say hello~!

here it is! 

20 weeks!! 

(can i say we're on the home stretch now??!!)

based on the size of my tummy at 6 weeks i thought i'd be MUCH BIGGER than this by now, so kinda relieved it's growing slower than expected! phew~

(and if i look like i had 4 hours of broken sleep, it's because i did! yawn~)

...and entirely unrelated - the boots. 

there must be a resurgence of pinning going on over at pinterest because i've had a few emails this week asking about my boots...so here's the deets: 

they are from the winter 2010 range by Overland.

the brand/manufacturer is: Isabella Anselmi

thanks!

{dee.i.y} vintage book cover art

i'm pretty much a total sucker for art that is combined with text somehow. 

so when i found this old school atlas (i think i vaguely remember these...you young'uns won't have a clue! heh~) i knew straight away that i was going to tear the cover off, paint our flag over the front cover and use it as wall art.

and i did.

and i love it!

so go ahead, find a musty old book, tear off the worn cover and paint over it for wall art. 

(some colourful,geometric art would look pretty ace i reckon)

and show me if you do!

X

PS i might do a lil outfit post and introduce #5 / 20-week tummy to you tomorrow.

make my week #37 - pioneer wagon

as soon as i saw this collection of 'pioneer crafts' over at The Crafty Crow, i knew Jada would be IN!

we pimped ours out a bit so that it would withstand a bit of playtime...

-instead of a paper cover we used calico with gathered ends (it can be loosened at the other end so that Jada can put her Sylvanian animals inside)

- we paper-mached the box we used to make it stronger

- instead of using cardboard strips for the supports, we used plastic from a yoghurt container.

- and because he is a rockstar, JR made some extra sturdy wheels from wood ;)

apparently Jada is planning to have her Slyvanians "go to town" tomorrow to "buy a wagon" ~ too cute.

a letter~

dear married, stay-at-home-mother:


i see your husband beginning his paid day's work at 7.30am. and this after already having dressed your toddler son and fed him breakfast so you can lay in bed for longer.
he works hard, carefully and skillfully.
he speaks of you with pride and respect, always with a smile. he counts down the hours until 5pm.
at lunch time he heats his lunch he prepared himself the night before because "you have enough to take care of".
don't resent him for his apparent "freedom". he doesn't really want to be here all day, his heart is with you, and with his children. he texts during his breaks to see how your day is going.


please don't be harsh or curt with him when he comes home, he hasn't been skiving off all day leaving you with all the work. he has worked long hours today  - so your children can grow up with their own mother as their caregiver.
i know you have worked hard all day today too (oh, i know it!) but don't for a moment think your husband has worked any less. he is tired too. and you aren't the only one who can have a rough day.
so greet him with a smile and a "thank you" when he comes home tonight. 
then offer to make his lunch for him. 
or dress and feed your toddler son on saturday so he can get one sleep-in.


and remember, you had your husband before you had your children.


sincerely, 
this stay at home mother 
who is deeply grateful for the revelation (reminder) that observing the working day of a faithful, hard-working husband has brought me. 

what would YOU ask a builder?

i had Jada and Ty "interview" one of the builders today as part of their real-life-learning (or, if you prefer, "schoolwork").

they had to think of 4 questions each and record the answers.

guess who asked this question:

is real building better than building with Lego?

the answer?

no.

(other questions included, What tool do you use the most? What is your favourite tool? Is it hard to build a house? Do you like being a builder? How long have you been a builder?)

:)

if you have nothing better to do on a Friday night have a listen to my gaw-juss kiwi accent and join us in a walk through of our new layout:

x

changing rooms pt. 1

it's an idea i've often dreamt about and this post by Emily where they moved their 5 kids into the main bedroom sealed the deal.

so..... 

the builders came at 7:30am (hok!) this morning to begin building a hallway so that the bathroom and loo won't exit straight off the bedroom as it currently does (it was originally a "rumpus room" - i think? - with a bar and entertainment-type area when we bought it)

it's pretty exciting...

especially being allowed to come inside with your boots on and not get in trouble!! 

(oh, and if anyone has ANY ideas on how to dress an octagonal shaped window....??)

time flies

{then}

{now}

{argh, look so much more like a "mum" these days!! eg...the arms!!}

when Jada was an only child, i used to let her sleep on me a lot. i knew it'd be my only chance - that i wouldn't have the same liberties with subsequent children.

i have never regretted it.

tonight she woke suddenly from a deep sleep and came downstairs confused. the other kids were in bed, so we rolled back the years and stole one more sleep together.

*thrilled*

baby moon

\

{mmmm, so soft and new~~}

{why do i feel like i should be warning her about this cousin of hers...?}

{hard to tell, but i'm pretty sure Jada's thrilled to have another girl in the family!}

i suspect the full moon had something to do with this last week being the most baby saturated week ever

including...

the birth of a 16 week prem baby

another confirmed miscarriage :(

an unexpected teen pregnancy

a "complicated relationship situation" birth

my kids' kindy teacher gave birth
and no big dill
and cakies

and then....my niece!

woah, i'm hoping to see at least another 5 full moons before this babe is earthside!

possums and puddles

{18 weeks}

oh, and some lovely new (to me) blogs i am enjoying

che and fidel

ivy nest

the brooding hen

isn't it wonderful who you can stumble across through blogging? 

X

Make my Week #36 - Robin Hood Hat

{i love this photo - such a clown!}

the boys are really into Robin Hood 

and bows and arrows 

and hunting 

at the moment.

so i made a Robin Hood hat (feather courtesy of our late-rooster's tail!) using this pattern and tutorial. it was very easy (although a little small) and i even had to hand sew it because my sewing machine almost caught fire over the weekend!!!

hope you had a nice weekend

X

around home

we're planning a major room switch soon.

pretty excited!

hope you've had a lovely week

X

Jada Draws: Comics & Booms

when the kiddos showed an interest in Tintin books, i saw a great opportunity to develop their writing/sequencing/plot development/plot progression (etc!) skills.

(see, now that sounded fancy didn't it? but in reality they had NO IDEA of my educational aspirations...aha! introducing the Sneaky-Teach)

::this is one of Jada's comic strips - hold on tight, it's very fast-paced!::

{please click on the images to enlarge. see notes below}

i. this is not the first time Jada has drawn a labouring woman.

ii. wow, two years? already? kids just grow up so fast, don't they?

iii. oh dear, clearly Jada observes fantastic consistency between what parents say and what parents do.

iv. who doesn't say "goodey" when there's happy mail?

v. see, i told you - getting in the car isn't pretty!

vi. can this woman NOT STOP getting pregnant??

oh...

right...

more fiction reflecting reality....

ANYWAY, Jada loves to draw for others and (besides Little House on the Prairie) she is a HUUUUGE fan of the Booms - a NZ homeschooling family - who have written some wonderful books about their daily adventures. she loves checking out their blog so you can imagine her DELIGHT when she saw

*this*

thrilled i tell you, thrilled.

(and i was thrilled for her too)

:)

what's the time mama bear?

as well as including important times like, birth days and feeding times, the motherhood manual should have also included these two times: 10pm and 3am.

10pm Guilt Hour

this is when there's been a cool-down period from being kid-sapped and you start thinking like this: {i did blankblankblank SO terribly today. my kids will be eternally scarred. i'm not fit to be a mother. i should adopt my kids out....etc}

and 3am Worry Hour

this is when problems seem insurmountable and overwhelming. you should at all costs never wake between 3-4am (unless of course your newborn is crying and needs feeding...) however, if you should happen to wake, pray sleep will return hastily before you notice that enormous Worry standing at the end of your bed, wanting to worry your sleep away.

i'm used to the 10pm Guilt Hour but this morning i was woken by a babe that needed to pee at 4am and woah! hello Worry Hour!

i may have had a minor freak out about having FIVE children.

 and...(you can laugh if you need to, but problems stand BIG and REAL at the end of one's bed when it's 4am)...producing enough breastmilk to keep a fifth child alive as well as doing everything i am currently doing.

yup, freeeakkked oouuuttt!

needless to say, we are already now in high-prep mode for baby's arrival. i'm talking CHORES TRAINING!! oh yes. training habits hard now to save on nagging later (hopefully!!)

oh, and if anyone has tips for getting (multiple) kids into the car without having to swallow a bottle of blood-pressure tablets, i'd be deeply grateful. (aside: i sometimes envy animal mamas who never have to find clothes and socks and shoes for each of their babies. or train them to do chores...sheesh, cruisy!)

X

ps. don't tell my mum i freaked out. it's cool....really... ;)

Make my Week #35 - draft your own pattern

{photos by Cait of CHD}

a few of you asked for a pattern for this reversible cross-over pinafore tutorial.

i don't have one, but here's how you can easily draft your own:

::take a pinafore/singlet/dress in the correct size and trace around it - i only traced half then folded and cut the other half - adjusting length as required:

::it should look a little something like this::

::to make the back piece, match the side seam and opposite shoulder seam. the rest entirely depends on your preference in curves::

**if don't have enough fabric to cut as a solid piece, use these two pieces (cutting 2 of the back) and add side seams**

::to make it a solid pattern piece (like i used) simply tape sides together, fold at centre front and cut on fold in fabric::

pretty easy huh?

(i must apologise for pukey picture quality. it seems winter is throwing a tanty about heading north so it's dark,dark,dark indoors today)

X

{tutorial} reversible dress with cross over back

{back}

{front}

ever wondered how to do a truly reversible dress that doesn't have ties or buttons at the shoulder?

(ok, maybe you haven't ever wondered, but here's how in case you ever do)

1. cut 2 identical pattern pieces

2. sew with right sides together, making sure to leave the following gaps across the top and sides of the the shoulder pieces. also, a gap on one side (shown at left) for turning through.

**if you aren't crossing the shoulder straps, the gaps need to both be on the inside of the arm hole, ie across from each other**

3. turn through. **REMEMBER** before pinning and sewing make sure you CROSS your shoulders over to it's opposite.

4. with right sides together, pin shoulder seams and sew across the top. turn through and slip stitch (blind stitch) seam closed.

repeat for other shoulder.

5. slip stitch closed the gap you used to turn the dress through

**if you are very particular, you can make sure your turning-through gap is on the shoulder that crosses underneath**

done!

of course, if you want to embellish the dress, do so before sewing the sides together :)

enjoy your Friday~ X