kirsty jennifer

Week 40

2011-08-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

Homemade week

2011-08-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

I really have had a lot of time on my hands over the last few weeks...and I haven't found sitting around waiting to have a baby the easiest thing to do - I'm probably not the most patient person by nature, and I really don't like feeling lazy. So I've tried to be productive and get super prepared around the house, cleaning, cooking, making...I think it's the calm before the storm.

This week I made a new heat pack (made from an old shirt of Jamie's & some recycled calico) - in an attempt to relieve my sore shoulders...and I've been told they are a great help during labour. I will let you know if that's true later on.

I also made a refillable plastic bag holder for the baby room (also made from some recycled fabric) - for dirty nappies and the like. I'm not totally sure if this will be the most practical context for it, but if it doesn't get used here there is always a need for one in the kitchen.

And some recycled cards and envelopes (made from an old children's picture book). September is coming up quickly, and it seems that half of my husband's family are born in it. I always struggle with buying people gifts - so at least the card choosing/making part of it is already out of the way.

Week 36

2011-07-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

knitted things

2011-07-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

The first two jumpers were knitted by Jamie's Grandma Merle. They are just gorgeous! And the third Batman outfit was found on Etsy by a friend - the beanie even has little eye holes like a real mask! I cant wait to play dress ups! Only four weeks to wait now!

Week 33

2011-07-05T02:53:00.001-07:00

Week 32

2011-07-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

It's week 32 already! Time is flying by so quickly! Recent developments include my semi-protruding tummy button which I'm very excited about. I've always had such a deep boring tummy button hole - and have always dreamt of have one that poked out. Batman is making all my dreams come true!

a lovely new toy

2011-06-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

This was Jamie's gift to me for our 4th wedding anniversary. He sneakily picked it up in Melbourne last month when we were there on holidays. I remember playing with one of these that my mum had when I was younger, I think it might have even been her dads. Either way, I always felt so royal when I used it, although now I don't have to rifle through mums desk in secret to use one, I have my very own. Now to write and post some royal letters!

four wonderful years

2011-06-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Today, the 16th of June 2011, my darling Jamie and I have been married for four wonderful years! How blessed we are, and how wonderful life is.

Wedding Video - Jamie & Kirsty from Kirsty Smith-Cottrell on Vimeo.

Batman’s Baby Room

2011-06-13T03:17:00.000-07:00

Batman is now 29 weeks old, and his/her baby room is beginning to take shape. I want to keep it simple and obviously gender neutral for now. There are still a few bits and pieces that we need to get before his/her arrival, but we really are trying not to go over the top. There is so much advertising that says you NEED this, and NEED that, however I’m sure you could make do without most of it.

This was my first mother’s day gift from Jamie, it’s Batman’s first real toy named “Baby Monkey” after this silly video we saw a while ago.

Winter

2011-06-13T03:15:00.000-07:00

It’s definitely winter here in Brisbane, and we’re making the most of it! We’re lucky enough to have a fireplace in our house – no air pump heaters for us. The fireplace is probably a lot more effort, cutting wood, finding enough twigs and newspaper, making it and monitoring it, but when the house is warm and you can smell that yummy timber burning smell, its all worth it!

I'm married to a Rock Star

2011-06-13T02:51:00.000-07:00

My darling husband has been in a rock-bush-dance-band for years! It's made up of a few great friends and some ring-ins - they call themselves the Smashing Bumpkins. They are hilarious and fun! They mostly play popular rock covers which they've creatively tweaked to work with classic bush dances. They frequently have Saturday night gigs at birthday parties, school camps and youth community events like this one out at Warra (about 4 hours west of Brisbane). It's quite cool being married to my own little rock star.

(That's him on the drums)

Baby Shower invites are done!

2011-06-05T23:13:00.001-07:00

I've finally finished fiddling with the design of my baby shower invites, and most were sent out over the weekend! I went with a double sided postcard style, to save on envelopes. Kept it simple with a red and white colour scheme - which will be used for the party as well. Its still not for about six weeks, but I wanted to get them out early, as everyones weekends fill up so quickly these days.

Week 27

2011-06-05T23:02:00.000-07:00

Lovely Lucy is her name

2011-05-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

Lucy is just delightful. One of the most delightful kids I've ever know - and the cutest name. And her parents are just the same. Delightful, and wise. We are so blessed to have families like this is our lives that we can look up to, and get advice from. It's especially helpful that her mum is also a naturopath! They make me more excited about our family of two soon becoming a three.

Happy Birthday Miss Catherine

2011-05-28T15:52:00.000-07:00

A favourite lady of mine turned twenty-five this week, and to celebrate we had a lovely picnic at Roma Street Parklands. I'm proud to be able to say that I've know Catherine since the day I was born. She is an old and special friend, and I'm so glad she is still in my life.

State of Origin Vs Warm Outdoor Fire

2011-05-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

The State of Origin football game is usually a pretty big deal in our house. Jamie loves watching it with a group of friends, eating pizza and cheering far too loudly. Football doesn't really appeal to me at all (or some of our other friends), so this year we found a great compromise. Football on the big tv inside, and marshmallows and a warm fire outside. This kept the serious football fans happy - no distractions from bored people like me chatting away in the background. There is something so lovely about sitting around a fire and chatting, enjoying the cold winter air and clear night sky. Even the dogs liked it. I think this will be a new tradition.

baby-moon food diary

2011-05-26T03:05:00.000-07:00

As I said, our baby-moon holiday had a major food theme. I recently heard about a girl who started drawing everything that she purchased as a way of keeping track of her spending (and limiting it). I thought I'd try and do something similar to keep a track of our food adventures during our week in Melbourne, as we had a list of recommended cafes and restaurants to find.

The best cafe/bar find was a place called Pellegrini's Espresso Bar, which was about a 10 minute walk from our apartment in the city. It was opened in 1954, and it still looked like it was 1954 inside. The staff were all old Italian men, the mains menu was made up of some brass plaques on the wall (no prices anywhere to be found) and the only drinks they served were Frozen Granita Juice (kind of like a frappe) or amazing Coffee. It was simple and classic! The food was so fresh and authentic. And so cheap! We ate dinner there twice during our week. Definitely worth a visit if your in Melbourne.

Our baby-moon holiday

2011-05-26T02:52:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I took two weeks off work for a bit of a baby-moon (our last holiday as just the two of us). It was the best holiday we've ever had which was a lovely surprise. I was a little unsure of how I would go traveling, as up until now (25 weeks pregnant) I've been quite unwell. But it seemed this was perfect timing - and exactly what I needed to break the somewhat unwell routine I was in.

We spent one week in Christchurch, New Zealand visiting my family and being tourists, and then one week in Melbourne, Australia on our own. It was a holiday marked mostly by delicious food (more than I've been able to eat in the past few months of morning sickness!), amazing coffee (also the first I've been able to stomach in months), and lots of time together being silly and enjoying each other. I'm so blessed to be married to my best friend, who for some reason never gets bored or sick of spending with me, and vice versa. it's wonderful.

Growing up

2011-05-26T02:49:00.000-07:00

Boniver is growing up. She is a lovely thing. Hard to photograph with her deep black coat, so it's nice to get a shot of her cute pink tongue.

We've been puzzling

2011-05-01T01:15:00.000-07:00

Puzzles and board-games are always such a drag at the start, but before long they are addictive and enjoyable, and addictive. We've spent most of our evenings this week drinking tea, listening to music and puzzling away. I'm thinking of starting a puzzle club to swap good ones.

happy birthday dad

2011-05-01T01:09:00.001-07:00

My lovely Dad turned 59 yesterday. We had a lovely morning on their deck, with close friends and plenty of delicious food. Their are so many things that I love and appreciate about Dad, he is so generous and soft in spirit, and so wise in his own funny ways. Love you Dad.

Week 23

2011-04-30T00:24:00.000-07:00

the 7D has arrived

2011-04-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

A big parcel came today. And it's an exciting parcel. We've been tossing up whether or not to buy a fancy schmancy camera for months now and we've finally done it. Baby Batman has been an encouraging factor in the mix, we really want to have great photos and videos of our kids, and all sorts of other fun things, and this camera does both - REALLY WELL.

And it arrived in good timing, about a week before we head to New Zealand and Melbourne for a holiday - which will give me plenty of time and opportunities to properly work out how to use the fancy thing. And it means that we can claim back our tax at the airport when we leave the country (yipppee).

I'm excited to learn more about photography, as I do really enjoy it. And now that I've downloaded the instruction booklet in English (thanks for sending us a Japanese one guys, its only mildly unhelpful!) I can begin to sift through all the millions of settings and controls. Its going to be such fun. I've already started planning a few projects, parties and functions that I can photograph. Practice practice practice (i'm a massive fan of teaching myself things - so this will be great) Yipppeee!

Week 22

2011-04-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

Week 21

2011-04-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Duke and BonIver

2011-04-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

I blogged about our newest family member a few weeks ago, little Bonnie. I've taken to calling her BonIver recently and I think she appreciates it. She's finally beginning to respond to her name, so anything beginning with Bon works really. It's funny how they always fall asleep in odd places. Behind the BBQ was initially her favourite spot, although she's grown more gutsy and will now happily challenge Duke for one if his beds. This time he beat her to the bean bag, his favourite afternoon nap spot, so Bon had to settle for the floor beside him. Lovely that they are getting along so well!

Week 20

2011-04-09T20:57:00.001-07:00

new tea for six banner

2011-04-09T20:46:00.001-07:00

Tea For Six has to be one of the most amazing food blogs I've ever seen, especially given that the blogger is such a busy mother of four, and I can say that because I'm lucky enough to know her. I honestly don't know how she does it, but its inspiring and I'm so glad she does. Sharolyn and I helped her put this new banner together. Combining powers is great. Sharolyn drew hand sketches, and then I did a few fancy computer things to bring it all together. Make sure you check out Tea For Six...but be warned, it will make you hungry!

Week 17

2011-03-18T23:01:00.000-07:00

This week I also placed a ban on myself from listening to Kanye West music. No nasty language around my little tummy thank you very much. I should probably always have such standards.

a new addition

2011-03-18T22:47:00.000-07:00

We've been keeping a secret for a little while. And it was such an exciting secret to keep. Our good friend Ricky (who lives in the bottom half of our house) was given a new little puppy this week - from his lovely girlfriend Hayley. He has been wanting one for ages, and we were in support of the idea. We have a large yard, and we knew Duke dog would love having a play mate, and a little sister dog.

So now there is Duke and Bonnie. She is a German Shepherd cross Golden Retriever. Unfortunately she won't stay this cute cuddly size for long, so we are getting lots of cuddles in while we can. Duke has been wonderfully gentle and patient with her, although I know he'll love it when she is a little bigger, tougher and more of a fair wrestling opponent. Our house is filling up!

This was the scene I awoke to this morning on our deck. Two exhausted dogs, and one shredded bed - thank you of Miss Bonnie. I'd forgotten about the 'puppy chewing everything with those little sharp teeth' stage.

it's ice, real ice!

2011-03-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

Recently my role (I suppose that's what you would call it) has begun to change a bit - like every part of my life really - and I'm having to work out where and how a pregnant Kirsty fits into things.

I've been a youth group leader in our church for years, and I'm finding this role one of the strangest ones that I'm trying to navigate. I find myself being a lot more reserved, physically, mentally & spiritually (not sure if thats just me trying to conserve much needed energy, or deal with the change in my role and the stepping back that I know is coming), but I do miss getting in there are running around with the students, playing silly games and the like. We've always had so much fun.

I suppose I feel myself becoming more of the youth group mum, taking photos, keeping a special eye out for the younger girls, and looking after the bags, shoes and anything that students do and will lose when you go anywhere new.

Last friday night was the whole deal. We took forty something students to the local ice skating rink for some pre-winter fun. It was a great night (lovely to have a cold nose for a few hours), and everyone came home with all their fingers intact (my biggest fear is getting your fingers run over when you fall over). So, mum Kirsty was sitting on the edge with a few kids, watching the bags etc, and this one little boy, who'd just completed his first lap on the ice, stopped and exclaimed to me that "IT'S ICE, IT'S REAL ICE!" He made my night. I'm not sure what he expected to find at an ice skating rink, but he was so over-joyed that it was in fact real ice!

Another memorable quote from the night included one student telling a female leader that she had acne issues that she needed to resolve, pointing at the leaders cheek. I appreciate that students/children are totally ok to say such honest things, and don't intend to be harmful with such words (well, not in this case).

Anyway, we had a wonderful night and at the end something which always happens and use to frustrate me, but now more so amuses me quite a lot occurred. As all the students removed their skates, and put their shoes back on, there were (and always are) a handful of students who do not hesitate to declare "someone has STOLEN my shoes!" It just floats off the tongue. Why would someone steal your shoes? I mean really! The conversation usually progresses to "what colour are they?" "brown" "is that them under the chair?" "yes." Without a doubt, I had that conversation at least 6 times.

This is Lisa, Brandon and Rennae. Lisa was lucky enough to get retro lights.

the giver trumps the gift

2011-03-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

I'm lucky enough to work with some of the loveliest people (one of whom is my handsome husband), and another who we like to call Mary-Jane, as that is her name. There are so many things I love about this girl. She surprised me this afternoon at work with a be-lated birthday gift that she ordered back in December and only just remembered to pick up. I love that she only just remembered to go back and check on the order. Makes me giggle and realise once again, that it's not about the gift at all, its the giver. That being said, I will never say no to cute little stationary bits and bobs, or fancy new stainless steel drink bottles. I'm a blessed girl.

freshly sanded floors and new toys

2011-03-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

Since we found out that Batman was on his/her way we've had a few projects around the house on the go. We'd planned to rip up the carpet in our bedrooms and get the floors sanded, thinking it would happen about 3 weeks after we got the guys out to give us a quote, but due to a cancellation the work began the very next day.

I didn't even get time to take photos of the rooms beforehand. But you can imagine that the gross, stained carpets have nothing on the new shiny wooden floor boards. Great for a little one to scoot around on!

We may have also made a trip to Ikea last week, dangerous place really. They have some cute things. In keeping with our fabric/wood toy ideal we bought this cute little vegetable basket. Duke was rather intrigued by it also. I think we are going to have to keep an extra eye on Duke around Batman's toys. They look so tempting.

A cute wooden car that Jamie's dad or maybe granddad made for him when he was a child. I love the colour.

maternity series - week 15

2011-03-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

maternity series - week 12

2011-02-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try to document my pregnancy in photographs, both for me, but also for friends and family who don't live nearby, and especially for my big sister who isn't here to be a part of it.

It might be a bit premature to start at 12 weeks, but I have to start it somewhere, and maybe this way I will have a more rounded collection. I'm hoping to do one each week.

Here is week 12:

cardboard boxes

2011-02-09T20:46:00.000-08:00

The more I think about the little person growing inside of me, and the other ones to come, the more I worry about the world they are going to grow up in. I want my children to have a simple uncluttered life as much as possible. Where cardboard boxes and buckets of water equal hours of fun, where sticky tape and paint are prized possessions. The idea of electronic toys and games entertaining children for hours freaks me out.

So, as much as we can control it, we would like our house to be a plastic toy & battery opperated toy free house. Now we just have to convince everyone else we are not nuts. Fabric, wood and reclycled products are more than welcome!

I'm not coming at this from an overly green or environment minded standpoint, although those things are good, or even from a great understanding in what's good for children. But it feels right. Right for us.

I have great memories of spending hours collecting, cutting, sticking and painting to create some of my favourite toys. This is me (left) and Sharolyn (right) with some of our creations. We must have been about 4 and 5 (?). When it got to the point that our creations were taking over the house Dad would line them and us up like this, and take a photo (like so). At the time I don't think we realised it, but the creations somehow found their way to the bin, to make room for new ones.

At the end of the day, I think we need to value these simple things. Since when do kids need brand new shiny toys all the time. Wouldn't they learn more if they made them themselves. If they felt the different materials, tested them, experimented and just created.

This guy totally inspires me to be a creative parent for my kids, and these are just too beautiful to resist. I definitely see myself making/buying beautiful animals like these.

the news goes global

2011-02-02T01:58:00.000-08:00

We decided that it was time the news went global, and what better way than Facebook. The response was a little overwhelming, but I'm so glad we have such excited and supportive friends.

This was one of my favourite comments. I think my Mum might also be praying for a ginger.

three

2011-02-02T01:34:00.000-08:00

At about 1am on 20th of December 2010 we found out that we were pregnant. It was very exciting! Maybe a little too exciting for 1am. We didn't sleep very much that night. We've been keeping it quiet for the last 6 weeks or so, but now the news is out, and its nice not to have to keep it quiet for any longer. What a relief!

My lovely husband just so wonderful, and it's beautiful to think of him as a dad to be. In his excitement he found this card. I think I cried a little. He also picked up a great book called "What to Expect when you're Expecting" which is such a great and helpful read. Anyway I'm sure I could ramble on forever about him, and it and us.

At first I felt like 9 months was way too long to wait, but the more I think about the practical things that we need to do around the house, new cars etc, let alone all the parenting style decisions and emotional preparation things, I sometimes don't think that it's long enough. But, either way it's going to work out and it's going to be wonderful & exciting!

Baby Bean (his/her original name) has now been changed to Batman. We felt it was a little more versatile.

a late new years eve post

2011-02-02T01:28:00.000-08:00

I've been a little slack with updating my blog lately, so here comes a few updates from the last few months...

We spent new years eve 2010 in our friends backyard. It was simple and lovely. And simply lovely. Thanks to the excited Dave, husband Jamie, Erin and Ben for creating this one.

grade three spelling

2010-12-28T22:17:00.000-08:00

Every year at around this time, as we return home from Christmas celebrations with more gifts and gadgets in toe, I begin to feel cluttered and overwhelmed. And hence, a mass clean-out takes place in the Smith-Cottrell house. I've always felt that I want a simple life, free from clutter, although this doesn't always seem possible. So I've settled for manageable clutter, only keeping things that actually get used. Really pretty things can sometimes be excused from this rule.

The end result is clean/empty cupboards (in our spare rooms) and pile and piles of things on the floor, all with specific destinations. There was a massive piles for the rubbish dump, a large pile for the Op Shop, and multiple piles of things that I need to return to friends and church.

I'm amazed at the things I collect, and they are mostly junk. Pieces of cardboard, and pretty beer bottles and shopping bags, and paints that have set in their tubes.

I also came across all my old books and assignments from school. Most of them have a new home at the rubbish dump, except for this one. A school journal from when I was in grade 3. My spelling is terrible, always has been, but the stories are very cute, and lovely to read. Jamie got great joy out of reading them aloud to me in a silly voice.

Most of my stories involve my big sister Sharolyn, who also features in my secret list of friends who were in "the club." She was in. Definitely in.

I'm glad that finding two crabs at the beach was a highlight for me back then. Still is.

green

2010-12-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

About half way through this month it was recorded as the wettest December Brisbane has had in 10 years. Although wet seems like an understatement. Flooding, damp, moldy, muggy, frustrating...these are just some words that I feel better suit December 2010. But it's not all bad. While the unexpected wet weather has caused the cancellation of christmas events across the city, not allowed our clothes to dry properly for weeks, and meant that we spent most of the month indoors (it does help justify watching midday movies though) when we would usually be enjoying the sun at the beach, it does mean that everything is GREEN and beautiful. Everywhere you go the grass is overgrowing and new shoots are coming up. It's lovely. Our back stairs down to the clothes line are even sporting some trendy green moss, thanks to the December rains.

jamie gives the best gifts

2010-12-24T23:52:00.000-08:00

My darling Jamie husband is the best gift giver I know. At least to me anyway. He always spoils me (I've had to start setting some boundaries even), and it's lovely! He got so excited about gifts this year that he gave all my presents to me for my birthday (0nly 9 days before christmas) and then realised he had no ideas left for christmas. Silly lovely thing. Fortunately he stumbled across this wonderful book (among many other things). I'm looking forward to spending some time over the holidays working on some new little projects.

christmas steve celebrations

2010-12-24T23:46:00.000-08:00

Kite flying with the Smith-Cottrell's

2010-12-15T02:18:00.000-08:00

Omar (uncle) Jamie, Boo (grandma), Amelie (niece) & Franklin (nephew) and some afternoon kite flying at our annual Mooloolaba beach holiday.

My 2D Christmas tree

2010-12-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

As a young married couple, we always seem to struggle to know what to do with christmas trees. Honestly I think they are a little bit weird. We don't like fake plastic ones, real pine trees are too big for our house, we tried a live lemon tree one year - but then I planted it in the garden. I even tried to get away without one and decorated our fireplace chimney instead. It was hideous.

They are the kind of thing that I think brings more joy to children, or families with children, and for now, that isn't us.

So this year we again arrived at the "what do we do about a Christmas tree" decision, for our few humble gifts. I'm always inclined to make something rather than but something, so thats what we did. And trying to steer away from the traditional pine tree, I came up with this. Its 2D (so it takes up far less space), and we can still hang all our cute decorations (which my mum has loyally given to me each christmas of my life since I was born), and at Jamie's request I drilled little holes to poke christmas lights through. I painted it olive green to keep it festive, but also a little funky. I think this christmas tree will make us proud for a few years to come.

Duke dog was inside today, seeking refuge in the air conditioning, so I thought I would include him in this photo to. It has been such a hot and muggy day, as I speak there is a massive storm brewing, and I think its about to break loose.

O Holy Night - Christmas Bunting

2010-12-10T21:17:00.000-08:00

I've been dreaming of making Christmas bunting out of Christmas carols lyrics for years, and this year I finally decided to stop thinking about it, and do it. O Holy Night is my husbands favourite Christmas carol, and he insisted that I incorporate his favourite line "fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices." The whole carol is quite long, especially when you consider cutting each letter out by hand, so I just stuck with four lines. Four beautiful lines.

Each letter was cut out by hand, and then using a sewing machine and white cotton (to match our wall colour) I joined them all together. I left a lot of extra cotton hanging at each end so that we can move them around the house, and even outside for parties and the like. I cant quite work out the best way to attach them to the walls without sticking a nail in, so for now there is some daggy blue tac holding them in place.

my three dollar ruffle dress

2010-12-10T21:01:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I felt the need to have more ruffles in my life. I bid on a few dresses on Ebay, but didn't win any, and I looked in a few shops but couldn't find what I was after (and I wasn't willing to spend what they were asking). So I set out to make the dress I was looking for - I used some old black cotton fabric I had at home. Its probably not the most ideal fabric, but its simple and quite cool. I made the pattern up using some of my old dresses and some good old gestimation. And all it cost me was a few hours out of a lazy weekend, and $3 for a piece of elastic for around the waist.

I'm really happy with the outcome, perfect for summer night outings!

Celebrating two thousand and ten with the Fusion Youth Leaders

2010-12-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

These are some of my favourite people. Each encouraging and inspiring in their own way. We decided to finish the year off with a BBQ feast on our deck. We dined on ribs, steak, delicious fresh salads, roast veggies, and a crockenbush, and topped the night of with a energetic game of apples to apples.

a new deck ceiling and lights

2010-11-10T01:11:00.000-08:00

We can't wait for summer BBQ's on our deck.

Christmas Steve invites are ready to be sent!

2010-11-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

Wooli Beach Holiday

2010-10-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

two dollars

2010-10-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to a massive garage sale in Samford, and I picked up this great chair for our sewing/study/arty room. It is just what I needed.

jamie husband

2010-10-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

things i like

2010-07-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

So far my Monday morning has consisted of walking the dog, watering the garden, doing some washing, and visiting the tax man. Now I'm enjoying fresh pikelets and a cup of tea on the back deck, Duke dog at my side, and Jamie husband content on his X-Box inside, whilst I look, and quite possibly covet, lovely things online.

The first two are from the Curiosity Shoppe - one of my favourite places to visit online.

I wandered into a store on the weekend called Typo. It was a bit of an accident that I was there, but a lovely accident. I have seen bits and pieces from there store here and there, but had never been to the store. I like to refer to it as stationary heaven. Here are a couple of pieces that I like...they dont have many advertised on their website.

The rest of my plan for today is to find a holiday house for later in the year. We would like to take a couple of weeks off from the world in October, and go somewhere down the coast between Byron Bay and Minnie Waters. Ideally a house with a yard so that we can take our dog - he needs to experience the freedom of long open beaches & swimming in the ocean!

saturday sewing

2010-07-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to make this neck warmer for my sister Sharolyn for ages, and I finally got around to it today. Plus I made a simple necklace for myself with the leftover fabric.

I also made another cooking apron as a gift for my friend Sally, this time with little frills. Looks really cute on. I'm looking forward to giving it to her tomorrow.

these boots were made for walking...

2010-07-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

I finally found a pair of boots that I like! It's always hard to find what you want when you have a really specific picture in your head. They were all to shiny, or to tall, or to short, or a weird colour...so I am happy with my buy!

t-shirt design for SMASH camp...ideas ideas

2010-07-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of years I have worked on the t-shirts for a Scripture Union youth camp called SMASH. We sell them on camp to the leaders & students - which creates culture (there is nothing like being 13 and seeing 150 of your new best friends wearing the same shirt!) and it makes us a little bit money to support other aspects of the camp.

This was my original idea for the shirts - however it was quickly pointed out by one of our high school chaplains, that she could see the posters of this being quite rudely vandalized by some cheeky teenager...which now its been pointed out to me - I can also see happening. So the brain storming began...

I really love the below style - found on iStock. But screen printing it would be disastrous!

I like the below image also - found on iStock as well...but I'm thinking something a little more retro is in need...

This is what I have come up with (below). From the start I wanted Navy Blue t-shirts, so using white ink, plus the navy fabric to create the design will also make printing cheaper...I'm still not sure if it needs another colour...maybe light blue? Does anyone else have any ideas???

Oh, and I should mention that the switch to the 'camera' theme is because we have an fantastic camp activity on the Monday night - which is based around the use of cameras. I can't say much more - as I dont want to give anything away!

my new cooking apron

2010-07-14T00:47:00.000-07:00

I spent my day off this week making a cooking apron. I always seem to get messy when I cook...but not for much longer. I used one of my mums aprons as a basic pattern, but adjusted it so that the waist is a bit higher, with a thicker waist band.

I was so excited to finish it, but I forgot to wear it that night when I cooked. Whoops! I need to get into the habit of wearing it now.

There is something lovely about cooking aprons. They remind me of my mum - and all the amazing baking she has always done.

dinner this week

2010-07-14T00:45:00.001-07:00

charlie is a hen.

2010-05-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Charlie is a hen. Probably one of my favourite hens. We had a party to celebrate her and her upcoming wedding.

It was a very relaxed night, lots of lovely ladies, cheese and olives, nice wine, delicious food, pinatas, undies, and bon fires.

Charlie wasn't to keen on playing the usual hens night games (thank goodness!), so instead we played an underwear/pinata game. Who doesn't LOVE fresh undies - especially cute frilly ones? The answer is no-one. Each guest was asked to bring a pair of undies which reflected their personality, and Charlie then had to guess which pair was from who. It was hilarious fun, and she played along with it very cooperatively. A wrong guess meant a spin and blind hit at the pinata. Unfortunately I made it to thick, and she couldn't break the shell (which I was actually a little happy about because it still looks intact and beautiful). We ended up tipping it upside down to get the treats out...yum!

Only eight more days until the wedding!

mustache monday

2010-05-02T04:10:00.001-07:00

My darling friends, Christopher and Charlie are getting married in exactly 28 days. I have been put on mustache duties. Making mustaches for the wedding and reception photos. Just something a bit fun for everyone to play with. I'm really happy with how they have turned out. I'm thinking of making a pair of handle bar style ones tomorrow. Friends Aron Leong and my sister Sharolyn Joy are photographing the wedding, so I will post some pics afterwards. Its going to be a fun day.

pancake manor expedition with my ladies

2010-04-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

when jamie plays gun games, kirsty plays on ebay

2010-04-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

It was recently ANZAC day (public holiday) here, so to celebrate, jamie decided to have an xbox marathon afternoon with some of his guy friends. i hid in our bedroom most of the day, trying to escape the gun noises. I napped, read, watched oprah and dr phil (which i haven't done in years), and spent hours on ebay. It really was a very lazy day. I find ebay so intense. One minute you think you have found the perfect item and are totally going to win it, and the next minute you've been outbid. I bid on a couple of items, this is the only thing i won. i thought $8 was a bargain. hopefully it will look this nice in real life.

Three Point Two to Twenty Three Point Three

2010-04-27T21:07:00.000-07:00

Our gorgeous little Duke dog is not so little anymore. Weighing in at twenty three point three kilograms, I struggle to pick him up anymore. He is a delightful dog. We really are just so happy with him. He is such a gentle but playful pup.

We have recently become more certain about his breed - the bets are: Staffy + Bull Arab + Ridgeback = Duke.

We rescued him from the RSPCA when he was two months old (very tiny and underweight), and it was a bit of a gamble because we really had no idea what he would become. But he is lovely.

Duke loves to eat feathers and palm fronds (of which we have so many), sneak into my vegie garden and steal my eggplants, enjoys a chew of a good bone, big cuddles, sitting on my lap, and long romantic walks. He has made some rough and tumble buddies at the dog park to, which is a great way for him to release all his energy and always results a great nights sleep. Dozer, a Staffy cross Bull Arab (looks like Dukes twin) and Inka, a Staffy cross Bull Mastiff. They have become friends because they all like to wrestle together, unlike the silly yappy dogs and posh big dogs which we frequently encounter. They seem to be a little unsure of our Staffy breeds. Little do they know how lovely and gentle they actually are.

What more can I say. At the end of a long day, Duke makes everything ok. I think he might have magic powers.

Polaroid Monday - Manual - week 4

2010-03-14T21:28:00.000-07:00

We forgot to photograph the last few weeks. Whoops.

Ree Ree is learning so well! She is all over the clutch routines, gear changes, and hill starts. Sometimes the car makes noises its not suppose to, and so do we, but thats how you learn. Today she drove into the Valley...which means main roads and lots of cars. We celebrated with slurpees and a visit to my favourite shop Mod Cons. She makes me so proud.

Polaroid Monday - Manual - week 2

2010-02-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

Meet Reanna, she is my lovely friend. We have a new Monday morning tradition. Each week I take her for a one hour driving lesson, which is followed by a slurpee. Its proving to be a really great way to do something productive, and spend time with one of my favourites.We thought it would be a good idea to document our driving time with a photo each week.

Today we conquered the third and fourth gears.

We also spent a couple of hours painting the toilets at our church. Quite a productive morning really.

laundromat

2010-02-28T22:04:00.001-08:00

Its been raining lots lately, so an adventure to the laundromat was in order. I was a first time user and I must admit to being a little excited. I felt a little like I was in an american movie and was waiting for something unusual to happen, but all in all it was rather uneventful.

I did enjoy the old machines and the warmth though.

smadd camp t-shirts

2010-01-11T01:43:00.000-08:00

I recently completed designing a simple t-shirt for SMADD Camp (which stands for Song, Music, Art, Drama & Dance). Its a really artsie fartsie camp run through Scripture Union QLD. A close friend of mine is one of Camp Directors, which is how I scored this gig.

Red Octopus printed the shirts for us. These guys are great & speedy with rush orders. We ended up going with white ink on black t-shirts. It was a tough call, but i think it has worked out well.

White on black:

Black on white:

grass seed & god

2010-01-06T00:55:00.000-08:00

We have had a bald patch on our front lawn for about one year now, ever since my Jamie built a new retaining wall and had to move the dirt around. We finally mustered up the effort to get in some new top soil and grass seed, in an attempt to grow lush grass over this shameful bald patch.

The afternoon that we finished raking all the new grass seed out over the fresh top soil it began to rain. This was welcomed at first (as it saved me from having to water it myself), but it didn't stop. A large portion of the soil & seed was soon spread over our driveway and had filled the drains. Each morning as the skies promisingly looked like they might clear I would go outside and move the soil and whatever grass seeds remained back to where they belonged...and then it would rain again. This went on for weeks, and I soon gave up on the idea of ever having nice grass. I found it so frustrating to be completely out of control.

One day as we were leaving for church we noticed the bright green tops of the new grass beginning to poke through. And at that moment I felt at peace, knowing that we would have lush new grass in God's timing. It's only grass, but I think God would care about it.

I have learnt from this experience that grass grows really well in moist drains. And it might not have been my plan for it to grow in the drains, but maybe thats what it needed to get going. I have also learnt that you can easily transplant drain grass to the bald patches by hand quite successfully. And, I have learnt that God is in control of even the small things. Even grass seed.

the first day of work

2010-01-05T01:08:00.000-08:00

hijacked by charlie

2010-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

My camera was hijacked by a dear friend, Charlie on a recent caravan holiday (I was asleep behind that curtain). I actually quite like it when this happens. It can be really fun looking through the photos that have been captured in my absence. This one makes me laugh. Thanks Charlie.

making life pretty

2010-01-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

Contact me if your interested in getting any of the above custom made.

christmas eve

2009-12-25T17:44:00.000-08:00

Home made chocolate rum and raisin truffles - delicious after dinner sweets. I also packaged some of these up nicely as gifts to some family members.

Lemon meringue pie in the making. I treated myself to a new flange tin a few days before Christmas, and I needed a good excuse to use it.

This Christmas we really wanted to make room for our friends, as its always a struggle trying to juggle family and friends at Christmas time. Fortunately, all our close friends were free at lunch time on Christmas Eve, so we made the most of it with a lovely BBQ lunch on our deck. It felt very Australian. And our new outdoor table was perfect for the occasion.

Happy Christmas, from Jamie & Kirsty xoxo

happy birthday mum

2009-12-25T17:30:00.001-08:00

This is my sister Sharolyn Joy, and my beautiful mum Jennifer, taken on mum's birthday. I love this photo of them. Happy Birthday mum.

three days

2009-12-08T03:33:00.000-08:00

I have three days left in a job I never liked, but have grown to love. And then I will be here. Seems like a good way to celebrate the end, and the start of something new.

My husband, sister in law, and loyal friend. My holiday's are not complete without these three ingredients...and the beach...and the sun.

i love a productive saturday

2009-12-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

I new today would be a great Saturday.

Any day which starts with freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh fruit & choc chip pancakes is going to be amazing. After a late brekky on the deck, we set out to re-organise our garage. We haven't been able to fit our car in there for over 6 months since we renovated, and then got lazy with it.

I love productive Saturdays.

Today was one.

Satisfaction.

What did you do this Saturday?

many sparrows - red is white t-shirt design

2009-12-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

I designed this t-shirt some time ago for Red Is White, but I thought I should share it again.

Check it out at http://rediswhite.com/items/27-many-sparrows. There are lots of wholesome & well designed shirts for sale on Red Is White - I especially like that you can critique & vote for each designs. I have bought a couple of shirts from here, and im glad to say the fabric is great quality and the sizes fit well. Nice and long, none of this midrift showing business.

And as if it wasn't cool enough getting my design printed, Red Is White chose it to become part of their stationary line. Excitement!

re-inventing christmas carols

2009-12-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

My sister Sharolyn Joy and I have a Monday night tradition at her lovely home, consisting of dinner, a game of futsal, wine, and a house potter (in no particular order). In the lead up to Christmas we have inevitably ventured into the world of Christmas. For us this meant hanging the decorations (which our mother has generously and diligently gifted to us each Christmas from the time of our births, for a time such as this) on a dangerously makeshift wire rope, flipping through the old Christmas books, and dancing to the tunes of much loved Christmas carols.

I spent most of one evening completely in awe of old Christmas carols. The lyrics are profound & beautiful. I never really took much notice until now.

This is the outcome from worthy inspiration. I hope you enjoy them. You might even receive one in the mail soon.