spring!

Spring blossoms on our street

 Isn't this time of year divine? I feel beset with spring fervor and have been enthusiastically chipping away at projects within and without...thank goodness for my late discovery of coffee, where have I been?! Green tea no longer holds a candle in terms of ritual boost.
With much delight we have finally started shaping our wild slopes into vege beds. I have been caught dancing around to words of "I'm so excited, just can't hide it..."! I am I am! I am currently in the process of de-stoning each bed, a mission in itself, I have unearthed wheel barrow loads of broken terracotta, paving stones, bricks and rocks..etc., I have made a commitment to give the garden at least a half an hour daily, I know that probably sounds paltry, but is actually a huge accomplishment in my busy daily round with little ones. I have a lovely new habit of visiting my patch for awhile on my way back up from emptying my compost bucket. It is my current favourite place. I am a little unsure how to proceed once I have completed phase de-stone though, do I then put on my compost, sheep pellets/cow manure etc., dig in, plant and then mulch...in that order? Do I need to add further top soil? Where is my Mum, veteran gardener when I need her?! Anyway, enough blah blah here is some evidence of our industry.

Slope cleared of vegetation

boys getting busy creating retaining wall in veg bed 1

oh look taking shape as Austin defines and reinforces them with edges

Master Mortimer proved our most dedicated worker on this project we literally had to drag him in each day

though sometimes he would stray to play, play is a child's work after all!

 a great spectator, bless her!

still beavering away

looking down on them, behold all of those stones!

spring light, magic

finishing touches, the boys paved under my clothesline, now I can stand there without getting tangled in ivy and losing my pegs, yay! 

 divine rest

these two are loving sharing books

fathers day crafting, I was really excited to "draw" with my machine, such fun! I def plan to try again

daffodil picking

and a wonderful old tire swing

our three

Much love to you all! Wishing you wonderful spring days too.

projects...

I don't know about you but I feel so much more energised and contented when I have a project to tackle in the end of the day in those threads or moments stolen. These are a little old now, a common theme, posts run a little late around here (!) but I am still very proud of them. The small achievements make such a difference to a day don't they? We are all very sick at the mo so crafting is very much on hold and soup making, nose-wiping, cleaning, is to the fore. Homemaking and mothering will, for much longer, be the most important project I own me thinks!

Oh my first cushion cover, replete with zip! Don't look too closely I found it very hard to sew that line straight with the fancy zip foot. I LOVE this old muted floral fabric, with a previous history as curtains, perfect to soften and romance our sitting room space found at an op-shop.

Garden projects many! We have this roughly terraced slope very neglected and overgrown which I envision tamed into an abundant  pottagier (spelling anyone?) veg garden with cobbled paths etc...one day and chickens, height of my ambitions for so long..! Oh imagine?!

And this old cupboard, found for a song so exactly what I had been carrying around in my heart to replace old rikkerty craft cupboard hauled around the world .. my handbag has even been fit with tape measure to find just the perfect size and here it is before its shabby chic transformation! 

work in progress, my trusty assistant helping with the sanding

old chairs too

Assistant 2

And voila in its new home! Am so utterly thrilled with the result. Love, love, love my new cupboard!