Ahhhh Summertime.

 Happy new year, lovelies!

We're full into the swing of Summertime, over here. Beaches and pools are being swum in, Christmas presents are being played with (especially that big, bouncy one!), dinners are being eaten outdoors and general chaos is the norm at our place!
(Summer is not my favourite time of the year, but I'm doing my best to roll with it this year, I even donned togs the other day! Say whaaaa?!)

We had the coolest Christmas this year. We spent just over a week camping over at Ohiwa (about 40 minutes from home, nice and handy but juuuust far enough away to make it a real holiday!) with my parents. We had the most glorious weather, just a few wee spots of rain the whole time - just enough to keep the temperature reasonable, actually. We beached, crabbed, walked, blobbed, gifted, ate our body weight in treats, beached a bit more, walked a bit more and even caught the odd afternoon nap. So relaxed and lovely. I really enjoyed not stressing about traveling from family to family, or about getting the house tidy, or even really about preparing a fancy lunch. We ate the most delicious, simple bbq meal and it was just what we needed.
Can't wait to do it all again next Christmas.

I feel a bit like it has taken me 9 days to feel ready for it to be a new year, and a new start! Always need a wee break after a holiday with three kids. Hah. But yesterday morning I woke up feeling like it was a fresh year. I logged myself out of Facebook, for what I hope is going to be a really long break (crushing that addiction will make a HUGE change to my life... you can laugh, but FB addiction is some serious stuff!) and got stuck into my housework. I revised our budgets and I bought a new daily/monthly planner - I'm getting myself organised. 2014, BRING IT!

Mollie's Chair: 18 Months (A catch up!)

Mollie
18 Months

My goodness, this girl is getting big!
Life is so busy at the moment that I, sadly, completely forgot to take the 17 month photos. Mothering fail!

One-and-a-half is proving to be a good age for Mol.
We've gained a few teeth (cutting a huge molar at the moment! Ouch!), finally starting to grow a tiny bit of hair and are getting taller by the week.
Mol is getting steadier on her feet, far less toddling when she walks, and her grasp of words is growing so quickly, too. She delights is greetings and farewells 'Hiya!' ' Bye!' ''Eeeeya!'
Mollie is learning her brothers names ('To!' 'Op!'), learning other peoples names, learning names for things around the house. One of my favourites is the way she says her own name 'Mo-yee'. So sweet.

Sleep has been up and down. We attempted to take the side of the cot, without much success. It has now gone back on and things have calmed down a little. Next step might be teaching her to get to sleep without the boob..

I think it's safe to say that Mol is no longer a little baby, she's very much a toddler. She insists on doing everything that her brothers get to do, and can't understand if she's left out.
Her favourite things include dancing, playing with the babies, washing dishes, riding the tandem trike, 'reading' books and chasing the boys.

I realised, when taking these pictures, that the suit she is wearing is the same fabric as the one she was wearing in these first pictures - at just one week old. She's a bit bigger now, huh?!
Must say, I'm still a little sniffly when I think about the fact that we'll never have a teensy one in the house again, but I'm also realllly looking forward to the adventures these kids will have when they're all old enough to play and explore together.

Lately (a catch up..)

You know it's time to write a blog post when people start emailing to see if you are alright (thank you!).
I AM! I'm actually pretty good! I've just been in a bit of a funny headspace for blogging.
Shall I catch you up a little bit?

We've all been battling the common Winter ailments - coughs and snuffles, a minor dose of the Winter Blues... head lice. Haha. Maybe not so Wintry, but definitely an ailment. Those things are NASTY!
We have come through it all, though. One of us with a bald head, and one who still has a tinge of green in her nostrils, but we're all ready for Spring now.

I've been sewing. I've filled lots of custom orders, made some readymades, and have plenty more on the go. I'm still struggling to find that balance, and things are taking much longer than I would like them to.. but I'm getting there.

We've been doing a lot of assessing of our lives the past few weeks, setting some goals, figuring things out. One of the major things to come from this, for me, is that we decided to put Mollie in daycare for a few hours a week - so that I can spend some more time sewing, put a little more energy and effort into my little business/hobby.
It has been a time of conflicted feelings for me.
While I wish I was the type of person who could thrive from being around my kids 24/7, I'm not. I feel ridiculous amounts of guilt about that. I also feel like putting Mol in care, even for 6 hours a week, is making her grow up even faster - not what I want at all! But the little miss is such a social creature, she gets incredibly bored and frustrated stuck at home with me all day and I, in turn, end up frustrated with her. Not ideal! So yeah, she needs the social time and I need the sewing time (read: the money..) Ugh. I know I don't need to justify any of this to you (you, kind blog reader, wouldn't judge me, aye?) but I'm kind of more still justifying it to myself!

The past few weeks, we've been doing bits and pieces around the house. Windowsills got painted, kitchen light got fixed, trees and plants got planted, vegies went into the ground..
It's starting to really feel like home, despite there still being a long list of things we'd like to do. Guessing that list never really gets shorter!
I think the next things on our short term list are hanging a pinboard for the kids artwork, hanging more pictures on the walls, and painting that horrible blue strip around the bottom of the house!
Midterm plans include more garden/vege beds and replacing the gas fire with a woodburner.

I'm not sure if I've even mentioned it here, but I've been on a bit of a weightloss/healthy eating mission. I completed the C25K program on the crosstrainer, and have joined WeightWatchers.
I'm struggling to stay on the wagon a bit this week (highs and lows!) but I've lost just under 10kg so far (in 10 weeks) and am excited to be starting to see the difference in my energy levels and how my clothes fit.
This Catherine Campbell print was a small reward I nabbed for myself. I've been trying to treat myself to a little something every 2kg loss : )

I think that's about as much of a recap as I can manage. Otherwise, we've just been bumbling along like usual. Mostly, anyway.

What have you been up to?

A birthday window-shop.

It's my birthday in 10 days.
It's not a 'milestone' birthday, or anything, and it won't be a huge deal. We also don't have any money for big, extravagant gifts or outings. I've actually asked Abraham not to buy me anything - but, you know, sometimes dreaming about what you might like as a gift is even better than getting it.
(Truly. I have so much stuff, I have no neeeeeeed for more!)

Anywho, with that in mind, I've put together a wee Felt wishlist to share with you : )
I loved putting together the Felt showcases I was doing a wee while ago, there are just so many clever crafters around our little country! Hopefully you might spot something you love, too.

Woollen star brooch by Ramari Textiles

Anchor buttons by El Pato Guapo

Crochet slippers by House Shoes

'May' Convertible scarf by Pommesrogues

Big Monster by Needlebot

Knuckle Tat card by Odd One Out

 

'She'll be right' print by Dudo Design

Rabbit in a jar by Pietjes

Have you spotted anything awesome on the Internet lately?

A 'lesson' in bike riding.

We've been talking about taking the training wheels of Otto's bike for awhile now.
I think we were a little nervous. Teaching Aesop to ride his bike was quite a mission for Abraham. It took months and months, much patience and many tears.
Otto is a very different child though. Those two are like chalk and cheese, so I knew it would be slightly easier second time round.

We bundled up on Saturday arvo, just before it rained, and headed down to the bike track at one of the local schools. My Mum and Dad came along, too.

As soon as we set foot on the track, Otto jumped on his bike. With a few seconds of Abraham holding the seat, so he could push off..... away he went! No tears shed and no patience required!!

It turns out that the balance bike his Koro bought his for his 2nd birthday completely paid off. Within minutes, Otto was confidently cycling half way round the field!

So proud!

Miss Mollie got adventurous and went up and down a few of the jumps (with Nana's help, of course!), and Aesop biked round and round like a pro.

Three kids on wheels!

This is especially exciting, as we're planning a big camping trip in the Summer - bikes will make getting  around the camp ground much, much easier for all of us. Yay!

Tiny Eyes Collaboration!

OHMYGOSH!

You guys have been following along with the progress of the Tiny Eyes dolls, aye?!

The wonderful Dee, who might be the most talented person in the world, offered seven creatives the chance to design one of her dolls. I was one of the lucky seven.

I had so much fun doodling a sketch of the wee lass, picking out fabrics and sewing up a tiny dress and itty bitty rosette. I'm quite certain I've never stitched such small stitches before, but it was strangely enjoyable!
(Perhaps doll accessories is my future line of work? ; P)

This is the finished product. Isn't she INCREDIBLE?! (If I do say so myself!)

Dee has done a most fabulous job.

The other dolls (which you can see over here.. though you've seen them, right?) are equally as fabulous. And you're in luck. They will be auctioned tomorrow!

To bid on the Croutons doll, or any of the others, you need to follow Tiny Eyes on FB, and join Dee's event. There you will be able to take part in the auction from Friday lunchtime, through to Sunday lunch. Be warned though, I've been saving my pennies, and I have my eye on at least one of the other dolls! Heh.

The dolls are also on display at the Walton Street Cafe in Te Awamutu today, from 8-2pm. If you're passing by, please call in for a cuppa and ogle them for me. I'm most envious of those who get to see them all in one place! So good.

Corners of my home.

I feel like our little whare is taking shape. It's a slow process, though, this making a home from a house thing.
When we bought this place, we wrote gigantic big lists of things we wanted to do. We also wrote lists of things we needed to do. I would love to say either of these lists have become any shorter but, in fact, they have both grown. This appears to be the nature of the beast that is home ownership.

I like to take photos like these, though, to remind myself that we're getting there. A new blue, chalkboard, wall in the boys room, a swing hung in the back yard, a few lettuce plants in the ground, the primer up on the kitchen door.. these are all itty bitty steps, but we're making progress.

It's been a strange last few weeks. So busy, yet not.
We've been fighting off a dose of the Winter Blues, and mostly winning (first year I've been able to say that!). I've been focusing a lot of my health (weightloss/exercise) and less on sewing and blogging (maybe you've noticed?) and I'm struggling to find a good balance between the two. I do like a good challenge though, so that is my goal for the next month - try and find that magical place, where I'm spending enough time on the cross-trainer, but also storing enough energy to sew for a few hours each night.

That, and keep chipping away at our house-lists.