Enough time off, now on with the show..... ;)!

I am still having trouble with my internet service but at the moment is seems to be working okay, so fingers crossed I can get through this post without any problems! My darling Mr Deekie Belle is working very hard to fix it all up for me but I am still not on my own computer. (Iinet, can you see me shaking my fist at you !!)

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few more photo's of Danneeka and John's wedding... I have loaded some of the proofs on to hubby's laptop so here are some of my absolute favorites.


Getting Deekie ready for the biggest day of her life...

Proud daddy.., isn't she beautiful! (and look at my hubby... nearly 26 years married us, and I still get butterflies when he walks into a room..... ooh I love him so much, he is my rock!!)
To everything there is a season, and although her daddy was finding it hard (who am I kidding I was too!!) it was time for daddy to give her to another man, who will love and care for her, protect her and adore her for the rest of her life...

So Much Love Between Them. ..... You. Could. Feel. It....
You may kiss....... the bride... Signing the register
I absolutely love this..... completely overwhelmed in daddy's arms.......
Bridal Party of closest family and best friends Wonderful....
Silly girls...sisters, cousins and new sister's in law
Oh what a feeling!
Angel Ben and Khye... our gorgeous other married kids (Angel is our eldest girl). Angel was 16 weeks pregnant here with number 2, (a little Honey girl!!) and she did all the hair and helped with make-up - she is such a treasure!

Our gorgeous kids, from Left to righ: Son-in-law Ben with wife Angel, (our eldest daughter), and Ben is holding Khye, then in the middle, Danneeka and Jonathan **kissing** next is our Alora, "the explorer"hehe, and then, Steve our Rock Star Son.Our adorable Grandbug. Aaahhhh!! I love these of Khye..

Tablescapes

Favours...

My helpful brother-in law.. He was a jack of all trades.... and Master of Ceremony :)!!!

I did the cooking and catering but had some wonderful friends and family who worked so hard with all the salad prep and serving... amazing work ladies!!
Everyone enjoyed the food...( hope!!)

HOT FOOD

• Roast Harvey Beef with homemade gravy
• Spring Lamb with mint sauce
• Fried Chicken
• Kalbarri Giant King Prawns with cocktail sauce
• Honey Mustard Ham with Pineapple
• Potatoes in cream and garlic
• Spring Vegetable Au' Gratin
• Summer Coleslaw
• Dutch Potato Salad
• Creamy Egg and Red pepper Potato Salad
• Spring Coleslaw
• Pasta Salad
• Garden Salad with Avocado and mushrooms\
• Salad dressings: Nando''s spicey, Paul Newman Ranch Dressing, Cardini's Ceasar Salad Dressing, HP Sauch, Mint Sauce,

My mum's Homemade Apple Crumble with Custard -

And My Homemade Chocolate mousse with Marshmallows,

Fruit Platter,

Pavlova with fruit salad and ice cream

Wedding cake with Rasberry Coulis

wouldn't be an Aussie wedding without a pavlova.... Dessert went down a treat!!
Couple of shots of the marquee, it was very casual and relaxed just like they wanted it to be!

I made the cake (my first wedding cake ever!!) , it was White Vanilla Bean Sour Cream, with marshmallow frosting, and Rasberry Coulis. Darling hubby helped me with the frosting... oh it really pays to be married to a baker ;)!

Cutting the cake together...

here they are.... Mr and Mrs Happily Ever After.....
And they really are so happy!!!!!!!!

My biggest thanks again to the totally amazing Sharon Manning, we just love the photos - such perfect memories!

And thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers while I have been unwell, it has been greatly appreciated and I am certainly on my way back to being my old self !

Anyway, I have had enough time off so will be back soon with some sewing and crafting!

Thanks for your support and prayers..

Big, big hugs,

Jen xo
Will also draw the giveaway next week, thanks for your patience!!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

REMEMBER THE GIVEAWAY!!

Remember 2 x Jingle Sox! Christmas Stockings of your choice to be given away, to be in the draw become a follower of my blog and leave a comment about it! .. will pick a winner at the end of next week!

Little cuppycakes....

Things have been busy here but I have finished a little Cupcake dress.. need some better pics but here it is..

Hope you like it~!

Jen xo

Also!

Just a quick note,

to let you know I have opened my etsy shop again!!

There will be some new things in there shortly!!

And now, a few pics to brighten things up ....

Another of Deekie and Jon -

another beautiful one from Sharon Manning,

although this was snapped by her equally talented daughter Renae

One of Angel and Ben at the wedding

taken by my daughter Alora :)!and my little bug - he turned 1 year old last week,

I can't believe he is a year old aready!!!!!!

being in the bath is just as fun when you are one!!!

and an old school picture of me and two of my sisters..

I am on the right, Sue in the middle and Deb on the left!! Big Hugs

Jen xoxoxox

Help!!! How hard it is to get decent service.....

Once again I have been absent from my blog

although this time not just my blog but from the internet all together!

We have been in the process of changing our phone/net provider and to cut a long story short it has been a complete pain the the neck! We switched from our previous provider - Bigpond (yes I will name names!). In an effort to cut costs they are out-sourcing alot of their work overseas. This means that when I want to talk to an operative I end up getting connected on an overseas call to someone in the Phillipines... making it very hard to not only get a good connection, but also making it very hard to understand. Don't get me wrong, the people are lovely, it's the connection that is dreadful!


So, with promises of great things

off we went to iinet and BoB!

(If you are Oz I know you have seen the commercials! )

Well.... 4 weeks later and I still cant even get online on my own computer (I'm writing this from hubby's laptop),

plus the crackling phoneline is driving me mad,

and even when I am online the connection is awful - I can't get to all my favorite blogs without constantly being told that "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage"!

and I have no idea what to do next!

.......except to throw BoB out the window :-)

So,

any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

Back soon (I hope!!!)

Jen xo

I'm back!

Danneeka and Jon's wedding was last Saturday and everything went of wonderfully. It was a small, intimate wedding with only 75 guests, just as they wanted it

It was alot of fun and a great time was had by all.

The ceremony was lovely and

watching Danneeka and Jon together, and seeing how deeply in love they are brought me to tears more times than I wish to mention ;)!

Danneeka looked absolutely stunning

Doug and I were just so proud of her!

She has grown into such a beautiful young lady, so full of joy and warmth,

she is always the life of the party and can light up a room with one of her smiles.

We are very excited to see what God has in store for her and Jon in this new phase of their life...

.......................................

I had so much help leading up to, and on the day of the wedding, I really thank the Lord for blessing me with some truly amazing family and friends. I owe a world of thanks to

my beautiful, wonderful mumma,

my incredible and uber-talented sister Sue

and the best friend any girl could ever have, my B.F.F. my Cherie.

Planning a wedding and executing it step by step is so much work, and without these three I could not have done it.. They were there every step of the way and Doug and I are more grateful than we could ever express.

So thank you my darlings -

I love you all !!

and I will be here for you to

~ cook for you,

~ sew for you

~ and love you dearly

for the rest of my life!!

....... I owe you at least that much ;)!!

..............................

Danneeka and Jon were also very lucky to have chosen the amazingly sweet and very talented Sharon Manning as their photographer for their special day.

What a superb choice that was!!!

Sharon is just lovely!! and the kids simply adored her -

they felt so comfortable with her and she made them so comfortable and relaxed..

It was a joy to have her photograph their wedding.

I was so excited when she messaged me today and said that she had put up a few previews of the wedding photos on her blog , that Doug and I quickly jumped over to have a look and

~ WOW. WOW. WOW. ~

We were completely blown away! Her photos are gorgeous!!

in the words of my sister Sue,

"She is brilliant!"

I can't wait for the kids to get back from Broome tomorrow to see them, they are gonna be wrapt!!!!

Seriously, if you are looking for an amazing photographer, who is as sweet as she is talented then look no further - Sharon in THE BEST! Hop on over to her blog and book her now!

So without further adieu here are some photos of my gorgeous girl and her gorgeous hubby... I promise more to come!

I hope you have all been keeping well and happy,

and that you have missed me as much as I have missed you!

I will be back soon with more to share about the wedding etc

(Of course we were not without our pre-wedding drama's but more on that later ;)! )

Back soon with some sewing stuff too ;)!

Biggest hugs and God Bless you all

Jen xoxoxoxoxox

What if Mr Bean was in Avatar ?!

Sorry about the lack of posts, I am very busy organising my daughter's wedding which is in 3 and a half weeks.

As Deekie and Jon have changed their minds on the 'big, flashy wedding with all the trimmings' in favour of buying a home in Perth, [they have their country home up for sale], they have decided to downsize to a more informal wedding in the park followed by a "Marquee in the backyard" for the reception.

Because of this, I will be doing the catering so this has added to my role and I have been unable to spend time working on my design and on my blog. Please trust me when I say that I will be back after the 6th of March with lots of photos, new things to show, and FINALLY that long awaited Jingle Sock draw!

My etsy shop is also on Holiday till then :)

Till then my lovelies I will leave you with this picture I received from my sister Sue today....

It shows what it would be like if Mr James Cameron had thought to add the lovable 'Mr Bean' to the cast of his new blockbuster movie, Avatar.

Enjoy!!

Aint he cute :)!

Hugs to you all and I'll miss you!

Jen xoxoxo

Sunday Funnies....

The Birth Order of Children

Your Clothes:
· 1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your
pregnancy.
· 2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
· 3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for the Birth:
· 1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
· 2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a
thing.
· 3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

The Layette:
· 1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly
in the baby's little wardrobe
· 2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones
with the darkest stains.
· 3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries:
· 1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
· 2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
· 3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Pacifier:
· 1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go
home and you can wash and boil it.
· 2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice
from the babies bottle
· 3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Nappies:
· 1st baby: You change your baby's nappy every hour, whether they need it or not.
· 2nd baby: You change their nappy every two to three hours, if needed.
· 3rd baby: You try to change the baby's nappy before others complain thatit smells

or you see it hanging to their knees.

Activities:
· 1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
· 2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
· 3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out:
· 1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
· 2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where
you can be reached
· 3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home:
· 1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
· 2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't
squeezing, poking or hitting the baby.
· 3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Swallowing Coins :
· 1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and
demand x-rays.
· 2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
· 3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

Hugs.

Jenny xo

more birthday sweetness...

A few more of my lovely birthday gifts...

Hugs
Jen xo

Finally bound...

It been a slow start to the year with a huge heatwave here in Perth. I feel like I haven't really gotten into the swing of it yet, but I have finished a few orders and also finally bound Mum's little lap quilt...

spent lots of time with my adorable grandbug

and here's his mumma, The Model - 15 weeks along with number 2!

We had The songstress and the sports fan's engagement party last weekend so will post some pics of that soon! 6 weeks till the wedding, so much to do!!

Will also be posting the winner of the Jingle Sox on Monday - still time to enter!

Hope you are all well, hugs for now...
Jen xoxo

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie,

My brother-in-law Mark is ex-Aussie military, he retired a few years back as a Colonel.

As is quite often the way with the armed forces he has been stationed all over the world and lived in many countries with my sister and their 2 sons.

What a life they have had - and what a world they have seen!

But one thing about Mark that you need to understand is that he is fiercely patriotic, he loves nothing more than telling everyone he meets what a fantastic country we live in - how Australia is called the lucky country for a reason and my all time favorite, how Western Australia is bigger than Texas!!! (which he made into a t- shirt on his last trip to Houston so he could wear it at his big conference there with all the Texans.... yes, he did!!)

Yes, Mark is the epitome of the Aussie Larrikin, his first stint in the US garnished him so much attention in the officer's club, his peers and their families due to his constant pranks and tricks - Even the wives would comment to my sister as to how 'fun' her life must be, and how she must spend all her time in stitches.... to which my sis responded with her usual answer to that question..

(monotone voice) 'Oh yes, ........he's hilarious **rolls eyes/shakes head**'

(A wife never quite appreciates the constant hilarious capers of their husband ;) )

Anyway, Mark is currently working in Kazakhstan and has been for the past year doing a 6 weeks away, 6 weeks home rotation. A few days before his last fly-out he asked me if I would make each member of his team a coaster with an Aussie Flag on it, that said G'day to each of them.....

Remembering that is is Mark, I had to put our Aussie Call on the back for him!!

Only thing is when I had finished them all I realised that they might mistake Oi, Oi, Oil!!

for Oi, Oi, Oill... hmmmmmmm.....
Hugs
Jen xo

PS - don't forget the JINGLE SOX GIVEAWAY - will be drawn at the end of next week!!

... some (very belated) Christmas photos...

It was my birthday the other day and I got thoroughly spoilt - one of my favorite things from Hubby and the kids was a huge array of embroidery cottons - (yes!, more embroidery cottons!)

I got quite a few more pretty things so will post them soon!

A while ago I bought this amazing thread rack from Lynne at Cockburn Sewing Centre, isn't it fantastic!!!!! It was a shop fitting that they no longer needed, it is huge so hubby cut it down and fit one piece in here, above my embroidery machine.. Need more threads as you can see :)!!

but I wonder where I will put the rest of the rack........

I made these for my adorable nieces, I hope they like them!

And here are some pics of Christmas eve, we had our family get together on Christmas eve becasue darling hubby had to workd on Christmas day - noice! (not!)

Oh well, I guess someone has to do it....

..........................

Our Little Bug.....

Isn't he beautiful!! Look at that face!! Honestly I could watch him all day.... he is so funny, and his personality is really starting to come through, he's a bit of a nutter though, a comedian, like his Uncle the rock star!! Here he's waiting for Presents, (Rock star can't get enough of him either, they are such good mates, Bug adores him! )

The songstress and the sports fan were so very tired from their trip up to Perth, and the glamour cirl is chillaxing (her word!) waiting to be lavished with presents :)!!

Pressies that were too big to fit under the tree!

Everyone getting impatient waiting for Dad to get home!

(no room in the lounge, too many pressies, they were stuffed everywhere!)

The last few photos are of the Bug getting his Elmo Live from Angel and Ben - he was completely enthralled with it!!

Look at these guys, aren't they adorable!!

The sweetest little family, ...

and another one on the way - Yayy!

The model is three months pregnant!

It talks and dances and sings, he loves it!

That's all for now, hope you are all well and healthy. Don't forget the Jingle Sox give-away, please comment if you would like to win!!

Hugs

Jen xoxox