From Dolls' House to Bookcase

A friend of mine gave me an old dolls' house for free that was in need of some TLC.  When I saw it, I thought that would make a great bookcase.

We were starting to get more books that would fit in Rory's robot bookcase, plus he was getting annoyed at Flynn pulling his books out all the time.  It was time for Flynn to have his own bookcase with board books in it.

It took me MONTHS of a little bit here and a little bit there, but......I did it!

The boys are very happy with it.

Not a Pinterest Christmas

I tried to do some Christmasy stuff with my boys (well, Rory in particular) this year, without falling into the trap of becoming a Pinterest mum.  Although, I still fall into the trap of comparing myself with other mums, I wanted to keep it low key while at least doing SOMETHING. 

This was our advent calendar.  Unlike last year's, we made it before December started and had all 25 days.  Rory painted one side, I wrote the numbers on the envelopes and he traced them.  I (mostly) remembered to put M&Ms in the envelopes.  The downside was that the Bible readings I printed off the internet went over Rory's head a bit and he lost interest very quickly.  We did read a few Christmas stories though.

The tree went up on the 1st December, with Rory, Flynn and Liz the nanny all helping.  The playpen was VERY necessary.  We'd really need an electric fence to stop Flynn grabbing baubles.

Flynn grabbed a packet of wipes and put them under the tree.
I'm not sure if that was his gift contribution, or if that's what
he wanted for Christmas.

I made these biscuits a couple of times from a recipe someone shared on Facebook.  I just used Milk Arrowroots to save time, iced them and decorated them with spearmint leaves and red M&Ms or Jaffas.

I took the boys to their daycare Christmas party on the 21st December.

My uncle's ex-partner made Flynn his own Christmas stocking, like she did for me and my brother, and my cousins when we were little.  Two years ago, I passed mine onto Rory, so she thought it was only right that she make one for Flynn.  She is so lovely and I'm glad we're still in touch.  I sewed Flynn's name onto it (alas I'm not much of a sewer).

12 Things You've Never Done

Rodney has created a list of 12 unusual things he's done or had happen to him in his life that most of his readers wouldn't have (at least not all 12).  Read it here on his blog.

This is my list.  I haven't done as many exciting things as Rodney has, but I'm guessing no-one reading this post has done all of them.  Let me know if you've had any of these experiences.

1.  Had a Transient Ischaemic Attack at 19
I was in my third year of uni when I woke during the night with agonising pain in my head.  Worse than a migraine, my head hurt just touching the pillow and it felt like my skull was going to blow apart.  I was so dizzy and I lost feeling in the right side of my face and down my right arm.  I was left with a pins and needles sensation in my face and arm for nearly a week afterwards.  After numerous tests and doctor's visits (including a CT scan to check for a brain tumour), ruled out a number of other possible diagnoses, the doctor decided it must have been a TIA.  My family on my dad's side has a history of stroke; my dad has had many TIAs.  I've never had one since, but I'm mindful that I need to reduce stress as much as possible and get plenty of sleep (haha why did I have kids?).

2.  Played a black cat, a farmer's wife from 1914,  and an old crone with a bucket on her head in some of the plays I've been in.
I'm willing to bet some people reading this have been on stage....but I doubt any would have played these characters.

3. Played tennis against Casey Dellacqua. 
It was 1996. She was 11, I was 13, and she was part of a group of state-level juniors who came down to Albany to play some of the local kids.  We thought we were to be playing against ordinary kids like us.  Talk about a mismatch.

Image from here

4.  Been hospitalised for postnatal depression...twice
Related posts:
Where I Am and Where I've Been
It's Happened Again

5.  Had two short stories published in creative writing magazines
My first was in Brillig (a literary journal of prose and poetry for teenagers, which existed between 1995 and 2000) when I was in Year 10 (1998).  The second was in Sitelines when I was in my first year of uni (2001)....unfortunately the older editions aren't online anymore.  I want to try to get some more published. 

6.  Been diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis
I never thought I'd get arthritis.  Thankfully, I'm feeling pretty good at the moment.
Related posts:
Life with AS 

7.  Eaten crocodile
Our local butcher stocked some for a while.  It was very expensive, but delicious.  It tastes like a cross between chicken and fish.

8.  Had my photo taken with a giraffe
It was when I was doing a play at the Perth Zoo in 2003.  I wish I had a copy of the photo.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

9.  Made a chicken hat
I've made this hat several times...once for an Easter hat parade when I was in primary school, once for a friend's mad hatter themed birthday, and once for a hat competition at our local agricultural show.
Related posts:
Show Business

10.  Made a watermelon bra
Another show competition creation
Related posts:
There Are No People Like Show People

11.  Seen The Doctor Blake Mysteries being filmed
It was in Williamstown, while we were on holidays in Melbourne in 2012.
Related posts:
Williamstown

12.  Written a novel about Aussie Rules football
The big one!  Still working towards publication.

Rory's Advent Calendar

I thought I'd try doing the whole Advent calendar thing with Rory this year. Due to my circumstances, counting down the last 10 days until Christmas seemed like a more feasible task. Equipped with envelopes, textas and a few Christmas stickers, I copied Cathy's idea and let him make his own. He wanted me to help him write the numbers, and he didn't quite get the concept of not sticking the stickers over them, but he seemed to enjoy himself.

Judging by other mums' efforts via Facebook, mine seems like one epic parenting fail. I didn't get around to putting any confectionery in the envelopes, except for one measly lolly banana yesterday. Nor have I put in any Bible verses. But we've read a few kids' books about the Christmas story and enjoyed the lead up to the big day. Maybe next year I can be a bit more organised.

Throughout this I'm reminded that God is sovereign over all things - including whether our children come to faith. While Christian parents have a responsibility to bring up their children in the knowledge of the Lord, no fancy Christmas craft can make them Christian. God can use even the most feeble of efforts.

Rory's Robot Bookcase

I can now cross off one of the DIY projects on my to-do list...

This is an old bookcase my parents had in their garage.

I bought some robot-themed scrapbooking paper from Spotlight, applied a lot of glue, then several coats of clear varnish.

Ta da!

Rory's many books are no longer covering our coffee table.

Passing Down the Christmas Stocking

My uncle's (now ex) partner made me this beautiful Christmas stocking 26 years ago (I was five years old at the time).  She made one for my brother, too:

Now, I've decided to pass it on to Rory.  Hopefully he'll get as much love out of it being stuffed full of goodies on Christmas morning as I did.

Amanda's Cards

I bought these beautiful cards online from my dear friend Amanda's shop.  They are her own designs.  I'm looking forward to giving them to people:

Her work is amazing and you can order her designs on iPad/iPhone covers, t-shirts, cards, calendars, canvases and much more.

Here's the link to her shop KeLu.

There's No People Like Show People

Another year, another show up here in Dalwallinu.

This year we had our friends, Sarah and Reba, staying with us for the weekend so they were more than happy to tag along.  Reba is American and is in Perth for the next two years working towards a PhD.  Duncan and I met her for the first time a few months back because she is attending our old church, so we have many mutual friends.  It was a real delight to have her with us for the weekend because she is so enthusiastic about experiencing Australian life, whereas coming to the show with us would probably be considered too boring for a lot of other city people.

This year I was a bit less organised when it came to entering competitions.  I put this somewhat rushed effort together for the Funky Decorated Bra competition and after winning the funky hat and t-shirt competitions over the past two years, I thought I had a good chance.  Not so this year.

And here are two pieces of my beaded jewellery.  The necklace got a 1st prize which was nice (and $2 prize money).

I also entered five photos (I think Duncan took some of them actually).

This one got 2nd prize in the 'Farm activity' category.  Brad reckoned he should get the grand prize of $1 because he's driving the header in this photo.

This one got 2nd prize in the 'Open' category.

It was an excellent day despite the fact I had the flu (which later turned into a chest infection) and I felt like death warmed up.  Now I'm thinking, what the heck am I going to do with a watermelon bra?  Maybe some weirdo will buy it on ebay....

DIY Lantern

My friend, Rhianon, gave me a FABULOUS book for my birthday.  It's called Homemade: Gorgeous Things To Make With Love by Ros Badger and Elspeth Thompson.  If you like making something out of random things, then this is the book for you.  From decorated coat hangers, to natural cleaning products, to ipod covers, there is so much I can't wait to get started on.  Excited much?

A few months ago, my church ran Secret Friend again, and I decided to try making one of the homemade lanterns in the book.

First you need a jar (I used an old mayonnaise one) and a candle.  I got Duncan to melt the bottom of the candle and stick it in the jar.

Then I glued some tissue paper around the outside, stuck some flowers on for decoration, then tied and glued a ribbon around the rim so the lantern can be hung if desired.

The photos aren't great, but it should look nice with the candle lit.

Stay tuned to see what I will make next.  The patchwork skirt is looking very tempting.

Fete

Last month, Duncan and I had a 'trash and treasure' stall at our local fete. Not only did we clean out a lot of junk but I also decided to get out my beads and have a go at making some jewellery to sell. Lately, I've been dreaming of ways to make money for the purpose of furthering God's kingdom. Having a clean out and not being a hoarder of useless crap is a great way to raise some funds for those in need. We decided that all proceeds we made would go to support women and children associated with Pregnancy Problem House and by selling some of our old stuff we made $75.80. Honestly, I couldn't believe some people wanted to buy our junk....but I'm very glad they did. I can't wait for the next fete or market to come along.

Here are some of my attempts at creativity:

Some of our random junk.

Me at our stall.