This blog has moved.

It was time for a name change and a new look so I have I have moved my blog here.

Please visit me.

Treasures.

We bought the kids an IKEA storage box for any treasures they might collect on our trip.

They loved finding things to go in them on the beach, and in the bush.

Bex and a lie down.

Oh my gosh! Did I say I wanted to be one of those mothers? One who does crafting with their kids?

THREE HOURS!!! it has taken Sarah and I to make a bag for one of her friends. A bag!!

We should have stuck with one of these that we have made countless times before, but decided to try a new pattern from this book.

That gathered pocket thing, topped with velvet ribbon was tricky, and the strap took forever to turn inside out because it was so skinny.

I think I need a lie down now.

So lovely..

It is so lovely to be back in the world of craft blogs. I have spent hours over the past few days going through all my old favourites, and discovering a few new ones.

Motherguilt has been rearing her big ugly head as well, as I look at all the wonderful things others have been doing with their children. I used to be one of those mums before I got sick and went to bed for 10 weeks....

We will get back there again in time.

The kids did manage to find a few arty/crafty things to do while we were camping for 6 weeks though.

A giant turtle made on the beach...

Woodcarving and drawing by the campfire...

A shell necklace...
Some more sketching...

The boys are at cricket so Sarah and I are off to Spotlight to look for inspiration, and get some supplies for a few pressies we need to make, and then there is my planned 'Handmade Christmas' to start thinking about. Maybe the craftiness is on it's way back.

Five months...

A lot can happen in a person's life in 5 months.

I have been absent from the world of blogging and have returned to read of sorrow and joy in the lives of my blog friends. For one friend in particular there has been incredible tradgedy and heartache.... Rach I am so sorry.

Where have I been all this time?

In hospital, then in bed for months, then to Hong Kong, then part way around Australia on a long camping trip, all the while carrying a little person inside my tummy, who initially made me very sick, but is now making me pee all night.... and smile. He/she should be making an appearance in Jan.

I am hoping to get my crafty mojo back and get back to blogging about it all. Jo

Steamboat.

My mum gave me her old steamboat ages ago, and it has been gathering dust (decoratively) ever since.

My friend Lily who is Chinese was asking me about it last week when she saw it gathering dust on my shelf, and I had to admit that I have never used it.

She gave me a few instructions, and I began to warm to the idea.

Fast forward to this morning when I checked out a blog my sister recommended to me and BAM, the universe is pointing me in the Steamboat direction again.

I will HAVE to give it a go now. Stay tuned.

Hare Krishna Food.

We are having a bit of a dahl phase in this house, (a.k.a. "Hare Krishna Food").

You can eat it cold as a dip with poppadums, rice crackers etc..., or hot as a meal, with anything you like added to it.

Last night we ate it with spinach stirred through and it was YUM, even for Dave who hates spinach.

I use my mum's recipe:

Dahl

1 cup red lentils
1 tbs oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp red curry paste
2 cups water
1 tsp salt

Wash lentils under cold running water and set aside to drain

Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add spices and curry paste and stir for a couple of minutes.

Add lentils and stir for a couple more minutes.

Add water and salt and bring to the boil.

Lower heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally until water is absorbed (about 15-20 mins).

ENJOY!!

And enjoy the price even more. Red lentils cost about $2.00 per kg !!!!

Woodwork.

We bought a bag of wood scraps on the weekend (we paid $4, is that expensive for scraps??).
The kids have had a great time with them.

Sarah proudly took her creations in for school news.
What else do 5 year old boys make??
We have only had one ice pack on one thumb so far.

Wow, 100 posts already!!

I started this blog last year as a place to share my crafty spoils with friends and family. It seems to have evolved into something else, I am not really sure what. Maybe this blog has a bit of an identity crisis going?

A little bit crafty, a little bit foody, and a lot of just my daily life as a mum/student/wife/friend/member of society....... So maybe it is just, me.

Very soon this will become a 'homeschool blog' too, of sorts. Yes, we are going ahead with the crazy idea and pulling the kids out of school at the end of this term.

We are totally at peace with this, and are really looking forward to our new lifestyle.

The kids are so excited and can often be heard saying, "When we homeschool, can we learn about XYZ...?"

I have been reading lots of books, blogs, and chatting to other homeschoolers, and am preparing my 'program' for our official Board of Studies visit.

I was thinking a giveaway would be approprite for my 100th post, but I am in the middle of massive Uni assignments, so might have to leave this til' a bit later.

Thanks to everyone who reads and comments, it is lovely.

Oh, and I would like to introduce a brand new blog of a friend of mine in NZ, Jen. She is one of the most talented crafters I know. Enjoy.

Perfect Pesto

This recipe is from my friend Kim who is a wonderful cook. It works every time, and you can vary the ingredients a bit.

I have started using macadamia nuts instead of pine nuts because of cost, and food miles etc...

I also used pecorino this time instead of parmesan. You could also use walnuts and rocket, or anything you like really.

Recipe:

1 cup basil firmly packed

30g pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

pinch salt

60g grated parmesan

The best part is the eating, usually on crusty Italian bread, or stirred through pasta.

Blue...

Not my team.

Red...

I ran out of time to take some photos today, so here are a few from the archives.

Orange...

Yellow....

Green......

Colour Week begins today care of Curious Bird.

Today is of course, green.

Found in my cupboard, Wasabi peas. The low fat, healthy snack that the kids won't come and pinch off me. A win-win situation really.

I really don't have that many green things in my house I have decided.

March.

Jonty had been begging us all week to go and watch the Anzac Day March in the city, we were not that keen, but relented. (He really loves anything to do with the army, and often begs us to send him to 'Military School'...)

We are so glad we did, it was a great experience and the kids were mesmerised by all the marching bands and 'diggers'. They watched and waved their Aussie flags for 2 1/2 hours!

We finished up the day by going to Yum Cha in Chinatown.

Genetics.

I may have found a reason for my huge collection of Children's Books, and my uncontrollable urge to buy more.

While researching my great-grandfather CH Bertie who was a well known historian, author and librarian at the Mitchell Library, I discovered that he actually established the first public lending library for children in Australia in 1918.

See, my darling husband, it's genetic, and I can't help it.

Here is what I bought earlier in the week from my favourite bookshop.

And Sarah and I had our sewing machines out today. I made a cammo hanky for Jonty (at his request), and this blanket for Matt to snuggle under while watching TV downstairs when he wakes up long before the rest of us. Polar fleece backed with flannelette.

We also had a go at this 200 piece puzzle, but didn't quite finish it. They were not really getting into it, I never really liked puzzles as a child either, must be those genes again.

(Yes, Jonty does have an orange face. It is a leftover tiger face from the fun day he went to yesterday. )

The previously mentioned oranges....

The previously mentioned cubby...

The entry is not a very lady-like affair.

It seems I have nothing to blog about other than my children's holiday fun.

This may be because I am ignoring the other parts of my life.
Dave left for Melbourne this morning for 5 nights!.
I have an essay to write on Sonnet 55, current word count, zero.

On a brighter note, my SIL and I are hosting a dinner party tonight. I am making Nigella's Chocolate Orange Cake for dessert. At the moment I have whole oranges boiling on the stove and the house smells divine................

More school holiday fun...

A beaded ring kit from Nana Jan.

A Puppet Theatre which they made with no help or input from me.

Imaginations are running wild here at the moment.

Matt and Sarah came to me today and asked in all seriousness whether they could cut a hole in the wall to make a secret passage.

Um... no.

They have settled with making a cubby in Sarah's room. I can hear the 3 of them upstairs having a great time 'decorating' it.

Jonty has been doing a lot of song-writing lately too. I am hoping he will let me 'film' one.

Stay tuned.

School Holidays.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the school holidays?

No, really I do.

I love not having to rush in the mornings.

I love how the kids hardly ever fight.

I love how we get to relax and just "hang", as my friend Katie would say.

Sarah has taken up finger knitting in a big way.

We learnt how to do it from this youtube video.

She made this for me yesterday and I love it!!

All settled.

I have a week long Res school for Uni this week. I flew up to Armidale this morning. There is something about Armidale skies, they are always full of turbulence, (and I always close my eyes and think I am going to die.) There was a sweet old lady next to me who was very comforting, but I prefer to have Dave's arm to dig my nails into.


I am looking forward to this week of English and hoping the pieces of the puzzle will come together a bit for me.

Dave and Nana Jan have the kids well taken care of so I don't need to worry about the home front.

Congratulations Nana Jan!

A BIG congratulations to my mum who handed in her PhD Thesis today!!!!!!!!!!!!

She has worked so hard over the past few years on it, and is an inspiration to my sister and I , and her 11 grandchildren. (No, my sister does not have 8 kids, some of them are step-granchildren, although 8 kids would be nice.......)

So, well done Mum. We will have the champagne on ice for when you arrive on Saturday!!!!!!!! You should be so proud of yourself.

Shameless plug....

Madison Lane is a new online Boutique for children. They have some gorgeous and very unique things, including exclusive rights to some overseas designers.

Above is the 'Elodie and Elvis' Ferris Wheel coat. Too cute!!

Why am I shamelessly plugging Madison Lane??

It is my cousin's new business, and she is lovely, and I want her business to go well.

To do list for this week.

I have permission to lay around reading all week. How cool is that!!

Before I leave for my Uni Res School on Sunday I have to:

1. Finish 'Pride and Prejudice' (about 40 pages to go, should finish that tonight??) I also watched the BBC mini series over Easter, and loved it.

2. Start and finish 'Great Expectations' (all 500 pages of it, gulp)

3. Finish 'Othello' (about 3/4 to go!!)

4. Read 'The Crucible' (actually I have borrowed the DVD off our minister, so will "read" along while I watch the movie)

Not even thinking about all the poems, and 'To the Lighthouse'; they can wait.

Goings on.

The majority of this weekend has been spent looking at cars.
I feel exhausted, dirty (Parramatta Rd will do that to you), dazed and confused.
The result? No car, and no idea what to buy and how much to spend.

Why is it that manufacturers make cars with lots of seats, obviously to carry lots of children, but don't put proper seatbelts in all the seats?? How do you choose which children get to be safe, and which don't??

After eating crap all weekend, tonight I really felt like a big veggie fix.
Here is my favourite thing to make at the moment, a big tray of roasted veggies; capsicum, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, whole garlic cloves, and red onion (which I am totally addicted to and put on EVERYTHING). Served on pasta with a big dollop of Dave's pesto, YUM!!

Sometimes I add olives and fetta, but didn't have any in the fridge today. We may have our own olives soon, our tree has finally started to produce after 5 years!! They (all 3 of them) look so beautiful.
And lots of footy happening around here. Dave is teaching the boys how to tackle, and they are loving it.
Matt had another trial game today, and he walked away relatively unhurt. A happy mother here.

The Great Easter Egg Hunt of Mount Victoria .