play with your food

I wish I could say I love it when my kids make a creative mess, but I can't.

I'll admit it, it makes me a little stressed. It seems as though it always happens the hour before dinner. There will be homework, pens, pencils, crayons, dominoes, books, whatever takes their fancy strewn across the table.

Tonight was no exception, in fact tonight it was a bigger mess than usual. The mess was (of course) a good mess, a map of Terreria. For that hour a huge sheet of cartridge became an imaginary world containing rivers, rocky terrain, hide outs, and underground mines. Kudos to my enthusiastic husband for taking a computer game and translating it to paper and keeping Phoenix off the laptop. He was making it easy, sitting with Phoenix in his lap, taking turns drawing and colouring.  Just nice.

Where there is pen and paper and drawing it is difficult to keep Beatrix away. She claimed her little corner, too.  Then more than a corner, then she's still working on it when everyone else has moved on to something else.  Probably go back and work on it tomorrow, too.

Here is where this story of play spilt over into food, it's always about the food with us isn't it?

The table being the colossal mess that it was, we could have either stalled dinner and cleared it up (and risked a thick-set polenta) or we could pour it out onto chopping board and eat it right there. That's how my mother tells us she and her family did when she was little in Italy. Kudos again to Aaron for suggesting that tonight.

I didn't take much convincing, and it was pleasantly like my mother describes the experience. We stood around the chopping block eating hot creamy polenta with mascapone and parmasen, bubping elbows and laughing and chatting. Aaron and I had spicy Italian pork sausages, and there were some lovely beef ones for the kids.  We also had Broccolini and Chinese broccoli sautéed in garlic to go with it all.

But the before-dinner activities had put us in mood of maps. We lay out our rivers and hills in polenta, a rain of parmasen covered the moors, and we were giants wielding sausages, claiming victory when we'd eaten away our section of polentenous terrain. And they ate it all, kudos again again!

If you'd like Beatrix's sure-fire recipe for the polenta we had, it's here. I wish I had the recipe for the love, the laughter, the pure joy of family we had.  I'd sure share it around if I did.

   

one floral tea towel reloved

tea towel drawing, by various brennemans.

This tea towel inspired some earlier drawings when I first picked it up at on op shop back in May.

This week I thought it was time to cut it up and use it, believe me that was hard. I could easily have used it for tea parties however, I'd rather see it everyday, that's the beauty in re purposing, you give it a renewed love and refashion it in whatever way suits you.

Well the tea towel was used in a patchwork cushion for Miss Eliza 4, I am referring to her as Eliza 4 so as you know how old she is and to let you know that she now signs off as Eliza 4, since turning 4.

Eliza, helped choose the colours and fabrics, I think together we did an ok job. On a day when she was out and about I whipped it up to surprise her. She gave me so much love for the effort I'd gone to. I love mixing linens with vintage fabrics, mixing old with modern.

This tea towel also inspired the new and only skirt Miss Circe now owns, I need to crank out a few more for Spring. I kept this one dark with the denim and light with the floral, so as it is still a little wintery, I am happy with it.

headspace

it was all yellow, by various brenneman.

I have had a week of the sicks.

Everyone came down with something of some sort at some time or another. I am currently sitting up in bed after a week of having to get on with it, by afternoon on most days my eyes and nose had a mind of their own,of course just in time for the school pick up. My husband tonight ordered me to bed with honey and lemon tea and a water bottle to snuggle, he cooked and cleaned whilst I have blogged.

I had tried earlier to rest but my two littlest babes just wanted to cuddle me and each other in my bed, awwww the cuteness factor was off the charts. But all is quiet now and I needed some moments to touch base and show you some of what I have been up to,

I wish you could have tasted that soup. Great for those times when you're ill but still have an appetite. You'll have to See Jamie Oliver's Dinners book for the recipe. Or if you beg enough I'll blog my version when I feel better.

I tweaked it a little to suit me, I like the rice in a chunk not cooked into it. This warms the tummy, soothes the soul, and kicks that head colds butt if you add the chilli. We all had seconds.

I thought you might like to see some more drawings. I am trying to find a theme or a thread, I am feeling a little all-up-and-over the place. The vintage finds drawings are something I am liking doing, I think I'll keep those up. I'd love some ideas for a direction!

The two fashion ensembles I saw this week clothing-and-style-wise were just too much to take in. My head-cold head was in overload. I couldn't visually store the salmon bicycle red lipsticked taupe and salmon vintage sunglass-ed girl in my head. I must carry a camera for such occasions.

I am keen to sew again,I have a stash of fabrics awaiting my return. They warm my sideboard at the moment looking comfortably neutral, rustic, and floral. I am thinking cushions with some of these, my veranda needs some colour.

And finally: My daughter Beatrix's drawings. They are an inspiration to me, and the small images here don't do them justice, click though to Flickr on the coffee cup. Her precision and eye are to be commended, she is ten for goodness snakes! She is going to be restoring the Sistine chapel when she is my age.

drawing my thrifted finds

Thrifty finds, by ines brenneman.

These are my weekend finds, I only popped into two thrift stores, goodness me but I couldn't resist. The wardrobe is my favorite, but alas I have built-in-robes. How often does someone wish they didn't have those? It's living in the sun-room, perhaps my sewing things will find a home instead of spilling all over the kitchen.

And oh look at those red shoes, too sweet.

I was one happy girl, and I thought it couldn't end there... so I drew them all.

See I have been keeping my promise and I have been drawing away a little obsessively I might add. I have a few things going simultaneously some drawing projects, some sewing and some ideas brewing. It's nice.

promises, promises

lanterns, by ines brenneman.

Good studio practice was something I never had.

At uni, at home when I had no children and even now when I have four, I still struggle to keep up the practice. I wish I were more disciplined I imagine I'd be somewhere by now. I know I am somewhere,It's just all those years back I imagined that I'd be in a studio, in with the galleries, having shows, blah-blahing about my work.

But I hated all that blah blah, It's not me.

I thought I'd blog out some goals, my husband always says when you write it down it makes it more real, well if I tell the world then surely I have to meet my goals right?


I want to draw every night, even just a thumbnail sketch.

I want to follow a theme and exhaust all it's possibilities.

I want to gather up research material

I will photograph daily

I am going to print, that's right print my photos so I can have tangible material.

I am going to find some exhibitions I want to see and actually go along.

I want to get out there.


Here are some snippets of how I am going, It's easier to share your sewing and cooking stuff I find it harder to share my drawings. But hey that will help me get out there.

Drawing on nature

fig III / lactic, originally uploaded by various brennemans.

I excitedly snapped the first figs from their little branches today, careful not to get that sticky milk substance on my hands, it's like glue. Living in a very multicultural suburb in Melbourne's inner North, fig trees are in every second yard. Hanging over back-lane fences or along the railway lines pomegranate, quince, olives, persimmon, all are also wonderfully abundant this time of year. Circe my seventeen-month old shared a back-yard fig with me today, both her first and the season's. They have been a long time coming and are smaller than usual although still plentiful.

While out there eating it, I noticed only today that my amazingly tall corn (I mean it stands at probably 7 feet tall!) has several stalks which are producing beautiful pink silks. If anybody knows why I'd really love to know. The seeds were from Diggers, I noticed that the upper flowers are also pinkish on these stalks. I am very proud of one particular stalk which has 7 ears of corn, yeah. Circe will be so thrilled just these last two days she has a new word, "corn." Thankfully she is dwarfed by my super corn and will not be able to yank out the corn before it is ready, like she does with the tomatoes. I cannot wait, however, to hold her up to it so she can pick her own. It doesn't get better than that.

After the lovely fig-morning, there was some protest today about going to kinder. A sore tummy and a sad look on Eliza's face tugged at my heart strings. It was gloomy outside and Circe too was looking sleepy, easy decision really to stay at home.

A quick feed for the little one, some snuggles and right to sleep she went. I made Eliza a bed on the floor in her room, drew her curtains gave her a hot water bottle. Lots of cuddles and the glow of her owl lanterns sent off to sleep, too!

Two children asleep, and my house was quiet and peaceful. I could have done one of many household tasks, instead I sat with watercolours, pen and my moleskin, not even a cup of tea. I drew and painted for an hour, a lovely way to spend the quiet time I do believe.