Trawling Through Old Folders

I've been delighting in going through old photos on my computer. Relishing in how small  the smalls were, and those chubby little cheeks. Oh MY !

Despite the advantages of digital cameras, it's a shame that I don't print more photos. I really, really love looking at old photos.

I've even, back in the day, started albums, beginning at the time Matt and I met, however, I have only gotten into the first few months of the Doctor's life. Yes. A little behind on that front.

Truth be, I haven't even done our wedding album, and we've been married over six years. Oops.

Do you do albums?

This photo was from the front page of The Daily Telegraph, obviously a few years ago - pre-Tiny, pre-PottyMouthMama. It was some story about how mothers don't spend as much quality time with their children as the dads do, as the mamas are too busy multi-tasking and juggling life.  

Tangent finished.

What are you up to?

Holy Toledo It's Super Mamika

This is such a delicious, quirky and heart warming story - there wasn't any chance I wouldn't share it.

This 91-year-old Hungarian bombshell was photographed by her grandson, Sacha Goldberger. It's quite a story. The photos are powerful, the story is mindblowing. Big loving this.

Super Mamika even has her own MySpace page.

Are You There Reader? It's Me. PottyMouthMama.

I didn't end up getting my hair cut. But I did get my hair cut. I'm growing my hair back long and strong. But it was in a haphazard, frumpette and the frumps stage, and I couldn't hack it. So I took my head to the hairdresser, half tempted to hack it (off) a la Michelle Williams or Emma Watson. Chickened out. Had a $90 trim instead. I think the sum total of hair loss for that day was equivalent to two strands, but there you have it. I got diddled and I do believe my hair was exponentially better when I walked in to when I walked out. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say I was having one of the best hair days of my life. And then my hairdresser messed with it.

Anyhooooo - I digress. Hordes of readers (actually, just two or three) have asked about my new profile pic.

Ladiez, this is where my lust for the undercut began.

You like it. You want it. You have to have it. You dig? Well I do. I still have undercut lust. It's not to be satiated though. I know the pain I must go through to grow that sucker out. Been there (well, at least have completely shaved my head two or three times) - done that. All over red rover. Or is it?

Look at Riri. She is surely the hottest thing since sliced bread.

When Life Hands You A Banana.

You make fruit salad, right? Or you can eat it monkey style...?

Or if life hands you a rotten banana, make banana bread - right?

Photos courtesy of Tiny and her train ride. (I've got plenty more where those came from - try ten shots).

Train Portraits:: Tangara Meets iPhone

Tiny and I ride trains together. Sometimes. When we do, we document our little trips. Sometimes. This is Tiny looking very serious. I think it's reminiscent of those old school portraits when you had to look a little sombre. Tiny can do sombre very well. And she can do crazy in the coconut astoundingly well. One day you'll see her grasping a big golden Oscar because she's just nailed crazy in the coconut.

Happy! Happy 101

Flossy-P has tagged me with the Happy 101 meme. And of course I'll play (yikes, I have some others to play, I haven't forgotten happy taggers I am just ridiculously behind!).

The rules are pretty darn simple: Name ten things I like - 3-2-1 let's go!

• Baking and eating cakes and sweeties
• Wearing vintage
• Friends and family
• High fiving
• Snuggling with my snuggle bunnies
• Dreaming about travelling with our wee family
• My ugg(ly) boots
• Going through old photos
• Receiving surprises in the mail
• Reading about Jack the Ripper (yeah I know, I am a weirdo)

And ten merry bloggers to play along:

• Mogantosh
• Rummey Bears
• Two Tuesdays
• Little Pinwheel
• Che and Fidel
• Knot Sew Crafty
• Her Heart My Hands
• Hugo & Elsa
• Leni & Rose
• The Byron Life
  

Go hard or go home.

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.

ANZAC Day

This morning we woke to Tiny tantying in bed. So the Doctor and I hot-footed it out of the house as quickly as we could, plucking some rosemary on the way, and headed down to our local ANZAC Day service.

The above photos of are of my grandfather, Gramps.

I don't remember Gramps talking an awful lot about war. He fought in Papua New Guinea. I do remember seeing that thick almost scratchy wool uniform though.

The top photograph is Gramps with my grandmother. A couple ever-devoted to one another, and I must say, theirs is a pure and undying love.

Gramps once stitched up a large cut (on his hand Mum?) with fishing wire.

Gramps had such a sweet tooth. He always brought us jelly rats when they came to visit, and their car always had sweeties strewn through it!

He made a fantastic baked cheesecake.

He would always pull his socks up and wear sock garters, much to my mortification as a teenager.

When we were little he'd let us drive the car through the paddock. I was the smallest, so I sat on his knee and steered while he worked the pedals.

Gramps loved Days of Our Lives. Turned up really rather loud.

He would always do all of the washing up.

Lest we forget.

Christmas Stylie

Another photo gratuitously supplied by my sister. This time I'm wearing the Doctor's crown (as created by the genius that is Nan at Rummage) as gifted by my sister. The photo-snapping one. This is Christmas stylie. Please note: I don't practise this pose in the mirror. It just comes naturally. Ahem.

It's Me: Day 10 (The Outsider)

I know, I know, it's not strictly day ten, but I decided to go AWOL. How many pictures of myself can I possibly plaster on my own blog? It felt like way too many. And yet today, I must finish this small project because otherwise it's hanging over my head.

Today my outfit* is dedicated to all the mothers at the Doctor's pre-school. The ones who avert eyes and never say hi.

This is me saying hi to you. How do you like them apples?

* Please note - no stripes or cardies have been harmed in my outfit today. Are you feeling proud? I am.

It's Me: Day 8

We had some friends over this morning, so I dressed up a little (and I mean a teeny tiny bit). Plus I am sick of being a little cold. No cardis to be seen here.

I made pear butter cake because I can. If I eat all the cake I won't fit onto your computer screen anymore. But that's beside the point. It is delicious. It is capricious.

Today I had to bribe the Doctor to take my photo. Nothing like a little corruption in families, is there?

What's on the haps in your 'hood?

The Things We Do For Love

I've done some pretty silly things for love. Pretty darn silly.

Like:

- do I really have to say out loud?

And today, I've gone and done it again. I promised a picture of me in my new top. Nevermind the fact that here it's kind of cool, raining, and the top I've been working on is clearly a Summer top. Nevermind that. I'll wear it. Even if it still has tacking around the collar where I still have to stitch, this dear friend, is a design feature, until I take to the machine later tonight.

So here I am being ridiculous in the name of love. The shots I took where I pretended I wasn't taking photos of myself were so silly, painfully awkward, that I decided to ham things up. Everyone's got an inner model (I'm sure of it, I don't get out of bed for less than $10,000 is a fab mantra.. if you don't have kids), and today, I've drawn on my inner model just for you. Just as Beyonce has Sasha Fierce, my inner ego is... Tallulah Moochacha.

Some models appear as though they've dislocated a shoulder to contort their bodies. I've drawn on them, minus the hospitalisation (who would feed the masses in my absence?). I've pouted harder than any woman's pouted before.

All to show you my new top. Finito. Now how's that for the things we do for love?

Magical March: Day 15

When I was deeply enthralled in something on my computer - probably YOUR BLOG - the Doctor came over and said, "So Mummy, do I look like you now?"

I look up and see this.

Fear not, dear reader I've never even put that clip in my hair. But apparently the Doctor thinks he's hitting it Mummy Stylie. Ouch. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So how am I supposed to interpret this?

Magical interpretation, oui?

PS - Let's just pretend that mess in the background isn't really there, shall we?

My Band

If only I was cool enough to be in a band. If only I had one inch of musical talent. I took piano lessons when I was 9. My Mum says I lasted 6 weeks. In my mind it was 6 months. Of pure torture. I didn't want to practice, I just wanted to be a musical genius.

So this will have to do. Played it? Playing? Gosh it's all about the memes for me these days.

EDIT:: My band's name is Indra III. It was Friendship (Pittsburgh), but I didn't dig it, I'm in a band and I can change it at a whim right?

My album title: "Come Back To You".

Playing (badly) at a music hall near you.

Here are the rules.

1 - Go to "wikipedia." Hit “random”or click this. The FIRST random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to "Random quotations"or click this. The last FOUR or FIVE words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”or click this. THIRD picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

awesome cover photography from greenpin. special thanks to my friend Emma who whizzed up my artwork. what a girl genius.

Meme: Photo-rama

Amber from The Nutrients Of Life tagged me. Hi Amber! The rules are:

"Open the 6th picture folder on your computer, open the 6th photo and blog it. Write something about it. Then tag 6 more people to do the same."

So this is it. This is Tiny. On her first birthday. In fact, she's waiting for dinner. Oh so patiently. Biting her finger. Perhaps worried she's not going to be able to stay awake for her birthday cake?

The Doctor, Tiny and I had been for a birthday picnic. Tiny had been crawling through the grass. Tiny was pooped. Tiny was filthy. Tiny was ridiculously cute. Tiny has very blue eyes. I have brown eyes. I like to call them chocolate to remove any connotations. Tiny is a cheeky mouse.

The table was set with one of my favourite vintage tablecloths, a bunch of aggies, and of course - no surprise here - dinner. I can't even remember what it was.

And here's Tiny post-dinner, with the stare bears.

And so it is that I must tag six more. Here we go, rapid-fire:

- the uber-stylin' Claerwen at Homegirl

- birthday girl super sewin' Cindy at Bug and Pop

- witty, wonderful Hoppo Bumpo

-funny, vibrant new mummy Sally at Georgie Love

- effervescent, inspiring ideas a-go-go Christie at Pigeon Pair

- the ever-craftin' ever thriftin' gal with the nose for gorgeous finds, Kootoyoo

- style zeitgeist Holly from Vegan & Vintage

- Ergh, obviously that's more than six, and really, I just tag everyone. But everyone's probably already played. Please let me know if you play!

Happy V-Day Lovers!

Originally uploaded by Lisa Kettell

So I forgot. Every day's a good day to be in love, right?

Dream A Little Dream

Originally uploaded by Sing It Pretty, Sue

Here's to dreams, however big or small they may be. Keep them alive, whisper them into the wind, tell your sleepy lover, write them on a scrap of paper, shout them out from the rooftops, keep them close to your heart, call a random phone number and tell a stranger. Whatever you do, keep your dreams alive.

The Real First Day

It's the Doctor's first full day at pre-school. I'm fluctuating between being teary and trying to get all the boring jobs done before pick-up. Tiny's in a grumpy mood sleeping, so I'm washing, baking, blogging and trying to tidy this never-tidy house. I hope the little dude is ok.

This is a photo of my two punks together this morning. Tiny - as mentioned - in a filthy mood. Needless to say, she has not been introduced to the puppy (from my previous post) as yet. Once she is, I am sure she can turn that frown upside down.

Seeds of Hope

(via here)

Plant your vote for Hope.

Blog Burn Out

Sheesh, who knew Blogtoberfest was going to send me reeling? I am really feeling a little weary from all this blogging. Can I have a wee break? Or am I committed to forging onwards, regardless of blog burn out?

I did wind up sneaking out to the bin last night. At 10:30pm. Matt was on his way to bed. And I was watching my movie, though my mind was wandering to my bin. At least I am faithful to my bin, right?

Well, I should have followed my gut instinct. It's never really failed me. Last night's bin contents - a banana skin (really! these people don't even recycle, let alone compost), a used paper coffee cup (recycling) and a whole bunch of other garbage (recycling!) that I didn't feel the urge to document, let alone sift through.

I braved the elements. Surely this earns me a day off blogging? Please Big Cat?

And just before I pop off out into the long-awaited sunshine, Drewzel of Blog Portion played in a nameless meme, that originated from here, so I'm playing too. Otherwise this post would be forever known as the post with no photo (kind of like the street with no name).

Here are the rules.

Instructions:

Take a picture of yourself right now.

Don’t change your clothes, don’t fix your hair - just take a picture.

Post that picture with NO editing.

Post these instructions with the picture.

Here's me and Tiny. The world's tiredest baby. Clearly no photo-shopping has occurred.