Two years ago today, my father passed away. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's for 13 years and while we were greatly saddened to loose him, we were glad that he was at peace.
I have written several blog posts about my dad and how he was a great example for me in living our Catholic faith. You can read them all here.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
Family Photos!!!
This weekend we took to the city with our friends Wendy and Irving and Oscar and traded taking family photos for each other!!! We couldn't have asked for a better day...beautiful weather, great company, fun adventures, and great food. Thanks Wendy and Irving and Oscar! You guys did a great job!
Now if Herman and I can just agree on which one to use for our holiday card...
Now if Herman and I can just agree on which one to use for our holiday card...
Smart Martha Monday.
On my list last week, I had do a heap of sewing.
I have traced all the patterns I wanted to, pinned the boys shirts and made two leggings for myself. I did want to get everything cut out but didn't get around to it.
This week, I am staying of all social networks. I am going to use my internet time to re organise the kitchen. This job is huge. All my cupboards are really disorganised. I am spending a lot of time looking for ingredients when I want to cook because they have become so disorganised. I am making a list tonight and working out where everything should be kept.
I hope you all have a great week.
Therese.
Weekend Wrap up.
Yesterday was the last day in the liturgical year. We start a new one today with the start of Advent.
The children have been asking all weekend when we can put up the Christmas tree. I decided we should have a Jesse Tree for Advent though and I think we will decorate it with purple tinsel. I was able to print off all the Jesse Tree symbols from King of Peace website.
I had a very productive day yesterday and felt really good about everything I was able to get done.
Steve and I took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph to Mass and Adoration in the morning. I then did food shopping, put the shopping away and cooked. I cooked the chicken for Chicken fried rice and made the Satay Chicken pie filling.
I spent the afternoon sewing and then we went to Mass in the evening.
Last night Steve and I watched Toy Soldiers. I really enjoyed it. It was very different though to what I expected. If you want to see a trailer for it, go here.
Today has been quieter than yesterday was. I did a bit more sewing, took the children to the pool and went to the church to pray for a while since I missed my usual prayer hour on Thursday this week.
I hope you all had a great weekend too.
Therese.
The children have been asking all weekend when we can put up the Christmas tree. I decided we should have a Jesse Tree for Advent though and I think we will decorate it with purple tinsel. I was able to print off all the Jesse Tree symbols from King of Peace website.
I had a very productive day yesterday and felt really good about everything I was able to get done.
Steve and I took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph to Mass and Adoration in the morning. I then did food shopping, put the shopping away and cooked. I cooked the chicken for Chicken fried rice and made the Satay Chicken pie filling.
I spent the afternoon sewing and then we went to Mass in the evening.
Last night Steve and I watched Toy Soldiers. I really enjoyed it. It was very different though to what I expected. If you want to see a trailer for it, go here.
Today has been quieter than yesterday was. I did a bit more sewing, took the children to the pool and went to the church to pray for a while since I missed my usual prayer hour on Thursday this week.
I hope you all had a great weekend too.
Therese.
Adana 8x5!!!
Well, it only took 8 months, but I've finally got my fully refurbished Adana 8x5 last week! The next step is to mount it to a board, and I'm also in the process of ordering a base and designing some new plates. Realistically, I don't think I can get new goods in the shop before Christmas, but I plan on having a big shop update after the new year.
It's so pretty!
The other press is an Adana 5x3. It's a great little machine that I'll still use (it's perfect for hand setting metal type), but I'll be able to do more (and better) designs with the new one.
It's so pretty!
The other press is an Adana 5x3. It's a great little machine that I'll still use (it's perfect for hand setting metal type), but I'll be able to do more (and better) designs with the new one.
Smart Martha Monday.
After Joseph's fall last week and a few dramas the week before, I didn't end up doing my Smart Martha post.
I didn't do anything I had on my list. I wasn't feeling well for a lot of the time and was just too low on energy.
Tomorrow is another day so I am determined to turn it around again.
The most important thing on my list from two weeks ago was to get some summer clothes sewn for myself. I also need to get some done for the boys. I will hopefully get all the patterns traced and everything cut out this week.
I also want to get a Christmas cake baked and put it away.
I hope you all have a great week.
I didn't do anything I had on my list. I wasn't feeling well for a lot of the time and was just too low on energy.
Tomorrow is another day so I am determined to turn it around again.
The most important thing on my list from two weeks ago was to get some summer clothes sewn for myself. I also need to get some done for the boys. I will hopefully get all the patterns traced and everything cut out this week.
I also want to get a Christmas cake baked and put it away.
I hope you all have a great week.
DISC personality test
DISC personality test
My results:
You are tenacious and determined to follow a course of action - to achieve objectives.
You are a clear thinker. You have an inner need to be objective and analytical. You like to pursue a definite course of action. You respond to logic rather than emotion.
You are likely to be particularly good at handling challenging technical assignments.
You are a clear thinker. You have an inner need to be objective and analytical. You like to pursue a definite course of action. You respond to logic rather than emotion.
You are likely to be particularly good at handling challenging technical assignments.
Not sure if this is me or not. Would love to hear your results.
Therese.
Monday.
We had a pretty dramatic day here today but all has turned out all okay.
This morning while I was in the shower, Steve came in and said quick, get out, the baby has fallen over and passed out.
I jumped out and when I was dressed came out to see what was going on. Joseph had fallen of the table and then had a convulsion from the fall. We took him down to the hospital and they kept him there for observation.
It gave us a big fright but I was grateful that I could get on Facebook and dcf forums to ask people to pray for us and for Joseph's recovery. He looks fine now and we wouldn't even know that it happened. Hopefully he won't climb as much now.
This morning while I was in the shower, Steve came in and said quick, get out, the baby has fallen over and passed out.
I jumped out and when I was dressed came out to see what was going on. Joseph had fallen of the table and then had a convulsion from the fall. We took him down to the hospital and they kept him there for observation.
It gave us a big fright but I was grateful that I could get on Facebook and dcf forums to ask people to pray for us and for Joseph's recovery. He looks fine now and we wouldn't even know that it happened. Hopefully he won't climb as much now.
Joseph: Swimming in the pool.
The last couple of times we have gone to the pool, Joseph has been too scared to get in the water. He would just put his feet on the steps. Today he had the courage to get in.
Thank You! And A Few Resources.
Thank you so much for the response (and all the really lovely compliments) about Emilia's coffee shop. I am completely overwhelmed! You all made my day.
I also wanted to answer a few questions, and give a few resources.
1. Melissa asked about tape (see resources below) and if the entire espresso machine is made of cardboard. Yup. I taped cardboard into the general shape of an espresso machine and then stuffed it with craft paper so that it wouldn't collapse (Emilia is 3 after all and prone to aggressive shot pulling). I made the button by putting a backing of cardboard about an inch behind the top face and making a spring from folding card stock back and forth and gluing it both to the button and the backing of cardboard. The knob is a wooden knob from Michaels that I screwed into the back. Does that make any sense? I hope so!
2. Sarah asked about sharing construction tips. I'd love to! I can't give a play by play, because I really just sort of make it up as I go along, but I'd love to answer any questions you might have about construction and how to make it durable (hint: doubling up on cardboard and tons of paper tape!), so let me know if you have specific questions.
And a handy resource list:
1. Fisher Price cash register bought on Etsy.
2. The wooden food is a mix of Plan Toys and Melissa and Doug pieces.
3. The little coffee maker (which is a GREAT stand alone piece) is Educo's Rise N Shine Coffee Maker.
4. The cups and pitcher that we use for "foaming" milk and pulling shots is part of the Plan Toys tea set.
5. The to go coffee cups and lids are from Garnish.
6. The blue polka dot muffin holders are from Shop Sweet Lulu.
7. I made all the felt food from the 8.5"x11" pieces of felt from Michaels and embroidery floss. And I guess I wasn't too clear. I did sew everything...I just didn't follow any sewing rules (since I don't know any). That's what I meant by faking it. The only patterns I used were cutting apart coffee cups and muffin holders; the rest I just sort of made up as I went along.
8. When constructing with cardboard, it's all about the paper tape. I get mine from Uline, but I'm sure you can find it other places as well.
9. Emilia's darling little apron was custom made by the amazing Claire from Small Batch Production.
It's funny. When I embarked on this crazy project, I asked my husband if I should build it entirely of cardboard or try to get scrap wood and base pieces from IKEA. He challenged me to try and do it without spending a lot of money. We had all the cardboard boxes, I already had loads of paper tape for shipping goods to clients, and Emilia already had the wooden food and different pieces. The only things I purchased were felt, embroidery floss, the cash register and her apron. All told, I barely spent $50 on the entire thing.
It did take me about 6-8 weeks to finish the entire project (usually in evenings after I finished working). I actually finished it in February, but with everything going on, hadn't had a chance to really talk about it until now.
Let me know if you have any questions and if any of you decide to tackle this and make your kid a coffee shop...you HAVE to let me know how it turns out!
chocolate tree and great coffee too
the chocolate tree, 123 bruntsfield place, is a magnet for chocolate lovers whose wares are also available at the edinburgh farmer's markets (where you shouldn't try the coffee).it has a warm atmosphere. you order and pay at the counter after which your order arrives with efficient and friendly service. they manage their customers' expectations very well, telling them how long things will take, and it all works like clockwork.
on the chocolate front, you can get dark, milk and white chocolate with all manner of additives such as pepper, cranberry, almonds, chilli and much, much more. they've got blocks of all flavours plus the fancy looking truffle type chocs. very nice indeed.
the coffee also was very nice! cracking in fact. i tried a strong and tasty flat white that was complex without bitterness. good milk temperature and nice milk texture. they use local roaster steampunk coffee and also supply their chocolates
also on offer (as if excellent coffee and chocolate is not enough) is a good sized selection of cakes, tarts and gelati.
Millz Coffee!
We, uh...drink a lot of coffee around here. Peets is around the corner. Philz is around the corner. We cold brew coffee at home. So I guess Emilia's love of coffee and coffee shops comes naturally.
And I promise...it all started innocently enough. Last Christmas, my brother gave Emilia a little wooden coffee maker. It was, without a doubt, her favorite gift. After seeing how much she loved it, I (jokingly, of course) said to my husband, "Maybe I'll build her a coffee shop to go with it." We laughed, because, come on. Do you know how much time that would take?
As it turns out, quite a lot of time. Because I did go ahead and make her a coffee shop. We named it "Millz Coffee" in honor of our beloved Philz (and, well, because Mills is her nickname). And I must confess that I did spend WAY too much time designing a logo for her.
(One note about the photos. We live in a town house. Said town house does not get a lot of natural light. And the coffee shop is in the deepest darkest corner of the house. I did the best I could given the circumstances).
I don't know how to sew, so I faked it with the felt food. Muffins, a sad cupcake, a sad chocolate chip cookie, french macarons, an almond croissant, and 2 chocolate glazed donuts. I think "sewing" all those took longer than the actual building process.
One of my crazier ideas (which I started at 11.00 pm when Emilia was in bed and my husband was out of town) was to make a somewhat working espresso machine. But the cash register I bought. Because making a working cash register? That would be insane.
There was some extra space (and we had a perfectly proportioned box), so I also built a little set of shelves with a mini-fridge in the bottom. And no coffee shop is complete without their own beans.
Salted caramel hot chocolate anyone?
The proud owner will now give a demonstration on making the perfect latte:
And I promise...it all started innocently enough. Last Christmas, my brother gave Emilia a little wooden coffee maker. It was, without a doubt, her favorite gift. After seeing how much she loved it, I (jokingly, of course) said to my husband, "Maybe I'll build her a coffee shop to go with it." We laughed, because, come on. Do you know how much time that would take?
As it turns out, quite a lot of time. Because I did go ahead and make her a coffee shop. We named it "Millz Coffee" in honor of our beloved Philz (and, well, because Mills is her nickname). And I must confess that I did spend WAY too much time designing a logo for her.
(One note about the photos. We live in a town house. Said town house does not get a lot of natural light. And the coffee shop is in the deepest darkest corner of the house. I did the best I could given the circumstances).
I don't know how to sew, so I faked it with the felt food. Muffins, a sad cupcake, a sad chocolate chip cookie, french macarons, an almond croissant, and 2 chocolate glazed donuts. I think "sewing" all those took longer than the actual building process.
One of my crazier ideas (which I started at 11.00 pm when Emilia was in bed and my husband was out of town) was to make a somewhat working espresso machine. But the cash register I bought. Because making a working cash register? That would be insane.
There was some extra space (and we had a perfectly proportioned box), so I also built a little set of shelves with a mini-fridge in the bottom. And no coffee shop is complete without their own beans.
Salted caramel hot chocolate anyone?
The proud owner will now give a demonstration on making the perfect latte:
Smart Martha Monday.
It is time to report again on how my week went and what I got done.
My list from last week is pretty well complete.
I started our walk in robe. It is a much bigger job than I anticipated so I haven't finished it yet. I think I will have to work on a few things at a time.
I couldn't take Joseph to be fitted for his AFO because the Physio rang and cancelled the appointment. We are going tomorrow morning instead.
I did a holy hour on Thursday.
I kept up with washing.
I didn't clean out a kitchen draw.
On my list this week:
1) Read blogs that are updated each day in my reader. I have been neglecting reading and catching up with many of the blogs that I have in my reader. If I look at it each night, I can usually read them all within a hour. If there is more than one hours reading, I tend to pick and choose a bit more about what I will read.
2) Clean out a kitchen cupboard.
3) Do a couple of posts on diabetes. November is Diabetes awareness month. It is so important that those of us that live with this everyday educate people on what it is like to live with.
4) Go through my clothes and throw out anything that I haven't worn for a long time.
5) sew some summer clothes for me.
I hope you all have a great week.
My list from last week is pretty well complete.
I started our walk in robe. It is a much bigger job than I anticipated so I haven't finished it yet. I think I will have to work on a few things at a time.
I couldn't take Joseph to be fitted for his AFO because the Physio rang and cancelled the appointment. We are going tomorrow morning instead.
I did a holy hour on Thursday.
I kept up with washing.
I didn't clean out a kitchen draw.
On my list this week:
1) Read blogs that are updated each day in my reader. I have been neglecting reading and catching up with many of the blogs that I have in my reader. If I look at it each night, I can usually read them all within a hour. If there is more than one hours reading, I tend to pick and choose a bit more about what I will read.
2) Clean out a kitchen cupboard.
3) Do a couple of posts on diabetes. November is Diabetes awareness month. It is so important that those of us that live with this everyday educate people on what it is like to live with.
4) Go through my clothes and throw out anything that I haven't worn for a long time.
5) sew some summer clothes for me.
I hope you all have a great week.
Weekend Wrap up.
The warm weather is here in Port Augusta so we went to the pool both yesterday and today.
Steve worked hard and started putting an extension onto our carport. We want to have a carport for two cars for when we get the new one.
I was going to sew yesterday but decided instead to have a clean out of my sewing area. I still need to go through my fabrics and work out what I am going to use this summer and if we need to give any away.
One end of my sewing table is used by everyone in this house as a dumping spot. This is what fly lady would call a fire spot. It gets out of control pretty quickly and ends up spilling along the entire table. I really hope this sign at least makes them stop and think before they put something there.
Oh and if you cannot read what I have written on this it says:
This space is NOT a dumping spot for your things.
Please put clothes or music away in the cupboards they belong in.
If there is something you want to put here because you don't know where it goes please ask Mum/Therese where it does go.
I hope you all had a good weekend too.
Steve worked hard and started putting an extension onto our carport. We want to have a carport for two cars for when we get the new one.
I was going to sew yesterday but decided instead to have a clean out of my sewing area. I still need to go through my fabrics and work out what I am going to use this summer and if we need to give any away.
Oh and if you cannot read what I have written on this it says:
This space is NOT a dumping spot for your things.
Please put clothes or music away in the cupboards they belong in.
If there is something you want to put here because you don't know where it goes please ask Mum/Therese where it does go.
I hope you all had a good weekend too.
bravo - the italian passion for espresso
just wanted to share a reawakened love of the espresso and caffe macchiato. travelling around italy, no matter where, you can wander into a local vendor for these world-class, one euro wonders. quick, low-fuss, varied but always good.the espresso is what it is, a single shot into a warmed cup and dished up on to the bar in an instant. the caffe macchiato is the same with just a dash of warm milk or sometimes we had our own mini jug of milk so we could add the right dash ourselves.
the combination of quality and speed is the joy. you can be in and out in under 3 minutes while you go about your business or can linger longer if you want to. wish we had this readily available in the burgh.
may start to try some out and let you know how we go.
7 Quick Takes.
Thanks so much to Jen from Conversion Diary for hosting 7 quick takes each week. You can go and read other people's quick takes here.
-1-
This week has been Sam's first week of exams. He had Physics and Maths studies. Next week he has Chemistry and Specialist Maths. Next Friday will be his last one and then he has finished school for the year. Next year, he is going back and doing 4 more year 12 subjects. He has decided he wants to get into sound engineering and needs to have studied music for this. He was originally going to try and get into Mechanical engineering and so did all maths subjects to get into this.
-2-
Joseph is starting to talk and imitate us a lot now. He says his name and just about anything we say. I really like it when he calls Sam. He can say this quite plainly.
-3-
This weekend I am hoping to do a lot of summer sewing. I desperately need some summer clothes for myself. I am hoping to get a couple of new tops and some leggings sewn.
-4-
Joseph didn't end up getting measured for his AFO's this week. The appointment was cancelled. I hope it isn't too long till we get another one.
He also needs to go to Adelaide sometime for a MRI. I was hoping to avoid this but his Paediatrician has asked me to take him down to have it so I will.
-5-
The book, A Special Mother is Born has been published. I have written one of the chapters in this book about being the mother of two children with type one diabetes.
The book can be purchased from Westbrow Press.
I am going to get my own copy but I am thinking about buying a couple of extra ones to pass around for people to read.
It has all kinds of mothers stories in it and I am really confident it will be a huge success and help save many babies that may be aborted because of their disability.
It has all kinds of mothers stories in it and I am really confident it will be a huge success and help save many babies that may be aborted because of their disability.
-6-
Today Sam bought a present for the family. We now have Mario Kart Wii. It is a great game. I haven't had a go yet but I will tomorrow.
-7-
For my last quick take I want to ask you all to keep an online friend of mine in your prayers.
Kalona from Knocking Everywhere has cancer. She can be treated but it is going to be a long road for her to travel. You can read about the treatment plan here. Please keep her in your prayers.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
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