Tiny Tales Untold 2012 Week 11

This week in Stockleyville we played an unconventional game of golf. Or Hockey... I'm not sure.

We made mischief of one kind...

and another!

 

Saw Suessian plants growing right way up from side ways trees.

Experienced for the very first time the joy of feeding ducks.

And the uncertainty of receiving doggy licks.

 

Enjoyed the local scene.

Made Pies for Pie day of one kind and another.

Whoopee Pies

 

Burrito Pie

 

Used St Patricks day as a lame excuse to celebrate totally not lame people (Teachers!).

Got back into the swing of sports practice and all that entails.

 

Finally started to do the work he came here for!

Played Dr Who Thunderbirds?????

Left lovely marks making lovelies for a lovely.

 

Ate lunch with Daddy, and Ronald.

Played together nicely.

 

And enjoyed an episode of excitement together too.

 

♥

365 Week 18

 ♥

Tiny Tales Untold 2012 Week 10

This week in Stockley Family History

Tama found a felt pen and used it to great effect.

I surveyed my creative space and wished I had more time to spend in there.

 

Will discovered a new song called "1-2-3 BANG your Drum" and proceeded to do so with great gusto.

More pleasure was derived from Eucalyptus while out walking.

Tama got totally wrapped up in Parachute Play!

 

And discovered the joy of drinking from a cup.

We saw the super effects of the setting sun.

We danced to our own rhythms.

 

And splashed to them too.

 

 Admired local heroes from up close and down below.

And saw the moon rise in full effect with Camera trickey and all.

Double Moon All The Way!

♥

No longer Down the Right of Way

If you are friends with me on Facebook then you'll know that not only are we no longer Down the Right of Way- but our house is no longer down there either. It actually hasn't been for a couple of months now. All of the houses on the Hobsonville Married Quarter Patch are slowly being shifted off to be sold off privately. Part of me would have loved to have seen and photographed this process and part of me is just plain sad that my kids won't be able to see the place that for the older ones they spent the bulk of their childhood in and for the younger two they were conceived, in and brought home from the hospital too. Had I the cash I most certainly would have loved to have brought the house and turned it into a holiday home at some northern beach!

 

Good Bye again house and thanks for the memories. xoxoxo The Stockleys xoxoxo

♥

365 Week 17

 

 ♥

Simple Sunday

 Available as a print from Keep Calm Gallery.

♥

Taking a break

I find that I'm not in a position to blog so much at the moment and for various reasons have lost my passion for it. So please accept my apologies for what will become sporadic and infrequent blogging for the foreseeable future.

Gypsy
♥

Single Photo Saturday

at AQWA

♥

Flora on Friday

 

♥

Tama 10 Months

♥

The Frog Prince

Last week was pretty wild. There was some random shit going down.

Monday I ended up heading off to bed with a migraine (again). And that was after a day without Will!

Tuesday I made a Fire Flash (Thunderbirds again) add that to the list of things I never though I'd do but did. Tama ate Pooh- add that to the list of things my kids have done that totally gross me out. And the list of  "Where the hell did you find that Tama?"

Wednesday had at least 2 extra hours added into them in the middle of the day. I'm sure of this. And an extra hour at the end when I had to have a deep and meaningful with Kieran.

Thursday we got three pieces of mail and they were all wrong:
One gave us money we didn't deserve and couldn't keep. (Australian regulation/red tape is a complicated punch of rubbish).
One managed to tell us that by paying $110 off a $201 bill we were $47 in credit- I could ignore that but I'm sure it would come back to bite me. I do worry about the maths Kieran is learning in school though if this is what his accounts section comes back with.
And the third only had 4 of the 6 items I had ordered.
The GPS stopped talking to me after I would take the street that didn't exist or go down a one way the wrong way.
And I got Mastitis again. (That's the short way of saying I felt like I got physically hit by a mack truck, had a sand bag on my chest. Had daggers run through my heart every time my arm brushed my boob. And ran both cold flashes and a fever in tandem.)

Sometime in between  Thursday and Friday I woke from a fever fueled delirium dream where a Doctor at the hospital lied and said I had harmed Tama because he didn't want to treat me while I was holding the baby. DOCS had removed all our children and separated them and we were fighting to get them back. I was woken by Tama was coughing/barking I thought he was throwing up I picked him up and he was hard out crying and he was cold and resistant to the light. I totally freaked out and was certain I was about to be off to the hospital in the dark. I had no idea where to go when I got there so I rang healthline talked to someone for 15 minutes before I got cut off and then had to do it all again from the start. By the end of it Tama was happy as larry. The lesson here is don't mother while hideously ill.

Friday I had the worlds fastest Doctors appointment- gone in 60 seconds! Kieran was home sick from school. And Will was horrid.

But the weirdest thing happened at the most ordinary moment.

I have to preference this by saying my house is generally tidy (4yo and baby in the house tidy) and it is fairly clean. I generally don't have random crud lying around my floor.

So...

I was folding the washing. In the front lounge just sitting on the floor. Watching a little telly.

Tama was babying around. Checking out the cords on the PS2. Trying to open the cupboard doors. Looking out the window. Finding random fluff and stuff on the floor. Putting it in his mouth. Just the standard stuff for him at the moment. Immune Building we call it.

He crawled out with a particularly large item in his hand.

Me "What's that T?"

T "Just this tasty tidbit I found. See watch me suck on it"

Me: "Um T what the crap have you got there?"

*** Urgent movement towards baby***

ITS A FROG.

A Petrified FROG.

Of course a frog would be petrified to be clutched in a baby's fat fingers.

But no- I mean as in dried out, dead, covered in fluff. Mummified kermit!

Its skinny little legs stuck out from its body like a lollypop stick perfectly fitting the small baby palm. It's little fat body and head forming the perfect lolly pop.

A Froggy Lollypop my baby just SUCKED!

I scooped Tama up and trying desperately to keep his hand from his mouth without having to touch the anhydrated amphibian myself I raced him out the front door. A scuffle ensued as Tama tried to retain his candy cadaver. But eventually I managed to make the frog fall onto the rain soaked pavers below. Recovered my composure (there may have been squealing and yelling previously) and headed back inside.

I seriously wanted to cry, or vomit or rinse my baby's mouth with disinfectant. But Tama was now upset and he needed a drink.... from me.

"Baby after what you just put in there you want me to put my nipple in there??? Seriously??"

Yuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkk.

   I kissed a Frog and I liked it....

♥

The Shocking Truth

I have something to tell you all.

The truth is out we told the kids at dinner tonight.

It was one of those situations where there was a pause in the conversation.

It lasted just a little too long.

It felt like it was the right time for a bold statement.

Or a confession.

I realised it was down to me to do it.

So I prepared the family. That there was big news.

And then I just came out with it.

Kieran's Pregnant.

Merenia is in the larval stage of becoming a whistling Kettle.

Tama is an evil genius.

Les is a woman.

I am running off to join the circus.

And then I was reminded that our family is a circus. My dreams for the future were totally crushed or perhaps realised- but what sort of a circus is it when there are 6 clowns and no ringmaster?

Amongst it all Kieran came to the shocking realisation that we never told Ruby (the Cat) that she was adopted.

And that my friends is Sunday dinner normal life in Stockley-ville.

I know you're wondering what Wills shocking revelation was.
Some things are just too big, too intense, just too much for even the internet.*

* Or nobody can remember. One of the two. I forget.

And if you thought this was weird wait till I tell you the one about the froggy pop.

♥

Simple Sunday

This one is by me.

♥

Single Photo Saturday

♥

Flora on Friday

 

♥

Internet Goodness

Spent far too much time on the internet lately (with sleeping babe in arms). This is what I've been checking out.

This is how I met one of my best friends... there's a story behind that that I need to tell.

Brand Spirit  what a cool idea and just weird as well!

I am a food blog I love the images on this blog and also the little graphic created for each post- tons of design inspiration in tiny packages!

Colour inspired groupings love these postcards- would be fun to group togther some of our everyday things by colour and photograph.

A scrapbooker new to me... tons of inspiration.

Design Crush I'm a fool for any site that has great design stuff- especially love the posts that bring together 15 odd recipes for the same thing. And the quotes like this one....

(This is SO me): Timothy Leary

Macaroni Cheese please- Mac'n'cheese is on our menu plan for one Wednesday (Vegetarian day) each month- last month I changed it up by adding curry powder- heaps more ideas here.

Fat Mum Slims Photo a day list for May

My new LSS. (It's actually online but it's just a suburb away!)

Google Autocompletes.... been trying to think on this one!

Andrew Holder awesome illustrator.

100 Moments that changed my Life... scrapbooking idea- I'd like to make this list.

The Accidental Creative. Loved this quote:

The love of comfort is frequently the enemy of greatness.

Round-up~ April 2012

On our bookshelf this month....

Kieran: Hunger Games
Merenia: Twilight
Will: Oliver Jeffers, Lynley Dodd, lots of library books.
Me: MWF seeking BFF, Lots of blogs.

Loving on the box....

Good Wife, Offspring series 2 (DVD) series 3 (TV), Greys Anatomy, Ninja Warrior, Unbeatable Banzuke, Saddle Club (M), Iconicals, Thunderbirds, Guess how much"you love me" (sic) (W), Dr Who and Sport including AFL(K). Merenia saw Titanic 3D twice.

For you...For me?

I got myself a class at Big Picture Classes called Design Challenges as an early Mothers day gift. And got some smaller bits and pieces for other people- nothing major. Will brought himself a golf set and a Zynger flying toy. Teacher gifts. And of course the Easter Bunny did the rounds- that rabbit has really gone upscale in addition to the Chocolate load he brought Octonauts books, Lego Sticker books, Schleich horses and an iTunes voucher! And I brought Series 2 of Offspring on DVD as I missed it in the move (finished here, not started yet in NZ).

Germs and bugs and botherations....

Tama and Will both got a vomity bug. I rounded out the month with a kick arse migraine- it's the second one I've had this year so a bit of a surprise as before I've only had them when pregnant and they never got the vomiting stage. Other than that I think all was pretty much well- unless you count Tama's multiple head injuries as a result of learning to pull himself up on EVERYTHING!

Today was good today was fun, tomorrow is another one...

Will's friend from Kindy Madison L's and her Mum came over to play, Easter, Les' four days at the Nats. Visiting Les at the field with Will and T. Merenia had two sleep overs and saw a couple of movies. Les and Kieran went to the Chiefs game.

Yum, yum, yum....

Lemon Syrup Cake, Ginger Bread Bunnys, Churros with chocolate sauce.

'It was on sale'....

Scrap It Flaunt It had some great deals on Thickers.

Bugger!

School Holidays were L-O-N-G!

Hooray!

ANZAC day in Australia is well recognised. Les got 2 Golds and a Bronze at the Nats. Making a cool Thunderbirds Costume for Will. Les got a new (to him) Glider. Discovered 2 great new scrapbook stores one very close by! Lots of creating done. Enjoying listening to past episodes of Paper Clipping roundtable and the ideas it's generating.

Etc...

Parent interviews for all 3 kids. Merenia to the dentist- nothing needed! Leon for a sleepover.

You know who's good idea this was? Katie The Scrapbook Lady. Go check out her list of tasks to do at the end of each month as well.

♥

The 1800

1800

That's how many blogger profiles I looked at recently. I searched them via the tags: WA and Perth.

From the profiles I probably looked at 300 blogs.

Some were very old and long forgotten, some were too new to be able to hear the writers voice, some were just not me, and some were just like baby bears porridge- just right. Or should that be 'just write'.

I think I found maybe a handful, 15 or so, that I thought "Well young lady I like the cut of your jib!" (yes they were 99.9% womens blogs) And actually that's not what I thought, that's a quote from Blackadder. But I did think something along similar lines.

On that handful I left a comment on the latest or a newish post just to say hi, that I had enjoyed the blog etc.

I had replies from 2. One of whom is apparently too far away to develop into a real life friend- because that's what I am after- which is a bummer because I liked her best- good taste in music, art, and a more realistic voice than some others I read. And one who probably replied because I showed an interest in her handmade bags (very pretty) and because I asked a question. She's very nice too... I just have to find the time to get back to her blog and read some more.

I have had many thoughts about this friendship quest that I am on. A lot that I'd like to talk about here but it requires some upfront honesty and that's gotten harder and harder the more I have blogged. A lot of people I know in real life read this blog... friends, family... maybe even ex-friends. And while it's easy to share a degree of intimacy with the faceless masses it gets a little harder when you have to face one of the masses every morning when you wake up. :-)

In the past every so often I've written posts where I've spread the softer side of my soul across the pixels, I've written about hard stuff and hurts- and I get amazing replies both through the comments and in my emails. These, while lovely, leave me feeling decidedly uncomfortable. I'm an independent sort of a person and not looking for sympathy or even empathy- I don't want people to feel badly for me, sometimes I think they feel even worse for me than I am feeling myself. It makes me recoil a bit, retreat- I'm not sure why.

I'm also scared. Scared that if I say what I really think, what I've seen from my perspective, and what I feel about life, the universe, and everything. That those whose view the same life but from the other side of the fence may take issue with what I say. And that is worse than the empathy- way worse. Because while making someone feel sad for me is uncomfortable, making someone feel mad at me sends me scuttling fast back up behind the walls of pretty pictures of sweet babies, crazy four year olds and pretty flowers.

And that's not what I need right now, and that's not what I need my blog to be right now. I need to talk to someone. And really there is no one here in real life to talk to. So it has to be you. And it might be hard. And it might be ugly. And it might be sad. But I just need you to listen.

That's all. Please just listen, don't talk. 

Todays Game

Speed Hanger V Crud Consumer

Round One: Drop and Run Speed Hanger (SH) places Crud Consumer (CC) as far as possible from the back door and races to grab the loaded basket heading outside in a single bound. CC lithe and speedy on all fours makes in to the back door in one towel and half a school skirt.

Round Two: Psychological Warfare  SH leaves CC teetering on the doorstep dangerously overhanging the solid paving one brick below, hoping that previous altercations between CC's head and the pavers may deter CC from making the jump. SH crumbles under the pressure just one shirt in and lifts CC down sitting him mid path.

Round Three: What Will Be, will be. SH leaves CC to find the Crud. In a matter of one PE shirt he does. Sand. SH defeated again moves CC to a new locale, two pairs of shorts later CC is reaching under the fence for all manner of crud.

Round Four: Got you pegged. SH Pegs five pegs to CC's shirt in an effort to distract him by having him remove the pegs before going in search of Crud. One peg is already off before the fifth peg is placed. CC works on removing the remaining pegs. Having hung two more towels a pair of Jeans, and a couple of school shirts SH gets cocky thinking she's onto a winner. But CC see's peg removal as a mugs game and continues on in the search of Crud! Mmmmmm manky old grass wrapped in cob web! Round four to CC.

Round Five. Basket Hanger (Like Cliff hanger but on a basket). Prepared to sacrifice the cleanliness of  the washing SH stands the CC up on the washing basket to remove it's contents one by one to the dirty pavers below. SH hangs all manner of socks, undies face cloths and bibs. Before the basket becomes too light and CC is in danger of over balancing it all.

Intermission: SH and CC share a friendly moment together laughing at the neighbour as she backs her car into her recycling and rubbish bin. 

Round Six: The Finish Line: SH hangs the remaining washing while CC seeks out the remaining Crud for consumption. SH has completed the task and CC has a varied diet. No winner can be declared. 

Check back some time for the next game: 

Blogger Vs. The Baby.  

Where blogger brings out the big guns with :   

 The Distractor

 

 and it fails dismally to distract.

♥