Our Girls love the pool...

...just like I used to when I was a young girl.  I remember spending four weeks in a complex in Coffs Harbour when I was around Monet's age and spending as long as possible in the pool there.  Our girls are fortunate because they have assess to a pool every day of the year.  It's just not a holiday thing.

Lily has become very confident in the pool now.  She's recently gone from wearing her swim vest, to floaties and the last time I was in the pool with her, there was an absence of any floating equipment attached to her body!  However, if I am not in the pool with her, it is swim vest all the way.

The girls do all kind of games in the pool together which is nice to see.  Above is a photo of their 'circus trick' where they would be both underwater (with Lily on Monet's shoulders) and when Monet stands Lily yells out 'Ta-da!'

Monet has gotten quite good at doing underwater handstands with legs very straight and Lily's latest trick is doing awesome proper water somersaults!  Very amusing to watch.

If this hot humid weather continues, I can see us all getting quite a bit more use out of the pool....

And now it's Pajama Bags...

I'm always on the look out for something new to sew.  My latest sewing time has been put to use by sewing Pajama Bags.  When I was a young girl, I had a PJ Bag which would hang on the end of my bed and each morning I would put my nightie in it.  When a Facebook Fan (& a mum from school) suggested Pajama Bags, I thought yeah, what a cool idea.  So, I got sewing, using pieces of fabric which I had spare.  

Each bag is lined with a contrasting or matching fabric, and then can tightly close using a ribbon-drawstring!

I very much love the Monkey Pirates!

I had quite a few tries getting the ribbon opening just right so the first one was given to Monet (who loves it!) and I have a parcel to send off to my nephew and two nieces next week (with new pyjamas!)

I hope they like and use them like my girls do.

Early Morning Walks

For over three months now, I have been rising out of bed most mornings, bright and early and going on a 3 kilometres 'power' walk.  I have it down to 26 minutes.  

Each day, I take a photo of the dawn breaking.  I have rarely seen two days the same.  The colours are amazing and every time I think to myself that it has been worth getting out of bed at stupid o'clock for.  

Pretty sure I am considered a local now, seeing a handful of 'regular' walkers.

I see the lady opening up the corner shop every morning and the guy who cleans and organises the outside furniture at L'unico.  I see the lady in the bright pink floral shorts walking her two dogs.  I see the old, very thin lady, who jogs around the place, the old man in his walking gear power walking, the lady who runs with her tiny Jack Russell dog, the lady in specks riding her bike with her reflective gear on.  An elderly lady who I have only begun seeing in the past few weeks, who walks up and down the beach road pushing her walking frame.

I wonder if they all think, "There's that chick in the stripy top"....

Each and every morning I also see one of my neighbours who lives in the same complex as us.  Sometimes we stop and have a brief chat.

I decided in celebration of my 50th morning walk, to get a poster made of my photos.  Most are taken in the same spot each morning.  I swear those two palm trees are the most photographed trees in all of Cairns, especially if I have anything to do with it.

My poster arrived on last week.  I had two printed up.  I gave one to my neighbour, who was very (very) appreciative of it.

Aprons

A while before Christmas last year, I had ordered some gorgeous 'kitchen gadget' fabric from a website in America.  I loved the fabric and once it arrived on my doorstop I loved it even more.  But I was unsure exactly what to make from the ordered 'yard'.

After a bit of brainstorming and thinking things and designing in my mind, I decided on an apron.  I went and purchased a couple of other fabrics which matched colour-wise the kitchen fabric and set about making my (mind) apron.  

I ended up making two matching aprons which ended up as Christmas presents for both my Mother-In-Law and my sister.  I was very tempted to keep one myself but didn't.  And (unusually) I don't have a photograph of the finished product.  =(

I thought I would make myself a 'Christmas' apron instead.

Well, that didn't go to plan either.  I ended up giving one to a friend who had invited us to a Christmas Party at hers and my mother had mentioned how much she liked the apron (which I sent her a photo of) so I made her one too!  Sheesh.

With a bit of Spotlight shopping, finding suitable fabrics to make another few aprons, my first one looked like this...

After I posted a photo of it on Instagram, a friend of mine bought it!  She loved it so I happily sent it off to her.  So finally, f i n a l l y, I made myself one.

I very much like it.  A lot.

I've yet to make more....I have been too busy making some other of my ideas into reality.  I love that I have taught myself and learnt via others (via blogs/Instagram) how to do certain things and feel very inspired to keep making...