turning 3 with fairies and gnomes

a little fairy turned 3 in our house a couple of weeks ago.....

the night before her birthday i told a special story about a little baby who was longing to come and live in our family (this was symbolic of gracie and of a new little waldorf doll that i had made in the weeks leading up to her birthday).

the look on her face when she met her baby doll on the morning of her birthday..... so priceless. she told me "mummy, her name is lucy".

gracie had her first birthday party this year. she asked for a fairy and gnomes party -who could resist that!

one of her favourite gifts was the bubble maker.

the plans for circle games outside in our garden and a treasure hunt were not to be. the rain came to visit and stayed all day.

so the children played contently in the sandpit. the bubble maker was a big hit too.


my heart was full with all the beautiful handmade cards and gifts grace received.

the little girls were given a pair of fairy wings. i made gnomes hats for the boys and stitched the first letter of their name on each hat.

the house was filled with handmade tissue pom poms. these pretty thing are very easy to make. there are lots of tutorials on the net!

we had lots of fun decorating and making everything look beautiful. i stamped out grace's name and punched out some patterned paper scallops. she loved her cake.

happy birthday darling girl. you were born into our hearts and home 3 years ago and we are so blessed.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a photo from the week. A simple, special extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

nearly 3 and a fairy morning tea

It's busy around here. School holidays have arrived and boy am I thankful for that. No school runs and warmer weather equals a happy me! I have had my busy spring hat on - cleaning out cupboards and preparing for my little ones 3rd birthday. She asked if she could have a little party.... she asked! I think after attending two in the last few months she has clicked onto something - parties are fun!

The thing is that I am not really into planning children's parties. We compromised on the party and decided on a small morning tea with just a few children. For someone who isn't into children's parties I have enjoyed making her little fairy inspired invites and browsing through this lovely blog for inspirations.

I have had my crafty hat on too. My hands and heart have been busy making a waldorf baby doll for Grace. I wish I could say that craft comes easy to me. It doesn't. However, I really believe that the love and joy of making something with my hands and giving it to my little one is priceless. So I push on. I am searching for a moses basket to put her new dollie in. Fingers crossed that one will appear in the local Op shop.

may days

The last few weeks have been hectic. Lately, life has been run by schedules, measured week by week, term by term. It is not unusual for us all to be on the road by 7am. The boys run in a club at school or go to the school library for study. Afternoons are busy but we still manage (most nights) to eat our evening meal together. Sitting around a candle, chatting and listening to each others daily news. Once dishes are done, my boys are usually stuck in front of their computers - doing homework for a good couple of hours.

It's funny how life turns out. My life certainly feels like it has done a turn around, since the days of my boys primary school years, when they attended a quiet little Steiner school. But to be honest, these boys of mine are thriving and love the challenge of a academic and sporty high school. For me, I can only trust that they have had the grounding and gentleness of a peaceful childhood which will enable them to handle this new pace.

On the flip side, my days between school hours are balanced with my little one and I doing as little as possible outside of our home. Apart from a small mama's group that meets fortnightly, the little one and I keep life pretty simple. There are no plans for her to attend any kind of kindy or childcare. I totally respect what other parents choose, I really do and for some parents I know there is no option but, to go back to work. I think every family has to work out what is right for them and this is what is right for us. Having two teenagers has reminded me how quickly this time goes and it is just too precious to miss out on.

Our days between 8 and 3 are filled with little bits of craft, lots of imaginative play, walks around our neighbourhood, cooking and preparing meals for the evenings and to burst my bubble, a few two year old tantrums are thrown in there too.

On another note, I like the idea of summarising what is alive in me each month. My new little idea (which I am sure other bloggers may do) is to note a few of my months happenings. So here is May.....


May has been

. finding my needles again and catching the knitting bug

. exploring new recipes and juicing every morning

. reading this book and being inspired by it's beauty and simplicity for early childhood

. watching and listening to my boys play their violins in concerts and quartets

. falling in love with papercraft and attending this creative women's classes

. taking steps towards studying a course at home.

Loving this quote:

'A hundred years from now,

it will not matter what my bank account was,

the sort of home I lived in,

or the kind of car I drove;

but the world may be different

because

I was important to the life of a child. '

Anonymous

building the christmas spirit

The Christmas spirit is slowing starting to build. Lots of hot sticky days and the winding down from a busy school term has kept my mind busy.

So there is nothing like jumping in the car and heading to a few favourite Christmas light spots.

I do love how so many people get into the spirit of things. Houses draped in thousands of lights and little old men wearing red suits and handing out candy canes.


There is also something special about having a little one in the family. She is so full of wonder and reminds us all of the magic of Christmas.

Every Sunday night our family have been sitting down together - listening as I read a chapter from the book "Advent Sunday Stories". There is a story for each of the Sundays before Christmas. The book covers the mineral, plant, animal and the human realms. I love how this little book gives a imaginary narrative of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem.

It is so nice to sit as a family and listen to the true story of Christmas - even my Mr 15 (after a couple of rolls of the eyes) sits and listens intently!

celebrating two

Last week we celebrated . Our littlest one turned two and simplicity was my mantra. The table was prepared the night before with her little gifts, a birthday spiral and a few flowers.

Grace's birthday was a lovely day. Our hand made gifts were lovingly received. I have to say - it has bought me great joy watching her play with her new treasures. The many hours of doll making was well worth it and this sweet doll is now named Lulu. Her Daddy spent many many hours building this minature kitchen - Gracie has already baked a few dozens muffins and many pots of soup for us all (hehe).

I made a simple gluten free cake with butter icing and a beetroot coloured heart. Gracie knew exactly who this sugary cake was for and lovely devoured a piece in 2 seconds flat.

The birthday spiral was lit and we all sang happy birthday including Grace herself. Some more sugary goodness was consumed - homemade cookies made by her big brother.

Time has flown by, I can hardly believe it has been two years since my little girl was born - gently and peacefully in our home. I remember just after she was born, looking straight into her eyes and feeling such awe and knowing for her. She had visited me many times, even before her conception. One visit still sticks in my mind (2 years before I conceived her).*Be patient, I am still here, I am a girl and I will be called Grace*.

This little one of mine is a lively character who has a love for teddy bears like no other. She also loves making cups of tea for anyone who pops in for a visit. The sandpit it is a favorite hangout where daily sand pies and other concoctions are created.

Our days are filled with her sweet little chattering and I love hearing her speak in sentences. Day nappies have vanished and the little white potty is a constant companion. "I'm a big girl now, I wear nickers", is one of her favourites (so sweet).

The fact that she still sleeps in our bed and has her little breastfeeds a few times a night is special to me. I cherish this connection and no matter how tired I may feel in the morning - I certainly don't tire of her little face looking up at me every morning saying "I'm awake now - porridge with tarnies please".

Happy Birthday sweet girl. There are no words to express how blessed we feel to have you in our world.

monday can be mother's day

This wonderful passion fruit cake was so lovingly baked for me as a belated Mother's Day treat. My sweet 12 year old son was stressed about not having it baked upon arriving at his Dad's house to pick him up. "It ok", I declared "Monday can be Mothers Day too", - a big grin shot across his face. If there's one thing I have learnt about motherhood it is about being flexible and creative. So, on this lovely Monday afternoon our family sat around the table and all enjoyed a piece of my Mother's Day cake.

lots of little things

Life has busy around here of late. Three weeks of school holidays will do that! I sat down to write this post and had to really think about what has been happening in my life. Lots of outings with my boys, movies, hot chocolates and kicking around the soccer ball at the park.

some crafty projects....

a little bit of weaving inspired by a book a friend lent me. I found this gorgeous bamboo/cotton blend yarn from spotlight of all places. I will post the completed item up when I decide what it will be!

felt clips make from hand painted wool felt for the little girl in the family
and a half completed crown. I remember making the boys a kings crown each when they were in kindy.

the little one in the family turned 18 months a couple of weeks ago. Even though see is not a little baby anymore, we are all still so much in awe of her. To watch her brothers with her is so special and I won't even mention her Daddy's devotion.... that is a whole other post!

proof that a big brother can still love a wet and tired grumpy little sister.

and stumbling across Whyatt and Grace the other day. Snuggled up in a corner of my bedroom reading one of my favourite golden books . My heart melts when I see beautiful connections like these. So I peep around the corner, quietly snap a photo and left so their reading and sharing time could continue.

Yes, it's been a lovely few weeks and the days have been filled with lots of little things.

autumn space - take two

My little autumn space was in need of some more treasures. As a result of my additional treasures -the seasonal table now resides in the entry hall. Every time the front door opens a leave or two blows off the tree branch, this is much to the delight of my little giggling toddler.

our little autumn space

having a young child in the home again has inspired me to set up the seasonal table. Well, in this case it is a little space on our bookshelf. It is a nice way to bring nature into the home - it only has to be simple like collecting a few leaves from your yard. I did have some fun creating these little pumpkins and gnomes. The timber mushroom was a gift to Grace from her brothers, brought all the way back from the black forest in Europe. I wonder what other little treasures will be added to the seasonal table in the following weeks?

a bag of her own

My hands have been busy making my little one a new handbag, and what a hit it has been. Her days have been spent collecting all types of things to put it. It's such a nice feeling to watch her play with something that I have created. My mind is already buzzing with ideas for the next project.

little bird

Seems that my little girl has an obsession with birds...... so she was the inspiration for this little bird that I created for the tree.