Rainy days....

We have had so much rain it's quite hard to believe, and the property looks so green & lush it puts a little skip in my step when I walk outside & see the amazing growth that is taking place at the moment. With the rain though, also comes days off for Shane which is great for me & Finn having him home, but not so good for the bank balance!. It was great to see the two of them just hanging out playing cars the other day. This is what being a parent is all about, this was an hour of undivided attention, just Finn & Dad. This is all growing children need. This is priceless.

xmas craft....

Hard to believe it is nearly that time again...( I am sure I've heard myself say that before!) but yet here we are with only a month to go.....so I am trying to get into the spirit of it all.... Yep I actually find the whole xmas thing a bit daunting really. For starters when you have a broken family & married inlaws (!), things tend to get a bit difficult juggling who should be where & when & whether anyone actually wants to see each other anyway!. Pretty sad I know but hey, that's just how it rolls in this family......but we have come up with a solution & are having mum for xmas eve & Dad & Laine for xmas day & I think they seem happy with that arrangement & I know I feel alot better with it too. Less stress for me. The other is just simply the fact of all the long hours to be spent shopping & when your xmas shopping is an hour & three quarters away it becomes pretty tiring to say the least, especially by myself. I dream of being that really organised person who has it all sorted and has been picking up gifts during the year and stashing them away......but, alas, organised I am not!. I mean let's face it there is no avoiding it, even though I have had some serious thoughts of maybe taking the kids camping for xmas. You know just set up camp on a beach somewhere for a week or two & just let the whole silly season pass us by in a wonderful state of relaxation. Does anyone actually do that??. Of course I really enjoy the day & we always have alot of fun but it's just getting there that's a bit too much to bear sometimes. When I was a kid my mum was so jolly around this time of the year, I mean she basically lived for xmas. She would be beside herself with anticipation and would get us all out of bed at 4am to open presents, and her enthusiasm for the season was delightful. So I am making a real effort to be excited for my kids, and the best way to start is to make some chrissy things!. So the girls have been making these delightful baubles out of styrafoam balls, beads & pins. I thnk they look pretty great, and the kids now have a gift for their teachers which I know they will love. Summer has also made a start on her xmas cards too. I decided she had to make them this year & use up some of the xmas craft stash, instead of buying them. How are your xmas preparations going?.

baby bird.....

We arrived home the other day to find this darling little tawny frog mouth sitting on the kids slide. He was trying to pretend he wasn't there of course, but Jed took us straight to him. His mother & sibling were still in the nest above him and mum was keeping a watch over him. So Greeny got out the extension ladder & put him up in the tree as far as he could, and he spent all afternoon slowly clambering his way back up to his family. By the time Happy Hour was on we all got to watch him manouvre himself around his mum & sibling and finally take his place back in the nest!. That was Greenys good deed for the day & our entertainment!.

pantry makeover....

Hello everyone hope you all had a lovely weekend. Mine was busy doing a few little projects that I've had on my mind for a while......like turning our daggy old melamine pantry cupboard into a chalkboard. I love how it turned out, and all I had to do was prep the melamine with a product called ESP before painting it with chalk paint. Too easy, now that's my kind of reno!. Now I'm just thinking that I'm a bit over the orange walls.......I can feel Shane rolling his eyes at me already!. I have also been doing up some dining chairs we got from ebay to go with mums old Pine kitchen table that Greeny (our resident handyman) so very kindly sanded back and oiled up for me. I shall show pics of it as soon as it is finished. Have you been working on any projects?.

In my garden.......

Hello everyone, I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather. We have had alot of rain to get the gardens going and it is looking to be a beautiful mild summer season. I have already had to mow & brush cut three times, and am feeling overwhelmed by the work ahead already. I have asked Shane if we can make some sort of yard boundary that I can maintain without feeling so burdened by this expanse of land!. I'm sure that will help. However that is also another job to be added to the never ending list of 'things to be done'. The snakes and ticks are all out in full swing, I had a huge brown snake just outside the other day, and am so grateful to Jed for letting me know it was there. Dogs are invaluable out here for that reason alone!. Our little lamb Sage went down with a tick and we had to nurse her for a day & night, but she came good & went back to her mum & sister. We have been checking them every second day & are guaranteed to get at least one tick off them. I even had to get three off Marthas (the duck) eye yesterday!. We are all good, and keeping busy. Summer has started swimming club, she really enjoys the water and so does Finn so it is a good thing to do on a Thursday afternoon even to just keep Finn occupied, despite the hour drive to the pool!. Che has started Year 12 & seems to have gotten a second wind about the whole school thing. I think she can see the light at the end of the tunnel now, and is even reconsidering Uni.
Logan is so excited to be starting High School next year. His orientation days have already started so he is getting to meet some new kids who will be in year 7 with him, he is growing up way too fast, but still remains my sweet boy.
Happy gardening.............

You Capture Orange.....

The theme for this weeks you capture was Orange......This was all I could find to put in the orange category. I hope you all like the picture of Hetty our beautiful escape artist chook!. Still love her even though she is so infuriating!. And the beautiful orange calendulas....

Have a great day !