must be christmas

because there's a weird fake tree in our living room, and an unmistakable air of excitement around the place. In case I don't get back here later (and let's face it, that's highly unlikely), merry christmas wherever you are!

finding loveliness

in these gorgeous lillies from my mum-in-law. Filling our home with their heady scent.

in sweet, wet rain after a hot, hot day and night. Making my garden grow.in this new-to-me picnic basket, FREE! at my local op shop yesterday. Hmm, could that hole in the lid be for a wine bottle? I feel a picnic coming on.
in new fabric, the fifties-inspired range (and some others) on sale at spotlight. Loving that.

Also loving school holidays, relaxing mornings, stealing five minutes to re-read an old favourite, and catching up with sweet friends. Have a lovely weekend!

back on the wagon

so, I fell off the wagon again. And I had such high hopes last month, too. Last month I was all ready to start blogging regularly again, and look what happened, another three weeks went by just like that. To tell the truth, lately I've been feeling a little encumbered with the everydayness of everyday life. Nothing serious, just a bit of "i'd like to go and live in tuscany (or maybe just northern nsw)", and stuff like that. You know, just a bit of suburban boredom. I haven't even had the enthusiasm to log into blogger, I just keep looking at it and think "oh, I can't be bothered". Sad, huh? But, here I am, I've logged in, and I'm actually writing, so that's a start. I can't guarantee anything too exciting though.

so...what's been happening? Well, a lot, actually. There was that market, which was a really great day. I caught up with some old friends and had a pretty relaxing time chatting and hanging out sans-children, which is always a strange but enjoyable thing to do for a few hours. I have now uploaded (some of) what was left into the shop. There is still some more to come, but once again, that takes some amount of enthusiasm. Taking photos of little corduroy skirts without a little girl to model them is quite a difficult task. And, it's just kind of freaky seeing them on a boy. Believe me, I've tried.

oh yeah, and we got chooks! About two weeks ago, two lovely isa browns came to live with us. They are called snowy and mymble. Willow named snowy for her speckly white markings, and I was allowed to name mymble, who is already living up to her name as being a bit of feisty one. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to have chooks. I have been pestering the mister for months to get some, and after a huge amount of research (if there's one thing that man is good at, it's researching stuff), he finally caved. Now of course, they are "his girls" and he claims it was his idea all along.

and the other thing I would like to take the time to mention right now, which I should have mentioned weeks ago, is that my dear friend gabby has started a blog! Gabby used to have the most gorgeous and wonderful little cafe and organic food emporium just around the corner from my house, and it's thanks to her that this whole hazyjane thing really got started. I walked into her cafe one day, in need of some caffeine and a friendly face, having been rejected from another local establishment when I approached them about maybe selling some of my book bags. They just didn't get it. But gabby did, and she offered to put them in her shop, which was frequented by just the right type of softie-loving, vintage fabric-appreciating clientele, and the rest is history. Happy blogging, gabby!

now I think that might just be enough for today. While I have been lacking in frequency lately, I seem to have made up for it here in quantity, and I fear I may start rambling any moment now. And you know how I like a good ramble. Of course, now that I have started thinking about it, there is plenty of exciting stuff going on in my life right now. And I may even be back to tell some more of it very soon. Maybe even tomorrow.

market day

hey, just a quick one, to let all you locals know that I'm doing a market stall this sunday!! It's been a long time...but I think I'm ready for it! The lovely people at the peninsula yoga centre are having an open day and I'm lucky enough to be part of it. Check out their website for full details.

tea

so many new words happening every day now.

today, tea. To the cupboard we went and got out this little cup, and requested that tea be put in it. Just like mamma. So we drank our tea and we ate our grapes and we read our book and we were happy. So happy.

feeling crafty

oh yeah, that's right, I have a blog. I momentarily forgot about that while I was busy making all manner of crafty goodness for the balmain art and craft show, which is happening this weekend. There were the usual suspects; the bunnies, the little effelants, the big ones, some new bags and some bunting,

all of which I have managed to create in the couple of hours a day when I could be lying down or reading a book while the little one naps, but choose to sew like a mad woman instead. So, feeling very proud of myself for having created what I considered to be a fairly ample supply of craftiness to be displayed at the show, off I drove down to sydney, with my medium-sized (vintage) suitcase full of goodness, thinking that I would fill my little cubicle and all would be sweet. And it was sweet, only they kind of wanted more. So, feeling just a little inadequate, home I went, whereupon I decided it was time to unleash a new creature. If they want more, then more they'll get. So, out came mr. owl.coming up with the owl has been a rather long and involved process, and I was pretty happy when this particular incarnation presented itself at around noon yesterday. By midnight last night, this little family was complete and ready to go forth into the world. My sweet husband did the honours and dropped them off for me after work, only to find out that most of the other stuff had already sold. As it was being unpacked. So if you happen to find yourself at the show this weekend, and you happen to see a rather pitiful little display with a cute handmade banner that says "hazyjane", and you're thinking, "hmm, that hazyjane really could have put in a bit more effort", please note, I DID!!

i'm back! with stuff!

I didn't mean to stay away that long, really I didn't. A whole month...jeez, that's a long time between posts. There's been a lot happening and not much, really. We've had sad times, this month. We lost a dear member of our family, who will be sadly missed. And the thing about that was that it forced me to leave my little family for two whole days and a night, and get on an airplane and fly away. By myself. That was scary weird, as it's the first time I've flown by myself since there have been kids in the picture, and that (I now know) adds a whole new dimension to the whole "is this plane going to make it?" question that goes round and round in ones' head when they have to fly somewhere. That question is now "is this plane going to make it, and will I ever get to see my family again?". You have no idea the amount of anguish I felt over a stupid little one hour flight that was over before I knew it. The train trip to the airport was longer than the flight, and, as my very tactful husband pointed out, probably a lot more risky. As if I didn't have enough to worry about. Ah, but all was well, and I lived to tell the tale. And you know the really stupid thing? The plane's taking off, and I'm sitting there in my little seat, right next to the exit (someone was watching over me, I tell you), chewing on my rescue remedy chewy thing and trying to look as cool, calm and collected as possible under the circumstances, and then I realise that a plane taking off is one of the funniest things I've ever experienced. I had to actually stop myself from giggling, the plane's going so crazy-fast down the runway, and I'm thinking, how the heck can something actually go that fast, like when you have the windscreen wipers on the fastest speed and they look like they're all out of control and they're gonna fly off the car at any minute. I have to physically suppress a giggle, in order to save face in front of mr. very important american businessman sitting next to me waiting patiently till he can use his blackberry again. And all this made me realise what a silly girl I'd been, scared of a little old plane trip. These people do this stuff every day. Heck, those air hosties and pilots go back and forth all day, and probably don't even think about it. Surely I can manage it once every five years or so. The rest of the time I'll just get around as nature intended, in a car (to quote one of my favourite films).

umm, where was I going with this one?? New things are making they're way into the shop right now!

today I...

discovered that I could sit in the car at the skate park and knit, while the big boys skated and the little one slept. How cool is that? The only thing missing was a cup of tea. Now, if I could just rig up a cigarette lighter adaptor for my sewing machine...

mr busy

this boy, he's so very busy. Always doing something. I hear those little feet pattering along on the floorboards and I think, here he comes, the mischief maker. I can tell straight away which boy it is, just by the sound of his footsteps. There's fin, with his slow and steady walk, like that of an adult, almost. Nearly nine now, a big boy. Then there's willow, usually ambling along on all fours, planet of the apes style. Always the entertainer. And then there's jasper, running along. Fast little close together steps that say "here I come".he's a climber, this boy. Maybe it's from being surrounded by so many people who are much bigger than him, but he always has to be standing on something, seeing what's going on up there. He will climb on anything, and if there is nothing to climb on, he will go and get something and drag it over so he can climb up. Always the high chair, dragging along on the floorboards and making that lovely squeaky sound. Music to my ears.

always looking, touching, pointing, talking. So determined to do things on his own. Ah, boy number three, so much to learn from so many teachers.
fortunately, big days make for big sleeps. We're still in the blissful stage of the afternoon nap, something his brothers had long given up by this stage. Sometimes people ask me how I manage to get any sewing at all done, well this is how. In little two-hourly blocks, every so often. And I have learnt that the sound of his little cry means scissors down, until next time. Because it will still be there tomorrow. There's no hurry.

around and about

enjoying some brief winter sunshine, we've been... pottering about in the garden;laying some new paving;exploring new pathways;cutting oh-so-many flags for bunting. I've lost count; stuffing and stitching a small herd of effelants. Many thanks to mr. check-out-my-fancy-lens for this one. I gave him hell while he was snapping away at me in my pj's and then had to swallow my (swear) words when I saw the results. Ungrateful so-and-so, I am.

here I am!

umm, what does one say when one has neglected their blog for oh so long? You know, the first thing that comes to mind is "sorry", but who is there to be sorry to? Do people actually care when nothing is written for a long while, is there some secret department in charge of keeping an eye on who's doing their bit in the blog world and who's not? I think not. But I am sorry, that I couldn't be arsed writing something here for the past three weeks. I've been busy, doing stuff. There's been some major yard works going on (photos to come, I promise), we've had school projects and speeches to prepare and also, as you can see above, there are some sewing adventures a-happening once again. And of course, mr. snot has paid us a visit to remind us that it is in fact winter time and we musn't let the sunshine fool us into thinking otherwise. Never mind, the rain's back now too, so there really is no denying it. Today was one of those really cold wet days, just perfect for sitting by the fire and stitching some cuteness. Apparently some new sofites are needed in the world, so that's what I'll be doing for the next few days...

the toofairy

so willow lost his first tooth today. It's a tiny little thing, small enough to be lost in the bedclothes and definitely small enough to fall down between the cracks in our floorboards. So, after taking very good care of that little tooth, soaking it all day in a little container of water (it fell out before school, thank heavens, or we'd have never seen the thing again), placing it in a little envelope with the addressee written clearly on the front, losing it momentarily when it was taken out for one last look, and finally placing it under a special little pillow to be exchanged for monetary gifts overnight, the stage was set for the magic to happen. And that's when the penny dropped, so to speak.
A teary mr willow comes out from his bed, all heart broken over the thought of having to part with his first tooth and never seeing it again. So, whilst holding back the tears myself, I reassure him that he can keep his tooth if he really wants to. That the tooth fairy already has enough teeth to build her little house with, and besides, I'm sure plenty of other kids in the world have lost teeth today, and I'm sure she won't miss this one teensy tiny little one. So off we go and find a special little box to keep this little tooth in, and the tears are wiped away and it's decided that it's probably a good idea to keep it anyway, in case one ever needs a spare, and the little tooth is placed in there and made secure, out of reach of the jasper. So then we're all ready for bed again, well almost. Of course, an apology letter has to be written to the tooth fairy, because it's important that she not be offended in any way. That little note is under the special pillow, and we're awaiting her reply.
But not once does that boy worry about the money that he won't be getting for that tooth which is so precious to him. Because for that boy, it's not about the money, it's about the magic. And for that, I am so grateful.
So now, tucked away in the corner of my sock drawer, in a special little box with a lid that's just a little bit hard to get off (all the better for keeping it safe, I say), is a tiny little tooth that I think we will get out every now and then and just look at and remember when.

safe and snug

so I got my hands on a holga a while back, and after shooting a few dud rolls and almost abandoning the whole idea, I decided to have one last crack at it and bought myself some cheap crappy film from the supermarket. I figured I didn't have much to lose on $3 film. Of course, the mister saw me with my cheap crappy film and sneered, saying I really should buy some pro stuff, which I guess you could say was like throwing down the gauntlet. So, off I went with my plastic camera and my $3 film, and the rest is history. The whole story (so far) is over here.

so now I like the holga. Holga and I, we're good friends. And as much as I don't like to be too overprotective of such things, having a chunky plastic camera with a bad rep for having the back pop open unexpectedly rattling around loose in my bag with all the other junk that's in there is not something I'm really comfortable with, so a suitable case had to be made.

I thought long and hard about this one, trying to work out all kinds of designs that would go around the lens, until I finally I realised that all I really needed to do was make it in a semicircle. The camera sits nice and snug in there, and I can even fit in a spare roll of (cheap) film. Happy days.

here again

we're back, had a lovely weekend away, and feeling happy for having done it. It's always nice getting away for a couple of days, seeing new things and breaking the monotony. Not exactly what I'd call relaxing, never is with three boys in tow. Saturday was mine and arrans' special and weird double birthday, and we spent a good portion of the day driving, which was fun, apart from the constant bickering from the backseat. Oh, and jasper has learnt this great new "arrh" sound, which he lets out whenever someone has something he wants or he has had enough of being in the car (which he generally decides five minutes into the journey), that kind of makes my brain hurt. So that made for a pleasant trip. But, once we got there and the big boys realised that they were free to roam bush and sandunes to their heart's content, they pretty well left us alone, so we found ourselves on the porch of said accommodation with a cold beer and some honeyeaters for company. The little one did hang around to annoy us, but he became rather preoccupied with the birds, so that was ok.

for my birthday, I received lots of loveliness, as usual. These are my two favourites, vintage green pouf from my mum, and from the mister, calina, courtesy of ella. These people, they know me well.

and, on a completely unrelated note, two new skirts in the shop today, fancy that! More coming soon. Enjoy!

north bound

the bags are packed and the tank's full of petrol, we're headed north tomorrow on a little adventure. A weekend filled with two birthdays and a mothers day is cause for more than the standard level of celebration, so we decided to have a little holiday, because it's been a while. So, off up the coast we go, with three boys and a car full of goodies, and just a little bit of excitement. Looking forward to takeaway dinner, a little house with a spa and a dishwasher (imagine that) and not worrying about dirty feet and dirty clothes. See you next week.

oh, and happy mothers' day!

cutie pants

a birthday gift in an hour? Sure, no worries. Ah, it's little pants like these ones that make me think it would be nice to have a little girl child in this house.

a bag for books

I ordered a myself a copy of this lovely book a couple of weeks ago (early mother's day gift to myself), and when it arrived in the post the other day, I became instantly smitten with the gorgeous photos inside, and have been poring over it's pages ever since. I find myself wanting to climb inside there and snuggle up, it looks so peaceful and cosy and...quiet. No little people vying for attention and making messes. So, feeling inspired, I set about making this little bag today, from a piece of linen that's been in my stash for ages, and which I have no idea the origin of, since I don't remember purchasing linen ever, except once for a special order. But that wasn't this piece. I didn't follow any of the patterns, because that would have required concentration, and I'm low on that right now. It's just "inspired by".
I made this little bag to hold books. Well, actually, magazines. Because, you see, I am someone who reads on the loo. Now, I'm not sure whether that's just too much information, I know that some people find this to be a rather nasty habit, but since anyone who has actually been to my house has almost definitely seen magazines in my bathroom, I don't think there's any harm in writing about it here. Anyway, to get back to the point, I'm sure it goes without saying that leaving magazines lying around on the bathroom floor is not a great idea when that bathroom is frequented by three (and in the not too distant future, four) boys. So, I needed to find a safe place for them, and I think this little bag will be just the thing.

that said, I'm now thinking that it might be just the thing for taking to the library as well.

the home stretch

oops, dropped off the radar there for a bit, and just when I was going so well too. Nevermind, it's been school holidays, so I guess that's a pretty good excuse. There have been other things to do...parks to visit, friends to play with, food to bake and eat, and adventures to be had.
but school goes back tomorrow, and that's that. Back to the morning routine, the getting dressed and finding one's shoes, the lunch box dilemma and the remembering to do the homework. I don't think willow's read a book or written a sentence during the holidays, but he's read plenty of street signs and cereal boxes, and he's written some birthday wishes and some special messages for the mamma, so I guess he'll be ok.

it's been a good holiday, and although we're all a little glad that school goes back tomorrow (well, except for willow, who thinks that school is just a bit too tiring), I think I'm going to miss these guys just a little. Although, it is going to be awfully quiet here at around midday, when a certain little person is asleep...quiet enough for a little mamma nap maybe?

the chilly season is here

finally! We're experiencing some pretty chilly weather here, and of course at the mere sniff of some wind and rain, I find it necessary to get the family all snuggled up and light the fire. I love the fire and it's toasty goodness. I love how it can dry wet washing without having to use any electricity or make any noise. I love being able to toast marshmallows in the lounge room on any given night, and I love lying in bed and watching it's flickering flames as I'm drifting off to sleep. I like that I have to go and chop kindling and make a fire so that we have warmth, and I like teaching my kids where warmth comes from. I like the fire because it's real and good and honest and warm. I'd love to sit by it's warm side all day and do nothing but knit (well, try to knit) and read and drink tea, but these boys tend to go a little stir crazy after a while, so we go somewhere nice and play in the park and watch some wild waves crash on the rocks.

strapped

I think it's probably been pretty obvious that there has been a little bit of an improvement in my picture quality lately, no? Well, the truth is, I've had all this rad photo gear at my disposal for years now, thanks to mr arran the photo guy, and I've finally pulled my finger out and started using some of it. You see, I used to dabble a little in photography in high school, but when I met the mr and realised just how much he was into it, I kind of just let it go, and let him take care of it. I went off and did my own thing, having babies and stuff. But lately, I've been feeling the urge to take some pictures again, and have taken quite a liking to this nikon. The thing is, though, I have this terrible aversion to borrowing gear, especially high tech, expensive gear, that I can't really afford to replace, if I happen to break it. So, whilst I work on talking the mr into buying a new camera, an updated model, which he really needs for his work, and letting me have this one for my own, I thought I might just make this one a little more "me" in the mean time.
It was sporting a stock standard nikon strap, and as much as I like the product, I really don't feel the need to have their name emblazened across my chest every time I use the camera, even if it is only within the confines of my own yard (still too scared to venture out into the big wide world with the thing). So, after a futile search for just the right camera strap, I decided to just make one myself. I managed to find this oh-so perfect piece of vintage embroidered ribbon from this very friendly etsy seller, and simply sewed it onto a piece of wide black webbing, along with some clippy things off a bag I got from vinnies. This thing is so perfect, I really don't know why I didn't think of it earlier.

Of course, the mr comes home from work, says "thanks for the new camera strap", and takes off with it on his new skateboard. I'm thinking I might have to start hiding it.

in the nest

we've had a lovely weekend here, in our little nest. There's been just the right amount of sunshine, just the right amount of rain, just the right amount of chocolate (ie, lots!), and just the right amount of family time. We even managed to fit in a spot of rearranging, which always makes for a happy mamma, as it means that one more little mess has been cleaned up.

we made this cosy little corner from what was an ugly mess of computer gear. Now the computer gear is in a different corner, in a much tidier state, with much less stuff "on display". Although it's a shame to hide away things like blank discs and usb cords, it is possible to in fact store them in nearby drawers, where they are still somewhat accessible, while much less in your face. It took some convincing, but I won out in the end. How long these items will remain in said drawers is debatable.

also discovered the sweet music of seabear and agnes obel this weekend, via this blog, which is very umm ... pretty, and features nice music. In discovering this new stuff, it has occured to me that I generally seem to like most things that come from scandinavia and iceland. Oh, except for herrings and any other kind of fishy snacks. Those I do not like. It has long been a dream of mine to visit this part of the world, and one not many other members of my family seem to share, except for fin, who would like to one day visit finland, where he would obviously be king. It's nice to have dreams.

happy easter

I did try to get a nice styled shot of what was a lovely easter brunch, but you know, the vase was tipped over, the tablecloth dishevelled and the hot cross buns descended upon before I even got the camera out. And that was just one kid. Hope your easter was fun like ours.
thanks to mr hazyjane for taking over camera duties for this one.

long time no hear

so I've managed to snavel a few moments to myself on this very lazy good friday, with one child asleep, one at the beach with friends and the other feeling a little poorly, playing on the other computer. The perfect opportunity to update this very neglected blog. It makes me sad when I leave it for so long, and I read all the stuff that other, more motivated people are doing (and finding the time to write about!), and I feel kinda like there's a party going on and I'm not there. Does that make any sense? so what have we been doing? Well, a big loungeroom shift was at the top of the list last week, as a certain little person had become rather fond of climbing on and around the fireplace, a bit dangerous given that we will soon be lighting said fire with the onset of chilly nights and mornings that we are feeling now. The fire screen is back up, and we have that funny little lounge next it, with just enough room left for a cosy little corner for snuggling into on winter evenings.of course, that cosy corner has also proven to be the perfect spot for a little willow cubby house action, which he spends much time preparing, piling up the cushions and getting it just so, only to have jasper come along and crash it all down. This little game can go on for ages, punctuated by lots of (very frustrated) "aww jas-per"s, before he finally gives up and just sits there, in tears, with the blanky draped over his head. It's hard, being six and not being able to keep the vandals out of one's cubby.betty james got in on the action this week too, and donned her favourite old apron, for baking season is upon us. She's already wowed us all with roast lamb, a pretty awesome chicken and veggie pie, caramel popcorn, and a scrummy apple cake. Apparently there's more to come. Mmm.