Babies, Babies and More Babies.

The first of our babies for the year has arrived. This is Violet, my niece's daughter.

 

 I have enjoyed sewing and knitting for a little girl. The dress is thanks to a link via Rhonda's blog. The infant peasant dress for newborns can be found here. She was sound asleep so I didn't want to wake her to try on the dress, so just laid it on top of her to get an idea for size. Should do her for a few months and as the days get cooler it can be worn with leggings and a light cardi. Such an easy garment to sew.

I was so nervous that both the dress and booties would be too small but as you can see there is plenty of room for little Violet to grow into them. Thee booties are from a book called 60 Quick Baby Knits. The pattern is for a 6month baby so I just used a thinner yarn and these are much closer to a new born size once her little foot fattens up a bit.

This year will see the arrival of many babies within our family and close friends. Another niece is due in two weeks, a friends daughter in April, my own daughter, Meghann, in May, and two more friends in July. Looking forward to meeting them all but also sewing and knitting for each and every one of them.

Happy Birthday Rhonwyn

Yesterday was my middle daughter's 30th birthday.  She knows me well I think. Instead of asking me for stuff she mentioned that she'd really like to have Evan's room painted before the new baby's arrival in April. So while she was away with her family camping, we (my eldest daughter, Meg and a student staying on the farm and me) went into the empty house and painted.

I discovered once there that the ceilings were just too high for the little step ladder I'd brought along. I remembered Rhonnie talking about her neighbour Gary, who is always outside working on one project or another. Surely he'd have a step ladder. And sure enough he was outside and he did have a step ladder and yes he was happy to lend it to a total stranger. But on hearing why I needed it he said that really I should have two ladders and a plank. So over the back fence they came. Good on ya Gary.

 We got started on washing the walls, then cutting in and finally with me on the roller, the walls were quickly covered in Soft Apple Green...so very pretty. While it dried, Sophie whipped up some breschetta for our lunch. Mark had made bread yesterday and put it in the oven. It should have come out the oven just before the children arrived on the farm but, you guessed it, we forgot. So it was in the oven for over two hours. Burnt to a crisp on the outside, but as Mark started to cut it up for the pigs he realised that it was just fine inside!. So that was the basis for our bruschetta.  Then tomatoes, and red onion from our farm.  But I'd forgotten the basil so it's just as well Rhonnie has a nice little vegie garden and I was able to pick some of hers.

Then a little nap while the paint dried ( it was 38 deg. after all)

After our break we once again got back into the painting. What a team. We had it finished in no time flat. We then washed the windows, wiped down the timber blinds, rehung the curtains and replaced the furniture. I can't wait to see Rhonnie's reaction when she gets home this afternoon.

We were ever so pleased with ourselves. I love that I'm able to give of myself when it comes to gift giving. How about you? Have you received gifts like this for your self?

Gifts From Nature

It's my birthday today and look what I got...

This duck had been sitting on her eggs for ages it seemed. I was just about to kick her off and dispose of the eggs when Quackers appeared with these 5 ducklings in toe. Something we discovered about duck eggs is that you can actually see the developed duckling through the egg shell. I've never seen that with chicken eggs!

And of course the rain. What a beautiful gift that is, just 19 mls overnight but it looks promising for more. Keep your fingers crossed!

Eight two year olds

A few weeks back I was contacted by a mum with a two year old. Her ante natal mother's group come together to celebrate their children's birthdays. They are all turning 2 within the next 6 weeks and chose Purple Pear Farm this year to celebrate. So eight little (nearly) two year olds turned up to the farm on Saturday.


We did the usual walk around the farm feeding the animals and collecting the eggs, but instaed of our usual story I set up a farm scene...

and while we were on our walk the gates had been left open.....

and the animals escaped...

The children delighted in helping the farmer cathch the animals......

and return them to their paddock..

As a take home gift I made some little paper baskets and gave each child an egg.

Tired children, tired mothers and tired farmer!!

Recycling

Gee it's been hot this year, and there's nothing Mark and I enjoy more, after a long hot day in the garden, then a nice cool cider. ( Sounds a bit like a TV commercial). And so after a few months of this, the bottle tops start to pile up, (not to mention the bottles, but that's a whole other story).

A few years ago my daughter and her partner went to Africa. Now there's a country that knows how to use every little resource. They came home with shoes and bags and wallets made from tyres and inner tubes. And Meghann brought home a trivet made from bottle tops and scrap fabric. Last year Meg made me a trivet  from bottle tops and scrap fabric and so that's what I decided to do with my excess of bottle tops and scrap fabric.

Here's how it's done....


First cut out your circles just a little larger than the bottle top.

Sew a row of running stitch around the edge

Place the bottle top onto the fabric circle and pull in the gathering stitches until tight around the top.

and then sew the ends together.

                            
 Make enough circles for your design and then sew them all together with a few little stitches where they meet at the edges.

Once all tops have been sewn together in your desired shape, trace around it. This will be the pattern for the back. Cut two frommatching fabric and sew a 1/4 inch seem around edges leaving one side unsewn so that you can turn it in the right way. Iron it and hand sew opening closed and place it on the back and sew edges where they touch the bottle tops to secure it in place.

I love that I can  use up scraps of fabric that are too small to be of much use for anything else and save the bottle tops from going to landfill. And they are turned into a useful and practical item.

They make a nice little handmade gift, don't you think!

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

We have a lot of Casuarina (She Oak) suckering around our duck pond....

Over time they become overcrowded and need thinning out. The smaller ones we transplant to windbreaks around the farm, but some are too big and today we chose one for our Christmas Tree..

Once Christmas is over the leaves and branches will go back to the garden as mulch and the trunk will be used to make some toy fences for our grand son for his birthday next year. No waste!


Mark has been busy over the past 2 days robbing hives and collecting honey...

Here he is decapping a frame. This is our food prep. room where we wash, sort , weigh and pack our vegies.  The milk is bottled here and of course the honey is collected here too.

We bottled some up into cute little jars, capped them with some upcycled, reclyced paper  and made some labels. It was great fun.

And here's one gift ready for family when they come to lunch tomorrow. Home made berry jam, honey and a garlic braid!

The little dress I started for our baby grand daughter is up to the crotchet edge stage and I'm just in the process of learning how to crotchet. I've still got a few days yet!

I still have one small gift to make for Christmas and then I'm done. Then I need to get on with a couple of gifts for 2 new little babes. Both little girls - 1 , a new grand daughter for my brother and his wife, and the other the  4th grand child for a dear friend, who by the way has another due in Jan. and then my grandchild comes next.

If I'm to get gifts for them all I'd better get moving. 

How are your Christmas gifts going?