The days of Christmas

I'm going to preempt this post with a confession - I'm not religious.

I respect that others are and that I have in part hijacked their special time of the year and made it my own.
Christmas to me is an opportunity for those I hold nearest and dearest to get together and share time & space with each other - whether it's in person, by card or via a phone call.
We give gifts as a token of our love & respect for each other. Recognising that others are doing the same thing on the same day with perhaps differing agendas however still deserving of our respect because today is the day everyone is thankful - well that's how I see it anyway.

Day 1
Christmas Day at Home

It's mostly about the children -
listening to them count down the days then tell you they can't sleep cause they're too excited,
being woken by their squeals of delight as they discover Santa has been,
watching their delighted faces as they pick through their Santa Sack,
then making them wait to open the presents under the tree!
Never mind Stella had been awake since 5:30 plundering her Santa Sack there was no way she was moving too far from that Christmas Tree.

We all did very well in the present receiving & giving departments

with special moments

shared moments



the perfect amount of thought



and TOO much food!



The girls would've been just as happy to have their brother gift wrapped or not!

and the three of them 
in the same place at the same time 

is all the Christmas we needed

Day Two
Boxing Day at Bicton Baths

This is fast becoming a Bruyn-Lange family tradition.
While the rest of Perth took advantage of the Boxing Day sales we virtually had this part of the river to ourselves.



the cousins came



and a friend



Yesterday I took the girls to a shopping centre and let them loose - they had gift cards and money burning holes in their pockets!

Now we're home enjoying our spoils, 
doing chores, relishing the air conditioned comfort of home & studio 
while anticipating a day at the races, catching up with family & friends, 
shed building, studio organising 
and some serious DVD watching.

PINS

Sometimes we need all the help we can get
and more often than not it's the small gestures of support that make the most difference

I often find parallels within my sewing life & my normal life.
while sewing a couple of silk chiffon outfits for a client 
I was reminded of the importance of pins

I only use them when I have to
and I'd be lost without them

Just like my pins help in tricky situations
I've loyal people I know I can call on in times of need

and as I say thanks to those people 
I'd also like to thank whoever it was that invented the pin 
'cause without them sewing really would be a bitch!

Bounty

I'll admit to winging the whole vege gardener thing

as much as I love being able to wander out the front and pick produce every morning 

it really is a full-time job 

which means anything that makes inside 

is down to luck rather than good management or a green thumb

Life here the past few weeks has helped to fine tune any management skills I might have had...
Dan & I have moved rooms (bitter-sweet) 
air conditioners are in (traumatic) 
furniture has been bought (yay for ebay) workshops are filling for 2010 (emails flying in & out) 
and then there's Christmas - ahhhhhhh!

Once upon a time....

Sometimes the princess in me needs to see the fairy tale from another angle

I always find this fractured look at a timeless tale refreshing so I'm sharing it 'cause I know I can't be the only one....

Once upon a time
in a land far away

a beautiful independent, self-assured princess
happened upon a frog

as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the
shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow
near her castle

the frog hopped into the princess's lap and said
"Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper young prince that I am
and then my sweet,
we can marry
and set up housekeeping
in your castle with my mother
where you can prepare meals,
clean my clothes,
bear my children
and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night as the princess dined sumptuously on lightly sauteed frog legs
seasoned in white wine and onion cream sauce
she chuckled and thought to herself...

I don't f....ing think so.

Unfortunately I'm unable to credit this to an actual person as it turned up in a forwarded email
however to the author if you're out there
from all of us here
BRAVO
it made my day! 

2010 - Here I Come!

This is what I mean when I say 'sure as eggs' - it took a week from being a tiny seed of a thought in my (tiny) brain to being 500 finished brochures that needed picking up from the printers!

(click to look inside)

I'm thrilled with how the brochure presents
and seems to be working 
 as I'm getting a steady flow of interested people booking classes

I am soooo excited to be able to share what I do with everyone in the comfort of my studio - creating magic behind french doors with morning tea under the Jacaranda & maybe lunch under the Peppermint - 
huh who am I kidding once the girls get started they don't want to stop, not even to eat!
It's been a dream for a very loooong time so when opportunity knocked I grabbed it and now I'm not letting go!
There's still a bit to do before I'm ready however I've already arranged the furniture in my mind (half of which I don't have yet!) 
and there's Christmas to get through but having already proved on numerous occasions that all is possible 
I'm very excited for the 8.1.10!

Dan

He doesn't get a mention much 
but as sure as eggs aren't apples 
I wouldn't be doing this without him

and the girls 
wouldn't get delivered to a feed of slaters every arvo if it wasn't for him.

9

Stella had her 9th birthday
and
all she wanted was a bike

her friends

& family

to share the day.