Blowing away the cobwebs

We spent the last few days visiting a small seaside spot on the Coromandel Peninsula; Opotere. Unfortunately it rained. A lot. And when it wasn’t raining, it was windy. In fact it would be fair to say most of the time we were there it was rainy and windy. The day we came home there was a break in the weather so we headed out for a walk through the Opotere Reserve and to the beach. There was a lot of exploring, running and shouting to be had after being locked inside for days…

As you can see it is a very beautiful spot. We will have to go back again, in the summer… Maybe with our tent! What have you been up to this week? Anything exciting? xx

Snippets

Its been very busy around here, and quite some time since there’s been an update. So here you go:

The big news is that Carter broke his arm… a first for our family. Here he is the day he broke it:And exactly one week later with his new glow in the dark(!) cast. It hasn’t slowed him down much!It’s always fun to visit the zoo…

Especially when we saw these guys there:

The first autumn leaves are falling – which are beautiful, but make me a little bit sad all the same…The garden has been plentiful – especially in the grape department.

Maybe too plentiful, because the wasps are feasting if we are not fast enough! Im loving this new clip….And planting cyclamens like they are going out of fashion…Did you see the lunar eclipse? Here’s what it looked like from our place, the small dot out to the side is Mars! The children were very excited 🙂

We baked…

and decorated Easter cookies, using this recipe:

We visited the beach over Easter… and Maia and Carter love spending time with their cousins:And eating lots of chocolate of course! Here’s what Easter Bunny brought this year, we have a tradition that he always brings a book, but this year he also (very wisely) brought a new toothbrush and tooth paste – what a smart bunny! They just keep on smiling… What’s happening in your part of the world?

Owl coloring page

Hoot hoot, here’s a cute owl page for you to color! The file is actually huge because I did this drawing as an A3, so if you want to print it to A3 size so you can colour the detail you shouldn’t have any trouble – but it will also print fine as A4 too 🙂

Click on the image above for the jpeg, or here for the pdf: Owl coloring

Enjoy!

This weekend…

At home this weekend, it was a bit of a stormy one = lots of time spent indoors… the magic yes/no eraser, ask it a question, any question (well one with a yes or no answer)…. Carter’s rocket… bran muffins with homegrown grapes and raspberries, the perfect morning tea for busy boys… an owl coloring page I’m working on, Ill be sharing soon… bead coasters (so like a granny square)… crocheting daisy puffagons (pattern here)… girl painting (watercolor fairies) vs boy painting (acrylics and spider webs)… pretty milkmaid braids… How was your weekend?? xo J

Camping

We’ve been away for almost a week, first visiting my parents, and then on our annual camping expedition to Ohope Beach. The weather was kind to us – if anything it was too hot! The children had so much fun, they didn’t want to come home. I’ll let the photos do the talking…

It was nice to be away, but it’s lovely to be home… I can’t wait to sleep tonight in my own bed! What have you been up to this week?

A break away and some Christmas pillowcases

In the midst of the busy (or should that be silly?) season, we have decided to take a pause and make the most of the beautiful weather we are currently experiencing by spending a few days away at the beach…

Beaching = happy kids!

Yes those are my toes. You’re welcome!

Ill post some more photos when we are home in a couple of days, but what I wanted to share today are these Christmas pillowcases I whipped up this morning – I’m embarrassed to admit they’ve been in my to-do pile for the last three weeks.

There was really no reason to put them off; pillowcases are super quick to sew, requiring little prep and only three seams (and some over sewing so the edges don’t fray).Just use another pillowcase for a template – there’s really nothing to them!  If you’re quick there’s still time to make pillowcases for some kiddos you know… in fact, I think my husband would quite like one made for him too! They are a lot of fun… and are certainly good for encouraging children, who are excited about Christmas nearly being here, to get into bed!I’ll leave you with a final photo taken from the top of Mt Maunganui this morning.  Paradise! I hope you are enjoying the lead up to Christmas, and are finding some time to relax? Love to all! Janette xox