secret project: dad (part 1 of 2)

secretprojectad: commence, by various brennemans.

In my last post I mentioned being ill with Bronchitis and being looked after.

The letting go of all your normal tasks, the hope that your partner will go out there and be just like you. That they will hang that basket of two day old laundry, that they will unload the dishwasher before making more dishes, that they will eat fruit,just let it all go.

This time I tried not to think, to make it harder it was Sunday, I always like to tie things up on Sunday for the start of the week. Father's Day there was no breakfast in bed or cards or handmade gifts. Or gifts full stop, since I was sick in bed again.

Monday found all children home from said school and Aaron returning home at 10 am looking pale and lethargic, no questions asked it was my turn to do the looking after.

My eldest being only slightly sick wanted to make Aaron his Father's Day gift. I knew vaguely from my Death Bed on Sunday that she had attempted a mobile phone holder, but that she gave that one up. Well come Monday her new idea seemed like it would be fun, that it would be a bit of work that I'd give her some help. I didn't expect to be blown away at her determination, her accuracy her sneaky sleuth skill at gaining resources for her project.

Lucky her dad was barely conscious in bed, on a couple of occasions I was almost caught.

This project took all of Monday and some of today because between the two of us we were getting really carried away!

This project made me think this 10 year old daughter of mine is just something special. At times you know I am a lost in her and her dad's shared sense of sarcasm, their like minded maddening sense of humour and intellect as she pulled off the best Father's Day- birthday- anything- present ever.

She knew what would tickle his humour and she nailed it. And hey I cannot be too envious of their father daughter thing when her artistic nature came from me, we had fun the two of us.

I will show you all the real thing tomorrow, cause truth is it's late here and I am needing to fight this chest thing. I need to be well on Friday, too, cause somebody is turning the big four-oh.

in sickness and in health

lego, phone, mirror, by various brennemans.

In a week where I have been ill (with bronchitis) I managed a day in bed thanks to a very caring husband.

I had two days of feeling pretty off and then an Ok feeling weekend, and then BANG, coughing, chest tightness, shortness if breath to the point where unpacking groceries required a sit down to catch my breath. I'm on the mend, and am thankful for my husband, my friends, and for a new Frankie magazine. Also thankful for the nice bedroom I managed to create this weekend whilst having a good day, it has made every early night pleasant.

Here is the footstool I also covered on the weekend, after semi creating a sewing corner in the lounge room, ahem maybe this is why I ended up sicker after the weekend. Sometimes you know It's really hard to know what's good for yourself.

Note on the footstool, it has an elastic to make it easy to change and to wash,this wasn't my original intention but staples through hardwood just won't work. So I am really glad for a happy accident.

I hope you are well in your world.

Inesxx

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.

my patchwork life

I have been a little ill this past week so there has not been a lot of anything going on other than collecting of tissues, which I have left strewn all over the house.

We even had a birthday and there was no flourless chocolate cake. In fact the cake had to wait a day, until I could actually get out of bed. My poor husband, he cooked cleaned bought me tea tried to keep the house quiet, difficult when you have four children, all on his birthday. I was glad he managed to send off two of the kids for the night and next half a day, he needed a break too.

The birthday was just postponed. A caramel slice was the all he wanted... well actually all he wanted was me to relax and take it easy. I made it any way, I am terrible at taking advice. So we sat with friends drank tea ate the slice and played slamwich.

During the ensuing days, there was a lot of trying to lay low. There was one trip to the op shop, Savers actually. I suggest you never visit a large op shop if you are feeling remotely queasy. The endless aisles of brightly coloured clothing, the disarray, the things that usually attract me to such places had me running. Straight for the french bakery for a sit down, a glass of water, some 79 cent Aldi paracetamol, and a latte once I could stomach it. Mmm now that I think of it cheap paracetamol and incredibly strong antibiotics for spider bite maybe not a good combination.

On the days I was confined to the indoors I set my three year old to work on a project. One that would take her a while I hoped, so I thought a big artwork. She has exceptional patience for her artwork, often spending days on a drawing, doing an hour, putting it away, then going back to it the next day. Gee I wish my studio practice was that good.

I thought about the classic giant piece of paper and drawing around her body, giving her paints and letting her go for it. Then I thought about the way she works with paint, the way she uses it like a patchwork. Me and my recently acquired sewing brain thought fabric squares, she could glue them on. This was like heaven to this child, using Mum's fabric scraps and opening a new tube of rice glue.

She spent all afternoon on this, it was wonderful, at times tricky little baby sister wanted in on it too so we made some adjustments to where she could work on it. Baby Circe made several failed attempts to help, but enjoyed her brush and water paint just as much.

Eliza's artwork adorns our fridge pin-board and living space. In Ikea the other day I thought of those beautiful drawings she'd made with coloured pen I wanted to preserve those a little better and show them off. My two older children's works are in various frames or on canvas all around our home.

Their primary school holds an Art fair each year and the children produce amazing work for this particular show. Phoenix my seven year old has done 2 Picasso inspired self portraits which I love they are so expressive. Beatrix my ten year old has done several delicate pen or pencil still lives, these are detailed and intricate and often spur my creativity when decorating.

I feel that children's art work can be placed in amongst bought art, your own art and even given as gifts. Eliza has recently made a piece for our friend who is turning 30 we framed it and are giving it to her as it is picture of her it was done after she took Eliza out to Scienceworks one day. A wonderful gesture and all her own initiative.

I framed several of her works the other day and gave them pride of place above my bargain-corner metal locker which houses all my sewing stuff in our dining kitchen space. and I believe in providing children with good art materials, canvas, paper and lots of it,we always have an Ikea roll of newsprint. Some materials we use include permanent marker, pen, fine-liner, tempera paints, watercolour blocks alphabet and number stamp blocks.

My children have almost never been too young to scrawl on a bit of paper, as soon as they could grasp, a crayon was usually in their hand. Art is a an amazing creative outlet for any child, their imagination can transcend the pages on which they leave their mark to later remind them of their innocence and wonder.