~HAPPY NEW YEAR~

~Its New Years Eve in Oz....and I sit here refelecting on the year that has gone.

           This year I have spent time learning more about my birth family and talking with another of my sisters Tammy......and while all of this is still a bit like a dream,  I am actually starting to feel more connected with them.  I lost an aunt I had never met,....she was the first person I ever spoke to from my birth family and I will never forget her kindness and compassion towards me at one of the scariest points of my life.  RIP sweet Aunt Rosa ♥

          I had to put my mum in a nursing home this year as she just wasn't coping at home any more.  Its not easy to pack up someones life and downsize it to not much more than a few boxes and a couple of suitcases.  There was alot of memories to deal with and we had to pack up the last of my dads things and give them to charity (that was possibly the hardest thing), and while another chapter in my mums life is over she is now living in a beautiful nursing home that is like a 4 star hotel, with lots of lovely caring people around her and a social calender like she has never had before.   All of that has taken alot of pressure off of myself and my brother, so we are breathing a little easier.

          Its been a tough year with my furbabies having to say good bye to two of them.  First Charlie girl lost her battle with cancer....and then dear little Molly succumbed to the pain of brittle joints and old age. 

          One of the best highs this yeas is I got to watch my son marry his childhood sweetheart and also finding out I am to be a nanny again.  

  Well next year promises to be full of highs and lows again I am sure, and every day I am thankful for those around me, and that I can get out of bed and greet each day with a smile.

      I dont do New Years Resolutions because I think life is tough enough without adding to it....instead I just try to be a better version of myself.

      So from my family to yours......I hope you have a

(¯`v´¯)

.`·.¸.·´

¸.·´.·´¨) ¸.·¨)☆☆

(¸.·´(¸.·´ (¸.·¨¯`☆

...Happy New Year....♥.

~Goodbye Sweet Molly~

I had to say goodbye to another of my furbabies a couple of weeks ago.....dear sweet little Molly was in so much pain and nothing was helping I had to make the hardest choice to euthenaize.  This has been a horrible year in that I have now had to say good bye to two of my precious pets.  It never gets easier but I wouldnt change a minute of the time I had with them.

~Goodbye Molly...Always Loved....Never Forgotten~
November  6th  2002 - November 12th  2014

~Kris Kringle Gifts~

Before you know it Christmas will be here.  I participate in a  Kris Kringle each each year with a lovely group of ladies called DAGS (Doily Addicts Group)  One of the ladies mentioned earlier in the year wanting a lace hanger....funnily enough she was my KK so I though what better than to make her what she wanted.  As with all first made items they take planning and thinking and more planning and thinking and then some drawing....and loads of procrastinating too....but I am really pleased with the finished product...not to mention the fun I had making it.  I have even done a tutorial for you to make your own.  (look for the tab at the top of the page)

~HAPPY PINK SATURDAY~

Thanks to Beverley from How sweet The Sound for being our gracious host each week.

~A Beautiful Gift~

I have been very fortunate to have the nicest neighbours around me.  While we don't live in each others pockets nor do we socialise with them, we do often have friendly chats over the fence or water their gardens if they are away and generally just keep an eye out on each others property.

One set of my neighbours is forever changing her decor and always offers me her cast offs before she throws them out or gives them to charity.  To say I have been very fortunate is an understaement....her taste is amazing and her home is full of very beautiful pieces, both vintage and new.  This week she has given me a beautiful Aubusson rug........her kindness and generosity is beyond measure.....so I thought this rug is perfect for sharing on  Pink Saturday .

Thankyou to Beverley from How Sweet The Sound for hosting each and every week.

~Saturday Pinks~

Saturdays come around so fast and every week I plan on being organised for ~Pink Saturday~ and before I realise it.....its been and gone and its Sunday.  

I will keep this short and sweet and just share some of my china from around my home.

Thank you to Beverley from How Sweet The Sound for hosting.

~Tumblr Link Code~

I have searched the net for months looking for a link for tumblr for Blogger and finding nothing decided to modify another link to suit the purpose.  Feel free to add to your blog (This only works with Blogger)

Save the below image to  photobucket or similar.

Go to Layout > Add A Gadget and select HTML/Javascript.

Copy the code below and paste it inside the content box.

Replace “USERNAME” with your tumblr username.

Replace 'TUMBLR DIRECT LINK HERE' with the direct link from your photo host.

Save.

<a href="http://USERNAME.tumblr.com/"><img src="TUMBLR IMAGE DIRECT LINK HERE" width="60" height="60" alt="Follow Me on Tumblr" /></a>

~Pink Saturday Pinks~

I was determined to have a post for Pink Saturday last week and the week before that and the one before that, but life has a way of turning things on its head. So this week I decided to find a bit of me time and post some pretties from my home .  Thank you to the lovely Beverly from How Sweet The Sound for being host as always.

~Happy Pink Saturday~

~Pretty as a Picture~

~Saw this image on Pinterest today....a rose painted on china....how stunningly pretty is it....so wish I could create something as beautiful and life like as this......Have a great weekend.....

~Tumblr Obsession~

Just a quick post to remind those of you who love shabby pictures to pop over to my tumblr page for a look.......your will find it here:  http://shabbyprimdelights.tumblr.com   I have been slightly obsessed with it atm....love the pretties 

~Memory Lane~

I just went back and read some of my very first posts.....and marvellled at how many things have happened and how much my home has changed since back then.  Of course there are also the other changes like weight and age but that is to be expected with the passing of time.   My life has had some very huge moments....some I wish I could change and others have changed for the better. 

What ever happens its nice to be able to look back and remember the good and the bad....afterall its those moments that shape us.

~Work in Progress~

Well I think I am happy wih the way my blog is looking...maybe a bit bright...we will have to see....so don't be suprised if it changes again soon ♥

~Pinterest Peeve~

Im having a grumble today......Pinterest is my favourite site to visit.....not to mention the amount of money it has saveed me from hoarding...an image is apparently just as good as owning something.  My peeve is this ......I love to pin things that appeal to me....it is the best time waster ever....and I love that so many people have so many things they like in common....especially Shabby chic etc. 

 Today when I was pinning my little heart out...I went to pin something...only to be given a message 'This person has blocked you from pining".  The picture was one from my own home that someone had grabbed from fb, that I had yet to put on my own pinterest page.  Seriously.....its a pining site...the whole idea is to pin and pin and pin some more.  Who blocks people from pining images they don't own?....I just don't get that....isn't that the whole idea of Pinterest.  To say I was a little miffed was an understatment.  I love seeing photos of my home turn up on other peoples boards...its kinda humbling to think you have shared something that others may like....but then to find a person...a total stranger has one of your pins and you are banned from it....the saying 'Not Happy Jan'comes to mind.  

So if anyone wants to pin pictures I have pinned...go for it.....I won't be blocking anyone....I have never heard of anything so silly in my life...

Happy Pinterest Pinning

Source: Pinterest

PS You can also find me on Tumblr now:  Shabby Prim Delights Tumblr

~A car & a weekend away~

Well update on the car....'I got it'!  Feeling a little spoilt but also amazed at my patience in waiting over a year for hubby to save.  I picked the car up Friday morning last week and 2 hours later we went away in it for our short break holiday to a lovely Copper mining town about 2 hours from home called Moonta Bay.  The car was perfect and we had enough room for all our stuff plus our friends things as they had no room in their car.  The short holiday was a much needed break also and we stayed in this amazing holiday house....I just wished it had been walking distance to the beach as I am a very early riser and a beack walk would of been perfect.

My lovely RAV4

Moonta Mines (Old Copper Mine)

Moonta Mine

The amazing holiday house we rentened

View from the balcony

I used my early morning wakeups to set my camera up on a tripod on the balcony and took a few play around shots, and this was one....I love how it turned out.

  The town is full of these tv/radio aerials.

We had a fantastic long weekend with great friends....can't wait to do it again.

~The Car~

........I have finally come to the conclussion I must be OCD ....just a little.  I have been wanting a new car for over a year now....and I have known all that time exactly what car I want, the model, the year and  I have studied this car and know everything that I need to know about it.  I have poured over ebay and every car accessory place there is to find the cosmetic bits I would like on it (I am a bit of a car nut) and how much they cost etc..
       My dilema was hubby is a cash man...does not believe in finance.  He believes if you need something you save and pay cash...not spend on the spur using credit.  Great beliefs,  but frustrating to me because I want everything yesterday.
          He finally told me he has almost enough for the car I want.. and he did agree that if we were only a little bit short he would get a very small personal loan for the difference..so last weekend daughter and I decide to go look for and test drive the car I would like... ......the last measure to make sure this is 'The' car for me.  I had 5 car yards on my list that had the model and year of car I was after in the price range we allowed.
        The first yard had listed one in stunning metalic blue...it looked amazing on the internet and even had an extra feature I didnt expect to find.....so by the time we got to the yard (an hour trip) I was pretty excited....the car was just back from the front and looked amazing in the sunlight....thats where my excitement ended.  We opened the door to look inside only to be hit with the stench of stale cigarettes.  The sunroof (the feature I didnt expect to find but really wanted) was dripping with condensation straight onto the drivers seat.  The let down continued to faded paint on the rear and scratches carved deep into the back from obviously heavy items being dragged in and out.  The car for want of a better word was a pig.  I was starting to think maybe my expectations were too high.  Disheartened, we left the yard and decided to try another car in another yard from my list.  The next yard was only 10 minutes away and we arrived with me no longer wondering around with glazed over expressions of granduer but a more realistic approach of what to expect for the money I had to spend.   This yeard was set to spoil me with two choices of my chosen car.  The first was a stunning dark gray metalic....and did it shine.  I opened the door to be greeted by ....nothing....no odours of stale cigarettes....but pure cleanliness and perfect condition.  In fact this car was perfect all the way around.   So rather than standing there drooling I decided to check the other which was a metalic silver.  It turned out this one was the delux model and while a little dearer than the other, it had all the bells and whistles.  Everything was finished off just that little better and had some fantastic extras that would cost me quite alot if I wanted to put them o the Grey one.  Again spotless, fresh smelling and perfect all the way around.  This was the one I decided to test drive.  The salesman was perfect.  Not pushy...answered all my questions...even my stupid ones.  Handed over the keys...so in we hopped and around the block we went.  I was more convinced than ever now.  I had found it...the car I had my heart set on for over a year.  Now I just had to convince hubby.  The salesman offered for us to drive it to his work (nearly an hour away)...and who were we to turn that down..........we pulled into hubbies work and it was like a grand prix mechanics bay....the 5 boys (hubbies employees...all rev heads) all poured out of the workshop and had everything opened, up, pulled down and were underneath within minutes.    They then proceeded to find several faults (mechanical) ....my heart was in my throat over these finds...but I had to be practical......I asked hubby to ring the salesman and see if a deal could be met but I wasnt holding my breath.  Hubby came back and told me if the salesman would put the agreements they had made (repairs and such) over the phone  in writing....I could HAVE the car.    Back to the yard we went and I must have look so silly driving with a huge grin.  The salesman put everything in writing and I paid our deposit.  Now we are just waiting on the news from the bank (have everything crossed that they approve it)......oh and the car I have wanted for over a year now....Toyota RAV4........keep your fingers crossed for me. xx

~Lifes Lessons~

.         While lunching with my 84 year old mum last Wednesday she was complaining of numbness in her hand ...within seconds the left side of her lip dropped and her speech was a jumbled mess....she was having a stroke.  Two minutes later it was as if it had never happened.  She responded to each question I threw at her with obvious clarity and correctness so my first assumption was I had been wrong.  Rather than take chances I bundled her into the car and drove back to her unit...a 7 minute drive.....if anyone had ever told me 7 minutes was a long time I would have said they were lying.  In those 7 minutes her speech became jumbled and incoherent and my heart was in my throat trying to watch her, question her and still drive saftely to the unit...the longest 7 minutes of my life.  I promptly rang and ambulance and by which time her speech and reasoning had returned and mum proceeded to argue with me she didnt need an ambulance there was nothing wrong with her.  I made her sit and even as I am talking I can hear the ambulance sirens blaring getting closer.  The ambulance oficers agreed she had had a stroke but it was what they called a 'mini' stroke and while loading her in the ambulance she was having another.
        So that was last Wednesday...it is now Monday and they have lost count of how many of these mini strokes she has had.  there have been no lasting effects from the strokes but it has bought an awareness for her that she can no longer live alone and actally wants to move into a nursing home.  Personally I think she is loving all the wonderful care she is receiving.  But for what ever reason my brother and I are definitley glad of her choice.  The next step is working out where she wants to go and when we can get her in.
         The moral of this story is be aware of you elderly relatives and be aware of the symptons of stroke....my mum was lucky (mostly because she has been on blood thinners for years) but also lucky I had been with her when it happened.

~Cold Wet Saturday~

Winter is definitely here.....we have had heavy rainfall for the last few day and everything looks dark and dreary.  Its even too dark for photos inside....and I hate using a flash so this weeks pretties will be photos from the past.   I do love winter though because it means more sewing time and I get alot of things done inside that I normally put off for time out in the sunshine in the warmer months.  It also means more pinning time on Pinterest....my other addiction.  If you want to check out my Pinterest boards you will find them here: ~Shabby Delights ~ Pinterest. 

 Thank you Beverley from How Sweet The Sound for being host to Pink Saturday each and every week.

~Happy Pink Saturday~

~The birdhouse I have had forever and the little pink bird is a recent find~

~A couple of pretty plates~

~Dining Room China Cabinet~

~Washing the china usually happens about every 3 months and takes me anything up to 3 days to complete (because I have tooo much).  The Australian climate is very harsh on delicate vintage china and must be done to avoid crazing~

~Sweet Pinks in one of the kitchen hutches~

~One of my favourite musical Bols bottles~

~These jugs were my mums but there use to be 3 in the set and now only the smaller two have survived.  My mum used to use these to heat up my bottles in when I was a baby and the small chintz pin dish belonged to my nanna~

~Lovely Royal Albert~

~This cabinet gets changed around regularly~

~Thank you for visiting me~