Kedesha Turns 9

She is one of the most adorable little people EVAH and I'm not just saying that cause shes mine.. I blessed shes mine..she is an amazing child..she says to me things like this"Mummy I made your bed for you" "Mummy I made you a salad and boiled you some eggs" I mean whos children does stuff like that at 8 and don;t need to be asked.. she is a Treasure.

Look at her Daddy adoring her..he still does

Slice of Pie

Pie+Apron = Yummy

keylime pie,custard tarts,chocolate pie delishemo

I added 2 adorable frills

I have so many more to make

Apron Lovins

Do you believe in love at 1st sight?

Thee second I seen this donut & coffee fabric I was gasping for breathe..when I said it was delishous I wasn't kidding ..

My old aprons are getting a little worn and tired looking- I do everything in them Paint,Bake,Garden,Pluck n Gut Chooks..they are real farm gal aprons..so I am needed a few more and this is the 1st of a few I have planned

I am a real Apron Lover here are some others I have made over the years.

Its not finished yet thought you might like a peek thou.

Rooster Pot Holder

I meant to show you this earlier and just remembered today ..its a Rooster Pot Holder ,I got this on ebay for mothers day.. I so totally LOVE it( i KNOW i KNOW i Love EVERYTHING) but really I do really love it

It hangs above the kitchen sink

Anyways can't chat I'm off to sew some of the delishous fabric I purchased when I was on my trip to town.

For the LOVE of CUPCAKES

Spotlight is one of my most favorite places to shop in..there is always soooo much to look at- if I see anything with pink and white gingham,red and white gingham,cupcakes,baking equipment my heart skips a couple of beats..So look at what I found..just sitting there waiting for me to take them home..

Yes adorable pink and white gingham cake tins with cupcakes on no less..the girls called me over mum!mum! look you'll love these...oh my daughters I melted on the spot right there in Spotlight then when I was at Cheap as Chips(my 1st time there)I found these A D O R A B L E ceramic cupcakes..(I found other stuff there too but thats for another day..today we will just bathe in Cupcake Love

Happy Birthday to Meeeee

43 today ..whahooo

I ended up spending 2 weeks at mums and working in her shop..I had a few days of shopping got some adorable fabrics , some new clothes, and other goodies..which i'll show over the next few weeks.

Some sad news while the girls and I where away ..our dog Giles had a stroke and passed away poor old fella

Chat soon

Thats Me

I never look like this ,I almost always wear my hair in a great big mess sitting on top of my head and those 3 chins I have there well just in case i ever lose one ..ya know as a spare ..anyways I'm off to town to visit with my mum..so if you see me wandering round town with my girls don't be shy stop and say hi!!

Planting Fruit Trees

Yesterday we went to the Jung markets to buy some fruit trees cause they are so jolly cheap..$12:50 a tree which is brilliant..we got 2 peach,2 pear,2 plum,2 almond and 2 grape vines(vines $6:50 each)

Here is Isaiah and Elijah with Daddy planting an almond tree.Someone was very excited about it.

1/2 a bathroom

So Close but so far -the other toilet got pulled out yesterday and the new one is now going ,a bit more tiling to go ,window to fix ,curtians to hang, Lighting to put up,wipe the grout from the floor( hubby tiled the floor last night and grouted today) ,finish off the wall border, put in the skirting board,then dust and wipe everything .
When its all finished I'll give you a break done of what it cost..I think ya'll be surprised.

I came back to show ya'll the same picture the before is the photo from the realestate when we looked at the house ..

Attic Room

Every since my hubby 1st went up into the roof and said "I can stand up in here' I have wanted an attic upstairs bedroom ..Miss 8 and 12 said "can it be our room please mummy",looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

So yesterday while mum & her hubby where over for a visit decided that we just have to have this attic room and her hubby insists stairs are easy to do(my hubby and him put in stairs in mums old house a few years back) and he says it won't cost us as much as I might think..So while I am in the middle of kitchen and bathroom renos ..I am now contemplating a attic reno..A little inspiration

They predict there is anough room for a BIG bedroom and a small ensuite .. I predict I'll be broke before you know it..Oh wait I already am broke

(the picture in the middle with the built in day bed with trundler is my fav)

Pretty Teacups

Remeber the pretty buttercup plates I got gifted to me from Nelly..we'll the night I opened them, my mum was here ,so when she was 2nd handshopping last week she found me some pretty matching teacups and saucers..How cute they are!!

Bathroom Reno is Moving Along

Its still aways off from being done -but- the basin is FINALLY in and the toilet is half in and a bit more wall tiling has been done& the floor tiling is complete..it seems to have taken forever.. but in the grand scheme of things it isn't to bad really..Good things come to those who wait patiently:)..patiently I believe is the key here LOL..we have been sick, had family staying (have more family coming), had to help neighbours with much stuff, had a big clean up round the yard when the metal collecting man came and I've said it b4 and I'll say it again but life gets in the way often..just the everyday being together as a family ,communicating , meals , cleaning up, visitors,baking,sewing,computering,reading,maths,science projects on the go..nature walking..answering endless questions of WHY? they make up so much of our life..that things like bathroom and kitchen renos just get in the way..or life is getting in the way of the renos..not sure ..but pretty bathrooms are not top priority to growing children..

A Day in My Life-well a morning

Whats one day like in your household?

Here is how my day has gone thus far.

I am woken by the noises coming from the living room(light chatter and laughing over cartoons)

give thanks for my day ahead

go to the bathroom

walk up hallway-kick computer on and continue walking to the kitchen

rejoice within myself at the warmth in the kitchen & say mornin to everyone

children gravitate towards me one by one and ask for eggs, toast ,cereal or yesterday left over casserole lunch.. i say yes to everything..its 6:30am after all.

i throw a load of laundry into the washing machine then eat my brekky(i ate left over casserole)

go make my bed . get dressed and tie my apron round my waist..load the dishwasher while children go feed thee animals.

I sit by the fire to heat up some while I contemplate what I will do today..now I am heated up I go read some emails but the phone rings its mum wanting to ask hubby a question..gets back to the emails..

Chat to hubby about wether or not he will do anything on the bathroom(has a slight pleading tone in hope that it will spur him on) remind him his parents arrive in 10 days time..

sweep the floor

Dump fabric onto kitchen floor (chats to daughter about some quilts & aprons we both want to sew with the fabric)cause i have to go thru it all and wash it because mice have died on it(its been in the bungalow ) and there is mice crap thru it all...Asks son to hang a load of washing on the line ..load up another load..while thats washing I come and type a message to ya'll..hubby stops me and wants me to have a look at the fish in the outside freezer to see how big the pieces are & if the big boys will eat one or two pieces.. its freezing outside i put fish in a container for it to thaw and come back to typing..Ask daughter to make a salad for lunch ( she obliges)..stops typing because child is crying to me that he hurt himself..gives him a cuddle and he goes back to playing his game i go back to typing..Hubby gives me a kiss and says see you in half an hour..

Hubby & Children leave( enjoys the peace) to feed neighbours animals while they are away for the weekend.. I remember I am meant to look for rentals for my brother who is going to move to victoria.. so I sign off on this post wish you all a blessed day and get back into sorting that fabric and the clock hits 11:11am

Kitchen Update

Since the bathroom is not finished (life is getting in the way of the things I want finished off)I thought I'd show you the little bit we have done on the pastry bench(still more to go thou)

This is the same window when we 1st moved in and started painting

Here is some Pretty Kitchen Inspiration

Sharing Babies

The kittens are now 21 days and18 days old..The mothers Fluffy and Snowball are sharing babies and feeding suties they all sleep together in one big box and they feed who ever needs to be fed then the girls go off and play for a while leaving them in our care..I am told that his is all very odd for cats to do..the kittens are strong and seem healthy they are starting to jump and play with each other now

One Big Happy Family

Its been a Full on Month

The World needs to pull the brakes on and slow it down a bit..it has been a full on month...
we have gotten no further on any renos..we have been waiting for the pedestal part of the basin to arrive it only got here yesterday.. My sister came for a surprise visit with her 3 youngest children and stayed 6 days(little tornado family they are).. and everyone in the house has either a sore throat and ear infection or a running nose..and we have a mice plague..June should be more productive..I'm ready for ya June show me whatcha got baby

Another lot of Kittens

My life on Repeat

In the early hours of last night Fluffy gave birth to 3 kittens..she had such an easy time..she is a much more independant cat than snowball,she just popped her self into the box pushed and squeezed and was done(shekinah was her midwife)..She was so jealous of Snowballs Kittens and now she has her very own and she could not be happier.

So now we have to name them all...Here are some ideas they children have been playing with..Mario..Luigi..Daphne..Tigger..Dr Claw...tell us your ideas please...

At this time Kedesha is thinking of her Daffodil in Cat Heaven..Kedesha wears Daffodils cat collar everyday in memory of her

New Arrivals

In the Wee Small Hours of this morning Our cat gave birth to 4 baby kittens much to everyones surprise we are keeping all of them..Snowball done very well this is her 1st litter shes only 8 months herself ,she done very well..Kedesha was her midwife and snowball would not let kedesha leave her side..Kedesha done very well having to cope with placenta eating and gooey stuff everywhere.

No reno info to share still waiting on the pedestal to arrive..soon hopefully

Happy 10th Birthday Elijah

Tomorrow is his actual birthday but when we start preparing foods today for tomorrow he got mixed up and thought it was today and he got upset..so lifes way to short so lets just party up both days ..he already told me he wanted 2 cakes(but most everything is in 2's for him,he can count to 3 but i guess 2 rolls easier off the tongue)..so another cake tomorrow..but let me tell you about today's cake.. I asked him what he wanted he said"cocklit" ok no worries cocklit it is son, then he asked it to be BIG..no worries son I only to big..Go big or go home I say!..so I seen on bakerekka's website how she made a layered cake so i thought i'd make him 10 layers with chocolate mousse in between each and make him a white choclate number ten for the top..I visioned it all..it looked fabulous..So reality came along and done it some what differently LOL..it was a yummy cake thou ..the chocolate mousse was delish..(recipe below)

Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients (serves 6)
300g good-quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar
1 tbs good-quality cocoa powder, sifted
300ml thickened cream, plus extra whipped cream to serve
Grated chocolate, to serve

Method
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters for 5 minutes, or until mixture is pale, thick and doubled in volume. Fold in cooled chocolate and cocoa powder until combined.

In a separate bowl, whip cream until thickened (be careful not to over-beat). Use a large metal spoon to carefully fold the cream into the chocolate mixture, trying to keep the mixture as light as possible. Spoon into 6 serving glasses and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving, then top with extra whipped cream and grated chocolate to serve.
recipe sourced from here

The Sun Always Shines Again

But Gosh it can rain rain rain sometimes..Not literal rain{but that would be nice too} over the last few months my knee and hip have been playing up really badly {I have Osteoarthrisitis--I think there is to many i's in there but hey you get me drift )So I have been taking Rose-Hip Vital{its helping a lot}...

Our Vacum cleaner went KAput so I ordered this Space Shuttle looking thing and when it arrived a part was broken..Still waiting for replacement part weeks later..

{Note dicktape..hubby own shares in the company}

Months ago our new oven stopped working so we sent it into be repaired {it was in the repairers 6 weeks} they thought that was resonible{I thought it was insane} we got it back had it 4 weeks and it stopped working AGAIN then one day before the warranty runs out thee exact same thing happens again..so I call them up and ask for a refund ,exchange anything?? they said SURE..so we go to town yesterday to pick the new oven up and do groceries

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So I decide to stay in town a bit longer and send hubby home..cause my mum now lives in town and she will drive me home later and I can go to SPOTLIGHT(my most fav place in the world--well almost) and I buy a few pretty red things..

then i walk to the 2nd handshop and got myself a few things like these 2 pie dishes..I am inlove with with them.

But all that walking My knee is throbbing and my hip is begging me to sit down( I am a BIG girl ,so my hip is actually SCREAMING for me to sit).. We make our way back to Ma's place have dinner with her and make our way home..when I get home hubby shows me the new Oven

It is to narrow but I told the young fella we need the 60cm but he gave us the 54cm.. I am annoyed that it doesn't fit properly but I am making do..for a few reasons I will make do..1- cause I need the oven{we have been using a little bench top oven }2-cause on the grand scheme of things is it really that big of a deal..you know with people starving in the world in all and my oven being 54 and not 60cms.. do I really have reason to complain...

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anyways so when intown I had to go to the courier place to pick up the new pedestal basin for the bathroom how exciting ...we get it home open it up and look at the surprise we found

Surprise its smashed to smitherenes...But I am so sore and tired and I can't exactly do anything about it right then and there anyways so I go to get ready for bed but hubby says "oh Hun there is a parcel for you" I thought cool it will be the cake tin I ordered cause I have a little bakeware fetish.. But No it was this

the buttercup dinnerset from Enchanted Things ..sent to me from Jock n NELLY ..OH My GOODNESS it is not often in my life time I have ever been speechless.. I wanted to cry but I was to tired so I sat there with tears in my eyes saying" I can not believe this" . "I just can not believe this"

Thanks a million times a million Jock n Nelly, I will treasure this for ever ..we are eating lunch on it today and forever we will talk about you both when we eat off them.. Did I mention I will treasure this forever.. AND if that was not enough suzanne popped in a beautiful food cover for me as well which i grabbed and held to my heart cause some things just need to be squeezed cause you Love em so much..it lemon tiny print edging it perfection..Thank you SO MUCH.

{you can see my red bowl i got at spotlight and my $1 dollar gingham table cloth i got at the Opshop too}

So I dragged my weary aching body to bed..climb in -lay down ..said my prayers and smiled so hard..LOVE IS EVERYWHERE its all AROUND me.. thank you for reminding me Nelly & Suzanne

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Boiled Fruit Cake

Nana's Boiled Fruit Cake
500grams Fruit Mix
250grams butter
11/2cups Sugar
3eggs (lightly beaten)
3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
Put Fruit Mix in a saucepan.Add just enough water to cover.Cover and bring to the boil.Remove from the heat.Stir in butter and sugar,stirring constantly until butter has melted.Let this mix cool. Beat in eggs. Sift flour and Baking powder into fruit mix,stirring to combine.stir in almond and vanilla essences.Pour mixture into a greased and lined 20cm square cake tin..Bake at 160c for 1 to 1&1/2 hours or until an inserted skewer comes out clean..let cool in the pan for 10minutes before turning out to cool on a rack..

I do all the above just like Nan-- but i then poke with a skewer holes all over the cake and pour over 2 capfuls of whiskey.

I used this recipe to make my wedding cakes and everytime I have ever made it everyone always says ..yum ,nice fruit cake..so give it ago impress your friends and keep my Nana Hyndmans memory alive

Treasures

I've mentioned many times on my blog about my Nana being a caterer ..Her career influenced our lives greatly..My mum and aunty arrived the other day and we have been chatting about when we where kids and when they where kids about the catering jobs we used to go on and the things Nanas used to get us to do..like peeling bathfuls of spuds and all the different jobs Nana and Grandee used to take us on..

Boy we used to have some fun This is a picture of my grandparents taken around 1973.. I loved them both so very very much and I miss them terribly.

So when Mum arrived she had Nana's recipe journals for me.. I asked her a while back about them I rememeber Nana with these books that looked like ledger books that Nan used to write recipes in and put clippings in..So mum asked her sisters and they found them for me and I got them yesterday..they are absolute treasures to me. I will start sharing some of her recipes with you soon.Some of the notes are from as far back as the 1940's and clippings from the 60's

All the Live long day

We've been working on the bathroom all the live long day..we have the new bath in and the parts of the walls that are getting painted are done and the ceiling is done and hubby is tiling the walls..and mum rings and says shes coming earlier now..so no way we will get everything done..its ok thou it was just a goal to have set before us ..its all cool thou you gotta learn to be flexible so we will go a little over the time frame we wanted no biggie ..it will all still happen..

Heres a little peek at hubby getting the tiling done

and Breadcumb{Dulux} is the color for the walls