Children

Tuesday 31 July 2012

As mentioned in my post we had Emily here for the weekend.  One of the first things she mentioned when she got here was a desire to go to Spotlight.  OK with me as they were having a 30% off all fabrics and I also had a $5 voucher to spend.  Needless to say I walked out with some fabric and a couple of balls of wool.  Emily bought an abundance of things one of which was a craft wood tissue box cover which she wanted to cover with pretty paper.

Somehow this always means that I end up doing it because she runs out of time.  This was the case again this time. 

I am going to spend a couple of days with her at her house and when I walked into the craft room this morning the tissue box cover was still at the same stage of covering as when she left on Sunday.  So this morning I have been busy trying to get it finished to take out to her.

Am I the only one who can't so no, especially to my children?  The wool I bought is for another project that my mother has started for my nephew and she asked if I would be able to complete it for her.  I will post a photo of that once it is done.

We had some lovely weather on the weekend.  The mornings are cold but the days are lovely, up to 21C during the afternoon.  I managed to pick some peas on Sunday, not many, but enough for Ron and I.  We had them with our roast lamb last night and they were delicious.

Later in the afternoon we had to go and get some firewood from some friends so I took along some afternoon tea.  While the men were busy cutting the wood and filling up the back of the ute my girlfriend and I planted some free plants I took for her.

Lemon delicious slice and lemon meringue slice!

I had to go and do a colour selection with a client yesterday and while we were at the floor covering store I found this great mat.

Don't you just love the rainbow of colours?  I know someone by the name of Emily that would love this if she was allowed!

I have heaps to do today

• type a tender for a job
• make Ron dinner - done
• ironing - done
• washing - done
• go up street to collect mirror for Ron's ute and contact solution
• sweep floors
• clean bathroom
• bake bread
• post letters
• pack - WARM clothes. Freezing out there!

So I had better get moving so I can get it all done!

Take care
Andrea

PS  I have found a recipe for a coconut, walnut and raspberry cake I will share shortly!

Try again

Saturday 28th July 2012

I completely forgot about the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony!  How could I do that after being bombarded with it all week on the news?  Too wrapped up in what is happening to me I suppose and not paying attention.  I would like to wish all the Australian athletes the best of luck and you have already made your country proud!

Life and a recipe

Wednesday 25th July 2012

Don't you hate the way that time just flies by.  We have been extremely busy trying to get jobs going lately, and have just handed over one last week.  That's one down and five to go.  We shouldn't complain as we have more work that most people in the building industry.  It is just that everyone wants things built yesterday.  It is fustrating for us along with our client,s that things just don't always work to plan.  It comes back to the old saying that good things come to those who wait!

I have been neglectful of my blog lately as I have been busy trying to help Ron.  This week is a little bit freer for me.  I had a lovely visit at my parents house yesterday as they had one of my Aunties visiting them also.  I was great to catch up with them all.

I did manage to spend some time in the garden on Sunday.  I pulled out the rest of the Pak Choi as they were going to seed and then dug over the garden to put some more seed (Pk Choi) in.  I love being able to add this vegetable to all sorts of meals.

Yesterday I was able to harvest a few of our turnips, snow peas, chilli and herbs.  I have never had turnip before and I found them quite bitter.  I will have to go onto the Internet and find the best way to cook them, as they are really easy to grow.

The herbs, chilli and turnip went into our meal last night and the snow peas have been put into the fridge for another night.  We are continuously getting snow peas and the plants are madly flowering away still so there will be more to come.  My other peas are starting to produce so it won't be long and I will have some peas to shell.  There is nothing sweeter that freshly shelled peas for dinner with some lovely mint.

Emily's partner, Dave brought us a couple of pumpkins awhile back and while we have managed to eat our way through one, the other one has been sitting in the fridge for awhile so yesterday I decided to make some pumpkin chutney.  This is a new recipe to me but it smelled lovely while it was cooking.  The amount only yelded three jars and I still have more pumpkin so I will head out to the shop later to buy more ingredients to finish off the pumpkin.

We love chutney and  relishes, but I also like to be able to give some away so three jars isn't nearly enough.

Here is the recipe I used

Pumpkin Chutney
3 tablespoons olive oil
250g chopped onions
1 cooking applie, cored and chopped
500g diced pumpkin
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup water
1 tablespoon grated green ginger
2 teaspoons mustard powder
1 tablespoon salt
125g sultanas
375g brown sugar
90g white sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Heat the oil, then saute the onion, apple, pumpkin and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add the water and cook until the pumpkin is just tender.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, stirring gently until the sugar is dissolved.
Cook, stirring often, for 40 minute or until chutney is thick,  Pour into warm sterilised jars and seal.

Ron also bought home two bags of lemons yesterday.  I will give most of them away but have some lemon cordial in mind also.  I hope to have time today to have a go at making my own green bag.  I have some old curtains that I want to use and I thought one of these bags would make a lovely gift.  I'll let you know how I go!

Take care
Andrea

Wet Wet Wet

Wednesday 20th July 2012

I am tired of the rain.  Most days this month it has rained.  This has made it next to impossible to work outside and is only holding Ron up on his jobs.  We have been able to get one job completed and this will be getting handed over to the clients on Friday!  I love being able to hand the jobs over as it gives me a sense of completion.  I only wish the rain would go away so we could get on with the other jobs. :{

Job ready for handover!

We had Emily and Dave here for the weekend.  Unfortunately Dave's grandfather passed away last week so they had to come down for the funeral.  Not the best circumstances.  It did give Emily a change to catch up with Bec and they spent the day together shopping and watching a movie.  We ended up with them all here for tea Sunday night which is always great.  I love having everyone here together.

Not much has been happening on the craft front.  Too busy cleaning for handover.  I have completed the back of the cardi I am crocheting and am now up to the sleeves.  This confused me for awhile but hopefully it should be full steam ahead on that now.  I have some great ideas for recycling of old jumper so when I have done that I will be sure to post some photos.

Hopefully the weather will improve shortly and things can start happening again.

Take care
Andrea

Another Penny Rug

Thursday 12th July 2012

Remember a couple of posts back I showed you my version of a penny rug for Emily.  I had been busy working on one for Bec and last night I was able to give it to her.

I'm calling it village on the green.  Bec has a round dining table so I though the round shape would suit it best.

I really enjoy sewing with felt as I find it quite easy.

We had some exciting news on the family front last week.  Bec and her partner Rana are now engaged!  I keep thinking she is too young to be engaged but then I remind myself that I was 18 when Ron and I became engaged.  It is just hard to believe my babies are growing up.  It seems like yesterday that I was nagging them to clean up their toys.  Time flies!

Leftovers for dinner tonight.  I have some spaghetti bog casserole left over from dinner last night and some potato from the night before.  I will turn the potato into some fritters and just add a few bits and pieces to the meal to fill us both up.  Then for desert I have some leftover chocolate self saucing pudding and custard from last night also.  I love leftover meals as it means I almost get a night off cooking.  I don't mind cooking it is just thinking of different things to have each night that gets to me.

We were going to take ourselves out for dinner Saturday night for a treat, but I have just finished speaking to one of my beautiful friends and have invited her and her family for dinner that night instead.  We haven't caught up for awhile and they are moving away in a few months so I have to make the most of them living close.  I think I will do a roast for dinner as it is lovely and warm on these cold wet days.  Then I will finish it off with this custard poke cake I found here.  I can get this made tomorrow and then that is done!

I'm off to do some ironing now as Ron hasn't any clothes for work tomorrow!

Take care
Andrea

Slow Going

Wednesday 11th July 2012

Things on the home front have been mightily slow going of late.  I did manage to get some work done in the garden last week with fertilizing and a general tidy up.  I even managed to spray the zucchini with some milk and water to help with the sooty mould.  So far it seems to be working, but with the wet weather we are having at the moment it is hard to tell.  The sooty mould has certainly slowed the plants down but then again the cooler spell we are having at the moment doesn't help either.  I am getting plenty of snow peas at the moment so we have been having them cooked and raw in salads.  I love the crunch of fresh peas.

The grey cloth you can see is fly wire that is covering my cabbages.  I am trying this to keep the cabbage moths at bay instead of pesticides.  Hope it works!
Last Friday I made the trip out to the country to visit Emily.  She has now moved into a lovely house and her and Dave are making their own personal touches to it.  It was a long journey as I made the trip there and back in one day. 

The is a photo of their dining room.  Please excuse the blurry photo.  Emily took this with her phone and sent it to me.
I took our little dog with me as she loves going out and by the end of the day she was completely worn out.  I don't think she slept the entire time I was visiting but she certainly slept in the car on the way home.

While I was out there, Emily and I picked a bag full of lemons.  On the weekend I turned some into lemon butter.  I have been having it on my toast each morning and Ron has been having it on pikelets for morning tea at work.  My lemon butter recipe is super easy and made in the microwave.  I have been making it this way for years and it always turns out nicely.  When I get some more eggs I shall make some more to give away.

Another reason things have been slow going around here lately is I have had an infected finger!  Somehow I got an infection between my nail and the skin on one of the fingers on my right hand.  I has swelled up enormously and been extremely painful, so much so that it has been keeping me awake at night.  I headed off to the doctor on Monday and was prescribed some antibiotics.  The infection has made it extremely difficult to do most things as I am right handed and therefore any craft has been next to impossible.  I did however, get a start on a crochet project last week.

It is this cardigan shawl I found the pattern for.  I bought the magazine in a thrift shop and have been anxious to make it!  I decided to go outside my comfort zone with this and make it up in a green yarn.  This is only the back and I am on my third ball of wool.  I have bought 18 balls so hopefully I will have enough as I should only need 16.  I think this is going to lovely and warm but probably won't get it finished this winter.

The thing I love about this garment is the variety of ways it can be worn.  Very versatile.

Take care
Andrea

Changes in the air

Wednesday 4th July 2012

We are having some major life changes in our family at the moment.  Our eldest daughter got engaged to her partner on the weekend.  I can't believe she is old enough even though I was engaged at 18!  She is extremely happy and her fiance gave her a lovely ring.

Our youngest daughter and her partner are moving into a house this weekend and that is extremely exciting for them too as they had been living in a caravan.

Things have been rather quiet on the home front as I have been helping hubby quote a house.  I did however start another garden yesterday.  I love the excitement of productive plants growing and we have an area along our garage wall that wasn't being put to use.  This is an awkward area as it is north facing and gets quite hot during the summer.  I did some research and found that herbs are best suited to this type of area, so I have planted oregano, thyme, lemon grass and sage.  I also moved my rosemary from its pot along with my capsicum and a self seeded tomato, so we'll see how they all go.  I did intersperse the herbs with some everlasting daisies and sweet peas to climb over the old gate.

This area is only small but hopefully I can turn it into a productive area!

I received a present in the post last week from Emily.  She had kindly thought of me and my love of crochet so purchased a magazine for me and sent it in the mail.  There are some lovely items in this I would love to make, and I think the suggestion from Emily that she likes the milky way blanket could be taken as a hint?

The days are lovely and mild at the moment but the nights and mornings have been really chilly.  I am not a fan of winter and hate to feel cold.  I try and spend as much time as possible outside in the sunshine to try and combat the cold.  Our little dog has struggled to get out of bed too.  She curled up under the blankets yesterday morning and when I tried to pick up her she flopped back down.  I think she thought that if she couldn't walk she would get to stay there all day!

I believe she is hoping I won't notice her.

Due to the fact that I have been working in the office doing a quote I have been inclined to put surplus items in my sewing room.

This was the scene that greeted me Monday morning.  Hubby's shirts hanging up needing repairing - done.  Fabric not put away - done. Wool not put away - done.  General mess and untidiness - mostly done.

Ron is going to make a cutting table for me one day with shelves underneath.  At the moment I am using an old camping table but this is a bit low and as I am reasonably tall I have to bend to use it.  The new table is going to be around bench height so cutting out will be a lot easier for me.

Do you have a room where everything seems to land?

Take care
Andrea