For the upcoming show . . .

Magnus:

Marlowe:

Meriwether:

Millicent:

and Myrtle:

We’re off on a short family getaway. I’ll be back here next week!

I love Saturdays - more precisely the Saturday that starts after the weekly clean-the-house duties are over and done with :-) Today was a really lovely Saturday. The sun was just begging us to spend some time outdoors, so I took the girls to the local park for an hour or so.

Lunch and siesta followed - siestas also being one of the main reasons I love Saturdays! In the late afternoon whilst the girls played together, I put on some of my favourite music and baked up a batch of white chocolate & raspberry muffins using Kate’s recipe. Oh so good! So fluffy and soft!

How was your Saturday in your part of the world? What did you (or are you) planning to get up to?

I’m looking forward to spending tonight working away in my craft room after the girls have gone to bed.

And speaking of bed (sorry, bad segue!), PottyMouthMama has chosen “bedside” as the theme for Pip’s My Place & Yours meme. Here’s what’s on my right-hand side every night:

I know. Bo-ring. It’s very practical though. Lamp, alarm clock, heaps of magazines and books that I am only part-of-the-way through. I keep them here so that in spare moments I can try and pick up where I left off. My running watch. Baby monitor to keep tabs on the kids when they’re asleep.

And, oh, look over there! It’s a ball of wool! From a knitting project I started - um - two years ago?!  I am a super slow knitter. Like a tortoise. If tortoises could knit.

Have a wonderful Saturday/night all!

. . . Woodland Boys on the go.

More creative spaces at Kirsty’s (check out her super cool toadstool!)

P.S. Thanks so much for all the advice you have provided on the last post regarding strategies to address fussy eating. I will certianly be taking your advice on board and will be hopeful of less stressful meal times!

What’s Hot at our place this week:

>> Wipeout: The American version is currently showing on GO! on Sunday nights. The girls love this show. They are mesmerised by all the different obstacles and challenges, and they each pick a favourite contestant to win at the outset and cheer them on until the end.

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>> Obstacle course: Related to the point above, the recent wave of warmer weather has meant spending late afternoons outside watching the girls go through an obstacle course that they have constructed themselves in the back yard. Slides, skipping ropes, hula hoops, bikes, tennis racquets - you name it, they’ve set it up as an obstacle (the Eldest in action here!)

>> Mangoes: Hello Mango season! We’ve made do with dried mango pieces (from the local Asian shop) for most of the year and very much looking forward to stocking up on some fresh, sweet, juicy mangoes (and making fresh mango juice, mango ice pops, mango cheesecake, etc!)

>> Red Velvet Cupcakes: Oh dear, I just can’t get enough of these! Curse you Cupcake shop that sits conveniently around the corner!

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>> Running: Because of the above point, this is something I need to keep doing :-) I recently switched my training plan from runnning 4 days a week to 3 days a week and it is definitely working out better for me. It does mean that my runs are now longer than they used to be, but on the flip side, it also means that I get a few more days in the week to sleep in - so it’s all good! Plus the girls are into running relays around the house and the Youngest’s running style is very cute!

And What’s Not:

>> Body aches: Dear Body, please stop reminding me everyday that I am getting OLD.

>> A sickly laptop. I had it repaired a few weeks ago and now it has decided to start flickering and is sporting a yellow tinge on the monitor. Trying to decide whether it is worth repairing or whether I should get a new one (neither option is cheap!).

>> I know that the majority of kids go through this phase but I have two VERY FUSSY EATERS at the moment and it is very slowly driving me insane! Everything I cook is turned away! I cannot tell you how many times a day I find myself saying, “Just one more bite” or at the end of a very, very long day begging in a controlled but high-pitched tone, “Please, please, just eat your food.”

What are your strategies for getting your little ones to not only eat their meals, but eat healthy meals???

Find out what else is Hot or Not over at Claire’s!

Thank you Miss Muggins for the fun theme for Eye Spy this week: Eye Spy my bed! My bed is actually pretty boring, I must admit, so I stretched the theme just a tiny bit to extend to the actual bedroom. Here is my favourite place in the room: a cosy little corner with a bean bag and some good light, to relax and read, nap, or do some net surfing.

Pip also started another fun photo meme, My Place and Yours. The theme this past Saturday was “On the shelf.” And here is a corner of one of the shelves in my craft room:

Beautiful handmade doll by Christine (truly one of the most talented doll makers I have ever come across); Babushka and her nine babies from here; little handmade people from here; and a Dwight Shrute bobble-head - a gift from a good friend who knows how much I love The Office (US) :-)

And finally, snippets of some woodland girls finally taking shape for the exhibition:

More Eye Spy beds/bedrooms over here.

And join Pip’s new meme over here.

I may be missing in action this week due to a sick laptop :-( Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!

Thank you Loobylu for this fun new weekly meme!

What’s Hot over our way:

>> Reaching your 70th (yes, 70th) wedding anniversary: A milestone my Grandparents-in-law recently celebrated.

>> Too much is never enough: The Youngest is adamant on wearing her head-band and every single hair clip she can get her hands on, all together, on every outing:

>> Wii Sports Tennis: who knew you could work up a sweat swinging your arm around, pretending to hit a ball?!

>> Sticky Date Pudding straight out of the oven (will need to add more sauce next time though):

>> Eating peanut butter and banana on toast any time of the day (or night)

>> “Maybe” by Ingrid Michaelson:

And What’s Not:

>> The inability to scratch one’s back because of sore arms due to playing Wii Tennis!

>> The rate at which we go through rolls of toilet paper. Seriously, it’s getting ridiculous - I’ll have to get one of those gadgets that dispenses a certain number of squares of toilet paper each time . . .

>> Endless paperwork in every direction. Over it.

More Hot & Not over here.

Now for something totally not craft related :-) I did the 10km race at the Melbourne Marathon yesterday and I can honestly say that this was truly a ‘fun run‘. I thank God for the beautiful morning - it was around 12°C at the starting line, sunshine, and no wind. Perfect conditions.

The atmosphere was electric - for the 10km race alone there was an estimated 5,500 people. I was inspired to see all these people from different walks of life, of different ages, some with disabilities, out there and excited about taking on the challenge.

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I had been training for this run for the last 3 months and encountered an injury at the beginning and then two weeks of illness towards the end, so I had mixed feelings as I stood at the starting line. But it ended up being so much better than I had expected. I could go on and on about this run but to cut it short, I think it was my best run this year :-)

I enjoyed every minute. I had so much more energy than I had expected and my legs didn’t feel tired, even after crossing the finish line. I even met my time goals. The weather, the course, the fact that I ate a whole heap of carbs this past week :-), and a good breakfast helped to make it a great run. I am so thankful for a very supportive family who allow me to indulge in these kinds of events.

The last kilometre included a lap of the MCG to the finish line and that was a fantastic experience. The MCG is where the late Kerryn McCann (a running hero of mine) won the marathon at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 in an epic race. As we ran into one of the MCG gates, Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” came on my iPod, then we ran into a tunnel and emerged onto the huge MCG field where spectators were cheering. It was an amazing way to finish a race :-)

I still think it’s funny that at the beginning of the year I could hardly run one full kilometre and somehow we are now in October and I have run in 3 fun-runs! And the biggest surprise for me . . . I am actually enjoying it! I’m looking forward to starting my new training plan this week for the next 10km fun run in December (and it’s for a good cause). Anyone want to join me? (And don’t say you can’t do it, because seriously if I of all people can do it, you can do it too!).

◘ Watch Kerryn McCann’s brilliant finish at the 2006 Commonwealth Games here.

. . . which is currently the floor in the craft room :-)

One of the more enjoyable steps in making softies - mixing and matching various pieces in order to figure out who should be wearing what.

And on the craft room wall, Ava’s latest artwork -”Mama, it’s a bush of roses for you“:

More creative spaces over at Kirsty’s.

The girls have been enjoying the short flashes of sunshine amidst the blasts of wintry weather that we’ve been having in Melbourne. Above is one of my fave shots of the Eldest from recent days - I love all the saturated colours and the fact that she is in mid-air. Doesn’t she look like a kid-warrior in action? :-)

I went on my last major run yesterday before the 10km race at the Melbourne Marathon this weekend. It has been SO hard to get back in to running after the two weeks of illness I had recently, so I’ll just be happy to make it to the finish line in one piece on Sunday. But I am looking forward to doing another fun run later on in December (anyone else want to join in too? :-)).

I’ve started cutting up woodland dolls for the exhibition. There will also be Peg Bears, Bun-Buns, sitting Fawns, and Grumpy Owls. I am hoping to make a few new hybrids (something like Olivia the Owl) but still deciding on what kind of hybrid animal they should be. And there is a theme to tie them all together - just working out the details on that too.

Some cool things to share with you from around the crafty blog world:

>> Kirsty has put up a tutorial on making a very clever corner bookmark
>> Good finds and inspiration via Pip’s Tips
>> Check out Larissa’s cute and dapper boy Monkey softie, Mikey
>> How About Orange shares how to make gift bows out of magazine pages (good idea for upcoming Christmas presents!)
>> Fancy a new beard? (via Misha Lulu blog)
>> The coolest (and scariest) soft owl ever by Ann Wood
>> Nikki’s tutorial on making a simple kids belt

Happy Wednesday!

September was my “Just Do It and Get It Done” month and despite the yucky dance with the Flu and its viral comrades, I’m happy that most of the things on my list for September were crossed off.

And now it is October and I am supposed to be preparing for my next solo show - which is, ummmm . . . NEXT MONTH! Yikes! So October will be my “GO THE SHOW!” month. No excuses (viral bugs stay away please), dawdling, distraction, or procrastination. It’s all about go, go, go, for the show. And I shall be barking these words at myself for the rest of this month to make sure I stay on track.

. . . so here’s something I finished up on the weekend - a mole/rat hybrid for a 4 year old boy, which was designed by his Uncle, who asked me if I would make it into a softie (does that make sense?). Made from delightfully soft faux fur (the kind you want to keep running your fingers through because it is so therapeutic), wool felt and fleece.

And here he is keeping company with the youngest one :-)

Woops - I got happily distracted working on this little fella (though it took ages to get the fur off the carpet and my clothes) but yes, back into “GO THE SHOW” mentality for the rest of the week. Hope to provide more details about the show soon :-)