Santa photo

Well, a much better result this year than last year - when I had to be in the Santa photo too! This year, both girls had a great chat to Santa. When he asked them what they'd like for Christmas, they were both speechless, so he offered to bring them a special surprise. A very lovely Santa.

We finished off by doing craft at the shopping centre, having a play in the playground and eating a yummy chocolate muffin each. What a great morning!

Oxfam Unwrapped

If anyone is struggling to find a gift for someone this Christmas, you may want to consider Oxfam's Sewing Training. I think it's quite appropriate for someone who loves to sew themselves, and would get a kick out of people affected by HIV/AIDS being taught this skill to help earn an income. It costs just $63.

Lots of other great gifts to consider at Oxfam Unwrapped or World Vision Smiles.

Tiered skirt

Here's a quick tiered skirt I made for Elizabeth to wear yesterday. We had our first ever professional photos for the girls organised and I wanted something she could wear when Louisa wore her twirly skirt. So rummaged through my stash to find this love heart fabric. I don't remember where or when I got it to be honest, but the colours blended nicely with Louisa's skirt, both worn with white tops.

Birdy top

Just playing around with an old singlet top and some scraps of fabric. Lizzie is quite a fussy dresser, and often protests about things I want her to wear, but no problems if there's a pretty bird on it.

She's modelling it with Louisa's skirt from the same fabric. But alas, no fabric left to make her her own. I certainly have used this fabric for lots of projects.

One of those dolls...

This is what happens on rainy afternoons:Here's an outfit made for one of those dolls (a Christmas present of Louisa's from her big brother). It's taken me almost 12 months to come to terms with having a Bratz doll in the house, but making nice clothes for it helps! Louisa wanted a purple skirt for her, so I thought I may as well make a matching top.

She looks particularly fetching in her Fairies mask too, don't you think?

My girls

No particular reason for a post except to show off my cute girls again.

My baby's in a big girl's bed!

The time had to come eventually I guess. I just didn't expect it to be so soon.

Putting Elizabeth down of an evening is actually much easier now she's in with big sister. We used to read stories in Louisa's room, and then go into Lizzie's room for round two. Now she'll draw and chat with big sis before calling mum in for a final breastfeed for the day. We've temporarily got a swag mattress on either side of the bed to avoid nasty bumps. So far she's only fallen of bed once. She called out, I went to see what was the matter and she'd fallen back to sleep curled up on the floor. She hardly woke when I put her back in bed. That was over a week ago now and no falls since.

I just realised since I uploaded the photo that I haven't blogged the quilt I made for Louisa. That's partly because it's still not technically finished. I still have some sewing to do, and manage another row every now and then.

I am so very pleased with it, not because it's a great work of quilting (far from that) but because it is much loved by it's recipient. Louisa loves it, and it is often dragged downstairs to snuggle up in while watching TV, or as part of one of her games. It has been a mermaid tail, a river and, of course, a picnic blanket for her soft toys. She loves the colours in it, and has added red to pink and purple as her favourite colours. I really love how it looks in her room too. So it definitely is a success despite a bit of wonky stitching here and there.

Elizabeth's other great 'growing up' thing is her drawing ability. All of a sudden her scribbles have become faces complete with eyebrows, round open mouths - and in most cases a mermaid's tail! Don't tell anyone, but she's a far better drawer than her sister at the same age, and actually isn't far off Louisa's basic drawings. I'll have to scan some to show off.