Fare Thee Well 2011 aka The Year That Kicked My Butt

I can't believe that today is the last day of the year, but I can't say that I am sad to see it go. 


This year has probably been the toughest of my 31 years & I'll be glad to see the back of it as the clock strikes 12.


In saying that, in keeping with one of my goals for 2012 to be more positive, I guess it wasn't all bad it's just that the bad things were really really butt-kickingly bad! 


So now it's time to see how I did with my 'Goals For 2011 In No Particular Order'. I must say, I didn't do so well at all! But that's the best thing about heading in to a new year, you get to try again! So, let's see what happened:


:: Find a big girl bed for Lily - done! And she loves it! Another good thing about this one was that it ft into one of my other goals to buy less new stuff!


:: Buy a DSLR - done! Yay! Early in the year I bought my prized Canon 7D. I love it! I've learned a lot about it just by using it a lot. And by a lot I mean a real lot!


:: Do a short photography course - didn't happen. I don't think it will happen any time soon & I really think I should refrain from putting these sort of things on lists because I never seem to be able to do them!


:: Buy new PJs - Another fail. I really only wanted a couple of pretty Winter PJs but couldn't find any that I liked that didn't cost way too much. I want nice PJs but I don't want o pay $80 for the pleasure!


:: Be more organised - let's just say that this will be on my new list because I failed pretty miserably but with Piper heading off to school I'm really going to have to sort this out - & soon!


:: Buy less new stuff - I think this year I managed to buy less stuff, full stop. I'm pretty happy about this & will be keeping this one for next year too!


:: Clean out the house of things we don't need - this is one of those ones that I started about a million times & then got too overwhelmed. But in this last week alone I managed to list about 20 things on eBay & fill another 5 garbage bags full of stuff for the op shop. I think this one goes hand-in-hand with being more organised so while I've got the 'clean-out Mojo' happening I'm going to keep going ahead with it.


:: Make my first quilt - I was going to say 'fail', but then it occurred to me that I made two! They may have measured about 15cm x 15cm & were instigated & cut out by Piper but I'm going to count them! I will make a real quilt one day!



So that's that! Now I just have to work out what I want to focus on for 2012!


Wishing you all a very Happy New Year. I hope that the year ahead is full of health & happiness for you all!

Merry Christmas

Our official family Christmas card for 2011(you can see others here & here)

It's been a busy few weeks at the home of the small. There have been parties & special events(Pip's graduation, Piper's dancing concert which I will blog about after Christmas, Piper's Prep orientation, etc). I've been madly trying to finish the Christmas sewing/shopping. I'm sure that you can all relate!

Before the big day rolls around, on behalf of my family I'd like to wish you all a very merry & safe Christmas. I hope that you get to spend the day with those dear to you. And to all of you whi are struggling with life's curve balls, know that we are all egging you on to get through it. There are blue skies ahead!

Dreaming

image

Today I was fluffing around the Christmas tree when I looked up & caught my reflection in one of the baubles on the tree. There I was, slightly flabby belly where a taut round one should be. Thinking about how I should be standing around rubbing my belly when the girls & I talk about all the Christmas excitement. I stopped for a moment with my hand on my belly & cried alone, quietly, for a little while, thinking about what should have been, thinking about my Little Frenchy. And then I stopped, wiped away the tears & got on with it. There is not a day that goes by where I do not think about my little baby, where I don't shed a few tears, but I'm doing alright, I think. Some days are easier than others, but I can keep going. I look at my girls & take heart at what I have - two beautiful, smart, funny, stubborn, mostly gentle, generous, empathetic sometimes naughty but ultimately good little girls. My Little Frenchy will always be the little angel on our Christmas tree.

Graduated!

 This week there was a big event in our household - our little Pip graduated from Kinder! Yep, it was a huge event here. The kids had been preparing for weeks, they put on a little concert for the parents & then they were presented with their graduation certificate & a present from their teachers. They were each given a folder filled with artwork & photos of the things they did at kinder during the year. Quite a few of the parents were brought to tears during the event, me included. It is such a bittersweet time  - our little babies are growing up! They are going off to school next year, going off into the big wide world. These little people, they are so excited to start this new chapter of their lives, but I don't think they realise that this is the last time they will all be together. Their little gang is splitting up, going to different schools. The most poignant moment was when they sang a song about friends & saying goodbye, ending it by going around & happily hugging each other. 

But I will try not be sad! This is a new adventure for our little Pip, for us, And I know that she is going to LOVE going to school, making new friends & learning new things. Back in October she spent some time at her new school taking part in pre-Prep sessions, where the kids spent some time at the school in small groups so that they can be assessed to see which class group they would be suited to. Piper was so excited to learn that her school has a dedicated art room. What could be more exciting to a little girl who loves art almost more than she loves anything else! And she couldn't believe that they had their very own library! I know Piper will be fine on her first day of school, she showed that at her orientation day at the start of this month when she joined all the other new Prepies away from their parents without even a glance back at her silly old Mum who already had tears welling in her eyes, even taking the time to care for her best friend who was a little apprehensive about leaving her Mum. I will be the one with tears in my eyes that I will hold tight until she is out of sight. I remember after my first health nurse visit when bringing Piper home after she was born when she gave me a handout about children growing up & the mixed emotions mothers would have. I remember crying reading that, not wanting to think about my precious little baby growing up & leaving me. And now that time is here. I'll have to let her go a little bit, it's a little easier knowing that my baby is a confident, happy little social butterfly who is eager to get to school & begin this new chapter.

We love you Whippit & we are all so very very proud of you!

Beaucoup Trop!

That picture says it all - way too much! Or beaucoup trop as it is in French(according to this) because everything sounds better in French! Whatever happened to the time when little girls owned one or two dolls & boys one or two cars? These days more seems to be better. I've never had to buy my girls one Barbie, they have been given these as gifts.

Talking about Christmas with friends & other Mums from Kinder & work has me scratching my head. They talk about all the money they are spending & how many presents they are getting each child & it spins me out. Maybe I'm a tight arse but I'm not going to spend $1000 on toys/junk for my girls. That's not to say we haven't bought them anything major over the years(there's this & the swing set left by Santa last year) but this year enough is enough really. I want my girls to understand the real meaning about Christmas, not the commercial side of it. I don't want my girls thinking that they need to be measured in life by the amount of stuff they have. Stuff never made anyone happy. 

This year the girls are going to do something a little different for Christmas & I really do hope that it's something they continue to do. They have agreed to get one less present & put the money we would've spent on it towards a Care Gift - I think the girls have settled on a goat! The reaction from my girls when I suggested this to them really warmed my heart. When I explained by getting one less gift themselves they'll be able to help a family in need that they will never meet they were all for it. I even explained the whole thing to them again in case they didn't understand, they are five & 3 after all. But they got it! I'm so proud of my girls!

And speaking of stuff, have you seen this little video?

I came across it when it was posted on MooBear's blog & it's really stuck with me. I really urge you to watch it(it does go for about 20 minutes but I really think that it's worth it). It has really opened my eyes & made me want to reduce our quantity of 'stuff' that we consume even more!

PS We've also donated two gifts to the Kmart wishing tree in honour of Baby Avery & our own Little Frenchy. Take a look here if you're interested in doing the same.

Giveaway :: Winners

a very out of focus photo by Piper

The time has come to announce the winners of the Mums United Challenge Giveaway!


Because there were a few familiar names who entered the giveaway I decided to leave it up to the Man of the House to choose the three winners. I have no idea what led him to choose the winners - the man works in mysterious ways!


So without further adieu, the winners are:

$50 Coles Myer Voucher - Miss Cinti

$100 Coles Myer Voucher - Megan

$200 Coles Myer Voucher - MrsBC

Congratulations ladies! As soon as you reply to my email I'll mail off your prizes.

All Wrapped Up!

This past week I've been busy making pom poms to decorate our Christmas presents. I'm currently obsessed with pom poms! Even birthday presents are getting the pom pom treatment. I'm also halfway through making a pom pom garland for Piper's room - I think I'll give it to her as one of her Christmas presents(yes, I'm so boring! Pom poms as a present!), so I'll show you that after Christmas as my little Whippit likes trawling my blog & I wouldn't want to blow the surprise(or disappoint her early!)!

Now, the boys love pom poms as much as I do so lets hope they'll last under the tree! They've survived a week so far so fingers crossed!

* Sorry, if you follow me on Instagram (my other current obsession - I joined up almost a year ago & I seriously LOVE it!I'm @little_love by the way!) you would have seen these photos before.

Handmade Christmas :: Stenciled T-Shirts

I love making stenciled t-shirts. I remember before I tried them I was a bit afraid of them but they are so  so easy & yet so so great! So, can you tell I like making stenciled t-shirts? Anyway, these are a great Christmas gift & as the count down to the big day is well & truly on you'll be able to make a few in no time at all!

What you'll need

:: Freezer paper(you can get it from here)

:: Craft knife

:: Fabric paint

:: Paint brush or sponge

:: Image to transfer onto t-shirt

:: Iron

::

Trace or draw your image onto the paper side of your freezer paper. I used an image from picnik that I enlarged & also added the name of our little buddy that will be receiving this t-shirt.

Carefully cut around your image with your craft knife. Remember, whatever you cut out will be filed with paint.

Put some news paper between the back & front of your t-shirt so that any paint that leaks through won't go through to the back of your t-shirt.

Iron your freezer paper onto your t-shirt, shiny side down(or else it will melt all over your iron & just make a mess of your iron!). 

Now get your fabric paint out & start painting over the exposed areas of your stencil.

You may need to paint a couple of coats of paint on, letting it dry in between coats. You'll definately need a few coats if you are using a light coloured paint on a dark t-shirt like I did!

You can use your hair dryer to speed up the drying processes.

Once the paint is dry, gently peel your freezer paper off.

You may need to use the tip of your craft knife to get the corner off any of the 'floating' pieces of your stencil.

And there you go, you have made a stenciled t-shirt! But don't forget to heat set your fabric paint or else it will just come off in the wash! Follow the instructions on your paint bottle for this. I always use a cloth between my t-shirt & the iron when doing this bit so that you don't get that weird yellowy iron mark on your t-shirt

Piper's Room Re-do :: One Door Closes

After a long while doing nothing to Piper's room - apart from curse about all the crap that seem's to end up on her floor - I've finally worked on something else! Her door!

I've been wanting to paint the back of her door with chalkboard paint since we decided to re-do her room but it just never got done, but this week the Man of the House had to spend the week in Sydney for work so I thought, 'why not just do it myself?' So I did! The girls & I headed off to Bunnings(Lily LOVES Bunnings!) to pick up our supplies - black chalkboard paint, roller & tray & sausages in bread(how can you go to Bunnings on the weekend without buying a sausage in bread!). 

Off we headed home with our supplies & away to work I went. I took the door off it's hinges & immediately wondered what the hell I was doing! I didn't realise how heavy it was & really struggled to get it outside but managed with the help of my little muscley assistants. I laid the door across two benches & hunted around for our sander. I found it & even worked out how to change the sandpaper on it which I must say I was pretty proud of! 

 Well after a couple of days of sanding & painting the door was done! We had another struggle to get it back in & another huge struggle to hang the door, seriously, that was the hardest part - I think I really needed another pair of adult hands & arms to help with that!) but I did it! The girls & I did a little 'girl power' jig once it was up! And Piper is pretty impressed with it. But I think I'll let the Man of the House do Lily's door!

Birthday Boys

Last week our two little boys, Shcherbatsky & Atticus turned one - or so we think! When we adopted the boys they could only give us a rough guess to how old they were so we chose a birth date for them.


The girls couldn't wait for us to celebrate their special day, even if the boys weren't so co-operative. We sang 'Happy Birthday' to them but they preferred to hang out on the floor during the proceedings. The girls didn't mind, they happily blew out the candles for them.

When we adopted the boys from Pets Haven, we thought we were doing a good thing by helping to save the lives of two little kittens, we never realised what they would give us. They gave Piper the confidence with animals she had lost after being attacked by our old cat, they've taught the girls how to care for another little creature, they've given us moments of peace as we sit there with them on our laps patting their fur, Shcherbatsky gave me such comfort as I went through my miscarriage, never leaving my side. Even now, when I'm feeling down, he's there climbing all over me. These little dudes make us laugh every day - they are never far from each others side. They also wrecked our couch, but hey, what do you do!

To think that if the wonderful people at Pets Haven didn't save our boys they would've been killed breaks my heart. To think of all those poor abandoned pets that meet that fate brings me to tears. Please, if you're thinking of getting a pet this Christmas or any time really, please visit your local shelter. You'll be giving a little creature a second chance & they are so grateful for it.


Happy 1st Birthday Shcherbatsky & Atticus! We all love you so much!

Ten Things About Shcherbatsky & Atticus


:: Shcherbatsky was named after the character in Anna Karenina(not from Ted's girlriend in How I Met Your Mother) & Atticus was named after Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird


:: They were originally named Saxon & Baron, but because they are identical we don't know which was which


:: Atticus will always hunt Piper down & lie down beside her, roll on his back & wait for her to scratch his belly, like a dog!


:: When we talk about both cats we call them 'Shcherbatticus' - like Brangelina. Yep, I know!


:: In all my cat owning years(I have never been without a cat since the day I was born) I have never known two cats to poo so much. Seriously, they are out of control!


:: Shcherbatsky will come and sit on me no matter what position I am in - if I'm kneeling down doing something he will jump up & sit on my back, if I'm on the lapto sitting on the couch he will sit right on top of it.


:: Atticus loves our dog Zeus. Shcherbatsky is not a fan.


:: Shcherbatticus will eat anything. They are not fussy. You can change their brand of cat food each & every week & they do not care.


:: Shcherbatsky can open my bedroom door if it is closed. Yep, it usually takes him about 4 tries at bashing in to it, but he does it!


::They are the snuggliest boys eve & we love love love them!

Wordless Wednesday

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How To :: Custom Rubber Stamps

The girls & I love making stamps - they draw the design & I carve it out for them. I've been wanting to make a rubber stamp of Piper's 'signature' for a while now but didn't want her to lose out on practising her writing so never got around to it, but now that it's Christmas card time I thought it would be the perfect opportunity. You see, I don't want to write out all of Piper's cards but I know from experience that Pip would be over writing them after the first two, so we made a deal - I would write the names & she could stamp her name on each card. I thought this might be a good tutorial to share with you all so here's a quick one - I'm sure there are a heap of better ones out there, but hey, here's mine!

What You'll Need:

:: An eraser or Easy Carve block

:: Carving tools

:: pen

::

Get your little one to write their name on a piece of paper. Because I used an eraser for this stamp I drew a box a little smaller than the eraser for Piper to write her name in.

I got her to write it using a think crayon as I would need the letters to be fairly thick so that I could carve around them.
I then traced over her name in pen(you could get your little one to write their name straight in pen but I preferred the thicker crayon).

Now we need to transfer your child's handwritten name onto your eraser or carving block. Remember, you can't get them to write straight onto your rubber block because you need the name to be mirrored/back to front so that it is the right way around when you use the stamp.

Place your paper face down onto your carving material
Now trace over the back of it, pressing hard so that the ink transfers onto the carving block. You may have to go over it a couple of ties. If you have carbon paper use it for this step - it will be easier!
If you don't have carbon paper you'll probably have to trace over your transferred name again so that you can see it properly.
Now start carving! Make sure you're concentrating!



Now do a test print to see that you've carved down far enough(or so that the bits you wan to appear as part of your print/stamp are raised enough). We had to leave her little trademark heart & kiss off the end because they were too small for me to carve(she wrote them onto the cards later!).


Now, see the print above, I went back & carved off those bits that appear as a border. And I forgot to carve out the inside of the 'p' & 'e' so I fixed that too!
Once you're happy with it, get stamping!

::

I drew some arrows on the back of our stamp so that Piper knew what way it needed to go. After a few uses, the blue ink(from the pen I traced her name in) will disappear & only the colour you have chosen will print.

The stamp is also a cute little keepsake - write the date you made it on the back so that your little one will always have their little signature to keep!