The Gallery - Extreme Close Up

Joining Sticky Fingers for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Extreme Close Up. 

This is my favourite close up shot of all time - how could I go past my daughter's big blue eyes?

If you think you've seen it before you are right - I posted this photo on my blog in January for the photo a day challenge (A handbag, a sunset and blue, blue eyes).

Christine xx

Listography - Beauty products

Joining with Kate Takes 5 for Listography again this week. Kate has decided that this week will be her Top 5 Beauty Products. 

Oh dear. I don't use cleansers and toners. I don't use foundation. I don't use make up. In fact I don't use a lot of beauty products, partly because I am blessed with nice skin and partly because I am just plain lazy when it comes to beauty routines.

My favourite beauty product is goats milk soap. I love the gorgeous range of fresh goats milk soaps from The Karma Soap Company. Felicity makes all her soaps in small batches, and none of her soaps contain preservatives, alcohol or petroleum products. I can feel the soap moisturising my skin as I use it, and it leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth.

Here are my top 5 fragrances from the Karma collection:

Lavender

Frangipani 

Mango

Coconut Lime

Sandalwood 

Don't they all look delicious!

Christine xx 

A busy day

I'm sorry, I'm just too busy to blog today. Miss 5 is not well so she is staying home from school. I have to keep her company and watch television. Oh the things we Mums have to do!

Christine xx

Autumn strawberry blossoms

This is the third week of the March photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim. 

15. Car
A souvenir brought back by Julia from San Francisco. One of those souvenirs we bring back from holidays and later on wonder what possessed us to buy something like that. At least it's better than the plastic Gold Gate Bridge that plays music. 

16. Sunglasses
My husband's sunglasses, keys and ipod - ready to go to work. 

17. Green
A week of wet weather followed by days of sunshine has brought out new strawberry blossoms.

18. A corner of my home
This is Julia's corner, full of games and puzzles. 

19. Funny
Julia was lucky to meet the Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland on our Disneyland trip. She thought it was hilarious when they pretended to eat the lollies on her t-shirt. 

20. Before and after
From balls of yarn to a crocheted strawberries & cream treasure cake. 

21. Delicious
Homemade bacon and cheese damper for lunch - yum!

Christine xx

The Gallery - Colour

Joining Sticky Fingers for The Gallery ... the theme this week is Colour. 

The amazing colours of a rainbow at sunset.

This was taken hurriedly through the windscreen as we drove along a freeway at 110 km/h (I wasn't the driver). I feel quite lucky to have gotten this shot at all!

Christine xx

Listography - 5 reasons I know I'm an Aussie

Joining with Kate Takes 5 for Listography again this week. Kate has come up with a good one with the help of Fab 40: 5 reasons I know I'm a...

Oh - the endless possibilities! I'm just going to go with the first thing that came to mind. I am proud (and lucky) to be an Australian. If you met me, here's how you'd be able to tell...

1. I say "no worries" a lot, in conversation and in writing (mostly on Facebook or email). It usually means "no problems", "that's OK" or "she'll be right". 

2. I maintain that Vegemite has its own food group. The salty black stuff tastes great on toast or sandwiches and is perfect for squeezing through Vita Weats to make little Vegemite worms.

And what's a vegemite & cheese scroll without the vegemite? See The Organised Housewife for a simple and yummy recipe - thanks Katrina! 

3. I grew up with Playschool and now so has Julia (Miss 5). Big Ted, Little Ted, Jemima and Humpty will forever be a part of our childhood memories. This television program has been going now for 46 years and its popularity hasn't waned a bit. While the hosts may change, the format remains mostly the same with stories, singing, dress ups and games.

Sing it with me:

There's a bear in there
And a chair as well
There are people with games
And stories to tell
Open wide, come inside
It's Playschool.

4. I can "Slip Slop Slap" with the best of them. The latest version has two extras - "Seek and Slide". All so vital in the Australian sun. For those who may be lost, the translation is:

Slip on a shirt
Slop on sunscreen
Slap on a hat
Seek shade
Slide on sunnies

5. I have been known to drink my tea (or milo) through a Tim Tam (also known as a "Tim Tam Slam"). Or just demolish a packet of Tim Tams in one sitting.

Christine xx

Rediscovering reading

Julia (Miss 5) and I love to read together. We read chapter books every night and she loves to read the chapter titles, then I read the chapter to her. We have read most of Roald Dahl's collection, and are working through Enid Blyton. Our current book is Mary Poppins, having just been to the stage show. Julia is loving this book too, despite the rather old-fashioned language and settings!

I have started reading with the children individually in Julia's kindergarten class. This allows them to discover a book and read it through before taking it home to share with their family. The children love the one-on-one reading time and they can take the book home to read with confidence.

Julia's school uses the Magic 100 words and these have brought out an interest in playing "word detective". On our recent plane trip from Brisbane, Julia was happy to browse through the in-flight magazine and pick out all the magic words she knew. She then proudly told her school teacher that "it" was the most frequently found word in the magazine.

I use sticky blackboard labels to write words on her lunchboxes for her to discover and read. She loves to play word games like memory, fish and snap with magic word cards. And she loves to discover and try out new words. Words can be so much fun!

Nostalgia has taken over as I have rediscovered reading with Julia. I'm sure there are plenty of new writers of children's books, but I am really enjoying reading some of my old favourites. The Wishing Chair awaits!

Christine xx

Listography - My 5 favourite cook books

Joining again with Kate Takes 5 for this weeks Listography... 

I like cooking, but it has to be simple. No more than a dozen ingredients, and no more than four of those can be herbs or spices. Nothing that uses multiple pots and pans. And the name of my favourite recipes start with "Melt & Mix". So here are my favourite cook books, used regularly and often:

1. Recipe magazines 
I love cook books with pictures. And these always have fabulous pictures! I can flick through whilst eating breakfast, mark a few recipes to try, then scan the page into the computer or just cut it out for later use. There's usually one or two recipes that are deemed worthy of trial in my kitchen. Sometimes they even become favourites and end up in... 

2. My own recipe collection books
Two books (plastic sleeve folders) that hold regular favourites collected over quite a few years. Typed, hand written, magazine pages, computer printouts - all can be found within. 

3. The Australian Woman's Weekly Original Cookbook
One I've had for years that has all the basics and plenty that you wouldn't want to eat too. Like that mess on the front cover. Who would have thought that would be the photo on the cover of a best seller? 

4. Margaret Fulton's Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery
This was on special and few years ago and I thought "why not?" After all, Margaret Fulton does know a thing or two about cooking. Well, if it's not in this book it doesn't need to be known. Whilst it has no pictures, it has recipes and tips for absolutely everything. 

5. The Beginner's Cookbook 
I think I have had this book forever. It has helpful pictures and very basic recipes, perfect for basic cooks like me. I think I got it as a housewarming gift when I first moved out of home!

Christine xx

My Little Kitchen Rules

This is the second week of the March photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.

8. Window
I was wondering what Julia's dolls were watching on television in their little house. I asked Julia and she told me it was "My Little Kitchen Rules". 

9. Red
I love the red chillies on this fruit bowl which we brought back from Old Town in San Diego. 

10. Loud
My husband likes his coffee and he likes to grind it so it's nice and fresh, but this is the loudest machine in the house! Julia refuses to be in the same room when it's grinding because it's so loud. In between uses, the coffee grinder lurks silently in the cupboard... 

11. Someone I talked to today
He can be hard to catch on camera, but Julia is great a capturing him in her artworks. An early painting of her Daddy and my lovely husband. 

12. Fork
A drawerful of cutlery. I'm sure it multiplies overnight, except when I need a complete set for a BBQ or dinner party. Somehow I always end up with mismatching cutlery. 

13. A sign
This is a sign I drive past every weekday to drop Julia off at school. No, I wasn't driving the day I took this photo - my husband was behind the wheel! 

14. Clouds
I love cloudy days. Not rainy, but just enough cloud to take the edge off the hot sun. 

Christine xx

Mini-Me Handcrafts - Angry Birds Collection

I have had a bit of fun crocheting these angry birds. 

First I had to play the game of course. 

Then I had to work out how to make them. There are 8 birds in my set... 

...each one crafted with a little bit of love ♥

Christine xx

Would you like to be my neighbour?

A new month and a new challenge! This is the first week of the March photo a day challenge from Fat Mum Slim.

1. Up
When Christmas is over, all the decorations are packed away and stored up high.

2. Fruit 
Some of Julia's favourites - raspberries and blueberries. 

3. My neighbourhood 
A quiet street on a sunny day - you could be my neighbour if you bought the house down the road from mine! 

4. Bedside 
Julia's bedside table seems to hold a lot of things - lamp, drink bottle, torch, jewellery box, teddy bear, ugly platypus money box, tissues and a clock!

5. A smile
These sweet dolls were brought back from our trip to Austria. They are mine, not Julia's! 

6. 5pm
Bathtime. 

7. Something I wore
I loved my leather jacket in the 80s. Now it hangs in the wardrobe as I can't bring myself to discard it.

Christine xx