AEIOU launch link party April 2012

Greetings all,

Welcome to the first/ maiden/ inaugural AEIOU: a mid-month-list-link-party of self-belief, improvement, acceptance, love & learning!!  It's a middle-of-the-month get together of life’s highlights. Your AEIOU might go a little something like this . . .

Awesome – something you baked/ created/ photographed/ a bargain you found

Exciting – share your news/ event/ holiday/ a gorgeous butterflies-in-tummy moment

Interesting – teach us information/ discovery/ facts/ a chance to show off your quirky side

Opportunity – embrace the unknown/ put yourself out there/ show off a new experience

Understanding – learning to appreciate/ forgive/ love/ unleash what helps you grow
. . . you might like to do a full AEIOU or just one or two particular themes . . .

To kick things off, here is my AEIOU list.  It's been a busy month here with Easter, school camps, sports clinics & finally school holidays.  My AEIOU is a light & breezey one.  Next month will be heavy as we're in the final countdown to handsome soldier coming home!!
Awesome - as our children grow, so do their needs, like a communal computer area.  I played swapsies this week: pinched this desk from a bedroom, swapped for an armchair, et voila, a whole new space has opened up our lounge - for the price of 3 tractor stools - not to mention awesome cook book storage.

 Exciting - my 3 youngest had their school camps, it was my son's first & the independence he showed getting organised, leaving & since he's come home, has been amazing.  Camps overlapped, leaving my eldest an only child = Japanese dinner & the  Mirror Mirror movie (fabulous).  I was giddy just making ONE lunch each morning, glee!!

Interesting - enjoying FatMumSlim's photo-a-day challenge this April.  Wait until you read about what this bracelet means to me.  Millions of images are involved, now that is some following Mrs Slim.

Opportunity - i did over the high schooler's bedroom today (she shares the front of the house with my studio.)  New desk (seeing hers went missing??) & arm chair + new size (i pushed my fabric racks deeper into my studio.  The middle girl is having a sleepover in the huge new space - look at them, sisters, makes me heart sing!!  Please ignore the outdoor German Shepherd, opportunist!!

Understanding - even though we're not religious, we appreciate what religious festivals are all about.  My high schooler has Religious Education classes & is teaching us, while we munch on Lindt Bunnies who were hiding in toadstools.   

Now it's YOUR turn . . .

do join in . . . links go live on the 15th of each month, this is a party to celebrate you!!

I hope you enjoy the large icons, random order & long text space to share your AEIOU link, enticing visitors from our beautiful blogging community to follow the link to your blog.  Don't forget to link back to this post & pop the AEIOU logo on your post/ blog side bar too if you wish.  Thanks for joining in - it's open all month, love Posie

PS what a lovely way to spend my 550th post with you all, squee!!  About time i started a link up right??

i'm grateful for . . . giving myself the weekend off

Greetings all,

How am i, glad you asked.  Feeling achey, run down & exhausted, even my hair hurts right now, so i'm allowing myself to relax this weekend with little on the 'to do' list other than get through some magazines & maybe some knitting/ lounge craft??

I dragged my lethargic body to school this morning & drove home via the newsagency (stalking Mollie Makes before my subscription commences with issue 5).  This Dolls magazine purchase is pure "buying a magazine because of what is on the cover" marketing genius, look at those eyes, she had to come home with me + 2 free magazines!!

 Also in 'free magazine with purchase' mode, came these build/ design/ decorate a house choices making 5 magazines for $20!!

 They can go on top of this pile of magazines . . . backed up from the school holidays, i had such big plans to relax more & read/ flick/ indulge but gazed lovingly at my husband instead.  Feeling like i do right now, they'll all get devoured shortly.  I really liked Marion from the little bits of MasterChef i caught, so her cookbook fell into my trolley this week.  She's so inviting & friendly, i hope her recipes are basic & my basic level.

 I'm not fluey or viral, just tummy achey & extremely tired, i'm not sleeping well??  Argh.  My hands are all but paralysed from carpal tunnel & i think i'll have to consider surgery more seriously one day sooner than later.

 In the mean time, i've been playing around with some TYPO letters . . .

 i've closed my website down (after 10 years) so i can catch my breath & will reopen for a few weeks each season, i can not tell you how much pressure that has lifted.  In the 'custom design' section where you can choose a fabric & a product to be made up, i think it might be cute to rename it "Pick&Mix".

 How cool is the mirrored 'M'??

Wishing you energised weekends, lucky you for having a spark.  Me, i'm telling myself it's ok to recognise i need a rest, we've already had a big week with SRC/ class captain inductions & a certain high schooler has been awarded the Semester 1 Academic Award, very proud!!  5 more weeks until my next husband visit, yahoo.  He really is in the Army you know, not prison, it just feels like it sometimes with him interstate & all.  Can you see all of this building up on my shoulders??  

Maxabella Loves asks what we're grateful for each Saturday, i'm sharing my weekend off from everything other than essential mothering, my children can talk among themselves while i put my feet up.  Love Posie
PS any school sewing class horror stories, comment here to win a cool crafty prize & celebrate my 400th post!!
PPS many thanks for the encouraging comments on the wardrobe revamp in the last post, we've gone with honey yellow & beeswaz polish with brushed steel knobs, to be revealed in a post soon.

things i'm loving 'love'

Greetings all,

Just loving the 'love' supplies which are so easy to find these days at local shopping centre.  While i'm using many of my own props from around the house for the Handmade Hen's Night as decorations tonight, i couldn't resist this giant cork board love heart. 

 Apparently the bride is into all things Handmade (thus Shop Handmade being her favourite Shop in the whole wide world) & loves Frankie magazine too, so i'm checking the latest issue for some vintage inspiration.

 I'm filling IKEA jars with pot pourri, confetti, buttons, lavender & love to pretty up the senses.  

 I've created a sewing guide & am making up little thread cards for our bakers dozen of crafty ladies, i am so loving the different textures of silky & cotton threads.

 For more 'Things I'm Loving' this Friday, check out PaisleyJade's sweet blog.

Alright already, just throw the Handmade Hen's Night & bring us the images & details, i hear you!!  Very excited to be back up & running with full speed internet - very much realising how much usage 4 school children put on my internet monthly allowance with their assignments, it's ruining my blogging access. 
Thanks again for all your excited comments & dreams of pressing your noses up against the Shop windows to check out the VIP party tonight, you're so awesome, it fills me with confidence & love.  I've sent the bride-to-be's hen's night host some sneak peeks of images, she is thrilled, yippee.  Wishing you all gorgeous weekends, love Posie

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

i'm grateful for . . . 'surprises'

Greetings all,

Another Saturday & another 'I'm grateful' celebration over at Maxabella Loves blog.
Short & sweet this week, to be honest, i still have the murmurs of my migraine, such is life when you can't really rest & recover with school holidays, children to feed & a business to run.
I've been a lucky girl to have surprises in my letter box this week . . .

 a pretty handmade heart from the gorgeous Elaine at Exquisite Acessories, she emailed to ask if she could send me one to say an extra special thanks for my contribution to her home state of Qld, for helping raise money for their flood relief.  Ah, thank you Elaine, i'm not alone either, she made & posted out a few of these delightful keepsakes. 

 Ever heard of the caution 'don't drink & dial/ text/ type' late at night & have no idea what you've done until the next day??  Well i don't drink but i do order fabric on line, late at night & then forget about it, until a parcel arrives a week later.  Glee, genuine surprise, fabric heart flutters!!  I've been making fabric & ribbon coin purses, in my simple-sewing-migraine-haze. 

 This gorgeous family member was a big surprise for the children at Easter 2008.  They grew up with a big German Shepherd named Jakob, this is our second.  It's Khan's 3rd birthday today.  If you happened to catch Bondi Vet & saw that German Shepherd puppy 'Honey' well, you can see why we will always have a German Shepherd in our lives.  He keeps us safe, patrolling the hallway at night, but loves a bit of comfort like 'sitting' on the back step!!  

Best surprise ever, my husband is coming home this weekend!!  Just for Saturday & Sunday, the children don't know, he only decided yesterday.  I can't wait, then we have a weekend together in February, then Easter!!  So you can imagine my excitement (like can't eat dinner i'm bursting with butterflies) so if i'm a bit blog-absent this weekend, forgive me.  Love Posie

welcome 300 followers

Greetings all,

I’m thrilled to find 300+ bloggers out there follow this little blog, welcome & thank you. I only got back into regular blogging & added a follow button this year to keep my nights occupied while my husband was away for 9 months, so glad I did!! I did an ‘about-me’ style post when I hit 200 followers, so to bring the next 100 of you up to date on who I am & what I’m about, here’s a new egocentric babble. I invite you to do a similar post, we all love interviews & sharing, especially in a new year, ‘tis a friendly blog world.

Who Am I?? I’m a housewife; married to my teenage love who is a soldier; we have 4 fabulous children – our eldest daughter is about to start high school, twin girls who are 9 & a boy who is nearly 7. I also work at Shop Handmade Canberra (a dedicated handmade shop front in the city) & do handmade markets. I’m also in the Handmade Living book, with a dozen projects!!

Where Was I 5 Years Ago (2005)?? Just moved from Sydney to live in Darwin (again) on an Army posting; a few years into my patchwork & design business; loving being a mum at home with 4 children (1 in school, 2 in preschool, 1 at home) & sewing around them. We took the children to Singapore, Kakadu & Sydney on holidays that year. I also did my first market stall.

Where Was I 10 Years Ago (2000)?? I was 25, married 3 years, living in Darwin on an Army posting; I was a pharmacologist working full time in the oil industry; our first born had a nanny. We bought our first property & I made my first proper patchwork quilt for my sister who said I should find a way of turning it into a small business. Oprah would call it an “aha moment”. I love Oprah.

Where Will I be in 5 Years (2015)?? Our future is really exciting, we’re looking at land outside Canberra to buy & build a big homestead, start a farm & let our children run free. My husband will probably be in a different job, I’ll be turning 40 & our 4th child will be starting High School!! Our simple life plan is fully solar & wind powered, living off our land & animals.

What’s the 2011 Plan?? Give our eldest space to develop her personality & be there when she needs us; daily Yoga; cut back on carbs & lose weight; keep up stock at Shop Handmade; keep my studio tidy; make patchwork quilts for my children; improve my cooking; be thoroughly prepared for my markets; balance my volunteer work better; use up my fabric & save more $$.

Random Things About Me?? I’ve been bitten by a Funnel Web Spider; I’m terrified of clowns; I love housework; I ran in the Sydney Olympic Torch Relay; I studied 3 years of psychology at Sydney Uni with no desire to be a psychologist; I love maths; I loathe reality television (I’ll watch diet, cooking & decorating though); I always wanted 4 children; I’m a great runner but terrible swimmer!!

Good & Bad of 2010?? We were burgled; we discovered where we want to live; I had my purse & mobile phone stolen in Venice; we went on a second European honeymoon; my mother’s Alzheimer’s is getting ugly; I visited my parents in Sydney a couple of extra trips this year; handsome soldier spent 9 months away; he came home safe from war; we’re not getting a new car; we saved $$!!

So that’s me in words, I love my husband & our children, we have a simple life with big plans. I'm lucky to have a lot of love in my world & don't take it for granted!!  Love Posie

PS if you want to enter some great holiday giveaways, check out the previous posts - an IKEA lifestyle book & Tangled movie tickets - all you have to do is follow this blog, leave comments at each of THOSE posts to enter each of THOSE competitions, good luck!!