crawling

...getting into mischief (lucky "wildmut" is there to keep an eye on things),
and getting stuck in some really funny places
after swanning about on his belly (mainly backwards) for the past few weeks, the little man has finally cracked the crawling, and after surveying every little nook and cranny from a reclined position for nigh on nine months now, he is off to explore his surrounds. Oh, the baby-proofing to be done. I read somewhere the other day that anything that can fit into a film cannister is a potential choking hazard. That counts for about 90% of the contents of our house. Then there's the books that we don't really want torn to shreds, the le creuset which now has to live on the stove instead of the low shelf where it can be pulled down, the lego which really has to be packed up, and the camera bags which should really find a more permanent home than on the floor. Just when the kids were old enough to not have to worry about these things, we went and had another one! Oh, the fun to be had.

making

I'm not sure whether it's some kind of parallel universe thing, or just the fact that we bloggers have a lot in common, but very frequently I find myself reading or seeing things that I have thought about, or in fact already done myself. Like the before dinner skirt. About a week and a half ago, after a particularly gruelling afternoon with the boys, I handed the babe over to the mister as soon as he walked in the door and set about making myself a skirt from a circular tablecloth. It was one of those ideas that had been tumbling around in my head for a couple of years (yes, years, there's nothing like a healthy dose of procrastination to spur one on), and I decided that this was the afternoon for it. I had about 20 minutes to spare before getting dinner on, and, I'm happy to say, it went without a hitch.very wearable, and great for twirling. Anyway, back to the parallel universe part, I check in to see what the soulemama is up to a couple of days later, and there they are, the before dinner skirts. I guess us mammas are all a bit pressed for time, huh?
I'm finding it easier now to have ongoing jobs just sitting on my sewing table, so I can come along and do a little bit whenever I get the chance. I finished off these little size one summer pants in this way today. It's a lot less stressful than trying to see a job through from start to finish, because there's rarely a chance that that's going to happen. So, I just do a seam here, a hem there, and gradually they get finished.
the latest batch of aminals took me about two weeks to do in this manner, amongst other things. The effelants have grown! After referring to the little ones as "little pillows" for so long now, it seemed logical to actually make some that are like pillows. Another idea that took a l o n g time to come to fruition. I'm pretty darn happy with these guys. The very first one I made swiftly disappeared into fin's room, where it now permanently resides, so I guess I'll take that as the kiddo seal of approval. There are a couple in the shop (well, one actually, and another one who is still making his way there), and also a couple at my messy room. Hope you like them as much as we do!

walking

...in the bush. I've been finding it hard to strike a balance between living, crafting and blogging lately, and unfortunately, blogging has fallen by the wayside. It disappoints me, because I love it here, but with three adventurous young boys (and one big one) to keep me busy, that's just the way it is. So, this week I will be trying to post everyday about what I/we are doing. I'm predicting there will be a lot of the latter, as it's school holidays in these parts, and I will have all my little friends around to keep me company. Yay, no morning fights for two weeks!
today we set out early to a local national park for a morning bush walk. Lucky for us we did set out early, because today turned out to be a stinker, and we did see one red-belly black sunning himself by the side of the track. It's funny, you always think you might see one, but it's pretty rare that you actually do, and then when you do, it's like, "oh shit, let's go back now". But, we made it out of there in tact, well, except for a minor grazed knee which was quickly remedied with a splash of water (mental note:must get some calendula to keep in my bag), and came home for an afternoon in the pool. Needless to say, there are three very tired boys (and two adults for that matter) here tonight.
p.s. in case you're wondering, yes, willow is wearing a cape in that picture, because you never know what kind of evil villains await you in the australian bush

bits and pieces

a sneaky peek at some things I'm working on,
and some op-shopping goodness. A new tin for tea; some red and white spots, because I can't get enough of those; some groovy beach towels for the babe; and some orange and brown perfect for boys' pants. Off to yoga now, have a great day.x

crashed

don't you just love it when they're playing away happily, and then all of a sudden everything goes quiet?
Sorry for the break, I'll be back soon...too busy enjoying the sunshine.

happy fathers day

I really shouldn't mention the weather this time, as I did last time, because that ended in disaster. The past few days have been hideous, I didn't actually leave the house yesterday, it was so bad. However, today was lovely, and we managed to escape to the beach and soak up some warmth. Stopped on the way home to admire some local flora, 'tis the season for wildflowers. How lucky are we to live with such beauty in our midst?

a happy fathers day was had.

ah spring, how I love thee

this post was supposed to happen last night, but jasper woke up as I was about to get started, and that was the end of that. So, here I am on this second day of spring, which was just as beautiful as the first. I am so glad to be wearing short sleeves and open toes again (well, during the day at least, the nights are still pretty cool). I don't know whether it's just because we have children at school now or if it has something to do with the lack of insulation on our fibro shack, but there always seems to be someone sick in our house during winter, and I am so over it. Fin , jasper and I are just getting over what must be about our fifth dose of sore throats this year, and willow is in bed right now running a temp and speaking in tongues. Bring on the sunshine, I say.
I had a request for a mei tai sling the other day, and when I checked in on what the soulemama was up to that same night, what had she written about? Why that very thing, of course. I remember her writing about the one she made in the past, and thinking it looked pretty cool, but it never occurred to me before that it might be good to carry around my own small child in, since he has become not too fond of the previous one I made. So, after carefully inspecting her pic (for all of about 30 seconds), I chopped up that old one that was sitting around gathering dust, and turned it into a hazyjaneish mei tai sling. Got it right first go. Very proud of myself. The little pumpkin seems to like it, especially the taste apparently. He also enjoys pushing against me with both hands and feet and arching his back out. I think it's some kind of protest for putting him so close to the boobs, without actually offering him any of the good stuff. It's working well, though, and is much more comfortable than any other slings I've tried. I wear it with the straps crossed over at the back, it seems more secure this way and disperses the weight more evenly. Oh, and I don't think I'll be trying the putting-the-baby-on-the-back-unassisted routine at any time soon. Tried that one this morning and kind of dropped him. On the bed, thank god.
p.s. obviously I didn't take that lovely photo, thanks to northern sky for that one, and also some more