How’s your week going? Mine seems to be flying by, school is back, but four days in and I’m over the whole morning routine already. Between 7 and 8am time seems to race while the children actually seem to move backward – despite waking the whole house by 6am.
Thinking up nutritious lunches and getting them ready seems to be my biggest sticking point. As if its not enough to actually get something decent in their lunch boxes, we have this nude food matter to contend with – any food that goes to school must be stored in recyclable containers. I wholly agree (in principal) but maybe should just start packing lunches the night before when my brain is still functioning, and not in the early hours of the morning when I have no ability to reason with our container cupboard. It has a mind of its own, when I open the door every manner of container comes rushing out to meet me – and there never seems to be a lid to match the container I want. Pairing this with a rushing clock, and deciding on what fruit/cracker/yoghurt/sandwich combo will make today’s menu…. then fit in the available receptacles makes it all too hard! And Ive still got 10 weeks to go. Sob! Bring back the holidays!
Any lunch box/morning management tips you’ve got please send them through.
Anyhoo… I’ve got a crafty make to share:
I spotted this lovely cushion over at Solstrikke. And wanted one of my own.
You can find the free pattern here.
It’s very simple, and quite ingenious… the ripple pattern is worked up as a tube, then you sew the top and bottom together over a round cushion form, and voila! 
One beautiful round zig zaggy crochet work of art!
I think Im going to have to make another…
What are you working on? ♥J xxxxx
The Green Dragonfly 
Love this! What a great way of making a round cushion, and I love the star that’s created by the zigzags 🙂 This has to go on my list of makes for the future! xx
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It was pretty cool to make, I love the design!
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I get an error when I try to load the pattern:(
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STUNNING. some people are so clever to think these things up…. 🙂
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I know, amazing! x
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Wonderful… I like it very much…
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Thank you 🙂
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Wow that is fantastic!! I just downloaded the pattern and can’t wait to make a few too!! Hugz Lisa
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Yay! I hope you have as much fun as I did! x
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Oh, i love these pillow cushions too! Your colour combination is great. Have a beautyful week! Sabine.
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Thanks Sabine… hope you have a great week too!!
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Wow, fantastic cushion! I might need to add this to my ‘to do’ list…
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I know! I couldnt wait to make it!!!!
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This is FANTASTIC. I have a knitted one, but not ripple, using the same sort of technique. This is so lovely I’ve got to make one…
http://blog.monsteryarns.co.uk/2013/05/28/round-floor-cushion-pattern/
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It would be cool to make an extra big floor cushion size one like this… Ill have to think about how!!!
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Hi J, love your entertaining description of a school morning. Imagine if you’re like me a schoolteacher with children as well. Then, you really have to practice what you preach! Just wrap their lunches in anything biodegradable that you can lay your hands on. Banana leaves come in quite useful! Then they can simply throw them into the school compost bin. Queen Lynnee
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I cant imagine! Banana leaves… now that’s something I hadn’t thought of. I have some pandan (g?) leaves in the freezer, I wonder if I could try those!!!!
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It is really gorgeous! Thanks for sharing.
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Pleasure!
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Reblogged this on Amanda's Words / starfire8me and commented:
This is SO CUTE!!
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Thank you so much!
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u r welcome
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Love it! What a brilliant find. I also love the the wood pannells with the lyric on it. My gran used to sing me that song when I was younger 🙂
Anyhoo, I love the cushion and im desperate to attempt something like it but make it a beanbag!
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We love that song in our family, it’s something we sing to the children all the time and they love it 🙂
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Beautiful cushion!
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Thank you Marta x
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Oh this is gorgeous!
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Thank you!
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Not bad at all! Yours is fabulous!
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Thanks 🙂
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Hi There, What a beautiful cushion!!! I definitely WILL make one for myself!!! Just gorgeous!!! Don’t have to the lunch box thing anymore but I do remember going through the same emotions!!!!LOL!!!Have a great weekend!!!
Love
AMarie
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Thanks Ann Marie, have a lovely weekend too! Jxx
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OMG!!! I should not have clicked here. LOL. This pattern is begging me to have a go and your cushion is just pure retro crochet heaven!!! I can’t imagine where I think I will get the time for this. 🙂 ps.
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Don’t resist it, make one! I thought it was super retro too, but no one else seems to think so… To me it screams 70s (which I think is pretty cool), maybe train yourself to crochet in your sleep? xx
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LOL! 🙂
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Your pillow is fabulous. I homeschool my kids now, but when they were going to regular school they had containers that were bought just for their lunches. I think most of them came from Ikea…they had neat colors & shapes…so I could grab them while yet bleary eyed. Working on right now? An afghan for my nephew. It is oval & looks like a race track. I have cars & trucks to applique on when I am done. Also baby booties for a friend. After looking at that neat pillow, I might add that to the list also! Thank you.
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I love the sound of your race track afghan, my little man would love that! I always have too many projects on the go too… X x
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What a great make! I like the way you can turn it over for a different colour way.
I’ve pinned it as a future make.
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Yes, it’s like two different cushions in one!
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This is so pretty and a new idea to try, thank you for the link! love Carol
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Thanks Carol!xx
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Lindo cojín.
” ♬ ♩ ♫… you are my sunshine, my only sunshine…you never know dear how mush I love you…, please don’t take my sunshine away…♬ ♩ ♫”
Le cantaba esa canción a mis hijitas cuando eran bebés.
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We love that song here too… It’s a but if a family anthem. I was so excited to find the wall hanging. Jxx
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Really beautifull!
I have to make one. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks 🙂
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Love the cushion! It makes my fingers itchy to begin something.
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Don’t resist! Xx
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I am going to go shopping – my crochet hook has been still for too long!
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Beautiful cushion. I can’t believe you are already in school. We don’t start until the 19th in either state of the Dakotas. Also the lunch packing thing is interesting. My grandmother was the school cook for many years, so we were always eating the school food, until of course the time, I ate in my room to get an extra quiet time as a teacher.
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Ahh it would be lovely to not have to worry about it and just have a school lunch when you got there… That would make my mornings easier!
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Rubbermaid has containers that are stackable. The lids attach to the bottom of the container and save a lot of space. I can really understand what you are going through. I had to do the same thing when I was taking my infant son to day care. Waking up at 5 in the morning making bottles was getting out of hand. I started making them at night. It makes a huge difference when you know you have and extra 20 minutes in the morning to get other things taken care of.
I actually saw that pattern the other day and planning on making a few of the for myself and my children. For my wip, I am working on the Top-Down Shawl (Corrected Pattern) and it can be found on the Red Heart website.
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Im thinking I do need to go through the cupboard and clean it out and stock it up with useful containers that actually have lids, maybe stackable ones would help! Its a good idea to start making the lunches at night too (but not leave it till I’m so tired it doesn’t get done) x
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I love it! The color combinations are endless. Thank-you so much for sharing and pointing us to the free pattern. I’m smitten. Will be making mine soon!
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You’re welcome,I’d love to see yours when if you do make one!
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Love the texture the pattern of the star gives this lovely cushion, looks really snuggly.
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There has been quite a bit of cuddling with the cushion, although I have to say more rolling around… Look Mum it’s a ball, and look Mum it’s a wheel… Ah well at least they like it!
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Love this cushion it’s wonderful. xx
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Thanks Bebe!
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I love this cushion, must make one. I thought it would look great as a floor cushion too – I’m guessing you’d just need to increase the starting chain/number of points in the zigzag to make it bigger?
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Yes it would makea lovely floor cushion, I guess you’d just make the starting chain longer and have more petals to make a bigger cushion… If you figure it out let me know! Jxx
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Lovely cushion and I always preferred the kids home lol
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I agree, some people complain about school holidays,but I love them!
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Thanks for the inspiration and pattern 🙂 So cute!
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You’re very welcome! Xx
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Beautiful hun!!! My little girl would completely flip out. I just finished a match and trash session with my containers to search out bowls with no lids and vice versa. I used a square container we had to hold the lids and organized them by shape and size. I’ll be posting on my blog later this afternoon with pictures if it will help any. If it means anything, I admire what your school system is doing very much. I wish ours would. I also pack lunches and bookbags the night before. The kids have to lay an outfit out as well. I am not good with early morning chaos, so I get up at 5:30 and then wake mine up at 6:15. By then I’ve had two cups of coffee, doublechecked backpacks and most of the time I’ve tossed lunches in them and put the bags by the door or in the car. Anything to make the morning run smoother and faster.
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I’m working on a chevron blanket at the moment, for a baby, but it would work really well with your cushions. I love chevron patterns at the moment.
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Maybe, try bento boxes (for example, http://casabento.com/shop/en/12-bento-boxes-kawaii ).
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Gorgeous cushion and reassuring to know that container cupboards are the same the world over. I have a container drawer which also homes any piece of plastic kitchen equipment and cake tin we can’t find a home for. My husband regularly can be found there holding a box, scratching his head and saying, “Can you find me a lid for this???”
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I am pleased to know that there are others who have the same issues… I do not know where the lids go!
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Hi there! I really love this pattern but the link to get it doesnt seem to work anymore 😦 Do you think you can give another link so that I could try and make this gorgeous cushion? Thank you!
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The pattern has moved- this is the same I think: http://yarn-ing.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/razzamatazz-vintage-pillow-pattern.html
Jxx
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Hi! I found the pattern here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pinwheel-pillow-5
I hope it’s useful, I really liked this project and was also dissapointed when I found the link wasn’t working anymore.
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Updated the link… Here you go: http://www.theloophalifax.ca/patterns
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