inching towards that black hole...

does anyone else feel like that? i feel like i am teetering on the edge and one more nasty person could very easily send me into a corner where i rock while crying uncontrollably. many things have sent me to this dark place...

• tyring to work out how to invite Lilli's friends to a birthday party without offending those that don't get an invite.
• looking at her grade two book list and wondering why they expect me to buy 40 lead pencils costing over $14, plus 4 packets of colouring pens, 2 sharpeners, 2 scissors and the rest. do they let the children eat the pencils? who would use 40 pencils in one year? that averages out to one pencil a week!!!! that alone is sending me to the EDGE.
• taking mouldy bread back for a refund (something i never do but was so angry about the bloody bread) only to be questioned about the date on the docket not matching the date on the bread tag. the hideous lady called the bakery dude who pleasantly said 'just give her the refund'. the lady then proceeded to educate me about how the weather could have made it go off and that SHE refrigerates her bread blah blah blah... i was so mad and had to walk away. i had tears in my eyes the whole way round the store, when i came across her again i said 'i feel like giving that $2.50 back to you because it isn't worth the way you have made me feel, i wouldn't lie about mouldy bread' she blathered something about it being protocol and that Woolworths could afford it but she still didn't get the fact that it was her belittling manner that was the problem.
• trying to keep up with work and home life and feeling so muddle headed.

thanks for letting me rant, i just couldn't wait for my 'weekend whinge' post.

on a happier note we are heading out for wood fire pizza at the petrie night markets Friday night, lunch with poppy Jim on Saturday and lunch in toowomba on Sunday with some of our good friends. hopefully their company will lift my very blue spirits.

lili, hannah and sianna with one of my best friends tina at last years christmas gathering.

mmmwwwaahhh goldsworthy

Andrea's Flower

back in June my sister Anita, who was visiting from London, made some fairy wands along with the ever important wish bag. the wish bag contained scrolls of blank paper to write your wish on, glitter (cause glitter makes wishes happen), seeds of cottage style flowers and butterfly markers to show where the wish had been buried. extravagant i know!!

before we had the chance to make a wish, i received a phone call from my dear friend Andrea telling me that she had breast cancer and was to have a mastectomy in the coming days. through tears i relayed the message to mick and immediately lili raced out to bury her wish. her first wish was for Andrea to beat this cancer and to be strong and healthy . Mia followed with her wish that grandma Lesley watches over her and gives her strength to beat the cancer too.

we have been tending to these wishes and many more and have been able to remember where they are as they are marked by colourful butterflies. a few weeks ago my girls came running in to tell me that Andrea's flower had grown and that meant that she was going to be OK.

aren't children just the best at finding hope.

this is Andrea's flower, it took three months to fight its way to the top and bloom. hopefully it is symbolic of Andrea's fight over this most insidious disease.

xxrosey

my dream job

you wont believe what i did on Friday night... i became a Lilly cottage gal for just over 3 hours! the lovely Linda had to go into hospital and i was honoured to be asked if i could help out for a few hours. well i just about peed my pants with excitement and did the happy dance all day long. of course the girls were equally jealous but i think that next Friday we will head out to the twilight markets and have a wood fire pizza and visit the cottage. i took some photos but they are not that great and they don't do the shop justice. you really have to see the place to understand just how pretty it all really is. many things make it perfect, the music, the colours, the history of the markets, the list goes on. you start outside, then come into this room, then through to the back where there are more gorgeous things to look at.

every square inch is covered in collectible goodies or handmade delights.

my sisters would understand how much i love this cupboard. we had some of these items and still do to some extent somewhere in boxes. i am waiting to save enough money for a lovely display cabinet.

the last photo is my fav! it is hand painted by Linda with paper doves on the canvas. spectacular!

ok that about does it for me. mister moo wants to have a tea with me and catch up. big noisy kisses mmmwwwaaahhh rosey

an inconvenient attack

you can always spot a teacher this time of year... they are the ones muttering constantly to themselves, slapping their foreheads as they remember another task that has to be completed 3 weeks before the end of school, they have bags under their eyes, crumbs on their shirts, seem high on caffeine and are constantly searching for the right words that sum up the behaviour, application and ability of the 30 angels in their care.

now throw in an asthma attack that puts your 4 year in hospital over night and it is enough to put a teacher into a tail spin. as i was sitting in the emergency ward all i could think of is the reports that had to be written that night... aaarrrrrgggg. once we established that her condition warranted a stay in hospital i conned my husband into staying overnight while i went home with the other two and finished reports. he is an angel and i have now finished them just in time for my own asthma attack yesterday at school!! cant seem to catch a break at the moment.

anyhow, to pass the time while mia was in hospital lili and i got creative and made some cute little fingerprinted christmas tags. mine are on the left. the ideas are endless and we cant wait to make other ones like puddings, robins, doves, reindeers....

mine lilis

mine lilis

close up of the twins

watch out for this cheeky guy

this is the back, i need to use a finer tipped pen. mia came out sunday afternoon and she had to make some too. hers are so sweet and put a big smile on your face! cant wait to see them attached to someones present. i bet one will head over to london attached to aunty ninas present.

arent they gorgeous? this fella is wearing a snow hat!

before the asthma incident i had been working on an idea for my students to make as a keepsake for their family this year. in the past i have made 'snow globes' with the kids but felt like a change this year. so this is what i came up with.

clear, fine glass baubles filled with whatever we can think of. this is one of the only shots i have of all 6 prototypes because lili had an accident and broke two!! yes she broke the one with mini m&ms, glass and those all through 70's style carpet.... once again aaaaaaarrrrrggggggg

this one shows (along with my messy hutch) three baubles. one with m&ms, one with shredded coloured paper and the last with coloured feathers.

i filled this one with mini licorice pieces but after a few i realised that i wont be able to get them out. they look nice though. feathers

these two are my favourite and my first. they are quilled strips of paper. you could choose paper to suit any christmas colour theme you have this year. just make sure your width of paper and hole in the top match.

ok i think i more than made up for my lack of posting lately, maybe i over did it? anyhow cant wait to see what you all get up to over the next few weeks leading up to my favourite time of the year.

mmmwwwaaahhh rosey

a blast from the past

This morning as i looked out the window i saw an old friend. just one glance and wonderful memories came flooding back to me. gooseberries by the water tank, letting the ducklings nibble on my fingers, climbing the huge walnut tree, building grass castles after dad mowed the long lawn. exploring every inch of the old farm, riding on the handle bars as my brother doubled my sister on the back, burying my old 'yowie' money bank in the front garden, lying under a REAL Christmas tree that touched the ceiling and looking up at the lights. all of these memories are so special but along with the good feelings come the feelings of what if... what if my mother hadn't died at the age of 39, how many more years would we have spent on that wonderful farm in toowoomba ?(now subdivided to within an inch of its life) introducing an old friend... little miss hydrangea, we had purple and pink variations on our farm. i am lucky enough to have this pretty lady in my front garden right in front of my window! i do hope you are happy and that you have a great thursday. xx goldsworthy

the cutest little 'ouchie' soother ever

Claudia's deliciously, gorgeous godmother Miranda gave her this sweet 'bump bunny' for her first birthday. it actually holds a small plastic cube which you freeze and then place inside the bunny. it is so cute and really cures the 'sads' very quickly. it was perfect the other day when she picked up that nasty old bee and had a sore finger. thanks Mir, you are THE BEST %^_^%

it is great for those frequent bumps to the head

it is so soft and pretty, can you see the space for the cube?

i would also like to introduce you to someone... Claudia named this one and lili and i are not sure if it is a girl or a boy. it has a girls body but the face of a boy, what do you think? anyhow the words that came out of Claudia's mouth when i said 'what is this bears name?' were 'Maynard bloop'. so without further adieu here is....

MAYNARD BLOOP

Boy or girl? what do you think? perhaps it is a shim... in any case i made it. i actually wanted to sew him with the machine, you know inside out sort of thing but i got too scared and just sewed him by hand. i need help with all this stuff. on my long holiday i will do some patterns from my softies book and i will learn heaps i am sure.

big sloppy kisses to all, especially you miranda!! mmmmwwwwaaaaahhh

aaarrrggghhh

it is 9:15pm and my 2 year old is still awake!!!! i have reports to do and limited patience. start sending calming vibes my way right now !^_^! xxrosey

the perils of a hangover

mick had a big night out last night and has been trying to sleep it off. claudia got to him with the lip gloss and gave him a mask of sorts. click on the picture to make it bigger.

here is the little culprit looking like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth!

here she is singing up a storm and looking oh so cute.

hope you never get hit by this fairy's lip gloss!!

xx

on our plate tonight, oh and a mouse

do you get tired of minced meat dishes, sausages and chicken done every way known to mankind? (hang in there vegetarians, half my meal might appeal to you) after brainstorming with the girls over our options for dinner, we came up with a dish we had only done once before but had remained in our memories. introducing the salmon and potato stack topped with a sour cream sauce. while i prepared the potato mix, lili and mia made the sauce. it is very easy, just juice from half a lemon, some garlic chives from our garden and sour cream of course.

we just love how simple and tasty it is and there are no left overs!

earlier in the day while claudia was sleeping, i finished off a little mouse. i used fabric instead of felt but i think i will try one in felt next. it is hard to distinguish that it is even a mouse, i learnt lots from making this little fella.

lili has named her 'ms.madison york'

click on it to make it bigger but don't look too closely... i used too many threads and i really need to stock up on extra bits like wool and beads etc... but i am still learning and the more i practise the better i will be.

mmmwwwaaaahh rosey

toddlers, spiders and bees, oh my!

today was one of THOSE days... we started the day by walking lili to school and stayed to watch her and her grade one class perform in front of the whole school (almost 600 kids). they were very entertaining and spoke and sang beautifully. we came home and while the girls enjoyed some morning tea, i jumped on the computer for a look around before it got too hot in the study. claudia came in to visit me and was playing on the floor under my sewing table when she says oohh mummy a spider. she has a terrible habit of touching all insects and whenever she says spider we all yell don't touch. bloody glad she listened this time because on closer investigation it wasn't a harmless daddy long legs, as i was expecting, but rather a RED BACK SPIDER!!!!! i called mia so that she was aware of what to look for and then i squished that little sucker. that was a close call. then in the afternoon mia comes running inside yelling bees, bees, but left poor claudia, who touches all insects, outside and of course she tried to pick it up and it STUNG HER. the stinger got stuck in her finger and i had to dig it out with a needle! poor little darling, at least i know she isn't allergic to bees !*_*! the only good thing of the day was that we installed an air conditioner in our house back in february and it got a good work out today. have a great weekend xxrosey

my instincts were right

for those following the previous post about my psychic abilities... yes i was right!! baby jed murphy was born on tuesday the 4th of november (3 weeks early). there was absolutely no way of me knowing that she was in labour as we dont really keep in contact anymore. i blow myself away sometimes. now as my husband and the gorgeous linda say... if only i could harness my power for the lotto numbers !*_*! good night, i will be dreaming of a gorgeous baby boy who has a gorgeous big sister and a very happy life ahead of him. xx goldsworthy

my first christmas pudding

when Claudia sleeps and recharges her batteries, i take some time for myself to hop on the computer or on the rare occasion i sew. the other day i whipped up this little pudding in just over an hour which has inspired me to do some more softies with this Christmas theme. it is my prototype and if you look closely you can see why i call myself 'i cant sew'. i hope to get better at it all and would appreciate any advise you have for me. i might even put a loop on the next one so it can hang on a tree, but i kind of like the idea of some table toppers too.

my girls are my biggest fans and love everything i make.

i would like to say thank you to all the kind and generous people in my life. people that i don't know all that well take the time to make me feel good. i might be learning to crochet soon so watch out for some more gorgeous guys like the little penguin from a few post back.

OK off to eat some lunch while she sleeps. xx

now i KNOW i'm psychic !*_*!

if you take the time to go back through my blog history you will find an entry on my psychic ability. to cut a long story short, i have this uncanny ability to predict births, pregnancies, basically things related to my friends and babies. i have a friend who has distanced herself from me for reasons not really clear to me so i cant even tell you. anyhow way back in Feb of this year i had the feeling that this friend was pregnant, she didn't ring me to tell me i just noted it in my diary and for some reason the 16th was a significant number. many months later, i found out along the grapevine that she indeed was pregnant and that the date i had written in my diary worked out to be exactly how far along she was and by my calculations due in November (i thought the 16th) OK, so i just go along with my life thinking of her every now and then and hoping that all is well. last night (Tuesday night) as i put my bottom on the bed ready to swing my legs over and lie down, i came over all sick and queasy clutching my tummy and in my head all i could think was, shes having the baby, she is having the baby!!! i jumped back up at 10:30pm and text her something like 'i cant stop thinking of you have you had the baby?' no response that night or the next morning but when i checked my phone around 4:30pm Wednesday an image of the most adorable little baby you have ever seen was on my phone with the title 'baby Murphy'! now i don't know if the baby was born on Tuesday but i cant wait to find out... hope she will talk to me. i left a message of congratulations with the nurse and i text her for all the details so i will keep those of you who are interested up to date. i am impressed with myself ~*_*~ i will be back tomorrow to show you my little plum pudding. xx rosey

2 birthdays and one hell of a cake!!

my dad and his grandson had a birthday today. boris turned 72 and tristan will never be 18 again. we had a lovely afternoon sharing laughs, cakes and of course music (peanut vendor repeated 16 times). we had two cakes, the first photo is of tristan with mia on his lap and guess who blew out the candles?

the conways left and the davis' arrived and we had the next cake. mia and i baked it and decorated it with a fishy feel. what do you think?

click on these guys to get a better look

boris then had to have a nip with anyone who was willing (bravo tristan, mick and mike)

i do love to spend time with my family and have enjoyed getting to know my father again. the story of the peanut vendor song is very sentimental to my father, i will try to tell it so that it makes sense. those who know me well will understand.

my mother died at the age of 39 leaving her husband (soul mate, best friend) to raise 5 young children, eldest 13 - youngest almost 4. the peanut vendor song, as dad tell us, is the story of his life with his wife and 5 children.

i wish i could play it for you and maybe one day i will learn how to but if you get the chance, hunt it down and listen to it with this story playing in your head and see if you can listen to it without crying ( i am crying right now).

now the music is this cruisy, up beat tune, happy, life is great (imagine dad with his young bride) then you hear a horn squeak (melissa) then another (anita) then another trumpet of some kind (andrew) and another loud trumpet sound (narelle) and of course the last trumpet (rosey) all playing at once. great melody and tune but noisy just like five kids all talking, crying, laughing, playing fighting at once... as you listen there is an underlying tune that repeats itself and as dad likes to say it is mum singing IT'S ALRIGHT, IT'S ALRIGHT and if you listen you really can imagine her singing to her husband that everything will be alright. it is hard to explain without the music but it means so much to us as her children and this song was with us today and it is like having mum with us. ok enough from me.

i better go and do some school work, mmmwwwaaahhh rosey

thanks a bunch

i love my sister narelle and my brother-in-law mike. last night they babysat our three girls and were kind enough to offer to do it again!!!

i wonder if they really want to babysit again or were they just being kind !*_*!

mick and i had the best night at my work christmas party, it was also our 10 year anniversary of when we met. we had free dinner and drinks then headed off to the full moon for some live music. we also came away with $20 out of the pokies!

i love my husband (which is a good thing) and hope to have at least 50 more years with him #*_*#

this is an old photo but it is the only photo i can find of us together.

thanks again davis family you are the most generous and loving family there is!

over and out goldsworthy xx