Take 2- Show Day

Seeing as though the real Fathers Day was a non event for us, we decided to head a bit out of town the following weekend for a Show.

The weather was warm and sunny and we were finally in the mood for some fun and family time!

The kids had a ball, Stella enjoyed all the activities, things to look at and Sideshow Alley and Max and Lacey (who stayed in their pram most of the time and were excellent) had fun looking around and taking it all in!

My parents went out to the show aswell, and it was nice to be able to spend some time with them and the show experience. I personally haven't been to a show day for many, many years, as I have always worked weekends, oh how nice is it to not anymore!!

Max and Lacey checking out the "eep"

Wow!

Stella and her beloved Grandma in the Petting Zoo, hmmm she is not much of an animal lover, rather scared actually but we were surprised she went in at all!!

Playing clowns

Having sword fights with balloons

Stella on a Car Merry-Go-Round

Woohoo

Checking out the cows.

Getting her Face Painted!! This lady is so talented and Stella had a beautiful Butterfly!

Max's turn!! He did so well and sat so still, Lacey however, was not impressed and didn't like it!

And at the end of the day, just before bath time, a quick pic of the face painting, a fish!!

The day was beautiful for everyone, and quite tiring, but we were so grateful to be able to celebrate Fathers Day properly!!

Lately...

I had a short break from blogging (other than the few recent posts) but it wasn't by choice. Life just got away with me, lots of different things were happening in our house and I just couldnt' find the time, nor the energy!

Starting with this, Noel rolled his ankle during a football game and had to be taken to hospital. Luckily nothing was broken but some serious ligament damage occured!

Check out the size, and this is only day one!! For the next week, it only got bigger and blacker! And even now, nearly 4 weeks later, its still bruised and swollen! Eeek men!

They are kinda hard to see here, but Lacey has taken to having her hair put up when Stella does in the morning! Tiny little pony tails and oh so cute!! (Complete with a jam biccie and sand face during outside play time!)

Some Baby prep baking has been a happenin'! 100 muffins, a Choc coconut slice and a cake (the cake was consumed!) All put into stackable freezer containers and labelled. Feels good!!

Some cranky kids have been living here! Someone took my happy little cherubs and replaced them with these little whining, sooky babies!! Teething is the devil and we have had THE WORST run with virus' and sicknesses! Bring on Summer!

                                           Cruel but thats reality !! "Pick me up Daddy"

But on a good note! My new toy arrived!! A VERY welcome addition to our house!!

Our Robomaid! Still to be named, so if you have suggestions, pass them forward!!

She is a gem, and gets used a few times a day!! ( I am slightly anal about having a clean floor) And she is taking the pressure off my growing baby body!! Worth her weight in gold!!

Other than that, I have been making a HUGE effort to catch up on my Project Life! Believe it or not, I got nearly 13 weeks behind!! Such a mammoth effort to catch up, but a few nights of ordering my prints online (a new found system and I am seriously LOVING it!! ) and a few more nights of journalling and organising and I only have 4 weeks to go!! Yay, so worth it in the end, and I refused to give up! I have also managed to set up 2 of my 3 kids Baby kit albums and will do the other 2 soon!!

Gosh it feels good to be regaining some control and achieving a few jobs I thought were never going to happen!!

I will do a post when I have caught up on Project Life to show you my album and progress, for those that have preordered next years kit ( I have, Clementine baby!!)

But for now, check out one of the blogs I follow Mish Mash, such amazing inspiration for creating a gorgeous and personal PL album (rest assured , mine looks NOTHING like this, but it is preserving our memories and thats all that matters!!)

Life is starting to slow down a little, Noels football season has finished (but Waterpolo is about to start) but we have a few weeks of a little less on, and its nice!

Fathers Day - Take One

I know it was a little while ago now , but the memory of Fathers Day is still fresh in my mind !! I'd like to say for a positive not, however, its just not the case, unfortunately!!

The Thursday before Fathers Day, we all woke as usual and Lacey was off her breakfast. Now this is a BIG thing for us, the little pocket rocket can put away 3 pieces of toast in the mornings, with Jam of course!! Seriously! Our 17 month olds eat more than I do!!

Anyway, turns out she had a virus , started with vomiting and ended with a chest and ear infection.

The virus swept through the whole family, Noel and I included , and it floored us!!

So unfortunately our plans for a yummy morning breakfast, gorgeous sunny picnic with my parents and dinner at the inlaws , were all cancelled and we just did as little as possible to survive the day.

The usual presents were excitedly passed over to Dad (sorry no pics, I was NOT feeling very good AT ALL) , some cards made by the kids, a book, a mini Clipper set, a Man smelly pack, chocolates. Little things, and some artwork of course!!

This year I had the joy of filling out this interview with Stella about her beloved Daddy. It proved to be rather difficult to find a good opportunity as Noel was home for most of the week with a badly sprained ankle from Football but we got there in the end!

Her answers were so entertaining and I couldnt' help but giggle the whole time!

We also did them for Poppy and Gramps. Classic

Thankyou so much for Bianca at A Little Delightful , for the awesome printables!!

They got laminated and our in prime position on our fridge!

We also had our small basket with books for Fathers Day out on display in the living area, and the kids took delight in them! ( And I printed some great subway art our seasonal frames at the front door , just to make the day a little more special!)

And the most valued part on Noels Fathers Day present, was the mug that Stella decorated at Playgroup! Such a hit and is used all the time!

Such unfortunate timing with our sickness and this special occasion, and I felt terrible for my Dad and Noel, but these things can't be helped and survival was the key for the weekend unfortunately!

We decided to recelebrate the following weekend, and had a ball!

Craft - Painting and the Dinosaur

We have been a little quiet on the crafting front lately. We have had a nasty run of bugs and sickness and just keeping my head above water has been a mission enough!

However, after seeing some gorgeous things on Pinterest and getting inspired by the Dinosaur theme on Playschool last week ( the kids are a little Playschool mad lately after seeing them live in concert last weekend, post to come, it was fantastic!) Anyway, this is what we got up to!!

Painting a Dinosaur (and our faces, and our hands and anything in the way!!)

It simply is a paper plate, cut 2/3 of the way across, then the left over piece , I made the head, tail and legs out of. Not quite dinosaur looking but it was well received by Miss 3!!

Stapled all together, then we stuck pegs all around the back.

               And then, Stella went for it with the green paint! Everywhere, even the pegs. Simple and fun.

And this was one of the first times I have given Max and Lacey free reign with the paints, only I thought that stamping pads would be a safer option with them. hmmmmmm maybe?!

However, Master Max, bless him, decided the paint was better elsewhere! Lucky its non toxic and childsafe!

And the finished product (other than some cool art by the 17 month olds!!)

Menu Plan

Finally I have remembered to post our Meal Plans for the next few weeks. I shop on Thursdays so our plan runs from a Friday.

Week 1
Fri- Mexican Refried Bean wraps with Wedges
Sat - Chicken and Bacon Rice (The McCormicks packet style)
Sun - Sausages , Vege and Gravy
Mon - Meatballs and Pasta
Tues- Crumbed Chops and Veg
Wed - Chicken Casserole in Slow Cooker
Thurs - Quiche , chips and salad

Week 2
Fri- Fish, with Lemon Pepper Sauce, chips and Salad
Sat -  Devilled Sausages in S/C with Veg
Sun -  Shepherds Pie, Chips and Salad
Mon - Beef Pie, and Veg
Tues- Chicken in a bag (packet style) with Rice and Saldad
Wed -  Nasi Goreng
Thurs - Beef Strog , and pasta

Pretty plain, pretty simple for a few weeks. I am lacking somewhat in energy, everything is a bit harder to do, the bigger I get, and boy am I big!!
33 weeks and counting down!!
Hope my Menu helps you, feel free to share your own!!

Growing Up

This week has been a bit different for us. So many things have thrown our normal routine out of whack and a real spanner in the works!

For a start, Noel badly rolled his ankle on Sunday during his football game and was in a bad way and off work for 3 days. Not good but the kids loved having him home and so did I :)

Then Thursday, Lacey woke up, and she was not well. She had had a bad night , up , down up down, and then she didn't eat her breakfast!! Thats when you know she is sick! Lacey can eat, and runs for the table when you say the words "Toast" or "Breakfast". But Thursday, nothing. Then she started vomiting. Nice. Not

Poor darling. So we had a day on the couch, the other 2 played and I cuddled, cleaned and patted. Thankfully by yesterday (Friday) arvo, she was feeling better and got her appetite back. So many random bugs around this season, I am over it!

So anyway, we ended up spending more time at home when Noel was off work. The kids were so happy playing  being at home for the days , playing with toys, in the sandpit, outside, so cute. But Stella must of grown up overnight, because all of a sudden, she likes to disappear, close her bedroom door and get out her precious Blythe Dolls and play. Without interruption, without her 2 little siblings ruining things and just like a big girl!

So quiet, SO SO GROWN UP! Sob sob

And it was too devine not to snap a shot of!

Where has my little baby girl gone?

MORE storage!! Yep, MORE!

I am in a bit of a show and tell , catch up sorta mood this week, can you tell?!

I finally remember/got the chance to take photos of our different changes , so you are getting the overload.

My bad.

Promise I will blog about something else soon, or if you want a blog about something, just ask!

So... we had this really odd space in our living room/dining area that was just bare. Which is fine, but when a friend was selling 2 of these Billy bookshelves (you just buy the doors to go on them), I took the opportunity and bought them.
They are small enough, shallow enough yet simple enough to fit under the bench, and fill an otherwise unused space , to store "stuff".

I know I said I hate stuff, but there are some stuff that you just have to have! And making it less of a burden and eyesore is my new aim!

Right, so we had the 2 cabinets with glass doors already, and have just added the middle one with the solid doors. We measured the area and realised that another one would fit with Centremetres to spare, so perfectly. I have plans to line the glass doors with pretty rice paper or something, so I will continue, ever so casually , on my search for the perfect thing.

We have recently replaced the door knobs (but are yet to put the centre ones on) and these are also from Ikea. (Yes, I may well be addicted!!)

And here is what they hold in our house;

The left hand cabinet is our bookshelf, I only keep special ones, or books that I know I will use as a reference again.

The centre cabinet , behind the solid doors holds my frequently used stationary, files, paperwork, favourite magazines (that I am yet to put in a box and label) and some catalogs for a fundraiser I am conducting. The bottom shelf has boxes, each labelled and also holding stationary. Staplers, paper clips, envelopes, that sort of thing.

And the cabinet to the right is for glassware and precious things. Vases, wine glasses etc.
Husband to the rear is at the sink, beautiful man he is!!
Oh and the basket on the right is for hats for the kids. Now that we are having some warm days, I like them to be near the back door for outside play!

 And thats it, pretty simple, pretty cheap , but all in the name of storage! Who doesn't love it?!

Liatorp Love

Before I go any further, I am not getting paid by Ikea to endorse their products. I WISH!! But I definately have placed quite a few orders with them lately, and alot of it has been large items (the buffet, this unit, a benchtop for the Laundry, chest of drawers for Stella, a bookcase) and to make the order worthwhile (just because no order is complete without all the little things) I like to add baskets, boxes, hooks, hangers . All the good stuff.

We have found the freight from Perth to Geraldton, really reasonable aswell. I think our largest order was only $150 for the freight. Sounds expensive, but when you add up a round trip of fuel (with a trailer) food, wear and tear on your vehicle and accomodation if you are staying, its much cheaper!! Not to mention fast!! I have ordered on a Wednesday morning and had it delivered to my garage on a pallett on Friday!! Perfect for weekendd DIY projects!!

Right, enough on the Big blue store, and onto my new love  ( or one of!!)

We have been meaning to, wanting to, saving for, a new TV Unit for a while now, and with having the salon, and me working Saturdays, we just never got around to doing anything! A bit like all the jobs really!

Thats why we have achieved so much, and made so many changes in the last few months around our home!

It took awhile, and we hummed and haaaa-ed about what sort of unit we were after, and we finally settled on the Liatorp series from Ikea. Well actually Noel was very passionate that he wanted it , and I didn't take much convincing. I was just worried that it would be too big and offensive in our living area, however, luckily, its not.

Since losing the sewing/scrapbooking room to make way for another baby , I needed some storage for all my bits and bobs. My scrapbooking gear is now stored in a Expedit 2 x 4 behind our bedroom and that seems to be working so far, as I now scrap in our bedroom and can leave things out and close the door from the kids. But my sewing stuff and machines needed somewhere too. As did the printer, laptop, and some stationary!!

So this came about;

Isn't she lovely?! OMG!! So gorgeous!!

We ended up buying the tall bookshelves for either side, and the sideboard for the TV( (instead of the TV unit as it was shorter and little fingers touch more) , and the Bridging shelf for the top so it all fits seamlessly!

Then we added solid doors to the top and bottom.

NB: whilst undertaking this project, we found out out that the glass doors for the top have been discontinued (and I wanted solid anyway) and they don't make any others. But, luckily , by drilling a few new holes and it fit (not as perfect as the real ones would have but good enough for us and you can't tell anyway).

Here is the sideboard, only half filled , but it looks fantastic. We are able to store the Portable DVD player and chargers , DVDS, cords, etc in the boxes and baskets and still have it look uncluttered and organised.

And this is what is in the left side bookshelf. Buttons, scissors, small sewing kit, zips, beads, wool, ribbon. You name it, its there!

And my Machines are at the bottom!

The bottom of the right side has large boxes of materials, stuffing, wool, plain tshirts for appliquing.

(And see my new friend there on charge, isnt she lovely?)

 

And the top of the right side. Small boxes at top for blank CD's for photos, stationary, spare cords, Ipod accessories and under the printer and space for the laptop to sit (Noel needs to drill a hole on the back board to slide the charging cord through and we are set). I generally move the laptop to where ever I am, the kitchen bench, the bed, wherever, so I don't sit at a desk and blog/type/work/gossip!
The setup for the printer is not the best, but its a really wide printer, but I am happy to take this to the bench and plug it in also.

So thats it for now, lots of labels to be put on boxes (I ran out of tape) , some more boxes to be purchased when the budget allows, and we are set. I am sure I will be moving things around over time, but I always do that and I think you need to use a space or item to know what works.

All in all, we love the new unit. LOVE the storage it has created for us, but still mainting a streamlined and classic look to the house and love the quality of the Liatorp series in comparison to other Ikea furniture items we have bought in the past!!

NB: We realise the door knobs aren't on the bottom cupboards, this is on purpose , door knobs mean kids can open doors, so until we get to the shop to buy childsafe locks, they will remain off!!