Quilt Madness

During my confinement (AKA Maternity Leave) I've become a bit crafty.  Well, a try hard crafty person.  I am currently doing a quilting course once a week for 8 weeks and we are about half way through.  I am the youngest in the class by decades, but they are a fun bunch and it's been good and very interesting... and at times very brain draining!!!!! The teacher is one of the founding members of Canberra Quilters and is a GENIUS.  Her quilts are just DIVINE.  So clever.

We are making what is called a 'sampler' quilt, as there are 9 panels with various techniques so you get a feel for the different ways of making panels.

This one is called an Ohio Star,  obviously.  Just don't look too closely.  Like me, it has many flaws!!!

 Here are all the bits done so far. 

Given the seriously crappy weather, I decided to start another one for a friend who is having a baby in September. She doesn't know what she is having, so I decided on green.  When I went to the fabric store, they had pre-cut squares to make a cot quilt.  bonus! I get nervy cutting fabric, because I am always afraid I'll get it wrong!!!

I decided to cut up some squares and make triangles just to mix it up a bit.   We'll see how I go.  I've got until September if I need to start again!!!!  It does look better in real life!

Play Point and Shoot with Chantelle to see what other people have been doing on this wet and miserable weekend.

Busy Busy!

It feels like this weekend has been a long one, and in a way, I guess it was because it started on Friday for me.

I went up to Sydney with my friend Alina to see the Hoodoo Gurus on Friday night.  On our way in, we stopped at Ikea. 

We both LOVE Ikea and we went a bit nuts.

Well I went a bit nuts.  Alina was considerably more conservative.  Now the only problem was fitting it in our little hire car.

But we did it. 

Alina had plenty of leg room on the way home.

It was a good weekend.  The girls and Daryl survived, Emily didn't fret too much (but did plenty of crying, no more than usual I would wager, but its the first time Daryl has had to deal with it all by himself)  She didn't drink much of the milk I expressed but was happily eating her solids.  I had the problem of not being able to express my milk while I was up there because I forgot the teeeeeeniest of bits for my pump rendering it useless.  Something that should be readily available wherever that very well known pump is sold. But do you think I could find this little piece ANYWHERE in Sydney.  No.  I could not.  So I was in a great deal of pain and discomfort by the time I got back home.  24+ hours of not feeding will do that.

Anyway, I had a good weekend despite this, and we have spent today putting together all of my ikea goodness.  yay!  if we lived in Sydney, I would be there every weekend!

What did you do this weekend?  Play point and shoot too!

This Moment...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.  (via Fat Mum Slim , via soulemama)

There's that mothers guilt kicking in

Tomorrow I am off to Sydney with my friend Alina to go see the Hoodoo Gurus.  We are just going up for the night, back on Saturday.   We are also planning on going to Ikea (yay!) and the 80's exhibition at The Powerhouse before heading back Saturday afternoon.  I am really looking forward to it.

But then again, I am not.

It's the first time I am leaving Emily overnight.  I have been busily pumping off milk, which is proving difficult because my supply is not as much as it used to be.  She still manages to get what she wants, but there isn't much extra.  She is also a bit sniffly and has been having more comfort feeds at night, which is worrying me. 

I'm sure Daryl will cope, I just hope she doesn't fret too much.  Sometimes all she wants is her mum, and I wont be there.

:(

Thai-riffic!

I just had my first Thai massage.

OH
MY
GOD!

That was the best massage I have ever had!  I feel a foot taller and like I could throw my legs around my head.

...and it nearly didn't happen!  The place I was booked into suffered a fire last night!  They called and rescheduled for their other store on the other side of town.  I didn't care, I wanted that massage!  Hell, I would have gone into the ashes for a massage that good!!!

mmmmmmmmmmmmm.  best mothers day present ever!

Crappy Mc Crap Crap

What a shitty weekend.

Well, I might be being a tad dramatic.  I'm sure there are people out there who had worse. 

It started off well enough, Lucy had a birthday party out at Lollipops, an indoor playground.  I actually go there twice a week with Fitmums, we do our exercise, and then we get free entry to Lollipops after.  They have THE BEST banana bread.  Sort of negates the exercise, but it is delicious!!!

Anyways, so Lucy had a lovely time, playing, party food, and a nice time was had by all. 

 
Later that arvo, Lucy was complaining of a sore tummy, typical after a party and eating junk.  She then promptly threw up all over the carpet.  Nice.

Poor bubba was then throwing up every 20 mins or so for the rest of the night.  She spent today in bed watching DVD's. 

So unfortunately, there is nothing fabulous for me to report for those playing Point and Shoot this weekend!

But NEXT weekend, I am off to Sydney for my first ever weekend away without Emily.  (well, its only going to be Friday night, but still.) I should have exciting tales to tell...  Tales of ROCK (we are going to see Hoodoo Gurus) and of SHOPPING (we are going to Ikea!) yay!

Rocking and Rolling....

When will I realise I am too old for such things...

I went to Groovin' the Moo (where that name comes from I have NO idea, I think it has something to do with the first one being in a cow field)

That was how I spent mother's day after having a very nice breakfast with Daryl and the girls.  I got a gift certificate for thai massage (oooooooooooer, cant wait!) and Lucy made some bath salts at pre school as well.  She is just too cute.

I didn't stay for the final band (silverchair) I have seen them heaps before, and by that stage I was FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEZING.  It was very amusing watching the silly little girls who thought they looked fabulous when they left the house in their cute little summery dresses freezing their arses off by the end of the night.  I had a jumper, but it was a bit too thin, I knew this before I left the house, but I only bought it the day before and like those silly little girls, it was cute and I wanted to wear it!  Plus I stupidly thought that I didn't want to carry a big heavy jumper around.  Silly me.  Highlights included Grinspoon, British India, and Vampire Weekend.  I really did NOT enjoy Empire of the Sun.  They definitely made me even more grumpier than just being cold.  Also by that stage those young-uns who had by then had more than a skinfull of grog where starting to get stroppy.  I was cold, getting angry at the noise that Empire of the Sun call music, and getting jostled in the crowd.  I went home half way through Vampire Weekend, thankful that the car has a good heater.  I came home, jumped in a super hot shower and went to bed.  I even wore my robe to bed I was still that cold. 

I'm paying for it today with sore feet and tiredness.  But I am very proud of myself, I still went to fitmums despite not really feeling like it.  yay for me!  Mind you, the amount of yumminess I ate on the weekend would mean I would need to do a week of fitmums!!!  I have also decided to go back on Tony Ferguson, if only to keep myself honest.

And just for those playing point and shoot with Chantelle, here's a bit of cuteness from the ratbags who call me mum.  Well, one does... the other just cries!

Dress ups!

My eldest daughter, Lucy Jean, is a cad.  She is always trying to make people laugh.  Here is one of her many guises.  She loves dressing up in anything and everything she can find.

Note the butterfly face paint from a country fair we went to.  The tissuebox shoes add a little something special.  (yes she is holding a beer, she was getting it for me, acting like a robot.  As you do.)

She is a poser too.  Always asking to have her photo taken. 

I had the girls photos taken during the school holidays too at the local mall, where they dress them up in ridiculous outfits for a small fee and a "free" photo.  That "free" photo was your standard sized shot.  woo.  They then put the boot in and hit you up for the rest of the pics.  Who in their right mind can say no to pictures of their children looking cute.  And yes, they do look cute, but I am not 100% pleased with them...especially when the get up was a bit too "cheesy" for my liking.

I much prefer the type of shots taken by people like Rowe Timson, who does just GORGEOUS natural candid shots, but unfortunately our finances just dont stretch that far.  I rang a similar photographer here in Canberra, who I wont mention, but it was just far too expensive to even consider at the moment.

The girls still look cute though despite the crappy headgear (excuse the quality, this is one of the photos taken with my iphone)

I like the one below better, only slightly... I think I am looking at their faces rather than the surrounds!  Note Lucy's blue steel.  She did change expression once.  Very focussed!

Even these crappy photos cost a fortune... I think I picked the wrong profession!  (apart from the fact that I have ZERO skill in that regard)

My cousin Julie is a professional photographer, and I'm sure she would take some shots for me, but she is in Melbourne.  She did our wedding photos and they are lovely.

Here is a pic of our wedding cake taken by julie.  Best put one in of us I guess!!!

awww.  young love.  Just an aside, we were watching a show about weddings on the weekend, Lucy was hilarious when talking about when she will get married.  She said in a rather indignant tone "I just want to get married to daddy not a boy!"  bless.

Lots of pics for you to look at today if you are playing Point and Shoot with Chantelle.  Only the first one is strictly from the weekend though!