What Bug is that?

My cucumber vine is on its way out but it has given us lots of cucumbers to eat and to share around. We have even been sharing them with the local wildlife. These yellow bugs have invaded my veggie garden. They only eat the outside of the cucumber and leave these cute little tracks. I haven't seen them before. Has anyone out there in blogland seen these guys before or know what they are called? I would love to know.......:)

Crafting

I've been painting and printing bracken leaves onto calico for Katie's class room. Her teacher wanted something to cover the stuff under the shelf in the classroom so I came up with this. In real life the greens blended together in the background and you don't see the line at the top - the camera brings it out more. I was bringing a little bit of the bush from outside into the classroom. Bracken fern grows under the trees in the bush around the school. I love bracken - it is such a pretty fern.

I have also been busy trying to attempt some crafting. I lost my needle felting mojo in this heat.

I've started another doll. I'm looking into Esty but the legal stuff freaks me out - there are only so many ways you can decorate a felted doll (I'm working with wool, not paint) and there so many creative souls out there that some ideas are bound to be similar - like the way one needle felts the flowers and trees. For example, maybe a summer nature table doll is going to be bright and sunny with yellows, oranges and blues. Most likely there may be different versions of a sun on it so there may be many interpretations of a summer nature table doll. Basically I don't want to get in the shit (copyright) for ripping off someones idea when in some cases great minds think a like LOL. I was going to needle felt a mother earth and I was going to have the doll holding the earth. The funny thing is, it was my 4 year old son's idea and I came across a blogger who had done a beautiful mother earth holding the earth! I would have made the doll differently but with similar colours - so the general idea is the same. Get what I mean? So where does one stand?

As I'm new to all this, any advice?....:).

Part of me wants to bite the bullet and do it but I'm probably being a worry wart - lack of sleep does that. LOL

Here's the latest two dolls I've made and they're already sold!

Autumn and Spring - I made these at the end of last year.

But to happy things - I received an award. It is called 'The Tree of Happiness Award' from Leanne at Homemade Rainbows.

Thank you. I have to write 6 things that give me happiness. This is in no particular order.

1. When I'm creating something and finishing it.

2. A full belly and a cupboard full of food.

3. Big sloppy kisses and cuddles from my 3 beautiful children.

4. When my children sing.

5. 5 or more hours solid sleep - if I'm lucky. LOL

6. The amazing world and new friends that blogging has open up to me. I'm a real technophobe -I am still learning my way around the computer. LOL

I'm meant to pass this on to six other people. It's so hard to choose - all the bloggers on my blog roll and those I follow bring a smile to my face. So to anyone who stops by and says 'hello', considered your self tagged. LOL ;)

"Culture Vultures"

On Sunday we went to two plays; one in the morning then another in the evening. The weather has cooled down a bit so it was a lovely day out. The morning play was Hansel & Gretel at the Norman Lindsay Gardens. This was the first time the kids had seen a play in the park. They loved it.

The play was interactive and it was set over different parts of the park. The kids could join in by pretending to be trees and rocks in the forest when Hansel & Gretel got lost. Following the actors around the garden was good for the little ones - they did't get bored sitting in the same spot.

After the play, we wandered around the gardens as the kid played. Of course, Katie had to test out the garden trees.

Katie and her brothers met some friendly goldfish that nibbled their fingers...

... and in the other pond there were some tadpoles that were almost frogs.

In the evening we met some friends down at the Penrith Regional Gallery to see Little Red Riding Hood.

Tree Faeries

Down the south coast in one of the towns called Milton, we stopped at a park and there we found a wise old tree. And in the tree, what did I see flitting around it?

Little tree faeries...;)

Sunrise

I had a relaxing one and a half weeks down the south coast near the ocean. Now that I have moved to the Blue Mountains, I don't get to the beach that much any more. Fortunately, my parents own a house down on the south coast so we have a beach house to go to. I have been going down there for years for my summer holidays. I have seen lots of changes - it is not the sleepy little area it once was.

Years ago my parents and I used to go down to the ocean to see the sunrise and go for early morning walks along the beach.

I wanted to share this with my children. So, up very early - the kids were so excited they went to bed early so they could get up early. We got down there in time. I was amazed because we're always running late to everything. This was the kids' first sunrise they have seen (well, Katie was born at sunrise). It's the one time for the first few minutes you can look at the sun without it hurting your eyes.

It was just beautiful. The kids loved it. They played and made sand castles which little Loopity Lou would knock over. We even played leap frog. I attempted to do some yoga but the boys always tried to climb over me.

I even cleansed a rose quartz crystal ball that I picked up at Mogo the day before. These balls are great for massage so I cleansed it in the ocean to give it some good vibes.

It was a beautiful sunrise. We didn't get to do it again as the next few days were too cloudy and rainy.

Did I just see that?

Happy New Year everyone!

Just got back from the south coast - pictures of that later. On the way home we needed to make a pit stop. We saw this;

It cracked me up - no, I haven't altered the photo, this is how I saw it on both sides of the restaurant. Someone had gone to the effort of taking the 'S' out of the sign. My daughter can read but her brother can't. Thank God for childhood innocence. She didn't understand what her daddy and I where laughing at. Her little brother, who had no idea either, couldn't stop saying it for the next hour of the trip home.