The highest compliments....

DAY 81

So stay with me on this story - I promise it is going somewhere worthwhile.

The other day mum comes over with a story for me. She bumped in to an old acquaintance of her and Dad's that she hasn't seen in many years. The lady says 'Sue, I was just thinking about you the other day. I saw a woman getting out of a car and she reminded me so much of you. And the funniest thing was that she was getting out of a car that had FRED as it's number plate'.

Mum says 'That's my daughter'.

Lady says 'Well isn't that a coincidence'.

My thoughts on this story:

1 - Since when did I become a woman? I've always just been a girl in my head. Women are adults. Women have beautiful tidy homes, they paint their fingernails, they drink coffee and don't spill food on their white shirts.

I do none of these things. I thought I was still a girl.

2 - I am really surprised that I bear any resemblance to my mum at all in looks. I've always known I inherited many of my mothers skills, but I never thought I had anything else.

I guess I am my mothers daughter after all.

Truthfully, I don't think anyone has ever paid me such a high compliment.

If I am like my mum at 30, I look forward to being like her at 40, and 50 and 60 and on.

Plus, mum has always had really good leg. I really hope I have inherited those genes too.

... While we are on the subject of how people see me, the other day I was described by a good looking guy, who I had enjoyed a drink or two with, as a 'Porcelain Nun' - because I was like the doll on his grandmothers mantlepiece that he could look at but not touch.

I decided to be flattered and not offended by this unnerving description.

They don't make ugly porcelain dolls.

Only beautiful ones.

Thank you very much.

PS: The pics are me at my high school formal and mum on her wedding day;

Now looking at that formal picture I have 2 things to say:

1 - Why does it look like there is a snake curled on top of my head?

2- Why the heck did I wear gold hoops earrings to my formal? Truthfully I have always been style-less. It's a surprise every day that I make it out of the house without committing some fashion faux-pas every morning. But really - no fancy earrings? Linda. Shame.

The birthday boy....

DAY 80

Asher turned one and we celebrated yesterday.

I do love love love these kids.

I do love love love cupcakes.

You can see why I love love love kids birthday parties.

The secret is to leave before the sugar high wears off and all the happy kids turn in to wailing puddles on the floor.

Happy Aunty.

Smart Aunty.

Down memory lane part 2....

DAY 79

More iPhone photo adventures...

This was the first photo I took on my iPhone - love that grin on his face!

The kiddlie winks...

And then there was New York City with Rowan...

NYC from the river

The old girl

One of the many bridges

Awkward Rowan face

One of my favourite pieces in the Met (watch where you put your hands little Casanova!)

At the tennis

Little Ava after a big day. Note the my little pony with a mowhawk

Asher Basher

Kaeley Waley

Rowan in his brief role as 'Lord High Executive Assistant to Linda Moes' over Easter. He was overqualified.

See - with an iPhone anyone is a photographer!

Down memory lane...

DAY 78

I alway really enjoy flicking back through the photos on my iPhone from the last 18months - so much has happened, so much has changed.

Here are a couple of my favourites.

Chef Jamin

Aunty Linda and 3D Glasses Jamin

Ava LOVES birthday cake!

Morning visits to the Smithlings

Fun times with Jamster

Kaeley Waley

Molly and Lulu try modelling

Baby Asher

Mr Bojangles.

More to come tomorrow.

The party shoes from HELL

DAY 77

So, after my break from blogging I felt the need to start living and giving again.

I thought that I would kick things off with an entertaining tidbit from this past weekend - and you can join me in mulling over the complexities of being female.

My friend Heather and I headed to Brisbane yesterday for a girls weekend - shopping | dinner at a gorgeous dessert bar (Freestyle) | catching one of our favourite bands (Boy and Bear) at the Hifi | cocktails at a fantastic club called Zuri | breakfast somewhere yummy | the 'world press photo' exhibition at the Powerhouse (I highly recommend) | driving home - singing along to our shared favourite songs! A perfect weekend - except that it was marred by a rookie fashion mistake...

Footwear choice is an important and complicated choice for any female. I chose my new party shoes. They called to me in their gleeful voices "pick us! we want to go out! We hate being cooped up in the cupboard all day long - you never take us anywhere!". So I bundled the party shoes in the car for their date with destiny - or at least their date with Brisbane on a Saturday night.

6pm. It was time for the party shoes big moment. We hobbled out the front door. There was a little pain in the toes but I soldiered on.

8pm. The standing commenced at the show. The shoes started to whinge and complain. They didn't know it would be like this - all this standing. No sitting down. They thought the night was all about them sitting prettily under a table. I told the party shoes to quit complaining - they wanted to come out and this is what out looked like.

9pm. The party shoes decided to fight back by giving me the worst blisters I can ever remember and completely crippling me. Standing became a balancing act - giving one foot a break at a time. It's hard to sing along when the loud protests from your feet drown out the music. Oh my goodness!

2am. Now - you would be familiar with 'that girl' who walks through the city barefoot - with her completely inappropriate shoes dangling from one hand, and her handbag in the other, trying desperately to remember where she parked the car while navigating a darkened footpath.

Yes. I hate to admit it, but I was that girl last night.

I can't say I am proud of the barefoot walk - but my feet staged a mutiny.

They would not take one more step while ensconced in such weapons of torture.

If my feet could dream, they were dreaming of my slippers at the time.

They were wondering why slippers are not an appropriate footwear choice to wear while sipping cocktails amongst extremely good looking men in expensive dark suits.

I concur with my feet.

And the most disappointing thing of all is that even while wearing these shoes of torture I failed to attract any interest from amongst the plethora of men in the club.

Bah. Maybe it wasn't the shoes. Maybe it was the length of my skirt.

Not that attention is all that important.

More like a gauge for my ability to blend in amongst my peers.

I must do some more testing of the shoe/skirt length hypothesis in the future.

While wearing different shoes....

The party shoes have been banished back to the hell from whence they came.

Another week has passed

DAY 76

The days feel a bit like this at the moment. Endless work to do in the office. The days are getting colder. The sun disappears earlier. I am tired tired tired still.

But - there is light at the end of this tunnel.

I downloaded all the photos that had accumulated on my camera since I stopped blogging and I found a treasure trove of memories from the Smith visit in Feb - March.

I would call this one - encounter with a cranky cat.

It speaks for itself.

Apparently Jamin still has a scar on his head.

I love these ones of Kael.

Children at this age seem to be so open to the world.

I think I can glimpse his soul through those big blue eyes!

What a cutie-patootie!

No labor on labor day

DAY 75

So. I've been a little busy lately - what with all the organising and emailing and bossing staff around and working late and the raining and the flooding and the tent breaking and the evacuation and the mud and the not sleeping and the thousands of people and the VIP's and the artists and the music and the fun fun fun times.

It has been a big month.

So anyway. I will blog about Easterfest soon but now I just wanted to come back to blogland and let you know that i am all alive and well, although a little tired.

Today has been an awesome day. BBQ with Easterfest friends outside in the fantastic autumn sunshine. A perfect day to come back to my life.

Happy heart!

DAY 74

My sister and the 'Smithlings' are back in town.

My heart is happy again.

Jamin is happy to see his Aunty again.

Kael treats me like an alien who has come to steal his soul.

Although he does give me the occasional smile when his mother tickles him.

But that, like most things,

Usually ends in tears.

Goodness gracious me.

What hope is there for me.

Look at these faces.

The faces of angels plotting mischief.

No good can come of this.

No good at all.

Asher Smasher Basher

DAY 73

Asher Smasher worked out how to crawl recently.

He is much happier now that he can motor around the house chasing after his big sisters.

Man this kid is C U T E!!!

_____

On another note,

My life has entered it's workaholic phase.

A fun 3 months where all I do is work, think about work, try not to work, and sleep.

So please forgive me if I don't blog every day.

Mostly because all that working doesn't leave much room for having a life.

Wake up

Go to work

Work work work

Stay at work until I am really hungry

Come home

Go to the gym to work off the pent up frustration/stress that has accumulated with the work

Eat

Vege out

Sleep

Repeat daily.

Fun times!!!

Photo Friday

DAY 72

A Friday ritual - celebrating a special moment from the past that I don't want to ever forget.