pom poms

 

A quick and easy little project from this tutorial to brighten up the kid's room.

In other news I am off on a blogging break until later next week. See you then!

in our kitchen

rice pudding on the breakfast menu

chicken stock from leftover roast chicken

sage polenta with tomato sugo

fennel and orange salad : recipe from my Italian mother-in-law

couscous with butter, lemon, chives and parsley

spiced chicken in the slow cooker from this book

chocolate sauce pudding : one of my childhood favourites

curried rice with peas and egg for lunch

semolina gnocchi with sage from Winter on the Farm : this book is becoming a favourite in our house

and a little finger food for Violet

I've been thinking about the act of cooking for the family. It really is so much more than just about the food. Memories made and remembered, tastes, scents and togetherness. From the act of preparing, sometimes growing and the eating of it.

These school holidays have made our days much more centered around our meals. As we take the day a little slower, and with more helping hands, there is both learning and enjoyment in the kitchen. Simple changes like frying up a little rice, flavouring it and serving it instead of a quick sandwich make lunch just that bit more special. Sitting together and eating. Talking about the food. Remembering to enjoy each moment.

Wishing you all a lovely Thursday.

school holiday doings

We are now well into our first week of the school holidays. Once upon a time I used to feel terribly guilty at my lack of exciting school holiday outings. With time I came to realise that this was fine for our family. Staying home is just a whole lot less stressful. Sometimes we might have a once a week outing and see a movie or go into town. There is the odd play date or sleepover. But most of the time we just do our own thing at home. Boredom is not something to fear,  and can actually be quite healthy as this is when I see the kid's imaginations starting to work.  I will sometimes direct them in an activity, but a lot of the time they just do their own thing.

Julia made owls from this idea

We made pikelets. Always a quick and easy snack when I'm told "there is nothing to eat!".

Drawing with pastels. These things are messy. We've had the craft mat set up permanently this week.

Julia has been making a soft toy from this book. So far so good.  All hand sewn. I think after today her little chicken will have a hat and be ready to be stuffed.

How have your school holidays been?

frugal flowers

Raiding the branches of street trees has become my favourite way of decorating the house with flowers. Though a "cutting garden" would be ideal, our garden is just too new and up to this stage the practical side has won out over the ornamental. For the cost of nothing except a little time there are fresh flowers for almost every room of the house.

I gathered these crab apple and elm (thanks to your helpful comments) blossoms on a recent walk. Perhaps its best not to mention that I almost crossed paths with a brown snake on the road. Thank goodness for the local farmer who spotted it before I did. I was in day-dreamy collecting flowers mode.

Many of my branches were only budding when picked, but if you change the water daily or every second day you should be rewarded with a full branch of blossoms. In the last picture you can see several days later that the buds have opened. I won't be winning any flower arranging prizes, but it is so uplifting to have flowers in the house.

weekend : rainy

It rained on and off all weekend. Washing didn't get hung out. Trees didn't need watering. 

we baked scones for afternoon tea

clanging pots and pans so mum can actually make the scones

beautiful new yarn arrived on Friday from here

the rainy weather was rather conducive to knitting so I got started on a Kina

and though I don't normally watch tv in the daytime I knitted and watched this Jamie Oliver series (don't you just love Jamie?)

baby rocket and kale salad from a quick dash to the vegie garden

 

sometimes its actually easier to get the kids outside when its raining

happy that my subscription arrived just in time for the weekend

chicken with thyme, lemon and marsala waiting to be roasted, or as Julia so politely puts it "a chicken with a lemon up it's bum"

and Violet wearing a vintage little poncho that her daddy used to wear (a long long time ago!)

How was your weekend?

interesting things

the interesting things I've found this week :


print the prettiest downloads from here
a boxy fox tutorial
the kid's have been busy making and playing with these
bring a gift of Spring
a Spring scarf

the day

We have been :-

• peg doll making
• baking wholemeal rolls - a baked first thing in the morning batch (because I forgot about the rising dough the night before)
• op shopping a little pin cushion to add to Julia's christmas present
• treating myself to a new (to me) old handbag
• warming up with hand knitted socks (thanks to the op shop once again)
• finding little hand written cards around the house
• looking forward to some duck egg baking
• enjoying my favourite chocolate at the end of an exhausting day of grocery shopping

Wishing you all a pleasant Friday.