Groovy bag // the second sewing class

Here's the second school holiday sewing class I did at Victoria's place. I had planned this one for just boys as well and see how many boys got excited about this! Ha, zero, that's right. Oh well the girls didn't mind that the colours I had chosen were a bit boyish, they made the bags look like theirs.

It felt good to be able to teach again and teaching sewing was a lot of fun. The girls learned quickly and I was so impressed with their designs on the bag. I'm thinking more sewing classes, it's so much fun to sew things together and you feel so proud when you've finished something by yourself.

So blessed.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself just to make sure that these two are mine. Pregnancy time, both times, seems just a big blur in my mind and it blows me away that I'm a mother. I don't even remember the time when we were a one child family. I feel so privileged to be able to nurture these two and at the same time I feel I fall short in so many areas. Three years ago I never knew a love like this exsisted. The amount of love I have for my children cannot be measured or put in words, it is hard for me to comprehend it. And I guess that is the case for most mothers. I'm so grateful to be on this journey and I know it's not just them growing, I'm growing with them.

I had a very special day. Hubby made amazing and HEALTHY red velvet cupcakes, and I was going to take a picture and share the recipe, but that half a cupcake you see in my daughters hand was the last one. Might just have to make a new patch. My proud mummy moment for today was that my two and a half year old daughter sang a song Mother I love you in church today. She sang with her friend, who is a year older, in front of the whole church. Yes these two little girls, all on their own.

I am so blessed. 

So many great things in this town...

What a great and eventful start for the weekend I've had. On Friday night I was invited to celebrate Victoria's place's first birthday and the opening of the Quirky Cake Queen's shop there. What a wonderful evening it was, beautiful people, yummy cupcakes and lots of pretty things to buy and admire. Here's just a few of the hundred pictures I took.

 

Two happy and glamorous ladies, Victoria and Natalie aka Quirky Cake Queen

 I sneaked a picture of myself there. Oh it felt good to dress up fancy, put a little make up on and go out celebrate with these wonderful people. I even had a break from my food plan and enjoyed couple of churros and a cupcake! And they tasted divine!

Then this morning we walked to town to enjoy Dryandra Country Art, Food and Wine Trail. We went to a farmers market, enjoyed some gourmet pizza and tried to take all the art in we could.

 Little town of Narrogin, you surprise me once more so positively. I loved loved loved all the things we participated and feel so inspired now.

 Thanks hubby for taking few photos of me and the kids as well. I feel truly blessed.

What rain can do to you.

I'm lying in bed under the warm covers not wanting to get up. Then I start to listen, am I hearing what I think I'm hearing? Is that... I get up and run to the window. Yes it's RAIN! Rain is here, my darling friend rain! My muse, the thing that kicks me in the backside and gets me working, rain. My daughter is outside running around in her pyjamas, no shoes. I call her inside and tell her what a good girl she is. We take her soaking wet pyjamas off and put her clothes on and a rain jacket and gumboots and outside she goes. I go with her, in my woolen socks, I'm not a very good example to her. We're using all of our senses, feeling the rain, listening the rain, tasting the rain and smelling the rain. I try to take a few pictures, but it doesn't work. You just can't capture the beauty of rain with an iPhone. I go inside and I smell something else, something burning. It's a horrible smell. It's our breakfast porridge. All burnt and ruined, I was too overwhealmed by the rain that I forgot the whole porridge. Oh well I thought, open the windows, let the bad smell of burnt porridge go out and welcome in the lovely smell of rain. Now bring out the materials I need to make something.

Beanies; little ones, big ones, girly ones and some for boys. Thank you rain. Do come again.

Dinosaur beanie // Sewing class

When I was asked to plan and run a sewing class for boys I jumped out of joy! What a great idea to have a sewing class for boys!! Victoria's place organises school holiday programs for kids in our town. It's a great way to give kids something to do during the holidays as often the parents are still working.

I was all over this challenge and came up with this dinosaur beanie. It's so groovy and cool. My students were amazingly talented even though it was their first time sewing with a sewing machine. I was proud as punch when I saw their beanies in their heads, and so were they.

 I ended up having only three children and yes one of them was a very brave girl, but it was just perfect amount so I was able to help them along all the time. So talented, so talented! I also did another class, but of that I'll post a bit later. And this class will be running next school holiday as well!

Oh happy Moday everyone! May it be a productive week!

Minnie Mouse present

Emma's cousin Mia turned 3 last week. Oh my how time has gone fast. That means that it's less than 4 months and Emma herself will turn 3 (Better start planning her party.. Just kidding, it's almost sorted already). But for Mia, I made a little Minnie Mouse bag and a Minnie Mouse mask. Cuteness. Emma was more than happy to be my model and try on the mask before we wrapped the present up.

 Poor thing would have wanted to keep the Minnie Mouse mask to herself. So it got me excited. I think it's time to make some more masks. The FARM ANIMAL ones have been really popular and now I've been drawing patterns for other sets.

I'm thinking jungle animals: monkey, lion, giraffe, zebra and elephant. Also maybe little garden bugs: butterfly, spider, caterpillar, ladybird. I only have 4 bugs in that list, but I'd want the set to always have 5 different things. So any suggestions of what would be a good bug to that list?

Klara vappen everybody!

I love bringing some traditions from Finland into our Aussi life. So as 1st of May was getting closer, we decided to throw a little party with Emma. 1st of May, Vappu (what it's called in Finland), is a big celebration. People get out their barbeques and have picnics, we enjoy special food, sima (a drink with lemon, sugar and yeast), munkki (a bit like doughnut) and tippaleipä (there's nothing to explain that). There's balloons, masks and streamers, everyone is happy and festive.

So why not bring a little of that festivity in our normal boring day-to-day. We had a fun morning with friends, eating treats and decorating animal masks. It's little traditions like these that colour our everyday life. Thanks all you lovely ladies for coming over and bringing your kids for a play. Thanks for making our vappu very special!