It's official

The photos are back from Rachel and they provide rock solid proof that I'm a great porker.

Never before have I been this heavy without being pregnant. I'm not happy with that. Not happy at all.

So it's official. The diet started yesterday. Keep me honest. If you see my eating something that's dripping with fat, knock it out of my hands and give me a big slap. I need some help!

It's likely I'll be a grumpy beast without my latte's and white chocolate and raspberry muffins. *sigh* Be kind to me.

Not sure yet exactly what my diet strategy will be. But for now, I'm just trying to eat less! I want to squeeze in some exercise too, but I have to figure out how to reorganise my day to make time.

peace and love
xxxx

End of term ballet concert

Ruby is amazing. Yesterday was her end of term ballet concert. She danced (and skipped, and marched, and twirled, and swayed) beautifully. She had a great time performing in front of a crowd, even though it was only a small crowd of parents and grandparents and other hangers on, like brothers ;)

It's a joy to see her confidence and sense of self blossom as much as it has over the last few months. She's growing and changing and becoming more independent every day.

Here's some pics from the big event:

Here she is meeting one of her loyal fans after the concert:

Today we went for a nice long bike ride along the Esplanade. Today's achievements: Ruby rode her big bike without being pushed. Hooray. Max climbed to the top of the climbing frame to go down the slippery dip. Big hooray!

Have a happy week.

peace and love xxxx

More photos with our fave photographer.

We met up with Rachel Richter on Sunday afternoon to have some family pics taken. We've been lucky enough to have Rach take photos of the kids every 6 months or so. It doesn't seem like that long ago we had the last pics taken, but Maxie was still just a baby boy in the last pics - like this one below.

\

Rach has given us a sneak preview of the latest pics on her blog. Thanks Rach. xxxx

peace and love to you from us.

Happy Birthday Queen

Doesn't it seem bizarre that we mark the Queen's birthday in Australia in June, when it is actually her birthday in April? It seems a bit bizarre that we get a public holiday for her birthday at all, but I've had a lovely day off work, so happy b/day!

It's been a full and fun weekend. Mum and Lloyd came for a visit which was great and we pottered around together on Saturday - going to ballet, going to the shops, having cups of tea.....

On Sunday, I'd arranged to go to one of Rett's classes, with my dear friend Jan, at the Brisbane Scrapbook Convention. I'm glad I did, it was fantastic. Rett is a calm and fabulous woman and I loved her class. Wish I'd had more time to do more classes. *sigh* Anyhoo, this is the little book I made....documenting some of my fave things around the house.

Inside, I've included pics and details about - our house :), the front verandah, my Willowtree figurine collection, my first piece of original art (a glorious pastel), books and tea. Things that make me happy.

Ruby and Max were a bit sad that nanny and poppy had to go home.

But they've bounced back from their glum moods to spend the afternoon colouring in and trashing the house.

Off to Canberra for a few days this week. Not excited at all about the cold weather in Canberra but I'm very excited about seeing my dear friend Cindy's new baby, Paige.

peace and love

xxxx

This is a catch up post :)

Last weekend the kids and I were thrown out of the house so Mark could finish an assignment. Garrrrrrumph! The weather wasn't great and it was a bit cold, but we had fun anyway.

We started off with a visit to Poppy Woods for morning tea:


Then we went for fish and chips at Scarborough beach:




and then to the park for some adventures before it started to rain:

A fun day. No great photos of Max because he was having another 'not smiling/not looking' day.

peace and love
xxxx

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Briohny ......an experience unique to blogging I think. Thankfully, the questions are kind of easy - although I've never been good at choosing 'favourites' of anything!

1. Four of my favourite jobs
2. Four of my favourite local places
3. Four of my favourite foods
4. Four of my favourite international places
5. Four name's of people I am tagging

1. four fave jobs: mmmmm - I loved working at Concord Hospital and I loved working at the Queensland Fire Service and I loved working at Comcare and I loved working at Fair Trading. They were all *really* great places to work. I've just started a new job this week. I hope it becomes one of my fave jobs.

2. four fave local places: the Wynnum esplanade; my house (love sitting on the front verandah with a book and a cup of tea); Bernadette's cafe in Wynnum (our regular hangout place for morning tea) and North Stradbroke Island.

3. four fave foods: only 4? That's hard! I love icecream - but only good quality creamy ice cream. I love risotto. I love bread - really, really love spinach and fetta damper and toasted cheese sandwiches too. I love Indian food - butter chicken with naan - mmmm.

4. four fave international places: good grief. Considering I've only been to NZ, this is hard. There are lots of places I'd love to go though. So I'll live vicariously and say: Paris, London, Las Vegas, the place in Asia where the orangutangs are - that I can't think of right now.

5. four fave friends to tag. :)
DustyJo
Penni
Samantha
Leanne

Have fun.
Have a happy weekend. I'll be back with photos.
Peace and love
xxxx

Happy Mama's Day

for my dear mum and all the mums I know - happy Mother's Day for yesterday.

I was loaded up with some fantastic pressies - a photo frame made at kindy, a certificate that says I'm the "best mum in the world", an enormous painted paper flower, some great artwork and other little sparkly bits. All fabulous and very proudly delivered.

We went on a lunchtime cruise on the river and then had more drinks and coffee at Riverside with some friends. I had a lovely day.

peace and love to you

xxxx

Be careful what you ask for

Because you just might get it......


I asked Ruby to smile nicely for me while I took a photo. Yikes.
xxxx

Crankypants

Max has done his best to boycott fun and smiling all weekend.

Yesterday:

At ballet - just whining, no smiling.

At Kobie's party - lots of clinging and whining. Even when he was actually having fun on the playground equipment he kept his smile very tight, didn't want anyone to think he might be having a good time. ;)

Today:

Lots of whining. aaaagh. So we headed out. Down to the shops for lunch where Ruby and Max both got to choose something to buy. Max chose Wiggles socks and Ruby chose Dorothy the dinosaur knickers. :) I don't think they've realised yet that when I say I'll buy them something it means I might buy a toy. I'm not going to tell them either. Then home to get the bikes and straight down to the Esplanade to have a ride, play at the park and just have some fun.

We've been trying hard all weekend to get him to crack a smile. He was close to it a few times, he nearly did, but he saved it just in the nick of time.

Not quite a happy little face. But not unhappy either.

peace and love to you from us

xxxx

Debut of the Ballerina Princess

Last Saturday was a beautiful day - and the start of something big for our little princess. Ruby started ballet. She was so excited she could barely breathe, she was amazing to watch. The ballet teacher is Miss Jill and she's all beautiful and lithe and very ballerina'ish. Perfect really. Ruby adores her.

It was lovely to watch - Ruby was focused and intense, but very full of excitement. She was amazing and we felt very, very proud of her. At the end of the class, Miss Jill told Ruby she'd done very well. Ruby agreed.

We're looking forward to next Saturday.

peace and love

xxxx

While mummy works....

other people in the family get to do fun stuff *sigh*

Sunday afternoon and I was working while Mark and Ruby and Max had some exciting adventures, which included balloon animals and face painting. Ruby and Max were very pleased with their faces and were glad to rush home and show me. As soon as I'd seen it, they ran into the bathroom and washed it off! Apparently it was itchy.

these happy little faces make my heart sing.

There's a lot to get excited about this week:

* we've all enjoyed a virus the kids brought home from kindy

* Ruby bought her new ballet costume to start classes on Saturday with Miss Jill (or Miss Annette - not sure yet). Of course, she wore it all day Saturday and all day Sunday. Real leather ballet shoes are a treat, she's in heaven wearing them. She can't wait for her lesson on Saturday morning.

* There are a lot of friends converging on Brisbane this week for a big reunion - hooray! We're looking forward to that. One super fabulous friend, Maria - a composer - is having a piece of her work premiered by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra on Sunday. Kath is *very* excited about going to that. :)

* Mark is going to the Australia/NZ football match on Friday night with the lads - he is *very* excited about that.

It's only really Maxie who doesn't have something big this weekend to get excited about. Maybe I'll tell him he can have more Easter eggs, that'll get him worked up. ;)

peace and love to you

xxxx

Not a baby anymore

sadly. In these pics I took of Max today, I see a big boy not a baby. Actually - I can very nearly imagine the man he's going to become. *sigh*

peace and love

xxxx

A day of ballet

It's amazing how a pair of sequinned dancing slippers can transform an ordinary 4 year old girl into an exquisite ballerina princess.

Ruby got a pair of dancing slippers when we were in Byron Bay last Saturday. Max chose a blue glitter stick, which quickly became a lethal whacking stick, but that's a whole other story. When we got home Ruby donned her dancing slippers and danced and danced and danced. She practised her ballet moves for a long time on the front verandah and then announced she was "ready for her concert". We took our seats and Ruby surprised us all (mummy, daddy and max) with a very special ballet concert she had choreographed herself. Her performance, to a beautiful classic piano piece, made our hearts burst with pride.

Here she is twirling

and twisting

and leaping

It was very very precious.

xxxx

Happy Anniversary to us

10 years flies by don't you think? I cannot believe we've been married 10 years. But on the other hand it feels like we've been married forever. I couldn't imagine not being married to Mark. After 10 years, I'm guessing that's a good thing. ;)

We had a lovely anniversary celebration - dinner at Vino's at Riverside and then stayed at the Sofitel in the city. Ruby and Max stayed with our dear friends' Jan and Col. Thanks guys! xxxx

It was a treat to stay in a fancy hotel. After staying in so many dingy dive hotels for work, it was fabulous to stay somewhere they put choccies on your pillow.

I'd always hoped we would renew our wedding vows in an Elvis chapel in Vegas on our 10th anniversary. We'll have to save that adventure for our 20th, I guess.

Be back later with some pics from Ruby's beautiful and impromptu ballet concert.

peace and love xxxx

March is big

March is a big month for us. It's a month of anniversaries and birthdays. This March, it is 12 years since I moved to Brisbane, 4 years since Ruby was born, 19 years (today in fact) since I started work in government and our 10th wedding anniversary.

On Saturday 29 March 1997, this was happening:

and just look at us now. 10 years on, and 10 kilos heavier (yikes)....but still very very happy. Note to self: start diet SOON.

We're not sure yet what we'll be doing on Thursday. We had some plans, but they've collapsed. I'm sure we'll find something celebratory and fabulous to do. Maybe we could have dinner in the dodgy Mexican restaurant I proposed in - but I hope not. Or maybe we could have dinner at a restaurant at the Stamford Plaza where we stayed on our wedding night. That would be great.

Other random things about our lives this week:

• Maxie did 2 wees in the toilet at kindy - BIG news.
• We've only got 600kms to go to make the 25000kms for the car lease. Not too bad except for the fact we've only get 6 days left to do it. We can.
• Lily is becoming a house cat again. She's decided she likes to sleep with Ruby. Ruby is very pleased about the new arrangements.
• We're inheriting 2 chickens from our neighbours this week. The big introductions will happen one night soon. We're hoping our chickens don't attack them - crazy manic beasts they are.
• Ruby's language is becoming a lot more sophisticated. Today she described eating a Kinder Surprise as "a magical experience". Methinks she's been watching too many Barbie ballet DVDs.
• We found the long lost "Big Red Car" DVD. Max cried great gulping tears of joy and then watched it back to back 3 times.
• Ruby beat in to Max because he couldn't count to 20 properly. Good grief, he's only 2. It's a bit scary they were counting her ponies and they reached 20!
• Kath withdrew from her study for this semester. Life has been too frantic. We're all looking forward to some calm and relaxed weekends for a few months now.

Wishing you a happy week.

peace and love

xxxx

The Princess is 4 today

Happy Birthday to our beautiful big girl. Ruby is 4 today. Happy day.

Yesterday there was a "My Little Pony" bash at the princess's palace. It was a fun day.

peace and love

xxxx

Sisters

This is my mum (on the right of the pic) and her lovely sister Gail on Christmas Day. I think it's a great photo of them.

When I was a kid I used to be jealous of my friends who had sisters. Not so much anymore.

I had hoped Ruby would have a sister. Now I'm grateful she has Max. They're lovely together.


It's Aunty Gail's birthday on our wedding anniversary and it's coming up soon. We'll be 10 years married at the end of this month. Thinking of that made me think of Aunty Gail. Of course. :) And that I haven't yet showed this pic to mum. Here it is mum. xxxx

More circle journal goodness

Wow. I've completed 2 circle journal entries in 2 weeks - a record for our circle journal effort I think.

This time I did a layout for Megan's journal. Megan's theme is 'Simple Pleasures'. There are so many simple things in life that bring me peace and joy.

This layout is very un-me I think. But I really like it.

Actually I'm on a major thing with the colour green. I hope it lasts. Especially now we've painted the inside and out of the house green. :)

peace and love

xxxx

and finally some scrapbooking!

I'm in the middle of doing a circle journal with a wonderful group of women. A circle journal is basically a small scrapbooking album which you give a theme to and then circulate amongst a group so everyone adds a page to it.

There are only 9 of us involved in this circle journal group , but the journal has already taken us more than a year! And we're probably only half way through. I don't think any of us are in a rush.

My journal's theme is "A Mother's Wisdom" - stuff you want your kids to know.

The journal I did a page for last weekend was for Penni - her theme is Girl. I loved creating a page for it (above). Ruby helped me out, telling me all the things she loves most about being a girl. :)

Not a great photo, I needed to use the flash.....

xxxx

Happy little lives

Kids are amazing really. Simple things can bring great joy.

I asked Ruby if she liked the party invitations we'd made. She paused for a second, looked at me very intensely and said "mummy, I LOVE them." What a kind little heart she has. Lots of gorgeous pink and glittery goodness.

We've been hosting a few parties in preparation for Ruby's party. There were 2 parties at our house today: a Strawberry Party and a Camping Party. Both went well. The Strawberry Party was for Barbie who was - coincidentally - turning 4 years old. We ate strawberries and were required to wear our cossies. Elina (yes, Fairy to Mermaid Elina) was the special guest for the Camping party. She asked us to wear camping shoes and a hat (tiaras were acceptable). With all this practice we'll be seasoned party hosts by the time it is actually Ruby's birthday.

I cannot believe we're spending so much time preparing for this gig! Even though mostly we just talk about it, we're not doing a whole lot just yet.

In other news:

* work is exhausting. Sooo much travel. Too much really. It's getting to the stage that Ruby and Max (especially Max) freak out when I drop them off at kindy for fear I won't be home that night. It's not what I want for my family, things need to change. Nuff said.

* I had a haircut this afternoon. Hooray. Much needed. I came home and asked Ruby and Max if they would like a haircut next weekend. Both are keen. Both want hair *exactly* like mine. mmmm, might be tricky.

* Max is finally starting to play on his own, rather than just trailing around behind Ruby. He played with some little cars today. He's a sweet little kid. Crazy and jealous and rampaging, but sweet. Just to balance up the photo stats, here's a pic (well at the top of the post anyway, cause I can't move it).

Hope you're having a happy weekend.

peace and love

xxxx