A quick hello and a miniblog update

Over here, we're still returning to normal after birthday celebrations (though Miss Mini Blogger is of the opinion it is still her birthday after continuing to receive gifts through the week - to the point that when handed a used train ticket today, she exclaimed "ooh, a ticket present!").

I'm still thinking about birthdays too - specifically the bits of the party that didn't get finished on the day.


I'd planned to make these little butterfly pastries (Donna Hay inspired again!). They seemed easy - but not as easy and fast as taking premade pastries straight from the freezer and putting them on a tray! I made them the day after for a fun lunch. The recipe suggests cutting 10 cm rounds, then shaping them to make butterfly wings. I soon took the lazy route and tried rectangles with little triangles removed - much faster, and the scraps make nice dipping sticks too!


After making little bug jars for all the over one year old guests, I wanted to make something for our littlest guests - these knitted caterpillar finger puppets (inspired by a book known to many a child) seemed like a good idea, except I didn't get them finished in time (and I still haven't finished them - these are some I made a year ago)! I have a new deadline - next week when we'll see them all again...


Finally, Miss Mini Blogger has been putting in some time lately updating her blogging computer - she likes to blog about the treasures she finds around the house (she especially likes the bowl of "things we might use one day"), and wanted to share this with you.

Hope you all have happy weekends!

my slightly creative space

Well, it was inevitable, wasn't it? After gloating last week about finally getting going, my creative pursuits were suddenly halted - I am now temporarily one-eyed (well, kind of one-and-a-half eyed!).

Luckily, today we have a distraction - it is Miss Mini Blogger's birthday!

Of course, I had to abandon my last minute handmade gift ideas, but at least there were two special little things wrapped up...

Pigeon was an instant hit - he got to read his book...

go for a fly...

and then practice his dialogue before putting on a play (held on the window sill to entertain any real pigeons passing by ... )

(she even finally agreed to wear her scarf - this was not such an instant hit, but I think she's getting used to it now!)

Party preparations are slowly progressing too - I've had to simplify some of my handmade contributions, but somehow I don't think the guests will notice!

So far I'm working on the party favours


and doing the kind of knitting you can do in the dark...


looking forward to visiting you all at Kirsty's (in a couple of days when I can see you properly!).

my creative space - doing something

What we do is important. It helps us to define who we are and what is important to us. It influences our health. Getting the balance right between doing what we need to do, and what we want to do, helps us lead happier lives. I should know this - it's the basic principle underpinning my work as an Occupational Therapist - but lately I haven't been living it. I've been going through the motions, doing "just enough" to get by, and it shows.

I decided it was time to change. I booked a couple of "well" days off work (otherwise known as annual leave) to spend some child-free days at home, getting back on track, and getting back to "doing".

Early in the hours of my first "well" day, I heard a cough, then another. Soon after, a small body was snuggled into mine, and she was being quiet (a bad sign indeed!). I had to quickly accept that the day would not be child-free after all... and I learned a big lesson. Maybe I just had to get on with things - no excuses, no special conditions, just get doing again.

This is what I did this week...


I made invitations for our girl's third birthday party - inspired by these cards from Myrtle and Eunice (thank you Tania!) ...

I did some cleaning - well, actually not much cleaning...

I finally posted this (only three weeks since we made it!)...

I exercised - thanks to some enthusiastic and friendly work mates...

I did some night time knitting - a little birthday scarf...

I made some calls, and organised a few appointments I'd been putting off for a while...

and I finally took down the sewing machine from that high shelf and starting making some baby gifts...


Pop over to Kirsty's to see what others have been doing too!

Edited to add: Today I remembered the importance of balancing doing with not doing, and have been enjoying some pyjama time visiting all your creative spaces - isn't Thursday such a good time for that?