Collingwood Children's Farm

This is how we spent yesterday. Meandering through the Collingwood Children's Farm. There are sheep, chickens, horses, cows, ducks and goats. It's a great day out for the little ones. And....if you're attempting to have a green thumb like yours truly, there is also a very impressive worm farm and vegie garden to stare at longingly.



When I say 'smile' with a camera in hand, this is what I get.



Cormac steals toy slyly...



Annie claps his efforts...



Annie realises this means she doesn't have said toy anymore...



Me and Miss A.

Getting ready for Sewjourn.

Tomorrow we head off on our weekend away at Sewjourn. Getting ready for this has been no small feat. I have been packing while Annie naps, collecting supplies from Spotlight, Darn Cheap and Amitie when I can find the time and writing lists for Ben for his big weekend as soul carer. In actual fact, I need a holiday now more than ever :)

Last night I worked hard to cut most of the fabrics for Annie's cot quilt. I really want to make the best use of my time at Sewjourn so being prepared is vital. Check out this stunning stack of simple prints.



To say that I am excited is a little understatement in a big world. I am very, very, very excited to be taking this trip. I will Miss A and Mr Ben as I am sure you can imagine, but the idea of having some time. Just time for me. Is too good to resist. I am going to swing past Dan Murphy's tomorrow and get a bottle of expensive wine I have been eyeing off for ages. It's about time I splashed out and gave it a whirl. And I can think of no better place, than the cosy walls of our weekend retreat, Sewjourn.

ready. set. sew!

I am slowly but surely preparing for my great escape at Sewjourn. For those that don't know, it's a weekend escape at a cottage that is set up for sewers just like me. And her, and her, and her, and her. We are all venturing down this Friday for some well needed sewing hours away from little babies. I will miss my Annie for sure, but I think the time alone with Dad and some time for me with friends will be a big benefit for everybody.

So...what am I going to make you ask? Firstly, and most importantly, a summer quilt for Miss A. She is my muse after all. I figured it would be good to have something light to throw over her on hot summer nights, and since we will be in our new house this summer, I thought a splash of homemade was in order. Here is a sneak peak at the fabrics I foraged at patchwork on central recently.



Secondly, I think I want to make another dress. Ya see, the first one is actually not bad. Shocking job on the inside when you look closely, but on the outside? I don't mind it :)



That's me and Miss A. I am the one wearing the hand made dress :)

I found some really light summer fabric at my local op shop and thought perhaps that might make a pretty dress for long hot days? Here is said fabric, which BTW cost $1.





The other two projects I have in mind, is a gift for a friend due her baby in two weeks time and perhaps a little christmas stocking for Miss A. I am so excited about Chrismtas this year. Annie is at such a fun age to enjoy it and I get a bit silly that time of year as it is. No doubt it will be fun, fun fun!

But right now? I better get cracking on cutting my materials. I want to make the best use of our time at the lovely Sewjourn!

the BIG spring clean.

Ok, there's something that I have to admit. It's hard for me to write these words, so I hope you'll understand why I have never written them before. My husband is a hoarder. There. I said it.

With the new house and all the packing and cleaning, I figured

'Hell, Em, you simply don't have enough to do. Why not have a garage sale to get rid of all Ben's crap?'.

'Are you stark raving mad?' asked sane me.

'Probably' said always slightly drunk insane me.

'We have more than enough to do as it is. Did you forget that we actually move house in less than two weeks, we go back to work and there's a two day sewing weekend thrown in for good measure?? Shall I inject the butter straight into your veins now and you can die of a heart attack instead of stress?'

'Don't be stupid Plain Sane. Just think of the money we can make off this crap. There's tonnes of it!'

'Fine. Don't listen to me. You never do anyway. Go. Have your stupid garage sale. But don't come running to me when the heart palpitations start.'

'This garage sale will pay for the medi bills. Trust me.'

Insane me won, and on Saturday we had ourselves a little old garage sale. We opted to have it at our friends house in Elwood as we live in a cul-de-sac. Their street frontage really optimised the client potential. Here is the loaded car and a very weary Ben.







To make things even more tiresome, I decided a good garage sale needs home baked goods to sweeten the tooth and loosen the pocket of your customer. I made biscuits at 7am and even sewed little paper bags together. I seriously am insane. Anyway, I got a HUGE slagging about the cookies. My fellow stall holders were not convinced I could shift the merchandise. These pictures say it all.





In the end, although the whole thing was damn hard to co-ordinate with a baby and just general every day life, we managed to walk away with approx $240. Not bad for a day of meeting new people, laughing with good friends and drinking lattes. I highly recommend it.

planting the seeds.

With the settlement date of our new house racing towards us, Ben and I have been eagerly discussing what veggie and plants we would like to grow once that soil becomes ours. It's a very exciting thing for us. We have always wanted a veggie patch and the sheer idea that we can plant something in the ground, care for it and love it, forever, is simply wonderful.

As such, Annie and I ventured down to our local garden centre during the early parts of this week and stacked the pram with soil and seedlings. Miss A sat watching me plant, as I talked her through what a complete NON green thumb her mother is. She didn't seem to mind though, and I think I may have even convinced her that something might grow. When my back was turned Maggie stuck her nose into the chilies and slowly and loving sucked up fertiliser. Little so-in-so!

Here are the beginnings of the fruits of our labour...





We also managed to get to the library this week and see story time. I took this photo of Miss A watching the librarian sing songs.



She seems to be wondering how the lady with the name badge knows ALL her mummy's songs!

what ya been sewing lately?

Even though the internet has treated me so mean, or perhaps because of this, I have had some time to get some sewing projects done. One in particular was for a good friend who is due her baby in little over a months time. Her baby shower was today (and it was lovely) and I was able to get this gift finished just in time...





Nat chose the colours, which ended up giving this piece a very 1970's feel. I found all fabrics, except tbe backing, at Amitie. *smiles* love that place! She seemed to like this little cot quilt, which I have suggested could also be used in the pram or as a playmat. Her little boy will get plenty of use from it, I am sure.

In other news I am trying to make a dress I can feel proud of. Lisa, we are soooooo in the same boat at the moment huh? I have a few weddings coming up in November and December and want to look a little classic for them. 1960s dresses are my insane love. I have one I found on ebay that doesn't quiet do up after the Miss A giving birth thing. Oh, ok....more like my new baking obsession thing. Anywho, I found a pattern at spotlight that was only $10.50 and thought, with a little intervention, I could fashion it into a more 60s feel. I havent quiet finished it yet, but here is a little peek-a-boo at the pleats in the skirt and the slight, sharp sleeves.



Anyone think that pattern is too much? Remember, it will be teemed with a thick chocolate brown belt and a structured cream jacket.



Oh, and I've decided the best fabrics are those that cost little and you love much. These are two op shops finds of recent weeks that I have been saving to make some little old laundry curtains.



Just a freshen up for whats currently there in the new house, as the bathroom, laundry and kitchen won't be renovated for many months and possibly a few years. It will be fun putting our flavour to everything, don't you think? I have more purchases to share, including fun fabrics, a stunning 1920s cabinet and some abolsutely funky op shop wine glasses, but I will have to upload the photos next time. This little Martha Stewart needs to finish baking her cookies for the mums group we are having this morning.

the final countdown.

I could start this post with a VERY large whinge about Virgin Broadband and how pathetic it has been lately. How it has stopped me from connecting with people online, visiting lovely blogs that make me smile and bidding on items that I probably shouldn't be bidding on, but instead I will send all that negative energy away and just get on with the business of getting on.So, in one month the following will happen:

1. I start back at work.

This has been a very hard decision for me. For many reasons, but mostly because of this little curtain twitcher*.





Man I will miss her something shocking! I am only going back for two days to start so that makes my heart a little lighter. The other plus side is that she is being minded by family and friends which is just the best damn news in the world. I think she is too little for childcare just yet. I am looking forward to the interaction with work colleagues again and of course head down bum up action in the industry. It has been a part of my life for so long I missed it. The money will be good too, especially when....

2. We move into our new house

Yup. Sooner than expected which is fantastic, but really puts the pressure on to get organised and pack, pack, pack. We ventured over to the new house today to get a look in and have some reblockers check it out and quote. Here's a little sneak peak of our humble abode and it's current condition.



3. The rental property we are currently in goes to auction.

This will suck big time, as every weekend should now be dedicated to packing and sorting and throwing things out. Instead we will have to deal with lines of investors roaming through our house inspecting it and commenting on it and driving us near bonkers in the process. It couldnt come at a worse time really, but it's good to know that regardless of the outcome of that auction, we have somewhere else to go. Our new home.

* Curtain Twitcher. Nosy person. Eg. Someone who stands at their window, peering out from behind the curtains to spy on the neighbours. AJB in a nutshell :)