Scooting Around Town

I gave myself a day off from sewing today, but I wonder how long this will last... *heehee* I have had a rather unusual and busy week this week, which is always good, as the 'norm' can get repetitive, can't it?

I had my first 'Skirt showing/sales Party' yesterday.  My awesome buddy Nat, who works at an Embassy here in Abu Dhabi organised a gathering of female co-workers and invited me to bring in my skirts, so they too, could purchase skirts, like Nat does, off me.  (She was one of my first customers and owns four or five now...)  With all my skirts placed lovingly into two suitcases my assistant (let's call her Lily) and I drove into the Embassy for our 9:30am gathering.

So whilst my assistant Lily sat QUIETLY. ON. THE. COUCH. FOR. OVER. AN. HOUR. I chatted to 'clients' and helped them with sizing etc.,  A successful hour it was, with 14 sales and eight orders of skirts.  Not bad eh?

I really think I have stumbled across this 'skirt party' idea, as the majority of women like a decent length skirt but they are so hard to come by in this current trend and can't find any that are within budget, size and a bit out of the norm.  I had a lot of positive feedback from the women there, which was really encouraging.  My mate Nat, gets to chose a 'freebie' skirt in her size for organising the little shin-dig, but she's yet to choose.  She may be waiting for me to finish up on the 'Scooter' skirt...

As You Can See, I've Been Busy...

...and blogging has had to take a back seat. After months of practically blogging every day, now you will just have to put up with me blogging when I can. Days are pretty full on with Monet back at school and trying my best to attend to a two year old, feed the family (I bought a Slow Cooker to help with this which has been a god send), clean a 3 storey villa, school runs and sewing skirts for my little business. And I so much love being busy than being bored - and I haven't been bored in yonks!

Things are starting to happen with my skirt business which is a bit thrilling.  I have been invited this week coming, to visit an Embassy here in Abu Dhabi along with my skirts.  I am being recognised at my local supermarket and I often get asked by strangers where I get my skirts from.  I find it very hard to not wear one of my own skirts - I like to think I am a walking billboard of sorts.  LOL....

I have now extended my size range, from roughly a UK 10 (about an Aussie 8) through to a UK 18 (about an Aussie 16-18).  As word gets around the more busy I am becoming and that's fine by me.  Nice to be providing for the family after not being in the work place for seven years! =)

Pictures Worth Framing...?

You know how sometimes you get things and think "I should frame that?". (Or is that just me?)  When MrL returned home from work and handed me this....

...I thought just that.  That's worth keeping.  Can you make heads or tails of that?  Yeah, it was a Speeding Ticket but to be honest, it was a stretch of road where EVERYONE, yes, EVERYONE speeds unknowingly and the police were handing out speeding tickets like a clown handing out balloons at the circus.

But maybe I am just in a 'framing' kind of mood.

For about four years I have had a print that's been rolled up and been collecting dust.  We have moved overseas and another three times since my Mother-In-Law initially purchased this print for me.  And not one crease.  A shit-load of dust, but no creases!  I saw it the other day and thought "stuff it, I'm going to take it to the framers."  So I did.  And when I picked it up I feel in love with the print of our favourite place in the world all over again.  This is our home beach back in Far North Queensland.

It now sits proudly up on the wall in our Abu Dhabi villa.  Maybe I should take it down.  It's making me homesick. ;-)

*I Know*

I am now a mother of a crazy 2 year old who is now a photo poser.

Are You Okay?

Today in Australia is a day known as 'R U OK? Day'.  It is aimed to help prevent suicide by encouraging connecting with someone you know and care about and helping stop problems turning into big ones.  Just by asking someone if they're okay.  I'm a great believer of a problem shared is a problem halved.

I'm pretty sure most of us have been touched by an unexpected death of someone who died of suicide.  Not long after moving to the UAE, I had an older cousin who did.  As shocking and as upsetting this was to our family, it also caused a copy-cat suicide of another (younger) cousin a couple of weeks later.  Not only were the family mourning C, we were now also mourning the loss of A.  A's death was pretty shattering to us all.

I think about those two male cousins often along with their families.  We all knew C was a little troubled, but A? I'm not sure.  If only there was someone to ask him if he was okay.  Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't.    So today, go out of your way and just check on those you care about and ask, "R U OK?"....

On a brighter note, Miss Lily has gained her two year old molars right. on. time.  She had a bit of a restless night last week, which all made sense when I saw the teeth popping through.  And you'd never tell by the following photos that she had a restless night..... *smirk*

The photo below makes me want to scratch my head. Definitely a keeper this photo... (sorry for the crap quality)...

Still Sewin'...

With my babysitter  (kidding!) Monet back at school, Lily and I are trying to get ourselves a new routine.  Sewing, in the last few days, hasn't happened as much as I'd like, as I've been busy catching up on 'stuff'.  But when I do find a spare moment I can be found in my little 'sweat shop' off our living area.  

The skirts I have made over the past week, I just love.  And it seems like I have quite a few fans and some new buyers out there too which is encouraging.  

I was a little unsure with the orange number, but after seeing that orange is actually 'in', I boldly wore it yesterday.  I didn't actually feel as bright as I thought I would.

Below is a pic of me wearing it, but I didn't wear with a blue top - I opted for black (typically...)

Today I made some more of 'A touch of Orange' skirts. I think it could be a new favourite.  (And I have already sold one of these ones!)

My aim for all my skirt sales was to purchase something special.  Of course I kept changing my mind.  We've been after some particular furniture pieces and when we spied on the noticeboard in our local supermarket, someone selling a side table, in a very similar stain to our dining table, I rang up, went around, purchased.  I quite love it.  (And quite proud that I paid for it with money I personally earned - it's been a while!)

But my main recent purchase, using cash from the biglittlesister skirts project, was this;  An iPad (with some help from MrL).

Sweet.

Two Birthdays In Two Days.

The week just past was pretty full on - hence the lack of blogging (most unusual of me!)

Three major things happened. First thing -  Monet returned to school after her summer break of close to 11 weeks.  ELEVEN WEEKS!  She was more than ready to return to school; a new school year (hello Grade 2), a new teacher, a new classroom, new school friends.  And for Lily and I, a new routine.  Second and third thing - Miss Lily turned 2 on the 6th (the day Monet returned to school) and Miss Monet turned 7 on the 7th.  If that's not full-on, then I don't know what is.

Tuesday, when the littlest family member, turned 2, we had decided to hold a small party for her with a few neighbour friends.  And since we were already holding a party, Monet suggested that we should celebrate her birthday too.  So we did.  On Monday I baked and decorated two birthday cakes.  No wonder I was exhausted this weekend.   In the photo below, that's a #7, not a letter L.  Lily's cake was the #2.

Lily was taken back a bit with us singing Happy Birthday to her, which you wouldn't believe an hour later when she kept wandering around singing the tune to herself.  I love this photo below of an unsure Lily (in new 'Lola' apron which she wouldn't take off), neighbour Jahli and myself.

Monet was thrilled with her cake.  I might not cut it on 'Cake Boss', but in Monet's eyes I would.  Ain't children grand?

The girls both had a great afternoon.  It was rather exhausting come bedtime, with our first day of returning to school plus a birthday plus a party.

Monet's birthday the following day (yes, the girls are born five years minus one day apart), in which we went out for dinner as a family with a couple of good friends here.  These friends are like an Aunt and Uncle to the girls and Monet invited them to join us.

I can't believe that the girls are now 7 and 2.  Makes you stop and think.

We've done so much since Monet was born seven years ago in Frankston, Victoria.  Sometimes I still see Monet as my baby but now she's this big seven year old who is intelligent, pretty, (moody), a teacher, amusing, crafty, shy, well traveled, pretty switched-on kind of girl.  I see her maturing, just about daily, just by what she does, what she says, what she watches on television.  Sometimes she needs reminding that she's not 4 or 5 any more, but then I too have to take a step back and remember that she is still 'a kid'.

Lily is one of those children that you can't remember and could never think of life without her in it.  And oh how two children born of the same parents, be so different.  She has a big personality once she lets you know her (it can take time for her to warm to you, but once she does, oh are you in trouble!), she's funny and cute, loves her dummy, loves her teddies/dolls, knows exactly what she wants and tries her best to communicate and get her point across.

In the meanwhile, I will enjoy my two girls aged 2 and 7.  Before I know it they'll be 12 and 17.  Slow down life, slow down.

Happy Birthday girls.  You both are my world. =)

Father's Day 2011

During the week MrL went out and bought himself a present, a new Blackberry Playbook. As he is one of those blokes who can be pretty difficult to buy for, I suggested that the Playbook be his Father's Day gift, as we were trying to justify the cash.  So, a Playbook it was and he was very happy with his present.

So during the reminder of the week, Monet and I were busting our brains on what she could 'physically' give her father.  We came up with the idea of a 'voucher book'.  I got busy on the laptop and typed up (with Monet's help) some vouchers like "Please be QUIET for one hour", "Tickle my back for 15 minutes", "No playing downstairs" etc., etc.,...  We printed it all out, cut them up, stapled them together to form a voucher book.  When Monet gave it to MrL he thought it was terrific.

No vouchers have been used yet, but give him a day or two...

On Tuesday just been, Monet decided she was going to write her dad a book as a gift.  She shut herself in her room for an hour and wrote and illustrated a picture book, which we stapled together and she gave to him this afternoon.  He stated it was the best present he had ever received.  That was quite possibly the best thing he could have said to a budding author.

(And no, we don't own a pet cat, let alone one called Lucy.)

We decided that we were going to go out for a mid-afternoon lunch today, and remembering that our working week is Sunday to Thursday, things didn't quite go to plan. He is currently working the summer hours of 3am till 1pm, which he never does. MrL is a worker - a hard worker - who gives his job everything he has got (most of the time). The work site he is working on, were told that the Head Honcho Sheikh of Abu Dhabi was coming for a visit today, so MrL did a good 12 hour day, with the Sheikh not showing (always the way eh?)


With a tired MrL returning home closer to four pm, I took the four of us to the Noodle House at the Souk Qaryat Al Beri as it is one restaurant we know that does not close between the hours of 3:30 and 7pm.  It was nice for us to go out on a late Sunday afternoon for a change.

The Grand Mosque opposite to where we were.

Happy Father's Day to MrL, a fab dad to Monet and Lily, and to my own terrific dad, H. =)

Berlin's Homboldt-Box

I know it has now been ages since we visited Berlin, but I never got to share one of my favourite moments from the city.  Visiting the 'Humboldt-Box'.

I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking WTF?  I mean look at.

To begin with, it is big, it is blue, it is not square, it stands out like a sore thumb.

The day we visited the East Side Gallery, we kept walking alongside the river and we *finally* found ourselves back in the Museum Island area of Berlin.  We had built up a mean thirst, Lily was napping in her stroller and the three of us walkers were after a seat.  We were walking past the 'Box' and thought, hey, we'll visit the level up the top as there was a sign outside reading "Top Level cafe" (or something like that.)  We paid a Euro each, found the lift (we avoided the stairs with the stroller and sleeping toddler) and were pleasantly surprised to see what greeted us.  The photo below really doesn't do it justice.  It was beautiful...

We took a seat out on the terrace, ordered our drinks (I remember the delicious Pilsner) and sat and enjoyed our view.  Most spectacular.  Below, is the Berliner Dome.  A building MrL and I called the '2D' building as it never really looked three dimensional to us.

It wasn't long till Lily woke and the girls walked around and amused themselves under my close eye.

It was one of those days and places which I know I won't forget...I don't know why.  I, along with the husband, were probably totally relaxed and that doesn't happen too often. =)

So, what exactly is the Humboldt-Box?  Good question.  Basically it is a temporary exhibition space of future projects for Berlin in the Museum Island area.  It has an area of 3,000 square metres, so it is quite large. But the building itself is also temporary, when it is replaced by a new 'Berlin Palace-Humboldtforum' which aims to be completed in 2019.

Could be an excuse to revisit the city in 2019 then? Huh? How 'bout that MrL? *wink wink*

Big Little Sisters

Over the course of the school holidays (read 'close-to-11-weeks'!), Monet and Lily have been pretty awesome, every. day. Their interaction are a joy to see some days, especially as the Little one has got her own strong little personality and can stand her ground.  Other times she is easily influenced by the Big one and swayed by her too!

But most of the time they've had a lot of fun together.  Remember too, that we basically live indoors due to the heat and humidity outside the door (middle of summer) which usually feels like a good 50 degrees Celsius (even though it might actually only be the low 40s)....

Hugs - taken with iPhone

People have asked how I have gotten to sew so many skirts (I have about 50 in running stock) but I always say my answer is Monet who is my babysitter entertainer, most of the time.  And my sewing room sits off the living areas of our villa.

Babies - taken with iPhone

I am going to miss Monet (dreadfully I think, even though she drives me bananas sometimes) when she returns to school mid next week.  I am 100% sure someone else is going to miss her even more and she's about so big, has blond hair and blue eyes....  It is just a matter of finding a new routine, which I am all about.