Handmade love

One of the perks of being friends with a creatively talented woman is that she shares the love around when there's something to celebrate. The birth of my baby girl was no exception.

Being a mother of 3 she is well versed in the sensitivities of the older sibling when a new one arrives. Jo arrived bearing a gift for S and one for Is. Both handmade. Both gorgeous.

Is was given this beautiful grab ball. I love the colours, the softness of it and its shape. Can't wait to see my baby girl playing with it in the near future.

S was treated to a Poppy doll - or dolly as S calls her. Jane dolly to be precise. She loves her. I love her. In fact I think one would be hard pressed to tell which of us loves her more. I found myself confiscating Jane last week because S stripped off her clothes and then dropped her from a great height to see how she'd land. Unperturbed is how she landed. Still, I was moved to take her to higher ground until S could treat her doll kindly.

An over-reaction? Perhaps. But oh, how I love her.

She even made a fuss of S by giving her a little photo shoot with her new doll. I've used her pic to show you Jane.

Thank you my friend for the time and love you put into these gifts. We love them! x

Settling in

Isabella is settling into our family well. Her big sister is delighted to have another family member to love...although she's still coming to terms with the fact that you can love lots of people at once. She told me the other day she loved little Is "instead" of me. Hmmm. She'll get there :)

At the moment we're laying low. Spending time together. Working out how to breastfeed whilst juggling a toddler on my lap. Learning to show love and attention to both our little ones in equal measure. Accepting that sometimes its hard to get that bit right. Starting to let go of toddler adjustment behaviours. Listening to others advice. Taking it on when it resonates. Letting go of other peoples expectations of me. Allowing us to just be.

To be honest, having a newborn again is more wonderful than I expected. I was prepared for the exhaustion after labour, the pain of breastfeeding, the shock of sleep deprivation and then the fog you live in until a routine is established. I know I'm only 2 weeks in...but there seem to be way more wonderful moments than challenging ones. I guess its true what they say - 2nd time is easier.

Thank you for your well wishes on the arrival of our little girl. It means alot to us. x

Baby love...

:: 3.84kg of baby love to be precise

:: a little pink one

:: 2 weeks early according to my gestational measurements. In perfect time according to me

:: She rolls onto her side - already. I may have an active one on my hands

:: introducing the newest member of our family - little Is

I'll show you more photos when I'm ready to share her with you. Until then, I'm cuddling and smelling and soaking up the newborn bliss.

A quilt for Hugo

Hugo was born 10 months ago and he's just received his cot quilt from me. Admittedly, I did give a card and gift on the day he was born...but I think we've all been waiting for the "real" gift. And now it's done. Much to my relief.

My friend dropped by sooner than expected after I finished the quilt, so I hadn't taken any pics of it. These pics are blurry and hurried - I took them before she left my house with it. No time to fuss and make them blog pretty (especially not while she's watching you with a baby on one hip and her toddler clawing at the front door to leave). But you get the drift...

Now to finish my own daughters quilt before our baby arrives. Only two weeks to go. Should be a cinch...?

Summer on its way...

This time last weekend our neighbours had a pool party - with an acoustic band. Two singers, two guitars and a drum kit. Oh, with amplifiers and microphones too. Lots of songs - enough to fill in the hours between 2 and 7pm. Lots and lots of songs.

Thankfully for everyone else in the neighbourhood they were really quite good. So at 4pm we sat out on our deck, filled the clam shell pool with water for S to play in...and soaked up the rays, music and beverages. A lovely way to end the weekend.

I think the Big Fella got the better deal on the drink front. Oh how I'd have loved a beer... :)

When I say I've been out and about...

So I got home from Daylesford on Thursday, went to an OB appoinment that afternoon. Unpacked, washed, repacked...and headed to Cape Paterson on Friday. I know - rest! I'm getting there...

We took advantage of the Melbourne Cup holiday and took a 4 day weekend. We decided to have one last holiday as a family of 3 before we welcome baby number 2. It was a great idea. We spoilt S with lots of time and attention, walks to the local shop for an ice-cream, picking wild flowers, playing in the sand, sitting on the rocks, chasing waves and walking home from the beach (you should have seen the look on the locals faces when I'd pause, grab my stomach and wait for my "stitch" to pass. It was hilarious - as if I was going to drop my baby then and there!). Throw in some bbq dinners and we had ourselves a wonderful time.

I'll let the pics tell the rest.

My view when I look down...I can spy a tiny bit of toe!

Where have I been?

Daylesford Lake

Well, since professing to be dead tired...I've kind of been out and about a bit. I know, what a whinger. If you're tired - rest! I hear you all, I hear you.

Anyhoo. Couple of weeks ago I accompanied a friend and her two little boys on a Thelma and Louise style trip (ie. no husbands, just two girls on the road...with their children) to the Daylesford/Hepburn area.

We stayed in a gorgeous old homestead and I had grand visions of spending our two evenings chatting over a cuppa while I stitched the binding on a cot quilt that is way overdue to be gifted. Not a chance. The kids were all funny about being in a different place, about having their friends there at night time, about the kookaburra's calling in the darkness...etc, etc.

Wasn't as relaxing as we had planned, but it was a lovely trip and the area is so beautiful. An added bonus was that we wore the kids out so they slept the whole 1.5 hour drive home... Bliss.

Dead Tired

S three weeks old

As the weeks of my pregnancy progress I find myself mentally willing to whip around everywhere visiting, organising, doing...but my body is starting to nag at me. I'm tired.

With my body starting to betray my will, I am taken back to those early days with S when the tiredness of a first time parent hit like a tonne of bricks. I'm trying not to feel apprehensive that I'm going back there again.

I'm told 2nd time around it's not such a shock and you're used to not sleeping through the night. Here's hoping... :)

Photo-less

I've been creating.

Nesting is a wonderful, wonderful thing - so much gets done. I think we'll all miss the nesting in this household when its replaced with sleep deprivation and the inevitable mess. My neat freak Big Fella will particularly miss it. God love him.

What has me in a tizz is that I can't find my camera. I took it out of my handbag to take a pic of a scarf I made for S and...gone. Can't remember putting it down. Don't have a clue where it is. And so I'm photoless for showing and telling on my blog. My descriptive talents aren't too bad, but I draw the line at show and tell without the show part.

So until my camera reappears...this little space is going to have to wait.

Wish me luck - I think it's time to get down on my hands and knees and look under things. 33 weeks pregnant. Joy.

Knitting Nannies

Our weekly knitting group is going great guns. 5 months in and usually every week there's at least a few that gather to click needles and chat. The Big Fella calls us the "Knitting Nannies" - an adaptation of the term "Knitting Nancy" which is a french knitting toy we used as kids. Apparently he's not up to speed on how super cool knitting is again, and thinks I'm getting all granny on him.

Anyhoo, I've been pregnant since we started our group so my attendance is optimistically hoped for each week...but as I get closer to my due date the tiredness is increasing (so tired I could cry if you even look at me, kind of tired), so I either attend with something mind numbingly simple to knit or opt out to spare these lovely ladies from an outburst of tears the kind of which they may see daily with their toddlers anyway (why put them through more?).

Having said that - I have completed my second project. I started it in February and finished it in August. A childs scarf took me 6 months, but it's done. Lined with cute spotted fabric (I'm addicted to paisley and spots at the moment), S has been wearing it for the past couple of months and it works a treat.

The satisfaction of seeing her running around outside in a beanie and scarf that I made brings me more pleasure than I ever would have expected.

Now, onto the next project...

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I just wanted to thank you for your kind and supportive comments on my last post. It means so much to me xxx

Celebrating life

There are some of us who live our lives among the rest of you and seem to the naked eye to be as normal as the next person. In my case if you have a closer look, you'll see a scar. It's not there for all to see but it is ragged from a wound opening many times over the years. These days I'm happy to say it's getting silvery with age - the wound has not been torn open so much in recent years.

But the hurt has been deep. Penetrating. Breath-takingly deep.

Such is the hurt felt when you lose a loved one. In my case, my dad. 21 years ago today.

When I'm pregnant I think of him more frequently. Wonder what he would have been like as a grandfather. Would he like me as a parent? Would he melt into a thousand pieces in her presence like my mum does?

In 21 years you'd think I'd have let all the hurt go and just think of him fondly. Today I think I can say that I'm getting there. Real close. While driving a couple of weeks ago I thought of dad and then heard this clear, peaceful, strong voice in my head say "You need to let him go. It's ok that he's not here". I don't hear this voice often - but when I do I know it's not my thoughts. It's something so much more. And then something happened while driving through the Mooroolbark 5 ways round-a-bout. I gave in. I took a deep breath, shed a silent tear...and felt my body relax with relief.

Turns out I have been holding on so tightly to him that I never let myself feel his loss and move through it. In holding on I hadn't let go of the pain either...but I think it's time. He's not here and I'm ok. I have a beautiful life that needs every part of me present to enjoy it. It's time to let go and live in the moment, not the past, or in fear of the future and what loss may be ahead for me. There is so much to look forward to.

So today I choose to celebrate the life of one Peter Christensen. Thank you for being my loving, perfectionist, creative, compassionate, flawed, father. I am like you in so many ways and choose to carry your life, and not your death, with me from now on. Because your life is worth celebrating, and so is mine. x

The End

Today marks the end of my journey in gratitude. Actually, not the end of my journey, but the end of my public blogging journey in gratitude. Its really been such a lovely thing to explore. Disciplining myself to see some silver lining in a grey day, or having an outlet to share with you the things that make me feel so blessed.

I'm also proud to say that I posted every day. This is something I've never done before. I'm not sure I could keep up the momentum long term, but it has allowed me to share a bit more of myself, how I see the world and what makes me happy. It's been nice letting you into my head and heart a little more.

Thank you for coming along with me. Documenting the blessings in my life is such a simple thing to do that makes for a happier me. I plan to continue this privately, perhaps in a journal. Seeing the good in things on a daily basis can only be a good thing.

Perhaps my next challenge is learning to laugh when I come around a corner and see the scene pictured above before me. Cleaning porridge out of woven carpet? Ha, ha, ha! I'm delighted that my child is increasing her dexterous skills and further developing her love of textural art. Hmmmm - can't hurt to try :)

{30 Days of Gratitude}

All stitched up

I am so happy to have finally completed this cot quilt for baby Talara. My fingertips are split and bloody from hand stitching the binding...perhaps a sign of the type of seamstress I am not.

I hope she likes it. The pink flannelette backing has been tested and deemed wonderful - by me. I almost fell asleep on it after laying down my head for just a minute. So comfy and cosy. Hopefully it will have the same affect on Talara and her mummy will be delighted!

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Bluebells

Bluebells in the Bois de Halle, Belgium

After a long and tiring week, in truth I have had to wrack my brains for what I'm grateful for. This is the 28th post on gratitude and I'm finding that instead of gratitude becoming a habit, and seeing it all around me, I've been searching for things to feel thankful for that I haven't already mentioned.

And just now it's dawned on me. Gratitude is simple. It's found in the smallest things. It only needs to be recognised fleetingly for it to be worthwhile. No earth shattering findings, just things that make my little heart glad even for a second. And then a whole new world of grace opens up for me. It's ok to give thanks for it all. Even the smallest, fleeting things.

So tonight I share my gratitude for the first boss I had while living in London. Craig Duncan is Scottish, a happily married, old school gentleman with a talent for languages - so much so that he won't even share how many languages he can speak. He's modest too. From what I could overhear in the 2 years I worked with him I counted 7 languages...but I'm sure there are more. He speaks French at home because his wife is Belgian. He is kind, patient, encouraging...and a dark horse.

Craig can take photo's. Beautiful photo's. This is something I've only learned in the years since we parted ways. He shared this pic with me once and sent me the original when I told him I could happily stare at that scene all day. So now I can. And I will. Thank you Mr Duncan for this and more.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Windows to my soul

They say that the eyes are the window to ones soul. In my case it is so true. I can't hide one feeling behind my lashes. Each one of them are there in those chocolatey depths. Believe me, I've been caught out many times!

Tonight they reveal how utterly tired I am. Perhaps telling you that whilst I'm busy creating a little life and raising a toddler, I still went out for dinner to catch up with my girlfriends and stayed out way too late. Sometimes they talk a little too much...my eyes and my friends.

I give thanks for my eyes. That you can see how I feel, perhaps about you, or the subject you're talking about. But I mostly give thanks for what they reveal to me:

:: countless sunrises and sunsets seen on my travels :: my daughters smile as she holds my face in her hands and zooms in for a wet kiss :: my garden blooming after a little TLC :: the bluest, widest, open Aussie skies :: they way my husband looks at me sometimes which lets me know that I am loved :: The Great Pyramids of Egypt :: the delight my daughter brings my mother each time they see eachother. Its written all over her face :: turquoise waters of the ocean :: photos my talented sister takes and shares with us :: my cat lazing in the late afternoon sun :: colours - so many gorgeous colours ::

...and so, so much more.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Ebay-ing

Happy to be in "nesting" mode. Cleaning out the old, making way for the new.

Thankful to eBayers who are happy to buy our unwanted furniture for a total of $700.

Grateful to my husband who thinks that I should have this money and spend it on myself. I can feel a shopping spree coming on!

{30 Days of Gratitude}

30 Weeks and counting

Me & Mum. 30 weeks pregnant with S

So grateful to be 30 weeks pregnant - and counting! Remembering the last time I was this many weeks pregnant. My sister captured our joy beautifully. Perhaps it's time to capture the joy of this pregnancy too...

{30 Days of Gratitude}

A love of nature

I am grateful that we live in an area that is rich in nature. Lots of trees around us, horses, goats and sheep a 3 minute drive away...and these little visitors to our back deck every day.

My S is developing a love of nature since I encourage her to stop what we're doing and look at it in all its forms around us. You can't get better than Mother Nature for entertainment and awe.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Friendship

Enjoying the fruits of an old friendship. Watching our children form a friendship of their own. Relaxed in eachothers company. Sharing. Caring.

Unless they are tired, then all bets are off... ;D

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Gift

Thinking about a new little life born a few months ago, healthy and happy. Picking fabrics, coming up with a design, piecing together and quilting. A new cot quilt in the making for Talara Jane. Welcome to the world.
xxx

{30 Days of Gratitude}

From Russia with love

A gift from Mr De Marchi in appreciation of my work while living in London. I would "take care of him" when he visited the London office from Moscow.

These beautiful dolls bring so much pleasure to our household...particularly to a little 2 year old.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

30 reasons to be grateful

:: Today I celebrate that she's been in my life for 30 years.

:: She's loved me relentlessly for every one of those years. It's only since I've grown up that I cherished the gift of her loyalty and unconditional love.

:: She's creative, courageous, well travelled, compassionate to within an inch of her life, forgiving, loving, stylish, quirky, hilarious and unabashedly whimsical.

:: She is loved by everyone she meets.

:: She blesses those she is close to with her love.

Happy birthday to my beautiful sister. I hope you know how much you're loved...to within an inch of your life.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Pink

Lillies my mum gave me. Enjoying watching them open and quietly thanking her for their beauty every time I walk passed.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Slow baking

Making time in our day to bake.
Sharing the measuring and stirring with eager little hands.
Letting the flour fall where it may.
Awaiting the smell of freshly baked goods.
Sharing the delicious cookies with joy.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Reminiscing

Finding a piece of sheet music I'd kept as a keepsake. My favourite piece to play on the piano when I was learning all those years ago. Thanks for the reminder.

You can listen to it if you wish...

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Support

My self constructed Cairns. Reminding me that others have travelled here before - been in this situation, felt these feelings, navigated their way through the same joys and difficulties.
I am not alone.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Simple pleasures

A clear, sunny day to get your washing dry.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Nature...

...in all it's glory. This beautiful colour combination adorns my backyard.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Sunshine

Late afternoons in the sunshine. The air mild enough to keep playing outside while the last of the suns rays bless our activities.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Anticipation

Enjoying the image on this card reminding me that I will soon be
celebrating a very special arrival in my heart and home.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Safe Keeping

So I am never running around looking for them - all our keys live here. Stylish yet functional.
My husband is particularly grateful that my days of keeping him waiting while I double check
the fridge for my car keys, are officially over.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Unwinding

Finding a quiet, warm, sunny spot to knit

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Father's Day

Daddy & S (3.5 months old)

To our love.

Thank you for loving us in the special way you do. Your little girl adores you and learns how to love every time she witnesses the ways in which you love us. It's patient, it's endless and it's appreciated.

Happy Father's Day to a man that hasn't missed a beat since the first time you held S in your arms. Our little family loves you more than you'll ever know.

J, S & Felix the cat x

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Retail Therapy

Enjoying my eBay purchase every time I walk passed it.
I love a winged back chair - especially with the late afternoon sun warming it. So inviting.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Getting organised

My Creative Space: a place for everything and everthing now in it's place. Bliss.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Free

Free firewood waiting for next winter.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Ripening

The lemons on our tree finally ripening so I can enjoy the juice in my morning glass of water.
Cleansing, refreshing, delicious.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

New Beginnings

Feeling grateful for this tree in our front yard letting me know that spring is here.

{30 days of Gratitude}

Green

The luscious green lawn the Big Fella lovingly grew and tended to throughout winter, enabling us to enjoy Spring on soft, new grass.

{30 Days of Gratitude}

Helping hands

My little helper that follows me around all day. Lending a hand whether its safe or unsafe, required or not. I've learned to make it safe and require help always...

{30 Days of Gratitude}