Saturday, November 29, 2008

From Little Things...

A couple of months ago we were using a section of the vegie patch as a composting area until our new compost bin was built. From that section of the garden with no planting of any kind on our part up sprouted about 1/2 a dozen tomato bushes. From just throwing away unused tomatoes we harvested well over 100 tomatoes.



So apart from the usual eating of tomatoes we have also made some green tomato pickles.

The colour of the green tomatoes when sliced was amazing and I am sure my photos will not do it justice.


It was a 2 day process as the tomatoes need soaking in brine overnight but such an easy recipe.




Now to find a yummy roasted tomato relish.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Taking a moment

I don't know about you but my life seems really really hectic. This morning when feeding the Little One (LO) I took a moment to reflect. I think this is because today I started negotiating my return to work...eeeek. I am so torn I really really want to go back but I really really want to stay at home.

I gazed at my baby girl as I fed her and I told myself that I need to remember that she loves to twirl her dummy in her hands whilst drinking. I often forget this and she will fuss until I remember and place it in her tiny hands. She will also tickle her ears when tired just how her big sister used to do it when she used a dummy.

She hates to have blankets on her just like her big brother and sister. Most of all she loves to just smile at us. She smiles not only with her mouth but from her eyes they sparkle. I hope she keeps that sparkle forever as it truly is a gift. She especially loves to make us laugh and when she does something that makes us laugh she will keep repeating it until after 20 times our forced laughter makes us laugh all over again.

She has been crawling now for nearly 3 weeks and I am afraid to say that she is also trying to stand up. I caught her yesterday when she should have been sleeping standing up in her cot at the rails. Was I cranky that she should have been sleeping, no. Was I shocked that she was standing (well yes a little) but mostly I was just a bit sad that she is growing up so very quickly.

****
Baby Girl who was born to be a middle child is also growing. She told me yesterday in her cranky tone that I am not the Queen of the house she is and that I am just a princess. Apparently she is the Queen. Well we all knew that and to be honest I am surprised she bestowed the title of princess on me and not her royal slave.

Baby girl loves to sing and dance such a stark contrast to her brother who we could not get to wiggle his hips in the slightest as a toddler. She sings for most of the day but will stop and gives us a modest smirk when she catches me drinking her in.

She is an independant soul who really wants to do it all herself but gets easily frustrated when she cant (unfortunately something she obviously inherited from me). She loves to help (when it suits her) and is a keen assistant gardener to Snr. She can name all the vegetables in our garden and loves to eat the food she has helped to grow. She too is growing fast and is starting to make her own little friends which is nice to know that she can do that on her own. Her favourite book is Celeste sails to Spain and Clive eats Alligators (both by Allison Lester) and we can't go to bed until Snr has told a story and sung Advance Australia Fair. She loves to take Jnr to school and looks forward to Friday's so she can go to assembly at Jnr's school.

****

My first baby the baby we never thought we would have is truly the light of our lives. He opened up our world and our hearts to endless unconditional love. He has amazed us every single day of his life.

He is analytical, compassionate, caring and a great conversationalist (he gets that from his father). This week at school (his first year- prep) we attended the Jnr Primary Presentation Evening where our son won the highest award given at the school. It is called the Timothy Award and is for demonstrating a christian attitude, a sevant heart and the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life. You have followed your teaches direction and learned well, just like Timothy in the New Testament.

To say we were proud is a total understatement. It was a small relief on our part to know that we are doing okay in the parenting department. Whilst we are not religious folk we have decided on a Christian education for our children, one because the school ticked all the boxes for our educational requirements and two because it would open up his mind to the concept of religion which is something he does not get at home. Though this has created many topical discussions on creation vs evolution in our home.


If I could stop time for just a short time that would be great life is good and whilst I often dont stop to think just how damn lucky I am because I am too stressed that I have a sink full of dishes or my floors need mopping I need to come back here and read just how lucky I am.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Take one recycled skirt

And make 4 out of it, for 4 lucky (I think) girls.

Here Baby is modelling hers but apparently (according to her) it needed something so she picked out that lovely button embellishment all by herself and it matches it perfectly.




That was my non school related sewing effort this morning in my very hot and humid sewing room (aka the garage). We are so going to get a big storm this afternoon.

Baby Gift

A new little girl entered the world on the 3rd November weighing 8lb 6 oz.

Hopefully she has now received her box of goodies. A quilt, a taggy blanket and a fabric beach ball using the lovely pattern from Purl Bee.





I was not overly happy with my attempts at the beach ball because basically my hand sewing sucks (no it really really does, I seriously need to look into getting some lessons of some kind) and I nearly wasn't going to send it but at Snr's insistence (why o why do I listen to him) I included it. At worst it will be covered in slobber or hidden at the bottom of a toy box.

So welcome to the world Ashlyn Brynn and congratulations Sean, Annie and big brother Callum.

Bathing Hillbilly Style




This is how we (the kids that is - I would not fit my left buttock into that bucket) bathed last night.

Snr has a theory (he has a lot of them, one for every scenario life throws our way) that showering or bathing during a lightning storm is rather dangerous and because everyone was hot, sweaty and a tad tetchy bathing in a bucket was our solution.

The kids thought it was hilarious and in the process we saved a bit of water.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

7 mths old (a bit late)


I am running very very behind this month and have a whole heap of posts to do but I am just purely exhausted. Too many late nights, lots of sewing (mainly school presentation evening costumes...gah) and birthday party madness.

In amongst all of that chaos my Little One hit 7 mths. This photo was actually taken on the 8th Nov and I just didn't get time to take one of her on her quilt (well I did remember but late at night). Still totally delicious but now with teeth. Eating now, but only jars of shop bought stuff will not eat my totally yummy organic homemade stuff. She even has a few words in her vocabulary (mainly just mimic type words) mum, da, yum, dum, bub. LO also crawls and if I put little mops on her hands I could have the cleanest floors in Australia.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Happy Birthday to ya...


Well in this house today means two ya's. That is right only at Chez Clampett could we manage to pull off the quinella. With both Jnr and Baby celebrating their birthday's today. Jnr is 6 and Baby is 3.

If you know Baby and her 'spirited' little personality you just know that her arriving on Jnr's 3rd birthday so that we had to cancel his party and dote and drool over our new baby girl is so her.

Hard to believe really that I have a 6 year old he is the most amazing little boy (to us) and we love him and his inquiring mind like no other.

How to describe the 3 years of Baby. Loving, funny, challenging and tiring. But at the end of the day even when it has been tough we always laugh (in hindsight) at her antics and wonder what the new day will bring.

I wish you both a lifetime of health, happiness and love and no matter what you always have a friend in me.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Today is bought to you by the letter R




Also I have included my current WIP (well one of one hundred but one that will be finished this week.) It is a quilt for a baby that will arrive tomorrow and I so loved this fabric but I truly do question my ability to pick fabrics. This wasn't my original plan for the quilt but due to the busy nature of my fabric choice it has been altered slightly. It is gender neutral as we don't know the baby flavour but the colours are bright and cheery and I am sure will get some good workouts on the floor.


This week will be a busy sewing week as I have stupidly decided that crayon rolls instead of lolly bags was a good idea for Jnr and Baby Hillbilly's party next week so I have roughly 20 or so to make...argggghhhhhhh
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