We Love Lucy

This little Lucy doll arrived off my knitting needles this week. With a few finishing touches she's all ready to be loved. I've promised both the little girls in my home that they can have one.

I found the pattern on etsy one day while having a browse. Patterns on etsy are great because there's no postage to pay and it arrives the fast way - by email. This little doll - the original is named Tilly - hails from England. I am a slow knitter and it only took me a week of quiet evenings to get her finished.

Even if you are a beginner knitter you will not find this difficult. The instructions are very easy to follow. I'm looking forward to trying out more of the delightful patterns in Dollytime's Shop.

The detail is amazing. Lucy has kindly agreed to show you her bloomers.

The Circus at the Breakfast Table

Is it just my household, or do other people's children behave this way?

It seems like every morning when I come down to the kitchen, there's a circus going on.
In trying to teach my older children a little independence, I'm allowing them to get their own breakfast in the morning. The result of this is that the bench gets strewn with bowls, cereal, milk galore, cups, toast, jam, the teaspoon drawer empty and just about every bread spread known to man is lined up along the bench waiting to be used, like a smorgasboard of condiments. The only one that does get used is the jam, and I have to spend precious minutes putting all the rest of it back on the shelves, because by the time breakfast is over the children have shrunk and tell me they can't reach that high. Hmmmm.

To add to the hilarity, oldest son is chasing oldest daughter around the room in an attempt to kidnap and torture her much-loved teddy. He stops when I come in the room. Whereupon one of the children, (I forget now which one) breaks out into the Wiggles in soprano.

Younger son is standing on his chair at the table talking about how tall he's getting, demandng that I look and enforce his announcement by agreeing with him that yes indeed, he is getting tall. Now please sit down and finish your Milo before you spill it.

It takes several stern reminders to get them to actually sit down at the table and eat their breakfast.

Then youngest daughter gets up, and fortunately all she wants is cuddles and breastmilk.

Long may it last.

Letterbox Picnic

August days. Still a snap in the air, but the sun is creeping higher and higher.

Sunday afternoon was warm and sunny and lighthearted. The younger children asked if they could take a picnic lunch down to the little creek that runs past our gate.
Alice and I wandered down with them.

In between waving at the neighbours as they drove past, we sat on the warm, dry grass by the letterbox, enjoying the sunshine and showing Alice how to throw stones into the water. Squeels and giggles as it splashed up on our faces.

It's a winter creek, as it dries up in the summer, so we enjoy it while we may.

The Royal Family - reviews from a Royalist

Every now and then I hear talk of republicanism, here in New Zealand and in Australia. Cutting the strings from Great Britain. Losing the Queen. Losing the royal family. Just stop for a minute and think about what that would mean.

Call me a romantic but I love having a Queen. I love having a royal family. I am thrilled by the tradition and the pomp and circumstance, the palaces and the castles and the fashion and the fascinating history of our royal family. Not to mention the sheer entertainment they provide from time to time.
I am proud to belong to the British Empire. And I'm glad that our 'colonies' are still part of that realm.

Whatever you think of the royals, you have to admit that they provide romance. Imagine how very boring it would be to lose that. I happen to like our current primeminister, but he doesn't thrill me in the same way that the Queen does, you know what I mean? Imagine what it would be to lose something that has been an important part of our history.  One of the things that I particularly love is that we have living, breathing direct descendants of such colourful royals as King Henry VIII and Charles I and Queen Victoria. They are all a mix of the good and the bad. The sad and the happy. The triumphant and the tragic - all played out before us in the history books and represented in our own modern royal family.

What got me thinking so much about the monarchy was a dvd that I picked up at the library last week.

I grew up with the belief (mostly heard from my grandmothers) that Wallis was a wicked, immoral woman who destroyed a good King and deprived the British commonwealth of a beloved and popular monarch on the brink of war. Watching this movie changed my opinion of her. Joely Richardson is supurb as Wallis - she is really a wonderful actress - she made this movie great. The storyline was in favour of Wallis. It gave the impression that she was an abandoned, unfortunate woman whose spunk and lack of reverence won her the heart of the King and that circumstances beyond her control contrived to write history the way that we now know it.

Let me just say here how I find it intriguing that so many of the royals in the midst of the stuffiness and tradition and oppression of royal life seem to have this very great ability for love.

Seeing Wallis and Edward got me interested in this old, unhappy story. So I searched out other movies, and found  Bertie and Elizabeth on youtube. I think this particular version must have been made for the American market as they have this short introduction to explain who they are and the confusing names that are given to ruling kings.



I enjoyed this movie even more than Wallis and Edward. It starts with the romance of Prince Albert, the second son of Queen Mary and King George V (a second son himself), and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. And progresses through the abdication of Edward VIII and the succession to the throne of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and his subsequent early death after WWII. And here again I find myself swinging back to my old prejudices towards Wallis. Only this time it includes the former king - in a less favourable way. It shows Edward VIII - now known as the Duke of Windsor to be a selfish, stubborn man, full of his own lusts and lack of genuine care and concern for his empire and the people that he governed over.

I loved the story of Bertie and Elizabeth - well known to most of us, but bought alive with the magic of movie-making. It left me with a feeling of gratefulness that God intervened in our history and allowed this good man and this good woman to become the ruling monarchs at a time when the world was plunged into chaos. How different might history be if they had not come to the throne? We will never know, I guess.

When I had finished watching it, I saw in the side bar of youtube a documentary titled,

Edward VIII The Traitor King

How intriguing! Of course, I had to watch it.

Once again, my senses were plunged into a differing view. This one took a different tack altogether. This extensive documentary, made in 1995 suggests that the King wasn't forced from the throne because he wanted to marry a twice-divorced American, but because he was a Nazi sympathiser and in danger of jeopardising Great Britain's position in the second world war. It is well documented and presented and leaves no doubt in your mind whatsoever that the Duke of Windsor took some very great liberties during this perilous time, and that Winston Churchill was on the brink of court-marshalling him several times, but to protect the current ruling monarchy his hands were tied.

If the history of the royal family interests you, I recommend all three of these movies. Didn't I say that a good deal of entertaiment, mystery and romance would be lost if we gave up the monarchy?

I hope we don't.

Sew Serendipity - finally - a designer sewing book for amateurs!

It's so exciting to get a box of something delightful in the mail. So I was thrilled when this book arrived on Monday. Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt. 

I first heard about it from Florence when she reviewed it on her blog, Flossie Teacakes. What really caught my eye was this beautiful coat. I've been wanting to make myself a winter coat for the last two years, but just haven't been able to muster up the courage. The coats I've seen around the stores here are either quite uninspiring, or way beyond my budget. But this coat is perfect - the right cut for me, and I get to choose the fabric.

What I especially like about this book is that she takes you through, step by step, in how to adjust a pattern to your own particular measurements and fit. I've always had a problem with patterns because of the generic measurements they give. I have a small back, but not a small front :o). When my wedding dress was being made, the dressmaker phoned me twice to make sure she'd got the measurements right! So I'm rather excited to find a book that teaches you how to adjust patterns.

There are so many delectable tops, dresses, skirts and coats in here that I want to try out. I'm planning on doing them in the summer, so that gives me plenty of time to plan and hunt around for the right fabrics.
I mean, just look at this gorgeous outfit. Loving the cut and colours of that skirt.

Kay Whitt is a designer for the McCall Pattern Company, so she really knows her stuff. But I love the whimsical drawings that she has included in the book to illustrate the construction of the outfits.

I bought the book from The Book Depository, because for us down-under-ites it really is the most cost effective place to buy books. It brings the price of books down to an achievable level when the exorbitant price of postage is not added. It really is so much cheaper than Amazon, and it arrived before a week had passed since ordering.

I love the look of this sweet summer dress - so fresh and different - I'm pretty sure I will not be able to find a dress like this in the New Zealand stores come summer.

Getting A Baby To Sleep Well

I've had four babies that I've given birth to, loved, nurtured, fed, clothed, and sheltered. Does having had four babies make me experienced? Probably. In numbers and the sheer amount of time I've invested in raising children, yes it does.
Does having had four babies mean I know what I'm doing? Not always. It's amazing how much you forget in the 2 years or so between births. People assume that because I've had four babies, I'm a natural mother who takes to mothering naturally (and in this day and age 4 children is considered a large family. I have several friends with 8, 10, 11, 12 children, so I don't think 4 is large - but the fact is that most people in our society do). But I am a firm believer that a good mother doesn't depend on the size of your family, or the experience you may or may not have had. Mostly I think it is just good sense.

For each baby I have relied on helpful books from Plunket and fantastic websites like babycenter. Since my youngest was born I've received an email from them every week with updates and information on milestones and development stages for her age and growth. Some of it is not relevant for me, but some of it is. This morning I got an email from them about the proper amount of sleep that is required for a baby/toddler. I have an 18 month old who is a really wonderful sleeper, but I was interested to see what the recommendation was for a baby of that age. Including night and day sleeps they suggest 13 1/2 hours per day, which is almost exactly what little Alice is getting right now. Whatever my other mothering challenges have been, sleep has never been an issue for us. All four of them, (and they are all so different from each other) have been good sleepers as babies and toddlers. I get asked alot what my secret is, but I usually just smile. You can tell when people really want to know, and then I tell them - but otherwise I just smile.

But, for the record, there are two things that I have found invaluable when it comes to getting a baby/toddler to sleep.

* Stability and familiarity. I limit my freedom so my baby can get enough sleep. If that means I can't go out in the morning to the shops or a friend's house or to help at some charity thing, because that is when my baby has a nap time, then I don't go out. I find that nobody argues with me over that or makes me feel like it's not a valid reason. It is. So, as much as possible, my babies have had the same sleep time during the day and at night for the first 2-3 years of their lives. It does limit my freedoms. I do sigh over that limitation many times, but the peace and quiet and long night of sleep is worth the sacrifice.

Also, and this one gets harder as I'm homeschooling and the older children have more activities outside the home, but as much as possible I put the baby down to sleep in their own cot/bed. Not in a pram, not in a carseat, not in a portacot in a room close by. The familiarity and security of their own bed makes a huge difference to their being able to go to sleep on their own.

* Routine. I know a lot of mothers who recoil in horror at that bad word. And I know that it can get out of hand for control freaks who do everything by the clock. I am not like that, but I am an avid supporter of naptime being at the same time everyday. And bedtime at night being at the same time too. Again, as I mentioned in the first point, it gets down to that self-sacrificing thing of mothering and giving up your own freedoms. If a day is predictable then the baby will be happy. They're just getting used to the big wide world - loud noises and new faces and daytime and nighttime and warmth and cold and beds and food and nappies. They don't take too kindly to surprises.

That's pretty much it. For a few years while the children are young, it makes for a boring routine, but then again, what is boring about a baby?. Nothing. There's something new and sweet and exciting to love about them everyday.

Little Alice, my youngest, has some unusual sleeping habits. She refuses to sleep under the blankets, and whatever end I put her head at, it usually ends up at the exact opposite. She's a tummy sleeper too, with her legs curled up under her. I have worried about her getting cold in the middle of the night, but thank goodness for those padded, snuggly little sleepsuits you can get now.
I sneaked in and took this picture of her during her daytime nap the other day. It was toward the end of the nap and she'd slept for an extra long time and I was getting worried (as you do), so sneaked in to check on her, took a picture with the flash, and she slept on for another 20 minutes!

Things To Like About Monday

Because I dislike Mondays so much, I'm turning the tables on it.
I will like Mondays!
Say it to myself again.
I will like Mondays!

Here are some of the reasons why . . .

* It's mail day again. The hope of finding something exciting in the letterbox this morning.

* It's a no-makeup day today. As long as the kids don't mind looking at my flawed face, I expect no visitors and I don't have to go anywhere, so I'm giving my skin a breather.

* I don't have to go anywhere today. (I'm a home-body).

* I have a new book to download at audible.com. The joy of choice.

* The house is tidy (at least it is while I write this at breakfast time. Who knows how long it will stay that way).

* I found the remaining episodes of Sea Patrol on Youtube, which means I have something to watch while I do the ironing.

* After today, it's only four days until the weekend!

Living For The Weekends

When I turned 14 years old, the girls in my class gave me a blue Garfield tote-bag for a gift. On the front of the bag, under the picture of Garfield were the words,
"I live for the weekends."

I've been thinking about that bag lately. I don't know where it is - probably up in the attic. But its sentiment is ringing in my ears these long days.

Perhaps it's just that it's that time of year, where winter is waning, but you're still in the throes of it. And the days sometimes get a little monotonous, and you get tired, and your body aches for more sunshine hours.
I dislike Mondays intensely because it means it's the end of the weekend. I am living for the weekends at the moment, because it means my husband is home; there's an extra set of hands to help with the children; the pace of life is slower; and there's no schoolwork to be done. In other words - two days off.
Bliss.

With the children getting older now, and their interests widening, it means the weekdays are so much busier. Sports games, sports practices, art class, woodworking, piano lessons and swimming lessons for 4 children, and schoolwork in between doesn't make for a quiet, simple life.

I could cut all these things out to make it easier, but I don't think that would be fair on the children. They are curious about life, about experiencing things, about finding out about the world and their abilities and their own little challenges they have with themselves. It's just getting harder to keep up with it all and keep the home running smoothly.

The idea of putting them into school - even if it's just for a couple of years - hasn't gone away. We're just weighing up our options. The high-school question leaves me scared witless. To be frank, (and perhaps we're just being the teeniest bit elitest here), there is only one highschool in the entire country that we would consider, and it's purely on the recommendation of close friends of ours - not because we have any experience with it, and not to mention the fact that it's at the other end of the country. I think the standard of education in New Zealand is quite poor, and that is one of the reasons why we chose homeschooling. After all, what was school founded for - but to give academic education. It is my own opinion that New Zealand schools are more focused on peer-dependence and sporting ability and achievement and that individual academic achievement has taken a back-seat.
Many people ask me about socialisation for the children and the benefits that school gives and that homeschooling can disadvantage them in the social aspect of society. This is a narrow-minded view, I believe, and I read an excellent, balanced article on this yesterday on the pioneerwoman's website. But I also understand how New Zealand culture works, and how in general, unless you swim with the tide, you're a little on the outer. I hate that it's like that, but there's no denying it. It's that whole lack of individual achievement thing again.

So, even though my heart has gone out of the homeschooling to some extent, probably because I'm tired and too busy, I would carry on with it if we felt it was the best option at the moment for our children. We are considering school though - up until the highschool years at least. Then I think we might have to go back to homeschooling.

But the weekends are very welcome around here just now. They keep me sane!

 And today is Friday. I love Fridays!

Felt Gingerbreadness

This afternoon we made this cuteness. . .

Meredith is going to be making them for Christmas presents this year. And what is awesome about it, is that the pattern is free - from one of my favourite places to visit. You can get it here.

My Extremely Amateurish Photos of the Planets

Every night this week, in the freezing cold night air, we've all been running outside just after sunset to spot the planets. Mercury, Venus, Mars and Saturn. Did you know that they are visible this month?

Venus, of course, is easy to spot and it is spectacular. As far as I can make out from internet sources, these are the current alignment that we can see in our southern night sky.
(I really wish I knew how to use my camera properly at night. I suspect I need the proper equipment, which I don't have, but this gives you an idea, anyway). I hope I have got the naming of the planets correct. If anyone knows any different, please let me know!

Here is another shot of Venus and Saturn and Mercury. I love astronomy. This is a time in my life where I wish I had thousands of dollars of spare cash to go out and buy a really grunty telescope! Later in the week, there is supposed to be a new moon sharing the stage with the planets, and the possibility of a meteor shower!

If you are interested in learning more, here is a clip from Youtube that is very easy to follow. Plus, he has a cool accent!

The Milo Has Disappeared

When I came down to the kitchen this morning in the dark, I saw two little people in their nightgowns flitting back and forward in the pantry.

My two middle children like to come down and make themselves a Milo when they get up in the morning. Turns out the milo has disappeared. I usually suspect Alice who seems to have a voracious appetite for chocolate. When the milo has disappeared in the past I usually find her tucked away in a corner licking the milo tin, or pushing her little chubby fingers into the open milo packet and then into her mouth. There's usually a big mess around her as a result.

However, I know this time that she is not the milo thief. I had a baby-lock put on the Milo drawer last week.

I think it's my fault the Milo has gone - I forgot to pick some up at the grocery store.

But all is not lost!
(Feeling like Ma Ingalls), I told them that it was ok - I can make Cocoa.
"What is Cocoa?" they asked me.
"It's like Milo, only yummier and it's made the old-fashioned way. In a pot."

They were all big eyes as I pulled out my old Hershey's Cookbook (bought in the USA), which I haven't used for years, and when I do, it's to make some elaborate birthday cake. But I have made the cocoa before. It's quite sweet, but I cut down on the sugar (I do find American recipes rather heavy on the sugar - so I usually add much less than suggested).

The verdict: "It's delicious"!!!
The great thing is that I don't have to dash out today in the freezing cold to buy Milo. I just pour a little of this concentrate cocoa into the bottom of the cup, add hot water and a dash of milk at the end.

Here's the recipe.

Hot Cocoa - made the old-fashioned way.

3 TBSP Sugar ( I only used 2 TBSP)
2 TBSP Cocoa
Dash of Salt
3/4 cup Water
1 cup Milk

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt; stir in the water and blend until the lumps are gone.
Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils. Boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add milk and keep over low heat a few more seconds. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Store in a cute little red gingham jug in the fridge and use as needed.

A Vintage Find

While in the children's section of Borders the other day, and looking for a different book at the time, I found this tucked in the corner of a shelf.

The Me Book - a Golden Book by Jean Tymms

Too cute to pass up I took it down and flicked through the board pages.

How could anyone resist this adorableness?

The first book was published in 1974. That's my generation. I was three years old when it first appeared. This book is the newer version (2005) but I'm sure it's just as cute.

This is my favourite page. I mean I'm in love with the hippo.

My three older children were less than thrilled with this book, but I am sure that Alice appreciate it one day.

A Boys Way of Picking A Winner!

We picked the winner of the kikki-k menu pad today.
We did it this way.....

Wrote the names out on paper and stuck them to the wall. Like this:

Then we took aim. Like this:

And the winner is:

Congratulations Leanne! It's kinda funny that you won this, you know! :o)

What Do I Love About New Zealand?

I was thinking about this the other day - sometimes I ask myself random questions. Like, if I could choose anywhere in the world to live, where would that be? Usually, the grand old USA is the top of my list. Sometimes I'm in the mood for France. If it could be in a sweet, thatched roof cottage in a pretty garden by a river I'd say England. I even thought I'd like Finland once, because I know some nice people there and they get lots of snow. (I like snow).
Funny how it's never North Korea or Zimbabwe or Iran (though I know someone nice there too).

But I always come back to New Zealand. Really. Do we know how lucky we are? I once lived in Hawaii. Some think Hawaii is paradise. And it is if you're on holiday. But when I lived there the paradise lost some of it's bloom when I had to fight, kill and avoid ants, mosquitos, centipedes the size of large sausages and flying cockroaches; and keep the rubbish away from the Mongoose. But I still love Hawaii.

They say that Kiwis are among the best travelled in the world. Probably because to get anywhere we have to traverse some of the biggest oceans in the world. But I also like to think that we have a restlessness in our blood. That pioneering spirit. That can-do attitude that we're always reminded about on tv ads.
Think about our ancestors, both Maori and European. It took great courage and fortitude to leave their homelands to make a new life here.

So I was thinking how lucky we are in New Zealand. And then I was thinking why? What is it about New Zealand that makes us luck? Here's what I think: bear in mind that I tend to be idealistic, so please smile over my moments of idealism.

* It's small. There's a lot to be said for size. It might not be the cheapest place on earth because of that, but we're not crowded out. There are still large empty spaces, and crime is relatively low.

* It's temperate. As Goldilocks said, not too hot, not too cold.

* It's free. Hoorah for democracy! I hope, as one who has seen oppresion in foreign parts, that I will never take it for granted.

* We're just the teensiest bit old-fashioned still. I love that. I love that we still hang our clothes out on the line, and that our state highway is a dangerous two-way, single lane road, and that we still sell our coffee in china cups. (that's for you Ginny). :o)

* I love that we still get mail delivered on Saturday.

* We are isolated. Great big oceans cut us off from the rest of the world. It's expensive to come and it's expensive to go. That makes us unpopular, and in this big, scary, nasty modern world, I see that as a good thing.

* Medical care is still reasonably free. I know it's not perfect, but as one who has needed it over the last year or so, I'm glad of it, and I'm grateful.

* I like that most of our beautiful coastline still looks just as it must have looked to Captain Cook.

* I like that you can write a letter to our Prime Minister and hope and expect to get one back.

* I like it that we have a Queen. God bless her.

* People still matter. Of course there are big organizations that treat you as a number, and there are lots of corporate executives out there who want to appear sophisticated and hard-nosed and tough and look down their noses at you, but when it comes down to the towns and communities and treating strangers well, the majority of kiwis still have an inbred concern for their fellow man - and generally people still smile at you in the street, and are happy to pass the time of day with you.

Yes, I like New Zealand. I think we're lucky. I really don't want to live anywhere else. It's a beautiful place.
If you could name one thing that you like about where you live, what would it be, I wonder?

A Slight Recipe Obsession and A Giveaway

I love to collect recipes. But lately I've come to realise just how unpractical I've been in my collection. And I think it's mostly because as a wanna-be (stress on wanna-be) neat freak, I love to collect neat little boxes and have visions of tidy little categories with all my recipes alphabetically organized in them. Alas, it has nearly been 13 years since I started this dream, and unfortunately it has not come true.
One day recently I wanted to do some Saturday baking for the family. My husband requested a certain recipe. Sure. No Problem. I'll have it done in a jiffy..... um...... when I find the recipe!!

Yes, I have gotten to a sad state where now it takes me a good deal of time just to find the recipe. That is not good. And it is not time-efficient. Nor is it neat or practical or organized. It drives my neat-freak wanna-be dream totally crazy!

Let me introduce you to a few of my 'friends'.

This is my recipe cupboard with my smaller books. You know ... the trusty Edmonds, and all those Aunt Daisy and Women's Institute and the Girls Rally cookbooks that you collect over the years.

And this is my large cookbook cupboard. The crockpot books, the Taste of Home books and all those other ones that don't fit in with the shorter books.

But what about all those loose recipes. What have I done with them?

Thirteen years ago, just before I got married, I found a lovely little box at Smith and Caughey's in Auckland. Perfect for my recipe collection. So many nights thereafter I sat and wrote out all the important recipes in my life.

That served me well until my actual wedding when I was given a beautful handmade recipe box by some friends....

and inside the box were recipes submitted by all my friends and family. What a treasure!

As you can see it is jam-packed now with other recipes I've collected over the years, and written on random bits of paper.
But there are special recipes in there from special people. Like this recipe from a dear elderly friend in America who I haven't seen for 17 years.

and this special recipe of a childhood favourite from my Nana (who has since passed away), with a special, cheeky message for her soon-to-be grandson-in-law who was raised a gentleman.

Then I succumbed to the beauty of this recipe box at one of my favourite home-organzation stores, kikki-k. Unfortunately, it has a total of 2 recipes in it, beautifully and meticulously written out by me - but I'm too scared to do more in case I ruin the pretty look of it.

But I just wasn't finding my recipes still - so I tried a different approach and bought a photograph album, and inserted recipe cards into the plastic sleeves. This actually worked really well for quite awhile, until the album started to fall apart from over-use.

Desperate means calls for desperate measures. I no longer wish to waste 1/2 an hour on a precious Saturday morning hunting for recipes. So I have adopted a modern, trendy, extremely convenient way of storing my recipes. It's my new thing - it's working so far - and it's pretty - and it doesn't take up any room in the pantry or my cupboards. And my husband especially likes it because it doesn't cost him a thing!

I've had this in my side-bar for a few weeks, but today I am officially launching my cooking/recipe blog, which is really just a new kind-of recipe box for me.

South Sea Island Kitchen

And to celebrate I'm going to give away one of these marvelous menu-planners from kikki-k. It is a favourite thing of mine to use in the kitchen and in planning the meals for my family and saves me heaps on impulse buying at the grocery store.

Just leave a comment here. I'll leave the giveaway open until Friday, August 6.

Poppy Love

Poppy is back for a little holiday.