In which Minty models bag lady chic...

I finally finished the 'hopscotch skirt'.  It's made with blue homespun cotton and big orange buttons from Tessuti.  This has to be my least favourite of the Oliver+S patterns so far.  The buttons I chose are too big for the front placket so I had to make the top button 'false' (just permanently sewn through the two layers without a button hole) because a large enough button hole wasn't going to fit.  It's a bit too long on Minty at the moment and I think it makes her look a little like she belongs to some kind of fundamentalist Christian cult (not really the look I was aiming for).

She borrowed my scarf for these photos and asked me, 'does it make me look like a lady?'… honestly perhaps a bag lady??

Here's hoping my next sewing project is more successful.

Visit kootoyoo for more creative spaces.

In which I am addicted to pinterest...

Found here via pinterest

Could this bath be any more perfect?  (perhaps by ditching the spiderman comics?)

In which we hunt and feast...

I'm going to keep this short tonight so I can go and collapse in a sugar coma in front of the television.

We had a lovely easter, relaxing and visiting family.  The kids had a great time hunting for dyed eggs that 'easter bunny' had hidden around the garden.  (I didn't buy chocolate this year since it's near impossible to find fair trade around these parts and in any case we tend to end up with heaps from family and friends.)

Hope you all had a fantastic Easter!  

In which Friday is Good...

Minty and I got up at daybreak today and in recognition of Good Friday we decided to make some hot cross buns.  The Mr. rudely suggested we should just pop down to 'Bakers Delight' and buy some but when he finally tasted the fruits of our labour he had to eat his words along with the delicious bun!  These certainly aren't the most perfect looking buns and it is clear to the naked eye that a three year old assisted in their production but they are by fair the best tasting hot cross bun I've ever eaten.  We used Nigella's recipe from Feast (with a few adaptations).  They are more scone like than most hot cross buns I've had in the past but personally I think that's a good thing.

The kids look a bit worried in these pictures.  It was actually starting to rain, so shortly after this we relocated and took our morning tea inside the cubby house and everyone was a lot happier.

Hope you're all having a great start to the Easter weekend...

In which we spend a day at home and a watched phone doesn't ring...

Around our house today…

…eggs dyed for easter

…buttons ready to be sewn

...wishing the phone would ring whilst playing hard to get with the real estate agent

...playing tea parties

…more phone watching

…cranky overtired little people

Free and lovely...

I'm a bit like a bower bird trawling the internet and collecting pretty things, so when I stumbled across the Dover Sampler I was ecstatic.  In case you haven't heard of it - it's a fantastic site where you can sign up and each week they give you access to samples from an awesome collection of books.  As well as some amazing images, you can get pages from activity books, colouring in pages, origami instructions, postcards and loads more.  One week there were even paper dolls of Barack and Michelle Obama with outfits!  These are some of my favourite sea themed images that I've collected.  Hope you love it as much as I do.

In which we say 'moo' to possible new neighbours...

After getting the section 32 we took another visit out to 'the block'.  I'm ashamed to admit it but I'm falling head over heals for this little patch of grass.  It's that kind of crush where you scrawl your imagined new surname across your notebook adorned with a series of sketchy hearts and start naming your unborn children.  The rational part of me knows the block probably has more issues than Lindsay Lohan, but the dreamer in me can't get past the three little calves living over the back fence, the glimpse of the ocean and the best burger I've ever had at the general store down the road.  Someone snap me out of this please - crushes of this magnitude rarely end well!

In which Minty is ill and Turi plays at being an only child...

Minty has some kind of gastro/flu/miscellaneous childhood bug.  I won't get into gory details but let's just say it involves expulsion of bodily fluids.  The poor little soul was exhausted and only made it briefly out of bed this morning to fall asleep on the couch moments later.  On the up side the house was blissfully quiet all morning.

I feel a little guilty about how much Turi and I enjoyed ourselves.  I made a batch of scones and we had a private little devonshire tea together listening to Ella Fitzgerald and building block towers.  Then Turi 'borrowed' Minty's tutu and amused himself by spinning jauntily around the living room.  It was all very clandestine.

As my camera husband is still away on business today's photo is a 'reject' I took on the weekend.  It's a little noisy and the colours are a bit funky but it does capture Turi in one of his favourite spots for contemplation.  I picked up these lurid drawers second hand for $40 a while ago with the intention of revamping them but somehow still haven't found the time.  Since they are laminate I'm not really sure that it's worth the effort and anyway I can't seem to settle on a new colour.

In which our hamper is used for everything but laundry...

Few words tonight - the Mr. is away on business again this week and I have to try and reign my frat house into some semblance of order while the devils angels are sleeping.

In which we consider a move...

We've been looking at some land, with a view to building our very own little house.  It really is an exercise in dreaming - imagining ourselves into a new location.  There is still much weighing up to be done before any decisions are made but maybe this could be our new beach?

Thrift week...

Here is a little wrap up of my thrift finds for the week…

a terribly tarnished candelabra - so wonderfully over the top it will make an almost ironic addition to our table- can't wait to whip this out at christmas

some fun chinese side plates (I was planning to hide these from the Mr as he does not appreciate my penchant for old crockery!!)

tweed fabric for little winter trousers for Turi and maybe another librarian skirt for the Mint (50 cents)

pillowcases to be made into little skirts and tops (80 cents each)

and some kids books with records - these were free with the amazing op shop jumper I shared with you on Monday

Pop over here to see more thrift finds.

Cable knit goodness...

Amazing thrift find for the week - this hand knit wool jumper for Turi which looks as though it was hardly ever worn.  Only $3, with a couple of free kids books thrown by the kind ladies in the Kooweerup op shop.  I think Turi looks like he's straight from the pages of a knitting pattern!

I'm flying solo this week.  The Mr has gone to Queensland on business… taking my camera with him.  Posting may be a bit sporadic this week as I suspect things may get a little crazy around here.

Happy Sunday...

I love this time of year when you can taste the change of season in the crisp air.  The sun starts to lose its intensity and all the world's colours seem to slide a little further into the blue/grey end of the spectrum.  Daylight savings is finally over and the sun tucks itself into bed nice and early, sending a clear message to tired little bodies that sleepy time is here.  

Today was one of those days you wish you could bottle.  My parents came to visit and we took the kids for a walk around Churchill island.  It really is a restful place, where time seems to take a rest from its usual unrelenting pace.  It's hard not to fall just a little in love gazing into the wise old eyes of the highland cattle and have your heart skip at the sight of a tiny, shaggy little calf.  Wishing it could be forever Sunday…