Little Retro House

2012-01-05T16:12:00.000-08:00

Lazy Days at Home

Time here has slowed almost to a stand still.

This week has been pretty much a week spent at home. There has been the occasional local outing and play date for Rhianna but otherwise it's just been doing stuff around the house.

Today Rhianna had a friend over to play and I realised I had almost nothing in the house for morning or afternoon tea.

I quickly whipped up this chocolate brownie from a recipe I found on Melissa Godsells Day to Day blog.

So easy and most of all yummy.

Yesterday we got stuck into some store bought craft projects. What I love about these projects is that I can leave Rhianna to complete them on her own while I get on with other things - mostly housework.

Rhianna has been begging me for pocket money this week so I have assigned her a list of jobs to do around the house.

Yesterday she cleaned the bath and vanity and swept the front drive of leaves.

As it was such lovely cool weather we also took Finn out for a walk.

Rhianna loves to hold him on his lead especially as we pass the house of her latest love interest.

This week Rhianna tells me she is going to marry Jedd.

Boy, I hope not. I can't imagine having a son in law called Jedd.

We learnt the fine art of tea making later in the afternoon.

Followed by a DVD before dinner.

Wasn't this on at the movies in the last school holidays? I can't believe how quickly movies come out on DVD now. Why would you bother blowing all that money to see these movies on the big screen when you only have to wait a few months and they are $5 at the local DVD store?

Of course, there has been a bit of op shopping now and again. But it seems there are no bargains to be had at the moment.

On the down side, we went to the local pool the other day to swim some laps and when Rhianna got out her chest, arms and back were covered in spots.

We had a trip to the doctors to rule out measles and chicken pox but the Dr said she just had a reaction to something in the pool.

I think we'll just swim in our own pool from now on.

And that's it. Just plain, boring old Christmas school holidays.

2012-01-02T19:32:00.000-08:00

We Love the Eastern Suburbs.

Probably because my husband Bill grew up in Paddington and I lived at Randwick for many years, our family loves the eastern suburbs of Sydney. And there is no better time to run amok out there than in Summer when the vibe is great and the scenery to die for.

We headed out there last weekend for no particular purpose - just to take things as they come.

We had an extra passenger this time - my niece, Hayley who is the same age as my daughter Rhianna - very handy.

We headed first to Paddington where we trawled through the Matt Blatt furniture store.

Very retro pieces as you can see and as you can imagine, I was in heaven.

Rhianna and I loved this this egg chair. It was only $1000!!!

We had a quick walk through Paddington markets but have been here plenty of times before so really only stopped for coffee and handmade chocolates.

Then it was across the street to the pub for a toilet break and a drink.

Most pubs look pretty much the same so I didn't take a photo but I thought this was an interesting idea in the the girls loo.

For $2 you can straighten your hair.

Now, I may not get around very much but I have never seen this before and think it's a brilliant idea.

It would also save you $300 on a GHD.

Bill then took us to Redleaf pool at Double Bay. He spent many boyhood days here and was thrilled to be able to bring Rhianna here.

Isn't it picture postcard perfection?

The girls couldn't wait to get in for a swim.

The best bits of this pool are the large platform that surrounds the pool which is great for jumping off and the 2 pontoons in the middle of the pool which are fun to swim out to and pose on.

That's Bill in the middle and the 2 girls off to the left sitting down.

Love, love, love doing this kind of stuff in Summer.

2012-01-01T22:06:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012

Boy, are we ever in holiday mode around here.

We usually get up around 9am or sometimes closer to 10. We muck around doing not a lot of anything before eating around 11am. We spend some days kicking around the house and then we go out for an adventure the next day. Today we stayed at home, lazing around.

Rhianna got caught up on some of her favourite blogs and games.

She has a mini "study" set up for the holidays in front of the telly.

Much creative work goes on while Hannah Montana blares out across the room.

God help me....

There has been much discussion about whether we should drink or save these bottles of marketing genius.

We've had a few very heated rounds of this new board game that we got as a family for Christmas. So much fun. I can highly recommend this game.

Rhianna has found some unusual ways to entertain herself including a bucket bath.

No idea why she would do this when she has a perfectly good pool right next to her.

We've spent a lot of time opening new Christmas presents such as this pottery wheel Rhianna received from her brother Broc.

Thanks Broc!!!!!

It was lots of fun to try and produce a pot from the damn thing though.

It wasn't long before we realised we needed to have our hair tied back and some sort of apron on.

Silly Mummy!

Rhianna and I tidied her room, put the new toys away and did a huge declutter. Looks bare now ready for the new year and all the junk that will bring with it.

And lastly a quick trip home to check on my parents, who along with myself, had a horrendous 2011. It was quite an emotional time (for reasons I won't go into here) so I spent a bit of time walking up and down this old childhood beach.

Looking forward to a wonderful 2012. Hope you are too.

2011-12-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Bloggy Christmas

Finally we have adapted to school holiday time.

Rhianna has stopped asking me to amuse her every second minute, we are sleeping in till 9am every morning and then doing much pottering around the house and local area to keep us busy.

It's the lovely time of year when there seems to be time to do almost everything. No routine, no have to be places, nothing essential that really needs doing. We just lumber from one random activity to the next.

As Christmas Day is fast approaching with visitors arriving and parties to go to, Rhianna and I got our toes into the Christmas spirit with a bit of Red Red nail polish.

While we waited for the nail polish to dry, it was a good opportunity for a spot of reading .

With all the rain we've been having it's hard to get out and about as you never know when you are going to get caught in a shower. But Rhianna has been busting to get out on her razor scooter so we braved the elements and went for a walk/ride down by the Nepean River.

As you can see the view was pretty ordinary. The weather was overcast, the water a very dull grey and nobody is out and about. Hardly feels like Summer at all.

Nearby to the river walk is a park that we had not visited before. It too was deserted. We had a nice play on the equipment and worked off some energy before heading home again.

On the way home Rhianna asked if we could stop at the library. This is another thing that we rarely get time to do, so I thought "Why not?" We spent ages in there selecting some books, magazines and even a DVD to watch. Such good value at absolutely nothing!!!!!

I'm making some truffles for Christmas Day this year. I found a new recipe called Chocolate Fruity Truffles. We got busy last night after dinner. Such good fun when the recipes are really easy like this and with no cooking involved.

Bill arrived home quite late but it doesn't matter at the moment because there are no bedtimes to adhere to. We can all stay up late chatting and laughing into the night. Here I am getting my Christmas cheer on - with a little bit of help from a glass of red.

Merry Christmas from our little retro house.

2011-12-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

Can you tell a book by its cover?

Summer holidays are the best time to get stuck into some reading. I wonder what you can tell about a person from what they read. Let's have a look at what is on my beside table at the moment. I always have a stack of stuff to read. Reading is my favourite thing to do - besides eating chocolate ice cream.

First up is my beloved Frankie magazine.

I love, love, love this mag as it's full of other dags just like myself who are trying to be creative.

Plus the writing is just so, so good. Even Bill loves to have have a flick through this one. It has a little bit of craft, a bit of cooking, stuff to buy, home decorating that is just like mine. It's just fab.

Another mag I love is G magazine. It's all environmental stuff and organic stuff and simple living and frugality and heaps of ideas on how to reduce your carbon footprint. Just stuff that floats my boat really.

I am super excited that Tintin has been made into a movie as it's one of my favourite sets of books from my childhood.

We used to go to The Entrance Library every Friday afternoon and I would always try to borrow Tintin books.

Yesterday in the city we had a stroll around Dymocks and Bill bought me a Tintin book. It is going to be the first one in my new collection. There are 24 in the set. I know it's quite an acquired taste but I do love a bit of nostalgia.

A new book on the bedside table this week. It's got fantastic reviews. It's a bit of a sociology/anthropology book about the lack of interaction between kids and nature these days and the consequences of that lack of interaction. Can't wait to get into this one.

But it's not all heavy going.

Another new book on the bedside table is this bit of chick lit. I can't even remember what it's about but it sounded good in the book shop. I'll take this one away camping with us in January as I suspect it's the kind of book you can read while you cook sausages on a campfire.

What are you reading now?

Any recommendations?

Am I the biggest dag you've ever known?

2011-12-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

How can you blog without a camera?

We had a lovely weekend. Unfortunately for various reasons, I didn't take one photo of any of it.

We had my sister-in-law and her hubby and kids over for drinks on Saturday night. But I told my husband Bill it was his turn to host and promptly put my feet up. That of course meant I didn't get around to taking any photos.

On Sunday we travelled into the city to see the David Jones window display, the new kid's park at Darling Harbour and to have lunch with relatives at Cockle Wharf.

This time I actually did take the camera with me. I took it out and got lots of great photos with it. Then when I got home I realised I had left the memory card plugged into the computer. So no photos of yesterday either.

Very sad......

A post is just not a post without the pictures is it?

2011-12-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

School Holidays Day 1

We're off to a great start with the school holidays.

Miss R has commenced the festive season by promptly becoming ill. She has some sort of gastro bug along with a delightfully productive cough.

At least I can leave her huddled up on the lounge for the day and not have to worry about missed school and after school sport.

It's also fabulous weather to be sick at the moment. I, myself am sitting here in a jumper as I write this post and I'm loving it. There will certainly be enough long, hot Summer days for me in January and February I'm sure.

When Rhianna does manage to haul herself off the lounge we are going to attend to this little monstrosity.

This is what I call the end of school typhoon. When teachers like to send home 12 months worth of crap, I mean valuable teaching outcomes and leave the mothers to assimilate it into the house.

Or into the garbage - as is the case at our house!

We also need to make some much needed room for the new things Santa may bring.

And as you know, I do like a good clean out.

My quilt is coming along slowly. I have sewed the squares together into strips - 9 in all. The next step is to join the strips to complete the top of the quilt cover.

Yesterday I felt quilty looking at my very expensive organic carrots wilting sadly in the crisper.

So I found a recipe for carrot cake and got to work. The result was this fantastic cake. The icing was a mixture of cream cheese and icing with some orange zest and juice. So yummy. I will never eat a Sara Lee carrot cake again now I know how easy and yummy the real thing is.

My next baking experiment will be a Christmas Cake from a lovely recipe from Busy Mum's blog. Check out her blog - link on the right hand side of my blog for some great tips on making the perfect Xmas Cake.

2011-12-12T16:26:00.000-08:00

Crazy Christmas Time

It's getting crazy busy here and I bet it is at your place too.

Packages are arriving daily as I did most of my shopping online this year.

We have come to love seeing the courier and the postman cross our driveway.

For a bit of sustainable shopping there is nowhere on the planet like Etsy. If you have no idea

what Etsy is, well I'm afraid there is just no hope for you. Etsy is THE place for retro, recycled,

homemade and vintage loveliness.

Here is a crocheted afghan I received last week.

You know I am mad and obsessed with crochet so I couldn't wait till Christmas Day I had to

have it out and proud on my lounge today.

On Saturday we did a spot of fashion designing. Rhianna created the designs for her new bear

and I assisted with the sewing up of said creations. I LOVE that she loves craft the way I do.

Please notice the bears' earrings. Red felt hearts. Bet you want some now too right?

Is everybody eating as many cherries as we are at the moment?

One of my best friends came for a visit Saturday night. Here are the kids swapping presents

beside the tree. Then we all went out for dinner which made a nice change from eating in - and

so much less clean up. I might make it the new tradition.

Bill got a bit creative with the rope lights this year next to the pool. It says "LOVE" in case you

are having trouble deciphering.

Probably a good time to mention how much I love that man. Too, too beautiful for words.

And also from Etsy some Pyrex dishes. Just the orange ones, the white ones are from local op shops.

If there is anything more retro than orange pyrex I am yet to find it.

2011-12-07T16:34:00.000-08:00

Around the House Today

I don't know what the weather is like in your neck of the woods but where I live it's down right depressing at the moment.

Lots of clouds, rain and cold temperatures. Day after day after day.

Today I gave into temptation and snuggled myself up on the lounge for a bit of unusual telly watching.

Of course, I always have my sidekick, Finn with me.

And even Finn looks depressed by the weather and the lack of walkies happening around here today.

It was the perfect weather to try out one of my new purchases from Ikea - a little ironing board to put out when I am doing my sewing. Because space is so limited in my house it's great not having a huge ironing board taking up valuable room.

I got out some of my fabrics and gave them a good press as I intend to start on my quilt cover next week.

I thought I might show you what's happening on my mantle since we're in this area of the house.

I've had some new additions which I don't think I've shown you yet.

The little deer and cart are an Etsy purchase. I had him in my favourites for over a year as I thought he was too expensive.

But then the seller had a sale and well, I just head to bring him home to Australia.

Next to him is an old camera Bill bought off Ebay and the start of my Penguins classic book collection. I'm determined to do a bit more high brow reading next year.

So far I've read Catcher in the Rye, Jane Eyre and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

But this is my brand new love and it didn't cost me a cent.

Mum has had this vase since she got married. I remember it on her dressing table when I was a little girl. Last time I went home to see Mum and Dad, Mum gifted it to me. I can't tell you how much I love this vase. Not only because it's so lovely but because it reminds me so vividly of my childhood.

Thanks Mum.

With all this wet weather, the house is smelling a bit musty and damp. I've lit a couple of burners around the house today to keep things smelling sweet. In this burner I have some organic soy musk oil. It smells divine.

The I went in to vacuum Rhianna's bedroom and had to laugh when I saw that her bravery bear was wearing her new Christmas earrings. Thought I'd share it with you too.

2011-12-05T15:05:00.000-08:00

Simple Living

As I have finished all my Christmas shopping except for the fresh food I will need on Christmas day, I am staying well and truly away from all large shopping centres.

Luckily we have a small IGA in our local area which doesn't get too busy for day to day needs but as for going near a Westfield plaza - forget it!

Time to get on with some of the craft projects that have been sitting in the cupboard.

One of the easy and quick things I wanted to do was to dress up some of my plain pillowcases.

I like to buy white pillowcases as they are so easy to napisan back to a lovely fresh white again.

But they are oh, so boring.

I picked up a fat quarter in Big W a few months ago with the intention of adding it as a border to some white pillowcases I already had.

Just a bit on the entry side of the pillowcase.

Makes our bed look nice and fresh. Took me about 30 minutes to do the two pillowcases.

The other thing I've been doing a bit of lately is stockpiling.

Firstly, because I hope to avoid the shops as much as I can for the next month and secondly, because the school holidays are approaching and I know I will be grocery shopping with an irritable 8 year old.

Last week, Woolies had this great special on toilet paper. Sixteen rolls for $4. I grabbed two lots.

I also love to grab shampoo and conditioner when it's on sale.

I have absolutely no brand loyalty. I try to buy organic when I can but sometimes the other brands have such good specials it's hard to say no.

My shampoo collection.

I've also gotten back into op shopping. I had given up on it a bit because I wasn't finding much in the stores lately and when I did, I found they were charging too much for vintage items.

But a girlfriend reminded me to just take my time when I'm looking through the stores, don't go looking for a particular item and don't buy anything unless I love it.

Well today I feel in love.

My Nan used to have one of these bags/baskets. Made of fabric with cane looking handles. Nan used to keep her knitting projects in hers. I was walking past the local cancer op shop and saw this in the window. I quickly walked in and snaffled it up for myself.

It's now right next to my bed ready for some Autumn/Winter knitting projects.

And 2012 is going to be the year I learn to crochet. (No laughing)

2011-12-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

Recovering.

Back to the land of the living today - but only just.

The surgery went well but it does tend to knock you around a bit.

I spent yesterday in bed recovering but have managed to get up and about today for a bit of pottering around the house.

Most importantly I had a very nice, long warm shower.

Then off to the kitchen for a coffee and a bit of a read of the paper.

Bill has taken Rhianna and one of her little friends out for the day so I can have some quiet time to recover.

He got the bed sorted for me before he left so I could crawl back in if I need to - bless him.

But I have a little bit of energy, and I do mean a very little bit so I decide to wrap Rhianna's teacher's Christmas present.

I collect some supplies, paper bag, cardstock, paper doily, vintage yoyo and a button.

I cut a circle of cardstock. Sew the yoyo to the doily and glue the whole lot to the paper bag.

Do the same on the back but instead of a yoyo I sew on a large pink love heart button.

Inside the paperbag I have a couple of things made by my friend Emma.

Some lovely papergoods that all teachers love to receive.

After putting them in the bag though, they look a bit meagre so I'll buy a box of chocolates through the week to pad it out a bit.

A nice little Xmas bow to finish things off.

Back to bed now for a little midday sleep.

2011-11-30T16:34:00.001-08:00

A Quiet Day

I'm off to the hospital tomorrow for a day surgery.

Today is all about getting ready for the surgery.

I have to stick to a clear fluid diet today (Oh Joy!!!) and this afternoon I have to take something called Picoprep which will make myself and the bathroom best buddies from now until tomorrow morning. It just gets better and better doesn't it?

So this morning I headed up to the Op shop to drop off some donations.

While I was there I had a little poke around - as you do, and found this board game in brand new condition.

It's called Tipayatung. It's all about remembering the end line of famous sayings and quotes.

I think I'll put it aside to play on Christmas afternoon. It was a whole $3.

I also got some cheap magazines and a book to take to the hospital with me. I know from experience there can be a lot of waiting around.

The book I got for 50 cents is called Choosing Eden.

I have wanted to read this book for ages and was so happy to find it in an Op shop.

It's about a family that turn their backs on the big city lifestyle and go to live in the country to live a much simpler life including growing as much of their own produce as possible.

It is just the right size to pop in my handbag for tomorrow.

This afternoon while I'm taking it easy I'm going to be working on a craft project . I tore this craft page from a magazine ages ago.

Today I've gathered the supplies to have a go at it myself.'

I've made some yoyo's from some vintage scrap material I had lying around.

The cushion was a $5 bargain from a furniture store. I've pinned the yoyo's onto the pillow to get an idea of colour placement and now I just have to sew them all on.

Can't wait to pop it somewhere in the house.

I may be away for a few days while I recover from my surgery.

Will be back as soon as I am able to.

2011-11-29T17:31:00.000-08:00

Simple Pleasures and Somewhere to Sit.

My husband Bill works very long hours. When you run your own business, you can never clock off. Subsequently, we spent very little quality time together through the week.

We do get the odd cup of coffee together in the morning and maybe an hour together in the evening. But with the kids, dinner, showers etc all competing for our time the quality of our interactions leave a lot to be desired.

About a year ago we decided to create an area that was just for us. A place with two chairs, a place to put our coffee and a light to read by. Of course, it all had to feel a bit retro.

We spend most mornings in this spot reading the papers, chatting and having our first coffee of the day. We put in a footstool to put our feet up on. This also doubles as a place for the kids and the dog to come and say hello.

A little table to put coffee cups, papers etc. I used to use the retro phone until it became impractical. Now it's just an ornament. The table also has the triffid style lights that you can manually angle to suit your reading purposes.

I had a little phase of old blighty love during which time I bought this cushion from Etsy.

And this very British poster from Lark.

While I am detesting this Summer weather, I am loving the fresh fruit that is everywhere at the moment. Such a simple pleasure that can really make your day. I got these massive mangoes yesterday for $1 each at the local greengrocer.

With these short life span fruits you really have to eat as much as you can while they are abundant I think.

And last night I received these beautiful roses directly from my father in law's garden.

Bill had been up to the Central Coast for business and popped in to see him and came home with these beauties from his lovely garden.

I don't know which I enjoyed more, the roses or the fact that they were picked especially for me.

2011-11-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas Menu Planning

Christmas day is at my place this year for the first time since we moved to the Blue Mountains four years ago. I am looking forward to planning the menu for the big day.

Yesterday I got my Christmas planner out that I made last year and had a bit of a flick through for ideas.

Last week I saw that the 4 ingredients girls had a new book out for Christmas.

I am all for having lovely but easily prepared food ready to go for Christmas Day.

This months SFI magazine has lots of lovely and very easy recipes. I am planning to make the salted caramel truffles from this magazine.

It's nice to have something to go with coffee when we play some board games in the afternoon.

I also love the Coles and Woolies free store magazines that come out around Christmas time.

They are great to flick through for menu inspiration.

So after all the research I have the following menu planned:

Breakfast: bacon and eggs

Starter: brushetta

Lunch: Turkey Breast with brie, bacon and spinach stuffing
Roast trio of vegies
Asparagus wrapped in proscuitto.

Dessert: Plum pudding and brandy custard

With coffee: caramel salted truffles
Fruity chocolate truffles.

2011-11-26T18:08:00.000-08:00

Retro Lounging

Today was a quick trip down to Ikea to collect a new shagpile rug for my little retro loungeroom.

I really love this room because it's so cosy, especially at nightime and in Winter when we all snuggle on the lounge together.

The Christmas tree went up yesterday.

Next to that is an oil painting we bought in New York this year. Not at all retro but reminds us daily of the fantastic holiday we had there in June.

Some of my recent finds include this fabulous retro orange bowl which I found at a flea market while on holidays at my Mums' place.

I actually haggled, for the first time ever and got the lady on the stall to reduce the bowl from $30 to $15.

This tapestry was a vintage Etsy buy.

Now, I'm not saying I'm into bull fighting which of course I am totally not but these types of prints were prolific in the 60's and 70's and I adore the tapestry feel and the colours. It also stops the house from looking too feminine which it is always in danger of with me and Rhianna crafting away.

This very cute little footstool is from Ebay. Miss R uses this a lot to sit on and play with in the loungeroom.

Some of my retro glassware which at the moment is sharing space with the Christmas bits and pieces.

More retro vases which I've picked up in Op shops and the little canister with the lid is truly a retro piece from the 1970's. We keep the air conditioner remote in it as I hate remote controls lying around the loungeroom.

Little Finny loves the new rug. Maybe because he looks like he is made out of the same shagpile.

2011-11-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

Diaries, Donations and a Day Out.

The diary

One of my friends that does a lot of travelling gave me the idea to keep a travel diary in our car.

In it you can write a mini review of the places that you have been.

I was keen to make one to keep in our new camper van.

Of course, I had to craft it up a bit first. I gathered my supplies. Notebook, contact and some colourful pages from one of my vintage caravan magazines.

Here is the finished product. I knew all those years of covering books for school would come in handy for my own projects one day.

One of the pages I have completed already.

On one side of the page, I wrote the date we went away and the camp site we had.

I include details about the amenities and what was good to keep Miss R entertained (crucial info as far as I am concerned as a bored child equals no relaxation for Mumma).

I put in the best and worst things about the place we stayed as well as any site we would prefer to have next time so if we ever go again we might get a better spot.

On the opposing page I put any paper work that relates to the park we stayed in.

In this case, I've included the park site map and the rules that apply in the park.

I hope it will be a handy reference in the camping years ahead.

The Donation

Miss Rhianna earned herself $300 through a challenge she did this year.

At the beginning of the year I promised her $100 if she did not eat nor ask to eat McDonalds fast food. When her Dad heard of this challenge he said he would throw in a further $200.

Well, I am happy to say she made it easily through the year with not one cheeseburger crossing her lips.

She was super excited about having $300 in her hot little hand and we talked about a trillion things that she could buy with the money. I tried to talk about savings accounts and the like but got shouted down with cries of "No, I want to spend it Mum".

Then, the other night I was tucked up in bed reading the latest Woman's Weekly when a brochure fell out regarding World Vision donations. Rhianna picked it up and asked what it was all about. I explained that you could buy a gift for a family in another country such as a goat or a piglet.

Rhianna read the whole brochure through before announcing she was buying a cow.

A cow for $265.

I thought for sure it would be a two minute wonder and the next morning she would change her mind. But no, she was committed and today a cheque for $265 was posted to World Vision for a cow to be bought and given to a struggling family in a third world country.

I hope we can afford to do this every year and make it a new family tradition.

I can't tell you how proud I am of my daughter as she is not usually one for selfless acts.

Maybe the tide is turning.....

A Day Out

I've had a day out planned with one of my besties, Linda for a while now so when I was up half the night with Rhianna and gastro I thought the day would have to be cancelled.

But lovely girlie days out are few and far between so I bit the bullet, bundled up the girl and headed to Castle Hill, Sydney.

It's about a 40 minute drive from our place and my girlfriend Linda and I used to be neighbours there many years ago. Now I live in the mountains and she has moved to Mona Vale which is by the sea but we catch up at the midway point of our two houses as often as possible.

Of course it had to be pouring with rain and we ran into a traffic jam caused by a road accident but we soldiered on.

Rhianna keep my company by singing me lots and lots of Christmas carols. Did I mention that I made sure I took my anti-anxiety medication BEFORE I left the house.

First stop a coffee and a muffin to fuel ourselves for the fun bit - gift buying for the people we love.

Three hours of shopping later we met said bestie for lunch.

I didn't get time to take a breath let alone a photo of us shopping.

If you haven't started your shopping yet, it might be time to get started - it's getting really crazy out there now.

After a delightful lunch at our favourite cafe Rhianna and I headed back home.

Love, love, love the girlie day out.

2011-11-23T16:57:00.000-08:00

Retro Dining

As well as loving all things retro, I am also very much about the making, the making do and the thrifting.

Today, I thought I'd show you our little dining room.

Here she is in all her glory.

Such a mishmash of colour, style and kitsch. Just the way I love it.

I think you've seen the dining room table and chairs circa 1970 before. They were a second hand furniture store find and in perfect condition.

I had quite a little collection of tins that I've been picking up mostly in op shops and when I saw this old pot holder stand in a local antique store I knew it would be the perfect thing to store my tins on. And the tins are useful too. Rhianna and I can cram quite a lot of craft bits and pieces into those tins.

Some tin love.

This plaque was found in an op shop up near my Mum's house. I've never seen or heard of this saying before but it works for me and it has that genius retro orange trim that I do so love.

This is an Etsy buy but it was in plain old wood grain colour when it arrived. I do love to spray paint and yellow just suited this piece so well. I love it, love it, love it.

This pillow was handmade by myself and honestly, I got the idea and design out of a kid's craft book. I was pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

Very vintage crochet cushion purchased for around $10 from Frou Frou in Springwood.

This stool is actually a WIP. It was just a plain wooden stool from our last (boring) house that I spray painted and I have a lovely lady crocheting a nice little cover for the top of it.

Finally, Finn wanted me to tell you all that he is loving this return to winter weather. The fire is on, the comfy pouffe has been dragged right next to it and we are having lots of cosy hugs on the lounge today. Furthermore, he's just been told that some baking will be happening shortly.

He does so love my sultana pound cake.

2011-11-21T16:48:00.000-08:00

Works In Progress or WIPS

I've finally got my creative mojo back which is kind of a good thing and kind of a bad thing.

The great stuff, is being creative - just so much fun, fun, fun. And fellow creatives out there will know exactly what I am talking about.

The bad bit is the lack of time to do all the fun stuff and still have time for all the dreary stuff like cleaning, cooking and interacting with other members of the human race.

No, there must be a balance.

At the moment I am painting the kitchen and trying to crumb fish for tonight's dinner. Not only is that not the kind of balance you need, It might also be slightly dangerous - like in a food poisoning kind of way.

Meanwhile my lovely retro fabric quilt cover keeps calling my name and begging me to work on her. But not today Josephine....

My glory box, that my Pop made for me when I was 15 wants a make over.

It's currently living in Miss Rhianna's room and is desperate for some colour.

I have such a lovely idea to spruce up this box but I just don't have time to make a start today.....

...because the kitchen reno has been started and must be completed.

Oh what a long drawn out mission this is turning out to be.

I am loving the results but all the painting that must take place. Truly, it's doing my head in.

But I can't stop now with half done and half undone. No, no, no, I. Must. Keep. Going.

I take the cupboard doors off and carry them out to our entertaining area where they get the painting once over, or in their case the twice over.

Have a look at the state of the entertaining area.

I think we have a Xmas party coming up soon and I still have to go into hospital for surgery before that.

How will I ever get this kitchen finished, recover from some medical slicing and dicing and organise a party in the next month?????

Sigh....now onto a completed project.

The little Xmas craft project I mentioned last week.

I stole the idea from this kids craft book.

Truly, that's the level I am at skill wise.

They had some snazzy fabric book covers as a project for 8 year olds. Looked easy enough.

I covered some 2012 diaries for Miss R and I. Using all old scraps I already had lying around in the sewing box. Dead easy.

Just tucked and sewed the ends in.

And then the cover can be taken off and used on a 2013 diary.

So easy and only cost me $10 for the two diaries.

On the retail front I am trying to source a new rug for my loungeroom.

I'm thinking a nice creamy shagpile number. What do you think?

2011-11-20T17:54:00.001-08:00

Weekend Away in Kiama

Our second weekend away in the new camper. I have to say that practice is making perfect as it took a lot less time to set up and put down the camper this time.

We stayed at the Big 4 at Kiama on Easts Beach. We have stayed here before so we are pretty familiar with the set up and amenities.

As well as being right on the beach, about 20 metres from our van, they also have a pool, tennis courts, playground etc. All very nice.

Rhianna took a little friend with her on this trip which was lovely for her. They had great fun trying out the new boogie board in the surf, making friends at the pool and setting up the hammock.

Umm girls, the idea is be OFF the ground.

Right next to our camper was the best fun the girls had all weekend - 'rockclimbing' on the retaining wall.

Sure, it looks dangerous but when you're stuck in a campervan with two eight year old girls all weekend, your definition of dangerous becomes very liberal.

Here is our little camper all set up and sitting very happily in the 28 degree sunshine.

The caravan park was almost full this weekend. We had a very lovely couple next to us who also had a little girl. She quickly made friends with my two and there was much rockclimbing happiness.

On Sunday, most people packed up and left which was fantastic as we felt we had the place to ourselves and played a few ball games and such on the lawn next to the camper.

In between times, I read magazines (of course)...

....and painted toenails. Just look at those little fat sausage toes will ya!!!!!

Bill took the girls off for a scenic walk around the coastline and onto the rock platforms. They were gone for hours and came back with lots of "treasure" - which I can tell you will be in the bin by Tuesday at the latest!

Sunday afternoon we had a catch up with one of my online friends, Libby from one of my favourite blogs: Life is a Journey not a Destination. She brought her lovely husband Kevin and her 2 girls Amy and Kristy with her.

Unfortunately the weather turned nasty in the afternoon and we didn't get to do too much besides watch the girls in the surf and huddle beneath the awning trying not to get wet.

Monday morning, the girls were very disappointed to be leaving . They dawdled over their breakfast and begged to stay another day. We might have been tempted if the weather was nicer.

But no, we packed up and headed home. All in all a very successful second camping trip.

2011-11-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

New Beginning Part 2

A lot has happened in the past 6 months while I have been absent from blogger land. Most of it good, some not so good and some of it tragic. Rather than try and cover all the projects, cooking and events that I was involved with during that time I have decided to maybe just refer to past things as they relate to the here and now. Clear as mud.....alrighty then!

On the home front much has been happening. I am really into the Spring renovation mood at the moment and have decided to fiftify (Look, I just made up a new word) my kitchen a bit more by painting the cabinets.

Luckily my husband allows me these crazy flights of fancy and so off I went with my retro green and antique white paintbrushes.

This, unfortunately is my pantry. Tiny isn't it?

But now looking oh so retro.....

I've started, but not finished the kitchen cabinets.

I have a few health issues with my parents lately and just get done what I can when I can.

I am also onto a new craft project and it's a big one.

I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew here.

I decided to do something with some of my retro fabric stash. I'm going to make a queen sized quilt cover for my bed. Now I've never made one before so it will be a steep learning curve I'm sure.

Today after dropping Rhianna at school I got all my equipment out......

After much cutting, ironing and fluffing about I laid the squares out on my existing quilt cover to see what it was all going to look like. Well, firstly it looks nice which is a relief but I can foresee a lot of sewing coming up.

While I was still feeling a lot of love towards the project I packed it away to do a bit more another day.

We are off on the weekend to sunny Kiama. It's on the south coast of NSW and it's one of our favourite spots.

We recently purchased a camper trailer and this will be it's second outing. The photo below is of our first outing to Narrabeen on the North shore of Sydney where we went to catch up with one of my best friends who has just moved to Mona Vale.

So I shall not be back to blog until Monday at least. I've got a great, cheap and easy Christmas present that I made to share.

New Beginnings

2011-11-17T01:29:00.000-08:00

Well after many months of rest I've decided to restart my blog.

It's such a wonderful way to record our lives and I have to admit to missing it a little bit.

I have renamed my blog to Little Retro House as I feel that this better reflects the tone of not only the blog but my life and those of my family.

It's good to be back.

2011-05-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

Friday Catch-Up

I know, I know, such a long time between drinks but I have such a good excuse.

Umm, I've been busy????

With this delicious Autumn weather I've been crafting and cooking up a storm and just too darn tired to blog about it all.

We've had a fair few days out and some parties to attend which have been lovely but also quite tiring.

So here are a few snapshots of what we have been doing.

A visit to the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour. I love, love, love living as close as I do to Sydney and often take the train in to be a tourist in my own city.

Here I am on the destroyer at the museum playing Captain.

The weather has been so lovely, often you will find Bill and I on a Saturday afternoon sitting on the lounge outside in the sun drinking wine, eating cheese and crackers and reading the weekend newspapers. Ahh, true bliss!!!!

We had the Easter Hat Parade at school - enough said.

I've completed a little project in Rhianna's room.

I bought this chair at a garage sale from a good friend of mine. It was just a basic wooden chair.

I've this week added a bit of life to the old girl using blue spray paint and some stick on white dots.

Just have to finish off with a layer of varnish.

And finally my cooking masterpiece of the week so far - a Brandy Honey Swiss Roll.

I've never made a cake where you had to roll it up before so I was quite nervous but what fun this was to make.

It turned out perfectly, was so easy and tasted divine.

More to come later.

Have a great weekend everybody.

2011-04-27T00:14:00.000-07:00

Last day of the School Holidays

I have to say, I limped to the finish line of these school holidays (hangs head in shame).

This unrelenting bad weather has almost seen me lose my mind.

Luckily I had some "stuff" put aside for just such a hair-pulling day.

I'd previously purchased some very good maths resources from MTA and shoved them in a cupboard till a day when we really needed something to entertain us.

These weighing scales and cuisenaire rods really fit the bill today.

We had a lovely couple of hours mucking around with them. And the best bit? Rhianna was actually learning some stuff. And there was no glitter, glue or paint involved. I mean, I love my craft as much as the next girl. But honestly, if I had to glue another pom pom onto anything I would have screamed!!!!

Then, I kid you not, I played hide and seek, colouring in, shops, make-overs and did the grocery shopping.

I'm exhausted.

But I try to cherish every second with my girl because I know how quickly this time will pass and I want to store as many beautiful memories as I can.

The cuisenaire rods came with a little booklet with math activities to try. Today was all about exploring them and having fun but this book may give us some direction for future activities.

Love how colourful the rods are.

Because I'm tired and feeling lazy tonight, I decided to fill the rest of this post with my recent op shop finds.

I scored some good stuff up at the op shops near Mum at Toukley.

Toukley is a little town on the Central Coast of NSW full of retirees, so it just makes sense that the op shops there are top notch as much new stock comes in daily.

First up, a genuine Nally 1960's biscuit barrel in mint condition - $7. Bargain.

A 1960's yellow vase - $12.

Handpainted cream and sugar set - This was for my vintage sideboard. ($2)

Another cute little ceramic Japanese deer - $3.

I now have three in my "collection". Who knew collecting was so much fun?

Tomorrow Rhianna is back to school and the big clean up begins.

2011-04-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

Make and Bake

Well I did say I am in love with all things British and as luck would have it, I awoke to some very English weather today. Drizzle, drizzle, drizzle. I did have a little laugh to myself at all those people I saw last Thursday heading up the mountain with their camping gear.

Nothing goes better with the drip, drip, drip than a nice cup of tea, whereupon Rhianna and I decided to stay in our jammies all day. This is otherwise known as the make and bake day.

First up the make part of the equation.

I've been working on this pillow for a while and today it reached completion. It's totally kitsch and totally me.

A close up :: it's my first real attempt at applique. I think I've found a new love.

It's nearing morning tea time and we decide to bring some baking into the day.

Nothing too fancy as we have no intention of leaving the house to buy ingredients.

I found a recipe at Mum's last week for chocolate peanut butter cookies. And yipee, I already have everything to get started.

My God, these were seriously good, and the recipe made millions. Well ok, maybe not millions but if you live close by, please pop in and grab some.

The chocolate and peanut butter gave the biscuits this chewy caramelly taste. So yummy.

The onto some more making :: take some old shoeboxes and turn them into........

A treasure box.

Again we used just existing supplies. The white around the buckles is the glue still waiting to dry.

And inside any good treasure chest is some treasure :: otherwise known as junk jewellery and old currency money. Except I just spotted some US currency that will come in handy in about 6 weeks time.

Bill could take the crafting and baking no longer and headed out. He'd blown up the toaster at the start of Easter and returned later this afternoon with this lovely red Delonghi model. It's a little bit retro, very shiny, very red and very big.

We've had a fabulous Easter and hope you and your family did too.

2011-04-25T00:37:00.000-07:00

Day at the Museum

With the weather being very ordinary on this Anzac long weekend we decided to head out for the day.

We needed somewhere indoor, interesting and hopefully not too crowded.

The Australian Museum in the city seemed like a good choice.

We caught the train in, as it's way cheaper and more convenient than trying to find parking and arrived at the Museum around 11am.

The dinosaur exhibition is the big draw card at the museum.

Rhianna wanted to see what it was like to pick the nose of the giant wombat - she's all class my girl!

We voted this guy the dinosaur we would most like as a pet.

The great thing about the Museum is all the interactive stuff they have for the kids.

The photo below is Rhianna using a gigantic interactive table about sea creatures.

When you touch certain areas of the table, animals would appear and then describe them in very simple text.

Rhianna is touching a blue ringed octopus.

The computer programs are popular too. There was no waiting time to use anything so we definitely came on a good day.

There was a drawing area for the kids to learn how to draw tree frogs.

Rhianna came away with a really good picture.

Not to mention all the exercise we got walking around and riding the exercise bike.

The bike demonstrates how your skeleton works when you ride a bike.

It really was a fabulous day out with us not arriving home till after dark.

If you live near Sydney or are visiting soon, I highly recommend it.

2011-04-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Easter Saturday and Sunday 2011

Easter Saturday was spent on the Central Coast with my parents. As well as visiting dad we had to replace the back door of my parents house as my dog Finn had damaged it on our last visit up there.

He wasn't nearly as excited to be visiting "Nanny and Poppy" as he was last week.

Funny that!!!

The F3 was the usual nightmare and the weather was atrocious.

Easter Sunday started off on a much brighter note with a visit from the Easter bunny.

The Easter bunny doesn't bring much chocolate.

He brings new Winter Pj's, new slippers, books, undies and a few other little things.

After breakfast we went out for a drive and ended up at the Norman Lindsay Gallery at Faulconbridge.

We decided to do the gallery tour.

After the tour, where you are not allowed to take photos, we strolled around the gardens looking at his sculptures.

Some are in concrete and some are bronze.

Nothing as interesting as this tree as far as Rhianna was concerned.

Then into the cafe for some lovely delicious hot chocolate and a quick bite of lunch.

We spent the rest of the day lazing around, reading the papers, drinking coffee and snuggling up to watch some truly ancient DVDs from our collection.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter with your family too.

2011-04-22T00:29:00.000-07:00

Easter Friday

Last week we all bit the bullet and took out a family membership at a local gym.

Two of the great things about the gym we joined is that they welcome kids and they have a squash court. We now play a family game every Thursday night.

Here are Bill and Rhianna warming up.

We play a game called racquetball which has bigger racquets than squash and a bouncy ball. It is tonnes of fun and we are all getting very good at serving and returning. We play for an hour and even our son Broc comes along to participate.

This is me about to serve.

Rhianna has picked the game up very quickly. She's sleeping well on Thursday nights now.

We tried out a new dessert tonight with a distinctive Easter flavour.

We took a chocolate egg, knocked the top off and placed it in an egg cup. We filled it full of custard to represent the "googy" part of the egg and added a scotch finger biscuit snapped in half to represent the "toast".

Can you tell this was a Rhianna creation?

Finally a very quick craft project :: can you guess what this is........

It's a flower pen of course.

Wrap some florist tape around a pen.

Superglue a flower in the top and bob's your uncle.

Did you notice the plasticine pen holder Rhianna has made especially to house it?

Today was a very lazy Good Friday.

I'm a big fan of Art House film and love anything in this genre that is French. Today I watched this French movie called The Hedgehog. It's loosely translated from the book The Elegance of the Hedgehog which I've bought to take on the plane with me to NY.

What a beautiful film. I was in bliss watching this, eating dark chocolate and drinking a red wine.

Have a great Easter.

2011-04-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

Holiday Tea Party

In the relative calm of the school term, I agreed to a holiday tea party for Miss Rhianna.

Staring down the barrel of another half a week of school holidays I have to wonder what the hell I was thinking.

As my place already looks like a fairground there was no decorating to be done just a few nibblies to provide...oh, and around 2 hours of entertainment for some 7 year old girls.

We managed to get the table looking pretty spiffy. I let Rhianna use all the vintage crockery and glasses from the "good" cabinet. I mean, they are there to be used...ummm, right?

Our centrepiece was a bunny egg holder bought at Hot Dollar for $2.

I threw on the grapes at the last minute for all the attending parents who might care about how much junk their child may be consuming today.

The girls get stuck in soon after arrival.

After a couple of sedate games such as whole house hide and seek and musical statues, I was, I mean the kids, were exhausted and wanted some down time on the monkey bars.

Then back inside for colouring in. A nice quiet, not to mention - clean, activity that uses up lots of time.

How silly to think I could hold these creativity geniuses in check!

No!!!!!, before long most of the craft cupboard was out and there was glue, glitter and pom poms as far as the eye could see.

It didn't help that one little girl got her hand stuck in the glitter star jar. When I eventually managed to reef it out, about 200 glitter stars came too.

It did look colourful though and I do so love a bit of colour.

Well, I'm off now for a cup of coffee and a good lie down. I'm sure you don't blame me.

2011-04-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm Back

Hello there everybody.

Bet you thought I'd given up my blogging.

Well yes, it does get a bit hard sometimes to keep up the updates. especially lately with so much going on.

I'm currently visiting with my parents on the Central Coast (of NSW) as my Dad has had a cancer diagnosis. At this stage it is only a small area and was treatable but we are unsure of the long term prognosis. I've been spending some time them during this stressful time.

Of course there are the usual limitations on my time and sanity such as the school holidays and Easter descending rapidly upon us but we've managed to keep ourselves occupied in quite crafty ways.

Now usually, I like the loungeroom to look like this.....

But during the school holidays it looks like this on most days.

I knitted this small throw for Rhianna in under a week using the biggest knitting needles I've ever seen and using 2 balls of wool at once to knit with.

It's so unbelievably soft and snuggly. And the colours are just divine to look at. Sitting on Miss Rhianna's lap is Chloe, the newest addition to our family. And so appropriately Easter themed don't you think?

This is my current table arrangement. Roses have been so cheap lately I've taken to buying myself a bunch each week. And those little cupcakes are a project I found in a childrens craft book (very much my level).

So cute to make, and then Rhianna arranged them on a plate to try and trick Bill.

Some paper chain just because we had cardboard, a stapler and a small bored child last week.

Some Easter decorating. The bunny stand in the middle of the mantle needs some Easter eggs to complete it.... will happen at the end of the week I think when the Easter bunny visits (wink, wink)

There was an Easter bonnet to be made as the school has outsourced this project this year to already stressed school holiday parents. Nice of them really.....

Some lovely British bunting arrived in the post last week. I am in love with all things British at the moment and Kate and Wills are getting married soon so it's all entirely appropriate to my way of thinking.

And finally.... a mother and daughter first sewing project - 2 little chicks - just in time for Easter. Rhianna made the pink one . Such lovely little softies.

So as you can see we are right back in the thick of the crafting thing. Winter weather tends to jolt me back into action in that regard. Lots more WIP (works in progress) to display soon.

2011-03-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Blogger Treasure Hunt - How did I go???

I had an incredibly busy day yesterday and so I was proud that I managed to get 12 out of the 15 items I was searching for. I did find two of the others but unfortunately I was out and had forgotten to take my camera with me.

Here they are in no particular order:

An elephant. I thought there was no way I'd be able to take a photo of an elephant but then I remembered that Rhianna plays with one in the shower.

Only took a pic of Page 3 of my favourite book and it just so happens that its the first page of the first chapter of Betty Blue. I've read it 29 times since I was 19 years old.

Weird Item. I struggled with this as our house is weird central to some people.

But I think this old TV qualifies. It is a 1950's TV that doesn't work but we are going to take the old TV out and replace it with an LCD screen so that the TV fits into our little retro lounge room.
But some people see and it and just say "Oh my God, what are you doing with that?"

Favourite Food: Chocolate choc chip ice cream.

House I'd like to live in. This little gem is in the next street to me. I just love everything about it. The picket fence, the clean white lines and the general "tidiness" of it.

Sentimental item. This is a little clay boot that Broc made for me when he was in Year 3.

It sits in my bedside table and has little treasures in it. I'd like it in my coffin when I go as these are the types of treasures that no money can buy.

Collection. I don't really collect anything. But lately I have been putting anything "tiny" I find aside as I have an art project I am planning to do with them. I have quite a little collection of them now.

Religious Symbol. I bought this iron cross at a place in Dural many years ago. I have it on my lounge room wall. I'm not big into religion but I do love crosses.

Evil :: Advertising. It's evil to cut down trees for such a selfish reason as advertising and it's evil to keep telling people they need to get more stuff.

The view down my street.

The inside of a fridge :: mine.

Something black :: My coffee this morning, I ran out of milk...Grrrrr..

I really enjoyed doing this. Maybe somebody could send me a list of another 15 things to find.

Blogger Treasure Hunt

2011-03-22T00:45:00.001-07:00

I've seen a few bloggers do a treasure hunt (in photos) on their blog. I decided that I would have a go myself. Firstly I had to download a treasure list from another site and then I have to take a photo of each item as I find it. I've started off with an easy list but the catch is I have to complete it in 24 hours. here is the list:

1. Something black
2. Inside of a fridge
3. A weird thing you own
4. The view down your street.
5. Favorite food
6. Something sentimental
7. An elephant
8. Evil
9. A collection
10. A religious symbol
11. A movie theatre
12. Street art
13. Pages 3 and 4 of your favorite book
14 An interesting shop name
15. A house you'd love to own.

Watch this space to see how I go.

2011-03-20T00:53:00.000-07:00

Super Sunday

It was so delicious to wake up to the dripping rain this morning. I love this Autumn weather. It really makes us sleep easier too as we didn't emerge from the bedroom till 9.30am. Sooooo nice!!

When I walked into the kitchen I spotted this sight on the kitchen bench and it just made me smile.

Those beautiful, last of the season strawberries, some lemons to make a new recipe this week, some freshly baked cookies in the jar and the most welcoming sight - the coffee pot.

Look at the colour of these strawberries.

This was our morning tea this morning :: some homemade Anzac biscuits.

Onto those apple recipes.

A nice easy one to begin with :: apple crumble.

Rhianna helped me to peel the apples. Boy, that took a while.

We put the apple slices into some sugared water to stew them.

While the apples stewed, we got into some creative work - a bit of rainy afternoon card making.

After the apples were finished I put them into a pyrex dish and set about making the crumble.

The recipe is from the 4 Ingredients book. So nice and easy.

The finished product :: enjoyed by all with some lovely creamy custard.

10 apples down - only about 100 more to get through.

2011-03-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

More Apple Fun

We headed to the other side of the mountains today to a place called Bilpin - famous for delicious apples.

Unfortunately we had only gotten to a place called Kurrajong when Miss Rhianna declared she felt ill and lost her breakfast on the side of the road :: a lovely way to start the day!!!

We decided to refuel her and popped into a local cafe for pancakes and fruit.

I had a little something myself. Well it seemed rude not to.

Ten minutes further up the road we are in Bilpin and easily find the orchard to pick some apples.

After full instructions we head off into the orchard with a basket to fill.

We are thrilled to find an apple that looks just like the storybook kind.

There are plenty of apples and they are so easy to pick. They are dropping off the trees.

We are allowed to eat as many as we like as we pick our basket full.

The basket is getting full and we still have to lug it back to get weighed. Luckily we had Bill with us.

Boxed up and in the car I think of all the apple recipes I know on the way home.

I think we'll be eating apples for a while.

2011-03-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

All about Apples

A fantastic idea I found on the internet was making lapbooks.

A lapbook is a manilla folder opened up and then each side is folded into the centre to create a type of brochure.

As it is Autumn, R and I decided to create our first lapbook around the theme of apples.

The front of the folder

Inside the folder I tried to create one activity across each KLA (English, Maths, HSIE, science, art and PDHPE).

This is what the folder looks like when it is opened up.

On the right hand side you can see the art component which was a couple of different views of an apple made using felt pieces.

For PDHPE we googled "apples" to see what is actually in an apple that makes them so healthy.

Lots of water apparently.

For maths we made some playdough apples and cut them into halves and quarters and thirds and then did a fractions worksheet which we glued in.

We have English still to complete - Rhianna will do procedure writing and find an apple crumble recipe which we will then cook for Science - see how beautifully it all comes together.

On the weekend we are going to Bilpin to go apple picking for the HSIE part of the folder.

The lapbook will then be complete and can be something Rhianna has on her book shelf to revisit. She is already asking to start an Easter one. They would be good to make for holidays as well.

Google them on the net, the Americans do fantastic ones. (of course)

2011-03-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

The New Cubby House

We've been flicking through our craft books again now that the weather is cooling down a bit.

We've seen this type of cubby in a couple of books so we combined a couple of the ideas to create our own.

We already had an old plastic picnic table in the back shed. so we cleaned that up and bought it into the lounge room.

I bought some cheap laminated tablecloth cover for the feature walls ($20).

The other walls and curtains were made from an old checked flat sheet we no longer used.

The whole project took just under 2 hours and about $20 all up.

Here's the inside view. You might remember the flooring as the first quilt I made using Rhianna's old clothes and the orange pillow is one Rhianna made during the school holidays at Christmas.

This is one totally home-made project.

I think I've got my crafting mojo back.

2011-03-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

Weekend Away

There is nothing I like better than to get away for the weekend.

It's just so mentally refreshing to look at some sights that are different from the same old sights you look at every day.

This weekend I headed off with my BFF and her family to the coast for some last Summer frivolity.

We decided to stay at Terrigal on the NSW Central Coast.

We know from past experience on these weekends away that they can degenerate into a food and alcohol fest very quickly if we don't have planned activities to keep us focused.

So we drove straight to a place called The Entrance to hire some bikes to ride around the lakeside there.

Here are our two girls ready to go.

We cycled for approximately an hour and it was glorious. The weather was good, the bike path was nice and flat and the kids only whinged if you went close to them.

After bike riding, the food fest began with a picnic at a nearby park.

Luckily, Natalie had bought some plastic wine glasses so the drinking could begin. But only a small glass each as we still had to drive down to Terrigal from The Entrance.

Our group shot

The afternoon at Terrigal was beautiful. We quickly checked into the Crowne Inn Plaza and got the kids down to the beach for a swim. Then into the hotel pool. I don't have photos of this as I forgot to take my camera in the hurry to get to the surf.

After showers it was time for a relax, some nibblies and a few glasses of wine before we headed out for dinner.

Off our balcony was a courtyard with a giant chess board for the kids to play on as well as an area to run around in. What a godsend!!

I was a bit worried that we hadn't made a booking for dinner as Terrigal is a very popular weekend destination and there are not a heap of restaurants to chose from.

We ended up at a Thai place called N' Thai Sing. The food was fabulous, the service atrocious. Bill ended up having to go and complain about our meals which I think we had waited an hour for. The kids were starting to get hungry and tired and the place was packed and extremely noisy. We'll not be going back there again in a hurry.

Back to our room :: we had a lovely ocean view balcony to sit out on which we did to enjoy a little more wine and conversation while the kids kicked back on the beds and zoned out with technology.

Sunday morning was just as glorious as yesterday. Bill took the kids down to the pool while I got ready for the day. Breakfast was at a local cafe - again the service was very poor. Maybe we are just used to good Sydney service:)

When bellies were full we headed for the skillion. The skillion is an enormous hill jutting up into the sky from the local soccer field. Once at the top, the views up and down the coast are amazing.

Everybody headed up - some running, some ambling.

I had lie down at the bottom and waited for them all to get back.

I was still wrecked from bike riding and I have seen the view before!!!!!

A spot of local shopping and then we headed home. One of our best breaks away.

2011-03-10T19:23:00.000-08:00

Latest Happenings at our House

Rhianna and I have been getting into some maths - this week :: fractions.

We made some playdough apples and then divided them with a knife into halves, quarters, eighths etc.

Much fun.

We had a wonderful time at a pool party last weekend.

Love this idea for a party as the girls spent hours playing in the pool and very little time gorging themselves on high fat party food.

Lastly, netball training started this week so we spent an afternoon at the school while the girls came to grips with chest passes, pivoting and wearing bibs.

Hilarious to watch - can't believe they are supposed to play their first game in under 2 weeks time.

2011-03-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

Happiness Project

February Review

I don't know if you remember or not, but Feb was the month I was supposed to work on my relationship with my husband as part of my Happiness project.

More specifically I was to:

::Quit nagging

::Not expect praise or appreciation

::Fight right

::No dumping my troubles on him

::Give proofs of love

OK, I'll address these one at a time.

Firstly I asked Bill what I nagged him about. He replied that I never nag him and that's why he married me. Too easy!!!!

Expecting praise. I do like the family to thank me for making them dinner. They are all really good at this. Other than that I don't really expect praise and if I did I've got a feeling I'd be sorely disappointed.

Fight Right. I hate to say this but Bill and I rarely fight. The last time we had a fight was in October last year. I remember because we were on our Adelaide holiday and we were having a fight in the car in the middle of a hail storm. So this month I didn't have to fight right because there were no fights.

No dumping my problems on him. Yep, I do this all the time I'm afraid. Even the trivial stuff. This month I tried not too. I had an "altercation" with an Ebay buyer and I was furious. I tried so hard to hold it in and not tell Bill. Finally I had to wake him up in the middle of the night and vent about this buyer as I just couldn't sleep. So no, I failed at this task.

Give proofs of love. I think I failed at this too. I didn't "do" Valentine's day.
But I do make him coffee every morning when I get up. I do pick up all his dirty laundry from the floor. I do everything that involves the kids so he can relax when he gets home from work and I do all his posting, banking and errand running for the business.
I personally think this qualifies as proof of my love but I did not do any overt proofs.

Bill and I do have a great marriage. We are totally in sync with each other and understand each other pretty well. He is my best friend as I am his .There really wasn't a whole lot to work on this month as I am blissfully happy in my marriage. I don't know how Bill feels about our marriage but hey, this is MY Happiness project not his :)

March in the happiness project is all about Work.

Since I rarely work I will have to bend the recommendations to suit the work I do at home.

The main parts of the quest are:

:: Launch a blog. (Gee, I'm already ahead on March aren't I?)

::Enjoy the fun of Failure.

:: Ask for help.

:: Work smart.

:: Enjoy now.

I'll read this chapter, implement the changes and let you know how I go.

2011-02-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

Sunday 27th February

Today we decided to have a day out with Van and Reynold. Reynold and Bill are business partners and Van and I are their long suffering wives who have to endure the late nights, the filthy work clothes and the endless talk about industrial chemistry.

We try to get together socially as much as possible as the kids love to spend time together and I love to go anywhere with Van as she is such a foodie.

Today we headed to Cabramatta for some Yum Cha.

Van of course, knows the best place to go. The food is plentiful and some of it is very interesting - chicken feet anybody????

Van talks through each dish as it comes out. What this woman does not know about food is not worth knowing.

The kids are great - trying almost everything.

After lunch we go for a gourmet tour around Cabramatta. Van shows me where the best places are for fruit, veg and fish.

The kids are bored stupid doing this of course and look around for anything that could be considered a playground. Unfortunately, there is only a horse statue to climb - oh well, any port in a storm.

After a quick trip to the most amazing bakery - we load up with treats and head back to Van's house to have them with a coffee. A fantastic day.

2011-02-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

Saturday 26th February

The last weekend of Summer. A slow start to the weekend, we did lots of newspaper reading and coffee drinking and general lazing around.

Bill wanted to go out and buy some new runners but I was happy just to potter around the house.

I've been dying to get a new camera (a Canon Ixus 105) and as a little present Bill bought one home for me - I was very excited as the clarity of the pictures is just 10X better than what I've currently got with the Nikon.

Here's the very first photo I took with the new camera. Umm, I better clarify - it's my husband.

Rhianna stayed in her Pj's most of the day. She's been getting right into the computer lately - mostly researching. Her skills are developing rapidly.

We started work on our shark diorama. We painted water and sand and added some shells we had picked up at Cronulla beach Then we popped the sharks in. Still to go:: the seaweed and other little extras.

This afternoon we had our first Netball Muster day.

This is the first year Rhianna has played Netball. The Muster day is just a chance to meet the coach and decide on training days etc.

We knew lots of other people there - here are some of Rhianna's team mates - she knows them all from her school.

The other thing worth mentioning here is that I will be the Team Manager.
(Well nobody else was putting their hand up).

I'm not sure what that entails yet - but I'm sure they will let me know. I'm hoping it involves sitting on the sidelines with a nanna rug and a hot cup of coffee yelling encouragement.

2011-02-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

Zen Habits

One of the blogs I like to follow is called Zen Family Habits.

One of their best posts is how to simplify your life. They suggest 43 immediate ways to begin.

Let's see how I go:

1. Turn off your cell phone. (I have an emergency only mobile. It's always off and in the bottom of my handbag :: No brain cancers for me haha!!)

2. Process email only twice a day. (Usually only twice unless I'm waiting for something important to come through)

3. Go to bed early. (yup)

4. Get rid of (or at least reduce) commitments that you do out of obligation. (I'm not doing any volunteer work at the school this year - anything else I do, it's because I want to)

5. Create a weekly meal plan. (Yup)

6. Automate your finances. (Bill in charge of this :: allows me to be very financially Zen)

7. Purge as much unneeded clutter as possible. (You KNOW I do this!)

8. Keep your paper shredder on top of your recycling bin. (This is a great tip - must do this)

9. Add items you want to a wish list as you think of them. (Kinda do this)

10. Get a label maker or write labels out by hand. (Have a million labels - thanks Christina)

11. Set your clothes out for the next day the night before. (I know this is a great idea but I never do it)

12. Make your lunch for the next day the night before. (No need for myself but I try to do this for Rhianna - no good at making lunches when I'm half asleep in the morning)

13. Make time to catch up with an old friend. (Always do this)

14. Just say no. (I'm good at saying no on the phone, not much good at saying no face to face)

15. Ask for experiences not things for your birthday and Christmas this year. (Well, I did ask for New York for my birthday this year)

16. Tell the truth. (Try to - unless of course it doesn't suit me - LOL)

17. Keep your list of addresses and phone numbers up to date. (Yup)

18. Consolidate debt. (Not much debt apart from small mortgage)

19. Create an organizing system that works for you. (Could do better)

20. Keep a bag for garbage in your car. (Another good tip I will implement)

21. Cary a notebook and pen with you where ever you go. (Ditto )

22. Unsubscribe from emails, newsletters or RSS feeds that don’t provide value anymore. (Try to do this once a week)

23. Apologize immediately when you realize you’ve done wrong. (Could do better)

24. Enjoy the present moment as much as you can. (Absolutely do this)

25. Take time to really see the little things in life.(Ditto )

26. Reduce the amount of TV you watch. (Not a big TV watcher - love to read)

27. Get outside. (When Autumn starts I'll think about it)

28. Create morning, daytime, and evening routines. (Yup)

29. Ask for help. (Don't do this very much but then I don't have much need to either.)

30. Do things at home as much as possible (eat, date nights, entertain etc.). (Yup but could do better)

31. Don’t get caught up in other people’s drama. (Good at this)

32. Let go of the self-imposed need to be perfect. (Trying hard but its not easy to let go of decades of negative self talk)

33. Focus on a simple, but healthy, eating plan. (umm, next question)

34. Share responsibilities. (With who? )

35. Reduce your wardrobe to a few versatile items. ( I only have a few items but I'm not sure how "versatile" they are)

36. Be positive. (Yup)

37. Start a gratitude journal. (This is a bit naff for me)

38. Finish old tasks before taking on new ones. (Yup this makes sense but it's so boring)

39. For every new item that enters your home set two free. (Yes, I am doing the one in, one out rule)

40. Want what you have not what you don’t. (Yup, I'm pretty good at this)

41. Revisit what you carry with you in your purse or wallet. (Wallet could do with a clean out)

42. Focus on one thing at a time. (Not good at this)

43. Store new garbage bags at the bottom of your garbage can. (Good idea except what happens if one bag springs a leak?)

Overall I thing I'm doing pretty well. A couple of good ideas to implement. I'll let you know if I get around to any.

2011-02-25T00:19:00.000-08:00

A Great Week

We have been working hard here at green-ness this week.

Lots of reading and maths. The concept of time is proving to be a little harder to teach than money - which Rhianna picked up easily.

We have been doing a lot of shared reading in bed at night. I really do think this is one of the most enjoyable moments for me as a parent. I know I spent a lot of time laying in bed reading with Broc and I spend a lot of time reading with Rhianna. Not just her home readers which I find quite dull and uninspiring but lots of other sorts of texts too.

Today we did however finish a HR and then made a book about it.

We focused on the books orientation, characterisation and plot points. These were new terms to Rhianna but she picked up the concepts behind then easily enough.

Then some shark craft. We made some shark cut outs and painted them and then researched their features on the web. Tomorrow we are making a diorama for them.

For me, this week I have been focusing on the eco side of things.

A few more crocheted dishcloths to add to the collection....

...and yesterday I was in Katoomba so headed to the Food Co-op there to get some organic fruit and veg and found this little gem - I'm stockpiling for Winter.

Was pretty expensive but oh so worth it. (I hope).

2011-02-22T14:35:00.000-08:00

Three Degrees of Buying

I have been reading a good book lately called "Enough". It's about (funnily enough) having enough. Enough food, enough stuff, even enough work and happiness. It's got me thinking about stuff though today. In this house we definitely have enough possessions.

To create our current standard of living we have farmed one quarter of the land on this earth, overexploited our ocean life, increased the level of carbon dioxide by 30% and mutilplied the extinction rate 1000 times. Not much to be proud of there!!!!

Now when we have to buy something to add to the house I try to buy in the following ways.

I always op shop first.

Firstly, because the "stuff" in those shops already exists. Meaning resources have already been used to create them. So it's best to get as much use out of them as possible.

However, op shopping is an art. Yes, really.

Say I needed some jeans as mine are falling apart. You can bet your bottom dollar if I went to an op shop looking for a pair of jeans for myself I wouldn't find them. No way! That would be too easy.

No op shopping requires forward thinking. You have to browse with the future in mind.

last week I picked up a t-shirt foR Rhianna - almost new and she has very few shirts.

I also found two great non-fiction books to add to our collection. Both of them at her reading level and she has been interested in both these subjects lately.

Now, I am not perfect and I did manage to squeeze in a non essential purchase - a vintage handbag to add to my very small collection.

But really, it was only $2 and will be loved forever by myself and Rhianna who has taken a bit of a shine to it. It's the gold one.

After second hand I try to buy green and organic. For instance, I always buy recycled toilet paper and purchase things such as cosmetics and sunscreen from reputable organic sellers - usually off the net.

Lastly I'll buy new if I have to. Things that fall into this category are specialised clothing such as swimmers, electrical goods such as cameras and of course food that I can't get organically.

The whole purchasing thing is such a juggling act sometimes that often I do without.

Then there is always the law of the universe that says when you need something it will come to you.

Like yesterday, I mentioned to a girlfriend that I was going to begin teaching Time to Rhianna and she mentioned that she had an old magnetic clock set that she was finished with - a match made in heaven.

Do you buy green or organic or second hand. Or are you trying to reduce your consumption in other ways. I'd love to know.

2011-02-19T13:42:00.001-08:00

Overdue Update

Well I know the posts are getting few and far between now. I guess I feel it's because I don't have a lot going on at the moment. But here are a few random things I have been doing and thinking about the past week.

The thing taking up most of my thought processes is Rhianna's education.

Last year she had a brilliant teacher and I was resting easy about her learning. This year I am not so sure.

Rhianna is in a Year 2/3 composite. She is in the year 2 portion of the class ( the minority). That is not the problem however. It's the teacher I'm afraid. I didn't really "warm" to her when I first met her but hey, I figured I don't have to like everybody!!!!

No, it's a couple of other things - like the fast finisher work that she has given Rhianna - it's basic Kindergarten stuff. Laziness or bad teaching - not sure yet!

Then the other day Rhianna came home and she had wet her pants!

After much prompting and crying she told me that her teacher said if the kids go to the toilet during class time then they have to "make up" the time at recess and lunch.

So basically, a detention for having to go to the toilet. These kids are 7 and 8 years old. Not only had she wet her pants but she was too afraid to tell the teacher and had sat on the bus all the way home in soaked pants.

Of course I was furious.

I went up to see this teacher and asked her outright if this was her "toileting policy".

Well, yes she said. After all she said, she can't go to the toilet during class so why should she let the children? Well, ummm, because you're an adult with a few years more practice with bladder control than a 7 year old! Because you have the cognition to understand that you have to use the toilet when you have the chance!

So I told her that Rhianna was to be able to go to the toilet 20 times a day if she needed to and she was never to be kept in during recess or lunch unless a phone call was made to me to explain why.

Gosh, I have rambled on a bit here haven't I.

I actually started this post to tell you about the home schooling I intend to start with Rhianna. I am not pulling her out of school or anything (yet) but I am going to be focusing more on her literacy and numeracy at home.

We have been doing a lot more shared reading at home. I noticed she had slid backwards with her reading over the Christmas holidays.

We've been borrowing these Aussie Nibblies books from the library.

We've also started on some basic grammar work and maths.

When I was teaching year 2 (many moons ago) I recall money and time being the two most difficult concepts to cover in maths so we've started on money for this week.

We set up a little shop at home with her toys and priced them accordingly. Rhianna then has to "buy" something and create the exact amount of money with the notes and coins available to her. During the week I intend to make it progressively harder.

The Sunday Shop

The Sunday float

The weekend is the perfect time to sit around and do these activities but unfortunately it seems that Rhianna is never home. Yesterday a bowling birthday party and today a play date.

I wish I had her life sometimes.

2011-02-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

Love Your Stuff

One of the hardest things to do when trying to live a sustainable life is to love your old stuff.

It's just so tempting to buy new stuff. All the time.

New stuff comes in nice packaging. It smells good and has some fancy tags and looks....well, new!!!

Your old stuff doesn't.

It's crushed up from being in a drawer or cupboard. It's smelly because it needs a wash or it's really, really old. It might have some marks or stains on it, if it's a real favourite.

But your old stuff is great because you and it have a history.

Like this bear.

Mum's had it hanging around her place forever.

Nobody is really sure where it came from.

Then I found my old brownie Guide badges from when I was 10 in the bottom of a cupboard at Mum's. That means that she kept them for 32 years.

I sewed one onto the other to create Brownie Bear.

He got to come home with us.

So love the stuff you've already got. To bits.

2011-02-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

New York here I come......

Yesterday bill and I spent the better part of the day at the travel agent booking our June trip to New York. This is quite a big deal for me as I have never been further than Fiji on a plane before.

The travel agent was great. We managed to book flights, accommodation and most of the sightseeing we wanted to do all at the one time. Who knew?????

There are a couple of things I want to do that I will have to book online but I have already managed to do some of that myself today.

Also we are going without the children so I am very grateful to the two sets of babysitters who have offered to look after Rhianna and keep on eye on Broc and Finn while we are away.

And please don't feel sorry for Rhianna - she has stated adamantly that she has no wish to sit on a plane for 22 hours and is thrilled to be spending part of the time with my BFF Natalie.

Now to start saving that spending money .......

2011-02-05T22:42:00.001-08:00

February 6th 2011

We had a late minute change of plan today as something we thought we were going to do didn't pan out.

Never mind, always a Plan B to fall back on.

The school swimming carnival is on in a couple of weeks and Rhianna is busting to compete.

Not sure if she is eligible or not at this stage but this morning she begged Bill to take her to the local pool to "train".

I said it was a good opportunity to see whether she could swim 50 metres of anything.

While Bill and Rhianna headed to the pool, I took some "me" time and went for a nice long walk.

I was so hot by the time I got home, I was dripping in perspiration. I jumped in our pool fully clothed :: well, I did take my joggers off first!!

So we hung around home today. I am trying to use up some of the multitude of art and craft stuff we have around here.

I had a canvas behind the door in the laundry and Rhianna asked if she could paint on it.

We even got the easel out so she could paint like a professional.

A whole afternoons worth of entertainment and I didn't have to leave the house or open my purse. Yah!!!!!

Then the southerly hit and we walked around all afternoon smiling at each other like idiots saying how nice it was to finally be cool.

I did some long overdue housework and we just sat and chatted about our trip to new York.

We are going to the travel agent tomorrow and need to decide on all the activities we want to do and book them now. For instance, you can walk to the top of The Statue of Liberty again but it is a 3 month wait list so we'd need to book that now if we wanted to do it. I think we do.

Since it's cool, I finally dared to put the oven on again and cooked Tuna vol-au-vents. Basically a cheese sauce with a tin of tuna and all the old vegies left in the crisper and poured into a pastry case. Yummy.

Even Finn likes Tuna Vol-au-vent night.

He's in there somewhere.

2011-02-05T00:02:00.000-08:00

Saturday 5th February 2011

A slow start to the day. Boy, the heat was amazing this morning. I went for a very quick walk before a swim to cool off.

Bill took Rhianna up to register for netball. This will be the first year she has played. One of Rhianna's friends asked her to join up and they will be in the same team together. Here she is in her netball uniform - she is so excited.

Then we headed down to Castle Hill for a BBQ at a friends home. Julie and I went to high school together. She has two girls, one of which is the same age as Rhianna. They played in the pool all day, only getting out to have lunch.

Julie and I.

2011-02-03T16:14:00.000-08:00

Friday 4th February 2011

This week was the first week back at school for kids in NSW.

It has also unhappily coincided with the hottest week of the summer so far. So other than dropping Rhianna off and picking her up from school I've been barricading myself in the air conditioning.

My son Broc had an operation last week so he is home as well keeping me company.

As I tidy the lounge room this morning I can't help but be a little sad when I look at Rhianna's cubby that she built in the lounge room during the holidays and spent much time reading, playing and watching TV in there. Now there are no little brown legs poking out from under the sheet - bit sad really.

The up side is that we are having a fantastic time every afternoon after school when we both flop in the pool and play games till dinner.

One of the books I got for Christmas is called The Happiness Project.

It's a bit of a bio about a a New York Mum who decides that although her life is very nice there is always room for more happiness. She sets out to explore every month the things that she can do to increase the happiness in her life.

The book is set out in a monthly format running January to December with a challenge for each month.

For January she decided to get more sleep and exercise every day to see if it increase her general happiness with life.

For the month of January I did the same.

Not too hard to sleep in this weather though is it?

I started to go to bed earlier, no late than 10.30pm and I exercised every day. I mainly walked but did some swimming too.

Yes, I did feel happier. I felt more in control of myself and the house. I found I did not lose my temper as much with the family and had plebty of energy to do things with Rhianna through the holidays. I also lost 4 kilos.

For February she focuses on her relationship with her husband. I'll let you know how I go with that at the end of the month. Bill says he can't wait to see how I go either haha....

In retail therapy news, I have continued to buy with sustainability and no chemicals in mind.

In Priceline this week I found this lovely Sukin facial mist spray which is lovely in place of a moisturising cream in this heat we are having.

I also found another brand of aluminium free deodorant to try.

And for winter some foot and hand gloves made from sustainable bamboo. After moisturising your hands and feet at night, you pop these gloves and socks on and wear them to bed and they help to your hands and feet retain the moisture. I do tend to suffer from very dry hands in Winter.

Another busy weekend coming up for us. Keep cool everybody.

2011-01-30T15:37:00.000-08:00

Weekend in the City

We booked a last minute getaway into the city for the last weekend of the school holidays.

First stop on our weekend of fun was Centennial Park (Sydney) for a bit of bike riding fun.

We hired the bikes from inside the park. We started off with a tandem for Bill and Rhianna and a cruiser for me.

After a while we swapped to the two person pedal car with the child carrier on the front. This effectively meant that Bill and I did all the work while Rhianna got the free ride.

Pedaling this "bike" was hard work as it had no gears.
Boy could I feel it in my legs when I got off.

Centennial Park has great playgrounds so after the bikes we headed over to try out one of them.
I love a good turn on the swings.

As does Miss Rhianna

And there is nothing so much fun as having a contest to see who can swing the highest.....and then jump off. Ummm.....not me!!!

Lunch was at our favourite pub - The Lord Dudley in Paddington. Bill and I used to come here all the time but realised we had not been in at least 7 years. Too long, as the food is divine.

As we were in paddington we took Rhianna on a walking tour of where Daddy grew up. Bill lived in Paddington till he was 20 years old.

We showed Rhianna his old house and behind the house is Trumper Park where Bill and his gang of mates used to tear around and cause havoc.

This is the "swamp" they used to swim in. No wonder he never gets sick now - he must have developed the immunity of an ox swimming in this water.

Ahhhhh, check in at the Shangri-La at The Rocks. And straight down to the swimming pool.

After a cool off, we wrapped ourselves in the fluffy white robes for a bit of mini-bar fun and a marvel at the view.

We watched the Pacific Jewel sail out of the harbour and wondered if we should swap our trip to New York for another cruise?? Nah!

Bill has a rest before dinner.

After a walk through The Rocks we had dinner at The Australian Hotel. The food was awesome and there was so much of it. So much fun to sit outside and people watch especially on a Saturday night in Sydney.

After a beautiful nights sleep we headed over to Manly on Sunday for a walk around, a gelato and a look at the markets. The best part, as always, is the trip on the ferry.

It's just hard to be anything other than blissfully happy when you are out on the harbour.

We arrived home about 4pm and spent the last hours of the day having a final holiday swim in the pool. Feel totally refreshed and ready for the first term of school.

2011-01-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

26th, 27th and 28th January 2011

Well the last week of the holidays has been a looooong, slow one. It's been so incredibly hot here with temperatures in the 40's. We have alternated between hiding out in the air conditioned house and mucking around in the pool in the cool of the afternoon.

Australia Day Bill did some work in the morning and then we played in the pool with Rhianna all afternoon. Here she is in the pool with her free hat from the newsagency.

Inside we've been getting creative.

Today we did some science activities.

We decided to look at substances that do and don't dissolve in water. We started off with our instructions from the text book and some substances to test in water such as salt, gelatine, sugar, soil, vinegar and oil.

After hypothesising what might happen with each substance, Rhianna would combine the water and the product. Here she is adding gelatine to the water.

Some stirring then needed to be done.

Results were recorded.

She absolutely loved doing this. Must run in the genes as Bill has a highly technically job in chemicals. I don't think she even realised she was learning.

At the end Rhianna chose some other substances from the pantry to try - including baking powder, food colouring, cake decorations (!!!!) and glucose syrup. So much fun, no money had to leave my purse and she actually learnt something as an added bonus.

We are off for the weekend as our last hurrah for the Summer holidays. It's somewhere I've always wanted to stay after hearing rave recommendations about it from my friend Natalie. Will post pics on Monday.

Have a great weekend if you are reading this.

2011-01-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday 22nd January 2011

A little bit of rest and relaxation was in order for today. After lots of sleepovers and playdates Rhianna was exhausted. Bill has been working such long hours at the business and although it's fantastic that the business is doing so well, it's not great that we never see him and he is so tired.

So today was a day dedicated to relaxing. As the weather was so nice, it was a great chance to hang out by the pool. Rhianna and I played mermaids and then Bill climbed in and we played volleyball. Such nice Summer fun.

Last night Bill brought me home a nice bunch of flowers to say "thanks" for holding the fort during the school holidays while he has been working so hard. I didn't tell him how easy it's been as Rhianna has been gone most of the holidays.

Also wanted to show you my new owl vase. It had a sign on it that said "The ugliest vase in the world" so of course I just had to buy the poor thing. I often have my herb pots in there and it looks lovely. Unfortunately this week I've used up all the parsley.

The vase and flowers are sitting on my new table and chairs. This set was a real retro find. A genuine 1970's Sebel set in perfect condition. The seats are super comfy and Bill and I love to sit in them and play board games with the kids.

Also wanted to show a pic of this Christmas present from a girlfriend. It's a notice holder and it fits perfectly into my little house on the side of the pantry.

It's nice to have a place to stick all those bits and pieces you want to keep but don't need to have on the front of the fridge isn't it?

By the way, Bill and I snuck out the other night to go and see The King's Speech while Miss R was at a sleepover. And it was fantastic. Especially because it has Mr Darcy in it. Yes, I know his name is Colin Firth but he'll always be Mr Darcy to me!!

Next up I want to see Black Swan with Natalie Portman.

Anyway I'm out for a walk now and then another swim in the pool.

2011-01-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

Thursday 20th January 2011

Rhianna is away for 2 days at a sleepover so as you can imagine the house is suddenly very quiet.

It was a good chance to get stuck into some cleaning but I won't bore you with photos of that.

While I was cleaning Rhianna's room, I was thinking about how "green" kids are becoming these days.

In our family the kids....

Drink from reusable drink bottles and everybody knows not to bring a plastic (shop bought) water bottle into the house. These are evil and should be banned by now. But that topic in itself is another post.

No cling wrap in lunch boxes.

Only using the half flush on the toilet and during the night we let the "yellow mellow".

Turn off the tap when brushing teeth.

Recycle every bit of art and craft that goes through the house.

Turn off lights when we leave bedrooms.

Reuse packaging for craft activities.

We try to borrow rather than buy where possible.

Op shop clothes where possible. (Becoming increasingly difficult)

Take scraps out to the worms

Plant some of there own vegies - lettuces at the moment.

Not a bad start for us - but of course there is always room for improvement.

I think one of our goals for this year is walk to school at least once a week. (It's quite a way and almost all uphill.)

2011-01-18T21:56:00.001-08:00

Tuesday 18th January

Woke up this morning to a very excited child asking me to quickly come into her bedroom. She had spent half an hour she told me making her bad and she was so proud. Just ignore that crochet blanket stuffed down the end of the bed. It's the thought that counts right???

We had a very lazy morning. Rhianna dug out a puzzle and spent the morning sitting and working on that until her friend Rose arrived for the day.

Then it was off to the little local movie theatre to see "Tangled". I have to say that I absolutely hate animated movies and although the girls loved this one, I was yawning quite a lot of the way through it.

Just before we went in we ran into my neighbour Jo. She was taking one of her little girls to the same movie and we caught up in the foyer. That's one of the good things about a small community - you always run into somebody you know.

Then it was home for some lunch, a swim in the pool for the girls and some homemade slushies.
Just look at all that colour and preservative whizzing around - Yummy!!!!!

I'm actually loving these school holidays. Rhianna has been an angel - amusing herself almost all day with her toys from Christmas and lots of play dates and we've had lots of fun outings as a family. Couldn't be happier really!

2011-01-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Monday 17th January 2011

Got up very early this morning to go for a walk with Bill and the puppy. It's such a lovely way to start the day. The air is cool, not many people about and a chance for Bill and I to really talk (without interruption). Not noticing much change in my weight but my mood is really good.

I am so sunburnt from yesterday (the photo below does not do the damage justice).

Well, I was expecting to be at the markets for hours, not on the beach!!!!!

The checkout lady gasped when she looked at me this morning. I hurried out of the shop in shame. Very, very bad Vanessa!!!!

I vowed to stay at home for the rest of the day.

What to do in this sort of weather????? Clean the bathroom. It was so bad.

I love, love, love it when it is this clean and tidy. It won't stay this way as bunches of little 7 year old girls use it to change into and out of wet costumes :: sigh!!

What else is new?????

This little cushion on my bed.

Twas a Christmas present.

The whole thing is handmade - the tree outline is silkscreened and the love heart detail is embroidered. So cute and looks adorable on the bed.

A couple of weeks ago I was shopping at Castle Hill and ran into an old girlfriend from school - Julie. We had lost contact a few years ago. After much hugging and catching up we organised a play date for our kids. She has a daughter the same age as Rhianna. (Don't you just love it when friends pop out age appropriate playmates for your kids???)

Had a fabulous day catching up at her new house in Kellyville (also love old friends who have a lovely pool to entertain said kids while we gossip).

Julie was looking fabulous as always, and said she had lost much weight by giving up sugar.

I tried to block my ears at this point in the conversation but no, she insisted I borrow the book and read it. Julie knows that I mainline chocolate when I am home alone and is truly trying to help. But the book talks about things like giving up chocolate, ice cream and wine. These are the 3 main staples of my diet (and it shows).

Is life worth living without those 3 things?????

I guess we'll see.

2011-01-15T22:13:00.000-08:00

Our Weekend

We've been trying to get out a bit more as a family over the Christmas break.

This weekend we only had a small amount of time to fill in on Saturday morning as Rhianna was going on a sleep over (again) - she's hardly been home all holidays!!!!!

We decided to go bowling - we have never been together as a family. Bill told us on the way there that he hates bowling. How can anybody hate bowling we asked him? At the end of the games even he had to admit he'd had a good time.

No weekend is complete without some craft. This morning we made tiaras and wands. Rhianna made me promise I would wear mine all day - and I did. Then she was off for the night.

Sunday

We had organised with the parents who were doing the sleepover that we would take the 2 girls out today. My plan was to get down to the Vintage markets at Cronulla.

We got to Cronulla but the markets were shut. Why was I the only person with a disappointed look on my face????

Nevermind, let's have some lunch instead.

And then maybe an hour (or 4) at the beach.

There is no such thing as too much water play when you are 7 years old. The girls came home and played for another hour in the pool.

What a fab day out. So happy to finally have some real Summer weather.
Such a pleasure to take these two girls out for the day :: not a whinge or a cross word between them all day.

2011-01-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

2011 - My Year

After much umming and ahhing I have decided to continue on with my blogging.

Around Christmas time I decided to stop altogether as I was bored with it to be honest and my interests are diverting a little from the general theme of the blog.

But today, looking back through old posts I decided that its such a great visual diary of our life as a family it would be a shame to stop documenting our little lives.

We've also been incredibly busy and I must admit to living my life a little bit more than photographing it lately. Especially during our annual Christmas party where not only did I forget to take any photos but I also forgot that I had put food into the oven inside while I was partying outside and burnt everything to smithereens - fire brigade anyone??????

Anyway......I am going to continue with this blog but it will be more in a diary format than as an address to the general public.

The things I'm still passionate about are.....

family
retro living
organic living
green living
non-consumerist pursuits

The things I'm not so passionate about anymore are....

craft
knitting and crocheting
scrapbooking and card making
baking
cooking (in general)

This years focus is on......

fun
travel -mainly our trip to New York in June and Fiji in October.
losing weight
doing new things
leaving behind the stuff that doesn't work for me anymore.

2010-12-16T12:55:00.000-08:00

20 Christmas Questions

Libby from Life is a Journey not a Destination gave me this idea for a post.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper - you can't recycle those glossy gift bags.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial - no cutting down healthy trees at our house.

3. When do you put up the tree? First weekend in December.

4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as possible. I'd like to get started on Christmas night but people in the family howl in protest.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? Bride doll (1976)

6. Hardest person to buy for? My son Broc. He only likes computers and besides knowing nothing about computers, all the games and accessories are so expensive.

7. Easiest person to buy for? Bill - expensive bottles of scotch. (But not this year hehe)

8. Mail or email Christmas cards? Neither - I'm too lazy.

9. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life. Such a classic.

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Around March.

11. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Anything Mum makes - especially her pudding.

13. Lights on the tree (colored or clear)? Coloured and blinking incessantly.

14. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home (this year anyway)

16. Angel, star or ribbon on top of tree? Gold star.

17. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning in pj's with a BIG cup of coffee in my hand.

18. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowds at the shops. It's like Christmas has come as some sort of surprise to them.

19. What do you want for Christmas this year? Travel guide to New York.

20. Traditional colors (red and green) or other colors? Traditional but I'm looking to change next year.

Thanks for the post theme Libby.

2010-12-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

In the Post today....

Hello lovely ladies (and Dad :: I think he's the only man to read this blog).

Continuing on with "lovely goodness arriving on my doorstep" theme, I have two lovely little tidbits to show you today.

This is a reusable sandwich wrap (purchased from Etsy).

I'm sure most of you have seen these by now.

And I would have attempted to make my own except you have to be quite careful about what you use as the interior fabric - it has to be something that can be used next to food.

I bought two so I could have one wrapped around Rhianna's sandwich and the other in the wash.

So...you open it up. The inside is food grade nylon. Place sandwich or snack in the centre.....

Fold in two sides. They velcro shut.

Fold in the remaining two sides. And again, they velcro shut. The sandwich is now wrapped and ready for the lunch box. No more Gladwrap. And then when they come home, you just pop in the wash...brilliant.

Also today I received this lovely card, letter and photograph from a girl I used to teach with 10 years ago ( I can't believe it's been that long) We had classrooms next to each other and became good friends.

Although we live quite a distance from each other now, she never fails to send me a catch up letter each year with what she's been up to.

Obviously from the photo, you can see she's been quite busy in the reproduction area. Thanks Tamara, your thoughtfulness really made my day.

Now, I must get back to that ironing...........

2010-12-04T00:44:00.001-08:00

Random spots of happiness this past week....

Here are a few snapshots from the past week that made me smile.

Firstly I have been looking everywhere for some Zoya nail polish as it's the only polish that doesn't contain toluene. I finally had to get it from New York and of course had to pick the colours online which was tricky. So to start with I just got a lovely pink for my toes and a clear for my hands.

Very happy with both. Wish I could just find the time to put them on.

What is all this wet weather good for? Splashing around in puddles in the afternoon after school.

Friday was crazy hair day at school. All the kids looked so great. This was what Miss R wanted. Many plaits with pink hair colour and pink Xmas ribbon.

Here's the back view. Sorry for the poor photo but I was rushing to get ready for school myself.

Finally the weekend..... and some time to craft. An easy one today while I recover from yesterday. We made some retro coloured snow flakes and then made them into a cute garland to string through the kitchen.

A close up

Because I've been working so much I've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping online. How great is it to purchase really great, interesting stuff from the USA and the UK? Not only is it good value at the moment but you get to buy more interesting stuff than you find in your local Kmart.
Here's the pile I found on my doorstep when I got home from work on Friday.

How is your Christmas shopping going?

2010-11-28T14:22:00.001-08:00

Work, work and more work........

Sorry for the long break between posts.

I think most of the teachers at Rhianna's school have hit the wall with exhaustion as I covered a lot of classes last week. I even had the chance to teach Rhianna's class which was interesting (and of course, super exciting for Rhianna).

It's great working at your own childs school as you get the inside track on everything that is happening there :: who's teaching what grades next year, who is taking leave for the year, which teachers are leaving or retiring etc.

And luckily, the school is a nice small one without many behaviour management problems which makes most classes a delight to teach.

Bill decided that as I have been spending so much time with children lately that he would give me a child free day on Sunday. He packed up the MG with Miss Rhianna on Sunday and they took off for the day. They didn't get home till 7pm so it was a fantastically long day for me to have some time to myself. Here they are ready to go.......

The first thing I did after making a cup of tea was to dive into some quality (and not so quality) magazine reading. As I've been working so much these have been piling up unread in the laundry. The large stash of Frankie on the top are a bulk lot I bought off Ebay.
(Such retro bliss.....)

On Saturday we just had a quiet day at home as Rhianna had her Christmas concert through the week and also a Games Day on Friday at school (in horrid heat) and was exhausted. And, as I was working that day in the same horrid heat I was a tad exhausted too.

We started some very simple Chrissy craft - drawing was about about as enthusiastic as I could get. But the pictures of the reindeers turned out quite nicely.

We also started the decorating. One of my favourite parts of Christmas. Thinking we might need a new tree next year as this one had quite an unhealthy lean to it when we put it up.

Well I did tell you that not a lot has been happening here..............

Hope you all have a great week.

2010-11-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

Homemade Christmas Gift

I haven't been too good lately trying to live the non-consumerist lifestyle. But.... it is leading into Christmas and there are just too many yummy things to look at and to buy. Oh dear....

But here I have some homemade goodness. It's a Christmas present for Rhianna so shh....

Firstly, I bought this multi frame from target. I think I got it around February on sale for $10.

I promised myself no new scrap papers till I had used up existing stock. Unfortunately, the only papers I have left are pretty uninspiring. But it doesn't matter too much for this project and you'll see why later.

Next some clip art downloaded from the internet. Of course I happened to run out of coloured ink right at that moment but I soldiered on, figuring I could colour in the clipart myself.

Then I printed out some titles of activities Rhianna likes to do.

Put it all together to make 5 "vouchers" which are then framed into the ummm...frame!

I've chosen activities that we were likely to do throughout the Christmas Holidays anyway.

When Rhianna wants to use up a "voucher" she can take it out of the frame and give it to me. We then toddle off and do the activity.

Whilst doing the activity...say, bowling I take a lovely photo of the two of us doing that activity. That photo then goes back in the frame in place of the voucher.

When all the vouchers are used up and replaced by photos of the activities, she will have a frame full of Christmas 2010 memories of her and her Mum.

Then hopefully it can be hung up on her bedroom wall.

So, as you can see the actual vouchers don't have to be too fancy as they will get discarded.

I really enjoyed making this gift and it only cost me $10. I know doing the activities will cost me an arm and a leg but like I said earlier, I would have done these activities with Rhianna through the holidays anyway.

I really hope she enjoys this.

2010-11-22T21:12:00.000-08:00

Simple Childhood Memories

We headed up to my Mum and Dad's on the weekend. They live on the Central coast of NSW.

Rhianna has recently become the proud owner of a new pink fishing rod and we thought we'd trot off up to the coast to try it out.

Going up to Mum's makes me think about a few different things.

Firstly, I always think about when we used to drive to my Nan's place as a kid. The anticipation of seeing her, the morning teas she used to do, completed with homemade cakes, slices and biscuits. Sitting on my Nan's lap sipping tea from her cup and smelling her sweet crinkly neck when I used to hug her.

Sometimes I wonder what memories my kids will have of their Nan and Pop.

But mostly I think about how wonderful it is that I still have both my parents with me and still in good health and that we have the opportunity to spend time with them.

Anyway, we spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning out at Wyee Point doing some fishing. We tried to warn Rhianna that she may not actually catch any fish.

But guess what - she caught one. Actually more than one - she caught lots.

Unfortunately they were too small and had to go back in but she didn't care - it was the catching that was the highlight. Bill was the designated dehooker and thrower back inner.

Back at Mum's we pottered around the garden in the afternoon sunshine and did some gardening. Mum has a lovely garden - sorry forgot to take a picture. Rhianna spent ages picking out these flowers to make a bouquet to bring home with us.

We had a gorgeous dinner of lamb chops and vegetables and then some TV watching. I was amazed whn Rhianna asked my Mum if she could sit on her lap and then promptly fell asleep - I hope that's one memory she does keep. I know I will.

On Sunday we headed home after breakfast and a quick stop at the flea markets. The weather was glorious and we spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool.

Sometimes life really is all about the simple pleasures.

2010-11-19T12:29:00.000-08:00

Magazine Inspiration

Just a quick post this morning as we are heading off for a weekend away. Yah!!!!

As you know I LOVE magazines :: especially at Christmas time with all the colourful loveliness they put on the covers. Here are my current favourites.

Of course, my darling Frankie magazine

So many arty and talented people in the world. I love this idea for a Christmas tree.

Real Living - lots of great ideas for decorating your space this season.

Love this felted ball wreath.

Lots of great holiday activities to do with Rhianna in this months Family Fun magazine.

Of course I love the section on the Eco crafts.

Have a great weekend everybody. I'm looking out the window this morning and the weather looks beautiful - which it needs to be for our weekend away.

2010-11-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

Bits and Pieces

So far this week has been all about shopping. I'm trying to buy with the budget and the environment in mind but it can be quite hard to put the brakes on the spending with all that Christmas spirit happening out there.

Yesterday I headed down to Castle Hill (Northwest Sydney) to catch up with a girlfriend at the big shopping centre there. I was in the carpark by 9.30am and I tell you, I was lucky to find a car space -it was that crowded. I told my girlfriend that is the last catch up till after the silly season.

Back home and as the weather has been so lovely we've been outside a lot.

And what did I spy in amongst my supposed "potted colour" - a rogue lettuce. This picture explains why I will never be a gardener. The potted colour is on its last legs and the lettuce which I've paid no attention to is going great guns. In fact I hate to admit this but for about a week there I actually thought the lettuce was a small hibiscus.

One thing I can do quite well is bake. Here is a recipe I actually made up :: banana, choc chip and sultana muffins. I wanted to use up the overripe bananas, the last of the choc chips and about a handful of sultanas lying in the bottom of the container. They were so yummy - especially straight out of the oven.

Bill and I are going to do the final push this summer with the backyard. It really is just sheer laziness on our part that it is not already finished. This is the nice view of what we have done.

Now, I know it's not going to be featured in Better Homes and Gardens anytime soon but it's plain and practical which is what we were trying to achieve.

And this is the dog's breakfast end.

Obviously all that rubbish has to be carted away. On the right of the pic you can see where the old tin shed starts. We'll put in a nice little cottage looking wooden one and then put down some floating timber decking. Sounds easy right?

Other than that I'm just trying to get the last of the Xmas presents purchased.

I think I have 4 to go. I've just had a last minute acceptance for my Chrissy party so I'll have to add another couple of kids presents to the list but nothing major.

I hope to have it all done by 30th November.

How are your Christmas plans coming along?

2010-11-14T01:15:00.000-08:00

Sculptures by the Sea

Today we headed off to Bondi Beach for the annual Sculptures by the Sea exhibition. Apart from being very hot and very crowded the exhibition was amazing.

Giant sculptures lining the walk from Bondi to Tamarama.

Here is Rhianna ready to go -

Some of the sculptures were obvious - like this giant grater.

This was an amazing sculpture :: a long, colourful pathway running across Tamarama beach.

A close up reveals that the whole thing is made from bottle caps and red cable ties. I can't even begin to imagine how long this would have taken to complete.
But you've gotta love the eco angle.....

Some of the sculptures were confronting...

and then.... a giant hen......now there's something you don't see on the beach very often....

I love this Rubanesque bathing beauty made from sandstone boulders.

And this amusing dining setting gave us a laugh while walking along the clifftop.

Can't wait to go again next year.

2010-11-12T21:57:00.001-08:00

Higgelty Piggelty Weekend

After quite a busy week for our family we decided to spend the start of this weekend just hanging around the house. Rhianna got off to an early morning start.....

We needed a few art and craft supplies so we showered and dressed to head out. Miss R decided to wear her dad's trilby to the shops - oh, she's a fashion leader this one.....(Ahem)

I was quite pleased with this first skirt I've ever managed to make. I only had a printed out pattern and it actually fits my daughter and it cost me nothing as the material is a scrap. Can you tell how proud I am? I'll be knocking up a sequined wedding dress next.....or not.

Then onto the business end of the day - craft, craft and more craft. First a swim in the pool as it's 35 degrees out there today and then onto Rhianna's choice of crafts - paper boxes. Here's how it looked in the book.....

And here is our efforts. Not too shabby.

A close up. This is how the box is supposed to look. It doesn't have a "lid" as such. We are thinking we might get some double sided Xmas paper and make some goody boxes for our Christmas party this year as we have quite a few kids coming (Lord help me) and it's nice to give them something a little personal when they go home.

And finally Rhianna did a bit of craft on her (mostly) own. She set up a vet store in the loungeroom complete with a cage where the patients wait their turn for medical treatment.

We even had a latch so the little furries couldn't get away while they were waiting. Kept her occupied for 2 hours and didn't cost a cent.

Well today might have been the frugal day but I'm thinking tomorrow is going to be the all expenses day as we head out to the city for some culture - pics and story tomorrow.
Stay Happy.

2010-11-09T18:07:00.001-08:00

Christmas Folder

I would love to take credit for this fabulous idea but I have to admit that I stole it from Libby at Life is a Journey not a Destination. I loved it so much I made myself one straight away.

Here is the front cover - made from recycled brown paper and some old Christmas ribbon I had. I was going to buy a folder and then I found a perfectly good one in the cupboard.

First couple of pages in the folder have the next three months in calendar form so I can plan activities, shopping assaults and social activities.

I popped January 2011 in here as well so I can start to plan some holiday activities for Rhianna and hopefully some holidays too.

One of the sections I have tabbed is a home made gift section. I had this stuff floating all over the house so its good to collate it all in the one place. This is also where I am compiling the Xmas gift list for my family and friends.

Next section is the Christmas craft section. Now as I am a teacher I have oodles of this stuff so I just put in a few things that Rhianna and I might actually get to. And we'll be using up all the craft stuff we already have.

More craft

Next section is the Christmas food and menus section. We are having Christmas with Bill's family this year and I am bringing a salad, ham and a dessert so plenty of scope to be creative there.

Then we are having Boxing day at home (Hoorah :: our first year at home in this house) so we will be doing plenty of seafood as we'll do a BBQ by the pool.

I've included a section of low to no cost holiday activities for January. I'll be going up to Mum and Dad's on the coast for a couple of weeks to have a bit of a beach holiday with Rhianna but the rest of the time I'll be looking for cheap activities to keep boredom at bay.

And that's it. A lot of organisation for a grand total of $0. Hopefully the folder will keep my head screwed on the right way this Christmas crazy season. Thanks Libby.

2010-11-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

Starting to Love that Postie

I have to admit that I love getting mail. Especially anything that looks remotely like a card or invitation.

But today our local postie outdid himself.

Firstly a package from Book Depository. Now, I know that technically I have ordered this stuff but it's still so exciting to actually receive it - all the way from the UK.

I'd seen this book advertised in Rhianna's Bookclub brochures for about $13 but I knew I could do better then that. I think I paid $5 for it through BD and that includes postage all the way from England. What a bargain.

Can't wait to start on some of the projects. Watch this space.

Then there was the surprise - two Gold Class Tickets. Think we won these but not sure from who.

I do tend to enter everything going and sometimes I forget what I have entered and stuff turns up.

Trying to talk Bill into playing hooky one day this week so we can head off for some serious adult time. Alone. Without. Children.

And here is the banana cake I was rabbiting on about yesterday.

It used to be called David's Banana Cake after my brother in law who devised the recipe. Quite the clever relative isn't he? But then he left my sister for another (much younger) woman and now we call it Bastards Banana Cake. I think it's a much catchier name personally.

Loving this staying at home lark...........

2010-11-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

Today I'm loving.....

banana cake with chocolate icing
scratchy old records
ironing in front of the telly

laughing with my girlfriend till we cackled

vegemite on vita -wheats
canvas sneakers
cabbage roses
crochet coat hangers
organic meat at a reasonable price

Happy Monday all.....

2010-11-06T20:14:00.001-07:00

On the Agenda

Whoever coined the term "sleepover" was obviously trying to be ironic.

Last night Rhianna had a friend to sleepover and I can tell you - not a lot of sleep was going on - by anybody!!!!

They finally fell asleep around half past ten and were up at the crack of dawn. And I do mean at the crack of dawn - 5.30am.

Bill was finally persuaded to take the pool cover off this morning and of course the girls could not wait to jump in.

Hypothermia anyone??????

Of course any sleepover worth it's salt involves much cleaning up to be done on the Monday morning.

Let's see -:: craft materials all over the place - check.
Wet towels and cossies everywhere- check.
Every toy known to man pulled out and played with for 30 seconds before being left - check.

As I wander around the house this Sunday afternoon I see very clearly what I'll be doing tomorrow morning.

Later on the girls found this darling little birds nest on the ground. We've added it to our tortured willow nature tree and popped a little crocheted Etsy bird into it.

So darling I had to show you.

Also on the agenda tomorrow is a trip back to the gym.
Now, I used to be with this mob around 12 months ago and got sick of it. However they have just left this offer in my letterbox -a 4 week start up special. Even if I only go for the 4 weeks it will be something - I may even lose a few kilos for Christmas.

And finally, during the week I intend to knock up a few quick summer skirts for Miss R. I have some material that needs to be used up and I think with some little tank tops these will be quite cute. I got the pattern off One pretty Thing.

I've also got two coffee mornings booked in.
One with my best friend Natalie who has just returned from 2 months overseas. I am envisioning a lot of photo envy over that morning coffee. And the second one is with another dear friend Linda - we try to fit in a couple of outings together every school term and we have been sadly remiss so far this term with my working and her putting her house up for sale.

Such lovely mundane things to look forward :: such a nice change of pace from the last few weeks.

2010-11-05T16:54:00.001-07:00

Organic Finds

Just had to let you know about the latest organic things I am onto at the moment.

A girlfriend recommended I try Organic Rosehip Oil. It's great for scarring and stretch marks etc. But I am just rubbing a little into my face each night after a shower and my skin is starting to glow - not to mention how it feels - a bit like a babies bottom, quite frankly.

Luckily I've always had quite good skin (thanks for those great genes Mum and Dad).

I've never had acne or pimples and I've never smoked or really been a big drinker. And I think it's at this time of life that you start to reap what you sow.

I did however bake myself into oblivion in my teenage years with the good old Reef Oil so I do have some sun damage but on the whole, I'm pretty pleased with my skin. But this oil is a fantastic pep up for faces. I highly recommend.

Now that my bank balance is looking a lot healthier (thanks to some recent work) I've been indulging in my number one love - books, books and more books. Check out Book Depository for the cheapest books ever.

Here is one new addition to the book case that is really worthwhile. It's all about living an eco life with kids. I like it because they are not suggesting you live off grid and start growing your armpit hair again. No, no, no..... just some simple things everybody (and their children) can do to save the planet (and save some money).

Now that November is well and truly here my thoughts have turned to Christmas.

How could they not when you walk through the shopping centres at the moment?????

My plan is to have all my Xmas shopping done by the end of November. I'm well on the way in that department.

My brother and his wife live on a big property near Canberra and are begging everybody to come to their place for Xmas day. But with us in Sydney, my sister in Perth and Mum and Dad on the central Coast I don't know if that is going to happen. This was us all together a couple of years ago. It was one of the best Christmases ever.

Have a lovely weekend - I hope the weather where you are is nicer than here!

2010-11-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Back to Normal Life

After three and a half weeks of full time teaching I am back to my normal life again as of today - and boy, have I missed it. I've missed the leisurely morning starts, the silence of the house after everyone has left for the day, the little chats with my good buddy Finn and mostly just a more leisurely pace of life.

It was a hectic time - oh yes indeedy, however I did enjoy so much my time with my little Year One class - such an adorable age. And I have made a heap of new friends amongst the staff - such a terrific bunch of people to work with.

But I am beyond thrilled to be back home again.

And what did I do on my first day at home :: why all the things I love to do when I am a stay at home Mum.

First some dusting and vacuuming, followed by a lovely cup of tea in the sun. Then a bit of grocery shopping upon which I ran into a girlfriend and we had a lovely little natter in the local aisles of IGA. And then the after school pick up and a bit of bickie baking . Ahhh...bliss.

Oops nearly forgot, all the parents of my year one class bought me this lovely bunch of flowers to say thanks for teaching their kids with "much enthusiasm and fun". Twas truly a pleasure.