who would of thunk....

our girls go to a local catholic school with a lovely sense of spirit.

my curly haired companion started prep today and instead of kicking up my heels like i thought i would...i miss the rotten sod!!! it is not as brutal and traumatic after having been through it already with lili, but i did shed a tear as i walked away without her. she was fine as she had the same teacher as lili did and in the same room, so she was familiar plus she had two friends in her class as well.

i just love the uniform, very easy to spot the prep children!

god i love this kid. isnt it amazing how you can love each one equally but for different reasons!!

here she is settling while parents buzz around taking photos, she couldnt care less when i left she had 'things' to do :)

so now i am left with my little claudia as my shadow.

claudia and i took papa out to the shops where he treated us to coffee, baby chinos and a muffin (he does it every time!) and at every turn i thought of mia. there is a house we pass that has lots of junk piled everywhere, the occupant is a real hoarder, i could hear mia saying 'seepage house' as we drove by. then as we pulled into the under cover parking lot i was waiting for her to say her usual chant ' hail mary full of grace please find us a parking space' (works every time) then as we pull into the park she has to thank her otherwise it might jinx us for next time. 'hail mary full of grace thank you for our parking space'

and i missed her happy smile and cheeky laugh with claudia. i guess i will get used to it but for now i just plain miss her.

on the flip side i am enjoying this moment, where the baby is asleep and mia isnt bothering me!!

last photo of the uniforms but lili wanted you to see her in her sports uniform. i miss her too, god i am a sook!

ok off to post on my other blog, if hammy stays asleep that is.

%*_*% rosey

5:30 am 7 years ago...

my little lil came into this world at 5:30am 7 years ago and in a bizarre coincidence this is what greeted me at exactly 5:30am this morning!

her 5th tooth chose to leave her mouth this morning, rudely waking me from my much needed beauty sleep. (can anyone tell my fortune from those lines?) here she is flashing her pearly whites and dreaming of the money that the tooth fairy will bring.

it has become a bonser family tradition to open birthday presents on our bed after everyone has woken. lili has received heaps of gifts for her birthday but couldnt wait to open them so the ones that she opened this morning were just from us. she has gotten gifts from her cousins in sydney, her aunty in london and then the usual family and friends here in brisbane. i love any type of celebration and mia and i had fun choosing some gifts yesterday.

lili is into collecting 'treasures', she likes old tins and pretty things and she was delighted with this candle holder and mini vases. here is her loot from us, the only thing missing from this photo is the mp3 player we got for her, i think mick is holding it. we hope to head out for dinner on friday night lilis choice, please pray that my children dont act like animals! now as you know this blog is like a journal that i hope my girls will be able to read in years to come so here a few facts about my lili that i would like to put into print.

*she was induced on my grandmothers birthday but she took so long to come out that she came the next day. we still used jane as her middle name (my grandmothers name) and that also happened to be the name of the gorgeous nurse who cared for me throughout my pregnancy.

*when she was born she had to spend 2 days in the 'special care unit' and when the nurses asked for her name i said we cant decide between lucy or lili. mick came back to the hospital with a gigantic bunch of lillys that he and anita had bought for me. so lili it was.

*her nicknames are 'lou lou' 'lililou' 'bow bow'(as tie a bow in a ribbon) because that is how mia used to say her name. 'googlybear' and 'carebear'.

*she has a very nice singing voice with a natural vibrato.

*she is artistic and creative (but not outstanding) and loves to read or be read to.

*she isnt very athletic or coordinated, which would explain the three breaks in the past 7 years.

*she likes to tidy the house and could quite responsibly put a load of washing on.

*she is very soft and sensitive and cries just as easily as i do at anything that is unjust or inhumane.

*she has started a collection of old tins and smelly rubbers. she has also started collecting pretty things. yes my efforts to de-clutter are not working!!!!

*lili and i get on very well but she often has bust ups with mister moo.

*i love her to bits and am so glad that she came into my life.

now i am off to do things i should be doing. forgive me if i dont comment on your blogs, i am reading them but now that i am back at work time is organist me! mia starts prep tomorrow so i will loose my little companion who has been by my side for almost 5 years!! i think that when it is just claudia at home next thursday and friday i will have even less time as she will have lost her buddy too. * sob sob sob*

enjoy the rest of your week. i have been working on my valentine swap parcel and the material is exquisite cant wait to show you!!!

mmwwaahhh %*_*% rosey

wordless wednesday

in the eye of the storm...

when you think of the word cyclone what comes to mind?? for me it is the build up first, then the touch down of destruction. the eye of the storm comes next when there is eerie calm, followed by the furious ending where it wreaks more havoc until it fades off to build yet again some other time. that just about sums up an ordinary day for our youngest daughter - claudia!! so you can imagine that anything crafty has to take place during the ' eye' of the storm or after it fades where it is actually recharging ready for its next ' touchdown'.

so during the 'eye of the storm', while i was stitching another bird ~Millicent~ (which i will post about on my other blog i cant sew) mia asked if she could stitch as well. now i am not the most patient of people, but i believe my new years resolution was to have more patience, so i decided to draw a basic shape on some felt and let her stitch away. i was really quite impressed with her efforts and determination to make something out of it. what started as a basic house shape turned into a little bag in which she can house her little 'treasures'.

i love the motion in this picture.

she made a few mistakes that i had to unpick, but all in all she understood what to do quite quickly.

i used my version of a blanket stitch to turn it into a sort of pouch.

home sweet home *^_^*

here are the 'treasures' that reside inside.

pretty clever don't you think?!?! i love my girls, each is so unique but i can also see traits of mister moo and myself in each of them. i wish i didnt have to go back to work, i could do this sort of thing all day long for the rest of my life and never get bored. i dont get it when people say they would be bored if they didnt work, i have so much to keep me going and i have just finished 6 weeks holidays!!!

oh before i go HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

mmwwaaaahhhh *^_^* rosey

helllloooo heaven!!

i told you i wouldn't get to play with you as much now that i am back at work :(

i have been wanting to show you this most wonderful place since we visited it on Tuesday (which honestly feels like an eternity, so much has happened since then) but have been busy at work and sadly attending the funeral of a wonderful man who is now in peace.

Linda and her three children welcomed us into their wonderland with open arms. it didn't take long for the children to strike up a friendship and we soon found ourselves outside hugging these gorgeous critters

my scatter brain cant remember their names. they have 8 guinea pigs in total.

they are extremely healthy looking specimens and i have a feeling that we will be getting some of our own for Easter!!

i must admit they are cute!! here is nic with my girls. this would have to be one of the most polite and well mannered boys i have ever met. a real delight!!

Marissa is 'the chicken whisperer' she is able to calm her hens down by talking to them. i am witness to her abilities.

the lovely Linda with her eldest child Courtney. i would say school captain in the making!! it is no wonder Linda has such lovely children, she is so down to earth and welcoming herself.

here is lili feeding the half dozen chickens. two eggs were laid in the 4 hours that we spent there.... yes 4 hours!!! time really went fast. cute but not so good at laying. this place has everything, pool, fort and wonderful big sister. Courtney and Mia on the scooter track. oh yes that is a trampoline in the corner of the picture too. and heaven wouldn't be complete without a work room so fully laden with crafty treasure that i almost fell over with excitement. every square inch of what used to be the living room is covered with some sort of fabric, ribbon, art work in the making... you get what i mean. but it isn't in a mess everything has its place. really wonderful. but the best part is that Linda helped me complete my Christmas stitching and she turned it into a wall hanging for me.

for a better look go over to my other blog

i cant sew. aren't they just so pretty!

thanks once again to the simpsons for having us over. it wasn't our intention to stay for over 4 hours but time really did go by so quickly. oh and by the way, you make great coconut bread!!

will be back for a weekend whinge.

mmwwaah rosey

wordless wednesday

i feel a bad moon arising....

well folks i can almost taste WORK! now i cant complain cause i have been on holidays since around the 5th of december.... but it means that all this blogging stuff will have to be pushed aside while i sort out my work routine. i havent finished covering lilis books yet, let alone looked at what i will be teaching on the first day of school on wednesday the 28th aaarrrggg.

we went school shoe shopping today... $130 later, two pairs of shoes and the sinking feeling that i once again paid too much to ensure that their feet dont end up with bunions like mine. then i came home to this...

yes claudia getting in on the school action. she is so cute and in her own mind quite ready for 'big school' , she wont be going anywhere till 2012!! july baby, she misses out by 3 days, she will be well and truly ready by then!! so will i :)

one thing i did achieve today was to complete a wisp (Work In Slow Progress)i managed to cut and pin some designs ready for stitching and guess what.... ta da

one finished heart! i added some buttons on the front cause they seem to be all the rage and i even stuffed some lavender inside so it smells sweet too. i have posted about it on my other blog ~ i cant sew~ if you feel you need to look at it some more.

most excitingly we are off to see the lovely linda on tuesday for some morning tea and i will be able to pick her brain about etsy and other crafting stuff. cant wait just to chat with her actually. dont forget to visit her blog ~lilly cottage~ as she is having a giveaway and wants as many visitors as possible. you never know it might be you who wins her gorgeous valentines give away!!

well i am off to email my new teaching partner the lovely michelle and then cover some books... oh joy!

mmwwaahh %*_*%

the divine miss M

for some reason god has blessed me with THE nicest life long friends. my BFF (only just worked out what that stands for the other day) Miranda visited us today and brought with her lunch, a cake to celebrate lilis birthday and a present to boot!! we had a great time catching up and the girls showered her with hugs all day.

here is mir with mia, lili and my niece chelsea. the cake did not last long but we saved one slice for sleeping beauty (when she wakes she is the beast!)

mia and the Divine miss m

this could be a photo of me and my sister narelle at the same age. lili looks like me and chels is a dead ringer for her mum. she is sooooo pretty!!

miranda was the first person i met when i started year 10 at an all girls school in toowoomba in 1987... yes you read that correctly over 20 years ago!!

we have been through so much together but not once have we had a fight, not even so much as a frown! she is a dear, dear friend and godmother to claudia. while she was here we set up a blog for her but she has not added a post yet. she has called it JustM and i am sure that you gorgeous blog pals will make her feel welcome.

on other important news middle child mia is off to prep in two weeks. while i was ironing on name tags to her uniforms she just had to try it on. here she is striking a pose as a preppie. she is so cute and will do well this year. it is funny how i was a complete mess when lili started two years ago but with mia it is no big deal. i will miss her on my days off but i am also looking forward to having alone time with my little claudia (or gloria as my dad likes to call her).

the best thing about having all girls is that i can use hand me downs. the shirt was lilis and all three are in great condition. i had to buy smaller sized shorts as mia is a bit of a skinny minny, however we have all packed on the kilos this summer!! now all we have to do is buy shoes... aaarrggg

click on this picture to see what is on lilis head. then read the story below...

you know how we have been reading the fairy journal that the girls got from narelle and family for christmas, well last night we read an entry in the journal that tells you how to see them, what time etc... what they wear usually matches the tree or shrub they hide in etc... when narelle came to pick chels up we were at our lovely flowering shrubs out the front and narelle said to lili 'these look like fairy crowns, you should paint them gold and leave them out for the fairies'. lili totally understood what she meant cause we had just been reading about it. we all said what a great idea... we waved bye to my sister and fam and came back inside. when i looked at lili a cheeky fairy had put a 'crown' on her head!!! we were all freaking out!!!! it really blew lili away and has made us even more determined to see one.*_*

i believe in fairies do you?

mmmwwaaahh rosey

just a quickie

just a quick post as we spent hours at the hospital with poor mister moo having a piece of metal shaving scraped out of his eye... AGAIN! i have created another blog, to see why go here i cant sew creations please say some prayers for my sister as her beloved father in law passed away today. goodnight sleeptight %*_*% rosey

i have a confession to make....

when the children are playing quietly and happily together i sometimes do this... yes i sneak a peek at them through the blinds! is this strange? are there other crazy mums who know that if you so much as show your face around the corner of a wall that all gooey sibling fun ends? i do hope that i am normal and that my life here is the same as at least one other domestic goddess out there!!

when i saw what they were doing i had to take some photos to share.

back in december lili and i visited the angel cafe in toowoomba and ever since then she has been setting up her own version...

here is the decor complete with notepad and pen to take your order!

the waitress serving her customers.

cupcakes, brownies and grapes mmmmmm

the happy customers!

the waitress even does the dishes!! gosh i have taught her well :)

there you have it... what my girls do when they play nicely together, i just wish they could do that more often *_*

an update on the snow domes... plaster master mick helped lili mix and pour the plaster into the molds and they turned out quite alright. one had a slight accident but it hasnt deterred lili from getting them done. the only problem is finding time when the baby isnt up and we are home! i will keep you posted on the progress.

arent they the sweetest and she is taking her time to make them perfect.

and last of all selina (from my giveaway) has found her home. the lovely bunny has posted about her here. go check it out.

ok off to watch the secret millionaire (wish he would secretly find me)

%*_*% rosey