Is it all going to fit?

I have been packing the last few days and my earlier confidence that we would fit all our camping supplies in the car and camper has dwindled. Now with the long range forecast indicating rain for the week that we are away, I have started to think more about wet weather gear and the list just keeps growing.
It is going to be a very tight squeeze with the 5 of us in the car. I keep thinking 'I'm over packing, I'm over packing' but if it does rain - I want to be prepared and hav activities for the kids so they don't end up with camper fever.

Getting the Camper Ready

I have spent the last two days trying to get our pop-top camper looking a little less like it is ready to pop-off. The biggest issue (there's no hiding it) is the canvas which is faded and patched extensively. We couldn't afford to replace it this year, so we have to accept the 'shabby retro' look rather than the 'stylish retro' look that I'd prefer.
I'm trying to focus my energies on the inside and creating a comfortable, functional space that we can relax in and enjoy during our time at the camp ground. Fortunately I had a stash of retro sheets, bedspreads and other fabric scraps from local charity shops that I had been accumulating for just such a project.
So far I have made curtains, table cloths, swab covers, bunting and fixed up some cushions. The main colours are bright orange and yellow, royal blue and a sage green. I have used old napkins for the bunting and all my other fabrics reference one or more of these colours or tones of them. There is plenty of floral around but I've mixed it up with stripes and some large checks, wow it should look like summer fun! Now all I really need is some macramé hangers to use for storage to complete the picture.
My true love is vintage linens and it is tempting to tap into my supply of vintage quilts, blankets and cushions which offers more variety, but that just wouldn't fit in with the era of the camper and the original features which I need to work with.

11 Days to Go

Not that I'm counting, but it seems a very long 11 days till Christmas. I have sorted all the gifts now, unfortunately this has not kept me away from the shops and the sales which have been tempting me to spend money I just don't have. What am I going to do with myself till we go away?

Nappy Clutch

After finishing my paper sewing project I felt confident enough to make my own fabric project. Behold the Pintrest inspired Nappy Clutch. I made this one from 2 old napkins and some left over fabric ribbon. Didn't I do well?

Planner Completed

After a couple of weeks (here and there) of sewing, sticking, trimming and lastly drilling - I'm all done! I have personalised the planner for my sister-in-law, so I will be wrapping it up for Christmas shortly, but before I do, I have a few piccies to share

Project Altered Book Planner

My creative juices have been flowing, a Pinterest inspired planner which I am making using an old book is starting to take shape. I have been using the sewing machine to sew the pages onto different coloured papers and now that we have a printer in the house again, I can feel more ideas churning. I'm thinking Christmas gift but will I be able to part with it?

Christmas All Sorted - Almost

After several shopping excursions and some online purchases (and some reassuring discussions with friends) I am feeling more confident about my choice of presents and the quantity I have for each of the kids. It is considerably less than what I have done in the past, but I still feel there is plenty there for them. Only a couple more adults to buy for, I will probably settle for edible options and maybe a homemade item. I even have the wrapping mostly finished - neon bright for the kids of course! The adults I am opting for brown paper and neon shoelaces for ribbon with some pom poms to top it off - very cutesy. Pics to come.

Christmas Shopping

I have to say I have had an absolutely depressing time Christmas shopping this year.  The budget is tight and the choice of Christmas gifts available in the shops is darn right dismal.  I am not looking for the conventional toys like Barbie, Furby, Lala Loopsy or Leap Pads (crikey who could afford one anyway) or even Fisher Price or Lego.  I did however succumb to a Pillow Pet, which Coral has been collecting for sometime now - but I still don't feel entirely right about it. 
I don't really have any desire to add mountains of toys to our already sufficient collection, and I certainly don't want to spoil the kids silly but I do want it to be a fun and happy occasion for the family and one where the kids don't feel short changed or let down.  So I am trying to find a balance between quantity and quality, less expensive and more expensive, popular and the less well advertised options.
It is a real struggle to find stores that sell interesting or functional toys, games, instruments, costumes or art /craft supplies at reasonable prices.  I have turned to online shopping for a few items, but the little speciality stores that don't charge like a wounded bull have been hard to find.
I have also done a few rounds of shopping at the local Gold Coin shop for a few novelty items which I felt were not too shamefully of poor quality - items which seem to pop up in the larger chain stores like Farmers and The Warehouse at three times the price in the exact same packaging.
I wish there were some kind of magic gift guide or store available that more closely matched the type of presents and budget I have in mind for Christmas.  The type of Christmas that has been thrust upon us these days is just not realistic or frankly fair to most families. 

Christmas Craft

So proud of my Christmas door hanging.  Not quite as neon as I'd like, but bright enough.  $3 worth of pom poms stuck onto some thick card.  I traced the letter A onto baking paper directly from the laptop screen and then taped it onto the card and cut out with a craft knife.  I already had the ribbon laying around - took me about 45 minutes of prep and to glue it together. 

The awesome thing about it is that I can use it whenever I want all year round - it's not themed traditionally for Christmas so it can go on the wall in the play room, dining room or even above the bed in the master.  Might even be tempted to do some different letters to go up in the kids rooms.   

I'm Dreaming of a Fluro Christmas...

My little fluro decorated tree - decorations are pom poms I made from fluro wool, candy canes made from twisted together pipe cleaners, spinning tops I brought in a pack of ten party favours and a pair of neon shoe laces as the ribbon - total spend, about $8 from the local Gold Coin shop.  It's bright, fun and although the photo really doesn't do it justice it is fluro-tastic!

Christmas Wish List?

While I was out on the weekend I spotted these awesome tee pees on sale at Fishing Camping Outdoors - I really, really want to get one each for the kids - can I please, please add them to the list? 

The pink one is an elephant, the green crocodile, orange giraffe and blue monkey - hmmmm... think I'll take one pink, one green and one orange please!

Labels

 

My kitchen cupboard organising success!

 



A few weeks ago I started the process of organising my kitchen.  After sorting all my plastic containers into a basket, I liked the idea so much I made another basket for the food processor and all it's attachments.  The hooks I put up a while ago, but they are much more useful now that the basket contains the clutter and leaves enough space at the front of the shelf to allow me to hang my measuring cups and spoons and still shut the cupboard door properly.
The labels are just pegged on with bright clothes pegs.  I have used the same labelling idea for my hutch dresser in the lounge and I'm really happy with the result.

Hit a Speed Bump

Oh dear - went and pinched a nerve in my back on the weekend and it has slowed me down on the organising and housework front this week.
I have had great support from hubby, family and friends, so the twins have been well looked after and the basics getting done.  I have been physically unable to do much, but I have managed however to get a few sitting down jobs done - a collage project, a thinking chair (instead of a time-out chair) and updating my CV.

I have to say it was great to get them out of the way, but I am itching to get going with the cleaning and sorting again.  Been to the Oesteopath today and have already had some relief, but it will be another few days before I am able to move more freely and without pain.
What can you do - life happens, but it's only a speed bump and I'll be on the highway again soon :-)

Spring-speration, Loving the bright colours!

Here are some of my inspirations for Spring / Summer - the colours are so vibrant and zingy, I can't get enough of the crisp citrus and neon hues.  I have totally overspent on the household budget by indulging my obsession this week, well except on the flowers which are wild flowers in our garden. 

The mat reminds me of licorice allsorts and was $9.90 from Bed, Bath and Beyond, the bracelet was a splurge from Postie for $16.99, the Table I've had lurking around forever which was bought cheap second-hand (formerly dark brown), I gave it a lick of paint (untinted yellow) which cost me $14 in a large size test pot.

The baskets and containers on my hutch in the lounge (previous post) were from the warehouse - top shelf, green fold-out cubes $4.99 each.  The small pink shopping style basket in the centre was $5, The oblong clip-top green containers in the centre were $6 ea, the large pink shopping style basket down the bottom was $8 and the planter pots in pink and green on the bottom shelf were $6.99 each and are made in NZ - fab!  I also picked up a large coral-fleece throw in raspberry (not pictured) reduced to $6.97 from the Warehouse which is so soft and the kids love cuddling up under it.

Procrastination Paid Off

My procrastinating cleaning out the fridge this week had an unexpected pay off.  It got so bad that hubby decided to tackle it on my behalf.  He did a fab job, no wiping down of surfaces took place, but at least all the leftovers which were past 4 days old were thown out and the like food items put with like so that all in all the fridge looks 100% tidier and organised.   It actually shows how little food we have at the moment - yikes!  The cleaning part will have to come a little later, but before our next big shop when it gets filled up again.
The medicine / glassware cabinet has had a quick sort out too.  I have re-housed the medicines in their own storage box on the top shelf of the hutch in the lounge.  It is still a bit of an odd place to store them, but they are at least all together now (separate from the glassware) and still up high out of reach of the kids. There is also a bit more space in the glassware cabinet now which is great as it was  on the full side and the glasses were constantly getting bumped and shuffled around in those mad dashes for the pamol or a band aid.
The hutch is also almost complete (see my pic) and I have to say is it looking much improved.  Still some finishing touches to go, but keen to see how it works and live with it for a while before I make more improvements.  I have sorted bins or sections for craft, journals / scrap books / folders, parenting books / motivation stickers, art work, scrap paper, pens, Coral's treasure box, Coral's reading books, mail-in tray and family medicines.
I have yet to label the bins and I'm still thinking about how I'd like to do this, any suggestions would be welcome.

One thing I have learnt during this process or re-organising is that you have to do what works for you.  It makes sense for me to have a basket with nappies and wipes in the lounge because that is where I change nappies (and I change a lot with twins).  It also makes sense for me to have our hairbrushes and medicines in the lounge as that is where we seem use them.  It may not be conventional but it is how we do things and it is more efficient for me to go with the flow than fight it.

Halloween Dust Bunnies

Seeing as it was Halloween night last night, I thought I'd find the stuff of nightmares underneath the fridge - but apart from about 500 fridge magnets and a few dust bunnies it wasn't too bad.  I really wanted to get stuck into the inside of the fridge and the cupboard above which stores our glassware and medicines (unusual combo I know), but I didn't get around to it yesterday.  Progress is slow, but you know what - it is still progress.  I am being a bit naughty and jumping ahead a bit to another project which is re-organising our wooden hutch dresser, a huge and dominating piece of furniture in our lounge which is used as a dumping ground for any and all broken objects and unfinished projects.  It is such a bug bare that I couldn't resist the idea of turning this ugly duckling into a sort of organisation swan.  The idea is that it will become an organisation centre for craft, recipes, paperwork and planning.   So far I have purchased some storage baskets and bins to store everything in - next comes the big empty and clean down and re-assembly job.  I am determined not to get too far ahead of myself so I am committing to doing the fridge etc. in the next couple of days, so I stay on track. 

Off to a Good Start

I have made some headway with the kitchen, I cleared  and wiped down 3 cupboards under the cooktop and managed to remove two medium sized boxes of disused kitchen bits and bobs for donation.  The cupboards look much clearer and organised - especially the plastic containers which I now have stored together with their lids inside a large basket.  It is so much easier to pull the whole basket out of the cupboard to rummage for the container I need.  I can't believe though that the cupboards still look pretty full, considering what I have removed, but I am confident that what is remaining is what I use and need.
I even had a go at the top half of my pantry, it was surprising how much I could remove just by refilling storage containers to the top and tossing out food which was past it's use by date on the carton (no horrible surprises really, just a few months over on some things I was probably never going to use).  I have all the cereals in identical storage containers, except the weetbix which I don't think would pour well from a container anyway! I was also able to take out several bags of pasta and some tinned food which was excess to requirements and set them aside for our camping / emergency survival kit - where I have the space for them and I can still get to them if I need to.  Another option would have been to donate the food, or plan a pasta week, but the first option suited me best. The pantry looks much better, but there is still the bottom half to go and it's a bit of a disaster at the moment.
I'm happy with my progress, and once the pantry is complete I think I will tackle the fridge/freezer and medications/glassware cabinet next.  I am especially dreading pulling the fridge out and wiping out all the dust bunnies, there could be some real nasties under there.
I will save some pictures for when the kitchen is complete - can't wait, it'll be like having a new ktichen!

Getting Organised

I'm not sure if it is something to do with Springtime that has given me the urge to get the house into a new level of organisation, or just that I've reached the point where I want my life to be less chaotic and stressy, but I'm definitely ready to get stuck in and do a major house-wide declutter and sort out!  A few weeks ago I did the play-room / spare-room and got such a buzz from the finished result.  It has been working well, but I've just had my Mum stay for over a week in the space and I've discovered there are a few things I need to change to make it a bit more workable.
I thought it might be good to blog the experience to get myself motivated and if it motivates someone else - all the better :-)
My first area to tackle is the kitchen - I think this is pretty brave on my part as it is certainly not the easiest area to start with, but it really needs it and I know that if I can get that done, I can certainly get the rest done.  Watch this space...

Crafty Busy Bags and Boxes

Thanks once again to Pintrest, I have discovered the concept of the busy bag, designed as a convenient idea to keep the kids entertained for a bit when you need it most!  I've been working on my own ideas for busy bags for the kids, below are sorting trays I made for the twins from a couple of plastic meatball trays (washed well of course), coloured craft pom poms and coloured pieces of wool tied into bows.  The idea is that they have a card printed out with a picture of the items already sorted (kind of like a puzzle guide) and then they tip them out and try resorting them.  I have trialled the littlies with them to see if they pose a safety risk and neither of them have tried eating the tray contents.  They love the soft, spongy textures and do attempt sorting.
For Coral I recycled a tea box to make a busy box 'shoot a goal' game.  I just coloured in the inside and constructed the goal, flags and ball stand from card and then sellotaped them down, the ball is a craft pom pom and does fire over the goal posts with an accurate flick.  I don't expect that the game will stand up to much punishment, but it is easy to repair or replace if I want to.  I might decide to decorate the outside, but for now I like the way it magically transforms.  I'd be interested to hear what you think of them :-)



Last Day

Our visitors head home today - the last day of the school hols :-)
Yesterday Coral and Bradley caught a trout each at a local lake where they were holding a fishing event for kids.  It was Bradley's first fish and the kids even sampled their catch with their evening meal.  I stayed home with the littlies for the day while the Dad's entertained the older kids, first with the fishing and then swimming at the Aquatic Centre followed by lunch at McD's.  On the way home they stopped at Big Jim's and picked up a free edible garden for the kids.  You wouldn't believe it - but they still had tonnes of energy when they got home and the sun came out for long enough for them to have a play in the backyard!  The Dads were well worn out though so we all watched a movie later in the afternoon and just chilled.
All in all I think the hols were a success, just a few bits and pieces to get organised this afternoon for the week ahead. 

 

Another Fun Friday

We enjoyed some time down at the beach this afternoon with our visitors.  It was lovely to walk through the rock pools looking for interesting coloured rocks and fun to throw the ball for their border collie (Max).  Coral and her friend Bradley spent ages digging in the sand making holes and watching as they filled with water. It was so peaceful down by the water - I took the opportunity to suck in as much of the sea air as I could to revitalise myself - breathing in the positive and exhaling the negative.
We have loads of activities planned for tomorrow, we will just have to see what we can work in around the weather and the littlies nap times.  Not much time now before the school hols have finished and it is back to school and our familiar routine.  It has been fun but I am keen to get stuck in to this last term and give it my best.

Not My Day

Not a great start to the day - up at 4:00am to a toddler who has vomitted all through her bed and then continued to vomit throughout the early morning, poor Fern she didn't know what was going on.  She is fortunately much better this evening and has started eating a little again without being sick.
Coral had a busy day, with a playdate at a friends house for the first half of the day and then attending a craft session at the local library for an hour in the afternoon.  I think she is exhausted because her behaviour this evening has been pushing boundaries to say the least and we have got her in bed early so at least she is winding down if not sleeping yet.
Fergus has been out of sorts today too, I think it is teething, he has been having tantrums and screaming when he doesn't get his way and to top it off he found some dog poo in the yard this afternoon which he decided to sample and smear all over himself - GROSS!!!.
It all got too much for me and by 4:00pm - I had a splitting headache and feeling the effects of my early start, so I called in the reinforcements (Brent). He shot home straightaway for me, bless him and took over the dinner duties and let me get in a nap.  I woke after about an hour to the twins screaming in stereo and Brent screaming at Coral to go to time out for hitting her brother - yikes!  The nap and my time out had been lovely, headache receding and feeling less exhausted but it had been to the detriment of Brent's sanity.
Visitors arrive tomorrow, so I need to get the house ready and sheets changed on the spare beds.   Fern goes to Porse tomorrow and Coral has a date with her Popa to go to the movies in the morning, she will enjoy that and it will free up my morning to get some things done once Fergus is asleep. 
Once our visitors arrive Coral will have a friend to play with for the next three days and we have some neat activities planned for them, so it will go quickly and then it's back to School on Monday :-)

Sharpie Shoes

I have to say, I can't get enough of Pintrest and all the craft ideas that have given me inspriration these school hols.  I was going to lay off the crafting today, but Coral was craving more and I had to admit I really wanted to try out an idea I spotted the other day - Sharpie Shoes!  Find an old pair of shoes and give them new life with different coloured Sharpie pens.  Here are some pics of our efforts.  Mine are a work in progress, so you can see what they looked like before I started.  Coral's are awesome - really futuristic looking I thought and finished to boot (excuse the pun)

A Quieter Day

Yesterday afternoon I made a batch of play dough and Coral, the littlies and I sat at the table and made pretend cookies, muffins and whatever else we wanted.  The twins enjoyed squashing the dough and throwing it on the floor (just as well I had a plastic drop cloth on the carpet) and they even sampled a bit of the dough, but didn't swallow any :-)
Our nephews left this morning, so the playroom is back in action for a couple of days until our next lot of visitors arrive.  Coral has been enjoying quiet play in her room while the twins are getting stuck into the chalk drawing / eating and pretending to snuggle up and go to sleep on the spare bed in the playroom.
Might give the craft activities a rest for today, but Coral has asked if we can get the play dough out again and I thought it would be a nice thing for us to do together while the twins take their morning nap. I will need to get some housework done at some stage, but I'm just going with the flow and will get it done when I can.

Scavenger Hunt

Brilliant afternoon yesterday, I found my creativity and we did have our scavenger hunt when our nephews arrived -  an A-Z of backyard items to find.
Coral helped Brent and I think up of some of the scavenger items (a great way to practice sounding out letters and work out words that start with that letter), then we created written lists for the boys and a list with pictures so that Coral could partipate too.  Coral helped me draw some of the pictures for her list and she made some big red X's out of recycled card and felt pen which we strung up in the garden (that was the only thing we could think of that started with an X to find :-)  I hid the other items while Coral played inside, but we let her have a scout around the backyard afterwards so she could have a bit of a headstart on the boys.
It took a while to collect all the items, the hardest items to find were the insects.  Who would have thought it would be so hard to find an ant!  Only our youngest nephew found an ant (with a little help), the others found everything else on the list and everyone got a scavenger prize pack with a spider-pop, muesli bar and some other treats for their efforts.
The tissue flowers that Coral and I attempted yesterday morning were a fail, but thanks to the skills  of our youngest nephew and a few tutorials on how to do it, we were able to make some fabulous flowers successfully.  This time we used paint style felt pens to decorate our flowers and had so much fun, we spent most of the evening making and decorating flowers.
It is definitely something we will do again.  Coral has plans to have a craft stall at some stage and I think bunches of these flowers would make lovely gifts or decorations.
The older kids are off at the movies with their Popa this morning, so will sort out something to do with the littlies - might be brave and try playdough, we'll have to see :-)

Spider-Pops

Dinner was late by nearly an hour on Friday night due to an impromptu dance party in our lounge.  Coral decided we needed a dance floor (I think this was because our neighbours had just informed us that they were having a party that evening and to be prepared for some noise), so she brought out a blanket for us all to groove on while I put some music on.  Eventually everyone got hungry, so we had to stop for dinner, but it was great fun while it lasted.
Saturday morning we chilled out and then in the afternoon went to visit a friend who lives on a farm.  The kids got to feed some lambs and chase them about, so they were amused for a bit, then when we got home (a bit windblown and tired) we all watched 'Lilo and Stitch' on the Disney Channel.  Nice to enjoy a movie together which none of us had seen before.
Today has been quiet, we had pancakes for breakfast which is our tradition for Sunday mornings, except poor Coral who had been sick in the night and her tummy was still not feeling up to it.  While the littlies have been sleeping this morning and Brent has been off studying, Coral and I completed another craft project: Spider-Pops.  They were loads of fun and easy to make - two pipe cleaners, one pom-pom, two googly eyes and a lolly-pop.  We also had a crack at making paper flowers out of tissues with pipecleaners for the stems and then dying them with food colouring, but that was not so successful.  We did have fun though - mixing the colours together and then dipping the tissues into the food colouring to make different effects.  We are waiting for them to dry to see if we can open them out a bit more and make them 'bloom'.
Our nephews (11 & 14) arrive this afternoon and are staying a couple of nights.  I have plans for a scavenger hunt for them, that's a bit of a tradition I have with them - but I'll see how I go for time and creative inspriation!

Fun Friday

We had visitors this morning, so loads of fun time for the kids playing with friends.  They played so well together - praise for quiet play!
After the visitors left, Fern was well overdue for a sleep, so while she had her nap Coral and I embarked on a craft project, making spider webs out of wool and twigs from the garden.  We even made the spiders and a few unfortunate trapped insects ourselves out of cardboard from the recycling box and glued on googly eyes, they look awesome.  After that we had a few snacks and then went outside to cut some wildflowers which have taken over our backyard.  We now have a pretty, colourful arrangment for the dining table.  It has truly been a fun day, best of the hols so far!

Yay! More success today with getting out and being more hands on with the kids.  Not true wholesome, inexpensive fun, but the fun element was there - we took Coral and Fergus to Chipmunks in the morning to burn off some energy.  Fern, who was at Porse had two huge sleeps during the day but did get some quality play in with her little friend Emma.  She loves it there so much and it is such an important part of her weekly routine that I really couldn't see sense in her missing a day - besides she will get to spend time with us tomorrow when Fergus has his turn.
While Fergus slept in the afternoon, Coral and her Dad (home from work Thursdays) attempted some complicated ply board craft and then Coral and I took a trip to the Gold Coin shop and stocked up on a few craft supplies.  Coral used her recently acquired $3 from the tooth fairy to stock up on two bouncy balls and then spent time throwing them on the driveway with Dad when she got home. 
The TV was switched off most of the day, but there we plenty of requests by Coral to have it turned on.  I held firm and made suggestions for other activities and when this was challenged and a threat to turn the TV on made, I warned that there would be consequences - that was enough to make her think twice.
Tomorrow we have visitors coming (all Mum's and daughters) so there should be plenty of opportunities for some girly play -might get out the big girls and the little girls tea sets for a tea party!

Back to the Blog

Wow, it's been over a year since I last blogged! My littlies are now nearly 17 months old and full of energy and mischief.  My eldest who is 5 has become a confident and independent school girl ready to start her fourth term of Year 1.
It's the school holiday's and as much as I have planned to be busy and do loads of activities with the kids, it just hasn't worked out that way.  It's not a disaster, there is still a good portion of the holidays left to redeem myself, but I'm ashamed to admit that for the past three days the TV has been on far too much and the weather has conspired against my plans for getting outdoors. 
As I am writing this blog, my 5 year old, Coral came rushing into the lounge to tell us that she thinks she has blood in her mouth - the cause of the blood, her first wiggly tooth has fallen out! Actually it was likely that it was ripped out - she explained that she was trying to drag her quilt from the bottom bunk with her mouth while climbing the ladder up to the top bunk.  After a bit of a panic about not being able to find the tooth in her bedroom, I was able to 'think like a falling tooth' and find it on the carpet by the bottom bunk.  The tooth has now been cleaned and wrapped in tissue and placed in a special box awaiting a visit from the tooth fairy. 
Here's to a better day tomorrow and getting out and enjoying the hols with the kids!