new pants!

finally, a shop update. Not much, just a few pairs of cotton pants, sizes 2-6. Groovy, comfy and oh-so-easy, just the way we like it around here. Check them out, more coming soon.

back in 5, over at instagram

it would be fair to say that I'm a little slow on the uptake with most things. I tend to resist new things, dismissing them as unnecessary, burying my head in the sand whilst quietly wondering what all the fuss is about. I never wanted a mobile phone, why would I need one when I had a perfectly good phone at home, people could just call me there. Of course, the day fin started school I went out and bought one, because the thought of them not being able to contact me the minute something happened to him was unbearable.
when people started talking about iphones I didn't have the slightest interest in being able to take photos and check my emails on a phone. I had a perfectly good camera and computer for that. But then after a while I discovered instagram, with it's gorgeous vintage effects, and I thought now that's something I could really get into. So, a second-hand iphone was procured from a friend who upgrades regularly, for the exact price of one skateboard, and what can I say, the rest is history.
the thing I like is that it's becoming a kind of journal of our days. I like how it's instant; take the photo, write a comment and bang, it's done, unlike blogging which seems to take a lot of effort. And maybe that's all I need at this point in time, something I don't have to think too much about, because goodness knows, there's so much else to think about. I'll still hang around here too from time to time, but if anyone's looking, I'm over there.

a nicer way to start the day

the days are hot and long, with the kids on holidays and no place we need to be but home. We have everything we need right here and there are enough of us that we don't really crave extra company, but after about week or so of not really doing anything,  there is a need to do something different. I suppose you could say I'm a creature of habit...my morning routine is: get up, put on the kettle, brush my teeth, make the tea, put on a load of washing, drink the tea, make the beds, have some cereal with my little friends, peg out the washing, oh, I could go another cup of tea and maybe some toast...what shall we do today? Oh right, It's nearly lunchtime.
but this morning, after putting on the washing, I thought "how about something different today?". I took jodi's cue and decided to hit the beach at 8am...ambitious, I know, with four kids, but we were out the door by 8.30, swimming ten minutes later and back home at 10. It's the perfect time of day, before the crowds arrive and before it gets too hot. I used to do that all the time when I was a kid, there is something so refreshing about starting the day with a swim in the ocean. We are so lucky to live so close.
with this new year there come some new resolutions. I'm not really a new year's resolution type of person, but this year feels a little different. I have heard so many people say that 2013 wasn't a good year for them, and I have to admit, I was pretty happy to see the end of it. It was year of so much uncertainty and anguish for me, some of which still lingers, but I can feel it slipping away. This year I turn 40, and that to me seems like a bit of a turning point. Time to start looking after myself a little better. We live a fairly simple and healthy lifestyle already, but there is always room for improvement. Drink more water, eat less sugar and stretch! I don't want wake up when I'm 60 and think "hey, I wish I'd been doing more exercise all those years".
it seems like a good time to break some old habits.

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.