it's beginning to look a lot like i should be doing more Christmas shopping

Greetings all,

A little bit thrilled with this wooden tree from TYPO, but really, it just reminds me that i really should knock over the Christmas shopping for others, not myself.  I'm not spending Christmas Day with any family this year (is it wrong that i feel empowered??) but i have to get gifts to them.  I plan to do up a hamper for each family (5-6 people, 10 families + individual gifts for the children).  Honestly, until i get a date for hand surgery, it's just not at the forefront of my mind.

 I dream, in the future, this hook-laden-tree, will hold the keys to our cars, tractor & quad/ trail bikes.  Isn't that cool & scary at the same time, my children on the road, eeek.  I loathe looking for keys, especially if like on "The Castle" we need to move 4 children's cars out of the way to get to mine!! 

 With Christmas gift hampers in mind, i headed to the Farmer's Market on Saturday to scout for ideas.  Brandy Butter, Puddings, Organic Chocolates . . . mmmm.  With only 3 children doing Little Athletics, i took my solo 3rd girl with me, unfortunately she's the hungriest child on earth & eats her way through the samples like Homer Simpson.  I oblige by buying what she recommends . . . 5kg fruit, juice, lunch & dinner (rolled roast beef) for the entire weekend.  So easy to feed my athletes lunch of Turkish Bread & avocado dip.  I'd never offered my children honeycomb??  Yumbo.  

 Bottom of the barrel $5 lillies, thank you!!

 This little runner & jumper won her hurdles, high & long jump on Saturday.  When we had twin babies, we decided to raise them independent of each other & not compare.  But this year in the same class - who gets to be class captain??  They took it in turns, unspoken agreement to nominate for different semesters (still voted by class mates, they're not dictators!!)  It didn't occur to me until year 2 that actual races . . . with places, would mean direct competition & comparison.  As it turns out, they  take it in turns (on ability, trust me, they zoom past each other without a side glance on the track) winning the 200m, 800m, long jump & cross country each year.  Oh look, you can see her latest missing tooth. 

How is your Monday??  I have to return to school at midday with a swim suit for this clown above who has swimming lessons.  Argh!!  Her sister & brother sensibly wore their suits, ready for the pool & of course, when i dropped them this morning she blankly looked at me & said "no one told me to put my towel & swimming costume in my bag".  Oh those are the Monday mornings you just want to scream, but i didn't, i had two choices: buy a new costume & towel in the city, or go home, collect & deliver.  I went home & blogged.  We live out of town, i'm not making 3 trips, so i'll get back to Christmas shopping list. 

Are you knocking over the Christmas shopping??  Are you actually not religious but everyone expects a gift anyway??  Do you think nieces & nephews over 18 should still get gifts from you??  I have 19 nieces & nephews, time to cull a few, non??  It's hard not to be the token bahhumbug, we have large families & i wonder if they even care, when they get a gift in the mail, among so many others??  I ponder, love Posie

i'm grateful for 'slowing down'

Greeetings all,

Ah, life, it's only as busy as you make it, 'tis my new bohemian approach to slowing down life this week.  I've only ever had one nanny in my world, for my first baby when i was an oil baroness fueling the mining industry.  She said "don't rush, be organised & make your children feel special, not an inconvenience you have to hurry".  I grew up with a neighbour who was always rushing her children around, honking the car horn, it was constant chaos.  My mother, she floated around raising the 4 of us, in constant calm, we were happy, organised & punctual.  I don't like being busy, I loathe rushing.  I like to tick things off my 'nice to do' list & centre myself.  I think it's a good example to my children too, don't overschedule or overcommit.  Leaving the P&C wasn't easy, i've had phone calls & emails asking me to stay on, sorry, i don't want the responsibility anymore. 

So i'm a short hair girl who is low maintenace (irony) & had the most fabulous & graceful Japanese young man cut my hair this week.  I like his work, no more boy band hair cuts for me & lots of friends have noticed, my dead-straight-thick-hair has bounce & life again.

 I made another batch of hot water bottle covers, international flavour.

 Oh, pretty butterflies with a Bambi button & a transport one with a car button.  I got to school early each afternoon this week to do some hand stitching in the car, therapeutic & a great car spot too.  Love not rushing!!

 We spent two whole nights ditching homework for Lego.

Even the car got a pampering at the drive through car wash.

 Farmers Market on a brisk Saturday morning, oh the orange juice will do my itchy throat the world of good.  Have to admit, i've felt run down all week, but always better after the gym.

 We picked up fresh flowers & all the ingredients for homemade carbonara (free range eggs, leg ham, mushrooms, Italian bread) which i'll make with my youngest daugther tonight & test drive our new cutting tool to make frilly fettuccine.

 With handsome soldier in town & his fear of freezing (this is a man who has ice climbed in Canada & patrolled through -20C Afghan Winters) he made good on his offer to replace our newly wed underlay & doona with luxurious new ones from the David Jones preWinter 30% off sale (if you ever want to sponsor me DJs, don't hesitate).  Well, um, $2K RRP (gulp, no wonder we only replace this stuff every 15 years & wait for sales) we will dive onto this gorgeous Summer/ Winter reversible woollen underlay . . .    

 under a new wool quilt + new pillows, new doona cover & this new silvery quilted bed coverlet tonight - we're using it as a throw, but there is double doona potential.  I don't sleep well when i'm on my own, but i think this can only help.  Beautiful bedlinen, ah, heaven.

 When we build we will might reupholster this bedhead (i still like the shape & style) but it's a decade old & now has custom design additions - an alien drawn with green texta & a chap stick love heart, i.e. it screams "we have children who jump around in here" rather than boudoire.

 The doona cover is actually a jet green (the darkest green ever) & very masculine.  Yes, i'm the floral patchworker who loves Cath Kidston, Amy Butler & Rachel Ashwell, but i can't imagine handsome soldier feeling at all sexy in such surrounds, so i've never inflicted florals on him.

Finally, as per last week's Grateful post 'breaking point' i marched the broken bed base into Harvey Norman (yes, the WHOLE FULLY CONSTRUCTED bed base, which made for an interesting ride to school that morning with 3 children trapped under it) & the staff could not have been more wonderful, professional, understanding & quick to say "we'll replace it completely".  Glee, mind you, i did look like a woman who was not going to take no for an answer.  Now this mattress stands in the hallway, waiting it's new bed.  Ah, have a dreamy weekend & find more gratefuls at Maxabella Loves. 

Next week i'm spending more time thinking up other ways to slow down, which will contradict me screaming "run run run" as my 3 youngest try out for Cross Country.  My biggest girl is already in the regional high school team, yippee.  Love Posie
PS not so grateful that Blogger stole 48 hours worth of comments & denied me leaving any comments anywhere in blog land, sigh.

things i'm loving 'cooking from the heart'

Greetings all,

Brrr it's getting chilly & soup is one thing i can cook really well.  I planted my pumpkins too late for the season & my magic-cinderella-carriage-sized-pumpkins-dreams never fruited.  Sigh, better luck next year!! 

Anyway, to share with Paisley Jade's 'things i'm loving' this Friday . . . these delicious pumpkins came from the weekend's Farmer's Market, two types of orange (let's call them Butternut & Queensland Blue, i am most likely telling lies, they're the only varieties which come to mind).  Onions, celery, seasoning & stock, how simple.

 Toss in food processor, any excuse to involve KitchenAid apparatus in my cooking.

 Then into Le Creuset to warm & serve.

 I was the most keen - my children all took spoons directly to this pot insisting they didn't feel like soup, then tucked into delicious ham rolls with real butter.  So next time i feel like cooking from the heart without the chopping, cooking or clean up, i have 3 frozen portions to reheat.   

It was all washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice - efficient use of the food processor of course.  It was everything orange for lunch on Sunday.

What's your favourite hearty homemade soup??  Love Posie
PS Have you entered my IKEA giveaway, good luck, drawn Sunday night.  

social commentary Sunday 'produce markets - what do you take home??'

Greetings all,

Rather enjoying my Social Commentary Sunday series - last week certainly ruffled some feathers about school homework & assignments, i loved the many comments from teachers, thank you!! 
This week is just a simple observation & thought on your local produce/ farmer/ handmade/ homegrown markets.  How do you approach them??  With a shopping list; a dream menu; a learning experience; or whatever the season has to offer you??

We have been trying to buy as much as we can from local produce markets for almost 15 years/ since we married, figuring organic, local & fresh is best for our bodies & eveyone's wallet. 

 I give special kudos to any producer who takes the time to engage with our children & tell them how things are grown, harvested & presented to them.

 I love discovering new & exciting produce, like these dragon fruits to show the children!!

 I get a bit Homer-Simpson-dribble-like when i see bread, oh, hello Sour Dough my old friend.

 We're a bit mushroom mad in our family, i can't wait to grow our own - although my husband is not so keen . . . his father grew them so successfully when handsome soldier was a child, EVERY meal came with mushrooms.  What a great source of iron.

 Our children are also big meat eaters, so put them in front of any European meat producer, they will try all the samples & say things like "i promise i'll tidy my room all week if you buy me some salami".  Who can resist such a deal??  "Make it a tidy room for a month" - i drive a hard bargain!! 

 Love a bit of presentation effort, especially when my high schooler is learning some fancy fruit chopping techniques.  So very 1970s housewife, but endearing.

 What a gorgeous setting for a produce market.

 Coffee who those who drink it, as you might know, i don't drink tea or coffee, certain it saves me a fortune.  Ditto for alcohol.

 Beware the mandarin monster lurking under the trees.  If only you could get a 7 year old boy to dispose of his mandarin seeds in a pleasant manner, as if they need any excuse to spit - something i find completely revolting, actually makes me feel sick - hearing someone spit!!

So what did we take home from the market today?? 
A good 90 minutes of watching our wide eyed & hungry children taste test truffles, olive oils, salmon, cheeses, meats, breads, olives, lasagne, peanut brittle, fruits & more. 
We physically brought home this bounty + a tonne of fruit & the simple stall holder suggestions of . . . pan frying the duck in simple spices . . . having the Morton Bay bug for afternoon tea (yes please) . . . the truffle duck pate can be used over & over - just lay the clarified butter over the top again . . . the smoked dill salmon can be broken up in a simple creamy pasta (delicious, having that tonight) . . . salmon dip on sour dough (secret addiction of mine) . . . how Kalamata olives are grown from the actual Kalamata olive tree cutting, not seeds, they love a cold snap & will grow well in Canberra. 
What an education, positive experience & fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning as a family!!  If you picked up on the 'we' & 'our children' - you guessed it, my husband is with us, yahoo.  Thank goodness as i went through my $50 in a flash at the market, he's my back up piggie bank/ enabler of my duck/ salmon addiction.  Love Posie

another Handmade Market success story

Greetings all,

Wow, what a market.  As the fantastic Handmade Market fans know, this event has moved from Albert Hall to the Yarralumla Woolshed to the Kamberra Winery . . . outgrowing all of those venues . . . to the National Convention Centre - which is MASSIVE.  It never disappoints, our gorgeous customers follow us anywhere & everywhere, it's truly appreciated!!   

Thank you to everyone in blogland last week for your encouraging comments & lovely words wishing me success.  I've been lucky enough to do every SINGLE Handmade Market since November 2008, this is only the 10th market event, it's exclusive & selective, it's special company to be in.  I am so appreciative of the journey.  I've done big events & popular markets but none are managed & marketed so perfectly.  Handmade is a FULL ON market - non stop customers, money being waved in the air, EFTPOS running hot & products flying off the tables + customers bursting through the doors before the market is scheduled to start!! 

This weekend's market was extra brilliant, in air conditioned comfort & not a concern for weather (it was windy & did rain).  The stall holders loved the convenience, the customers enjoyed the ease, ambience + thousands went from the Market to the Shop & back to the Market again (Shop Handmade is only 500m away & was incredibly busy all day too). 

All i can say is a huge congratulations & hearty thanks to the Handmade Market team & 3 very busy Shop girls!!

The awesome combination of blogging & markets means . . . meeting people in reality, like the beautiful Terese from Designed to a T & groovy Amanda from Laylaba.  Special shout out to gorgeous Dzintra from Queen of the ArmChair who broke her arm on Wednesday & couldn't attend the market - she really is queen of that armchair right now!!  Also, at this time of year, i find dear friends who have moved back to Canberra on military postings (hello Tina & Corinne).  Even our gorgeous school principal stopped by to say hello, along with dozens of friends.  Many came down from Sydney, up from Melbourne & in from country NSW. 
I didn't have a chance to take snapshots prior to the market commencing & my stall looked raided afterwards so i'll just show some zoom in images & offer up a few tips.

 my business banner - always ensure your stall has signage

 bring as much stock as possible, you can store it under your tables - i emptied most of my bolts for my fabric sale baskets 

 as a handmade creator, i'm also a craft enabler selling fabric covered buttons - displayed in various inexpensive glass vases

 fabric brooches are perfect for those wanting a burst of colour to their ensembles - this divided box is great for presentation

 cards samples show how fabric buttons can mix & match - a cute way to add height to a display

 patchwork pencil rolls laid out in an open French bread basket - a $5 op shop find

 i find products in baskets, containers & cases keeps things tidy - i don't mind the mess, it means the customers have truly searched for their favourites

 screen printed purses sold well again - inexpensive linen lined baskets 

as my darling husband rotated between helping me, taking children to sports, the Farmer's Market, charging my EFTPOS machine, collecting children from parties & sleepovers, the tip . . . he made me the most delicious ham, salad & chilli giant sandwich on fresh bread from Dom's Bakery - packing lunch saves your hard earned market money

handsome soldier is so amazing that he went to Kidson Jewellery (my favourite) & chose this pair of earrings for me from her Zugara collection (with Moyou) & gave them to me in the car as a surprise on the way home, it TOTALLY made my day!!  Thanks Emma, sneaky clever you (& her lovely mechanic husband who is always helping with the heavy lifting + his lovely sister who came down from Newcastle for the event too) love you guys!!
Kudos to jewellery designers who can photograph their products, please excuse my 'cap' prop but it did the job.

It's simply incredible, in just 2.5 years the rate of success, dedication, momentum & small handmade business growth which has been possible via this market, a humble 'market', when market was still a dirty word . . . Handmade has truly changed that + it's permanent retail space in the heart of our nation's capital Shop Handmade & the Handmade Living book.  600+ crafty small businesses are affliated with all this, just brilliant, what an opportunity.  People wonder why i have zero plans to ever go back to work in my field (pharmacology) - how could i, after a decade of full time crafting & mothering, no way!!  I love being my own boss & available for our 4 children & my husband when he's in town. 
So i have 4 months to prepare for the next Handmade Market in June, i can't wait.  Love Posie

wrapping up Christmas . . . on 'Christmas Eve' Eve

Greetings all,
Today was another super busy day at Shop Handmade & now it's closed for the year.  Big shout out to Rachel & Julie who i love & run the most beautiful Shop in Canberra, no THE WORLD!! 

Last night, in my spare time, i threw a party for a dozen 9 year olds, just a movie kind of thing - we watched Goonies & Gremlins, ah, the 80's!!  Lots of fun, food & Christmas themed party favours, like reindeer food!!  Just to confirm i'm completely nuts, i collected 6 of the party goers on my way home from Shop.  It was actually really lovely, i'm used to having a car load of children & the road kill (mainly kangaroos) on the 25km trip from the city kept them entertained!!

So now it's time to put my feet up (or into a soak) & cruise into Christmas, everything wrapped/ posted/ delivered & purchased, with tonight's Farmer's Market putting the finishing touches on our Christmas long weekend menu.

My last patchwork quilt for the year was collected yesterday, another bohemian style one, truly a favourite colour combination of mine now.

 . . . bad lighting, sorry, i finished at 2a.m. . . .

 clash of colours, patterns & styles in 196 squares of patchworky goodness!!

 Last minute deliveries include a donation of pashimas to HeadsUp, a Breast Cancer charity . . .

 Sue from HeadsUp at Calvery Hospital in Canberra teaches ladies how to style pashminas & silk scarves while dealing with hair loss during chemotherapy.  Love you Sue, you're awesome!!

 Now it's 'Christmas Eve' Eve . . . we might start nibbling on our Handmade Sweet Delights GingerBreadHouse (number 2) . . .

 & decide where to spread the Reindeer Food??

 I have visions of a big family platter of Christmas lunch leftovers on Christmas Night . . .

 so i can enjoy it as much as i do at Poacher's Pantry.

 Tomorrow i'll repot our plants in the Terrariums . . .

 before i collapse on the floor with these reindeer.

So there you have it, we're rolling down the hill into Christmas now.  I'm cracking open the Highland Habitat foot soak now & taking half an hour to myself in the bathroom. 

Hey, don't forget my giveaways - movie tickets to see Tangled & lifestyle books from IKEA.  Love Posie