So its that time of year again....

another year older that is....

today is my birthday.. and well, so far its been less than a joyous occasion. Yes I have had some lovely birthday wishes on Face book and via text message, a few phone calls.. but well it just seems no one gets as excited about birthdays as I do. Add to that the fact that the offspring did not get the memo that they are supposed to be wonderfully well behaved for mumma on her special day. Oh no... they have been in fine form.. and of course because we are going out for dinner they had short sleeps and woke early....so dinner is going to be just as charming as the rest of the day.

Listen to me bitching and moaning.... must be getting old.

I'm hoping dinner tonight is slightly more festive and that there is one or two nice surprise presents. Not that I don't appreciate the scrapbook trolley I got from mum that I picked, or the perfume that I also picked from Adam and the kids. But well, I do love a surprise, unexpected gift. And I know at my age, I should be all full of, "no I don't need presents, there's nothing I need" blah blah blah bullshit, but the fact of the matter is, I am a present whore. I love giving gifts, I love shopping for gifts, I love finding that thing that is just perfect for someone, and don't get me started on finding the right card and wrapping paper... and well I love receiving gifts that have been given just as much consideration. And please don't ask me what I want for my birthday, I don't know what to tell you... I want you to spend some time thinking, looking, planning something you know I will just love and never indulge in for myself.

Truth be told, what I really would love is a full nights sleep and a wonderful long sleep in.... *hint hint* to the person who could make one of those things happen.... pfft who am I kidding...

ANZAC day...

Last week my dad called to see if we were going to the ANZAC day march in our local town. I hadn't planned on going, and there was a chance I would be doing a BBH party that day anyway. Dad told me that he thought this could be one of my poppy's last marches and that he thought it would be nice for Xavier to be there and to have 4 generations together. Adam had agreed to take the kids along himself if I ended up working. We all agreed that Xave probably doesn't see enough of my dad to feel comfortable going just with his poppy without mum or dad as backup.

Turn out I didn't end up working, so we all headed out with the rain threatening to the ANZAC march.

For the first year, Poppy was deemed old enough (90) to go in the jeep as opposed to walking, although I'm told it took some convincing to get him to accept this courtesy.

Poppy in the passenger seat

Because of this, the others (being my dad, uncle's, brother and cousin's) decided not to march and to instead watch from the sidelines. Xave was happy enough to sit on his poppy's shoulders and watch the cars, motorbikes and bands walk past.

Xave on his poppy's shoulders with my brother in the background.. hairy wilderbeast he is...


Poppy with the kids... if it wasn't for Xave there would be 3 bald heads together...

While it was nice seeing the men in the family bonding, as usual, every time I see poppy, it just reminds me again that my nan isn't here, and the tears once again prick at my eyes. It doesn't help that while we take the opportunity on ANZAC day to remember the fallen and those still in war zones around the world, as a mother its also a time to remember the other mothers who sons were lost to war, the wives who lost husbands and children who lost fathers. Thank god for sunglasses to hide behind I say.

Aden (my little brother), Poppy, Dad and Xave


Poppy, Stella and I

I hope every day that I never have to wave my son off to war.

Oh and the rain held off until the service was over. Hooray.

I can see the light...

Just for a moment today, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

No I did not have a near death experience, but rather I experienced a completely lovely moment between my children today.

Stella is walking more and more, well who am I kidding, she is walking. I have a walker. So practicing this new found skill is in high demand. I am encouraging her to walk to and from the car short and safe distances, no more trying to balance a nappy bag, baby on hip and keeping a tight grip on a kamikaze 2 year old.

Today on our way to tumble gym she was walking to the door holding my hand when Xavier took hold of her other hand to help her. After a few steps he informed me that I could let go and he would walk her. So I did, I lagged back and watched on with a bursting heart at my son, who spends most of his time tormenting her beyond belief, take her hand and gently guide her towards the doors. He gently walked her down the path, encouraged her up the stairs, and pushed and held the door open for her. What a gentleman.

Needless to say later that day he did hit, kick, push and bite her.. but alas, there was a moment, I can see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I tried to capture it on camera, but alas every time i got close someone would stumble or turn around to look at me... oh well, lets hope today's niceties were not a one off and I can catch it at some other time.

Ideas please...

So clearly I'm struggling to come up with good stuff to blog about of late.. so I ask you, my loyal followers... what do you want me to blog about?

Have I told you a funny story that you think I should share?

Is there something about me you want to know?

Do you care to know my opinion on global warming? (OK please don't ask this coz I honestly don't have one)

Come on, you complain when I don't blog (not all of you of course) so help me out here... whatcha wanna know?

You wouldn't belive it...

After blogging last night, I went to bed thinking once again of blog ideas.... AND I came up with a really really good one... come this morning I cant think of it for the life of me.

Here's hoping a stroke of genius will come back again....

Will also put a note in the phone if I think of something good tonight....

Sorry.

I'm alive.... and kicking.. I mean knitting

So I know that I have been a very very slack blogger of late.. I completely understand if all my followers have un-followed me and never come here again... but I do have something to show from my absence...

It all starts when my wonderful friend Nessa and her lovely mother in law made Stella this AMAZING cardigan...

Not only am I a massive cardi fan anyway, but this one just takes the cardi cake.

Whilst visiting Nessa to collect our prize, Nessa was showing off some of her own knitting prowess. Beanies. Something I had never managed to work out. Every pattern I found talked of either double ended needles OR knitting on the round, both of which scared the beejeebus outta me. so I stuck to my standard 'pixie' hats...

Pixie Hats made by moi....

and the special Pixie Hat for my rainbow pixie jenjen...

BUT Nessa's MIL had taught her an easy way to make a beanie and well it was so easy I had to get out my needles and start a' knittin'.

I should add, I am far from a good knitter. My nan taught me to knit when I was just a little girl. She would cast on, I would knit a scarf and then she would cast off. I always planned to get her to teach me more, but well, she passed away before I had a daughter and really began to appreciate hand knitted wear. I'm really not into knitted stuff on boys, but my new found love of knitting has uncovered some boys jumpers I wish I was clever enough to make. But I digress.

So here are the products of my new found beanie knitting ability...

matching beanies for my boys... ok so this was not really intentional It started as a beanie for Xave, but well, it was a bit large, but it fits Adam, so perfect... then I had wool left, and I really loved the colour so Xave a made him a matching one too...

Im loving that Stels is getting into hat and shoe wearing. I look ridiculous in hats, so peeps please dont ever buy/make me a hat, but my baby girl looks amazing in well, anything. I am now on a mission for more cool, hippy, funky, hats... maybe I need to learn to crochet.

And for those of you who wish the know the secret... its so simple I cant believe I have never thought of it myself. Here it is, cast on the right number of stitches for around the head, knit the correct number of rows, then here's the easy bit, once its long enough, knit 2 stitches together... on every row, until you have 1 little stitch left... tie it off, and sew the seam together....

So I now have a whole stack on pretty wool I have bought to knit the kids up some beanies, Mum has asked me to make one for my step dad and a friend has asked me to knit for her cousin.. although I am planning to teach her to knit so she can do it herself. I have also started a cardi for Stels, although now that the wool is knitted I'm not sure I like it as much as I thought I would, so that cardi may be gifted away.

I also wanted to add, that nan never did teach me how to cast on or off. Once I re-caught the knitting bug, I got me off to you tube and learnt on line. My MIL is slightly useful for other bits and pieces, although her being left handed, and me not, its tricky for us both.