A meeting and a cream tea!

Yesterday I had a visit/meeting with two friends of mine, to discuss a school creative pursuits program that is happening in September. I felt all inspired first thing in the morning and had the notion that the meeting had to have a serving of cream tea to be complete. I don't know if this is an english thing or not but for those of you who don't know a cream tea is basically pots of tea (keep them coming), whipped cream, yummy jam and scones. This was my first try at making scones (my nan would be so ashamed of me!) - but the little noisy boy even helped by adding half a cup of raisins and they were delicious! I had taken the boy out in the morning for a 2 hour swim so he was happy to hang out and even let his mum visit, share sewing ideas, and talk about our plans. It was all so civilised and wonderful! I of course later had to deal with poopy pants - a pee on the sofa - and a banged up nose - but for a few hours I felt quite the lady! The two friends I was meeting with have both played big parts in helping me along with my business - one has been there from the very beginning when I had been feeling quite a wreck from a string of icky past experiences - she helped me buy my first sewing machine here in Canada, patiently guided me through my first sewing pattern of a bag - and whooped in encouraging joy at the tea cosie I made for her. My complete supporter in the wings - who always asks me what I am working on, buys stocks at the plenty and tells me to put my big pants on when necessary!! I had never had a real mentor in my life before and it is amazing when you find one, the things they can help you achieve! The other friend I met at a really sad craft show I was at one Christmas nearly 5 years ago. It was one of those shows where you know you aren't in the right place - as people were going gaga over some doilies and weird shaped toilet roll covers - but then along comes this funky little chick who fell in love with my vintage fabric Christmas stockings and ordered 5 on the spot. As we chatted more with the order I found out she salvaged all this wonderful furniture and after getting to know her more have realised that there isn't really anything this lady can't do. She births goats on the fly, organises a farm, sews and designs fabulous things for kids / adults alike AND rummages for funky wares! Her house makes me go "ohhhhhhhh oooooooooo ahhhhhhhhhhhh" AND she has 3 kids! Over achieving ?? No - just capable! When you get days like this, amongst all the nonsense of everyday living it teaches me over and over to go with the flow of life - just because things may not happen as I have planned and fussed over - life has a way of putting you with all the right people on this weird journey of life and just sometimes you get the chance to see fates puzzle pieces fitting together - all over a cream tea!!

Prizes, Prizes

Just a reminder of a few giveaways on the go at the mo from My NOisy Boys Designs.

Simply Stylish Mom is offering a free wallflag - just tell her which flag you like and come and be a fan on My Noisy Boys facebook page. Draw will take place on Tuesday 26th July.


http://simplystylishmom.com/2011/07/19/tuesdays-giveaway-wall-flag-from-my-noisy-boys/

My Noisy Boys designs is also running a $30 voucher giveaway on it's facebook page. Simply post a picture that to you represents the theme "It doesn't get better than this" and become a fan to the page. Once we have reached 60 fans we will draw the lucky winners name.


https://www.facebook.com/MyNoisyBoys
Well that's it for today. It is ia daycare day - but instead of getting to play with paints and fabric I get to do my husbands books - yuck!

umm just to keep you updated

....so this was the noisy little boys plan!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QOLvINKrRE

I know he is being suspiciously quiet!

XX

Celebration of the Noisy Boys everywhere!

I am sooo sick of my moaning recently and have decided enough is enough! I needed to take a good hard look at myself today, because I have been so woe is me and that is such a boring place to choose! As of today I say enough Storie..enough with the gripes, the sighs, the moans, the groans, the yells, the tears .... it is time to just get down and dirty in celebration of my Noisy Little Boy. A little more of "Boys will be boys" might just get me through life a little easier than "what the frick are you doing now"? I had thought it was the age - but I have just overheard a conversation in the swimming pool dressing room that sounded exactly like a conversation that goes round and round in my head with a boy who was so clearly well into school age that I nearly cried. Sometimes I feel like such a social pariah .. the looks, the gasps, the twitches around me as the little guy melts down in the shops, grabs 400 items in one swift move, bangs all kinds of stuff from counters to ladies legs, finds buttons I never knew existed, darts for emergency exits, pulls hard on things that should be pushed, bends things that should be straight, lifts things that need to be low and pours water on stuff that needs to be dry. My guy seems to have so much energy, needs much less sleep than any other child I know and for some reason I have entered into this negative tone and wallowed my way to a place of poor me which is neither fair to the boy or us as a family. I discipline, I watched all the supernannies, I read all the books - I really do try to do the best I can - but sometimes I still feel so lacking as a parent. Well no more of that pity party, I have a BOY and what a sweet, huggy, hilarious, bright as a button, never a dull moment in the day little noisy boy he is. I am the lucky one and he does well to put up with the boring, socially uptight woman he calls his mum...what on earth is he going to do with her. In celebration of my noisy boy I would like to leave you with a picture of our trampoline that I spied just when I was leaving the house today - this is life with a little noisy boy - do not turn your head away for a minute as you will miss the performance of their life. I would love to hear any stories from people out there with noisy boys of their own - we could start up a group and take them all
out for tea for a laugh!!

I would like to introduce you to the newest member of the family......

Tonight I have been working on this little guy - who I had wanted to introduce to My Noisy Boys family a while ago, but you know how things go. Anyway a request from a customer for an owl spurred me tonight to get him done! I haven't tested him yet in print (which is always the most exciting part of this process for a new design) - but I am thinking he is looking mighty fine - and doesn't he know it! So I don't know if you guys all realised, but let me tell you there are very stringent tests performed on all prints - before any design is given the final approval. Yes sirreeeee!! I hold said item in front of My little Noisy Boy and say - "what is this?" If My Noisy Boy says "weird blobby thing" (my first dinosaur) then that design is out the window.....but if he says "mummy it is a train...giraffe....owl" then whooooo hoooooo welcome to the gang. I am happy to say Mr Owl passed with flying colours.

If you can't beat them ........

Bodum Covers everyone would cry when I first started making my tea cosies some 6 years ago (yikes - where has that time gone) - do you make Bodum Covers? I should've realised I was in the land of coffee drinkers, but just couldn't seem to get around to trying out a new pattern or finding anything that might work. Well today ladies and gentlemen Caroline Storie crumbled by making her very first Bodum cover and what a sweet little soul she is. Based on a sample from my customer I recreated her little Bodum Cover for her with a taste of the westcoast. It just threw me down memory lane today of my very first market experience here in Duncan when I sat there with all my tea cosies and everyone asked .... umm do you do Bodum Covers? I really should've listened to my people then - as 2 more people have asked for one already!

Mealtimes

Every once in a while- there is a combination of events that occur and lead me to that place of inedible meal.  I was never the cook of the house until I had my noisy boy - it was the talent of hubby in the kitchen or sandwiches.  Of course when I had the boy and was at home more, the role of cook fell cleanly in my lap, especially as my husband can work late during high seasons.  For a non-cook I think I have stepped up to the plate pretty well.  I was on some weird hormone high for the first 6 months of my boys life where during the peak of his fussy time (the witching hour) I would be found stressing over intense ingredient chopping for vegan recipes (I have no idea!!) or full on stuffed chicken roasts which I had never done before.  Sleep exhaustion caught up with me and the meals became a lot simpler and with practised organisation not bad.  I don't love it - but it's pretty ok, standard stuff.  Only once has hubby come home to enquire abt dinner and I have told him it is on Pg 184 of the recipe book and the ingredients are in the fridge.  Polite ... I know!  So - this leads me to yesterdays meal which I have to say was probably the most disgusting thing I have ever put before little noisy boy and myself - to which noisy boy looked at me and asked for cereal.  To which I looked down at my plate and said ... yeah me too! 

SO if you would like the recipe of my "Unedible Meal" pls follow instructions as below"



Take one stroppy little man who seems far too tired to go anywhere out in the real world (if said stroppy man is forced to co-operate mumma better be ready for the public shopping show down) and mix it in with a dash of "well I'm bloody tired too, we have no food in the house and now I have to make dinner". Hmmmm the meal is already smelling of bitterness and anger! yummy!

Now take 2 tins of anything hovering at the back of your cupboard.Try to make sure they are from the savoury section of tin food nourishment.  I used spicy refried beans and corn.

Then waste around 20 mins chopping some very sad looking vegetables from the selection left over from 2 weeks ago that you didn't get round to using.  My choice was weepy celery, cut off the green mould onion and a pepper.  There this has to be a meal - it has vegetables.

Chop and add Olives - you know your boy likes them and maybe he will eat the stuff stuck to it because he has to.

Drink a cider - yipppeeee you had one left in the fridge.

Heat and stir occasionally until you feel like it is gungey enough.

Serve and apologise!

Make mental note - that there is a reason for take out.

Anyone else have a good recipe to share?

I suck at crafts!

It is funny because I absolutely love what I do for My Noisy Boys Designs.  I love coming up with the designs, the colourways, the making of the products, the making of new patterns for other products, I even think I am really good at it - but man I suck at crafts!  Any group I am with or "evening" out arranged by friends or even myself, that involves any other type of crafting and mine will usually turn out quite the disaster.  We had to decorate glass vases as a gift for one group I was a member of and I couldn't believe the monster I had made - it was left sitting on the shelf in the "left overs - won't give to the grandmas unless we have to" box and I didn't blame them in the slightest.  There are some people out there who are just amazing at any art they turn their hand to - their cupcake, painting, card decoration, knitting, painted pot (Ms Kerri Anderson - you are most definitely one of those talents!!) - always looks so wonderful.  I think people assume I am one of those because I work with design - but they quickly realise that is not the case.  I just love to see the looks on their faces "..and what has Caroline done.....(I sit back to show the full wonder of my creation) ... oh pause.....oh...    pause ....oh ..... that  .....is  ...... sooooooooooooooo  ................ pause  ...........c...o...l....o..u..r....full  - or if you are one of my friends sitting next to me in the ceramics night I arranged one day - "and what the hell is that Caroline"!!  So if you are really wanting to get your teeth into something .....or start an etsy store, but you don't feel you are the "crafty" type - fear not.  It may mean you just haven't found your thing yet - try anything that appeals to you - if you love it - KEEP GOING.  You too will find your THING - but still be crappy at other crafts!