On my mind....

What do you get when you combine the very last of the daffodils, some juicy organic lemons and a rainy afternoon? Why, a bright and sunshiny tea party, of course!  

Small girls (and boys!) love cooking up treats and laying out the pretty tea set and this mama doesn't mind in the least, not when there is such a scrumptious feast laid out too. I wished we had some long gowns of sprigged muslin to finish the scene but sadly we ate and drank in trackies and T-shirts. I'm thinking though, that surely, amongst all that fabric I buy from op shops, there must be a length to sew a pretty gown and maybe a bonnet.....   

Lemon curd tarts - they were delicious and today they're still on my mind! Perhaps a nice vanilla sponge with lemon curd and cream filling next time........

I'm joining in with Rhonda again today - have a peek over there to see what's on her mind! 

My offerings

A couple of months ago Linda from Natural Suburbia hosted a swap that I just couldn't resist joining in with! Although I sent my offerings a bit later than the recommended deadline, I received mine in good time (thank you Ruth!) and truly enjoyed my first ever overseas swap!

After deliberating quite a while, as well as having a few email chats with Ruth, I decided that I'd make a reversible banner using repurposed materials and felt. I've made a few of these but only one sided so it needed a bit of tweaking! To send them in, I made a little zippered pouch complete with kookaburra's as well as a couple of Aussie craft magazines that Ruth had mentioned she liked reading. 

I found this swap much harder than the previous ones I'd taken part in. I've joined in with the Southern Season Exchange twice before and I think because there was a guideline (the item was to be something for a seasonal nature table display) it made it easier. Also both my swap partners had children, so that narrowed the items down a little too. But a bit of brain strain is good and I feel that I have overcome another hurdle in my life by stepping out of my comfort zone and having to make a decision without having all the facts!! 

I liked it so well that I am terribly disappointed I'll be away and won't be able to join with Linda's Christmas ornament swap! This one really appeals to me because once again it has 'boundaries' (actually, I even know what I would make if I had the time) and also I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know a lovely lady from far far away!!! 

Thank you Ruth for your lovely gift to me, and thank you Linda for hosting these swaps! 

Oh yes, and Linda is having a giveaway for her 700th post. Pop over and have a look!! You will also find her over on my sidebar.       

Weekend work, rest and play

 

Work, for me - the first bed finished in the new garden. It will be a home for asparagus, lots of them as it's almost 14 metres long. Maybe I'll plant globe artichokes too...... and possibly climbing peas this year just to cover the bare fence until the hedge looks presentable.........

Rest, also for me - Tippi the Wonder Dog and I enjoyed a late afternoon cup of tea while watching The Dreamer putting the roof on the new garden shed. Nothing like watching progress from a comfy chair! 

Please look at the cute little shed and past the old bathtubs, oil barrel, random pots and bits!! 

And play - lots of it for the youngest family members. Lovely weather and friends, what more could you ask for on a weekend? 

The weeks seem to be flying by. Another weekend gone and already late September. This year has passed so incredibly quickly and I feel I need to catch it by it's fast disappearing rear end and hold it back just a little. Just enough so I can catch my breath and savour every day a little bit longer.

Dont you feel that the years are speeding by faster and faster? 

On my mind....

......is Ostara, also known as Spring Equinox - equal light and dark.

 A celebration of new life and fertility and the promise, I hope, of plentiful harvests to come. 

A time to spring clean, dream of warmer, longer days and sow tiny seeds of promise.

Here in Tasmania this morning it's a freezing 6'C and a howling, prowling wind - not conducive to any seed sowing - but I live in hope!!!

Joining in with Rhonda at Down to Earth today. 

Paper, scissors, glue

While I didn't actually make any of these envelopes today, the girls have recently been cutting and folding, and as I tidied around their creativity, I thought I'd show and tell! 

We have a bit of a family thing going with these - someone will get the urge to 'make envelopes' and pull out the box and start tracing; and someone else might pick up scissors and cut; and usually I get the folding bit because I happen to like it! We have made literally hundreds of these - magazines, old geography or map books, used calendars, kids paintings - anything thats colourful and big enough gets turned into envelopes!! I simply used the outline of any bought envelopes that I liked and traced them onto stiff card, although now we are using quilters plastic (not sure what it's real name is!) which is more durable and doesnt wear away at the edges. 

I use these envelopes for everything - the darker colours need a small white sticker for the address and I have a special black permanent marker to address them all. We have had one almost mishap though - we sent a cheque to one of our suppliers and his wife thought it was one of those mass mail outs wanting money, so she threw it out!!!! Now, I always write our name in big letters on the back! 

  Last year when we had a stand for our heaters at the Penguin Sustainable Living Day, we tied up sets  of 12 envelopes with op shop wool and coerced the Fairy Girl and her little friend to wander the show and sell them....... and they sold all 18 sets!!! Not bad for a bit of fun on a wintery evening! 

Ever done this before? Try it, it's quite relaxing in a mindless sort of way! 

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Progress report - maybe posting about my paltry stresses has been therapeutic because I crossed off three and a half items on my lists and had a relaxed kind of day (yes I've only done half of one of them but its a big messy one ;-) 

Withdrawals

I am having withdrawals. 

I am also a teeny bit tense.

Both of these issues challenges are due to our impending trip to warmer climes. 

My day has been spent writing many lists - more lists that is, than usual - and I feel I've achieved little else other than cooking, cleaning and lots of lists! 

We have two sets of house sitters coming to stay - the first are a young couple with a small boy and they are staying for two weeks. They've been travelling Australia in their big blue bus - which sounds like a lot of good times to me!  They will live in the bus and enjoy our animals and view and then continue their journey around Tassie. Oh, it does make me wish that our 5 weeks holiday was a 5 month jaunt or better yet a 5 year way of life! But we chose a road to travel (pardon the pun!) and must see it to the end.Or at least until we come to the crossroad and perhaps make a detour!! 

Anyway, I'm rambling - sorry! For the last 3 weeks we have a couple from Hobart coming to stay. They'll be staying in the house, so naturally I have been cleaning up and cleaning out. I'm not the best of housewives - I've never liked cleaning, much preferring to sew, read, sew, play or .... sew, so making our house presentable is actually a remarkably tiring task! Hence the list making. It saves my brain from getting too cluttered with to-do's - I highly recommend it! 

And that brings me back to my withdrawals - the lack of creativity in my day. Well, I have creatively packed books and magazines into a box and also very creatively dusted and rearranged the spice rack. Oh yes, and watched as the kids very creatively swirled the wash cloth around the mouldy bathroom ceiling! The closest I've come to something more exciting is a start at tidying my sewing table and that was certainly very uninspiring! 

But tomorrow is another day and if I'm really motivated and cross off more than uumm.... 6? things on my lists I shall treat myself to a half hour of bliss with perhaps a needle and thread or a hook!!! 

Wish me luck! 

King Winter

He's a handsome fellow, isn't he? He might be a little late to spread his frost and snow around, but I welcomed him never the less! My sweet swap partner from the Southern Seasons Exchange sent him my way - I waited (yes, patiently!) but he is oh so worth the wait! 

It actually feels very symbolic to tuck him away in the Seasonal Box at this time of the year. While we have had slightly warmer weather here, there is still always the chance of frost and I hope that by tucking him neatly into crisp white tissue paper, he will (figuratively) stay there until we are really glad to see him again next winter!

Good bye King Winter, it's been nice having you around but please stay away for a good six months. 

Thank you Julie, the story of his creation has made him even more special.  

Weekend work

This bright and beautiful weekend just past saw us ploughing, planting, wondering and dreaming. This patch of earth will be our new garden - we have retrieved a small part of the sheep paddock and by the end of the year it will be providing us with healthy food....thats the plan!!!  

Ploughing - the new garden is on higher ground than our original garden which we put in when we first moved here. The original is built right beside our small stream and the soil is really dense and dark. Not clay but very heavy compacted soil. The New Garden is higher up and the soil is already looking much more friable and loose and delicious. 

Planting - a new hedge! A very small hedge but it will grow - fast I hope! The poor guy at the nursery looks at me funny when I ask him "But does it grow fast"? I know I need to cultivate patience but I don't want to wait 50 years to grow a large tree either! These are Viburnum Tinus and indeed, the Nice Gardening Man assured me, they will grow fast! I hope so!!

They are there to give some shelter to the new garden and also the proposed poly tunnel. We do have some fantastic views here but the price is lots of wind whistling across the wide open plains! 

 Wondering - about what type of green manure crop to plant. In three weeks we are heading off on a five week trip to visit family and friends in NSW. While we are away we'd like to have a crop growing to stop the weeds and then add some nitrogen when I hoe them in. Does anyone have any ideas? 

Dreaming - about green, red and yellow veggies to pick in the months to come! I've purchased some seeds and am waiting for them to arrive in the mail...... of course, then I'll be impatient to plant them and will have to wait until we get back from our holiday - the burning question is "Will they grow fast?"

Chicken muster

Sometimes children (and chickens!) are Very Exasperating. 

And sometimes they give me a jolly Good Laugh. 

Watching Elli herd our chickens under the wild plum trees today, was the latter! Considering I was laughing so much, it's a wonder I snapped any pics! But here they are....much to her dismay! 

You've gotta have some perks when you're a parent!!!    

Synchronisi-tea

I received a surprise parcel in the mail last week! A parcel I had been expecting, so no surprise there.... but the contents - now they were a surprise of the nicest kind! 

I had joined in with the Love Heart Swap over on Natural Suburbia and Linda had paired me up with a lovely lady from the U.S. This was my third swap - the other two were both with the Southern Seasons Exchange and both my partners then had been in Australia. 

For some reason this 'overseas' swap made me a bit nervous...... after all what could I make and send to a nice stranger over there? After frantically searching for ideas I finally settled on something to make but after so long a time of deliberation I was late in sending it off  - aaarrrgghh! 

But on the same morning that I finally tucked Ruth's package into the nice red box outside the Post Office, I received mine in return!! The children gathered round and we unwrapped the surprise goodies! 

Amongst other things - Very Good Things - there was the cutest little teabag wallet complete with a selection of my kind of tea. How do people think of these things? It's a brilliant idea and so handy to throw in a bag when visiting or picnicking or what ever. But best of all it's just my colour way. I love it in all it's swirly, funky psychedelic practicali-tea ...... sorry!! . 

Ruth, I love it and truly, it suits me to a tea!!!!! 

Sustainable houses

We tootled along to a few of the homes that were open for Sustainable House Day on Sunday. 

Through Deloraine, where we came across a hall dedicated to Odd Fellows; and beside it, a home straight out of Hansel and Gretel - how I would love to live there; then on the other side of town, the old Bowerbank Mill with it's monstrously high chimney. It's for sale and I dream..... 

Then at Westbury there's the derelict shed, built by or for Mr Lyall; and an unusually cute chook house on stilts in the garden of an open home we visited. 

The sustainable homes are very ingenious and well built with all the features for warmth and power saving that anyone could ask for, but still my heart yearns to live in an old, old brick home with character and history and the patina of age in every room....... and the essence of lives lived long ago. 

That would be a dream come true........

And now there are three....

Ta-dah!! Those four balls have now become three and I have a nice new crochet hook holder! I managed to use up one ball completely and had almost the exact amount - it was two double crochets short so I just added some of the purpley one for that last bit! I am pretty excited about having a holder for my hooks because they have been floating around in various bags and sewing tins for years - I have been meaning to 'get around to it' and never did. And of course I had to take a photo and share even though I haven't yet added a tie to hold it closed.

Do you recognise the twirly cord? While I was looking for something suitable to tie around the hooky roll, my gaze fell on the finished Viking cord tucked away amongst the treasures of The Smallest Boy! This one is definitely the wrong colour but I have visions of more cord weaving in matching colours and perhaps thinner wool - while we have read aloud time!!!!

    

How did I make it? Easy! Very technical!  I crocheted a chain a bit longer than my hook and then double crocheted enough rows until my wool ran out!!! The green bit was a much thinner wool and I simply double crocheted enough rows straight onto the cover. 

BUT...... when I came to putting the hooks in, I realised that I should have made some bigger gaps for the larger size hooks. I had to squeeze the fat one through with a tiny bit of force but at least it wont ever fall out and get lost! Oh well! 

Thats probably the only hand work I will get done this week. I wasn't doing any for a while but since starting this blog I've been inspired to create more often and I feel much better for it! Maybe it's because I see so many creative people and I want to make it all; or perhaps I'm just trying harder to finish items I start so that I can 'show and tell'! In lieu of having crafty real life friends for incentive, I now have a blog that keeps me motivated and some lovely women that pop in and say "Hi"!! 

If you are one of those lovelies - thanks for visiting!

Crochet hook roll

Remember, my post about the leftover balls of hand spun wool? I have discovered the perfect project for them ..... well, for some of them! As you can see, my sewing table is littered with half finished projects  potential creativity, and those balls of wool there aren't helping the look! 

Here you see something that resembles a sushi roll when it's rolled up, but I will call it a crochet hook roll. Isn't it just fantastic? I do love to crochet (it's so quick!) and I love to use up bits of leftovers to make a new Very Useful Item. I found it here as I was browsing this crafty mamas blog trying to find the post I loved the most so that I could join in with her giveaway. In fact, I was so excited when I saw this crochet roll that I forgot to let her know which of the three giveaway gifts I would like if I win....... Mama, I would love the tiny amber bracelet for the new baby coming our way soon!!!

So if you want to join in for a chance to win, go and have a look at crafty Hinterlandmama's blog! I'm off to figure out how to add the bits in the middle of this roll to hold the crochet hooks in. I've almost finished the outside (and used up one of the wool balls, yay!) but will need to rack my brain for the best way to do the rest! Help please!!!!

About reading

It feels like I have been reading aloud forever but I suppose it's only been about 24 years, although the early years was only picture books not novels! I was giving this some thought the other day after I had been reading to the children and amongst my musings was the following observation. 

  

For those of you homeschooling and using either Charlotte Mason or Steiner, you may find this encouraging, especially if your child 'resists' retelling in a formal manner. I know CM uses narration as part of the curriculum and I also know that sometimes it can be hard to get a narration out of a reluctant child. This year we are using Christopherus and Donna uses the word 'review' to reinforce the child's previous days lesson. 

From the time I started reading chapter books to my children, I have always asked them for a recap of the previous days chapters. This was done in a completely natural way with no pressure on any of the children. We would settle in comfortably for the days read aloud and I'd open the book to the next chapter and ask, "So what happened yesterday?" And without any dilemmas, one of them would pipe up with what ever had made an impression on them. The next child would add some more and someone else would put in the extras. It was often not necessarily in the order of how it had been written, and sometimes when they were little I had to give them prompts to refresh their memory. I'm sure it was all done in such a manner that they often thought, "Poor Mum has forgotten the story - so we'd better tell her how it went!" These days,  if I forget to ask what happened yesterday, someone will always let me know anyway!

Now they are older - and some of them are old enough that I don't read just to them - they still listen in and ask me to read a certain book to the younger ones....... and then hang around as often as they can to listen! At the moment we are reading 'The King of Irelands Son' and although  it's meant for my 9 year old, the older three (11, 13, 16!) are keen to be around too!

This may not be how Charlotte Mason meant her narrations to be but it's worked really well for us and has happened in a completely natural and delight directed way. Of course, you don't have to be home educating to read to your child, because all of them benefit from both reading and retelling.
Disclaimer : I'm not an expert by any stretch of the word but I do love reading aloud to my children and this has worked well for us :o) 

Fathers Day 2011

We started our Fathers Day with sunshine and cloud, polenta and pretend coffee, laughter and love! 

Our morning was spent doing a massive cleanup of building materials and trash and treasure that has been accumulating under the large pine tree for some time. It didn't take long with all the family helping  and although the pic above looks messy, it is in fact the rearranged pile!! 

Then on to the fun part of the day (although the Best Man really liked the cleaning up part too) Not far from where we live is the best Honey Farm around - oh boy it has all the honey goodies you could ever want, need or think of! Honey sweetened ice cream is always a hit and we go there a few times a year, just because! This time it was for their Dad! 

Eating ice cream looks like a fairly serious business judging by some of the expressions! 

Then off for a bush walk to Alum Cliffs - and boy it's a long way down!! 

There was a spot of gymnastics.......

some tree climbing.......

roadside daffodils to be picked and arranged at home!!

All in honour of their wonderful, patient and encouraging Dad! 

I had so many photos that I found it hard to pick which ones to use but I think I've just about given you a small but complete snapshot of our sweet, sweet day! I'm relaxed and set for the week ahead now!!