Blessed

I just wanted to thank everyone who responded to my last post with messages of hugs, support, coffee and cake - I don't think I realised how many people there are in my life who really care. I've had tears in my eyes quite a few time and I really feel blessed and thank all of you for taking time out of your crazy busy lives for little old me. I also want to say sorry to those who were offended by my post as that was never my intention.

I'm taking a few days out and just resting, relaxing and trying to get better. My chest infection has developed into pneumonia and Charlotte has managed to pick up a gastro bug as well so we are just having some time out to rest and recouperate.

Again, from the bottom of my heart and tear filled eyes a big thank you!

A brain explosion/rant/vent/whatever

This post is a rant. A complete and total whinge so if you're not up for it please move onto another blog.

I am over it. I'm tired of being tired. I'm tired of the never ending washing/laundry pile that requires washing/ironing/folding or drying. I'm sick of being the mum, the dad, the cook, shopper, cleaner, homework supervisor, speech therapist, toddler tamer, newly crown hairdresser as well as being a daughter and sister to my family as well as being a diligent, intelligent and engaging student. I feel like I'm losing a handle on all these juggling balls that I try and keep up. I don't have enough hours in the day nor enough patience, energy or brain power.

I'm sick of people whinging about their spouses - you've at least got one! I'm lonely and tired of being lonely, I'm tired of not having someone to share simple things like yarn colourways with. I'm sick of comments like "sometimes it's nice to live on your own" - yep, you think that because you live with your partner, daughter and her 2 little ones so yes your life is crazy but be thankful you have someone around to laugh with, chat with, discuss TV shows with. Similarly I take HUGE offence at pseudo-single-parent comments by someone whose husband is a chef and so works strange and long hours. You are not in any way, shape or form a single parent! I miss the physicality of having someone close to sleep next to. I miss it. Badly.

She's done!

Helena is finished! Well, buttons aren't on - I don't actually have any buttons yet but all the knitting, weaving in of ends etc is done and I'm really happy with how she's come out. The picking up of stitches for the button band wasn't perfect but I have learned lots in doing this project.
When I find the camera I'll take some piccies but I just wanted to say HHHOOORRRAAYY - 1 thing of the WIP list and I've frogged clappy today too so am on track with managing the list. It actally seems quite strange not to have anything big in the WIP list. I've got a 2 hour break between lectures on Mondays so tomorrow I'll cast on Mrs Toone's clappy again and make it my uni knitting project.

My first haircut!

Izaak hates having his hair cut - there are so many sensoryissues around lighting, smells, sounds of the dryers and clippers etc etc etc - so we have about 5 a year, well spaced apart and much talked about in the days prior. His hair was getting pretty feral but with me being sick I really wasn't up for the fight that is a certainty so I decided I'd do it myself.

I should have taken a before piccie but it was long and feral at the back and around his ears. I've never cut hair before but I figured if it went really really badly we'd cop the crap and go to the professionals. He wanted it short at the back and ears so it doesn't scratch but a bit longer at the front so he can still have spikey hair (' I *need* to be like Sonic mum') when he wants to - personally I don't see the link but hey whatever keeps the kids happy is alright with me! I don't think I did too bad...

In other exciting news I've scored a sunnyboy bag from the wonderful quilting mick. Hopefully I'll be able to go to SnB next week and pick it up - these are selling like hotcakes so I feel lucky to have scored not one but two! The knitting WIPs are again a bit out of control so my project this weekend is to get the button band and sleeves on Helena, another slipper so I've got a pair, I've decided to frog the Bamboozle clapotis so I want to get that done as well. Spotlight seems to be having an end of season sale on yarn too and I couldn't resist trying some Lion Brand Cotton - $11.99 marked down to $4.99 so I'm hoping Charlotte will have a purple tank/dress for summer but we'll see what happens.

Go on... have a guess...

Can you guess where my lovely little one decided to stick this....

In her handbag you say? Well nope. OK then in her mouth? Again, I wish. An ear? Getting warmer. Did I hear you say her nose! Spot on!

I have no idea what prompted the incident but we were in Spotlight to get a crochet hook (I can't but desperately want to learn to crochet) and the two little ferals were chasing each other and generally being silly when Charlotte comes to me and announces "Mum, I need help". "For what" was my reply when she starts pointing, rubbing and complaining about her nose. For a few minutes at least I couldn't work out what was going on then I tipped her head back a bit and could see something wedged in there. I asked her what it was and she picked up one of the tiny sytrofoam balls on the ground and announced she had put it up her nose because " I thought it would be funny"!

Not so funny was the doctors bill to get it removed, nor trying to hold a toddler down while they insert BIG tweezers in her nose to get it out but it was slightly funny when you realise you can make your grandparents, the spotlight staff, a doctor, nurse and the receptionist laugh when your mother has to announce that there is a ball wedged in your nose.

Kids!

Strawberries - take one.... take two....

Ok - I was so proud and happy with my garden and then I come home and find this. Strawberries take one....

So today I went and got some more. Stuart was alone with the strawberry plants, which were up on the lounge I might add!, for all of 5 minutes while I ran a bath for the kids. Strawberries take two....

By this point I've got the shits. Big time. So I went with the whole "don't get mad, get even" thingie so I spent the afternoon building my new garden area which is now Stuart proof. I have also got an orange tree to keep the lemon company and both are looking lovely and healthy and haven't been attacked as yet! I went to my local F&V too for the styrofome boxes which are working really nicely. Oh and Stuart is seriously pissed off at me now that he can't get into the garden - he's been doing laps along the fence line trying to get through.

When I was at the nursery today buying the strawberries that are no longer strawberries I was talking to the nursery lady about fruit/veges in pots and she also suggested ballerina apple trees which are smaller versions but which produce full size fruit but you have to have 2 trees for them to cross polinate and produce fruit and one of the varieties names is Charlotte. I think that's a sign - they've gone on the wish list for my birthday, I think one from each little person would be a nice thing.

In kidlet news Charlotte is booked in for the first week in September for her surgery. I'm scared because she is having a general anaesthetic but I know it needs to be done so now it's just chatting to her about what is going to happy and why. She has asked if Libby (her cabbage patch doll) is allowed to come with her so that Libby doesn't get 'heartbroken; (her terms!) while she is away. The surgeon seemed to be really good and had a great rapport with Charlotte so I'm hoping all will go well. I think the hardest part will be the fasting - she is allowed a light juice and toast brekky before 7am and then nothing until the surgery which I have a feeling she won't like. It has to be done and I'm hoping she'll be much better after it's all done. Fingers crossed.

Hooray! 50 posts! Boohoo! Back to uni....

50 posts!
This blog has become somewhat of a therapist for me - somewhere to vent, celebrate and everything inbetween! I'm not someone who copes well on my own and I haven't had too until 18 months ago but slowly and surely I'm learning that I'm an OK person and that my own company isn't that bad. I still resent the way things are and how I got to be where I am but on the whole I'm a happy, well adjusted *well, almost well adjusted!* woman who is proud to be who and where she is. Well, most days anyway!

First day back at uni today. Uni lectures + 6 year old = disaster! He had his Ninetendo but I forgot the earphones so we had a battle over the sound of the game and in the end came home so I only managed to get through one lecture. My previous horror at assessment starting in week four has been trumped by absolute terror - I have an assignment due next week - week bloody two!

Child and adolescent health looks like it's going to be quite good and I'm really pleased that I've got the paeds placement because the assessment is a case study so it will be easy (I hope!) to link between my clinical experience and the case studies. The other two look OK too from the look of the unit outlines which is all I can go off.

I felted the slipper at mums on the weekend and I almost felted it too much! It fits and it's soooo warm and toasty. I've got a renewed motivation to finish the second one now although the WIPs are getting a little bit out of control so I'm hoping to get it back in order by the end of the month.
The latest swap over at woolaholics is themed - something new - so it has to be a project using a new technique not tried before. I've got a few ideas floating around and a few patterns bookmarked so I'm looking forward to the challenge of something new and different. My swap partner at Rav also got her parcel so that's one less thing to worry about!

Kidlets are all fine and good and dandy. Charlotte is off to the surgeon tomorrow so hopefully the news will be good and Izaak is back to school tomorrow which I'm really pleased about. 3 weeks off has been too long for him and we're both getting on each others nerves. We did go to the movies last week to see Narnia which was OK - not brilliant but good. School holidays are great but going back to school is fantastic too!

Stash busting slippers

I finished off the 1st of the stash-busting slippers and I've got serious concerns. This thing is bloody huge!!! Now I have made a Boogie bag which Charlotte was able to hide in and we couldn't see her at all before it went into the washing machine so I know that knits felt well but I'm feeling very nervous about this one. The pattern is fuzzy feet from Knitty and the yarn is Lincraft Cosy Wool 8ply on 6.5mm needles. The other week when we started our garden Izaak spotted the cactus plants at Bunnings and there were a few with cute little plastic eyes on them and I was in a good mood and he had been really good so I relented and he bought 'spikey' home. So here is the slipper with spikey for size guide...

The 2nd slipper will be a reverse of colours to this one although I'm 99% sure I won't have enough of the purple left so we'll see what happens. It's currently up to the decreases in the heel section so if everything goes to plan I'll finish it off tonight watching the TDF. I blame avalonne for my new found TDF interest and consequential lack of sleep! ( in a good way of course!) I have to say, I've never been much of a TDF fan, infact, I've never taken any notice of it but this year I've been caught up and very interested in a number of KALs which seem to be happening and watching the progress of Bells and the dedicated TDF KAL blog I've been motivated to get things done and have had more FOs in the past week or so than in the previous few months!

Unfortunately it will all come to a grinding holt next week when I start back at uni - Chronic Illness, Child & Adolescent Health and Indigenous Health - will assessment starting in week 4 *shock*. Good news though - 1 of my subjects doesn't have a prescribed textbook *yah!*

Playground gloves

Charlotte loved the fetching gloves that I made for the Aussie swap and stole them quite a few times before they went in the post box so I decided she needed a pair of her own. I have a few random balls of Lincraft Prism which is lovely and squishy and perfect for keeping her hands warm when she's outside at family daycare. All the patterns on Rav were for 4 years + and she's only 2 so I just grabbed the yarn and started on what I thought would fit her. I think I did pretty well!

Aussie swap parcel

My parcel for the Aussie swap is finally ready to go. Fetching gloves and a pair of cable gloves, a skein of happy spider sock yarn, stitch markers (which I only finished tonight so they aren't in the piccie!) all in a little drawstring project bag. I hope that my swapee is happy with her parcel...
I cast on some felted slippers tonight too - I'm sick of having cold feet on the slate floor here and was inspired by the swap socks that I received but I'm not quite brave enough to try socks yet so slippers seemed to be the way to go and it also means I can use up some green and purple yarn that I've got laying around in the stash. Quick knit too. 3 hours of knitting tonight and I'm up to the toes on the first one but now it's off to bed for me.

More wooly mail!

Another surprise when I went to the post office this morning - my parcel for the Aussie Swap over on Rav. Of course I couldn't wait until I got home so ripped the parcel open sitting in the post office car park and squealed with delight when I saw....

A hot water bottle cover in a super squishy reddy-pink cable, a packet of TimTams which Izaak attempted to steal (not bloody likely!!) and a pair of socks. I have never owned a pair of hand knitted socks - these are my very first and they are divine! Thank you so much to my swap partner ;-) hopefully a) I'll work out who you are or b) you can out yourself to me! because I'd love to personally thank them.

OK - off to lay on the lounge watching crappy daytime TV wearing my new socks, hugging my hot water bottle and eating TimTams - bliss!

OMG! I'm in lurve

The postman called by this afternoon and had a parcel for me. I couldn't think of what it might but so eagerly ripped the package open and it was...

My yarn cafe order. Called "sienna" it is the most amazingly delicious blends of orange, pinks and yellows - perfect for summer! Originally I'd planned something for Charlotte from this but I think that it *needs* to be something for me. YUM!

I also got some more happy spider yarn today which I'll pop in with my swap pressie which needs to be posted before the end of the week. My swapee likes teal/blue/green so I'm hoping she'll like this...

Izaak sat down this afternoon and wanted to do a puzzle. A challenge for someone who has an attention span of about 5 seconds but he did actually sit and do it and was fairly happy....

Until we realised some pieces are missing...

Then there was devastation and much sobbing, whinging and general complaining. Hopefully a dose of Captain Pugwash, currently playing on the DVD player, will soothe the poor little soul!

Scones

After 2 requests for my scone recipe this week I thought I'd post it here. Dead simple and super speedy these take about 5 minutes from start to oven-ready!

3 cups self raising flour

3/4 cup lemonade

300mls cream

Mix. Bake at about 180 for 10-15 minutes or until risen and golden. Enjoy!

I'm... spinning around... move out of my way....

Well I'm not quite Kylie but I have spent a morning with Penny learning the ins and outs - well as much as my brain could take anyway! - of spinning. There is just so much to know but I'm really hoping that my wheel and I become good friends over the coming few weeks/months and that I can get the hang of doing different things with my hands and feet at the same time! So, this is the *hopefully* new best friend....

The yarn that Penny and I spun today - well Penny mostly spun and plied together. My contribution are the big slubby and teeny tiny thin bits that really don't look like a decent yarn should....

and the roving that Penny gave me to get me started...

So the plan is that in a few days I'll be back posting piccies of my wonderfully even, just the right amount of twist, yarn that I've produced *insert roaring laughter here!*

OMG! It's started already!!

Charlotte was, I thought, ages away from all that girly-peer stuff. You know the I'm friends with you today but not tomorrow because you don't have the right hairband/lunchbox/bag etc crap. But apparently I'm wrong.

Tonight after the bath I painted her toenails with polish which we've been doing on and off for months. Her face lit up and she announces "horay! now I'm like L*****". L is another little girl that she attends family daycare with. Then she announces she also needs stickers on her nails and requires fingernail polish as well.

I'm devastated. I was never one of the popular girls - I never had the right brand of clothing, bag etc and was never in the "in" group and that was one of the things that didn't really bother me too much because I had a core group of friends who were all a bit different - just like me. I was one of those girls who got along better with the boys which was also not the done thing when I was at school. The whole peer issue was one that I've become more aware of with Izaak going to school and although he is fairly insulated from it given his condition (he couldn't care less what anyone thinks!) I'm positive Charlotte will be alot different. I'm probably reading too much into the whole thing but I'm sad for Charlie. At 2 I want her to be thinking about playing, running and generally having fun, not about who does and who doesn't have nail polish! 2 of the girls at daycare see a fair bit of each other and their families outside of care so they do have a closer friendship - Charlotte is the 3rd wheel. According to her family daycarer there have been arguments lately between L, the other friend, J & Charlotte with much talk of who is "best friend" and who isn't and who is allowed to play with which particular girls. This has been consolidated by visiting my mum at work where 2 girls were sitting together having lunch (these are pre-schoolers so 4-5year olds) and one of the girls said to the other who was eating a packet of chips "you shouldn't eat them - you'll get fat". Where has childhood innocence gone?

2 years 8 months. 2 years 8 months and it's starting already!

Green thumb for me, Red nose for the little one!

Today was Charlotte's first day back at daycare after 2 weeks away - 1 week when she was sick and the second week when we were away so she was apprehensive but excited at seeing her friends. I dropped her off at 10am - 11:15 her family daycarer rang to tell me that Charlotte had fallen off the step at the back of the house and landed on her face, was bleeding and very upset. I went to pick her up and once she settled down and I got a good look at her I couldn't help but giggle - check out the splat marks on the forehead and nose and yet she's still smiling.

Visiting my grandma has also inspired me to try and get some greenery into my life again. In the past my gardening skills have swung between really great and horrific but I've always wanted a lemon tree and haven't ever had one so today Izaak and I went for a look at Bunnings. I found a lovely little tree and a few other things too. I'd love to be able to grow what we eat at least some of the time although it is really hard because I literally have nowhere to garden and I rent so I want to be able to take things with me when I go. Late last year I found a display in a shop that was closing down that I thought would make a good hat/coat/bag stand but which really wasn't suitable but is just perfect for hanging pots. Hanging pots, I've decided, are going to be my best friends - they'll allow me to have plants but I can take them with me and no chance of Stuart being able to eat things he shouldn't because they'll be up off the ground.

So I've now got my wonderful lemon tree, broccoli, strawberries, lettuce, carrots, parsley and Izaaks choice - sunflowers - in pots. Nanna is doubtful as to how some of these will cope in pots but we'll just wander along and see what happens. If anyone out there is a successful, experienced pot-grower (ie growing things in pots, not marijuana thanks ;-)) I'd love to hear what works/doesn't. The kids of course had a ball helping out with the planting as well...

WOOOOHHHHOOOOO

Just wanted to quickly share....

The placements for clinical sites is out and I am doing my prac at.....

PAEDIATRICS

I'm so excited - orientation is in 2 weeks. I put paeds as my 1st preference but wasn't at all confident at getting it because a large number of students put it as their top choice. I'm so glad! Wish me luck!

Hooray! Home again!

It is SO good to be home - it was great to see my grandma but it's equally lovely to walk back into my own home, although that wasn't without drama. I locked myself out when I left last week so I rang the real estate agent and told them my parents would come and pick up the keys so I would be able to get in when I got back after hours tonight. So dad went in this morning only to be told that they don't have the keys so in the end he called a locksmith and got them to re-key the door, got inside and saw the inspection report (which was performed while I was away!) so they obviously have the bloody keys! GGGGGRRRRR - I'm unimpressed with them about the inspection too but have emailed them and will see what happens next week.

The kids had a great time at my grandma's and there was much activity in the garden. It's one of my big guilt areas as their mum. I would love for them to have space to run and play like they did at the house but situations and circumstances change and we had to move here. I like it because it forces us to go out and do things but I do have the guilts about the lack of outdoor spaces for the kids. Anyway, they had a great time in nanna's garden climbing trees ( I adore this photo - he was off in his own little world and was having a great time there - the look on his face is pure happiness hence why I love it...

Then they had to hide from everyone and thought it was hilarious that no-one could see them from the house with such a good hiding spot...

And finally some hopscotch because Charlotte has finally mastered getting 2 feet off the ground at once (I was SO excited for her because it's something she's been frustrated by for a while now) and Izaak had a great time writing the numbers on the squares...

SUPER excited about tomorrow - the creative fibre day is on tomorrow and I'm looking forward to getting some more yarn. I've got a project in mind so hoping that I can find just the right thing for it. I'd love to get my hands on some more Waratah Fibres yarn that I used recently for my mums beanie, it's lovely to knit with and the colours are beautiful.

On the knitting front Helena is coming along nicely and although it is the right length according to the pattern I think it looks a bit unbalanced so I'm going to do another lace repeat and see what happens. This is the KAL for July over at Woolaholics and one of the other members is actually using the same yarn in the same colourway as me. I really like her buttons so fingers crossed I'll be able to find some to suit. She's also further along than me so I have been able to pick up some hints/tips from her which is the nice thing about KALs. This pic is a few days old and only has 2 repeats of the lace on it - she now has 6 on there...

Oh and I wanted to share these too.... Does anyone else remember The Wishing Chair ?- it was a set of books that were my favourite when I was little and my parents found the stories on tape which were played nightly for many, many years. I found the tapes recently and played them for Izaak who seems to adore the stories as much as I did/do. We were at Spotlight in Tamworth when he spotted this little chair which, according to him, is the perfect match for the wishing chair. We went home and had to draw Peter & Molly (the children who find/get/use the chair), Chinky the pixie and a few other bits and pieces. He spent about 2 hours getting it all set up the way he wanted and occupied himself with it for ages!

And finally 2 piccies of the little lady who seems to be having a massive developmental growth period lately and is really my little girl, not toddler, now adays. She is growing up far too quickly for my liking and has such a temper on her (no idea where she gets that from! lol!). It's been a rough ride for Charlotte and I but we're having many more good days than bad now and I'm feeling really positively that things are moving forward for all of us.

Some holiday thoughts

The connection here is pretty shoddy so I can't get any piccie's to upload. To be honest, it hasn't been as relaxing as I would have liked. The kids have been fantastic although Izaak's behaviour today has been less than fantastic, he had had alot of changes to routine/environment over the past week or so. Charlotte is her usual charming self and hiding her sly little antagonistic behaviours but there has been hop-scotching, tree climbing and drawing going on. I am finding it hard as well as the 82 years are starting to show on my wonderful grandma. I love her to bits and contemplating a day when I can't sit in a recliner next to the fire and her knitting away while chatting together is breaking my heart. She is fit and healthy and for 82, doing really well but the thought is still there that we never know how long we've got. She has also lost alot of friends over the past 2-3 years which is hard for her as well. We've done a bit of shopping, cooking and organising the house a bit better so that her internal, spiral, staircase won't be so much of an issue.

On the knitting front I have been going hell for leather on Helena and since Sunday have gone from the cast on to almost 3 repeats through the lace section and hope to finish the lace before I head home. I have had some gauge issues though and so it is considerably longer than the pattern but I've decided it will be in a good - cool - jacket sort of way.

I've got a lovely forest green kid mohair that I had planned as a capelet but the yarn just isn't working with the pattern so back to the drawing board for that one. My aunt was recently visiting and wore my clapotis for an evening out on the town with my mum and loved it so today I've cast on a clappy for her in a Panda yarn called Lily which is a polyester/alpaca/acrylic blend which is quite nice to knit and the colours are coming out nicely. Set-up section done so far.

I think the wee ones and I will head home over this weekend - I'd love to be home for the fibre day at the old bus depot markets on Sunday and just feel like it's time for us to come home.

Some FOs

After a few disasters there have been some good things churning out of the basket in the past few days. Firstly is a beanie for my mum - she is a preschool teacher so this will be good for playground duty when it's freezing! Dead easy (read - boring!) pattern but she is happy with it and the little tassels can be tied together to give a more traditional beanie shape. She is at work so the beanie model was asked for a nice piccie and I got this first....

and then this....
I've also finished of the finished the fingerless gloves for a swap that I'm participating in. Again, asked for a nice photo I got one of feet...


then hands....

So these are the completed works for the week - not much but something at least!
My aunt and uncle arrive this afternoon so we'll be having a celebratory or commiseratory (is that even a word??) dinner as results are released at 3pm today and then tomorrow the kids and I will be heading up to Tamworth to visit family.

SUCCESS - on many fronts...

Fan-bloody-tastic day today!
Called and booked the EEG that the doctors want Charlotte to have because of her seizures and they can fit us in right when the doctor wanted it done so that was great.
I also called the ENT surgeon - we're now going to see him on the 22nd of July. I'm hoping that soon after that she will be scheduled for the surgery but of course all this depends on finances. I can't afford private health cover and the public waiting list is over 18 months and she is a relatively high category because of the sleep apnoea so I'm not keen on waiting that long. Luckily I have amazing parents and a wonderful grandmother who has offered to help pay for her to have the surgery privately. It's when the little people are sick that I really feel the pinch of single parenting. Watching your 2 year old daughter have a seizure is awful but having no-one there to back me up or just watch her for a while so I can have a break/go to the toilet/get a drink/food is frustrating and tiring. This isn't how it was suppose to be. Enough of the whinging.
I finished my Aussie Swap today which is another WIP off the list now ;-)
I still can't get the gauge right for Helena so I cast on a beanie for mum that she's been waiting for since the OBDM yarn day and have got about a third of it done ;-)

The little people and I are heading off on Friday to my grandma's for a break. I need one. Desperately.

So much yarn, needles, fabric, patterns & WIPs will be packed and hopefully I'll get some 'work' done while I'm down there and hopefully it won't be as cold down there as it is here. Yesterday the BOM had the apparent temp at -3.3 at 11:00am - just a wee bit chilly! Nan has a wood fire so we'll be going with a bag of marshmallows to toast - yummo!

Ever had one of 'those' evenings?

Where you end up so frustrated that nothing gets done?

After the events of recent days and unwell little people I decided last night that I needed a few hours of ME time after the munchkins went to bed so I sat down to work on V2 of Mrs Toone's clappy. Did the set-up rows & first repeat of the straight rows before I realise I've made the same bloody mistake again! Frog it and re-ball the Noro (which, by the way, I think is going to be the most perfect colourway for her!)
So, I then cast-on for the other fingerless glove for a swap. Stuff that up twice, frog it back to the cast on, got it right but forgot to do the cable. Frog back to re-balling as well. I started Helena a while ago but I'd put one of the YO's in the wrong place and it was right in the front so I frogged that back and reballed it as well.
By this point I was seriously annoyed and had decided last night was NOT the night for knitting so I've balled everything back up and packed it all away.

Woolaholics is running a KAL (knit a long) with Helena so I will cast that on again tonight with the new Knitpicks needles (they are delicious by the way! I'm really impressed with them!). I'm taking the small people to Kid City tomorrow so I might get an hour or two of good knitting in while they tear around and wear themselves out - that's the plan anyway!
Oh and I cast on and finished the other glove during the day today without making a single mistake!