All Hallows Eve

Miss Nine

Miss Six

Master Three

Our Welcome Gate - Dead roses and Skellies

Magnficent Magnolia

There is a magnolia tree in our front garden. It's only wee by magnolia standards, but it's coming into bloom at the moment. Deep purple buds are forming, and they are taking me back to a very special time in my life. There are huge magnolia trees further up the hill, higher than the homes they belong to, cluttered with petals, leaving carpets of colour below them already, but our little tree belongs in our garden, at the bottom of the hill, shadowed and cold and moist, and the buds are only forming now.

There are a few friends of mine who know how meaningful the magnolia is to me. When we lived in our second home in Auckland, from 2006 to 2008, there was the most beautiful magnolia you could imagine in our rear garden, it was the hub of the home in many ways, it sheltered us, cheered us, the kids climbed it, swung from it, it was adorned with balloons at parties, pinatas hung from it,  it dropped it's leaves in winter to allow us to bathe in the sunlight through the living room window, then grew them again to shade us in summer. And in Spring, the most amazing blooms. It was the backdrop to almost every family photo for those two years, however unfortunately I've lost a lot of photos due to computer hard drive crashes, but wanted to share a few remaining ones with you, from our home in Benson Road, Remuera. It was the home where we lived when my firstborn started school, where we brought our baby boy home to when he was born, where we had parties and friendships and love and lots of laughter. I miss that house, and I really miss that tree. 

Just arrived, 2006

New Gumboots :)

Christmas Elf 2007

Blythe Backdrop

My view from the couch, morning sickness to the Max. 

Fathers Day 2008

New Spectacles for Lulu

Sunny Day

Today is the last day of the school holidays. I survived. They survived. We all survived. I was saying to a friend the other day that it is like winter saved up all it's rain and grey for this two weeks, though my mother (who is an incredible font of knowledge) informed me that the week including July 11th is known by scientific fact as being the coldest of winter. So a positive is .. again .. that we survived it! And we passed it!

With the G-man in kinder today, the girls and I ventured out to Heide, the Modern Art Gallery we are lucky to live so close to. It's down by the Yarra River and has amazing rolling hills and a sculpture garden, a beautiful Kitchen Garden and a new(ish) purpose built educational 'pod' where the girls have been doing School Holiday Art Programmes for the last few years.

We had a little picnic on the lawn in the sun when I picked them up after their screen printing class, then I went for a little wander with Lulu while Asha relaxed in the sunshine.

Aeroplane Boy inspired Lulu

The Kitchen Garden inspired me!! I would love to plant some Forget-Me-Not's in our garden, so pretty, and just a perfect shade of blue. 

The Truth Fairy

This is one of my favourite Tooth Fairy notes EVER. Lulu is six, and cute as a button .. when her front teeth became wobbly at the end of last year I made her vow not to wobble them as I dreaded them falling out and her going through the 'awkward' stage of gaps and sschthhhs and gorey half grown fangs.
Finally her second front tooth fell out a few weeks ago and she bravely brought it in to show me .. 'You're not going to like this mum!' she said with a sly grin as she walked toward me, tiny little peg between her fingers!

She wrote a note and put it under her pillow with the tooth attached. As is our way .. the tooth fairy 'was busy' that night and forgot to swing by, the following night she did in fact 'remember' and we were then able to see the most awesome note that Lulu Plum left for her.

Dear tooth Fairy

My MuMMy wiLL FRick Out!

I Lost my tooth It is my Last frunt

tooth. I bet you 

know how I Lost it?

IT was with the rimot. Love

from Lulu.

I <3 ninja's

Danger do not keep this tooth

Why do you take the teeth?

Answer

here

Then a charming drawing with the message

'from me'

of one stick figure stabbing another stick figure with a huge sword.

The Stick Victim is lying in a pool of blood. 

So there it is. That's my girl. Such a little sweetie huh? Yes she was chewing on the 'remote' when the tooth came out, for those of you who are confuzzled by that bit. 

And here SHE is. Toothless. Dressed and styled by me for a photo for my hair tie business .. 

and then again in her more 'natural state'

as a tiger 

and as BatCat from Charlie and Lola. 

There's only one Lulu Plum I tell ya!