Captain Apricot

Catching up and checking in.

2014-04-17T00:42:00.000-07:00

Hello there my lovelies! It's been a long while since I've spent any time in this here space but it's been on my mind in the last few weeks. I miss making time for sharing and documenting things I'm doing. There's something about being part of a bigger group that's appealing. Like how some feel like they need to be seen and heard to feel like they're existing, I'm drawn to anything that gives me that feeling of belonging I guess. Anywho, the point is that this virtual-crafty-creative-mama-blogging community is a good thing and something I appreciate being a part of, only I seem to be seriously lacking in time lately.

Captain Apricot had it's slow period after Christmas and I made new resolutions to be present here and make time for me (blogging being something I do entirely for me) and for awhile I did. Then the seasons shifted and things in the Southern hemisphere cooled down, hence the absence. Right now, things are still busy (like woah) but I've been composing blog posts in my head and imagining projects I'll share and tonight, despite the serious to-do list I ended up here once the kiddies were in bed.

I'm not sure if those posts and projects will ever get written or shared but for now, I'm happy to be making (yet another) fresh start. The first thing I need to do is catch up on the 52 project because, while I haven't posted the photos here, I've been taking and sharing photos on my instagram with the 52 project in mind. Without further ado, here's weeks 6 to 15.

5/52

2014-02-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

J: On a rock climbing adventure with friends. So much happy in his face.

Linking in with Jodi over at Practising Simplicity.

This picture was taken by an artist friend, one of the lovelies that took J out.

conversations with my kids.

2014-01-31T17:33:00.000-08:00

Things I want to remember forever. The happy, funny and astounding moments with my kids.

During bath time:

E: "I can't get out of the bath because I have freezing in my body. It's a nice freezing, it's big and strong. I have a freezing in my teeth, there are six"

Me: "Why are there six?"

E: "I just have freezing in my body because I have freezing in my body"

At bedtime, an hour or so later:

E: "There was a baby fly in it's mama's puku. I went to the fly's house and the baby fly came out and said "hello" "

Me:"What did you say to the fly"

E: "I said I have a freezing in my body"

Said to me just before I said goodnight:

"Sometimes I have a baby dragon in my tummy when I go to bed"

Seems that Edie is becoming quite the story teller, weaving tales about anything and everything. She jumps from one thing to another and back again and somehow it all makes (preschooler) sense.

4/52

2014-01-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

J: One minute giggling, laughing and playing on the living room floor with his little sister, the next suddenly still. It's a strange place to be for him I think, not an adult or teen yet but starting to feel the gap between him and childhood widen all the same.

Linking in with Jodi from Practising Simplicity.

Grow, Make, Eat

2014-01-23T11:59:00.002-08:00

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of gardening and growing veggies. After 3 years in this house our humble little patch has grown to something a little bigger and more productive. I'm sure all the trial and error and learning along the way has helped too. I get really excited about making meals around what I've grown (I say 'I' because really, the garden is MY space) and as things start to get bigger and more and more is ready to be harvested I'm enjoying the fruits of my labours which brings me to last nights' dinner. Just a simple gluten-free pizza base with home-made cashew nut cheese grated on top and home-grown veggies as toppings kind of affair. Nothing too complicated but oh my sunshine there are some fab vegan/gluten-free foodie blogs out there which provide wonderful inspiration and advice!

Garden fresh: basil, rocket, silverbeet, iceberg lettuce (was going to make a side salad with the lettuce and then changed my mind, we'll use that for lunch tomorrow instead) and also a big handful of spring onions.

I made the bases using this recipe, they aren't perfectly perfect in appearance but they taste great. This is the second time using this recipe and I think it's a keeper.

Grated "cheeze" made using this recipe here, although I did change up the flavourings a bit.

Veggies prepped: Didn't grow the courgette myself (or the mushrooms for that matter) but ours are just a few days away from prime picking time!

Pizzas made and pizzas baked!

*I am no food blogger/photographer, nor do I ever expect to be, apologies for the less than stellar images. I really just want to show off that I'm growing food to feed my family because that gives me more satisfaction than words can actually describe!

conversations with my kids.

2014-01-22T19:05:00.001-08:00

Things I want to remember forever. The happy, funny and astounding moments with my kids.

Making snacks in the kitchen together:

J: If life was like a TV show it would be so cool. All the problems get solved in half an hour.

(A rather good observation for a 10 year old who never watches TV methinks.)

This evening, before bed with Edie:

Edie: Where's my Papa, Mama?

Me: Papa is at work tonight. Do you miss Papa?

Edie: No, I don't miss him because I am not crying. I am happy with my Mama because I am a baby jaguar. (squeaky voice) Baby jaguar, baby jaguar, I'm a baby jaguar"

... We continue getting ready for bed and talking together ...

Me: Edie, what book shall we read tonight?

Edie: No! Baby jaguar!

(Guess I got her identity wrong. An hour earlier she was "a twicewatops" dinosaur.)

At the dinner table:

E: When I was a little girl I had a big fire engine and Jay Jay had a big bus and they were friends!"

Somehow, balance.

2014-01-20T22:27:00.004-08:00

I wrote about achieving balance and how I would quite like to do that a week or two back and so far it's been an easy-ish thing. The long summer holidays are upon us and so everybody is in slow mode. The small kid is back at creche next week so we've had slow days at home, playing in the garden and baking together. The big kid doesn't go back to school for another three or so weeks and R goes back to work next Tuesday after a blissful month off.

Things that are good about this are; spending lots of time in the veggie garden and eating/using fresh food from our efforts on a daily basis; not staying up past midnight to keep up with orders. I'm still fitting in about 4 hours a day of Captain A stuffs but there is nowhere near as much pressure now that the scary pre-Christmas rush is over; Making and baking. I love playing in the kitchen and I've loved having more time to bake and experiment. I've been trying to get one thing done each day (cookies, crackers, bread, bliss balls, cashew 'cheese', almond butter, muesli...) and it's working! Buying pre-made vegan/gluten-free snacky things can be costly and not so nutrient dense so this is good for us all in lots of ways. No complaints there.

Things that aren't so good are, well nothing really. I really needed the break and while work is slow and R is home things are good and very well balanced. In a few weeks things might not be so simple.

I'm feeling really positive about these first few weeks of January, I'm putting it down to having a proper break, some good weather and the fact that E still naps for 2-3 hours a day. The next few weeks will be more challenging as R goes back to work, Edie's creche starts up again and Jay's extra curricular activities kick off. Wish me luck!

*I wrote this last week and I have to say that just one day into something of a more normal routine and I'm already feeling so rushed! This will be a real test for me, but one I want to succeed in.

3/52

2014-01-20T17:06:00.001-08:00

E: Morning sun, this little one and her books.

Joining with with Jodi at Practicing Simplicity. Last week I loved this shot and these too. There's something far trickier about capturing older children when they are so much more aware of the camera.

Keeping up so far! Feels good. I've been taking so many pictures lately and I love having my trusty old point and shoot in hand again (one day DSLR, one day). x

Round 2 for 52. 1/52 & 2/52

2014-01-11T17:37:00.001-08:00

Just like the title says, this is my second attempt at this here project. I still took photos and documented our little life last year but when the busy happened I got really behind and overwhelmed with posting photos. This year I'm working hard on a life/work/family balance and so hopefully I can stay on track with this on my second go. One thing I'm doing differently is to just share one portrait per week, with one family member. I feel like this is slightly less pressure to snap pictures often and gives me more room to let the photos happen more naturally.

So, week one: Lego building.

And two: Cave building.

Joining with with Jodi at Practicing Simplicity. Some faves from last week were this silhouette, this great action shot and this sweet portrait.

Op-Shop Show-Off. Kitchen Things

2014-01-11T17:14:00.001-08:00

A trip to drop off recycling last weekend led me to the shelves of the dusty dump shop where I found this loverly selection. I've been pining for a good tea pot for ages (actually did not own one!) and this one just appeared in front of me when I wasn't even looking. Oh the tea I will drink!

I had mentioned to R that I wanted to buy jars and containers to organise the pantry and at first I had planned to just buy new plastic or glass wherever I could find it reasonably priced. He asked if I might hold out until after we checked op-shops and the recycling centre and I'm glad he did because these are much prettier than anything I would have picked up at Briscoes. I'll need lots more to complete the task of getting the large amount of whole-foods we keep in our shelves into appropriate vessels but this here is a good start methinks. I've not really had a lot of success with crockery ever before, (ahem, mostly because I haven't bothered looking for it) but these finds and some of the scores people have shared in the Op-Shop Show-Off previously have inspired me to look for pretty pretties to contain all the things.

Joining in with Blackbird Has Spoken because I do like showing off rather a lot. You must pop over and see the beautiful vintage typewriter that Max discovered. So much rad right there!

2014 and some things.

2014-01-05T14:58:00.003-08:00

So, I'm aware that I have been very absent from this space. It'snot been something I planned or made any kind of decision about, it just happened. Life got REALLY busy, Captain Apricot got REALLY REALLY busy and at the odd moment I did have some down time, blogging wasn't really what I felt drawn to. I think writing and documenting in general are things I need to keep up momentum to stay connected and that's been a hard thing this past year. I'm not worried about it though, I love writing and sharing but I don't feel any obligation to keep at it if it doesn't feel right or other things are more pressing. I think I'd walk away altogether if I ever felt like that. Anywho, despite the busyness of it all it has been a rather good year and I am happy with where things are at in my life and the lives of those in my little family. Like most though, I am thinking of the next big thing, the next project and the ways in which I can keep things going in a good direction. I confess that I have never EVER written New Year's resolutions/goals before and once I would have shunned the idea as cliche and a bit naff. I do see the sense in it now though and I am going to attempt here to publicly declare what I/we are aiming for this year.

Here we go!

1. On my list and every other working parent's lists for all time everywhere: Balance. More of that please. I would like to not go to bed at 1 am feeling like I'm behind on work and be missing my kidlets on top of it. You all get it, no real need to explain this one. Any amazing ideas for organisation and balance in the life of a busy person who does too many things and loves all of them?

2. Save. 2013 was the year of paying off debts and this year will hopefully be the year of saving. We would like to eventually own our own home, with a kick-ass yard so I can grow all of the things and my kids can play, run, jump and spin without smashing into each other. This wasn't seeming so far away until a crappy law change means that buyers now need a 20% deposit to buy a home. With the prices in our area starting at $550,000 and getting higher and higher it's looking like we have a lot of penny pinching to do.

3. Grow. Like I just said, I want to grow all of the things. There is only so much you can do in a rental but we do have a great yard with a decent patch I have been slowly working away at for the 3 years we have lived here. I'd love to fine-tune my garden plans to get the most good home-grown food possible for the season and then learn new ways to preserve and process that food. I hope that this will also help with number 2, because the more I grow, the less we buy.

4. Make. I make stuff every day but I'd really love to make more for home, for me and for my family. Less make-to-sell so I can buy things and more make-for-home so I don't need to buy things. Hopefully this will help with number 2 as well. Edie is no longer petrified of my sewing machines so I think this is a good start.

That's my list, share a link to yours or tell me what you're planning for 2014 in the comments.

Manda x

Growing - garden ramblings, looking forward to Spring.

2013-08-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from last summer when I could pop outside and pick fresh salad ingredients and enough beans to feed my entire street. I'm hope that with a little planning and organisation this seasons garden will be even more productive and have much more variety too.

Since the winter gardening attempts, I have dug, composted, weeded, planted and sown until my hands were rough and callouses started to form. I'm not complaining one little bit, my garden is my happy place and so if I can squeeze out time to be out getting my hands dirty then life is good.

First to go in this past week were peas, onions and beetroot seed as well as some lettuce, beetroot and red spring onion seedlings. I love when a veggie patch is kid friendly and so of course peas are a must for my two kidlets. Last summer almost every single morning tea was freshly picked strawberries and peas for little E. We would venture outside into the sunshine mid morning to hang laundry and poke around our little patch and Edie would inevitable ask for "stawbewies and peees", sit herself down at her little round table and have her snack. As the strawberries and peas slowed and stopped she diverted her attention to the baby carrots growing in front of some well-picked spinach and now picks herself a carrot and marches up to me so she can demand I wash it for her.

I've always tried to encourage J in the garden with me, but the older he gets, the less interest he has shown. This year, however he has shown enthusiasm for growing a corn patch and so I've obliged by buying rainbow corn seed from the Koanga Institute, organic seed raising mix and keeping his wee sister busy while he sows his trays of corn so they can be planted in a few weeks time. I wasn't planning on planting corn but if he wants it, then I will find it. I want to do all I can to support his growing (ha!) interest in gardening and hopefully we have many more seasons of getting our hands dirty together.

We have a rental house and are lucky to have a good sized section with good sunlight and space for growing food and I have had to show restraint and hold myself back from digging it all up for veggie beds. Dreams of owning a property of our own and having my way with the land we live on haunt me frequently but for now, it's an idea in a list of ideas, with many other things closer to the top. Until then, I will make the most of this space and continue to garden from season to season.

What are you growing this season? Have a gardening ramble or post of your own? Share!

24/52 + 25/52

2013-08-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

J: Teaching Edie some dance moves.
E: Teaching herself to play keyboard.

J: Upsidedown and blurry at Te Ao Marama Light Festival.
E: In a basket, in her jammies. For some reason she really loves climbing in here.

Linking in with Jodi here (not actually yet but I will again when I'm up to date). I am attempting to go through the images from the last few months and catch up with this project so there may be a few more of these posts in the next week or so. My mum will be stoked so lets all go along with it huh?

M x

26 things I made 4/26

2013-08-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

What's that? You think I should be over half way through at this point of the year? Pffft. I stopped beating myself up for sporadic blogging a while back but I am trying. Also, I usually make lots of things as gifts and the birthday season officially starts in a few weeks and doesn't stop until January so there is lots to come in the next few months. Anyway, techinically I didn't make the actual chairs but I did transform them so it still counts (it's my blog so I get to decide this, being the boss of yourself is pretty awesome). We got these chairs second hand and while they have a good shape and the wood is nice and in good condition I was SO not a fan of the fawn/puke/bird poo coloured fabric that they were covered in so I got out my tools, enlisted the help of my 2 year old (who got out her plastic tools) and we spent a morning attacking the set of four chairs and recovered them. When we were done they all looked like this. As my little sister would say; ta-daaaah!

The fabric was a gift from a friend who recently moved overseas (sob) and had to get rid of a lot of cool stuff before she left. She picked it up in Thailand and I'm pretty happy to have a reminder of her in my dining room and of course, a free project is a good project. Thanks Britta! You're the bestest. x

School Holiday Adventures!

2013-07-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

Ehem. Let's all ignore how long it's been and move on shall we? Last week I told Russell "I might write a blog post this weekend" and he was all "Oh you have a blog do you?", sarky man that he is. I did not actually end up writing then but I am here now so I'll get on with it.

I have 2 children and they have a 7 year age gap between them. That's a lot of years. They play super amazingly together and little sister thinks that bigger brother is just the bees knees but when it comes to doing exciting things with them it's hard to find things that they both love.

Every school holidays I vow that I will do better, be less stressed, make more time for adventuring and fun and try not to think too much about work stuff, house stuff and all the usual things that make me busy. I usually fail. This time around things are different. I made plans with friends, organised things, enrolled J in things and kept E's creche hours so I could have some one on one time with him while she was there. This time around I totally win and while I am still human and very much a stressy type I think we've had way more fun this past fortnight. I kept one of E's creche days free and J and I spent a few days plotting about what to do. Here's how we spent our day together:

Beautiful grey Wellington.

Always with the silly faces

City skater

Outside the film archive

Perusing the online archives.

Silly faces at the cinema

We saw this screening of well known children's books turned into short animations. We are definite fans.

Cheesy selfy, complete with requisite silly face.

So, there it is! We did lots more of course, this is just one day we decided to document. Other school holiday adventures including Hobbit model painting at Games Workshop (I think this is the next obsession for this kid, as he slowly begins to outgrows his Lego. He still has many more years of Lego construction in him though!), a visit to Te Papa, intense Judo holiday trainings, sleep overs with friends and lots of socialising, walks around our neighbourhood and beaches, library visits, more than a few soy fluffies in favourite cafes, and playground hangouts. Phew! I was pretty worn out by the end of the fortnight (came down with a cold on the last Friday, yuck!) but it was totally worth it. Here's to making an effort and creating memories!

Manda x

Winter Eating

2013-06-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

I go through stages with my kitchen. Much like my relationship with gardening, I find myself going through periods of extreme excitement about food and cooking and then times where I have no energy or enthusiasm for trying new dishes and am happy to let R do almost all the cooking. Right now I want to cook and bake and eat everything. I've got a couple of new favourite recipes and food blogs where I spend inordinate amounts of time browsing and comparing and dreaming (I am no whiz in the kitchen, many of my attempts don't quite work out and I often sub too many ingredients and end up with something very different from what I first intended). I might be the last person in the whole world to get the word on Oh She Glows, but oh man I do it love it so! Particularly this flat bread which is super nutritious and so quick to make. I've found loads of new faves lately via Bonzai Aphrodite and all the vegan bloggers who went to vida vegan con. I just never bothered looking for food loving vegan bloggers before. Turns out there are loads of them!

I've been experimenting with nut/seed/dried fruit snacks but my blender is not up to the challenge at all so my results have been a bit hit and miss. SIDETRACK: I am on the look out for the not-too-expensive blender that can blend everything there ever was. If such a blender/food processor does in fact exist. A girl can dream. Ideally I'd get a vitamix or something similar but for various reasons I don't want to get into here I don't want a long term 10 year blender that I wont get my moneys worth out of so I'm looking for something a bit less fancy. Suggestions welcome, I'm really interested to hear what people use and for what. I'd hate to get home, take an appliance out of the box and discover that my dreams of almond butter will not be coming true.

So, the weather took a serious dip this past week (and the week before, and the week before and the week before...) and even though R is not the biggest fan I'm pretty excited about all things soup around here. Last night we had this creamy kumara and thai pesto bowl of amazing that is well, amazing and I'm thinking about loads of other combos for the coming weeks including a variation of a thai pumpkin soup with the buttercup pumpkin that I grew in our veggie patch. That flat bread I mentioned just before? Perfect with soup.

What are your go-to (what a dweeb; "go-to". Nobody actually talks like that right?) winter recipes? Even though I sound stupid asking I do actually want to know. Recipes! Tricks! Secret Ingredients! All of it!

23/52

2013-06-18T14:43:00.001-07:00

J: A face of concentration. Trying his best to ignore me.
E: A face of delight. Trying her best to command all of my attention.

I played with the location of these shots this week and took pictures of both kids in the same chair, under the living room window. The light behind them isn't ideal usually but it gives both of them a kind of glowing halo thing in these pictures.

I would be linking in with Che and Fidel, but these shots are too late in the week to make it in time for the 23 linky. Perhaps next week... perhaps. x

Edie makes music

2013-06-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

These videos show the latest obsession of my favourite 2 year old. She's always been a fan of music but lately the 'abc' song and her 6 string uke have been on high (VERY high) rotation in this here house.

Exhibit A: She sings 'abc' almost totally in tune and skips out the boring bit at the end before getting distracted by how good our futon couch is for climbing on.

Exhibit B: Different couch, less suited to climbing and so this time she brings her instrument of choice and stays focused on her music making for aaaages. She also got sick of the sad old overdone 'abc' song and added in some words from 'Tena Koe' (a maori greeting song we sing at our weekly music playgroup). I'm not sure what happens to her voice around 1.35 but I guess the emotion of the song just really overwhelmed her or something.

I don't know if it's just the proud mama talking here but this kid is really into making ~~noise~~ music. Her big brother still can't sing nursery rhymes in tune, not even a little bit (sorry J, you are wonderful at so many things but singing just aint your biggest strength) so hearing her at barely 2 years old sing along so happily to all these little songs does make me think she might enjoy some kind of musical-preschooler-education-fun-thing.

Some weekend pictures from weekends ago

2013-06-15T23:46:00.001-07:00

"pwaying games"

Veggie market colours. So pretty.

Meet Manfred, a fluffy feline who is staying with us for awhile.

Edie offers Manfred a turn with all of her favourite toys.

I took J to Armageddon as Legolas and he met a few of his LOTR homies, including Tauriel.

He also had a wee archery lesson from some medieval experts.

We were waiting in a queue when Indiana Jones appeared and charged at Legolas. There was a fierce battle that kept them both busy while the line slowly moved forward. We'd never seen this kid before in our lives, I love that they saw each other and decided to play.

Yeah, I know. This all happened the weekend before this one and I am that late. I knew though that certain family members would still be interested in seeing some of these pictures so I decided to dig this post out from the depths of my drafts folder.

Hope all is well in blogland, I've hardly had a minute lately to write, let alone read any of my faves lately. Here's hoping for a slightly less chaotic period in our lives, I'd really like to sit down with a cup of coffee and catch up with y'all!

21/52 and 22/52

2013-06-04T23:10:00.001-07:00

Back on track! Hopefully I can keep up with this project in future. But for now here's 2 weeks worth to make up for missing out last week. xx

Week 21:

J: Running ahead of me in the city, hair streaming out behind him.

E: Reading her brothers comic book. Not exactly appropriate for a 2 year old but hey, she wants to do everything J does.

Week 22:

J: At a friends for brunch. I did his hair as Legolas, he was getting into character.

E: Excited to be sitting at the head of the table. It didn't last long, she barely ate a bite before we resorted to youtube clips so we could eat brunch together.

Linking in with Jodi from Che and Fidel, here.

Making Time

2013-05-30T13:05:00.002-07:00

It's no secret that I've been pretty busy lately or that I've neglected to share in this here blog-space (sorry mum, more kid photos coming soon). The past few months have stretched me pretty thin and prompted me to take a different approach to my time, how I use it and my priorities. I made a few simple changes that have paid off in a big way and this week I got EVERYTHING on my to-do list done. I thought I'd share them here because us mamas are kind of our own worst enemies when it comes to taking care of everyone else before we look after ourselves. Here's what I changed and how.

Bedtime. As in I gave myself one. I have never never never been a morning person and have accepted that but going to bed too late because I am trying to finish all the things is something that makes this about a million times harder (and I never finish all the things anyway). Having a sleep timetable means I have to go to bed at the same time each night and wake at the same time each day. Apparently sleeping in and not having a regular sleep pattern really messes with your brain and makes getting good sleep much harder. So, I'm now in bed at 11pm each night and awake at 6.50 each morning (I might not get out of bed instantly but I wont go back to sleep). Even on the weekends, which is so so sad, oh the sadness. Saying good-bye to Saturday morning lie-ins (R and I usually take turns) is something I am still mourning but the difference in how I feel and my ability to wake up in 10 minutes rather than an hour is pretty good motivation to keep on track.

Eeeeeat. As in do it properly. I have a bad habit of not eating well when I don't have to feed my kids at the same time so I have been guilty of eating 4 pieces of gluten free toast with hummus and drinking 3 cups of coffee in an effort to spend less time preparing and eating food so I could do other things (nap time is precious time!). Sometimes by the end of the day I was an over-caffienated, underfed (have you seen how small slices of gluten free bread are) jittery shaky mess and would crash and burn right before dinner time. Lately I've been making protein smoothies every morning with bananas, berries, rice milk, spirulina and rice protein powder so we all start the day with a great boost and I make sure to snack all day (super speedy metabolism = eat eat eat eat eat) as well as have a proper lunch. Turns out the time taken to prepare food isn't wasted when I actually achieve more due to hands that aren't shaking and nerves that aren't frayed to extremes.

Plan. I do love me a to-do list and planning makes my brain all kinds of happy but I tend to expect too much of myself. I've started to write my lists and plans with how much time I have to get everything done in mind. That means I wont put 'make 7 pairs of fingerless gloves' on my list to do while Edie naps because if I'm lucky she'll sleep for 3 hours tops and there was never any chance I was going to get that all done ever in a million years at all folks. If I'm realistic with my planning I get things done without feeling guilty that I didn't also do the other 54267425 things that I have to do at some point, sometime. I also set a limit so I don't just work all nap time (and miss lunch) and then all evening (and miss bedtime). I make sure I plan time for food breaks, exercise, crafting-that-isn't-work, showering and writing. Also socialising and spending time with Russell so I don't feel stir crazy for spending too much time alone with kids and then ignoring the grown ups around me in favour of getting more things done. I don't know if this new approach to planning will help me get more done, but I will be healthier, happier and more balanced for it which is totally worth it.

Creche. I've talked about how Edie has recently started attending a local creche 2 mornings a week and we've just decided to make it 3 mornings so as of this week, I have 12 hours of pure work time. Having this time that is dedicated to just working (I did take time off last week for lunch with Russell though) helps me separate work time from family time and me time (time time time time, say time some more, time time time) rather than just tring to fit work in around everything else and forgetting to look after myself. I know lots of parents are reluctant to use childcare for their kids and want to keep them close and I totally understand that. However I realised a long time ago that I was much happier if I had something that satisfied me and was just mine. Happier mama = better mama and so this creche time is kind of a non-negotiable for me. I'm pretty lucky that the thing I find so satisfying and is mine all mine also helps to pay for that creche.

There it is, some small things and some slightly bigger things and hopefully things go the way they should and I don't explode from trying to be 7 people at once. How do you other work-from-home-blogger-maker-mama's get it all done and find a balance? Any secrets?

Winter Garden

2013-05-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have strange bursts of energy and excitement when it comes to my veggie garden. I'll spend weeks preparing soil, planning what to sow and when, planting, weeding, digging and then once it's full and just needs to be watered, harvested and the odd weed pulled I lose interest. I only water when I remember and often only pop out to the veggie patch to pull some beetroot or pick some beans. By the end of the season when the plants have started to die down and everything is a complete mess I'll ignore it totally. When the change of season rolls around again, I'll find that energy and desire to get my hands dirty until everything is tidy and growing again. I know that my garden would be so much happier (and productive!) if I had a more regular pattern of gardening but this is what works for me right now. When I'm in my garden I love it, and when I stop feeling that love and excitement then I stop spending time there.

I did read recently (when I'm passionate about my garden I devour books on home veggie growing) that one way to keep momentum going and keep your garden happy is to plant something new every time you pull something so there is rarely an empty space to get overrun with weeds. I've been following this rule with some success and today I popped out to see the broad bean seeds I sowed a few weeks back were showing their beautiful green leaves and looking so healthy and happy. Cue excitement and fanatical veggie garden planning!

Our small patch currently hosts celery, carrots, beetroot, some mystery brassicas, broad beans, silverbeet/chard, lettuce, spinach, peas, pearl onions, basil, garlic (as of yesterday!) and a passion-fruit vine that I put in over the summer. I want to add more legumes, root veggies and leafy greens in the next few months. Do you have a home veggie plot? What are you planting or is already growing this season? Any suggestions for me?

20/52

2013-05-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

J: Post-skate photos when he was out with Russell. This kid is growing up so fast.
E: For someone who couldn't get two feet off the ground in a jump at Christmas time she's come pretty far.

If this wasn't a million days late then I'd be linking in with Jodi at che and fidel. I'll do better next time, I promise.

I am yet again way behind with this project and with this blog in general. I've really missed making the time to share here and I've written about 1000 posts in my head these last few weeks because there is lots I want to say and lots I want to talk about but it has been pretty busy down this way lately. I'm not going to make a fresh commitment to writing here but just say I will do what I can, when I can. I would love to post all the things floating around in my head and take part in some of the cool link ups that are around but I don't know how often or when I'll be able to update. So, this is in fact a commitment to not committing and taking some of the pressure off myself.

I'll see you when I see you friends, hopefully sooner rather than later. x

10% off!

2013-05-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

10% off for new likers of the Captain Apricot facebook page! Just 'like' Captain Apricot on FB and after your purchase I'll send you a revised invoice showing your discount. Go here to find Captain Apricot on facebook and here to go shopping for crocheted goodness!

Also, these sweet mary janes are currently on sale here.

Please message me if you're outside of NZ for shipping rates! Most listings don't have international shipping added but it's really reasonable for most items. xx

Mothers day in pictures

2013-05-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

1: Breakfast in bed with coffee, handmade cards and gifts wrapped in Edie-made paper.
2: Wandering city streets with a cookie in hand (AND ALSO: ponytail!).
3: Brother.
4: Wearing Papa's sunnies while waiting for coffee/fluffy milk at Customs Brew Bar.
5: Stopping at favourite Cuba St play-spots on our sunshiney walk.
6: These two.
7: And these two.
8: Explaining how to find North.
9: Menus.
10: Baby blues.
11: Waiting for brunch (lunch really, because it was already 1pm)
12: First brunch experience where she gets her own plate.
13: Seasoned bruncher.

Happy belated mama's day to all the mothers and their mothers. Whether you are a mama yourself or just took the time to celebrate one, I hope you had a great day. x