stealing a happy thought if I may

I'm reeling.

While out jogging in a park the other morning, my beautiful friend Deme was attacked, knocked unconcious with a pipe, dragged into bushes and if not for the absolute fortune of a passerby stopping the revolting man from doing worse, left for dead. After several hours of neurosurgery to correct horrific skull damage and days in hospital she is home with her gorgeous husband and two adorable boys, recovering.

This is a girl like no other I've ever known. She's truly kind, generous, and so open-hearted. My Deme is a hugger. Every day I worked with her I got a hug. Every time my parents came to visit, they got a hug. Every time my husband tuned up at work she'd stop what she was doing, find us and give him a hug. A real hug. A squeeze and hang on tight, you're gonna have to let go first hug. It takes a special kind of someone to just give out love to everyone with such free-spiritedness.

If you have a chance on this day of renewed hope to send my girl a happy thought, to send even a tiny spare bit of love and hope back her way, I'd appreciate it.

(((Love you, Dem.)))

they grow up too fast

Just put my "baby" in her big girl bed for the first time tonight. I've had her new set all picked out months ago - all bright pinks and aquas and embroidered butterflies. It's just heavenly.

And boy was she excited when she came in from dinner to find her room all rearranged!!! Up she climbed - and my girl's no climber! - tucked herself under the covers and lay down on her first pillow like a pro.

Instead of sitting on a little ottoman besie her bed to read her sleepy-time book, I got to snuggle in her bed with her. Such a beautiful moment.

Me? Feel like blubbering.

happy holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I hope the next weeks wrap up a most excellent year for you all and that 2010 brings much love, laughter, happiness and the best books you've ever read!

Love and all things good,

Ally

romantic in the making

Toddler Girl looooves books. She loves us reading them to her, and is at that gorgeous age where she also loves sitting in a corner of the lounge room, going through her box of books and "reading" them all to herself.

This morning Toddler Girl picked up a Fiona Lowe romance from my bedside table – MIRACLE: TWIN BABIES for anyone looking for the full picture ;) – opened up a random page, pointed to the words and said, "It says… I Love You".

I didn't check the actual page, but I'm fairly sure those words would be found somewhere within that particular book. Genius child! And romantic in the making ;).

sweet sixteen and bitten!

While my lovely sister was visiting we saw the latest instalment of the Twilight Saga, New Moon.

I'm not sure if it was the fact that it's only like the third film I've seen actually at the movies in the last 2 years, or the fact that I am, at heart, still a sixteen year old girl who loves dreaming up crushes on handsome boys so much I do it for a living, but I had a ball! The secondary were characters a riot. Bella warm, and selfish, and interesting. And best of all the love story/ies was/were breathless.

We had to sit in the second front row which made for some Olympic level neck craning but the girl at the ticket window was right - it did give us the best angle from which to ogle young Jacob Black's musclulature. Oh my. I mean I was firmly in Team Jacob after reading the books, but now I simply pity those in Team Edward. Tho, since I am not actually sixteen I shall move on...

The sixteen year old within me loves high school movies to absolute bits. Give me High School Musical, Ten Things I Hate About You, and any of their ilk and I'm in hog heaven. If I was still sixteen I'd be one of those lined up at the red carpet events to get a glimpse of that crowd. Treating them like rock stars. Screaming their names. Boy I miss those days!

But again, I'm not sixteen. I am a mother of two with limited movie going time who ended up sitting next to two actual sixteen year old girls. One of whom had obviously read New Moon a thousand times, the other who had not. After After thinking their continued sighing and giggling in the first half of the movie was cute, this is how things soon went...

Girl # 2: "Oh my God is Jacob about to kiss her???"
Girl # 1: "No not yet."
Girl # 2: "Oh phew."

Five minutes later.

Girl # 2: "Oh my God is Bella gonna like die?"
Girl # 1: "Don't worry she'll be fine. Jacob, like, rescues her just before the baddie girl gets her."

Needless to say, having the movie commentated to me before it actually happened got old fast. I stuck my finger in my left ear I cleared my throat alot. I even considered asking them to hush up. But that just would have been mean, 'cause tho I was there, enjoying the bejeezers out of it, the movie had really been made for them.

So I moved. In a packed theatre, I got up and moved. At sixteen I would have sat still as a statue and fumed. As an adult I simply found a better seat. Turns out I kinda like being a grown up after all.

Actually.

the visitor

Recovering from a most wonderful week spent with my one and only and most favourite sister Suze who came down to Melbourne for a visit - sans hubby and kiddlywink.

We talked til we could talk no more, played with the kids, shopped up a storm at local markets, and picked out our favourite pieces at our new local Tiffany & Co - without shopping up a storm, most unfortunately. Though it surely can't hurt to hint this close to Christmas ;). Seriously - check out the home page of the Aussie Tiffany & Co site. Heavenly!

Miss you already Suze!!!

A