Apr 30, 2011

Weird cat, little sisters and presents!

Ever since Moby was a kitten he has slept in weird places or in odd positions. Lately he has taken a liking to the two pot plants I have outside. Even when it's pouring down rain, he sleeps there. Well, he doesn't get wet but surely it can't be cosy...
hmmm.. sleeepy...

What?

ZZzzzzzz......
So my little sister is staying with us for a few days while she does her Uni Prac. I'm not entirely sure what she is studying, something to do with animals, and farming, and stuff. It's nice to have her here, even if I am only seeing her in the evening. But at the end of it she has left a couple of days free, so we can spend some time together, and go visit our parents. We exchanged birthday presents we wernt able to give before. She gave me a voucher to a candle shop I love, plus some other nice girly smelly stuff. And a cute little retro looking shower cap that made my Hubby laugh when I put it on. I gave her a wheat bag. You know the ones you heat up in the microwave and put on your sore bits? well this one is actually a fluffy pink Bunny! She loves bunnies. Anyway I thought it was cute and quite hilarious that you would have to put the bunny in the microwave a la fatal attraction style... But after reading the instructions which state:
1. DO NOT put bunny in microwave.
Awww.... oh well. :) You just put the wheat bag insert in the microwave. Well the poor thing is suffering from a sore back at the moment so my bunny wheat bag is a much appreciated gift. Plus it is so damned cute :)
After a very busy day driving into the city, I came home to find a parcel for ME sitting at my front door. It was my bumper sticker from Caren . I was so excited because it looked like a lot more than just a bumper sticker. She also included TWO mousie catnip toys for Moby, and a beautiful kitty card for me. Thankyou SO much Caren. And a pressie for you will be on it's way when I finish it :) So I was going to have Moby pose with it but I could not find him anywhere..... Strange..LOL!
Our Goodies from Caren

Apr 27, 2011

AWARDS

Thanks to my friend antares cryptos I have a couple of new awards. Firstly is this one:




Which is so incredibly cute! I dont know if my blog is "Beautiful" but I'd like to think I put in a bit extra now and then. I know I have some blogs in mind when I think Beautiful. Not just because they look pretty. But because they contain that extra something that makes me smile, or laugh, or even cry. People who touch my heart for whatever reason deserve this award. You truly insprie me each time I read your posts. Thankyou for the contribution YOU make to enriching my life. The award goes to....

1. antares cryptos (of course back at ya, please don't feel obliged to do another post though..LOL!)

2. Caren at Caren and Cody @ Cat Chat  ( I am so glad to have met you. Your passion and caring for others and especially animals warms my heart)

3. dbs @ thinkstew (your posts are not usually very long but you certainly pack alot into them. You are thoughtful, and thought provoking. Also you're my fav Canadian Homie)

4. poetesswug ( I love your energetic, packed to the hilt posts. You inspire me to get crafty!)

Now for the other award. It was not my intention to lure a bevy of "followers" to my page. I just wanted to write, connect with people. The rest just sort of happened. I admit, that it is nice to have you comment on a post. Particularly one that means a lot to me. I have had nothing but support from all of you during my ups and downs and for that I thank you. Some of my favourite comments are left by these people who get this award, made by Ant:

These people are:

1. Ruth @ "...let's be splendid about this.." (You always leave me comments, no matter how busy you are)

2. carole reid artist (I love your sense of humour, you always make me laugh)

3. paulsifer (Your comments are thoughtful and kind, just like your blog)

4. Antares cryptos (again yes I know, but I HAD to. Some of our comments go back and forth for DAYS!)

So there you are. All of you who take time to come over for a visit I thank you. All of you who inspire me everyday, I also thankyou.
Do with the awards what you will. But know you deserve it.

P.S. I also got another I Count on You award from Ant. Thankyou so much! I must really make you laugh. Hope it's not at my abismal spelling..lol...


Just wanted to show you another Zentangle I did called EASTER...


 

Apr 24, 2011

Moby edited.

I love to play around with photos that I've taken. Here are some of my favourite subject... MOBY!
This one was the inspiration for my "Paws" poem in the last post..

Before..

After..

Before..

After..(I'm thinking of painting this)

And now a wren..
Before..

After..

Apr 23, 2011

Zentangle

Happy Easter to you! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend with loved ones. For those of you who have been through a rough time lately know that my thoughts and love go to you and your families :)

Paws

Pink velvety paws,
Do their sleepy flex
White whiskers twitch
While an ever growing rumble,
Stirs from somewhere within

SW 23/4/2011

So recently I have discovered the wonderful art of Zentangle. Never heard of it? Chances are you do it already. Ever find you draw pictures absentmindedly while talking on the phone, or while in a meeting. Heard of Doodling? yes? Well Zentangle is basically doodling, but zenning it up a bit. Zentangle is making a picture using repeated patterns. You can find patterns anywhere, in every day objects, nature etc.. 
In zentangle there are a few rules. But they are GOOD rules.
1. There are NO erasers! There are no mistakes in zentangle. If you do something you didn't want to do, make something out of it. (Isn't that liberating?)
2. Use a good quality pen and paper. After all this is going to be your ART. Don't forget to include your signature or initials somewhere in the pic. 
3. You can zentangle any time, any place. Your subject can be anything you want. You can make it as structured or as abstract as you want. Anything goes!
I have done three zentangle drawings now and I am totally hooked! I find it extreemly relaxing and calming. It even helps me to focus on a task. When I first saw some pictures made by some zentangle artists I thought I wouldnt be able to produce anything as good as theirs. But after thinking about it, and reading about the no erasers bit, I thought I'd give it a go. It really is only limited by your own imagination.
I even had my son giving it a try. He has aspergers and is very critical of his artistic abilities and he made a lovely little zentangle picture.
Most are done with a black pen on white paper. You can add some colour and shading if you want, it's totally up to you. I have done a couple on black paper using silver and gold pens to.
Give it a try some time, and let me know how you went, I'd love to hear about, or even see them!
My creations...
"INDIA"


And "Yes I can!" (this was my very first one)

Goodbye Choco Ball...

I am very sad to report that sweet little Choco Ball has passed away. She was a very much loved pet who was watched by many youtube viewers. Please follow the link and leave some words for her owners.

Apr 22, 2011

Please send well wishes..

Just a quickie. Too important to not post this right now..
Happy Earth Day to you all.
I have just learned that one of sweetfurr's beautiful little fur baby's,  Choco Ball, is dangerously ill. If you can, please follow the link and leave them your well wishes. 
Thankyou.

Apr 19, 2011

My "Budget" Wedding

From the very beginning, Hubby and I decided we didn’t want a big expensive wedding.  For one, it just wasn’t in our budget, and it just wasn’t “us”. We had the marriage celebrant picked out so we could have the Wedding where ever we wanted to really. We looked around at a few places and decided on the little non-denominational church set in the cute heritage village near our house. The lovely old buildings would be a perfect backdrop for our wedding photos, and the hire of the church was very cheap.  We got a good price for the photographer and the boys suits were beautiful black wool suits that the shop assistant gave us at a remarkable price. But, the BEST thing... my wedding dress cost only $200. I bought it off a mark down rack and it was perfect. Nothing big and Poofy, just nice and simple. It was actually only the third dress I tried on. LOL! My sister was stunned. Apparently she spent months looking for her dress. (Very scary 80’s dress)  The car that drove me to the wedding was free cause it was my Daddy’s nice white Ford Falcon. The Girls dresses I got were only $80. And they are the kind that they can wear again. No I mean REALLY. They were lovely. Black with crème. I made them fascinators for their hair. I also made my bouquet and the girls' as well. I used these gorgeous fake roses that looked real. My son was the ring bearer and I bought his spunky little suit off eBay. He looked so handsome. My little niece was the bridesmaid and she already had a pretty little white dress. I made her a white basket to scatter the fake rose petals, and a ribbon beret for her hair, that matched the ribbon roses on the top of my veil (Which I also made myself). Hubby’s sister played Pachebel Cannon in D on her violin, when we walked into the church. Hubby cried... (LOL)
The reception was another matter. After researching the hiring of a hall and caterers, we decided to do it ourselves. At first it sounds crazy but we had the perfect house and back yard to have it in. Our house was a low set brick with a back patio running down the entire length. The yard was nice and the whole thing overlooked a river and country side beyond that. None of the neighbours houses or yards overlooked our back yard. So it was the perfect choice.
A friend of ours, who is the CEO of an organization we are clients of, gave us for free the use of the chairs, tables, white table cloths, cutlery, crockery, glasses, urns, BBq’s and two gazebos. I set up the tables down the length of the patio. The tables had the white cloths with red runners (that I had made) running down the middle. I made a candle centrepiece for each table in clear glass bowls. The two gazebos were set up side by side and strung with fairy lights. Under these we had tables set up with two huge Baine maries. One with hot food, the other with the cold.


Hubby loves to cook, and entertain. So he made all the food. We had a lady looking after it on the day for us. Hot food consisted of roast chicken and roast vegies, veggie bake, fried rice, and steak and sausages. Cold food was a couple of different salads, and lots of fruit. Drinks were BYO, but we did provide wine for toasts, and an esky full of canned soft drinks (sodas). Plus tea and coffee. Desert was the wedding cake. I made that to. It was a two layered square chocolate mud cake. With royal icing and red sugar roses (which I also made).
Only two dramatic things happened that day:
1. I was LATE. I am NEVER late. It's was the girls fault, and a popped button on the flower girls dress.
2. Meanwhile, back at the house, a snake apparently wanted to make a deposit into the wishing well, but was politely moved on.
All in all it was a perfect day.  One we wouldn’t have done any differently. One also that all of our married friends said they wished they had done the same. Sure it was a bit of extra work, and we were too buggered at the end of the night to do anything frisky, but we had the wedding WE wanted and it didn’t cost us more than $3000.
 Seriously.

Apr 14, 2011

COUGH!

As you can see I am still sick. I finally dragged myself to the Doctor and found out my nasty cold has turned into Broncitus. So I have a cold and Broncitus. Lovely :( I am starting to feel better slowly. Have had an attack of the gross snots today. After seeing the doctor again today I went to my favourite fabric store to pick up some stuff for my next bag project and basically snotted my way around the whole store. So. Gross.

Still, even though I am sick and tired and snotty I have still been busy. Running Hubby round the place and home schooling my son, and still looking after the house. I do get to have a rest sometimes, but it just dosent seem enough. I hate being the Mummy sometimes. Oh and no matter how sick I am, Hubby is always worse. In his eyes that is. I think I'd have to have a limb lopped off before he would acknowledge I am in worse pain than he is. And heaven forbid he should get a cold. It's the end of the world! Men. Such babies....

The front yard looks like a wild African savannah grasslands. I REALLY want to mow it, but would probably collapse in an ugly snotty heap if I tried to at the moment. I hate being sick and NOTHING gets done. I think it's more stressful than being sick. GGRR!!

Before


NOW

Calm down sprite....

Apr 10, 2011

Mermaid - Visual Poetry

OK so I WAS going to publish this poem with the picure I found for it, but NO.... Stupid side bar got in the way and then when I redused it, I couldnt read it. Even on my 21" wide screen..LOL! So here is the normal copy, and the visual is on my NEW POETRY TAB up the top.
Look up, see it?
All my poems will be stored there as well from now on. I will make some more pages soon. For craft projects and Photos.
This is not really a poem so to speak. More just some descriptive writing that popped into my head last night. I liked it. Hope you do to.


Mermaid

While dappled sunlight streams through the aqueous blue
The cold briny water captures her form.
She feels the blood in her veins cool and quicken.
Every muscle stretching, rippling through her shimmering body,
As she leaves the warmth and light from above
To travel down towards the darkening deep.
She is home.
SW9/4/11

Apr 9, 2011

Dark Hallways - visual poetry.

First up, I wrote this years ago when I was in a not so good place emotionally. I am NOT feeling this depressed now. (Well maybe a little, but thats hormonal) Just thought I'd try putting a nice visual stimulation to my poetry. Let me know if it works. This is the first one.



So I have not been around much the past few weeks. I have been struggling with illness and just being busy and trying to get better. Apart from a bit of a sniffle and sore throat I am feeling a lot better. The sudden change in the weather really knocked me for six.
One week till school holidays. We are thinking of taking a small trip away somewhere. Not sure where yet, and Hubby is still broken, so it wont be huge. Just a nice little get away.
I have been busily crafting away and have a number of projects not finished. A material yoyo bag, two paintings, a hat, a crochet baby rug and three bears! I really need to stop starting a new project until the first one is finished. But I get bored easily, especially if I am in the mood I'm in right now, where nothing seems to thrill me. I have this solitary detached ambivalence going on right now that I know I will come out of. It usually lasts about a week and a half.
In the meantime I will stay here at my leisure.

Apr 7, 2011

This is MY Springy Toy!

While Hubby was at the hospital fracture clinic, my son and I went to the shopping centre to kill some time while we were waiting for him. We spent a lot of time in the pet shop. They had a few kittens that we just couldn't drag ourselves away from. Two little ginger tabbies that had one of those large plastic balls with the holes in it. Two tiny kittens, one normal tabby and the other black (who I nicknamed "Shredder") that had a llittle scratching post with a platform on top. The little tabby couldn't quite climb onto it. In the next enclosure where two beautiful Ragdoll kittens. All blue-eyed and white toes. So pretty. I was amused by one who had "Claimed" an odd looking springy mouse toy that he wasn't giving up for anyone else. At first I thought he was stuck in it, but looking closer I realised he was quite content. So much so that he was in fact, fast asleep. Until I took a picture of him..lol.

Sorry for the poor quality. I took it on my phone, in poor lighting, through glass.


Here is another pic I took of a kitty in a Ball

Apr 3, 2011

Being a Wild Life Carer.

Some years ago when I still lived with my parents, my Mum and I decided we wanted to do something good. We decided that we would become Wild Life Carers. So we found a group, went to the meetings, and did the training, and got our first assignment. Which was a bird. A butt ugly baby bird. We had no idea what this thing was going to look like when it got older but geez it wasn’t going to win any beauty awards. Sorry but I can’t remember what it was. Some sort of pheasant looking thing.
It sure would have won an eating contest though. The little bugger wanted to eat everything in sight. We had this special baby bird mash that we had to make up and feed it through an eye dropper. I think it was ground up insects or something but it didn’t smell all that appetising to me.  So we fed it, and it grew, and grew, and eventually we passed it on to the carer who would get it back into the wild.
So now that we could show we were good carers we finally got a furry baby! A wallaby Joey.

This is not a pic of Hoppy but it's what she looked like.
She came to us quite small and mainly spent her days and nights curled up warm and snug in the special bag we made for her. All wildlife carers who look after kangaroos and wallabies had these bags. Basically like a hanging nappy bag filled with warm blankets and sometimes a hot water bottle, with a small slit that the youngling could hop in and out of it without any trouble. It could hang over a door handle so you could take it to whatever room of the house you were in. This wallaby was a little female who had lost her mother, and she was the cutest little thing. We named her Hoppy. We had to feed her every three hours with the special milk we had for wallabies.
Eventually Hoppy grew big enough to come out of her bag and she would follow us around the house. Sometimes she would be quite naughty and then scoot off back into her bag before you could catch her. She would use her tiny sharp claws on our legs if she wanted to be noticed or picked up.  She was particularly fond of my Dads hairy legs! When she was old enough we would take her into the back yard for exercise. She would race around the back yard, jumping close to the bushes she knew the cats were hiding in, to scare them out. She was quite playful. When play time was up, to get her back upstairs, I used to wear this long flowing dress and I would bunch it up in front and call to her and she would race over and hop in.
One time we even babysat another little wallaby. His name was Rodney. We only had him for a week though while his main carer was away. Rodney and Hoppy got on well, but Hoppy, being younger, was at times a bit boisterous for the placid Rodney.
Eventually Hoppy grew big enough to be passed onto the next carer, to continue her rehabilitation back into the wild.
It was very sad to see her go but we felt so good that we provided a dear little animal the chance at life. If you ever have the opportunity to be a carer, be it for wild life or domestic animals, I highly recommend it.