Mother's Day

For us spent having breakfast with my parents at The Red Shed. This place is so me, everything I love and would love to have. The building is the type of design Geoff and I would like in the new house we're hoping to build within the next 5+years. The cafe is everything I dream of owning for myself. It's not too big, it's not trying to be everything to everyone, it's just concentrating on what they do best. It's kept small and manageable. It's visiting this type of place, thinking about all it would be to me, that makes my chest feel tight and my heart beat a little faster. I'm thinking of this as a venue for something for my 40th later this year. It's not flashy, but so comfortable, tasty, relaxed and beautiful views all around. If you haven't been - go.

Mother's Day, my girls, my mum, my father and my husband. My life reflected back at me in my girls, my past and my future, all the things I've achieved and all the dreams I still have. My life at around the half way point, theirs just at the beginning. They may have the benefit of more years on their side, but I refuse to believe that my age will prevent me from achieving the many dreams I still have, unless I let it.

Happy Mother's Day to you and yours.

Three little girls

I've got my crafting mojo back, now all I need is more time. I know that different people have mentioned this at different times, but I honestly don't know how some crafty mothers out there manage to achieve all they do. Actually forget the crafty bit, just managing the day to day well is impressive enough for me (what clean house?!).

My girls are almost 5 and 19 months and aside from the two days a week I'm at work and they're with family, they're with me all day every day. Ella has kinder one day when I'm not at work, but that's only for 4 hours and then Leila's with me and awake. I certainly don't play with both of them every second in the same way that I did when Ella was younger - then it was all about her - but I am with them all the time and don't really manage to do anything that doesn't involve them. When I'm sewing I include them with crafts of their own, but invariably the process is disturbed, for me, with another distraction of some kind. Leila's too small to really participate and if she does it usually involves a LOT of mess. That's all fine, but my whole point is wondering how other mothers manage their time. I know that some craft at night but that's not me. We don't eat until around 8:30 so after that I can manage some time with Geoff and then I'm headed to bed.

I can only think that perhaps others have time without the kids much more than I do. I have a friend who has no family around and uses childcare for her own sanity two once a week so she can have time for herself. I certainly don't judge her doing that, but it's not something I'd be comfortable with. Perhaps other children are more self sufficient than mine, perhaps other mums are less interactive with their kids, I honestly can't figure it it. I wish I could, because I end up feeling a little inadequate that I can't juggle more than 6 things at a time!

I had hoped to participate in this market in November, but honestly, it's not realistic to think I could - I just don't get enough time to work on the dolls. I would want to go with at least 30 dolls to make it worthwhile and to make that many - well, even if I worked on 3 a week (which would be huge for me), that would take me at least 3 months and I just don't have that time. I'll just have to try and crank it up a little and get more into the shop in the next couple of months, hopefully tempt some sales for Christmas.

So, after all that distraction, these three little girls just need to be dressed. They're for a custom order, three little girls for three little sisters in Brisbane for Christmas, I'm so excited that they'll be together!