Our Fun New Blog

Some girls and I (okay, 2 of my sisters and Mum :)) started a new blog, where we each write one day a week about things creative or fun or homemakey or girly, or kind of anything we feel like sharing that's happy :)

It's at http://patchesofheaven.blogspot.com.au, so go and check it out! :)

Tammy wrote a cute post today about glass jar lights lol - we're pretty deep, us girl ;)

PS:  If there is anything fabulous that you've done, you can come and 'guest post', on my day ;)  Talita you really are going to have to come and do one sometime, and Stacey I want your quiet book on it when you're done!! ;)  (then we'll do one with our travel books ;))

Carrie, Tammy & Me!

On Saturday night, Tammy took me (for my early birthday!) with her to go and see Carrie Underwood in concert!!  To be honest, I've been a little under the weather, and although I definitely like a few of Carrie Underwood's songs I don't know all of them, and I wouldn't say I'm a diehard fan or anything.  I saw a bunch of film clips of hers recently and she seemed a little stiff, so I wasn't super sure I'd like her overly in concert.  Tammy wasn't 100% either, but we both do like her enough to be interested in going, and we're SO GLAD we did!!!

She had a LOT of fun up on stage - she just seemed to love love love singing, and she has an incredible set of lungs!!!  It seemed like she was too little to be making such a big sound!!!  She sings some crazy fun songs, and had a lot of fun with them on stage - and she was totally NOT stiff or scripted, which can sometimes get a little boring.  Her backup singer had the most incredible voice also!!!  She was just amazing!!  She looked a little out of place though - we think someone should do more with her hair and makeup, because you're looking for who the heck the awesome backup person is, and she just seemed a little awkward on stage and looked a little...not bad! - just not ready to be onstage singing the way she was singing!!  Which was awesome.  And of course, being a country singer there was an awesome fiddler also - I do love a good strings musician!! And the rest of her band were great too.

But to me, she sounded better than she does on any of her CD's - I just loved her voice live, it was awesome.

My favourite, favourite, FAVOURITE part of the night was when she sung 'Jesus Take the Wheel'.  Sometimes mainstream songs about the Saviour feel a little blasphemous and make me feel uncomfortable, but when she sings this, she has a beautiful spirit about her and you can't help feeling all goose-bumpy and tingly happy.  It's really gorgeous, and then she did something it turns out she does all the time, but I've never heard before, so it completely shocked me, she suddenly broke into 'How Great Thou Art' - and finished the song with the ending of that.  It was amazing, and had us both a little bit teary I think!  I YouTubed it and there are a lot of videos of her singing that live, but none of them do it justice, so I didn't link any but if you're especially keen go look it up - or better yet see her live sometime!!! :)

And another cool thing Carrie did in concert, was sing a 'tribute to Australia' song.  She was saying that Australia has some great artists and songs, and she wanted to sing a tribute to them, and then she sang Aussie rock group INXS's 'Never Tear Us Apart' - which is a pretty famous Aussie song.  I thought it was fun and nice that she put that in - only for the Aussie leg of her world tour! :)

It was actually the first concert I've ever gone to, to see a female singer - strangely when I look back I've only seen guys in concert! - But she was incredible.  I'd definitely see her again, I LOVED it!!  THANKYOU TAMMY!!!!! :)

And here's a couple of pics off Tamster's iPhone! - We were 11 rows from the front - but she's kind of tiny in these pics! :)

It was an awesome night :)  And fun cause I got to hang out with Tammy all afternoon too!! - Thanks Tamster! :) xoxox

Do-Over

Do you ever have a really bad day, and be a little comforted knowing that the sun'll go down on today and tomorow's a new day, a clean slate, a fresh start, and all that jazz? :)

This morning I had to have a mid-morning fresh slate!  And it totally works :)  My fabulous 2 year old woke us up before 5am, screaming and coming into our bed.  She said she had a sore tummy, so she went to the toilet, and seemed a lot better.  So she 'snuggled' restlessly in bed with us for about an hour, giggling and pulling on our faces and talking loudly, during which nobody slept.  Then James went to work early and I dragged myself out of bed with Maggie.  It was a crazy morning.  Obviously overtired but in no way ready to go back to sleep, Maggie seemed to be finding it difficult to behave nicely.  Then Ana woke up, and I let Maggie go into her room to say 'good morning' to her before I joined her and took Ana out - Maggie LOVES to do this.  5 seconds later Maggie yelled that she had done 'big wees' in Ana's bed!  URGH!  Maggie, Ana, their clothes, all of the fabulous dress ups Maggie owns, some of her favourite battery-operated and no longer ever going to be played with toys, the mattress, everything, saturated.  I find cleaning up after toilet training accidents one of the most yucky and unenjoyable jobs as a mother, and I find it especially hard now, because Maggie CAN go for ever without having an accident, and I'm pretty sure she just does it every now and then just for kicks or something!!!  Bath running, toys in bin, clothes and bed things in washing machine, Ana with nowhere to go down for a morning nap, mattress cleaned and drying in the sun, my tired and irritated levels through the roof.  Once everything was finished, we definitely needed a do-over, so we started our day again, ol' Maggie and I.  I gave her a hug and we both said sorry (me for my shortness of temper!!) and 'started again' :)  I think Maggie totally got it :)

And we are having a much happier day today (take 2) :)  What a lovely little girl Maggie is, and how eager children always are to forgive and forget and just love!!! :)

AAAaaaahhhh!!!

They're my new dream purchase.  Frye Veronica Slouch boots in dark brown.  Size 6.5 (that's for my own personal future reference lol :))  Here's where you can buy them and gloat, because I will never have that much money to spend on a pair of shoes.  Then again, I spent almost (!!) that much on my fabulous nappy bag, and I will NEVER regret that purchase.  Plus, they're obviously (like my fabulous nappy bag, which is looking EVEN BETTER with age!!) going to last me for years, right?  So if I bought 7 pairs in the mean time for $50 apiece, that would totally add up, right?!!  haha...no wait! - real leather boots are always going to be more like $100, aren't they??!  So it's like buying 3 and a half other pairs!!  :)  Or only 2 other pairs if they're $175 each?!! :)

Maybe just another dream post :)  What do you think??!

I just got an email with this pair on sale less than half the price :P  Like these better? - They totally match that nappy bag I'll be carrying around for the next 10 years... lol

Obviously I'm coveting brown boots this season.  Maybe I should go do my folding and think about all the things that are more important than wearing cute boots!  Sigh... :)

Finish this sentence...

I have perfected the art of...

???

Well??

I have perfect the art of nothing, so far.

I have always loved doing EVERYTHING!!  I guess I'm decent at some things, okay at some things, really not so great at others, but I really like participating in all things :)

My fabulous husband focused on sports.  Within sports, he focused on basketball.  I loved playing basketball in high school.  My teacher said I had a lot of 'heart' - she wanted everyone to have 'heart' like me when they played.  She probably wished I had more 'skill'!! :)  I rocked up to training, and rocked up to the games, and gave it all I had, and had a blast, but the minute I was off the court I was probably thinking about the next thing I was going to do or play.  But James had skill and heart, and focus.  He really studied basketball.  He still does.  He knows and understands all the technique, different plays, and a bunch of other different parts to the sport it would never have occurred to me to think of.  It makes me laugh, because I always thought things in basketball just 'happened' - are you understanding how awesome I am at it?? :)  Lately I watch James planning 'plays' and trainings for the teams he coaches (seriously, training isn't just a bunch of fun drills randomly selected??  I feel a little bit sorry for the girls I coached when I was teaching!!) and it occurs to me that I don't know anything that well!  I guess viola'd be the closest to it, but I never really worked at it that much! - I was blessed with fabulous supportive parents, and an amazingly wonderful, passionate violin/viola teacher, and I played a lot with different strings groups and orchestras and practised on the odd occasion between dance company and choir.  I did music as a subject in school, and had played the piano a little when I was younger too - so I get musical theory - but not every part of it, because I only did what I had to to get by, really!  I guess I never really tried hard enough to be perfect at anything.  Oh maybe dancing - I loved dancing, and I would work really hard at getting that right I guess, but it was really fun!  I used to do gymnastics when I was younger, but then they wanted me to train like, morning and night and during school days sometimes too to see if I was good enough to go anywhere with it - eek! I abruptly stopped going.

On the upside, in my vast, totally unfocused experience...

• I play the viola quite decently
• I can play the piano a little
• I can even play the violin and cello a little! - I know music pretty well.
• I can play most sports okay - as in I know the rules, but I've mostly played basketball, volleyball, and netball the most - not brilliant at anything.  In fact, the only thing I ever made reps for was cross country, and I never took up training because it was quite apparent that I couldn't quite fit it in.  And running for miles on end seemed a little bland..
• I dabble in painting and other craft :)
• I can tap dance a little, know a little ballet and jazz, definite focus on musical theatre dance and hip hop
• I can sing in a choir, okay - read music and all that jazz.  I do alto or soprano! - see?  No focus! :p
• I can debate! :) - but it's been a while :)
• I love literature, and have half written bits of story and poem all over the place.  Nothing finished :)
• I usually make a great dinner, OR a great dessert :)

And so it goes... :)

Lately I wonder what it would be like to be an expert at something.  Like, really, really good at it.  Know everything about it, study it, love it.  Except that when I spend too much time on any one thing I tend to get over it and want to go cold turkey!  :S  My mum's managed to be an expert at a lot of things - she can be incredibly focused (and really good at multitasking - interesting combination..).

Is there like, a cure for me??  Is anyone else out there like me??!!  Or are you all fabulously focused and expert at something.  What are you expert at??!!!!  Was it fun to get there?!  Is it fun now??!! 

James loves really getting stuck into something and learning every single thing about it, but I want to yawn just talking about it!  Is it a boy thing??  Or do I need to just grow up and choose something?!!  I would love to hear what you're fabulous at!!

They Mustn't Know

Somebody hit my sister with a car tonight, and then they drove away.

She's okay.

She was getting out of her car outside her home, and they went past and hit her, and she was thrown in front of her car.  Her shoes were thrown even further.

They left behind their side mirror, and they drove away.

Tammy is sore, and a little shaken, but she's okay.

How can somebody hit somebody with their car, and then just drive away??  You would never do that to anybody.  What if it were somebody you knew??

Then you definitely wouldn't.

Because if they had known Tammy, they wouldn't have driven away.  They would have screeched to a halt, and made sure she was okay.

If they had known how kind Tammy is, how she always looks for the good in everybody, they would have stopped, and made sure she was okay.

If they knew how hard Tammy works - and how many people she helps, they couldn't have driven away.

If they had known what a wonderful friend Tammy is, to so many people.  If they knew, how Tammy always puts others first, and will stay up all night talking to someone even if she's due to fly out to a job at 5am the next day if they need it.  If they knew how Tammy always makes others feel good about themselves, and always finds something to love in everyone.  If they knew how Tammy always looks around to see if there's anyone who needs a smile or a chat.  If they knew how many hours Tammy has spent serving those around her that she know and doesn't know.

If they knew, how wonderfully Talented Tammy is, maybe they would have come back for their side mirror. If they knew how with a beautiful song, Tammy can bring the spirit in, and help people feel peace.  If they knew how many hours Tammy has spent practising the piano, and how she can play almost anything, beautifully on the piano, and how willing she is to go out of her way to help and accompany others.

If they knew, how loved Tammy is, maybe they would have slowed down.  If they knew, how her nieces race to the door in delight to throw themselves into her arms when she arrives.  If they knew the way Tammy lights up rooms when she enters, and helps everybody to have a good time.  If they knew the way people look forward to seeing Tammy.  If they knew how proud her parents are of her, how her brothers and sisters look up to her.  If they knew how she is talked about, how many people rely on her, how many people love to speak to her, and spend time with her.  If they knew how many people looked up to her, how many people love knowing her.

If that driver knew how generous Tammy is, maybe he would have gotten out to help.  If he knew how she shares everything that she has - and would give someone the (totally cute) coat of her back if they need it.  If they knew, that even though she doesn't know who they are, that Tammy would help them in any way they need it.  If they knew.

If they knew the wonderful things in store for Tammy, I hope they would have stopped.  If they knew the people she's going to meet, the friends she's going to make, the places she's going to travel, the lives she's going to touch.  If they knew the smiles she's going to give, the songs she's going to sing.

Tammy is incredible.  She is just beautiful.  She is a pillar of strength.  She loves and looks for the good in everybody.  She makes people happy.  She's cheerful and funny.  She looks out for those who might need a hand, or a smile, or a song.  She sings and plays the piano beautifully.  She shares her testimony, and lives the gospel of Jesus Christ.  She helps people feel good about themselves.  I bet there are hundreds of people who look up to her, who she's not even aware of.  I am constantly in awe of Tammy.  She's absolutely incredible.

They mustn't know.

The Shoes...

I love shoes. I always have. I go into a lot of clothing shops and everything is too tight, too sleeveless, too short, too low cut, too something! It's sometimes discouraging trying to find something modest to wear. But not with shoes. You go into a shoe store and you can wear any pair you want!! They can be strappy or covered, high or flat, low cut or high! I love the freedom to experiment with shoes.

 Everywhere I go in them, people comment on the shoes I was wearing with the dress I posted about the other day. A couple of people commented on them there, so I thought I'd tell you about them :) Mum thinks they're tacky, but I think they're quite fabulous, despite being a little bit tacky :) They're just a fun pair of stilettos. One of the best things about them is that James bought them for me!!! For Christmas last year!!! - I had actually seen them on ebay one day and saved them in my watch list, in case I ever had the chance to be extravagant and buy a fun pair of shoes I didn't really need. That said, I have gotten a LOT of use out of them! Anyway James found them on our watch list, and bought them! In the perfect size!! And since learning to walk in them I've had heaps of fun wearing them :) And they seem to go with everything! :) ebay 'multicoloured pumps' - they should be the top shoes. Here they are:

Here's another fun pair that came up:

I think in addition to mostly lovely classic shoes, everyone should have a fun pair.

 Maybe these are more your style:

Or these:

Or these:

And learning to walk in them without looking ridiculous is half the fun! :)