Bread Baking and Thrifting...

I made an attempt at baking some bread this afternoon. It's ready and waiting to be cut at dinner tonight. It doesn't look too bad, so we'll see how it tastes.

I have to confess, it's a pretty easy recipe that I have a feeling will probably be more like damper than bread. But if it tastes good, then the recipe will definitely be a 'Keeper' in this house. And if it is good, I think it would be delicious in winter with a pot of soup.

Our kids are on school holidays at the moment and they've been pretty good most days, EXCEPT TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!! They've spent all day testing my patience!!! So when my mum rang this afternoon to ask if she could have the kids tomorrow to do some cooking with them and go for a swim in their pool, I couldn't say 'Yes' fast enough!!! Sooooooooo, first on my list tomorrow is to go and buy a coffee plunger at the sales (been wanting to buy one for ages) and also I'm on the look out for a muddler to make Lime Caprioscas. When we were away last week, each night my cousin made Lime Caprioscas for us and they are the best!!! If you haven't tried them, YOU MUST!!! In order to make them, you need a muddler for the limes. And lastly, I'm going to have a scrounge at a few Thrift Stores. I took the kids to our local one today for a quick look and decided I won't be going back there again. The prices are ridiculously expensive!!! Seriously, they were charging $28.99 for a scrappy looking doona cover that had stitching coming undone all over it. And $12.99 for a casserole dish....with the lid missing!!!! So I'm off to check out a few others and will hopefully have more luck.

Learning Something New...

We've just come home from a week down south staying at a beach house and had a beautiful time. We were so relaxed we could easily have stayed another week. While walking along the beach on the first morning, I decided to collect some shells to put into a frame. Here is the result...not too bad for a quick and simple decorating idea.

And yes, I'm back to the crocheting (beginner style)!!! I'm loving this yarn...it's so soft and the colour is a beautiful blueish-grey. I'll keep going with this for a while until I'm confident enough to try something a little more adventurous ie. large blanket or perhaps a scarf.

PJ's...

I finally got around to making Will's summer pajamas. I used some Alexander Henry fabric that I bought a while ago. I used the same pattern as their winter pj's, just altered the length. And I made them in such a rush last night, the fabric is upside down...so far Will hasn't noticed!!!

And a good ol' Bonds singlet with an applique on the front for the top. Will loves them so I'm happy!!!

We're off down south to the beach for a week so hopefully I'll have some photos to show when we return...

Randomness...

My Handyman Hubby fitted this shelf for me today in our living room above the coffee table.

I love it!!!

He also fitted three shelves in the playroom, above Will's Lego storage unit. Will makes so many Lego creations that we desperately needed somewhere to display all of them.

We bought the kids a trampoline for Christmas which they LOVE.
And now our backyard resembles a children's playground, with the swing set they already have!!!

Hope the start to your New Year has been happy and healthy!!!

The Table is Set...

I decided to set the Christmas Table today ready for lunch tomorrow...after all, it is the best part, right!!! Yesterday afternoon I made some paper ornaments to hang from the candelabra...I found the tutorial on How About Orange...they're so quick and easy and very effective. Who knew how handy that candelabra was going to be!!!

I bought some beautiful fabric from Ikea a couple of months ago to make a table cloth for Christmas Day. I love the subtle yet distinct design on it.

At each place setting I've put little boxes with an individual chocolate inside. These are just match boxes covered with pretty paper and tied up with a ribbon. Next year I'd like to make an Advent Calendar using the bigger style match boxes. They're a fun, cheap way of dressing up the table.

And a closer pic of the paper ornaments. I also had some strands of red ribbon laying around in my sewing room so I've draped those over the middle of the candelabra (how many times can one use the word 'candelabra' in a single blog post???).

Now I really do think this will be my last post before Christmas, so enjoy your day, embrace your loved ones at this special time and celebrate with family and friends!!!

Special Treasures...

I know I wasn't going to post again but I forgot to show you a few special things. I picked these ornaments up on sale last year for less than $1 each and found them hiding in the back of the linen cupboard last night. I now have them sitting on the dining table in this beautiful bowl that used to belong to my great aunty.

Glenn and I planted a couple of hydrangeas on the weekend and this morning I discovered that our lovely little pup, Lola had obviously jumped up onto the plant and broken this little beauty off...so it now lives in a glass on the dining table too!!!

I've been wanting some sort of chandelier/candelabra to go above our dining table for a while now and found this one about a month ago at our local Bed, Bath and Table store. The price was heavily reduced...so much so that I had to ask if it was broken!!! Lucky for me, it wasn't so I bought it and Glenn hung it on the weekend. Now I just need some candles for it and it will be all ready for Christmas Lunch!!!

Oh Christmas Tree...

Our Christmas tree has been up since the 1st of December so I thought some photos were in order.

I was at Ikea last month and they had some beautiful Christmas wrapping and decorations. I decided to go with a red, blue and white colour scheme for wrapping this year. And the Christmas table will be decorated in red and white.

Our poor old Christmas tree is looking rather wonky. I would have loved a real tree but Glenn isn't too keen on the idea. I'm thinking next year I'll pot some sort of conifer and bring that inside.

Since this will probably be my last post before Christmas, enjoy your Christmas Day and have a safe and Happy New Year !!!

Dough Ornaments...

I was inspired when blog surfing the other day to make some dough ornaments with the kids. We painted them yesterday after school and the kids have given some to their school friends for Christmas. We're also going to put one at each place setting on Christmas day for our guests to take home and hang on their tree. Simple and sweet!!!

Dinner Party...

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted. I've had an afternoon of baking/cooking today...some banana muffins for the freezer using my favourite recipe.



A delicious Creamy Caramel Fudge that is still setting at the moment. Can't wait to chop into it and try some...the mixture was delicious!!!!! It's actually a microwave recipe that a friend gave me and it's so easy. And because it's very sweet and rich, I'll chop it into small cubes so should get quite a bit out of this tray.

And lastly, some minature chocolate meringues. We're having a few friends over for dinner tonight so for dessert I'm making a warm chocolate sauce to dip these little meringues into, as well as some strawberries and marshmallows (for the kids)!!!

We're bbq'ing a butterflied lamb leg and some veal and chicken sausages. And I'm making a warm potato salad with mustard dressing and a rocket, pear and goats cheese salad. Will try to remember to take some photos of the salads.

Little Nooks...

Over the weekend I did a bit of re-arranging of the bits and pieces on our restored meat-safe and this is what I came up with. I wanted a stack of candles so I placed them on my glass cake stand. I'm going to add a few more to it. It looks gorgeous all lit up at night and anyone would think my kids had never seen candles before...they get so excited when I light them.

I've also got a gorgeous photo of my brother and Will in the mirrored mosaic frame, a little succulent and my favourite pear ornament (I collect pear ornaments...weird I know!!!).

Blossom...

Couldn't resist posting some photos of our Plum Tree that's starting to blossom.

You can see from the photo below that we have these plum trees lining our fence in the back yard. We have two different varieties that we've alternated and we're hoping to receive fruit from them this summer.

Secrets about me...

I saw this on Melissa's blog and it looked like something fun to record.

1) LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATRE? Kung Foo Panda with Chloe, Will and Glenn (Glenn loved it and the rest of us fell asleep!!!)

2) WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? The Complete Secrets of Happy Children by Steve Biddulph.

3) FAVOURITE BOARD GAME? I love Rummikub (Glenn and I play at least one or two games together most nights). And we're loving Uno Attack with the kids before bed.

4) FAVOURITE MAGAZINE? I used to be a magazine junkie, but haven't actually bought one at the shops for ages. My favourite though, is Donna Hay (I have a subscription!!!)

5) FAVOURITE SMELLS? I love my current perfume, 'Still' by Jennifer Lopez.

6) FAVOURITE SOUNDS? That's a tough one...probably my kids when they get that real belly laugh going...I can't help but laugh too.

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Fear!!!

8 ) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE? The first thing I think of and do, is open the blinds to discover what kind of day it is...our bedroom faces east so we get the sun shining straight in if it's going to be a nice day. Otherwise we look out over the park at the dark clouds.

9) FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE? I do love a Toasted Chicken Teriyaki & Salad roll from Subway occassionally.

10) FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? There are definitely no future children on our horizon, but I still love picking children's names...strange hobby I have. Our new little puppy has been named my current favourite...Lola!!! And our kids names are very traditional...Chloe and Will.

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—’IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D……definitely buy a holiday house on one or two acres down south near the Wineries. We'd have chooks and a huge vegie garden.

12) DO YOU DRIVE FAST? I'm probably more on the fast side than the slow, but I don't speed!!!

13) DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? Hahaha...no.

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY? I love the loud, crashing thunder but I'm not too keen on the lightning.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? A white Hyundai Excel.

16) FAVOURITE DRINK? It's hard to choose between a latte and an icy cold glass of champagne.

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…teach myself how to crochet...big things...not just long straight rows to drape around the Christmas tree!!!

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI? Yes and I enjoy them.

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOUR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE? I'd probably like to a go a bit lighter than the darkish blonde that I am now.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS YOU HAVE LIVED IN?
a) Perth, Western Australia
b) Roebourne, Pilbra region of Western Australia
c) Kununurra, Kimberley region of Western Australia.

21) FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I enjoy watching tennis and swimming.

22) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED? Nothing....except Will right before shower time when he ALWAYS hides under there and we have to pretend we don't know where he is!!!

24) WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN? Weird question...yes.

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL? Morning.

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP? Sunny side up.

27) FAVOURITE PLACE TO RELAX? My current favourite place (because of the cooler weather) is on the kids couch in the playroom...it's so warm and sunny in there. But when the sun is shining outside, the best, best, best place is on the bench seat out the front over-looking the kids playing at the park, usually with the toasty sun shining on you.

28) FAVOURITE PIE? Lemon Meringue Pie

29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR? Need you ask...Chocolate!!!

Happy Father's Day...

We had THE most beautiful day today at Kings Park for Father's Day. There was a Festival going on across the lake so we set up our picnic over the other side, away from it, then wandered over for a look.

Almost everything was free, including rock climbing, woodworking, snake handling, camel rides, funky junk making, face painting and heaps more. Chloe has been wanting to go rock climbing for a while so this was her perfect opportunity.

And Will had fun making this tiger out of little bits and pieces of junk. They had a stall with lots of tables set up with all sorts of junky bits and lots of hot glue guns for the kids to get creative. Since Will loves creating so much, he had a ball.

And these creatures were wandering around the park all day. They're dressed up as flora and fauna from the park lands. You may or may not be able to tell the guy in red is dressed up as a Kangaroo Paw.

Will was soooooooo proud of himself for doing something his mum would NEVER do!!! Brave little man!!!

We're off to dinner tonight, just the four of us for our little family Father's Day dinner!!! Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Early Signs of Spring...

Well, spring has certainly begun and the early signs are evident. Our baby cos lettuce is ready for picking and just in time for the warmer weather which means lots of salads and outdoor eating.

One of our first spring flowers on our Dietes...I love the purple and yellow.

And the first spring flower on our Cottonwood Hibiscus.

We're off to Kings Park tomorrow for a Father's Day picnic. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you wonderful dads...especially mine!!! I love this pic of my dad and Will snuggled up on a trip up the river on our boat.

Lazy Day at Home with Sick Boy!!!

Mr Monkey has been home sick again today (this is his fourth school day off!!!) so I've had to take the day off work. He's been happily playing Lego in the playroom so I thought I'd use some of Anna Maria's GORGEOUS Garden Party fabric to make a cushion. That is one talented woman...her fabric is devine. It's the perfect weight too, especially for home furnishing.

I'm loving that mustardy colour...reminds me of the sand.

We've got Chloe's sports carnival tomorrow so I'm off now to make some Anzac Slice to take. Follow the link to find the recipe (that is...if I've linked to it properly??? I'm still not quite sure how to link to previous posts on my blog)!!!

Thrifting or Op Shopping...

We say 'Op Shopping', you say 'Thrifting'...it's all the same. One person's trash becoming another persons treasure!!! I went to a couple of local Op Shops today for a look and came out with some goodies. This children's book called 'The Quilt Story' is really sweet. And who knows...maybe it will inspire me enough to have a go at making a quilt for Chloe.

I found this pyrex dish too...I'm in love with the colour...it's perfect for my kitchen.

And these are a few more children's books I found. A couple of them are going to be used as readers for Will who is just learning to read. And Chloe is currently working through the Adding & Subtracting workbook. And I couldn't resist the 'It's Great to be Eight' book for Chloe (after all, your only 8 once!!!).

I have a really busy day ahead at work tomorrow so hopefully it will go smoothly. We have a brand new HUGE coffee machine that is the size of a standard household fridge. It makes lattes, long blacks, mochas, cappucinos, chai lattes, chai teas, hot chocolates and all at the press of a button....it's the coolest machine ever and makes working soooooooooo much more enjoyable!!!

Summer PJ's...

These are the easiest things to make and soooooo useful. Chloe chose the fabric from my stash. We decided to add some lace trim to pretty them up a bit. Now I just have to buy a singlet/tshirt to go with them and we have a pair of summer pajamas!!! These PJ pants are so addictive to make because they're so quick and simple. I'll make both the kids a few pairs for summer.

I'm pretty sure the hem is even on both legs, I think they were just pulled up a bit higher on one side and now they look really wonky!!!

I'm looking forward to choosing some fabric to make Will's pants...fun, fun, fun!!!

Her Name Is Lola....

Look at our little fur ball...and she doesn't have irredescent green eyes by the way!!! Her eyes are actually really hard to see because they're black so they get hidden amongst the black fur. She's a Maltese x Poodle (otherwise known as a 'Moodle'...hubby is not happy about that at all...not a tough enough breed name as far as he's concerned!!!). We got her about three weeks ago and she's now fifteen weeks old. She's very sweet and will be a whole lot sweeter when she learns to wee and poo ON THE NEWSPAPER...not everywhere BUT on the newspaper!!!

As you can imagine, the kids think she's the best!!! They've both got their little games they love to play with her and she is her happiest when she's with them...it's pretty cute to watch.

I'm off to sew up some summer pj pants for Chloe...it's not summer here yet, but our winter weather has been sensational lately, so I'm thinking summer is not too far away.

Sketchbook Ivory...

I'm so glad to be blogging again after a long break. I've had trouble uploading photos ever since our computer crashed and as much as I could ramble on all day, lets face it...a blog needs photos!!! HOWEVER, the photo issue has been fixed and fingers crossed, we have no more computer problems for a while!!!

We've got a small lemon tree in our back garden that was full of fruit, but the tree has almost no leaves. I'm pretty sure this isn't normal!!! A friend told me you shouldn't let them fruit too much when they're new as they need to establish themselves first. I picked all the lemons off it today (they were all ripe) and am hoping it will come good again soon. I baked some Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins today to use some up. And I have to show you my very basic table runner in my most favourite fabric EVER!!! I was so excited when I received the package of fabric, that I couldn't wait to make something with it, so a quick and simple table runner it was. I've also covered a canvas in the same fabric for our bedroom and I'm going to use it as a starting point for decorating our room.

I'll be back tomorrow to post some pics of the new addition to our family...our little puppy!!!

Enjoy your Sunday evening...

Computer love...

Our computer crashed a few days ago...I turned it on in the morning and was greeted with a blue screen with lots of computer jargon that I didn't understand!!!!!!! I've now found out that if ever you see a blue screen, it's known as "The Blue Screen of Death" in the computer world!!! Luckily we have a very good and clever friend who was able to save all of our photos, documents, favourites etc. and put them onto our new hard-drive. So now we have a lovely new, clean, and non-corrupt hard-drive and I'm hoping to keep it that way for some time!!! And Todd, I promise I will ALWAYS regularly back-up my computer onto disk!!!

On a happier note, it's the middle of winter here and our gooseberry bush is loaded with fruit. It was a cutting from my mum's bush and we only planted it about six months ago. They grow very quickly and the fruit is small, juicy and delicious. I'm really looking forward to re-planting our vegie garden soon. We've already got baby cos lettuce popping up (some of it went to seed last season) and we're going to grow continental cucumbers again (they were brilliant last season), tomatoes, capsicum and whatever else takes our fancy at the nursery.

I know we all make Banana Muffins but the recipe below that I found in our kid's school recipe book is my favourite so I thought I'd share it with you. The pic below is Banana & Choc Chip Muffins.

Banana Muffins

1/2 cup soft butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

3-4 ripe bananas (mashed)

2 1/2 cups self raising flour (sifted)

milk (just a little so the mixture is wet but not too gooey)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Mix all ingredients together with a wooden spoon. Spoon batter into muffin cases. Bake in a moderate oven for approx. 30-40 minutes.