Pockets Are Always Good.

My independent little sewist asked today if she could find some ideas online for a sewing project. She googled "kids sewing project" and disappeared into her room for a  while, before emerging with this:

She calls it a Pocket Blanket, and says you can hang it up in your room to store all your little things in. Loving watching her gain in confidence and creativity.

Fabric Goodness

L10 came with me to Spotty, and led me totally astray. Here he is laying out the fabrics for his new quilt. Don't worry, they are folded in half - it's going to be shorter and twice as wide. Although for L10 it probably works this way too. 

It was a big fabric day.  Teaching your older brother to use your sewing machine?

Priceless.

We got him on the new steam iron sorting Geeky Husband's shirts too, but everybody knows in this house ironing is a boy job anyway.

We did do stauncher stuff as well - went for a bike ride with friends. L10 did the whole 7.5km with the blokes, while P7 got close to half way, which was great going considering her bike is very heavy compared to her and doesn't have the benefit of gears.

Saturday Stuff

More monopoly madness. Now P7 has made a version of mini monopoly. 

L10 comforts his distraught sister after a scary ant discovery in her room. Ants are apparently quite terrifying.

 P7 takes over the stamp collection I started at about her age, after Mutti and Bunce found it hidden away in storage. It's amazing how much learning comes about once you start looking at and talking about stamps - especially ones as ancient as I am.

End Of Term

Hurrah!

Pic from yesterday because I was slack today.

Minecraft-opoly

L10 is creating a Minecraft version of monopoly. So cute.

Glamorous Whiskers

We went to the Junior School Production and it was super cute. I let Geeky Husband do the filming, and this is what he got:



Whaaaaa???!

And this too:



Hmmmm. That's why I'm usually the camera boss.

Still, they were pretty darn cute - P7 is a tangoing shearer with a Year 1 for a sheep.

 She got the expert make up lady today, and has decided she's going to ask for a moustache tomorrow too.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

Had a lovely old day being a 1950s housewife with some friends around for a sewing bee. One of them is an amazing photographer, so she captured the day for me as she sewed. 

Then it was my turn to take pics of her, taking pics for an online tutorial. This woman takes her lighting seriously. Climb-the-ladder seriously.  (That makes my bad backlit pics kinda embarrassing.)

 And I can't blog the day without mention of my two stars! Here they are after the first night of the junior school production. P7 is a shearer - hence the stubble make up - and proud L10 did the lighting. Can't wait to go see it tomorrow evening.

A Simple Thing

I dyed my hair, like I've done so many times before.

Amira Osman Hamed has been arrested and faces flogging for not covering hers. You can sign the petition for her here.

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

It's only September, and today I started making my first Christmas present, which sounds very organized and accomplished. Only problem is I don't have a clue what I'm doing. That's always the best way though.

(Photo distorted to protect present anonymity.)

Cooking

Bandolier

Ah, the crazy eye of being spoilt rotten by your grandmother. Kinda scary too.

Wah

P7 made this slightly scary kiwifruit man.

And hung him on the way up to my bedroom. Just hoping it's not some kind of small girl voodoo.

I hate icing things. I hate making icing actually. All that sugar, and it never spreads or sets how you'd imagined. I've decided from now on, I'm just going to slather the top of things in chocolate. I reckon that's easier and tastier. 

While I was making those, I was also washing a raw fleece someone gave me. A word to the wise - never wash a raw fleece at home. Ewwwww, you won't believe what comes out. I used almost an entire bottle of janola trying to decontaminate my house afterwards. I didn't even begin with the sticks stuck in there. Sheep carry around a veritable tree in their fleece - who knew?

Catalogue Of Goodness

Boys cleaning their cap guns

 and taking the nails out to re-use old wood.

Girls doing crafty things with glue and glitter.

 And many, slightly odd, pictures of the twirly skirt I sewed today (from Sew LA Tea Do, which I borrowed from bookclub). It's actually a nice tealy, turquoisey print that is not really captured here, but you get the gist.

(Hmmm. . . it wasn't quite so crinkly before P7 wore it all evening!)

Cursive Writing

I mentioned something about learning cursive the other day, and to my great surprise, L10 asked if he could give it a go this afternoon. Way to make your mama happy boy! Gotta be good for you, even if you don't end up writing that way.

Meet Daisy

P7 is so desperate for a sister, she made her own. Meet Daisy:

She began life a few weeks ago as a scarecrow project made in secret. I was amazed when she appeared with all the clothing stuffed and sorted, the head created out of brown paper and stuffed, the wig, the hat and a little connecting ring at the neck to hold it all together. All she lacked was a face, and P7 was very particular about what she could use for that. Today we struck face mask gold at Spotlight, and this one was deemed okay, even though she only had holes for eyes. P7 filled them in a beautiful green, and brought Daisy to life.

She's already fooled L10 a couple of times as she slouched on the couch, and he thought she was P7.

Cool

http://seriouslyforreal.com/amazing-world/the-35-most-spectacular-wildlife-photos-from-the-national-geographic-photo-contest/

Promise

I can never resist a few bulbs in autumn, for all that they promise. Usually I plant them and that's that, I never see them again. But this year. . .

Gotta Love. . .

escaping on a soggy day

 meeting up with a lovely friend for coffee and doughnuts

 catching a mid-day flick while your children are at school

and being sent the pics to blog it too. Thanks Invisible Friend!