narrating kayoz

The Gorgeousness of Toddlerhood

Twenty-one months is a wonderful age. I am so enjoying parenting Eliane right now, that I *almost* could consider going for just one more. Actually, if Chris and I were both 5 years younger I would probably consider it quite seriously. Despite the too-small house, too-small car, and not enough hours in the day. As it is, I'm not considering it at all, but - I do love this age.

 

Christmas is coming... (or, Making Felt Christmas Angels)

Now that we're home I am looking around and realising how close Christmas is getting! By this time last year I was already nearly finished making my Advent Calendar/String which opened up into this felt nativity set I made.

I was thinking of adding to that set this year, but while we were away we had a flood in our converted garage/spare room which had all my felting supplies in it. Although they didn't get wet, the flood happened a while before we came back and so everything - I mean, everything - was mouldy.

It was a gross thing to come back to and made me sooo grateful for our contents insurance. Quite apart from replacing what we lost, having someone else to come in and assess what was salvagable and pack it up, and take away what wasn't, was worth every cent of the premiums!

I did make these little angels while I was in the States, to make a mobile for my brother's baby (I forgot to photograph the finished product), and I've got enough of the wool roving I bought over there to make another angel, but that's not going to fill another advent calendar.

I will get money to replace the felting supplies I lost, of course, but not in time to make more for this Christmas. I guess we'll just have to set up the nativity scene this year without the Advent String, but if I make another angel I'll make a bigger one for the tree and maybe photograph the process for another step by step tutorial.

I made this larger one in the school craft group earlier in the year for their Spring Fair sales, but that was slightly more complicated than these two and used a pipe cleaner for the arms.

 

The Girls Pose at Golden Gate Park

We're back in Australia now, after seven+ weeks overseas, but I will be posting a few photo-moments from the trip over the coming days. This is near the end, when we went up to the City (SF) to visit Golden Gate Park, which we have never done before.

The trip consisted of roughly a week in Barcelona, a week in a village called Pyles, on Greek Island, Karpathos, a week in New York City and the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania combined, then three weeks in California with a side trip up to Portland Oregon. Except somehow all that added up to seven weeks, not six, plus travel time (32+ hours from here to Barcelona and 24+ hours from Berkeley to here).

I made notes and wrote whole posts on my iPhone as we went, which I will be gradually posting at narrating kayoz goes travelling over the next few weeks (I think I managed to get all of two up during the trip).

{This Moment} Daddy & Elli at Golden Gate Park

Inspired by SouleMama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Pop over to SouleMama for more moments.

Career Change?

Not exactly. Though there have been moments in the past year when I've considered not going back to my Public Service job when my maternity leave ends, but I'm over that now. But...

I just gave my seven and a half month pregnant friend a massage, and rediscovered how much I like doing it. I used to massage professionally, many years ago (nearly ten now!), and I used to mostly do remedial massage, which was good and satisfying and all, but there is also something very satisfying about simply helping someone to really relax and to feel nurtured. Especially when that someone is heavily pregnant and you know they probably aren't sleeping well and never get really comfortable anymore.

Plus, taking off the pressure to fix things is pretty nice actually. 

In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I'm thinking of going back to doing it professionally. Only very part-time, not as a substitute did my day job (which I am due to return to in January), but maybe just a few sessions a month for friends & family or past clients. I'll have to think on it some.

In other news, Eliane has developed a definite tendre for my friend's ten year old son, Jacob, and was extremely excited to see him yesterday, when we arrived back in Berkeley. She's also taken to calling out "Jacob! Jacob! Jacob!" just the way Liam used to do, the last time we came. Although, when Liam said it it was far more understandable than Eliane's, which sounds more like "jaja" than Jacob, and that's probably being kind. Half the time it is almost indistinguishable from Dada.