52 weeks of grateful...holiday break: Noosa Beach

If you ever come to Queensland and visit the Sunshine Coast a must see destination is Noosa.  We spent a few afternoons here at Noosa Beach. 

Baby flutterbug enjoyed finding abandoned toys and bringing them over to us...Oops. 

Mostly they just enjoyed running in and out of the water.  

Of course you have to make time to have an ice cream. 

Yep, we love the beach!
xo

 

weekending...holiday break

Earlier this week we took a road trip to the Sunshine Coast to visit friends and spend a few days at the beach.  While we were away we visited the Ginger Factory at Yandina.  Admission is free but if you want to do a tour or ride the Ginger Train you have to purchase your tickets at the information booth. 

 

When we arrived we enjoyed lunch at the Ginger Café. They had a range of meals and specials on offer to suit the whole family. 

Even though the adults may have enjoyed the tours we decided that this trip we would just take the kids the Ginger Train. The highlight was definitely a ride on the Ginger Train. 



 

 

We also enjoyed walking and exploring the gardens. 

 

 

After a walk through the gardens we all enjoyed an ice-cream before heading back to the unit.  As our friends live close by are in no rush to do 'everything' so we are looking forward to returning to the Ginger Factory another time to do a tour and no doubt ride the train again. I'll be back tomorrow to share with you some more of our holiday break.

xo  

garden...

What's blooming in your garden these days? In our garden we are noticing new blooms everyday.  This plant has germinated from seed that its 'parent' kindly left behind last spring.  Soon we will hopefully have a bed full of flowers plants that we randomly planted from seed.  

 

Wishing you a happy day.

xo



sentimental days



We are definitely grateful for quiet days at home.  We all enjoy unwinding on the holidays and this time allows up to...just be.



 

 

Riding her mama's car when I was just her size. 

 

 

How lucky we are - the family we passed my car onto looked after it so well and after all those years they returned it for my little ones to enjoy.

 





 

xo

52 weeks of grateful: 12 year anniversary!

Here's a peek into some of my favourite photos from our wedding album I snapped with my phone.  Some of our family and friends haven't even seen these photos. 

xo

repurpose

Do repurpose your 'old' clothes? I had a batwing top that was sitting in my cupboard.  I loved the fabric, pattern and the shape of the top but somehow the batwing thing just didn't work - too much material in the wing things and probably a 'young' design/look for a not so young mama so this morning it got a renewed lease of life. 

  

Step 1. Take the good old batwing top and check stitching.

Step 2: Take fabric scissors and cut carefully along the outside of the seam.

Step 3: Repeat on other side.

Step 4: Save left over fabric for another project.

Step 5: Put on and enjoy!

Happy Weekending.
xo

weekending...

As you know I take lots of photos but like many other busy mamas out there, my photos just sit on my computer - some never get published or printed.  A few weeks ago I bought a Project Life kit from Spotlight and since it's also the start of the school holidays here this mama needed some creative time for herself. 
This is not a sponsored post. 

I purchased the Blush Edition and a set of plastic sleeves but I didn't buy the binder.  I thought I might be able to source a cheaper binder elsewhere, however, I think the holes in the plastic sleeves might be custom designed, like the binder.  You have to forgive me I am a newbie at this. 

I've decided I am in no rush to get the binder, I just want to enjoy the process of organising some of our photos and doing some simple journaling.

At this stage I have only printed our photos on office paper (not photo paper), hence the quality of the photos.  If I am happy with the photos and layout I might consider saving our printer ink and go to a photo booth to print on better quality paper. 

If 616 cards in the kit aren't enough, you can always source other paper/card from magazines at home.

The kit contains large journaling cards, bi-fold journaling cards (when you have more to write), suggested cards for the first and last plastic sleeves and 4x6 title cards which are just so sweet.  I also discovered if you search the internet there are many 'project lifer's' that publish their own card designs for you to download and print for free. 

This style of scrapbooking is just perfect for busy mamas who enjoy capturing everyday moments and journaling about them without the fuss of embellishments, cutting and pasting.  The plastic pockets are great to keep little fingers from smudging your photos.  The cards are interchangeable so you can change your mind without the whole glue and commitment thing (I find that difficult).  You could still include embellishments if you want and use your scrapbooking/stamping supplies and insert little mementos of your life together...Oh the possibilities. 

You can find out more about Project Life here. 

What do you do with all your precious photos?

happy weekending
xo

this moment

xo

hearts of gold

For two great men that never met but will both be deeply missed by those left behind.  Both similar in nature, they were generous, loving and had hearts of simply...pure gold. 



You will always be deeply missed by everyone but you will live on forever in the hearts and minds of your family and friends.  Wishing you both a loving and peaceful journey into eternal life. xo

painting in spring

Painting is once again a popular activity at our house. When it's too hot to play in the sun we take cover on the patio/back landing/veranda.  We can still enjoy the early Spring weather while creating our own masterpieces in the shade. 

  

All that's required are just a few basic colours, a range of different paint brushes and a whole lot of time to experiment on how to make different colours. 

recipe: coconut popcorn

 

Coconut popcorn is a simple, easy snack and popular for the little ones.  Baby flutterbug likes to try it too but I crush his up and give it to him a teeny bit at a time.  All you need is a dash good quality coconut oil - most grocery stores sell coconut oil these days, you will often find it in the health food section of your supermarket.  I bought this brand from a speciality health food store. 



 

 

Heat your oil in a saucepan until it's melted and oil is hot.  Add in your corn kernels and place lid on saucepan.  Listen for popping sound. 

 



 

Tip popcorn into a massive bowl and add a little salt to taste (optional). Share amongst family and friends. 

xo

52 weeks of grateful: picture perfect

morning/afternoon tea recipe: lemon tart

 Lemon Tart

1½cups plain flour
125g chilled butter, cut into cubes
½ cup icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
3 egg yolks

1 tablespoon iced water

 Lemon filling

1 cup single pouring cream
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup lemon juice

1. Place flour, butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
2. While motor is running, add the egg yolks and process to combine.  Add the iced water and process until the dough just comes together. 
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring together to form a ball. 
4. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 180°C.  Roll the pastry out between 2 sheets of non-stick baking paper to 3mm-thick.  Line an 11cmx34cm lightly greased loose-bottom tart tin with the pastry, trim the edges and prick the base with a fork. 
6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Line the pastry case with non-stick baking paper and fill with baking weights. 
7. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the paper and weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is light and golden. 
8. Reduce temperature to 140°C. 
9. To make the lemon filling, place the cream, eggs, extra yolks, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. 
10. Strain through a sieve and pour into the tart shell. 
11. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until just set. 
12. Allow to cool and refrigerate until completely set. 
13. Dust with icing sugar and serve.  Serves 4 to 6. 

I had extra pastry left over so I made some little individual lemon tarts which were just as delicious. 

 

 

 

 

Note the amount of time needed for the pastry.  I made my pastry a day ahead and left out on bench to 'soften' prior to baking.  You can also serve with fresh whipped cream!

 

Wishing you and yours a happy weekend.
xo

 

in my garden

Now that spring is here there's an urgency to spend more time in the garden and I have quite a few plans for different areas of our yard / garden that desperately need a bit more love and attention.  First is our passionfruit vine.  Our passionfruit vine is a few years old that sprouted from our compost.  The weight of the dead vines were pulling on the wire support causing it to sag and it was becoming quite unattractive.  As you can see this vine is well overdue for a prune.  

The position of the vine in our yard is perfect because it disguises our water tanks, however, after pruning we could tighten the wire and the whole area looks much better.  

 

Second, the vegie garden.  This year I have decided to plant more flowers amongst our vegies and I am looking forward to including them as part of the table setting or in salads.  

I've added some more organic soil, fertiliser and a layer of organic sugar cane mulch to give these babes a boost. 

I picked up the wooden stakes (above) as temporary support for the cherry tomato plant from the Reject shop (6 stakes for 2).  I planted some more lettuce, spinach, herbs, baby carrots and baby beetroot.  There is more work to do in this vegie garden but I am pleased to have this much completed for now. 

What are your plans for your vegie garden this spring?

xo

 

52 weeks of grateful: party with friends

 

Yes it's true, I braved another ombre cake although this one was much easier the second time round.  Can you believe that the vanilla packet mix was on sale for 97 cents.  That's no joke.  I used two packet cakes and divided the mixture.   

 

 

In keeping with the theme, pink lemonade and strawberries were available.  The pink paper straws (2 dollars for 20) and plastic milk bottles (with lids, 6 in a pack for about 3 dollars) were definitely a bargin buy from the Reject Shop. 

 



 

 

Wishing you a happy Monday.  

xo