Build your own dessert

We usually find some tasty little treat for dessert after our family dinners. In the spirit of the festive season, this time it was "build your own . . . Santa".

Take a strawberry . . . add some cream . . . chocolate and vanilla fudge in a tube . . . mixed with a bit of imagination. And what do you get???

Strawberry Santas, of course . . .

Or birds.

Or wierd little guys.

Or smiley faces.

In the midst of all the laughter we did manage to eat a few strawberries - and they were so sweet and tasty. There's nothing quite like a bit of "interactive dessert" to ensure that much laughter and fun is had by all!

Wally-Woo turns One

He's all grown up. He's hairy and loveable. He's scared by sneezes.

And when he's happy his whole body wags!

He loves chasing a ball or playing tug-o-war. And playing chasings around the house or the yard his him in raptures.

He's a totally slightly pampered pooch (Gary may deny it, but it's all true!!!) - think Mrs Pumphrey and Tricky Woo in the James Herriot stories!

But most of all he loves the boys in our house who love him in return just as much! He's brought a whole new dimension to our home . . . in a good way.

Happy 1st Birthday Walter xx

Chaos, your name is Walter

Let's get a puppy he said.

I don't think so I said.

Let's just look he said.

There are rules I said.

He must be well mannered.

No digging in the back garden.

No jumping on people.

Not on the lounge.

 

So you can see how well that worked out!

Is the problem the dog? Walter? No, I mean, he's cute as a button . . .

Is the problem his human? You betcha!!! You see what I'm dealing with . . .

This boy and his dog are definitely good for each other. But as a duo are they good for me?

The jury's still out . . .

And while it's deliberating, I'm trying to overlook the chaos, the hairy . . . everything, the muddy paw prints.

And remembering to enjoy the funny way he has to run and grab a toy to show when he sees us first thing in the morning. And being able to comfort him when he hides behind my legs when someone sneezes or coughs. And remind myself that he's still just a puppy . . . with a lot of learning yet to do. 

And that he's lovely!

Cadbury

This week we had to say goodbye to Cadbury - our big brown dog, the best kind of chocolate (Labrador). She's been our companion for 11½ years. Now she's gone. And we will miss her every day.

Even though her health had been failing of late, she still had moments where the puppy in her (we thought long since gone) showed itself unexpectedly. Like her sneaky escape through the open garage door, seizing the opportunity for a trip to the park at the end of our street - unaccompanied - and eventually returning home happier for her brazen adventure!

She, who was spending most of her days snoozing in the sun, resting her weary bones.

She, who seemed more and more like a frail, grand old lady.

She, who would never come when she was called. Right from the start. That was our downfall - causing us to fail puppy classes!

We're feeling her absence deeply, but remembering her spirit, her gorgeous velvet ears and her antics make us smile. And we'll always be grateful for the gift of having her as part of our family . . .

"... what we have enjoyed, we can never lose ... all that we love deeply becomes a part of us."

Helen Keller

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me

In loving memory of our special niece and cousin, who fought a very brave battle with Batten's Disease. Loving you always, Chloe xoxo 

When tomorrow starts without me, and I’m not there to see,

If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me,

I wish so much you wouldn't cry the way you did today,

While thinking of the many things we didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me, as much as I love you,

And each time that you think of me, I know you'll miss me to;

But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand

That an angel came and called my name, and took me by the hand,

And said my place was ready, in heaven far above,

And that I'd have to leave behind all those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eye,

For all my life, I'd always thought, I didn't want to die.

I had too much to live for, so much yet to do,

It seemed almost impossible that I was leaving you.

So when tomorrow starts without me, don't think we're far apart,

For every time you think of me, I'm right here, in your heart.

By David Romano

Grace

10 years ago, one of these gorgeous little golden waggly tails chose us. Second from the left. A little more yellow than the others. Quiet. Gentle. Snuggly.

Grace. Little Gracie. Gracie Lou.

She chose us. To be her family. Her humans.

She quickly became a partner in crime with her chocolate companion - quite the dynamic duo.

Between them, they demolished several garden watering systems and countless plants and pots. In true partnership style, one loved the plants and one loved the pots . . . so they worked together and made a happy team!

She was just born to be a companion. She loved company - canine and human.

She loved to be scratched and petted and brushed. She loved the water. She loved her food. And she loved us.

This week she left us.

Unexpectedly. Suddenly. And forever.

But she left us infinitely better than she found us. Better for having had the privilege of her beautiful, gentle spirit in our lives.

She will be missed. She will be forever treasured. And always loved.

Through Their Eyes . . .

"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

Elliott Erwitt

This drawer full of cutlery has some stories to tell . . . there's some that I chose, some that we've inherited - from parents and grandparents. There's little embroidered doilies in each little segment - treasures from my Nan. This cutlery is used when we sit around the table each week for "Family Dinner Night". They've been used for all sorts of meals - old favourites and trying new recipes. Meals that we've laughed through, solved worries through, shared stories through. When I look at this picture I see utensils for eating . . . but I also see all those memories, the love and the laughter. This picture the shows me "something interesting in an ordinary place".

Recently we (me, our daughter and her partner) have been using Instagram on our phones. What I have loved about this experience has been what they have captured from their perspective of different aspects of our home . . .

like this tree fern - in a garden bed which needs some work . . . but I see the beauty and the lushness from this perspective.

And this view from the workshop window . . .

I love the moodiness of this picture. It made me look past the things I usually see, like the grass that needs mowing, and the shrubs that need trimming. And see the "something interesting".

When these pictures were taken we were all looking at the same things, but all seeing them differently. So thanks to my fellow "Instagramers" for showing me my world with fresh eyes.

Life Is...

Family.

Food.

Relaxing.

We enjoyed a family long-weekend at Lake Crackenback, in the beautiful Snowy Mountains.

Imagine opening your eyes to this - it's the view we woke up to!

And it was great! It's different now, holidaying with our adult children. I loved our holidays when the kids were little (camping mostly), but the freedom of holidaying with grown-ups is quite liberating. And I like it.

We lounged around our chalet, enjoyed the spa and the fire.

  

We played in the snow.


We had great food . . .

Great music . . .

And lots of laughs.

 
This is what it's all about for me - spending time with my favorite people in the world.

Life is good!

Where Do I Come From?

Who came before me?

Who has influenced my life?

Well, I've been spending quite a bit of time working on our family tree. I've spent time at the Australian National Library looking at old newspapers from 1864.

And what have I found?

That while some things change, some things stay the same. Families loved each other and mourned  when they were gone. Some things then seemed better and some things seemed harder.

Just like now.

While I look back with a nostalgic "how much simpler it seemed then" view, advertisers were still telling you that you needed this or that, that you'd look, better, fitter, taller, thinner with this or that. That your home or life wouldn't be complete without the newest this or that.

It's interesting to me to put into perspective the life experiences of my ancestors and see how some of those events would have strongly influenced the following generations. It's funny to feel such a strong identification with generations long since gone and never known, but I do.

This genealogy research can just consume hours and hours without me even realising it. But I like it. I just need more hours in the day now!

Early Mother's Day & The Rajah Quilt

We celebrated Mother's Day a day early, to fit in with life going on around us . . . and what a lovely day it was.

We started by meeting up with Mum for morning tea at a great tea house called Adore Tea. They have over 200 different types of tea . . . we sampled a few of them, with Turkish Delight being the winner for us today.


These guys are the reason I get to celebrate Mother's Day - Number 1 Son, who is a gentle, giant, bear of a man, with a very, very dry sense of humour, and Number 1 Daughter, who has a smile that lights up a room and the most infectious laugh I know.


So we shared tea, hot chocolate, scones and Poffertjes. I would have shown a picture of those, but we indulged before I thought about photos, so this is what I can show . . .



Then, the kids joined me for a visit to the National Museum of Australia to see the "Not Just Ned" Exhibition - A True History of the Irish in Australia. The main thing I wanted to see at the exhibition was the Rajah Quilt, and it was amazing! A true testament to the generosity of spirit of our kids, they were infinitely patient while I viewed the quilt (which I'm sure took about 200 times longer than they would have hoped!!).

At 325cm x 337cm (128" x 132.5") the sheer size of the Rajah Quilt is impressive. But when you consider that this quilt was made by convict women on board the ship "The Rajah" during their 3 1/2 month journey from England to Australia in conditions beyond imagination, the end result is astounding. A broderie perse medallion is surrounded by no less than 12 borders, most pieced, some appliqued. To see what was achieved by these women in 1841 in the hull of a convict ship with limited skills and supplies makes me feel like anything is possible . . . all that's needed is determination and perseverance. All the mod-cons and fancy tools are just a bonus!

If you ever get a chance to see this quilt, I promise you you won't be disappointed.

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
Elizabeth Stone

Australia Day 2011

This is my Australia!

My family.
The beach.
The bush.
The heat.
The rain.

Today, January 26th, we celebrate Australia Day - being Australian, no matter where we are from, in all its richness and diversity. We are a nation of many cultures. Of many traditions. We are a nation that comes together in triumph and tragedy in equal measure. We are tough when we need to be, gentle when it counts. We know when to lend a hand and we can laugh at ourselves. We truly do live in . . . "the lucky country".

We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

By Dorothea Mackellar

To find out a little bit more about Australia Day, click here.

Z Y X W V U T . . .

Can you say your alphabet backwards? That's one of the things that my grandfather could do - right up until he passed away last week, aged 97.

Fred - a good man who lived a good life. A kind and gentle man, a man who let you know he loved you. A man who was half of the team I know as my grandparents - the team who showed everyday what it is to live life from a place of love and respect. A man who's heart stretched way across the miles and who gave hugs that let you know you were cherished.

Well, Fred's body gave up the race, but his spirit lives on. And I smile as I think of (among other things) him teaching our kids the "backwards alphabet". It was a bit of a conversation piece for him and is now a bit of a party trick in our household. Not that long ago, while he was unwell and being assessed by medical staff, he whipped out the "backwards alphabet" - much to their amazement. At 97, no less!

Try it for yourself - it's not that hard once you get your head around it. But trust me, if you try to learn this sitting around the table with your kids laughing hysterically at you, it may take you a little longer!

So, here's to Fred - Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N M L K J I H G F E D C B A

Printer's / Typesetter's Tray

We have a couple of little nooks in our lounge room - one houses the TV and the other is home to the "doiley cupboard". It's a little cabinet that I inherited from my Nan . . . and it was filled with doileys!



Hanging above the doiley cupboard is a typesetter's or printer's tray. In its previous life it was filled with Helvetica Bold 24 typsetting sorts, but now it's filled with the faces of the ones I love! It's a bit of fun to see these little snippets of reminders of our family hanging on our wall. I was inspired to create this a couple of years ago after seeing a project by Ali Edwards. The whole process was enjoyable for me - starting with scouring antique shops to find a suitable tray, to sorting through and reminiscing about 10os of photos to the actual "cutting and pasting".  There are still a few blank spots, but we've still got a whole lot of life left yet to fill it! I love that this is such a novel way to display not only photos, but other little pieces of memorabilia too.



And then there's the wall! There's been some discussion in our house this week of ideas for re-decorating and "the wall" was on the list. I should point out that this was an already existing feature of our house when we bought it - and it's quite a polarising aspect of the room. Some people like (don't really know about love) it and some people definitely don't (the word hate may have been bandied about!). It's a silver wallpaper, chosen many years ago by the daughter of the previous owner. I actually don't mind it (it's not particularly well hung, with joins overlapping etc) or at least the essence of it - it reflects light nicely and I don't find it that offensive, but the ideas man is in no way enamoured by it! I suspect, in the end, that it will go, but for now it's the backdrop to some of may favourite furniture/decorating pieces.

What corner of your home is making your heart sing today?

Crockenbouche

This fantastic crockenbouche was the cake for our niece's birthday.



It looked great . . . and it tasted pretty good, too! A special cake for a special girl.

Bowling

Laughter is an instant vacation.
-Milton Berle

We decided it was time to move off the Wii and into a REAL bowling alley!


So instead of our usual Monday night dinner and cards, we donned those lovely bowling shoes and took to the lanes . . . I think we should have handed out some awards . . .


Most consistent on the night . . .



Most amazing recovery from near disaster - ball into the gutter with such force that it bounced back out to make a spare!



Most sparkling style - and outfit/ball co-ordination - if you wear 2 colours, choose 2 balls - one in each colour to match your outfit!



Most willing to try moves on the lane as if you were playing the Wii - and surprisingly with some degree of success with the massive back spin!



A good night had by all (even if our scores didn't quite live up to our Wii reputations.

What do you do for a fun night out with family in your world?

My Heartstrings . . .

This little package of love arrived in the mail for me . . .



I ordered myself a necklace from Lisa Leonard and I just love it!



These three really do hold my heartstrings . . . and now I get to wear these hearts around my neck! In their own different ways these three lift me up and make my heart sing. How lucky am I?

Remembering Nan (and String Quilts)

Thinking of my Nan today on what would have been her birthday. Thinking of her always makes my heart smile!

[caption id="attachment_470" align="aligncenter" width="489" caption="Nan (with Mum and I)"][/caption]

Nan began to patchwork when she was in her 60s. I don’t know what made her start. To my knowledge she’d never really been a sewer at all before that. She had a treadle sewing machine in the house, but I’m not sure why. She never used it! Maybe it was the companionship of the craft group she joined (she always was very social) and the craft was just secondary. But once she got going she was a pretty prolific quilter!

She was by no means the neatest sewer in town, but she pieced with a vengeance. She hand pieced, machine pieced, machine quilted, appliqued but mostly hand quilted. Everyone in the family got something from her, whether it was a cushion (or two) or something larger. By the time my cousins and I were having babies, we were inundated with cot quilts! And Nan being Nan, they were all completely machine washable and useable!

She crocheted, too, so we all have crocheted blankets tucked away for those cold winter nights. And face cloths. I’ve still got face cloths that she sent for my kids when they were in their teens! They’re tucked away now for safe keeping till the next generation of babies come along.

I wasn’t so much of a quilter when Nan was around. I did lots of other crafts. And I sewed, but mostly dressmaking back then. I remember that she got a cutting mat, which she left in the car in the middle of summer – of course it was ruined and she was quite upset. At the time I didn’t really understand what all the fuss was about. Ahh, the knowledge gained with the passage of time!!

I have been fortunate to inherit 2 of Nan’s quilts and I thought today was a good day to share, given the string quilts that everyone (except me) seems to be working on at the moment.

Both of these quilts are machine pieced and machine quilted. One has the most awful binding I’ve ever seen, which I may have to cover over one day (don’t think I could bring myself to take it off). And in true Nan style, I’m still finding tacking threads in them – just when you think there couldn’t possibly be another one!



This quilt, with it’s lovely soft floral sashings, has the most hideous mustard binding (you can catch a glimpse - if you dare - near the pillows in the photo above). Not sure what Nan was thinking with that!



Neither of these quilts are very technically perfect, but to me they are beautiful. They are both quilts that she used on her own bed  (I guess when you find a style you like, you just stick with it!), not tucked away for best (as she had a tendency to do with things – she never seemed to think she was quite good enough for best, somehow). So I feel like they were something REALLY hers.

I wish my love for this craft had come along and timed a little better with hers.  The oohs and aahs we could have shared over patterns and fabric!

A little while back, my Mum brought her friend (who had just recently discovered quilting) over to see my quilts. When we were looking at Nan’s quilts we had such a blast – all the different fabrics! My Mum recognised some of them from clothing and furniture from years back. There was quite a fabric history on show, that’s for sure! Certainly nothing purchased specifically for these quilts. They are truly scrap quilts – in all their glory!

In my sewing box I have Nan's badge from her craft group. I smile when I see it. I think of how we all – the ones here, the ones gone and the ones still to come – all of us – share this bond. The bond of sisterhood through stitching! And how lovely it is to be part of something so much bigger and long-lasting than just ourselves.



Love you Nan xoxo