Mum, there's a stick in my head!

I like to scare my Mum. She scares easily. When we did craft, I put a red fuzzy pom pommy thingy up my nose, and I was scared and Mum wasn't but Dad was, and Mum just got the tweezers and then got it out and Dad said words I don't know and I was OK and I gotted a icy pole like you do when you're brave, and I was so I did.

I can do big jumps and I like to swing off the bar at the top of the slides but best I like to swing on the really high ones when your feet go all off the ground and Mum gets so excited she comes running to wherever I am and catches me and I don't fall 'cos Mum is a good catcher but she says not to do it but I don't listen 'cos she does funny faces when I do and it's funny.

I have done some big falls and I get up again and keep running 'cos I want to catch my brother and his friends 'cos they are six and I will be too one day so I need to know how to play what they do. I fall sometimes and need a princess bandaid, and sometimes I fall like last year when I have to go and get an x-ray and plastery stuff that makes going to the bath tricky, but I gotted lots of icy poles and watched lots of TV and couldn't walk.

On Christmas Eve we went to see lights on houses that were showing Santa where they lived and it was late and I saw a light in the sky and shouted that it was Santa's sleigh and Mum said maybe it was and my brother saw it too and we wanted Mum to go fast to get home so we could go to bed before we missed Santa visiting 'cos he only comes when we are asleep and we were really awake. Mum said she could only go safe speed and we were scared 'cos Santa was nearby and we wented to bed so super quick and my brother nearly forgotted the snack for Santa. Mum thought we were really funny and that time we were scared and Mum was laughing and I really did see the sleigh.

Today I tolded Mum that I had a stick in my head and she ran really, really fast, then gotted the camera. It's not a real stick Mum, it's pretending, 'cos that's funny not hurty, and you should have seen the look on your face Mum!


Oh and Mum, you know that you said that crayons taste all yucky and that eating them is not a good idea? You was right.

Miss 2.

How Green is Your Garden?

Today was spent lazing about. Nothing like a lazy day. A friend has had a post-Christmas shock and so we are pretty twitchy waiting for the phone to ring in case she needs our support. Unable to get into any major projects, we are doing the little annual jobs that can be attended to when Mr BB has his annual Time Off. In the meantime, the garden has been thoroughly enjoying recent rains:

We have no partridges in our pear tree, but if the grey-water can be diverted this way, we may have a good crop! (Our washing detergent is grey-water-friendly).

We have a very over-grown part of the garden that needs serious pruning and hacking into. As renters, we are unable to pull out the cotoneaster, privet, and other weedy yucko plants, but I can dream... Oh to be Edward Scissorhands in this garden!


However the garden is not all bad. All around the entertaining area at the rear of the house, the bricks are full of little holes. The owners were clearly clever little possums though, and have filled the holes creatively. Whenever I see bricks with holes I remember past experiences with arachnids of the red-back kind (no pics, too scary, if you don't know to what I refer, look here).

Near the sandpit, small pieces of mosaic tile are concreted into the holes, thus:


And around the ledges, they have planted little succulents:


All great ways to disguise some potentially ugly bits. The best bit is that it creates little secret gardens for the children. These little details are seen by the kids (at eye-height and small-scale). Little nooks and crannies for fairies and critters to dwell.

As kids, my brother and I used old spoons to dig tunnels and trenches in the soil of the garden for the Star Wars figurines to hide . I used to visit a moss-covered rock in the local timber-yard's carpark to check for fairies. Miss 2 and Master 6 like to follow ants and ladybugs. Master 6 has even named a few insects that frequent the garden, and I am thrilled that they take the time to do this. There's so much to discover. Why don't you get down on your hands and knees in the garden. No-one' looking, go on! What do you see?

j

Did Santa Come To You?

A long while back I was wondering how to get a print out of my blog so I could have a hard copy for the kids. I consider this blog less a public display and more a journal these days, so wanted a copy to refer to. After a fair bit of research, it all seemed too hard. I must have mentioned this to Mr BB, as on Christmas Day I was presented with a bound copy of Button Beauty! I am thrilled and love it. He spent considerable time compiling it, and for that I am so grateful. So much more meaningful than something quickly whipped off a shelf. Thanks honey!

The Christmas season finally saw me clear the dining table too, so we could eat Christmas breakfast and dinner! To do so, I finished off the tiered skirts.

One for my niece PP:


One for Miss M who turns 3 in January:


The next few will form new stock for a little 2009 sanity project - stay tuned!

The pudding was amazing, the ritual complete, and Mr BB whipped up a vanilla bean custard and a vanilla bean ice cream to go with it! Along with a saved bottle of Moet, we had a fabulous day!


Master 6 was not well on the day unfortunately, however he still managed to complete a series of Lego creations we thought would last a week!

Today we will spend in the garden, hoping for a peaceful and happy time.

Many thanks for all the support and encouragement from you readers over the year. As my blogaversary approaches, I am amazed that I have stuck this out, and that I have made so many new and dear connections in the crafty blog world.

Happy New Year - keep safe.

J

Christmas Craft Anyone?

I have been saving toilet rolls and boxes for Christmas Craft, and woke this morning bursting with ideas for lots of angels, trees, stars, and decorations.


Imagine how astounded I was to discover that NEITHER of the kids wanted to do craft? That is a first here. I even tried bribing them with bottles of glitter!

Miss 2 just wanted to pretend she had a stick through her head....


While my darling Master 6 wanted to build a city. He'd just found his blocks, and threw his creativity block-ward instead. Great city buddy!


So back to the dining table o' sewing I went to finish off two more skirts. I really must get cracking on the sewing if I am to seat eleven for breakfast on Thursday.....!

Ah, weekend bliss..!

J

Mince Pies

MMMmince pies. Fabulous part of the pre-Christmas dance. I only got to mine yesterday after having the ingredients on the bench for 2 weeks!

Tradition has it that if you eat 12 mince pies over Advent, you will have twelve months of good luck and good health. I am certainly trying to get a year of good health!

These are an annual tradition for me. My dearest old buddy and I have been making them for years. The story goes that JR and her Mum were having afternoon tea at the Windsor Hotel in '98 and asked the pastry chef for his recipe for the brilliant pastry. The filling is suited to us - you can modify it to your own taste!

Pastry:
250g softened unsalted butter
250g icing sugar
1 egg
60ml milk (full cream)
500g plain flour

Beat butter and icing sugar until well-combined. Add egg and milk and lastly flour.

Do not overwork. Pop in fridge at least 2 hours wrapped in cling wrap.

Filling:
2 jars of MacRobertson's fruit mince
1 packet chopped, dried apricots
100g currants

I like a pastry star over the mince mixture as a "lid", or you can dust them with icing sugar, or leave them plain.

No need to do any blind baking - just roll, cut into rounds, cook in greased patty pan tins until lightly golden in moderate oven.

CHEAT: If you would rather stick pins in your eyes than make pastry, pampas do a passable shortcrust pastry case (in frozen section of the supermarket) which is easier but not as tasty as the above recipe. There are 12 in a pack, and retail for $5-$6 (making pastry is MUCH cheaper).

YUM!

Christmas Angels and Generous friends

OK - so two wholly unrelated items that squish into one post. I have been absent for some time - got a new computer from Santa, and have been lax about setting it up... Bloglines is heaving under the pressure of the unread posts. Must investigate this Google Reader business soon (slow on the techno uptake, I know...)

Sewing has been my saving grace this week! School term ended, extra-curricular classes winding up, parties to attend and school bags to clean out (how long has this "insert any fruit" been here?!)

A wonderful friend shared a pattern for a three-tiered skirt with me some time ago. After my disastrous luck with patterns, I left it for a long time, untouched, with all the others... However certain fabrics were calling me, and claiming to belong together, so I had to respond.


Miss 2 looked so cute, I had to whip one up for a friends wee babe who has just recently started walking. Two in one afternoon?! Wow, an easy pattern! So Two more in the wings for a bestie's little lass who turns two in Jan, and for Niece PP who also is now a walking doll. Who else can I make them for? Pattern only goes up to a size 4! Love it though.



'Tis the season for op-shop fairy goodness too. The lovely Kootoyoo shared her op-shop goodness and sent me this coffee pot (a while back, photo just hid, sorry Kirsty!) Isn't it magnificent? Love it, thanks so much Kirsty.


Also a dear friend in South Australia sent me this fabulous vintage table cloth of Canberra (which clearly needs to be ironed!) Thanks Em!


Hope your Christmas plans are in full swing -

J

Wouldn't it be nice...

Thanks Steph - you always bring a smile to my face!

Dear Santa...

Dear Santa -

Is it true that only good boys and girls get presents? What if there are moments of good in amongst a sea of just trying? Does that count? How about we say that good behaviour is in the eye of the beholder? In relative terms it can be good - it can!

So Santa, can you please help me out? I am on the verge of needing a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down, but can you please, please, please tell me how I can get Agents Lego without paying over $70 in postage and without going near the shops?

Master Six and his list-to-Santa-mark-three has thrown me in a spin...

Lego is the one thing I cannot sew. Or can I??

Image from here

Image from here

Image from here

A ring, cuff-links, a flash-drive, a lamp shade, a cuckoo clock, and a sewing machine, all from LEGO! A-ha - maybe I can crochet the lego required?! Felt it?!


Or Not.

J

Apron Swap Festive style

I signed up for the festive apron swap, and received the most generous parcel from the USA. I am always in awe of seamstresses (sewers can so easily be mis-read!) who finish their work beautifully - it is not something I have mastered at all. Wonky stitching, loose ends, puckering, THAT I have mastered.

A box of goodies arrived for me...


Did I mention generous? Wait, there's more!


The apron has holly-shaped button-covers. These are removable pieces of felt. Included were some Valentine's Day button-covers. I can just imagine the kids and I making little chicks and eggs for Easter, and

Festive aprons are so different this end of the globe! The one I sent off was Summery, cocktail-y, bright. Aussie Summer BBQ-style. I ADORE my apron thanks, and can't wait to wear it to make the mince pies, and on Christmas day to prepare the feast!

J

Meme for youyou

Here's my version of the latest meme doing the rounds. Anything in colour I have done, anything in back I haven't! If you are reading this and want a turn, you are tagged!

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited The Great Barrier Reef.
5. Stood under the stars in the outback, the real outback – think Uluru.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to the Gold Coast’s theme parks – anyone, you take your pick.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped, jumped out of plane, been paragliding or hang-gliding, hot air ballooning – you get the idea, you’ve been hundreds of metres about earth in a seemingly flimsy contraption.
12. Visited Melbourne.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Had a child. Raised a child. Worked with children.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Been to the Snowy Mountains.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Visited the Brett Whitely studio in Surry Hills, Sydney.
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Been backpacking.
23. Taken a mental health day.
24. Been buried in sand with just your head and toes sticking out.
25. Held a possum, kangaroo or koala – or any other native Australian animal.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Been in a fun run.
28. Been on the Blue Mountain cableway.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Played, or watched, summer cricket.
32. Sailed, kayaked or canoed our beautiful waterways.
33. Seen the Daintree.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Visited an Aboriginal settlement or mission.
36. Learned a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Toured the Sydney Opera House.
39. Tried rock climbing (indoor or outdoor), abseiling or just simple bush walking.
40. Visit Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art.
41. Been to the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
42. Sunbaked at Bondi.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Broome.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone fishing.
49. Seen Tasmania’s old growth forests.
50. Been to the top of Q1, on the Gold Coast.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Driven the Great Ocean Road.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Norfolk Island.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Guide biscuits.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone jet boating.
66. Visited Port Arthur.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Australian War Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Federation Square.
74. Been on the Murray River.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited St Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Been to Hermannsburg.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Saved a pet.
95. Been to the site of the Eureka Stockade.
96. Swum in The Whitsundays.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Phew! No wonder I'm tired!

j

And atop the tree...

Is it a star, symbolising the star that led the wise men to the stable?

Is it an angel, who appeared to the shepherds to tell them of the birth of the baby Jesus??

No! Master Six chose this instead for our festive tree topper...

Let's hope that the meaning of Christmas becomes a little clearer as advent progresses!

Speaking of advent, look at this perfectly simple advent calender by Kootoyoo: brilliant Kirsty!

J

Pea-ping out from a blanket of green...

The first snow peas! Both kids are refusing to eat them, but I am LOVING them straight off the plant. Lots of green tomatoes, some teeny tiny cucumbers, and the promise of a rockmelon/cantaloupe to come! Lettuces almost all eaten (by us, not snails, they seem to dislike sliding on polystyrene boxes). I had forgotten the joy of the veggie patch...!

What are you growing at the moment?

Inventive Advent

Check out these lovely recipes that form an advent calender here.

I am off to buy some Chocolate Royals to make these!



Clickety click!! Go on, they're magnificent!

J

Christmas crafts and creations

In an effort to clear the dining table, I am still working away at Christmas presents. I am relieved I didn't plan to knit any pressies this year, as I have slowed right down on the needles. Ground to a halt even seems mild!

So the Janome and I have been in sweat-shop mode. Apart from the buttony wall-hanging above, there have been five library bags, one apron, one shower hat, an embroidered gran-roll-a for Mum's handbag (based on Kirsty's fabbo designs), an advent calender (no, it was not ready for December 1st...), a skirt for Miss 2 is cut out and ready to sew, and the mending of course must be done. Phew! No wonder I am tired! Miss 2 continues coughing up a storm, so nights are now open for sewing (no sleep here)!


Sew much to do!!

J

Christmas Pudding

Do you make your own Christmas Pudding?
Plum duff?
Pud?

Are you a steam-it-in-the-cloth or a pudding bowl type?

Brandy cream? Custard? Ice cream? Whipped cream? Plain? Lit with brandy? Hot? Cold slices for days afterwards?

What's your tradition?

My Nan came from quite a background. For years, Nan made the pudding based on a recipe from their cook/house-keeper (is that right Mum?)

It was always boiled in a pudding cloth, and hung with its pals (there were usually three or four), on a broom handle in the spare room. When Mum got our pudding from Nan it was hung on a nail in a rafter of the kitchen roof.

This "hanging" of the pudding has always been part of the mystery and tradition of the pudding for our family. The whiff of pudding, the allure of knowing what lies within the calico folds, all part of the process.

This will be the first year that I have made a pudding by myself, as we will remain in Canberra for Christmas. We have always been with the family, but this year, for many reasons, we are staying put.

Mr BB and I could not conceive of a Christmas without a pudding. He comes from the pudding bowl set, I hail from the cloth. I readied myself for the challenge.

I set myself up by purchasing and setting out all the ingredients, worrying that it was beyond my skill-set, and trying to remember the pudding-making sessions of my childhood.

Packet-suet versus the real thing ordered from the butcher? (they grate it for you to make it easier);
What size pudding cloth? Did Nan halve the recipe or double it?
What was the method again? She did it by feel so often...

After all my careful calculations, measurements, and planning, the Great Pudding cook-up took FOUR DAYS to complete.

Not only did I forget to add ingredients, my bowl was far too small to mix it, and my stock pot too small to cook it!

Once we got it all together, Mum was here for a visit, so the process became even more special. Mum, myself, and Miss 2 used Nan's recipe and created (hopefully) a magnificent pudding.


Mum and I were both quite emotional, remembering Nan, enjoying Miss 2 spooning the mix into the opened and floured cloth (licking the spoon, the bench, her fingers...)


The job was made much easier and more pleasurable by Mum being here. The smell of the cooking pudding was amazing, the whole process fantastic.



Finally it has been hung, and will be cooked again Christmas morning. Even if we are sweltering in the heat, it will boil for several hours. And if it fails to work out? We will slather it with ice-cream, cream and custard, and eat it anyway!



This week's baking task - Mince pies! Stay tuned.

j

Golden Hands in Good Hands

As an addendum to the previous post, I must not forget my Golden Hands book! I now have numbers 1 and 2 in the series, and look forward to finding number 3 another time.


Nothing like a few frills and bows and puffs to jazz up an outfit -


Matching watchband, tie and hat anyone?


I do love these crochet flowers though!


Love Golden Hands - do you collect them?

Op, op and away!

Op shopping is always fun, some days the op-shop fairies are with me though. To get away from the ironing/washing/blah-de-blah at home, I took an hour off. I left the washing-to-be-folded on the couch,


And fluffed off to the oppy fairies' fave spot. Fancy finding aprons for a Christmas pressie for a friend's daughters:

And a lovely book about Grandma and her hats and her button box!


The crappy news is that Miss 2 is again sick, so my bloglines is now around 400 or so posts I have not read/commented on...

Ti-i-i-ime, is not on my si-ide!

J