Ten Years

Last week, my husband and I celebrated ten years of marriage. I know, ten years!

We went and had a sensational and romantic dinner  at The Black Cow. A very parent-y dinner date it was - we were at the restaurant by 6.30, to Gran's to pick up the kids by 9pm, home by 9.30pm and we still felt like we'd had a big night out. 

What a wild, mundane, busy, boring, fabulous and hard ten years its been. That's the thing about marriage isn't it? - in sickness and in health, in good times and bad times and we have had our heapin' helpin' of both. We are true friends and we laugh and laugh and fight like teenagers. And I still think he is a fox even if he is becoming a silver fox.

So here are ten facts about our marriage, just for the hell of it.

1. Once we went out for Valentine's Day to Hungry Jacks and we had the "Jack and Jill' special, except I had the "Jack' meal and he had the "Jill".   

2. He agreed to marry me on the condition that he didn't have to speak at the wedding. (Oh, the shy luthier)

3. The luthier was made to speak at the wedding.

4. The night I convinced him to propose ( well, that's how it was and there is no point pretending otherwise) we went and saw the Adam Sandler classic "The Wedding Singer"

5. We were married at Strathlynn on 24th April 1999. 

6. Our wedding was the best wedding we have ever been too. It was a bloody hoot.

7. My sister sang the Burt Bacarach classic " The Look of Love" at our wedding, even though we hadn't asked her to, and the whole room joined in, and now we consider it 'our song'. 

8. Our marriage has produced 3 children, all of whom experienced genetic disorders/birth defects in the first months of life. 

9. The luthier and I are not cousins.

10. We ALWAYS fight over small and petty tasks in a very immature "you do it, no you do it' kind of style.  By the time we had 'negotiated' who was going to get up to settle the baby, the poor child had usually gone back to sleep.  We always make up.

Our lives together seem to be slowly but certainly moving ahead towards exactly all the things we sat up night after night dreaming of ten years ago. How lucky are we?

Crafting and Thrifting

When I started this blog, all those years ago, I did have secret ambitions to craft. I secretly wanted to become a crafty blogger. Such goddesses of crafty blogs as Aunty Cookie and the like were to look out, for here I was to come!

Unfortunately, this was about all I could come up with. In the area of craft and design I turned out to have not much more than a few baby blankies in me. Only one of which I photographed and blogged about. And thus, forsaken by talent and inspiration, my blog turned into an occasional blurt about family and such like.  Well, times they are a-changin', my bloggy friends, for I have found me a craft coven and we are making some beautiful magic together.

Led by the AMAZING crafter extraordinaire - Eve and the inspiration of Mrs B. of Loz and Dinny fame, Mrs W. and I are learning to explore and expand our inner-nanna's horizons. 

Last week our lino cuts were inspired. Mrs B's can be seen here, and my little birdies came out a treat. Well, not bad for a lino cut virgin I thought. 

When I got home from a blissful evening of craft I found this note from my 8 year old son. 

It reads: 

Dear Mum you are the 

star of my life. You love me and cer for me.

Love you no how ( you know who)

Happy sigh.

Today Mrs B led me on a thrifting adventure and now I own a bona fide craft basket (ok it may have been a picnic basket in its prior life but now its a craft basket).  Nothing like the incredible finds to be seen here  at the Willy Wagtail giveaway, but pretty sweet to me.