Knitted Bunny

I don't know what possessed me, but when I saw a pattern for a bunny using a single knitted square, folded strategically and stitched together, I just couldn't resist.

I made this one evening and added a cute little pom pom tail to finish it off in the morning. Now I have to make his twin so everything is fair with the girls... although they are pretty good at sharing, they do love to have two of everything, so they can at least play 'Mums and Babies'.

I found the pattern in a beautiful book I bought recently; Creative Play for Your Toddler - Steiner Waldorf Expertise and Toy Projects for 2-4s. It suggests making a little family, as this represents a 'wholeness' to children; a baby, a mummy and daddy - 'there is always someone to take care of the others'.

I love that you can make the bunnies sit, stand or lie down, depending on how you stitch the final form. And the best thing is that you can cut a square from an old knitted jumper or scarf to make these, and skip the whole knitting step if desired.

These would be great for Easter too... a nice alternative to chocolate bunnies for children.

Laundry Play

One of my favourite things to do for the girls is to create a new little play space for them. I am always rearranging furniture and switching toys in and out of play. Last week, we were inside almost the whole week, with the unseasonal rain and lack of sunshine, so I made a little Laundry corner for them and it was a huge hit!

A simple string washing line with pegs,

Wooden ironing board and iron;

A few little baskets for sorting,

and lots of dolls clothes...

of various sizes and seasons...

Hanging everything up...

This was definitely a favourite activity;

They sorted the booties and bibs;

...and got to experience the frustrations of trying to find a matching pair!

Then came the ironing;

We bought the girls these wooden irons from a Mens Shed market stall last year...

They love them (because of course, they aren't allowed to touch mine).

Then some folding of cloth nappies;

And this was the busiest little corner of our house last week...

I think this is pretty funny, because the real laundry didn't get used at all last week! It is definitely not something I love or even remotely like to do. And seeing me iron anything is a pretty rare occurrence too. In all honesty, I can easily ignore housework in favour of other more pressing needs, such as sewing or making a big crafty mess with the girls.

Australia Day

Looks like some more elves have moved in to my parent's house (much to the delight of their grandchildren!) and they just so happen to be dressed in the Aussie colours of Green and Gold...

{Frozen} Water Play

I absolutely love this idea from Childhood 101; conducting frozen animal rescues! This has been a huge hit with our girls;

Needless to say we have had animals of various descriptions in our freezer, every day for a week!

Blue Fairies

Santa brought some blue fairy costumes, which is a welcome change from all the pink around here!

I must say, there is something magical about fairy costumes; they can totally change the mood of an afternoon. After a quick costume change, a bit of fresh air and finding a dandelion...

All smiles, dancing sweetly;

Fairy-friends again!

The Best Hiding Spot

Our pantry seems to be a popular hiding spot these days.... Now I know why! Elly just told me that they sneak in there and eat spoonfuls of brown sugar when I am not looking! We had a rousing game of hide-and-seek after dinner last night and there was some argy-bargy over who got to hide in that cupboard, then they were both pretty hyped up and excited before bath time.... It all makes sense now!

I snapped this picture yesterday, when I could have caught her in the act, but she smiled so sweetly. Now I know what the 'guilty smile' looks like, I will be watching very closely!

Hello? Hello!

The girls made a telephone out of two plastic cups and some string and were delighted to find out, it really works! When the string was pulled tight, their voices were very loud inside the other's cup. It's hilarious, the things they say to each other. I overheard Livvie saying to her little sister, 'I'm a bit worried about big school.... How will I know how to get to the cafe?'.

(The last time we were there, they had a cake and coffee stand, set up for the parents. I have had to very gently let her know there is no cafe, nor is there even a canteen. Oh, the look of horror on her face... she was devastated! I think back to my own childhood, and I don't think I even knew what a cafe was at age 5!)

In other news, I made a new cover for our ironing board... I don't know what possessed me, but it's a nice change.

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it is already 12 days into the new year! 2012. Just before the New year of 2011, we celebrated with some special visitors from Russia, who gave us these charming little Gzhel Ceramic figurines to mark the year ahead , the one that was, 2011 ~ the Year of the Rabbit;

I love it how the little bunny on the left looks like he is waving!

Twelve days ago, we waved goodbye to 2011....

It was a good year, but one with many trials. It was the year my husband travelled far too much (for my liking!) for work (although that meant I did get to do A LOT of sewing!), I worked as a Census Collector (never again!), we made the decision to take a very unhappy Elly out of Preschool (however this may have been the best thing we did all year), we feared my Dad had a stroke (it turned out to be Bells Palsy)... then he was later also diagnosed with Diabetes, I had my wisdom teeth out in hospital and missed Halloween (boo!), My grandmother continued to decline with Dementia, Nick was in a car accident and hurt his back. I also experienced the heartache of losing a baby through miscarriage. And if I am to be honest, it is the writing of that last sentence that has taken me 12 whole days to finish this post. It hits hard in times of reflection and sometimes, just out of the blue...

However, we also had so many wonderful experiences last year; Nick and I celebrated 6 beautiful years of marriage, we joined the festivities for my grandfather's 90th birthday, my Dad's 65th, Nick's Sister's 40th, my brother Greg married The Lovely Emma, we enjoyed little trips away to Queensland, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands, I found a job I loved as a Teacher's Aide and lost 5 kilos after joining WeightWatchers, Nick smashed his yearly target at the bank six months in advance (including the biggest deal ever in his group, go Nick!), Livvie completed Preschool, Elly had her first haircut, suddenly grew tall and mastered the art of writing her name. Huge milestones! But really, the best part of the year was making beautiful memories together, as a family, every single day.

Now we welcome 2012. It will be Livvie's first year of school, Elly will return to {a new} Preschool, my husband will begin studying for his Masters and I will be here for them all, doing what I love most, being a wife and Mum and enjoying all that it entails.

On New Years Eve, we held a little dinner party with our closest friends and their 3 young children. I am very happy to say that Nick and I were asked to be Godparents to their new baby and just as it was with their other two children, we were honoured to accept!

...What a lovely way to start the new year!

We have so much to look forward to in 2012. I should also mention that I am also in the process of starting my own small business ~ I just ordered my business cards yesterday! I am so excited about it and I look forward to sharing more with you soon! Thank you for reading along and for your encouraging and supportive comments and emails. Happy New Year indeed!

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