Oooo, and one more!

Jade, Moo, Pa and Jade's big brother Eric.
Moo's loving Jade. 'You're beautiful,' she says to her and kisses her gently. So cute.

Welcome, Jade!

My freshly baked little niece, Jade Lee. She's about 30 mins old in these pics.....

Not so sure how Mamma managed to deliver a 3.44kg (7lb 9ozs) babe so fast..... good luck to her!

Oh, loveliness.

I got a phone call this morning at 6 am from my brother saying his wife 'thought' it was time and I should meet them at the hospital for back rubbing and midwife calling duty. (Last time I had to run out and find a midwife because the baby was crowning and there was no one in sight! First time Mum and an hour in, I guess they thought they had some time......) I got there at 6.30 and little Jade had already arrived! A sweet little bundle of joy. Good thing they live literally 5 mins away from The Mercy or my brother might have been in for more than he bargained for!
I'm soooooooooo excited!!!!!

Pics to follow......

This looks like fun

Recycling goodness.....

We are definitely lacking in storage in this house. The one thing we don't have a lack of is used newspapers. Besides, I'm not a fan of plastic. 'The Australian' and 'The Age' would be the perfect size for making these baskets methinkeths. I like the idea someone added about using spray lacquer to seal. You don't want newsprint on anything..... and I think I might just skip the bow - a little too flouncy for moi. Ooooo, and you could maybe make it using some cool wrapping paper - perhaps the cheap but cool stuff from our favorite conglomerate, IKEA.

Find the instructions here.

Fun and games

Moo makes 'a snate.' (That's snake to you and I)

I thought I would share our play dough recipe with you. Previously when I've made it there has been way too much (in volume) so here is a version that is just enough for one (plus mummy).


1 cup of plain flour (I buy cheap flour especially for this purpose)
1/4 cup of salt
1 tblsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp oil
1 cup of hot water
For this lot we also used: green food dye (1 tsp), coconut essence (1 tsp) and green glitter. You can't see the sparkles in the photos but trust me, it's got sparkly goodness!

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients in another, making sure the salt dissolves completely.
Pour the wet mix into the dry in a microwave safe bowl and give it a good stir until it is blended. Cook in the microwave on high for 30 secs.
Stir.
Cook for a further 30 secs. Stir.
(Repeat until the dough is cooked through.)
Please take care when removing the play dough because it will be hot!
Give it a bit of a knead and wait for it too cool down before giving to your little one to play with.

** update** The next time I used this recipe the dough was not 'cooked' enough after 1 min in the microwave. The mixture starts off very sloppy and thickens when it's cooked. Keep cooking the dough until it is translucent and thickened. If you take it out before it's done it is way too sticky and gooey.

Last time we used red food dye and strawberry essence which made a lovely 'bubble gum' play dough. : )
I'm wondering what 'flavours' we will do next. I have found recipes for chocolate and also edible play dough (providing your child isn't allergic to nuts!) Now I just have to wait for our 'suntan lotion' play dough to expire.

I spy..... if I could create anything.....

.... now that's a hard one!!!

Should I go for something like a peace maker, a famine solver or a rain maker? Hmmmm *thinking*
I'm gonna say that if I could invent anything it would be the cure for cancer.

I think we have all been touched by cancer at some time in our lives.
A friend. A parent. A loved one.
My Aunt lost her battle with a brain tumor last year and God knows I wish she was still here.
My MIL and another Aunt are currently fighting breast cancer.
The list could go on and on......
Seriously, there are people out there who have a lot more expertise than me on inventing the cure for cancer. You can donate money here at the Cancer Council Australia and it might just help a clever scientist do what I can't.

This weeks theme comes from Cindy via Amanda at L-plates.

As promised - hats!

I finally charged the batteries for my camera and took a photo of the hat I made for Moo on the knitting loom. I have also just completed a grey one for hubby (sorry about the blurry pic) which was done in a couple of hours in front of my evening TV fix of Masterchef.
I'm totally in love with how easy it is to 'knit' on the loom. I have a severe problem with tension when I try to knit with needles - in more ways than one.
The adult sized hat was made on a 36 peg loom and the child's hat on a 31 peg loom. Instructions for making the hats were found on Youtube as the instructions that came with the loom looked like they had been translated from English to Chinese and then back again..... *grrrrrr*

Unfortunately, I didn't knit the ladybird hat Moo is wearing in the photo below. It was found at Paynesville market by my Mum and was a birthday present. I just had to share it because it is soooooo cute. Moo's cardy was an oppy find (Bairnsdale) and was brand new. I paid a grand sum of $5 for this lovely Nanna knit! Woo hoo~

And just because I lurve ladybirds...... the stickers off our apples! : )

More karoke

After the post on my favorite Korean karaoke song I saw Bret from Flight of the Conchords singing a Korean song. Nearly wet my pants with laughter! (And, yes, he is actually singing in Korean and the translation, although a bit weird is literal and not made up!)



God I love those guys!

Just a little friendly advice......

Before you go running to the ER because your wee is red/pink you might want to think about what you ate in the hours prior......
Whole packet of beetroot chips?
That'll do it.
Medical emergency averted : ) D'oh!

NB - I have a family history of kidney disease so although it might seem a bit hypochondriac like, it isn't in the realm of impossibility.......

Crafty stuff

Awesome knitting by pes.de.pato and not me : (

Last Christmas my Mum gave me a set of round looms. I finally got them out last week and the instructions were, to put it frankly, quite shite. So, I turned to good ol' trusty Youtube and found some great instructional videos but they don't allow me to embed them. I knitted a cute little hat for Moo and it was soooooo easy - even for one who doesn't knit.
Yay! I actually 'knitted' something. Now it's time to 'knit' a hat for hubby! So proud of myself that I am considering trying some real knitting again...... but don't hold your breath! (Just what I need, another addiction to spend money on.)

(My camera battery is flat so I will add a photo of my first handmade hat a little later.)

Eye Spy...... a scar

Oooo, what an interesting theme by Fuzzy Dragons!

It's been a while since I've compared scars - we used to do it all the time as kids.... (weird?)

My favorite scar is one on my left knuckle in the shape of an upside down V - where I accidentally cut my hands with a pair of safety(!?) scissors in the 2nd grade. Then there's the 'haven't slept in more than a few hours in a few days and cleaned the hand blender without unplugging it' scar. I don't recommend making baby food when your baby hasn't let you sleep. Dangerous stuff! That was a particularly nasty one......
Several knives have left their mark (I love to cook) and I used to partake in a little stained glass action - glass is sharp too. Really sharp.....
There's the scar on my hip from falling off my bike as a teenager, there's the scar on my chin from having a mole removed and the vampire bite scar on my calf. (Actually it was a dog that bit me but it sooooo looks like I met vampire who confused my kneck for my knee.)
Oooo, and there was the incident of Cup Day 2005 that involved a very sharp box cutter and a phone call to my Dad inquiring about the point at which one might need stitches..... I'm starting to think this post is making me sound clumsy!
But, my most loved and most hated scar is where my daughter left my body. She marked me and I love that but it just ain't pretty. And, it reminds me of things that I'd rather forget. How she came into the world in a way that I didn't want. I have to be grateful for that scar though because without it she (and I) might not be here right now to whine about it.

Maybe you noticed a break in transmission? I've had the flu for the past few days so there was no venturing outside looking for something in bloom. (The alternative Eye spy topic for this week).

(PS, I don't have swine flu. Only the boring regular kind - the only pig around here is me! Mmmmm chocolate. The cure for all that ails ya!)

Thanks Cindy for hosting!