Wednesday, July 28, 2010

I was right!

Julia Roberts did play Liz in the movie version of 'Eat Pray Love'. I should move to the USA and become a casting director!!! Cant wait to see the movie now that I have read the book.

I finished the book yesterday when I should have been doing my housework. I loved Bali. India, not so much. LOVED Italy. I want to learn Italian and move my family to Ubud for a few months. India... not so much. I wasn't particularly interested in her most deepest spiritual feelings and I was disappointed when she gave up her plans to travel in India to spend more time at the Ashram.

Still it was a good book. Lisa bought me 'Committed' the follow up book and I am going to read that soon. First I have to read Charlaine Harris' 'Dead in the Family' for a Sookie fix. It has been a few months since I finished the series and I've just received the newest book in the mail last week. Yay!


Nothing like a pile of good books to get your through the Winter.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Making a present for their dad

Last week they were busy making a good luck fishing necklace and a matching key ring for Scott's new boat for his birthday. Dustin also made one for himself and Ruby made herself a tiara.


Tomorrow they are having a sleep over at a friends house. It is Scott and my ten years anniversary. The anniversary of our first kiss. Cant believe it has been ten years. Ten very busy years. We bought three houses and lived in three different states. Sold two of those houses. Bought a business and sold that. Had two kids. Travelled around a lot of Australia, although we still have a lot more travelling to do.

Five of those ten years have been here on Willowdale where life has quieted down. The plan was to move to Tasmania to simplify life and we haven't quite achieved that yet. But we have done alright and we are happy and looking forward to the next ten years. We might even get around to getting married some time in the next ten!



Monday, July 26, 2010

A weekend away

We are back from another weekend away. It is good to be home again though. The weather while we were away was wet but today at home it is warm and sunny. Not that the weather stopped us from having a good time but it wasn't quite as relaxing as our usual trips away. I think I was just pissed that I didn't get much time to embroider and crochet and draw because there were too many people to talk to and so many little children running around squealing, mine including. Also, I didn't sleep all that well because I hurt my shoulder a few days ago and it still hasn't gotten back to normal.

Still, it was a good weekend but we probably should have made it a day or two longer because Strahan is a little far to go for only two nights. I had three novels in my bag and didn't have time to read any of them :(


The weekend was for Scott's birthday so we went to Strahan which is six hours away from us, but instead of driving for six hours straight we decided to break up the trip by staying a night up in the mountains on the way. We stayed at the Central Highlands Lodge. Which isn't as nice as the website makes it out to be. I was annoyed because when we went to check in we discovered that our cabin was actually five kilometres away from the actual lodge. This turned out to be a good thing though as our cabin was actually a four bedroom house and there were tonnes of room for some rowdy kids and two cars with boats and trailers to fit nicely.

After we unpacked we headed back to the lodge for pizzas and I gave Scott his 'Emergency Shipwreck Box' to put in his new boat, for his birthday and the kids gave him his lucky fishing necklace which they made for him.


The service at the lodge was soooooo slow but the pizzas were good and we were all in good moods so we didn't mind so much.


After dinner we went back to our cabin and listened to music and sat by the fire and drank wine and laughed and stayed up way too late. The kids and the fathers played a game of 'bowls' where the kids were the bowling pins and the balls were pillows from the couches and the hallway was the lane. The fathers would hurl the cushions down the 'lane' and see how many children they could knock down. There was a lot of squealing and excitement and I was glad we were five kilometres away from the lodge then.


In the morning it was icy cold but no snow. That was one cold boat.


I'll share more of our trip tomorrow. Right now I have some very exciting housework to do :)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Hey! That is my pillow!


I am doing a 3x3 inch art swap and the theme is 'Red'. I think three inches square is such a fun little size for my ladies. Here is mine ready to go.


I am a bit annoyed that I smudged the outline on this though. I am already working on a blue one and I think I might do a few more swaps for this size so I can have a small collection of miniature art to frame and hang up in Dustin's new bedroom.

Today I have to get ready for our weekend away to Strahan. It is Scott's birthday tomorrow and we are taking his new boat to the other side of Tasmania for some fun. Three families all together so it is going to be a great weekend. Get ready for LOTS of photos when we get back.

Don't worry! Someone is coming to take care of the kittens :) Although we will miss them while we are away.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Poor me

I only have one step in my house but yesterday I managed to fall down it in spectacular You Tube footage fashion. Fortunately no one was here to see and laugh but unfortunately since no one was here and I was having problems breathing, and on the verge of blacking out, I had to call Scott who was with the kids doing some work on his boat, and have him come home for a while.

Turns out I was OK. Just winded and very sore. Today I am even more sore and feeling rather sorry for myself but I will live. Might go and get all my chores done so I can lay in bed this afternoon and play with the kittens while the kids watch movies.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

They are so cute and so distracting

These little kittens whose little lives have come to join ours.


That is Rosie, Ruby's kitten. She is totally inlove with her.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Vintage linens and brand new kittens

A little while ago my kids asked for a puppy. We had been at a BBQ and a little boy had the cutest puppy in all the whole world. A little white fluffy thing that eventually grows into a very large white fluffy thing.

Problem is we already have two dogs which we had before we had the kids and we have decided (Scott and I) that we would not get another dog because we have plans to travel and dogs make it really hard. I suggested to the kids that I may get them a kitten one day. Cats are a lot less trouble (unless they pee in your slippers but that is a story for another time). So Dustin and Ruby had their future kittens names already picked out and they have been talking about them for months so when I heard about a women who had two litters of kittens which all desperately need homes I fugured now is as good a time as any. Therefor, here is Pepper, Dustin's new kitten.


He looks really sad in this photo but he was actually just tired and ready for a long sleep on my bed.

Ruby has Rosie (photos tomorrow). The kittens were just running wild in the house everywhere so the kids went running around finding them and eventually picked out there favourites. I thought they would have chose the fluffy kittens but they likes the smaller ones with "little heads" better. They are so sweet with them. A little impatient though.

They now have chores to do in order to save up for the "operations to stop them having babies" I said I will pay half if they save up the rest.


I received these lovely vintage guest towels in the mail this week which I purchased from Ebay. I have a big plan for these.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Eat Pray Love

So a friend raved about this book and loaned me her copy, protectively looking for a pen to scribble her name inside. I assured her I would not only remember whose book it was but also I will return it in perfect condition. She loves this book and wanted it back. Of course I forgot it and left it on the table of another friends kitchen who rescued it and brought it to me. Phew!

I cant say I was all that interested in actually reading it. I was curious because usually I want to read books which come highly recommended, but I wasn't actually looking forward to it like I would say, the new Sookie Stackhouse novel. Still, the other day when I finished another Charliane Harris novel, I picked it up and started reading it.

It didn't rock my soul at first. I found it kind of depressing. I didn't particularly enjoy reading about her broken marriage and the devastation of the break up of her "true love" and especially the depression which was all too familiar to me. After reading such epic novels like 'Pillars of the Earth' and 'World Without End', and fluffy teenage vampire series (Team Edward thankyou very much) and the entire series of Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris (in a row) followed by a few more obscure novels about death and the occult. The memoirs of a neurotic American women was probably not a welcome change to my literary (? perhaps) interests.

Still I have persevered and I am glad I have because I am now quite enjoying it. I have only read a third of it and I find myself not only wanting to learn to speak Italian I have considered the possibility of gathering a couple of girlfriends and suggesting our own little Italian Adventure. Unfortunatley, all the friends I have in mind including myself, have small children with whom we would have to neglect and leave behind with our men in order for us to indulge ourselves in the perfect pizza dough in Naples.

So perhaps instead of going to Italy I might be able to convince them that we should all learn Italian so we can practice together in the hopes that one day we might make it to Italy after all. That, and that the friend whose book I am reading called me this morning to tell me about a movie night another friend is hosting for the movie version of the book! There is a movie!? I wonder who is playing Liz? Julia Roberts perhaps? Jennifer Anniston??

So it may not be possible to go to Italy right now but I am neglecting my children anyway while loosing myself in this women's travels as she has now left Italy for India and I am eager to hear more about her adventure.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

My new favourite breakfast


Toasted English muffins with cream cheese, smoked salmon, poached eggs and capers. Yummmmm!

Make this for breakfast. It is soooo good!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Almost done

Dustin's new bedroom is almost finsihed. He is sleeping in there and Ruby is sleeping on a mattress on his floor because I have started her room as well. All that is left to do in Dustin's room is another coat of paint on his bed and the floor which I plan on doing the day we leave for our trip to Strahan in a couple of weeks.

I also need to buy some hooky things to hang up his other curtain. He currently has half his window covered in purple velvet. I'll probably go to Launceston to get them this week.

I also have to scrape off the paint which is on the glass on his window and that is about it, other than his new door which needs to be cut to size and painted. I'll paint it after it is done. The cutting is Scott's job of course.

It is all looking really good. Very cute and cosy with a kind of retro feel. I'm loving it and so is he.

I'll take some more photos when we get some light. It has been dark and rainy for about a week. Not good photo taking weather.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

On our way to school

It was such a beautiful winter's morning I stopped along the way to school to take some photos.

































I stop at the baby cow shed where they were all waiting for their breakfast and this little black one was so excited to see me she jumped over the fence and tried to get the others to follow her. She thought I was the food lady.








I really don't understand why people don't love winter.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

I'd love 90 days in jail

Away from the general population in your own room. Think of all the books you could read and all the wonderful sleep you could have. Are you allowed to bring a crochet hook to jail because I'd do that and heaps of lovely yarn and some embroidery supplies and paint supplies and some good music... I suppose they wouldn't let me have any wine though but if I had my own kettle so I could make a cup of tea it would be OK. I don't know what Lindsey Lohan is crying about.

Monday, July 5, 2010

My house is a mess and I'm running way behind.

There is still so much to do before Dustin and Scott come home. The house has been neglected during all the painting. It is a mess! There are paint sample cards everywhere from Ruby trying to choose two or three colours out of ten million. There are blankets everywhere because we are having problems with the fires. I think both our chimney's need cleaning out and the wood isn't burning very well.

The dining room has been converted into a sewing room and I have to get everything out including the old dining room furniture because Scott is coming home with our new vintage dining room furniture and I wanted to clean out the carport area to make room for Scott's new boat.

I also have to clean out the old buffet so I can give it to my friend Lisa (who always liked it better than I did)... I really don't have time for blogging so GOODBYE!!!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

A peak in Dustin's new bedroom

Dustin is away on the mainland with Scott so I have been busy trying to get his room ready for when he comes home on Tuesday. I am almost there. Right now I am waiting for the first coat of paint to dry on his bed. I have about an hour and then I can recoat.


The colours look really good. He picked them out himself. The floor isn't as red as I would have liked it to be. We let the paint man at Bunning's change our mind about the red paint we had and suggested we buy a red pathing paint. It looks OK but isn't as bright. But I think it will do. When everything is in and he has mats down I think it will be fine.


He wanted an owl in a tree on his wall. He has a HUGE owl on a branch which couldn't possibly be strong enough to hold him. Way out of proportion, but I suppose there are not many huge purple, blue and red owls with glittery wings in the world anyway!


I have to hang his curtain's tonight, paint more of the floor and finish painting his bed. Tomorrow I have to move his fish tank in, do a few touch ups and paint the rest of the floor. I might get it don't before he gets home.


Next week we will get him a new door. I also want to get him a bedside table and a loungy chair so we will still be adding to his room even though we will be starting Ruby's pink and purple bedroom.


I made him a mat today to go beside his bed but at the last moment I stuffed it full of cushion filling. It is now a 'fat mat'. It is all cushiony. When he gets out of bed in the morning he will have something warm and soft for his feet to land in and he'll also have something nice to sit on when he is playing on the floor with his Lego and trains.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

While the cats are away... the mice work really hard trying to get the little cats new bedroom ready for him.

Just got home from shopping in Launceston. Found a cute little desk for Dustin's new room in a thrift shop for $12. I also bought a few other fun little things while we were there. I got a haircut and we did a little bit of other shopping including new sheets sets for all of us and at Bunning's Ruby picked out eleventy billion paint colours for her bedroom which we will do as soon as Dustin's is finished.


On the way home we stopped at Myrtle Park to pick up some stones for Dustin's fish tank which I will be moving into his room tomorrow. That cute little basket Ruby has is one of my thrift shop purchases from today so it has come in handy already.


I made Dustin and Ruby wheat bags for their beds yesterday. The kind you heat up in the microwave and put in bed with you on cold nights. Dustin liked the chicken fabric I used on the shopping bag so I used the rest of it for his wheat bag. The red will match his room nicely.


I have also started getting fabric ready to make him a mat for his floor. I'm wondering if I'll need to put something non-slip under it. But first I have to paint his floor. The old floor boards are a bit old so we patched up the gaps and are painting it red for him (one of his colour choices). I need to get his floor painted by tomorrow afternoon but I think that will be a fairly easy job. I'm hoping a paint roller will do the job.

Right now though I have animals to feed and heaps to do before dinner time. We are going to a friends house for dinner tonight :)