health warning

Last night, we made a chocolate orange self saucing pudding.  I didn't take any photographs and didn't intend to write about it, but felt it wise to remind myself that it was delicious and we ate too much of it.

The end.

PS  Who knew it would taste so good cold the next day.

no inspiration...

Now that it is just me and the boys at home during the week, I'd like to start a project to give me some focus during the evenings.  I have all this beautiful fabric and no ideas.  I keep saying I want to do something creative but now it's getting very frustrating to feel so devoid of inspiration.  Spare moments are filled with paying bills, emptying the dishwasher, laundry... and looking after Ollie is proving to be so tiring that my motivation is zapped too.  

Next time I write about my sewing machine, it had better be because I've started something new and exciting.

deeks is better again

Poor little Deacon's had a very rough weekend.  On Saturday, we got back from a fairly stressful couple of days at the coast with Will's family where Deeks mainly hid under the bed from everyone.  Amongst the chaos of the weekend and Deacon's natural tendency to keep himself to himself around strangers, we didn't realise the little guy wasn't feeling good.  We woke on Sunday morning to find the deck covered in poop and vomit and blood.  He needed emergency care at the UQ vet clinic where he stayed overnight and came home yesterday after being diagnosed and treated for HGE.  He's such a timid little thing, he would have been terrified about being taken away from what he knows best but he's had his medication and boy was he happy to see his best friend Lola!  Lola pretended she hadn't even noticed Deeks was gone, but they cuddled up together last night and I know she was secretly happy to see him back.

It's hard work looking after two babies and two dogs.  There was the bat incident earlier this year, when Lola attacked a bat that had flown onto our deck, resulting in us calling the RSPCA to come and rescue the bat.  Then there was the cane toad incident, when Lola got hold of a cane toad in our garden, licked it, got high and needed to have her mouth washed out and a visit to the emergency vet.  And then there was the time Lola survived but was a little fatter for eating an entire Camembert and a whole box of chocolates and an entire Christmas pudding.  Thankfully not all at the same time.  But she'd give it a shot.

another new chapter

Tomorrow, Will starts a new job as a graduate architect.  After seven years of working so very hard for his degree and seven months of looking for a job, he's finally getting the chance to start his chosen career and put all his talent and knowledge to good use.  Only a month ago, after the fruitless job hunting and countless conversations about what to do next, we were getting ready to move back to England.  I was looking for work, getting together visa applications and applying for our boys' passports when all of a sudden this opportunity came knocking and we're now started an exciting new chapter of our lives.

I wouldn't be me if I wasn't a little sad about postponing our big move back home, but it also feels nice that my husband has a good job and that we have a bit more time here to savour living in Australia, where life has been pretty good to us.  Aside from this being a great opportunity for Will, I do feel as though we need a bit more time here, to live here as a working family after such a long time of living on one (or sometimes no) income.

Few families are lucky enough to that they have both parents at home, sharing in the challenges and joys of raising a young family, so I know the coming months will definitely be a tough as I learn to manage our home without Will's extra hands.  But it's going to be nice to have some structure to our weeks, and to have our weekends together as a family, just like all the other mums and dads.

I'm really proud of Will.  He's such a good man to me and our boys, and I don't think I tell him often enough how important he is to our family.  I know that this job will give him the chance to grow personally and professionally, so I wish for him that this new opportunity is everything he is looking for.  I also hope that it brings some well deserved balance and independence to his life which has so far been so selflessly devoted to me, Ollie, Max and our two little puppies.

snug as a bug in a rug

With the onset of winter we bought Oliver his very first duvet and pillow.  I've been looking forward to giving him some nice bedding as he's been sleeping in his sleep cocoon since he was a few months old and he's now in a room with no heating which means it can get very cold in his room at night.  And, speaking from experience, it's also really nice to snuggle into a big comfy pillow and duvet in the winter.

I couldn't find any sheet sets that I liked so I bought a double bed flannel sheet set and cut it up to sew two little duvet covers and adjusted the pillow cases to fit his new little pillow.  Super soft flannel sheets are hard to resist.

He's ever so cute snuggling into his pillow and it's lovely to tuck him in at night (when he's in the mood).  I actually think his new bedding has made bed time a bit smoother, at least while the novelty is still there.  Who can resist a lovely soft wool duvet and a pillow to sink into?  Not me.

I know it's not much of a milestone but it's one of those things that makes me feel that Ollie is growing up so I thought it was worth a mention, especially since it also resulted in a rare sewing moment.

anniversary

(Our wedding day, 24 June 2006 at Tamborine Mountain)

Will and I celebrated four years of marriage today.  We all went out for breakfast, came home for lunchtime naps, packed a picnic and went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary for the afternoon.  Ollie seemed to have a great day, meeting animals, patting kangaroos, bird spotting and generally enjoying himself.  After Max and Ollie were safely tucked into bed, we ended the the day with a big plate of carbonara, a glass of red wine, tea and chocolate.

I like being married.  I like feeling like I'm part of something, a partnership, a future.  Being a parent makes that bond, the decision to spend the rest of your life with someone, even stronger so I'm glad we spent the day as a family.

tears and tantrums

Some days, looking after Ollie is a breeze.  And I'm not talking about the days that he's at daycare!  He's a sweet little guy, eats his meals, naps well and toddles around the house, picking up this and that, playing with his toys and books.  Other days, he's short tempered, difficult to understand, won't eat his meals and can't entertain himself or be entertained.  Days like this usually end up in the park and thankfully, being outdoors tends to calm our spirited and often unpredictable little son.  

This evening, after a really good day of interactive play, sweet kisses for his brother, a visit from his grandmother and his usual bed time routine of bath, milk and stories, Ollie has ended the day with a screaming tantrum and has cried himself to sleep.  I tucked him in with his beloved Tigger and toy train and he seemed happy enough, despite a short protest that story time was over.  And then it started.  It could have been Australia's 4-0 defeat against the Germans that finally got to him, but his bawling has left me feeling inadequate for not being able to placate him, and anxious about my lack of patience and short temper for his frustration.  I love him.  I just wish I could understand him better.  

finding time

There's a rule in our house, that for any occasion warranting a present, the gift should be a book.  We have what we need and though we covet plenty, we both love books and we want to read, even if I don't necessarily have time.  There's also something rather modest and heartfelt about giving a book, and I like that with so many to choose from, giving a book still requires some imagination and effort.

My collection of unread books has been growing since becoming a mother.  I blame the sleep deprivation and the fact that some days, I'm still in my pyjamas at lunch time, so escaping into a good book isn't exactly a priority.  I didn't think it would be possible but I've managed somehow to finish a novel, and in a reasonable amount of time, too.  A Barbara Kingsolver novel of course (The Bean Trees), and I'm already reading the sequel!  The irony is that it's because I'm a mother that I am now managing to read, thanks to my sleepy little feeder Max, who lets me kick back with a book while he has his fuzzy evening breast feed.  Perhaps I need to stop worrying about the seemingly endless tasks and projects I'd like to accomplish and be happy that at the very least, I get to sit down every day, read a book and then write about it.

thank you

It took until Max was 9 weeks old but with the help and patience of my dear husband, who nearly had a meltdown trying to use our printer, I finally got round to making and sending thank you notes to friends and family that were so kind to us when Max arrived.  I love to make cards; it's so personal and I know that if I were to buy them, there'd be something or another that I wouldn't like about them so I'd rather spend the time doing it myself.  (I'd like to think I save a few pennies too.)

Anyway, it may have taken a while but the main thing is that we've now sent out our heartfelt love and thanks and in doing so, I took a moment to think about each and every friend that our sons are lucky to have in their lives.

autumnal inspiration

I've always thought living in Brisbane meant missing the changing of seasons.  The arrival of spring and the promise of summer doesn't have quite the same appeal as it did when I was living in England, but lately I've been struck by how lovely Brisbane is in the autumn.  Trees do shed their leaves, the air does become crisp and while it's still sunny and warm, it's a bearable heat that reminds me of late summer days from home, with the sun low in the sky and and a freshness that turns to cold by the the time it's dark.



I've been looking for inspiration for the quilt I plan to make for our son Max's first birthday.  31 March 2011 is a long way off yet but Ollie's quilt took me four months to complete, back in the day when I had more time (and probably spent less time blogging), so the pressure is on.  Anyway, the long and short of it is that I've been thinking of making an autumn inspired quilt top, greens, yellows, browns, oranges - a big tree quilt.  I mentioned this to Will, when he was walking home from the park the other evening, he picked up these beautiful leaves, the colours of which I think will make a gorgeous quilt.  The shades are quite amazing but I might experiment a bit to give the quilt a more contemporary palette.  Nothing like the onset of winter for sitting under a quilt in progress.