Well, I've been single-mumming it for the last week. 

(Bless all the real single Mums out there, who I do not want to offend) I have been staying up late, sewing my quilt, and playing with a canvas, inspired by Nicole Pomeroy, who is cranking the art! I am no where near her in creativity, but I have made it for my friend, so it is special to me. I have also been reading heaps when I get into bed at night, which I have always loved to do, but Brenton always wants the lights out when he gets into bed, even though he doesn't actually go to sleep for a couple of hours after!! LOL!! So, I've been indulging myself. And it feels good.

Tommorow, we are FINALLY FINALLY getting the carpet replaced in our craft/kids room, I am so pumped about it. Finally I can get this house into gear. It has been a long time in the making. I am just about to place an order with Ikea Direct for another Expedit and also a cabinet to put all my pretties in like Teacups and my much loved Chinese Dinner set that I got at Gepps Cross Trash and Treasure about a lifetime ago.. And I have some lovely pieces of Blue and White China, which cost me a fortune again in my last lifetime, so looking forward to having a nice home for it!!  I am going to be able to finally put things in homes like I have thought of since we have moved back.  Who would have thought that I would hang out so much to have order in my home..

I think Brenton is coping ok up there. At least he is happy at work, and so many of our friends have husbands who work away. It seems to be a way of life if you want to get ahead. We have been doing ok money wise, but as far as happiness levels are concerned, I think they will be much better now. Especially now I'm going to have my much wanted room!! Along with a tele and a heater in there, so I will be in my element!!

Now for some photos... 

 Mia and I having snuggles on my bed one cold afternoon, it was the day Brenton quit his job, I felt a bit tired and it was nice to lay there and chat with her... Our rugs were made my my Nanna, she is sleeping in my bed while her Dad is away and we have them over us everynight.... Loving homemade things around me at the moment.

 The start of my canvas, I cut up an old Little Golden Book and stuck bits and pieces down... Mia was horrified that I cut it up, she wondered if the people who made it would be angry!! Beautiful kid, I have taught her well to respect books!! 

 I wasn't really sure where I was going with it or what I wanted at the end, but next put green and blue water colours over the top, then acrylics smeared all over then other colours applied with an old orange bag, and bubble wrap too.. and then a sprinkling of glitter on top too!! So much fun to just smear! I added abit more last night and I'm liking where it is headed but can't just bang out things quickly!! So, it will take abit more time yet.

 Oh and I love love love love love this 'thing' of birds that I picked up at a garage sale for $12. It's one of those things that I had always admired when I had ever seen them. The birds and trees are 3D and made entirely of shells, it is seriously so cool and will get all cleaned up and the frame repainted black and will go in the craft/kids room!! I love it!! Yay!!

 Lexi being Lexi with Mia's old Crows beanie on and singing into the microphone that Mia got for her last birthday which she holds so close to her mouth that all it does is squeel with feedback. Cute (but trying) kid of ours!! 

 Mia had an assembly the day before Brenton left, and even though the photo is absolute crap you get the idea of Lexi just RUNNING!!! She ran amok so much I had to take her out to the playground, she was loving the wide open space of the auditorium and cracked a fruity every time we tried to contain her... 

 My beautiful girls actually being peaceful together and reading a book. This was a beautiful sight for me!

 Mia wanted me to take a photo of her colouring... Bless her!! x

And finally, Lexi and her Pa on Sunday when he and Nan came for a visit.... Love her smile!!

So long since I have blogged but will be back with pics of our room transformation.... Can't wait to put my bits of me in there!! 

x

Today

Today we had another twist in our lives.

Brenton quit his job and is returning to Roxby Downs next week to work there again. 

I'm not really very sure of what happened with the job here, all I know is that Brenton was not himself for the last 3 months. And I have my opinions but it's best if I keep them to myself. Him commuting back and forth is really not what we have ever wanted but the girls and I are here now, and it was an expensive exercise to move back so here we will stay. But I can't wait to go for visits and see all of our friends. Bring that on, I say!! The last 3 months have been sad, stressful, exciting, new, busy, scary, uncertain, fun and so much more. But I hope to see my husband happy in his work and happy when he's home. We love him so much.

For me, I'm really enjoying my work, I never realised how much I missed it. Lexi had only just started sleeping through the night again about 3 weeks ago and now she is waking again in the night, so I think that when big things happen in her little life she gets unsettled.

Here is the new rag quilt I'm working on. Amy Butler Soul Blossoms... The fabrics are so beautiful.... I can't wait to throw the squares on the loungeroom floor and arrange until I get some sort of pattern that I like. I have finally worked my machine out. A family friend who is a seamstress came up the other day and just by watching her trying to work out a problem with the machine made me realise what the hell I have been doing wrong. Stoked. I really didn't need to be worrying about buying a new machine. 

I want to concentrate on this quilt and then hoping that our carpet is replaced shortly in the playroom so that our house can finally get sorted the way we want it to. Especially in the creative department. I really need my creative space.... I need to scrap and in my own area!!

x

I've made my blog public again... I'm allowed a back flip, aren't I??? lol!! xx

Happy Mother's Day...

I hope you had a great day, wonder if anyone pops in much here anymore??? Doesn't matter... 

I have just started work this week and I am really happy that I did! It's a fun environment to work in, and my workmates (so far) are fabulous... All good so far. I only hope that they are happy with me. I think I am doing ok! Lexi seems to like childcare so far, and spends time with both my parents and the in-laws too. She has made it easier for me, as I feel I don't have to worry about her being unhappy. Mia is a bit sad that I am not able to read with her and her friends anymore, but my Mum is going to go down on Thursdays to read with them. She cried a couple of times this week when I went to leave but her teacher says it doesn't last long. Mia has had me to herself basically all her life, so it's a bit strange for her I guess that Mum is off to work... 

A quite shocking photo of me, but here we are, 1st day of term 2 for Mia, 1st 'real' session of childcare for Lexi and my first day at work!! All ready to go!! 

We went to Del Giornos for lunch with Mum and Dad, my brother Michael, his wife Anele, and us three. Brenton is away for a boys weekend in Melbourne... 

 Mum and I.

 Daddy-o and I.

 Mum, Michael and I.

 Anele and I. 

The photos are a lil bit crappy but I like that! 

I have a half finished LO in the kitchen, the only one I have started since E2C. I have been sewing a little bit, and really want to get my rag quilt for me done and dusted so I can use it and so it's just bloody finished. I got two invoices from Scrapbooking Memories this week, so I know that my last two LO's that were originally accepted are going in... Very excited and they are both going in the same issue. That will save the rellies money if they are both in the same one!!! LOL!! Uuum, can't wait to get my craft/kids playroom sorted out. I want to create, but Mia's crafty crap and mine are all competing for space, so we will both have our own desks in the room once the carpet is replaced.. I can't wait to hang her canvases up, and put our touches in there. I have to get Dad to come up and hang all of my things all over our walls, it really is quite bare... Pictures to come when our room happens... I think Sunday nights in there will be a must, I'll be able to watch DWTS and scrap at the same time!! WOOHOO!! 

Thanks for popping in.

xxx

Today...

Today...

Just a quick thing to jot down for me to remember!
Today I took Lexi into Toybox Child Care Centre for her first visit. I want to get her familiar with the place before I start work, I don't want to just dump her and run on the first day. I thought she could go either way, that she would be overwhelmed and cling to me or love it!! She loved it!! We walked in and the director said to her, 'would you like to come and see the kids Lexi?' and Lexi took her hand and walked in with her without a backwards glance at me... Once she was in the room with all the kids, she just went for it. Playing, joining in, sitting down for activities, washing her hands with the others before fruit and milk time, sitting at the table... The lot, it was like she had been there heaps of times and knew all about it... I am so happy. You want your child to be happy at care. I am really looking forward to my job but was worried about Lexi and now I know that I won't have to worry about her and what she is doing, and I'll be able to concentrate on what I'm doing at work! I knew the team leader from yep, you guessed it, Roxby although her and her husband are from here originally. She knew all about Lexi's heart history, and it was just fantastic. They kept asking 'are you sure she hasn't been to care before?' 

She is a social little thing, and got right in there... so proud!!

Another little girl I'm proud of is Mia... She must be feeling more confident with her writing as tonight she shut herself in her room ( so Lexi wasn't near her to draw on her paper) and started writing sight words and then a sentence about her day, then a list of numbers.. I asked her if it was because it is feeling a bit easier to do? She said yep!! She is also asking questions about the earth and why it moves but things don't move as well.. How do you explain gravity!! Also questions about how the Earth was made, my Dad told her there was a big bang and that the dust all came together to be Earth... The Big Bang Theory. I told Mia that some people believed God made earth. I also told her that if she wants to find out more, we can do some investigating and talk to people who believe different things...I will encourage her make her own mind up.  

Anway, lots of questions, interesting times coming up!

I must admit she got a couple of smacks on her bum earlier tonight... Mia has not been listening lately, especially when I ask her NOT to jump around on the furniture... She is always jumping on the coffee tables, my Grandfathers blanket box, the lounges, and between them all... I have been asking her every time I see her doing it, to not do it... And she tends to ignore me. The main reasons are that we have polished floorboards and the furniture has little round pads on the bottom to protect the floor but it also makes it all slippery and everything moves fairly easily. So I can see her slipping and hurting herself if she is not careful. And she is teaching Lexi to do something I don't want her to do. Lexi is a real copy cat at the moment and wants to do everything that Mia is doing. So anyway, this afty, Mia jumped off the blanket box onto the floor and it moved and some things that were on the box fell on the floor with a big crash...She knew straight away that she should not have been doing it. I smacked her, I'm not happy about it, but it was my first reaction. I did it out of frustration that she is. not. listening. and yet again doing something that I have asked her not to do. I talked to her about why I smacked her, and that I'm not happy that I did it, but that I had been asking her for a long time to stop doing it, that I loved her very much and that I don't want her to break an arm or a leg... I am so not happy that I smacked her, she hasn't had a smack for a long long time, but I truly hope that she has learnt something... Maybe listen a bit as in the end Mum can lose the plot!!! 

Be back sooner or later!

This time last week, I was enjoying some well needed 'me' time at Escape 2 Create 2011. I must admit I wasn't as excited as I had been last year, I wasn't bouncing between the excited energy of Tatum and I. We have had so many 'things' on lately. Last year, it was the biggest thing I had to look forward to in along time, and I guess this year I had been feeling very overwhelmed by things at home... It is hectic around here with me trying to get a job in the weeks leading up to the retreat and getting the call on Mon to talk about the job and then sealing the deal on Thursday... We also still have our friend living with us and the lack of space is well and truly getting to me and Brenton in a big way. And then to top it off Lexi had a very very very bad night sleeping on Thursday night which led to me feeling so sleep deprived on Friday, I was close to tears at times just before the retreat. I just do not deal with hardly any sleep very well.

But to be honest, E2C this year was like a big dose of medicine especially just for me. I cannot say enough how the retreat helped to rejuvenate me. Amanda, Sue and Meredith do such a fabulous job of organising the retreat and sourcing so many things for us to enjoy and feel pampered by. The atmosphere as soon as I walked in was soothing, the decorating was fabulous and I just love things with my name on them, so felt very spoilt with the mug and loved hanging my lanyard around my neck... I love the mug so much! The food was so delicious, yum, yum, yum! And some girls felt so at home, they got around in their pj's for some of the weekend. I thought how fab that they can do that, and no-one cares at all!! LOL! It's not for me, but thought it was fab!! Everyone just gets in and starts scrapping and there is a buzz in the air. You can't pay enough money for that feeling!

 Friday afternoon, we had some of this beautiful Champagne.... Thanks Tatum and Lauren for allowing me to partake in such a lovely (and expensive) glass of Veuve Clicquot. Special special special! My shout next time!

 Lauren & I! Beautiful girl!! Mwah!

 Lisa and I. We had met on the Scrapbooking Memories Forum and finally met last year, but pretty sure I didn't get a photo of us then, and then I was sick at the mini retreat in Oct before I got a chance! She's a hardworking studying Mumma!! I know she didn't really want her photo taken, but if you notice Lisa, I'm not looking so flash, so really you had nothing to worry about!!

 Absolutely shocking photo of Lou and I, very out of focus, but turned it B&W in the hope of making it just that little bit better. It's been great to get to know Lou a little bit more over the last year or so! Very talented lady! Bless!!

 Our table.... Wowee, what a creative mess!! Yummy though!!

 Had to include a photo of Tatum's rubbish bag!! LOL! She tried to cram as much in there as she could and when that was full, it overflowed to the floor!! Love it!

 The scene. Where Meredith is sitting there are another two tables either side 'behind' where I am standing to take the photo!

 Love my alphas!!

 Awwww, Amanda, you rock!!

 Meredith, you are one seriously funny lady!! Your friends are so lucky to have you, I love the one liners!! Quite my style!!

 Ok, so Sue isn't going to love this, but couldn't leave her out!! :) Another gorgeous woman, who along with Meredith and Amanda work so hard!! xx

 Love this chick!!

 And, or course, the selfie! Where would I be without them!! 

And now for the LO's!! Basically I sat with a Scrapbook Trends (the latest one) beside me and got all my ideas out of there... It made my life easy and things flowed. I wouldn't say I directly scraplifted but certainly got loads of ideas and inspiration. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.

 Bubba learning to blow bubbles at Office Beach caravan park, Wallaroo...Such a cute photo!

 Mia just loves to crumb food with me. She always has. It must be a sensory thing. She is a lot younger in this photo. I think she could be 4 and a half!

 Brenton, Mia and Lexi out by Lake Mary. I adore adore adore this photo. I love the way he's holding Lexi and has a hand on  Mia... I probably didn't do the photo true justice but I like the LO all the same.

 Desert Beauty is from Fran Tynan's class which I loved by the way... lots of new ideas for me!! 

 About having coffee with my MIL and SIL's every Friday morning. And how I'm a bit sad that a new tradition is already over for me as after the school holidays I start work... Bummer. (maybe could turn into Friday afty drinkies instead!)

 I'm a big girl now is from Tatum's class and no I haven't stitched the outside yet... bad me!! It will happen though... I think!! 

 Another from Fran's class. I did love how the LO's where similar yet different. Great ideas for if you have a kit and want to make the most of it.... Wonderful lady!! So friendly! We were so blessed to have all the teachers there for the weekend!! Tatum, Lou, Fran and Michelle!

 Mia Moo at the playground in Wallaroo. I. just. adore. this. photo. 

 Mia 'graduating' from her headstart program at the end of 2009. In Roxby, they do it for their first term at school.

Lexi out by Lake Mary near Roxby Downs. I love this photo too, even though I cut a bit of her head off... *whoops*

So there is a long winded wrap up of my weekend at E2C. Such a great time and a great group of girls. 

Bring on October (hopefully) then 2012 (hopefully)

xxx

 Oh and I just realised that I forgot these two LO's from the weekend. Blogger was spinning out that I was trying to upload lots of photos earlier. I love this photo of Mia on New Years Day about 12:30am. We had a great new years eve!! 

And another one of Lexi at North Beach in Wallaroo!! 

That's all folks!!