Just look what the big girl made for her tiny cousin!
I can't believe how beautifully it's come up.
She was reluctant to try something new but once she started playing around with the fabric it came together very quickly.
All about the speed she certainly wasn't interested in the quilting so that was outsourced (to me).
She's enormously proud of it so I think the next one will be quilted entirely "in house".
What a lovely "welcome back" I received. Thank you all for your keen support.
The big girl has some vile gastric thing. She's small & thin & really can't afford a couple of days off the tooth. I'm crossing everything that the rest of us don't fall like flies.
The mattress has been dragged downstairs, off the carpet & in front of the Teev. It's just the way things roll in our house. You get sick & you move to the family room...a hangover from when I was a kid. I think a mattress on the floor is much more comfy than the sweaty brown vinyl couch I enjoyed as a kid.
Buddy sleeps on his own dog bed...always. BUT a comfy bed on the floor was simply too much for him to resist & I thought he looked so gorgeous so I left him.
Hoping she's back to her normal self quick sticks as she has quite a lovely crafty plan.
Despite the week long threat of rain & thunder storms, Saturday was the perfect day.
We all trundled out to the Yarra Valley for the wedding of my gorgeous cousin & her gorgeous fella.
My smallest was not officially in the bridal party but she's got a fair bit of spunk & kind of wangled her way in anyway. She did actually look like she belonged which was a happy coincidence.
The little dress was picked up at the Op Shop a few weeks ago. It's raw silk & still had the tags on it. OK so it's a size 4 & she's so not 4 but I think she looks super cute.
It will probably come as no surprise to you to know that I'm an obsessive kind of person.
I run because I made a rule. I'm a creature of habit when it comes to food & I have the same pretty drink. The recent switch to Zubrowka (the original bison grass vodka) has meant I'm enjoying it more. A bit dangerous really.
It stands to reason that our children would also have inherited a few of my obsessive qualities.
When the kids were small I wasn't much about the making of things. There were no supplies in the house. No elastic or buttons or zips or even a selection of threads. I'd packed the machine away & only dragged it out for emergencies of the obsessive kind. I made a Melody costume for the biggest when she thought she was a mermaid. I refashioned a pinny when Madeline was the go. I made running repairs to the hot pink flowergirl dress (worn by all three) & one year I made them & all their mates Puffles when they were Club Penguin mad.
One freezing June morning when the little guy was three I fashioned him a loin cloth so that he could be Tarzan. It was made using an old suede waistcoat from the dress up box & the top of a pair of red tights. The total make time would have been around ten minutes.
I found the loin cloth last night when I was doing a bit of reluctant cleaning upstairs.
I remembered that tiny (but strangely muscular) little frame leaping about the furniture, springing from sofa back to floor and crouching and stalking me around the house.
It's good to be a maker...even a speedy, fakey only in case of emergency kind.
The Big Girl is on holidays.
I asked her to give me a hand this morning which she willingly did. After about 1/2 an hour she asked...
"Is this your life mum?"
"Just making stuff & gluing stuff?"
"Don't you get bored?"
PS: Someone has been watching a LOT of Harry Potter related stuff on YouTube. We are now on less.....than.....dial.....up.....speed.
...the days
...the river
...my heart
What a gorgeous weekend we had!
The smallest (with gearless bike) wanted to go for a bike ride. We headed for Dights Falls...she wanted to go further...through the Children's Farm...up the huge stairs in Abbotsford...detour through Richmond...and all the way into the city...smallest commentary the WHOLE way...over 30 kilometres...I like a kid with heart.
The kids watched a street performer in Fed Square & then we packed our bikes on the train. It was just a short ride home in the semi dark from the station.
It'll be one of those days they remember forever.
& a little bit of making for me on Sunday too.
Just a bit of Monday eye candy really.
Isn't it beautiful? I picked it up at The Mill a while ago & it's just full of gorgeous supplies. My favourite treasure inside is the black & white stripey Myer bag which is filled with cut ribbon. It's a long time since anything from Myer came in a striped paper bag & I'm sure I can't remember anyone I know buying haberdashery from them.
Our weekend was relatively lazy - I can feel spring in the air & I'm thrilled about it. The Big Girl finished The Kite Runner on Saturday & the two of us sobbed our way through the movie yesterday.
Hoping that you had a fabulous weekend.
Now known in our house as "Firework Soup", so named by the little guy because of the explosion of corn with each bite.
It's very easy & tasty too. All our kids love it but if you'd like a bit of fire with the corn perhaps add some chilli once you've served the kids.
Chicken & Corn Soup
6 Fresh Corn Cobs cooked & then removed from cob
500gms quality chicken mince or breast cooked & set aside
4 Potatoes peeled & chopped
2 Leeks finely chopped (whites only)
Olive oil
1 litre of chicken stock
First add a generous slug of olive oil to your saucepan. Next add the leek & cook until soft & transparent. Then add the potato & the chicken stock.
Cook until the potatoes are soft.
Blend the pototo & leek base until smooth & then add the cooked chicken & corn and heat.
Add some flat leaf parsley & some cracked pepper too.
Enjoy.
I'd seen a couple of baby matinee jackets flying around online & decided to have a go at an "upsized" version for myself.
The Big Girl kept telling me how much she loved it & so I pulled out a couple of rounds & gave it to her. I think it looks gorgeous.
It was very quick to make up as each half is only 5 rounds but I will say the huge hook & yarn were quite hard to manage so it's not as fast as hexing on a 5mm hook with 8ply.
Just a bit of fun really.
This morning I was on the hunt for a nice chicken & corn soup. My kids are having a love affair with corn at the moment & the love of a veg is something I'm always keen to encourage.
I found this recipe in The Thrifty Kitchen (such a lovely cookbook) & once I read the little pre-amble there was really no other choice was there?
I'll let you know if it lives up.
/craftroom with the big girl.
She's getting pretty good too.
These little easter egg hunt bags were made by her from entirely recycled materials. The fabric comes from a sample book & the jute was Op Shopped/thrifted a couple of years ago.
She's giving these to her brother & sister & her little cousins too. Sweet!
I love school holidays.
PS: The fancy new (but made of old bits o' technology by techie brother) media centre has caused us to exceed our download limit (which means it's faster to dial-up)!!! See you once we've sorted it out.
Absolute favourites in our house.
I made these last night. The delicious buttery vanilla smell filled the house.
I let them cool & then put them straight in the freezer for lunches so I wouldn't wipe the lot.
Seriously, these are just the yummiest cookies ever.
white chocolate cookies...
180 grams softened butter
1/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/3 cups plain flour
1 packet nestle white chocolate drops
Preheat oven to 160 fan forced.
In a large bowl, cream butter & sugars until light & fluffy.
Beat in egg & vanilla.
In a separate bowl sift together flour & baking powder.
Blend into creamed mixture.
Stir in white chocolate drops.
Drop tablespoons onto baking sheet about 5cm apart.
Bake about 10 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Cool for 1 minute on tray & then transfer to wire rack to cool.
Recipe originally posted on kootoyoo a blog lifetime ago.
My kids are taking a serious interest in cooking the family meals.
The little guy is making lasagne for dinner tonight & the small girl whipped up chicken satay for dinner last night.
Pity the smallest is such a shorty & they all claim they are a wee bit short for the sink. I find this pretty interesting as they manage to snaffle treats from above the fridge by fashioning a human ladder!
She's so good...and I helped make her!
The day off school was spent stitching & watching "First Knight".
Absolutely the best day I've had in a very long time.
Bursting with pride!
The Big Girl made this all by herself on Saturday. It's just the best thing ever. That is all.
Yesterday the girls amused themselves happily making their Rummage Peggies. They had such a lovely time developing their characters & choosing outfits. They assure me that this leading man is in fact French Nobility.
Today they've patiently sat in the car for hours while we ferried the little guy to gym & then picked him up again for lunch.
The Smallest picked me flowers & The Big Girl paid me the very best compliment ever. "....you have a unique mind". I'm not entirely sure she meant it to be a compliment but I'm a glass half full kind of girl.
It's a good life!
Thank you all for your generous response to the "x marks the spot" bookmark. I'm working on the how to & should have it up in the next few days.
Flying out the door again.
This week we're off to "hoop time" basketball competition. I'm prepared with a little craft kit & some delicious soup which my bossy (but totally gorgeous) friend insisted I bring.
Check out last weeks favourite space here.
Pop in & add your link if you're playing along this week.
Wednesday is basketball day.
The little guy has everything layed out waiting for when he gets home from school. He's always been all about the outfit...special.
back into town.
The break was nice but I'm a home body that's for sure.
A bit of drama with a small boy caused a LOT of mother/son bonding. He's a heart breaker... & beating me at bejewelled but I've got a week to rectify that.
When we arrive in the delivery suite there’s a little crib set up with blue blankets. It confirms in my crazy labour mind what I already know in my heart to be true. This little bubba is going to be a boy.
After a fast and furious (but strangely enjoyable labour) he is here. Big blue eyes, long lashes and the most perfect Caesar haircut.
A mumma’s boy right from the start he makes the first few days pretty hard and I’m keen to get home. I loved the hospital stay the first time around and can’t understand why I’m feeling so trapped here now.
I’ve packed our bag and I’m just waiting for the squawk so I can feed him, change him and get him dressed to go home.
As I remove the little flannelette hospital gown I trace the outline of the love heart and the “C” on his chest. I tell myself firmly to throw it on the bathroom floor with the rest of the dirty laundry.
I can’t.
I’ve never stolen anything…ever and I’m feeling a bit sick. I try to justify to myself why it would be okay for me to take it home with me. I know it’s completely the wrong thing to do, but for the first time in my life I really don’t care.
I stuff the little gown into the side pocket of our overnight bag. I feel my heart begin to race. I can hear it thumping in my ears. The heat and redness in my cheeks has risen steadily from my toes. My breathing quickens and I stare anxiously at the telephone. I’m willing it to ring.
Finally, the phone does ring and I gather my baby, my bag and myself. I flick off the light and head for the elevator. I just want to get myself, my baby and my hospital gown as far away from the scene of the crime as I can.
With heart still pounding I walk briskly through the hospital foyer and out into the cold July night. I’m thankful for the darkness and the freshness in the air.
More souvenir stories here.