May 30, 2008

hooray for a new car!

Dear Arnie-V,

To say we never really got along would be an understatement to say the least. Ours was a hate-hate relationship except for those few times when you would behave yourself. This usually happened when I would complain that you were doing something wrong and when dad took you to see what the problem was you would behave like a little angel! This made me so mad that I spent most of my time not on speaking terms with you (even though you are a car and could not talk back anyway) and now that I have spent a week without you I know that we are both much better off.

It must have been our rocky beginning, how I thought I was ‘upgrading’ – I finally had air conditioning! Perhaps it would have been better to warn me that no, this would not be in your plans and no the air conditioning would not be functioning for the first few weeks of out time together!

And what was with your attitude towards the central locking that you were all "oh my gosh do I really, REALLY have to make the lock come all the way up everytime you press that button? It is just so much effort!"

Then there was the fact that you would stall on me in embarrassing or inappropriate situations like when I was merging into traffic – even though YOU ARE AN AUTOMATIC and you are not supposed to stall! And then I would be honked at and told to move and no matter how quickly I tried to get you to start up again you made it clear that you were perfectly comfortable sitting right in the middle of everything thanks! Or how I would be running late for work and you would just refuse to start, yeah like THAT was even funny!

Remember that time we took you to my cousins wedding that long weekend in Wollongong? It was such a long trip and on such a hot day (remembering that your air conditioning was still broken) and you overheated on the way home, right near the freeway exit only 15 mins from home? It was so bad and there was such damage to your seals that you needed a new motor.. so we towed and rolled you down the hill (as pictured) with dad driving behind with his hazards on (man that was scary!) and parked you outside our mechanics. But alas where ever there’s trouble it seems it would find you. It was of course a public holiday and so we weren't able to let our mechanics know that you were there so you had to sit outside and those nasty vandals broke in that night and stole your cd player that we brought and put in you only 2 weeks earlier! They also broke your left hand lock and made some nasty scratches near your handle. That was mean and no I don't believe that you deserved that – ‘farty’ speakers aside.

Six months and I had had enough, so I put the for sale signs on you and put you in Fridays paper but you had other ideas and decided that you would not go down easy. You then blew two fuses, that controlled your dashboard and taillights not once but twice and you picked some very dark windy and hilly roads to do it on too! Luckily you were sold on the Monday night by the first people who saw you at the price I wanted all along – and that was perhaps the only moment I was truelly happy with you :)
I hope you have fun at your new home and that you behave yourself! and no I am not really sad that we must part ways because now I’m back to a little excel again (those things never want to die even with 330,000k's!) Oh and I also had enough money in the budget to get one of these…

farwell arnie!
Katie

Btw – for anyone who has actually made it to the end of this looong post and knows anything about cameras any comments and feedback would be muchly appreciated . I've been looking into the Nikon D80 (used by Soule Mamma) or a Canon EOS 40D?? something midlevel although I've been so busy to actually go and look at any cameras yet. But any help, ideas and suggestions would be muchly appreciated :)

May 28, 2008

doing as the russians do in mexican restraunts..

I made this card for my friend Leesa's birthday last Saturday. She has a facination and love with these little guys (see here) and what better present to be in that little bag than a set of babushka dolls in red and black (as Leesa calls the colours of their lives). aren't they cute? They sat and had dinner with us.

and Heres M and I and the litle rat is not wearing his sombero! grr he is also pulling his 'yeew' face, which is not my most favourite but this is the only photo I have of us on the night. This is also my new haircut! I had about 6 inches cut off and a new colour. I love it and it is so easy to manage. I'm thinking of going a little shorter next hair cut so it is in more of a bob. But as I haven't had my hair this short since I was about 4 I thought I should do it more gradually... and have fun with more hairstyles on the way!

and heres the birthday girl and her husband Sam complete in sombero gear. The funny thing was that out of all the people who actually wore somberos (one of Leesa's-crazy-requests, and there has been a few of these!) we all brought them from the same shop, so it looks like we are just passing the hats around but there truelly was more than 2 people at our table wearing somberos in this little mexican restraunt. Hurray for cheap $2 shops that actually charge $3.95! grr...moving on.

I also must make mention to Sam's suave jacket.. which I don't think I'm supposed to tell anyone that they got it from Aldi. Ah Aldi my love for you is large! avocados are always 69 cents and then there is the excitement of never knowing what random items you will find in the 'random section'. I have brought a yoga video, morgan has brought a GPS system and Leesa and Sam even brought a violin! which they returned because neither of them knew how to play it hehe (I don't think I was supposed to mention that either... :) Do any of you have stories of crazy things you have found in Aldi?
I'm excited because they are currently building an Aldi within 2 mins of my house yay! like really excited. as in I should not. be. this. excited about a grocery store!

and thats whats been keeping me busy lately, thoughts of Aldi, work and trying to get my sassy apron swap complete. I should finish it tonight so I can post it Friday.. why did it suddenly just start working the week before it was due?! Before the fabrics would just not be friends and go together nicely!

May 23, 2008

when presents are loved

Today this made my day -

an email from a sweet little someone that read:

"I love my new shoes - Jimmy Choo eat your heart out!"

Love KeKexo
and these special snapshots. These are the shoes I made here (with matching doll) They are a little bit big at the moment but this way they will be able to be worn for much longer :)
Doesn't it just make your day when something you make is loved by someone so much!

and I guess I'll be the one to blame if she ever gets obsessed with shoes :P

May 15, 2008

Today is the day!

Today 15th May 2008 is Compassion Day< 243 children have been sponsored,wait make that 248 wow! I'm stoked that everytime I press refreash the numbers keep going up! The aim this year is to have 1,500 from Haiti and the Dominican repbulic sponsored (by YOU!) so jump on to the compassion website and get involved or even send in a donation. Sponsorship is only $44 a month and does make a huge difference!

and for those of you in Australia you can also tune in to your local christian radio station (theres a link on the compassion webpage) or the Australian Christian channel and listen in as you are confronted by the issues and poverty that face these nations and the work that Compassion does in these areas. Have a little read about Haiti here.

Don't let this oppourtunity to make a difference in a family and small child's life pass you by! As soon as I got my first full time job I knew I wanted to sponsor a child and have been blessed to sponsor a sweet 5 year Halima from Malawi, Africa. Sponsorship is such a blessing both to the child, their family and to the sponsor. Through sponsorship Halima is now attending school (her parent's could not afford to send her before), and sunday school, and have been given items such as crops and seeds for their garden and I feel so blessed to know that little me has made such a big change to someone's world.

oh and ps. you can also check out the work that compassion do at their blog.

May 7, 2008

NO way!

Yes way.. the toner salesman came into work yesterday he left a business card magnet and a sticker (boring!) and these cute bags of old fashion looking lollies. At the moment our receptionist is away for 4 weeks visiting her new grandson in the US and so I've taken over and I never knew it would be this good seriously, you get lollies!? (and when it's slow i get to crochet!!) and on closer inspection i realised that yes indeed written inside the candies is the company's name 'Toner Direct'! I just thought this was very cool!


Then I remebered how my good friend Luke went to a wedding back in March and as part of their wedding favours they gave little bags of the same type of candy with their names written in it! So i did a google search and found them everywhere (including here here and here!) and check out some of the flavours... blueberry, butterscotch, mango, raspberry, strawberry, cola, passionfruit, watermelon, kiwi, wildberry, apple, cherry, musk etc etc etc!

also the lollies were really yummy my favourite were the yellow ones (passionfruit) mmmm!
and check out these ones for the westpac bank hehe :)

May 3, 2008

apron love II

just a few flickr favourites I found tonight while brainstorming ideas and colour schemes for the summer apron swap. (following on from my apron love post) I also brought two apron patterns from Spotlight this week (I brought one and got one free as they didn't have another pattern mumma wanted! yipee!)

1. by all buttoned up
2. by Tania Ho of chocolate a chuva (there is some super cute stuff here!)
3. by shim & sons
4. by Soule Mamma (so cute in Adelaide size!)
5. by Qpatchwork
6. Dishtowel apron favours (what a sweet idea!!) by The Felt Mouse

And a big hello to my swap partner if you have popped around :)