chop chop

:: I generally try not to resort to bribery.

:: but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

:: he sat still for the entire hair-cut.

:: so that he could get some fries on the way home.

:: [as promised]

:: he shared half of them with Daisy.

:: good boy!

:: later as we played in Daisy's room,

:: he disapeared only to return with a plastic dolls comb and the plastic play-doh scissors.

:: he cut my hair telling me that I had to sit still.

:: "hmmmm, now I cut the other side"

:: while standing in front of me surveying his work.

:: "good girl!"

:: thanks babe.



Have a great weekend!

um, what to entitle this post??? ... ~ Mum?

My Mum came to stay last night. I love it when my Mum comes to stay. I guess no matter how much you 'grow up' it's always nice to have your Mum step in, and always a little interesting just to sit back and watch how she does things, little things that you may have forgotten, and just get a few more ideas in your kit.

Angus' parting words as he headed off to bed last night were "me go Nanna's bed", which of course he didn't, he went into his own bed, but he was pretty keen this morning to head off for a play in Nanna's bed, before she was allowed to get out of it... and trust me, there were so many more highlights like this one.



Thanks Mum, we all had so much fun.

For me :: the highlight was our trip to Spotlight. It's really not a shop that I get too excited over, Amitie, Yes :: Darn Cheap, Yes :: Carmels, uh huh :: Spotlight, not so much. Usually I just try to get in, get done, and get out, before the kids play up too much. Today was a bit different though, today I had a secret weapon (sorry!), today I had my Mum....

Instead of just trying to find what I wanted, I actually walked around with Mum, the conversation something like this::

Me :: so whats this?

Mum :: oh, that's so & so.

Me :: so what would I use that for? or So could I use that for this?

Mum :: blah, blah, blah, blah, blah ... (not really, she knew all of the answers)

So thanks to a half-hour fact finding mission, I now have a much better idea on what fabrics I can use to make what...

... and while I am sitting here typing this, I can hear the washing machine containing some new stretch fabrics ~ I know that I sound like a broken record, but I really am going to (gonna, gonna, gonna!!) master this stretch basics sewing. (and I'm not going to mention it again until I do)

Righto, back to my glass of chardonnay, thanks for 'listening' to me waffle : )

on my desk :: japanese loveliness

A fair portion of my 'brain-space' this week has been caught up in planning a new wardrobe for Daisy, with a few basic pieces in the pipeline for Angus also. The cause was a dryer load of white basics that were completely ruined because a stray black crayon found its way into the dryer with them ~ it wasn't choosy, it melted itself over everything, it fact it looks like the whole load had been used as wiping rags at the local mechanics.

But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, and so this week I have enjoyed a lot of time tracing out patters, yes I did say enjoyed because I actually get a kick out of tracing the patterns off that master sheet, knowing that I have so many patterns and sizes that I could possibly make, and all stored in a pretty and compact little book.



So far LaLaLa3 has been receiving most of the attention, the pajamas to be precise, because all of Daisy's pj's were destroyed in the dryer ~ and the whole process has become so much more fun because I have in my hot little hand the translation sheets from moving hands and japan couture. Oh my goodness! So, so good. and all of a sudden it is making so. much. more. sense.

Spotlight tomorrow, and then I am making, making, making, until I get it right!

laughing

We had guests this morning, I think they had fun, I know that I sure did. I had such a good laugh at little Si's mud-play ~ luckily for me Daisy was sleeping while this was all going on, otherwise she was certain to be in amongst it too ~ Angus doesn't like getting 'gritty' hands, so he was in the side-lines raking up the leaves.

I am still laughing when I look at these photos!

Can you see why we still haven't planted any vegetables in the main garden-bed yet?

pretty and pink

We spent Sunday afternoon enjoying a pretty pink tea-party to celebrate my nieces 8th birthday. It wasn't her actual party, that was her and 7 other little girls having a sleep over, by all reports a giggly, shreiky, hypo night, where the girls didn't go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning ~ comparatively our tea-party was a much more civilised affair.

On our way there we got to experience the new Eastlink, a very quick dash across the 'burbs, to my sister's beautiful bush block. I feel like I have just moved a half-hour closer to my family, without actually having to more anywhere ~ the difference that this link road will make to us will be just amazing, and I am hoping that the tolls will be offset by the savings in fuel (especially with fuel prices increasing so alarmingly).



Of course my kids were just as excited to see the fish at Auntie Rombyn's (Robyn's) house. Every time I mention to Angus that we are going to see Uncle Glenn and Auntie Robyn, he looks at me all sparkly eyed as says "fish?", so it wasn't long before they were ushered outside to go look for the fish, and any other wonder that they could find.



Once the birthday girl arrived though, it was down to the serious business of afternoon tea, which is what those yummy looking cupcakes were for :: the recipe is from The Crabapple Bakery Cupcake Cookbook (p27) and the icing is pink rose-water butter-cream which tastes just like musk-stick, all topped with sprinkles and a ferrero rocher. (Hungry? ~ seriously, get. this. book.)

Sunday

it's just a little pinafore...

Phew! I am so glad that I got this one finished. I knew when I started this little pinafore that it was a little more advanced than the clothes that I had been making. For a start it has facing, something that I have subconsciously been avoiding, and being doll sized just added to the 'fiddle factor' too. I spent a lot (and I mean a lot) of time ripping out seams where I had joined the wrong pieces, or in the case of the shoulder ruffles, just attached them too far around ~ but slowly, s l o w l y, it all came together ~ and I was so grateful that I was using broderie Anglaise, as it hid all of the mis-stitching's, rip-aparts, and errors.



Instead, it became this lovely little pinafore for Jamima to wear over her dresses, or not... I am a bit scared to admit that there is another pinafore, exactly the same, already cut out amongst the 'still to be sewn up' dolls clothes. However, I suspect that I will be leaving the second one until very last... In the meantime I'll just be disproportionately proud of this little one.