Handmade Christmas

My determination that this would be a handmade Christmas has made these last two weeks completely crazy! 

 

I have.....

 

• made pom-poms (and a huge mess) with my daughter's Year 1 class
• gritted my teeth as I knitting a slouchy beanie (one of three) in West Coast Eagles' colours for Mr D 
• bought some gorgeous handmade gifts from the Denmark Art Markets where my friends Laraine and Suki have a colourful stall filled with gorgeous garments and accessories they have made themselves - clever girls!
• crocheted seven Granny Stars for my seven 'star' students at work
• lunched with my knitting group at the (not so) Healthy Buddha (but it was very yummy)
• crocheted a pressie for my Mum - shhhh!
• cooked up a barrel load of tomato relish for more pressies
• won a brilliant giveaway from here
• waved to Santa at our street party
• consoled my uncontrollably sobbing Year 1 daughter as she farewelled her teacher, Mr D, on his last day
• had a little cry of my own on viewing the creatively poignant video he made of our children
• gone to dinner with my workmates where there was much cackling and Making Of Plans
• gone to G's Christmas outing with his work colleagues

and finally

• painted a last minute Name Painting order at the same time as trying to pack the car.

 

For, you see, we are off to the big bad city for our Christmas with my family.

 

Yee haw!!

 

Wishing you lots of joy and laughter these holidays, and an absolutely brilliant and productive New Year!

 

And take care!!
 

Sam xx

These last two weeks - November 24

 

 

1. I finished some Christmas presents - two knitted boy beanies, and three crocheted cotton washcloths inspired by onecraftymumma's dishcloth swap;
2. We had visits from three cheeky frogs who found themselves in a supposed Shangrila, aka our girls' toilet. So ensued the 'frog check' routine, which soon lost its charm, especially at 3am. 
3. I finished another painting, "Mistaken Island";
4. Miss M's soccer wind-up was held on a magic day at Frenchman's Bay - heaps and heaps of kids of different ages, all playing together and helping each other in the water - truly awesome.
5. I finally got a much needed haircut;
6. The blue tutu-ed twins experienced their first ever concert week of dance extravaganza rehearsals and performances - all 3 and 1/2 hours of it - with great energy, excitement and success (not to mention relief on Mummy's part), and;
7. I had two of my paintings accepted for display and sale at the Albany Visitor Centre. Yay!

Busy, busy. As ever.

Life is good. Hope all is well with you.

xxx

Saving the (Birth)day!!

My twin girls had their birthday last week, and as usual, in the lead up to the Big Day, we talked about the Birthday Cake/s they would like me to make for them. 

 

I thought I was so clever.

 

"Girls, this year for your birthday, you can share one decorated theme cake or you can have an easy cake each." (FYI, an Easy Cake = coloured icing with Smarties and Freckles on top, my supposedly failsafe, go-to method for cake decorating)

 

"Easy cakes, Mummy!!" they shouted.

 

 See? Easy!

 

 

Until Miss J, on seeing her baked, circular and cooling-on-the-rack cake, burst into tears.

 

"But Mummy, my cake is meant to have straight edges."

 

What??

 

"And where is the beach and water going to go? I had a dream about my cake. And what about the boat?"

 

Er... what boat, my darling?

 

"Izzy's!!!!!"

 

Er... who is Izzy?

 

 

 

Izzy, it turns out, is the girl character in Miss J and E's current favourite licensed animated series which includes automated sailing ships, a captain with a hook, and a cheeky flying boy in green clothes who helps to save the day.

 

Quick! Grab the DVD cover, copy it twice, cut out, laminate, trim, and stick into icing on cakes between some Smarties. Phew!!

 

And of course, in the midst of all the birthday party craziness, the only photo I managed to take was one after everyone had left. Not an Izzy to be seen anymore, but I remember what the cakes looked like.

 



 

In fact, I'm thinking I will never, ever forget.

Do you have a favourite cake decorating moment? Or technique?
Do you have any stress/time saving ideas for kids' parties? Successful and not so successful ideas (like mine!) are most welcome - I have another party to organise in three weeks and I could do with all help I can get!!

Have a great week!

 xx

Chatting with Cezanne

When we were in Perth during the week, I took the girls to the Art Gallery of WA. I know. I am still recovering.

 

But I desperately wanted to see the exhibition "Van Gogh, Dali and beyond" which is full of artworks currently on loan from the Museum of Modern Art.

 

I loved it!!

 

Even before we walked in, while we were waiting in line to enter, I caught a glimpse of the entry artworks through the door. Oh, my!!! There was the Van Gogh, but wait! Right next to it. There, glowing on the wall, a Cezanne still life!!! Ahhhhh!!!

 

*sob*

I could have stayed in front of this painting, blocking everyone else's view, for hours. But I had the girls with me, and standing still is not something they are renowned for! And so, on we went.

 

The girls found the kids' art activity section - yay....

 

And Miss E thought the view through the window into the next room was far more compelling than the stunning artwork on the wall. Hmmm.......

 

The second half of the exhibition was viewed at a rather rapid pace, but that wasn't too bad. I had to exit the room to take the girls to the toilet, which meant that we had to re-enter, past the Cezanne, in order to see the remainder. Really? I have to walk past the Cezanne again? If I must :) !

 

I haven't felt such an emotional response to an exhibition since I saw a Brett Whiteley show at the gallery in the late 1980s. I think. And the biggest difference in those 25 years in terms of gallery etiquette would have to be the plethora of technological devices that people now take with them into exhibitions, and the NUMBER of photos that they take - hey, I'm one of them (obviously!), but it just seemed, well, wrong.

 

Great exhibition, great day. And great buddies - my friend Julie and her son came with us and I am eternally grateful for her kid wrangling assistance while I was being hypnotised by Cezanne.

 

This exhibition is worth every cent, and, if I manage to get myself back to Perth before the exhibition closes in early December, I am going to have another chat with the Cezanne painting.

 

xx

Granny's Favourite Cardi Ta-dah!

Miss E is loving her new cardi - she chose the yarn and buttons herself, so I'm hoping it means that this time she will actually wear it! And she is!! Hooray!!!

pattern::     Granny's Favourite
designer::  Georgie Hallam aka tikkiknits
yarn::         Moda Vera Pure Wool 8 ply printed from Spotlight
needle::     4mm
yardage::   5 skeins = 435 yards / 397 m

I really enjoyed knitting this pattern - it was fun and has been so well written, allowing for all ages, sizes, arm lengths and yardage. It's seamless, too! In fact, this pattern encourages that the knitter plays yarn chicken to see if they can use up all their yarn.

Fun, fun, fun! I'll be knitting this again.


xx

Playdate Ettiquette for Twins!

Gouache on Paper
 

 

Our most recent Twin Conundrum:: The Playdate Minefield

 

Oh, the emotional pain, the potentially traumatic situation of the playdate invitation, the one where one twin is invited but the other isn't.

 

It has just happened to one of the twin families at school. The mother of twin 8 year old boys was talking about it at after-school soccer practice as she had experienced it for the first time yesterday. She said that she didn't handle it well initially; she had started with anger - "how mean to invite one and not the other".  She then moved to sadness - "I had a cry". And then she asked us what we thought. 

 

Hmmm.

 

I gently suggested that maybe here was a perfect opportunity to develop her twins' individuality, that the family treat this playdate situation as if the children were of separate ages, in which case they most certainly would have different friends and therefore different playdates. I also suggested that this was also a good opportunity to do something special with the uninvited twin while the playdate was underway, an activity that was just for him and not his brother.

 

One of the other mummies piped up: "But what about the invited twin? Wouldn't he feel as if he were missing out on his mother's attention, then?"

 

I don't think so - there will be other times when the roles are swapped and then it will be his turn to have his mother's attention. And if there are other siblings to be considered as well, there are other options for that, too.

 

Twin mummy looked at me rather strangely, and then she remembered that I have twins too.

 

Now, I haven't yet encountered this situation, but it is definitely on its way, and I have already thought about how we might approach it with my twin girls.

 

We are currently experiencing the joys of sorting out who likes which after-school activity; yes, it would be great if both twins liked the same dance class, but with one liking the traditional approach and the other preferring a more, er, holistic style, there is no way we can get around their need to attend different classes at different times. Or two concerts to prepare for at the end of the year. Joy.

 

I know, I know, it seems a no brainer, but when the twins and I are used to them doing everything together, suddenly having to do something separately is a bit of an event and needs to be managed as sensitively as we can.

 

Playdate etiquette for twins. Look, it isn't a happy situation, nor is it likely to pass without someone's feelings being hurt, but at least that hurt can be reduced with careful management. Every child is different. Even twins. Of course!

 

 

Do you have any other ideas for managing twin playdate situations? I'd love to know.

Or any other interesting info about playdates you would like to share?

 

 

Take care!

 

Sam xx

watercolour

Typical! I put my apron on to try and sneak in some more painting, and the twins decide that now is the time for some painting of their own!

 

And then they produce beautiful watercolour wet-on-wet pieces like these and I really can't complain any longer. 

 

 

 

 

Except I'm glad I took a photo - the paintings don't look like these anymore! Boo hoo!!

 

 

xx

Haircut

Going...

 

 

going....

 

 

Gone!

 

 

 

Sob!! 

  

A trip to Perth is never complete without a haircut, but this is not quite what I had in mind for Miss M.

Of course, she has a mind of her own.

 

I wonder where she gets that from??

 

 

xx 

Earworm Correction

Okay, okay.

It seems that the Will.i.am song is actually my Earworm. Miss M is adamant that this song from Bruno Mars is the one that the girls actually prefer.

I stand corrected.

Yay again!

xx

Sesame Street Earworm

 

Oh, I do love a catchy tune and this week's Earworm - suitable for all ages and considered to be very, very cool by the girls (and me!) - is brought to you by Sesame Street and Will.i.am.

 

Yay!

 

xx

 

 

Rainbow Creatures

 

For a supposedly small garden we have a surprising amount of birdlife around our home; silver eye finches, blue wrens, seagulls (not so exotic), pelicans soaring above our heads.....

 

and "Rainbow Birds".

 

I think it is a rainbow lorikeet that flew into our window this morning. It lay stunned and winded on the path for a few minutes, turned itself upright, sat quietly for a few more minutes while it gathered its senses, and then, suddenly, flew away.

 

All of this was witnessed by the girls who had run into the front room to see what caused the "bang" on the window. The suspenseful moments of "will he, won't he" were accompanied by my running commentary about what was happening and what the positive and negative outcomes might be. Phew!! I am soooo glad the rainbow bird survived! 

 

 

And there are other rainbow creatures hiding in our garden - Miss E took this photo of her newly completed Rainbow Doggie as she frolicked among the foliage. Awwww! Miss E often sneaks away with my phone for her covert photo shoots. I must admit, I do love to check out the images which magically appear on my phone from one day to the next! 

 

Rainbow creatures on the rainbow coast.

pattern:: Muffin the Puppy
yarn:: assorted 4ply yarns from my stash
needle:: 3mm

A rainbow puppy sister for her birthday doggie.

 

Sam xx

Easy Folded Poncho Ta-dah!

Ooo, it's lovely! I wore this poncho for the first time last night to warm myself up - I had been sitting on the couch completely absorbed in the little hat I was crocheting when I suddenly realised I was cold. Very cold! Poncho to the rescue!

 

Pattern::   Easy Folded Poncho by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas

Yarn::      Rowan Felted Tweed DK in Carbon. Lovely blue undertone to the grey. Bit scratchy on

                exposed skin. I would use the suggested alpaca yarn next time.

Needles:: 4 mm

Yardage:: 6.5 skeins = 1242 yards / 1136 m

Mods::      I added 10cm to the width and 20cm to the length, which I felt would be a better fit for

                 a…..hehem….. more solid girl. It worked.

 

This pattern is certainly very easy with lots of lovely stocking stitch....lots and LOTS of stocking stitch! I did find myself getting a teensy bit bored by it but, admittedly, it was the perfect mindless knitting project for TV watching. Just make sure to stop and measure towards the end or you may find you do too much.....

 

Anyhoo, now I am working on a couple of smaller projects for the girls. I was told off for spending too much time working on projects for myself! Miss J has chosen a hat, Miss E would like a rainbow doggie to match her birthday present, and Miss M would like me to sew a new dress for her. Oh, for some mindless stocking stitch.....

 

Have a beautiful Easter holiday, everyone.

 

 

Sam xx

 

Easter Baskets aka Paper Plate Playdate Joy

 

My girls have been making their Easter Baskets, as we do each year, and this year I decided to 'magpie' the idea of how to make them from Miss M's basket that she made last year in Pre-Primary. We set ourselves up outside and invited over two of their new Kindy friends to make it a very social occasion.

 

How simple is this?

 

A decorated paper plate with cuts aimed towards the centre, evenly spaced around the outside edge, and then overlapped and stapled into the basket shape.

 

If you want a smaller, narrower opening to your basket, make more cuts or overlap more of each cut segment when you staple them. If you want it larger, make the cuts shorter, don't make so many, and don't overlap them so much.

 

The handles are made from strips of strawboard (card) that I have gently pulled over one of my fingers to give them a soft curve before stapling them on to the basket base.

 

Once the basket is constructed, it can be embellished to a little person's heart's desire! One idea is to use coloured tissue paper to mache over the staples. In our case the girls raided the glitter supplies. Yes, glitter is sprinkled from one end of the house to the other, but special occasions require such abandoned glitter application!

 

 

 

 

Yay! Easter Egg Basket Paper Plate Joy!

 

Now, where's that vaccuum cleaner??

 

 

What are you making for Easter with your children?

Do you have any creative kids' activities to share?

Hoping you are having a great weekend.

 

 

Sam xx

Open Garden

 

 

Ever hopeful of another opportunity to grab a swim, I threw everyone's bathers in the car before we left for today's outing to an Open Garden* an hour away.

 

But it rained and rained!

 

All was not lost, however, for, although I had also thrown in the umbrellas "just in case", the girls haven't quite perfected their umbrella technique yet and, surprise, surprise, they were soon wet through. Drenched!

 

They weren't getting back in the car in that state! What to do? Aha!

 

Bathers!

 

And the garden at "Tree Elle" where we had received the drenching? It is a beautiful parkland with quite established trees in what had been a paddock a mere 13 years ago. Inspiring...... as was the chocolate mud cake the owner had for sale! "Yumm," said Miss J.

 

My search for a really good chocolate mud cake recipe begins!

 

Hoping you all had a fantastic weekend!

 

 

Sam xx

 

On the mend

 

Playing wave chicken on the long weekend.

Screeches of delight!

 

One wouldn't know that Miss M's collar bone is still broken!

She is managing herself beautifully and finds there is very little need now for her sling.

 

And I am amazed!

 

 

 

 



1,2,3,4...

It's taken a while for this little gem to find its way into our lives*, but now it is here, and we bounced our way to school with its tune in our heads, it has to be shared some more!


Sam xx

* care of Miss M's brilliant new Year 1 teacher - a bloke! Hooray!

Life is good!

Things are going well -

The kindness of new neighbours - peaches fresh from the tree - and we have also been offered surplus produce from three other lovely neighbours,

 

G started a new job last week and is enjoying himself – he now sells sheds!

We have met some lovely people through Miss M’s involvement with Little Athletics,

I have been invited to join a local knitting club (and the word is they are a very entertaining bunch!)

G finished painting the two back bedrooms and they look beautiful,

We went camping in Walpole on the weekend,

Miss M passed her stage 2 swimming lessons,

 

I have never before experienced my three girls dressed, breakfasted and ready to go as early as they were today for their first day at their new school,

Misses E and J think their Kindy teacher is “very funny”,

M reckons she already has two new best friends,

And, most importantly, Miss J is satisfied it is okay to wear a non-yellow school uniform as long as she gets to wear yellow bows in her hair!

 

Life is good!

 

 

Hoping all is well with all of you!

 

Sam xx

Yellow

Yellow toes for my yellow-loving rose!

 

I wonder how she is going to cope with having to wear a green and blue uniform for the first time?

 

 

Sam xx

Clancy and Millie

This beautiful book, Clancy and Millie and the Very Fine House, written by Libby Gleeson and illustrated by Freya Blackwood*, is getting a workout here at the moment. It's a delight - thoughtful text and sensitive, brilliantly executed illustrations, with a poignant and extremely relevant theme; how does a child cope with moving to a new house in a new location?

I have to agree with the main character, Clancy - I would also prefer to stay in the pretty cosy cottage rather than the inner city townhouse with large cavernous rooms that his family have moved to. But that's not the point. As Clancy checks out his new surroundings, clutching to his security toy, he is nervous, anxious, displaced.

 

Just like my little girls have been feeling! Unsettled. For Miss M, it first manifested in her early morning writing session, all over Grandma's new couch. ALL over it. Wow! Completely out of character. And then she spent a week clutching on to her security toy, crying a the drop of a hat as she tried to find her way in this new place.

 

Five weeks on and they are doing better now, and school starts in a week. I'm looking forward to the routine it will provide and I have no doubt that our girls will be more settled when they find new friends. In the meantime, swimming lessons have helped, as have visits with their cousins and, this last weekend, visits from out-of-town grandparents and friends. And cuddles. Lots of cuddles, talks, letters and parcels sent to old friends, phone calls...

 

and Clancy.

 

 

What books have you been reading lately?

 

 

Sam xx

 

* Check out Freya's blog here. She is a very talented lady!

 

First Crush

 

A couple of months ago, Miss M told me she was going to marry Alec from her class.

 

"Oh? What is it about Alec that you like so much?"

 

"He has cool hair."

 

Oh. Well, she is only 6 years old. Seems a good enough reason to me!

 

And I thought nothing much more about it........until she started sobbing last night.

 

"Darling! What's wrong?"

 

"Alec isn't just on holiday. He's moved away. To a country on the other side of the world! I didn't even get to say goodbye! And I'll never see him again!!!" And she continued to sob; an hour of inconsolable sobbing!

 

What?? She's only six! Is the world really going to end?? And did I ever feel like that with my first crushes??

 

The funny thing is, I can't remember most of them - I actually came across an old journal of mine while packing and I scanned through it, only to discover my lamentations over a boy whom I can no longer remember. Who was this boy? My grand passion sobbed out on to the page, unrequited love - like most of my crushes.

 

And isn't that what a crush is? Unrequited?? In Miss M's case, not so, it seems - Mr Alec had told her he wanted to marry her, too.

 

Some detective work (a gossip with the class teacher) uncovered the details of Alec's departure - his family have moved to a country town - not unlike what we are about to do, only in the opposite direction. Even so, this seemed to placate my eldest's concerns - Alec's living in WA. It's okay. He's not so far away. Maybe she might see him again?

 

And off she trotted, to giggle with her friends.

 

Her first crush - she may not remember when she grows up, but I will!

 

 

 

Do you remember your first crush?

 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Sam xx

 

 

Photo of National Geographic Magazine, February 2006 - something else I found while packing!