New Additions To The Family

There is yet another reason my mum is amazing........ She sent us home from our latest trip with four chickens!
I have wanted my own chickens (for eggs not meat) for as long as I can remember.
Here are our gorgeous girls....
This one is a bit shy....



These two were just hungry.....



And this one, look at her pretty feathers!



Today is another cold and windy day, with dark clouds teasing on the horizon.
So for dinner tongith it will be pumpkin soup! It really is perfect soup weather.
I decided to roast my pumpkin with some garlic, onion and herbs to see if there is much of a flavour difference.....



From what I tasted I can't really say there is any difference to how I usually cook my soup (boil the pumpkin).

Being stuck inside in this cold weather has kept me busy in the kitchen.
Yesterday I baked two loaves of plain bread, onee of which is almost completely gone already!
I made a coconutt raspberry cheesecake a few days ago which was divine. Sadly it didnt last long enough to get any photos.... I'll just have to make another one! :)
I did manage to get a photo of this yummy slice I made, I found the recipe on the back of a Rice Bubbles box and it is good!



Usually when the house goes quiet I know Eve is up to something she shouldn't be!
The other day I snuck into the loungeroom and caught her sitting in the bamboo steamer I was given with her eyes glued to the tv.....



Today I heard some funny scratching noises.... She had gone into our bedroom, opened the cupboard and pulled out one of my necklaces. She then put it around her neck and was walking around the house....



The necklace is so long it was scraping on the floor...



But she was having fun....



:)

My Week Away

Last weekend I packed up a mountain of clothes, highchair, pram, baby food, fabric and books and set off on a holiday with my little girl. We went up to my parents farm for the week.
It
was
wonderful.
It was so good to have another set of hands to help me throughout the day. I got to sew, relax and had some nice quality time with my parents who I don't see very often due to distance.

Of course all of the things I made were for Eve. I made up a big window quilt to help insulate her room since the nights have been getting colder and colder.
I made pants, a jumper and a doll.





These are some cute ones I made with a zipper, elastic wait and cute littlle floral button.



The fabric I bought myself for my birthday.



The button I found at an Op Shop.



Some very cute little tiger print leggings.
(Yes she was stealing her daddy's lunch at the time of photo taking but it kept her still!)





The pants I designed for her using the small bits of fabric I foound at an op shop.





Eve had so much fun, she loved all the animals.
She would get so excited every time she heard the ducks quacking.



And she loved the cows, she would get up close and pat them with her grandma.



Here she was running across the paddock towards them, squealing in excitement.

Overall we had a great week, though a few days before we left there was an awful accident and the family dog of 15 years died. He was a sweet old dog, loyal to the end.

My Amazing Mother

If I said my mum was the best, it would be an incredible understatement.
She is much more than that, I could go on for hours telling of the wonderful things she has done and the skills she has taught me.
I inherited my craftiness from my mummy. We have so much fun looking through fabrics, patterns and op shopping for those rare gems you find. Only my mum understands why I get so excited over zippers, buttons or patterns so old the edges are barely held together.
So for Mother's Day this year I was stuck.
I wanted to make her something but what?
She is so skilled she can make anything I can, even better!
So I went with this beautiful blossom tree embroidery design.





Originally it was going to be a cushion, but my mum has about 20 cushions on one couch so I knew it was not necessary.



So I popped in some pretty fabric and left the creating up to her!
I can't wait to see what she puts together.
I love you mummy!
:)

Party Time!

Last weekend was the birthday party for our little 1yr old. The cupcakes travelled 5.5hrs in the car and most looked the same when we arrived. Some of course had somehow escaped their covering and took in a bit too much sun, followed by some slipping around and melting together.

The weather was a concern. When asked what our back up plan was if it decided to rain I responded with "Um, we don't have any other plans. It's this or nothing!"
The morning broke with heavy grey clouds. Oh no.
But I told myself that a lot can change from 7am until 1pm.
And it did.
We arrived, the sun broke out and blue sky dangled above us.
More family than I imagined showed up and we had a lovely time.

The birthday girl was very adventurous. She just wanted to walk everywhere.
Sometimes in circles, making me dizzy, but mostly exploring the beautiful gardens.



She played with balloons, popped them and reached for more, no tears involved.



Instead of eating her special star shaped cupcake she immediately reached out for a green one, squishing off half the frosting with her little hand.



Everyone LOVED the muffins!



They still tasted fresh after 2 days.

She looked so gorgeous in her ladybug dress, we even had some fascinated tourists come right up to us to look at her....



It was such a big day for such a little girl it was no surprise she got a bit tired and grumpy when it came time to opening presents.
All she wanted was a mummy cuddle...



So we opened the presents fast and then as people started to leave the grey clouds shifted back and started to sprinkle. Perfect timing, what a miracle!
So we said goodbyes, and wandered to the car, chatting as we went.
The birthday girl was snuggled in my arms, looking up at all the trees and fell fast asleep.
So beautiful.