EdanRose

Give a Kiva Loan for free!

2011-12-30T11:38:00.001+10:30

Just a quick post - I received an email this morning from Kiva advising that they are giving 3000 new lenders a Kiva loan for free, so get to it now and follow this link and make someones day!

http://kiva.org/ladieshomejournal

Promise I will be back with something a bit less "service announcement like" soon :) Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a winner!

2011-12-24T22:38:00.000+10:30

Well it is finally upon us - Christmas is tomorrow and the big man is nearly here. Merry Christmas to everyone, I hope you have a lovely day with your friends, family and loved ones. We will be enjoying the company of some lovely neighbours for our last Christmas in Adelaide, and they have a pool so that is like gold!! Thank you for stopping by over the last year and checking in with my ramblings, hopefully I will see you again next year, I have loved receiving your comments and getting to know you all better as well. Thank you also to all of my customers who have visited me either online or in person at markets over 2011, I look forward to bringing you lots more EdanRose goodness in 2012 too!

And the winner of my KIVA gift card was: CooCoo!! Congratulations, I have sent you an email :)

All I want for Christmas...

2011-12-20T21:35:00.001+10:30

I know it is really too late to be posting this, seen as though there is only a handful of days before Christmas but nevertheless here is my

Ultimate Christmas Wish List.

Some real lovelies there don't you think! I know at least one of those things will be under the tree because I already purchased it.
( ipad2, Elk, Elk, Witchery, Elk, Sancerre, Emily Green, Country Road, Garmin, Lorna Jane, Salvation Jane, Lush, Table Tonic, Table Tonic, Table Tonic, Table Tonic)
Also don't forget to enter my KIVA GIFT CARD giveaway, see my last post for details :)

My Christmas Gift to you - KIVA

2011-12-18T00:05:00.000+10:30

Earlier this year I came across KIVA.ORG, and thought it was such an easy way for me to try and make a difference in someone else's life that was less fortunate. Basically KIVA allows you to lend a person of your choosing $25 to help fund a loan which they can use to grow their business, or pay for equipment, or use for personal expenses etc. You are given the estimated time that it will take for them to repay the loan and how often they will make the re-payments. You are then sent updates on how the loan is progressing and when you have received payments, and then when the loan is fully re-paid you have the option to either re-invest your money in another loan or withdraw your money. Here is a video from KIVA which explains it in a bit more detail.

How Kiva Works from Kiva on Vimeo.

How cool is that? The thing that I love about KIVA is that the profile of the loan recipients are so thorough and all have photos and personal details, so I can choose someone who may have similarities to me like have 4 children, or be my age or have similar hobbies. To think that my little $25 is having an impact on someone on the other side of the world is really wonderful and somewhat empowering.

These are my two current KIVA loans:

Souhad Samer is a 32 year old Tailor from Iraq and she has 3 children. Myself and 66 other lenders have funded her to purchase a generator and other inventory so she can continue to build her tailoring business where she makes and repairs women's clothing.

Janviere is a 36 year old General Store Owner from Rwanda. She has 4 children aged between 4 and 12 years. She has owned her shop for 1 year and sells Cassava Flour, Sugar and Salt etc and she is open every day from 7am till 6pm. Myself and 20 lenders have funded her to purchase more of her goods for re-saleand she intends to re-invest in her business and save for her family's future.

I am also going to make another loan this Christmas, to spread the love just a little bit further, and because I know how great it feels to do this, I am giving you, one of my lovely readers a KIVA GIFT CARD so that you too can bring some joy to someone less fortunate.

If you would like to be in the running to win this gift card, (and no this is not a sponsored post, I am buying the gift card out of my own money), simply leave a comment below, telling me what brings you joy at this time of the year. So it is not hard, I can think of a million things that brings a smile to my face at this time of the year, so really there is no excuse to not enter. Also, I would love it if you were a follower of my blog as I would love you to come back another time and see what I am up to. And if you are lucky enough to be the winner I would love to know who you decide to give your loan to.

Competition is open to anyone in the world, and I will be drawing the winner on Christmas Eve at 9pm, (or sometime around then!)

Don't forget you can always just go and make your own loan too, there are currently 6138 loans that need to be funded, follow this link which is an invitation from me to make a loan :) http://kiva.org/invitedby/megan3844

Merry Christmas and Good Luck!

Summer on a Plate

2011-12-08T22:45:00.001+10:30

A wee while ago I entered a competition via Frills in the Hills blog to try and when a kitchenaid, you basically had to come up with a recipe that represented summer to you - at least I think that was the brief, it was a while ago! I entered my most favourite colourful salad aptly named "Summer on a Plate", and while I didn't win the Kitchenaid I did receive an email yesterday from Kleenex Mums advising that my recipe had now been published on their website. So please go and take a look and give it a go this summer, it really is very yummy!

Market Tomorrow

2011-12-03T14:29:00.001+10:30

I've been very busy this week - as hubby would tell you with a roll of the eyes, I've had 3 very late nights in a row (my 'very late' is 3am) preparing lots of goodies for my stall tomorrow.

I think the subject of a future post will be "the only time I get for myself starts after midnight..." *sighs*

Tomorrow I'm doing the Mummy Tree Markets in Adelaide - come and stop by the Adelaide Showgrounds (Stirling Angas Pavilion) and see all the lovely things for mummies, babies and everything in between.

You can see some of the best buys from all stall holders in the Best & Beautiful Buys brochure

And here is a sneak peak of some of my wares...

Designer Fabrics.

My world famous Lunch Sacks - with three new colours

Necklaces

Adorable hand made cot quilts.

Patterns

And lots lots more...

Looking forward to seeing you at

I must thank Katie from The Resin Room for putting me onto these markets!

From bad always comes good - Guest Blogger Post

2011-12-01T23:33:00.001+10:30

Hello Readers

I have the privilege of being the husband of the owner of this great Blog and she is letting me loose at the controls for one night...

So you're probably aware that we have four wonderful kids - I have always maintained that they give me the extremes of emotions, i.e. they make me more joyous than anything or anyone else in the world; and on the flip-side more outraged...

Today I had a few moments where these extremes of emotions manifested in close succession hence the title of this blog.

Moment 1
Megs was out for the night so it was up to me to get dinner for the kids. I attempted some pastsa and mince - the kids are fairly fussy so there was no sauce and the pastsa and meat cannot touch. At some point I must have used the wrong bowl or spoon or served the kids in the wrong order or did something that wasn't right that I had no idea about because daughter two (2 1/2 yrs) began a crying fit the likes of which I have not seen before.

I tried calmly talking to her; asking lots of questions; offering different forks and plates and options of food. When that failed I tried yelling; I tried moving her, holding her and ignoring her. So the crying continued and continued and climaxed with a vomit - yep she cried so much she spewed. Poor little thing (what about poor little Daddy - no sympathy? Fair enough)

After clearing the area and cleaning the daughter I gave her a big cuddle; the vomit had at least stopped the crying (I was worried it wasn't a long term fix). So whilst cuddling I brought out some "round and round the garden, like a teddy bear" this started to go down very well with the occasional smile appearing.

And here is the kicker - whilst I cuddled her and did "one step, two steps, tickley under there..." big brother and big sister came over and wanted to join in to help their little sister. They each took turns doing tickling and then even started doing raspberries on her tummy. This worked an absolute treat and soon the worries of the world disappeared - 4 Happy children - 'some' dinner consumed. One relived Daddy!

So special to see my little children coming together to support each other - it really warmed my heart.

Moment 2
Moment 2 followed on almost immediately. As I mentioned above, only 'some' dinner was consumed which left me with a whole stack of mince left over. That's the bad. The good is that we had just run out of cat food for Ziggy (well that's also a bad). The real good is that the uneaten kids dinner became the eaten cats dinner. Happy Cat; Happy Daddy.

Moment 3
Once Mummy had come home we chatted about our days - generally this conversation revolves around the annoying things and amazing things the kids did in the previous 12 hours.

I told her the vomit story and she responded with an after school tantrum story after daughter one (6 yrs) said the "H" word (not what you think - possibly the subject of a future post from Megs). In any case Mummy was very angry with daughter on arriving home and confined her to her room with nothing to eat. Whilst in her room daughter did a huge clean up job (of what was a bomb site). Further 'good' came later in the evening when 2 y/o helped vacuum the freshly tidied bedroom.[this was before her vomit].

So there you have it - three times when good things came from bad: when I think about it, it really happens all the time!

*** *** ***

On a brief side note - please help Megs by voting for her on the Circle of Moms Top 25 Aussie Bloggers - please vote every day!!

Thanks for reading - until next time Megs gives me keyboard access, remember something good often comes straight after something bad.

The week that was...

2011-11-12T22:56:00.001+10:30

1. Was a solo parent while hubby went to Melbourne for work
2. Did 9 sessions at the gym
3. Almost cried when the strap on my watch (HRM) broke off - and it is not the replaceable kind :(
4. Went to a Kings of Leon concert
5. Had a play date at the park
6. Got sunburnt for the first and wishfully thinking only time this spring/summer
7. Wished a friend a Happy Birthday
8. Filled out School Application Forms
9. Did a little sewing
10. Did a lot of orders
11. Found a few new Apps, just to waste a bit more time
12. Managed to brush India's hair at least 3 times which is pretty much a miracle
13. Took Stella to her dancing concert rehearsals
14. Attempted to read one of the 3 unopened magazine subscriptions that I have since last month
15. Wondered in amazement at Willow and how she is growing up so fast and is the last of my babies
16. Culled my blog reader down from over 300 to less than 100, can I tell you how great it is to wake up in the morning and only have 20 or so posts to catch up on!
17. Stressed about money, christmas, life, moving home, packing up, schools, time.
18. Loved Ozzies bug drawings
19. Marvelled at the blue of the ocean on these gorgeous days
20. Had lots and lots of cuddles and smooches with my babies

What did your week involve?

Lets get physical!

2011-11-07T22:24:00.001+10:30

In an effort to finally break into those pesky 60's, I have started a one month trial membership at a local gym. Last week was my first week and I think you could say that I have started off with a bit of a "gym junkie" type mentality. I did 9 sessions last week and really enjoyed it. I tried many new classes, some which I liked more than others. The Zumba was quite similar to the classes I had been doing previously so I have really liked getting back in there for a bit of fun, I have also liked the body pump class as I think I really need to work on my arms and abs, body combat was also a good one, don't know that I will rush back to the Spin class, although maybe every so often just to mix it up. I did miss my runs though so had to have a bit of a hit out on saturday morning. It is working out fabulously so far as they have a creche in the mornings and Oscar and India both love to go, Willow on the other hand is not quite so keen, but the ladies tell me that she is fine once I have gone and they distract her with something else. So, surely with diversifying my workouts and continuing to eat very clean I will start to see the scales starting with a 6! It will be the first time in a very long time and I am so looking forward to it, will also mean that I have said good riddance to 30kg so that will definitely be worth celebrating. Have been getting lots of compliments lately and it feels good to know that all my hard work is paying off.

:: More Instagram Love ::

2011-11-06T20:46:00.000+10:30

Here are some of my favourites from the last month or so. Be sure to follow me if you have Instagram yourself, I am megkay77.

The Big Road Trip Of 2011 - Part Three

2011-10-31T01:19:00.001+10:30

Saturday was the big Wedding day and it started out with amassive thunderstorm at about 4:30am which woke me up and kept me awake with mymind racing about all of the things I had to achieve on this day and how thisweather would impact on those things, the rain was torrential and I had prettymuch written off any chance of exercise, but low and behold by about 6:30am ithad eased up, so my friend and I went out for a bit of a walk/run, she is onlyjust learning to run which I am very proud of because I know how hard it waswhen I first started, so we did some interval running and then I got to work upa bit of a sweat by running home. Felt good that I could burn a few caloriesbefore the wedding seen as though I knew there would be a few extra indulgencesand a few champagnes being consumed. Got on the scales this morning as well andI had hit the 27kg lost mark, so I was super happy with that! Managed to fit inanother catch up with a friend at Chermside before getting my hair and make-updone for the wedding, was a little stressed as the time was ticking on but onlyreally had to put my dress on once we got home and then jump in the car. Was sogreat to spend time with all our old friends together and frocked up and itfelt so good to be looking more the way that I want to be looking and to havenot seen a lot of my friends in the time that I have been losing weight andthen get to present myself looking all shiny and new made it all worthwhile andcertainly gave me the motivation to keep going and get to my goals. Even theextra energy that I had to be out on the dance floor most of the night and notbe puffed out and have to go and sit down felt amazing. All in all it was agreat night and Brisbane really turned on the weather we had almost all theseasons in on day – thunderstorms, lightning, rain, hail and then beautifulsunshine. I am so happy for myfriends to have tied the knot and start their married life together, god knowsit can be a hard journey but totally worthwhile and to have someone by yourside throughout your life who will love and support you is the best thing ever.

Sunday was another day of catch ups and good byes, and evenmanaged to fit in some trash on the tele as my friend had taped the latestKardashian Wedding for me to watch, - I know it’s crap, but don’t hold itagainst me, it is one of the few vices that a stay at home, running her ownbusiness, mother of 4 has in this world.

Monday, the kids got to have a last playdate with some of myclosest girlfriends kiddies and then it was pack up the car and hit the road –onwards for an overnight stay in Toowoomba with some more close friends andthen it was all guns blazing to Dubbo the next day. After stopping in andexchanging the DVD players as one had stopped working- I am sure this couldhave had nothing to my sweet children (!), and enough time for Oscar to vomitin the car (yuk!) it was on to the Western Plains Taronga Zoo in Dubbo.

This isa fantastic zoo and it is a safari park, so you can drive your own car aroundand hop out as you go, or hire bikes/buggies. We drove as not too keen on thebuggy option with so many kids to make sure they are hanging on and sittingstill. It means you can spend a long time at certain enclosures and just passby others. The weather was really warm and about 4.5kms into the 6km path thekids were getting a bit restless, but we had seen Giraffes, Tigers, Elephants,Camels, Hippos, Ponies, Monkeys, Lions, Zebra, Meerkats, Goats, Koalas,Kangaroos, Turtles, Ducks, Cheetahs or were they Leopards, I can’t quiteremember! And a multitude of other animals, all in all it was a great Zoo andthe kids really enjoyed it. After the Zoo we pushed on and made it to Albury,which was much further than we had thought, but it meant that we would not haveso far to go the next day to get to Melbourne. Got up in the morning and wentfor a run around the local cricket oval which felt good, did 5kms and thenheaded back as the sun was getting quite warm by then. Jumped back in the carand headed for Melbourne, did a bit of shopping and then everyone dropped me inthe city where I got to stay for a night by myself before my Pro BloggerTraining Day the next day. Went out on Friday night to a networking night, andmet a few people prior to the big day, felt very out of my comfort zone, butwas good to challenge myself in this way. The training day was fantastic, thecontent was so beneficial and I learnt so much about effective blogging and howto take things to the next level, I am so glad I did it.
The thing that I foundnot so great was trying to make connections with other bloggers, I have read alot of blog posts since the day about how great it was to meet so many otherbloggers, but in my opinion, I found it quite difficult as a very small-timeblogger to be noticed by a lot of the bigger bloggers that were there, I alsofound it to be quite clique, which I found odd because everyone of these peoplestarted off small yet, they seemed like they didn’t remember what it was liketo be the new person trying to fit in. I think in future I will try and havesomeone there who I do have some sort of relationship with, as there is alwayssafety in numbers and that way you always have someone to talk to. I am stilldebating as to whether I will write a post dedicated to the day as even thoughthe sessions were very valuable I was not left with a feeling of overallsatisfaction from the day. I will ponder…

Saturday morning we were up and packed, goodbyes were madeto my sister and then we headed down the Mornington peninsula to Sorrento wherewe caught the ferry across to Queenscliff and then headed down the Great OceanRoad. The weather was not very nice at all, so the beaches were not in allthere glory but still we got to see a lot of surfers doing their thing. I neverrealised how windy and twisty the road would be, and it gave me a real headacheand was too much for poor Stellsy who had to be sick. After this, it was good that the 12 Apostles were not toofar away as it meant that we got to get out of the car and take a walk and getsome fresh air. The Apostles were amazing, and the view was spectacular, soglad that we had pulled out the jackets and warm clothes in the morning, as itwas freezing and very windy. Can now say that we have done the Great OceanRoad, so can tick that one of the list. Stopped in Warrnambool for dinner, thiswas a lovely little town, and would love to go back there one day – greatrestaurants too for such a small place. There we headed on to our overnightaccommodation in Mt Gambier.

Had a bit of a drive around in the morning including headingup to the Lake area, and checking out the amazing Blue Lake, what amazingcolour it has. Then we were off via Coonawarra, where we had a snake slitheracross our path while we were driving, first (alive) one I have ever seen justout in the open. We had hoped to stop in at Jamiesons Run Winery, but thecellar door is now closed and we had missed the place that they now sell from,so never mind. It was our 7^th wedding anniversary today and we haveshared many a bottle of Jamiesons Run on our previous anniversaries hence whywe wanted to stop there. But we kept pressing on and had to stop in the middleof the road for our first encounter with a Kangaroo and wouldn’t you know it,it was at Stirling about 15minutes from Adelaide CBD, so after 7000kms of openroads, this is where we meet our first Kangaroo – crazy! Pulled into thedriveway at about 5pm and so happy to be home! What a great trip and afantastic adventure, and with 4 kids in the car it really wasn’t that bad! Canyou believe it. I would certainly do it again and would definitely recommend itto others.

The Big Road Trip Of 2011 – Part Two

2011-10-30T11:29:00.000+10:30

Week 2 of the trip was spent in and around Brisbane and thegreater South East Queensland area. PK had the bucks party on the Saturdaynight and then on the Sunday we caught up with friends and family and generallyenjoyed the lovely weather. Monday saw us visiting more friends and the kidsgot to have lots of interactions with all their old Brisbane friends, we did alot of driving around but got to catch up with some great old friends that wasnice to know that we can just slot back into our old lives whenever we areback.

On Tuesday we headed up to My Mum and Dad’s place which I was reallylooking forward to as it meant that we could just chill out and laze around andnot have to fit in anything thatwe couldn’t be bothered doing, it also meant that Mum and Dad would take a bitof the responsibility for the kids and Paul and I could take a breather – gotto love Grandparents! We were able to exercise everyday and I managed to knock1 min 34 sec of my time of running around the 2.5km hilly circuit that is myparent’s street over the time that we were there. The kids loved being on theland too, they got to do loads of things that they haven’t done before, likefeeding the chooks and collecting the eggs, going out on the tractor withGrandad and watering the gardens, it was a really fun time.

While we were therewe took a drive up to Hervey Bay and visited the most awesome FREE educational waterpark called Wet Side. If ever you are in Hervey Bay I highly recommend it andwhile you are there you should say hello to my cousin Elliot who works there.I will do another postjust about this place so you can see how much fun it is! On Friday morning weheaded back to Brisbane and I got to go out to the movies with a couple of mygirlfriends while the boys looked after the kids. We saw “What’s your Number?”which was really funny, and Anna Faris who is the lead is my new “I want a bodylike hers” inspiration! (Still away off, but nice to have an aim, and dreams are free!) So that ended week twoof the big adventure, lots of catch ups with old friends and family,re-kindling old friendships and our kids creating new ones, and really justmade us realise how much we want to be home.

Just another reason I hate living away from home

2011-10-28T11:46:00.001+10:30

Tonight Paul has a big fancy work Cocktail party, but the options for babysitters has dried up - and believe me it was not that long to start with. So, it looks like I will be staying home :( I am really annoyed by this as I would actually like to go, and I know I can go if I want to pay an agency for a sitter, but I just don't want to spend $150 on a sitter, when I really need to be spending that money on other things. This has made my whole day feel very unproductive and I am in a funk that is for sure. Have not been for a run and have no motivation to do so, which of course will make me feel worse, so really need to get my head straight and turn this day around. Can't wait till we are back in Brisbane and we have friends and family to call on, so something like tonight doesn't have to be missed :(

Happy Anniversary Baby!

2011-10-23T23:58:00.001+10:30

As it is still before midnight here in South Australia, It is still our wedding anniversary, So... Happy 7th Wedding Anniversary Darling. 14 years together, 7 years married, 4 beautiful children and so so much love in my heart for you xxxxxxxxxx

The Big Road Trip of 2011 - Part 1

2011-10-20T13:19:00.000+10:30

We have been having a great time on our road trip and thoughI have wanted to have been blogging the whole way, internet access has been ata minimum and wifi has not been my friend. I wasted a good 45 mins at a Macca’son the way up trying to get onto blogger and write a post and it just didn’twant to co-operate with me, once in Brisbane I thought it would be much easierbut again there was so many people to visit and it just got pushed to the sideagain. So now I am sitting in the car having just past Moree NSW, on our way toDubbo and I am writing up my posts in word and when I get some decent internetaccess I will post them all at once.

Some week one high-lights were (other than all the "BIG" things we past pictured above):

Daylesford – Lots of lovely shops to look in and a MakersMarket to browse, I bought some gorgeous prints by Jedda Robaard which will goin the girls bedrooms. I also bought some gorgeous carved soapstone heartswhich are just beautiful. Visited Larkwhich I had been looking forward to and there were lots of lovely things tolook at. The weather was freezing however and as we had packed for a mainlytropical getaway, we were lacking in the warm clothes department and the singledigit temperatures were a little too cold to bear.

Mornington – Spent a lovely few days with my sister on thepeninsula, got to do some running and eat some healthy meals and she reallydoes live in a beautiful part of the country. Had an afternoon shopping atChadstone which was a shopper’s paradise, would have liked to have beenchildless and had a really good look around but maybe I will be able to do thatnext time.

Canberra – The cold weather came with us to Canberra as welland it was at this point that I was glad I had thrown in some jumpers andjackets as it was a little more icy than we expected. I am sure the localsthought I was nuts when I headed out for my run at 6:30am with a singlet topand bike pants on. I passed many a beanie and glove clad local and I am sure myskin was not just red from the exercise but also from the freezingtemperatures! Found a really neat circular track that was 500m around and hadmeasurements marked every 10 metres, was great for doing my 1 km time trial.Floriade was spectacular and the colours of the flowers were just amazing. Thekids really enjoyed it too and also loved the reptile display and the circustent. India was fascinated with the snake that was available for touchingexcept she just wanted to keep grabbing the head – no fear! On our way out ofCanberra we drove around the streets where all the consulates and foreignembassies are located and it was so interesting looking at all the differentarchitecture of the different countries residences, would have loved to haveseen inside some of them, the yank one took up a whole block and had so muchsecurity.

The rest of the first week was spent driving up the NSWcoast and into QLD, we had a brief stop in Sydney for dinner and a quick catchup with the MIL and then overnighted in possibly the worst accommodationavailable in Gosford, this was not before Stella vomited in the car on asection of the road where we could just not pull over on and then afterthinking we would have enough fuel to make it all the way to Gosford and therebeing a few diversions to inspect the vomit situation and hand out towels andwipes etc, and then having to double back to get on the right side of thehighway after those incidences and ZERO highway service stations betweenHornsby and Gosford meant that we rolled into Gosford with the fuel rangeadvising 1 km left to drive before weran out of fuel. Needless to say I was a little stressed as the driver on thatleg, I really did not want to be running out of fuel on the pacific highway at10 o’clock at night in the pitch black with 4 kids in the car and only thehundreds of road trains as travelling companions! Next day we made it to CoffsHarbour and again I got to have a good run in the morning before heading off onthe final days driving. It was a little slow going as we were diverted justafter Ballina due to an accident and after a quick stop at Pacific Fair for alittle shopping, we made it to BRISBANE!!!

Love :: INSTAGRAM

2011-09-23T00:08:00.000+09:30

My current obsession is the iphone App Instagram, and if you have an iphone you really need to get this App! It is free and it allows you to take a photo and then use a number of different effects to enhance your photo, then you can share it will all your friends. It is so cool, so I will be updating you with some of my favourite snaps along the way. Hope you don't get sick of them because I just can't stop!!!!

The Party, The Parents & The Planning

2011-09-21T17:21:00.001+09:30

The last few weeks have flown by and I am sure that will be the case for the next few months as well, doesn't time just seem to disappear when you are not looking!

So we had Stella's 6th birthday party and she really enjoyed herself so I would say that is a success. I made everything I had intended to make and had the house looking the cleanest it has looked in a long while. Of course the rain came about an hour before the party was due to start so a few last minute changes where made to the layout of the backyard which resulted in throwing the decorations up at the very last minute, not exactly as I wanted them, but daddy did a pretty good job considering there was minimal direction while I was dressing the last of the children etc.

Stella got lots of lovely crafty gifts from her friends which naturally all needed to be tried within the first hour of the guests going home, and I am so pleased to say that there was not one Barbie, Brat or Dora in sight. - I have a bit of a thing about those sort of toys, the top shelf of my wardrobe is the perhaps final resting place for a number of barbies that have been gifted over the years - maybe one day they will be offered as play things, but I am undecided on that one at this stage.

I think the food table looked delicious and the cake was a success even if I did make the night before at about 2:30am.

Once the excitement of the party died down, Mum and Dad came to stay so that Paul and I could fly to Brisbane for a school friends wedding. We were making a flying visit and were only actually in Brisvegas for all of 33 hours, so we didn't bother trying to visit anyone and we stayed in the city the whole time with my best friend who was also going to the wedding. It was so nice to spend some time with her because we never get to see each other (she lives in Cairns). And it was so strange to not have to think about getting kids ready and the like. A couple of times Paul said to me wow we are actually on time, I was like yeah well that is because we don't have 4 children to get organised!! We got up earlyish (7:30am) on saturday morning and went for a run along the river and then across to Southbank and then back over the river and a bit further along that side of the river and then back to the hotel. It was so nice in the sunshine but quite surreal to think that in January where we were running was completely under water due to the floods. So good to see Brissy thriving again though, love my hometown and can't wait to get back there for good :) Felt good that I had burnt 800 odd calories seen as though I knew there would be a few indulgences on saturday night! The wedding was so lovely and had some beautiful touches in the ceremony and the reception venue was magical especially because I didn't know how it would accommodate a wedding, but for anyone in Brisbane looking for a venue - definitely look into Melange at Roma Street Parklands, if you have been there in the day, it is just like a bit of a roof and a cafe down one end, but at night they close up all the walls with glass bi-folds and it is totally enclosed and that gorgeous high roof with amazing chandeliers it was just divine and the food was really good too! As we didn't know a lot of the other guests we got to really hang out with the friends we did know and we had a blast. They had a photo booth set up too with props - moustaches, hats, wigs, masks, speech bubble blackboards and the like and it was heaps of fun. The 5 of us may have hogged the booth just a little! So it was a great night. And the 4:45am wake up for our early morning flight was not too bad either - ha!

Now this week I am all about planning The Big Road Trip Of 2011, we head off next friday afternoon and I have a lot of things I need to get organised before then! And tips or suggestions of places to stay, parks to visit, games for the kids, car survival items???? I am open to all suggestions, that is for sure!

Back on my feet, I think!

2011-09-05T12:07:00.002+09:30

Wow, it has taken a long time to start feeling better after this terrible flu, I really wouldn't wish this on my worst nightmare. It has just evolved into so many symptoms and just when you think you are through the worst of it, bang! something else crops up and you have to spend another day in bed. Unfortunately the only effect it hasn't really had on me is weight loss...you would have thought as a bonus to being so sick I could have dropped a couple of sympathy kilos! On the other hand my lovely husband who has also been sick through out this whole duration has dropped 5kgs! bloody men, why is it so easy for them!! But he is looking a little scrawny and when I looked up his ideal BMI, he is getting far too close to the underweight zone. wow, if only I had that problem. But anyway, enough about sicky things.

(Photo Source)

This week is all about Stella's 6th birthday party that is on this coming saturday. I am pinning all sorts of things that I want to try - but who knows if I will get around to doing it all. I am trying to work out whether 6 year olds still want to play games at parties and if they do what games are appropriate? Anybody out there have any ideas? I have asked Stella what she wants to do and she said play line-chasey and make up dance routines, I am thinking more along the lines of a decorating type craft activity and making giant freckles to take home. I also wondered about a game that I used to play as a kid, but can't for the life of me remember the process. It was the game where you have a block of chocolate and a knife and fork, and you have to put some dress up clothes on as quickly as possible and then try to eat as much chocolate using the knife and fork while it is still your turn, just can't remember how the rest of the game works, can anyone help me with this one??? might have to consult mr Google and see if he can shed some light on the situation.

(Photo source)

The next 2 months are going to be full on, after Stella's party we have her actual birthday, then Mum and Dad arrive to look after the kids so that we can fly to Brisbane for a wedding, then we get back and have 2 weeks before we set off on our BIG family road trip to Brisbane via Melbourne and assorted other places. I am really looked forward to it on one hand but then petrified about it on the other, are we crazy taking 4 young children on a road trip half way across the country!!!! Only time will tell I suppose. I am getting lots of tips from my friend Donna who is doing a road trip at the moment and travelling to some of the same places. We are going to try and make it as exciting for the kids as possible so we are going to go to the Dubbo Zoo and we are going to go to Canberra and do a few things there and I can't wait to spend some time with my sister in Melbourne. We are going to do the Great Ocean Road on the way home and I really want to stop in the Coonawarra for some wine tasting, and might have to find time to visit Daylesford as I have only heard good things about that place. Any other places we should try and check out on our journey? We are taking 3 weeks for the trip which will include about 9 days in Brisbane which will include one of our closest friends weddings, so I am really looking forward to a big catch up with all the old gang.

Ok, got to get organised and make a few more lists before I get really stressed out about this party, wish me luck!

Feeling a bit better now

2011-08-24T14:38:00.003+09:30

Well, that flu really hit me for six. I haven't felt that sick for a long time, and I am still rather blocked up but feeling majorly better than I was over the weekend. I still don't think I could go for a run yet, which is terrible, it has been 1 week since I did any exercise and I am feeling very guilty about that and can't wait to get back out there, once my head has cleared and the mountain of snot (sorry for the graphic!) has gone away, I will be out the door. Fortunately Willow is the only one who hasn't been struck down and I am very grateful for this, I just couldn't imagine for being as sick as the rest of us. She did unfortunately miss her first birthday though due to all this sickness, it was last friday, the day I could not even get out of bed, so the poor little thing had a very uneventful birthday. I decided then that we would postpone it till this week and I know she won't mind. So she will have a 1 year and 1 week birthday celebration.

It is book week at Stella's school this week and yesterday they had to dress up, and she went as the cat in the hat. Her costume was whipped up at about 10pm on monday night, but I think it looked really good, and Stell was very happy to be the cat in the hat. We were only given 4 days notice about the costume, so now that I know about these sort of things I will be ready for it next year.

Well, I have a very clingy little girl hanging off me at the moment - (India with double ear infections) so I will try and come back later and post some more.

Flu

2011-08-20T14:08:00.002+09:30

I have caught the dreaded flu from my husband and now everyone in the house has it to some degree except for Willow and I really hope she doesn't get it. SO, when I feel a bit better I will be back, have a good weekend x

New York Dreams, now to make them a reality

2011-08-16T15:52:00.000+09:30

As I mentioned in an earlier post I really want to go to Blogher'12 in New York next August. I feel like a bit of a fraudster though seen as though I am not that much of a blogger, but I have read that you can be a new blogger or an established blogger and still benefit from the awesomeness that is a Blogher Conference. So, in saying that I am going to save my pennies and cross my fingers and toes and every other possible thing that I can cross and work towards getting to Blogher'12 in NY!!!

Another drawcard is that it is on from August 2 -4 and wouldn't you know it my 35th Birthday will be on August 5, so I think that would be a truly amazing way to celebrate my birthday. I am going to bring hubby with me too, so that we can share in this amazing experience together (well he won't come to the actual conference, he can sightsee during that time.) and hopefully Mum and Dad won't mind babysitting for a couple of weeks (pretty please!).

Danimezza has started a blog called #AusBlogHer12, which is "A place for Aussie Bloggers to get excited about their Blogging adventure to New York", which is a great way to connect with the other aussies that are going to attend, and she had this film clip up on the blog, and really when you listen to this song how can you not get excited about going to NEW YORK!!!

So, what do you think? Am I crazy? or can this actually happen.... only time will tell!

Seeing Red For Daniel Morcombe Facebook Sale

2011-08-15T12:54:00.003+09:30

Today only I am having a Red sale over on my EdanRose Facebook Page in Support of Daniel Morcombe. All items are reduced and I will also be making a donation to the Daniel Morcombe Foundation from every item that is sold. So come on over and take a look, remember Daniel and support his family by wearing red today (we are all wearing red today).

I can't imagine what the last 8 years have been like for the whole Morcombe family and it really makes all my daily frustrations seam totally insignificant in comparison and definitely makes me grateful for my own babies and the fact that they are safe with me today.

Sunday SUNday

2011-08-14T21:33:00.007+09:30

One of the things that I have decided that needs to happen to have a successful blog, is you need to be able to take a great photo, great in all aspects - colour, composition, subject, quality. I really don't know if I have any of these - except for maybe the subject, because in all honesty I think I have some of the cutest kids around - but hey don't we all? And surely that is the one thing in life that we are able to boost about.

So, when we had such a beautiful day here today and we had been cooped up in the house for the rest of the weekend seen as though Daddy is in Sydney for work this weekend, I thought I would take the kiddies out to the park for a runaround and a bit of a picnic lunch. I also thought I would try and capture some of their moments on film, but got there and the digital camera wouldn't work - damn those little hands finding the camera earlier this morning and running the battery flat and somehow managing to break the lens retreat function as well! So I just had my iphone to try and work some magic. Not sure that you could say I did that but none the less I did snap a mere 324 pics, so surely a couple must be ok. I would really like to get a fancy schmancy digital SLR one day, can anybody give me an idea on a good one? Canon, Nikon, Pentax?? I have no clue...

So here you go some pics of my beautiful SUNday with 4 of my most favourite people :)

(must say though bring on Monday afternoon when Daddy gets home! I will be out that door with my running shoes on - can't believe that missing out on exercise when he has been away is one of the main things I haven't liked about being home alone!)

See told you I still have a long way to go in the photo taking stakes!

20

2011-08-13T10:40:00.003+09:30

(This was meant to be yesterdays post, but I am obviously not very good at setting up blog posts yet!)

20kg down as of today! Feeling good, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel - who would have thought!

Frustrated....

2011-08-11T18:12:00.003+09:30

(This is Stells at her beach carnival earlier this year)

A fair amount of my day today has made up of waiting for things to happen, like for instance my internet. I have no idea why it has chosen to super slow today, but it has really ticked me off. My plan gives me 25GB per month and I have had no email telling me that I am anywhere near that amount so I just don't understand. It has really hindered my new found motivation to blog and now that I am finally on here writing - what interesting topic have I decided to grace you with, but my internet frustrations! So, sorry about that.

I also had to wait around at school today for Stella's Student lead Parent Teacher Conference. This I didn't mind so much as she was so excited to be presenting this to me. It was however a little unfortunate that Daddy forgot to put it into his calendar and when I rang him 5 minutes before said conference to tell him to meet us in the playground he was still 45 minutes away, needless to say he didn't make it, so I did it solo with the other 3 kids running around the class while I tried to focus all my concentration on my lovely 5 year old and what she was excitedly presenting to me. Her teacher sang her praises and I had to briefly disengage eye contact with her as I was getting a little bit of a tear welling due from all the proud mummy feelings that I was getting from all the lovely things she was saying about my biggest little girl.

The other thing that has been cute but oh so frustrating today is my 2 and a half yr old insisting on being the one to push her baby sisters stroller all the way from the car to school and then back again. And no she can not see over the top and has no idea about steering, and really needs as much help as possible but yet lets out a loud annoying whinging noise when you try to give her any help means that a journey that will normally only take about 1 minute takes at least 10 minutes when she is "helping" me. I really have to have my chilled out frame of mind on, and by 3:15 in the afternoon it is very hard to find that one!

So these were just a few of the frustrations of my day, was your day any better?

Today is a new day

2011-08-10T11:09:00.006+09:30

Today is going to be the start of my new blogging journey. I have decided that I really want to spend more time on my blog and making it something that people want to read and that feel proud to produce. I am going to write about things that affect me and that impact my life, things that I enjoy and things that inspire me. I am sick of not being an active participate in the blogging world, I read all of these fabulous blogs and feel so inspired and yet, I still can't hit the keyboard and consistently write my own. So, today is the day that that is going to change. I decided at the start of this year that 2011 was all about me, and so far I have been really trying to stand true to that declaration. I have so far lost 19.7kg and I have started to really enjoy exercising, I can now run for 45 minutes straight which I am so proud of and I am so pleased with myself for making these things a reality. I am starting to enjoy my life again and feel like so many more opportunities are available to me now that I have more confidence and belief in myself.

I feel so inspired by the blogging community and really do belief that I too can make my mark on this platform, that I can create a place that people want to come and visit and see what I am up to. I certainly don't want to be the biggest and the best but I think I am a typical representation of a what a stay at home mum is these days, but I really don't think that is all that I am, and just because I don't have a corporate career I still think that my opinion is valid and worthy of being heard. So, this is how I am going to do that. Through this little space. And maybe someone will enjoy reading what I have to say - at least that is what I hope :)

I still have so many hopes and aspirations for my life, and really want them to one day become a reality regardless of the fact that I have 4 small children and am quite time-poor. I really do think it can happen, so this is my next goal. I have my little online fabric shop venture that I am in the process of setting up, then at some stage I am going to study textile design, and sometime in the future I am going to work as a stylist on a magazine. I am also going to attend a blogher conference and meet all those blogging idols that I have and maybe someone would like to meet me too? So there you go I am putting it out there and I am giving it to the universe so that one day it will come back to me!

Speaking of meeting blogging idols, I happened to meet Naomi from Seven Cherubs last week and it was fabulous to chat to someone who is already there, doing it all - mothering 7 children, writing a very successful blog and empowering women. She was very inspiring to me and gave me the encouragement I needed to really get serious. So thank you Naomi.

So, there you go - onwards and upwards I say, I can do and be whatever I want and the only person holding me back is myself, and there will be no more of that, because today is a new day.

SIT- The wrap up, only 3 months late!

2011-06-19T09:29:00.008+09:30

Well, Sew It Together was so much fun! I am so glad i signed up for it and I can't wait for it to all happen again next year!
Friday morning started with a very early arrival at Adelaide airport, like about 5am!!! Way too early for me. But never the less I was feeling good about the impending weekend I was about to have. Met Gillian at the airport in Sydney and we jumped in a cab and checked in at the hotel. (Travelodge Wynyard - perfect for what we needed and they have great deals when you book on a tuesday)
We went for a bit of a wander through the city and did a bit of browsing at all the lovely shops that the big cities have, I was super restrained seen as though it was going to be a weekend of fabric! We grabbed a quick lunch and then it was over to meet up with the friday bus crew and start our day of fabric shopping!

First up was the Remnant Warehouse and I was lucky enough to win a $15 voucher on the way there on the bus, which was very nice and helped to keep my bill down a little :) I picked up some Lycra which one day I will attempt to make some togs with. I also got some FQ's as it was Free Friday Fats, where you buy one and get one free. Also picked up some a cute Japanese print and some new Kaffe and some of my favourites by Joel Dewberry.

After a quick bite on the bus thanks to Donna and Sheridan who provided us with a little snack pack and bottled water it was on to the next stop - Calico and Ivy at Balmain. This is a gorgeous little store and we got to meet Amy of Badskirt fame who was working there at the time. Fabulous fabrics and beautiful yarn, this is a really joyful little store for anyone who is obsessed with designer fabrics like me! I could have bought one of everything here but I was very restrained and stuck to some staple Kei dots and some other Japanese fabrics and some coveted Farmdale meterage that I have wanted for a while and some little mini hexi templates.

The final stop for the day and the real highlight of the weekend for me was at Prints Charming in Annandale. This is my idea of heaven, fabulous fabric, colour everywhere, the merchandising was perfect, the ladies lovely and it definitely inspired me to follow my dreams and make textile design a part of my future. After some shopping, and boy you had to get in quick for the Scrap Packs (we have since done a skirt sew-a-long using the packs we got), that was mayhem!! a few of us had booked in to do the stitching class, this was fantastic, we learnt lots of new stitches and about using colour and now I just can't wait to find the time to actually get into mine and get some results happening. I can't wait to come back one day and do one of their screen printing workshops - that is on my wish list!

Once we were finished here and I had dropped a pretty penny on packs and panels, and books and thread we headed back to the city and got to have a bit of a rest. Gillian and I meet up with a few of the other girls and had dinner down at the Rocks and then after a relatively early night we headed home and chatted - well laughed is probably more accurate, so much so that the neighbour in the next room knocked on the door and told us to stop laughing! How rude - 11pm on a friday night in Sydney city, what was she expecting!

The next morning we were up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to go for an early morning walk/jog with some of the other ladies. There were a few of them doing the 12wbt and so they were wanting to get their exercise in before the day started. This is where I first learnt about the 12wbt and where the girls got me so excited about giving it a go. Clearly I was one of the most unfit in the group and it was a struggle to keep up with them for most of the journey! We walked from the Menzies to Mrs Macquarie' s Chair, which gave us such a beautiful view of the city, and with a light mist of rain falling it was lovely and refreshing. I actually felt so good afterwards and was glad I had braved the cold and gotten up and gone.

So the day started and we all assembled at the Menzies in the Ballroom for our day of stitching, chatting, learning, spending, eating, drinking and lots of oohing and ahhing! It was a great day, Gillian and I had a little mini stall selling fabrics which the ladies went crazy for so that was nice to give me some more spending money for all the purchases I then made from the other ladies selling their wares! I meet lots of lovely ladies and was able to put faces to blogs! I also got to meet Saffron Craig whom I absolutely love and think she is a fabulous designer. Would have liked to have picked her brain but was a little too awe-stuck to ask any intelligent questions so maybe next time. Do a great workshop with Cathy from Material Obsession, using a wedge ruler and this was great and opened up a whole new world of possibilities for my quilting. Her fabric and colour selection is just out of this world.

Made lots of purchases including some fabulous faces from Lisa of The Red Thread, and patterns for her Ooshka dolls which I have since made for all the kids.

Also got a kit from Claire of Craft Schmaft, it is a very sweet mobile that I will get around to one day! Also got some more Saffron fabrics and the Handmade Living book from Jennie of Posie Patchwork.

There was also prizes which ranged from dresses by Polly Pratt, and MO books, Kits, Magazines, Vouchers , Fabrics, Notions, Patterns, wadding, just about everything stitchy/sewy that you could imagine. Names were called out of the hat and you got to come up and choose something off the major prize table and something off the minor prize table. I was one of the last to get called so the choices were a little leaner than early in the day but I still managed to get a gorgeous Owl kit from Plushka and a voucher for a PDF pattern from Wink Designs, so I was very happy with my choices. The Polly Pratt dresses were just gorgeous and had I realised before the day was over that they were actually being offered to us at a significantly reduced price I would have definitely bought one. (Oh well, Anna has since released the Nina dress and I am definitely going to get one of them!)

During the day we also broke off into groups and did our swaps, this was lots of fun and I got some gorgeous items, a fold up shopping bag, gorgeous cards and card notes, a fabulous felt badge, a drawstring shoe bag and a crochet dish cloth. This is great fun and I can't wait to do it again!

We also got some fabulous things in our gift bag!! Patterns, fabrics, kits and a gorgeous brooch. So many fabulous things we really were spoilt! I didn't want the day to come to an end, I didn't actually get much of my stitching done, but I think that is not an unusual outcome from attendees!

But the day wasn't over and next stop was dinner at the Belgium Beer Cafe with about 60 of the attendees. And it was lovely that Amy could join us here seen as though Corrie couldn't, which was a bummer because I was looking forward to meeting her - oh well another time. The food was great - I had the mussels and they were out of this world! I got to have some great conversations with some lovely ladies that I now call my friends and it is so nice to have people that enjoy the same things you enjoy and get excited about crafting! I also got to meet a few ladies that are in one of my Quilting Bees so that is great to have gotten to know them too

Once dinner was over a few of us piled into taxis and headed out for some dancing and Karaoke, well that was fun and what a laugh! I think we got dropped back to our hotels at about 3am

which I can't remember the last time I have had a night out that late, but it was so good to feel free to do that and know that I didn't have to wake up to 4 kids in the morning! ( even though I missed them dearly)

So onto the last day Sunday - and we were piled onto the bus for our trip to Material Obsession, they had just moved into their new premises just down the road from the outlet shops at Birkenhead point, and it did not disappoint. The fabrics on display were all drool-worthy and the gorgeous quilts were just so inspiring, the ladies were so lovely, and very accommodating to our every need. I picked up some of my favourite Echino fabric here, as well as some Kaffe and some Brandon, I also bought a number of rulers so I should be set for those for the moment. I bought the large wedge ruler and my aim is to make an ottoman that I have seen using just the wedge ruler, should look fantastic when I get around to it! Also got some gorgeous shot cottons which the range of colours that MO has is just so yummy and I could have taken a lot more home than I did.

Then it was back on the bus to the airport where we all said our goodbyes and headed back to reality. But what a fantastic weekend it was, thank you so much to Sheridan again for organising the whole event, you did an absolutely fabulous job and it really was perfect. Also thank you, thank you to all of the sponsors who really did spoil us rotten. I think the plan is for Canberra next year, and I can not wait! If you have never been it is really worth while signing up, you will have a blast!

(one regret was that I didn't take enough photos!)

Cars 2 at the movies!

2011-06-14T20:15:00.005+09:30

If you have been anywhere near K-mart, Target, Big W or even Woolies lately you would have seen all the merchandise for the new Cars 2 Movie that is due for release on June 23, and it looks just as good as the first installment. We are yet to take the whole family to the movies, but maybe this is the movie that will change that, I know that Stella and Oscar would absolutely love it and perhaps Indi will just be mesmerized enough to just sit through it - we will see!

Check out the trailer and also if you would like to receive a free family movie pass (all who wouldn't?? It's expensive to take the whole fam to the flicks!) all you have to do is be an Australian Blogger and do a blog post on the movie, so head on over to nuffnang for all the details, how cool is that - Thank you DISNEY and NUFFNANG! But hurry because it needs to be done by the 17/6 at 5pm.

So enjoy the movie!!!!

Swaps

2011-05-07T14:57:00.011+09:30

Here is a wrap up of some of the swaps I have been involved in over the last few months.

These blocks were for the Quilting Divas Bee - I had to make 6 blocks of my own choice - I choose a string block, and they had to be made in the colours of the other Bee members choosing. I think they all turned out really well, the string block in my opinion is always very effective.

These are the blocks that I have received back so far (still waiting on one, and I haven't made one for myself) I asked for blocks in yellow, gray and white and they were to match this cushion that I received in the last Pillow Talk Swap. I am going to make a quilt to co-ordinate with the cushion from these blocks and others that I will need to make to add to them.

These are the blocks that I have made for my Bee Scrappy group :

And these were for my Beehive Group:

I also participated in another Urban Home Goods Swap and this is what I made,

and these are the most wonderful items that I received from Laura!

Look at all that FMF!! In heaven.

Then I participated in the Doll Quilt Swap No.10, the DQS was the first swap I ever particpated in back in 2009 so I thought it was time to give it another go.

This is what I made for my partner Jill and I really loved this one and didn't really want to send it away! But is was well received so I am happy it has gone to someone that loves it equally as much as I do.

This is the gorgeous quilt that I received from Lauree who had made me the cushion above (Imagine getting the same person in two separate swaps when you could have gotten the pick of 150 odd people from all corners of the earth! Lucky for me though, because he work is beautiful and we have very similar style).

Next was the MMM - Make Mine Modern Swap, this was the first time I had ever participated in this swap and it was a great one! The guidelines were you had to send 1 handmade item, 1 item to decorate your sewing space with and 1.5yards of fabric, which could be made up with your choice of fabric cuts or pre-cuts.

This is what I made my partner Kat (also the mosaic picture above is taken from Kat's blog)- I was pretty happy with the selection that I sent her and I was super happy with what I received from Liz! I was spoilt rotten. (Included Market Apron, Pincushion Caddy, Coin Purse, Fabric Basket, another Pincushion, Lotta Jansdotter Post it Notes - so cute and gorgeous fabrics including Denyse Schmidt, Echino and Sherbet Pips)

Such a great swap, think I will have to be in this one again!

There were a couple of other swaps as well which I were for SIT so I will put them in that post.

And finally I have signed up for the Brooch swap over at Flowerpress, (you too can join, sign ups are open till May 10) this should be heaps of fun, and I am hoping that I will get some inspiration when I visit Bowerbird Bazaar tomorrow :)

Hello my name is Megan and I am a blogger????

2011-05-07T14:35:00.005+09:30

Thought I had better introduce myself again seen as though it has been 3 months since I last blogged. I am sick of making excuses and every post being an apology, so I will just say that I really want to keep blogging more regularly but if it just doesn't happen then I will see you when I see you. I think this is a better mindset to have and at least that way I don't feel so guilty all the time.

Wow, the last 3 months have been busy busy busy! The following few posts will document some of the more exciting things that have happened, but basically there has been a lot of every day things happening, throw that in with a few interstate trips, some sewing, some markets, a sewing workshop and lots of school activities, holidays, Kindy and Day-care.

Everyone is doing really well, Willow is growing up so quickly, India has started going to Day-care one day a week and absolutely loves going to Sandi's house, Oscar has started Full time Kindy - 4 sessions a week and Stella is loving School which is great! PK is going well, hoping for a move with work relatively soon, so we will see what comes of that, and me well I am overwhelmingly busy all the time, which often results in less getting done than I would hope for. I'm sure alot of Mums can relate to this though. I hate taking about weight and so I will never really say much about it anywhere, but I am proud to say that I have lost 11+kg in the last 3 months and my goal is to have lost the rest in the next 6 months. Paul and I are starting Michelle Bridges (The Biggest Loser) 12 week Body Transformation which starts later in the month so hopefully combined with what I have already been doing this will bring more success in the weight loss department.

Ok, so there is the first post - well done me for just doing it and getting back into blogging again! Stay tuned for the next installment :)

Is this really as close as we are going to get to a nice shot of all 4 kids??

Sunday Stash #1

2011-02-06T15:51:00.004+10:30

Decided that this might be a good way for me to get into the habit of being a regular blogger, so I have taken Bianca's lead and I am going to start a weekly Sunday Stash Post.

This week courtesy of my iphone seen as though Paul is away and has the camera, I present you with my latest bargains! I got these 2 from The Haby Godess who isn't selling fabric yardage anymore so she was getting rid of all that she had left super cheap, and I got these 2 prints. Unfortunately it is all gone now, and I would say with the prices as low as they were they would have gone in minutes.

On the left is Trefle by Kokka and the other is Arcadia Geometrics in Orange. I have an Arcadia Layer cake and so this will be used for the backing of a quilt once I get around to using the layer cake.

And secondly this is was in one of the boxes that my "dealer" sent over during the week. It is some precuts from It's a Hoot by Moma for Moda and some yardage from the same line, which will also turn into some more quilts.

Ok, well that is the first Sunday Stash, hopefully there will be many more!

The Week in Photos

2011-02-05T21:24:00.006+10:30

Trying to keep up with my recent increase in blog posts, and often the best way to jog the old memory about what has been happening is to look at my photos, so this post is pretty much going to be driven by what I have recently taken photos of.

I have had some good mail lately which has seen the need for the fabric cupboard to be re-organised and tidied to make way for the 70 odd yards of fabric plus a stack of pre-cuts that arrived at various stages over the week. I only took photos before the last 2 boxes arrived so you will just have to imagine them stacked in there too. It is always like christmas when I open my boxes because often it is lines that had to be pre-ordered months before they arrived and you almost forget what you have coming - I have tried to make my "dealer" cut me off, but she is an enabler and just won't let me out! Some of the treasures in the latest boxes were Soul Blossoms by Amy Butler, Central Park, Hoopla, Sugar Pop, It's a Hoot by Moda, some Sandi Henderson, Dr Suess prints, June Bugs, Teeny Tiny Zoo and couple of books that I have been hanging out for - Handamde Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner and Elizabeth Hartman's The Practical Guide to Patchwork.

I also had a win on a blog recently which I will blog about once the prize arrives, but can I just say I am so excited - 11.75 yards of Heather Ross Fabrics!!! And not FFA2 which I already had, I'm taking hard to find, jump up and down for joy ones!! So I will let you drool over that one at a later date.

In terms of actual sewing there has been a lot of Market Preparation happening for the upcoming Lollipop and Mathilda Markets, and I have just received the application to the latest Gallery One CraftART Market which I will do again too. I have made the first Bee block for one of the Quilting Bees that I have joined - it was a liberated Churn dash block (I don't even know what an unliberated churn dash looks like - so this was strictly from the tutorial!), but it was actually super easy. Shayla requested only black and white fabrics and I think it will look really effective when it is finished. I also made a library bag for a friend whose daughter started Kindy this week in Brisbane, it turned out really well and was super easy - think I might make them available via my facebook page.

Speaking of Kindy Oscar started Kindy this week too! Which was very exciting, he loved it which I knew he would and it means a few more hours of him out of the house which is great and I can get a few errands done in the time he is away with just the two little girls which is much more manageable.

Stella also started back at school this week, and I was just as glad as she was to go back - man School Holidays drag on and on and on.... never thought I would complain about that!

She has her little bestie Teegan in the same class as her which is really nice and her teacher is new and seems very nice, so all is good on that front.

I started Zumba this week too, which was actually quite fun and very funny - talk about feeling un-co! They have a creche so it is fantastic to be able to do this in the day, and my is it a work out, I was completely buggered by the end. Hoping this will benefit the weight loss goals for this year. I have started Weight Watchers and so far am going quite well - 3.4kg in 3 weigh ins so that is not bad, my aim is to be at goal by September when I am going to Malaysia with my bestie for a girls only week of sun, fun, cocktails and massages - bring it on!

Anyway, Paul is in Queensland at the moment for a conference so I am flying solo till tuesday night - yuk! but it does mean that the nights are mine and I am really hoping to get some more market prep done, so I will sign off for now and go and get on to it!

::WINNERS::

2011-01-30T10:43:00.009+10:30

Firstly, thank you everyone who entered my giveaway I was super excited to have the opportunity to bring you this giveaway and hopefully there might me more in the future!

So, I decided that the old hand in the bowl would be a fun way to draw the winners, so here you go:

And the First Prize Winner of $200 Gift Voucher goes to.............

Yay Cherry!!!

And now on to the second draw...

And the Second Prize of a $50 Gift Voucher goes to............

Yay Posie!!!!

I will be in contact with both winners by email!

Big thanks to Quantum Finish Dishwashing Tablets and Soup (Don't forget to join up to become a Soup Mama too!)

Last Chance for $250.00!!!!!!

2011-01-29T14:13:00.004+10:30

Later tonight I will be drawing the winners from my Soup/Quantum Finish Dishwashing Tablets giveaway so be sure to get an entry in!!! There are very good odds at the moment and who wouldn't want $250 worth of gift vouchers to spend on themselves - I know I would - pity I can't enter :(

So scroll on down (or click here)and read the post, answer an easy question and then get your entry in!

Winners will be revealed tomorrow!

The Outcome - and do you want to win $250?????

2011-01-22T21:50:00.004+10:30

My oh my doesn't time just get away from you? I was spose to post this days ago, but low and behold life got in the way and it just never happened. But fear not here it is.

Now, I know you all must be sitting on the edge of your seats to see if this dish got clean? (ok, so you probably aren't but you can humour me can't you?)

Well, the outcome is this.......

Yes, it is clean! Yay! Needless to say Finish Quantum is a pretty nifty little dishwashing tablet, and it is true what they say (Finish and FatMumSlim, if you read her blog), the inside of the dishwasher really does sparkle after using these tablets, so of course that only means good things for your glassware and cutlery. All in all, I think it is pretty good, and would buy it again.

Now for the exciting stuff!!! So my friends at Soup and Finish have given me $250 to give away to you my readers! And the way that I have decided to distribute it is in two prizes as follows:

First prize is a $200 Voucher of your choice (please make it somewhere that the voucher can be purchased ONLINE)
Second prize is a $50 Voucher of your choice (again ONLINE please)

How cool is that! You could use it to get that bag that you wanted at Myer or that gorgeous dress from Witchery, Or perhaps a Body Treatment at Endota? Going on holiday? would a voucher from Flight Centre be a big help? or perhaps you need a late night shop in your pj's at your favourite online store? Well as long as they have vouchers available online then it's yours!!

So, what do you have to do?

Become a Follower of my blog
Leave a comment on this post telling me "What is amazing for you... every single time?" (Finish Quantum thinks their product is amazing every time, but wants to know what you find amazing? Paul thinks diving into the ocean is amazing every time. I think going to the toilet ALONE is amazing every time - cause it doesn't happen often!)
Tell me where you would want your voucher from (you can change your mind at a later date, if you win, I am just curious where everyone would choose)

The Boring Bits:

Only one entry per person

You must be an Australian Resident - sorry to all my international readers :(

Competition is open until next Saturday 29 January at 9pm

Winner will be drawn randomly either via that random number computer thingo or by a little hand out of a big bowl!

Winner must leave an email address or must check back to see if they are the winner and make contact within 7 days or the prize will be re-drawn

Ok, so that is it! Good Luck and make sure you enter and leave your comment, I can't wait to see who the lucky winners will be!

Auction Update :: Please Read::

2011-01-22T21:37:00.003+10:30

::Auction Update:: Both of my Auctions will now be finishing at 9pm on Monday 24th January not midnight as was previously stated.

Don't forget to bid on my Auctions to raise money for the Queensland Flood Victims.

Go here to bid on the auction for Two of my Oilcloth Lunch Sacks

and here to bid on the Two FQ's of FMF Seeds!!!

Still time to bid, and don't forget to bid generously for this great cause! I can't wait to see if I win some of the Auctions I have put bids in for - wish I could afford the Anna Maria Horner Quilt that she is Auctioning. How awesome are all this international peoples helping out little old Australia!!!!

Queensland Flood Relief Auction Number 2 : Lunch Sacks!

2011-01-16T23:18:00.004+10:30

My second auction for the Queensland Flood Relief appeal is for 2 of my very popular Oilcloth Lunch Sacks. You get to choice whichever 2 you would like from my current range, and you can let me know once I advise who has the winning bid.

These are excellent for school lunches and with school going back very soon you will be very organised. They have a rrp of $30 for the 2. So again this is for a great cause and start bidding!

How this auction works:

1. Bidding will start at $20 (Australian).
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address. Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone. Postage is FREE for Australian and International Residents.
5. The auction begins NOW and will END at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.

6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address). The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal and send her proof of payment via email. Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your Lunch Sacks to you.

8. Thankyou for participating and happy bidding!

Queensland Flood Relief Auction Number 1 : Flea Market Fancy!!!

2011-01-16T23:05:00.005+10:30

Ok, Here is the first of the 2 Auctions that I will be running to aid the Queensland Flood. Up for grabs is 2 Fat Quarters from the coveted Flea Market Fancy line by Denyse Schmidt. This range is way OOP (out of print) and is soooooooo hard to come by, believe me, I love it and it has taken me a long time to find some and I still only have about a quarter of the prints. Not only is it FMF (Flea Market Fancy), but it is two of the Seeds prints in the Pink and Gold! So bid now and bid high! It is for a great cause that is so essential right now, and we will help my little home town get back on its feet.

How this auction works:

1. Bidding will start at $20 (Australian).
2. You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address. Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
3. Your bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone. Postage is FREE for Australian and International Residents. The auction begins NOW and will END at midnight on Monday 24th January 2011.

6. At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address). The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal and send me proof of payment via email. Once proof of payment has been received, I will post your fabrics to you.

8. Thankyou for participating and happy bidding!

Will it come off??

2011-01-16T22:08:00.005+10:30

I have been sampling lots of products for Soup over the last couple of years and it is awesome when I get something new in the mail to try and to share with others. This time however they have asked me to blog about it and so that can only mean good things for you - my readers!

So the product that I am trialing at the moment is Finish Quantum, the latest dishwashing tablet. The claim is that this is the latest, most premium product for dishwashing and that the shine will be amazing. I am going to test it out on this casserole dish that has a red tomato based sauce baked into it and we will see how we go!

I will be back tomorrow with the results - in the meantime you should definitely go and check out Soup, they need people of all demographics to test new products and services on the market and it is heaps of fun. Also, if you use a dishwasher and you live in Australia I would be happy to pop a sample in the mail for you - just post a comment or drop me an email at: megan@edanrose.com.au then you can let me know what you thought of the product too.

And lastly, and the best bit if you ask me, is that there is also going to be a giveaway, all the details will be in the next post when I reveal whether or not the tablets worked and just quietly the prize is $250 worth of vouchers!!!! courtesy of the lovely folks at Soup and Finish Quantum!

So, watch out for tomorrows post!

Queensland Flood Relief

2011-01-12T23:01:00.005+10:30

Toni from Make it Perfect has organised a whole bunch of bloggers and crafters to run auctions and sales to raise money for the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal. You can go and check out her blog for the list of everyone who is being involved. Most sales will start on Monday but some are underway now. So get involved and give generously to a really worthwhile cause.

Brisbane is my hometown and I am just at an absolute loss watching all the images on the tv of places that I have been a million times and suburbs I have lived in, restaurants that I have eaten at, roads I have driving on, car-parks I have parked in and bridges I have walked over, venues where I have some of the happiest memories of my life - like our wedding and friend's weddings, riverfront parks where we have had the kids birthdays are in a state of absolute devastation and I just don't know how they can ever recover. I feel so helpless being here and not knowing how our friends and family are coping, and our little house that is fortunately not in an affected area, but it is in such a low area and I just have my fingers crossed that it is not going to end up suffering in some way.

Anyway, I will put my auction post up over the weekend and please come back and give generously, the people of Queensland really need our help.

Sew It Together 2011 :: Name Tag Swap

2011-01-11T12:17:00.014+10:30

Who is excited about Sew It Together 2011?? I know I am! I have taken on the challenge of organising this years Name Tag Swap. Judging by all of the great name tags that were swapped last year I know this is going to be a success and produce some beautiful swaps! So read on for all the important Info and then leave a comment to SIGN UP!

Guidelines are as follows:

Name tag is to be no larger than 9cm in any direction - shape is completely up to you.

Name tags will include first name only. Make sure you email me with the name you would like to appear on the tag and the correct spelling! (Blog names will be included on the access pass that you will be issued with at the event).

The Name Tag should be in made in the colours Yellow, Orange and Brown (Chocolate for those of you who can't stand brown!) as these are the 2011 theme colours.

Name tags must have a safety pin or a brooch finding on the back. They will be attached to a lanyard that you will be issued with at the event. Preferably the pin should be positioned vertically but if the dimensions of your badge require it to be horizontal that is fine too.

You can make your Name Tag using any medium you like, However, as this is SEW IT TOGETHER the only thing that we ask is that your name tag be sewn/stitched in some way. I have put together a mosaic of some of the Name Tags that were swapped at last years event to give you some inspiration, but get creative and try something new. You could use fabric, yarn, embroidery, applique, hexies, quilting, flowers, circles, shapes, crochet, ribbons, buttons, paint, paper, polymer clay the options are endless as long as some part is sewn!!

This is a secret swap so make sure that you keep the details of your swap partner a secret until after your Tag has been received by them. And remember to post pics of your received Name Tags to the Flickr page that was created for last years event which you will find here

Ok, the dates:

Sign ups close here on 28 JANUARY

Partner will be allocated and information sent out by 31 JANUARY

Completed Name Bags must be sent out to your partner no later than 4 MARCH

Please let me know if you run into any trouble or if you are going to be late sending your Name Tag as we want to have all participants with a Tag before the event.

Also please email me at megan@edanrose.com.au and advise when you have sent/or received your Name Tag so I can keep a track of where everyone is at.

So, what to do from here?

Comment below if you would like to be involved, and then send an email to me - megan@edanrose.com.au with the following details:

Name to appear on badge, Full Name & Mailing Address.

You will receive an email from me at the end of the month advising you of your partners details and then it is all up to you!

Don't forget to post your pics on the Flickr page and watch my blog or the SIT blog/facebook page for any updates and if you have any questions let me know.

Most of all, get creative and have fun!

Look forward to meeting you at SIT!!!

Alphabet Cushion

2011-01-07T22:15:00.006+10:30

I had seen a cushion like this on some design blog (sorry can't remember where) and the person was selling them for well over $100.00 and I thought it looked so cool and I knew that my little words and letter man Oscar would just love it, and that I could make it for a fraction of that price.

It was very easy to make - I just enlarge a basic font in word and printed that out, traced the letters onto some Steam a Seam 2 and then ironed them on to various colours of felt, cut them out, pealed off the second layer of the steam a seam and then positioned them evenly across a piece of Essex Linen in Natural and ironed them into place. I then free motion stitched around each letter in the corresponding coloured thread attached a zip to the backing which was a navy blue and white polka dot cotton that I had, stitched the two together and it was done.

Very easy and yet very striking. It was originally going to be a Christmas present, but I ran out of time so it was more of a new year surprise.

He was so happy with it and of course the older sister wants one now too, which of course I should have known.

I have decided to include it in the Bloggers Pillow Party over at Stitched in Color, so if you want to check out some other very creative cushions then go and take a look!

New Year, New Blog???

2011-01-02T20:37:00.023+10:30

Well here we are in 2011, can you believe it? The years just seem to fly by so quickly these days, and I am sure with kids getting older and more involved in extra activities it will only feel like they are getting shorter and shorter. So, obviously I was not true to my word about blogging more, so I am hopeful that this being a new year, that my blog will become a New Blog too, and will get the love and attention I have always wanted it to have but have just always found something more time consuming to do instead of it!

So I will give you a bit of a wrap up for for the year, as so many bloggers out there are doing it and I am really quite enjoying going back through the year and reminiscing with everyone out there in the blogosphere what the year was all about.

So here goes:

January

Started to make my Oilcloth Lunch Sacks which to date I think I am approaching my 200th Lunch Sack so they have definitely proved to be very popular.

February

Made these reversible jackets for the girls, which I have now started selling as well. Can't remember for the life of me what was going on back then other than by looking at photos and they aren't giving away much either. I do know that I was suffering from PND at this time and was medicated and seeing a shrink so it wasn't the greatest time in my year that is for sure. Feeling so much better now though and really hated calling it PND, because I feel it had nothing to do with India herself, but was more a situational depression, being stuck in Adelaide with no family and friends for support and having a third child was a whole new kettle of fish, and finding out that I was pregnant with number 4 did not fill me with the greatest of happiness in that state of mind. ( In hindsight it was absolutely the most wonderful thing and Willow is just the light of my life), but anyway we will move on to times in the year!

March

India turned 1!!! She is just so beautiful and those eyes and eyelashes just make you melt!

Did a few the Goodwood Mums and Bubs Market and created a few new products in the EanRose Line up.

April

Participated in a Pincushion swap, Above is what I made to send to my partner, and of course I have never taken a pic of what I received because I am slack but it was a very cute Pear and I use it every day. Tried to get a good photo of everyone together but as you can see from above that is a very hard thing to do! Took Stellsy to see the Gruffalo at the Dunstan Playhouse and see loved it, I really enjoy taking her to these sorts of things, she is at the perfect age now, to have the concentration to sit still for the whole time.

May

May produced a buddy little artist who even got her artwork featured on the Kindy Newsletter. Very Proud! I also participated in the Urban Home Goods Swap and the second pic is what I received - a Beautiful Sewing Machine Cover and some other goodies, I made my partner the Apron and the little fabric scrap bin, I was really happy with how the apron turned out and my partner seemed to like it too so all in all it was a great swap. At Brown Owls I learnt a new craft - Kanzashi Flowers, these were a lot of fun, and one day I plan on making some more. May was also spent at the beach taking lots of walks but rugged up as it was pretty cold, and Stella and Oscar have really started to become great little friends.

June

June saw Oscar turn 3! He is such a lovely little boy and keeps thrilling us everyday with everything that comes out of that little brain - he is happy to recite the Alphabet not only forwards but backwards also without any hesitation and his comedic timing is just superb! Also In June I had a market at the Gallery One at Mitcham Open Day, this was very successful and I got lots of great feedback on my wares.

July

I did my first Mathilda's Market and it was fantastic, had heaps of sales and heaps of follow up, they are quite an expensive outlay but totally worth it! July was also when I used the girls as models for my jackets and as you can see from these photos they got pretty sick of it after a while - it is so hard to take good photos so that they represent your stock in the best possible light - other than using a professional photographer which is a little out of my budget at the moment. The belly shot is me at 32 weeks and Stella took this pic which I thought was not too bad. Went and watched the Twilight Marathon on the eve of Eclipse being released, it was quite good to see them back to back like that, but being at the movies for over 6 hours by yourself with hundreds of twihard teenie boopers was not all that cool. And another swap took place, this time the Pillow Talk Swap number 3, this was the cushion that I sent to my partner whose name was Linnea, hence the stitching on the front (this is also her fab photo which I have borrowed from her flickr - hope you don't mind if you are reading this Linnea), I received this very funky Cathedral Window Cushion from Megan at Lucy and Norman (again this is Megan's phot), I always drool over what she creates so I was super excited when I saw her name on the envelope!

August

Well of course August was the greatest month of all as this little princess entered our lives! Willow Evie Kay was born 2 weeks early (never gone early before!) and she weighed in at a very healthy 4.455kg or 9 pound 13. Other than that excitement , I had a birthday and now am 33 years old - god that sounds so old, where has my youth gone?? Mum came and stayed - she was meant to be here for the birth so that she could look after the other 3 kids, but seen as though Willow decided to arrive 2 weeks early Mum wasn't here yet, so all the kids came with us and sat in the waiting room while Willow was born and then straight after they were in the delivery suite with us, so it really was a family affair!

September

Stella turned 5 and we had a Rainbow themed party for her, which is when I made the biggest Rainbow cake possible! Mum also celebrated her birthday with us and I made Pineapple Cupcakes which were really yummy. Stella also graduated kindy and we will miss her fabulous Kindy teachers, we will however be seeing them soon when Oscar starts at Kindy in February.

I participated in yet another swap - this time the Urban Home Goods Swap #2 and this is the Sewing Machine Cover that I made for my partner, it is fully reversible and had lots of yummy Orange fabrics on the inside which she said were her favourite, I also made her some bunting in alot of the same fabrics, but of course I never took a photo of that! Stella went to "Kinderchefs" in the school holidays and made an Apple, Zucchini and Chocolate Muffin with a Cream Cheese, honey and beet root juice icing,(take note of the stools that she is sitting on in the pic as you will see a make over I did on them in the next months news. And once again trying to get a good picture of the kids proved near impossible!

October

October - Stella started School! Can't believe I am the mother of a School Girl! Seems like just a moment ago she was born.

Did a make over on the previously mentioned Bar Stools, so now they are very kid friendly with there Oilcloth Covers.

I decided to go back to being a red-head and PK had 4 weeks of work and grew some facial hair! And our 3 beautiful girls just got bigger and more stunning by the day. (And so did Oz, but I don't have any pics of him to post this month!)

Think I had a market or two in October as well.

November

In November I got a new baby - Rory. She is my brand spanking new Bernina 440QE Aurora (hence the Rory), I have been wanting this little baby since last year when I went to a class and almost everyone had one, but she is an expensive lass so I had to wait a bit longer. I have had one lesson on her and I am learning new things every time I use her, can't wait to do some big jobs on her.

Stella got her first award at school and had to go up in front of the school at assembly, she was pretty proud of herself which was awesome. She also had her dancing concert - hence all the heavy eye makeup in that photo, I didn't actually get any photos of her in costume which is a bugger, must have had too many things swirling around in my head at the time. And I got her to do some more modelling for me of some new Jackets and this is one of the funniest looks I had to share it with you all!

Attended another Mathilda's Market which was another successful day for EdanRose!

December

December consisted of more Markets, Family visiting and Christmas. Did a Christmas Card swap and the pic is of the cards that I made. (haven't taken pics of the ones I received - still waiting on one). I also completed the Pillow Talk Swap 4 and though it is a crappy photo taken very late at night due to being on a deadline, I was quite happy with the outcome based on my partners taste. I received a gorgeous cushion in greys and yellows, which of course I have not yet taken a photo of, so that will have to be for a post at a later date.

So, 2010 started out crappy and ended up pretty bloody good, I have a lovely husband, 4 absolutely to die for kids, friends, family and loads of things to be grateful for. Of course nothing is ever perfect and things could always be better but, you have to make do with what you have and find the bright side in every situation. And look at my beautiful baby girl Willow, she was by far the absolute best thing to come out of 2010.

Wow, I can't believe the size of this post - guess it makes up for the slack blogging all the rest of the year. I will be back in the next couple of days to post all I want to achieve in the next year ( like the idea of having them written down so it might make me ore accountable for them), and also I have a Sponsored give-away to announce very soon too, so that is super exciting!!! And it is a fantastic prize, and you only have to leave a comment so make sure you stop back again soon. Until then, thanks for sharing the year that was with me.

Megs xxxxxxx

Retromummy Giveaway

2010-12-19T21:22:00.002+10:30

Corrie from Retromummy is having a massive giveaway over on her blog. You can win one of 2 prize packs containing 20(!) fat quarters of Flower Sugar!! Such sweet fabricy goodness, you must pop over and enter.

Must Blog! Must Blog! Must Blog!!

2010-11-02T12:14:00.002+10:30

Ok, how on earth am I going to find a way to blog regularly?????? There must be an easy way to fit this into the day/week/month/year, any suggestions my fellow bloggers? I often have thoughts throughout the day of things I want to blog about, but then don't remember to actually blog, but I really want to, I do, so I just have to find a way to make it happen! So, as soon as I give Indi her lunch and then feed Willow and do some house work and get 2 orders packaged up to be sent out this afternoon, and update some etsy/madeit listings I will be back - I promise! (maybe....) unitl then here is a cute pic of my 3 girls (sorry Ozzie) xxx

Stella is 5!

2010-09-18T22:07:00.005+09:30

My baby girl is not a baby anymore :( 5 years old and off to school after the holidays, I can't believe it, that 5 years has just flow by. So today was the big (little) birthday party, and I think she really enjoyed herself. It was a rainbow themed party and though I wish I had an extra 2 hours to hang all the tissue pom poms and to get the cake just perfect, it all worked out fine and a great time was had by all. Now that it is all over I can focus on my upcoming markets - I have so many coming up and I am not very prepared!!! And also on sewing some school uniforms, and I would love to have a few hours to do some sewing for pleasure as well, oh well one day!

MadeIt Finds :: Rainbows::

2010-09-18T21:00:00.004+09:30

In honor of the gorgeous birthday party we had here today for Stella's 5th birthday of which the theme was Rainbows, I thought it was appropriate to do my madeit finds post on rainbows. Will post some party pics soon, and the wonderful rainbow cake that I made, but until then, enjoy!

1. Fancy Flat Button Necklace $40 by Kelly Christie

2. Brighten Your Day - Art Print $20 by Sweet William

3. Rainbow Dress knitting e-pattern $7 by Tikki

4. Rainbow Alphabet Art Print $20 by MiniMe

5. Girls Rainbow Tutu skirt $30 by LittleFishCreations

Made It Finds :: Sunshine::

2010-09-02T21:37:00.004+09:30

I am starting a weekly post of my favourite Made it finds, this week it is all about sunshine, because on these cold Adelaide days it is what I am looking forward to most!

Wow, where do I start??

2010-08-29T14:57:00.003+09:30

It has been a long time since I have put any work into my blog, but I am going to try and make the commitment to change that. I feel like this is a big time of change in my life and I am really ready to embrace all those things that I have been holding back on because of life getting in the way. I feel like I am starting afresh and that I am about to begin a time where things are more about me, rather than everyone else, and that I am going to re-connect with my identity and find out who I really am and what I want to do to enjoy the world that I have created to the absolute best of my abilities. The catalyst for this renewed energy is I just had my fourth child, a beautiful baby girl - Willow Evie, and it is safe to say that she will be the final addition to our lovely little family. So I feel like a chapter is closing - no more being pregnant! I worked out that since December 2004 ( 68 months) I have been either pregnant or breast-feeding for 58 of those months!!!!! So as you can imagine I am more than ready to be Megan again rather than the incubator or the milk bar. (obviously the milk bar title will still apply for a while longer yet). I am looking forward to losing weight, getting fit, getting up earlier and going to bed earlier, developing my business further, re-connecting with my husband again - just to have a conversation about something other than the kids would be fabulous, maybe starting a course in textile design, finding my sense of style again, making time for myself, getting organised, planning for today, tomorrow and the future. So a lot of change, I will let you know how it goes. I am under no misconceptions that this will not happen overnight but as long as I can start to get things moving in the right direction I will be happy.

So what has been going on over the last months????

Some swaps I have participated in:

The Pincushion Swap (this is what I sent to my partner)

The First Urban Home Goods Swap - this apron was one of the things I made and sent to my partner, and below is what I received:

Looks so fantastic on my sewing machine, I was very lucky!!

This is what I sent in the Pillow Talk Swap #3

My swap partners name was Linnea and I did some stitching detail on the cushion cover. I received a gorgeous Cathedral Window Cushion cover from Megan at Lucy and Norman, in beautiful Anna Maria Horner Little Folks Voiles.

And this is what I am working on for the next Urban Home Goods Swap:

My little business has been chugging away quite nicely too, which is great majority of the time except for when I am so busy and then get wholesale orders that are a little overwhelming! Speaking of which my current list of stockists are:

Futura Bondi - stocks Oilcloth Lunch Sacks

Byron Medicine Wheel, Byron Bay - stocks Oilcloth Lunch Sacks

Just Toy'n Around - stocks Oilcloth Lunch Sacks

Wholly Craft, Columbus Ohio - stocks Oilcloth Lunch Sacks

Bubbalooz - Stocks Womb with a View Baby Cocoons

Sunshine n' Lollipops - stocks Oilcloth Lunch Sacks and Womb with a View Baby Cocoons

I have had a few markets including Mathildas Market which was very successful. I have a few markets coming up, including:

Mums and Bubs Market

Goodwood Community Centre

Monday 4th October (Public Holiday)

10am - 1pm

Mathilda's Market

Loreto College

Marryatville

Saturday 6 November

9am - 1 pm

Mums and Bubs Market

Goodwood Community Centre

Sunday 28 November

10am - 1 pm

I have added Baby Quilts to the range, so I now make Oilcloth Lunch Sacks, Womb with a View Baby Cocoons, Fabric Covered Button Accessories, Girls Jackets, and Baby Quilts. As we are heading towards warmer weather I am going to add some other items to the range so once I have some of these done I will post about them here.

But in the meantime here are some of the current range:

And other than that the biggest news is the arrival of the beautiful

Willow Evie Kay!!

Willow was born on Thursday 19 August at 4:02am, in what was my easiest and quickest birth! She arrived 22 minutes after we got to the hospital and I had only been in labour about 1 and a half hours prior to that, I think I did all the hard work in the car on the way there which is the most uncomfortable thing ever when you are in a seated position. She was a very healthy 4.455kg or 9 pound 13, 52cm long with a 36cm head circumference. We are all so happy to have her in our lives and so far she is just such a joy to be around. She is the last piece to our family and I think she fits just perfectly xxx

Botany - Baby Quilt - by EdanRose on madeit

2010-07-12T00:21:00.000+09:30

Botany - Baby Quilt - by EdanRose on madeit

::SNEAK PEEK::

2010-06-01T10:45:00.003+09:30

(I know I am so slack as a blogger, I want to change I really do, but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day!)...Anyway....

So I will be at the Gallery One Open Day Arts and Craft Market this SUNDAY 6 June from 11 - 4 it is located in Mitcham, so if you are in Adelaide why don't you come down and have a look.

This is a sneak peek at some of the Jackets that I will have for sale. This is one of the new items that I have been working on. They come in Size 0 to size 5 and are fully reversible and so cute - you may remember I had made some of these for my daughters late last year, well now they are going to be added to my range and will soon be added to my Madeit.com.au store as well.

Will post some more pics when I get a chance and once I have some more finished.

Ok, I promise I will be back with more news and happenings xx

New Stockists and Features!

2010-04-28T13:53:00.003+09:30

I have 3 stockists of my Oilcloth Lunch sacks now, so if you are in these areas you will have to check them out.

::Futura Lifestyle::

282 Bondi Road

Bondi NSW 2026

::Byron Medicine Wheel::

84 Jonson Street

Byron Bay NSW 2481

or online at:

www.justtoynaround.com.au

Just toy'n Around is so new that they haven't gone live yet, but it won't be long!

And I have been lucky enough to have had been featured on a few websites in the last week.

Kids Fashion Review has a review on my Womb with a View Baby Cocoons and you can also go into the draw to win one!

And over on The Handmade Co-operative one of my rings has been featured on their Sensational Six "You are my Sunshine" post.

Hope to be able to show you some new items I have been working on for a few upcoming markets very soon!

Follow EdanRose on Facebook and enter my Giveaway!

2010-04-22T22:16:00.002+09:30

I have made a Fan page on Facebook, and when I reached 100 followers, I said it would be giveaway time. Well I am now at 126, so the giveaway is happening. You still have time to become a follower though and get your entry into the draw. You can win one of my Oilcloth Lunch Sacks and some hair accessories. International entries are welcome, so come on over and become a fan and be in with a chance!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/EdanRose/110261318992596

It has been awhile!

2010-03-04T12:30:00.007+10:30

Wow, it is already March, unbelievable.

I lost all of my mojo for a while there, be it crafting, blogging and just life in general. Feeling a bit better now and trying to get back into the swing of things.

Have had the sewing machine humming back to life (other than the usual lunch sacks which have been selling so well!) and I made jackets for the two girls which I will put some pics up for you to see.

I made the jackets from the Uptown Girl Pattern by Make it Perfect, and it was really easy. I am really happy with how they turned out. Stella's I just went for the 2 contrasting colours but India's I obviously decided to do every panel a different pattern and I think it worked well.

Speaking of India she turns 1 next friday, wow that year has just flown by!

Also, I am pregnant again, and due late August, this was a big shock and has taken me a while to get my head around and contributed to the lack of mojo. Getting used to the idea now, and figure we were always going to have 4 so it has just happened earlier than expected which is not necessarily a bad thing as it means I am that much closer to having my baby days over and maybe getting to do some things for myself.

Also if you live in Adelaide and want something to do next Sunday morning, I will be at the Mums and Bubs Market at Goodwood, where I will be selling my Cocoons, Lunch Sacks and hopefully a few other bits and pieces if I can get them made before then.

ok, will try to blog more frequently from now on!

Have a great day.

Indi's Quilt Finished!

2009-12-21T16:00:00.003+10:30

Here is India's finished cot quilt - ready to be wrapped and put under the tree. I am so far behind on the things that I wanted to get made for Christmas, don't know if I will get there.... keep getting orders for lunch sacks which has been taking up my time, that and watching Twilight a gasilion times, Oh Edward... need to focus!!! Happy about the lunch sacks though, I have another 7 different Oilcloths that I have just received so hopefully I will make them up in the next day or so and then get them loaded too. Hope to be back with more updates soon, till then x

Featured in an ETSY treasury!

2009-12-17T12:10:00.002+10:30

I have been featured! Very exciting, it was one of my cocoons and you can view it here

This is what I am working on....

2009-12-11T23:32:00.003+10:30

This is part of India's Christmas presents, It is a quilt for her cot - wonder if it will be finished in time? Considering all the other things I am working on at the moment, I have no clue if it will or not. Don't think she will know, but I will...

Also been working on some new stock for my shops, should be available over the weekend, just getting a few more fabric options made up. (I am going to start selling Baby Quilts as well, once Christmas is over I will concentrate on that)

Time to go to bed and read my book, Night xx

Don't Look Now Workshop

2009-12-03T22:18:00.005+10:30

So this past weekend was spent at Hetties Patch with a bunch of lovely ladies attending a workshop hosted by the very friendly and super talented Kellie Wulfsohn of Don't Look Now. I went into the workshop with much trepidation wondering whether I was completely out of my depth in both my own abilities as well as my sewing machines ability! But I am happy to report that I was certainly up to scratch and the old machine made it through as well, (although I now have my eye on a sparkling new Bernina 440 QE, oh please Santa I have been really good!!!), I think Kellie felt like she had stepped back into the dark ages when she sat down at my machine to demonstrate something, and the visibility when doing the free motion wasn't the greatest, so we turned my machine on the side so as to try and get better visibility - very unconventional! The whole process of working on the project was so relaxing and I was amazed at just how much I can get done when I don't have 3 babes wanting my attention as well. I was very happy with the progress on day one, and think I did pretty well. Lorraine had the shop open and available to us the whole weekend which proved to be very tempting, and so convenient to be able to just walk in and grab that perfect print or the exact shade of thread, I think I am obsessed with fabric at the moment and may have to start attending Fabric Buyers Anonymous!!

Kellie had most of her quilts and cushions and wall hangings available to us, and it was so great to see everything up close, she really has done some fantastic work and I can't wait to get started on some of her patterns now that I know I can actually do it! I am going to try and do the Monster Quilt for Oscar, but I will use the blues, greens and browns that I bought awhile ago in it, so it will be my take on her design.

I also can't wait to start on a few other of her projects, and I am looking forward to her releasing the new Christmas wreath design that she unveiled on the weekend.

On my own little project - The first day of Christmas, which was a partridge in a pear tree theme, I got all the applique work done on the first day and then did lots of practicing on the free motion quilting on day two and did a bit of "reverse stitching" when the old machine decided to have a few tension issues! So I completed the quilting yesterday and I am pretty happy with how it has turned out. Now I just have to decide whether I make it into a cushion cover or whether I frame it or something - decisions, decisions!

Made a few little purchases while I was there which will all pretty much go into some of the patterns that I want to make up, and a few others that I want to use on the back of another quilt that I have in my head.

So all in all it was a great weekend, learnt heaps, met some lovely ladies, Got lots of goodies - thank you Lorraine and Leanne for making the bags and badges, enjoyed some lovely food and heavenly cheesecake! (not good for the diet!), got loads of great advice about machines and technique etc, and of course got to meet Kellie! She is very inspiring and if you get the chance you should definitely try and make it to one of her workshops. I think I will definitely be coming again next time she is back in Adelaide.

A catch up

2009-12-03T21:38:00.006+10:30

So I feel like it has been a while since I have had a good catch up on here so I thought now was as good a time as any. A while ago I blogged about the DQS7 that I was involved in, well I sent off my little quilt to Rachel in Ohio, and then I waited and waited and nothing came back to me :( so the lovely organisers got a lovely local lady - Amanda to send me an angel quilt, and then about a month or so after that I received my original quilt from Stephanie, so really I was twice as lucky because I got 2 beautiful quilts to admire. Both ladies also sent me so lovely goodies so I was right royally spoilt.

Around the same time I also started on a quilt top, using the yellowy, pinky tones from Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks range. I also have another to make using her other colour palette - more blues and greens, I have gotten a bit side tracked on this project though so I will have to get back to that again soon.

The kids experienced a babysitter for the very first time, and they were fine with the whole experience, so I think we will be doing it more regularly - except for the fact that it costs and arm and a leg for a babysitter these days - whatever happened to the days of the $7/hour babysitter? Anyway, we went to the Pearl jam concert and it was well the worth the $120 for the babysitting. Paul and I were transported back to our youth and it was a fabulous concert as usual and just incase you were wondering Eddie has still got it!

India and I headed back to Brisbane for a quick visit last week, just 3 nights as my Grandma who hasn't been particularly well was over here on a visit with my Aunt and Uncle on the Sunshine Coast, so I really wanted to get back and spend a bit of time with her and introduce India to them. It was lovely to be back around family - it was also the first time in a while that both my sisters and I and Mum and Dad have been together, so it was good to all see each other at the same time.

Got to catch up with a few Brissy friends as well, and then got to fly home on the friday night in time for my Workshop with Kellie from Don't Look Now on the weekend. Also picked up my sewing machine on the way home from the airport at about 10:30pm, I had put it in to be serviced about 10 days prior and it was meant to be ready well before then, but nothing like leaving things to the last minute. The Course was FABULOUS, but I will post about that separately.

Now the count down is on till Christmas - my god only 3 weeks to go! (Still need to lose another 4 kgs to reach my first weight loss goal of 10kg by Christmas, fingers crossed.) I am very unprepared, but considering that Christmas will be just us this year, I don't really feel like I need to be too organised. I have started to make some presents for Stella's Kindy teachers and I am trying to go Handmade with most of my other gifts this year too. I may have even found a few things that I might start adding to my EdanRose range, so I will be sure to let you know when that happens. I am dreading next week when Kindy finishes and I have all 3 of them all day every day, I will have to have the Rescue Remedy close on hand!

Ok, will be back soon with the Workshop Post.

Kreativ Blogger Award

2009-11-30T22:36:00.004+10:30

I was surprised to see in my inbox when I returned from Brisbane on Friday Night (more on that later) an email from Christine of Little Diva, giving me a Kreativ Blogger Award, so thanks Chris, it is nice to know that someone is reading out there in the big bloggy world.

So this is what I have to do:

Copy picture and post on your blog
Thank the person who gave it to you and link to their blog
Write 7 things about yourself we don't know
Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to and
Link to those 7 other bloggers

So 7 things that you don't know about me:

So far my occupations have included: Working at Wendys, Store Manager of Laura Ashley and various other retail positions , Florist, Travel Consultant (which is where I meet and worked with Christine), Weekend Receptionist at a Hotel, Mummy and now Chief Creator for EdanRose
I recently found out that I have another sibling courtesy of my Father's wild teenage years
I would love to have my own fabric shop, preferably online to begin with, as I am currently addicted to buying fabrics, which is fine, except that I never want to cut into them! Have started the ball rolling in this area, but will just wait and see what the future holds
Have been suffering from that D word since we have been down in Adelaide, I don't like to say that it is Post Natal, as I feel, that it has nothing to do with Indi and that she is a little light in my life, and I like to blame it more on situation, and lack of support(not Paul, he is very supportive) just in general when you are isolated. But getting help and know things will get better
Only got my license when I was 30, I know, how did I survive without it? Well I had a personal chauffeur for the previous 10 years - Paul, he drove me every where. So glad I have it now though!
Hate being fat! And doing my best to change that - 6 kgs in 5 weeks and counting...
Have had 3 kids in 3 different states, Stella in NSW, Oscar in QLD and India in SA, generally it works that I get pregnant and then Paul gets a promotion that leads us interstate, hmm guess if I want to get out of SA I know what I have to do...

Now the 7 Bloggers that I choose are:

So go chck out these fabulous blogs and I will be back soon, I have a list of bloggy things that I need to catch up on....

Stella's Dancing Concert

2009-11-30T21:33:00.004+10:30

Well last Sunday night was the big dancing concert and might I just say Stella was so fantastic! She was in 5 different acts which surprised me as I thought she was only in 3, and she was one of the best in her age group. She found us in the crowd wholst making her first appearance and proceeded to blow us 4 kisses at the end of her routine before exiting the stage. This got a good cheer from the crowd and also melted Mummy and Daddy's hearts! I was so proud of her to be able to remember all of the routines and was able to keep it together in what was a long show, and was a very late night for a 4 year old (10:45pm was when we got home - why oh why do these things need to be at night!). I was also pretty happy with the outcome of the 3 costumes, although having an overlocker would have made the process of sewing with lycra so much easier - thankfully Mum has said that I can have her overlocker, so I am pretty excited about that. I have a couple of shots to show you, but nothing of the actual show as due to child protection laws you weren't allowed to take photos on the night. I now understand what all the hoopla was about leading up to the concert and now I understand why it is important for the dancers to have their night of nights, and at least now I know what is involved and I will no what to expect next year. Well done my little Stellsy!

(Just realised I don't even have any pics of the white tutu, so I will have to scan one of the professional pics and post it later...)

Quilt and Craft Fair

2009-11-23T17:51:00.004+10:30

I am only about 3 weeks late with this post, but nevertheless here it is.

I attended this fair and that is probably how I would describe it - Fair. Not fantastic, not totally pointless, but not quite sure if it was worth the $14 entry fee.

Did manage to purchase a few goodies, but there were not as many designer fabrics as I would have liked, and was hoping for a bit more variety. Guess I have been lusting over all the pics that people put up of the Syd/Mel Stitches and Craft shows and hoped it would have been somewhere near that kind of standard. Good news is that S&C is coming to "Radelaide" so there is hope yet.

Picked up some Kaffe Fassett, Kokka and some Echino fabrics, some ric racs, and some supplies for my class with Kellie from Don't Look now! that I have this weekend coming. I am feeling quite out of my depth about this class, but I hope I can just muddle through! I saw photos from the first class last month and it looked as though everyone had the latest sewing machines and they all looked very professional, so I am thinking I might feel rather inadequate when I turn up with my 20-30 year old Elna, and not really a clue as to what I am doing. Hopefully it won't be that bad and I will learn loads, which is all I am really hoping for.

A Catch Up

2009-11-09T10:47:00.005+10:30

Haven't posted for a while, I am just so slack, get so caught up in reading that I never end up writing, so I thought I would just do a bit of a catch up of the last little while. Everyone has been sick which is horrible especially when it has been so hot here in Adelaide, and is meant to be a consistent 37∘c all week - yuk! especially when the air-conditioner is not working the the agent/owner has now taken over 6 weeks to replace it(apparently it is happening this week - yeah right, with this weather I doubt it will get done as every man and his dog will be wanting air-conditioning installed now!).

Other than that nothing much else has been happening,

this is our haul from a recent trip to our farmers market,

the kids had their first dip in the ocean - which I might add was at 6:00pm seen as though it was way too hot before then. (N.B The Hannah Montana board was not by choice it was just in the clearence bin at Big Dubs for $5.00 so we thought it would do for now.)

(Even Indy got in on the action! How cute in these little toggies!)

I started a diet (will let you know how that goes!), had a visit from FIL- nothing much more to say on that one, and all my sewing time has been taken up sewing dancing costumes for Stella's upcoming Dancing concert - might I just add I hate sewing lycra! especially when I don't have an overlocker. Will post some pics of the final product once they are all done. So that is pretty much all the news, I went to the Quilt and Craft Fair on the weekend so I will post some pics of some goodies I got later.

My Place and Yours :: Blog HQ

2009-11-06T22:00:00.002+10:30

Well I thought I had better post this weeks theme, before tomorrow when there will be a new theme! So here it is - my Blog HQ. If you want to check out others head over here...

Browns Owls

2009-10-29T14:08:00.004+10:30

Well I really wanted to find something to do for myself and seen as though I am very into all things crafty and handmade at the moment, and I really wanted to make connections with other people also with the same interests so I have joined the Adelaide chapter of the Brown Owls. It is a craft group first set up in Melbourne by Pip from Meetmeatmikes and is now all over Australia. I have been to 3 meetings so far and it has been heaps of fun, and great to get out of my current, less effective headspace and join in some crafty goodness and some adult conversation! So far I have been shown the basics of crochet (Thanks Tracey), and at the Mitcham meeting I learnt to make an Origami Secret Gift card,

and last night we made these funky little Owl Brooches,

I am pretty pleased how mine turned out. So looking forward to attending more Brown Owls (just wish it wasn't an hour drive to get there!

My beautiful Oscar modelling the brooch (the girls were either asleep or at Kindy)

::My Place & Yours :: - Bedside Table

2009-10-25T14:17:00.002+10:30

This weeks theme is Bedside Table, so this is mine this afternoon, on it is:

Books, some reading, some unread, some re-read many times, some baby/kids ones that are referred to all the time, mags of course
Some photos of the fam, must update now that India is here
Hand cream and purfume
Notebooks, keys and pandora bracelets taken off and left there
Hair ties that come out last thing before sleep
and of course an alarm clock, too big for my liking but it does have a cd player, lamp
and the a phone, because we have a really long house and I hardly ever make it all the way to the other end of the house when it rings, and when there are sleeping babies I want it answered straight away!

So this is fun and you should play along and check out lots of other peoples places here

Handmade Kids Clever People Challenge Feature

2009-10-19T15:01:00.004+10:30

You might remember I posted about the Handmade Kids Clever People Challenge that I participated in, well it is now featured on the Handmade Kids Website, and very soon you could have a chance at winning some of the creations, and there are some really clever things. Go and check it out...

::My Place & Yours ::

2009-10-18T12:33:00.005+10:30

Pip over at Meet me at Mikes has started a new meme and this weeks theme is On The Shelf, so here is what Stella's top shelf looked like today. What is on your shelf? Join in...

Lazy Days Skirt Sew-A-Long

2009-10-15T13:22:00.003+10:30

Always one to participate in something- usually when I have no time or motivation, I have joined this weeks Sew-A-Long on Melissa's Blog. All I had to do was make a Lazy Days Skirt from Oliver + s (here is a link to the free tutorial). It is SUPER easy and you can literally whip it up in about half an hour. It's also a good one to add to and personalize it a bit which I have done with mine. Stella of course didn't want to take it off and she has worn it to Kindy today with leggings underneath seen as though it is a bit summery and certainly not warm enough for this icy Adelaide weather we have been having. I think i will probably make another one before the week is out because it was fun and probably good for my mental health! Give it a go.

Vote for India! - Bonds Bumps and Baby - Baby Search 2009

2009-10-14T14:27:00.001+10:30

Bonds Bumps and Baby - Baby Search 2009 - View Entry

Shared via AddThis

Follow this link and vote for Beautiful India in the Bonds Baby comp!

New Cocoon Shots

2009-10-02T00:18:00.003+09:30

Awhile ago I approached a bunch of photographers about taking some shots for me using my cocoons during their newborn photo shoots and I have started to get some of the photos back and I thought I would share some absolutely beautiful ones from Sally Crunk.

Could I have improved on the "Stepford Kingston"?

2009-10-01T01:06:00.005+09:30

(image via stepford dreams)

So, back in August, Carolyn blogged about her new Kingston Invention which I just had to try cause it looked amazing and ever since Hubby and I have been hooked! Not great at all for the waistline or the diet but somethings you just have to try. Anyway, tonight I thought maybe just maybe I could improve on it - if that is possible. Paul said he thought it was pretty damn good and I agree. It is more of a dessert take on the kingston, and all you have to do is mix some nutella through some vanilla ice-cream, till it is slightly soft and then spoon into a bowl and crumble up some Anzac biscuit over the top. YUM! Now of course it is not probably what you will put on your next dinner party menu, but for a snuggle up in the couch in front of MasterChef it does the trick. Go on try it and let me know what you think.