Oh My!

a bike of my very own, I can't believe my eyes!

and a most special gift from the dearest of friends, a very beautiful lady who reminds me of the joy friendships hold...

Merry Christmas All! 

blessings...

Well it's been an absolute whirlwind of a year! We are finishing up school this week, saying goodbye to incredible teachers & preparing ourselves for the changes ahead.  I know I've said it before, but we have been blessed with the most wonderful teachers so far, this time each year the big boy gets a little anxious & teary thinking about the unknown for the coming year, admittedly, I get a little emotional too, as a parent you simply want your child to be happy.  Next year we have two new teachers, so we know nothing about them, but I have a good feeling deep down that all will be ok...

Our preppie received his 2nd star of the week award for the year, bursting with pride.  We finally got through a year of 3yr old kinder, it took us the whole 12 months to finally send him off happily without screaming & begging me to take him home with me, let's hope next year is easier...

(all so tired & yes, the big boy is well overdue for a haircut!)

And we're getting ready for christmas time, family time, lazy holiday time.  I can't help remembering the nightmare that was last christmas, I get a bit teary at the very thought, but for some reason its in the forefront of my mind most every day.  We had our big boy, all of 8yrs old, with one of the most horrifying cases of appendicitis.  He was sick a few days with excruciating tummy pain, we were told that he had a virus & because the other two were also sick, it sort of made sense, but in the pit of my stomach I knew it was more than that.  From then on I promised my boys & myself that I will always follow that mothers instinct & be one of those pushy demanding parents when it comes to this sort of thing.  It turns out, after dragging him on a 3 hour round trip that he ended up in hospital boxing day for emergency surgery.  He had a massive abscess in his stomach, which formed over some time due to his burst appendix.  Following surgery with tubes everywhere was a collapsed lung, extreme fluid retention where his body blew up so much he was almost unrecognisable, and then after 2 weeks in hospital dramatic weight loss, it was all so frightening, a terrifying experience, which has had quite a profound impact on him as a person & in many aspects of his little life. 

So this christmas I am very grateful to have us all here together, healthy, happy and ready to enjoy our summer...

(shamefully this picture was taken at 9am this morning with school mums on their way over for an end of year clink, clink!)

Wishing you all a very happy christmas and

thank you for your friendship, for the laughs, the enlightening conversation & meaningless chatter, it's all been wonderful!  

a new space...

It's still a few weeks away but I'm getting very excited about moving my work space out of the living area & into my very own room - yippidy do! Its not going to be a very big space, mind, but it sure will be great. Though, looking at my growing piles of cast-off furniture, linen and odds & ends in the garage, it's all looking very 'nana'...and I love it! 

I've had little stacks of these sitting out by the front door, I just know there will be a use for them...

glass handles & rugged cabinets, perfect!

My gorgeous Susannah Tucker calendar at the ready...

These pretty glass baubles were wooing me in the op shop this afternoon, so intricate & delicate and filled with whimsy magic to hang about my special space.  I no sooner got home & one shattered in my hand, so in the bin with those little nasties!

..but for now, it's back to my little corner of 'organised' chaos....

Oh and do pop on over to Maxabella's for the most wonderful giveaway of the festive season - Good Luck to you all!

handmade christmas challenge...

I've been loving this christmas season & all the inspiration and joy that comes with creative thoughts waking me in the middle of the night! Not so great for the daily functioning of a busy mama, but so satisfying & exciting when these ideas appear in your dreams...and then actually work!

they were started as ornaments, but looked so pretty I thought they really must be worn!

I adore this! I can't wait for these pretties to be gifted to some very special ladies...

They're available instore now too, yay!

For more handmade christmas goodness pop over here, you will LOVE what you'll find there.. 

it's beginning to feel a lot like christmas...

I'm busily keeping up with orders this festive season, the post office staff know us very well these days, they've even enlisted the little guys help on stamp sorting & posting duties during visits which has been fun...

I love the hustle & bustle that surrounds us this time of year! Yes it's crazy busy, each day has it's share of tears & tantrums and it's nearly impossible to remember everything that's going on at any given moment (even with a trusty calendar in full view!), but I do love the fun & excitement of it all!

I love how our Christmas lights look at night time, the extra treats in the cupboard, the neighbourly drinks on a summers afternoon, the cards & gorgeous handmade ornaments that come home each day from school and the anticipation of holidays just around the corner...

@ my house...

'tis the season!!

we are ramping it up & winding things down all at the same time!

we are very tired, temperamental, teary, joyous & excited all at once! 

how are things at your house? Join here...

my creative space...

I've been a little distracted by some sweet op shop finds that I am all inspired & excited to put to good use.  This has found me slightly neglecting my ever growing 'To Do" list & enjoying a little creating simply for the love of it, nice!

I love the ruggedness of using twine for the flowers, all rustic & fun...

  

You sholuld grab a cuppa & hop on over to Kootoyoo for more...

thrifting...

A break from the housework & a mountain of washing found us out & about doing a little thrifting this afternoon.  I found these two balls of yarn, the grey is cotton & the cream is cooking twine,  I can't wait to put them to good use.  It always amazes me what other people throw away... 

this beautiful linen tea towel & a handful of pretty white doilies, always a need for those, though my cabinet drawer might be saying otherwise...

@ my house...

I have our sweet 6yr old recovering from a nasty virus that came on very quickly Saturday afternoon.  A quiet day at home is definitely in order today, though he is devastated that he isn't going to school! Don't you just love the dedication at this age...

It's a dull day outside, so while these two are busy at play, I plan to make my way through 5 days of emails now that our system is back up & running.  Then I think we'll brighten things up a little on the inside with some shiney, sparkly Christmas cheer!  What's happening at your house? Join in here....

a little serenity...

The Serenity prayer!

"Lord grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change
the things I can

and the wisdom to know the difference..."

Boy, have I been talking a whole lot of that to myself this week!

* Broken vacuum for the 4th time in 2yrs, now past its warranty period.  Let me just tell you that I use this vital piece of machinery every single day, not to go through the entire house (infact I only do upstairs every few weeks, eek!) but to quickly pick up those breakycrumbs, playground dirt & all manner of odds & ends. Repeat, VITAL piece of equipment, for which I paid a ridiculous amount of money.

* Hot water service busted, pilot light won't stay lit! I have showered 3 times this whole week!

* No access to my emails for 4 days, goodness knows whats waiting there, people no doubt cursing my inaction & just plain rudeness for not responding to them..

*A thrip plague, as if the mozzies weren't bad enough, now I can't even hang washing outside.

*Hubby away for a few days with work, the kids are pining, the little guy asking " Is Daddy home tomorrow? Is it tomorrow yet?". The big boy asking if we could just send Dad a text to ask his advice on this & again on that & again on something else..

And now, I look at my list of whinging & whining & it all seems so insignificant when you look at what other people are living through around the world at the moment.  So...

* I am blessed to have a healthy, mostly happy little bunch of people surrounding me. 

*It is almost Christmas & we are going to put up our decorations, while playing christmas tunes nice & loud, yay!

* I have a little something in the pipeline which practically just 'happened' completely unexpectedly and I am very excited about it, so the future's looking bright..

* I have my coffee & my vegemite toast on this rainy morning while the boys happily build the worlds most elaborate train track.

So, if that top list there is all I have to complain about, life's pretty good & I am grateful! 

communication breakdown...

I've been without access to my email since Wednesday night! A problem with bigpond, which is apparently going to take up to 48 hrs to fix, has left me unable to send or receive messages.  I sincerely apologise to anyone who has been trying to get in touch, I know there are some orders sitting there in limbo waiting to be acknowledged, argh!  I hope to be back in action tonight, if Telstra keep their word, so will be busily responding over the weekend.  I can still receive blog comments & facebook messages, so if anyone is desperately trying to get christmas shopping done you can still reach me this way.  Thank you for your patience... Mel x

my creative space...

Some pretty new mousepads are under way here.  I've struggled to keep up with the demand on my 'Where the Wild Things Are' mousepads, they have just about totally sold out which is pretty exciting. I LOVE making these & I'm wanting to keep every single one, but I won't, how many mousepads can a girl need!  These round ones are great though, so much more comfortable to use & less sliding off the edge! I hope to have some more in store this week.

I've also been busy on the hook the last few days with requests for brighter colours.  It's nice to be reminded every now & then to venture outside of the usual colour palette.  I'm always using neutrals, greys & all shades of white, so it's been fun working on things that are a little more vibrant!

Some wonderful creative spaces going on over here...

at my house...

The big boy has been sick with tonsillitis this week, so it was wonderful to see the sun shine this weekend.  He's back at school today, and I'm hoping it isn't too soon.  We managed to get out and enjoy it with a little gardening...

harvesting our delicious potatoes & digging up a few fat worms! We also pulled out some monster sized cauliflower, any good recipe ideas would be appreciated.  I love cauli just as it is, but there are so many & they are so big, I'm going to need to get a little more creative!  Last night was the perfect evening for dining alfresco, so hubby cooked up a gorgeous open souvlaki dinner which went down heavenly with some sparkling shiraz, how I love this time of year...

What's happening at your house? 

Pop over to Lou Lou's & join in... 

handmade christmas...

gorgeous heart garland by Winter Designs

I am busting to get started on putting up our christmas decorations this year, but I'll do my best to wait till at least the 1st of December, mostly through fear of getting really sick of all the stuff hanging about, I'm one of those people who takes all the christmas decorations down the very day after! But just look at this adorable garland by Winter Designs on Madeit, this is one of those perfect pieces you just don't tire of looking at, I love it!

Join in the handmade Christmas Challenge over here...

grateful...

'Friday night, movie night'!

All snuggled in for pizza & a movie, precious moments...

This week we watched Toy Story 3. We love this movie as much as the kids do, we get a little teary at the thought of our babies growing up & I promise to always keep their special toys in a box for our grandbabies to enjoy...

Pop on over to Maxabella Loves to join in...

a little self indulging...

I've spoilt myself just a bit, it always puts a nice little spring in your step when you do that, don't you think!

I recently purchased this gorgeous ring from the lovely Sweet Aria on Madeit, it arrived today & I LOVE it!

and after a rather amusing little mix up with a custom order (a lesson to be learned, thank goodness for lovely, patient customers) I was inspired to make myself a new necklace!  I have Betsy sporting it here, but you can bet I'll be wearing that to many a christmas party this festive season...

I love the weight these pretty mother of pearl droplets add, happy!

Wishing you all a lovely weekend, we are expecting loads of glorious spring sunshine down here which I certainly plan to enjoy!

busy, busy...

Boy has it been busy around here! Our weekend away is but a gorgeous, romantic memory, with all the free time in the world, bliss! Christmas really is just around the corner & the spirit of the festive season is certainly underway, with social commitments almost every weekend from now on!  I'm stocking up on my packaging today, after lots of orders I've just about run out, so best to get organised & have all those fiddly things done before the next wave (here's hoping it continues!).

Come & share your 'Creative Space' over here...

my creative space...

I'd say christmas shopping has well & truly begun! I have been taking plenty of orders for coasters this week, making lots of trips to the post office to send them on their way.  I also have a few new wooden story book tags to put in the shop...

Remember the story book 'Fury'...I always loved this book & wanted to live on that farm..

and more of these are underway for christmas...

Now I'm off to pack for a weekend in Melbourne, just the hubby & I..yay!

more creative spaces here...

@ my house...

The weekend at our place has been nice.  

A little production line of garland requests, so pretty & so much fun...

I love how they look draped over our stair banister waiting to be finished, like a sweet garland waterfall!

a bike/scooter ride in the glorious saturday sunshine, to a nice lunch at Nona's...

and then lots of tidying up, loads of washing, lego building, playing Harry Potter in the backyard & taking it a bit slow.  I had to take a picture of these little red favourite's kicked off on the living room floor where they wait to be pulled on again in the morning.  They were handed down from his big brother & are almost too small for the little guy, but he insists on wearing them, bless...I think they are one of those things that will eventually be packed away in a special place & kept forever... 

I hope your weekend has been a lovely one!

grateful...

This Saturday I am grateful for...

My very practical, insightful, wise and loving husband who helps to ground me, to simplify things when I'm all freaked out & wound up, to influence our boys in a most positive & remarkable way, who makes us laugh & who loves us to the moon & back!

Share  some Saturday love over at Maxabella's...

my creative space & a birthday...

Our baby is 4 today!  My goodness how time goes by way too fast.  I really do remember every detail of his dramatic entry into this world as though it were just yesterday.  I'm convinced that the story of our children's births is a direct reflection of their personality, I'm sure of it!! We laugh as we remember each of their births, all different stories and how extraordinarily it resembles who they are...

So we're off to have some birthday fun, and in a quiet moment, should there be one, I will work the hook a little on my softie for Mirabel...

I must share the birthday boys extra special birthday dinner request...Pumpkin Soup & Seed Bread!!

How funny is that, his brothers are mortified...

Skip on over to Kootoyoo to share in some more "creative" creative spaces...

introducing betsy...

I found myself a thrifted helper to photograph necklaces & things for the shop...

After a little wheeling & dealing she was mine to bring home, and I do love her!  I was planing to give her a nice coat of white paint, or perhaps wrap her in a lovely linen...I'm not sure, but for now she is wearing one of my favourite dresses & sporting my wares nicely...

@ my house...

a rainy weekend made for a little crafting & store stocking..

I couldn't resist this wonderful old ironing board for $2 at the church fete! I just need to make some changes around here to find a place for it... 

a little social flitter through the school Art show, a Halloween parade & a Halloween party to attend...

cooking up a seafood buffet, with a little help from Dad...

Unfortunately, Sunday had me laid up with excruciating back pain, oh and the little guy awake vomiting for what seemed every hour of Saturday night..urgh, so very tired!  We're seeing the big boy off on his first school camp this morning & planning for a very quiet day ahead...

Visit Buttons By Lou Lou to see what everyone else has been up to...