In The School Holidays

 

 

~ We stayed at home for the holidays with Chris being home the first week and away the second.

I was preparing myself for a long second week, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Instead of trying to achieve what I normally would during a school week, I tried to do the necessities first up in the mornings, and then just do something fun with the kids. We did lots of craft and bike riding at home, went out for morning tea on one day when it was pouring rain and caught up with friends for a couple of play dates.

We ended the week with a bonfire fire night at Pop's house, and we took the 3 older children to see How To Train Your Dragon 2. It was Emmett's  first time at the movies, and he only started to fidget in the last 20 minutes of the movie. Amazingly he didn't ask to go to the toilet once during the movie!

Then as quickly as they had come, the holidays were over and it's back to routine.~

 

1&2. The girls helping to wind a skein of wool on my new yarn swift.

3. Finished the garter stitch mitts

4&5. Bonfire at Pop's  

Weekly Stills ~ Winter Holidays

~One week of school holidays down, one to go. The weather's been pretty bleak here, with clear sunny days peppered between lots of cold, wet foggy and cloudy days. It is winter after all.
Despite the weather, the kids have been spending a lot of time riding their bikes around the driveway, Max even joins in with his scooter.
The girls had been asking to do some craft, so I pulled out the embroidery hoops and taught them them how to do back stitch and now they're hooked on stitcheries! I had tryed to teach them to knit the weeek before, Milly found it too hard, but Leah picked it up fairly easily, a lot easier than crochet anyway. I just have to help her control the yarn while she manouvres the needles. I'm glad they both have a little crafty hobby of their own now that they enjoy, that doesn't involve glue and the entire craft box.
Carting wood seems to occupy a lot of Chris's time lately, but he must like it because I went out the back to find him, just in time to see a tree falling down that he had just cut. Apparently it had to be done right then and there, at that moment, even though it was nearly dark.
I've been doing more knitting than anything else lately, finishing some projects and starting new ones. I can't help but have a few projects on the go all the time! I've been thinking about christmas presents and motivating myself to start making gifts now to avoid extra stress in December. Sounds early, but starting in September last year wasn't early enough! I've done our family christmas present draw for my siblings and all our children and partners, I'm planning on making a lot more gifts this year. I think I'll get started after school holidays...~

1. The wood pile
2.& 3. Leah and Milly working on their stitchery
4. Emmett's gumboots
5. Rosemary in my newly planted little herb garden in an old wheelbarrow
6. Cutting up the fallen tree
7. Milly's 'caravan'
8. I finished the Boat neck Sweater

Joining in with Emily at The Beetle Shack

Weekly Stills ~ On Rainy Winter Weekends

 

 

 

 

 

On rainy winter weekends we like to stay at home and potter about. Chris will always brave the rain and cold for at least a little while and do some jobs around the yard. This weekend he chopped wood and started building a house for the ducks. He's picking up two new ones on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

On rainy winter weekends I like to sit and knit or do some sort of crafty work. I like to sit in the recliner in front of the fire and listen to the rain on the tin roof amongst children's voices.

I like to step outside now and again and breathe in the crisp air and stare out at the mist and fog. There's something a bit magical about fog, especially when it doesn't lift all day.

 

 

 

On rainy winter weekends the kids like to ride their bikes and scooters around and around the deck. The noise drives Chris and me crazy but it's worth enduring for the energy burn that the children desperately need when they've been inside for hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On rainy winter weekends the girls like to do craft, on this occasion water paints were the go. Lots and lots of water painted paper all over the table.

 

Rainy winter weekends are when our little house truly feels like a family home.

 

1 & 2. Early morning fog spread across our yard.

3. Raindrops on the rose bush

4. Still knitting the Boatneck Baby Sweater

5. Burning my 'Pomegranate' candle

6. The rogue scooter rider

7. Milly riding her bike on the deck.

8. The vine on the arbor leading up to the deck is in full winter mode

9 & 10. Water painting

11. I've moved the book shelf back out to the loungeroom. Max loves playing with the bead frame.

 

Joining in with Emily at The Beetle Shack

Weekly Stills ~ Lately...

 

 

~ The words haven't been flowing well for me lately, I've been battling in my head about babies and schedules and to do lists, and looking after sick children. When it rains it pours around here, (refering to the sick people), we've had various ailments affecting everyone to some extent over the last few weeks.

 I've been working on a few different crafty projects, and managed to finish Max's beanie. He's only worn it once as the weather has again fooled us and decided to warm up again. Not having to light the fire though has given Chris a chance to build up a good stockpile of wood , before the cold weather really sets in.

When I counted them up, I've got 3 crochet projects on the go, and still knitting my baby jumper, so I'm not allowing myself to start another project until I finish some! I've joined in Jodi at Jellywares' Winter Yarn Club, knitting instead of crocheting this time, and it's due to arrive next week. A big incentive to finish some projects.

I'm planning on also returning to a more regular gratitude practise this week, I have noticed that being extremely busy and not stopping to reflect leads to me not being very grounded and second guessing myself and my decisions. I start procrastinating and not being very productive with my time, then find myself staying up too late trying to catch up on things that I could have done much earlier in the day!  It's certainly not working for me after 3 weeks of living like that. After returning to my exercise class today for the first time in about 5 months, which also involved coffee afterwards, I found myself in a conversation with friends about being grateful, being happy with your choices and not trying to be supermum, and I'm feeling more grounded than ever. Sometimes reaching out, taking a risk and talking about your values comes full circle and returns to you just what you've been needing to hear. ~

 

 

1. Mother's Day gifts from Leah

2. Washing...

3. Milly made me this I Love You This Much thing

4. Mother's Day camp oven dinner, complete with toasted marshmallows

5. Colourful yarn for crocheting

6. I finished Max's puppy beanie

7. Trevor, he's looking old these days and prefers to sleep at the door amongst the shoes

8. Birthday gift from my bestie, ustom ordered just for me.

9.  Chopping wood

10. Emmett helping me roll out the spelt wraps

11. Gum trees behind the house

12. Leah's school yard handicraft.

 

Joining in with Emily at The Beetle Shack

 

 

Weekly Stills ~ Welcoming Winter

 

 

1. We celebrated Chris's 38th Birthday last week.

2. The birthday cake, choc chip chocolate and vanilla with Maltesers mixed through it. The birthday man's favourite.

3. The aftermath of weekend pancakes at the kitchen bench

4. The 'urban jungle slouch hat' which was part of my Jellywares Yarn Club Package

5. The afternoon light cast shadows on the old chair sitting on the deck. A reminder that it needs attention!

6. Lately the girls are into playing cards after dinner.

7. Emmett warming himself by the fire upon waking

8. My unruly Mother's Day Chrysanthemum that I bought from a school fundraiser last year is in full flower.

9. I made my biggest sister a mug cozy for her birthday, which is on Mother's Day, all ready to send up to Queensland to her.

10. Leah made me a present at school. Feeling like a cool mum right about now.

11.The Boat Neck Baby Sweater from Debbie Bliss's book 'Baby Knits For Beginners'. I'm working my way through the book to improve my somewhat beginnerish knitting skills. It's finally starting to click after almost a year of trying to get it! Crocheting is a lot easier for me for some reason.

 

~ The cool weather is upon us here, although I think the whole country has had a bit of cold snap this past week. I love the cool change though, the winter is coming (I can't help but think of Game Of Thrones after writing that!) and we've been lighting our fire at night to take the chill off the air. I've been snuggling up on the lounge every night after the children go to bed and knitting and crocheting like a crazy person.

We're settling back into our school and work routines, and  getting over a tummy bug that has made it's way through everybody in the house over the past 10 days. I'm so grateful we're up to the last person! ~

 

Anyone else loving the cool change and watching Game Of Thrones? We're a bit obsessed here with the latter... 

 

Joining in with Emily at The Beetle Shack

Weekly Stills Collection ~ Shearing

 

1. Shearing the sheep

2. 'Riding' the sheep waiting to be shorn. This one's quiet because it was a poddy lamb.

3. Emmett in the yards

4. Leah watching on in the shed

5. The ram. Emmett asked me to take a photo of him so he can show the kids at creche.

6. Max found the whole shearing shed experience amusing.

7. Squashing the wool into the press

8. Max having a ride on the wool table

9. Kevin waiting patiently to chase the sheep. Thank god he's turning out to be a good sheep dog 'cause he's a pain in the butt as a house dog!

10. Leah, stopped to pose for me while helping to move the sheep into the next pen

11. Milly sweeping up the wool, she was pretty handy on the broom and was a great help.

12. Chris throwing a fleece onto the wool table.

 

~ We had glorious weather last week, so shearing went to plan for the 3 days it took to shear all the sheep at the farm. Emmett was beside himself with excitement, he was counting down for a good week leading up to the first day. He spent 2 of the three days out there, and heading up to the house with Chris's mum when he was tired. The girls had a couple of days out there too, then on the third day I took Max out for a look. He was so funny, trying to climb on the sheep and running around the yards, not a bit of fear until Andy the shearer started shearing. Then he was a bit unsure of the noise.

Now that the shearing's over, Emmett is already counting down to next time, such is our farm boy. This week will see Chris cutting a few loads of fire wood, the weather has turned cold and we've lit the fire the last 2 nights. Winter is just around the corner...~

 

How are your easter holidays going?

 

Joining Emily at The Beetle Shack