Love Paint!

This morning we have 2 lovely men in replacing the carpet upstairs, and the downstairs is stripped down to it's bare minimum ready for them to tackle tomorrow. Which gives me a fair amount of time today to read blogs, sort through old recipes and just potter rather than the usual household chores.

Seemingly unrelated, I have a few items of furniture that I'd really like to refinish. The coffee table, the buffet, and a couple of pieces that I bought off eBay with the distinct purpose of refinishing them, but never have. (All this in addition to the furniture that I now waant to make myself after finding this site that I shared a few days ago - yeah right!).

While on a bit of a Blog and Facebook hop today I have been introduced to this BLog. I'm sure that there are others out there like it (and if you know of any, please share), but this is the one that I found today. I love the way that Mike and Melanie refinish these items, and it's so inspiring that with a little effort and old ugly piece of furniture can be turned into a beautiful piece to be treasured.

I love paint! Is there nothing a little bit of effort and paint can't do???

Now, to energise me into getting things done, I am adopting Kim Archer's mantra. She has decided to share it as a beautiful, inspirational poster. So head over to her Blog to check it out. Maybe it's something that you can use to get your stuff done.

Enjoy your day.
K xx

From my Scraps

Found another one.

"If you want a rainbow, you have to put up with the rain."

xx

The reapprearance of my beloved

Yes, my camera cable decided to turn up out of nowhere. In the hell that is my garage (it is home to my entire study right now), my camera cable decided to pop its little USB head out of the deluge and say "here I am!!!"

So I can share photos. But not all in one hit - I wouldn't want to give you a heart attack by having an interesting post, so you get one. Photo that is. Yes, one.
See, I'm not really a nice person all of the time. *insert evil laugh here*

I just wanted to share today's Happy Mail.

Sugar and Spice fat quarter bundles and some yardage from my dear friends at Hawthorne Threads. I would love to dig in and sew it now, but alas, it's all packed away far, far far in the mess of my garage (which I plan on sharing tomorrow).

No idea when I will be able to share anything even remotely creative. :(

And that's it for now.
K xx

Late night wisdom

I've FINALLY started to clean up the study, and as I have been going through the papers on my desk. I often scribble down quotes, ideas, sketches, all sorts of things, so I have to go through every scrap to see if it's got any treasures on it. Well one scrap, covered in glitter glue, with a post-it stuck over it spoke to me.

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea" - Isak Dinesen

I may make a trip to the beach for my morning coffee tomorrow morning. Just to clear my head before getting on with the task at hand.

Goodnight Blog Land.
xx

Doing a happy dance

I won, I won, I WON!!!!
I'm not going to be one of those people who says "I never win anything", as I have won some stuff over the years and it would be a lie. But this one is kind of cool. Not huge, just cool.

Thank you so much {KID} Independent.

If you're not familiar with them, {KID} Independent is a website dedicated to showcasing handmade, independent designers and products. As it states in their "About" page:

"We’re basically a bunch of arty types with a love of all things handmade, vintage, sustainable, limited edition and independent. We crave products that are born from the hands of an artist, the heart of a loving mother, the mind of a talented designer, or the soul of an interesting character…"

It's definitely a site I love and a concept that I am really beginning to embrace. I have always believed in handmade, sustainable products, but limiting your purchases to just these can be really hard in our 'throw away', mass-produced society. But I am trying.

Anyway, I entered their Big, Bold, Bubbly Birthday Giveaway, and was lucky enough to win the "Touch of Whimsy" pack. A calendar from Milk and Cookies, a crochet dress from Little Miss Doily, a Freebird Dress from Tilly Tom, and a birdy clip from Itty Bitty. I feel so lucky to have won these products, and look forward to receiving them.

How adorable are they?

I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy. I'm so lucky. I'm so happy.
{doing my happy dance}

K xx

Blog-hopping love

I've spent a fair bit of time lately Blog-hopping, and thoroughly enjoying it.
When I first learned about Blogs all those years ago, my 'Blog Interest" was pretty much centralised around scrapbooking. That was the online community that I was involved in. My first.

When I was trying to fall pregnant with Bailey, I got involved in the "Parenting" online community, mainly through forums. I had dabbled with it after having Ardyn, but obviously hadn't found the right forum. A couple of years later I still hadn't found the right one, but I found the right people. Well, one person in particular (yes, Soph, that's you). We met in real life, and I have pretty much not gone near a parenting forum since. I am blessed to have her as a friend.

As the kids have got older, I have found that I have enough friends and support around me to give me what I needed. And a lot of the forums really do focus on getting pregnant, being pregnant, birth, feeding......all the baby stuff. Which is GREAT, as we all need support in those areas. I am not poo-pooing it AT ALL. I have just found that it's easier to talk to my daughters' friends' parents to find out that we are all going through the same thing, talk through our fears and needs and connect.

So anyway, back to blog-hopping.
Over the years my 'bloggy interests' have evolved with me. I read blogs about general crafting, sewing, scrapbooking, design, art, photography - whatever takes my fancy really. And I enjoy bouncing off these bogs to see the interests of their owner. What a wonderful world the blog world is.

Lately I have enjoyed reading current affairs- and parenting-type blogs. After this diatribe about blogs, all I wanted to do today was share a couple of them (which are pretty well-known in their own rights, but I wanted to give them a shout out).

Thank you for being in my life The Modern Parent and Mamamia.

**what is it about sitting at a computer and just typing that makes the world seem okay for a few minutes? I'm glad that I have the opportunity to do it**

Hope you've had a wonderful weekend, and are having a fabulous lazy Sunday just like me (although I should be packing up all the rooms for the new carpet).

K xx

Prayers and love

Bloggerland....we need prayers, love and support please for one of our much-loved mummy's.

So thankful

No wisdom from me today. Nothing that inspirational occurred, but if was a pretty cool day.

Cal is away on a golfing weekend down in Tassie, so it's just me and the girls.

We were up for the usual Saturday morning hustle and bustle. Who the hell adopts a weekend schedule to life that required getting kids up, dressed, fed and out the door earlier than school days. ME!!! That's who.
Tap and Jazz classes for Ardyn, while Miss B and I enjoy a coffee (or baby-chino as the case may be) and a natter with the other mums and siblings.
Shakes at Maccas afterwards and then home for a pretty lazy day.

The weather was pretty ordinary, so we just hung out inside playing. Mathletics for Ardyn while Bailey played hairdressers on her. There were a lot of books read, and a generally good (but quiet time had by all).
I had to go and vote, so we hung out at school for a short while, injecting some money into the school through the sausage sizzle and playing on the same playground that is played on day in and day out. Apparently it's more fun on the weekend because "It's the weekend Mum!!! This is crazy!!"
I spent a bit of the afternoon on the phone with friends catching up, and pottering around the house. (I kept walking into the study trying to work out where to start, would shake my head, and walk out.) The kids played BEAUTIFULLY!!!
Then more quiet time until late afternoon.

Dinner consisted of dinner at the pub with a couple of girlfirends and their kids, and then as we left, I left with one child less (Ardyn went to her friend's house for a sleepover).
Bailey got a special treat by staying up late (by a whole half an hour), reading books with mummy and sleeping on daddy's side of my bed.

I do love snuggling up with my girls (only one at a time, otherwise they are PAINFUL), and having only one of them home means that I don't have to choose one over the other. Lovely. And I must admit I am quite partial to Bailey as she doesn't kick me in the head.

What an awesome day.
A very mundane and ordinary day, but sitting here in the dark tapping away on my laptop (observing earth hour), I can honestly say that I am truly thankful.

Thankful for my girls - they are amazing.
Thankful for Cal - I love that he is enjoying a well-deserved weekend away.
Thankful to have a choice.
Thankful for such good friends.
Thankful for the ordinary, the mundane. These are the small moments to treasure. This is when things are GOOD.

I am determined to get stuck into the study tomorrow. I have to. I will have to take a 'before' photo when it's daylight to give you a little idea what I'm dealing with.
But that's something for tomorrow. Tonight I am going to bask in the glory of my (nowhere near perfect) life, and sleep soundly next to my second born.

I am thankful.
xx

Workspaces

I am obsessed with other people's workspaces. Whether they craft, create, write or just work, I love looking into other people's offices/studies/studios. I would kill for a full-on studio.

I subscribe to 'Where Women Create" and "Cloth Paper Scissors Studios" paper magazines, as well as following numerous Blogs that have studio or workspace articles. I have also ventured out into more straight design-related sites......I am a bit voyeuristic that way. I am always on the hunt for new ideas for my space.

We have quite a large study. I have sort of adopted it as my space (the kids call it mum's study), but 'my space' still spreads out into the rest of the house too. I sew on the dining table, have magazines and paperwork all over the place, and cabinets/buffets full of crafting stuff in the lounge. I would love to be able to customise this space to do what I really want it to do, and keep my crap (as Cal calls it) confined to one room.

I recently posted about our home improvements, and the study is one room that I REALLY want to sort out. I have to get everything out of here to recarpet, and my plan is to make it more functional as the furniture comes back in.

When we built our first house about 10 years ago, we had a beautiful big desk and matching file cabinet made for the study. Although this room is big enough to house them, and my never-ending supplies of crafting paraphenalia, I don't want the desk in here. Cal, on the other hand has this vision as to how he thinks the study should look - or so he tells me. I keep asking him and asking him to describe this vision, and all he says is 'a study'.

About a year ago I moved the 'family' desktop computer out into the family room. The kids were getting older and playing on the computer a bit more, and I wanted to be able to see what they were up to while on there. I also wanted it in a central position so that if they needed me for anything, I wasn't too far away (and could hear them hollering quite easily).

I now have this huge desk taking up most of the space in the room. Cal thinks we need it, but I think we only need a space for a laptop and printer. I'm having a hard time convincing him, and to be honest I don't think that I ever will.

I also have a crafting bench that I procured off eBay for $1 a few years back. It is an old high school science bench from the 60s that is big and sturdy. When the school it was in was demolished it went to a jewellery designer/maker and then to an artist/painter and now to me. It sits in an alcove of the room like it was made to be there. But it is CLUTTERED. THe other storage solutions I have in the room just don't cut it.

The current storage is 2 bookcases filled with books, and fabric and anything else that I can get my hands on. There is wasted space, poorly designed space, and......its just bad all around.

I know where everything is, but is just looks messy. Thank goodness the room has a door and I can just close it off when I don't want anyone to see my mess.
I think that I will need some custom-built furniture, but I really don't know what just yet. I will have to go through my mags, and my websites and have a good think about it. I do love using furniture in a way that is originally wasn't intended, but I may have to have furniture made to do specifically what I need it to do.

Boo!!!
But yay to having an organised space. One day.

Do you have a favourite piece of storage furniture? Does it do what it was originally built to do?

Today's Wisdom

"Nothing can be accomplished until you begin."

Simple words that speak VOLUMES to me.

Enjoy your Friday.

xx

A little bit of wisdom from the Brave Girls

........."there is absolutely nothing good that can come from dwelling on your negative or scary worries about the future."

Sign up for your own daily truth here.

xx

Growing like weeds

I know that the growth charts in the 'Blue Book' are averages collected over the years, and I know that they are probably out of date, but the difference between 'average' heights and my kids is startling!

In December (when they were last measured) they were both on the 97th percentile line for their age. They have been there their whole lives.
Ardyn was the height of an 'average' 7 and a half year old girl at 6, and Bailey the height of an 'average' 4 and a half year old at not even 3 and a half.

I'd like to know where all of these 'average' girls are, because it's not as if they are towering over the girls at their schools.

I think that the "Department" needs to address these charts, as they have to be wrong. We can not all have children WELL above 'average'.

What made me even think about it is the rate at which they are growing at the moment.
Ardyn had a mufty day at school this week, and I had trouble finding anything appropriate (it's been a bit cooler in the morning these days) that would fit her!

She's long enough for a Size 8, but around the waist she still fits into a 5 or 6. That's why dresses are good. But in this cooler weather, I have trouble getting pants to fit her.

Bailey is just as thin, but longer in the body, so I'm finding her growing out of Size 4 tops. Size 4 pants still seem okay.

Time to hit the shops I think.
Any excuse to shop......... hehe.
xx

Carpet Ordered

It all happens in 7 days........how the hell am I going to get all this stuff moved?

Furniture

While contemplating all the furniture (and just 'stuff') that has to be moved to make way for new carpet, I have started to think that before everything goes back to where it belongs, it is a PRIME opportunity to reorganise, purge, and create useful storage solutions.

Two words leap to mind - custom made.
Eek!!!!!! The symbols that come to mind along with those words are $$$$$.

Then the other day I was blog-hopping and came across this site. I didn't have a chance to check it out then, so I left the window open on the computer until I did. I have recently managed to have a good look, and have found at least 5 projects that I would like to tackle.

I have the skills to do these, they look pretty easy..........

But when???? If your life is anything like mine, we plan to do these things, maybe even buy the supplies, but never actually get around to DOING them.
Schedule.
I will need to schedule definite time to do them.

Ambitious? Absolutely!!!!!!
Will I end up at IKEA buying something similar in a flat pack? Probably.
But a girl can dream.

K xx

New Template

This new template is courtesy of Yummy Lolly.
Expect it to change often, and there are so many lovely *free* templates there to use, and can't confine myself to just one.

K xx

Home Improvements

We have recently been making improvements to our home.
This house was built in 1999, and we have been here since 2006. When we moved here, I was so surprised at the dated decor (it was like something out of the late 80s/early 90s), and it was hard to believe that it was only 8 years old.

Slowly, slowly we have been changing the decor to suit us, and it looks as though there may be an end in sight.

In 2006 we painted a couple of bedrooms.
In 2007 we painted the family room/kitchen and changed the window coverings in the bedrooms and family room.
In 2008 we retiled downstairs - only 100 sq m!!
2009 saw Cal out of work, and the whole rest of the house saw a new coat of paint. That kept him out of trouble for a while.
Now that I think of it, we didn't do much last year. With Cal out of work, there wasn't much that we could do.

This year we are in for a bit of a change. New window coverings in the front lounge room (8 quite large windows), and new carpet through the rest of the house (about 220 sq m).

There has been a fait bit of mailtneance to do as well though. The estate/development that we live in are all 'kit homes' slapped together to get people into them when orchards were subdivided and people wanted bigger houses, so we have inherited the probelms that these homes see.

We currently have a hole in our garage ceiling from a leak in the roof, but in getting that looked at, we have found that all of the flashing needs replacing as the dodgy brothers builders only put dodgy lead on when it was built. But our wonderful builder friend Simon replaced some external battening while he was up there, and fixed a few of the little jobs that needed doing. We just have to get the roof fixed before we can get the ceiling fixed. At least it's only in the garage.

So the blinds are being made, and I am starting to cringe at the thought of moving everything around so the house can be carpeted. It's like moving. Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) has to be boxed up and moved into the garage or onto tiles. But it will look ACE when it's all done.

One day far, far away in the future, we will have the upstairs bathrooms remodelled. They still have blue floor tiles and blue and yellow fishy and seashell borders......mmmm.....noice!

It's crazy. Considering how much houses cost in this area, and when you buy them you have to redecorate. The ne owners next door have redone their floors, window coverings and kitchen since buying their place about a year ago. Another house on the street is currently listed, but really needs all bathrooms redone, window coverings, paint.......heaps.

I knew it cost more to live in Sydney, but this is ridiculous.

Yeah, yeah. Before you ask, I'll try to get some before and after photos up.

Are you doing anything lately to make your house more of a home???

K xx

It was interesting

Today was meant to be a relatively quiet day. I was really looking forward to hanging out with Bailey and doing some general tidying and sewing. We had an appointment in the morning for someone to measure our lounge and dining rooms for new blinds, but that was it until school pick up.

Or so I thought.

I ended up so busy today, that I have no idea where it went. What was meant to be a laid back day, started with a to-do list of about 8 things! HOWEVER, I did actually (finally) get everything completed on that list. And the only reason for that is that I didn't get to the P&C meeting that was in my calendar.

All in all it was a busy, but good day.
And while Miss B and I were out and about, I had this thought that was really interesting. Well I thought it was. So much so that I thought "I MUST blog about this later on".

Well, now it's later on, and all is quiet in the house, and I have time to share my very interesting thought.
Do you know what it was????
If you do, can you please tell me, because I certainly do not.

It has gone from my head, just like the item that we ran out of that I had to write down on the shopping list, but didn't, and now I can't remember what it was that we were out of.
Did you get that??? I barely did.

Oh, and no sewing was done. Much to Bailey's dismay. She likes to pull the pins out. And much to my dismay too. I need to feel like I'm being creative. And I can't sew now, as my machine is in the dining room, and it echos all through the house at night.

Another day over.
And it was a good day.
I hope you had a good day too.
K xx

Autumn

Today is the first day of Autumn. It certainly doesn't feel like it though. It's been hovering around 30 degrees all day. I know that the weather doesn't have a calendar, but I'm looking forward to a little bit of relief when the cooler weather hits. That was one thing that I loved about Melbourne. You generally got a bit of relief over night as the weather dropped back to a sensible level so that you could sleep. That hasn't been the case here lately.

To make matters worse, I feel like crap. I went out for a coffee this morning with the lovely Emma and think I had too much caffeine in one hit. It's been a while since I have had more than one coffee in a day, and had two in a sitting. But I came home feeling very ordinary. I put it down to caffeine overload, but after a 2 hour sleep, plenty of water and taking it easy, I still feel like crap.

The heat isn't helping. The air conditioner has just been turned on.

Thank goodness Ardyn was picked up from school by a friend, and has spent the afternoon there. And Bailey has been more than happy to potter by herself, and nap with me.

A little photographic catch up....

Ladybugs for Sonia:



These were the invitations made for Ardyn's birthday party held last December. The wings opened up to reveal the recipient's name and party details. I made 40 of them. Handcut. Had fun making them. The kids liked them, and that's all that matters.

I don't have photos of the party and more ladybug goodness, as I forgot my camera on the day (shock horror!!!) and I am still waiting for photos from Emma.......


Ardyn's gappy grin:


I am a little bit worried as the new tooth started coming in behind the old one before the baby tooth came out. It's just too big for that little gap. The tooth next to the gap is wiggly too, but I am a bit scared that the two giant-sized teeth that are going to try to force their way through the gap are just going to look crazy!

I have a "thing" about teeth.

I have been lucky to be blessed with naturally straight teeth. REALLY straight. People assume I have had braces. Cal, on the other hand, had braces, and loves to retell the stories (to me) about the tooth pulling and needles in the roof of his mouth, knowing that it freaks me out. They are getting crooked again, and he thinks he is too old to bother about straightening them out.

When we had kids, the only things I hoped for was that they had my skin (I'm olive-skinned and it takes a lot for me to burn, and Cal is fair and freckly and has had skin cancer cut out), and my teeth. Skin is yet to be determined as they usually have sunscreen smothered all over them outside and not a lot of chance to get burnt. Teeth, it looks like I may have lost out on that one. I'm petrified that they have inherited Cal's big teeth. And although I know that orthodontics have come a log in way in 20 years, I don't want to put them through it.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. :(


Bailey's self-styling effort for today:


Only a 3yo can get away with a bike helmet and fan combo.......

Later,
K xx