Happy Merry New Year

Well you won't believe what we have been up to. Although you may have suspicions due to the extensive blog hiatus. We did the unthinkable and absconded for Christmas. To the beach no less. And I must say, I would highly recommend disappearing for a week from Christmas Eve, the only negative being the process of having to stuff all the presents in the car. Feng Shui Nonna came and stayed for few nights and brought a teeny tree for us to redecorate on arrival so we didn't miss our house or the Christmas lego too much.

Roboboy was quite concerned that Santa may not realize we were at the beach and would leave the presents at home, but gosh that Santa seems to be switched on.

Santa had obviously taken note of the school work book complete with detailed drawing of the requested item. With accompanying text just to be sure, "Aleene Con Cwest" (Alien Conquest). I myself just breathed a great sigh of relief that the most wanted item back in June was still highly prized come December (one wouldn't want Santa to not hit the mark of course).

And Liongirl, well anything pink and she is pretty much happy. The prized items appear to be a toy manicure set from her cousins which she wields with gusto on any set of nails she can find and a talking My Little  Pony Fairy wand with my all time favourite cracker of a line " I'll be the best looking pony in the library". The Duplo hospital that she has been coveting on every visit to a Target all year appears to be providing therapy of sorts as she provides medical care inter mixed with periods of  Time out for various infractions.

I did make a pavlova of course, it's completely traditional and pretty easy. Unfortunately due to an incident best described as an implosion, this is the best photo I can provide.  Can I add that before I dropped that very large dollop of cream on the top, it did look perfect. Liongirl thought the whole event was for laughs and frankly any pav disaster can be recovered with a slathering of cream and fruit and no one is any the wiser when it comes to the eating part.

We had a barbeque lunch and then spent the rest of the day playing with our Christmas cracker racing Santas,

as well as a lot of this.

Liongirl suddenly worked out how to swim a few weeks before her third birthday and is just like her brother- completely fearless in the water with no awareness of her limitations whatsoever. She can easily swim 3-4 metres now but would probably then sink like a stone when she had to stop and take a breath. Makes for constant parental vigilence but so pleased she is a water baby too. She was not so at ease with the ocean waves though, which meant some quality time for Roboboy and I to hang out and make some sand creations.

Mother and baby dolphin of course. There is always time for a moustache, and a general horse around.

And how about rounding the day off with a spot of ocean gazing from the bedroom window.

While getting stuck into reading some delicious Christmas presents as the kidlets collapse with icypoles in front of the Octonauts Christmas special on ABC kids. Could life be more blissful than this?

Actually yes, it can be more blissful. Just wait until you see the spoils of regional coastal town op shopping! Back soon, and wishing you all a very happy merry New Year.

A little gift of sunshine

I really did not intend to go near an op shop today. But since the presents are all sorted and the tree is decorated, how could I not? This little pile of included the sunshine yellow pyrex, two pillowcases and a sheet all for $8.

I'm quite liking the simplicity of the dead stick tree. While I'm not normally one for specific New Years resolutions, I will say that that terrible two tone custard/undercoat wall will be GONE by next Christmas.

Now, for other goings on that should have been posted weeks ago.

This little cushion is the finished product of the recent frenzied midnight sewing session. I have been wanting  a pile of colourful cushions on my lounge for the longest time but was waiting for fabric inspiration to strike. Despite my inability to cut or sew in  a straight line, I think it turned out quite ok (just don't get out one of those rulers that tells you if things are square).

I really loved that floral tablecloth fabric and it was easy to chop into as large parts of it were too stained to use. The St George teatowel seemed to have just the colours that I needed. The insert was a $3 cushion from Ikea. Here is the other side. I'm itching to make more now.

On the garden front, here is our completed raised bed full of vege seedlings. We are amazed to be able to report that the pegged down bird netting does indeed appear to be possum proof.

Unforunately the herbs did not fare so well on account of these free loaders living in our carport roof. That's the mother on the right and the baby kicking back on the left. With the amount of noise my rabble make getting in and out of the car these possums must be seriously sleep deprived. Perhaps that is why in just one night they decimated both the dill and the continental parsley. We have applied chicken wire now and will see what bounces back.


And what about that proof we found that Christmas is just about upon us? Well we were down at the park collecting seedpods when we stumbled on a little tree covered in these Christmas jewels. I haven't seen Christmas beetles since I was at school, did I just forget to look all these years? It's times like this that I am reminded that having children makes us slow down and notice all those little details that get lost in our big busy rushed adult lives.

And that is really the best gift a mother could ask for.

Only three more sleeps.

Holiday Hijinks

Well we seem to be settling into our school holiday groove. While I was looking forward to 6 weeks without clock watching, I was more than a little worried how my kidlets were going to go spending all day together. So far there have been some moments of pure joy like this one,  kicking back on the home made- lets- destroy- the- lounge and make a fort. Must check for pirates.

Yikes, I think I see some. What are they doing to those babies?

Now that is just a tad concerning. Surely they are not going to eat them without sauce.

Aaargh I see, lets have a duel then shall we. With that oldest Menace brother neighbour popping over, there is never a dull moment. See even his budgie Buddy is happy to get into the pirate theme and do the parrot on shoulder thing.

Since we've got all day, lets make a whole rainbow of playdoh colours.

Buddy was a little threatened by his playdoh replica and proceeded to try and pick off his embellishments.

While Liongirl napped, Roboboy worked on the architectural plans for his house. He likes to talk out loud to himself to problem solve what else he needs. There was a long dialogue about where to put his best friend for a sleepover. Should it be on the top of the 4 story bunk bed or perhaps they could share a bed. Could boys actually get married? His poor best friend is a little stressed as Roboboy had written  him a note about getting married and the best friend really just wants to marry a girl in their class. Best friends mother stepped in and pointed out that "marry" was not actually spelt  " Maree" and therefore Roboboy must have been meaning something else entirely. Phew, crisis averted. The bachelor pad appears to have  a sustainable vege garden, bowling alley,waterslide, aeroplane runway and elevator shaft running through the middle.

Ok plans are done, lets knock up a quick castle.

Parents won't agree to an i phone? Just whip your own up. Complete with i pad and docking pod to charge the phone up.

And if things are getting a little dull, there is always a Tupperware container cupboard to sort and tidy. We need some more space for the pyrex.

And finally with a mere 5 days to go, we popped down to our local park to find a dead stick to drag home.  Yes that corner of the lounge room is still half undercoat half custard. Resolutions will be made shortly.

We also found PROOF that Christmas is imminent. Stay posted for photographic evidence and other festivities.

Pinkety Pink Party

Happy, happy day to my pink loving tutu wearing girl. She is loud, she is fearless, she will try anything that the big boys try, and she really loves pink, and tutus, and tea parties. She wanted an Angelina Ballerina fairy princess party. The invites did not actually mention pink but suggested wearing a tutu or fairy dress. Since I didn't have a blog when she was a baby, here is a tiny snippet of the last three years.

When you were ONE I baked you a Rainbow Fish. I like to make up my own designs, the only two rules being maximal colour and maximal lolly coverage. Here are Roboboy's birthday cakes.

When you were TWO ....

the party you had been talking about for weeks, or was it months, was rained out and postponed three times. We celebrated with your best friend and a very last minute cake. You thought it was fantastic.

 When you were THREE we invited your best friends for girls only tea party.

And I baked you a Fairy Princess cake. The actual idea came at about 11 pm the night before the party, hence the more slap dash than usual icing.

We were so lucky to have our big kid neighbours on holidays, and BORED. They begged me to come and help out at the party. They help put faces on goody bag gingerbread men, dolloped cream onto scones, hung balloons, lay out more pink food than you could imagine, hid lollies, ran the lolly hunt and pass the parcel and that oldest Menace brother even donned a pink rabbit costume and brought his pet mouse and budgie over for extra entertainment.

Apparently you cannot tyre swing without constant squealing and giggling.

Nothing better than just hanging around with all your mates.

And best of all....... PRESENTS.

HAPPY BIG THREE my gorgeous girl. I think there are going to be a whole lot more tea parties going on over here.