A Three Year Project

When I was pregnant with Eli (who is now 2!!) I started knitting a cotton throw blanket.  I didn't have a pattern, my friend had one that I liked so I borrowed it and counted stitches and rows etc.  I cast on 150 stitches and started my moss stitch.  Each row took me about 45mins to knit!!  I was cruising along alright but after awhile, as you can imagine I started to lose a little interest and get a bit bored with it (and started other knitting projects). 

Every now and then I would get it out and do a bit more. Then Eli joined our family and then the desire  and the need to have a blanket decreased each day.  

Then 2 years on, my sister announced that she was pregnant.  Out came the blanket again - I was on a mission to get it finished for this baby.  After running out of cotton and then going all over town to try and find more that matched, I finally got the knitting all finished!  BEFORE Jimmy arrived.

It then sat in a pile on my sewing desk for a few months till he actually arrived and I was gently prompted by my sister to finish it.  I was going to try and make binding till I discovered blanket binding. How cool is this stuff.  Once I had this it took me all of 15 mins to finish. 

Now it is used and loved by my newest nephew and his mum.  Isn't he CUTE?

3 Things Thursday - In Our Home

~ This cute little Paradise Kingfisher made it's home in our ute for a night this week. It wasn't looking too well when Scott found it but after a while it decided it was ok and flew off.

~ We had lots of fun with paint and canvas this week.  These 'splat' painting now hang on the wall in our family room.

~ There are now bunk beds in the boys room - no more cot!!  And it is going so well.  Eli is so proud of his big boy bed and it even staying on it and playing with his toys in the mornings.

Homeschooler Craft Morning

Once a month we get together with four other homeschool families and have a fun morning of play time, a quick character lesson and some directed craft activities.  This month we also did show and tell. It is lots of fun and all the kids are fast becoming friends and look forward to these days.

Here are some pictures of our last get together.



There was a huge painting on the fence.

Threading bracelets and necklaces with beads and pasta.

Rainbows made with coloured rice.

And we finished off with cute show and tell.

We love these days - they are such fun and it is great to be forming a little community for our kids.

Truth in the Tinsel!

If there is one thing I've learnt about myself in my first year of being a homeschool mum it is this..

I am not a 'fly by the seat of my pants' type person.

I need a plan and to be organised, otherwise it just doesn't happen.  If I try to grab what I need 5 mins before the lesson it ends up taking too long, the kids lose focus and end up in a different area or outside playing in the hose!!  I've lost the focus and desire to pull everyone back together.  This is a very good lesson to learn early in our homeschool journey.  This will help me lots when deciding which  curriculum to buy.  We have done ok this year but we succeeded best with the programs that were all laid out for me or the ones the I really like and put the effort into planning.

So  when I found Truth in the Tinsel I knew it was perfect for me and our family.  I was planning to make my own advent calendar and activities to go in it like I did last year but when I found this I gave up all thoughts of that!!

Truth in the Tinsel is a bible based advent for little kids that gives them a great understanding of Jesus coming and why using simple crafts that can hang on the Christmas tree.  Most the of supplies needed are things I have in my house (There is a list in the front of the book so you can check out everything that you need).  The few things in the list that I don't have are now on my shopping list for this week. (see I like to be organised).

AND - yes there is more - for those of us that get busy in December and have no hope of doing a craft EVERY day, there are simple print and colour ornaments that you can buy too.  How great is that.  I'm sure we'll be doing these on our town days!!

I don't think I can commit to showing you what we do each day but I'll try show you maybe once a week what we've made - I think that is more achievable.

Do you have an advent planned for you family?? If not, perhaps you could join us with Truth in the Tinsel.

3 Things - This weeks sewing projects

Binding for a baby blanket (I'll show you more in a few days)

First time I've quilted anything

The first of many 'racer' shorts.

Have you made any time for yourself this week??

3 Things Thursday - Creating

Riding his scooter

A carrot growing in a garden

Truck with a bulldozer on the back

My oldest doesn't like to draw or colour in.  But give him some blocks, a set of tacks and shapes, play dough, lego or a megasketch (which he draws on?!) and he creates all sort of things.  I love that by changing the activity just a little he can still be super creative.  It just means I need to think a little differently too.

Happy Monday

We went camping on the weekend and had a great time catching up with old friends we haven't seen for years.  Our boys had fun making new friends with the other kids there.

This morning we went for a walk straight after breakfast.  It was a wonderful start to our day.  I left the dishes in the sink, washing all over the floor in the laundry and ignored it.  We walked slowly and found all sort of fun things and chatted along the way.  These flowers on a tree right near our house.  They were so pretty we picked some for our hanging bottle vases.

Happy Monday - hope your week started well!

In November ...

3 Things Thursday - Boy Blue

~ blue paper balls (hospitals can be so dull but these brighten the walls)
~ name flags
~ meeting my new nephew (he came 4 weeks early so glad we got that baby shower in first)