a wedding to end the month with

Well as promised November has been very busy for us. And we topped it all off last weekend with a wedding.

We started the weekend off with a spot of painting... But I will tell you more about that in another post. I love the suspense! Then I had some gal pals over and a super clever friend spray tanned us. (she has a beauty business - nothing dodgey and no oompa loompa results) So all bronzed up we got dressed in our party clothes on Saturday and headed to the ceremony.

The bride was beautiful. And the men in their suits were so spunky. I really enjoyed the fact that everyone was dressed up and looking their best.

BH's before we murdered the dancefloor.

The Groom's sisters made the cake. There are so many clever people around!

He is so handsome. And all it takes is a suit. NY resolution is to find more reasons for him to weat a suit!

The tanning goddess - for Movember.

The whole thing almost made me want to get married again - to the same man of course. Although in all reality I would still prefer to run away to the Mauritius and elope. I'd let the kids come with us.....maybe.

Half way mark

I have made it past the half way mark on my personal fitness challenge! Today the kids and I caught up with friends for breakfast. While the kids played we had talked about how good we are feeling in ourselves. She had remarked about how others thought we were nuts. She was one of my inspirations to get going and I think since we both started (we do different things in a similar way) we feel stronger, not only physically but emotionally. Definitely an unexpected benefit.

The idea of another 19 workouts before Christmas seems completely achievable.

My new motto (www.pinterest.com)

What are you goals for the rest of 2011? Is it to get through Christmas without any family arguments? Is that possible? Is it to try and get all you present shopping done before December?

Shower Pretty

Shower pretty - you know - the ultimate accessory to wear when you are wear nothing else - in the shower.

Clearly this is not me modelling

However I would love to have her complexion - not one freckle, pimple or wrinkle anywhere!

Flynn took a liking to the her, especially with the Xmas hat on

Come up for air son!

 My insanely clever friend has a really amazing ability to see beauty in things that others just can't see. See seems to be able to take ordinary items and tweak them into one of a kind, personalised magic. I remember when she was pregnant and she would arrive in the most gorgeous dresses and we'd all be hounding her for the shop where she found it, and she would just smile and tell us how she rescued the item and smocked here and snipped there. Voila. She is more than a clever sewer. Simply because she doesn't need instructions or rules. She can see beyond something into it's fantastic potential. (Secretly I hope that is why she is my friend and she can see some future fantastic in me too!)

This is what is going to help this little girl grow long beautiful healthy hair

Well it was in fact this same friend that made these beautiful shower caps. I love shower caps and now Lucy is in the good habit of using them too. These ones are so handy because you just throw them through the wash every week.

Can you see the gifting potential too? Teamed up with a body scrub and other goodies.....

our first community fundraising event

Yesterday we participated in the John Hughes Big Walk for PMH. We  have always intended to participate in these types of events but have always neglected to commit to anything.

Rain was forecast for the day (so we dropped the kids at their Grandma's) but it ended up being a beautifully sunny morning and the walk around Burswood and the river was really lovely. We were home with the kids by lunch time so it didn't cost us a lot of time really either. A lot of money was raised and hopefully it will help change a few children's lives for the better.

Also over the weekend we celebrated a birthday with our Sister-in-law, and I even squeezed in a session of Body Balance(It will take me a long time to get all that bending and stretching right) We ended the weekend with Clint and his mate trying to build a flying fox. It hasn't worked yet. But I hope they had fun trying - at least the kids had fun playing.

Cutie pops - love Miss T's missing teeth, she is growing up too fast

These 2 rascals are besties one minute and enemies the next. Flynn has already mastered the boy trait of pushing all her buttons! She takes the bait every time. So funny to watch

A late night bounce on the trampoline

Made time for some gaming (The remotes weren't working but they didn't know)

No sleep ins this weekend Dad!

Hello movember

NOVEMBER IS HERE. I'm sure we must have skipped a few months because this year is just zooming by at top speed.

This is what November 2011 holds for us:

A couple of Birthdays

A friends wedding

Watching our lovely niece perform a lead role in her school play
At least 16 trips to the Gym (sigh)
Swimming lessons, Monkey Bars and Yoga
and

www.pinterest.com

Moustaches!
That's right moustaches. November is Movember. you can check out http://au.movember.com/about/ for more info, but is basically an initiative to help raise funds and awareness to men's health, prostate cancer and male depression.
Usually Clint will start the month clean shaven (which is odd for him) and then grow his mo for the whole month. We have a wedding to attend this month so he will need to look respectable for photos and not silly. So I have decided we - as a family - will all feature moustaches in our photo's through out the month. I am making moustache props out of the above pic and we will pose with them. I challenge you all to join in. and please share you photo's
Let's make November memorable

the spring holidays are over

Yes the school holidays are over and we survived with smiles on our faces. Lucy passed her swimming lessons and will be going up a grade next term. I am a very proud mumma. Fly-monster will also be doing swimming lessons this term which means I'll have to get back in the pool (eek bathers) so hopefully by summer holidays we will have two little water confident rugrats

It is also the countdown to our friends wedding and then Chrissy so I have been on a workout goal of 4 gym workouts per week. I have 34 workouts left till Christmas and need to start backing it up with a dietary change now to make the most out of it. I think I needs some cooking a freezing days to stay organised. HARD WORK

Also the wonderful weather has delivered us some awesome strawberries and the promise of mandarins on our little tree. 

Have you noticed that my photo's are looking better than usual? The old man bought a new whiz bang camera. A canon e60 or something with a fancy lens that was far too expensive but very impressive. I am clearly an amateur however Clint is getting good. Nothing professional, but still very good quality to keep our memories looking pretty. None the less the kids have enjoyed us playing paparazzi

Good sports

week two, october holidays.

What an absolute corker last week was. We finished off with lots more visits with friends and swimming lessons and extreme speed wedding shopping. Unfortunately I ended up sick over the weekend so that has slowed me down a bit but every plan is flexible so nothing to get upset about.

In some extremely rare snippets of spare time I have managed a few little craft activities. This one I will show you today was an awesome treasure find from my local op shop.

$4.99 - how could I leave it there?



A small spray of primer



And then a spray of cool metallic silver

Then attached inside Miss L's wardrobe door



How cute

So all up, approximately 8 dollars later and we have a unique and funky necklace holder for our very trendy little girl.

Tomorrow we have a 2 year birthday party on our agenda and this is what I made for part of the decorations. Abby is her theme and the little miss whose birthday it is, is sweet and cheeky just like Abby so it really fits well. I hope everyone gets some great photos with it.

week one, October holidays

Looks like I was right. So far these school holidays have been nothing but fun. Also I may have over scheduled so we have a lot of plans but I think that we can fit it all in and still be left wanting more.

Last weekend we got to catch up with friends and family, help with wedding plans, build boats, Zumba, watch fireworks and attend the Perth Royal Show for the first time with the kids. All that and Clint and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary!

Oh aren't we cute, and we make marriage look so easy! HA!

Also Missy is enrolled in vacation swimming lessons which means every weekday we are at the local pools on top of everything else. On arrival home from the pools today we were greeted by our lovely front planter box in full bloom. We hadn't noticed when we left earlier in the day and was such an nice surprise. I LOVE SPRING.

Tomorrow we have more friends over and a fun activity planned for the kids. I will post pics - PROMISE!!

School holidays are here

Yesterday was the last day of kindy for term 3 and we are officially into Spring school holidays now. I am making an official pledge to have fun this time. Last time I really felt trapped by all the kid mess and whinging.

I am sticking with my "no tidying the playroom deal". But I am also adding to the list lots of visits with friends both grown up and little ones.

We are kicking off big with Fireworks (care of Bunnings Harrisdale)tonight and then a fab day of gym (the kids think the creche is a special treat) and play date tomorrow with some mummy friend wedding talk on the side. Dad is even getting a special treat of a whole day playing boat building with his BFF - sorry - his mate. Then we are off to the show the next day. I'm pretty sure we will need to follow all of this up with a pyjama day so that we are full of energy for another play date with Miss L's best friend.

I would like to get some sewing done, however I am realistic that it is a complete pipe dream.

Also recently because of a little window of spring sunshine we have managed to venture out to the veggie patch again. We kind of "rested" the beds over winter and added some farm poop and compost to see if we yield better crops this summer.

This is bed number two and we weren't going to really try tomatoes again this year however the garden kind of insisted. They had self seeded and sprouted everywhere. Literally! In the lawn in the garden beds and even in the kids play area which is just white sand! So we transplanted all of the big ones and now have eight seedlings. Not sure which variety is which but pretty sure we will at least have 2 tommy's. Looks like tomato relishes again this summer.

These are both pics of bed number 1. Just from different angles. Clint and the kids surprised me with some more strawberry plants. We have 5 in total now. I still don't think I'll get to taste any as they are too quick at picking them and eating them the second they turn red. Ratbags

Also you can see how during winter i let the kids scatter some seeds that had spilt in my seed container and they turnout out to be lettuces. They have looked after themselves all winter and I am quite impressed at how resilient they are. Only one little brocollini plant survived however. But still that is my best try with them yet.

So far for summer we have planted seeds for corn, basil, watermelon. mini cucumbers and the kids scattered carrot seeds so I will have another interesting harvest.

Also we finally got our tree hat stand from EMPIRE. I love it. It really fits with our quirkiness and the final picture we see out home at in the future. We still have lots to do but now we are one piece of art/furniture closer.

This is Missy moo's tree mural in her bedroom. It also got a spruce up for spring and is now in bloom. We are planning on adding a birdhouse too soon. Another job on the to do list.

Master F's construction party

Lots has happened since my last post. But I guess that happens considering how long I leave it between entries.
Firstly Hank had his de-nutting operation. Turns out he is the Houdini of stitches so he spent a full 10 days with a cone on his head. We used every satellite dish joke we could during this time!
Next was Fly's party. It was so good that we were tired for the full week following.


We decorated the party area with caution tape and cones and the party food was all the type of stuff you'd get from good old jiffy vans.My kids ate so much junk we ended up all night with tummy aches!




Next was Mothers' Day weekend. SO nice getting loves from the kiddies that made me a mother. Plus they got me a blow torch so that i can start experimenting with brulee's and meringues in the kitchen. It's a hot pink one too - so totally up my alley.


Then it was Super Nanny's 85th birthday so we popped over to see her.


Have a few projects to get finished so will hopefully have some good photos of my achievements next installment.

A lovely way to start April.

This weekend has kicked off well. We started Friday night with a"picky' dinner of pastry parcels and cheeses and dip and bikkies etc, on the outside couch around the coffee table. We didn't pressure the kids to have to eat anything they weren't interested in or sit still the whole time. SO basically they just ate dip (not even the biscuits just used them as spoons really) and some cheese and cabanossi. And between each bite they'd wander off and go on the swings and return when they were ready. Was nice not to have to stress. Then yesterday morning we did separate girls and guys things. Lucy and I went to the hairdressers and Flynn and Clint went to bunnings to get boy things i guess. We all then went up the hill to see our good friends that we haven't seen in far too long and they cooked us a really nice BBQ tea and the kids ran amok around us as we had a few bevvies and caught up. This morning I let the kids have hot cross buns for breaky and we set up a new little sandpit type play area for them. It didn't take long for Fly to pour a whole bucket load of sand onto the paving. Bless the little rascal. Really we are just waiting to find it in the water feature. No doubt he'll have that done by tomorrow. And today's lunch was Korean bulgogi beef and we made little parcels just like when we go to Arirang. I also marinated some tempeh and zucchini which was just as yummy and gave a bit of variation to each one. I really need to hunt down some quality kimchi as that was the only part that I really missed. It was so nice sitting out under the patio just with our little family. I have been trying to encourage it more as otherwise we only do it when we have guests. Plus it almost feels like an escape without having to get in the car or put makeup on. Tonight is dinner at the in laws, BBQ again I think. Such a bloody good way to start the month.