briefly, today I wear the cranky pants. And talk about SWAPTOWN

I just lost a post about how I was cranky, so maybe I am not supposed to tell you that today I am CRANKY and FRUSTRATED. Sometimes the dishonesty in the internetland gets me down. In SAL-LAND where I reside, it's mostly sunshine and puppies and lollies and you and me. That negative stuff doesn't get to come in too often, because I just don't have time for it.

Anyway, I am thinking of June/July for the next SWAPAPALOOZA. Yes. Yes? Good times. I also had an idea for the MOST AWESOME SWAP EVER (I told you, am not a crafter, am an ideaser). In my IDEA SWAP one participant would send RAW MATERIALS (fabric, buttons, clips whatever) to one person, who would MAKE SOMETHING with those things and then SEND IT ON TO ANOTHER PERSON. Awesome, right? But I would be excluded, unless you were keen on receiving something akin to a dolly made from cotton wool, toilet paper rolls and ice cream sticks. Man, it's sad when little kids can kick my butt at craft.

The muppet spilt water all over my keyboard yesterday, so I have to go buy another one tonight. Which is ok, because have you noticed MAC users out there (particularly those who drink tea and eat at their desk, my hand is up) that the white and clear mac keyboards just get filled with dust and crumbs and hair and and filth and then become more an exercise in bad hygiene than productivity. So in a way, I am glad this happened. It's time to lose the filth. LOSE IT.

Anyway, my crankiness may also be due that I did not get more than 1 hour of straight sleep last night AND I have been trapped in a fluroescent lit office all day, which is enough to destroy any good cheer. AND it's grey outside and I am cold. BUT I LOVE YOUSE ALL, so let's leave this on a positive note. LOVE. YOUSE. I do.

well hey

Oh, it's only 9:45pm on a Saturday night and I am pooped. An early start (again), Georgie had another trip to the vet and is now on a PRESCRIBED DIET and possibly tablets for the rest of his life for his sore leg. I guess his old adage of "I Live For Snacks" is outdated. Maybe the muppet can subscribe to that mantra. At least he is allowed 10 minute walks every day. Walks were banished at our last visit.









The Muppet is feeling a whole lot better. She wakes up with some sniffles, but is otherwise back to normal. She and I headed to Fitzroy to have lunch with our friend Gemma (& a ridiculous amount of cookie dough), although a visit to the Rose Street Market was cut short due to her vomiting all down the front of my sweater. Nice. I was already covered (literally) in dog hair after the vet visit, so that really completed my usual fashion statement. By the time I got home, I had added flour and mashed sweet potato and chickpea to the textures on my clothing, because see - I AM A GIRL YOU CAN TAKE ANYWHERE.

Those photos are from our bedroom this morning, which yes, does look like a Swedish sauna and that's the way we like it. She's 7 MONTHS TODAY PEOPLE. Still not a sign of teeth, but she is doing this worm crawl backwards to get where she wants to go, which is mostly towards George, as she is OBSESSED with him. She finds him hysterical. I just hope Georgie's patience and good nature holds.

This evening we took the whole family (& yes, this includes George) to the drive-in, which was SUPER-FUN, although I am suspicious that the drive-in is a bogan activity, if you count the number of mullets I saw there. Who cares, I think it's a sheer genius family activity, Rubes cuddled, ate, pretended she was driving, sang and then finally slept. George just slept. Dr-Mr ate a lot of junk food. I ate a sandwich and a Freddo Frog. Cheap, happy, much loved times.

Tomorrow, another sewing lesson. I know I showed you my zippered purse, but I have also made a zippered cushion and tomorrow some kind of tote that I must be SUPER CAREFUL with, as I am using gorgeous fabric I bought. Photos maybe. Oh and don't ask about my CRAFT ODYSSEY. It's halfway there and has been for weeks. UGH. What me, abandon something halfway through? AS IF. (& did you know I have 3 (yes, THREE) incomplete degrees? I think that officially adds up to a degree and a half, uh huh).

Crafty Donations Required

Craftspeople out there, I have had the following request from Renee Bamminger:

I work for Karuna Hospice, a charity in Brisbane that provides free care to over 300 people a year who are terminally ill. We also provide free nursing equipment loans, family counseling, spiritual support, respite care and bereavement support.

On the 1st August we have an art, craft, jewellery and clothing fair which is very popular and helps us raise money so that we can provide these essential services to the community. This event is really important because 50% of our funding comes from Queensland Health and the remaining money must be raised through donations.

I'm looking for donations to sell on the day and was hoping you could send an email to your database encouraging them to donate an item or two as the sale would really help some people that need it.

Items can be sent to the address (Rosemount Hospital Complex PO Box 2020, Windsor, QLD 4030) and I'd be more than happy for them to include business cards so that I can tell people about their work on the day. I would need to receive them in the next few weeks as I then have to start collating and organizing the market.

If you have any questions please email renee.b@karuna.org.au.

Do you think you could make something to donate? If so, please email Renee and let her know. It's always important to support community organisations and we'll be thinking of something too.

I Love Infomercials

Heya, do you remember when I used to use this blog as a place to talk about Georgie Love and what was coming up and all that sort of thing. No? Yeah, me neither.



The Muppet has her first proper cold and is feeling a bit sad and sorry, that photo above is from Sunday when she first started coming down with it. Her spirits are reasonable, but she cries and complains every time I leave the room or put her down and the only time today was properly happy today was when I gave her a super warm bath with Eucalyptus Oil. She is also super cuddly at the moment, which I love as I have a baby desperate to crawl. DESPERATE. Doesn't otherwise care about cuddles, music, toys - it's all on the tummy grunting and pushing up. She has started sitting unaided. so it's not going to be too far. Eep. When not in the quest for movement, she is desperate to drink from any glass that anyone has. She stands on laps and as you are about to take a sip of water, she leans in, puts both hand around the glass and clunks heads with you as she tries to put the glass in her mouth. Endearing for the short term, if you don't mind being covered in water.

I started work last week and it was fine, surreal to be back, but ok. I like the people I work with and the actual work itself was fine. I don't think I will be there tomorrow as I doubt Rubes will be well enough to go back to daycare (where the cold first started, obviously). I think I can do some work from home, depending if she will let me put her down.


I'm now feeling a little peaky myself, not sure if it's the onset of a cold or two nights of a sad baby and no sleep. Thanks to the 4am television informercials, I am now DESPERATE for a steam mop. Desperate. The only reason I didn't give Danoz a call at 4:13am and commit to 5 easy payments of $49.95 (& hey they pay the last payment for you, so it's really only 4) was because I am convinced in a few weeks I will find it cheaper online. Oh see, here one is $39.95. SOLD! To the lady with no life, covered in baby sneezes (less gross way of saying baby snot) who owns one of these and two of these. His and Hers, natch.

The Littlest Birds Sing the Prettiest Songs

Wow, it's a Saturday night and I am about to GET DRESSED. AND GO OUT. AND SO IS DR-MR. Ok, and even so is Ruby, she even has a brand new party dress to wear, which will be SO ADORABLE that I will soon spam you with 1000 photos of my obscenely cute child. I haven't taken her photo this week. The last ones I took were last week of her first milky babycino and her going ridiculously nuts for it, trying to grab it and gulp it all down. I guess because it was her first taste of sprinkles of chocolate on milk foam. She only gets fruit, vegies, some meat, plain yoghurts and cheeses. No sugary things as I am her food nazi. At her day care they give them sweet custards and things after the meals and I am the mean-mama who says no, she can only have fruit (SHE'S ONLY 6.5 months old! Argh, she does not need desserts). All the other babies love their daily sugary treats. Oh, I digress.

It was our three year anniversary during the week. I love you Dr-Mr, life is really pretty good.

It was very, very wet and cold here today, we had lunch at our new favourite cafe, I had this AMAZING toasted sandwich, it was ham off the bone, vintage cheddar and tomato chutney and the thickest soft and crusty bread I have ever seen. Wow. I am still SO FULL 5 hours later. Substantial. Dr-Mr regretted his choice once he'd had a bite of the SANDWICH OF WONDER. My camera batteries were flat, but trust me. Awesome.



I am happy. Listen to this song, doesn't it make you happy too?

I need to go have a shower... and get out of these tracksuit pants, party attire they are not.

(Oh and I should also say Georgie Love has a ton of new updates, I have been busy. AND DISCIPLINED)

Was I really gone for that long?

OH HAI. Yes, it's been forever, so much so that people were asking me if everything was ok. Well, yes, it is! I just feel like I couldn't sit down and write in here, while I was neglecting other things. You know, cooking, cleaning... shopping... emailing and taking some photos for Georgie Love. I have skirts, tops, brooches and scarves here that need photographing and put online. All lovely... but it would be more lovely if I could show them to you.

Anyway, since the bushfire evacuations say, oh 2 or 3 months ago, we have been living with the clean clothes in two dumped piles roughly on/near two clothes baskets in the doorway of the bedroom - yes, you had to STEP around them to get into the room and kind of jump over them to get into the wardrobe. Nice, huh?

So I didn't feel I could write HERE without feeling bad about all the stuff I SHOULD BE DOING. Now as I am going back to work tomorrow (2 days a week, mixed feelings), have been wearing jeans and tees for 6 and a half months and was oh, pregnant for 9 before that, well... I haven't THOUGHT about office appropriate (or my version of) clothing for a while. So I spent 2 hours yesterday hanging, shelving, folding and trying stuff on.

And here are the obvious things I have discovered:

1. If I ironed, I would double the wearable clothes in my wardrobe. Apparently, hanging up clothes (or leaving them at the bottom of the clean laundry basket), does NOT infact encourage the wrinkles to "drop out". I have carried all the to-be-ironed clothes downstairs and I don't have to look at them as frequently as they now live on the dining table until I...um... buy an ironing board, or double um... pay someone to iron them for me.

2. If I hang all skirts/trousers on their own hangers and not 4-5 on a single, hey I CAN SEE WHAT I HAVE... and I have a lot more than I thought and some nice things I haven't seen in YEARS. Wow.

3. Wow, cleaning and tidying really does make me feel better and certainly does unclutter the mind.

FASCINATING, RIGHT?

Other news: Rubes is rolling every which way, teething and sitting up on her own unaided. Totally adorable. She also has this thing where she puts her hands on both side of my face and leans in with her mouth open to my cheek. I THINK it's a kiss, doesn't matter if it isn't, I am counting it as one.

Mother's Day - handprints, beautiful lunch, massage voucher, drawings from a 6.5 month old and a drive in the hills. Perfect!

What does the picture have to do with this image? Nothing really. It came up under a google image search for "dirty closet" and I couldn't resist. Seriously, could anyone resist a sad monkey in a pink and blue donkey jumper? I THINK NOT PEOPLE.