wrapped up

I get so much pleasure from the process of gift wrapping. It's emotive and soothing.

It's not because I'm a stickler for folding exact sized corners down perfectly and placing perfect sized pieces of sellotape in all the right places (like they do when they gift wrap in department stores or at the mall leading up to Christmas).

Quite the opposite. I'm a rough hewn wrapper.

I like to use beautiful old wallpapers that hold their folds. Thick corners turned down and held together with embroidery thread.

It's this part of the giving that means the most.

Something handmade and sent on it's way. Delivered to its destiny. Departed. And gone with it the joy of how good it felt to give.

we see red

Some of the tomatoes we grew this year were seriously as sweet as strawberries, but we never have enough. So, every Autumn we go and pick ground tomatoes from 'Pataka' down Marshlands Rd.

The kids get very excited about who is first to fill their bucket and I have to keep a careful eye on what goes in so we don't come home with any that are bruised or unripe.

Then begins the mad tomato frenzy which temporarily takes over the kitchen, where by I have to chop, roast and simmer every last one of them. The stock pot, every other decent sized pot and all the roasting dishes I can find are filled fast.

This year I froze quite a few whole in bags to use in pies and the like.

The rest we roasted and made into a pasta sauce with garlic and fresh herbs. 

Heaps were eaten like this when they cooled down having just come out of the oven. Delish on pizzas or just straight on toast.

I also made a tomato sauce that I thought would be a classic for fish and chips etc but it ended up turning out quite relishy, so I am using it that way with cheese on crackers. I think it's the allspice and the cloves that lend it in this direction. Luckily for me the kids are not complaining about it being too spicy. I'd be loathed to buy it from the supermarket if they did!

"Wabby"

I busted up another pair of gloves and made Rabbit as a temporary friend for Dog. 

Dog is leaving us once my brothers first child makes its debut. The kids and I were growing increasingly attached to Dog and needed a replacement in the wings to soften the blow of adopting him out.

My 1.8 year old wee girl who is earnestly trying out new consonants calls her "Wabby".

You can see more of these glove animals here. Both were made from this book.

Dog will be presented alongside this merino sleeping sack I made in a newborn size, which is in a beautiful apple/sage green.

My kids lived in these when they were freshly hatched and being a one piece with the draw string makes the frequent nappy changing of a newborn a breeze. Oh I am excited about a new baby, one that's not actually mine but the closest next best thing to it. Go gushy first time Auntie!

Wabby has red embroidery stitching on her ears and a cute as widdle bunny tail.  She does look a widdle wonesome tho... I think I may need to make her a new boyfriend. Mr Bear perhaps?