APC Day 8-12

"Technology"

"A faceless self portrait"

"Something I made"

"Something fun"

Ok I admit it, I'm addicted to Pinterest! It's just so hard to say no!!

"Close Up"

APC Day 4

Favourite Colour

Deep Red

APC Day 2 & 3

"Something you wore"

"Clouds"

Do you forgive me? I'm a little late but in my defense, I've had a vomity kid to care for :( He's on the mend now though. See you tomorrow night for day four!

August Photo Challenge

I've been spending a bit of time on Pinterest lately. Well ok I'll admit it's more than just a bit, I am a pin addict. I love to pin and repin the awesome things I find. I love seeing what other people are inspired by. Pinterest is a bit voyeuristic like that, in a good way not in a weird, peeping through your windows kind of way...... Anyway, my point, (I do have one) is that Pinterest is awesome, if you haven't already you should sign up immediately.

Actually that wasn't the point of this post. I get distracted easily and go off on a tangent but I eventually do get back on track. Yesterday I came across this on Pinterest.

The challenge is being hosted by Sherry and Jennifer. I'm in! Hopefully it will force me to be a bit more creative with my shots. I'm finding my Project 365 a bit mundane of late. I am still determined to complete it, but next year I think I'll do something a little different. But for August I'm throwing myself into this little challenge and thought I'd share it over here instead of one my photo blog.

So here goes nothing. I know I'm a little late, didn't get to upload last night but I'm sure you'll forgive me.

I'll be back later today with day 2. Exciting!

This Saturday I'm grateful for.....

1. Finally feeling better again. Now I can get back to taking photos, cooking, blogging and all the other things I've missed over the last two weeks.
2. Electric Blankets. It got down to 2 here the other night! Suffice to say we are all very grateful for the electric blankets we invested in last year, was definitely a smart purchase.
3. Sleep. The Dude stayed in his own bed two nights in a row this week. For a 3 and a half year old kid who's only slept through the night twice in his life, this was a big deal for us.

For more grateful bloggers head over to Maxabella Loves.

This Saturday I'm grateful for.....

After the week I've had I definitely needed to take some time to reflect and remind myself to be grateful for what I do have.

1. A good GP and antibiotics. Without these my poor little B-boy would be so so sick still.
2. A small lotto win. A sure fire way to put a little smile on your face.
3. An empathetic mum. I don't know what I'd do without her in my world. I hope I can someday repay all that she's done for me.

What are you grateful for this weekend? Play along over at Maxabella Loves.

Wordless Wednesday

Yes I'm finally back in the swing of things, check out my photo blog for the 365 catch up.

This Saturday I'm grateful for.....

My SIL, because she drives the 3 hour round trip to see us so that her son and my boys get a chance to spend more time together. They are the three youngest of the grand children and it's important they get to build a relationship through their childhood just like their older cousins have over the past 18-25 years.

My MIL & FIL, because they have kindly looked after The Dude for the last two Mondays while I ease into my new role as canteen co-ordinator at The Boy's school. He's had a wonderful time with them and it's clear they love having him over. I can already see their bond strengthening. It's lovely to watch.

School Mum friends, because they have been very encouraging over the last two weeks as I get the school canteen up and running. They've lent much support and even an ear to vent my frustrations. They get it :)

What's got you smiling this week? What are you grateful for? Join in over at Maxabella Loves.

This Saturday I'm grateful for.....

1. Not having an open house this weekend. Last weekend was a dismal failure with the rain keeping everyone away :( So I'm grateful that I don't have to rush around keeping the boys from messing up the place.

2. Mr Mess working this weekend. That probably is mean because I know he'd rather be at home with us but the weekends he works gives me some extra down time to catch up on all my favourite blogs, get up to date with my own blogs and just generally potter about. The boys seem to like not having to go anywhere too, work weekends are a vege weekend here in the Mess house :)

3. Home baked goodies. Kenny's been hard at work again. Together we whipped up a batch of my MIL's 123 biscuits as well as a batch of these delicious cinnamon scrolls.

They were so yummy!

Come and tell us what you're grateful for this Saturday. Join in at Maxabella Loves.

This Saturday I'm grateful for.....

Mr Mess

It's been a hectic week this week. The last thing I needed was an open home to prepare this weekend, but alas that's what was on the agenda. My dear thoughtful husband Mr Mess took yesterday afternoon off to help me contain the children and clean the house top to bottom. I love him so.

Join in at Maxabella Loves and tell us what you're grateful for this Saturday.

An afternoon with The Dude

Happy Monday friends!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend.

We've been busy getting ready for the first day of school tomorrow, so the weekend was pretty boring. Though The Dude, and I managed to spend a couple of hours playing together on Saturday afternoon.

We started out doing this....

Then I got seriously light headed from blowing bubbles so I put them away. The Dude's reaction was this......

His reaction to taking the above photo was this........

Then we had a cuddle and he noticed this........

When I explained it was a grass stain, he said "Why do the grass colour in my shorts for?" *Melt*

Then Daddy delivered him his big brother's remote control car and off he went.

I'm linking up with Scissors Paper Rock and Fat Mum Slim. Come and join in :)

This Saturday I'm grateful for.....

It's Saturday already! Where on earth did the last week go? The days have started to flash by again, before I know it another year will have gone by. Why is it the older you get the faster the years go by?

Anyway it's time to link up with Maxabella Loves and a bunch of grateful bloggers.

So this week I'm grateful for many things.

1. Blog Comments

Everytime I receive a new comment, I smile. To be honest getting comments on my blogs (yes that's plural, have you seen my photo blog?*) absolutely makes my day....That someone cares enough to read and leave a comment is just....well...I'm grateful that they took the time :)

2. Bloggers who post freebies

Who doesn't love a freebie? Whether it's a free download or a tutorial, bloggers are smart people and have much to share. These are some of the fab freebies I've found this week.

• Plans for a cool bed head and a super easy daybed from Ana White.
• A quick and easy solution for our unsightly ensemble bed base from Heather Mulder Peterson. 
• Centsational Girl, what can I say, the plethora of DIY tutorials Kate has is ahhhmazzzzing
• A fabulous tutorial on adding textures to photos by Rita @ The CoffeeShop Blog. Check out my first go....

If you are into photography or want to learn more about how to edit your photos, Rita's blog is an amazing resource overflowing with tutorials and freebies.

3. Great content blogs.

You know the blogs who always have something great to read? All of the blogs that I read religiously are have great content (all 25 that I check on a DAILY basis, addicted much?), but these are my top five favourites this week.

• The Pioneer Woman
• I Heart Faces
• Maxabella 
• The Truth About Mummy
• Flower Photography

4. Bloggers who say NO.

Not just any blogger who says no, bloggers who say no to word verification! I'm not sure if it's a new trend or what but man those little word verification things are annoying. I love participating in photo challenges and blog hops and always do my best to visit all the participants, but those little boxes are the bain of my blogging existence. So I'm grateful for the bloggers who make it a little easier and quicker for me to leave a comment :D

(Edited to add, after receiving an email stating that laziness in the reason I don't like WV, I just wanted to clarify, I still visit and comment on blogs that have WV, I just find the ones without a little more user friendly. There is more than one way to moderate spam comments on a blogger blog, the non WV ones require a few more minutes of the owner but less of the readers. I'm not picking on, or blog bashing or ANYTHING like that. Just wanted to clarify.)

5. The end of school holidays.

Three more sleeps, enough said. lol

*Pardon the gratuitous self promotion ;)

Frolicking Fun

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Come and play Week-a-Boo with Claire at Scissors Paper Rock.

We had a great weekend filled with family and fun.

Saturday was a funny day. It was scorching in the morning, great weather to tackle Mount Washmore. Hubby was finishing some odd jobs about the place and the kids were happily playing. By lunch time it had grown dark and really windy so we hastily packed everything up, ripped the washing off the line and dashed inside as the rain started. The kids settled in to watch their latest favourite movie, Cloudy with a chance of meaballs. Great movie actually. Look how engrossed they are.

By late Saturday arvo, the rain had cleared and when my step son and his family arrived, there was an impromptu basketball game to be played.

The Boy met his match, totally underestimating his big brother.

The Dude slam dunked, with a little help from Daddy.

My husband's grandchildren are the same age as The Dude, Miss A is 6 months older and Mr K is 7 months younger, so they always have a great time when they get together. We tried to take them all to the beach after tea, but not 10 mins after arriving, the rain started :(

Sunday saw the end of Mt Washmore and the yard work all done and dusted. My amazing husband pulled out all the horrible lillies that had started to infiltrate the garden beds again. We decided we're going to try and propagate the aggies in the autumn and see if we can get enough to adorn the front garden with them.

Sunday night after tea, we took the boys down to the beach to frollick in the sunshine, perfect way to end the week.

Hope you have a great week!!

This Saturday I'm grateful for..

Old Friends

The Great Garage Clean Out of 2011 has proven a very fruitful exercise. Another great rediscovery, my much loved copy of my favourite book, Jessica by Bryce Courtenay. The first night I read two chapters. The next night, I was half way through. By the third night, I was so engrossed that I finished the book. When I rested it and my glasses back onto the night stand the clock read 2:57am. I love staying up late reminiscing with old friends. 

Kenny

This is Kenny, my therapist. I have a few different therapists but none as productive as Kenny. No matter what I throw at him, he takes it all in and comes up with the perfect solution to any problem....

Chocolate Brownies

Kenny out did himself don't you think? Double chocolate brownies. Deliciously fudgey on the inside with an ever so fine crust on top. Chocolate really is one of the worlds greatest discoveries, one I am surely greatful for.

What are you grateful for this Saturday? Join in over at Maxabella Loves.

Exploration and Wonder

Happy Monday!

I'm a little late this week, but I hope you enjoy the photos and run down of my weekend :)

As I said in a previous, we've been sorting through the boxes of crap stuff in the garage this week. It's still not finished, but that's because we've started procrastinating. Anyhow, I got pleasantly distracted on Friday afternoon. I heard this humming sound. First I thought it might have been a small plane, nope too soft. The I thought it was probably one of those enormous Tassie blow flies, but those buggers buzz for a few seconds then land then take off and buzz again, this was a constant hum. I was stumped and ventured inside for a drink. As I walked past the Aggies it got louder, when I looked up I couldn't believe what I saw.....Bumble Bees! Not you average honey bees, but big furry bumble bees! When I looked closer there were about 5 or 6 of them and a few honey bees as well. I couldn't resist, I bolted inside for my camera.

Aren't they beautiful? The are absolutely huge, 3 or 4 times the size of the honey bees and so dark and furry. They were easy to photograph too because they hover. The little honey bees darted quickly from stamen to stamen but the bumble bees took their time and hovered about the stamens on one plant before landing and crawling inside the flowers on another. They were mesmerizing to watch.

On Sunday afternoon, after a bit of thrift shopping which landed us two near new screen doors for $30 (!) we decided we'd do a little exploring and took off for an afternoon drive. We stopped in a little town called Railton to enjoy the views of Mt Roland.

There's a little tourist area where you can stop and take photos of the views, we stopped in an met some of the locals ;)

After Railton we continued on to Sheffield which is a small town that has come to be known as the town of murals. Gorgeous painted murals cover a lot of the town's buildings, they are just beautiful. I'm going to do another post later this week with some more of the murals, I hope you'll come back and check it out.

On our way home we went through Spreyton and I could not get over all the apple trees. Now I know Tassie is renowned apples but these orchards lined the side of the road with no fences or anything. The only other orchards I've seen along the highway to Launie and aren't what you call accessible. So I could resist jumping out of the car one last time and snapping a few pics of these gorgeous royal gala apples.

So that's our weekend wrap up. I hope you had a great weekend too!

Today I'm linking up with Scissors Paper Rock and Fat Mum Slim

5 sleeps to go!

This weekend seems to have been the calm before the storm. Hubby has worked this weekend and it’s been pouring with rain on and off so the boys and I had a very quiet end to the week indeed.

Brock came down with Chicken Pox on the 9th . Thankfully he only had a mild case and was able to for the last day this past Wednesday. He had a great day, he handed out Christmas cards and candy canes to all his class mates. He proudly presented his teacher with a package of homemade rocky road that he helped make. Jack also got in on the action and gave Miss G a bottle of champers to say thanks for putting up with him this year lol. Brock said they played lots of games, had a party at lunch time and even got a present each from the teacher at the end of the day. He came home with all his Christmas artwork as well as a package of shortbread and a Christmas bon bon that they decorated and Miss G filled with goodies. Neither the shortbread nor the bon bon made it home :)

I got my first Etsy sale this weekend. Little Cherry Tree is up and running. I’m having a little giveaway to celebrate my first Etsy sale, so head over there to enter.

With 5 sleeps to go until Christmas, I would have to be the most disorganised mumma this festive season. I haven’t done a spot of gift shopping yet! Tomorrow is the day, Hubby has the day off so we’re going to tackle it together. I’ve got some mini stockings to finish off today before the kids and I get started on our baking and our shopping list for tomorrow.

One more thing before I go, check out the awesome Christmas lights display across the road from us!

It's two houses side by side. They do an awesome job every year and despite the lights being vandalised 3 times in the last month the owners still keep doing it for the local kids. It's a bit hard to see the lights before 9pm here because of the late sunsets, but the lights stay on till 11:30pm and there has been car lods of people coming by to see the magical sight that it is.

Hope you had a great weekend! Enjoy the lead up to Christmas!

Today I’m playing along with Claire @ Scissors Paper Rock and Chantelle @ Fat Mum Slim.

Wordless Wednesday : Two-gether

Playing along with Sarah @ Faith, hope & a whole lotta love.

See more shots from my most recent trip to the beach over at my photo blog, Happy Snaps.

Wordless Wednesday : Imagination

Playing along with Sarah over at Faith, hope & a whole lottta love.

A busy weekend

Well it's been a busy weekend at Casa De Play. I've been hard at work on something that I'll tell you all about later today (intrigued?), as well as keeping the little tikes entertained while Hubby worked all weekend.

Saturday was disgustinly hot all day. There wasn't a breath of wind and it was the type of day that you just don't want to do anything but try to keep cool. Hubby came home with the perfect solution, fish and chips at the beach. We stopped at a takeaway shop near the beach and managed to get a enormous piece of fish that fed the four of us and some chips for less than $10, still can't believe what a bargin it was.

So we sat on the beach and ate our fish and chips. The kids shoo'd the seagulls away everytime they got too close, which they thought was hilariously funny lol. It was a beautiful night, there was only a slight breeze and the tide was out so we had a lovely walk along the beach and admired the stunning colours in the sky. It was a perfect end to the day, one which I hope we'll repeat a lot over the coming summer holidays.

Saturday | The Beach | About 8:30pm

How was your weekend? Come and join in and play Week-A-Boo and Point & Shoot too.