2015 : Gone but not forgotten

Sorry about the lack of blog posts this year.

2015 started with a huge move for us and settling everyone into city living, new schools, jobs and making new friends. 

If I had to describe the year in a word : it would be EMOTIONAL!

It's a year that I don't want to repeat in a hurry.  I've learnt a lot about friendships, family and love.  Lost two very special people in my life. (one far two early for my liking) 

With each new year we have a chance to restart.  Many wipe the slate clean and start again.  I learnt a lot about myself in 2015, and for all of these experiences, although hard at the time I think that I am better for them. 

2016 has started off with a bang.  We bought in the new year in Sydney and watched the fire works with friends.  We have been blessed with some quality family time and have enjoyed spending time with the friends that we have made during the year.  I am not making new years resolutions this year,  I never seem to keep them anyway, but I would like to sew for myself and expand my skills in both sewing and knitting.

I have been sewing (If you follow my Instagram feed you would have seen what I have been up to,  I am hoping to get some modelled photos this week so I can blog those)

Thanks to those that have hung around.  I promise to pop up in your newsfeed more than twice in 2016.

{Eight}

With the blink of an eye my little girl has turned eight. 
She is growing into a little young lady before our very eyes.

This year she requested a 'craft party' for her birthday.  I limited it to 5 friends (six pairs of seven and eight year old hands were enough for one Mum to manage)  They all did a great job.  Some did more then others.  Some did not move from the table and had to be encouraged to have something to eat whilst others came and went.  I think that I re threaded their needles 100 times each over the three hour period. 

I kept the party food simple and set up a buffet style table where the girls were able to help themselves to it during the party. 

Happy Birthday beautiful girl enjoy your year of being Eight.

A rainbow : #3

These are the little cakes that went along to school to help our little girl celebrate turning 7 with her class. 

Being born at the end of September always means that no matter what state we live in her birthday is always going to fall in the holidays.

These were easy to make. The original idea came from a pin on pinterest.  I was never able to find the original source so if it is you please let me know so I can link to you here and update my pin.

If you would like to recreate these:
Sky = Blue Icing
Clouds = A tin of canned White Icing (the colour said 'cloud' : perfect)
Rainbow = Sour Straps, these are from Woolworth's and come precut.  I cut them in half again and pushed them into the clouds.

The hardest part of making these was trying to get them up to school.  We only live 6 houses from the front of the school but unfortunately it is Magpie nesting season and there are 3 trees with nests on the way and magpies and I do not see eye to eye. 

A slumber party : #2

A low key birthday party was in order this year.  She decided on a sleep over, she did not want anything too over the top. (how I love this kid) 

I don't think I would have normally agreed to a sleep over at such a young age.  But I know both of her little friends parents and we live within a stones throw of both of their homes.

They made pizzas

and drank pink cordial (very grown up in a grown up style flute)

Enjoyed Banana Splits with homemade strawberry and chocolate syrup (more on that at a later stage)

They wore matching PJ's to bed made from a Holly Hobby Sheet set that I picked up many years ago on an op shop hunt.
 

They all past out after the necessary jump on the beds and a movie.

 Pancakes were the order for breakfast, they ate them as quickly as I made them.

 We just sent two little girls home and I have one tired little one left here and that is a sure sign of a successful slumber party.

 I believe that it is the little things and I'm certain that these three girls will remember there first sleep over for years to come.  Keeping it simple meant it was alot less stressful for this Mum too and even the little man enjoyed his night.  She did not have a cake last night as had also celebrated her birthday before school broke up for the term with these same little friends, but I will share those tomorrow as they are very special.

The Tooth Fairy Visited...

The little miss in the house has lost her first tooth. 

She was very excited and proud that she has lost her very first tooth. (most of her friends lost a headful each last year so she has been waiting patiently for the day to come)

It's a shame I didn't get those family photos done before the gummy grins.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height
Let's go fly a kite
And send it soaring

Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Oh, let's go fly a kite
Let's go fly a kite!

We celebrated a birthday and Australia day with the flying of 

kites. 

What a fun family activity. 

We almost soared across the country side it was so windy and 

at one stage the birthday boy let go of his kite and it went 

flying and I went running to catch it before it wound itself 

around the AFL poles. 

 I love this photo of the smile behind the cake

I have also pulled out the knitting needles this week and am 

knitting something for me. I want to be organised for the 

chill factor that we will have this year and would like to 

knit something for all of the family members (a little more 

then just a beanie or a scarf)  I am the one that always seems 

to miss out, so I am knitting for myself first.

I hope that everyone is having a great weekend.  We scored 

an extra long four day weekend this week, which was lovely. 

School returns at the end of next week and we really need 

to sort out a routine and this daylight at 9pm thing pronto. 

I am starting to think I have left my run too late. 

If I am too quiet on here I have found a love for Twitter 

and Intsagram! 

I am mealyandi at both locations if you would like to 

follow along in the daily fun. 

and exhale...

WOW, what a weekend.

ANZAC Day was thrown into the middle of the Easter Weekend this year.

I braved the crowd and took the kids into the city to see the march and to catch a glimpse of Tim.

We then went over to South Bank and caught up with Jennie and her family and true to form her daughter managed to require medical assistance.  (only a scratch this time - not as bad as the chin incident a few weekend ago)

We finished off the holidays with a trip into GOMA to see the21st Century Exhibit, remind me next time not to leave it until the last day to go and see an exhibit.

These three could have been left at the Lego for the day.

Easter...

Happy Easter to all.

Hope that the hopping friend visited you today and left some eggs along the way.  The Easter Bilby stops by here (It is a husband thing, he grew up on a farm and the rabbit was always seen as a pest and he likes the idea of the Bilby)

Amelia drew an Easter Bilby at School (when everyone else was drawing his cousin the Easter Bunny)

I love him and love that even in a room with 20 other friends she has the confidence to be herself.

We enjoyed a day with family, church and finished off with a wonderful roast pork dinner and a glass of wine.

I am off to bed and waking early to attend dawn parade with my husband.  I will have a gunfire breakfast for you shall I?  Then it will be home to get the kids and head in to see the ANZAC Day march (am I crazy heading into the city with two children in the hope that they catch a side view of their father as he marches past (and for your information, one man in uniform looks the same as another - all have short hair and are wearing their hats, I have no hope of finding him) And then off to South Bank to meet up with a wonderful friend (who is apparently going to attempt to sweet talk my husband into moving back to Canberra (he would go tomorrow - just have to work on the powers that be!)

 I love that these baskets are now into there fourth year of use:)

 

He Lives Happy Easter! Allelujah!
Jesus Christ, He lives!
Serve Him to receive salvation;
Eternal life he gives! By Joanna Fuchs

A Birthday Hat

My Cousins little man turned one and we were invited to celebrate.

I ran out of time to make his gift, but in between running around on Saturday (which included a very wet Sausage Sizzle fundraiser. Rain = fundraiser fizzle)  I managed to make a birthday hat for him.

He was not overly impressed with it. But everyone thought that it was cute.

There are a few tutorials on blogland. I just used felt and interfacing with a bit of ric rac and made it up as I went along.  If you would like a tutorial let me know - I have a big boy having a birthday here later in the week - I could whip up another and take a few photos:)

 

ThReE...

In the blink of an eye you have turned the big three.

My little man is growing up. 

He requested a Bob Cake for his birthday - being the easy going boy that he is, he was thrilled with his 'Scoop'

Cake details: Tick Tock Eyes, Wagon Wheel Tyres (Original and Mini).  All stuck together with lots of butter icing and royal icing and a scoop full of smarties. 

A change of plans...

In fear of being flooded out and floating out to sea, Christmas venue was changed and we went straight to my parents.  The camper trailer may stay where it is if the weather channel are correct with there predictions of more rain.

There were two little people here that were very impressed with Santa's ability to find where they were for Christmas Day. 

Time spent eating and keeping dry with Grandparents

and of course - seeing which of Grandpa's girls could get more of his chest.

We hope that this finds you all well and dry and enjoying a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends.

Santa Photo...

The kids had there Santa photo the other day.

Both the photographer and Santa tried to get Baden to put his arms down - but that was not going to happen, and personally this mother was just happy that he would sit there and smile.  He has come a long way in a year. We have no Santa photo to document the distress that this little man would have been in if I had plonked him on Santa's knee. To give you an example of his dislike to him last year, a book sat unopened for weeks because of who gave it to him.

This year he has asked for a Buzz and a Ball and much to his disgust he keeps seeing him and he keeps leaving without handing over the goods.