Sunday - Gandy comes for a day

These are the babies first thing Sunday morning - we give them a drink of milk right away, til everyone's feeling more sensible. Unfortunately Angie has the indignity of wearing hot pink to bed at the moment, cos he has to wear a sleeping bag that'll fit him and most are made for babies. I need to fix the one I made (it needs a button to hide the zipper). Gandy agreed to come over in the morning, which gave me a chance to sneak off to Spotlight to go pattern and fabric shopping - my dressmaking class starts Monday night. Hooray!

I must point out that while I was in the pool, I asked Ian to grab the camera to take this photo. It's the first time in about a year I've seen Angie snuggled up to someone other than Ian or I! It was so sweet to see this progress.

Cool frames are from Designer Digitals.

Saturday - we bought a swimming pool!

This was a big day. After a grouchy start - children crying and tired of being stuck inside on hot days - we made a snap decision and decided to buy a swimming pool. Not the fancy in-ground kind, mind, but a fancy blow-up pool for less than $100. It fit brilliantly on the deck beside the BBQ and kept Tassie happy for hours and hours. Angie found the water a little cold and wasn't game, but was still happy to go in his swing. Tassie was delighted when a lady bird landed on her hand.

Ian worked tirelessly all morning and afternoon, carting wheelbarrow loads of old timber and rocks that had been dug up and lying around the yard for ages. It all went into a skip for collection on Monday. He was really, really hot afterwards.

Inevitably, we all ended up in the cold water for a cool-off. It was so great.

At last - there's a scrapbook gallery!

I'm so excited to announce that my scrapbook gallery is now available to view in Flickr. At last. I got very slack last year when I was updating new scrap layouts to the previous blog, Rock Paper Scissors Scrap. I stopped adding them to my Flickr Gallery, and well, that makes it really difficult to admire all the hard work on those days when I'm struggling with scrap mojo. And we all get those, ahem. So I've added a link to the right hand side of the blog where you can go peek whenever you like, and scraplift to your heart's content!

layout for new scrapbook project

I might have mentioned that I had an idea for a new scrap album. I'm always dreaming up new scrap album ideas then leaving them half finished! More on that later. This is the first scrapped page I've done for the "Favourites" album. It's going to be about Ian and I, telling the story of us, how we met, got married and went out for date nights (before we had kids). So, er, there won't be many current photos to scrap LOL! This page is about the way he likes to send flowers and luckily, cos I'm a horder, I had a few cards to display! Are you putting your horded treasures to good use too?

Friday - COMPLETING some reading

You'll recall my one little word for 2011 is COMPLETE. This is one of several books that I started but didn't complete since the babies were born. It's only about 200 pages and it helps if you're in bed for a few hours to read. But gee, this is a terrific read. It really is set over the course of a single day, from one man's point of view, but describes the terrible conditions in Russia's penal system, the Gulag, during the second world war. It's so richly personal, and human, and the writing is so bare, but perfect, and the story keeps you going so you really have to finish. Totally recommend this awesome book. I wonder if there's a film?

Thursday

Tassie was away at her holiday program today, having fun at the plaster fun house then later the beach. Ian took a conference call for work before returning to the family room to take care of Angie so I could rest my back a bit more. He took care of a few other issues needing attention too, like enquiring about kindy for Tassie this year and childcare for Angie. What a man!

Wednesday - Australia Day

Boy was I grateful to have Ian home today. My back is giving me a lot of pain at the moment, and he's so kindly given me the chance to rest up a bit today. Tassie was just happy to have a flag to wave around.



I want to get back into the gratitude habit, so:
1. Grateful for the time Ian is at home to help with the babies
2. Grateful for Tassie's kindy care this term
3. Grateful that I get to have a job, even if it's only a few hours a week.

Tuesday - return to work and layout share

It was a nice way to return to work - a 5.30pm meeting, with other teachers, and that lovely break from child-centred world to work-centred world. It was a busy day -a long home visit in the morning from the Early Internention lady, housework catch up, a quick lie down while Angie rested, creating an iron-on design for Manda's friend's baby, quick dinner for Angus, quick pick up from the holiday program in time to swap with Ian and get to work - just in time.

Here's a layout i did earlier in the month, spraying Glimmer Mist on to doilies for the background. It's another page for Tassie's (way overdue) baby album:



love the dymo labelling:


..the muslin, perfect on baby layouts


...the vintage fabric flowers,


...Fancy Pants Designs stamp love

Monday - the cat returns

At 5.45am this morning Ian rushed in to the bedroom to tell me that Billie's back. I got up right away and there she was, waiting to go out for the toilet. I picked her up and asked her where she'd been. We hadn't seen her since Saturday lunchtime - almost two days ago. I put her down, noticed she'd eaten the food I'd left out in case, and then she took off through the cat door. We caught up again later in the morning for a talk and a cuddle. She didn't understand what all the fuss what about.

When I went back in to see Angus, he was sitting neatly on the couch watching the kids shows.

Weekend - packing up Xmas and seeing Gandy

Saturday
At last we packed up the Xmas tree and all the stuff, which was shoved back into the plastic tubs and under the house. Tassie posed for the camera, showing off her Christmas decoration made at Montissori. It's almost as big as she is!

She also posed for the camera to show the tiny piece of blue playdo that she'd had extracted from her ear at the doctor's. It was wrapped in a piece of ear wax. Delightful! It happened a few months ago but I want to do a scrap page about it:

Sunday
Gandy came over quite late in the afternoon, but was conveniently here in time for tea. We passed on the sad news that our cat Billie was missing since Saturday afternoon. Ian had spent all morning searching the street and neighbourhood for her, even knocking on neighbour's doors. I felt really tired, unable to do much at all. Before dinner, I noticed Angus playing alongside her, which was sweet. He's gradually becoming more sociable, when visitors ackowledge him. Mum's getting better at it, talking to him as well as Tasmin, who demands all the attention.

Friday - Ian

Ian was working from home this week. Even though he was very disciplined and kept to office hours, it was soooo good knowing he was here this week, while I had the children. It's such a lonely job, being a fulltime mum of two children, aged two and three, with their own sets of needs. I had another appointment with the speech pathologist today, which was brilliant as always, and motivating me to keep going with Angus. This year will involve lots of one-on-one coaching with Angus every day, to help him with his development. He's just the sweetest little boy, and Ian and I said today he's exactly the boy we would have chosen!

Thursday - scrapbooking layout

I managed a couple of layouts at the start of the month, using photos from Tasmin's first week - here is one of them:




Love these little paper roses, which are handmade and easy and quick to make from a strip of paper. Here's a photo I use to help me remember what to do (I've lost the link for this but you can simply Google spiral roses and there's hundreds of tutorials to follow):



Today I took the babies shopping and declared (again) that I would never do this again! Mainly because of Tasmin. Sigh! She's so difficult nearly all of the time. I made a really hard decision today after talking to Ian, but it feels like we've made the right decision. I've booked her in for two holiday program days next week, where she'll probably be the youngest, but I know she'll be just fine. When the school term returns in a week or so, she'll still only be attending her Montissori twice a week, but I'm paying for the after hours kindy care on those days, so she'll be away from 9am to 3pm twice a week. To be honest, the place we visited today (where she'll be) wasn't nearly as good as her usual daycare place, but the staff member in charge was terrific and I feel sure she'll be fine. It's only for term 1, in any case. It's costing us an arm and a leg, and we definitely can't afford it, but being in Melbourne helped me realise that if I don't help myself, noone else is going to. I'm going to need this time with Angus... more on this soon.

Wednesday hello Noni

On Wednesday morning we drove to North Adelaide to pick up Noni and Mike who were visiting from Melbourne. Angus was so lucky to be treated to a haircut - Noni is such a talented all-rounder, there isn't much she can't do. This worked so well that I think in future I'll try and find a mobile hairdresser to come to us.




The best thing about his haircut is you can see his sweet little face!

Tuesday - planting day

Before I had time to think and change my mind, I grabbed the kids and drove to the nursery, which has reopened since the water restrictions were lightened. We bought three lots of plants - colourful petunias, and some little daisy plants and border grass to go in front and behind the row of flowers. Tassie and I worked at removing the ugly dead weeds in an old discarded flower bed near the front of the house, added some cow manure and compost, and bang! in they went. It was surprisingly easy. I watered them with liquid fertiliser and hope they'll last a while! I know they're annuals which means they won't live forever. So now, with the flowers, and the mini vegi garden, I can definitely add gardening to my project list for the year. Bonus! It's only taken me six years to get started.

Return from Melbourne - long weekend

FRIDAY
Warning.... LONG post... many photos! On Friday night Manda, baby Delilah and I caught up with our family at Mutti Robin's in the Dandenongs. I noticed in my dreamy oh-I-wish-I-lived-in-Melbourne state that there was a house for sale nearby! Probably better I don't look it up on realestatedotcom. Anyway, it was so great to see everyone so relaxed. Noel and Sandy had returned from their New Zealand trip and Noel had all these funny puzzle books that amused us all, including the children. Mutti, Karissa, Igby and Escher were travelling to their little river holiday the next day. Leon and Jennifer brought their dog, Satchmo, along and we also saw Noni and Mike briefly.

My cousin Noel definitely looks like Prince William, don't you think?

SATURDAY

At last, a chance to visit Wendy and her new baby Kirrily. We also caught up with her sister Kerry and husband, Brian. The new parents looked a little tired, but very well and very happy. The house was orderly and they seem to have everything under control. Your baby is the sweetest, Wendy... Oh, apart from baby Delilah! Well done you two.

SUNDAY

It had been a little bit of a challenge driving home from Wendy's as baby Delilah was tired and wanted to be out of that car. We pulled over and found somewhere to have dinner and afterwards she was quite happy to get back into the car to get home. Sunday was another long drive, with a break in between for the baby, and a little visit to a scrapbook shop - Creative Dreams in Boronia. We had exactly 20 minutes there (enough time to buy some chipboard pieces and blue embossing powder) before heading off again. It was such a highlight of our trip to get to Auntie Patty's house where the sun was shining and she and Uncle Bob made a barbeque lunch for us. Ahhh, bliss! I was thrilled when Patty let me have some fabric scraps from patchwork quilts she's made for Angus and baby Delilah. Can't wait to get my hands on those now I'm using more fabric in my scrapbooking and crafts.

See her beautiful country-style kitchen...

The outdoor courtyard setting for lunch, where coincidentally Manda had her wedding in 2009...

Like me, Patty is also working on a photo project, scanning in precious family photos from the 1970's and 1980's eras. Here is a photo of a Christmas get-together and that's my Mum in the middle, with the fabulous beehive, circa 1971...

This is me, in a green dress Aunty Patty had made for me, that I'm wearing to my birthday party, maybe my 10th? That's my sister Amanda on my right. She was smaller than me, then!

I could show hundreds of fabulous garden photos, but here's just one of the beautiful hydrangeas. How great is the colour!

I even had my photo taken with baby Delilah.

MONDAY

We stayed overnight at Patty's and the next day several people arrived to celebrate my Aunty Edna's 80th birthday. My late Dad's five sisters, Patty, Shirley, Edna, Hilda and Jenny all get together for each other's birthdays plus one big Christmas get together every year. It's such a privilege to join them for these celebrations. I love my aunties.

Here's Jenny with baby Delilah (Jenny reminds me so much of my Dad)...

Here's Shirley (left) and Patty (right) with baby Delilah...

Patty's house is filled with beauty...

Lunch in the light filled dining room. My Aunty Edna is on the right hand side end, and that's Aunty Hilda, third from the right. She's already had her 80th but you couldn't tell!

I had to show just one of these paintings. I discoverd with amazement that many of the beautiful framed paintings around the walls were painted by Aunty Patty. Isn't she talented. There were two I picked out that I would have bought if they'd been for sale in a gallery.

I promise to post some scrapbook layouts soon...

Thursday

Had a bit of a yucky stressful day - more poo smearing around the loungeroom again from Mr 2 - needing that holiday!

Wednesday baby farm animals

We had a little excursion out of the house this morning with Tassie's friend Addisyn and her mum today to see the baby farm animals. Angie watched from his pram, while the other two went right inside the gate to pat the animals. I think the girls' favourites were the rabbits. Tassie was quite fearless even with the ducks.

Tuesday takeaway parents only

It was a long day to get through. The past few nights we parents have gotten very little sleep, mainly due to Tasmin's night terrors. She wakes screaming sometime in the dead of night and one of us - usually me - has to go and bring her to our bed or settle her back to sleep. This takes about half an hour. Some nights it's Ian who has trouble sleeping and bounces me awake while he tosses and turns. I had no energy for anything today so there was only one answer when the kids were in bed - takeaway!

Monday whoosh

Angus still fits easily into the swing that Auntie Manda, Uncle Mike and Ga bought for his first birthday. Even on a day as hot as this, the whoosh of the air must cool him.


Only four more sleeps til my Melbourne trip.