Body Fat What?

I'm doing what I'll call an "eating plan". Anything to not say out loud the "D" word. 1200 calories/low carb/low fat/exercise yada yada yada. You know the drill. Anyway, that's the boring stuff, but in the interests of measuring results I ordered one of those instruments of torture aka body fat calipers. Well we all know the scales aren't the best measure. I "lost" 1.2kg between yesterday morning and last night. Which does not compute. Anyway, I pulled out said calipers this morning, and do you think I can make sense of the instructions? Can you? And what exactly is a half-bow arm anyway? And do I have to stand fully exposed? Really?

 

If you know what the hell they're talking about, please feel free to let me know!

 

I came across this picture on Pinterest last night. Love it. I have just the cabinet waiting to be filled (lol... mum? haha...)

But seriously, lovely colours and patterns. Wish I had the patience/time/motivation/passion to do it myself. Maybe one day... but in the meantime I can admire and sigh. The trouble is, I don't have the below squared away, so what hope have I got?

Anyway, I'm off to powder my nose. Etc.

 

 

 

 

Progress

Do you ever think about all the projects you want to do, but there are so many that you don't start at all? This is a big 'un for me - either being overwhelmed, or having my time taken up by the usual household/child rearing/daily life palaver. The latter results in me just wanting to put my feet up during those rare quiet times, instead of getting on with it. I've probably whinged about this before. Anyway, to cheer myself up and spur myself on, I think I might take some shots of parts of the house I'm really happy with, along with some before shots, just to remind myself of what's been achieved. And really, we've achieved a lot in the last 18 months, especially as in that time we've had a baby, a wedding, been flooded in, and been learning how best to run a grazing enterprise. No room is complete, all need the floors done (the sander is sitting there, we're just waiting for parts to turn up), and we need a sparky for some lighting, but we're getting there. Something I need to remember.

 

More importantly (apparently...lol) we are having some watering points put in over in the "additional" paddock. Harry's dream came true today when he got to sit in the grader for a bit. He loves graders. He was pretty proud of himself.

We've had dribs and drabs of rain lately, but not enough to put water in the dried up ground tanks, so we're grateful we decided to expand considerably on the prior owner's plans for the cap and pipe bore scheme. Definitely a worthwhile investment. It's clouding over nicely right now, fingers crossed for rain this week!

Meanwhile, I've found my dream living room. Unless I find a new dream living room down the track. So the kind of khaki green wall we painted only 6 months ago will have to go, but that's ok. It's only paint. Another "one day" project!

I do love that couch and the big round ottoman. And the aged leather arm chairs. And the soft grey paint. Perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember me?

Blog! Hello my long lost friend! Ahh dear me, it's funny how easy it can be to lose momentum, forget how much you enjoyed something, and stop. Actually for me, blogging started to feel like an enormous task after being away - so many blogs to catch up on, so many posts to write myself - well it's all a bit silly, isn't it? Just got to get on with it, really. So here it is.

Our trip to Brisbane was the usual whirlwind of activity, with two main highlights. Harry's birthday treat from Gran was to go to see Play School - well - didn't he just love it! His face just lit up from go to woah, and he danced his little butt off.

We took him shopping for his birthday present after the show - I think he had a great day. He does love the shops (just like his mother).

And here are a few other things we got up to...

Cool cafes...

Eating...

Lots of coffee...

Antique shops. We left the heads on the wall!

But came home with this nightstand for Vicki's room.

Upholstery fabric shopping for the eBay settee - but no decision reached.

Pretty lights...

Ahh shops and buildings and shops!

Vicki got to play with other kids, something she rarely experiences.

We left Gran absolutely exhausted, as usual, I think she loves to see us come, but loves to see us go, too...lol. On the way home we picked up this little chap.

Isn't he a darling? He seems to be happy here, and the kids love him, so he's working out well, so far. It's so neat to see Harry telling the pup to sit (he obeys), then Harry tells him he's a good boy and gives a belly scratch. Very cool. Tonka is our guard dog...lol. We had no idea we had so many bird carcasses under the house, thanks to the cat - but Tonka has dragged them out. Lovely.

And that was our trip. Now (well two weeks ago) back to reality. Laundry. Domestic Haggery. And counting calories. But that's another story.

 

Rushing In Is Not Always Foolish

Sometimes mistakes are meant to be made. Sometimes my slapdashery works out for the best. Take the bee stencil I did last night. Too much haste meant that I made a hash of the stencilling. Equally as hastily I painted over the top of it with the base colour without sanding, meaning you could still see the raised edges of the pattern clearly. But it was all meant to be, because when I woke up this morning with the idea of distressing the top to reveal parts of the stencil beneath, I knew I'd be onto a winner. And I love the result. See?

This is the cabinet top. I'm mulling over how to do the rest, whether it be more bees over the drawer fronts and sides, or just some leaves, or nothing at beyond a bit of light distressing. A smarter person would have planned all that out before starting, but that's not the way I roll, folks. This is how it looked before - pretty, but more granny chic than shabby french apartment. It was mainly the colour - didn't work with the white I favour these days.

I think Instagram makes anything look good!

 

A little while ago, I posted about my sister's makeover (here). She's had another one, and I think this one by far trumps the last. Check her out!!

Isn't she bee-yoo-ti-ful?

Disclaimer: I have permission to publish this photo, I'm not really a mean sister, we both think it's hilarious! Besides, this is nothing. No one's seen my just-out-of-bed hair yet. Channelling a wicked witch doesn't even come close...

 

Vote for her here, you know you want to!

 

Snippets.

We had half an inch of rain! It doesn't touch the sides on what we need, but I'm grateful for what we did get. It will freshen things up, and there's something about a bit of rain that puts a little zest into everything out here. And I don't need to mention that glorious smell. To die for.

I have a sick little fella today, who told me he felt "all crooked" yesterday. "All crooked" turned out to mean crook. I mean, duh..mum. Here he is, snuggled up wearing his kangaroo tail, which he loves to bits. I have a little brown shearling vest which he likes to wear with it, it's very cute to see him hopping around. Not that there's much hopping today. Hopefully tomorrow he'll be a happier little bloke.

 

Dilemma... I've been asked to do a brief radio interview about having the RFDS out here, following up on their newsletter story. (We made front page! Check it out here...) but anyway I just don't know about the radio. It's only about 5-10 minutes, but I shudder just thinking about it. I know I'd sound like an idiot. So I'm definitely leaning towards "hell no". Would you do it?

 

My stencils arrived...yay! I got them on Etsy to use on furniture, so this afternoon I brushed a quick coat of a pale lavender-grey onto a large free-standing jewellery cabinet I'm redoing, and had a go at a stencil. Well. Fools rush in, and that includes me. Didn't research techniques and made a big ol' hash of it. Paint bled everywhere. So I've painted it over and will adopt a different technique tomorrow. Here are my stencils.

I started with the bee, on top of the cabinet, but I might take a bit more time tomorrow in planning, as I want to do some bits on the front, too.

Today was basically a very unproductive day. But they happen from time to time, right?

It's getting chilly!!

 

 

Lazy ol' Monday

 

Look!! Isn't it beautiful?

For once the predictions were spot on - they forcast rain for today, and rain we've got. I don't think there'll be lots in it, but at least its wet stuff, falling from the sky, and it smells so good!

We were caught out over at the woolshed when it started to rain, and as tempting as it was to dance in it, it was a little cold, so we headed over to the house for cups of soup. Perfect. Not before taking care of this fella though. I think it's the first time I've seen him canter. He usually strolls everywhere.

I know that what we need is inches, and we won't be getting that this time round. We'll be lucky to get 10mm. But it's just so nice to see.

 

We've been putting together a bit of an area out on the deck which is coming along nicely. I need to find some nice bench seat cushions (or make some), and I'll paint this furniture, as it's looking tired. And some pot plants are in order on my next trip to Bunnings. We have a gas patio heater to put in there too - I think it'll make a nice sitting area - nicer still once we landscape around the pool!

Ignore my project in progress painting wine racks... fiddly job. Yet another UFO!

Such a grown up little bloke, with his "coffee", workshirt, notebook in his pocket and his phone. Ahh love.

And nothing makes this one happier than a remote control. What is it with kids and remotes? Such a happy little girl.

And that's about it. Quiet day enjoying the rain today, while lamb shanks are braising in the slow cooker. Maybe some shower base preparation this afternoon. And some mending. Not so much fun, that one. This time next week we'll be in the big smoke, which will be great! Lots of Gran time, and a belated birthday/mothers day expedition are in order, I think. Shopping, too of course, of the window variety.

I can't wait!

 

 

 

Thomas The Cake Engine

Here's the thing about making fancy birthday cakes. There's all that planning, building, painting and effort, and then bam. It's destroyed right before your eyes as the knife cuts in. But oh, isn't it worth it when your little one's eyes light up? Harry loved his cake. My heart melted when I walked in and found him giving the icing face a "smoocher" and a cuddle... and it wasn't even a cake yet! Thomas got more smooches when he was finished, too. At this point it's the cake, not presents, that has Harry feeling like it's his birthday.

I have a lot to learn when it comes to cake decorating, but I think by the time the kids hit the 18 year old mark, I'll probably have the knack. I don't think I'll give up my day job...lol!

Here's Thomas with his crumb coat on. My crumb coat was a help, but could have been better... apparently you need a crusting buttercream, but mine didn't crust. Still, it was better than nothing. Already, he has a bit of a lean backwards. So this is Drunken Thomas.

Here he is, all iced up. Icing is definitely not my strong suit. Still, his colours didn't mix into a multicoloured mess, his wheels worked out well, and most of the crumbs stayed away. I just didn't get a smooth finish. This is Textured Thomas.

Here's Harry giving the camera a smile just after laying a big ol' kiss on Thomas. Yes... that's Harry's special "smile for the camera". Funny bloke. Smooched Thomas.

Here's Hubby and Vicki, having just witnessed a train wreck of epic proportions.

Demolition Thomas.

 

And this right here? The Clean Up Crew.

Anyway, the cake tasted great!

 

I wonder what I'll make for Vicki's first in a couple of months? Better start planning now - I might need to stock up on supplies. We're lucky with our "local" IGA, but there were a lot of things I couldn't get, eg gel food colour, fondant tools and black strap licorice.

Tomorrow, I plan to do a whole lot of nothing, except drink tea from the beautiful mug Harry made at childcare. Look at the portrait of me he did.

Beautiful, aren't I? Lol... I absolutely treasure this. It's the first thing he's made for me, and I love it.