The Christmas Story

Beautiful :D

Gifted

It was a beautifully quite Christmas this year.

We don't have a chimney so we leave out a magical Santa key for our jolly visitor.

The preparations were subdued
but the excitement was definitely not.

Christmas morning we were woken extraordinarily early as expected but it was to cries of Kookaburra shouting, 'The cats going to vomit!!'. Well, Merry Christmas to you too babe :P!

Santa left one special gift, covered in 'Santa dust' as our boys called it. Hammocks! They were so pleased.

Their other gifts come from us.

Kookaburra received a beautiful wood puzzle which vexed our boy for not long enough. He has an incredible way about puzzles and building projects (lego, knex, you name it, he can almost always do it incredibly quick :).

Merry Christmas Mum!

Kookaburra crafted a nifty little treasure chest for Kangaroo with a very clever cardboard lock on it. He left it for Kangaroo to paint as he pleases.

A gift for Dad also made by Kookaburra.

Now this is the coolest! A recycled, handmade wallet with used sim cards sewn onto the front and back.

A nice traditional snakes and ladders game for Kangaroo. No shiny bells and whistles and flashing things which make a gazillion different noises. Just plain old snakes and ladders. Good fun.

Dig a dinosaur.

Finished in less than a few hours!

Hammocks have been hung and now our Natives have a new place to chill. Thanks Dadda :)

We haven't caught up with family this Christmas but we have had so many reasons to catch up during the year that although we missed them, I don't feel too guilty about enjoying how nice it was to hang out at home and have a very relaxed Christmas. Apart from our Cool Cousin Crew, all of our relatives live a few hours drive from us :( and with all this rain our highways aren't at their best so I'm very glad to be staying put at the moment.

During a yummy breakfast we read the Nativity story to keep our focus on 'the reason for the season'. Christmas night Mr E and I watched 'It's a Wonderful Life' - that is one fantastic movie. And you know, I know it sounds corny, but it sure is 'a wonderful life' :)

I hope you all had as sweet a Christmas and we wish everyone a wonderful new year filled with loads of love, joy, peace and happiness.

The Summer Solstice Ball

On Summer Solstice evening, the prospect of a Ball was whispered among the Faeries. They knew the children would leave out their most special of treasures to adorn the Faerie folks dresses and coats. The Faeries especially love anything that glitters and sparkles under the moons pale light.

The children carefully laid out their gifts and arranged them precisely, talking excitedly about the faerie folk and their special night.

An evening escapade to traverse the pier had been planned by the childrens' parents. When it came time to leave, the little boys cast wondering looks back at their offerings placed under the largest trees in the garden. They desperately hoped that their little guests would be pleased by what they would find.

Hand in hand they walked with Mother and Father over the beach and began the long way out along the pier over the darkened ocean.

It seemed that many others were out celebrating this night. Summer Solstice and a Lunar Eclipse is a special time to behold. Out on the beach men, women and children wove and spun and played with fire, celebrating the event in their own way. They were even bravely jumping a flaming skipping rope. The flames mesmerised the onlookers drawing gasps of awe and admiration.

Father gently drew his little sons on, holding their small hands in his, he led them further along the pier.

Mother is warmed by the sight and hurries to catch her little crew. She is embraced tightly by one of her beautiful small sons.

The little family lingers a while on the pier. The wind whips round them but fails to disturb the peacefulness that is upon this night. Fervent wishes are silently cast to the stars. If only they could climb the path the moon has cast upon the water and tread that silver staircase leading to heaven.

All too soon it's time to leave. The children remember that they must be abed before the midnight hour, the time of the Faeries Summer Solstice Ball. They know all too well how shy the little folk are and although they have tried, they have never seen one in the flesh. But they have seen their evidence apparent each morning as the flowers and butterflies are painted afresh, adorned in the most beautiful colours created by God himself.

Once home, the little boys are tucked up warmly, snug and safe in their beds. Dreams of faerie folk, moonlight and dancing play in their heads as they drift off to sleep.

As morning light dawns the children hurry outside to see if the Faerie Folk accepted their little gifts.

As hoped, things have been moved and show signs of use. New to the tiny scene is a shell containing the remains of a midnight bonfire. Cold ashes blacken the once clean shell.

One boy admires the bright blue flowers left as a thank you message from, he thinks, the King of the Faerie folk. Golden faerie dust glistens in the morning sunlight revealing where the little folk passed their merry time.

The other little lad discovers the tiny chair he left, lying askew and the iron work table laid with new items. His goblet also holds a gift of little blue flowers.

Satisfied with what they have seen, the children excitedly chatter and eagerly plan their next opportunity for a near encounter with the faerie folk.

A Special Christmas Gift

My husband was away for a while last week. He drove over four and a half thousand kilometers round trip with his Dad to see his Nana who had a stroke a few months ago. Nana E was so pleased to see her grandson and son that even though she can't say much, Mr E describes her eyes as lighting up in recognition of them both. He's so glad that he went but sad at seeing his loved one no longer in top form.

I'm no stranger to Mr E being away. Over the years he's managed to change his work so the hours have become increasingly family friendly but there have been times with call outs in the middle of night and on Christmas day itself. Months of him being only home on the weekend and days of travel away where he was missed by us but life went on. We always knew Mr E wasn't really all that far away. Invariably somewhere within our state. This trip was very different for me. The weather in Oz is terrible. Violent thunderstorms and flooding has become a common theme on the news. The route down to visit his Nana E we were worried the roads may be unsafe, in fact, until the last moment we weren't sure if he was going to be able to get all the way down there as some roads were blocked.

He did get down there okay but I was worried, irritable, grumpy and tetchy during his absence. My nights were plagued with horrid and vivid dreams. I just really couldn't wait for him to be home again.

The night he was due back, we guessed he'd arrive about two AM. I stayed awake and waited. Friends had described their return trip along the same road as long and challenging with parts of the road under water. My evening was spent cleaning, reading, wandering around aimlessly and waiting impatiently. I rarely cry but I sobbed over my mop and prayed like a crazy woman for his safe return.

Half past one he arrived and after the flush of relief, I tried to be a good wife and ask and listen about his trip but after awhile I selfishly confided in him all my troubles whilst he'd been absent and sought his comfort and indulged in more tears. I'm so grateful for Mr E. Patiently he listened and wiped away my tears, and comforted me.

It was a long absence for me but good things happen and life went on. One of my highlights was a surprise gift from a beautiful friend. This beautiful Poinsettia. It's vibrant colours make me smile as I pass it and I feel so special to have been given such a beautiful gift.


My boys and I read The Legend of the Poinsettia after our surprise guest had left and now ,the story has made the gift extra lovely and we just think it's the most beautiful plant to adorn the entrance of Little House.

As life returns to normal this week, I just want to hold Mr E's hand all the time and look at him and drink in his presence. I'm very fortunate because I don't think I've ever been so worried in my life.

So there, you see, is my most Special Christmas Gift. My husbands safe return.

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

This is how Kangaroo and Morgan, one of our kitty cats, sleep pretty much every night. To be so close to a pet that she'll put up with almost anything including being rolled on!, is so very special. I'm very thankful for our pets. They all bring their unique personalities and quirks to our home and flavour it with an extra soulfulness we all adore.

So it's never quite Wordless Wednesday for me but find more beautiful images at

Faith Hope & a whole lotta Love.

btw.... I posted this Tuesday thinking it was Wednesday! Must be way too excited about Christmas hey?!

My Mud Pie Kitchen Rules :D

I was in search of inspiration Friday night when I stumbled across the idea of a Mud Pie Kitchen. Brilliant! I thought back to my own childhood days hidden round the side of our house, scrapping together piles of dirt and fashioning them into all sorts of beautiful creations. My brothers and I often organised lavish weddings in the backyard and would adorn our festive mud cakes and biscuits with beautiful flowers and make heaping piles of 'salad' for our imaginary guests. Then my brother and I would marry and then we'd toss flower petals into the air to draw the nuptials to an end.

Saturday morning I shared my plan with Kookaburra and showed him the article. I read it aloud and he drank in the images. He was buzzed and so excited at the prospect of looking for his own pots, pans and utensils for making his own Mud Pie Kitchen a reality. We roped Kangaroo in and he caught the excitement bug lickety split real quick and we headed out to the op shops. Kookaburra is so cool. He knew exactly which op shop to visit and had described in detail the copious amount of needed items awaiting us there.

A great play like this had to be shared and we invited the Cool Cousin Crew to our Mud Cook Off. They rocked up mid-morning Sunday as the sky loomed darkly above threatening to split and wash away the potential fun.

Undaunted by the prospect of rain the kids all went out to the old barbecue and began.

We couldn't serve a banquet without cutlery and my attempts to have them wear shoes was quickly lost in translation. Wha.... What shoes?!

The rain has been ridiculous. The kids are standing in an old, cracked pond and it has rained so much it is no longer draining away to the complete joy of my crew. 'Can we really play in it?!', incredulously they ask.

And yet again here comes the rain :D

Kids play is their work. I sure wish it was mine :)

Kookaburra found jumping in puddles to be awesome fun except for when the mud splashed him in his eyes. Not so great.

Super, Scrumptious, Green Salad waiting to be served.

'No! It can't stop raining!', he yells crazily to the sky. 'Mum! I'll just pray for more. Please God, this is so much fun, may we please have more rain?!'.

Little mother very busy in her kitchen.

She looks aghast at her grubby, muddy sister and quietly says, 'You can't come into my kitchen. You're all dirty!'. Yep, I thought that was pretty funny too :D.

As the barbecue area flooded the scope of play increased.

Gradually the Mud Pie Kitchen Play began winding down, so to prolong the entertainment I injected some fun into it by providing a liberal serving of beans, lentils, chickpeas and whatever other dried stuff I had in the craft cupboard. The colours, variety and texture reignited the fun and the kiddo's continued on playing for quite awhile longer. Due to the wet clothes they're wearing, I'm not going to admit for how long they were out there. I'm guilty of erring on the side of delaying the inevitable when great fun is to be had.

As it was well after lunch I had the kiddo's do a tidy up. We weren't precious about it but nothing was to be left out in the yard and their concoctions were encouraged to be left as they are for the next time. In the next few days we'll check on the different brews to see if any of those beans and chickpea additions have sprouted.

Hot showers, soaped and scrubbed, hair washed and to the table for hot chips, followed by a Christmas movie. A Super way to spend yet another very wet Sunday.

Have you met Hermes?

No? Well, here he is, and seemingly permanently perched upon Kookaburras' shoulder. Hermes is Kookaburra's little Quaker Parrot, a gift from myself and his Dadda for his ninth birthday way back in May. Quakers are meant to talk, a great attribute but that wasn't the reason for choosing Hermes. Quakers are well known for being extremely affectionate and make a beautiful companion bird for children, which Hermes more than is. We also chose a male because they are less likely to be hormonal, feisty, territorial and aggressive then their female counter parts. Sound familiar girls?! Hermes has learnt a few words. Hello, Kookaburra's name, Out! (okay that's my fault but it's not me yelling at my boys , instead it's just something that's often said/ yelled at the dogs when they start play fighting inside the house - remember the no screened entrances to Little House, it is a problem) and the best one would be his maniacal cackle which develops into a good, crazy belly laugh. Good sign that!

Not long after what felt like dawn, Kookaburra and Hermes hit the kitchen to make some pancakes and our hands down favourite recipe is by clever Vicki from Home Revolutions. Kookaburra has made these pancakes a few times and is gradually becoming more confident. I'm slowly easing him into the idea of keeping his own recipe journal too. He's excited about the idea but Kookaburra hasn't got so much love for the writing part of it.

We love these pancakes topped with Blueberry Sauce and Ice-cream. The Sauce recipe comes from a health conscious fellow homeschooling Mumma who loves to experiment and tweaks recipes to get things for more nutrition. I find that pretty hard to do because I loathe waste and bad cooking does lead to exactly that around here and of course it also means wasted money and I just can't bring myself to do it. Oi! The responsibility! Anyway, here's the recipe :)


Blueberry Sauce

* 1 Tbs of cornflour
* 1 Tbs of caster sugar
* 2 Tbs of apricot jam
* 1/2 a cup of water
* 2 cups of frozen blueberries

:) Put everything, except the berries, into a saucepan, mix and place on medium heat and keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Add the berries and stir gently until heated. (use a lower heat if using gas)

:) Serve with pancakes and ice-cream :D

Maybe we can see the true reason for Hermes hanging with Kookaburra so much.

I actually have another recipe to add tonight.

Since I stopped playing soccer and hockey two years ago, I've become ridiculously, extremely sedentary and instead of tailoring down my eating to suit, I seem to have done the opposite! All those blocks of chocolate and Mummy Morning Teas with cake and coffee have finally hit gravity central and I'm shocked and increasingly unhappy about the weight gain. So now I'm counting calories and next week I'll be signing up for a membership at the gym. I'm also getting my boys on board and together we're trying to get Mumma moving in at least one way every day. Just so you get an idea of just how freaked out by the weight gain I am, I now weigh the same as when I was full term with Kookaburra. Not good. I really miss my sport but I did not enjoy the time commitment away from my boys, the big one included.

Here's that recipe:


Teriyaki Salmon with Noodle Salad

2170kj per serve low fat high, protein and great brain food too

* 400g salmon fillets (we only had one piece which weighed maybe half that and it was fine for one adult and two children. Salmon = Expensive!!!)
* 2 Tbs teriyaki marinade
* 1 Tbs honey
* 2 1/2 cm piece ginger, grated (I didn't have any so I just omitted it :)
* 300g rice noodles
* 150g snow peas, halved
* 2 carrots and 2 zucchinis, use a peeler to cut into ribbons
* 3 Tbs of sweet chilli sauce
* 2 Tbs salt-reduced soy sauce

:) Gently toss salmon with teriyaki, honey and ginger in a non-metallic bowl. Set aside.

:) Cook noodles according to the packet instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl.

:) Spray a large wok with oil and cook snow peas, carrot and zucchini over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Toss with noodles, sweet chilli and soy sauces.

:) Cook the salmon either on the frying pan or in the the grill on medium heat for about five minutes each side. Rest and then roughly chop into the noodle salad.


Thanks Australian Healthy Food Guide!

Hopefully, with a huge amount of effort, I might begin to be a heck of a lot healthier over the next few months. I may even develop that super power ability to resist temptation and once again gain control over my conveyor belt eating habits. Here's hoping and praying for strength when my will is so self-sabotagingly weak :)