happy birthday to me!!

We celebrated a birthday yesterday.... mine!!! 

Green was the theme and it was the first celebration in the new extension. 

I hoping to have many more such fun times in there. 

I was blessed with a very tacky, brightly coloured plastic chandelier, which I've longed for forever!! It will go somewhere in the new section when it's finished. I can't wait.

We sang, we danced, we ate, and we all had a good laugh. 

And now I'm another year older....and hopefully wiser. 

Although I'm still only 39.....and a bit!! 

Nothing like a bit of colour to spice up a party, is there! 

Gestern hab ich Geburtstag gefeiert. 

Alle in grün. 

Wir haben gegessen, getanzt und viel geblödelt.

Wir haben ein neues Zimmer angebaut, noch nicht fertig aber zum feiern geht es schon!  

Jetzt bin ich 39.... und noch ein bisschen!! 

christmas cordial

Living in Tasmania means that we get to emulate many of the culinary efforts of times past. That may not be strictly true of course, but I seem to make and create a whole lot more 'old fashioned' food and drink than I did when living in the warmth of NSW. Last years rhubarb champagne is an example, as is the elderflower champagne we made last year too. Dj made both (and enjoyed both!) along with the family. I still don't know if they have any alcohol content but I'm happy to pretend there's none!!

This year he has made elderflower cordial due to a shortage of plastic fizzy drink bottles. We never drink those and never think to start asking friends to collect them for us early enough to make a batch for the festive season. Oh well, a change is good and we did have various glass bottles that were just right for cordial. Perhaps it looks like we give the fizzy's a miss and drink only vodka and wine, but truly that is not the case at all.... really!!

We used Tanya's great recipe which you can find here and although it's a bit cloudier and darker in colour than hers, the Dj assures me it's delicious! It certainly looked very pretty with the late afternoon sun streaming through the window.

Today we started on the first four batches of the mountains of biscuits we bake each year. Lebkuchenherzen (gingerbread hearts) coated in chocolate are another of those things that I've only been making since we moved to Tassie.... chocolate biscuits in 40˚ heat?? No way!
Tomorrow they will be rolled, cut out, baked and coated with delicious chocolate and I'll be photographing the process to share.


Unser Dj hatt wieder etwas gutes für uns zu Weihnachten gemacht. Holunderblüten Sirup, goldener süsser Saft zum trinken mit prickelnden Wasser. Oder vielleicht für mich ein Hugo!!
Wir haben aber viele Blüten auf denn baum gelassen dammit wir auch Holunderbeere haben im Herbst.
Heute sind endlich die ersten Keks entstanden, Lebkuchenherzen, weil es ist nicht mehr lang bis das Christkindlein kommt!    

knitting but not reading

Doesn't the photo look gorgeous? 

Much nicer than in real life, although it is very bright then too! 

I'm knitting another little cardigan for the Tiny Granddaughter and this one is a bit more challenging for my new knitting skills. It's called Playful Stripes and so far so good! 

Initially I wanted to use up some of the leftover wool I had but in actual fact I ended up buying most of it new because I couldn't work out how to make it with more stripes. There will be wool left over again so perhaps next time I'll pick a pattern that does use up various stash wools!

You may notice that the green border on the left hand piece is different from the piece on the right? Thats because I couldn't wait to start knitting and only had the pink and two greens, so the greens became the border. When I started the sleeve (after having purchased a few extra colours) I decided that it needed a 'zinger' colour so added the orange. It's only a play cardi so it wont matter, I think but it's supposed to be finished for Christmas........!

Let me tell you about needles..... (say I who really doesn't have much of a clue!!!) I do know what feels good to use though, so maybe that gives me some kudos, eh? 

Anyway, originally I was given a pack of bamboo circular needles by a friend and thought they were pretty much the ant pants! After all, here I was, a new knitter and all, using circulars!! Oh my, the prestige, I thought! And I was very happy with them. 

Fast forward to the beginnings of this project where I needed a variety of circular needle sizes and lengths and stopped by a shop to stock up. The lovely lady there encouraged me to try the Knit Pro Symfonie Interchangeable needles and oh my, what a difference! 

So smooth! 

Such elegant points!

What delightful colours! 

I'm sold!! 

No kidding, they really are fantastic and smooth - the wool glides along the plastic cable bits beautifully and the handy little locking device keeps them securely done up. And the cables are in my fave colour too!! 

I've just realised that I"m supposed to be doing some reading along with the knitting but alas there's not much of that going on right now. The Diggers club catalogue for garden and gift inspiration and a quick peek into my Trim Healthy Mama ebook for a recipe now and then, thats about all. 

Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm doing! 

Joining in with Ginnys Yarn Along today. 

Ich bin amall wieder beim stricken. Eine kleine rosa rote Jacke für die kleinste maus im haus! Aber nicht heuer weil jetzt kommt ja der Sommer, sondern nächstes Jahr für den Herbst und Winter. Ich komm leider nicht zum viel lesen aber das stricken kann ich immer wieder abheben und eine reihe machen daweil ich mit meine Kinder rede oder ihre schule Unterricht. Ich mochte es fertig machen vor Weihnachten aber wehr weis ob das auch wert!!  

(secret) girl business

My daughters are growing up. 

Another birthday gone by and Miss Elli is sweet 16! Where did the time go? 

Do all mothers have a tendency to recall each birth on that day, year after year? 

My children get a little embarrassed when I mention how they were born - "Oh you didn't want to be here, you cried and cried" or "You were so beautiful and rosy" and the like!! I spare them the grisly bits though and instead, recall feelings and first impressions. They still tell me to stop although I think secretly they quite enjoy the fact that I remember the specialness of their birthing day!! Anyway, I tell them, it's not all about you, I had a large part to play and I do so enjoy the memories! 

And so, there was another birthday to remember. This time with a little grand-daughter watching proceedings very closely....after all, it's her birthday soon too! 

  

Miss Elli, the newly minted Miss 16, is showing an interest in photography and keeps borrowing my camera for teen photo shoots. Together with her friend they spend hours outdoors setting up props and sorting clothes and she does quite a good job of them too...... though I did pick the funniest ones of them to show you! I couldn't resist!!  

And then there's my baby girl.

She has just played the good old Saucepan Man from The Faraway Tree, in her inaugural ballet concert. She loved it and wants to join the theatre now!! Yikes!!!
We had to paint her up, dress her up and spray her hair up until she didn't look like my little girl anymore, though she does make a good fairy tale character.

Once again, we made use of repurposed goods - the suit was cut down from an op shopped womens' business jacket and skirt, as was the blouse which is just the collar sewn onto the jacket.
 Saucepans were all op shopped or borrowed.
We made the papier mache saucepan hat, painted in acrylic kids paints.
Ballet shoe covers made from an old felted waistcoat.

I did have to buy makeup though as we don't have much of that!!

Not too many more years will go by and my last two girls will head off to venture along on their own journeys in life.
I hope I've given them the tools they need to be happy and content with what ever that life has in store for them.
I also hope they remember their childhood with fondness and many happy memories.


Meine Töchter. Die letzten zwei.
Elli war 16 Jahre alt vor ein paar tage und wir haben recht nett gefeiert mit kleine Lola auch dazu.
Elli mag gerne mit ihre Freundin fotografieren und sie sind öfter im garten Requisiten herrichten mit viel lachen! 
Und die jüngste war zum ersten mal auf der Bühne für ihr Ballett Konzert. Jetzt ist sie ganz theaterbegeistert!!      

it's beginning to look like christmas - advent wreath

Only slightly late (again) but no matter..... we finally have one!! 

Our yearly advent calendar has been made and for the first time ever, its in a different format. We did need a bit of inspiration and opted for a little peek on Pinterest, after which the Fairy and I decided that a laden-with-goodies wreath would be a nice change. 

We have always had an advent calendar, right from when the children first came along. In the very early days it was one of those cute European style ones where you open the window and see some sort of toy or Christmas ornament underneath. Then when I had a few older helpers, we made little boxes out of the previous years Christmas cards, filled them with nuts and dried fruit and using last years sparkly curling ribbon, we strung them up in a big bunch. Its one of those memories that our children sometimes mention with fondness and nostalgia and have requested for next year! But this mama likes a change so this year its a nice round one filled with little pouches of delights! 

The most exciting bit for me though, is that it was made from almost completely repurposed, recycled, begged or borrowed materials! I really get off on that kind of thing!! 

Baubles - bought for 50 cents at the local op shop.

Pine cones - gathered in the park during a home education get together. 

Wreath - a friendly worker at our op shop had it packed away in her shed and brought it in for us after I mentioned we needed a large one! 

Cardboard hearts for number tags - a piece of packing from a purchased shirt that I'd kept for just something like this!

Coloured note paper - bought many years ago for scrapbooking

Copper wire - stripped from the inside of electrical wires which had been left over from a previous building job.

Fabric bags - re-used from last years oops, the year before's advent calendar. 

Of course the goodies in the bags were especially bought...... although there may be more chocolate and less nuts these days, ahem. There is also a handwritten corny joke in each one because I love those silly Christmas jokes and the children love to poke fun at me for laughing over them!! 

Q - What time should a person go to the dentist? 

A - At TOOTH-THIRTY!!!  (tooth hurty)  hahaha 

Although it's a little late and we opened the first two bags yesterday, it was worth the wait because I love it so. I'm actually a bit sad that it has to be dismantled bit by bit and will look quite empty by Christmas. I've tried to encourage them to leave the full bags on there so we can just admire it till then but I was completely out voted!! 

So what do you think? 

Do you have an advent calendar of some sort?

Does repurposing get you as excited as me? 

Happy crafting!

Joining in with Nicole's Keep Calm Craft On - because isn't that how it goes at this time of year? 

a day at the beach

So where have I been? All over NSW! Well, maybe not all over but quite a way. I spent all of September visiting friends and family as well as driving some holidaying Austrian rellys around to see the sights. They loved it!!

These pics are of a lovely day spent at Ballina with my 85 year old soccer playing mum - I really hope I'm as fit and active at that age as she is!

I have a lot of photos that I'd like to share with my folks, so please just bear with me for a short while and I'll soon be back on track with our normal everyday doings!!

Jetzt kommen endlich amall etliche Foto von meinen schonen urlaub mit Familie.
Lois und Maria, Mama, Djwal und ich sind nach Ballina in NSW gefahren, für einen herrlichen tag am Strand.  Wir haben ein kleinen ball gefunden und eine weile Fußball gespielt.... meine liebe Mama natürlich auch mit! Ich hoffe ich bin auch noch so gut beieinander wenn ich 85 bin!!!  

phoenix rising!

And thats how I feel, once again! 

Rising out of holiday mode and the general lethargy that has kept me from writing in this space. 

I've been home for three weeks but I always find it hard to get my rhythm going again after a while away. Of course, the daily rhythm must be resurrected first and thats been my main focus but eventually I start thinking about my blog and how I've been neglecting it for so frightfully long. 

And I have so many stories to tell you too!! I just could not get my iPad to cooperate while I was holidaying........ and since then I couldn't get my mind on the job! 

So here I am (with my beautiful girl, Layla) just popping in with a hello! I'll be back in a day or two with some late but beautiful holiday photos!  

Namaste 

Hallo, meine lieben! Ich bin wieder zuhause und bin auch endlich eingestellt zum schreiben! Ich hab viel schöne Foto von meine zeit auf Wanderschaft und bin in ein paar tag wieder hier!

Servus bis dahin!    

just in time for spring!!

It's done! Finished and on the babe! 

And she is looking so cute! 

I loved knitting this - quite easy for a beginner like me, knitted up quickly, giving almost instant gratification! 

Spring has sprung here in the southern most state of Australia. Daffodils are blooming at every corner, plum blossoms are dusted over branches that were bare just a few short weeks ago, the grass is lush and has that certain tinge of green that only spring grass has and, in paddocks everywhere, there are sweet little lambs frisking about! 

This is the Elf's first spring - well, the first one she can actually get amongst and it's such a joy to see her stumbling about in the sweet spring grass! Everything is new again in the eternal cycle of rebirth but for her it is new, new. And because she is new too, there is a freshness for us looking on and watching, while she discovers and delights. 

She reminds me so much of my daughter at that age, both of them blonde haired, blue eyed, fresh faced and eminently kissable!! 

LOVE!!  

slow living august 2013

I know, I know three posts in a week!! What has gotten into me? 

Well, I'm not sure really other than I have lots to show and tell. And I do enjoy sharing my news, views and thoughts with you all. 

I have a lot to catch up on, so I've decided to join in with Christine's Slow Living month by month so I can tell about all of our doings in one go!!! 

Oh yes, there is another reason why I've been so prolific this week but I'll tell about that later.....

So here goes, for a much busier, more prolific month than I'd thought!

NOURISH: Oh, nourish! This one has been at the forefront of our month, so it's only right that it's also the very first category! I mentioned a while ago that I'd been reading a couple of books that have had a big impact on my thinking. I Quit Sugar by Sarah Wilson and Trim Healthy Mama by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett, have quite literally changed the way I/we eat. I wont go into details here as I'm hoping to be a bit more in depth in a later post, but I will say that Sarah's book explained in detail what I hadn't fully realised about fructose, which is the baddie in sugar; and not only sugar but agave nectar, honey and most other alternative sweeteners. 

Then Trim Healthy Mama gave me a lot more fascinating info and a whole arsenal of recipes and we have been trying out new sugar free delights ever since! I now have a whole new way of eating and am slowly working my way through the family, converting them one by one!!! (two down, quite a few to go!!)

Below are three grain free, sugar free treats - cheese biscuits, rhubarb scones and gingerbread scones, all made with almond flour and stevia. 

This one is a flax-meal cinnamon muffin-in-a-mug with stevia sweetened yogurt.... breakfast!! 

PREPARE: We are behind in the garden. I had hoped to have it all dug over and covered with mushroom compost before September but we have had so much rain that gardening was not an option. We did manage to dig up the last three rows of potatoes and spread two loads of mushroom compost over the empty beds but the rest is still waiting. There was a day where we had a few 'garden gnomes' helping to spread a load of sawdust on the paths but overall the garden remained a no go zone!   

GREEN: I really can't think of anything green for this month, other than the green smoothies enjoyed by all of us and especially by the Elf!! 

On second thoughts, there are some 'green' happenings further down list.    

GROW: The last of the potatoes were harvested - another 90 kilos!! Thats over 180 kilos this year and quite a good haul! We have kale, spinach and parsley in abundance, the garlic is growing well and the first tiny tips of asparagus are popping up. Not sure we will get any to eat, as this is their first year but its exciting none the less. Other than that, there's not much in the garden - winter here is just too cold for much growth although I noticed today that the weeds are starting their spring surge...sigh!

REDUCE: A couple of years ago our Elli was gifted with two baby magpies. We advertised on the wanted board at our Post Office for an aviary to keep them in and were given this one below. The magpies grew up and were freed a long time ago and the aviary just sat there, empty. Until we had the brilliant idea of re-purposing it for a chook house. So using all the man and woman power that we had on hand, we carried it to its new position. It needs a new roof and some modifying but at least it's being put to good use again. 

CREATE: I've finished knitting the 'in three's' vest for the Small Elf and will share pics of her in it when next she visits. I've also repurposed an old jumper and some too small trousers, turning them into some cute winter pants for the Small one too. It's so very satisfying to reuse old clothes and I get a kick out of it every time I succeed in keeping something from going to the op shop! 

The other major creation in our lives is that the bearers and joists have gone down for the extension!! I am so pleased and can hardly wait for the framing to go up. See those loose boards on there? I've been using them to imagine where the lounge will go and how much room I'll have left for a BIG bookshelf!  

   

ENHANCE: Hmm, not sure about this one..... perhaps I enhanced my friends' trip overseas by giving her a lesson on sim cards and ipads? Hopefully I enhanced the lives of the three young people (all friends of my children) that have come to stay with us over the last month or so. I certainly enhanced their tummies!!!  

DISCOVER: This category goes right back to the first one - my reading and healthier eating discoveries. I refer to the Trim Healthy Mama book at least three times each day and often more.... it is just so interesting and I am learning much about food that I knew but never really understood. 

ENJOY: I have enjoyed the extra company that we've had with all the comings and goings of various children and friends. I've enjoyed a lovely night away in a Hobbit Cottage with my man (courtesy of our sweet children). I've enjoyed stretching my mind. I've really enjoyed the occasional sunny day. I've enjoyed discussing the new plans and new directions that have been put before us. I've enjoyed feeling healthier, and correspondingly, happier! 

Okay, so now you've read all the way to the end, I'll tell you why I'm posting more often (other than because I have a backlog of photo's haha!) Next week, I'm flying to NSW to visit family and friends for. a. whole. month!!! I am SO excited. I really miss my mum and closest friends and it's not so easy to visit when there is a big stretch of water between. So while the two girls and Stuy hold the fort, 13yo Dj and I are trundling around with suitcase and backpack. I hope to post while we are 'on the road' because we have some interesting places lined up to visit.

Will let you know more soon. 

Thanks again for reading about my little world. 

And thank you Christine for hosting this great peek into our past months achievements.