I pack myself and my sweet as anything one year old into the car. We’ll be gone all day and we seem to have a lot of outing luggage.
It’s a perfect Autumn morning, crisp and fresh. The leaves from our Oak are crunching under my feet and whipping around my ankles as I circle the car making sure I’ve got everything.
We pull out of the driveway and I’m already dreading the drive home. I wonder to myself why that is. The drive out never feels so bad but the drive home is pure torture.
The trees that line the side of the road are being tossed around by a fierce wind. I smile, knowing that Megan will have a Hills Hoist full of washing by the time we arrive. “It’s a good drying day Koo, three loads already this morning”.
We pull up outside Megan’s place. She’s sitting on the verandah with a cup of tea. Her two little boys are clad in gumboots and parkas and playing in the leaves. It’s such a lovely sight.
The boys are called inside and I make a fresh cuppa each. We both have Earl Grey. Megan has hers milky with a sugar and mine is strong with a splash of milk. There’s no standing on ceremony, whoever is up makes the tea. When I’m at home I rarely drink tea but at Megan’s place I drink at least six cups.
Flo’s scones are in the oven and dinner is already in the Crockpot. The heating is up too high – just the way I like it.
I look out the back window and see the line full. The white sheets look so beautiful against the lush green grass. There’s something up with the drainage and Mike is slowly digging an “aggie” along the top fence. The kids really need puddle suits but make do with their gumboots and come in wet and cold and rosy cheeked.
We spend the day catching up on all the news from the week. Even though we talk on the phone every day a week seems such a long time. We lose the day in easy chatter, cups of tea and cuddles with kids.
After the sixth cup of tea I’m ready to face the drive and we pack up and head for home. I check my rear view mirror when we reach the bottom of the hill. Megan and the boys are waving madly and my worn out babe is sound asleep.
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.
Friday is my big run day. The route begins the same as my regular run & then instead of turning back for home I continue & turn & wind & weave.
Autopilot is so weird. I often arrive at places I've driven to with no recollection of how I got there. I haven't had that experience running until today. I turned for home when I should have kept going so I ended up running an extra kilometre. Then the butterfly effect...
I was 6 minutes later getting to the garbage run. So I ran 1 km playing tag with the garbos inhaling fumes & garbage stench - yuck!
I was later getting to Camberwell which meant my coffee shop man was in full swing & I wanted to stop.
I was later getting to the main roads & I discovered that 6 minutes makes a big difference to the amount of traffic on the road.
I was later getting home which meant I got caught in the rain - YAY. Rain is my absolute favourite thing in the whole world. I love it even more now because we never get it.
Image taken by Pip. This is my favourite rainy day photo.
Every once in a while something of mine turns up somewhere super lovely.
Just for the record:
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What We Believe A calm, healthy, beautiful home is a necessary foundation for happiness and success in the world.
Creating this home doesn’t require large amounts of money or space. It requires inspiration, connection to resources and motivation to do something about it.
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Simplicity and luxury are not mutually exclusive.
Spool holder
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----- Mixtape Zine Mix tape zine is a collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch it features recipes, eco tips, crafty people profiles, ethical business practices etc - you can purchase back issues here or find out more here. Find Justine here and Nichola’s blog here. my collection in issue 6
----- Nuts about Needlepoint An encyclopedia of needlepoint and thread information for all stitchers. Learn about Janet M. Perry's needlepoint projects, read book and product reviews, and find articles about techniques, threads, and more Twisted Cord
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----- Quilting Board The Quilter's message board. Thank you Sondray for linking to my projects.
----- Sew Mama Sew You’ll find some handy sewing tips and inspiration. Whether you’re just learning to sew, or have been sewing forever.
The Sew,Mama,Sew! blog is pulled together each week by Kristin and Beth. Who both sew whenever they can and love fabric with a passion.
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Drawstring Backpack, How to fold a fat quarter
----- Tipnut I think we all have them, those mile high piles of household tips and life hacks that we’ve collected over the years. They’re messy, disorganized and once they’ve been ‘filed’, those tips are nowhere to be found again.
TipNut.com isn’t anything fancy. It’s simply my way of putting together all the cool tricks I’ve accumulated over the years into a simple, searchable, online filing box–this website. Some of them I’ve tried, some of them I don’t know if I’ll ever try. But I do know they’ll be here if I need them–and I’m happy to freely share everything with you too! Simple square pincushion
----- Whip Up Whip up: To prepare quickly. To excite. To create. To incite. To build. To invent. To conceive. To push. To upset. To manufacture. To provoke.
This website has been created in order to bring the best original and exciting crafts to the attention of many. To create a community of artists, crafters and makers and share ideas in a central space.
Embroidered Carry All, Embroidery on Dark Fabric, Corner Bookmark, Handpieced Pincushion, Pillowcase Shoulder Bag, Sausage Dog CD cover, Simple Square Pincushion, Toadstool Pincushion
Thank you lovely folk for the thumbs up. It's much appreciated.
I've banged on before about how I've lived my life on Map 46. I was born on the map, grew up on the map & married a boy from the map. Both our siblings live close by & we spend a lot of time with our families.
It was a tearful farewell when my sister & her husband made the move to Darwin 5 years ago. We've visited often & they came back each Christmas. I thought they'd never come "home".
The decision to move back was made swiftly and definitely.
They've moved into a gorgeous house (just a stone's throw from us) & I've been helping to get them settled in. She's done a sensational job of decorating on-a-shoestring. I finished off the family room with half a dozen cushions made from Warwick Fabric samples which serendipitously pull everything together.
It feels like she never left. I'm so grateful that she's made it home.
I'm on the home straight with my "car craft" project...just one more side to go.
I now have my fingers firmly crossed that I've hit the mark with this gift.
In other news... I may or may not have had a brainwave in relation to upcoming baby gift. Now I just have to figure out how to actually make the thing!
We have been so lucky on our little break this year! We haven't had one bad day & have just spent a glorious afternoon at the foot of the lighthouse in the rockpools. The small girl gave me a sand bath which was really quite enjoyable.
But...I MUST work at remaining on holiday until the break is actually finished! I've tried really hard this year not to think about the packing up & going home until it was time to go.
I failed! Today, I've made all sorts of plans & began packing, cleaning & tidying. Packing me is notoriously ugly. I don't think I was too bad today but the date still had a dig at me.
I wonder why I do it? It's the same during the week too. I go really hard to get to Wednesday in good shape & then the rest of the week just runs away from me.
I've had a great time but I'm really looking forward to being home & to getting around to say hello to some lovely folk who've been stopping in to have a virtual cocktail with me on holiday.
Eeeek...I taught the big girl to granny square. She's really, really good. Her granny square is lovely & square & even.
Pt Lonsdale is home to a beautiful shop called Wildpurl so the lucky girl learned to crochet using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. This was absolutely the perfect yarn for a small person to learn with. It doesn't separate at all.
Our break was really lovely.
The pace at Lonsdale is super slow & the only planned activities for the day are the run, coffee & the dog beach.
I devoted my down time to crochet & was feeling quite pleased with my efforts until I laid these squares & the 21 I had at home out & realised that I'm probably only half way to my goal. I really think that I'm going to have to revise the original plan & just make it big enough to drape across the foot of the bed. That would be OK wouldn't it?
This is... was a group effort & we've got a fair bit of banter this week...
This morning I asked the big girl to take a pic of me in my current uniform (trackies). I told her what it was for & she looked at me in the way only she can (picture eye rolling & raised eyebrows).
"That's not your style mum. It's your jeans, green jumper & snowgum jacket!"
So I logged the big & the small into Polyvore & they created the above sets.
Then we did a bit of "polyvore at home" and came up with this. I think that the girls have pretty much hit the nail on the head. I'm all about comfort at home & for work I mainly wear vintage dresses. This one is my absolute favourite & selected by my personal shopper.
I'd been thinking that This is... was going to be really tough & it turned out to be lots of fun & the big girl LOVED Polyvore.
She’s so totally centre stage…brave & colourful with lots of thoughtful lines, not just in Home Beautiful but in life too.
I’m so grateful for all the creative jumpstarts Pip has given me over the last couple of years & it’s not just me you know. Pip generously promotes crafters & shares her virtual/audio/print space with others…I admire that.
It’s pretty unAustralian to celebrate the success of others. I wonder why that is? Our international mates seem pretty good at it…
Pip’s done a pretty good job of dragging a lot of crafty people out into the spotlight.
Encore Pip!
I did note a bit of backstage influence & a couple of well placed props in that Home Beautiful spread & for that Miss Pip – I thank you!
Vintage sheets - thrifted & came wrapped in plastic!
I overshot my exit on the freeway coming home from my favourite shop. I was on autopilot driving out to the gym. My route home took me past an out-of-the-loop Op Shop I haven't stopped in at for a while.
I'm very happily back to Melbourne drizzle. It was lovely & cool on the run this morning.
This is my most recent pair of Asics. I did actually head into Active Feet before I headed out of town & am now sporting a new pair of runners (toe not yet worn through). My shoes were stitched by hand which I thoroughly enjoyed. I used stem stitch, running stitch & chain stitch for the shoe. I chose to french knot the tongue & the ankle cushioning which was very time consuming but very satisfying.
Perhaps not the best time to take off ... I arrived home yesterday morning to a mountain of quilt project blocks. Each of them are wonderful & I am very much looking forward to sharing the completed "quilt" with you. I am horribly behind with the Flickr commenting but you might like to see some of the amazing pieces worked in red that have been sent in here.
If you've been following the project & if you think you might like to see the completed quilt in person ... you might want to mark 23 October in your diary. Details coming soon.
It feels good to be home, I'm looking forward to catching up on all your news & having a chat.
I think today is going to be a creative feet up kind of day.
The kids are still on holidays & I'm not quite ready to tackle anything too major on the crafting front.
I've so much I want to do...
- make myself a new handbag - a quilty something - a quiet bit of stitching
but I think I shall sip tea & look for more inspiration amongst the pages of Home Journal.
I'm also admiring my new bluebird tape measure necklace. Just purchased from lovely Yasmin Ellis - I found her via find make do & fell in love with the bluebird. She makes other excellent pieces & she's got an etsy shop right here.
Don't forget to pop in & add your link if you're playing along this week.
The bell rings…another term over. I meet Bind and Cal in the playground and we walk home together. We’re chatting excitedly about our impeding road trip and what adventures we’re going to have.
We stop briefly to tease the mad, barking Rottweiler and snap imaginary pictures of his nether regions as he leaps against the gate. We laugh crazily until we get to the lane.
The banter all the way home is constant. Pauses are quickly filled with embellished and misremembered stories of past trips.
We’ve had our bags packed for a week and they are waiting in the hall. Mum will load them into the car tonight so we can get away early in the morning.
The TV is flicked on and the others flop on the couch, it's been a long term. They are all long terms when you're a primary school kid.
I’ve made my way over to our wall map of Victoria and am tracing our previous road trips with my finger.
As I trace the texta lines we’ve drawn in, I remember. I remember stalactites and stalagmites, gold mines, museums, long walks, scrap books, musty smelling hotels and cold toast breakfasts.
I wonder what we might discover about our state and each other on this trip.
We don’t know where we are headed. Mum will just drive, turning when she sees something that captures her imagination.
Mum wakes us all early. The car is packed with our luggage and we’ve all got our pillows in the car. I’m not sure why, we never sleep. The pillows cause us to niggle for space and draw imaginary yours/mine lines on the velour car seat.
When you’re one of three kids there always seems to be an issue about not sitting in the middle. There’s a lot of negotiation going on about who’s going to sit where and for how long. I’m thankful that Mum’s still inside because if she hears all this carry on she might just decide it’s all too hard.
Before the car pulls out of the driveway we’re all sporting corky bruises on our thighs and we know it’s going to be a long drive.
I made a lemon birthday cake for The Date...for desert at the family(his) lunch.
I'd scoured Delicious and found just the recipe. A nice list of ingredients that made me sure the resulting cake would live up to the "delicious" promise.
I made sure I had the best ingredients, nice olive oil, home grown lemons, quality prosecco, beautiful eggs. I set to work and made the cake. It did all the right things in my new oven (which I'm not great mates with yet) & looked gorgeous when I removed it from the tin.
I tasted the tiny bit that stuck to the side of the tin & my heart sank. It tasted very eggy.
What was I worried about? I'm normally pretty good with this sort of thing. I thought that there'd be plenty said about the egg cake rather than the lemon cake. Then all sorts of crazy food poisoning scenarios were running through my head.
I knew I wasn't going to be serving my cake. We went to Browns on the morning of & picked up a white chocolate & raspberry cheesecake (stunning) & a flourless orange cake (meh).
The cake was duly sampled when we returned home on Monday evening & it was, just as the magazine promised ... absolutely delicious.
There's a lesson here ... if you think it's good - it IS good & who cares what other people think.
The lovely Fiona listed 3 things making her happy this week.
It's been a good week so I'm playing too.
1. Mothers Little Helper chocolate is making me happy. I'm normally not a huge dark chocolate fan but this is really good! Best of all dark chocolate is really good for you...what with all those anti-oxidants. They've even got a happy website.
2. Smart guys getting exciting about codes & the future of advertising makes me happy.
3. Lovely welcome home cards from the smalls made me really happy. .
Made for Mikes make-along. OK so not technically felt but it is machine felted blanketing.
I was totally limited to what I had at home.
I used the clover needle felter & some wool that was floating around to make the flowers. So quick & easy! I'm a bit annoyed that I didn't think of it when I made the couched owl last year. That thing took forever to make.
I'm sure that there is a proper technique for needle felting with yarn & I may or may not have used it. I just positioned the yarn onto the felt & away I went. It does shrink a fair bit as you push the fibres through. BUT I think that this would be an excellent technique for features for softies.
I'm not going too well with my plan to focus more this year. Still leaping from project to project & finding lots of distractions....
She is our Faraway Tree. She grows in the far corner of our block & when the house is built this is the view I will wake up to every morning.
A bit about her:
She has deep roots in this little patch of dirt. She is getting on a bit but ... She is still as beautiful as ever. She is supportive. She can weather any storm. She can bend in the wind & not snap. She is forgiving. Occasionally she drops her bundle. She is fun. Her limbs are a haven for children. She is strong. She happily reinvents herself. She is a protector. She relishes a challenge. She encourages an adventurous spirit. She is a survivor (& in fact a thriver). Her canopy is far reaching. She is shelter. She is home. She is much loved by me.
Mum’s woken me up and made sure I’m dressed in my very best outfit.It’s a pale pink suede A line skirt with a raspberry coloured love heart pocket. The matching waistcoat is getting a bit small and is starting to pinch my underarms when I walk. The pinching reminds me that soon I will be too big to wear it – I don’t complain.
My hair is brushed and plaited. The plaits are thick and tight and even. I stretch myself so that I can check my appearance in the mirror. I feel a bit sorry that my hair elastics look so bad. I wish that I had some raspberry ribbon to cover the frayed ends of the hat elastic cut and tied by mum in haste one morning.
We make it to Tullamarine with time to spare and I swing and climb on the guard rail in the entrance hall.
Finally, Non comes through the doors from customs, I can’t remember what she’s wearing but her smile is almost as big as her suitcase. I’m so excited to see her, she’s been away far too long. She cups my face in her hands and then plants a kiss on my cheek and gives me a giant squeeze.
We struggle to the car with the suitcase. I’m trying hard not to imagine the presents inside that case. I don’t want to seem rude.
When we arrive home Mum puts the kettle on and Non sets to work unlocking the suitcase and sifting through her clothes and shopping. There are plenty of international treats for everyone. The clothes and dolls are lovely but what I’m aching for is a tiny little package. I’m starting to feel anxious. I can’t see anything small enough to be a charm.
Non carefully unfolds one of her jumpers and pulls out a little package wrapped in tissue. She presses it into my palm and tells me the story of how she selected the charm and then negotiated and finally purchased the little cupid in Rome.
This little thing will be taken by Non to Precious Metals and soldered to my bracelet alongside the other charms that have been gifted to me from places far away. I resolve it that moment to have charm bracelets for my own grand daughters.
