poh

i am still in love with poh. i miss her on masterchef. she is such a talented artist & i have given a huge hint to my man that one of her paintings is on my bucket list. if anyone hears of her exhibiting here in brisbane, please let me know.

just beautiful!

spoons

remember my other post about these stamped spoons? a good friend needed some for her kiddies. i said give jo a call, she might be able to do something like that.........and look what happens in a few weeks. the lovely jo has gone & done it all by herself! lucky eh? such a sweet christening/first b'day/new arrival gift. in fact, i think i need one.....my man has an amazing knack of taking our teaspoons to work & them never coming home. teaspoons disappear here at an alarming rate. and it is the nice ones that go.....what's with that?

the 10 minute run

ok, i have to fess up...the 10 minute run never happened.....surprised? i think not!
well, it was raining. it was cold. we went to new farm markets. i did eat all day.....
and i am more of a peanut m & m munching, slow-walking in the sunshine sorta girl. is that so bad?
i may end up like a nuetered cat who gets fat lazing in the sun.....but i can hide under a homemade quilt & munch on yummy baked goods. and as always, i will worry about it later......yeah for me!

positive attitude

been meaning to post this cute quote from creaturecomforts for ages. check in there regularly for quotes, free downloads & amazing eye candy! this woman is amazing.

applique

i am browsing the internet in my post-nightduty haze....oh the joys of staying awake all night, catching a few hours sleeep before lunch & feeling like shit all day....but at least i have a great excuse for drinking tea & being lazy!
this cute kit is from kia hing fay and was found on redfeltflower ... they are sooo cute. i am hankering for some hand stitching. and i love everything about these.

training....warning f word alert

sports bra - check
pelvic floor - check
ipod - check
positive attitude - check

i skipped through my last few days of the training schedule...well, i did have 2 rest days in the 3 days.
today was the 10 minute walk-5 minute jog-10 minute walk routine. thought i can do that.
fuck, i am not built to jog. not even miley cyrus' the climb could keep me going the full 5 minutes. with snot on my face, my tracksuit pants falling down (accidentally left the mobile phone in pocket) & me gasping for breath must have been quite the sight....thank god none of the celery munching yummy mummies were out with their designer prams to laugh at me. with a quick wipe of the face & pull up of the pants i pushed through for the total 5 minutes in the end....i was told by my man there was no one, two, skip a few minutes involved in the program. he so knows me!
thank god tomorrow is a rest day. somehow i have to do a 10 minute jog/walk routine the following day. i have to work on the breathing and running at the same time.
am off to find some gatorade!

letterpress. cot bumpers. darwin....totally related!

since delving into blog world, there are a few things i have noticed. maybe it's just me.... but we seem very different from the americans. an epiphany i know...

i stumble across alot of american blogs & for some reason i am drawn to the pretty ones that end up with wedding info...or the baby ones with designy baby stuff. this is wierd in itself as i am already married & have no intention of doing it again & there will be no more babies here either. go figure?

i have noticed that they all have cot bumpers......didn't they get banished here years ago for sids risks?? maybe something has changed as i have not had a child in a cot for 9 years now....

and the amount of money spent on weddings seems astronomical.....i was reading about budget invites & when this particular post revealed the gorgeous budget letterpress invite price paid was $2000 i was gobsmacked.... for 2 reasons:

1.they thought that was a cheap price & a budget option & linked to it and

2.people actually spend that sort of money on invites?

i think our whole wedding cost less than that!

there are many more things i could think of if i tried but these 2 things pop up regularly. so maybe i am just different. maybe i just need to get a life & stop thinking about things that don't concern me.

i blame the beautiful letterpress designs out there. i am a sucker!

and maybe i am a tad bemused at all the baby stuff out there these days......in darwin, we had not much at all & our babies were mostly naked. not from bad parenting. it is just too hot. and the clothes they did wear were from target. internet was brand new. designer shops didn't exist. we had a toy library that was great. we hung out at home with friends alot & it was very laid back & unpretentious....actually it was fun. and no pressure to conform....to anything. and it was soooo relaxed! darwin, you were great!

**letterpress invite found here.

it's a kids world

last day of term today. last alarm set for a few weeks.......
things we are planning:

• seaworld on saturday to burn our free pass before it expires on 30 june
• have a donut day......the plan is to have only hot cinnamon donuts for lunch
• get serious plans done for 13yo boy bedroom.......i feel an ikea trip coming
• find some ideas for boy bedroom. why are there no cool teen boy designs to be found anywhere?? i am not talking themes....just ideas. more research & thinking required.
• get some sewing projects done - the cushions are still a figment of my imagination
• boardgames day.......i have some serious catching up to do as i have been the big loser of late
• spend a few nights at the gold coast for man to run his marathon....i am scared for him!
• squeeze in a sleepover for some friends

and all the boring stuff like get the car serviced, clean up (as if that will happen but if i write it here, i may have more chance of doing it) & buy new shoes & uniforms for boys - they really need to slow the growing thing down. it is killing me!
hope you enjoy the holidays too.........

exercise......kaz style

i am on a mission yet again...you know, drop a few kilos, feel fitter...boring!
anyhow, i saw this piece in the paper for a training schedule for the bridgetobrisbane on the weekend. obviously i am in the total newbie section & don't worry, i have absolutely no intention of running a race! phew!!

no, i need some surgery in a month & will be laying around on my arse for 4-6 weeks, sipping tea, scoffing cakes & crafting while i recover....and although i am shit scared of the surgery, i am more shit scared of getting fatter & more peri-menopausal afterwards.......so i saw the first week training schedule & was totally attracted to day 1 - REST. i thought shit, i can do that!! so, day 1 went well.......

day 2 is today & entails a 10 minute walk.....i think i can even do that....then i have the choice of rest or cross training.......let me see now??? REST of course.....this week sounds too good to be true. i am yet to investigate the following weeks. maybe best i be surprised so i don't give up yet.....like i normally do.

am off to do my 10 minute walk peeps......

meanwhile, my man is training for the gold coast marathon. he has run some half marathons before, but this is the full monty........42kms......this is my nothing in halves, everything at the extreme end husband......who even drinks intense teabags! wtf?? anyhow, we have a few nights booked at the coast for it & some family time planned..we will cheer him at the finish line & throw him in the car back to the hotel afterwards.......bless him. we have the nipple bandaids & new joggers all ready! how & why the flock anyone runs that far willingly is beyond me....but he will have the t-shirt to prove it........

gorjuss art

i have been lusting after some of these prints for 18 months now. some images move me to tears. check out this amazing artist's own site & etsy store for some gorjuss art. i love the detail, the darkness & the themes....i have a little birthday coming up soonish & i think i may just need a few of these to frame....

ps...i can spell...it is the name of her site peeps!

camping...kaz style

now this is my idea of camping. i can roast marshmallows, drink red wine by the fire, snuggle in a warm cozy bed, pee on a toilet, see the outdoors...... & all without freezing my arse off in some flimsy tent flapping in the breeze...& not an air mattress in sight.
check this post out on apartment therapy. it looks cool!

i have been checking out other cute little places to sleep that i will share later......

birdhouse by kaz

so, my little birdhouse is just about done. i still need to put a twiggy perch at the front entrance but all the sewing is done! i am pretty happy with my first effort. it wasn't even that fiddly. and it only took me ages because i am lazy & disorganized. it is not like tamar's but it didn't cost me $175 either!

i must thank nerida & jodie for the advice & tips. it was very encouraging girls & i appreciate your advice!

now all i need is a little non-pooping bird to perch out front.....am onto it!

pretty & good for the soul

go straight to kindred & print these gorgeous freebies out. they are sooo pretty & good for the soul. there are so many things to be thankful for....but sometimes we lose sight of them. the girls at kindred do an amazing job. go & take a peek...

pink & tiffany

let me clear some things up...

no, i didn't officially hang with pink at her concert...i had a shitty seat where i had to peek over a railing half the night to see properly. being short does suck. i would have loved nothing more than meeting up back stage & checking all the costumes out & asking her lots of questions...a bit like when i asked my man to take me to a strip club in melbourne centuries ago...i'd never been to one & i was curious...and then i asked the girls loads of questions...almost like an interview...it was fun & very interesting. they were so normal....and no, there were no private dancers for us!

i am a hopeless shopper & left tiffany with nothing....i did try lots on & i loved that my man surprised me & wanted to buy me something there....but it seemed like a lot of money & extravagance for jewellery....i am more practical...sad but true...it was enough that he was prepared to do it.

so, no, i am not dripping with jewels, sitting in my lingerie & drinking vb with pink & carey....but that would be fun for a night!
ps...no, i am not a beer drinking bogan...i would be sipping champagne but i hear she likes vb...

clever aussie girls

check this blog out for some great shots of donna hay's new store...via decor8
i would love to have a girlie weekend in sydney & check out some cool stores like this. the last time i had a girlie weekend in sydney was about 5 years ago. it was all about the champagne, facials, shopping & goss.....ahhh. why has it been so long?

but i read about a weekend getaway with shannon fricke that might be fun too. it's a designy weekend in byron bay......what could be wrong about that?!
i am a total dag but would love to sit & listen to shannon for a day. and byron bay is a fave of mine....remember my dream retirement home near there? and bangalow....i could just eat, drink, lay in the sun & listen to designy speak all weekend....dream up more projects to half finish....bliss! i would totally look like i don't belong because i'd imagine that the other peeps signing up would be way more cultured than me...in an india hicks sorta way...i dream of being stylish but am settling for comfortable right now...but it would be fun! and i promise i will wax before coming....anyone want to come??

hiding...

busy week & hiding from the computer as my mum was here for 3 days. she is blissfully unaware of my true reality & just wouldn't get it. i had to instruct all 3 boys not to mention the word blog & to never tell of my secret world of blogging...they looked for bribes...they were told they would be written out of the will if they muttered a word...all good. we all survived....i told my eldest he would understand one day as i am sure there will be things he won't want me to know about.......so, all was quiet on the blogging front.

but now, back to my reality! yeah. and i must say i missed my blog rounds & checking in on peeps of the blogging world. and i missed having my say...i am a bit like that. even at work i tell myself i won't get involved. will keep quiet. will not say it how it is & how i see it. will blend into the background...but shit i cannot do it! i am a leo & we need to be heard. it is in my stars you see. not my fault!
so what have i been up to?

• taking my dearest friend to dinner for her birthday & drinking champagne & wine & giggling loud at a quiet restaurant
• hanging with pink at her first brissie concert this week. great night. dinner date with my man before the concert...not so sure about her man groin but she is very sexy!
• getting into my fabric bird house a la tamar...just a roof to complete now
• taking my mum to brunch & relaxing with her
• buying cushion supplies for the little guys who turned one last week - so i am typically late...& cushion design is still a work in progress...in my head even...
• catching up with other friends for coffee & chats
• work...no nasty incidents to report this week thankfully

a good week on reflection. no disasters. no tantrums. just a few tears.....

stamps...

i dream of some cute little stamps like these from craftpudding. there are too many cute ones to decide though.

i am sitting here wasting time..had a night out last night. with a dear friend. for her birthday. ...lets just say we got to bed late after some wine & amazing food from here. i have been several times & am never disappointed. the mod asian food is always great. and we chatted & laughed the night away. and we got lost in our own little world without kids for a bit. bliss....

so, i am tired & the boys are having a doona day. just a lazy day watching movies & eating cheese & crackers. why not i say??

and today is our 14 year wedding anniversary....we celebrated yesterday by the river with a gorgoeus lunch here (soft shell crab, peking duck, whole fried fish, pork belly....mod asian all day dining for me!)
and my man surprised me with a trip to tiffany.....wow! i bought vouchers for a cooking class each at the spirit house. something we have been talking about for years but never made time for. so, lots to be thankful for & to look forward to.

so, a day of simple food & tidying for my mum to arrive friday morning.....my man & i are off to the pink concert for a treat. the boys get to hang with nan & be spoiled.

freebies

just discovered this blog via how about orange with their free downloads for labels & other stationary. i love it when peeps share their delish designs with us......i love the christmas labels, name cards & thank you cards. check it out & download for later.

some house yumminess from decor8. holly has amazing style & her blog is chic & pretty. i always find something to smile about. that bed would be my dream bed i think.......& in my delusions of grandeur i will be renovating a cute little cottage in my retirement...and making my feminine side step up....and i have been dreaming of a cuckoo clock exactly like this one - way too sweet! bliss....the boys in my life always think i am boring for loving white so much. but how could this be wrong?

only in australia

i just arrived home from picking the boys up from school to find a cute young kangaroo munching on my front grass & bird of paradise flowers...they often visit us & leave a calling card - even as close as the front door...way too cute. he was not fazed by us being up close. he is used to our suburbia. i used to laugh when americans would ask if we had kangaroos jumping around the streets but after where we lived in canberra & now here, it is very common. my man recued a pregnant koala in our backyard tree last year. she had been injured & was crying...the rescue peeps got called & she was off to heal. hooray for australia!

canberras got style

this was one of the very first blogs i came across last year when i discovered blogging. i liked her style & that she was in canberra but had a much more stylish view of the world than i ever will. she shelved the blog for a while & then i never got back to it...until now. she has her fab home in the new home beautiful & blogged about it.
i am more mumsie & not edgy or talented like her but i love her style. go & check it out. wished i'd known her when i was in canberra freezing my arse off in my flennelette pj's!

mummy...all wrapped up

ok, so after a disaster of glue & tracky pants, i changed tactics....at 7pm last night. i should definitely stay away from glue in future!
this photo was taken at 10.30pm last night...way past his bedtime...but i needed him for fittings, especially for the head bit that was made at 11pm & finished this morning........he was sooo sweet. he was making me cups of tea, ironing his own uniform, sorting breakfast & school lunches & was forever thankful.
i ended up making calico pants which i sewed strips of calico onto each piece & just sewed them up as normal with an elastic waist. it worked so well. the top i would've done the same way if i'd had time....instead i tacked & glued strips of calico onto a white long sleeved tee. he needed to get into & out of the outfit at school with no help. that was the tricky part...to have it fitted but removeable.
the head piece was made with a calico shell velcroed at the back that i tacked on strips of calico to. i am hoping it will all last the day to get the complete photo....he was very pleased...it turned out better than i expected mum....it got finished & there were no tears or tantrums! yeah for mummies - both kinds!

etsy love

how cute is this? find it here & look around this shop for some great ideas....

also more cuteness of the letterpress variety here.

am finally getting around to playing with picnik. this was first attempt. a few bloggers have told me about it, so giving it a go....can see how it could be addictive.

not getting a mummy mummified btw. i have only tomorrow or i may be in the sarcophagus...

side tracked as 3 girls having babies at work...colleagues that is. was looking for inspiration but largely sidetracked!

a full moon

light comedy...not crafty related.... not work related...but it did make me laugh....and i'm still giggling...
check this out.
what is it with grown men that they like showing their date to the world? seriously...very unattractive guys.

my reality

my posts about work & being a midwife may seem a little jaded to those of you who don't share my workplace....so, i thought i might try to help you understand a few things....like my reality & why sometimes i am exhausted, pissed off & totally heartbroken as well as overwhelmed with joy & amazement of the miracle of birth.

i have worked in different parts of australia both in the public & private systems. i have also worked in saudi arabia in the early '90's. i have cared for bedouins, royalty, princesses (some real & some in their own minds), famous peeps, regular peeps & everyone in between. i have met women too posh to push & women who have a cord still dangling & placenta undelivered heading outside for a cigarette...i try my hardest to care for everyone the same way, no matter who they are or where they came from or how much (or little) money they have....but i am human too. and sometimes it is tough....and my normal is not necessarily someone else's normal...

wonder what my eyes have seen & why my soul is sometimes tired...here's just a brief glimpse of what i have seen:

• retarded girls rock with their teddies & calling out to their mummies in pain while in labour
• women who have been circumcised screaming in agony labouring
• 16yo girls who are the second wife & are on ivf as they are not pregnant within 6 months
• 15yo girls who i am encouraging through labour & i talk of the wonderful surprise at the end..."yes, all that money" she said...i was meaning the baby...
• pregnant drug addicts & homeless women trying to avoid the social services
• women who have done everything right & nurtured their unborn baby only to have a stillbirth for a reason never found
• woman & babies who suffer horrific injuries from domestic violence
• a system that fails some women miserably
• colleagues who have their own best interests at heart
• babies dying from complications of birth, prematurity or abnormalities
• young girls giving babies up for adoption so as not to shame their families - their words, not mine
• incest & rape victims having their babies & enduring the constant reminder
• women diagnosed with cancer having to terminate their pregnancies to save themselves
• surrogates trying to keep things quiet as it is still illegal....

don't get me wrong...i am blessed to have been involved with amazing women & families for the last 20 years. every time, it is a privilege & a miracle. it's just not all cuddles & babies. i see families at their best & worst times in their lives. i admire every woman's resilience & spirit. and that is why i still do it. i love it & cannot imagine life without it...sometimes it makes me weary though.

and the shift work is a killer.......

anniversary

cute cufflinks from here.

it is our 14 year wedding anniversary this month. we are not into expensive anniversary gifts but i think this year i will do something nice for my man....we have had an extremely stressful year & we are both trying hard to bring more fun into our lives & spend more time on shared goals & family life...you know...the constant juggle that is all our lives.

i found these cute cufflinks (sooo cheap btw) on etsy & have to order them for him. he keeps losing his expensive ones i have bought for him. and lego has been a large part of our life believe it or not! our 2 boys just get into bigger & more complicated sets but lego building is still a daily ritual...we are talking star wars galactic ships peeps...

we are off to dinner & the pink concert too which should be fun....and i have something else in mind but cannot say as he peeks here.

what do you do for anniversaries?

slight improvement but cops involved

an intense but great shift at work...driving home close to midnight in my suburb...last set of lights turning orange at our local shops...not a car in site...i keep going...then see the cop car at the lights as my light turns red before my arse crosses the line...cue flashing lights & pissed off twenty year old girl cop....here's how it pans out:
cop: do you know why you have been pulled over?
me : yes
cop: do you have anything to say? note grumpiness & flashlight in my window...obviously her nightshift just started
me: no...i get it...i did the wrong thing...i am a midwife & i am on my way home from work & i am tired
cop: where do you work?
me: ******
cop: oh, my mother's a midwife....note half smile & more gentle attitude.....thinking she has heard about all the shit we deal with!!
cop: ok don't do it again...i saw her smile
me: ok thanks see ya...

could not believe my luck....she softened. she was only 20 i am sure....but a cranky 20....you know, all hard arse cop attitude fresh out of rookie school... i was so tired, i couldn't have cared less if she fined me. i have had 1 speeding ticket my whole life & no other cop involvement, so i am no frequent flyer.
i couldn't even be bothered to tell her my bladder was up to my eyeballs & my uterus felt like i had removed it & it was dragging behind the car hitting the road...just couldn't be bothered....

it can only get better....

the week has to get better....

• man is recovering from man flu...in only a way that a man can
• yesterday at work i dealt with the most offensive thing i have seen in quite some time. and trust me, i have seen some shit! seriously, i could floor you with some stories...i cannot go into it as i will be persecuted by the human rites peeps...won't give details but lets just say it smelt horrendous, is a total social nightmare, i was thanking god it was the end of my shift & a 14 minute hot shower erased the smell....hygiene people, hygiene!!! i do not get paid enough & i am way too old for this now........
• today i get to back up for work again. joy. it can only improve
• crafting priority is costume for ancient worlds day on friday for yr 8. i have to produce a mummy outfit...no not the toilet paper variety. something much better...i hope! the chickens have been salted, stuffed & mummified & placed in their sarcophagus...teachers have brains & ability these days...
• i lost miserably at monopoly on sunday. it was a fierce game. it is the new world game with properties around the world for sale for millions...we have a buzzer & we get to bid like an auction for properties landed on but not being snapped up at full price...fun! give it a go
• my little fabric bird cage is almost fifty percent there....sorta

happy for improvements from today!