just popped over to New Zealand....

We are having a little mid term holiday...aren't we lucky? 

It is just a quickie so we are trying to fit in as much as we can.

I love travelling and exploring new places and this means taking heaps of photos. I haven't been over here for about 6 years and a wedding to attend seemed like a great idea!!!!

Here are my 10 favourite photos so far exploring Auckland....

leaving Gold Coast Airport

a cool vintage expresso coffee van at Auckland Airport

At North Head looking over Cheltenham Beach

some cute old steps

the tunnels at North Head

doing backflips (as you do)

still at North Head

the other photographer in the family

my Rani, Juzzy and Sasha posing

brunch at Devonport...

I will be back soon with more fun and adventures....

Happy weekend!!

xox Jo

weekends are just the best, aren't they?

I am very proud of myself....

This weekend I have chosen leisurely, family fun times over the usual "oh I have so much work to do" thoughts that stop me and hold me to my computer and paint brushes. I think the problem is I do love my work and when you have a small business there is ALWAYS something you can be doing. I have just started pinning on Pinterest too which is kinda fun, although I don't really know what I am doing yet besides killing more time and seeing some really beautiful places I would LOVE to go to and things I would LOVE to have or see!! You can follow me if you want.....

Do you fall into this trap too or have you worked out some amazing way of balance?

I woke yesterday morning with a text from a friend asking if I wanted to go for a walk along Brunswick beach...."oh no I have too much work to do." Then a lecture from my 15 year old daughter who's whole life evolves around spending times with her friends...."mum you should go with Cath and get some exercise and go for a coffee."

I am really glad I did, it was gorgeous down there and the coffee was not bad either.

In the afternoon we had to go up to Burleigh Heads so my son could get his scooter fixed. We then went  for a walk/scoot along the beach....it was just perfect weather and their were people everywhere....

A beach walk again this morning...and some leisurely wool painting this afternoon before friends come over for our weekly Sunday roast...

I have also been having SO MUCH FUN with Instagram and just photography in general with my phone...I have become one of those people who take there phone with them everywhere but not because someone might ring me.....No that doesn't happen very often....something might just need to be photographed...

Best go and get onto that painting and please let me know if you have any tips on balancing work and play as it is one of my dreams for the year..

Take care ♥Jo

Jack (John/Sasha) of all trades.....

My little Sasha is a bundle of enthusiasm and energy. He is the family researcher and the family doer. I was going through my photos today while trying to clean up my desktop (ha) and realised how versatile he has been over the last few weeks. 

Firstly, he built a house with Pa for Curly the Sheep to sleep in ....

and here it is again with its bunting ♥♥

Then he made a pair of groovy shorts - red with white pokka dots....

The finished product......he hasn't really taken them off yet.....love the undies.. 

He fell off his scooter (while riding down a hill) and landed himself with 4 stitches in his knee but that didn't stop him from getting behind the sewing machine.

Then their was a cupboard to make with dad....

                            

And sheep to look after.....

and chocolate covered strawberries to make......and eat.

oh and here is Curly at school ♥

School holidays are almost over.....I am a little sad as I am soooo enjoying the house full of laughter and plans for what to make next. I purchased an overlocker a few days ago so am looking forward to having time to make more clothes...

Thanks so much for taking the time to read through my blog....I really appreciate it.

♥♥ Jo

a day of sewing.....a day of joy!!!

I love school holidays.....no getting the kids out of bed, out of the shower, out the door. Everyone can slip into their own little routine. They can wake up when they are ready and I CAN SEW ALL DAY if I want to. Justin's mum is staying with us at the moment and is an amazing knitter/sewer - an all round clever person when it comes to 'making.'

So for Wednesday Jude, myself and Rani all booked ourselves into a day of sewing on the verandah. It is the perfect location as it has huge tables and plenty of room to spread out and cut out, and pin together and what ever else needs doing on a 'SEWING DAY'.

Rani actually was still outside well into the evening as I think I 'kind of' dominated the sewing machine during the day. She chose a beautiful piece of fabric that I had stashed away in my fabric cupboard for about 15 years. I had bought it from an op shop just after she was born and it was perfect for a bag...

And here it is.....she is sooooo clever and extremely patient.....much more than I am when I am sewing.  

I made my first skirt with a zip..........out of a sheet I picked up at the op shop. 

and my first bunting......I was pretty happy with myself. I had fun shooting a 'bunting photo shoot' 

Guess which one is my favourite....?

Have you dedicated a whole day to something lately? 

Would love to hear from you ♥Jo

food for the soul...a community cookbook

Food for the Soul is a collection of more than 140 nourishing vegetarian recipes, beautifully woven together with food tales, seasonal blessings and delightful illustrations all donated by local artists, food growers, business owners and family and friends of Shearwater Steiner school.

Inspired by the abundance of fresh, local produce and wholesome lifestyles in the shire, you are invited to indulge in the book like you would a great big community feast – cooking, eating, laughing and sharing the joy of food together!

Food for the Soul is available for purchase for $25 plus $6.50 postage...just email me at sales@indigoinspirations.net.au with your postal address. 

It is a result of hundreds of volunteer hours and all funds raised will be used to build food gardens and creative play spaces at the Little Shearwater (Kindergarten & Pre-School).

It really is a wonderful book and a wonderful thing to encourage the children at Little Shearwater to get out there and get their hands in the earth and grow some of the food that they eat while at school...Wow I wish my school was like that. Mine was full of concrete unfortunately.

Have a lovely weekend and do you know of any other community cook books that have been published too?

                                     ♥ Jo

introducing our new family member....

This is "Curly"...... our new little month old lamb. My son Sasha has been quite obsessed with wanting a sheep since we spent a week at his Uncle Curly's farm near Croockwell in the Southern Highlands of NSW when he was about 9. He came home from that holiday and announced he wanted to change his name to John. 'Why' we asked (as it took us 4 weeks to finally choose his name when he was born) 'because I want to be a sheep farmer and I don't think Sasha is a good sheep farmers name'. Who could argue with that? His friend Mia from Sydney was visiting us at the time and decided she was going to be John's helper so she should change her name to Mary......

Sasha/John has researched everything....made lots of phone calls to farming equipment businesses and timber companies in his search for getting the best item at the best price as we didn't even have a fenced area for him.. He has also had lots of long conversations with Curly (the human) making sure he had all the right info. So after working in a 35 degree spring day yesterday with his dad and his Pa, we now have a wonderful 60m fence to keep Curly (the sheep) and as a bonus, the chickens in as well.

So here are a few adorable photos of our new little CURLY.

 He is still bottle fed so Sasha/John was up at 6.15 this morning making his bottle and feeding him.

  His mum was unable to look after him and his twin died not long after being born so Sash is his new carer.

I am looking forward to when he will need shearing so I can spin the wool and crochet a blanket to keep us warm in winter.

And I am sure this will not be the end of posts on Curly and Sasha (it really is hard to call him John).

What do you think...are we mad??.....maybe just a little???

I would love to hear from you ♥ Jo

a day of celebrations....

Today is Fathers Day......

Almost every Sunday we have a lazy family bacon and eggs breaky. We cook up fresh tomatoes and mushrooms and squeeze fresh juice from our fruit trees, with cups of tea and the paper. Today though was a little bigger than usual. My parents are visiting from Sydney and all of Justin's family came over as well to celebrate a combination of Fathers Day and his sisters birthday.

We had four fathers, one very soon (as in any day now) father and one birthday to celebrate. We had our yummy breakfast cooked on the bbq with cups of tea, then the birthday cake and coffee......our tummies were a little full....

We then decided to take my mum and dad for a drive up north a little to a picturesque little village called Tumbulgum. It is on the Tweed River and has a cafe called "House of Gabriel" which is in a one hundred and twenty year old historic homestead which has been restored to its former glory. It has a really cool antique shop out the back and a clothes/gift shop.

My dad's name is Monty and on the drive home we saw a stall on the side of the road - 'Monty's Strawberries' so we couldn't drive by without a photo.....and buying the yummiest ever strawberries.

And because every Sunday night we have a roast with Justin's parents and another family we finished the day off with more yummy food....I don't think I will need to eat for a while.

What else is happening this week.....
Eating: very excited to say - the first very mulberries of the season....I will take a photo of the poor tree laden with fruit....branches almost touching the earth.
Reading: the latest issue of Mollie Makes.
Working on: frantically getting ready for Shearwater - The Mullumbimby Steiner School Spring Fair this Saturday.
Lovin': this sunny weather....it means all my wool dries faster...yeh
                                                                 
                                                    ♥Jo

this week behind my camera....

      If you leave your door open in our house when no one is looking you

         might just find a little surprise on your bed when you come back

                                       as Kare did......eggs anyone??

                              Bare feet on the earth......nothing better!!!

         painting, painting and more painting....here I am painting rainbow
                wool felt to sell as is and also to make into my craft kits

                               sunny days at the beach with the family ♥

 and here is a sneak at my shop....I will do a whole post on it very soon
                                         ....I love my shop♥

                            
Life is busy, wonderful and a little cold and wet at the moment, but that doesn't stop the fun...
AT THIS MOMENT....I am....
Reading: The Happiness Project (still...I have been for a few weeks now)
WORKING ON: finishing off my tax....yah
LOVING: my crocheting....I have just learnt a new stitch and now have officially moved past granny squares...Yah again
Making: lots and lots of my craft kits because I am way behind.

Hope you are keeping busy too....what is taking up all of your time?

♥Jo