Advent

This year I decided that I would make an German Advent calender for each child, everyday they would receive a little gift, to mark the day.

I should have known that it is nearly impossible for me to make the same thing twice, let alone fours times.

So one between four. they are very good a sharing. They have to be!

It sounded like a good idea until I did the maths, um, 28 pressies x four, gulp, oh my, wayyyyy to much brain power for this little treat.

So the list of little pressies included:
beautiful stones
out for tea
Lyra crayons and pencils
out for tea
matchbox cars
stamps
out for tea
chocolate
I think you get the picture.

Our nativety table, For the first week of advent, the mineral kingdom is honoured, beautiful stones placed around the stable.

The second week, the plant kingdom, fresh roses from the garden are gathered.

The third week, the animal kingdom, the fences are made and straw is brought in.

The fourth week, Mary, Joseph and the donkey, make their way to the stable, their journey starts at the top of our stairs, and the angel, so beautifully made by Cadi, slowly drops down day by day to the stable bringing baby Jesus.

What dreams are made of

Our garden in all her glory,
10 years ago, Our dream was to turn this bare paddock into our garden of eden, and like every gardener, it's still not there yet. But as I look around and see the tall manor gums soaring to the sky, Joey building makeshift cubbies in the hedges, Jim catching frogs and lizards, the orchard bursting with fruit and baby blue wrens in the lavender.

I realise how lucky we really are, to see with my very own eyes, what I had dreamed for, for my children.

The party dress

Besides, socks, jocks and shoes, I've never bought clothes for my children, I've either being given hand-me-downs or it's the clothes I've made for them, I feel really good about that fact.
But for a bit of indulgents, I figure every girl, whatever age, should have one good dress just for party's, whenever the occasion arises.

This is Alice's party dress, beautiful pink dupioni silk complete with angels wings.

I smocked the yoke, bishop style, it is, perhaps, my favourite syle of smocking, dainty glass beads and silk leaves, vines and knots compliment the smocking.

Yes, Alice really does believe she can fly.

Jim's Birthday Party

This year Jim decided he wanted a fishing birthday party, I tried my darnest to talk him out of it, I was so not ready to give up the birthday party at home thingy.

Well he was, he said 'I don't want girls at my party and I don't want to get dressed up', this comming from my boy who's best friend in prep and grade one was a girl, a gorgeous girl too boot, I'm picking her as my future daughter-in-law, I think arranged marriages are not such a bad idea,( no I haven't had too much to drink!) I mean, you know, DNA is important, and I'm thinking about my future grandchildren.

Okay, I better stop, or my free thinking Steiner friends will tie me up.

So we went to Tuki trout farm, with 9 of his friends, and it was fun.

Secretly, I'll admit that it was nice not having to stay up half the night before, making costumes and party food.
We had a bbq for lunch and the chicken schnitzel burgers went down a treat.

And for a lolly bag?
The boy's got to take their 'catch' home for tea, they were grinning from ear to ear, all that hunter/gatherer stuff , you know.

The birthday cake

What is with boy's and hammers?

When I asked Jim what cake he would like, straight away he said a soccer cake mum, one that I can smash and it's full of lollies.

This is the third time I've made this sort of cake, I wonder who will ask for it next year?

It better not be Alice!

True happiness is in giving

Joseph's beautiful basket.
His prep teacher Jacinta is leaving, so he wanted to give this to her, which crushed me, because I wanted to keep it, who knows when he'll do another one!
Well I guess I should focus on the positive, and be gratful that I have generous children.

The tulips have been and gone now, I planted them the year Alice was born, The packet said colourful mix. About a week before Alice was due the first tulip pop out it's head, and it was pink, and I wondered then, wondered if that was a sign.

This reminds me that a need to post two more birthdays partys, they are well over but if I don't post them, well, you'll think I'm playing favourites.

Basket weaving

I'm sure the troubles of the world could solved by following this recipe:

Gather a group of like-minded woman, with the purpose of crafting together,

share a lovely morning tea together,

order a day of sunshine, and let the children run outside...free....

I know I felt good feelings.

This little one, decided that he wanted to make a basket too, and so resisted the urge to run with the other children and sat and weaved and watched and listened, for the whole day.

I'll show you his basket tomorrow.

Babe

Now that's one big pig!
The children spied this pig in a backyard on our way to the Otway's

Jim trying his hand at catching fish.

View from up here

Glorious Mountain Ash.

Paradise

We had lunch at Paradise Falls, the children all filled their water bottles with fresh mountain water, this walk is great with little ones, there are ten crossings over the stream usually stepping stones sometimes logs (argh!) .

There's a sense of accomplishment for the children, everytime we cross the stream, their faces glowing.

Skimming stones

If I could live anywhere it would be on Paradise road, Appollo Bay.
5minutes to the sea, 5mins to the mountains, and this stream running through your property.

Where is your dream place to live?

Spring

What a wonderful spring it has been so far, rain, glorious rain every few days, it feels like the wettest spring for a long time.

Everyone say's that plants are more drought tolerant than you might think, and they would be right, but I can tell you when it rains day after day and the ground soaks it up, and the dams and water tanks are overflowing, the plants, I tell you, are jumping out of the ground, my roses have never look that lush before, the foliage as you look around, is so alive and to breathe in that sweet sweet air.

Oh how we love spring.

My vegetable patch is overflowing with our winter crop, all sorts of lettuce, spring onions, cauliflowers, spinach, silverbeet, cabbage, garlic,brocolli, broad beans.
Tonight we made brocolli soup, I think I cooked up ten heads!
extra went into the freezer.

Heading to the beautiful Otways for the weekend to do some much needed tree hugging.
Have a wonderful weekendxx