13/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Che and Fidel.

Cohen: Safe in the loving arms of Dada
Emerson: She runs with her hands in yours, she climbs - everything, she claps and laughs with delight, she hides and seeks, she falls asleep in my arms each night.

Four year old boys! The frustration! Those who have them, and those who have had them, I'm sure you understand. As beautiful and as heart melting as they can be, they also bring 'frustration' to a whole new level. My beautiful boy has a strong will that will serve him well throughout his life, though it may well send me grey in the meantime. How fussy an eater he is, preferring to go to bed hungry and wait for breakfast, than eat anything other than sausages and potatoes for dinner. He makes up songs with made up words and sings them louder and louder when adults are on the phone. Then pretends he can't hear you when you ask him to stop. We have to cajole him in to, and then back out of, the bath. Shall I go on?

And he is four. And it is probably (hopefully) all normal. And frustrating. 

Prior to becoming a mother I could never have imagined the frustration. I knew it would be hard work, I knew I would fall in love, I knew I would be tired. But I didn't know that these little people, who I would do anything for, I might occasionally wish to sell on eBay. (Of course I wouldn't. Not after a 36 hour labor and a c-section.:) I don't think it makes me a bad mother to admit that I get frustrated though. Tell me I'm not alone?

Happy days

Some things become a family tradition without any planning or intention. They just sneak up on you. One day you may notice that you are repeating something which has meaning and brings happiness, as I did today. I realised one of those sneaky traditions is a visit each season to the botanical gardens at Mount Tamborine. When we want to wander and 'just be' as a family, we automatically drive up the mountain. 

Our last visit was a Summer day, the first of January. This time, as Autumn unfurls, I remembered to pack a picnic basket. Turkish bread with baby spinach, boiled eggs and ham, grapes, carrot sticks and homemade hommus, and a thermos of tea. There were eels and turtles in the water, competing for floating bread. The lake bare looking without it's cloak of water lillies. Leaves were turning and the ground was damp underfoot. And once more we wandered.

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PS. Don't forget to enter the High Tea Vintage bag giveaway. I am really enjoying reading the comments and can relate to many of them.

Jam and romantic notions

I have long held on to the somewhat romantic notion of feeding my family from our garden. Of being more self sufficient. Of tuning in to the seasons. Of providing fresh, pesticide free produce with few food miles. Of noticing a difference in our food budget. Creating a cycle of adding nutrients to our soil to be taken up by plants, whose leaves, peelings and seeds will be added to the compost to break down before being added back to the soil. A cycle repeated throughout the seasons. Cycles that, combined with hard work, experience, knowledge and the will of mother nature, produce enough in the way of fruit, vegetables and herbs to eat, share and preserve. 

With each tomato harvested, each watermelon picked, each aubergine cut, each carrot pulled, each sweet potato dug, that romantic notion has become a little more of a reality. Recycled jars now house dried herbs, pickled vegetables or jam made from the gardens offerings. We acknowledge at each meal which part of it has come from our own garden, or been traded with like minded friends and neighbors. Cohen may ask, "is this tomato from the garden?" Or I will say for the one hundredth time, "Tinned beetroot has nothing on home grown pickled beets." The sense of satisfaction is difficult to explain to the uninitiated. 

Another long held dream of mine has been to grow enough strawberries to make jam. (In old Mason jars, of course.) And though I planted a dozen strawberry plants last year, and we were at times getting a punnets worth each day, the jam did not eventuate. Particularly not with a toddler who knew only too well how to pick them himself. The profusion of strawberry runners in the garden currently may make jam a more likely prospect this year, but in the meantime I have found a seemingly fail safe alternative. Rosellas. Cheap to buy - four seedlings for $4, easy to grow in Queensland - I didn't use any chemicals or fertiliser, and tart prior to cooking - which discourages little people from stealing and eating them all. Yesterday I harvested my first fruit off the three remaining shrubs (hubby pulled the fourth seedling out, thinking it was a weed:) and made jam using this recipe. And I must say, Rosellas produce a beautiful jam. It looks, smells and tastes wonderful. Sort of plum flavored and deep red. The fruit becomes soft and translucent.

 

The first flush of Rosellas from my three plants

A cup of tea and a lot of peeling - removing the calyx from the seed

The seeds are saved, covered in water and simmered for 20 minutes to remove the pectin, which helps the jam set

The seeds once the pectin is removed

The calyxs, an apple and the pectin water, ready to be simmered until soft, then have the sugar added

Five jars of beautiful jam in recycled bottles

The same sweet potatoes from three weeks ago, and some Rosellas drying on the windowsill for the purpose of making tea

There are plenty more fruit ripening on the bushes, so I intend to try my hand at Rosella cordial and flowers in syrup next. 

Do you have a similar dream of growing herbs or fruit and vegetables?
Have you ever grown or eaten Rosella before? Any recipe suggestions?
What's happening in your garden at the moment?

Yarn Along

This dear old teddy must be over fifty years old. He has been passed down through the family and now belongs to Cohen. He is sporting a new scarf, which was knit at the request of my four year old son. Teddy was going to get cold come Winter, so I am told. I started a garter stitch scarf, quickly got bored of it and devised a simple cable pattern instead. Cohen was more impressed with the fringe on the ends...

If you have never cabled before, this is a quick and simple pattern to learn with. Creating the twist is as simple as slipping three stitches on to another needle, knitting the next three stitches, then knitting the stitches you have slipped. There is a clear video example I found here, though I use a cable needle, not a double pointed needle. 

CO 16 stitches.

Row 1. P2, K2, P6, K2,P3

Row 2. K3, P2, K6, P2, K3

Row 3. P3, K2, P6, K2, P3

Row 4. K3, P2, C6F, P2, K3

Row 5. P3, K2, P6, K2, P3

Row 6. K3, P2, K6, P2, K3

Row 7. P3, K2, P6, K2, P3

Row 8. K3, P2, K6, P2, K3

My scarf is 16 repeats. To make the fringe I cut lengths of yarn about four inches long. I folded them in half and using a crochet hook, pulled them one at a time through a stitch along the bottom edge (WS) to create a loop, then pulled the tails through the loop. I did this the whole way along and then cut them back to the same length.

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In terms of reading I have just started Cloudstreet, by Tim Winton, for book club. Have you read it? Are you a fan?

What are you knitting and reading?

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Joining in with Ginny.

Raverly notes here.

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Don't forget to enter the High Tea Vintage Giveaway for a pretty and practical everyday/ knitting bag.

High Tea Vintage Giveaway - CLOSED

The lovely lasses at High Tea Vintage design and handcraft handbags and accessories in Tasmania. Behind the label you will find three sisters, Becky, Lynette and Rachael, who love everything handmade. The sisters have always loved and admired items designed with the quality and time taken in years gone by. This inspired them to make modern accessories with a little added vintage charm. Each item they create is a labor of love, with attention to detail high on their list of priorities  From handbags to jewellery, clothing to ipad accessories, High Tea Vintage pieces make perfect and thoughtful gifts. They are just as perfect for spoiling yourself too

I am pleased to be able to offer a Big Button Handbag created by the sisters for today's giveaway. The grey canvas bag features six internal pockets and a small zip pocket and key strap, as well as a magnetic button closure and two wide shoulder straps. Funky and functional. Clever and cute. A bag for Mama's and crafters alike.

To enter the giveaway be a follower of this blog and leave a comment below letting me know something you always have in your handbag.
For a second entry 'like' High Tea Vintage on facebook.
For a third entry share this giveaway on Facebook or Instagram.
Leave a separate comment for each.

Giveaway open Australia wide. Winner will be drawn Monday, 2 April. 

Please ensure I have a way to contact you!

You can see more of Becky, Lynette and Rachael's pieces in their Made It and Etsy stores. Check out my facebook page for a special offer for my readers. 

And the winner is - Monique's Mess! Thank you all for entering! :)

Monday Monday

1. Delicious baby profile

2. Starting to put together a thrifty Winter wardrobe - this hand knit was $2.25 from ebay

3. Prototypes for a new jewellery design

4. As decorated by the four year old

5. Knitting by request - so Teddy won't catch cold this Winter

6. Catching up in the garden - buying seedlings feels a bit like cheating!

And the winner of the Berlin Roses giveaway is Zara! Thanks to everyone who entered. 

Pop back tomorrow for another lovely giveaway.

12/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Che and Fidel.

Cohen: Four year olds. They have the ability to make you laugh while simultaneously throwing your hands in the air in frustration. Despite excitedly wearing his new costume before his friends pirate party, he refused to wear it to the party, later asking if we could go to another party so he could now wear the costume...

Emerson: She has learnt to climb. Lounge, chairs, bed, bedside tables. She is quite pleased with her new found skill and practices it diligently, despite the accompanying bruises.

This week has had it's share of difficulties, including four hours at the hospital in eye casualty. It's been an emotional week I will admit. But I am blessed to have dear family and friends. From phone calls and messages, frozen meals and potted plants, baby sitting and driving, others have given so much of their time and their selves since the operations. Never before as an adult have I felt quite so dependent or so loved. I'm not sure how to adequately thank them, my beautiful husband and sister especially.

Mothering is made more difficult when you are not well. Pain amplifies normal everyday frustrations. Patience is the first casualty. Cabin fever is rife after two weeks, for all three of us. Compounded by two months of chaos. Each day that I have felt a little better and taken on a little more again, I have felt a little more the weight of all I have yet to catch up on. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, even if this to-do list is partly of my own devising. Each day I have been reminding myself to just stop and play with my children. To listen. Put myself in their shoes. Let them lead. Breathe them in. Watch them play. Despite the trying times, there are so many precious memories from this period that I want to hold tight to.

- the way Cohen hides each time he hears a car arrive, or a knock at the door, then giggles and yells surprise!

- his earnest face as he informed me this week at the library that, "This is my favourite place in the whole world."
- Emerson in the stage before walking, pushing the yellow wooden cart I learnt to walk with, up and down the hallway, before climbing inside of it and waiting for someone to push her

- laying in bed beside Cohen at bedtime and being asked to stay forever

- being told he loves me "thissss much!" as he flings his arms out wide and the way he waits for me to do the same.The way he squeals and giggles, half in delight and half in mock fear, if I pretend I only love his "this much," my hands only a little apart 

- dramatic baby kisses, complete with "mwah!" sound effects and bright eyes
- the contented sigh Emerson gives as she feeds to sleep

- his first taste of school this week at a Prep morning play, where next years Preppies visit the classrooms and meet the teachers. As he sat at the tables with the other children I really could not deny that he is growing up

Here's to a week filled with simple joys and the ability to recognise them.

Yarn Along

I am so pleased with how these cushions turned out. One each for the children for Easter. They came together entirely with materials from the the stash (which of course makes them feel free). I made the cushion inserts from a heavy white cotton and stuffed it with a spare cushion that has been sitting in a cupboard without a cover. Cohen wandered in to my studio as I was stuffing the poly fill in to the cotton covers. 'Clouds!' he exclaimed and threw little tufts of poly fill up in to the air. 

Thank goodness for children's books with large fonts. I began reading Little House in the Big Woods for Cohen. When he lost interest I kept reading it myself. I was a fan of Little House on the Prairie as a child, and re-visiting Laura Ingalls Wilder as an adult brings with it new perspective and inspiration. The book is so simply written, but has a charm and romance all of it's own. I'm dreaming now of a log cabin and a sugar snow.

 What are you knitting and reading?

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Joining in with Ginny.

Raverly notes here.

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Don't forget to enter the Berlin Roses Giveaway.

Berlin Roses Giveaway - Closed

When I first saw Carla Elizabeth Rose's sweet work I knew I wanted to share it with you. Cute, edgy, playful, thoughtful. Carla creates a variety of works on paper and accessories. Carla has generously offered a cocktail ring to be given away to one of my dear readers. A Melbourne illustrator, Carla studied at the Victorian College of Arts before living and working in Europe and setting up her studio in Berlin. Carla says of her work,

"Painting is the key to the secret garden, my way down the rabbit hole. Working fr om Memories, Dreams, Reflections and other impulses of the unconscious, I create my world.
My current work explores the female spirit. From mother, inner child, activist, to feme fatal. I like to think of my work not as as a record of movement, but also a place for thought. I encourage the viewer to find their own personal narrative in the composition." 

 Pia bike riding with baby Jane

Cloud in a jar

Today I am happy to be giving away one of Carla's quirky, artsy, fun cocktail rings! One lucky reader will be able to choose from the two cocktail rings above. There are three chances to win.

To enter the giveaway be a follower of this blog and leave a comment below letting me know which you would choose.
For a second entry 'like' Berlin Roses facebook page.
For a third entry share this giveaway on Facebook or Instagram.
Leave a separate comment for each.

Be sure to pop over to Carla's etsy store to see more of her lovely bookplates, funky temporary tattoos and beautiful brooches!

Giveaway open Internationally. Winner will be drawn Monday, 25 March. Please ensure I have a way to contact you!

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And the winner of the Berlin Roses giveaway is Zara! Thanks to everyone who entered.

11/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013." Che and Fidel.

Cohen: Mama has brown eyes. Dada and Emerson have blue eyes. These grey eyes are his own.

Emerson: The reaching for the camera phase.

Last night I sat and crocheted with both eyes open for awhile. A milestone indeed. Vision in my left eye is blurred, but it is progress nonetheless. I feel as if I have made it over the hump today. The sun is out, the boys are working in the garden, the world feels full of possibility again. I have to keep reminding myself to go slowly, to give myself time to heal. I am more impatient for my old routines than I had imagined. But right now, I'm going to go sit in the sun awhile with my family.

I hope there is joy and possibility alive in your weekend too.

Stitch. Read. Covet. Blog.

Stitch: This beautiful chevron baby blanket is available for free on the Blue Sky Alpaca facebook page or Ravelry. It's it fabulous? You could have a lot of fun playing with colours with this design. Found via. Threads and More.

built of books by Frank Halmans

Read: Good Reads is to books what Ravelry is to knitting and crochet. Have you seen it? Are you a member? You can find me here, I'm slowly filling in my profile.

source

Covet: Sigh. Need I say more?

Blog: The lovely Tiny Happy blog by Melissa Wastney has long been a favourite of mine. Melissa has such an individual, old world aesthetic. Her photographs of her craft and family life are full of charm. I've long been drawn to her process of collecting and transforming flowers into embroideries. From postcards to fabric, pincushions to needle books, bags to cushions, Melissa creates objects with the warmth and comfort that can only come from a handmade item. I must say, I am very excited that she is releasing her first book this year.

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This post has not been sponsored in any way. The above are genuine items/people/blogs that I am loving.

My eye is playing up today. It's taken me all day to put this post together with lots of resting inbetween. Oh for a bit of normality.

Care to share your own Stitch. Read. Covet. Blog? Please leave a comment or your link below so we can all check them out.

How to make advertising buttons for blogs

I've been asked a few times how to make advertising buttons for blogs. And while I'm no computer expert, the following is the simplest way that I have found to do it, so I thought I would share. I use picmonkey.com, a free online photo editing program, to turn a photo like the one above into an advertising image like the one below. I also use picmonkey to make my blog headers and some of my image mosaics. 

This image is 170 x 170 pixels

To start, open picmonkey and click Edit an image. A pop up window will allow you to select an image from your computer. Using the editing tools in the left side bar (see image below) you can now change the contrast, add filters and play with your image. Then, to make the image smaller and square like the example above, select Crop and change the numbers in the box so that they are both the same - we want a square image - it doesn't matter at this point what the numbers are. I used 2243. Then click on Scale photo. This way the image window will stay square and you can adjust how big or small you want the square crop to be. When you are happy click Apply. If you change your mind you can always go back with the curved arrow keys above the image.

To resize the image, simply go to Resize and type in 170 in each box.

Then, to add text, click on the P on the furtherst left of the screen and choose your font. You can change the size, colour, transparency etc of the font with the Text box on the right and the white guidelines around the text itself. 

When you are happy save your work and you are done! Simple, yes?

Once you have your image, to add it to the side bar on your blog, log into your blogger dashboard and from there go to layout. Click Add a gadget, select Image, un-check Shrink to fit, choose the image file from the computer, copy and paste the link you want the image to link to and then save it. Then move it in to position  on your layout, save arrangement and ta-dah, it's done. 

I hope that all makes sense! Feel free to ask any questions you might have.

Do you use a different method? Is it easier, or does it have more options? Feel free to share in the comments.

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PS. And to make a screen shot on your laptop like I have done above, press Ctrl and PrntScr at the same time, open a Paint document and click Paste, then Save. To edit out the screen tab bars at the top and bottom of the screen shots (you'll see what I mean if you make a screen shot) I cropped the images in picmonkey. :)