Projects

I plan things.

I talk about things.

I write things down.

I make announcements that I'm starting something.

I tell my family that "we" are starting things.

Nothing ever changes.

Several projects in my brain are starting to come together.  I physically and emotionally "started" things today.  Its quite exciting.

I want to make more things from scratch, so I've made ketchup, from scratch using real tomatoes.  It was amazingly easy, although time consuming and the transformation from a whole (quite hard) tomato to the thick sauce that you see below is mind blowing.

I"m in the process of  trying cocktails.  For my birthday - and possibly Jamie's birthday in between I want to have Birthday Cake Martini.  It includes as one of its ingredients, marshmallow vodka.  In America you can buy marshmallow fluff vodka, but its not available here (that I've seen on my quick search online), so I've made my own.  Half a packet of marshmallows and vodka, I think I need to add more vodka, that's about 400ml in there. Need to go shopping, I don't have any Amaretto or White Chocolate Liqueur either.  I do have sprinkles and honey though.

 My bed.  To be honest I hate it.  I feel its quite old fashioned, but its what we have so I had better make do.  Anyway, I purchased this bedspread set in Thailand and I do like it.  Today it got finished, I got the little cushions.  Its hard to get it to stay in place as its satin (the packet said silk, but I don't believe it).  I think its quite beautiful, but silky sheets just isn't our thing.  It slips and slides all over the place.  Even when I'm in there by myself, I find myself reorganising the doona several times a night.  But its pretty.  Plans for my bedroom are a bigger wardrobe.  I'd love the whole wall to be a wardrobe - don't worry I know which wall.  Then we would have some space to put things.  At the moment we have a tiny just under 1m wide built in each.  There is two rows of hanging space but it just doesn't work.  Curtains... I hate these more than the ones in the lounge room.  I used to think they were delightfully rich.  Now they just look trashy and they don't hang right.  Colours for this room.  Stuffed if I know.  I just try to stay out of there.  I need it to be neater.

 "Operation Howler" went into action tonight.  First night of Ben without a dummy.  We have had dummies in our family for 3.5 years.  There are far too many photos of our little boys with those revolting things in their mouths.  Ben has been having it less and less in the last week.  He's reasonably happy to put it in his cot soon after he wakes up and then gets it back when he goes to bed at night.  At crèche on Monday he went to sleep without it after a little bit of whining.  Today they gave it to him.  So we have made a decision... no more dummies.  Time to round them all up and chuck them in the bin.  How much money have I wasted on those bits of rubber/plastic?

VERY soon we are having those floorboards sanded and polished (or polyurethaned) and then that room is turning into a dining room and the play room will be moved into the "back room".  I've noticed that for quite some time none of the toys were being played with.  Other than about 10 cars and motorbikes, nothing was being touched.  That big table was covered in crap - looking messy - for no good reason.  I got those underbed storage boxes and neatened the place up.  Tonight the boys went and looked at the table and played with the tea set and toaster.  Ben made me several pieces of toast and really enjoyed it.  The thing we are told about rotating the toys actually works.  Now my lounge room looks neater, the boys room looks neater as I have a new toy box in there.  Everything is neatly put away.  Plus it will be much easier to relocate the play table if its not precariously stacked  with every toy that they own.

Did a wee bit of maintenance on me today.  Had my hair coloured and trimmed (only about 0.5cm).  Its made a huge difference.  Also got the nails done.  A little bit addicted to having nail polish on.  I love the way it makes me feel and then I can grow my nails a little bit.  This is a greyish sparkly colour and I love it.  I think for the first time in my entire life, I had one of my nails cut with a nail clipper.  NEVER been done before, always bitten them down.