Just A Minute | April
...late again!
We bought a new door mat this month! (from the Oxfam Shop). C and I keep arguing about which way around it should go though. I think it's feet should run along the doorway, but C thinks that it should be facing out for our visitors. Hmpf!
I bought these stray playing cards when I was in Deloraine with Isis and Holly. Holly bought me the cute umbrella one.
New bike in a box!
We got home from a walk and saw these two on our bed through the window.
This little boy was/is the apple of my eye.
Holly gave me this deck of Tasmanian themed playing cards. They're gorgeous.
I have started riding my bike to and from work again and this was the sun setting over the North Esk river as I rode across Black Bridge to work. It is pretty damn cold at midnight when I ride home twice a week (and sometimes I ride past some unsavoury looking people and it makes me uncomfortable) but for the most part I'm really enjoying it.
I added a page to Theo's book.
The story behind this sign is that I share my studio space with some lovely people and a lady from our class left Easter eggs on our desks the day before we all went on break. I came into uni several times during the break and, having long since devoured my egg, I saw the egg of one of my studio-mates still on her desk. Despite wanting to eat it a couple of times when I was at uni late and hungry, it sat there until the evening of the last day of the break. The next morning, when we all got into uni, the egg was gone! And it wasn't me! And the girl who sits at that desk had no idea where it had gone. So, there is a thief in our midst! So, I put up a sign outside our studio to make that thief feel guilty. I know it's a bit silly, but it is pretty shifty of someone to come into our space and steal something! Baddies.
Do you see what I see?! HAIR! It is so fair, he basically still looks totally bald, but I see it! It would be nice if he grew a bit more because it would keep his little head warm (he refuses to keep hats on).
I sat at my kitchen table and watched the rain.
Sometimes when I get home after midnight this little boy wakes up and wants to play.
I painted a little picture for my nephew Xavier's jungle themed nursery (who should be born next week!).
I listened to Kimbra's album on vinyl. Does anyone out there have any recommendations for good quality, new record players? Ours is old and plays terribly.
Theo and I went on some walks together (all rugged up). That hat stayed on for 5 seconds flat. AND while I'm mentioning this hat, it was left on my doorstep not long after Theo was born, by a blog reader, but I don't know who. Put your hand up if it was you! I love it!
Watching | Girls, Orphan Black, Game of Thrones & Call The Midwife. We're about to start watching Girls Season 3 and I'm so glad we've been pacing ourselves. I usually race through shows when I don't have to wait each week for episodes, but this one I've let myself mull over.
Listening | 'I'll Try Anything Once' - The Strokes and 'Joyful Girl' - Ani Difranco. Two great songs that get stuck in my head a lot.
Reading | The Secret History - Donna Tartt (really enjoying it, but finding no time for reading lately. It is kind of nice to pace myself through a book I'm really enjoying. So many books I've devoured in a couple of days and I wish I'd let myself mull things over more and given the characters more time to develop in my head). I also read Claire's very sweet little zine Around Town.
Making | At the moment at uni I am making a set of memory game cards with images from my childhood on them. I've also been drawing from photographs I took when I was in Stockton early in April and turning them into postcards (part of a series I tentatively call 'Souvenirs from places you wouldn't want souvenirs from'). Other than that, I've been writing little notes to my niece and nephew, painting a picture for a little competition and making myself a proper planner book because I don't have one and really need one and the ones from the shops are never quite right for me.
Visiting | I returned from my quick trip to NSW early in the month, we went to Evandale Markets (and a cat show!), visited The Great Western Tiers with Theo, C and C's dad on a little day trip and took Holly and Isis on a day trip to Deloraine to go to the markets, I hope to do that again soon!
Consuming | Coffee and bagels. Lots of bagels. I learned how to make them this past month because C is obsessed with them and the one cafe in town that sold them took them off their menu recently and he was devastated. My first batch was amazing, my second was great and my third, I tried to make a couple of batches as once with half wholemeal flour, and they were total duds. I tried making them with gluten free flour as well (gluten and me have a difficult relationship) and they were inedible. Anyway, back to the awesome bagels I made - I used this recipe and I added sesame seeds to the top of mine. Boiling the dough is my favourite part. Next time I might add in some blueberries!
Purchasing | Fancy new pots and pans (everything tastes better cooked in them!), purple shoes, a nice second hand hallway stand, Kimbra's album on vinyl and a new bike! I'll share pictures of it soon! I've also been going on some great opshopping trips. I've started trying to go to every opshop in Launceston in one day and I try to do that once a fortnight, or at least twice a month. Today was one of those days!
Coveting | A new wedding ring! I was at work and my beautiful wedding ring fell off, presumably into someone's shopping bag as I was packing because I looked everywhere and could not find it. Misery. I have bookmarked a couple of lovely rings since, but it might be quite some time before we can afford to replace it. I'm also coveting an old chest for a coffee table, keeping my eyes peeled!
Looking forward to | More mild Autumnal weather, Saturday mornings at Harvest Market eating Wanderlust pies, going to Holly's 70s themed party on the weekend, printing out photos and attempting to catch up on my Project Life photo album for Theo and possibly maybe starting another little side project blog!
This month I've spent a lot of time at uni, but my productivity has been a bit low. I love being there but I get distracted easily. The director of the gallery at uni installed some lights above my desk so now I can stay a little later (the sun starts setting so early in Winter in Tasmania, it's ridiculous). In May I need to manage my time better and spend more quality time with my boys.
This month I also removed anything from my sidebar that shows how many followers this blog has. I just wanted to, I don't know why. I guess it just became another thing to measure my self worth by. Not that it was really low, the number itself wasn't the issue and I am so grateful to have so many people stop by this space (thank you!). I think I just didn't need to have it there any more.
I have felt a bit discouraged from blogging lately, because of another blogger. It's hard for me to word I guess, but I suppose it comes down to that some people take inspiration from other people a bit too literally, to the point of imitation. I feel uncomfortable saying much more detail than that about it really, but it has been a really significant factor in my not blogging with any consistency lately. It's a shame and I've just been trying not to think about it because it makes me feel bad and uncomfortable. I think that all bloggers are guilty in some small part of collecting bits and pieces of ideas from other blogs, myself included - and that's something I think I often like about blogs really - that everyone bounces off one another and relates to each other and shares ideas. Obviously, this blog has many inspirations and influences and there are bloggers whose endless creative ideas and originality put me to shame! I make no claims on being a trend setter or having boundless original ideas. I just like to be creative and share and promote being creative. And if someone takes inspiration from something I do, that is a total delight, but visiting another person's blog and having it feel uncomfortably familiar, down to the wording of phrases and minute aesthetic details made me feel sad, like someone had thieved tiny bits of my identity and sold them to other people as their own. I would be so ashamed if I were to use someone's ideas, claim them as my own and not credit my inspiration. I don't even like re-pinning things on Pinterest if they don't have sources attached. It is important to me to be authentic and genuine online (and offline too), otherwise, I just don't see the point in blogging. I don't think I could have gone on blogging without sharing the above paragraph, I'm sorry for ranting! I feel a little better now! Onwards!
We bought a new door mat this month! (from the Oxfam Shop). C and I keep arguing about which way around it should go though. I think it's feet should run along the doorway, but C thinks that it should be facing out for our visitors. Hmpf!
I bought these stray playing cards when I was in Deloraine with Isis and Holly. Holly bought me the cute umbrella one.
New bike in a box!
We got home from a walk and saw these two on our bed through the window.
This little boy was/is the apple of my eye.
Holly gave me this deck of Tasmanian themed playing cards. They're gorgeous.
I have started riding my bike to and from work again and this was the sun setting over the North Esk river as I rode across Black Bridge to work. It is pretty damn cold at midnight when I ride home twice a week (and sometimes I ride past some unsavoury looking people and it makes me uncomfortable) but for the most part I'm really enjoying it.
I added a page to Theo's book.
The story behind this sign is that I share my studio space with some lovely people and a lady from our class left Easter eggs on our desks the day before we all went on break. I came into uni several times during the break and, having long since devoured my egg, I saw the egg of one of my studio-mates still on her desk. Despite wanting to eat it a couple of times when I was at uni late and hungry, it sat there until the evening of the last day of the break. The next morning, when we all got into uni, the egg was gone! And it wasn't me! And the girl who sits at that desk had no idea where it had gone. So, there is a thief in our midst! So, I put up a sign outside our studio to make that thief feel guilty. I know it's a bit silly, but it is pretty shifty of someone to come into our space and steal something! Baddies.
Do you see what I see?! HAIR! It is so fair, he basically still looks totally bald, but I see it! It would be nice if he grew a bit more because it would keep his little head warm (he refuses to keep hats on).
I sat at my kitchen table and watched the rain.
Sometimes when I get home after midnight this little boy wakes up and wants to play.
I painted a little picture for my nephew Xavier's jungle themed nursery (who should be born next week!).
I listened to Kimbra's album on vinyl. Does anyone out there have any recommendations for good quality, new record players? Ours is old and plays terribly.
Theo and I went on some walks together (all rugged up). That hat stayed on for 5 seconds flat. AND while I'm mentioning this hat, it was left on my doorstep not long after Theo was born, by a blog reader, but I don't know who. Put your hand up if it was you! I love it!
Watching | Girls, Orphan Black, Game of Thrones & Call The Midwife. We're about to start watching Girls Season 3 and I'm so glad we've been pacing ourselves. I usually race through shows when I don't have to wait each week for episodes, but this one I've let myself mull over.
Listening | 'I'll Try Anything Once' - The Strokes and 'Joyful Girl' - Ani Difranco. Two great songs that get stuck in my head a lot.
Reading | The Secret History - Donna Tartt (really enjoying it, but finding no time for reading lately. It is kind of nice to pace myself through a book I'm really enjoying. So many books I've devoured in a couple of days and I wish I'd let myself mull things over more and given the characters more time to develop in my head). I also read Claire's very sweet little zine Around Town.
Making | At the moment at uni I am making a set of memory game cards with images from my childhood on them. I've also been drawing from photographs I took when I was in Stockton early in April and turning them into postcards (part of a series I tentatively call 'Souvenirs from places you wouldn't want souvenirs from'). Other than that, I've been writing little notes to my niece and nephew, painting a picture for a little competition and making myself a proper planner book because I don't have one and really need one and the ones from the shops are never quite right for me.
Visiting | I returned from my quick trip to NSW early in the month, we went to Evandale Markets (and a cat show!), visited The Great Western Tiers with Theo, C and C's dad on a little day trip and took Holly and Isis on a day trip to Deloraine to go to the markets, I hope to do that again soon!
Consuming | Coffee and bagels. Lots of bagels. I learned how to make them this past month because C is obsessed with them and the one cafe in town that sold them took them off their menu recently and he was devastated. My first batch was amazing, my second was great and my third, I tried to make a couple of batches as once with half wholemeal flour, and they were total duds. I tried making them with gluten free flour as well (gluten and me have a difficult relationship) and they were inedible. Anyway, back to the awesome bagels I made - I used this recipe and I added sesame seeds to the top of mine. Boiling the dough is my favourite part. Next time I might add in some blueberries!
Purchasing | Fancy new pots and pans (everything tastes better cooked in them!), purple shoes, a nice second hand hallway stand, Kimbra's album on vinyl and a new bike! I'll share pictures of it soon! I've also been going on some great opshopping trips. I've started trying to go to every opshop in Launceston in one day and I try to do that once a fortnight, or at least twice a month. Today was one of those days!
Coveting | A new wedding ring! I was at work and my beautiful wedding ring fell off, presumably into someone's shopping bag as I was packing because I looked everywhere and could not find it. Misery. I have bookmarked a couple of lovely rings since, but it might be quite some time before we can afford to replace it. I'm also coveting an old chest for a coffee table, keeping my eyes peeled!
Looking forward to | More mild Autumnal weather, Saturday mornings at Harvest Market eating Wanderlust pies, going to Holly's 70s themed party on the weekend, printing out photos and attempting to catch up on my Project Life photo album for Theo and possibly maybe starting another little side project blog!
This month I've spent a lot of time at uni, but my productivity has been a bit low. I love being there but I get distracted easily. The director of the gallery at uni installed some lights above my desk so now I can stay a little later (the sun starts setting so early in Winter in Tasmania, it's ridiculous). In May I need to manage my time better and spend more quality time with my boys.
This month I also removed anything from my sidebar that shows how many followers this blog has. I just wanted to, I don't know why. I guess it just became another thing to measure my self worth by. Not that it was really low, the number itself wasn't the issue and I am so grateful to have so many people stop by this space (thank you!). I think I just didn't need to have it there any more.
I have felt a bit discouraged from blogging lately, because of another blogger. It's hard for me to word I guess, but I suppose it comes down to that some people take inspiration from other people a bit too literally, to the point of imitation. I feel uncomfortable saying much more detail than that about it really, but it has been a really significant factor in my not blogging with any consistency lately. It's a shame and I've just been trying not to think about it because it makes me feel bad and uncomfortable. I think that all bloggers are guilty in some small part of collecting bits and pieces of ideas from other blogs, myself included - and that's something I think I often like about blogs really - that everyone bounces off one another and relates to each other and shares ideas. Obviously, this blog has many inspirations and influences and there are bloggers whose endless creative ideas and originality put me to shame! I make no claims on being a trend setter or having boundless original ideas. I just like to be creative and share and promote being creative. And if someone takes inspiration from something I do, that is a total delight, but visiting another person's blog and having it feel uncomfortably familiar, down to the wording of phrases and minute aesthetic details made me feel sad, like someone had thieved tiny bits of my identity and sold them to other people as their own. I would be so ashamed if I were to use someone's ideas, claim them as my own and not credit my inspiration. I don't even like re-pinning things on Pinterest if they don't have sources attached. It is important to me to be authentic and genuine online (and offline too), otherwise, I just don't see the point in blogging. I don't think I could have gone on blogging without sharing the above paragraph, I'm sorry for ranting! I feel a little better now! Onwards!