oesch and doots

focus

2012-01-10T16:08:00.001+11:00

I've just been reviewing the post I wrote this time last year, my 11 for 11: eleven specific things I wanted to achieve in 2011. Funny thing about making your resolutions specific and measurable, and publishing them online... hello accountability! I can honestly say that I failed pretty miserably on 7 aims, but I proudly claim to have nailed 4.

Ok, so I haven't even attempted to make sourdough bread or propagate my own plants, but I have doubled the amount of vegies I eat and you can find me at the pool before the kids are awake three times a week. I've lost 8.5 kilos, and counting. The TV habit is broken, instead I usually read or sew at night.

I finished Doots' quilt (woo hoo!) and it is beautiful. And now I am utterly hooked, with a couple more in various stages of completion. I joined the choir and singing every week with that group of women has been a highlight of the year.

This year, I'm climbing aboard the bloggy trend of a single word for 2012. Maxabella flagged the idea way back in early December. After much reflection, my word is... FOCUS.

I want more of the satisfaction of finishing a project rather than the quick thrill of starting new ones. I want my thoughts to be clearer. I want to feel more organised. I would like to be able give my full attention to whatever it is I'm doing - which I know is not always possible, but I have this creeping feeling that there's a fine line between multi-tasking and information overload.

I'd like to remember details better, I want to follow through on my word more often.

So that's it. I'm looking forward to a bit more FOCUS in 2012, and I'm fully expecting to enjoy the company of her cousins clarity, quality, mindfulness, simplicity and peace.

What's your word?

half hour drawings and a big day for my little boy

2012-01-09T14:12:00.001+11:00

We've been back from our holiday in Melbourne for a week or so now and have settled in to a nice home groove of quiet sunny days, picnics, scooter rides, home made ice cream, drawing, listening to some new music, building train tracks, making cubbies and constructing things with sticks and bricks in the back yard.

The kids have been drawing side-by-side.

This has been a fantastic strategy to get Oesch mark-making a little more. He's really much more attracted to constructing things with blocks than putting crayon to the page, but when he does draw, those vigorous, colour-drenched pictures make this mama ridiculously happy :)

And Doots has been drawing in a regular session we have dubbed the half hour drawing challenge.

I'd noticed that after kinder finished for the year Doots' urge to draw dropped off quite a bit. Actually I noticed the same thing last summer, and perhaps there's a seasonal element at play. It makes sense that when the weather's warm, we're drawn to outdoor elements and materials. Paper and pencil is overshadowed for a while by the appeal of water, sunshine, leaves, sand, pebbles, flowers.

Grass, inspired by The Story of the Root Children by Sybille von Olfers

So at those times when she'd usually draw, like in the afternoon or while waiting for dinner, I thought I'd give her a random topic to give her a little focus. Just a little nudge for her imagination.

A ladybird family are going shopping

As a designer, I often relied on the constraints inherent within a brief to initiate form, so it was interesting to see Doots' eyes light up when I named the topic, and then watch her set to work, busily drawing and telling elaborate stories to go with each picture.

Santa in his sleigh on Christmas eve

We're keeping a dedicated visual diary for these drawings. None of the pictures are really finished, but she hasn't felt the urge to go back and finish the colouring once the half an hour has expired. It's like, they are what the are, and she's quite proud of each one.

Dog riding a bike

When she looks through them and reflects on each one, the elaborate stories are retold and the smile on her face speaks of the pleasure of the process of making each picture/story. Beautiful.

Here's a sketch I did of her, while she sat opposite me drawing her Santa picture and listening to music with her headphones. Making time for drawing is always on my list of things to do, but I never quite get around to it. So I'm grabbing this opportunity to draw together with my kids and really enjoying it.

My little brother on his first day of pre-school

And today, we took some pastels to a cafe and drew pictures of our not-quite 3 year old Oesch at his first morning of pre-school. We talked about what he'd be playing with and the new friends he'd be making.

My big boy playing with lego at pre-school

I do have a niggling problem though. Today, drawing our Oesch pictures at the cafe, Doots stated "yours is better than mine, Mum".

Ouch. We talked about how they are both good, but different, how it's not a competition, I explained that I've had a bit more time to practice than she has, that what is important is that we do our best...

But I'm thinking in future we'll stick to our own ideas rather than drawing the same thing.

And as for the little guy and his first time away from the family, I was so anxious that I barely slept last night, but I really shouldn't have worried.

We kissed him and said goodbye - he cuddled us and said goodbye. Doots and I picked him up after an hour and he was sitting with some other little boys eating morning tea. It was as though he'd always been there.

The educator described him as very mature, confident and enthusiastic. He loved it, and can't wait to go back.

Oh, sweet, sweet relief.

Happy 2012 to you and your loved ones. Wishing you some joyful new beginnings too!

the week before

2011-12-20T16:30:00.000+11:00

I've been looking forward to this week since November. School finished last Thursday and our house-and-cat-sitter will come this Friday. These days in between (I imagined) would be peaceful and lovely... Christmas shopping all done, parties all attended, sunshine, smiles and lazy home days seemed a certainty.

the very image of peace!

The reality is a little different, as I sit here at the kitchen table, french doors thrown open... the next door neighbour is doing something horrendous with an unidentified power tool (spray painting? grinding concrete?), a blowfly buzzes in maniacal circles around my head and I sip green tea, trying to recover from my ridiculous trip to Spotlight with two young children in the week before Christmas. Crazy!

Breathe... We did make our cards and candles for Doots' teachers as planned. The paper was made earlier in the year at a fantastic mothers' group paper making session at Ange's place (she's a crafty dynamo). Inside those cards are heartfelt letters of appreciation to Doots' two teachers and kindergarten assistant. After a bumpy start, she settled in beautifully and finished the year full of enthusiasm, happiness and friendship. I feel such gratitude to her teachers - they are outstanding people.

We gave them little bundles of hand-rolled candles too. I've been itching to make a batch of these candles since Doots made one at the Sustainable Living Expo recently. So easy, such a satisfying and useful craft for a little person to make, and the natural beeswax sheets smell wonderful. I bought the supplies (wax sheets, a little red wax for decoration and wicks) from Lyrebird.

It has taken Doots a few days to readjust to quiet days at home. For a few days she was mooching around looking bored - and I've really never seen her bored in her life. Oesch has also had to adjust to his sister being home too. We've had lots of sibling conflict, and just as I was fantasising about just leaving the house (alone) for half an hour, I stumbled upon this:

Lie still little brother...

There, now let's draw some clothes on you! Hooray for unprompted cooperative play!

Today she seems back to her old self. Lots of pottering around, making things, dressing up and imaginative play.

We've put together some peg dolly kits to give to sweet little girl friends.

Each kit customised to reflect it's recipients favourite colours.

Little silk wings, wool felt, printed cotton, fuzzy yarn for hair, a tiny rose...

...pretty ribbon, some buttons, a pipe cleaner (for arms).

I'm itching to make one myself!

I hope your Christmas preparations are bringing you lots of joy.

x Sarah

summer? really?

2011-12-05T14:39:00.001+11:00

If you were magically teleported into Hobart right now, you'd be excused for thinking you were in the northern hemisphere. The only clue that it's summer is the broad daylight I'm greeted with at 5.45am. And the lush growth in the garden.

The weather has been cold, windy, rainy. The kind of weather that makes you want to stay indoors, light candles, watch movies, drink tea.

The weather made Saturday perfect for decorating the house with little furry elves, pretty angels and reindeer.

Our angelic advent calendar was inspired by this one. Each lovely angel has an instruction on the back. Some days, it's to unwrap a Christmas book.

On Saturday, we were instructed to decorate the mantle piece. The little hand carved gnome is from my travels to Lithuania. He is so lovely and rustic, and I love the way the timber seems to glow. The vintage Kokeshi doll was a lucky find at a trash and treasure stall at Salamanca Market. The yellow candle is a left over from our wedding in 2004 and it sits on a mother of pearl coaster we bought on our honeymoon in Broome. The old printing press letters came from the wonderful Drill Hall Emporium.

Stephen's grandmother's rosewood box sits open with a crochet heart from Ness, and a lovely little felt deer.

On Sunday, the angel declared that it was berry picking day. Obviously, she was not much of a weather forecaster, but with some equally ~~crazy~~ enthusiastic friends we set off for a nearby berry farm. In the pouring rain.

Oesch was not daunted however. He loves a berry and this was his reaction when he spied the strawberry field...

They don't use any sprays on this farm, so I was quite comfortable letting the kids get right into it.

We set to work filling our tubs.

And then headed off towards...

The CHERRIES! Don't they look luscious?

Poor Doots did not have a hooded raincoat and got a bit wet, and a bit upset, until she discovered the silvanberries, which, I discovered, are cultivated blackberries. They were gorgeous.

And those black, juicy little jewels cheered up a damp and miserable little Doots.

Once home, Oesch couldn't keep his hands off them.

Can't blame him really.

And even with all the pilfering going on, we still have enough for jam.

Oh, and if you got this far, thank you! I'm also guest posting at Emma's Frog Goose and Bear today, with a tutorial for her fantastic Simple Gifts for Girls series. Come over and see my dolly bedding from upcycled pillowcases and all the other wonderful handmade gift ideas that have been featured.

Have a great week,

x Sarah

our emerging traditions

2011-11-30T13:10:00.000+11:00

One of the things I love about Christmas, now that we have children, is watching as our own Christmas traditions begin to evolve. What makes a family tradition? I think it's about cherished memories, the element of ritual, a sense of meaning or significance... and there's something about what you decide, as a family, to repeat year after year.

I'm guest posting at Childhood 101 today. Come on over and tell me about your family's Christmas (or other significant) traditions. Which ones wouldn't you give up - even if you were away from home this Christmas?

x Sarah

The photo - Doots found a self-sown white poppy in the garden. It inspired her to dress in head to toe white, as an angel.

sewing for boy

2011-11-28T14:51:00.001+11:00

Sewing for girls is such a pleasure, don't you think? Pretty florals, spots, bright colours or pastels, or whatever, really. I still struggle with boy style. Oesch is the most boyish of boys too. If it doesn't have wheels, he's not really interested. But he does love to help out in the kitchen and I've been meaning to make him an apron for, oh, about two years now.

Note to self re: fabric choice: next time, just use a plain colour, or maybe denim and trim it with a bright (but boyish!) bias binding.

This black print, with green gingham binding and red side panels... what's not boyish about that? Well, apparently green gingham is a bit girly. And apparently red is for girls too. So I added a helicopter patch in a desperate attempt to override any (heaven forbid) girly traces. Helicopters = instant boy appeal.

Not what I'd usually choose to adorn an apron. But then, I'm not a boy. Der.

And for the record, my battle with bias binding (in my best Iron Chef voice) is O V E R. Thank you, Ms Leisl Gibson

Oh, the pattern is from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew, which I am steadily working my way through. The apron is for Oesch's Christmas stocking, therefore no photos of boy wearing apron. Hoping to show you more of my Christmas gift making soon.

x Sarah

dear (free) diary...

2011-11-22T17:23:00.000+11:00

I have a memory like a sieve. It is not uncommon around here for Stephen to tell me something, for me to nod... murmur a little mmm-hmm or ah-ah... and then realise that I have literally no idea what he just said. I'm not good at remembering dates, schedules, birthdays...

So I've always had a diary - not the daily journalling kind - just the week to a page kind. I prefer paper to PDA. I've had a Filofax (2000-2005), but it's too bulky and, let's face it, a wee bit 80's. I fell in love with Moleskine* for a while there (2006-2009), but they're not great for organising a family. I bought a 'family' organiser on line (2010), but it was a bit cheap and nasty feeling, the spiral binding made turning the pages feel all scratchy. I gave up turning those pages by April.

So recently I entered a competion at Urban Baby and won a 2012 Family Diary (yippee!). It's called the Masterplan, by Milestone Press and I'm quite excited because now I don't have to go out and find the perfect diary for next year. I may never miss a birthday/swimming lesson/deadline again!

There's room for 4 different family members, a place to remind yourself of birthdays coming up, a little dinner planning column...

I really like this little removable booklet of unlined, perforated paper at the back. Jot something down, tear it out. I'm thinking shopping lists and doodlings with the little ones in cafes.

School terms for all states, for 2012 & 2013. This will make holiday planning with interstate friends and relatives a breeze.

It has a lovely feel, is A5 (perfect size in my opinion) and a nice elastic strap to hold it closed in your bag, and a ribbon bookmark. My only gripe would be that the cover, while smart in it's monochrome simplicity (the photo doesn't really do it justice - it's a shimmery gunmetal**), is not interesting enough for me to love looking at it. But that's ok, I'm going to make a little cover for it with the perfect scrap of Liberty loveliness.

Do you still use pen and paper? Have a favourite? Still searching?

*My 2011 sporty red Moleskine was hopelessly small and ditched by about March for the school wall calendar

**The Masterplan also comes in hot pink, if that's more your style

honey lemon day

2011-11-17T11:32:00.000+11:00

Oh dear. We've all got raw throats and hacking coughs today. It's time for a cozy home day.

The kids have been playing so nicely... tiny dolls house dolls have been dressed and fed, taken to the zoo and put to bed. Train tracks have been designed and constructed and adorned with elaborate duplo signal towers. We've made paper boats and laughed as a brave little blackbird hopped in through the open back door to pinch a stray piece of toast crust lying on the floor.

He left a poo behind on my kitchen floor by way of thanks.

It's so nice to have a day in sometimes, but still, this throat is driving me crazy. Time to try the old lemon and honey remedy.

It's not something we had in my family. Mum swore by a salt water gargle instead, but I don't think I'd be able to convince the kids to try that, so I'm introducing them to Stephen's childhood tradition. But of course it shouldn't be too hot. Even I prefer it just warm - it's gentler on my throat.

Child-friendly honey and lemon sore throat remedy:

Place a generous squeeze of lemon juice in a teacup

Add a heaped teaspoon of honey (luscious unheated Tasmanian honey is my preference)

Top with warm water (boil the kettle and let it cool down)

Stir until honey dissolves

Serve with love and sympathy

wings

2011-11-16T13:03:00.000+11:00

A little while ago we were invited to a pirate party. I knew this would be a problem for one of our crew... Doots is allergic to pirates. She really dislikes the whole aarrrgh scene.

I knew the invitation was on its way and I was interested to see how she would respond to the challenge of dressing up all piratey. She didn't skip a beat.

I'll go as a parrot, she announced. Bless her!

I thought I'd whip her up a little parrot costume. I searched around and came up trumps with these from Christie (you can follow the trail of links to the original source.)

I used soft yellow wool felt for the base and began cutting out all those rows of 'feathers' on the Friday afternoon. Continued through Saturday. Sunday morning, the day of the party - ta da - they were finished and ready to try on. But no, they were apparently 'too heavy'. The wings were unceremoniously dumped into the dress up box.

She went as a cat instead.

I asked her if she wouldn't mind wearing them while I took a few photos. And of course she flapped and soared and tweeted long after the camera had done it's work. Kids!

Oh, and by the way, Oesch was more than happy to be kitted out as a fierce sea-faring rogue. He looked outrageously gorgeous (but I don't have a photo).

I'm really enjoying sewing dress ups and thinking of a construction vest for Oesch next, and perhaps some animal hoods or masks. Do you make dress ups? Got any great ideas for me?

x Sarah

well hello!

2011-11-11T18:01:00.003+11:00

Gosh, it has been a while and I feel a bit nervous writing this post, like dipping my toes into a cold lake. Could I really dive in again?

I've been thinking a bit about why I haven't posted since July. In part, it's because Oesch has given up his daytime nap and I don't have that regular spare time in the afternoon. There was also something said back then by a family member which stopped me in my tracks, and made me wonder if blogging about my children was the right thing to do.

Perhaps my inspiration has been elsewhere lately. I've been going to bed earlier and getting up earlier to exercise while rest of the house is asleep. I've been trying to eek out some sewing time, and spring cleaning the house (not that you could tell).

Meanwhile, Doots has had a huge breakthrough in kindergarten this term. She is really enjoying it and talks about her adventures there even on her home days. Words cannot describe my relief. These pictures might express the new lightness we're all feeling as spring time weaves its magic of growth and renewal.

A new easel on the front verandah has inspired all sorts of painting.

I love watching Oesch paint. So much exuberance and life in those pictures.

Mum came to visit for Grandparents' Day at school. Doots soaked up every minute of her dear Nanna being here (as did Oesch).

Spring also brings the odd rainy weekend, perfect for board games, open fires and sewing little sun hats for tiny little people, who might just need a bit of shade if ever the weather clears up...

This one is for Ange's gorgeous bub. It's from Oliver + S's Little Things to Sew. The car print is perfect (for his traffic engineer mum).

And the lining side is a perfect neutral to match any outfit!

The model would like one for herself.

Boo!

I sewed 15 metres of mini bunting in spring colours... for the school fair.

The kindergarten stall had a bird theme so the thrifted farmyard curtains I've had for a while were perfect.

And Doots wanted to make something to sell at the fair too, so we revisited this idea from last year.

She packaged them up as gift tags in cellophane bags of five...

popped them in a box and made a beautiful label.

Unsurprisingly, they sold like hot cakes.

Spring time means gardening of course, which for these children really means filling up watering cans with water, digging in the dirt and spraying the hose everywhere.

Oesch has figured out how to turn the tap on. Look out.

We've had to employ serious measures to keep the chooks off the tomato seedlings this year - strange, they ignored them last year!

A while ago I had ambitions to make this Little Red Cloak for Doots (from here).

We went fabric shopping together to choose the fabric.

Et voila... I love Oliver + S patterns. I love the quality of the construction and the finish, and I always feel like I've learnt some new techniques by the time it's done.

After initially complaining (too big! too big!)...

she decided that actually she loves it.

She imagined she was the poppy from this story instead of Little Red Riding Hood. And after a recent episode with a certain pair of parrot wings I lovingly crafted for her (I'll tell you about that next time) that's perfectly fine with me.

I'm so glad to be back, I've got lots of blogs to catch up on and I'm not going to leave it so long between chats again!

x Sarah

'masterpiece'

2011-07-31T21:10:00.002+10:00

sleeping in + sunshine + no plans + a little organising + creativity = a relaxing weekend

After almost a week of single parenting, it was great to have some time to reorganise our spaces and bring out some fresh materials.

Well, you know how one thing always leads to another.

While I was delving into the craft cupboard I decided to tackle the overflowing pile of Doots' preschool artwork from last year. Copious and prolific - and beautiful too - but this pile has been stuffed in there like too much of a good thing for too long.

Three piles emerged - one for keeping, treasured and safe in Doots' portfolio - one for the recycling bin (so hard to do, but so necessary) - and one for transforming into a 'masterpiece' (Doots' description, not mine).

I'd seen a post here. A big canvas. Many little squares. Snippets of a year's work of art. A year in the creative life of a child.

As we sorted, snipped, arranged and pasted, we talked about her experiences last year. A much loved teacher, the cozy environment, a special friend and lots of exploration through art - her sweet 3-4 year old memories came flooding back.

Truth be told, I did most of the sorting, snipping and pasting. But the finger painting, easel painting, chalk, dye wash and pastels are all hers.

We talked about making the art - the pieces she remembered doing, the ones she didn't. We talked about the different processes and materials.

It occurred to me that Doots was very lucky to have had the opportunity to attend this very special little place. One morning a week, one teacher, six children, masses of art work.

It is a masterpiece, it's on the wall, it makes me smile and I love it.

Simple winter days

2011-07-27T21:32:00.002+10:00

July at our place has been all sniffy noses, chesty coughs, dirty tissues and freeeezing mornings. We've been having those scintillating conversations about handwashing and keeping warm and eating our vegetables. A little while ago Doots was asking what germs looked like. I can't remember what I said, except that you can't see them without a microscope. Then I found this on her magnetic drawing board:

Apparently germs are headless, square, with arms and fingers, and hairy bottoms. Who knew?

We're settling into a nice midweek rhythm. When Doots is home from kinder, and it's the three of us, the atmosphere is lighter, kinder, more cooperative. Maybe it's the influence of the gradually lengthening days, or the couple of extra degrees of warmth. Did you know that there's a huge difference between 10 and 12 degrees? There really is.

Oesch is skipping his daytime nap more often, and we're spending that time cooking together in the afternoons - homemade pizzas, Rhi's bread and butter pudding, salad.

He's loving his daily back yard time, whatever the weather. He often plays solo while I hang washing, feed the chickens or do some chores in the garden. I listen to his chit-chat, while being careful not to interrupt his flow. It seems he's created a cityscape of building sites, multi level car parks, roads and emergency services out there in his dirt patch and sand pit.

Sometimes we cook garden soup or dirt pancakes in the outdoor kitchen. If I wander off to sweep a path, he calls me back... dinner's ready mummy... And then he comes inside, dirt under his fingernails and sand in his boots, for a warm bubble bath.

Doots is surprising me with her writing and reading lately. It's such an exciting process to watch, and it reminds me of that amazing language explosion that happens in toddlerhood - when all their words just show up, seemingly overnight. She recently added TOOFPAST to my shopping list.

I am so close to finishing the slowest quilt in history. Just the binding to hand stitch now, and then it will be straight onto Doots' bed. I'd really like to make a granny square blanket next. I have never crocheted before, so it might take me a decade, but I'd like to try, and I'd love to use up all of my yarn leftovers.

Doots is loving the paper dolls that are still floating about in the wake of the party.

She read the forecast in the paper the other day (it's become a breakfast time ritual) and announced that Rosa was going to need lots of layers - so they all went on. Maybe those little chats about keeping warm are sinking in?

And today, with the weather tipped to reach 16 degrees on Friday, we decided to go up the mountain to visit the snow before it all melts.

How about this igloo we found? I wonder how long it took to make.

Despite the cold, we enjoyed the sunny snowy landscape for a little while. One threw snowballs, the other channeled her inner penguin. They sang (to the tune of Three Jellyfish, if you know it)....

Three penguins,

Three penguuuiiiiiiins

Playing on the ice

Apparently I was the third penguin.

They were so happy, it was so lovely... until the inevitable I'm freezing, my toes are so cold, I wanna go home... began. So we went home. Simple.

Wishing you some winter pleasures too.

x Sarah

Celebrating 5

2011-07-23T18:54:00.007+10:00

Our big girl Doots turned 5 recently. Snakes alive! Where did that half-a-decade just go?

In the land of Doots, turning five means your grandparents come and stay for a few days just to hang out with you, mum sews a new flower onto your perpetual birthday crown, you get to stand up in front of your school assembly and speak into the microphone (and soak up the love when 150 kids sing "happy birthday" to you), you take cupcakes for your whole class (and your classmates all spontaneously form a line and one by one they hug you and say "happy birthday"), you get fish and chips and birthday cake for dinner, and on the weekend, it's time to party!

Now, I've said it before, I am no party planning maven. I get a teeny bit stressed. But I have thrown a couple, and been to a few, and I am developing my own... style is not quite the word. Let's just say I know what I like. I'm figuring out what works for me, what's important, what's not worth the trouble. This post is a roundup as much for my own records as anything. So here we go.

Birthday parties for littlies - things I've learnt.

A theme is useful. Doots' party theme was paper dolls, and paper dolls (in various forms) appeared on the invitations, on the craft table, on the cake, in the goodie bags and in a game.

A craft activity is a great way to begin. It's an ice breaker, it gets everyone together at the table while guests are still arriving, and it's lovely for little people to take something home that they've made. I've got to admit though, that at this year's party it wasn't a huge hit. Maybe if I'd roped in another mum to direct things a bit...

Cute concept though huh? The idea was for every child to find a dress with their name on it, and decorate a chain of paper dolls, and then to hang them on the mini washing line.

Party games are the hero of any little person's party, and Stephen, it must be said, has honed his game-master style in the last couple of years. In the lead up to the party we brainstormed the games, and tweaked them to give them a non-competitive vibe, as Doots is turned off by competition. Besides, fostering cooperation and friendship is the aim, rather than having winners and losers. So, our games menu included:

Funny face musical statues

Musical Statues is always Doots' favourite. In this wacky variation, you dance around and when the music stops... everybody freeze! and pull a ridiculous face! Now hold it... hold it.... ok lets dance again!

No need for winners - it's just pure wacky fun,

Pass the parcel

I could easily have skipped this one, but it's not a party without that big fat parcel and a pile of wrapping paper in the middle of the circle.

Most of the layers contained a Little Golden Book, which were a bargain at $3 each at KMart.

Storytime Stomp

This is becoming a bit of a party standard in our family.
You chose a book with a repeating line. Last year, for a party with a (loose) owl and pussycat theme, we had Owl Babies, this year it was Shoes from Grandpa by Mem Fox...

So, the children all sat on the floor while Stephen read the book to them. Whenever he read the (oft repeated) line "to go with the shoes from Grandpa", the kids all jumped to their feet and stamped or jumped up and down.
Last year to Owl Babies they jumped up and down, flapped their wings and shouted Whoo, who-whooo. If you want to do this game at your party (and I highly recommend you do) I would suggest adding a vocal element - as the stomping and jumping didn't have quite the zany impact as last year's version.

Make it fun for the littler guests too. Oesch and his little two-year-old friends had a good time too, while their big brothers and sisters were passing parcels and playing big kids games. Kirstan kept them entertained with a good solid play dough session. We had hired out a playgroup venue, so as well as being a lovely space, designed for children, there were lots of great toys for them to play with, including little coupes and a fantastic home corner.

Personalising things makes them special and fun.

The wrapping paper name labels on the water bottles worked the theme and the paper straws added a splash of Doots' fave colour.

It's possible for party food to be healthy. I don't mind a bit of sugar - it is a party after all - but I do avoid artificial colours because they turn my children into feral beasts. We had little sausage rolls, mini egg and bacon pies, sliced watermelon, mandarines, chicken mayonnaise pinwheels, little apple jelly cups (made with apple juice and 'create your own' jelly), chocolate crackles (thanks Ange), passionfruit slice and chocolate slice (thanks to the CWA shop).

Ask a friend to take photos for you. See, if I didn't have a camera carrying friend wandering around snapping away, I'd never have been able to show you half of these photos. And I'd certainly never appear in a photo (there's me serving a drink to a little guest, above). Ange, thankyouthankyouthankyou.

I love to cook, but I'm not great at making beautiful cakes. I was always happy with an iced chocolate ring cake or a cream sponge when I was a kid. No magical castles or 3d kitty cats when I was little. As long as it had some candles...

So, I have learnt that decorated cupcakes are perfect for a party. Little kids love the individual portion, and a little decoration. The one year I did a spectacular cake for Doots (she was 3 - it was a cat), she got upset when the cat, I mean, cake, got cut up. The cupcakes were a stress-free option, and one that I think I will do forevermore.

I experimented with recipes as I'd never made a cupcake I'd loved before. And I can honestly claim that I have found the best plain cupcake recipe. If you want it, it's yours. Just ask.

I've learnt that the party planner will always be busy for the entire party - making another plunger of coffee, clearing the craft table, setting the food table, welcoming guests, chatting to parents, organising games. But you must remember to watch your little birthday person. Don't miss those magical moments, like when they're welcoming their guests with surprising grace, twirling giggling around the floor with their friends, and being serenaded while those little candle flames flicker and glow...

I've learnt that preparing a few spare party bags will prevent anyone missing out. Oops.

Our bags contained cute, retro paper dolls from here.

And sweet design-your-own kits (for girls and boys), purchased on etsy.

I've learnt (actually I've always known) that handing out little bottles of bubble mixture is a great way to get everyone outside for some fresh air. Even when it's freezing.

I have discovered that saving the present-opening for later is lovely. The birthday person can open gifts leisurely, while drinking their milk through a curly straw if they like, and a parent can stand by and record the giver of each present. For Doots it was less overwhelming, and she didn't miss a second of her party.

So all that's left to do are the thank you notes, which we'll do together tomorrow.

And that's a wrap! Thanks to all our little (and big) friends for making it such a special day. Oh, and I've also learnt that a party every second year is ok. You might need to remind me of that point next year. Ok?

What pearls of wisdom have you learnt on your travels through party land? Tell me about your go-to party game, your golden rules?

x Sarah

ps I've just noticed that several bloggy families were represented at the party, that's half the room. The eagle eyed might have spotted Mr PB and the pixies, Ange and Kirstan. It's getting weird!

Eeeee... I flash mobbed!

2011-07-10T16:09:00.001+10:00

It's so cold and wet and windy and it's snowing here as I type this. But this weekend I did something new. I sang in public. It's the annual Festival of Voices in Hobart and the gorgeous choir I joined earlier this year performed at a couple of different venues around town yesterday. And to kick off the festival earlier in the week we flash mobbed in the arrivals hall at Hobart Airport with our version of Reckless by 80s oz rock icons Australian Crawl.

Check us out here

ps I'm the one in the black coat and magenta scarf you see for a couple of seconds at about the 2.04 mark...
So silly, so fun. A perfect antidote to the mid-winter blues...

What did you get up to this weekend?

art in the open air

2011-07-04T21:39:00.003+10:00

I love sharing my own love of art and design with my kids. Doots in particular, has always had an eye for beauty. Her sense of aesthetics was evident even as a baby. Oesch also displays an eye for beautiful things, but it's got to have wheels. He appreciates the beautiful lines of combi vans, beetles, minis and vintage cars of all types. Promising, I think.

Trouble is, they like to explore everything that takes their fancy with hands (and sometimes entire bodies) making traditional art galleries frustrating and difficult - for everyone concerned. For indoor galleries and museums, my strategy is to research what's available before we go, select three or four works to view and ignore the rest. I buy a postcard of our chosen pieces to take home with us too. This worked brilliantly in Canberra last year where we saw several significant works which really made an impact - and avoided the hassle of rushed, bored and overstimulated little ones.

Our most successful art outings have been sculpture collections - outdoors. The effect of sky and fresh air is not to be underestimated.

Outdoor sculpture is art too, and needs to be protected from little people, but it is designed to withstand weather so my philosophy is that gentle fingers should be ok. But climbing on artwork is mostly not ok, unless it is truly public art in a public space - like an urban square or mall.

Recently we visited Fleurtys in Birches Bay to look at their annual Benchmarking exhibition of outdoor sculpture.

This amazingly crafted dinosaur was made from recycled metal. It really captured the kids imagination (especially much-loved-cousin's). It's torso, head and neck was snapped off from it's hind legs, it's head lay on the ground. To us, it seemed deliberate and poignant, giving the viewer a clue as to how the beast died. It's twisted neck and bushland setting made it seem more natural than the perfect skeletons you see in museums.

But we discovered later that some kids had climbed and hung from his neck, getting the dino to 'nod' his head. And it broke. While the kids' parents looked on.

Amidst my outrage, and sympathy for the artist, somehow it made me feel better about my poking, prodding, curious little folk. Touching a sculpture to feel it's coldness or smoothness or sharpness or roughness, is one thing. Swinging, climbing and hanging from something is entirely another. Interestingly, the art here is for sale, and the listed price of this piece was $25,000.

Every art work was inspected closely. Talked about. Poked.

Conversed with.

Stroked....

And then my camera's batteries went flat. I'm only half way through and I really really want to show you my favourite. Drat.

Doots found it very hard to decide on a favourite, although she eventually (as we were driving home) nominated this vulnerable little guy, called "Where's Mum". He was so tiny and hidden that we might have missed him - if we hadn't had a pip squeak or two in our party!

Grateful for... small accomplishments

2011-07-02T16:20:00.002+10:00

What do you do when you're in the middle of a rough patch? I tend to think, think, think and overthink it through. It's as though if I think enough, I can think the solution right into view. I research. I go over the details of the problem in my mind, every conversation, every incident, every angle, every option. I also drink tea, as it's the thinking person's brew, and I really do believe that pikelets with an afternoon cuppa make everything better.

These are our German pikelets - introduced to us by a dear au pair who stayed with us for a while last year, who was (surprise surprise) German. Thanks Jana - we miss you :)

You can use any pikelet recipe - just add some cinnamon to the batter, and place a thin slice of apple in the middle of each one once they're in the pan. Eat them hot, as they are, or with butter, sugar and cinnamon. And a cup of tea. They don't last long around here.

Doots always cracks the eggs, and decorates them. For this soon-to-be-five-year-old, cracking eggs still carries a sense of accomplishment. I'm trying to give her lots of opportunities for little accomplishments when she's home, as a way of compensating for the challenges she's facing when she's at kinder.

I taught her to finger knit, on this lazy Saturday, in front of a roaring fire.

So today, I'm grateful to be able to give her this lazy afternoon, her little brother asleep in the next room, playing 'who am I?' with her mum and dad, listening to the crackle of a roaring fire, her cat curled up by her side, her dad folding washing...

...and a midnight blue necklace around her neck that she crafted with her very own hands. Hooray for small accomplishments.

Joining in with lots of grateful types at Maxabella Loves...

magic clouds and a stranded much loved cousin

2011-06-28T11:33:00.003+10:00

Over the Queens Birthday weekend recently, the kids were excited to have a much loved older-than-them cousin and aunt come to stay from Victoria.

Doots may have actually said something like: "aaawww, I wish much loved cousin could stay for a whole week".

Well, perhaps her dress up fairy wand was temporarily imbued with actual magic powers, or perhaps she'd unknowingly been granted a wish by some mystical being or another. Maybe it was the coin she dropped in the fountain or that good deed she did.

Whatever the reason, a magical cloud of ash drifted over our little part of the world, all the way from Chile. Ash from deep within the earth was expelled into the atmosphere and made its way across the globe. And just like that, much loved cousin was stranded in Tasmania, for a whole week.

Oesch and Doots were in heaven. It was school holidays here, so they played, and played and played. We went day tripping, we explored, we painted - all together in the sunshine.

I was amazed at how three kids, aged 9, almost 5, and 2 could play so cooperatively - much loved cousin setting such a beautiful example for the little ones.

Much loved cousin, please come back again soon!

postcards in, postcards out

2011-06-27T16:15:00.000+10:00

Ok, moving right along from my rather heavy wintersweet post yesterday. To all the wonderful women who commented and emailed - a big, heartfelt thank you. It's such a supportive place this blogosphere isn't it? And in a strange way, I feel like I've just sat down with all of you, in your kitchens with a cup of tea (or a glass of red), got my troubles off my chest and listened to your words of wisdom, and I feel so much better for it.

Did you do the postcard swap? We did. We've received postcards from London, Istanbul. Mumbai and Indiana. It's been so exciting to get some really high-interest mail from the postie. Mail with pictures and book recommendations and mail that is addressed to the kids. Mail from far-away places from unknown people, who seem familiar because they are children, and children are the same everywhere.

We've designed, made, written and sent postcards to families in Israel, Belfast, Ontario, Pennsylvania and South Hobart! We thought about what life might be like where our recipients lived as we drew and wrote. Of course South Hobart is a stone's throw away so we didn't have to stretch our imaginations too far for that one.

And now we're going to send some replies to the ones we received (some included return addresses). We all agree that we'd be quite happy for this to become a pen-friend habit! I never had a pen friend as a girl - perhaps I can now experience it vicariously through my children. Now that I think of it, blogging is a bit like having a great big collection of pen friends.

Did you do the postcard swap? Did you have a pen friend growing up? Do your children?

A few of my favourite things

2011-06-10T07:57:00.000+10:00

I love old wares and always have. I have such lovely memories of op-shopping with my mum when I was little - she was a thrifty woman and rarely bought anything new if a second hand version could be found.

Bone handled knives are particular favourites. They have such a nice feel in the hand.

And I love humble old kitchen tools, well-made rolling pins and enamel pots, sturdy ceramic pudding basins and depression glassware. I prefer the utilitarian to the pretty.

Doots, it seems, is developing a love of all things old too. She likes to come browsing with me, and on a recent trip she asked...

Mum, is this an op shop, a tip shop or an antique shop?

Ha! She knows about the different categories of second hand stores.

These pictures are all from the Drill Hall Emporium in New Norfolk, about half an hour's drive north of Hobart. I love browsing here - so many interesting displays. Antlers, anyone?

Or a big old Moorish inspired birdcage. I can imagine this, perhaps decorated beautifully with flowers, as a striking (enormous) table centrepiece.

Some lovely glass light shades - filled with candles in a summer garden perhaps?

And inspired by the old world vibe, here is Doots, dressed up as a black-and-white era television star, and giving a little performance.

We watched some old Peter Paul and Mary footage on you tube, in black and white. She fancies herself as a bit of a Mary!

....puff the magic dragon lived by the sea...

And these are the little treasures we came home with. Old printing press letters, some for our home and some for friends.

We're about to have a fuller house than usual, with some much loved family members coming to visit. We're crossing our fingers for a little bit of sunshine!

xx Sarah

A mug of sunshine - guest posting...

2011-06-09T10:43:00.000+10:00

Brrr. It's cold here. We've been making soup and thinking about those in our community who are less fortunate. Can a little person make a difference to a stranger's day?

Come over and find out here - I'm guest posting today at Childhood 101.

blue skies Melbourne

2011-06-06T23:12:00.000+10:00

Melbourne means different things to each of us. For me, it's family, friends, old stomping grounds, old memories, coffee, shopping, the arts, the parks, traffic, bluestone, plane trees. Stephen might add football, cricket, his favourite pubs and work to his list.

I imagine that for Oesch it's trains, trams, pigeons to chase, street sweepers, grandparents, cousins, the monkeys at the zoo, Maggie (Nanna's dog) and Ishtar (Grandma's cat).

...unfamiliar views outside train windows.

Big buildings, oh, and did I mention trains? And trams?

Oh yeah, and babycinos.

This was the first time we'd taken the kids right into town. We usually criss cross the suburbs but I have been wanting to show them one of my favourite childhood places. We had a fantastic morning at the National Gallery of Victoria, which is 150 years old this year, and has a new kids' space as part of the celebrations.

You can design your own wall paper, build a house, learn about colour and painting techniques, design costumes...

Or marvel at the water wall. Just like I did as a kid.

And Doots' Melbourne?

New playgrounds, shoe shopping, big family gatherings, meerkats, beloved grandparents, cup cakes, outings...

and her very first ferris wheel ride, taking her right up into those blue blue skies.

Thanks for the blue skies Melbourne.

Paper doll party plans

2011-05-21T15:55:00.002+10:00

Ah, kids parties. There are some among us who are natural born party planners, who relish the yearly ritual of identifying an original theme, crafting inspiring decorations, decorating a spectacular cake, thinking of fun party games - the new twists on old favourites - all designed to surprise and delight the little birthday boy/girl, and his/her little guests. I am not the party planner type, but I admit that I love the creative process of working with a theme, and I'm a sucker for seeing my kids beam when their friends gather around to sing happy birthday...

Doots and I were browsing the cake magazines at the newsagents recently. I was pointing out the fairy castle cakes, the owl cakes, the rainbow cakes, trying to spark her interest in something so that I could just run with it. She spied this simple yellow iced cake, ringed by paper dolls, and thrust her finger in amongst the rapidly turning pages to mark the place. "That one".

My inner party planner squealed. Paper dolls - what a gorgeous theme for a five year old girl's party! I could see strings of paper dolls hanging from wall to wall, paper doll crafts for the girls to do on arrival, paper doll prizes in the pass the parcel, a new twist on pin the tail on the donkey - pin the dress on the dolly.

I googled, and I found gold...

Pages and pages of original Betsy McCalls from the 50s and 60s available for free download, here. Betsy was a character in the monthly McCall magazine, and every issue saw Betsy with new clothes to wear on her new adventures. We'll use some of those little dresses for the invitations, and for lots of other things too.

I find it ridiculously exciting. Which is good, because let's face it, kids parties are hard work, and if the organiser can enjoy the process, she'll be more likely to actually pull it off. That's my thinking anyway.

Are you a natural born party planner? Or do you need a good theme to get you going? Any super duper party tips? I'd love to hear....

Happy weekend xx

Sick day play

2011-05-17T14:52:00.001+10:00

Over the weekend, Doots came down with a snotty, horrible cold. She woke on Monday morning feeling ok, but still sniffling and snuffling. I thought it would be best if she stayed home from kinder.

At that suggestion, she perked up immediately! Alas, she still doesn't love going.

The sun was shining brilliantly and I thought we all needed to boost our vitamin D levels. We all agreed on an outing to the botanical gardens. I taped some kraft paper to the wall and suggested they draw something we might see at the gardens. This provided a fantastic window for me to get dressed, pack lunch and clean up after breakfast.

Doots drew a duck (here it is before the wings were added).

Oesch drew 'sky and rainbows'.

More from Doots - a carousel horse, a tree with only a few leaves left, autumn leaves...

It was the perfect day - sunshine, marshmallow clouds in a blue sky, autumn leaves ablaze. Here they are running away to hide while I was counting (don't tell them I didn't have my eyes closed).

Soaking up the sun,

Rolling down hills,

Playing mums and dads (I was the kid).

We visited my favourite tree (well, one of them). I could stare at this golden beech for hours. Next time I might sketch it.

Our destination was the Japanese Garden. We haven't been there for a while and I set Doots the challenge of leading us there. She managed to identify it on this sign...

...and point us in the right direction.

They took the lead...

I followed, offering little clues when they veered off track. "Japanese gardens often have red structures in them"...

Hooray - this must be it!

We spent a couple of hours here, and it occurred to me that Japanese gardens are perfect for children. We talked about the way big landscapes are reproduced in miniature - a pond representing a huge lake, a mound for a mountain.

The details, the structures, the gravel, the water, element of surprise, the COLOUR - all perfect for little eyes, hands and feet.

The scale was perfect for independent exploring, with lots of nooks and corners and secluded places where a little person might imagine they were lost - while knowing they were safe.

Did I mention colour?

The children had brought along some little frogs, and found lots of habitats for them.

So much so that a couple of frogs went native. I wonder where they are in there?

Oesch found the perfect pond for his...

And Doots found a series of stone (or concrete?) lanterns scattered around the garden...

...which she thought were ideal cubbies.

I can imagine how beautiful they would look at night with candles in them.

Actually, we'd love one in our garden.

The frogs were spoilt for choice with many beautiful ponds to choose from.

And luckily, I packed a spare top for Oesch. How did I know?

Doots was impressed with the visual composition of this scene. It's beautiful isn't it? Next time I'm packing a painting kit.

Linking up with other playful types at

an autumnal Sunday in pictures

2011-05-16T21:47:00.001+10:00

Autumn is my favourite season. I love the sense of settling down and getting cozy you get as the days get shorter and the path of the sun becomes lower in the sky. This year, though, we've had fewer of those gentle, sunny days. It's just been downright cold, which is not so fun. Sunday was lovely though, and I'd like to share some little visual highlights of my day.

In the morning I enjoyed a walk, solo (yay!) into town to meet the lovely Jane at The Market. We browsed, oohed and aahed, drank coffee and talked about blogs... And we discovered that we love opposing colours and styles. I've always wondered who buys all the blue, cool shades of things. Well, now I know - Jane does. I'm drawn to autumnal colours - reds, oranges, and vicariously through Doots - yellows. But also greens, browns, greys, but rarely the blues or violets.

Do you like my little lighthouse bag? (I don't have any details for the maker - her name was Giggling Gertie - if anyone knows, please let me know!) I fell in love, there was no way I could leave it behind. And when I remarked that I loved the way the motif sat off-centre, just so, Jane said that she really would prefer it if it were centred. Wow. I couldn't believe it. I've been thinking about that ever since. I don't really know why!

And we now have a family wheat bag cat. Cute, no? He's from Lottie Cordelia. And a well-timed purchase he was. Doots has been cuddling this little guy overnight night - she has a dreadful cold.

Later, a walk to the park was in order. Here's Oesch rounding up his 'favourites' (a plastic digger and mixer that Nanna gave him a while ago) for the journey.

Nothing like swinging in the sun, with your digger.

I can't decide what to do with Oesch's hair. Do I leave it? Get it cut? I'm thinking... if I get it cut will the curls go away? Are they just a baby thing? Whatever they are, they're so cute I could eat them.

And as for Doots' hair, it's slowly growing back after her little DIY hairstyle moment last November. Maybe only one hair cut to go before it is consolidated. I noticed when her school photos came home the photographer had thoughtfully turned her head slightly show her 'good hair' side.

Here's Oesch with the digger on the way home.

The digger and mixer now have names - Purpose and Enthusiasm. Stephen took this comment, from me to the children, and ran with it, Dad joke style...

Me - come on guys, do you think you could walk with purpose and enthusiasm please?

They were taking forever, smelling the roses, you know what little ones are like, and I really just wanted to get home to finish making the curtains I've been working on. Anyway, these little vehicles now have weird names.

Ah, sweet sunshine. How we love you when you're not around as much as you should be.

You make us happy, and warm.

Even water running along a gutter warrants investigation if the sun's shining.

May a little sun shine on you this week.

xx Sarah

Middle Eastern Orange Cake

2011-05-15T09:12:00.001+10:00

A friend of mine is going through a rough patch. She's a strong girl and she'll survive, but sometimes life isn't easy and I wish I could blow her troubles all away. It's her birthday this week and the least I can do is make her a cake.

New season's navel oranges from NSW are in the shops, and I must admit I get quite excited about fresh, Australian grown citrus. The fragrance of orange is supposed to promote happiness, so I'm making this cake for my girlfriend, with lots of love.

This is my go-to cake (or dessert) if I'm catering for friends who are gluten-free. it's made with almond meal instead of flour, so it has a grown up vibe (although the kids love it too). It's luscious, moist, gets better after a day or so (if it lasts that long) and it's low GI. Oh, and it's dead easy to make - it comes together in the food processor as quick as a flash. If you haven't tried this classic, give it a try. I know you'll love it.

Middle Eastern Orange Cake

The recipe has been adapted, ever so slightly, from The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander. She has based hers on a recipe by Claudia Roden.

2 large oranges, washed

6 eggs

250g ground almonds

250g raw sugar

1tsp gluten-free baking powder

Simmer oranges in a covered saucepan for 2 hours. Allow to cool slightly, then cut open and remove any pips. Pop them in your food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees (180 fan forced). Butter and line the base of a springform cake tin.

Blend oranges and all other ingredients thoroughly in food processor. Pour batter into prepared tin.

Bake for 1 hour. If cake is still very wet, cook a little longer. Cool in tin before turning out.

Serve dusted with icing sugar and with a dollop of thick cream or greek yoghurt.

Friends

2011-05-11T11:31:00.001+10:00

Hi! We're over at Childhood 101 today where it's friendship month. Come over and say hi, and if you are a mum and have a story about your mothers group, or making new friends as a mum, tell us all about it.

Click here!

a toddler smock, or battling bias binding

2011-05-09T14:23:00.002+10:00

A little while ago I was the lucky winner of a giveaway on Jacki's blog. I was so thrilled, as it's just my kind of sewing book - all about transforming your single metres of cloth into great gifts and projects. There's a good range of projects, including homewares, kids accessories, toys and bags, ranging from easy peasy to more challenging. Each project comes with pattern pieces and clear instructions.

I had been looking for something to make for a favourite little friend of ours who was about to turn two. This little art smock caught my eye...

I love the compartmentalised pocket at the front for brushes and tools, and the bias binding edges. It looked pretty simple, but one very late night later, I've learned a valuable lesson.

Bias binding, particularly the narrow, packaged stuff, is really tricky to use!

I began with the narrow binding which the pattern specifies (the hot pink at the neck), and I was really struggling, so switched to a wider type which I had in my stash (the pale green on the sides). This was easier, but looks too bulky.

In the end I made my own strips from a scrap I had - the pink, white and black. Perfect. I will never buy pre packaged binding again!

Overall, it was a satisfying little project, and I think dear little Miss A liked it (although she was most fond of the sponge tipped brush in the pocket!).

Loved

2011-05-08T13:13:00.001+10:00

Stephen is the glamour parent in this family. He's the one the kids have that big, passionate love for. He's the one they draw pictures of. He's the one they cling to if they're feeling small, the one they want to comfort them when they fall over. Trouble is, he's not always around because, inconveniently, someone has to earn some money around here.

I know they love me, but I'm always here, so there's no absence to make their hearts grow fonder. To them, it must sometimes seem like i'm all about interrupting their playtime for bothersome things like dinner time, reminding them to use their manners, and saying 'no' to cupcakes for lunch. Of course I am actually much more fun than that, but I think the boring-and-sometimes-grumpy-and-usually-a-bit-tired-every-day-mum is much more visible than the fabulous-fun-lovely mum that, of course, I actually truly AM.

But today, on mothers day, I have been showered with little gifts, each one filled with beauty and an expression of their love for me. Doots' pictures of me are filled with symbolism, I feel like she really sees me. My multi-coloured eyes are her attempts to define my eye colour. My hazel eyes change colour and contain lots of different colours - green, grey, brown, gold, blue, depending on the light.

My dress is orangey yellow with a big tree in the middle. I love trees, so she thought I'd love a dress with a tree on it. And two pockets, one with an S (for Sarah of course) and one with a G (her initial). And really, I would love to wear shoes like that. With orange tights. Actually I'd love a dress like that too.

Inside, no written message, but lots of random looking numbers. But of course they're not random. She explained that they are the ages of all of our family, so on the left there is 41-42 (Stephen will be 42 this year), 4-5 (Doots), 2 (Oesch) and 39 (moi). And then another 41 for good luck I guess, and a little boat.

The next page is a dot-to-dot picture. Why thank you, my sweet.

Another portrait, this one on a little canvas board, from kinder. Can you see the number 4 on my (enormous) right leg? That's my favourite number. Numbers are so important to her, I think she imagines that everyone secretly wants to wear their favourite number on their jeans!

It came boxed up with this silver glittery heart card. I love it, and I love how they sit together, all monochrome, which is definitely me!

And this is Oesch's sweet card. He gave it to me with a big 'happy birthday for you mama'. Sweetest boy ever - I love his enthusiasm and I can really see his little perpetually-in-motion self in this picture.

A lovely visit to the farmers market, a catch up with friends and a couple of coffees later... these little treats were presented to me. A tiny rose corsage and a chocolate quince and cardamon cupcake. I feel loved!

I would love to give my own lovely mum a big hug and share a cuppa with her today. I miss her, but I'm sure my brothers and their beautiful families are making her feel special, in person. Love you Mum!

Happy day to you too!

Grey

2011-05-03T14:42:00.003+10:00

I grew up with the sound of the click click clack of knitting needles constantly at work in the background, in my mum's hands. Every year she'd make my brothers and me a new jumper or cardigan. I loved thinking about colours and designs and yarns, and placing my order at the beginning of autumn.

I've enjoyed knitting for my children too, and every so often, for a niece or a friend's baby. The only downside is that it takes me so long to finish anything. I can touch-type like the wind, chop onions like a demon, but I just can't knit very quickly.

In my pre-Easter holiday planning, knitting was at the top of my list. I had my yarn selected and purchased, my pattern reviewed, needles selected and packed. And fabulously, I had another pair of hands to wrangle the children, and even drive. I knitted in the car, at the beach, over coffee, after dinner. In a few days I put enough rows under my belt to secure my conviction - this garment would not be abandoned.

At no stage during the holiday did anyone ask what I was knitting. And I didn't spontaneously share that information with anyone. It was only after we got home that Doots casually enquired... what are you knitting Mum?

Why darling, a cardigan for you!

I really like grey. I think it's pretty in a subtle, subdued way. It's unassuming, it flatters other, more obvious colours. It looks lovely with red, navy, yellow, cream, green, purple, orange, pastels... It really does. It can be cool, or warm. It is softer than black, more approachable than white, and it reminds me of rainclouds, rabbits, ponies and baby birds. And I discovered today that it is the Quakers' official colour - the colour of simplicity. It didn't occur to me that my four year old daughter wouldn't share my admiration for grey.

How could I be so wrong? She declared that she hated it, and would NEVER wear a grey cardigan. So, with a deep breath, and my bruised feelings brushed to one side, we ventured to the wool shop so that she could make her own selection.

And this is it. Rainclouds and baby birds? More like fairy floss and rainbows. It's really NOT my cup of tea, and I don't know if I'll be able to finish this one. It kind of makes my teeth ache to look at it. It's just so... sugary.

But she loves it. And insists that she will wear it, and will love wearing it.

Really sweetie?

Yes, she nods.

Righto, maybe I'll hand this one over to Mum to finish off!

Mr Whippy

2011-05-02T14:53:00.001+10:00

Whenever I hear the melody of Greensleeves I'm transported back in time to my suburban childhood. The heat of a Melbourne summer, those long, long days spent hanging around with neighbourhood friends, swimming in backyard pools, jumping on trampolines (sans safety nets thank you) and how the distant strains of Greensleeves, rising faintly above the sound of lawn mowers, would have everyone's ears pricking up. It was the sound of the Mr Whippy van.

Kids would scramble, back to their own homes, to beg for a dollar from their parents, or to raid a piggy bank. Somehow, you always got back to the street in time to hail the ice cream man.

My choice was always the choc-dipped soft serve, with nuts. Such a ridiculous choice - I knew the hot chocolate coating would melt the delicately frozen soft serve. It just had to be eaten quickly. No problem for me.

It's been a long time since I've heard that familiar, tinny sound. But the other day as Doots and I were gardening and Oesch was asleep, we heard it.

"Listen" I said

"What?" she asked

"That music, it's an ice cream van" I replied excitedly

"What's an icecream van Mummy?"

"You'll see sweetie"

I raced inside, grabbed a handful of gold coins, grabbed her hand and we raced furiously out onto the street. We hailed him. Doots experienced her first Mr Whippy. Can you imagine?

Our new Mr Whippy plays Waltzing Matilda. It's not quite Greensleeves, but it sounds as authentically tinny as ever.

Oh Bruny, we love you

2011-04-26T00:00:00.003+10:00

We've just had a little holiday - four nights in a beautiful, wild place.

We wagged school and work on Thursday afternoon and joined the queue for the Mirambeena, the craft charged with ferrying people and their cars across the D'entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island.

Bruny is big, it is in fact two islands, North and South, joined by a sandy isthmus. Right at the south of the south island is the lighthouse. I've been here a few times, and every time it's been blowing a gale and raining. And it was today. This is rugged, rugged country.

It looks like a black and white photo. So spectacular. So cold!

Little Oesch was all eyes. Taking in the view and too struck by the hugeness of the landscape (or maybe just too cold!) to say a word.

I wonder how often they would need to paint the lighthouse door. And I wish we could turn that handle and step inside.

We would loved to have been able to enter, to climb those stairs, to see the view from up there, to imagine the life of a lighthouse keeper...

and Doots was cold and so disappointed. Why can't we go in? But whyyyyy... The weekend was looking grim.

But on Saturday (which was my birthday) the weather lifted. The sun came out and we were on a mission to spot a white wallaby. They are only found on Bruny and I've seen one every time I've been here. Alas, no white wallabies today. But the beach made up for it.

Doots grabbed a piece of driftwood and wrote Mum Happy Birthday in the sand. And although it was erased by the lapping tide very soon afterwards, I did get a photo, and I pocketed the driftwood she used.

Providing hours of fun for these two at the moment... drawing in sand...

dropping things in water and...

collecting treasures.

Is this not the biggest staircase you've ever seen?

I'll remember this evening, this beach, it's squeaky sand, the sun setting behind us, the cold crystal waves rising and breaking before us, on this last of my thirties' birthdays, for ever.

And my little one, in awe of the sea.

My big one. When she's in motion she still seems so little to me. But when I look at this photo and see her perfectly still, captured in this moment, she seems older. She wants the big picture. She wants to know why we're here. She wants to know what is beyond time and space. She wants all the big answers, and I don't have them. I'm comfortable with that now, but it wasn't until my thirties that I realised that I was happy not knowing the answers.

Time away from the every day, the ocean, big skies, islands, dramatic weather... they always stir up those big questions for me. Maybe they do for her too. The whole world in a grain of sand.

And so for penguin time, we waited. They don't arrive until after sunset. So what else do you do when you're waiting? Waddle, of course.

We saw them, eventually. They were very cute. It was very dark, so no photos I'm afraid!

And then, Easter morning. The bunny decided to leave a big, stunningly decorated cardboard egg (filled with little chocolate ones) beside each child's bed. I don't think he wanted the possums to gorge themselves on chocolate in the night.

Hooray for the Easter bunny. And Boo for Mum and Dad, who decided to severely ration the loot after realising that sharing a small space with two choc-overloaded small people was really not fun.

So while waiting for the weather to clear, we arranged shells...

Discovered a beautiful new book.

And played with bunnies.

This is later, in a beer garden, waiting for our smoked salmon pizza to arrive. Stephen is enjoying a beer, intently perusing a local real estate brochure. Huh? Surely he's not dreaming those impossible purchase-a-shack-on-Bruny-and-live-happily-ever-after type dreams (like I do all the time)? He's the sensible one.

And then we swung past this little acreage, up for sale. Turns out it's really and truly out of our league, but it was nice to kick the tyres for an hour or so. Oh, if anyone fancies going halves, let's talk!

And of course there was time for a little more throwing stuff into water...

And a little more treasure collecting.

And now we're home. We're happy, rested, and even more in love with that place.

Guest post...

2011-04-20T12:14:00.002+10:00

Another gorgeous day today - I wonder if this sunshine will last through to Easter. It would be lovely...

Just popped in to let you know that I'm guest posting at Childhood 101 today. It's all about little adventres in the bush... and why it's so good for us. See you over there!

Autumn treasures

2011-04-19T14:15:00.001+10:00

Oesch and Doots have been a bit like squirrels lately, foraging for treasures wherever they go. I keep finding acorns in their pockets, feathers in my handbag and there is a blanket of autumn leaves on the floor of the car.

For a while now I've been itching to dedicate a little space in our home for a seasonal display. I have tried a few times but the bits and pieces always get picked up and taken away by curious little hands and (shock horror) played with! Now, as autumnal treasures are too interesting (and plenitful) NOT to display, I have piled them all on to an old wooden platter which can be made available, or not, depending on my appetite for tidying up the mess.

The other morning the sun was pouring through our kitchen windows in that intense, golden way it reserves for autumn mornings. Warming, delicious sunshine on a cold, crisp morning. Where else would you want to be but sitting around the big table with a lump of fresh play dough and some autumn treasures?

We measured, mixed and decorated. We had a cake stall, and sang happy birthday of course.

Sparkling, glittery fairy cakes, oozing and heavy and piled high with buttons.

Some feathers for an Easter twist?

Pat-a-cake pat-a-cake...

Baker's man, bake me a cake, as fast as you can

Pat it and prick it and mark it with B...

Put it in the oven for baby and me!

My birthday's coming up, and if they decide to make a playdough cake decorated with autumn leaves, I'd be a happy mama (it'd be better for my diet too!). Oh, I do want a home made card too please.

party dress

2011-04-10T16:16:00.004+10:00

Finally, a chance to hop on to the blog and say hi! We're all a little worn out here - Stephen's been away for work, and when he has been home he's been busy busy with work, and my little Oesch has been under the weather, he's very chesty and very snotty.

However, Doots is in fine form, and today she had her first kindergarten birthday party to attend. I whipped her up a little dress, in yellow of course. I bought this fabric a while ago to make an Oliver + S dress, which shamefully, I have given up on for now. Buttonholes and I have never been on friendly terms, and I thought better than to try to win them over on this occasion. Perhaps I'll start a conversation with them when I have a few lazy hours to spare.

So I used a pattern from here instead. It's really like a pillowslip dress (but without the pillowslip ;). I added a band of contrasting fabric at the hem because it was a little too short. I was thinking of Ange when I made it, and I think it makes the dress.

The contrast fabric is Heather Bailey (I think?) from a fat quarter I bought on impulse just the other day. I used it for the shoulder straps too.

I also made a couple of yo-yos to make a little decoration for the front, although next time I'll pop it a bit higher up. I also made a yo-yo brooch for the birthday girl. They are so fun to make (although I am possibly the last woman in the universe to discover them). I can sense an addiction coming on!

Such a quick and satisfying make. And Doots, who is not the frilly type, loves it. These photos are post-party, and she even did some gardening in it, planting yellow tulip bulbs with her dad. And no, she didn't wear the silver jiffies to the party!

And the party? Twelve delighted kinder girls with painted faces, one princess jumping castle, two faeries, one enchanted garden with hidden jewels to find, games, cake and one delightfully gracious five year old birthday girl. It's going to be a difficult act to follow come July!

x Sarah

a parcel of hugs, well, almost

2011-04-01T13:49:00.000+11:00

Hobart's coming over all wintery with gusty winds, cold nights and dark dark mornings. It's nearly coat weather. Putting on a coat to go out and face the cold morning is a cozy and comforting winter ritual for me - it's a bit like giving yourself a hug and a 'have a good day, dear'.

After our busy Friday morning (kinder drop off - grocery shopping - swimming lesson) Oesch and I were just finishing our lunch when the postie knocked, and handed over a much anticipated parcel from Wendy.

Coats! Eskimo Coats! One for Oesch, one for Doots.

They are little works of art. Snuggly warm, beautiful upcycled materials and lovingly made.

There are little surprises at every turn...

Like the patterned blue cuff lining. I wonder if this was an old man's shirt once upon a time?

And this hood lining. Yum. (oh yeah, my baby's pretty scrum-diddly-umptious too)

And when the hood's in action, a pop of greeney blue cuteness. The colour of Port Phillip Bay, where I grew up and where these were made.

Doots is at kinder today, so Oesch agreed to model the big girl version. She is going to L. O. V. E. it.

It's her all over (just don't tell her you saw Oesch wearing it).

This one is also brimming with gorgeous details which I haven't captured here, like the pretty white flower buttons, the yellow velvet ribbon for button loops, the soft as butter pre-loved cotton floral lining, the vintage embroidered doily used as a pocket... Just beautiful.

I also snapped up a sweet yellow sundress for next year. And Wendy tossed in two piles of cute cute envelopes made from vintage kids books.

Don't you love a parcel?

I think Wendy still has a couple of these Eskimos in her shop if you fancy one for your little person, but I don't think they'll last long...

x Sarah

the moon, the sushi man and the flying pig

2011-03-30T14:58:00.002+11:00

I had an appointment at Salamanca to attend this morning, and the children were required to contain their exuberance in a waiting room for a period of time that would stretch the patience of many adults. They did a pretty good job, and I had plans to let them run around Parliament Gardens to let off their steam and collect some acorns and autumn leaves for our seasonal display. But when we emerged onto the street it was pouring with rain. There went that idea.

So we braved a busy cafe full of business suits (am I crazy?) and ordered our one skinny latte plus two babycinos please... Surely this would not end well? But it did. The children were well-behaved, we were served quickly (wise move by the wait staff) and we left without drama. Where was the whinging, the spilt glass of water, the sugar all over the table, the feet on the table, the licking of the salt shaker, the fighting over the menu?

Hmm, perhaps they're growing up...

This morning they were both up earlier than usual. It was still pitch dark outside and we got to admire a thin crescent moon ringed with rainbow colours due to the amount of smoke in the air.* We were also treated to a magnificently colourful sunrise. There were lots of questions about the phases of the moon and plenty of (my) clumsy attempts at explaining it all using the props at hand - two little pumpkins and a globe. I'll have to put some thought into how I can better demonstrate it.

Anyway, Doots has a newfound interest in all things lunar and when we got home from our morning's activities, in the rain, she had a bit of an emotional outpouring. She wanted the moon to come back, right right right now, and was utterly inconsolable. I quickly gathered all the story books I could find with a moon theme (we have a couple!). We read, we talked, but still the tears flowed. She just seemed really, inexplicably sad. I suspect she's tired. I am too.

So, thinking that when I'm feeling sad, doing something I love to do can make me feel better, I pulled out the placticine. It was a good choice. The three of us sat at the little table and rolled, squeezed, folded, moulded, chatted and played. We worked on our own projects, side by side. Almost immediately, the tears dried and Doots' purposeful, playful self returned.

Oesch asked to use a knife. He loves to imitate the cooking he sees me do every day. I gave him a blunt bone handled knife which he used to slice his sushi. 'I be sushi man, Mama!' is something I hear several times a day at the moment. He rolls up little bits of paper, playdough, leaves, whatever's at hand to make sushi. There's a real 'sushi man' at our farmers' market who makes sushi hand rolls on the spot, using fresh organic vegetables, gorgeous fish and prawns and other delights, including Tasmanian grown, freshly grated wasabi. I cannot begin to explain how divine they are. I think Oesch is just a little inspired by him.

He served it to us on little plates.

Doots made a little man, but soon abandoned him in favour of...

a pig who needed dressing.

A pig, as it turns out, who is also an astronaut and is preparing for a trip to...

...you guessed it - the moon!

Five, four, three, two, one...

Blast off!

Happy landings little pig! And tell the moon we'll see her soon...

* Autumn is the most gorgeous of all the seasons in Tasmania, but unfortunately the smoke in the air caused by controlled forest fires dulls the sparkle a bit...

Enjoying peace while it lasts... and a guest post

2011-03-23T14:58:00.001+11:00

The moments in my day that make me smile and reach for the camera are the moments where peace comes to visit. Like when Oesch is eompletely engrossed in a new puzzle. One of the (countless!) things I love about him is that he doesn't stop until it's finished. No frustration, no help needed, just pure drive to put it together 'by self'. Love it.

When peace comes to visit, the children love each other, in that moment. Who'd have thought they could both smile at the same time (unprompted) while looking at the camera?

In a wacky moment after dinner, Doots shares one of her little jokes. She has an absurdist streak and the most unexpected things have her laughing uncontrollably.

Here, she's laughing about her invention of 'heaven in a teacup'. If you read my last post, you'll know that we've been talking about death in recent days. Those ideas have featured in her play, and here, she'd buried a stillborn lamb in a playdough grave, and sent his little spirit spiralling through the air to land in a teacup, which she dubbed 'heaven'. And then thought it was hilarious. I think I can be confident that she's not traumatised in anyway by our visit to the cemetery!

A tidied-up drawing table makes me feel peaceful. This has been a productive little space lately. It's been interesting to see both children begin to draw with enthusiasm again as the weather turns cooler, and our days get shorter.

A bucket of water, paintbrushes and a bowl of chalk on a warm afternoon after kinder. Peaceful moments in the making...

Of course the happiness doesn't last long. One tired-out kinder girl + one grumpy post-nap toddler + a dinner that won't cook itself = one stressed out mama and a little too much shouty-shouty.

My mum tells a story about catching the bus to school when she was 4 or 5. She got on the bus one morning, went to the back seat and to her horror saw her mother out the window chasing the school bus waving her (my mother's) knickers in the air. I loved this story, and I asked her to tell it again and again. I couldn't imagine the horror of forgetting your knickers.

We were at the library this morning for a regular Wednesday story time session. Doots always fidgets about and struggles to sit still. It has always irked me, especially when I see the other children sitting beautifully, listening to every word.

Today, it was even worse than usual. Oesch was busy spotting passing cars out the window with another two year old. Doots, as usual, squirmed and wriggled on the mat. But then she did a somersault, right on the carpet, and flashed her BARE bottom to the entire story time crowd. I was breathless with shock.

One of the dads reassured me: "Don't worry, we're all parents here".

This gorgeous parcel arrived in the mail yesterday. Melissa, of Miss Sew & So and I did a swap across the oceans. I was so thrilled to open her parcel. And the message printed on that red post card is absolutely just what I need today!

How's your day?

I'm guest posting over at Childhood 101 today. Head over to discover why I don't want to share (my computer with my children!)

a pocket full of feathers and one hundred kisses

2011-03-19T16:44:00.001+11:00

What a week it has been. Last Friday I was lying in bed, body aching, head pounding and muscles shivering with the fever of an 'unspecified virus'. Luckily it was a kinder day for Doots and Stephen took Oesch to work with him in the morning so I was able to surrender to my body's ills and ride out the fever in peace. I drifted in and out of sleep all day, and in the afternoon when Stephen had returned and put Oesch to bed I turned the radio on. Japan had had a massive earthquake and a tsunami was due to hit the east coast at any minute.

Since then of course, the news has continued to worsen, the death toll has continued to rise and the world has watched in horror, holding its collective breath as those nuclear reactors threaten to melt down, with unknown but certainly catastrophic consequences.

Since Doots was little we've had a 'no news when the kids are around' policy. She is a sensitive child who seems to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. I protect her from visions of war, violence and natural disaster because at this stage of her life she's still under my wing. It's my job to keep her safe physically, and emotionally.

She's learning Japanese at kinder. The school describes itself as having a Japanese sub-culture, so closely are they linked to Japan. This week the children farewelled the young Japanese assistant teacher, who has been teaching the children from K-6 since last March, as she returned home. The children made her a book and sang songs for her, but I don't think there has been any discussion about the disaster. It is a relief for me. But it does raise the question - when is the right time to expose our children to such events? Should we be talking about it with her?

I am only too aware of the luxurious position we are in. Too many families don't get to make the choice as their children live daily with danger, disaster and despair.

Today we went for a walk at Cornelian Bay. It's a tranquil cove on the River Derwent with the fantastic combination of a children's playground, lovely views over the river, a walk around the headland and a kiosk which makes toasted ham and gruyere sandwiches and coffee to revive you afterwards.

Up on the headland is the cemetery. For all that Doots has been ~~obsessed with~~ thinking about death and dying for some time now she did not know about cemeteries. Can you imagine discovering a cemetery for the first time? Such a dramatic concept - a field of the dead. A whole hillside crammed full of bones. I'm sure you can imagine the questions we fielded for the next hour or so... why are they all here? can we dig them up? why are the flowers plastic? can we talk to the spirits? will we go in there when we die?

We hadn't intended to come here, it just happened. We walked, and talked. Before we knew it we were in the children's section. We stopped for a while to look at the grave of a stillborn baby, named Angel. She had little angel statues all over her grave and colourful pinwheels and ornaments surrounding her. The children were, naturally, drawn to all this colour and prettiness. They touched the ornaments, but so gently, with such respect. I don't think the children noticed how many tiny graves there were. Each one representing, to me, a mother's broken heart.

We talked about our dear, dear friend, who has recently lost a much-loved unborn baby.

We walked on. Little hands filled my pockets with feathers, gum nuts and daisies. We kicked stones along a gravel road. Oesch needed to be carried most of the way because he was so tired as a result of yesterday's nap refusal. We spotted magpies and sulphur-crested cockatoos. We greeted dogs taking their owners for walks. We saw a bride, her groom and their intimate wedding party on the edge of the water. We watched with admiration as two young girls, dressed up in their prettiest party clothes, had an impromptu running race along the foreshore, their feet bare and their long hair streaming out behind them...

Last night, before bed, Doots told me she wanted to 'do a hundred kisses'. Ok, I said, wondering what would come next. She proceeded to kiss the air, and count.

mwaah-one-mwaah-two-mwaah-three-mwaah-four...

By the time she got to twenty three or so, I realised she wasn't going to stop till she got to 100, so I joined in to help her out. When she got to 100, we had a chat about how there were now 100 kisses out there in the world. She told me she'd like them to land on 'old people and cats' who might need a bit of extra love. It brought tears to my eyes. Personally, I hope they go straight to Japan, and if she knew about it, I'm sure she would too.

I'd love to know if you are talking about Japan with your children.

x Sarah

p.s. In this post I read yesterday Marian suggests focussing on the people who are doing good when talking to young children about disasters, to ensure that children get the message that humanity is compassionate, despite tragedy. She says it "Helps me to believe that the goodness of the world is still in place, it’s just been shaken around a bit."

adjusting

2011-03-17T22:24:00.001+11:00

Wow. I've missed this blog! I haven't been posting much lately and I think it's down to all the adjusting that's been happening around here. Starting kindergarten has shifted our little world on it's axis just a little, and we're all getting used to the new rhythm.

The change is biggest for Doots, obviously. She seems to be enjoying the new opportunities for learning that kindergarten is providing, especially learning Japanese. Languages and little kids are SUCH a great combination.

The drop-off is usually a bit difficult. Some mornings she tries to run out the door after me, begging me to stay longer, grabbing at my clothing and sounding so desperate. But other days, usually if she's got the ear of the teacher or the assistant, she waves me happy goodbyes.

The teacher tells me that she mainly prefers to watch the other children play rather than join in. But I'm starting to hear more stories about children she's played with. She loves it when the older kids come to visit. They have 'buddies' from year 3 and year 5 who pop in to play with them once or twice a week. I think buddy time is the highlight of Doots' week.

It's all so new and challenging, it's no surprise that things have been a little more turbulent at home than usual. Bedtime delay tactics, squabbling siblings, zero cooperation... I'm trying to take a Buddhist approach. It is what it is, I tell myself as I try to let it just wash over me. And when I feel like shouting I mentally chant: loving kindness, loving kindness, loving kindness. It's kind of working. Instead of worrying about the little things (does it really matter if she wants to hang around the house with no pants on?) I'm just focussing on the two of them treating each other kindly. Finding better ways to deal with disagreements than pushing and throwing things (Oesch) or shrieking, telling her brother to 'go away and die' (I kid you not) and generally over-dramatising (Doots).

Tricky though, because when she comes home she really wants a bit of solitude. And Oesch just really wants her company.

We've had some seriously slothful weekends - all in the name of rest and recharging her batteries. It's almost 4pm on a Saturday in this photo, and when the sunshine streams through the lounge room window on a chilly autumn day, here, on this couch, under a blanket, with your pyjamas still on, watching a new dvd, it's the best spot in the house. Yup, 4pm pjs still on.

And the dvd? It's Hilltop Hospital. It's a bit like Grey's Anatomy for preschoolers.

But it hasn't all been couch potatoes. We've been spending lots of time in the garden too, making magical brews in the outdoor kitchen (those photos at the top) and admiring the fruits of our labour in the vegetable garden. Actually there's not much labour involved in planting some vegie seedlings in spring is there? But like most (southern hemisphere) gardens, ours is overflowing with tomatoes, zucchinis, cucumbers, strawberries and herbs right now.

Doots found this little fellow and became very fond of him, named him Stanley, walked around with him for most of the afternoon, put him in a box and left him in her room. Stanley (of course) escaped and was eventually found slithering up the leg of her little table. I managed to convince her that it was crucial to his very survival that he return to his natural habitat.

Did I mention zucchinis? We are officially in glut. We are not a zucchini slice eating family and the kids don't eat them as a cooked vegetable. We made a zucchini cake today.

She enjoyed licking the spoon. I wonder if it will get eaten tomorrow or if it will return in the lunch box?

I think I'll be trying zucchini pickles next. I'm quite sure my gastronomically gifted mother-in-law has a recipe.

x Sarah

wash the dishes dry the dishes...

2011-03-01T22:41:00.001+11:00

As a stay-home mum, it never ceases to ~~depress~~ amaze me just how much time I spend in the kitchen. So much food to prepare - breakfasts, slices of fruit mid-morning, lunches at home, lunches to go, baked loaves and cakes for afternoon teas, dinners...

And all that cleaning up. On an average day I do the dishes three times, and run the dishwasher once.

Wash the dishes, dry the dishes, turn the dishes over...

It's no surprise then, that 'do dishes' is Oesch's most popular request these days.

Toddlers love to imitate the work they see their parents do, and anything involving water and bubbles is guaranteed to engage Oesch. So giving him some dishes to do might become a regular thing!

I'm linking up with we play at Childhood 101

Tea and reflection... and a guest post

2011-02-23T15:14:00.001+11:00

I am so shocked and saddened today by the emerging horror of the earthquake in Christchurch.

I have wondered whether or not to publish the post I wrote yesterday about my tea cozy - talk about trivial in the circumstances. I've decided to post it anyway, and when I stop for my afternoon cuppa today, I'll be reflecting on life, and family, and small pleasures, and how precious this all is, and how it can all be taken away in a second by the ferocious power of nature. Bless you all.

Yesterday I popped in to one of my favourite shops, the CWA (Country Womens' Association) shop, in downtown Hobart. They sell jams, cakes and baked goods and a vast array of knitted things. I considered the hot water bottle cover with the map of Tassie on it, but in the end couldn't go past this pineapple shaped tea cozy. It's beautifully made and it makes me giggle.

I have never owned a tea cozy before, and while I usually just use a tea bag for my four-cups-a-day habit, I decided to use the pot (so I could use the cozy!). I have always thought that a tea pot is more time consuming than a tea bag, an indulgence akin to a bubble bath. To be enjoyed, absolutely, but not every day.

But, I have had a tea revelation. Tea 'waits' for you if it's in a pot with a tea cozy. It won't go cold for quite some time so if you need to urgently change a nappy, clean up a spill, cuddle an upset child or take a phone call, your tea will still be piping hot when you return. Convenient and efficient, and with the added bonus of a little top up if you need it.

I'm off to boil the kettle...

Before I go, I am guest posting at the wonderful Childhood 101 today. I feel so lucky to be an occasional contributor to Christie's fantastic blog - Childhood 101 is simply the best parenting blog around, with loads of ideas and inspiration for life with young children. Today's post is all about our adventures with a fussy eater.

The Season of Abundance

2011-02-22T14:38:00.001+11:00

I love this time of year. The sting of the summer sun has mellowed and there is a crispness to the mornings once more, which I love. Although I hope the sun hasn't packed his bags just yet.

There is a glorious abundance of fruit and vegetables at this time of year. Here in Tasmania, for a couple of weeks we enjoy an overlapping season where we can have the best of two seasons - the last of the apricots, the ripening wild blackberries and the first of the new seasons apples and pears.

For the last couple of weeks I've been buying fruit in bulk at the farmers market - a five-kilo bucket of gorgeous Moorpark apricots for $15. Many graced lunchboxes or were eaten straight from the fruit bowl. A big batch was poached in wine and sugar syrup and eaten warm with ice cream for dessert, and cold with yoghurt for breakfast. And the rest, about half of the bucket, went to jam. We've given quite a few jars away and still have enough to last until next summer.

And on Sunday, despite a threatening sky, we decided it was time to go blackberrying.

I have lovely memories of picking blackberries with my brothers in late summer where we camped every year at Balnarring, on Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula. We would fill our billies with shiny berries and take them back to the caravan, where mum would transform them into a heavenly blackberry tart, served with sweetened whipped cream for dessert.

Since arriving in Tassie we've found our favourite picking spots in the Derwent Valley and so off we headed, despite the blustery conditions and that sky!

We did our best, collected a couple of punnets worth but we kept getting hit with rainy squalls. It was not enough for jam, but they'd make a lovely addition to the apple crumble I had planned for dessert. The two kids in the back were not as enthusiastic as I'd hoped, so we decided to call it a day. And on the way back home, detouring through New Norfolk we saw this sign:

Is there a rule in Australia that states:

All handwritten signs advertising produce for sale MUST contain incorrect punctuation marks

I wonder if it's the same in other parts of the world?

Anyway, at $6 per kilo for fresh blackberries, how could we drive by? We'd been to the farmers' market earlier in the morning and one farmer was selling them for $6 per 125g punnet. So I bought a kilo and made some jam.

And we still had enough for that crumble. Mmm.

x Sarah

Oh, if you live in Hobart and would like a jar of jam, let me know!

Just add water

2011-02-18T22:33:00.001+11:00

Doots' adventure in starting kinder is going swimmingly. She's settling in, telling me all about what she does during the day, she's exhausted and has a cold and she's come home without her socks twice (what the?) but all in all, it's great.

And I'm really enjoying time with my little one. Oesch is growing up so quickly, he's so busy, so lovely to have around.

He wanted some water to play with the other day. And a smock. I filled a bucket and sat down and watched him get to work. He filled his little watering can and went from plant to plant, watering every herb, every seedling...

...without any prompting at all.

Completely absorbed in his work, I was completely absorbed watching him. And I realised that I used to love watching Doots play like this when she was a toddler, when she was my only child.

Having a sibling has undeniable benefits for both of them, but it is so much easier to really be there in the moment with them, to really enjoy them when there is only one at a time! Note to self: schedule some one-on-one time with the big girl this weekend.

My recipe for a happy half hour in the afternoon:

Take one young child

Place in garden

Add sunshine, a bucket of water and a couple of pouring vessels

Make yourself a cup of tea

Find a comfortable place to sit nearby

Chat to your busy person while he goes about his work

Praise his gardening skills and his industry

Laugh at the funny things he says

Marvel at how clever he is

Wonder how he learned everything he knows

Think about whether you can find a patch of the garden to hand over to him

x Sarah

Linked up with We Play at Childhood 101 - our weekly dose of inspirational play ideas!

Four seasons in one day

2011-02-10T14:28:00.001+11:00

Thank you all so much for the lovely comments on yesterday's day-before-the-first-day-of-kinder post. Reading them all made me feel much better about 'the big day' today.

So of course, we had to take a photo on the front verandah.

"My backpack's too heavy Mum".

Come on poss, give us a smile, descended into...

My poor darling girl dissolving in tears.

I will never forget this moment. It was heart-wrenching.

It reminded me of how I felt all those years ago, watching my mum walk away.

But, she was fine once we got there, and there were no tears as we said goodbye. In fact Doots was the picture of composure at the play dough table as we left.

When we got home at lunch time, her mood was energised and happy.

A quick change of clothes into a new pinafore (thank you Sonia) and a bit of jumping on the bed to celebrate her big achievement. She scaled a mountain today, and I think the view from up there was lovely. So proud of her.

As we were leaving kinder, Doots was clutching this drawing of a rainbow, which I will keep forever, alongside the sad photos from this morning. I'll keep them together and it will be reminder of how the sun always comes out after the rain. After all, the weather is so changeable when you're climbing mountains!

x Sarah

First Day Nerves

2011-02-09T16:17:00.001+11:00

Tomorrow is the big first day of kinder. Doots is worried, and she's been on the verge of tears for the last couple of days. I know she'll be fine once it's not new anymore, but I'm concerned (but trying not to let it show).

She's been wearing her uniform and shoes around the house, out and about, and even to bed for a week or so now. The perfect lunchbox has been decorated, and trialled. She said to me the other day:

"I'm little bit scared, but a lot interested to start kindergarten."

I think she articulated that feeling perfectly. I told her how it is normal to feel nervous and excited at the same time. I thought about how often those feelings actually do occur together in life. We talked about how kindergarten will be new for all the kids to begin with, but how soon it would become familiar and comfy. Just like the way new shoes sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable, until your feet get to know them better.

Yesterday we read the Kissing Hand again, and made some kissing hand necklaces with shrinking plastic (remember Shrinky Dinks, where you shrink stuff in the oven?).

I told her that if she really missed me, she could look at her hand, read my message and know that our love for each other is inside of her and inside of me, and that she will be ok, that I won't be far away.

She wears my (miniature) hand. I decorated it with a tiny self portrait and the words:

I ♥ u so so so much

♥ Mummy

I wear her hand. She decorated it with a big heart and a little heart. While it was shrinking, one of her fingers curled over the other, so it looks as though she's crossing her fingers. I know I'll be crossing my fingers for her tomorrow. But I didn't tell her that, because she'll be just fine.

We've been talking about all the new friends who are just waiting to be met and all the new adventures that await. She can't wait for Grandparents' Day, and she's looking forward to learning Japanese.

I expect she might just need a few extra cuddles in the days to come, but I know she'll be fine.

x Sarah

We ♥ our garden

2011-02-06T22:56:00.004+11:00

Now I know Tasmania has a reputation for rotten weather, but lately I can't help thinking that it's not nearly as bad as the mainlanders think it is.

I've watched with horror as floods have engulfed communities from northern Queensland to southern Melbourne. I've held my breath as cyclones have wreaked havoc up north. I've tried to imagine how it must feel to lose your house, your possessions, your garden...

It feels like we're living in another country. The weather is delightful this time of year. Long, sunny days. The sun warms your skin, the air is clear, but it's not too hot. Actually, even in winter it's not even close to cold in the European or North American sense.

Right now, my favourite time in the garden is the late afternoons, when I should be inside cooking dinner but I just can't drag myself inside. It's more fun tending the vegie patch and chatting to the kids while they potter about. Often we decide to have a bbq - just to eek out a little more time outside.

Anyway, the idea of this post was to give you a little tour of our garden. When we moved into this house 8 years ago, I drew up a plan for the back yard. It evolved over the following years,and last year we actually brought the plan to life. The impetus was a big, unavoidable plumbing job which resulted in half the garden being bulldozed. We hired a fantastic landscaper, and Paul and his workers did the construction.*

The design drivers were practical - to make it a great space for the kids to play in, to maximise the sunshine, to use recycled materials where we could and to grow more of our own food. It's not a large garden so we had to be mindful of the spatial layout.

We had a big pile of the house's original sandstone left over from some work we had done a few years ago, so... we have a sandpit ringed in beautiful stone. Perfectly located under the plum tree, it's a shady haven in summer.

The gravel area that now surrounds the sandpit has been handy. On hot days we play with water here, filling up the clam-shell paddling pool, and sometimes we take the easel out here for painting.

Sandstone has also been used as steps through the garden beds. These ones lead from the outbuilding (which we plan to make into a summerhouse / studio) to the sand pit.

We positioned the stepping stones to suit little strides. If I skip every second stone, it suits my stride just fine too.

Some flat stones by the sandpit are the site of our bush kitchen. Many, many dirt cakes, sand pies and garden soups have been created here.

Some of you have been horrified to see a Le Creuset french oven in the garden! Let me explain... a couple of years ago I was heating some oil to brown some chicken pieces for a casserole, and was distracted by Doots throwing a massive tantrum. I ended up taking her to her room for a little chat. Baby Oesch was napping, I was sleep deprived... When I entered the hallway after dealing with the Doots situation I noticed that the house was thick with smoke, coming from the kitchen. The pot was on fire! I had completely forgotten about the oil. The fire brigade even came to make sure the flames had not travelled up into the ceiling through the rangehood. I felt a bit silly with four big burly firemen coming to the rescue after I overheated a little bit of oil, but they said it was absolutely the right thing to do to call them. If a fire had started in the roof, we wouldn't know about it until it was too late to save it. Anyhow, the enamel on the inside of the pot is ruined, and I am investigating the cost of having it re-enamelled.

We use this collection of rock and timber to construct ramps, animal/dinosaur habitats, kitchen benches, balancing beams. The garden seat is an old sandstone window lintel (the window was replaced with French doors) with an old section of a timber cask lid salvaged from a Hobart brewery.

The door behind Doots has been sawn in half to create a stable door, in what is now a storage shed, but has brilliant potential for a little studio / playspace. The garden shed is on the right. I think the stable door makes it a bit more suitable for kids. Hmm.. now just to find somewhere for all the stuff in there.

These retaining walls create the vegie beds. We reused bricks which were being used as pavers. This is my favourite sitting place in the garden. Doots likes to climb on this wall....

Balance along it...

...jump off it.

This is our little courtyard. It used to be shaded in a hideous treated pine pergola covered, no, smothered with vines. It really was a crime, as this is the sunniest spot in the garden. (excuse the photo, it was taken at about 6 pm, but imagine it's earlier in the day and bathed in sunshine!).

We've lemon trees to the right, and ballerina apples along the shed.

So there ends the tour. I didn't show you everything, because as you may know, we have a couple of chickens. And as pretty as they are, and as much as we LOVE their eggs, it's difficult to get plants established with their scratchy little claws roaming around. So I only showed you the presentable bits. If I manage to get some plants established this year, I'll show you the rest.

And if your garden (or farm) is inundated with water, or damaged by wild weather, or under a thick blanket of ice and snow right now, I wish you many days of sweet sunshine and growth ahead.

x Sarah

*Although I am a landscape architect, I'm not at all handy with a backhoe or cement mixer (and Stephen is a much better lawyer than bricklayer).

Fun in the February Sun

2011-02-04T16:13:00.001+11:00

Holidays are almost over. Soon, we'll be adjusting to our new routine for the year. Kindergarten for Doots (she is warming up to the idea of being a 'schoolgirl'), play-group for Oesch (he is ridiculously excited), swimming lessons, music class... But right now, we're wringing out the last little drops of our summer freedom.

We joined in with the Hobart City Council's Bush Kids school holiday program. This particular activity, Penguin Picnic, was for 2-5 year olds, but they have great sessions for kids up to 10, in and around Hobart's gorgeous natural places. Anna, who runs the programs (and who, it must be said, is a particularly skilled kid-wrangler) led the children on a penguin themed adventure. They talked about penguins, made some cute cardboard penguins and paraded down to the beach for a penguin picnic, face painting and a good old dig in the sand and paddle in the water.

Here's Doots. She has a love-hate relationship with face painting. I think she really dislikes the sensation of the wet paint on her face, and I know how she hates to queue, but she really loves to dress up so the end result is always worth it. Look at that screwed-up little face. It's character-building little one!

There was time to paint everyone's face. At first glance they look like hideous halloween-esque ghouls, but if you look closely you can see the beaks and wings.

It was Oesch's first experience of face painting. He treated the occasion with solemnity. As though he'd just been initiated into the world of big kids.

Ange led the ~~children~~ penguins in a flurry of burrow-digging and parade line preparations. Our friend little Z was like the captain of penguinville, marshalling the troops for the parade and calling (assertively) for reinforcements.

Here are the early birds. The parade line was much longer in the end.

All up, we had a sandy, wet, waddling good time.

x Sarah

a parcel of inspiration

2011-02-03T15:43:00.000+11:00

Hello there! It's been a while between posts. We've spent some time in Melbourne: visiting family, playing by the bay, watching some tennis and buying school shoes (I won't bore you with my despair at the lack of a decent children's shoe shop in Hobart).

Since we've been home, we've been busy getting Doots' uniform together, ready for her first day of kindergarten next Thursday. This process, far from being as straightforward as it sounds, has included alterations, a hunt in the pouring rain for the right socks and another hunt for underwear that actually fits her bottom (there's not much to cling to!). Now, she just needs a haircut and I think we'll be set.

Yesterday this gorgeous bundle arrived. The New Zealand post mark gave it's sender away - I've been so excitedly waiting for this from the lovely Sarah at Red Gingham. All proceeds go to the flood victims in Queensland.

I was the lucky winner of her online auction and we are now the proud owners of this adorable quilted wall hanging. How could I not buy it? In this photo it's just been unwrapped, and it looks even more lovely now after a good press.

Sarah included a little quilted heart in fabric to match the binding, a pretty piece of lace and a row of paper dollies. So thoughtful...

Doots was entranced. The piece is so tactile, it's begging to be touched...

Honestly, she couldn't keep her little fingers off it, tracing all of the seams and stroking the little blocks of colour, chatting away all the while.

And here's little Sophie. I wondered if this is Sophie's house, or if she's visiting?

Doots assured me that this is Sophie's house. She's coming home. That's her apple tree, there's her bedroom window, that's her front garden. Welcome home Sophie! And thanks so much Sarah.

two

2011-01-21T23:27:00.000+11:00

Two years ago, this was the calm before the storm. I was trying to get some rest in hospital (my waters had broken early that morning) waiting for labour to get serious. I didn't sleep much. I was dying to meet you.

You were born the following evening, in the midst of a wild storm that resulted in our hospital, and most of the city, losing power. It's a long story, and I'll give you the blow-by-blow one day, but after walking down three flights of steps in labour, then up, then down again, in the dark, we were transported by ambulance to the major public hospital which was running on back-up generators. There were no traffic lights operating or street lights to illuminate the short distance to the Royal Hobart Hospital. I remember thinking (in between contractions) that it was like a disaster zone. The streets were empty and there was debris everywhere.

When we got to the hospital, even the automatic doors were disabled. Security guards with torches let us in. There were no lights in the halls, and we had to climb another three flights of stairs, by torchlight, but at least the surgical theatres had power. Gosh. At least there was a baby monitor.

You, thankfully, were oblivious to the chaos surrounding your birth. You came into this world as though with a sense of purpose. You're still that way, all action.

You're strong, brave, adventurous, hilarious.

You're happiest in company. You make us all laugh. You don't miss a trick.

You're a larrikin, you give great cuddles and the sound of your laughter fills me up with sunshine.

You know how to share. You can run really fast, you'll give anything a go and you never give up.

You have bucket-loads of empathy, and an outrageous sense of humour.

Tomorrow, you will be two. Happy birthday little one.

Quilt blocks

2011-01-20T08:13:00.001+11:00

It's been a while since I did anything quilt-related. Remember my new year's resolutions? And my vow to finish Doots' quilt by mid-year?

It's not impossible, it's just a matter of seizing the opportunities, getting the machine out and doing it. But I think the size of it must be intimidating. I've never done anything larger than a cot quilt. Why else would it be still in pieces?

But that's not what I'm working on here. These are blocks for Corrie's Quilts for Queensland drive. Including my first log-cabin blocks since year 8 needlecraft class. I loved doing them - super dooper easy, great for using up scraps of fabric and I loved playing with all that colour. I found an easy tutorial, and Corrie has some video tutorials, if you find yourself inspired...

This is a left over block from Doots' quilt top, with it's sweet 1930's prints. It just needs a border to bring it up to Corrie's 12.5 inches, and I'll send a couple of these in too.

Did I mention the colours?

I know their a bit clashy, but I love it.

I love the thought that over 100 women are making quilt blocks which will be sewn together into beautiful, made-with-love, snuggly, forever quilts which will be given to folk who have possibly lost all their worldly possessions. If you'd like to join in, click the pink umbrella in my side bar and find out what it's all about. Leave her a comment, leave me a comment, or send me an email and I will forward the details to you.

x Sarah

Pasta from scratch

2011-01-17T21:39:00.001+11:00

Tonight, we ate the best pasta I have ever tasted. It was even better than pasta eaten al fresco, in Italy. Yes, it's true. It was gorgeous.

It was really fresh, we used eggs from our own chickens, and the recipe was by the ever-wonderful Jamie Oliver (yes I'm a fan!). But I like to think that the secret was that it was made by little hands.

Little hands, and a very beautiful piece of Italian machinery. Doots had a friend over and the girls loved using this machine. I understand - what's not to love? I bought it in the January sales last year. I don't know why it's taken me a year to use it. Was I frightened? Well I shouldn't have been. It was simple. Child's play, actually.

And I loved watching Doots enjoying her dinner (although I felt like a lunatic snapping away at the dinner table). She polished hers off. And then, in one of those weird acts of uninhibited desperation that small children display from time to time, she got down to the floor and tried to eat the stray bits her brother had dropped.

We laced it with a slow cooked vegetable sauce (tomatoes, red capsicum, zucchini, garlic, oregano), and added some little meat balls of free-range pork and fennel seeds.

Jamie Oliver's Blinding Pasta Recipe

serves 4

250g strong flour
250g semolina flour
3 large free range eggs
8 egg yolks

Place both flours on a clean surface (we just used a big bowl). Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and yolks. With a fork beat up the eggs as you bring in the flour. Stir with the fork until you have a dough which you can work with your hands. Knead well until you have a smooth, silky and elastic dough and a clean surface. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest it in the fridge for a while.

At this point I'm going to redirect you to Jamie's very long and wordy instructions for working with the dough and the machine. We didn't do it nearly as meticulously, just kneaded it a little more, divided it into 4 balls, gave the girls a rolling pin each which they used to roll their balls into flat ovals. We fed these ovals into the machine on the widest setting, and then a couple more times through progressively narrower settings. Finally, the girls chose 'fat' (tagliatelle) or 'skinny' (spaghetti), and turned the handle.

We kept the pasta covered with clingfilm in the fridge until we were ready to cook, and I found that they'd actually stuck together in a bit of a messy lump, so I quickly re-rolled once more and popped the strands straight into boiling salted water. The pasta was al dente in about 6 minutes.

Buon appetito!

x Sarah

Gumboots

2011-01-15T14:32:00.001+11:00

This week, despite the weather, we donned our gumboots and spent quite a bit of time outdoors...

foggy bear hunt walks on the mountain...

and puddles to jump in.

Gardening with our chickens who love nothing better than nibbling new weeds. The weeds, of course like nothing better than soaking rain followed by sunshine.

We discovered this old nest when cutting down some very ~~evil~~ overgrown ivy. I do hope its owners won't need it next spring. Do birds return to the same nest? If so, our sincere apologies to the little birds who made it.

We walked along a rivulet track with our mum's group friends, and Doots jumped off rocks. She's like a grasshopper lately, jumping off everything.

She meanders, rather than walks. I've said it before, but it's all about the journey (not the destination) with this girl.

The gumboots kept us sane this week, and for that, I'm grateful.

x Sarah

Joining in (for the first time) with I'm Grateful for...

at Maxabella loves