HELLO HELLO HELLO! Is anyone still out there?!

I'm not sure that anyone out there will see this. I feel a little bit like I am on a desert island. Of my own making. It's my own fault I ended up on this desert island.

                                                                    image via pinterest

But I would like to extend an invitation to YOU, to come join me on my island, hang out for a bit, reminisce about old times, catch up on what's been going on for the past year and drink to the future. Scrap the metaphor, I don't want to be on an island anymore. But let's hang out anyway, please?!

I'm here to say, first and foremost SORRY. And secondly, I'm baaaaack! And thirdly, I've moved to HERE.

Yep, new me, new blog, still with old me and old blog content. But with new improved me at the top. It makes more sense over there, I think.

I understand if you don't believe in me anymore. I've been gone for ever so long and I never even said goodbye. I am sorry.

how one bowl of icecream can singlehandedly save the environment

I saw everyone raving on the tweetvine the other day about these giant environmentally friendly bath rocks that allow you to enjoy your bath without feeling guilty about wasting water.

HAH! You fools! You don't need to spend your hard earned dollars on fancy plastic rocks! I'm no mathematitian but I'm pretty certain that you just need to be fat (like me) or pregnant (like me) and then your body mass takes up so much space in the bath you could fill it with the tears from one fairy (small, magical, watery tears) and feel completely guilt free about the whole "baths waste water" argument. I'm never going to feel guilty about being fat again. I'm saving the world with my body, people, what are you doing?!

Because it's cold tonight but I still feel like eating icecream with copius amounts of milo on top, I'm going to run a hot bath and combine the pleasure of bathing with dessert.

I will not feel guilty about filling the bath to the brim as I know that when I hop out it will really only be a quarter full.
I will not feel guilty about eating icecream with milo as I'm sure I need the calcium and vital minerals for the growth of my unborn.
And if I wash my icecream bowl in the water when I'm done, I think that would adequately burn any calories induced in the eating of the icecream and save any further water being wasted. WIN.

I am a WINNER!
I am delirious.
I am going to bed now.
(Please don't remind me I typed this in the morning.)

shake it like a polaroid picture!

Warning - I'm gonna be all lame here and gush about an iphone app. You take a picture then you shake it and wait for it to develop like a polaroid!! It's so much fun! (And it's completely hypocritical of me to love it so much as I really hate the Hipstamatic app that takes faux lomo shots - just use a Holga or a Diana people!)

But look at the pretty wisteria...

And I love how at this time of year the gutter is filled with pretty purple petal litter

And this is my new friend Zeppellin. He's the friendliest kitten in town. He lives on my parent's street and I actually cross the road to see if he's hanging out...

And here is my old friend Montalbano with his new friend, Gabi's crochet baby blankie. I got straight onto it and sewed up the left over hexagons and started working on the trim. And since Bano likes it and I'm also told the lovely Sally's Mister 3 even likes it, so I'm feeling pretty confident that my lil one will like it too. (And if not, too bad.)

Only problem is I got THIS CLOSE to finishing the trim in the pale green when I ran out of yarn. CURSES!!

Ironically every thing I've ever tried to crochet in that lovely pale green bamboo/cotton yarn has been promptly ripped up, I just can't seem to get it to work for me. So I wasn't surprised it wasn't going to oblige me and finish the trim without an argument. What should I do? Rip it off? Fill the gap with left over jade? Crochet the row again using a smaller stitch that might conserve more yarn? Ditch the entire project?!

sometimes courage needs a little encouragement

I was reminded that I need to find the strength within when I saw this lovely image on Pikaland by Nicole Daddona.

I'll admit to being a little paralysed by fear lately, or a nifty cocktail of fear, procrastination, laziness and exhaustion. I feel like I'm treading water, but that the water level is rising swiftly and it's getting tougher to keep my head above water. Trouble is, it's only me making the water rise!

I have so much support around me, I know everyone believes in me and deep down I even believe in myself. I'm just not making myself proud, if you know what I mean? I'm not getting things done. But I'm not in the mood for getting things done. Can't I sit on the couch all day instead? I need to encourage my courage.

I need to get on with it.  


I need to tackle some mammoth tasks and then I can quit feeling guilty about not being the amazing me I know I can be. 


Here are a few tasks to tackle. If I admit them to you, dear friends, perhaps you'll hold me accountable?!

* Declutter, repackage and transform the "junk room" into a happy room for the lil one to sleep in. There is a lot to do in the smallest room in our house. A lot.
* Do my tax before the end of the next financial year already.
* Work harder and smarter at my freelance jobs. We need the money.
* Stop freaking out and comparing my impending labour experience to that of certain celebrities. Like Kourtney Kardashian, for example, who didn't even break a sweat on her perfectly made up face when she reached down and delivered her own baby. I know I won't be sweat, tears or terror free when the big day comes, but the image of her completely calm labour is not inspiring me, it's giving me guilt trips like skinny models in magazines. 


That'd make a nice start I think. I will do the things that I think I cannot. Or rather, the things I do not really want to do, but know I must.



 

warm fuzzy "look everyone, I made this!" moments

So even though Spring is well sprung these days, what with all the magnolias and cherry blossoms and wisteria waving hello as you walk down the street, I'm still making room for some warm fuzzy moments in my life.

If I can be THIS PROUD of my recycled woollen turtleneck jumper transformed into a hot water bottle cozy then I can only imagine how proud I will be of the little baby I pop out after 9 long months. I bet there will be a lot of "LOOK EVERYONE, I MADE THIS!!!"...apologies in advance people.

Meanwhile, here is my new improved hot water bottle. Turtleneck jumpers are terribly unflattering on me, but I always get sucked in by the woollen jumper rack at Vinnies, so rather than return it back to Vinnies in a recent spring clean I decided to get crafty. Wish I'd thought beforehand to embroider something cute on it before I sewed it up but the urge to make overwhelmed my thinking process.

Have you ever got so sick of a project you'd been working on that you never bothered to finish it? Well, I think I've come across a solution - pass it on! My lovely neighbour Gabi had been working on a sweet hexagonal crochet baby blankie for a friend of hers since her friend found out she was pregnant. Now that friends baby is 1 and Gabi still hasn't finished the blanket but has grown sick of the sight of it. So she passed it on to me instead.

And I'm so excited! I just have to sew on 14 left over hexagons and edge it and it's done! Almost like I made the whole thing myself!

I better get cracking on this though otherwise I fear I'll lose the will to finish also, and it would be a terrible shame for this poor orphaned blankie to be abandoned twice!

"one time I looked at a diamond and it gave me a sunburn"

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Uploaded by manandamazing.

Now that I have distracted you with THE. CUTEST. STOP. MOTION. ANIMATION. EVER I'm hoping you'll not be so mad at me for not upholding my regular blogging aspirations. It seems that turning on the computer and typing out intelligent, thoughtful blog posts on a regular basis is still beyond my capacity. Le sigh. Le sorry. All I can do is hope to improve?! Try harder?!

But I do want to say a HUGE THANK YOU for all your lovely kind comments regarding my new pregnant life. May I say it with flowers?

Thanks to EJORPIN for pointing me in the direction of FLOWER POWER!

I have been busy but my camera has not, must remember to recharge that battery! In the meanwhile might I share with you the wonderful MAEVE online magazine? A most lovely online publication indeed.

I'll be back soon with images of creative pursuits, I promise. I DO!

I spy with my little eye something begining with.....

B!

If you guessed BLOG POST you'd be correct. If you guessed BABY you'd also be correct.
Which brings me to my excellent excuse for my absence in blogland, and life in general, for the past few months. I'm just emerging from the fog of my first ever first trimester. Yes dear friends and readers, (if there is anyone still reading after my unexplained departure), I am pregnant.

Up the duff. Preggers. Bun in the oven. I'm legitimately fat now people.

And if the shock of discovering there was a very unplanned, surprise human growing in my uterus wasn't enough then the shock of discovering being pregnant isn't all glowing loveliness, long lunches and nesting by painting a nursery in overalls like on some paint ad, has certainly bowled me over.

The exhaustion. I've slept for weeks. I sleep around 12 hours a night and then nap several times a day. I think I sleep more than the cat right now. The endless nausea and aversion to any food smells. The fact that morning sickness lasts all day, and for me, is worse at night. My utter lack of appetite and thanks to some rather nifty hormone changes I've been constipated for a good two months now. Honestly, no one EVER mentioned to me before that being pregnant can make you constipated! Word up to the non mums out there - you've now been warned!

So while you've all been going about your busy, crafty, inspirational lives I've been walking around like a zombie, unable to muster an intelligent thought let alone think about picking up my crochet hook, knitting needles, camera or even stringing together a typed sentence. I've never felt so utterly devoid of creative impulses in my life and it's depressing me so much. I have to believe that all of my creative energy has been diverted to the being in my belly, who will in turn grow into a fabulously talented, creative, inspirational human being. (No pressure.)

And I'm trying not to think about how I'll never have a chance to indulge in my beloved sleep-ins for many years to come, how I'll have to transform into a responsible parent/housewife who cooks and cleans on a regular, you know, daily, basis, how we're going to fit a family into our one bedroom apartment, how our sunroom/study/junkroom needs to be emptied and transformed into a nursery, how we're going to lug a pram up four flights of stairs, how difficult and scarce holidays will be from now on, whether my partner will love our child more than he loves me and how I'm going to pass a baby through my vagina. (No pressure.)

So in order to return some normalacy to my life I've decided to return to In the Light of the Sun. Regular sunshine and regular blogging. That's my plan for bringing back 'me'. Of course, I can guarantee neither but I can try. And thanks for sticking with me, by the way, it's much appreciated. (No pressure!)

Evidence I saw the sun today as well as napping with the cat...

flickr friday faves

Wow, I cannot believe it's Friday already! Admittedly, my weeks are lacking in the usual routine of 8 til 6 Monday to Friday full time work, but all the same, where does the time go? How is everyone?!

Shots from Tassie will be up soon - it was VERY cold there! (So glad I wore double leggings.) But in the meanwhile I thought I'd share some of my flickr faves - the weather has been so grey and rainy in silly Sydney lately, I for one am in desperate need of BRIGHT, HAPPY, CHEERFUL IMAGERY!

Brilliantly crocheted smart car spotted in Rome via StartTheDay

A lovely Charley Harper illustration circa 1964 via liefpeng

Darling little stencil of my favourite royal - the Little Prince! via mmelox

Bright, happy peach blossoms via Caterina TD
 

I think my house would be complete with this gorgeous Blancucha wall decal. Isn't she amazing?! There's nothing more cheery than red balloons! I love the simplicity of her art.

I hope you're all feeling warm and cheery. If not, have you tried the new Snickers Hazelnut bar?!! I have been scouring supermarket shelves all over Sydney with no success, thankfully I have the best friend ever and she sent me some in the mail from Melbourne. Nothing beats hazelnuts and chocolate and lovely people who send you it in the post. Nothing! Another reason to move to Melbourne perhaps?!

hip hip hooray!

Hooray for holidays! I'm going OVERSEAS!! Well, I'm headed to Tassie for the weekend with my mum and my uncle to visit my cousin's family in Launceston. I've never been there before. It's rather exciting. I think the small gap of ocean between Tasmania and the mainland officially makes this trip an overseas one, don't you?!

Only problem is that it's bloooooooody freeeeeeeeezing down there. Even colder than Sydney and I already feel like I've layered and rugged up as much as possible. I just did a late night trip to Kmart for extra woolie leggings. I feel certain that in this current climate, one can never have too many pairs of thick woolie leggings. But don't worry kids, I won't wear them as pants.

I've already started the first rounds of many crocheted flowers so I can crochet on the plane and not need scissors, which I am feeling rather chuffed about. As for doing the laundry so I have clean undies to take...well, there is a few hours before take off!

Oh, and I will be taking my apple beanie to Australia's apple isle so stay tuned for some in situ action shots!

Much love to you all and have a wonderful wild and wooly weekend, wherever you are!

keep your chin up

Hi there! It's been three whole weeks! I would have blogged sooner but I was busy burying my head in the sand. Sorry about that. I have some rather enormous life changing news to announce but I have to wait just a little bit longer before sharing....rude I know. Please be patient with me! While I shake the sand out of my hair and wipe my eyes here is a happy inspirational image I've been using to keep me going.

Darling Dear by Stealing Hearts

Have you ever tried to make a paper cut before? I do have some time on my hands...perhaps I should give one a go eh?! Nothing like blind enthusiasm is there?!