Time to take time to reflect

I've had one of those weeks....I've had alot of events come and go and this week I have been left feeling drained

This long year for me is near an end....Mike being here is in sight....and I think my body has finally relaxed leaving me tired and lethargic.

I know this week I have shouted too much at the kids and generally been less sympathetic to their needs....this week I have probably whinged to much back at them.....basically been more like a kid than an mother.

So yesterday I started documenting all the good things to remind me 

it ain't that bad......it could be worse

Beautiful sun shining days, where a rug, sunhat and toybox make a for a happy child and a happy mum

Weeding, planting and generally watching my plants grow,while the above child has been playing has been good for my soul

Fixing my spinning wheel, and relaxing spinning....I love that my kids are intrigued by the process and Big J even gave it a go!

Mr B and Little J teamed up to create this hut, apparently a work in progress.....well I can't say much since I have alot of those

This afternoon, Big J was relaxing, putting the finishing touches to his dragon....I love his pictures.

And lastly while everyone was busy doing there own thing this evening...I went to investigate where Lil Miss had disappeared too! 

Oops!

Time to make myself a chai tea and relax....tomorrow is another day :)

Joining in this week with Things I'm Loving

Guy Fawkes - more than just the fireworks

Guy Fawkes has many meanings for me

For the last 21 years it has also been my best friends birthday

And for 10 years I've been watching my children be initially terrified then follow on to be excited and watch in wonder

But it was 5 years ago that my beloved Nana left this world....

 we like to think that she 'went out with a bang' ..... 

We used to call her the 'pink lady' because of her obvious love of the colour.....and I was called her 'lady lucky lucy laura' 

and my Mike she renamed 'himself' 

( too many Mikes in our family)

She was more than just my Nana, quite often she was like my second mother....I even used to raid her wardrobe!

We think of her alot, and last night along with my Mum, Mike the kids and our neighbours...we lit a firework for just for her..... 

I'm sure she was watching down and enjoying the show

Last Minute Earrings

I needed red earrings in a hurry for my brothers wedding this weekend.... enter pink flat studs, red nail polish..wire and beads

And an essential dab of hot glue! Voila!!

Inspiration from my Nana, who was forever using nail polish on her earrings to match her outfits :)

A Weekend Off

My mum is a bit unsure about this blogging lark.....

in fact when I told her I was planning to spend a weekend with 5 bloggers I hadn't met in person before, she got really worried.

And then when she realised she wouldn't be in the country when this meet up was taking place.... she got even more anxious, 
afterall I'm still her little baby in her eyes....all 32 years of me!

But Mum I can tell you, you needn't have been.

The moment I met these girls, I was greeted with smiles and hugs, 

I felt completely at ease, and my butterflies dissolved away.

It was awesome to finally meet these girls that for a long time I had been corresponding with behind the scenes. 

And Deb who had so much wisdom to pass on to me - thankyou x     
It was so refreshing to be able to talk about blogging and all that it entails without judgement or a blank expression.

Infact I enjoyed myself so much, my camera never ventured out, 

I was enjoying living in the moment and all it had to offer. 

( Most of the photo's from the weekend are courtesy of Juliet)

I often scour the pages of facebook where friends of mine without kids ( or just started ) are jetting off to exotic locations and attending this party and that concert with friends in tow...life looks glamorous, I would be lying to say I'm not jealous...
 though of course I know, their life is not all a bed of roses. 
But I think it's only natural that I wish I was there, 
joining in with them.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this?

 I realize my choices of starting a family young and relocating to the country has affected my ability to connect weekly with my friends and pop down to the local cafe and catchup....or go overseas...
But I would never change that....

I am with our decisions... happy in my garden pottering around, 
creating at my kitchen table 
and dreaming of the life that we are striving to create for ourselves and our children

sharing a sunset with my mike x

However what this weekend highlighted for me, is that I don't need my friends nearby.... they can be spread far and wide, 
at the end of the day they will still be my friends and we will just pick back up from where we have left off...And I can add to my friends, friends with mutual interests thanks to this little blog... and we can banter back and forth in the background...
but best of all we can attend weekends like these, where we get quality time without kids clambering for our attention.

Photo courtesy of Cat

Thankyou Juliet, Miriam, Deb, Cat and Leonie
I had a wonderful time... and thanks to Sammy and Simone for travelling an hour to see us on a Saturday night

And last of all thankyou to my Mike for travelling 6hrs to look after the kids for the weekend and extending that to an extra 2 days to help me recover from my weekend of late nights of nattering and crafting till midnight xx

My Creative Space - Little Plaid School Dress

This little dress has been in my UFO pile since September.

I started it on my birthday, as part of a sewing day with my mum, though it has lingered since then waiting for sleeves and a skirt.

I started with a simple sleeveless dress pattern and 

added the details as I went, 
their is pin tucks, ruffles and self covered buttons, including a my favourite a hand stitched hems

I couldn't resist calling this her "Little Plaid School Dress"
as she is soooo ready for school although she's only 3!

On the weekend we received a lot of lovely comments about it.....though at the moment it is a bit roomy, and she kept showing off a bit of her shoulder....but at least it will fit her next year too!

And I'll leave you with this photo.....I have loads of these pics, as she cracked me up with her many attempts to get that water out..... including sucking it from the source! ewww!

Linking in with Our Creative Spaces here

Inspired to Give

Recently I read this post here by Miriam from Make it Give it....

she talked about teaching her young boys about the power of giving rather than receiving,

and it inspired me to get involved.

Following along with her idea, the boys and I looked up the Operation Christmas Child website, 

Once I assured the oldest and my youngest boys that they wouldn't be giving away their toys 

( obviously they are in need of this lesson ) 

We watched the videos of children receiving their gifts, and that really helped the kids understand how big an impact giving would have on these kids....

Together we decided that the gift would be for a boy in the 5-9yrs old category, and wrote out a list of items that would be nice to receive.

Once again inspired by a fellow Our Creative Spaces crafter 

Fay from Monkey Makes Three 

I made the pencil case she recently linked to here.... 

a great tutorial, and perfect to hold some school supplies

Next up was something to play with, so I made a car rollup

This proved itself to be very popular in this household

 It was hard getting a photo without Lil Miss getting her little hands on it :)

Finally Mr B, who really was the most interested in the idea helped me wrap and pack the box....

Infact wrapping the box was the hardest part! Truly! Try wrapping a box with a attached hinge...nightmare ( well at least it was for me)

And at the end of the day....did the boys learn anything? 

Well I should have known my naturally compassionate Mr B would.....as for the other two? 

We're working on it!

Joining in with Our Creative Spaces

Spring Knitting

There was a small gap in the rain today 

so I sneaked a couple of pics of Lil Misses new cardigan

Gingham dress made by my Mum

I realised I have been so busy knitting for new babies, that she was still wearing a cardigan I knitted her last year....

 so this became my project during the school holidays.

I'm not convinced whether I like the ribbon or not, since it doesn't tie together properly and it makes it bunch up, which gives the illusion that it doesn't fit.... so I might change that? 

Maybe a button instead? What do you think?

Despite that I do love the colour and the construction was quite unique.

Knitted in a lovely Possum Merino blend from Utiku 

( The Wool Company )

Pattern - Jane by Tikki Knits

For the first time in a while I'm linking in with

Our Creative Spaces

September - October

So whats been happening here in the last month?

Busy gearing up for planting.....

Moving a huge truck load of wood shavings with the 

help of my three boys.... I knew there was a good use for having three boys

The cows are weaned, we've had a couple of new lambs been born

and we're enjoying the sunshine, spending hours outside... 

which for Lil Miss that usually includes taking all her 

clothes off when my back is turned!

Our very own Lady Godiva ")

Been viewing properties with mum.....she loves it here and is now actively looking! yay!

Also we are in the last couple of weeks before our house down Sth is handed over to it's new owners! Double Yay!

So I have been back there to box up some more stuff to squeeze into every gap we have left here.

And the boys have started a new school.... 

as the last one just wasn't working for us.  

Today was their first day and Middle B said this afternoon that he can't wait to go back tomorrow!! 

I've never heard that one before!

And then there is the endless enjoyment of those wood shavings.... it seems to be quite an attraction for all the visiting children

I guess it's like a giant sandpit? 

Just keep your eyes closed when the wind blows - ouch

Feeling refreshed!

This weekend started with Big J having one of his bad days.  

Something I've neglected to mention here before is that he has Aspergers, and the reason I have kept this quiet on the blog is that it's something we have only discussed with him recently,

 now that he is old enough to understand it.

He has learned to cope with it better as he has got older and wiser, and there are many days that you wouldn't even notice it!

But then there comes those days, or those meltdowns, when it is obvious.... especially in times of stress. 

(which there has been a lot of around here lately)

Or then there are the times when you're followed around the house with him reeling off endless facts of information, that another person couldn't possible pluck from their head..... 

These are the time's that I'm clearly reminded that this is who he is and this is what makes him unique.

And Saturday was one of those days! 3 meltdowns before 10am.

But lucky for us, when my mum came to visit, she came to our rescue.... and acting quickly she whisked away my two youngest boys to stay with her.  

Giving my eldest and I some much needed time together. 

( Recently my Mum has moved house, and for he first time in 10yrs she is only 15 mins down the road...yay! It beats 5 hours ") )

That evening, once my little girl was tucked into bed, 

we got out the paints... 

 Big J's Work in progress

we spent the night oohing and aaahing over each others creations, and I taught him some new techniques to give a try.

Art is a passion that we can share together.... 

Some of his little drawings... 

and we enjoyed our time so much that he didn't go to bed till 9.30... 

It has been several years, that I have dabbled with the paintbrush, 

and once you're in the "zone" time just flies

 my vision for our garden

On Sunday we spent the day pottering around the garden enjoying a calm and argument free day! Something that we both needed.

Then to complete the weekend, after the cows afternoon feed...

 we drove to mums to arrive to a Sunday roast.....

Ahhh! BLISS!! I tell you.

So what could have be an stressful weekend, turned into the one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.

All thanks to Mum x

Gearing up for the growing season

One of the bonuses to moving to Northland is a longer growing season

This year I am dreaming of the harvest 

Tomatoes, Capsicums, Chillies, Eggplants, Watermelons

.... and the list goes on

As you can see I have already started

I used my hot water cupboard to get them started ( covered in clingfilm),  and prepped to plant by the moon calender only to find while telling my neighbour that I got my dates wrong.... I planted on the days it said "do not sow seeds"...shame!  Luckily my mistake made little difference and my tomatoes germinated in 5 days!

Then I transferred them out into our cold frame... which is still in construction

It works a treat and is warmer than the hotwater cupboard!

Also I've been planting.....

 Camellia Hedge

And getting ready for deliveries of topsoil and wood shavings for my gardens.

So far we have done well on the budget...

 Mike has made all of our gates 

and alot of the fencing materials, the calf shed and chicken coop were made using left overs from home renovations and bits and pieces from old jobs at work..... which has been ideal, because we have had more money to spend on planting

This is where the entrance to my vege garden will be.

But you will need to use your imagination....

the two plums trees arching towards each other over a wooden gate...hedge's on either side and a path that meanders through a tiered vege patch, then the path continues past a feijoa hedge and down the hill under large trees to our pond.......

lots of work to do, but I'm sure the rewards will be worth it.

Love in every stitch

Saturday night I finished threading in the last loose ends and thought about how this could be of some comfort to its new owner.

My best friend's mother what recently diagnosed with a Grade 3  aggressive invasive cancer.... and before we knew it, she had undergoed surgery followed up by several rounds of chemo.  

Being so far away I wanted to send her something to show her that I cared and was thinking of her.

I needed something that would be useful, which is when this hat came to mind

 Thinking about her sensitive skin, I knitted this using Rowans Organic Cotton/Wool, and size large to make a loose soft hat band.  The colour is to match her amazing blue eyes.

I can honestly say, that love went into every stitch....

as it took me a lot longer than most hats would, and there were a lot of cables involved.  But the thought that receiving this may just brighten her day a wee bit, spurred me on.

Pattern: Snapdragon Tam

By: Ysolda Teague

Now that these pressies should hopefully be in the hands of their new owners I can share my creative endeavours over the past couple of months.

Introducing Mr Monster and Baby

(my imagination is seriously lacking.. help?)

Made using this pattern here, I'm hoping my nephew will enjoy them just as much as I did creating them. 

he's likely to come up with better name for them too!

Then hearing that my niece was born into a such an unusually cold summer in the uk, I knitted up a last minute woollen cardy.....

pattern here

Hopefully her mummy doesn't mind the hot pink that I chose!

And a little bit of bling.  I have an excuse as it's my first niece.

Once that was done I finally stopped procrastinating and attached the buttons on these booties and ribbons on this bonnet

And a bit more bling!

And lastly to top it off I made a poem to be sent with Dotti the mouse.... thats when I got a little carried away 

 The book was to encase the poem and insure it didn't get thrown away with the packaging... afterall I never paid much attention in English class, so writing this poem was a big deal.... 

And just incase you're wondering about the poem.....

 sorry I'm not sharing!

For some more creative spaces see here