Let Me Re-Write That

Oh! My poor form, I neglected to include the awesome-ness that was lunch with my beautiful sisters.

What an ungrateful trollop.

My sisters organised a beautiful lunch yesterday. We enjoyed a beautiful chicken dumpling soup and a really yummy salad, topped off with a super y to the UM birthday cake!

I was spoilt. I was loved. I had a terrific day (until Tiny started being super, duper grumpy in the afternoon).

Thank you to my beautiful sisters for making my day special.

Lolling About

Today was a terrific birthday, and yet... And yet! I've used up all the hours. Bummer.

How can it be over so quickly? Yet late afternoon, I couldn't wait for it to be done and dusted. The Doctor has reverted back to being the Croupinator. I've still got a snuffy nose and sore throat. Tiny's snotty and won't let me be free of her need for 'cuggles'. And Le Matt is sick as well. Sick as four frogs. And me cooking my own birthday dinner.

Meh!

Double meh!

Did you have a great day? Tell me, what's happening in your world?

PS - thanks for the super birthday wishes. x

PPS - Look what Martha whipped up for dessert - Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes. Who woulda thunk?

Well Yes. I Do Like This.

I love finding new kids music. Anything to save me from The Wiggles. While the Wiggles are good, they're not my idea of an ace listen. I know you hear me.

But this, this is cool. Me likey.

A COUNTING ERROR by John and Mark from Barry Phipps on Vimeo.

Only One Thing Better

As we all know, I am a Masterchef Junkie. I tweet about it. I read about it. I dream about it. (How dare they take Jake away. The gall!)

But there is only one thing better than Masterchef

That my friends is.... parp da de parp!!

Masterchef Reject.

Janies Ethnic Surprise - webisode pt.1 from Janie Spanner on Vimeo.

Circuses And Birthdays. Oh My!

So we went to the circus on the weekend. The smalls were so darn excited. Tiny wouldn't even have a small kip beforehand, she just kept chanting 'want to go to circus!'

For a long time Tiny has been smitten with the idea of a circus. I found her an old Dick Bruna 'Circus' book at a garage sale a few months ago. And she has a tee shirt which is her 'circus! circus!' tee. So she was pretty stoked to be going.Tiny loved the horses (hello 1925!?) but was taken with the motorbikes to which she exclaimed 'Just like Tiny'. Yep Tiny is regularly circling circus tents 20 metres above ground. With an acrobat on the other side. Uh huh.

The Doctor? He was taken with the showbags and glow in the dark swords of which we refused to buy. We did not yield. Fairy floss. Yes (mmm hello food colouring). Popcorn. Yes. Showbag containing absolute crap that would be tossed out in a day. No thanks. But he did talk on and on about the acrobats and the slap-stick comedy employed by the ringmaster. He guffawed so loudly a man two rows down turned to see who was laughing so much! Oh and he loved the 'real snow' too. 'REAL SNOW!'

And then there's tomorrow. I will beanother year older. Martha has kindly baked me a cake. I've not thought too much on it this year. Nothing's to stop it. I will let it roll like a tumbleweed at dawn and me at ten paces. Or something to that effect. Still 23 in my mind. I have no to-do lists (except for go to the post office, clean the house etc). I am just rolling with my homies.

Outside In The Afternoon

In the afternoons, of late, Tiny and I have been making hay while the sun shines and getting our art on.

This means we arm ourselves with a wad of paper and a clutch full of textas, head outside to our grotty but ever so-cool table (that I coincidentally found on the side of the road) and draw the sunlight away.

And every so often I click through a row of stitches.

This is Matt's scarf that's been in the works since last year. At this rate I will be churning out a scarf a year? Yep. Seems that way. I am sloooow.

Ladiez?

Anyone doubting lady-power should watch this. It's awesome! It's super-fantastic. It's ladiez!

Seems particularly apt given Australia got its first female Prime Minister just this week.




via the very intelligent, very awesome Knot Sew Crafty

Don't Go Back To Snotsville

Well hello there.

For the past week I've been in some sort of denial, and it's time for me to 'fess up.

I have a cold. Gasp. I am snotty, coughy, green mucousy, disgusting.

The Doctor and I got sick at roughly the same time. I lost my voice over the weekend and he wondered why I spent the next two days whispering. My voice is back, but only just. And so is that very charming night-cough. I am the Night-Cougher. Saucy.

I don't need to tell you it's not much chop when you are sick and have smalls. I don't have any brain capacity. I'm forgetful. I'm disgusting. I'm contagious. Even my teeth hurt. And I definitely do not want to have anything to do with tidying, cooking, or playing. Sorry. I just don't.

However, I did find these cute blocks at a garage sale a few months ago. We've been having fun making shapes with them, and the Cuisenaire blocks have been excellent for coralling the small square sheep.

What are you up to? Send me some e-postcards and take me away from downtown Snotsville!

Editing

Do you have a finely edited wardrobe?

My friends, I'm here to confess, that I do not. I have a wardrobe that's like ivy. It's slowly, every so slowly growing out of control. It's getting into everything, it's everywhere and before I know it, our house will be overrun with my clothes.

I'm not one who loves shopping, however, I am one who loves hoarding.

I keep clothes 'in case they come back'. I keep clothes for sentimental reasons (I have the jeans that I was wearing when I met Matt, despite the fact they're not that comfortable and I always share my plumber's crack when wearing them). I have a lot of my Mum's clothes too. Oh and I keep clothes for when Tiny is older. Like this awesome pale pink cord miniskirt from Zimmermann.

Once an old flat mate of mine went through my wardrobe with me. I remember the horror on her face when she pulled a linen dress from my wardrobe and said "What is this?" I told her I wore it when I was 16 and I was holding onto it until I could wear it again. She grabbed it, and another of the same ilk and said "They ain't coming back sister" and tossed them into the charity bag we had on stand-by.

Vicious. Don't think I wasn't tempted to go fish them out again. I do this regularly. As if I owe something to these clothes.

Today I am madly trying to edit. I've so far tossed one dress, and one skirt. The dress I have only worn once and I just don't feel love for it. The skirt I have worn many, many times, however it's unflattering and all the buttons are coming off and I don't know where they are - but most of all it's unflattering. For me, that is enough reason to evict it.

What are your wardrobe criteria? Do you regularly edit yours?

Image via the beautiful Vintage Rose

School Blues (Before We Even Get There)

I am having the school blues. Yes, yes, my school days are well and truly behind me (but I still get those sweaty HSC dreams), but there's a nightmare ahead of me. Of us.

The Doctor starts school next year.

I can barely believe it.

I always imagined myself with a baby, a toddler, a preschooler, but never a school-age child. Yikes!

I attended my first school open day of the local school. It lasted two hours. Two hours of juggling the Doctor and Tiny. Sit down. Get back up. Watch some dancers. Watch some singers. Sit down. Listen to one - two - three - no let's skip the counting, we listen to six people banging on about how great the school is. And one 6 year old playing the violin. And then another Kindy class singing about ducks. Stand up. Watch the school band. Sit down. Stand up. Go for guided tour.

I know I sound whingey. Because I am being whingey. I wanted to see the school. Not an eistedfodd. Both my children were irate by the end of it. And so was I. I wanted to go home and eat Vegemite sandwiches. Not be sandwiched into a very small room with very crusty parents.

I didn't even love the school.

So I rang the school that I have heard loads of good things about and got 'Sue'.

Sue is the 'office lady'.

I am pretty sure that Sue has also done a lot of courses in 'how to be a complete biatch'.

I began the conversation with, "We've just moved into the area, and I realise I've missed the open day, I hoped there was some chance I could come and have a look at the school."

Sue goes off the line. Comes back on the line: "Enrollments start in October."

Me: "Er, I was kind of hoping to look at the school before October."

Sue: "So you want someone to show you around."

Me: "Yes that would be awesome."

Sue: "I'll see if the Assistant Principal can call you back."

It's been three weeks and no one has called me back. However, in the interim I went and looked at a local preschool for Tiny and the ace lady who runs it happened to ask me about schools and I mentioned the conversation with 'Sue'.

She grimaced and said: "I know the Assistant Principal, she will be appalled by 'Sue', I'll call her."

Shortly after she came back to me and said: "I see what you mean about Sue." She couldn't even get past Sue.

Turns out Sue told the preschool director that the assistant principal of the school was 'too busy to waltz families around the school'. That is a direct quote from Sue the Poo.

Apparently Sue is the gatekeeper.

It's a public school.

We are out of their area. I've heard awesome things about this school. I'm working up my courage to 'waltz' myself up to the school and demand a look around.

Thoughts? Feedback? Friends, Romans, ladies of the round table - what to do about a boy named Sue? Shall I start crank calling Sue in my spare time?

Key Learnings

This weekend I've made massive leaps and bounds in my own education. No need for any outside educational instution. I did my learning in my house. In the bathroom in fact. When I smelt the Doctor's boot. I don't even know why I did it. But I did. And in Cher's words, if I could turn back time.

If there is only ever one thing you learn from me, let it be this.

Never, ever smell a five year old boys shoe. Ever.

Trust me. I'm a professional.

PS - bad news - Mr Whippy didn't even come past today.

A Beautiful Day

Ah - it's such a beautiful Autumn day - and the first weekend when we've had nothing much to do except twiddle our thumbs. And rake up leaves.

We're loving this space of ours.

The house we lived in previously was very, very private. It would be a rare day to hear any kids playing next door. And that's what I'm finding strangely comforting here. I love the sound of kids playing next door. It could hold the promise of new friendships for my own smalls.

Back when I was four my best friend was James. We were inseperable. I remember climbing through the fence to go visit him. I remember hiding in a bush giggling madly with him. I vaguely remember jumping in a swimming pool when he was in swimming. And I couldn't swim. Subsequently my Mum had to dive in to fish me out. Oops.

Other things I am digging about this new place.. the crepe myrtle that's smack bang in our garden. I love crepe myrtle. They remind me of my grandmother's garden.

The small space I am thinking might be prime position for a wee cubby house.

The oak tree with it's old branches - prime position for a swing? Even if our driveway is littered in its leaves (they're so last season), it's such an enchanting tree.

The fact that we're on the flight path for Mr Whippy. This is still high on our love list.

image is from jprowland's flickr stream

The Perfect Pet?

We don't have the most impeccable record when it comes to pets. Another one of our goldfish died last week. Now we have one lonely goldfish cruising the tank. He's got plenty of room to spread his fins. But it's kind of sad being in the only fish in the tank.

I found this cardboard bunny. Now this is the pet for us. No need to feed.

Whoever the buyer is at Third Drawer Down is one clever bunny. So much good stuff.

And This Is The Day I Catch Up

I've had the Doctor home all week sick with a cold and fever. I'm sick with a cold and fever. I'm sick of being sick. And when we've been going out people have said "Oh have you lost your voice?" Yeah no I always talk like a teenage boy whose voice is breaking.

Earlier in the week I asked a car wash man how much to wash our car. Apparently $180. I'd pay that if Jessica Simpson washed it wearing her Daisy Dukes, but not when the car park is in our local shopping centre and about 200 ninjas descend on the car for a thorough wash. Who pays $180? Not me. I'll get my own Turtle Wax and wash the darn thing myself. In Daisy Dukes.

Matt's been painting. I've been unpacking what seems to be a mass of neverending boxes. The only thing worse than packing is unpacking. Especially unpacking those boxes I packed towards the end of packing when I was completely over packing and literally just chucked everything in there. Does everyone do that sort of special packing or is that just me?

Oh and that illo up there is by my charming husband of me.

Anyway. Weekend. What are your plans?

Happy Friday!

I love Stevie Wonder. I love Sesame Street. Could this be any cooler? Nope. Probably not.

For My Sisters

I found these via Marvellous Kiddo. I know my sisters will approve.

For Anna: the pink rabbit clutch
For Choc: the panda bear

From tsurubride - clever, tactile purses ready to be adopted.

The 1234 Project

If Facebook was a country, it would be the third largest country in the world. Most of us have a Facebook account, yes?

And in Australia alone, for a number of reasons (abuse, drug addiction, mental illness, personal tragedy) there are thousands and thousands of homeless people every single night. Every single night. Think about it.

So that is why I am going to tell you about this awesome project that I learnt about over at Evie's Handmade Romance. It's an important one, so listen up.

Sensis have teamed up with Mission Australia. If you have a Facebook page I urge you to click over and 'Like' The 1234 project, because each time someone clicks 'Like' they'll donate a pair of socks to a homeless person. They're already up to almost 2,500 pairs of socks, but they're target is 12, 340 pairs. Sock it to 'em ladiez!

Introducing:: The Pammy Boot

It's that time again folks. Tiny style tips. Tiny might be small but she's packed to the hilt with style.

Today she's showcasing her Pammy boots. So called because of style icon (ahem) Pamela Anderson. These Pammy boots are go anywhere, rock the stylie, bring the rhymes!

Because they're not strictly Ugg boots (they're Pammy boots, to be sure) they CAN be worn out of the house. And will be worn out of the house. All. The Time. Who cares if you're going to drop your big bro off to preschool? Have Pammy boots, will travel! Going to the shops? What better time than at the shops to show off your Pammy style? Low on podiatry support, big on stylin' sport, Pammy boots are the bombfunk MC when it comes to getting around on these chilly days. What's a gal to do but don the Pammy boots, couple that with mis-buttoned cardi - and heck - where's The Sartorialist? Where's my Mum's main fashion love?

Pammy boots are the perfect go-to boot when you're about-to do some mischief. Stealthy. Warm. Fashion.

Unfinished:: Hey, Hat's Incredible!

Inspired by one of my very favourite fashionistas Anna Piaggi, I found an image of her in a daring, jaunty hat, and drew on it for my own millinery creation.

It's unfinished, only a few things to do here and there, and finalise with some trim (a big dashing feather? a fat contrasting Petersham ribbon? oh the options are endless). It's one of the two hats I started - I'll show you the second (which needs a lot more work) once I find the battery charger. Promise.

The brim is assymetrical and as you can see the block I used had a very definite design feature (the dip) which really makes the hat what it is. It's made from a beautiful fur felt, which is, as I've been taught, much easier to work with than a wool felt. The results of which were demonstrated in our workshop, the wool felt doesn't block as smoothly, it really is inferior. Sorry sheep.

These photos are subtitled: HeymycameraisabouttorunoutofbatteriesandIdon'tknowwherethechargeris.

Oooooh YES!

There couldn't be anything better than a Sofia Coppola film. Coupled with a Julian Casablancas tune. Tripled with Stephen Dorff in a starring role. Could there? Nope. Didn't think so.

The Loooooong Weekend.

You've probably already seen this dude. I posted this a few weeks ago on MumSpace but I love him so much I'm sharing him again. He is incredibly good. Bieber... Bieber.. Who's Bieber?

We've had a big weekend. Not big as in boozy. Big as in, I've been everywhere man, I've been everywhere. I've been to Picton, Thirlmere, Bowral, Appin, Stanwell Park, Turramurra, Wahroonga, Thornleigh, Epping, Hornsby I've been everywhere man.

We took le Boing Boing back to the lady and I completely understimated how emotional that was going to be. The Doctor was sad, his face crumbled when he realised that this was really happening, which of course, set me off to crumble town. We said goodbye to our superficially beautiful bunny and now life feels a bit odd without him... I'm even teary just thinking about is.. Just seeing his hutch is unusually poignant and grey.

Anyway.. How was your weekend? What's up in your 'hood?

But What Ye Be Doing?

It's a long weekend. Do you know how incredibly exhilirating that is? Probably. Probably not. Matt used all his annual leave up on doing prac teaching so public holidays are gold gold gold! (please read the last three words in a Laurie Lawrence manner).

Here's Tiny dancing with Bob the Builder undies. Super hero status.

What are you up to this long weekend?

Krakatoa, I keep forgetting to post les winners for the Chipmunks. Numbers: 6, 9, 2. Monique! Sammy! Cindy! Send me an email so I can send some chipmunks your way!

Sensual Swimming

Being pregnant is probably one of my favourite past times. In fact if I could be pregnant all the time I would be (well within reason). Sans morning sickness.

I think pregnancy has been undeniably one of the favourite things of my life. I love it. That blossoming belly. Those first ripples of your babe moving gently in your belly. The kicking. It's that sweet communication between baby and mama. (Clearly I have filed the indigestion, back pain and foot wedged under the ribs and constant discomfort when sleeping in the darkest corners of my brain).

When I found these gorgeous images over at The Byron Life, I knew I had to share and link. You can click over to Megan's The Byron Life to read more, and see more of these incredibly sensual images by Australian photographer Olivia Martin McGuire.

The Good Things

There are a number of good things to this new house of ours. The Doctor can vouch for them. If my sources (the good Doctor himself) are correct, here are his top three. I'll clarify with him tomorrow, but I'm almost certain I am correcto mondo.

1. The laundry chute: provides hours of fun of throwing the laundry from the small chute in the main bedroom, to the laundry below. We had to tussle over this bedroom.

2. We're on the Mr Whippy flight path. When I heard Greensleeves playing on Sunday I called out to the Doctor, madly ran inside, located my wallet (no mean feat) and we dashed out front for him to enjoy his very first Mr Whippy experience.

3. Today we heard a bell ringing. It continued for a long time. I mean over an hour it kept rattling. I had no idea what it was, so when it got louder, we decided to go out and investigate. The Doctor's eyes lit up when we realised it was the Home Delivery ice cream van man. Seriously, people around here must really love ice cream. I know the Doctor will be in excellent company.

What are three things you love about your place?

image via SMH - I couldn't resist linking to one of my favourite cultural events of the year

The Fully Sick Rapper

Today I came across someone extraordinarily incredible. The Fully Sick Rapper. Aka Christiaan Van Vuuren. Quarantine Guy. Christiaan has been hospitalised since January. In quarantine. In Sydney. With TB. From what I've gleaned in my reading of the day, he's travelled to South America and got super sick. And then went to hospital. Then came out. Then got even sicker.

He makes fully sick vids from his hospital room. Like this Fashionista vid about a new label called 'Sicke'.

He has an entire YouTube channel of his own. Because he is ridiculously funny and awesome.

Fully sick. Fully talented And fully cute.

Once he's out of hospital someone better give this fully sick rapper a job. A good one too.

You can join his Facebook page too. The Fully Sick Rapper is all kinds of cool.

Who doesn't love a guy with a banana peel bow tie?

Lo-Cal. So-Cal. De-Cal.

I'm all about making nests at the moment. As one of my favourite bloggers Two Tuesdays so aptly put it, I am busy 'feathering my nest'.

It's true. Despite the ever-looming presence of a few boxes containing crap, of which I have little or less than no urge to unpack, I'm starting to settle into small corners of our new abode.

I am loving this space. As I knelt in our bedroom the other night, tidying away shoes (what else would I rather be doing?) I thought - 'Why didn't we do this sooner?'

Right now, the Doctor's room is looking pretty cute (it's a mess, but it's his mess) - despite the absence of block out curtains which I am beating myself up about - because every morning at the spritely hour of 6am he's up. He's up! And calling out 'Someone come and get my breakfast!' at the top of his lungs. The only other someone's in the house are usually Tiny and myself, so unless Tiny gets some burst of domestic goddess about her, it's me, staggering out of bed. Oh how I wish I was one of those people who bound out of bed all peppy, wide-eyed and excited to launch into the day. Instead it's me, with huge bed hair, telling everyone to be quiet, and hitting the kettle for the third time because I forgot it had already boiled.

Tiny, however, is slower to settle in. She's still keeping us up 'til all hours, but we're getting a little more routine, and heck, she's even been in bed earlier than 9:30pm most nights this week. Small progresses, high fives, and she will be in bed (despite the first in bed call at 7pm) before 9pm this week.

I'm thinking of small ways to make her room, 'her room' without spending a bombfunk MC.

I love these decals. You can add to them as you go along. Aren't they the cutest?

Got any ways to freshen up a little space to make it more appealing?

The Last Straw

The bad news is this peeps. Nibbles de Boing Boing has not yet been returned and is taking up precious room in the laundry.

You may be wondering what's so precious about the room in our laundry, but when you see me doing Twister-esque moves to get in and out whilst carrying a basket of wet washing, then you'd understand.

But the thing Boing Boing doesn't understand is this.

I walked into the laundry to discover that somehow his mysterious boing boing powers allowed him to pull my NEW AND MY FAVOURITE jeans into his hutch and has nibbled big powerful bunny incisor holes into the front and the back of the leg.

I am not Bon Jovi. I do not wear rips in my jeans. The only way to rectify incisor holes in jeans is to:
a) deem them 'boots-only' jeans and wear my boots Puss-in-Boots style
or b) cut them off Daisy Duke style and scare the neighbours.

Back to the Mysterious Boing Boing. He doesn't understand that I am the only one securing his welfare. I feed him twice a day. I top up his water. Top up his hay. Change his hutch. Try and negotiate a pat here and there sans bitey bites.

And that bugger just ate my favourite jeans. How is this going to fare for Nibbles?

Welcome Back Cotter.

Friends! Romans! Ladies of the knitting circle!

I have interwebz. I can haz cheezburger. I'm back in da 'hood!

Excited much? My Google Reader cup, it runneth over.

So much to blog about, so little time. So much to catch up on.

Over the past few weeks I've been living off meagre interwebz, now I feel as though I can take the skies again. What did I do before the interwebz? Probably had a life. Ahem.

What did you do before the interwebz?

Super Cool And Wowsers

Jayne from ecobabe is online with us at MumSpace today sharing her top 5 green tips for everyday living. Do you have any tips you can share?

While I was cruising the aisles of ecobabe, I found these awesome and ace iron-on transfers.. I am now envisioning a brand new wardrobe for my smalls.. Cute huh?

Ace.

Last night I dreamt I flew to the US for two days. And I met Joanna Goddard. And all I bought was a lousy vase. My sister (who is celebrating her birthday today! Happy Birthday Choc!!) roused on me in my dream because I didn't bring back very much from my wee trip.

Next time I dream travel I will definitely buy more stuff. And more things.

The only reason for this dream must be because I am totes missing the interwebz. My reader is 1000+. If everyone can stop blogging until next week, that would be very good.

The kids are going beserk. I caught Tiny tossing all our photos downstairs. Awesome.

The only remedy? Crazy dancing. And learning all the new words to our new favourite album.

Anyway, the crux of this post is to inform you that Justine Clarke's new album 'Great Big World' is out. And it's awesome. One of our favourite tracks. Woof woof! Tour dates (for WA, SA and QLD) have been announced too. I saw her way back at the Opera House, just after 'Nam. Ok it's not really that long ago, but it feels like it. Way back when she was bursting with 'I Like to Sing'. The Doctor totes rocked out.

Word To Yo Mothers

Thankfully it has stopped raining in Sydney. Who knows for how long, so I've tossed the small fry outside to work out the surplus energy. A mad exercising frenzy. Because it's probably going to bucket down any moment now and then they'll once more reform into Thing One and Thing Two. Or Chocolate Thunder.

Anyhoo, today I have a wee giveaway to share. Three punters can share the spoils - a small Theodore and Simon softie each.

Alvin & the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel is coming out on DVD. To celebrate Toys 'R Us are hosting an activity day at every store on June 5.

All you have to do to enter is tell me something that rhymes with chipmunk.