising tools. I love seeing neatly organised shelves and cupboards. I miss the organised home I once had when I lived by myself and had plenty of time on my hands.
I am a night owl. I am the most un-morning person I know and have great difficulty waking up in the morning. I never wake early without an alarm (and sometimes sleep straight through an alarm) and have been known to press the snooze button up to 9 times.
I was born in the UK to Australian parents and came to Australia before my second birthday. Imagine my surprise when I enrolled to vote at the age of 18 only to find I was not an Australian citizen (apparently the stamp across my baby passport photo stating "this child is not an Australian citizen" was too subtle for my parents).
For 10 years I was a senior midwife in the busiest labour ward in the southern hemisphere.
I don't think we should have ever left the 80's, they were a blast.
I am motherless. I deeply miss having a mother. (A bit morbid and sad but a significant part of who I am).

10 good musical artists

Mika
Scissor Sisters
Paul Kelly
The Whitlams
Missy Higgins
Tim Minchin
Ben Folds
Death Cab for Cutie
Any 80's pop band
My brother Russ

9 favourite foods / drinks

Diet coke with lime
Lamb
Salmon
Cookie Dough icecream
Pasta
Figs
ice cold beer / G&T/ Moscow Mules on a hot and lazy day
Chicken Penang curry (or any Thai food really)
anything fatty and salty

8 things I love

My boys (all 3 of them)
Satire
Books
Music
Babies
Snow and skiing (I suck at skiing but love it with a passion)
Anything to do with a needle and thread
Stationery

7 things I want

A bigger house
LCD TV
My pre baby body
Gym membership (see#3)
A "Do" room (my Granny coined the phrase a long time ago - its a room, just for me, that I can do things in)
A moderate to major Lotto win (sure, money doesn't buy you happiness. It does, however, get you a much better brand of misery)
World Peace (well I would hate anyone to think I lacked depth)

6 things I do daily

Wash my hair
Read the newspaper
write lists
Check my emails and try not to get sucked into facebook yet again
Play with my kids (and change dirty diapers - TMI? It's a big part of my day)
Think a hole in the wall

5 things I hate

Getting up early
Clothes without sleeves
Hypocrisy
Poor customer service
Cruelty

4 movies I love

Napoleon Dynamite
Bridget Jones' Diary
The Breakfast Club
Moulin Rouge

3 TV shows I watch

Neat
Spicks and Specks
Scrubs

2 things I say often

"Liam, NO!!!!!"
"It's not me, it's them, it's not me, it's them etc. etc." (O.K so this is a reassuring internal monologue for the days I am convinced the world has gone mad)

1 person I could spend the rest of my life with

Well, the obvious answer is Big I but I don't want to be boring so I'll say:

John Cusak

Happy Surprise

2008-01-15T20:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks everyone, I'm feeling much better now. I went to the gym yesterday and hit the cardio equipment as hard as I could, stopping just short of having a stroke. As I stumbled out I realised that, although exhausted, I felt better than I have in a long time. I'm on the go all day with my 2 little boys but haven't done an intense cardio workout since I found out I was pregnant with tiny R 18 months ago. I now recognise the urgent need to make some space for regular focused exercise and will add it to the top of my mental to do list.

So I'm already brighter when I go to my mailbox and what do I find?

My runner-up prize from SammyJo's Mr Christmas competition. (For the record, I nominated Sportacus from LazyTown - hey, I don't get out much and only get to watch children's television these days. Believe me this guy can move, oh and the hot bod! You have to ignore the stupid mo and irritating character but, let's face it, I wasn't voting on personality). Anyway, I digress. Just check out this exquisite fob. It is perfect and tiny and oh so delicate. Stunningly beautiful stitching and finishing. I've photographed it on some mints for perspective so you can see how intricate it is. )For those of you who don't know SammyJo, she is 17 and already an accomplished stitcher and crafter, she is amazing).

SammyJo's theme was "Winter" and she included some fabulous DMC in gorgeous winter colours with a beautiful card.

Thank you. thank you, thank you SammyJo - I am thrilled. Blue is my favourite colour and winter my favourite season and I adore handmade (especially stitched) things so this is absolutely perfect. I love it. You have made my day!!!

Because I've had one (well 2 actually)

2008-01-13T17:48:00.000-08:00

I have known it was coming for some time now. The big problem with ordinarily being a very together person is that people expect to rely on you (and not the other way around). You're not really taken very seriously when you suggest it might be getting a little much, because you can and have handled anything. Even you ignore yourself in the hope that stuff will just fix itself.

Well, that last straw fell on the heap, the planets aligned and, um, something went "ping" and I kind of channelled Britney for a moment (i.e. lost the plot). I think had the circumstances been different the meltdown would have been rather cathartic. I would be feeling relieved that the only way is up and ready to bounce back and get on with the show. As luck would have it, we had unexpected guests at the time. Super.

(Please excuse the temporary self indulgent negativity. I am relying on the theory that a problem shared is indeed a burden halved).

Small L's Birth Sampler

2008-01-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post a pic of Small L's birth sampler that I completed about 3 years ago. As with Tiny R, I wanted something that was simple and would appeal to a little boy. This choice was quite sentimental for me as I adored Miffy as a child - I still have a couple of old worn Miffy books in my bookshelf. Small L loves it, he loves seeing his name up on the wall and reading out the numbers and letters. It came in kit form so I don't have material details. I do, however, remember that the fibres were particularly unfriendly - knotting, fraying and just generally being unlovable. But I got there in the end and I quite like it.

Letter J progress

2008-01-10T02:09:00.000-08:00

One goal down, 3 to go. I've reached roughly the 75% mark on Letter J. I'm tempted to keep going as I am enjoying it so much but I thought I should at least try to achieve the January goals I set such a short while ago. Here's a pic:

Dilemma

2008-01-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

We have a fridge in our garage (which I think might have come over on the First Fleet). It is the booze fridge. It is Big I's domain. Having been either pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding for the past 5 years, I've not had much cause to visit it. It houses beer, a few nice bottles of wine and a graveyard of undrinkable stuff that has found its way here and has nowhere else to go. Big I has been mumbling about the fridge needing defrosting for some time now but has not made any positive steps in this direction. I decided to check it out for myself and found this:

Apart from the polar icecap it houses a tier from our wedding cake. I never even knew we had this!!! Now I don't know what to do. It's either chocolate or white chocolate mudcake (we had tiers of each) and after almost 6 years I doubt it would be edible. Do I figure that I haven't missed it so far so I might as well chuck it out, feel guilty and harbour an anxiety that I have fallen foul of some sort of wedding cake superstition (I'm not really a superstitious person hence I am unsure of what to be superstitious about). Or, do I keep it and feel guilty about the frivilous use of valuable freezer real estate (and fearful that I am becoming the crazy hoarder that I am genetically programmed to be - more on this in another post)?

What to do, what to do, what to do?

January Goals

2008-01-06T04:16:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? We have been busy catching up and cleaning up and we are almost on top of things again. So, time to set some stitching goals.

Before I get to that I just have to say that I gave my 8 year old niece, Z, "Mary Kirby - Home" for Christmas. She came over today and very excitedly told me how much she loves stitching and that she has almost finished it already. It's lovely to see the art of stitching passing on down the line and I am very grateful to have nieces who so kindly indulge my girly side! I think that my appreciation of them will continue to grow as the testosterone levels in my house increase!

Anyway, back to the goals which are as follows:

Start reproducing Great Grandmother's sampler. Finish 1 band.
Start Sampler Gameboard. Finish 1 motif.
Complete 75% of Letter J.
Stitch 4 10x10 squares of Bears in Chair.

I am going to try to get ahead with some of the above so that I can SAL with Holley on Taj whenever she "twists my arm" :).

Better Late Than Never (and another 12 months is too long to wait)

2008-01-02T07:11:00.001-08:00

I really wanted to post this for Christmas but couldn't find a decent clip on YouTube. One has appeared so I've decided to make hay while the sun shines and share it. It's my favourite Christmas song by one of my favourite Australian artists, Paul Kelly. It's called "How to Make Gravy" and is basically a lad calling his brother from prison and imagining what he will be missing on Christmas day (and wondering who will be making the gravy - normally his contribution to the day). It seems he is good at heart but has made a bad decision and is now separated from his family whom he loves very much. Its also one of the very few Christmas songs that describe a hot day rather than cold and snow! I don't know why but this song always brings a tear to my eye. I hope you enjoy it.

Happy New Year (oh, and a letter J progress pic)

2007-12-31T03:28:00.000-08:00

Well, over in this hemisphere there are only a couple of hours left for 2007. Its been a very good year for me with, of course, the safe arrival of tiny R. He's not the only new thing, however, I also got a new kitchen, half a new bedroom, a new blog and new friends to go with it! Thank you to everyone who reads this blog, special thanks to anyone who has left a comment - they really make my day and it has been wonderful to meet you all. (For the lurkers, don't be shy ;)- I would love to hear from you). I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering the wealth of creative blogs and sites on the internet and have drawn so much inspiration from so many of them. I am really looking forward to following along with everyone for another year.

I haven't set any specific goals for 2008 yet but in a broad sense I would like to find time to be more creative and also to make more things for my boys. There are a couple of stitching pieces I would like to finish and some I would love to start. I'm thinking of starting Sampler Gameboard on a "motif per month" basis which will give me a new start but still leave plenty of space for things that have been in progress for far too long!

Anyway, I wish every one of you all the best for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2008. To quote Mr Dynamite "just listen to your heart, that's what I'd do". May all your wildest dreams come true!

P.S Here's my progress on letter J, not much I know but the end of year craziness kind of got in the way. I'm hoping for an early 2008 finish for this one.

Christmas and the Wonderful M!

2007-12-29T05:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas has been lovely. The positives far outweighed the negatives (e.g. ILs) and we are all happy but tired. Small L is now old enough to have an idea about what is going on and there were times I thought he might burst with excitement. Christmas lunch at my brother S's was wonderful, the food, drink and company were second to none. Yesterday we headed up to my Aunty H's for our traditional Christmas time "Cousin's Catch Up" and had a great day enjoying the most fabulous of feasts in the company of extended family. Always one of my favourite parts of Christmas.

As for the second part of the title, I am so thrilled I just had to blog about it! My SIL M and brother R decided that they would make most of their gifts this year. After receiving mine I can categorically state that not only is M the most creative person I know but also the most thoughtful. Check this out:

M reads my blog and as you can see she incorporated the name of my blog with my undying love of stitching and of buttons (both of which I have blogged about in the past)into the most gorgeous overdyed felt notebook cover. The picture doesn't do it justice, it truly is divine and I will cherish it always - thank you so much M - I absolutely love it. Oh, and check out the button booty that came with it - I am in heaven! But that's not all, my Brother R made notebooks using old vinyl albums (remember those?!) for covers and I got one of them as well!!

One of my all time favourite records - the Grease soundtrack, very groovy! Thanks R, I love it too!

Small L got the most marvelous moneybox (I cannot put into words his love of moneyboxes except to say there is never any loose change lying around here, he pinches it the moment it leaves our hands). He is very amused that the moneybox is disguised as a book and has his name on the spine. I would post a picture but it is in his bed (yep, he adores it so much he sleeps with it).

Big I was thrilled to get a set of handmade Robbie Williams coasters, they are amazing and, of course, one of a kind which makes them extra special indeed. I don't think I will ever be allowed to use them!

Needless to say M and R are a very clever pair and I have my fingers crossed that they will be making next year's presents as well!!

Happy Birthday Big I

2007-12-25T05:45:00.000-08:00

Just scraping it in in the final minutes of the 25th and in a post all of its own (because I know how much you hate certain other festivities always overshadowing your big day). Happy 40th Birthday Big I - we love you!!!!!

'Twas the night before the night before Christmas....

2007-12-23T07:21:00.000-08:00

Well there's only 1 pocket without a dangly now so that means only 1 more sleep till Christmas. Small L is bursting with excitement and the threat of 'phoning Santa has been an extraordinarily effective parenting tool - instant behavioural changes that even Supernanny couldn't dream of. Maybe it makes me a bad mother but I will miss this strategy - I'm not sure that the Easter Bunny will be such a powerful motivator! I get a real kick out of small L's unbridled Christmas joy and wonderment and the fact that this is tiny R's first Christmas makes it that tiny bit extra special.

I'm nowhere near ready for the arrival of Big I's parents tomorrow and am already feeling overwhelmed and a little wound up in anticipation. I always find being crammed in this little house together a bit of a challenge but I'm sure the kids will keep me too busy to think about it much this year!

I'm looking forward to a fun Christmas lunch at my brother's house and the good news is that the forecast is for a relatively cool day (28c as opposed to the usual mid 30's). Big I also turns 40 on Christmas day so I think there may also be a surprise or two for him as well (even though he is being very grumpy about the B-day thing and insisting that it pass without acknowledgement).

Anyway, I just wanted to wish you and your family & friends a happy and safe Christmas - I hope the joys outweigh the inevitable stressors and your day is everything you would like it to be.

I need to go help Santa now so I'll leave you with a not very good pic of my tree, which is far prettier in real life.

Bedroom -during

2007-12-20T03:06:00.000-08:00

The latest excitement around here is the work in progress that is our "new" bedroom. I didn't get any absolute before pics as work had started by the time I remembered the camera. Here is the closest to a "before" shot:

It doesn't look anywhere near as hideous in the picture as it did in real life. The carpet was horrible el cheapo stuff that we installed about 8 years ago when we thought we would be selling the house that year. Needless to say, it did not wear well. Apart from the fact that the dog had ripped it away from the floor all around the perimeter (see previous post re Maisie) it was worn, stained and generally nasty.

The blue furniture was somewhat sentimental. I underwent hospital based R.N training (showing my age here) and when I started the hospital "encouraged" (i.e. made your life a misery if you did not conform) student nurses to live in the Nurses Quarters where we could be controlled and intimidated 24 hours a day rather than just the 9 hours we were on the wards. However, during my second year the hospital suddenly decided that it was all too much bother and we were all unceremoniously kicked out. Having to fork out for rent, bond, utilities etc on a student nurse's wage meant that my colleagues and I were too broke to afford luxuries like furniture.

After several months of storing my entire wardrobe on an ironing rack I scraped together enough money to buy some drawers at a raw pine shop. They were cheap and nasty so I decided to try and make them groovy, or at least unusual, by staining them blue. I remember going to the local hardware shop to pick up the blue stain that I had ordered and the guy behind the counter asking me what I was using it for. I told him and in true Aussie bloke style, he looked me in the eye and said "but that'll look shit". I thanked him for his input and complimented him on his own superior sense of style as evidenced by his attire: torn and paint splattered Stubbies shorts that exposed an alluring few centimetres of bum crack, faded, ripped and sweat stained cut off flannel shirt and a moderate tattoo:teeth ratio.

I spent the next few nights staining and varnishing and was quite pleased with how they turned out. They have served me well for 19 years. However, as I am rapidly approaching the end of my 30's it's probably time for a grown up bedroom.

So:

Here is the new floor. Unhandy Big I and a friend have partially installed it after much mucking around (I should have stayed and supervised) but the boards are down and the aesthetics (trim etc.) can wait I guess.

And the best bit.........

The furniture!!!! It is so lovely I can't even begin to describe it. The king sized bed is divine and even though the room is unfinished, I feel like I am waking up in a 5 star hotel. There is a tallboy that is not pictured and two bedsides - the wood just gleams. It's so exciting - I really, really, really want to get some new pillows and bits and pieces to create a perfect retreat. Alas, it's Christmas and the budget won't stretch there at the moment. Oh well, at least I've heaps of time to look around and find the perfect accessories.

I'm a very happy camper.

WIP Number 2

2007-12-15T04:43:00.000-08:00

This one is the albatross around my neck. I'm not sure why, maybe it is partly because it's quite different from what I would normally choose to do. It's one of those pieces that I quite enjoy while I am actually stitching it but when I put it away it is sometimes hard to drag it out. It's called "Bears in a Chair" and is 2 vintage bears sitting, surprisingly, in a chair. I've used the recommended 3 over 2 and while I enjoy the contrast of the "chunkiness" compared to the other pieces I'm working on, the stitches seem a bit messy close up. It's full of pesky fractional stitches that slow things down and seem, well, gratuitous in this case. The linen is quite a loose weave, which I don't enjoy in comparison to some of the lovely evenweaves I've stitched on recently. The colours are a lot nicer than they appear in this washed out photo.

The chart was a gift from Big I who found it when a department store was selling out all of their craft lines. Big I asked me to stitch it for the nursery wall and I started it with very good intentions when pregnant with small L 4 years ago. It wasn't finished in time for his "babyhood" so it was put away and picked up again just before tiny R was born. I feel quite guilty that it is not yet finished and this guilt seems to be surpassing my enjoyment of other pieces. So I'm planning to prioritise this one on the new year and focus on it until it is finished. Now that I've documented this plan, I guess I'm committed. Feel free to nag me if you don't see progress pics of it in January!!

Update on Big I's Big Toe

2007-12-14T06:35:00.000-08:00

I feel like I have been neglecting my blog already but so much has been happening around here that fun stuff has kind of taken a back seat. Poor Big I is still very sore and sorry although for the first couple of days he was more bothered by the pain in his butt where he had a tetanus shot! Now that the anaesthetic has worn off the pain from his toe has returned and he is not a happy camper. He's either grimacing with pain or dazed and confused by his pain meds, which means that he is even less handy than usual :) (hats off to all you single mothers out there). Thanks for the kind comments and good advice, I ran down the street and took some photos and we are certainly hanging on to all the bills. The good news is that, after some initial buck passing, we have been advised that the company responsible would like to consider financial settlement. We will draft up something over the weekend and see how it goes, in the meantime I'm just feeling really sorry for Big I and hoping that the wound continues to heal well.

The best laid plans etc. etc.

2007-12-10T04:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I don't really know where the time goes but we have been frantically busy with not much to show for it. I had cleared the decks tonight, however, for a lovely evening of relaxation and stitching, finishing with a blog progress pic of Letter J and maybe a little story about how I joined facebook yesterday and how much fun it is.

It didn't happen.

Just as I sat down Big I lunged through the door from walking the dog and practically slumped in a chair. On closer inspection I realised his big toenail had been almost completely severed from the nailbed and he was in quite a bit of pain.

I've talked about the *&^%$$$*&$##@ roadworks outside our house in a previous post and they have struck again!!! It's hot tonight so Big I wore thongs (we call "flip flops" thongs - don't be getting any spooky visuals!!) and walked along the footpath which is roped off from the road and clearly marked with signage that screams "Pedestrian Access". The ground is wet from some rain we had tonight and, although it probably put up a valiant fight, conditions were just too much for the thin stick that was meant to be holding up a heavy metal (and as it turned out razor-sharp edged) roadworks sign. As a consequence it was laying flat and disguised on the grassy path. It ambushed Big I and managed to wedge itself between the toenail and the nailbed. He is currently at the hospital having a compound scrub, removal of the nail, local anaesthetic infiltration, antibiotics and a tetanus shot ($380.00). We are both looking forward to the argy bargy over liability and duty of care that will inevitably follow.

Excuse me while I chant.......in with peace, out with calm, in with peace, out with calm etc. etc. etc.

Introducing Maisie

2007-12-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

Karen from Little Cat Blogs has asked about our dog Maisie who is pictured in my sidebar. Her full name is Maisie Fantayzee Pickwick True Brit. Maisie because I have always loved the name, even though everyone else hates it and I would never in a million years be allowed to use it for a two legged child! Fantayzee is an 80's joke/tribute to the band Haysi Fantayzee (apologies to those of you who will now have "Shiny Shiny" stuck in your head for the next 24 hours). Pickwick True Brit is her pedigree name given to her by her breeder.

Maisie was originally going to be kept as a show dog but at 3 months old, the breeder thought her legs were not going to be long enough (how fickle) so she was put up for sale. Luckily I was in the right place at the right time and the rest is history.

Rather than live out her life in a concrete kennel being made to perform on command, Maisie spends her days in comparative luxury. She is Big I's first ever pet and although he was adamant about not wanting a dog, he has spoiled her ridiculously from the moment she moved in 5 years ago.

Sorry, Karen, she is a pure bred Jack Russell Terrier (but you don't have to tell your DH if you don't want to!!! I won't). She has a broken coat which is kind of halfway between the smooth and rough varieties of Jacky's. The sidebar photo was taken during a "shaggy" phase when her coat was full length. However, when we get her clipped in the summer (see recent pic below) she looks like a smooth coat. The haircut also takes years off her age (lucky thing) she always looks like a baby again.

She is a big dog in a little dog's body, afraid of nothing except, bizarrely, the bell on the Home Icecream truck. Despite her breed she has never dug a hole - she has filled them in however much to Big I's frustration when trying to dig post holes! She has never chewed a shoe or any other household item although she is somewhat of a toy thief - detailed and lengthy hostage negotiations were required one particular Christmas day to free my niece's Swan Lake Barbie. Despite the fact that she is the perfect dog in every other way, there was one isolated incident when her genetic programming re chasing-vermin-down-holes-and-not-giving-up-until-the-kill kicked in. A possum moved into the crawlspace under our bedroom floor resulting in the "de-carpeting" of the entire room. Almost got her listed in the Weekend Shopper. Thankfully there have been no such repeats.

She is a loyal companion and, most importantly, the only other girl in the house. Without her I would be overwhelmingly outnumbered!

Medical Research

2007-12-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

Since going on Mat. leave to have tiny R I have been a bit slack about keeping my finger on the pulse of medical research. As I will be returning to work soon I am trying to muster some enthusiasm for doing a bit of catching up. A large part of me can't be bothered - let's face it there are so many better places to hang out on the www than PubMed. Luckily a friend emailed me this today:

"A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his forehead while he is on fire.

No further studies are expected."

I don't even need to see the method or the stats to concur.

I've been called worse..........

2007-12-03T04:34:00.000-08:00

You Are Eggnog

Rich, sweet, and probably a little drunk. Everyone who knows you tends to get a little fatter.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Advent Calender Finished!

2007-11-30T21:32:00.000-08:00

Well it came down to the wire but I got it done in time and I'm really pleased with it. I think it looks rather groovy, but most of all - I made something for my boys!! In case you haven't been following along, the idea comes from Allsorts which is a wonderful blog, full of great ideas, free patterns, beautifully illustrated games and a whole heap of cool stuff.

I changed it very slightly, using blanket stitch around the edges and making pointy flaps on the pockets. I free form chain stitched the numbers, so some are a little "rustic" (come in number 22). It's hung on some stitched grosgrain ribbon and each pocket contains a little chocolate Santa or chocolate coin and a "dangly" to hang over the button once the pocket has been emptied. Next year I think I will pop little messages to the boys in the pockets as well (gift ideas for Mummy perhaps??).

We don't have a mantle (although I would LOVE a fireplace - not to use, just to look at) so I've hung it above our (decidedly non-festive at the moment) buffet on those little hooks that claim not to remove the paint when you pull them off (we'll see).

Now for the tree................................

Traitor

2007-11-29T02:40:00.000-08:00

Tiny R is now 7 and a bit months old. Apart from 3x1 hour trips to the dentist for root canal treatment, I have been with him for every single minute of the last 7 and a bit months. For the first 6 months I was up breastfeeding every 3 hours every night. I have washed every piece of clothing he has used, done every bath, lovingly prepared every puree and spent his every waking minute diligently attending his every need. I have worried, panicked, checked and re-checked. It would be altogether too much information to describe the residual effect pregnancy has had on my body (if only I had known years ago that the pre-pregnancy body I spent so much time hating would later seem like the bod of a goddess!!). And my reward?? He said his first word today................."Dad". And then went on to repeat this word continually until finally falling asleep 2 hours later.

It is a very good thing he comes in such a cute package!

Big I is being as smug as only Big I can be. I am hoping, however, that rather than crying when he wakes in the night tiny R will now call out his new word. I will smile to myself, prod Big I and say "you'd better go darling, he wants you", roll over and drift happily back to sleep. (Well that's what happens in my head anyway).

In other news, I have been a bit distracted by some ongoing and serious problems with my Dad's health so haven't indulged in much fun stuff. I did squeeze in a little stitching on Taj (and enjoyed it immensely), I'll post a progress pic soon. The last minute panic has set in with the Advent Calender and I'm concentrating all my efforts on getting it finished by Saturday.

From the Kitchen

2007-11-24T04:58:00.000-08:00

This is my new(ish) kitchen. We re-did it earlier this year and I'm thrilled with it. It's not exactly my dream kitchen but compared to what was here and in light of the limitations of space and a very tight budget I think it's great. Now that I have a "proper" kitchen I am enjoying cooking again but still detest cleaning up and, with 2 small children in tow, I find grocery shopping reasonably unpleasant also.

As I don't have any stitching pics to share today I thought I would post a pic of last nights dinner (a family favourite) and the recipe for anyone looking for a quick, easy and tasty dish.
Ingredients:

peanut oil

3 lightly beaten eggs

280g noodles (I like dried organic Udon but any Asian noodle would do)

2 cloves garlic, crushed
600g meat (beef, lamb or chicken etc) cut into strips
80ml kecap manis
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
about 4 cups vegetables (I used red capsicum, carrot, zucchini, shallots and mushrooms) matchsticked where possible or finely sliced.

Heat a little oil in a wok over high heat. Tip egg into wok and swirl wok to make a thin omelette. Remove when cooked and when cool enough, roll up and cut into thin strips.

Cook noodles, drain and set aside.

In batches, brown meat with garlic in a little oil

Return meat to wok with vegetables and sauces . Toss over high heat until vegetables are cooked. Add noodles and mix through.

Remove from heat and add omelette strips.

Enjoy!

My Head, and Other Stuff.

2007-11-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

Well not much fun has been had around here lately due to the return of the dreaded migraines. I have been on the cusp (other migrainous sisters will know what I mean) for days and the limited medication I am allowed while breastfeeding has kept the pain at a manageable level but the other symptoms (one sided weakness, visual disturbances and head full of cotton wool) remain. The cruel thing is that from about the 16th week of pregnancy, my headaches completely disappear and I virtually cannot get one no matter what I do. This lucky streak continues to a point (8 months or so) while I breastfeed and then suddenly and without warning I get the mother of all migraines and its time to be careful about my triggers again (too much salicylate and too little sleep).

I'm hoping to finally shake this today so I can stitch along with Holley on Taj over the weekend.

Despite my highly pressurised head, I have continued to check out "Handmade Holidays" over at Sew, Mama, Sew. Each day is a new topic with links to great tutorials on super cool creative blogs. The craft library in my head is full to overflowing and I can't wait to play with some of these ideas. Well worth checking out.

Letter J

2007-11-20T16:48:00.001-08:00

A tiny bit more progress. I'm enjoying stitching and watching this one take shape (which is a good thing given I have at least 3 more to go).

I knew it (even if no-one else can tell).

2007-11-19T05:19:00.000-08:00

How evil are you?

Birth Sampler

2007-11-19T02:19:00.000-08:00

I finished this for Tiny R about three months ago and I am now searching for a good framer. Its called "Alphabet Birth Sampler" by The Historical Sampler Company (who provide excellent customer service by the way including charting personalisations for free). Very simple but I love it. I really wanted something that would appeal to a little boy (after all, it's his to keep and is hanging in his room) and this seems to hit the spot - Small L loves naming the numbers, letters and animals.

The picture looks crooked as it is taken outside laying on uneven grass, I assure you it is straight in real life.

And here is the back, just because I made an extra special effort to be a proper stitcher and I'm kind of proud of it!

The observant reader might think it's strange that the picture clearly shows Tiny R's name yet I don't use it within the text of my blog. The reason for this is as follows: I'm returning to work soon and reliable reports are that my workplace is a metaphorical car crash at present. This being the case, I may wish to "debrief" from time to time in my little bloggy safe space. However, a certain person is apparently placing colleagues under surveillance, covertly taping face to face conversations and all sorts of other wacky stuff, so I'm just being proactive and reducing the chances of being Googled and all of the rubbish that would inevitably follow.

(P.S. If you are that "certain person" and you've found me, Hello........ and GET PROFESSIONAL HELP).

It's Getting Kind of Creepy Around Here

2007-11-18T18:07:00.001-08:00

We may not have Halloween here in Australia, but we sure have Movember. I have tried to ignore it for as long as I can however it's getting kind of obvious now (what with the two week growth). My apologies to anyone who has a mo, and please don't take this personally, but I can't stand them. My Gramps died when I was 5 and the only thing I can remember him telling me is "never trust a man with a moustache" - to this day I just can't. My discomfort borders on phobia, and given that at estimated 40,000 men have embraced this (admittedly very noble) cause I feel like I'm in one of those horror movies with the high pitched shrieking music where everywhere I turn there is a mo and no escape. I am in my own private hell.

Little Pockets

2007-11-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

Just to prove that I have made a little headway despite some obstacles this week. I am about halfway through sewing up these wee little pockets for the advent calender I am making. They are quick and fun and don't really require any thought - kind of chewing gum for the hands really. I'll embroider the numbers next then look for some little treats to fill them with. I hope to have it pretty much finished by the end of the week.

Dinner with the Fam.

2007-11-16T01:45:00.000-08:00

We had all my family over for dinner last night. It's not often that we are all in the same place at the same time so getting together is a rare treat. It is loud, chaotic, busy and a lot of fun. I kind of lost track of what all the kids were up to but found this message on the blackboard outside this morning. Yes, lamb was on the "meanyew" and we certainly did "ingoy" it!

Not much progress on the crafty side of things due to Tiny R being very sick and miserable and, consequently, me being frantic with worry. Thankfully, he seems to be on the mend now (and might even go to sleep tonight) so I am hoping to spend the entire evening in my PJs on the couch with needle and thread in my hand. Fingers crossed.

A Community Service Announcement

2007-11-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

In this life, my friends, you are either a list maker or you are not. I am a list maker. My whole life is about lists and notes, I just don't function without them. Sure, I appreciate that sewerage and electrical systems have had a positive impact on the quality of modern life but not, I would argue, to the extent that Post-its and magnetic fridge note pads have.

I am the product of a list maker. My mother had piles of Spirax notebooks, all crammed with lists. She wrote everything down, and if it was something she didn't want anyone to read she wrote it in Pitmans shorthand. Big I is not a list maker. In fact, he refuses to scribble so much as a reminder note. He complains about me to anyone who will listen "she makes lists of lists for God's sake".

Funnily enough, I am yet to embrace the modern technology that would seem to be a list-maker's dream. I don't own a Palm Pilot or Blackberry and composing Excel spreadsheets is a skill that has so far eluded me (Oh, the shame!). I do use the Outlook To-Do list a work but can't stop myself from printing it off and scribbling on it throughout the day (much to the amusement of our in-house tech-head).

Imagine my sheer delight at finding Sasha Cagen's To-Do List blog. Excellent stuff. Oh, and there's a book as well!!!!! (Excuse me for a moment while I breathe into a paper bag).

As Sasha says: " ....every day, a new person starts to write lists in Outlook, on a cell phone, a web-based to-do list program. Not that I am opposed to these devices (I sometimes use them!) but I believe that handwritten lists are the holy grail of listmaking and we can't let the handwritten list slip away!"

So if you have too much time on your hands and are looking for a good cause, I urge you pop on over and pick this one. I, for one will be doing my bit.

Here's 2 I Prepared Earlier

2007-11-12T02:43:00.000-08:00

In the interests of padding out this rather empty blog and to delay having to post progress pics until I've made reasonable progress :) I thought I would post some pics of my favourite stitching from many years ago.

This is a souvenir from my super fun trip to the USA in '97. It's called "Alamo Square" by Debbie Patrick and is part of the "Victorian Across America" series. I picked up this kit in San Francisco as I loved these houses and thought a stitched piece would be so much more special than a postcard or photograph. I stitched it as soon as I returned home and enjoyed every minute of it. It has hung on the lounge room wall (I moved it to try and get a decent pic.) ever since and is Big I's favourite of all the things I have made.

This one is by Cross Eyed Cricket, from memory I think it is called (surprisingly) "Alphabet". I did this one about 11 years ago. there are some minor colour conversions and a couple of personalisations. I changed the flag to the Australian flag so "U" in this one stands for "Union Jack". X was meant to be for "X-stitch" but I altered it slightly so that it now stands for "xygote" - a little reproductive joke in honour of my years in midwifery and anyway, that's what it looked like to me when I first saw the chart (hmmmm, kind of like ink blots, I wonder what this says about me???). It hangs in the nursery so small L once enjoyed it and now it's tiny R's turn.

Progress Picture

2007-11-10T03:11:00.000-08:00

Here is the teeny tiny progress on my M Designs letter. It's kind of sort of almost starting to look like a "J" now!

Too Funny

2007-11-10T02:55:00.001-08:00

On very busy days small L's wild imagination and insistence on attention to the very finest detail can be exasperating but mostly it makes me laugh. A lot. Today it was too hot for outside play so I told him I would take my car out of the garage and he could ride in there. His response was "great, I'll go and get ready". A few minutes later he reappeared.....

In, apparently this season's cycling must-haves. Along with the Thomas backpack and the Wiggles gumboots but not visible in the picture is the fake MP3 player happy meal toy clipped to his pants. He rode around happily like this for ages.

Tonight I refused him a 3rd helping of chocolate pudding and he replied "That hurts my feelings. If you can't be nice you can go to your room and stay there". If only. Oh! how I dream of being sent to my room (and fed and bathed and put to bed at 7.30).

Plans for the Weekend

2007-11-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

I've gathered my supplies for the Advent Calender I mentioned in a recent post. My lovely SIL H very kindly found me a stack of white felt and I headed out later in the afternoon to find some floss and some buttons. The floss was easy enough but the button section was pretty much devoid of anything remotely suitable. I decided to persevere and joined the enquiry queue. Problem was that the person dealing with counter enquiries was also dealing with telephone enquiries, so every time the phone rang counter service ground to a halt. I somehow resisted the urge to whip out my mobile phone and call the desk with my enquiry from my position in the queue. Eventually I was directed to the "Christmas Section", at this point a festive square metre of shelving under a table of fabric bolts. My efforts were rewarded however with the most fabulous bag of Christmas button booty I have ever seen. 250g of every size and shape of button in an array of wonderful Christmas colours.

My deep seated love of buttons stems from my childhood when the ultimate treat (reserved for illness or truly exceptional behaviour) was to play with the "button tin". To this day I love the sound and the feel of a mound of buttons falling through my hands. I'm so happy to have these to add to my collection but to allay my equally deep seated fear of becoming a hoarder beyond any sort of help (a trait that runs in my family I'm afraid) I will have to think of a bottonny project or two to at least use some of them (any suggestions gratefully received).

Big I has to go to work both Saturday and Sunday evening so I'm hoping the kids will play nice and go to bed without a fight so I can settle in and get a start. I am really looking forward to it and will hopefully be able to post some progress pics soon.

Roadworks (long and whiney)

2007-11-08T02:02:00.000-08:00

This post is simply to get something off my chest so feel free to skip it (of course if you sympathise with me and would like to leave a comment it might make me feel a whole lot better!).

Well, our home used to be so peaceful - we only have neighbours on 2 sides, have a large nature reserve on the opposite side of the street and to our left what used to be a quiet road between us and more bushland and park. Then the council decided to link up the end of the quiet road (that used to be a dead end) to another road a short distance away. No biggie, the end of the road is about a km from here so far enough away not to bother us. Ahem, then some bright spark decided it would be a good idea to widen and resurface the entire road (several km long) remove the hills by blasting the rock and set up the site depot in the park beside our house. There was widespread community outrage and protest which we declined to participate in figuring that it was progress and that with all the rules and regulations that surround roadbuilding it couldn't be that bad, we could live with it. And so it started.

We have had nearly 12 months of hell. The contractors cut every corner possible and breach every regulation yet the authorities seem powerless. They don't use water like they are supposed to and we are in a drought so dirt just pours into the house, constantly. We asked the council for some assistance to replace our vented windows and were told that the contractors use dust monitors and assure them that the dust is not bad. I invited them around to observe the dirt pouring in through the windows but they declined. The dirt and dust renders our deck unlivable which has a significant detrimental affect on a Queensland lifestyle.

We were given Sundays off for respite from the noise and dust. However, that meant that the roadworkers were at a loose end and what better way to fill in a day off (and utilise the newly rough and dirty terrain of road construction) than by holding noisy trail bike races.all.day.long. The banning of this activity due to our complaints left the workers dumbstruck, what harm were they doing?

The constant safety beeps outside our house are like an alarm clock that goes off continuously for 9 hours a day. Could they re-route the trucks so that they don't need to reverse as much? No, that would take longer and therefore cost money. Could they dim the beeps a little? No, if they weren't that loud then someone might not hear them and walk behind a reversing truck (mate, the dead can hear them at the present level). Could they cover the truckloads of dirt so that quite so much doesn't spray over our house? No, time and money again.

But the worst thing of all is the vibrations. This is a brick house, with deep and secure foundations, it's not meant to shake. Oh but it does, violently. The windows rattle, the cast iron stove rattles, the walls crack, the floors vibrate so violently that the baby screams, all day. At first we were directed to the contractors. They told me I was imagining things. I complained again, they told me I was a neurotic nuisance. I complained again and they said that I was uncooperative (sorry, had no idea we had to meet on middle ground here - my house is SHAKING). Finally my complaints were escalated to the council. I was reassured that "it would have to feel like an earthquake to be doing any damage" - umm, it DOES feel like an earthquake, that's my problem. "No, it couldn't, they would have to be using a 15 tonne roller for that to happen and the contract expressly prohibits this".

So I kept complaining, day after day. I invited council officials over for a cup of tea so they could experience it first hand (my invitations were declined). I finally lost my mind on a particularly bad day and marched down to the road and stood in front of the roller like a woman unhinged (not one of my finer moments, but it got noticed).

The council, realising they had a crazy woman on their hands, agreed to employ an independent vibration monitoring company to sort things out once and for all. The first day the vibrations were not as bad as usual but the report came back that they were significantly over Australian standards. Hooray, I'm not mad! The response from the contractor "yeah but they are under the standards in some countries".......What the???? I'm sure they are well with in the norm for parts of the third world buddy, but so is the fact that your house might fall down. Here in the western world we kind of expect to keep our dwellings for the long term.

So it was agreed that monitoring would continue the following day. While the independent people were here watching the monitor, everyone played nice. The vibrations went over the limit and work was immediately halted while a smaller roller was brought in. Then the monitoring guys went home and we went out, safe in the knowledge that there were now some rules and boundaries. We knew we were being watched as we left but put it down to the fact that the contractors were a little miffed about the restrictions and didn't like us very much.

O.K, we returned home an hour later to find our house had been turned into the Shake'N'Shak. It sounded like a jet engine flying overhead, lights were flickering on and off, cracks were appearing in the plaster and at the peak, the bathroom light fitting came off the ceiling (it had been held in by 4 screws). Some frantic phone calls to the council and the work was halted and an investigation commenced. Guess what? They were using 2x15 tonne rollers!!!!!!!! So people were disciplined and signs were erected stating that these rollers were not to be used. The council apologised and assured us that it would never happen again.

Great. Except that a short while later, our car was sprayed with roadmarking dye, and the position of the spray indicated this was no accident. More photos, phone calls and emails - it would be dealt with. Today I received an abusive, aggressive call from the contractor's manager. Apparently they "left a spray can lying around and someone must have picked it up and sprayed your car so it's not our responsibility". O.K you were obviously at the pub during your university lecture on Duty of Care. And anyway, I don't believe you - sorry to go all Judge Judy here but it just doesn't make sense. How come nothing else was marked? We have an abundance of pristine fencing, signage, a letterbox and plenty of other targets that a young vandal would find simply irresistible, yet these were untouched. The aggression and rudeness continued until I terminated the call. I immediately rang the council and they were surprised as the contractor had been told in no uncertain terms to call me, apologise and do whatever it took to resolve things. Hey, maybe I've lost touch with reality but nothing about that call seemed conciliatory to me.

As it stands now, the council have (thankfully) arranged for the car to be professionally repaired and have demanded that the person who called me be removed from the job immediately. I'm sitting here half expecting a brick to be thrown through my window at any moment.

Arrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhgggg.

I feel better now that I have vented though.

Crafty Christmas

2007-11-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

Check out this super cute Advent Calender. Small L really got into the whole Advent thing last year when he found one of those crappy cardboard, el cheapo chocolate rubbishy calenders at the supermarket. This is soooo much better, will last from year to year and can be personalised every time. I think its really groovy and can't wait to get my hands on some white felt!

I'm back

2007-11-07T02:21:00.000-08:00

Well, we are back after a lovely, but far too short break. Tiny R had his first dip in the sea (only to his knees) and he seemed to find the little waves quite funny. Small L is showing all the signs of a Nipper in the making - see Big I we DO need a beach weekender. He loves the surf and even the dumpers didn't put him off, as long as he had a head full of sand and a lung full of salt water he was having a good time. I spent the daytime making sure everyone was wearing their sunshirts, hats and continuously applying sunscreen. It leaves me gobsmacked to remember the days of my childhood when mothers would send the kids off to the beach to "get the sunburn over and done with" on the first day of the holiday.

Both boys loved the pool and Small L's swimming skills improved in leaps and bounds. They are both such water babies- constantly shrieking, laughing and splashing and most reluctant to get out.

It was everything a beach trip should be with plenty of icecream, good food, fabulous coffee, reading, chocolate and (window) shopping.

I managed to squeeze a stitching start in also. I didn't stitch quite as much as I thought I would as we had a jacuzzi in our apartment which competed for my leisure time. It would have been great to combine the two, if only hand dyed silks were waterproof!! It's M Designs letter "J", stitched 2/2 on 32 ct Antique White jobelan. I'm using Crescent Colours Belle Soie silk in Chester's Blue. It looks crooked in the photo but don't be alarmed, it's quite straight in real life. I love these letters and plan to stitch one for Big I and each of the boys in their favourite colours. (Well, Tiny R is too tiny to have a favourite colour so his will be green as a tribute to his Irish name and heritage).

So here we are back on the construction site, *sigh* and our war against the evil roadworkers has escalated somewhat but I will whinge about that in a separate post.

Off to the Beach

2007-11-01T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well, we are off to the beach in this picture (Mooloolaba) for a few days and I can't wait. I don't exactly have the figure for it at the moment (thank goodness for the Tankini) but I'm probably old enough to stop worrying about that sort of thing anyway!
Beach holidays always used to cause a bit of conflict for Big I and myself. My idea of a perfect beach holiday is passive: reading, stitching, shopping, coffee, good food and lying by the pool, preferably with an ice cold Moscow Mule (vodka, lime and ginger beer). Big I's idea is ACTIVE, running, surfing, beating PB lap times and generally anything physically exhausting. But now there is small L who fits right in with Big I and loves a hectic pace. So they keep each other entertained and leave me to it most of the time. Sure, this leaves me with tiny R but he's immobile, loves a cuddle, and happy as long as he's with me. I'm even hoping that being away from the roadworks that have been outside our house for a year now (yeah, a whole other story) he might even embrace the idea of daytime naps!

If I don't have internet access, I'll post when I return. I have some M Designs letters to start so pics coming soon.

In the meantime I'll leave you with a photo of the pool where I will be lounging for much of the next 4 days!

P.S. Wish I could get spaces between paragraphs. They show up in the preview but not in the post

Stitching Tools

2007-10-30T23:57:00.001-07:00

For me, having beautiful tools to work with adds another dimension of enjoyment. These two little gadgets are my favourite. The boys gave me my very first pair of Gingher scissors for my birthday this year (O.K, I actually ordered them but distanced myself by using Big I's credit card!). I love everything about them. The blue and lemon "Julia" print is so pretty, the blades and point perfectly sharp and all up they are a joy to use. Only problem is, now I want more!!

My Aunty H made the gorgeous fob - she is a talented silversmith and much of the divine jewelry she crafts incorporates silver and Venetian glass beads. These are designed for either scissors or furniture keys and have a really lovely weight to them. The picture doesn't show how beautiful this fob really is.

And lastly, the needle threader. I found this here and fell in love with it instantly. The pewter and pattern must have appealed to my Celtic heritage! It is nice and heavy and very well made. There is also a matching needle case but I decided to be good!

So now I can't wait to stitch this Giulia Punti Antichi sewing set (it is burning a hole in the rest of my stash) in which to house my treasures.