Monday, March 30, 2009
I was a winner!
I won this great wooly friends kit on Island Kylie's blog - thanks so much Kylie. I'm looking forward to making it up. These sheep are the sweetest and the colors are so bright and fun. The kit has all the fabric needed to make the quilt top, which is 45x54 inches. It uses Andover Fabrics and I think will be perfect for my gorgeous baby niece. (i hope you don't mind Kylie but I lifted your photos)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
pre-school
Lulu started at pre-school last week. She was so excited, and a little bit nervous. No tears on the first day (from either of us).
Island Kylie's give-away week
Head over to Island Kylie's blog - she has a great week of give-aways going at the moment
Thursday, January 29, 2009
meme time
(bold means I've been there, done that - italics are just comments)
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band. I used to play flute in the primary school band
4. Visited The Great Barrier Reef.
5. Stood under the stars in the outback, the real outback – think Uluru.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to the Gold Coast’s theme parks – anyone, you take your pick. Dreamworld
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped, jumped out of plane, been paragliding or hang-gliding, hot air ballooning – you get the idea, you’ve been hundreds of metres about earth in a seemingly flimsy contraption. None of these things, but I have done a fair bit of travelling both in light planes and tiny air-nuigini planes that felt pretty flimsy
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Had a child. Raised a child. Worked with children. had 2 babies
16. Had food poisoning. and a stay in a third world hospital to prove it
17. Been to the Snowy Mountains.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Been backpacking.
23. Taken a mental health day.
24. Been buried in sand with just your head and toes sticking out.
25. Held a possum, kangaroo or koala – or any other native Australian animal.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon does a half marathon count - I am saying yes!
28. Been on the Blue Mountain cableway.
29. Seen a total eclipse. and a famous comet
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. both - over the ocean is the best
31. Played, or watched, summer cricket. bring back 'the hill'
32. Been to Niagra Falls on the Canadian side
33. Seen the Daintree.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Visited an Aboriginal settlement or mission. Bathurst Island
36. Learned a new language. although out of practice, I used to be fluent in PNG tok pisin and could probably still hold a conversation
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. I think so
38. Toured the Sydney Opera House.
39. Tried rock climbing (indoor or outdoor), abseiling or just simple bushwalking bushwalking for me - the other two are scary
40. Visit Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art
41. Been to the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
42. Sunbaked at Bondi.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Broome.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance. Twice - once with Kya and once with Mali
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone fishing.
49. Seen Tasmania’s old growth forests.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling. I did my PADIcertification in Alotau and the only diving that I have done is in the Pacific
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Gotten a speeding ticket - yes, but only once
56. Driven the Great Ocean Road. a road trip with Kate and Jen during uni
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class. I went to Yun Jung Do for a while
59. Visited Norfolk Island.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Guide biscuits.
62. Gone whale watching. I have seen whales on the northern beaches of Sydney, but have never been on a special whale watching 'cruise' or anything
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone parasailing.
66. Stayed the night in jail.
65. Cried so hard you threw up - yes… don’t care to revisit that.
68. Flown in a helicopter. and far too many VERY VERY small light planes
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Australian War Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Federation Square.
74. Been on the Murray River.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited St Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Been to Litchfield National Park
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Saved a pet.
95. Been to the site of the Eureka Stockade.
96. Swum in The Whitsundays.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit. only through work, no juicy story here
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. and I am allergic
100. Read an entire book in one day those were the days
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band. I used to play flute in the primary school band
4. Visited The Great Barrier Reef.
5. Stood under the stars in the outback, the real outback – think Uluru.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to the Gold Coast’s theme parks – anyone, you take your pick. Dreamworld
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped, jumped out of plane, been paragliding or hang-gliding, hot air ballooning – you get the idea, you’ve been hundreds of metres about earth in a seemingly flimsy contraption. None of these things, but I have done a fair bit of travelling both in light planes and tiny air-nuigini planes that felt pretty flimsy
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Had a child. Raised a child. Worked with children. had 2 babies
16. Had food poisoning. and a stay in a third world hospital to prove it
17. Been to the Snowy Mountains.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Been backpacking.
23. Taken a mental health day.
24. Been buried in sand with just your head and toes sticking out.
25. Held a possum, kangaroo or koala – or any other native Australian animal.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon does a half marathon count - I am saying yes!
28. Been on the Blue Mountain cableway.
29. Seen a total eclipse. and a famous comet
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. both - over the ocean is the best
31. Played, or watched, summer cricket. bring back 'the hill'
32. Been to Niagra Falls on the Canadian side
33. Seen the Daintree.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Visited an Aboriginal settlement or mission. Bathurst Island
36. Learned a new language. although out of practice, I used to be fluent in PNG tok pisin and could probably still hold a conversation
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied. I think so
38. Toured the Sydney Opera House.
39. Tried rock climbing (indoor or outdoor), abseiling or just simple bushwalking bushwalking for me - the other two are scary
40. Visit Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art
41. Been to the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
42. Sunbaked at Bondi.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Broome.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance. Twice - once with Kya and once with Mali
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone fishing.
49. Seen Tasmania’s old growth forests.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling. I did my PADIcertification in Alotau and the only diving that I have done is in the Pacific
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Gotten a speeding ticket - yes, but only once
56. Driven the Great Ocean Road. a road trip with Kate and Jen during uni
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class. I went to Yun Jung Do for a while
59. Visited Norfolk Island.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Guide biscuits.
62. Gone whale watching. I have seen whales on the northern beaches of Sydney, but have never been on a special whale watching 'cruise' or anything
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone parasailing.
66. Stayed the night in jail.
65. Cried so hard you threw up - yes… don’t care to revisit that.
68. Flown in a helicopter. and far too many VERY VERY small light planes
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Australian War Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Federation Square.
74. Been on the Murray River.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited St Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Been to Litchfield National Park
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Saved a pet.
95. Been to the site of the Eureka Stockade.
96. Swum in The Whitsundays.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit. only through work, no juicy story here
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee. and I am allergic
100. Read an entire book in one day those were the days
Monday, January 19, 2009
book list for 2009
The Last Wednesday Bookclub has set the reading list for 2009.
Edited to update on the January book -
We had the January meeting here at my place and the book - Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert provoked a lot of discussion, with people loving it or hating it. I was a bit in-between - I felt it difficult to relate to the author even though we had been through a similar traumatic marriage break-up. Having children, the liberty to run away just doesn't exist sadly.
The books for the remainder of the year are:
The Cure for Modern Life
Lisa Tucker
Atonement
Ian McEwan
The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd
The Slap
Christos Tsiolkas
When Gaston met Doris
Anne of Green Gables (2009 is the 50th anniversary of the release of AOGG)
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Infidlel
Ayaan Hirsi
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Girls Like Us
Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon
The Young Widows Book of Home Improvement
Virginia Lloyd
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
We have a great list this year and I'm looking forward to getting all of them read. I used to be a voracious reader, but these days I find it hard to just get through my book club books unless I am going through a period of travelling frequently for work.
Edited to update on the January book -
We had the January meeting here at my place and the book - Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert provoked a lot of discussion, with people loving it or hating it. I was a bit in-between - I felt it difficult to relate to the author even though we had been through a similar traumatic marriage break-up. Having children, the liberty to run away just doesn't exist sadly.
The books for the remainder of the year are:
The Cure for Modern Life
Lisa Tucker
Atonement
Ian McEwan
The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd
The Slap
Christos Tsiolkas
When Gaston met Doris
Anne of Green Gables (2009 is the 50th anniversary of the release of AOGG)
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Infidlel
Ayaan Hirsi
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Girls Like Us
Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon
The Young Widows Book of Home Improvement
Virginia Lloyd
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
We have a great list this year and I'm looking forward to getting all of them read. I used to be a voracious reader, but these days I find it hard to just get through my book club books unless I am going through a period of travelling frequently for work.
berry croissant pudding recipe
This recipe came from my friend Skue and it has become a favourite here that I often take when I am asked to bring a dessert.
Blueberry Croissant Pudding
butter for greasing
3 large croissants, cut length ways into thick slices (I have also used mini ones and they are fine too)
1 punnet blueberries (I have used frozen blueberries, raspberries, frozen mixed berries or chocolate pieces (white or milk) all turn out yummy)
250 gm block philly cheese, softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
Grease a 6 cup ovenproof dish
arrange croissant slices in a single overlapping layer in the base on the dish
Sprinkle with berries
beat the Philly and caster sugar until smooth
gradually pour in cream , milk, eggs and vanilla until mixed
pour the mix over the croissants and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes
sprinkle liberally with the brown sugar
bake at 180 degrees C in a water bath for 40 minutes or until golden
serve hot with cream or ice cream
YUM!
Blueberry Croissant Pudding
butter for greasing
3 large croissants, cut length ways into thick slices (I have also used mini ones and they are fine too)
1 punnet blueberries (I have used frozen blueberries, raspberries, frozen mixed berries or chocolate pieces (white or milk) all turn out yummy)
250 gm block philly cheese, softened
2/3 cup caster sugar
1 cup cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
Grease a 6 cup ovenproof dish
arrange croissant slices in a single overlapping layer in the base on the dish
Sprinkle with berries
beat the Philly and caster sugar until smooth
gradually pour in cream , milk, eggs and vanilla until mixed
pour the mix over the croissants and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes
sprinkle liberally with the brown sugar
bake at 180 degrees C in a water bath for 40 minutes or until golden
serve hot with cream or ice cream
YUM!
Hello big 4!
My big girl turned 4 in eary January. She woke up and said "goodbye three, hello four"
As is the usual tradition in our home, we wear a special birthday crown when we blow out our candles, but Lulu kept the crown on all day
Holiday time
Wonderful summer holidays. Great Christmas; time with far away friends; beach holiday....bliss.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Wiggles Concert 2008
Once again we went ot the Wiggles concert this year - they are such fantatsic entertainers and I love it just as much as the girls.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thank you Xena
I recently won a give away on Xena's blog - and last week this gorgeous package arrived at my place. An adorable little bag, three sets of her super hair clips and a gorgeous hair band (just my colour!) as well as an issue of I Can Make it Myself, all wrapped in some vintage sheeting with matching bias to tie it all together - thanks so much Xena. I love it :)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
EB dolls quilt swap revealed!
The quilt that I sent to Natalie can now be revealed (although her pictures are SO much better than mine - check out those gorgeous kids!)
EB dolls quilt swap received!
I am a VERY VERY lucky girl. I have received a beautiful dolls quilt (which I am going to put on the wall) from Helen as part of the EB girls doll quilt swap. Helen makes gorgeous quilts full of colour and I am thrilled to have one of my very own! Thanks Helen :)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
new dresses
I have stayed up into the night to get some new dresses finished for the girls for thier kindy photos (which go over 3 days). I am one of those mean mums that dress their kids in the same clothes!
On Monday they wore little reversible smocks - cherries on one side and red gingham on the reverse with little shorts. Today they wore yellow 'pillowcase' dresses made form a vinatge curtain - super cute! I didn't get pics of them yesterday morning, but did get a couple tonight. All 4 dresses are in the washer now, so we will choose in the morning which ones get re-used!! Here are some pics - checkout Mimi's teeny tiny piggy tails!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Minature Booty Swap received!
Lucky me!!
Check out this adorable quilt that I received from Solidia . I am so thrilled - she picked my taste perfectly!
Solidia also sent me some beautiful fabric and some grogeous Amy Butler stationery. I feel so lucky! Thank you so much
Doll Quilt Swap 4 arrived!
I arrived home from an interstate trip this week to find a little box on my doorstep. I wasn't expecting anything and couldn't remember buying anything, so it was a great surprise to open it up and find a gorgeous little quilt from Gillian at SillyGilly as part of the Flickr Doll Quilt Swap 4. She also sent some wonderful extras - I can't wait to make up the dress and the dog fabric had Mali enthralled (she ha sa dog 'thing' at the moment). Gillian sent me the loveliest note, which had me sobbing - it felt so special that someone had taken time to get to know me.
Thanks Gillian - I love it!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
A budding photographer?
When I download pictures from my camera, there are inevitably some that have been taken by little hands! Usually lots of fingers, or the floor, or the computer or TV, but almost always, there is a little Mimi poking her head up somewhere in the picture, which tells me that Lulu must be the budding photographer. The photos always bring a smile to my face - here are a few examples!
And a self-portrait!!
Weekend Fun
Lulu was invited to a birthday party on the weekend and I made a little rice heat bag to go with the gift. (It is freezing in Canberra at the moment - it even snowed in suburbia on Sunday!) I think I might make some more of these as they are super easy and I need to do some stash reduction.
Mimi was a tag-a-long at the party but was made to feel welcome and got right into the spirit of things. Here they are on the deck before we left. The cheeky smile!
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