Winter Gratitude

If you know me at all, you know that winter is my least favourite time of year.  So to try and embrace this time of year and make a choice to be content with where we are, I'm looking for all the things about winter that I enjoy.

• cooking and eating hearty slow cooked stew
• wearing warm hand knits
• keeping warm by a roaring fire
• wearing ugg boots
• snuggling under my favourite nana rugs while watching TV
• sleeping in warm flanny sheets
• making the most of any sunny days that come our way!!

Thanks to Grace from arthousemum for inspiring some thankfulness in me.
What do you like about winter???

Daddycation:

- like a vacation except instead of going somewhere different, 

we stay home and mum is away and we do things that are different.  

Thank-you Sparkle Stories for this definition.

My family had a Daddycation this weekend and this is what I've heard happened.

- a trip to town for new sandpit sand, special morning tea and a long play in the park

- filling the wheel barrow with sand, riding on top and getting tipped into the sand pit

- picking up new tyres for the quad bike from town, fitting them and then taking it for a test drive with all the boys aboard

- french toast, bacon and maple syrup for breakfast

- cooking jumbles

- visiting friends in town for a play

- lots of wrestling 

- dinner with grand parents which always means special desserts

- lego play with dad

- tennis with dad

It sounds like they had so much fun, I'm almost sad I missed out.   But then I remember that I was at the Novotel, Twin Waters on the Sunshine Coast being completely refreshed with over 100 other homeschooling mums.  No, I didn't miss out at all.

Fibre Artist

While I was visiting a friend in the Hunter Valley last week she took me to visit a fibre artist. She has her own sheep and goats, shears and cleans the fleeces and then dyes the wool ready for spinning and knitting or felting.  Walking into her studio was like a dream come true for me.  It was amazing to see wool in so many different stages and all the different machines/contraptions that she uses. 

I bought a few different sorts of wool while I was there.  Some for spinning and some for felting.  Hopefully I'll be able to show you some of things the kids and I make together soon.  We have discovered the wet felting is a great messy fun for everyone.  This has really inspired me.  Maybe I'll be able to get some sheep of my own one day!!

Pretty Things...

While I was away with a friend recently, we spent a night playing with all her beads.  It was fun sorting through all the boxes and making some earrings to match some necklaces I had.

Three things ...

... on the road!!!