The Party, The Parents & The Planning

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!

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

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.

Frustrated....

(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?

Stella is 5!

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!

Stella's Dancing Concert

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...)

A Catch Up

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 & Yours ::

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...

Beautiful Blue Eyes and Kindy

Well as I said yesterday Stella had her last day at Kindy today for the term and after the holidays she goes back 3 days a week!! Yahoo! They were allowed to come dressed up, so she wore her tutu and fairy wings, it is still relatively cool here at the moment hence the t-shirt and tights underneath. Also managed to click some beautiful shots on Indi when we were in the car leaving Kindy, wow she has amazing eyes and eyelashes, hope she keeps them for the years to come. Nothing much else happening around here at the moment, have been finishing off an order tonight and other than that I watched Glee which was pretty funny and then got my fix of The Amazing Race. I am really looking forward to the weekend, need to get some housework done and need Paul to take the kids off my hands to be able to do that! Something has gone completely wrong with my google reader at the moment which is really annoying, by the time I get it sorted I am sure I will have 1000's of posts to read. Oh well I am going to sign off for tonight and I will be back tomorrow!

Not sure what to say...

Well I am keeping up with my posting everyday, but it is very late and I can't think of anything terribly exciting to write about. I have been researching Etsy to find some new OOAK yarns to purchase for some different Cocoons, there are some lovely yarns out there, but being OOAK it means they will push the prices up, but I think it will still be worth it. Had another sale today of 3 Cocoons so that was good and 2 of the 3 I had in stock so not too much frantic knitting necessary. Anyway, I will try and come up with something more exciting to write about tomorrow (today it is after 1am), Stella's last day of Kindy today before holidays and it is dress up day, so I will try to remember to take some photos. Until then..

fuzzyfibers1960

The last few weeks

My blogging has been dismal! I must make a big effort to actually post something more regularly. So what have we been up to? hmm well, it is hard to remember what I did yesterday let alone over the last few weeks but I will give it a go.

We went to Brisbane the weekend after my birthday and it was so great to catch up with everyone. Stella and Oscar both had terrible coughs and I fear we may have left some of our germs with the Brisbane crew (sorry everyone). Spent the first night with Stu and Lav in their great big new house which is big enough for about 10 people I think - luckily they are adding to their brood to keep filling up all those rooms - congrats guys. The kids loved playing with their 2 in the morning and there was a bit of dress ups happening - so cute!

Went and checked out the Boutique Markets at Portside, mainly to say hello to Christine from Little Diva and Jo from Lovestamp. Was lovely to meet Jo after all our bloggy conversations.

Caught up with all the school friends and threw around the footy and ate some beautiful food and had a couple of vinos, which was so relaxing.

Saw all my Girlfriends and their families and the kids got to have lots of play time which was great. They really miss their little Brissy friends and I am glad that they just fall back into place after not seeing for months.

Drove out to Scarborough and meet up with Mum and Dad for a play in the sunshine and some fish and chips (was an ekka holiday, out there so needless to say Morgans was packed!), Stella told Mum that she was her best friend which Mum loved. looking forward to her coming to stay in September.

Stayed the night at Fee and Todd's and she is due tomorrow, so I am so excited to hear the news. Can't wait to see Fee as a Mummy, I know she will be great.

The next day we headed down the coast, via the Dr for the kids - cough wasn't getting any better, and checked in to our lovely super modern apartment, prompted Paul to say that when we are older he wants to live in a similar apartment in the city - I think maybe somewhere more like Noosa might be our final resting place hehehe.

Was great to just relax on our own for a few days - obviously we were too relaxed as we missed our flight home! Bloody Tiger - I was hesitant booking them in the first place and I will certainly never be booking them in the future - won't go into it, because I really can't be bothered, but $500 later and 6 hours at boring Coolangatta Airport and we were winging our way home. We flew Jetstar and when we got off the plane, I said to Paul, in future if we can't afford to fly Qantas then we aren't flying at all. I know that is a bit airline-snobby but there really is a difference in the classes especially when you are flying with kids.

So got home and had lost a whole day. But some nice things in the mail when we got home. Love opening parcels!!!

Ok, got to go make lunches so I will write a bit more later...

Her First Day

Well, it has been a while since my last post, but I'm not sure there has really been anything too exciting to blog about. My Sister Erin and My Niece Erin have been down from Coolum to stay, so that was nice to see them. The kids loved having Mia around and it was nice to see Erin interact with them in a more affectionate way than I was expecting. Wish she was more like this with me, but it is a work in progress and is always improving - ( our strained relationship is due to her being the middle child in my opinion and perhaps she has never gotten over the fact that I came along and ruined her day? - it's ok for me to say this as I am pretty sure she is not reading this and if she is well that's ok too, nothing she doesn't already know)... But what does a 13 year old do with her 3 year old cousin????? Well she gets out the GHD's and straightens my beautiful baby girls beautiful curls!!! Needless to say Stella loved having straight hair and thinks she might like this on a semi-regular basis, HA! yeah right - not on my watch!

Indi has been lacking a bit in the weight-gaining department (not so her Mother!) but after lots of monitoring and testing and visits too the doctor and the clinic and the pediatrician, I think she is finally starting to pick up, tomorrows weigh in will be the test, but hopefully my little 19 weeker is on her way to 5KG - come on girl you can do it!

Oscar is moving up to his "Big Boys Bed" this weekend and then Indi will finally get the cot and will be able to move out of the port-a-cot. I am looking forward to getting her room a bit more established once the cot is in the room.

And today my little girl Stellsie started Kindy! Wow time flies. She was super ready for it though and though there was lots of tears when I dropped her off - not from her though, from Oscar who didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay with Stellsie too. Poor little man. I am definitely going to look into getting him into Day Care one day a week, just so he gets some extra stimulation and interaction with some little people other than Stella. I too would love a day or two where I don't have all 3 of them, wow I won't know what to do with myself if they are both out of the house. - Ha, who am I kidding it would be bliss, and I would have heaps to do!

I have been buying up a storm on lots of beautiful fabrics to start a whole array of quilting projects, can't wait to get all my parcels in the mail - I will be sure to post once they all arrive. I could just look at beautiful fabrics all day long. I am justifying all the spending as it being part of my birthday present which is coming up soon, and also hopefully I might start selling some cot quilts and other bits and pieces once I get going. I have signed up to do a Doll Quilt Swap, so once I find out who my swap partner is I will get started on it and will keep you updated on my progress. My Cocoons are still going well, have had a bit of an influx in the last week, so have been kept busy knitting, but am glad that I have had a bit of a stock pile at the moment so that I am not knitting breakfast lunch and dinner!

Anyway, should get to bed sometime before the clock strikes 2:00! But I think there are a lot of us that are up late, I often get newsletters and blog updates sent to me at all sorts of ungodly hours of the morning, and I just go - yep I know how it is!

Bless her little cotton socks...

Sometimes your kids just say something that makes all the hard things seem insignificant, and it just fills your heart with love and your eyes with tears and it makes life seem that little bit easier. The other day Stella was looking at my diamond M necklace and I told her that Mummy wore that for the first time at Mummy and Daddy's wedding and that I also wore it at the birth of her, Oscar and India, and in all her 3yr 10month goodness she said " Oh wow mummy that is so special, would I be allowed to wear it when I have my own baby Mummy?" I could have just balled my eyes out, it was one of the loveliest things to have ever come out of her mouth and so heartfelt. Oh the love...