my helpers

 

In our recent renovations, my studio was the only room completely untouched – not even new carpet. For now, I still have the rough, ugly, rental nylon from before we bought our house. I have big plans for this floor. I want to rip up that ugly carpet, sand back the floorboards, and paint them a bright cheery yellow. In the mean time, crappy carpet is perfect for the days when my little helpers come to visit and craft with me.

 

It’s been one of those weeks where everything is rolling along nicely. I feel organised, all my boxes are getting ticked, and I’m even finding time for me. Finger crossed it keeps rolling that way. A bit of work today, and then I’m off to kick back with Bubba Boy and my crochet hook for an hour or so. Nice easy downhill run to the weekend. Happy Thursday!

mug rug

{mug rug made for Joy in the recent swap}

Phew. The end of a busy day is tantalisingly close. Two in bed, one to go. Drop offs, outings, pickups, classes, work, cleaning, cuddling, playing. Little Bear, as expected, has gone down with a bug. Butterfly isn’t far behind. One more jobs and I’m calling it knock off time. Better blogging tomorrow, promise.

friday

{photo from last week. An 8.15am announcement that a fancy hat was needed saw a mild panic attack, a quick session with the hot glue and a big dose of “close enough”, and 15 minutes later, we had a “hat”. The things we do for our children.}

Friday. The sun is setting. The children are slowly drifting off to bed after a busy day. Music lessons. Drama lessons. Errands. Naps. Cuddles. Campouts. The weekend beckons, and it’s time to log off and kick back. Have a great weekend all!

beetle beetle

For the fifth time that day, I lean in and click the buckle of Butterfly’s car seat together. Repeat for Bubba Boy. Wearily, I pull back, softly push the door shut, and climb in my my seat, buckling my own seatbelt. “Big bridge big bridge big bridge” the chant emerges from the back seat, and we are off on the mad dash from preschool to school, with moments to spare. “I see the wady bettle, pwease, mummy,” he asks, but I shake my head, and soon we are reversing the process as I pull them from the car and race across the road to collect Little Bear. Everyone back in the car, seatbelt buckling number 6 completed, and we are homeward bound. “Mummy! WADY BETTLE PWWWEEEEAAAASSSSSEEEEE” Bubba Boy begs, and as Little Bear joins in, I take a right instead of a left, and the long way home. And then, they see the house. They start bouncing in their seats, and then we are passing by the lady-bettle mail boxes as two small boys yell “LADY BETTTTLLLEEE” and Butterfly squeals in delight, anxious not to be left out. Simple pleasures of a novelty mailbox.  Perfect to bring a smile to a tired mama’s face at the end of a long day.

The lady bettle mailbox is a favourite of our boys, and something I hold as a treasured memory. My fingers itched to paint, and I thought, what better starting point, than a lady bettle. Not a mailbox, just a little bug on a leaf. But enough that it shall always makes me smile thinking of their childish exuberance at a mailbox less ordinary.

Thursday has rolled around, with the promise of rain. Very inconsiderate considering the three loads of washing waiting to hang, and another two to wash. Little Bear has requested a quilt, with a big red aeroplane, for lego playing that will need designed. Bubba Boy has requested a dinosaur costume to make today. Some preschool “homework”. Tidying the disaster area AKA the toy room. A hot coffee with some fresh chocolate cake. I can feel a cubby house building session coming on. Studio tidying, bedroom tidying, general tidying. Moments and games and stories and cuddles. Hi Thursday, nearly rest time. Let’s do this!

sweet birdie…

Without thinking, I flicked up the back of the mailbox, and pulled out the envelopes, not really paying attention, distracted by the chatter of a small boy. My thumb sank into a soft envelope, and I stopped, Looked down. A jiffy bag with my name on it. Could it be? Oh yes, yes it was! I ripped it open, and inside was the cutest little mug rug, made by Nic as part of a recent swap. Isn’t she pretty?

Rolling over the hump on this sunny autumn Wednesday with the help of some friends coming for afternoon tea. Which makes for a busy day. Groceries done, children in bed, time to get into high gear and get cleaning. A cake to bake. 500 loads of washing to hang and fold. A little painting ready to come off the board for blogging. A quilt to plan for a small boy. Cuddles and snuggles and sandpits. Two days to the weekend, down hill run starts NOW. Let’s do this!

my space

 

Hello Tuesday. It’s a grumpy, grey, overcast kind of day. My to-do list is a mile long, and time is short. Friends to visit, painting to finish, housework to do, blog posts to prepare. A wee girl to cuddle and tickle and tease. And 3pm will roll around all too soon, nothing will have been done, but my boys will be home and the sound of playful laughter will fill the house and my heart. Time to make every minute count. But first, coffee. Let’s do this!

hello baby. or toddler.

• The piles on my desk slowly dwindled as I pottered about, moving piles from one side of the studio to the other. Under a pile, old enough to be carbon dated, I find a package. Wrapped in brown paper, covered with pink handprints. I stare at it blankly, confused for a moment, and then recognition dawns, bringing with it a healthy side-serving of embarrasment. A gift for a friend’s baby. Born in July. Ooops. The card sitting on top has suffered more than the parcel. Marked, creased, I turf it and make a new one. A hasty arranged courier to get the present to little miss, and crossing everything it still fits!

  

   

  It’s been a busy kind of Monday, something about the weekend always seems to create more housework than your expect from two days. We managed some gardening, and hanging with small people. Today I’ve done my best to sneak some painting time in amongst the to-do list. But tomorrow looks craftier. I hope. Monday’s been nice, keep the trend going Tuesday.Let’s do this!

a stitch in time.

Leaning back against the lounge, I relaxed, letting the chatter wash over me. Lazily my gaze swept the room as I listened, half to the conversation, half to the suggestion of commotion outside the door. How long, I wondered, until Butterfly started demanding my presence. Our study done, the talk had turned to admin, and then on to travel. Adventure looming for friend, my ears prick up as she tells us of the red-tape for visiting a Ugandan orphanage. No gifts, no special treatment. The best thing you can do is share skills with them, help them learn to improve their chances of getting jobs. I thought I might do some sewing, she says, and immediately, the cogs fall into place, and the wheels in my mind start turning.

 

A lazy Saturday night in, and with a little help from a very kind friend, my plan came together easily. A little sewing caddy – wool felt to hold some needles, a place to tie in a reel of cotton, a little pocket to hold scissors or embroidery floss. (the card is also mine, one of set of unsold note cards made with one of my early watercolours).

 

Saturday, and everyone is present, accounted for and healthy. Running Bear is home after a few days away at a conference. Little Bear is ready for a rest as the end of first term approaches, so we are laying low. A productive trip to the nursery means an afternoon in the garden, if the rain holds off. Some painting to scratch an itch ignored for too long. Some filing and washing. A party for the same dear friend the sewing caddy is for. Prep for Sunday School. Books with my babies. Bubba Boy helping daddy outside while Butterfly naps and Little Bear keeps me company in the studio. A lovely easy Saturday, just the way we like it. Let’s do this!

noteworthy

Every afternoon, the routine is the same. Walk in the door, wrangle with baby on hip as I try to make afternoon without her grabbing the food and/or knife, while chatting to the boys, and cajoling them into getting their chores done. Have you put your shoes away. Have you unpacked your lunch box. Is it in the drawer? Come on, bag away and wash your hands for afternoon tea. Do you have any notes for me?

 

That last one seems to bring forth a forest of paper every afternoon. Newsletters, book club forms, notes about plays and dressup days. A multitude of bits and pieces, all requiring my attention and likely return to school. They have been, until know, living on a corner of my kitchen bench, but at last, the mess was too much, and so I called the boys to me, raided the stationery and scrapping supplies, and we soon got to cutting and glueing. Some scrap book paper, an A4 envelope, and a pad of post-it notes, and I was feeling slightly more organised.

 

 

Somehow the week is getting away from me. Thursday today, and we are hanging out at home, taking it easy. Baby girl is a bit off, so we’ve been cuddling this morning, with a few stories thrown in. Baking a cake. Playing with the chicken. Picking fresh tomatoes from the garden. I’ve been rocking the glue gun for the finishing touches on a Humpty Dumpty costume. The afternoon is stretching out, to be filled with errands and tea parties and craft. A nap wouldn’t go astrat if I could swing it, but that’s looking less likely. Toilet training, housework, playing with my babies. The usual Thursday busies. Let’s do this!

 

Little Elves

Come as a fairy or an elf, the invitation said. And so, I walked the streets, looking for an elf costume, or anything vaguely elf like. A fortnight before Halloween, I’ll be sure to find something, I told myself. But no, not a single elf to be found. Which is how I found myself at the fabric shop. The day before the party. A couple of metres of homespun sat before me, I called over Bubba Boy, and with a piece of green cotton folded in half, held it at his shoulder and roughly measured the length of him. Snip snip snip, and then he was back, arms outstretched, as I measured out his sleeves. A couple of quick seams, and the top was together. A similar theory for the pants – a rough waist measurement, some tailors chalk to mark out a shorts shape for a left leg and a right leg, a seam and a casing for the elastic, and the shorts came together. Half an hour at the machine, and I had two little elves. The off cuts from the shirt hems piled on the table were too tempting, and with a couple of quick folds, a seam and some bobby pins, two little caps topped off the ensemble.

Then, Running Bear came in to admire our efforts. “Oh, are they going as Peter Pan?” I burst out grinning – having used Peter Pan as my inspiration, it was confirmation I’d got it right. “Yep”, I beamed proudly. “But aren’t they supposed to be elves? Peter Pan isn’t an elf.” “Yes he is” “No” “Yes. Well, what would you say he is?” “i dunno, but not an elf” “well, close enough. I don’t have time for anything else”.

And so, two happy little Peter Pans went off, and were the hit of the party. Not a bad effort for half hour and $10!!

Tuesday is rolling along slowly. A sore throat is threatening. Bubba Boy is on the improve, but still home from preschool, so we are rocking out to Land Before Time. Again. My to-do list is piling up, but my body is screaming for rest, so that’s what I’ll do. A cup of tea, and a lay on the lounge with some cartoons for the other sicky. The housework will wait. The folding will still be there. The baby sleeps, the boy is happy, it’s rest time for this mama.