rebecca:vavic

Mumma Mutterings #8...

FORCED CHANGE NOT SO GREAT, BUT CAN BE...

BIG mutterings today. BIG changes happening around here. BIG BIG BIG...

Short and simple of it, after living in our {rental} home for the past 4 years we've been given 4 weeks to leave :( The owner is the Australian Ambassador to Fiji - if you've noticed that story in the news of late, well - he didn't have much of a choice.

Anyhoooo... in my usual manner I straight away started looking at solutions and trying to look on the bright side. It became very clear to us that we would be best to move into our own home that we bought last year. Thank God we have that to fall back on frankly. Trying to find a suitable home in 4 weeks, not fun I imagine!

Ours is much older than this house, and we never intended to live in it. Our intention was to rent it out until we were ready to knock down and build.

Intentions sometimes don't work out as we planned. I had a few mornings waking up very sad about leaving here... I had to remind myself of all the positives of our move.

The biggest positive for me... THE HUGENORMOUS backyard for the children (our rental has nothing, just a paved courtyard).

I think Santa will be bringing the children just one BIG pressie this year, one of these:

The worst thing for me... I will have to set up my studio in the garage. Upside - we have a garage I can set up in LOL!!

The house is a bit smaller than here, but no huge changes. It is the people inside the walls that make a house a home. Nothing else.

Nath said to Ben "all you care about is sleeping in between Mummy and Daddy"... so true.

What this move has also done is get us focused on our build... hopefully we can do that in the next few years, and if not... we are already home, in our home. Together, and at the end of the day, little else matters. We have two other investment properties, but not wanting to let either of those go, so we'll stay put in Deakin for a few years before we'll be in a position to build.

We'll do a little painting, hang lots of pictures, have a few repairs done, get RCAC put in and we'll be right {mate!}.

Sometimes the universe gives us a kick in the butt to get us into gear... this is ours :)

I said to Nath, we need to turn a negative into a positive and make this work as best as possible for our family.

That is what we've done. Ask me in a month how that's working for me when we are moving a few days before Christmas and our 17 day holiday up north. LOL!

Hugs

Bxo

Cutie Patootie Pie...

{Photo taken yesterday morning... he is 4 months + 1 week}

Awwww... this babe is so sweet right now! 

He is playing with his feet when lying down, 

He is blowing big milky bubbles and lots of them, 

He is pleased as punch that he can put his dummy in and out of his mouth and chew on it from time to time. 

He is FULL of smiles and giggles. 

He is totally loved on by one and all in our family... personally I just can't stop snuggling into his neck and cheeks and making him giggle. 

Life is very sweet with Benjamin in our lives... indeedy do dah day!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Art share to come almost every day this coming week... there is THAT much to share & I hope you like.

Happy Sunday, I hope you have a good one :)

Bxo

Busy trying to get lots of art finished....

Hopefully I will have a share for you over the weekend :)

Here is a photo I took at the Jinky Course last weekend...

 

Isn't she adorable !

Happy Friday!!!!

Hugs

Bxo

Website Inspiration...

How exciting that EntreArtistes Magazine is launching a wonderful & fabulous new website...

 

Go check it out, I just LOVE it... I am so happy to be part of this design team.... such inspiration, such enthusiasm.

Enjoy

Bxo

because he is the only one to do as I say...

...or to not complain too much {up until he has had enough, and by then I have plenty of shots}. I took these yesterday morning and had a bit of a play, this is what I did:

Happy Benjamin!

I am SO loving on him, he is at that most adorable stage - even tho he'll give his "Mumma Smile" away to just about anyone!!! Okay 20 lovely photographers are not just anyone... but today he gave one to the air conditioning repair guy. I mean, come on!!! Dude, he's a guy. Nothing like your Mumma. Save those smiles for ME!

He is a cutie for sure! He just loves everyone. He is infectiously delighted with one and all. 

Happy Tuesday, & Melbourne Cup day - it's a public holiday here and I am going on a cafe date with my girl :)

Bx

Mumma Mutterings #7...

To have a group of over 20 photographers snapping at my little treasures this weekend was really something...

Something... kinda wonderful! 

The JinkyArt Course was fabulous.... I learnt more in two days than I could in a year at school or online. This I am sure of... because I have done both before. What Barb fits into two days is SO MUCH. Its pretty much EVERYTHING!! Thing is that Barb has an incredible eye and talent... one that you have either got your you aint. Barb really has IT. Not sure I do yet (or ever will)... but I love it all just the same.

I adore photographs, I love the emotion about being able to almost feel the child through the photo, capturing the very essence of them at that stage in their life...

Leaves me at a bit of a "muttering to myself" stage in my life, who am I?, what am I doing?, can I really be a scrapper AND an artist AND a photographer all at once?? Is that really possible? In the past 2 years I've been paid for all three... but that doesn't mean I am ready to devote myself to just one of them... mmmmm!

I have lots of art to finish before my next market and yet I am now impassioned to get into my photoshop, I am dreaming up locations and "set" ideas... I picked up a little vintage tricycle for the boys last night :)

Ah who knows, I just go with the flow and what is making me feel alive and passionate at that time... thankfully, often that's my children:

I took this photo of Mikaela last weekend.

 

Right now I need to ignore that nagging to get out and take more photos... and get some art finished. I am so inlove in so many ways... it is tiring hahaha!

Happy Monday.

Bxo

Art Look #4...

I continue to paint, paint and paint in preparation for my upcoming markets {more info that-a-way >>>} ...

Last night I dreamt I was unpacking incomplete canvases at my stall. Probably because I made a big mistake yesterday and had to wash the canvas and start all over again by applying a few coats of gesso! Live and learn!

So this is what I've been up to since our last update:

 

I love these watercolour background girls, I just need to add in some hair and eyes and they are pretty much done. A nice shiny top coat and voila!

Some more affirmation plaques, a bit different from the last batch, which have pretty much SOLD OUT >>> I hope to get time to make another batch of the multi layered mixed media ones before the next HandMade in November.

 

These are so cute, mini 4x4 inch canvas boards, they are being transformed into affirmation magnets to add to your fridge {or anywhere you like}.

I have also been getting my 25 days of Christmas album (inspired by Ali) together and will share soooooon.

Other pieces I have been working on are more elephant collages and mixed media canvases. I'll share those in the next art look.

All the best...

Bxo

Jinky weekend...

Is here, upon us, now!! I am spending this weekend with Jinky aka Barb of JinkyArt >> amazing family portraiture and children's photographer. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G !!!! Seriously stunning photos this woman takes!

 

I booked this way back in April and have eagerly been anticipating this weekend since. I am so excited to be doing this course!!

Nath and the boys are coming with me and we are staying here. Mikaela will be staying with her Dad for the weekend so she doesn't miss out on any of her sporting commitments.

I am sure Barb will be teaching us lots of wonderful tips and techniques. I am really excited.

The boys are modeling at some stage over the weekend, so I am sure to get some fabulous pics from lots of students.

I am really looking forward to catching up with Barb again, and Louise the lovely! PLUS all the other wonderful women I am to meet over the 3 day course.

Whooot woooh! {Did I mention I am really excited??!!}

Hugs

Bxo

I set this little challenge for myself...

... to walk 10,000 steps per day. The first day I did 6000, second day 7000 and third day 13000. It's been almost 2 weeks now and things are going pretty well.

I'd been making excuses NOT to walk for a little while now... Benjamin was a newborn; Benjamin had been in hospital; it was too cold to take the baby out; it was raining... okay most of those excuses were justified, but I needed to just get started.

Thankfully the weather is getting much better and summer is nearing, Benjamin is nearing 4 months and so most of my former concerns no longer apply.

It also helped that I got myself a pedometer and joined up the 10,000 steps challenge. I like that I can record my daily achievements and general fitness stats. It is nice to find out I am now back into the normal weight for my BMI results; and I am considered Low Health risk on my WHR, waist to hip ratio; my resting heart rate is pretty good too.

For me the Pedometer was the just the incentive I needed to get going again. Ever since I got it, I have been walking Mikaela to school in the mornings, which accounts for about 4000 steps. An average day chasing three kidlets about accounts for 6000 steps. So making 10000 steps is something I should be able to achieve daily... maybe even more.

I love the brisk mornings & walking Mikaela to school again... I love that it is worked into my daily activity. For me {right now} fitness has to be incorporated into my usual day AND with my children. And they love it too...

Mikaela rides her bike, Joshua is on his bike that I can push and steer, Benjamin is in his baby carrier. It works. 

I am also a much happier person when I am walking regularly. I feel good about myself and I feel REALLY good that a near hour walk is done and dusted by 920ish and we can get on with all our other activities for the day.

For extra motivation, I'll do a monthly post on how I'm going with this challenge :) Wanna join me? We can register as a team!

Bxo

4 months old today...

Is this little cutie pie:

 

Benjamin, you really are just too cute for words!

Lately you have been so cute that I just can NOT get enough of you. (Tho I almost did the other night when I tried to go to the most fabulous restaurant to celebrate Deb's birthday... you required me home before I got my main course! Well at least the entrée of scallops was wonderful :) Lucky for us the restaurant is about a 2min walk from home.) That's what I get for refusing to express, it's just not "me".

I am not sure how much you weigh... but you are wearing Size 0s, or 00 for large size brands like Sprout.

You are babbling and giggling more everyday, and I am not quite sure how that is possible, but you do!

You've started to REALLY grap onto things... hence why my hair is mainly always in a pony tail... otherwise you end up with fist fulls of it all the time.

You particularly love your scrunchy, noisy fabric book.

You are so ready to take off... you wave your legs and arms about madly all the time.

You love to stand... it is one of your favourite things to do, and I can tell you are really quite pleased with yourself.

We've been playing quite a few games with the bathroom mirror and it is fun to see you smile and chat to (what you think is) your new friend. Really funny sometimes.

You are tracking your brother all over the house... you are most interested in him, tho Mikaela would come a close second, but because she is at school most of the day, you see much more of Joshua and you find him quite fascinating.

Joshua loves to "teach" you things and will chat to you quite a bit, mostly about his trains.

You are an "observer", you dont just look about... you are totally observing all that it is around you, particularly people.

You have a very sweet and calm nature, but social and cheerful too.

We love you so much Ben.

You make our life's very sweet indeed!

Mumma xo