Last Week-end Before School

Park and zoo = Exhausted

New Camera = Happy

Temporary Break in Transmission

So I would LOVE to show you my finished Colette pattern dress that I have been waiting to have a photographer on hand for and the progress I have made on the gorgeous fabric I showed off last year, but I can't as the love of my life - who for the rest of this post shall be called the idiot - dropped our camera in the duck pond this morning. Quite an effort really considering he was standing at least 3 feet from it. Apparently he was cleaning it - well it is real clean now! He asked if he should dive in and get it. I should of said yes just to of made him pay. I didn't as I am a nice girl. Look forward to next week's fun theme of Victorian Duck Bums, the best very clean pictures all week.

Holiday Fun

Caleb was convinced he need a sticker making machine for Christmas so we bought him a Xyron 5" Creative station. He has loved stamping and making stickers, you can cut out pics from magazines or photos. I am hoping we can make a few story books up with it too. I think you can get other bits to make up magnets and laminate. They are on clearance at Spotlight for $22 down from $90 if it looks like something that may give the kids some holiday amusement.

Summer Daze

Poppy loves any excuse to get out in the sun with her paint brush, Caleb usually needs a bit of persuasion. I am always fascinated by sibling differences, perhaps because I never had one.

This is Poppy's beautiful brown drawing, all her pictures are always brown even though she starts out with yellow, blue, green and red as she tries to get every drop of paint on the paper, or her, or the ground. She has to have the painting smock on and still coats her clothes. She loves dripping the water all over too. I guess the polite description is to say she is 'open to creativity' and exactly like, umm well me.
This is Caleb's beautiful coloured neat creation. He manages to not even get any on his hands and likes to think before paint brush goes to paper - this is definately in Dad's light. These are the pirate islands for a treasure map.
I love both styles!

Christmas - that is so last year

I wont lie, it has been a loooong week around these parts and I have had this sitting patiently in drafts to finally post. So I may be a little, well actually a lot late for me to finally get around to sharing the hand made Chrissy goodies that I got finished last year.I finished up 3 bags for Caleb's kinder teachers at the very last moment before the end of term. I have to admit that I did contemplate keeping them, especially the Lara Cameron Ginkgo one.

I used Kate's super clever scarf tut for Mum, more last minute sewing and an express post envelope.

Glen got his 3 shirts, but I have to admit the last one didn't have buttons or hems on Christmas morning, but enough to 'wear' it so I figured why nit pick. I have to admit I do love Glen's Roger David posses.

Poppy got her picnic blanket which thankfully she loves, even using the back of it for her play doh. I painted the picnic basket a reddy pink and filled it with melamine crockery, wooden cut-up fruit and some felt food. The felt ravioli has been very popular (even though I could only find 1 for the photo) on the new oven and microwave that she got from the grandparents. I was really happy with how the basket turned out and it has worked out to be perfect storage for a bargain price. I figure I can just slowly keep adding felt food into her basket to keep it interesting too. Caleb loves it as well and tells me he is growing up to be a cook like dad.

One of my favourite hand made Christmas goodies though is this gorgeous chest that Dad got made for Pirate Caleb and oh does he love to stow his treasures in there. They are living in the Solomon Islands so he got some of the local craftsman to carve out the chest and inlay the skull and cross bones with shell. So cool and well travelled too.I had to add in the Caleb's after haircut photos, admittedly most people would think he was still due one.

Summer Daze

I think I have taken a little inspiration from Jodi's Monday summer pick of Che this week, both our boys looking so grown up. I brought myself a new hat and glasses and I didn't even unpack them before he was claiming them as his own. Apparently they turned Caleb into a rock star, which means he has to call everyone dude. He has had those flowing locks chopped since then.

Its All About Me

Like a lot of ladies it would seem in the blogosphere at the moment I have decided this year I really want to make a few things for me. Please excuse the shocking photo, man photography at it's best (Love how Squitry cat is trying to muscle in). I used the Simplicity 5914 pattern and I find it to be quite forgiving on the figure front. I love the pink birch Lara Cameron fabric and intended to make a skirt since I bought it over a year ago. I didn't have quite enough fabric so I added in the little leafy details which I actually quite like. I am working on the Colette dress pattern too. I decided to make it in a non-fancy material just in case I ran into problems, but so far so good. I was hoping to have more done but with my new philosophy of 'giving myself a break' I am trying not to sweat it. I have splurged on some more material for myself too, so I will have no excuse to not be anything but fab this summer

Summer Daze

I am a little late for my Monday Jodi summer update, but I have gone back to work this week and I am adjusting to this job carry on. It seems it only took 2 weeks to get out of sync and Poppy had hidden my camera - that doesn't help either.

Heading off to the park on our Santa supplied wheels, I think that this is the summer in a nutshell for us this year.It was also Caleb's first outing with his new shoes, you can kinda see them if you stand on your head. Not that exciting, I hear you sigh, she doesn't blog forever and then she gives us shoes. These are our new school shoes, from those fancy places where they actually measure your feet. Every day he asks how many more sleeps until big boy school so for the next 30 odd sleeps he has left to go he has to make do with wearing his beloved shoes and you can run really fast in them and if your 5 that is all you need. It is funny how he seems to be grown up all of a sudden and there are times where I catch glimpses of the man he is growing into all a little too quick for his mum. I am happy to admit that I am a little nervous at how he is going to cope with school, as are most parents Asperger's or not, but I am putting on my game face. I am not discouraging his absolute wonder at what school holds for him. This summer break is my time to get him as prepared as I can before Prep and the new challenges that is going to bring for him, but the structure will go a long way to help him cope. I just hope that he is lucky enough to find a couple of good friends that will help him though the first few weeks and that he has the stamina to go 5 days - a big ask as he works hard to keep it together. I know in the quiet times he is thinking about it and smiling, and who am I to try and doubt 5 year old logic - run fast and smile and it will all work out.

Speaking of an infectious smile, this one from the Popster gets me every time.

2010

They say whatever you do on New Years day is a pre-cursor to how you will spend the rest of your year, so I hope that your day and year can be filled with love, hugs and kisses, special moments and a little crafty fun too. Thanks so much to everyone for there super comments and taking the time to read.

I am not really into the resolution thing, mine is more a general game plan.

- This year I want to give myself a break and not take on so much and not feel guilty for doing 'me' stuff.

- I want to try and fit in exercise and live a bit healthier.

- Tell my kids everyday not only that I love them but why I am so proud of them.

- Enjoy all the bits and worry less about the whole.

What are your 2010 plans? I am really excited about this year, even though I am a little freaked at how fast the last one went - I think that it is going to be a good one.

Image from here