FIVE!? Disbelief and a Doll

Jemima turned 5 last week! It feels so different having two kids at school who really aren't little little anymore, and Jemima turning 5 really emphasized this for me!

Wow, where did those 5 years go? *sniff* Happy Belated Birthday Jems, love from Mummy's Blog.

We celebrated the day with a toilet paper birthday crown I made the night before, after reading this blog post, and the giving of a handmade-by-me doll (and various other presents including a bike-with-purple-streamers!)

I love this pattern. This is the fourth one I have made! Now, each of my children have their own doll. Caleb's is the zombie variation, and Eve got hers for Christmas 2010. (Eve has a somewhat perplexing fluff addiction, so in recent times she has picked holes in the doll's bonnet to eat the wool felt fibres.... so her doll needs a new, thicker wool felt bonnet.)

Jemima requested that her doll have hair rather than a bonnet, so I used instructions from one of the dolls in the Wee Wonderfuls book.

I really love making dolls. And I really love giving them to my children.

First Day

I can hardly believe it. It seems like yesterday we sent the boy to school for the first time. It seems like yesterday she was little!

She was excited, but not over the top. She was awesome.

Hot Diggety Dog!

I started making Christmas presents for the kids in June. So organised, and very unusual really. This Sausage Roller from Craft Schmaft was the first project that I started, but I only finished it last night. If I had all the materials at hand, I think I could have made it in a few nights watching TV, but it took me a while to accumulate everything I needed. As is the Craft Schmaft way, it is surprisingly easy to get a nice result. I'm glad this little pup is staying in the family.

I made him for Eve thinking that she would be walking by Christmas, which in June, seemed so bizarre somehow. But yes, she is indeed toddling about and has been for about 3 weeks or so. On Day 3 of full time walking, she tripped (on flat ground) and hit her head so hard she actually passed out for 30 seconds. Terrifying! But she made a quick and full recovery, and we were given the all clear by the medicos 4 hours later. It wasn't the first, and I know it probably won't be the last time we end up in the Emergency Department with one of our children, so I try enjoy each incident free day to the fullest!

++On the day of her spill++

Eve turned one and here are (some of) the pics

Nothing happens quickly on my blog these days, but better late than never: here is but a sample of the photos my talented sister of ESJAYcreative took back in September! It is hard to pick a favourite.... and decide what to frame. I have a huge 16x20" enlargement of the full family shot with the "1" balloon as that is a firm favourite. Just need an enormous frame now! I bought the balloon from Lark and it is still inflated 2 months later and hangs in Eve's room: value!

There are some other ripper shots, but I don't want to overload the unsuspecting reader!

This can also double as a crafty post as I made our headbands, Jemima's t-shirt, and skirt.

I had made her a "Kea shirt" before with transfer paper, and frankly it just didn't last. The transfer cracked and started peeling off after a few washes. Disappointed! This time around I printed the image on printable fabric and appliqued it on. MUCH better. I sewed on some buttons for extra cute value.

I made her skirt out of one of Chris' old work shirts and sewed on some big red pockets, and replaced the buttons with little blue floral ones. Jemima is a total pink addict, but she is also a pocket addict so she approved of this skirt. Phew!

Eve's adorable dress was bought for me in the late 70s but I never wore it. It was unearthed when Jemima was already too big for it so I am making up for lost time with it this girl around! She wears this once a week!

If you would like your own ESJAYcreative family shots, you will have to wait a little while. My sis is away until at least March next year on a rather big adventure! But do keep her in mind. She is quite the artiste!

Is it really Christmas again?

This post is a bit of a deviation from the usual craft mum posts of Red Chocolate. But I was thinking about some things and thought I would share them here.

I am one of those reflective types who thinks themselves into tangles, and this Christmas time is no exception.

I am thinking about how Christmas Day seems to hold a magnifying glass up to our lives, making the joyous even more joyful, but also the hardship somehow much harder. I know a few families this Christmas for whom the latter is true and my heart hurts for them.

I am thinking about how ironic it is that Christmas is all about Jesus' birth, and yet as a Christian myself, I find it to be possibly the most distracting time of year to meditate on who Christ is and what he came to do (and to teach my children these things).

I am thinking about how relieved and thankful I am that Jesus came into the world as a man to show us what God is like and to make it possible for us to know God and love Him and be loved by Him.

I am thinking about the words of my Dad's favourite Christmas carol, particularly this verse:

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings
Ris'n with healing in His wings
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
"Glory to the newborn King!"

I am thinking about how Jesus is pretty great.

I am thinking that some folk who read this post will agree with me, and others will not. Either way, you may like tell the distractions to take a back seat for a moment and spend some time reading about Jesus this Christmas.

And now I think I will stop thinking and go to bed. We may be up earlier tomorrow than usual (!)

Thanks for reading and commenting throughout 2010 and for writing nice blogs for me to read!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I made a dress, but didn't iron it.

I managed a spot of sewing last week which was fun. I used an old work shirt of Chris' and this tutorial and now Jemima has a new dress for summer. The fabric is quite lovely and very good quality- but he can't wear it anymore because he has changed jobs and it has the old company logo above the pocket.

I added buttons in the back bodice of the dress to help with getting it on and off and left the shirt hem which is such a bonus as hemming is one of my least favourite sewing necessities. Another bonus is that Jemima actually LIKES it (I think it is the pockets... and the novelty of it being one of Daddy's old shirts.) I have 5 other business shirts in the pile, so there will probably be a few more shirt refashions in my future.

And many, many thanks for all your congratulatory comments on Eve's arrival! I was a bit hit and miss with responding to everyone, but I appreciated each and every one. She is settling into the family well with a swag of nicknames to prove it. We are tired, but taking life at a different (slower!) pace to accommodate our newest addition, which is actually quite lovely.

Look what I've got.

Eve Amelie

Born 1st September

3.14kg 47cm

So so precious

Happiness 101

Another snap by ESJAYcreative

The lovely Monique from A Glass Half Full tagged me with the happiness meme. It has been a while since I last participated in a meme. Usually I think about what I would say and never get around to writing it.

Also I am a little bit shy.

Nevertheless, today is a perfect day for articulating just what does make me happy and firing it off into the world. Today is not a bad day, just an uncomfortable day. It is raining quite hard, and this morning 15 minutes before the school run I started having killer Braxton Hicks contractions and could hardly walk. I nearly called my husband home so that he could take the kids to school/preschool but, thankfully they passed and I was able to safely drop them off, and then do a rather large grocery shop.

Usually on a “kid free day” I run around doing all sorts of things, but today I gave myself permission to chill. Here comes some basic happiness inducers from this morning…

1. After coming home and (half) putting away the groceries I sat down and had a cup of hot chocolate, turned on the TV, read a magazine and ate a blueberry muffin.

2. Then I had a shower and got some relief from some foot and back cramps. Ah.

3. Then I hopped into bed and slept for about 45 minutes until my baby in situ attacked me from the inside.

4. It is nice to feel my baby move. My favourite pregnancy thang. So looking forward to meeting her in 3 weeks or so.

And furthermore in happy town…

5. Making something (crafty or culinary) that turned out really well.

6. Going to IKEA.

7. The new paint and carpet in my house. And how it inspires me to keep it clean (but I won’t be doing any cleaning today however- and that makes me happy too)

And digging deeper…

8. Being a Christian. Started out as a kid-believer and still going strong. It feels silly and simplisitc to say “God makes me happy,” because there is so much more to it than that, and it’s not always that easy… but in a top 10 of happy stuff, I can’t really not mention Him! He is a source of great joy.

9. My husband. He’s pretty funny, and fun to hang out with, and very graciously allows me to make fun of him. Oh, and he is very helpful which also makes me happy.

10. My kiddies. Jemima’s wild blonde hair in the morning, and Caleb’s cheeky monkey grin. Watching them have fun together, making friends, enjoying their birthdays, listening to them talk to themselves (definitely something they inherited from me), giving them cuddles, them asking to kiss my tummy so they can kiss the baby. Blah blah blah, I could go on!

But my rest day is over and it is time to pick them up!

If you haven’t been tagged already, consider yourself tagged and tell us what makes you happy!

Now We Are Six

"...now I am Six,

I'm as clever as clever,

so I think I'll be six now forever and ever."

-A.A Milne

Photography ESJAY Creative

Getting back into things (a bit)

Yesterday I did some sewing. Hooray! A friend got married at the beginning of March and I haven't given her a gift yet. She is a friendly eco-warrier so I really wanted to make her something out of recycled/scrap materials.

Jemima was at preschool at the time of this revival of the sewing machine and Caleb sat with me and quietly did some crafting of his own. It was one of those nice moments, when all is well with the world.

I feel like I have to hold onto those moments on days like today where the fatigue was so overwhelming the TV went on again and again. I don't have huge objections to my kids watching TV, but I feel there is a limit. I surpassed that limit many times over today.

The solution? Early to bed, and a little begging session with Jemima to please not wake up mummy while it is still very dark. Also Chris is away on a 10 day stint in Las Vegas. So if he could come back, that would help muchly. Bring on Saturday.

Preschool Girl and Movie Boy and their tearful Mother

Jemima started preschool the other day. She was so ready to go that she barely said goodbye when we got there and didn't want to leave when I picked her up. It felt very strange to leave her there *cue misty eyes here* and hang out with Caleb, who is enjoying his first set of holidays ++.

I had planned to take Caleb to see the new Nanny McPhee movie- his first trip to the movies ever! He was so excited he was practically skipping along to the theatre, but alas, tickets all sold out! His big eyes widened and misted with tears, with the corners of his mouth down turned. But he pulled himself together and tried not to look too disappointed. I, on the other hand, let a tear or two escape on his behalf. I was so sad for him. And so very proud of him for behaving in such a grown up way.

We managed to go today, with Jemima happily hanging at Grandmas. And it was so worth the wait! The movie was lovely, but even better was enjoying this moment together with my son who was so sweet ensconced in the too big seat and getting chocolate choc top all over his face at 9:30 in the morning. I half watched the movie, half watched him watching the movie. And more than a few of those pesky tears escaped again. I could blame pregnancy hormones, but I am a sook descended from a long line of sooks, so I won't.

I'm busting to sew something, but just can't find the energy yet. I tried to make some baby booties for someone who had a little girl, but it was a fail as I did not read the instructions properly. I sewed from A to B instead of seam C. Which I didn't realise until pretty much the end. Nuts. Oh well. At least not much fabric went to waste! (And I didn't cry about it either in case you were wondering).

Baby on Board

I have really missed making things and blogging about them. But I have been busy: incubating our new little baby. This is the picture we got of him/her today! A very wriggly little thing just like big brother and sister. I feel a crazy amount of mummy love for that little grainy black and white image up there.

I have been sick sick sick, hence my absence from the makey scene. But on Wednesday I seem to have turned a corner. I still feel "off", but on the bright side I can get out of bed and eat and drink! Yay! I won't go into detail because that would be gross, but let's just say it has been a difficult time.

We could not have functioned with out the incredible selfless support of our parents, and I could not have functioned without Chris (in the midst of a job change himself) doing all the stuff I usually do and not once making me feel bad about it.

So bring on September, we can't wait to meet and nurture our little spring lamb.

Caleb's first day of school EVA!

Caleb started school today! Most of his friends started earlier in the week, or even last week, so this week has dragged for my new kinder kid.

I thought I would be tearful, but I have been OK. I think I felt this week dragging too, and eager for him to get started so we can all move into this new phase for our family.

I am about to go and pick him up and I can't wait to hear about his day. I hope he is feeling his usual verbose self. I want to know everything.

Pretty plaits

I went makey crazy last weekend and possibly induced a migraine that chased me all week and finally caught up with me last night. So today I have the sunnies on and am moving a bit slowly.

I don't have any pictures of all the weekend productivity, so I am posting something I happened to have on hand. Jemima's first plaits. *sigh* Seems only yesterday I was posting this.

Pretty trinkets

On Sunday we also celebrated my new sister-in-law's birthday! I gave her the black pretties from the little selection above. The cream and purple rose earrings have secret recipients for this Christmas-which-is-fast-approaching!

I have blogged the earrings before I think (yes here!), and the hair clips are an idea I lifted from Heart of Light. I can't remember how I found these headbands, but aren't they pretty? I bought this one a little while ago, and can't figure out whether I should keep it or give it as a present. She makes the clips now too.

In other news, I took Caleb to "big school" orientation today. Oh he is ready, but there will be tears come February (mine.) I am a massive sook when it comes to an "end of an era", a "new beginning", or just being a proud mum of my "big" little boy in his new green floppy hat.

*sigh*

And the winner is...

....Jo so and sew. Congratulations! Send me an email to redchocolate@ymail.com so I can forward on your address to Maree from Buyster, and she will be in touch regarding your prize!

Thanks to everyone who entered the buyster rug giveaway! I am planning another giveaway soon (this time of stuff I have made and a few other bits and bobs probably), so stay tuned.

Our week has been.. interesting. Caleb hit his head on the lino floor at preschool 20 minutes before I picked him up. A very large googie egg had taken up residence on his forehead. I had already arranged for an overnight trip with the kids to Newcastle, and he seemed fine (did not lose consciousness, was not lethargic etc etc), so I decided to go.

Well, then the fun began- he was really sleepy and off his food, and had a vomit. I kept going as my friend's husband is a doctor, besides when I started to get worried I was an hour from home and an hour from them. Eventually I ended up taking him to hospital in Newcastle as he had another vomit. He also had diarrhea by now, so I was fairly sure he had gastro, but the head injury was a bit .... complicating. A diagnosis of gastro and about 5 hours later, we were able to take him home.

He is fine now! He always bounces back after these things. And this was actually the first time I have ever taken my kids to hospital in my 5 years as a parent, so I count myself lucky!

We all feel a bit seedy, so we'll see if anyone falls victim to the bug.

Hope everyone has a great sick-free weekend!

Ah me.

There is nothing particularly wrong in my neck of the woods, but I am tired and feeling a bit sad.

The tired one stems from Chris' absence. 8 days down, 6 to go. This time around I have just not been able to sleep. Strange really as he has travelled a lot in the past, and I have never experienced insomnia to this degree before. On more than one occasion I have slept with a weapon (a club that a friend brought back from Africa!) because I freaked myself out...

... and we all know what the effects of sleep deprivation can be. Tempers (mine) fray more readily, leading to inevitably to guilt, and problems lead to disproportionate anxiety.

The sad one I can't really elaborate on in a public forum as it involves tragedy that effects someone else, but I am a bit caught up in it as it is just that sad.

One of the coping strategies I employ in such times is to make stuff.

Banana bread from this recipe which is delicious, but Caleb and Jemima took one bite and spat it out. The recipe said it takes an hour to cook, but my tin was different dimensions and it only took 35 minutes. I have had a number of baking failures recently as I am a bit of a novice, so I am pleased that this one is more than edible. For the people over 6 years old in this house anyway.

And some random granny goodness. No real purpose in mind, just using up some wool I have lying around. It had been so long that I had to re-teach myself, and I don't think I am doing the slip stitch properly to do my joining up, but I am enjoying the colours. And the comfort of repetition.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

One thing I am enjoying about being a parent is having more birthdays. Sure, it is not my birthday today, but it is just as fun! He is enjoying himself so much today, and I am enjoying his joy.

My little man is 5 years old today. In some ways I vividly remember him being a tiny babe in my arms, in other ways, it feels like he was never that little.

I have no words to describe how much we love him. He is a great little guy.

Happy Birthday monk!

Happy Birthday Keristofa

Well, hello.

Today is Chris' birthday. Happy Birthday honey!

We had a roast dinner and a delicious Vienetta to celebrate and wore personalised party hats. Yeehaw!

We each made him a card and Caleb and I had a special present to give that we worked on together. Last week Caleb was experimenting with mixing colours, and I thought the end result looked cool. So I scanned in his paintings and went to Snapfish online and ordered a collage poster. It happened to be on sale at the time and including postage cost about $15. Not bad I thought.

The frame is one from Ikea that I had lying about (we have them breeding in this place) and the poster size wasn't quite right. I was determined to make some kind of matte without having to buy anything new. This one is made out of a manilla folder and some fabric, using masking tape and my sewing machine. I am still into yellow in my home decorating. Tis so cheery.

Oh, and he got a Wii. I have to say, it is a LOT of fun.

Coping

I've been unsure about what to post here: I made something today, but there was is a whole lot else going on.

I got a call last night from my Dad explaining that my Grandpa is very ill in hospital. So today has been a day of waiting for news. Good news. Bad news. Just any little update to dictate how I should be feeling/acting. The good news is he is stable. The bad news is his condition is still critical. So at this point we still just don't know how this will pan out.

I would love to go and see him. But Caleb and I are sharing a cold and so we are just waiting it out at home. Waiting for a text message or phone call. Just waiting. Hoping and praying that he and we will be better in a day or two so that we can visit.

To help a slow day pass a little more quickly I made Jemima an apron. Coping.

The yellow bit of the apron was an op shop find. It appears to be home sewn and was a little small to fit around my waist. So I refashioned it for Jemima. I had a quick look through my stash and found this vintage gingham and feeling a bit lazy, used some ribbon to make ties rather than make them. Then I chopped off some hem and used the Oliver + S Lazy days skirt tutorial to hem it a bit shorter with the same ribbon I used for the ties.

When I put this on Jem she whispered, "ooooh princess" and refused to take it off until bath time. A nice moment in a sad day.