"No reading at the breakfast table"

I made this for my daughter's friend - she's turning 13. A lot of pressure to not stuff it up and make it uncool. The upside of home made gifts (if they pass the acceptability test) is that they are original. So no stress that someone else will appear with the same present. I have quite a list of requests from the kids for presents that required sewing. Unfortunately other things like, well, um, life get in the way. But I did manage to pull off a creeper cushion. The 9 year old came up with the idea as a present for his friend who share a deep love of Minecraft!

I picked up Portia de Rossi's autobiography 'Unbearable Lightness' (2010), just before I went away and read it in a day.  This is the story of de Rossi's life so far but it mostly focuses on her eating disorders.  In 2004 she collapsed on a movie set weighing just 37kg. It is a terribly tragic story.  When she was 9 her father died and her teenage years were spent pursuing a modelling career.  She convinced her mother to let her participate in a modelling competition at significant cost and even though she hated the process kept pursuing jobs.  At the age of 12 she started dieting - to lose just a few kilos in the lead up to a show or photo shoot.  Her mother had always dieted and helped her by giving her the strategies she needed to lose weight in a short amount of time.  From 12 years old she was always yo yo dieting - binge eating in private because around her friends she was a model.  She couldn't be seen to be eating normally. I know t...

We've just had a two week break. At the beach. It was unbelievable weather for the middle of winter. Often I want to travel the world. This holiday made me ask 'why?'. I only had to travel 2 1/2 hours for two weeks of beauty. We cycled, swam (well, when I say 'we' that's not me exactly. I'm not that mad. The water was freezing.) Lots of walks, read, slept in. I knitted myself a cardigan (I highly recommend 12ply. So quick!). I am thoroughly enjoying this stage with our kids. No one needs day sleeps. Everyone sleeps at night. No crazy dawn wake ups. We can all walk and swim and cycle. There are even the occasional moments of self-entertainment. Now just getting mentally geared up for another full on term. This going to be especially busy for me as I'm studying at Uni on top of working and giving a few talks to church women's groups. Very thankful for a good break.