Flower sugar giveaway over at Retro Mummy

This is quite a huge giveaway I must say. Twenty fat quarters of the entire Flower sugar range by Lecien are up for grabs. Just head on over to Retro Mummy's blog and you'll find all the details there.

photo care of Retro Mummy

If only there was a giveaway for more free time so I could actually sit down and do something with it!

Number one on the wishlist!

Anyone who knows me knows I love books. One day I would love to have floor to ceiling bookshelves, maybe even with a sliding ladder! Lately I haven't had that much time for reading the books I like. It's mostly been 'The Gruffalo' or 'I know a Rhino' and books about shapes and colours, alphabet and numbers, all for a good cause of course but I am hanging out for a good read that is not in rhyme and lasts longer than the odd magazine flick in the bathroom (sometimes it's the only place you get a bit of peace!).

Browsing through a few gift idea blogs to get some suggestions for others (I swear!) I came across the most amazing book and I WANTS! It is the 'Pictorial Webster's, a visual dictionary of curiosities'.  It features over 1,500 engravings that were used in the Webster's dictionaries in the 19th century and they're fantastic! 

Picture from here

 

I found it on Amazon as part of a deal where you also get some rubber stamps featuring some of the same pictures and a set of fancy flash cards to match. I already have one of the flash cards, the letter V which I found in Store & Co a while back so it would be nice to have the whole set. Now all I have to do is leave a browser window open featuring said find and hopefully Big V will take the hint!

Picture from here

Best Friends

Little G has these two figurines, one is an echidna and the other is a rabbit. She tells me that they're best friends and then shows me how they kiss and hug. She often asks me to take photos of them and she'll arrange them and then stand back and say cheese waiting for me to take the photo. 

Echidna and Rabbit having a cuddle

She takes them on trips around the house, often using her shoes for their cars.  She makes little tents under chairs for them to sleep and will rush off to the washing pile bringing back some socks or face washers for them to use as sleeping bags and blankets.  She shares her food and drink with them, making little eating and drinking noises when it's their turn.  When we go to the car she'll ask where they are and then want them to sit with her in her seat.

It's the coolest.

A good day

Our weather of late has been a bit hit and miss. In true Tasmanian fashion you either get glorious sunshine or an absolute downpour sometimes within minutes of each other. This makes me very hesitant to go for bike rides in case I get caught out and have to be a poor bedraggled thing peddling madly to get home, not to mention that I'd also be toting an even more poor bedraggled thing in the seat behind me. I'm sure Little G would not appreciate a cold soaking. 

This pic is not actually from today but it is us!

Today we thought we'd chance it. We left quite early and headed off to Nutgrove park and made it there in record time. I love riding my bike but these days there doesn't seem to be as much time for stuff like that. My brakes had gotten a little squeaky, which shows it really has been a while since the last outing!

Only one mishap on the way back and luckily not a big one. Little G had been given a bikky to munch until we got back for lunch and I was peddling away when I head a little voice exclaim, "Oh no!" I stopped to see what was wrong and about five metres behind us was the bikky, I must admit I thought, "10 second rule?" and then considered how many dogs poo along this stretch of path and immediately dismissed it.  Little G was not happy with the decision of course and the rest of the way home I could hear her saying, "Bye bikky, bye bikky." in the saddest of tones.  Oh well, some dog or bird will get lucky.

In love with...

This project table and stools especially for little people.  It's made from plywood that is produced from a renewable species of Birch and is FSC certified and comes in a choice of four colours, all of which of equally lovely though I think I'm partial to the green, red, green.

 

 

 Unfortunately I think it will be yet another penny saving exercise :(

Bike ride to the Park

It is such a lovely day today. The perfect day for a bike ride to the park.  Rosie, Pippy and I all donned our helmets and headed off down to Nutgrove to have some fun in the sun. 

With the clocks moving forwards for daylight savings I really thought I'd have a bit of time to get back and have lunch with Pip before nap time, which usually is around 12:30-1pm. Here I was thinking she wouldn't be ready to go to bed until 1:30-2pm and surprise,  surprise as soon as we got in the door she started fussing and grizzling for her dummy (a very sure sign of tirdeness!) so I put her to bed and within a few minutes it was lights out. Nothing like a good ol' bike ride to tucker her out! Ah, the serenity!

Long time no see

Hello and hello. I haven't been in blog land for such a long time, to read or to write. There has been a huge amount going on in my life and I think (fingers crossed) that it's finally settling down. I have thought about being brave and blogging about it all but I'm not sure I'm quite there yet. I know I don't have to but I've never liked the fact that I have a tendency to shy away from difficult subjects as if they don't exist. One step at a time though, it's going to take more than a spare minute and those are in high demand at the moment.

However, I do not want to start blogging about poopy stuff when there is awesomeness to share! I finally picked up my new computers today. That's right! Computer times two! Woot! Woot! 

We've done the deed and replaced our old chug-a-lug laptop and desktop. Big V is TOTALLY over the moon because it means he gets to play the new Starcraft game. I am over the moon because my old laptop was slowly but surely turning in to a big hunk of electronic poo. This new and shiny piece of joy has been made by magical genies and blessed by rainbow dwelling unicorns (they would have made as well as blessed but you know, hooves aren't great for delicate work). It runs like a dream and the keyboard has just the right amount of clickiness! 

I am in love *sigh* and things are A-O-K.

image from here

A Pippy Post

My little Pippy is not so little anymore. She's is now more a toddler and less a baby. It's happening so fast and of course they tell you it does but you don't see it until, well, you see it! 

She's walking, running and jumping.  Granted her jumping skills consist of her bobbing her head up and down and saying 'jump' whilst walking around but that's cool, ten points for effort I say :)

She talks to me. A lot. Her words are amazing and I'm always surprised at how much she retains. I can't wait until she strings a whole sentence together.  The other day while changing her nappy she said 'careful!' which made me laugh but then I thought maybe I am being a little auto pilot, at least she can bring me back down now.

We sing songs together, which is mainly me singing every line and her singing the last word of each line but hey, she remembers and is mostly in tune. And she loves to draw and say her colours.  I love it all.

 

I try and take her to the park as often as I can as we don't have a back yard and she absolutely loves it. Most mornings she will stand at the safety gate saying "Park! Park! Sea-saw! Seeeeea-saaaaw!" This park visit we went with Aunty Rosie and big thanks to her for bringing her camera to capture my not so little Pippy doing what she does best :)

Just for the record this coffee cup is empty, I am definitely not up for a caffeinated child!

Special Birthday

It was Mum and Dad's birthday the other day, well the other two days seeing as they are a day apart :) This one was a special one for Dad. It was his eightieth! Mum and I planned for my brother to fly down from QLD for a surprise visit which I think is the best present ever because they only get to see each other once a year if that. My brother is not the best at organising trips!

Big V and I spent the morning cooking before we had to pick John up at the airport. It was pretty much the perfect day. We had great weather, crayfish and turkey for lunch and a yummo cheesecake for dessert. Passion fruit flavour; Dad's favourite. Dad was thrilled to see John as were we all. This is the first time John has met little G too so it really was an extra special visit. 

After lunch we all had a go on the Wiifit for a bit of fun. The wiiboard told Dad his wiifit age was fifty eight and that he was in great condition.  Dad took that as meaning he could have another piece of cheesecake.  Ah, he cracks me up! But if the secret to long happy life is an extra piece of cheesecake every so often then dish me up, I'm all for it :)

Pippy Cuddles

 

Little G is starting to take an interest in her cuddly toys and it's the cutest thing. I have come upon her feeding them with her spoon, plying them with cups of tea and even reading stories to them (in special gabble language of course!)  But the best thing is when she cuddles them, pats and kisses them and carries them round with her. I love that my daughter knows how to do these things for it shows that she knows how to love and care for others and that means that Big V and I are doing something right!

MIA and pin cushion love

I haven't blogged for the longest time and the trouble with that is life just keeps happening (thankfully!) and my 'to blog about' list keeps growing! So much has been going on I barely know where to begin...

I won't start at the top of my list though as I think I need to write this particular blog first. It is a thank you blog of sorts. I entered the pin cushion blog swap hosted by Kate over at Fox's Lane and have already received my swap. I have thanked the fellow blogger for her lovely pressie over on her blog but have not blogged about it myself so... here tis!

Thank you Briony, aka Freckled Sparrow over at little bon bon for this wonderful pin cushion. I love, love, LOVE little birds and green so this is such a perfect pressie for me :) I also got a pack of cute little buttons and a lavender pillow as extra treasure treats! Woohoo!

I also sent mine to Yardage Girl who has blogged a very nice thank you. I'm so glad she liked it, phew! I really enjoyed making them and even though I probably don't need to add more to my to do list, it was a great thing to be a part of such a cool swap and reach out to people in blog land. I'll definitely be signing up to do more swaps soon.

The two pin cushions I made for Yardage Girl. The one on the left is a simple stencil screen print and the one on the right is a half pear (I think half pears sit better than whole pears for pin cushions!) I also added some goodies just to make the package more pressie-like :)

Market find

Browsing through the bric-a-brac stalls at Salamanca on the weekend I came across a very nostalgic find. When I was little we used to have this exact same mug and I would always want my morning cup of tea in it. I loved the feel of it, warm and snug in my hands. It fit so perfectly and felt so smooth.  It's vintage Wade Irish porcelain which explains the smoothness!

Sadly one day the handle came off and my Mother said it was time to say goodbye to it so off to porcelain heaven it went *sniff*. I am so happy to have found another just like it and this one has (apparently) never been used! It still has the tag, so it could be true :)

Big V also reckons the mug rocks... I hope this means there'll be no fighting when it comes to cuppa time. I might just have to keep my eye out for another just in case!

Strawberry Shortcake

 Mon Pippy looking so strawberry shortcake.

Playing along with Meet me at Mikes: Five Faves

I have so many favourite things, to pick five is a hard choice! Which category to choose from? I have favourite recipes, colours, people, things to do, things to make, places, numbers, movies, books, I mean you can see the dilemma.  Ah, I think I'll just write them as they come to me. If you want to play along too then go to Pip's place at Meet me at Mike's to sign up :)

1.  New tan leather boots.

Number one is a new favourite as I have only just acquired them but have actually been keeping an eye out for just the right pair for nearly two years now so this is why I love, love, love them!

2.  The colour green.

This is not a recent fave, I have always loved the colour green. It always seems to be my first choice in a lot of things so I had been trying to give other colour choices a go but lately green is becoming dominant in my picks again. 

3.  Zucchini and bacon muffins (otherwise known as party quiche!)

I was introduced to this recipe by another new Mama who said it was da bomb for fussy eaters because it hid the veggies well. I'm pleased to say it works and is really moreishly delicious, I can see a lot of possibilities for variations too. I brought some out for afternoon tea with Rosie the other day and when she ate it she exclaimed that it was 'party quiche'! Apparently her sister used to make them for her kids and referred to it as party quiche so as not to alert them to the fact that it contained 'poisonous veggies'! Whatever works, I say :)

Recipe found here.

4. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

 I think this would have to be one of my all time favourite movies. I first watched it when I was twelve on holidays in New Zealand, it was so surreal and such an incredible, fantastical tale. I used to think about it for years after and a while ago decided to watch it again to see if it still held the same magic for me. I'm pleased to say it did and more. Being older, I now understood some of the more subtle references that are often put in children's movies to amuse adults but fly right over the top of kiddie's heads. I was also pleased to find that it contained many of the actors that are still my favourites today; a real stellar cast. 

This movie, five stars.

 Mum and I having a chat at my wedding (and Dad looking kind of startled!)

5. My Mother.

Total corn I know but I was thinking about favourite people in my life and she is definitely one of them. Having just become a mother myself I have a new found appreciation of this wonderful lady in my life. 

Did you know she NEVER told me I COULDN'T do anything? I'm not saying I had free reign, it was still very much 'don't jump on the sofa' or 'don't play footy in the hall', of course she told me NEVER to do those sort of things. I mean she gave me the belief that you could do anything, ANYTHING on this earth if you really wanted to. You could be a gymnast, a scout, an artist, play any sport, any instrument, basically undertake any task because all in life was for the learning.  

She let me do such a crazy amount of activities when I was young and never complained if I switched from one to another or told me something would be too hard or beyond me.  When I think about all the things she let me experience when I was young I am amazed she had the energy to ferry me from one place to the other and still be on time too!  She has instilled in me a taste for learning and exploring and life never gets boring because there is always new things to do.  Perhaps this is why I have many a half finished projects lying round the house but I don't care because most of the time it's the journey not the destination that contains the most fun :) Thanks for that Mum.

Possible addition?

Today I was out at the Salvos with Rosie looking for an old picture frame to make a notice board when I came across a cabinet, fairly beat up but exactly what I had been searching for to put in the kitchen to store my big bowls, various serviettes and table paraphernalia. It is kind of 1950s style, two cupboard doors with two long drawers above it and best of all, on top is a flip up lid with a secret space inside! 

Okay, not so secret but I love the treasure chest feel of it :)

Like I said it needs a fair bit of fixing. There are no draw bottoms for one! The outside will need some sort of touch up but whether that ends up to be a coat of paint or varnish I am not sure. I've also been tossing up with the idea of using wallpaper or fabric on the draw and door fronts... Hmmm, the possibilities!

Listen to me writing as if I have it already! The first order of business will be to try and talk Big Val around to the fact that we NEED this item of furniture, it's possible I may not function without it... and so forth. Well, I did try tonight and whilst he hasn't committed to it he said we could 'go and see it' tomorrow. I'm hoping that means it's as good as mine ours. PROVIDED that it's still there of course! Oh, please let it still be there!

Because I don't have a photo of the magical cabinet I will just put this picture up by artist Ben Kehoe. I have come across it a few times while surfing and each time I think it's awesome.

Acting Cockney

Oi! You lookin' for some biff?

Presumed innocent

Moi? Mess up all the folded clothes in the baskets? Pull down all the books from the book shelf? Post bits of food out the back of my high chair? Never!

Squiggly Flowers Bloomers

Having been bitten by the sewing bug, I have started to build up a collection of lovely 'how to' books along the way. One of which is Lotta Jansdotter's 'Simple Sewing for Baby'. This book is filled to the brim with wonderful little projects, all at a nice easy starter level which is just perfect for a beginner like me!

I have had for a while now a piece of Saffron Craig's Squiggly Flowers in pink and green which I bought just because I liked it. I had no intention for it's use in mind at all until flipping through the book and finding a pattern for some cute little bloomers. 

Little G has been living in Bloomers with this hot weather we've had so I thought it would be a great project to start off on my own with. I figured if I got into any trouble I could always take them with me to my sewing class and get help there if need be. But now I'm glad to say I needed no help at all :D Yay me! Well, Yay the book really ;) It's very easy to follow with it's step by step instructions and drawings.

So here its my little model wearing the finished product and looking very darling while at it.  I also have enough material left to add to a dress or skirt which is the next home project on the list. So if all goes to plan, my Little Pipit will have a matching outfit soon. Fingers crossed!

wagon love

When I was little I always wanted one of the little red wagons found in the pictures of kiddie books. They look just the ticket for toting round all things precious.  Obviously now I am older t'would be unseemly to walk down the street with one rolling along behind me. 

However, should I have a little tot to give a ride to (and luckily I do!) then owning a wagon could be a distinct possibility.

This is a modern update on the little red wagon by kaiku and happily for me, it has green bits; my favourite colour! There is also another model with all green sides but it doesn't have the cute little seats for cute little butts that are required for riding all round town :) There's a great write up on babyology.com about Kaiku's products, all very drool worthy!

Ahhh, this so could be G and me, out for our daily perambulation. I'll definitely have to save up to make this one a reality though, in the meantime, I still have my story books :)

images found from here.

Pin cushion swap

I was talking to Bec the other day about my terrible habit of not finishing projects and how I love to leap frog from one new thing to the next, getting excited over something new and shiny and leaving half finished things all over the place. 

I have on the go a chair to be painted and then planted for my balcony. A piece of lino waiting to be cut and then printed.  Buttons waiting to be covered with fabric and used. A skirt for my niece. Some quick dry clay bought and never played with.  Not to mention the blogs I haven't written, the list goes on! Don't even get me started on the list of PS3, Xbox and Wii games waiting for attention - yes Bioshock 2, I am talking about you. Big V is currently finishing his game of FFVII on the PS3 so it's not as if I can play at the same time anyway... So many things to do, how can anyone ever get bored!

Seeing as I have such a fad-ish nature, one of my New Years resolutions has been to stick to something once I begin it and I have to say, so far, I am doing ok.  I have started a sewing course at Adult Ed and I am loving it. It is concentrated time on one task (block hours spent away from my little Pipit are a rare thing these days!) around people who are all busily crafting away which helps me focus on what I am doing because there is nothing to distract me and I am finding it really satisfying to make a creation that has a function.  

I have only been to two classes so far and already I have made some cushions for my Mother (an exercise in sewing with zippers), a pair of reversible pants and a pair of bloomers for mon Pipit and a baby quilt for tiny Sascha. Next up will be a dress for me... the biggest undertaking so far. ULP! 

Bring it on, I say! I feel like a regular Martha Stewart! (Not the prison bit, just the creative bit)

Anyway, all this has led me to commit myself to a pin cushion blog swap that Kate from Fox's Lane is hosting. I figure if I can already make big couch cushions then I can handle a couple of pin cushions here and there :)

I've started looking at some pincushion pictures online to get some inspiration and there are so, SO many out there! Who knew there were that many pins needing houses!

Here are some of my favourites.

Cute little bottle cap pin cushions from here.

 Heather Bailey pin cushions pears from here.

A most awesome cactus pin cushion from here. Love this one a lot!

Little birds are always a winner for me :) Found here.

This one is the one that really takes the cake though. 

Found at Doll: the art and craft of Miri Kirchner.

She does the most amazing tiny worlds all in tea cups, almost too good to stick pins in!