bunny still in the oven

I thought it was high time, at 38 weeks, that we took some shots of the belly. I'm not good at organising photo shoots and it's pretty hard to pin down the mister these days as he seems to have an endless to-do list. I'm not sure who is nesting more at the moment, but he's certainly onto the "outside" stuff.
We're hanging out in the burbs for next couple of weeks as we wait for baby...it seemed to be the sensible thing to do with my tendency for quick labours. I'm well and truly into the last stage now, feeling oh-so tired and more than a little uncomfortable. This little one likes to spend the evenings and most of the night squirming away on my bladder and I am seriously lacking in sleep as a result. I find myself on the lounge watching abc kids shows most afternoons.
I think we're all just very keen to meet this little one now. I don't know how many more conversations I can take about whether it will be a boy or a girl (it's sitting differently to my others, so of course this is cause for much speculation). We'll soon find out, not long now.

and just when you thought my life couldn't get any sillier...

we went and found this. Meet "millie", my newest friend. She's a 1963 millard safari, in near original condition. Let's have a little look inside, shall we.ah yes, they would be the original lino tiles on the floor, and also original barkcloth seat covers. Not to mention the laminex table in perfect nick. Moving onto the kitchen...

benchtop and splashback also in lovely vintage condition, as well as original overhead cupboards. Ok, so the cupboards down below are new and not so attractive, but we can work on that. Off to the lounge room...

original fold down divan with old blue vinyl cover, which jasper pointed out feels like a balloon to sit on. Lovely.

Needless to say, work has begun on curtains and such, as I turn this into a little work space, something I've been seriously lacking over the past eight months or so. The new hazyjane HQ. Can you tell I'm just a little excited?

p.s. don't worry, the other van is still a work in progress...it's just going to take a little time to get that one any where near liveable.
Um, I think I have the beginnings of a collection.

getting ready

the sun shone for just long enough the other day for me to do the first load of washing for baby. We've been lucky enough to have been given a whole heap of little tiny things, as well as a pram and car capsule (love the car capsule for moving sleeping babies) and 2 cots! Most of our friends are well and truly finished having babies now, so they were happy to offload this stuff.
of course, it's been raining ever since this one day of sunshine, so everything else in our life is wet, dirty and possibly even mouldy, but at least these little things are tucked away safely in a dry place waiting for a little someone to arrive and make them dirty again.
only 5 weeks to go...I'm excited.

room with a view

it became apparent over the past few months that this little shack we are living in wasn't quite big enough for a family of nearly six, so some changes were made. The most urgent thing we needed was a bedroom so that we could stop sleeping on the fold-out lounge (not the best thing to sleep on when one is pregnant, after all) so plans were made to add a new "wing". This wing now houses a very comfortable parents retreat (more to come on that), and also a pretty awesome kitchen.the thing about building these things yourself is that you can get everything just the way you want it, or thereabouts. Everything here is recycled...old wood, tin, glass and enamel. Loving that sink. Oh, and those windows. A friend asked me recently how we find all this stuff, and to be honest, it's not something we really think about too much. We simply like old stuff better than new stuff, and we're willing to stop the car by the side of the road to pick up someone else's trash or go rummaging through junkyards to find just the right window or door. And people give us stuff too. Although that can sometimes be a problem. We have lots of stuff.the thing I love most about this kitchen, apart from all the sweet stuff in it, is the view through all those old windows. It's a pretty great place to make school lunches, prepare dinner, and sit down with a cup of tea. It's a pretty great place to just "be".

how to build a teepee in two days

1. don't start until you are sure that the timing is well and truly inappropriate for a project of this magnitude. I could have had this made four months ago, when the idea first came to me, but true to form I chose to leave it till the week before jasper's birthday, that being the week between christmas and new year, when the kids are on holidays and long lost friends seem to come out of the wood work. Not to mention the difference those four months make in terms of pregnancy.

2. after you have established that you don't remember much of the maths you learned at school, consult your husband for technical advice. They come in handy for some things crafty, it seems.

3. don't bother with a practice run. Cutting large pieces from precious vintage sheets and hoping that they will fit together in some semblance of the object you have in mind just adds to the thrill.

4. make sure you drop your tin of pins at least four times. Crawling around on all fours picking up pins is one of my favourite pasttimes, especially when seven months pregnant. Right up there with retrieving pieces of lego from the far corners under kids' beds.

5. swearing is optional, but at this stage, I would say go for it. I did.

6. after the piece has finally come together, and you're feeling quite proud of yourself for how well it actually turned out, hand it over to the four year old and watch while he tries to fold himself up in it, climb in and out through the window and generally do his best to make it look "lived in" (including adding small items of furniture). Let's just say it's been well and truly road-tested, and is still standing. Phew.

7. even though the whole process may seem a little like child birth...a lot of pain but with a truly magnificent result...don't even think about doing it again. No matter how many people say "will you be putting these in your shop...?"

am I four yet, mum?

we celebrated this little boy's birthday this week. 4...not so little anymore. And soon to be a big brother too. I can't tell you how many times over the past six months or so he's asked me when he will be four, the magic number it seems. So, it was with great anticipation on the morning after his birthday that he asked me "am I still four, mum?" (a whole day had elapsed after all). When I replied yes, he sighed a big sigh of relief and told me" it's good to be four".needless to say, we are now talking about five. What's with all this wanting to grow up, or is it just the thought of more birthday cake? I think we'll just stick with four for now. And soon-to-be nine. And nearly twelve. Oh, and then there's bubba who will no doubt be in way too much of a hurry to grow up too.

happy new year

after spending the last two weeks back on the coast for christmas and catching up with family (and washing!), it became absolutely necessary to get back to the farm, back home. The thought of spending new years eve with the drunken early morning stragglers and random fireworks going off all night, not to mention multiple doof doof parties around the neighbourhood, just didn't appeal to me. Don't get me wrong, in years gone by...well, long gone if the truth be told, I've enjoyed a good party as much as the next person. But not these days. To lie in bed and listen to the symphony of frogs and crickets is my idea of a good night (in!).
the past year has been interesting, inspiring and life-changing for us, and we are looking forward to many more good things to come in this new year that has just begun.