Kitchen with a few redeeming features

You know how I have been ranting about Betsy's kitchen issues, well here is the proof. Now from  a distance this almost could be seen as cute or quaint. Actually, somehow my very average photography has made it look more appealing and significantly larger than it really is.  I do realize that  there are much uglier kitchens around the traps. The biggest problem with this kitchen is frankly that it is beyond the white paint makeover.

Ok let me explain. Tasmanian oak to me is just very late 80's, as is the chequerboard vinyl floor. The fake granite laminate benchtop is pretty inoffensive really. The big problem is that the layout of this room is  a complete nightmare and even if I paint the whole thing white it is still one of the least functional kitchens ever conceived. The only functional stretch of bench top is on the right hand side and what you can't see is the microwave nook that is exactly at head height directly above that section of bench. So in order to chop veges or make lunches I either have to put my head in the microwave or squat down to gnome height. Also anyone using that section of bench completely blocks access to the dishwasher and all the cutlery and baking equipment. And don't even thing of trying to get to the bin.

The only redeeming features are the huge stove and the open shelves that allow me to display my love of colourful crockery, a tiny remnant of my sadly missed old kitchen. You see, in order to gain the wonderful garden I had to give up my wonderful designed just the way I liked it kitchen. At risk of sounding precious, it is very hard to go backwards with a kitchen. But, I was upfront with Legoman, before the purchase of Betsy it was clearly spelt out that her kitchen was not going to last more than a year or two at best, and he was agreeable. In theory that is, now we just have to save up for it.

I love red in a kitchen. My old kitchen had a red wall above the stove, this one just has lots of red bits and pieces which I actually like somewhat better. Can you believe that these white brick shaped splashback tiles are back in fashion again? Same cannot be said for black and white chequerboard lino that has been clevely designed to look dirty all the time in order to camouflage real dirt!

These scales had pride of place in my old kitchen, love the colours all together. I like having all different sorts of mugs, mainly as I am not responsible enough to have a set of anything as I am really clumsy with crockery. The absence of glassware is due to the fact that we have managed to drop every piece we owned and have given up and reverted to Ikea plastic cups all round, even adult visitors.

These cups are in my mind are specimens of absolute perfection. Fantastic size, shape, thickness of rim and assorted Cath Kidston designs. Legoman produced four for Christmas and another four arrived for my birthday. They are priced at a very reasonable $6 each over at this amazing place for anyone else who loves anything Cath Kidston. Best to search under Cath Kidston as this site has so many homewares it can be a little overwhelming and a search under "cups" may well produce 76 pages and 876 individual items.......who has time to trawl through all that?

Lastly my glorious chook egg basket that has was given to me a decade ago and just set up a yearning for having my own chooks and fresh eggs on the bench that has finally been realized. I wasn't able to get a good shot of the pokiest pantry in the world that likes screams " look at moi" in the middle of my living/dining room. Actually competes for the feature laundry for "what the?" design feature of the house. I spend all day looking at  the two of them and plotting how to bump them both off.....

Grateful for op shop crochet serendipity

The week that I started my crochet classes I had an amazingly serendipitous op shop find moment. While ferreting around in a book pile I came across this 70's beauty for $2. In fact there were also 3 others in the series but this was the only one all about crochet. Kind of clinched that doing the class was the right decision. Now that I've almost got a handle on the basic stitches I thought I'd let myself have a better look for some inspiration.

And frankly I'm really torn as to which one to whip up for Legoman first........

Can we justify the granny square vest if he doesn't have a horse to share long meaningful looks with? And could Legoman pull off  a belted vest  while gondoliering down the Brisbane river?

Is the too tight v neck jumper with matching turtleneck impractical for a Brisbane Summer and does it only work if you are a human Ken doll? Can he bring self respect to a cream cable crochet cardi if he doesn't have a comb-over?

Too many options, Legoman will just have to wait until Fathers day I think so we can choose something really spesh.

This just brings back memories of my own crochet bikini which seemed to really have issues staying on in the surf as far as I remember. Did not seem to stop me wanting to wear it I might add. Could Roboboy require long term therapy if he was photographed wearing belted crocheted swim shorts?

Now this one  I could actually see myself wearing over a black skivvy, but there is no way my hair would EVER behave like this. A few years ago I did actually have my hair blow dried straight by a hairdresser. I crept home to get Legoman's opinion only to have him look at me with fond concern and point out that I looked just like a pound puppy. Not quite the look I was going for so the curls have been back to stay ever since.

Maybe I just need to stop getting ahead of myself and knuckle down and finish this:

I'm loving this stripy crochet number. This will become the back of my cushion. I managed to do all this today at a work conference. It is really easy to listen and crochet at the same time, some pauses for taking of notes but these rythmic stripes are super as you can zone out and not even worry about following a complicated pattern. Grateful for crochet, conferences,stripes and Legoman taking care of the smalls for me today.

I'm trying to link into maxabellaloves.blogspot.com but not exactly sure what I'm doing. Grateful for being able to mess around and have a go.

Meet my new best girl Queenie

Well it appears that I dropped enough hints about what I really really wanted for my birthday. My very own red retro cruiser bicycle. With a BASKET. I have been wanting a bicycle with a basket for the longest time. For the last 6 years though I have either been pregnant or with a small child attached to me which it makes it somewhat difficult to get the freedom to ride a bicycle. Now that Liongirl has recently turned 2 , it suddenly seemed like an option.

She arrived last week in pieces but spent a few days at our local bike shop as Legoman was not confident in his bike assembly skills. Riding her home today with my new skater girl style helmet was pure bliss. We have miles of bike tracks near our house and normally I am out pounding them with a double pram but not today. Today it was just me and Queenie, feeling the breeze and the sun all over us.

I don't know where the name Queenie came from. About a week ago I was reading someone else's blog who had just bought a vintage caravan and was considering name options. Queenie came to me then for the lovely caravan but I think it really suits my little red bicycle.

A girl called Queenie would be fun and vibrant and happy to be the centre of attention. She would probably have long red hair that would be super shiny and flick around her shoulders. And she would be defiantly unconventional. Queenie would love to have a wicker basket but we will make do with the wire one for now, infinately more practical with all the rain we have been getting around here. And she has put in a request for a bell that that seems quite reasonable to me. The gorgeous white seat and handle grips that she has been stalking on ebay will have to go on her long term wishlist.

Cushiony love

This was my birthday present to myself. I am incredibly difficult to buy for and I did not have complete confidence that Legoman would come up with the goods so to speak. In hindsight this was unfounded as he did well but said present will not actually be in my possession until tomorrow so the lack of confidence cushion is completely justifiable.

I love everything about this cushion. Love the colours which are from  the more tasteful corner of a  70's colour palette. Love the birds and birdhouses which are very whimsical. Love the fact that choosing the cushion involved a prolonged spell in a real actual homewares shop sans children. I haven't actually been inside a homewares store for about 3 years due to the logistical nightmare involved. Too many things that are white, breakable, non edible but appear chewable and the fact that the planned surgery for my 6 extra octopus arms and eyes in the back of my head  is considered cosmetic and unfortunately not funded by medicare.

So I lingered, so long in fact that I'm sure the owner was suspicious I was stuffing goods into my bag to nick them. It was frankly a little overwhelming to have all the time I wanted. Rather than doing that quick scan for a gift, choosing in light speed and beating a hasty retreat, I could look at everything and poke around all the bits and bobs these sort of stores have in baskets and packed into shelves. Birthday nirvana. Made possible by my mother who will hence forth be known as Feng Shui Nonna- she is the one constantly dispensing unsolicited feng shui advice on Betsy and all her flaws eg that massive pile of dirt that had to go by mid February.

So, like all precious things, the cushion is now a favourite with the kids who are constantly incorporating it into all their loungeroom cubbies, sneaking it into prams and even one reckless attempt by Liongirl to stuff it into her booster seat at the dining table! I am trying not to get too attached as I have concerns about staggering out into the lounge one early morning and finding all those birds being hand coloured with felt pens........

On a more positive note, Roboboy appears to have made a friend at school. Actually he claims there are two friends but I only have proof that one is reciprocated. Like most boys he generally refuses to give up the goods on the details of the day but seems to consistently be talking about the same two lads all the time.
As I have mentioned before Roboboy is definitely quirky - that's on a good day. On a bad day, lets just say he is COMPLICATED. And that means that making friends is not a given. He had one mate in kindy last year and was lucky enough to be a long term friend of the most popular girl in class which I'm sure massively boosted his social standing.

I was very curious to see what kind of boy he would be drawn to make friends with. Interestingly he has sussed out another boy who also has the stamp of quirkiness. But his main friend appears to be his complimentary opposite- very social, very physically adept and really friendly. They tease each other and his mate (lets call him Monkeyboy as he can shimmy up a street sign faster than you can blink)  loves nothing more that hoisting Roboboy up and carrying him around and this also appears to be a mutually positive experience.

So then today I had a long chat with Monkeyboy's mother. I have discovered that his family do not own a car at all ( we have one and a scooter and I thought that was tricky), that he is vegetarian of his own choosing and that his mum wants 7 children ( having already produced 3 boys of which MB is the oldest). I am hoping that having environmentally sustainable leanings and a love of large numbers of children allows them to overlook our carniverous status and Roboboy and his complicatedness. Now I just have to give them enough notice so that they can walk from the next suburb to get to Roboboy's birthday party in a few weeks time!

Pair of pretty pale peachy pink pillowcases

Last Thursday Legoman and I  had to venture out to Ipswich to pick up some essentials from Bunnings- our two closer stores were both flooded and have not re opened yet. I was secretly excited as I had been wanting to get out there to ferret through the op shops for months but couldn't justify the drive. The only downside was that Legoman would be tagging along, questioning with a raised eyebrow the intended function and necessity of each purchase. He is really only fun to shop with if there is a man chair so he can sit and play Farmville on his Iphone for the entire duration , or if he can be dropped off within an Apple store and left for a few hours. He does know how excited I get about ferreting and following the motto he has extolled for the decade of our marriage : Happy wife = Happy life, he was quite accepting of the whole op shop trawl.

And what a time was had! Unfortunately, several photos were out of focus so will post those tomorrow. Can you believe these gorgeous pale peach pillowcases. They were sold as a pair for $1. I don't expect Legoman to agree to these on our bed so Liongirl will get these beauties (he hasn't seen the embroidered peacocks that are heading his way yet). Also found this tablecloth which went straight to the trestle table.

I love the blue hydrangeas with the pale beige background. Unfortunately in this shot it  highlights the ugly blueish grey floors that have not yet been banished as I am having committment issues over the right floor colour.

We found a mountain of kids books for 50 cents each, most of Roboboys favourites are obscure op shop finds that involve machines/construction/inventions. He has very specific likes and dislikes so is quite easy to shop for. He verges between disinterest and loathing for anything Thomas train, dinosaurs, pirates or any merchandised superhero. He is fantastic to take to a Toy shop for as long as you keep him out of the Lego aisle he doesn't want anything.

The other thing we always keep an eye out for are obscure old games. I had some awesome games from the 70's as a child and Legoman also has a weakness for the old cardboard box of competitiveness. Ever wondered what Nintendo were doing back in 1970, before the person who invented the Wii was even conceived?

Say hello to Challenge Ball.

Unfortunately the instructions appear to be in Japanese or maybe Korean, but interpreting from the picture it appears to involve 2 people wearing goggles, floundering all over a mat while attempting to place coloured balls within rings while their fellow party goers give them instructions. Despite a thorough search of the completely intact and suspiciously unused set we could not find the LSD that would actually make such a game really really FUN. We did decide at a pinch that several hours of tequila slammers would probably replicate the required experience. We did also consider perhaps breaking it open for Roboboy's 5th birthday and see what the kids make of it, perhaps with some complimentary  mocktails.

Crochet cushion taking shape

Yesterday was the final of my three Saturday afternoon crochet classes. I had been under pressure to complete those 6 squares before the class started in order to be able to sew them together and start the back panel. This resulted in several crochet cramming sessions - while watching a movie, driving to Caloundra (no I was not crocheting and driving, just being a busy passenger and trying not to get motion sickness)  in the waiting room of an appointment for Roboboy and while clothes shopping for Legoman.

Starting off is still the hardest part and there were many occasions of unpicking, redoing the first 4 steps then pulling it all apart and doing it again and again. The hardest part about being a beginner is that you have no idea how it is supposed to look and if you make a mistake you can never be sure how far back the mistake goes so sometimes it is easier to pull it apart and start again.
It is heartening to know that I now understand how to replicate the 3 main stitches- double, treble and chain but I am a little concerned about how that translates to reading a pattern and producing something that looks acceptable.
Luckily Anne has given permission to pop back to class to get any tips that are required which is a great relief as being sent home to complete the back panel and sewing it all together unsupervised is a little disconcerting.
My next plan is to finish this piece then go back to choose some new colours that will work better in my lounge room and design a  new cushion cover that will compliment a recent cushion purchase from Caloundra. (photo tomorrow when the light is better of  both the cushion  and some new fabric finds from Thrifting Thursday.) Then I hope to start work on some hair clips, hopefully not too ambitious for a recent beginner.
I am really enjoying the portability of this as a craft, so easy to take your hook and a small bag for wool/project and just sit down anywhere and steal a few extra rows. It is also getting more social as now I can actually crochet and talk at the same time. Can't really watch a screen or give eye contact though  that could be months away!

A little bit of sunshine

I have to confess that the reason we haven't been around is that we snuck away for a little bit of sunshine and a lot of sand and sea. Do you think it sets a bad precedent to already be wagging school in the third week of prep? He missed a little bit about dinosaurs ( not really Roboboy's cup of tea anyway) and gained  a lot of hands on experience in castle and moat building, waterslides, boogie boarding and exploring rock pools.

I love this image of Liongirl forging her way ahead of me in hot  pursuit of the waves. It was the longest continous distance she has ever walked without wanting to be picked up. She was also quite put out when I called out to her and she stopped only to discover I had slowed her down for a PHOTO. Not happy Jan.

Don't you wish they made grown up sunnies like these pink numbers? I bought a new pair at the Caloundra markets and she had to choose a pair too. Scary seeing her perch them up on her head like I do!
And this photo is going straight to the desk at work - and all that colour coordination of outfits and umbrellas/boogie boards/shoes was completely not planned either. Actually Liongirl may have matched the shoes to the togs now that I think about it.

We stayed at wonderful place at Moffat Beach Caloundra that was surrounded by trees on the beachfront. This was the view from our deck. We were very close to where the river joins the sea - you can just see it on the left side- and this creates a wonderful shallow pool great for littlies who are scared of big waves. Perfect for paddling, practising on a boogie board, building castles and creating waterslides for baby dolls. We spent several late afternoon hours here every day.

The morning hours were spent here:

Repeated trips down the resorts super waterslide, warming up in the spa and then wandering over to the other pool (yes 2 pools) if one needed a change of scene. The resort is a little dated, definite whiffs of 80's landscaping and decor but for little kids by far the best beachside place we have ever stayed in. Everything you need was in walking distance of our unit- even great cafes and some gorgeous shops. I only drove three times- once to Coles for supplies, once to the fantastic Sunday markets and the last time was to ferret through the 5 opshops that can be found down the main street. I am already planning the next trip back. Oh, yes it did actually rain  nearly every day that we were there but despite this a good time was had by all.