hindsight

what is it about hindsight that demands our gratefulness?

i used this very idea today when chatting to a friend

i know its not at all settling to have it said to you

in fact it can be really irritating

particulary when you're in the midst of the storm

but you know its true!

 some hindsight from my past...

i'm now thankful that i had an incompetent leader  

one factor in my 

decision making to resign from teaching way back

or perhaps i may still been there?

no one wishes to be the one not 'moving' forward

if that hadn't been then i may not have grown

i would never have worked for & with my father in his business

i would never have had the amazing sales

motivating leading business experience that is the great world of Tups

or those precious friends i have because of it all

i'm grateful for all those experiences

for teaching for small business & for design

& also we needed the 'no pressure' in our 'own time'

thing going on with all the ivf back then

that all would have been next to impossible if i'd still been teaching

in fact i was thinking that had we had a baby straight off the mark

way back then .... well we'd have a 10+yr old now

i'm sure our story would be very different

i doubt i'd be writing a blog

i doubt we'd have entertained moving countries

we'd most likely be still living where we were

& it was never quite the 'right' fit for me

so we probably would not have moved house

we wouldn't have the same 'in-common' connections with friends we do now

we've actually been in our new-to-us home

for 2 years now ... can't quite believe that!

that's half my blogging life ...

if we hadn't moved we probably would have 'moved-on' from ABC

it was starting to seem like that should be what came next

but you know ... God has it in his control

(doesn't seem like its a fair ride alot of the time!)

so with this hindsight

hmm ... well if we'd moved to a completely different suburb 

which was the intended

then our timing & refreshed efforts & contributions 

at ABC would not have been

so that would mean no Playful Market or "full circle"

nor would have a whole host of new friendships

prob no trip to Ambon or time doing Playgroup

we are so thankful for our enriched lives 

full of the thread of people intertwined

in the 'moving home' we were seeking some new adventure

re-starting somewhere we'd like to be for a long long time

settling into roots for Oscar & his education

community & friends

hindsight clicks over in the recesses of my thinking

it says ...."you see ...

the struggle to 'have'

what you think you are looking for

is not always the intended journey

looking back however it is often

what 'now' you realise

what was required ..."

so yeah enJOY your journey

those rolls of thunder make those sun shiny happy days

seem even more brighter

20m+ & an archaeological find ....

apparently there were no pipes of any substance

nothing was doing the job .... t'was letting down the whole system

so the whole water actually running in the gutters & down the down pipes idea

should work like the romans thought it up from now

there was even some ancient treasure found during the exavation

completely intact ... i wonder who used it for what & why & when???

when i finished school i thought at first that i might like to study

archaeology .... i was talked 'around' ... still have a soft spot for the idea of it!

so yeah .... one more glass bottle unearthed in our local history ...

(thought i'd give you a break from the topic of the week!)

... thrifty wood

 ... can hardly believe our good luck lately

new to us for free

 the previous custodians were simply pleased to have 

this gorgeous wardrobe taken away

i had been hunting for a 'just right' larger

 wardrobe for Oscar on eBay

had in mind to find a dark wood piece 

that was just crying out for a little paint 

& mod podge transformation in the form of 

branches & leaves

hmmm needless to say that i will not be

giving this new beauty the same treatment

& we have more beauties below...

with my kiddy art studio on my mind a-plenty lately

groups of 4 pre-kinder & kinders is the plan

so you can see why this set of very cool

retro chairs were irresistible!

i love them and they are larger than they appear

strong & sturdy as the day they were made

and the stories... oooh i'd love to hear a story or 2 from them!

just in need a wire brush run over them 

& maybe a little light sand

& a good oil ... perfect

below is the hall style table that i spotted
early last monday morning

on a nature strip ...

heading back home after dropping
my big boy at the station

was sort of still in my pj's!
& in the wrong vehicle

stopped, checked it out, laid said table on side

hoping no one else might spot it too!?

high tailed back home

swapped vehicles in a massive hurry

bribed the 3year old to 'move-along-quick-sticks'!! ...

whew ... & it was mine

along with a great hoard of Lego!

 so joining in the Haby Goddess'

make

grow

thrift

... great thrifty finds hey ...

MPAY: On the Wall?

 joining in

My Place and Yours

thanks Vic

so what is on my walls?

we've been here 12 months & i have managed to actually commit 

to a few hooks in the plaster

above above: birds paintings by me

i should paint more often

above: said birdies with pair of seed pods

i know i know they have been said to look like something else

hanging happily in our kitchen

you can see the edge of the fridge, pantry &

a corner of the bench

below: a tree created in printmaking

when i was in first year uni

all these pics that you see framed

i framed them

yep my parents one Christmas a long time ago now

gave myself & SIL the gift of framing classes

seriously one of the BEST EVER gifts!

i framed heaps for other people so if you need?

above:  little mini prints or cards from somewhere

i like the retro 50's feel they have

outside Oscar's bedroom

below: to the left of our fridge

tiny piece

about 4"x3"

bought because i love it 

at the Camden Market

outside of London

i love having items about home

that speak of our travels

 above: more travel treasures

also framed by me ...

tiny chinese embrioderies

one is an interesting design but i can see birds in it

& the other i like to think of

as a phoenix ...

here they are in detail below

one year

one year ago 

we moved in to this wonderful house 

that is now our home

we love it

we love where we are

we love the spaces

we love the light

we love the way we can see us 'growing up' within its walls

we love the possibilities

we love the trees & the birds

we love the quirky-ness & character

we love the way already our lives are the better for being here

we are so blessed ...

blessed to have that feeling of being settled & belonging

that is what its all been about

it just feels right ...

still call Australia home ...

 ... seems we have found a new friend!

little kookaburra has visited us a few times this week

Oscar & I decided to see how friendly s/he might be??

we offered gifts of bread, strawberries & chicken!

 all were considered by his majesty but none were accepted!

(but the hungry hungry maggies enjoyed the rewards later!)

 s/he is hanging about alot today .... maybe s/he would like to play cars with Oscar?

so that's our wildlife encounter for the week ...

my cup runeth over ....

... so we had our first fire in the
open fireplace in our new-to-us home!
wonderfulhad some time 'at the beach' .... seams we always visit when its cloudy!
but a fabulous time & a walk up to the bluff too ...

my husband
my boy
my mum
my dadlooking towards that great ocean that
reaches all the way to Antarctica!!

... Just 2

Just 2 sleeps
... until we own our new home!
Yay ...
(Well technically it will be 3 until we get to sleep there!)

What I've been working on ...

• (just some of) Yesterday's "Thrifty Haul" .... I always love the thrill & mystery of what I might find! Funky, orange detail plates for the Cabin, speckled tea bowl ... pedestal dish & best of all a set of 6 mini wooden skittles . . . with 2 balls . . . I had to hunt for all the separate pieces! These will go in Oscar's Christmas stocking! I love the thought of an item's journey being re-invented with us! & I wonder what's its story has been so far ...??
• More thrifty business with lots of clothing for me & also for my toddler who was in tow & survived my marathon effort ... another fabulous hand knitted jumper for when Oscar is a little older . . . paid less for my entire haul of 20+ items than the 'bought new' wool would have cost the maker! Jumper only looks likes its been worn a hand-full of times.
• Had extended family over for a sunny Sunday afternoon tea; This has meant that the last week or so has been spent 'going-over' every square cm of our plot called 'Home'! There is nothing like a deadline looming for this household to spring-to-action ... windows cleaned, spider webs demolished, cupboard handles attached, pictures up, WC painted & new curtain to boot, wall hanging secured, baking made, Christmas decs finally in place, the garden has had the 'once-over' big time!

• ... was a lovely day & now the conveyor belt of projects to be done rolls on! How's your project list going? Mine never ends as I'm dreaming up new things all the time ... I also bought a groovy table on ebay yesterday .... which will probably become our new computer table once its painted ???? Red - I think!
• & now .... to get on with more Christmas gift making!
  

Patchwork

I've been meaning to post
about these pieces for a while . . .
The heart panel my Mum made!
The day Oscar had his 1st Birthday Party
was the same Sunday we had
him dedicated at ABC
I hadn't long finished making his quilt
& some other pieces
& she asked to pinch some matching fabrics!
She did the words & date on her
new computerized machine
& turned it into his own
prayer mini quilt of sorts.
It has a heart & hand design like the
Shakers have been know to use!
"Hands to work, Hearts to God"
Special
This wall panel I made & has his name on it
& there are little pockets to post things into!
Was my first attempt at Flying Geese too!
Fun
Oscar's cot quilt
He's our little star you know!

Away from Home!!

Hey there . . .
For those of you who know me well you'll
understand when I say that I love the colour GREEN!

"Green" because our visit to Austria would be the best word to describe the landscape other than spectacular, stunning, world heritage, etc

You see the light in the northern hemisphere is different.
Colours are clearer!

Our Aussie light is somewhat coloured by the "browness" of our landscape!

Austria is fresh & perfectly landscaped everywhere just like a postcard!

The week before we heralded London as home . . .
Did the usual . . . Changing of "HMR" guard at the Palace . . .
Stomped the grounds of Henry V111 . . .
The marvelous London Eye . . .

Craig likes an aerial view of kind . . .
(Stopped counting how many Funiculars we ascended in Bavaria!)

&

our little boy who is just wanting run about all over!He's a legend!

Long flights all over the globe & hardly a winging moment!

He waves at everyone & casts a spell . . . & they love him more!

We say he's our secret weapon or the X-Factor!

So that's a quick sum up of the last few weeks . . .
back in London tonight & flying to the USA in the morning . . .
Thanks for reading my blog Sam . . . . sorry no pics yet!
Love ya all xxxx
PS - Going shopping big time in the States . . . Yay!

Simpler Life

Family life with one car means that we have stay at home days.
Fine by me, as it makes life simple
Simple is good!



So we have play time . . .
for Oscar
& for Mummy!