I've been all sniffly and whiny, thanks to some kid's germs, but these cheer me up every time I watch them.

Kaffe and Cupcakes

I had myself a Yarnstorm moment yesterday when I realised that the cupcakes, baked by me and decorated by the kids, matched the fabric I was using.
And a Posie moment when Bella decided that all that fabric on the dining table had to be hers.

Look how big the kids are getting! Yes, that's me at the back.

And this is my newest delight, a cast iron teapot. I like to use a pot for my evening tea. I had two little glass ones, with infusers, that suited the purpose perfectly. I also have a cat who thinks she owns the kitchen benches. Not once but twice in the past few months she has pushed a glass teapot off the bench. Little horror! But now I have thwarted her evil schemes, by getting a teapot that is heavier than she is. And it keeps tea hot just about forever. Joy!

Looking for something fun to do on a Saturday, we found ourselves at Indigiscapes, a lovely little enclave of forest hidden from the busy roads around it. There are three short walks through the bush, and we went on two of them before having a delicious lunch at the tea rooms (really a verandah). Josh was very interested in the scribbly gums. The scribble patterns on the bark are made by the larvae of a particular species of moth, blessed with the highly original name 'scribbly moth'.



The last time I came here, sadly over two years ago, we were in the grip of a drought, and the bushland was dry and brown. This time it had rained the night before, and we had to pick our way through wet puddles and clay mud. The ferns were a delightful surprise, they had been far less visible in the dry weather.

But the real reason we came was to look for koalas. We spent at least an hour with our heads tilted back, squinting up at gum trees for motionless grey lumps. Koalas are not exactly energetic creatures. Finally we spotted one lone fellow, sunning himself right at the top of a tree. Can you see him in the photo below?

Here's a closer picture.

He ignored us entirely.

Not muffins, but my second attempt at soap making. These soaps are scented with lavender oil and have a dash of my favourite lavender and chamomile herbal tisane. They smell delish, but are still curing, so I haven't tried them out yet.

Yet again my photos are sadly dreary, to match the foggy and overcast days that are dominating our corner of the world at the moment.

I am looking forward to more soapy experimentation.

I went on a creative excursion to The Quilter's Store yesterday. I have never seen so many gorgeous fabrics all in one place. The whole store was glorious, but I kept coming back to the Kaffe Fassett collection. I wanted to gather up some fabrics for a project, but the only two I managed to decide upon were the two pictured. Aren't they exciting? They are pretty out there for me, the plain Jane of the sewing world, and I will probably choose some very simple fabrics for the rest of the project, to tone them down a little.

Asian Circles

Paperweight

What a chilly morning! I woke late this morning, after a growing sinus headache disturbed my night. The children were all wide awake, but no one thinks to dress for school and eat breakfast unless I am behind them, prodding them onwards. So they ate a hasty breakfast, throwing clothes on while waiting for the toaster to pop. I have not yet figured out why they bother with the toaster, since they turn it down so low that it only produces warm, slightly stale bread. It seems a farce to me, but I am reminded that I was the same when I was a child. There is hope that one day they will discover the pleasure of golden brown toast.

I managed to get them all to school on time. The school is so windy, and this morning it felt like the wind was coming right off the glaciers of the Antarctic. I rushed home to a bowl of hot porridge and climbed back into bed to warm my toes. I am into the final chapters of a book, so laundry folding was put on hold for a couple more hours.

It's time to get out the half done ripple rug, and keep my knees warm while I finish it.