good tidings

merry happy christmas sweet friends!

by hand

I was just about to whiz around the edge of this doily on the sewing machine yesterday, when it suddenly occurred to me that what it really needed was to be hand stitched. I needed to sit down and quietly stitch this little piece of lace onto some grey flannel for a cushion for my new chair. My new wingback chair that was waiting for me at the op shop for $20, which wasn't on ebay or gumtree two weeks ago when I searched for it and while I was still painting the floor. 

I'm learning that things usually happen when they are meant to and you can't push them. Sometimes floors need to be painted and let dry before chairs can be found and sometimes little stitches need to be made by hand and not by machines. 

my sewing room became a storage facility over the past couple of years, but it's gradually turning into a cosy crafty place once again and now that daisy is officially a toddler, I'm almost ready to start sewing. It's been a long while.

fresh start

I've been toying with the idea of letting go of this blog for a while now...I was averaging one post a month earlier this year and it's been even longer than that this time round. It's all just a bit of a mess; documentation of a crazy, confusing year. When things get messy and mixed up I can't stand to look at them and they inevitably fall by the wayside.
But things are changing. We're back in our old home again, where we need to be, and it's good. It's good because everyone can do what they need to do easily and thus we are all much happier. I'm learning to let go of idealistic dreams that don't really fit into our lives right now, and just be.
It's a great time of year for a fresh start, the sun is shining and the air is so fresh. The sea is so close I can hear the waves and all of my children are happy. I don't think I could ask for much else.



the tub-tub

the nights and mornings are still chilly here, with the odd frost still hanging around, so bathtime has become an early afternoon activity. She loves great-great grandma's tub, smiles and squeals at the sight of it. All the kids have bathed in here at some stage, it's one thing I'm so grateful to have inherited.
Enjoying sweet spring days now, hope they hang around.

still on the rollercoaster

after tossing it around and around and around for the past few months, we could no longer take the uncertainty, and have gone back to the farm. The allure of the quiet life, the little school and the wide open spaces was just too much for me. I'm not good in the suburbs.
It's been a rocky start, as it was last time, but I know this place will always test us. Cars tend to break down (and literally fall to bits) when you continually drive them over dirt roads. There are still no taps in the kitchen, but at least it's not too far to the tank now that we have the old French doors leading straight there. The gas hot water unit stopped working so it was outside baths for week, but that's fixed now too. It was lovely having a bath outside under the stars though. Every cloud has a silver lining, I must keep reminding myself. I have many moments of distress, of "what the hell am I doing?"and then I look out the window and realise how lucky I am.
I'm feeling inspired, the veggie garden is undergoing a makeover, and things will be growing there soon. The chooks and alpacas and even the odd wallaby are providing daisy with constant entertainment. Our days are slow but full, and beauty is everywhere.

mum to the power of four

I think I might have the best job in the world.

happy mothers day!

the birthdays of march

it seems that march has become a hectic time in this house, we celebrated willow's 10th birthday last week and yesterday little daisy turned one! It's funny how alike these two are in personality and looks, and with birthdays only eight days apart. They share the same relaxed disposition as well as the blonde hair and blue eyes. It's almost as if we have two sets of twins only they were all born years apart. Weird.
happy birthday sweet little people.

oh, hello autumn

we got off to a rocky start with three days of torrential rain, but today is total autumn perfection. Blue skies, sunshine and a sweet little breeze. It always amazes me how the autumn rain comes and washes the summer away. Everything feels clean and fresh and I can breathe again.
It's been a long absence once again, I'm so bad at keeping up with things. But this little thing is something I think I will always come back to, time and again. Our life is full and also a bit confusing at the moment. We're back in the burbs, and whilst that in itself is ok, aspects of it clearly are not. We came back for high school. Yes, high school. The big unknown. I wanted to make sure the biggest boy settled in without the added pressure of extra travel. And it turns out that high school is great, no problems there whatsoever. He's totally cool with it. The others are back at the big (primary) school, and adjusting to that is not going so smoothly, for them or for me. There are so many things that a school of nearly 900 cannot offer...it's not their fault, just the way it is. We miss the little school desperately, not to mention the open space and animals.
So, we will take it one day at a time and see where we end up. In the meantime, my little friend and I are enjoying slow, quiet days together whilst the others go about their business.

this could end badly

so, it's been at least three years since I've updated the appearance of this blog (probably longer, actually), and I'm thinking it's about time I did some work on it. Just becasue I'd like a fresh start, it being a new year and all. The truth of the matter is, my computer skills are pretty rusty, I do a lot of internet browsing and not much else. Thank goodness for google, I say, in helping me navigate through problems such as how to download new fonts and actually be able to use them, how to get around blogger glitches like not being able to upload photos (switch to html, in case you're wondering too), and lots of other little things that I would never be able to work out on my own. So, with only a small amount of trepidation, I will try to make a few changes here, and hopefully come up with something new and good. Or, it could all just disappear, in which case I will probably throw the computer out the window and end up with a different kind of "fresh start".

a christmassy, new yearish kind of birthday

 still getting over christmas, barely noticed the arrival of the new year and hey, now the littlest boy is five. There weren't many birthday requests, much like last year it was turning a new number that was most exciting. Apple juice, brocolli, some lollies and a chocolate cake with a love heart would be nice too.
I'm just so happy that I'm finally five, he told me this morning. So am I, little man, so am I. Just in time for big school, where all of your questions will be answered and all of your energy put to good use. There's no denying that 4.5 to 5 is the most trying time of all, so much going on in that little head.
The happy birthday bunting that's been on my to-do list for a few years now finally happened, so I can cross that one off. Just need to make everyone else's names when their birthdays come round, because you know, they need birthday bunting.  I'm sure they'll thank me for all this one day, when I'm hanging bunting at their 21st birthday parties. I think I'd better make the most of it now, while I can.