~ the countdown ~

Several people have told me this week (breathlessly! excitedly!) that they're on the countdown to Christmas 

(did you know there's only 8 weeks to go??!)

I'm not counting down  - and not just because I don't like to wish my days away.

We've got two more birthdays (with parties), a marimba performance and the big ballet production to go before I even start thinking about Christmas this year.

So apart from these to-die-for star ornaments (from the totally talented Ness over here) I'm ignoring Christmas for now.  I'm sewing fur and sequins onto costumes, organising car pooling for gym and little athletics, dreaming up party themes and culling guest lists, helping with present choosing ... and putting my head down and walking straight past all those decorations/yummy food items/red, green everything that the shops are filling up with already.

How about you?  Are you on the countdown?  Head in the sand?  Or totally sorted (since January and the sales??)

♥
 

~ snippets from the week he turned five ~

 

It's been a whole festival of turning 5 for Jack this week... and he's loved every minute

1.  Robot cake toppers for the park-day cupcakes on the real birthday

2.  More cupcakes (no toppers) for the kinder class the next day.

3.  Crabapple blossoms from a broken branch over-hanging our fence.  They're so pretty.  I've actually been out looking for one today to put in a perfect space in our front lawn.

4 and 5.  We used air-dry clay for the first time at home this week.  We made loads of little sea-inspired tags to hang on the party boxes.   I'm thinking Christmas ornaments are a must with this - we all loved getting our hands dirty.

6.  Grissini dipped in chocolate and then sprinkles are a firm party favourite around here.

7.  The 5 cake (courtesy of the  AWW cake book of which we are such fans).  I'm not big on that roll-out icing but it turned out ok.  We did get into trouble for sending the cars the wrong way down a street from the car and rule-obsessed birthday boy.

8.  The highlight of the gym party is getting a go in the bungy.

9.  Winning the hurdles at little athletics before the party - check out the tiny hurdles!!

The week ended on a bit of a downer tonight when he fell and cut his chin open.  Luckily we had some steri-strips and a little bit of medical expertise here and avoided a Sunday night trip to ED.  Phew!  First lots of stitches (or steris) we've really ever needed in almost 11 years of parenting.

Linking with Em to share snippets of our lives every week.


♥

~ 5 is so grown up...and yet, so not ~

My baby turned 5 yesterday.
Already 5 is a bundle of contradictions.
(the biggest one being it seems like only yesterday I was bringing him home from hospital and yet here we are planning a birthday party with a 5 cake for 22 friends)

He is determined to be a big boy, to do things on his own... and yet his hand reaches for mine before any new situation.

He is funny and loves to makes jokes and perform....but he hates people looking at him (or worse laughing at him).

He is quiet and cautious, a watcher and a thinker... and yet as soon as he is comfortable he's brave and fierce and in there being with all his might.

He's a lover of boy toys - of cars, balls and loud things ...and yet he loves to play babies and families with his sisters.

He loves blue and green and "hates" pink... and yet he swapped pjs with his sister the other night and she wore the blue stripes and he wore the polka dot nightie.

He's a rule follower and enforcer, he loves to do things the "right way", he likes to be good... but for other people and not at home.

He can smell out biscuits, lollies or icecream from miles away and will try anything once ... unless, of course,  its meat, vegetable, fruit or something I've cooked.

He's taught us more than we've taught him.
He fills our house with love and laughter.
I think 5 is going to be fun.


♥

~ this week (welll some of it) in pictures ~

 

 

1.  The anniversary poppies in the afternoon light on the (amazingly clear) table

2,3,4.  School swimming carnival this week - the green team (ours) didn't come last for the first time in our memories - very happy girls.  I didn't see that much of the actual racing (but a huge thanks to my lovely friend for the photos)   - I was at the results table noting arm numbers and times - totally exhausted by the end of the day.

5.  I finally found a home for the postcrossing postcards - and they're filed in order of country - amazing how just a little bit of organising can feel like such a big achievement (or is that just me?).   I love all the stamps - Australian ones are a bit boring at the moment.  Did you know its now $2.60 to post a postcard overseas... I may well be cutting back on the postcard hobby.

6.  At the park today - pirate swinging like crazy girls (but taking care of their little brother too).

7.  He visited the farm school this week - his favourite thing was patting the enormous white rabbit   (but he made me a plasticine sheep...so cute).

8.  There are crab-apple trees bursting in to blossom all around town - so pretty.

I've just about finished my week of solo-parenting - it's been exhausting (and part of the reason I haven't been taking so many shots).    Thankfully the Doc is home from Darwin tonight.  

Jack turns 5 this week and is having a party at the gymnastics centre with his whole kinder class - I can feel another busy week coming on!

How's your week looking?

(Linking with Em to share moments from our week).

 ♥

~ perfectly pretty poppies ~

 

Anniversary poppies in all their gelati-coloured, crinky petalled, fuzzy legged glory.
Making me smile.

 ♥ ♥ ♥

~ our week in stills ~

 

 

 

 

1.  I fell in love with this print several months ago and it just got delivered this week (the artist spent a long time hand colouring it!) - I love how its making the tv corner less techo oriented!

2.  It came with a lot of bubble-wrap.  Kept them amused for quite a while.

3.  Cooking at the park with our discarded coffee cups

4.  School holiday crafting with friends

5.  Boy + girl as we headed out for Friday night pizza

6.  Little athletics - our first time - lots of fun

7.  The little pink bedside locker was my present for our 7th wedding anniversary - I adore it.  And the poppies.  I'm reading "flight behaviour" by Barbara Kingsolver - such an interesting read - highly recommended so far.

8 and 9.  The anniversary poppies - with irresitable gelati colours, hairy legs and awesome light.



Back to school tomorrow for 4th term - everyone's looking forward to it which is great.  The doc heads to Darwin for his annual conference and I'll be doing the gym, swimming, ballet run - and writing some more letters.

How's your week looking?
Linking with Em to share moments from our week.

 ♥

~ snail mail love ~

{incoming from @sarahshanahan2}

{incoming from @murderingtime and @sarahshanahan2}

{incoming from @petrinaturnerdesign}

{outgoing - planning stages}

 

{incoming - Ash}

Today is #worldpostday (I think it has to have a hash-tag these days doesn't it?).  Its not too late to write a letter to someone you love and make their day tomorrow (or sometime next week depending on which postal zone they're in...in my case Tassie's zone is like the end of the world - not infrequently we have had letters addressed to here go via Tanzania!!)

I was lucky enough to receive a real snail mail letter today (the bottom one) with special envelopes for my girls inside (these are the characters they are playing in their end of year ballet concert - not the real white rabbit, I hasten to add.. in case you think I am a real ballet mother {I'm so not} but one of a number of white bunnies that don't appear to be in Lewis Carroll's original version - poetic licence much?).

The other letters are part of a mail exchange going on over on instagram (I know I'm talking about IG again here - total IG addict  - but now there's not only pretty pictures and amazingly friendly people but there's beautiful mail exchanges happening too).  I've been lucky enough to receive really heartfelt letters and gorgeous bits and bobs and am making new friends with each letter I send.

So - go send a letter and make someone's day.  Or send me one - and I'll send you one back...promise.
(email me for my snail mail addy or leave a comment here)

♥

~ stills from the school holidays ~

  

1/2.   Everyone who has walked into our kitchen this week has remarked at how amazing the clematis is looking.  2 months ago I was convinced it had died!  It's really hard to get a shot of it all as its creeping along the conifers and fence that line our driveway.

3.  School holiday lounging in hammocks - Lil is happiest with a book in her hand

4/5.   He didn't do a lot of painting at school this term as he's become nervous about getting it "wrong" .... we did lots last week and he finished the crazy cat he didn't try in class.  So proud of his determination.

6.  We've been playing lots of games as the weather's been foul - lots of old maid, mouse trap, hungry hippos and chinese checkers

7.  Blushing ranunculi that I don't remember planting.

8.  I made these cupcake sized sticky date puddings with caramel sauce (recipe here) - they were SO good.

9.  Because flowers make everyone (at least me) happier.

Its our first year of a four term school year and being on holiday in October feels slightly weird
We're not used to it - we're not used to the girls being away either - they left for a few nights to the cousins up north and the house felt very empty.

So we've been crafting and cooking, skipping and gardening, watching DVDs and reading and letting ourselves find a slower rhythm. 
We're looking forward to longer days with daylight savings (and hopefully some warmer weather). 

We've got another week of holidays to go - the wish-list (compiled by each child) still has beach walks, sleep overs, picnics, swims and MONA on it... I wonder how much we'll get done.

How's your week looking?
I'm linking up with Em.


♥