two..

wet kisses

tight hugs

your love for shoes!

high fives and knuckles

twirling
dolls and teddies, anything to wrap in a blanket and put to bed

loving 'cool kids' and 'shake it off - hmmhmm'

soft curls growing longer

dancing in mama's arms

rolling in the sand

saying 'gwesh you!' when we sneeze or cough
long strides with such attitude
and your bouncy walk you're happy
whispering the lyrics to 'lovin' you', I die
food, all kinds!
you love to put on a show
loving the big kids, bossing the little kids

tantrums to protest but never for long, you're a push over when a hug is offered

'its too big!!' when you don't want to wear something

drawing..on everything in sight, you're lethal with a texta

you nuzzle into just the right spot, just so, and you breath me in
that cackling laugh
gikkle gikkle (tickle, tickle)

you're both boisterous and delicate
you are so busy
and you are mischief

..our Vivi, this is you at two. 

Our love for you is immeasurable! We adore everything you do and say, even when you're being annoying or cheeky or getting up to no good, you entertain us endlessly.  I wish I could capture your every move, and every sweet sound, you are pure joy every hour, every day.

Happy 2nd Birthday to you darling girl x  

4/52..

a portrait of my daughter, once a week every week in 2015..

olive: assumed sleeping position, nuzzled into mama's neck and sideways..

This is certainly not the greatest quality portrait, but this is us, every day, and I couldn't resist capturing it.  She wakes and comes into our bed sometimes in the wee early hours and sometimes closer to dawn, but every time, she nuzzles into my neck, she breathes me in and she drifts back into a peaceful slumber. 

Yes, I may be lying on the very edge of the bed, I may be stiff and uncomfortable, my already warm skin sticking to her sweaty little head, but I want to savour every moment of these days, for I know all too soon they will be just a sweet, sweet memory.


joining jodi's 52 project here..

sunset..

We took a stroll after dinner last night, down to the beach to watch the sunset.  I wanted to acknowledge my cousins birthday, he passed away suddenly last year and he loved a sunset.  He would have been forty this day.

After close to perfect weather, the clouds had moved in and the wind was blowing a gale.  We were almost not going to bother.

But then we did.

And it was magical.

Of course, a nudie swim in the rock pools was inevitable.

On the way home, my little guy said it was the best night ever and he was going to make sure he did this with his kids when he was a dad.

We decided it was to be a birthday tradition.

*pictures by Nick, I told him not to worry about bringing the camera, but I'm glad he did x

the basics..

I taught a beginner crochet class this morning, as part of a local group's 'Art for Contentment' program.  Isn't that a beautiful notion, art for contentment, and it was lovely to be involved.

When I was preparing for The Craft Sessions last year, and breaking down my instructions, I was reminded of when I was first teaching myself to crochet.  The mistakes I made, how unaware I was about which yarn you use for what, hook sizes and tension, it was all so foreign to me.  I remember attempting to make a winter scarf, soon realising that 4ply cotton was not quite right for that project. I remember following the instructions so closely and not understanding why my foundation chain was twisted, why the bottom of my work was arched or why one side was growing out while the other side was perfectly straight.  I also remember when I figured out the answers after many, many attempts, and over a very long period of time.

Now, when I'm teaching others, I completely understand their frustrations and all those feelings and memories come flooding back, their mistakes and learnings are exactly the same as mine!

For anyone who is starting out, picking up a pattern and attempting to make something straight up can be very daunting, and often disheartening.  Without having any particular garment or item in mind, you really just need to firstly learn the basic stitches and repeat over and over and over.  This way you will understand the stitches better, you'll figure out which hand does what, you'll build momentum and get a feel for how tension works.

I took the pieces pictured above along to my class this morning to show what the same two stitches are capable of.  These are all made using different sized yarns and different sized hooks but all the same basic crochet stitches.

Essentially, if you know how to double crochet and treble crochet you will be able to create anything! These are the foundations and they can be used to create the most basic or most complex pieces your heart desires.

For me, as you know, I just like the simplicity of the basic stitches so this is what I keep coming back to.  Its all a matter of personal taste, thats what makes it great.  The more you practice, the more you will 'feel' what you are doing and find what your style is.

I've had some requests for the details of that lovely summer shrug on top of the pile there, so I'll share those with you soon.

Happy crafting x

3/52..

a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week in 2015..

olive: forever covered in sand, and way too keen to be in deep water..

Just after I took this shot, our little thrill seeker here, who loves to be in the water and wants to run right in with no concept of danger and no sense of fear, lost her balance ankle deep on the shore line and was splashed right in the face by a big strong wave.  She wouldn't leave my hip after that. Perhaps just the fright she needed..

joining jodi's 52 project here..

these january days..

These January days are slowly but surely passing by.  There's no routine, the days are mostly our own to do whatever we please.  Though we're back at work, we're fitting in beach visits, bike rides and dirt jumps, dvd's and crochet.

We're not making plans, or rushing about.  Somedays, beds aren't made just incase we want to climb back in for a midday rest. We're making imovies and paper puppets, we're playing minecraft and building lego. We're eating extra special treats gifted by a lovely friend, and lots of fresh homegrown summer fruits, and only every now and then, we're checking off the list to get school ready.

These January days are about the sweetest days of the year I'd say.

2/52..

a portrait of my daughter, once a week every week in 2015..

olive: quiet time on a hot afternoon watching her beloved 'In the night garden' on the ipad..

After a few very hot days, beach visits, rolling in the sand and splashing in the sea, it's nice to come home to a cool house and quiet time.  

I never thought I'd embrace the ipad in our home, but I have to admit, it serves a very practical purpose on days like this when she won't take a nap even though she's completely exhausted.  She asks for Igglepiggle and a wave of calm washes over her.

joining jodi for the 52 project..

easing in..

We're taking our time and easing ourselves into this new year.  Our little town is swelling with visitors, and I just love the summertime holiday atmosphere around the place.  We ride our bikes here, there and everywhere to avoid the traffic congestion and its become one of my most favourite things to do. Mostly, I love that we do it together.  It's become quality family time, we're getting to know one another all over again, sharing stories, goals for the year and lots of laughs.

This week, we're officially back at work, though the kids are still on holidays so making the most of any spare time is a must.  Beach visits, getting our little surfer boy out on the waves, fish and chips in the park and more bike rides.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are just so lucky that our kids enjoy home and rarely ask to go places.  They've set up the sun tent in the backyard and spend hours playing camp, having tea parties with their baby sister, making movies and writing stories.  It's truly a joy to watch.

I'm taking time whenever I can to work on a few crochet projects, cleaning out cupboards and doing the odd op shop drop off.  I'm feeling the need to cleanse and simplify our home and I'm hoping it'll motivate me to make a start on some long overdue home improvements, I'm the worlds greatest procrastinator for certain!

I hope your new year is off to an easy start.  Are you lucky enough to be on holidays?  If not, I hope you find time to make the most of those spare moments.

x

1/52..

a portrait of my daughter, once a week every week in 2015...

olive: snuggling into bed between us, she wakes with a big "mwaah" and plants wet kisses on our faces..

I was hesitant to join in with the wonderful 52 project this year, I didn't finish last year and I don't like not seeing something through to the end.  But this morning, lying in bed with this little darling nattering sweet nothings and planting endless wet kissees, I was reminded that its these very moments I want to record and remember forever.

I have documented so much here of the boys in my early years of blogging, but now that they're getting older they are much more difficult to capture in a moment, and much less willing for me to share.  So perhaps this year will just be her, and perhaps I'll manage to see it through to the end.

join beautiful jodi and her project here..

one word..2015

nurture ~ to foster care, nourish, encourage, cultivate..

And so, we farewell the year that was and welcome in the new.

My 2014 was, well, momentous actually.  There were so many significant moments of varying emotion.  The weight of grief, the terror of bushfires, elation, gratitude and joy for the simplicity of life and the gifts that surround us.

It's a year that I am pleased to see come to a close, while at the same time, feeling overwhelmingly grateful for experiences that have challenged me, enlightened me and changed me.

I'm still learning to embrace the changes, they go way down deep, and so the word I choose this year needs to open me up and be a constant reminder.

My word this year will be nurture. It's a lot broader than to just nurture myself, I know I need to do that.  Finding balance, taking care of myself in order to take care of my family, it goes without saying, and I need to give this much greater priority.  But to nurture also needs to be about giving back, and it needs to be far less about me.  I want to nurture the foundations that surround me, within my family, my community, and the village that I want to be a part of.

What's your 'one word' for the year ahead?  You can share it with Bron..

Happy New Year to you, friends.  May 2015 bring all that you hope for x