Thursday, January 01, 2009

Ringing in the new.

If I were to do a little precis of 2008 I would say...
Climber: Grade 2, and a little love affair - very good year.
Cherub: Kindergarten, huge improvement at swimming, finally picked up a pencil - very good year.
Bertie Wooster: arrived at our house, caught lots of mice and got loved to bits - a good year
Stomper: Tap school starting to do very well, got some real grown-ups' furniture at home - good year.
Fixit: Career change, tired, stressed, grumpy - hard year. (But we knew the first year in to the career change would be tough so our fingers are crossed that 2009 is easier and happier)

Anyway, because that's not such an exciting list, I give you instead a picture of my new dress, all silk and purple and art deco. I've been supporting the economy, as requested -and funded- by our Prime Minister. Shopping never felt so virtuous. The dress was on sale, half-price. I held it up to show Fixit and he completely ignored the loveliness of the dress as he gasped at the price tag and exclaimed Ninety nine dollars for a dress! When I tell my girlfriends this they roll their eyes and say $99 is cheap for a dress, especially a silk one. I love my girlfriends.

deco dress_7414

Last night we stayed in, being as I am a grinch about New Year's Eve festivities. I made a nice roast lamb dinner and sticky date pudding for dessert and hired dvds to be watched in comfort from the new pull-out sofa-bed. The boys of course were entranced by a Bed In The Lounge-Room and so of course we had to have bedtime stories all tucked in there together. Climber has already asked if he could sleep in it for a night, but where would Fixit and I sit to relax if Climber slept in the lounge, hmm?

newyears eve_7424

Anyway, I would like to wish all who read here the very best for 2009, and give a special mention to my little network/family of blog-friends (you know who you are xx) whose friendship I treasure so much. And I thought I would also ask a small favour. I suspect there might be a few lurkers who also read here, so as a New Year's present to me, won't you please de-lurk and say hello or happy new year or anything you like, really. Go on, don't be shy.

Happy New Year to you all! Cx

46 comments:

  1. Hi there,
    I'm a regular reader / lurker. Thanks for the opportunity to make my self known! You have a great blog here and I really enjoy stoping by to have a read. Wishing you and your family a wonderful year ahead.
    Mel

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  2. Happy New Year Stomper Family!!

    Even though it's been a tough one for Fixit, I think you could upgrade it to good, what with the flying colours physics grade and all.

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  3. That dress is feminity embodied. So pretty.

    And as to a cheap night at home, it's New Year's eve right now for us. My husband's asleep with the dog on the floor. The kids in bed. And for dinner we had...wait for it...ramen noodles. WhoooHOooo! Doesn't get any crazier than this. Happy New Year!

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  4. Happy New Year!

    So you've caught me out and I'm de-lurking for today. I think you knew I was reading along anyway.

    Glad to hear the tap business is doing well for you. I miss tap dancing, but can't quite manage it with my busy schedule at the moment. Shame. It would be great to catch up more regularly in person!

    Here's to 2009 being a great year for everyone in your family.

    :)

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  5. Happy new year!

    $99 is nothing for a dress. Last time I bought a dress (which my Mum paid for, because she didn't want me to wear tracky dacks to friends' weddings) it cost significantly more than that. I felt ill and had to sit down for a bit before I could take it home. I still haven't paid her back.

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  6. Lovely dress! Well worth it! Hope you and Mr. Fixit and those lovely boys have a wonderful 2009!

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  7. O.k. i'm a lurker - of, well, a long time! Hope it is a great year for all of us Melburnians!Siobhan.

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  8. I think $99 is perfectly reasonable for a purple silk dress... I'm planning to go and do a bit of supporting the ecconomy next week, because really I've been a bit slack in that regard.

    Happy New Year to the Stomper family! sounds like it was a goodie and with much more goodness to come.

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  9. Surely every thing on a motor bike costs more than $99. You'll look very swish in purple silk.

    Happy new year to all in the stomper home!

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  10. De-lurking to say Happy New Year Stomper!

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  11. Delurking here - long-time reader, first time commenter.

    :p
    Oh, ok, it's me. Duh.

    $99 is indeed cheap for a fine dress such as that ( where are you planning to out it ? ), and I love the way you backdropped it against an art deco era wardrobe ( or somesuch ).
    Pure class is our Stomper.

    BUT, that said, I go out so little and etc, that I also baulk at a $100 dress, so I feel Fixit's pinch.

    ALTHOUGH ( see, there is always a 'but' or whatever ) .. a year or so ago, I went over my $99 limit ( I NEVER go over this, and I do-not-care-how-much-other-people-pay,$100-is-still-a-lot-for-me ) .. I spent .. $300 ... YES, on an absolutely divine, re-wearable-until-forever-timeless-creation that I love, love, love, and i'm still a bit sick about the money.

    But it was a small Australian designer, so I like to think I was helping the economy also ( you might remember it, it was a classy B&W number for a gala ball and it TURNED HEADS, I tell you. NEVER have I felt more the classy chick )

    And yes, i've had a wine ( dinner is simmering ) and i'm blathering away again about me on YOUR blog.

    How else would I ring in the New Year ?

    :p

    xx

    ( P.S. - Love your boys, you make them so delicious )

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  12. HNY Stompers! Love the dress. $99 is a complete bargain, especially for silk. PURPLE silk. Don't tell him you need to buy matching shoes, though.

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  13. Oh $99 is so cheap for a fabulous purple silk dress! Perfect to wear to a Sydney New Year party. You really must try one, I guarantee you couldn't be a grinch about New Year here!

    Happy Happy New Year!!

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  14. It was a bargain, I tell you. Well, Mr Fixit really, since you already know this.

    I found a pair of purple suede mary janes just before Christmas. I looked at the price (!!), hyperventilated, and very slowly walked away. I think that's my best moment of shopping bravery.

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  15. Happy New Year Miss Stomper Girl.

    Can I just say that that photo of you and the boys might be my all time favourite of you all now...

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  16. Dress looks great. You'll have to model it now. You are your mother's daughter, well and truly. I have some purple shoes - wonder if they might go.
    I like to see the dominance of my side of the family's eyebrows.

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  17. That dress is absolutely divine. And that is coming from a person who doesn't even own much purple! You'll absolutely wear that dress to death and feel gorgeous in it every time you put it on.
    Happy new year.

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  18. I'm not a lurker but - wave! wave! Hope you have a great 2009.

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  19. Y'all are beautiful. Happiest of New Years to you and yours. I hope you welcomed in the New Year all aswirl and purplified.

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  20. happy new year from another lurker!

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  21. Happy New Year!

    That dress is lovely, and $99 is totally cheap for a dress, especially one so pretty.

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  22. Happy New Year!

    Not lurking, a regular reader, but saying hi anyway - That dress is divine and an absolute steal and its PURPLE!!!! I love it, it will look fabbo on you.

    This time last year I picked up my ultimate dress Cranberry, bias cut,handkerchief skirted, silk, heavily beaded, MY SIZE - 70% off. I still feel like it is a dream - I have only worn it 3 times, but at $80 who cares! I think I may request to be buried in it.....(many decades from now, preferably)

    Your family are adorable

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  23. ...loved your post...that dress is fabulous and well worth the money...thank you kevie....loved your overview of the year at the top of the post....some grown up furniture eh....

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  24. Happy New Year Stomper & Family. Love Holly & Scolly.

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  25. LOVE, love, love that dress! $99 is a bargain for that loveliness Mr. Fixit!

    Happy New Year Stomper and family. Sounds like you rung it in perfectly.

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  26. I have commented once before but do tend to lurk.

    Happy New Year!

    That dress is totally gorgeous and a bargain!

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  27. Health, Happiness and Prosperity to you and your family and friends.

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  28. Happy New Year Stomper. Just read over your last couple of posts and it looks like you had a cracker of a Christmas/New Year. All the best in 2009.

    Love the dress :-)

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  29. Happy New Year Stomper

    and you're right, the dress is gorgeous

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  30. Wow! Great gathering for New Year!
    Love your new dress, you will look wonderful dressed in that.
    Goodness for 2009!!

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  31. De-lurking to wish you a happy new year!

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  32. Happy new year!

    The dress is beautiful...but Fixit goes shopping with you??

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  33. Wishing you all every happiness for 2009 and I love the photo.
    Cheers

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  34. $99 - and it looks like a million! Clearly a bargain.

    May 2009 be good and kind to you and your family.

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  35. Happy new year from me and mine to you and yours.

    (Too nosy to be a lurker, but wanted to chime in anyway, and love the dress!)

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  36. Love the dress!
    May the New Year and 2009 be a good one for ALL of you!

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  37. Wow! 37 lurkers!! Nice going :)
    Happy New Year to you and your family as well.... love the gorgeous dress.

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  38. Lovely, lovely dress! And to think you did your national duty in buying it too. Good on you.

    Happy New Year to you too!

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  39. Goodness me, haven't those boys grown!

    I'm with you on New Years Eve - highly overrated. Much more fun being at home with the special ones.

    Have a wonderful 2009

    And by the way, $99 for a silk dress? What a bargain!

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  40. Oh my goodness - I am the 41st Stomper fan!!!!

    Firstly - $99 dollars for a grogeous dress is an absolute BARGAIN!

    Secondly - I wish you and yours a wonderful 2009!

    XO

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  41. gorgeous, grogeous. You know what I mean!

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  42. Happy new year! I pop in and visit your web space here sometimes but I don't know if I've commented before so I thought I'd post and you can decide if you've heard from me or not. Love the dress, have you worn it yet? Rudd managed to leave us out so no economy supporting shopping for us. Of course, being very civic minded I might manage to spend some $ anyway. That would be good of me, right?

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  43. Love reading your blog Stomper,
    Best wishes to you and your gorgeous family and may 2009 be filled with all you desire! love from lurker Jane

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  44. I'm a bit late (just catching up with all the lovely blogs I read), but Happy New Year!
    I am also a grinch at New Year's Eve (it's one of the hard ones for non-drinkers).
    LOVE that purple dress - wow!
    Hope 2009 is a great year for you and your family.

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  45. Happy New Year Stomper Girl and family. I lurk on your blog every now and then, it often makes me smile. Thanks for all the great posts this year.
    Best wishes "Lurker El"

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Don't let the cat get your tongue.