2016

.....and so i thought i had lost all log on details yet i am here writing a post. Hmmm might resume with a post or two.

i missed you

One special day

August the 24th is a special day. I was an 18 year old girl with many dreams and ambitions walking down the aisle towards my husband to be. Sixteen years later we are looking forward to celebrating this day in a unique way.

We are having a Winter Sleep out, calling the event *Sleep Rough to Help the Homeless*

We are hoping to raise funds for Mission Australia to help homeless people of Australia.

According to Mission Australia, 105,000 people are homeless, some relying on crises accommodation, boarding houses or depending on friends for a roof over their heads, a simple comfort most take for granted. As my husband said in his invite to attend our event, he said "it is just one night spent the way many fellow Australians spend every single night."

I am reading a book called "The girls Guide to Homelessness" written by Brianna Karp. It is her story of how she become homeless and it has opened my mind to the fact that people become homeless for many reasons and the stigma associated with being homeless is also a battle in itself. I have not completed the book but my understanding is that she became an activist for the homeless. Thats what i call a success story.

Some might ask why we would choose to expose ourselves to the cruel winter elements over a romantic getaway in front of a nice log fire.

The answer to that would be that i (not speaking for hubby) would rather do something that we are both passionate about. We are united and connected when it comes to caring about the people less fortunate than us. That is what i love about him and i hope that is what he loves about me. I would love to share this day with others, under the stars, next to our camp fire, drinking hot soup (that hubby makes) and feeling the strong connection we have, reminding me why i married this man.

Not that a getaway doesn't sound nice but this speaks loudly of where our hearts are at. Our love for each other and our family can be shared amongst our community and even the wider community. I get goose bumps when i think of even one person having a warmer blanket or food in their stomach or even better, a roof over their heads. So that is our intention, hopefully our special day becomes a special day for one of our fellow Australians.

Might have to get onto crocheting a few blankets.......

Not a craft post, more on OT.

I realized that I hadn't spoken for a long time about my illness and i think i should as i am always conscious that the world needs to know about this rare condition.

I was reminded of words i had spoken some time ago and i was shocked at what i had wrote but my words stand true to how i still feel most of the time. Here are my words;

‘Don't befriend me, I'm not worth it. I am a corpse in a chair and I will be of no use to you. Try and rely on me and I will let you down. Know that I can't keep a promise of forever as I don't value myself; how can I value you? Forget who I was because she isn't here anymore. Your life is precious; forget people like me and surround yourself with love, life and laughter.’

This is how Orthostatic Tremor makes me feel most of the time. Some might say i have a choice of how i feel and respond to this illness but it seems so far this is how i have chosen to look at it. I feel this way because i am so sad for my family and friends and all they miss out on. My son has never socialized with kids his own age and i fear this will cause issues for him in life. My older children get stuck doing chores and looking after their Mum rather than going out to play with mates. My husband has changed roles from husband to carer and misses out on love and affection from his wife. You see i find it difficult to see positives in that but despite the negativity i try to smile and put on a brave face a mask i guess. 

I am not alone, i have many friends around the world who have Orthostatic Tremor, all finding it difficult to live with the effects of Orthostatic Tremor. I pray for them often. I met most of them through a page i set up for support on facebook, Primary Orthostatic Tremor Group. My life wouldn't be the same without these people and I'm glad that this group has connected us all.

I hope to one day learn to live with this illness with a positive state on mind and help others deal with similar problems. 

Also, on a side note for all my crafty friends, crochet has probably saved my sanity so many times. There is a lot to be said about the therapeutic affects of arts and crafts.

P.S  I realize it has been a long time since i have explained what Orthostatic tremor is and to be honest it is so much more than what i can explain but here is another description for those of you that may be interested.

Orthostatic tremor is a rare Neurological Disorder which is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's or MS, depression and anxiety.
This disorder can be diagnosed by having tests to measure the contractions of the muscles EMG, The speed in which OT is categorised is (13-18Hz).
The cause and a cure is unknown.(Some medical professionals have never heard of it) Treatment usually takes the form of epileptic drugs to take the edge off. Most OT sufferers are not currently medicated as the available drugs have little to no affect at all.
OT can be a debilitating condition and is for many of us.

Onset OT - Tremor on standing which is usually relieved by sitting. Feeling off balance/ dizzy. Feeling fatigued.The tremor may or may not be seen by others. Sometimes it is felt like a "vibration" on the inside.


OT Plus - Additional neurological symptoms may occur due to progression a list of symptoms can include ( but is certainly not an extensive list);
Freezing up
Needing to sit
Dizzy/off balance
Sweating
Unable to que in lines
Fatigue
Pain
Stooping
Falls
Gait problems
Anxiety/ depression
Tremor in other parts of the body other than legs
Essential tremor
Parkinson's symptoms

Hi stranger

I haven't been here in a long while. In actual fact i wasn't sure i was going to keep a blog and i am still unsure. Sometimes i feel like my life is somewhat boring compared to all those wonderful bloggers out there.Maybe that's another post in itself?

Anyway, I thought i would share something that i have always wanted to do, i suppose you could say it was a kind of bucket list item, only i never listed it as one.
My husband bought an old (kind of retro) dressing table which he found on facebook Garage Sales. It was cheap but i can't remember the price now. It had been painted many times before by the previous owner/owners. I always think about the life of second hand items, i believe everything has a story pretty much.
Back on to the restoration. I gave the dressing table 2 coats of Primer. It didn't have any holes or dents to fill in so it was pretty straight forward really. Primer dries very quickly and i could have painted straight away but i had a  hard decision to make regarding colour. I knew i wanted a green but gee how many greens to choose from. I picked a colour and painted it. Mmmmmm disliked, too bright and was almost florescent in my opinion. I was thinking a more olive green. So i painted another dose of Primer and went on a colour hunt again. Keep in mind any standing in hardware stores (or anywhere) is torture due to my disability, so i wasn't impressed much.
Get home paint it again and it is lime green. Not olive green but i liked it and it looked nice with the original drawers pattern which had not been touched by previous owners. I had intentions to cover the drawers with wallpaper but i think i will keep the touch of its originality.
Anyway, here it is, do you like?

Its a small picture, sorry.

splash of colour

I finally have another finished project. I love the feeling of finalizing something that has been hanging around the house just staring at me waiting, waiting, waiting. I needed to get more stuffing and then i was on a home run.

Here it is my friends, i actually love it.

I just love the colours. 

I might try and attempt to find a pattern for it or write my own if i can for those that would like it.

Want a free beanie tutorial?

I found a crochet beanie pattern i really wanted to tackle because i loved what the finished product looks like.
I did struggle at times only because i was unsure of starting points for each round but i got there and i was so pleased with the end result. (even better knowing i got the yarn on a 30% sale). Must try and save $$$$$$$.

So click HERE   if you want to check out the blog where i found the FREE TUTORIAL and while your there spend some time and look around, awesome stuff believe me. Revlie Shuit @ Revving it up is one talented mamma.

Above is my attempt and i love it. I will be doing this one again for sure.

Meshing around

Hi Blog, long time no see.

Maybe i have been absent due to kids being on school holidays or house training our beautiful labby, Jimmy, or maybe i was a bit lazy. One thing i have kept meaning to share is my new recycling "thing" for our family. Its weird but it works and its frugal.

Photo source

We are using the mesh bags used to hold oranges and onions as scourers for our dishes. They are also good for stainless steel stove tops because they are non abrasive. Woohoo i love that i have given something another life.

I am still mindful that i could be buying the oranges and onions loose and using my own bag from home but this is still a good way of giving something another life if you happen to find them in your home.

As a side note, whilst i was searching for a picture of the mesh, i came upon a cute blog for great Eco crafting which i will now be a fan off, if you would like to check it out click HERE.

I'm sure there are many uses for these bags, do you have another use?