Lately.

It has been quiet around here. A lull in blog posts.
It's not for lack of love, merely lack of interesting things to post about. Life just bubbles along at the moment. Filled with kids, baking, housework, sewing...washing. So, so much washing.
(And some taxes (boo!) and hut making (hooray!)..)

This week marks the start of the school holidays though. Hopefully, this will mean a little less rushing from home-school-kindy and a little more time to hang out, take photos and do blog-worthy things. I'm not usually one to look forward to the holidays, but I'm actually sort of looking forward to these ones. Just the thought of not having to be anywhere. Glorious.

A Baby Raccoon.

For Otto's party, I knew Mol needed to be a raccoon. I also knew she would definitely not leave a hat/ears/facepaint on. She's not a hat wearer at the best of times.

I've been in love with the Wild Things dresses for quite awhile now.

Had I been organised/flush enough, I would have purchased one of those. I'm not big on copying other crafters work, I promise.

I decided to have a go at making something similar.

I used a slightly different shaped dress, a reversible a-line dress. I knew I wanted it to be lined, for a bit of extra shape, so a reversible made sense. I didn't add the pockets, and I made my raccoon face quite a bit bigger. I used dome snaps on the straps, making it super easy to get on and off.

I made some little stripey leggings to be worn with it. For extra Raccoony-ness.

I had a bit of fun making this, and it did look cute on Mollie, but my version is no where near as gorgeous as the originals. Isn't that always the way? It's a good lesson, that I should have saved up/been organised and gone to the source : ) 
I dearly hope to purchase some of these amazing overalls for Mol before next Winter.
Anyone want to split postage?

Mollie's Space (Photo heavy!)

We are, slowly, starting to do some little projects around our new home - and it is, slowly, beginning to feel like our own.

This week, I decided to get stuck into the kids rooms, have a good tidy up and move a few things around. It felt good to pack away a few real baby things - the cot bumpers, some of the toys that are no longer played with, and the mobile went, too, after I took these photos.

Mollie is starting to actually play in her room, rather than just following her brothers into their room all the time. I'll often find her pottering with her books and pulling things off the shelves. Her latest trick is climbing onto the rocking horse, clever little one! She sits and rocks back and forth - she'll be neighing and shouting 'giddy up', in no time!

(How cute is her cardigan? Knitted by the super clever Clare. Amazing!)

One of my favourite features of Mol's room is the wooden kitchen. We've had this since Aesop was 2. It is an ex-preschool one (Pintoy brand, I believe), gifted to us by some family friends.
The second, smaller, unit is a washing mahine, but I've turned it around so it works better as a shop counter. Otto is quite into playing shopkeeper at the moment, so we often grab the Eftpos machine out of the cupboard, find the toy phone, and set up shop.
Making cups of tea is a favourite, too.

This little nook, is where I feed Mollie. We sit here, snuggled up under a duvet, twice a day (or more, if she wakes in the night!). She will usually point to a toy on the shelf, and snuggle with it while she feeds.
The quilt is single bed sized - I made it while I was pregnant with Otto. I have not sewn a yo-yo since, and have no desire to! Haha.

(See that wee stack of wooden plates and bowls? I scored the whole lot for just $2 at the Sallies last week. I pretty much love it.)

I'm trying to surround my family with beautiful, vintage and handmade things. Mol's room is a great example of this - spot the Tiny Eyes doll, the Emmamakes kitten, a Deb quilt and various lovely vintage wool blankets.

A recent addtion to the room has been the tiny cluster of things on the wall. I hope to add to this as I find things - but, for the moment, it is a flower mirror Mol was gifted when she was born, a stunning Holly Hobbie embroidery I thrifted a few weeks back, and the 'M' from Stella's alphabet set.

Lastly, Mollie's bed. She's still not such a huge fan of sleeping here - I don't know why, I would love to have such beautiful bedding!
The vintage 'Love is..' sheet was a gift from my friend Amy, the bunny was made by the talented Helen and the vintage Heidi duvet was a lucky thrift find.

I'd love to paint this room, and change the curtains, but these things will have to wait a bit longer. We have other projects on the go/on the list that take priority!

Curvy Fashion Friday

I'm on time! Totally doing Curvy Fashion Friday on the right day! Huzzah!

I snuck out into the garden yesterday morning, while the kids were getting ready for school and Mainly Music, and set up the tripod. My lines (yes, I have three different places I hang washing!) were so full of hanging clothing, that there was no way to escape having it in the pictures. I had a wee fiddle on Picmonkey, in hopes of making it less of an eyesore but, really, it's a bit of a reality at the moment.
(I'm sure all of you have houses overflowing with washing, in various stages of done-ness, too. You feel  me, right?)

I'm wearing one of my all time fave dresses, gifted to me by my friend Amy. She has a matching one, in a slightly different colourway. Amazing. It is one of the best fitting dresses I own, and so ridiculously comfortable (very important!).
I'm wearing a homemade cowl, Glassons tights and Number One Shoe Warehouse boots (wish I had bought more pairs - so comfy and so hard to find boots in my size, that I like!).

The kids soon realised I had disappeared, and came looking for me.
'Mum, I need a photo of my tiger!'
Washing and kids.. couldn't sum up my days much better than that : )

A freezing Autumn Arvo.

What to do, on freezing cold afternoons, when little ones are clearly bored of being stuck at home?
The park, of course!
From our new house, this little playground is just two minutes down the road. It's next to a duck pond (which makes for great entertainment in itself!) and surrounded in great big grassy spaces (perfect for running around or kicking a ball!).
The playground itself is fairly standard  - two swings, a creaky old bridge, a slide, a fire mans pole.. and a plastic tunnel full of swear words. Haha. My kids actually call this 'swearword tunnel'.
We had a lovely time collecting pretty leaves, swinging in the swings and enjoying the fresh air - must remember to make the most of this free entertainment more often!
(Might need to rug up even more next time though, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Is it just me or is it ridiculously cold this week?)

Mollie's Chair: Thirteen Months (Polka dot edition)

Mollie
13 Months

As you can see, the chicken pox are still lingering with my littlest one. Slowly all drying up, but still very much all over her - she is polka dotted!

This month Mol has taken it upon herself to start walking! Crawling is still her main mode of transport, but she's definitely taking steps in the right direction (heh). She delights in walking around pushing a pram/lawnmower or holding onto the hand of a proud brother. There have been quite a few unassisted steps taken, too, slowly, stopping inbetween to clap for herself!Sleeping has gone downhill slightly, eating is brilliant, talking is coming along nicely, still just the two teeth.
No complaints here : )

I had to really work to get a photo with a smile yesterday. The poor lass really is still under the weather.

Those spots on her right eyelid are so horrible - it's even more puffy and red, in the flesh.

I was getting concerned, when even her Tiny Eyes doll didn't get a smile! Luckily, she then decided throwing the doll on the ground and yelling 'Uh-oh!' was pretty hilarious.

It didn't take long for Mol to decide the photoshoot was all over. She slid down off the chair, and went on her way. Such a big girl now!

(Also, she FINALLY fits the vest I made way back when I first found out I was pregnant! Wish I could find time to make a few more - it really is my favourite knitting pattern, ever.)

Chicken Pops!

The 'chicken pops' have taken over at the Larsen home.
Aesop had shingles the week before last (poor guy! Horrible!) and it appears the two littlies have contracted the pox from that.
It's one of those things, really. You don't want your kid to feel terrible, and be covered in itch, but it's a bit of a blessing that they then won't get them again later in life (when it is much more dangerous). Aesop had a mild dose when he was 2 or 3, and it appears Otto is also getting a very mild dose.
Mollie, on the other hand, is pretty well covered. These photos were taken yesterday morning and, since taking them, the spots have travelled allll over her wee scalp, down her neck, on her belly.. heck, she even has one on her eyelid and one in her ear! Nasty little dots!
Thank goodness for calamine lotion, huh?

Needless to say, we are taking things easy this week.
There will be far more screen time than we generally allow, there will be a lot of smooching and cuddling, lots of breastfeeding, lots of stories read... if it weren't for the high temps, nasty coughs and snotty noses, it would be quite blissful!

May Themed Dinner #3 - Fast Food!

Our third theme for this month was 'Fast Food'.

My boys are big McDonalds fans. Aren't all kids?

I have no idea what the attraction is - well, I have an idea.. but I, personally, can't stand the stuff. The food tastes like nothing, and I always still feel hungry after eating something so... fake.

Aesop inhales a quarter-pounder, a shake and fries, and Abraham is a big fan, while Otto enjoys the thought of it far more than the actual food - he rarely even eats half of a happy meal (and then asks for different food!). I guess the toy might be the winning point for him.

Seemed a great plan to see if we could recreate a (slightly healthier and much tastier) Maccas meal.

   Since fast food is mostly of the takeaway variety (for us, anyway.. our kids have never 'eaten in', I don't think!) I didn't feel like we needed to do much in the way of decorating. I popped a red table cloth on the table, popped all of our 'American' style sauces (mustard, mayo, ketchup and bbq sauce) in the centre, chucked on a Beastie Boys album (with a take out menu on the front..) and voila!

The food speaks for itself, really.

Abraham whipped up some boxes for our fries and chicken nuggets (if I did this again I would make chicken tenders myself, rather than serve ones from a bag!) and I used a few sewn, recycled book, bags I had around the studio to put everything in (stamped with an 'L' for Larsen Burger, naturally! Heh). I wrapped the burgers in greaseproof paper, and we used the leftover cups and straws from Pop Roc Parties for our soy choc shakes.

My burger had a touch of greenery, but the boys had Quarter-pounder knock-offs. Meat, plastic cheese, onions, pickles, sauces.. all on a sesame seed bun. It got the seal of approval, too. Phew.

Mollie discovered a new love for chicken nuggets and Aesop inhaled the meal as if it were the real McCoy. Otto, well, he wasn't anymore enthused than he usually it. Guess it's just not his type of food (he is more of an antipasto type guy. I kid you not!), fair play.

 The biggest hit, of course, was the toy.
You didn't think I could make homemade Happy Meals without a toy, did you?
I hmmed and uhhed about what sort of toy to put in. I wanted something quality, that would not just get played with one day and then forgotten about, or broken. I also didn't want to spend more than $5. A difficult combination.
The choice was obvious in the end, though - Lego minifigures.
I was lucky enough to find them half price at Kmart, making them just $3 each.
(We even got 4 we didn't already have! Always a bonus!)

LOVING these nights. Already so excited for next weeks. Pretty sure we will be doing it all again next month. Are you tempted to join us?

May Themed Dinners #2 - Dinosaurs!

Yesterday was our second 'themed dinner' for May (you can read about the first HERE..)
This was one I was quite excited about - Dinosaurs!

I really enjoyed the planning and brainstorming for these dinners, and I love the fact we decided to go with ideas that we all loved. But also, we chose to go with ideas that didn't involve anyone getting too stressed out from all the effort. I didn't want to go all out and over the to - it would completely ruin the treat factor if one of us didn't have fun preparing for it!

The first step in our Dino-dinner was a wee snack, as this was a meal that took a little longer to prepare.
The boys (big one included) snacked on a dinosaur egg, while they drew some decorations for the table.
Otto was especially amazed by this, he wondered how on earth I snuck into the nest to take the eggs.
(I went through the back door, and nabbed them while the dino was on his Ipod, of course..)
I think there is a better way to colour eggs, rather than the basic foodcolouring and vinegar I used, but this was a last minute addition so no time for research!

We decorated with plastic dinosaurs, cacti and the beautiful drawings (attached to kebab sticks..). I found some animal print fabric in the cupboard and we chose out a record with a prehistoric scene on the cover. (Though we ended up listening to Jurassic5. A little abstract, but sort of in theme!)

Dinner was a hearty feast of baby T-rex bones, trees and roasted potatoes. We ate with our hands, of course, which the boys really relished. Otto proclaimed part-way through the meal that dinos also probably ate with their mouths open - we chose to risk authenticity and try to eat with ours closed. Hah.

Even Mol got into the spirit of things, gnawing down on a bone. We had a good roaring session, too. Turns out our baby dino can roar along with the best of them!

Dessert was heaps of fun to prepare.
I had this fabulous idea to make a prehistoric swamp cake so, with a little help from google search, the $2 shop, some green jelly and a tonne of icing.. a super dooper dino-dinner-dessert was born!
I love the 90's feel - it would be right at home in the Australian Womans Weekly cake book.
The boys thought I was pretty awesome, and even Abraham was impressed. Quite proud.

All in all, a roaring sucess!
(Get it? Roaring? Oh ho ho!)