Friday, October 29, 2010

Nighty night


It's been a busy week & I've found I haven't been posting as much lately. Funny, isn't it, how you can get caught up in life & blog all the time, or not much at all?  In between making new bunnies, like the one above, I've been helping out at school as we have our fabulous Spring fete on this weekend.


Other things making me smile lately have been simple & sweet like this thrifted lace & flowery pillow case,

and this cheery home made bunting for the Devonshire Tea stall.


A little red birdie for a special girl..


...my beautiful mum


who had a birthday this week! Happy Birthday Mum! xo


Stay tuned for a post on her house & garden at Hepburn, it looks so lovely at the moment & I"m dying to take some photo's to show you.



Smiley, buzzy, creative Rosie who talks & sings & dances & laughs & would swing all day long if she could.


Here is another bunny, a butterfly girl. She is finished and ready for the Sugar & Spice market in Ballarat on the 28th of November. I do hope can come along & say hello.


Unfinished...


..and more who are ready to go. Speaking of which, I'm ready for bed, it's been a long week with not enough sleep! So it's nighty night from me. We're expecting some wild weather this weekend, hopefully not during the fete. Fingers crossed! If you are in Daylesford this weekend, or in the area, do pop in to the St Michaels fete in Smith Street, it will be so much fun! Sleep tight lovelies, see you soon xo

Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday


Morning! Before I launch into a photo story of the last few days let me thank you all for your generous comments on my last post about mothering. I really enjoyed reading your comments, I love the way we can share our own experiences & thoughts about this important part of our lives.
It's a topic that will come up again I'm sure, and I hope we can
continue to support each other and share our stories
of ups & downs,
and the joy & fun & challenges
of being a mum.


Now..are you a fan of chocolate mousse?
Mmmmm....


You really ought to try making it with Toblerone...delicious! I made it for the gang after promising I would for ages. If you would like the recipe just let me know. It's super easy and looked to pretty in tea cups! Not that it lasted long.


We had a fun weekend, the weather was spectacular & we spent a lot of time outside.  I always love this time of year when the leaves return to our two big trees out the back. When the sun shines through the new leaves it creates a beautiful green canopy and it feels like we are in paradise. After a grey, cold winter we are finally defrosting and enjoying some sunshine.

The kids played outside, under the quince tree which is in full bloom. Bees buzzed from flower to flower,


and the chooks feasted on the blossom petals that had fallen from the branches.



Bill climbed the big birch tree, can you see him up there?


Here he is, pretending not to hear his mother calling out...'be careful!'


It was a relief to get him outside and away from his new book about pranks. Oh my goodness. He really tested my patience! He poked tiny holes in the toothpaste, filled his sisters shoes with wet toilet paper, put notes on Dad's car, stuffed socks in Sunday's bed to make it lumpy, put sprinkles in the cereal and the worst one...he glued the Vegemite lid on! Ahhh! Boys!!


I made him go and buy a new jar of Vegemite, cheeky boy. All pretty harmless but a bit dementing! He does come from a long line of serial pranksters...I wonder who bought him the book?? Hmmm..


Whilst trying to avoid being pranked Mark & I worked on our new vegie patch.


The chooks helped too!


Guess what? Freddie lives to see another day! Yep, he & the girls have formed a tight bond and can be seen marching around the yard every day on their quest for snails, slugs & worms & all things duck. They really are an adorable gang, and Freddie is no longer the unbalanced stalker duck he was.It's so fun watching them all
waddling around the garden, yay!


Oh how lovely it was being outside!



Are you a fan of Paul Kelly? I'm thrilled to be reading his long awaited book, if you can get hold of a copy it's brilliant. Now I just need to find my Paul Kelly cd...


 Well lovelies, better run. It's time to pick up Rosie from dancing. What are you up to this week? Hope it's a fun one, see you soon xo

Friday, October 22, 2010

Mothering



Lately I've been thinking a lot about mothering & children. The long drives up and down the highway have given me some space to reflect. Watching my kids growing up, and away from toddler/preschool hood, and one growing into adulthood, has also given me much to think about. Driving home late one night recently I suddenly saw two sets of eyes shining bright in my headlights, a mumma possum scurrying across the road with her baby on her back. Luckily I braked in time and they crossed safely. This brave mother was so beautiful to watch and again made me think of what an important part we play in the lives of our children.



What also prompted me to consider this major part of my life was a couple of comments from two mums I got chatting to last week. After talking of the challenges they were facing with their children both said that if they had their time over they would not have had children. If they had known how hard it would be they would not have chosen to become mothers. Could I say the same? Did I judge them or admire their honesty?


The truth is that I haven't ever felt like that, and no I don't judge them and I do think it's a good thing that they were honest about how they felt. I see what they are expressing as an indication of how hard parenting can be at times, how challenging and stressful. As a mother I've certainly had many moments where I've felt overwhelmed, out of my depth, desperate, hopeless, resentful, even bullied! But I guess these times really don't stand out as major memories, more like moments that I got through, that I coped with, that helped me to grow as a mum.


I remember many times when I had patiently got through the long day at home with three or four little ones and then losing my cool over something small. Then I would feel like a failure, a bad mum, because I yelled or said something I regretted. These little instances didn't make me a bad person, they didn't even change all the good parenting that came before. No one is perfect and we need to allow ourselves to make mistakes, to be human. Happily these kind of times are few and far between these days as my children are more self sufficient and older, and perhaps I'm more relaxed too.


Sometimes when people hear I have five children there is a sense that I am a bit of an expert, that I am some kind of super mum. Let me tell you I'm definitely not! But I guess I have learnt a lot along the way and I do have a great sense of pride & joy at my relationships with my kids. We are close but I think I also give them space to be themselves. They are loved & looked after and they are learning that they have responsibilities to themselves & others. Each new stage they go through brings new challenges but I try to roll with these, trying to find ways to adapt while helping them too.



I've been thinking about what we bring to motherhood. All the bits & pieces from our own childhood that make up who we are. The snapshots and memories, the hurts & hiccups that form us. As a child I started school at four years of age, a tiny thing who really didn't cope well with school. I'm sure this impacted on me throughout my school life, and later as well. Because of this I made sure my kids went to school when they were ready, which meant holding two of them back rather than sending them early. An excellent decision!


Then there is my friend who has an anxiety condition, trichotillomania, which is the pulling out of hair, in her case her eyelashes. Until I read her 'story', which she presented at an Anxiety discussion evening I didn't fully understand why she always stayed with her children until they went to sleep at night.  She did this because she had begun her own journey with anxiety by pulling her hair out when alone in bed. Of course she worried about her own kids doing the same thing. It was a real light bulb moment for me as I realised how much this had impacted on her life and then her own children's' lives.


I'm sure all of us bring many things to our roles as mums. It's not all easy is it? From my own perspective I find being a mother to be the best thing I've ever done. The most challenging but the most fulfilling. I just love being with my gang and watching all the personalities develop. I don't, however, always love the picking up of assorted items of the floor, the cleaning of toilets, the endless food preparation & the crazy piles of school notes, and papers that pile up on every surface.  But hey, sometimes it's a good thing to try and relax and not worry too much about housework or bits of paper. To loosen up and not try to control every element of life.  It all gets done in the end.


As the mum of a now 18 year old it's been particularly satisfying seeing Charlotte becoming such a grounded & confident girl. She seems so sure of herself as a person and has a bright future ahead of her. I have found myself reflecting on myself at the same age, which has made me sad at times. I struggled with life when I was teenager, and looking back I can see I was probably depressed.  Drugs, pregnancy, low self esteem, lack of direction & motivation and all that came with it - I was really a lost soul in many ways. I think of my own mum and how hard this must have been for her. I'm so lucky to have a mum who has always supported me along the way, for her love & care I am forever grateful.


Someone said to me recently that these kind of experiences make us who we are (if we survive them!) and I guess that's true. I am such a different person now and I hope a good mum to my kids. I really value my role as a mum, as I value all the mums. Having had four of my kids so close together I have seen how challenging it can be. Getting through post natal depression and coming out the other side to enjoy my kids & have a fulfilling life was huge. Perhaps we don't give mothering the respect it deserves, it's a BIG BIG job and most of the time we do it really well. So give yourself some love today and remember what you are doing is so important. Whether you work or at at home, or both, your job as a mum is one of a kind. What you give to your kids today they will take into their lives forever.



Looking through photo's to add to this post I have been really struck by the gorgeous colour & fun & love in my life. The happy, crazy, smiley faces that have been jumping out at me are so beautiful. What a lucky girl I am.  And I'm thinking too of the funny, loving things the kids say sometimes. Last week I was so tired and grumpy in the car on the way to Ballarat.  "I can't HELP being so tired!!" I ranted. Quietly from the back came Rosie's voice, "No, you're right. And you can't help being so beautiful either." It was hard to be grumpy after that!



Now I'm off to hang out some washing in the sunshine, chat to the ducks & chooks, fold a huge pile of washing, run up to school to help with lunch orders, finish a bunny for the shop, a probably a million other things as well! Hope you are having a happy day lovelies, see you soon xo

Thursday, October 21, 2010

My Creative Space





My space has been a fun space lately. A thinking space. A colourful space.
At home I've been working on some new little projects...




..tweaking some old ones...


and matching up fabric & cardis.



I'm also enjoying the pieces of fabric that were trimmed from a new quilt & sewed up into long, long ribbons. They remind me of the rainbow snake, only a much skinnier version! There is something very pleasing about all those vintage fabrics mixed up together, they make me smile.


My space has also been a thoughtful space this week as we celebrate Charlotte's final days at school. Here she is, below, just after her Valedictory service, holding the book she was awarded. The girls were able to choose their books and Charlotte picked a childhood favourite, 'Tim & Charlotte' by Edward Ardizzone.              

My space is an emotional & joyful place too this week as my baby turns 18 today.
I'm off to share a special lunch with her at our favourite cafe,
My space is full to the brim with love, for my big girl.
Is it really 18 years since she came into my life? All bright eyed and beautiful, my buttercup baby.
Happy, happy birthday Charlotte!
I hope to see some of your spaces to tonight when I get home, thanks for hosting Kirsty!
Enjoy your day lovelies,

see you soon xo

Monday, October 18, 2010

At my house


At my house I'm downloading the photo's from the wedding we went to on the weekend.


I'm thinking about all the lovely friends we caught up with.


All the gorgeous kids and babies who were there. Don't the boys look handsome in their suits? Here they are patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin...



...and after a short delay the beautiful bride arrived! Looking amazing and a tiny bit nervous. 


Love her bouquet.


 

The ceremony went well and there were some funny moments when the family/farm dog wanted to be in it too!


Della


I think both Della & James had a wonderful time, they both looked pretty relieved when the ceremony was over and then spent the rest of the day & night celebrating with their extended family & friends.


The newly weds live on an orchard, up near Shepparton, and is was really amazing to be in this different part of the country, sharing in this special day. I loved meeting the many friends and rellies and just hanging out with this great group of people. 



It was also fun playing with the twelve, yep I said twelve!!, puppies that were snuggled up with their mama in the shed.


 Can you imagine feeding 12 puppies? What a super mum.



Anyway, at my house today I'm feeling a bit weary but happy.
I'm slightly overwhelmed by the chaos that occurred while we were away..where is that fairy godmother when I need her?



This week is going to be busy but fun! More celebrations, starting with Charlotte's school Valedictory Service tomorrow night. I'm having trouble processing the fact she is actually finishing school..forever!
And my little Rosie will be starting school transisition next month. Wow.
Lots to take in.
What's happening at your house today, why not join in with Lou Lou?
See you soon xo