.friday faves. June 29, 2012

It’s been a while since I’ve done a favourites collection.  So I decided today was a good day to share some!  They are all wooden items that I’ve collected over the years, and all have their own little story…

Top left: Jordanian Bedouiun woman

This little treasure comes from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan when we visited there in 2000.  She was bought at a desert Arabic bazaar and reminds me of that incredible country, it’s beautiful people and the unforgettable time we spent there.

Top right: Giraffe push puppet

Apparently these toys with a disk on the bottom that you push to make them dance are called push puppets…I only just discovered that.  This one I bought on a trip to Melbourne in 2008 for Ethan when he was 2, (yes, I know, it’s not suitable for children under 3, but it lived on the top shelf of the bookcase until he was big enough to not try and digest its parts!) and has become a favourite of Ethan & Eli’s.

Bottom left: Babushka dolls

I have a small collection of these type of dolls.  They get called everything from Babushka dolls, Russion dolls, Matyroshka dolls and Nesting dolls.  Call them what you want, I adore them.  I have so far limited my collection to 3 sets which includes 14 individual dolls whey they’re all displayed in a row.  These ones were bought on a last-hurrah-girlfriend-trip to Hobart with my wonderful friend Jodie almost 2 years ago before she left to live in Africa serving with Mercy Ships. 

Bottom right: That Vintage Birdcage pendant

It was probably impossible for me to include a favourites collection without a bird, right?  This pendant was my Mother’s Day gift last year and is made by the very talented Sophie Hill of That Vintage, right here in Launceston.  Tasmanian wood and crafting, and worn often by a proud Tasmanian. 🙂

Hope your day is looking and feeling fantastic.

Ruth x

.my adulthood as a child. June 28, 2012

I find so much enjoyment in experiencing childhood as an adult.

I know that is a very silly sounding statement.  But for me having children has been a little like that – experiencing childhood as an adult.

I had a childhood that is full of good memories.  Not perfect but pretty wonderful in the simplest of ways.  Long summer holidays spent with family, neighbours and best friends.  Birthday parties, weekend skating rink visits, playing board games with my brother, riding bikes around the neighbourhood, dressing up in Mum’s clothing…the list goes on. 

But before you know it, you are all grown up and  instead of being the carefree child of the family, you are required to be the responsible adult, and in my case, mother.  But I have found that in between the extremely challenging times of being a mum, I am really enjoying childhood again by joining in with them and thinking up ideas to help them grow their own happy impressions of these days. 

I am enjoying it in a much different way to how I did when I was a child.  I now know how fast it goes, and how the memories you take with you throughout your life are not archived minute by minute for you to replay when you’d like to, but more by the impression it leaves.  Details can sometimes be sketchy even though you lived through every second of those days/months/years of your childhood. 

One thing I’d play back if I did have a minute by minute archive would be the times when my Dad played with my brother and I.  I have lots of memories of playing with Mum, because she was at home with us much of the time.  But those times with Dad are vague in my mind, and although I know they existed, I find them hard to pull out of the memory banks.  Having said goodbye to him 8 years ago makes it all the more important to me that I remember these things.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons for my excessive photo-taking…capturing as many moments as I can in visual form so it is not forgotten.  Then again, I hope my sons will not be as forgetful as I am!

I am happy to say I have no regrets from my childhood.  At least none I can recall!!  And I’m pretty determined to not have regrets from my children’s childhood.  I’m not intending to make it perfect for them, or even take away their hassles, crises or inconveniences.  I’m just making it as darned healthy as I can.

Love Ruth x

.berry mousse {thanks to torie jayne}. June 21, 2012

How delicious does this creamy fruit mousse look?  I think it’s a must try…not just because it looks beautiful, but because it sounds very easy, and that’s my favourite kind of recipe. 🙂  

You will find the recipe in the blog post here at Torie Jayne, a most beautiful and inspiring blog.  Everything she posts is just amazing, and her photography skills are wonderful too.  Sp enjoy!

Ruth x

.love a challenge. June 8, 2012

I love online craft challenges, even if I only seem to do perhaps 1 in 20 that I come across! 

The current Embellish Magazine Collage Color Trends Challenge is very pretty, and perfect for the 6 year old girl’s birthday card I need for my son to give to a school friend. 

He is very excited about going to this party because some of his mates will be there – what I don’t think he fully realises is that it is a fairy party and he may have to wear wings or something else equally repulsive to him!!  He is such a boy…although he does get a sheepish grin on his face when we ask him if he likes the sweet girl in his class who has written him several love letters. 🙂

He is feeling a bit grown up at the moment, as he has his first “big” tooth…the only problem is that the baby tooth it’s meant to be replacing hasn’t fallen out yet or even become loose!  I’d never seen it before, but I’ve been assured it’s not that uncommon and doesn’t necessarily stop teeth from straightening up eventually.  Off to the dentist next week for us, then!

Love Ruth x