secret project revealed

Am very excited by this new project - go and check it out
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What did you whip up today?

sunday lazy sunday

first - above picture - rolling eyes, handmade mexican tiles, small kitchen

last night: Otilija had a friend to sleep over, but at 9.30pm we had to take her home because Otilija started be mean to her - not sure why.
today: now - not so hot - watching 'my neighbour totoro' for the second time - the kids love LOVE it, if you can get it then do DO. We saw it dubbed in English in Hobart, and now we are watching it in Japanese on DVD, which the kids don't seem to mind.
Later: pool.

next: things I have love this week -
yarnstorm: jelly bean knitted pillows
corners of my house on flickr - no photos of my own but loving others
loobylu's art dilemma post and the cartoon - very good
self portrait tuesday - new contributors on the blog and lots of new people joining - the entries are so wonderfully rich and personal.
hanks tiny sweater at naive knitting
mav's links, pics and lists
afternoon tea from redfeltflower - thank you
gorgeous baby and gorgeous bonnets by nikki
jenny - her every post inspires me
poppytalks design finds - love swoon
monster crochet's crab - the colour - yes
i love how iris matches her knitting to her environment
i keep going back to keri
m patrizio - this is great
i am digging posie gets cozy
photobooth friday
would i look good in this dress - no - but isn't it wonderful
pink pasta - oh yes
sooz window

peasant blouses are talking to me

This one with the raglan sleeves and gathered neck is lovely.



I am quite liking this farm girl version.



This fabric is so wonderful, who cares about the pattern.



This is cute, but not sure about the puffed sleeves.



cute mother and daughter outfits, the puffed sleeves on mama don't do it for me, but are adorable on the little one.



There is something about these two dresses I love, is the red, the pattern, the neckline maybe or those buttons.



mmmm not sure about this, too much puff, too much pink, too many gathers.



that dress fabric is cool, and those thighs! but what is going on here?



another mother and daughter outfit - love this I would wear it - in fact I might make this one.
Which one would you wear?

even the chooks are breathing fire

I know - stop complaining about the heat.

been to the pool. Orlando is asleep in a pool of sweat. going to the pub.

update - bedtime: otilija has heat stroke - vomited and went to bed.

obsessing over house plans

More on the house - have spent the morning web browsing house plans - there are an awful lot out there - trying to narrow my wants and needs and define my desires - how can you do that?

• Mud room - which is a utility room - the back door where you shed your muddy boots, your coat, etc. This is often combined with the laundry and storage area.
• sunroom leading onto the patio. sunroom will also be eating room, and have a reading nook too
• kitchen - country style kitchen (with a contemporary look) - will keep with the wood theme but add more white to break it up - with breakfast bar and walk in pantry
• a fourth bedroom/studio/craft room - the children are growing and soon I may have to give up my craft room for one of them.

I had a brilliant idea to make our own kitchen bench tops out of concrete - but this idea was squashed by Rob (who would be doing the work), he thinks I am getting away from myself - I need to be more practical mmm...

But anyway ...

oh and those who asked about the exhibition - its not till Oct - will let you know

keeping busy

because its school hols



The weather has cooled a bit - so I am feeling a little saner.

Today - an outing with friends. Right now the kids are picking flowers and chasing chooks.

A list: to do this year:

1. start selling on ebay - Orlando is in pre-pre school 3 days so this should give me some time to make money at home.
2. extend house - research new kitchens and talk to an architect - am desperate for more space, storage, another bedroom - move the kitchen, a sunroom, a walk in closet, a mudroom, a proper pantry, an organised laundry.
3. save garden from certain death - the summer has been hard on the garden and my being away has meant a few plants have died, needs to be carefully tended for a while.
4. keep house clean more often - a cleaner has certainly helped - but organising and tidying is another matter.
5. eat healthy food and go to the gym regularly - this is a must do - I let this slip over the past 3 months, but now I am starting again - next week.
6. spend more quality one on one time with children - Orlando already has lots of this but Otilija seems to miss out - need to remedy this - and have scheduled it in - very important.
7. frame some art and hang it on walls - can you believe I have bare walls -
8. have exhibition - have booked it in - now just need to get to work.

have just re-read list and realised that nearly everything on this list means spending money - which puts more importance on no.1

self portrait tuesday - personal history

I am the product of these two people

moody miss

yesterday in the heat - everyones tempers flaired. Otilija is moody at the best of times but after a sleep over (late to sleep and early to rise) and the heat all day, and a moody mother (me) as well, when it all turned to hell - I took them to the pool. On returning home Rob thought it might be a good idea to take them for a bike ride to the park (still 35degrees) and this pretty much sent Otilija boiling over - physically she was hot and bothered and her temper was out of this realm.

Its funny - well strange maybe not funny, when I am alone with her in that mood - we feed off each other and I end up losing my temper, but when Rob is around I can step back and not get so heated.

She has really perfected the rolling of the eyes and has the best flounce I have ever seen - and she sure knows how to slam a door. It is difficult not to laugh during a temper tantrum when she says things like "you are killing my butt" "you are bugging my guts out" "your voice is making me sick", not so funny when she says "you just want me to die" and "you don't even like me".

Anyway i loved this image that soule mama posted. - where is it from?

aaaah

This is Orlando being baby sat at Rob's work. He landed here after realising how much trouble he was in when he locked the blokes out of the office and they had to go to extreme methods to break in - ooops!

Well I am home. It is HOT. Have spent the last couple of days at the pool. We are non airconditioned - so we need to be inventive, today the mall is looking good, or the movies, or the pool again, then there is Rob's airconditioned work with a DVD and bean bags mmmm...

While I was on holiday in Tas I didn't post on this blog as often as I usually do, which is OK, but I hope now that I am home that I will get back into the groove, bear with me please. But while I was away I have been working on a secret project - to be unveiled soon - so stay tuned. My other project - self portrait tuesday, has been going through some welcome changes too, and I have 5 new people on board helping out with weekly posting and bringing some fresh air, new voices and different opinions to self portrait tuesday. I also did a comprehensive tutorial on my projects page on making Latvian Piragi - a traditional bacon roll with the lightest pastry imaginable - truly melt in the mouth.

Thank you to my regular and new visitors for leaving comments and checking in on my holiday. I really do appreciate it. There was also some wonderful goodies came my way in the shape of afternoon tea. Cake, the moistest most delectable and cutest christmas cake ever from Nikki (great pic by nicole - I didn't get to take one) and some tasty chocolate biscotti from Di - thank you again girls. Also I still can't believe I ran in Kali at the salamanca markets in Hobart - freaky, she recognised me. And I saw michelle at the pool the other day - so hello girls.

dang

computer died in the heat - so I leave you with this.

ferry ride

home tomorrow

self portrait tuesday - personal history

Layers of history of time of space of objects of people of life.

Am very excited by developments over at self portrait tuesday - new contributors on board - this will bring some different perspectives - go and check it out.

linen

These images reflecting that I am feeling somewhat calmer. Seems the depression from the past week was PMT related - worsened by events.

gum leaves

This is why I love Australian plants so much. This is a gum tree and is covered in these gorgeous flowers right now.









Feeling better. Did go to a movie last night. I saw 'look both ways' an Australian movie that is wonderful in so many ways - charactors, story, setting. I loved the view into many different lives that were changed by the one event. Went to the state cinema - a Hobart institution where they serve wine in wine glasses while you watch the movie - it has old fashioned comfy lounge style chairs and a great atmosphere.

little houses

Some of the little houses that Rob's aunty makes - they are ceramic replicas of Tasmanian traditional styles.






4 more days till I return home. Rob says the weather there is sweltering, but nevertheless I am keen to get home. I think now that Rob is not here, I don't feel in the holiday mood - I don't want to be sightseeing or shopping or driving around, I actually would like to be doing creative things with the kids, sewing projects or cooking or craft activities - but I feel hampered by the order and organisation of others. I feel like I should fit it with everyone but instead I am just distancing myself. I am bringing down the mood - I need to take control. I am sure that Otilija is picking up on my moodiness and is reponding by being prickly in return. Another reason to get it together a bit. A movie by myself doesn't exactly appeal. mmm

in and around tas

I am quite entranced by these figures that appear around Hobart.





Some art work from a recent exhibition at the Long Gallery at Salamanca. I was interested in these because they are about memory.







Berry picking.





The following two images are from Mt Wellington. I was and am interested in the contrast of nature and man made materials, I usually only photograph nature when it intervenes with human activity, but here I fell in love with these old doors - the doors to the observatory and the rugged subtle nature of the scrub plants around.





My good mood is deteriorating. I should have got out while the going was good. Without Rob here ... anyway I miss him - and the kids do too.

just relaxin'

tiny bit stressed with rob gone home and me still here with the kids at the in-laws. but i am not really complaining - they are good - just i can't totally relax - there is a knot inside me - saying i want to go home now.

self portrait tuesday - personal history

A bit of a timeline

• me as a child with my brothers
• me pregnant with my first child
• me as mother of two little ones
• me as family photographer - keeper of the memories

piragi and lizards

took kids to beach - weather has improved





kids being silly



boat going past



blue tongue lizard kids found in driveway



piragi
making latvian piragi - see part 1 and 2
robs mum gave us a lesson







thank you nikki for wonderful afternoon tea
and i met kali in the market on saturday - what a surprise

mt wellington

Check out that amazing view, you can see the whole of Hobart and surrounding bays and coves and hills. The kids were entranced by how high up they were and the landscape up there is stunning as well. Rocks and native groundcovers, wildflowers and delicate mosses - I love the subtle colours and amazing textures - my nature photography isn't quite up to capturing it all - so I give you these views instead.

We also visited a friend on a piece of land out of town - he has a friendly goat, and sheep and a platypus in his creek.




Still having a relaxing time - access to webtime is limited so I will continue to sporadically update when I can.

happy new year

We watched the fireworks over Hobart from the balcony.

Have been posting pics but not saying much. Because firstly I don't have much computer time - am rushed off the computer to make way for others. And secondly I am too relaxed to say anything much anyway. Robs mother is a charm with the kids and a young cousin pops over now and again to help as well, which is why at bath time I am able to escape up here - the kids are being bathed as I write.

I am glad we escaped Canberra for the summer - its a stinker there right now - 38-42 degrees (celcius) (farenheit). Hobart is lovely, the weather very reasonable, the views and surrounding quite stunning, the architecture and docks and arts scene are full and interesting. The food is pretty good, although they do lack a good chinese grocer and restaurant.

I received some lovely goodies for afternoon tea from Di - no photo but they were delish. Thank you.

New years greetings to everyone and hope your dreams come true in 2006! Thank you to everyone who reads this blog, everyone who takes time to comment and all the others who inspire me everyday. Have a wonderful new year.