Come and visit Dalli....

As you have probably noticed - my poor blog has been a bit silent lately. Mostly because I have been so busy but also because I feel that the journey of my 'Mama Butterfly' blog is taking a new turn.

I plan on tackling 2011 on with a new sense of love, vibrance and joy. Instead of blogging to the world about my journey as a Mama, I will be journaling a letter to my darling girl by hand and on paper in a beautiful book. It's time for a change and I feel that this is such a personal way of connecting with my Baby Moo.

BUT - it is definitely not the last you will hear of me! I have started a The Dalli Cottage Collection blog where I will be writing about my creations, other fabulous and crafty people and lots of goodies! This will be where I can showcase my collection, get some comments and feedback! Bear with me while I set it all up!

So come and visit The Dalli Cottage Collection and follow my journey as a crafter and small business owner. I have big goals for this little venture....and would love for you to share it with me!!

To all those who were avid followers of Mama Butterfly - thank you for your love and support. I have loved all of your comments!

And to this beautiful woman named Amy Paul from Life with Soul - thank you for teaching me how to live my life with the most important thing ever....soul. Without your blog, I would have never have started blogging....

Heres to NEW beginnings and a fantastic 2011! Have a HAPPY, HEALTHY & SAFE Christmas.

With love from,

Mama Butterfly, Mr H and Baby Moo

Coooooeeee....

Can you hear me? I am buried under a mountain of sewing, christmas orders and stock for the markets! My sewing machine is begging for me to stop and my brain is threatening to pop my eyes out from watching the poor needle go up and down for over 7 hours a day!!

However, I am proud to report that my stock for the Wrapped Market over the next 3 days is completed. As usual, I wish I had more time on my hands to create more items for my collection - but last night, I declared that I am only human with one set of hands. I also promised to remind myself of this OFTEN!

So I am here....just reeeeeally busy. I promise to be blogging a whole lot more when life settles down. I am also considering starting a new blog in the new year.....a fresh start to 2011. My goal for 2011 will be to blog without inhibitions or boundaries and more importantly, to blog from my heart no matter what. Writing makes me happy and brings me joy - more than I would have ever imagined.

In the meantime....here is a little snippet of some cute Christmas Dresses I have been busy making!!

Available for purchase - e-mail at hannah@dallicottage.com.au

This little piggy went to the Market....

So with my car packed, Baby Moo being babysat by her fantastic grandparents (my parents travelled out to look after her!) and my business smile on....I braved my very first market today.

I didn't travel far - just into my local town for the monthly market. Instead of flying solo - I shared the stall with some beautiful and crafty Mamas and had a great day.

Sales were disappointing although I can't really expect much more as it was only my first time. I absolutely LOVED meeting all my new customers and have taken plenty of custom-made orders which is always FUN! I am happy with the business that my FB page is generating so I have no room for disappointment.

I can't say I will be a regular at the Markets - especially now it is warming up. Baby Moo was dropped off to me later in the morning and we both didn't enjoy the heat. So much that I eventually said that I was claiming defeat and packing up! Thankfully I heard no protest from the other girls and we were packed up and in the car within 10 minutes!!!

I am now tossing up whether or not to attend the Christmas Market....maybe a good nights sleep and a night away from the sewing machine may determine this!

This is just a snippet of what was available! If you LOVE it and WANT it - contact me on hannah@dallicottage.com.au!

Summer Dresses in beautiful designer fabrics!

Onesies & Tees

Special Christmas Tees!

Cute Dummy Holders plus HEAPS more!

Visit us at The Dalli Cottage Collection TODAY and let your friends know too!!

Love is all you need....

I follow a lot of blogs. Funny ones, sad ones and inspirational ones.

One of my all time favourite blogs is Nie Nie Dialogues. I have blogged about this beautiful woman before - did I tell you all just how inspiration she is? She constantly makes me laugh, makes me cry and always makes me put my life in perspective. She has gone to hell and back....and she will tell you how she feels - whether you like it or not. I wish I had her bravery some days to blog how I really feel without worrying about what the world thought.

Today while reading her blog, I read this and found myself really and truly relating to her....

"Love is what changes trying times into bearable times, and hard moments into a good learning moments."

The last few days in the life of ME have been unbearable. I have shed so many tears and have felt absolutely shattered. I have been finding myself wondering 'How can I pick up from this?' and it was only when I read this quote that I realised that as long as I have love in my life - then everything will eventually become bearable.

Love makes the world go round - and I find myself thanking my lucky stars daily that I have my Mr H to hold my hand and tell me that 'It's all gonna be OK'.

Good morning SUMMER!

When I moved to the farm, my love for Summer turned to hate. I don't mind Spring but as soon as it starts getting hot and dry....I turn sour.

I always liked the heat when I was young - summer always involved long days in the pool, playing outside with my cousins and best of all...CHRISTMAS! Now I associate Summer with massive mosquitoes, millions of flies, bugs that hold your house at ransom with any light that you dare to turn on, dry wind, so much dust and most of all SNAKES.

I can usually handle all the other factors....but the snake population at the farm is just way too high for my liking. As I said to Mr H the other day.....'we live in a snake-infested oasis'. I love my cottage, my garden, my life here at the Cottage....but I really hate the snakes.

I remember vividly the year we moved to the farm and my SEVERE phobia with snakes or any kind of slithery amphibian. I remember speaking with Mr H's mum and asking her what the snakes were like on the farm and how many she would see per year....she reassured me and said that she would probably see at most FOUR per year. I was so relieved and then on the way back to the cottage after this lovely chat - we saw 2 sitting on the dam bank having a kiss....Day ONE of living on the farm - and we saw TWO snakes. That summer I stopped counting at 43 snakes....

Everyone was laughing at me that summer and I realised why! It is because I would wear my gumboots EVERYWHERE! There is a story that has been circulating about me for years of where my mother-in-law was bailed up by a snake at the back of her house. She called out for me to get the 'Twanger' (a long piece of metal pipe)....so I raced outside, grabbed the Twanger and in the meantime she was calling out to me 'WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG??'.....but here I was trying to put my gumboots on! No way was I going anywhere near a snake without my trusty boots!!

There is another story of when Mr H's mum called frantically and said 'THERE IS A SNAKE IN THE HOUSE'!! So Mr H raced down there to find not only a snake in the house....it was on their kitchen table. Thankfully Mr H is pretty handy in the wildlife removal department and the snake was vacated from the homestead without anyone getting hurt!



After the flooding rains this Spring....the snakes are out in force. My dear neighbour is finding herself bailed up by big cranky brown snakes daily and Mr H is missing a few too many for his and my liking. At the dam close to our house, you can see the tracks from the snakes who are going over for a drink.....and there are enough tracks to bring shivers to your spine.

So it appears that I will have to put on the gumboots again and prepare myself for the 'Silly Snake Season'. Hopefully they will respect my wishes of staying out of my yard and away from my darling little Moo!

Otherwise it may be a very very long Summer....

Homegrown goodness....

You all know how much I love my chooks....and I love them even more now that they are happily laying eggs for us!



This morning we thought we would make the most of Mr H starting work late and have a yummy family breakfast....a Dalli Omelette....and boy was it yummy!

Go on....make one for yourself....all it takes is 2 eggs, a dash of milk, some tasty veges and some freshly grated cheese.....



and then you get this all to yourself. I can't think of anything better than this and a steaming fresh cup of coffee in my favourite mug.



Happy Sunday everyone! ENJOY IT!

Its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas....

The sewing machine has made a comeback after a busy few weeks celebrating both Mr H and Baby Moo's birthdays! I have been relishing in the joy of being able to get my creative hat back on and have a few hours of 'me' time....although sometimes I do wish that I had a little factory in my garden shed full of sewing machines and a production line.....ah to dream...

I am off to the markets in my local town in a few weeks and decided to get the Christmas fabric out and start spreading the cheer! I have lots more ideas up my sleeves but this is the first few bibs of the batch.....aren't they gorgeous?

While I was sewing, I find myself in a dreamland.....and that dreamland consists of having something like this as my back room.....minus the man in the leopard shirt (what the?) and add a lovely little lady who cuts all my fabrics for me.....one day!

To blog or not?

Over the past week, I have had so many people ask....

"Are you going to continue blogging?"

"Moo is one now....that means you have to say BYE to your blog!"

"You haven't posted in over a week....is your blog finished"

To be honest with you....I have been really thinking about whether or not to end the blog or not. It is such a terrific way to process feelings, vent opinions, and try to send a message that motherhood is to be fun challenge not a daily chore.

I also love blogging about my little creative buzz and listening to all of your comments.

Its a fun way to burn some time when days on the farm are lonely and endless.

So guess what....I am going to keep this going....until I really feel that I want to end it 100%. I may not blog for days or weeks....but keep an eye on Mama Butterfly because I promise that I will continue to make you laugh, smile and cry.

Thank you for the support. I love your comments so keep them a-coming!!

A beautiful afternoon in the garden....

Our baby girl turned one on Saturday....can you believe it? I couldn't! I found myself completely overwhelmed with feelings and emotions....exhilarated to think our baby is happy and healthy - and devastated that she is growing up so quickly!

We celebrated with a fun afternoon in the garden with a few friends and family. Obviously we wanted to invite all of Moo's very special little friends and it was a great afternoon. Poor Moo was violently ill on the Wednesday before with a 24 hr tummy bug and her mood was not 100% by Saturday.....so she definitely had her party and cried too!

Here are some pictures (and details) of her special day.....

Handmade Pinwheels for all the kids. They were more of a hit for the parents as it was a lovely breezy day! Such simple fun!

I sewed up some FUN bunting for our door! Our poor cottage is a bit of an eyesore due to it's age so I really wanted to 'dress' it up with some country charm! It was so simple - yet so effective!

Fresh daisies were on all the tables in mismatching jars! Mr H also picked some wild sunflowers for me on the morning of the party!

The perfect garden party (although it was VERY hot!)

I made pink and white tissue balls for our tree and placed lanterns in various sizes and colours along the veranda. I also sewed up some special bunting to put across the yard to match Moo's birthday invitation!

Moo had a special ONE cake and we also made smarty cookie lollipops for the kids to take home! They were a HUGE hit!

My beautiful family!

I am so blessed that my beautiful family travelled to be here the day before the party to help me prepare! We were all so exhausted after the party! Needless to say - I definitely don't think I could do it every year.....but it was LOTS of fun!!

Put you in perspective....

Today I stumbled across a blog called 'Casper the Great's Heptoblastoma Journey Blog' .

I found myself glued to the laptop reading from the day Casper was diagnosed through to his mum's last post. I have shed so many tears for Casper and his family. It all sounds so difficult and so emotionally and physically draining. Casper looks like such a gorgeous little boy - and has such an amazing family supporting him through his FIGHT against Heptoblastoma.

After reading the blog and wiping away my tears for Casper - I found it really forced me to put my life into perspective. I have been complaining about Moo & I being in isolation in my cosy home due to exposure from the chicken pox which she did not end up getting. I was whinging about her being out of sorts due to having cabin fever and how I felt completely drained by the pressure to keep her entertained and happy.....

and then I read this blog and realise how lucky I have got it. I am sure Casper's mum would love to have weeks at home with her healthy toddler instead of being in isolation in hospital due to Casper's next-to-none immunity and nursing him from all the drugs he has to have to help him fight off this cancer. How she would love for her biggest worry to be how to entertain Casper instead of how to keep her boy alive.

It's amazing how life sends you these messages to stop whinging and appreciate the life you have. It also makes you think and pray about the poor families with sick loved ones. I always find myself praying as I drive past hospitals and stop to think about all the families and patients. I would love to have special powers to find the drug to stop all these horrific cancers....but in the meantime we all just have to hope and pray that this drug is found quickly.

So today, stop and think about all the things in your life and be thankful for them...stop whinging and instead be grateful.

In the meantime....I know that I will be praying for Casper and his family....and I hope you do too. X

And the winner is......

All of your honest moments were humbling and beautiful. I couldn't decide so I put all your names in a jar and picked out.....

EMMA JANE

Send me your details and I send the gorgeous Family Rules your way! I would LOVE to see a picture of these hanging proudly in your home. X

Testing the friendship....

We are under house arrest at the moment due to Baby Moo being exposed to chicken pox a few weeks ago. Obviously, I don't want Moo to infect all our little friends in town so we have been staying home to wait out the 'incubation' period (21 days) and trying to entertain ourselves. Did I emphasise on the TRYING?!

After 14 days at home - we are going CRAZZZZZZZZZY!

Moo is getting SO annoyed with me - you can just see it in her eyes that all she wants to do is get out of the house, go to town and play with all our gorgeous friends. Doing the groceries doesn't cut it - she wants to PLAY!

Yesterday was a day where both Macie and I both cried. I cried from just sheer frustration of being torn between doing what's RIGHT and then doing what we just want to do! Macie cried from a severe case of cabin fever.....

So today - we spent the morning in the garden, played with the hose, visited the chooks, and even had a very special visit from our neighbour! Hooray - we got to speak with someone other than Mr H!

Anyway - another couple of days at home should give us the all-clear and then it will be visits to town, swimming lessons, playdates and lots of other things to look forward to.

That is....if she doesn't actually get the chicken pox....then it will be another 2 weeks at home....

actually....i don't even want to think about that.

Do any other Mama's out there feel this frustration?

Too fast?

I have mentioned before - and I will mention again - my love of the Womens Weekly. It is the one and only magazine (give and take a trashy mag here and there) I get each month and I love reading it from cover to cover.

This month has not failed to impress me and also to get me talking about some of the great articles with intense interest and debate! Poor Mr H always seems to be dragged into the debate with me - god I love him!

One article in particular grabbed my instant attention - 'Are our girls growing up too fast?' (page 82)....obviously I was interested - since I am now a Mama to a very beautiful daughter.

The article talks about the modern-day pressures on little girls and all the absurd items on the market which are targeting them and ripping their childhood away from them. It goes on to mention the padded-bra outrage, the news headlines about a beautician turning away a woman who bought her 9-year-old daughter to have her legs waxed and then the party planners who organise a Day Spa for 10 year olds to have a manicure, pedicure, their hair done and THEN have their makeup done - all while travelling to and from in a bright pink hummer or limo!!

Needless to say, I felt like I was living under a rock - I had NO IDEA that this was all going on. I had no idea that in 2006, parent groups pressured the Federal Government into conducting a Senate inquiry into the sexualisation of children. Along with that, I was shocked to read that 'its not uncommon these days to find kids as young as eight and nine engaging in oral sex and simulated intercourse'. Consequently, the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show in the period of 2007-2008 the number of teen pregnancies rose by 10 per cent....and they are saying that it all starts at such a young age - when our little girls are feeling pressured into growing up too soon?

Obviously I am aware of most of the commercial items available for children - you only have to walk through the 'tween' section of Target and K-Mart to really realise what is available for our daughters.

To be honest with you - I really don't know what to think about this article. Sometimes I believe that there are too many statistics, too many 'groups' and too many researchers that are ready to blame something or someone. Sadly, I believe there is no 'accountability' anymore. No-one is willing to take responsibility for their own actions.

Don't get me wrong - I do think that SOME of the products out there for our little girls are absolutely ridiculous and should not even be offered on the shelves at our shopping centres (especially the PADDED bras...OMG!). BUT shouldn't we as parents be making the right choices for our daughters? Shouldn't we know the difference between what is right and wrong to ensure that our daughters grow up to be happy within themselves and FEEL beautiful no matter what?

We can CHOOSE what we want our children to be dressed in, play with, etc etc - and should feel liberated that we aren't feeling 'pressured' into buying mini-skirts and padded bras for them. We can CHOOSE whether or not to buy them the teeny magazines with all the rot in them, and we can CHOOSE to be in touch with our children to make sure they aren't feeling pressured or depressed.

We can CHOOSE to create a happy environment for our daughteres to feel free, happy and BEAUTIFUL. Not to compete to be the MOST beautiful girl in the class - but to teach our girls that each and everyone of them are beautiful in their own special way.

I am a firm believer that life is all about choice and accountability. If we make a choice that may be wrong - then we need to take accountability for our actions?

So, if you have a beautiful daughter, do yourself a favour and go and purchase the Womens Weekly to read this article. It may make you think twice about your actions and your purchases and more importantly - it may save your little girls childhood.

(Quotes from 'Are our girls growing up too fast' October 2010 WW Edition)

Each and every one

I have been reading all the comments to my 'Honesty' Giveaway and each and every one has blown my breath away.

Thank you for sharing so much with me. Each and every one of you are so amazing in your own individual way. Thank you for teaching me how precious life is and to treasure every single moment.

And if you are wondering what I am talking about - read the comments to my 'Honesty' post....it is guaranteed to make you take a step back from 'your' world and give you an insight to how many amazing, brave and strong mamas are out there.

Each and EVERY one of you are amazing. I feel honoured that you read my blog. X

Harvest time....

Harvest time for the wheat and chickpeas is just around the corner but we had our own little harvest of our vege garden over the weekend....

Would you believe that our 'Rocket' went literally nuts! It overtook the whole vege garden and consequently our poor little onions and chives didn't survive. The carrots are still growing along with our cauliflowers!




The rocket has been evicted from the Vege Garden and given to the chooks who loved it!

Talking about the chooks...they are back to their gorgeous QUIET selves after the dog massacre! So quiet that one particular lady loves to peck our toes! I absolutely love letting them out and seeing them interact with Macie. They absolutely love her and she loves them too. She is not one bit scared of them....if anything I flinch more than she does! What a little farm girl in the making!



I particularly LOVE this photo - every afternoon they all bolt for the pen when they see Mr H heading over there!! You can just see them going 'WAIT FOR MMMMEEEEEE!!'

Honesty GIVEAWAY! Don't miss out!

I always credit myself to be a honest person....perhaps sometimes a tad too honest!

But today it paid off!

Recently, I purchased our gorgeous Dalli Cottage rules from ministyle.com.au! It was taking forever to arrive so I contacted the lovely Penelope - to be told that she would send out another one immediately.

Within days I had received not one but TWO packages from Ministyle both being the fantastic print! It appeared that with the floods around Queensland - our mail had been delayed.

So without hesitation I told Penelope that I have received an extra and would post it back immediately!

And guess what....? For MY honesty....Penelope told me to keep both prints! HOW LOVELY is that!

So....I have decided to do a giveaway of my extra print! Leave a comment about your most 'honest' moment and be in the draw to win this gorgeous print! Entries close on 10th October 2010.

Be sure to visit Penelope and her team at Ministyle....they will guarantee you a terrific shopping experience. X

the latest with Dalli....

My little business has been going nuts lately....much to my delight! I have been receiving orders left, right and centre and have been keeping the postie fit with all my fabric arriving in the mail!

My latest creation (which I had so much fun making) has been a 'one-off' dress to be placed in a raffle for The Jillian Cupples Bursary.



The Bursary is a very special cause which I hold close to my heart. My dear friend Georgie who I went to school with since Year 3 (I think!!) lost her beautiful sister, Jillian, in a horrific car accident. Jillian was such an amazing lady - only 28 years old when the accident occurred. She was the most loving daughter, sister, friend and teacher. After the accident, they promised to always ensure that they would keep Jill's passion for education ALIVE!

So this is how the Bursary has come about...

This Bursary is to assist families wishing to send or who have their daughters enrolled at Fairholme College Toowoomba (the school both my sister and I attended from Years 1 - 12). We know a child’s education is very important; however it can be costly for parents. Parent’s will always find away to provide their daughters with the best education they can by finding the tuition and boarding fees, however it is the extras that often parents find hard to afford. Example new uniforms, sports coaching/equipment, music lessons, extra tuition fees this list is endless.

The bursary recipient will be decided by the committee from the recommendation of Fairholme College staff, to be given to the young lady on the Fairholme College Founders day each year starting 2011.

Fairholme College was chosen as the recipient school as it was Jillian’s alma mater. This is where Jillian discovered her love of learning and helping friends and fellow school mates achieve their full potential anyway she could.

There are so many terrific prizes in the raffle along with a Dalli creation!! Be sure to visit their Facebook page to order tickets and support such a fantastic cause. At the end of the day, our children are our future.

Further contact details: If you would like to purchase raffle tickets please contact Georgie Cupples: 0400 493 449 or if you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the Fairholme College Fondation/The Jillian Cupples Bursary: 07 4688 4688

eleven

Dear Baby Moo

Lately I have felt the need to write to you - to express how much joy you bring to my life. You have only recently turned eleven months old and never ever did I imagine that I would love being YOUR Mama as much as I do. I hope the day never arrives where I 'HAVE' to go back to work - because I love my work being right here at home with YOU.

You make me experience so many emotions - you make me smile, laugh, giggle and growl when you are being naughty! You make me feel like my heart is going to explode when you smile your cheeky smile at me....and you make me cry a river when you jump hurdles without even looking like it was an effort!

You constantly teach me to slow down and get on the floor with you to play the drums with milo tins, or to sit and read you a story. You love nothing more than when Daddy and I forget about the daily chores and spend the whole day playing in your cubby house or playing 'chaseys!' (when one chases the other around the house - fantastic exercise for Mummy & Daddy!). There is nothing more I love than hearing your giggly scream as Daddy and I pretend to chase you and kiss you all over!

I love hearing you talk....and you love to hear yourself talk too!! I love the way you say 'My Mama' to your Daddy when he is hugging me....and when you say 'Dad Dad Dad Dad' endlessly just like I taught you! You LOVE to talk....just like your Mama!

I love our mornings together - when Daddy has gone to work and it's just you and me. I love dancing together in our PJs, putting the washing on together and just generally being the bestest friends that we are. I love it when you beg for me to let you 'help' me - with your love of the dishwasher, and unloading the washing machine instead of loading it! Your favourite thing ever is to unload the FOLDED washing all over the floor....and every time it makes me laugh and smile!

So as Daddy & I search for your first birthday present and plan your party - I am so sad to think you won't be my baby anymore....but yet exhilarated by what lies ahead. If the next 12 years are as much fun as the last 11 months....then I can't wait! You are the most beautiful, and loving daughter I could ask for....

and I promise to love you until the moon and back forever....no matter what.

Love Always

Your Mama X

the end is near....

When I started up this blog - I promised myself that I would blog for a year to document my first year of being a Mama to Baby Moo.

Baby Moo is turning one next month so Mama Butterfly will be ending soon.

I have enjoyed blogging and sharing my special life and journey with you all! Thanks for following and enjoy the last few weeks of Mama Butterfly as I plan for a very special birthday party for my angel.

rain rain go away!

Here on Wondalli....it is wet....like I mean REAAALLLLY wet!

We are stranded on the farm and cut off from town due to flood waters. Today the waters peaked to 0.8 metres....that is just HUGE!

But in true Dalli Cottage style, we decided to make the most of it - so we joined our gorgeous friends and neighbours and headed off to do a touch of fishing and yabbying in the flood waters! I placed Baby Moo in her bjorn and we waded our feet in the water and watched everyone chasing the yabbies and fish over the road!

Its amazing what mood the floods bring....it makes us stop and enjoy the sunshine...but hopefully the rain will stay away for a while now while everything starts to dry up to allow for the wheat to be harvested and the sorghum to be planted! At this rate, Mr H will be working on Baby Moo's birthday....surely he will be able to manage a few hours off though....keep your fingers crossed for us!

Mr & Mrs Woods

My beautiful sister Emma got married to the man of her dreams on Saturday. She made such a stunning bride who was not only gorgeous but so relaxed and calm. I cried so many tears of joy over the wedding weekend. I found myself even shedding a tear just watching her with Lachlan - sharing their vows, their first kiss, their wedding dance, watching them have their photos taken....everything was just so beautiful.

A few special moments from the day were when Emma and Lachlan (and the rest of the congregation) shared some tears when the vows were being said. It was amazingly special - as it appeared that Emma and Lachlan realised that their day was finally a reality! Lachlan will probably deny that there were any tears on his behalf....but I am sure to confirm he had a few swelling up in his eyes!!

Another special moment that I will NEVER forget was Emma and Lach's first dance....to Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love"....I get tears just thinking about it. Imagine a room full of friends and family singing along to their first wedding dance song....the room filled with so much love and adoration for the newlyweds. It was SOOO special.



Thank you to Lach and Emma for letting me be a part of your special day. It was by far the BEST wedding I have ever been to - I have never seen so many people having so much fun! And I promise that I am not obligated to say that!! :)

PS I am sorry for my melt-down (I couldn't find my earrings prior to the wedding!! EEK!)

our poor little ladies....

We absolutely love our chooks and always have such a lovely time with our gorgeous chookies. They are so beautiful and quiet that they would walk right up to Baby Moo to say hello and let us pat them. They eat grain right out of our hands and are always happy for a quick hold....

that was until the events took place....our very own chook massacre....

the farm dog 'Soot' came up for a visit....next thing we know - we are down 2 chooks and have some very very upset and scared chookies that luckily survived the attack. The poor darlings were so scared....

So the next job for Mr H is to build a little 'exercise' pen for our chookies so they may be safe while free from their nests....which sucks as I absolutely loved for them to be able to roam around the compound and check out their surroundings at their own pace. However, Soot is the Queen of Wondalli so....it looks like the chookies will have to earn their right to roam free and climb their way up the pecking order!!

RIP our lovely ladies who didn't survive the savage attack and I promise to protect your friends from all predators....well will try my best anyway!!

My madeit.com.au store

I apologise for the lack of blogging....I didn't realise how much I wasn't blogging until I just had a look at my analytics page and my visits are down 52%! Oops!

My little business has been securing the majority of my free time at the moment and I have now set up The Dalli Cottage Collection madeit.com.au store!

Be sure to visit us and let me know what you think!!

birthday wishes...

Yesterday was my birthday and I was awoken by my beautiful Mr H and Moo with some fabulous pressies. Mr H outdid himself again as he proved that he does listen to me and bought me a MIXMASTER! I have been complaining about my handheld beaters that only have one FAST speed so he did so well!!

I was absolutely showered in messages, phone calls and birthday cakes...yes...I managed to score THREE home-made birthday cakes from my Mama, and my 2 very special friends!

It calls for the end of my birth 'week' celebrations....

I was completely spoilt....

Lunch at ARIA & Mamma Mia for some early celebrations....



and lunch on my birthday with my special visitors - my parents and my gorgeous Mama friends...



It's all over for another year....for today it's back to reality...washing, cleaning and sewing....all while eating A LOT of cake!

Meet the ladies....

While I was away over the weekend, Baby Moo made her first purchase....



She is now the proud owner of 11 Chooks and boy does she love them!

When we ask her where the chookies live....she points towards their pen and proceeds to say 'Bawk, Bawk, Bawk'....it makes my heart melt every time!

They are such lovely and quiet hens...and they especially love the Wondalli wheat! They fight and swabble over it....they must know what is the best! :)



However....they are yet to produce eggs.....hmmmm....any tips on how to make them productive??

Afternoon Naps....

I remember when Moo was first born....when she slept in the afternoons, I would join her and we would both wake up happy. Since taking on so many commitments, I haven't been able to indulge in this pleasure for such a loooong time.

But today....my body begged me to stop, to retire to our beautiful comfy couch, to close my eyes and relish in a few afternoon zzzzzz's! And boy do I feel refreshed.

Before my sleep I was in zombie-mode....I honestly felt like my body was walking, talking, eating but my brain was already asleep. At lunch, Mr H was talking to me and I looked at him, and responded....but ten minutes later, I had no recollection that he even spoke to me! That he when he begged for me to take a nap.

And I did....and so did Moo.

When was the last time you treated yourself to a nap? When you listened to your body and obeyed? I recently watched a segment on OPRAH called 'Overwhelmed'....it was a definite eye opener - to stop, and not live MY life in the fast lane. I managed to find the segment on her website...give yourself 15 minutes to read this....it may save yours and your families lives.



My baby indulges in an afternoon sleep every day....doesn't it look DIVINE!

My weekend away from Moo....

Firstly, apologies for the lack of blog posts. Life has been hectic and time has been minimal! I only asked myself today why I commit to so many things....but I will blog about that another day!

I am proud to report that I survived my first weekend away from Baby Moo....and although it nearly killed me...she was just FINE and didn't miss me at all!! Mr H did a terrific job as a sole parent - and even made the living room a huge cubby house (with sheets & blankets) much to Moo's delight! I was so thankful of Mr H for being such a terrific Dad. I rang endless times just making sure they were coping alright and each time he said to me 'Go and HAVE FUN!'. Never once did he make me feel bad and he now understands just how big of a JOB being a Mama is....

The weekend was so lovely and my favourite memory was on Friday - just spending time with my beautiful sister Emma and my Mama. We soaked up a lazy lunch at ARIA (OMG - so delicious) and then had so much fun shopping and laughing the afternoon away. We then headed over the bridge to the Lyric Theatre to watch Mamma Mia....and that was just fantastic too. We went to bed with a buzzzz that night - it was such an amazing day.



Em's Hens Party went without a hitch and although our nude model at our sketching wasn't 'our' idea of HOT....it was still FUN! Em looked like she enjoyed her day and night and now the final count down is on!!



Another fantastic memory from the weekend was attending Em's wedding dress fitting. I cried....she looks so radiant, beautiful and classic. It will be tissues all round on the wedding day thats for sure!!

Only 10 days until the wedding!! I am so excited for the gorgeous couple....

ten months

Family Rules

Baby Moo turns ONE in October so I have been trawling the internet in the bid to find the ultimate birthday gift....that's not plastic, tacky and takes up all the room in our tiny cottage.

I found this absolutely STUNNING website called Ministyle...{click on the link to go the website}..and guess what....I ended up buying something for the cottage.

Check out this gorgeous print - our new family rules.



I have requested for the print to be customised to a beige & white theme to match our kitchen and it will be proudly hung on our kitchen wall. What a beautiful reminder of what life is all about!

Be sure to visit Ministyle....you are guaranteed to drooool!

Dress Ups!

I had another day of soaking up my gorgeous Moo....

I decided that she is growing up too quickly so we have declared one of her party dresses - her breakfast dress....that way at least it is getting some wear....and plus it looks like it belongs in the 80's at a Prom!! Who knows what Mimi was thinking when she bought it!!



Moo kept it on for the whole morning before her morning nap! I felt like getting a dress for myself so we can play dress ups together....fairies, princesses....sounds like fun doesn't it!! Perhaps a trip to the Op Shop tomorrow will be in order!

Breaking the mould....

I decided to break the mould today and mess around my unwritten routine....


Instead of watching the morning news....I turned up the tunes on our Ipod docking station, put on my favourite music and danced with Moo around the cottage.


Instead of washing, cleaning and working....I played for hours with Moo and we laughed and giggled until our cheeks hurt.


Instead of doing jobs throughout Mr H's lunch break....we both played with Moo as a family for a whole hour.


Today, instead of worrying about the mess....I took a moment to soak up and relish my simple yet glorious life.

How often do you stop worrying about the mess - and get down on the floor with your kids and MAKE the mess? Or stop worrying about the jobs to do - and instead stop to tell your husbo just how much you love and adore him?

I made the choice today to stop and smell our daisies (they are blooming at our front door!), have that extra long kiss with Mr H, and that extra giggle and cuddle with Baby Moo.


As a result....tonight I have a spring in my step and a twinkle in my eye.....the simplicity of life has done me wonders.....so when are you going to break YOUR mould??

A week in the life of ME....

This week so many terrific memories were created....so I thought I would share...

Off to Talwood for a playdate with some very special friends! We decided to do a roadtrip and put the three bubbas in the back of the Prado....and I was in the boot! After 30 mins trying to get the carseats in the back....we eventually made it onto the road!! That was until there was a big BANG d we realised that 20km out of town we had a flat tyre.....and then we realised we had no phone service and three HUNGRY bubbas!! Thankfully 2 lovely blokes stopped to rescue to the damsels in distress (yes, thats us!) and taught us the kind act of humanity!

Such great friends....Eva, Macie and Scarlett - all patiently waiting for the tyre to be changed! Scarlett is hiding in her carseat!

Creating memories and laughing our heads off at the drama - my very special friends Jen and Kath. To think that our gorgeous children have created our special friendshipn gives me goosebumps. I thank my lucky stars to have met these amazing women.

Our visitors to the Dalli Cottage...Aunty Em and Uncle Lach off to a wedding! Can you believe that this gorgeous couple are going to be saying their vows in 3 WEEKS!

A weekend at the Dalli Cottage with Mimi & Poppy visiting from Toowoomba. Macie was in her element as Ma and Pa (Mr H's parents) came to visit too.....

It was Ma and Aunty Jenna's birthdays on Saturday so we decided that we would make a special birthday card for each of them from Moo! According to Moo - Blue is the new black....and we need to cover ourselves in it! A few phonecalls were made to Aunty Em (who is a teacher) to see if there are any secrets to getting texta off children....just for the record - there aren't any except for good old soap and scrubbing!!

We have had a big week with lots of visits to town, playdates and visitors to the cottage! This is usually how Moo ends her days when she has been busy socialising.....I soak up these cuddles with my gorgeous girl and try to memorise every single part of her....she just seems to be growing up so quickly.

Mr H's first Fathers Day! This is his present from Moo - and he has already hung it proudly on the wall next to our bed. These photos are courtesy of Pa who came to visit today. Aren't they just stunning?

If this isn't the photo of pure unconditional love....then I don't know what is!

So....that is a week in the life of ME....I am going to start doing this a bit more - a photo can say so many more words sometimes....and I feel that I seem to have a case of 'Bloggy-Blank' at the moment!

Lots of Love

Han XX

Only 26 days to go....

My beautiful sister is getting married in 26 days and I am beyond excited for her.

She has met the man of her dreams - everything she wanted - Lachlan is. I have never seen her happier than what she is today - in Lachlan's arms. I know they will make a terrific married couple and will stand the test of both the good and bad times.

Em will make such a gorgeous bride and their wedding is going to be absolutely stunning. I actually cried (surprised?) yesterday while thinking of my beautiful sister walking down the aisle on Dad's arm. I will definitely have to have my tissues ready on the day!!

In other news....I have finished Macie Moo's flower girl dress....nearly!! I just need to finish the hem, make some shoes and organise a headpiece for her! Making the dress nearly did my head in - I said way too many 'F' words with a few 'S' and 'B' words thrown in for good measure. It has worked out well and Moo looks gorgeous....but I will NEVER be agreeing to make one again!! hahah

So here it is....