This Is......My current reading material, kitchen appliance and me signing off.

This weeks this is.....my current reading material - I quite enjoy reading and will read each night when I hop into bed before sleeping - no matter what the time -it's a bit like brushing my teeth something I can not go to bed without doing.

I am currently reading

Wild Swan by Jung Chang - this current book has taken me quite a long time to read (more than 3 months - I read approx 10 books in the first half of the year). I am into my last 150 pages and have found the last half more about Jung Chen's life amongst Chinese Cultural Revolution much easier to read than the first - about her parents and grandparents life within Communist China.

Wild Swan has been a bit of a history lesson, a bit of gratitude for a life I have lived and some empathy for the Chinese Culture, especially those living around me. I have enjoyed it but am looking forward to finishing it and reading my next book - Heart of Darfur by Lisa French Baker - a nurse who works with Medecines Sans Frontier and is her own personal accout of life as a nurse in Darfur refugee camps.

From last week This is......My Favourite Kitchen Appliance

Yes the humble old Oven - this is/will be my old oven last Sunday after I had finished scrubbing it, I want to open the door just to admire the shine (mmm I know I am weird) - a fitting theme for the week.

We have the keys for the new house and have been there twice now and would you believe I could not get the oven to work - I have finally worked it out but the door does not shut that well :( I am hoping that gets fixed quite quickly as I really love using the oven.

This is me....signing off

Tomorrow I spend the day finalising boxes and dismantling beds, computers etc, the trucks will be here on Tuesday and I will not get connection back for 1 week - I am online more often than not so I will be shutting down with a sign - see you on the other side.

To see who else is playing This is....head on over to three buttons

Miranda's Packing Tips

Pick up anything lying around the room, throw it into a box (make sure there is nothing hanging over the edge), when 1/2 full sticky tape shut.

If only life was so simple.

Music Madness - Bird Style

Some time out in the mayhem of packing - a great free event run by Sydney Olympic Park

On the move

We have found a home

Some serious packing will need to be done - crafting will be put on hold and packed up but with much excitement as it will be unpacked into a nice room and off the dining table.

I have plans for this room to be my new sewing/kids play room with easy access into the yard.

16km's away from our current house means a gradual infiltration into the community.
As we only looked at, applied for this house and got news of acceptance today Bronte will go back after 2 weeks holidays for 2-3 days at her old school (to get all her belongings and say goodbye) and then move to her new school, we will be able to move a few activities next term but for this year a travel in sometimes heavy peak traffic will mean some long days.

We are all excited and a little anxious to be moving in a short 2 -3 weeks time.

Summer Sewing

Pack or Sew?
Sew of course.

Heat exploded through Sydney for the second weekend, sweaty kids needed something cool to wear with a little sun protection - so what better reason than to make a few dresses to run around in.

2 Peasant dresses - 2 different looks.

Apron Peasant Dress

I am thinking the apron bit needs something (embroidery maybe?), and possibly a removable sash to pull it in.

The Cherry Dress

We have this book at home but it was not until I finished making the dress that I found the book after not reading it in quite a while and noticed the resemblance - I just hope my craftsmanship is as good as in the books and it can be passed on for many years to come.

Since making the dresses the temperature has dropped again and dress wearing will have to wait - maybe on the weekend?

Note to my mum - I was able to send on one large bag and a box full of soft/other toys to the charity bin so we have almost de-cluttered the house now - and just think I have a few less metres of unused fabric (these were from my pile)

This Is......what I want to be when I grow up.

I had to think about this for a little while but not too long - I really believe I am living the life I always hoped for.
It was always my dream to be a mum. I can remember way back when I was 5 years old playing in houses where there were little babies and cuddling them and trying to look after them.

I trained as a child care worker then went on to become an Early Childhood worker continuing on with the looking after kids theme- my favourite age to work with would be 6months - 2year olds and spent much of my working life making a profession caring for many little mites - most of whom still touch my heart and it scares me to think some of these would be in their early twenties now.

I must say that I am very much loving my 3 year old and have found her great nature and wonderful personality to be easy to hang with - my 8 year old is a little more challenging and I need to sometimes stop and remember she is still little and in need of guidance and boundaries without negativity (Bronte can be extremely sensitive and this can prove patience pushing).

Sometimes the boundary between motherhood and profession blur and I think I should be more than a mum/carer, I have a desire to be a business woman/fashion designer/craft extraordinaire but mentally that all seems too far away/too hard/not me - I feel like my mind is a blur of a little bit of this and a little bit of that - but when I truly look at everything I love it comes down to anything child focused of quality -My girls really enable me to be immersed in my love - KIDS.

Thanks to bugandpop for choosing this weeks theme a great one to reflect on.

What do you want to be when you grow up - are you/have you fulfilled your dreams?

Rental Nightmare in Sydney

MMMMM If you haven't already read from my previous posts, we are on the hunt for a new home......and boy is the market frightening.

Today I turned up at this house
and there were about 100 families waiting to go through - even with a 40 minute wait on getting the door opened there were still about 50 groups going through and the photo does the property justice, it was not jumping out saying try and take me.....

as I was driving home passing another open house (crossed off my viewing list as it said NO PETS) I thought I would stop in just to satisfy my curiosity) Well it was gorgeous, I want to live there BUT what do we do with our beloved cat Jessie - How could I move my kids, turn their lives upside down with new schools etc. and leave their pet behind.....Anyone looking for a fat Black Cat?

Last on our list was this very large family home with a price at the top of our range I am not sure what to do - It has all the space we could use but it was quite higgilty piggilty a bit of a Harry Potter Home - what I thought was a linen cupboard in the dining area was actually a secret bathroom, complete with bath. The pantry (fitted out similarly to that in a restaurant) next to the kitchen hidden behind a door was a large under stair cupboard and half of the roof was turned into a loft complete with a great tunnel cubby hiddy hole the kids had a ball running through the house finding all the hidden rooms but it truly was not everything we are looking for - But was close enough for Bruce to get to work without having to pass through one set of traffic lights (YES he was very keen on this aspect and it is only around the corner from where he was raised)

included 3 Lock up garages in 2 buildings and a yard at the side of the property which was big enough for another house........ this is the front room which begins it's individuality......

This house has the potential for a great play room for the kids complete with inside cubby and tunnel, I could have my own sewing/computer room, a family art room, a study for Bruce But it is much need of a week long clean and a paint would be nice (only they want an extra $125/week for the painting) so we would forgo the painting.

We have been through others which are too small/short term lease only/ on or about to go on the market for sale/NO PETS/too expensive etc etc.....

Should we take the Harry Potter House in the nice area which is big but but....but? I would love any assistance in making my mind up.

This is.....what I do with a spare 10 minutes.

10 Spare minutes? Yes I can find 10 spare minutes generally once the kids are in bed I find many more minutes to play with - I could use them to clean, unclutter, make lunches but instead I can be found doing one of many things - crafting, blogging or more so reading other more talented bloggers, flicking through a mag, or watch trash TV -yes I am a bit of a sucker for the box....

On Saturday The girls and I had a few spare hours at the most perfect little kiddies beach (Palm Beach Sanctuary Point - 3 hours from home)


Unfortunately over the next few weeks any spare minutes will be taken up with house hunting - Yes the rental market in Sydney is enough to send even the sanest insane - packing, cleaning and uncluttering and wishing I had done more in the wasted spare minutes of life - that is until we are resettled and all those spare minutes lure me away from work.

Thanks to Hoppo Bumpo for suggesting this weeks theme. If you have a spare 10 minutes and would like to read what other's do with their spare 10 minutes head on over to three buttons to see who's playing.