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This is a bitsa post - bitsa this and bitsa that.

Look! I received the first issue of the Mix Tape zine a couple of days ago. I must admit that I left it in the toilet with the other books and magazines, ready for a little reading session but last night Paul called out to me in a strange tone of voice that there was something I needed to come and look at. He wanted to use the toilet but he was standing there pointing and telling me to look. I looked in to find the whole zine in the toilet - soaking wet! What?!?

I knew the culprit right away - Emma had just done a wee before going off to bed 10 minutes before. I marched in and had a little chat with her about that!!! After blaming Jack and then denying it, and then finally telling me it was Naughty Emma and then admitting yes, it was her, she tearfully told me that she accidentally knocked it in after flushing the toilet. (I was very glad to hear it fell in after she had flushed, I can tell you!)

So what did I do? I fished it out, carefully took the staples out and peeled each page apart (it was all stuck together, ugh!) and then laid all the pages out to dry on tea towels over the back of the dining chairs. By the morning the pages were all dry, if a little crumpled, and I put it all back together and stapled. Now I can read the thing!

Sam started at his new supermarket job on the weekend. We were such the dorky parents, saying things like “Oh! It’s just like his first day at school!” and other rubbish. Well, it may have just been me. Paul was looking rather proud too. We wanted to mark the occasion with a photo of him in his work clothes but he wasn’t having any of it. First he ran away, then he stood there with his eyes closed, and finally Paul said “Come on Sam, do it for Nanna” and he instantly co-operated. You’ve still got it, Nanna!

We had to buy him black socks, white shirts and new black shoes (he usually only wears runners) and black trousers. Can you believe I got him some $5 men’s trousers from the local op shop. I felt a bit cheap but honestly, why spend $40 when these are really like new. Not cheap, frugal, I kept telling myself!

The other thing is that with his Aspergers he has an aversion (phobia?) to wearing metal - things like keys, chains, jewellery, and of course zips give him the heebie jeebies! Up until now he has only ever worn elastic waisted pants but I kept quiet about the fly zip in these and he didn’t say a word about it. Maybe he has grown out of that aversion? I will have to ask him about it.

I went to the Craft and Quilt Fair on Friday and this was my loot. I got some printable A4 fabric (more convenient than the Bubble Jet Set) and a couple of books, a few yo-yo templates, and a couple of other notions.

I also bought a pattern and face stamp for a lovely doll called Charlotte and some wooden stuffing sticks from a lady called Karlene Atkins who had the most gorgeous handmade dolls. The photo of Charlotte above is taken from her website.

I spent quite a bit but I was trying very hard to restrain myself. I could have bought a whole lot more. As well as all the vendors, there was a quilting exhibition and so many fabulous large and small, modern and traditional quilts - photos were only allowed for personal use, no internet use, sorry!

Oh! Nearly forgot! We bought a new fridge and dishwasher today. I know, a bit extravagent but we had some extra money come in, thanks to a bonus from Paul’s work and some tax refunds. Our fridge is about 20 years old and the seal is next to useless. I shudder to think how much energy is flowing out the door. Our dishwasher works but unless we rinse everything thoroughly we are likely to get bits stuck all over the glasses and plates and rinsing kinda defeats the purpose of having a dishwasher.

We chose based on cost, the width of the fridge space available and most importantly, on the energy star ratings. That was our main factor - we passed up cheaper models because they weren’t very efficient for power and in the case of the dishwasher, for water too. Yay us. Good for the environment and good for our energy bills. We looked at sooooo many different fridges today - Paul is the sensible one and likes to shop around. We dragged the poor kids to four different shops and then back to the first one. Why is it always the first one? They get delivered on Wednesday - how exciting!

Yes, I know. I probably post way too much about Emma, but really she is the cutest little thing. Apple of my eye. Not that I am biased at all. Oh no.

We have a few photos of family and special friends up on our fridge and both Jack and Emma love to look at them (so do I!) and the other day, Emma decided she wanted to have a really, really good look at everyone, so she dragged a step ladder from the laundry and climbed up and stood there chatting to the people in the photos and looking at them for ages and ages.

She talked and talked to them, making up stories for them to star in and singing songs to them. So cute.

Another funny thing she does is to leave little toys in scenes all around the house. In all kinds of unexpected places we are always finding little scenes from her games, played and then left there, while she moves on to the next makeshift game.

We often have toys hanging around, arms and legs jammed into cupboard handles for instance. Or like above, hanging from their heads. Eh-oh.

Frogs sitting on printer trays. A doll, a (naked) Angelina and a well dressed banana - not in pyjamas but in a fetching dress - having a rest after reading a book together.

She loves paper dolls right now, carrying them around, sleeping with them. Loving them and scrunching them. She tells me that this one’s foot is called Emma. See, it really is.

And here’s a couple just monkeying around.

Thanks Emma, you make me smile every day.

This is Rachel and Jesse.  Jesse seems like a nice young lad and Rachel is a lovely young woman.  They have recently met and have been enjoying getting to know each other.  

 

Rachel really ought to brush her hair. 

Today I did a bunch of sewing.  And not for business reasons, but for my little girl.  First up, was poor little naked Angelina Ballerina.  I picked her up while out thrifting one day and it didn’t bother me that she was missing her tutu - I always planned to sew her a new dress. 

For weeks now, Emma has asked where Angelina’s dress is and today I finally got around to making it!  It may not be a tutu but it is pretty cute, nonetheless.

 

Isn’t Angelina so smiley now that she has a wonderful new dress. She’s ready to dance again.

I used this great tutorial from Molly Chicken to make the dress - it was super easy. And super reversible:

 

With the weather turning cooler, Angelina’s mummy (Emma) was in need of a few new clothes herself.  So I got busy with my trusty sewing machine - using what I have and putting plans into action.  Yay me!

First up, a hot pink fleece skirt with a designer fabric touch at the hem.  I love this one, though it is a little big on Emma, dammit.  She will grow into it soon though.

 

Next I wanted to use up some dark dark purple fleece that I have had hanging around for way too long.  I’m not mad on the colour but I did want to use what I had, and it looked good once I added some colour touches.  These are some everyday play bootleg pants, with pink ricrac at the ankles. 

  

I still had quite a bit of this fleece left so I made another skirt, this one fits better, though it still has lots of growing room.  Here is Emma (with Angelina) modelling her new skirt. 

 

This one turned out really nicely - the trim at the hem is some beautiful cord that I also have heaps of.  I love this fabric so much.  I must make her more things from it. 

 

Don’t you love the stripy socks?  She has always had big feet (it was one of the first things I noticed about her when she was born) but they look huge in this picture. What do they say about horizontal stripes?

 

Sorry, I couldn’t pick just one photo - she’s too cute!