A couple of firsts

It's the first day back at school for the year.

Little Miss R is looking a little traumatised but then school is not on HER list of favourite things to do.  The first day of Year 3 went pretty well though.  (If even half the year works out just as good then I'll consider it amazingly successful with this girl).

Master M was very excited about beginning Year 1.  Much posing in what he thought were appropriate stances so this is the best I'll get from him.

Thank goodness I did get at least one half way decent photo of them both.  Not classic but definately my two cherubs.

Then for the other first which occurred about 15 minutes after arriving home from school

Master M has lost his first tooth.

I've had a very tired and over-excited little boy just waiting for the tooth fairy tonight.  

It's reminded me as to just how the simplest things can cause so much pleasure, excitement and happiness.

Tooth fairy, you had better deliver tonight!

xx Susan

(I'll add for family members that there was a worrisome moment when Master M realised that there was some BLOOD where his tooth had been.  Thank goodness the tooth in his hand distracted him and that there were no TWEEZERS in sight.)

The 'P' word

Procrastination to be precise.

It's almost school time again for another year which means covering school books.

I have a little problem with covering books and so have been putting off this years effort for at least a week.

You would think that I would try and cover just a few books a day and it would all be done with relatively little stress.

Unfortunately I've left it until two days before school to cover about 20 books.

What was I THINKING!!!!!

It's done though and even though nowhere near perfect as contact and I don't enjoy a very harmonious relationship, it'll get the kids through the year.  

They'll survive.

xx Susan

Seven Days of Circles

I was going to head this post with some witty thing about 7 circles.  Then I realised I was going to have to come up with something different and witty each week if I were to continue with my goal of crocheting a circle each day for 2014.  

Get used to the above title people! (I'm not that witty or imaginative).

Another 7 random circles made.  I didn't photograph them individually this week as I've been having camera issues.

xx Susan

Snacks

I've been making a few extra snack food things lately, especially while the oven's on when cooking dinner.

I've made muffins which I then freeze.  Thirty seconds is all it takes in the microwave and you have a yummy apple and cinnamon muffin for breakfast.

I've also made some sausage rolls using Filo pastry. I've avoided using Filo pastry for years because the thought of it scared the hell out of me.  I have no idea why, especially after this morning.  It's so bloody easy to use, especially if you spray it with cooking spray rather than paint it with butter.

The sausage rolls are a hit with the kidlettes (and me), and most some will be frozen to quickly defrost for afternoon snacks.  The amount cooling on the rack seems to be dwindling quickly so I hope I do have some left to freeze.  

Master M keeps coming to find me to tell me they're 'DELICIOUS' so I have a feeling as to where they're disappearing!

xx Susan

Brother's!!

There was a lot of screaming and crying with Little Miss R yelling 'MY EYE!'.

I ran to find a very distressed girl covered in LOTS of blood.  (It's amazing how much a small cut on the head can pump out).

Not only was there lots of blood but two very big lumps that were starting to go black very quickly.  This was all in about one minute of the incident.

Ice packs, screaming kids (Master M ran under the house and I had to struggle to get him out), and a quick trip to the doctor later....

...no stitches, no broken nose, just a very battered looking little girl and a very quiet little boy.  

Oh I didn't tell you what happened.  He found a piece of metal chain (that we tie the dogs up with), swung it at his sister and connected with her face.

There's another good photo of her here at my sister's blog.  She arrived via the chemist with more painkillers and was able to send a picture onto Daddy who headed back to work this morning.  

xx Susan

Seven more days of circles

Two weeks in and it's going well.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Another 7 days of completely random colours.  I've been closing my eyes and pulling 3 balls of yarn out of my basket each day.

xx Susan

Sunday Night Dinner

I'm not one of those people that always has a roast for Sunday night dinner because it's tradition or they have the time. Beans on toast or toasted sandwiches because it's Mum's night off are not part of our regular menu either.

With a hubby who has worked away pretty well our whole married life, a regular night for one particular meal just doesn't happen.  Even if it's beans on toast!

Sometimes our full roast dinners happen midweek and sometimes our throw together dinners happen then too.  It all depends on hubby's schedule.

This Sunday though I found that I had 3 leftover, cold, lonely beef sausages just waiting for someone to want them and love them.

I needed to feed 3 people a satisfying meal with 3 sausages and I really didn't want to dish them up in bread with tomato sauce.

I then had this lightning bolt moment to cook Polenta which my whole family LOVE!  You can read about why I love polenta so much and my ultimate comfort meal  HERE .   

This time I cooked it the same with the stocks and the herbs, but I only mixed a small amount of grated cheese through it when it was cooked.  I then poured it into a baking paper lined slice tray and let it cool (shoving it in the freezer for awhile helps), so that it retains a solid shape. 

 I then cut it into triangular shapes and fried it on each side in a pan.  (Cooking spray was used in the hope that it would feel healthier even though I'd already cut out the butter and half of the cheese.)

I then chopped up the 3 leftover sausages and tossed them around the pan until they were cooked through and crispy before cooking up a nice fat lot of buttery mushrooms.

Both my kids absolutley LOVED this thrown together Sunday night meal.  Master M demolishing the polenta and most of the sausages while Little Miss R went for the polenta and the mushrooms.

Little Miss R wanted seconds so we had our first cooking lesson together.  She was so excited to know that she cooked the polenta and mushrooms by herself (with only a slight help from Mum).

Unfortunately, and even though I was supervising, she burnt her little finger on the frypan while she was trying to dish up her meal.  There's hardly a mark and I think it was more a split second reaction than anything but I have been informed that Mum has to continue to cook and Little Miss R will do the supervising from now on!!  

Be prepared for the sparks to fly as we try to work on that!!!!

xx Susan

Happy 40th Uncle Jeff

A few days ago my wonderful brother-in-law Jeff turned 40.

Happy Birthday!

I hope you had a lovely day

You are a much loved member of our family.

xx Susan

Just because

I was going through some of my photos today and came across some of May with her brother's and sister's before she came to live with us.

So sweet and making me feel better because I took her to the vet today to get her needles.  I think I handled my kids needles better!

xx Susan

Master M turns 6 with some cousin fun time

My brother turned up just after lunch on Monday with his two boys.  That meant we were in for an afternoon of noisy fun.

Nephew J decided he wanted to be locked up in the dog cage and began barking like a puppy.

Little Miss R was more than happy to keep him locked up!

Of course the real puppy just had to get some cuddles.

The two younger boys were happy with indoor activities.

No matter how old you are, the trampoline is always a winner.  

After a little pleading and batting eyelashes, both Nephews J and R asked if they could have a sleepover.  As hubby was home we were happy to oblige.  

Master M was pretty excited when he realised that his cousins were going to be here for breakfast on his birthday!

After an uneventful night with all 4 kids sleeping well, it was up early to open some presents.

Spiderman made an appearance.

Other presents were opened amid great excitement from the onlookers.

Captain Jack Sparrow put in an appearance!

LOTS of eggs were cracked making a triple batch of pancakes for breakfast...

..not to mention the birthday cake.  Chocolate of course.

As Little Miss R detests chocolate, a batch of vanilla cupcakes were made as well.

A special candle was added to a cupcake too so it wouldn't look so lonely sitting next to the birthday cake.

It was a  lovely day.

xx Susan

Seven days of circles

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

7 circles.  One circle made on each day of the year so far.

I'm loving making them and am looking forward to many more colourful little circles flying off my hook each day. 

xx Susan