Special Birthday

It was Mum and Dad's birthday the other day, well the other two days seeing as they are a day apart :) This one was a special one for Dad. It was his eightieth! Mum and I planned for my brother to fly down from QLD for a surprise visit which I think is the best present ever because they only get to see each other once a year if that. My brother is not the best at organising trips!

Big V and I spent the morning cooking before we had to pick John up at the airport. It was pretty much the perfect day. We had great weather, crayfish and turkey for lunch and a yummo cheesecake for dessert. Passion fruit flavour; Dad's favourite. Dad was thrilled to see John as were we all. This is the first time John has met little G too so it really was an extra special visit. 

After lunch we all had a go on the Wiifit for a bit of fun. The wiiboard told Dad his wiifit age was fifty eight and that he was in great condition.  Dad took that as meaning he could have another piece of cheesecake.  Ah, he cracks me up! But if the secret to long happy life is an extra piece of cheesecake every so often then dish me up, I'm all for it :)

Pippy Cuddles

 

Little G is starting to take an interest in her cuddly toys and it's the cutest thing. I have come upon her feeding them with her spoon, plying them with cups of tea and even reading stories to them (in special gabble language of course!)  But the best thing is when she cuddles them, pats and kisses them and carries them round with her. I love that my daughter knows how to do these things for it shows that she knows how to love and care for others and that means that Big V and I are doing something right!

MIA and pin cushion love

I haven't blogged for the longest time and the trouble with that is life just keeps happening (thankfully!) and my 'to blog about' list keeps growing! So much has been going on I barely know where to begin...

I won't start at the top of my list though as I think I need to write this particular blog first. It is a thank you blog of sorts. I entered the pin cushion blog swap hosted by Kate over at Fox's Lane and have already received my swap. I have thanked the fellow blogger for her lovely pressie over on her blog but have not blogged about it myself so... here tis!

Thank you Briony, aka Freckled Sparrow over at little bon bon for this wonderful pin cushion. I love, love, LOVE little birds and green so this is such a perfect pressie for me :) I also got a pack of cute little buttons and a lavender pillow as extra treasure treats! Woohoo!

I also sent mine to Yardage Girl who has blogged a very nice thank you. I'm so glad she liked it, phew! I really enjoyed making them and even though I probably don't need to add more to my to do list, it was a great thing to be a part of such a cool swap and reach out to people in blog land. I'll definitely be signing up to do more swaps soon.

The two pin cushions I made for Yardage Girl. The one on the left is a simple stencil screen print and the one on the right is a half pear (I think half pears sit better than whole pears for pin cushions!) I also added some goodies just to make the package more pressie-like :)

Market find

Browsing through the bric-a-brac stalls at Salamanca on the weekend I came across a very nostalgic find. When I was little we used to have this exact same mug and I would always want my morning cup of tea in it. I loved the feel of it, warm and snug in my hands. It fit so perfectly and felt so smooth.  It's vintage Wade Irish porcelain which explains the smoothness!

Sadly one day the handle came off and my Mother said it was time to say goodbye to it so off to porcelain heaven it went *sniff*. I am so happy to have found another just like it and this one has (apparently) never been used! It still has the tag, so it could be true :)

Big V also reckons the mug rocks... I hope this means there'll be no fighting when it comes to cuppa time. I might just have to keep my eye out for another just in case!

Strawberry Shortcake

 Mon Pippy looking so strawberry shortcake.

Playing along with Meet me at Mikes: Five Faves

I have so many favourite things, to pick five is a hard choice! Which category to choose from? I have favourite recipes, colours, people, things to do, things to make, places, numbers, movies, books, I mean you can see the dilemma.  Ah, I think I'll just write them as they come to me. If you want to play along too then go to Pip's place at Meet me at Mike's to sign up :)

1.  New tan leather boots.

Number one is a new favourite as I have only just acquired them but have actually been keeping an eye out for just the right pair for nearly two years now so this is why I love, love, love them!

2.  The colour green.

This is not a recent fave, I have always loved the colour green. It always seems to be my first choice in a lot of things so I had been trying to give other colour choices a go but lately green is becoming dominant in my picks again. 

3.  Zucchini and bacon muffins (otherwise known as party quiche!)

I was introduced to this recipe by another new Mama who said it was da bomb for fussy eaters because it hid the veggies well. I'm pleased to say it works and is really moreishly delicious, I can see a lot of possibilities for variations too. I brought some out for afternoon tea with Rosie the other day and when she ate it she exclaimed that it was 'party quiche'! Apparently her sister used to make them for her kids and referred to it as party quiche so as not to alert them to the fact that it contained 'poisonous veggies'! Whatever works, I say :)

Recipe found here.

4. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

 I think this would have to be one of my all time favourite movies. I first watched it when I was twelve on holidays in New Zealand, it was so surreal and such an incredible, fantastical tale. I used to think about it for years after and a while ago decided to watch it again to see if it still held the same magic for me. I'm pleased to say it did and more. Being older, I now understood some of the more subtle references that are often put in children's movies to amuse adults but fly right over the top of kiddie's heads. I was also pleased to find that it contained many of the actors that are still my favourites today; a real stellar cast. 

This movie, five stars.

 Mum and I having a chat at my wedding (and Dad looking kind of startled!)

5. My Mother.

Total corn I know but I was thinking about favourite people in my life and she is definitely one of them. Having just become a mother myself I have a new found appreciation of this wonderful lady in my life. 

Did you know she NEVER told me I COULDN'T do anything? I'm not saying I had free reign, it was still very much 'don't jump on the sofa' or 'don't play footy in the hall', of course she told me NEVER to do those sort of things. I mean she gave me the belief that you could do anything, ANYTHING on this earth if you really wanted to. You could be a gymnast, a scout, an artist, play any sport, any instrument, basically undertake any task because all in life was for the learning.  

She let me do such a crazy amount of activities when I was young and never complained if I switched from one to another or told me something would be too hard or beyond me.  When I think about all the things she let me experience when I was young I am amazed she had the energy to ferry me from one place to the other and still be on time too!  She has instilled in me a taste for learning and exploring and life never gets boring because there is always new things to do.  Perhaps this is why I have many a half finished projects lying round the house but I don't care because most of the time it's the journey not the destination that contains the most fun :) Thanks for that Mum.

Possible addition?

Today I was out at the Salvos with Rosie looking for an old picture frame to make a notice board when I came across a cabinet, fairly beat up but exactly what I had been searching for to put in the kitchen to store my big bowls, various serviettes and table paraphernalia. It is kind of 1950s style, two cupboard doors with two long drawers above it and best of all, on top is a flip up lid with a secret space inside! 

Okay, not so secret but I love the treasure chest feel of it :)

Like I said it needs a fair bit of fixing. There are no draw bottoms for one! The outside will need some sort of touch up but whether that ends up to be a coat of paint or varnish I am not sure. I've also been tossing up with the idea of using wallpaper or fabric on the draw and door fronts... Hmmm, the possibilities!

Listen to me writing as if I have it already! The first order of business will be to try and talk Big Val around to the fact that we NEED this item of furniture, it's possible I may not function without it... and so forth. Well, I did try tonight and whilst he hasn't committed to it he said we could 'go and see it' tomorrow. I'm hoping that means it's as good as mine ours. PROVIDED that it's still there of course! Oh, please let it still be there!

Because I don't have a photo of the magical cabinet I will just put this picture up by artist Ben Kehoe. I have come across it a few times while surfing and each time I think it's awesome.