Clearer perspective was achieved by contemplating jet streams, soaking up the sun's Spring rays to the soundtrack of clucking chickens.
This photographic pose is impressive given that we have 6 children between us and no real commitment to pilates.
I like my boardroom.
After months of deliberation, procrastination and other 'tions', I put aside my long held belief that quilting was a dark art to be avoided at all costs. Spurred on by the looming deadline, I completed my two squares for our Launceston Brown Owls Kiva Quilt. No joke, I even used a rotary cutter. I'm all over this quilting malarky. Or piecing. Or whatever it actually is. I feel like someone who has done their homework ahead of time. I even rang my Mum.
We've been busy in and out of the sandpit.
We've roped Grandma Loz in to put some final decorating touches on the cubby house of architectural merit (more on this later)...
So we can host high teas fit for the Savoy. 'Quel surprise! Tea and mud tart! Delicieux!'
Perchance would there be room at your table for one more?
We've brought in the big guns to relocate some wood to our shed.
and basically eaten and smeared ourself with more dirt and mud than is on offer at a day spa.
Oh Spring - I salute you! This year I have made a pact that this is the year of the garden.... and with a start like this - clearly it will take alot to get us back inside!
I wasn't kidding about taking over the kitchen table. And the skirt ... I love it ... because 'House of Burns' says this season is the 'Summer of the jolly frock and skirt' ... oh, and yellow shoes (where do I get me some yellow shoes?) And here is the hat for the wee girl. I pulled out all the heavy weight fabric and asked her to choose. Whilst I wasn't backing this pink number (I'm not a real pink person)... the girl's eye clearly is a good one ... she choose to line the vintage pink extravaganza with a lilac drill. Ripper, no?
The hat itself, it's very snug. She is nonetheless thrilled with it. It doesn't blow off in the wind, tick! Shall see how we go with the adult size hat - but this size is perfecto for the wee lads. As for Sew La Tea Do ... I'm getting me a copy. One shouldn't push good friendships. Plus, she can crochet hexagons ... and I'm still on the granny square...
Things have levelled out a little round these parts. Since the boys arrived it's all been a bit day to day. Twins do that to you. I've never really written about our experience of finding ourselves parents of multiples. Never quite found the words to describe how it all goes being flung from mother of one to mother of three. Occasionally I have gone to write it all down for the record, but never quite know where to start. As my better half so aptly stated, it kind of sounds as if you are having a whinge or asking for a pat on the back - and really neither of us feel the need for either of these things, so we tend to just keep things close. But for the best part of 15 months we have lived a life that can be described as nothing short of perpetual motion; bewildering at times; intense and all consuming, a little lonely in parts ... but an experience that has stripped us back to recognise what gets us through and what keeps it sweet. We have become Team Burns, wearing the t-shirt that sees us rely so seemlessly on each other we rarely stop to ponder how we got here intact. But here is good. Here three smalls slumber by 7.30pm. Here three smalls wake after 7.15am. Here two wee boys slumber for 2-3 hours in the middle of the day. Here dinner is at 5pm and bath time follows. Here we sit on the couch together in the evening silence and hold hands. Here a routine guides our day like a ticking clock. A metronome to keep us dancing in time and singing in tune. Here we have embraced routine without embarrassment. Here we don't deviate often. Here is not there. To get to this point was a whirlwind of second guessing and experimenting. There has been endless questioning, both spoken and unspoken, whispered, laughed and sobbed on how would get through. A dialogue; just two. Words and fears rarely shared with others. It was just hard to explain. We clung to the belief that we would get some sort of space back. Space for a breath or two. 
The red checked pair were my 'test pair'. They were from fabric given to me way back here. When they were a success I went with the 'batik'. (Mum had picked up the fabric in Sarawak, Malaysia, when my Dad worked there). I enjoyed getting lost in 'the details'. I made a couple of 'faux' pockets at the front. Don't think I'll repeat them. I figured, at this stage, they didn't really need anywhere to put their keys. That back pocket was going to be a circle ... but after sewing two bits together and turning it in, I was struggling to make the circle look all neat, so I cut it off. Then I ricracked it up.
As mentioned, photography was based on speed, rather than accuracy ... but the next shots at least showcase my new skirt ... whipped up in vintage curtain fabric, found way back here, it's my new favourite. The pattern is awesome. My sister even whipped up two. She has hips. They don't show in this skirt. It is tres flattering.
You get the picture? It's A line....
...because sometimes you need a good place to hide ...
The dancing began and they clapped and smiled and watched entranced. It may be that they did not get the somewhat 'tongue in cheek' elements of each dance extravaganza ... but they were clearly in the moment!
Mesmerised.
This was a duet ... just out of camera is his 36 week pregnant dance partner, also in lycra dancing to "I've had the time of my life"... hysterical! Other choice dance tracks included a spot of Massive Attack and the winning performance to Mariah Carey's "Hero". With judging complete it was time for a quick audience boogie to 'Bohemian Rhapsody' before the girls, no longer able to contain themselves, took to the stage for their own interpretative dances.
My cheeks hurt when I left, from all the smiling!
Today we are off to see the whale, do a spot of the Arts ALive: arts trail and who knows what else we will discover along the way ...
We thought we would step out into the city with the sister to check out a little of this year's Junction Arts Festival. Talk about people power ... last year's festival was meant to be a one off ... but people wrote and rallied and now it is secured for a further three ... nice one! We had a most ace time last year ... I wrote about it here and here. First stop Civic Square to see the Big Top and to eat our lunch at the wild willow cafe . We will return here on Saturday Night to bust some moves at The Junc Room. We like da hop hop!
Then the wee girl did a spot of climbing before we headed of to see Launceston clock up their first ping pong win against Search Party.
We took the Tiger Performance Bus ... but it seems the performance didn't ... nay bother .. will try again tomorrow. We made it home just before the heavens opened! Tonight Edie, the Aunt and I are going to see 'So You think you can Interpretive Dance'. We are a little disappointed we didn't prepare something and don some lycra and sweat bands ... I don't think Launceston will share our disappointment ... *
Tomorrow I think we will go search for the whale ... you coming? Get amongst it people!!
*This in late ... just showed the wee girl my version of running man ... she said 'you can do that tonight, Mummy' ... seems there will be one disappointed person in Launceston.
Quel surprise! I called Dunc to 'come and have a look at this'. We both stood agog. Before you think we are 1. running some kind of baby racket 2. Live in a converted church or 3. Run a workhouse and feed children gruel before sending them off to make carpets in dark factories or 4. Are looking to expand our brood (cough, splutter, guffaw) ... this is my beautiful nephew... and hiding around the front of my house was his mother, my youngest sister... and in my family we LOVE surprises. Giving and getting... and this got me a doozy ... she's here for A WHOLE WEEK. Grand. Arlo welcomed his cousin in the best way he knows how ... STACKS ON!!!!!!!!
We got a pink balloon to replace it. We got to buy a beautiful Nest from a beautiful stall. We got to forget the routine our life with the twin brothers runs by. We got to linger. We got to explore. Just us. 
Not wanting it to end we adventured on to our favourite playground and built our own nests from stick and flowers and leaves, fossicked and gathered. It felt good to be in a rhythm of our own in a day where the sun shone.
I love my wee girl.
Clearly I am on some kind of roll or is it mission? because last week I made something else. I conjured up this skirt from this pattern and then hung it on my newly blossoming quince tree in some sort of effort to look all arty, photography-like. Let's call it a fail - please go lurk on a photography blog if you are artisitcally offended, but by this time I had one of the boys on my hip, so another outfit change was a serious NO GO SISTA! Before I started, I took all my measurenments and it said I was a size 18 ... but by the amount I had to run it in the back ... I'd say I was a 12-14.
A little jaunty? Nothing like a wardrobe that contains nothing it seems bar black and a budget that is far from being in the black, to act as a little motivation. As I got sewing I also got thinking. I realised that the last time I sewed myself something I was 24. I was working overseas. I sewed on a borrowed machine on the tiled floor of the condo I lived in in Singapore (we didn't have much furniture). I didn't use a pattern I just cut around a dress I liked at the time and sewed up some side seams and made it up. It was very, um, grungy... and I thought I looked HOT. Only took me a little under a decade and a half to have another go at it. AT this rate I'll have an entire wardobe by the time my one year olds graduate from high school. Ace!
Windows framing views to far off places. Small glimpses to what lies beyond. Being here rather than there. Just the usual Sunday drive.
Despite being a five minute stroll from our gate ... it's been a while since I ventured to the Esk Market. The man gets a little overwhemed by the wafty deep fryers. So glad I did... this was waiting patiently for me. I love a bit of vintage nautical. I'm just partial to maritime really. I think it might like to keep this print company.
...and that is just the way I like it. Edie kept stroking the flannelette fabric chanting 'oooooo sooooo soooooft'. The machine rumbled along. Nothing complicated. No thinking required. Just colour combinations to choose ...
All finished, before the snoozers even stirred. These will wing their way off next week ... and if I remember I'll post pics of the finished pieces.
But they involved a shelf ... and the plaster wasn't going to hold the shelf ... so I would need some kind of batten brace ... renovation blah, blah, blah ... so when the Man's birthday rolled around last week, the small and I strung them up in the kitchen over the table ... You know, to get a little festive-like.
...and, well we kinda loved them there. So they are staying. Swinging a little in our draught. Lit by our skylight, looking all jolly. It's enough to brighten your day, non?
Keen to get your lantern jollies? Lanterns can be found here. From this seller.
