A Case Of The Blogging Blahs.

I've got it. I've got it bad.

There are too many blogs to read & too much to do.

I keep forgetting to take photos of things & most days the idea of climbing up to the loft puts me off going on the computer all together.

I'm not making anything, or doing anything much that I can truly deem 'blog-worthy'. So I'm cutting down. For quite some time I have been endeavouring to post once a day, but now that just seems forced & I'm not loving it.

I'm not apologising - if I did I know I'd get many "no need to be sorry!" comments - just letting you know, if you are one of the few that drop by most days. Sounds like a farewell but I assure you it isn't... I just need to get back in my blogging groove & it might be a new groove - a 2 day groove or a 3 day groove, we shall see.

I found the frikkin cord!

…woot!

That means I can show you bubba 2!

The one where you finally find out Punky’s name….

…I know you’ve been dying to find out. Don’t pretend you haven’t. Okay, maybe you haven’t, but I have to tell you for my little story to work. I do.

Something to make you smile on a Monday morning;

Yesterday:

Me:     “Can you say Mummy?”

Punk:  “Mahmee”

Me:     “Can you say Daddy?”

Punk:  “Dahdee”

Me:     “Can you say Scarlett?”

Punk:  “Punk!”

Oh how I laughed! Of course, ever since, I have been coaching her in how to say “Scarlett” (…comes out, alternately, as “Sket” & “Carlet”).

Thank You.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.

Penny dreadfuls.

Not a whole lot to show for yesterday’s opping, except for a stack of Women's Weekly Library romance booklets, with such titles as ‘Love Sails At Dawn’ and ‘Doctor of Mercy’. I love the illustrated covers & the subtext, like; “He could never settle down, he said. She accepted this… and waited for love to work its magic” or “The breeze blew her hat towards him – and her heart as well…”.

They are just crying out to cover a drab old cupboard I’ve got in the bedroom – it’s brown overload in there at the moment.

Another thing about these I find hilarious are the advertisements for feminine hygiene products on the back – as if reading the bloody things in the first place wouldn’t have been embarrassing enough…

My Creative Space.

…Right, so first of all I do know it’s not even Thursday yet, but I’ve not got to play along with Kirsty’s lovely meme for the last couple of weeks because Thursday is Gymbaroo day for us which means faffing about in the morning & almost being late because we were stuck behind a truck the whole way in or something – then there is opping & sushi to be had & by the time we get back I’m tired & bla bla bla… so I’m getting in early.

My creative space is, quite frankly, a big ‘ol mess.

I’ve now finished two of my four pincushions & have even completed a long ago promised picture to do with tea for a zine that dear Isis is putting together, Isis, if you’re reading;

a) Sorry I’ve taken so long, and

b) You still don’t have it in your inbox because *coughs*, me being me, I have lost the power cord for the scanner. Or temporarily misplaced it. I hope to find it soon. I do.

For more creative spaces… uh… you’ll have to be patient. Kirsty will be having everyone over for tea & crumpets at kootoyoo in the morning…

What I’m Reading…

What do you know, I actually finished The Mother Tongue, mostly because I was a wee bit obsessed & reading it every chance I got… highly recommend it, if you have any interest in that sort of thing.

Now I’ve moved on to Air Babylon - ‘twas quite a popular book when I used to work at Borders & sounded interesting enough – a sneaky behind the scenes look at airlines & airports – so when I found it at a garage sale for peanuts a few weeks ago picked it up.

Pros; I found it at a garage sale, it’s a no-brainer.

Cons; Not nearly as scandalous or interesting as I’d hoped.

Now I don’t know if I’ll be done with this one by next week – I don’t feel compelled to read it, even though it’s the sort of book one should be able to manage in a few days, plus a trip to the Library may see me with something I’d prefer – or then again, knowing my Library, it may not.

Read any good books lately? I am always up for new recommendations!

Crafty Goodness.

A bit of crafty goodness is happening around here – I’ve finally made a start on the four pincushions I am making for my belated swap, brought on by Kate’s grand swap here. I finished one this morning & it really feels good to be crafting again, I’ve not made anything (excluding crochet experiments) since Punk’s Easter bunny, had lost my sewjo so to speak, but there is nothing like a looming deadline to focus the mind.

More crafty goodness arrived yesterday in the form of a lovely Pay It Forward gift from Jade of Holi Goddess, a beautifully covered sketch book & bobby pin with vintage button attached – wow! Was pleasantly surprised & happy, didn’t even feel guilty about not making a start on my own Pay If Forward gifts yet, I’ll get there eventually… I’m sure…

Desperately Seeking!

If you, my lovelies, come across a Tomy Flip and Fold Fashions toy in your opshop travels (she will doubtless be naked & missing her shoes… you know what young fashionistas can be like…), or see one for sale online some place, won’t you let me know?! I had an opshopped one when I was a little tacker, so it was missing all the accessories (not that I knew that), but it kept me enthralled for hours all the same. What an awesome toy… I think one needs to come & live in my little loft. Yes. I do.

Are you ready boots?

Yesterday was a good day. The sun was out, The Punk was in a good mood, I had new boots to wear; all was right with the world.

The “new” boots of which I speak are my oppy find of the week for Sophie’s Flea Market Finds – oh how I love them, and how they were so obviously meant for me…

On Wednesday I was very tempted to break my Ethical Clothing Pledge with a pair of $25 boots from Rivers, they were cute damnit, and cheap, but, luckily for me & my weak will, I could nae get the pair I wanted onto my elephantine feet so left grumpily yet morally sound.

Thursday, after Gymbaroo, a spot of opping was called for & the second I glimpsed these lovelies my heart skipped a beat. They were EXACTLY what I have been after, trawling Etsy for in the hopes of finding a cheap pair of with free shipping or something… and they were right in front of me. I picked them up – Size 8. ‘Aren’t I a Men’s 9?’ I wondered (I am in cons – I mistakenly thought these were American), but I thought I better try them on anywho – they looked about right – and oh they were! They are comfortable and tough and waterproof – which is somewhat of a novelty to me with my previous experience of cheap, cruddy boots. I could go on about their awesomeness, I could, but I shall content myself with smiling to myself when I see them and being rather chuffed. Oh – and they were $25, precisely, and about a thousand times better than the tat I wanted to buy the day before.

Whoa. I was little…!

…and I don’t just mean in the “Well, we were all babies once” way, I mean in the premature due to a pretty horrid traffic accident involving a rather big truck kind of way.

Nanna got my Auntie to put some baby photos on a CD for me without me knowing – a nice, if somewhat confronting, surprise.

Above: How old am I? The airline my grandies took to get to the hospital no longer exists, and the hospital where I was delivered has been demolished. How cool were those ambulances though…?!

♥ Mum & I, Pa & I. ♥

  

Itty bitty Moi, 9 days old.

…or not.

Tired & grumpy. Don’t want to play. For the sake of a rhyme; come back another day.

(pics)

I Love This Song...

...or this version of it, or The Man In Black, or something...

Busy day today - SO TIRED - hopefully be back tomorrow with a faux 'Creative Space' & some oppy awesome...

What I'm Reading.

It has an okay ring to it, "What I'm Reading Wednesday", don't you think?

I don't know how regular I'll be with this - mostly because I doubt I'll be onto another book by next Wednesday (it's a big book!), but we shall see.

So, what I am reading right now;

The Mother Tounge by Bill Bryson which I started last night & am LOVING, I adore the way Bill Bryson writes - he could write about atoms & things & be interesting... oh... that's right, he has...

I'm not very far in, having only finished Eats, Shoots and Leaves last night (I *coughs* kept falling asleep, but it WAS interesting...) but already I have come across grand gems that I wish I had the memory power to retain, and dinner party guests to entertain. Such things as (on the first page no less);

"...this warning to motorists in Tokoyo: 'When a passenger of the foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet at him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage, then tootle him with vigor.' ...it would appear that one of the beauties of the English language is that with even the most tenuous grasp you can speak volumes if you show enough enthusiasm - a willingness to tootle with vigor, as it were."

or, did you know;

"...The French, for instance, cannot distinguish between house and home, between mind and brain, between man and gentleman, between 'I wrote' and 'I have written.' The Spanish cannot differentiate a chairman from a president, and the Italians have no equivalent of wishful thinking. In Russia there are no native words for efficiency, challenge, engagement ring, have fun, or take care.... [yet] ...French and German can distinguish between knowledge that results from recognition (respectively connaitre and kennen) and knowledge that results from understanding (savoir and wissen). ...the Gaelic speakers of Scotland, not to be outdone, have a word for the itchiness that overcomes the upper lip just before taking a sip of whisky. ...we have nothingin English to match the Danish hygge (meaning 'instantly satisfying and cozy')..."

Ah... I find that all extremely interesting, especially 'hygge' - what a great word!

...and the latest Inside Out mag (which comes with a spiffing tea-towel, so it's a must-buy, really). Inside Out is my new favourite magazine, buying two whole issues in a row says so. There was a home last issue I fell in love with & another this issue (if you buy it I bet you can guess which one), there are pages & pages & pages of beautiful inspiration & it almost takes my breath away. I am beyond over Better Homes & Gardens, although I doubt I'll pass up 50 cent copies at the oppy, but they seem to rehash the same things after a while & it's not as visually appealing or stimulating as Inside Out, I think.

What are you reading right now?

Holy Smoke.

Right – so, please excuse two “Wow I’m so lucky, look what I got!” posts in one day, but if I didn’t show you what I got in the mail today I would burst, so you’re just going to have to lump it.

After posting this morn about waiting on my sumpin sumpin from Lola Nova; it came!

 

Not only the deliciously red & gorgeously made sumpin sumpin I actually bought, but something spectacular for Le Punk & a marvellous wee onesie for the baking bub too…

 

I was all “Ooooh” & “Ahhhhhh!” Lola, I was, and so was the Punk & then I sat stunned & then I cried & felt unworthy but grateful & happy & overwhelmed & full of such wonder at your generosity & your beautiful heart.

I know you didn’t send these things for kudos, I know you did it because that is who you are, & because I like to think we’ve clicked somehow since stumbling across each other here in this great big blogosphere & I’m so glad & grateful for that & I’m going to cry again…

Damn you woman (…and thank you; so much.) xo.

Awesome Mail.

Oh yes!

Unexpected gifties in the mail really are the best – yesterday I heard the postie at the door & rushed out, I’m expecting a little sumpin sumpin from Miss Lola’s cosy shop – but my BIG parcel wasn’t from America… it was from New Zealand… and I didn’t immediately recognise the name…

But when I opened it – oh I knew, and it was grand! Quite some time ago I won a giveaway on Jacqui’s blog Hazelnuts, the prize was whatever you would like from Jacqui’s ‘back catalogue’ of awesome craftiness, which of course I couldn’t decide on, so I listed pretty much everything she made & said “Surprise me!” – and surprise me she did!

THANK YOU SWEET THING!

Punky is in love – I am in love – and amazed by the serendipity of my pincushion… You rock!

Smelling Salts At The Ready…

I am learning to crochet!

Right now I don’t know what I’m doing or why… and my Gran thinks my concentrating face is hilarious… but still.

Five Faves

Ooooh, I’m on a bloggy/meme roll this morning! I blame the weather & the fact that I did nae post yesterday…

Joining in for the first time with Pip’s ‘Five Faves’!

1. Growing anticipation for Stitches & Craft… this could be my number one until early next month! I have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaiting & waiting… oh it’s going to be great. Proverbial kid in a candy store folks.

2. Weet-Bix. I have a renewed & perhaps unnatural love for this mushy breakfast cereal, toast just doesn’t cut it at the moment.

3. Sewing Clothes Kids Love – I got this last week & I don’t know about ‘kids’ but I am in love! Slightly disappointed to learn that the next print run will have patterns ala Ottobre, on stronger paper, whereas the copy that I have is all about old school tissue patterns that need fusible interfacing ironed onto it, but meh… as if I could have waited any longer. (Nancy’s blog is grand too, if you don’t have enough to do today…)

4. Changing seasons at the local oppy – Oh. Yeah. I wandered by last week & saw that from the “Everything 1/2 price” sale they’d gone to “Everything $1” to clear out all their stock. I went in. I bought clothes that could pass for maternity wear. I was happy.

(Pic from the one & only Dottie Angel)

5. Wool. After a visit to Spotlight to get the afore mentioned fusible interfacing, I am smitten & am just going to have to force my Gran into to teaching me how to use a stick or two into making something I might be proud of. It’s the weather for it after all.

Ah. That was fun! Thinking about my favourite things right now, and what has made me happy. You should do it too. You should.

Deck The Walls…

There’s nothing like a spot of decorating with opshop treasures old & new to lift one’s spirits.

 

Sick of having to ring the “…at the third stroke, the time will be…” guy when I was in the lounge room, I upped the number of clocks in there from 0 to 2.

My favourite find for this week, unearthed on a quick trip to The Salvos while The Boy was at the dentist;

 

I’ve had these frames & the pencil hanger for ages – oppy finds of course – I KNEW they would be awesome together. Pictures are from an old Golden Book, ‘I Can Fly’.

For a little more vintage eye candy for your Sunday, Sophie will have the goods…

Blah.

Yesterday was a ‘Blah’ day. I felt Blah, everything seemed Blah.

I still feel rather Blah, but I’m hoping it will be over soon. It’s Autumn. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, there is a wardrobe at the oppy I’ve got my eye on & the internet is full of beautiful images…