Knittin' kitten!

I've been knitting my days away. Thanks to the Mumma in law for teaching me. It took me weeks to finish my first project. But I've finally got into a rhythm now. I can't seem to stop! Each day I'm thinking of something else to knit. 

I made a sleeve for my phone/camera & added a bow to it. It's a bit messy, but I still dig it!

The first headband I made was VERY messy. I couldn't keep my stitches on track. 

So I made another one and added a bow!

I also made a circle scarf with several bits of yarn from Nanna.

I'm obviously not the greatest...yet! I'm practicing the knit stich at the moment. Once I've perfected that I'll move onto another project. I'm using a size 6 1/2 mm straight needles. There's such a wide variety of needle options. I want to make sure I feel really confident with the needles I'm using before I switch to another set. I'm working my way into making a beanie. But all the tutorials I watched online for beanies were a bit advanced at the moment. Paul's quite cute. He upsells me on the quality of my work. 

Oh, Ryan.

Pinspiration!

I've been Pinspired!

I've been on pinterest a lot lately. I came across a girl's blog about buying thrift shop clothes and refashioning them into whatever her heart desires. 

http://refashionista.net/

Ever since I was little I've been obsessed with clothes. I used to make dresses for my barbies with loose fabric & safety pins. At age 18 I begged my Dad to buy me a sewing machine for my birthday. I was convinced with how much I went out that I could fashion my own funky, one of a kind clothes. However, I lost the gas to do so. It has sat for nearly ten years with out use. We had it shipped to Oz, so that I could use it out here. I've now been here nearly nine months and still haven't used it. But we haven't been home all that much either. Once we get back to Melbourne I can guarantee that my poor neglected sewing machine will be getting some love!

For Christmas I made some 'melted snowman cookies'. These were basically just a sugar cookie recipe with icing sugar frosting on top. I used two different things for the heads. One was a coconut covered apricot and the other was a marshmallow cut in half. Believe it or not marshmallow's here are different to marshmallows in the US of A. It's nearly impossible to find a bag of plain white marshmallow's here. Most bags hold white marshmallow's and pink-raspberry marshmallow's. With some serious creeping down in the baking aisle I found some 'American Marshmallows'. They were what I was looking for. But they did make me giggle a bit. The bag had American Flags on it and some Asian writing. They were obviously imported from Asia, but called "American style marshmallows". They did the trick. But they still made me laugh. In the end the cookies turned out as well as I could hope. I thought they would be cute to make here since it's hotter than hades on Christmas.

We've also been saving most of our sauce jars, jalapeno jars, and the like. We went to Bunnings or Bunny's as I call it (the Australian Home Depot) and picked up some gorgeous tiffany blue acrylic paint. I didn't really know what I wanted to use them for. But I painted the hell out of them! By the end I decided to store our sugar, tea, instant coffee, and milo in them.  Much more beautiful for displaying than our previous tupperware.  can also be used for vases. I've got my q-tips in a jar in the bathroom. Most labels come right off after a soak in some hot water with dish soap.

I've also tried egg yolk hair masks. The consistency is a bit weird. I've been reading a bit more online. It's seems like most people suggest to use one yolk, a cup of water, and a varying amount of olive oil. Today I did an egg white/cinnamon face mask. I saved the yolk to make a mask with later.

Another face mask recipe is 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 tablespoons honey, and a few drips of lemon juice. This one can sting a bit depending on how much lemon juice you use. I generally leave it on for about 30 minutes. I like to do it before a shower. The honey makes it a bit difficult to rinse outside of the shower.

Pinterest has also inspired me to try new things with my hair. Well pinterest and instagram that is. I've now attempted pin curls, victory rolls, a sock bun & dutch braiding just to name a few. I've learned as I continue to age the less motivation I have to try new things with my hair. But the internet is giving me a bit of a nudge to keep trying new things. Before I moved I wore extensions in my hair nearly every day. My hair is so fine & still isn't as long as I would like. So extensions gave it the volume & length I was after. Since moving I've had no desire to wear them anymore. I haven't worn extensions once in the nearly nine months I've been here. It's nice to finally feel confident enough to leave the house with out my weave!

Top knot on NYE. This is a go to style now. 

Dutch braid, haven't tried this in a while. I might not remember how to do it!

Channeling my inner pin up. Using grandmas nylon scarf.

Hair's finally getting some length!

 Pin curls (no heat) post and during.

Victory roll

Pin curls with heat.

More 'victory rolls'

I've also been trying new things with my claws.

These were a real biotch to pull off. I don't think I'll try them again. Too much polish & drying time.

Ombre nails with a sponge. This was fun. I did it for the first Dockers game we went to. 

Their colours are purple and white.

Fush n chups

Sorry for the lack of blogage lately. I feel like I've got nothing to blog about lately. I don't like being the person that takes pictures of everything. But I also really like having pictures of everything. So from here on out, I vow to not give a what. If there's something I want a picture of please believe I'm going to annoy anyone around me and take that pictcha!

On our walk back to the Quest after the Anzac Day March we heard something buzzing coming from above. When we looked up we saw a flying go cart. I believe they work with the same principle of parasailing. I've done parasailing once about ten years back in Mexico with Jessica, hey Jess! It was great fun. But I don't know if I'd be willing to try this wonky flying apparatus! 

Paul had to fly back to Melbourne in the evening on Anzac Day. We tried to make the most of the day while we could. I'd say we did pretty well. We managed to go for a jog, then head out to the march with Amy and Charlotte. After the march we indulged in an adult beverage with Mr. Dempsey. We worked up quite an appetite from our early days activities. So we decided to grab fish n chips at good ol' Kailis bros. Before moving to Oz I didn't even like fish, and I'd never tried fish n chips. Now I love it & I crave it a little too regularly. 

I'm a big fan of the cider lately.

Mr. F is a beer man. Today he opted for mid strength, being that he had a drive ahead of him.

Paul went for the 'seafood delight basket' according to him. Contents: Two squid rings, two deep fried prawns, and two deep fried scallops, along side some snapper.

I went for the stand by order of plain ol' fish n chips.

A really nice stranger offered to take our photo. Thanks good samaritan! 

You can also buy fresh fish at Kailis. We've bought salmon there just once. To be fair I can't say it was any better than just buying it from the grocery store. But for us buying from Kailis is more convenient than making a trip to the store. We're only a two minute walk from Kailis!

It's not very easy to see. But this particular seagull is f#@%ing huge! Why you say?...

Despite the numerous signs, clearly stating to not feed the sky rats, people still do it. As we were walking up we saw a Dad and his children happily, with shit eating grins, feeding the birds some fries. They are so cocky. They'll fly up to your table while you're still sitting there. They are literally everywhere here, and they have the worst squawk ever!

The dingo ate my....We walk past this dingo statue daily & I had to get a pic.

Photographic proof of an alien life form in the kitchen, aka a cock roach.

In other news: This week I woke to find a cock roach in our hotel kitchen. GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In all my time here I've been really lucky to avoid gross bugs and the like. After nine months I was face to face with the enemy. I really didn't know what to do. I opened the balcony door in hopes that it would crawl out. No such luck. I then texted Paul "there's a FUCKING cock roach in the kitchen!!!!!! What do I do?". By the time he called me it had crawled into the laundry closet. He instructed me to squish it with a shoe if I need to. But according to Paul, cock roach's are very docile. Yeah, so?! They're disgusting! I didn't do any laundry that day. By the time Paul got home from work I hadn't seen or heard it all day. He thinks it crawled up a drain from under the washing machine. Every morning since I'm very cautious where I walk, and I make sure I've assessed my surroundings before stepping into the kitchen. Here's hoping I don't have to see another one anytime soon.

Ps: That same morning was one of the most glorious sunrises I've ever seen (in person).

Memorable wild animal sightings thus far:

Kangaroos

Dolphins

Galars 

Zebra fishie

Cock roaches...ick

Anzac Day

This previous Thursday was Anzac Day. Anzac Day is a public holiday, so Paul had the day off. Anzac Day is a holiday memorialising the Australian and New Zealand Soldiers who fought in World War 1. 

Here's a little knowledge for you, courtesy of http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp:

What is ANZAC Day?

ANZAC Day – 25 April – is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.

What does ANZAC stand for?

ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they took in that name endures to this day.

Why is this day special to Australians?

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only 13 years. The new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula in order to open the Dardanelles to the allied navies. The ultimate objective was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul in Turkey), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany.

The Australian and New Zealand forces landed on Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold stroke to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated, after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian soldiers had been killed. News of the landing on Gallipoli had made a profound impact on Australians at home, and 25 April soon became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in the war.

Although the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives, the Australian and New Zealand actions during the campaign left us all a powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as the “ANZAC legend” became an important part of the identity of both nations, shaping the ways they viewed both their past and their future.

Paul served in the Australian Navy for 12 years (If I'm not mistaken). Those years helped mold him into the person he is today & led him into his current career. Australians truly honor those lost in war and grieve over their loss. Anzac Day is a brilliant way to show their patriotism and respect to those who've dedicated their lives to defend their country. I'm so happy to have participated in the Anzac Day festivities. Our friend, Kieran is currently in the Australian Navy. That's where Paul and him met many moons ago. They both left the Navy, but Kieren reentered to pursue his dream of working in submarines. He's chatted us up a bit about the tight quarters in a submarine. But until yesterday (while watching a news cast with a submarine) I never knew just how confined the spaces are! Big ups to Kieran for taking the big step to pursue his dream. 

We watched Kieran, and his crew march in the Fremantle Anzac Day March.

The march started and ended at the Esplanade Park.

Charlotte waiting for Daddy.

Charlotte didn't like it when Mummy walked away.

Horsemen!

A sea of seamen...

Look at that wing span!

Army!

Back at the park.

Charlotte and Mummy taking pics of Daddy.

Proud wife and daughter.

Grass party!

Thought my friends in America might like to see what Aussie cops dress like.

Uncle Freddy's sunnies are always a hit.

Say ahhhh.

Showing off her big girl walking skills.

Food is always better with a dirt rub.

Thanks, Uncle Freddy.

Charlotte looking for Daddy.

Notice the biscuit in the back pocket.

Daddy and daughter.

A kiss sandwich for Charlotte.

Charlotte liked seeing her Daddy in his sailor suit ;)

BFF.

We're all very proud of you, K-man!