A few projects done...

This week i have been helping to organise my nephews 1st birthday. It was a week of firsts for me as i made some bunting for the party (first time doing this). It was pretty easy (but seemingly time consuming!) and i think my girls would love some in their rooms. I forgot to get a photo before giving it to my sister so the photo is from the party.



I also appliqued for the first time too. I bought a red top (i could only find long sleeve so he didnt get to wear it for most of the party! but since its coming into winter i struggled to find any plain tshirts!). I knew i wanted to applique a number 1 onto the front and i ended up putting a little cookie monster on the back of the top! It also was quite an easy and effective project (and not too time consuming even better!) so this is a winner. Again forgot to take any pics of the top so here is one of the birthday bot wearing the top...



On Friday night i made the cupcakes for Jett's party and i enlisted the help of my wonderful friend Kez. It ended up that my sister Kez also came over to sleep the night so we had her helping also!! I am not sure i would have got these finished if it wasnt for their help and laughter! Things are always so much easier when shared with people you love, we were up til 1:30am doing these but we didnt feel tired cos we were too busy having fun!

Here is a pic of the two Kez's...


Dont they look great for 1:30am :-)


This was what we all were doing once we finished. Was a very funny sight to see, early hours of the morning with 3 girls and their cameras taking pics! Kez got a new baby (aka camera!) and so i took a pic of her!


The finished product!

Was a great party, my sister did a lovely job and im sure the birthday boy had fun and got lots of pressies!!

Fun in the sun!

Holidays are such a wonderful time out of lifes hustle and bustle! Relaxing by the sea is something i could definitely get used to! We had a wonderful time filled with lots of swimming, laughing, relaxing, eating, walking and more laughing!

We headed up to the Gold Coast where George's dad and step mum lives, and we caught up with them for a couple of days before they headed off overseas and we enjoyed staying in their apartment!


This is the girls with their poppy George and granny Varri (yes my husband is called George and so is his dad and dad's dad!! PHEW thank goodness we had a girl first :D)


We had a wonderful seafood lunch sitting on the boardwalk with George's parents before they left! Was lovely and relaxing and great to spend time together

We had a great day at dreamworld and also the water park that has opened up as part of dreamworld! The girls LOVED the waterslides and didnt want to leave















George got called onto the stage for a nickelodeon show we were watching, he had to be silly and dress up and the girls thought he was hillarious!!! I couldnt help but think that in only a few short years im sure this would be more of a "ohhh dad" {embarrassment} so we will treasure this moment in which they were so proud of their dad!!







We spent a gorgeous sunny day at Byron Bay (this is the first time we had been there). We checked out the lighthouse and the picturesque views from up that high. We then spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach, swimming and playing and then ended the day with fish and chips on the beach. Was a really lovely day...here are some pics







As you can see i have a thing for sun-flare photos at the moment, im sure the phase will pass!

We also drove up to Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast, here are a few pics from here













Here are a few other pics from our holiday. My camera broke half way through the holidays {SOB} so it is about to go off for a service so i didnt get pics of a few days of our holidays but im sure the hundreds in this post will do for today :D











Hopefully looking at these pics might give you a sense of relaxation...

I {heart} Amy Butler!

As you all know i went to the stitches and craft show today, we left early this morning (me, my gorgeous sis Tra, her boys and my little girl!). All set for a big day of walking, looking and hopefully not too much buying! The show itself was not as great as i remembered last year, i think it might have something to do with the fact that we didn't get to do any workshops this year as we had our children with us (last year i went child-free and this is definitely what i recommend to get the full experience!) Also i think you have more on when you go on the weekend as opposed to a weekday!

I did have a great day out with my sis and nephews though, we weren't there all that long and that was probably good for the kids, i guess i just expected a bit more after loving last years one so much!

I got home and found my mailbox overflowing, and was sooo happy to see my parcel from ETSY had arrived! YAY. Here is a quick sneak peek at the Amy Butler fabric i purchased!! Cant wait to use it for some projects!


This is how it came, all wrapped up and looking sweet!


Here are the fabrics i purchased!

My Sewing Afternoon...

Today i spent the afternoon sewing, as i havent really done much of that lately!  I decided to make a little bag, it was quite easy to sew, and i think i might make a few more, maybe do the next couple a little bit bigger!

I got the pattern/measurements out of a book i have that is called "Learn to Sew".  Its a great book for me, as someone who has never been taught anything about sewing, and i picked it up from Borders for about $5 which i thought was great!! It has 20 simple patterns/projects in there and there are quite a few i would like to make!

Here is a quick pic, its been a long day and im feeling it tonight :-)

Happy sewing all...

Crafty Events!

Well i am trying to organise my week and realised that this week The Stitches and Craft Show is on in Melbourne.  I LOVE this event and hope i can fit it in my week as its on wed - sun but Thursday Hannah has her assembly (which her class are running - cant miss this!) and Friday we leave for a holiday. I really want to see the movie also of Handmade Nation which they are showing at this event (by Faythe Levine). So if any of you are interested in craft you should try and get along to this event this week, it really is worthwhile and very inspiring!

Also on my to do list is Magnolia Square.  It is on in Malvern Town Hall on the 26-28th March and if you have never been you really should!!  I do love it, even if you are just going for a look and some ideas (things can be a little more expensive here i think but they are gorgeous!!)

So, this is a bit of a mundane post really, but blogger has become my new journal/diary so if none of my readers are interested it still makes it faster for me to find the information!

We are off to Mornington Craft Market now, (see this post is really all about craft markets!)  Also another recommendation if you have never been!

Enjoy the long weekend all...

CAKE SMASH!!

I have been asking Tra if i could do a cake smash session for Jett's 1st Birthday! Today we decided at the last minute that we would do it this morning while the other 2 children were at kinder! It was lots of fun and Jett LOVED it!! Hope you like the pics Tra! Im not sure Jett will want cake for a loooong time after eating as much as he did!













Hope these bring a smile to your face!!

For the chocolholic!

Tonight we are all heading out for George's pop's 80th birthday celebrations! I love that my children still have their great grandparents alive from both my side and George's side of the family! I made a cake, i wanted something simple, as i have had a pretty full on week and the weekend is looking just as busy!

Only a week til we go to QLD! YAY! I cant wait to relax with my hubby and our girls!

Anyway here is a cake, i wont post the recipe as i used the same one as previously posted by me!

WooHoo!

Well no photos are anything fancy today but some good news to share! Went back to the neurologist today to get the results from my MRI and the brain and spine were all clear...thus ruling out MS (Multiple Sclerosis) which is what i was told 3 months ago was more than likely what i had!! I am still not much closer to knowing what is causing my unusual symptoms that are still persisting, but i am thankful and will sleep better tonight knowing i dont have to deal with this disease!

I do however have a new found respect and appreciation for people who deal with this disease (and many others) on a daily basis with a smile on their face!

Im so happy tonight i could sing.....FA LA LA LA (thats as good as it gets!!)

Anyway keep smiling til next time...

An afternoon in the house of....

I came home from school today a little bit exhausted and some what overwhelmed by what the afternoon beholds. Usually they are something i have come to cope with and sometimes even enoy the craziness of but today i struggled probably as a combination of being out all afternoon and tiredness from not sleeping so great!

I decided i would write this blog, more out of my own curiosity of learning more about how you "do" the craziness of afternoons and i thought if i went first hopefully YOU - yes you, reading this blog - will follow my lead! Since i love photos i decided to narrate the afternoon with pics!

The girls finish school at 3:10pm and we leave home at 2:45pm to get there early enough to collect the school bags and chat to some mums. We are usually home between 3:30-3:45pm depending on how much time the girls spend playing on the playground whilst i chitter chat with the mums!

Once we are home, there are some rules in place! The girls know that they have to bring in their school bags and the first thing is lunch-boxes are to be put on the bench ready to be cleaned out for the next day. Also the diaries need to be put on my desk along so they can be checked for notices and signed.

School diary!

Once this is done they are allowed to have an afternoon snack and drink. If they haven't finished their fruit from their lunch box for that day this is the first thing that has to be eaten, and generally i try to keep this afternoon snack to fruit or popcorn or something light! Between 3:45 - 4:30 is snack and unwind time.

Around 4:30pm we start doing the homework. I have really noticed having 2 at school when it comes to homework time. Caitlyn (in prep) seems to have a fair bit to do at the moment, i guess it is because they are learning so many new things they are trying to reinforce them at home as well.

Tonight we started off with Catilyn's "golden words". For those that dont know these are the 12 most common words used in english. We first did them off the sheet just going through them in rows.



Caitlyn is doing alright with these, its really hard going back to basics with one of your children when you are used to the other being able to read anything easily!! It is also hard not to compare you children to each other, i really try to catch myself in thought before i ever actually say things out loud. Its not at all that i think one is better than the other, but their differences can often be noted. I also try to stay out of the conversations that parents often engage in about how their particular child is doing, although i have generally found this only to be so in prep, the parents in grade two couldn't care less about comparing their child's reading ability with anyone elses!! I guess its the uncertainty that sending your precious child off to school brings, that you are looking to see how your child falls in the "ranks" of the rest of the class!

Anyway back to it...golden words. I found some flash cards with these words on them (actually i think it is the top 100 words which is great because i think they learn the top 200 in prep). I use these cards as well, most nights, just to check Caitlyn is learning the words by sight not by the place they are on the paper!!!



Next Cailtyn "reads" to me her reader for the night! Thankfully these are really short and basic as she is still learning to "read" and we will do the same book twice just so it sinks in a little (i hope!!)



While Caitlyn is doing this Hannah is on mathletics. Hannah loves mathletics and as she is a "computer nerd" (lol) i do not need to encourage her to be at the computer.


Hannah at her computer doing mathletics - notice for anyone who uses this she is actually in the section where you buy clothes etc for your person! This is her favourite part im sure!!! :-)

Caitlyn also starts her mathletics on my computer once she has finished her words. I need to sit with her still to direct her with what she needs to do (today it was sorting numbers in order both forwards and backwards!) Caitlyn also loves time on the computer (often the computer is the source of any arguing between my girls)



By this stage it was around 5pm and bath time. I usually shower the girls then they watch tv or play games whilst i cooked dinner but tonight they wanted a bath. In the winter time i use my slow cooker a lot which i just LOVE! It means i get dinner on when i get home from school in the morning and frees us my time to do other things in the night! I really should start using that again soon (any good recipe ideas for slow cookers id love to hear them!!)



By 6:15pm they were sitting down at the table eating dinner. We usually eat dinner around 6:30-6:45pm as this is when George gets home but today and tomorrow he is working in Sydney so we ate a little earlier. Usually when he is away we opt for really easy dinners that i know the girls are going to eat too! Just makes the night flow smoother if i dont have to face the battle of getting them to eat dinner alone!!



Around 7:15pm its brush your teeth and get your drink time!! Once the girls are in bed they usually spend time reading and talking with George and telling him about their day. As he isn't home tonight (they got to talk to him on the phone before bed!) i did the story and listening! We aim to have the younger 2 lights out by 7:45pm as they are both completely tired by this time.

Hannah will often read for an hour or so once in bed, she does her reader then and usually will read one other book at this time too. As she loves reading and it helps her unwind i don't mind her doing this. George might listen to some of her reader but generally since she is such a good reader she will read to herself. (i know bad mum alert!! DISCLAIMER - id like to make it clear at this point that i do listen to her read as i stay for reading 2-3 mornings a week!!)



So, thats an afternoon in our house! Its not always exactly the same, but generally follows a pretty similar pattern during the school weeks!

I would LOVE to hear from any and all of you (whether that be through a reply or your own blog) about a "typical" afternoon in your house! Maybe you can give me ideas on how to make mine run smoother or more efficient or offer different ideas i may not have had! That is what i love about this "blogging world" people of all different backgrounds and family dynamics who you can learn and grow from!!

Thanks for reading, but since you have taken the time to read this mundane post, please take the time to reply :D