Two days

Hooray for the weekend!!

I'm so excited. It's no secret that I had a bit of a crappy few days at the end of last week. I really did. Overemotional, sad, lost, empty...

This weekend feels a bit like a reward for getting through it. My light at the end of the back-to-school tunnel.

And I have big plans for this weekend.

I plan to clock up some hours on the crochet hook. My book deadline is in sight and that means so is the end of the book blanket. I bought a knitting magazine today, I think I'm getting ready to sew in the ends and move on.

I plan to watch these guys and their millions of green buddies and hope that the past few freeeeeeezing cold days have panicked them into thinking it's almost autumn and that they had better ripen their seeds quickly.

I plan to do a spot of treasure hunting. My farmer boy is threatening to send me to garage sale rehab, but  I think that a little bit of thrifting here and there keeps me sane.

 I plan to make pesto. And eat pesto. On everything. Mmmmmm summer.

I plan to enjoy the fruits of my past few days of baking frenzy. Farmer Bren called it nesting the other day, but the sad thing is that it was really empty nesting. They went to school and I baked. Sob!

I plan to admire these gorgeous avos we got in the mail from here. They're so fresh that they're not even ripe yet, but they sure are gorgeous.

And lastly, but firstly, I plan to spend so much time with my girlies. We've got two whole days with them and I don't plan to let them out of my sight.

There you go, that's my weekend all planned out.
I hope it goes oh so slowly.
I really need it to.

So how are you?
What have you got planned for your end of week days?
Are you making or baking or growing or sewing?

Later lovelies.
Lotsa love.
xx

Crayon muffins.

Mostly on a Wednesday it's just us, Miss Pepper and I. The big girls are at school, her friends are at kinder and her Daddy is being a farmer. On the other days we have an activity like bush kinder or creative dance to occupy us, but on Wednesday we have the whole day until her ballet at three.

Today I decided to start the day with a trip to the community op shop. Let's let the op shop decide what we do with our day I told her. Let's listen for clues to how we should spend our time.

So we went. And we looked around. And we chatted to our friends working there and our friends also looking for treasures. And we found one Fowlers jar, some chalk, a fairy costume, a tapestry cushion and right up the back of the toy section we found a gorgeous, old, beaten up Cadbury tin filled with bits of crayons.

We quickly paid up our one dollar for the lot and scooted home.

We took the labels off the crayons and broke them into small pieces.

And then Miss Pepper carefully divided the crayon bits into a muffin pan.

And then we cooked them for about 10 minutes in a moderate oven (see I'm all old school cooker these days).

We made one batch by cooking them straight in the moulds but we had trouble getting them out, so the next batch we used patty pans. If you are going to make some of your own I recommend the patty pan method, so much easier and so much less mess.

Also, I think I left our first lot in a bit too long and they ended up quite brown on the bottom. The second time we did it I checked on them often and took them out of the oven as soon as they had melted, but before they became too soupy. The second batch were much brighter and better.

And then we drew and drew and drew.

Do you remember those coloured pencils that changed colour as you drew and twisted them? Just like that. So much fun.

It does seem kinda strange to make crayons from crayons, but they were scrappy old crayons and the journey of making our own multi coloured crayons was ace fun.

I'm super excited for the big girls to come home and play.

Have you ever made your own crayons from crayons?
Do you think we could make candles the same way but with a wick in the middle?
Have you found any treasures at the oppy/thrift shop lately?
What did you do today?

Later dudes. x

PS. For all those that asked on my last post; to the left of the Esse wood cooker we have the companion cooker which has a gas cook top and an electric oven. For hot summer days, for when we are lazy or in a rush, for when we get home late, for when we need more than two ovens.

Looking past the crap.

After my last post I've been thinking about writing a blog about the ordinary stuff that goes on. The not so blog worthy stuff. The lice combing, the never ending piles of laundry, the stress attacks over keeping up with school and life details, the wee on the floor, the dead mouse smell from the roof, the mess of beyond overripe pears in the bottom of the fridge, the mess full stop..............

If you read my blog you know that these things exist here. You know that there are wrinkles and tears. But to be honest, I don't want to dwell on those things. Why would I when I could focus on the good, the happy, the love? And it's amazing what happens as soon as you decide to see the beauty in your life. As soon as you make a conscious decision to be happy, to love your people and to live your dreams.

What started out as a pretty crappy week has turned out to be quite wonderful.
I've noticed the details, I've been kind to myself and I've been happy.

I haven't had much of a chance to crochet this week, but I've loved having the weight of the granny blanket to warm our toes at night. The colours look so joyful against the white of our bed-sheets.

I've been lucky enough to find some vintage treasures. A floor length velvet pinafore which I will have to shorten despite the fact that it makes me feel oh so glamorous, and some Johnson Brothers crockery including this beautiful blue set.

I've been preserving, preserving, preserving...apple jelly, quince jelly, poached quince, apples in syrup and apple compote.

I've been gifted bright pink flowers from the youngest and two bunches of the most fragrant roses from the oldest.

I've been digging in the back of cupboards and pulling out hand knits. I knitted this cardi almost two years ago, I'm so pleased she'll get another year out of it.

We've been spending lots of time outside. The days have been gloriously warm and sunny. We've been collecting kindling, planting, weeding and making lots of new garden beds. And we've been walking around the big block and the lake and shifting things around so we can eat our breakfast and drink our coffee in the garden.

And lastly but really firstly, I've been overwhelmed with kindness and support from your guys.
Thank you!!!!
Your words have meant the world to me.

I am grateful magateful.

I do hope your week has been a lovely one too.
I hope there has been treasure and yummy food, some crafting and some fabulous friends.
I hope you feel loved.
I hope that you have looked past the crap and seen a bit of wonderful.

Bye! xx

granny stool.

A little stool.
A brown leather, slightly wobbly, discarded, foot stool.
Sitting hiding underneath the table at the back of the junk shop.

I visited that stool about five times over the course of the week.
It wasn't the price that made me wonder, it was the clutter.
Was it fair to introduce more stuff to our house when we were trying to have less?
Was a foot stool a necessity, or a comfort, or an excuse for more crochet?

But I was in love.
There was no denying it.
And the little foot stool came home with me.

And I pulled out my basket of colours and crocheted.

I crocheted one big granny square for the front, a granny without the increase for the sides and a granny with a decrease for the bottom.

And my farmer boy got some tools from the shed and steadied the legs.

And I watched the space change when I introduced the newly grannied foot stool.
It somehow makes everything look cozy.
Not at all like more clutter.
And my heart is happy when I watch my farmer boy sit back and put his feet up.
The little foot stool and us, we were meant to be.

I'm on the hunt for another little stool now.
I need to put my feet up too, you know?
You know.

Have a happy weekend you guys. xx

Dress making.

My house looks like a jam factory.
There are crates of fruit, jars, clips, rubber bands, and lids everywhere you look.
There are cauldrons and preservers bubbling away.
The air is sticky.

And it is Friday and my kids are tired and cranky.
I am too.
This school business is exhausting. Draining.

Last night when everyone had finally gone to bed and the house was quiet I almost succumbed to a bit of a tantrum myself. But luckily I stopped myself and thought instead about happiness. What could turn that impending meltdown around and make me feel good? It had to be something just for me. Something good. Something that would almost certainly work.

Another dress!

Something plainish this time.

Some op-shopped denim.

The same tried and tested and fail safe pattern but with a lower neckline.

I considered some ruffles.

But ended up with vintage lace.

It worked too.
A few hours later I went to bed happy.

I can highly recommend dress making as therapy over a tantrum.

There is so much less drama and emotion involved.
It is easier physically.
It is kinder on everyone you live with.
AND you might even have a new dress to wear the next day.
Yay!

How are things at your place?
Are you all tired and ready for the weekend?
Are you cooking? Sewing? Making?
Is it hot or cold where you are?
What do you do to turn tantrum into terrific?

OK, I'm off to scrub bottles and stir pots.

I hope your weekend is sweeeeeeeeeeeet.
xx

ps. From now on I'll be answering questions in the comments section.
So if you ask me something, please come back and check for your answer.

Last beach.

At the end of last week, with a forecast for some beautiful, sunny days, we headed to the beach to squeeze the last out of of our seven months of summer holidays.

It's hard to believe that in a few days time we will be back in the school, uniform, lunch, activities routine again. Its hard to imagine how we will cope with appointments, meetings and schedules. With bed times and meal times and homework times and wake ups times.

So before all that starts, we headed off to the beach for a few days.

We've been swimming and digging and playing ball and exploring. 

We've been walking through caravan parks and missing our road tripping life and talking about our next journey.

And we're loving hanging out with Miss Indi's friend Ethan, lent to us for five days. I know it's only short term, but things seem so much more balanced with a boy on board. Simpler. More active.

And despite the heat,  I've been crocheting....and playing with my crochet.

And of course I've been op-shopping.

What's a trip to a small coastal town without the hunt for my buddies the Johnson Brothers and The Meakins? Who knows how the six of us plus luggage and thrifty finds are going to fit in the car on the way back.

Home again, home again tomorrow morning.

School uniform sorting, hair cutting, life organising for a few days.

And then the school year begins.

Deep breath.

What have you been up to lately?

Found any treasures?

Made anything gorgeous?

Been anywhere exciting?

Eaten anything delicious?

Do tell.

xx

Yellow.

I am obsessing over the colour yellow at the moment.

It's so strange. Usually I am a bluey, greeny, grey-y kinda girl. Usually I barely notice the warmer side of the spectrum. Usually yellow is just that bit too close to awful orange and has me averting my eyes.

But at the moment I love yellow.

Give me lemon, gold, blond, daffodil, mustard, canary, straw or honey.

I think I must be sunshine deficient or something.

Whatever the weather, I am desperately trying to convince my farmer boy we need a yellow wall somewhere in the house and maybe, just maybe a yellow quilt or cushion.

How about you?
Are you loving the lemon?
Or are you hovering somewhere else on the colour wheel?

Bye! xx