29 Dresses

Source: Uploaded by user via Brenda on Pinterest

No this is not a post advertising the squeal to the romantic comedy that was 27 Dresses.

This is infact a post about the number of dresses I have in my possession.

It's fair to say, I have a lot.  But it's an accumaltive thing, and some are very much loved favourites that have served me many many summers.  And I like dresses. I have hardly any jeans or pants and when I shop I know I gravitate first to the dresses, then perhaps skirts.

But when I did a bit of a re-arrange and clean up of my wardrobe I thought I better count just how many dresses I actually have. 

29.

Do they all get worn?  No is the simple answer.  I have my favourites....and my not so favourites.

Time to do something about this.  So considering we have one month left of Summer and there are 29 days of February, starting Wednesday and for all of February I am going to wear all my dresses.  No dress shall be repeated and if it is not dress weather, then I will have to be creative.  It'll help me decide which dresses shall stay, which will go and which of them need a little alteration.  I'll take pictures,  mostly on instragram though as I'll struggle to get the tripod out each day.....but....

A dress a day.

Can I do it? 
Do you have something in excess in your wardrobe??  Shoes?  Bags?  Scarves?
Share your wardrobe obsessions please!!!

in breaking news.....

I joined Instagram and started a new quilt.   User name 'miranarnie' quilt inspiration from here.

I'm not sure which will take up more of my time.

xx

52 weeks of grateful {patience}

Source: esther-fromthesticks.blogspot.com via Brenda on Pinterest

There are a lot of virtues and skills required to be a mother.  Some more important than others.

One I hold as one of the most essential is that of Patience.

Patience is something I thought I had in abundance prior to children, but I soon learnt that it is something I will never take for granted.  Some days I wonder what happened to my patience.   I get annoyed at myself, and then loose even more patience.  Days when breakfast is spilt on the floor, children don't want to wear a jumper and the temperature outside is in single digits and no matter how many times I insist on the no running inside rule, it gets broken at least five hundred and eighty times a day.  The constant "where is my..." infiltrating my mind along with the "I cant find...", the "I'm hungry..." and the "But why..."  all of these are sent to test but one virtue.

Patience.  Times when you tie up a shoelace for the tenth time in 5 minutes, or find yourself sprawled on your tummy legs flaying about trying to reach that essential piece of lego.  Or heaven forbid you cut the sandwiches into triangles and not squares.  And don't even think about having privacy in the bathroom anymore.  Yes, it's those moments I rely heavily on Patience.

Today I'm grateful for patience.  For when I can rally enough of it, it helps make my days easier, enjoyable and even lovely.  It makes me a better person and helping me take a deep breath and ride the motherhood wave.

What are you grateful for today?

Join the new home here.
Thanks Maxabella
xx

2012 {The list}

Source: tumblr.com via Brenda on Pinterest

So Hello 2012.

How are you?

Young and fresh I see.  full of promise and hope.  I did say that I would work on a list of wishes for 2012.  Somehow if you write it down it seems more real.  And then if you publish it in a public forum, well then you really are putting yourself out there. 

Well, some things I'd to see done this year are:

Read more

Make my sewing room delightful

Enrol in a photography course
Make some dress ups for the kids

Enjoy the wonderment of my son starting school

Marvel in one-on-one time with my daughter
Take the family on more picnics

Bake

Collect old family recipes and make a book

Get fit
Organise the filing cabinet
Have a girls weekend

Be challenged

Sew

Open my online store again
Do a budget (hah - unlikely as I've never suceeded at this one!)

Go on dates with hubby

Learn something new (belly dancing would be fun)

Plan a holiday (I'm thinking just a lovely few days in Sydney would be nice)

Write letters

Have you got a 2012 list?
What's on yours?

xx



{berry picking}

During the holidays we took the kids berry picking.  I kinda knew they would love it. And love it they did.  Especially my daughter who I paid an "all you can eat" entry for too.  She got that little pink sticker with pride and ate her way through raspberries, bramble berries and blueberries.   I had fun snapping some adorable pictures of what was a beautiful Summer Day. 

We bought enough to enjoy for dessert with ice-cream and to make some raspberry muffins.  A small batch made it into the freezer too.  And today, a friend dropped off a lovely bowl full of red-currents.   Oh the sweet-sour goodness.  I'm eyeing off this recipe.  

Do you love berry picking? 

What's your favourite berry and what do you do with them??  

{le petit prince)

I'd been hoarding a little bundle of fabric for a few years now. Look it's even up there...on my blog header.  See I told you - ages!  Every now and again I would get the little bundle out of my craft cupboard, caress them (Ok I know you crafters out there are nodding with agreement) and then I would carefully place them back un-cut in the fabric closet. Just wondering....what will become of you?

Alas, the time came.  A wee little Prince was born and without hesitation or procrastication this little bundle of fabric was washed, dried, measured and snipped, sewn and bound.

All for a quilt for one little precious baby.

It was also by chance that I had this little french story on linen.  I pulled it out, half way through the quilt thinking I could cut it up and use it amoungst the other colours, but when I opened it up fully and took in just the beauty of the entire peice, I knew it just had to left as is.  Luckily mother of said gorgeous Prince relieved my anxiety as I had no idea what the story was about and after completion was a bit concerned that it might not be baby appropriate.  Thank goodness it was....

My last quilt (which I made for my own daughter) took over 2 years. 
This quilt took two days - sometimes you just don't argue with creative motivation.
And a little baby giraffe rattle to match.

So do you have a special fabric stash? 
Are you afraid to make the chop?
do share...

xx

a little more about blurb

A little while ago, I posted up a bit of a favourite website list that I frequent when the needs to do a bit of online shopping.   One of those sites that got a lot of your attention and other's of the non-blogging variety was Blurb.  Now this is not a sponsored post, but it could be.

I've loved the photo book I made through Blurb. Photos of of our family holiday in Italy.  I took heaps of memorable photos and was very reluctant to just develop a stack and put in your old run of the milll album.  When I stumbled across Blurb, I knew it was exactly what I needed.   And it was quite a simple process.  I know there are many other services claiming to provide photo books and the like, and I have used others, but this was far supreme.

Firstly, you download the software package enabling you to work on your project offline whenever you want.  You have heaps of templates to choose from.  Some pages you can fill with photos, or add text if you like. When your done, you simply upload it onto your account online and then purchase it.  Simple.  You can even make your book public for others to purchase.  Think of the possibilities.  I'm collating some family recipes together with photos to make into a family cookbook of recipes not currently recorded.

Our professional book filled with memories is something we grab and look at nearly everyday. So for those that were curious, take a look over at Blurb.  You wont be disappointed.

xx

The sound of summer....

Does your music likes change with the season?

I love it when a really good bop-y song comes along, espeically in Summer when the warm weather and a good song are just a perfect match to make you smile.

This song we discovered on our European Summer back in August.    The sound of sunshine by Michael Franti freaturing Italian singer Lorenzo Govenotti.

Some of the other songs were loving have a good kareoke moment to are;

An oldie but a goodie - Summer Rain - Belinda Carlile

A new one I just can't help but sing along to - you don't know your beautiful - One Direction

And this classic - Brown eyed girl - Van Morrison

What songs scream Summer to you? 

What are you listening to right now? 

I do hope the warm weather returns to Melbourne soon. 

xx

you know you had a good holiday when....

1. You didn't leave enough time to sign off from your blog wishing all your fellow bloggers a Merry Christmas (sorry guys!)
2. You sang Christmas carrols whilst cooking Christmas ham and making Christmas ice-cream pudding
3. Santa visited (yes, both my children were good ones) and Christmas Day was a cracker!
4. You read 3 books in 14 days (pure bliss)
5. You took the kids bike riding in the park every night after dinner and played frisbee with hubby
6. You giggled with your kids when they beat you at every possible game (bingo, hungry catapillar, go fish and snakes and ladders!)
7. Watched Sleepless in Seattle and still cried
8. Went on a date with hubby
9. Enjoyed time with my girls (one of which is mine, the other two - my neices)
10. Went berry picking
11. Didn't blog or think of blogging or even have internet connection to check on any blogs.

But, now I'm back and here I am for 2012.  No grand entrance, but just to say I'll be hopefully popping around to visit you all to see how you have brought in the new year.  Any wishes, resolutions or plans?  Well I can't wait to find out.  As for me, well I joined in with Maxabella's one word for 2012 which was a great way to keep the resolutions simple.

I still have a more practical 2012 list.  You know what I want to acheive and all that.  So will get onto that and get back to you.

happy 2012
xx

my word for 2012

Source: couragehopestrength.tumblr.com via caliemoran* on Pinterest

Hello...welcome to 2012.

I wasn't going to return to blogging tonight, but I couldn't resist Maxabella's One Word for 2012!  I can't wait to see what One Word you all choose.

For me, I've got a lot of hope weighing on 2012 being a good year.  My son starts school for starters.  I think every mother with a school aged child can verify how nerve racking that alone can be - for both parent and child.  I remember vividly turning up to mothers group with my 10 week old babe rapped and the smell of his sweet baby breath.  We sat and stared at each other.  That was 2006.  We laughed that in 2012 they would be starting school.  We laughed as we just could not imagine that day.

Well it's coming fast.

So what's my word for 2012.

Moment

Be in the moment

live in the moment

Be grateful for each moment

appreciate challenging moments

savour triumphant moments

moments to learn from

moments to laugh

moments to just be

my word for 2012

what's yours? 

share and join here

xx