My Pink & Cream Cottage

~Welcome to Christchurch...The Garden City of New Zealand... My Hometown~

2011-02-24T00:37:00.001+11:00

I am very proud to say I was born & brought up in the City of Christchurch known as the Garden City & loved by locals for its stunning old buildings, parks gardens & the beautiful Avon River where rowing has always been a popular pass time. For me there were two very specials places I loved most in my City..... the Canterbury Musuem but mostly sitting proudly smack bang in the centre of the City & Cathedral Square.... my beloved Christchurch Cathedral..... As a teenager Friday nights were spent catching a bus at Sparks Rd (sitting in the back seats with my friends & giggling & yacking all the way into town)getting off outside Ballentynes & after quite a bit of window shopping heading for the square where we would spend the night catching up with more friends & perving on the boys. We were of course (it was the 70's) dressed in our best flared jeans & in my case wearing my 6" wooden platforms... haha we must have looked a sight! At the end of the night we would catch the bus outside Beaths Department Store & giggle & yack about the cute guys we met all the way home. I can remember climbing the narrow wooden stairs of the Cathedral all the way up to the top where the view all over Christchurch was simply amazing.....

How the ChCh Cathedral now looks.....

So yesterday when a friend rang to see how my family were doing back home in Christchurch I was a tad stumped for an answer... *fine I answered, then came the question *WHY*..... on gosh Lyn haven't you heard, there has been another massive earthquake, you need to turn your TV on. I felt sick watching the images on TV (ironically the first was the now ruined Cathedral) not really taking it in until my brain got back into gear & head for the phone to ring home. My Mum & Dad had moved back to ChCh just a month ago after 35 years of living in Nelson & dread & panic set in when there was no dial tone on the other end of the phone even more so when the same happened when I called my sister. My darlin' walked in the door & I just broke down I didn't know what to do I think the worst feeling I have ever felt. After finding my Dads cell phone number I rang & heard the sweetest voice on the other end.... my Mum sounding very shaken but telling me all my family were safe & all at their home.

The Carlton Hotel... before & after...

Charlie B Backpackers...before & after..

The Regent Theatre.... before & after...

Christchurch Catholic Cathedral.. before & after..

The Pyne Gould Building... before & after....

The CTV building... before & after....

The pics above show just how much damage has been done, in the CTV building above my sister has two close friends now among the 15 presumed dead...
There have been so many people rescued from the rubble & to me the hard workers who have risked their owns lives trying to save others are nothing more than hero's, I cannot imagine sifting through all the rubble while even more earthquakes are occurring.... since the quake of Sept 4 last year ChCh has had nearly 5000 quakes..... yesterdays being the worst because although only a 6.3 compared to the 7.1 in Sept it was only 5km under the ground & in the middle of a working day... since this quake hit at 12.51pm there has been 168 quakes .... to me it is time Mother Nature gave my City a break... they have had enough...
As I write this 75 people are dead... 300 missing... in the past 24 or so hours I have considered myself very lucky that the people I love most in this world are still here... but who knows until names are released it could very well be someone I once called a friend... a relo... who knows...
This is a long post for me yesterday I had nearly two months worth to post about... that will come later... right now I like every Kiwi who walks this earth no matter where they live, who like me are PROUD to call ourselves KIWIS especially if like me Christchurch is their hometown, are mourning our loss of lives & our loss of our City BUT like fellow Aussies (Anzacs) we are tough, we will get through this & when the quakes stop (predicted in 2 years) my City will be rebuilt, maybe not how it was when I was growing up there will be many lost old buildings which will break my heart but in the end ...it is the people that make a place, a home, a City, a Country...
So I have just got off the phone to my Mum & Dad after a two hour confo... they were the ones who consoled me as I shed all my tears... my Dad trying to tell me not to worry about them.. how can I not when they are too far away to give a cuddle & see that they really are alright.. not going to happen... So... tonight my reason for posting this apart from getting my grief, worry off my chest is to thank everyone out there in too many Countries to mention who have arrived in Christchurch to help rescue & hopefully find alive the 300 still missing... Believe me I know how the families of all these men/women must like me be worrying about them as they see on the telly just what their loved ones, like my loved ones are living through, they too deserve a bloody medal...
So I am finishing this post with more photos... you may not like them but they show the reality of the damage that Earthquakes in my beloved, beautiful country called New Zealand (the youngest country on this earth that Rangi raised out of the ocean) can do & at the same time you will see why Kiwi's are tough & just so bloody passionate about their homeland, why New Zealand will always be home... my home...

The Bell in Lyttelon where the epicentre was.. last time I was home my Dad & I took a photo of us standing under this.. now to be pulled down..

Brighton Road

Houses sitting on the brink at Sumner

House below that chopped it from above...

                                               The last two photos well they are.. close to me...
                                          A Tram in front of the Christchurch Cathedral as it is falling down...

When I found this photo all it said was Hoon Hay... which is the suburb I grew up in.. so am guessing this photo was taken in Sparks Road... the main entrance to my Primary School ..Hoon Hay Primary School.. flooding... just another throw back from a Earthquakes...

So I know everyone who has been watching worldwide what is happening in my City has like myself shed tears, like myself still shedding tears, I want to say on behave of all Kiwis a huge thank you to the many countries who have sent rescue teams over,,,, it really means sooooo much to us... to the Governments who are donating money... thank you, thank you sooo much... I just don't know what else to say... except PLEASE say a pray for Christchurch tonight,,, 75 dead... 300 missing...

Thank you from the bottom of my heart..
Lyn xxx

25 Years.....

2011-01-01T23:43:00.000+11:00

Today is always a very special day to me not because it is New Years Day, not because I have now lived in Coffs Harbour as of today for 25 years..... because my Ryno was born axactly at this time 25 years ago......

Happy Birthday my beautiful man.... I love you very much......

Your very proud Mum xxx

Twentynine....

2010-11-25T17:58:00.001+11:00

I am sure you have all heard no matter where in the world you call home the tragic news yesterday that came out of New Zealand... a second explosion occurred at the Pike River Mine just minutes before a 16 man rescue team were to enter the mine to bring their *boys* out.... What set out to be a rescue has now turned into a mission to recover & bring out their boys so they can be laid to rest....

I have always admired the toughness of the people who live on the rugid West Coast of the South Island of NZ, it takes a special person to get up each morning & walk down into those Coal Mines (which are a lot more dangerous than gold mine due to the toxic gases given off from the coal) knowing the danger, in most cases an occupation that has been passed down through the generations. Take Nellie O'Neill who has lost her son Peter 55, yesterday, her husband worked in the mines as does her other son who is one of the rescue team. Can you imagine your 17 year old child (I can my Taska is 17) who on the day after his 17th birthday went down for the first time...... never to return, stop for a minute & try & feel how Joseph Ray Dunbar's family are feeling right now. How 41 year old Terry David Kitchin's family are feeling..... he decided to do overtime on that fateful day last Friday. Not only has Malcolm Campbell's family lost a son, brother but also a future daughter in law, he was due to marry on December 18th..... 49 year old William John Joynson who with his wife & two kids were to return to Australia last Saturday....... 21 year old Benjamin David Rockhouse who 2 years ago saved his Grandad after he had a heart attack & worked in the mines to pay for his Uni fees, his Grandad died Friday night not long after hearing of the first explosion, can you imagine what it is to loose your Father & your son in a matter of days, his brother Dan was one of two men to escape the first blast, can you imagine just what this man is feeling, both grief & guilt. Today my country has been in mourning for the 24 Kiwi, 2 Aussie, 2 British & 1 South African miners who tragically lost their lives doing what they loved & although I no longer live in my home land the grief is still in my heart for these men & their families in fact for all the people who call Greymouth home.
New Zealand may be a small country but I know us Kiwi's will band together & help the families through this tragic loss, we are tough proud people with huge hearts, we are a nation in mourning.....

Please take a minute out of your busy lives & read the 29 names below & visualise if you can that this time last week they were with their families or their mates having a beer expecting like we all do that in a weeks time we will still be here...

Conrad John Adams, 43, Greymouth, New Zealand

Deputy at the Pike River coal mine.

Malcolm Campbell, 25, Greymouth, Scotland
From Scotland, engaged to Amanda, a Kiwi. Due to marry her on December 18.

Glen Peter Cruse, 35, Cobden, New Zealand

Allan John Dixon, 59, Rununga, New Zealand

Zen Wodin Drew, 21, Greymouth, New Zealand

Christopher Peter Duggan, 31, Greymouth, New Zealand

Joseph Ray Dunbar, 17, Greymouth, New Zealand
His first day on the job.

John Leonard Hale, 45, Ruatapu, New Zealand

Daniel Thomas Herk, 36, Rununga, New Zealand

David Mark Hoggart, 33, Foxton, New Zealand

Richard Bennett Holling, 41, Blackball, New Zealand

Andrew David Hurren, 32, Greymouth, New Zealand

Jacobus (Koos) Albertus Jonker, 47, Cobden, South Africa

William John Joynson, 49, Dunollie, Australia
Married, with two kids aged 13 and 10. Is a mining veteran in Australia.

Riki Steve Keane, 28, Greymouth, New Zealand

Terry David Kitchin, 41, Rununga, New Zealand
Opted to do some overtime on Friday afternoon – his shift finished well before the explosion.

Samuel Peter Mackie, 26, Greymouth, New Zealand

Francis Skiddy Marden, 41, Runnunga, New Zealand

Michael Nolan Hanmer Monk, 23, Greymouth New Zealand
West Coast rugby player. Attended St Bede's College in Christchurch, but returned to the West Coast to work in the mine. Son of West Coast rugby captain Bernie Monk and netball coach Cath Monk.

Stuart Gilbert Mudge, 31, Rununga, New Zealand

Kane Barry Nieper, 33, Greymouth, New Zealand
Married to the daughter of a contractor. Has a young family.

Peter O'Neill, 55, Rununga, New Zealand
His brother is one of the rescue team. He himself was a part of a rescue team at Black Reef in 2008. Several of his family members have worked in the mining industry.

Milton John Osborne, 54, Ngahere, New Zealand
Grey District Councillor, contractor.

Brendan John Palmer, 27, Cobden, New Zealand

Benjamin David Rockhouse, 21, Greymouth, New Zealand
His brother Dan Rockhouse was one of two men to survive the blast and escape. Their father is head of safety at Pike River Coal.

Peter James Rodger, 40, Greymouth, Britain

Blair David Sims, 28, Greymouth, New Zealand
West Coast rugby league player of the year for the last two years, on the wing or at centre.

Joshua Adam Ufer, 25, Australia
Drilling supervisor. His fiancée is three months pregnant.

Keith Thomas Valli, 62, Winton, New Zealand

Rest In Peace.....

Lynn's Beautiful Give-Away

2010-10-27T12:41:00.000+11:00

Pop on over to http://lynn-teacupstitches.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post.html to be in the draw to win this stunning creation from Lynn.... gotta love give-aways....

Miss Rebecca's Give-Away....

2010-10-26T23:08:00.001+11:00

Miss Reb over at http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/ is having another of her stunning give-away... pop on over & leave a comment to go into the draw to win....

~Learning To Heal~

2010-10-25T15:59:00.001+11:00

I am finding it hard to believe it has been over a month since my last post, time has slipped away from me again which seems to have been the story of my life this year. A few months ago I visited a lady who has the gift of giving massages (something I could have every day) & at the same time I guess the only way to describe it is to say *reads your soul*. What was suppose to be an hours visit ending up being 1 1/2 hours & she only managed to get as far as my hips! The moment she placed her hands on my left shoulder she told me she had never in all the years of doing her craft had she felt anyone as tense as I was. As she kneaded away on my back she kept quietly telling me to relax..... I kept telling her this was the most relaxed I had felt in years which to me it was. Maggie explained to me the different locations of our emotions in our body & all the while was asking me questions about *this & that* I do not want to get into details here but by the end after handing me countless tissues which I didn't use, she asked me why it was that I didn't cry..... my answer was simple...... if I started I would never stop! What I hadn't realised was that she had been crying for me... telling me she had never felt so much pain in anyone before.

We sat together later & had a talk & she suggested a buy a book that she felt would truly help me......

Now I have to tell you I thought turning 50 in January was going to make a huge change in my life....... I greeted the new year in in probably the most positive way I have felt in years, told you all the goals I had set for myself & finally believed I could accomplish if not all of them then at least 90% of them. What I do not understand is why it is suddenly nearing the end of October & the total is in fact 0% & I feel worse than I have in years. I have always been a person that has thrived on the company of others, now I realise I have been shutting myself off from friends & family, years & years of hurt, lack of self worth, fear of failure & letting others down, all these feelings are no longer buried deep down where they have always been carefully hidden, tucked neatly away so I wouldn't have to face them, were in fact released that day with Maggie & have been slowly working their way to the surface where they can no longer be ignored. I put off buying the book..... You Can Heal Your Life..... many through fear of what it would bring out in me but realised in the end it was something I needed to do for myself. It sat on my bedside cabinet for weeks & the other day I finally plucked up the courage to open the first page & start reading. I didn't get far that first day, maybe a couple of pages but it was a start. Now I am finding that what is written on those pages is how I have always felt........ or perhaps a better way to describe it is what I have NEVER felt, & that is how to love myself. I have begun to understand now why I have stopped sewing, I never felt anything I made was good enough to sell, gave so much away as I thought even with all the time & effort I put into it it was never good enough......

The biggest thing that made me open to that first page was our son Ryno heading back to Perth after staying with us for 2 months. The day he left I broke down & although everyone tells me he's nearly 25, an adult, you have to let him go, it does not stop the hurt I feel when he steps on the plane or the ache I feel from missing him so much, as his Mother I feel I have the right to feel this way, a week on I do feel a bit better but am still missing him. So I will keep you informed on how I am going & the progress I am making, I believe in this book even though I am only starting the third chapter......... it proves to me I am on the road to recovery by writing this post..... could not have done it a week ago.......

~Taska's Formal & The After Party~

2010-09-24T13:55:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was a very busy day here getting Taska ready for her Year 12 Formal. The day started off going and having eyebrows waxed, eyelashes tinted, last minute items to buy & a trip to the hairdresser to have hair curled and styled.

Later in the arvo a friend arrived round and applied make up to both Taska and Georgina at our home then came the mad rush to get dressed and have photos taken out the front veranda.

So off they went to Coffs RSL for dinner, speeches and dancing the rest of the night away. They arrived home just before 11pm to get changed and head out the door again to the *After Party*.

So when Taska arrived home this morning I asked her how it all went. For her the Formal was a bit of a let down. Normally Year 12's are very close as it is their final year at school but this year they seemed to be very divided, but she did enjoy the after party. Tonight she is going over to Georgina's for yet another after party....

I hope she really enjoys this weekend because then its STUDY TIME......

Have a great weekend everyone...

~The Final Assembly~

2010-09-22T21:46:00.001+10:00

~Danny, Taska, Sam, Iesha~

Today we attended our daughter Taska Rose's Year 12 Farewell Assembly & I really cannot describe the pride I felt (plus the welling up of my eyes) as she walked onto the stage to recieve her portfollio not to mention when the teachers formed a guard of honour as Year 12 of 2010 walked out of the hall for their last ever assembly. The next time they will walk into the hall will be in about 3 weeks time when their HSC exams begin.....

~Taska & her Aunty Cheryl~

Today my Darlin' & I witnessed the end of 12 years of Taska's schooling & it was great for me to see a lot of the mum's I had met on the first day Taska started school attending the last.......

~Taska & Crabby, always best mates~

So for me today was bitter sweet, the pride I felt mixed with a bit of sadness to realise my beautiful little girl is now a young lady with the world at her feet........

~Georgina & Taska~

It was also great to see & cuddle a lot of Taska's friends we hadn't seen for a few years, girls who used to sleep over when they were younger & just do the things little girls do before boyfriends come on the scene.... boy how things change when the interest in boys begin.....

It has been a busy week with Year 12 providing morning tea for the teachers on Monday, a slave auction on Tuesday, the final assembly today & tomorrow the BIG one...... the Year 12 Formal. Tomorrow I am spending the day with my gorgeous girl getting her ready for her big night, hair, nails, makeup & last minute buying all to be done before Taska & Georgina leave from here tomorrow night. I know tomorrow night the tears certainly will be flowing. Photos will be posted on Friday.

We love you gorgeous girl & are so proud of you. xxx

~Our Little Man Is Home~

2010-09-17T17:40:00.000+10:00

He went, he enjoyed, he survived & he returned....... YES................

Very tired & with heaps of washing........

We really missed him......

Have a great weekend everyone.

~My little Man Is Growing Up~.......

2010-09-16T10:47:00.003+10:00

Today Dylan our youngest has gone off on his first over night excursion to Port Macquarie with all the Year 4's at his school. He did not want to go on this trip in fact he came up with so many excuses some of them even surprised me that they could have originated from a nine year old mind. His main reason for not wanting to go was that he would miss us & I have to admit there was one moment there where I nearly ~~caved~~ gave in & told him he didn't have to go but he does need gain his independence as next year his school excursion is down to the Snow for 5 days & if he didn't go on this one it would make it so much harder to get him to go next year......

~My cheeky boy outside the school waiting for the bus~

So this morning we were all up at 6.15 which by the way is far too early for me I am NOT a morning person

& at the school by 7.15 which is just around the corner waiting for the two buses to arrive a 7.30. As soon as we got there Dylan was off playing with his mates & was not impressed when I called him over to have his photo taken. The kids were getting a bit restless by the time 7.30 came & went & still no buses in sight, it turned out they thought departure time was 8am. After the kayos of getting bags & kids loaded up they were off, all with big smiles on their faces & me, well a few tears welling up in my eyes, my baby is growing up.....

~Just visible through the bus window~

I know he is going to have a great time, time will go so fast for them as they have so much crammed in to the two days they are away & before they know it they will be back home at 4pm tomorrow & I can just imagine Dylan saying how great it was, how it went too fast & that he didn't want to come home, oh well....

Above is the mark Dylan received for a project he did last month, I am sooooo proud to see he got an *A*

Wishing you all a great day......

~And The Earth Shook~

2010-09-04T09:59:00.004+10:00

UPDATE.....

Since I wrote this post there has been 563 quakes in Christchurch...

I was woken this morning at 6.30 by a phone call from my Mum, believe me I know when I receive a call this early the news can not be good. I immediately thought of my Dad (thankfully he is fine) I did not however expect the reason for the call........ Christchurch my beautiful home City was hit by a 7.4 earthquake at 4.35am this morning the worst earthquake in over 80 years. I turned my TV on & was horrified at what I was watching, it looked like a bomb had hit. My Brother & Sister in law luckily didn't have too much damage to their home, my Sister however has lost everything. I managed to ring her a while ago, she is naturally a mess, in tears as she told me she had lost all the china that was once our Grandma's, she just kept saying *It's all gone Lyn, all I had left of Grandma is gone*..... I told her they were alive & that is all that matters, she said Bruce (her hubby) thought they were going to die. They are still getting

after shocks, the first was 7.1 they are now down to 5. people over there have said the noise of the quake
was deafening, some saying it sounded like freight trains others like jets. Roads have opened up one where a car was swallowed a metre deep into the hole. Christchurch has so many beautiful old Gothic style Heritage buildings so many that have now been damaged, even our stunning Christchurch Cathedral has damage. Flooding has occurred in quite a few suburbs, there is no water, electricity & sewage pipes have broken. To say this is heart wrenching form me is putting it mildly, I cried when I saw the damage, I cried my eyes out talking to my sister all I wanted to do was give her a big cuddle & tell her in the end it would be alright.
Luckily there have been no deaths, a man is critical after a chimney fell on him, amazing really after all the devastation. Kiwi's are use to earthquakes, we are taught in school what to do when one hits but I don't think anything could have prepared them for this one, it was always presumed our Capital City Wellington would cop the *big one* it is well over due, even Nelson where my Mum & Dad live is over due for one, not Christchurch. I remember as a child a rather big one but nothing like this one, I can only imagine how terrified they were. A state of emergency has been declared, tomorrow they are expecting rain.
I ask you to say I pray today for everyone in my Home City, but especially for my beautiful sister Sue......

~Back Doing What I Love Most~

2010-08-31T10:05:00.001+10:00

The last couple of days I have been back doing what I love most of all...... sewing! Sunday is Fathers Day down under & this year it is very important to me to give my Dad ~something from the heart~ Early this year my Mum & Dad had to have their beloved dog *Cindy* put down which was very hard for them both, they had to say farewell to a much loved family member. So I decided to make my Dad a cushion with their gorgeous pooch taking centre stage.

I had taken this photo when I went home early last year & after a fix up using Paint Shop Pro printed it out onto fabric & started sewing. I decided to leave it plain, no ribbons etc, it is after all for a man!

I have also made a cushion for my Aunty for her birthday this is a black & white photo taken when she was quite a lot younger, a photo I have always loved of her.

So after the housework has been done (yuck) I will be back onto PSPro trying to get my head around a programme that most of the time has me baffled but at the same time can be a lot of fun trying to work out um!

Wishing you all a great day - the LAST day of winter here - yes sooooo looking forward to Spring.....

~I NEED To Get this Off My Chest~

2010-08-31T01:54:00.000+10:00

In my last post I told you all that for last 3 or so weeks I have had Shingles well now I need to tell you all WHY!!!!!! Last May a man that has been a friend to my Darlin' for the past 30 years & who I thought was a friend of mine for the past 20 years suddenly started *bad mouthing* me to our friends & whoever he thought would listen. This is a man who used to visit me twice a day every day, who I listened to all his problems & went out of my way to help him with his problems until I couldn't help him any more. He decided to cut himself off from me but at the same time hoped he would not only cut me off from our friends but also come between my Darlin' & I. For my Sweet that was the last straw & he cut all ties with him after quite a nasty argument. So when my sister was over we found a letter under our door (a very nasty letter) blaming us for his misery plus letting us know we had *failed Toad* (our very close friend who died at the end of last year, & this man's brother).

That letter he wrote hurt more than anything has in a long time but we got on with life. Then suddenly I found a large rash on my right arm which over the days travelled onto my chest, I became very tired & I couldn't lift my arm, couldn't sit or lay down without being in severe pain. I also realised that since May I had begun to bite my nails again, something I hadn't done in years, but the biggest thing I realised was you can fool your Conscious Mind BUT YOU CAN NEVER EVER FOOL YOUR SUB CONSCIOUS MIND. I had been telling myself this man was not going to bother me when in fact I was falling apart inside. Tonight he decided to get in touch with us again, why am I surprised he sent us nasty text messages, in the end my reply to him was GOODBYE!.I don't feel any better, I think I need to say this to his face but he won't face me so am wondering if it will ever be solved?????? I DO however feel better for having written this down, who knows maybe this is what I have needed since May..... Thanks for listening.......

~I Have Shingles~

2010-08-30T09:07:00.002+10:00

For the past three weeks or so I have had ~Shingles~. I was 16 the last time I had this strain of Chickenpox & had forgotten how painful it can be. This time I have it down my right side the blisters forming mostly on my arm & chest which have now become very itchy so am hoping the worst is over. This time last week I could hardly lift my right arm, my whole right side was in pain & found it very hard to stay awake during the day. I normally survive on around 6 hours sleep a day but lately have been ~hitting the hay~ by 8.30 every night.

Am looking forward to getting back to normal soon......

Hope you are all having a great day.....

~Two Very Special Visitors~ .....

2010-08-20T14:56:00.006+10:00

Last week we had a couple of very special visitors stay here...... my beautiful sister Sue & her Hubby Bruce. It had been 10 years since Sue last stayed here & 19 years since Bruce had. Neither of them had ever met Dylan and it was 15 years since they had seen Taska..... far too long........

~ Bruce, Sue, My Darlin' & Ryno~

To make it even better how Ryno arrived back from his holiday to the US while they were here, the only one of our kiddies they didn't get to see was our Mick, Lisa & our Grandkiddies. The weather couldn't have been nicer except for one day where it rained & was cold but we still had a great time getting out & about relaxing & catching up on all the years.

Next week is Sue's birthday so I made this little Sweetie up for her..... while she was here I showed her some of the images I had printed onto fabric & as this was her favourite one I thought it would be perfect for her......

Spring is just around the corner & I cannot wait for it to arrive I feel it has been a very long & cold winter this year, yesterday was in the mid 20's, my Jasmin is out in bloom (a sure sign Spring is on the way) as is the orange tree & a few other spring bulbs...... with it I feel like I am coming out of hibernation...... I have been away far tooooooo long.

Hope you all have a lovely sunny weekend....

~What Lurks In My Garden~........

2010-07-01T16:07:00.004+10:00

Yesterday as it was a lovely sunny day I decided to get out in the garden.... I have heaps of Agapanthus that I wanted to dig out & as My Darlin' had fixed my new you beaut shovel from Bunnings (I broke the handle the first time I used it) I decided it was time to get into it. So after a couple of hours I had removed a fair few of them plus some other plants I no longer wanted in the garden. The weather turned overcast & cold so I decided it was time to call it a day & make myself a pipping hot cup of coffee. I was sitting down talking to My Darlin' when my leg started to itch........ looking down I saw this.......

Now I'm sure I have told you in the past I am terrified & I mean TERRIFIED of spiders so can you imagine my reaction..... screaming, jumping around, heart palpitations, until in the end I just felt like throwing up....... my biggest fear has always been to find a spider on me & to think it had been there for a while made it even worse..... so next time I get out in my garden I will be wearing gardening gloves & My Darlin's gummies......

Hope you are having a great week.......

~My Heart Is Very Heavy Today~......

2010-06-25T12:47:00.004+10:00

Let me tell you about a very special Man who came into our lives 5 or 6 years ago........ His name is Andy........ who was born in England met a beautiful Lady named Jan, married, had children & eventually immigrated to Australia. So 5 or 6 years ago they bought the corner shop which has always been known as *Shop 36* which is about a 5 or so minute walk from my home. I have always taken the walk up there at least 2 or 3 times a week for milk & bread & I like so many people in Coffs became close friends with Andy & Jan. He has a very broad accent sometimes making it hard to understand the words that flow from his mouth but one look at his face would tell you whatever he said meant that he was saying something that needed a laugh in reply. Eventually we all learnt to understand them or perhaps the accent softened a little. OK so being a true Pommy he lives & breathes Soccer...... do I need to say more, can you imagine in your head what it is like to be around him while the World Cup is on..... nah I don't think I do...

Around 2 years ago Andy discovered he had Liver Cancer & being the Optimist that he is knew he would beat it.......... we all watched this beautiful man who by the way was shortest, thinnest but super fit from playing his beloved sport, gradually lose his hair, weight & strength to be able to work. Jan & his many workers kept the shop going, always with a smile on their brave faces.

It has been a couple of days since I went up to *Shop 36* it has probably been a couple of weeks since I last saw Andy...we talked about the world cup.... he telling me the Pomms were going to win, me telling him the Kiwi's (New Zealanders) were going to, boy did he laugh at that but neither team progressed to the top 16.........

Today I learnt Andy died ...........he is 52........ my heart is really hurting........... for his beloved Jan, for his kiddies, his many many friends (me included) customers, his family *back home*, but to me the saddest thing is he did not get to see who will win the World Cup............ no maybe I am wrong there....... he is on is long walk to heaven........ he will get there before the games finish.......... he will KNOW ahead of time who wins.......... I forgot to ask him who he would go for in the final game..........

Forever in my heart......XXX

~Our Weekend Away~......

2010-06-23T13:59:00.003+10:00

Do you remember the post I wrote about the weekend away at Annuaka Resort that our son Ryno gave My Darlin' & I as a surprise? well...... we went, we saw, we relaxed, we pampered & we LOVED it...... Like most of the Suites there ours was amongst the Rain forest, such a peaceful place.....

Our bedroom had this large spa set in its own corner, I was amazed when I filled it up the water was blue a real aqua sea blue......... the photo above was taken looking up at the glass ceiling..... nothing like sitting in here with the jets blasting full bore, laying back & looking up at the twinkling stars in the sky.....

Our dinner was just out of this world we sat at a table which looked out to the ocean & afterwards went for a very romantic stroll along the beach......

We also explored the rest of the place finding a total of seven swimming pools all laying under more rain forest & three spas set in grotto's....... I have to tell you I could very easily move on in there tomorrow..... we found this walk way the next morning......... followed it & found......

This gorgeous little Chapel......... I remember years ago not long after the resort opened friends of ours were married in this tiny church......... sadly the marriage didn't last & as much as we enjoyed our weekend here I couldn't help but notice that it was starting to look a tad rundown, the Chapel was all dusty inside, it looked like it hadn't been used in years, furniture in our Suite was starting to break, a lot of the beautiful filigree woodwork had been broken from previous guests...... to me that was sad a lot of time & money had been put into Annuaka, it needed some TLC.......

That aside we DID have a great time staying here & would go back again.....

Thank you again Ryno we love you xxx

~A Complete Makeover~.........

2010-06-21T15:08:00.004+10:00

Hi yah Sweeties......... how'd yah be.... as my Dad would say......... Me well I have been flat out which is the reason why the posting has been a tad on the lean side lately. If you scroll down to my last post you might remember the cane lounge I was giving a make over...... She has in fact been finished for a while now but as is the norm with me after I cleaned the front Porch to get it all spick & span for her grand arrival, I noticed that everything else on it was looking in need of a repaint not to mention the painted floor boards..........

So off My Darlin' went to Bunnings to get the paint as I had run out after painting the lounge, & I set to scrubbing the floorboards & chairs. Next day I was all set to go............ it rained! The next day......... it rained, in fact 4 days in a row, so I patiently waited for blue sky to come out. Finally the sun came out & I was down on hands & knees painting. Three coats later & the floor was all done..........

The next week was spent repainting the chairs & coffee tables during the day one coat a day although by now it was getting pretty hard to keep the patience thing going......... sewing the new cushion covers at night.

I had bought two Euro cushions for the lounge & could not believe it when they were a tad too small so ended up opening them both at one end & sewing an extra strip of fabric in between them both & stuffing it full of super soft wadding........ fun to do on a machine when the cushion becomes very long.

Even the little boy on the pedestal was scrubbed down with bleach to make squeaky clean again as he had grown green, something I don't really mind but just kinda looked out of place with the white & blue.........

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this lounge with its big squishy cushions, it is just soooooo comfy....... perhaps too comfy, I laid down on it the other morning with my cuppa coffee & a really good book & actually fell asleep....... or perhaps it was due to the fact that I was up until nearly 4am painting the last chair either way I am not one to sleep during the day, so have resisted the urge since then to lay on it.........

Every time I have made new cushions for out here they have been pink to go with the house but being a true lover of Blue & White I just HAD to have a change, even the coasters on the tables are blue & white & the flowers are my favourite Camelia's in my garden which are always the last to bloom, a gorgeous white with just the tiniest dab of icy pink in them. At the moment the fabric is a bit bright but come summer & the sun with fade them to the perfect soft blue........

So what do you think.......... was the long wait worth it......... I hope so, OK so now you all know what I want you guys to do........ leave me a comment & tell me what you think..........Oh & I am still flat tack painting, I have redone an old mirror & am on to my second one.......

Hoping YOUR creative juices are flowing........

~She's Coming Along Just Fine~.........

2010-05-29T21:42:00.003+10:00

Do you remember this cane lounge I showed you a couple of posts ago well she has finally started her make over. Because of the rain we had been getting I couldn't get out & scrub her, finally yesterday arvo the rain stopped long enough to start. Once she was scrubbed clean I moved her into the garage to dry.

I was up until 2.30am this morning giving her her first coat of paint, kinda thinkin' she's looking better already. Today she received the second coat. One more to go tomorrow & I'm kinda hoping My Darlin' will find the tome tomorrow to make the new base up for me. Two big squashy cushions to sit on & she will be all ready to put out on the front Veranda if she doesn't take up too much room out there...

Am really in the mood at the moment to do up all the things waiting patiently in the shed for me next I think will be a gold & black mirror which needs painting..... white of course..... OK so I'm off to find some fabric for the cushions......

Hoping you guys are having a creative weekend......

~Feeling Soooooo Loved~

2010-05-28T15:31:00.003+10:00

If you follow my little Blog you will know that our 2nd eldest son Ryno moved over to WA at the start of last year which is a very long way away in this huge country. I have considered myself very blessed this year as he has returned home nearly every break he has had & as he is currently renting his house out he has stayed with us, just pure joy to me. This break he decided to stay on site as he was offered 3 weeks extra work, being one never to turn work down & as he is off to the US in August for a holiday the extra money will come in very handy. I received a call from him last night which I didn't expect as most of the time he cannot get reception on his phone being in the middle of nowhere asking me what My Darlin' & I were doing next weekend?? As My Darlin' has spent the last few months working on Saturdays we no longer make plans for the weekends unless it is weeks in advance, so the answer was *nothing yet, why*? To which Ryno replied *Is you Comp on Mum*..... Me *yep sure is*...... Ryno * need you to go into your emails*...... a few seconds later there I am opening the email he told me to & asking him *what is this*.......????.

Now before I go any further I need to go back to May 6th which was My Darlin's Birthday & the Thursday before Mothers Day. Ryno had not planed on coming back East that break but as these are important dates in our family he forked out the $900.00 to come home. He felt bad that he didn't buy us any pressies........ having him home was enough. So what was the email all about.........

The photo above is where My Darlin' & I will be spending next weekend......... all expenses paid thanks to Ryno. I sat there last night reading this email from Aanuka Beach Resort which is here in Coffs, & the only way to describe how I felt..... sooooooo very very LOVED! We have this large Suite with a large spa under a glass roof amongst the rainforest all to ourselves, no kiddies, just us, I am still pinching myself here. After I had stopped thanking Ryno over & over all I could think to say to him is *I Love You*....his answer.....*I know Mum, I Love You Toooo*. I don't think I need to tell you how I feel right now........

Wishing you all a great weekend & hope you feel as LOVED as I do right now xxx

~Keeping Calm Can Sometimes Be Oh So Hard~

2010-05-27T16:25:00.005+10:00

.......but I'm trying real hard here, honest I am. Quite some time ago I posted about repainting my hallway it was out with the green & in with all cream & white. Now I had promised the after piccies but just before I was to post them my computer crashed & I lost all my photos...... The other day I had a friend over with her young son & it wasn't until they had left I discovered (to my horror) that the little sweetheart had drawn on every single door jam in my hallway, all SIX of them with pen, not just drawing but going down through to the grain of the wood! Now when I paint I give each wall three coats & all window frames & door jams five coats as they usually get the most wear so here I am looking at all my hard work wrecked with steam coming out of my ears, suddenly I realised the whole lot had to come off & be re sanded & repainted all over again GRRRRRR. So today I decided to get in & started after doing the housework.... bad move...... I managed to strip one complete door jam & sand the grooves out, because of the layers of paint I had to use a scraper & then sand but the mess was incredible, little flakes of paint everywhere! I also have one side of another doorway done but to be honest my heart just was not in it today.I had really wanted to get outside & scrub down the cane lounge I showed in the last post & start painting her but today felt like Winter had arrived...... I awoke to it flogging down rain & cold, so there went that idea!

The photo above is the only one I have left of the hallway when it was finished...... the skirting boards are still green as the floorboards have yet to be polished & would take all the paint off, the old cane chair used to sit on my front Veranda, I made a new cushion cover for her & placed her here.......... a great place to sit with a good book........ Tomorrow if the weather is sunny I will be outdoors, if not back in my Hallway scrapping away so long as my aching shoulders let me.....

Wishing you all a great night....xxx

~Dear Abbie~............

2010-05-26T15:13:00.004+10:00

I have not posted very often this year although I had intended to, if not every day then at least every second......... funny how things don't always turn out how you intend them to huh? Truth is the great *feeling* I had at the start of the year pretty soon went by the wayside & it wasn't until the other day that I finally, nearly half way through the year, realised why. If you are a regular reader of my little blog you would know My Darlin' & I lost a very close friend at the end of last year & although we still do & always will miss him & think about him daily, we both realised he would not want us wallowing around in self pity being miserable, in fact he would have said to us * take a tablespoon of cement & harden up* & get on with our lives. However....... sadly there are some people who have not been able to do this, they cannot move on & one in particular has been visiting nearly EVERY day since Toad died, his life seems to have come to a standstill & I became *Dear Abbie* to him & therefore my life also came to a standstill because it was like all my *happy thoughts* were being sucked out of me....... Suddenly last week for one reason or another he came between My Darlin' & I, he has been bad mouthing me to all our friends & so it seems cut all ties with us! At first this deeply upset me now, well I have taken that tablespoon of cement & just want him out of my life, simple, it is after all too short. There has been so many things I have missed out on posting.......... our Dylans 9th birthday on Feb 14th (he was quite upset about that), our 19th Wedding Anniversary on April 13th, a tribute to my gorgeous Mum on Mothers Day, truth is I have realised I cannot be around depressing people, all I have done is shut my myself away from those I love most & for what, to try & help someone I have come to realise does not want to help himself. So onwards & upwards.........

In my last post I showed you all the sweet little chair makeover & thank you for all your lovely comments, anyway I bought a mag last week with this sweet chair (not exactly this chair) & how's this........ prices start at $375.00....... yeah right as if I can afford that..... boy do I feel good right now knowing mine was not even a 68th of the cost.....

So my latest project will be the beauty above............. cost so far zilch thanks to my neighbour....... as they say *priceless*............

~From Tacky to *Elegant~.......

2010-05-11T14:04:00.006+10:00

Do you remember these oh so Tacky fluffy covers? I remember them used for toilet seat covers (with matching mat of course....) cushion covers, rugs in fact anything & everything was made out of the stuff.... About once a month we have Dinner with friends at their home & the first time we went I discovered this quaint little chair stuffed away in a corner.... well it was instant love & before I could even open my mouth to enquire why it was shoved in the corner Sandy blurted out about it being the most ugliest thing she had ever seen....

Now just to help her out & save her a trip to the tip hum hum..... I told her I would quite gladly take it off her hands....the look on her face spoke volumes, yep she thought I was completely & utterly mad....... or that mt taste was in my erm you know where or both...... anyway that night as *she* sat patiently waiting for me by the front door i left via the back, can you believe that?????

It was awhile until we went for dinner again but this time she was brought home & placed in my bedroom much to my Darlin's horror. So she sat & sat & sat until finally one day I started to *pretty her up*....

The first thing to come off was the purple fluffy cushion cover of course .......

Which was replaced by a pretty rose print & new padding......

Suddenly she looked 90% better already....

Next came the sand blasting, followed by etching primer & lastly a few coats of white oil based paint left a few days to harden & then she was ready to bring back into the bedroom.....

My Darlin' was quite surprised by how she looked after her makeover, no longer *Tacky* now more *Elegant* just like she should have always looked.

Sandy called in yesterday & I showed her the finished result...... so what was her reaction?

*I still don't want IT back* now I am asking myself *Where is HER taste*?......

So now I am on the look out for a dressing table to match.... you know the sort..... white with rounded corners & triple mirrors where Ladies used to sit in the 50's & 60's to apply their makeup sitting on one of these chairs...... I wonder where it is.......

Hope you are enjoying your day especially if you are doing up a small treasure you saved from going to the tip.........

~The Joy Of Feeling The Soil Between My Fingers~............

2010-04-30T16:11:00.005+10:00

Hi all.......so what have you guys been up to this week?........... I have spent my week in my front gardens & so far have filled our Wheelie Bin twice.......was lucky it was emptied Tuesday morning after I filled it on Monday, since then I have filled it till it is chockers & brimming over, have also filled two wheel barrows plus have a pile, a huge pile of cuttings from our trees down our driveway sitting on the front lawn. So far I have only done 31/2 gardens & we are talking BIG gardens here & just when I was thinking this arvo *where on earth am I going to put the rest of the weeds, dead plants & plants I no longer want* when our neighbour who owns the Pre-school next door told me I can use his *Green Wheelie Bin* as they wont be using it! YES..... THANK YOU....... I can keep on gardening tomorrow.......... it soothes my SOUL...... I sit in amongst the soil & weeds (my jeans have piles of dirt on the knees & the bum) my shoes are falling apart from using my new *you beaut Bunnings Shovel* & I FEEL so good, this is what I have needed for soooooooooooooo long. I have had so much crap happening in my what was supposed to be my *YEAR* friends who lives have been falling apart & have made me their *Dear Abbie* where it got to the point where I *went DOWN again* I have realised I have to look after myself.....is that being toooooooo selfish? Anyway I am rambling......

So tomorrow will find me back out in my gardens, the weather is just to die for....not too hot, not tooooo cold, Sunday my Darlin' & I will head off to the *Tip* with the back of our Truck loaded with all the weed etc that wont fit in the other Wheelie Bin & will arrive back home with the back of the Truck chockers with beautiful dark soil to put back into the gardens...... & then the replanting starts...... pure BLISS FOR MY SOUL.....

So how will you spend your weekend?

However you do....I hope you Enjoy.......

The Ode

2010-04-25T08:20:00.000+10:00

This post is dedicated to all the New Zealand & Australian soldiers (The Anzac's) both fallen & returned..... without these brave boys, some 14 years of age when they went off to the *Great War* we would not know the meaning of FREEDOM............. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.... Anzac Day to me is a day of Gratitude..... a day to give thanks for living in a free country........ a day to remember those that returned never to be the same as when they left their beautiful shores........ a day to remember those who did not return ....... for the Mothers, Wives, Siblings & Children of the missing & fallen........

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old,

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn,

At the going down of the sun & in the morning

We will remember them.

~I THANK YOU FOR MY LIFE~

~It's been a long time~.....

2010-04-24T15:48:00.000+10:00

OK so where was I..... um missing in action it would seem....... it has been nearly 3 months since I posted, I think that is a record for me! This is going to be long post I think soooooo grab a cuppa if you want to hang around & have a read.......

I am going to take you all back to Feb 14th most celebrate Valentines Day, however in our home we celebrate our youngest child Dylan's birthday, this year he turned 9 his last year in single numbers. I had planned on posting about his special day, had all the you beaut photos to share & wouldn't yah know it my Laptop crashed! (due to Windows updates, I now only update security items). To my horror I found I had lost everything except my blog, website, & email address when I finally fixed it, all my doco's gone, worst still all my photos gone & among them my little mans 9th birthday photos...... anyway he had a great day which is the main thing.

Fast forward to March 6th & our Nieces Engagement Party. We were wining & dinning with the elete of Coffs Harbour at Pacific Bay Resort, one of THE top notch places here & a place I had never been to before... way out of our league. Anyway we had a great night at a beautiful Resort......

I made this cushion for Sheree & Tim for their Engagement pressie....... The image print I bought about 13 or so years ago at a Craft Fair in Brisbane that my Sister-in-law & I went to & I taught myself the art of Ribbon Embroidery. Soooooo after all those years of holding on to my first ever attempt at Ribbon Embroidery I decided to make a *special* pillow for a very *special* couple...........

Merilyn my Sister-in-law, Sheree's Mum, picked out all the fabric to make up the cushion.... I was so happy that they loved it....... a real boost to my ego.....

Ok so fast forward one week..... March 13th.... & our family headed off down south to our oldest Son's & future Daughter's Engagement Party........ what a great weekend....... To me this was a huge *Healing* I finally have my *Family* back..... Oh the joy of seeing all my *Kiddies* together for the first time in I don't know how long, to see my four beautiful Grand kiddies, to be able to Kiss & Cuddle my Son, to welcome Lisa into our family, just to be welcome & stay at their home, wake up n the morning & do the *Nana* thing with our 4 Grand kiddies.......

So the photo's above & below are of me & my Bested Friend ever *Anna* at Mick & Lisa's Engagement Party........... this beautiful *Lady* drove for hours to spend *Quality* time with me & my Family...... She means the absolute world to me............

Pure Bliss............... love this this Lady so sooooooo much............

Our 3 beautiful boys.....Mick, Dylan & Ryan....... love this photo......

Our gorgeous Taska with our beautiful Granddaughter Shay......

Easter arrived & we traveled south again this time to stay with Anna for the weekend..... a visit that was long overdue, we had not been down to visit her for years & years....... We did the *Westfield Shopping Centre* thing much to my Darlin's horror & Taska's delight...... all those shops in one place.........Taska thought she was in heaven (we have very limited shopping up here in Coffs) & I have to admit even I felt pretty exhausted by the end of the day...... Easter Sunday was spent having a barbie with Anna's son Mario, his beautiful lady Emm & their two little boys.........

Monday saw us on the road heading home after quite a few tears flowed, the weekend had gone way too fast.....

OK so that's all the GOOD things that have been happening in my life......... there has also been a few BAD things going on, one in particular where I have had to call the Police on a rather crazy woman who has been accusing me of having an affair with her now ex partner (my Hubbies business partner) ......... it got to the stage where I was wondering what she was going to do next.......I think my neighbours were a bit appalled to see her standing outside my house screaming abuse at me a couple of times not a pleasant thing to have to go through........
for now she is leaving me alone thank goodness.........

I think that about does it for this post, wishing you all a great long weekend (it is Anzac weekend in Aus & NZ).......

Lyn xxx

With all our love...........

2010-02-07T12:45:00.002+11:00

This day 17 years ago our beautiful daughter *Taska Rose* was born....... can it really be that long ago.......... It has really jolted me into reality....... this is Taska's last year in school & next year that amazing door to the world opens up for her......I wonder now just where her journey in life will take her, which door she will choose to go through, if in the coming year she will decide what she wishes to do with her life...... but mostly can we still keep her happy & safe.......

Taska & I (yet another terrible photo of me) last September....

Erica, Taska & her yummy boyfriend Morty.......

Taken last night before going out to Dinner....

Wishing you the best day ever my beautiful Taska, do you know how proud we are of you, how much joy you have brought into our lives & that you are much loved.....

Mum & Dad xxxxx

Gorgeous Rebecca's latest give-away.....

2010-01-25T15:13:00.003+11:00

It is not very often I blog about another bloggers give-away but when it comes to the beautiful Miss Rebecca at http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/ well I just have to let everyone know..... Sooooooo would you like to win this gorgeous girly girl pink hand painted photo frame???

Oooooooooh I know I do, so all you have to do is pop on over & leave Rebecca a comment, she would love to hear from you & at the same time you go in the running to win..... but let me warn you lovely Ladies here.....I REALLY & I MEAN REALLY WANT TO WIN THIS ONE...... fingers, toes & everything else I can think of have been crossed..... You have until Jan 30th 11.59pm US time which means all of us who live down under get a tad longer to leave a comment....Good luck everyone but not TOOOOOOOO much luck, remember I want this one.....bahahahahaha...

So what was the big deal I put in my head about turning 50???

2010-01-22T12:50:00.003+11:00

Well hello there so how is your day going......little ol' me here is having a fantastic day....the age I always dreaded to reach has finally arrived & you know what.....I feel GREAT. Yep today January 22nd I have turned 50 & I highly recommend it. Yesterday a very good friend of mine took me out to lunch which is something I have not done in years.... we arrived at 11.30 & left at 5! 5 & 1/2 hours spent eating, drinking, relaxing, talking & me trying not to pee my pants from laughing so much..... what a way to say farewell to my 40's.....
So today has been spent opening pressies & yep have I been spoilt... talking to two girlfriends on the phone & our eldest son & I talked for over 3... yes you read right...3 hours, the bridge between us has finally been broken.
This arvo am having friends over for more relaxation, drinks & just great company...I am loving my day....my life in fact.

I want to thank all the lovely Ladies who left comments for me regarding Clayton... I am quite surprised with myself the loss I feel for Toad is absent this time, I know Clayton is finally at peace & that is all his friends ever wanted for him. Like I said at the start of the year NOTHING is going to make it a repeat of last year... my bones tell me this is MY year...it is entirely up to me...

Wishing you all as great a day as I am having....

When walking this Earth becomes Too Much....

2010-01-20T22:35:00.005+11:00

When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me
I want no rites in a gloom filled room
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little - But not too long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that we once shared
Miss me - But let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take
And each must go alone
It's all a part of the Master's plan
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.
Miss Me - But Let Me Go.

Imagine if I was given one moment,
just a single slice of my past,
I could hold it close forever, and that moment would always last.

I'd put the moment in a safe, within my hearts abode,
I could open it when I wanted,
and only I would know the code.

I could choose a time of laughing,
a time of happiness and fun,
I could choose a time that tried me, through everything I've done.

I sat and thought about what moment,
would always make me smile,
One that would always push me, to walk that extra mile.

If I'm feeling sad & low,
if I'm struggling with what to do.
I can go and open my little safe,
and watch my moment through.

There are moments I can think of,
that would lift my spirits every time.
The moments when you picked me up,
when the road was hard to climb.

For me to only pick one moment,
to cherish, save and keep.
Is proving really difficult,
as I've gathered up a heap!

I've dug deep inside my heart,
found the safe and looked inside,
there was room for lots of moments,
in fact hundreds if I tried.

I'm building up my own little library,
embedded in my heart,
for all the moments spent with you,
before you had to part.

I can open it up whenever I like,
pick a moment and watch it through.
My little library acts as a promise,
I'll never ever forget you.

On Monday 11th January our friend Clayton finally found walking this earth had become too much for him. He was found hanging from a tree in his back yard.... Some find this selfish a lot do not understand.... the truth is Clayton suffered from the horrendous disease..DEPRESSION.... sufferers feel alone, feel useless, their family & loved ones go through hell trying to understand, while sufferers just...live in hell.... how do I know this.... because I too suffer from this disease....
I chose not to to attend Clayton's funeral, I am determined this year will not be a repeat of last year..... my Darlin' was one of over 300 friends who said their goodbyes to this lovely man, most knew him as a very happy man only a few knew of his suffering.

The two verses above were read out at his service.... to me both are very fitting..... Clayton was 46 years old...... May he finally be in peace...

His Journey is over.
All sorrow is gone,
Every shackle undone,
He is completely free.......

Happy To See My Man Doing What He LOVES Most...

2010-01-09T13:59:00.003+11:00

Hi yah girly girls so how is life treating you all on this beautiful (if not a trifle hot) Saturday arvo... life for me in my little P&CC is rolling along nicely thank you very much.... anyway I thought it was time I wrote a post about what makes my Darlin' happy.....

Not so much the washing of his beloved bike although he does spend hours & hours polishing her after all the dust or mud depending on the weather has all been washed away, nope nothing makes him happier than to be ON his pride & joy out in the bush going flat out through the creeks & rivers, up & down hills & along the many forest tracks with his mates......

To top it off we now have not one but two KTM's in our garage.... the other one belonging to our son Ryno & my Darlin' couldn't be prouder that Ryno has finally seen the light & bought a *proper* bike!

So what does your Darlin' do every 2nd Sunday?.... after us being together for over 20 years his love of riding seems to get stronger the older he gets...... I love to see the smile on his face as he heads off down the road, bike securely strapped in the back although on my part I must admit there is the odd twinge of *what if*.... what if he falls & breaks bones or worse still for him, what if he falls off & breaks HER.....

Hoping your Darlin' is doing what he loves most.....

A Very Happy Unbirthday To Me.....

2010-01-07T13:55:00.004+11:00

Well hello there....how is your day treating you??? If you remember towards the end of last year I started repainting my house to make it lighter well so far I have done Dylans room which has gone from pink to cream & the hallway which went from green to cream.... We have put the linen cupboard back into the hallway so my Darlin' has made up new shelves & we were given some old doors... no not the oh to die for doors... just plain boring doors with the most ugliest handle on it..... but this year I am going to recycle more which means more thrifting, gotta love that.... & so here she is waiting to be painted....

After a good clean I set her up outside to paint but as the past 2 days have been stinking hot here I will have to wait for cooler weather.... then she will be prettied up....

I love this chair to me she has the most beautiful legs & she use to reside out on our front veranda until I had a major clean up & change around late last year & placed her out the back. Well my Denzil (dog) decided to make it his new bed & sitting spot until the other day I removed the seat & started scrubbing it.... received a *OK whats going on here* look from him, took the chair down the back to clean..... *it's fine as it is Mum*.... left it out to dry....*looking good, drying nicely*.... until I took it inside....*NOT THE CHAIR MUM.....*TELL ME NOT MY CHAIR*.....Well do I need to say here how bad I was feeling, hope I don't think so. Anyway I then brought the door out & leaned it out the back while I went to get the table to place it on, turned around & there was my Denzil....wait for it...... PEEING ON IT*. So now the look on his face was *well that's what you get for taking my bed*.... seems I was told....

So although the hallway is not quite finished yet I thought Id show you all a little section of it.... everything on this sideboard has a very special meaning to me.... the clock my Sister gave to me a few years ago, photo of my Mum, Dad & I taken last year when I went home (on my birthday), the beautiful crystal & silver Decanter my Mum & Dad gave me, my gorgeous Taska taken a few years ago.....

Simple but all meaningful.....

Beautiful scented candle in a box with a crystal knob on top that Taska gave me one Mothers Day,crystal jar with Lavender inside my Aunty gave me, sweet smelling roses out of my garden, beautiful jewelry box my sister in-law gave me for my birthday one year.....

A tiny oil burner I gave to my Mum years ago either for her birthday or Mothers Day....she gave it back to me a couple of years ago, the top has broken a couple of times & I was even considering throwing it out but just couldn't in the end, a very treasured photo of *Mary Tasker Adair* my beautiful Grandma, a crystal/glass container I bought from Alicia @ http://timewornstyle.blogspot.com/ .....

Lastly a beautiful address book, oh & underneath everything, a runner I crocheted years ago...all priceless to no one but me, all having a meaning, all greatly loved....

Tomorrow is my unbirthday.... what I mean is I was due to be born on this day 50 years ago which by the way is also Elvis Presley's birthday but I chose to put off arriving for another 2 weeks & came into this world on my feet NOT my head..... I am finding I am going back inwards to myself... & have to admit I am finally learning to like what I see..... life is pretty good...

Wishing you all a great day....xxx

It's the Little Things that mean the most.......

2010-01-05T08:25:00.002+11:00

I was lucky to receive beautiful pressies for Christmas but I think one that touched my heart most was the least expensive..... a tiny calender from my friend Sharon that says on the front *Forever Friends*......

It is such a simple little calender with the cutest of bears that have been around for quite a few years now.... so so sweet.....

I am so proud that this beautiful Lady considers me her friend.....we went through so much last year from her nearly loosing her Hubby to suicide to both of us loosing our beloved *Toad* a few weeks ago.... it has brought us a lot closer.... reinstalled in us the importance of friendship.... together through talking the flow of tears have finally subsided.... life is soooo good....

I love the print for January.... my very special month of the year.....my birthday month....how content does she look....a cup of tea, slice of choccie cake, sweet daisies in a old milk bottle & a pale pink envelope..... so simple, so sweet.....

Hoping your day is bringing you all you have asked for.... Make it a good one....

Have you ever Thought What If......

2010-01-03T00:03:00.000+11:00

I love this photo it hangs in my Hallway in a frame my Darlin' made for it years ago when I was painting.... The first photo isn't the best sorry. Although I have painted all my other frames white I just couldn't bring myself to paint over it as after all the years when I did paint I have very few pieces left & must admit I was very proud of the outcome as these were the first pansies I had ever painted....

I remember the scroll work took me ages there was a lot of wiping off & redoing until I felt it was good enough...

So the man in the photo was once engaged to my Grandma & I have often wondered *what if*.... what if they had married.... well how different my life would have been.... but then I realise I would not be here, well not as me anyway.....

This is not the original photo but a copy, well actually its a copy of a copy, the first one over the years turned green, not a good look.....

Although I was never related to this man I am still very proud to have his photo on my wall, proud to have a tiny piece of my Grandmothers past love.... a tiny piece that I imagine gave her a lot of love.....

Wishing you a day of peace, new hopes & lots of love....

A New Year & A Birthday.....

2010-01-01T17:54:00.003+11:00

Well I made it...phew how great is it that 2010 has finally arrived......although I must admit that the pain in my head right now I could do without..... self inflicted by too much booze last night...BUT it was a great night spent with family & friends......& we had our own fireworks display in fact $1000.00 worth, what a great way to see the new year in.....

Today I have lived in Coffs Harbour for 24 years.....do not know where the years have gone....24 years ago I started my new life with Mick who was 3 at the time & Ryno still in my belly, but the 1st of every year is held very dear to me because it is our Ryno's birthday....24 today. The photo below I took on Christmas Day (My sister in law Cheryl is in the back ground, we had Christmas lunch at my Father in laws home down under the Mango Tree).

The photo below was taken last night just before he went out to celebrate both New Year's Eve & his birthday am loving the *Mullet* wig he is wearing......good grief to think we used to walk around with hair like that.....WHAT WERE WE THINKING.......

So my Sweet Darlin' Man here's wishing you a very Happy Birthday...... you know how much we love you..... & although I know you have to go back to WA on Monday I have treasured the time you spent here with us over Chrissie......xxx

You know I feel really good about this year...can feel it in my bones that I have left a lot of rubbish behind with the departure of 2009......have been thinking about NY resolutions & to be honest I'm going to take that slow.....kinda thinking I may just put it off until my 50th birthday this month....after all I am now starting on the 2nd half of my life....yes 100 does sound a good ripe old age to achieve....

I do know I want to get back into painting again....no not the walls although there is still two rooms waiting for me to paint....but painting of roses etc....I am telling my self here that I will be a tad rusty to start off with, but before long it will all come back to me.....

Can you remember back to when you were an itsy bitsy child & dreamt of what you wanted to become when you were all grown up.... well apart from wanting to be an Astronaut I wanted to be a writer..... so kinda thinking this could be the year to get started on that, what always put me off was knowing where to start, now I think maybe it's better to just START, anywhere & go from there, maybe start at the end & work backwards.... who knows.

Our eldest son gave me a very special Chrissie present last year (oh how good it feels to say that) a very special book, a very special book that I just KNOW is going to change my life....how do I know....because it is starting to change already & I have only read about 60 pages so far!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.....

We love you Ryno xxxx

It's nearly here.......

2009-12-30T14:03:00.004+11:00

OK so I just had to do one more post to see the year out.....

The past two weeks have been very hard for us......

The tears still flow....

But I am pleased to say tomorrow is the start of a New Year & a new Decade I am on count down....

Two days after Toad died we had our Chrissie drinks with friends, something we had planned a week or so before....

The photo above is left to right...Dave, Spike & my Darlin' jamming.....

The photo above is where Toad normally sat & as we didn't have his guitar we placed my Darlin's *Cat* guitar in his chair & a can of his favourite *Inner Circle* Rum.....

If there is one good thing to come of all this it is that Mick (our eldest son) & I are now talking again, it just proves to me that Toad is looking after me.....

His funeral was the largest & saddest I had ever been to before & in the end I couldn't write anything, the words just would not come to me but I stood by my Hubbies side as he spoke of the love he felt for his friend, I was so proud of him especially as through all his tears he got to say everything he has written down.....

So many friends who over the years had moved away came back to say their farewells & it was so good to catch up with them at the wake & remember old times, to laugh & cry together.....

So this is the last day of 2009 & as you all know I am sure I am counting the hours down to say farewell to what has been a shocking year for us.....

But at the same time there are somethings I am grateful for....

My Mum & Dad are still with us.....

My family in NZ got to spend time together as a family again, all together at once which is very rare.....

My son & I are rebuilding our relationship......

The five people who love & miss Toad the most are seeing more of each other, we know how important friendships really are.....

I have broken ties with so called friends who only hurt me by their cruel words, it feels so good to finally stand up to them & tell them I no longer want them in my life.....

Tomorrow is a New Year but more important to me it is our Ryno's birthday, he will turn 24 & to me that is as they say *priceless*, it will also be 24 years since I moved to Coffs Harbour, I often wonder where those 24 years have gone.....

I read my horoscope yesterday, something I don't do very often but I think it was pretty bang on, it said....As the year ends it's time to let all that has occurred this year go - especially events which haven't been to your liking. This may include a social circle or even an attitude you're tired of.... Last night I let a so called friend go & feel so good I wont be dragging her hurtful tongue into 2010 with me.....

The tears still flow, the hurt still cuts deep but we are still here....

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year may it bring everything you hope for & be kind to you.....

I also want to thank everyone who has visited my blog this year, left comments for me & have become a follower of my blog, I truly feel honoured.....

This sadly is my last post for the year.....

2009-12-18T21:07:00.002+11:00

Firstly I want to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.....

At 10.11 on Monday night we received a phone call that sadly has left our hearts broken, it was a call to tell us that our best friend had died..... just like that...gone.

I cannot tell you just how broken my heart feels right now, the tears cannot stop falling....we just want him back....

I first met Neal (Toad as my Darlin' & I always called him) over 20 years ago when my Hubby & I first met, they were in fact sharing a place together & the thing I remember most about that time was how he made me feel like one of the*gang*. We all shared a house together & my 2 oldest boys grew up regarding him as their second Dad. He was a groomsman in our wedding party & back then before he started loosing his hair he was a dead ringer for *Johny Farnhem* a real spunk.

He loved to go riding with Dave & my Darlin' & Ryno our son until he moved to WA this year, & last year when his older brother *Spike* moved back to Coffs he made up the fourth, every 2nd Sunday off they would all go on their trail bikes & have the best time of their lives true mates just enjoying each others company.

Last Saturday my Darlin' helped him pour a new slab out the front of their house who would have known he would never get to sit out there & enjoy it.

Toad was never one to like cuddles he would however accept heaps of cuddles from me he had no choice I cuddle everyone & in the end he came to expect them.

His brother has asked me to say something at his funeral so I am now jotting things down as they enter my head, this saying farewell speech has to be perfect I only get one chance at it & there is so much that I want to say, need to say, if in fact I can say it.......

This post has taken me 5 days to write I think it is the hardest post I have ever written. Sadly there has been quite a lot of ill feelings towards us, his closest friends from his partner which has made his death even harder to bare, just so unnecessary. His funeral has been set for Monday a day I am truly dreading. It is just over 3 weeks since we attended his Fathers funeral. It will be huge he has so many friends a large amount are traveling from all over Australia to say their farewells & show their love & respect to an incredible Man who at the age of 41 has been taken from us way too soon....

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & hoping 2010 is kind to you all, surely it cannot be any worse than this year....

Lyn xxx

Am finally getting into the Christmas Spirit......

2009-12-10T10:44:00.002+11:00

Ok first off Mum if you are reading this...STOP..... GO NO FURTHER YOU CANNOT READ THIS POST OK.....
Well know that is out of the way... We have had a real heat wave here the past week & as our little Cottage does not have Air Con she can get like an oven inside on hot days. With temps in the high 30's & not a lot of relief at night it was getting pretty exhausting, so imagine my joy yesterday to wake up to an overcast day with a cool breeze instead of the hot North Westerlies that had been blowing. I could actually sew, yes, so was up until 1.30 last night finishing off these small gifts for my family in NZ. We had all decided last year to cut out Chrissie pressies to each other as by the time you buy something & then post it it was getting way to expensive & also really limited us on the weight of the pressie etc. (I have always felt birthday's were more important anyway) Well I had been feeling lately that I just HAD to give something small so this is what I lovingly made yesterday....

A traditional red Chrissie Stocking for my Mum & Dad......

A pink Chrissie Stocking for my Sister & Brother In law.....

Lastly a black & white Chrissie Stocking for my Brother & Sister In law....

Well its a short post I have to get down town & post them off so they get them for the big day...

Oh & today the heats back, thinking I should have asked Santa for that Ducted Air Con....

Wow who would believe after 31 years.....

2009-12-04T14:57:00.002+11:00

I want to introduce you all to my best friend when I was growing up..... Carol..... We lived 3 doors down from each other in Hoon Hay, Christchurch, NZ, & were more like sisters than friends. We told each other our deepest darkest secrets, smoked our first ciggy together!!!!! in the play house my Dad had built for us kids down the back (Carol actually burnt her bum when my Mum suddenly knocked on the door & she sat on her smoke while mine was held over the top of the door, the smoke wafting over my Mum's head) sorry Mum.... our first boyfriends were best mates, we even planned on running away together one night (Mum had heard us planning that little stunt & came into my room just as I was about to jump out the window, told her I was calling my cat & there was Carol under my window making the cat meows) do you remember that one Mum???

We were & probably still are complete opposites, Carol was a true blue *Tomboy* while I was the girly girl but that didn't seem to matter yah know..... Then when I was 15 & Carol was 16 her Mum & her moved to England after her parents broke up & my life kinda fell apart. There was no such things as computers way back then, could not afford phone calls so many letters were written between the two of us. We both loved listening to Pink Floyd (as I still do) & I can still remember the day a letter from her arrived telling me I JUST had to get their new LP (yep even before tapes) *Wish You Were Here*, it had just come out in England & NZ was the next country to get it. I played & played that album to death & just like now whenever I play it (now on CD) it reminds me of Carol, have always said to my Darlin'*this is Carols song*!

So when just after my 16th birthday we moved up to Nelson (cried nearly all the way) & it was around this time Carol also moved & we lost contact. Then out of the blue when I was about 18 she just was *there* on my doorstep, those past 3 years melted away & it was as if I had only seen her yesterday, pure bliss! Carol has always been a *free spirit* nothing seemed to really get her down (although before she moved to England she had involved herself in some pretty heavy *stuff* something that I had always been way toooooo scared to try) & before I knew it that last visit from her was over, she was off to roam more of this world & I never saw her again.

Over the years I have tried to find her, you know the school sites etc you can get onto but never had any luck & if she had married I didn't know her married name. Then two night ago I was on Facebook & suddenly thought to do a search for her...... well what do you know, there she was, well I hoped it was her, so sent her a message & yesterday morning had received a reply...IT WAS HER... Can you feel the huge smile on my face.....

I am gathering by the photos I now have of Carol that she works with our beautiful native Kiwi (last 2 photos) putting transmitters on them as they have become very endangered due to foxes etc that were introduced to our country with the first settlers. The second photo is what happens to your arm after being scratched by one (these gorgeous animals are VERY shy & did you know they lay the biggest eggs in the world for their size). It does not surprise me at all that Carol does this type of work, to her it would be a true labour of love, good grief she just hasn't changed, not at all. I noticed (have not had time yet to *talk* to her, am even a bit worried in case she wont *like* me anymore, boy that's a real childhood thing her & I use to say, what I mean is maybe I am just tooo girly girl for her now) that she has a son & I bet she has brought him up by herself to be a fine man, its just so *her*. OK so after the shit year (sorry Mum) that I feel I have had this is to me like a miracle, a great ending to the year.....

Wishing Miracles for you all....

Our Three Little Boys.....

2009-12-02T18:08:00.003+11:00

I thought it was time I showed you photos of our oh so cute puppies. This Friday they will be 5 weeks old & have only 2 more weeks with us before they go to the Pet Shop...

I have found this time around I have distanced myself from them, to be honest it really hurts toooo tooo much when it comes time to take them to the Pet Shop, I just get too attached, not good...

The Kiddies have given them names which I have chosen to forget, to me they are just these oh so cute little Teddy Bears or Ewokes who look so much like their Daddy who I love so much, but have to admit here my favourite as always is the little runt, his two brothers really bully him & now that I am hand feeding them I always give him just that little bit more.....

I am on count down, not until Christmas (which by the way is my most favourite time of the year) but am counting down until 1.1.2010.... this has been a terrible year for me & has only got worse as the year went on, last Friday my darlin' & I went to Harry Smith's funeral which was the only one we decided to go to out of three people we knew who's funeral was on the same day... there is only so much we can take.... Harry & his wife Roma were like *Mum & Dad* to my Darlin', we are very close to all their four kids, two being best friends & to see their Dad suffer from Demeter for the last 7 years & then die from a massive stroke is just heart breaking........

Good Grief...Talk About Getting Side Tracked....

2009-11-23T14:17:00.004+11:00

I cannot believe how long it has been since my last post, can someone please tell me where the time has gone... right so I suggest as this is going to be a long post it might be wise to make yourself a cuppa & get comfy & put your feet up.

So I told you all about the painting of the hallway well to be completely honest here it had come to a stand still until this arvo so what happened do I hear you asking??? Thing is I was washing the inside of the front door down while I was waiting for the walls to dry started on the outside of the front door & just kept going. Ended up washing down the front porch then decided *well may as well clean the front veranda. This was no small task as I cleaned *everything* walls, picket slats along the front & side, front of the house, all the beams under the roof, chairs, tables even the decking. So then I decided that it was time to rearrange out there so pulled the bench that was sitting out the back veranda & put it out the front (still have to make new cushions for it yet) moved plants from the front to the back which then led me to cleaning out the back of course so there goes another couple of days......

So then after all this cleaning & reorganising I suddenly had the bug to sew as you will see by the photos below....

They have all been listed on Website & soon to be listed on my Etsy store.....

Ok so after I had finished making the above Chrissie Stockings I decided it was time to get back into the painting after all it had sat there for a while unfinished right... So what do you think happens next.... a heat wave hits us & at temps in the high 30's the paint was drying before it left the brush! This morning I was up early (oh by the way I only have one wall, 4 out of 6 door jambs & the picture rail needs one more coat & it is finished) before the heat hit & managed to get a bit more done, I have given myself until Thursday to have it finished. I was going to do some more at night but after the events of the past couple of nights forget it. So you all want a laugh ok well the other night I'm sitting finishing off some sewing when out of the corner of my eye (I really don't like seeing things out of the corner of my eye) I see something go scurrying across the wall, instant heart palpitation's look over & here's a humongous Huntsman Spider. Sewing gets thrown, TV gets turned off, just about to go out the door when here it comes from behind the door to sit above the door. Instant thought is *Oh come on give me a break I just want to get out of here* I have this fear that they are going to jump down & land on my head - YUCK.... So finally pluck up the courage (we are talking a lot of courage here) to make a dash for the door when I suddenly realise that I have not turned the light off, noooooooooo back in again, another mad dash & then there I am laying in bed wondering where this spider is going to end up during the night, get back up & close all the bedroom doors, just to be on the safe side. So yesterday I get my Darlin' to peep behind all the paintings, curtains & anywhere else I can think that a very large spider could hide but nothing, *Probably long gone* says Mr MP&CC, *But gone WHERE* asks I, *Outside* says he, *Yeah right I was not born yesterday*... So last night there I was up late as usual (I'm a night Owl you know) decide it was time to go to bed, exit the lounge without incident, went to walk out of the kitchen when there above the door jamb was yet another huntsman. This one was not nearly as big so decided the bedroom doors can stay open tonight. Anyway I'm about to get into bed when I look up (since the night before I am now in the habit of looking up whenever I enter a room in my home) & suddenly before I can stop it this low moan which gradually gets louder is coming out of my mouth (we are talking around 2am here). Hubby is woken from what he tells me was quite a deep sleep to find me leaping onto the bed & pointing in the direction of the top of the wall (we by the way have rather high ceilings in this old little Cottage of ours. He looks up to see what I can only presume is Mama Huntsman looking down at us! Me well I have broken out into the usual sweat, shaking & nearly screaming at him to KILL IT. *It wont really hurt you you know* he tells me...... *The bleep it wont hurt me, its doing a pretty good job of it right now, please please please just kill it* So off he goes to get the spray (leaving me in the room alone with the thing) comes back with both spray & fly swatter, gives it a good blast when to my complete horror it drops down onto the floor. Thinking his work was over Mr MP&CC starts to get back into bed. *WHAT do you think you are doing I scream really getting quite hysterical by this stage, *Oh I think I go it* he says, *Well if you got it where

is the body then* asks I. I get THAT look as he gets on all fours looking for it. *Must have gone under the bed* says he, that was it that was the last straw, was about to get off the bed & start to pull it out from the wall when once again out of the corner of my eye I see these yucky long furry legs coming up from the back of my bedside table. Screaming even louder now (oh yeah its about now that Taska is woken & comes running in to see what the matter was) jumping back onto the bed, hubby sprints across the room fly spray & swatter in hand & lunging at it sprays & hits it until it is finally dead. Looking at me he knows what I was about to say next so before I can say anything he scoops it up, dashes out the front door where I hear him saying* The ants can eat you now*. All signs of tiredness by this time had disappeared so there I was

laying in bed (looking all around the top of the room) in the end I read until after 3am before I can get to sleep. This morning I came across the smaller one I had seen last night about to go into my sewing room, Mr MP&CC once again assisted in getting rid of it for me. See the trouble is

if I see one & it happens to be a big one then I just know that its mate is around somewhere & if there are two of them well then it stands to reason that there are going to be heaps & heaps of babies which eventually will grow into big ones & the cycle just starts all over again. I think I am going to have to make a little carry bag or something to put the spray in so I can keep it very handy in case some more of these monsters decide to set feet past either of my verandas which is of course forbidden.

Have I told you our Bonnie had three little *boys* who are now just over 3 weeks old. Will take some photos of them tomorrow so you all can take a peek at them.

Well it is late & I am taking longer to write this due to the fact that every second or so I am checking out the walls for you know what.

Hoping you are all having a Spider free day or night....

A stunning Give-A-Way.....

2009-11-23T12:14:00.003+11:00

Rebecca at http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/ is having another Give-A-Way which is open until 6/12/09 US time. Below is the beautiful cushion one very very lucky Lady somewhere out there is going to win....ohhhhhh I just hope it's me, I mean I REALLY want to win this one....

So if you want to be in the running to win pop on over & leave Rebecca a comment on her posts, believe me when you have visited once you will keep going back for more...

I sopose I should wish everyone good luck but na like I said I REALLY want this one...

Sweet Chrissie Wall Hangings....

2009-11-10T08:48:00.004+11:00

Just a quicky today as the hall is quietly telling me it needs another coat of paint applied to it & the dreaded picture rails are being a bit more vocal telling me they haven't had a coat of paint yet!
So thought I would show you guys what I made on Sunday.... took a break from the painting & made these sweet chrissie wall hangings.... what do you think, will list them tonight...

Little pearl beads have been sewn on to decorate the sweet tree with rhinestones placed as Chrissie baubles....

Rachel Ashwell fabric used for the chrissie stockings, little *jingle bells* ribbon bows & rhinestones have been sewn on....

Ok so a few of you guys have asked for photos of my painting, this was taken yesterday of the hallway, the darker green looks a bit lighter than it actually is. I love the green on the walls but after 10 years of constant washing it has faded & lost its *fresh* look. My Darlin' was a bit upset to see this colour go which surprised me as he has always left the picking of colours to the painter of the house *me*. Anyway its coming along nicely & am hoping to get the walls finished today & some of the picture rails started......

Oh & before I forget our Government in their wisdom have decided this time to give flood relief payments out to the poor souls affected by the floods last week, it made my day....

Wishing you all a great & prosperous day....

Am away Painting....

2009-11-08T14:45:00.003+11:00

I have been away for over a week now have been flat out painting! I started in the bathroom & have just finished Dylan's room which has gone from *pink* it was originally Taska's room, to cream with white picture rail, skirting boards etc. Looks so much fresher & lighter. Have now started on the hallway & all the rooms will be the same colour. I had forgotten how time consuming doing the picture rails were, 3 coats on the walls is no problem but 3 coats of cutting in with a tiny brush can get very back breaking! I have also painted the furniture in his room white & left drawers & doors in the wood grain.... looking good I have to say....
Our Bonnie had 3 little pups all boys this time & cannot get over how fast they are growing.
Friday was a day of hell in Coffs Harbour, for the FIFTH time this year we flooded again, reporting 294mm of rain in just 24 hours. I cannot tell you just how terrifying it is to race around putting as much stuff up as possible & then just having to *wait & watch* the water rising hoping that the rain will either stop or at least ease off so the ground can soak up the swimming pool that is now our yard. A Fire Engine suddenly turned up outside our front yard with the local CES guys going door to door to see if anyone wanted to be evacuated, nobody left their homes I guess we were all determined to stay & try & keep the water out. We were lucky this time, the rain finally did ease off a bit so the drains could handle the huge volume of water, it had got 1/2" from coming into our Garage again. A lot weren't so lucky. In Gundagai Street where I live quite a few homes flooded, Bray Street looked like a war zone with cars swept away after the creek broke its banks, Gundagai Place where people had only moved back into their homes on Thursday after the March 31st floods only to be flooded once again, it truly is heart breaking. Park Beach Plaza our largest shopping centre which only celebrated 30 years of trading last week was also flooded, as was the city centre. A close friend of ours down the road had a leak in his roof which resulted in the entire ceiling in his kitchen caving in! Yesterday the rain eased even stopped for a while but today it is back, to be honest I think we have all seen enough. So I am now left wondering if our Federal Government will provide Flood Relief for those who have been affected once again, so far the citizens of Coffs Harbour have not seen one cent while other towns & cities affected by natural disasters have, I think it is time they showed support for us up here it will get to the stage where Insurance Companies will not be able to afford to keep paying out.

So I will be away for a while while I get my painting finished......

Hoping you are all having a great weekend...

xxx

Waiting for the new additions to arrive & the Winner is....

2009-10-30T14:26:00.002+11:00

Hi all you lovely Ladies out there hope you are all having a great day..... Well I am actually a day late with this post to announce the winner of my latest give-a-way so without any more ado, the winner is.......

The beautiful *Miss Ali* at http://adregan.blogspot.com/ . I'll be emailing you soon for your address Sweet......

I managed to get another Christmas Stocking made yesterday, this one is made from a beautiful now discontinued Bark cloth fabric, ivory coloured raw silk & a *Mary Rose* print....

It has a white jingle bell & pink ribbon sewn on the toe & a pink satin ribbon sewn on the side up the top. Am really enjoying making these it has been so long (well actually one year) since I made any......

Our beautiful *Miss Bonnie* has gone into Labour today, I found her in the backyard *nesting* this morning so she is now in her bed really looking miserable, poor baby know just what she is going through. Will let you all know when her pups arrive....

Wishing you all a great weekend....

First Christmas Stocking.....

2009-10-28T15:26:00.003+11:00

Hi all have been busy the last few days making a start on my Christmas Stockings to list on ebay & on my website. The first one I have completed is this sweet blue & cream one (has been a real yuck day here so needed my flash on so has come out looking blue & white).....

The front & back have the same *Norfolk Rose* by Waverly, on the front has been sewn Vintage cream cotton lace.....

A pretty blue & white toile has been used for the ruffle at the top....

Inside is another pretty blue print used for the lining....

Oh & today is the last day for my give-a-way, the winner will be announced tomorrow....

Have a great night.....

My Latest Creation.......

2009-10-25T11:54:00.004+11:00

Yesterday I showed you all the photo below regarding the new creation I had made. I have had this rambling around in my head for quite some time now & decided it was time to see if it would work. Ok so here are some of the materials I used......

Which I used to turn into this.....

Added some *sparklies* around the dress, burnt my finger prints off using the glue gun, first time in several years & I had forgotten just how hot they get.....

Added a piece of baby pink ribbon to hang this sweetie up, left her over night to see if it all stayed in one piece & what do you know it has worked....

A *MP&CC* original *Christmas Angel Wall Hanging*. So all morning I have been trying to list her on Ebay, boy it has been a long time since I put a listing on there I have forgotten how to go about it! So let me know what you all think....

Hope you are all having a great weekend...

What do you get when.......

2009-10-24T16:39:00.003+11:00

What do you get when you have a Artist Blank Canvas, a piece of Mary Rose (tm) fabric, the beautiful Rose Tea Garden & a stunning Rachel Ashwell pink self embossed velvet fabric plus a glue gun???

Well right now I have no finger prints left due to the fact that it has been sooooo many years since I have used a hot glue gun & quite forgot just how hot they get (could commit any crime right now & get away with it) so writing this post is proving to be quite painful! Next post you will see just what it is that I have spent the last couple of days making (if it passes the test).

Hope all you Ladies out there are having a creative weekend & still have your finger prints....

An Apology,Grand Opening & A Give~A~Way.....

2009-10-21T12:52:00.005+11:00

I feel I need to give a HUGE APOLOGY to all you lovely Ladies out there for neglecting you the past few weeks & also for not replying to the ladies who gave advice to me regarding the trouble I was having setting up my website. Well I am thrilled to let you all know it is now up & running thanks to the beautiful Miss Ali who went in fixed all the stuff ups I made & also set it up for me so I could set it out how I wanted.... So THANK YOU SO MUCH MY SWEET FRIEND....

http://www.mypinkandcreamcottage.com/

Do you all know how excited I am, can you feel the excitement in the air? I honestly cannot tell you just how happy I am to have FINALLY started this new journey in my life am jumping up & down with joy here. So I want to spread that joy & am having a Give~A~Way to celebrate my grand opening & it is Ta DAAAA....

Another of my Tu Tu Lavender Sachet Holders......

This one is a sweet green one with pink roses.....

While tucked inside is another little sachet chocker full of 100% pure Lavender buds & smelling so yummy....

So here's all you have to do to be in the draw to win...

1.... Follow my blog.

2.... Leave a comment on any of my posts between now & 28th Oct.

3.... Add the link to my website on your blog.

So for one of the above one entry goes in so if you already follow my blog then you already have an entry in OK!

That's it so when you have the time pop on over & have a browse through my new shop ohhhh how exciting is it....

Have a great day everyone....

Hugs & kisses...

Ooops I didn't realise until I had published this post that the button link to my website above didn't work so have put in a link below it, there is also a link on my sidebar......

HELP PLEASE.........

2009-10-13T14:53:00.003+11:00

OK so please can someone, anyone out there.........HELP ME PLEASE..... I am honestly going insane here.... for days I have been setting up my Website & I keep loosing EVERYTHING...... as soon as I finish a page it just all disappears.......WHY is this happening ??????????? I am very close to THROWING my Computer out the window....... bursting into tears....throwing a tantrum.... you name it......Why am I finding this SO hard when other Ladies out there do it all the time....surely it should be a BREEZE, shouldn't it...... OK time to calm down YET AGAIN...... relax, walk away & have another go later..........

Hoping your day is a LOT better than mine......

How To Dance In The Rain......

2009-10-12T11:19:00.003+11:00

I recieved this email this morning from my bestest friend Anna & just had to share it with you all I Kinda think it says it all.....

How To Dance In The Rain.....
It was a busy morning, about 8:30,
When an elderly gentleman in his 80s arrived
To have stitches removed from his thumb.
He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.
On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late.He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, But I still know who she is.' I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought,'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'True love is neither Physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

Wishing you all a great day...

Lyn xxx

Do you ever have those days.......

2009-10-10T17:16:00.007+11:00

Ok so tell me *do you ever have those days where NOTHING goes right*. Oh I hear you all saying *yep have them...so here's the deal....the cushion I posted about making, you know the one with the candle wicked butterfly, well after a lot of serious thought as to how I was to turn it into a work of art... we are talking days here... it has been banished to my *to do later when I have more patience* box! I had decided I wanted to keep it fairly plain, didn't want to take away from the butterfly which was where all the work had gone into after all, so decided on a cream raw silk fabric for the border, fine not a problem, then came the ruffle...grrrrrr... I choose a creamy white plain fabric & set to making. Now you have to understand here I am not a fan of making ruffles, to me they are VERY time consuming as I have to pull the threads by hand and there has been many a time when I have nearly had them finished when *twang* the thread breaks & its back to the sewing machine! After this happening 3, yep THREE times, I finally had it all pinned in place ready to sew (I do have to mention here that by this stage I was VERY lucky to still have a sewing machine after considering throwing it through the window, around my sewing room or dumping it in the rubbish bin!) I set to & sew away, then over lock all around. YES I pat myself on the back (something I shouldn't really do until completely finished I have since learnt) now to cut out the back. SHOCK HORROR..... dare I say it.... not all the ruffle was sewn to the border....if you are a sewer then you KNOW how the person who invented the over locker (although one of the best inventions ever) failed to come up with a super duper quick way of unpicking once a mistake has been made..... hence the banishing! If there is one thing I know about myself (I have mentioned before the key to good sewing is patience) although I have become better with age, I knew when to admit i was BEATEN!

Ok can it get any worse... you bet your bottom dollar it can.... my goal was (as I have also mentioned in an earlier post but has my mind is by now getting very haggled as to which post it was) to have my Website up & running this month I took all the photo's, re sized them, did the write up, (once again talking hours here & to all you lovely Ladies out there who have their own Website I take my hat off to you) put in the photos, saved, on to the next one, FINISHED, Whooo Hooo, had to take a sneak peak before I activated......... Noooooooooooooooooooo. come on this is not happening, was I that BAD in my past lives?????? What the?????????? the write was fine as for the photos.... toooo big, toooo small, not where I placed them, some not even there, some two of, so what have I done WRONG..... I followed all the instructions honest I did.....

One of my Listings.....

Another listing.......

Yet another......

My all time FAVOURITE...

So I have just one more word to say here...... HELP.............

Well maybe just a few more..... Where on earth would we be without laughter..... this post is not a whinge it is telling myself although things do not always work out as planned....*laughter is the best medicine*.....

Wishing you all a great weekend & hey if things do not work out for you, take a deep breath, do the UMMMMMMM thing, relax, there is always tomorrow.....

Ok lastly I want to thank you lovely Ladies out there who left encouraging comments to me regarding my son Ryno, they are greatly appreciated

He did it.........

2009-10-08T12:47:00.005+11:00

My Sweet boy Ryno took a trip to his Mum's homeland late last month spending 10 days down at Queenstown. He did the usual *snowboarding*, went on the *shot over jet* took a helicopter flight but the thing I think he enjoyed doing most was...........

......doing the *134 metre* Bungy jump! I have to tell you I have always wanted to do this & know quite a few people who have jumped off the tall bridges down at Queenstown but this one well I don't think so..... honestly think I would be holding on for dear life not to jump out!

He has always seemed to know no fear right from the start so I shouldn't have been surprised when he showed me the video of this Bungy jump, I wasn't until I saw the 134 metre drop sign!

The photo above shows how far down the river below is!!! maybe this jump is not for me....

Ryno in his element... really lovin' every minute of it.... after an adventure packed holiday he came *home* for 5 glorious days, I treasure any time I have with him since his big move to the other side of Oz, only to find the day he left Perth to fly to Sydney to fly to NZ, his gorgeous girlfriend Chloe broke off their relationship. To say he is devastated is putting it mildly, to say I am devastated is also putting it mildly I honestly thought they would get married, he just seems so lost now, all the plains he had made for his future included Chlo & now, well, what??? it had been a long time since I saw my boy (actually at 23 nearly 24 he's a man) cry, & I couldn't do anything for him, in the past I could always fix things with a kiss & heaps of cuddles, that doesn't work anymore, it does not help the pain go away & the hardest thing is that he is over there all by himself..... I just really want him to come home..... if you have read my posts on Ryan before then you will know that he has always been so so special to me.......

If you are lucky enough to have your family around you... kiss & cuddle them every day...

OK Perhaps Just One More.......

2009-09-22T14:47:00.003+10:00

I think I mentioned a couple of posts ago how quite a few of the items I had made for my Website had walked out the door most to be given as birthday pressies to friends of Taska's which is why among other reasons I am so far behind in opening my site up....OK so I have now given myself a date (it will be the start of October) as I have also realised it is going to take me quite sometime to upload everything not to mention that fact that I honestly have no idea how to go about this, should be interesting huh, but I AM up for the challenge! plus I still feel that there isn't quite enough items yet to put on....
Years ago I made some cushions & a quilt when I first learnt how to Candlewick... I love this peaceful form of embroidery... anyway the cushions were given away, the quilt I still have but it really needs new fabric placed around all the squares, will keep you posted on that when I get it done. Anyway the other day I came across a square I hadn't used so have decided that *perhaps just one more* cushion for the site!.......

A sweet Butterfly made in a cream cotton onto a white cotton fabric, perhaps for a little girl....

Satin stitch used for the body & inside the wings.......

Cannot remember how many *French Knots* I made, quite a few believe me.....

At the four corners tiny flowers & leaves have been embroidered, hours & hours of work that I just soooooo enjoyed doing, perhaps should do some more......

Thanks for popping over to visit oh & sorry about the last photo it really isn't all that clear, when I have made the cushion up will take some piccies to show you....

Have a great day.....

Where I Create.......

2009-09-20T18:47:00.005+10:00

Ooooops I forgot quite a while ago I promised to show piccies of my new sewing room... sooooooo here they are, better late than never..... I love this room, I honestly do.... although the size has not changed, it is still little more than closet size, I have a lot more space than before... no more yellow walls instead rich cream, no more fabric piled high on the floor where I no longer had any idea what fabric I had, laces, trims, doilies, braids, ribbons, sewing needles, bits & bobs all in there own marked boxes, even a box labelled *things you can't find* it really is bliss....

The photo above shows my new sewing bench.... no longer are my sewing machine & over locker crammed together on a tiny sewing table..... I even have room for my Laptop, on the left in its new grey *Belkin* case, newly painted white stool with the ever so *bum* friendly cushion, even more bliss....

Above is the *memory* board I made up with a couple of family photos, vintage lace trims, two hearts with *forgive & dream* written on them, hand made fringing I made years ago which took hours & hours to make, a newly finished pot mitt patiently waiting for its partner to be completed, a luggage tag from my last trip home, heart lavender sachet I made waiting for a ribbon bow to be placed on it & lastly a business card I made up just sitting there as I'm not sure it's quite right yet.....

A close up of my *Memory Board* made from a gorgeous soft green fabric with pink roses & rose buds scattered all over, pale pink ribbon. A cute tiny teddy with a pink bottle & a pink bon bon hang near my business card, heart sachet filled with lavender & a pretty frill across the front, pacific blue luggage tag.....

Hand made fringing, hours of pulling threads from fabric, vintage laces & a sweet *forgive* sign...

A shelf full of some of my creations, hopefully these will not walk out the door to be given as birthday pressies to my daughters friends, although I must admit am very flattered that they were even considered good enough & special enough to be given........

I love the black & white boxes they are actually white fabric with black velvet. I bought these before I went home & found I didn't have enough.... went to buy more & of course the shop was sold out of them so had to settle for the white ones.... will keep an eye out for more though...

My sister bought me the beautiful frames that are placed either side of the one & only window, below this one I painted & placed the word love.....

On the other side I painted & placed the word *create* right above my sewing machine, (boy does that machine know how to create) I just have to look up & there is the one word that means so much to me..... loving the roses on the calender as well..

A black & white photo of Ryno when he was quite a bit younger, painted *diva* sign......

On top of what was once a tallboy in my sons room which has been given a new coat of paint & now holds even more fabric, sits a sweet little box I painted cream & pink & have place vintage flowers in, on top sits a miniature sewing machine, candle holders & to the left under the shelf is my *Keep Calm & Carry On* sign..... on the wall above the shelf I placed *inspire* sign, the white painted mannequin sits waiting for me to dress her, love the blue glass jar next to her.....

My old tallboy packed full of fabric......

Bottom section of shelves, the little mini recycling bins have fabric scrapes in them, the large plastic bag above is chocker full of the most delicious smelling lavender, above to the right are my favourite books.... complete Rachel Ashwell *Shabby Chic* - how good is her new one have read & reread it already - At home with White - thank you Rebecca for putting me on to such a great book I love it - & others.....

So there you have it my new sewing room, it is not quite finished yet one thing I really need is a clock in here but for now I am just loving the time I spend it here, it makes sewing such a pleasure.....

Let me know what you think....

Of Sewing,Face Serum & My Favourite Colours.......

2009-09-18T14:49:00.005+10:00

The other day was one of those days you know the sort where everything just seems to go wrong from the moment you open your sleep filled eyes... well that was me. I was finishing off a cushion I was making & if there is one thing I learnt early on when making cushions it was NEVER EVER cut the back out until you are ready to sew it on.... ok so this day was no different, cut out the first back only to find it too small. measured it again, re cut it only to find too small again, oh come on what is going on here the measurements were right. I was getting pretty hot under the collar by this stage even considered turfing it when I looked over to my wall & saw hanging there the words..... Keep Calm & Carry On...... how true these five little words are, so measured yet again, cut & what do you know.... perfect fit. I have always believed that things come in three's.... so was not at all surprised to find the other day that the packets of serum hiding in the back of my bathroom cupboard that I thought I had bought for my face quite awhile back & began applying every night before bed.... were in fact on a closer look.... for my hair!!!! Written in tiny writing on the little bottles was the description of how *soft* the hair would feel after application & the brilliant shine that would be achieved! Have to admit the same can now be said for my face.... yes it is a lot softer although the shine has disappeared by morning! After a bit of consideration I have come to the conclusion that no harm has been caused & as I have had all my hair chopped off super short again.... well my face needs it more than my hair...... Am still waiting for the 3rd little mishap to happen.....
Yesterday I decided to make a cushion cover for the stool in my sewing room, made of wood it can get very hard under bum so went through my stash of fabric looking for the *right* shade of faded soft *blues* *pinks* & *greens*...... finally remembered the fabric I bought last year to use in my bedroom & set to cutting & sewing.....

A sage & white stripe was used for the back ties & the all round frill........

I love the soft mutted colours of this fabric..... it reminds of the the fabric that was around when I was young used for dresses, pinnies, cushion covers & tablecloths......

The end result, am loving it with the stool that was once wood stained & I painted white... taking pride of place in my sewing room......

Wishing you all a great weekend......

A Gathering of Thoughts is having a Give-A-Way....

2009-09-17T08:34:00.005+10:00

If you have not visited the very Sweet Miss Rebecca over at http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/ then you are in for a real treat when you do! I have followed Rebecca's creations from *afar* for years now first when I found her selling her wares on ebay all those years ago & still to this day I marvel at just how talented this special Lady is.....

The stunning pale *PINK* Christmas Stocking you see below is Rebecca's latest offer for her Give-a-way, but I'm going to be honest here & tell all you Ladies out there *THIS ONE IS MINE*! it would look so at home with the gorgeous chrissie decorations I bought from her a couple of years ago but hey it wont hurt to leave a comment on any of her posts dating from September 10th through to the 19th September, you never know your luck......

So Miss Rebecca think I've now done everything now to make sure I have heaps of entries just to be on the safe side, I just sooooooo want this......

Sometimes you just shouldn't look back......

2009-09-15T14:21:00.002+10:00

A couple of Sundays ago I travelled down the east coast of the South Island, New Zealand, from Nelson to Christchurch with my brother & sister in law in order to catch my flight back to Oz the next day. It had been around 28 years since I had last made this journey & to be honest I had forgotten just how *breathtaking* the scenery is. New Zealand is the youngest country on this earth after making her grand entrance by rising out of the sea, a land that has huge Mountains, beaches made of both white & black sand, unique animals & birdlife & scenery that to me is the closest you will ever get to heaven.....
So the day started off with rain it was cold & to most probably a real miserable late winter day but I loved every minute of that drive as it brought back so many happy memories of my childhood. When I was young all those years ago (hahaha) my family would drive up to a place called Blenheim for the Summer school holidays & as my Mum & Dad usually had their time off work in January I sometimes spent my birthdays away which I loved. We always stayed with friends of my folks Bob & Hazel Stagg while in Blenheim a couple who I grew to love like my second parents. Their house was built on a very large block of land which on one side had rolling lawns which led down to a river. Fruit trees were out the back, sometimes in the mornings we would go & collect muscles which Hazel would place into a huge pot of boiling water on top of the stove, real lazy hot summer days & at night the record player was turned right up & I loved to watch the adults dancing away in the lounge. Innocent days when it was still ok to smoke inside (boy was there some nicotine of them there walls) & seeing for the only time in my life the most humongous fiery red setting sun. Both Hazel & Bob are now long gone but their house is still there, such a sad run down little house with houses built where the rolling lawns use to be, even out the back has been built on.....

So on we travelled seeing the amount of vineyards where farms used to be just blew me away millions & millions of grape vines, the Cob Cottage I use to love seeing just before you get into Blenheim, the hills towering on both sides of the road dotted with sheep which really got me wondering how on earth they got up such rugged country, the lambs in the paddocks surely born too early to survive the cold winds, but survive they do, & seeing my favourite black faced white bodied sheep just pure joy. (Yep I have to admit here I'm a big lover of sheep!) Then round a bend in the road & my breath is taken away by the sight of the hills still capped with snow, how I had forgotten their beauty even on this overcast day is just beyond me, I couldn't take my eyes off them....

Varying off the highway we went in search of our Great Grandmothers (Nan as us kids called her, an amazing Lady who lived to be quite a few years over 100 & who I adored to visit each summer) home in Hapuku, became lost, rang our Mum to find we were nowhere near where we were supposed to be, finally finding it & also finding it was a lot closer to the sea than either of us remembered as kids, Shirlene & I laughing our heads off as we stumbled over the cattle grate at the front of the driveway in high heeled boots, holding on to each other in case our foot caught, taking that walk down the driveway, hoping another piece of my past wasn't left rundown, a smile as I see although not as grand as that home once was it still had a small piece of the large wrap around veranda standing, a new coat of paint, boxes in rooms waiting for the new owners to unpack, the stables out back still standing, as was the huge hedge out the front, the little house my Great Aunt & Uncle used to live in, gardens although also not as grand but making a comeback, & I felt that these people whoever they are would hopefully restore her back to her former beauty. Walking on further down the back we found a large pond someone had put in down the back & that this which was once where my Mum used to ride my Nans horse *Janetta* was now up for sale. Oh to have the money to buy this little plot of land, this little piece of my families memories....

No one was home the day we came to visit which was a shame as I would have loved to have seen inside again, what I could see through the French doors & windows still seemed the same just had new paint on the walls...

So down the road a ways we go to where my Great Aunty Lily used to live, a gorgeous little cottage which was once I think if my memory serves me right painted a pale blue & white, the house that from a very early age decided for me I just had to one day own my own little Cottage, & there before me was the second shock of the day... what stood there now was the same house but painted a hideous green & also in great need of some TLC... sometimes you just shouldn't look back.....

Back onto the highway with the sea *right there beside you* I searched for the roadside stalls I remembered where you could buy Crayfish for $1 each, no longer there but I bet if they were the $1 price tag wouldn't be, stopping to see the Sea lions on the rocks & wondering how on earth the ones in swimming weren't pounded onto the rocks, then driving into Kaikoura for a spot of lunch. So tell me did you have Fish & Chips wrapped in Newspaper when you were a kid??? I know I did & the thrill of ordering mouth watering *Groper & Chips* was only out weighed by finding them wrapped in Newspaper when cooked. I think there were a few fellow customers there that day that wondered about the sanity of the Lady squealing with delight - another cherished memory. Looking for my Great Aunty Pearl & Uncle Bob's home which we mixed the street up & thought had been pulled down but found out from my Mum when I got back that it was still standing one street over from where we were looking, maybe I was spared another rundown house to witness, who knows. Also missing seeing our only surviving relative in Kaikoura, our Great Aunty Dorie who is now in her nineties nearly blind & living by herself, a Lady I would dearly have loved to have seen just once more....

Driving over the Hundalea's the hills that as a child I would always *throw up in the back seat of the car* & laughing to myself that they really were nothing to get sick over, on & on until with night falling I catch the sight of the Summit Hills surrounding Christchurch, the twinkling lights of this beautiful City, my City where I was born & brought up for the first 16 years of my life, a City I have loved, still do but now find it too cold in winter to ever be able to live there again, & sadly I realise that this very special journey is coming to an end, that tomorrow brings an 3.45am rise to get to the Airport & then a very long day of travel until I finally arrive back in Coffs at 10.30pm that night, but it also shows me how giving my brother & sister in law are, they too rise at 3.45am, take me to the Airport & then have a long day of work in front of them. The flight back always sees me in tears, leaving my family is always gut wrenching & although this visit was not under good circumstances that days travel I will always cherish & now realise ok so somethings have changed my memories never will....

Wishing you all a great day.....

A Special Little Lady Called Cindy.........

2009-09-11T08:31:00.002+10:00

Last Thursday was a sad day in my Mum & Dads home as they had to have their little Australian Terrier *Cindy* put down due to bladder cancer. She has brought my folks so much joy over the years that she lived with them & was quite a character having quite a stubborn streak in her but very loyal & loving......

Their Vet came around to their home to put her to sleep something I have never heard of before (except in cases of horses etc) & took her body away to be cremated. He will also be bringing the ashes back to Mum & Dad & has told them not to be in any hurry in making payment..... to find a man who knows what they are going through at the moment due to this loss is a true blessing, & is what more Vets should do. She was in no pain but the bleeding had become quite bad so the time everyone was dreading had arrived.....

Thank goodness for memories huh..... oh & compassionate Vets!

Hope your loving YOUR special member of your family today.....

For the love of a Dad... Part Two............

2009-09-02T13:41:00.005+10:00

On August 4th I made a very hurried trip back home leaving at 12am & arriving in Wellington at 11.30pm! My beloved Dad had been flown from Nelson to Wellington Hospital by Air Ambulance the day before to have a MRI scan on his heart to see whether a mass that was found on his heart was Cancer, which thankfully was not. We all thought he would be having a triple Bypass that week but due to a meeting between Specialists in Nelson & the Surgeons at Wellington Hospital which was not scheduled until the Friday the wait was on! Finally on Friday we received the news the day of the Op would be Monday 10th & although my family were apprehensive my Dad just wanted it all over with. Saturday the Doctors discovered where he had had an Angieo Plast before leaving Nelson & was quite swollen had turned into an Aneurysm & every time he moved was leaking blood. He was taken to have a Scan done as they felt there was a good chance if left he could loose his leg & were looking at Surgery. The decision was in the end to leave it until the Bypass Op & do the two at the same time but also meant that my Dad was very limited in his movements.

7am Monday morning & Mum & I were at Dads side to go down to the theatre with him. After a six hour operation we were told Dad had had a 5 bypass which was quite a shock to both of us & the Aneurysm removed. We had to wait around another hour or so while he was hooked up to all the machines in the ICU before we were finally allowed in to see him. I knew what to expect as a brother in law of mine had had a triple bypass 10 or so years ago but I was real worried how my Mum was going to handle seeing the love of her life hooked up to a life support machine with a large tube down his throat along with all the other tubes going in & out of him. Although I could see she was upset by how my Dad looked her inner strength came through as always in order for her to handle what lay ahead. That first visit on Monday was short & sweet we had been told before hand all the things that could go wrong & also what to expect over the next 5 days, one day in ICU, 2 days in ICU step down then back to the ward where he would be discharged 5 to 6 days after the operation. Yeah Right! The day after the op what they class as *Day 1* the patient is awake & off Life Support, sitting in a chair, eating etc. In my Dads case he had not woken & was still hooked up to the Life Support machine, obviously not sitting in a chair or eating. Day 2 (Wednesday) he was awake with very slurred speech, very restless, in pain, couldn't coordinate his hands but off Life Support. It had never entered my head that he would not pull through this operation until that day. I had promised myself that I would not cry in front of either of my parents, they needed my support not to see me breaking down but when I looked at the state of this beautiful man that I love so so much I had this over whelming feeling that he was going to die & as I stood there the tears just flowed down my face. Well he did make it through that day & on into Day 3 (Thursday) where he looked even worse! The Doctor arrived to tell us that if there was no improvement in 2 days they would be doing tests for the possibility of Dad having suffered a stroke or fluid on the brain neither of which we needed to hear! For me there was no chance of him having suffered either, having pulled through the day before I just knew he was going to be fine just needed a bit longer than others to get over the op. This was the day however that my Mum cried to see that broke my heart as she felt that day she was going to loose Dad, he lay there in bed telling her not to cry & she made the excuse that she had hay fever! They had to take Dad off the Morphine this day as he was having very bad hallucinations one which we had a laugh about - he informed us he had a Mouse in his mouth another when he was telling the Nurse how sore his foot was he told Mum that *Louie Armstrong* hurt his foot! He also had a lot of bad side effects the worst was when he was given 2 drugs that reacted against each other which led to quite a nasty scene from my Dad, that is when they decided to take him off the Morphine! Day 4 (Friday) he was finally transferred to ICU step down where he was to stay for a day. This also turned out to be a longer stay than expected but at least to us he was improving but we knew that the discharge on the 5th day was not going to happen. Day 6 (Sunday) finally saw him back in the ward & on Day 9 (Wednesday) we all flew back in the Air Ambulance to Nelson Hospital. Once there he was put into isolation in case he had any bugs from Wellington Hospital & whereas at first he seemed fine had days where his breathing was difficult so was back on oxygen. it was discovered while in Wellington that he had fluid on his lungs & they tried to remove it by inserting a large needle via his back into the lungs to draw the fluid out. After the third go (should say VERY painful third go) they realised the fluid had moved so decided to leave it & rely on the tablets he was on to remove it. Because of this whenever he laid down the fluid would move back into his lungs therefore making it difficult for him to breath. Day 10 (Friday) Dad was discharged in the late afternoon much to his pleasure in all he been in hospital for 29 days! That night he spent sleeping in his chair after going to bed & waking to find once again he couldn't breath. Saturday my brother & sister in law arrived up surprising us all (great surprise) but also that night my Dad was rushed back into hospital with breathing problems again. All through this my Dad had been working out the days leading up to his birthday, he really wanted to be at home for it but Sunday 23rd August (his birthday) found him in hospital once again. Tuesday & he was home again, Friday was another trip back in. Saturday my sister surprised him by coming up & Saturday night we celebrated his birthday with party hats, blowers & a special *Fart* blower I bought for Dad that didn't work!!

My Dad's late 76th birthday Dinner with my sister Sue really getting into the *party* theme!

Sunday for me was a very sad day, I drove down to Christchurch with my brother Deane & sister in law Shirlene. I had been dreading this day (as I do whenever I go home to visit) but more so because I knew it meant my Mum & Dad were left by themselves & if anything happens to Dad Mum doesn't have any family support to help her out. Monday I was up at 3.45am (1.45am Aussie time) to get to the Airport to fly back arriving at Coffs Harbour at 10.15pm. I thought once back I would finally be able to let all the emotions I have kept inside for the past month to come out but apart from feeling very drained today (after spending yesterday cleaning flat out & looking after my poor Dylan who is off school with a very nasty bug) it hasn't happened yet!

I have to admit that my Mum & I did have times where we busted our guts laughing, like the time we went into Wellington & my Mum walked into a shop & missed the step & went crashing into the counter sending everything flying, then after looking at a new Mobile phone didn't put it back on the holder properly only to see it drop to the floor in front of every one she said *shit where the hell did that go* not something my Mum would normally say & something I missed as I was in the shop next door at the time. Also the time we were in ER with Dad when he was bought back into the hospital & we would only have to look at each other & crack up laughing, I suppose it was our way of letting the tension go.

I consider myself so VERY lucky to be married to Mr MP&CC, not once did he ask when I was coming home he knows how much I needed to be there for my Mum & Dad, he went to work every day, did all the washing & ironing & cooking & kept our family together, he to me is one in a million.

I also cannot thank the Nurses in Wellington Hospital enough they are the most amazing people I think I have ever met, their dedication is just incredible.

So now my Dad is on the long road to recovery, we have been told it will take up to 12 months before he is back to normal & although I have found quite a change in his attitude which at times was very hard to take I realise it is normal for Bypass patients to act this way, the main & most IMPORTANT thing being is he is still here & for that I am forever grateful......

Yes I am still alive........

2009-08-19T22:25:00.004+10:00

This is a real quick post as I have been up since 6am & it is now 12.29am the following day!! Ok so yes I am still alive I had to make a very rushed trip *home* as my Dad was sent up to Wellington hospital over a fortnight ago to have a heart bypass. The long & short of it is that he ended up having a five bypass plus a aneurysm removed which turned into a six hour operation. Today we finally flew back to Nelson where my Mum & Dad live so I have contact with a computer again.
Anyway will fill you all in soon have to get to bed......

Take care

Lyn xxxx

For the love of a Dad.........

2009-07-31T12:02:00.005+10:00

Good grief have I been away THAT long? I had planned that my next post would show all you very patient ladies out there my new sewing room, sorry but I promise they will be posted within the next few days. I'm not sure if I told you guys but when I went home in March to visit my family my Dad had a heart attack my second day there. On Monday I received a phone call from my Mum telling me that while my Dad was at Tai Chi he had another attack & was rushed by ambulance to hospital. On Wednesday he had tubes placed through his groin up into his heart & dye inserted to see how blocked his arteries are. Yesterday he had a camera inserted down his throat so the doctors could check out the back of his heart for any blockages. (Sorry both these have names but my brain seems to have a major block today) The outcome so far is that he has the surgeons stumped! If my Dad was a diabetic they could understand why he keeps having these attacks but he thankfully does not suffer from diabetes's. He has been wearing a patch since Monday which gives him a shot of Nitro Glycerin every time he has an attack, yesterday he had 3 bad attacks & another this morning. I have just got off the phone to my Mum & Dad the surgeons have now decided to fly them up to Wellington next week to have a MRI done of the heart as the results from the tests done yesterday show 3 tubes badly blocked, nerves in the wrong place & something on the heart which his specialist who has NO bedside manner at all said could possibly be cancer. After the MRI is done he will be having a bypass operation. I have spent this week painting any & everything in sight, find when I am upset or on edge it helps to relax me. I think the concentration needed stops my brain going over the bad stuff yah know??? Ok have to go the tears are coming again......

I've been AWOL.....

2009-07-19T23:25:00.005+10:00

Hi guys well I've been AWOL for a while but for a very good reason.... have finally got around to doing up my sewing room. The walls have been repainted, new carpet laid, cupboard repainted & have to say am just soooooooo pleased with how it is looking so far. All that's left to do now is for my Darlin' to make up my new shelves which I also have to paint & the new table top for my sewing machine & over locker to sit on. So while this has been going on I had to take everything out of the room of course & good grief you honestly should see my house I have *stuff* in my hallway, lounge & kitchen including the kitchen table which you cannot see..... really looking forward to getting my sewing room back not to mention the rest of my house.
Ok so that's it for now will be back when its all finished with photos OK.....

Lyn xxx

"What have you been buying now"

2009-07-11T16:36:00.005+10:00

I forgot to go & collect the mail yesterday after all I presumed there would just be more *bills* waiting in the mail box & to be honest here I am NOT the sort to *dance a jig* in pure glee because I received a bill - do you know anyone who does? So this morning my Darlin' goes out to collect the paper & finds the mail sitting in the box (we do not get mail delivered on a Saturday in Australia) so it was yesterdays mail he pulled out. He handed me a white envelope you all know the sort with the little window in the front.... & a small box addressed to me with the comment "what have you been buying now". So I'm standing there racking my brains *have I bought something that I have forgotten about* nothing sprung to mind so replied "I have not bought anything" his reply being "well you must have & forgotten (is possible) or it's something you bought a while ago & has taken awhile to arrive". I gave him my *what you don't believe me* look which really didn't come across all that well because I had a niggling feeling in the back of my mind maybe I had forgotten I bought whatever was tucked away inside the box! Only one thing to do right, open the parcel & prove him wrong! So getting a knife (was wrapped so well, almost as if *someone* didn't want it to be opened) I tore the paper to sheds to find a little box inside. After using the same knife again to cut more cellotape I eagerly opened it to find......

the most gorgeous little cupcake I have ever seen (sorry the photo is so bad but my batteries were running out so had to take the photos real fast). Looking inside the box for a note or whatever *nothing* only to hear a ah uh from my Darlin""you did buy something"! Ok now I admit as each month passes I am getting closer to the big five O but I knew & I mean I KNEW I had not bought a cupcake.... So back to the wrapper went I & although it was in pieces I managed to find out with this lovely came from... Kylie at http://abiteofcountrycupcakes.blogspot.com/ !

To say I was blown away is really putting it mildly I mean to receive this just right out of the blue what can I say......

Well first off a humongous THANK YOU & I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT wouldn't go amiss & this has just shown me yet again what great friends I have made on blogland how generous & kind people can be & how this is just the *icing on the cake* (yes pun intended here) for what to me has been a GREAT week!

So once again I say thank you Kylie (you picked a bad time to get over your busy school holidays lady) & honestly you have to have a look at her pretty pretty cupcakes they really are to die 4....

Hoping you all are having as great a weekend as I am...

Oh & as for the white envelope with the *window* still havn't got around to opening it....

About a Laptop, Two very special prints, & the Best SURPRISE.........

2009-07-10T15:34:00.003+10:00

Anyone who has a teenage daughter or son (not to mention an 8 year old as well) will know if there is only one computer in the house the line up involved in getting on the one & only computer in the house! to make this even more difficult in my home the computer is in my sewing room which as I have said before is little more than the size of a cupboard, therefore you can bet your bottom dollar whenever I need to get into sew someone is on the one & only computer so it becomes a case of *just forget it*! Soooooooooo I finally bit the bullet (hard to do in these financial times) & bought myself a Laptop.... now don't get me wrong I LOVE it but here's the thing it is so different to use no normal mouse to start off with & although I have a couple of spare ones floating around somewhere my pride is getting in the way here & telling me I have to learn how to get use to this one. The hardest thing though is getting use to how sensitive the keypad is, cannot say how many emails or comments on blogs I have written only to watch them disappear somehow????? But the main thing is I can now get the other computer out of my sewing room hopefully get everything out & give it a much needed paint to remove the *what was I thinking yellow paint* & then have it all to myself yesssss. I guess the main thing I cannot get over is just how flash it is, there are all these buttons & to be quite honest here have no idea what half of them do I have however worked out how to put my boys (U2) on here & its great that I just have to click on a button & they play straight away oh actually now that I come to think of it my other one has that as well but I never used it dah... I do know how lucky I am however to have my very own Laptop & smile at her whenever I look at her ohhhhhhhhh just lovin'it.

So now onto the pictures... the one above my Mum & Dad gave to me quite a few years as a pressie she is a famous print but this one is VERY special as all the gold on her dress, hair,shoes,dog & curtains glow when the light is shining on the print. Have been racking my brains as to what this is called but it has just escaped me for now starts with L???? Anyway I'm sure you all know what I mean & yes I will welcome any comments if you do know what it is called.

The picture above my Darlin' bought for me not long after I received my first one although different it has the same little girl in the same dress & same dog... just love them.

Ok so before I go I just have to tell you about the BEST surprise I received on Wednesday... my Ryno just walked in the back door out of the blue, wish you all could see my face right now the biggest smile you can imagine. I knew his gorgeous Chloe (partner) was coming for a short visit but when I asked Ryno if he was also coming back he said he didn't think so, so you can really imagine my surprise when they both walked in through the back door. Let me tell you although he is only here for a few days life just could not be any better right now....

Wishing you all a great weekend & honestly hope you are all walking around with a smile as big as mine on your beautiful faces...

Oh before I forget I want to thank everyone for their supportive comments on my last post I honestly appreciate all of them.....

Ok so am going before I have to rewrite anymore of this....

Pretty Maids all in a row & one big fat Whinge!....

2009-06-19T16:03:00.005+10:00

I spent the last two days making up some more of the little *Pretty Maids* lavender sachets & am pretty chuffed at how they turned out! Funny but while I was making them I thought to myself *I should have done this or I should have done that* but as I had cut them out all at the same time was too late but has given me new ideas for more...... so am gradually getting pretties made for my website!

I did in fact use *that* naughty word quite a lot while sewing them....(check out last post) they are in fact very fiddly to make... yah know how you do the top stitching & have all the pins around the top & they ALWAYS manage to spear you in the finger gotta tell you it REALLY hurts not to mention I was forever searching in case they drew blood! I am however very thankful that when I bought my new sewing machine last year (still loving her too) that she came with a free arm, just would not be without it, makes sewing around the tops oh so much easier not to mention when I make up cute little Christmas stockings!

So what is the *big fat whinge* you ask??? good grief it was actually several that I had today, the rain was the first pouring down in so called *Sunny Coffs Harbour* yet again, as if we have not had enough this year already, then there was this & that, not really worth mentioning now that I think about it but THE whinge of the year, month, week OK day is..... I bought a craft magazine today, the first I have bought in a couple of years & could not get over how bad & I mean BAD some of the (I was going to say creations but do not think they deserve to be called that) things! were made. To me if you are honoured by having your creations printed in a mag then they should be of the highest quality well not these babies, I guess well over 1/4 of the items were down right *dreadful*! I don't mean to sound nasty but honestly you tell me you pay all this money for a mag only to find the workmanship is very shoddy no thanks..... So there you have it my whinge for the whatever although it has taught me not to bother buying craft mags anymore....

Oh & hey think I'm entitled to 2 more whinges here... our not that old TV decided it had seen enough of this earth & simply died when it was turned on,lucky the Kids have a TV each & Mr MP&CC went out & bought another TV today & my not even a year old computer has decided to play up on me telling me I cannot update anything as *I am not connected to the internet* how can I get into my blog if I am not connected I ask you grrrrrrrr, I am not a happy chappy right now!

Now that I have got all that off my chest (yes I do feel better) I would now like to wish you all a great weekend...

A really useless bit of info about a naughty word.....

2009-06-18T13:13:00.004+10:00

I am flat out sewing at the moment was going to show some piccies of a few of my creations but it is raining up here in paradise AGAIN so the lighting isn't the best & the photos turned out well I am going to use that *naughty* word as my Mum use to say when she heard me saying it as a kid...shit, there you go I've said it....
So whats the useless bit of info I hear you all asking well it has to do with shit! A friend came around the other day & was telling me where this little word originated from, turns out back in the olden days - we're talking back to sailing ships time here - manure, fertilizer etc was stored right down the bottom of the ship due to the unpleasant stench & sadly a lot of ships caught fire, blew up whatever because of the *gases* found in the manure. After a while they got to thinking it would be safer to store this *load* on the decks, so to make sure this gassy cargo never ventured down into the ship they wrote S.H.I.T all over the containers which means: Ship High In Transit!
So there you have it now you know why *poo* is often referred to as *shit* & i suppose when you really think about it it is not a naughty or swear word is it, so all the times my Mum told me off I wasn't really swearing hahaha!

Hope you guys are all having a great day...

Oh nearly forgot to tell you, *we* have decided not to sell our little cottage, as a compromise the extensions we had planned to do will be a tad smaller than before, hey I will do anything to keep my little home...

OMG My Darlin' Wants To Sell..... NOOOOOOO....

2009-06-15T22:06:00.004+10:00

I had the shock of my life tonight, Mr MP&CC informed me he wants to sell our Pink & Cream Cottage! This little bit of info has really floored me, I LOVE my home, it is by no means palatial, in fact it is very small but I truly LOVE it, love where it is, love my neighbours (except for the neighbour from hell down the back) & do not want to SELL! So I am feeling very shell shocked right now & am really racking my brains as to how I can talk him out of this????? HELP!!!

Hope you are all having a good night & that your Darlin' has not decided he wants to sell your Cottage Chic home.....

Where did I put those needles & the winner is....

2009-06-11T10:49:00.002+10:00

I'm wondering why it is whenever your REALLY need something & I mean NEED here... your unable to go & get it. I have been sewing up a storm until late yesterday arvo when I broke my last 3 needles for my sewing machine (thought I had more but do you think I can find them anywhere) & to really top things off I ran out of cotton which I also thought I had more of! I can hear you all asking so why not just jump in the car & go & get some more???? well see the thing is although I am fast approaching my 50th year - 7 months & 11 days to go - I cannot drive a car..... We only have one fabric shop left in Coffs now which is Spotlight, & whereas it is only a 10 minute walk for me to town, where Spotlight is out at Park Beach I have to catch a bus (which only go on the hour every hour & it was getting time for Dylan to arrive home from school) & what only takes 20 minutes tops to get there, grab what I need if I don't have a look around which is what ALWAYS happens when I go to Spotlight - remember it is the only fabric shop left here - & get back home, it would take 3 hours if I take the bus! Now I realise most of you Ladies out there will be horrified that I cannot drive (I DO have my L's) I have always had a fear of driving don't ask me why just do. My Darlin' took me out a few times last year to the Uni here & I had not problem driving in the car park there but as soon as he suggested driving on the road leading to the car park, well just forget that, what leave my safe little car park (no cars parked there on a Sunday) just not happening I tell you!
So anyway back to the needles & cotton as tonight is late night shopping I have to wait until then to go to Spotlight so today I will be cutting out *stuff* instead of sewing which is really bugging me I can tell you.
Ok so I have had my little whinge for the day now to announce the winner of my giveaway..
Kylie from http://abiteofcountrycupcakes.blogspot.com/ its all yours so I'll be emailing you.

Thanks to everyone who left me a comment I really enjoyed doing this giveaway.

Hope you are all having a great day.

2009-06-10T12:01:00.004+10:00

Ok so just a short sweet & quick post today to remind everyone today is the last day to make a comment on any of my posts over the past week to go into the draw to win my 100th plus some Giveaway....

Hope you are all having a great day & if it is winter where you live & the cold weather has suddenly hit with a vengeance like it has here In Coffs Harbour, I hope you are all staying warm...

Oh & before I forget for another great giveaway pop on over to http://jonniesseriesse.blogspot.com/ can you believe Jonnie is giving away a gorgeous pincushion for her 61st birthday...what a great idea!

Loo Reno Part 2......

2009-06-08T14:05:00.005+10:00

A few posts ago I showed you guys a couple of photos of our Loo reno in progress well I am pleased to say it is finished, nothing that flash mind you but boy what a difference to how this little room use to look... but I forgot to take photos of the *before* oh well that's life huh! I vaguely remember posting a photo when the dunny we had was still back in the 19th century with the old cistern on the wall & my great joy of it coming down & at least the loo looked more into the 20th century. Well now I am proud to say we have finally hit the 21st century & am so pleased with the end result. Walls were painted, new *dunny* put in, lino pulled up & new tiles laid, new dunny roll, toilet brush & glass shelf installed, old (even though it was pink) falling down shelf removed, toilet door repainted, white blind put up & hey presto it's done.....

Ok I need to explain a bit about these two paintings... the one above I layby'd years ago when I was a single Mum & just after I met my darlin', anyway he paid it off for me & it along with 2 other oil paintings I had bought are my pride & joy. It had been hanging in our hallway but I never really liked it there so *The Little Hobbo* has found a new home in our Loo! The very talented artist who painted him did a *one only* so he is also very valuable now, Mr MP&CC was a bit horrified when I placed him above the loo but I did reason with him that he is *high enough* not to get *wet* if you get my drift.....

This sweet painting has always had its home in our loo, we bought it years ago for $2.00 at an auction the frame has always been a bit tatty & over the years I have pulled her down to paint the frame white but for some reason it just never felt quite *right* yah know??? I love the scene in this painting, the soft muted colours & especially the old tatty frame, would love to know its history....

Ok so above is the new glass shelf we put in, not happy with whats on it but hey there's plenty of time to find the *right* things to go here.... oh & the heart hanging down I love, I bought a set of these from the beautiful Miss Andrea at http://www.thepink-poodle.blogspot.com/ go & check out her blog & her ebay listings.....

The pickie above shows the great job Mr MP&CC did of the tiling, we couldn't get any more tiles that matched the floor to go along the bottom of the walls but hey who cares, they were only 25c each & I think they look great, my man has done a wonderful job especially for a *artist in burnt clay* - bricklayer!

I use to have my loo rolls on one of those stands, I had painted it a pale green (the same as the stool I painted in the previous post) with roses all over it, but never really liked it & this cane basket I have had since the beginning of time so gave her a coat of white paint & am quite amazed how many loo rolls she holds..(whoops should have put a new roll on the holder) The *L O V E * sign I also bought off Andrea, its my *Bit of Pink* in the loo. Have been thinking of buying *pink* loo paper how nice would it look, but to be honest it is too expensive just to flush away! Oh & the *help you on & off the Loo* thingy on the wall was there when we bought the house, & no I do not need to use it, was going to remove it but decided to leave it there after I cleaned it all up to hang something off it, just haven't decided what yet.......

So what do you think??? Have been thinking of putting some of my favourite mags in here but then again it is hard enough to get me out of this quaint little room as it is, I truly am in dunny heaven....

Of Fairies & a Stool.....

2009-06-08T09:15:00.005+10:00

I came across this little stool yesterday that has been standing quietly at the foot of the bed in Taska's bedroom & boy did it take me back.... I remember painting this for Taska when she was a wee little thing & I was decorating her bedroom. The walls were (& still are) painted cream on top, pink on the bottom, & she slept in a fairy wonderland! I bought her the ABC's frieze that went right around her walls with fairies all over them, made the curtains out of fairy material with a matching doona cover & pillow slip. Fairy ornaments were lovingly placed in every nook & cranny, I also painted her another stool with a fairy scene on it & heart shaped plaques with similar characters painted on them as the stool below.......

Funny yah know but I still remember painting this & just how long it took & even though it has pen marks all over the top it gave me a lot of pleasure to know Taska still uses this little stool & it hasn't been banished to a corner of her room, covered up with the mess that is on her floor like the fairy stool has. When Taska moved rooms I lovingly took all the fairy items down & although it did not surprise me that in their place the posters of favourite actors/musicians etc went up it did sadden me to realise my little girl was growing up & there never again would be a fairy theme in my home.....

The doona cover pillow slip & curtains are long gone, passed onto a girlfriends little girl who isn't so little anymore so maybe they are not being used but the ornaments & frieze have been lovingly packed away by Taska hopefully waiting to be bought out when it is her turn to decorate her daughters bedroom (oh not for a LONG time though!) Her room has gone through a few changes over the years at the moment it is at the start of a black & white phase which is lookin' good I admit, but the little stool remains & never fails to put a smile on my face..... it also made me realise how much I miss the craft I gave away so many years ago.... maybe its time to take it up again...

Hope you are all enjoying your long weekend... the weather is just glorious up here in sunny Coffs Harbour...

With heart felt thanks to two beautiful Ladies

2009-06-05T16:55:00.008+10:00

This is a very special post for me where I am giving thanks to two very special ladies in my life.... Ok so first I say thanks to Miss Ali... first for making my template for my oh so pretty blog, matching ebay template & *me* page... When I decided to start on a new journey & open a website (with the encouragement of so many of the lovely ladies out there) I emailed Ali & asked her if she would consider making a template to match my blog etc. To be honest I felt bad as Ali had decided to have a break from making her amazing creations & to top it off she is pregnant with her fourth child so I honestly did not expect to receive a YES from her. To my absolute delight Ali agreed to make my template PLUS a banner for my etsy site plus a few extras! If you go back to my first ever post you will see how I felt about the blog page, I was blown away as to how *pretty* it is & I still am, every time I log in I just sit & look at my page & the feeling ...well I cannot describe how I feel except to say I LOVE LOVE LOVE it & now I have the same oh soooooo *pretty* website! So my gorgeous (fellow Kiwi) Miss Ali http://adregan.blogspot.com/ I thank you with all my heart.... you have no idea what it means to me xxxxx

So above is as you all know my oh so pretty banner made by Miss Ali & now on to the second beautiful Lady I wish to give thanks to.... I have *known* Miss Rebecca for quite a few years now as she has always been in *My Favourites* in ebay right from the time I became a member. I always saved her stunning creations to my *watch* list & dreamed of making stunning creations like Rebecca made. I do not know if she remembers this but years ago I emailed her when I first thought about selling on ebay but felt what I created was not good enough & more or less just poured my heart out to her. I received an email back telling me to believe in myself & how she felt when she sold her first item on ebay. I have never forgotten her words to me, the encouragement she gave was what finally gave me the *guts*? to start selling. I have bought a couple of Rebecca's works of art & cherish them, Christmas items that are lovingly stored away each year & they still take my breath away when they are unpacked when it is time to decorate for Christmas, always taking pride of place in my home... Ok so I was reading Miss Reb's latest post this morning & could not believe it was about *Vintage Graphics* & how she uses them to make her creations. The thing is I have been trying to make cards up with my pretty banner & couldn't master it but after reading her post today I have finally *done it*...so thank you my oh so sweet Rebecca, once again you have put me on the right path towards my new journey... Go & visit Miss Rebecca http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/ Ooohhh & I forgot to say I have her blog open in a separate page just to listen to her beautiful music.. right now I listening to the theme from *Dances with Wolves*...

I have been putting off admitting to myself this but the two ladies who have had the most influence in setting me on my new path in life are both very religious.. something I have chosen not to be in the past... now I am feeling that they have been sent to me for a reason.. so maybe it my time to start believing....

So to these two very special Ladies & FRIENDS I say ...THANK YOU FROMTHE BOTTOM OF MY HEART & I LOVE YOU BOTH XXXXXX...

Oh & don't forget to leave a comment to go in the draw for my 100th giveaway.....

The Gift of Friendship......

2009-06-04T17:05:00.003+10:00

This is not the post I had intended to write today, guess that's how life works at times anyway I received an email from my dearest friend Anna today, actually one of quite a few emails, the ones she sends me are normally very funny as she seems to know I need that extra little something to keep me on track.... So back to the email well it contained a poem that was described as to give the reader *goosebumps* well it certainly did but it also brought the tears flowing & once again showed me how much this special lady loves me. So have a read & expect to receive goosebumps.....

A drunk man in an Oldsmobile.. They said had run the light.. That caused the six-car pileup.. On 109 that night.. When broken bodies lay about.. And blood was everywhere.. The sirens screamed out eulogies.. For death was in the air.. A mother, trapped inside her car..Was heard above the noise..Her plaintive plea near split the air.. Oh, God, please spare my boys! .She fought to loose her pinned hands.. She struggled to get free.. But mangled metal held her fast.. In grim captivity.. Her frightened eyes then focused.. On where the back seat once had been.. But all she saw was broken glass.. Two Children's seats crushed in.. Her twins were nowhere to be seen.. She did not hear them cry.. And then she prayed they'd been thrown free.. Oh, God, don't let them die!
Then firemen came and cut her loose.. But when they searched the back.. They found therein no little boys.. But the seat belts were intact.. They thought the woman had gone mad.. And was traveling alone..But when they turned to question her.. They discovered she was gone.. Policemen saw her running wild.. And screaming above the noise.. In beseeching supplication.. Please help me find my boys! They're four years old and wear blue shirts.. Their jeans are blue to match.. One cop spoke up.. They're in my car.. And they don't have a scratch.. They said their daddy put them there.. And gave them each a cone .. Then told them both to wait for Mom To come and take them home.. I've searched the area high and low.. But I can't find their dad.. He must have fled the scene.. I guess, and that is very bad.. The mother hugged the twins and said..While wiping at a tear.. He could not flee the scene.. you see.. For he's been dead a year.. The cop just looked confused and asked.. Now, how can that be true? The boys said.. Mommy.. Daddy came And left a kiss for you.. He told us not to worry.. And that you would be all right.. And then he put us in this car with The pretty flashing light.. We wanted him to stay with us.. Because we miss him so.. But Mommy.. he just hugged us tight And said he had to go.. He said someday we'd understand And told us not to fuss.. And he said to tell you.. Mommy.. He's watching over us.. The mother knew without a doubt That what they spoke was true.. For she recalled their dad's last words.. I will watch over you.. The firemen's notes could not explain The twisted, mangled car.. And how the three of them escaped Without a single scar.. But on the cop's report was scribed.. In print so very fine..
An angel walked the beat tonight on Highway 109.

Don't forget to leave a comment to go into the draw for my give away

Have a great night...

A Giveaway.......

2009-06-03T15:25:00.006+10:00

I'm well & truly late with my 100th giveaway but it really has been hectic here the last week or so. Anyhow I guess it is better late than never huh. Ok so the photos are not the best as the batteries decided to die just after I took these & cannot seem to find my back ups thanks to a certain 16 year old young lady who dwells in this house...... need I say more. So after a lot of brain storming I came up with this little Lavender Sachet to hang on a door or sit on a duchess, whatever the winner decides. I made a link up & put it on the sidebar, the one below is just for show, & its quite simple to enter, hey just leave me a comment that's it, couldn't be any easier I reckon.....I made this cutie to look like a summer dress, brighten my day as we are into winter here down under & I am already counting the days until spring.... in a nutshell DO NOT like the cold.

Inside the bag is another bag brimming to the top with 100% pure lavender buds, really does smell so yummie....

Ok so that's it you all know what you have to do, just leave me a comment, the more comments you leave the more your name goes into the bowl. I am leaving this open for a week so Thursday 11/6/09 I will announce the winner, oh & its open to any & everyone I will post her off anyway in the world......

It felt like Christmas here on Monday as our new fridge/freezer arrived to replace the one that was damaged in the flood & my darlin' also picked up his new lawn mower & whipper snipper, which I might add are sitting lovingly in the shed , are spoken to each day & I can see it is going to be awhile before he uses either of them as he doesn't want to get them dirty!

Our new *baby* some of the kitchen cupboards & bench had to be made smaller to get her in.

Well that's it for today, hope you are all having a great day......

If you are an NRL follower then you all know what tonight is... so GO THE MIGHTY BLUES!

Simply Scrumptious Butterfly Cupcakes......

2009-05-23T12:56:00.004+10:00

Believe when I say I know how lucky I am to be married to my Darlin', he treats me like a Queen & I have to say there are not many men I know who would bake scrumptious butterfly cupcakes with whipped cream - yummo! Not only do they look scrumptious boy boy they taste even better, just sooooo melt in your mouth delicious. I should have put them on my cottagey shabby cake stand but Mr MP&CC had already packed them away in this container & put them in the fridge.
On top of all this Mr MP&CC is cooking tea tonight - Chinese - mine is *Lemon Chicken* the aroma wafting through this house really is to die for. So let me know what you guys think about these little beauties & if you Darlin's bake/cook!

Ok so I have to make a confession here I have just realised that I have gone over my 100th post & I believe it is customary to post a *giveaway*. Well I kinda need some help here please as I have no idea how to make up a link & post it onto my blog soooooooo if anyone out there who can help me with this it would be greatly appreciated. Also I have to make something up so I'm kinda looking at next Wednesday to post this ok.

It looks like we have dodged the flood this time but Grafton, Maclean & Kempsey have all flooded since yesterday. I heard on the news tonight of a 71 year old man drowned at Bello & my heart really goes out to his family, is one thing to loose your belongings another to loose a loved one.
Marilyn I hope you are ok hun & are a bit higher up down there than the rest of Kempsey, thinking of you sweet. A.M I hear Brisbane is copping it again thinking of you also & hope you can still get into your new home on Friday.

Lastly this for for Gail, we went to see *Cass's* exhibition today, her paintings & sculptures are incredible I tell you soooo much talent in one family, if I had the dosh I would have bought every piece of hers!

So that's me for today hope everyone is having great weekend & please don't forget if you know how to make up & add a link *please let me know*....

OMG here we go again......

2009-05-22T15:10:00.002+10:00

Since Wednesday night Coffs Harbour has been on high flood alert. In that time we have had & are still having gale force winds & driving rain. All schools here today were closed, Bello which is about 20 minutes south/west is cut off, Lismore north/west has flooded & is also cut off & have just heard on the news that ALL of Grafton is being evacuated. We were due to have our new Fridge/Freezer delivered today or tomorrow I have asked that it be put off until the end of next week. Coffs has a number of creeks running through it, especially around where I live & these have already risen around 3 feet, high tide is due in at 6pm tonight, rather a scary feeling when it is just pelting down with so much rain. So it has been around 6 weeks since the last flood & six weeks before several parts of town flooded, it just doesn't seem to want to end! Last night Mr MP&CC & myself were out in the garage putting what we could up, should it flood & come into the house we just have nowhere to put anything, something I do not want to think about.
The photo above of our front entry way my Darlin' took in the last flood another inch & it would have been inside & we count ourselves very very lucky it was just the shed & garage out the back that copped it all. What I cannot get over is the fact we are still cleaning up from 31st March there are some people who cannot even get back into their homes yet & now they are predicting flooding either tonight or tomorrow. All I have heard all day is sirens blaring around town, I can only conclude that Mother Nature is very very CRANKY!

Oh & I wish to thank all you great ladies out there that encouraged me to embark on my new journey it really means a lot to me.

Have a great weekend & ifs it wet where you are try & stay dry....

Lyn xxxx

Starting a new Journey....

2009-05-21T12:09:00.003+10:00

For quite some time now I have felt very lost within myself & of no value. I wrote in one of my earlier posts of missing out on my dream job & so decided to enrol in a course to better my chances at obtaining my dream. Truth is I realised last night I have been kidding myself I have read & reread the modules & although I know how to do this work physically, writing it down is another thing. I have had a lot of sleepless nights lately about where on earth my life is going & then it just came to me.... for goodness sake just do what you love most in the world & that is SEW. Ebay kinda put me off so I am really going to take the plunge here & open my own web site! The timing kinda scares me but it is either now or never I reckon.
So I would really appreciate any advise from all you lovely ladies out there that have already found the courage to sell their wares on their own site & someone please tell me I am doing the right thing.....

South Street.......

2009-05-20T11:21:00.010+10:00

Before I moved to Australia I spent five years living in Nelson which is at the top of the South Island in New Zealand & I guess being a typical *City Girl* the pace of life was just way tooo slow for me. My parents bought motels there when I was 16 & I can still see the day we left Christchurch with me sitting in the back of our car tears rolling down my face as I was about to leave behind everything & everyone I held near & dear to me. I never looked on it as a new adventure, all I could see was that we were moving to a poky little town (it is actually a City) where I knew no one & my life as I knew it was rapidly coming to an end. What I did love was the motel which was a beautiful 3 storey house with its own ghost thrown in just to make life a bit more interesting! Down below us was this cute little street that I fall in love with on first sight, a tiny little street with tiny little run down cottages all in a row. This street & these cottages were the start of my eyes being opened to the beauty of Nelson & the oh so many old homes that dwell there. When I went flatting my first house I rented was a beautiful old house as was my second & I knew the first house I bought would have to be old as well. So when I went home in March my mum & dad took me to see South Street & I never imagined the surprise that was awaiting me!
A friend of my mum & dad's had bought the last remaining cottage in the street & as this ladies previous home was huge & she does a lot of entertaining the cottage was too small for her so started the complete renovation of the house. Looking from the street these cottages always seemed tiny to me an ideal place for one person to live but in fact out back there is quite a lot of land to extend on which most of the owners have done. I fell in love with these quaint little cottages all over again when we were given the guided tour of Elspeth's home, it really is stunning. Two extra bedrooms & a bathroom have been added on out the back with large windows along the hallway for extra light. The renovated kitchen is just to die for in fact there was nothing about the house I didn't like, not even the black front door. So come on a guided tour with me & let me show you my most favourite tiny street with cottages that have been lovingly restored......

Alspeth's new hallway...

The back entertaining area....

The main bedroom with french doors.....

The kitchen is on the right.....

The front of the cottage.....

My mum & dad standing at the start of the street, the building

are shops & where the window boxes are is some very lucky guy's

office......

Gotta love the bench out the front....

Love the red door..... (pity about the car out front)

Always wanted to own this one just love it......

Oh so sweet......

They have my picket fence.....

Loving this one as well......

Just gorgeous......

Could just move right in to this one.....

Another view of my favourite one.....

Sweet sweet sweet......

One of the best tucked in at the end of the road......

Dreamy gelato colours.....

Well there you have it, so what did you think can you see yourself living in one of these restored cottages in a tiny street 2 minutes walk from town, myself Id move there in a flash! If you ever find yourself winging your way over the waters to New Zealand you just have to put Nelson on your *to see* list, believe me you wont regret it.....

Hoping your having a great day....

Thinking of Doug......

2009-05-19T14:47:00.003+10:00

I think you guys all know I decided 2009 was going to be a good year for me... sadly it has not turned out that way. I have already been to two funerals so far the third was back home in New Zealand & sadly I couldn't make the journey over. I had known Doug for over 30 years & to me he was one of the few remaining gentlemen left on this earth. I didn't manage to catch up with him when I went home in March, the last time I saw him was in January last year & as we were saying our farewells with the usual kiss & cuddle I knew in my heart it would be the last time I saw him. I miss this man & find it very hard to believe I wont ever see that beautiful gentle man again, he really was much loved. The other very special gentleman in my life... my dad had a heart attack two days after I had arrived in New Zealand & the week before my mum had had another cancer scare only to prove to me yet again how precious family is & not to take it for granted. I think it is very true that as we get older the tables turn, the kids really do worry about their parents in the same way they worried about us when we were young. A few months ago we found out a very close friend of ours had a tumor on one of his kidneys, the doctors seem to be at a loss as to how to treat this as it is a very rare place for a tumor to develop! At the age of 40 this to me is very cruel he still has so much living to do. So as if all this wasn't bad enough a very close friend of mine has been diagnosed with melanoma in her face which the doctors suspect has been there for 20 years or more & the guy who owns the corner shop down the road from us - who has become a friend over the last few years- went into hospital with stomach pains & came out with the knowledge his 45 year old body is completely riddled with cancer.

So now I am left thinking what on earth happened to 2009 being a good year.... surely it cannot get any worse.......

Who would believe you could get excited about a loo reno...Part 1....

2009-05-19T01:05:00.003+10:00

I really feel I should apologise for being so slack with my posting lately good grief it is a wonder any of you guys even bother to pop in anymore. So its time I got back into blogland again believe it or not I have missed you all.

Ok so the photo below is my lovely laundry floor - to be honest here I do not know what possessed the person to come up with this design let alone colours, but I guess it was probably all the rage in the 70's - this WAS in the house when we bought it & not something we put in! The reason I'm showing the laundry floor is that I forgot to take one of the loo floor before it was taken out! So after I painted the walls & the new throne was put in Mr MP&CC decided it needed new flooring so off we went in search for some not too expensive but not cheap looking tiles & for the bargain price of $17.50 came home with just the right amount! So where did we get our bargain of the day....at our local tip of all places!

Taadaa... here they are laid sorry not the best photo but Mr MP&CC only finished the grouting tonight. I kinda reckon he has done a top notch job good grief where would I be without a handyman in the house. W e have decided now to go & get some more & tile around the bottom of the wall mainly because when the old lino was pulled out the bottom of the walls needed to be painted & I really do not want to do it! So what do you think?? Part 2 will be posted when its finished & then its on to the revamp of the bathroom, I will taken before photos of that grotty little room for yous.

Well that's it for tonight is very late nearly 2am, finding I an having trouble sleeping lately so had better get off to bed or I will not get up in the morning.

Hope you all have a great day.....

Oh nearly forgot hope all you lovely ladies out there had a great Mothers Day