my week... part four...

The final installment of this weeks activities.
After many months of talking about it... we've finally done it! Yep, we got ourselves some ducklings. They are just adorable. We bought four little girl ducks to one day produce some yummy duck eggs & in the meantime just be super cute.

They're currently living in a big box in the corner of our hallway. There's lots of straw for a comfy bed, a lamp for warmth & of course some food & water. They seem pretty content. In a few weeks time they'll be so big, they can then move in with the chooks.
We haven't named them yet, it's so hard to tell them apart. We're hoping they develop some distinguishable characteristics as they grow.

my week... part three...

I just love living in the country, everything about it makes me smile. The fact that there is an abundance of food just waiting to be discovered. Along our road we forage for blackberries, plums, nectarines & our latest discovery... apples. I picked these beauties yesterday, they seem to be an early variety of grannies. There is three huge trees laden with fruit. I think these will be perfect for stewing. Crumble or pie... it's yet to be decided.Our ladies are laying beautiful eggs at the moment. We changed their feed to a mix we make up ourselves. It is turning out to be more cost effective & they eat all of it rather than avoid the grains they don't like. The mix is oats, crushed corn & wheat. On top of that, they get kitchen scraps & all the snails they can eat in the garden. The eggs get a most gorgeous yellow-orange yolk & they have a great texture too. I'm a little concerned about these two though... we found them this morning. Their size & shape is a little extreme compared to the one on the left. I hope they were not in pain.

my week... part two...

I'm slowly easing back into a little crafting. Just taking it easy & trying not to do anything that might get me into trouble with the doctor. I don't like getting in trouble.
I've started cutting into some flannel to make the nappies. So far I have chopped enough for 20 inner pieces. They're a bit wonky, but we don't see these bits anyway & no person will want to get up close & personal with a baby's nappy.
Cutting into flannel is very soothing... it's so soft on your hands.

Some cards have been made from upholstery samples I've kept since uni. They're wonderfully stitched, you should see my haphazard handywork. I like to think of it as personal expression through thread. I know we all have such moments...what do you call it?

my week... part one...

Wow, where has the week gone? Looking back on it, I can't remember much that I have done. It certainly does feel like I've been busy, but I guess pregnancy brain leads to a lot of forget.
One thing I've been up to is organising the bubba's room. We've sorted ourselves out with some vintage furniture, decided on the layout & have picked out some fabrics to liven up the space. We'll have a colourful animal theme with mostly vintage fabrics.
This cute piece will be transformed into cushions.

The spotty piece below, will become paneling on the curtains.

& these two shall become a portable change mat, I'm just waiting on the cotton batting to arrive in the post.

There are so many more to show, but I'm still finding special projects for them all. I'll keep you posted.

scoring points...

Brownie points that is. A sure fire way to win over the husband. Not that I needed too, I hadn't been bad. It's just a damn good excuse to eat them.
I've had a great week this week. The husband had two really good days in a row. He was feeling so good, he even ventured into the shed & worked on a car. I had tears in my eyes when he rushed into the house to show me his greasy hands. We're still taking each day as it presents itself, but there are definite improvements in his health & state of mind.
I'm still finding ways to entertain myself. Ways that don't involve any use of my left arm. I'm making lists. I love lists. I've always written them but now they are more prominent. Lists on what to do tomorrow, shopping lists, baby needs, our yearly plan, veggie patch ideas, crafty ideas... the lists go on. I can't do much, but I'm extremely organised.
Tomorrow we have friends arriving for the weekend for some country R&R. I'm excited, friends mean great chats, yummy food & lots of laughing (especially when it's Emma coming down).
I hope your weekend is full of these things too.

vintage matchboxes...

After reading a post over at three buttons the other day, I was inspired to pull out my collection.
I can't remember quite how it came about, but somehow I acquired about 100 vintage matchbox labels. Here are some of my favourite designs. Aren't they great! Why don't they make them like this anymore? Everything has become so sterile in the mass produced world.

I believe these are from the Czech Republic... not entirely sure.

Good aussie matches must have come in threes...

This set of 45 illustrates 200 years of flying from 1760 to 1960. I think I shall frame them, they're too good to hide away.
Click on the image for more detail.

back in the kitchen...

It's so frustrating not having both arms to use, not being able to cook with ease has been a real drag. I was really starting to miss it. I pushed through this issue today with positive thoughts & a can do attitude & tried a bit of baking to entertain myself.
Owning a kitchen aid sure made light work of it. All I did was throw stuff in, turn it on & ooh la la... a muffin batter. The hardest thing was scooping it into the pans & getting it in & out of the oven. I used a simple muffin recipe & added coconut & frozen berries.
The husband was impressed & I knew I had to get a photo in before he gobbled them all up.

planning & scheming in a motherly way...

While I may not be allowed to knit or crochet for the time being, I'm still allowed to plan & scheme & design up all sorts of wonderful goodness for our little babe.

I've stepped over the third trimester threshold & am now on the home run. There's alot left to do, but I'm not too worried. I figure if I plan out all my projects now, then I can just get down to business & make them when I get my arm back. Hopefully this will go to plan & I won't change my mind on fabric choices last minute... we'll see, shall we.
I have a list of the things I want to make... tell me if you think I'm out of my mind.

:: a wee baby granny blanket, in the colours below
:: a pram quilt
:: a cot quilt, this can wait til later down the track when the bub uses the cot
:: a simple floor mat
:: a snuggler from Lotta's Simple sewing for baby
:: a nursing pillow, also from said book
:: a travel change mat, again from above mentioned book
:: 36 nappies, made from flannel sheets gifted by this lovely lady
:: a little woolen cardigan, just needs to be finished
:: a knitted bootie & beanie set
:: & a baby sling from soulemama's pattern
So, that's not too much is it? I won't be working, so I'll have the time. I'll just try not to dilly dally about.

I hope these summer days are treating you well.

looking for new home...

I've decided to sell my Gocco. It was a very hard decision to make, but with the wee babe on the way it may be quite sometime before I get to use it.
It is in a brand new, unused condition.
I've noticed them going on etsy for between $265 & $300 US. So if you want to get yourself a bit of a bargain, it's listed on ebay here.

Pardon me for this blatant sales pitch, a little advertising goes a long way.

2010... the year my collarbone broke...

There's nothing more aussie than a game of backyard cricket over the holiday season. There's lots of friends & family to join in the fun & you play all day until you're called in for tea. Or in this case, you play until the pregnant lady falls over.
Let me set the scene... it's new years day, 12 of our friends & family were camping out at our place & to celebrate, Samuel had mown a cricket pitch into our top paddock.
I think my first mistake was offering to have a bat. You see prior to this, I was sitting on the boundary line eating & rubbing my rather large belly... minding my own business really. I don't know quite what it was that made me go in... was I trying to prove my sporting prowess?, or was I wanting to give it a go, to feel like I had participated in all the day's events. Either way, perhaps it would have been safer on the boundary. Unfortunately, santa didn't bless me with foresight this christmas.
So I'm at the crease & the first ball comes hurtling towards me (well ok, maybe not hurtling... it was more like a casual overarm throw). Anyway, my hand-eye coordination kicked in & I hit the thing bloody hard. Awesome! Then I realised, this is the part where you run. Ok then. So I threw down the bat & started down the pitch. You see, what I seem to have forgotten was this: I'm 10 kilos heavier than usual, I'm rather lopsided (or lopfronted, really) & the ground is a tad uneven. I think I made it a third of the way, when all the sudden the ground was coming towards me (so it seemed). I was destined to fall flat on my front, when a last minute combat decision to protect the baby, saw me attempt an army roll & I landed on my shoulder instead. As I lay there, I knew it wasn't going to be good. I pushed myself up & announced that I felt something & heard something, then looked at my shoulder & said... that doesn't look right. And no, it wasn't right.
After a trip to the emergency, a touch of morphine & an xray, we were told the bad news. I had broken my collar bone, what I thought to have been two separate bones on the xray... was actually one snapped clearly in half. Ha ha, great! The bones specialist also informed me today, that not only did I do the collar bone... I managed to fracture my shoulder blade aswell. Awesome!
So now, I'm not allowed to do pretty much anything for the next 8 weeks. Which by that time, I'll be a full 8 months pregnant & not able to do too much anyway. All my crafty endeavours have been crossed right off the list... although drawing is still ok. Watch this space... you may just witness me losing my sanity. My wonderful friends have delivered parcels of books, dvds & food. Maybe I'll have to start writing book & movie reviews.
So yes, I'm bored like a crazy lady & driving my poor husband mad. I'm really not one to sit still & rest.
Apart from all the kerfuffle, new years was just fantastic. It was so nice to be surrounded by good friends & family, eating too much good food & having a great time.
I hope your festive season was cheerful, with no injuries.
Happy 2010!
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