Thankful Thought Thursday

Today I am feeling sorry for myself.
I have been sick all week, and have been battling through. I've not said a thing about it, I've just got on with business. But today I have had to admit defeat.

I barely slept last night as I was coughing so much, and this morning woke up with a throbbing ear (I vow to never play it down from now on when the kids complain of a sore ear), a sore throat and so much snot coming out of my it's just plain ridiculous. So one would think that I don't have much to be thankful for today.

But I do.
Firstly, modern medicine. I caved and went to the doctor this morning who prescribed some antibiotics for my infected sinus, ear and chest, and also told me to rest. Although I have been told to rest all week, and I know in myself that i have needed to rest, why does it take a medical professional to say it before we do it. The joys of being mum, huh?

Secondly, Ryan Reynolds.


How dreamy is this man?


I have loved him ever since his appearance in "Two Guys and a Girl", and think he just gets better and better with age.


I have been sitting here on the couch watching Grey's Anatomy reruns, and an ad came on for The Proposal. So of course I have been Googling some very yummy pictures of the beautiful Mr Reynolds.


McDreamy who????


This is what it's all about.

K xx

The photos......

I would firstly like to thank my wonderful husband Cal for taking so many photos on Sunday at the party, while I flitted around with the parents.

Next I would like to pre-warn you that in trying to get these photos up as quickly as possible, I have taken then straight off the camera, and have not been able to clear a few of them up like I would have like to. But I'm sure that you'll get the idea.

Saturday - the presents
(sharing a few for the family interstate)

Strawberry Shortcake remote controlled car (has been under my feet most of today) and Sleeping Beauty doll from Aunty Kris, Uncle Vaughan, Dylan, Blake and Sienna. Yes, she is hugging and kissing the doll through the plastic box.


Wii Dance Junior from Aunty Nik, Uncle Mal and Baby Willow. Haven't played it yet, but I can certainly see it coming out on the weekend when Daz and Jane come to visit with their boys.


Keyboard from Aunty Liss, Uncle Adam, Mason, Darcy, Riley and Tayah. Yes, that's a double fist pump you are looking at.

Plus a cuddle.

Thanks guys for all the wonderful presents. She's been spoiled rotten!!


Saturday - the dodgy Woolies cake
(but she doesn't seem to care - cake is cake when you're 4)



Sunday - the party

In the parachute chasing balloons


Fairy Belle doing some magic


Outside playing fairy games


Time for some face painting

The kids all waited so patiently for their turn.



Hanging out with Fairy Lily while the other girls get their faces painted



Time for cake. I love the fairy cake topper by Lache.


And the inside.
Yay! It worked!!


All the fairies!!


Bailey with Fairy Belle and Fairy Lily.

What a magical day we all had.
TFL
K xx

Exhaustion, a cold and jam croissants

I am knackered and run down, and it has led into me getting sick. I have had a really busy fornight (month/year - pick one!), but can honestly say I am happy.

I hate being sick. And I'm a bad, BAD patient. Cal says that when I am not well I have to make sure that everyone feels my pain. And do yo know what, he's right. But I'm trying to change.

Last year my dad came to stay, and he was in a lot of pain with an arthritic hip, just waiting for the date of his replacement surgery. It was the most horrific weekend that I think I have EVERY spent with my parents. It really made me realise how annoying I must be when I am sick. I made a vow then to change.

Today I am suffering with a blocked nose, headache, heavy chest, cough....basically I have the cold from hell. But I am soldiering on. I am drugged up, and trying to get this house tidy after a very busy weekend.

As my last post says, my baby girl turned 4 on Saturday. We had both sets of grandparents come and stay for the weekend, and Bailey had an amazing rainbow fairy party yesterday. And that's where the 'happy' comes in.

Even though I have been running around like a mad woman, making sure that everything is 'just right' (yes I know, it's more for me than the kids), we pulled it all together without a hitch. Photos will have to come later, as I haven't had a chance to even get near my computer to download them.

Yesterday morning was a bit of a whirlwind, but the grandparents were AMAZING!!! I'm usually such a control freak that I have to do it all myself, but I am slowly starting to relegate duties to others. I have to realise their strengths and use them. Kathy, my mother-in-law was head of the decorating committee (hehe) and she did a FABULOUS job. My mum headed up catering, and made sure that all the food was plated up and ready to go. Cal was out shopping for last minute supplies, and he and his dad moved furniture and cleaned the year's worth of dust that was under our couch (ick!). My dad, well, if you knew my dad.........he made himself scarce and stayed out of the way.

The weather was pretty ordinary, so we set the party up inside, but the kids still managed to get outside and run around for a bit. We had Fairy Belle and Fairy Lily come and amuse the kids for a couple of hours so that I could concentrate on the parents. I didn't know all of them, and at 4 years old most parents won't just drop off (understandable), so I wanted to make sure that I was free to chat and make coffee and stuff. The fairy was AWESOME! I can highly recommend her to anyone looking for a fairy in Sydney. Click here to go to her website.

The food seemed to be a hit, and I was so happy with the way the cake turned out. I didn't get a photo of the food table, but I know that my friend Cass did, so when she gets it to me, I'll post it here.

The cake was a rainbow layer cake. I have seen them around a lot lately, and thought that I'd give it a go. You can find photos and a recipe at Whisk Kid, but I didn't use her recipe, just her for inspiration.

I had this vision of a plain white cake with a sugar paste fairy on top, and a #4 candle. Very plain until you cut into it. My very good friend Lache of Sugar Che made a little Bailey Fairy for the top, and she was the most beautiful thing I have every seen. She's edible, but there is no way that she is going to be eaten.

After the cake was all layered up and frosted it looked just as I had envisioned, I just had to cross my fingers and hope that it looked good when it was cut into. It didn't look all that great as I put it all together the day before, but on the day IT WORKED.......I was so pleased that it did.

Anyway I'm rattling on now. I'll be quick.
After the party it was all hands on deck again to clean the house, move furniture back and generally tidy up. I have such a wonderful family.

But later that night my body crashed too. And I feel like CRAP, but I am so happy. We have had a lovely weekend. I had to cancel a playdate for this morning to recover and just chill out, but I think it was wise. There is still so much to tidy up, and I have to find somewhere for all these wonderful presents to live. My girl was so spoiled.

We are blessed to have such wonderful family and friends.

Right now it's just Miss B and I, our house guests have all departed. There is a load of washing on, the dishwasher is doing it's job, and Miss B and I are about to enjoy jam croissants together, and having a relaxing time in front of the TV.

Life is good.
K xx

4 Years............

How quickly 4 years can pass. It seems like only yesterday that I was in labour with this little one. The memories are as clear as if it was yesterday.

I was mortified by the fact that Cal couldn't decide on a girl's name. We had a boy's but something deep down kept telling me we needed a girl's name.

It wasn't until this little (if you can call 9lb 11oz - that's 4.5kb - little) ball of energy was on my chest that Cal looked at her an said "Bailey".

Over the last 4 years it has been a pleasure to watch your personality take shape. You are so full of life, cheeky, adorable, smart, talented, stubborn, beautiful.......words just cannot express the love that I have for you. You make me laugh every day (and make me yell most too). And I wouldn't change the last 4 years for a thing.

I love you Miss Cakes. Happy Birthday little girl.
Mummy xx

I hate genetics

I realised late last night that I forgot my Thankful post last Thursday. Time has really flown this past week. I really can't wait for August to be over, but I don't want it over too quickly.

But in retrospect, last Thursday I was thankful for my school community. We have such a wonderful school. Everyone is friendly and chips in for the good of the school. In fact, we are holding a Market in October aimed at 0-12 year olds. We will be having stalls for people wishing to sell their pre-loved kids goods, and stalls for businesses with products or services aimed at kids anywhere from babies to tweens.

For more information, click on the link in my right hand sidebar.
All proceeds go to the school, and the whole school community pretty much gets involved in some way. It's awesome to see. I hope you can come and see it.

So today I'm having one of 'those' days. It's certainly a day that I'm sure my mother has been praying for for 35-odd years (since I learned to talk).

It's all because of this little one.............



Don't let those innocent eyes take you in, and don't be fooled by that adorable smile. She's a monster. A very chatty, in need of attention every minute monster.

OMG!!!! Someone save me.


Apparently when I was a kid (second child) I was late talking - and the family joke is that I've been making up for it ever since. As soon as I started it was hard to stop me. This is the same for Bailey.

When I had both girls home, Ardyn pretty much spoke for Bailey. If Ardyn said "I'm hungry" Bailey didn't have to, as I would gt them both something to eat. It wasn't until Ardyn went to school last year that Bailey came into her own.

I often joked with Cal that once she starts we're not going to be able to shut her up. I had no idea how right I was going to be!!


I look at the kid, and I know that she is a 'mini me', but was/am I really THAT bad!?!?!?!

The kid has barely taken a breath since she got up. The only reason she's not saying anything right now is that she's got a mouth full of food and is watching the TV (although that usually doesn't stop her).

I love this girl, but my God, she's pushing the limit today.
I am wrecked (had a big, indulgent weekend and I haven't caught up on my sleep), and I just can't deal with this right now.


But I have to. I'm a mum, and that's just what we do.
Damn those genetic habits!!!!! I only have myself to blame.
K xx

Who doesn't love a retreat?

Well I'm not sure that everyone would warm to the retreats that I go on, but who can argue with getting away for a few days with nothing to do except whatever you want.

Last Friday evening after Cal got home, I traveled 20 minutes up the road .......but it really felt like a world away.

"Our Retreat" consisted of 20 scrapbookers camped out at the Uniting Church Conference Centre in Elanora Heights sharing a weekend of laughter, craft, food and drink.......as well as a bit of R&R, however each individual saw it.

Long story short, I had such a lovely time. I quietly read whilst reading, I scrapped, I laughed, I relaxed, I ate wonderful food, I took in the beautiful scenery. It was exactly what I needed to re-energize and reboot.

And anyone who's been away with me scrapping knows that I actually don't get much scrapping done. I use the time to rest. But this time, I actually got a few layouts done!! I thought I'd share. The photos aren't crash hot. It didn't matter how I tried to take the photos, they looked a little odd. And When I attempted to scan and stitch the images........it just wasn't working for me.

So here are my weekend creations.


Do you love a crafting retreat??? Care to share your favourite experience?

K xx

Some Chain Mail Love

I recently received this little quote as part of a Chain email, and it kind of spoke to me. It made me feel like that even the crap stuff is worth it. The shit things that happen in my life that I think aren't fair, make me stronger. This is why I am who I am. I am the sum of my experiences, and I am okay.

God doesn't give you the people you want; He gives you the people you NEED... to help you, to hurt you, to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be.

Thankful Thought Thursday (on Wednesday)

Today I am thankful for Ali Edwards.

Back (way back) when I first discovered scrapbooking, I had no idea who Ali was....and she was a BIG name in scrapbooking. I had some online buddies convince me to attend a scrapbooking weekend conference thingy (as I called it) to do some classes with Ali, Donna Downey and I can't remember who else. I had no idea who these people were at the time, much to the amusement of my 'buddies'.

But Ali changed my life. Not my scrapbooking life, my LIFE. She threw out a few of her catch-phrases during her classes that just sang to me.

I became Ali-obsessed. I started reading her Blog religiously. I could tell you what was happening in her life on a day-to-day basis. I was in love with this lady.

Over the years I still scrapbook the way that I used do (I've never been an obsessive scrapbooker), and I still read blogs, although not as religiously as I used to, and I certainly don't follow every aspect of Ali's life. But those few catch-phrases stick in my head and sometimes just help me get through.

"Embrace Imperfection"
"it is ok"
"Find Your Voice"
"PLAY"
and the kicker for me....
"don't make it more complicated than it needs to be"

These simple little sentences can be put to use in your scrapbooking, your art, your life.

Every now and again I find myself writing notes to myself. Little affirmations. I sometimes come across them when cleaning up my desk, or write them without really realising I'm doing it. It's become a habit, but a good one I think. They make me smile when I find them, so it must be good.

I thought of Ali this afternoon as I scribbled on a Post-it and stuck it to my computer, and I thought of how thankful I am to have met her, and to hear her utter these little words. They get me through most days.


K xx

Open - then unproductive - Day

Today has been one of those days that I have had zero motivation to do...well.......anything really.

It's Education Week here in NSW, and Ardyn's school put on an Open Day which involved a breakfast, performances by the whole school, an opportunity to see the kids' work and their library, and a book fair. Ardyn has been looking forward to this day for WEEKS. The Year 1 and 2s were putting on a performance of songs that they have been learning in their Japanese classes.

Ardyn woke this morning with a cough which after a night of pumping Ventolin into her has not cleared. I'm now pretty convinced that it's not asthma, and me trying to be a responsible parent told her that she couldn't go to school. I hate it when parents send their kids to school with illnesses that they then spread to other kids, so I don't send mine when they seem to be infectious.

But she was so distraught about missing Open Day, and I felt so bad, that I decided to take her so that she could show me her work, perform and then donate a book to the school, then home to rest. Strict instructions went with her about NOT COUGHING ON ANYONE.

The morning was wonderful. If I was a parent looking for a school for my child and I attended a morning like this, I would be suitably impressed. Our school community is amazing.

After such a lovely morning though, I have been lacking any sort of motivation to do anything. So while the girls played nicely in their rooms, I sat down at my computer and continued a project that's been keeping me busy lately. I feel like my study looks a little like this:


The reality is that it looks like this (please excuse the dodgy photo):

Can you guess what I'm doing????
Time gets away from me. I get so engrossed. I love it. But it's so expensive and time consuming.

I'm getting back to it. I miss it already.
K xx