Silly Season Update featuring our Elf on the Shelf: ELFIE!!!

Okay... 

so life can get a little crazy around this time of year.

It doesn't lessen one bit my love for it though - the magic and joy of children at this time, the Christmas carols playing at home, the sparkle of my girls eyes as the watch in awe of the Christmas lights.

And of course there's Elfie! 

My girls are MASSIVE believers and they ADORE Elfie and his antics.

Here's a quick photo montage to bring you up to date (I'm such a slacker at keeping you posted!):

DAY 6:

The art of the Elf

Elfie found the toothpaste tube and thought it was the perfect way to remind the girls to be good (whilst still getting to release a little elf mischief at the same time). 

Oh and yes, why thank-you! I do have the most lovely retro grey-green, black and salmon pink vinyl tiles... urgh! I do love retro but just not my bathrooms style of retro! It matches the lovely pink hand basin and bathtub... my bathroom screams renovation - but it needs to get in line and take a ticket! Hopefully our kitchen will be getting a facelift in the next month or so... then, maybe then we'll start the bathroom!

DAY 7:

Just Hanging About

Elfie was taking it easy today... just sitting about in the Christmas tree with a couple of new jingle jangle baubles.

DAY 8:

Sleep Over with Elfie

We were in the city visiting my brother and his daughters and Elfie of course was along for the ride. The girls awoke to find he'd been digging into the Christmas candy and thought the perfect way to introduce himself to the cousins was to spell out his name.

We all had a great day with my brother and his two girls... park picnic for lunch,

 feeding ducks, on the swings and slides and then off to the berry farm to pick some berries...

How gorgeous is this entrance to the wonderful family run bramble farm?

So after an afternoon of berry picking the girls and I set off on the 4+ hour drive home and with a bucket full of berries Elfie got busy that night!

DAY 9:

A berry berry nice pie

1/2 way there

How pleased does Elfie look with himself?

And out of the oven...

Then presented to the girls... oooh, that Elfie knows how to impress!

And so we are almost (okay maybe not really) caught up... but it's super late and I need to be catching some Zzzzz's so I'll continue with the catch up REALLY soon...

If you are ultra keen to catch up on Elfie you can always head to my facebook page: 

SpaNGle*

or follow along on Instagram: 

the_spangler

Take care and I hope you are staying safe, being merry and spreading joy and cheer!!!

xoxoxo

Snow... Snow... Snow...

SNOW... 

You make me love winter - if only for the fleeting time that I am with you! I love the snow... 

I love the ascent up the mountain, spotting the first few scatterings of the wonderful white stuff... 

I get excited when I see cars heading down mountain with snow on their roof and under their wipers... 

I love winding the window down (hahah... just re-reading... how funny still calling it 'winding the window down' when it's been pushing an electronic button for so long now!) and feeling the crisp, cold air against my cheeks and breathing in the smell of the clean, clean mountain air full of powdery snow promises!

I've missed the snow soooo much... 

It's been just shy of 6 years since my last visit (yep... just a couple of months before I found out I was preggers with my beautiful Big Little Miss M I spent a WONDERFUL 5 days on the snow, skiing, boarding and having too many après drinks). 

It's been so long for many reasons... children, life, living at that time thousands of kms from the slopes, the fact that sadly the hubs does not share my adoration of the snow :(  One thing I know is - I'm going to do everything I can to ensure my girls love it so that snow trips will be incorporated into our regular girly adventure days!

We set off early for the three hour trip there and took a beautiful, back roads trip through greenery, hills, and small country towns with gorgeous cottages and café's that I fantasised about living in as we drove through (the towns not café's that is - although my coffee loving self could most likely quite easily and happily live in a café).

I would have taken more photo's but I was driving and seriously would having been stopping every few km's to take photo's and I just wanted to get to the snow (as did my girls). I'm thinking a summer trip for sightseeing, moseying, photo taking and more quaint country life fantasies might be in order!

My girls oohed and ahhed at the hills that disappeared into the clouds along the way. When I told them that we would be driving up almost to the clouds to get to the snow Big Little Miss M declared that she wanted to climb onto a cloud and snuggle into it and then asked if she could take a cloud back home with her... Not being one to spoil the childhood magic I love, I told her of course we could but we'd have to make extra room in the boot because it was such a good idea that I wanted one to take home too (I figured I'd deal with the whole logistics/reality of the situation if and when needed)! 

Today there was no skiing and boarding - it was all for the kids really, to give them a chance to play, marvel, make snow men and angels, throw snowballs and toboggan. The snow was average but still awesome from the kiddies point of view... which meant it was awesome from my point of view too. Happy kids = happy mum!

It was a little overcast most the day but gentle, wafting snowflakes greeted us as we arrived and the sun graced us every so often.

We made a snowman: 

The girls tobogganed:

(I love that Big Little Miss M chose to drop the 'to' from toboggan and simply calls it 'bogganing... eg. Mum, I can go bogganing all by myself! I love bogganing! She makes me laugh)

We travelled in convoy with some friends... from 3 families, 2 cars, 4 adults, 6 children, 4 toboggans.

(minus 1 kiddo... they move too fast!)

All the kids had a wonderful day despite each one of them at some point during the day losing it a little and cracking a wobbly - as they do.

Driving back the kids were still all pepped up with excitement and I loved them even more for it... 

And bonus... gorgeous sunset - just a shame my phone camera doesn't do it justice... the colours were so much more spectacular in reality!

I really must sort my camera situation!

Well, that's our day in the snow - it was AWESOME!

The kiddies have another almost 2 weeks left of school holidays, which even though my two aren't yet in school that means they don't have schedules including Monday morning - swimming lessons; Monday afternoon- ballet lessons; Tuesdays - kindergarten; Wednesday morning - music playgroup; Thursday - kindergarten; Friday morning - craft playgroup; Saturday - more ballet lessons.... (and crazy me wants to fit in singing and tennis lessons somewhere in there!).

Stay tuned for more girly adventure days and surprise daytripping!!!!

Winter... it's not all bad!

Well, yesterday I was all wingey, moany over the cold, winter weather. I'm over it now, and apologies for being so ho hum... 

I like to think I'm pretty upbeat, positive and big on not letting the things I can't change stress or bring me down, but I guess we all have our moments and yesterday was mine.. all just because it was cold! Duh! Pathetic I know but I needed to get it out of my system and now it's done and over with... woohoo!

Moving on....

Check this out:

Tomorrow my girls and I are setting off on another girlie adventure... a day trip to the snow!

Big Little Miss M's instructions at bedtime when I told her and Little Little Miss M that they had to sleep so I could finish organising things for the snow trip was to make sure I'd packed a snowman kit, with extra emphasis on there MUST be a carrot for the nose! (Found some googly eyes to pop on him too... I had forgotten I'd bought a container of about... ooh... maybe 200 googly eyes in all different sizes, until I was cleaning out the depths of my car boot earlier today only to discover the container had rolled right to the back, burst open and scattered googly eyes EVERYWHERE back there!)

So, I'm super excited - not a fan of winter but ironically LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the snow... I so hope that my little ones do too - I'd love to go for a few days next time and have them take ski lessons (and to get in some skiing and boarding myself). 

I'm like a big kid right now... I'm hyper alert and not able to sleep because I'm excited but at the same time I know I need to because I've about a 2.5 - 3hr drive tomorrow to get there!

Really. Must. Sleep.....

xoxoxo

Day to day...

Life is still busy... It amazes me sometimes how I can seem to achieve nothing yet have raced around chasing my tail all day!

Most days at some point I actually believe I am suffering from early onset dementia... but then I remember... I am a mum and this is most likely a normal side effect! (Just jokes of course people... maybe... hehehe... OMGoodness I need sleep!)

Constantly amazed at how quickly my beautiful girls are growing up... it is happening right before my eyes. Little Little Miss M is definitely testing the waters of independence and stubbornness... much to both my frustration and admiration - frustrated that it really feels like I'm talking to a brick wall but admiration because my little one is going to be one tough cookie who stands her ground... yay girl power! The little one certainly has got the 'tude... Only just three and has standard answers for most things... 

ME: Pick up your toys and I want you to clean up your room.  

HER: Me a little tired... 

ME: If you don't pick up your toys I will take them away! 

HER (said with utter and bland coolness): That okay, take them away...

or

ME:  If you want to come with Mummy to the coffee shop/playgroup/shopping/etc you need to pick up your toys first.

HER: Me okay, I stay home.

Grrrrrrrr... but you know what? As frustrated as I may feel I do know that this stage of childhood will pass before I know it and I will reminisce on these times and my memory will replace the frustration with a sense of sadness at just how quickly they go from toddlers to children to teens to adults... I mean, if you read my last post you'll know it only feels like a couple of years since I turned 18 but reality is it's been almost (but not quite) as many years since!

I look at Big Little Miss M and already know that as much as I love how she's growing into her personality and independence I already know that it all feels to have gone too fast!

Its just occurred to me that I need a slow, lazy day... this cold winter weather is making me long to be back living within meters of the beach again... I feel a pyjama day coming on soon!

So here's wishing for a nice, slow, lazy, snuggly, pyjama day with my girls in the very near future!

☺

The week that's been...

Busy, busy, busy...

I honestly feel like I blinked and I was time transported from Christmas 2011 to now with the first half of the year feeling like it has whizzed by in a blurry whir (actually, it feels like I turned 18 and then bam! The days, months and years began crazily churning over).

Yes... I do always think of how people say the years go faster as you get older... it must be a true sign you're getting older when you start saying this more frequently and then feeling that slight twang of panic and wonder at just how fast can each year get.

*Sigh* Anyway, I think you get the picture... I feel like someone is stealing my hours and pushing fast forward on the clock... even as a young child I used to wish I could stop time by touching my two index fingers together and then race round getting everything I didn't have time to do done... I wish this now more than ever it seems.... what was that television show? (oh the wonder of google... Another World... just watched a few little clips on youtube - man, I never remember it being so dated... haha).

Well, here's a quick catch/round up on the week that's been... 

My gorgeous little one turned three...

My sister in law had a perfectly beautiful baby girl on Tuesday...

My two little ones think their new little cousin is simply ADORABLE

I did a spot of sewing inspired and for the gorgeous little one pictured above...

The bonnet although a XS seems a little big in comparison to the shoes and appliquéd onsie so I might whip up some more over the weekend... little baby clothes make me go all crazy clucky!!!

And now with the next birthday party only three weeks away it's still all party, planning madness around here... My five year old has requested a unicorn rainbow party... so were all about fulfilling magical little girls whimsy and imagination here and I'm just a little bit of a lot excited!

I bought a special lamb cake tin which google and the power of the internet tells me I can refashion once baked into an awesome looking unicorn... I guess that remains to be seen! I've got my fingers crossed for my little girl!

Well, I didn't really keep you all up to date with my photo a day May challenge but it kind of felt like I was doubling up posting it here and on Instagram (and on FB) so if you wanted to check it out search me out on Instagram I'm easy enough to find... (there's even a handy little link in my sidebar ☺)

Cheers till next time... I'm hoping to get more sewing done over the weekend (along with cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking and all things equally domesticated... I just might need a glass of red first to find my motivation).

xo

My girl, a party, some clown pops, a carousel cake and a photobooth

Tomorrow, this gorgeous girl turns three!

Yesterday we celebrated with a little person circus party (tomorrow night it will be a family affair)

I was at my disorganised best (one day I will find my long misplaced sense and ability of time management and order)... I had many moments of doubt as to whether it would all come together or be one big dismal and chaotic mess... I had cooking disasters, planned party activity misjudgements, a colour scheme decision that caused nothing but angst (surprising considering they were really mainstream nothing out of the ordinary), orders for party wear not arrive in time (and you can bet my house it'll arrive in tomorrows mail now that the party is done and dusted), and just not enough hours in the day...

but it all turned out well in the end and most importantly my little lady had a great day with friends and family that I just know she adores!

I think my problem is I get a picture in my mind of how I want everything to look and be for the day and that picture is sometimes a little overboard or unrealistic! I mean what three year old seriously gives a second thought about colour co-ordinated candy, napkins, tableclothes or even the detail on the cake so long as there is cake?

Speaking of cake... here 'tis:

(and yes those horses do look familiar... I forgot to add to my list of pre-party disasters the fact that the horses I decorated and painted just did not make the grade this year and at an ungodly hour on the morning of the party I was rummaging about, then dusting off the horses I'd painted, saddled and reined and glitzed up for my big girls party a couple of years ago).

*Sigh* I truly felt jinxed at many (MANY) points during the party prep!

I do quite love how it turned out - I just don't know if appearance matches the time input on this baby though! Again, most importantly the little one loved it! Nothing beats the sparkly way their eye's light up when they see the cake for the first time all finished!

When I manage to work out the video editing program (which is being unco-operative at the minute) I will post a little video of the cake in action... I'd set it on an automatic rotating disc so that it actually rotated as well... to add to the whole carousel effect - and yes I do believe I mentioned already my tendency to go just a tad overboard for birthdays... but as a mum I do take quite seriously my title (self-appointed of course) of Chief Childhood Memory Creator for my little munchkins!) 

And so here's a few other party related pics...

The clown pops... these pops gave me a little grief this time round - have made pops quite a few times now and not ever had dramas but honestly jinxed I tell you... I'd had a massive production line going making about three times the amount you see below only to be afflicted with cracks, sliding pop heads (down the stick that is). I managed to salvage this motley bunch by reattaching hats and more hair to cover the cracks... I love their little faces and how when I look at this photo they look like they've got all different personalities! 

And just so you know, all the time spent on these and I left them at home in the fridge!

They didn't even get a showing at the venue!

But never mind I have a feeling they are going to 'pop' up at the family birthday dinner tomorrow.

My hastily thrown together 'photo-booth' and dress up station...

My gorgeous birthday girl xo

What you can't see is the little wooden blue stool that I painted (and repainted) for this whole scene... check out my instagram if you want to admire (tongue in cheek obv.) my awesome spray painting abilities!

More photobooth...

Big Little Miss M and gorgeous City Cousin (here on in designated the psuedonym C.C)

and more...

Pity Big Little Miss M had lost interest in posing and was nowhere to be found! Feels all sorts of wrong to have a family pic like this but without all of us in it... I've decided to maybe try a recreated photo session with all of us... maybe tomorrow on her birthday I'm thinking!

Still more...

SIL and the super cute CC ;) Huge commitment from SIL who travelled a round trip of 4hrs when she quite literally could have bub no.2 at any stage... My girls love their awesome Auntie and cousin!

Pinata time...

Do you ever find it a little odd or troubling that we encourage our kids at parties to belt the you know what out of a poor unsuspecting clown with a great big baton until his body is quite literally severed from his head and flung across the room and then instantaneously pounced upon by the kiddos with a raging display of pack mentality all in order to load up, stash and secure as their own as much candy as possible? Whilst we then try to teach them to share and be kind and to not hit etc etc... Hmm... thinking too much I think. I LOVED pinata's as a child and I turned out alright... 

I think :P

The take-home party treat boxes...

And that's it for now... more coming soon.

Birthday Season...

Time for another catch up!

Check out Instagram to see a little more of this funny fellow!

Life is busy, busy, BUSY at the moment! It's birthday season here... Mine, the hubs and my sweet girls all have our birthdays in May and June.

And you know what that means?

Yep.

I get to go nuts... totally, somewhat overboard (and just a little stressed) about all things cake, party and themes!!!

I LOVE birthday cakes and cake decorating - you may (or may not have) read in a past post (here, here or here)... As I've mentioned in those posts making themed cakes takes me right back to childhood and how magical birthday's were as a child... I want that magic for my girls... the grown up world is sadly lacking in some of that magic sparkle (curse you reality and your horrible responsibilities :P )!

If you check out my instagram you'll get 'hot of the press' sneaky peeks into the prep for my Little Little Miss M's Circus themed party this Saturday (she's three on Monday - OMG!).

And whilst we're on about Instagram...

Here's my catch up pics from FatMumSlims photo a day May Challenge:

DAY 18: Something I made...

Well, I think I've shown you before but here is one of the BOW dolls I made a little while back.

DAY 19: A favourite place...

Outdoors on a sunny day, exploring parks with my two little ladies.

DAY 20: Something I can't live without

(plenty more things I couldn't do without and this is by far not the most important obviously... but you knew that)

DAY 21: Where I stand...

(Every time I thought about this one I'd get that darn Lady Gaga song, Edge of Glory in my mind - not for grandiose, self inflating thoughts but more just standing on the edge... if you get my drift? But alas, I went all boring and everyday...)

Yep... ma legs, ma legs... they kinda look like I'm dangling - which is a little disconcerting, I think the blur did that... oh and from this angle my legs look kinda long (even if they are anyhow - I'm 5'10)

DAY 22: Pink

Simple really... a pretty camellia from the back yard

Okay, we're almost all caught up (one more for now)...

DAY 22: Technology

Well, so much to choose from... Good old internet - It's hard to imagine how we did it before, bit like mobile phones... or even cordless phones for that matter... or temperature controlled heating and cooling... how about remote controls? My older brother and I used to fight to cover the buttons on the box tv when we were arguing over channels... on a TV that came with it's own legs!

Well, there you have it... all caught up!

Not sure if I'll get back on here before the party on Saturda ... I am due to go into 'crazy-lady-stressing-over-a-kiddie-party-that-has-gone-overboard'... but secretly, I'll be loving it!!!

Cheers

xo

The truth shall set you free...

FOREWORD: Definitely not a winge, totally malice-free, mostly tongue-in-cheek thoughts on the inconsequential whilst gaining a little cathartic purging of musings..  ☺

Com·pet·i·tive/kəmˈpetətiv/

Adjective: 1. Of, relating to, or characterized by competition.

                2. Having or displaying a strong desire to be more 

                    successful than others.

Doesn't sound so bad does it? I could deal with that... oh, hang on... how about some synonyms?

Synonyms: aggressive, ambitious, antagonistic, at odds, ombative, competing, cut-throat, dog-eat-     dog, emulous, killer instinct, opposing, rival, streetwise, vying

Well, that's a little craptastic considering what I'm about to tell...

In the past week or so I've had a friend (probably one of my closest friends since shifting to the country life) tell me that she see's me as being quite competitive... followed with the phrase... "but it's okay, in a good way."

(So, now I'm hoping that "in a good way" means I can strike out most all those synonyms... maybe except streetwise - I'd take streetwise)

She honestly is the first person that I can recall actually telling me this (and I in turn told her this). I've never thought myself overly competitive - well, not to the point that it would be considered a word to describe my personality... so naturally I was surprised as I truly just don't see myself as being competitive. Thirty plus some years and I'm only just being told and learning of this now!

(And if you're reading this, my friend... I'm not losing sleep, I'm over  semi-over it... and I think I'm cool with it... I know I'll laugh about it with you over a bottle of red I'm sure - perhaps whilst challenging you to a cook-off... oooh bu*#er and shoot, that's just reminded me I have in the past mentioned the term 'cook-off'... in a competitive challenge to you - and to others present at the declaration time too! Have I been so ignorant to it? Blinded by my own competitiveness?)

In my quest of acceptance (or of proving this assessment wrong), sitting around having morning catch up coffee with this friend and another I asked the obvious... "Do I really come across as competitive?"

Answer: 

I don't believe there was one as they were too busy laughing their guts out at the fact I clearly didn't believe myself to be competitive. Is it that blatantly obvious that my ignorance is hilarious?

Hmm... fast forward a couple of hours.

Home with the hubs, I call out to him as he's rummaging through things in another room:

"Would you describe me as competitive?"

Answer:

An all too telling silence... (insert birds whistling/elevator music)... I swear, I could almost hear his sweat inducing panicked thoughts.... 

"What's the right answer? Is there a right answer? Does she want an answer? Surely it's rhetorical? Does she want the truth? Does she ever want the truth? How will she handle the cold hard facts? What SHOULD I say? What does she want me to say? I won't say anything. Will she ignore the non-answer? Will the silence make her believe she know's my answer? (which I will subtly note: It does!) "

Eventually, he braved a rather meek, "Well, you are a kind of determined... (followed by an even more sheepish) ...kind of in a stubborn way."

Hmm... I decided to press him more (plus imagining the new wave of flurried thoughts he'd be struck with kind of amused me), "Okay, so give me an example. What have I done that would demonstrate my being competitive?"

That, my friends was answered with the, I'm just going to crack a huff, tell her she's over analysing and beat a hasty retreat to my shed (aka man-cave).

Well, I guess maybe I am just a little competitive. Maybe I'd just never thought to consider myself so.

Is it so bad? I'd like to think not... mostly I think that if I were to consider myself competitive it would be in opposition to myself because I will easily admit that I don't mind setting myself challenges, bettering last efforts and wanting to do and be better (and yes, this does at times cause self-induced stress of varying proportions). 

The more I think of it the more examples that come to mind of my prior offending competitiveness, like:

How (in another life-time) when I was a police prosecutor one of the more regular criminal lawyers and I would keep a friendly running tally of our head-to-head bar table battles...

And yes, I loved - and miss at times - the argument, adrenaline and intensity that could be found in the courtroom (and the prep before when formulating the arguments, researching the legislation and case law and nothing beat the feeling of using that research to win... now I do pretty much the same - but at home and the topic of argument is toy equality and daily candy cut off times and the law of the household, which I must say has case law in a class of it's own)...

The time I did an evening time test (with an outdoor fitness group I trained with) for a run and failed to beat my last test time by only 8 seconds and how I was so cut that I got up at 5am the next morning to re-run the test with the morning session... just so I could better my time...

Oh... and shame on me... how if someone would get on the treadmill beside me at the gym I'd keep on running... harder... longer... lest they think me an unfit slug... tell me you do that too? Surely?  

Oh and woe me... the list is gaining momentum!

Okay. 

I'm a big girl.

I can handle it.

My name (or pseudonym as is the case) is The SpaNGler.

I have a competitive streak.

I was in denial.

But now... 

I am free because I do believe: 

 "The truth will set you free"

(unless of course you are guilty of a crime punishable by imprisonment and are found so... :P )

So with that I do believe that I am now over it - purged of the dilemma, cathartically cleansed via the typed word - and in acceptance (even if it is still with a shadow of reluctance) of the fact that I am a competitive person (but hopefully minus all those horrible synonyms).

So, do you have a personality trait or even perhaps a realisation about yourself that was many years in the making?

Enlighten me... I'd love to hear from you!

xo

P.S. FatMumSlims Photo update.

DAY 16 (catch up): What I'm reading

The books on my bedside table, 

"FreeStyle Handmade Bags & Skirts" - because you know I love to sew and sewing books do it for me!

"Gran's Kitchen"  - because I love cooking, particularly good old fashioned country style home cooking.

"Nine Dragons" - because I'm ever so slightly addicted to Michael Connelly novels.

"The Power of Now" - because I think we all need to be reminded from time to time that all we have is this very moment right now.

What are you reading at the moment?

DAY 17: Snack

What do you think of when you see this:

I think of childhood parties and happy, carefree times... Fairy bread - it's a food group all of it's own ♥

P.P.S. Can you tell I also like to talk from the amount I like to type? No new realisations there... I've known for since forever that I love to talk... too much... 

just ask my hubs... I'm sure it falls into one of those categories of 'cute when I met you... but now after 11 years?'