It's been a busy few weeks. Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, a couple of lingering viruses, and now, our Term 3 School Holidays. However, I am happy to report:

1. I am finally on the mend, thanks to resting and LOTS of vitamins and herbs.
2. The girls have been (mostly) lovely these holidays, playing well, enjoying being together and fighting far less.
3. My Urban Outfitters package arrived and my $40 jeans fit PERFECTLY!
4. Layla has FINALLY, FINALLY said goodbye to her dummies. It was far less traumatic than last time I anticipated and I spent a few days both immensely proud of her and shocked that she'd actually done it.

We celebrated with my first ever batch of meringues, as requested by Layla.

Finally, inspired by my lovely friend of 15 years from halfway across the world, we've been getting busy with FIMO making alien creatures. If you haven't used it before, FIMO is modelling clay that you bake in your oven to harden. So, after showing Yasmin Meri's blog featuring her own Alien Army, we set to work. It was fun for the girls and I. It's always great to find an activity that all three girls (2.5, 4.5 and nearly 7 years) can do.

Hope you've got a happy house too.

xxx

Australia: Meet Urban Outfitters

Have you ever seen a toy somewhere that you know your kid would LOVE, so much that purchasing it becomes a quest to secure their long term happiness? Well, you know what I mean.

And so it was with the vintage Fisher Price Record Player. For months I've been scouring Ebay to get one - and they were either crappy condition, or way too much to justify spending on something second hand.

Until I discovered that Fisher Price are re- releasing the Record Player.

And Urban Outfitters stock them online. For $40.

And they ship to Australia!

FOR FREE! (Ok, well you do need to spend over $150 to get free shipping, but still....)

And so, one little devilish two year old and four monther is about to get the most gorgeous little present that I JUST KNOW she will love.

And I just know I'll love this gorgeous Birdcage Duvet Cover too...

Etsy love part 53

I stumbled upon these gorgeous prints on Etsy, via Charlotte's Fancy. Even better, they're on sale! I think the Paris picture with the balloon might be gorgeous in a contemporary bathroom or girls bedroom.

The Red Balloon, by Irene Suchocki

Looking for Love, by Irene Suchocki

You can find more here at Irene's Etsy shop.

Shana Tova and a little craft for a gorgeous Wednesday

We have a few days off school in honour of Rosh Hashanah. The table is set, the apples and honey are ready, and we're (mostly, mostly I say) taking it easy. I took the girls on a long walk and play in the park today, to celebrate a gorgeous spring day. The older two were on their scooter and the little one in our Radio Flyer wagon - all this resulted in two long naps and one long rest for three girls. Check!

I'm going to try this crafty little project - looks perfect for 2, 4, and 6 year olds. Check out Sunset Skyline Art Project.

Here's a snap of our festive table. The placemats are actually scrapbook sheets I got from my local art shop for 25c, and the placecards are handmade by me.

Warm greetings to you all.

xx

As I've mentioned before, I'm an avid reader of the Nie Nie Dialogues. And I've oohed and aahed at their gorgeous, vibrant and love filled family shots by an American photographer husband and wife duo called Blue Lily. So, when I read on Nie Nie's blog that Blue Lily are coming down unda! Wowza, I went straight to their link and booked in....for next April. I already can't wait.

Here's their photos of the Nielson family. Beautiful I'm sure you'll agree. You can also see some more of their shots on Design Mom's blog.

PS. If you are looking for someone local in Melbourne, we used Tea and Jam Photography and loved their shots too. Highly recommended and fun to work with.

Hope you've had a lovely weekend. We've been passing bugs round between us so it's night night for me.
xxx

Our inaugural visit to holiday house

Our lovely abode in the mountains is now official, and we took the girls on Sunday for an adventure to look at the house again.

I quickly made some banana bread in the morning as well as some hot chocolate because it is COLD up there!

Our first stop - Bunnings. This is a loved Aussie tradition, complete with the morning sausage sizzle outside the store. By 10.30, we were in Bunnings, eating our sausages, white bread and ketchup. Yum. We bought our gumboots in anticipation of some serious mud, and a little while later the girls were gleefully jumping in the muddiest puddle they had ever come close to. They loved it.

We were joined by a kookaburra landing right next to us, some ducks grazing on grass, some rozellas, peered at some funny looking alpacas (belonging to the neighbours), and watched the cockatoos soaring in the sky. I do love it up there.

The girls were SUPER excited in the house. It's spacious, well laid out but needs a little facelift. They literally played for about 30 minutes tackling, wrestling, laughing and rolling on the floor. I couldn't believe they could entertain themselves for so long in an empty house while we discussed ideas, layouts and such, but as my insightful husband commented, 'they have nothing to fight over.'

It's been busy organising all the things needed to renovate a house - tiles, cabinet makers, carpets, furniture etc, but what an exciting project. I can't wait for it to be ready. Here are some gorgeous bits I found (from Simply Seleta) that have inspired me.