Childhood Musings

My dear Oscar, almost 20 months old

Empty, thankfully. A victim of the wind.

My clay creations, while attending a children's workshop.

The babies shelf

My view while breastfeeding

I love the way the third baby is just so at home in whatever space he occupies. He just seems so comfortable. At home, at friends houses, at the shops. He climbs up in to laps for cuddles. Chooses the most comfortable seats. Sits himself in his bed and sucks his thumb to admire his books. Last week he fell asleep sitting in a shopping trolley - arms folded, head on arms - to the delight of several older ladies! He is just as comfortable and fearless at playgrounds. Following in his sister's footsteps as if he were equal to her three years in age. I think pure joy is the look that radiates from his face as he slides down a slippery slide all by himself.

Next month Emerson turns four and she will no longer be my toddler. Instead, Oscar will well and truly assume that title when he turns two in May. Until then, he is still my 'baby'. It only hit me last week as we drove to the library that this is my last year with Emerson at home. (She's not going to kindy, just as Cohen didn't.) Next year she starts big school. Just last month it was still two years away, suddenly it's just one year away! And just as she is nearly four, all too soon she will be turning five. Oh how true the phrase - 'the days are long but the years are short'. She really is the middle child, I find myself thinking of her as one of 'the big two', when she is with her older brother, and one of 'the little two', when she is with the baby. Her moods and communication skills swing between their skill levels. One moment kind and articulate, the next frustrated and loud. With a little space though she is sweet, imaginative and loving with a slight obsession for pink and dolls.

My sweet seven year old can't wait to get back to school. He pours over his school pack as though it were a gift from Santa, and treats his first calculator like a Gameboy. He adores school. He loves being surrounded by children, playing at lunch time and all the new and interesting things each day. He has learnt so very much these holidays though - spending time in nature, exploring galleries, museums and aquariums, and reading, reading, reading. He won't leave the house without a book. Sometimes it's his favourite book about snakes, other times it's extreme weather. His seven year old obsessions are Pokemon and Lego Star Wars, and he has encyclopedias for both, which he carries with him everywhere. The names and details he can recall amazes me. 

My sweet children. I hope one day they read these little sketches about their lives and it brings back memories for them, or at least gives them a glimpse of how very much I love and adore them.

The Bottom Of The To Do List

When I was a child my father painted our bedrooms. We were allowed to pick the paint colours. And Mum made us new curtains with fabrics of our choosing. I remember my sister picked a baby blue to adorn her walls, while I selected a pale jacaranda hue and floral fabric to match. Not only did he paint our rooms, he painted the rest of the house. My brother's room, the lounge room, kitchen, hall way and bathroom. Everything, except the doors. For years my Mother waited for my father to paint those doors. She had a list of renovations taped to the inside of a cupboard door, and would cross items off as they were completed. For all I know, those doors are still on that list, as he never got around to painting them. And hasn't painted them in the seventeen years since I left home. 

I couldn't understood that as a child. Why didn't he paint the doors? Especially when Mum was so keen to have them done. I didn't understand how easy it was to leave something at the bottom of one's list of priorities. That just because something was important to someone else, it may not be as important to you. Sometimes you run out of steam over something.

I understand better now. I have unpainted trims of my own to remind me how one's priorities change. When we brought our house and were renovating while pregnant with our second child, we did as much as we could before we moved in. We scheduled the removal of asbestos, the replacement of the ceiling and roof, the removal of the carpet, polishing of the floor boards, and of course, painting through out. The last job before we moved in was to have the floor boards sanded and polished. The day we'd booked in the floor sander came around and the trims were not finished. Never mind. We'll paint them when we move in! Then we had our second baby. Then our third. And still those trims wait for paint. 

But you know what? It doesn't bother me enough to over come the obstacles and tackle the task - moving the furniture, keeping the children away, cleaning and taping up the trims, finding the paint, brushes, drop cloths etc. actually painting and then cleaning up and putting it all away again. Time is too precious for such things right now. It makes me think of other items that are lurking at the bottom of the to do list, that I haven't the heart to get started on.

One day I imagine those doors will get painted and so will our trims. Perhaps when we paint the exterior of the house. But in the meantime, I'm leaving them off the to do list...

What's at the bottom of your list?

Charming Chores

Laundry and gathering go hand in hand these Spring days. I recorded this moment for prosperity yesterday. A posie of dandelions, a sprinkling of jacarandas and handfuls of mulberries speak of our unruly lawn, the purple giant that looms over our neighbours fence, raining blooms upon the aforementioned grass, and the wealth of berries this season. 

My little helpers join me in the garden as I add or subtract pegs from the clothes line and tote baskets in and out of the laundry. They chase a pink inflated ball, giggle from the trampoline, follow the cats with curiosity, present me with tiny offerings, demand I push their toy cars, add or remove their shoes, ask their inexhaustible questions. 

What is making that noise? Where is that butterfly going? What is the cat thinking? Do caterpillars turn in to birds? Can I turn in to a butterfly and back in the a girl again? Can I hand you the pegs?

Sometimes, when it looks like rain, I will duck outside without them, tossing pegs one way and clothes another as I rush. But mostly, laundry is an excuse to spend time out doors with them. To play, potter, bird watch, pull weeds, pick flowers, admire clouds and try to satisfy their inquiring minds. Making the chores that much more charming with their presence.

Little Stories

My blog turns seven next month. (Seven!) Which means my first born will celebrate his seventh birthday before the year is out, for I posted those initial, self-conscious and naive blog posts while awaiting his arrival. What started out as a way to write and encourage myself to be creative each day, also became a way to document the early days of mother hood, my creative aspirations, and eventually the beginning of my business. 

How my blog and boy have grown and changed over that time, and just as certainly, myself also. When I was pregnant and first started blogging I couldn't cast my mind forward this far and try to picture it. I couldn't even picture what my baby would look like, the scans showed grainy ghosts of images that I could never truly reconcile with an actual baby. I spent my time imaging the birth and those first few years, where we were both new and awkward in our roles, and I learnt to mother him as he learnt everything he knows up until this point. What a gift that has been. To watch him, guide him, love him and learn all there is to know about him. Then slowly let him drift off in to the world of school where he will experience things I'm not there to share, and that he will have forgotten about by the time I walk him home and ask about his day. But oh, all the little stories he does share. His favourite Pokemon character. A game they played at lunch. The boy that took his hat. The girl he is in love with. A new wish list of party attendees for his seventh birthday. The largest animal in the world. So many little stories and room for so many more. Each one perhaps inconsequential, but making up a tiny part of a greater whole.

I feel my blog is so much the same. Full of little stories that I've captured with words and images over these past seven years, with room for more. More moments captured. More musings detailed. More inspiration shared. And so I continue to write.

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I found this lovely article called 15 Reasons I Think You Should Blog. It is just the thing to those who may be thinking about starting a blog, those who are feeling that they are in a bit of a blogging rut and even those that ask themselves - why do I blog?

Kind and Generous

'I have become what I never wanted to become.' The thought struck me recently as I recalled a funeral I had attended as a teenager. I held my boyfriend's hand as a priest spoke about his Grandmother's life. Despite never having met her, I left feeling so disappointed on her behalf. Her whole life had been summed up by saying she was a wonderful Mother and a kind and generous friend. It seemed paltry praise for a women who had taken a slow boat from one side of the world to the other to grow up on Australian soil. A woman who had waited for family and friends to return from wars. Who had watched as domestic life changed and her copper boiler and ice chest were replaced by a washing machine and a fridge. Who watched with wonder as man walked on the moon. Who traveled the world. My teenage self railed against this distillation of her life to 'wife and friend'. I never wanted to be 'just a mother', 'just a friend.' I wanted more. A bigger life. A life you couldn't contain within one sentence.

Yet, with age and wisdom I realise how deep and meaningful those words were. I realise I am following in her foot steps. I am wife, friend and mother. And these are big things. I am valuing similar ideals. I too want to be a wonderful Mother, a generous friend. What is more important in life than to be kind and generous? How simple and profound to be remembered as such. 

There are different ways to live a big life, but surely none are more important than loving and being loved?

Go and tell someone you love them. xx

Weekending

As a stay at home Mama with a breast fed baby, a toddler and a school boy, it's very rare that I go out without children. Where I go, they come. One, two, or all three of them. I had been going to yoga one night a week until the class time changed and I couldn't make it work anymore. That had been my time-out, my 'me time'. But a month or two have passed, and 'me time' just hasn't happened. 

I scheduled some time out this weekend, booking my husband in to solo-parent while I spent the day as I pleased. And it was wonderful. I felt guilty initially. But given the amount of time my husband spends surfing and playing golf, the feeling soon faded. First, I wandered a Sunday market with all it's trash and treasure. Without interruption I browsed the stalls and brought myself a couple of books and some potted herbs, all for a few gold coins. Next I wandered through Freedom Furniture and brought a new throw, a ceramic house and a vintage style light bulb to feather my nest. Most luxuriously of all, I stopped in at a cafe for brunch. eating and drinking my tea alone, before wandering through Ikea and emerging with a cushion cover, a set of wine glasses and a note book. 

Oh how I love my three babies. But how necessary it is to have a little time to ones self, to be oneself, every now and again. I was delighted to see them again, and they were delighted to rummage through my market basket and discover all that I had brought home with me.

I shall be booking in my husband again soon - there is an antique center that I have been wanting to visit.

What I'm Reading, Eating, Listening to and Loving...

Reading

I've just finished reading Lisa Congdon's latest book, Art Inc., an artists guide to building their career. I found it instructive and I think it would be useful for any creative business person.

For my neighbourhood book club, I recently finished Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None - the best selling mystery novel ever and one of the best selling books of all time. I love that book club challenges me to read novels that fall outside of my usual well worn genres. And honestly, this book did not disappoint. It also made for excellent book club discussion. (I am so lucky to have such awesome neighbours, who started a book club years before I moved here, and invited my to join before our house contract had settled, three years ago!)

Next in line is Tim Winton's Eyrie for the final book club of the year, and Meg Stewart's Margaret Olley: Far From A Still Life, chosen as a result of falling in love with Olley's work after our trip to the Margaret Olley Art Center. And finally as a book that was recommended to me, The Happiness Trap.


Eating

As the fabulous flush of Mulberries on our tree diminishes, we are eating fresh handfuls of berries picked daily, and baking with our frozen berries.

Mulberry Muffins

Mulberry and Strawberry Crumble Recipe

Listening to

You know I love to listen to pod casts while I'm working at the jewellery bench, and when I have run out of episodes of After The Jump, or Stuff You Missed In History Class, I have been trying out some newer pod casts, like the long form news style Serial, from Ira Glass and team, and the creative and inspirational Raise Your Hand. Say Yes. by Tiffany Han.


Loving

Afternoon sunlight peeking in our rooms.
The imagination that comes to life in my children with the addition of a cape and mask.
My Belinda Marshall 2015 Wall Calender has been pre-ordered. Swoon!
A Little Bit Crafty - with some of my most loved makers inside, this is on my wish list.
Jacaranda trees blooming in purple all over town.
Two passionate people with a start up worth supporting, The Nursery Project.

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Please share a few of your own reads, eats and favourites in the comments!

Around Here

Spring has brought with it the magic of the season, as fruit and flowers flourish in my garden.

The Mulberry tree is covered in berries. While I wait for them to ripen I am dreaming about filling baskets with goodness to eat, freeze and cook with. Jam. Pie. Cakes. Overnight oats...

Our strawberry harvest will be less than anticipated this year, thanks to a certain blue eyed, blonde haired two year old, who keeps picking and discarding the green fruit. No amount of logic will dissuade her.

A blue tongue lizard has taken up residence behind our shed, and can occasionally be glimpsed basking in the sun. He rather surprised me the first time I stumbled upon him. But I am quite pleased that he has found a home between the shed and the fence.

The BrisStyle Indie market I attended was lovely. Crafters sure know how to rock a market, and make new comers feel welcomed and supported. I had such positive feed back about my stall, my designs and my skill. I chatted with many sweet folks and enjoyed packing up each piece that went home with it's new owner.

I really admire Lisa Congdon for her art and skill, as well as her honesty about her issues with anxiety. I also love listening to podcasts while I work. Thus my excitement when I discovered double the Lisa Congdon goodness with two recent podcasts - Design Sponge and Raise Your Hand. Say Yes. Well worth checking out!

Sometimes you have to say no to something in order to say yes to something else. This was particularly true last week when I was offered a market table in the second round for the November Brisbane Finders Keepers. I thought hard about it, but turned it down, something I can't even have imagined doing twelve months ago. However, my darling husband surprised me by booking a weekend away for my twin sister and my children at a farm stay the same weekend, as a birthday gift. Fiona is flying up from Canberra, and while she would be only too happy to help me at the market, I was reminded about the importance of finding work - life balance. Instead we shall be drinking tea, collecting eggs, exploring and watching as the cows are milked.

So much has been happening in the workshop, which you may have seen over on Instagram. There's a whole lot more on the go, between custom jobs and new stock. Sign up to my newsletter, or follow me on Instagram, for more behind the scenes peeks and information.

Here's to a creative week!

8 Good Things

1. A napping toddler - with a bed full of cushions, dolls, trains and Octonauts.

2. Home sweet home.

3. Flowers, always flowers, on the dining table.

4. Our rat catcher.

5. My flower covered Camillia, still busting with pink petals.

6. A messy work bench is a busy work bench.

7. The Mulberry tree I got for my 30th birthday was but a stick with a leaf. It is now bigger than our shed and covered in green fruit.

8. Three month old's, who fall asleep like this.

I picked up my camera and walked around the house yesterday, looking at my little world through it's lens, training my eye on the everyday beauty. There was so much to feel grateful for, so much to appreciate. I find I can always do with the reminder.

As my business grows and I become busier and busier making stock for markets and the shop, working on custom pieces, new designs, quotes etc, I have less and less time for other creative pursuits like blogging and knitting. And as my husband and three children occupy the rest of my time, I find there are less moments for relaxing pursuits, like reading and gardening.

What I have come to understand is that I can do everything - just not all at once.

Taking Stock

Drinking: Lovely big hot cups of tea. I am quite sure tea tastes even better in Winter.

Waiting: With anticipation for the 'Intro to Modern Calligraphy'workshop I shall be doing

Looking: Still baby gazing as a certain 6 week old grows before our eyes

Missing: My twin sister dearly - there is a Fiona shaped hole in our weeks

Grateful: That it's not as cold in Brisbane as it has been in Canberra

Working: On custom orders next week, after a week off the bench following Brisbane Finders Keepers

Dreaming: About hand making spoons and having an exhibition

Wanting: To take a ceramics course once the baby is a little older 

Wondering: About going back to Uni to do my Masters in Jewellery and Small Objects

Enjoying: Sitting on my front deck in the sun

Making: Marks every day (well, nearly everyday)

Liking: My new book, '20 Ways to Draw a Tulip' by Lisa Congdon 

Giggling: Because I am drawing in my sketchbook and not IN the book, like you are supposed to

Excited: About the second book I ordered, '20 ways to draw a tree' by Eloise Renouf

Loving: My new Freida print by Studio Cockatoo

Rearranging: All my collections dotted around the house

Knowing: Sometimes a change is as good as a holiday

Pondering: What to make with all the homegrown oranges and lemons I was lovingly gifted

Reading: The Psychology of Extraordinainess on Dumbo Feather

Pondering: The amount of laundry produced by five people and whether we need a dryer

Marveling: At the amusing things that come out of my five year old's mouth

Wearing: Oscar in a sling - his favourite place to be

Awaiting: The GOMA Winter Design Market next weekend (19th July)

And: The Harvest exhibition at GOMA 

And: Ipswich Gem Show 2nd August 

Admiring: All the Brisbane creatives who are heading to Melbourne for Finders Keepers

Sorting: And culling the toys - my how they accumulate

Buying: A weaving loom to play with

Bookmarking: This weaving tutorial on 'A Beautiful Mess'

Feeling: Mixed emotions about the end of school holidays

Stills: A Weekly Collection

1. One month old already.

2. The fun and wonder of being two means giggling on the couch with upside down binoculars.

3. If I could just get my fist in to my mouth...

4. This lovely lemon tree is next to the path we walk each day as Cohen goes to school. The fruit is too high to pick, but I am always tempted to try.

5. I started an online drawing course by Lisa Congdon, through Creative Bug, after seeing Cath post about it on Instagram. I'm loving trying my hand at something new.

6. Her pretend 'school bag', for the walk to school.

7. The delicious pinks of my camellia tree in bloom. I look forward to it all year.

Joining in with The Beetle Shack.

Lately

There has been a whole lot of baby gazing going on this week, as we nestle in at home and give our days over to the rhythms of a newborn. Each sigh and sniffle, each expression and movement has been intently studied by devoted siblings, and besotted Mama alike. I'm cherishing having my twin sister here from Canberra for a week.

There are so many beautiful moments that I want to hold on to, and much to be grateful for.