Some Baking at Last and Back to School !!

My bread dough

Baked to perfection !

Back to school

First day of year 3/2014

Well according to our about page we love to make and bake, but life has had other plans for us of late and it was fun to have a relaxing weekend for once and we baked some bread and it was sooo!!! good, gobbled up before it was even an hour out of the oven. I used a new bread mix and my KitchenAid dough hook and it was a success,nice even texture,crisp crust,easy to slice, tasted great, i will definately use a bread mix again, but will keep perfecting my own mix as well.

On another note the Twins started back at school today, First day of year 3, they are in different classes both year 3/4 composite classes and at different ends of the school. Olivia was i a little nervous, but soon pepped up when she found her best friend was in her class too, Angelica is with a whole new group of kids but change is good and she is very adaptable. They will only be at school for 3 days and then we go to Tasmania for 2 weeks, their teachers are great and setting them some work to do each day, mostly a travel journal and reading, they will learn so much anyway. Now to start packing for our trip and a bit of making and baking before the school run !

Australia Day 2014

            HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY 2014

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM

Australians all let us rejoice,

For we are young and free;

We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;

Our home is girt by sea;

Our land abounds in nature’s gifts

Of beauty rich and rare;

In history’s page, let every stage

Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,

Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross

We’ll toil with hearts and hands;

To make this Commonwealth of ours

Renowned of all the lands;

For those who’ve come across the seas

We’ve boundless plains to share;

With courage let us all combine

To Advance Australia Fair.

In joyful strains then let us sing,

Advance Australia Fair.

I come from a land downunder

 What a lovely day it's been, perfect summer day

 an Aussie day roast dinner of beef, rabbit and

 chicken and roast veg cooked by my  Mum.

 Lots of fresh fruit salad and apple cider.

 We brought dad home from the lodge he enjoyed

 himself so much. So nice to have my parents

 together, so grateful to be Australian. 

So grateful for my loving family.

    

Only 11 Sleeps Till We Sail

Even though the school summer holidays are drawing to a close, our family is gearing up for our first time off mainland Australia, sad but true we have never ventured off the mother land. The girls will be back at school next week for 3 days to meet their year 3 teachers, say hi to their friends, grab some school work then off we go for 2 weeks to Tasmania, So much interesting history and nature, the girls will learn so much and it will be great to have some family time and move at a slower pace.

We will be doing the day sail ( only available Feb-April), leaving Port Melbourne around 9 am and arriving at Devonport about 7pm, We plan to see as much of the island as possible and hope for a little snow while at Cradle Mountain. We'll be staying at Port Sorrel for 5 nights so we can explore the whole north east/north west coast, Launceston and inland, the Cradle Mountain and then down to Hobart and back up the east coast.
We are taking our own car on the Ferry, so we don't waste a minute. Looking forward to the chocolate factory,and all that yummy Tassie seafood and cheese and other goodies, Oh and the cooler weather.
I will share lots of pics and try to do a daily update.
I must remember to pack my knitting bag too, i haven't had much time to relax and create lately.

Spirit of Tasmania

Heat Wave and a Post with no Pictures

Well after a slow start,  summer well and truly arrived here and wasted no time catching up, it's been just over a week of 40 celsius temps and i'm over it, i m just so slow and sluggish in this weather. Things we did to try and keep cool and occupied ( its summer school holidays.
 I made bread, i made yoghurt, took the girls bowling to see "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2" Walking with Dinosaurs" and "The Book Thief" twice, such a great movie must read the book as well. Try to work but my Boss sent me home he said it was to hot for me, the air conditioner is broke . I sorted through some cupboards and  threw some stuff out, sat under the fan in my room reading, took some Nanna naps, girls did too.
 Girls made oodles of elastic band bracelets . We had had several water fights and enjoyed a 5 minute cloud burst, more of a sprinkle really but it was rain. Cooler weather coming tomorrow and only 10 days of holidays left.

50

Today i turn 50, and i must say i am happy with who i am and more satisfied with life than i was at 40. Not everything has gone to plan nor have i traveled the path i expected, but so far i have weathered some storms and rocky roads and here i am, older wiser and ready to take each day at a time and what ever it brings.
My sweet little girls have banished me to my room for the morning while they work their 8 year old twin magic in the kitchen with a little help from big brother Doug.  It will be interesting  to see what the rest of the day brings.

Our Families Goals for 2014

Happy new year everyone ! Last year is gone and this new one begun and unlike other years i m not making new years resolutions based on my own needs alone, it just never seems to work for me anyway and heaven forbid if you share them with others, i fail even faster.
So after a very non productive but stressful and busy 2013 we as a family have decided to have attainable goals both shared and personal that we will work on together. After all we all want the same things, to have enough time together, time for fun and learning new things, time to do our work well.
So these are a list of our family goals for 2014.

1/. Eat dinner as a family at a set time every night, No TV or Phone or Computer !
2/. Talk about whats happened to us that day, so we know whats happening with each other.
3/.Keeping our Home a sacred and separate place from the outside world, a soft place to retreat.
4/. Pay respect to the importance of each others work and learning and help each other do their best.
5/. Keep a Family planner board in the kitchen and keep it updated and not full.We all need down time.
7/. Try to not say Yes to every request, No is the new Yes.
8/Make time to get out of town every few weekends to enjoy new places and experiences.
9/.Have quality time with extended family every 2-4 weeks.
10/Teach the girls some important life skills ( cooking, managing money, taking care of things better,
 repairing rather than tossing out. go camping more and learn how to be more self reliant

Now it's time to go get this year started, Bye for now !

Love these girls so much !

Happy New Year !

Happy new year !! Sometimes it's just a great idea to start again, here's hoping that 2014 is a year of positive growth and change.