Spring is here and Fathers Day 2008

Its spring, the sun is shining, birds are singing and all that ;)

Fathers Day has come and gone yet again. We went out to lunch with DHs family to the local golf club, we sat and ate a nice meal overlooking the lovely Shelly Beach. It was a nice day.

Heres a shot of dad and kids....



And here is a photo I took today....my littlest blue eyed boy and I....



and ......I airbrushed my dark circles and bags from my eyes *runs and hides*. LOL.

My Mission/Plan/Hopes

I am on a mission to loose some weight, 10kgs actually, so I have started walking a bit more and trying to stop eating chocolate. I don't want t o compromise breastfeeding so will be doing it slowly.

Pretty soon I will be going off line for a couple of weeks to get some stuff done around the place. It really is a mess and just so disorganized....not sure how I will cope, lol.

We will hopefully be moving in a few months, not permanently but just for a few months while we do some work on our place. I am not sure exactly as things are so up and down here. But if I can clean out the house then it will be easier when the time comes to move.

Anyway...gotta run

XOXOXOXOX Hayley.

Bonny Hills

We've been home for a couple of weeks now but I just wanted to show some pics of our weekend away, better late then never, lol.

Bonny Hills is a lovely little place near Laurieton, and Port Macquarie.

We traveled by car which took a bit over 4 hours. Ari (now 5mths) is NOT a good traveler, generally it takes about 3.5hours with the kids but poor little Ari just wanted cuddles and obviously I cant hold him in the car so it was very stressful for us both. We even got desperate and bought a dummy from a servo on the way home, and all I can say is my boy has a great gag reflex *ewww*.

We stayed at a caravan park down on the beach, sharing a cabin with DHs parents which was a lot better then it sounds, lol.

The kids had a ball and spent most of their time with their dad while I stayed in doors with Ari who was sick with his chesty cough at the time. I got to knit in this time which is how my head band got done :). We did rug up a few times and we all went down the the beach to watch the surfing comp and for the kids to have a play.

It was good to get away from this house and all the real life stuff for a little while, iykwim. I really did have fun being alone (well with just a sleeping baby) and not having to worry about the washing up, mountains of laundry etc etc.....its just when you come home its doubly bad, lol. I have been making an effort to do more housework and there is some progress.....some ;)

Now I will leave you with my favorite picture from our weekend....XOXO Hayley

Quick Catch Up

Time Flies

Can you believe that its almost the end of August already? I feel like I have blinked and its gone.
I am not online as much lately...the house is slowly getting clean but I am not answering emails etc as quickly as I should be so sorry if I have been slack in replying.

Ari

Ari is 5 months old already, he is rolling over heaps now and starting to crawl (shimmy) backwards and occasionally forwards.

He has been on antibiotics for the last 10 days.....I feel like a bad mum, I figured he just had a bad cold but after a while (about 3-4 weeks) of this chesty cough I figured I should take him to get checked out. I am reluctant to use antibiotics on the kids unless absolutely necessary but he wasn't sleeping during the day and was not himself. After a few days of antibiotics he was a different baby and is now much improved. He is going to get his 4mths needles on Tuesday, which he will not like.

He is so precious, as are all my kids....I just want to cuddle them and make their lives happy and fulfilled.

Nappycino

I am involved in the Nappycino Up-cycle swap but have no idea what I am doing now that I know my first idea is not going to be any good. I hope I can pull something my swapee will like together.

Life For Me

Things here are up and down, iykwim, just when I think its getting better, BLAH BLAH BLAH!

Trying to live life....I really need to find direction for me.

XOXOX Hayley

"We become happier, much happier, when we realize that life is an opportunity rather than an obligation."

Ravelry - Knitting - Stitch Markers

So I joined Ravelry.....not really sure about finding my way around as yet but my name is same as (robbo3) so look me up if you want ;).

I just looked up the projects for the Calorimetry I knitted on the weekend and saw some fabulous colours which has inspired me to get knitting ready for birthdays/Christmas/etc. I am heading towards minimizing spending money on "stuff" and instead using my hands, and where possible recycled goods, to create items for myself/kids/family.

Oh and I have a question about stitch markers.....how do you use them, do they slip on the needle or around the stitch on the yarn? I was putting them (paper clips as I don't have any stitch markers) on the stitch but when it says "knit 5, place marker" do you place the marker on the last knitted stitch or on the next knitted stitch or in between the knitted stitches?

*Blush* I am such a novice.

Calorimetry

I recently saw this pattern for a Calorimetry on Tracy's Blog and just had to knit one.

I am not a great knitter and really don't have the best grasp of all the details but I managed it OK. I believe the pattern is for 10 ply yarn and 5mm needles but I used an 8ply aussie wool from lincraft and 4.5mm neddles as thats what I had and it seems to of worked out (as I said, I am a novice). It is a couple of short rows short as I counted wrong for the 15 rpts and so the 17 rpts are less also.

The pattern is here.





I haven't attached the button yet so its just tied on in the photo.

August 2008 - an Update

Its Cold

So winters almost over right? Well its been freezing so I hope so. I should add that my freezing is that it gets down to7*C in the night, lol, having lived in the snow I know its not "that" cold....but its cold enough for me.

I hate have the air con on but in a fibro house with wooden floors what else can I do?. Horrid side effect of all this (OK so I have been a little slack with the house work) is my windows........ there was mould on them from the condensation *insert horrified face here* so I madly went around cleaning them on the weekend.

Liam Turns 6

My big boy turned 6 on the 31st of July - he really is growing up so much and thriving at school. He got twister and $20 which were a hit and his dad brought home an AFL ball as he says he wants to play that next year rather then soccer.



Ari's Octopus

Ari is growing so fast and is almost 5mths old. I made him a toy last week, a knitted octopus which he loves chewing on. It is from an old pattern book I have here, only theirs was bigger. I couldnt be stuffed knitting anymore so just made the sphere smaller, that and I didn't use the same yarn and it was double knit (what ever that means *blush*). I used the soaker frogged wool and an unused pillows stuffing.......I keep meaning to buy a little bell to put inside so it jingles for him.



I think that smaller spheres in back and white with knitted/plaited dangles would make a lovely mobile for a baby, much better then the commercial ones. So if anyone has the time/inclination I think thats a great sellable product......its probably already out there but what isn't these days.

Life for Me

Well its pretty shit atm. Marital stuff but I don't really want to discuss it considering I cant even discuss it with the man himself. I just am not happy.

My Pop, who has battling Leukemia for 11 years, is really unwell....his kidneys have started to fail. I don't get to visit them very often as the kids are always carrying some bug and we don't want to get him sick. Hopefully we will get to see him soon :) and maybe even swing a visit with the Itti Bitti household.

OK gotta run - dinner to cook, kids to bathe..

XOXOXOX Hayley.

Kozy Mei Tai

I got this Mei Tai 2nd hand from another member of Baby Carriers Downunder yahoo group (and also the baby wearer).



Now you know as soon as it arrived I had to try it :). Nate was first to ask for "up back", then Beth wanted a go in "the pink one", lol, and then I insisted Ari have a go.

Almost as soon as I walked outside to hang the washing Ari snuggled in and fell asleep so I think he likes it. And as for me, I find it easy to use, a good size for us and best of all very comfortable to wear. The shoulder padding is nice and the canvas is soft yet supportive.

Ari was quiet comfortable with his legs in "froggy style" but also (as per photo) very comfortable with his legs out. We have no need to shorten the body of the carrier atm and it still has the body length to offer head support when he is froggied (???).



Sleeping babies always pull at my heart strings but a sleeping baby snuggled warmly against my back....*sigh*......so beautiful.