Frazzled Friday

Well it's Friday and I'm feeling a little frazzled. Why you may ask? It just seems there's alot on lately and I'm getting woken up a little too early by the Grunge Princess. Today is Hunchie's birthday, hooray! So the plan is to go out tonight for din dins and Charlotte (16) will mind the other four. She has to be picked up from the train at 5.00. The kids and Hunch are planning to go Trick or Treating so there is costumes to be worked out and much excitement to be had. ( Its nice having an american born dad who also gets excited!) Meanwhile we have the school fete on this Sunday and so this morning I have been at school sorting books and looking through the Trash & Treasure in preparation. Yes, there's more. Dinner for the kids has to be worked out, the dogs need a run, the chooks have to be fed and let out for their daily roam. The house looks a bit trashed, dishes aren't done...should I go on??????????????
Yes, I've left the best till last. While dropping of Sunday & GP at creche this morning I noticed a lot of bites on Sundays face and arms. Thinking they might be mozzie bites I didn't worry and went on my way but as the morning wore on I started to think.... CHICKEN POX!! I remember Charlotte had them, 12 years ago, but I can't really remember what they look like. Hmmmm. Oh well, what can I do?




So there you have it. I think I might just leave the housework and sit and sew. Bunnies need stuffing (sounds a bit scary), tiny dresses need ric rac and I'm still working on a pile of library bags. I'm getting things together for the upcoming Maker's Market here in our lovely town. Should be fantastic!

My boy Bill in the quince tree. Bill is trying really hard to remember to use good manners lately and it's been a bit of a struggle. He is generally pretty good but forgets easily and speaks before he thinks. Is this a boy thing maybe? Hate to be gender specific but the girls haven't had the same issue. Anyway, he's trying and that's the main thing. I guess we need to be patient and remember that some things take longer than others.

Wonder what he is going to wear for Trick or Treating tonight?

Beautiful Rosabella (GP) relaxing after a tiring flower picking session. ( Is that a chickens bum lurking in the background?)

Kids really have trouble with the whole 'birthday' doesn't always always mean 'party' concept, don't they and who can blame them? Poor Rosie really cried this morning when although it's Daddy's birthday she still had to go to creche (Kidna's). "But I want to go to Daddy's party!!!"

A photo of the garage that we have recently cleared out & fixed up. The kids have been enjoying playing in here and hopefully it will become a good place to hang out in winter.

Bye for now x

)

rainbow bunny...

Meet Flopsy the Rainbow bunny. Flopsy is made from a stripey jumper found at the op shop. All of my toys seem to have wonky bits and Flopsy has a wonky shaped head. I could fix it up and make him symmetrical but I like him just the way he is!! Do you like his shorts?

Bye for now...

Little notes...

Last weekend I popped down to Melbourne to have special birthday dinner with my eldest daughter (turning 16!) & my lovely mum. We also went to see the movie, The Duchess, which was beautiful to watch, if a little unbelievable. One scene that really struck a cord with me was when Georgiana (The Duchess) receives a set of little wrapped up letters from her children. Just about to leave her husband for her lover the notes make her realise her love for her children whom she cannot desert. It is a sad but beautiful moment & made me think how powerful our love for our children is. Imagine then how amazing it was to come home to find my own set of pretty little loving notes on my bed! Oh it's nice to be missed and to also be reminded of how important my children are to me, and me to them.

On Monday my dear mate, Carm, visited with two of her girls. All the kids played happily in the sandpit and outside in the garden while we chatted and had a cuppa, or two. How good it is to be with an old friend! They couldn't stay too long but it was so nice to have them here. Next time I hope they bring Daisy Kate.

Spring as sprung here in the country and there are flowers and blossom everywhere. The quince and apple trees are looking gorgeous and the chooks are loving the green, green grass.




A funny thing happened with our chooks recently. Because they free range alot they lay their eggs in random spots in the garden. This works well for the local crows who greedily grab the eggs and fly off. Sometimes these eggs fall and they have been landing in the childcare centre nearby. The children at the centre have been finding eggs in the garden and wondering where they came from!! This explains where all our missing eggs have gone! Naughty crows.

Miss Cranky Pants & her Colourful Friends

Yesterday was another crazy & busy day. Wednesdays are often tricky because Rosie, 3, is tired from creche the day before and is often grumpier than usual. Sunday & I are a bit restricted in what we can do because of Cranky Pants. Anyway, we made the best of it and set off to the Trentham op shop which is always fun and cheap. Sunday found things for the newly created Fairy Garden & Rosie scored some My Littlest Pony bits & pieces. Heaven.

This is one of my latest creations, Charlotte, who can be purchased at Paradise Bookshop , formally the Avant Garden, http://www.avantgarden.com.au/, our local bookshop. They have a lovely range of children's gifts and books. They really support local artists and have alot of handcrafted toys.

Kitty Rose has two sides, her front is vintage pillowcase fabric & her back is blue & white spots.

I love spotty material, it seems to go with everything, especially older, flowery fabrics.

Recently I started making softer toys from old jumpers & off cuts from the Creswick Woollen Mill. This is my first one, looking a bit folorn and one eared. It always amazes me how a bit of material can be turned into something with a real personality.

Here is the finished bunny, on the left. Her dress is made from vintage pillowcase fabric, which I use alot, and my clever mum made her cardigan. Isn't she sweet? Her sister, on the right, is not quite finished. She was created from an old jumper that the opshop gave me for nothing as it had a hole in it. I love the idea of making a toy from something that would have been thrown away. I always look for woollen jumpers, they are the softest and most natural.

Time to go! It's my brother, Ben's, birthday tomorrow and I need to post his birthday surprise! x

I love my chickens

Our two younger chickens really love each other and hang out together all day. Madam is the white one and Chips the brown. One downside to chooks is chicken poo on the deck...yuck!




Above is Madonna, one of a pair of Isa Browns who we've had for about a year. Isa Browns are good layers! To her left is Madam and on the right is Rocky and Mary Poppins.



One of the great things about living in the country has been having chooks. Not only do they give us eggs and eat our scraps but there is also something so pleasing about having them around.




If you are thinking of keeping chickens then go for it! You don't have to live in the country, if you have a small yard you can still keep a couple. Chickens are so much fun, get a chook! check out this link...


http://www.aussieslivingsimply.com.au/readarticle.php?article_id=8

today was...

...a crazy kind of day. Lucy, Billy & Sunday had fun at a t-shirt designing class, can't wait to see what they made when I pick up the t-shirts tomorrow. Mark then took Billy, Lucy & Charlotte to the beach for a few days. That left me with Rosie & Sunday - I hung out washing while they played in the sandpit, swung on swings, rode on scooters, made mud pies etc. We cleared out the toy basket adding many items to the op shop bag and re-filled the basket with our massive collection of duplo. Looked at my new project, a woollen bunny, but didn't have a chance to finish her ears. She is made of soft alpaca wool and will wear a pretty floral dress, made from an old pillow case, and hopefully a little cardigan. We had yummy creamy pasta for dinner and then after stories the girls went to bed. As I am really pooped I decided not to go to Book Club tonight even though I will miss seeing all my lovely Book Club friends. Better grab a chammomile tea and hop into bed! Goodnight x