A Collection of Thoughts

A new project or not.

via melissagoodsell.typepad.com

 

Did you notice the divine Miss Mel has started a new crochet project ? It's not fair and I really didn't want to look because I already have my crochet project but now I really want to make a version of what she is making - except I'd also have to buy some new pretty wool like she has too and I am on a strict don't buy anything else till you've finished what you have got rule at the moment. Mel's making a hexagon rug and the hexies looks so cute. I'm thinking that I would love a table runner -  using hexies and pretty wool just for on my little table in the family room. I'm wondering if the pattern couldn't be adapted..... so it was just the hexies. I'm guessing though unlike a ripple blanket every error would be seen so easily. It really wouldn't be a good project. I need to talk myself out of it.

 

Clean Eating / coconut, almond + quinoa breakfast cakes

via pinterest.com

I spotted these on my blog reader and pinned them late one night last week.  I am always on the look out for yummy breakfast recipes especially over the holidays. These are perfect because I can make them a little later in the morning and they will tide us over till late lunch. Holidays in our hosue are always filled with two girls asking on the hour what can we eat!

 

 

Etzcetera Magazine |ssue 9

via etzceteramagazine.com.au

Can't believe this gorgeous mag has been running so long already. Issue 9 on sale this Thursday. It's fab and perfect timing for the Easter long weekend reading cooking and crafting! Mark your calendars you don't want to miss it.

 

Catastrophy

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Can I just say this is absolutely me right now. It's 11.30ish on Sunday evening and I have just had the most insane weekend. Insane I tell you.  Sadly it has been bought on entirely by myself. Too many impending deadlines all collided with the exception of one or two I really had no choice. I always knew this was going to cause me grief.

Then the girls came home Friday afternoon with a crazy to do list themselves.  One look at their list meant my list got shelved. We had friends booked for dinner Saturday night and I was loathe to cancel so we squished that in too.

Aggh. It's my own fault. Richard once made the mistake of describing me as driven and hes never lived that down let me tell you. BUT my girls run rings around me when it comes to focus. Holy dooly. I love that they are focused and I don't have issues getting them to do their school work( please may that continue! )  but the downside is that I can't keep up it is seriously exhausting.  No longer is an assignment type up this research and put a picture on it.

This weekend they created interactive powerpoints, a video, a prezi, an informational reports and a brochure. I'm insanely proud of how clever they are and amazed by their ability to problem solve. Sofia wanted to imbed a video she had made into her prezi and the file keep loading with an error -so she googled to find out how to convert it and then downloaded the software to do so - then that didn't work ( I'd be in tears by this stage worrying that the work I had planned wasn't going to happen! ) and so then she said let's load it to you tube it'll be right - and sure enough she did and it was.

My to do list never happened. I managed this evening now they are in bed to get through the absolute minimum to get me through tomorrow. Two days of school left for me then I have a month off. The girls have three days left and they have certainly earnt their holiday.

Longing for a break!

 

Easter Ideas for Kids

I am on the search for simple ideas the girls can do themselves and/or won't take a lot of time or cost alot of money.

I stumbed across this concept for using Jelly Beans. You place one of each colour into a plastic egg  and add this poem.

 

Red is for the blood He gave,
Green is for the grass he made.
Yellow is for the sun so bright,
Orange is for the edge of night.

Black is for the sins we made,
White is for the grace he gave.
Purple is for his hour of sorrow.
Pink is for our new tomorrow.

A bag full of jelly beans is yummy to eat,
It’s a picture, a promise, a special treat,
To help us remember Jesus’ work complete,
Gives us hope beyond any earthly sweet.

 

The jelly beans I bought didn't have purple so we have changed the poem to say blue instead of purple.

The girls have started their eggs I have to get some more ink for printing the poems.

 

via pinterest.com

I love these "carrots"  I saw this idea last year too but I have had NO luck finding the icing bags  anywhere. I'd love to thought because these would be perfect for a few friends.

via pinterest.com

I pinned these last year too but they are going to take too much time so have left them for yet another year.

via spoonful.com

 We love the idea of these for our family easter party - though no idea what to use for the orange lolly ... Maybe a snake chopped up???

 I love the idea of these too for one of our meals over Easter- popped inside a plastic egg. Easter conversation starters.

 

via homecookingmemories.com

I'm heading into surgery again next Wednesday and I'm not likely to be out before Easter Sunday  so trying to get organised before hand. Have you got any fun ideas that are super easy ??? Please do share.

Thermomix yay or nay?

Quite a few of my friends have been huge devotees of the infamous thermomix for some time. I have dabbled in the thought of it back and forth when I was looking for food processors in particular but the price tag put me off ( well if truth be known put Richard off! ).

 

via www.belliniappliances.com.au

 Yesterday a friend from work caught up with me to say that she had just bought the new model from Bellini at target for $275 on special. I tell you I am mighty tempted to go and pop one of layby. I read up on it last night and its getting good reviews and anyone having in trouble with it just return it to target for a refund or a replacement.

Easy to clean and does all that the Thermo does excpet go backwards. I rang Mel and asked her take on it and she says she rarely uses her on backwards anyhow due to the nature of the recipes she makes.

 I found a few good recipe sites too

 

I particularly liked this one - Tenina. com -  Australian :)

Lots of clean eating recipes out there for thermos or the equivalent of I'm thinking.

So please weigh in - let me know should I or not ?  Do you have one do you love it ?

We do LOVE cooking in our house- the actual doing of cooking but I am so very time poor - I haven't made bread since I returned to work :(

What to do ???

 

Ripple Along

Mel started posting on her instagram feed about her lovely ripple along blanket that she was making for a friend's new bubba. I thought it was lovely but so far beyond anything that I could do.

I love the thought of crochet - the colours and patterns and the excitement of being able to say " I'm crocheting..." But the reality is quite different. I have tacked a few projects of which I have completed two. Neither were particularly difficult. So when Mel said she was hosting a ripple along I was like cool I wish I could do that. She said of course you can. Ha! I laughed.

Lisa and Carrisa started theirs and said they'd come for morning tea and show me what to do. I got excited. Lots of tea and chatting later and I was still totally unsure about what I was doing. Carissa took pity on me and started me again - did all my slip stitches and then about 1/3 of my foundation row. I was pretty sure I could keep it going. Ha! I was so wrong.

I finished the row late that night and then promptly text her and Mel to say mine was dodgy as and looked nothing like it was supposed to. They both said it's fine just keep going.

 I did another half a row the next day and text it to Mel. She said hmmm I think you've made a mistake or 5 - try again and make sure you count. So I did. Still looked the same. I undid it again. Each time taking it back to where Car had got me to. And then again. Then finally I thought third time is the charm. It wasn't.

 Although it was better and more importantly I had ripples I knew it wasn't right still.

I showed Mel she clapped and said keep going.  Hmm another row. Eek what are these holes - maybe it will get better.  Another row and another row. I kept instagramming my progress and everyone said looks great. I kept looking at it thinking it shouldn't be this hard and it's looking worse less ripply. I tried three different size crochet hooks. finally foudn one I liked (3.5). This was all contributing to it looking dodgy I might add.

I got to the third double row of colour and had a lightbulb moment of where I was going wrong. I stopped and did another little trial of 31 stitches. Sure enough I had worked out my mistake. It wasn't the actual stitches I had those correct, it was where I was going in to them that was wrong.

So I had a choice - undo for the umpteenth time OR just ditch it and start again  OR keep going but do it right.

I wanted to keep Car's foundation part so I undid. It was very very hard to do that.  When I looked at the wool pooling on the ground I nearly just threw the whole thing away. But I stuck with it.

I'm so thrilled to say I am now further along than I was when I stopped and I have a nearly perfect ( for me!) ripple blanket with 3 and a bit rows.

I'm really happy I have mastered this. I know I have still made a mistake some where because my sides are a bit dodgy but nevertheless I'm crocheting and it's easy and fun and I love how it's looking. My girls of course think I'm so very clever so that is another added bonus.

I'm making a blanket for our new lounge room suite that we are planning on for later in the year. I have no doubt I won't be able to keep up Mel's cracking schedule she has posted but nevertheless I'm hopeful for a new blanket all made by me by the time the lounge arrives.

I am using the Attic 24 pattern and Moda Vera 8 ply Acrylic Marvel Soft from Spotlight. I'm finding it lovely to work with.

 YAY for fun new projects. Are you rippling along ??? Mel has a list on her blog.

February Wrap Up

Every time I begin to get down about my lack of ability to juggle everyday life the way I used to I flick to my instagram feed to remind myself that the juggle is well and truly happening. Ive been back at work 4 days a week for the last month and its not so smooth. too much to do not enough hours that hasn't changed ( no surprise ) coupled with the fact that it takes me longer to do stuff, longer to process things, I forget and I make mistakes. I get anxious about things that I used to do without even thinking. I find myself awake till the early hours of the morning running through my to do list - over and over. I've tried all sorts of tricks, writing intense to do lists, getting extra people on board, preparing earlier, drinking camomile tea but nothing works. I find myself over preparing and in turn I'm exhausted. I'm trying to find a balance. Still life goes on - I'm well. My girls are well, Richards well, we just keep on heading forward.

 A  look through February via Instagram :)

It's been the wetest start of a school year ever.  Flooding in so many places - the girls spent a weekend baking for Baked Relief and then Richard took the goodies to a drop off point to be delivered.

We celebrated Chinese New Year with our usual banquet.  25 guests including some of the girls friends from school which was really lovely.

The girls have had a wonderful start to the year - they are enjoying their new grade and teachers and classmates. Each weekend is spent madly working on a science matrix to do with the solar system. They took posession of brand new MacBook pros chocked with amazing software from their school.  It's a different world.

 We have implemeted a new chore/ pocket money system using a little app called Iallowance which I HIGHLY recommend. Takes a little to set up but really great.  The girls now have a short term and long term bank account and a charity account. Each week they choose how much to go into each account based on what they have earnt. If you'd like to know more  just say and I'll write about our process. It's working well for us ( the girls are ten ).

Lent has begun and we were fortunate to be asked to run a prayer group from our home each Tuesday night. I'm really enjoying it and hope we have the chance to contine past lent.

The girls ahve started Youth group - we  have tried three and have finally settled on one that works for them and for our schedule.

I ran my first 5K race for the year with a friend from school. We are signed up to do the progressive series. I feel the marathon goal slipping away from me but I'm still hopeful for the 1/2.

I finally decided it was time to get my hair cut. I am yet to ditch the grey and at this stage I won't be . I love my new style and I'm thrilled I have found my old hariderresser. He is so good and hasn't changed at all in the 8 years I lost him for.

Most nights I have been watching TV and working at the same time. My laptop is open waaay too much so I decided to start with Mel's ripple along. I have finally nailed the pattern after quite a few false starts. I figure having my hands busy with that may still my mind.

 Time will tell.

Thank you for the emails and texts that I've recieved checking in that I'm OK. I'm sorry I worried people. I try to post at least one photo a day to instagerm/ facebook or at least pop a status update up. Thanks for staying with me :-)  Bring on March I say.