In from the cold.....

yes, I'm back after four of the coldest days Melbourne had to offer. Paperific was great...lots to look at, although I didn't get much of a chance, being flat out behind the counter most of the time. I'm still buzzing from a caffiene high and from my latest purchase.....

After watching Luisa demonstrate it under my eyes for three days, I couldn't resist. It's a Pazzles Inspiration and it'll be winging its way to HBC in the near future. It does everything except wash the dishes (although there's a rumour about an attachment for that, lol) and it just what I need to do my invitations & decoration for the handfast. Oh yeah!! Love me some technology!!

On my way....

to Paperific tomorrow combining business and pleasure, lol. My feet are not looking forward to long days of standing, but my retinas are ready for all the eye candy they can handle. Bring on the goodies!! See you on Monday.

Death Defying

yep, that's me....almost out of the tunnel after a couple of the crappiest days on record. I'm not mended, but I am capable of sitting up for an hour without passing out, and driving and seeing where I'm going at the same time. Big improvement!!

Scheduling conflict.

The bug-du-jour has hit Planet Hartwell with a vengeance this week....first Kit, then Sebi came down with high fevers and barking coughs. Then they gave it to me. Thanks, guys. I seriously can't remember the last time I felt this bad....I ache from the soles of my feet to the tip of my split ends. And where I would love to take several days, and get my money's worth out of my germs, as usual, I am flat out and will have to postpone death till another time. Kit has a job interview this morning, we are halfway through sorting the garage, and I have to fly out to Melbourne first thing Thursday morning. I'll just have to schedule in a few days of death later in the month.

The best laid (SET) plans

I would like to start this post by thanking God for letting me do my teenage years in the '80's. I swear, I don't know how teenagers today cope without therapy. Maybe they don't, and that's where the problem starts. Firstborn is in the middle of Set plans, which is a cross between senior subject selection, future life planning and medieval torture. For a fortnight, there has been a steady background mumble of OP scores, uni preferences, HECS debts and thinly veiled inquiries about the possibility of car ownership if his first choice in courses comes through, since the campus in question is a two hour drive away. And it's only gonna get worse, the closer it gets..... I feel a sudden need to don a balaclava and make illicit withdrawals from some of our finer lending institutions.

I could be working

on my trip canvas, but that would involve thinking. I'm really not up for it right now. You know how it is.....

Bad Karma

Yesterday was friday the 13th and I should have just stayed in bed....I went to the shops to try and find a box big enough to post my OTP to Sydney and some rotten skank stole my purse out of my bag at the post office. Drivers License, credit card and $80. To cut a really crappy story short, my day went downhill from there. So today I'm hoping for an upswing, otherwise I'm going back to bed and staying there for the forseeable future. Bleugh!

H.B.C. Illuminated/ Late Night Create.

These caught my fancy at the show today....they're Tibetan prayer flags with little lights in them. Perfect for late night creating, as they're not bright enough to start off a mid-evening migraine, but bright enough for me to work by, providing I'm not using a craft knife. Which I rarely do any more, once I lose daylight....I have got to get my eyes checked, or else blind scrapping is going to have a whole new vibe.

Weary.

Back into the daily grind and I'm feeling the burn. Mum continues to improve, but she's got cabin fever and I can't blame her, I'm feeling that way myself. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not a brilliant nurse, and she's not a patient paient, so between us, we're a right couple of narks. I'm off to Melbourne on the 26th to work at Paperiffic, which will give me another much needed break, although there'll be no time for sight seeing or shopping, more's the pity. We're booked to go camping at Fingal for the first week of the September break, providing mum has been deplastered, Melissa, Glen and the kids are coming with, so it'll be full house by-the-sea. Kit had his birthday bash over the weekend, they all seemed to have a good time, especially himself, lol. Wedding plans are at a total standstill atm, I can't even think that far ahead right now. Maybe once things get back to (semi) normal I'll have a little time to spare but it's all too hard just at the moment. Too may details and not enough free time. Sigh.

Birthday Boy

Here he is....Pride and Joy @ 15. Excuse me a little mortality check as I wonder where the years went. My little six pounder is now eye to eye with his father, and still growing, if his feet are anything to go by. He lives in a cave and grunts at me as we pass in the hallway. He inhales whole boxes of cereal at a single sitting. His music is loud enough to rattle the windows. He has callouses on his thumbs from constant texting. but he still comes in for a good night kiss. Every night. Love you big time, firstborn.

Photoshoot

Today I dragged Firstborn and Second Son to a little alleyway and took these....




plus a whole lot more that I can't show yet 'cos they're part of a project.
Don'tcha just love the purple cello??

Random

Have a few things on the go atm.....got a commission for an off the page piece for SC Top 10 issue, which was a nice surprise. My piece is nearing completion, although every time I think about posting it I get heart palpitations. I have visions of it arriving in Sydney in 2000 pieces, yoikes. Second son had his clinic appointment this morning, he's fine with his meds, but has been diagnosed with something called "intestinal migraine". Which involves pain and nurofen in that order. It's often brought on by stress, and since both my cherubs reside in Crisis County, State of Disaster, that kinda makes sense. Fortunately it's neither life threatening nor furniture destroying-a-la-excorcist, so we continue with massage, yoga, meditation and his aromatherapy blends to try and keep his thermostat from corking off. To finish, a photo from Newtown where Melissa and I spent much money and bought many things. Unfortunately this wasn't one of them, as it was attached to a wall supporting a house. But I was seriously tempted.

to me!!
Older, definately.
Wiser....possibly.
Happy....absolutely.
Can't ask for more than that.

Magpie

I'll admit it...I'm a total magpie. I have an insatiable desire to collect little weird things. Just look at my kids. And the coolest things always seem to drop into my lap when I'm not actually looking at all. Like today.....
I was legitimately shopping for groceries when an unseen vortex dragged me into Lifeline, where these little treasures were begging for a new home.

The clowns are old curtain tie backs....one of them has lost a foot, but they're still beyond gorgeous. The globe was hiding on a top shelf and the cafe sign was hanging behind the counter. Second son has appropriated one of the clowns for his wall. Mini Mag....like mother like son.

Return from beyond....

I'm back....overloaded, excess luggaged, tired, slightly grubby and windswept. I'll fill in all the details later, have mum arriving back from hospital any minute, and housework is calling. LOUDLY.