Sunday Stash - The "I've been to Tokyo and bought lots of fabric but am so stuffed I can't show it all to you" edition!

I'm home.  Crawled in to my own bed at 3.30am this morning.  Had a few hours sleep and then have powered on through today - handing out gifts to the kids and husband, sorting all my washing out and then heading to the shops for a SANDWICH!!!!

Tokyo was amazing.  Totally and utterly mind blowing.  I promise I will come back when I am more awake and able to type eloquently.  In the meantime, I leave you with this.....

Approximately 14 kilos of fabric.  That I somehow have to make fit in to my sewing room shoe box.  I may seriously need to destash before they move in.

Needless to say - the fabric shopping in Tokyo is THE BOMB.  Before I almost passed out and lost all energy, I did manage to take lots of pretty photos of these beauties, and will endeavour to have a full blog post featuring them all next Sunday Stash!

Promise.

Sunday Stash - Secret Store Unveiled

I took a little trip to Spotlight early last week.  I needed to get some backing fabric for a customer's quilt order, and I miraculously came out with only that and a metre of shot cotton.  Shocking, I know!  On my drive home, I made a split decision to turn down a road I know leads me to a "little" habby store - because I needed to get a few zippers for cushion backs.  Now, I've been going to this store for a few years now.  My Mum directed me there and I can still remember my first venture - walking in and standing there like a stunned mullet.

Set in a smallish warehouse, amongst a small industrial area, this store stocks anything and everything you would EVER need to fulfill your crafting needs!  Rows and rows of crap amazing stuff, from diamontes to stickers and tulle to buttons.  It's friggin awesome!  Apart from the fact it gives me a minor anxiety attack every time I walk in, it's brilliant.

Anyway, I usually only pop in and head directly to their little packs of 60cm zippers, and sometimes venture over to their elastic spools.  This time, however, I decided to ask the lady counting diamontes whether they had any metal zips?  "I'm sure we do" she says, and I follow her to the far end of the store.  To this......

Just a few of the random tubs of awesomeness to be found.  I spent the next 20 minutes fossicking through them all to find just a few I thought could be useful......

Ahemmmmm.........  I may have just gotten a tad carried away?  This carrying away may have occurred when I realised they had a 40% off everything sale!  Cha-ching!  Soooo, for what it's worth, this is what I left with:

41 zips of all lengths - mostly metal.

30 metres of elastic

10 magnetic snaps (because now I know how to use them, every bag I ever make will have one)

2 kids craft packs

All for the bargain basement price of.........................  $28!  Cha-ching Cha-ching!!!

And you know what?  Even at full price, this would have been a super bargain!

So, do you want to know where my secret little store is?  Theo's Discount Craft Store is located in Macquarie Place, Boronia.  For those of you in Melbourne - head East of the city towards the Dandenongs.  It is just past the intersection of Dorset Road and Mountain Highway.  And it is well worth the trip!  I do believe they are having another sale in October.  Mark it in your diaries!

Ps.  This is not a sponsored post - I just wanted to share the habby love!

Pss.  HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

I'm linking up - You can too!

Checking In

I feel like I've haven't posted for AGES.  But, in reality, it's only been a few days.  Go figure.  I think the reason I feel like this, is that I haven't posted "personally" as such for a long time?  Well, here's a catch up on what's been happening in this corner of the world for the past few months.....

My kids are growing up.  Like, seriously growing up, and out, and around.  We've celebrated a couple of birthdays..... Cadyn's cricket cake was a hit, and Chloe had a Rainbow themed party for her 5th birthday - and it was an absolute blast!

My biggest boy had his Confirmation.  Seeing him look so smart in his "proper" trousers, a dress shirt and tie almost killed me!  He's so grown up!

And Ms Chelsea?  Well, she is finding a style all on her own!  At ten years of age, she is able to walk out of the house in some "interesting" fashion choices, and works them like nobody's business!  Although her mood swings and delightful eye-rolling are driving us all insane, she is certainly growing up to be a fabulous individual.

Apart from the kids, I have been kept busy with work and a little bit of play.  I'm over my strange little bout of mystery illness that saw me spend a couple of days sitting in hospital, but still curious to find out what on earth caused it.  My husband has put money on stress......

And yes, I have been stressed.  I've been going through a - up til now- rather private battle.  A battle with the much maligned mental illness.  Not my own, but my sister's.  I've said before that it's not my story to tell, however, this past few months have given me my own story - one of a sibling struggling to keep their head above water, whilst paddling relentlessly, and not getting anywhere fast.

I am almost consumed by the need to help my darling sister and her beautiful little family.  I just want things to be better.  To be calm.  But I'm finding it's a battle that just isn't there for me to win.  It's something that yes, I can help to facilitate, but no - I can't fix it.  And that's hard to swallow.....

But on a brighter note......I thank my husband every. single. day.  Many years ago, he told me I needed a hobby.  My interests at that time were relegated to sitting on the lounge watching Oprah and Dr Phil, whilst wrangling multiple young children and a part time job.  The need for library bags and art smocks, when my Chelsea girl was starting primary school, has literally saved my sanity.  It was the beginning of a hobby that had been in hiding for almost 20 years.  I grew up watching my Mum sew.  Day and night.  It was her day job (she worked for many years in the wardrobe department at Dreamworld!), but it was also (and still is) her beloved hobby.

Library bags and smocks lead to frills and frocks.  The frills and frocks lead to quilts.  And the quilts have now lead me to a place of sheer bliss.  Sewing, and quilting, is my saving grace.  It's the place I go to when I need clarity.  When I need to just sit and chill - and the only worry I have is fabric placement and thread choices.

So thank you dear husband.  For the hobby that you told me I needed.  And the hobby I asked you the other night whether you regretted I had?  Your answer was perfect.....

"If it makes you happy"

***  P.S.  To all of the wonderful people who have left comments on my last few posts - I truly appreciate you taking the time to give me your encouragement and cheer me on in my sewing and quilting efforts! I literally have not had time to sit down and reply to all of you - so please forgive me!  I shall be back to replying asap. xxxx

T.G.I.F.F. - No seriously - Thank God This Week is Over!

Things have been awfully quiet here in my home this week.  My sewing machine has been sitting dormant, there have been no loose threads attacking everyone's clothing and nobody has stepped on a pin.  You see, I spent the first few days of the week either sitting in our local Emergency Department, or in a hospital ward wondering what on earth was going on with my insides!  To cut a long story short - I had a pretty impressive pain in my abdomen from last Friday, and when I finally went to the GP on Monday afternoon, she sent me off to see if it was appendicitis.  Hmmmm.......  Ultimately, after spending one night in the ED and another night on the ward - it turns out they really couldn't figure it out, and didn't want to go exploring.  Which suited me just fine!  We shall now refer to those couple of days as "forced rest".  On the plus side - I started The Hunger Games series of books, and had plenty of time to read!

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon, and I really needed to sew.  Nothing too big, just something to keep my hands busy.  So I got on to this month's Wombat Stew Bee Blocks.

The lovely Alyce from Blossom Heart Quilts designed her own Kimono paper pieced blocks, and asked us to choose either the front or back.  I chose the front......

It came together sooooo quickly and was a wonderfully easy pattern to follow!  So...... I decided I'd also make a back.....

Another very quick pattern to whip up!

And that my friends, is all I sewed this week!  Well, I did just finish a dress tonight, but will save that for another day!

I'm linking up with T.G.I.F.F. being hosted by Sewing By Moonlight

AND

Paper Piecing Party at Quietplay

A Social Media Love Affair

I've been sitting on this post for a few days.  Well, figuratively speaking that is!  You see, a few days ago, I posted on Facebook - 

"How does one deactivate a Facebook account please?"

I could almost hear the sniggers from my office!  "Are you leaving FB?"  "Melissa leaving Facebook - hahahahahhahaha".  It did make me laugh!  I replied they should know me well enough to know that would never happen!

I was, in fact, asking the question so I could deactivate my teenager's account.  Now that is a whole other story, that could possibly take up a dozen posts.  So let's just say it was time for a complete social media ban for my big baby boy.

Back to the main story here.  My love of social media.  I now frequent Facebook, Instagram, Skype, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr and of course my blog.  I'm not ashamed to say I LOVE being active in all of these platforms.  In fact, if I hadn't been on them, I can guarantee you I wouldn't be running a small sewing business, I wouldn't be in touch with all of my friends and god forbid - I wouldn't be quilting!

Facebook has allowed me to keep up with every single person I know.  Well apart from a very small minority of friends who have not actually got a Facebook account (gasp!).  I get to see the day to day happenings of my god children, who all live interstate or overseas.  I have been able to have conversations with friends on a regular basis - meaning that I never have to wonder what they've been up to.  I've joined countless FB groups - including sewing and quilting groups, which have been an amazing source of information and guidance.  I've met some fabulous online friends, whom have supported me through umpteen dramas and upheavals in my private life.  And on a different level - I've been able to keep an eye on what my teenager is up to!

I remember when Facebook started.  My BFF in London mentioned it to me and I was like "huh?"  But before long I'd embraced the concept and there was no looking back.  I am unapologetic for the fact I look like I am online 24 hours a day.  Yes, that is what I am assuming all of my friends think I do all day long.  Let's clear that up - I'm not.  My computer happens to be turned on 24 hours a day, however, I do manage to run a family of six, work part time outside of home and work part time at home.  I write this blog, I sew for pleasure and I also do a million other things OTHER than sit on Facebook!

My love for Instagram is growing by the day.  SOOOO much inspiration out there amongst the crafting community, and SOOOO many beautiful photos from all over the world!  Oh, and have I mentioned the giveaways I have miraculously won?  Ahuh!

And don't even get me started on Pinterest.....Seriously, the people who invented it are geniuses!  Want a recipe?  Pinterest.  Want a tutorial?  Pinterest.  Renovating?  Pinterest.  The lists go on, and on, and on.

And last but not least - Flickr.  Another fabulous community of people!  And it makes the sharing of photos here on my blog so. much. easier.

So why am I writing this post?  Well, because after asking that little question the other day, it occurred to me that some people seem a little embarrassed to say how much they love social media.  I know many of my friends don't post on Facebook, but I know they've been there - lurking.  How else would they know that so-and-so has stubbed their toe on the couch and had to spend countless hours in emergency to find it's not broken?  *lol*

I say embrace your social media love!  Don't apologise for updating your status 500 times a day!  If that's what you want to do - do it!  If people are offended by your regular postings - tell them to delete you!

Ok.  That's my little rant for this morning.  I do actually need to get off my ass and go finish some more cushion covers!  Oh, and check Facebook......

Are you a social media nut?  

Biting more than Chewing

You know that old saying "biting off more than you can chew"?  I am quite the expert at this.  And despite telling myself every time I am in this muddle that I will not do it again - I do.

So.  This is where I'm presently at.  I have signed up to TWO QAL's.  The Bloom Bloom Pow over at Freshly Pieced and the Texas Teardrop at The Quilting Lodge.  I've managed to completely surprise myself and am up to date with the first.  I have not even managed to think about fabric for the second.  I think I am going to have to shelve it for now, and Pin it for a later date.  I've also signed up for The Fat Quarter Shop Myster BOM, which starts in a couple of months.  I've been looking forward to it since registering earlier this year.  Can't wait.  As long as I have the time!

Still in quilting world, I have my QCA bee #5, which I'm thankfully managing to keep up to date with.  March was my month as Queen Bee and  I've been absolutely thrilled with all the blocks that have arrived so far, only a few more to go and I can think about how I'm going to turn them all in to a quilt.

In very exciting news, I was invited to take part in an awesome paper piecing bee!  I was quite chuffed to think that these fab ladies think I'm up to the challenge, so I've taken it on, and will quietly crap my pants each month that the blocks are chosen!  I've just received my first block today and am laughing myself silly on the inside, but am determined that I will. get. it. done. properly.  Stay tuned.

And in HUGE news, I was approached a few weeks ago to supply an amazing homewares store overseas with cushion covers!  Not my quilted cushions, but some really fun, bright coloured cushion covers that the owner requested after seeing the fabrics I choose to work with over at Ms Midge.  After picking myself up off the floor, I punched some numbers and spat out a wholesale price, which was enthusiastically agreed upon, and last week ordered 75 yards of fabric!  Soon after hitting "finalise purchase", I had a mini heart attack wondering how I would get 120 cushion covers made and sent by the end of May?  I'm happy to say I called on good old Mum, who I am now outsourcing to, to help me in the construction to speed things up.  Soooo, from June, if you're in Bali, pop by Kody & Ko and check out my fancy cushion covers.

As murphy's law would have it - what has been a quiet time in terms of orders for Ms Midge - the same week I signed off on the above deal, I had an influx of orders and enquiries.  I am now madly trying to get myself organised and get all orders done and dusted before my huge fabric order arrives and all hell breaks loose!

Do you ever bite off more than you can chew??

Back to THE Suburb

Last night, we ventured back in to our old suburb.  Apart from getting my hair done, it's the first time I have been back.  We were invited to a get together for Christmas drinks, dinner and swimming.  Perfect.  Only it took me quite a few weeks to decide whether we would be going.  You see, when we moved back in July, we not only moved house, but I moved my head space.  I made a conscious decision to give myself time away from a place that had not only been home for eight years, but had also been very difficult for me to live in for the last two years we were there.

I've written quite a few posts about the shit I went through, but nothing really specific.  I don't find much point in re-hashing past events that I'm "over", but for your sake I'll make it short and sweet.  When Chelsea started Kindergarten, I met a group of really great chicks.  I wasn't really keen on making new friends as I (and this sounds ridiculous) already had enough good friends to get me through.  In fact, I'd only met one of my best friends a couple of years before at playgroup.  Anyway, I embraced these new friendships, and before I knew it, there was a group of us that would sit together at school events, get together on weekends, and go out for dinner on occasion.  Just after I had my hysterectomy, my best friend started distancing herself from me.  And over a month or two, was being so strange around me that I constantly found myself asking her whether I had done something wrong?  After many responses from her that all was well, I was left very confused, but was also very aware that she was spending a whole lot more time with one of the other Mums from school, and to be quite honest - I was hurt.

Eventually I ended up emailing her, and really pressing for a reason as to why things had changed between us?  And that's where it all headed down hill.  Things deteriorated quite quickly and before I knew it I was a bit of an outcast at school and was ignored and shunned by the same people I had become pretty close with.  It devastated me.

Facebook showed me in no uncertain terms that the group were still all friends, and that I had been left out of social gatherings, and my now ex-best friend quite cheerfully changed her profile pics and status updates to include others instead of myself.  Whilst a couple of those women still were polite and cheerful to me in person, my trust was damaged and I had no idea what was being made of me behind my back.   I had become consumed by the events, and was not coping - I'm not ashamed to say that I ended up in counselling.

Thankfully I have an amazing husband, whom at the time told me in no uncertain terms that this group of women would all eventually combust, and turn against one another.  True to his word, this exact thing happened, and some of those same women were left feeling exactly how I had felt.

Throughout this whole shitty ordeal, came a few wonderful things.  I met some other amazing Mums at the school.  And some I already knew became closer to me, and helped lift me out of the crappy situation I was in.

So my mental health was of utmost importance when we moved.  I needed to literally get a whole suburb out of my head.  I needed to re-centre my trust and figure out who it was I wanted to keep in touch with.  Five months later, and a cuppa with a friend early this week ended my break up with suburbia, and helped me to realise that I was now over it.

Fast forward to last night, and a lovely evening spent with some of those same Mums, talking over drinks and screaming kids in the swimming pool.  There wasn't much talk about the past, I'd spoken to each of the women there already, and had buried the hatchet.  It takes a big person to apologise for past mistakes and an even bigger person to let it go.  So yep - I'm calling myself a bigger person!

Anyway, this bigger person has had a fabulous day at work and has just popped the kids in to bed.  Andrew is comfortably planted on the lounge with PS3 controls firmly in hand and I'm wondering how we are going to manage hiding a bike in the shed for 24 hours without the kids sniffing it out?  So with my mental health back at it's best - I will now go and plant my own arse on a different lounge and think of some more reminiscing to share with you before this year is over!

Have you ever felt a time or place has sucked the life out of you?  Do you ever want to throw a video game station out a very high window??  

Another Manic Monday - with a Challenge

Good afternoon!  What a fantabulous day I've had so far - here's a run-through......

Woke up feeling like the massive gross knot that had been in my throat for a few days had finally left - hooray!

Found Chelsea and Cadyn were downstairs already in their school uniforms - hi-fived myself upon realisation that the two weeks of school holidays had ceased!!  Woohoo!

Rounded them up and took them to school very happily.  Not so happy to get to Cadyn's bag hook and find several piles of crap that had been left there for TWO WEEKS.  Including a bag of sopping wet swimming clothes from the last day of school (just savour the thought of that smell), a random pink jumper from their "pink day" AND the piece de resistance (said with French accent) - THIS:

Mmmmmm......nothing like cheese and crackers with a good dose of penicillin......this beats the wet clothes smell.

Dropped Chloe's kindergarten forms in and worded up the kinda teacher that I NEEDED the two longer sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays due to work - she seemed lovely enough, and will hopefully remember my cheerful disposition when allocating Chloe's kinda sessions next year!

Swimming - same, same.

Took seven of the ten smoke detectors I bought from Masters back for a refund.  Yep, I was kind of cajoled by a salesman that we NEEDED to have a smoke detector in every single room of our house.  Andrew did not concur.  Refund done.

Rang the concrete dude and confirmed we would be getting our new driveway ASAP! Yippee!  No more freakin mud being trawled through the house.

Remembered to email the basketball club about a uniform for Cadyn.  Figuring he can't really play naked next season?  Although it would be amusing....

Remembered to cut off the electricity at the old house.  Yep, it's been left on whilst they were selling it. But now it's SOLD.  Got grumpy at the guy on the other end of the phone who told me I would be charged $43 just for some sod to read the farking meter.  Greedy.  

And this was all done and dusted by midday!

Now I'm off to my sewing room.  FINALLY Cadyn has asked me to make him something.  Well, I lie, a year or so ago he asked me to make him some shorts, which I did. And he refused to wear them.  Couldn't give me a reason, just wouldn't.  So I sold them.  Win win.  This time round, he's claimed some Scooby Doo fabric I bought a shit load of, and wants pj's.  So, I'm joining in a bit of a challenge over at Elsie Marley - KIDS CLOTHES WEEK CHALLENGE.  Pj's today, who knows what else I'm going to get made over the coming week?

How's your day going?  Do you sew for your kids - and do they wear what you sew??

Blah....blah blah!

I've been a busy little beaver (so childish that every time I hear that word I laugh?) this last week or so!  Apart from the fact that it's school holidays here, which itself is enough to generally send me in to a spin - I've also well and truly got my Sew-jo back!    The last few months have been mind-blowingly maniacal, and I'm still recovering.  But our renovations are ALMOST finished - just one bloody toilet door to be hung!  Our house is feeling like a home - mostly due to the amount of crap that everyone feels comfortable leaving lying around.  My Dad is recuperating from his generous stint in hospital and scaring the shit out of us all.  The sun has been shining at least a few days a week, lulling us Melbournians into a false sense of Spring.

Things are looking up in the world.

I took my two working week-days off work last week, and spent it hanging out with my two primary school kids.  It was actually refreshingly lovely.  I also took Saturday off work, for the AFL grand final.  But we won't talk about that........bloody Swans.

When Chelsea asked me yesterday if we could go and watch "Hotel Transylvania" at the movies, I said yes (if you've seen it, you will now understand the post title!).  I sms'd her bestie's Mum, who also happens to be my friend, and arranged a weeknight date.  Unheard of.  We took Lochie along too.  Had a fabulous laugh at a really great film, and was later introduced to HARRAJUKU CREPES!!!  What rock have I been hiding under????  FAR OUT!  I didn't order one because I really wasn't sure what on earth they were all about.  But I made sure to help both Chelsea and Lochie (and my friend) to eat theirs.  Now all I can think about is a return trip.  Nom nom nom......

I've also been chatting to the girls at The Handmade Library!  And just yesterday they unveiled an Amaze-balls give-away!  Which you can check out AND ENTER HERE.  I am very happy to be a sponsor of the give-away - so head on over and tell them I sent you!

And today?  Well, today I'm having another chat, and a cuppa, with Clare from Clare's Craftroom.  Clare is running a series of morning teas with a bunch of lovely crafters - so I'm wrapt to be included!

Oh - and I'm off to work!  So that's it for now.  I will leave you with some of the results of my return to the sewing machines.......

All of these goodies can be purchased from Thursday 18th October when I hold my Out To Sea Market Night!  HERE is where you will find the details.

What have you all been up to in my absence??

Dis-Organised Chaos....

Many years ago, I worked in an office.  In a plumbing supplies, of all places.  Anyway, I was fresh out of my TAFE business diploma course and got straight in to a junior position.  Lucky me!  Over the following couple of years, I moved up the ladder (well, there wasn't far to move, but I did) and found myself doing a bit of work for the Managing Director.  It was around this time that the office manager pulled me aside and suggested I use one of those "Things to do today" notepads......  Not very subtle really.  But effective nonetheless.

I have never been a super organised human being.  It is the thing I dislike most about myself.  We have only been in this house for a matter of weeks, and it's beyond me how there is already a pile of crap sitting on my kitchen bench??  I've been so good since the move - directing crap to its appropriate home, but it seems you cannot outrun six people's crap!

This past week I have discovered the joy of CORFLUTE.  Cor-what????  I had heard of this magical plastic like board for the past year or so, but did not feel the urge to jump on it - until now.  Until I decided I had to work out this shoe box sewing room.  And this my friends, is how corflute has put SOME organisation in to my life....

I also have lots of lists.  Some written down, some just in my head.  I have lists of what needs to be done, what should be done and what I would like to be done.  There is never usually an order to how these lists progress, but they are there.  Here are some things currently on my lists:

Plant all the plants we bought on the weekend

Hem Cadyn's curtains and our sheers

Hang pictures on walls

Get Chloe's immunisations done

Get quote for driveway and carport

Find laundry storage/cabinets

Seal grout on tiles

Paint staircase

Assemble shelving in sewing room

Organise Dad to come to Melbourne to do plumbing

Make Cadyn and Chloe's quilts

Make Lochie's dental appt

Do our tax returns

And the lists go on and on and on......

I really need a better system to organise my life!  I feel like I'm passing on my disorganisation to my kids - especially Chelsea.  Two weeks I have been asking her where her reading log is for school.....and every single day she has left it at school.  I wrote it on her hand on Monday.  She still forgot.  Sigh.....

So - what can I do?  I need suggestions.  How do you get AND stay organised?  Or are you in the same predicament as me?

To Friend or Not To Friend?

I have always told people that you only get out of something what you wish for.  Especially in terms of that little social media "club" - Facebook.  I've had many a conversation with others over their dislike of FB and removal of their profile because they found it bitchy or that too many people came out of the woodwork to snoop in to their lives.  But my answer was and is ALWAYS that Facebook is what you want it to be.  If you want to use it to snoop on other people, it will get you in trouble.  If you wish to use it to keep in touch with people you like and whom you trust, then you will enjoy the ride.  I choose the later....


Every day when I log in to see what is happening in the world, I read countless cryptic status updates.  They amuse me, confuse me or make me curious.  I make a conscious choice NOT to read in to them, basically because I know that when I am being cryptic - on purpose or not - it could apply to so very many circumstances!  And my REAL friends would know that.  It's the not-so-real friends who may choose to apply them in a way that suits them.


I've decided I would like a new rule brought in to MY Facebook.  This is how it would read, if I could be bothered to write it:

Dear friends,  

If you are only here with me on Facebook to scrutinise my every word, and turn it in to something that it is not, please do me - and you - a favour, and click on the "Unfriend" option.  If you wish to stick around as my friend, please do so with an open mind.  Please understand that my life has many facets, and that not all of my status updates relate to one little part of my life or You.  I do not use my FB account to hurt other people's feelings, so please 
do not do the same.

Thanks.

I am not a game player.  Not literally or any other way!  And I'm finding that the older I am getting, the less patience I have for them.  This was confirmed this week after I worked out that someone on my friends list uses their FB for different reasons to I.  It lead me to many conclusions.


1.  If I am worried about writing something that someone may mis-interpret, then we mustn't be very good friends.
2.  If I am questioning my trust in someone, then we mustn't be very good friends.
3.  If I don't think we are very good friends - then you should not be on my friends list.


My "Voice of Reason" - aka Andrew, is also my moral compass.  When I am angry about the way others are behaving and choose to deal with things, he reminds me that I am not them.  That I should not lower myself to their level.  I thank God someone that I have him every single day!


How do you choose your FB friends?  And how do you un-choose them?

Monday Funday

A bit of Monday night random thoughts for you all.....cos I know you need it!

Please tell me I am not the only person who is regularly greeted with poo in the toilet?  You know, you innocently walk into the bathroom and go to sit on the toilet to see that the person before you has not only failed to use toilet paper, but has also failed to flush?  Do little kids just have this inept ability to "snap one off", or could it be that they have no problem walking around with poo stuck to their undies every day?

Told you it was random.....

I am taking a strange amount of joy in taping empty boxes together and filling them ONLY with stuff I am remotely interested in carting to the new house.  I am taking even MORE joy in putting a whole bunch of crap next to said boxes, preparing them to go to their new home at the OP shop!  Or bin - sssshhhhhhhhh........

I continue to be freaked out by the 13 year old MAN that is residing in my house.  It just IS NOT RIGHT that he has gone from being a little boy to a mumbling, deep-voiced, pimply and somewhat hairy human being.  It does not help that this person also thinks he can raise his voice and question every. single. thing. we. say.  Nope, not helpful at all.

I wore leggings today.  And leopard print.  Together.  I got some strange looks - I'm always in jeans or skirts - I think everyone at school pick up was confused?  Cadyn was confused - Cheetah or Leopard?

We watched an epic of a basketball game on Saturday - Chelsea's under 10 team in the grand final - coached by my husband.  They came from behind to draw and went in to double overtime.  At some stage during the last 15 minutes of the game I felt like I was going to keel over.  The Mum sitting next to me said I went white as a ghost whilst I took the "Brace" position you learn over many years of watching serious airline stewards.  Lucky for me I had lollies in my bag and powerade was rampant on the bench!  I can laugh about it now - but the serious side of this is that I have had a pathology request on the fridge for two months now.  I'm off to have my GTT test tomorrow.  Remember the two hour torture glucose test you have to have when you're pregnant?  I am *meant* to have them every two years - post gestational diabetes with all four kids.  These funny little episodes I have been experiencing for a few months now are hopefully not indicative of anything serious......cos I will seriously KILL someone if I can't eat chocolate or lollies anymore!!!!

And last but not least in this Monday mundane.  During Chelsea and my post-grand-final-loss-shopping-trip, we I came across this delightful product.....

If I were Kate Middleton/Wales, I would not be a happy Princess!

Crises....of sorts

It would be a fair assumption to say I am at a crisis point.  Actually, I am at a crisis junction - too many crises!  Where to start?

#1 - I received Chloe's kindergarten forms last week.  Which was all very exciting.  Until reality struck.  My baby will only be home one day per week.  GREAT I hear you say?  Well that's what I thought I would be saying - but I'm now in panic mode.  14 years of having a child at home with me is coming to an end a little too suddenly.  I need to wrap my head around that.....

#2 - Work.  I have been at the same job for some 15 years.  Love my job.  Not so much loving the shift work attached to said job these days.  Working every second weekend has lost its appeal.  Having three out of four children playing weekend sport as well as a husband who widows me every Summer, has made this past year frustrating.  Shift work is ideal for families with small children, but as we move into this next phase of activity over-drive, I'm finding myself treading water.  Lucky I have an awesome boss who doesn't slap me around when I'm having my all-too-familiar meltdowns!

#3 - The Big Brown House.  It's becoming very real that in a matter of weeks, we will have a mortgage.  A very substantial mortgage at that.  Back in my past life, at the ripe old age of 21, I bought a house.  For $75k!  Now THAT was a mortgage.  As I lay in bed trying to work out where the ABC1 weather man gets his outfits from, I told Andrew I was having a bit of a heart attack.  About the mortgage.  He laughed.

#4 - Seal quite obviously needs some sexual healing.  I watched "The Voice" and felt the skin crawling off my bones during Emma's performance.  At about 1.10 minutes in, it gets uncomfortable.  He needs to learn how to hide his lust!  And how to get a private room......

I could go on.  But I shan't bore you all!  

Anything got your knickers in a knot??


ps. this is my 200th blog post!  I'm going to get an icy-pole to celebrate....cos that's how I roll!

Sexy Sewing

Just a quick post this afternoon between eating chocolate freckles (everyone loves them yeh?), swigging Pepsi Max (they did not sponsor this post unfortunately, I'm just addicted), squishing orders into postal satchels and getting quotes for renovations!!  Here's some useful information for you......

Sexy huh?

The lovely Renee over at The Sewing Library is celebrating their First Birthday!  She has an amazing prize on offer - and it makes sewing look pretty damn sexy!  Great opportunity for everyone (well except me, because I am one of the sponsors of said sexy prize, now I know how Karl and Lisa feel when they can't enter Today Show comps!) who loves sewing, would love to sew, or knows someone who sews to win a beautiful machine!  Pop over there and let Renee know I sent you!


Who knew carpet was so freakin expensive??  I mean really.....it's just big rugs on floors yeh?  Seems I am taking a master class in "how not to get ripped off by big companies" during the infant stages of our renovating.  Today was the 3rd hour spent sitting around whilst a strange man wandered around with his measuring tape.  Let's hope the quotes get cheaper - please.....


I keep looking at the rather large amount of "stuff" we have, everywhere, and wonder how I am possibly going to get it all packed and moved?  Remedied some of the problem by emptying out our garage of all the useless shit we have been holding on to "just in case" on the weekend.  Hard rubbish collection has perfect timing this time round.  Seems our crap must be really, really crappy this time round.  Apart from a few random items, it's all still on the nature strip.  Unheard of in this suburb!  Some people must roam from area to area, trailer hooked on, picking through others crap in the hope of finding good crap to transfer to their own crappy garage?  Noice.


I've sort of, kind of, maybe decided that the kids will be changing schools next year.  Our moving date will be some time in July, so I will have at least half a year of travelling to their current school.  Yes, it may only be ten minutes each way, but given we have only had to walk 300 metres to school for the past five years, I'm guessing I will be over it by year's end?  I have a school in mind, and they just happen to be holding their open night later this month.  I'm already bribing Chelsea with the news that they have piano lessons during school hours!  Bribery 101 will be my best friend in the coming months.....


Bella the kitten has made herself well and truly at home.  She now flies from one piece of furniture to another, and scares the absolute bejeezus out of everyone at some stage during each day.  Found her on top of the printer this morning after hearing it turn on.  Printer lives on top of three filing cabinets.  Still trying to work out the logistics of how she ended there....


That's it.  Must go and look productive.  Husband just pulled in the driveway!