Cardmaking this year!

We made all our Christmas cards this year.
Here are Mollies cards she made


Here are Lucas's cards he made


Check out what our neighbour gave us, made cardmaking even more fun!

And look at the mess we created while creating our cards lol!!

All fun!

Flower Fairies

I made these for the little girls next door. They are made using cotton velour, tricot, wool felt and filled with fleece.
I am desiging more over the next couple of weeks.
Very cute!

Our Christmas Tree

From our local nursery, we bought a Northfolk Pine.
It has made a lovely Christmas this year!!!

The Stopwatch Kid!

We bought Lucas a stopwatch for Christmas and WOW what an education tool!!
In two days I have timed him countless amount of times around the house on the bike track, up and back of the pool in various swiming styles and Mollie has been timed doing many different tasks around the house.
In the two days, he has understood the concept of timing, able to put all in times in correct order from fastest to slowest and compared the times ie which is faster 1 lap around the house on his bike or 1 lap in the pool.
Lots of great timing fun!!!

Mollies first knitting lesson!!

And she did brilliantly!!
I was surprised on how well she understood the concept of knitting and how she handled the needles and wool. Must be all those hours of lego she has enjoyed over the last three years - well developed fine motor skills!!

For Christmas I made her a knitting bag and in it I added a couple sets of wooden and bamboo knitting needles, a wooden crochet hook, some wool and this book.

A First Book of Knitting for Children

I would recommend this book to anyone teaching their children to knit. It has lots of great ideas with verses to use and also simple patterns for animals and dolls.
Very proud Mama moment here!!

Total clean up!

I just couldn't stand it anymore!!

After 4 hours of work on Monday night and 4 bags of total rubbish and a boot load of op shop toys, the kids plaroom went from this


To our new homeschooling room!


Check out Mollies new home corner set up...she LOVES it!


And just outside the window.....a devine smell

My gardenias!

Phew...now I am one less stressed Mummy!

My artists at work!

tThe kids wanted paintings for their wall so I set them up on an easel, with a canvas and paints and here they are.

Lucas chose to do his outside - his painting is of himself and his puppy


And Mollies inside - of fairies of course!!!


Will get photos of the finished paintings today.

They immedialtey wanted to do another!!

Our new and old members!

Introducing our pets - new and old!

Here is Monty our 6 yr old Kelpie X. He is a lovely natured dog, but he has a few 'issues' - very timid and doesn't like kids!!!

Here is Finley.... Mollies Tabby kitten, here he is 8 weeks old, and she LOVES him!
Here is Odie, Lucas's Labrador X puppy, here he is 8 weeks old. This puppy is a dream come true for Lucas!

And here is Finley and Odie, sharing a snooze together!!

Yesterdays baking delight!

I use our weekly baking as our maths acitivities for the day. Through these baking sessions, the children have learnt about measuring, weight, reading recipes, temperatures and learnt to use the microwave and oven - under strict supervision of course!!!
Here our my Cheese and Bacon Bread rolls, Lucas's choc chip biscuits and Mollies Tani Tup Takes ie Sultana Cup Cakes - YUM!!!

Our homeschooling morning!

Lucas and Mollie love their homeschooling activities.
Here they are writing and illustrating their very own readers. Mollies is about a busy day on a farm and Lucas's is about Mother Nature.
When Dave got home from work, they raced out with their books to show him and they even took them to our homeschooling morning to show their friends. These are very precious times for me!!!

Farbenmix - OLIVIA!

Here is a dress I made today. It was orginally for my lovely niece but Mollie claimed it for her own, she doesn't usually do that but 'Mumma it has butterflys and flowers one it'!.....I have another cut out ready to go for Eliza now!
Here she is trying the new dresses climbing capabilities!!

YAY!!! Look at my corn!

With the help of bucket loads of fertiliser, we have fully formed corn!!
And it is beautiful and sweet.

Lucas t shirt. - Ottobre 3/2006 pattern 26

Here is another t shirt I made Lucas. I started it about 11pm last night, paused at 1am and slept, then up and finished it by 7.00am.
It is a pattern that goes together so well and now that I understand necklines...a breeze to put together.


And here he is modelling it!

MUMMY.......I need new swimmers!!!

As we live in the Tropics with a heater swimming pool, the kids swim all year round.
With the amount of swimmers we go through in the year, it was time Mummy learnt to make them!


I bought my supplies from Crafty Mamas - where else!!
And here is my first attempt 'Swimming undies'. The children tested them in the pool yesterday afternoon and they LOVE them. They fit well, stood up to the test of the almighty 'CANNONBALL'.....yes right next to Mummy too!
Now with the first pair underway, might tackle a one piece for Mollie - 'with a skirt Mummy'

The Mango season has started....ALREADY!!!

Yep....we have a bumper crop on the tree with harvesting a couple everyday.
We have had early rain so maybe that has bought them on earlier. In previous years, it was around mid December is all started.

Here is the fruit bowl

And the kids...hoeing in!
I think I better get some mango recipes organised...I think I am going to need them!

SORRY!!!

Hands up for the worst blogger in bloggerland??

ME ME ME - waving hand madly!!!

I am so sorry for my disappearing act from this blog, I am back now and rearing to blog....
We have been on holidays, I have been busy with toy orders and we now have two new pets, will post photos over the next day or two - I promise!

Will be back soon.....

Inspired - Mollies ruffle skirt!

After seeing Ali's skirt, I decided I would love to make one for Mollie. I raided my stash and this is what I came up with!




She has it on most days!!
Thanks Ali for the inspiration!

I needed a break from dollmaking

Seasonal Dolls all finished

Not the best set up for a photo shoot, but i have finished designing them. I have quite a few made for an order and a set for home.
Mollie has made up our Winter nature table - there is a paper Santa on it which is an interesting twist on a tropical winter

From the lef to right Spring, Winter, Autumn, Summer.

Top Kids Shorts

I went with a Top Kids (opshop find) pattern for these as all my OTTOBRE patterns have below the knee shorts. Just too hot for those here!

So here are Lucas's long awaited shorts
The front - I used the Heat and Bond Cinn got for me to stick the patch on with.


The back


They are made out of drill and the fire engine material is a cheap find at Spotlight.
There are many firsts for me with these shorts
* concealed pockets
* attaching the waistband (the correct way)
* mock fly
On closer look they are a bit rough and ready but they are fine for Lucas.

Another pair made with CM Olive Drill



Back


I think they need some construction vehicles or signs on them.
Lucas has an old pair of pj's with construction pictures on them, might need to cut them up for patches.

Bountiful Harvest!

Lucas and I went out this morning for a walk in the garden and harvesting

This is what we returned with

A stack of mandarins, passionfruit and cherry tomotoes. Later we will harvest chinese veg, herbs, spring onions and corn for dinner.

Also it was time to dig up

Ginger and tumeric!

Will use them in our Chinese pork mince and rice dinner tonight.

Saving our Mandarins!

After the cockatoos had their third go at the tree, resulting in this


We picked alot of them


Juiced them


The juice is beautiful and sweet


I am now off to make another couple Mandarin and Poppy seed cakes as we still have heaps of fruit.