hot cross buns

Hot cross buns were on the menu for afternoon tea today, but by the time we finished baking it was more like dinner. So dinner it was. The kids thought it was great! We are heading off for a break over the long weekend which will be very welcomed by all. We cant wait to catch up with family and friends, and celebrate the life of Jesus. Happy Easter to you all!

planting

Before the rain came we spent some time outdoors tending to our pots. The tomato plants had seen better days, so we removed them, fertilised the soil, added sugar can mulch and planted some new seedlings suitable for the cooler days to come. Then we watered, watered and watered some more, just to make sure they had plenty to drink. No doubt they are now entirely saturated thanks to the latest downpour from the heavens! The cherry tomatoes we had previously planted did amazingly well, and we ate tub after tub over summer- they were rather tasty! A couple of self seeded tomato plant had popped up, so we replanted those as well. Not quiet sure if its the right season, but happy to experiment and see what happens. We also planted spinach, kale and marigolds for added prettiness.  There is a little bit of room left in some pots, so we might add some herbs at a later date.
And just as we were packing away our tools, I discovered this delicate moth on the washing- isn't she pretty!

seven

We celebrated Grace's 7th birthday on the weekend- with a mermaid party of course! With 18 children in the house it was somewhat hectic, but all went to plan. A big thanks to all our helpers! We normally try to keep birthday's very simple, but I am realising just how quickly the years are passing us by so decided to make this one just a little more special for her to remember. I found these graphics on etsy, which I used to make cupcake topper, tags for party bags ect, which was a bit of fun! I also managed to finish off all the mermaids for her friends just in time. We made mermaid necklaces with all the children, with sparkly jewels, pearls and 'sea weed'. They looked fantastic on!

And the morning of the birthday is always fun, isn't it? I love the delight on little faces as gifts are opened. Its lovely to see everyone enjoying the birthday celebrations!

Happy 7th Birthday Grace xx

lovely lounge & cosy cushions

So here's the lounge: cleaned, repaired and slightly modified - goodbye skirt, hello legs! I am so, so happy with how it scrubbed up. We finally brought it inside today, which was just a little bit exciting. It goes kind of well with our other mismatched lounges. And you will be glad to know that I have actually been doing some sewing again - yep, I know... super exciting!! See those colourful cushions? Some were finished about six months ago, and the others I churned out this week. Piping, zips and all. And even though I chose the fabrics over a year ago, I must say they are a perfect match for this couch and really bring it to life. The fabrics are a mix of 'Nicey Jane' by Heather Bailey and 'Love' by Amy Butler.
In case anyone was wondering about the *sleeping* children on the lounge, I can assure you they are not - just happy to get in a photo any way they can!

hello autumn, hello pretty blouse

We pulled some warmer clothes out of the cupboard this morning - some with sleeves, how nice! The freshness in the air is making me feel like Autumn has set in, and I'm loving it. I was probably a little over ambitious dressing the kids in layers this morning - by lunch time they had stripped off and replaced their jeans with shorts. Oh well... it was nice while it lasted.
For those of you that have been reading along here for a while (a long long while) you may remember this sweet little blouse and pretty knitted vest. The vest was knitted by my Mum and the blouse was one I made - for Grace. Its so nice to see them back in use again!

the week that was

The days are passing by at such a steady pace. Sometimes I find myself wishing everything would just stop so I could surface for air. The constant rain over the weekend was welcomed by us all, for me especially. It was the perfect excuse for bunkering down indoors. Who would have thought earlier in the week we were still swimming in the pool! That's one thing I love about our climate- being able to use the pool for a good chunk of the year, even into Autumn.
The pre-loved couch has been given a lot of attention this week and is almost ready to come into the house. When the painted legs dry she can finally join us in the lounge room. We have also finished painting up the spare room (old sewing room) for Jude and are in the process of getting his furniture sorted. I think its time to move him out of the cot, so I have been working on bees waxing a lovely solid Oak bed head that I am hoping will be suitable. Will write more on that soon, but for now best be getting some rest before the new week begins...

{this moment}

Joining in {this moment} with Soulemama.

Have a wonderful weekend friends x

happiness

Happiness arrived on my doorstep today, thanks to Lilymeru in Japan! Lovely pieces of Liberty, which I am thinking of turning into a throw quilt for the lounge, and the floral's on the left will make something sweet for the girls room- yet to be decided. And how cute are the postage stamps, I wish they made ours as pretty as this!

pink lounge

We came home from the local op shop with this gem of a lounge. Not quiet sure what I was thinking at the time "will I, won't I, arghh... I don't know". In the end we did, and I am so glad it's ours! Now the big clean up begins. I have removed the skirt from around the base (so much dust lurking in there), done some small repairs, a thorough vacuum and now moving onto cleaning the fabric. Happy to say, it is scrubbing up a lot better than I originally thought. Will let you know how it turns out!

{this moment}

Joining in {this moment} at Soulemama.