20

(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....

(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

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!

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!

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

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????

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??