DIY kind of weekend

I bought some white rice paper lantern shades for some lights in our house when we moved in here in January, but didn't really consider that our teeny house is actually not the one with the vaulted ceilings I imagine and the previous owners for some reason put pendulum lights underneath the fans in various rooms and lo! you have yo watch yourself underneath them when the fans are on and you are more than 6' tall.

So these huge lanterns were just not going to work on the bare lights around the place. I bought some paper punch shapes - pond leaves and butterflies apparently - and glued them on with PVA.

So much fun.

Happy birth day

Well. Another circle around our beloved sun today for my daughter. And perhaps when I'm feeling less emotional I might post more about it. And when I get some photos from the amazing Billie I will definitely tell you about the AMAZING Very Hungry Caterpillar themed 2nd birthday party I had today.

But a little bit of reflection. Today was the 2nd anniversary of birthing my babe, at home, into my own hands. It's like an annual refresher in how amazing that journey was, how amazing the experience was and how amazing a person I am. 

Be warned - I am in it, naked and birthing and then swearing. And you may need tissues. I do *sniff*.

I also want to acknowledge and own the fact that I am now mama to what is becoming known as a "WHO baby" - one who is breastfed exclusively to 6 months, and then to 2 years (and beyond if we both want it which we seem to). 

I have breastfed for 2 years. 

Me. Who had a whole slew of challenges and nearly gave up in the first few weeks. Who cried more times than I care to think about over something that I'd assumed would come easily.

That is what is the biggest achievement in my head. My beginning breastfeeding was so tenuous in my head. The advice, to just "take each feed as the only one you have to get through" is really good advice when one is developing a major anxiety complex around breastfeeding. But it lead me to feel that the whole experience was tenuous, that any some stage someone (my midwife, my husband, someone close to me) would take my babe away and feed her something else. Wished for it at times, with cracked bleeding nipples and the most amazing pain. But I got through it and damn I'm proud of myself for that too. 

In other news from today, I also planted this:

My daughter now has roots in our home in a way that I hope make her even more aware of where she came from. 

Now with monthly posts

Or so it seems. Not intentionally but it's crazy pants time around here.

Yesterday was 2 parties.
Today I slept for a few hours as I have a raging sore throat. Which has now gone.
Between now and the end of April:
- TheChild's birthday
- my birthday
- TheHusband's graduation
- my graduation
- our wedding anniversary
- a wedding!!!
- TheHusband's birthday

as well as a public holiday, and Hot Cross Bun weekend.

I'm also doing more of my Certificate IV in breastfeeding, working, juggling quasi-single parenting during the week with TheHusband's commute, as well as getting my own business underway and feeling like a blob and I'm currently hunting for my diary.

Excuse me while I go to bed so I can get up for a 6:30am gym class o_O.

So many new things to share...

• We bought a house. Settling on a house is crazy stressful, not helped at all because the bank misspelled my name. Karon anyone? I was not impressed but was impressed by our financial advisor reading them the riot act and forcing them to work long hours to fix the problem. Although if he'd not fobbed me off 3 days earlier it might not have been the stress it was in the end. It's done now and we're on the path of painting, decorating, and enjoying.
• We moved house. I hate moving house. On the upside I don't have to do it again for a very. long. time. On the downside, I won't have the urge to purge my worldly possessions anytime soon.
• I did paint a wall yellow, and TheHusband lovingly painted the kickboard from the 900mm pantry that was a BITCH to install the same colour, and then a friend made a wall decoration with the same colour, aptly named "Happy".
• I won't feel settled until I have the internet at home though. 3 weeks without it is HARD. I'm in a cafe right now and am sick of telling people that no, I don't have the internet so I can't blog / read their email / write a long detailed message.

101 things in 1001 days! #2

My old list is done and dusted as of September (hush yes, I forgot to write about it then - I was kind of busy!), and with the new year on its way so soon!!! I thought I'd write another one. I have a better idea of what I can accomplish too.

My new list incorporates some of the old list, you will see, but with a lot of new things too!


The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

1. Write down all my baggage and burn it 
2. Put my camera gear into my hard case
3. Fly a kite
4. Put up a compliments notice board in a public place
5. Throw TheDoctor a party to celebrate his PhD-dom
6. Put together our wedding video and show it to people
7. Enter something into the Royal Adelaide Show
8. Host a high tea for homebirth
9. Go to a pagan meeting
10. Go to a cricket match
11. Do three things to make our home more green
12. Do a kind deed for a stranger, with no expectation of it being reciprocated
13. Have a sleepover
14. Do a weekend away
15. Take a photo a day for a month
16. Answer 50 questions that will free your mind
17. Get a pedicure
18. Tattoo my scar on my left shoulder
19. Find a personally inspirational quote and work it into a piece of art
20. Buy a piece of art and hang it
21. Make cushions for my couch
22. Take a photography class
23. Make a list of 25 things I'm truly grateful for
24. Organise a craft retreat
25. Write a will
26. Become a marriage celebrant
27. Get my ears pierced some more (3 more times)
28. Go overseas
29. Go bushwalking/hiking
30. Sort out superannuation and consolidate
31. Write to 5 people by hand
32. Plan a surprise birthday party
33. Take a weekend away with my sweetie
34. Try a new cuisine
35. Get engagement/wedding tattoo
36. Take a photography course
37. Learn tai chi
38. Go camping for a weekend
39. Go on a winery tour of the Maclaren Vale
40. Paint 2 inspirational canvases
41. Decorate the bedroom wall
42. Visit someone interstate by surprise
43. Do a burlesque class
44. Buy 5 pieces of lingerie
45. Catch a train across the country
46. Go somewhere tropical
47. Celebrate 4 pagan festivals
48. Go on a girly road trip
49. Do a pottery class
50. Go fruit picking in autumn
51. Attend a wine vintage festival
52. Take 6 'us' photos and frame them
53. Host a photo scavenger hunt
54. Make a list of 100 things that make me Happy
55. Write out 10 family recipes in a cook book and share them with siblings
56. Send someone flowers
57. See someone amazing in concert
58. Go away for a trip by myself
59. Attend a book signing
60. Make a herb garden
61. Plant our placenta
62. Sand and refinish a coffee table
63. Sell a photo through RedBubble
64. Photograph a day in my life
65. Finish the time capsule for Sally
66. Build a henge over a year
67. Ride in a hot air balloon
68. Bake a rainbow cake
69. Do a yoga class
70. Give contact lenses another go
71. Write a letter to myself in 1001 days
72. Make an iTunes playlist of 101 of my favourite songs
73. Make a list of sites I'm a member of, and passwords there
74. Make a house journal
75. Set up an altar and seasonal table
76. Get my passport
77. See a musical
78. Knit a scarf for winter
79. Send hand written cards for birthdays to 5 people
80. Buy a red 4 slice toaster
81. Find a Friday fill in to do
82. Learn about EFT
83. Buy an overlocker
84. Set up a sewing corner
85. Learn to juggle
86. Buy a flute
87. Take some lessons in playing said flute
88. Buy a really good pair of jeans
89. Try indoor rock climbing
90. Drink a cocktail on a beach
91. Go star gazing
92. Do the City to Bay
93. Find wooden dinner plates and buy them
94. Buy a couch to suit the room!!
95. Make wrapping paper with Sally
96. Use a "shelf elf" for Solstice
97. Go a week without swearing
98. Play bingo in a bingo hall
99. Build a teepee
100. Build a bonfire and toast marshmallows
101. Write another 101 list