how true, how true {unfortunately}

image persimmonandpink

don't forget

image

...to have a good weekend

...to smile and enjoy the loves of your lives

...to dream a little dream

...to enter the lulu froufrou giveaway being drawn on Monday morning!

think happy thoughts

I am thankful for....

♥ my beautiful little boy who is full of one-liners at the moment that have me in stitches: 

• "that's genius!" {in response to being told he could go for a walk with daddy after work}
  
• "well I never" {discovering daddy's thong he threw down the back stairs}
• "I'm eating my winner" {in response to me asking him what he was doing when I hear noises of concentration coming from the back seat of the car}

♥ the hundred or so kisses he gave me as he was falling asleep tonight each preceded with a "thankyou mummy for {....}"

♥ my gorgeous girl getting up on two feet a lot today, finally getting ready to take her first steps - it won't be long now

♥ the fact that I am able to stay at home to raise my children (as much as it has its enormous challenges)

♥ that I have been able to breastfeed both of my children with relative ease, my boy for 12 months, and my little girl for about 15 months (have only just stopped)

♥ a husband who respects me and my role as mother of his children and recognises the important work I do at home for all of us 

♥ a supportive extended family who loves us unconditionally, especially my parents who will drop everything to help me out when needed 

You can join in on Operation Think Happy here.  Great idea Holly!

what a way to wake up

image tara whitney via giddy giddy

Imagine waking up to this on your birthday! I'm totally going to try and organise this for Josh's birthday in a few weeks time......will love to see his face with this little surprise!

Josh didn't take my hint from my blog post yesterday unfortunately and was up at 6.20am and I sooooooo wasn't ready to be up. But out of bed I dragged myself, onto the lounge while he watched a few episodes of Postman Pat while I 'woke up'.

We are still struggling through toilet training and it's such hard work. There was a moment last night, right before bedtime (why do these things always happen at the worst times?) when he decided to do a poo in his undies, drop a bit of it in the hallway, step on it a bit and run through the house......and then husband leaves at 7.30 to play a basketball game and I'm left with two disgruntled children to put to bed and a whole house to mop up. Onwards and upwards I guess.

message to my kids

theserendipity

i am you are

 image: jackie cooper

Enjoy being Australian today!

I'm off to a bbq (who isn't?) this afternoon and then dropping off Mr 'nearly three' to stay at his grandma's for the night (hurrah!).

Should be a nice relaxing evening...... perhaps with a glass of wine in my hand.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway this week to win some gorgeous hair accessories from lulu froufrou!

{giveaway monday} lulu froufrou

Good morning! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine didn't involve a lot of sleep (too many late nights again!) but our big success was spontaneously deciding to not offer a dummy to Josh and he has coped extremely well with it! I thought he would really kick up a stink and badger me all the time for it, and I was even prepared for terrible sleep from him, but I'm happy to report it really hasn't changed anything. His sleep is exactly the same as it was before and he hardly asks for his dummy at all! Hurrah!

Now for something a little more exciting! I've recently had the pleasure of decorating my little girl's hair with the most gorgeous little hair decorations from lulu froufrou. Here is my little peach with one in her hair on the weekend! So fantastic that she didn't even try to pull them out of her hair. I was very impressed.

Pretty cute huh?

Linda, the lovely creator of these beautiful pieces, is based in Melbourne and lovingly hand makes all her hair accessories. If you'd like to buy some for your little one you can find them here at Linda's made it store. Linda also blogs here and has a facebook page here. Join up to stay up to date with all things lulu froufrou!

Today Linda would like to offer a mum/toddler/babe reader a lulu froufrou pack valued at around $30. These are the lovely goodies you could receive!

All you have to do to enter this fabulous giveaway is head over to the lulu froufrou store and leave a comment below to tell me your favourite product. I will randomly select a lucky winner next Monday morning!

Here are all the lulu froufrou links for you again to make it easy to head over:

♥ lulu froufrou made it store 

♥ lulu froufrou blog

♥ lulu froufrou facebook page

love is in the air......

Clockwise from top left: 1. plantable mini valentines by girlingearstudio 2. he loves me he loves me not vintage heart necklace by TiffanyOriginals 3. valentines day heart ring by LauraliLarson 4. button love 8 x 8 print by lolasroom 5. two wheeled valentines cards by the craftpantry 6. lovely day valentine card by belleandboo 7. be mine hand stamped valentines ring by fabuluster 8. heart stripe yarn valentines wreath by ItzFitz 9. she wears her heart on her sleeve valentines 8 x 8 print by janeheller 10. looking for love 8 x 10 print by irenesuchocki

Well it is on Etsy anyway! Here are some LOVE-ly valentine-y Etsy goodies for you to enjoy this Friday.

We are not ones to care much for Valentines Day in this household - we share the love everyday and we are consumed with a certain toddler's birthday that is on the 13 February anyway.....but nevertheless, I'll share some love with you guys!

Have a great weekend, and stay tuned for a sweet little giveaway next week. xo

smallish

image smallish

If you love natural fibres for your nursery bedding have a look at Smallish! Handmade in Melbourne and they can do custom orders to meet your needs and style. Read the rest of my article over at Kids Product Directory.

{thursday} etsy favourites

I'm so tired. We had the worst night ever. I had a lot of accounts work to do and so of course it was the night that everything had to disrupt me. First it was Zoe who was inconsolable for quite a while, then Josh falls out of bed while Zoe is crying, finally both kids back to sleep and my phone/internet line goes down, then I have a lengthy call with Optus to fix line at 10pm, Zoe inconsolable again, hubby gets home late, I madly scramble to finish my work and email it into the office, re-settle Josh, then fall into bed at 1.45am.

I'm not doing any more work today.

So of course I thought I would trawl Etsy for a bit!

 image

Isn't this little print totally adorable? Would be soooooo cute in a child's bedroom. I have an idea to start an art wall in Zoe's room. I want to put up an eclectic mix of little prints just like this. I also have a reading corner in our dining room that I'd like to do the same.

Here are a few more of my favorite Etsy goodies for today: 

sweetbeets

NanLawson 

 

SewKatiepie

olivemanna

mmmmmmm

image ashleysummerphotos

Don't you just love m&m's? These have been the BIG focus of this week as I have been using them as bribery. Yep. We have been toilet training here in our household and food works best to motivate my toddler. So each time he successfully manages a wee in the potty, he gets a few m&m's. He needs to be as trained as possible before he starts preschool in mid February after his third birthday.

I've actually been surprised at how well he has done, as we have had a few casual goes at toilet training in the past, but this week has been the first time I've really gotten serious about it and had him in 'big boy undies' and only nappies for sleeps. We are yet to get #2's successfully in the potty, and then we need to make it from potty to toilet......but he is doing REALLY well. My boy is growing up....

We went out for a coffee and 'babycino' a few mornings ago, and the cafe we went to serves m&m's with their babycinos and put 100s and 1000s on the froth. Josh saw the m&m's and proceeded to tell me that 'you have to do wee in the potty for those'. I, of course, told him it would be ok if he had these ones without having to go to the potty. Later that night I overheard him 'praying'  and after saying 'thankyou for grandma and grandpa' he said 'and thankyou for the lady who brought the chocolate and sprinkles'. Totally adorable. I had to stop myself from giggling while pretending to be asleep next to him!

wednesday will do's

image unikalinka

What are your 'will do's for today?

Mine are:

• i will reconcile the accounts for the quarter for hubby's business (urgh!)
  
• i will pick up my latest ebay buy for Josh
• i will enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning and afternoon
  
• i will smile
• i will appreciate my life
• i will remember my place in this world and the One who loves me beyond comprehension
  

white peony

image

Morning! Here is a print of one of my favourite flowers for you - the peony! I desperately wanted these for my wedding but they were out of season at the time. Boo.

Unfortunately I haven't heard from the giveaway winner as yet, so I'm giving them until Wednesday evening to contact me. If I don't hear anything by then, I will redraw the giveaway on Thursday morning!

I am running out of ideas for entertaining toilet training toddler at the moment. I'm not game enough to go out just yet, so we are stuck at home yet again!! Good thing is that grandpa will be coming over soon with some lunch. Yippee!!

my little miss sunshine

A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men.

Martin Fraquhar Tupper

i heart such things.....

Image: 2 hearts by penelopepink1979

 ....as these.

I decided to make another blog. I always draw a big fat blank when people ask me what I want for birthday/unbirthday/christmas so I thought I'd create a cyber list of all my little heart's desires so it's at the ready for all those that dare to ask! It won't contain much besides the photos and a link but hopefully will become a lovely collection of items big and small for my friends and family to use. Also a great ply to get them to try and buy handmade too!

Now bring on my birthday! :P

and the winner is .....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbgrigby/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

We have a winner folks!! Want to know who it is? I'll tell you in a sec......

On another note. How beautiful is the photo above? I just found it while browsing on Flickr. I would love it hanging somewhere in my house..

Anyway, back to that winner, hey?

The lucky reader is ***Amy***.  Congratulations! Please email me with your address and I'll post out your lovely prize.

I'm off now to change a smelly nappy, put little Miss Z down for her morning nap, do some work, maybe have a look at some bedroom inspiration to give me ideas for my own room, and then head off for an early dinner at my parents house to see my Aunt and Uncle who are out from Switzerland. (I might even try to sneak in a moment to indulge in a peppermint Magnum that is just calling my name from the freezer.) 

Hope you all have just as cheerful a Thursday as I hope to have! xo

{etsy love} where the wild things are

Everyone is a little 'Where The Wild Things Are' crazy, have you noticed? I had a little squizz around Etsy to see how completely mad people have been getting over this book/movie and this is what I dug up!

L-R: 1. 'Where The Wild Things Are' costume by inkybluedesigns 2. Max 'Where The Wild Things Are' inspired kokeshi wooden doll by farfelue 3. Max tote bag by PaulaAndErika 4. Max 'Where The Wild Things Are' locket by yellowsquirrel 5. Wild Thing Max - Illustration - 8 x 10 print by NanLawson 6. 'Where The Wild Things Are movie monster t-shirt by BABYWOOD 7. Handmade stationery set 'Where The Wild Things Are' envelopes by adnagam 8. 'Where The Wild Things Are' charm set by marlaot 9. Max 'Where The Wild Things Are' brooch by yellowsquirrel

Phew!

And last but not least, check these out for some serious style!

'Where The Wild Things Are' handpainted Vans by lyndartiste

Have you gone 'WTWTA' crazy?

{giveaway} don't forget

Image: BrooklynCraft 

Just a reminder about the 'one hundred' giveaway for my blog followers. Don't forget to leave me a little comment here to let me know you are a follower and that you stopped by!  

This Thursday morning is when the winner will be announced.

twenty questions

Image: leahmackindotcom

I thought I would throw it out there and give readers and opportunity to ask me questions. I've seen this done on ma few other blogs and thought I might give it a go. I'm not necessarily sure anybody will have any for me but let's see how it goes!

So......if anyone has a question, ask away in the comment section below or email me and I'll do my best to answer them. Hopefully I'm not opening a can of worms here!

day at the zoo

On the green they watched their sons
Playing till too dark to see,
As their fathers watched them once,
As my father once watched me
~Edmund Blunden

My husband goes back to work tomorrow.

I've really enjoyed having him home particularly Josh. We all had a great time at the zoo this week which is where I took the photo above. The holidays really allowed father and son to bond and reconnect, as just before my husband's holidays he was working back an awful lot (he owns his own business) and barely saw much of us and it really affected how J was with him. It did mean he could have two and half weeks off with us at home though.

We'll miss you when you go back to work daddy. xo

to my hubby.....

Image: hawkgerber

Happy Birthday!!! I think you are the bee's knees. xo

{love is} peanut butter lindt balls

Image: My Food Trail

I know I've posted about these a few times, but by golly, these are just about the closest thing to heaven for me at the moment.....

be kind

Image:  occasionallyspeaking

Be kind, and have a wonderful weekend with those you love. xo

one hundred

 

Wow! There are now 100 lovely followers of my little blog and I'd like to celebrate that by having a little giveaway.

Because I've decided that 2010 is the 'Year of Me' and many of you are with me on that, I'm giving away this lovely 2010 garland by paperklip design. If you like the garland, you can look at more lovely goodies at paperklip's etsy store where they are having a January 20% off sale.

I'm also giving away a little gift for a mum, a toddler and a baby in honour of my blog name. 

For mum: a Ladybird vintage magnetic shopping list

For toddler: a vintage crafting/art smock in blue

For baby: the BinkyBaby (a dummy holder that doubles as a cuddly toy for sleeping with - no more lost dummies!)

All these lovely goodies are from The Lark where there is a one-week sale until the 12 January so head over there now to pick up some more vintage and handmade loveliness.

To be in the running to win this lovely little prize, you just have to be registered over there >>>> as a follower of my blog and leave me a little 'hello' comment below to let me know you've stopped by. I will leave the giveaway open for one week to give any lovely lurker readers (:P) the chance to become official followers and be in the running too! I will randomly draw a winner next Thursday morning (14 January) and announce them in my first post for the day.

A BIG thankyou to all of you who read and leave me comments. They all brighten up my day and keep me motivated in growing this little blog.

Hope you are all enjoying a lovely January day.

Me: I've been working on my chair project. One chair has been finished and I'm still painting the remaining four chairs. I'm hoping to have it all done by the end of the week and then I can share pics. Am finding it a little slow going as the enamel paint I'm using sets off a huge headache in me even though I'm painting out in the fresh air.

My mum and dad are coming over this afternoon for an early BBQ dinner and I might find a chance to take a dip in our spa with a glass of champagne too!

Hear from you all soon! xo

{wisdom for wednesday} peace

Image: inkandiron

daddy time

Some thoughts on daddy time over at Kids Product Directory. Let me know what your thoughts on this too.

{product feature} old soles

  

Here's another great product I wanted to share with you! Old Soles baby and toddler shoes. I have been on the hunt for a little while now for a great baby shoe for Zoe. I've always loved a lot of the purchases I've made but not like with these ones. I recently saw a friend's child with a pair of the silver ballet flats on and was impressed with the look of them but more with the beautiful fit. I asked her what they were and she told me.....Old Soles! So I hunted around and found an online store to purchase them from and now Miss Z has her own pair of silver ballet flats too.

I'm extremely impressed with the fit of these as I said. I've bought a few other pairs of ballet flats for Z and some of them cut in too tight from the elastic around them, others have elastic bows that she ends up pulling and fiddling with. The Old Soles shoes are not only a beautiful soft leather but aren't too tight around baby's little foot and just 'fit' perfectly. They look like they were made to be on her foot.

Old Soles is relatively new. As stated on the website, it was formed in January 2008 by Australian mum Vicke Lever who was struggling to find fashionable shoes for babies and so started designing her own range which led to Old Soles being born.

Be sure to checkout the website for the fabulous range and styles of footwear. I want to buy them all!!

a day in the life {new years day}

Well despite really wanting to give this a good go, I ended up being totally uninspired due to being ridiculously tired. So here is my half hearted attempt at this little project! Our day was pretty low key but this is generally what it looked like for most of it......

Tiramisu leftovers for breakfast! Mmmmmm

 

A little telly for the kids after breakfast. One must always do this in daddy's basketball shoes!

A visit to grandparents place and a play with mummy's old toys

Lunch back at home on the back deck

Time for a much needed lie down!

Afternoon snack time!

 Time to mop the bathroom floor

I was out of energy by this time and the project went by the wayside!! The rest of the day involved getting children fed, into pajamas, into bed and not long after, mummy to bed. I'm still exhausted today!

I hope your New Years Day was a whole lot more exciting than mine......and didn't involve a hangover!

i need...

I think I need me one of these!! So true (and what a great idea these are).

You can find them at quotesandnotes.

And I would love this adorable little banner from GiggleRoom in my room to remind hubby what I think of him!

I'm off for my compulsory NYD nap!! I'll try and get back later to share my first A Day in the Life of project.

patience

Image: buckscountyframes

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.
-  Franklin P. Jones