One packed of jelly crystals made up fits perfectly into 4 Tupperware snack cups!

And in other news.....I think.....the insurance claim.......IS FINISHED!! 

I think xox

Election 2010

Found here

That's all I have to say about that xox

Frustrations

Frustrated that the insurance claim IS NOT finalized!!

Frustrated because that means we are living with furniture we can't use, waiting to be sanded and refinished. Which also means we cant unpack a lot of stuff.

Frustrated because I can't use my front door.

Frustrated because we don't have an Ikea and Bunnings had to special order in my storage for my stash. 2 week wait. Probably longer. So I'm living with my stash looking like this.

Frustrated because my beautiful red lounge is STILL sitting out the front waiting to be taken away. Along with all the other claim stuff.

Frustrated that I don't seem to be finishing anything at the moment! You know when you have so much on the go and nothing is getting done!? So frustrating!!

Frustrated that all I HAVE finished this month re sewing is this...

Which, although it is cute, and posted for the {sexy} hexie swap isn't much.

Frustrated that my machines are waiting to be picked up but because the insurance isn't sorted they are sitting there......all alone......waiting for me.

Oh and the washing! Frustrated that for the past 3 weeks, I have been averaging 4 loads a day because of all the new linen and towels!! And on more that one occasion I have had to re wash because there is a bird that likes to poo on my linen. True story.

And one last frustration. My beautiful, clever 9 year old has been replaced by some pre teen back chatting, rude stranger.....not sure the insurance lady can help with that.....or the pooping bird xox

Edit: It has been over 3 months 3 MONTHS since the fire!!

Post 138 - The one where she has a tantrum.......

Hello! Thanks for having me back. I’ve just popped in to share a cuppa and a chat. How have you been these last few weeks? Cold enough for you southerners?  Lovely weather here. Dry season is in full swing. Just lovely…..

How am I? Really? Fine fine…..not really……well……actually……I’m just going to flop down here at your kitchen table now and have a little grown up tanty…..yep…..here I go…..

I don’t want to do this house moving fire crap. Seriously. It’s not fair. I don’t want to go through stuff, throw stuff out or fight with the insurance about whether or not it needs writing off. I don’t want to get quotes on my sewing stuff. I don’t want to have to unpack and reorganise the house AGAIN!!

I don’t want hubby to go back to work. I want him to live with us and to have no bills. No responsibilities. Play with the kids all day and not worry about getting to school on time. 

I want to sew not clean…..

I want to eat chocolate every single day and be thin and hot. Not fat and sweaty.......

And now you’ll say something lovely and supportive yada yada yada……

But like all good tantrums….

But it’s not fair! I know we are lucky. I know we are blessed a thousand time everyday for our wonderful, healthy, relatively happy family.

But I don’t want toooooo…..It’s not fair………!!!! 

My quilts :( I don’t want to get valuation on the quilts. I don’t. I want to pretend they are fine and that everything is ok. But I can’t. I wish this had never happened. I should have never left the kids…..my fault. Boohooo me

And now you will give me your best serious face and tell me to suck it up princess. That I can do it and I will. Because I am Bianca Jae….and I make stuff!

Thanks friends. Because we are sleeping in our house tonight for the first time in 53 days. And that has to be good thing….right??!!

And yes, I am now so crazy that I am having full conversation with myself because quite frankly I am stark raving mad ;) xox

Planes, trains and floods??

So. Dresses are finished, pretty much. Just the hand sewing to finish when we get down south and the hems tonight. Very happy with them. Was a little scared that they were going too be too much but I like! HUGE relieve!! But sorry guys you will have to wait until after the wedding to see them. Painful aren't I lol!

Quilts. Same as they were here and here. I am going to cheat and get them professionally machine quilted. Because I can.

That's the sewing bit done.

Stress levels hit a new high here yesterday. See our adventure down south was meant to go something like this. 

1. Pack the car

2. Put the car on the train

3. Fly to Adelaide with carry on, enough for one night.

4. Sleep, then shop, then pick up car.

5. Drive 4 1/2 hours to family.

Not too bad, anything with large family takes planning, time and energy. So this was the best option for us. Meant that we would have a car in Vic that we could fit in and would have the ability to do our own thing.

However....

For the second time this year the train tracks have been washed away!! So no car!! Seriously!! Life in the NT is never dull...

So. This is now our plan.

1. Repack. This means big one will not be able to take all her denim shorts. First melt down.

2. All luggage will need to be taken on the plane. Husband not happy. Sent to time out.

3. No shopping and catch up with Megs. Me. Sooky face.

4. Train to Vic booked out until Monday. And there are no hire cars (long weekend down south). Panic starting to rise.

5. We all need to be up and organized to catch a BUS at 7 in the morning. Cold sweats and heart palpitations begin.

6. We then need to sit on said bus for 6 1/2 hours.....with all the luggage....and 4 kids.....complete melt down!!

7. Weight Watchers chocolate biscuits do not help.

8. Once we are in Vic. The 1lt bottle of gin gifted by LMM will be had and kids can look after themselves for the rest of the holiday. Screw the points.

So. Yeah. And the icing on the cake is my orchard that hasn't flowered in 18 months has started to flower this week. So we are going to miss it in full bloom.

You can start the violins now. I'm off to eat a weight watchers friendly chocolate cake xox

...lessons

Well I'm back!

Not that I really went anywhere, just been so SO busy! So hopefully over the weekend I can finally catch up on emails and blog reading. I miss seeing what you all all up to :)

I have learnt some interesting lessons over the past few weeks

People really do like what I make. And will actually give me money!

My husband and kids are more patient then I even imagined.

Never EVER list something you have yet to make, as things very quickly snow ball and the next thing you know you are pulling all nighter's to finish orders! True story...

There will be people that will copy what you do and sell it. Having no understanding or appreciation for how long you have worked on something to get it right. Karma will get you. Mark my words.
Note - talking about someone that I gave a wrap to as a gift, copied it and is now selling in the big town. Not those sellers on madeit/etsy etc. We are all selling different products and that is cool :)  

And I heart Jacob. More then Edward. And not just because he takes his shirt off...ALOT! And yes Brooke, I know he is only 17 ;)

These are in to my madeit shop.

Have a great weekend.

Don't forget to enter my give away! xox

house keeping and a goodbye

I'm going away tomorrow...

for 10 days..

with only ONE child!!

Don't know whether to dance or sing or cry or shout!

Hubby is look after the bigger 3

He'll be fine....wont he?!?

Anyway thought it would be a good time to rap up a few loose ends.

Firstly. I went 3 weeks without eating chocolate! Had a head ache day 2 but was fine the rest of the time. Then, had a blow out, and man oh man did I pay for it! Head aches, cranky, fogging in the head. Had no idea it could effect me so much! So chocolate is gone! Yay! Bike riding...week one was great and now, too hot! So I'm swimming instead :) So turning this fatty will take some time. And I'm ok with that.

Secondly. 7 jobs in 7 days. Well I did 6....in 17 days. You know kids, birthdays, sickness and all that lovely stuff. Very happy with the clean house, even if it took a whole lot longer, and even if it lasted 2 seconds. And the one thing I didn't do. Unpack the stuff from the move...

Thirdly. All that lovely binding! What on earth am I doing with all that?

Well. I made more

And used some....

You'll have to wait until I get back!

So. I'm off down south.

Staying with mum,

catching up with family,

attending a wedding,

shopping for a bridesmaid dress {ekkkk},

having an early birthday {did I mention I'm turning 30!},

and even going to my old sewing group where I will get too catch up with these lovely ladies and more.

See ya! xoxox

..brb..

Or be right back.

Things around here have taken on a whole new level of crazy. We have had mum and sis visit.....rats visit.....friends visit....friends that visited had nits (treated once they got here and realised).....too many late night and too many beers.....a mouse inside.....mice outside..... 3 out of 4 kids very sick with gastro.....hubby still dying of gastro.....20 thousand million loads of washing.....rats have returned to visit.....shit still all over the front and.....real estate agent coming on Thursday.

Oh and did I mention that the NT has 4 weeks holidays. Now. In the middle of the dry. So kids are driving me mad.

And I almost forgot, the crackers just keep going off so boy one is sleeping with me as he is terrified of the crackers.....

So I'll be right back once the super crazy has end and the normal crazy has returned.

Now, I'm off. Back to looking up divorce lawyers, adoption agencies and just how much do you need to drink to get discount shares in liquorland?!?

PS I will still be over here though if you miss me too much xox

australian homesewn and stuff

Pinched image from here

I am so excited!! The magnificent Mel from Day to Day has taken her crafty endeavors to the next level. Mel has been busy working on this fresh new mag. So happy and excited for her! Not only is she incredibly talented but she is a genuinely lovely lady. And one of my favourite twitter friends!! Read more about the mag over at her blog.

In other news, I pretty much suck today. Yep, the little violins are playing just for me. 3 sewing bobo's, ending in unpicking, unpicking and more unpicking (with a wee tantie in there somewhere as well!), left out 1/4 of the flour in our tea cake for afternoon tea, and we had guests and no time to run to the shops, and tea was, well, about 2 minutes away from being completely uneatable. And our dog has run away, again, and not yet returned. Can you hear the little violins? Just for me

After all that I did manage to sew something, finished a pressie for a very dear friend (have to wait until she gets it before I can post pics) and am just about to stuff a giraffe for my mum who will be here on the weekend!! Yay! With my sister too! Post pic when done.

How about you? Know any 'famous' people? Are the violins playing for you too?

working my *beep* off

I'm back! Moved and almost unpacked. *sigh* Not moving again for a very long time. 

Funny story, went though the drive though the other day and I got myself an ice cream and not the kids, little miss 5 started to whinge and little miss 8 said "Hey, mum has been working her ass off, she can have an ice cream if she wants!" Oops, do you think I have been saying that much?! Never! I'm a perfect roll model for my children ;)

Moving is the second most horrid thing you can knowingly do to yourself, first is getting pregnant. Remind me if I want to do either again.

This does make it all worth it though. Did I mention we now have a pool?? I took this from the kitchen window while the kids had breakfast. I know, very lucky!!

In the craziness of moving we did take Flat Stanly here.

Must keep unpacking. Mum and sister are here from down south next Friday!! So excited!! xox

too much...

So I'm going to have a wee bit of a whinge. I have added pretty pictures of the only sewing I have done this week to give those of you not interested something to look at. 

See the pretty little lady bug!

So we're moving and it sucks and I don't want to do it. But I am going to because I hate the builders more. This is will be our 5th move in 5 years, 3 moves were interstate. So I am well and truly jack of it. Hubby is at work until the day we take over the lease so I am left to pack, care, feed, clean, organise etc the 4 little ones. On top of that we have been sick. So no full nights sleep here in over a week. Crap!

And this lovely little number!

On top of that moving craziness, my friend with the PND is in the mother baby unit recovering and will be for some time. So I am thinking of her and her family and reliving some of that yuck and black and shit from my experience.

This one is my favorite! Little tiny lady bugs and mushrooms.

And to0 add the icing on the cake, my family of origin is falling apart. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not good timing for me!! I want to jump up and down and scream 'what about me, it isn't fair! I've had enough and I want my share!' But I wont. Instead I will whinge and take a deep breath and start again tomorrow.......