Waffling Along

Tip-toeing through a minefield of boots.

2011-07-25T10:17:00.011+10:00

Image from Nina Proudman Fashion on Facebook

Let me start by saying I enjoy the Channel Ten series Offspring and I particularly appreciate many of the fashion choices selected for the character of Nina Proudman (played rather delightfully by Asher Keddie, and seen in the above image). If you haven't ever watched an episode of Offspring then you would be unaware of Nina's favoured choice of footwear. Often a knee high leather boot, worn either with floaty and feminine dresses or over denim. And I think it looks great.

Nina's influence aside, for some time I have been toying with the idea of purchasing a lovely pair of leather boots and with the bright red flashes of Sale signs dancing before my eyes, the other day I finally took the plunge.

Now to be perfectly honest, it was not love at first sight. I liked the heel height (I'm sorry, what are you saying Dr Chiropractor? Heels....bad....*sticks fingers in ears and sings la la la*), I liked the boot height (just below the knee), and I liked the colour (a neutral stone/grey) but there was some runching. Hmmm, runching...80s flashback anyone? But lo and behold, runching on the shelf appears far less...er....runchy...on the leg, and so it was that the boots, in their kiddie playhouse sized box, came home with me. And I was happy.

But the very next day, as I slid my lovely new boots on over my jeans and took a moment to appreciate how the colour perfectly complimented the dress-style top I was wearing, The Coach walked into the bedroom, stopped dead in his tracks and said the unthinkable,

"Oh my God, you are wearing come f*** me boots."

I don't mind telling you I was mortified. Here was I feeling all stylish and Nina-esque but with ten words The Coach had me doubting any style cred I thought I may have had. Of course I was very quick to rebut his words and assure him that he was completely delusional and these boots in no way, shape or form resembled cfm boots. But he was adamant, and for all my false bravado, the second he was gone I was madly searching on the Internet for a definition of such boots, fearing I had made a terrible error in judgment.

After multiple Google searches and consultation with my wise and fashionable Tweeps on Twitter (especially the All Shoe Knowing Goddess @Gabfran), I have breathed a huge sigh of relief in the knowledge that my boots are simply stylish and I have nothing to worry about. The Coach clearly needs to get out more or start watching Offspring.

However what I did discover in the course of my investigations, was that there is no clear definition of the cfm boot. But if you are in any doubt, double check your intended purchase against the two images below and if your boots resemble either of these, I think you may be close to crossing over to the dark side.

Just forget about it...really...

If you are going to a fancy dress party as a hooker then yes, by all means.

If they look like this, then you get a green light to proceed with your purchase because these are lovely, stylish and classic (or so I have been told)

The Snoring Man.

2011-07-20T10:28:00.005+10:00

I am quite certain that I did not marry a Snoring Man. If I go back through my files, candidate 77365 (now affectionately known as The Coach), most definitely does not have a tick in the box marked Snorer. I was vigilant with my pre-marital research. No snorers for me, no no.

But somehow, somewhere along the shifting sands of time, my non-snorer husband has (rather sneakily I feel) become The Snoring Man. How and when this occurred is somewhat of a mystery, but now I find myself tossing and turning restlessly whilst glancing at the red glow of the AWA's digital display which likes to inform me that it is now 11.30pm, now 12.05am, now 2.15am, now 3.24am...arghhh, cursed red glowing numbers.

As the hustle and bustle of the day passes and the quiet darkness of the night settles upon us, a funny thing happens. The daytime Waffles who loves a silly joke and a spot of reality tv (hang on kids, I just need to check the caramelization of the meat before I can plate up and check that I have my thirty-seven components in place) is replaced with The Snorers Wife. Now I'm sure that The Snorers Wife would appreciate a good joke over a glass of red if she weren't so damn tired. The Snorers Wife is a woman who would just about kill for a good nights sleep.

Now we mustn't confuse The Snorers Wife with The Baby Mumma. If you were to walk around the shopping centre in the bright glow of the early morning sunshine, the two may be hard to distinguish. Sticky up, slightly wonky hairdos. Dazed expressions. Bloodshot puffy eyes peering out above dark smudged crescents. Triple-shot lattes. Mismatched clothing. Oh yes, hard to tell them apart all right, but if you look hard enough you will spot the clue, one will actually have a baby. The other, a slightly disconcerting glint in their eye.

The Snorers Wife has limited compassion. In the early stages of slumber, she will gently nudge The Snoring Man, prompting him to turn over. As the hours pass, the gentle nudges are replaced with gentle knocks which eventually give way to a sharp elbow in the ribs and an agitated
"Lie on your side and stop bloody snoring."

The Snorers Wife will lie in the darkness and wonder if perhaps the couch may not be a better option, sure she'll be cold and wake up with a crink in her neck which will require fifty or more visits to the chiropractor to sort out, but really, what price does one put on a good nights sleep ?

I wish there were a happy ending to this post. A miracle cure for The Snoring Man so that The Snorers Wife could be left happily in the land of nod where she belongs. But there isn't. I am still The Snorers Wife and The Snoring Man shall be back this evening. Perhaps I should go and have a wee siesta whilst the sun is high and The Snoring Man is a slightly hazy memory.

Are you a Snorers Wife ? If you have a solution for coping with A Snoring Man please feel free to share it. The Snorers Wife, The Coach's ribs and I would be forever in your debt.

The TV Week Photo.

2011-06-20T12:11:00.004+10:00

Just for Stomper Girl, here is the photo from TV Week, with further proof that I was only one spray can away from becoming a serial train tagger and that a private education teaches you nothing, if not goodly spelling.

Meet Waffles, aged 16 and 3/4.

2011-06-20T10:25:00.004+10:00

I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I think many blog writers were once Journal and Diary authors. It is in our very nature to jot down notes and write about the ideas that are bouncing around in our overactive brains and short of spending six hours on the phone at the end of the school day, I think many of us felt the need to continue our purge in written form.

I'm not certain how old I was when I first started keeping a Diary, but I have one in the top of my cupboard from when I was fifteen and they continue through until I was twenty, although as the years progress, the entries become more sporadic. Clearly I was too busy talking the ears off all my friends and boyfriends to put pen to paper, boy, weren't they the lucky ones.

I thought it might be fun to share a diary entry from when I was sixteen. Sweet sixteen *sigh* ha, I think my mother would argue that I was growing hormonal horns at that age, and re-reading my old Diaries, I think I am inclined to agree. Crikey, what a hotpot of turmoil, boys and teenage angst..oh..and boys ? Did I mention boys ? Yikes.

Anyway, for your enjoyment, please meet Waffles, aged 16 and 3/4 -

Monday 27th June 1988

Dear D,

OMIGOD, soooo much has happened since I last wrote. GAM, where to begin, that's that prob.....Well, last week Johnny Depp was in Melbourne & he went on Hey Hey It's Saturday and...well....S managed to get 3 tickets for Hey Hey though CONNECTIONS :). 1 for G, 1 for C and one for moi, well, G was sic so Butler Woman came & we saw Hey Hey, then when we came out, we found out JD was still there, so...along with about 40 other girls we waited for him & he came out and was signing autographs & stuff, but he went back in before I could get his autograph, well, C had to go at 4.30, but Butler and I along with about 4 year 10 St.C girls, who were reely nice :), till 6, oh and about 7 other dicky bogans came back, and Daryl Sommers went and got JD for us and & got his autograph and spoke to him & (shock, horror, gasp) shook his hand.

wow

He was reely sweet. I heart JD 4 Eva.

Of course beside the above diary entry are about seven magazine pictures of Johnny Depp, including one from TV Week which shows him signing autographs after Hey Hey with a sea of teenage faces mushed up against the wire fence (and I have proudly drawn an arrow at one of the blurry mushed faces and written 'that's me'). Oh the sweet memories.

Were you a diary keeper ? Do you ever still pull out the old journals and have a laugh at your crazy teenage antics ? I am sure that having these snippets of myself as a teenager will help me when I am trying to rationalise the behaviour of my own children when they hit those formidable years....well....one has to cling to something...

Morphing into The Griswolds - The Conclusion

2011-05-30T09:04:00.003+10:00

It is surprisingly difficult to launch a recovery mission when you are travelling in a car, you are almost two hours away from your place of residence, your broken car is in one location, the keys to the broken car are in yet another location and you are trying to accommodate an elderly relative from interstate and two young children.

As you might well imagine, The Coach and I were busy racking our brains for a solution. Our usual first port of call for a broken down vehicle, the RACQ, generally assumes that you and your broken down vehicle are in the same place. Clearly our circumstances fell into the unusual category. We made a list of local friends who owed us favours (0). We made another list of friends we could potentially bribe with the lure of alcohol and/or chocolate (many). We tried contacting the first of our friends on our Bribe List and discovered (most inconveniently) that Wilderness Man, who also happens to be an airline mechanic (plane, car, much of a muchness right ?) had chosen that very morning to take off for a three day fishing and camping trip. Bummer.

It was only as The Coach declared for the sixty-seventh time that he was turning the car around, that I realised fortune was favouring us with a small break. Only one week earlier I had employed the services of a local mobile mechanic to service my car and I suddenly noticed his sticker in the top right corner of my windscreen, with a mobile phone number listed, hallelujah.

Calls were made....many calls....but by the time we arrived in Noosa, plans had been set in motion and we were reasonably confident that everything would turn out okay. Yes, the kids managed to score two days off school whilst the car was getting repaired. Yes, we now had an unexpected extra expense tapped on to the cost of our holiday. But it was a small price to pay.

As we walked into the local pizzeria that evening I discovered that our luck had indeed changed. Mojito night. Bonus. Nothing better then a mojito or five to take your mind off car issues. I embraced holiday mode with such gusto that three hours later I was embracing the toilet bowl after having fertilised the manicured gardens of Noosa with my own special blend of pizza and white rum. It's klarsy with a capital 'K' when you take a bit of Gold Coast magic to Noosa let me tell you.

The next afternoon, after I had managed the enormous trek from the bed to the couch, I decided to check in with Nanny B. Le Artiste answered the phone,

"Hi mum, are you having a nice holiday ?"
"Yes thank-you darling, but we're not talking in tin cans linked by string, if you could yell a little quieter, that would be great. How are things at home ?"
"Good. We're having two days off school and Nanny just finished talking to the policeman about dad's car."
(Oh dear God)
"The policeman ?"
"Yes, the policeman called because people thought that dad's car had been stolen and left in the middle of the road."
(I think I'm ready for another mojito)
"But Nanny sorted it all out."
"Yep, she told him the whole story....oh Nanny...."
"Oh no, what's happened now ?"
*sigh* "Oh dear mum, Nanny just tried to put water in the wrong end of the iron and it's gone all over the kitchen."
"Well I'll let you go and help Nanny out darling. I'll call you again later."
"Okay, bye mum."

"Coach, grab your wallet, I need another ten mojitos stat."

Morphing into The Griswolds - Part Three

2011-05-23T08:38:00.002+10:00

The following conversation was recorded between the hours of 2.30 and 3.30pm on Wednesday 30th of March 2011 :

Waffles (W) : (humming happily and ignoring the torrential downpour) Are you feeling relaxed yet Coach ? Yay, we're on holidays. I might just give your mum a quick call and make sure she found the school okay.
The Coach (TC) : (jaw clenched, hunched over steering wheel) Yeah. Great. Very relaxed.
Phone : Ring Ring (a little blast from the past for those of you over the age of thirty-five)
Nanny B (NB) : Hellloooooo
W : (with an inaudible sigh of relief) Oh hi Nanny B, just wanted to check that you didn't get lost on that one road between our house and the school.
NB : Oh hello darling, no no, I didn't get lost but I'm glad you called....now I don't want you to worry but.....
W : (holding breath) *Uh oh*
NB : ....there's been a little bit of a problem....
W : (still holding breath, turning a light shade of red)
NB : ...with the car...
W : (still holding breath, turning a light shade of purple)
NB : It stopped.
TC : Waffles, why are you turning blue ? What's mum saying ?
W : (taking a huge gulp of air to avoid passing out) What exactly do you mean by stopped ?
TC : What stopped ?
NB : Well...it just sort of stopped...
TC : WHAT STOPPED ?
W : Aahh, do you mean stopped at the school when you turned it off ?
TC : (knuckles turning white on the steering wheel) You're kidding, the car.
NB : Well no...I got about half way to school..and it was making this terrible noise...and there was this awful burning smell....and then it just wouldn't go anymore..but I managed to get it into reverse.....and I got it off the road..mostly...then it stopped altogether.
TC : I'm turning around.
W : No no hon, keep going...we've already been driving for an hour and a half..
NB : Oh don't come back. We're fine..
W : Oh, the kids, have you got the kids ?
NB : Oh yes, I was going to walk the rest of the way...
W : (blanching at the thought of the kids making the hour long trek home in the rain)
NB : But then I though, that's just plain silly, so I knocked on the door of a house..
W : Whose house ?
NB : Oh I can't remember her name. Lovely lady though. She was just about to leave to go to work and she helped me get the keys out of the ignition..
W : You left the key in the ignition ?
TC : I'm turning around right now.
NB : Well they got stuck. But she got them out. So we locked the car and she drove me to school and we picked up the kids and then she drove us home.
W : So the car is locked..half on the side of the road...half way to school....and you have the keys...and are back at home ? (trying to avoid looking at The Coach and the surprisingly large vein that appears to be throbbing in his temple).
TC : I'm turning around.
NB : Yes. But don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Enjoy your holiday. Relax. Now who do I call ?
W : *with a small sigh* Nanny B, I think I'll have to call you back.
NB : (Cheerily) Okay darling, speak to you soon.

To be continued....

Morphing into the Griswolds - Part Two

2011-05-17T10:04:00.004+10:00

My way of dealing with the general state of chaos that life throws at you is to make plans and lists. I loooove lists, especially with tick boxes, tick boxes are great. Prior to Nanny B's arrival plans were made to deal with my growing anxiety over the dodgy car hand over :

PLAN A - Get car serviced and have loose clutch cable tightened.

Foiled by : The Coach could still hear his radio thus the expense and inconvenience of a service was deemed an unnecessary indulgence of my paranoia.

PLAN B - The Coach would take Nanny B on the morning school run which would aid her with directions and prove an invaluable test run allowing us enough time to procure an emergency hire car, if required.

Foiled by : A last minute business meeting which The Coach had to attend on the morning of our departure.

PLAN C - I would take Nanny B on the morning school run which would aid her with directions.

Foiled by : Nanny B loves a chat...I mean really loves a chat, and she forgets to pay attention to directions when involved in a good chat.

PLAN D - The Coach would take Nanny B for a quick drive around the block approximately 2 minutes before she had to depart on the afternoon school run.

Foiled by : Business meeting running overtime. Us running late on our departure time and Nanny B stating confidently "Don't worry darling, I'll be fine."

I won't lie to you, as I stood on our balcony watching The Coach's butt hanging out of the passenger front window as he attempted to take the hand break off for Nanny B, my fears were not allayed. As I took in the light fog rolling into the valley and the dark clouds looming overhead, heavy with the threat of rain, I was thinking, this is not good, not good at all. And as The Coach joined me on the balcony and we waved Nanny B off and an altogether new and ominous sounding grating noise filled the air, I shook my head, turned to my husband and said "I have a really bad feeling about this."

To be continued.....

Morphing into The Griswolds - Part One

2011-05-16T10:58:00.004+10:00

Although my last blog post may have appeared to be nothing more then a blatant attempt to get Nissan to loan me a new Murano for twelve months, it actually had another far greater purpose. That was to provide you with a small insight into the differences between my car and The Coach's car. I must admit, I went a little off track when I started daydreaming about a new Murano, but the main point was to help you to understand that while my car receives regular..ish services, water and oil top ups, and even the odd wash, The Coach's car is surviving on a lean diet of neglect.

Sure it gets a clean out perhaps once every twelve months, which interestingly seems to coincide with a relative coming to visit, a relative who The Coach has to collect from the airport. It also receives the odd service, usually around the time that The Coach can no longer hear his talk back radio program over the cars determined protests which present as various grinding and squealing noises. Quite frankly, if that car was Kitt from Knight Rider, I imagine that it would have quite a mouthful of expletives that it would like to share with The Coach before self activating the eject button and launching The Coach through the sun roof.

This brings me to the clutch cable episode. Actually it wasn't so much an episode but more of a trailer. The clutch cable broke and The Coach was forced, no doubt muttering expletives of his own, to take the car to the mechanic to get it repaired. Seems pretty straight forward no ?

Now see, this is where The Coach and I really become polar opposites. The Coach returned home in the evening and I asked how the car was.

"I'm not happy with it," he replied "The clutch cable is too loose and it doesn't feel right."

"So why didn't you tell the mechanic?" I responded curiously.

"Something about the cost of pygmy hippos and the growth cycles of turnips." he answered. Well at least that's what I think he said, as he was sort of muttering and walking into the bathroom shaking his head.

And that is how it came to pass that for the last twelve months The Coach has been driving around in a car with a touchy, loose clutch cable. He is now used to the quirky clutch. He has also mastered the art of peering around the crack in the windscreen. He ignores the rattle and crunch that occurs every time he steers around a corner and he is virtually oblivious to the dings in the front, sides, back and roof (yes, we are all rather mystified by the ding in the roof).

Then recently we decided, after thirteen long years, to take a holiday to Noosa. We would require the use of my car. My Mother-in-Law, Nanny B, was going to need a car to ferry the kids to school in our absence, and although I was almost blinded by the neon warning signs flashing before my eyes, I succumbed to The Coach when he insisted,

"Don't worry about mum. She'll be fine using my car."

Oh ho ho, famous last words.....to be continued......

The Car.

2011-05-09T09:51:00.009+10:00

I am a car person. I wouldn't go as far as saying that I am a Rev Head, but I appreciate nice cars, I like sitting in nice cars, I notice nice cars and I daydream about one day owning a nice car. The Coach however views cars as a means from getting from Point A to Point B. He doesn't notice that his dream car has just passed us doing 210 kilometres per hour on the M1. He doesn't sigh wistfully when a commercial for a nice car comes on the telly and he doesn't seem particularly fussed about watching Top Gear. I know right, I am married to a freak of nature.

Although our opinions on cars vary drastically, we do have one thing in common, and that is that we like Nissans. I am driving my third Nissan Pulsar and The Coach is also driving a Nissan Pulsar, we are the Pulsar Poster Family. Sadly though, Nissan decided to stop making Pulsars so I have had to move out of my comfort zone and look at other members of the Nissan family and luckily for all concerned (excluding The Coach) I have fallen in love with the Murano *sigh*.

Yes, the Nissan Murano is my dream car, and I am confident in the knowledge that one day I will be the proud owner of a Nissan Murano. Sure I might be eighty-seven with bad hips and mild blindness in one eye. Sure my driving may be limited to reversing down the driveway at the retirement village before I gun it back up to my front door. Sure, getting in and out of the car with the aid of my motorised cart may take five times longer then the actual drive up and down the driveway. But hey, the Murano will be mine and I will be living the dream.

But just in case some important person from Nissan stumbles across my blog post, whilst muttering to themselves how smart those people from Ford were to get a blogger to test drive and report on one of their vehicles for a period of twelve months, *ahem* and realises with a blinding flash of light from the bulb above their head that I would be more than happy to test drive one of their own bad boys for twelve months. Well, I have an extensive list of new rules for my perfect dream car which I am sure will make my children and husband jump for joy :

Rules for Mum's Dream Car

Shoes will be replaced with soft Jiffies before entering vehicle

Drinks will not be consumed in vehicle

Food items will not be eaten in vehicle unless they are NASA approved space meals in a tube

All unidentified sticky residue will be scrubbed from hands before entering vehicle

Le Artiste will either sit inside a garbage bag after footy training or he will return home in Dad's vehicle aka The Old Smelly Car.

Petal, writing messages on the misty windows will be forbidden, no matter how much you love Josh/Tim/Jordan/Jack etc.

Vehicle will not be taken out if it is raining/hailing or snowing (you just never know)

Vehicle will not be taken out if it is overly dry/dusty or windy

Vehicle will be parked at the furthest corner of the shopping centre car park where no other cars park...ever

Cut lunch taken to eat whilst trekking from furthest corner of shopping centre car park to shops will not be consumed until everyone is out of the vehicle

If any of the above rules are broken. Household member will be forced to ride a bicycle at a safe distance behind vehicle for all future expeditions.

Disclaimer - Neither myself nor The Coach works for or is in any way affiliated with Nissan. I mean obviously if we were, I would already be driving a Murano wouldn't I. I have not received any form of payment from Nissan for writing this post, but if they would like to send me a Murano, I wouldn't say no. We really do just genuinely like Nissans.

Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in.

2011-03-20T14:20:00.006+10:00

You know I've never really understood that expression "Look what the cat dragged in." It seems to be used in the context of "Oh yes, and where have you been all this time ? We've been waiting for you." And is generally accompanied by the 'break it down now' beat of a foot whose owner wears the agitated expression of a bear coming in for his third swipe of the bee hive whilst dodging an army of bees wearing matching expressions of agitation. Which by the way, I am basing on speculation rather then known fact as bees have rather tiny faces and bear sightings have been few and far between around these parts.

But really, how does this expression equate to what the cat actually does drag in ? As the owner of two cats, it has been my experience that the cat usually likes to bring in headless rats. Well, sometimes it's just the head, sometimes it's the body, it's like her version of those new Barbie dolls where you can pick up various heads and mix and match them with the different bodies.

Now it may come as rather a shock to learn that I don't have an assortment of tiny, rat sized bean bags placed around the living room in anticipation of the next headless corpse (although I'm sure this would make for a rather entertaining dinner conversation when we have guests over). There are no teeny tiny welcome mats, no nuggets of cheese in the fridge (and lets face it, that would be just a plain old waste of good cheese because it's awfully hard to eat cheese when you are lacking a head). Really there is nothing but a dustpan and broom on standby to unceremoniously scoop up the remains and launch them, medieval catapult style, into the bush.

So where was I actually heading with all this ? Erm..I can't really remember..but I am here to say that although my blog posts have been rather sporadic of late, and although I am pretty sure I don't in any way, shape or form resemble a headless rat, I am trying to come back and find my blogging mojo.

Last night I proudly attended the NonAusBlogCon2011 (attended in the sense of put on my Ugg boots, grabbed a glass of wine and planted myself in front of the computer to follow the Tweet Stream of all the bloggers who were down in Sydney attended the Aussie Bloggers Conference 2011). And although I went through a short period of insane, teeth grinding, hair tearing out jealousy that I was not actually attending the AusBlogCon2011, following the Twitter Stream was a timely reminder that we here in Australia are building a formidable collection of smart and savvy bloggers who it would seem have loved meeting each other IRL (that's' in real life' for those of you who don't frequent Twitter) as much as through all the wonderful stories which flow throughout the blogging network. And quite frankly, I have missed my bloggy pals, so I am determined to pull my finger out and get blogging again.

Now that I have that out of my system, I am off to live vicariously through all the blog posts about AusBlogCon2011 whilst daydreaming about AusBlogCon2012 and perhaps hand stitching a small, rat corpse sized bean bag cover. Watch out Melbourne, this is shaping up to be bigger then Ben-Hur.

The Unlikeliest of Battle Arenas.

2011-02-09T10:11:00.004+10:00

I never really thought that two common place objects, found in our bathroom, would come to define where The Coach and I stood within our marriage. For all I know, The Coach is blissfully unaware of this fact, but me, well I know that there are sneaky little mind games at play and by jove, let it never be said that The Waffler won't rise to the occasion to engage in a spot of friendly warfare.

It actually began some years back, when it came to my attention, that regardless of how many times I shared the secret location for my stash of excess toiletries, The Coach seemed incapable of restocking items that had run out.

As a dutiful and loving wife, I would sigh and and shake my head with a little tolerant smile, as I reached under the bathroom sink to hand The Coach another bar of soap or fresh tube of toothpaste (thankfully he has mastered the toilet paper location, because lets face it, we all have our limits).

I couldn't pin point the exact turning point in this behaviour, perhaps it was around the time I realised that both of my children were now capable of finding and replacing the soap or toothpaste, but one day, I thought, hang on just a minute, why can't he do it ?

And that's when the battles began. By battle standards they are fairly subtle and bloodless events (flossing doesn't count), but the steely resolve is there, mark my words. Just last week, as I spent five minutes trying to extract the very last grain of toothpaste, I thought perhaps I had gone too far. That if I didn't lay down my (imaginary) sword we would be facing a life of gingivitis and shag pile-like layers of plaque. I glanced at the five cent sized piece of soap and thought of the sudden inexplicable lack of invitations to all social events and pictured my children's sad little faces as I would have to explain to them that mummy and daddy weren't allowed to leave the house anymore because they were both stinky, battle weary warriors.

And so I caved, with the soap, and I walked out of the bathroom with my head hung sadly in defeat. But lo and behold, when I came back in the evening to brush my teeth, there sat a gleaming, fat, fresh tube of toothpaste. My friends, I believe this is what's known in battle terms as an impasse, or a double white flag, but either way, I think we have made progress, and that makes me a very happy and clean little Waffler indeed.

The Sea of Imagination

2011-01-31T09:15:00.005+10:00

It probably won't come as any great surprise to you to learn that I can often be found floating on my back in The Sea of Imagination. It's rather a lovely place to drift about in, which I'm sure you would know, as I am certain that I wave to many members of the blogging community as they slowly pass me on gentle currents of their own.

My Sea of Imagination is fed from many different rivers. The River of Literature. The River of Film. The River of Theatre. The River of Music. Well, you get my drift (excuse the pun, I just couldn't stop myself). With so much wonderful creativity pouring into it, my Sea is always full to the brim and I don't think I could stop myself from popping in for a little float, even if I wanted to.

But this brings me to another point, an observation if you will. As many of you may know, Le Artiste is now nine, and catching up with friends is a favoured past time. So I have been watching the nine year olds at play, and it has saddened me to see that their Seas seems a little more like ponds, some, mere puddles.

This is not to say that they don't have bursts of wonderful imaginative play, but I often seem to encounter blank faces and those words which can drive the most patient of souls straight up the walls, "But we are bored. There's nothing to do."

Keep in mind that these are mountain children. Children with access to large yards, an abundance of trees, many family pets, the odd lake (yes, truly) and so much opportunity it makes my head spin. They have heaps of books, vast art and craft areas, trampolines and swing sets. How on earth can they be bored ?

Well, I don't know, perhaps it is an unavoidable part of living in modern society where computers, gaming consoles, mobile phones and iPads are common place. But I for one will continue to dust off the Secret Seven, Famous Five and Moomintroll books to try and encourage my children to build their rivers, expand their ponds and join me for a dip in the Sea.

And A Big Warm Welcome to 2011.

2011-01-10T15:54:00.003+10:00

Hey ho you lovely little Peeps, and a very Happy New Year to you all. If I am going to be perfectly honest, I had all sorts of wonderful plans to start this new year off with a bright and shiny new blog layout. Oh yes, it was all happening, sort of, in my head at least. But as is often the way with wondrous plans...well...it didn't really pan out. Time, or lack of, has been rather a problem of late. Where on earth have the days been going ? It's all been a blur of socialising, singing .... oh yes, *ahem* did I mention that I have been dusting off the pipes recently ? Well if we've engaged in happy banter on Twitter you would know all about that, but if not, I'll fill you in later. What else ? Oh yes, I've been playing with my new toy, my Christmas gift from The Coach, a Bamboo Fun graphic tablet and pen.

Oh what fun I tell you. I have been absolutely bamboozled by the endless options that are available on this baby. Now I don't want you think that I am being big headed or anything, but really, I think I am an absolute natural on the tablet and pen. It's a gift I tell you, I'm sure Monet felt exactly the same way when he smeared his first glob of oil paint. No, truly, look at this.........

Yup.....uh ah.....mmmmmm......I can tell that you are speechless because you are so incredibly impressed right ? Admiring the exceptional use of colour and texture. The skill used in those perfect outlines. Perhaps you should squint your eyes and tilt your head to the left ? No ? Okay, try standing on you head whilst wearing a pair of sunglasses, I know you know what I'm talking about.

Oh okay, perhaps it still needs some work. But the point is that I am having a great deal of fun trying out all the different mediums whilst I bumble around the program. Rome wasn't built in a day you know.

Playing and drifting days aside, I have a really good feeling about 2011. This is the year that I intend to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and just go for it. Life is too short and I feel like I have been in a holding pattern for the last few years. This year I intend to shine, one way or another and I hope you'll enjoy coming along and sharing the ride with me :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

2010-12-24T12:05:00.003+10:00

"Bauble, bauble on the tree, who could the fairest Ken doll be ?"

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us here at Casa Del Waffler.

And thank-you for following my inexplicable waffling through 2010.

I luvs ya all :)

Ken and the Epiphany : Part Three

2010-12-13T15:54:00.015+10:00

"I do appreciate the effort you have gone to Ken, but I'm still dubious about the sequined K and the lack of pants."

"Pins like these just aren't meant to be hidden Batman. Now can we get on with the first lesson, I have a souffle in the oven and Babs just isn't reliable in the kitchen."

"Wait...is that..."

"OH NO, wait right there Batman, I'll go grab the rubber gloves and some Sugarsoap and I'll have that smudge cleaned off the wall in a jiffy."

"Ah no Ken. That is the Bat Signal. Someone needs our help. You'll have to learn on the job, just follow my lead."

"Uh Ken, you'll find it hard to follow my lead if you keep running in front of me. *Sigh*"

Meanwhile, not too far away......"So I was like OMG, you are so right, I totally can get away with pink leggings. Um Hans, you're like totally missing that spot on my lower back, what sort of massage did you say this was again ?"

"Bwah ha ha ha. Now that I have The Hand under my control and Barbie #648887 in my grasp, I will crush Batman and Casa Del Waffler will be mine....ALL MINE."

"Oh hey Ken, I dig your outfit, nice sequins, have you met Hans my masseuse ?"

"Oh no Batman, it's Barbie #648887, and that Hans looks like no masseuse that I've ever seen, and quite frankly, I have seen one or two masseuses in my time."

"You're right Super K. That's no masseuse, it's The Hand and Evil Big Head Boy. Keep your wits about you, inside that big head is a big evil brain. We could be in for some big trouble."

To be continued.....

And the winner is.....

2010-12-05T16:21:00.004+10:00

Drawn under fairly poorly supervised conditions, the winner of my 'thank you for following' giveaway is.....the lovely Ms Cindy from Bugandpop. Yay, hurrah *round of polite applause*. Thank-you to the lovely Peeps that joined in and a big "hello" to the newest additions on the conga line, I do hope you'll stay and play, I hope to be much more forthcoming with rambling little blog posts when the conclusion of the school year dust settles.

In the meantime I hope you are all enjoying dance concerts (oh yes, we will be so much wiser to all that next year and I hear that g&t in a plastic drink bottle is the current beverage of choice for the discerning dance mama), various class presentations (still trying to work out how the Thriller zombie inspired dance performance from Le Artiste fits in with any sort of Christmas theme. Although it must be said that I am probably doing a masterful interpretation of a zombie at the moment, so perhaps those nine year olds are more on the mark then they realise) and gnawing on the hundred or so spare candy canes collecting at the bottom of your children's school bags.

Yep, the countdown has begun and the smell of Christmas is in the air. Do you know that smell ? Part cinnamon and nutmeg and part frantic desperation with a top note of childish glee. It's all Eau De Christmas Peeps, take a nice big lungful and enjoy.

Ooooh yes Peeps, it's time for......A GIVEAWAY.

2010-11-30T11:30:00.005+10:00

Lately I have been feeling big old waves of blog love Peeps and it got me thinking that it was high time to give some of that love back to all you lovely folks who stop by, leave comments and even go so far as adding my little blog to your blog rolls and becoming regular followers.

You may have noticed (or perhaps it may have skipped your attention, but that's okay, I understand, it's rather a busy time of the year) that last week the Waffling Along conga line grew to over 100. I know it's rather silly, but that gave me such a little jolt of happiness, so thank-you :)

In celebration of this rather monumental event, I would like to offer this little box of mish-mashed (figured it was in keeping with my blog style really) gifts which all get the Waffler Seal of Approval. But I'm afraid there is one condition Peeps, as this is a very special thank-you giveaway, you must actually be a follower of my blog in order to enter. I know, I know, look at me going all rules and regulations on you, but sometimes a gals gotta do what a gals gotta do, you know.

Anyway, here is a list of the items I have included :

An excellent book - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, you may have heard of it, unless you've been living under a rock in a cave that is.

Bumble and Bumble alojoba hair conditioner - have you tried Bumble and Bumble yet ? It's rather delicious, and this conditioner contains aloe, jojoba, cucumber and chamomile which should leave you with silky soft tresses.

Ferrero Rocher hazelnut chocolates - Nom nom, need I say more ?

Payot small make-up bag - I love Payot products and this is one very cute little bag to pop your favs into.

Lancome - Primordial day cream with SPF 15 - I must confess I flit between Lancome and Payot skin creams, but both are really lovely.

Lancome - Gel Eclat clarifying wash of cleanser - ALWAYS wash your make-up off Peeps, even if it's 5.30am and you can barely stand up, cleanse, cleanse, cleanse.

Lancome - Genefiqie Youth Activator serum - gotta love a serum that activates your youth right ?

Payot - Smoothing re-activating weekly mask - combined with the Lancome serum, you should be looking years younger in no time, just make sure your kidletts don't get their hands on it or they might disappear altogether.

A pot of Blistex Lip Conditioner SPF 20 - I can vouch for the fact that this is the make-up balm of make-up artists.

And last but not least, a little hand painted Caroler wooden doll, in a lovely summer dress to reflect our toasty Aussie Christmas. And she's a Waffler one off original Peeps, so I hope you like her as much as Petal, who I will have to console with a Caroler Mark II.

*Phew* So there you have it Peeps. Did you find something that tickled your fancy in the list ? I do hope so. Now all you have to do is leave a comment (anything you like, even if you just want to say "hi" ) and make sure that I can contact you through either a blog link or an email address. I will announce the winner on Sunday 5th of December. That's it, easy peasy no ?

Oh, and just one more thing, sadly I can only offer this giveaway to Aussie Peeps, the clay and gold paint coins Le Artiste made haven't fared nearly as well on the currency exchange as we had hoped. But I promise I will put together a little something special just for the overseas visitors soon, 'cause you know I loves you all.

This Saturday I'm grateful for......

2010-11-27T16:17:00.005+10:00

This Saturday I am grateful for getting a night out with The Coach. In case you didn't know, my mother-in-law is visiting at the moment, and she has kindly offered to babysit......BABYSIT.....we never have anyone offer to babysit, this may be due in large part to the fact that ALL our family lives in Victoria, but hey, it's only a two hour plane trip people.

Anyway, I'm rather buzzy with anticipation, not only are we heading out for dinner, we are venturing...wait for it...OFF MOUNTAIN. Woo to the Hoo Peeps. We are going to drive down the long road lined with palm trees, down to greet the sea breeze, and for a few hours, we can pretend we are on holidays, just like everyone else. Call it a mini-holiday if you will (with an emphasis on the word 'mini').

Yes, today I am grateful for the little things, but sometimes it is the little things that make a really big difference.

Ken and the Epiphany : Part Two

2010-11-24T11:58:00.013+10:00

Later that very same day....

"Well Howdy Partner. Just give me a second to get out of the splits."

" Come back when you can let go of the bed and stand on your own two feet Woody."

"Huh ?"

"Is this someones idea of a joke ? Alfred ?"

"That is a freaking bunny rabbit. I am losing my patience Alfred. Don't. Mess. With. The. Bat. Man"

"Hang on a minute. My bat senses are tingling Alfred...."

"You've got the gig kid. Lose the foil undies, the purse and the lush and come back tomorrow."

"Hurrah Babs, isn't this just the most fabulous thing ever ? It's even better then when I got front row tickets to see Pink."

Ah, yeah Ken, I'm just tickled pink for you. If I weren't legless already I'm sure I would barely be able to stand with the excitement.

To be continued.......

Ken and the Epiphany : Part One

2010-11-22T08:34:00.008+10:00

"You know Babs, some days I can't help but feel that there might be more to life then drinking lattes, reading fashion magazines and getting my hair styled."

"Woah Babs, I feel like something just exploded in my brain, I think I just had an epiphany. Oh hang on, maybe it's just a chemical burn from these foils, are you sure the packet said leave on for six hours ?"

Meanwhile.......... "Must. Spell. Words. Correctly."

"Babs, check this out. It's a sign, a wanted sign. No really Babs, put down the bottle of red wine and get over here."

"That's what I thought Babs, I am totally the guy for the job. Grab me a Man Bag and I'll hail down the Little People Bus, we need to get to the kitchen."

"I know Babs, I'm a styling genius. If this outfit doesn't scream Superhero Side Kick then I'll go out in public with last seasons Man Bag. Now screw the lid back on that wine bottle and cling wrap the olives Babs, we've got an appointment with destiny."

"It's meant to be Babs, I can feel it right from perfectly styled hair to the tips of my pedicured toes. Lets go introduce the world to......KenMan the Kourageous...what's that Babs ? Oh, it's courageous with a 'c' ? Oh well, we'll think of a name on the way."

To be continued....

Big Love from the Waffler.

2010-11-20T14:16:00.006+10:00

So you've got a fancy schmancy luncheon organised with the girls, it's not at The Ritz, but you're leaving the warmth and security of your bear cave, so you've frocked up and made yourself feel perty. As you walk past the window you see a small dog fly by, hmmm, seems it's a little gusty in the great outdoors, sure is lucky you don't need to use your private chopper or you would have had to pop some air sickness pills. You grab your bag, you do a quick final check in the mirror, hair, behaving, lip gloss, a shiny, shimmering pool. Perfect. You step out the front door and BAM, a gust of wind sends your perfectly coiffed do straight onto your shiny lips. One second you were the shizzle, the next, Cousin Its long lost love. We've all been there Peeps, and nothing says glam like hair matted together in shiny glossed chunks, not to mention shimmery snail trails of lip gloss that have ended up all over your cheeks as you have tried to peel off the strands of hair stuck to your face. Fabulous.

That's what brings me to these little beauties. Lancome Star Bronzer Glossy Lip Nectar. This product gets some serious Big Love from the Waffler. I'm not sure exactly how long these lip nectars have been on the market, but I have been addicted ever since my first purchase. I have all the colours (ah, yes, all three, sometimes I just go crazy I tells ya) and I always have at least one in my handbag.

What I love about the lip nectar (aside from the bronze gold flecked tones) is that there is absolutely no stickiness, just a lovely, shimmery sheen. It's a perfect everyday gloss with each of the colours leaving a natural, subtle shine on your lips. What's not to love about that hey Peeps ?

Now although this has absolutely nothing to do with lip gloss, I just wanted to say that I might seem a little all over the place with my blog posts at the moment. I am trying to work out exactly where my little blog fits in, which is why you may find me talking about cats one minute, and lip gloss the next. Just roll with me okay. Think of it like a lucky dip, you just never know what you'll find.

Disclaimer : I am in no way affiliated with Lancome. These are products I have purchased and I am endorsing them because I think they are great. That is all.

Babs, you is lookin' hawt.

2010-11-18T11:10:00.006+10:00

Hi Peeps, sorry it's been a bit quiet on the blog front lately, I've been busy hangin' out with my best girl, Babs. We've been shootin' the breeze, sharing a spot of bubbly and discussing ohsohawt trends as I work to get my styling mojo on.

Babs is working out pretty well as a styling model. I mean, sure, she's got all those nasty bald patches that we have to work around. Not to mention those layers that really make braiding a biatch. But she's ever so gracious and utters nary a squeak when I get her strands caught in my rings.

But be warned Peeps, once she's knocked back a glass of changers, suddenly it's all about her...moaning about not having a body, lamenting about the purple, sparkly lipstick that is soooooo last season, and Ken....oh dear...don't even get her started on Ken....

Love.

2010-11-14T12:14:00.004+10:00

Dear Coach,

I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that it has come to this. I know this might not make things any easier, but it's not you, it's me...well, actually, it is a bit you, but mostly, it's me. To be fair, I think we had a pretty good run really. We've had some laughs, produced two (for the most part) lovely children, travelled ALL the way from Victoria to Queensland. Let it not be said that there weren't good times along the way.

But, I am afraid, I have fallen head over heels for another. It wasn't expected, but that visit from the postman changed my life. I know you may roll your eyes, you may say that it's just a passing fad, nothing more then a silly girly brush crush. But I think you may be wrong and I just hope you understand. Best of luck with all your future endeavours, and I can only hope that one day the perfect shaving brush will come into your life and that you too will find true happiness.

Cheers.

Waffles

My brush crush : laura mercier secret camouflage *sigh*

How Now Brown Brow.

2010-11-10T10:30:00.006+10:00

Due to an overwhelming response on Twitter (a big shout out to all four of you) and my irrepressible desire to impart wisdom like a a wisened guru on a mountain top (well, I've got the mountain top part covered), today we are going to talk eye brows.

I don't mean to imply that I am an expert in the field of brows, but I have been rather obsessed with creating the perfect brow shape ever since I was old enough to to wield a pair of tweezers. I also notice beautiful brows and it never ceases to amaze me the difference well groomed brows make. Even if make-up isn't really your thing, taming unruly brows will instantly open your eyes (especially when you're plucking the hairs, but we both know that's not what I'm talking about here, don't we) and give you a more polished look. Yes, it takes a little effort, but gals, there's nothing sexy about having a couple of caterpillars scurrying across your forehead.

The first step in brow management is working out exactly where the lines should start, finish and arch. The easiest way to do this is to take a thin handled make-up brush (like the pink, fine point Kroylan # 0 pictured below) and position it so that the handle creates a line starting at the edge of your nostril (not IN your nostril...ewww) and goes straight up to your hairline. This is the where your eyebrow should start (all together now, mono brow, mono brow, be gone). Then angle the brush so that it lines up with the outer edge of your eye. This is where your eyebrow should finish. Lastly, angle the brush so that the line runs just off centre of your iris, this should give you your arch point. Keep in mind that all of these lines are just a guide and if you're really uncertain about jumping in headfirst with a pair a tweezers and a sense of wild abandon, then go and visit a professional who can start you off with the perfect shape that you can maintain.

Right, now that we have got our shape worked out, we need to look at tools. It's all about the tools Peeps. These are my eyebrow taming essentials : Super Goop (this is a hair gel that is cyclone proof and I just love it, a gloop of goop and my brows are super glued into submission). An eyelash/brow comb. A fine tip brush. A pair of flat end tweezers and an ultra cheapo, very soft, brown eye pencil (I have tried the harder lead eyebrow pencils, but found them more difficult to work with. I also found that powders gave me less control and precision, but that's just me)

Okay, now that you have all the tools we can begin. You take a tiny gloop of goop (really, less is more with this stuff), pop it on the brush end of your brow/lash comb and apply it from the roots of your eyebrow hairs toward your hairline. Then you can wipe off any excess goop on your brush (don't start going all Goop crazy) and gently brush the hairs into the shape you desire. Once you are happy with the overall shape (don't sweat any small gaps) you take your soft pencil, colour a big blobby circle on the back of your hand and use the brush to apply the pencil into any gaps. If you have a super steady hand, you can apply the pencil directly, but be warned, this can sometimes lead to 'scary grandma brows' which are all pencil, no hair, eek.

Anyway, it's not really rocket science, but I hope this might help some of you wondering how to tackle the fearsome hairy beasts. As with most things, it may involve some trial and error. You may prefer an actual eyebrow gel with a more flexible finish, you may like a touch of eyebrow powder at the end for a softer finish. Just remember gals, those nicely coiffed ladies standing at the cosmetic counters aren't just for show, go and ask them for advice, it's their job and they, more then anyone, understand the battle of the brow.

"Man, you've got one crazy cat."

2010-11-09T09:56:00.004+10:00

Today I would like to talk to you about Fat Cat. The idea for this post came to me at 3 am this morning as I listened to Fat Cat yowling and pacing around the house like a caged panther. She does that sometimes, actually, she does that most nights. I guess in this particular instance Fat Cat was simply expressing her displeasure. She doesn't like encountering closed bedroom doors, nor does she like being left out in the rain. I'm sure you can imagine the expression on her face when I let her in the back door after she had been head butting the cat flap for some time. Not only was her forehead slightly flattened, but she was also doing the I've got a wet tail and back paws jiggle, oh, the indignity of it all.

Fat Cat came to us quite some time ago. Her exact age has now become somewhat of an urban legend. Two weeks ago I guessed she was fifteen, last weekend The Coach pegged her at eighteen, all we know for certain is that she is at least over thirteen (due to the fact that we had her before we got married). Anyway, the fact is that she's quite old, but I think she missed the memo.

Fat Cat still likes to gallop, I would use the term run but really, if you were in the other room and you heard the noise, you would definitely think a small horse was doing laps up and down the hallway. If only I had known how much joy could be found in one wayward bead I could have saved a fortune on cat toys.

Aside from the fact that she likes to gallop, Fat Cat often seems to be experiencing some form of species identity crisis. She will follow you anywhere, even for a stroll up the street, if that's where you're heading. And she will lie next to your feet when you stop. I'm sure she would bark at you if she could. She also likes to position herself in the centre of the kitchen and will stare up at you, meowing and lifting a paw if you talk to her. Cat, horse, dog, person ? No wonder she's confused.

Fat Cat came into our lives as a palm sized, four week old stray kitten and has shown us time and time again that alley cat blood runs through her veins. She has terrorised the husband of a friend, who was a policeman no less. She has chased The Coach's younger (but fully grown) brother down the hallway. She has hidden under a car and launched an attack on an unsuspecting doberman who much to the embarrassment of it's owner, howled and attempted to run into the hills. And she has taken on the pizza delivery car, but in that case, the pizza delivery car won.

I know that Fat Cats days with us are numbered, after all, she is somewhere between 70 and 89 human years old (depending on who you talk to and how many wines have been consumed) and her departure will leave a gaping hole in the Waffler household. So tonight, when I am woken up at the wee hours by the pacing and yowling, rather than grumbling I will give her a tickle under the chin and pop her back on her tower of cushions. We love you Fat Cat.

My Creative Space

2010-11-03T18:26:00.008+10:00

Swirling pretty blues around with the softest of brushes. Searching for gentle soothing tones which I hope will blend perfectly in the nursery of a wee babe whom I haven't yet met. I do so hope this picture will meet with the young sirs approval.

And just so you know, there isn't an invisible horse between his legs, *sheesh* Coach.

There's a ton of creativity over at Kirsty's, why don't you pop on over and take a peek.

The Mascara Advertising Experiment.

2010-10-27T11:35:00.010+10:00

As some of you are aware I am a qualified make-up artist. Naturally this means that I have applied one or two coats of mascara in my time. It is also the reason why mascara advertising really gives me the pip. In fact there is one particular advert that really gets my blood boiling. Not only does the model photographed have blatantly obvious false eye lashes on, I would also say that the photograph has been heavily altered with a photo shop package. Either that or the model is actually from a species of space aliens who are related to camels and as such, have the longest, thickest, most voluptuous eye lashes EVER. Now in fairness to the cosmetic brand, they do state in microscopic writing that lash inserts (*snort* if you wanna call full bar lashes inserts) were used for consistency. But really, how many people would see that ? How many first time mascara users will scadoodle off to the shops and come home expecting an eye lash miracle ? And how many first time mascara consumers will compare their own lashes to the ones in the advert and think that they have done something wrong and will possibly give up on using mascara all together ?

I know, I know, I'm ranting, but I get frustrated because I constantly come across women who say "Oh, I don't use make-up, I don't know how." Of course it's hard when you are faced with unrealistic end result images.

So anyway, today I thought I would show you the difference between what you will realistically end up with, and what some cosmetic brands would have you believe your end results should be. And just for the record, I really like the mascara brand that I use. It may not give me the dramatic full body and volume it claims, but it has a great consistency, gives nice results and stays put in our humid conditions. That's three big pluses as far as I'm concerned.

No mascara

A coat of mascara which promised full body and volume.

With the addition of a line of bar lashes.

With computer enhancement.

So how about you ? Does this kind of advertising really annoy you or do you think it is just widely accepted that most of what we see in magazines these days is a created with smoke and mirrors.

I Love a Sunburnt Country...

2010-10-25T14:23:00.005+10:00

I love Australia. I really do. I spent my youth enjoying living in Victoria and now I am embracing calling Queensland home. To top it all off I adore the mountain, it is my idea of perfection. But part and parcel of living in a semi-tropical environment surrounded by bushland is the creepy, crawly, slithery, web spinning, blood sucking critters who also happen to think that this is a pretty darn fabulous place to lay down their hats and set up a welcome mat.

Last night one of these aforementioned unwelcome intruders did stealthily creep inside our humble abode (well actually it could have been making an incredible ruckus by teeny, tiny standards, but I guess until the cockroaches start speaking English, we'll never really know). And the intruder looked just like this......

Image

In fact, I am certain that this was the exact intruder, so how she managed to get a mug shot on the University of Sydney website, one can only imagine. This little critter, for those of you who are blissfully unaware, is an adult paralysis tick. Nasty, nasty little blighters they are.

As I am still awaiting the crime unit, I don't know exactly how she managed the break and enter, but she may have taken the Fat Cat Express or hitched a ride in on The Coaches baseball cap. Small and cunning, no wonder she is considered one of our greatest adversities on the mountain.

Anyway, to cut a long (they don't call me The Waffler for nothing you know) story short, at exactly 12.17am The Coach came hurtling into the bedroom saying he needed my help. The horrid tick had taken up residency on poor little Petal's face, right between her nose and her left eye.

Being the calm and collected mama that I am, I assessed the situation, grabbed my trusty bottle of Tea Tree Oil, a cotton tip and my pointy tweezers and set about removing the unwelcome invader. Petal went back to sleep with a cold, wet face cloth over her eye and Madam Tick was unceremoniously sent to the rubbish bin. Sorry Madam Tick, but your home invasion days are over.

Today Petal looks as though she went a few rounds with a heavy-weight boxer. She'll be fine but the site will be itchy and sore for at least a few days, if not until the end of the week.

So yeah, I love this country with all of my heart, but if all the ticks, deadly spiders and snakes were to decide to seek greener pastures, it really wouldn't bother me, not one little bit.

The Great Reveal.

2010-10-21T17:05:00.007+10:00

Before we even get started today I have a confession to make. Two confessions actually. The first is that I have sat on this blog post for about six months debating about whether or not I really wanted to stick my mug all over the page and then post it out into the great big webosphere. The second is that I never, ever, NEVER, under any circumstances leave my house without make-up on. Did I mention, NEVER ?

Sometime back, actually not long after I took these photos, the lovely Jodie over at Mummy Mayhem, initiated a bloggers without make-up day. This day took the blogging world by storm and brought up many interesting debates about just how comfortable women were in their own skin. I clearly fell into the 'I would rather die a thousand deaths then show my bare face to the world' category.....until now that is.

Actually these photos started as a personal experiment. After years of sitting down and spending at least thirty minutes each day meticulously applying all my make-up, I thought it would be interesting to break it down into stages to see what I could skip and what really did seem to make a difference.

Anyway....I think that I've procrastinated as long as I can.....so here's me, without a a single speck of make-up and a suitably unimpressed expression :

I'm sure that you can appreciate, in the interest of not alarming small children, I took this first shot from a little bit further back....eek.

Now this is more like it. Here we've tamed the wild brows, applied concealer and powder and a dusting of bronzing powder..oh yes, and I managed a small smile.

Next, the eyes, five shades of eye-shadow (I'm all about subtlety), eye liner and mascara.

A slick of lip gloss.

And, ta da, here's the end result, and a far more happy looking Waffler.

Oh, and just for fun, here's what happens when you send your photo through to the ever-so-clever @gotads on Twitter. I may have borrowed Miranda Kerr's hair but the cleavage is mine, ALL MINE I tells ya, and you know I would never tell a lie...well...most of the time...

So there you have it, the make-up journey I take nearly every single day. I'll be the first to admit that I'm insanely jealous of women who can just get up and leave the house (especially that woman on the commercial who rolls out of bed, pulls her hair into a ponytail and dives out the window, she's my own personal hero) and perhaps the day will come when I can have the confidence to walk out the door in my mostly natural state...but I will never leave the bushy brows....over my dead body.

I'm Terribly Busy You Know.

2010-10-20T12:35:00.003+10:00

For the life of me I can't work out why The Coach keeps questioning what I do with my days......

Meeting. 6.30am. My Room. Be there.

2010-10-18T09:05:00.011+10:00

As I sit, the clock ticks over to 9.07am. The young folk are still in their pyjamas but this is contrary to the busy activities that have already taken place at an early hour. Not by me, I might stress, I have simply managed to take a shower, eat a bowl of porridge and savour a latte, but the young folk have held an intense meeting, so intense it couldn't possibly be disturbed for trivial matters such as eating or showering.

In fact, the meeting was of such great importance that it required minimal lighting and optional slippers or teddy bears. Yep, Le Artiste had things on his mind, and by jove he was going to have the whole situation under control by sunrise. It would seem that earlier attempts to get the meeting under way were thwarted by Petal's desire to hide under the doona with a packet of playing cards, but Le Artiste is nothing if not persistent.

I must confess, I have enjoyed the serenity provided by The Meeting, because as we all know, important meetings produce only a solemn murmur. There is no laughing or silliness, meetings are serious business, especially when held in your pyjamas under a pop up tent (the cone of silence was already occupied it would seem).

But now it appears the meeting has adjourned. Petal is shuffling past with a Magna Doodle covered with writing (and the odd flower and smiley face) whilst Le Artiste is hot on her heels, wearing a satisfied smirk that would make Donald Trump proud.

"Mum, I have sorted everything out. I have told S that she has to be good, and not argue with me or she'll get more litter duties, and I made her repeat it back to me lots of times so it really sticks inside her brain."

Phew, am I glad that's sorted. Poor Petal, no wonder she keeps looking up at me and longingly asking if I might consider going to the hospital to pick her up a little brother or sister (or perhaps I could swing by the Sexyversity, which my friend's children assure her is the place to produce a new sibling these days).

Oh well, perhaps I can be of service by answering the phones, producing the Babycinos and plating up the breakfast pastries, but I better get a wriggle on otherwise I might get called into a meeting, yikes.

What's your flavour ?

2010-10-16T17:38:00.003+10:00

Given the choice, your average child would probably opt for a lollipop or ice-cream.

A child with some sort of dietary deficiency may opt for a stamp.

Petal, well she just licks the toothfairy.

My Creative Space

2010-10-14T12:31:00.005+10:00

And today, we jouer avec le crayon. Would it disappoint you to learn that I am not wearing a beret jauntily on my head ? But perhaps a croissant and cafe de lait may make my acquaintance this afternoon, oui ?

It has been such a pleasure to spend the morning sketching up a new idea, now I am off to visit Kirsty, where I can see some other busy little bees. Perhaps I shall see you and we can share my croissant. No, no, really, I couldn't possibly eat it all myself anyway.

Kindness

2010-10-13T09:52:00.003+10:00

Please be kind to other people.

You can't always tell when someone feels like this on the inside.

Did I just give birth or have a partial lobotomoy ?

2010-10-12T08:47:00.003+10:00

This morning Petal and I had the following conversation :

Me : Oh dear my sweet, you still have a temperature. Let me know when you need to go to the toilet because the doctor has asked us to take a wee sample.
Petal : A wee sample of what mama ? And why are you talking in a Scottish accent. (okay, only joking, I wasn't really talking in a Scottish accent at all)
Me : Now all you have to do is pee into this teeny, tiny jar. All good ? Excellent.
Petal : But how do I do that mama ?
Me : *Sigh* (really, she looks like such a bright child) weeeell, when you go to the toilet, you just carefully hold this little....
Petal : Why can't you hold it ?
Me : (hastily trying to recall if I have a handy biochemical suit or veterinary rectal gloves) Well you might accidentally wee on my hand. Ewww. *adding a little laugh for good measure*
Petal : That's okay. You can wash your hands after.

Hmm, yes, a valid point made by Petal, but really, now that both of my children are school age, I'm not quite so willing to get, well, dirty on the job, so to speak.

The truth is that I think I have paid my dues. I know I'm not the only mother of a son who was caught out during a nappy change (although the fact that my little nephew accidentally peed on his own face still makes me giggle, just a little). I also know that I'm not the only mother who has dealt with nappy explosions which were so toxic that I couldn't help but wonder if my child was sneaking out of the cot during the night and scarfing down vast quantities of cabbage and beans with a side order of buttermilk. I'm also pretty confident that I'm not the only mother who, when in a shopping centre with a toddler who has suddenly turned green, has simply cupped their hands together and said "It's okay sweetheart, just vomit in mummies hands." (Seriously, you've done that right ? Please tell me I'm not the only one who has done that).

Ah yes, the things we put ourselves through for the love of our children. It's all funny (and rather disgusting) in hindsight, but we do it without a second thought. Oh hang on, is that a giggle I hear from the couch ? Could Petal be on the mend ? Yes, YES, I think the fever has broken, hurrah, looks like I can put the biochemical suit away, at least until next time.

Completely pointless images.

2010-10-10T11:31:00.006+10:00

Over the last three weeks, I have looked out at a lot of this.

But joy of joys, one morning the sun peeked out and I rushed to the gardens.

Clearly, this turtle felt the same way I did.

And this luminous canopy of leaves made me sigh with happiness.

Please come again Mr Sun. The rain has been lovely, the lawn is lush and the tank is full.

We miss you.

Have licence, will travel.

2010-06-20T14:56:00.004+10:00

Do you remember it ? That little thrill of sitting in the drivers seat, buckling in, turning on the engine and then glancing over at the unoccupied passenger seat ? Oh yes, you had your drivers licence baby and you were now in full control of the vehicle. You could adjust the seat, turn up the volume on the radio (urm, in my case, the luxury of a tape deck or cd player was still a few years off, not that I'm saying I'm a thousand years old or anything *ahem*) and rest your elbow on the wound down window ledge so that you looked like an old pro, cool as a cumber, yep been doing this ol' driving business for a good....few months now.

I do remember it but sadly my driving experience is a little more 'run of the mill' then 'thrill' these days. I don't know, maybe it's the depressing eau de mouldy carpet scent that gently permeates the interior of the car on a humid day, care of one of my dear, dear BILs who accidentally spilled an entire 1.5lt bottle of water throughout my boot. Maybe it's the size 1 foot that keeps 'accidentally' prodding me in the back as I attempt to admire the scenery and focus on what a pleasurable driving experience the mountain provides.

Speaking of which, driving on a mountain, sigh, you would think that without a single set of traffic lights and nary a traffic jam to be seen that it would be one of the most joyful driving experiences around. I'm afraid you would be mistaken. Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate that this is a tourist destination and that means that we often get...well...tourists, but it would seem that the tourists sometimes forget that there are also residents here who may actually want to get somewhere before...say, I don't know, next Christmas.

There's one particular area of our lovely mountain where you will find a t-intersection, it also happens to be the spot where a rather large map of the mountain is placed, rather conveniently, right next to the road. Now, at the risk of sounding like a grouchy old mountain nanna, if I had a penny for every time that I've turned right at the intersection and been forced to screech on the brakes to prevent myself from driving straight up the wazoo of a delightful visitor to the mountain who has simply stopped their car in the middle of the road so that they could read the tourist map....well....I'd have quite a few pennies, let me tell you (which would probably amount to the richly sum of about $2.50, so I think we can all agree that it's a rather sad state of affairs that I haven't in fact been hording pennies somewhere in my glove box).

Oh, and then there was the time I was driving down off the mountain (oh yes, amongst real traffic, I know you're impressed now) and found myself thoroughly confused as I watched a car driving toward me, in my lane. Yes, I admit, I had a moment where I mentally strummed through the pages of my 'learn to drive' manual and confirmed that I was actually on the correct side of the road. Naturally I began to slow down as the other car continued to creep towards me. By this time, I could see the occupants of the other car, a young couple of foreign nationality, he was hunched over the steering wheel wearing an expression of steely determination, whilst she was waving at me and mouthing the words "sorry" (or it could have been 'nori' or 'lorry', I guess that's open to interpretation). Anyway, I stopped my car and they continued on, turning right, again into the wrong lane, whilst manically waving, ooookay then.

There's never a dull moment when you're out on the open roads, that's for sure, and some days, no amount of easy listening music can ease the white-knuckled grip I have on my steering wheel. But when you least expect it, you can find yourself humming along to a song, enjoying the breeze as you navigate tree-lined, sun dappled roads and you think "Oh yeah, how good is this, have licence, will travel."

Um....Hi there......

2010-04-25T09:14:00.006+10:00

I've been putting it off, putting it off, putting it off (hey, that sounds like the beginnings of a kick arse dance track, don't you think ?), but I can't really explain why or how I sort of fell in to a blogging void. Things have been a changing around Casa Del Waffler and my little routine was thrown on its head. I've been busy re-adjusting and finding my new groove...slowly I'm getting there. Thank goodness for that.

And how apt, I have made my return on Anzac Day, a day that resonates quite strongly with me. It's a day when we remember those who have fallen and those who have left our shores to take up posts overseas. I get teary every. Single. Year. Just can't help myself. As I listen to the services my mind wonders off to battle fields long since overgrown. I try to imagine what the men and women of our armed services went through, and I feel overwhelmed with emotion.

Lest We Forget

I apologise for the incredibly dis-jointed nature of this post, guess it's not like riding a bike after all. Really I just wanted to swing by and say I'm still here and I will be back. And since you are here, I wanted to say thank-you for being so patient and waiting around for me to get my act together.

And in another completely unrelated matter, here is a collection of treasures that I stumbled upon at one of our small mountain book shops last weekend and was simply unable to resist. Made me think of a certain well known blogger who has had a soft spot for the Moomin Family for as long as I can remember. Horray for unexpected finds at little book shops I say.

Trust him, you'll like it.

2010-03-17T09:32:00.009+10:00

Le Artiste has been a busy little beaver this morning. He awoke at 6.20am (yes, that is 6.20am precisely, not 6.19 and not 6.21, trust me, he double checked on the kitchen clock) and set to work putting together a marketing plan to knock the chocolate bar conglomerates off their perches. I'm telling you, if the new Chock Rock bar from Snip,Snap doesn't blow you away then my name's not Waffles. Let me share some of the excellent selling points as presented on Le Artiste's fine advertising poster.

Well obviously it's the yummyest and juicest chocolate bar EVER ! How can you go past that ? I will most certainly be re-assessing all my chocolate bars from now on and if they don't rate highly on the 'juicy' scale, I will definitely reconsider any future purchases.

And don't we all love a product that is free from artifital colours or flavours with no presurvatives. Especially when it also contains mashmellos and a cream & caramel sauce. Mmm, got to love those mashmellos.

Alright, so say you're not swayed by the ingredients. Surely you wouldn't turn down the incloosion of a plazma TV. I know it's almost too good to be true but I'm sure it's not a misprint, it's even circled with a bright red box. So for the bargain price of 5c (or free, depending on which box you read) you'll not only get a delicious, healthy chocolate bar but you'll get a free plazma television. But wait....there's more....

...it's yummy, healthy, keeps you smart and NEW. It's like a super food, a food of the Gods perhaps, and it will keep you NEW. I'm getting giddy at the mere thought of it.

And if you're still not convinced that the Chock Rock bar is for you, well just take a look at the expression on the face of the non-smoking, skull and crossbone wearing chap above. If you can't take his word for it that it is 'delitous too,' then I am at a complete loss.

Now I'm no marketing guru but if I was the head honcho at Cadburys I would be very worried, very worried indeed.

By jove this kid can talk.

2010-03-14T09:12:00.007+10:00

This morning Petal has been sitting at the breakfast table for forty-five minutes. You may think this is because I have served her seven eggs, twelve rashers of bacon, four tomatoes and fourteen slices of toast, but no, forty-five minutes is the period required for Petal to consume one lonely, solitary little piece of toast, oh, and a glass of juice, but the juice took approximately two minutes.

The reason Petal takes so long at the the table is that she likes to talk, actually saying that she likes to talk is like saying that Garfield likes lasagna, a serious understatement if ever there was one. She doesn't just like to talk, she LOVES to talk, and this kid could talk for Queensland, in fact I would go as far as saying I think she could talk for Australia....watch out Nations of the world.

Perhaps you think that I'm exaggerating, so let me share this mornings conversation with you.

*munch munch* "Mummy I know how to sing Hot Cross Buns *insert full rendition of Hot Cross Buns*, I can also sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star *insert full rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star*, how does Santa know if we've been good can he see us all the time ? Is Santa outside in a tree ? What about in space ? Is Santa in space ? He must be magic I would like to be in space can I go in to space mummy ? Mummy I know the actions for the Macarena *insert humming of The Macarena WITH actions* Is tomorrow a school day ? I like school days because I get to play with play doh and do stuff I like to do stuff. *munch* What's inside ice ? Is it crystals ? *insert mummy explaining where ice comes from* But does it come from a shop an ice shop ? You can't draw on it you know but it's very nice I like ice especially in my juice but it's very cold and crunchy "*giggle giggle*.....and so it goes on.....

Now I have to confess this is merely a snippet of the rather one sided conversation taking place at the breakfast table and to be perfectly honest, I can't remember what else she mentioned because the topics change at break neck speed and I haven't had a coffee yet. I struggle to keep up at the best of times which is saying something because you'll be extraordinarily surprised to learn that I, myself, am a rather accomplished talker. But it does make me pause for a moment to ponder what may come. I am a talker, my daughter is a turbo talker....so what would this make my grand-daughter ? Eek, I think I feel a little headache coming on.

The mama roared her terrible roar and ganached her terrible teeth.

2010-03-06T13:11:00.007+10:00

Obviously I was getting cocky. Ganache, no problemo, I could whip up a batch in my sleep. Sure I'd learnt that a milk chocolate ganche took longer to set to a spreadable consistency then a pure dark chocolate ganache, but would a white chocolate ganche be any trickier ? Pfffff nah, thought I.

I also had a stroke of baking visionary genius, imagine it, a white chocolate ganache sneakily hiding a rich, moist dark and milk chocolate cake. My how pretty it would look with it's classic brown and cream tones, perched delicately on a butter plate.

Yes, well, lets just say that at 11pm the night before Petal's 5th birthday party, my vision dissolved in a glob of runny white chocolate and cream *ahem* ganache. After almost five hours my ganache still wasn't firming up. The Coach was helpfully suggesting that I "bung it in the fridge for a bit," as I tore out my hair, rolled my eyes and muttered "The fridge ? Butter and cream and chocolate, silly man, pfffft."

Well it was getting late, I was growing more tired and emotional by the second, and in an act of desperation, I simply decided to bung my soft, slightly runny (but devilishly tasty, if I don't say so myself) ganache on to the cake. As you can see from the photo, the end result wasn't quite the heavenly vision I had started out with, but with sheer determination, considerable cursing and one or two finger licking moments, I think it all ended up okay. And as we all know, when your ganache doesn't work out quite so perfectly, there are always silver flakes and sparkling cachous to sprinkle all over the top as an excellent distraction. Oh, and butterflies, butterflies work a treat.

Then this week we have been submerged back in to the clouds. All week, nothing but rain and grey skies. The message is clear folks....

We must poach, poach pears in a vanilla bean and lemon syrup. Then we will take our poached pears and a punnet of delectable fresh raspberries and we will bake a sour cream, pear and raspberry cake with absolutely, NOT ONE SINGLE DOLLOP OF GANACHE ON TOP. Has it got me beat ? Not at all. I'm already thinking about that batch of white chocolate cupcakes I'm going to make in the coming weeks...mmmm, yum.

My Creative Space

2010-02-24T20:19:00.012+10:00

Not so many words this week, but given that we have established what a detective extraordinaire I am, perhaps today we should see how well you fare. We have butterflies attached to floral wire. We have silver shimmer flakes. We have blocks of fine Belgian chocolate and, oh yes, we have candles. What mischief could be afoot at Casa Del Waffler, hmmmm ?

Oh, and for those of you who were simply giddy with delight at the word 'tatterdemalion', this week we focus on the letter 'i' and I give you, imbroglio.

Mavis : But I am adamant, we simply must have scones.

Beryl : I appreciate your determination dear sister, but I must disagree, it can only be fruit cake.

Mavis : Oh dear, another imbroglio we find ourselves in.

Now whilst you digest that little gem why not swing by Kirsty's and enjoy a whole lotta creativity.

It was the four year old, in the bedroom, with a red crayon.

2010-02-22T10:14:00.007+10:00

Perhaps I wasn't looking hard enough for the fine print in my guide to rearing children book. Maybe an entire chapter had mysteriously gone missing. But no where did it mention that upon having children I would have to don a blue plastic suit and whip out my forensics kit at a moments notice to solve many a household mystery.

If you have children, I imagine that you are nodding your head at this very moment. Every day seems to hold a new and exciting puzzle to solve, some easy, some, not so much.

Le Artiste, thankfully, does not seem destined for a life of crime (there you go mum, that should help you sleep easier at nights). When a sticky blue snake is to be found dangling from his bedroom ceiling, he will simply stare at the floor, stare back at the snake, shrug his shoulders and say "Yes, sorry mum, it was me. I threw the snake at the ceiling." Which is always handy as it saves me many unnecessary hours of canvasing the neighbourhood looking for someone who is randomly throwing sticky blue snakes around.

Petal, on the other hand, will deny all crimes, regardless of how blatantly all signs point to her. Whilst using a handy blue biro to scrawl a tag on the lamp shade when no one is around seems like a well executed plan, scrawling your own name will in fact give the game away entirely. As it will when written on the bookshelf or across Dolly's forehead. I'm sure with age she will attempt a wee bit more discretion, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I won't be fooled if I see *Mummy* penned cunningly on to the coffee table, oh no, I will be onto that like a shot... just as soon as I check out my own alibi.

Admittedly, I have a small crime file of my very own, some misdemeanors which I remember and some which I'm sure my parents would be more than happy to remind me of. There was the time I thought it would be a fabulous idea to cut some decorative shapes into my bedroom blind. The time I thought I would try my hand at hairdressing and trim myself a fringe (or bangs, for you American folks) which I then thought I could cleverly disguise with around 20 bobby pins. Oh, and not to forget the time I aimed my slingshot at a lemon and instead took out the stained glass panel next to our neighbours front door, for which my sister caught the initial blame, oops. Ah yes, happy memories, don't you agree mum ? I just know you're reading this with a smile on your face.

Anyway, now it is my turn to play detective. Will I ever be able to solve the mystery of the bent towel rail ? Hmm, yes my dear Watson, I think I see a clue.

My Creative Space

2010-02-17T18:19:00.010+10:00

Today Peeps we are going to talk about the letter 'T'. Getting creative with the letter 'T'. Tempestuous, temperamental, tantalising 'T'. Tempting tomatoes and tenacious turtles. 'T' gives us lovely words like tactile and tea, tardy and tatterdemalion. Go on, I just know you want to throw that into a sentence today, I imagine the conversation would go something like this :

"Oh Marjorie, look yonder at that gaberlunzie youth slouching in the corner,"

"Why yes, Petunia, a tatterdemalion to be certain. Clutch your Hermes tightly and we shall cross the street away from the vulgar commoners."

Anyhoo, for your viewing pleasure, I give you the tenacious turtle tootling straight into the Prep classroom for a highly inspired make-over and..

...totally tempting tomato sauce. Mmmmm yum, straight from our very own vegie patch, delicious.

For more tranquil treasures trippity trip to Kootoyoo. Thanks again Kirsty.

A Package of 'Ahhhhh'.

2010-02-15T11:14:00.004+10:00

A small parcel came from far across the sea,

A sweet little package addressed especially to me.

Lola Nova, she's the best,

Lola Nova, chuck out the rest.

Only joshing my lovely peeps,

I could never chuck any of you away,

but thank-you gorgeous Ms A,

I just adore my beautiful wallet :)

My Creative Space

2010-02-11T09:32:00.004+10:00

It's nice to be back. Back to the early stages. Back to basics. Black and white, lines and curves, drawing for pleasure not pressure. Later today I get to go and help out with Year Four Art class, now that my friends is a place for inspiration and creativity gone wild. I just love it.

Thank-you Kirsty for hosting My Creative Space. For more wonderful spaces scoot on over to Kootoyoo and enjoy.

Sorry Waffles, but we are revoking your Blogging licence.

2010-02-07T14:07:00.008+10:00

I have been a bad blogger, bad, bad, bad I tell you. So bad that I'm just waiting for that inevitable knock at the door where I will be confronted by two men in dark suits brandishing a clip board and advising me that my blogging licence has been revoked. But suffice from admitting that I dug myself into a rather large hole of late, and then stood neck deep in mud as I watched the sides of my hole crumble and fall in on top of me (all metaphorically speaking of course, I'm pretty useless with an actual spade) I won't bore you with the nitty, gritty yawn-inducing details.

The good news is, thanks to a lengthy heart to heart conversation with The Coach and a therapeutic and a well over-due painting session I think that I am heading back in the right direction. I'm climbing out of my hole and Teddy is climbing out of the laundry hamper, we're just peas in a pod some days.

I feel that now would also be the perfect time to offer my sincerest apologies to the patient Ms Cathie and Ms Amy who have been waiting ever so quietly for their giveaway prizes. Looky here gals, see these bright and cheery little characters, one will be heading to each of you with-in the next few days. Thank-you both for being so understanding.

I do hope you have all been behaving in my absence, you know I'll be checking don't you.

It's time to get extreme.

2010-01-27T10:04:00.004+10:00

Today has been a big day at Chez Waffler, no, scrap that, today has been a HUGE day. Today my wee little Petal spread her wings and flew straight out of the nest and into a Prep class, her first day of full time school.

Le Artiste commenced Year Four but with the calm, cool demeanor of a seasoned pro. Well he is eight you know.

But there have been no tears, just smiles, old friends, new friends and the promise of lots of activities to keep their hungry little minds busy. All in all an excellent start to the new school year.

So this all got me to thinking, what lies ahead for Mama Waffler ? Well how about some extreme sports ? Now you may be forgiven for thinking, gosh Waffles, that's a little...urm...extreme don't you think ? But let me fill you in on a little detail that most of you don't already know. Back when Le Artiste was about two years old and Petal hadn't yet arrived on the scene, I decided that I was in a bit of a rut. I thought that I should try something new and challenging. Knitting ? I hear you suggest. Perhaps a spot of pottery ? What about painting your toenails red instead of pink ? Well yes, all good and valid suggestions, but no, I decided to take up rock climbing.

Why rock climbing ? I don't really know, I just thought that it looked like fun. Surely you've thought the same whilst watching a person dangling by their fingernails from the edge of a cliff.

Anyhoo, off I tootled to the indoor rock climbing centre, booked myself in for private lessons with a fairly easy on the eye instructor (ah yes, I am a mother but I most certainly am not blind), and began scaling rock walls. Yes I'll be the first to admit that as I hung from a rock wall which was parallel to the floor, with my instructors hands on my derriere, I did take a minute to wonder what on earth I was doing. But overall I really enjoyed the experience (no, not JUST the instructors hands on my derriere) and had a fabulous day when we finally went on an outdoor climb. Even the abseiling was fun.

So, now that I can cross rock climbing off the list I have found some other prospective sports which I am sure are just perfect for a 30 *ahem* something mother of two.

Base Jumping - Putting on my Super Girl costume and leaping off a tall building, praying that I remembered to put the parachute on under my cape.

Cliff Jumping - Putting on swimmers....oh...hang on...swimmers ? No scrap that one, anything that involves swim wear is waaaay too out there.

Free Running - Umm, running, freely, kind of, I think, with the odd back flip off a building and some monkey climbing that would make Donkey Kong proud.

Ice Climbing - Just like a rock, only icy.

Kitesurfing - Balancing on a board and flying an enormous kite whilst jumping over waves and dodging sharks, stingrays and deadly jelly fish...oh oops, swimmers again, no good.

Sand boarding - Balancing on a board and flying down sand dunes whilst avoiding sunstroke, scorpions, snakes and the odd camel.

Snow Kiting - See Kitesurfing, except colder due to the, ah, snow. The plus side for snow kiting over kitesurfing, no swim wear, unless you are crazy extreme and possibly a little bit deranged.

Now how on earth one decides between such fabulous options I just don't know, perhaps I'll go and have a little hit of Wii virtual golf whilst I mull it over. Extreme ? You bet I am.

A few words for my son.

2010-01-21T11:06:00.005+10:00

Dearest Le Artiste,

It would seem, at the grand old age of eight, that you have been blessed with keen powers of observation. Unfortunately you have not yet mastered the art of tact, so I thought now would be the perfect time for me to share some words of wisdom with you.

Here are ten comments/questions that no woman or girl EVER wants to hear. At the moment your giant brown puppy dog eyes may save you from a womans scorn, but in later years, if you don't heed my advice, you may need to learn to dodge oranges and raspberry slushies.

1. Are you turning into a man ? You are growing a moustache.

2. Ewww, grosse, I can see your knickers.

3. Woo hoo, show us your knickers *snigger snigger*.

4. Is that hair coming out of your nose or is there a spider crawling around in there ?

5. My bum's really small, but yours is very big.

6. How old are you ? No, REALLY, how old are you ?

7. Did you go to the hairdressers ? You look like a tiger.

8. Would you like to marry/go out with/ come on a date with me ? 'Cause Jessica/Olivia/Bertha already said "No."

9. Would you like a vacuum cleaner/toaster/lawn mower for your birthday ?

10. Wow, your mum/sister/Aunt Mabel is really hot.

I hope this advice serves you well.

All my love,

Mummy xx

And the winner is.....

2010-01-15T09:39:00.005+10:00

With an air of anticipation but surprisingly little fanfare (where is that little drumming man when you need him ?) Miss Petal reached into the really, REALLY big yellow bowl and drew out the winning name for my giveaway. And the winner is.....

MS COPPER PATCH

2nd runner up is Amy Paul from LIFE WITH SOUL

3rd runner up is Cathy from M.E

Congratulations gals, I shall be in touch with all of you. Oh and for those of you scratching your heads and saying "Well that's lovely, but what does a runner up receive ?" Well, um, I would love to show you, but they're *ahem* not quite finished yet. For Amy and Cathy I will be sending off a wee ink and gouache illustration, one is a sweet little girl, the other is a pretty friendly looking pirate lad.

Thank-you to everybody who entered the giveaway and left such super sweet comments, you really are a rather lovely bunch of Peeps.

A Lovely Little Award

2010-01-12T16:46:00.009+10:00

It is to acknowledge those that have a blog

and spend endless hours ensuring that other bloggers

get feedback on their blogs by leaving comments,

adding themselves as a follower or

dropping by just to let you know that there are people out there.

The super sweet Thea over at Do I Really Wanna Blog has given me my first ever little bloggy award, and isn't it a pearler. I must confess that I do like to leave a little trail of waffle comments in my wake. I think that it's nice to acknowledge another blogger's words and images, especially since I know it can feel a little disheartening to see a big old 0 comments at the bottom of your posts.

There are quite a few people who I think should receive the 'You Are My Sunshine' award, but before I list them, I would like to thank each and everyone of you that has left a lovely comment over the last six months.

Firstly, I would like to mention Cindy from BugandPop, who has been popping by right from the get go and regularly leaving some kind words. Thanks Cindy, you're ace.

I would also like to mention : LolaNova

Rick who is Awesome, but whose blog is currently archived

Melanie @ KimonoReincarnate &

Jodie @ MummyMayhem

Thanks Peeps, you really are my sunshine. x

100th Post and a Giveaway to Boot.

2010-01-08T13:37:00.008+10:00

Prepare for the fanfare and pull out your leftover New Years Eve poppers y'all. This is it....my 100th blog post in this little patch of Blogland that I like to call my own. Who knew I had so much useless information to prattle on about ? Um...actually...I think one or two people may have had a fair idea, but do we listen to those who put their hands on their hips and say "We told you so," No, we do not.

I thought my 100th post would be the perfect opportunity for my first ever little giveaway. Sadly this will not consist of gold bullion or a new home decked out in naff but no doubt expensive furniture. For you, my dear reader, is something much more personal and well...sort of useless...but darn cute nonetheless. The ever-so-clever Ms Loobylu gave away some gorgeous tree ornaments just before Christmas, and I was so taken with these little darlings that I rushed online and picked up some wooden Dolly bases for myself.

There's something about little pieces of smooth painted wood that makes me smile. I like the way they feel in my hand and the gentle tapping noises they make when Le Artiste and Petal play with them. This may possibly make me a little strange, but I have an inkling that there are many other wooden toy lovers out there, am I right or am I right ?

So here she is, my little gift to you to say thank-you for stopping by and reassuring me that I am not, in fact, just talking to myself.

Now to the giveaway part, it's super easy, all you have to do to be entered into the draw, is leave a comment. Make sure you leave your email address if you don't have a link back to your blog and pop back in next Friday when I shall announce the winner. Too easy right ?

And who knows, I might even have a couple of little runners-up prizes.....a set of super sharp steak knives ? Well you'll just have to wait and see.

Thank-you Peeps, without you all it would just be...well, me. xx

New Year. New Look.

2010-01-06T12:45:00.005+10:00

Well hello Bloggersphere and welcome to the fine old year of 2010.

Were you watching the days drift by and wondering if perhaps Waffles had been abducted by aliens or fallen into such a deep hole at the beach that she really had miraculously ended up in China ? Had such occurrences taken place I would gladly and with much enthusiasm regale you with my enthralling tales, but the truth is far more sedate I'm afraid.

I've been sticking my fingers in my ears and shouting "La la la, I can't hear you," when the kiddies games have turned from fun and frivolity to stir crazy, wet weather housebound chaos.

I have learned that The Wee One likes me best when he can use the tops of my legs as a human springboard. Who knew I was so bouncy ?

I have discovered I am surprisingly adept at snowboarding....as a Wii character. And a dab hand at archery. And don't even get me started on my ice-skating routines, it's amazing how good you can be when you don't have to use your legs. Although I have a sneaky suspicion that punching the air and hollering "Cop that," when I beat my children may possibly not be setting the best of examples about winning graciously and keeping ones ego in check.

I've been reading, books, ahh yes, the simple pleasures that were taken for granted pre-children.

I've been enjoying the company of my relatives whilst lamenting that the weather faeries picked now of all times to shroud us in clouds and drench us in rain. It's always the way, is it not ?

And I thought it would be nice to give the little blog space an overhaul, a fresh start for the new year and my looming 100th blog post. One hundred posts, goodness me, it feels like only yesterday that I was setting up shop and greeting you all for the first time.

Anyways, Petal has come over and is presenting a perfect demonstration of circular breathing whilst talking, fascinating to behold but rather distracting when one is attempting to string together a sentence or two.

Until next time Peeps, may your shoes be sparkly and your Barbie not lose her hair.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T13:27:00.007+10:00

I could tell you that I have been really, really busy curing a ham, fattening a turkey, hand making wrapping paper and carving my own wood toys for Christmas gifts, but I'm afraid that would be a big, fat fib. I've just been cruising along, taking Le Artiste to the movies (Where the Wild Things Are, which we both really enjoyed), swinging in the park, tending the vegie garden (boo to tomato rot I say, although the kids did turn 'who can catch the most manky tomatoes' into a new and exciting game) and gearing up for the arrival of the big fella in red on Thursday night.

I've also been taking a moment each day to stop and smell the flowers. These flowers to be exact, so sublime with their heady fragrance filling a corner of our balcony. Mmmm.

Thursday will also herald the arrival of the first batch of relatives, Uncle W, Auntie M and four cousins, quickly followed by Grandma, Uncle D, Auntie S and the Wee One. In fact I think the Waffler dance card will be all full up over the coming week, but if you smile nicely and ask politely I will try and squeeze you in, okay ?

I hope you're getting excited, enjoying the fairy lights and sparkly decorations and humming the odd carol. Even if you've got some last minute shopping hanging over your head like a giant ACME anvil, take a minute to look at the faces of the children, feel that buzz of anticipation in the air around them and join in, even if it's just for a second or two.

Happy Festive Season Peeps xxx

My Creative Space

2009-12-16T09:15:00.004+10:00

Well *phew*, I've just managed to squeeze this one in before the lovely Kirsty takes a breather and wraps up the My Creative Space meme for a Christmas break. It's a quick post today, really I just wanted to share the final version of Witchy, who is definitely my Witchy of choice, and as it so happens, was the piece selected by my friend to be shipped off to Melbourne.

Bye bye little Witchy and safe travels.

If you would like to catch the last of the creative offerings for 2009, head on over to Kootoyoo and enjoy.

A Touch of the Crazies.

2009-12-15T08:47:00.005+10:00

Week in, week out, I put together a shopping list (actually 'The Shopping List', but that's another blog post entirely), load up the green bags in the boot and hike off the mountain to do the grocery shopping. Generally it's an expedition which runs with military precision. First we knock over fruits and vegetables, then we move to the other end of the supermarket to cover household cleaning products, then we work our way back to our final stop in the dairy section.

I never take more than one child but I'm always quick to offer a sympathetic smile to the poor frazzled women I see with multiple children hanging off the trolley (with at least one wonky wheel) like a collection of banana-lust driven monkeys.

I realise having a completely neurotic system like this doesn't work for everyone, but for me it makes a generally tedious chore, well, not quite so tedious.

Then comes Christmas and my perfect little system which has served me so well through-out the year, goes flying out the window, just like a couple of turtle-doves and a partridge escaping a pear tree.

Have you noticed what happens in the supermarket just prior to Christmas ? People start to go into a stock-piling frenzy and it's not just because Aunt Mabel, Uncle Ron and their twelve children have come to stay, it's because.....shock horror....the supermarket will be closing it's magical glass doors for a WHOLE DAY.

I know, right, a whole 24 hours without access to the wondrous aisle upon aisle of cans and boxes. I mean, sure, there are small convenience stores which we can rely upon to NEVER, EVER close under ANY circumstances, but what if we need a can of Argentian Gumb fish for the salad or twice pickled South American Hoho berries for the dessert ? Will we find those at the convenient store ? I think not.

So en masse we get a touch of the crazies. We stand in the baking aisle with a packet of long-life milk in each hand, wondering if ten packets will possibly be enough, we are talking twenty-four hours after-all. We load up on products on the off-chance that there is a massive post-Christmas glitch which leaves the supermarket doors closed for ever.

My warning to you all is get in early, grab your seventy packs of toilet tissue and your cans of Argentian Gumb fish whilst you still can. Because next weekend you will need full body armour and finely honed trolley maneuvering skills to outwit, outlast and outshop. Good luck.

Where've ya been ?

2009-12-11T17:33:00.005+10:00

So, where have you been huh ? Oh, you mean me ? Oh yes, well, you know, around the traps as they say. I don't know about you, but I get a little antsy at this time of the year. The pressure to get a thousand things done, attend Christmas do's and school/kindergarten break-ups and concerts. Then there's lodging the school stationary orders for NEXT YEAR before the 11th, squeezing in uniform purchases, getting the septic tank de-sludged, flying down to the hairdressers, picking up those last minute Christmas gifts, getting hams, getting turkeys........getting a headache. *Phew*....thank goodness I can have one of these to ease the stress levels....

So anyway, my blogging absence was unintentional, I've just been a little busy sitting and rocking back and forth in the cupboard.

But now, now school holidays are upon us. Today I took the kids to the local pool and then we went out for some lunch. According to Le Artiste, this put today high up in the ranks of 'The best days ever' (still hard to top the birthday expedition to Time Zone, but I'm glad a morning at the pool still fills him with such enthusiasm). And this afternoon I harvested the crops, I'm so proud of my sieve full of beans and snow peas. Tonight we shall feast on a Hungarian cucumber salad (oh yes, the cucumbers have gone berserk as well) and a bean and snow pea concoction which I am leaving to The Coach, he's the man for culinary experimentation (well, with a little help from Stephanie Alexander and The Cooks Companion).

And to keep things nice and Aussie, we'll throw a few snags on the Barbie. All together now, Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi.

So I will be around, I will be finishing Witchy (so, so close) and I will be swinging by to catch up on all your lovely blogs. It just might be a far more casual schedule, 'cause we're on holidays you know. Happy holidays everyone. xx

My Creative Space

2009-12-03T09:21:00.006+10:00

There have been all sorts of creative activities taking place around here this past week. We've decorated a Christmas tree. I baked a seriously delicious orange and hazelnut torta for The Coach's birthday. And as per the request from my friend, Witchy received a soft wash of watercolor.

Now I think it's been fairly well established that I am rather partial to a stroke or two of bright gouache colour, so I'm thinking that I just might have to play with a second copy of Witchy. A Witchy with oomph, I will keep you posted.

Thanks again to Kirsty for hosting another week of My Creative Space. Pop on over to Kootoyoo for plenty more creative spaces.

What's Hot + What's Not

2009-12-02T09:42:00.011+10:00

Thought I'd jump in quickly again this week and play along with Claire's What's Hot + What's Not meme.

NOT

Post school swim carnival colds. Have we not had enough coughs and sniffles for this year ? Urgh.

Ticks. Ticks on cats. Big ticks on cats. Silly cats that won't let you remove the big ticks. *Sigh*

HOT

Getting the Christmas tree up. Yay. I can't help but smile each time I glance over at the tree.

The teeniest, tiniest vegetables in the world. Is that not the cutest little green bean you have ever seen ?

Cucumbers. Do you love a Greek salad ? Mmmm, we do.

They're green tomatoes, but they're not fried. Grow my little beauties, grow.

A day for painting. That's what today shall be, just as soon as I finish typing. Painting is hot, don't let the kindergarten kids have all the fun. Pick up a paintbrush and join in, you can't help but enjoy it.

So what's hot + what's not at your place this week ? If you want to play scoot over to Loobylu's and join in the fun.

Hello Monday

2009-11-30T12:10:00.004+10:00

I thought in my absence you might have started fretting that I'd run away and joined a circus, but it's okay, no trapeze knife juggling for me just yet. See, here I am, having a jolly old time at Le Artiste's annual junior school swim carnival. Can you see that enthusiasm etched into my features ? That is the face of a woman having fun, fun, fun I assure you.

But really, it's not about us is it folks ? It's about the kids, and whilst Petal was supremely unimpressed that she couldn't leap in and give those Year Three boys a run for their money *le sigh*, I think Le Artiste had a great day. The weather was perfect, there was a sausage sizzle and numerous lolly snakes were consumed (tutt tutt Coach, I saw, oh yes I did).

So anyway, silly season seems to have started early for us this year and my poor little diary is chockablock for the next three weeks. But most of my Christmas shopping is done and the tree is up, yes, we are almost counting down on an hourly basis now, yikes. My plan is to try and enjoy the relative calm before the school holidays begin, that's when things really turn up a notch and we have a house full of 'the crazies'....hang on....just taking a few breaths into the brown paper bag after thinking about it. How are you coping with the start of the festive season ? I am sure we can all get through it together...one, two, three...breathe into the bag, that's the way.

My Creative Space

2009-11-25T20:03:00.006+10:00

I don't have many words this week but I want to say a huge "THANK-YOU," for all your feedback last week. It helped me enormously and I'm pleased to say that after some tweaking Witchy is now ready for some colour. I'm so much happier with this piece now and although I couldn't apply all your advice, it gave me heaps to consider.

I also thought I would share this little beauty with you. It's a fairly rough and ready bookmark which according to The Coach (just call him the Bookmark Police) breaks all the rules for allowable book mark widths....whatever....and features three of Petal's latest characters. I just adore them and say "phooey" to the Bookmark Police.

Thanks again to the lovely Kirsty for hosting another week of My Creative Space. I just love it.

Following the White Rabbit, Part Two.

2009-11-23T10:49:00.005+10:00

Now where was I ? Stealthily merging in with the crowds at Saint-Lazare station in Paris I believe. After the excitement of the train ride in, Ms Sassy Britches and I decided to move at a much more sedate pace for a spell. We drifted around amongst the throng of hyped up revellers. We took some time out to eat a ridiculously over-priced super thin pizza (and really, who puts an entire slice of ham on the top ? That's just crazy stuff) and we went for the obligatory view of the Eiffel Tower, dodging spruikers at every turn...um hello, do we look like tourists ? We live here *ahem*.

It wasn't long before we were overcome with an unquenching thirst, all that running around you know, and we ventured off to an Irish bar which Ms Sassy Britches was familiar with (fearless and quite the girl around town).

Now I'm sure that you can understand that from this point forward, events become slightly blurred (obviously the pizza and that giant slice of ham), so I will try and keep them in order to the best of my ability.

Firstly, it has been my experience, that drinking in a bar and attempting conversation is a tricky business when you all speak the same language. Throw multiple Nationalities into the mix and it is downright hysterical and suddenly turns into a drunken game of charades. Which in itself is challenging when the person initiating the charades has probably forgotten what it was that they were trying to say about half way through the 'conversation'.

Secondly..actually I don't have a secondly, I just wanted to say 'firstly', so we'll just continue on shall we ? There was a rather diverse mix of characters in the bar that evening, from locals to tourists to drifters like ourselves. But I just have to mention Axl...yes, as in Rose, but said with a French accent of course. Axl was hot, he was a Parisian local, and he had that rocker bad boy thing going on. Axl and Ms Sassy Britches were 'acquainted' from a previous evening spent at the Irish bar and I rather believed that Ms Sassy Britches was still quite enamoured with his rugged charms.

So imagine my surprise when Axl came over and started to whisper (read, holler loudly over the music) French sweet nothings in my ear with a devilish smirk on his handsome features.

"Urm," stuttered I, clearly a master of the English Language, "Are you looking for Ms Sassy Britches ? I think she's right over there,"

"Oh no, no, no," crooned Axl with his velvety accent "It is you I am looking for,"

"Um...er......but I thought...."

Much to my relief, this was the moment that Ms Sassy Britches decided to head back on over. Axl gave my hand a gentle squeeze, winked, kissed Ms Sassy Britches AND I both on the cheeks, then vanished back into the night like a mysterious French vampire.

Oh dear, I know I'm going to make you groan, but it looks like we're going to require a Part Three, sorry Peeps. x

Eye Spy.....Joy

2009-11-22T11:53:00.009+10:00

I had no idea that choosing this weeks Eye Spy theme would be such a reality check. I have spent a lot of time this year whinging and moaning about all the things that have made me unhappy, but when I sat down and thought about what I would like to include today, I have realised that I have an extraordinarily long list of things that bring me joy. Who would've thunk it ?

I don't have a pic, but it goes without saying that my family and friends bring me joy. They can also cause me many new grey hairs and much frustration, but the joy is right up there.

How good is it seeing the looks on the kids faces on Christmas morning ? I love giving gifts, it makes me bubble over with happiness.

The kids artwork. This is me, with green hair, as drawn by Petal. Check out those eyelashes and the mega tan (?) phwoar.

Bubbly and chocolate cup cakes. How could you not smile at that combination ?

Watching the snow peas creeping up the trellis frame. Quite fascinating and beautiful to behold.

If you would like to see some more joy, go and check out Cindy's, I bet you're smiling and nodding your head by the time you're done.

My Creative Space

2009-11-18T21:38:00.006+10:00

I am taking a really deep breath. This is one of those posts that I'm not sure I want to make. I love joining in with My Creative Space, but my space this week is causing me heartache. I was hoping, with a little time apart, that Witchy would some how flow more easily.... hmm, perhaps more time ?

Actually, Witchy has grown on me, but I really don't like the window. I like the boy on the left, but the boy on the right isn't quite what I was after. Oh dear, what to do ?

The Coach thinks I should start again. Perhaps I should take out the stone wall ? If you have any suggestions please let me know, because I'm starting to feel like I'm banging my head against said wall and I'm developing a rather tremendous headache.

For more creative spaces click on over to Kirstys, I'm sure you'll find lots of lovely bright and colourful treasures to tickle your fancy.

What's Hot + What's Not

2009-11-18T12:48:00.009+10:00

It's the middle of the week and I am in a serious creative slump. It's a bit like having teeth slowly extracted, but with a pencil...and some paper....and well, actually it's nothing like having teeth extracted, but it is causing me some serious angst and I need a pick-me-up quick smart. Luckily, as it is a Wednesday, Ms Loobylu is hosting another week of What's Hot + What's Not, so I am going to join in whilst I wait for my creativity to return.

NOT :

Planting lettuces just before a heat wave. They have gone straight to the giant salad bowl in the sky.

Humidity. It's great if you have a flowing mane of ringlets. I don't have a flowing mane of ringlets. Humidity is not my friend.

Fat Cat scoffing her dinner so quickly that she proceeds to regurgitate it all over the kitchen floor. Sheesh Fat Cat, how many times have I told you, chew every mouthful one hundred times, at least.

HOT :

Finding new and inventive ways to stay cool whilst watching the television. Yes, that's Petal's foot. She's catching the breeze with her toes, but I'm sure you already worked that out for yourself.

Watching the vegies grow. You may think I'm a dork but I will have the last laugh as I feast on my organic produce. Nom nom nom.

Exercise. No, that's not a typo and I haven't accidentally put that in the wrong category. I'm embracing exercise again, but just to be clear, not that jumpy up and down sweat inducing exercise, oh no. I'm talking calm, controlled, work up a light glow kind of exercise. Thirty minutes of Pilates puts me in a much better head space, must be all that deep breathing and building my inner core strength.

So what's hot or not at your place ? Why don't you play along ? You know you want to.

Eye Spy.....Adventures.

2009-11-17T10:18:00.010+10:00

I know, I know, this is still not Paris part two, but bear with me, I promise it will come shortly. To be perfectly honest I wasn't going to play along with eye spy this week, because I couldn't think of any adventure pics to post. Then a light bulb went off above my head (completely alarming Fat Cat who was trying to crawl inconspicuously on to my lap) and I thought about my childhood diaries, full of stories, love found, love lost, friendships and significant milestones. Now there's an adventure or two folks.

I also thought of a wonderful memoir that my grandmother put together (that's her up there on the right), starting with some family history from 1848 and continuing on until 1984. It is absolutely amazing and I'm so glad that she took the time to compile her story so that it can be passed down to my children. With her permission, I might share some of her adventures here, they will knock your socks off. You think you're having a bad day ? Try being five months pregnant with your third child, paralysed from the neck down with meningitis and popped in to a padded hospital room so your screams don't disturb the other patients. Now that folks is a bad day.

Thanks Louise for your theme, I think I may have to find a quiet corner to start re-reading again and for more interesting adventures, trek on over to Cindy's neck of the woods.

Cindy has also asked me to come up with next weeks theme and I have chosen.........

Eye Spy...Joy.

It can be anything that makes you smile, that improves your mood on a bad day and that basically just makes you feel good.

Winners are Grinners.

2009-11-15T17:14:00.006+10:00

If you are most anxiously awaiting the second installment of my adventures in Paris, then I'm afraid I must apologise. Today I fell into that frightening abyss that is ebay...eek....I feel like my brain has been shredded and fried like a Masterchef challenge gone awry. So the words are a little mumbly jumbly at the minute but I have managed to get the camera back off The Coach just in time to show you an absolutely divine little bundle that arrived in the mail on Friday.

Yes, I won a blog give away, on my birthday no less, from the oh-so-clever Sherrin at Starashan. Such a thrill I have to say and I'm thoroughly delighted with all the luscious little bits and pieces, the kimono fabric bag, the lavender, orange and rose geranium soap and the surprise brooch, so yummy. And just for the record, Sherrin has the most insanely beautiful handwriting, I'm terribly jealous.

Anyway, before someone announces that they are plating up, I shall continue on to the next job on that never ending list. I hope you had a perfect weekend and I plan on considerable more blog love during the next week. (Yeah, yeah, promises, promises.)

Just tell me where the white rabbit is, okay.

2009-11-12T11:21:00.010+10:00

.: Image from here :.

Ah Paris, the city of lurv, a city of thespians and artists, the city where I had the single most surreal experience of my life, somewhat akin to questioning whether my name had in fact changed to Alice and I had followed that darn white rabbit down a very long hole.

It was New Years Eve and a night of endless festivities had been planned. Well I use the word 'planned' rather loosely, unless purchasing a train ticket counts as planning. I met up with a fellow Australian Au Pair, Miss Sassy Britches, and we hopped on the train bound for Paris, giggling and excited as any other couple of young foreigners.

From the get go there was a certainty that this was going to be an evening unlike any other I had experienced in my rather pleasant and sheltered upbringing. Nothing gets the adrenaline flowing quite like being surrounded by a large gang of teenage boys for a forty minute train ride. Me ? I avoid confrontation like the plague, I'm a walk the other way or cross the street kind of gal. Miss Sassy Britches, she had a more forward, take the bull by the horns approach. Suffice to say that the situation soon became rather heated, but interestingly enough, not one other person on the fairly crowded train came to our assistance.

It was only on my return home that I learnt from Le Idjut that these teenage gangs were quite a large problem and no one would intervene for fear of being injured. Sure, I can appreciate that a knife wound would be a serious dampener on your planned New Years Eve activities, but sheesh, turn a blind eye and hope the two young girls can sort it out themselves, a little harsh I must say.

Anyhoo, as luck would have it we pulled into St Lazare station just as the language barrier was being broken with a colourful exchange of expletives, and we quickly scurried away and hid in the throng of passengers milling around the platforms. The heart was racing and nervous energy was coursing through me in continuous waves. Miss Sassy Britches grabbed my hand and turned to look at me with an enormous grin on her face and her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Wasn't that insane ?" she laughed "Let's get out of here, where shall we go first ?"

Good grief, clearly I was in the company of a slightly deranged thrill seeker *gulp*, and it was only late afternoon, what on earth was I in for ?

To be continued.....'cause I'm cruel.....and you may have other thing you want to get done today. Sometimes I have to be cruel to be kind.

Eye Spy....A Favourite Gadget.

2009-11-09T13:22:00.006+10:00

So we don't really need to say it do we ? I know what you're thinking, you know what I'm thinking....but hey....it's time to play Eye Spy again with the lovely Ms Cindy . And what an excellent theme choice by Ms Kellie over at 74 Lime Lane, I just had to partake, yes I did.

I love gadgets, I do, I think they're swell and this little beauty is one of my all time favourites.

Have you ever seen one of these babies in action before ? If not, prepare to be seriously dazzled.

You take one lovely green apple.

You turn the handle around and around and around....

And voila, a you beaut apple slinky. How insanely cool is that ? The kiddies think that they are the bees knees and I think they're ace too. (By the way, I am single-handedly attempting to get the word 'ace' back into circulation, so feel free to throw it around as much as possible over the following week. That'd be ace.)

My Place and Yours..A View of your Secret Weapon

2009-11-07T10:18:00.003+10:00

I was going to resist the urge to play another Meme...I totally was....and then I saw this weeks My Place and Yours theme, thanks to My Bricole, and I just couldn't stop myself. Anyone starting up a group for Meme's Anonymous, I think you better sign me up.

I know, it's not so much a secret weapon, more an entire arsenal. Once a make-up artist, always a make-up artist it would seem. I'd show you the 'Professional Case,' but it could cause you to keel over in amazement, and I don't have any blog-read-related indemnity insurance, so you'll just have to take my word that it's pretty darn impressive.

If you're like me and just love having a little sneak peek at other people's lives, head on over to Pip's for more My Place and Yours fun.

My Creative Space

2009-11-04T19:05:00.008+10:00

It appears that I have hit a snag with a hag. Yes, I possess rather exceptional poetic wit also, but that's not what today is all about, is it ? I fear that I may have alluded to much creative greatness this week...something about 'many little ideas....busy, busy, busy,' or some such waffle.

Well I'm afraid that I have stumbled into a small creative void. I have attempted to start a new piece but I'm struggling, poor old Witchy, she's just not floating my boat.

There are aspects that I like, but more that I don't. The biggest problem is that she is for a very dear friend of mine, so I am determined to make this work. *Sigh*, I'm sure if I keep my cool that she will eventually start to fall into place. Deep breaths Waffles, deep breaths.

In the meantime, I thought I would share some bright and cheery kiddie pieces. Petal's brightly coloured butterfly which looks to me rather more like a hungry and unimpressed zombie.

Le Artiste's birthday masterpiece which features Petal...with fangs. Hmmm, it would seem that Halloween has indeed influenced our creativity with witches, zombie butterflies and fangs. Either that or I should book us all in for a happy family group therapy session. Excellent.

Oh, I also thought I would include a panel of 'The Petal' series, as there were a few requests last week. It's quite lovely to see the difference when they are all placed together.

You know the drill now, don't you ? Quick, over to Kirsty's you go, for many, many more snippets of creative cleverness and inspiration.

What's Hot + What's Not This Week.

2009-11-04T14:05:00.008+10:00

"Why Waffles," I can hear you exclaim in disbelief "You're joining in another Meme ?" Well, yes. Yes I am and this Meme is the brain-child of the lovely Ms Loobylu, so how could I possibly resist ?

I have decided to follow the reverse Not/Hot option, 'cause I like to finish up on a positive note.

NOT :

Sad, soggy, wilted herbage from the green grocer. I tended them with care, sang them little lullabies, but alas, my parsley seems to be heading to the great Vegie Garden in the sky.

Ticks. Ticks are never hot, no they are not. Especially when they are embedded in the heads of the bebes. Totally not hot.

An unidentifiable, not right, odour lurking in the fridge. Erk. Nothing worse then sniffing through shelf by shelf. Moving things, tossing things, then quietly tearing your hair out when the source remains hidden.

HOT :

Yours truly. No, no, I don't have tickets on myself. Quite literally I'm sweltering away from that fiery ball in the clear blue sky. Seems like someone may have decided we should skip Spring this year and launch straight into Summer. Phew.

Fresh, lovely green herby goodness, relocated this morning onto my kitchen bench. I love fresh herbs, just can't get enough I tell you. We also have a freshly planted up vegie patch just over-flowing with an assortment of herbs and vegetables. That is hot, yes it is.

Chocolate cupcakes, of course they're hot, especially when they have a birthday candle planted in them. Birthdays mean negative calories, which means more cupcakes, but I'm sure you already knew that.

Hot Tip for the Melbourne Cup.

2009-11-03T13:12:00.005+10:00

And.....they're off. But quite frankly it could be hard to pick a winner, seems like half the field aren't even certain which direction they should be running in. Just go, go you good thing. Oh yeah, a hot tip from the Waffler, my money's on the black. You can do it......woo hoo....

My Place and Yours : Blog HQ

2009-10-31T08:44:00.005+10:00

Yes, here is is, another view of my favourite nook in the house. Often my creative corner and also the place where I sit and tap away at the keyboard or scroll through the web drinking up bloggy goodness.

In case you have missed it in some of the other 10,000 posts, here is a slightly more sunny alternate angle of my blog HQ. I like to have my back to the wall (pretty sure that's some deeply ingrained Ninja technique) and I love that I can view various areas of the house whilst at my carefully selected vantage spot.

I can also reach quickly behind me to grab my trusty old copy of Roget's Thesaurus circa 1972, who could have known what a handy little book that would be for blogging and tweeting. 1972 meet 2009, I love it.

For more 'My Place and Yours' fun scadoodle over to Pips and thanks to Ninon for her Theme Queen topic this week.

My Creative Space

2009-10-29T09:18:00.005+10:00

Oh dear, it's a rather sad state of affairs at Chez Waffler this week, all the creativity is still in the box. But rest assured that I have many little ideas buzzing around in my head and I intend to get busy, busy, busy over the next week.

I did however find some time over the weekend to finish the last of The Petal series. Bold gouache colours this time. And I have to say, aside from the misgivings about the hair (bane of my existence) I am rather attached to the vibrant colours, as is Petal herself. Guess which version she has chosen for her wall ?

For many, many more creative spaces go on over and visit Kootoyoo, you know you want to.

What I Learnt Today.

2009-10-28T17:03:00.007+10:00

You'll have to excuse me if this post makes no sense whatsoever. I awoke with a panic attack at 5.45am this morning after dreaming that the five hour kindergarten excursion we attended today had in fact been changed to a week long camp, and I hadn't packed any clothes for Petal or myself.

Anyway, today was a learning experience for children and adults alike. Here's what I learnt.

If you haven't taken a group of four year olds for a bush walk in a torrential down pour then you don't know the meaning of fun.

Don't wear a dress if you want to hold the giant carpet python, unless you plan on providing the other parents which much x-rated hilarity.

You know that really annoying girl in the class who almost dislocates her shoulder because she is so keen to shoot her hand into the air and answer every single question. That is my daughter.

Petal wants to be first. Every. Single. Time.

My new Mary-Jane style runners (sneakers or trainers, if you prefer) were an excellent choice except for when standing atop a bull ants nest.

I should have taken out an award for having the worst baseball cap hair at the conclusion of the excursion.

Even healthy home made muffins are considered contraband with kindy teachers, but if you eat them hiding behind your lunch box with your mum, it's okay.

And now for your amusement, here are some kitty cat pictures which represent our appearance before and after our day at the Environmental Education Centre.

Photo from here.

Photo from here.

I hope that you had an educational day today too.

My Place and Yours : Bedside

2009-10-24T09:23:00.004+10:00

It's time to play at Pip's place again, with a super theme picked by the adorable Ms Lexi : Bedside. Really, it's all about the AWA clock radio, the B110 model no less. It has an LED display, and a clock and AM/FM radio, isn't technology amazing.

The truth of the matter is that I have grown rather fond of my ugly old clock radio, I just haven't the heart to replace it with some new stylish model, and it's yet to let me down. I may be wrong, but I think this clock radio once sat on my mother's bedside table, I guess that would make it a family heirloom, how lucky are my kids I ask you ?

A gorgeous package from across the sea.

2009-10-23T18:49:00.005+10:00

I received a gorgeous little package yesterday. A gift from across the Bass Straight, that counts as a sea right ?

How adorable is this ? And look, the cutest little spotty earrings in the world. I love them to pieces, 'cause they go with my dinky flip hair style, see, I'm wearing them right this minute.

I'm also pondering the meaning of life and smiling at the little blue bird just out of frame. Do you like the soft focus ? Petal is such a masterful photographer, is she not ? (The soft focus may or may not have been intentional).

If you haven't already, pop over and have a look at what Sophie is up to, she's a super sweet, clever gal who makes really lovely stuff. She can't sell you a whimsical expression and soft focus, but you can pick up a pair of these cute as a button earrings or a beautiful brooch, cool hey ?

My Creative Space

2009-10-21T16:55:00.014+10:00

This week I needed to get some fresh air and clear my head.

My creative space moved outdoors.

Where I sat and sketched some new ideas.

And lay on a blanket enjoying the morning sun.

And the view of the Botanical Gardens.

And when I came home, I gave Petal a wash of watercolour. I have kept the original black and white but The Coach printed me some copies on watercolour paper to play with, thank-you for the suggestion peeps.

For more creative words and pictures go and visit Kirsty, it's a regular party over at her place. Thanks Kirsty.

Working as an Au Pair, what the brochures won't tell you.

2009-10-20T09:33:00.010+10:00

It's story time again at Chez Waffler, does anyone need to quickly nip off to the loo before I begin ?

As I have mentioned previously (in an enthralling and informative blog post where I shared some little snippets about myself) when I was twenty-one I took up a position as an Au Pair in France. Sounds perfect right ? Lattes, croissants, all the dreamy artistic nooks and crannies that gay Paris had to offer......hmmm, yes, well let me share the reality with you folks.

Actually, today, let me focus on the household, in particular on one member of said household, lets call him...oh, I don't know, Le Idjut.

Le Idjut was the head of the household, well he liked to imagine that he was, but really, just between you and me, I think La Grandmere really ruled the roost, followed closely by Mama, so he more or less slotted in about half way up the ladder.

Pretty much every conversation I had with Le Idjut sent a cacophony of alarm bells ringing in my head, for example :

If you have any problems with the children call me, not my wife (DING DING DING DING)

My wife was not so keen on having a twenty-one year old Au Pair (DING DING DING DING)

Can you keep a secret ? The other night I went out for a drink with my friend Le Sleaze and......(DING DING DING DING DING DING)

I think you can get the general gist of it. He was the man who made you feel like you were doing something wrong by merely existing. These were treacherous waters to navigate at the tender age of twenty-one, in a foreign country, an awful long way from home.

Le Idjut was harmless but managed to make your skin crawl and it didn't take me long to realise that the six months I had intended to spend in France were going to be drastically reduced. As a parting gift I would like to share with you my most vivid memory of Le Idjut.

In the lounge was a large open fireplace. A fire was lit. As we sat on the couch opposite the fire, the log pile began to slip and one of the smaller logs neared the edge of the fireplace. Le Idjut leapt like a gazelle over the coffee table, grabbed the log with his bare hands, threw it back in the fireplace, then proceeded to hop around the living room waving his burnt hands in the air. What an idiot, seems he forgot about the tongs and the fact that his hands weren't made of fire retardant material. DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING.

My Place and Yours.

2009-10-17T18:10:00.005+10:00

Did you know that Ms Pip has started a new meme ? Oh yes, and I'm partial to a meme or two, so I thought I would join in. This weeks meme theme is 'On the Shelf'. It's a busy shelf to be sure, a shelf where I'm certain shenanigans take place in the early hours when all the 'big folk' are fast asleep. I like a colourful shelf but when it comes to dusting...this shelf may or may not get over-looked more often then not.

Can you spot the Peg People ? I thought they might enjoy hanging out with Gwen and Pikachu for a spell.

My Creative Space

2009-10-14T17:33:00.009+10:00

I hope Kirsty won't mind, but I've taken some liberties with my creative space this week.

Rather then presenting my space (really, the creative nook can only look interesting from so many angles) I thought I'd share the progress of a very special project I am currently working on.

A certain, rather observant, four year old came to me the other week and queried why I was doing so many lovely pictures, none of which were ending up on her wall (all together now.....awwww). Naturally, I promptly promised her a picture.

The thing about four year olds is that a promise generally implies immediate action..hmm....the other thing about four year olds is that they can be very, very persistent. So here is where I'm at, from a pencil sketch to ink. This is my Petal. To be honest I am rather in love with this picture and a little nervous about adding colour, I just don't want to ruin her. So wish me luck and don't forget to catch up with all the other wonderful creativity over at Kootoyoo.

Eye Spy...My Favourite Corner of the House.

2009-10-13T10:46:00.004+10:00

Yes, it would appear that I'm still a touch behind the eight ball this week. Slowly but surely I shall be getting back into the regular groove.

It's time to play Eye Spy with Cindy again and I don't think it will come as any great surprise to discover that my favourite corner is my creative nook at the end of the dining table.

It's a nice space, I can look ahead at the tops of the eucalyptus trees outside the kitchen window. To the left are the glass doors which open on to the side balcony (the spot where I happily sip on a glass of wine whilst manning the barbecue on balmy summer evenings). And to the right is the living room so I can keep an eye on the young folk or just gaze out the floor to ceiling windows at all the lovely trees.

Truth be told, I like all the corners in our house. It's a bright, airy home and I think it has a lovely warm vibe. This is one Waffler who is very content in her nest.

I'm sorry, but you'll just have to indulge me.

2009-10-12T12:37:00.005+10:00

Look, I know it's not cool to brag. And it's probably not cool to run around the kitchen banging a couple of pots together, with my jumper pulled over my head, shouting "WOO HOO". But right now I am deliriously happy. Today is a day that will be proudly marked off in the Waffler diary, because today I sold my first ever piece of art work.

Now I couldn't help but have a little brag on Twitter because, well darn it, I'm excited, and when I'm excited I turn into a twelve year old who has a secret she simply must share with the world or else risk an embolism of some kind. All the lovelies on Twitter were quick to pat me on the back and make me feel all warm and fuzzy (you are all the best, you know that don't you ?) and so now, with permission from the buyer *giggle giggle* (twelve, I know). Here is 'The World According to Little Ricky', an A4 ink original by...urm...me....yay.

Well dang, that rain dance really did work.

2009-10-11T12:02:00.005+10:00

So it's all grey skies and bursting black rain clouds at Casa del Waffler today, and we couldn't be happier. Water in the tank (yes kids, we might just squeeze in a couple more showers) and large delicious water droplets thirstily devoured by the parched garden. Phew, after a week of guests, the rain has arrived at exactly the right time. Thank-you weather faeries, we shall sing your praise around the dinner table this evening...or maybe not...but thanks either way.

There's nothing like a rainy day to inspire an afternoon of creative activity. Sketches to finish, sketches to start, a paper bag full of wooden Dolly Pegs who are no doubt clamouring for wee faces and a totes fab fashion ensemble.

Decisions, decisions. I hope you are having yourself a relaxing and inspiring Sunday. Kick back, grab yourself a cuppa and enjoy the rain strumming on the tin roof (or at least use your imagination if the raindrops elude you).

At 9.30 last night I decided another Dolly Peg was in order. A Dolly Peg Dude this time. What possesses a person of reasonable mental state to pull out the teeniest, tiniest paintbrush in the world and start painting late in the evening ? Another of lifes great mysteries I suppose.

My Creative Space

2009-10-09T13:28:00.003+10:00

Hello, hello, I'm back again, and sneaking onto My Creative Space a day late. But better late then never, as they say. Of course there hasn't been much creativity taking place at Casa Del Waffler over the last week, entertaining visitors is a full time occupation in itself. But I did manage to squeeze in painting a few little Dolly Pegs yesterday afternoon.

I've never painted Dolly Pegs before but thought it might be cute to attempt some 1920's inspired gals. Today I picked up a super, super fine paintbrush to attempt some better detailing on the faces (because quite clearly I am a sucker for punishment) and I also grabbed some gloss varnish, as red haired Dolly left some rather unfortunate black marks all over brown haired Dolly's lovely white dress. Clearly some Dollys just don't know how to play nice.

Anyhoo, I'm looking forward to catching up on all the other lovely blogs over the next few days, I've felt a little lost without them.

Thanks to Kirsty for hosting this wonderful meme week in, week out. I do so look forward to perusing through the latest wonderful collection of creative goodness.

A temporary break in transmission.

2009-10-02T18:20:00.004+10:00

Hot on the heels of the kiddies return to school I have visitors arriving from interstate. Not the most perfect of timing but ce la vie. So I just thought I'd pop a little note on to say that the next week could be rather uneventful in my little blog space. I know you will all forgive me right ?

Anyhow, I'm just keeping it short and sweet as their arrival is imminent and I need to adjust my composure....spent the day running around scrubbing and dusting like a headless chicken with OCD ? Oh no, not I, my house is always this sparkly and neat and I have spent the day playing creative and educational games with the wee ones. Ha ha.

So if I don't get a chance the swing by over the next seven days, I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll look forward to catching up with you all again real soon.

My Creative Space

2009-09-30T15:33:00.008+10:00

Not many changes going on between my creative space from last week to this week. I'm back sketching away on my next project with my 'not always reliable but very still and professional model' up on my computer screen. If you are wondering (I find that most creative minds are also inquisitive minds) the sketch book on the right is covered in Ninja chicken prototypes. Bet that's got you curious now hasn't it ?

This is a very rough first sketch of the next young intrepid explorer.

And here is 'Boys Abroad' in all it's coloured glory. I love bright colours, particularly the deep red. Who wouldn't want a bright red pirate hat, arrrr me hearties.

Now run, don't walk, over to Kirstys for more wonderful creative offerings.

Cat cardigans are back in Vogue right ?

2009-09-29T16:23:00.007+10:00

You get up in the morning and give your long, flowing mane some careful grooming. You flick it over your shoulder, so soft, so silky, you just know that everyone in the neighbourhood eyes it with envy.

We've all been there, staggering in a daze of disbelief back to the car after half a day spent in the hairdressers, wondering why oh why we said "Hey yeah, I trust you, I'll leave it entirely in your hands,"

Poor Cat, has it been twelve months already? Darn those annual hair cuts come around quickly.

Really, she's ecstatically happy with the results, would I lie to you ?

Not quite all there.

2009-09-28T17:25:00.007+10:00

Image from here

This is exactly how I feel at the moment. Everything seems a tad fuzzy and before you even ask, no I've not touched a drop of champagne or so much as swirled a nice leggy Pinot Noir around in a glass. Rather sad, no ?

Admittedly we are half way through the school holidays, but today we have drifted along at an altogether civilised pace, so I think I must point the finger of blame elsewhere.

Anyhoo, hopefully the fuzzies will blow away in all this wind, it has to be good for something right ? Meanwhile Petal is cleaning her room whilst balancing a book on her head and wearing 3D glasses which make her look startlingly like Roy Orbison and Le Artiste is making a dog named Bob from a cardboard box. Bob certainly looks like he's had a bowl or twenty of MeatyBites. Poor Bob, since you have no legs you really must stick to a stricter diet, or at the very least go and roll down the hill a few times each day.

Eye Spy....Something I shouldn't eat but do anyway.

2009-09-27T10:56:00.005+10:00

Last week, as you probably well know, I completely over-indulged in these sweet little morsels. Terribly naughty I know, but you just can't stop at one, I promise you.

Today I am atoning for my sins and ate a great big bowl of this. Aaaah, that's much better now isn't it ? I feel so virtuous that I just may leap up out of the chair and go for a jog around the block.....or, maybe not....wouldn't want to send the body into shock now would I ?

Jog (or gently meander) over to Cindys for more naughty eye spy treats and thanks to Jennifer Rose for this weeks delicious theme.

My Creative Space

2009-09-24T09:11:00.005+10:00

Not much progress to report in my creative space this week.

I have managed to ink in the boys but between endless games of chess and snakes & ladders, creating various forms of slime (I bet you're tres jealous about that one), twisting a rainbow of pipe cleaners, snipping and gluing an assortment of felt squares and baking cupcakes in preparation for the end of the world, well, my patient little boys have had to sit quietly waiting in the corner for a snippet of love and attention.

Soon my wee ones, soon I will fill your world with colour.

For more lovely creative spaces, mosey on over to Kirstys, but please, take a few cupcakes with you, we're a little cupcaked out.

I'll save you...here, have a cupcake.

2009-09-23T16:44:00.006+10:00

I'm pretty sure that today I affirmed myself as the person that you should have at the top of your speed dial list in the event of a National crisis, heck, maybe even a Global crisis. For those of you who reside on the other side of the world, or those of you living under a large rock, today has been a rather wacky day on our fair shores.

The news first thing this morning reported earthquakes in Melbourne, severe storms with golf ball sized hail in Canberra, a massive dust storm descending upon Sydney and high fire danger warnings for Qld. Hmmm, thought I, what to do ?

Well, I looked out from the balcony and saw this :

Hmmm, I thought again, that looks rather ominous.

A quick scan on Twitter confirmed my fears, Apocalypse, End of the World and reported zombie sightings. Yep. I definitely needed to swing into action, clearly everyone had gone mad. So I did what any sane, completely rational woman would do, I ran into the kitchen and started baking chocolate cupcakes.

You're impressed right ? Clearly I am a woman who performs under pressure and has her priorities sorted. That's right, if the end of the world was nigh, I was going out with my cheeks crammed full of chocolate cupcakes and a smear of icing on the tip of my nose.

Eye Spy....An inspirational person in my life

2009-09-22T13:11:00.011+10:00

Have you ever been at the cross-roads ? As a person who harbours slightly neurotic and excessive planning skills, finding myself recently at the cross-roads was a whole new experience, one that I did not particularly enjoy.

Then occurred a series of very fortunate events. An email inviting me to join a crazy phenomenon known as Facebook. To which I dutifully replied and set up my account. Then out of the blue, a friendship request from an old school friend. An old school friend who had been sorely missed for many years. She had a blog, a very well known blog, and so it was that the world of blogs opened up to me. She mentioned Twitter, well heck, I was on a roll, why not ? Suddenly the world had expanded ten fold, old friends, new friends, bloggers, tweeps, peeps, artists, cooks, mothers, crafters and witty wordsmiths.

This new world has delighted and inspired me in a way I had never imagined possible, new paths are appearing before me and I'm terribly excited to see where they may lead.

But in particular it has taken the words and actions of one extraordinarily talented, kind, generous and down-right delightful gal to get the ball rolling and my creative juices flowing. She rocks. She inspired me as a teenager and she down-right knocks my socks off now.

To find out who she is, click here.

Thanks again to the lovely Cindy for hosting eye spy and to Sally for this weeks, stop and think, theme.

Confucius say.....

2009-09-21T13:03:00.006+10:00

.: Confucius say, mother who take young children to shopping centre with strict budget expecting happy outcome, clearly delusional and top contender for Worlds Biggest Fool :.

Sheesh, just hand me the sceptre and crown already.

Chillaxin'

2009-09-20T13:33:00.004+10:00

Image taken from here.

Ahhh, yes, it's Sunday and today all is well in the Waffler universe. A memo was forwarded to all members of the Waffler household first thing this morning, it read : Today there will not be crying, bickering, sulking or temper tantrums. Today we will relax. Today we will play games. Today we shall enjoy the glorious spring weather. Today we will exist in a nauseating cloud of lurve. Please sign below that you are in agreement with all of the above terms and conditions. Mama Waffler.

So far, so good, although I don't think Petal signing her contract with a smiley face would hold up in court. Oh, and in case the connection between the above image and my words is as clear as mud, Le Artiste and I are learning to play chess together. I feel there is nothing worse then being taught a new game by an expert, let the novices bumble around in peace I say.

My Creative Space

2009-09-17T08:08:00.005+10:00

Not a lot of colour floating around my creative space today. I am back to Stage One of a new project, sketching whales and little boys, trying to draw a pirate hat and enjoying seeing these new little people take shape. I'm still tweaking the pencil images but hope to move onto ink outlines pretty soon. It's so thrilling to find an image from my head appearing on a piece of paper, I think that I end up as surprised as anyone.

For lots more lovely creative spaces scoot on over to Kootoyoo's, but don't forget to have a warm cuppa beside you so you can really take the time to admire all the cleverness.

The Happy Dish - Chicken Casserole

2009-09-16T10:33:00.007+10:00

Image taken from ABC Delicious magazine April 2004, photographed by Geoff Lung.

I quite enjoy cooking, I like the aromas and watching the way ingredients transform during the cooking process. I love watching my children embrace a meal with gusto, declaring it "my most favouritst dinner ever." But some days I lack prolificness, it's all same old same old, and my love begins to wane.

The following dish was discovered in the first copy of ABC Delicious that I purchased (and I am since hooked on these wonderful magazines) and was classed as a tv dinner by the talented Bill Granger. I adore making this dish, everything about it makes my heart sing, the sizzling, the smells which fill my kitchen, the satisfying way that the chicken turns a deep golden and the glorious combination of oil, butter, onions, garlic and thyme followed by potato, celeriac and bacon - mmmm, now I'm starting to get hungry.

I do hope that you'll give it a try, I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Bill Granger's Chicken Casserole

1.6 kg (large) chicken, cut into 8 pieces (or I use 4 chicken Marylands, cut into 8 pieces)

1 tbs olive oil

20g unsalted butter

8 pickling onions, peeled, trimmed

12 garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 sprigs thyme

8 kipfler potatoes, peeled, cut into equal sized chunks

1 small celeriac bulb, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes ( I have used celery sticks but a celeriac bulb is much nicer)

200g button mushrooms, halved

2 bacon rashers, rinds removed, chopped

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock

2 tbs finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

Green salad, to serve (if you so choose)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Season chicken well with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an ovenproof casserole dish (with lid) over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned, turning once or twice (word of warning - the chicken will splatter hot oil everywhere...but it's worth the mess). Remove chicken and set aside.

Pour all but one tablespoon of oil from the dish. Add butter, onions, garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes (and enjoy, this is one of my favourite parts of this dish). Add potatoes, celeriac and bacon, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and chicken and stir well. Add stock, bring to the boil and place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes, uncovered, stirring casserole once during cooking.

Mix parsley and lemon rind in a bowl and sprinkle over chicken when serving.

Now grab your beverage of choice and dig in. Yummo.

I Spy.......Seasons change

2009-09-14T10:09:00.007+10:00

I don't think that I am alone in wondering where this year has gone ? Spring already ? But I only made my all time happy dish, chicken casserole, twice in the cooler months *sigh*. It always leaves me feeling a little blue when it's time to push the casserole dish to the back of the cupboard, replacing it with the quiche flan tin (although just between you and me, I do quite enjoy a good quiche).

The clearest sign that the season is changing in the Waffler house is the style of footwear that is scattered next to the front door (yes, it kills me, but I am determined not to start arranging the shoes on a daily basis). It would seem that as the temperature rises, so does our need to air our tootsies, so out come the thongs (or flip flops, if you prefer). Oh yes, we are true blue Aussies, crazy Queenslanders and we love our thongs. Bring on summer, oh, and perhaps a fresh coat of lovely soft pink nailpolish..um...for me, not The Coach or Le Artiste...just to be clear.

For more of this weeks Eye Spy meme, flip flop your way over to Cindy's and thanks to Lisa for this weeks seasonal theme.

It's a snore-off

2009-09-12T21:53:00.003+10:00

Seems we have all had a big day today, 9.53 pm and the house is filled with slumbering souls. But not me, oh no, I have my match sticks propping open my weary lids because I have blogs to read, blog after blog of crafty, creative goodness, and I do not want to miss a thing.

But the cacophony produced in the living room is a tad distracting. I can't work out who is louder, Fat Cat sprawled on her cushion or The Coach, resting his eyes whilst watching the football on television.

*Sigh* I think perhaps it is time to call it a night, or else steal some of Le Artiste's blue tack stash and lodge a couple of wads into my ears. Nighty nigh and sweet dreams.