right now...

loving... the soft gentle rain that fell last night.

enjoying... the freshness that the rain brings to the soil and plants.

laughing... at ourselves for thinking all along that roger the rooster was a girl.

remembering... what a busy week last week was with all that sewing for the kids clothes week challenge.

wishing... the house would tidy and clean itself.

thinking... that i really must get on with my trimmings competition entry.

wondering... what kind of party to organise for jess's upcoming birthday.

reminding... myself that it's not too far away.

working... on a special book to share with jess on her birthday.

planning... on getting some gardening done this week.

hoping... to get some time to finish reading and then re-reading through all the modules from whole food kitchen.

looking... at our lovely sunflowers on the kitchen table.

deciding... we should grow more flowers just so we have something to bring inside more often.

being... grateful for all i have.

roger

meet roger. previously known as rosemary.

i know very little about chickens but i had been wondering for quite a few weeks now why rosemary (roger) had grown so much bigger than the others. i thought she (he) was just the top chick in the pecking order and got all the best food and that was why she (he) was more developed.

i had also been admiring some of the reddish feathers beginning to grow on her (his) neck.

hmmm... now i understand why!

well as you can see it took a little while for me to click. actually, that would be all of us to click.

so roger it is, we have a rooster.

i like roger, he is fun to watch and i am looking forward to hearing him crow... the neighbours might not be so impressed!

kcwc day seven

well last day of the kids clothes week challenge today.

its been a great week, very productive and i guess thats what it is all about.

i have completed eight items of clothing and the pair of slippers (they would be the one's that still won't be worn but look kind of cute sitting under the bed!)

today i took it pretty easy and finally up-cycled a favourite dress, that i hadn't worn for a few years, into a pair of pants for jess. they were inspired by the ones that cirque du bebe made way back on day two.

a little big at the moment but at least they have room for growing and are very comfortable.

hard to see in these photos but they actually have pockets at the front. i had planned to add a drawstring but that ended up being too much work in the end. 

yes... i have had enough of sewing (for a little while).

i have enjoyed this experience though and will definitely join in next time around.

now back to the knitting...

kcwc day six

day six was all about the bedtime story pajamas.

i love this pattern by oliver + s. its such a pleasure to sew and i love the way these pajamas look when they are on.

this time around i made the size three as i felt that the size two (although big enough) wouldn't be big enough for long and i like some extra length in the arms and legs to keep the little one warm.

the fabric i used is oliver + s cape ann dragonfly green indian summer brushed cotton and cape ann creme brulee with dragonfly green folly cove dots. 

gorgeous fabric, i just love it and so does jess who is always happy to have new pajamas.

not sure what my plans are for sewing tomorrow. i am feeling a little burnt out from this week and have finished up all the patterns and fabric i had cut out. i have a couple of other ideas but not sure if i will get to them.

will see what tomorrow brings...

check out the kids clothes week challenge flickr pool, its awesome!

kcwc day five

wow! day five finished! two to go!

i completed this jacket today. happy!

it's the make it perfect uptown girl jacket using a lovely soft green cord found at my local fabric store and riley blake designs alphabet soup girl.

it is fully reversible and was easy to make, just took a little time. i found the pattern a little confusing (lots of text and not many diagrams) but it came together without any hiccups.

i made the size three and it has plenty of room for my two year old... opps! nearly two year old... i am getting ahead of myself. the pattern caters for sizes 0 through to size 5 so i think this pattern was a good investment as i will definitely use it again.

although i do think the size three will last a couple of winter's.

jess was more than obliging to try this one on. again it was late in the day by the time i finished it so we went out to take the photos. it got wet, a little sandy too, we watched the chickens, patted the dog and decided it was one great jacket.

of course then jess didn't really want to take it off. i had to explain that it was only for out side wear otherwise she would've worn it all night.

i am having trouble getting jess to understand that you put extra layers on when its cold but when it warms up or you come inside you can take a layer off. difficult concept for a toddler i think.

well two days to go. i am giving myself the night off from sewing tonight and plan to have an early night.

how is your kcwc week going?

this moment

this moment inspired by soulemama - a friday ritual. a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. a simple, special, extraordinary moment. a moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

kcwc day four

day four.

well i didn't manage to get as much finished as i would've liked today but i think that my expectations of myself are a little too great sometimes.

i finish this pair of cord pants late this afternoon (hence the poor quality photos as it was beginning to get dark by the time i thought to photograph them). i love the liberty binding on them. sweet and simple, i cut the pattern for these from another pair of jess's pants and added the gathering and binding to the bottoms. i also added the pockets to the back.

i also finally finished the slippers. i made these up as i went being inspired some time ago by a pair that meg made for finn. i think they are cute and they fit very well but jess is not so sure about them. hmmm...

they were quite fiddly to make and took more time than they should've but i think i will try them again, one day. i used a jacket from the op shop for the soles and felted wool for the top, with vintage binding (love). i am happy with them even if the little one is not.

i have also made a (big) start on a winter jacket tonight.

more of that tomorrow.

water play

it started in the garden.

a little pouring at the mud pie kitchen.

it was cold out and mum needed to start on dinner.

so we went in and filled the sink and the fun continued...

... for a very long time.

four sink fulls of water in fact.

the dogs joined in eventually, as we knew they would.

they are the number one toy of choice in our home at the moment. they go all over the house, even in the shower or bath every night. 

kcwc day three

day three of the challenge.

i managed to sew up this quick and easy reversible pinafore dress using a little bird pattern.

it doesn't look like much on the hanger but i love the way it wears when its on (looks much better i think). my model didn't feel like trying on her new dress today so maybe i will get her into it tomorrow... who knows!

its made from the finest navy blue cord i have ever come across and teamed with a liberty fabric print. it should be quite warm but very light and comfortable to wear.

i love navy on little girls.

i did some prep work on a pair of pants this afternoon, cut out the fabric for a reversible jacket and i am still working on those slippers. nearly done. just a little more to go.

i am going to fly into day four!!!

kcwc day two

i have nothing new to show for my efforts today.

does this mean i have failed this challenge?

i did however spend a couple of hours knitting while we were driving to town, surely that counts.

and i did spend some time at the fabric shop choosing more fabric, so that must count too.

oh and i did spend a short amount of time doing some unpicking to salvage some bias binding, so that definitely counts.

no, i don't think i have failed the challenge just yet.

i have a big day planned at the sewing machine tomorrow and hopefully life won't get in the way too much.

kcwc day one

day one of the kids clothes week challenge.

i have managed to complete a few items today.

the first being a skirt upcycled from a ladies t shirt which i forgot to photograph. actually it only took me about 10 minutes to do as i simply cut the bottom section of a t shirt and sewed in some elastic to the waist. should be a nice comfy skirt for playing in the garden.

i also finished off a nightie that i started yesterday. made of the softest flannelette, i kind of made this up as i went as i didn't have a pattern using a tunic style top of jess's that had raglan sleeves.  the nighties that amanda made for her daughter here were my inspiration. such a simple tunic style nightie with plenty of room for growing. i added a circle pocket to the front which jess loved.

and lastly another quick and easy top made from vintage material. i love this style of top and have made a similar version before as a dress. i have plans to make another one later in the week. the pattern for this one came from here .

i have also started a pair of slippers for jess but ran into a problem so its back to the drawing board for them. maybe something to work on tomorrow.

chai tea

i can honestly say that today i had the best chai tea i have ever had.

so good in fact that i wanted to share the recipe, which came from the whole food kitchen workshop.

home made chai

6 cardamon pods

6 whole all spice ( i didn't use as i didn't have any)

1  3 inch cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon of anise seeds ( i used whole star anise)

1 inch piece of ginger root

2 bags black tea

1 cup of water

3 cups of milk (i used oat milk but use whatever is your choice of milk)

2 tablespoons of honey

using a mortar and pestle grind the spices 

place in a saucepan with the water

bring to the boil

turn off and steep for 10 minutes

add the teabags and bring to the boil again

turn off and steep again for another 10 minutes

strain the spices and teabags

return to saucepan and add the milk and honey

warm through and stir

serve

delicious!

sunday

flying kites...

many cups of chai tea...

a walk to the beach in the afternoon...

finding mountains of seaweed and cuttle fish there...

a little sewing...

sunday roast for dinner...

a happy day...