Foxs Lane

Cheating on granny.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:49:00 +0000

So there I was crocheting away at my looooooooooong, biiiiiiiiiiiiig, queen sized granny blanket, when my mind wandered. Just like that. One minute I was excited beyond words at crocheting each double triplet into the space left the row before, and the next minute I wasn't.

I started to think about a rag rug. Very much inspired by Jodie's rag-a-long, I began contemplating methods and shapes and colour combinations. It took everything I had to stop myself from pulling down some floral sheets and ripping them into strips. It took almost more than I had to stop myself from doing a google search into ways of stitching the long braids together and a pinterest search for some rag rug eye candy.

But I succeeded. The rag rug will wait.

But the dress could not.

We came back from the beach and I made a dress.

An ugly sheet, just to get the pattern right, dress. But a dress none-the-less.

Not a few rows of the blanket.

And just like that the blanket has been neatly folded and popped on the shelf. A WIP (work in progress).

Hopefully I'll pick it up again soon.

I'm fascinated by that moment though. The exact minute when your current crush becomes yesterday's news. When your mind wanders. When something better comes along.

Is it inevitable in a slow burn project? If you rush and hurry can you beat it? Cheat it? I wonder.

Do you know what I'm talking about? Does this happen to you in your patch-working/novel writing/scrap booking/mosaicing/embroidering? Do you go back? Is there hope for the granny queen?

Last beach.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:15:00 +0000

At the end of last week, with a forecast for some beautiful, sunny days, we headed to the beach to squeeze the last out of of our seven months of summer holidays.

It's hard to believe that in a few days time we will be back in the school, uniform, lunch, activities routine again. Its hard to imagine how we will cope with appointments, meetings and schedules. With bed times and meal times and homework times and wake ups times.

So before all that starts, we headed off to the beach for a few days.

We've been swimming and digging and playing ball and exploring.

We've been walking through caravan parks and missing our road tripping life and talking about our next journey.

And we're loving hanging out with Miss Indi's friend Ethan, lent to us for five days. I know it's only short term, but things seem so much more balanced with a boy on board. Simpler. More active.

And despite the heat, I've been crocheting....and playing with my crochet.

And of course I've been op-shopping.

What's a trip to a small coastal town without the hunt for my buddies the Johnson Brothers and The Meakins? Who knows how the six of us plus luggage and thrifty finds are going to fit in the car on the way back.

Home again, home again tomorrow morning.

School uniform sorting, hair cutting, life organising for a few days.

And then the school year begins.

Deep breath.

What have you been up to lately?

Found any treasures?

Made anything gorgeous?

Been anywhere exciting?

Eaten anything delicious?

Do tell.

So random.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:26:00 +0000

I'm granny stripping.

I'm aiming to use up a lot of the odds and ends of balls of yarn that I've got rolling about here.

I'm making it queen sized to cover the foot of our bed in the winter-time, to warm our footsies. That means it's 441 stitches long which makes it sloooooooooooow going. I'm not certain how wide it'll be just yet. I think I'll know when I get there.

And I'm trying to choose the colours randomly. Not shut my eyes and grab one random, but more like pick each colour when I have finished the last. No long term plan.

I'm not so good at the old random. I prefer to have an order mapped out before hand. I feel more comfortable when I know where I'm going, what it'll look like in the end.

So this is a challenge for me.

Late last night after I finally popped the hook down and lay in bed I decided to rip it all out and start again in the morning. To hook a blanket that graduates in colour and shade through the spectrum. I know that would look good and it would be safe.

But this morning I changed my mind. I am going to keep going with the random. It's challenging me but so far I like the results and I am hoping that when there are lots of stripes, that the colours will blend a bit and the order wont be so important.

I think I can do it.

How about you? Do you do random? Or do you like a plan? Can you paper bag piece your quit layout ie. take the cut pieces of your quilt out of a paper bag and lay them as they come? (is that right Jules?) Can you randomly choose colours as you go? Do you have the end in sight or do you just make it up as you go along?

Whatever the weather, I hope you and yours have the most marvellous weekend.

Love Kate xx

cozy crochet.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:34:00 +0000

My farmer boy is a bit obsessed with cozies.

While we were away on our caravan adventure, everything had it's own cozy. There was the spare wheel cozy, the esky cozy, the IMac had a cozy made out of my childhood sleeping bag and there were various other cozies and plans for cozies along the way.

After we got home and we became a TV only on the weekends family, he ordered a cozy for that too. Why should a big black ugly box take pride of place in the lounge room when it serves no purpose for five days out of every seven?

So I set to work making a big, colourful pile of granny squares.

I sewed in the ends and sewed them together.
I wondered when it comes down to it, which part actually takes longer: the crocheting or the darning?

And then I pinned the finished granny blanket onto a grey blanket from the stash.

Sewed the grannies in place.

And TA-DAAAAAAAA!!!!

A television cozy.

It's so much prettier now.

Don't you think?

And life is so much better without the television.

We are so much more creative.

We are reading and playing and listening to music more.

We are choosing carefully what we watch on the weekends.

We don't watch any ads anymore.

Our best friends are people not characters.

And we are achieving so much more.

I highly recommend it.

I highly recommend crochet too. I love it.

What are you making?
Are you crazy for cozies?

Ciao! xx

Choosing happy.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:44:00 +0000

A few days ago something a bit yuk happened. It wasn't terrible or life changing at all, it was just the way someone else's thoughtless actions affected me and my family. It gave me a bad taste in my mouth and an uncomfortable feeling in my tummy.

At first I felt angry and felt like going for a run or bashing the dust out of some rugs with a squash racket. Then I felt sad and felt like hiding in my bathroom and feeling sorry for myself. And then I wandered around aimlessly for a while not really knowing what to do with myself.

We have worked really hard to create the life we lead. We have discussed, we have prioritised, we have made plans and choices and tried really hard to live a life that makes us happy.

How is it fair that somebody else's thoughtless actions can threaten the happiness of my family?

And then it occurred to me that they can't if I don't let them.

Crappy stuff happens no matter what, but if I don't react, if I don't give it air, then it wont be so big and it will soon fade away and become part of the back ground.

My priority, my job, is to focus on the good stuff and to keep on living a wonderful life with my family.

If you're looking for us we're out on the farm collecting sticks and making tee-pees for the beans and peas, we're weeding, we're planting, we're getting a lesson on nitrogen and nodules and we're collecting the coriander seeds. It's simple but it makes us happy.

We're choosing happy.

I hope you are too.

See ya. xx

Eat. (pie pastry recipe)

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:26:00 +0000

One thing we talked a lot about while we were away was food.

We grow and sell organic food for a passion and for a living and are rather obsessed with the stuff. The fresher, the closer to your kitchen it was grown, the fewer nasties used to grow it, the better.

But still we are aware that unless you prioritise food, the more often you end up taking short cuts and finding yourself with some not so great food habits. I think that's what happened to us before we left. We were so tired from looking after the farm and growing great food to send off to other people, that we ended up putting some not so great food on the table for our family.

So while we were away we resolved to come home and to prioritise our family's eating habits. To grow and pick and cook and prepare from the kitchen garden/farm as often as possible. To prepare from scratch as often as possible. To eat local and organic and in season as often as possible. To include the kids in the process from start to finish no matter the messy consequences as often as possible. To experiment. And to start broadening our food horizons with new flavours and tastes and ingredients as often as possible.

And you know what? I think we are succeeding.

We have been making all our own bread and pasta and pastries and doughs. We have picked and used berries and lettuces and herbs and beans and garlic and onions and eggs and plums from the garden. We bought and swapped masses of produce at the farmer's market. We have introduced a few new menu items and experimented with some new to us flavours. And the girls have been involved and made a mess and had fun.

And I think making it pretty has made a big difference too. Using lovely crockery and cutlery. Having flowers on the table. Making a meal an event rather than a rush. Spending time as a family eating and talking (not with your mouth full) and enjoying each other.

To be honest I am dreading school going back. I am not good at rushing. A huge, important aim for me this year is to continue on with this food plan. Maybe we'll have to start menu planning. Maybe I'll have to get more organised. I think I can. I hope I can.

RECIPE: Easy Peasy Pie Pastry.

Gathered from lots of recipes, adapted over time.
Used for any sweet, fruity pie filling.

225g of flour
140g butter, cold, cubed
90g sugar
Zest of one lemon
2 egg yolks

Chuck flour, butter, sugar and zest in your food processor and mix.
Add yolks and a drop of water and mix to make into a dough.
(I love that moment when the mixture binds and becomes a smooth dough).

Roll half of this dough out to line a greased metal pie tin and pop the other half in the fridge.
Pack your cool filling tightly into the pie bottom.
Paint the edge of your pie bottom with an egg wash mixture of one yolk and a splash of milk.
Get the remaining dough from the fridge and roll it out on your floured bench.
Pop it on top of the pie or cut it into strips and weave them like we did.
Use any remaining dough to decorate the pie.
Press the top onto the bottom around the edges.
Egg wash the top.
Cut air holes in the top if it is sealed.

Cook.
Our rhubarb/berry pie was cooked at 150c for about 50 minutes.

Breathe in those yummy pie smells. Admire. Get out some pretty plates. Eat with yogurt or cream. Enjoy.

Are you good eaters? Do you menu plan? Are you adventurous? Do you think about the ingredients? Are you trying to be better like me? Could you eat salad every day like me? Have you made/eaten anything amazing lately? What are you eating today?

See ya! x

Creatively speaking...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:20:00 +0000

I am carrying this basket of yarny rainbows where ever I go.

I am hooking grannies.

I am trying to be good and sew in the ends as I go.
But not always succeeding.

I am playing with our farmers' market stall.

Think mixy-matchy table-cloths and rushed single layer unhemmed bunting.

I am playing around with my second quilt.
A mini, yellow, quarter version of Kate's pattern.
I think it might become a cushion cover.

We are shopping for paint to paint the whole house white.
Except the girls' bed rooms which they want blue.
I still would love a yellow kitchen but the farmer boy wont budge.

I am celebrating op shop treasures by draping them over everything that stands still for long enough.

One dollar for these two rolls of old lace! Can you believe!

And I am trying to style a few lovely corners of my home to make me feel better about the vast majority which looks like a bomb has gone off in it. Ahhhh school holidays. Love em.

What about you?
What have you been up to creatively?

Bye! x

The second tee-pee

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:14:00 +0000

I'm completely obsessed with childhood at the moment.
With stretching it. Prolonging it.
With getting out and getting dirty.
With making stuff and burning stuff.
With pretending and imagining.
With climbing and swimming.
With singing and telling stories.
With laughing.
With exploring and getting lost and falling over.
With grazing your knees.

There is a bit of a tug of war beginning in this house over independence.
Over mobile phones, shopping trips with friends and over outfits.

I acknowledge and remember those feelings.
But I am trying to slow it all down.
There is so much time for those things.

These times are precious and can be magical and wonderful.

Yellow.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:02:00 +0000

I am obsessing over the colour yellow at the moment.

It's so strange. Usually I am a bluey, greeny, grey-y kinda girl. Usually I barely notice the warmer side of the spectrum. Usually yellow is just that bit too close to awful orange and has me averting my eyes.

But at the moment I love yellow.

Give me lemon, gold, blond, daffodil, mustard, canary, straw or honey.

I think I must be sunshine deficient or something.

Whatever the weather, I am desperately trying to convince my farmer boy we need a yellow wall somewhere in the house and maybe, just maybe a yellow quilt or cushion.

How about you?
Are you loving the lemon?
Or are you hovering somewhere else on the colour wheel?

Bye! xx

Birthday boy.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 07:58:00 +0000

I know it's your birthday today, but you gave me the greatest gift of all.

This morning after we ate B shaped pancakes but before you filmed a movie with your new remote controlled helicopter, we collected the eggs. Just you and me. We were pretty quiet, just going about our business of collecting and feeding.

And then you turned to me and told me you were happy. You were having the most wonderful birthday.

What more could I want? Your happiness is everything to me.

Happy birthday farmer Bren, I adore you. xx

Bye!

ps. Thank you all for your lice stories and your other embarrassing moments. I love this community. I love that we are in this together. I love that you made me feel so much better about everything. xx

pps. The gorgeous Miss Cherie is organising a Stash and Treasure recyclers market.
When: Sat 14th January (that's next Sat) 9-2pm.
Where: Marrickville town hall, Marrickville.
What: A market for all artists, crafters, sewers, collectors and lovers of stuff. Bargains galore of art and crafters excess creative materials.
Wow: Miss Cherie tells me there are over 30 stalls booked. Amazing don't you think.
For more details check the blog; http://stashandtreasure.blogspot.com/

pps. I hope your weekend is all kinds of wonderful.

Quilt.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:40:00 +0000

The worst thing happened to me this morning. I'm talking nightmare material here. In fact I think what happened is the grown up version of that kiddie bad dream about going to school nudie.

My hairdresser sent me home because I have lice!!!!!

Can you believe??

And here I was thinking I was on top of those nasty little critters. Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

And not only is this terrible for the obvious embarrassing, dirty Berty reasons, but I also am desperate for a haircut. Six months of beachy, road trippy behaviour has not been kind to these tresses. And now I have to wait until next Wednesday for an appointment.

After I was politely informed of the disgusting parasites I positively fled to my car, soggy, just washed hair and all. I sat there for a while and contemplated my day. It was surely only heading downhill from there.

But then I remembered my year of happiness and decided not to give in. I tried some retail therapy in a few oppys - fail. I tried shopping for a new sundress - fail. I came home and tried to act happy at family lunch time - getting warmer. And then I decided that the only thing that would save this day would be to sew. More specifically, to finish my quilt.

So I did.

I ignored the load in the washing machine, I ignored the lunch dishes, I ignored half of the cries of muuuuuuummmmmm!!!!! I ignored my half decluttered wardrobe and all of the other jobs on my mental list. And I sewed. In fact I quilted.

I quilted lines. I made some binding. I bound the quilt (please don't look too closely at the corners). And then we took down the pot-holders and popped it on the wall.

And now I feel OK. My hair is a mess but I'm OK.

Time will tell if I'll be brave enough to keep my hair appointment on Wednesday though. I think I might need a change of hair dressers.

Is your hair itchy after reading this? Mine is. I hope my farmer boy likes the idea of lice combing my hair tonight. Pretty romantic huh!

So has anything embarrasing happened to you lately? Anything? Please help me feel better.

bye.
xx

Bread.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 05:28:00 +0000

One of the things making me oh so happy at the moment is baking bread.

I am madly, passionately in love with baking bread.

I love the whole floury process.

Choosing or altering a recipe. Gathering the flours, oils, yeast, seeds and sometimes sugar or honey. The measuring spoons and cups and jugs and bowls.

And then the measuring the mixture together and stirring and mixing and then kneading and kneading and kneading.

I love the kneading part the best. The rhythmic pushing and stretching. How almost like magic the sticky mixture becomes smooth and elastic. It is so physical and therapeutic.

And then over the next few hours, I love looking over to the side board and seeing the tea towel covered mixing bowl. It makes me feel like a good house wife, like a good mother, like a good person.

I love the pressing down of the risen dough. Squooshing the air out of it and reshaping it into a loaf, or rolls, or something else.

I love that bread dough is moody and temperamental. It reacts differently on hotter or cooler days. It somehow senses it when I am grumpy. Sometimes it let's me experiment with the recipe and at other times it reminds me that perhaps I need to read more about the make up of a dough and ratios and stuff before I go drastically changing them.

I love that most days a hot loaf, straight out of the oven, is sliced and spread with butter and oohed and ahhhed over. Whereas on other, not so cooperative days, it can be hidden under loads of toppings and no one is any the wiser as to your failure.

Apart from the fact that baking your own bread is cheap, healthy and a lovely feel good activity for you or for the whole family, it is deceptively easy. And I've read that homebaked bread is lower in gluten too.

It's as simple as googling some recipes, making certain you have the ingredients you need and having a go.

At the moment I am using recipes out of:
The River Cottage Family Cookbook
River Cottage Veg everyday
River Cottage Handbook No. 3 Bread
This white bread recipe
This challah recipe
This pita recipe

Every morning since we have been home I have made the bread dough mixture first thing, before I have even had breakfast or coffee. Some mornings I make it alone and knead the dough rhythmically almost like a meditation. And other mornings I have little helpers who like to measure in the ingredients and pull off bits of mixture to knead.

Every day in the late morning I punch down the dough and shape it and leave it to rest again.

Just before lunch every day I pop the loaf into the hot oven to cook and to fill the house with delicious bread cooking smells.

And then every lunch time and for the rest of the day, we slice up the loaf and enjoy it. YUM!!

Do you bake your own bread?
Do you have a favourite recipe?
Do you love fresh home baked bread as much as we do?

My crew are swimming in the house dam.
I'm off to join them.
Later dudes. xx

2012-The year of happy.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 06:40:00 +0000

I'm not making a list of new year's resolutions this revolution. I didn't keep my resolutions last year or probably the year before so there's really no point.

Instead I have decided to declare 2012 my year of happiness. The whole year!!!!

I've got a pretty good idea of what makes me happy and I'm going to dedicate the next year to implementing these things.

I realise it might come across as a bit self indulgent, but I know that when I am happy I am a better wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, person....so its also kinda not self indulgent at all.

I'm using My happiness recipe that I wrote while we were away as a starting point.
Love where you live.
Shake up the routine.
Love the ones you're with.
Remember how lucky you are.
Be brave and change.
You can do it.
Be more social.
Indulge once in a while.
Get active.
Eat well and drink lots of water.

Also not on that list are be creative, grow lots of stuff, read books, get outside as often as you can, beware of clutter, stop talking and start doing and remember that you are not responsible for other people's grumpiness.

It's an ongoing work in progress. I know I'm going to have to check in with this list and in with myself often but it feels doable this year.

So lovely peeps, a big cheers to a wonderful and super-dooper happy 2012.
Thank you for sharing this great adventure with me and my gang and here's to many, many more.

Lotsa love,
Kate xx

Pretty spots.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:36:00 +0000

Strange old day. Unsettled feeling in my tummy. Can't seem to stick to a task. Feeling overwhelmed by the never-ending kid's craft area declutter. Missing my boy and my big girl who have been in Melbourne since yesterday. Can't think of what to make for dinner.

So I'm focusing on the smaller details. The details of my day today. There's so much to love when you look at the small stuff. It goes along with my theory that home magazines barely ever show you the entire room, they focus on pretty spots.

So here are some pretty spots that I'm loving from my day today;

I'm loving my wool basket and my growing pile of grannies.
I'm loving my little jug collection on the windowsill in the kitchen.
I'm loving capturing little moments in time on instagram.
I'm loving baking bread.
I'm loving that no TV or movies during the week make us be more creative, read more, play more and be less lazy.
I'm loving reading all about baking bread in River Cottage Handbook No.3 Bread by Daniel Stevens.
I'm loving that my girls are big enough to be great company for brunch out at Breakfast and Beer.
I'm loving playing the records of my childhood.
I'm loving the spontaneous dancing in the lounge room.
I'm loving it when the girls get lost in a game that goes on and on and on.
I'm loving the sunshine drying my washing.
I'm completely overwhelmed by Pip's post. Wow! And I'm in such ridiculously ace company.
I'm loving the kitchen garden.
I'm loving blue things.
I'm loving the hula hoop craze.
I'm loving fetta and rocket on everything for every meal.
I'm loving the thought of Emily coming to visit early in the new year.
I'm loving pretty pyrex.
I'm loving the lighter feeling I get every time I come back from dumping a load in the op/shop pile.
I'm looking forward to cider-o'clock.
I'm loving that my farmer boy and my big girl will be back before bed time.

Ahhhhhh that's better.

I hope there are just so many pretty spots in your day today too. Care to share a few?

xx

Tee-pee.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:14:00 +0000

A sunny afternoon.

A ride on the back of the ute.

The front paddock.

A bunch of friends and sisters.

Some bush poles, some baling twine and some rope.

A pile of old sheets.

An old blanket or two.

A tee-pee.

A loaf of bread fresh out of the oven.

Jars of homemade blackberry jam, Vegemite and hummus.

The tin of cookies we made and iced two days ago.

Colourful tin glasses of cold water.

A game of Sleeping Beauty, some mud balls and a bit of relaxing.

A bit of crochet.

All the while keeping watch on Buster and making sure that he didn't bust out.

Summer.

Holidays.

Bye. xx

Quilt top!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 07:42:00 +0000

One week after we arrived back home I decided I couldn't ignore the neatly packaged up, freshly serviced, sewing machine near the front door any longer.

One week after we arrived back home I was folding some fabric in my sewing room when I was struck by a sudden and very powerful urge to make a quilt.

I think at this stage in time I should tell you that I have never before made a quilt. I have possibly even made a little joke once or twice at the expense of my cutting up fabric and sewing it back together friends (sorry). I had always thought I might be irritated at the fussiness of quilting. That the exactness might not suit my personality. That quarter inch seams and self healing mats might belong to a culture I would never be a part of.

But like I said, the urge struck and who was I to ignore it.

So I gathered up some vintage sheets.
I measured them and cut some strips.
Then I dealt with an incident with Miss Pepper and the rotary cutter and some blood (lesson learned).
And I pinned and sewed the bits of fabric back together.
And then I cut them up again.

And then I got up on a chair and off the chair and on the chair and off the chair to fiddle with the design.

And then I sewed it all together and pressed the seams.

And ta-da!!! A quilt top!!

The wonderful and incredibly beginner friendly pattern is Kate's. I think the hardest part of the entire process was trying to take a picture without the wind blowing it up and around.

I'm a bit excited. And I can hardly wait until midday tomorrow when Merrilyn's shop opens and I can buy some wadding stuff.

Eeeeeeeeeeeep.

In the meantime, as I wait, I'm rummaging through my scraps drawer and googling beginner quilt patterns and dreaming about my next project. I think I'm hooked.

Merry, merry.

xx

My top ten tips for settling back home beautifully.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 07:53:00 +0000

One: Hit the home ground with a plan. Get focused and keep busy. Declutter, paint, plant a garden, organise your photos into ibooks or slide shows...

Two: Make your home beautiful. Fill jars with flowers, open the windows and let the sunny air in, play your favourite tunes, make your bed, pop your holiday souvenirs around the house....

Three: Do something you love every day. Bake, crochet, dance, write, draw...

Four: Don't force yourself to settle back into old, busy routines too quickly. Have some quiet time in the afternoon, take a Nana nap, snuggle up with a book and a cuppa, challenge your kids to a board game, take a blanket outside and read a book on the grass...

Five: Be active. Go for a walk every day, dance around your lounge room, jump on the trampoline, go for a bike ride, skip rope...

Six: Keep it fun. Eat pancakes for dinner, read aloud to each other, give each other manicures, have a party...

Seven: Change things around a bit. Move the furniture. Change the focus of the room. Be brave.

Eight: Make new rules. No TV during the week, kids set and clear the table for meals, chores, family Friday fun nights (thanks for the idea Rapps xx)...

Nine: Eat well. Plan meals, buy lovely seasonal ingredients, pick from your garden, try new recipes, get everyone involved in the prep, set the table with your best and fanciest stuff, light candles, eat together.

Ten: Be a tourist where you live. Explore the local area, go for long walks, visit the shops/farm-gates/wineries/restaurants/lakes/attractions, go on a picnic, row the lake...

And if all else fails, fake it til you make it. Pretend you are enjoying yourself and then you probably will.

This list is by no means law. It's just what's working for me at the moment three days after coming home. I was a little worried about how I would feel when the holiday was over. I was worried we would come home and I would be sad. I can be quite emotional like that. But I haven't. In fact I'm having a lovely time at home. So I thought I'd share my list here. Partly to remind myself and partly because it might possibly be of use to you when you get back from your adventures.

Happy travels - happy homes - happy Hannukah - happy Christmas - happy weekend. xx

Things I am liking @ home.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:20:00 +0000

(pics; our garlic, our bed, our kitchen table, our 80 Mile Beach-shell mobile, our raspberries).

Freshly Miss Jazzy cut flowers on the kitchen table.

Showering without thongs.

Our own farm produce.

Hot running water at the sink.

Our own eggs.

Reading.

Not bumping into each other all the time.

Sunlight streaming in through clean windows (thanks R xx).

Space.
The dishwasher.
Familiarity.
Not having to hunt for four one dollar coins whenever I want to do the laundry.
Walking around nudie-rudie.
Not going anywhere.
Berry picking every day.
Our own bed.
How happy the girls are with their classes and teachers for next year.

Music we never got a chance to upload to the ipods.

Walking the farm.

Our things.

The compost bucket.

How calm and content the girls seem to be.
Reading Pippi Longstocking together every night.
The space we are starting to feel on day three of the great declutter.
The quiet nights without TV.
Walking in the bush.
Meal planning.
Using the bits of crockery we bought on the trip.
Looking forward to Friday night-family movie night.
That feeling you get when you chuck out ten years of odd socks.
Rediscovering old favourites.
Knitting.
Home.

I'm hoping your home is a wonderful place to be right now.

Bye! xx

Artful Blogging.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:10:00 +0000

If I am to be totally honest with you and with myself, I am terrified of reverting back to the Kate I was six months ago. The Kate who lived here before our adventure. That Kate was happy but I think she was tired. She found it easier to keep doing the same things in the same way rather than making changes. The thought of painting walls or building things or putting new rules in place just seemed too hard on top of everything else she felt she had to do.

One of the biggest gifts from our trip is my new sense of who I am, what I want and what I like. I feel a bit like I did before I had kids. Like I have remembered me. I've come home with a vision for how I want this place to look and how I want us to live. We spent hours and hours discussing all our homecoming plans while we were still away and now it's time to start making changes. Straight away.

We came home with some definites that are keeping us on track; no TV or movies during the week, no microwave, a walk a day, as much outside time as possible and no being a taxi driver between kid activities until next week.

And then there's the decluttering (day two and we have filled the back of my car for the op shop and a skip is arriving later tonight for rubbish), the redecorating, the plans for outside and the farm plans.

I feel such an urgent hurry to get things done and put in place just in case the old Kate returns and I lose my motivation.

And while we were away the latest issue of Artful Blogging came out with my article and photos in it. It is such a beautiful magazine and I am thrilled to be part of it.

I wrote an article about a dress I once made out of bits and bobs sent to me from bloggers from all over the world. A zip from here, a doily from there...after I finished sewing the dress I packed it up and sent it to Miss Deb who then gave it to a little girl who had lost everything in the New Zealand earthquake.

Unfortunately for us Aussies, I think Artful Blogging is only available in America. Actually, when I asked Jennifer, the Assistant Senior Managing Editor, she thought I was the only Australian blogger they had ever featured. Just a little bit exciting I think.

I hope wherever you are that you are happy and motivated.
Bye now. xx

Home again, home again...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 08:16:00 +0000

We are home.

Honestly I still don't know how I feel about it all. One minute I am excited and enthusiastic, the next I am flat and overwhelmed.

The girls rushed in and spent hours rummaging through their things. Playing, reading, trying on and making. I love how their special things are triggering special memories and stories. I love how they sing as they explore.

And we have moved from space to space also. Cleaning, browsing, unpacking, sorting.

Our main aim right now is to declutter. To clear some space. After six months in a caravan we are overwhelmed by how much stuff we have at home. We have placed boxes in the middle of every room and are slowly filling them up with things. Books we wont read again, clothes we never wear, toys we have outgrown. The girls are really excited by the sorting too. We are being ruthless. I feel the need to rush this process before the old hoarder Kate creeps back in and changes her mind.

And in the middle of it all, when it all got a bit overwhelming, we went off for a walk. We walked around the farm and said hello to the animals and picked raspberries, strawberries, currants and gooseberries. I remembered how much I love living on a farm. How alive I feel here. How incredible home grown, freshly picked produce tastes. How walking around this place is the best medicine for an overwhelmed head.

And I washed and dried all our favourite linen so we have snuggly beds to look forward to. I must say I am just a bit excited about sleeping in our own bed.

Thank you all so much for traveling along with us. It has been wonderful to be able to share this adventure and have your feedback, suggestions, stories and advice along the way.

I'm off now to make us pancakes with berries for dinner. I've washed a pile of Johnson plates we thrifted on the trip to use for the special homecoming dinner.

Have fun out there. x

The blanket/The winner

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:32:00 +0000

Project deets:

Name - Roads & places blanket.
Pattern - Bulls-Eye by Brittany Tyler.
Craft - crochet.
Hook - 3.5m
Yarn - Lots of colourful bits of 8ply wool. Some bought especially for this project and lots of scrappy ends too. Actually, this is a great project for using up all those tiny balls of yarn at the bottom of your basket.
Started - In Busselton WA on November 7 2011.
Finished - On the Nullarbor. Somewhere between WA and SA on December 11 2011.
Squares - I stopped at 20 because I ran out of charcoal yarn.
Border - I crocheted the red border as we crossed the border. I only had enough red yarn for one row of the edge but I would have preferred at least two.
Blocking - Nope!
Made for - Snuggling in and picnicking on and hiding under.
See - My Ravelry project page for more photos and details.

I'm so happy with how this blanket turned out. I almost can't believe I really finished it. Completely. All the squares are sewn together and all ends are sewn in. Done!

I really love the look of it laid out flat so you can see all the circles properly and also all scrunched up and messy like. I even like it all folded up in the back of the car ready to drive home. It's filled with road trip stories and memories. I'm so happy I made it and we'll have it as to remind us.

And the Make Hey! giveaway winner...
Thank you all for your entertaining comments. I just loved reading through them.
I asked Miss Pip, the very clever author, for a number between 1 and 114 and she gave me number 82.
Comment number 82 is The Jade Leaf!!!!!!
Congratulations Jade, I know you are going to love this book.

I hope your last full week of 2011 is such a happy one.
And I got the days mixed up and we are really heading home tomorrow. Tomorrow!!!!

Happy travels.
See you soon. xx

So close to home.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:10:00 +0000

Six months ago, on the day we left home, in the minutes before we left home, I stood in my kitchen and looked around. I saw the chook bucket that needed to be emptied, the cupboard that had come off it's hinges, the cobwebby windows, the cold concrete floor, too many bits of paper magneted to the fridge and all the other stuff I just hadn't gotten around to.

I am not going to ever miss this place, I thought to myself.

Over the months away I have often remembered that moment. Maybe as a reality check, possibly to judge my progress, definitely to ensure I made the most of our time away.

Today is our last day away from that kitchen, our last day away from home.

This morning, just after I woke up, I lay in bed for a while and pictured myself there, standing in that same spot in the kitchen.

In my mind I slowly looked around and surveyed the scene.

Surprisingly it felt good.

In my imaginary visit home this morning there was family chaos as usual but it felt fresh! Airy. There was music playing, there was jam simmering on the stove (could it be jam season yet?), there were freshly picked flowers on the table, vegies brought in from the garden and there was the hustle and bustle of a meal being put together. Together.

It was homey.

Could it be that perhaps I am ready for home? To go home?

Or as farmer Bren put it to me this morning; Going home is just the next part of this adventure.

Happy travels friends.
Happy homes. x

ps. We'll announce the giveaway winner in the next few days.

Make Hey - Give Away!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:24:00 +0000

The lovely people at Hardie Grant sent me a copy of Pip Lincolne's new book, Make Hey! while the sun shines . We picked it up at the post office when we were driving through Carnarvon in WA. It was actually addressed to me, but you know what?? I didn't actually get to look at it until a couple of hours later.

My girls ran away with it.

My girls loved it.

Miss Pepper loved looking through all the brightly coloured, beautifully styled pictures.
Miss Jazzy loved pointing out all the projects that she NEEDED me to make for her.
Miss Indi took the longest. She studied every page carefully, reading and going through the patterns and recipes and lists and working out what she could make herself.

Even my self-confessed, crafty-challenged friend Trish loved it!

When I finally got my hands on Make Hey! I completely understood the excitement. In her introduction Pip says 'This book is about projects and ideas and even nice things to cook. It's all about sunshiney fun stuff to make and things to put you in a dipping-your-toes-in-the-river-shady-picnic-popsical kind of mood.' And she's totally spot on. It is!

It's a great book. It's a beautiful book. It's a happy book. It's a spunky book. You would love this book, I know you would. It even has pictures of the cutest old caravan in it.

And lucky for you, the wonderful peeps at Hardie Grant have given me one copy of Make Hey! to give away to one of you. Hooray!! So leave me a comment below. Tell me something. Anything. We'll pick a winner on the weekend.

(Unfortunately this giveaway is open to Australian residents only.)

Have fun and be kind. xx

What if? - The homecoming version.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 23:44:00 +0000

Early last July, on the day before we left home, I wrote out a list of 'what if' questions. All the stuff I was worried about and stressing over was on that list. I knew we were heading for an awesome adventure, but it still helped to write down the niggly fears. The stuff at the back of my mind.

Yesterday we had a still day in Streaky Bay. We relaxed, admired our gorgeous view, did some housework and made a few plans for the next little while.

Probably because we are homeward bound, last night I decided to visit that list for the first time since I published it. And then I found myself needing to answer those 'what ifs'.

Here goes:

What if I am as impatient with my kids as I feel today?

There were times when I was. Absolutely. But I think I mainly get impatient when I have an agenda and the girls are getting in the way and slowing me down. Life on the road is so much slower than life at home. And I have had more time and my farmer boy around to back me up when I have needed five minutes out to breathe.

What if it was all really about the styling and the fixing?

It wasn't but I'm so glad we spent that time. The curtains, the pale blue walls, the bed covers, the crocheted bits and bobs, the cupboard door handles...they have all gone to making this place a home. Our little nest. The styling and fixing made all the difference.

When we go home we have vowed to try a bit of styling there too. Perhaps it is possible to make our Copper-Art house more us with some paint, some rearranging and some special loving.

What if I am antisocial and don't feel like making new friends?

I guess the best part of travelling with a caravan is that you have your home with you where ever you go. Like a turtle. When you feel like being sociable and making new friends you do and when you don't, you can go inside. Back into your shell.

At home I often had issues with being sociable because I was always busy trying to get three hundred things done before the end of the day. Being sociable meant I'd do less. Achieve less. Somehow when we get home I have to reconcile the doing and the friending. Prioritise both. I hope I can.

What if something bad happens back home?

A few really bad things did happen. In six months it was inevitable.

I lost a friend to cancer. A young Mum with kids the same ages as mine. A friend who I spent time with a few times a week. My whole community has dealt with their loss. I really haven't. I am nervous about seeing her family without her and for dancing classes and play school drop offs when we get home. I miss her.

And my gorgeous grandfather had a terrible fall and ended up in hospital for a few weeks. I got progress reports all along the way but the photos of his face and being so far away were awfully painful.

What if I have no personal space?

I didn't. There is no personal space in a caravan.

Right now as I type these words Indi and Jazzy are singing some repetitive song about an elephant, Miss Pepper is throwing a lid of a cardboard box around and farmer Bren is trying to untangle his kite strings.

What if we only have access to crappy food?

We did. Right up the centre and then down the west coast until about Carnarvon we ate from the stupid market. We did our best to choose and cook well. But we didn't find anything organic or local or direct from the farmer until Carnarvon.

What if they don't make friends?

Thank goodness they did make friends and have friends around most of the time.

Well the smallest two did. Miss Indi found it a lot more difficult. There aren't many eleven year olds on the road. Which is a shame because eleven is such a great age to appreciate and learn from traveling. Its also a shame because she really could have benefited from the independence of friendships and we could have dealt with a bit more space on occasion too.

What if something runs out of batteries and we can't charge them?

I don't think this ever happened. We have that many chargers and cords that we have a whole cupboard dedicated to them.

What if they just fight all the time?

There have spent so much time together over the past six months that there were bound to be times when it felt like they did, but the majority of the time they have been great.

What if I have forgotten how to slow down and unplan?

I have relearned and remembered. My hope now is that I can maintain this slow when we get home.

What if I forget something important?

We didn't.

What if someone gets sick or hurt?

Miss Pepper was really sick for a while in Darwin, we also had to visit a dentist in Darwin and Miss Pepper dislocated her elbow in Abany. We survived. Its all part of the story of our trip now.

What if something important gets lost or stolen?

We have a week left and I'm afraid I'll jinx it if I speak too soon, but up until now we have been incredibly lucky. We lost some tea-spoons and a couple of pairs of thongs early on, but we replaced them and moved on.

What if we are being too ambitious?

We weren't.

But our next plan for sailing around the world might be. We are not boat people. Not yet anyway. We'll see.

What if I have packed the wrong things?

I think I packed well. And anything we needed we picked up along the way. Except for wool. There was a desperate shortage of wool for a couple of months until we got to Geraldton. But other than that we did great.

And finally here's the new list; the homecoming 'what ifs'. I am pretty sure that we are ready to go home. That we have plans and decisions in place and that we are ready and full of inspiration and strength. But 'what if'??

What if I spend too much of my time driving the girls in and out of town?

What if all our homecoming plans are too ambitious?

What if our house is unfixable?

What if everything is exactly the same?

What if everything is really different?

What if I don't have enough time to get everything done?

What if the girls are just too far behind in their schooling?

What if I get swallowed up by housework?

What if I feel sad and uninspired and coming home is a comedown?

What if the stresses we left behind are there waiting for us?

What if we go home rested and inspired and full of energy and enthusiasm and what if we are happy?! Let's hope so. We do live in one of the most beautiful parts in Australia and grow organic produce for us and for a living after all.

Travel safe peeps. xx

Nullarbor.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:46:00 +0000

You know what?

I really enjoyed driving the Nullarbor.

Beforehand I was a bit nervous about the endless 1,204 kilmometers of road, the crazy winds, the enormous air sucking road trains, the middle of nowhere and the chance of more mechanical problems with Frankie Blue.

But I really enjoyed it.

It felt big. Like a mile stone. Like a caravaner's rite of passage.

I liked the wide open spaces, the enormous skies and the roads that seemed to go on forever. No distractions, no driving decisions, just 90km on cruise control and driiiiiiiiiiive.

We were pretty lucky and had the most perfect driving conditions. Overcast, grey skies, no wind and 21 degrees days.

I liked that we were all alone. Us five. A team.

I liked that everyone seemed so happy. (Except for one massive four year old tantrum that you might have heard from where ever you are.)

I liked setting up camp behind road houses, eating simple meals and watching movies Bren had brought to surprise us.

I love listening to pod casts in the car and we listened to heaps. We also listened to Paul Kelly's A-Z all the way through.

And we talked. And when the girls were watching movies we talked without interruptions. Long conversations about where we've been and where we're going.

I liked the details on the way. The birds, the different landscapes, the trucks carrying helicopters and caravans and cars and the shoe tree.

I liked eating masses of fruit and veg before we got to the South Australian border.

I liked that I had time to think. To follow thoughts all the way through without interruptions.

I liked that sometimes we all had to jump rope 50 times before we got back into the car and sometimes we had to run around Frankie five times.

I liked playing in the old telegraph station in Eucla that has been slowly eaten up by the sand dunes.

I liked how great it felt to be out of the car when we had a break.

And I loved The Great Australian Bight. Watching the waves crash against the cliffs and knowing exactly where we were on the map.

And I liked that when we did have a caravan tyre issue, a cracked rim, it was in a roadhouse in Penong so we didn't have to stop on the side of the road.

It really felt like a family adventure.

We came off the Nullarbor and spent a night in Ceduna. Our first in South Australia on South Australian time. We ate at the pub and cheersed to a successful crossing.

Now we are in Streaky Bay, a few beaches down. We have a caravan site right on the beach. We'll spend the day here tomorrow and then head home.

We have one full week left on the road.

Happy travels my friends.