Expecting....

Hello, hello after so very long. What a year already hey? Just wanted you to all know that I was still alive. I know it must have seemed as though I had dropped off the face of the earth. I am sorry that I haven't been around for ages. Lots has happened since we last spoke. The day after i announced the closure of Miss Ali's late last year, I found out I was pregnant with our fourth baby. That kind of through a spanner in the works as far as this years plans were concerned lol. I should have learned by now not to put to much weight on MY plans. I have had a very rough and crook last few months. Morning sickness this time started at 5 weeks and came with a vengence. It is only just starting to subside in the last couple of weeks thankfully. Some days i feel ok and others just awful. I have popped out earlier this pregnancy too and already look pregnant at just 15 weeks. Bub is due early August. We are very excited to welcome a new little one into our home.

I started the year home schooling my eldest, but unfortunatly it only lasted two weeks. I then decided that it was the best thing for him to go back to his old private school. It is a fantastic school and he was showing many signs of boredom. So he and our younger one were enrolled again and now i find myself sitting home, growing and doing nothing of what i had planned for this year. I have my little princess home with me and we have been enjoying our days together. She is looking forward to a baby to look after also.

I have had a lovely break from Miss Ali's and designing etc. I haven't really touched any of it since I closed the website and I must say it has been so nice to be free from the pressure of it all. When I began feeling awful I was so thankful I had closed down just in time. I am not sure if I will do anything work wise in the near future. I will see how my days unfold. For now I am enjoying just being wife and mother.

Ok well that is enough from me for this first post back. I don't want to shock any of you lol, that is if any of you still visit. I will attempt to post often and keep in touch with you all. Hoping you are all well and not being affected by the financial crisis worldwide, the floods, fires and every other disaster that seems to be present the world over. Has anyone else been thinking the world has gone mad. I think we are seeing the beginning of the end of the world as we know it. Much is said in Scripture about this very time we are in. Don't be ignorant of what is coming friends, open your bibles if you have one and see for yourselves that much of what we are seeing now has been foretold for our benefit in Scripture so that we might be prepared. Blessings to all of you who seek the God of Israel. Ali xo

Goodbye Miss Ali's

Handmade Cards $3.50 ea

Handmade Delicious Soap only $3 ea

After a year or more of struggling with the idea of giving up my own life for the sake of my family, i have decided to close Miss Ali's down. The time has come, or rather is long overdue, that I pour myself into my family. It was a tough decision to give it all up, but I have tried so hard to cut down, etc and I always find myself getting sucked back into it to the point where my work takes my focus. And that is not ok. So I am saying goodbye to my little business for now. Time for the children, time for our whole family to have a full time mum. Home schooling is going to be a lot more involved this year and I really can't do both. So..... Miss Ali's is having a closing sale over the next few days before i close the doors. Everything in store is marked down, so if you would like any of my products before they are gone, just head over and get them while they are still up.

I want to take this opportunity to say a hearty THANK YOU to all of you who have shown your support to me over the years. Your kindness has been so appreciated and I shall remember with fondness all the friends I have made through my website, designing, markets and customer visits. I look with fondness over the last few years and really have enjoyed all the highs and lows of creating and selling and designing. I will keep this blog going for now, so if you would like to contact me once the website closes, please do so here or through my email if you have it. I won't put it up here as my inbox will fill with spam over night lol. So thank you one and all and who knows when I may be back. For now my web designs will still be available through my dear friend Robin at Boutique Mama and I plan to, as time permits, add new OOAK web designs there. So head over to Miss Ali's one last time while you can....

See You there

Sweetest Bookmarks $0.70 ea

I'm Back

Hello lovely blogging friends. I am finally back from our month or so over in New Zealand. We had a wonderful time together for the most part. We laughed often and enjoyed having each others company. We managed to enjoy Queenstown while it was snowing up at Coronet Peak. That was the first time we had been in the snow while it was actually snowing. Aparently they had a cold snap while we were there. But really heated up a few days before we came home, just to prepare us for our hot and humid weather here. Oh boy, we came home and were asking ourselves why we choose to live in Townsville. I really start to wonder. I am very thankful for our air conditioning and wouldn't like to go back to no escape from the heat. I have added some photos for you to enjoy below of our trip.

Cadbury World, Dunedin


Stunning isn't it?

Who could come to NZ and not go to Cadbury World? Not us!

This one I will explain lol. It is my Uncle Nige and our kids and Matt driving the front end loader on the Chook farm they have in Hastings. The kids thought it was just the ants pants.

Sorry for too many photos, will catch up with you all soon I am sure. I have an announcement to make also, but will start a new post for that. talk soon, Ali

Going to New Zealand

Photo taken at Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

Well lovlies, we are off for a little family holiday at long last. Hubby decided a few weeks back that it was time for the long anticipated holiday back to my native country. We leave next week and won't be back till end of November. Can't wait for all the bonding that we will do as we campervan through this incredible and rugged country, both Islands.

Our home for the next month.

So I plan to close my website this week and won't be reopening till end of November. Last orders that will be processed before I leave need to be in by tomorrow 5 October 08 to enable me time to complete them.

So take care everyone, and I will be back online in about 6 weeks or so. Take care all and be safe. ox Ali

And the Winner is...

Siobhan...

Congratulations precious girl, you will be receiving your little parcel shortly. Thanks again to those of you who took the time to enter and leave me your comments. It is a little bit of fun isn't it? Ok I will go and notify Siobhan now too. ox thanks again all and if you missed out and would like some cards, they can be purchased through my site here. More giveaway's to come though... Special thanks goes to my little giveaway assistant, Gracie. ox

Rocky Road...with Liam

You will need:

500gms good quality milk chocolate

200gms marshmellows

250gms turkish delight

handful of nuts

1/2 cup desicated (grated dried) coconut

We made this for our poppy's birthday present and hope he enjoys it. Give it a go yourself if you like and let mum know if you do and what you think of it. Thanks for watching, stay tuned for my next cooking adventure.... Liam xo

Last Nights Concert

Troy Cassidaly
Gina Jeffries & Beccy Cole
Beccy Cole, Gina Jeffries & Sara Storer
The Songbirds
Matty & the kids

Last night I took the little ones down to see the concert my hubby was working. Matty (hubby) runs a production company here in Townsville. He provides sound, lighting, staging and techs etc for concerts and other proffesional events across Australia, and abroad at times as well. Well anyway, last night he did one here locally so we came along to support him and check out all of his hard work. Fronteirs Services put on a fundraising concert feautring Troy Cassidaly, and The Songbirds (Becky Cole, Gina Jeffries, and Sara Storer). Money raised goes to helping the familes of the Outback who do it tough. So was a fun night and my parents also came along to keep us company. The kids loved it and ran around up the back and hung off Matt for some of it too. He found it a little stressful having them their but at the same time, I am sure he loved us seeing him work too. The truth is I am proud of my husband, we may not always see eye to eye on some things but he works hard and I love that about him. He gives his best and is loved because of that. He has worked with many artists now and I will have to do a post one day with photos of him and the artists he has worked with just for fun, and to show him how much I think of him. He is super sweet and you can check out his main website here.