rosey garlands // rosey cheeks //

Last weekend we made some garlands with the petals from our roses. The roses were nearing the end of their blooming beauty, and some had begun to let their petals tumble onto our table. We thought this would be a great way of remembering the velvety roses and having some fun as well. 

The garlands themselves were very simply stitched with a needle gently through each petal, and threaded onto some variegated embroidery thread we had. The kids decided that they wanted head garlands as well as one necklace for Ari - it matched his t-shirt better!

What fun they had in the garden. Running and giggling and being silly. They do love posing and playing up for the camera. And with lush green grass and vibrant colours as the background I just snapped and snapped as they kept on posing and moving and giggling and finding new props. I'm so glad our beautiful cat Lou-Lou made it into the photos too - even though he wasn't the most willing model. 

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. I think these photos perfectly sum up what I wish and hope my Mother's Day to be. My beautiful babies enjoying living in the same place that my beautiful mama (and dad) raised me and my siblings. Exploring and discovering treasures in our forest. Sitting still and watching little birds with fascination and joy. Running and laughing and being children. And all the while making this mama's heart sing through the pure joy they are experiencing. 

Oh yes. So it is. Happy Mother's Day to all you Mamas out there. 

{and extra big hugs to all those of you who are missing your mama today}. 

E xxxx

the little ones

this blog started originally, I think, as a place to talk about and share and mostly remember the things 

about my little ones. I am not good at regular journal keeping - and here now it seems I am not so good at blog journal keeping. I keep forgetting to write updates and birthday posts about those little creatures of mine.

today they are finalising the writing of speeches for school. The words they will say, and timing it to fit within the two or one minute they are allowed. And writing it down on palm cards so they can present it in class.

They both learn and experience words so differently. Both of them love reading, writing and story telling. Yet for Mishi spelling and writing words seems to come easier than for Ari. Sometimes I wonder if this is because of the difference in their start to schooling (Ari in Queensland prep system where reading and writing was much slower to be taught, compared to Mishi who was taught in pre-school and now in NSW kindergarten has learnt the whole alphabet and can read and spell and write and sound words out so dramatically differently. Perhaps it's also the being a second sibling, and learning so much from the older brother. That makes a big difference, I know.)

Anyway, Mishi has happily written her whole speech almost on her own. It's about kookaburras and is wonderful. She's actually worked out what she wants to say, and written it down on paper and now has transferred it to palm cards. We have timed her as she talks, and ends with her wonderful kookaburra laugh. I must remember to record her.

Ari has needed help every step of the ay with his speech, from thinking up a topic ("my grandma") to working out questions to ask, and then what to write. And then, he wants us to write his palm cards. Thankfully I think he will present it in class, and won't expect that of us as well....

Saying this - Ari is excellent with words and spelling and reading and writing. Especially for his age. 

They both have a big love of words and language. And this makes me happier than happy!

*this was written a few weeks ago, and has sat unpublished as i didn't have an edited photo to put with it. it is increasingly harder to get the photos/blog thing happening. but steps are being made to get electricity on at home - that will surely change life in quite a dramatic way. or perhaps not at all.

My five year old - by me

I wanted to finish the week of everyday blog posting that accidently happened around here. Five days of posting about random things. I'm not sure if you were here - or if you were interested. Oh well. I had fun. Were you here? Were you interested? Hello....

So - may as post talk about my 5 year old. Don't have much else to say for this rainy day. Sam's at home cleaning house. That's good, isn't it!

My five year old - by me
Sometimes I think my new 5 year old might think she'd 15, at least she acts like it.
Sometimes she acts like she's 15 months old.

My 5 year old likes school, mostly. She has a great gaggle of friends who give her hugs hello and goodbye. There's a boy at school who she quite likes - I've seen him stroke her hair. They're in kindy together. This is sweet and lovely, and also just a tiny bit scary.

My 5 year old is super good at drawing. She got an award at school for drawing. And another one for being an enthusiastic learner.

She tried hard to wear her school uniform, but really I know she wants to wear her tutus all the time. She does wear leopard print tights, with sparkly pink ballet shoes. She sure does have great style, my 5 year old.

My 5 year old makes up wonderful stories all the time. She chatters quietly to herself, while playing dolls or barbies, or drawing her pictures. Sometimes she lets my 7 year old join in.

Every night before bed my 5 year old says she needs a story. She can't go to sleep without a story. Mostly I do read stories, sometimes lots, sometimes one long one. Sometimes I can't read stories - so my 7 year old reads stories to his sister. It's so lovely to hear that. My 7 year old is so good at reading.

My 5 year old is learning to write words and letters. It's so good - she's loving it. Her big brother helps her with her letters, and spells out words for her to write down. Her writing is so lovely and neat and deliberate.

I love my 5 year old. I love my 7 year old as well.

The end. by me.

Perhaps there'll be more story telling next week... xxxx
*photos by Sophie Partyka, for Bambini Model Agency. Yes, my 5 year old has a model contract - only new, so no work yet......

tutus + gumboots

this is what ballerina-fairies look like. when it storms she's prepared for all manner of puddle jumping.

I do believe that shoes on the wrong feet does help with the puddle jumping. {Isn't it funny that despite the 50% chance of getting the shoe on the right foot, it often ends up on the wrong one. She's most definitely getting better at knowing, but it's always the cutest reminder when she gets it wrong that she really still is my little one. who-is-not-quickly-approaching-four, thank you very much!!}.

things on a friday

it's raining here. 

don't know what time, during the night, it started. 

but it does seem to be set in for the day, at least. 

we're going away early tomorrow morning for our holiday/weekend away. i hope it doesn't rain all weekend at our lovely creek-side holiday home.

i have the last of some things to wash before i pack them. s

uppose i'll have to visit the laudromat to use the dryer. or even perhaps my in-laws - who always love the kids visiting anyway, so a good reason to go and see them.

we're only going away for 3 sleeps, but it feels like so much more. 

a lot is riding on this time away. 

we are going to decide if this is a good place for us to find a new home in, to perhaps.possibly.just.maybe start our new business in.

beautiful rainy lighting - the little one likes any excuse for some summer clothes during the cold of winter. she shed her morning warms, for this outfit, and ran around in the wet garden. can you feel the goosebumps....

getting her back in the warms is going to be a challenge today! 

but, of course, she does look sweet in this little outfit. 

actually, any outfit she slips into looks good - stripes, spots, red + purple, layers over layers. 

she does have a good sense of style. 

she's a fairy in the garden. that's what she told me. 

pink fairy bunny

Mishi had her Easter hat parade at kindy today. 

Wasn't a very big affair, but fun, and sweet. And noisy.

I only found out yesterday that we parents had to actually make the hats and bring them in. {At school, Ari has spent all week making his hat, and telling us about it. I guess I just assumed that they'd be making them at kindy too}.

So, while at the fabric shop with my friend, I found some lovely wool felt and after much brain squeezing formulated a design in my head. 

Note to self :: have plans and exact ideas and required fabrics before visiting the bright lights and brain numbing fabric shop again.

I sat up late last night hand sewing these little ears. I knew that I couldn't put them onto a headband or clips or anything, as Mishi doesn't like things in her hair or tight on her head. But I know that she likes soft little fabric crowns as we've made quite a few in the past that she happily wears. 

It was really enjoyable to plan and make something so distinctly stereotypical. Pink bunny ears for a little girl who does quite like pink.

These were very easy to make. I'll be making another pair tonight for Ari, in a pretty wheaten-brown + pale pink colour. We've already decided that he'll be called Little Nut-Brown, and Mishi is to be called Baby Pink. Or something like that. I'm sure it'll change.

She was the sweetest little fairy bunny, hopping along happily.
This full length mirror is in the lift at kindy. I love the way every morning she looks at herself - in the way that children do with total comfort and contentedness. She twists and turns, and watches how her body moves. Sometimes she'll look up at me, and catch my eye in the mirror - but mostly, she just enjoys looking at herself.

crunch

Tea parties with Mishi today.
Rain. Pouring down from the sky.
Washing on the line.
Singing and dancing and prancing.
And wearing sweet little new dress that just arrived in the post today, for her birthday. Thank you, friends.

and working on {super exciting} financials.

two in green

Just a few images from a little treasure walk we went on the other day.
Both kids wearing green t-shirts.
Carrying their own little bags (both made by mama, of course) for collecting all sorts of lovely little treasures.

in fairy land

Just a couple of images from our little fairy party yesterday. Mishi turned 3 on Friday (still to write her birthday message), and we had a little celebration over the weekend. 

I'm hoping my father-in-law has some good photos, as I didn't get time to take many more than this. 

We made tissue and fabric flowers and hung them from the roof. I was imagining what it looks like in fairy land, with all the flowers being quite bigger than the little fairies and elves. I had a whole image in my head - but of course not the time to execute it all. I was very happy with our pretty flowers. 

{thanks Steph for the reminder}.

The little cupcakes were meant to look like mushrooms and pink flowers, they all had beautiful butterflies fluttering in them. The sugar butterflies are from a fellow Bris-Stylette - I don't normally use a lot of sugar or have lollies, etc at our parties, but these were so pretty and for the little three year old fairy I thought it would be a lovely topping for our cakes. 

Do head over and have a look at Bel's new shop - I was so happy with them. I do quite like these little birdies too - perhaps another party!

We're off to have more cakes for morning tea. While most were gobbled up yesterday, I managed to save a just a couple for lingering over today. 

*I was much too busy being the hostess yesterday to enjoy any cake, so am yet to taste them properly - but was told they were delicious. 

*Thank you to my sister, who was such a great help with everything yesterday. She looked so wonderful too - as a white fairy princess, with her tutu-petticoat and red plaits. (no photo, sorry Sylv).

that dress

I made a party dress for Mishi, the night before Ari's party (of course the night before, would any of you expect anything different!).

She choose the fabric, which was a ginormous dress I bought from a vintage fair a while back, with the intention of turning it into something else. I was quite surprised that choose it; not pink, not flowery.

The dress itself is a made up pattern, a morph of pictures spotted (by Mishi) in Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. The adults kimono dress and the baby kimono top, as well as a little kimono-style jacket of Mishi's mainly used for sizing. I'm not much for using patterns, hate cutting them out and trying to make them the right size (am I an 8, 10 or 12?). So this pattern just happened, with rough drawings as a guide and a distinct 'jump-in-and-do-it already' attitude. (I mean, at 9.30pm, you really have to start making the dress don't you! The cakes were in the oven and the kids finally asleep).

You know the best part - she loves it. No tears or big bottoms lips, upon waking up and seeing it. She put it on straight away. And has worn it every day since Saturday. Easy to put on, and take off (for the impromptu dress-up shows we have around here), and easy to wear. Soft and flowy, comfy, yet covering her shoulders and her bottom (some of her other dresses have recently turned into tops, with those legs continuing to grow!).

I'll be making some more of these dresses for sure - a whole Summer wardrobe.

*and, ooohhh, okay - I haven't got the hem of the sleeve finished yet, but it'll keep for a few days longer.

* Ari got a camera for his birthday - a proper one, not a kids one. He took this photo of Mishi, and I'm sure we'll see more here.

* I think my sister won best dressed prize at the party (though being one of "those mums" there was no prize - sorry Sylve!).