Mama told me there'd be days like this.....

So you know those days, the one's where you peer out the curtains and it LOOKS nice and sunny and happy and then something happens and you realise that the nice sunny happy day has lured you into a false sense of security and BAM - the day may have gone better if you had just stayed in bed.

Well my day was kinda a eeny teeny bit like that. It got better but boy did it start out super special!

Max the youngest owl is one of those kids that wakes up super happy, and stays super happy as long as you feed him ASAP once he is up, as in get him out of cot, run to kitchen, throw food at him until he bursts and then continue on with the day.

So today I got him out of his cot, ran down to the kitchen, put him in his why did I not know about these 8 years ago IKEA highchair and went about getting his breaky. No milk - ok so what? no cereal today he can have toast. No bread - ahhhhh crap!!!  I was totally not intending to put my bra on nor brush my hair for AT LEAST another 3 hours.

Get the four kids dressed, pack them in the car (which I have had back for only a few weeks after the last "incident") get the milk, bread and other various non-essential items (mind you those choc chip muffins rreeeeaaaallly came in handy later on down the track!) pack the kids back in the car, reverse out, head to exit BANG car is on two wheels, moment of panic, what have I done??? Car back on four wheels, park it again thinking I have hit a parked car again but NO!! IT WASN"T MY FAULT!!!! WOHOOOO!!! (I know, I know, not REALLY a cause to celebrate but if you read back a couple of blog posts you will understand) feling very shaken I hope out of the car and inspect the damage. Having felt like it all morning, I have just - quite literally, been hit by a truck. Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse having had to drag four kids out of the house before 8am...IT DID.

At home a strong coffee and a couple *cough* of chocolate muffins later I felt a little better. * sigh* its just a car, we are all ok and its insured. Stuff happens,stressed spelled backwards is desserts and if all else fails... smile!!!

Now to Nat's day..... now lets all be honest here... how many (let alone those of us trying to run an online business) could live without the net nowdays? This is the predicament facing the lovely Mrs Elephant today - no net till Tuesday!!! She was reduced to reading a book!! Looking stuff up the old fashioned way and having to go without Pinterest - cold turkey!!! Its just not right..... It has however made her come up with the newest Owl and the Elephant" clause. We solemly swear, no matter how big we get. We will NEVER send your phonecalls offshore. Ever. So my car may be written off, but no internet? Like none? No Pinterest, no facebook, no online shopping? Nat wins.WHat did we do without the net?

Something that makes our bad days better? The days a little sunnier and our smiles a little bigger? Our new repurposed, shabby chic, bus roll inspired, rustic wooden signs. We hope you love them as much as we do!! head over to our website for full details on owning one of these babies or on requesting a custom design!!

Thought of the moment:

Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.  ~Author Unknown

refurbished man cave rubbish

So yesterday Mr Owl flew out to a new job. He has always done FIFO but has been at home for a while so today, I found myself home, alone ( well with the kids) without a man sitting on the couch, asking the tough questions like "what's for dinner" and generally getting under my feet (NB: I DO love Mr Owl dearly but you know what they say - abscence makes the heart grow fonder!)

Unsure exactly what I was supposed to do now I had one less child to entertain I busied myself with the housework ( how does one man make so much mess?) played with the kids, got dinner ready and rearranged some furniture. Something was still missing - I could feel it in my bones, this little tingle that I havent felt for oh so long! I felt the urge to be creative!!! So I did what all handcrafters with time on their hands do... I hit Pinterest!!!

Amongst the pictures of biscuit dunkers and Owls in awkward positions all I felt was even more inspired to "do" something.  So off I went and raided Hubby's man cave, with all the bits and bobs I found this is what I came up with:

My very own recycled, refurbished, re-used busroll/word art! What do you think?

Thought of the moment:

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.
Steve Martin 

She's baaaaccccckkkk

Just a quick little blog post because with all the excitement of the markets I forgot to mention that my Elephant is back! Blog posts shall no longer contain bad spelling and inappropriate grammar followed by a completely unnecessary amount of exclamation marks. I shall also spend the rest of the week smiling alot bigger!!

In other exciting news over at The Owl and the Elephant website we are having a super dooper sale on our beautiful handcrafted glass dishes - they where $20, now just $15!!!

Thought of the moment:

karrraaaatttte CHOP!

Life is full of those little "heart break" moments. Today I am having a moment.So just bare with me on this one.

I remember back when I was a teenager and I so desperately wanted this particular item of clothing that hung in the window of a shop I walked past every.single.day on my way to TAFE - it taunted me with its come hither looks and its "I'm new and you can't have me" smell.  Oh I CAN have you - and I WILL! I saved all my babysitting money and it was mine. At least I thought it was. That top that had teased me for three weeks was gone. Somebody else had bought it. Heartbroken.

When my first ever "real" boyfriend broke it off with me. ( thats the nice way of saying I got ditched) Heartbroken.

When my hair just wouldn't do what it was supposed to. Heartbroken.

Now? Four kids latter, I sit here thinking about my "babies" (one of whom is 8 now, they will ALWAYS be my babies) and think wow, I wish I was only ever "someone else bought that top I wanted" heartbroken. Not I would move mountains to stop this happening to you heartbroken. Who would have ever thought with a "job"" that could be so damn awesome would come so many tears.

I have these moments about ALL of my children. I love each and every one of them more than I ever thought was humanly possible.These particular tears however are for my baby baby. Little Maximus Owl who was born 8 weeks early fighting for life but doing just that - fighting. His little gladiator name suited him to a tee as he fought against the odds, screwed his little button nose up at the doctors and said "pfft - I don't need your help breathing, didn't you catch my name? I can do it myself!"

Now my little baby is two and facing his second bilateral eye operation for a squint. He is beautiful. I know I know EVERYONE says their kids are beautiful. Mine REALLY TRULY RULY are beautiful ( totally no bias at all of course) and the fact that there is anyone else out there that looks at my littlest big man and sees anything but what I see breaks my heart.

On the odd occasion we go shopping, well we do this alot (ALOT) and we often get comments or looks or those innocent children with the "MUM mum mum MUUUUM look, whats wrong with his eyes?" . I want to crash tackle them ALL and tell them how when I cuddle him he likes to play with that little soft bit on my ear lobe, or how he is the most ticklish right underneath his bum - that little spot just before his nappy. Or how he has just learnt not 1, not 2 but THREE new words. He isn't all about the eyes - he is so so so much more and I love him so much that my heart literally feels like it could explode and if I could, for one second - for the rest of his lifetime - take away all the comments, all the operations and all the pain I would in a heartbeat. I would undergo a million katrillion eye operations if I could just save him from this one.

Once whilst shopping we took our goods up to the counter to pay and the lady looked at Max and smiled, then she turned to the three ladies behind the counter and called them over "Girls, ( I cant remember the names she was calling) come over here, you have GOT to see this little boy - he is SO cute - look! he is going cross eyed at me!!" she said as she tried to return the favor by going cross eyed at him.
I gripped my fingers ever so tightly around the handle of the trolley. I would not ninja roll the counter and beat her with my purse. I would not! I politely told her he had a squint and therefor no choice, gripped the handle a little tighter and.calmly.walked.away. Put the kids in the car, my head on the steering wheel and sobbed. My heart broke. I saw Max's little life floating in front of my eyes. The cruel comments from the other kids at school. The first rejection from that girl he likes ( that I have of course hand picked and preapproved because this is my vision and thats how ALL my kids life partners are chosen) and then I saw myself, commando roll through my own little dream and take them ALL out with one ninja kick WHHHHHAAAACHHHAAAAAA ( that's the noise I would make) HE IS BEAUTIFUL.

I know that life will throw so many hurdles at him, squinty eye or not. There will be times he comes to me for advice, for a bandaid, for a hug and in a selfish way I look forward to every single one of them. Its the times I can do nothing about, nothing but sit back and watch that break my wee little heart. Yes I know I know, thats life and life happens and things happen and these experiences will shape him to be the man he is going to be and it will be awesome and he will be great and and and and YES I have heard them all and somewhere deep down inside I know its all true -but today, the day before he screams whilst they put him to sleep. The day before he screams when he wakes in that room full of nurses that he doesnt know desperately looking for me because all he wants to do is rub that soft spot on my ear lobe, today - the day before he screams because it hurts. Today I am just going to cry a little and pray that this time it will work and it will all be ok and wish above everything else in this world that I could take it all away.

That and ninja chop anyone who stands in our way. He is Beautiful and he is my baby. Perfect in every.single.way.

Thought of the moment:

While we try to teach our children all about life,
Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

WOHOOOO!!!

Perth upmarket this weekend people!!!! We are so far beyond excitement that just for this little while, just for a bit, just for a blink and you will miss it period of time over at our website we are offering not 5, not 10, but 20% off ALL our beautiful everyone asks about it sells like hot cakes shabby chic, revamped, restored, recycled, reloved  furniture!!! Handcrafted with lots of love ( and patience!) and waiting for new homes....

Simply head over to our website choose your favourite piece ( or pieces!!) and enter the code IHEARTFURNITURE at the checkout.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy!!!

Thought of the moment:

WOHOOOOOO!!!!

World's most dangerous jobs

 According to google the top 10 most dangerous jobs list goes a little like this:

1) commercial fisherman
2) Logger
3) aircraft pilot
4) farmer/rancher
5 ) roofer
6) steel worker
7) refuse collector
8) industrial machinary worker
9) truck driver
10) construction worker

Now, not to make light of the serious dangerous nature of some of the jobs out there I would like to add one.

11) handcrafter.

I have already lost most of my fingerprints to the hot glue gun so I suppose I didn't REALLY need feeling in the tip of my thumb, right? All stitched back up but never to feel the same *sigh* 

Why did these kind of things never happen when I was a kid and trying my darndest to get out of school work? Why do they happen now when I have stuff to do... like serious online shopping requiring the use of both thumbs for fast typing?

On top of all this? Mrs Elephant is not here to console *cough*laugh*cough* at me. I think I need a hug.


On the plus side I did manage to almost complete a large number of handcrafted nappy wipes cases before my injury in preparation for Perth Upmarket THIS SUNDAY!!! We can't wait to mingle with some of the best handcrafters in Perth including Tickety boo - kids with their unique collection of childrens clothing and retro artworks, inuk designs because if you don't know what a snood is you TOTALLY should, Tex & Joe and their amazing collection of organic goodess that has even been featured in Masterchef magazine and Happy as Larry who has a felt floor rug with my name on it! ( well not literally but I would really really really like one for Master 2's room re-do!) just to name a few! If you are in Perth this weekend you would be crazy to miss it! and if you are lucky enough to make it be sure to hunt us down and come say hi! Look at these beauties will you?

Thought of the moment:

Do what you can, With what you have, Where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt

Alllllll by myself......... don't wanna be... alll by myself

 Me. Its just me. All alone, no one to talk to, no one to sip tea with, no one to love. *sigh*

Ok well that isnt ENTIRELY true. I Just don't have an Elephant. Mrs Elephant has flown the coop ( or whatever it is Elephant's do when they leave. Im sure Owl's fly the coop. Anyone? ok now Im just babbling, it happens when I'm sad *sigh*)

Mrs Elephant has gone on a much deserved holiday with her hubby ( I would say better half but I kinda like to think that maybe that's me! hahahaha ahhh) and has left me to "hold the fort" for the week. What kind of trouble could I possibly get up to.... I have promised faithfully not to touch her "baby" the website ( well maybe just incy wincy little tweaks) and I'm pretty sure I can manage to do the posting on my own. Its just, well, it won't be the same and I ,well, I miss her!!! The tea just doesn't taste the same...............

Annnnyway.... Im going to pick myself up, brush myself off, put on my sunday best and get busy!!

Why? I hear you ask ( or at least I pretend I can hear you all asking) Well its because the weekend of my precious Natephants return marks a very exciting occasion!!  Perth Upmarket!
We have a few Perth Markets coming up but we just love love love Upmarket and all the luffly stalls we get to mingle with! We really really truly ruly hope you get a chance to come past and say hi!

Oh oh oh and I can't believe I almost forgot to mention ( almost) We have been published!

well maybe not in the book of awesome ( though Im pretty sure if there was one we would be in it, right next to cups of tea, chocolate, tim tams, that feeling you get when you laugh so hard no noise comes out and you just end up clapping heaps and looking like a seal and all of you)  but online! Check out our interview here : AWESOME  and let us know what you think!



Thought of the moment: ( thanks pinterest! )