seasonal table

our autumn display over the last few days has provided much interest and discussion about the season.

playdough

i can't think of a better way to spend a wet cold monday , other than with a batch of fresh new warm playdough.

Anzac Day

What is Anzac Day ?
"Hugo": its when we say thank you to the soldiers for looking after us when there was a war along time ago.

i guess he's got it.
This morning we made Anzac biscuits and ate them warm out of the oven, while we went and looked at the march along our main street up to the RSL where we listened to a simple yet moving service.
we held onto our little twigs of Rosemary for remembrance and placed them at the shrine at the conclusion of the service.

fun run

Hugo's school had their cross country today. prep to year 2 run a 150m course within the school grounds. they have half an hour to run as many laps as they can. at the end they all receive a ribbon.
my champion ran 18 laps :: 2.7 km !!!! no wonder he was in bed at 6.30 tonight.
well done Hugo i am so proud of you.

a start

tonight i am starting to knit again.
a couple of us have decided to get together weekly and begin a knitting group.
i am looking forward to the idea of catching up with people once a week as well as learning a new skill.
i have chosen to knit something for me :: a wrap cardigan, in the wool pictured above. hope fully it will work.... i'll let you know

scared

sorry about the poor quality of these photos
just thought i would share my loot..
i feel very spoilt.
i am a little wary of my new over locker. it is still sitting in its box unopened. I'm too scared to open it.
i have never used one before and not sure where or how to start.
Nic kindly offered to come and help me and i think i will have to take her up on the offer.

i am in love with this cook book. i have admired it from afar for a long time and finally i have been able to sit and read it. i love the recipes and i can't wait to make some things, but what i really love is the way its written, insights, thoughts, ideas, memories and hopes of the author (Tessa Kiros') life all intermingled with recipe's.
after reading it i was inspired to start a similar book for my boys. favourite recipes from my family, special moments of my childhood and theirs as well as drawings, photos etc.... my only problem is time.....

simple things

an ice cream after school with friends, in the sunshine. what better way to end the first day of term 2.

Happy Birthday

yes today its my birthday... as a friend said to me last night.. I'm half way to 70 !!!!!
we left woolamai today so most of the day was spent packing, driving, unpacking (all our stuff from the last 10 days) and cooking dinner.. i guess birthdays are just ordinary days now !!!!
mum and dad came over for dinner and we had a lovely dinner, yummy cake and lots of laughs. Hugo was the champion at uno.
:: i did have a wonderful day and enjoyed the love and simplicity of family being together.

weekend away

every year mothers group go to this great house for a weekend away. the house has 7 bedrooms, which can accommodate all of us ( 5 families) this year only 3 families went and we had a great time. we actually didn't leave the property at all,the weekend was spent relaxing :: parents reading, kids playing, drawing, and countless number of games of UNO ....,
Saturday night we had a bonfire and lots of fun and laughs.

the holiday continues....

we are spoilt this year 10 days of holidays...
we left paradise today and came to eildon to our friends house boat for 3 days.... next stop woolamai for the weekend.

Easter Sunday

the magic of children is something i would love to hold onto for ever. i love the excitement and anticipation of Easter Saturday nightwhen Easter bunny is on his way. Easter bunny food and carrots placed outside, two tired and happy boys tucked up in bed and a magic crazed excited mamma running around hiding eggs, making foot prints and placing presents out near beds and cots. ( both my boys have birthdays within a few days and 2 weeks of Christmas, so Easter bunny always brings a present and a small amount of chocolate)
Easter Sunday morning was sooo exciting, with lots of ohhhs and ahhhs and excited sequels as eggs are found, footprints discovered and the joy of eating chocolate at breakfast time. the mammas outside in secret hiding eggs while the dads are in charge of curtains remaining shut and breakfast eaten and then all outside for the big hunt !! and during this ..... Easter Bunny arrives.
the looks on the faces of our babes is priceless and something i cant even describe, it is Magic. my face hurt from laughter watching the morning unfold and we all connected together and shared a morning of sheer magic and joy with our families and wonderful friends.

Easter

every year we head to our favourite place in the world for a wonderful Easter with great friends. the days are filled with two generations of friends catching up and hanging out. we have evolved over the years from staying in the motel behind the local pubs and just going out, to marriage and upgrading accommodation, to now staying in great cottages on one central property with our kids and watching memories and traditions evolve and grow. the weather is always beautiful, cold nights, warm sunny days.
Bike rides, walks along the river, strolling through town, local markets, playground adventures, wineries, and hanging out, the time always goes too quickly.

Gift Giving

its always nice to give as well as receive and hopefully i am teaching this to my babes. today we went to Grandma and Popeyes to give them their Easter present. Hugo made the card, wrote a message and drew a picture. we went to the nursery and bought them a plant, Hugo and Archie picked : a red cyclamen

Happy easter

a few shots while trying to get "the perfect" shot for our Easter card this year

take two

yesterday; it seem wasn't enough when it comes to decorating eggs....
i meet up with Nic and her boys for coffee this morning and then we all sat down and decorated eggs. messy, yummy and good fun. it was great for Nic and I as we managed to have 5 minutes to catch up while the boys were busy getting sticky !!!
both Hugo and Xander haven't seen each other since school started and they were very excited to see each other, happily falling into rhythm with each other, laughing, talking and sharing experiences together :: good friends