Bits & Pieces

One and a half years later, still sort of edible...

Taking up about 1/6 of our freezer for the last one and a half years, has been the beautiful top tier of our wedding cake. We have been waiting a long time, for an appropriate occassion to eat it, but have not experienced one, so a week or two ago, we decided just to eat it a) for kicks, b) becuase it was Sunday night and we didn't really have much food in the house, and c) because I wanted my freezer space back. We cut big wedges in it like it was a birthday cake, but being excessively rich we really couldn't eat probably even half of our pieces. It was a tiny bit funny tasting, but was good warmed up with ice-cream. I called mum the next day, and offered them the rest, which mum accepted, as I predicted, for sentimental reasons. I'm pretty sure it's still in her storage fridge.

Coming Home!

Last week I was away on school camp, which was awesome and hilarious and I wish I could tell you funny details of the kids and put hilarious photos up but that might be a bad idea. Anyway, as awesome as it was I was stoked to get back home to real life and my wonderful husband. James was at work when my adorable sister Bethany dropped me home, so we hung out for a bit, then she left and I unpacked and washed my camp 'stuff''. James rushed home after work, with the most beautiful flowers (a bunch of those buds opened up yesterday and they're bright pink and just beautiful!!), and then we went and got fish'n'chips and snuggled up on the couch to watch a movie - I love being home!!!

Mothers' Day

So this Mothers' Day was really fun! On Saturday I got sick (comes from spending a week living with 250 children, sigh..), so on Sunday, when James and I were due to cook brekkie for his mum, he left me in bed and only woke me up when it was all ready to go! We had a lovely morning with his parents - we got his mum an exotic-looking pot plant which she seemed to like. We dropped by my parent's afterwards because my mother had spent all mothers' day morning cooking me chicken soup (there's nothing like it in the whole world!) to help me feel better (it does. Instantly). Mum had also gotten me 12 beautiful yellow roses and a wonderful book, called 'The Ultimate Career'. I thought it was a cruel present when I first read the title, who wants a career when they could be a mum and housewife??? But it turns out that it's talking about the mum/housewife career, and it's awesome :) I can't wait to participate in the practicle part of this education more fully. I ate soup and read my book and looked at my beautiful flowers (we can't afford many flowers so I don't usually have any, but right now I have 3 vases full! :)) It was such a mothers' day for me even though at the moment I'm just a daughter!! I decorated mama up a little coffee table photo box - ready for photos. We had dinner with a surprise visit from Aunty Linda and Uncle Steve which was cool - they've never been to Brisbane before so it was wonderful. Sadly I piked on the lounge, feeling rather unwell, and we left early before the end of dinner or anything. James gave me a wonderful gift too, one of those times where it was the thought that counted. He wanted to get me something just cause i'm a girl and I wanna be a mum, but we had no budget left, and he'd already and gotten me flowers which were not in our budget, so he felt bad and didn't get me anything :) Sweet. I love sticking to budgets :)

Good times xo

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be a Homemaker!!!

Dear Blog Diary,

Today I went to the 'Stiches and Craft Show' with Mum, at the Brisbane Convention Centre. I didn't know it existed until Mum called late last night and suggested the outing, but in a spirit of homemaking and a visit with Mum, I was eager to go.

Once we got through the doors, and to the very first shop, we were 'gone'. Into the world of crafting heaven!

About 6 hours later, we departed excited and giddy, arms full of wonderful and still slightly mysterious packages containing materials for new projects, crafts and techniques.

One of the main worlds opened up to me today was the world of embossing! I am beginning by using dry embossing, but would love to progress to using embossing medium which I love! I would have bought some today but my budget had already been murdered, so I hope to start it up in the future (it's the start-up fees that kill me!). Thanks mum for buying me the embossing tool and the sanding flowers! Also the picture of the small bug-like creatures that fascinated me so much, I love them and can't wait to get started!!

We picked up a sample of 'Snaps Australia' - a little machine which in one brief movement of a lever attaches presses and snaps into your material - idea for baby clothes, doona covers, anywhere you need a button but can't be bothered sewing one on... :) very effective , and the buttons/snap/presses can't come off! They come in a massive set with the press machine starter kit for $110. I suggested to mum that we (all of my sisters and sister-in-laws and mum) could all put in $20 or so and get a family one, but we never followed it up. I wonder how often we'd use it!

We also spent some time examining quilt stands, where mum was trying diligently to suss out which types of quilts I like and would want for a quilt she may make me someday. Sadly most of the quilts I saw were sort of ugly, but I assured Mum that hers were not, and as long as it's not dull and dreary I'd be sort of honoured just to get one.

We had a lovely lunch, consisting of slightly terrible food and lovely company (obviously the loveliness of the company in this case outweighed the badness of my salad and the bacon it contained but shouldn't have...)

Now I am at home. I told James about blowing the budget, and thanked him for letting me have so much art stuff. He pointed out to me that he hadn't had much of a choice in the matter at all, and rarely did, but I thanked him for buying it for me in the past, and having one of the spare rooms set aside for my supplies and workspace. I still struggle with not being able to be home much and not doing very well at fulfilling my role as wife and mother (Yes I know, I'm not actually a mother - this is most of the issue with fulfilling this roll, and most of my 'struggle' in life!), but when I am in my little artsy room (or spread out all over the house!) painting and making cards and handstitching and cooking and cleaning and scrapbooking and reading and being creative, it feels like I'm just that little bit closer to becoming one. I know we don't have kids, but I have decided to make up a little chipboard photo booklet ready for photos to be pasted in when they come (I have decided to have twins first). I'm going to get onto this embossing thing and continue to hopefully pick up some more sewing here and there. I'm going to cook the museli bar slice mum used to make, as well as her homemade marshmallow becuase I think James will love these. I will continue to learn how to cook. I will try to fulfill my goal of having the dishes washed every night and then extend it to having other things clean all the time too! I want to buy some of the gorgeous cross stitch patters and do it sometime when I'm sick at home with morning sickness too, then stick it up in the nursery I'll create with James if we ever get baby news.

I can't wait to be a housewife and a homemaker!!

xo

Slim Pickings

On the very first teacher development day at my school, which was my first ever day of work, I was sitting at the 'year 6' table, getting ready to start work. I had just met the year 6 teaching team, and could barely remember their names. I was very shy and nervous. There's one guy on our year level, a nice family guy, who asked if I liked sport. I said I did, and then he said the staff were forming a touch footy team to play in a club competition, and if I was keen they'd be happy to have me. I said 'OK', and suddenly I was eagerly trekking down a path that would lead me through embarressment, then onto ... hopefully fitness and new skills.

In highschool I played netball, basketball and volleyball. I danced a LOT and was pretty fit overall. I am very bad with sports involving bats. As soon as there is a third party involved, my hand and the ball begin to disagree. I end up looking like an idiot, as I make contact with tennis balls at the part of the raquet enclosed by my fist. I have a hard time judging the distance and where to make contact when something other than just my hand is involved. Touch, however, does not involve much besides players and the ball. I have cheerlead for leage, union and AFL a lot in the past, so I thought had a bit of an idea about footy games in general... Touch, as I understood it, simply required fitness, and as I have had fitness in the past, I figured I'd pick it up quickly.

Little did I know the 'fitness training' aspect of the lead-up to games would be quite so public and humiliating. On the last day of school last term we had a scratch match against the best touch players in the school, including a few district players and a kid who just made the state league team. I jokingly asked if we couldn't just have training after school somewhere where nobody could see us, but I wasn't joking at all.

It was a little bit of a disaster for me personally. Here are some things I learnt:

• I am unfit.
• There are 6 players on each team.
• I am... excessively unfit.
• When you are touched with the ball, you simply place it down on the ground between your legs, and if necessary roll it backwards a few inches. If you throw it backwards between your legs, your teamate will end up running backwards to pick it up, cursing you all the way.
• Impressively unfit, even!
• Touch has a whole other language! If you don't understand it, the excessively fit woman beside you who is twice your age but could run 20 laps around the oval for every one of yours will at intervals between speaking this language at the top of her lungs suddenly burst into action in front of you, murmuring 'don't worry Ab, I'll just do it myself!'
• If there were a word, which meant 'unfit', but more, that would be me.
• In touch, you basically have your own player to mark. If you don't realise this and start running in the opposite direction, they will get past you (despite the hasty attempts of cranky teamates) and score a try for their team.
• If unfit were a competition, I would actually be in the running for first place!
• You can sub anytime you want. The only catch is that if you decide you're going to sub with a teamate when you are back on your line in defence, as you obliviously stroll off the field whistling, you're leaving behind a rather conspicuous gap, through which the other team will inevitably score. When I explained to James the way I learnt this rule he looked at me as if I were crazy. How was I supposed to know??!
• I am so unfit that when I run, my face turns such a peculiar shade of red, that my class and other students in the school think I have a rare disease.

I learnt all of these the hard way, in front of the entire school. My class were so cute and hilarious. They were soooo supportive, screaming "GO MRS E!!!" over and over, then as the game went on and it became increasingly apparent that I was incredibly unfit and had no idea what I was doing, they seemed to become almost embarressed for me, and the encouragement became constructive critisism and instruction, and "Don't worry Mrs E, we'll teach you the rules!!!".

Our first game against an actual team of people who are not 11 years old, is on Tuesday night. We are wearing shirts, in which we will glow in the dark. Although I laughed out loud when I first saw them (much to the dismay of our team captain who ordered them) and asked whether we were doing community service or playing touch, I am grateful that I will probably be able to recognise who to pass the ball to in the dark. I am number 3. James just got released from YM and into Ward Mission Leader so he has Tuesday nights free and can come and play too. I am excited for this because I will feel more useful to my team, as bringing him along will compensate for bringing me along! :) I will let you know how we go :) xo

My New Calling in Life!

This is possibly going to be the most exciting post to date! - Not just because it's the first one after a looooong drought, but because my life has changed, been renewed, I have finally found my purpose!!! - It is.....(drumrolls all over the world...) to be a hairdresser!!!!


Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!


I made myself laugh, becuase I imagined Tammy's face as she read that... I'm just joking. I'm still happy to be a teacher, and can't wait to be a mama, which is more my purpose in life than anything else, really! On Saturday our brother Michael got married (yay!! :)). That morning I offered my darling older sister a haircut 'on me'! :)


Backtrack maybe 6 months...


I really wanted a haircut, and I had decided to deviate for the first time in my life, from the straight across haircut I've always had, and go with slight layers (adventurous doesn't even begin to describe me!). I mentioned it to mum a few times who said she'd be happy to help. One day I felt like I needed it done immediately. I called mum and she was busy at that moment, so she couldn't do it. Assumedly, I really really needed it done right then - I can't exactly remember why but something must have been coming up or I was going through an ID crisis or something, but I turned to James and asked him to please please please cut my hair.

James agreed to cut my hair, and suggested I look @ google to see if there was a 'how to' website. There are many many websites on how to cut hair, and millions of demo videos, but the helpful tip I found most helpful after searching for 'how to layer hair', was:

"Bend over, flipping hair towards the floor. Comb hair out straight and smooth. Make a cut straight across your hair."

These three sentences gave me the best haircut ever and saved my day. Since then James has re-trimmed it in the same style and I'm loving it. He's also cut my sister Bethany's hair this way, and Jessima (another sister) got Jonny to cut her hair the same way - she looks really cute.

........RETRACK TO SATURDAY MORNING.......

Tammy wanted to join the club - it was really turning into a sister thing! I agreed, and Tammy followed the instructions to stand bent over with her hair out...just as I was about to 'snip snip snip', Tammy mentioned that she'd like a trim and not to be afraid to take any length off.

I decided to follow her advice, and took of about 8 inches in parts. It was sort of an accident, in that it looked like 'just a trim' to me when I first began, but it very quickly became obvious that I was fulfilling nightmares. Once you start though, you can't stop with half the hair long and half short (as I learnt about 2 years ago now :)), so I continued, almost laughing and almost crying.

Tammy is one of the nicest people in the world. She didn't get mad. Not even when she looked in the mirror and saw a mullet looking back at her. Not when she realised I'd given her a punk rock chick 'do', and not even when she noticed that she practically had a fringe - a random line of hair coming halfway down her face!

3 happy report items to finish this sad tale:

1. Lesson Learnt: It turns out you should always just cut a modest amount of hair off at a time, because it dries even shorter than it is when it's wet.
2. Okay so it's actually really really cute when Tammy's got her sunnys on her head pulling back the weird short bits at the front! The layers kick and curl around Tamster's face and it's adorable! Even mum said so!! :)
3. When I was approximately 3 years old Tammy (on two seperate occassions) played 'hairdresser' with me, and I eneded up looking more than interesting. Very interesting frinege length consistency especially. She thought I'd forgotten after all these years... muahaha :)

So I'm not really going to become a hairdresser, but I'm happy to complete some private business on the side, just give me a call! :)

PS: Tammy I really really really am sorry! I love you!!!
PPS: I would have posted some pics of Tamster's cute 'do', but she has a 'no photos' policy (sigh)...

xo

It's Possible, Pig!

Okay so the 'Pig' bit is just a family/Princess Bride thing, but it is actually somewhat relevant to this post. My lovely brother and sister have been eating very sensibly and exercising a lot lately, concentrating more than usual on being healthy, despite busy schedules as Jonny's in dentist school. I was there the other night and Jessima offered to share their evening meal with me. I usually like to think of salad as a side dish, or more realistically, an optional side dish, much to my pro-health husband's dismay! When Jessima revealed that dinner was to be a salad, I'm nonplussed to admit I was more than a little skeptical, and thought of it as the 'entree', for the dinner I'd have to have again when I got home later to fill me up and satisfy my tastebud intake for the evening. When, however, Jessima brought out the salad, it looked like it does in the picture, but better, because things do in real life. Lots of chicken, olives, and tomatoes and cheese. This salad reminds me of my Mama, who does yummy salads too. I think if you put chicken, cheese, and olives in your salad (as dominant ingredients...like, the first 3 listings on the side of the box...), it's possible to have a delicious meal out of it, and be so full and have your tastebuds so satisfied, that you don't even need to go home and re-eat dinner afterwards! This salad was delicious, and I think Jessima even added love, which is probably just as important as the chicken(!) :)

Thankyou so much for having me come and hang out last Tuesday Jessima, and for the delicious meal! I enjoyed the company as well as the food immensly, and hope that we can do it again! :)

xoxox

And the Winners Are...

Kaili gave me a blog award! I didn't know they existed, and I was a little intimidated to see a link on her blog which is full of artists and other very important people, to my blog, which is full of really long blog entries about my little world, but I like it, and I have decided to continue in this noble tradition, and award some of my favourite blogs, blog awards:

So the lemonade stand awards go to...

Sandy Speak
Tammylorna
At Home With Jonny and Jessima
Fun at the Cook Shack
and
(I don't think you're supposed to do this but you really deserve it Kaili. You would definitely get a blog award if someone else had given it to me so I don't think the fact that you've already got one should count you out from getting this one as well!)
Billy and Button

These are blogs that make me happy, and that I like to check a lot :)

If you want to participate these are the rules:
1)Put the lemonade award logo on your blog or post.
2)Nominate 5-10 blogs that show great attitude and or gratitude.
3)List and link your nominees within your post.
4)Let them know they have received the award by leaving a comment on their blog.

xo

Of Grandparents...

This is my Mother's Mother. I was tossing up between a few photos for which to introduce Grandma Taylor with. This picture of her is cute because she looks like she's dancing, which she probably was. Grandma has never acted her age, and I mean that in a good way. She's a lot of fun and she always has been. It is this Grandmother who taught me many important things in life: How to hoola dance, how to tie a scarf in many different ways, how to last hoola hooping for as long as I want (obviously good with all things hoola), how to do foolproof cardtricks, and most importantly, something I can't seem to master but which Grandma does brilliantly, how to play the 'trumpet' with a comb and a piece of gladwrap. In fact, I think I have a video of that... okay I went to put the video up but then I got scared of all the terms and conditions and the whole putting a video of my Grandma on the internet for everyone to see and I thought I'd better get permission first! On the upside, I get to see this Grandmother very soon, but I'll tell you more about that in a minute. Another thing I like about this picture of Grandma is that it shows her cooking a fabulous 'goodbye' breakfast for me and James from when we got to visit her in Adelaide last year. She has a heart of gold, and loves to serve in any way she can. Grandma's not very well, so it takes a lot of effort to cook a feast for people who eat as much as us, but it appears that she'd rather die trying than not make the effort :) Here's a picture where you can see the fruit platter, but it misses out the bacon, eggs and chipolatas which accompanied, and I kid you not, James was full before all the food was even gone! A third reason that I like the above photo is that Grandma's wearing her 'World's Best Grandma' apron. Doesn't it look lovely on her? :)

Grandma Taylor is our only surviving Grandparent (on my side - James still has Great-Grandparents in New Zealand! :)). Dad's Dad passed away when I was 9 years old, in February, and then just last year his beautiful wife passed away after having lost most of her memory over the last few years. Grandad Munro (from what I can remember) was a quiet man. I remember when I was staying there once in their home, Grandma walking into the room and noticing in some degree of horror that he was attempting to tie my very long and unruly hair into a ponytail with an actual rubber band. He seemed a bit bothered by the whole business. He called Grandma 'Mum', and had a 'secret' jar of jellybeans in the workshop under the house, which he used to give us 'when Grandma wasn't looking' (it's only occured to us in recent years that perhaps Grandma did know about this jar.....). Grandma was very proper. She always spoke nicely and wore stockings and pretty dresses. Grandma was also very funny, and it was all the funnier because you didn't expect it from her, so it took everyone a while to catch onto her jokes. Grandma and Grandad Munro ate pizza with a knife and fork. You could tell Grandma missed Grandad a lot, so being able to be with him again is wonderful, we are very happy for them both. A few years ago Grandma typed up her life history for each of her children, and it is a beautiful story of simple faith. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful heritage.

Grandma Taylor remarried and so we were blessed with 2 Grandfathers on Mum's side. Grandad Taylor was Grandma Taylors second husband, and he was a jolly man. We'd dance on his toes and he'd always sing. He had a song for everything you said. You could say "Gee, Grandad, the other day a trolley slammed into me as I was walking down the road and a kangaroo jumped out and started boxing me!" and he'd break into a song written 56 years ago in which just that seemed to have happened. It was amazing, and kind of fun. He loved to hear us sing and play our instruments, and he always used to tell us we'd make it big with them if we just believed in ourselves.

Poppa was Mum's Father, and Grandma's first husband. They obviously didn't work out and Grandma was remarried when mum was pre-teen, but near the end of his life when Mum and I were able to visit Adelaide to see him twice when he finally had to go into care, Grandma came along with us to visit him a time or two, and they enjoyed each other's company. Grandma made him a cute card with chocolate bars stuck to it, and Poppa kept asking if 'Pat' was coming in to see him. He was a nice man and I wish I knew him for longer. He loved having us to visit, even if he pretended to be grumpy, and would flirt with all the nurses when he was in care. He was hilarious, and I'm so grateful that I was able to get to know him even for a short few years. I can't wait to see him again sometime, and I hope he's accepted the gospel by the time we all get there!

Anyway, what brought along this trip down grandparent lane is the fact that Mum and Dad flew yesterday down to Adelaide, to pick up Grandma and drive her up here for a good, 2-month long visit. We are all very excited to have her come, and can't wait to see her. Grandma is too sick to fly (she was sicker than any of my grandparents from the day she was born, but has outlived all, and will probably outlive all of us at this rate), so it's hard for her to visit. They will arrive up here this Wednesday, so they're not taking the drive too quickly, and will get to see part of the Great Ocean Road on the way up.

I'm sure you'll hear more about my wonderful, hoola dancing, 'trumpet' playing, and I like to think slightly eccentric Grandmother during her visit. I think we'll have a ball.

Thankyou for joining me in a lovely chat about my wonderful grandparents. Writing and remembering these things (along with a few stops along the way to reminisce by looking at photos and videos) has made be remember how blessed I am to have such a wonderful family, not just now, but in the past. I can't wait to meet more of my ancestors (one of the few good things about dying), even though I've always been a bit scared that not all of the ones who have died already will completely like me, from what I know about them from their photos (no Jonny and James, I do not have a complex).

xo