A Little Bit Sensitive

A New Blog for Me!

2009-08-18T20:36:00.001+10:00

I have started a brand-new blog for all my crafty adventures! I would love to see you there!

I will still be posting here about my personal life, when it so takes my fancy!

My Son the Bag Lady

2009-07-31T09:12:00.003+10:00

Truman (7yo) is a funny little packrat, in that he loves nothing more than to collect random bits and pieces and then cart them around with him in any type of receptacle he can get his hands on.

This morning before school he was carrying 5 books and 3 plastic shopping bags full of stuff around, laying them down carefully at every stop on the "get ready for school" trail. He has done this since he was co-ordinated enough to walk and carry at the same time. He rarely actually plays with his spoils; he just prefers to carry them around and lay them beside his bed at night to keep them safe.

Today his treasures are:

Books - Pirateology, Egyptology, Hop on Pop, Are You My Mother? and Horton Hears A Who
His teddy bear with one eye
A mini Connect Four game
A very long bendy pencil
A sharpener
A geometry set
A "Harrods" tin money box containing $1.05
His wallet containing his behaviour bucks
2 pens
2 toy motorbikes
1 toy aeroplane
1 toy helicopter
21 toy cars

We're looking at therapy.

SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-30T14:07:00.011+10:00

I WON SOMETHING!!! ME!!! I ACTUALLY WON!!!

I WON ONE OF THESE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's a fat quarter bundle of TEN fat quarters from the new range, "Grandmother's Flower Garden" by the talented Rosalie Quinlan!!!! (I hope she doesn't mind me pinching her photo for this post...) I am sooo excited my hands are actually shaking!! I NEVER win things, ESPECIALLY not things this SCRUMPTIOUS!!!

I worked out that if I wanted to buy these at my local quilting shop they would be $6 per fat quarter, which equals $60 all up!!!!! And the bestest part is, if $60 just landed in my lap, this is EXACTLY what I would buy with it!! (If it were all mine and I didn't have to spend it on "responsible" things.) BUT GUESS WHAT!!! Amazingly, you can't even buy this new range in the stores yet!! Imagine: ME having something EXCLUSIVE in my home!??!! That never happens!

I usually get so jealous when I read blogs. People posting stuff like, "oh I bought this set of fat quarters and yards of this fabric" etc etc...when I have to scrounge up a few dollars every week to get my tiny fabric fix. Well, today I don't have to be jealous, because I am the lucky one, who hit the jackpot with this set of TEN fat quarters!

Anyways, I am rabbiting on, I am so excited!! I have no idea what I am going to make...I will probably just set the fabric on my table and look at it for a while in amazement!

THANK YOU ROSALIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Fish, A Kitty and a Little Boxy Pouch

2009-07-27T09:52:00.010+10:00

I've nearly finished taking photos of the things I've made, the others I haven't taken photos of yet as they were gifts. Are other sewers/crafters like me, in that you give away at least 50% of the things you make?

The most recent thing I made was this little boxy pouch, which I made following this free tutorial. It is über cute to look at, but I think I would prefer to have things lined. The next pouch I make will be lined so that it is stiffer and there are no seams inside to be seen. I used some Baskets of Flowers charm squares - I love love love this fabric! Squee!

This was also my first time sewing a zip. I found it easier than I thought. I didn't bother with the zipper foot, just used the walking foot and it worked like a charm.

I recently made my second softie (my first was these birds), which was a kitty I made from a pattern in a book I borrowed from the library. It didn't turn out like the one in the book, waaah. I figured out afterwards it was because I used cotton and the instructions said to use cotton jersey, which has a lot more stretch in it, and made the shapes rounder when stuffed. Ah well.

This kitty watches over me while I sleep. Kinda creepy really. :D

Kitty sits by this cute porcelain girl which was given to me by my mum and dad when I was a little girl. She was originally fixed atop a small jewellery box, but my niece ~~broke it~~ freed her from this bondage!

Last thing I wanna share is this fishy I made. After making some snakes for my boys, my youngest asked me repeatedly to make him a fish. I saw these awesome fish by Melly & Me and decided I'd try to make the bigger fish by looking at the picture. Ok, ok, I realised afterward this may be some kind of copyright infringement or something - I don't really know what the rules are here. I just saw something I liked and tried to copy it. Am I naughty?

Anyway, here's the fishy, which my son LOVES. You can tell now by looking at it because it's all dirty. It's been dragged everywhere. I must try to wash it but I'm clueless about washing toys. Will the polyfill bunch up in globs if I submerge it? I know not.

I must admit I was pretty pleased with my attempt here. Though I feel guilty now about the copying thing...does anyone know the rules? I have decided it might be better to either use a purchased pattern or design my own stuff. Which is why my first doll which I'm currently making is something I designed myself.

Well, enough rambling for one day. My hubby just brought home some custard tart, which is my absolute favourite!! I must go now and ~~pig out~~ enjoy the culinary delights!

So What's All This About Then, Eh?

2009-07-26T08:56:00.005+10:00

Looks like those Lost folks have some entertainment for us Lost geeks during the hiatus. Yes please!!

A Wall Organiser for our Kindy Teachers

2009-07-21T22:29:00.003+10:00

I just wanted to share a few pics of this wall organiser I made for the teachers at Vera Lacaze Kindergarten & Preschool. All 3 of my kids went there, for a total of 5 years of attendance. This was my little way of saying thank you! (Please excuse the shocking photos, I took them very late at night after I had finished making it.)

For this top portion I made up a design using digital scrapbooking elements, printed it onto high-res paper and glued it onto a Kaisercraft wooden hanging album piece.

Here is the front of the top hanger portion as I designed it on the computer:

This is the back of the top hanger portion: a little note of thanks and the years of attendance of each of my three boys.

I love designing things with digital scrapbooking elements! I should make pretties more often and stick them onto wood, it always looks so good. I'll have to come up with some ideas of ways to incorporate this into practical items!

"Woodland Bloom" Bag

2009-07-21T16:01:00.005+10:00

I made this bag by basically upscaling the Blue Wren's Nest pattern, making it the second bag I have ever made! I had a yummy yummy pack of charm squares of Woodland Bloom by the awesome Lila Tueller. I sewed the charm squares into nine patch blocks then cut them into quarters to make disappearing nine patches. It was my first attempt at making boxed corners and they turned out rather fabulously!

I used an old baby blanket for interfacing and used plain calico for the lining. I'm very happy with how it turned out! I took these photos today, after having used it for the last month or so. It has withstood my rather careless attitude to my belongings very nicely!

Here's a piccy of the other side of the bag:

It's quite fun making bags. You can carry a little piece of your own creativity with you everywhere you go!

Blue Wren's Nest Mini Tote

2009-07-15T09:53:00.009+10:00

This is a little tote I made from the (free!) pattern by Natalie Lymer - Blue Wren's Nest. I adore Natalie's stitcheries. So delicate, whimsical and pretty, all at the same time! This little bag is 18cm (7") high, and I love it all the more because of its tinyness. Anything is cuter when it's small!

I was reminded again while taking photos of this bag that taking photos of things is different to taking photos of people. I'm not exactly sure how yet, or what I have to do differently, I just know I'm never as happy with my things photos as I am with my people photos. Hmmm...

Trying Not To Be Perfect

2009-07-13T13:05:00.006+10:00

I've been away for quite a while. I needed a break. My blog was becoming a burden as I was trying too hard to make it perfect, have every awesome feature and, most of all, I felt like I was writing for others instead of myself. I can't let my blog become a burden, I want it to be fun and happiness and sunshine and lollypops! I'm going to write when I feel like it, share just what I want to and try really hard NOT to be perfect!

On another note, I've been doing a lot of sewing lately, and I've been really pleased with some of the things I've made. I really want to share what I've been doing and the progress I'm making. It will be interesting to look back in a few years to see my learning to sew journey!

As soon as I take photos of the things I've made I'll be uploading them. That always seems to be the part I miss - the photo of the finished product!

A Day for Eye Candy

2009-05-15T23:25:00.004+10:00

I hope everyone enjoyed my latest 7 Days Series - "7 Days of Silence". Heh. I guess I haven't had the most outstanding week of my life, these darn blue colours keep following me around wanting to swallow me. Bleugh. Today I felt somewhat improved however, and hope those little ne'er-do-well blues will leave me alone for a while.

Today I went with my two sisters to the Stitches and Craft Show at the Toowoomba Showgrounds. There was a lot of eye candy and cuteness to be had, not least of all among some of the smaller members of my extended family!

After my younger sister (Theresa) and I arrived at the show, we met up with my older sister (Maria). Here is her little daughter, Claire, in the most heartbreakingly cute outfit. I cursed my husband then and there for the olympic swimming capabilities of his Y-chromosome carrying sperm!

After meeting up we proceeded to peruse. My favourite stall was the Patchwork Angel stall, with heavenly stitchery and patchwork such as this.

I saw the pattern for the most scrumptious quilt I think I have ever seen, which I posted about in February.

I thought this was a cute little stitchery. Simple and sweet.

Cute, cute, cute! Theresa couldn't take her eyes off this little quilt pattern, and ended up buying it.

After a lot of oohing and ahhing over the patterns and materials, we strolled around the corner, and looked with great curiosity upon this quilting machine. Well, we thought it was a quilting machine. It is actually a quilting frame, which you can use with your own machine! The picture isn't very clear, but it's essentially a frame to hold your fabric, another frame to hold your sewing machine, and a hand throttle mechanism which squeezes the pedal. It has a guiding device at the front which you can fit into the grooves of a template so that you can quilt with perfection. Theresa and I were absolutely instantly in love. We found out it would set us back a cool $2800 (ish), and we both set to dreaming about an occasion which may materialise in which we would have this kind of cash to play with. Fantastic invention.

Next was more perusing. Maria has done some sewing, but not a whole lot. However, once she saw this wall-hanging she decided she loved it too much not to make it. She handed the pattern to the stall attendant and said, "Can you please get me everything on this list?" My knees just about buckled, until I realised this wasn't happening to me, and I was merely a bystander in this dream-like scenario. I won't divulge the final cost of course, but suffice it to say the penny was very pretty indeed.
Maria told me her 9 y.o. son is learning to knit, so he will be able to knit the little pieces the sheep are working on. Isn't that really cool?

While I enjoyed the show, I didn't have two bucks to rub together so I didn't look very hard. The temptation was too painful! I was extremely lucky, however, to have two über cute distractions in the forms of my nephew, Mr. Lincy, and my niece, Miss Claire Bear!

Thanks to my newly jailbroken iPhone I was able to take a couple of videos today (with the Cycorder app) so that I could share the cuteness!

This is Theresa with Claire, who was being very funny and eating Theresa, but who mostly stopped this as soon as I started recording. I was holding Lincoln while I was recording, who is also stunned into shyness by having the camera pointed at him. (This behaviour must be an unwritten code of babies and kids.)

After the show we had lunch at the shopping centre, where Claire was being a gigglepot, and Lincoln was having the best time making as much noise as possible! Lincoln reminded me of a definition I read of boys once:
boys (noun): Noise with dirt on it.

I just love being an aunty with older kids. I have two nephews and one niece. My older nephew was born 10 days after my own first child, so during that time I was too focused on my own baby to really enjoy my nephew. Which is all well and good. But now that I've had three boys of my own, and my youngest is nearly five (eek!), and I've discovered that it's so much fun to be able to enjoy my baby niece and baby nephew without worrying about a baby of my own. This must be almost what grandparent-hood is like - no wonder grandparents rave about it!

I'll be back very soon with my next 7 Days Series. Until then, enjoy the cuteness in your life!

I Took His Hand and Followed

2009-05-08T23:44:00.006+10:00

My dishes went unwashed today
I didn't make the bed
I took his hand and followed
Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring
My little son and I...
Exploring all the great outdoors
Beneath the summer sky.

We waded in a crystal stream,
We wandered through a wood...
My kitchen wasn't swept today
But life was gay and good.

We found a cool, sun-dappled glade
And now my small son knows,
How mother bunny hides her nest,
Where Jack-in-the-pulpit grows.

We watched a robin feed her young,
We climbed a sunlit hill...
Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,
We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,
That I didn't sweep the stairs,
In twenty years no one on earth
Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy
To noble manhood grow,
In twenty years the whole wide world
May look and see and know.

~ Author Unknown

7 Days of Happy Moments: Day 7 - Choice

2009-05-04T23:38:00.004+10:00

7 Days of Happy Moments: Day 6 - Having Things To Look Forward To

2009-05-03T23:00:00.015+10:00

Today I think I woke up on the wrong side of bed. Or perhaps just getting out of bed was a mistake. I was pretty grumpy today, and felt sorry for anyone who made the mistake of stumbling onto my path. However, a trip to Mum's with the kids was just the ticket I needed to feel better. While there, Isaiah and Pappy watched Top Gear and drank Milo, Truman played with the car set, and Elijah jumped on Nan's trampoline and chattered his little head off! We took a trip down the paddock to see a dead fox, had a chin-wag under the trees, and I cuddled little Flea (Mum's chihauhau) in my warm jacket to stop his little teeth chattering.

After this visit I was feeling somewhat normal again, and I found it was because I was starting to feel more optomisitic about the day. From then on, I started to look forward to all the things I could do if I wanted to. And I realised it didn't really matter if I didn't do all of them, or even any of them - the wonderful thing about having things to look forward to, is that the anticipation and dreaming can often be more exciting than the actual activity! Possibilities make me happy!

Here are some of the things I looked forward to doing today:

Well, I'm still looking forward to that last one. My youngest son woke up coughing like a seal an hour ago and hasn't been back to bed yet. It was impossible for him to sleep so he's quietly watching Crocodile Hunter. Aren't I lucky that I can still look forward to crawling into my big, comfy, warm bed later on? Well, that's how I choose to look at it today!

Photohunt: Walking

2009-05-02T21:05:00.009+10:00

My nephew, Lincoln, is learning how to walk. I just adore this little fella! He's turning one in two days, and I feel so privileged to have been a part of his life since his birth.

Can you tell his Mummy is proud of her little boy?

Love you so much Lincy! (Lincy's Mummy: Please pass on this message for me, with lots of wet kisses and big skwuzzles from Aunty Skeb Skeb!)

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Photohunt

7 Days of Happy Moments: Day 5 - The Love of Family

2009-05-02T20:04:00.002+10:00

I've been pretty busy for a few days, and haven't been able to update my blog, but you guys don't mind if my 7 Days Series aren't always consecutive days, right? Good. Let's continue then!

My husband left this morning as he is attending what may be loosely termed a "music" concert tonight. His best mate bought him a ticket and a bunch of them are at Brisbane tonight to see Air Supply. As my hubby was heading out the door, he cheekily said to me, "I'll buy you an Air Supply shirt." To which I replied, "Please don't."

After a busy day rearranging some of my furniture and tidying up, my three boys and I headed over to my sister and her partner's house for a visit. I was looking forward to seeing them as well as my nephew whom I adore. I imagined it would also be a great opportunity for my boys to have a play with their baby cousin, run around the big backyard, and tucker themselves out so that dinner time and bed time would be hassle free without my hubby here.

My sister (Theresa) and her partner (Stanley) are always great with the boys, and make sure they feel welcome at their house. They suggested we take a trip to the park down the road. So we headed off, and I was grateful for the opportunity for the boys to be outside and let off some steam. Uncle Stan and Aunty Weet kicked a footy around with Truman and the other two kids played on the play equipment.

10 minutes in the whinging started. 4 y.o. wanted a turn on the swing. 9 y.o. wouldn't share his toy cars with 6 y.o. who wanted to race them down the slide as well. 4 y.o. stopped swinging and needed more pushing. 9 y.o. was bored. 4 y.o. was thirsty. All three were bickering with each other (which is not unusual). 9 y.o. wanted to go home. NOW. 6 y.o. refused to go home. 4 y.o. wanted another turn on the swing. 6 y.o. hated me. And on. And on. And on.

When we got back to my sister's house I was on the verge of tears. WHY must they spoil what should have been a wonderfully happy little play in the park? HOW is it fair? WHY are they ALWAYS fighting? (This is the question which most likely will give me an aneurysum. Probably soon.) I gathered up the boys' things at the house and with much effort convinced (threatened) them to get in the car so we could go home.

I said goodbye to Theresa, Stanley and Lincoln with the half-hearted wave of a mother dancing on the edge. I was almost to my car when I heard my sister call my name. She asked me if we would like to stay for dinner. She said we could have spag bog., the boys could play Playstation and she would make them promise to behave. I burst into tears and she hugged me (which is saying a lot, as she doesn't particularly like hugs). I rambled on with my little "Life is unfair" speech before I very gratefully accepted her offer.

The evening was lovely after that. There were a few minor squabbles, but the boys knew that Uncle Stan was serious when he said he had a naughty corner and wasn't afraid to use it! The boys played the Playstation, we had a DE-LI-CIOUS dinner, we watched parts of Funniest Home Videos, we played with little Lincy and were amazed at how quickly he is learning to walk. (Uncle Stan also gave me one of his Bundy & Coke cans which added a bit of amiability to my mood!)

Elijah fell asleep on the way home, and the other two kids watched the end of Spy Kids on TV then went to bed without a single complaint!

I cannot fully express how grateful I am for the love shown to me this evening by Theresa and Stanley. I'm sure it would have been much easier for them to see me off then enjoy a quiet night with their son. This willingness to sacrifice is the love that families share, and I am extremely happy that I experienced it today.

7 Days of Happy Moments: Day 4 - Twitter....yes,really.

2009-04-29T23:17:00.009+10:00

Not really Twitter itself. (I'd never give a corporate endorsement...except for money. Ha.) My happy moment today came from my Twitter friends. People I've never met, but are kind of a concoction of images in my mind from a bunch of words on an iPhone screen. But on the other side of that shallow representation are real people, with real lives and real hearts. Sometimes in the black hole of the Twitterverse where your little updates are sucked into the universe of flotsam and Hypercolor shirts, it is awfully nice to have some thoughtful human response.

I was feeling a bit crappy about my blog today, and packed up a little tweet to prepare to be sucked into that black hole to the "forgotten place".

However, this little tweet was determined not to be forgotten!

You know what? I was inspired. By 4 kind people who took the time to express their encouragement in 140 characters or less. I am constantly amazed at the power of positive words - and I learned today the power of them doesn't differentiate between the mediums used to express them.

Thank you to my @ friends, for giving me my happy moment today.

If This Doesn't Make You Hungry...

2009-04-29T17:17:00.005+10:00

Foodgawker's most favourited recipes of all time.

Click the image to be magically transported to the recipe...

7 Days of Happy Moments: Day 3 - Sunshine

2009-04-28T18:52:00.005+10:00

This afternoon I was sitting outside. I had completed most of my housework and was having a rest and a cold cordial. The sun was shining. I could hear the builder's radio across the street intermingled with his busy work. My neighbour was pulling weeds from his garden. People do stuff when it's sunny - whether it's working or playing, or just resting for a few moments like I was. I love sunshine, and it made my happy moment for today.

7 Days of Happy Moments: Day 2 - My Son Learns About Honesty

2009-04-27T19:06:00.009+10:00

This morning Isaiah (9) did something spiteful to his brother, Truman (6). We had been planning on having a swim this evening and the boys had each been given the "3 chances" rule. (Ie. If you break the rules 3 times, you don't get to go swimming.)

Rick and I weren't very happy with his behaviour, and told Isaiah he had lost a chance. He was in floods of tears immediately, insisting he'd been harshly done by. Rick and I tried to explain how it was fair, as he had acted spitefully, yet Isaiah insisted that he had meant no harm by it. He continued to deny he had done anything wrong, and sulked away to his bedroom and lay in bed.

For the last year or so Isaiah has increasingly tried to make black and white into grey and deny his responsibility in any wrongdoing. This morning it finally became clear to me why this bothers me so much: it's because he's not being honest in heart - not being honest enough with himself to admit that he has done something wrong. When I had this realisation, I went into his room to try to explain it to him. I said that he needed to think about what he had done, and to be honest with himself about whether or not what he had said to his brother was mean. I left him, feeling a little faithless and fairly certain he would cling to his own denial of his guilt.

I was extremely surprised when a few minutes later Isaiah came out from his room and said to me softly, "I was being mean to Truman." He was completely sincere. I knelt down in front of him, so proud and so relieved that he'd been able to be honest within himself. I hugged him and told him how proud I was of him (a little tearily, I must admit). He earned his chance back, and also gave me my happiest moment of today.

7 Days of Happy Moments: Day 1 - Digging in the Dirt with Bobtail

2009-04-26T22:45:00.015+10:00

This week as my "7 Days" theme, I'm doing 7 Days of Happy Moments. I often feel that I ought to have more appreciation for these little moments in my day that make me smile and warm my heart. Making these happy moments my focus this week will hopefully make me more concious of those wonderful things that happen every day.

Today, my happy moment involved some dirt, a stick, some grubs, and a chook (a.k.a. a chicken). Above you will see a photo of said chook. Let me tell you a little about her.

Her name is Bobtail, and she lives on my Mum's farm. She originally belonged to my Mum's neighbour, who breeds chooks, however she was badly pecked by the other chooks and started visiting Mum's place more and more frequently. At first my Mum chased her away as she had just given away all her geese and ducks and didn't want a chook around scratching the gardens up. She's a big softie though, my Mum is, and it wasn't long before she stopped chasing her. She felt sorry for her as she had lost her tail feathers as a result of the abuse by the other chooks. This is how she was named Bobtail.

Mum and Dad have both grown very fond of Bobtail, whose tail has now grown back in, and who also turns out to be quite a character. She frequently follows Mum around, clucking away happily. Whenever Mum is digging up weeds or digging a hole, Bobtail is right under her scratching away for grubs, clucking away about what she's been up to that day. If you are quick enough you can catch her and give her a cuddle - which I've managed to do only 2 times. She's not particularly happy about it but she's gracious enough to humour you. When you let her go she's so terrified that she runs all of 2 feet and starts scratching and clucking again.

What does all this have to do with my happy moment? Well, today Elijah and I helped my Mum and Dad load some rubbish on the trailer to take to the dump. Underneath where the bins had been, the earth was moist and ripe for grubs. Bobtail, Elijah and I spent quite some time digging in the dirt looking for some tucker. Er...tucker for Bobtail that is. (I promise we're not that poor just yet.) At that moment I felt so happy and peaceful. Something about connecting with the earth, doing something so simple, being with my son, and hearing the happy clucks of a friendly chook made me smile.

What was your happy moment today?

7 Days of...

2009-04-26T09:51:00.014+10:00

I decided to start a little series of posts where I will run a theme for 7 days at a time. (It's possible they may not be consecutive, depending upon how busy I get!)
I was very inspired by what my friend was doing over at her family blog, where she posted 7 days of gratitude. So much so, I decided to ~~steal the idea~~ flatter her with imitation. *Grin* (Thanks Katrina!)

I will do a "7 Days" series whenever I feel inspired by a theme. I'm already having lots of ideas!

I'm looking forward to this, I just know it's going to be fun!

Photohunt: Protection

2009-04-25T16:42:00.008+10:00

In best David Attenborough voice: "The Apostlebird. These are found in large numbers along the eastern coast of Australia. They flock together in great numbers as a form of protection."
In fact, once my cat Maddy was stalking some Apostlebirds. She didn't get very far before she was spied by the Apostlebirds who proceeded to give out a mighty racket. Maddy ran for cover as fast as her furry little legs would allow! What a big girl's blouse.

The garrulous galah. They are also found in large numbers for protection. Here they are gathered around in the early evening for tucker time at my parents' farm.

Last of all, my personal protector: Spiderman. (If you pinkie-swear not to tell anyone, I will reveal his real identity as my 4-year-old son Elijah.)

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Tagged: Photohunt

2009-04-24T19:59:00.000+10:00

10 Reasons Why I'm Saying Chow Fun's

2009-04-22T22:05:00.046+10:00

Recently my husband, Rick, and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. I thought it would be rather timely to give 10 reasons why I'm saying Chow Fun's. Or, if you prefer, 10 reasons why I choose to stay married to Rick.

It sounds like a clichéd reason to give, but nevertheless it is still true. Rick genuinely loves spending time with the kids. He's always thinking of the next adventure he can have with his boys!
His latest adventure was camping with them in the backyard. We had a campfire and toasted marshmallows, then he and the boys settled in the tent and watched "Space Chimps".

When Rick proposed to me, he started by making a speech about those occasions when you really wish you had a blue pen, but only have a red pen. He told me that you end up using the red pen because you need to write, and it's all you have. Then he pulled out of his pocket a Spice Girls ring he had bought from a vending machine, and asked me to marry him. I managed to say yes through a fit of giggles.

On many occasions Rick has had me laughing so hard my cheeks have cramped up. He makes things FUN.

I know when I want to talk with Rick about my feelings, a concept, an idea, or even a current world event, he will always have an interesting take on it. We have many conversations which last for hours. He often considers his life and how he can improve or change things to make it better. As a case in point, he recently stuck his thoughts about how starting our evening routine at 5:30pm would have a positive impact on our family life on the "family noteboard" (the cupboard in the family room).

Rick not only learns about principles, he also puts them into practice. (He's not just full of hot air.) He has motivation to make things happen. He has built his own business from scratch, and that takes persitence and action.

Rick will never let a weakness cause him to make excuses for himself. Around the age of 3 or 4 Rick developed a stutter. I don't need to say that this made life fairly difficult for him. However, at the age of 20 he went to New Zealand for 2 years on a mission. He found it extremely difficult to teach with his stutter. He could have accepted it and made it his excuse to be unhappy and unable to do what he was required to do. He didn't. He worked hard for those 2 years to overcome his stutter with a lot of reading aloud and practicing speech techniques to compensate. When I met Rick (after his mission) he was 25 and I had no idea that he was a stutterer. I recently heard an audio tape of Rick talking before his mission, and as I struggled to understand what he was saying, I realised how amazing it is that now he has managed to wipe nearly every sign of his stutter from his speech. (In fact, I only notice those tiny signs because I KNOW he has a stutter, if you didn't know, there would be absolutely no way you'd be able to tell.)

I don't just mean this in the most obvious sense of the word. I mean it in all its shapes and forms.
In the most obvious sense of being loyal, I know that Rick would never cheat on me, or even let himself be tempted. He takes to heart the scripture about Joseph, who was tempted by Potiphar's wife:
"And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out."
Joseph didn't um and ah, he didn't say "no thanks" and walk away, he ran out of there so fast his clothes were ripped from his body! Rick believes whole-heartedly in this kind of loyalty.

Rick is also loyal in the sense of being an all-weather friend (as opposed to a fair-weather friend.) Through all my ups and downs, and even my recent decision to leave the church which is a massive part of his life, he has stayed with me.

One last sense of his loyalty I'll mention is his being loyal to me when I'm absent. He never speaks a bad word about me behind my back. You may wonder how I know. Well, I have asked people - people who I know would be honest with me. Even if we've had a huge blow-up argument and he has every reason in the world to vent about me to other people, he won't speak a bad word about me to anyone else. I have never once heard reports back to me of ill words that Rick has spoken about me. I do, however, hear many reports of loving and admiring things he has said of me.

I realised, on our 10th anniversary, that I have spent over a third of my life with Rick. Because of this, he really knows me. He knows my heart as well as my little traits and quirks. He doesn't require me to answer his every sentence, because he knows that sometimes I just don't feel like talking, not even to say, "Hmmm". He forgives my wrongdoings very easily, because he knows the trends of my life, and that if I slip up, I'll always try to make it better. He knows when I'm just having a bad day and he can forgive my grumpiness on those days, because tomorrow I'm going to apologise for it.

I should point out that his knowing me hasn't just happened as a by-product of the time we've spent together. He's worked at it - by observing, by listening to me and by having a desire to really understand me.

I've encountered many people in my life that find it very difficult to admit when they're wrong and apologise. I find it very frustrating, and sometimes heartbreaking. I am the type of person who is always eager to forgive, so it's hard when I want to make amends with someone who has hurt me and they are unwilling to simply say they are sorry.

Rick's not one of these people. He readily apologises for things he may do to upset me or hurt me. He hasn't always been like this, mind you. In the beginning of our relationship I was the first to apologise most of the time. Now, however, it could be either of us who is the first to apologise after an argument. Sometimes Rick will apologise even when I don't feel he's been the perpetrator of an argument - he will simply do it because I have been hurt, and he feels conscientiously that he needs to make things right.

Rick and I have many similiarities, but I think it is our opposing strengths and weaknesses which really make us "fit". For example, I can be uptight at times, and Rick can be very easy-going. He has taught me how to relax more over the years.

On the other hand, I am sensitive to people's needs, and Rick can be a bit of a joker and overlook this need to be sensitive. So, conversely over the years, he has become a lot more sensitive and compassionate because of me.

I know I've borrowed this line directly from The Story of Us, but no other phrase seemed to fit. Rick and I are family. We've built a life together. He has been there with me for most of my adult life, and he truly is a part of me now. I don't have many adult memories without him in it. We are inextricably intertwined.

We have given life to 3 children. He has been there for each of their entrances into the world. Here is a moment from our lives:
Our second son, Truman, had just been born, and was less than an hour old in this video. (Please excuse the dopiness of my voice - I had just given birth!)

Rick was there, at that moment, sharing all of those sights, sounds, and emotions with me. No-one else could ever do that, because it has been - the fabric has been woven.

And then, 3 years later, he was still there, celebrating Truman's 3rd birthday with us - laughing; joking; helping to animate that moment in our life.

Now here it is, more than 3 years after that, and he's still here.

And, if I am extremely fortunate, he will always be here, for the rest of my days.

My Favourite Movie Monologue of All Time

2009-04-21T22:53:00.008+10:00

This is taken from "The Story of Us". I love the honesty of it. I love the slight quirkiness too. Mostly I love it because it is one of the most real portrayals of marriage Hollywood has ever presented.

If you need a refresher on what happened before this scene, the two main characters had just welcomed their kids home from camp, and were going to take them home for a quiet dinner to announce their separation.

If you haven't seen the movie, this clip is definitely a spoiler.
Everyone else, please watch it and tell me what you think.