Eye Spy ... A favourtie childhhod party game

I think that the good old pin the tail on the donkey always has a soft spot in my heart as a favourite, but I am not the only one. I seem to recall one party game where you had to eat a block of chocolate with a knife and fork, that wasn't all bad either. At Caleb's party last year the pinata was a favourite where they have to pull strings instead of whacking it. Mum and Caleb baked some plain car cookies as well and we let the boys all decorate their own and they loved it. It actually kept them amused for quite awhile, and Poppy snuck around the back to where the MM's were stashed and shovelled them into a rainbow coloured mouth as fast as she could.

Thanks to Kirstie for this weeks sweet theme, and I hope her niece has a great party. I am hoping next week Bird Bath will be able to help us out with next week's theme. You can join in anytime, just add your link after you have posted below so we can all find you.

Saturday Wrap-up

I am thinking that on a Saturday, whenever I have the chance I want to do a summary of some of the great stuff that I love in blog-world. All picture credits belong to the owner's blogs.

I found the discussion on markets and why people do them at Thornberry to be really interesting even if I actually found it really hard to answer.

Katy was lucky enough to get her crafty hands on a Yudo machine and I have been so enjoying the experiments. I so want a Gocco so I have found it really interesting to see you she has been finding it.

Michelle's "things to love about winter" has been so good but I think it would be easy to find love in a beautiful Tasmanian countryside.

There seem to be quite a few new arrivals coming as well. I am hoping that Amber and Megan - who both have beautiful life affirming places - are near the end of the sickly first few months of pregnancy and can spend the rest of winter enjoying their growing bumps.

And to finish some favourites that I am sure you have all seen. I am loving Emily's new Oddfellows collection, Ava (shown above) is so amazingly haunting. You have to of found My Milk Toof, it is so sweet it could rot your teeth.

Last but by no means least, the Handmade Help recipe book is out in either PDF or Hardcopy. Great ideas and all the money is going to the Salvation Army to help with the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, where there is still so much work to be done.

My Creative Space

This is what happens when children are left alone and quiet while upstairs, this is my poor creative space after Poppy spread every button and scrap of fabric I own all over the floor. I am in my usually after market slump so motivation to spend the day cleaning it up hasn't yet come to me. (I am a day late as it has taken me that long to find my camera under the piles of crap on my desk if that is an indication of the state of my house at tthe moment)

I do love doing the markets, but when I decided to start doing them last year to now, a lot of our life has changed. Glen has gone back to work full-time, I am now Poppy's prime carer, in school holidays I am in charge of amusing both and trying to get work done, there have been reduced hours in my 'real' job so less money - nothing bad but stuff that has made the time and dedication needed a little stretched over the last few months. Now I feel like the caged bird let free. I am busting at the seams to get started on stuff that doesn't need a time constraint, things I can take the time to try just because I want to. In our house we call 'specials' anything we don't want anyone to get their hands on - that is what I want to create, some specials for the kids and Glen and for something even more novel , maybe even me. I want to have time to blog and comment like I use to because I really enjoy it. I want to try and go back to all the lovely people that commented, especially on the Poppy posts and say my deepest thank-you as part of us is still haunted. I am also looking forward to enjoying Brown Owls and Perle 8 evenings. Having said that I am thinking of designs for the market at the end of November but looking forward to taking it easy. So I guess after that ramble, my creative space, under that mess, is full of anticipation.

Check out Kirsty's House o' School holiday fun for more creative spaces.

Eye Spy ... Something I Love about my Suburb

These pictures are at the local duck pond this morning, don't you just love Poppy's new smock from Sophie. She loves it and has been collecting goodies in her front pocket all day.

I so love Ellieboo's theme for the week and one that I knew straight away what I was going to say. Our area in South East Melbourne has such a great number of green spaces, I feel so lucky/ There are half a dozen playgrounds and two duck ponds all in walking distance and easily the best thing about where I live. We also live on the train line and are walking distance to the station. The kids love walking beside the line and watching the trains and people. They also love walking over the overpass that goes right over the freeway, even though it scares the crap out of me (hate heights). I am by nature a gypsy and having lived here for 2.5 years that is almost a record for me in one place, so we must love it.

I am hoping that Kirstie will be able to help us out for next week. Remember to add yourself to Mr Linky if you are playing along. If you want to join in, at any time, feel free to add your name to the list so we can all find you.

Market Madness

I had such a great week-end in Sydney, going to the Mathilda's Market and enjoying my virtual life in 3D. I had a great lunch on Saturday with Sophie, Monique, Amy (she even bought me gorgeous Japan gifts, eek look at that sweet fabric and buttons) and Sophie's sister Melanie (blog-less yet lovely). It is amazing how we managed to fill in quite a few hours with effortless conversation and really good Yum Cha.

The market went well considering I think it is a hard time of year with all the end of year financial sales, etc though I had a fairly constant day. Lexi was so sweet spending the whole day with me, keeping me sane since I do get a little nutty on market day. Lots of tops bloggers came to visit me too, which was so cool. Amanda (Ellie is just the cutest little button ever), Monique (more cute Ellies'), Cass, Bianca and Lisa just made the day even more fun. I even managed to invite myself around to Sophie's place for afternoon tea and hang out with her gorgeous family. By the time I got on the plane I was exhausted and so glad that I started my blog.
Unfortunately Poppy has been getting her 2 year old molars and all weekend she was pretty miserable and had teething nappies so Glen is owed BIG TIME for looking after the crew for the weekend.

So all in all it was such a great time and made me realise how truly lucky I am.

Off to Market

I leave on Saturday morning to fly up to Sydney for the week-end and can't wait to catch up with friends and spend Sunday at the Mathilda's market. If you are in the area, why not drop in and say hi. It is at Ignatius' College, Riverview in the Main Hall, Tambourine Bay Road, Lane Cove between 9-1. Lets hope the children and Glen manage to not destroy the house while I am away.

These are robot pants and matching reversible vest.

Hope I don't sell these lace cargo pants so I can give Poppy a pair, I think they are so simply sweet.

Eye Spy ... Something I made for a Little Person

I have been doing some Poppy reminiscing this week and remembered the little quilt that I made her for when she was born. PottyMouthMama always does these beautiful birth stories for her babies on their birthdays.

Whenever I am pregnant I get the strange need to craft stuff, even if I haven't done anything for years. I had this sudden desperate urge to knit, knitting on the other hand did not feel an urge to know me. At around 32 weeks I was having mild contractions so I was ordered to bed rest - I took that to mean only work 30 hours a weeks with my feet up. It is documented that I am not the best with sitting still, so I got out my old sewing machine that had been gathering dust and decided to make a quilt for her moses basket. It was the first thing I had sewn for ages and the start of my re-newed love affair with sewing. I took it with me to hospital as well to wrap her in it so that it still smelt familiar when we got home. It looks so tiny now, yet it use to wrap around so snug.

So on her birthday, I managed to make it to 38 weeks and we went in for our Cesarean. I can't deliver naturally at all, even going into labour can be dangerous, so I unfortunately will never be able to know any of those early mother feelings. I always found it strange though that they call it an elective option, when I didn't really have a choice. I do know being as aware as I could in that funny little room of my baby, tiny little one that she was, that instantly knew we were now separate but still ...... I savoured everyday in the hospital with her as I knew it was our time before I had to share her with the rest of the family. Her birth story is not the usual ones that you hear I guess, but it was my job to carry her until she was ready and my job to be strong as I could for her arrival. I walked around with a lot of guilt after Caleb was born, not the second time, I held my head high - look at her now - cute as a button, wish I could take credit for that though I think she is her own diva self already. I would like to say I have no idea where her knock-em down, drag-em out attitude came from, but I fear I would be lying, she may look like Glen but that may be a little of me.

Long winded post a little varied off the topic I know, but that little quilt has so many memories and easily my favourite little person creation. Thanks to Mary-Jane for this weeks theme after very short notice. I am hoping Mama to the most gorgeous red head birthday girl, Ellieboo can help us out with next week's theme. Remember if you want to join in, add your link in below so we can all find you.

Poppy-Palooza

My beautiful little baby girl was 2 yesterday, so not so much my little baby anymore I guess. She had a great day playing with her friends, new presents and out in the sunshine. What is a true diva without her own tutu dress and fairy wings? I think she looked super cute, but Glen spent the rest of the day referring to her as the tumbleweed.

I really wanted to make her a cake but she really isn't a huge cake fan - ice-cream on the other hand - yippee. So we went here and she ended up with this fantastic princess cake made of white choc ice cream with MM's and chocolate ice cream with Oreos, good taste my girl has. I think the party guests agreed with everyone licking their plates. It even got Squirty Puss's approval

Eye Spy ... and I need more time in the day

Eeek it is Wed morning and I have had my post in my head since Sunday and no time to sit down and do it, sorry guys. I am sewing madly for the market, even fell asleep on the couch with pins in hand last night and it is Poppy's birthday tomorrow as well. I didn't really start planning till Monday, including presents so all crazy around here! Poppy is also practising her full diva attitude for the start of 2 as well. I will put up the links for last weeks game, sorry I am so late and hope that I haven't left it too late for Mary-Jane to come up with a theme.

My Creative Space

I have been t-shirting up a storm this week. A little bit of a lot of different bits and pieces. I really love all the different patterns and with only 2 more weeks until the Sydney market I am fast reaching panic mode. All the girls tops have yo-yos on them which seemed to take forever to sew on, one is even crafted by our gracious host and Kirsty will be at the Melbourne Mathilda's dancing away with all her beautiful music boxes. More creative types over there too.

Uncle Bob

The kids are loving music at the moment to the point where they will sit in the car and sing songs in the driveway. We were driving around and Glen's Bob Marley CD came on to give Justine Clarke a rest. "Who is that" asked Caleb. "That's your Uncle Bob" Glen told him. Glen and I are both only children so Caleb was super excited at the thought of having an Uncle. The next day Caleb said to me - My Uncle Bob sleeps in trees and eats grass. So funny because perhaps a little bit true.

Eye Spy ... My Perfect invention

Even though I do look rather good in a bikini I think I will leave ending sickness and poverty and world peace for Miss Universe, I have had enough seriousness this week already. So what would be my perfect invention - Beam me up Scotty - teleportation for sure. I so hate traffic, and it seems to take FOREVER to get around the suburbs in Melbourne. How many extra hours in the day would there be if you could cut out travel time? Separated by oceans - no worries, zap over for lunch. Need your Mum to babysit and she lives in the Solomon Islands (Hi Mum) she can be there faster then Glen can say, "Is McDonald's considered romantic if you don't go drive thru and sit in the restaurant." Unfortunately it may also lead to the in-laws popping over for lunch after you intentionally moved continents to get away but there is a down side to even the best inventions.

This is actually my 200th post and I was intending to do a giveaway but after the last week I am a little spent, so it will have to be later in the week I think.

As Jenaveve so eloquently put it last week Mr Linky was on the blinky for the last few weeks, but he is back this week so if you are playing just pop the link in below so we can find you and I am also hoping that Miss August Street will be able to give us next weeks Eye spy.

Image from here

Karma is a dog

Glen has left his details with the police and if there is anyway that they can charge the guy with something then they will.

Then when he came home from work yesterday (he works in a food area in the city, which is why he and Poppy were in the city in the first place) and on Friday, the child free day from school and his day off, there was a man arrested there for some kind of indecent exposure to the kids. This would be 5 minutes walk from where the first incident happened, he was in a business suit and sounds from the description to be the same man. The fact that he is now being investigated does make me feel better.

What doesn't make me feel better, and the reason I shared the story, is that there are more like him around and they aren't going to be locked away forever, they don't walk down the street "looking evil" and a minute is all it can take. I don't say that to freak people out but this came as such a shock to me that I just wanted everyone to be aware that these things really can happen.

Thank you and No they didn't charge the Scum

First off I really just want to thank everyone that made such lovely and supporting comments, I really do appreciate them, especially when we all are in a little state of shock . Thanks also to those that linked back to the post to create awareness of how careful we have to be unfortunately. I think as hard as it was for me to post it was worth it.

On the most asked question, did the guy get charged? - No he didn't as the police said he hadn't done enough to be considered a kidnapping - I shudder to think what extremes that would of required. Apparently because the man was having a seizure, and it was pretty ugly, that his story of taking Poppy away from it was possible, even though how far he was taking her, the fact he wasn't listening to Glen calling out and even the way he was holding on to Poppy wasn't. The female cop was all over him so I think they were going to take his details, I am telling myself that they followed it up. Once Glen heard that they weren't going to charge the guy and didn't need his statement he just wanted to get Poppy as far away as possible.

Poppy thankfully seems to be completely oblivous to the whole thing, such a relief

That only happens on TV - doesn't it??

I had all intentions to do my creative space yesterday, even though it had been a super busy week at work, then yesterday - the scariest day of my life that very nearly could of been the worst day of my life.
Glen took Poppy into the city yesterday and they were walking over the footbridge from Southgate over to Flinders St Station when a young guy in front of them started having a seizure, his head was being cut on the non-slip surface on the bridge so Glen was holding his head while someone rang the ambulance. He didn't want Poppy to see or touch anything so he had her standing behind him while he was still talking to her. All of a sudden the lady ringing the ambulance said to Glen, "Isn't that your little girl?". Glen swung around and there is a man carrying off Poppy. Glen ran after him screaming to bring her back - he just kept calmly towards the train station where he easily would of been lost in the crowd. Thankfully Glen caught up to him, grabbed Poppy and popped him. Just then the cops ride past and want to charge him with assault, it wasn't until Glen explained that he was yelling out and he didn't stop that they finally realised what was going on. His explanation that he was taking her so she didn't have to see the sick man wasn't washing when you have gone 50m away.
I always struggle to decide how much to share on my blog, and to be honest this isn't something I would normally but I am not someone who would ever think that could happen in the middle of the day in a busy city, it is more of a cop show drama. The scariest thing is neither did he that morning as he brushed his teeth and put on his business suit, he was just an opportunist. Thankfully most of the horror is unrealised by Poppy who is enjoying the extra kisses and cuddles.
What if?
Who could?
Why?