Wordless Wednesday - Ski Lessons

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Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday - Bee Happy

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Wordless Watchful Wednesday

Wet, on a beach, stick in mouth - pure joy for a dog

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Wordless Watchful Wednesday

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Shadow Shot Sunday

This is my first time with Shadow Shot Sunday hosted by Hey Harriet. So here goes.
Whilst exploring Melbourne city with some friends visiting from overseas, we came across a sculpture of a huge swarm of bees taking over the Eureka Tower. Funny how you can miss so many things in your own city.

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Wordless Watchful Wednesday

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@my house - Mondays post done in the wee (mystery) hours of Tuesday morning

This Monday finds me both loving and hating the end of daylight savings.
Love it because my body still hasn't clicked in to the extra hours sleep so everything is done and ready for school so early in the morning and there is no problem getting everyone out of bed.
Hate it because it really does mean the end of summer ( not that we really had one this year) and that it is really dark by 6:30 and it will only get earlier and earlier in the months to come.
So I look back on a wonderful weekend the girls and I shared at Torquay while Brett was away hiking in the snowy mountains.

Climbing the sand dunes at Torquay

Rock Pools at Pt Addis

Evening at Pt Lonsdale front beach on the journey home. You can tell I have spent the day in the sun without a hat ( naughty, naughty) by the sheer number of freckles taking over my face. Oh the skin of a redhead!

I am also still amazed at how popular my silverware garden markers continue to be. I really thought they would be an item that would  be a cute Christmas gift and that sales would drop off and ultimatley die after Christmas/New Year but people continue to amaze me with a repeat customer returning today to order another 41 spoons and forks.
Another plus for the day -  my second order from Xenotees  - a fantastic store on etsy, arrived today - super speedy. I already have an animal collective t-shirt but as the cooler days are coming I thought a longer sleeve was in order and since I love cutlery I thought this fork shirt very fitting. ( hahaha Yes I meant the double pun)
With a day like this I have found it very hard to wipe the smile off my face.
I hope your week has started as well as mine.

Wordless Wednesday

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@my house - a little bit late

My house this week finds me totally our of whack! Don't get me wrong, I love 4 day holiday weekends but it does throw my time/day clock out of whack. I went through today thinking it was Sunday and that I had plenty of time to get everything done for the Red Hill market next Saturday. Just after lunch it hit me that I have less than 2 days to get everything done as tomorrow is out with 'normal' work and the candle holders will not even arrive until Thursday arvo. So.... I pulled my little finger out and got on with all the new fork and spoon options I have had floating around in my head, and I must say they have turned out rather well.  They are now all up for sale in my madeit shop

My favourites are the custom teaspoons ....

I had never like the idea of garden forks but when I stuck a couple of them in the garden at jaunty angles, it changed my mind. They now come in single forks, sets of 3 or mixed sets with spoons.

Now there are just the pile of coasters to do, more spoons and forks to stamp, cook book clips to stamp and fold, and the christmas tealight holders to create from scratch. Somehow I think I will be seeing a lot of the 'mystery hours' in the next few days.

Apart from all of that it was Melbourne Cup Day today ( hence the holiday, yesterday was mid-term break) and  'the race that stops a nation' did stop everything at our house, as, for the 3 1/2 minutes that the race took, we were all glued to the TV.

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@my house

The week started early at my house today with Sarah heading off on a 5 day camp to a wilderness village. Last night she was counting down the hours and was up by 6am this morning, ready and rearing to go. Going back to being a single child household is very quiet and easy.
The rest of the day was spent finsishing off this little guy ( why a red cat with pink spots is a boy I don't know but it is). He was made from a pattern by Wee Wonderfuls and you can download it here.

Mia has named him 'Cat'

When I had Mia, a lovely lady by the name of Jenny, would sew my baby slings for me as there was no way I would have been able to keep up the supply for shops, markets and internet sales with a new baby.
When  I was back in the swing of things I bit the bullet and outsourced a lot of my sewing to a commercial sewing company, which just left the finishing touches - ie 50 studs per sling for the adjustable version and the final sewing that could only be completed after all the studs were done.
With time on her hands and now back in the swing of sewing Jenny came up with these gorgeous heirloom dolls. They have painted feet, tea stained socks for the vintage look, designer heirloom fabric for their bloomers and dresses and high quality wool for their hair. Each of their faces are hand stiched and as every one is different they all have their own unique personality.
Anyway, Jenny attended a few markets and received a huge order for the dolls only to find out when they were all finished ,that the person renegged on the deal and only took half the initial number ordered.  I hate these people, and may Karma come and bite them in the bum!
Anyway, unsure on how to list things on madeit and also how to get good photos of her stock, I agreed to set up her shop and get a few of the dolls listed. If sales take off then I will pass it back to her to manage. To check out these dolls and prehaps have them join your family check out her shop, 'The Dolls House'  here.

The lovely weather today provided the perfect opportunity for photographing the dolls and Mia loved posing with them and introducing them to 'Cat'

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@my house

At my house today - the creativity is back - but in a tidy way and we have been busy, busy, busy - in the good way.
After a Saturday that was filled with a  nail biting Basketball final with 2 extra time periods, ....
  

and then the breakup/presentation party at night ,

a slightly slower paced Sunday morning saw both girls painting many a masterpiece that now adorn the noticeboards followed by playdough creations. I have only ever made cooked playdough, but when I came across this post by Danielle on Hello Owl, I thought it was worth a try. Although it was successful, and incredibly quick to make, I think I like the feel of the cooked version better.

It was then off for a ride on the local tourist Steam train, aka Thomas the Tank Engine, for our train obsessed Mia, but unfortunately the steam engine was in for repair, so, as Mia phrased it, a Dirty Diesel, (this is meant as a term of endearment for a diesel engine), was pulling the train.

Brett, Mia and Sarah all piled on; Mia loving it because it was a train, Sarah loving it because the carriage was just like the Hogwarts Express with everyone in their separate compartments and Brett loving it because it was only a one way trip.

When I met them at the end of the line, there was just time to race home for a quick bite of lunch before heading off to Casey Fields (aka the coldest and windiest place on earth) for 2 hrs of Sarah's HPV training.

Today, saw me trying to get rid of , I mean hide from view, some of the clutter in our house.
My craft area has been a sore point for a long time as eveything was stored on an open bookcase, so eveyone who visited always saw everything.
Well now it is all hidden away behind closed doors. After a bit of wardrobe renovation, I have removed several shelves from Mia's semi built in wardrobe and created a hanging space. I was very proud to throw out much of the 'stuff' I had stored on those shelves and have bags out by the bins as proof of my de-cluttering efforts.
Mia's old wardrobe then made it out into the top living room and is now my craft cupboard to hold all the equipment and sundries that I accumulate. I have decided to take a photo now, when it looks nice, before the rest of the stuff in squeezed in and the lovely neat look totally disappears.

Now you see it....

now you dont .......

No doubt wihtin a couple of days the inside will be a total clutter like the bookshelves used to be, but at least it started off well.

What's happening at your place? Play along here.

Wordless Wednesday

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Wordless Wednesday

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30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 30 - Final Day

I was hoping to be able to go out with a bang today and have some lovely shots from our visit to the zoo, but, alas no. The fever that has hit me for the last few days has now struck Mia and Sarah and no-one was up to walking around a crowded zoo. Maybe tomorrow - maybe not - I hope so though as it is the last free day we have for ages as Sarah's baksetball finals kick in next week and  HPV training starts this weeken Sundayd so all weekends are fulled up till at least Cup Day.
We did manage to get out for a short time today. When the panadol had kicked in and everyone had a normal temp for a while we ventured out to Jells Park to meet the cousins and also pick up the bike rack for Sarah's HPV training this Sunday. It was nice to get some fresh air and Mia was so happy she finally had someone to play shops with. It is wearing very thin at our house.

You can see how heavy Mia's eyes were looking but thankyou to C1 and C2 for entertaining her with such enthusiasm.
When I started 30 photos in 30 days I did not think it would be as difficult as it was to take a photo a day. It has definately shown me that I could not do the 365 day  photo blogs like some others, unless I give up all other forms of work and cut back to being a full time SAHM who does some crafting on the side. To those who accomplish the 365 task while tackling motherhood and work, I salute you.

Maybe over summer though, I might give it another go, as it is definately easier to take non-repetitive photos when you can be outside till 9 at night.

Till then - normal every-other-day blogging will be the norm. Thanks for tuning in for the past 30 days.

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 22

It is amazing what my children get up to once they go to bed. Sarah and Mia do not normally share a room but when I went to check on them and found Sarah's bed empty, I must admit my heart skipped a beat. It was put at ease again when I found her asleep on a self made bed on Mia's floor.
Both have been waking with nightmares lately, usually one after the other, just far enough apart that I am almost back to sleep after reassuringly putting one back to bed and then lying there with the inbility to fall straight back to sleep.

If this was a school night I am not sure I would have let this lie (hehe), actually I dont think Sarah would have done it, but since it is holidays - go for it girls, and prehaps tonight everyone will get a full, restfull nights sleep.

After struggling to keep the camera steady in the low light I have decided I must get one of those flash things that bounces it off the ceiling and creates a soft light. Now if I could only remember the name of it or the blog I saw it on.......

Wordless Wednesday

 

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30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 19

Todays photos are not ones taken today but rather ones I had thought had been lost forever. Thanks to our Spanish freinds who found these in their collection and emailed them through.

Let me set the scene.....

When our plans to fly home from Paris were cancelled due to September 11, 9 years ago, Brett stayed in France to continue working but a 1 year old Sarah and I headed for a business partners house on the island of Ibiza. I would like to say it was to keep Sarah and I safe from the suspected attack on Paris but thruthfully after 3 mths of living in their tiny apartment, I had had enough of our French hosts and I am sure they of us and I needed to get away.
 Unlike Australia, you do not sit on the sand on Ibiza (something I found very strange) but instead rent a lounge to recline on.
So here are a couple of remiscing photos of a very young looking me and Sarah.

Slip, Slop slap Ibiza style

 Now I am on a mission to find our lost European photos. They have to be somewhere!

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 18

Today was the Sarah's last basketball game for the season, before the finals (which they will be in, but not for another 3 weeks) so to celebrate we used the free dinner at Hogs Breath Cafe that she had won 3 weeks ago as best player on court. Not the best dinner in the world but a free dinner out is a free dinner out and I love  having a night off from cooking. As the charger for my little FT1 camera ,best small camera I've owned, is still missing and I do not carry the SLR around with me everywhere, we again have to put up with the iphone camera. So please forgive the poor, shitty, pathetic quality of the shot. As all photos of Brett usually have the typical Brett curled lip I was very happy to get this one with everyone smiling (including Brett), and looking the same way at the same time, that I dont really care about the crappiness of the quality or the bunny ears Sarah is doing, hrrmmmmm bunny ears are the best way to ruin a photo.

picture removed

Tomorrow I am off to play with my new butane torch in my parents shed ( as ours is still under a tree in the back yard) and bend some spoons in a way that no-one I can find anywhere has thought of doing before, so stay tuned for some new product shots tomorrow.

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 16

Over the half way mark now and I must admit it is harder than I thought to take a photo everyday. I mean some days just not that much happens that is photo worthy. Mia and I had a snooze this afternoon while it rained, hence the time on the photo and there is no way she was going to bed at the normal time tonight.
But now for todays photo explanation .........
Ever since Sarah got her ipod touch, Mia has pestered me more than usual to play games on my iphone. To the point that I will have to find a new place to charge it as there is many a morning that I have got out of the shower to find Mia either playing games or watching her itune movies on my phone whilst curled up in my bed.
Tonight is not exception. Sarah was playing angry birds on her ipod and I found Mia playing basketball on my phone. I wish kids were not so darn techosavvy so young.

See y'all tomorrow on hopefully a more exciting kind of day.