School holidays and ordinary days.

Holidays, Im so glad they are here, though disapointed the first week is nearly over already! 

The boys have "soul fever".  Tired from a long first term at school, a little run down, disconnected, out of sorts.  This week has been a combination of a couple of trips out and about and lots of time spent at home.  Resting, watching movies, eating nourishing food and simply spending much needed time togeather. 

They set up their tent in the backyard and have loved sleeping in that!  Mostly, though have snuck into their own beds a couple of times, teddies and precious softies in arms when the wind has picked up and shaken their tent!  Ha, my sweet boys.  Such a desire to be big, but the reality is they are still little at heart.   

Excuse the bad photo, but you see that?  It's a roof!  And the frame for the walls of the extension. 

The boys are in love with marbles at the moment, here they are making marble runs with their Grimms rainbow. 

Chatting, chilling out....I't turning a blind eye to the mess, because play and creativity is messy right? 

We enjoyed a morning out at the Tanunda vintage festival.  Gosh I love the Barossa!

Bringing in rhythem, and hot nourishing lunches togeather.  A treat in the school holidays. 

My beautiful hand made mug from a local business Ottimade I got from the markets.  So beautiful, a special treat.  I have long admired her beautiful, simple, earthy work, but finally I have a piece!

The reality of renovating on a tight budget.  We did a big push to get the roof on.  Now we are skimp for a few weeks.  There is lots of pasta, soups and slow cooked roasts on the menu!  I have HUGE bag of lentils a local farmer kindly gave me from their crop - time to work out what to actually DO with them.  Im thinking a curry?  I did not grow up eating lentils and legumes, I quite enjoy them though I'm not very good at preparing them. 
I have promised the boys pom  pom making, and I have sourdough to prepare so I best be off. 
Blessings,
Emma

Meandering holidays.

I'm not sure where time is going but with another week closing to an end I'm looking forward to the weekend and all being together to work in the garden.  Though I think Sunday is predicted to hit 40 so I'm unsure how much work we will get done then!  I have been busy contacting some local people who are happy to share some of their immense permaculture/farming knowledge with us.  One of the most exciting is the lovely Sally at Jembella Farm which we are lucky enough to be able to go and visit, I know the boys will all love it and we cannot wait!  We are also looking forward to the The Food Forest opening day in April and they have a permaculture talk on which will be very interesting, and no doubt we will learn a lot.  Being local examples we can visit will be invaluable to us and the plans we have for our place.  Our plans for this place are beginning to take shape, I will pin Grant down so we can draw them out for you soon I promise!  

I don't really know what we have done these holidays,  there was surgery of course at the beginning and the recovery from that which took us to Christmas, then there was travel, family, friends and so forth during the Christmas/New Year period.  Our good friends wedding, time seems to have slipped away.  But in a nice way, the enjoyable kind of way that time slips away when there is no schedule, no time table, and no need to keep to the outside worlds pace.       

We have been encouraging William to undertake a little more responsibility around the house, he is doing really well, with only the occasional light grumble.  He is finding the joy in chores and working out how to have a little fun whilst doing them, like swirling the water around when he does the dishes.  He is enjoying cooking with my thermomix, following the instructions, using the scales, getting the ingredients out and most importantly packing up the kitchen at the end with me.  There are many lessons that we talk about during this time.  About kitchen hygiene and safe food handling, the importance of leaving the sink and benches clean and dry, why we might use salt or vinegar in a sauce or item to preserve it, why we might use plain flour or self raising flour.  Standard little kitchen lessons that just kind of evolve while we chat and work away side by side.         

I was browsing through some photos this morning and I realized I have not done any sewing in weeks!  No wonder I feel like I'm missing something.  Today I will find the time I'm sure.  Just after we hold the budgies.

I'm not sure if I showed you my last doll I completed.  I think I got caught up in the flurry of Christmas and renos.  

Here she is, I left their naming to their new little owners.  She is a little older so I thought she might have something special in mind for them.  

As usual they are made using traditional Waldorf methods.  With hand formed heads, firmly stuffed with pure wool, wool hair and simple hand embroidered faces.  The clothing is hand woven fabric from a good friend who makes beautiful baby wraps and cotton/wool felt for the rest.  

When I went home over Christmas I was given a bunch of lovely embroidered and crocheted linens that used to belong to my Grandmother.  I found this little one which I totally loved and popped it in a little frame so it's on display.  It seems such a pity to keep such beautiful items in a draw, Simple creativity, my favorite kind! 

Anyway lunch is cooked and time to get going.

Much love,

Emma

xx

Interesting links this week

This week has been a quiet week at home.  I have been chronically run down and fighting illness and have forced myself to have a week at home, while I'm on antibiotics.  Resting and sleeping where we can.  It is so important to say "no" every now and again to the world.  There is a "suck it up" attitude in our culture and it is so unhealthy.  I swear it leads to chronic long term illness.  I should have done this week after the long weekend when I first became unwell.  I SHOULD have really stopped until I felt fully well, but instead I took minimal time off and got on with it.  I have been struggling with fatigue since then.

I have to remind myself I AM NOT THAT IMPORTANT!!!  The world will continue to rotate if I pull back. People WILL find work out a way to work in the groups I volunteer in if I take a few days off.  And also that I am worthy of rest.  "No" is such a valuable word, and one I am learning how to use as I get older.   

As usual I am only just getting into the swing of school holidays and they are sadly nearing an end.  These lazy, unstructured days are good for all our souls!

It is looking highly possible that the business people who are looking at our shop may put an offer on next week.  Our old real estate agent is a lovely fellow.  But he does everything by snail mail, no email, no smart phones.  He is an old school man of his generation.  It is charming but slow!  It means each side of paperwork takes a day or two extra from every angle.  But he is good, and we very much like his old fashioned approach.  So we are still waiting, weather we get an offer in the region of the price we need is yet to be seen.  At times it feels our dream farm is tantalisingly close, but still just out of reach.

The little boys and I spent sometime inside near the fire playing with puzzles, it was lovely to watch Angus encouraging little Henry,  gosh those guys can be so deliciously cute and sweet to each other!

So this week I thought I would link you to a few things that have been topic of conversation in our house this week.  I hope you have a lovely weekend!

xx

This is a link from Grant - we have been dreaming about farming a a lot this week and how we would farm on a smaller acreage.  
You tube clip of a chook tractor farm

The fellow who makes the Chook tractors, great technology.
about the chook trailors

This link is not for sensitive stomachs.....but it kinda links in with my desire to cloth nappy and the environmental impacts of wet wipes.
modern day crisis in our sewers....

I love stories like these!  Grant linked me to this story earlier in the week suggesting we take on this life.....?!
self sustainable living - an interesting woman's story.

An Australian lady who sells excellent Waldorf doll kits, her instructions are fantastic and I often use a pattern or two of hers depending on the doll I'm making.  
Sarah Dolls

This is a link with some great, free online tips to help form a Waldorf doll.  She also sells full kits but check the postage to Australia and this is a group of Canadian woman.  
Bamboletta waldorf tutorial