I say "I'm going to eat only healthy food and do yoga everyday" Bound to fail.
I say "I'm going do blah-di-blah that is proper going to make my life perfect! Happy New Year!"
Bound to FAIL.
Resolutions are harsh and backward-looking, kind of like a passive-aggressive aquaintance who tells you your hair looks so much better now than it did when you were blonde...
I prefer goals and plans, and I have a tonne of them. Just thinking about them excites me.When the time is right, I'll probably share a lot of them here.
And for now, as always, I just want flowers in my hair!
Step 2 - Make a big ass piñata, with many debates on geometry, physics and lolly choices.
Step 3 - Cover the piñata in a bunch of shiny stuff. Oh, and bake a truckload of delicious Mexican food like chimichangas, taco salads, chilli salads and cheesy corn bakes, and make a vat of pineapple infused tequila for daquiris.
Step 4 - Gather the fam (kids first, of course) and smack the everloving crap outta that bad boy. Hit him with a big stick, and don't stop until he gives up the goods!
Step 5 - Pool. Lazing. Veuve Clicquot. C.W. Stoneking. Aah.
Step 6 - Catch a Summer cold. Don't actually do this part, it's NOT recommended at all. The sniffling, and the coughing, not so good. But we were joking about this song today, so here it is.
Merry belated Chritmas to you and yours. Can you believe it's almost 2013?
Reeling - just a little. Just quietly, on the the inside.
Having just devoured The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami, I'm detached from reality and adrift in a strange place. It's a place I only ever visit when I finish a very good book. I wouldn't say it's awful, but neither is it entirely pleasant. It's vague and lonely, and the phrases and impressions that struck chords sink in and seem to change my DNA.
I don't like the term 'head space', but I'm in a weird one. Do you ever feel this way? As though the book breathes through you even after the words are done?
Ernest Hemingway said 'There is no friend as loyal as a book', and as an inveterate book hound I'd agree, but with this caveat: This book-friend, this loyal pal, may also take your open heart and squash it like a ripe fruit.
Paper cut garland from Nippykat on Etsy. Pretty, no?
It's December. Today, we make the decorations.
We have what is possibly the most rustic, yet well-intentioned advent 'calendar' EVER. (Made mostly by me) and some beautiful paper chains from the kids. The tree is yet to go up, because it is so hot that any movement that doesn't involve a cold beverage and my mouth makes me want to scream. My eyelashes are sweating, and it's only the second day of Summer.*
(And to get a little personal, I have the red devil in my belly**, so you'd better not even look at me without telling me I'm the empress of the universe or putting chocolates in my mouth or my eyeswill shoot you with laserbeams made of bees and female rage. Just saying.)
A close-up of the advent calendar I made. It has lollies in it, so it's OK
*It's 31° in the shade.
**This genius bit of phrasing isn't mine, I stole it from New Girl. If you have a problem with that write it down and put it in your mum's tights.
Oh boy, this dress is cute. Found at Summerland, a place that sounds really pleasant and always seems to have awesome vintage stuff that I want. And how cute is the model? Killer.
I just have to say how great issue 50 of Frankie is. From the incredibly tactile front cover (yes, I've done it an injustice here) which makes me think more than ever that I really need more embroidery in my life*, to the jam-packedness of the thing. Just heaps of rad stuff, recipes, interviews and those delicious essays on random subjects that always seem to mirror something that's happening in my life. (Cheers Marieke Hardy, like, all the time.) Oh, and more beautiful artwork from Mel Stringer, who I met in person a little while ago at a BrisStyle twilight market (and discovered she's so freaking nice!)
In light of the last couple of weeks, no, months, I present to you 'Anything, anything (I'll give you)' by Dramarama. Cinéma Vérité was a cassette (yep, I'm that old) that got such a work-out in my teenage years that it ended up all stretched out and wobbly sounding.
It's been a dramarama around here just today! I locked up my brakes on the rainy drive to work, and that seemed to spark a series of little dramas at work... all entertaining, and at least nobody got hurt. :)
*I learned to stop worrying and love my dorkiness. Why fight it? Amiright?
An unexpected gift from my mother-in-law... beautiful old things!!!
I'm in diamante heaven, pretty pleased to be caretaker of an incredible collection of mid-century jewellery. They definitely deserve to be photographed and catalogued, and I'm wondering where I'd look to learn more about them...
So I stumbled across this essay, Outsider-Insider by Jenny Zhang, posted on Rookie, and immediately fell in love. Jenny writes lonely teenage weirdo from a really familiar place, and manages to make it both bitingly nostalgic and deliciously vindicating.
And finally, this. Just watch it, dammit. I hollered until I cried when I first saw this clip... finally someone is as passionate (and dorky) about op-shopping as meeeeeeee! What what?
Fans of 'Archer' will know what this is all about. If you don't, I'm sorry. (I'm not sorry)
And there's some other stuff coming up which might be really exciting but I can't share it yet!!! Can you tell that I'm excited? Or it could just be that I dyed my hair and the chemicals are affecting my brain... Nope, I'm excited.
By the way, when the box says 'light auburn' you don't think 'bright red', do you?
Adoring - the snapdragons on my verandah. I like the way they're so delicate and pretty, yet they have such a violent name.
Losing - my shit when Madonna comes in to the cafe and lets me say hi to her sweet little wards. This guy is apparently very naughty. I don't believe it for one second.
Sewing - A giant loveheart pillow for my beautiful friend Tina. Getting the shape right is not as easy as I thought it would be. I had to pull the stuffing out and start again!!!
Exhibit A
Sighing - Well, my sister Kirsty is in San Francisco, and she's having the best time. I wish so freakin' much I could be there too. She's a sterling travel partner. So, to be totally predictable, here's Scott McKenzie with the original "San Francisco (Be sure to wear flowers in your hair)"
Gorgeous ceramics! (This was $1 - why would you ever chuck this?)
So, second week of the school holidays and I'm still officially sane. We laid a heavy ban on TV and it seemed that behaviour had improved... cue return of TV, cue return of infantis horribilis.
Planting - in the veggie garden, hooray. Stay tuned for riveting details of my snowpeas, tomatoes and various herbage. Gardening just makes me feel so chilled. This enormous dandelion is not from my garden, I picked this on a little stop-over in Goomeri, Queensland. Right next to Cheeseworld. That's right. Cheeseworld.
(The real kick in the face is that, although the cheese selection was rather worldly, I did not buy a skerrick of cheese. Not a morsel. Not a crumb. Both the kids did the carsick thing, and I thought proximity to stinky cheese might make it even worse.)
Farewelling - Ok, is that even a word. Meh, I don't know. We said goodbye to GG, my grand-mother, after a long and exhausting illness. The service had a large turnout, with family coming from far and wide, and I couldn't help but think it was exactly the kind of get-together that GG and Papa really enjoyed. The weather in Yeppoon was too perfect, the visiting too brief and the occasion too sad.
Which is why I feel compelled now to share this:
If you aren't sure why this is funny, then you probably never snuck a peek at a People magazine. This one is for all the dirty-minded folk. I know you're out there, sniggering into your moustaches.
Melting - Maybe I've shared this gem before, but it bears a second hearing, I'm sure. First heard at the very end of Heathers (all-time favourite eighties/high-school/black humour movie of all time, with a wickedly delicious Christian Slater and Winona Ryder when she was pure as the driven snow...)
So turn up the speakers, maybe close your eyes for a couple of minutes and drift away in quiet, soulful contemplation to the gorgeous 'Que Sera Sera' by Sly and The Family Stone.
You are welcome.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Soooo Blogger is being a shit tonight. Whatever. So am I. I wanted to share these little ones HERE and also mention my little sisters latest blog post which made me have a little cry.
Also I cried when I read this very eloquent and heart-breaking post from Her Library Adventures. I've followed for a while with great admiration and my heart goes out to Sophie and Ben.
I guess I'll be back when I have the patience to figure out Blogger.
Boy howdy, it's been a long and trying week. The husband is still out of commission.
That's a whole week! Since we work together, and he's been unable to do anything for himself, neither of us have been working. Of course, we work with some of the best peeps on the planet and they've covered our sorry arses, but this whole scene is getting really old.
But, ya know, after 3 very long days (and nights) of caring for a husband in intense pain after screwing up his back, I'm hardly compos mentis. In fact, I'm starting to think I've got grounds for justifiable homicide.
In other news, I put some new earrings in the shop, started some goal-making and ate pretty much everything in the house. And when that food was gone I baked some more. Awesome.
Kinda loving - This chevron scarf found in RetroModernHats. I just need to come up with a sure-fire plan to win some lottery, turn pig-iron into gold, manifest my wish for a little extra moolah. You know what I mean.
Blowing - dandelions, yo! I tried to make a silly video for a friend, but the damn thing wouldn't detatch! It's not quite as whimsical and cute when you're huffing and puffing. Anyway. Dandelions are awesome. I say, grow where you like.
Patting - Myself on the back for digging up 'Cak!' by Alexei Sayle on vinyl, for $1 at a garage sale. I know old Alexei best from The Young Ones, and he's just a little bit terrifying, if you ask me.
Sailing away over a year and a day... Not me, not this time, but happily I've finished the Max suit for Hayley's birthday, and I think she likes it... Let the wild rumpus begin!
Practising - On my little ukulele. I'm not... a natural. Let's gently put it that way. But I find a strange calm in just making sweet little noises, putting chords together, and finally - ahem - 'perfecting' 'Happy Birthday' to play for my little monkeys' birthdays this year.
And I never realised how passionate folk can be about the little old uke! I was a little reticient to mention it at work, since music is the sword alot of my mates live and die by. But I shouldn't have worried - there's just encouragement all the way.
One friend even said that his parents were members of a weekly ukulele group. Awesome.
Drinking - Whiskey Gingers, or Gingey Whiskers, as I keep calling them! I saw a recipe for these warming drinks on A Beautiful Mess a little while ago, and yesterday, when I saw a great big hunk of sexy fresh ginger at a roadside stall, I snapped it up.
Yes, there was a grater injury. Not mine. But I do feel somehow responsible.
I've added about 10mL of Cointreau to the original Whiskey Ginger recipe, just for funsies. Anyway, I'd recommend this ginger syrup recipe, because it's versatile, and fiery, and delicious. The syrup is delicious as a cordial with soda water and shredded mint leaves and a smidgeon of lime. I suspect macadamia icecream with ginger syrup would be incredible, and wonder if I could incorporate it into meals as well.
Or, I'll just keep mixing up these delicious Gingey Whiskers!!!
WE ARE THE MIRACLE OF FORCE AND MATTER MAKING ITSELF OVER INTO IMAGINATION AND WILL. INCREDIBLE. THE LIFE FORCE EXPERIMENTING WITH FORMS. YOU FOR ONE. ME FOR ANOTHER. THE UNIVERSE HAS SHOUTED ITSELF ALIVE. WE ARE ONE OF THE SHOUTS. - Ray Bradbury
So I'm putting my books in a stack and wondering when I'll stop feeling so sad about the passing of Ray Bradbury. I never met the man, although to all accounts he was a very classy fellow, but I guess I feel as though I knew him.
He was the first author who spoke directly to me. Never had I read such eloquent and captivating phrasing, and never had I felt so deep a connection to the way a writer thought. To me, Ray Bradbury described the secret melancholy and ethereal magic of childhood: he brought the crackle and burn of wild things I'd never know, and put them into my hands: he took me to other planets, and sometimes he left me there.
I'm re-reading 'Something Wicked This Way Comes', for about the one hundredth time, and reminding myself to savour the words, to be grateful for the inspiration.
World Fantasy Convention III 1977. Thanks to Neatorama for the image.
"Being tender and open is beautiful. As I woman I feel continually shhh'ed. Too sensitive. Too Mushy. To wishy washy. Blah Blah. “Don’t let someone steal your tenderness. Don’t allow the coldness and fear of others to tarnish your perfectly vulnerable beating heart. Nothing is more powerful than allowing yourself to truly be affected by things. Whether it’s a song, a stranger, a mountain, a rain drop, a tea kettle, an article, a sentence, a footstep…feel it all – look around you. All of this is for you. Take it and have gratitude. Give it and feel love." - Zooey Deschanel
Loving - This quote, found via by b and e. I often need a reminder that it's ok to be soft, to give myself permission to be affected by things.
Wearing - Tights! Every day! Yes! I love winter, because it means that finally I can wear tights, stockings, leggings, etc. The only problem is keeping the tights shopping in check. Is there such a thing as too many tights? Nah.
Cleaning up in the messy and neglected room downstairs... (I feel a little pretentious calling it a studio, but 'workroom' makes it sound unfun, and 'craftroom' makes me sound like a total wally. But calling it 'the room downstairs' makes it sound... creepy? ) (I once called it 'my girl cave', but the horrified look that provoked was enough to make sure I never say that again!)
The Event Horizon? Time does tend to lose all meaning when I'm in there...Fortress of Solitude? Um, no...The Den of Iniquity? Well, sometimes I do feel a little bit wicked and immoral, surrounded by fabrics and supplies, plotting my planetary takeover...
Do you have a room? Does it have a name? Am I overthinking this just a little?
Every now and then a lovely lady comes in for a coffee at Buzzstop. She wears a large slouchy bag, which would be unremarkable unless you noticed that from time to time the bag moves.
When I asked the lady what was going on with her bag, she pulled out a little orphan wallaby! As a carer for orphaned wildlife, she has to keep them warm and close at all times, but she popped this sweetie out for a second so I could ooh and aah in a high-pitched voice, and stroke its incredibly soft fur.
Now I look forward to seeing the lovely lady with the squirming luggage (I should really find out her name, yes?) so I can see her latest wards and get a little dose of cuteness to sweeten up my day.
So, I'm not expecting a call from NASA anytime soon, but I am, without a doubt, an honest-to-goodness space cadet. With the many thrills of May (the birthday month in my family), my birthday party at Ya Ya Bar, a computer on the fritz and a huge sausage sizzle for the Kiss Goodbye to MS appeal, it's been a blur.
I completely forgot that I had an article published in *bespoke* zine. Who forgets something like that??? And then I found a mention of my article on Her Library Adventures, a blog I really admire, so I ran around in circles for about two days, then forgot about that too! I think it may be time to focus on some memory exercises...
These are just a few images from the last month...
a walk around the lakes on the way to school on my birthday,
the gorgeous balloons I bought to match my party dress,
the absolutely gorgeous A Skulk of Foxes clock given to me by the absolutely gorgeous Buzzstop crew,
playing in the leaves,
the wildly overgrown view from my verandah, which I love even though I'm sure the neighbours are tutting in disapproval.
Oh, such a lovely day. Playing in the park, basking in the dappled light, noshing out on sushi, painting fingernails with my daughter and being fiercely squeezed by my son. (He's almost nine, so everything he does is a little fierce!)
I took some photos of the kids climbing trees, but they move so much and never do a 'nice' smile...it's always a crazy face with the tongue and the cross-eyes...
I didn't visit my mum, since she has some kind of gross cold. So I sent my love down the telephone line, and felt sooky for a second or two.
As usual, I concluded very quickly that my problems are miniscule. I send my love out to all the new mums out there who might be having a rough day, and those who've lost their mum, and even those who would give a limb to be a mother... big hugs. XXX
Drinking - Coffee... always coffee. On a rare day off with my best guy, we drink coffee and eat cake.
Polishing - the final photos of some new earrings, soon to be seen in MiuAndUmi, yay!
Watching - The new series 'Dirk Gently' on iView. I still can't help but think of Steve Mangan as Guy Secretan from Green Wing, one of the funniest and wrongest shows I've ever seen on TV. In a good way!
It was one of those rare occasions when little Miss would let me braid her hair, and it looked so sweet I had to take a photo. I've been braiding my hair a bit lately, inspired by A Beautiful Mess and all the gorgeous braids tutorials they share. Try it out - just be prepared for a little frustration at first. Darn fingers!!!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
You are getting sleeeeeppyyyyy...verrrrry sleeeeeepy. When I click my fingers, you will be in the most relaxed and receptive state... click... you want to buy this Alibi Pendulum necklace for Melanie... when I count back from three, you will awake, refreshed and with a powerful urge to do some online shopping... three, two, one... and you're back in the room.
Preparing - Myself mentally and fiscally for May, the month in which nearly everyone I know was born. Birthdays up the ying-yang, and Mother's Day too. Oh my god, I'm having palpitations just thinking about it. AND I'm turning thirty-mumble as well! Birthdays make me a little nuts...
Finished - 'The Psychopath Test' by Jon Ronson. What a great book, jammed with facts and yet so unputdownable. This is an honest exploration of a delicate subject, with the nervy Ronson tangling with psychopaths in jail and in the upper echelons of the corporate world, meeting with the therapists who thought (in the 60's - of course) using LSD and primal regression could cure incarcerated psychopaths.
Did it work? You'll have to read the book and find out...
Interestingly though, looking at the traits and behaviours that mark a psychopath, I'm realising that in my life, I've come across a few. With an estimated 1% of the population scoring high on the test, you probably have as well!
Dancing - To The Sonics, who just rip it up so loud. The kids and I went nuts to a Sonics playlist yesterday, jumping around the loungeroom like a bunch of kooks.
'Have Love, Will Travel' is pretty awesome when The Black Keys do it, but these guys are amazing.
Look at my little poppet in her (enormous) Easter hat. So ridiculously cute. This year we asked the kids to draw a 'blueprint' of what they wanted for their hats, to save the crazed last minute dash to Spotlight for leftover scraps of Eastery origins.
It worked out pretty well! And since I made a real effort not to do it 'properly' ( that's just code for taking over completely and disregarding the kid's wishes) there were no tears and everyone was happy! There are little chicks hiding in the foliage of this hat, and I couldn't resist making up a whole chick-hunting scenario...
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