Felt Bird Keyring

It was my friend Nevila's birthday yesterday.

I had been looking forward to attending the Craft & Quilt Fair, but ended up staying home due to a lack of finances. So I thought - instead of looking at crafts, why not make something?

This felt bird keyring was a kit from a Mollie Makes magazine I purchased recently (a fantastic magazine, if you're not familiar with it). All I needed was some Bondaweb and stuffing. The instructions were simple, and I was really pleased with how it turned out.

I customised the keyring by sewing a felt patch on the back. On the patch, I embroidered "Math. 6:26", a reference to the words of Jesus:

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

I got myself a little bit confused by embroidering straight onto the patch without writing the text out first. So it looks a little primitive, and "Matt." turned into "Math." by mistake. Still, it's the thought that counts, right?

I wrapped some fresh pumpkin scones (still warm from the oven) in a blue tea towel with white polka dots, added the keyring and a card, and Grace and I dropped off the package in the afternoon.

Another handmade gift done. I'm not sure how great it is for the recipient, but I find the process very satisfying and rewarding.

(A quick word of apology to those friends and family who are yet to receive a gift from me this year. My efforts are a little patchy. But I haven't forgotten you!)

I'm Back!

It has been almost five months since my last post.

Five months during which I've missed documenting my life and thoughts. And hopefully, five months during which you've missed hearing from me.

My sudden silence doesn't have an easy explanation. Factors that played a part include a couple of unsuccessful IVF cycles, a trip interstate, less free time in the evening (due to lying with Grace to help her go to sleep), and discouragement.

To put it simply, I've been in a slump.

"And when you're in a Slump,

you're not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself

is not easily done."

- Dr Suess

I wouldn't say I've managed to 'un-slump' myself just yet. That is still a work in progress. But I've come to realise that posting here regularly will help, rather than hinder, that task. 

This blog creates a record of our family life, and makes me more mindful of what is happening each day. It helps me organise my thoughts, process my feelings, and practise my writing skills. 

Most significantly, the simple act of writing a post is a statement of belief that my life and my thoughts are worth sharing. 

So watch this space ... there's more coming! 

2013 Teddy Bear's Picnic at Rippon Lea Estate

On Sunday, 24th February we finally did something I've wanted to do for awhile, and attended the annual Teddy Bear's Picnic at Rippon Lea House and Gardens.

This National Trust property includes a mansion built in 1868, and 14 acres of beautiful gardens. Unfortunately it was a very hot day, and the heat combined with the crowds made it not the right day to explore the estate. We'll have to go back another time to check it all out properly.

Part of the large crowd picnicking in the grounds.

We brought along a basket of 14 teddies, leaving our very large teddy at home for logistical reasons. The organisers were hoping to beat the Guinness World Record for the largest teddy bear's picnic, but fell well short of the mark. Still, it looked like a lot of people, teddies and other soft toys attended and enjoyed the day.

Grace and the teddies waiting for the Peppa Pig show.

Our teddies.

The entertainment included a Peppa Pig show, which Grace and Charlotte were excited to see. However, it was the pirate MC who captured their attention the most.

The pirate MC introducing the Peppa Pig show.

Peppa Pig.

There was a small animal nursery, rides, market stalls (I bought a couple of great bibs) and other activities to keep everyone amused. Grace and Charlotte enjoyed the craft area, where they coloured a teddy each and put them up on display.

Grace colouring in her teddy bear.

Grace's finished teddy.

Grace and Charlotte's teddies on display.

The girls seemed to enjoy eating their sandwiches, cookies and fruit, and drank lots of water and juice. But by far the greatest fun to be had was climbing all over Daddy!

Little girl's picnic food.

Climbing on Daddy.

Neil and his daughters.

We left by mid afternoon, to attend a friend's birthday party on the other side of town. But by then we'd enjoyed a great family outing.  This might become an annual tradition!

"Every teddy bear, that's been good

Is sure of a treat today

There's lots of wonderful things to eat

And wonderful games to play

Beneath the trees, where nobody sees

They'll hide and seek as long as they please

Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic"

Milestones

It's been awhile between posts again.

That's what happens when you add paid work to the list of things you are already doing!

A photo I found online showing the front of my workplace.

That's right - I just survived my first fortnight back at work after a nine month period of maternity leave.

It wasn't actually too bad. While a lot of the processes have changed (like how to book a fleet car, and where to save documents on the computer) the core business of assessing and assisting older people remains the same. And it feels good to know I have helped them to receive the support they need.

It also feels good to know that in just under 12 months I'll be reaching another milestone ... long service leave!

While I've been busy getting back into the swing of things at work, and refining the routine that enables us all to be dressed, fed, packed and out the door on time (luckily only five days a fortnight!) Grace has achieved an important milestone herself. No nappy overnight!

We mostly used Huggies, but these were the last nappies Grace wore overnight.

The noise you hear is a loud cheer as I celebrate having one child out of nappies completely. Hooray!!!

Grace's nappy was mostly dry in the mornings, but I hadn't got around to buying the waterproof mattress protector and setting everything up for her. I've done it now, and we've had two nights nappy-free. There's been one small accident (probably contributed to by being extremely tired after a late night) but otherwise the change has been incident free.

Which brings me to the last milestone of the day. Our energetic, ever-smiling, lovely Lucinda is 9 months old today!

Unfortunately I didn't manage to get a photo taken today, but here's a shot from last week:

Lucinda enjoying her lunch at the Teddy Bear's Picnic at Rippon Lea.

Lucinda has two teeth now (more milestones I didn't record here) and is growing rapidly.

She is almost crawling - she gets up on her knees, rocks, then lurches forward and collapses. It won't be long! She can also push herself nearly all the way up from lying to sitting.  I'd better child-proof the rest of the house, because she's going to be on the move very soon!

A Pair of Personalised Baby Bibs

A friend of mine gave birth to twin boys on Wednesday.

We're going to visit them in the hospital tomorrow.

They were born at around 37 weeks, and were good weights at birth. I'm sure they will thrive - although things might be a bit tough for their parents over the next few months! The couple already have two sons, aged five and three-and-a-half.

I purchased the twins a CD of worship songs and lullabies, and decided to make them each a personalised bib. While I didn't know their gender, I obviously knew they were expected, and had purchased the bibs already. I was just waiting for more details before getting out my cross stitch books.

A pair of matching personalised bibs for the twins.

It is cheating a little bit to purchase rather than sew the bibs, but given how far behind I am with my gifts for all the people with birthdays in February, I thought the compromise was justified!

I have quite a few books of cross stitch designs, alphabets and borders. I ended up drawing up my own design, based on a train in one book and an alphabet in another. I think it came together OK.

A train for Noah ...

... and a train for Aaron.

Having faced not being able to cross stitch again after thumb reconstructions a few years ago, it was lovely to find that I can still do it - and pain free, too! The only problem was, I'd forgotten how long it takes!

I hope my friend will appreciate a gift that is fairly basic and simple, but personal and made with love.

A Valentine's Day Gift

Tonight I made a simple little gift for Valentine's Day.

Another idea gleaned from Pinterest, I added an appliqued heart after I couldn't find any fabric with hearts on. I think I like this version better anyway!

A framed 'Love You' with appliqued heart.

Here's how to do it:

1. Take the glass out of a photo frame (I had a spare one in the cupboard).
2. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit inside the frame.
3. Cut a piece of fabric about 2cm larger than the cardboard, then iron it.
4. Iron some double-sided interfacing onto a small piece of red fabric.
5. Draw a heart shape on the interfacing paper, then cut it out.
6. Lay everything out to determine where to place the heart. 
7. Remove the backing paper and iron the heart into position.
8. Use a contrasting thread to stitch around the heart.
9. Attach the backing fabric to the cardboard, using tape or a hot glue gun.
10. Place the fabric-covered cardboard inside the frame, and secure the back.
11. Use a hot glue gun to glue the letters in place.

A close up view.

What made this gift extra special to me was the fact that the Scrabble pieces are left over from our wedding.

When planning our reception, I had the idea of spelling each person's name in Scrabble letters instead of using place cards. Neil's mother and my family all enjoyed playing Scrabble, and I thought it might give people something to play with if they got bored during the speeches!

I bought a couple of bags of mixed Scrabble pieces from Ebay, and my very clever father made little stands to put them on. The hard part was working out exactly how many of each letter I needed! 

One of the place settings at the wedding (before the flowers were placed on the candelabras).

A message made for us by a table of wedding guests.

It's nice to have this connection between our wedding and my Valentine's Day gift for Neil. And it's nice to actually look back at the details of our day, which can easily be lost in the rush of everyday life.

In a brief speech at our wedding, I spoke of the fact that the name 'Neil' means "champion". Back then, I only knew a man who had captured my heart, and the dreams that we shared for the future.

Now I know a man who isn't perfect, but is still great to have around. I know a man who is a loving and involved father to my children, and who helps, supports and encourages me. I know the hardships we have been through together, the good times we have shared, and the dreams we still hold for the future.

Neil, you will always be my champion. And I'll love you forever.

A Pantry Overhaul

One of the things I'm liking about the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (12WBT) program is the "pre-season tasks".

You are required to do things like list the excuses you may use not to exercise or eat well, then think of ways to deal with them; set goals and tell other people about them (see my 'A Holiday and No Holiday' post); and purchase whatever exercise equipment you may need so you are all ready to start.

One of the tasks I found most useful was the "kitchen makeover". Not that I had a lot of 'bad' stuff in there - it wouldn't last that long! But my pantry was due for a spring clean and organisation, and it made sense to stock up on the things I would be needing later on.

Some of the new look tidy shelves.

I removed some items like corn chips and biscuits - and promptly did the wrong thing and ate them to use them up! It seemed like such a waste otherwise! I also turfed out anything that was past it's 'use by' date. Then I organised the remaining items more neatly.

The pink storage box contains the children's snacks.

Following a tip from my sister, I placed the ice cream cones, Tiny Teddy biscuits and other children's snacks in a plastic storage box with opaque sides, so I don't see them every time I open the door.

Now it is easy to see at a glance which items are running low.

My pantry is a walk-in one in reasonably original condition (we painted it when we moved in), but it has plenty of space. The shelves are deeper than I can reach, and with everything more organised it looks a bit sparse!

My special 12WBT folder (without a pretty cover as yet).

I've set myself up with a folder to contain the exercise and nutrition plans and shopping lists we will be given during the 12WBT, and given it pride of place in the pantry.

I love tidy cupboards!

It is great to have sorted out the pantry. The fridge and freezer also received attention, but they are sorted out more frequently so the change wasn't quite so dramatic.

Today I took my weight and measurements, and completed the last of my pre-season tasks. My new life starts on Monday.

Wish me luck!