busy, busy, busy

thats how its been here, just plain busy. The littlest one has been a bit unsettled since having his shots last week, so has needed extra cuddles and even if I wanted to, he is just too cute to refuse :).

But I have managed to get a few things done, some pyjama pants and some jeans for the 2 littlest monkeys. I even broke out the much underused embroidery machine for extra touches on the jeans, and I'm sure that even though they can't tell me how chuffed they are with their one of a kind jeans, they love them as much as me.

 Sawyers jeans and pj's

 Macallums jeans, didn't get a shot of the pj's, they have already been worn and in the wash but suffice to say they are the same as Sawyer's but in reverse

Also a bit a resurrection - these jeans have been sitting in my mending pile for goodness only knows how long, well finally the mending pile is done, complete, no more and this is oone of the projects - these jeans were Brierleys, I am guessing a few years ago since they are a size 6 which is now the perfect size for Tanner so we simply covered the holey knees with his favourite fabric  and voila new jeans!!!!! For those that don't know Tanners favourite alias ( he has a few) is Tman rock star, hence the favourite fabric :)

I also tried to save a pair of my old jeans destined for the charity bin as I just didn't like the colour anymore and never wore them but as they were quite expensive jeans I decided to dye them - and I dyed them black - I like the result but need to redo them as the dye didn't take evenly so maybe next time I will have shots of them.

I think thats enough for one post, I have been doing some other things but thats another story......to be continued


xxx

Happy Mothers Day

 Happy Mothers day one and all, hope it was good to you. I had a very nice day and a lovely lunch with family. I am kicking myself I forgot to take a photo of mum's present but it is the same as the above which is for the MIL except different fabric. I am very pleased with how they turned out.

 I did promise more craft in the last post - well here it is - softie heaven or possibly hell lol. Don't ask me why I have made soooo many - some will be toy drops but hmmmm the others, not sure I am just pleased I have my mojo back. I think maybe in the back of my mind I have been toying haha with the idea of a market stall. Something always holds me back though - let me tell you self doubt sucks!!!!!!!!!!!

These were my little test for myself - underwear. I have never worked with knit fabric before but this pattern was so cute I had to give it a go. Okay so they are riddled with mistakes but it really wasn't as bad as I expected and kinda has me itching for some more projects in knit fabric. Pattern can be found here http://www.etsy.com/shop/monkeysbug for those interested. They most certainly have the seal of approval from Hudson who still hasn't stopped wearing them (yes I have washed them).

Anyway I am off to make some hair accessories for the make believe market stall.

cheers

Random Acts of Kindness

 Some of you may know about my pledge for 2011, to do at least 12 (one per month) RAOK for the year. I had gotten off to a slow start with I think 2 for the year to date, this month I have bumped it up to 4, but let me tell you I am going to far exceed my 12 goal - let me tell you why...... I have discovered TheToySociety their aim is to create a "something for nothing " experience. Basically you handmake a toy of any description and leave it somewhere for someone else to find and keep. I did my first toy drop this morning and OMG I am hooked. The elephant above is what was left, what do you think? Would you like to find something like this? This will be the first of many.

I want to give a big big thankyou as well to Nic from http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/sraokfor giving me the insipration and push to do something more, to put some of the ideas whirling around in my head into action. I can't put into words how you have made me feel and hopefully what you have set into motion.

I have finally been doing some craft, I haven't gotten photos of everything yet - but here is a taste - Sawyers blanket. Some of you may know that when Macallum was born I threw together a stray piece of minky and fleece in pale blue that for some reason of another Mac cannot live without. Now while it is lovely that he adores it so much, being pale blue makes it forever filthy, and trying to get it away from him for long enough to wash it is lets just say not easy. So this time around we went with a much more dirt friendly colour. The back is a road pattern so he can even play cars on it when he is older. I hope he loves it half as much as Mac loves his.

Next post will have more creations I promise

xxxxx

due to popular demand

well not really but I did get a request to put a basic recipe for the no poo hair care method up, so ask and ye shall receive - just for you Kristie.

Bare in mind it does need a little adjustment to suit each individual but the basic place to start is

1Tbsn bicarb soda dissolved in 1 cup water, apply this mix to your hair starting by working it around the roots and then down the rest of the hair. Don't be alarmed there will be NO lather. When you have rubbed it around a bit - rinse it out. You are then ready to condition - use about the same quantities - 1tbsn apple cider vinegar (ACV) into 1 cup water and work it in like the bicarb, when you are ready rinse it out. No you won't smell like vinegar I promise.

You can also add your favourite essential oils to the ACV mix if you like, also some honey is nice too.

Experiment, I think you will be surprised by the results........

If you do give it a go I would love to hear about your experience.

Shampoo free and loving it

In keeping with our desire to live a more natural, simple life we have stopped using shampoo and conditioner. No it is not unhygenic or dirty as I have been told - we still wash our hair, I just don't use a chemical cocktail to do it.

Have you ever read the ingredients in your bottles of shampoo and conditioner? Do you even know what those things are or what they do? I am not prepared to put those things onto my head, sorry but I am not one who believes that just because it is on the supermarket shelf then it must be safe. I believe that I am protecting my families health by not allowing these chemicals to be absorbed through the skin and into our bodies. I believe what is too toxic to put in your mouth is too toxic to put on your skin as well.

So I can hear you asking - what do we do with our hair? - Well I'm glad you asked - we use what is known as the no poo method.
Almost 12 months ago I decided to take the plunge after reading a lot about it I figured what did I have to lose ( except another expensive item off my shopping list lol). Basically we wash in a mix of bi-carb and water and rinse in apple cider vinegar. After an inital adjustment period my hair has never been better, no more dandruff and healthy, strong hair.

I know what you are thinking - oh no I couldn't do that my hair would be a big oily mess yada yada yada. Well let me tell you this- your hair's natural oils work on a supply and demand system - the more you strip the oils away with shampoo, the more demand you create and so the body produces more oils. When you stop using the products there is an adjustment period while your body regulates itself again. For me that period was about 4 weeks.

Admittedly its not easy for everyone to get through the adjustment period. My hair was long then so I put it up everyday and tried to hide it a bit for work, but it really didn't bother me too much but I do understand this may be offputting for some.

Another upside is that I am not purchasing more plastic and so doing one more little bit for the environment.

All I can say if you are interested Google is your friend - you will find heaps of info on the internet to help you decide if this is for you or not. I love the fact that I have found a frugal, easy, toxic free way to care for our hair

what do you have to lose...........

helllllooooo anybody there

well if you are still around reading this blog you are a better person than me - I nearly gave up on the blog but  here I am again. No promises on when I will be here again though

The biggest thing to happen in my absence was the birth of the very special Sawyer Phoenix

isn't he perfect? Already he has settled in well to the craziness that we live in, and he is well loved by all his siblings too.

 Delaney and Sawyer

Brierley and Sawyer

mental note to self - upload more photos :)

Can honestly say very little else has been happening, not much sewing or knitting at all, I lost the love for a while, I am slowly getting my mojo back but I have nothing to show for it yet - I do have something special that I just finished knitting but its a gift so no pics yet.

I am also participating in a dishcloth swap on http://downtoearthforums.com/. I haven't done a swap in ages and this is a nice small project to help me find the swap love again.

anyhoo the baby is calling so to speak so seeya later alligators

Op shopping and puppies

 Meet the latest additions to our not so small family, this is Jedda and Murphy. After losing our beloved Bull earlier in the year we had not felt the time was right to get another dog, but as you can see that has all changed, and because we don't do things by halves we got 2 - brother and sister. So far they are very good, not toilet trained yet but getting there and the thing I am most happy about - so far they are very tolerant of not so gentle small children, fingers crossed it stays that way.

 Some very successful shopping at the local lifeline this week. I picked up this cupboard thing - no it does not match anything else we own but I really liked it and for $10 how could I say no. i am sure it will be put to good use.

 My next op shop bargain - this wardrobe, destined to contain the new babies things, it needs a bit of work but the bones are good and I just love the shape and again $20 how could I let it go? Other bargains obtained this week are a commercial grill/cooker - just perfect for a large family - i can't help but picture the amazing hamburgers we will be cooking on this. Also although i have no idea if it works or how to use it - a knitting machine, I will have to try and download an instruction manual, it looks very confusing with lots and lots of little pieces. it may sit here gather dust for a while before I muster the courage to try and work it out but at $8 again how could I go past it.

And finally - do you think the dogs were a big hit, they are very much loved already, a great addition to our bunch!