Lets finish the year with something crafty!

I do get a little bit of crafting done around here.

A little quilt for a friend's new(ish) baby.

And of course you put a quilt down to photograph and you end up with little helpers, of the skin... and fur variety.

We're looking forward to staying in tonight for New Years, with a little bit of reflection and maybe a bit of resolution making. Whatever you are doing tonight, have a good time, and all the best for the new year!

Mx

Gastro: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

(photos of Charlie at our CWA Christmas lunch last month, he looks kinda Grinch-ie don't you think?)

The fun times have continued at our house with the Mr succumbing violently enough to put him in hospital and on to an IV drip. Suffice it to say, not well enough to travel, and really, we think this is the kind of Christmas present we should keep to ourselves.

So we're having a quarantined kind of Christmas, hoping Charlie wont notice there'll only be one gift under the tree (and that isn't even from us!). My last minute gift shopping on Christmas Eve is not going to happen.

The fridge and cupboards were already eaten down, so I've put a late order in with the butcher and I'll get some supplies tomorrow, we might want to eat by Sunday!

We'll miss seeing everyone, but it will be nice to have a little Christmas at home too, remembering what's really important is that the three of us are together.

Merry Christmas,
Mx

Tis The Season

Fig season that is!!

We came home from Perth on the Weekend to the first figs and I couldn't be happier. Except of course if I wasn't still laid up in bed since Tuesday morning feeling woeful.

eat it from the bottom Charlie

I experienced my first child spew at half past one on Monday night (as opposed to a baby milk spew). Charlie spewed all over me and all over the bed, then rolled in it. So we both needed baths and the Mr had to change the sheets. Fun times. He seems to be fine now, but not I.

At least I can console myself with figs... once I feel like eating.

Mx

Mango Smoothie

I made this for breakfast this morning and it was good. I wrote it down and I'm posting it here so I don't lose it (and one of you might like to try it!). Oh, and it's a good breakfast if you have a broken tooth. Dentist tomorrow.

1 banana
2 frozen mango cheeks
2 cups almond milk
1 Tbs dark agave syrup
1 Tbs bee pollen
1 tsp vitamin C powder
Wizz in the blender and enjoy.

And here is how I make the nut milk...

1 cup soaked nuts (or seeds)
4 cups filtered rain water
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Adding only half the water, wizz everything together in the blender. Strain through a nut milk bag and add the other two cups of water. Keeps for a few days in the fridge.

Mx

The Weekend

Was lovely and low key. We stayed in except for a little birthday celebration and a quick dip in the town pool.

Mx

Lights

They might be my favourite part of Christmas.

I put some lights on our tree the other night, and it made me happy.

You can see the tree is up on a side table to keep it out of Charlie's reach a little. The lower limbs have been de-baubled but I think it's fairing pretty well.

Mx

The Weekend

We drove over to the Nungarin markets on Sunday morning, and the Mr patiently stopped for me along the way so I could take a few photos.

And we played tennis in the afternoon. Charlie had his first real experience of sunscreen.

I have avoided sunscreen so far, worrying about the chemicals, but today the sun had a real sting to it, and I don't know where I've put the 'organic' sunscreen.

I hope you had a lovely weekend, mine was particularly good.

Mx

November

little bits and pieces of November

:: the unexpected return of Aunt Flow
:: Back to The Bush Veterans
:: back to back trips to Perth
:: Kings of Leon
:: first few hot days of summer
:: mostly mild days
:: our first family Christmas tree
:: a leather anniversary

The prettiest hen house in Perth

I've been wanting to post photos of our friend's chook yard, look at it! Even without chooks I had massive hen house envy the first time I saw it.

While I snapped away at the chook house Charlie enjoyed their swing, hung from a huge old olive tree also in the back yard.

 

Mx

Weekdays

I was in Perth last week during the week for the first time since we left. It was great to have the extra days to relax whilst there. Did a spot of cloud watching with Dad.

I even had time for a bit of this!

We had lunch in Freo and Charlie fit in perfectly, look at him with no shoes on! It's ok, big Charlie bought him his first pair of sandals across the road at Target.

We'll be back again this weekend for Kings Of Leon!

Mx

The Weather

has been changeable around here. Unfortunately we went from this

to this...

in the space of a day last week.

The crops were looking so great around here and rain is not something the farmers want now that the crops have hardened off.

Fingers crossed that it will still be a good year.

Mx

October

little bits and pieces of October

:: very happy, very exciting, unexpected news of a friend's (and family) baby due next year
:: a 35th birthday (mine)

:: lots of door knocking

:: election day

:: mulberries
:: unfinished knitted and crocheted baby booties

:: learning all about first aid

:: the local show 

Mx

Polyvore

We're having our first hot days and the shorts have been cracked out.

The Mr said he liked my look* the other night so I thought I'd hop on Polyvore and have a go at recreating it. I've been aware of Polyvore for a long time but seriously do not need another distraction on the internet. However, I am in love with Pinterest and often see a Polyvore 'set' that I like, so I've given in to temptation.

This is my first attempt and after only one go I can say it is pretty fun, I can see myself spending a bit of time on there. I'll have to see if they've got an app for the Iphone so I can create outfits while I breastfeed the wee man to sleep. You know, cause I like to multitask, and you need two hands for Bejeweled Blitz.

Mx

* I wasn't actually wearing shoes or earings or sunglasses but it would have been a pretty bare set without them, and if I didn't buy ten dollar sunglasses from the Red Cross I would totally get those Ray Bans.

Agricultural Show

CHOGM and the long weekend are both over.

I went to my first country show. Had the lightest fluffiest donuts. yum. Won a first and a second in the photography section, and watched Theo Kalogeracos make pizza dough.

Friends from Perth with a little boy 5 days older than Charlie came too, so we had another fantastic weekend. And on the boys suggestion we watched Bridesmaids, I haven't laughed so hard at a movie for a long time.

Mx

Senior First Aid

I finally did it! And I'm so glad I did. I did not know that the aim of CPR was to keep oxygen in the blood and then through compressions keep that blood moving through the body supplying oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. I thought (probably from seeing it too many times on TV) that you were trying to restart the heart. Not so young grasshopper. You are just life support until medical aid arrives.

If you haven't got your Senior First Aid yet I encourage you to do it, you'll feel so much better... more prepared.

Mx

Big Weekend

My Lordy! So I turned 35 on Saturday, and spent the day down the shire hall at the polling place for the local government elections. We've been in town less than 4 months but I love it here so much I nominated for council. The length of time we've been here probably had something to do with not getting elected, but I'm feeling the love from the amount of votes I did get, so I shan't be deterred!

Fantastic friends arrived Saturday afternoon and came with us upstairs to the bar while the votes were counted. I knew there would be nothing open afterwards for dinner so we walked home and had toasted cheese sandwhiches, perfect meal at the end of a long day!

We had a birthday BBQ on Sunday, and I'd really like to know how to host and relax at the same time! It was great to have my parents come and my sister and SIL. But when it's your party and everybody there is someone you want to talk to, how do you manage that?? Plus make sure everyone is fed and has a drink? I need training! Luckily my Aunt knows that is not my strong suit and took charge :)

I didn't even take any photos over the weekend, so photos of Charlie at the playground this afternoon will have to do...

Mx

Mulberry Crumble Cake

The Mr liked this one, so I'm posting it here so I can find the recipe again. Maybe today I'll make a pie to use the rest of the mulberries. I need a good pastry recipe. And then I need to make it and make it so I get better at it.

Mx

oh, and here are the links to the other recipes I found but haven't tried yet...
mulberry pie
david and dawn's mulberry pie
Allrecipes.com mulberry pie

The Weekend

Fantastic is my word of the moment, and that is how I would describe our weekend, starting with a fantastic Friday.

Charlie likes to pull mandarins off the tree and eat them skin and all, a messy affair, so I took his shirt off. Then he walked across the road to see what our neighbour was doing in her front garden. Here he is looking like a mini tradey pushing her wheelbarrow around.

My Mum and neices arrived at lunch and the Mr had a friend come and stay for the weekend too. I love having visitors! We spotted a Mulberry tree in a vacant lot when we walked to the shops. The little ones wanted to raid it then and there, we convinced them it would be better if we had our old clothes on.

Saturday night was a bit of an experiment. We went out to a BBQ poker night and left Charlie at home with Grandma. Last time we had him babysat (not by Grandma) we got an hour before we got the phone call, this time four, but we didn't run home. Grandma was still up with him when we got home after midnight. The wee man was happy enough, but certainly not going to sleep.

And on Sunday we put on our old clothes and went Mulberry picking!

Mx

September

bits and pieces

:: a first birthday celebrated

:: weekends at home!!

:: weeding and planting

:: our first snake in the house; a baby one

:: door knocking

Mx

The Weekend

This weekend I enjoyed more scones, this time at the Anglican Ladie's Devonshire Morning Tea in a garden in the next street over.

Sunday I planted out the rest of my vege seedlings and we spent the afternoon at a Memorial Open Day at the Tennis Club in a neighboring town. It used to be a town, now it's just a hotel, a couple of houses and a fabulous tennis club. Oh, plus a wheat bin.

The weather started out quite warm but we ended up getting washed out with a summer storm. I am so looking forward to summer storms here and the accompanying lightening shows. That is one of the benefits of not living in a built up area, you can really watch the weather come in. Especially when the terrain is as flat as it is here!
 

The Mr has been keen for us to 'do' something together for some time. None of our interests really match up, but the tennis looked like it could be my cup of tea, quite laid back and not serious, so... we've found an activity we can do together! It will be our social Sunday.

Mx