What I am making...

Here are a few pics of my WIP's...

1. Aprons! (This one is for you Ammy.) They are made from a set of funky sheets my Mum and Dad got as a wedding present 30 years ago!!! I found the coolest green grosgrain (?) ribbon, it has little white dashes along the edges. One down, 18 to go!!! (Excuse the wrinkles! I forgot to iron this first!)

Check out Ruby's very cool wrists bands! I made them out of the sleeves of a thrift ed jumper i was re-fashioning. Ruby LIVES in them, she even wears them to bed! Such a Style-Queen, my girl!

2. I have made my first ever top WITHOUT A PATTERN! It is a plain black top, with a waist band, a hood lined in BRIGHT pink, stitched with bright green! I really like it. I just need to finish the arm holes. I don't know if i should put little sleeves on or not. What do you think?

We have no water today, we discovered at 8pm tonight that our outside tap was gushing water! We think it has been doing it for a few days. We had noticed the sound of water in the pipes but, couldn't work out what it was. So tomorrow i will be calling the landlord about that AND the broken dish washer! Oh man!

Hair cuts all round!

Yesterday the girls, Javi and i all had hair cuts. Javi's and mine were quite extreme, the girls just trims...

Ruby... before...after...during!

Zoe... before...after...during

Me...before...after...

In case you can't tell, mine is assymetrical, quite short on one side, sharp layers, longer on the other with soft curly layers!!!

An my SPUNKY SPUNKY husband! He haden't shaved since Joely's birth! Almost 6 months! Oooh I love him!!!

And one more pic to leave you with, my lovely Zozo, dressed up to marry her Daddy!

I'm going to be an AUNTY!!!

I can finally tell... I'm going to be an aunty! My kids are actually going to have cousins a similar age!!!
Javi's little brother Blake and his wife Jenna are having a baby, and, it is due a week before Joely turns ONE! (due date 24Th August, Bday 31st August)
Zoe keeps on talking about *our* baby. I don't think she has realized that baby won't be living at our house! When Joely was born, we didn't tell the girls what *kind* of baby he was. They came up to the hospital and had to check his nappy! They have asked to do it again for this baby!
This is Jenna with baby Joel... She suits the look, Huh?

Last night Zoe had a little friend to stay. O aged 5. They are the best of friends and have had great fun playing *Kings and Queens, Mums and Dads, Vets, Dr's, jumping on the tramp*

Last year we went away to Whangamata with O and his family. (It is about to become an Annual event, we are off again March 17). There are now 4 kids in his family too. All about the same age as our four. Our relaxing holiday is going to be ... 4 adults, 1x 5yo, 1 x 4yo, 3 x 2yo's, 1 x 1yo and 2x babies!!! All in a small three bedroom bach!!! What fun!

OK, here's some more summer photos for you to enjoy...

This is a pic of Zo and O at Whanga last summer, checking out the surf!

Here is my Ruby having a slide... Roo playing *house*...

And i just had to share this FIRST EVER pic of my boys snuggling! Aren't they yummy?

Summer fun

The girls and I spent ages today watching a cicada stuck in an Orb Web spider's web. We had arrived home from a lunch at Nana and Papa's, just in time to see this HUGE cicada fly into the web. A large yellow spider then ran out and we watched over the next couple of hours as he wrapped and then winched this big bundle (twice his size!) 60cm up to a branch, before settling down to have a meal!

Now, as you all know, I do not like spiders!! (for obvious reasons) But i was fascinated watching this little guy at work. He was so careful, diligent, creative and determined! All things i could definately use more of! I could really appreciate the beauty of this ugly, scary little creature!

It is the height of Summer here. Full of cicada noise, beaches, icecreams, freshly mowen lawns, sprinkler rain, togs, sunscreen, slip'n'slides... all the wonderful sights, sounds, smells of summer. I love the brightness of it all.

Despite all this, I have been thinking about my girls' winter wardrobe! I have been so inspired by the beauty and creativity that is out there. I have fallen in love with the romance of the dresses at portabellopixie . Such amazing designs and craftmanship. Beebeemod has the cutest little onesies. TinyHappy , A new Zealand designer, makes the cutest little clothes. I love her wrap-dress tutorial. I'd have to have a baby girl though!!!

I found a very cute little skirt pattern at the Sallies the other day (.50c!) Uncut! I also raided my Mum's stash of vintage patterns. I don't think I am quite up to making my own patterns yet! Now, if only i had the time...!

A good friend of ours has also commissioned some fingerless gloves (black with red racing stripes!). He has just moved to Invacargill and is freezing already, so, i need to get these done as quickly as possible!

A day of baking and making

Having a whole day of making and baking is so much fun. Yesterday *the girls* and I had great fun all morning baking in the kitchen. We started off baking bread, then moved on to the choc-chippie biccies! There was plenty of taste testing going on, and of course, the wearing of aprons!
My lovely SIL, Jenna, made me THE coolest apron for Christmas (we did a *make or bake* Christmas). It ties around the waist, has 4 pockets and is made from grey denim and grey fabric with skulls on! Very cool!

At nap time i got busy on my dress, it is now finished up to the hemming. I love it! However, i have realized it is quite see-through!!! It will be perfect over leggings with boots in winter. Or over jeans. I am saving the pics for after the meeting of the *Undie Makers* tommorow night.

I also made the first of the pencil rolls. I was so happy with the way this turned out, as i just made it up as i went along!

Today we went back to the Op Shop to pick up the wardrobe i am planning on restoring. It cost me a whole $15!! It is painted an ugly green. Javi is not convinced on it yet, but, i think it will work!

When i saw this...

...I just had to take him home. He had no ears and no eyes, so, i raided my stash and whipped up some ears, and sewed on square, pearl button eyes! He is to become *the girls* new dress-up box!

Hospitals and Op Shops!

Update on the spider bite. I was admitted to hospital Sunday night (along with baby Joel) because the infection on my leg was still spreading and my chest infection was getting worse. We finally were put in a ward at 1am! I was in the coronary ward because it was the only place we could have a room to our selves. The nurses kept coming in to coo at Joely cos they never get to see babies in there!

After 3 more doses of Iv antibiotics, i was finally released in the morning with a very swollen hand (from the lure getting knocked) a sore leg and a slightly better cough! Hopefully i won't have to go back again.

The girls each went to stay at a grandparent's, so, Javi and I spent the day watching Collateral (Tom Cruise, I don't rate it) and crocheting dish cloths. I also spent a fair bit of time snuggling this beautiful little boy!

Today I went Op Shopping. Zoe was still at Nana's, so i thought it would be a good time to get out and about.

I picked up some pretty mean deals! For $12 i got
*6 full balls of 100% cotton, 8ply (more dishcloths)
*A very cool carpet bag, perfect to use as a knitting bag
*3 beautiful fabric napkins, destined to become pencil rolls*A plastic dolls car seat, for Ruby's *Pinkbaby* *2 vintage books for the kids - The Little Golden Book Bedtime Library (Full of Margret Wise Brown!!) and Friends Old and New (Basic Reader.)

A 'relaxing' weekend at the beach!

We have had a crazy, busy week, starting with a weekend at the beach. A weekend spent running round after the kiddies, multiple trips to the park, ice-creams everyday (Jelly-pips!!) and swimming at the beach. With 4 kids ages 4 and under a trip to the beach lasts for an hour at the most!! Luckily we were staying 5 minutes walk from the beach. (OK, i admit it, we drove!! you try carrying 4 kids, towels, beach toys and snacks!)

I did manage to get a little sewing in. Well, i took my machine but only got as far as cutting out the pattern!

I then got bronchitis and another spider bite! Last night saw me sitting in hospital having IV antibiotics. I have a drip in still and i am about to go back to hospital for another dose - and people wonder why i hate spiders! I then have to go back to the Doc tomorrow for chest x-rays and more blood tests. What fun!

Anyway, everyone is asking what I am working on at the moment...here goes...

1. Piles of pre-folds for Joely (made from thrift ed flannelet cot sheets!)










2. Crocheted cotton dish cloths (aran weight cotton from my lovely friend at Patootie (blog coming ) :p

3. My first dress! (for myself - I have made plenty for the girls) It is McCall's M5137.

I am saving the pictures for when it is finished! Hopefully by Friday night.

I will be posting more frequently from now on - i am finally getting the hang of it, so feel free to drop on by!