current beside reads

I thought it might be nice to share my current reads from time to time, lover of books as I am and having been so grateful for those recommended reads over the years.
I am currently dabbling in a few depending on mood and inclination.

An all time favourite "Mitten Strings for God" by Katrina Kenison was a gift from a dear American friend on the birth of our first born. It was then, and continues to be, a guiding compass for my parenting all woven in such a beautiful way. She, like I, has been very touched by the Rudolf Steiner philosophies of child rearing and education and I found much to remind me of where I want to be. Just lovely!

"Simplicity Parenting" by Kim John Payne is proving wonderful. I am feeling very inspired by his ideas and insights. He writes very much about finding a "pace of grace" to borrow a term from another much-loved title for oneself and children in this busy bustly world of ours.

The other titles probably need no introduction. It is still the height of my ambitions to have chickens, an endeavour not to entre into lightly I am warned by this book, blah!

a new member of our family

Just recently we adopted a little bunny from the Nest kindergarten. We called her Honey bunny (no doubt very original). She comes from quite an illustrious line - her Flemish mother "Flopsy" escaped into the surrounding vines and wild near the kindergarten over the Christmas holidays. Later she was returned by neighbors who read of her famous escape in the local newspaper. Some weeks later she gave birth to three suspiciously feral looking kits, Honey being one of. The jury is still out whether she will prove more wild than tame. Thus far the call of the wild seems to be strong - she is very wriggly by nature and seems ever to want to leap out of our arms when we try to hug. Just  yesterday Ethan managed to open her hutch, unbeknown to us, and she escaped to provide some street entertainment. Found sitting in the middle of the road and enticed by some lettuce she was returned by some children from our street who caught her in a butterfly net! Mmm not looking too good! Like mother like daughter I am afraid!

But then, there are all the wonderful things a pet has allowed. A "project" to paint her hutch and make it ready. Great team work, though Eth looked decidedly white after all this and so did a few nearby posts!

And another excuse to make a blanket!

 And this, that best of beautiful love and care spell, that a pet seems to encourage and allow to bring to life in all of us.

ways with wool

 I am totally in love with wool! Every op-shop mission has as its focus the acquisition of (yet another) wool blanket. I have a number of shelves devoted to them. Recently Evabella and Alexander have joined me in the re-purposing of them. Here are some of our early efforts.

Finally a cosy to replace my cindered first. It was really tricky getting the sizing right this is still a bit over-sized I turned over the top and added a button to make it fit better and it is probably the thing I love most about it now.

It proved a good hat too! Note the sister sulking in background :(

Our first rainy day in a while, spurred on by my little mission man, I taught my two to blanket stitch. I had been meaning to do this for some time but assumed they were too young and the whole thing would end in frustration. Much to my surprise and delight they picked it up so quickly and LOVED it. They literally spent all day making their respective blankets:Xandi made a blanket for his teacher's larger-than-life dog "Tuks"; and Bella made a little one for her grey rabbit (soft toy). It was heaven!

Alexander absorbed in the task

And Evabella, a little less so :)

Grey Rabbit's blanket

Alexander's finished work, so proud he was!

And these! A really lovely project to make with kids. This is Evabella's owl softie to watch over her while she sleeps. Alexander has fallen utterly in love with his one named "Twinkle" too, and even brought it to his school pet day complete with a homemade tree trunk habitat. They were able to blanket stitch, stuff, and choose fabric and buttons etc.,

Ethan stealing some quiet reading beside us as we work, a rare treat.

I also made some heart pincushions I gave as gifts. Next on my list are some cushions, want, must, must make. Am thinking cream and blue using some of that above vintage floral on tea cosy I seem to be addicted to just now.

arrangements and special pieces

Sometimes it is the placement of things together that makes the individual pieces sing, don't you think? Or conversely, one image/piece can somehow capture a complex mood or atmosphere, or can speak volumes about the person who created it, or to whom it belongs. Here are some collections/pieces of mine. Please share yours!

Above: 1. A painting by an old friend gifted for our wedding, a handmade book made by a wonderful old soul- friend about friendship and my gratitude journal grace all my bedside.
           2. A basket of last Friday's op-shop treasures.. I could wax lyrical forever about the joys of     op-shopping/treasure seeking. There is something SO wonderfully exhilarating about finding some time-worn discard for such a little amount. I have to admit I suffer sometimes (okay  oftentimes)from a great need to acquire something new; fashion, fabric, pottery and magic pieces for our house being my greatest weakness. Ever trying to reduce our spending and to live simply, I try to focus on needs rather than wants but op-shopping remains my indulgence and often blurs the line between the two (do I really need another wool blanket?!)... somehow it satisfies the insatiable appetite, rewards with the thrill of the "score", that "got-something!" buzz, all for pocket change- does it get any more perfect?

This one is actually the cover of an old Anthropology catalogue that I have literally hauled around the world and back, I used to almost weep with a resonance when I had the pleasure of perusing their stores in the US. I would always leave so utterly inspired by the rustic, worn, lovingly made, creative burst, of it all.

Ethan bunting by Stace of littleknightlights@blogspot.com and birds from crafty sister-in-law Frith

Even the ordinary, or sometimes especially the ordinary, can be so beautiful, can't it?

A painting of mine, of us,our wedding day. Painting I dream, will find centre- left again one day, I promise myself

I had this card line hanging in our old house, a wonderful way to display those acts of kindness/images that inspire. It started as a way to display Christmas photos and evolved to show cards gifted/found throughout the year . I used simple dute twine and wooden pegs.

Hints of autumn everywhere...Pears, crab apples, and "Brambly Hedge" oh LOVE, have you discovered? I dream to have all the seasons. Imagine my delight finding this one for 20c at the school Christchurch charity garage sale this weekend!

Windfall pears and soft bananas (intended for banana bread for the aforementioned charity event!)

A recent creation, a child's place for quiet repose and reading

 Children come naturally to  arranging and rearranging to bring new life or meaning to a space don't you think? I take to heart what is most important in any home for a child (and ourselves) is the atomosphere. As mother's we have such a powerful affect on the atmosphere and "mood" of our homes as I can attest good days and bad.

My ever- evolving dressing table arrangement

Another painting of mine, blue being my colour (and a mood tendency at times) for sure

Wow, this was a house warming gift from a friend. I have never been given such a beautiful bouquet,my colours, my flowers, thank you!

My catalogue again, and another house warming gift, my treasured tissue box, one of an increasing collection in my home. I think I would just about have to grab these in the event of fire!  This creation is one of  Florence's of sunshineofmyloves@blogspot.com and I have stitched some of my own too. They somehow make such a beautiful feature of something so ordinary and necessary (boo hoo!). Watch this spot (and hers likely) for more "ways with wool" we love, love, love it! So earthy and homespun, rustic cool, don't you think?
Thanks for stopping by. X

I was lost, but now I'm found...

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Christmas at ours

I find myself back here after a very long absence in which Christmas was celebrated, we moved house, Evabella turned three, and Mum, an Aunt and an Irish nephew of Austin's came to visit, Alexander returned to his old school, momentous occasions all. Little Eth and I have come down with a bug and are dragging ourselves through a hot Sunday while the others enjoy a leisurely (I hope) bike ride by the sea. I find myself basking in the blessings of our new home; tranquility and quiet, a lovely marriage of old and new, flow, a garden both wild and manicured, bird song and buzzing of insects, a friendly family community, and a gratitude that the incumbent stress of  a move is behind us for the most part, and that this has all the bones I pray to be a forever home. A place to lay down our weary world traveled heads, and a place to breathe out and build joy and harmony together. A place to weave happy memories and support healthy growth.
So for some photos to capture?  

Evabella bids adieu to life as a three year old

Look at those woolly curls, love love love, can't bring myself to cut!

Some of us Christmas morn

Like father, like son

Heaven is.....our new home. Talk of love at first sight. I had despaired we would find a home that would capture most of us. And this one came to us in a truly serendipitous way (thank you universe). We even have a resident possum!Note, agapanthas have since been replaced by a herb garden (thank you Mum!)

Ode to crafting

Some of my door stoppers which I have found make handy pin cushions too...and not technically a craft ,but my beloved tea cosy, rescued and salvaged from smoke and flames (not kidding!)

First of all, as an aside, thank you to all the lovely support and encouragement for my blog beginnings! It has only taken me a couple of months to get back here! Not that I am under any illusions anyone is holding their breath waiting for my next post! Beginning is one thing, sustaining is the next! Not only the doing now, but the diary of the doing..mmm.

Speaking of doing, crafting, isn't it wonderful? It is my escape of choice these days, a meditative place to retreat, a release for the too long latent creative soul, a "room to call one's own", a connection to my past- somehow it stirs such wonderful memories of bending over the old Singer in my Dad and Carol's home creating dubious fashions (home made spaghetti jeans anyone?!) or things to give; I remember making Christmas clothes for my younger brothers, embroidering cushions for Carol, recipe book covers... Actually my whole early life was an ode to it, everything I wore down to the leather sandals and canvas school back-pack, pink cord trousers (pattern and fabric a 12th birthday gift from Mum), leather waist coat with embroidered butterfly, some of it, much to my embarrassment! But how wonderful to realise now, a little late perhaps,  that I actually had a corner on cool!
And now, oh how it serves as such a solace, a place to go that stills the monkey mind (to borrow a Buddhist term) , a place to commune with friends, and how proud and satisfied I feel of my small humble accomplishments.. when I come up for air...how lovely it is to give of something created from the heart, or to make for our home injections of whimsy.
And hunting and seeking, another interlinked love. Crafting provides an excuse to op-shop (more) for found bits and bobs to incorporate or stand alone.... One friend in particular (check her sumptuous blog beginnings here http://sunshineofmyloves.blogspot.com/) and I are just totally besotted (admittedly, bordering on obsessed)  with it!)  I think I need to start bringing a pillow to our weekly craft circle, it is not only the crafting that keeps me up, but the talking of the crafting, the inspiration and ideas... I barely sleep the night of, with all the excitement and take a week to recover and build up stamina for our next burst!Boy!
Anyway, enough said! Here are some photos of my recent creations, humble and achievable in the limited windows of quiet time I recover from the bustle of family life. I always burst with more ideas than time to create them. Ahh..I remind myself, though I may not realise it all the time, these truly are my best years! And I will miss being pulled in so many directions at once. But still, isn't it heaven when you find some quiet time to retreat and create something for oneself?

these I have made for my little ones for Christmas

and this is my crafting apprentice, Alexander, helping me fill stoppers

one of my name buntings, love buntings!

and Alexander's

Being vs Doing

photo courtesy of Stacey

Sitting here, a Sunday afternoon, Ethan asleep,  older two taken swimming by loving husband.

To "be" or to "do"? Always SO much to do, isn't there? Sometimes I feel I will sink under all the "doing" to be done. So often I forget the being part is as worthy of attention.

This I know; when I fill my days with only doing, and neglect moments for just being, being alone, being quiet, being still, being together in full attention, I can begin to feel like a scarecrow of the most ragged kind, stuffing spilling out, posture slumped, my household suffers, it does not sing, but scrapes. For as mothers, we are keepers of the spirit of the house too, are we not? As within, so without. It is a matter of making, stealing (!) the time, because let's be honest, it defies finding!

One magic discovery is that certain tasks, of the soul enriching kind, incorporate both, that by doing them I am lifted to a better place of being.
Amoung my list: creating of all kinds; crafting, painting, cooking (soup and baking of particlar note), writing, reading, gardening, talking/spending time with a loved one,  exercise (preferably of the early morning variety when world is under its secret spell) to name a few.  

Another, that when returning to the realm of the all the "doing" I feel expanded, settled to stillness by the "being" that the frenzy and steam falls out of it and a task as simple as washing the dishes is elevated to  an higher realm. By "be"stilling, I have so much more to give. All those little incessant questions/requests from my lovely 3, can be lovingly met, rather than heard/felt as a chorus of pecking birds to the head.
To conclude, for there to be a sense of "being" in the "doing" one must take time out to just BE. Maybe, just maybe, with more cultivation  the boundaries between "being" and "doing" cease?