Hello Monday. 13th of July 2015

Hello Monday! 

Hello quiet house! The kids are back at school. Hip hip hooray! Now my house will stay clean longer than 10 minutes. 

Hello arctic blast. We are having a real winter today. It's windy, it's cold and I have socks on! About 4 hours drive from here it is snowing. I have never ever seen snow in real life. Nor do I really want to. I am someone who likes it hot, hotter & even hotter. My husband on the other hand was born in NSW & grew up having snow every winter. He keeps telling me that he wants to take me back to his home town while it's snowing. I told him to have a nice time while he is there. I am not going! 

Taking stock.

Making : A crochet blanket for my niece. She will be turning 8 in a few months so I thought it was best to make  a start now. 

Cooking : A lot of hearty meals. I love winter 

cooking! Stew, soups, lamb shanks....you know, all the good stuff!

Drinking : Lots of cups of tea & a little too much pepsi max. Not drinking them both at the same time though!

Reading: Blogs. I am reading a LOT of blogs. Trying to learn a little more from people who know a lot.

Wanting: Time with the girls. I am not happy that the school holidays are almost over. The eldest now only has 1 & 1/2 years left at high school and that makes me sad. 

Looking: At my garden out the front & seeing how neglected it has become. It must be envious of all the time that I spend out the back in the veggie patch.

Hello Monday. 6th of July 2015

Hello Monday.

Hello royal christening! I woke up this morning to find my news feed full of gorgeous photos of Baby Princess Charlotte. And Prince George, seriously, is he not the cutest little dude? I think that I could imagine the whole family moving in next door and afternoons spent at each others house having BBQ's & a sneaky beer. They just give off that down to earth vibe. I could even see Will out in the street with all the kids & Dads playing a game of cricket on a Sunday arvo. While the Mums and Kate would lounge back on the lawn chairs having a sneaky vodka. I can totally see it. 

Hello second week of the holidays. This week sees a job interview for the eldest teen who is so driven that she wants a second part time job. It is apparent that my job is to drive her to all of these jobs. But that's OK because I am actually the passenger now that she has her learners licence. It also sees us making plans to go shopping for new school shoes for both girls. One teens feet have shrunk & the others have grown another 2 sizes!

Hello Sunday. 5th of July 2015

Hello Sunday. We, along with 74000 others, headed in to town to celebrate The Story Bridges 75th birthday. It was a beautiful winters day in Brisbane.

We caught the train in. It was the first time in over 10 years that I have caught  train. Not a lot had changed except for the scenery. Funny how when you look for landmarks that you remember as a kid that it a wave of nostalgia sweeps over you when they are still there. A short walk through Fortitude Valley & we hit a wall of people. I could not believe the crowds! OK, so I thought that it might be busy & a little crowded but it was a whole lot more than that! After a 30 minute wait in a sardine packed line, we made it onto the bridge. It would have been no longer than 2 minutes and we turned around and walked back off. The crowd was just too much. If they ever do something like this again, maybe they should open the bridge to foot traffic & have the food trucks in the surrounding streets. 

Hello Monday. 29th of June 2015

Hello school holidays!! 

After a stress filled term, we are ALL breathing a sigh of relief that the alarm clock didn't go off at 6 am this morning. We all slept in till after 8 am! Oh it was glorious to wake up in my own time. And to look out the window to see that it was raining & know that I can stay in my PJ's all day.........so comforting! 

Do what makes you happy. Who makes the rules anyway?

F#ck the rules, do what makes you happy. 

If we all lived like a 4 year old who doesn't care what anyone thinks, oh how happy we would all be! My daughter used to dress as a fairy with gumboots every single day for about 6 months & she was awesome! She even wore that outfit to my Grandmothers funeral. It made everyone smile. Every person who ever stopped & commented only said positive things. Like "She is rocking that fairy outfit" or "That kid has got style" or "I love that she doesn't care what anyone thinks". She was happy. I was happy that she was happy. Can't we all be just as happy & confidant as a 4 year old in a fairy outfit & tutu??

If you want to wear mixed prints, do it.

If you want to dye your hair blue, do it.

3 things that are really freaking awesome!

Today I am joining in with Carly who writes the awesome blog Smaggle (that could possibly make 4 really freaking awesome things then). She has revived a blog post series where you share 3 really freaking awesome things from the month. 3? I have a habit of using awesome to describe at least 10 things a day so it may be hard to cut it back to just 3. But here goes........

Hello Monday. 22nd June 2015

                                   

Hello last week before school holidays start. That means that I have one week of a clean house before the teenagers all arrive at my house everyday. Then it will goodbye clean, hello chaos for 2 weeks.

Breathe. The tattoo with meaning.

Have you ever felt the need to do something that is just completely for you? Something that you have thought about a lot? Something that you have felt that you need to do? I have. For quite sometime I have been thinking about getting a tattoo. I already have one, a mistake. But we won't delve into that too much except to say that I was 16 & going through a rebellious stage. I had been dreaming of a particular tattoo for months. As some of you know, this has been one of the hardest years of my life. Not good when you suffer from anxiety. I often find myself caught in the midst of anxiety & I forget to breathe. I know that to most, breathing is completely natural & you may not understand. Those of you who suffer from anxiety will totally get where I am coming from.

Going on a craft retreat!!! Booked and deposit paid.

How does 3 days of uninterrupted crafting with all meals cooked & cleaning done for you sound? Ummmm, like heaven!!! I have taken a leap and booked into my very first craft retreat. For once it will be me leaving the family behind to fend for themselves. Mind you, they are teenagers & it is my husbands duty to deal with them. I might tell them that I will have no phone service. Sneaky! So, some of my favourite  bloggers over at And Sew We Craft have organised a 3 day craft retreat for June next year.

Hello Monday. 15th June 2015

Hello Monday

Hello fabulous blue floral fabric that I hope to make into a retro inspired skirt this week.

Hello grade 11 block exams. This is my first time dealing with the BIG exams as a Mumma. We are making sure that we eat really well with lots of fresh fruit & veg. And there is always a supply of chocolate for a stress snack. Extra pens, rulers, calculators & lots of sleep. It also means that our days are broken into 2 hour blocks. Sometimes she will be at school in the morning, sometimes she won't start till after lunch. There is even a day where she doesn't go to school at all!

How do you say sorry when words are not enough?

I just don't even know where to start. There are so many things I want to say yet there is so many things I can't say. A little while back, I made the announcement that I was starting a full time course to help me find my way back into the workforce after being a stay at home Mumma. I started the course & was on my 3rd day when the universe had other plans for me. I had to cancel my enrollment. All I can even say to give some kind of understanding is that I received a phone call from my husband that rocked my Mumma heart to the core. I didn't hesitate for a moment & ran as fast as I could. I had to get out of that building & get in my car. One of my daughters was in an ambulance after an incident at school. Even thinking about that moment in time crushes me all over again. To hear that your baby, no matter how old that baby is, is alone & on their way to hospital, {ugh} it just rips your heart out of your chest. By the time I got to the hospital, I was an emotional wreck. As soon as I looked at my beautiful girl & saw the look that she gave me, I knew that nothing else mattered. I knew right then & there that I had to be there for her for as long as she needed me. There is no greater pain for a mother than seeing your child in pain. Thankfully even though it was serious & she still has injuries to overcome, there should hopefully be no life long physical injuries. Emotionally is a whole different issue.

So.....life is about to change!

Yes, life is about to change for myself & my family in a big way! I have been accepted into a 5 week intensive retail course with job placement & fingers crossed......at the end of it, I will have a job!! After 16+ years of raising kids, who are now teenagers, this Mumma is flying the nest! Every day I will get "dressed". No longer will life be just about making sure everyone else is ok. I will have to make sure that I am ok too.  This is going to be a big chance for everyone. It's scary, it's exciting & it's awesome!

Taking stock. 19th of May 2015

TAKING STOCK

Joining in with Meet Me at Mike’s

Making : plans. Lots of plans.
Cooking : healthy food. Trying to eat healthier
Drinking : tea. Lots of tea.
Reading: blogs. Trying to get my blogging mojo back
Wanting: one billion dollars (best Dr Evil voice)

Life has just sucked.

Well hello stranger! It has been far too long since I sat down to write a post. Life has been a complete roller coaster over the last few months. None of it has been fun at all. From sickness to surgeries, everyone around here has had something wrong. It has all put a bit, ok a lot, of stress on everyone but I am starting to think that we are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I write that with trepidation as I don't want to jinx us. The stress has seen me taking comfort in my old friend, food. I think I may have even reached the heaviest that I have ever been. But I am not game enough to step on the scales. I am trying not to think about it too much but I feel completely uncomfortable in my own skin.

Hang on tight & enjoy the ride!

So, I thought that my eldest turning 16 was a big deal. Don't get me wrong, it was a huge deal! But now I have realised that it is just the start. It was a week of stressful studying for the learners licence! Holy shit! She passed! So now that sweet little baby that I held in my arms just a meer 16 years ago, is now sitting behind the wheel of the family car. How? Why? What am I supposed to do with this? I will teach her, that's what I will do.

16 sweet years

16 years old today. You are the first person to steal my heart in a way I never thought possible. 

From the moment I found out that I was going to be your Mumma, it felt like it was fate that you chose me. There is a saying, Being a mother is not about what you gave up to have a child, but what you have gained from having one. Oh my sweet girl, I gained the world by having you. I was only 19 when I held you in my arms for that very first time.

A love letter to my modest life.

When did it become the norm to live to excess? When did living comfortably and modest become a thing of the past? I do not aspire to have great amounts of money in the bank, rental houses, expensive cars, designer clothes or even overseas holidays. When did it become the norm to spend more time at work than with your family? When did houses become a trophy where the bigger, the better? Somewhere along the line, I must have missed that memo.

I do not have my shit together

Today, I do not have my shit together. There has been a few ups & downs of late in our family. Ok, let's be real. There has been a bucket load of downs and only a cup full of ups. I feel like I am drowning under the down moments. Today it has hit my like a tonne of bricks. I am walking around on the verge of tears & I know once I start, I may not stop. I think I am at the breaking point. Not a lose my mind breaking point but an emotional breaking point. It's a sadness that a lot of women feel. When we just have tried to hold it all together for so long.

Why did I stop my old blog and start a new one? Let me tell you why.

I did what you are apparently not supposed to do when you are a blogger. I stopped a successful blog to start a new one. Just when my old blog was closing in on a million unique views, I pulled the plug. Why? Because it had taken on a life of its own and it no longer felt like me. I took quite a few breaks to see if I could reconnect but it just seemed that the further I was away from it, the happier I was. But I didn't want to stop blogging. I missed the sharing, the fabulous ladies who read my old blog for all the right reasons and I missed documenting our life. It really just wasn't me anymore. I felt like I had to watch what I wrote, what topics I wrote about & a lot of the audience didn't seem to connect with me, they connected with the blog had to offer them. They were coming just for the sewing, recipes and what they could get for free. That was not the reason why I started blogging all those years ago. I wanted to just be me. And who is that I hear you say. Let me try and sum up who I am.