The perfect husband

(this photo is from here. The images on this blog make me want to get married every other day!)

There has been a lot of baby talk around here of late. Not from me, from Spunky Monkey, who really wants his own baby. Will I have one? When? He even took some of his old baby things (clothes, blankets and toys) recently when I was sorting things to give away. I found them in a secret stash in his room. When I tried to put them back away in the boxes in the garage, he protested that he was saving them for his babies. He is worried that I am giving it all away and that there will be nothing for his baby.

I also had to explain to him that, he will not carry a baby in his own body, but will have a baby by getting married. This fact, he is a bit disappointed about. I am just grateful that the BIG question has not come up and neither child has asked, 'How do babies get into a mummy's tummy?'

Miss Moo Moo however, is more worried about finding a husband. After some explaining she now knows that she can not marry Daddy or Spunky Monkey. So last night we discussed a few options from Daycare.

Me: You might marry one of Spunky Monkey's friends or someone from Daycare.

Miss Moo Moo: Not Rylan, he pushes me and pokes me in the eye. He is a meanie. Not Jacob, he just follows Maxim everywhere.

Me: It seems like you really know what you are looking for in a good husband. Someone who makes you laugh and treats you kind.

She looked up at me and said with a smile.

Miss Moo Moo: Hmmm, that's Maxim.

Oh to be young and in love!

You are my sonshine

(Yes, that is the beach you can see a glimpse of in the background. Thank-you Zoe, for recommending this cafe)

I have started to take Spunky Monkey out of school on a Wednesday, a trial for this term. He is finding the five days of Prep very tiring and this is leading to two things. (1) At school, his concentration is lacking. (2) At home, we are having a lot of meltdowns. Miss Moo Moo went off to Daycare, leaving us to spend the day together. I really want this time to be just us, one on one, no agenda. However, I did have a few mummy jobs to do in the morning, so to compensate, we went out for lunch and to the beach in the afternoon.

Unfortunately I had taken the camera back to the car before heading off on our beach walk. Collecting and exploring along the shoreline and in the dunes. Discoveries: shells, rocks, sticks, crab claws and gentleness, humour, excitement, wonder, understanding. After walking for a long stretch we sat on a deserted part of the beach. Drawing letters in the sand, making lasso's from beach vines and listening to the birdsong in the casuarina trees.

We thought we had made a friend in a tiny bird who was staying very close by to where we played. At one time I saw her come closer, just a couple of metre's away and nestle into the sand. A loud noise from Spunky Monkey sent her running off again , but I realised something and instantly her behaviour made sense. We carefully crawled further up into the dunes to discover two, small, perfect eggs, coffee in colour with chocolate speckles. Mama bird wasn't being friendly, she was protecting her young. Once we understood each other, we moved back and she went to her eggs, fluffed up her feathers and sat. Actually, we all sat there for a very long time, quiet (Mama bird and me) and contemplative, as we watched the vibrant, turquoise waves dance in the winter sunshine.

It was an amazing moment in time, and the first time I had sat still for along while.

Thank-you Mama Nature.

A stitch in time

On Tuesday night, craft night was at my house. Thanks to the few who braved the cold and came out, it was a lovely night as usual.

I started embroidering a picture of Spunky Monkey's onto a linen apron I am making for myself. I had put aside a lovely drawing of flowers he did a couple of months ago. But do you think that I could find it? At five in the afternoon, with the linen cut out and the thread ready, it was nowhere to be found! So into his art box I went and found a beautiful alternative. A row of flowers next to a Dutch looking house. (I doubt the house has been intended to look Dutch, but to me it does, I love it.)

I'm not skilled in embroidery, no one has ever showed me how to do it and all I have done so far is a basic back stitch. (is that what it is called?) No one will ooohing or arrrhing over my fine needlework, but that's OK by me. Despite my lack of technique, these are things that I am making with love and hopefully that will enough for them to be treasured by my children and perhaps passed on. I really love that a picture can be given a completely new life, and a tactile one at that.

After the girls left on Tuesday night, I pulled my chair close to the oil heater as if it were a roaring log fire. The house quiet, expect the jazz music that softly filled the room, I continued stitching until I'd run out of thread.

To bed with a happy heart.

Laundry update

Some of you might be wondering, what has become of my grand plans for tiding up my laundry in one just week. I am happy to report that all of the jobs except two (washing curtains and cleaning windows) have been done. I have some excuses. Do you want to hear them?

• The sunny Queensland winter weather disappeared and all enthusiasm was lost with it. T-shirts were exchanged with three layers of clothing and cleaning cloths were exchanged with cups of tea.

• My washing machine died (momentarily) and I was left with piles with dirty washing coming out of the doorway. I could not have entered if I tried.

• It rained and rained and rained, making cleaning windows and washing curtains impossible.

OK, so you have just noticed that I posted this post two weeks ago not one.

Better late than never, that's what I say.


(It's very hard to take a great photo of a laundry. Missing from this picture is the bench and underbench cupboards, the washing machine, the dryer and the doorway. This picture is as about as exciting as it gets!)

Make time for your soule

(A tooth pillow I'm hoping to complete tonight. No loose teeth yet, but Spunky Monkey is 5 and a half, so a wobbly tooth could be any time now)

Since receiving this book a few weeks ago, I have been walking around with both of Amanda's books as if they are my very own security blanket. I have been taking them with me everywhere. To the park, to the coffee shop, into the lounge room, out into the backyard, they have appeared on the breakfast table and rested by my bed.

I'm hoping that some of the family goodness contained in the pages might rub off on me. And perhaps it has. I have been stealing small pockets of time over the last busy weeks for some home sewing projects and I am extremely happy that I did.


(I made two small embroideries for my laundry)


(I hemmed up some fabric as tablecloths, the bottom three are from Ikea and the top one is vintage)


(I have finished one hot water bottle cover. This one is for Spunky Monkey)

I felt so inspired to get moving with some little projects that I'd had on my mind.

I do, of course, want to get started on some of Amanda's simple projects and I will, just as I find out where I left all of my spare time.

Pottering about

We have had another lovely Saturday pottering about home today. I spent most of my day in our study/sewing room/junk room and am extremely happy with the progress I made. Guess what, you can see the floor!

Once the floor had been cleared I then sat and sorted piles of papers, fabrics, books, ribbons, sewing patterns, books to be repaired and photos. I had ripped out heaps of stuff from old magazines, so instead of a large pile of unread magazines lying around, I had been left with a large pile of unread magazine pages. Which is just as bad.

It was another warm day, we ate breakfast outside and could have easily eaten dinner outside as well. I am wearing a t-shirt, again, and it's now 8:00pm. Crazy, especially since a cold snap had been forecast!

I love the image above of Spunky Monkey snuggling in close to Mr Moo as they eat their cold leftover nachos together. It really sums up our day of just 'hanging out' together.

How is it, that men and boys, can actually eat things, like leftover cold pizza and cold nachos? Yuck!

Enid Blyton

"The Folk of the Faraway Tree" was the only Enid Bylton book I ever read as a child. I read and re-read it. I loved it. My well thumbed 1980's paperback is on our bookshelf along with the one above and two other copies. I really love the colourful illustrations throughout this one. Perfect for reading to smaller children.

I scanned a couple of the books I brought home from Mr Moo's parents this week. Such vibrant colours. I found another one hiding at the bottom of the box. All of the covers were illustrated by different people. I think they are just great.







On a totally unrelated subject. Do you think that 25 degrees is can be classed as winter? I don't think so.

It is 4:30pm and I am sweltering in jeans and a t-shirt right now.