Caravan photo-shoot...

The day before we left, our amazingly talented photographer friend Rohan Anderson came over and took some pics of the caravan. I like to think of them as after the renos-before the fun photos. There's more, I'll pop them on here over the next week.

And thanks so much you guys for all your fabulous caravan adventure well wishes, they never fail to make me smile.

See ya!

Off we go...

On Monday, after years and weeks and months and days and hours of organising and cleaning, we all piled in the car, we hooked up the van and we drove down the driveway. Honestly at the time it didn't feel like such a big deal. Like we could have been driving to town for milk or something.

I was trying to make myself feel something as the chorus from the backseat farewelled everything we drove past: goodbye house, goodbye sheds, goodbye chooks, goodbye farmer boys, goodbye dogs, goodbye apple trees...but I didn't. Even though Indi was crying, I didn't really feel it.

We drove into town for a final coffee and some more farewells and then we drove out of town. My sister cried, the girls were excitedly screaming, I could tell Bren was nervous about the van but I was still a bit numb. Like this wasn't really happening yet.

We had lunch about an hour later on the side of a freeway, the van did have issues and needed fixing and we drove to a caravan park in Bendigo.

Then late last night, after the pasta bake made before we left had been eaten, the girls were in bed and the lights were off, it hit me hard.

It came in the form of words and lists and blog posts. Things I had left behind, jobs I had forgotten to do, calls I hadn't remembered to return, a little bit of anxiety and a little bit of excitement.

Those words kept me up all night chatting away in my head. Bla bla bla. They were even louder than the guys chatting a few vans up from ours. Bla, bla, bla...all night long.

But this morning as the sun came up I noticed the words were quietening down. They had done their job and I felt clear and ready for the caravan adventure to begin.

And off we drove...

Rohan Anderson took the pic above. He took loads of great photos of the van and would you believe I forgot to offer him a cuppah! Rude!

I'll show you more of Ro's ace pics tomorrow.

See ya!

What if...

What if I am as impatient with my kids as I feel today?

What if it was all really about the styling and the fixing?

What if I am antisocial and don't feel like making new friends?

What if something bad happens back home?

What if I have no personal space?

What if we only have access to crappy food?

What if they don't make friends?

What if something runs out of batteries and we can't charge them?

What if they just fight all the time?

What if I have forgotten how to slow down and unplan?

What if I forget something important?

What if someone gets sick or hurt?

What if something important gets lost or stolen?

What if we are being too ambitious?

What if I have packed the wrong things?

What if....how long have you got??

ps. I am excited too. Very excited. I just want to acknowledge and record some of the day before feelings. Eeeeeeep, one more sleep.

See you on the road. x

When??

So how do you know when its all finished and its actually time to go? Is there a magic sign?

Is it....

When the cushions are plumped up and inviting you to stop, to plop down and have a cuppa and crochet a few rows?

(Please note the coolest organic WA vintage map cushion a la My Bearded Pigeon that we will be stitching our route on as we go. Thanks Cath!! LOVE!! XX)

When the craft supplies are sorted and packed?

(Divine The Textured Leaf pin cushion. Thanks Wendy! xx)

When you would be happy if you never saw a muddy puddle or wet chooken again for the rest of your life.

When the business looks like it will run beautifully and is ready to be handed over?

When there is only a small pile of fire wood left?

When the favourite crockery is stacked neatly waiting?

(Most georgeous doily tea towel by FlowerPress. Thanks Susie. x)

When you have farwelled nearly everyone you know? And some more than once.

When you have nothing left to wear because you have packed all your bestie clothes already?

When the coffee machine is in the caravan and it is too cold to hang out in there to make one?

When the bikes are on the back?

When this year's tax is done? Seriously! Eight days into the new financial year!

When Kate dolly is looking oh so lonely and desperate for company. (Dolly from A Little Vintage. Thanks Jennie! x)

**Jennie is having a 25% off sale in her etsy shop here, pop the code JULYSALE4U in the checkout to claim your discount.

When four bed sheets, four doona covers and 13 caravan sized curtains have been sewn.

When the most hoarded, favourite ever piece of fabric in the stash has been cut up and used as a door curtain.

When Nina Bernina has gone off to sewing machine club med for some well deserved pampering.

When the pile of books on the bedside table is diminishing and the pile on the caravan bookshelf is growing?

When you are so over answering the question when are you going??

When the to-do list is looking scarily finishable?

When keys have been cut and the house minders are packed up and ready to come early next week?

Ahhhhhhhh.....

top ten...

My top ten reasons that go to prove that I am losing it.

1) This morning I sat in my car outside the post office and sobbed. Who does that?? I had just opened a package from Jennie with her Kate dolly complete with vintage sheet bunting and she was so perfectly me it was overwhelming. Thank you so, so much Jennie, I love her.

2) Deciding that if it came down to space, I would leave behind my favourite boots if it meant I could bring Kate dolly along on the caravan adventure.

3) Spending hours crocheting trims to tie back the curtains in the caravan. Yes, I know a few meters of ribbon would do the same job, but crochet lacy trim is so much prettier. Oh my goodness, I just saw the mistake...eeeek, does it make me even crazier if I undo it and start again?

4) Being asked by a daughter why farmer Bren and I have to make and do everything for ourselves and why we don't pay other people to do things like lay the floor or make the curtains. Until then it had never occurred to me.

5) Turning up to a birthday party at the finish time rather than the start time.

6) Getting a phone call from the girls' school telling me I was three quarters of an hour

late to pick up the girls from school on the last day of term. How was I to know they finished

an hour early?

7) Finding myself speaking to inanimate objects aloud. Thank you ruffling foot for saving me so much time today. I know you are so tired and need a service Ms Nina Bernina but it wont be long now and you are doing the most wonderful job. Please, please Mr Bobbin, just last one more seam and I'll love you forever...

8) Being waaay more worried about running out of cream coloured sewing cotton than toilet paper.

9) Finding myself sewing cozies for the computers out of our childhood sleeping bags.

10) Spending hours sewing gifted hexagons (thanks Mel!) onto the back of blankets to line the curtains. I know this one must be mad because my farmer boy keeps telling me so.

So there you have it, one crazy crafter. Let's just hope I can last another week until lift off...

See ya. x

Side tracked...

Its funny, usually all I want to do in my life is sew but now that I have to sew I don't want to.

I've spent so much time in the caravan over the past few weeks making, deciding, choosing and fixing that now I can't even see the bigger picture any more.

I really have no idea if the curtains I've made so far are a bit too much or if they work.

Before we had kids my farmer boy and I travelled up and down the East coast of Australia looking for land to buy. We drove a cute white combi and before we left I made some blue fluffy curtains with appliqued colourful flowers.

While I was making them they seemed like a great idea, but a few months down the track it was like blue fluff?? really??

This time I want to make curtains for the caravan that will go the distance, that I'll still like in the months to come. Curtains that wont hurt my eyes and make me wish I had brought my sewing machine along to make more.

So what does a sewing obsessed girl do when she needs space from her sewing? She sews something else of course. A dress!

Forget the deadline and the the fact that my house is messier than ever before, forget the fact that I have to sew so we can get outta here, ignore the fact that I found myself hiding the fact that I was sewing a dress when ever anyone walked in and sew one anyway.

Miss Pepper definitely does not need anther mama made dress at the moment but I had to sew one anyway. Some thrifted knit fabric, an already cut out pattern and I was off.

And would you believe, it did the trick.

I sewed the dress, we left the chaos of home and went to a birthday party and then when we got home I saw things for what they are and changed the project completely.

The new curtain plan is plainer and quicker and feels so much more doable. Yay!

It didn't hurt that Farmer Bren had cleaned and vacuumed and I could see the floor for the first time in ages too. #myhero

And this is the little beanie I knitted for the baby birthday boy. Raveled here.

He had the kids in hysterics taking pulling it off every time his mama put it on him.

So that's me. I've kind of calmed down now I have a new plan but I can't promise I'll definitely stick to it.

What should you be doing right now?

Have fun out there. x

time...

Today is the ten year anniversary of the day we moved here. It was the first of July 2001. A brilliant sunny day in the middle of winter.

It's hard to imagine that day now. We were a couple with an eight month old baby. We left everything we knew in the city and moved to the country with a vague idea that we could farm organically.

Its been a crazy, amazing, wonderful and mad adventure. Here we are ten years later. Wow! Our three girls and us, about to take off and leave this farm on a six month caravan trip to celebrate, to remember, to slow down, to reassess, and to redefine.

With just over a week until our hopeful departure date, I am trying to remember to enjoy this part too although it feels overwhelming at times. The laying of the floor, the sewing of the curtains (above), the decisions over what comes and what stays, all part of the journey.

At some stage we will be ready and we will leave.

Ten years ago, it must have felt pretty immense to pack up and leave too.

So for me this a weekend of looking forward and looking back, with a dash of right now.

How about you? What're you up to at this moment in time? Are you planning, are you coasting, are you looking forward to something, are you wishing for something?

I hope your journey is a happy one right now.

Have a fabulous weekend y'all. xx

ps. Pic of Miss Pepper taken in Ballan yesterday on a mad dash for over-locker thread.