Eye spy - A taste of summer

The beach. Cousins, Uncles, Grandads and family. Floaties and rashies.

Sandy towels. Seaweed. Snacks on the beach when you're tired of swimming.

Floaties and blow up boats. Rainbow hats.

Watermelon, afternoon naps, ice cream, movies, camping and boating.
Sitting outside in the evening with a beverage of your choice, enjoying the breeze.
Fish and chips, crunchy salads and BBQs.
Thunderstorms, home grown tomatoes and having no schedule.
Oh, summer! How I love thee. (When you're not tooooo hot.....)

Thanks Anastasia for this weeks theme.

One of my favorite rants

SHOPPER’S GUIDE TO PESTICIDES IN PRODUCE

DIRTY DOZEN
Buy These Organic if you can (HIGHEST IN PESTICIDE)
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

CLEANEST 12 (LOWEST IN PESTICIDE)
Lowest in Pesticides
Onions
Avocado
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet Peas (Frozen)
Asparagus
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Eggplant

The Full List: 45 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apples	96
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	83
7	Cherries	75
8	Lettuce	69
9	Grapes - Imported	68
10	Pears	65
11	Spinach	60
12	Potatoes	58
13	Carrots	57
14	Green Beans	55
15	Hot Peppers	53
16	Cucumbers	52
17	Raspberries	47
18	Plums	46
19	Oranges	46
20	Grapes-Domestic	46
21	Cauliflower	39
22	Tangerine	38
23	Mushrooms	37
24	Cantaloupe	34
25	Lemon	31
26	Honeydew Melon	31
27	Grapefruit	31
28	Winter Squash	31
29	Tomatoes	30
30	Sweet Potatoes	30
31	Watermelon	25
32	Blueberries	24
33	Papaya	21
34	Eggplant	19
35	Broccoli	18
36	Cabbage	17
37	Bananas	16
38	Kiwi	14
39	Asparagus	11
40	Sweet Peas-Frozen	11
41	Mango	9
42	Pineapples	7
43	Sweet Corn-Frozen	2
44	Avocado	1
45 (best)	Onions	1 (lowest pesticide load)

Why Should You Care About Pesticides?
There is growing consensus in the scientific community that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people,especially during vulnerable periods of fetal development and childhood when exposures can have long lasting effects. Because the toxic effects of pesticides are worrisome, not well understood, or in some cases completely unstudied, shoppers are wise to minimize exposure to pesticides whenever possible.
What’s the Difference? An EWG simulation of thousands of consumers eating high and low pesticide diets shows that people can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead. Eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose a person to about 14 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose a person to less than 2 pesticides per day. Less dramatic comparisons will produce less dramatic reductions, but without doubt using the Guide provides people with a way to make choices that lower pesticide exposure in the diet.
Will Washing and Peeling Help? Nearly all of the data used to create these lists already considers how people typically wash and prepare produce (for example, apples are washed before testing, bananas are peeled). While washing and rinsing fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not eliminate them. Peeling also reduces exposures, but valuable nutrients often go down the drain with the peel. The best option is to eat a varied diet, wash all produce, and choose organic when possible to reduce exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.
How Was This Guide Developed? The produce ranking was developed by analysts at the not-for-profit Environmental Working Group (EWG) based on the results of nearly 51,000 tests for pesticides on produce collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration between 2000 and 2005. A detailed description of the criteria used in developing the rankings as well as a full list of fresh fruits and vegetables that have been tested is available at www.foodnews.org.

Fell off the wagon

Today I was feeling like I couldn't be bothered with being organised or decluttering. So, I totally dedicated the day to hangin' out with Moo. We built wooden castles, read books, played in the sandpit, went to the park and spent an hour walking around our neighbourhood. On our walk we talked to the neighbours, meet the cutest puppy in the world, examined every stick, leaf and gumnut, poked a long piece of grass down the hole of a telphone pit and then dropped some stones down there for good measure. Moo spent quite a bit of time marvelling at how warm the footpath/sidewalk was. She lay down and put her cheek and hands to the ground and smiled an 'Ahhh, that's nice' smile. I didn't because it would look more than a little strange if I lay down all smiley on the footpath. Instead, I talked about how energy from the sun can warm the land, air, and water through heat absorption and how some colors are better at absorbing or reflecting light from the sun than others. Annie smiled and gave me that 'what are you talking about?' look. I've gotta get me some adult conversation....

No procrastination and no sewing

'Clean sweep' by velo_city

The past week has been filled with getting on top of my new year's resolution. Every time I have had the urge to sew I have spent the time decluttering instead, telling myself that when I am finished I will have more time to sew because I won't be chasing my tail trying to keep things tidy. We'll see. But I can tell you, so far, so good. I am slowly getting things under control and finding that maintenance is a lot easier than waiting for the house to be buried and then trying to dig it out. Who would have thought that 'a stitch in time saves nine ' had some kind of basis? I'm hoping for 'a stitch in time gives me time to stitch nine garments.' Yay!

Is that my yard?

I just saw what I thought was a picture of our backyard on HoppoBumpo's blog. I'll have to show my husband because he thinks we are the only ones in the world who have 'lawn' that looks like that.
My excuse is that it is an educational experience for Moo. She can see all kinds of flora and fauna and pretend she is hunting through the jungle for tigers. Yep, that's it. Educational.
Wow, HoppoBumpo, you're really providing a great imaginative play area for Argy and Bargy ; )

As the song says it's too damn hot!

It's 10 o'clock in the evening and it's still 32.4 degrees Celsius outside. That's 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
Interestingly, the high today was 37.1 (98.8) degrees at 6pm.
Tomorrows forecast. 39 (102.2). Ouch!
At least we haven't had an 47 (117) degree days this year - YET.

Two quilts by Andrea R found on Flickr

I will say I made the most of it though. Yesterday I threw quilts in the bath while Moo was sleeping and stomped on them, pretending the whole time that I was squashing grapes for wine because that was infinitely more romantic. It also threw me back to my childhood when Mum used to get us to do the stomping of all the winter blankets etc during the hot summer. We thought it was the best fun ever invented. Now I can't wait for Moo to get old enough to be excited by running laps of the bath over a few quilts.......

Eye Spy... something I want to try in 2009.

I'm Eye Spying on Saturday night instead of Sunday because I know I'll be busy tomorrow. Moo's Great Grandad is having his 91st birthday party. Woo hoo~~

How to pick just one thing?

Actually, now that I am thinking about it it's quite hard to come up with something that;
a) isn't something too personal that I don't fancy putting it out there in cyberspace
b) isn't trivial like trying to sew a button hole with my old machine as posted in my new year post
c) is something I have the capacity to actually carry out

Hmmmmmm.

OK, here it is...... don't hold me to it though!

I want to try being an organised and tidy person. I want to try living a de cluttered life.

Photo by Yvestown via Happy Living

There. I've said and there's no taking it back. I'll let you know how I go and if you don't hear anything about it we can just pretend that I'm doing it and no one will be the wiser.....

(To anyone who is wondering 'Eye Spy....' has replaced the 'This is....' meme and is kindly hosted by bugandpop if you would like to join in.)

Today's little project

I went to Borders today to buy a gift voucher for someone and I thought I would have a quick look at the magazine section. BIG mistake! I ended up buying 'Stitch' for way too much and drooling over it all afternoon. Then I got a brain wave to make some slippers out of an old felted jumper (read jumper that accidentally got thrown in with the normal wash and came out as a mini jumper). I cut them out but couldn't be bothered pulling my machine back out so, I decided to turn my attention to one of the projects in Stitch. A little winter hat for Moo. I spent what felt like a million years trying to get the pattern right because the recommended blow up size (that's what I wanted to do to it - blow it up@!) wouldn't fit a newborn. Grrrrr. But I finally got it right and cut it out and put it together after Moo went to bed.

And, no, I am not the proud mother of a weird looking recycled bag holder creature. Moo was asleep and all of her doll's heads (all 2 of them) were too small to model for me.... so the plastic bag receptacle it was. (Bag made from IKEA scraps a few weeks ago.)

And it just looked strange with no eyes..... so pins and blue tack it was!

A few notes about the hat:

• It was supposed to be made out of a felted recycled jumper/sweater but I wanted to try out the sizing in a cheap material first in case it was completely wrong so I used polar fleece.

• The original pattern has bias binding around the edges which matches the fabric on the chin strap. I couldn't be bothered making tape and as I had used polar fleece did not need to worry about raw edges. I was going to blanket stitch in a color that complemented the chin strap but when looking for the navy wool I found this old ribbon that I had bought in Sweden and thought I would sew that on instead.

• I know it is summer and maybe you are wondering why I would be sewing a winter hat. Haven't you heard the story about the ant and the grasshopper? Well, that's my excuse...... It had nothing to do with the fact that I love felt and I thought it was pretty....

Because I'm a Mum and this is what Mum's do

When we were on holidays Moo drew this picture. As always, I asked her what it was, expecting to hear the usual nonsense babble. But she pointed to the middle drawing and said, 'Daddy.' Then she pointed to the right blob and said, 'Mummy.' I asked her where she was so she drew the little blob on the left! Anyone else would think, 'So what?' But I'm her Mum and I thought she did a GREAT picture! BTW she's 20 months not 20 years old ; D

I showed husband who asked, 'Why is Daddy the giant fat one?' I told him kids don't lie. he he

Success

Moo LOVED the bean bags. I left them stacked up on the table and she saw them as soon as she got up from her nap. There was a lot of excitement but I'm not sure why she thought they were so wonderful.... They have gone everywhere she has this afternoon. Including the park. If you happened to see a toddler dragging a bag along the footpath that appeared to weigh as much as they did you probably saw us walking to the park. Moo refused (toddler style!) to let Mummy carry the heavy bag. At the park we threw them about, carried them all at once (tricky), bounced them on the "she-shaw" and threw them down the slide. Great fun.
This evening Moo even shoved them up her shirt and proclaimed, 'Boobies.' What's next I wonder? At least she didn't want to take them to bed with her. Maybe she's saving that tantrum for tomorrow?

Beanbags

What do you do with a scrap of upholstery fabric and some out of date rice? Make beanbags! (Or should I say rice bags?) These beanbags measure 10cm x 15cm (plus 1.5cm seam allowance) and contain one cup of rice each (uncooked!). The material was bought from IKEA in a bundle of scraps that I scored for a couple of dollars. I chose this fabric because of it's strength and of course the pattern - mostly black! Good for hiding the inevitable dirt.
I had been thinking about making these for a while for Missy Moo to play with. I thought it would be an excellent project to get me reacquainted with my machine. I was right. The project was just short enough for me to not get sick of it..... aaaaa, patience. Was that on my New Year's Resolution list?

There are an endless number of games and uses for these little bags and I can't wait for Moo to wake up so we can try them out!

New Year's Resolutions interspersed with holiday snaps

• Be 4 dress sizes smaller
  
• Get a tummy tuck so I don't have to look at my empty baby house any longer
  
• Win lotto
  
• Have another baby that my husband can carry for over 42 weeks (that's TWO PLUS weeks overdue) and then labour for 3 days for instead of me. He can also do the recovering for 6 weeks part too. Oooo and the waddling and rolling out of bed 'cause you can't sit up.....

OK, none of the above is realistic (or possible! ; ) so I will stick to some things that I can actually do;

• eat healthily
• exercise more
• de clutter the house
• stick to my budget
• sew more
• be organised
• be kind to myself and my family

That should do it. I have so many things in my head because I've been on holidays for 2 weeks and what do you do when you're on holidays with 'nothing' to do? Sit around and think of things to do when you get home!

(This picture reminds me of a Rothko....)

For some more tangible, able to be crossed off a list goals:

• Paint the front room
• Remove the wallpaper from the hall and paint
• Paint all the skirting boards, door frames and doors in white gloss. (Currently dark wood).
• Install two sky lights, one in each end of the hall
• Insulate the entire house - ceilings and floors
• Weed and mulch the garden so it doesn't look like hill billies live here
• Get some storage. Clean out some cupboards and wardrobes
• Finish the bathroom (sanding and painting, glass shower screen to be installed)
  

If only I could cross the 'win Lotto' off the list I wouldn't have to worry about any of the rest.....
I'm just thinking it's a good thing I have an entire year to do these things!


And while I'm making lists. Here is a sewing goal list;

• Learn how to do button holes on my old fan dangled machine
• Try knitting again (for the millionth time)
  
• Make husband a winter hat using the giant knitting Nancy Mum bought me for Christmas (thanks Mum!)
• Try drafting some patterns from my Enid Gilchrist books and making them up
• Use some of the vintage patterns I've bought
• Make a list of handmade presents I can make for people this year for their birthdays and have them made in advance so I don't have to stay up until 2am the night before......
• Practice putting in zippers neatly
• Win Lotto and buy a fancy new machine and an overlocker. (Lotto is really featuring here....might help if I actually bought a ticket! ha ha ha)

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  

ooooooo

OK, I can't remember now which Blog I found this via but here it is; Top 100 Tutorials of 2008 on The Long Thread!
And here's one for making you own BabyLegs!!!!!
I'm sooooo wishing for toddler free time to get sewing.....

Next project

Well, a new year calls for some new projects. Project number one (I think...) is to make this pattern (to the right) using this orange and yellow vintage sheet (courtesy of Wonthaggi and Phillip Island op shops).



Then, I think the Amy Butler Barclona skirt using this sheet:
And I'm not sure what to do with this Sesame Street sheet. I think appliqued onto denim and made into a little top? Or on a T? I've got a whole single bed sheet of them so I could do that AND more!

Here is my other op shop score.....


With a few inspiring patterns.....

And these, just because I love the illustration....

It's a pity I can't get my hands on the publication advertised on the back of the book......
Now there's some inspiration for the whole year!~ : )

Happy 2009

Well, we've just got back from a lovely beach holiday - thanks to our parents who put up with us invading their homes and beach houses! I'm going to write more about new years resolutions, what we got up to on our break etc over the next couple of days but for now, here is a taster....

We arrived home after lunch today so the afternoon has been spent busily unpacking, doing load after load of washing and tidying the house after our Christmas party. We left almost immediately so bar tidying up anything that would be gross by the time we got back we didn't really clean up much..... fun fun fun.
On the happy crafting front I picked up three vintage sheets in the op shops at Wonthaggi - one orange and yellow floral, one blue and purple floral and one vintage sesame street (pre Elmo) which I LOVE! I found a cute pattern (circa 1975, size 3 girls dress/jumper found in Phillip Island oppy) that I can't wait to get a start on in the coming days. Got a whole roll of black bias tape for a couple of dollars (Phillip Island Country Women's Assoc.) and a couple of bags of buttons. Oooo, and I also picked up an Enid Gilchrist baby/toddler pattern book ($2) which I am also very excited about......

We're almost there!

What we're NOT having...... how funny is this! Frozen Christmas dinner - Swedish style.

I've done the grocery shopping for Christmas. My kitchen is buried and I am writing a list of things that I can prepare today, what needs to be done tomorrow and what needs to be finished off at the last minute. (We're partying here on Christmas Eve.) I always write a list of what we are eating because otherwise I inevitably forget something in the back of the fridge until everyone's gone home. At Moo's first birthday I made lollie bags for everyone and didn't realise I'd given them out until most people had left..... D'oh.
MIL is doing a baked ham and BIL a roast pork with crackling. SIL a chocolate cake and me a layered ice-cream cake with berries on top. We're also having meatballs, Janssons frestelse, Gravlax, prinskorv, salads and all that. I'm even making punch! My Aunt is bringing cheeses and cold meats from the Yarra Valley and it's going to be awesome! Writing this is getting me all excited so I'm going to go and start cooking. Happy holidays everyone!

Boo

I can't believe I have the most disgusting cold in the world. *Blah*
All my plans out the window......
BUT, I did manage to pop into the op-shop on my way to the chemist to get cough medicine this morning. (Before I started feeling too awful.)When I was in there a man came in with a bag of darling little aprons/smocks handmade by his mother who used to sell them at markets. The poor old dear had 'done a hip' and wasn't doing markets anymore so 'the goods' were given to the oppie. I bought 3 because my little Moo is the messiest girl I know and we have bought her an easel and other art supplies for Christmas. They will make a wonderful addition to her loot. Yay! Op-shop Gods smiling on me again : )

No need to call Fox Mulder from the X-files

If you were thinking of calling the police this morning because you saw me ironing the bed linen I urge you not to do so. Although it may appear that I have been abducted by aliens and replaced by some weird cleaning and ironing freak I can assure you that this is not the case. I'm not sure what has caused this anomaly but I kind of like it so please don't do anything silly and call the authorities.

Time wasting

I scored an 'A' in high school. A 'high distinction' at uni. All homework sessions were preceded by a room and desk tidy. Pencil sharpening and sorting. Flower picking and arranging in a vase on my desk. Now I'm no longer studying I've had to branch out from desk tidying to other activities.
Tonights procrastination session was catching up with this year's Julkalender. I watch it every year. It's a 15 min program for children that run's from the 1st of December until Christmas - hence the name 'Christmas calander.' I have to admit I even laugh at the corny jokes.
I love time wasting.

What is the world coming too????

I was very sad this evening to read that new US regulations on toys and childrens' products will make handmade toys, clothing, nappies and baby carriers illegal as of February.
It's America you say, you don't need to worry. Well, given that we in Australia just love to follow everything stateside and have ourselves become a litigious society it may not be long before these kind of laws come into effect here. I know it's for safety but gees! I have kids. I think I can judge what is safe and not safe. Just take a look at some of the 'safe' toys for sale in the $2 shop made of crappy plastic and containing God knows what and made in sweatshops in third world countries. Rant. Rant. Rant.

If you're in need of a smile....

... check out this cute video of 5mth old Moo having a giggle.

Whenever I need a laugh I sneak a peek. : )

I think I might be back.....

.... but we'll see! We're right in the middle of the craziest time of the year. I've been busy getting ready with our first Christmas gathering this Sunday (Dad's family). Mum's family is next Saturday and my mother in law's birthday bash is on the Sunday. We have Christmas Eve (Julafton) at our place, breakfast at hubby's Dad's and then it's down to my parents on the Gippsland Lakes. In between this I'm learning to drive, (Watch out! Don't worry, I'm taking driving lessons with dual control....), baking, making space in the house for guests and getting all the presents are ready. Digging out entire rooms from under accumulated debris (Moo's toys) and dust, toast crumbs and God know what. Home made cards too. Am I crazy?
Now, as to where I have been for the past little bit.... More than a few weeks ago we found out we were expecting munchkin #2 but the happiness only lasted a few weeks and so I have been recovering both emotionally and physically. Not only that but my father in law and his wife have been away and when they are not here I take care of his business. My FIL imports parts for large transformers - the kind that are on the electrical grid - quite technical but thankfully I'm not required to be an electrical engineer! I did do physics in year 12 but that's as far as it goes! Anyhoo, that requires time when Moo is sleeping for emails, phone calls, receiving goods, repacking them and sending them around the country. Business has been booming with storms in QLD and NSW. But I bore you!
On the craft front.... I haven't done any sewing but have baked Christmas presents and used Martha's site for some packaging ideas. Moo did fingerpainting and I framed them for the Grandparents. Pics to follow.
So, Happy Christmas crafting and here's to me getting my (crafting) mojo back!

Bugger.

Having a bit of a personal crisis. Going to take a break for a little bit but will be back soon! Promise.

This is........ three weeks of 'This is.....'

This is 'something I'm surprised I like.'
Oh, I can't believe I'm even admitting this. I like Quarter Pounders from McDonalds international evil empire. We mostly eat organic food but there's just something about the cheesy, oniony, pickly taste of a quarter pounder that I can't resist. The bun is so soft and sweet and disgusting - how could I????? Yes, I am surely surprised that I like it.

This is 'a favorite recipe I would like to share.'
From my Grandma:

COFFEE OAT BALLS.
1 cup rolled oats
4oz margarine
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 cup coconut
1 tablespoon instant coffee
Cooking chocolate
Walnuts

Cream icing and margarine. Add all other ingredients. Roll into balls. Place in freezer for 1 hour.

Dip in melted chocolate, place a walnut on top to decorate. Store in refrigerator.

This is 'my favorite quote.'
I used to have so many quotes that I like but these days I have to be honest and say that I don't really think about it that much. Let me think....
I remember reading this quote before I had children and thinking that it was nice. Now that I'm a Mum this quote can easily bring a tear to my eye.....

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
Elizabeth Stone

Now, I am going to try really hard to keep up with 'This is....' from now on. Promise.

And to make me smile.

My Moo who thinks Mummy's sunglasses are waaaaay cool!~

Busy busy busy

Do you ever feel like you've been crazy busy but when you try to think what you've done you can't think of anything? I feel like that today. The past few weeks have been mayhem. I'd like to blame the bathroom but I'm not a plumber or a carpenter and haven't had all that much to do with it really. I guess it is time consuming talking to the tradies and letting them know exactly what we want, making decisions and the like..... And having a building site in the middle of your house isn't exactly good feng shui (or pungsu if you are Korean!)
I've also been really tired which hasn't helped. A few days I have had to go and lie down when Annie has her nap because I just can't function. Hopefully this will pass soon!
There's been a lot of washing to catch up on. The weather has been bad and with Annie having been sick there was her extra washing that got priority which caused me to run out of undies on the weekend. D'oh.
Hubby has been doing uni assignments so he hasn't been helping as much as he usually does either. *blah* I hope I can be more organised soon. Before I loose my marbles.....
And, if you didn't manage to guess from the feeling of this post, there has been NO crafting done here. My sewing machine (poor thing) is sitting on top of the heater in the dining room. Looking all lonely and forlorn.....

Things have been crazy around here.....

More 'before' shots.

I removed the wallpaper above the tile line....

Our 'beautiful' bathroom light and ventilation doodah.... thankfully no longer residing here.
The hole in the floor, and you can't see it well here, but the electrical outlet right under the shower taps was quite 'interesting.' Whoever did this bathroom originally should be punished!

Days one and two: Ugly light removed! Woo hoo! Sheeting for the tiles put up and water proof membrane painted on. Plumber came and checked out all the pipes etc before the tiles went up.

Hole in the floor fixed, shower base installed. We are having a completely tiled floor with a drain in the bottom for the shower. The shower frame will be glass that sits directly on the tiles.

IXL fan/light/heat lamp installed and dangerous electrical outlet removed. Second outlet moved so it is not so close to the sink - illegal as it was! Day three: tiles start to go up. The pencil tiles make a line that extends around the whole room. The colour is 'taupe.'

Whole in the roof patched up....

Now in day four so I will update again later....

YUK!

Moo was really sick this week. You could have filmed a remake of 'The Exorcist' at our house.

**insert horrifying picture here**

Poor little thing was so shocked and appalled every time she was sick. We had two very sleepless nights but I am glad to say that things are back to normal now and our cheeky 'diving from sofa into beanbag' monkey is back and smiling!

Dress

Do you think I could get the model to be still???? NO WAY!

This dress is from Amy Butler's, Little Stitches for Little Ones. I finished it a while back but gave it to my Mum to do the button holes because my machine is old and annoying. The size is 12mths and Moo is 18 mths so it's a little short. But she's skinny so it fits - just. I didn't make it for her though so it's alright......
I was very pleased with myself for making a fully lined dress. The patterns are so easy to follow in this book so I am glad that I bought it.

Sugar soap is not so sweet

So, there has been little done on the crafting front as I have been fighting the wallpaper in the bathroom and there are only so many hours in the day. I've finished half the bathroom and have only got to sugar soap off the rest of the glue off the walls. YUK! It takes a LOT of elbow grease to get that stuff off the walls and I have to do it while standing on a ladder and concentrating so as to not fall off! I managed to spill a giant bucket of warm soapy water off the top of the ladder so it was a good thing we have giant holes in the floor....... *yikes*
In other bathroom news we have ordered and paid for the tiles - unpolished dark concrete for the floors, white gloss on the walls and taupe pencil tiles as a border around the whole room. I borrowed a crow bar off my FIL and have taken the skirting boards off. I had a look at the shower base and it's not even stuck down!! So, that will be easy to remove. And then it's just the floor boards which I will do next weekend. ~PHEW~

Check it out.

My brother in law's website is up and running. Mike's work is awesome and you can see it here.
His next exhibition will be in December with the next solo exhibition being in May next year.
GO MIKE! (Yep, I like to cheer for my friends and family!)

Stay at home Mum. Chef. Accountant. Project Manager.

Feed baby and husband. Check.
Feed self. Check.
Turn on Sesame Street and The Night Garden to keep kid quiet while on the phone. Check.
Tax return. Check.
Call Centrelink. Check.
Wait forever to talk to someone. Check.
Get annoyed. Check.
Order tiles. Check.
Call Bunnings. Check.
Call glazier. Check.

And it's not even 10. I think it's time for a cup of tea!

It may not be craft but it's makin'

I put together the vanity for our new bathroom!

All by myself and without messing up the instructions! Good thing I was educated at a technical school and know how to use a screwdriver. My time in Sweden taught me how to appreciate sitting down for coffee and a kanelbulle (cinnamon bun) and also how to interpret IKEA assembly instructions......

Now all we need is walls and a floor - yep - that is the underneath of our house you're looking at there! Hopefully there are no elves or trolls living under there......or come to think of it - SPIDERS~~~

Soon to be ripping out the floor and old shower base. Sugar soaping the walls and then it's all up to Mr Tradey to do the rest. Can't wait!

Impromptu fun

Last week I spied what I suspected to be asbestos in our 'to be reno-ed' bathroom. I called the asbestos man who confirmed my suspicions and so they came on Saturday morning to clean up. This meant that we were banished from our house at 8am - Moo and I were still in bed when they rocked up!
So, what do you do on a weekend morning at 8am? Go and have a lovely cooked breakfast made by someone else! Woo hoo~~ Moo and I shared a 'Big ass breakfast.' (I didn't call it that. It was on the menu!)
After we got the all clear we had a home pit stop and after parting with a few hundred hard earned dollars trotted off to IKEA. We managed to stick to our list and picked up the vanity/sink, towel rails and mirror without incident and without any talk of divorce. Hubby actually felt like looking around (what kind of miracle was that!!??) so we looked around and dreamt about kitchens and window seats and an organised wardrobe. *sigh*
When we got home hubby said, 'I feel like having a BBQ.' So, we ended up having a nice relaxed Saturday evening BBQ. Beer. Irish cider. Steaks. Lemon and herb fish. Kartoffel salat. Friends. Fun.
Sunday morning hubby was really getting antsy that he had not started his homework (part time uni student) but he also admitted that he was suffering from a severe case of procrastination. Then the phone rang. BIL rang and asked if he could come over with the family (new nephew!) We asked them to stay for lunch and MIL come over too. We enjoyed some family time. Moo and her cousin rough housed (and nearly broke the joint!) and I had the perfect excuse not to make tea for everyone - a tiny one week old nephew asleep in my arms.....
For a weekend that had no plans it turned out to be exceptionally fun.

And I just noticed.....

.... that I've had my 1001st visitor. That's exciting!

I guess.....

This is......

... my favorite film(s). I have sooo many favorite films I just wouldn't know were to begin. So, here are a few favorites....

Garden State


You me and everyone we know


The Wedding Singer


Friends with money


The movie that I can never think of the title of and I always call, 'The film were the main character can hear the narrator.You know.....' I believe it's called 'Stranger Than Fiction.'Will Ferrel's character says he can hear 'a voice talking about me, accurately and with a better vocabulary.'



Also a big Tarantino fan. I love a good horror film - my favorite is 'The Shining' but no one does horror like the Japanese. The Hollywood versions don't cut it for me.
Don't mind an old movie or two, Hitchcook or Ingmar Bergman. Dam Busters.....

This week's 'This is...' was brought to you by Hokey.

Perfect

This morning Moo had creche. I dropped her off and then went to a local cafe and had a freshly squeezed OJ, a toasted croissant and a coffee. Sat and munched and drank and read 'The Financial Review.' Enjoyed the peace and quiet and the fact that no one was pulling on my leg saying,' Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!'
Got home and my bestis was there with her son 'O' and we walked together to pick up Moo. After arriving home we made picnic food. Got out the picnic rug and ball etc and went to a local park. We ate fruit, apple and cinnamon bread and strawberry yoghurt. Then we all went and played in the playground.
When we finally made it home (the kids wanted to stay!) we watched bestis' DVD of her little 12 week fetus rolling around.

The sun is shining. The house is quiet. So much to be happy for today.
Ooooo, and it's Friday!! Tomorrow we are buying all the stuff for our NEW BATHROOM!!!!
Woo hoooooooo~~

A Kodak moment

My BIL and SIL and my newest nephew, Ollie.

Where would I be without my Mum.....

... I certainly wouldn't have this choc-chip banana cake recipe!

180g butter
180g raw sugar
1 banana
3 eggs
180g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
100g dark chocolate bits

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and flour (or line) a standard size loaf tin.
Cream the butter and sugar. Mash the banana and then beat it into the creamed butter and sugar. Sift the flour and baking powder into a separate bowl. Lightly beat the eggs in another bowl. Add 1/3 of the egg mixture to the butter mix. Beat. Add one third of the wholemeal flour. Beat. Alternate with the remaining egg and flour, beating between. Mix in the chocolate chips and pour into the cake tin. Bake for 45 mins or until a cake skewer comes out clean.

It's wholemeal and has bananas, right? Can't be that bad..... (?!)

Not a huge fan of green beans.....but.....

... we got a heap of them in this weeks Organic box. I searched on the internet for some recipes and found one for green beans with mustard vinaigrette. I modified it a little so here is my version:

Blanche and then plunge into cold water 2 handfuls of beans.

Make the vinaigrette by combining the following in a jug:

• 1 small squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp of mustard (I used German 'cause I like it but seeded would be better)
• 2 tbs ground almonds
• a small amount of crushed garlic (to your taste) I used the juice only from one clove.
• a pinch of sugar or other sweetener
  
• season to taste with salt and pepper

Pour an appropriate amount of the vinaigrette over the beans (enough to lightly coat) and serve. You could make it look pretty by sprinkling some slivered almonds over the top.

The vinaigrette probably makes a little too much for the amount of beans cooked so I ended up putting some in the fridge for tomorrow's bean cook up.

I don't like beans, but these are goooooooood~~~~~ mmmmm

Possibly TMI

OK, I am about to mention feminine hygiene products so if this topic doesn't do it for you stop reading NOW.....

This is a public service announcement. : P

For a while now I have been using a small face washer (folded to make 3 layers) instead of a 'panty liner.' I read about it on a blog and thought that I would try it. For a number of reasons - that I don't like chemicals, that I don't like adding to landfill and that I want to save money and find it outrageous that these 'necessary' items have a 'luxury tax' applied. I initially wanted to buy some cloth liners, then I thought I would make some and then when I came across the 'use a facecloth' post it just seemed like the thing to try first. Initially I was skeptical and I only did it at home but now I am a real convert. So much so that with the left overs from making Moo's fitted cloth nappies I have made some panty liners from toweling.
It's amazing how much fresher it feels. Yes, it actually feels nicer than a disposable pad. I really hate wearing the other one's now. Yuk.
If you change often enough during 'heavier' days you don't leak either (which was a major worry for me!). Because of the texture of the material it doesn't slide around in your undies so you don't need anything to keep it in place. As I already have a bucket in the laundry for soaking bibs and the like I just throw them in there when I am done and then it's into wash. They clean well and I'm not adding to landfill. Makes me feel good ; )
OK, you can't go swimming with it and I wouldn't recommend doing gymnastics....

But, if you dare, try it! You'll never go back. Promise.

It worked!

When Moo woke I up I changed her nappy/diaper to the one I had just whipped up. It was very easy to put on and didn't leak or anything. Yay!~
I am therefore going to make more. After use I am dry pailing and washing them every other day. Works for me. Hopefully we won't use as many disposables now because there will be a heap of easy to use, quick drying cloth bums.