HAVING A PINK EASTER SUNDAY!! & HAVING A BIT OF FUN..

Well I have to start this blog by saying what a TOTALLY MAGNIFICENT day it is today in MELBOURNE...the weather is JUST THE BEST...

Clear blue skies...27 degrees celcius...NO wind...

AND with the FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX here in Melbourne this weekend...this beautiful GORGEOUS CITY of some 4 million people is showing HER true SPLENDOUR after the horror of the recent bushfires etc..

I know I am biased..but driving around yesterday...I said to my hubby.."this is JUST such a MAGNIFICENT CITY"...THE shops are wonderful...coffee/food exceptional.

anyway...I am probably going a bit psycho..as I ACTUALLY HAVE MY WHOLE FAMILY HOME this weekend...!! yes I HAVEN'T HAD A HUSBAND AND 2 BOYS (PLUS SOOTY).ALL HOME TOGETHER ..IN THE ONE HOUSE..SINCE ABOUT LAST AUGUST!!..

SO i AM NOT A GRUMPY OLDY GRUMP TODAY!! (regular readers will get this)...

I am relishing having a family all home...BUT HEY!! I am HATING the MESS!!!

ANYWAY...This blog is supposed to be ABOUT my GORGEOUS PINK SHABBY EASTER goodies I am listing on ebay...

I have been playing around with some great pink baskets I have stored away...other lovely PINK easter eggs...tin ducks ... WHATEVER...

SO HAVING A FUN PINK SUNDAY...waiting for the GRAND PRIX to start at 5.00 pm ...As I love the SOUND of the cars...(i can hear them from my balcony)....PLUS the fly past of the AIR FORCE JETS is AWESOME!!

I LOVE it..

have a lovely week...

xx andrea

OKAY!! BUSY TRYING!! TO DO CRAFTY PROJECTS..AND GETTING OVER BEING AN OLD GRUMP!!

Hi ladies...

I have to apologise for a blog i did on saturday night (I have since removed it)...I was just grumpy as I did a blog..and then went to edit it...and VOILA!! all gone..MMM!! GRRR!!

this does happen on a little more than a regular basis!! much to my annoyance..

and for some reason I totally CRACKED it on saturday .. (probably as home alone)...BUT....

I have calmed down now...(maybe this is a menapausal thing?? anyway...that is MY excuse these days for everything!!)...

So i have been trying to be busy painting bits & pieces..op shop finds...other things I have in my "EBAY" room!!

I do this on a table in the middle of this room... AND AROUND this room I have little sections for clothes...cath kidston..material/lace...vintage linens...books/..mags..and LOTS LOTS more...(all to be eventually listed)...

AND i have another table where i pack items sold on ebay etc...

AND this room gets soo messy...as I take things from one end of the house...photograph it in another room..

then take it all upstairs to list/measure/describe.. etc.. on my upstairs laptop..

sooo the other night I had soo much stuff strewn all over the house...and with the BLOG not functioning...I cracked it... SOO sorry again!!

and I am embarassed at being annoyed/frustrated over such A silly thing in the scheme of life these days!! how childish was I?? VERY!

I ALways think anything "crafty" i do is NOT good enough...MY blog always seems to be out of sequence..etc..so I do get annoyed with myself!!

I am VERY hard on myself..and go to bed worrying about what I have done/said etc...sooo!!! i REALLY THINK I NEED TO...

learn to relax a bit...and just calm down..de stress..go with the flow! AND have a BIT more self confidence in what I do...

JEE WIZ...I am nearly 52 yo...have a law degree..had a gift shop for 10 yrs..have two wonderful sons...!! plus hubby & sooty...

I really shouldnt stress about silly things soooo much???!! (its just difficult in that I have ONLY just started being on a computer for the last 4 yrs..and that is just basic stuff....SOO I Think THAT is what is annoying ME MORE than anything!!! I have BASIC computer skills which is very frustrating)...!!

YES!! i know i could do a course...BUT I am kind of scared i will mess it up!!

BUT HEY!! at tennis yesterday.....my coach said to me...(and he did coach PHILLOPOUSIS!! dont know if that is a good or bad??)...HE said I would BE the best woman OVER 50's tennis player in Australia..!!

he said my hitting is awesome...soo powerful..and CONSISTENT!!

so that made me feel good!!! so I then even tried to hit HARDER!!! to show off!!

BUT then came home totally exhausted!! BUT HAPPY!!

sorry about this BLOG....but it is kind of like a "CLEANSING" blog...I have drawn inspiration from KYLIE...COUNTRY CUPCAKES BLOG...(jee wiz..she is much younger than me..BUT is more like my MENTOR!!)...xx kylie..

OKAY!!! LISTING PHOTOS of things....hope NOT too blurry OR out of order..(but probably so....BUT HEY...i think i am over worrying about that!!).

xx andrea

"BIG" BOY IS HOME & LOVING MUM'S PAMPERING!!

Hi ladies...

JEE...a short post from me!!

Eldest SON home for a couple of weeks...enjoying MY cooking...pampering..SPOILING him...

WHAT A LIFE..!!

I LOVE HAVING HIM HOME...I CHERISH EVERY MINUTE..AND PAMPERING IS MY "SECOND" NAME!!

have a lovely weekend everyone..

xx andrea

LISTING SOME CUTE THINGS ON EBAY??! BLOGGING MAG..CRAFTY WOMEN..

Hi ladies...hope you all had a good/great weekend..

I actually had "a husband" home for the weekend..the first time in "YONKS"..so that was very nice...helped me with the mundane grocery shopping...and we got to have a coffee or TWO together!! plus a little bit of shopping..(more grocery than anything else)..

I have been busy today (after tennis)...!! cleaning the house...as BYRON is coming HOME for a couple of weeks...and I just like to have everything nice & clean ... smelling yummy..when he gets home...AS i know the house will be a MESS in a few "hours" with the total family (so to speak..all home at once)...NOT used to a FULL HOUSE..

Anyway...I am trying to list as much stuff back on my ebay site as possible..(as I have nothing listed at the minute)..

SOO the theme at the minute is my "crafty/blogging" books...mags..

A gorgeous mag from somerset studio...is "artful blogging"...this is a wonderful mag full of interesting BLOGS from women...(so I would highly recommend subscribing to this mag).. full of lovely photos...ideas...quite inspiring..

I am just waiting for the FIRST issue of "where women create" magazine to arrive from the USA...It is a total sell out!! soo CANNOT WAIT FOR IT TO ARRIVE..

HOW GOOD IS THIS MAG??

I have enjoyed the second issue...and sold a few...

AND it is the perfect adjunct to the book..."where women create"...(which i also loved)..

I love looking at how all these crafty women work/create/their workspace..

JUST wish i could Be sooo clever..

Most of you ladies...& you know who you are...ARE THAT CLEVER!!

have a lovely week...

ps...DID NOT cut my hair...still the same length..JUST added a few more RED/COPPER highlights to get me back to my kind of original hair colour!!!

and I am very happy with the result..

XX ANDREA..

pps...sorry again...photos are "crappy"...upside down..duplicated..UGGGG!!!

VERY PROUD OF SONS RESULTS FROM JAPAN..HOW FAST THEY GROW UP!! TIME FLIES..

HELLO again all ladies...

Well this blog is about my eldest son who has just arrived back in Australia after 6 months studying law at a Japanese uni/.

regular followers of my blog will know that I visited him in Japan over Christmas/new years...and had a wonderful time..

so again this blog may seem a little self indulgent..but I keep saying to myself..dont feel guilty about writing about your family/yourself..etc as this is kind of what a blog is about??? isnt it??

(I Have run this past byron before listing it...and he is happy to have it on my site!! although I must say..he has NO idea what it is actually about or photos??

cross fingers when he reads it!!!

unlike younger son...who would be horrified)..

with this blog..I actually hope i am letting you YOUNGER mums know...(from

MY experience...what JOY ones efforts in bringing up your children...with love/affection..self confidence & guidance..that little bit of freedom (when required!!)... CAN end up with total enjoyment/pleasure with their achievements later in their life..which means LATER IN YOUR LIFE!!

(jee wiz...I am beginning to sound like some educational guru!! this is not what this is about)..maybe I should become MRS DR PHIL!!!

BUT I am JUST soo proud of my son with his results he just received back from his 6 months stint in Japan.,..,(just got them back today)..

He did 14 subjects...ALL lectured to him in japanese..

his exams were all in japanese..

he had to write all his answers in japanese..

SOO for 6 months...his uni lectures were all in japanese .. NO english...

AND he has passed them ALL.....5 with A's...4 with B's....and the rest with C's...

I just think this is a wonderful effort from him...as a lot of these subjects involved Japanese constitutional law...taxation law...japanese criminal law...(some of these subjects he hasnt even studied in his aussie degree as yet).

and having studied Law myself some 100 years ago !!!...well some 30 odd years at least!!

at melb uni,....I can ONLY marginally begin to comprehend his achievements...I struggled to comprehend many of my law subjects..(taxation/trusts/company law)..in ENGLISH...let alone a foreign language!!!

SOO i know this is another BIT of a self indulgent post..

BUT ...as he lives in another state...and reads his old mums blog...just wanted to POST a HUGE congrats to him....

AND TO LET HIM KNOW...HOW PROUD WE ALL ARE OF HIM~~

He works hard...loves his study... SO WELL DONE..OLD BOY>>> !

soo to get back to the original point....ALL you YOUNGISH! mums out there...with little children....(there is light at the end of the tunnel!! just joking)...

But when they do grow up...and achieve...whatever that may be...in whatever field they choose....

IT is a LOVELY feeling to know that you (mum & dad)...have actually ACHIEVED something worthwhile and valuable in life...bringing up a WONDERFUL CHILD..SOMEONE YOU CAN BE JUST SOO PROUD OF..& NOW ENJOY THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS....(I think i dont have much more to achieve?? MMM!! what else can I do)...??

ps...my other son is achieving just as much....(but he likes to remain a bit more incognito~~ he thinks he is a bit more TRENDY!! )....and ONLY likes to promote himself on facebook or whatever it is called!! I think he would yell at me for putting him on my blog...SHHHH!! he doesnt know about that skiiing photo..o that of his girlfriend....and I keep HUSH about all that)..

have just included a little time line of Byron's growth...thought it kind of adds to appreciate this blog...??

THEY ARE ALL OUT OF ORDER (AGAIN!!) and a tad blurry...(sorry about that)..BUT I hope you all get the drift/meaning of the photos...

have a lovely weekend everyone..

xx andrea...(ps ...had my hair done today...and very happy...but too embarrassed to add that to this blog site...I think there is only soo much one can take of ones own family/personal photos in a blog listing etc)!!

JUST A LITTLE UPSET RE SOME COMMENTS ON MY HAIR? LONG or SHORT WHEN ONE IS 50 ODD YEARS??

Hello AGAIN!!...I have been mulling over doing this post for a little while...(as it is a bit too self indulgent for my liking..)..

But there kind of comes a time where i need some...hopefully....positive reinforcement!!

OKAY...i think we all know i am turning 52 yo this year...

I have ALWAYS had LONG (longish...is there such a word??) hair..

I started off being a shy timid little girl...per photo...with my short hair!! (CIRCA 1960!!)..

Then had my first son...(per photo re me kissing him)...

Then me with my extra long hair in my early 30's!!!

I was always an original RED HEAD!! kind of faded a bit with "old age" ... although i credit it to lots of breastfeeding!! (i hope that doesnt sound offensive)..

SO I NOW need to go and get it "supplemented" so to speak every couple of months...(goodness knows..when i was younger..this would have been something silly OLD women go to do)..

SOO whilst in Japan i found this lovely mag...AND I want my hair to look like that on the cover...(it kind of looks like that anyway...but just needs touching up).. (per the photo)..

I still have hair kind of similar per the photo...(that is me just to the left of this mag photo...probably NOT too bad for an OLD???????)!!!

BUT i must say...lately...I have had quite a few people actually say to me.."you should start thinking about cutting your hair short now andrea...as you are in your 50's"!!!

OMG!! is this an AUSSIE thing?? why should i change my hair style after..nearly ALL MY LIFE.. just because I am in my 50's???

It is NOT that i am trying to be young/look younger etc...BUT that is all I know..I have a big pony tail playing tennis...tied with a bow matching my outfit...

sometimes I think AUSSIE women should TRY TO emulate the gorgeous CHIC style of their European counterparts...!!

SORRY about this little bit of a whinge... but it has played on my mind for a while now...(and I just like having long hair?? why should I just cut it short cos I am in my 50's?? )...

I dont quite get it??

BUT it has kind of depresssed me a little bit...

have a lovely week everyone..

xx andrea

YES!! ANOTHER BLOG..BUT HEY..WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO?? HEAPS I WOULD EXPECT!

YES!! only been back in melbourne TWO minutes..and have done two blogs in literally two minutes!!

OKAY...I know I go overboard...BUT hey!! I am having a bit of fun (whilst hubby away...)...so just go for it girl!! & dont feel guilty!!

Christians girlfriend has come over for dinner tonight..so I thought I would share with you what is happening...

firstly I saw her arrive...(being at my laptop in my strategic spot...KNOWS what goes on in this neighbourhood!!)...BIRDS EYE VIEW so to speak..

I thought she just looked gorgeously FRENCH CHIC !!...black/white large check..gingham cotton skirt...tied at front with a lovely bow..(which she has told me she bought for just $10.00!!)...and of course my response!! JEEZ i could sell them on EBAY for more than that!!

she had a little black ballet leotard type little top underneath...black stockings...cute little black flat shoes..and a lovely white little handbag (not photographed..but this is the one Christian bought for her in Japan as a pressie)..

and a cute little white headband..

(the photos dont do this little outfit justice...BUT she just looked soooo CUTE..as she is very petite...)..

OKAY so she is staying for dinner..

SO have prepared a CHICKEN stir fry...(and a PACKET chocolate cake!! sorry it is packet...but is 95 % fat free!!)....I dont eat it...BUT christian does love his chocolate cake...i have it underneath a lovely little pink cover..dont look at the icing...it has run onto the board underneath..!! i scrape it all clean and put on a new plate!!)..

I like to dismantle the noodles into little bits...that avoids clumps..etc..I kind of knead them like when mixing butter into flour...(which I hate doing..as it gets all caught up in ones fingers!!)..

I always cut up the vegies...place them in a stainless steel bowl...ready in order to cook according to how long they take to cook..(BOY!! this is beginning to sound like a cooking lesson!! believe ME!! I AINT NO COOK!!)...

PLUS Christian LOVES his ROTI bread...so that is also ready to go with a satay sauce..

I am lucky I have a BIGGISH kitchen....soo I can look out my window at a view whilst cooking ...OR turn my head and look at the rest of my kitchen!

PS...sooty is looking a BIT sheepish!! lying flat on the carpet..quite unusual...MMM!! what have you done sooty that I should Know about?????

have a great week everyone...

xx andrea