our sunny long weekend...

It is a long weekend here...as Sunday was ANZAC Day here in Australia (25th April)...and also my nephew Ike's 7th birthday!

And for the forecast for the weekend was for sunny days of about 24C...beautiful....I love autumn...a bit crisper in the morning...and cooler nights...but lovely days...

Ben left for work on Friday...only for about a week or ten days...

So Saturday morning I attacked Evangeline's room....we did a lot of cleaning and sorting out in there...so it is a lot better now...

And then she helped me make a lasagna for dinner...she loves grating cheese...

Saturday afternoon I started a canvas ...I have had this idea in my head since January...and am finally getting onto it! It involves some of Ben's nautical charts...which I "aged" with coffee and walnut ink...some homemade stamps...and a canvas! I figured I had procrastinate enough...lol...I am not at all sure about the techniques of what I want to do so it will be an experiment! It is a canvas for my word for the year...family...as with my last canvas...I am letting Evangeline help...she help prepare the canvas with gesso...I think I will have to do a lot of it but think I will be able to let her help with the stamping...and maybe Morganne too....

Sunday...was another glorious day here...Lara came to play as her parents had 4 ANZAC services to attend ...

The other day Evangeline was asking about how bricks were made...then she disappeared off to make a mud brick...to fill the gap in the wall...So Lara and Evangeline decided to do some more" building"...so then I put them in the bath...And then a while later Morganne got in on the action! And then into the bath...Morganne has been drawing dinosaurs...see...two eyes and sharp teeth! She loves the Playschool Dinosaurs DVD...I do not mind her watching Play School as it is a fabulous creative arty musical theatrical children's programme....if you are not Australian you should really check it out...for ages about 2 - 6...

And if she isn't drawing...she is busy chopping up bits of paper...cutting is her latest craze....I got a cheap digital jelly camera for Evangeline in Target...for $20...she has been wanting a camera for a long time now but I did not want to spend a lot of money until she is older...this really works and she is SO happy with it! I have downloaded the pics onto her laptop (Ben's old one!) and shall pop them on a memory stick and put them on my computer soon so she can scrapbook!

I tried out a new recipe...Swedish Chocolate Balls or Chokladboll...very easy...and very yummy...kind of mocha balls really...best in the freezer as a bit sloppy...will try instant oats for it next time...and I tackled the ironing...

Morganne has been playing my violin...this is the one and only sculpture my dad ever made and so it is one of my most treasured possessions...he had a small picture of a violin from a magazine and decided to make this metal sculpture for me...it is fabulous...I have adhered the paper to my canvas...next step is to make the stamps...I have no idea how to do this..Now it is Monday... another wonderful sunny day...but not much happening around here...a bit of fun learning first thing this morning...some board games...and then puzzles and so on...Evangeline did some word puzzles and then wanted to write the words...Morganne did a few jigsaws and then sorted the cars etc... I have been catching up on a bit of house work...not that you can tell....groan...Mum is coming for tea so I have the slow cooker out....I am on the look out for some good Slow Cooker recipes...so let me know if you have a favourite...Lissy