Right Now

Last exam tomorrow. I feel as if life is about to un-pause. It's marvellous. Sadly, my commitment to study has diminished slightly with every exam that passes, I am limping to the finish line whilst dreaming of the unimaginable freedom I will feel when uni is finished for the year! Not that I haven't enjoyed it, on the contrary, I have loved the content and the learning. But..... summer holidays!

Meanwhile, please allow me to indulge some of my holiday dreaming...

Wishing: ...we could have been with family in the UK for the dedication of a delicious newborn nephew.

Reading: ... An Anthology of Modern Verse, found in an opshop for $8, complete with old clippings and an inscription from 1925. Lovely.

Looking Forward To: ...Christmas! I love this time of the year, and I have so many gift and craft ideas to get onto after exams!

Creating: ...a memory wall in my bedroom. A place for artwork, photos, quotes, letters and inspiration.

Planning: ...handmade Christmas gifts, including some beautiful wall name plaques for the girls.

Cooking: ...Christmas pudding. All the fruits are soaking in a generous amount of sherry and brandy, ready for baking into pudding for Christmas Day.

Arranging: ...Christmas meat. We sent a pig, purchased from a friend, to slaughter last weekend, and are picking it up butchered and dressed next weekend. A full freezer, including a lovely rolled pork roast just in time for Christmas!

Enjoying: ...the longer days. Evening swims, walks and bike rides, drinks on the deck, no wonder it has been hard to concentrate on studying!

Hoping: ...my baby boy (who really isn't a baby anymore) enjoys his second birthday this Saturday!

See you on the other side of my last exam!

Books We Are Loving

It is unlikely to come as a surprise to you that we in this house love books. I thought I would share some of the books currently in rotation (and by 'in rotation', I mean left open next to the bed, on the carpet near the rocking chair, on the couch and on the toilet floor)

'The Granny Square Book'. I was so excited to receive this parcel upon my return from Melbourne - the only problem was, I had no idea who it was from! A bit of asking around revealed that it was my birthday present from Mike and Annette. A very happy girl was I. I've been wanting to learn to crochet for awhile now, and, after picking up some crochet hooks from my local 'Pay It Forward' site, I'm ready to go.

'The Sand Bucket List'. This little gem was found by a friend of mine while we browsed a bookshop. It's quite literally a list of things to do with your kids before they grow up. From the silly (go around blindfolded for an afternoon) to the socially responsible (spend some time in a place where you are the minority) it is full of little treasures that have totally inspired me to recreate the time I spend with MY little treasures.

'Down To Earth'. The author of this simple-living book, Rhonda Hetzel, writes the blog of the same name and is a wealth of common-sense, homemaking and simple living knowledge and ideas. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

'Charlotte's Web'. I bought this classic from Savers in Melbourne for Miya, as she is really into having chapter books read to her at the moment. She loves going to the library and borrowing these truly awful Rainbow Fairy chapter books, so I am slowly introducing her to good children's literature. The whole family is loving this one.

'Saving Our Children From Our Chaotic World'. Maggie Dent (her website is here) is a bit of a guru in child development. I love her emphasis on nature, her work on resiliency and her focus on creating safe and happy childhoods. Looking forward to getting stuck into this one (must stop getting distracted first.... hmmm, I wonder if this book will have something to say about that??)

'Eco-friendly Crafting With Kids'. This one is awesome. It's written by blogger Mini-Eco (website here) and has some fantastic ideas on sustainable crafting, including making your own crayons and chalk, and utilising the recycling bin and the natural environment. We are going to enjoy delving into this one :) The girls have already enjoyed making cakes with 'chocolate', 'strawberry' and 'vanilla' playdough.

Hope you are all well!