.discovering hands.

This is Tommy...just about 4 months old.
He has discovered his hands. So cute. He loves lying under his playgym hitting the dangling toys. We have definitely passed that newborn stage now. He is becoming very interactive and starting to notice things around him (like when I leave his sight!) He has really settled down since those first few difficult months. I think that perhaps he was actually born a bit early and wasn't ready for the world just yet! He has even given me a few 10 hour stretches at night which is GREAT! (Don't worry, we have our fair share of unsettled nights too!) but generally he is pretty happy.

.Let the building begin!!!.

Well, it has FINNAAALLLY started...our house is underway!

It has been a process getting this far...waiting for the bank, council, water connections, etc. THEN to top it all off Jaron found out last week that his office is closing and he will soon have to travel over an hour to get to work rather than 45 minutes. I know that in the cities one hour+ is a usual amount of time to travel, but here in Tassie, it is pretty much unheard of. Anyway, our options were to forgo building the house (and lose a fair bit of money) or go ahead with it and put up with the extra travel time. If we don't build now then it is going to be a long, long time until we have the opportunity to do it again so we have decided to stick with it and hope that another job closer to home pops up in the meantime.

So, this is the block now...foundations should be finished by the end of the week. It is exciting and scary all at the same time. Especially that "m" word. Yuck! But will be WAY better than renting!
And, for those of you who have been asking for a look...here is our floorplan (give it a click and you can see it bigger). We are on a very strict budget so it comes in handy having an architect-husband! He can take care of the lay-out and house design (and give us a 7-Star Energy Rating!) and I'll handle the decorating ;) Got some fun ideas up my sleeves...stay tuned!

.For the love of the kombi.

We have a little friend who has just turned 2 and is obsessed with kombi vans. It is so very cute...a 2 year old in love with kombis! He gets so excited about them and loves seeing random kombis around town.

I managed to find him a super cool little kombi van toy for his birthday and decided that an applique t-shirt HAD to be made for him...
Needless to say, he was one very happy little boy!!
Happy birthday Owen!

.Another Milestone.

There is a running joke in our family that every significant event that comes around (birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, etc) it will probably be the last one with Nan or Pop. Then the next event happens and they are still there!

The last couple of years Nan and Pop have both had failing health and are now living in a nursing home. It is so sad to see them there because they have both been so active and independent for most of their lives. They are both only a year or two off turning 90 and have had such rich, productive lives. I know that when they eventually do pass away, the family will all be sad that they aren't around to spend time with anymore, but I also know that we will all be relieved that they will be living in a better place, free from the ailments and afflictions they are suffering now.Yesterday, after church all of the family members who were able to joined Nan and Pop to celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary. It would have been nice to have all of the extended family attend, but obviously is too difficult with people living interstate or overseas. To think that two people ended up producing 6 children, almost 30 grandchildren and over 60 great-grandchildren - it would be quite the event if everyone were able to be there!!
Although Nan isn't able to say much anymore, she still tries to make herself known with her big arm gestures! It is nice to see her looking so perky and giggling all the time. We don't know how much she comprehends now that she isn't able to communicate using words, but she definitely knows who we all are and is so happy to see us. She still loves the babies and little great-grandchildren. Oscar and Lil have been a bit scared of Nan and Pop since they have started to look older so it is cute to see Tommy look up at her with big eyes and give her lots of smiles.
It is always fun when the family gets together, it doesn't happen as much as it used to so its good to catch up and have a chat with each other.
P.S. Lisa...I stole some photos off your blog! :)

.Child's Play.

Cade's recent knee reconstruction has left him in a very vulnerable position and forced him to revert to child's play...

.back again!.

This has been my lifeline for the last 3 days...
Fever, throat infection and oral thrush. Talk about hungry...I can finally eat buttered bread today if I spray Difflam into my mouth to numb it first!!

Fun. (Not.)

I'm back now - the house was cleaned today. 5 loads of washing done. I'll catch up on emails and other stuff ASAP! Sorry if you thought I was snobbing you!

.Citrus on Etsy.

Some fruity, citrusy finds to share...

Wouldn't you love to scrub your dishes with these?

Cool, rubber stamp

I've been eyeing this ring off for a few months...check out the rest of her sensational jewellery...

I really, really want to learn to crochet...so many fabric scraps I could turn into awesome bowls...do you think it is hard?

And I really want to learn how to make beautiful soaps like these

Funky button necklace and bracelet set

Mum, I think this bead would look pretty on your Pandora bracelet

.Recipe Monday - Guest Blogger.

When Simone posted a photo of her delectable Caramel Slice on her blog I just had to ask her to be a Recipe Monday Guest Blogger! How good does it look? I struggle to make a good Caramel Slice so am excited to give this one a go - thanks Simone!!

I feel very honoured to be featured as a guest on 'Recipe Monday'. It makes me look like I can cook..... okay lets not get carried away.

I cannot take complete credit for this slice as the recipe originally came from my sister Jessica who got it out of one of her Donna Hay recipe books. But I can say that this slice makes you look like a FANTASTIC cook. The base is never crumbly, the middle is never too gooey and the top is always smooth. It has NEVER failed and is a hit for every occasion, whether casual or classy.

Caramel Slice
Base:
1cup of plain flour
1/2 cup of coconut
1/2 cup of brown sugar
125g cooled melted butter

Mix all together and press into greased and baking papered tin. Don't use a lamington tin as the slice won't be high enough. Use a smaller biscuit tin size. Put in oven for 15min on 180 degrees.

Middle:
1/3 cup of golden syrup
2 cans of condensed milk
125g of butter

On stovetop over low heat, melt butter and add condensed milk and golden syrup. Stir until mixed together and a nice brown caramel colour (approx 7 mins.) Pour over base that has just come out of oven and pop back in oven for another 15min. Take out when caramel filling has bubbled nicely and top and is not runny anymore. Let cool slightly before putting top on.

Top:
3tsps vegetable oil
1 big block of cooking chocolate (or you can use real choc if you like). I just use the homebrand one.

Mix together on stovetop in bowl placed inside saucepan. Pour over slice and put in fridge to set.

Tip- to make sure slice does not crack when cutting it, take out of fridge when it is JUST set (approx one hr) anf cut from there. Alternatively using real chocolate on top decreases the risk of cracking when cutting into squares.

.Bouncer revamped.

I love our baby bouncer. We bought it when Oscar was born and it is still going strong.

It is the old-fashioned wire frame, net type - the same that Mum used for her babies. You can still buy them brand new though - goes to show how awesome they are!

The only problem is, it is UGLY. This is it...I would always throw a blanket over it for a bit of extra padding. It is such a pain when you want to put the baby down though and find that someone has gone walk about with the blanket! I've been thinking for ages that I should just sew up some kind of a cover to keep on it and finally got around to it yesterday.
Ta da! Looks MUCH better, don't you think? I used funky Ikea fabric and padded it with a layer of left-over quilt wadding I had in the cupboard. The back is the same as the front so if it gets grubby I just have to flip it over and then wait for the second side to get dirty before having to wash it!
And the little man looks pretty pleased with it!
I'm off to join him for a quick nap while everyone is asleep!

.Happy Birthday Michaela!

A sweet little cousin of ours is turning TWO today!

We heard Sydney is having sunny weather and thought she would look super cute in this outfit:
She does:
Hope you have a fun Teddy Bears Picnic and get super spoiled!
Oscar and Lil desperately want to be there!
xxx

.Recipe Monday.

Orange and Poppy Seed Biscuits
2Tbs poppy seeds
2Tbs finely grated orange rind
1 Tbs fresh orange juice
250g butter
1 1/3 cups caster sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1tsp bicarb soda

Icing
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 Tsp butter
2 Tbs fresh orange juice

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Combine poppy seeds, rind and juice in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use an electric beater to beat butter, sugar and eggs in a bowl until combined. Use a wooden spoon to stir in flour, bicarbonate of soda and poppy seed mixture until just combined.
Drop heaped teaspoonfuls on lined trays, 5cm apart. Bake in the preheated oven, swapping trays halfway, for 12-14 minutes or until golden. Set aside for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. To make the icing, place icing sugar, butter and juice in a bowl and stir until smooth and glossy. Ice cold biscuits.

.Tommy Who?.

A couple of days ago Jaron was going through some paper work and came across Tommy's birth certificate.

It arrived in the mail a few weeks after he was born and I just opened the envelope and filed it away without looking at it. Jaron read it and realised that his name is WRONG on the certificate - his middle name has been registered as "Paul" and not "Ross"!!!

Aaargh...now we have to go and change it (and pay for it!)

Note to all new mothers out there: If you are going to fill out important forms with a foggy baby brain make sure you get someone to read over them before they are submitted!

Can you believe he is 3 months old already...

.Brothers.

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.
-- Marc Brown

.RAIN. If you can't beat it...join it.

Saturday 29th August 2009.

Rain, rain and more rain.

Stuck inside.

1 milk bottle = 2 boats made with stickers, blu tack, skewers, paper and help from Dad.

Hats, jackets and boots on.

Take boats outside and float down the gutter over and over again.

Get very wet.

Had fun.

.If you feel like buying me a present... .

I would love to wear this t-shirt!

Custom Printable Siblings Stationary

This would look great in my sewing room.

Cute, customised stamps

Do you think I could pull this off?

I really need a new pincushion...

.Bring on Spring!.

While the North of the country is delighting in warm, sunny days...we are experiencing rain, rain, rain, wind, wind, wind, cold, cold, cold.

The kind of weather that I LOVE when I am home alone with the heater turned right up - but not so much fun when you have three little ones in tow. They are really feeling housebound. Our backyard is a sludge of swampy grass. I couldn't send them out there even if I wanted to. I think they would drown!!

Our heater has broken and we like a hot house! Should only be another day or two until it is fixed but for now we are trying to heat the lounge room with a little oil column heater...its taking the chill away but isn't toasty at all.

So, this is what we have been doing to get through the yucko weather...

1. Lil is being dressed in SHORTS worn OVER tights. We are trying to summon some warmer weather in any way we can. Hopefully the appearance of summer clothing will hurry things along! (If not, she is looking mighty cute anyway!!)2. Yesterday I took the kids to the movies. Oscar has only been once, and Lil never. Thought it might be nice to do something different to break up the week. Have you seen Up? So very cool and funny! Cade came with us, I think we enjoyed it more than the kids! I figured going at 10:30am during the week would provide us with an empty cinema as school was on and who goes to the movies at 10:30am anyway?! I was right, we shared the cinema with a grandma and her two young grandchildren. Lil was really good anyway, I think she was scared by the size of the screen and loud noise and didn't move anywhere!! 3. Oscar has started to show an interest in playing on the computer. He gets to have a turn most days when Lil is having her nap during the day. I want his time on here to be educational though, Carli referred me to this website. It is great, totally directed at teaching children how to read. A lot of it is a bit over Oscar's head, but he gets the gist of what to do and I figure if he keeps it up he will begin to recognise a few words by sight and hopefully when he goes to school will make the connection with the things he has been learning on the computer. The other good thing about the site is that there is HEAPS to do, so he doesn't get bored or "good at" the same few activities. Anyone else have any good children's websites to share?

.Recipe Monday.

A yummy recipe for a good, old-fashioned beef casserole...

Slowcooker Beef and Vegie Casserole
500g gravy beef, cubed
frozen peas
carrots, peeled and cubed
potatoes, peeled and cubed
onion, peeled and cubed
garlic
mixed herbs
1/4-1/2 cup gravy powder
1 tin crushed tomatoes
1/4-1/2 cup water

Place all ingredients in slowcooker, stir. Cover and cook for 6-7 hours.