my creative space...

is all about the boys...

with loads more bag tags on the way to Ballyhoo Art and e.k.design...

using up left over yarn on fingerless gloves for a little friend...

and more neckwarmers!! This time for my gorgeous brothers.  I'm hoping these will make their very early starts on icy cold winter mornings a little more bearable...

more creative spaces here...

it's so peaceful here today with kids at school, the little guy happily playing with lego, no builders about, just quiet...

I should be grocery shopping, or at least preparing something for dinner, but I find myself sitting here, enjoying the silence and working on a few new things...

a cowl in the most lush green, and it's acrylic, I never knew acrylic yarn could feel so soft and delicious! I found another lovely yarn in our local haberdashery that I am going to use to make one of these for my mum, I think she'll love it, but ssshhh, she's on her way down to stay a night or two, I'm so looking forward to it YAY!

I also finished another of these waffle scarves, this time in the prettiest icey blue bamboo, my camera isn't doing either of these pictures justice, the colours are quite something.  I really love working with this bamboo, it feels so weighty and beautiful...

what's happening at your place today?

oh boy!

It's been a massive week here trying to project manage tradesmen, the little guy suddenly crying at kinder drop off again, the six year olds 'ways' and the big boy, well we are all learning a lot about life and parenting there! So this weekend I am very grateful for time to reflect, to step back, take it all in and to spending time with friends & their families around homemade wood-fired pizza & wine all afternoon..

It's true, when our mama's and nana's tell us how life is easy with babies, just wait till they grow up..boy were they right, and this is only the beginning!  It's so difficult trying to guide your babies through life, wanting to protect them, to shield them from all the bad stuff.  The reality is we can't.  We have to let them grow, let them make their own decisions and to be responsible for the choices they make.  Of course we do our best everyday, nurturing them teaching them right from wrong how to become good, loving, honest, respectful and compassionate people.  It's not easy.

Our big boy learned a huge lesson this week.  It was just horrible to watch him go through it, but I'm so proud that he acknowledged his mistake, owned it and was mature enough to face his friend and their parents and apologise for the role he played.  The role he played was not the villain by any means, but it wasn't right, he knew that, and he certainly knows it now!  At first I was furious at him, the other kids, the whole situation.  Then I just wanted to cry for him, but I held it back I asked him the questions, allowed him to answer to share his side and to realise what he'd done. 

When he approached the parents and other child, he didn't get into the whole 'he said, she said' banter, he could have, he wasn't the only one in the wrong, but he let it go and wore it.  A big deal when you're a 9 year old kid.  He's hurt, and sorry and he feels a bit let down by others, but he has learned something immeasurable, something that I believe will have a profound effect on who he is becoming, the kind of person he wants to be.

Oh boy, the years ahead seem a little torturous...argh, give me strength!!

Visit Maxabella for more grateful posts...

*I couldn't find a pic that felt right for this post, and as I was doing the dishes, admiring my babusha cups I was thinking how nice it would be to keep our babies all tucked in safe & sound like that...so that's the relevance, incase you wondered...

my creative space...infatuation

a new infatuation with this gorgeous yarn, I'm having so much fun working this waffley stitch..LOVE!

the neck piece...

the wrist cuff...

I found a mountain of these mother of pearl buttons at the op shop so long ago, it seems I have an endless supply!

With all the roof work going on around here, they say I'll be without internet access for a little bit so I'm early this week, but there'll be loads more creative spaces over at Kootoyoo on Thursday of course!

a few random thoughts...

how quickly the weekends fly by...

it's nice to be greeted bright & early in the morning by a very  handsome & cheerful tradie arriving to put up the scafold..

work on the roof begins.  Our 6yr old says, obviously impressed by the enormity of the scaffolding, how great our house is going to look when they are finished, when sadly we won't even know anything has been done to look at it, but at least we won't flood anymore..

interesting how the white towels are always the ones to be taken to clean up after a triathlon..

how sweet it is to be told by the little guy countless times in a day 'I love you' with kisses all the way up my arm & down again, and that I am the best mum ever because I do a u turn and say 'weeee' as I go..

funny little emails from gorgeous friends that I don't see nearly enough of, looking forward to catching up in the holidays..

wishing my mum and dad lived closer so they could be a part of the random everyday life, it's been way too long since we've seen them..

now time to get on with the day.  I have stock to deliver, opshop treasure calling to me from the boot of my car waiting for my attention, and a mountain of washing that may never dry in this humidity...

discovering...

grateful today for discovering a wonderful stash of this gorgeous bamboo and creating something new!

but most of all, for having our big boy home right here in the nest where he belongs.  He had a great time on camp, and came home surprisingly chatty and adorable, aside from the fact that he was still in the same undies he left home in 3 days ago (a not so pleasant discovery)! 

He says he was thinking he'd save me some washing if he just wore the same gear each day, which was really very considerate, if only it weren't for the smashed tub of yogurt and squashed pear that has been in the bottom of his bag since Wednesday (a completely putrid discovery)!

more grateful posts over here with the very lovely Maxabella...

apron strings...

Our big boy went on camp this week.  I felt so weird & anxious about it this time.  It's not like he hasn't been away before, but somehow this time is different.  He's changing, growing up, and I'm not ready for him to do that yet.  Although I do think a few days away from us all will do him good.  No little brothers getting in his way, Mum not on his back about this or that, late nights & fun with his friends.  It's good medicine for all of us to do that occasionally! 

He's craving his own space and independence.  He's always been a sensible kid, so it's not that I don't trust him to be responsible, it's everything else out there that I have no control over that frightens me, I think.  I know it's all part of growing up, all those experiences, good & bad, help to shape who we are, but I want to wrap him up in a safe & secure little cocoon, I'm not ready for him to grow up yet, not ready to loosen the apron strings even just a little.  He is only 9 years old, he's still a little boy & he'll always be my baby.  I tell all my boys this, they'll always be my babies even when they are big grown men with babies of their own, and they laugh at this, picturing their poor old mumma fussing about them.

I love that he hugs me often, quietly & unexpectedly and then continues on his way.  I love his smell in the nook of his neck where I would bury my nose when he was tiny & breathe him in, I love how he still wants me to sing the same bedtime song that we have always sung every single night, the way he looks up to and admires his dad, and so proud when I notice something & say "that's just like Dad". I love his wacky sense of humour and how he plays & plays for hours on end, his imagination is limitless.

And I love that he comes home tomorrow, I can't wait to hold him & hear all the stories about camp.  But who am I kidding!  The reality will most likely be that he's tired, grumpy, stinky & not wanting to talk about much at all! I remember being exactly the same after being away from home.  I'm sure after a good nights sleep in his own bed we'll hear every detail over breakfast...

a little upcycling...

I picked this jumper up a few years ago on a clearance table. I adored the shirred sleeves but would never ever wear it.  It reminded me of a school uniform every time I'd put it on & inevitably change before even leaving the bedroom...

I found it yesterday in a bag waiting to be dropped off at the op shop, and I just couldn't bring myself to part with those sleeves...

so I made some wristwarmers, cute, eh...?!

for more creative spaces visit Kirsty...

done...

its a shrug...

I think...

a great big tea cosy for me!

it sits just below my elbow & I love it! I love it's versatility. I think I will get loads of wear out of this little number. Though I might replace the pompoms with crocheted balls...

grateful...

the week has just whizzed by in a crazy spin! I've lots to be grateful for...

friends who step up & take charge in stressful moments.

mums night out, wow! we are surrounded by some beautiful families & gorgeous ladies to have a ball with on a Saturday night!

brotherly love a bond that grows stronger all the time.  I'm so proud to see our boys all loving each other, offering words of wisdom & encouragement when one of them has had a tough day. This is a rare occurrence, but it does happen & it's so beautiful to see that even though a whole LOT of the time they taunt and annoy one another, when it counts the love is there, stronger than ever.

a new strategy for tackling selective hearing that appears to be working so far! Our 6 year old has been doing my head in with this lately.  My challenge is to 'remain calm at all times'.  Let me just say, the word 'challenge' is quite the understatement.  I will speak once, receive acknowledgement, and await the request to be fulfilled without yelling, without repeating myself, without the battle.  So when asked to pack away toys & this has not been done within a reasonable time, the toys go. Simple. If you are not dressed when we are all ready to go, we leave anyway. Simple.  Things are not happening as promptly as I'd like, but still, it's working.

the happy skip the little guy does when it's time for morning tea, it melts my heart.  He gets so excited & happy whether its a bowl of fruit a tub of yogurt or a big fat muffin. It's his favourite time of day.

Life has been busy.  This time last week we were all recovering from the little guy splitting his chin open at a party.  Actually, his brothers weren't too perturbed, thanks to a lovely friend who calmly sent me on my way, the older two were able to stay at the party while I went rushing off to get my brave baby all stitched up.   He has since split it again so back we went for round two.  The big boy is gearing up for camp next week, which for some reason I'm a little nervous about.  Perhaps it's the distance, maybe that he seems a little fragile & uncertain at the moment, not about camp, he's busting to go, just in general.  I'm going to miss not singing his bedtime song & tucking him in, I know he will miss it too.

And now we head into a very busy, but fun filled long weekend.

Visit Maxabella for more grateful posts...

my creative space...

I've been in a kind of trance since starting this yesterday.  I'm working on it every chance I get, in the car for school drop off & pick up, on the phone, listening to readers, during breaky, while waiting for this *#/%*; computer to do the simplest thing!  Typically, I'm making it up as I go.  Originally it was going to be a wrap.  Now I'm thinking it might be a big chunky cowl that I can pull right down around me all cosy & snug.  We'll see soon enough, fingers crossed...

Pop over here for some more creative space...

a guest post...

I've been over here today for Jill's Wednesday feature post "How are you creating your way to success?.." Head on over to take a look...Thanks again for having me Jill!

little piles...

...are filling my bench top, I love watching them grow, though I am slowly taking over our living room!  My own space has been delayed for now, until we get the much needed work done on our roof...priorities! 

The two little guys are desperate to move in together, which is how my own work room will come to be. However, as their shared room becomes an indoor swimming pool with feature waterfall during heavy rains, it's just not a practical arrangement right now, much to their disappointment!

lazing & a pretty re-vamp...

we've been blessed with the most stunning of sunshiny days this weekend, hallelujah!  Perfect for a little stool re-vamp.  I sprayed this sweet old stools legs white, took off the fluffy purple cover & replaced it with a piece of fabric cut from one of my very favourite vintage sheets.

I also cut into a little sundress that I'd never had much wear of & turned it into a light summery top...

Last week was so bitterly cold, it's been heavenly to be out lazing on our back deck.  After a late night with some gorgeous ladies, lots of dancing, laughs & champagne, this is perfect recovery weather... 

hello autumn...

sadly, waaaay too chilly for this little pretty at the moment, we'll need something far more robust to brave the cold winds out there this week...

I'm cheating a little since I posted this finished scarf on Tuesday, but I had to share it in my creative space this week, I so love it & just can't wait to wear it!

pop over to Kootoyoo for more creative spaces...