bad blogger

please forgive me for my month long absence...i do believe that is the longest time i have been away since starting this blog!! i can only blame life for getting in the way and then Christmas had to come along and ruin everything :)

and to top things off my camera and computer don't want to play together so i cant even load any new photos to share with you!

so instead of up to date relevant photos i am forced to share pre Christmas shots...

the girls love to dress in the Christmas shirts and reindeer accessories each year and i cant wait to put them away...

cute!! this photo is so old mia is still in her school uniform! here they are dressed ready for their school concert

they also love to get crafty or bake something. this year i found a ready made cookie decorating set which they had fun putting their own festive touches to.

thanks to Tupperware for these nifty master chef type outfits Claudia loves anything crafty Mia taking great care to make her cookie look good lili has a real creative streak

during the lead up to Christmas my sister Anita came home from London FOR GOOD!! it was so lovely to have her home for her first Christmas in about 8 years.

my father Boris and my niece Renata waiting at the airport for...

Anita!!! here she is looking as beautiful as ever

and we celebrated my nephews 21st with some cake and dinner.

most of my family gathered here to celebrate.

well i best be off to celebrate some more. we are yet to see micks brother as they were away for Christmas so we are off for more food!!

hope to have some actual christmas photos soon and hope to be back to my normal self by the beginning of next year!!

big christmas kisses and new year hugs to you all.

xxxrosey

mission impossible

your mission should you choose to accept is to clean up the 'studyio' (study and craft studio combined)...

that was the mission i gave myself on Monday, it is now Thursday and i still have a little way to go...

i have to cut myself some slack...on Monday i did find a HUGE curled up huntsmen on the floor which totally freaked me out and each time i thought about clearing the mess i wondered how many more might be lurking plus i was out of storage space. so i came up with the cunning plan of heading to the thrift shop to find a suitable cupboard...time wasting is my current job :)

as luck would have it a perfect storage solution was purchased but not able to be picked up until my dear darling husband came home with the Ute. so cleaning was postponed till the following day. anyhow happy to say that i have before and after photos and i still have a little way to go but the chore is not so mammoth and i can see the light or floor as the case may be @_@

the before shot, truth be told NONE of this is my mess....it all belongs to my 3 darling children....

and after, still not quite perfect but getting there. ignore the flooring...flooring, light fittings and curtains/window treatments are next on our list of home improvements.

the sewing machine area before....

and after the bunny hiding in the corner is my Christmas present from last year... we have started doing secret Santa with a twist, 'secret trashy Santa' present has to be under $10 and as trashy or tacky as can be. yes that is a bunny mirror, go figure?

real eggs popped in real nest in amongst my little collection of curiosities.

this is part of the room pre storage solution, the mess is growing legs and moving across the floor...

there it is! i moved the gorgeous old trunk over in front of the shelving and moved the new storage solution into place....

and here is a before shot of my fabric and ribbon stash....

and here it is after...yes this is the LITTLE BIT LEFT TO CLEAN...but now that i have an extra place to put things i can delegate shelves to certain crafting supplies...or at least that is the plan :)

there you have it...i best be off to finish the fabric stash or at least have a coffee and contemplate my next step...

xxrosey

celebrating diwali

we are certain that Claudia was a cat in her previous life...here's hoping she has a few more lives left. read on to see what happened.

Friday gone by marked an important event in the Hindu calendar, Diwali, which roughly translates to the Festival of the Lights. our gorgeous neighbours invited us over to enjoy traditional Indian dishes and share in their festivities. we arrived to find the house lit up with lights and many votive candles burning. my neighbour had given Claudia a traditional sari to wear but being the ham that she is she couldn't get the top on, a blessing in disguise as you will see...

the children looked lovely in their traditional attire and had heaps of fun playing together as they always do.

here are Mia and Claudia with Ronav. and this is Jayana, she would have to be the cutest little 3 year old you have ever seen in your life! i just love her to pieces.

we were welcomed in by Asher and her husband Avi and treated to their wonderful hospitality and settled in as other guests arrived. isn't she stunning!!!

anyhow, we were all enjoying a few wines and the tasty traditional appetisers when Mia came out to me and said 'Claudia's on fire'...she had climbed onto the table inside to look at the puzzles the children were playing with and her dress caught on fire. by some stroke of luck, or i like to think that her grandmothers were watching over her, Avi was in the kitchen and quickly patted the fire out. she was only left with a minor burn but a fright that will last a life time i hope.

the blister burst and she called the 'hole in her leg'

this could have been much worse than it was...if she had been wearing that sari which is the same fabric as Asher's sari she would have gone up in a big fire ball and only moments before Avi was sitting outside enjoying the conversation, if it wasn't for his quick reflex she could have been burnt more.

anyhow it didn't dampen our spirits, living across the road meant that we could go home get changed and grab the ice pack and come back to enjoy the rest of the night. Claudia is a real toughie, she didn't cry at all but was more concerned that she had ruined her pretty dress. i will turn it into some bunting for her room.

i guess we have all learned a good lesson, especially me. and it has left me wondering how many lives does Claudia have left. she really is turning my hair grey!!

have a great week

xxrosey

a date to remember

hard to believe that it has been 3 weeks since my last post. i seem to be ultra busy but getting nowhere! i am loving my night fill job at Big W but wish it was a more permanent thing. i don't like having to wait by the phone but i guess it is better than nothing. the pay is a third that of relief teaching but it is a no thinking job, just what i need right now. apart from night fill and relief teaching i have been trying to keep up with making stock for the cottage and filling an order for Christmas peg dolls.

it is so much fun making these sweet pegs but time consuming...i have so many ideas for Christmas stock but so little time.

in amongst all of this work i still have to run the house...keep up with the cleaning, cooking , shopping etc... and be a shoulder to cry on for mick who is going through a low point. i just wish i knew the future would be fine but at the moment it is just one big ball of stress.

anyhow, some good news to cheer us up is that my sister Anita is coming home from London for good!! she has been gone for over 7 years and we have missed her so much. it will be nice to have her home and start working towards a joint venture. she is a very creative soul, just wish she was home right now.

and today marks 12 years since mick and i first met here in Brisbane on a blind date. my sister Narelle thought that we would make a great couple and she was right...12 years on here we are with 10 years of marriage, 3 kids, 2 cars and a mortgage!

that is why Halloween will always be special to me.

best go and work on one of the many things i want to make this week...

xxxrosey

look whose had a facelift

no I haven't had a face lift but Coutts Cottage has. Lilly Cottage and Friends now takes up 2 of the 4 rooms and both verandahs and the new colour really highlights our shabby pretties. Despite the rain, we opened the doors to those brave enough to come out and had quite a reasonable trading day. i just love rainy days but this weather is seriously outrageous! the rain seems to have been non stop for at least 2 weeks with the past 3 days seeing record falls. i kept the girls home today (and our gorgeous neighbour) as the thought of heading out in that swirling rain was unimaginable. hope it has eased by Wednesday because i have to go to work, no ifs or buts!

anyhow i thought i better post some shots of the new look Coutts Cottage and some pretties to tantalise you.

here she is in all her cream glory, she is not quite finished yet mind you, i am not sure what the trim will be but anything will be an improvement on THAT apricot. the painters still have a way to go but you can see that apricot just disappearing... we usually have some items hanging but of course all of our nails and screws have been removed. looks a tad bare but still pretty. the windy rainy weather was a bit worrisome, we ended up putting this vase on the ground as we were worried the wind would blow it over. come inside and I'll show you a few pretties. cupcake anyone? some pretties for you to swoon over. my little flea market/bohemian style shelf looks super cute, just love my little owls...

especially this one Linda painted this pretty gal, just lovely don't you think?

there you have it, our little cottage coming together nicely. it certainly doesn't feel like work that's for sure.

hope you have a wonderful week, i will be trying to stay dry...quack quack!

xxrosey

Goodbye September Hello October

is it just me or did September fly by at a phenomenal speed? lucky i took some photos during the month because i am buggered if i can recall any of it... we are on the slippery slope into Christmas and as always each weekend seems to fill up fast with activities or 'must do' tasks and i find that my head is already spinning. luckily kerryanne is organising a home made Christmas blogging special with amazing ideas, money saving tips from herself and guest bloggers, and even a giveaway or two, so if you are stuck for ideas or need some inspiration become a follower to keep up to date.

the first step in her homemade Christmas is an all important organiser which can be downloaded from her blog (see told you she would keep you on track). i will add her button to my sidebar as soon as i work out how to do it (someone remind me please...).

but before i look to the future i might just go back to the past and recap what September actually held for me and my little family. as i said before the camera reveals all and reminds me of the fun we had.

during the month of September we were visited by some dear friends who travelled from my home town of toowoomba to come see us and our little space out at the markets. i have known Darren for over 15 years and his lovely wife Sarena for 10, so when we get together we just pick up where we left off. we had a great time eating and drinking and watching the girls play with their gorgeous daughter Adelaide.

here's Adelaide on the trampoline. for better/more photos click here we met up with some more friends out at the markets and enjoyed a tasty lunch and a play in the park. (which is most likely where we got the ticks from!)

the next night we gathered up my dad and headed over to my nieces school for a musical extravaganza...

this was the best night out! amazing how young children can be so very entertaining. here is Chelsea surrounded by her adoring fans... my sister Narelle and my dad Boris waiting to go in.

here is Chelsea on stage during one of the many songs. i must say we were all thoroughly entertained and amazed at the talent of these young children.

on the first weekend of the school holidays Mick blew out 37 candles... cuddles and present opening... not quite 37 candles but i didn't want to burn the house down ~_~ raspberry swirl cake is our most favourite!

then the very next day we celebrated Chloe's 4th birthday at hungry jacks

she is such a cutie!

During the school holidays we managed to get up to visit micks dad and step mum in their new home in Hervey Bay. it was a really nice drive, the scenery was pretty and stopping along the way broke the drive up. we pulled into a rest area and were greeted by many birds who live by the man made lakes. these fellas got a little too close for comfort but were fascinating as the girls had never been so close to geese of this size. we had a really nice time, very relaxing indeed. this is my attempt at an artistic shot at Burrum Heads while the girls did this... look at that water!! the water was chilly but you cant stop children from getting in.... here are the girls and mick with Jim and Leona. we hope to get back up there in the new year before school starts again.

we returned to Brisbane just in time for a skating party held in honour of Hannah's 8th birthday. the girls had such a good time. i forgot how much of a workout skating can be, i dressed the girls in warmish clothes cause our day was overcast...big mistake, look how red my lili is!!

here is the birthday girl.

and here are the 4 year olds. these 2 are so cute! look how red she is! it is hard to believe that lili came 2nd in the limbo competition..she cant skate. Mia held on the whole time, a few more sessions and she might be able to go round without holding on and falling over . they had a great time, makes me want to go back and join in the fun...

phew what a long post...sorry bout that, perhaps i shouldn't leave it so long next time...

it has taken me a whole hour to write this post! i best be off and do some sort of housework before school pick up time.

mwah rosey