forty eight of fifty two

these 2 in their end of year school concert - I turned to The Atlas half way through and said, "it's good thing you can't get pregnant from a cuteness overload."

I'll be missing them with all my heart while I am visiting my brand new niece this week.

love you more than an encore xxx

46/52 and 47/52

Making detective hats for the school concert - not so easy - but a good project for us to do together.

Sleepy broken boy

Surf groms lesson one - he looks too grown up in a full wetsuit!

and this little cutey who couldn't help but smile because he saw the camera

love you more than a plastic poncho in a rain shower xxxx

15 Years

Today I have been married to The Atlas for 15 years.

I take this time to congratulate myself on the excellent choice I made at such a young age.

He's a keeper, I like him rather a lot.

love you more than a homemade tiara xxxx

Make My Week - Christmas Cape

I am currently working with a team of creative and marvellous people to realise a wonderful, non-typical Christmas Carols event.

As I am narrating the journey I needed something to wear - this is what was requested: A full length velvet cape.

I added the sequins around the hood rather than fur because I think it will feel more magical in the lights. (Also the red crushed velvet kind of lends itself to looking a little from the 'dark side' if you know what I mean and I thought the sequins might counteract that!)

It's unhemmed but as I don't plan on wearing it daily I think I'll get away with it. I used a very ugly Simplicity costume pattern but made it full length and took a lot of the width out of it.

Joining in tomorrow with lovely crafty types here:


I have asked for a sworn promise that the air conditioning in the building will be set to freezing - just so as I can survive the evening.

love you more than a row of sequins xxxx

A Little Rural Romance

At the moment I am so enjoying reading novels. Here and there over a couple of evenings I can get through one and lately I am meeting lots of new authors which I really like too. It's nice to escape into someone else's world and it feels much nicer than wading through rubbish on TV. Of course the problem is you finish one and you immediately want to start another.

As you may know (!) I am not a rural girl, now and again I think about the country existence and being self sustainable - then I remember that I am an extrovert who needs a lot of people in my life, I don't much go for a lot of time out-of-doors and I get a bit icky about a lot of animal things.

Having said that I am enjoying reading novels set in rural Australia. Nothing like a few of the cold hard facts thrown in to make you really appreciate how tough farmers do it.

Gemma's Bluff by Karly Lane is clearly written by a woman who loves the rural landscapes of Australia and also gives some good messages about the unrelenting-ness of farming. Mainly though it's a good romantic chic-lit about a city girl who finds that she is caught up into farming life.

I like that Lane doesn't cater to the perfect stereotypical synopsis. The characters are flawed (and sometimes annoying!) and they don't get their own way all of the time. There are speed bumps and swamps and sometimes it seems like things really aren't going to go well in the end. I also appreciate that characters aren't one dimensional - the bad guy has redeeming qualities and the good guy needs to pull his head in now and again.

Lane has written quite a few other rural novels and is also a mum to four children - she's got some skills right there!!

An enjoyable read with some nice romance, perfect for a hot summer's reading.

Details - Allen and Unwin November 2014, RRP $29.99 also available as an ebook.

What novel are you reading at the moment?

love you more than a cold lamb sandwich with mint sauce xxx

Make My Week - Necklaces

The CWA market stall is coming up and so I volunteered to make some polymer clay necklaces.

So easy, and yet, such sore thumbs at the end of it.

I like had some fun.

Hopefully they will sell well..... I must get on with Christmas making! (Oh and packing the house because we move in about 2.5 weeks - packing so far? Nil!)

Go here, see more crafty goodness

love you more than procrasti-crafting xxx

I Got Broken

Leaping for the monkey bars and missing - just a little bit broken but oh so brave.

Grateful for a beautiful friend who dropped Bounce and I to the hospital and took Flip back to her place for the afternoon, fed him dinner and dropped him home.

Blessed.

love you more than a hospital with good reception (if I ever meet one!) xxx