Lima Bean Christmas

Well I finally finished making this lima bean christmas tree. (fyi: I pronounce it leema, Matt pronounces it lime - a)

Here are some photos.
Started off with a polystyrene cone that was half price with all of the Christmas decorations.
3 packets of lima beans
hot glue gun

I drew a line around the cone in pen that I wanted to follow, and went over it with my first row of beans.

 All done!

Christmas Spirit...

A few weeks ago we spent a Sunday afternoon decorating over at Mum and Robs place. No real tree, definitely miss the smell. Here are some pics from the afternoon.

All of the girls around the tree.

Nicola decorating her face with a tissue angel.

Rob made trifle for us all...

Matt was teaching Nicola a few chords on the guitar

Last night...

we had this box of Christmas goodies delivered to us last night from a sister in our ward at Church...

Packed full of Christmas treats and then some. We love our ward. They're awesome!!!

THAT is Christmas spirit right there...

I am hoping for one more gift before Christmas day... fingers crossed - I'm spending today at the Mornington markets walking up and down the main street trying to get this baby to make his move.

Merry Christmas!!!

Capsule Cover

Todays project is a capsule cover. My Mum and Rob bought us a capsule... THANKS Nan and Pop!!!

And so I got cracking right away and made a cover...
TA DA!

Made for the lil guy to keep off the germs and protect him from curious hands and keep a little light off if he's sleeping.

I wanted to make a seat cover today... BUT Matt advised me I'd been doing too much too soon and to take a break from crafts. I guess I can be a little eager... (nesting much?)

Holiday Spirit

I have found the most amazing blogs recently giving me so much inspiration to decorate and get onto so many DIY projects. This is todays one - my first Christmas decoration.

I found this frame at the tip shop for 50c... bargain.

Then I painted the frame white. Then I downloaded and printed the subway art from this blog eighteen25, a fantastic blog for craftaholics. I had to print it smaller so I bought a roll of recycled wrapping paper to add some texture.  I have to say mine doesn't look as snazzy as theirs, but I still love my Christmas frame.

Now on to some more projects to compliment this one. Happy decorating.

Appliqué kind of daé

Have been busily sewing and creating. Trying to stay indoors as much as possible owing to the heat, nothing to wear and swollen feet and hands. Yeah, I can't make a fist with my hands... lovely right?

My sister Cassie usually comes over 2 or 3 days out of the week and we just make things. This is what we made last week.

I had a bunch of plain onesies as gifts for the little man. We came up with some designs and used a little bit of scrap fabric that Mum had at her place and some leftovers from the bedding I had made.

This is what we did...

We used:
- Plain onesies
- double sided fusible web
- scrap fabric pieces
- iron
- scissors


Step 1: after we had our designs we cut it out in several different fabrics then pinned them to the fusible web and cutting it out to match the shape.

Step 2: We peeled off one side of the fusible web and ironed it to the fabric (we placed a cover over our fabric so it didn't stick to the iron)

Step 3: Then we placed the design onto the onesie

covered with scrap and ironed it to the onesie

and revealed. 

E voilà!... (well not quite - still need to stitch them on with the Janome.)

Can't wait till there's a little guy inside these...

I also made this wipes cover for my purse...

I have almost finished my car seat canopy - pictures to come...

Cas and I are thinking of starting our own little business. We've had a lot of facebook friends wanting things that we are making. Who knows - we can get started now and put it on hold for a few years, I'm sure we'll have our hands full pretty soon...

Thanksgiving

So Mum and Rob teach a 2 hour addiction recovery class every Thursday night, Matt has to get up pretty early between 5am & 6am for work (very proud of my non-morning husband) depending on where he is working, so we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Sunday afternoon.
Matt and I were in charge of the mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and candied yams. Cas was in charge of the lime jelly/jello and Mum was in charge of the turkey, stuffing and bread rolls.
Mum actually called me on Friday and referring to Matts facebook status asked "what are these bread rolls for Thanksgiving everyones talking about?" - so she made them from scratch for him.

It was the first time she had made them and they were a hit.

Matt finishing off the candied yams at Mums place

Table setting for the family

Mums brother Brendon and his son Caelin came over to join in the giving of thanks.

It was a really nice Thanksgiving. Before Matt blessed the food he shared the story with everyone about the first thanksgiving. Whilst enjoying our meal we took a turn and went around the table to share what we were thankful for this past year.

And for those of you who have a dishwasher be thankful that you didn't have to wash all of the pots and pans, dishes and dinnerware by hand.

...and what did we do on actual thanksgiving? I made Matt fish and chips and handed him a Bundaberg to wash it down with...

Green Card

Copied from a facebook message:

Well as you know I am on a green card, which means that I am intending to live and make a future for myself in America - according to Homeland Security! We have already paid $3,000 for mine etc. I knew I could travel as a green card holder but if you are out of the country for longer than 6 months at a time you will be questioned at the border and possibly denied entry. AWESOME!!! as to why you were away and you have to prove that you intend to live in the states with paprerwork showing accounts, bills, etc. If you are away for longer than a year as a green card holder you can pretty much kiss your green card goodbye, be denied entry and go through the whole application rigmarole again and as you abandoned your previous green card possibly be denied on the application and have spent $6000 at that point!!! There is no way I will abandon my green card status, basically we need to move back for another year and a half for me to be able to apply for citizenship. Which is what we need to do. My current green card expires in March and I got a letter sent to our US address stating I need to submit form I175 to apply for my 10 year green card along with $600 and attend another biometrics appointment and interview... OOPSIE I forgot, I'm in Australia!!! So I called them (skyped immigration actually, pretty stoked I could save on an international call - probably the only civilized service they offer) And was told that I have to return to the US as soon as possible. So I explained my situation, you know that I took a holiday to Australia and then it was too late being so pregnant to travel back and got stranded, and how the baby can't travel internationally until all of his immunisations have been done, and he's a certain age - and would it be ok to have Dr certificates and paperwork to prove this? Ma'am, you must return to the USA as soon as possible! ummm, yeah you said that - ok I get it! 
Called Aussie immigration, WAAAY more relaxed. As soon as Matt is granted his permanent residency here he can travel for up to FIVE years!!! As long as at the end of the five years he returns to do a 2 year stint he's ok! So basically we need to get my citizenship over and done with before we have too many kids to move around the world. Before I loose my visa status... and while Matt can travel without compromising his visa. HOWEVER he may not be granted status for a year from this December and will need permission via another application form to travel - but will need to be in Australia to receive his permanent residency!!! AWESOME! so it's a bit up in the air but we're thinking now we have to go back with NOTHING and live there temporarily to get my citizenship, then I can come and go with no drama. Then it would be his turn to get his Aussie citizenship so that we don't have to leave him at border security while we go hunting for crocs. We don't want to think about moving so soon, especially with the little man. I would probably have to work in the US to supplement our income, we don't really wanna do that AND we certainly can't afford to have our next baby in the US so... yeah! Basically we just don't want to be living in limbo for the next 5 years.


We're pretty chill about it and feel that whatever our plan is we'll figure it out! I have a lot of googling to do and forums to read... We're just going to enjoy the summer and our new friend due to arrive in 4 weeks.


But pretty much when I named this blog - I wasn't lying. Happy Thanksgiving!

The deadly Blue Tongued Lizard.

We had a visitor on our driveway the other day. A Blue Tongued Lizard. Cas moved him out of danger and off the driveway after which she phoned Matt at work asking him if he wanted a pet Lizard. 

Well she opted out of catching him - thankfully he was still on the lawn when Matt got back. 

Matt was scared of getting close incase he was bitten... Blue Tongued Lizards don't bite, they're harmless. But of course he had to look it up online to know for sure... I guess being in Australia he's worried about any living thing killing him. 

Baby Shower and Australian Pickers...

Over the weekend my sister Cas threw a baby shower for me and the bump! Matt made a dash for the door and hung out with Rob doing boy stuff like changing brake pads... fun?

We were going to have it at Mums place in the yard - but it was too hot to sit under the sun so we switched it to my place. Most of my Aussie friends live in Sydney so it was more of a family gathering, but I was lucky enough to have my friend Haylee fly down for the weekend to attend.

Haylee and I met in year 7 at Canterbury Girls High School and have been besties ever since

My Aunt and second cousins ran some hilarious games at the shower. It was a lot of fun!

This boy has a bigger shoe collection than me... 

Really sweet of Haylees sister, Felecia to send a gift down. 

What's left of the diaper cake

Rachel and Julia, two lovely girls I used to teach dance to before I moved O.S

Haylee and I prior to the baby food eating comp where I ended up with baby food spat all over me...
Better get used to it huh?

My Grandmas bff Robyn was able to come and spend the day with us. I've known her my whole life

Once a year the surrounding suburbs have 'hard rubbish' taken by the council. People have the opportunity to throw out large pieces of household items for the council to take away for free. That is when the ninjas come out (a.k.a normal folk such as ourselves)! We live amongst some affluent areas and when these people are done with their mega new flat screen TV or barely used BBQ they leave it out on the street. We on the other hand dress in black and go out under the cover of darkness in Utes to see what we can find. My aunt Nat drove and we were all on the look out with flashlights. In the past things that have gone from trash to treasure are LCD flat screens, BBQs, lounge suites, all sorts of furniture etc... this is what we scored:

YEP! for Fahreee! Washed the covers cleaned it up and love our new sectional!
Still has the care instructions on it

We also got a HUGE outdoor umbrella for our table in our yard and 2 strollers. A 3 wheeler and a buggy that retails around $500. Just need to take off all of the covers and wash them - nothing was wrong at all with either - believe me, we were picky!