Hello Earl my old friend!

Well, I made it through the week with not even a milo crumb passing my lips, and while I would love to say that I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and achievement in my self and my will power, or even an urge to continue on this sacrafice for the greater good (of what I am not sure, 'cause it sure wasn't the greater good of sleeping) all I felt was a craving for a Caramello Koala.  And while the sleeping experiment was a fizzer, at least it is something I can wipe off my never-ending to do list.  OK, so going a week without chocolate and tea was never actually on my to do list, but sometimes I like to mix up the order a bit by doing something, then adding it to the list, then crossing it off - it makes the list look a bit healthier....Please tell me I am not the only one who does this....

And here is me with my first cup of tea and a block of Dairy Milk!  I already had the Caramello Koala before Rach arrived to have a cup of tea with me! 

And after 7 days of grumbling about about having no chocolate or tea (I know it is really nothing to complain about) I thought I would look on the brighter side of things and list 7 things that made me smile and not so grumbly-

1. The funny things Willow has been saying and doing.  I am going to dedicate a whole post one day to this topic, because there is just to many, and I want to be able to remember them down the track.  It is guaranteed though that she will come out with something that will make me giggle at least once a day....even if it is when she is laying in bed and should be asleep!
2. The way you can tell that Lottie just loves Willow.  She searches her out in a room and her eyes and smile just couldn't get any bigger when she finds her.  I have given up telling Willow to be gentle with her, becuase Lottie laughs harder the harder Willow plays.  And Lottie is quite fond of her hair to!  Yep, they are going to be Best Friends.
3. My new red owl T-Shirt.  My very lovely friend Michelle, found a T-Shirt that she loved, but thought that I might love it more so she gave it to me!  How nice is that!
4. Watching Home Movies.  Teann, Michelle and I had a night at home and instead of watching the movie that we were meant to watch, somehow we got distracted watching everything that was on my video camera since our Cairns Trip (Otherwise known as the Holiday from Hell because Willow was sick for the first and only time) last November.  And oh my Gosh, I did not realise how much Willow has changed since then.  And as much as I love having this to look back when they are all big, it doesn't even come close to capturing their real life wonderfulness.
5. Free Fonts. I found a really really cool free font site one night.  Mat didn't quite share my enthusiasm though and refused to look after my 3rd "Oh wow, look at this one!"  But just in case anybody else is excited by fonts here is the link I also have a few other sites to browse at thanks to the thoughtfulness of an old friend.  Thanks Emma!
6. Sunny Winters Days.  It has been so sunny, I wouldn't go as far to say warm, but it has been sunny enough to be able to go out in the fresh air for a while!
7. Chamomile Tea and Carrot Cake.  OK, not really, but they have played their role in getting me through the week, and we did have fun making the carrot cake.  Thanks Anah for doing the neighbourly thing and bringing the icing sugar!

Well that is it for a little while now!  The next post will be showing off my Baby Shower Invitations, in the meantime I will be hanging with Lo & Lot!

Days 4 & 5....

2 more days down without chocolate and tea…or improved sleep. If anything I think I have possibly found a link between chocolate, tea consumption and the immune system, as we are all a little worse for wear at the moment, particularly Lottie who has an awful cough. And even though my little sleep experiment has failed dismally, I am sticking to the 7 day ban just so that I can say that it is possible and so that I never have to do it again. Tomorrow is Saturday, and that is going to be tricky, because Saturday at the football has been dubbed as Designated Junk Food Day. I am on the countdown- only 2 more days!


Willow and I baked a carrot cake today to get me through these last 2 days.

Fake Smile!

Taking “we’ll put the egg in next” literally.

 

Sneaking some carrot!

Meanwhile over the last few days Lottie has got lost (and when I mean lost I mean she is nowhere near where I left her in the lounge room.  She can usually be found hard up against a chair).  She is such a little roller now!

And on some Lo & Lot Creations news, my first client Siah’s wedding invitations and RSVP postcards have been sent to the printers and we are loving how they have tuned out and I am mega mega excited about a website I found with AWESOME FREE fonts. Woohoo!

Day 3...

No tea have I drunk or chocolate have I ate, and that is all I am posting because it is getting too late!

And clearly it is messing with my head....

Day 2

Two days down (almost) and I would love to say that I am cruising through this, but honestly if I had a dollar for each time I have been tempted I would be on my way to Disneyland with the girls!  Grocery shopping last night was particularly painful, and Packed to the Rafters tonight is just not going to be the same without an Earl and Choc.  It is already affecting my social life too.  Teann usually comes over of a Tuesday night while the guys are at football training, but has decided to stay at home tonight so that she can indulge without having to feel guilty. 

On a positive note though, I have been playing around with an absolutely gorgeous Little Gnome Girl party theme.  Loving it to bits!  Hopefully I will be able to post soon, but in the meantime, here are a couple of Jungle themed (to match their bedrooms) name prints that I have done for some friends.  My Jungle Clips were purchased from Goodness & Fun.

And last night Lottie had her first try of solids!  Here are some absolutely shocking photos of her eating her rice cereal.  It doesn't look like it in the photos but she thought it was great, but apparently found it a bit hard to keep her eyes open and eat at the same time...

Day 1....Wish me luck!

Anybody who knows me knows that I love a cup of tea (preferably Earl Grey) and I love chocolate. I would choose sitting down on the couch with an Earl and some chocolate over most things. Throw in something to read (book, catalogues, magazine…I’m not fussy here) and I am in heaven. But this week my motto is “Cup of tea and chocolate free”.


I have two simple rules-


1) The only tea I am allowed to drink is Chamomile


2) No chocolate may pass these lips. Not even a chocolate coated Teddy Bear Biscuit.


And then at the end of this week, if by any chance Lottie is sleeping any better, I have one very big decision to make. Sleep or my tea and chocolate stash back….

And while I am not eating choc (as Willow calls it) or having an Earl I’ll have to indulge in another habit of mine….Lo and Lot Creations!

Speaking of, here is Lottie’s Thank you card and the boy version too!

And finally, we had a litle family trip to Hobart on Saturday.  It was a beautifuly sunny winters day to browse the Salamanca Market and I scored some gorgeous little hair bands from Apooki's stall at Mathilda's Market. 

Heres Willow sitting up in the pram while Lottie had a little nap underneath.  Smile!

Take 2 of this thing called blogging...

Well in typical Kisha style I have started everything and finished nothing on my never ending to do list, hence the neglect of this blog. But I do intend on posting a little more often from now on, starting from tonight. Starting from tonight because today has been a lazy not putting a foot out the front door day with my girls, and I have finally had a few moments to sit down with a cup of “earl” and some leftover “Owl Cake” and catch my thoughts. Because, wowsers, what a busy couple of days (…weeks, months…) Good busy days filled with family, friends and food. Starting with Friday night when I bribed the Graham family with dinner so that I could have some one on one time with computer extraordinaire Markus, setting me up with all I need to know (and forget) on how to create the Lo & Lot Creations website. Another thing on my to do list started and very far from finished! But it will be and I am looking forward to putting the stuff I have been working on out there. Willow had a great time playing with Zane and dancing with Jade, as Lottie looked on. I love watching her play with other kids!

Saturday was a day at home with just Lottie, as Mat took Willow to the football with him so that I could have a day baking. And with only one egg smashed on the floor by the end of the day, I was most impressed with my efforts!

My parents held a Christmas in July lunch on Sunday, complete with carols decorations and the friends that would usually spend Christmas with their own families. And way too much food. The day continued into the night as it always does for things like this, and in lieu of the wine that I still can’t drink (feeding Lottie) I ate way too many chocolate truffles (but probably could have gotten away with the wine instead considering the amount of liqueurs that were in them). Making those truffles one day has definitely been added to my never ending to do list!

And instead of being able to come home to relax like a normal Christmas day, we came home to a cake and cupcakes that needed to be decorated, lolly bags to be filled, banner to be hung and presents to be wrapped….for Willow’s 2nd Birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FLOPSY!!!
Man, I could go on with all of the clichés about how it only feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago that she was born, but all I will say is that I have loved more in the last two years that ever before. I love everything about Miss Willow and the way she loves me in return.

The day started slowly, with the birthday girl not rising until after 9 after her big day the day before, but with her “friends party” kicking off at 10.30, things soon turned into a rush of opening presents, preparing food, practicing saying “Thankyou” (although when it came time people were lucky to get a “ta”) and doing a last minute tidy up (which I knew was going to be pointless but did anyway). The party went by in a whirl squealing contests, balls kicked up and down the hallway next to the room where Lottie miraculously slept, dashes to the food table (except for Willow who spent a long stint there) and lots of tired little toddlers rubbing their eyes by the end.

With “friends party” over, we were left with some time to have a play with the new toys before the start of the “family party” that night, and the cutting of the “Owl Cake” (which was one of the first things she asked for when she woke in the morning). Gosh she got a lot of presents, and they are still sitting on display now as I type, ready for the in with the new, out with the old sorting of the toy boxes.
And to make this post relevant to Lo & Lot Creations, here are some pics of the things I made for Willow’s “Owl Party”!

Cupcake toppers

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLOW" Banner

Lolly bag toppers

Banner, invitation, lolly bag, cupcake toppers

Pencil with Owl toppers for boys

Owl hairclips for girls

The Happy Family

The Post-Party Meltdown

And on a side note, Christmas in July got me thinking, only five more months to the real Christmas, which is by far my most favourite time of the year! Can’t wait to start on some designs for Photo Christmas Cards and personalised Chrissy Pressy tags!

***And if anybody was particularly observant and noticed that the day and time of this post does not match what I have wrote, then yep, wrote the post last night and Willow woke up and needed “Mumma” to go back to sleep. So turning two obviously hasn’t helped her sleeping habits and things still don’t always go to plan. And now we are off to another 2nd birthday party!