::::Lazy Sunny Monday Morning::::

We are the lucky ones....I guess...
though it didn't feel that way most of last night. The "sickies" are still haunting us 3 weeks on and restless nights, of up to 6 wakings for me with bub, abound again. I'm resigning myself to the fact this is most likely our fate this cold and flu season unless we remove ourselves from the new kindy community and withdraw as hermits from public places. It won't last forever....our immunity is growing... I comfort myself.

But we are the lucky ones today because we are amongst the few that can be at home on this gorgeous day, able to soak up the sleepy autumn morning sun in the backyard.....and hypnotically swing swing....

swing and swing.... for me watching and pushing with a warm cup of my jasmine tea....(I need to get back to the chinese grocer and get more of my usual tin)
I just love Autumn days....the sun makes me want to curl up and nap. The almost daily cloudless skies provide a crispness and clearness to the air that seems to allow the sun to highlight the greens and other colours of the garden with ever vibrant silver outlines that sparkle sharply yet just beautifully on the eye. I wish I could capture it in a photo....(with my lack of photographic equipment) I'm not even going to try! ;)

For me perhaps our indulgence in swinging in the dappled sun should have been a seesaw instead....I'm torn fighting feelings of guilt about all the other things I could should be doing with my time. Bam is suffering separation anxiety and even getting a load of washing hung out is a challenge at the moment let alone doing all the other things I wish we had time to do....sewing projects included. Spending his nap time indulging myself and Mia sometimes feels difficult, though I know it is such valuable time for her so I go with it today. And now I am allowing a little time here to blog as well. Letting go is my lesson still!

My garden has also had a good eyeing over during this time this morning and sadly some things are looking quite "needy" too and I am so late for a decent Autumn/winter garden now. I will get a few things in eventually, very late of course but good enough to satisfy my need to be growing something. Next year when the little ones are older and giving of more time for myself my garden will get some more of the attention it needs and just maybe I will enjoy more and more of its abundance.

For now though Henrietta and Harriet seem to be enjoying their fill of both time to just potter, as chooks do, and garden goodness. Watching their fluffy rears as they forage always gives me a lot of joy.

Bums up girls!

Guess who's coming to Dinner?

A quick step outside and our organic dinner is done....herbs and eggs....

Well almost...a few non-backyard ingredients added also.....
and a wholesome meal was enjoyed by all.....

and our guest was just a delight!

Treasure lost and found

from inside the couch of course!

These poor dears, baby dinosaurs, crayons and precious indian summer magnets, abandoned and forgotten....now found and loved again. Such treasure!!

And why were they found?

Every once in a while...well actually more often, I get a little "tired" of our household arrangment and "things"....a little tired of facing the same direction and walking the same path through the house. And seeing as there is none in sight here for a bit, a change is a good as a holiday.... they say.

So after a flurry of "it needs to happen today" excitment and energy our furniture is enjoying renewed positions and I'm feeling a little refreshed and spacious (you see I "sacrificed" my beloved big daybed to the verandah where it has already been enjoyed with a wine and jasmine tea or two and is looking forward to more winter outdoor snuggling to come!).... Hubby has coped well after a little surprise.....

and Mia has a new little nook in the lounge for her reading, art and creating..... Speaking of which I am in the middle of some, spurred on by our "new house". I felt with all the change the kids rooms needed a little more handmade peeeezazzz! So many triangles below are being cut in preparation.....
Will keep you posted.....

Our Celebration....

My two babes are sleeping...tummies full and bodies worn out. The house is dark and quiet, no more laughter, no more running, no more play. My eyes are getting heavy....I can smell a beautiful sleep coming after a long day.

Our celebration of today started, after our beautiful baking and decorating of yesterday and with a sudden buzz of last minute excitement and imagination from Mia at bedtime last night, with the careful anticipatory placement of the two newly made Easter "nests" on the table.... (and, very important, with a snack of course for "the bunny")! Bam's "nest" was finally finished.....

My hands were also recovering from the frantic, leave it to the last minute, knitting for these two bunny gems lovingly made below who would sleep the night of this celebration eve in the kids new nests awaiting their owners and new found love and cuddles to come in the morning....
and yummm.....
Here is our breakfast, after a little too much chocolate of course (the only day this is acceptable ) of freshly baked date and pecan bread, fresh fruit, coloured hard boiled eggs and peppermint tea. Bam enjoyed some banana. All with Mia's delightful and symbolic centrepiece to enjoy also. What a treat. So nourishing, nurturing, just a bit fun and with all of us together!

My day finished laying in the grass on a rug with Mia while Bam slept in the warm late afternoon sun reading books, singing songs and watching the brilliant blue of an almost cloudless sky. Perfect.

Happy celebration all....... Good night

Preparations...

Today we prepared for and acknowledged both Easter and Autumn...... We started by baking some gingerbread bunnies.....

Some very cute faces created by Mia....and she found it quite nice to munch our new little friends!

While they were baking Mia and I scoured the yard to create an Autumn/ Easter centrepiece for our table. Mia searched for Autumn colours and came up with beautiful leaves, flowers and rocks in breathtaking shades of red, orange, yellow and a magnificent magenta. Delicious!

She topped off her display with a delicate little birds nest....a lovely touch

Later in the afternoon she discovered this common bromeliad flower. Isn't it spectacular! From such a common "brom".... Straight into our display it went for us to enjoy and admire over dinner. Nature always provides endless beauty in every form.

My Baby

Our littlest Angel achieved two milestones this week! Alongside turning 6 months on Monday he now has two little white choppers.
He's no longer small enough to curl up on my chest to sleep the afternoon away like he did and I so cherished as a newborn, despite my still having the physical evidence of having birthed a cherub recently. My hair is still falling out and I still have a very visible linea nigra on my belly and my scar still gives me uncomfortable reminders of his not so desirable but yet still very joyous arrival! *sigh* My last babe.
My goodness how time has slipped by this time around. He is changing and growing so very very quickly.

Not too fast little Bam, not too fast....

Handmade......

Birthday and Easter Cards.....
I forgot to add to the previous post. We have a few birthdays coming up quickly so I whipped up some custom made cards today. They're only small...not quite double playing card size. I painted the background in watercolour first then glued and sewed on the various bits and pieces. Again unfortunately the photography is disappointing.

I love the nest! Very happy.

Now to make some envelopes.....

Sunday Brunch.....

Sunday brunch this morning was home baked WHO bread. And may I say yummmm. So so glad we came across this recipe. The name has evolved a little in our house to "owl" bread.
We got to share with "Grandma" and "Grandad" who arrived with minutes to spare of it coming hot out of the machine.....yes we made the machine version ( I know). The acoustic is next I promise!
We indulged with warm tea, and despite my struggles still to taste and smell anything it was thoroughly enjoyable. There is something so wholesome and comforting about eating homemade bread and knowing exactly what's in it, along with the spirit that was in the kitchen when all the ingredients were carefully put together. Now what little remains is going over to the neighbours! Something so good has to be shared.

I hadn't posted this little cutie yet. Another of Mia's kindy creations inspired by the incubator and eggs they had in the classroom the other week to watch hatch. Amazing. Amazing. Life's wonders never stop. Even simply watching chickens hatch. Nature is incredible isn't it?

I had to control myself from letting Mia put her hand up for a little black chick. I've always wanted black chooks. Our two big girls would not have taken to any new addition at this stage too kindly though I'm afraid.

For now our own girls and this new little rainbow chick on the fridge will suffice.....

I've fallen in Love with......

ATC's! I soooo love these right now. I discovered them quite a while ago (here's some recent examples) on this blog by Dot where I also discovered her Dotee Dolls.....I have so many of these little pets floating in imagination land but have not yet been able to capture the time among my other projects and life's happening to immortalise any yet. I'm getting a little itchy!

Ahh and now ATC's are also making me restless....so while colouring with Mia in the spare, literally, 5 minutes before her swimming lesson this morning I whipped up, in a speedy smokin' spinning ATC colour, paste and sewing frenzy, this trifle amateur and somewhat cheesy experimental rendition of my very first ATC for her..... teehee

Well, I kinda like it.... *smile*

I've got sore feet.....

But the child in me is smirking....This morning I cleaned up after breakfast in pyjamas and high heels! Mia was raiding my wardrobe and I was instructed in what to wear....and little Bam laid happily playing on the lounge room floor modelling a lovely big pair of Minnie Mouse ears. I worked out that, unashamedly, I haven't worn a pair of heels in close to three years, and probably about the same before that! My poor feet.

It was time to raid the jewellery box as well and get seriously glammed up....

I have to admit I was a little more excited about the glamming up of my pumpkin flowers this morning! (Can you tell I'm excited about my vine? You see, Kyle put the mesh up on the shed for me a very long time ago in preparation for it's pumpkin covering and as time and things get away on me, there it waited until recently) They are right in view from my kitchen sink so I get to almost constantly watch their fast progress. I'm a simple girl.
We've been too holed up with our varying "diseases" the last week or two to get much else done in the garden so this is providing me with much amusement.

Can't wait for some dirt and sun when we're all feeling not so drained and sorry....though the time with my machine in the meantime has been fun. Here's a sneak peek at a section of my tote for swapping.....hopefully my swap partner hasn't found nor browsed my blog! ;)

Camomile and Crayons....

We had an early start this morning with the little one....It was actually lovely to have the whole family up together before 6am to greet the day.....
So after our early breakfast we indulged in some tea and colouring in. Mia decided to unleash some creativity .
I don't know if we're a bit odd but what's yummier than warm Camomile tea with some honey and milk? Great for little tummy's and temperaments. and all from much loved, and travelled, Mia sized tea cups I've had since I purchased them from an old school fete close to 19 years ago. Pretty spesh!

Oh and I have my swap partner for the shopping tote swap over at Rhonda's. I've already been working on it (take 3!!) and finished it this morning. (I got in early because I want to finish my Easter projects for the kids). I keep looking over it and am having little faith in myself and my sewing abilities....I still feel quite novice and am nervous about posting my bag off across the world. My partner, I think, is in New York. But still it is so exciting!!

Women

It's International Women's Day today.......

I love the above picture of 12 scultures of "real" women. It's from the Real Women Project.....well worth a look.

I also have a much treasured magnet on my fridge with the black and white image of two Indian women, mother and daughter, resting their heads exhausted on the back of an old truck as it travels along....and the caption reads "Women, the hardest workers on the planet".

We have travelled a long way yet still have a long ways to go.

Enjoy the day ladies.....

What a Day.......

We've all got "The Sickies" here.....an eeeeevil cold.
Little if no sleep was had last night.....the poor little man was having trouble breathing and waking every hour.
I woke this morning to the broadband still not working....a big deal considering my net addiction. "Two days someone will get back to me to fix it" they say!
I need the net today to do something for Kyle who is stuck at work down the coast. That's the end of my plans for the tootsies to stay under my throw and in my flanno jimmy jams!
So off we bundle when baby Bam wakes, into the car and off to Mum and Rog's and their computer with our toot roll....yes, timely we should run out of tissues now. While there I decide to be brave, take the plunge and join in the shopping tote swap over at Down To Earth.
Yay something nice to look forward to, so back home we go.
I get home to find the Internet was now miraculously working just fine. *sigh*
Time for some more cheering up......

To the kitchen then where Mia and I baked some not so health inducing plum jam drops.....yummm. A rather nice smile now graces our very red nosed faces.....pity we couldn't smell them baking.

Poor Bam is still wakeful and unhappy this afternoon....no jam drops for him. But what better place to be when miserable than snuggled to your Mummy's chest. Kinda makes me feel better too.

All's Peachy....

"Yay I have a home!"
How could I let a little peach tree remain homeless in the middle of the lawn? Grow little peach!


and.... the pumpkins (looking a little sleepy in the sun today) that were heading skyward and beyond , have been tamed..... for the moment. I noticed while up on the roof that I have one little swollen nugget so far!

It's Autumn!!

It's Autumn! ...... I love feeling the seasons change. It was so brisk and cool early this morning. The shadows are longer and the sun is streaming into the house reaching places and lighting streaks across the floor where it hasn't for quite some time. Mum was right...early morning definately IS the best part of the day.

The air is fresh and feels crisp on the skin...the tiles are cold on bare feet greeting the floor after the warmth of bed, the birds are still singing with the sun, and...it's quiet, peaceful.....most people are still asleep. You can almost fool yourself you're not in "the burbs".

It's Easter too this month and I've been busy making some Easter "nests" for the kids. They've just evolved from my original idea as I've been sewing them and I'm pretty stoked with the end result, above. This one is Mia's and I'm still working on Bam's.......

The calico is from some old curtains of mine, while the panel, lining and striped edging fabrics belonged to my Grandmother.....so all in all a lovely keepsake for the littlies I think.

The garden copped some Autumn battering very early this morning (Thanks kids for the wake up! ;) ). Yes we became "those" neighbours you curse at for using power tools at 7am on a Sunday.....sheesh who would have thunk it?.....forgive us! Kyle got the chainsaw out and we now have a completely clear corner by the chicken coop! My consolation is that I can extend the coop so the chooks can remain contained and my garden safe (and no more poop on the verandah) and we will slowly construct a play fort/cubby for Mia in the newly reclaimed space. Wow we had more yard than we thought. I breathed a small sigh of relief though when the chainsaw started to rebel by dropping it's chain. Hehe gives the man some time to regroup before it turned into a situation where I would find the entire yard demolished!

I also got in and tamed the weeds choking the paths between my vege beds and cut back some of the passionfruit vine that was eyeing off the neighbours trees. I also removed all the tomatoes and sunflowers in prep for our winter veg beds, picked a few more fig leaf beetles from my fig tree (little buggers are back! the war is not over yet), made space for some of my smaller papaya trees and planted out my avocado seedling. My peach tree sits still in it's pot in the middle of the lawn in limbo while I play ping pong in my head about where it will "live". I haven't yet got to the shed to tame the pumpkins that have quickly progressed from a march to a sprint over the shed and beyond, beyond beyooooond!

I hope the neighbours like pumpkin soup!