angelicas christmas

Hello it's time for Christmas,and that means gingerbread making time.But of course we can't forget the roast and beautiful desserts

What Ever Happened To ?

Once upon a time there was a woman and 2 girls who had a blog, so what happened to them, these and many other question will hopefully be answered soon. We hope !

Nine

June, July and August

It seems as though i have been in hibernation these past few months, my soul, mind and body have been weary, but that spring feeling is a blowing in the wind and buds and blossoms are blooming and these two are as well. Only 20 days and they turn nine, love these little ladies.

My littlest girls Olivia and Angelica

Me and my new Grandson Nathaniel

Thursday Thoughts

TODAY I'm babysitting two of my grandchildren, its a bleak wintery day and the two are curled up under rugs watching Peppa Pig. Seeing those two together and so happy reminded me of my two eldest  children, they too  loved to curl up together on days like this, times were hard and we had no TV or money for new videos or  toys , we made our magic, i read to them, we painted,  we went for walks all rugged up trying to spot little green spikes of spring flowering bulbs breaking through the hard winter ground. We roasted foil wrapped potato's in a little fire we built in the back yard , so yummy and comforting with butter and sour cream and fresh chives from a mini herb garden.  We'd feed the birds and pick little bouquets of sweet violets and tiny blue grape hyacinth, these are some of my most precious memories. Sometimes the best memories are those made in the lean times. Struggle can be bittersweet, it brings out our inner child to create magic, comfort and joy out of the simplest of things.

May June

The Blog has been a little neglected these past few weeks apart from a bit of color play, i get a bit flat this time of the year and with a Family illness that almost ended badly and one of my little Misses fracturing  her arm at school i was feeling quiet deflated.
Things i has done to ease my bleakness of spirit; I pulled out the food dehydrator and dried 5kg of onions and carrots, some lemon,lime and orange slices to pop in tea, lots of capsicums, managed to teach the girls how to use the sewing machine and do some basic embroidery, they made a little draw string bag to keep their floss in ( very happy with the results) will post photos soon.  And i also ordered myself this new Stacy Nash primitive cross stitch pattern http://stacynashprimitivedesigns.blogspot.com.au/2014/05
That's about all for now, like i said feeling very bla !

Dr Ola's kitchen: Condensed milk Cake. Kondensmilch Kuchen. كيكة الل...

Dr Ola's kitchen: Condensed milk Cake. Kondensmilch Kuchen. كيكة الل...: This is a very easy and light cake & doesn't have much ingredients yet soo yummy.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

Look Up

April

Yes i know it's May but April flew by and i shared very little, happy to say im feeling a lot better, so here is a quick recount .

Hippity Hoppity Happy Easter To All

Christ has risen

Easter hunt begins

Cold and dark outside but their is no stopping these girls

Happy egg hunters

Happy Easter everyone !!!! xxxxx

Quiet

Sometimes life gets busy, many everyday and many unexpected things take up our time and its hard to be still and quiet and reflect on ourselves, i was reminded big time this past week to do just that, be still and quiet, i knew i was running on empty but failed to speak up for myself and as result a very nasty bout of Tonsillitis reared its ugly head and fixed me good and proper, always does. I had no chance of slowing down so my body stopped me dead in my tracks, not a nice way to take stock of life.  So quiet it has been for me, no energy or strength, not even to think,so i will get back to being quiet and rest a while. See you soon.

Happy Birthday to My Best Friend

My Husband Stephen " Our Rock"

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband and very best friend , it's an honor to be part of your life, we love you . 
xxxxxx

Glacier Grey

March has flown by and there is a hint of Autumn in the air, cooler nights and warm sunny days with a little rain have been on the menu here in the Riverina, the summers have been somewhat milder these past few years and you will get no complaints from me.  So to ring in the new season i thought we might give the blog a freshen up with this lovely grey music theme from the Graphic fairy i also added the breathtaking photo my husband shot of Cradle Mountain Tasmania, it was taken on Glacier rock so that's how i settled on my title today Glacier grey, its my new black at the moment so soft fresh and warm at the same time.

Glacier Grey

St Patricks Day 2014

Greetings to you on St Patricks Day

There's a little bit of Irish a Glimmering in us all

All over the world people love to celebrate St Patrick's Day and ever so easy it is to wear the green and share the joy of such happy friendly people as the Irish, also a great day to sow your  Sweet peas seeds.      
I have Corned Beef  and  Cabbage simmering on the stove and a peach cobbler for dessert, and Mr Five and i will be finishing the night off with and Irish coffee. Enjoy !!

4

Happy Birthday Sebastian

Big Boy now

Seb And Little sis Eva

Oh how time flies, My grandson Sebastian turned 4 yesterday, he is the funniest and sweetest kid and we love him so much, HAPPY 4th BIRTHDAY SEBASTIAN !!!!!

The Weekend

Breakfast

A visit to my Niece Christina

The bigtop

Circus theme

Bright and cheery

Cool side show prizes

Photo fun

Pouring rain, but dry inside the jumping castle

My sister Victoria "the creative Genius"

Pluck a duck game

Little Miss Gracie , Grandma Victoria and Grandma June

Will, Christina , baby Grace and Charlotte

Angie at the petting zoo

Olivia and her fluffy friend

Birthday Girls

Cake table

Yummy

Baby Tiger

This weekend we drove to Sydney to celebrate the 1st and 2nd birthday of my Great -nieces Grace and Charlotte, it was pouring rain but with a bit of rope and a few Tarps all was dry and the show went on.
And a great show it was, cute kids,baby animals, jumping castle, fun and games and yummy cake.
My sister surprised me with a belated and lovely birthday dinner. My first Costco experience was a an eye opener, must go back fully armed with cash and the trailer, i could have a lot of fun  there, lucky for my husband the closet one is 5 hours away.

Pantry and Meal Planning

While the Northern hemisphere gears up to welcome Spring, us folks Downunder are starting to think Autumn thoughts of russet leaves and warm spicy aromas coming from the kitchen. Well its still a month at least before it really starts to cool but planning ahead is half the fun.
This coming week i am planning on cleaning out the fridge/freezer and the pantry, scrubbing up my canning jars and pulling out the food dehydrator and lets not forget the slow cooker( the work horse of my kitchen), i use it several times a week since i started working outside the home and want to work it even harder (might have to buy an extra one).
I thinking of trying slow cooker jam, caramel, bread and self saucing puddings and jacket potatoes.
I m planning on dehydrating my vegetables and herbs and making up batches in canning jars as dry ingredients pre mixed for our favourite soups and stews, so i only have to open one jar and add meat and stock and go.
I can hardly wait to get started.

Holiday wrap up, Salmanca Markets, Campbell Town

Salamanca Markets

Local Gravenstein apples, crisp and juicy

beautiful fresh vegetables

The Fox Hunters Return ,Campbell Town

rear of building

side view and book shop in basement

horse stables

back entry door

chess table closed

chess table open

inside entry

beautiful stone stairs

our bed for the night

and of course we got room number five

leaving, boarding Spirit of Tasmania 11

Goodbye Tassie

Miss Maggie tried to stay behind

last view of Tasmania

Arriving in Melbourne and The Queen Mary 2 was docked beside us

We had a great time

Maybe our next holiday? I can dream !

Well before this blog starts looking like an advertisment for Tasmanian holidays only i thought id better do a final post of our holiday, we visited Salamanca Markets In Hobart and enjoyed fresh lemonade,German Sausage and hot ditch pancakes. Angelica bought a bright red pair of Possum/Merino wool mittens and Olivia bought a pretty hand embroidered lavender bag, we then drove to Historic Campbell Town, a beautiful garrison town built almost 200 years ago by Govener Macquarie,the river that runs through it is named after his wife Elizabeth.
We stayed Saturday night at a Georgian Inn "The Fox Hunters Return" it had a book shop in the basement and our host were lovely.
The next day we travelled back to Shearwater/ Port Sorell for the last night and enjoyed another Raspberry sorbet!! Then is was up early Monday morning to sail home,   it really was worth the money and time off work and school, we learned a lot and would love to go back real soon. For such a small place it is rich in history and natural beauty, the people are genuine and friendly and food is yummy.