Thursday, August 28, 2008

Clothing Challange . . .

I have set myself a clothing challange. I will not buy any new clothes for myself and the girls for ONE YEAR - hopefully not too ambitious, but I have been doing it for probably 2 months now with only a few minor hiccups along the way. There are a few exclusions . . . underwear, socks . . . and I won't stop people from buying clothes as a gift (many of the in laws buy a few items for Christmas etc).

I *may* buy fabric to make clothes, but I will try my best to source it second hand first but lets face it, I have enough fabric to last quite a while I just need to bite the bullet and use it!!

I have discovered that I am in love with my local Endevour Foundation OP shop. Every 4 weeks they clear their *older* stock (ie it has been on the shelf for 2 months without selling) in a "fill a bag" for $10 . . . but it isn't just fill a bag, it is basically grab anything you'd like with a x coloured tag for $10. I have got SO much stuff their recently - generally between 10-15 items each time!! I got nn some great stuff last week (and he isn't usually into secondhand clothes) but a denim jacket and a ripcurl button up collered shirt - they ended up being 76c ea!! :O

I also recently go myself a dressmakers mannequin :D It ended up being just under $55 from ebay and it is a perfect condition 1920s "Ese Jane" I LOVE it!! Her breasts are a bit too perky for my liking though - obviously SHE never breastfed lol I can't wait to make something for ME!!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

A time for reflection . . .


08.08.08 - for most people, they will remember this day as the day the Olympics started. For my family it is when we commemerate the 2nd anniversary of my Mum's suicide. In some ways it feels like just yesterday I was talking to her, in others it feels like a lifetime has passed. So many things have happened in the past two years - so much she has missed out on. She would have seen 5 more grandaughters born, two sets of twins and my own beautiful Zoe, seen my brother get engaged to a wonderful girl, shared her 30th wedding anniversary to my Dad and celebrated his 50th birthday. She has missed so many happy times, and caused so many sad . . .

Shannon, the girls and I invited Dad up to the Sunshine Coast for a few days and were joined my Tim, Laura and Warren (my Uncle) on the Friday as Shelly Beach, the place where we scattered her ashes last year. I didn't go to the actual spot where we scattered them - I have so many fantastic memories of that place growing up I don't want to always be reminded of the sad - and we had our best Cowrie haul in years :) It was a shame that Bec had 3 sick girls and couldn't come too.

After lunch, when everyone else had left, we went for a walk along Kings Beach. Having a look at the shells as we went by, I said to Dad "I wonder why we never find Cowrie shells along here?" and right in front of us, all by itself, was a large, perfectly intact Cowrie - almost as if Mum was letting us know she was there . . .

We had a beautiful few days up there and I think it will be a continuing tradition from here on. I have still to go and see her plaque which has now been put up at the place where we held her funeral, I am hoping to o this week . . .

RIP Mum, you will be missed forever.