Parties at Pear Tree Farm

My little Miss O turned Two...

We had a party at Pear Tree Farm.

It was gorgeous. 

The sun was shining, the blossoms were blossoming. 

My little girl was having a blast with her cousins and her aunties and uncles and grandparents.

We had bunting

 or as little O says..."boiy-day butting!" (birthday bunting)

We had coloured feathers

We had owls and treasure hunts

We had lemonade and stripey straws

We had vintage table cloths

We had family...

My favourite.

It was just so special to be able to share our home with our family, so lovely to have everyone around us and delighting in our girl. What a privilege to have family.

I am so blessed.

We started off Miss O's party with a treasure hunt, following a trail of coloured feathers scattered around the farm.

  

The little ones (Miss O and her two cousins) absolutely loved hunting for these 'treasures' together and collecting the feathers in their little baskets.

 The trail of feathers eventually led to one of the little toy owls I have been making.

Each one was tied to a tree with their names on them. My little 3 year old nephew decided he would name his owl Beastrice (yes you read it right....Beastrice the Owl)...priceless.

                                           

We then tucked in to the delicious food that everyone else helped prepare and bring....I didn't have to do anything (aren't I lucky!)

While the family were gathered we also a had a dedication for Little O and both 'Grandpa' and 'Poppy' shared their thoughts about Little O and prayed for her and for us. It was so precious.

My sister made the most beautiful cupcake birthday cake for Little O....who promptly shoved a whole cupcake in her mouth in one big gulp...mmm.

It was a glorious day and so nice for me to be sitting outside lapping up the sun and fresh air. I couldn't help but reflect on how blessed we are to have family and to be able to celebrate such special times together.

I

Love

 Parties!!

I am scheming excuses for more...
Thanksgiving party anyone? Christmas, New Years? Australia day??! I'm so looking forward to the warmer weather and summer bbqs....mmm delicious!!

So there you have it, our party on Pear Tree Farm.

Delightful.

My gorgeous girl is "Two Old" as she likes to tell me.

It gives my heart just a little pang, as I realise she is growing up so fast, so beautifully, so fun.

I miss my little baby O, but I am loving watching her grow into my Big Little O, such a big girl now...sigh...

Thankyou God, for this most precious gift, 

 A little girl to love and cuddle and teach and grow

 together with Mr PTF. 

What a privilege. 

She is such a joy,

So full of life, 

So fun to be with.

Happy Birthday my Gorgeous Pea!

See you soon, 

xo Rachel

Owls at Pear Tree Farm

So, I have had alot of time in bed, having to rest etc blah blah blah....lots of time to think about things and get ideas for projects.....I now have an endless list of projects. I am definitely itching to get out there and at em that is for sure!

Anyway, alot of my friends have had and are still having babies around the same time as me, so I have been thinking of gifts to make for each of them. My motto whilst being stuck in bed and unwell during and after this pregnancy has been to 'keep it simple'. So I have come up with a few ideas which I have been testing.

First I worked on making a modified bunny rattle, less arms and legs to fiddle with (which has made it alot quicker than the ones pictured on the side bar of my blog)

Another project was bunting made from scrap material.

I then decided I would try making something completely different, so I stole  borrowed an owl design from my gorgeous cousin and started making owls. They are super quick and super easy and just the sort of thing one can do whilst stranded in bed for weeks!
I will write a post soon on how I made them, but I am sure if you just look at the pics you could pretty much work it out just fine!!

I have found it quite satisfying being able to 'create' something while being stuck in bed. It feels good to get something done. Some days it feels like all I do is sleep, eat and feed my little man (actually that IS all I am doing...) so to be able to make and create something, just feels good.
 I must admit, I did get a little carried away and suddenly we had a whole owl family at Pear Tree Farm...much to little O's delight.

I also worked on a quilt (that has been on the go for about 2 years!) for my little PTF kids. It was supposed to be a blanket for little O when she was a baby...mmm...
It looks and is extremely 'homemade' I am sad to admit, but under the circumstances I am just glad to have it done...well almost done. It just needs the binding sewn on....yet another project.

I once heard that the Amish people deliberately sew a mistake into their quilts as a sign of respect to God because only God is perfect....I say my quilt is VERY respectful to God....very....

And that people, is what I have been doing on Pear Tree Farm. That and admire these beautiful blossoming pear trees...just divine don't you think?!

 I often have to pinch myself and remind myself that we actually live here...HERE!! We are so blessed.

See you soon

xo Rachel

Spring Has Sprung!

Hello blog world, 

Here I am again.

What a journey I have been on and am still on. These last 9 months have been very long ones, full of life lessons and challenges as we have awaited the birth of baby PTF.

(The morning of the big day!)

 But at  last our littlest PTF member is here! He is perfect. He arrived 2 weeks early on the 21st of August. What a blessing he is. Truly a gift from God. Little Miss O is besotted with him and can't get enough cuddles and kisses with her little baby brother. It makes my heart full.

I am still restricted to bedrest unfortunately and I am itching to get better and get outside into our beautiful paddocks and garden beds. However...I must work on my recovery first, so here I am blogging again. Fortunately the constant nausea and vomiting have gone...woohoo!! So I can read and blog again and sew and do all those things that were so hard to do when I was feeling sick.

It has been such a long haul these last 9 months and I have been learning alot about myself and others and the blessing of family and friends.

We could not have managed....not one bit, without the amazing love, care, prayers and support of our family and friends. My mum and my mother-in-law and my sister, have been coming here each week (taking shifts) to care for both me and little miss O and now our littlest PTF member. They have worked tirelessly, cooking, cleaning, washing, and caring for my two year old girl most days of the week, so that Mr PTF can go to work. As I am still not able to lift or walk much, they have been a godsend.

As wonderful as their help has been, it has also been challenging for me at times. I have had to learn to 'let go' of alot of things. To allow people into my house each day to help me with things I would normally like to do myself. Sometimes even the little things like...choosing an outfit for my little girl, changing her nappy, being able to cook a meal the way I like to cook a meal, tidying up the house....these are the things I am constantly needing to let go of and allow others to do it their way...and it will actually be ok...!

Sometimes, when I let go, and allow others to 'be', I feel a sense of freedom. I let go of having to have control and then I can receive the blessing. It has been very humbling having people to help me do the things I would like to be able to and would normally do myself. My family have certainly seen me at my lowest points and yet they still love me and continue to care for us.

It has been really good for me to learn that my house does not need to be tidy all the time...not even most of the time! Good for me to learn that the dishes don't need to be done because someone is coming around. Its ok to have piles of washing and toys on the floor. Its ok to be in your p.js nearly all of the 9 months I was sick...and even now... Its ok to ask people to help you. Its ok to have left overs again and again....and to serve them up to guests (gasp)! Its ok to be real and to admit that things are not ok.

I am learning and have been learning lots during this time.

This post is sounding very serious I know, but I have been through alot these last months and I suppose I am reflecting on some of the things that have really stood out to me.

There was a time when I had to 'have it all together'

 I used to FREAK out when I knew we had people coming for dinner. Mr PTF will testify to that. Dishes had to be put away, dishcloths had to be hidden, the 'good tea-towel'  had to be displayed, tables had to be set and the house vacuumed to within an inch of its life. I used to get so stressed and acted like a crazy person. Poor Mr PTF gave up on helping me in my state and learnt to steer clear of crazy PTF lady.

There was a time when I would smile and say "yeah I'm doing well thanks," when really all was not well at all.

There was a time when I didn't want my Little Miss O looked after by other people and wanted to take care of her myself.

There was a time when I wanted to be able to do EVERYTHING.

I am learning....

It takes me awhile to get the hang of learning....

I am hoping that I will be able to be a little less controlling, a little more understanding, a little more relaxed and a lot more real.

So I am going to shake off the cobwebs of my old sillyness and start afresh this spring. I am going to choose to 'let go', to be real and to enjoy the help of others.

Spring has sprung in this house and new buds are blooming. New ways of doing things, doing life. I think I am going to like it. (although I am sure I will still find it challenging to let go...that is who I am)

Enough reflecting for me...I think I am done with my serious post...

From my bed I have the most gorgeous view over the paddocks and surrounding hills and trees. I can watch the changing weather as it rolls past. Lately it has been rather stormy and dark. I have so enjoyed being snug in my bed and watching the rain beating against the windows. From my bed I can also watch the blossoming pear trees up the drive. They have just started to burst forth with blossoms...absolutely beautiful. I have informed Mr PTF that he will have to go outside to take some more blog worthy pics for me to upload for you all soon!

Hope you survived reading this long post. Not alot of nice pics I know...maybe next time. I may even tell you about some of the things I have been making whilst lying here in bed....

See you soon 

xo Rachel