mobblegobble

Is a change as good as a holiday?

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Scratching an itch....

While off-line, i did manage to squeeze in some crafting.  And didn't it make me feel better!!!  The TODO and UFO list is still as long as ever but every little bit counts...

One Sunday recently Damage took the ladies and left me with the house to myself. I got out a pattern from this lady to sew.  As is my habit these days when left to my own devices, I started bawling.  I opened a bottle of wine, bawled, cut out fabric, bawled, more wine, chattered away to the spirits, more wine, danced around the kitchen, sewed, more wine and finally finished the bag.  Totally emotional way to spend an arvo but also very cathartic.

There's more new babies around:

And have dabbled in tortured artistdom for DB's birthday:

Have also started some christmas in july crafting with the utterly inspirational and unstoppable Planning Queen.  We made fabric notebooks after a sneaky lesson at the Mixtape launch.  We also slipped off to Art after Dark last night for the Art Deco exhibition.  Amazing - highlights for me defo the divine evening gowns AND the ballet and dance costumes on show in the foyer at the arts centre.

Off to my homelands this weekend for some well-needed grounding.

Anyone else got the flu?

I have the flu. I tried to be a hero but finally went to the quak yesterday.  I dont usually do pharmaceuticals but will you look at that - they work!!

They are working so well in fact that I even GIGGLED today.  At this - from the back page of Monday's Age sport section (not a usual read mind you but worth it today):

My phone and coughing mean its fuzzy, it says:

FOR WHOM THE BELL....

Olympic Games do funny things to people. Take for instance Councillors William Spong and Hiram Fong of Hong Kong Legislative Council, who have sponsored a bill recommending the mass ringing of church bells as a sign of good luck to send off the Hong Kong table tennis to Bejing. They've called the bill "the Spong-Fong Hong Kong Ping Pong Ding Dong Bell Bill".

True or not, who cares?

Happy Birthday Dustalina

A Very Happy Brithday was had with the dinosaurs.

I have got a fair bit to catch up on but that will all have to wait.  Thanks to everyone for their kind words and support xoxoxo 

Arivideci mia sorella molta bella, amica di tutti

The words will come but it will never seem like I should be saying them. We have always known how important you are to us as a sister, a daughter, a wife, mother, niece, cousin, aunty and friend.  Your un-ending generosity and limitless energy for us will always be remembered.

You were intelligent and beautiful yet you lived life without arrogance or vanity.  You showed us that you can possess elegance and poise, and be deliciously daggy all at once. When you searched the mirror, you weren’t looking for a blemish to cover or wrinkle to smooth but reflecting on what you could do better as a person.  You were so accepting of others and forever re-enforcing their confidence and ego, yet all the while travelling your path to self improvement.  I don’t know one other person who has actualised as many ideas to help themselves grow.

And help others grow.  A constant source of inspiration for others to kick off their own Italian language classes, cook something new, go to a gallery, get back into netball, go for a walk or leave a little note to remind someone how special they are.  For someone who always went far and above the call of any duty – be it friendship, work or family related, that you were always inspired by the people around you and by seemingly insignificant things.  You were always the first to make a fuss about someone’s achievements and always bold enough to start the hoo-haa.

And you always remembered to tell everyone.  In spite of a very long list of wonderful qualities to brag about, you did very little bragging.

An implementor and a deep thinker, you had already kicked off the action plan while everyone else was still considering options – you just did it.  Organised and well planned, you tackled problems analytically and with fierce determination.  Your positive attitude has always been maintained in the face of challenges – being negative was never on the radar.  Growing up, you considered a career as a coroner even though you couldn’t stand the sight of blood and something as inoffensive as chewed up toast made you throw up (and get the day off school). 

I love that you have always been sentimental and family oriented.  You treat each and every member of our family, the Incolls and the families of your friends with trust and respect. Respect which is born out of a hard-earned respect for yourself. You take pride in each of your relationships, cherish and invest what-ever is required to make sure that others feel valued and important and special. You displayed an innate ability to relate to children and adults. Your advanced emotional maturity enabled you to quickly assess people and situations and to always deliver the right messages.  I love that you love tradition and old school – pickled onions, relish, home-made sauce, all manner of craftiness, hand-me-downs, good old fashioned virtues such as honesty and integrity.

Your direct, down to earth disposition endeared you to friends, family and work colleagues and you have built strong bonds with people of all ages and walks of life.  You had a charitable nature which benefited many – whether it be in your volunteer work or in your everyday relationships.  Your absence has left many empty spaces which we will try to fill with cherished memories.

And Laugh – so good at it.  You laughed even when it wasn’t that funny.  Probably sometimes just to make us feel good but mostly because it took very little to get you going.  You were always able to lighten the mood – sometimes intentionally and sometimes quite by accident.  When Pop, Billy and Dad died, you were the first one to help us remember the funny stories and all the good times.  I wish I had video tape of your first leadership team meeting at Melbourne path when in your just been promoted, got so much to offer keen-ness, you leant backwards on your chair and ended up tipping it over – legs in the air.  And so brave to just get up again and soldier on.  You loved it when others joined in on the joke but it didn’t stop you if they didn’t.  We will miss laughing at you and with you.

My heart aches for your 8am drop ins when you would bring your kid to see my two and we would talk about anything or nothing. You would be too full to eat anything after breakfast with Nigel but Majella would be happy for her second round.  My heart aches for our bake-offs, for the countless hours we have spent picking grapes together dreaming, arguing, competing and consoling, for being able to talk to you without having to be polite and know you wouldn’t be offended, for screaming at the top of our lungs to make the turkeys gobble at the show, for drinking way faster than me, for days camping, for getting home earliest to have first hack at the pickled leg in Mum’s fridge, for long drives together and boozey Christmas eves, for Mrs Red Pen, for skits in the loungeroom, for getting you out of trouble, for getting you into trouble, for getting into trouble with you, for communicating without talking, for not having done enough to make sure you know how much I love you and how much you have taught me.

We were similar in many ways and I know when these likenesses present we will remember fondly, but it will be our differences that I will find most painful to be without. It brings some solace that Billy was able to introduce you to Nigel and that in your husband and daughter you found true and absolute happiness.  And I’m proud to have known you as my sister when you are loved and adored by so many.  You were so good at celebrating others while you were here – I hope we can all spend some time celebrating you, and remember to celebrate each other as well.

Arivedici mia sorella molta bella, amica di tutti

Goodbye my very beautiful sister, everyone’s friend.

The Monkey Face

We went camping at Easter

And had a ball. Real camping - not caravan park camping. On a river.  I've never seen Dusts so comfortable - she was down at the bank fishing with her dad, prodding the carp, getting all muddy for fun, wandering around the bush, playing with all the dogs.  She's usually quite shy but she warmed up immediately to everyone (my uncle, cousins and their crew) - even showed some clever teflon-ing by getting my uncle his own biscut when he noticed hers with more than a hint of interest.  It was one of my dad's favourite things to do - and something my family did A LOT - so I am chuffed to bits that it's something we should all be able to do - I love camping.  And it's a leap of faith when you put 23 people together in a few tents around a campfire - you gotta just hope that they all get along. It was brilliant. Planning Queen came along with her crew too.  Highlights include: Easter Egg Hunt, Catching a few fish, Hanging with people I have known for almost all my life, having several drinks, being able to swim (just - it was murky but on a hot day - nothing beats a dip), no mobile phone for 4 days, sleeping in a tent and the ranger - this was a massive hit and very accomodating for the smaller kids (we had 7 aged 4 and under):

It's a long way but worth it.  We had a bit of drama on the 7 hr trip home - one of us didn't like the chips we had for lunch and had to get rid of them immediately.  We do a lot of car travelling so I hope this isn't the start of some kind of travel sickness.  It was just the once and she seemed to move on pretty quickly.  We'll wait and see.  Hope easter was breakful for everyone else.

Did you know that the Royal Children's Hospital is one of the Top 3 kid's hospitals in the world?

And I'm not surprised - We spent all day last Tuesday there and they were fantastic.  Dusty couldnt walk and her knee was swollen - they hit us with the works and fast.  Xrays, Bone scans, IV drips - the staff were all great and amongst the choas, you knew you were in the right spot to be taken care of.  (even our 2 yo who got dragged along got all the stickers, icypoles and wiggles action the sick kid got).  Although inconvenient in a busy (and short) week, very grounding experience to at the end of the day, take our kid home with a bottle of medicine (no bone infection, just in the tissue).  Thoughts to everyone who gets there and experiences times which far more emotional.

the Bride in the blue dress

two weekends ago we had a lovely weekend in halls gap with some old and dear friends - you know the ones that you used to live with in college at uni but you don't see that much these days.  It was awesome to catch up.  Also cause for celebration for Damage and I too as we have now been kissing only each other for 5 years!!!

This is my creation - better late than never

Hit me with your ribbon stick.  I think I am a couple behind but this is a couple of my favourite creations (not the kid in pink - someone else's creation), along with some ribbon wands we created the other day. 

We just used:

• a stick from the backyard
• some ribbon for flowing effect - the girls chose this when we were at snotlight earlier in the week
• stash ribbon to cover the stick and hold flowing ribbon in place.
• we also added some decorative beads to the ribbon end.

Of course the kids are most definitely my best creation. My own evolution since having them is amazing and never-ending.  You gotta love the gift that keeps on giving....

This is another of my favourite creations - it was my first applique/quilting attempt for my godson - each block has a meaning - Year of the Dog, Bull = Taurus starsign, Grapes are the mildura connection, Balloon wishing him travel and adventure, etc.  I was so happy with the result because its sooo personal and really stretched me into the phenomonen that is quilting and applique.

Threadery and Stitchiness

First ThreadDen sewing class last night - fabo.  Was recently stumped by hemming solution to stretch fabric dress I made my sister.   Julie gave me a few options - my favourite being the double needle - simple yet ever so effective.  Looked great on the bright purple leggings.

Today I was helping out with sublime stitching for pip and Living Creatively at the Stitches & Craft Show.  Met a swag of crafting royalty and got to hang out with fellow owl of brown-ness, Amy.  Great way to wag work if you ask me. I didn't get to have much of a look around but I did get to chat a lot and work on some stitching. Warning - photos are from the phone so no need to adjust your settings or stop swigging your whisky.

Picnic Anyone?

"Lunch" and "Dinner" hopping about near the stage - picking up all sorts of uber-handy crafty tips.