Calorie overload

Warning, this post may add calories just by looking at it!!!

Feijoa Shortcake

It's started to chill down slightly, not too bad yet - we are still have 18-20 degree C days but slightly cooler overnight. We've had the fire going a couple of times, and as much as I loathe cold weather there is something lovely about the warm fire and winter dinners.

Roast Beef with perfect Yorkshire Pudding was the first winter meal request.

My Yorkshire Puds are pretty tasty!

and Pies, lovely homemade meat pies

The other half had a birthday, chocolate cake was the request from the children (although I knew he'd secretly prefer Carrot Cake - but to keep the girls happy Chocolate it was).

We went away for a lovely family weekend just an hour north of here in Waitangi. The girls loved the hotel - especially the swimming, and I just loved the chance to have a wee change of scenery for 24 hours.

No crochet to show sorry, I've just bought an e-reader so I've been spending my spare time reading a few ebooks - loving it! Love that I can now take all my patterns with me on the Kobo though without having to print out paper. So handy.


Head on over to my lovely friends Becs' blog "Born Again Creations" to check out her gorgeous giveaway - she is so super talented!

Have a lovely week xxx Kylie

Family Fun

 Fun family day on Saturday just gone, we took off down to a little region about an hour south of home and did the touristy thing. Matakana Markets were fab (including the crochet and cushion stall below - had to sneak a wee photo), so many yummy things to eat, lots of things to look at, including ducks which were the main attraction for the girls (see above) and a really lively atmosphere.

I got myself a wee treat while at the market, a cutesy vintage sewing box. It needs a bit of restoration work, including a wooden handle again, a few holes to be plugged, take off the gnarly lock and I'll put some knobs back on. A good sand and re-stain and it should look fab. I've always wanted one!

 

There is only so much shopping the other half can cope with though, so we spent a few hours at the beach. Goat Island was the first stop - big girl and Dad went snorkeling while little one and I sat on beach in the rain. We moved onto Mathesons Bay and it was magic. Pontoon to swim out to, mostly deserted beach. Kids had a ball!!

So after a day of slacking (relaxing really) I got busy making some Tomato Relish on Sunday. It is the best relish I've EVER made. More to be made next weekend!

No crochet progress, should hopefully have a wee ta-dah moment soon though. The hook is busy in the meantime.

Have a good remainder of the week xx Kylie

The end of the year

Photo courtesy of one of our Christmas guests, Mascha

The lead up to Christmas was more than manic, I got a wee bit of crafty time but not nearly enough. I'm so enjoying the post-xmas relaxation. We have had little planned and we are just spending some quality family time in between shift work and catching up with friends. 

My little one enjoying the atmosphere of Christmas Eve

We had a lot of visitors over Christmas, Towbee held up well as a spare bedroom.

I made a few goodies, Rhubarb Cordial, especially nice with sparkling water and a splash of Gin!

 

Xmas gifts

 

I mad the incredibly easy Mallowpuff Xmas puddings for the creche (daycare) teachers in the week before Christmas. I did manage to make a few for myself as well....

And it's finally started being beach time again, so far summer hasn't really hit. But it's still warm enough to head out there (maybe not today though - the weather is horrid)

One great thing this summer is out passionfruit. We have never managed to grow it sucessfully before - it's never been established before the frosts hit, the new spot for it must be perfect as we have a bumper crop on there. I can't wait until they are ready.

The chickens are doing a few odd things, what's with the size difference here. I think have one chook that thinks she is a Quail - such a teeny tiny egg.

I did attempt to make Elderflower champagne for Xmas day but unfortunately it wasn't a success. I fiddled with it too much and some bacteria got in. I'll make it again shortly but this time the quality control officer (my husband) will be in charge of the actual brewing process as he's better at it. I'll show it off when it works next time.

Well I hope the end of the year treats you well, I'm reflecting on the past year and thinking of what plans to put in place for the next twelve months. See you all in 2012.

It's starting to feel a lot like Christmas

It's finally the end of the week. A long busy week and one where I feel like I have achieved very little. Usually I have no problems with being a working Mum but this time of year (School and Creche events/trips/requests) and the busy time at work it's a weeny bit stressful. But it's nothing that won't feel better in two weeks :)

 
So some craftiness is my therapy. Loads of yummy bright yarns from far away (Stylecraft DK multi colour pack is the majority of the yarn in these photos)

and a cute vintage pattern that I dream of making but I know my little one would never wear it.

Homemade play-doh is always a great stress release for myself and the girls.

Yesterday was the first beach trip of the summer, pity the little ones missed out as it was a school trip, we sure had some fun that day. Treasure Hunts, kids laughing at the adults gingerly heading into the sea (it was a little cold for my liking!), a great group of kids and a fabulous bunch of parent helpers to share the day with. We are lucky at our country school to being able to share these experiences with a great crowd.

 I belong to a small very casual book group (a group of mums from the school) where we love to chat about a few books, eat some yummy treats, have the odd glass of wine and loads of cups of tea. We had our end of year do in my caravan on Wednesday. Towbe sure looked pretty all decked out. Yummy cake that one of the girls brought along too.

Have a great weekend, I hope you all have a nice fun filled one. I'm hopefully going to get the Christmas shopping finished. Fingers crossed!

xxxx Kylie

Composure

Too busy. Busy at work, busy at home, busy with school activities. Tensions are a bit wrought - the girls need a little bit of a rest, I feel like I need to get off this carousel ride for a little while.....


I need to organise life (and the children), finish the Xmas shopping, make a few pressies, and re-compose myself a little.

See you all soon xxx Kylie

Such Fun!

I've started a Ripple - and I'm loving it!!!! Using Lucys Neat Ripple Pattern I'm doing a pattern of 7 (I think) colours, and it's going to be a blanket for my big girls bed. It's such a relaxing little thing and I'm loving how fast it is growing.

I don't know how many Miranda (BBC programme)  fans there are out there but as I'm standing in the pouring rain at my elder daughters Agriculture Day at School (Lamb and Calf Club) today all I could think of was Miranda's Mum saying "Such Fun" (I know a couple of you will get that).....

Anyway, we didn't do so well in the ribbon stakes (although she did get one for Merit) but it was a good experience (including standing in the rain for hours). Cool little crafts done in class  - vegetable animals, flower arrangements, decorated biscuits and so on.

Righty-ho, back to the ripples.

Have a great weekend  xxxxx Kylie

Soothing

I've just had one kiddie for a couple of days (the other one has been at her grandparents for a mid school holiday break) and wow it's so peaceful with no sibling rivalry.

So I've been making good use of my time...

A little concotion for my littlest ones eczema flare up - Chamomile and Calendula cream. Using Grapeseed oil and beeswax as a base, with glycerine, vitamin C, emulsifying wax and a infusion of organic Calendula and Chamomile Flowers. Chamomile flowers have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-allergenic properties, Calendula has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and the oil just helps keep the moisture in the skin. It seemed to soothe her skin well the first night I tried we tried it.

Making Cupcakes, pink by request of course, lovingly topped by my big girl. Hmmmm I think she ate more than she put on the cakes.

It's sitting on a lovely Paragon plate I picked up at the Hospice shop yesterday (as well as a matching saucer - now I just need the cup to make a set). It made me feel a little bit happier after I broke a saucer and a cup of two totally seperate trios yesterday. I can't believe how clumsy I was. Kicking myself now.

 I am so excited.... I have been searching for these jars everywhere, and now I have finally found them. I have no idea what I will keep in them (they are pretty large) but I saw them in a magazine and I just had to have them. I hunted high and low in my city but no luck, but yesterday I headed over to the in-laws little town and I couldn't believe it when I spotted them in a gift shop. Fairly inexpensive as well which is an extra bonus!

The new cat, Tootu, has settled in completely. The Chief isn't so fussed on her but I think she's pretty cute - except for when I spot her trying to catch the goldfish. She will learn when she falls in I guess.

So many spring bulbs out at the moment - and it's only halfway through winter.

It's really mild outside today so I'm sure I will have a garden full of Daffodils soon!

I've got my Tangelos and lemons soaking at the moment so I can make my annual batch of Marmalade tommorrow. We have so many Tangelos this year though that I think I'll have to make a few batches.

Speaking of Tangelo, I have some new (but old) retro Tupperware for the caravan. Isn't it just so kitch but perfect for the 70's style.

My hooks and yarn are calling now. More hats, a cowl or more work on the granny blanket????

An addition

We have a new member of our household.... a beautiful Tortie female cat. She's 2 years old called "Tootu" (pronounced Tut-tu - it's a Maori term for touching with everything or into everything). She is very aptly named so far as she is very mischievous. I think the correct spelling should be Tutu but we adopted her from the SPCA and they'd named her there. 

We lost our beautiful Burmese boy Jack back in December due to a massive infection that he couldn't recover from and we were hesitant to get another cat as we didn't want to "replace" him. BUT we live in the country and really need a cat to keep the mice at bay, and they are lovely company on these winter nights. We went into the SPCA and told them that we wanted a slightly older cat and it must be robust. A dear friend once told me that "You don't pick a cat, it picks you" and this is so true as Tootu jumped up and put her paws out to us. We knew we had to take her home right then and there.

My youngest girl is loving her already - the oldest is away at a sleepover so she hasn't seen her yet (except for in the car when I got her out of her class for a few minutes to take a sneak peak on our way home).

For anyone who has room in their homes (and hearts) for a new cat or dog the SPCA (we are in Whangarei, but all other branches as well) are desperate, as ever for homes for their temporary residents. They are full to the brim, and desperately need cat and dog food as well if you can spare any. The staff (mainly volunteers) do such an amazing job in sometimes very difficult situations.

Tootu is fast asleep at the moment, so I'll take this chance to get the crochet hook out as I can't get much done around her - she thinks its a great chasing game.

I took this shoot between rainshowers today - a stunning Koru (fern). Love them, NZ nature at it's best.

I just had to add a couple of photos of my girls - the little one on a daycare farm trip and the big one as an alien at school for "Space Day" yesterday. We had to provide a plate of space themed food for a shared lunch so I did green caramel popcorn in individual bags - "Alien Power Food". The kids seemed to love them!