Signs of Poor Parenting #48

You go to switch channels and your three-year-old gasps, "No, wait! I love L.A. Ink!"



. . .

Chaos

Why haven't I been posting very much?

Well.

We were driving back from a great weekend away in New Orleans with Jason and the lovely Simran, when I had a brilliant idea about how we could rearrange the rooms in our house to solve every organisational and logistical and lifestyle problem we've ever faced (well, sort of).

The plan was ambitious, and meant we spent Nathan's whole vacation week moving every single piece of furniture in our house, except the dining table and the couch.

It's a two-story house and we deeply regretted the decision about halfway through – probably about the time I was standing on the stairs, balancing much of the weight of Nathan's grandfather's antique desk on my shoulders. Or maybe it was when we decided the Rearrange was the perfect time for an accompanying spring-clean, and emptied every cupboard and shelf in the house, and suddenly found ourselves wading through all this stuff... how do people who drop large bags off at Goodwill almost every week accumulate so much hidden stuff?

So it's been a hectic and stressful week for two people who are quite rigidly organised and plunge into anxiety when faced with disarray. Fortunately the Rearrange has brought a vast improvement, and although we're not yet back to our regular level of un-cluttered-ness, the end is in sight...

Sweet Olive Press - monogram stationery

New custom monogram letterpress notes, printed this month!

(For more information about custom letterpress design and printing, visit the Sweet Olive Press web site...)

Ain't easy being three

No doubt New Orleans saw many folks more deserving of a time-out than Berry last weekend – but their mothers weren't there for the enforcing.

So, word to the wise: Don't take your mama with you to the Big Easy.

On the press

Some pictures of the silvery mod girl notecards on the press... because the images are pretty and because I've been so busy with the shop and a little weekend getaway, I've had no time to print anything new this week!

Wrecking ball

8.07am and Man Show already has a brand-new visible bump on his head, to go with the other eight or so.

Okay, not eight. Two. But STILL.

I also – seriously – caught him in mid-air as he was falling between the chair he'd climbed up on, and the table he was trying to climb up on, and I think I had my first heart attack.

There's just something in my eye

Every afternoon for the past year, Berry has stopped to peek through this window at Miss Yvonne, who used to be her teacher in the two-year-olds' room. They blow kisses at each other and then Berry skips away; all's well with the world.

On Thursday she peeked through the window for the last time. She has finished at the Air Force Child Development Centre and will start at her "big girl preschool" in September. This time, Miss Yvonne came running out into the hall and swept Berry up in a big hug.

After we said goodbye I wanted to sit down somewhere quiet and have a cry. For someone who has moved to the other side of the world and married into the nomadic military life, I'm really, really not good at moving on.

Crash

Today I prevented about 138 out of 144 potential injuries to the one-year-old.

Success?

The huge lump on his forehead says no...

.

Affection

For a while there, Man Show's little friend Zack would surprise (ok, startle) him with sudden and enthusiastic hugs. I guess now he's decided it's time to return the favour...

Sweet Olive Press – Sneak Peek {petite peonies}

Brand-new and straight off the press ... these are the petite peony letterpress notes I've been printing these past couple of weeks. There are two different styles (I'll show you the other one soon) and I'm so delighted with the colour and the texture.

The peonies are among several new note sets ready to debut at the end of this week, when I'll bring the Sweet Olive Press online shop out of its "massive-custom-work-induced" vacation!

I'll be rolling out pictures of the new designs here and on the Sweet Olive Press letterpress blog (nothing like doubling up!) over the next few days – watch!