Flower Friday

I'm not sure what these are but each year they look lovely in the yard next to my parents

batman!

So after being given a Batman costume 2 yrs ago and flatly refusing to wear it #1son surprised me by saying he wanted to go to his class Halloween picnic as Batman!

So I had a play with his commemorative pic........

Another sideline?

A favourite part of my Gossip Girls year is our big Xmas lunch. We usually do a random Secret Santa but this year we are doing a gift for a preselected GGirl AND we have to hand make it. This stressed a few of the less crafty among us but it was pointed out that things like baking were handmade (and anything with chocolate in the ingredients would be gratefully received) so every one agreed.....

So here is possibly part 1 of my gift not only handmade but recycled (except for cotton) from my offcut collection.

I made the pattern off on old green shop bag and it all came together fairly easily. I'm actually quite pleased with the outcome and will probably make a few more with Xmas coming up......Some may be more glam than others!




ps-I can post this here because I'm pretty sure the recipient doesn't read this blog as her work computer won't let her in and she doesn't play much on her laptop at home at night.....

Do we have a Menagerie?

What is the official number of pets you have to have before it is classed as a menagerie...or zoo??
We have 1 dog, 2 fish, 6 chickens, random mice and now.....

YD came home from getting more chicken feed yesterday with our latest additions -14 silkworms.

Yay say the kids but really the novelty was fairly short lived -I mean they really aren't that exciting. #1son keeps calling them inchworms and *boy calls them earthworms..... they do lots of poos has been the most exciting remark so far!

What do you feed them? I ask knowing full well there is no mulberry tree in our backyard. Well mulberry leaves I am told......From where????
Luckily we do have a tree along the bikepath near us so guess who was out for a quick bike ride before work this morning? And I hope the said tree can support our pilfering for approximately the next month as our worms dine on its leaves twice a day...yes twice a day according to the lifecycle reference I found -so what do they do the rest of the day as I don't see them out playing golf or watching tv??

disturbing downsize

YD received as a thank you a box a Cadbury Roses chocolates yesterday. Great choice I say liningup after the boys for a share so imagine my dismay as after I make my selection and unwrap it drooling with anticipation I find that yet another secret downsize seems to have occurred. Yes as reported on current affairs shows recently, supermarket items have been secretly slightly downsized by manufacturers in order for the price to remain static.

However in this newly discovered case of chocolate downsizing I personally find this horrorfying! That someone else should decrease my chocolate ration (someone who knows not my size or lust for chocolate) without telling is just NOT ON!!! My after dinner treat should not be taken from me in such a sneaky way - even if it would have a positive impact on my diet.

hey they supersized Freddo, what about a nice 3inch peppermint cream?

Of course you know this discovery means I shall have to increase my intake -which is probably all part of the manufacturing plan........

flower friday

my Star Jasmine growing on the fence -looking beautiful this week

I see a rainbow

So I sit, tired again from another day painting the house, trying to remember all the brilliant thoughts which have floated thru my brain as I painted which I thought would make great things to write about here....I also think of some gems in the shower but struggle to remember them also when I finally make it to some me time on the computer....

Things are drawing to a close with the house. The new bedroom carpets are due Thursday and I think only the kitchen and laundry have any major work left. The garden needs a general tidy up too but I can see the end.....and there's a rainbow....and hopefully a new tenant!

My parents have been a wonderful help thru all this, taking turns of minding the kids and helping to paint etc. and even doing school pick ups. Couldn't have done so much without them.

We decided to get the outside of the house painted while it was empty too and were lucky enough to get a painter who could do it straight away -he's done a pretty good job too. I tried to go for one of the trendy 'neutral' colours that are doing the rounds at the moment -not quite sure if I got it right but and fairly happy with the result -maybe it could have been a shade darker? The colour I chose was a 'warm' neutral, I didn't want it looking grey but it has turned out slightly pinker than I expected. (you can't really tell in the pic) Teamed with the white & dark blue tho I think it'll be fine.

I've used pretty much the same neutral (pink) colour inside where we've had to do the most painting. Only last year we painted some of the rooms a light blue which survived with only some patching needed -probably due to the fact it was new paint. This new light colour scheme looks good but is a long way from the bright blue & terracotta I had when I lived there.

I can't wait for it all to be done so I can get my life back....yes even just doing all the washing sounds good!

Flower Friday

Have decided to have flower fridays (whenever I remember!)

Giant Gum Blossoms from a friends garden

All pics will be mine (unless otherwise noted) and copyrighted all rights reserved to Alhoa
(that's my other online name - no its not aloha spelt wrong,
its a comination of our family surnames, that I started using before marriage)

Etsy

etsy.com - Your place to buy & sell all things handmade

I just found etsy.... and played with the geolocator to narrow the field abit

http://www.etsy.com/geolocator.php

so much to see!

look at these cute little bits of creativity being made in melbourne

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6082394

don't know why they appeal but they do...i'd want to pick my letter tho....

ooh someone else in houston is doing it too but not as good (imho)

or there's someone in florida (re)making jewellery stuff with the titles 'repurposed' pendant or whatever -love that description!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5651098

or these little wonders -just what you need when some dope has taken up 2 parking spots

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16040125

funny clever Halifax person!

groovey prints

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5066099

or for some cute pandas & fairies its off to the UK

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5328783

will be visiting etsy again I think!

Gossip Queens & brthday treats

Last Friday was my birthday -in the 40's so don't need to elaborate further.... I managed to make my day a family occasion taking my kids to a park outing, seeing 'Wall-E' at the movies then sharing chocolate cake with my parents, sister, her kids on our back deck. As an adult treat I had thai takeaway while living vicariously thru the travels tales of a Bestie & her hubby who have just returned from Europe.
I also managed to drag my celebrations over to Sunday lunch with my nearest & dearest old school friends -who also showered me with love & gifts.

We have a semi-regular 6 weekly lunch date which culminates in something a little extra special for Xmas. This year we have a secret santa challenge to exchange only handmade -by us- gifts for each other. We are quite varied in our talents so this will no doubt have an interesting outcome.
Yesterdays lunch was delicious and topics of conversation didn't disappoint ranging over successful home haircut & dyes, forceful resignations, my horror house story, holiday tales, ridiculous employment contracts, new business ventures and the successful chat up & snogging of a mere 29 year old boy!

We are a varied bunch but some how ties have kept us together as friends over the years since we left school in '84. We have moved around, married, divorced or stayed single, travelled widely. are workers, home mums or both but we all ended up back in Brisbane to share our lives with each other.

Supersize me

We have 6 pet chickens gained thru school & kindy hatching programs. They really don't stay cute and fluffy very long but my boys have taken to them. They are, of course, named and we have Goldie, Blackie, Reddy, Brownie, Salt & Pepper....yeah guess the colours....

Being the good girls they are we get 5 or 6 eggs per day at the moment (except when Brownie goes broody as she has been the last fortnight or so and doesn't lay), enough to share with family, friends and to placate neighbours who are woken by squawking chooks occasionally.

This week one of them has outdone herself producing a
whopper of an egg which not surprisingly turned out to be a double yolker!

All the chooks were rewarded with cuddles from #1Son who was very impressed......


Unfortunately we got no eggs today after the laying boxes were left open and it appears the crows got in for a meal before us........