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!

birthday girl

I really should have posted on Friday because that was Delaney Rose's 8th birthday, but we had a great time and I am only just catching up with this today. As you can see one of her gifts was this guitar and she loves it, she got some amazing gifts and is really growing up. Where has my baby girl gone?, but I really can't complain, she is growing into a beautiful, young girl.
Isn't this just brotherly love at its best? I love this photo.

And I finished another knitting project that has been on the needles far too long. My second pair of socks is finally complete :) . I love love love my homemade socks, they are the best socks I have ever owned. I have cast on another pair of socks but I suspect they will be on the needles a very long time too because after I find out the sex of belly fruit this week there will be some serious baby knitting happening. Still keeping my fingers crossed there will be pink knitting happening - so keep them crossed for me too :)

no news is good news

I seem to be suffering bloggers block or somthing along those lines at the moment. It seems to be a combination of time, motivation and quite frankly nothing to say. I am sure my life is not that boring....okay who am I kidding it is definitely that boring and I guess I don't need to inflict that boredom on everyone else by writing about it :)

Finally I have made something for the belly fruit - a little colourful blanket, a little smaller than I would have hoped but I had no other ideas for this wool.
and speaking of the bellyfruit - here is another action shot, not too much different from the 13 week shot. We are now at 18 weeks and doing well. Ultrasound next week will hopefully tell us if it is a boy or girl belly fruit so we are madly trying to come up with a boys name just in case, girls name is sorted but we are really struggling with a boys name.

will endeavour to be back more frequently, in the mean time stay dry and bring on the spring weather. I am very much over the rain....

and we're back

well it seems I have had nothing to say lately, life has been moving along as it does with no major changes. Been doing a little soul searching and I think I have come out better for it with a better idea of where our family is headed

Speaking of family - well ours is about to get bigger again, yes baby number 6 (and last) is on its way. I am 12 weeks along and already huge. I am very much looking forward to getting a look at this little bellyfruit on Monday
Look at these bathing beauties aren't they gorgeous, although I may be a little biased. Macallum has finally worked out what the camera is for and now performing happily when one appears. And even more surprising is that Hudson seems to finally be happy to have his photo taken too, and doesn't he take a nice pic too!!

For some reason the older 2 didn't seem so keen to have their pictures taken in the bath - hmm, I think they are growing up

September is nappy hunt time , much time is spent searching for that elusive icon, and shopping too, although I can honestly say I have participated in 6 nappy hunts now and never bought anything - maybe this time will be different. There are some awesome sites to discover, not all nappy related, so its fun for everyone.

cheers

things to remember

some things I need to remind myself of more often

• open your arms to change, but don't give up your values
• be gentle with the earth
• a loving atmosphere in the home, is the foundation for your life
• silence is sometimes the best answer
• learn the rules, so you know how to break them properly

I know there are more but these are the ones I was thinking of today - they have struck a chord so thought I'd share.

feeling blurgh

well today i feel yuck, tired, cranky just plain flat:(. So today I am going to grizzle about a few things, I don't whinge often so be prepared!!!!!
first off I am mad about the Gold Coast birth centre being closed down, well yes it has been reopened for the weekend but well!!!! Birth Rights are a little bug bear for me, I just don't understand why men in suits think they can do this to women time and time again. First they target home births and independant midwifes now apparently its birth centres - this birth centre is in the hospital grounds really - how dangerous can it be - apparently it has been associated with three deaths and yes I totally agree this is tragic, but how many babies have died in the hospital itself? You'd better close all the hospitals down because people die in them all the time!!! Anyway I thought I'd include a little quote which says things quite well I think

"First they came for the unassisted birthers,but I did not speak out, because I do not free-birth.Then they came for those who birth at home with lay midwives,but I would would not speak out, because I would not have a home-birth with a lay midwife.Then they came for those who birthed with Certified Professional Midwives,and I would not speak out, because I would not have a home-birth with a CPM.And then they came for those who birthed in birth centres and with Certified Nurse Midwives,but I would not speak out because I would not have a birth in a birth centre or with a CNM.And then they came for me,and there was no one left to speak for me. "

My number 2 gripe for the day - what is so wrong with the way we do things?, why do we feel like outcasts? Is it wrong to believe it is more important to love our kids than give them everything they want? Am I wrong to believe it is impotant to teach the value of money, how to care for the environment, about where our food comes from and what is in it? Okay so I am not doing the best job in the world, but we are trying and while trying to teach my children these things I also am trying to raise independant, free thinking, questioning little souls. I do not want them growing up to believe everything they read in the paper or is on the tv. I want them to ask why, how and who? I want them to stand up for themselves and their brothers and sisters, to be able to have a fight amongst themselves and be able to work out a solution for themselves. I do not want to be a helicopter parent.

I could go on but clearly some people have really rubbed be up the wrong way this week so I will leave it there today

A bit of this and that

Lets start with the cute.... of course they are, aren't they. A rare occasion - these 2 playing nicely together, probably because 2 of their 3 other siblings spent a couple of nights at Nans. I always seem to be posting pics about these 2 but with BJ and Tman gone for a couple of days it was amazing how many times I went to say "Beej, how about.... or Tman do you think...." etc . Little lightbulbs moments like this remind me how much I love and miss my kids so much when they are not around and reminds me why we have such a big family. I wouldn't have it any other way. Sure it may be a little out of the ordinary but hey it works for us.
And we bought a new car, well not new but new to us. Its a loooong way from new, but its in such good condition and only 43 000 km's on the clock and best of all its a 10 seater so room for a few more in there :)

T o say that Darren loves her would be somewhat of an understatement. She has been dubbed old Bessie.

And last but not least my craft for the last couple of weeks. First off - a Shalom cardigan http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/shalom-cardigan for me. Its my first ever adult size garment and I love it, I do believe i may be knitting for myself more often

And a handbag and matching purse for a swap. Yes it is the bag style that I seem to make all the time but I did decide it was time for a little makeover and changed the handle as I did think the other style handle let the bag down a bit. I may change the handles more as time goes on but I do quite like this style. The purse I did as a little challenge to myself. I have had the pattern and frame for ages and because the pattern was quite hard to read and understand I had never attempt it, but hey you gotta start somewhere, so it worked out ok, not perfect but not bad if I do say so myself. In fact I think I may have to make one for myself soon.

New Life

Guess what, guess what...... we have new babies.2 brand spanking new baby chicks, well a week old now but you know :). Aren't they just the cutest things ever, we think so. For those of you that don't know Darren has somewhat of a chicken fetish, he loves them, we have heaps of many different varieties like, silkies, frizzles, buff columbians, polish, feather feet and honestly because I don't love them as much as him that's all I can remember LOL. Anyway Darren has an incubator so not all but a lot of eggs go in there and lo and behold amazing for a couple of amateurs we managed to hatch a couple. We have had a lot of failures too but fingers crossed this is the beginning
the yellow one is a regular garden variety chicken, but the black one well to be honest we are not sure what she is, except that it is a bantam of some description, hopefully time will tell. And we may have baby ducks soon too as we have a clucky duck sitting on some eggs. We have 4 ducks - Donald and his girls - Daisy, Daphne and Delilah. Donald is one happy duck :)

And for a baby (or rather toddler) of a different kind, he is pretty cute too if I do say so but growing much too fast. He is developing such a personality, its fascinating to watch and be a part of, he is so funny and happy, just a joy to be around.

And another artistic photo from the photographer extroidinaire Delaney. She is good, isn't she!

Stay tuned

Bull the dog

I have avoided writing this post, I think because I was in denial, well the time has come to accept it :(
My gorgeous, loving, beautiful natured, loyal dog is gone. Darren and I got him when we first moved in together, embarrassingly I do not remember his exact age but suffice to say he was about 13, which is pretty old for a rotty x heeler. On this day 2 weeks ago i was giving him his last belly rub, that was the last time I saw him. Darren saw him later that day when as always he followed Darren around while he fed the chooks, Monday morning he was nowhere to be found.
I suppose I will never know what happened, people have said maybe he went away to die as dogs sometimes do and since we have 17 acres we can't find him. All I know is he is gone and no amount of crying will bring him back. The pounds have been searched, lost/found adds scoured and the roads in the area have been driven and walked many a time in these last 2 weeks
I/we miss him terribly, not a day has passed that I don't think of him, whether its the left over food scraps, or a shadow I catch a glimpse of by the front door in his favourite spot that reminds me.
So today I have decided to remember him with a smile instead of a tear when I think of him and hope that he is happy/peaceful wherever he may be

We Miss You Bull

Lost

Lost - thats a little how I'm feeling right now.I'm not sure about anything at the moment.I knew exactly what I wanted and what my goals were and now a little curve ball has been thrown and I'm not sure what to do. Is it possible to have it all? Can I juggle my family, work, study, craft/ hobbies for me? I don't know - my inner voice says " sure, you can do anything you put your mind too " but my other voice says " yes you can, but will you do any of it well?" and that is the problem, I want to be good at everything I do mmmm - much more thinking to be done I think!!!
Now some pics just for fun - this is a self portrait shot from Delaney - isn't she clever, I think I've said it before but she takes great photos, much better than me - really!
A happy shot of my littlest man, he has been unwell this week with a nasty case of conjunctivitis but as always is happy and smiling

Here is my garden harvest, some very odd shaped baby carrots, along with some baby beets.

And and awesome giant egg - these three are all regular chicken eggs - the middle one weighs an amazing 102g - poor chicken!!!!!!

A Crafty Weekend

As some of you can probably tell there has been a distinct lack of craftiness around here lately. Partly due to the hours I work at this new job seem to leave very little time for any crafty pursuits, also the location of my sewing machines is not good ( read a cold dark corner of the garage) and most importantly my complete loss of sewing mojo - well in an effort to bring back the mojo - I moved machines to the kitchen table and got to it.
First up is a bunch of headbands I have been working on for ages, tweaking the design and so forth, still not 100% happy but I'll get there

next up a side snapping nappy for my little peace lovin' hippy LOL ( back view above, front view below). This has been sitting half done on my sewing pile forever, I think I have lost the addiction phase of my cloth nappy love, while I still love cloth and that will never change, I have moved on from the must have this, that or the other brand just for the sake of it - I have truly beautiful nappies from some amazing talented ladies in my stash and in all honesty more than we really need, so not only have I stopped buying them * shock, horror* but I have also stopped making them. Must be time for another baby LOL

Also on my to do list forever was to make myself a new bag - well here she is, a little understated perhaps but she'll do, roomy and practical and of course some green in there too - what more could you want :)

And below another long awaited project - new tea towels - these were the cheapest ones we could find - can you believe the price of something to dry your dishes with? Well they were just plain white towelling but I decided to spruce them up a little - as you do. 2 are tie dyed and 2 are embroidered - not bad huh?

It helped that I had a 4 day weekend that enabled me to actually get some craft done. I could get used to this 4 day weekend business - hopefully sooner rather than later thats what I will be doing - can't wait!!!!!!

Cheers :)

This weekend we.........

went to our favourite little Lifeline shop - its at the dump just near us and we nearly always find ourselves a little bargain there and this weeks bargain was this little beauty above. Do you know how long I have been searching ebay for one of these? - its an Fowlers Vacola electric preserving steriliser if you didn't know LOL and all the ones I found on ebay have been far too expensive for this little stingy duck but this little baby was ..... wait for it ......$20. Admitedly it was a risk when we bought it because they couldn't tell us if it worked or not but we bought her home and tested her out and yipppeeee she works . Now all I need is some cheap fruit to make some jam and what fun we will have :)

made an awesome home made wooden toy - do you like it? Made by Darren who had been telling me for years that he would be able to make some wooden toys and well wouldn't you know it.....he can!!!!!

This is a first attempt and its not quite finished but I think it rocks, so much so that I think he could sell some at the markets. He has plans for some different types etc and I think he would do well. What do you think - would you buy one?

cheers

Achievements

Achievement number one - garden harvest - I can honestly say I have never grown a thing in my life, well do weeds count? Darren had a little vegie patch when we lived on the coast but to be honest it was not a great success, but this little vegie patch ( see pics in previous post) is pretty much all mine, I have fertilised ( picking up the cow poo and watering it down), watered ( carried out bucket after bucket of the kids baths water) and even made my own pesticide ( see a previous post on this too) and now harvested my first ever food. Yes I am little proud of myself - can you tell?

The kids helped me pick the beans, peas and snow peas, this is whats left of the peas and snow peas after we sampled them along the way.... Well you have to try them - thats the rule isn't it?

So tonights dinner will be zucchini slice with our own zucchini and our own eggs - how great is that.

Achievement number 2 - socks - yes finally I finished my first ever pair of knitted socks. They were started about a year ago and I quickly finished one and then lost the urge to do the other and well as you know a sock is not much use on its own so I finally bit the bullet and decided that since most of my socks are decidedly holey I should finished this pair and VOILA - here they be!!!

And I feel so happy with myself that i have cast on another pair, hopefully they will be finished a lot sooner.

Stay tuned

Cheers