Mermaid vs Rabbit

Have you ever set out to be thrifty and it has back fired? I have. Many times.
This year, Lulu's letter to Santa said: "Dear Santa, could I please have a machine that turns me into a mermaid."
She had already got a Mermaid Ariel "dress-up" thing for her birthday last year (which obviously didn't cut it), so I was at a loose end when I set off in search of such a machine.  The best I could come up with was a $100 rubber flipper.

When I showed Mr Claus, he was horrified at the price, and said "Really, 100 bucks for a flipper?!"

So the search continued.

Dropping my sister home the following day I spotted a $30 rabbit hutch on the side of the road. So googling on the spot from my iPhone, I found a local Mini-lop bunny ready for pickup on Christmas Eve at the low price of $25.

All I had to do was convince Mr Claus and the mermaid machine would be a thing of the past.

Well Mr Claus was in a meeting, and I had already put down all of the seats whilst waiting, so off I went, a little nervous but pleased with my purchase.

The reaction wasn't pleasant, something like, "when the dog eats it for breakfast, you can be the one to tell her." But with a little coaxing I got him across the line, anything for his little girl.

Cut a long story short, Ruby helped me wrap the presents on Christmas Eve, she brought so much joy to Lulu's face that the poor bunny barely hit the ground for days…..until she hit the ground running….and she ran….and ran….and ran…. (?!?!?!)

When we got the phone call from Nana last Saturday to say that Ruby had "run away", Lulu dissolved. It was devastating to watch, so off we went to the pet shop for round two.

This time we came home with a flashy new (Fort Knox) cage, TWO bunnies (to keep each other company), two leads, a bag of hay and a sack of food to last a lifetime.

Despite being older bunnies and therefore much cheaper, we were a click over the $280 mark , and driving home with our new family members Paul said, "Hey Darl, that mermaid flipper is looking like damn good value."

So there is a moral to every story isn't there. Quality over quantity perhaps? Go with your head not heart?

We're still learning.

I'm curious, do you tend to follow your head or your heart?

Liv x

2 birthdays

Day 11 and we have already celebrated 2 birthdays with another 3 this month and 2 next month!
Pop (my Dad) celebrated his 64th birthday by getting a few cancers cut off in the morning and then nailing on the studio roof in the arvo……just how I'd like it too! not.

(Looks a bit uncomforatble, doesn't it! 

Not the loveliest of pics of the birthday boy, bot and all, but a typical shot of Dad, working hard on another project.)

So guess where he is off to for his birthday? …to see Johnny and Lionel in concert. He is a big fan of both.

A little bit alike, don't you think? 

So we took him off for a "china" to finish off the day. I reckon Dad would be Chinese if he had the choice. We grew up on a diet of good old Aussie beef, salad and a side of chinese (most Saturday nights) . The restaurant was recommended, and the food was generous and very tasty- but that's where it ended.

The restaurant was very home spun: the maitre'd was the 4 year old daughter of the waitress (possibly owner's daughter/thus granddaughter). She also took on the role of entertainer, patron friend and all round mrs nice guy: she sang, danced, clapped, stuck pictures on the wall etc. Then there was the 3 year old son of the waitress who showed his skill in climbing under tables, flying matchbox cars within centimetres of every patrons head, and perhaps his most honed skill was bursting through the kitchen plastic flaps at such speed that you were forced to duck for fear of g-force. Next in line was the 6 month old son of the waitress, who had a bigger lung capacity than Pavarotti.
On top of that, the hired help was a tall geeky blond boy who refused to make eye contact, and took every single one of our dishes to the wrong table.
….and the gong of the night went to the view. To start with, my hubby had to actually open the blinds (no joke) because it was so dark, we felt like we were underground, and then our table faced the tiny kitchen and the …..drumroll……… toilet! The second door in the pic goes straight through to the  "can" and this was on show most of the evening, not to mention the aroma, it certainly wasn't "misty mountain"!
Just had to take a pic, it was comical.

Anyhow, we all survived the night without so much as a bout of dysentery.

……………………….

Today we woke up and celebrated Jimmy's birthday, a day early, but hey.

A handful of friends, a lot of swimming, a lot of sugar,  apple-bob, water-bombing and laughter 

 

Happy "double figures" Jim Jim

10!!!

Love you to the moon and back

Mum x

GREEN promise

I spotted this little gem from the studio window yesterday and so today I had to go down for a closer inspection. For me, it resembled the beginning of a new year, a fresh start, change. From it's charred trunk emerges lime green foliage, full of life and promise.
Despite the fact that my new years res was null and void at 12:01am on Jan 1, it doesn't mean the rest of 2014 can't be a new beginning.
There are so many things I want to achieve this year, it's going to be a tough one, a really tough one. I'm going back to do a bit of study, whilst having the little guy with me 5 days (distance ed); I want to get the big kids into a better school routine; I want to propagate some more hydrangeas; I want to paint more; love more; smile more; give more …and complain less…..yes, it's going to be tough!

Whilst exploring the rough charred remains against the smooth green new growth, it occurred to me that I have a lot of GREEN going on in my life at the moment, so I pulled out the trusty iphone, and snapped some of my surroundings.

This is down near the little charred tree looking back up at the studio.

The lemons refuse to ripen

A lime/pink hydrangea 

I began my crocheting career last night via youtube instruction whilst watching tele. It was pretty much a failure, so a fresh start again tonight, haha!

Below was my inspiration. I know you're laughing….but a girls gotta dream! Perhaps I should get the starting loop right first. I'm good a knots!

source

I'm waiting patiently for the figs too sweeten. 

A vintage lead light lantern will take pride of place in my new studio.

A new frock

…and our tomarts refuse to ripen too. 

Last year we had such an abundance that we made about a dozen jars of relish…not this year :(

So after that GREEN discovery, tomorrow I might wear pink. 

Happy GREEN Friday bloggers,

I hope you have a rainbow weekend.

Much Love

Liv x

Happy New Year 2014

To make a res or not to make a res, that is the question??
Well I made one.
I've been thinking about it for a few weeks (mostly because flowy frocks and stretchy pants have become my new best friend), and I finally convinced myself on December 31st that NO sugar for January, and only on Fridays from then on was to be my new years res.
Well, the fireworks could be heard in the distance, the neighbours dog was barking, the champers was flowing and my brother-in-law handed around the (frozen) Christmas choccies……..I went straight for one two. My new years res was broken before 12:01am and I didn't even realise until I was onto my 4th.
So forget it. I'm a no NYRes kinda gal, from now until I die, because seriously, I don't think I've ever stuck to one. I've tried, yes, but it's just never worked out.
So don't ever ask me again ok, because its a no from me.

Onto other news, well not news, just (in retrospect) a very embarrassing moment really.
I raced up to Woolies tonight at 5:55pm, as I realised I didn't have the spring roll pastry for the spring rolls. So off I dashed only to find no spring roll pastry within coo-ee of the place, only a million marked down bags of hot cross buns. I had daggers. Not because Woolies had totally killed the Christmas spirit on Jan 3rd in favour of commercialism, but because I love hot cross buns so much and I know it will not be long before I cave in and buy the damn things. Anyway, for the time being, I held off and raced next door to my other not so favourite place, ALDI. Don't know what I was thinking really. In my head I thought 'well maybe spring roll pastry is this weeks special' (generally items that the whole world can't resist and line up for at 8am on a Saturday morning), but knowing perfectly well that no ALDI special is ever frozen I went in anyway. I got stuck at the reduced Christmas goodies, before recollecting my thoughts and realising there was definitely no spring roll pastry on sale, so I grabbed a few packets of wet ones and the largest packet of toilet paper (because these items seem to vaporise in my house) and I threw them at the male cashier along with my card, all the while thinking of the starving kids back home waiting for the spring rolls and how I was going to dish up the mince without the roll!? (I probably had a worried look across the brows)...
A…n…y….w…a….y…….it wasn't until I was driving home and began considering the odd look I got from said cashier that I realised he thought I had diarrhea and that the wet ones were my soothing tool.
"How embarrassment!"

Anyway, that was a long pointless story and 5 minutes of your life you will never get back (sorry), so adieu until tmrw, my mint ice-cream is melting…..that res is a distant memory….what res?

Liv x

A wedding and an ambulance ride

Happy New Year to you all!!! I will get back to that in my next post, but first I have to back track and finish telling you about late December!
A few people have asked how RuDy (the elf) not RuBy (the bunny) finished up on Christmas Eve….just like this:

Rudy waved them all goodbye as they slept soundly waiting for the big guy. Then he sent them this picture attached to a 'good-bye see you next year email'.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Next on the calender was my cousin Nick's wedding to his beautiful bride, and newest member of our family, Serena on the 28th! But not before sending Mum, with Dad and my sister Anna off in an ambulance (all AOK, thanks for asking….but it was drama central for a spot…we can laugh now! I reckon if it had gone the other way her death cert may have read 'strangulation by rosary beads' rather than 'dengue fever attack')…but thanks be to God, she is as good as gold. Mum, you gave us a big scare, we love you so much.

Back to the wedding:
Nick and Serena landed the most spectacular day to celebrate their nuptials at Shore Chapel and then ferried us all across to Woolwich for the reception.
It was such an honour to witness their commitment to each other and the love in their eyes, and equally as lovely to see all of the cousins who came from near and far. As we have all grown up and gone in different directions, it was clear, nothing changes the bond of family.

Me and my groom

 My brother and Ezzy

 Ezzy and I (yep, I'm short)

 My two brother's and the groom

 Janie (Groom's mum, my aunty & God-mother) and I.

She is also short!

(the other Buz) Buz needed to rest her feet whilst waiting for the ferry, so she decided a city bus was the best option for a few minutes (I told her if she didn't get off she'd make my blog).

Drumroll…the cousin table

It's not often I'm in front of the camera, but clearly Paul thought I'd best concentrate on holding the champagne glass! 

To Nick & Serena, 

May your marriage be blessed with everlasting love,

hilarious laughter and beautiful memories.

And babies!

* I'm feeling guilty I am missing a shot of Katie and Sam, and Uncle Andy, you finally made my blog, despite being the size of an ant in the distant shot in front of the bridge, but it was hard to catch you as you were always running around snapping your own photos….but know you are all loved too.

Always Love

Much Love

Liv xoxoxox

Christmas Day 2013

Warning: loads of photos and not a lot of writing!

Christmas morning saw numero uno wake at a sharp 3:45am, but he was swiftly sent back to bed with strict instructions not to wake anyone until 6am. Selective hearing ensured all were up, including Nana & Pop, at 5:30am.

We headed off to Christmas Mass at 8:30am, wishing the Infant Jesus happy birthday and begging His intersession for some special intentions.

Then back to more shuffling of feet, furniture and loud music.

Photo bombed.

Nana & Pop with the Nine (soon to be 10!)

Pressies were handed out!

…clearly a few got mixed up!

…..and then we all collapsed!

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Boxing Day was a little more relaxing :

I hope you all enjoyed a beautiful Christmas with friends and family

Much Love

Liv xo