A Crafty Day

Our planned trip to the Zoo got cancelled today, under instructions from my Doctor I am "supposed" to be resting my foot after hurting it back in December and pretending it didn't happen and didn't hurt, so after ignoring that advice for the last week decided I best do as told before him and Dean start yelling at me.

So instead of walking around the Zoo all day, Isabella and I broke into some painting sets I bought just before Christmas from Goose Grease Undone on etsy. We spent a couple of hours painting our family ....

Bella's family including Nanny & Poppy in the background

My little family

including clips in the hair for the two girls

After lunch Isabella headed for a rest on my bed to watch a DVD and I parked myself down at the sewing machine to make her a little purse. When she starts big school next week, the canteen is open for sandwiches on a Tuesday and I thought a super cute purse to carry her coins in to buy a special lunch might be in order...

A flex frame, some linen, a cross stitched mini apple (pattern from Kristen Doran), some felt and voila... Perfect kiddie size coin purse that is easy to open and close.

The Princess' Perfect Day

The perfect day as planned by Isabella...

Number One: Spend her first ever pocket money on a new dolly set

Number Two: Buy some new super shiny silver sandals

Number Three: Get your hair wash, cut AND blow dried at the hairdressers

Number Four: Buy Jazz shoes for dancing

Number Five: Have McDonalds for lunch

Number Six: Go home and watch Peppa Pig on Mummy's bed

Number Seven: Pickup your little brother from daycare early

Not a bad day...

A week of fun...

Afternoon tea with most of the kids Isabella starts school with next Tuesday including a swim in the pool and their picture taken (with the principal) for the local newspaper...

(Isabella is standing in the middle of the back row in the green dress. The photographer obviously hasn't worked with kids much, he had everyone besides one child smiling at once but was determined to get them all at once and by the time he got the last kid's attention they were all off in their own world one by one. Well except Bella, she wanted her photo taken for the paper!)

A swim and a picnic at the bay around the corner from home...

A trip to the city with Daddy on Australia Day for some shopping, scrumptious lunch and gelato...

And tomorrow, while Liam heads off to daycare, Isabella and I will be having our last day just the two of us and I am letting her plan the days activities and Friday we are heading to the Zoo with friends.

On the weekend while I head to the Blue Mountains, the boys are having a "boys weekend" involving sushi and hair cuts and Isabella is heading to her Grandparents until Monday afternoon, all ready for the big school starting day on Tuesday!

Then I plan on spending a few kid-free solo days in the 8 weeks before our new little girl arrives doing lots of Mummy things (and hopefully some sewing)!

Rubbish Free Lunch Bag

When my princess starts school in a couple of weeks, she will be taking her Nude Food Movers Rubbish Free lunch box. We've been using these lunch boxes for almost a year and have found them really great for keeping food fresh and the little containers are great for snacks and dips etc. not to mention not needing extra zip lock bags and glad wrap etc.

The only downside to them I have found is they are wider than an average lunch box, so since I wanted to be able pack her lunch box plus another container for morning tea plus her water bottle, even the matching lunch bags aren't big enough.

Using some insul bright to keep everything cool, quilting fabric from Lincraft and some velcro and ribbon.... a new custom made lunch bag just the right size for her lunch box, some snack boxes and a drink bottle.

Baby Owlies

Stumbling across Plushka's Craft blog, a little baby owl caught my eye. I found myself reading her gorgeous blog page after page with it's owls, penguins and crocheted baskets admiring everything. But those baby owls, they had my heart and I got (embarrassingly) so excited when I stumbled across one of her posts linking to the pattern which had been in the old Notebook magazine.

With a (newly cleaned out) drawer in my craft table stocked with gorgeous wool felt from Winterwood, and some gorgeous fabric pieces that the lovely Bianca sent me last year, Isabella and I dove straight in after Liam was snoring away in bed, cutting out the pieces...

One for Isabella and another for her little buddy Grace who we went to the movies this morning with to see Tangled (BRILLIANT movie!). They both spent the whole time cuddling their "owlies"... next up, a boy version for Liam

QLD Flood Appeal Auctions

The stories coming from the Queensland flooded areas on our television and news websites are devastating. So many family lives changed forever. The loss of lives is heart breaking.
We are very thankful that our family members living in Brisbane have been spared any property damage, but they are affected in so many other ways like even not being able to buy any basic food necessities.
Just as last year when the terrible fires hit Victoria, many crafting blogs are coming together to raise funds for the victims. So while our family will be donating funds directly to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal I also plan on hitting a couple of the fantastic auctions coming up and trying to win some goodies with all the funds also going to the appeal.

Starting next week, one marvelous lady, Toni from Make it Perfect is co-ordinating the QLD Flood Appeal Auctions. As Toni explains it on her blog...

"Here's the plan. On Monday 17th January, I will have a master list of bloggers who will be running auctions from their blogs, selling products that they make or from their stores. You will have one week to bid on these auctions, and hopefully be the lucky winner of these great products. Auctions will be open for 1 week, and will close at midnight on Monday 24th January."

Times like this I wish I had a stash of handmade goodies all sitting in a nice pile so I could join in right now, but sadly I don't, but tomorrow night, I plan on plonking myself infront of the sewing machine and coming up with "something" to auction off.

In the mean time, a few other auctions are already up and running... go and bid big

Handmade Kids & Rudy & the Dodo Flood Appeal Auction (starts 11am (EST) Fri 14th Jan)

Retromummy Auction #1 and Auction #2

Baking Class

Today was one of the activities I had planned for Isabella and my last month together before school starts, the Generation Mix Baking Class at Brasserie Bread. Everything came out yummy and we had a lovely dinner cooked, and then served, by Isabella.

Isabella baking foccacia

Clockwise from left: Onion Foccacia, Chocolate Pizza, Rosemary Foccacia and Pizza with Capsicum, Basil and Cheese (The chocolate pizza is still waiting to be eaten, we aren't big chocolate eaters in this house)

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sultanas

The crazy one and the chef

Isabella is wearing a new top I made last night, the Toffee Apple Tunic from the Toni Coward book Make it Perfect that my lovely friend Sarah who came with us to the baking class today with her girl Amelia gave me for Christmas. Once I get the top off Bella, I'll do a proper post!

twenty ten

The last week of 2010 has finally finished in a blur of activities (and me being unwell).

After Isabella having her very last day at daycare on Christmas Eve, we headed to my parents to stay the night, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The day after Boxing Day we headed up to the Hunter Valley for 3 nights with my parents, taking in the Christmas lights at the Hunter Valley Gardens as well as lots of swimming in the pools and yummy food, a lovely break that felt far too quick.

And finally last night we partied with our good friends to bring in the New Year...

All of us lasted until midnight, then the kids promptly fell asleep as soon as they hit their car seats for the ride home. Thank goodness for a sleep in, Liam was the first to appear at 10.30am, hunger the only reason apparently, then Dean at 11am and finally Miss Isabella wandered out at 11.45am.

And now, for the first time in a week we have been home for almost 24 hours straight and plan on enjoying some time at home, catching up on finding places for all these new things, testing out my new Dutch Pancake maker, reading my new craft books and enjoying afternoon siestas while Daddy is home for a few more days.

So now, it's on to 2011, with our new addition arriving in 3 months, Isabella starting school and Liam going to daycare 3 days a week.

Happy New Year to everyone...