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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hugs

Bxo

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

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

He is playing with his feet when lying down, 

He is blowing big milky bubbles and lots of them, 

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

He is FULL of smiles and giggles. 

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

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

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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

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

Bxo

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

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

Isn't she adorable !

Happy Friday!!!!

Hugs

Bxo

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

Something... kinda wonderful! 

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

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

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

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

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

I took this photo of Mikaela last weekend.

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

Happy Monday.

Bxo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All the best...

Bxo

Is this little cutie pie:

Benjamin, you really are just too cute for words!

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

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

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

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

You particularly love your scrunchy, noisy fabric book.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We love you so much Ben.

You make our life's very sweet indeed!

Mumma xo