Back Into It..Yippee!

With Zoe off at a vacation day camp and Ciára back to day care, my chores as chief domestic goddess took half the time they have been of late and post chores I have indulged in some quality time with my rotary cutter.

This is a gorgeous kit I picked up from the FQS some time ago, thinking it would be perfect for my mother in law. You see she turned 60 some three years ago and I promised I would make her a quilt, this has not yet happened. With the in-laws 40th wedding anniversary approaching as well as a trip for them Down Under, I thought what a perfect opportunity to apply a bit of pressure to myself to get this made for them for when they are here. They arrive in mid April so plenty of time...Woolah, a very belated 60th/40th wedding anniversary gift all in one! Now to get back to it so it actually gets done!

Current Reading..

Half way through but I am just not feeling the love...might have to put it down and come back to it or I will NEVER get through the Book Challenge this year...

Back Into It

Last year I discovered the world of using Kettlebells for fitness. They are fun and user friendly, don't use up much space for storage and give you one helluva workout.

I am so jet lagged, and so tired but I felt I had to do something. I did 6 rounds of 30/30 intervals - Kettlebell swings and a light jog on the spot.

I don't think there was any chance of any endorphins kicking in and helping me thorugh the tiredness but it felt good to do something!!!

Secret Santa

I took part in a Secret Santa with the lovely girls from the Quilty section of EB.I was going to take this gift with me to Ireland but somehow it slipped through the packing net and was left behind. I was very lucky to recieve all of these lovely goodies from the very clever Anna over at Tillytom. A really nice gift to come home to, thanks Anna!

Kicking Butt in 2011

I have a number of personal goals for 2011 that I won't share here but briefly they cover the financial side of our life, my attitude to certain things, some family stuff and sticking to routine!

On the creative side of things;

*Finish Handquilting Jack's quilt
*Mai and Mick's 40th Wedding anniversary Quilt
*Keep slogging away on Dear Jane and Pies + Tarts
*A basic quilt for Abby
*Learn to Crochet
*Get more involved in the world of blogging!

And on the Health and Fitness side;

*Start running again, starting out with C25K and working up to 5210K and beyond!
*Go back to consistently following FYM - I KNOW it works!!! So in saying this I must give the FYM New Year Transformation Challenge my absolute all to get the most possible out of it. It starts on 10th January and runs for 12 weeks.
*Limit wheat - my system hates it!
*Aim to eat cleanly 90% of the time! Organic produce and keeping it simple!
*Eliminate the few chai lattes and coffees that I do have and go herbal all the way!
*Go back to Yoga - even if it is only one class a week - it is good for my mind as well as my body
*Goal weight is 60kgs

Moving onto the House Renovation;

*Every time I go to spend money, think of the house and all the new things I would like to put in it!! Remember I can only wear one pair of shoes at a time, I have a cupboard full and do not need any more in 2011 (unless they are for exercise!!)
*As we are living in the house throughout the reno, on tough days, I must not lose sight of the bigger picture!!!!

I think my goals for 2011 are very achievable and as the great Yoda once said "Do or do not. There is no 'try'!!!

2010 Wrap Up!

What a hectic year 2010 was for our family.

We were at a friends place at Point Piper to see in 2010, a wonderful view, a wonderful host and both my girls were awake at midnight - I thought that was pretty special - even if we did pay for it mid afternoon the next day. NYE is also Zoe's birthday and she thinks that fireworks on her birthday is the best thing EVER! A great celebraton for her 5th birthday.
Zoe started school in late January. Overall it was a success even though we had our moments of clinginess going into class in the mornings when she succumbed to overtiredness mid year. Zoe took part in her ballet exams and blitzed them with a score of 89%, she also lost the Irish gene when it came to swimming and is now like a little fish. A sensitive, quietly confident little girl, Zoe is a thoughtful and wonderful child (prone to uncontrollable emotion when overtired, but we deal with that as we need to). She is a delight and we are extremely proud of her!

Ciara turned 3 in May. Her daycare attendance was upped to 3 days in anticipation of the renovation that didn't actually start in 2010. She loved it so much though that we decided to keep her in there! She did ballet and playball at daycare and loved them both with absolute enthusiasm. She continues to be known by her parents on the quiet as "The Beast" for an assertiveness that is constantly mind blowing to us. She sure is a little girl who knows how to get what she wants using charm that is unparalleled within our family. She is also overly affectionate and loving and uber confident.
We are blessed with 2 little angels that equally delight and frustrate us but we love them with all our hearts and can't imagine how empty life would be without them!

Zeus took us to a whole other level of learning patience with his "issues". We had the excitement of Dr Harry and the Better Homes and Gardens crew coming to consult and film Zeus for a segment on the show...to deal with his tail chasing...and then the excitement of the airing of the segment which was "celebrated" with pizza and beer with friends and neighbours at our place (minus the husband who was enroute to the US). This was a bittersweet night for me as I had just that day had 2 hours on a call with a top behavioural vet and I had learned how deep the issues are that cause the tail chasing. Very sad for my boy who has an awesome temperament and is the most loyal and lovable companion for our family. Basically the German Shepherd breeders have a lot to answer for in my honest opinion. It appears that in the quest for physical perfection they have bread in a range of emotional issues. He is a dog I know, but he is a very important family member too! We continue to medicate and work with Zeus and on a scale of 1-10 we have brought the chasing down from 10/10 to approx 5/10 - we are aiming to 2-3/10. I am determined to get there with him so he can be as normal as possible!
The husband continued to travel for work, sporadically at times and full on at other times. I got the cleaner back in to help me out at these times and then there is always the trusty baby sitters that we have had for years so I could escape and restore my sanity to near normal levels. Dave continues to achieve great things within his organisation and he still loves his role. People ask me how I can stand all the travel. You see the thing is, I see the enjoyment he has from his job and I would much rather that than him being a miserable so and so working 9-5. When he is home he is a very hands on dad, husband and dog owner and he has a great deal of flexibility so is able to be at important days for kids, to be at meetings, or just be at home to have lunch with his wife on the odd occassion too! I adore him and I am so lucky to be so happy with him.
As for me, the usual story. A busy mum and wife who adores her family and wonders where the time goes to all the time. My days fly with chores, organising children, walking the dog, the occassional crafty outlet (not as much as I would like though), exercise, trying to spend quality time with my friends and family and all the other things that make my life as a mum, wife, dog owner and friend. I hope I continue to feel as loved and blessed in years to come!

I was totally spoiled rotten with trips and holidays in 2010.

In January the 4 of us headed up to Palm Cove in FNQ for a week. It was bliss.
In February I went to Hong Kong sans kids and husband to meet my sister for 5 days. We had a lovely time shopping, eating, sightseeing and wandering HK. We were there for Chinese New Year and had great seats to see the spectacular
Dave and I headed to Melbourne for 3 days mid March to meet some friends and head to a huge race day in Flemington. The day was picture perfect for a great day at the track. We were in a sideless marquee with about 20 others having a wonderful day. Not long after Race 5 the sky started to look a little gloomy and all of a sudden a MASSIVE storm rolled in - hail and rain the likes I have never seen. Turned out to be the worst storm in 40 years in Victoria with incrediblew flooding and damage throughout - and Dave massively bruised down his side from holding the marquee down so we had some kind of shelter. Certainly an afternoon that will never be forgotten!
In the July school holidays the girls and I jumped on a plane to Adelaide. Dave was overseas on business and one of my bestfriends lives in Adelaide so off we toddled for 5 days. We had a great time catching up, laughing and reminiscing. We headed up into the hills for a trip to Hahndorf which was lovely. It was a really lovely break. (See another perk of Dave's travel, frequent flyer points that allow for spontaneous and inexpensive trips away)

In the September holidays we flew across to Fiji for 5 days. You can read about that trip here. It was for a wedding, but the wedding was cancelled a month or so out. We all decided to still go (minus the groom) and support the bride and we had a really fun and relaxing time!

There was weekends away to visit friends in Ulladulla, weekends to Bathurst to visit my grandparents, another huge weekend in Melbourne for a hens weekend and as I sit and type this I am still in Ireland where we have been for 5 weeks for a family wedding, Christmas, Zoe's birthday and New Year. You can see a little of our Irish holiday here.

After 18 months of planning we finally submitted our plans into council for our house renovation. It is a fairly extensive renovation. I don't believe in knocking down old homes (ours is a 1919 Californian Bungalow) but in hindsight a rebuild would have been an easier and less expensive option. However we are absolutely delighted with what the designer and architect have come up with. So when we submitted the plans we knew we had pushed a few boundaries but totally expected it to be a simple and fairly painless exercise and we thought we would be on the way to building our dream home somewhere in around September. Then a neighbour lodged a fairly heavy and lengthy objection. Phwoar, we were not only unimpressed but totally taken aback with the detail and level of objection! We had had discussions with all our neighbours and knew there were a couple of things that this neighbour was unhappy about but certainly not to the level of the document he submmitted. After a lengthy process of lodging our response to council we only had to make one quite minor amendment and our plans were approved - so all it did was hold us up. We look forward to 2011 and our dream home coming to fruition. It will finally start in the next couple of weeks!!!

We had 3 births within our close circle of family and friends. We attended a couple of weddings. We weren't touched by death directly but were saddened to hear of the loss of loved ones from friends and neighbours. Serious illness was fortunately quite scarce too. My beloved Nanny suffered a serious stroke and is now in a nursing home which absolutely breaks my heart. It brings a tear everytime I picture her there. I make the 6 hours round trip to spend time with her as often as I can. I miss our daily phone calls terribly! I pray for her and hope that she will go to sleep one night and that will be it. Her zest for life is missed as she is shadow of her former self.

On the quilty front, not very busy I am afraid. Only a number of completed quilts to my name and I was very excited to finally finish a certain cross stitch. All quilts I made were very well received. I have a number of UFO's to work on in 2011.

Health and fitness was successful I think though I continue to battle the last 5 kilos that I really do need to lose. I think eating out and red wine is my down fall. Consistency and no longer running helped this out tool. I will start running again when we get back home. My next post will be about goals for 2011 and I am determined to kick the extra weight once and for all. I feel great though and finally got my bung knee sorted out spending some time with a physio who was very easy on the eye with magic hands (LOL!!). I also discovered an amazing chiro and look forward to going back to my fortnightly cracking with her!

For me, 2010 was a complete success. I continue to work towards bettering myself, dealing with demons of the past, and making myself a happier and more postitive person. I have finally learned that I can not control the thoughts, words and actions of others only my own and this has helped me move forward in leaps and bounds. I try and live by the mantras "Live and let live" and "Your health is your wealth". I feel content in my own skin and happy with my lot. What is not to look forward to in 2011!!!???

Happy New Year to you xxx

Finished Projects for 2010

Mason's Life Journey Quilt
Words to Live By Cross Stitch
Mum's 60th Birthday Quilt
Mels' Love Knots Quilt
Car's PIF - bag!
Siobhan's Quilt
Zoe's Dora Snuggle Quilt
Nanny's quilt


Not as many as I would have liked - in fact it was quiet on the crafting front. I fear 2011 will follow in these same footsteps but I will plod along as I can to get my fix and hope that I do complete something as some stage....

Glorious Books...

This year, again I took the challenge to get to 50 books in 2010. I did better than last year (I think it was the grand total of 39 books in '09) and reached 44 books.

Many types of books, many memorable and a couple to forget! I always have to finish a book though no matter what it is like. I love to read. I could easily cuddle up in bed, or flop on the sofa and spend the entire day lost in a good book. However my wonderful life gets in the way of this pipe dream and I snatch time here and there when I can.

A few of my favourites this year;

The Five people You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom

Fall of Giants - Ken Follett

The Alchemist - Paul Coelho

The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards

My all out favourite, without a doubt was Miracle in the Andes - Nando Parrado with Vince Rause. I did a post on it here

This is my entire list for 2010

44. Homecoming - Cathy Kelly
43. My Story - Dannii Minogue
42. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
41. Knit The Season - Kate Jacobs
40. Will Mammy Be Coming Back For Me? - Shane Dunphy
39. Beneath the Shadows - Sarah Foster
38. Breaking Dawn - Stehpanie Meyers
37. The Accidental Billionaires - Ben Mezrich
36. Fall of Giants - Ken Follett
35. Precious - Sapphire
34. Eclipse - Stephanie Meyers
33. New Moon - Stephanie Meyers
32. Twilight - Stephanie Meyers
31. The Alchemist - Paul Coelho
30. Major Pettigres Last Stand - Helen Simonson
29. Hell on the Way to Heaven - Chrissie Foster with Paul Kennedy
28. The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards
27. Behaving Badly - Isabel Wolff
26. The Slap - Christos Tsiolkas
25. The Two of Me - Andrew Johns
24. The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown
23. Only Spring - Gordon Livingston MD
22. The Water Horse - Julia Gregson
21. Olivia - Tim Ewbank
20. Smokey Joe's Cafe - Bryce Courtney
19. The Lilac Bus - Maeve Binchy
18. Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffennegger
17. Burning Bright - Tracey Chevalier
16. The Winding Ways Quilt - Jennifer Chiaverini
15. Circle of Quilters - Jennifer Chiaverini
14. The Master Quilter - Jennifer Chiaverini
13. The Quilters Legacy - Jennifer Chiaverini
12. Miracle in the Andes - Nando Parrado with Vince Rause
11. The Quilters Kitchen - Jennifer Chiaverini
10. The Sugar Camp Quilt - Jennifer Chiaverini
9. Matter of Trust - Sydney Bauer
8. Duet - Kimberley Freeman
7. The Runaway Quilt - Jennifer Chiaverini
6. The Other Side of the Story - Marian Keyes
5. Eat Clean for Kids and The Family - Tosca Reno
4. Eat Clean Recharged - Tosca Reno
3. The Stories of My Life - Ray Martin
2. The Five people You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
1. Cross Country Quilters - Jennifer Chiaverini

I am definitely up for the challenge again 2011, and will give it a whirl to see how I go. I suspect that I won't achieve 50 books due to house renos but let's just wait and see.

Happy New Year to you!

Merry Christmas Everyone...

The weather is freakishly cold and snowy in Dublin, and whilst we are looking forward to getting home and soaking up some sun, we are still having a fun time!

There was a visit to Santa's Cottage up in the north - a wonderful experience for us all, but the kids especially loved it!

There has been a few trips into Dublin city to meet up with Zoe's school friend and her family, who is also visiting Ireland. Dave and I also had a couple of nights in town together..and we took the girls to go into the National Leprechaun Museum and to see the Christmas windows and lights.
Of course there was the whole reason we came to Ireland at this time of year. The wedding of my brother in law John to his gorgeous fiance Sinead. A spray tan, central heating and a short one shouldered dress almost lulled me ito a false sense of security that it wasn't actually sub zero temperatures..that was until we went out into the snow for the official family photos....
Of course there have been lots of cups of tea and red wines with friends and family. To keep me sane I have read 5 books, worked on my Pies and Tarts blocks and been going to the gym a few times a week.
I was also delighted to find a Little People Nativity Set, and the girls have had a great time re-enacting Jesus' birth.
I got the best early Christmas present ever - we are the proud owners of a black AGA cooker that is ordered and will be shipped to Sydney. To buy in Sydney it was way out of the budget but with the exchange rate the way it is it was nearly half the price, even paying shipping costs and duties. I can not wait for my new kitchen!!!

Now we have Christmas day to look forward to, and Zoe's 6th birthday on New Years Eve and then a couple of days later we wil fly out to go home.

I'd like to wish you and yours peace and love this Christmas, enjoy your day and may Santa bring all your dreams true. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Spoilt Rotten...

by my lovely husband. We are in Dublin, escaping from the kids and the inlaws for 2 whole nights and nearly 3 whole days. It is so nice to sleep in, have a long lazy breakfast, not to plan out they day and just wander where the wind blows us.

For those who know me, you know how I love to shop. I don't necessarily have to make a purchase, a window shop is just as good for me. Grafton St is a fabulous pedestrian shopping strip. At the moment, there is a great buzz in the air with Christmas just around the corner. There is a wonderful department store called Brown Thomas and I love just wandering the different halls and floors. I came upon a dress that I loved. As I was wearing my knee high boots, the sales assistant handed me in a pair of heels. Whilst the dress was totally awful on me, I fell in love with the shoes. Dave bought them for me, a special treat. I love them. They are totally indulgent and who knows when I will get to wear them but I am glad they will now have a home in my wardrobe! Hmmm, now about the fabulous clutch purse that was next to them, I wonder if that would be pushing it??? Perhaps...

Christmas Traditions

Reading the lovely Kirsty's blog the other day, she has listed all of her wonderful family traditions...as we are away this year there are many of our usual tradtions that we can't partake in but I thought I would list them all anyway!

1. Our Christmas Tree is put up on 1st December. Read about our tree tradition here

2. We read Christmas stories, ALL the time, not just bed time. My girls are huge lovers of books (which delights me) so at all times there are piles of books scattered through the house, this goes for Chistmas too when it is highly likely that any time I am trying to get something done or finished I will be asked (nagged into submission) to sit down and read stories. Not often do I resist them. The Little Golden Book Christmas Story is a huge favourite as well No Room at The Inn and An Aussie Night Before Christmas. But we have loads of christmas books and we try to get through all of them.

3. We have a gorgeous timber advent calendar house I bought a few years ago. This is usually filled with chocolates to have after dinner each evening. Although going forward I think I will fill it with Advent fun things to do, I have seen that on a few blogs this year and it is a much better idea than sweets every night, though the kids may disagree initially!

4. Santa photos at our local Westfield shopping centre.

5. Our local village has a fabulous community spirit. Each year we go with family friends to our local green for Fish and chips (and wine for the big kids) for the Christmas Entertainment and the Christmas Tree lights being turned on.

6. The kids choose a gift, wrap it and place it under the Kmart Giving Tree. We really feel how important it is for them to realise and understand that they lead a blessed life and that there are others who are not nearly as fortunate as they are.

7. We have a selection of Christmas movies and Friday nights in December they get to stay up later and have popcorn and a christmas movie! Always on Christmas Eve we watch Polar Express.

8. Christmas Eve Childrens Mass and then depending on how the kids are coping, dinner at the village with friends/family or sometimes just us!

9. Local Carols by Candlelight - the 3 churchs in our area come together and put it on, always a fun night. When the girls are a little older I would like to start taking them to Carols in the Domain. Perhaps next year.

10. Bus or train into town to see the Christmas windows at David Jones and Myer.

11. I make Rocky Road and attempt Mince Tarts. My granma made exceptional Mince Tarts and every year I try to equal her greatness, so far I have failed in each attempt. I will keep trying, perhaps the Aga will make a difference ;)

12. Christmas Eve - a letter to Santa is written, the carrot, beer and mince tart left out, the front door "key" is left out so Santa can get in as we have no fireplace and the Santa Please Stop Here sign is left at the letter box.

13. New traditions that I am starting - last year the very same lovely Kirsty as above sent me reindeer food to scatter outside...which we did on Christmas Eve last year, this is something I would like to do with the girls as part of our Christmas Eve rituals. When our reno is finished (that is my catch phrase to everything) we are going to buy exterior lights and decorate the outside of the house.

I am sure there are other traditions that we do but that is all I can think of. It is such a magical time of year and we love it. I am not looking forward to the day when the whole Santa thing is exposed but in our house we live by "You have to Believe to Receive". I am often the biggest kid in the house!!

Merry Christmas to you and yours, enojy this special time of year and may it be filled with peace, love and laughter. Let me know if put your traditions on your blog so I can stop by and take a look!

Just finished...

Pies and Tarts Progress

The husband is taking off to 25 degrees in Miami today, a conference. I am unable to upload pics from Grandad's laptop so no piccies until next Friday....should have a load of these pies done to report by then though......love the fabrics in this BOM.

Wintery Wonderland

and then it is so lovely to come inside, almost sit on top of the radiator in this big comfy chair of Grandads, have a big mug of green tea and read my book or do some stitching!

No More Whingeing!

The cold isn't going anywhere and we have 5 more weeks of it so...my attitude is changing!!

"Happiness is in the heart, not in the circumstances."
~Anonymous