"if this is love, then love is easy, it's the easiest thing to do"

 Greetings all,

In light of Valentine's Day last week, i'm doing a love post.  I truly believe McFly's lyrics in their Love is Easy song . . . "if this is love, then love is easy, it's the easiest thing to do" . . . love should be easy, joyful & natural.  My husband & i often come home from a night out/ trip away (without the other) & say "thank goodness we're together, & happy!!"  It's not the "i'd rather be with you than be alone" . . . last year five of my acquaintances separated from their husbands . . . it happens, they realised the love was gone.  I understand marriage, monogamy & commitment forever, isn't for everyone . . . i tell our children that some people would look at the six of us & think "OMG, imagine having 4 children" or "who'd want to be married??" . . . everyone is different & desires different things, love comes to them later in life, or tragedy strikes . . . people are together or alone for unlimited reasons.  
I love marriage, i think it's beautiful & easy.  I saw an 'Agony Uncle' style programme the other night & the question was asked "when did you know it was time to get married" & the men said "when my wife told me it was" which made me giggle.  We definitely talked about it in advance, however, it was still a surprise when my then boyfriend asked me to marry him - had asked my father . . . & minutes later my mother presented us with an engagement gift, wrapped with a card - she knew, as well as i did, i was going to marry this boy.  Then we went ring shopping.  

 If there is one thing i've learned in my 30s, it's that i don't care what other people think.  I was never a self conscious type & i don't mean this in a belligerent way . . . my love for my husband is not hurting anyone, if someone poo poos marriage, commitment or love to me, well that's their choice/ decision/ issue.  Each to their own.  Everyone strives for different goals.  That's what makes the world go round & keeps things interesting.  For me, meeting the right guy has made so many amazing things harmonious in my life, right down to wanting/ having four children & desiring a life on a farm.  I got this sorted out when i was a teenager, hit the love jackpot early & we've cruising along ever since.  Some people think it's boring if you don't fight with your partner??  Or that i'm on permanent honeymoon as my handsome soldier keeps coming home from war!!  Nothing affects the love my husband & have for each other.  In fact, we thrive on the milestones, as they are all steps to the bigger picture . . . unashamedly, life in our late 40s with four adult children & knowing it will be 'just us' again.    

My school teacher niece & her electrician boyfriend came to Canberra - to take our old Jeep Cherokee - to live in Sydney with them.  We gave it to them - we bought her cheaply years ago from friends who were moving overseas.  It was such a great feeling watching twenty somethings drive off in something which might be a big part of their future . . . marriage, maybe children.  He's joining the military soon - their story is surprisingly similar to ours, as is their love story - it's an easy one.            

A lovely quote which has stayed with me "the best thing for a father to do for his children, is love their mother" & i believe that is true.  We had our babies in our 20s, loads of energy & fun, plus they were sleepers & never ill, be breezed through it all . . . now we're at the business end, with teenagers & team parenting has never been more important.  

I just spent my 19th Valentine's Day with the love of my life & he brought home roses, that's about 5 bunches of Valentine flowers in all those years, they make him sneeze . . . they were beautiful, sweet & thoughtful, best of all, a genuine heart felt surprise & to our audience . . . our children . . . we are showing them a decent example of how easy, happy & harmonious love can be.  I can't watch shows where couples are at each other's throats, arguing constantly, yelling & not resolving anything . . . worse - manipulating & undermining their partner - that's not entertainment, it's awful, nasty & mean.  Love Posie

eleven opinions on the eleventh

Greetings all,

I've been busy getting children back to school & organising my studio - every ribbon, pin & thread sorted - so quiet on the blog front.  Inspired though . . . found a fantastic old lamp shade to restyle like these ones at Koskela in Sydney.  Even discovered a cool twenty something hipster cousin of my husband's works there = excellent excuse to go back!!

Now my eleven opinions this month are random & i couldn't agree more with myself . . . 

1. I appreciate rank, experience & hierarchy, however, why do they choose Popes when they are already so elderly??  Good on the current Pope for retiring, first one in 600 years.

2. Rihanna - still hanging around Chris Brown - my issue is: people saying "they are role models"??  How can a stranger, be a role model to you??  We only see their media projected image or when they are performing, they're family or friends.  Here's a tip to those parents screaming "my child's sports/ movie/ singing hero has let them down" . . . BE YOUR OWN CHILD'S ROLE MODEL!!  Also, take the opportunity to discuss domestic violence, what is not Ok & word your children up on toxic relationships, so they know one when they witness or experience one!!

3. Chrissie Swan, busted smoking while pregnant, oh dear.  Now i am against smoking full stop, but attacking Chrissie - while pregnant & vulnerable - she knows the damage she is doing . . . threatening & lambasting her is not going to help anyone.  How about some support, she's clearly ashamed & regretful, this is one demon she can't overcome alone, even for the health of her 3rd baby & hiding it from her partner.  

4. Retail sales assistants who ignore you until you pick something up, then swoop in & offer "would you like me to hang that up in the dressing room??"  When i'm holding ladies size 4-6 clothing, a fitting room is not going to be the first clue that size is not for me.  I actually said to the last girl (after 5 stores with the same robotic speech) . . . "i'm not flattering myself, this is for my teenage daughter!!"    

5. Whinging that "Valentine's Day is so commercial."  So don't buy a card or flowers or chocolate or gifts.  I'm not into 'festive' days to remember to tell someone you love them, however, why poo poo it - it means the world to many celebrating anniversaries & romance - why spoil it for them & find another reason to be negative about something you can easily chose to exclude from your life!!

6. Cyber friends on social media aren't real friends - i beg to differ - i've made some wonderful engaging friends via my blog & social networks - if we lived closer, i know we'd be great friends in real life.  

7. Swearing in public is offensive & rude.  Teenagers are the worst - loud, obnoxious, disrespectful & so desperate to be noticed for all the wrong reasons, they are such losers thinking they are all powerful because they can say a swear word.  RightyO, do it in front of your mother or grandmother & watch hell unleash boys!!  I tell our children that they represent our whole family when they are at school, parties, socials, sports & in public, they should be proud & respectful.  They do believe we 'bug' them & know everything.  Mwhahahahaha.

8. Don't knock it until you try it . . . i bought a Mel B fitness DVD & it's excellent!!  Think old school cross training, using tins as hand weights & just get over her accent, she's funny.  

9. Next time you feel ill or have a lazy day at home, hire a DVD & chill out, it's so relaxing.  I did that today, better yet it was $1.95 New Release special & picked up a movie i knew nothing about - Jennifer Lawrence in The House at the End of the Street.  Technically the house was next door & it was a teen movie . . . it had a twist & was a bit of a thriller.

10. I met a person last week who insisted they would NEVER drink plain water.  I honestly thought that is being difficult for being difficult sake.  They had no medical reason, just that high maintenance kind of person who is fussy beyond belief.

11. Of all the weight loss, diet & exercise programmes i've tried (since hitting 32 & gaining weight, long after babies, lost all that weight each time, this is frustrating) Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation is excellent.  Yes, it's all stuff we know, eat in portions & exercise, however, she brings it all together with enthusiasm & great recipes, balanced with the exercise that day, she holds your hand, it's brilliant & it works!!  I've just started another round & i'm excited.

Have great weeks everyone, love Posie

have a lover-ly day

Greetings all,

Never one to anticipate Valentine's Day with roses, chocolates or gifts - i'm just thrilled if my husband is around (he's not, i'm not thrilled) but i can make it a fun day of love hearts for the children.  My darling husband is romantic in non roses-chocolates-gifts style, our first Valentine's Day he made a card (on folded ruled paper) drew a rose & wrote a tiny poem, so beautiful & i still have it!!     

Kikki-K of course has super sweet stationery, i bought the range in last month.

 We made a big batch of Vanilla Snap Biscuits for friends . . .

 the heart shaped trio cutters are from Gidgi on line (hi Rachael), i dusted the edges with flour for cutting, worked a treat.  I could have iced the finished biscuits or dusted with confectioner's sugar, but they'd end up a sticky mess by recess, so kept it simple. 

 The children decorated CD window envelopes for their teachers & friends, my high schooler made hers funny with "OMG, you give me butterflies" & my son wrote "Mrs Awesome Todd" complete with love hearts for his favourite teacher.  I know she'll adore it, she constantly threatens to kidnap my boy, it's his dimples, just like his papa.  

 I have found some new desserts to try out, so i wrote a comprehensive shopping list & promptly left it on the kitchen counter, so wandered Coles hoping i could remember everything.  Amazingly i remembered all the chocolate i needed, hmmm??

 I see lots of this happening to burn off said chocolate, with my constant companion Khan.  How glorious is dog walking in beautiful weather??    

 Happy Valentine's Day lover-ly folks & a friendly welcome to my new followers, thanks so much for joining my bloggie caper, love Posie

i'm grateful for . . . 'feeling the love'

Greetings all,
With Valentine's Day coming up, i thought i'd do a pretty picture post.  I'm often told my blog oozes love, well right back at you, from your comments - i feel it & kind of need it.  Coming up on 5 months since i last saw/ held/ hugged/ kissed my husband . . . needless to say we don't bother celebrating anniversaries, ANY day we spend together is special.

 This week's Kidspot Grateful is about smiling at strangers, well i smile, chat & laugh with strangers ALL the time, i was raised with the old "if you don't have a smile, you can have one of mine" smiles-are-free-attitude.  With my teenager, sometimes that smile comes with a poke, tickle or joke (& a crowbar) why they frown so much, i have no idea.   

 So you know what puts a smile on my face??  Coming home from holidays to 2 Mollie Makes magazines & i'll share them with smiley friends & we'll suggest Mollie to strangers in craft shops who'll smile too!!

 Oh sweet embroidery, i can't wait to regain my skills!!

 Crochet love heart bunting, say no more!!

 My sweet boy received a Valentine from his adorable preschool girlfriend & is returning the favour (5 years & counting).

 Made for a great school holiday activity.  All the children made up cards & letters for their Daddy too.  I love the image of soldiers receiving heart stamped, pink & scented mail in war zones.

So my friends, this is our last weekend before school resumes on Tuesday & first weekend home since Christmas, so it's a blur of pressing uniforms & piecing sports uniform emsembles together, mowing lawns & weeding.  Needless to say my hands & elbows (ouch) are on ice each afternoon.  Forgive me if i'm a bit quiet for a few days, remembering how to be a school mum.  Love Posie
PS the Laura Ashley scarf in the top image was an i-love-me gift, under $20 on sale, such a beautiful shade of watermelon red!!

bling on love . . . my valentine

Greetings all,

Happy Valentine's Day.  Whether you fall for it . . . the pressure to buy a card, jewels, flowers &/ or chocolates, who cares, i'm giving a shout out to my beloved husband!!  He reads my blog, so i post to keep him up to date with my life & our children while he's away.  Also, if you ever thought i made things up or exagerated anything . . . how dumb would i look to him??  My children & real life friends read my blog . . . so i keep it real man!!  They all know how crazy in love i am with my handsome soldier & our children really are great little people. 

There is a Valentine's Day link party with Gifts of Serendipity & Maxabella Loves, where people are flashing their love bling.  Voila, my rings, the half carat diamond says "we were young & modest with a tiny income", my husband chose the design & i still love the style.  I fiddle with my rings, especially when i think about my husband.  He is my teenage love, this is our 14th year of marriage/ 17th Valentine's Day, we've never skipped a beat. 

Some fun divorce statistics, if there is such a thing . . . military families have a 50% divorce rate (married a solider, check); parents with multiples have much higher divorce rate (twins, check); couples who marry under 25 have a higher divorce rate (22 &25, check); for every daughter your rate of divorce increases 8% (3 daughters, check); major life stressors like moving house/ interstate, losing a parent, acts of war (check, check, check) - that puts us at 350% change of divorce.

Why do we laugh off these statistics??  In a word 'communication'.  I am dedicated to my husband, his career & never complain if he's home late or away for months - he's providing for our family; we dated for 3 years & talked endlessly about children, retirement, extended family; we had twins in our mid 20s with energy to burn; & we've never fallen out of love for a second.  We're physical but with months apart, we are forced to talk, write, Skype & dream, when we're together it's like a honeymoon all over again.  All in all, when he's out in a war zone, the last thing i want him worrying about is how i'm coping at home & if i still love him.  He's the strong-silent-broody type, i'm the talker, but he nods & i force him to think deeply "are you happy, what can we work on" & above all, we're always laughing together or at my expense, either way, we have SO much fun!!

The most fascinating of those statistics is the 'for every daughter your rate of divorce increases 8%', even the professor who discovered that from decades of unbias census statistics, has 3 daughters.  It's the principle that people traditionally want sons, so you're more likely to have a larger family (strain on finances, time, energy, marriage) if you have daughters first rather than sons!!  We wanted 4 children, so the fact we had 3 girls first had little to do with that bloody annoying question "are you trying for a boy" - no, just a 4th child!!

 Filled with love in my heart & children who enjoy a bit of tax deductible craft . . . i picked up these beauties from Kikki-K, which kept them busy all day making cards for friends.  I asked the children what love meant to them . . . they came up with beautiful things like "love is family", "i love you", "having someone love me as much as Daddy loves you" ahhhh . . . to unexpected comments like "i know what you & Daddy do at night, can you be quiet".  Gulp.  Love Posie

love hearts are in the air

Greetings all,

Just a little hint at what i'll be adorning my ensemble with on Valentine's Day.  Never one to shy away from a quirky hair accessory or something in the brooch department, i picked up these red heart beauties at Shop Handmade from Plushka.  Katia's work at Plushka Craft is hand sewing & embroidery perfection - she also has a giveaway on her blog this week. 

The giant sparkly bow is from Summer Blossom, i just had to have it & Shop Girl Rachel (my accessory sister) had to have one too, admitting she'd be jealous each time i wore my bow.

 Playing around with love heart balloons, pink cottons & raffia too.  I have some helium left over from a party, i'll see what i can do with these balloons then??

 Wishing you a heart filled crafty Sunday.  I'm head down bottom up sewing for Handmade Market, yikes, next Saturday!!  Love Posie

lounge craft & what you can do in your jammies

Greetings all,
Well looks like another rainy weekend here in Canberra.  Naturally that means my husband must stand in the rain to watch rugby with mates late into the night.  So what does Posie do when she's snuggled up in new Peter Alexander pyjamas home alone on a Friday night??  Hand stitching, badge making & anything you can comfortably do from the lounge.  I didn't mind sewing my heart out late at night in the studio to meet orders in my 20s, but not anymore.  Built for comfort thanks!!  I'd like to promote the new 'Lounge Craft' movement. 
With a neat badge order for ChildPlay, i thought i'd make the badges on the lounge, with the machines balancing on my husband's giant hardback original 1960's Australia Woman's Weekly cookbook.  What more could you want, great tools, a decent movie, access to amazing fabrics, plus 4 happy children tucked away in bed - exhausted from their school swimming carnival & House Captain duties . . . i went pom pom & balloon mad & was an official time keeper, great job if you can get it, sooo much easier than being a time keeper at the athletics as they are trapped in the pool & stop at the end . . . my girls swam 12 races between them, doing it for the house points.  Very proud mama. 

my MUCH loved apple green coloured 25mm badge machine & resulting badges . . .

my practical-coloured bronze 35mm badge machine which does key rings & magnets too . . .

ah, for the love of wireless internet, King Furniture lounges, new jammies & waffle blankets!!

Rather than drive all over the ACT yesterday (we live in the north, school in the south, swimming carnival in the west & you have to be turning 8 in 2010 or older to compete) - our 6y.o. son had a treat, a day off school & went to see Alice in Wonderland with Daddy. He loved it, my husband wasn't so wrapped. There were a couple of moments at the end when the boy climbed onto Daddy's lap but certainly no more scary than a Harry Potter & certainly more colourful & exciting!! 

During the week, after my in-laws left, my husband & i went to see Valentine's Day, great movie, i enjoyed it much more than Love Actually.  Yes, i cried, doing a lot of that this week!!  Actually after the movie i burst into tears in the food court, i'm sure the people at the next table thought 'that guy is breaking up her in a public place so she won't freak out' rather than i'm just so incredibly sad my husband is about to go away again, after 7 weeks away already this year!!  Yes, it's the first week of March, what else is new to an Army wife?? 

Have yourselves cosy weekends if you're chilly or wet outside.  We'll be baking, shopping, farewelling & then you'll see a WHOLE lot more from the Posie lounge with lonely weekends for the next 6-7 months.  Love Posie

be my Valentine - how are you spending the 14th February??

Greetings all,
So how are you spending Valentine's Day??  With a loved one??  Me, no, my husband is 'out field', we have an extra child for a sleep over, i have a pile of sewing for Mathilda's in 2 weeks plus orders so i'll be in the studio. 
Alas, i had forecast a dull day; so yesterday i invited the ladies over for a special morning tea with heart shaped brownies & strawberry cup cakes with whipped cream, sandwiches & fruit.  The children had 'samples' in their lunch boxes & this is what my son did with his special treat before school & mouthed the words "i love you mum".  I cried but composed myself enough to take this shot!!  Who needs their husband when he's trained his son to be so gorgeous to you??  Ahhh . . . & is the spitting image of his father too, dimples & all.  Love you boys!!

To brighten my Valentine's Day i'll be sewing with these pretty threads

& using bright colourful paints!!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! 

On MARKET news: I heard Allie's Attic was great in Mosman NSW today, well done those who had stalls or went as customers, wonderful news.  Next stop Mathilda's Market - all over the country!!  Handmade Canberra's UpMarket applications are closing soon, so get in as you don't want to miss this awesome quarterly market experience with a consistent crowd of 10000 customers, fabulous ambience & handmade goodness.  Love Posie