Outside

It's been awhile since the last 'shouse' update, but lots of things have been happening.  It's been liveable for 6 months now, but we are always adding/changing/replacing something to improve life in the 'shouse'.  I haven't shown you the outside since the photos I took when I came to inspect the shed over a year ago so I'm going to update  on that now.

Firstly we borrowed a little slasher and cleared all around the shed. Then we borrowed a backhoe and did some DIY earthmoving to remove built up dirt/leaves/rubbish etc. and reshape the land so that water from excess rain flows into the creek and not into the 'shouse'.  We did all this about 4 months ago and until recently that's how it stayed so our yard was a complete dustbowl.  Our aim at the moment is to grow some grass and pretty the place up with some plants and gardens.  I'll post about the back yard and the rest of the yard later this week, but for today, this is the front yard (dustbowl).


So, I know it looks pretty pathetic, but here it is.  Until a few weeks ago there was no green out here at all so it is growing quite well.  At first we just planted some buffalo grass that we got from a relative then we sprinkled a cheap box of lawn seed on it and it seems to be growing ok.

Today Milly helped me collect some rocks in her wagon to make an edging for our little flower garden.

I just bought a few punnets of little ground covery, flowery things and planted them straight into the ground.  They have little flower buds that look like they will open soon.

So that's the front yard.  It doesn't look like much, but if you compare with this 'before' photo I think it's quite impressive.

And of course there's more plans to put into action.  Still to come is the backyard (much more impressive) and the fruit trees (I'm very excited about these!!!)

More Sewing!

What a lucky lady I am! My mum took Milly for a few days this week (she lives out of town) which left me with Claire to look after and as 7 week olds sleep a fair bit I had lots of time to myself. So what did I do?  I sewed (and did dishes and folded washing).

I found this tutorial for a drawstring pouch a few days ago and had planned to make it when Milly went, so I had everything ready to go.  It was so easy and I managed to get it finished the day I started it.  I was interrupted by feeding and chats with Claire and LOTS of washing folding and a lovely long visit from some cousins of Daddy's, so really, I could have done it in maybe 1.5 hours.  I don't yet have a plan for the pouch.  Suggestions anybody?

I have  another exiting sewing project I'm waiting to start.  Just waiting on a delivery from the postman with my fabric! 

I've been crafting!

I have somehow found the time to do some sewing lately and I'm starting to think about what to make people for christmas.  At the rate I sew I better get started on the christmas sewing or it will not be done in time.  Anyway, I have found time to sew because I have an amazing newborn who, from about 5 weeks old (she's 7 weeks now), as been sleeping 8 hours straight at night and so I'm not needing to nap through the day when her and her sister do.  It's a really peaceful, quiet time in the house.

Earlier in the week I bought my first pre-cut fabric pack ever and used it to make Milly a little lap quilt.  I used a charm square pack and it made a little quilt that is the perfect size for her to snuggle with on the couch (not that she is ever still long enough to do that!)

I didn't make it properly with batting or anything, because I really wanted to see a finished product and so didn't have time to bind it or quilt it. I just backed it with some minky dot fabric.  Once I joined all the charm squares together all I had to do was cut the backing fabric, put right sides together, sew around and leave a gap to turn it the right way and sew up the hole.  All up it took me about 2 hours (with a few little interruptions).  The fabric was purchased from 'Fabric Patch' online and was delivered REALLY quickly.  The range is 'Giddy' for Moda.

She loves it and calls it her 'nice and soft and warm', because that's what she was calling the minky fabric all through spotlight and she became very attached to it.  It's the one on her lap, not the one on her head.

I'm going to buy another pack and make one for Claire next.  Hopefully I'll have that post by next week. Fingers crossed!!!

Grandmas are special people

My Grandmas are 3 of the most important people in my life.  Yes, I'm lucky enough to have 3 and I have never EVER thought of the third one as a step grandma.  To me she is no different to the other 2.  I spent my childhood growing up very close to my grandmas to the extent of living down the road from my mum's mum and visiting every morning before school so I could practice on her piano and I lived with my dad's mum every second weekend when I was visiting him.

My mum's mum has been battling cancer for a number of years now (first breast, then bone and liver) and last week she lost the fight.  The worst part was that she has been having chemo for the last few months and because I was pregnant I wasn't allowed to visit her at all.  Fortunately she had finished her treatments a few weeks before she was put into hospital for the last time and I spent most of that last week visiting her.  We spent lots of time together as an extended family ( grandad, cousins, aunty's, uncles, etc). 

I am doing a terrible job of writing this, but it's not very clear in my head.  

It's actually been a few weeks since I wrote this and I was going to write some memories I have of her, but I don't need to.  I know I will never forget them.  I can't think of anything to say except how much I love her and how lucky I was to spend so much of my life with her.  The last few years I lived in a different town, but ALWAYS visited a few times when I returned home.  Grandma and Grandad down the road (as we called them) were always first priority on my visiting list.

Grandma was famous for her mudcake.  I am famous for making it terribly (dried and crumbly, forgot the sugar, undercooked type terribly). This cake is something very special to me as I once spent a weekend with Grandma and this was one of things she taught me to do that weekend (you think I'd be an expert at it, but no).  My mum asked me to have one more go at making it to share with the family for the small gathering after the funeral.  She also told everyone I was doing it so the pressure was on.  I am pleased to say it was beautiful.  Right texture, flavour and look.  It was the first thing to be eaten at the party and the whole thing was devoured in about 10 minutes.  I shared a piece with Milly and the taste was good too! My Grandad told me that it wasn't quite as good as Grandma's (which I knew, of course), but that I should make one every week and drop it off to him and he will let me know when I've got it as good as hers! Cheeky!

Before the oven

Perfect crust. Yummy!

I know this isn't a very nice photo of my Grandma, but I was so lucky to get one her with Claire, her 9th great grandchild.  Claire was 2 weeks old here and Grandma even managed a smile when she met her and remembered who she was the next day. Oh the other lady is my mum.  The photo shows 4 generations.

More favourites

It's time for another favourites post and I have lots this time!

Fresh eggs straight from the chooks! (not our chooks, we walk down to daddy's aunty's place every morning and collect them from her chooks for her while she is away)

These owl puppets from the kit and the fact that I actually did make them!

My first ever crochet book! I have started making the booties on the front cover and am just waiting for my mum to come over and explain the next step for me.  So far I have made a teeny tiny little sole of one bootie.

Sisterly love.  Oh my god these two make me cry with happiness every day!

The fact that there are now 4 of us.  I just can't believe how in love I am with my family. It has really taken me by surprise.

This Begonia plant that was on the table along with dinner for 2 nights, when we got home from hospital.  Thanks Nan!

My new mugs that were a gift from Daddy's aunty.

I have a few more posts I want to do after going through my photos today.  I want to post about my baby space (where do you fit a fourth person in a 9 by 6 metre shed?) and some crafty business that happened before Claire was born (made in attempt to occupy and distract my mind whilst waiting for labour to start).

I hope your days are filled with as many lovely things and people as mine have been lately.  

We-make-four

Well, I have taken my time getting this post done, but here it is, one week on.

Claire arrived on Tuesday 6th September (1 week overdue) weighing 4.225kg and measuring 52cm long. 

Skip the next few paragraphs if you don't want to read the birth story.  I just feel like I need to tell my story and get it over with.  Weird, I know, but it's like I have to let go of it or something and telling it or writing it helps me do that.  

For about a week  before she came I had been convincing myself that the Braxton Hicks were getting stronger and that maybe, just maybe, they were getting painful.  I'm sure Lyle was sick of me mentioning this all day long and had stopped listening to me altogether.  However, at 2:30 on Tuesday morning I woke up with a sore back, thought nothing of it and tried to go back to sleep.  The pain didn't go away and I was wondering if I should wake lyle up or if I was just getting excited over nothing again.  The next one came and I decided it probably was labour and we should think about making our way into town and dropping Milly off at Nan's.  By the time we got to the hospital I knew for sure that I was in labour.  As Milly was born via emergency Caesar I was determined that this birth would be a VBAC.  In the case of a VBAC labour has to run perfectly and at a good progression rate.  If slowed down at all a caesar needs to happen straight away.  Because of this I was determined not to have an epidural (as the last one stopped my labour completely) and so endured labour with gas.  I have to say the gas worked amazingly for awhile, then I got sick of trying to breathe so much.  After 6 hours I was checked and found to be 10cm (they decided to check because I was screaming about wanting an epidural and the fact that I couldn't take anymore. Luckily Daddy and the midwives knew how much I didn't want another caesar and managed to convince me that it was too late anyway). However, her head was still too high and my pushing was doing nothing, so it was decided that I couldn't labour any longer without risking uterine rupture and I would need to have a caesar.  At the time I felt nothing but relief that the pain would soon be over from the spinal.  There was only a very tiny niggly thought of disappointment that I would have to recover from another caesar.  Once I got the spinal I was a very happy, chatty and excited patient and felt my energy rushing back.  However, when the lady beside me was up carrying on life as normal after her delivery and passing me Claire and making me cups of tea I was jealous, but really, once I had my baby in my arms I just didn't care.  

This time around the whole caesar experience was completely different.  I wasn't scared because I knew how it worked and what happens.  I also wasn't sick from loss of organ function (which I was last time) and so knew my recovery would be quicker.  I was out of bed the next day (it took 3 days last time) and home on day 2.  I was able to care for my baby on my own so much sooner and didn't have trouble with my milk coming in because I wasn't on all the drugs I was last time, so was able to successfully breastfeed from day one without the help of midwives.  (Claire also had a much better idea of what to do than her slightly tongue tied sister).  Being able to care for baby on my own so soon was such an uplifting feeling and the energy that came with this little high is yet to leave, even with the sleepless nights.  At the time of Milly's birth I had no idea that a Caesar recovery wasn't always that traumatic and didn't realise that my extra health problems were slowing things down so much, which is why I was so completely against another one.  It turns out that if there are no complications it is not nearly as bad, at least in my case anyway.  Still far from ideal, but not as traumatising.  

OK, birth story over now!

Since arriving at home, I have pretty much returned to normal house duties or made ways to make things possible (like getting Milly into her cot without Daddy's help).  Mostly I feel absolutely fantastic and I don't think I could be any happier or any more in love with my little family.

I also have to say that Daddy was a wonderful birth support partner and although I didn't abuse him in any way, I said some pretty irrational things and he let me squeeze his hand (HARD) with every contraction.  He did exactly what I needed him to and when and I didn't let him out of my sight.  Oh and little Miss Milly is LOVING her baby sister, but gets very worried whenever she cries.  She looks at her so intently and pats her on the back or gives her rocker a rock and says 'heyo Care' in the sweetest voice ever.  She also says 'mook pees mummy' (milk please mummy) when you ask her what Claire says.  

about 3 hours old

ladies of the house

5 days old

3 days old

Milly meeting Claire.  

Exciting Shouse developments!

Ok, when I say exciting it might seem a bit odd, because I am mostly talking about shelves, BUT shelves mean I can unpack things properly and in a more useable manner.  I now have all my craft stuff out and it has inspired me to make a few things.  

These are my new shelves.  There is only one supporting beam down the middle so this is as big as my shelves could be without needing support at each end, but they are a metre long each and so far they hold everything I want them to.  I was way too excited to get them up and get craft things unpacked to be bothered painting them and waiting for paint to dry so they are just bare pieces of pine, but maybe one day I'll be bothered staining or painting them.  (probably not!) Underneath my shelves is a little solid timber table to put my laptop/sewing machine.  I glued some red and white polka dot fabric to an old pinboard to put on the wall between the desk and the shelves.  

While I was photographing my shelves there was a little lady in the background sitting in her dolls pram and playing with monkey and pink cat. 

Now for some perspective.  My craft space is a tiny metre wide spot in the corner of the already crowded lounge room, but I love it.  It's my new little 'happy space' and I get a little jolt of joy every time I walk in and see it.  That sliding glass door leads to outside.  In the other corner daddy is playing the piano and in between the corners are daddy's guitars, which will hopefully be moving to the tank once it's fitted.

 This is the perspective from behind the couch.  Ignoring the pile of stuff in the shelves behind daddy.  That's one of the little jobs I have been neglecting to do, but I will get there. That big plastic container isn't usually there.  That's what had my craft stuff in it.  As long as we keep it tidy it doesn't feel too small.

Another exciting thing for me is these hooks.  I was given them for my birthday way back in May, but they were white and because we have white walls I had nowhere to hang them.  I FINALLY remembered to buy some spray paint at Bunnings on the weekend and painted them.  Now I just have to decide where I want them.

Since putting up my shelves (which I put up with minimal help from daddy, I feel I need to say, because that means I used a drill and for some reason I'm very scared of power tools) I have been inspired to sew.  Miss Milly loving putting her 'babies' to sleep at the moment so I thought I would have a go at making this dolls quilt for her.  (Sorry about the sideways photo, but I couldn't figure out how to rotate it).

I'm well and truly nesting.  I have re-arranged this hutch 3 times in the last week and cleaned the set of bookshelves.  

I'm hoping to have a baby tonight so maybe the next post you see from me will be a baby post.  Fingers crossed please!!!!