sensory pillows

we are currently doing a stake relief society service project constructing "sensory pillows" (and aprons) for the alzheimers association of wa. these pillows allow persons suffering from alzheimers a possible opportunity to reconnect with past memories and places by using their sense of touch.

i went into a little op shop this morning and looked for some random items all with different sizes, textures and feel and got the whole lot for $2... score! then home to drag out all my things i have stashed away and i got sewing! i had to do most of it by hand unfortunately due to the awkward cushion shape... grrr, but eventually had both finished and ready to hand over to stake! yay!

i actually enjoyed it in the end and am pretty proud of my efforts. makes me feel good that i've done something nice for someone else :)

ben and laura get hitched!

yesterday we went to ben and laura's wedding. such a beautiful day and it was amazing to see all his family, it's been so long since we have seen them all! we know bens family from queensland days, in fact ben's sister beth is the one that introduced doug and i (we used to live together) - thus our little girl being madeline beth! 

ben also served his mission in perth many years ago and it's lovely to know that he'll be back - for good. thank you laura!

a few pics of ben's lovely fam (including some of the boys that have married in below...) while we were waiting for laura and ben to come out after their sealing ceremony.

ben's parents jim & debbie 

beth and my dougie - besties from way back

perth temple... the best place on earth. where my little family started for time and all eternity - and where i have had the chance to see so many others do the same.

doug and i with laura and ben - such a cute couple

and us having a bit of fun... how i love my boy! 

ben's dad jim is a mad rugby fan and was a bit bummed that he was missing a game during the reception. it's all for a good cause!

the cake!

loved up at the bridal table...

all the kids minus two, sarah who was too pregnant to fly, and emma...

my camera getting a workout... ain't nothing like a good bathroom selfie!

ben and laura's first dance....

we had such a good time at the wedding. it has been a long long time since i have laughed that hard. ben's best man had the entire place in stitches, he was telling the best stories and was just a complete crack up. i am so glad we have remained friends with this wonderful family for so long, and had the chance to share in their special day.

there is a happiness that has no end, it comes when marrying one's best friend ♥

congrats ben & laura and best of luck as you embark on your next adventure of happily ever after...

i had my personal hairdresser beth whip me up a 4 minute hairdo. freaking amazing!!! couldn't resist showing it off. :)

lily gets hotttt

my friend lily and i haven't know each other well for all that long, but we get along like a house on fire... (totally found this out during hula rehearsals) and when she asked if i knew anyone that could help her get all prettied up for the wildcats mvp ball (her husband everard plays for them) i totally called in reinforcements (sister in law niques and gf jo) who made her look hot as. yes, i confess, all i did was paint her fingernails.

ev was happy to wait (amazing... i bet girls all over the world are looking for a man like that...) - he obviously knows that good things are worth waiting for, cause the end result was amazing! 

she's amazing without makeup, but looked so exotic with it on... and by the time she added that dress and heels

a-m-a-z-i-n-g 

♥

alex is having a baby

my gorgeous friend alexandra is having a baby and is due in a little over three weeks. so... today along with a few girlfriends we organised a little baby shower for her. i have known alex since i was 4 (meaning she would have been just 2!) and i can barely believe that not only do i have a baby, now she's having a baby too! she looks adorable and it was so lovely to spend a few hours with her looking all cute and pregnant.

alex hasn't found out what sex the baby is, so i decided to make some nice gender neutral cupcakes complete with some sugar bees from ebay (thank youuuu bestie for your ebay addiction..) i used the trusty best cupcake ever recipe, but made the normal butter vanilla icing and added honey... and it was awesome. will be making plenty more of that!

alex's stash - the coolest present by far? the first aid kid. winner.

  

alex opening some of her gifts (yes mum - these are from you!) 

i cannot wait to meet baby mc and am counting down the days until he/she arrives. 

maddie's bedroom

it's finally complete! 

that's pretty sad considering she will be 2 in july. my beautiful mum made some bunting for miss maddie's room - all while running around like a headless chicken during her last few weeks in perth. what a superwoman! the best bit... it matches her quilt perfectly (we chose all the same fabrics to match from mum's extremely wide selection...) so this out of control ocd mama can handle looking at it everyday. i am so lucky to have such a talented mum. i am just praying every day that some of it will rub off on me someday.

her gorgeous cot from has baby online  complete with her quilt from nanna and mosquito net from ikea (score at the local opshop for $3)

ikea drawers and pink stool handmade for me by my grandad joe, embroidery by my best friend jen.

change table from has baby (came in a bundle set), baskets from local homeart, nappy bag from the local opshop $2, brand new! and wicker chair was a roadside find - do you remember seeing it here?

bookshelf from homeart (on major sale down 75% from original price) doll pram was mine, for my 3rd bday and wicker toy box from the reject shop.

love it all, and i am finally happy enough to show it off! :)

multicultural potluck dinner

last night we had the ward multicultural potluck dinner that i have been working on for... weeks! i was given an assignment by bishop to put it together and as much as some was painful, i managed to put it all together and it actually worked!! and... it was an amazing fun night!

originally i wasn't going to have any decorations at all, but at the last minute i had a brainwave, called the manager of the funeral home i am working in - and raced into the office to pick up all the flags we have on hand for when someone wants one on their coffin! worked perfectly and on the board they went with a few pins.

i had handed out assignments to various families in the ward to present a short skit, dance, something about their home country - to ensure that the night was a celebration of the many cultures existing alongside us aussies. we had japanese, samoan, chilean, american, niuan and italian - with the night ending with something us girls had been working on for weeks... i learned to hula! letitia actually managed to teach me and for sure it was not perfect, but i did it, and actually made it through, without stuffing up. yay! 8 of us had been getting up early on saturday mornings and practicing during the week, just to do our hula. i am so so proud! i danced, and not only that - i did it in public! 

such a fun night. can't wait for our next activity! 

anniversary gift

each year for my best friend jennifers wedding anniversary i hand make her a gift (mind you there has only been two of them so far, so lets see what the future brings...) last year it was a button cushion for cotton which you can see here and the year before a framed tree which you can see here. but this year - she surprised me, with a lovely gift that she had handmade for me. i see this is going to be a competition now and i love it. i must say though, hers was a lot more difficult - being copper for seven years. what do you do with that? 

this!!

her gorgeous husband mat (who she always claims is so unromantic - pffft he has just proved otherwise...) apparently offered to make the copper heart, which she then put on a background of the paper used on our wedding invitations (which is apparently now out of stock... boooo) and for good measure stuck on our placecards from the table. such a sweet and thoughtful gift. i love it so much! 

♥

p.s. if you're interested in seeing what item is for each anniversary year - there's a handy website here that has them all!