Dress for Saturday




Glomesh Bag

My Xmas dress

Barmy Army more like Balmy.

This swap to blogger beta has been a nightmare, It rendered my blog inactive, stuffed up my password and took three days to get it right.

I sick of it already, having sat down and tried to write three different posts.

Recap over the last few days. Its hot really hot! I am off today as I am not feeling the best, we went to a bbq over at my mum's last night and I was feeling really tired and today I have a stomach upset. I made two batches of brownies, and we saw Uncle Mal and Di and Marion, Keith and the girls who had gone to the cricket with their dad. Today was the last day of the start of the Ashes series in cricket of Australia vs England which was played in Brisbane. Australia won by heaps and there are thousands of English Barmy Army supporters about, all sporting very red bodies, they obviously havent heard of sunscreen!!

The last few days have been really busy. I finished my cards and all my Xmas presents, so they will start to get sent out soon. Mum picked me up on saturday after work and we went down to the waterfront at Scarborough for the start of the Xmas festival. Its going to be very popular! We were there for about 4ish and it was already packed. There was a lady at the markets who was selling shabby chicish vintage things, and I picked up a ice green woven basket for $5 so Stevie can put his drawing things in. We walked around the markets and got some burgers and chips. We only hung around for about an hour, the carols werent starting till about 7ish. At 9pm we went outside and watched the fireworks from our back deck. I will pop down to the markets most saturdays until xmas to pick up some more bargains.

On sunday our couch was delivered from the upholster. It looks amazing. I'll post some pictures.

I have had vegetarian sushi every day for the last two weeks for lunch and been having dinner on a smaller plate and now can fit into a dress which was too small for me a month ago. If the scales are correct I've lost nearly 2 kgs which is nice, its mainly because its seriously too hot to eat. Today I have had watermelon, pineapple and mango salad twice and some carrott, beetroot and apple salad for lunch. I have had about 2 litres of water and about 3 pepsi max's! We spoke to my uncle about air conditioning. Doing our house, cause its big will be super expensive, so we may look at something called Cardiff air.

Stevie is going out fishing for his day off tommorow, he's becoming a bit of an addict! He's saying how early in January they are going to go to Morteon Island and do some deep sea fishing.

We have a Xmas bbq to go to on Saturday and the week after that we are heading off to the Breakfast Creek Hotel for Stevie's birthday.

I'll post some pictures as I need to go water the garden and get out of this heat.I'll also post the dress I'm going to wear this saturday and my xmas dress. I have scored some bargains of late.

Damien won Australian Idol last night. He sung soo well!

Christmas comes to Scarborough

I have been really busy with work and finishing off my assignment. Thankfully I got stuck into it on Sunday after work and handed it in yesterday. Stevie and I have the day off today, we aren't doing a whole lot, he is going to draw and paint and I am going to finish off my Xmas cards and wrap some presents we have for a Xmas party we are going to next Saturday. It's one of Aunty Marion's friends, who used to be my hair dresser, we have to bring 2x $10 presents for a boy and girl. I scored a really nice bag from Judy's fav shop, A shabby Streak, and got a jute pink and cream rose bag which was reduced down to $9! Bargain. I also got a Rolling stones book from Borders for the boy present at $11.00 and got some awesome vintage lady wrapping paper. I am going to find some vintage images of Xmas to make gift tags for it. My Xmas cards I have made quite minimilistic which is unusual for me! I stuck with my deer/bambi idea and think they look quite nice.
On last Thursday we went to Kmart which were having a big sale, I scored a 68cm tv and a dvd player for our front room which looks really good. Stevie is getting an xbox in a few weeks so I wanted a tv that I could use when he's on that! Because we spent more than $50, Kmart had a special where you got a $10 gift voucher, and I ended up getting two, so I bought a Xmas tree for $24 and the decorations for $9. Bargain! I am going to Lilly's cottage in a weeks time so I am going to get more of the little birds to put on the tree. At a shabby streak I got the pink candle wreath and a gardland for the front door, both 1/2 price at $8 each. I am not going to put anything else up, I don't particularly like Xmas decorations and its stupid having santa's in snow up when it will be 35 degrees and we are having Christmas day at Aunty Marions by the pool. We are sleeping over and going to the Boxing day sales to get all our perfume. I have been looking for a few dresses for Xmas time and have found quite a nice one, its a line and is brown, red, aqua/green and cream and has a large leaf/flower print. I was thinking of getting that with a small red cropped cardigan for night and at Novo they have green and brown heels like my wedding shoes which will look nice. I'll post some pictures of the tree, which we are keeping at the momment in the art deco bedroom because of Desa's fascination with it. We are going down to the beach for lunch. We pick up our BBQ and back yard setting tommorow, so no doubt it will be BBQ for forever now! Just as I have been making a concious effort to make something different everynight which has gone well, I made beef straganoff the other night, and then made an Indian dish last night which stevie loved. We are thinking of going on a holiday here in Febuary for five nights, it includes buffett breakfast, lunch and dinners and we'll go on a cruise to the reef.
Blogger is being stupid, so maybe pictures later!
...http://www.dunk-island.com/
Its been a really hot day, we walked down to the waterfront and visited the charity shop, I got a knitted christmas pudding to put under the tree for $1 and a few hair clips and a really cute retro cat bookmark pin, its bakelite! My purchases broke the bank at $2.50 in total. We then had burgers and chips for lunch overlooking the water. There were alot of kayakers and guys on jet ski's as it was really calm. There was also a xmas party at the scarborough resort restraunt, it was I think for a nursing home. They were enjoying themselves though. We then got icecreams, mango and macadamia..yum! and walked home to do some crafty things. Its just turned 4.30, so I watered all my plants, I spent a little time wrapping presents and making cards too. Stevie's worms from going fishing last night with wade have made the front deck a lil wiffy! From this Saturday until Christmas Scarborough is having big Xmas celebrations, a Xmas tree on the water, carols by sunset every Saturday and twilight markts from 4pm till 9pm every Saturday. The santa sleigh will be coming down our street on Stevie's birthday! I wonder if he will get any presents for being good! Here's a flyer for whats going on.
http://www.redcliffe.qld.gov.au/tourism/documents/SLights%20Program.pdf

Finished product of one of my lavender hearts with riff rack :) and hand sewed buttons, I didn't just quite get the shape right at the top, but its ok for a first attempt. Makes it look a lil more shabby chicish with its non perfecto-ness. Thought you may have wanted a look! So good to speak to you today!
Here's also a photo of the $1 cushion I got from the op shop.

The dragon and the gardenia's are made of icing! as is the bamboo.
It was 33 degrees today, we didn't get any of the storm but we may tonight. Its only going down to 25 degrees for night time! HOT damn! I have sewed this afternoon, I hemmed stevie's shorts and then sewed my lavender hearts, from the picture you can see I didnt do a half bad job for my first attempt. This was the first thing I've sewed in about 2 weeks and I managed to a) do it all in one go and b) not go over the edge as I used to when I first started. I was quite happy that I could follow the shape! Yeah!
I am making these for madeline and courtney for their xmas present. I am making tote bags and then fabric and felt broaches and hair clips to match for them. Its not rocket science but I guess we all have to start somehwere!
I looked outside earlier around 7pm and thought there was a reflection from my pink curtains, so I went outside and the sky was an iredescant pink orange over my house, but infront of the house was a bright blue. I took a picture of it, but had trouble capturing the right hue.

Today we went shopping and then picked Stevie up and went to lunch. Gorged ourselves silly with Mum over really nice food,I ate two plates of salad and two plates of dessert to be equal, then came home, lied on the couch and watched the Bill. There is a really bad storm this afternoon, which probably won't make it to us, but it caused really bad damage to the Paddington Antique Centre and an old fashioned church at Red Hill was wrecked from the wind and hail damage. It looks like it is heading south not north, so we'll soon see. I really can't get motivated to do my assignment! I'm too full and just want to sleep! I have to iron my work uniforms this afternoon.My assignemt isnt half as long as my other one, so I'm thinking I might write it down and print it out on Tuesday.

edit: First thing that came to me was I wonder if the antique centre will have a weather damage sale! and number 2, I ended up doing a whole heap of my essay today. I am getting a lift home tommorow, so should be here by 5.30, so if i put dinner on straight away I could atleast do 2 hours before stevie comes home, and then a good few hours on sunday, as I finish at 3pm and would be home by 4pm max!.I will aim to have it all done by sunday, so I can hand it in a week before ts due.
Ironing time now, sewing to follow and then onto my favourite getting my glue gun out.
Ohh by the way, did the girls end up having a party? and how'd it go if they did...any pictures!

I couldn't have cats that liked sleeping on couches alone. Desa and Isis both have a thing for sitting in between all my pretty things.She's such a sweet cat, she's sitting beside me whilst I'm on the computer purring away. The two cats joined us in our bedroom for our sleepin yesterday though Desa being a little skittish thought he was doing wrong, so we pretty much had to hold him down to pat him!He decided he wanted to sit on my bedside table knocking down my flowers and little lavender hearts. Isis on the other hand kept on walking in between stevie and me taking turns to head butt us both with kisses. We then amused ourselves laughing at her teeeny tinnny teeth.
Oh Aust Idol update, Damien and Jess are in the finals!

Poser.

I spent 2 hours cleaning the house top to toe. I scrubbed the bathroom, did 2 loads of washing, mopped and swept everywhere and polished all the furniture. I also went out and watered all my plants. It is very green as we've had two storms in the last week and have gotten a large garbage bin full of rain. We're meant to get another storm tommorow night, with the temperature's again being 30+. Its really nice now that everything has greened up again, everyones gardens are bright and cheery and its nice to see the cows having green grass again to eat. Lovely cows! On the day's mum picks me up we go through Deagan and Taigum and there are lots of cows and very big bulls in the paddocks there.
I'm very unhappy that the doctors stuffed up Judy's appoitment especially since she has been waiting so long. You need to come back over here!
We are just about to cook dinner, Paul Newman chilli and pepper sauce with stuffed vegie pasta. Stevie is busy taking Morrisey like pictures of himself, so I better put them up.
I feel good about having everything nice and clean, just need to iron my uniforms for the rest of the week tommorow, do my grocery shop and then tommorow afternoon can be spent sewing.

Super freak.

Its been glorious weather of late, yesterday was 33 degrees and today is 36 degrees, though thankfully we've been out of the heat today.
Stevie and I both have today and tommorow off, so we lazed around in bed till 8am this morning listening to some records and then we got up and showered and took the bus to Chermside. Stevie was very VERY anxious to pick up his new spectacles, so we took the 10am bus. When we got there we went and had some lunch in the new food court, I got a felafel kebab which was really nice as they put lots of hommus on it and a mango tango juice and stevie got a turkish beef pide and some cherry cola. We stopped in at the candybar shop and he got a big bag of mixed lollies for the movie we were going to see later, saying that we also had to stop in at dreamy donuts so he could get a lindt chocolate and a blueberry donut. We had a bit of a shop, went to pay off our bbq and table setting layby which we can't pick up until tuesday as we need a ute and then went and saw the movie LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. It was sooo fantastic, I haven't laughed as much in a movie for years, I was doing my seal impression laughing and clapping at the same time near the end. The end of the movie has the main charachter Olive who is about 7 do a strip tease to Rick James Superfreak, one of my alltime favourite songs, her newly deceased Grandfather taught her moves he had previously seen in strip clubs, and she performs this during the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pagent. It is well worth seeing!
The last few nights I have been doing some crafty things infront of the tv, I've hit a little wall block in one of the things I've been making, so I'm scaling it down slightly.I am going to start on my Xmas cards tonight.
It is just 4pm and I'm going to get stevie to help me clean the house we're going grocery shopping tommorow and then heading down to the beach for some lunch and since mum is picking me up to go shopping at 10am, I'm thinking of heading to Shabby Streak to pick up another one or two of my little japanese covered blocks, one for madeline for her graduation present. I will get my sewing machine out in the afternoon and will stitch stevie's shorts and also sew together my lavender hearts I made.
Borders Books one of my all time favourite stores has opened at Chermside not only does it have the best amount of paperchase products ever (how I love their books and pens) it also has a good bargain book section of $10 books, I found a supposedly 'easy' sewing and decorating book there yesterday which has all these different cushion and chair cover designs which I may get.
I am eating Tasty jack crisps and hommus with pineapple juice at the momment and it's becoming hard to get motivated to clean. Must get up!

I will post some pictures of stevie foureyes and mum's cake tommorow. Hope everything went well for you yesterday Judy xxxx

Musings of a madwoman.

Summer has offically arrived in sunny Scarborough BIG time in the last week. The weather has been very different, lows of 27 degrees and highs of mid 30's. Its been spectacularly sunny, so sunny I got burnt in the 20 minutes waiting for my bus at my work today, at 4.30pm!! We have had two big thunderstorms, which in Queensland, summer is our storm time. On Tuesday night, it bucketed down big time all night which was a godsend for my garden. The whole city has gone bright green over night as on Wednsday when we went and saw The devil wears prada with my Mum, there was a huge thunder and hail storm that hit the south east coast. There was hail and alot of wind damage on the sunshine and gold coasts, we just got alot of rain and thunder and lightning.
We quickly rushed over to Spotlight after the movie, and I had about 15 minutes to get everything, amazingly, I did really well and got all I was after, I bought a glue gun who is now my new best friend! I have been busy making things two of the last three nights. She's crafty!
We went out to our favourite Indian restaraunt, Dhillon Fort after Spotlight and gorged ourselves silly!
Last night was my mum's 50th. We all went over to her house for spaj bol and bruschetta and lovely salad. We then had her amazing cake, dad ended up getting her an oriental theme cake, which was red, with bamboo edging and a amazing gold dragon on it, the dragon was made of icing! It also had two icing gardenia's sitting on the cake. It was mudcake yummm...and I'm eating a peice as we speak.
She got some really lovely presents, and Dad is taking her out to the Sofitel which is a big ritzy hotel here which has the best seafood in Brisbane, which is Mum's favourite food for dinner tonight.

Stevie and I have to work all weekend, but we have Tuesday and Wednsday off together. On the bus home tonight, at 6pm, its still really light now, it was still quite warm, and the water at Scarborough was super blue, there was one cloud in the sky which was really low, along the water line infront of Morteon Island, and the sky was burnt orange and pink, as I looked out to the water, the sun went behind the one cloud and lit it up bright iredescant orange and it had single rays coming out which lit the sky. It was quite beautiful!

I have been making alot of creations for Xmas, which will be low key present wise for us as we are saving for air conditioning, I am making quite alot of my presents this year and I am quite surprised how satisfing it is making things. I am really enjoying hand stitching infront of the tv. I haven't used my sewing machine for a week as I was out of thread, and I need to hem stevie's shorts, so I will get it out for a whirl on Tuesday.

I need to stop eating this cake!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET 16 FOR RACHEL AND LOU LOU!!

WE HOPE YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY AND GET LOTS OF LOVELY

PRESENTS. BIG KISSES!

Happy Bday!

HAPPY AUSTRALIAN BIRTHDAY JUDY!
Sending you over big bundaberg ginger beer kisses!

Today Stevie came into my work for an eye test and needs some tattooing glasses, he got some cool retro Persol two tone plastic ones. He needs graduated access lenses! With my sweet 50% discount he got the best lenses and coatings reduced down to $290 and then ourhealth fund paid $240 of it, so he only owes $50.00
Today is Melbourne Cup day, the biggest horse racing day in Australia where Victorians get the day off! I went and put a $3 trifecta mystery bet on and you won't believe it! I had the first two horses, who came 1st and 2nd in the correct order and the horse that ran fourth was my third choice!If only it had run third...grrr. I am trying to find out how much I may have had won :( I think it would have been atleast a few hundred! Moan Moan Moan!
I did however win free movie tickets today for Stevie and Me. The company transitions have been sending in mystery shoppers and you need to offer them transition lenses. I didn't even think I had one! But the lady I served today who was really nice actually, was telling me how she was sick of swapping bwtn her sunnies and glasses, and I said, Have you ever had transition lenses, and BINGO I won tickets! She also wrote a report on me saying how nice I was, and that I was going into a draw to win a plasma screen tv! She said she hoped I'd win as I was so nice. I DO TOO! Please let me win!

Stevie is cooking dinner, so I better go, but just wanted to wish you a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY before we ring you.
Edit. The trifecta paid $1100 for a $1 bet. GGGGGGRRRRRRR Why!!!!

You know yr a little obsessed with your garden, when its pouring down with rain and you're freshly showered for bed, when you go out and put all yr potplants on yr lawn so that they get a good soaking!
Stevie and I sat on the deck for 30 minutes watching it pour down, the bucket under the drain got full within about 5 minutes thats how heavy it is.
Unfortunatly for Chris, he wasn't good time Chris and got voted out.
My money is on Damien to win.
Its someone's Australian birthday tommorow!

Boiling Point

I AM MELTING. It is sooo soo hot today, I have literally drank 3 litres of water today whilst cleaning the house. I have been a very busy domestic bee today. I have spent about 5 hours cleaning today. I gave the whole house a huge spring clean, used my mum's amazing vacumn cleaner called the Jaguar (I am so getting one) to vacumn everything that didn't and did move, I also polished, did 4 loads of washing, two of clothes and two of sheets and moped and made everything sparkly. I attacked the art deco room which was previously the cats, took their food and litter from there, got on my hands and kness and vacumned every cravice between the floorboards, did a vinegar mop of the floors and then redid this with a woodwash. Dad helped me move the mattress outside where I hit and vacumned that and then put a protector and my new quilt set on it. This room is one of the house original rooms which means nothing goes into the wall unless its drilled so I have to wait till dad comes over again to get him to drill a hole for my vogue mirror. I am going to take my George Barbier prints to a professional framer to get them mounted on maybe a creamyish and grey double background and framed with a big thick black frame similar to my other two big prints in there. My dad got me a few vases which look nice in there, and also my anniversary present from Stevie a gorgeous lamp is also going in there. I just need a nice big art deco jewellery box and some nice knick knacks. I want a greenish albaware wall pocket in green and grey to match a vase I've got beside the bed, which will go above the cupboards.
I went to Target yesterday and they have some beautiful things, with m $100 voucher I am instead going to get two small matching lamps in green for our room, they have small white lampshades and are a really nice pea/sage green with a leaf imprint in the ceramic base, they are $20 each, a white blossom indoor light garland which look like cherry blossoms to go into our room hing up above our washstand, for some moody pretty lights, and there were two hat boxes, they were $40 and there were two hat boxes, one large green one for $20 and a smaller pink one for $15.00. I will get both for my room, but want to get a creamish one for the art deco room for under the built in bedside table which is closest to the door.
Its a nice feeling of accomplishment I get when things are nice and clean and organised. With the bedding I got, the original choice of curtain material that stevie and I liked, looks really good, I want to make a cushion or two out of it aswell. Speaking of which I was making a cushion Sunday night when my bobbin was empty, took me 20 mins to fill that, when half way through my cushion, my thread runs out :( So I will have to wait for a few days to get some more thread.

I am so hot, I am looking up how much it would cost to air condition our house. I don't even care if its expensive, I don't think I could survive it! We cant have the windows open without putting the cats in a room and Its too hot to do that to them, so I am investigating prices. I like hanging around my house but I want to be able to do that without losing 5kgs of fluid a day in summer, on second thought! :)

I made a chilli last night which Stevie loved and was asked to cook a roast chicken without bones and crunchy roast potatoes and gravy for dinner, so when dad came over to do our back yard, we got some really good rain a few days ago and the grass and all the lillies in the back have sprung up, he took me to Penninsula Fair and I got some mini chicken roasts from the butcher. I am also going to make a chocolate cake for dessert. I have ordered a cake from the lady who made mine, for Stevie's birthday.
I am just resting up before I go get the three loads of washing off the line, and do my ironing for work, I was out there for 10 minutes at 1pm and it was boiling. I am going to wait until the sun goes down, venture onto the deck and water my plants, and put my potted plants away again.

We'll its Australian Idol results night tonight, so I will let you know the news later on. I think Dean or Chris should go tonight as Dean had two pretty bad performances and Chris had one which was a bit average.

Edit.
No wonder I felt hot, it was 34 degrees today, with 75% humidity! It would have been atleast 37-38 inside! Its cooled down nicely outside, I just watered my garden and my first hydrangea flower greeted me! Yea! My favourite flower ever. I have four plants and only two seem to be growing well, I have a bud forming on another, I hope its a blue one.
I've iced my cake, boiled my potatoes and seasoned the tray for the chicken, so I'll sit out on the deck for another 30 minutes or so until I need to put it in the oven for stevie's arrival home.

Australia Idol update.

Jessica was ok. Dean was terrible. Good times Chris as Stevie likes to call him was his usual rock self but Damien was really good, sang Crying by Roy Orbison (not as good as us never the less) and Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley.
He is my bet for winning.
We are now watching School of Rock, it is soo SOOOOOO very hot today, it hasn't even really cooled down tonight as yet and its 9pm.

I ate the best food ever today, Tim Tam Fudge! Its chocolate fudge with a tim tam which has gone all soft in the middle in it. Ohh my lord, it would have been seven zillion calories but it was SOOOO GOOOD! The shop is unfortunatly 5 doors away from my work :(

If I knew you were coming,I'd have baked a cake.

I finished today at 4pm, so I whizzed around and did a whole trolley of grocery shopping in 20 mins whilst I waited for mum to pick me up. I got home around 5ish which is heaven sent for me, and put my groceries away, cleaned out the fridge, made a cushion, made some 'rissolles' for stevie's dinner and watered the garden all before 7pm. I've made 3 cushions in 3 days now :) I'm just running out of fabric. My soundtrack for the night was my, 'More tea vicar?' album which we played for my afternoon teaparty which is highly addictive. It makes me feel like quite the accomplished housewife.
I also got some things to make a strudel for Stevie's desert tonight. I went for a quick shop during my break today and ended up scoring 10 cushion fillers aswell as a beautiful silk eiderdown set for the art deco room from one of Judy's favourite shop's Target (or Tarrrr-ggggaaaayyy) as we like to call it. It contains a beigeishy eiderdown quilt with small sagey-green gray swirls and spots. 2 standard beigey silk pillowcases, 2 boxed european pillowcases in a striped sagey green-gray material (little white embroided stripes), 1x filled green cushion and 1 rectangular beige cushion, with a greeny-gray blanket for the end of the bed. It was originally $199, but went down to $79.95 and today there was an extra 15% off storewide, so I ended up getting it for just over $50. Total bargain! The name of the design is called Truffle and its just lovely. I will wait till they have a 20% manchester sale to get all new pillows, european pillows and matching sheet set. I pretty much have everything for that room now, and now that we've moved all the cats things from it, its looking alot better. I am going to SPOTLIGHT on Wednsday, thankfully getting a lift :) and I am going to get some material for cushions for that room, and to make a little tablecloth for my art deco trolley. I am also going to look for some cute material for some bags. As we are having a lowkey Xmas this year present wise, we are going to Aunty Marion's for Xmas lunch/dinner and a swim in their pool, we are doing a KrissKringle (how do you spell that?) so apart from getting pressies for Tynum, Madeline and Courtney we are doing lucky dips for the rest. For the girls I am making them each a little bag, similar to an anchor design I have. I use it to carry my lunch and enterainment for the bus everyday and love it. I want to find some pretty vintage like material for them and to make lavender pouches/cushions for their room. Madeline wants her room like our's so I might get some of the fabric we used for our curtains. I want to be quite organised for Xmas so am going to start creating! The next two weeks I am working all weekend but have the same days as Stevie off, our front couch is being picked up next Wednsday to get recovered which will look excellent once its finished.
We're meant to get heavy rain tonight/tommorow so I'm going to go put all my new flowers out in the garden so they get a good soak.
The last two days have been really really warm, I'm so glad I work in airconditioning. I am working at Kippa Ring the store I'm moving to, on Tuesday. If all goes well, I am moving there on the 20th or just after.
I got given another $100 voucher for Coles Myer today...yay! So I'm holding onto it and waiting till the Boxing Day sales to get perfume packs.