Feted ...

for new homes? Ella's school is having their bi-annual fete this weekend and a couple of months ago I signed up for a stall. It seemed a long way off at the time, I had great ambitions to have dozens of dolls - but in reality there will be only 10 and about the same of felt animals.

They're all ready in their birthday suits, but the dresses and knickers are still to be sewn ..... aargh! I know some thrive on deadlines, me - not so much! It will be satisfying once it's finished though and hopefully the day will be a success too.

Tears

There are some days, actually usually just afternoons, where I feel at my wits end.

There are afternoons where one little person is either talking over another or at the same time as them; there is a constant barrage of "I want this", "where's my that"; "I'm hungry"; "So and So give me that back", "Mum"; "Mum"; "Mum" and then there's the house that I spent a couple of precious hours cleaning, only to have it trashed in 15 minutes. Honestly, I can't pick up after them at the same rate they can tear things apart.

These afternoons aren't rare, but they aren't every day, but my god, I do feel close to tears when they come. I know you can only do so much, but we mums do try to do everything and honestly, I know that we should accept only what we can do, but I do feel like a failure when I can't get everything done. I try to stop, take deep breathes and know that tomorrow will be different and I won't remember it, but gosh, I do feel like a bath with candles and a glass of red and music in the background with no-one asking me for anything, when those afternoons come. I guess I'll settle for the red, in between bath, bed and making my second dinner for the day.

Enough feeling sorry for myself for one afternoon? I think so.

Too much

of a good thing? Hours later poor Ella was as sick as a dog, hopefully she sleeps all night long. Can you believe the timing, it's back to school tomorrow, although not for us at this rate.

No bonnets

but there were Easter frocks.

I used material I bought at PoC and also the Sugar City Journal pattern I've had for a while. I was really chuffed, I think they turned out really well and for the look of them, it was a very easy pattern.

Hunt

I grew up with Easter hunts, as did most of us, but mine were never just collecting eggs in the garden. In my family you had to really HUNT for your eggs, with clues, and they become increasingly difficult and more cryptic as the years went by. We've continued the same tradition with our girls of creeping around after dark hiding clues all over the house and garden.



This year Leila is where Ella was when she started having a hunt - with pictures to guide her to the next clue. Now that Ella's a little older and reading a little, she had to sound out words on her cards and then find the right one of that particular item to find the next clue. At the end of their efforts they find a gift and a small amount of chocolate. It prolongs the pleasure somewhat, making it more than just the inevitable gorge on chocolate (although there was that too!).

Booty

I ducked over to Patchwork on Central today while Nan and PA entertained the girls for a couple of hours. I had a well prepared list so I knew what colours I was looking for and how much, otherwise it is far too easy to lose control with all that loveliness around. I do like the brightness and space of Amitie, but from me in the Eastern suburbs, PoC is that much closer than having to completely cross town.

The damage wasn't too bad - material for a winter dress each for the girls and enough fabric for legs and dresses for at least 9 dolls with scraps over. I would love to shop for a quilt though, matching the fabrics in advance - gosh I can see how it would be addictive. Luckily my first foray into quilting is working with the girls old clothes, so it's a slow process as I wait for them to grow out of things. Only four more rows across and one along the width, on each of them!

She Sews

Ella's been wanting to sew for ages, but it's quite limiting to use a blunt embroidery needle, as it's very hard to push it through most things. We have done the hessian weave sew, but she's been hankering to do some "real" sewing.

Today, when I started doing some more sewing for my fete stall, she wanted to sew with me, with a sharp needle. I set her up with a simple felt cutout and off she went. She did so well, threaded her own needle and tied off her own knots. Such fun.

Me sitting beside my big girl, sewing with her and chatting away - priceless.

Snip Snip

From the time Ella started kinder, school holidays became haircut time. In the first week of each holidays, so only a few times a year, we head of to the hairdressers for a cut.

Although Leila isn't yet at kinder, she still feels they're her holidays as well and therefore it's become her routine too. I'm lucky, both my girls LOVE going to the hairdressers and would go much more regularly if they were allowed.

Our holiday routine also always includes going to the movies and again, Leila joins in on that now, although she tends not to sit still like her big sister, which means it's no longer as relaxing as it once was. This break I think it will be Monsters vs Aliens, although some interest has also been expressed in 17 Again!! We usually have at least one overnight stay with nan and pa, as well as afternoon dvds. This break Ella wants some mum time, as we just haven't had much of that since school started. Her wish is for getting our nails done (not something we've ever done!), going to the theatre and then out for dinner!! I haven't actually looked into the logistics of that yet, but I think I may try and work around it somehow.

What are your holiday routines/treats?

Fearless

This morning Geoff's work had a social club sponsored family day at Luna Park. For two hours we had the place to ourselves, all rides were free. Two hours went surprisingly fast.

Ella is now of an age where things that would previously have evoked a "NO WAY" response, all seemed like the must do rides. Geoff went on some gross spinning round, up and down puke inducing thing with her. I did the Scenic Railway/Big Dipper. On that one Ella laughed her way through while I kept my eyes firmly shut, screaming not quite like a girl as I've lost that range, with one arm clasping her tight and my knees jammed hard against the seat in front. Geoff did two rides on the Ghost Train with her and another on some thing that you can see went up and then dropped suddenly leaving your stomach at the top. Give me real fear over quease, those rides I can't stand, I think my fear of puking is more real than the possibility of dying on a ride!

Feline Love

When I was small - between the ages of about 3 and 5 - we had two Siamese cats, brother and sister, Pippi and Suzie. Suzie was my favourite. She was quite a fiery cat, but with me she became a cat ragdoll. I took her everywhere, usually dragging her by the neck. I dressed her up in dolls clothes and made her dance on her hind legs. She came to bed with me every night and would lie there, clutched to my chest, until my mum would rescue her, her fur wet with my perspiration. Mum said my interest in and love of Suzie never wained, even as the years passed. I could have been tormenting her into her autumn years had she not been hit by a car.

Pippi, her brother, lived for at least another 10 years and was quite the character too. He would jump and pat at the doorbell, thereby ringing it, when he wanted to be let in. If you have even known a Siamese, you'll know that they "talk" and he did a lot of that.

We have been waiting on a litter of Tonkinese kittens and coincidentally this week have been looking after my sister-in-law's young cat. Elly was a stray they took in, but she's very sweet and as you can see, she seems to be enduring the same loving attention from Leila that Suzie did from me.