Cataclysmic Cabinet:

How to surprise your spouse:

Step 1.

Adopt a piece of furniture you don't really need.

For e.g.; A tv cabinet that's too big to fit in your lounge and that you wouldn't replace your current one for anyway:

The gift that keeps on giving...

Step 2.

Decide to make the home fit the furniture as opposed to choosing furniture to fit the house.

ie; throw everything else in the room out in order to fit said un required item in.

Step 3.

Rather than simply rearrange the room, pull up the perfectly good carpet and while you're at it change the entire colour scheme of the room.

ie: start an unnecessary spontaneous renovation.

Step 4.

Finally, just to spice things up, book a floor sander to come and polish the floor boards on the very same day as your in-laws 50 year wedding anniversary. 

Surprise!!!

Yea, I'm tickled pink, just thrilled…

can you tell?

So what began as  the offloading a contribution of an enormous old TV cabinet from a friend (thanks mate!) has now turned out to be the spark of an unnecessary home renovation.

We live in my parents rental property. It isn't ours to invest in.

I hope we get major brownie points in Santa's book this year.

Oh well, at least now I might get the dining room I've always wanted

and maybe just in time to throw a little summer soiree?

(although he insists on painting the walls in shades of grey,
the floors in dark Jarrah stain gloss and is planning to have the fireplace as a feature in black. 
- Lord give me strength!)

Surprise!

I've learnt by now that when hubby calls and says he has a "surprise" for you, don't get your hopes up but instead anticipate the worst.

You see as a domestic painter by trade he often has access to all manner of unwanted objects being discarded during peoples renovation process.
And you know what they say about one mans trash being another mans treasure… (I swear he's turning into my Dad!)

The last time he told me he had something special for me it turned out to be a $10,000 piece of Burl that he got at the bargain price of $3,000.
If you don't know what burl is, it's basically a piece of wood.
Or to elaborate further, "a malignant growth on a tree trunk or branch". Sounds appealing and worth every penny doesn't it?

Mind you this lovely piece of tree cancer is destined to become a dining table, although it's so big it won't actually fit in our house - and that's before we've managed to attach legs to it and find chairs to suit.

Somehow, unless we plan to reunite King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table I really don't see the overall practicality of this "investment piece".
Be sure to keep an eye out for my latest contribution to e-bay….

Moving on and back to the present "gift", you could understand why I was a little apprehensive when he divulged that this latest offering was also a piece of furniture.
But he scoffed when I asked him if it would at least fit through our front door and assured me that I would fall in love when I saw how beautiful it was, so I took a deep breath, resolved to just wait it out and deal with it once it was on my door step.
"Who knows", I thought, "maybe he's chosen something really nice this time." We have been in need of a bed head and some wardrobes for a while…

No. Such. Luck.

"You're gonna go nuts when you see it" he enthusiastically assured me.

Oh I went nuts alright, I went right off!

But of coarse this surprise was far from over and the best was yet to come...

Advanced Hair - "yea... no"

From BIG hair...

to sans hair….
bye bye extensions :(

Pretty soon I'll brave the summer chop!
I hope I don't regret it…

I think for now I'm gonna keep clinging to my baby fine fluff,
 just a little bit longer.

Faith

I was standing in Church this Sunday waiting to take communion while inwardly I kept wondering why I was even there if it were really Him who had chosen to burden me with this arduous 5 year journey of infertility…. up till now I've felt God has either been too busy with more important things or flat out ignoring me rather than granting me any peace of mind or let alone any miracles in the pregnancy department.

Still I prayed that this year I be blessed, crossed myself and took my holy communion - then as I walked back to my place to listen to the remainder of the sermon I had this sudden realisation;
If there is a God then He knows my journey all too well, He knows the depths of my heart and the extent of my sins as well as my virtues.
When He sees fit, He will bless me with a child and not a minute sooner.

Not because I've prayed 10x more than Joanne Bloggs, not because of my numerous promises or threats against Him, and certainly not if I keep torturing myself over my past or for loosing faith, but it will happen because the time will be right.

When He decides I've suffered enough, learnt enough, grown enough and strengthened enough to be a mother I will get my baby.
And with that realisation I handed all the details over to Him and an enormous weight has since been lifted from my heart.
For the first time in a long time my burden feels lifted and what's left of my guilt is light enough to bear.

<images found here and here>

The Results Are In!

And just in time for
Much Love Monday.

I finally got my first rolls developed from the trusty Vivitar and boy did I do better than expected!

(considering my actual expectation was that they would all come back either black or mega crap, I think I did quite well for a noob...)

Please excuse my thighs.
The emphasis is supposed to be on the beautiful sun beam... 

Just had to stick my stupid foot in it and spoil this shot now didn't I...

I especially love the effect the direct sun gives and the subtle blurring of the edges. I think me and my angel superheadz are going to have many fun days together :)

(provided I get my replacement. The original one had a dicky door).

p.s I'm still trying to name her.

1. Angelica

2. Vivian

or

3. Sofia

Cast your votes - what would you name her?

Armed and Dangerous

This month I've, again, upped the ante.
With ovulation predictors, basal temperature readings and early pregnancy detection kits on hand I'm at the ready.

Also, because I guess it couldn't hurt to raise my chances, I've also booked in to see a new acupuncturist, medical intuitive and another fertility specialist referred to me by an old friend of mine who also found it hard to conceive due to PCOS but was successful after 3 months of this treatment.

I really believe it's going to happen for me soon, maybe not this month or even this year but soon. I can finally feel it in my heart of hearts.
It's time to get lucky!

Feeling Husky

Yet another band who make me proud to be from Melbourne.

Excited to see what other treasures these charming lads can come up with.

Adding my two cents to Thea's Sunday Session xx