Ag May ...

For Little Miss M's cousin, all the way from across the world, to celebrate her birthday and Christmas and New Year and Baptism with us - what a whirlwind 4 weeks for one so young. To start the string of celebrations, here is Cousin M's birthday cake - a "some bits vanilla and some bits chocolate" teddy bear cake.  Let me tell you - I've made a wedding cake before and this was soooooo much more difficult. It went from this... To this... P.S That writing was done using melted chocolate, a toothpick and baking paper.  Happy Birthday Cousin M!!!  And congratulations to your momma and dad for making it through the first year with their sanity intact.  Love you J and V!

Christmas is just around the corner and, this year in particular, I am in full swing with Christmas cheer.  I don't mind Christmas; I'm not a scrooge.  I normally just accept that it's that time of the year rather than anticipating "that time of the year".  But this year, I'm anticipating it more than just accepting it.  Part of it would be because Little Miss M is grasping the Christmas concept and I enjoy watching her enjoy life (that was a mouthful).   Anyway, my Dear Husband has happily gone along with my swing of mood regarding Christmas and has been helping me with the Christmas preparations.  Here's his contribution so far... I'm so proud of his work.  I can only show part of it as it might form part of your present!!!!

And with a vengeance... After a hard haul for a couple of weeks, and some time to recover from that, we have our life back (mostly!).  Home is still a mess, but I can now see parts of the floor.  Fridge needs to be cleaned out and restocked.  Laundry needs to be washed and folded and put away (funny how that last bit seems to be the hardest for me).  But we're getting there. AND we had a restful and productive weekend!! A few weeks ago, my material arrived at my doorstep.  Little Miss M knew that I was planning to make her a dress and this is how the progress has morphed along over the weeks. I had to sew the ends to stop it fraying too much as Little Miss M refused to part with the material. And then she wanted to actually wear it out.  At this point, it's still a swath of square material.  Yes, we walked out of the house looking like this (with shoes and socks as well!!!) And finally, I had a chance to cut it out and (much later) sew it together.  The finished produc

It's been a long time between posts.  To all of my work mates - great work.  I'm glad to be part of the team that pulls together like you all have in times of "crisis". On this side of my world, well it's been on halt.  Cooking, cleaning, crafting, mothering.  Dear Husband has been a single parent for a couple of weeks now.  Thanks, love, I owe you!!! However, you would think that after two weeks of intense parenting, Dear Husband would learn a lot about a toddler's expectations.  Don't mention a treat unless it's a bribe and can be given in less than two minutes.  Don't mention the playground unless you're planning to leave for it in less than two minutes.  And don't mention "puddles" unless you're willing to follow through with the splashing consequences. So, in the middle of a flash flood Summer thunderstorm, I call out Dear Husband to help us get from car to home as quickly as possible.  First thing Dear Husband says to

Earlier in the month, I attended a Bag in a Day workshop .  Great fun; learnt heaps; built confidence.  I didn't quite finish it at the workshop, and I've only just now gotten around to finishing it off *roll eyes shake head*.  Admittedly, I have taken it out for a couple of quick trips before now. The bag was waiting for some embellishments.  The embellishments tell me which side of the bag to face out when I wear it, so that my beginners (read : dodgy) interfacing job on one side doesn't show.  It's all in the details, all in the details (so I'm sorry about the contrasting red t-shirt.  My dear husband was kind enough to model, so I wasn't going to push my luck by asking him to change t-shirts). The embellishments are courtesy of a lovely store, Kimono house , and made with the same fabric as the lining of the bag.  Of course, since I made a flower for my bag Little Miss M wanted one for herself as well.  She hasn't asked for the matching bag ...yet.

It's not that I haven't admitted to it; it's just that I'm not enjoying my reaction so far to it. I suspected at 3 weeks; had a dating scan at 6 weeks and am now nearly 10 weeks pregnant.  Yeah! Now... If only I could stop the feelings of apprehension.  If only I could stop the dreams.  If only I could stop checking for bleeding every hour.  If only I could get past the fear and accept that this uncomfortable feeling in my stomach is just pregnancy nerves, bloating and constipation.  If only I could let myself enjoy this time of my life. Is it a matter of letting go of the past?  Or is it a matter of embracing what has been to fully appreciate what is now? *sigh* one day at a time.  Looking at old photos helps.  I'll make it to this again, I'm sure ...I think.   But either way I already have a greater appreciation of how truly blessed I am.  Fear or no fear - that has to be a good thing.

Juggling midday naps and frequent trips to the toilet means that not a lot has been happening on the crafting (or the house cleaning!) side of life.  But finally, I have managed to finish off a couple of reading cushion covers for Little Miss M.  Thanks to N for the inspiration! A few notes about these cushion covers. 1.)  I don't know why it took me so long to get these together.  Cutting and piecing the panels took the longest.  Sewing was a half-an-hour to an-hour to do. 2.)  These are two different types of cushion covers.  One has a zip at the bottom.  Instructions are courtesy of this tutorial .  The other has overlapping flaps at the back.  Instructions were nought.  Success (as in "not bad, fits well; but are the flaps upside down?") was a fluke.  As long as the cushions are soft enough to stuff into the cover, then I have no preference on which is better.  They are both easily removable to wash. 3.)  The paneling was done differently.  One cover was two piece

One night - two weeks ago, I went out looking for this But it was closed.  So I settled for this And, finally, two weeks later, I had this Followed by this After waiting for two weeks, it was sublime... Two weeks!!! How long would you have waited to satisfy a craving?

I LOVE receiving parcels in the mail!!  I love it, love it, love it.  I know my postman  by name and, lucky man, he normally gets a treat when he comes knocking on my door.  All quite innocent - thank you very much!! It's been a bit quiet on the crafting front, because I have been waiting for my parcels to arrive.  And they're here!!!  (As she jumps around the room in delight) Hmm - what lovely goodies do you think I am going to make with this set? And here's the lovely treat that greeted my postman this time round.

All at the dinner table.  Little Miss M banging her spoon and not eating. "Please stop that, Darling.  Please stop banging the spoon on the table." Spoon continued to bang. "Sweetheart, please stop that.  It's too loud and you're making a mess". Spoon continued to bang. "Sweetie, enough, please" Spoon continued to bang. "Oh, for goodness sake, are you listening to me?!?" "No mama" "Oh, ok.  Well, when you're ready to listen, tell me" A few (quiet) seconds later. "I'm ready to listen now." "Ok.  Please stop banging on the table with your spoon." "Ok mama" A few seconds later... Little Miss M starts to bang her hands on the table... *sigh*...  At least she stopped with the spoon.   What can I do?  Enjoy it while it lasts :)

Talk about reliving the memories - I spent a fun-filled night at Bobby McGees!!!  In a true stroke of entertaining genius, D & S held their engagement party at Bobby McGees.  Nothing can invoke the "good-ole-days" memory store better than going back to the scene of the crime - complete with the music, the sticky floor, the dark corners and the free-flowing cocktails. * smiling reminiscently * - yep the good ole days. Here's the card for the occasion.

And the "Friday - after work drinks" culture starts early.

As in Wednesday Hump Day!  A couple of disastrous parenting nights, overly busy work days and a stuffy congested head makes the weekend just been seem so far away.  It was such a lovely weekend; let's hope the rest of the week is better and the last two days was just a hiccup. Thanks for a lovely visit, N!  I cut you out of one of the photos as I never asked if I could post your ass on the internet :) Not too bad on the crafting side of things as well.  Dear Dad got to practice some more screen printing and Little Miss M got a newly printed t-shirt.      Do you remember the time when your parents could do anything?  I still think so - a few decades old; married with kid and I still ask my dad to come over and fix this-and-that and add shelves over here.  Love you Pa!

On the way to childcare yesterday... Miss M : "Why did Mama go to work today?" Daddy : "Mama had to go to work to make some money so that she can buy bread." Silence. Miss M : "Is Daddy going to work today?" Daddy : "Yes baby" Miss M : "Is Daddy going to work to make some money?" Daddy : "Yes baby" Miss M : "Maaaaaybe Daddy will to go work today and make some money..." Miss M : "And, maaaaaybe Daddy will buy a book." Miss M : "Yes, maaaaaybe Daddy will buy a 'Maisy' book" Later that evening, Dad's wallet a few dollars lighter... Sucked in!!!!

HAHAHA!!!!  I've got a ways to go in the cupcake decorating department.  

To what lengths will I go to ensure that our fridge is stocked with Free Range Green Eggs and Yarra Valley Grass Fed Beef ?   To some, this is a way of life.  For me, I struggled to find the shoes in my cupboard for these conditions that would keep my toes dry and be cleanable for use some other day.  And even then, the shoes were white - aaaaargh!

Considering the extra slow, non-productive end to the working week, this weekend has been relatively productive.   Laid out and shopped for my 5-week menu plan.   My dear husband printed out a t-shirt for our little girl.  I have a couple of purses in the making - near completion.    And cookie dough balls all ready to be baked whenever the cookie monster comes calling.   Not too bad at all, I think.

We're still getting the hang of childcare, mainly getting ready in the morning and bypassing the reluctance* my little one has in going to "school".  The latest trend is to let her bring a little something of her dad's with her to childcare.  Here's her last pick - her dad's t-shirt. *Reluctance = can range from "I feel sad" to out-and-out tantrums (from both mom and child sometimes)

I'm not doing too badly in the sewing stakes .  I've been making my Creative Commitments  (check them out on the side bar) and getting use out of the sewing machine that I spent too much money on.  I think, though, I need to get back to basics and learn how to sew straight!!! First attempt - check out the crazy sewing line on the right Second attempt - better Final product!!! Note : the pattern is from a wonderful designer whom I can't recommend highly enough - Nicole Mallalieu . That's Creative Commitment Sewing number 2 and 3 for October 2010

Sometimes (ok, most times except on pay day), going to work just gets in the way of the more important things in life.  However, would I enjoy these moments as much, or indulge in them as much, if I could get it everyday? I wish I could decorate cupcakes like this!

With the onslaught of gray weather and a hard two days ahead of me, it's time to prepare mentally with things that lift my spirit. The anticipation of homemade cupcakes Being read to while cooking dinner Relaxing in the sun What lifts your spirit?