There are times in every family where you know you just need to have some special time and fun together... we were desperately in need of one of those days!.
Thankfully one of our local primary schools was having their annual gala day, so we decided to check it out.
We had heaps of fun... the kids each had a cup of flavoured ice (they loved picking their own syrups to add to the ice), I had a delicious coffee made by a great local barista and enjoyed checking out some of the local crafts on display - my nephew's Mum had a stall, with heaps of great Christmas goodies for sale (pics above).
When my parents told me as a young girl that they were going to buy a toy shop and go into the retail business... I cried. I didn't want things to change. Then after 7 years of having a toy shop they told me that they were going to have to sell the shop... I cried and cried. I didn't want things to change.
I'd rather not rip out walls when renovating, and I never actually did get into the 'skinny jeans' phase... I realise change is important, but I just don't like it that much.
So when I decided to change my blog layout I felt really proud of myself... I'm finally starting to get the hang of 'change is good'... but alas, that change didn't last for too long!
Thanks for all your comments about my new layout... well, old layout. It did have some minor problems which my computer nerd husband just couldn't fix... so I decided to revert back to my old look for a while (please forgive me if your links/blogs are missing - I am still trying to fix them up again).
Hopefully I will find something I like soon - I am actually ready for a bit of a change.
Yesterday Master 10 had his first basketball game for the year... and it was awesome to watch! They didn't win, but they did well, especially for the first proper game together as a team ever.
Now I myself used to play in my high school basketball team and also watch our city's team play on a regular basis... so I love basketball!
As I stood on the side of the court taking photos, clapping, yelling encouragement and shouting some tips to the boys, I stopped for a moment and thought to myself, "calm down girl, this is only a game". Suddenly I could see myself as one of those really annoying 'sideline parents' *gulp*.
I was totally blown away by this clip a friend showed me... the talent of this artist is amazing and the story is so moving (I see something new every time I watch it).
It's hard to believe such an emotional story can be told using sand.
These are the easiest pancakes to whip up and make (thanks to Jamie Oliver for the simple recipe!)... and were just perfect for me this weekend as most of our family has been unwell in the last week, and I got hit with it on Fri/Sat and didn't really have the energy to cook much (hubby was away at our annual youth camp).
I decided pancakes were a semi-healthy meal, and had my favourite topping - lemon juice with a sprinkling of sugar and chopped bananas. I left the boys to make their own toppings for their pancakes, only to discover (health freaks avert your eyes here) chocolate chip and icing sugar pancakes with just a dash of lemon juice. Hmmmm - oh well.
Easy Peasy Pancakes
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
Whisk the above ingredients together and cook large spoonfuls in a hot (oiled or buttered) frying pan until light brown and bubbles appear on surface, then flip and brown the other side.
Store in folds of a clean tea towel until all of the batter is cooked and then serve with your favourite toppings.
The above makes about 4-5 pancakes, so double/triple etc. for larger amounts.
I am hoping to train Master 10 to make these by himself so he can surprise me with a delicious breakfast in bed one morning (not saying that I don't love his cold floppy toast though!).
This photo was taken around 3 years ago, right in the middle of my great renovation NIGHTMARE!
Our bathroom had been torn apart for renovations and due to major unforeseen plumbing problems, wasn't quite put back together when we (I) needed it the most!
I was pregnant with baby number 4 and the kids needed baths... so we decided to give the children some outdoor summer baths for about a week or so ... and the kids thought it was great fun (thankfully).
Finally the bathroom was finished (see here), and we got rid of our flash outdoor bath spa.
Good times.
Please note: The small child in the bath is actually a doll and not baby number 4.
I never knew there were so many handy uses for a hair straightener!
From ironing the creases out of my tops (while they are still on) and threatening naughty kids (she was actually crying about something else and it just happened to make a great photo) to ironing crinkled fabric, threatening lazy husbands (note the looming hair straightener in the bottom of that photo) and the obvious, straightening my hair.
Who would have thought there could be so many uses. Definitely the best object in the house for getting things straightened out.
So a big thank you to my handy dandy hair straightener... and please let me know if there are any other uses out there that I am not yet aware of!
Master 7 turned into Master 8 today, and he especially requested a green Puffle cake for his birthday party! (if you don't know what a puffle is, they are the small furry pets of the penguin's on Club Penguin).
After doing a bit of research (googling it) I found the perfect cake to do. I baked my good old reliable chocolate cake recipe (Dana's Chocolate Cake) and iced it with green peppermint icing and used green whipped cream for the hair. Mmmmm... chocolate and peppermint!
Keeping to the Club Penguin theme, the kids went on a puffle hunt around the property (to find little pictures of puffles) and played "Pin the beak on the Penguin" (I managed to rope hubby into running these games and a few others - thanks honey).
So Happy Birthday my special boy - you are so unique! I remember how you used to sleep with your camera and magnifying glass as a little boy and gaze into the sky for long periods of time thinking deep pondering thoughts... not to forget the time you cried and cried because Daddy and I wouldn't let you move to Egypt for a year by yourself! You have such a caring heart and cute smile.
Love you lots.
To check out other Puffle Cakes I've made, click on the image below!
Today I attended a 2 hour coffee course run by a self-confessed coffee geek (who is actually a Qualified Barista & Coffee Critic) covering topics like Coffee Brewing, Espresso Making, Home Coffee Roasting etc.
The smell was divine... the coffee making tips were like gold and the arrangement of coffee making equipment (which slightly resembled a P lab) was very interesting, not forgetting to mention the home made coffee roaster which used to be a bread maker!
I left with my own bag of roasted speciality beans, a coffee magazine and a cup of the nicest coffee I had tasted in a very long while (maybe ever)!
I am hanging out for the next course.
I'm now off to clean my poor espresso machine while the caffeine kick from all those sample coffees is still working!
Here's a bit of a cheery photo to help balance out the sad posts lately.
Swimming lessons are happening this term at school again... and the girls are rather excited about their new goggles and togs (Miss 2 will be tagging along with me and Miss 5's class).
So glad Summer is finally on it's way!
Narnia is doing well and loving her new family. We miss her so much and apparently she misses us too - her new owners said she sometimes cries at the doors like she knows we are all out there somewhere :(
Here is a clip of her playing with her new brother Marzipan.
Tomorrow our little Whippet (Narnia) is going on a big adventure... flying out to her new home and family (which includes a very cute big brother Whippet called Marzipan).
For various reasons, (the main one being our unfenced section and Narnia's need to run and visit our neighbours whenever one of the kids leaves a door or gate open) we have made the hard decision to re home her.
So today is a day of relishing our last moments with her, and imagining her excitement tomorrow when she meets her new playmate and family.
There have been quite a few tears, and I am sure many more to come tomorrow.
