Home

 

1. An antique enamel coffee pot without a lid makes for a perfect vase

2. A free curb side find painted and put to use

3. I could not resist this doilie inspired rug from Ikea

4 & 5. Duck egg coloured 'cable knit' vase from Freedom

6. Vintage English duck egg coloured teacup and saucer. Swoon.

7. Adjustable stools from Ikea in the heart of our home. We haven't been sitting anywhere else since getting them.

 

Recently I received an email about having our home photographed and featured in a magazine. A rather unexpected and exciting email. And one which lead to a flurry of excited, high pitched phone calls to my sister, Mother and best friend. I don't know whether it will happen or not yet. But I did enjoy the thrill of imagining such a thing. My dearly loved home, my many treasures, styled and photographed looking their best? It would be rather wonderful. I shall keep you posted. In the meantime, providing the requested photographs inspired a little shopping and rearranging.

 

What do you think?

What 'style' is your home?

Do you drool over homes in magazines too?

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I arrived home with a car full of groceries and two tired children on Thursday to find this dear old lady waiting for me on the drive. I have wanted one of these old sewing machine tables for years. Sometimes it is especially useful to be known in the family as the vintage loving crafty one. Particularly when a family friend saves something like this from going to the tip. A new nail or two will straighten up the wonky drawers, but I do love her just as she is. I moved her straight in to our bedroom, with only quiet protests from my dear husband. It seems good things do come to those who wait.

I celebrated my thirty-first birthday yesterday, along with my dear twin sister. The vase, flowers, candle holders, doilies, tape and brooch were all birthday gifts. So too some Lovely perfume, a chameleon rose for the garden and a set of these gorgeous knitting needles, which are currently on their way to me. Feeling especially loved and spoilt.

Thanks for the birthday wishes on Facebook and Instagram too.
Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend.

Everyday learning

I am a firm believer in the old adage that you learn something new everyday. Sometimes simple, other times profound. Lately I have learnt that;

tomato jam is the new must have condiment in our house
you don't have to be good at everything
toddlers will argue about most things
Cashmere comes from the soft undercoat of the Kashmir goat
frozen cherry tomatoes are handy for using in a curry when there are no ripe tomatoes
two baby teeth are more capable than you would think
people would often rather be right than happy
look for the positive
a bad morning doesn't necessarily mean a bad day
a heartbeat noise emanating from the rear of the car may be a screw in your tyre

Weekending

1. Making the most of the glut of cherry tomatoes
2. Preserving them too - these are frozen
3. Jacaranda's bring back many happy memories
4. My little artist playing with pastels
5. $5 bunches of poppies
6. The only place to sleep
7. Another stunning sunset

Here and there

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I find working at home as a jeweller, while being a stay at home Mum with two little ones, quite difficult. Especially since my work requires sharp tools, fire, acid and extended periods of concentration. Finding the time to spend at the bench is a struggle. Between mothering, house work, the garden and all the other demands of daily life, a dose of teething baby and sleep deprivation too, I've hardly set saw to silver since Emerson's birth. But I am trying to carve out more time for my jewellery again. Once both my little ones are in school I intend to work from home each day. Until then I'd like to make a little room for this part of my creative side again. I'd like to finish up the commissions I have now and get back to making a few things for the shop. I have pearls from South Australia and cut stones from Africa that I am keen to work with. So the first step today is sorting, rearranging and de-cluttering my studio to make it a more workable space. Little by little I know I will get there.

I best get back to work while I have a toddler playing contentedly and a sleeping baby. Rather than share photo's of the sorting chaos, here's a little of what is happening upstairs.

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1 & 2. Coriander picked from the garden. I've never seen it in flower before, the flowers are sweet and delicate.
3. Our six cherry tomato plants are quite the prolific producers. We have been sharing the fruit with our friends and neighbours, as well as eating them cut in half, sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper and placed under the grill under they start to colour. Yum!
4. New seeds - daisy, rocket, pumpkin, beetroot and more cherry tomatoes - and a date with my garden planned this weekend.

Weekending

Outside and in

We went fishing this weekend, for the first time since we've had children. I had high hopes of bringing home a bream or flathead for dinner. It was quite different to the old days though, where we would pack lightly and sit alongside each in quiet conversation, laughing at ourselves as we threaded blood worms or yabbies on hooks, snagged those hooks on rocks or logs, and occasionally surprised ourselves with a fish. This time we juggled the children's necessities along with the rods and bait, and conversation was interrupted by an excited toddler and an unsettled baby. I managed to hook one small bream, which darted away as soon as I returned it to the water. Our bait was continually taken, but we caught nothing else. I do believe there were some well fed crabs that night! 

The overcast days this weekend were perfect for gardening. There is always something to do in Spring, which suits me perfectly, as I love pottering in the yard. Seedlings to be planted on, tomatoes that need re-staking, new additions to plant out - in this case a hydrangea and a Hans Christian Anderson azalea - and of course, weeds to to be pulled. 

Blogtoberfest begins today. A post a day for the whole of October. 

Bloggers, are you with me?

Today

It's good to have Dave home. We are all feeling a little under the weather though, so we won't be venturing far. However, there is much to do. There's laundry liquid to be made. There's a bunch of mint picked from the garden sitting on the sink. It will be washed and hung to dry for tea making purposes. There are home grown lemons from my sisters mother-in-law to be juiced and made into cordial. There is silver beet ready to be harvested, blanched and frozen. I made this silverbeet and potato gratin recipe last night, with a home cooked roast chicken, gravy and bread rolls to celebrate Dave's return, and it was a success.

It's a glorious Spring day here today. We've been out in the garden this morning. Cohen has been making mud pies as I weeded, planted seeds and seedlings, staked tomato plants and covered them with bird netting. We try to get out in the garden while Emerson takes her morning nap, then she joins us and supervises from a blanket on the grass, or in her pram. We've been eating strawberries straight from the garden and rinsed under the tap most days and Cohen loves to look for the ripe ones. The hills hoist is almost full with a weeks worth of Dave's clothes. I'm making a beef and a vegetarian pie for dinner tonight, I made the fillings yesterday. In the quieter moments I will be knitting the cozy and reading the Country Style magazine that arrived with yesterdays post. 

And of course, wiping little noses.

What plans do you have for the weekend?

What's the weather like where you are?

Do you have any silverbeet or orange recipe suggestions?

Eight little things on the first day of Spring

Eight little things I've been enjoying this week, inspired by Tania at ivy nest.

1. Organic carrots harvested from the garden. We've had fresh home grown carrots as part of dinner the past four nights. The novelty is yet to wear off.

2. Catching a glimpse of tiny toes when checking on the sleeping baby. As the weather warms up blankets are becoming less necessary for day naps.

3. Trinkets. They tend to be discarded here at the end of the day, waiting to be put away. But I think they look kind of pretty. 

4. Bringing a bit of the Spring feeling inside with a some orange tulips, which close at night and open again in the morning.

5. The ever changing collection of treasures on the kitchen window ledge.

6. Sweetness.

7. Stacks of reading. Knitting patterns, Frankie, Country Style, Ikea catalogue, and unschooling and self sufficiency books from the library.

8. Spring cleaning has begun. Cohen's room was the starting point, inspired in part by 'Simplicity Parenting' and Greer. It felt good to pack up a box of books that are too old for him yet, donate a garbage bag of toys, another of clothes and toss a garbage bag of bits and pieces too. 

How about you?

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Tomorrow is Father's day here in Australia. Wishing all the Father's a wonderful day with their families!

See you again on Monday.

Home

Yesterday, home was morning rituals of cuddles and stories. It was the texture of dough, the smell of yeast and the comfort of fresh bread. It was collections of natural treasure displayed in bowls, baskets and bottles. It was conversation with a friend while our babies fussed, ate and explored. It was being neighborly and sharing. It was weeds thrown on to the grass. Crusts thrown to the birds. Clothes fresh and full of sunlight thrown into a basket. Home was cups of tea, stitches knit, laughter and reading the last page of a book. 

And it felt good to be home.