Monday 5 September 2011

Celebrating Fathers' Day 2011 on Planet Baby

Sweet Planetarians, all 384 of you (and a warm welcome to the newbies)! Thanks so much for all your kind-hearted and generous support in recent weeks. Life on Planet Baby has been so full on lately. In the past 19 days, my darling Dad has died, we've had his funeral, I've had my birthday and I've made it through Fathers' Day. Yes, yesterday was Fathers’ Day in Australia. The first of my 41 years without my Dad. The pixies generously let the both of us sleep in. I lay awake in bed for an hour, wracked by grief, and too scared to get up and face the day.

At 8 am, I pulled myself together and organised the troops. My very obliging and enthusiastic helpers assisted me in rustling up scrambled eggs with smoked salmon in bed for Mr PB. Here they are, ready to present it to him (displayed on a chair as they were too worried about spilling his tea!).
And here’s the Man of the Moment, all tucked up in Joshie’s bed where he often ends up during the night (a story for another day).
Sammy ignored our entreaties to join in the photo. He was more interested in making the whoopee cushion work!
Goodies and handmade cards were proudly proffered. Here’s Joshie’s enormous replica of Mr PB.
This little beauty of a drawing was inside. I love it!
Here’s his handiwork, all ready to hang somewhere in the garden.
India had drawn a ‘monster machine’.
Meanwhile, Sammy had left his indelible marks.
And then he managed to get the whoopee cushion to work!
I rang my Mum to check how she was faring – she was off to lunch with my sister so that was one less thing to worry about.

Fathers’ Day having been rung in, however Mr PB wasn’t off the hook, left alone in solitude. Oh no. He was thrilled to mow our lawn for the very first time! Here’s the man himself, cheered on by us from out the playroom window.
The pixies *loved* the smell of the freshly cut grass, something they never experienced in our Sydney apartment.

And then it was time to tackle PB HQ’s *dirty little secret* - Operation Sort-Out-The-Craft-Cupboard! Here is the before shot. You can tell we are only halfway through The Great Unpack…
And here’s the after shot. A *slight improvement*, don’t you think?!
We have plans to add shelving on the left hand-side and add pull-out drawers as the shelves are so deep. But it’s a start. Especially with school holidays having started today! The thought of having a fortnight with all 3 pixies at home with a craft cupboard that everything fell out of when you opened it wasn’t *exactly* what I was looking forward to ☺. Anyway, that problem has been averted, thankfully.

And to finish Mr PB’s special day, we actually managed to get all 3 pixies to sit still long enough for a precious (and rare) photo with him.
All up, he was  really chuffed with his day.

I rang my sister and my brother, just to check in on how they’d felt about their first fatherless Fathers’ Day. We all felt pretty much the same – empty, sad and bereft but also grateful for our children and the way they now embody the meaning of Fathers’ Day for our family.

Once the pixies were finally asleep, Mr PB then proved, yet again, what a truly kind man he is and cooked a roast chicken for dinner. I shed some tears for my Dad over a bottle of crisp Tasmanian Storm Bay riesling with my darling husband. He joined me, briefly, as he’s also mourning the loss of his great friend and mentor. But then we counted our great blessings – my (nearly) 41 years of having the most gorgeous father a girl could hope to have and our 3 precious pixies who light up our lives. Yep, life’s truly bittersweet at the moment.  
Photobucket

23 comments:

  1. lovely post Jane - and great pictures. I know it will have been a difficult day for you but it looks like your little brood got you through! AND the grass got cut? result!
    Think of you often and sending you a HUG as always.
    love fee x
    (♥)

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  2. Jane, I really do love this post. The pictures, the little video (gorgeous) and the words. You are such an inspirational person. I thought of you yesterday and knew it would be a difficult day. It sounds like you worked through it the best way you possibly could. Being surrounded by your beautiful pixies and hubby must have felt comforting, at a time when it would be hard to find comfort at all. Thank you for sharing the lovely moments.
    P.S. That craft cupboard looks unreal in the after shot... well done! :o) xo

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  3. What a lovely post. It's these holidays that will be the most difficult but I know he was there in spirit. Such a precious pic of your family - your pixies are adorable and will give you joy and strength as you go along. And you have a lovely guy there, who seems to know just how to ease the pain and provide comfort with his thoughtfulness. Big hugs xo

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  4. You and yours are just precious.
    I feel your sorrow and gratitude all at once.
    :-)

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  5. What a day for you! So many massive things happening for you right now, and yet you still manage to get your craft cupboard looking SPECTACULAR, and your grass cut!
    Take care of yourself Janey Jane. xxxx

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  6. i lovely gal....big day- many to follow...

    so glad that hubby was loved big!

    thinking of you as you always know i am...

    m xxxx

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  7. Another difficult day you managed to get through, good for you Jane!
    x Iris

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  8. Considering what a tricky day it was for you Jane, it looks to have been lovely as well. What beautiful goodies the children made for their dad. That plaque will be fantastic in the garden and I live the detail in that drawing. Look at those fingers!

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  9. Wow nice work on the craft cupboard! I'm so glad your little family had a lovely fathers day, and I love that Mr PB was eager to get out there & mow the grass for the first time! My hubby loves mowing the lawn, it's the pride he feels in his home looking back at the job done I think..
    I have a tear in my eye as I read this post, you're one strong lady..love to you x

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  10. Great Craft Cupboard work. Ours is not as large but does need a reorganise. I love the giggling joy in the video 'again!' priceless! Hugs to you my sweet x

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  11. Big hugs to you, Jane.
    Those photos are just so beautiful and giggling at that cute video. Gorgeous! xx

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  12. Anniversaries and significant days are always tough, but would have been especially so for you all with everything still so recent. Glad you managed to still enjoy the day with your hubby and gorgeous pixies. Love the presents, especially that cute drawing! Great job with the craft cupboard clean out, I did our pantry yesterday and feel so much better every time I open it now :)

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  13. Sweetie I'm so glad you have such a wonderful husband and beautiful children to help you through what would have been such a difficult day for you. Mr PB is a great man and a lucky Dad, his breakfast looks delicious and those cards are something very special. Yeah for clean cupboards, you did a great job and just in time for lots of creating I'm sure. Enjoy the holidays with your little ones. xoxo

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  14. Oh i was thinking of you honey!!
    We spent father's day at the Tournament of the Minds, fun - if you're into that kind of thing (my middle 2 were competing, 1 got honours!!) Then home as we actually had a daddy home, yahoo, so my children got a great father's day with their daddy, love Posie

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  15. Lovely to see you creating some new wonderful memories to treasure along with past memories.

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  16. Mr PB both mowing the lawn and cooking dinner on Fathers Day - I am truly impressed. And just what you need to help you get through waht must have been a difficult day. And I just love those handmade cards - kids artwork at that age is so precious, when they just draw or paint it as they see it, and before it becomes all stylised. Take care! xx

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  17. So much has been going on for you Jane. I was wondering how you were managing with your birthday and then Father's day? Each 'new' experience like this will no doubt be difficult, but will also be a chance to remember and hopefully in time you will be able to smile at the memories.
    By the way, It was scrambled eggs and smoked salmon breakfast in our house too...oh, and my craft cupboard looks like the before shot of yours! It's a weekly 'must do' job that I never quite get around to. Well done you for tackling yours.
    x

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  18. Huge hugs for you Jane xx
    It looks like Daddy had a great day though and your cupboard is a massive improvment. Many coffees were consumed while arranging that monster I imagine!
    Good on you for getting in there instead of closing the doors!!
    Ness xx

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  19. My thoughts were with you sweet Jane on Sunday what a wonderful happy face you put on under such hard times for Mr PB and the children, you are such a beautiful Mother and Wife.

    Sending you hugs and happy days ahead xo

    Always Wendy

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  20. All the firsts are tough- but your lovely children and Mr PB must help ease the pain.
    Thank you for your lovely comment about our window seat. It is quite fun to have a clean slate (both in the hut and in our garden- which was just a paddock). As you know too, it's lovely to be able to put our stamp on our home and feel content, and put down some roots.
    I look forward to watching your home evolve too.

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  21. Bittersweet,
    but beautiful.
    And your dad
    will always be
    with you on
    Father's Day,
    in your heart.
    xx Suzanne

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  22. Lovely post Jane - felt with you when you woke up, and had time to think about your father. So hard. But what an amazing day with the little ones - they made a super effort - bittersweet as Suzanne said - I agree.
    Hope you are ok sweetie, thinking of you.
    Axx

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  23. Thanks, everyone. You are buoying me with your tremendous compassion and kindness. J x

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Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, you gorgeous soul. You've just made my day! J x

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