...handmade Christmas....tick

Phew - it is done!  The biggest sigh has left my soul after that exhausting few weeks and then chaotic few days leading up to Christmas day.  Work was crazy in the last few frantic days and the present making was a marathon effort but it's all OK because I made it over the finish line!! And now I officially can do whatever the heck I want for the next two weeks....well mostly...sort of...well let's just say more than when I'm not on holiday.

So the end results of all those secret workshops and shrieks of 'close the door' were amazing.  Super proud of the family for getting on board and running with this as it's not that easy to come up with presents to make everyone....and the common theme with the present making was it was particularly hard to come up with what to make Dad!  This includes me as I find guys so hard to make or buy presents for, whether they are younger or older I just find them hard.  Apparently I am easy as to make for because 'you love anything we do Mum' which makes me happy for two reasons.  One because it means to them I am a safe place and two that I am their cheerleader...must be doing something right!  I'm especially glad (and relieved) that they feel comfortable making for me as making a gift for someone can leave you feeling a little vulnerable.  And I know this from experience as there are some people in my world that I love making for as I know they will love anything.  But there are also some people that I get tied in knots over worrying about my homemade gifts being cool enough.  I know it's ridiculous that a nearly 37 year old woman, mother of three, professional accountant and craft lover and maker for years finds making for some of the nieces and nephews an nerve wracking experience with my insecurities at the forefront about what I've made being cool enough!    I think it's fair to say some people in this world get handmade and some people just don't...and that's OK because it makes the world interesting.

Anyway enough rambling, here are the creations made by my family....

My pressies...a quote about hope on a beautiful sunset picture from my hubby as he knows that hope is so important to me, a painted artwork by my youngest with the word 'mother' and what it stands for to her, a sock cow toy and 52 things my eldest loves about me from her and baking and an embroidered  Dr Suess quote that she knows I love from my middle

A close up of the sock cow

My eldests stash - a poem written by Dad and framed, a printed singlet, a birdie xmas tree decoration , macrame bracelets, fudge, hokey pokey and sherbet and stamped quote hoop art from Mum, baking and a turtle felt toy holding a canvas saying how much she is loved by the middle sister and a woollen weaved and decorated bookmark, a movie popcorn box and 'I'll do your jobs for two days' voucher from the littlest sister

The poem Dad wrote for all three girls

The felt turtle with his canvas of love

You can't help but smile when you see this little bookmark

The littlest's loot - printed singlet, monster pencil case, a birdie xmas tree decoration, fudge, hokey pokey and sherbet and button and ribbon bookmarks from Mum, a framed poem from Dad, a balloon ball and baking from the middle sister and paper booklets, a pencil case roll, bracelets and a framed button J from the oldest sister

The middle's pressies - a 'love' cushion, peppermint body scrub, a printed singlet, fudge, hokey pokey and sherbet and a birdie xmas tree decoration from Mum, a framed poem from Dad, two art works from the older sister and a collection of the middle's favourite baking recipes, a decorated box filled with pieces of paper listing things that the youngest loves about her and a 'I'll do your jobs for two days' voucher from the youngest

Dad's treasures - BBQ sauce, BBQ steak rub, steaks, 'manly' hand cream, a birdie xmas tree decoration and a bag to clip onto his bike for his keys and cellphone when he goes for a ride from Mum, a framed and decorated scripture and baking from the middle, a framed poem and magnetic wristband to use for his nails when building things from the eldest and a book listing all the things she loves about his from the youngest

I mean, how can you not feel completely loved and filled up from all that time and effort and thoughtfulness!  

Let me just say that pinterest is awesome!!

Well I hope you all had a lovely Christmas celebrating in your own ways and traditions and mostly giving and receiving love.

As the New Year approaches even though it is somewhat cliched and some may say corny, I love the feeling of hope and anticipation as a fresh new year is on the horizon and I feel some goals brewing in my soul.  

My goal for this week - to come up with my goals, hopes, dreams and desires for 2015.

Take care and till then

almost there....

We are almost at the finish line and the red delicious house has been a hive of present making activity.  The eldest has gone 'making mad' and has spent most of her free time in the last 3 weeks shut away in her bedroom crafting up a storm.  She is done and dusted for the most part and now just making for the fun of it!  She has made at least two presents for every person in the house and just has a hold up on the finishing of Dad's pressie which requires Mum's help.  The youngest is organised, most presents wrapped and under the tree but also waiting on Mum to help her with the final piece for Dad's pressie and then she is done.  The middle has procrastinated until just yesterday when in a mad panic finally realised she only has four days of making left!  She had grand plans, elaborate intricate present ideas and I had to gently (at first and then firmly when she wouldn't listen!) remind her of the time she has left and the fact that I don't have time to rescue her on Christmas Eve!  She is always the 'aiming for the moon' kind of girl, which I adore, but when you are four days out from Christmas, with no cash for buying last minute gifts as a back up option it is a very frustrating quality for sure!  

And how am I going you ask....well I'm doing well considering the tight time frame.  I'm on target with the plan I worked out but I will admit I am wasted and so very much looking forward to Christmas Day when I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing I am done!  

So into the making that Christmas tree decorations are appearing from the eldest

Pencil cases and birdie tree decorations under way

Printed singlets finally done

Brewing up some tomato sauce

Just need the labels now

Skin food done and just needing labels

Cushion cover, bracelets, birdie tree decorations and pencil cases

A few batches of lip balm plus tried a new hand cream recipe

The pressies under the tree are growing and so far only the girls have finished gifts under the tree

The pile of things to do beside me on the couch tonight...so much to do and so little time!

I probably won't post again until after Christmas as it's going to get a little crazy for me in the next few days so I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break and enjoy some lovely relaxing family time and wish you all the best for the New Year ahead!

Take care and till then

look at the garden grow...

Boy has the garden grown...amazing what many rainy warm spring days and some fertiliser can achieve!  The tomato plants are now taller than the little stakes I put in, clearly I didn't believe in the tomato plant growth when I put them in.  There are plenty of pretty little 'tomatoes of tomorrow' flowers on my plants and my little cherry tomato plant actually has it's first ever tomatoes.  So very exciting for a newbie in the garden.  Please don't judge harshly the massive weed content of my garden.  Fertiliser is apparently good for those too!  Short of time and attention they are keeping my veggies company in the interim till the madness of the end of year at work and the Christmas pressie making ceases and the long lazy days of summer begin.  Roll on summer break - you can't come quick enough!

The spinach plants are looking a little picked over at the moment because after becoming what was nearly a spinach jungle,  I finally made my way out there yesterday and cut up a few armful loads of spinach.  I triple washed those bad boys, chopped them up and sealed it in batches in snaplock bags in the freezer.  I have about 12 bags of spinach in there that will be used in cooking and I even chopped it up finely last night for the homemade burger patties, much to the disgust of small onlookers.  But the patties were a hit and the spinach was not even noticed so I will definitely be doing that again.  I'm also going to try finely chopping up in the nacho mix and we will see how that experiment turns out.  I must say I have never eaten so much spinach in my life - it's great when you grow your own, because you don't want your hard work to go to waste so I'm finding I make sure I use it - fascinating!

My eldest helped me make the dinner the other night and we had a big bowl of salad with all sorts and so we made our way to the garden to get the main ingredient.  Love that we can just walk outside for our lettuce, it is just so.....satisfying!  We even picked our first crop of radishes and spring onions, admittedly I am impatient so they are a little on the small side, but fun nevertheless.  

We are already talking about next year and the need for strawberries and I have been asked if I could grow cucumber...my reply...well I don't know I will have to find out!  But I am going to need more room if this keeps up because I already have lettuces squashed in all over the place.

Who would have ever thought that I, a once very vocal adversary to the act of gardening, would be blogging about my own garden!  Wonders never cease....

Take care and till then

it's the year of the handmade...

So I've had this romantic idea for years about a handmade Christmas.  Often my nose is stuck in some fiction novel set back in the days when land in America was being settled and Christmas presents were things like a pair of knitted socks, a wooden carved ornament, a new handmade dress, a handmade rag doll and the good old peppermint sticks, from the one stop shop in town, that were a real treat.

Now obviously we don't live life like that anymore and it wasn't all romance and handmade presents and I am very thankful for the flush toilet, stretchy knit no iron necessary fabric, hot water showers, washing machines and so many more things I take for granted most days.  But the idea of every gift being handmade just really appeals to me.

Every year for the last quite a few I have made presents for my own children and for nieces and nephews.  I feel as if in spending those hours making I am passing on to them how much I love them.  I have still bought presents as well and for the most part I must admit the money side of life has been a contributing factor in the decision to make presents versus buying for the copious offspring our siblings have produced.  But mostly it is the joy I get from putting so much of myself into their gifts and the process of the making - that is until I have made the same thing 12 times and it's crunch time in the last week before Christmas!

This year the funds are a little tighter than usual due to a few contributing factors but don't worry as we are totally fine and have many luxuries millions have never experienced, however there is not much spare for Christmas pressies this time round.  So I put it to the family that this year we were going for a handmade Christmas and ....crickets...tumbleweed...and that awkward silence that follows when your idea has just gone down like a lead balloon.

I quickly tried to allay the as yet unspoken fear written on their faces by talking about the joy of making, reminding them that Christmas was never meant to be about spending lots of money and that making for each other was going to be fun.  I was the handmade Christmas head cheerleader in full swing - splits, somersaults and flick flacks in my verbal praise of this new idea.

Then...the deluge of questions hit and I was like a ninja warrior fending off doubt with swift answers and a cheerful 'we can do it' attitude.  In one of the brief interludes from the incessant questioning I turned to my now very still and quiet husband and said it would be really nice if he could join in too and make presents for the girls and I....it was as though I had turned up to the party nude!  Stunned silence from all members of the family and I was suddenly feeling very....naked!!  I was starting to feel unsure about my romantic budget conscious plans but like a pioneer woman I grabbed up my skirts and waded in with ideas and thoughts on the process.  Slowly the tension began to ease and I could see the cogs of creativity gradually starting to move in my family's minds.

My middle child was concerned as she said to me 'I can't draw and I don't want to sew...what am I going to make?' and I could see she was feeling as though she was the flaw in my brilliant plan.  So we had discussions about how a handmade present didn't have to be sewn or drawn and that the secret is in sticking with your strengths.  Now this child is an amazing baker and plays the piano beautifully so I suggested baking or writing someone a song and then I had her buying into the idea too.  The oldest was in a similar space but is a really good artist and plays the guitar beautifully.  Suggestions of songs, poems, a small drawing and vouchers were all put out there and now even the husband is exhibiting a little, not too overstated, excitement about the idea.

There has been talk of present making workshops with no access allowed and the excitement, yes that's right it has turned to excitement, in the planning about what to make for who.  Understandably the littlest of the crew has been the biggest fan for this new way to do Christmas and is currently as I write this in full swing in the dining room workshop where no sisters are allowed.

Now it would be really bad form if the instigator of this new way didn't quite get to finishing her own handmade presents for the crew so I have quite a few late nights ahead of me to be sure and I had better get cracking.

So 2014 for the red delicious household is the year of the handmade and I for one can't wait until Christmas day!!

Take care and till then

time flies...

How is it that you can feel two completely opposite feelings at the same time?? Time feels like it is flying by with these children of mine but at the same time I feel as though they have been sharing this journey with me forever.

It seems like just yesterday I was a baby having a baby but all the time thinking I was so grown up.  I remember the sheer panic on my first night with my first born and suddenly realising that I was responsible for her start in this world and I didn't even know what I was doing with my own life let alone how to raise her.

Then it was only a short 18 months later that we were welcoming another little life into the world and those were some hard days to be sure.  It was all such a blur in so many ways and I didn't spend much time enjoying the journey in those days which makes me feel a little sad about the missed opportunities but I guess everyone with toddlers and babies can relate to that.  Starting out on the parenthood journey so young and having my first two so close together I just had no concept of enjoying the ride and counted the minutes until afternoon sleep time and 7pm at night when peace would reign and I could do what I wanted to not what I had to...remember I was young!

With a bit of a gap and life starting to get a little easier to manage we made the decision to add one more to our little family and she made it complete.  This was definitely a different experience to having two close together.  For the first two children it was what felt like years of poo, snot, tantrums, day sleeps, cut up apples, High 5 episodes and early starts to my days so I was in the zone and it just kept going for what felt like forever.  By the time the third little one came along I was out the other side of my toilet training days and discovering some freedom from all the poo and snot.  It was a very weird feeling to find myself back to changing nappies and broken sleep and I must admit I felt somewhat of a beginner all over again.  How quickly we forget!  But I must say being a little older and dare I say it, a little wiser, I had learnt a little about enjoying the journey and the moments it brings and there were some very precious times.

So with these girls of mine I feel as though our souls and hearts have been connected for all eternity and I can barely remember my days before they were part of it but at the same time I can't believe that in three short years our eldest will have finished school, will officially be an adult and will be venturing out on her own journey in this world.

I love watching and being part of their growth, even though it is painful at times for all involved and the thought of running away is sometimes, I will admit, appealing.  Ultimately, I feel privileged to get to see these little babies of mine become women with their own minds, opinions (of which there are plenty!), beliefs, qualities, strengths, struggles, passions, relationships and hearts.

Looking over these photos almost doesn't make sense and it seems hard to comprehend the mix of emotions and feelings I have.  Each photo takes me straight back to that time and it was as though it is yesterday but then I look at the most recent ones and it just can't be possible that these young ladies are my babies.  My mind cannot comprehend but my heart falls more in love with them everyday and I feel honoured, blessed and humbled that they were given to me to share the journey with.

When we start out as parents we are concerned with all that we will teach our children but what I have come to realise is that parenthood is really about what our children will teach us.

Take care and till then