A letter of apology......

to my overlocker.

Things have been tense lately between us, there have been issues & it needs to be addressed, let's just put it out there on the sewing table & move forward...together.

There have been times when you have been my best friend & I felt that I had returned the love by oiling & de-fluffing you every week. Maybe I have taken these times for granted lately & not given you the care you have become accustomed to. I will admit I have been working more outside the home, spending more time away from you & yes there have been a few weeks where the sewing machine has received more attention.

But the tension that is happening now is unbearable! I have tried everything to fix it & though I may have used a few choice words here & there I don't really blame you. I really don't but I do blame these two culprits for touching your tension dials & then trying to put them back to their original position..........

Please forgive me Ollie Overlocker xxx

Night Bus to Nha Trang...

Years ago while travelling in Malaysia I had got a night bus & it was so comfy & roomy I was really glad to see that there were a lot of them in Vietnam. We decided to travel the 400klm up to Nha Trang by bus, it takes 10 hours but only cost $7 each, bargain! & we don't have to pay for a nights accommodation. We were quite excited until we actually saw the bus, I think it was the oldest machine I had ever seen in my life but we laughed it off & got on. Unfortunately all of Mr Sprouts 6 foot 6 inches did not fit in the bus so it was a long 10 hours for him!

We stayed at The Light Hotel & Resort which is a great place right across the road from the beach. I booked the room the previous night before we got on the bus so was able to get a last minute rate of $40 per night in an ocean view senior deluxe room.

Nha Trang has great snorkelling & scuba diving, there are trips to the hinterland to ride elephants, day trips to see Cham Towers or you can be pampered and laze on the beach in town.

Just around the corner from the hotel is a snake restaurant where you can choose your own live snake to dine on, they kill it & put the still beating heart in a shot of vodka to be drunk. They also have live seafood to choose from which was far less daunting so we feasted on prawns & lobsters instead. Then back to the beach where Mr Sprout continued to eat anything & everything that happened to be walking by!

Next stop Hoi An....... we chose to fly on this leg of the trip :)

Happy Halloween.......

We do love Halloween in the house of Sprout & this year's party was loads of fun. 

 I did another table in black & white for the non candy food & that was demolished by the parents early on!

Mr Sprout did a great job in cob webbing the entrance & it was a big hit with kids.

To see all pics of the candy table head over to facebook.

Happy Halloween!

Something Fishy.....

Today is the last day of the school holidays & I have been busy making the Sprouts some shorts before heading back to work, these fish shorts are also available to purchase in the online store......

The tiny enemy...

I have been offline a lot lately as things have been very busy behind the scenes.

We finally started our kitchen reno, for the last 6 months its been downhill to the bench & uphill to the fridge as the floor has slowly sunk under years of termite damage.....

Needless to say the bbq has been getting a workout!

Mekong Meanderings......

I do love the Mekong Delta area but it is hot hot hot & humid! There are a few options to choose from when booking a trip from Ho Chi Minh, a one day tour which I don't suggest as it is a 3hr bus trip just one way to the boat, or a 2 day tour & so on. We chose the 2 day tour with a night in a hotel which cost us $18 each (breakfast included), there is a home stay option for a few dollars more. 

After a day of cruising around & seeing how simply people live we did feel a big clean out & donate was on the cards when we got home (which we did do).

As night fell we checked in & decided to head off for some dinner. We found a little local place, no English so a lot of pointing & sign language, sat down for a beer & soon discovered the place was crawling with rats, literally! to the point where they were fighting & squealing & running across the floor so much it was like watching a tennis match. It was at this point I slightly regretted ordering some spring rolls for a snack however I did see them taken from the freezer & not made on site so Mr Sprout & I were okay about eating them. I really wanted to take a photo because the rats were really funny but Mr Sprout thought it would be rude, so no photo!

We headed back to the hotel & ate in the cafe next door which much to our amusement had a list of the Chef's best dishes & top of it was Stir Fried Rat. Though tempted I opted for Bird no idea what sort but it wasn't chicken as that was also on the menu & Mr Sprout had Eel, both were delish.

The next morning we headed off to the floating markets which I found to be the highlight of the trip as we got up close & personal with all the boats & bought lots of yummy food & snacks. Which we really didn't need as we had bought loads of candy at the coconut candy farm the day before!

Next stop Nha Trang & the night bus to get there..........

Cu Chi Tunnels

I am the first to admit that I am not a big lover of organised tours not because of the destination or the tour company but because in our experience there is always a painful person on a tour & we were not disappointed on a tour we took to the Cu Chi tunnels.

I do not understand why some people travel if all they do is complain about the country they are in & compare every little thing with their own country, usually in a really loud & obnoxious voice. One example of this man's ire was the fact that the entrance fee to the tunnels is not included in the tour price, a point which was made to all of the other people on the bus by the booking agents & was written in the literature. Mr Sprout did point out it's not really something worth swearing & carrying on about considering it only cost $6 for the tour & the entrance fee is only $3.

 

It truly is a fascinating place to visit, however I have no idea how people lived down these tunnels for so long. After walking hunched over through one on my first trip to Vietnam I was definately not doing it again, way too claustrophobic for me. Mr Sprout on the other hand got right into it, so much so that he got stuck in one of the hidden entrances which I had warned him not to try...

after a fair bit of sucking in his chest & wiggling he was able to pull himself up & off we went to the tunnel walk. Because he is 6'5 his walk became a crawl & he was quite glad to get to the end & get back out. It was a great tour & ended with Tapioca dipped in nuts & tea.  

It was a scorching day & quite a long bus trip so once we got off back in town the first thing we did was find a street vendor selling beer & within 10 seconds we had little stools to sit on & the coldest stubby holders you could find, an absolute bargain at only 70c a beer.....we may have stayed for 2 or 3 more cold ones!

Ladies A-Line Skirts.....

will soon be available again! I am slowly working my way through the last of my orders so stay tuned.....

Ho Chi Minh - at night

I must say our nights in Ho Chi Minh were very tame there are many clubs, pubs etc you can go to but just being on the street & seeing all the local people on motorbikes was enough action for us. During the days the sidewalks are full of parked up motorbikes & at night the sidewalks are full of small plastic chairs & pop up bars/cafes...

We found the best & cheapest places to sit & watch life were on Bui Vien which was very close to our hotel  you could sit and stay for just a beer or three & there was no pressure to order food. I was saddened to see that this area has become quite touristy with a lot of Western food restaurants where you are charged too much and  are served as fast as possible & they get you out. Why go somewhere & eat what you eat at home when you can get fantastic tasty local food?

We ate street food & would grab whatever went past & in this instance it was a woman with a large basket, we had no idea what was in there but was told it cost 15,000 dong (75c) it was a bag of sliced green mango with fresh chopped chilli & salt to dip it into, a perfect addition on a hot sweaty night with a cold Saigon beer.

One thing about this area is that everyone is super friendly & the people sitting next to us were expats working in Vietnam & gave us a heads up on a quiet place to have a dinner or a drink which I must say can be a lifesaver if the constant beeping & noise gets too much. Our only directions were "It's on this street keep walking & look up for light's"

We found it! It is the Duc Vuong Hotel which is lovely & quiet. You do need to get a lift up to it, which was rather funny as hubby & I were onboard & we stopped at level 3 to take on 3 more people... the buzzer sounded for overweight & one had to get off. The limit was 6 people max 400kg definately not a Western elevator. However the rooftop was quiet, had excellent staff, awesome views & Vietnamese food at a great price.

Next stop - Cu Chi Tunnels

Vietnam - Ho Chi Minh on a budget...

Mr Sprout & I kicked off our holiday in Ho Chi Minh, so many motorbikes & not so many road rules or so it seems!

I'm all about saving a dollar or two when it comes to accommodation while on holiday & if you are spending most of your time out & about, exploring, trekking or touring I just don't see the point in paying big bucks on a room that you are in for only a few hours at night.

Being my 3rd time to Vietnam I did have some local knowledge as to the more quieter budget area's to book into which is why I chose to stay at Ti Ti Hotel which is in a little alley (motorbike & pedestrian access only) just a few metres away from the main budget area. For $14 US a night we had a Queen sized bed, window (cost's more but well worth it), fridge, bathroom, phone, satellite tv & air con & some rooms also have balconies.

A bargain at $7 each! the only draw back is that there are no lifts in many of these buildings so when you are handed your key I always send a little prayer up that it's a low number...it was 502. But we pretty much left our room at 8am & returned at 10pm so we only had to go up 5 storey's once a day & the room was always spotless & made up when we returned.

One of the main reasons I absolutely love Vietnam is the food & the freshness of it, every morning we had iced coffee (very thick Vietnamese filter coffee with sweetened condensed milk over ice) 

& a large fresh baguette filled with egg,cheese,tomato.cucumber,soy & chilli sauce. We would sit on tiny (to my butt's size & Mr Sprouts 6foot5 size!) plastic stools while our breakfast was made. Total cost 

56,000 Dong or nearly $3 Australian. Yes those big baguettes were $1 each filled! Mr Sprout had the meat version one morning I don't know what sort of meat it was but I did try a bite & it was delish. 

Will post next time about our evening dinings.....aka beer drinking it was so hot!

Vietnam here we come............

Mr Sprout & I are heading off to Vietnam for 3 weeks today. This will be my 3rd visit but Mr Sprouts first so he is really looking forward to it...maybe so he doesn't have to hear me going on & on about how wonderful it is! I am looking forward to some fabric shopping while there :)

Sale.....

Shop Here!

Best Dressed 2.......

Aviary in Pink is now available on

Kid Independent's Best Dressed 2013

Tuesday's with Joshy.....

Tuesday is the only day of the week that I don't work & it's also a day that my Junior Sprout has off kindy so it has become our day. Next year he will be at school 5 days a week just like his older brother so I really want to make the most of the one on one time I have left.

Every week I ask him what he would like to do for the day & it usually involves the same thing, heading out to a discount store to buy art supplies, puzzle books or a small toy. What I love the most about this day is that Josh always insists on buying his brother a 'surprise' for when he gets home from school & making Daddy a 'surprise' to give him after work.

There is a couple of rules for Tuesday's firstly that the maximum amount spent is $5, secondly he must be well behaved the entire time we are out or we go home immediately without buying anything (this rule has only been broken once by him!) & lastly at the end of each month one thing must be given to charity.

Today's budget was spent on transformer mask's, glow in the dark swords & some stripey pipecleaner's let the fun begin!

I'm going to really miss my Tuesday's with Joshy next year but I am sure I can think of something else to occupy my time....... maybe Mummy Tuesday's at the Day Spa!

Bloglovin

With Google Reader shutting down later this year I have moved my blog over to Bloglovin. I am a little in love with the format of it already! & have spent the morning moving & reading all my fav blogs.

If you would like to follow my blog at Bloglovin please click here.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hippity Hoppity....

It's that time of year again when I make my bunny dresses. 

This year I have decided to do a slip dress style as well as the peasant dress. 

Firstly I have the slip style online & ready for purchase!

Slip Bunny Dress

Polka Dot Tie Shoulder

White Felt Bunny Eared Pocket

Now to get sewing up the peasant style! 

Making it Up....

A child's imagination is a wonderful thing & I always love what games they will come up with using items found in the backyard. Our boys don't have any computer games yet, they will in the future when they are older but for now they love getting out in the yard.

 Last weekend they decided to go camping so they made a wind break from Mr Sprouts tyre ramps for their 'campfire' which they made from gravel as fire is very dangerous! 

This morning they have been discussing a new game, so far the required items seem to be a 4WD, a  net, sticks, mud & a crocodile.

I see a lot of muddy washing ahead this weekend!

Turning 40....

Tomorrow I turn 40 so I have spent a little time reflecting on my life today. I think I have done everything I wanted to do,I have travelled, had relationships, lived alone, worked for myself, bought my first house etc etc but I decided to google a 'before you turn 40 bucket list'.

I was pretty surprised to find that I had done nearly everything on it, number 27 is never going to happen & we don't have a Chanel store in Kalgoorlie so 35 went straight off the list too. The night is still young so there is plenty of time to get around to number 40 which only leaves me with one more that I didn't do... have a dirty secret! but I think I can live with that one :)

Best Dressed 2013...

I am super excited to be participating in Kid Independent's Best Dressed 2013 Handmade Marketplace! 

Each day in March a new handmade limited edition dress will be revealed for purchase at 10am with the proceeds going to World Families Australia to educate a group of children in Ethiopia. 

I know where I will be at 10am each day!!

Apples

Spending the day reading in the shade of my apple tree.....