gardening and stuff...

For the last few days we have been doing quite a bit of gardening....weeding and replanting flowers and vegetables....well I have not done that much but my mum and E have!
E made a nest...
I have been trying to get a bit more organised for the baby...the curtains are hung and clothes washed....5 weeks to go....

And I am getting organised for E's birthday...she will be 4 in a couple of weeks! She still seems so little!
And I made a ruffle skirt for E...very easy...instructions from Grand Revival Design...it is hard to find red tops for girls though out there in the sea of pink of the retail world...white might have to do! Hope you are having a good week - Lissy

scrapbooking and such...

Post number two for the day....Another Christmas layout done....I did this one at the farm...it is not pink...bad lighting...There was a link to this post by Molly Irwin on Ali Edward's blog recently...interesting read about why we scrapbook....I agree with what she thinks...I want to preserve the memories and the little details...the everyday...I am doing that with scrap booking and this blog...

And the layout I did from Sharon's class at the retreat...I absolutely love this whale paper...again this layout is very different to Sharon's but the basic design is hers with the tabs and flaps for hidden journalling...And here is the journalling....under each photo...

...You have always loved to dig in the garden and help plant things. You helped plant our first veggie patch and are living picking and eating what we grow!
...Grandma and Grandad gave you this bike for Christmas 2006. It was a bit big, but now you love to ride it around everyday at Caversham! You love to carry things in the basket…
...Drawing is one of you favourite activities and you spent a lot of time drawing with Grandad. You especially love to do very small detailed pictures on little bits of paper and will spend a lot of time on your creations.
...Painting…you ask to do this most days…You like to have a big selection of colours so you use my paint collection and brushes. You can do quite detailed paintings and like to mix paint colours.

Today E has been making a train.....
And putting on a performance starting with " Ladies and Gentlemen....I am Evangeline Rose Cassey..." and so on...have no idea where that all came from!And look what I found today, Neco the Eco Superstore via Hollabee's blog...so shall be checkign that out...I am still working on my next Green List...

Off to do some more sewing now! Lissy

super easy...

Well I had the fabric cut out yesterday...pants and a tunic for E for her birthday...then I sewed it up last night...the whole thing only took me about an hour...talk about easy!

The red spot for the top/dress was already shirred (is that the word???) and then I gathered a bit on one side...and the pants are very simple....McCalls 5306...E thinks it is wonderful which is great and I am hoping it may last a season or two!

I am thinking they can also be worn separately...as a dress...and the pant with a t shirt....I love the fabric...

Now what to make next....I am keen on sewing kids clothes now...I had been procrastinating...but it really is so easy...so long as you are not trying collars, sleeves etc!

Ben is on the boat up past Bali somewhere heading for Singapore...they will be there for a few days while the boat is worked on and then head back to Australia. He is enjoying his position as Chief Officer (second in command) and got to swing over to the oil rig in a basket thing on a crane to have a meeting with the rig people the other day!

We have hints of colds and sore throats and it is dreary and wet again so far today...so we are not going to the Gidgegannup show as planned (a little local show up in the hills east of Perth) plus E's friend we were going with has been sick too...oh well...

Hope you are having a nice weekend so far - Lissy

all sorts.....

Well I have not blogged for a few days so I have all sorts of trivia to share and lots of photos...too tired to be chronological so bear with me! (is that the right bear??? brain function diminishing fast)

Firstly 34 weeks has passed and here is the bump...pretty tired at the moment if I do not get a rest...dreary green doesn't help.... less than 6 weeks to go....blimey

Trying to get things done around here before time runs out! The nursery need sorting too yet!

We have been having fun outside in the afternoons though it is raining today!

The dog, Missy is now about 6 months old and getting big...she has a new collar...Fabric I bought today with plans to make E an outfit to wear for her birthday...I have a top and some pants cut out already and I am about to start sewing...have a bit much for one outfit....Ike and E were making Art in the bathroom at bath time at the farm....we had to laugh...nothing like getting creative with tissues...this ceiling is also 12 foot high so they managed to pelt it a long way! We got our first edible strawberry yesterday which E happily ate!I have some scrapbook layouts from the Wave Rock Retreat to share....I did both Alli's and Sharon's classes as I figure it is good to try something new! Christmas layout from Alli's class...though mine looks nothing like hers! And her other class...
I have yet to complete Sharon's and then I will share..

Layouts I did also on the Retreat weekend...as you can see I am trying to get all my Christmas photos from the last few years done...some are working out better than others....

One more yet to photograph that I did at the farm...too dreary today....

The crayons that mum brought back from Disneyland Paris were a big hit...
And everyone is having babies it seems...L to R: Ike, Evangeline, Me and Grandma!
So that is it for now...not sure what is in store for the weekend...have a good one - Lissy

Retreat...and a cold day....

The Wave Rock Retreat is over but it was a great weekend...it is a super bunch of women who come from various farming areas ready to scrapbook! I am amazed at the long hours they put in! They certainly make the most of the scrapping time and classes. It started Friday night with social scrapping, then there were four classes on Saturday and two on Sunday...plus more social scrapping time on Saturday night...you will have to visit Sharon's blog some time in the near future to see some photos...the next one is March 28th 2008...here is the lake near Wave Rock...
a lot of the country around here has natural salt lakes and rock formations (like Wave Rock) which I think are rather interesting...

E had a great time at tennis with my sister and family yesterday...hitting a tennis ball around all day and she was most grumpy with having to come home with me!

It has been freezing cold today but the kids have had fun! They were hunting tigers in the jungle first this morning...
Then we went down to see the shearing....and to play in the shed...the boys have their own tool benches to work at!


A couple of more days at the farm and then we head back to Perth...I will post some of my layouts from the retreat soon...I participated in Alli and Sharon's classes as well as teach two of my own as I think it stretches your mind a bit to scrap in a different style...although you always end up putting your own twist on it...and you can always learn something new! It is always interesting to see how all the layouts turn out from a class...have a good week - Lissy

recipes....and art work...

Quiet day around here....swimming this morning then the rest of the day at home...nice warm day about 28'C so have been out side in the garden a bit with E and Missy...that's the dog...

Not much else to share but a few of E's drawings....these are all very small..the biggest being Humpty Dumpty who is 10 cm tall...the mouse is only about 1 cm! I love her little pictures that I keep finding everywhere....not bad for an almost four year old...
And some recipes that I have tried lately and have been good ones! The first two are Donna Hay recipes from the Sunday Times...the cake was off a blog which I forgot to note down sorry ....

Garlic and Chilli Chicken Couscous

Serves 2

note - I left out the chilli, used other vegies as did not have zucchini on hand and used chicken thighs not breasts and bacon instead of pancetta...still turned out yummy...

1/4 c lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 ts chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ts caster sugar
salt & pepper
2 zucchini sliced
2 x 200g chicken breast trimmed
8 slices pancetta
1 cup cooked couscous
1/2 c flat leaf parsley leaves

Place lemon juice, oil, chilli, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper in a bowl and combine well
Place zucchini, chicken and half the chilli mix in another bowl, toss to coat and leave to marinate for 10 minutes
Heat pan, add pancetta and cook 1 minute each side, set aside
Add zucchini and cook 2 -3 minutes each side, set aside
Add the chicken and cook 4 - 5 minutes each side or until cooked through
Place the pancetta, zucchini, couscous and parsley in a bowl and stir to combine
Slice chicken and arrange couscous on plate
Spoon over remaining chilli mixture

Asparagus and Mint Pasta

Serves 4

note - I cooked some chicken marinated as in above recipe and added that too which was very nice....

12 slices of pancetta or bacon
2 ts olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
2 TB lemon juice
! 1/2 cups single cream
16 spears of asparagus
1 cup frozen peas
400g spaghetti
salt & pepper
shaved parmesan to serve

In a preheated hot grill, cook pancetta for 2-3 minutes until crispy and set aside
Heat frying pan over medium heat, add oil and garlic and cook for 1 minute, add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute, add the cream and cook for 1 minute
Add the asparagus and peas and cook for about 2 minutes until tender and the cream is thickened, set aside
Cook pasta in large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 -12 minutes
Drain and return to saucepan, add cream mixture and some salt and pepper, toss to combine
Serve with Parmesan

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

note - this is nice and chocolately, it is rather large also...it keeps well...if not eaten first! I used a chocolate butter cream frosting to decorate it and join the layers

Makes 2 eight- inch square or 3 eight inch round layers

unsalted butter for pans
1 1 /2 c cocoa plus extra for pans
3 cups plain flour
3 cups sugar
1 TB baking soda
1 1/2 ts baking powder
1 1/2 ts salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 c buttermilk
3/4 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 ts vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F, butter pans and line bottoms with baking paper, butter the paper and then dust with cocoa
Into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt
With the mixer on low stir in the eggs, warm water, butter milk, vegetable oil and vanilla until smooth...about 3 minutes
Divide batter into prepared pans and bake, rotating once. Test with a skewer or cake tester inserted in centre until it comes out clean....about 35 - 45 minutes
Let cakes cool on wire racks for 20 minutes, remove from pans and cool completely

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

note - I just added icing sugar until I got the right consistency

enough for 1 three layer cake

1/4 c butter
1/4 c plus 2 TB cocoa
1/4 c plus 3 TB warm milk
1 ts vanilla
1 pkg (16 oz)icing sugar

Cream butter, add cocoa, mixing well
Slowly beat in icing sugar, adding warm milk as necessary
Stir in vanilla
Spread immediately

OK so that is it from me - Lissy

last layout....

Here is the last Travel layout for the Retreat...sorry the photo is not superb and a bit washed out...

It looks a little unbalanced at the moment as it needs the black journalling in the star on the right hand page...another job for my sister...the papers are all Scenic Route which have worked out really well....

I might just manage one more sample if I can find some photos from when I was living up in Broome and the Kimberleys...no shortage of photos but it is just a matter of finding them! It was pre-digital!

And only a few days until the Wave Rock Retreat now! Must get my stuff sorted and packed! Lissy

environmental foot prints...our planet needs a hand...

I have been thinking about my (and my family's) environmental foot print.....I am wondering how we are doing....I am trying to do little bits in our everyday lives...with a few goals...

Back in March I made a list....time to review it.....

so here it is...my list...10 Green Things I am Trying to Do: from March 2007

Open the windows....doing that more now the weather has warmed up!
Take shorter showers I am good at this...but Ben isn't....have to work on that one
Use lower energy florescent bulbs Have done this where i can but some of the old light fitting they will not fit into...
Recycle what I can for school...and give unwanted stuff to charity Have done a LOT of this!
Conserve energy by turning off lights, appliances etc Turning a lot more off than before but still could do more
Use reusable cloth shopping bags Do this most times I shop unless I have forgotten the bags
Buy more environmentally friendly cleaning products I am now using all Melaleuca products and LOVE them...not only do they clean well I do not get eczema on my hands from using them! by the way I don't sell them...I just buy them!
Use Enjo type cloths I am mostly doing this, combined with the Melaleuca products
Reduce the size of the garden Working on this one but hard when I am pregnant...but the watering system has been turned off for months and wont be on again for another month yet...just hand watering my vegies and the rest is coping well...
Get some chooks to eat the kitchen scraps! Not yet accomplished but a job for Ben in the near future I hope...he is keen too!

What else have I been doing....

I am trying to making sure the washing machine and dish washer are full...

I am trying not to use the dryer...it has been pretty wet this winter so I have been very disappointed to have to use it so much as usually we can dry everything outside...

I have been buying local...as much as I can including going to the Grower's Market on Sundays....

I recycle paper more around the house

And I suppose that is about it...that I can think off....so today I am going to do some research and see what else I can do....

Looking on the net...
Zero Foot Print Calculator
How to Go Green
We Can Live Green
Green Living
Carbon Planet

and it is Zero Footprint Week ....Sunday 14 – Saturday 20 October 2007 ....Have a look - it is organised by The One at a Time Foundation

and then to make my next list (stay tuned).....what are you going to do about your environmental foot print?? Our planet needs a hand....Lissy

spring in the valley...

This weekend has been "Spring in the Valley" here which means lots of people heading out to the wineries...there are two wineries on our road so there were a lot of buses and music and such...and some very nice spring weather...

So what have we been up too? Well here is E finishing off the last Milo in the tin yesterday morning!Mum came over on Saturday with some yummy lunch and then entertained Evangeline so I could have a sleep. Then we did some more gardening. She stayed over so she could baby sit so I could go to a friend's 30th (Ben is back at work on the boat off the north west coast somehwere)...here is the mini album I made....pretty simple but nice I think... Today we set off to the Guildford Fair...meeting some friends there and the girls had a great time. E had her first ever pony ride and loved it...and a fire engine ride and a car ride...all first experiences but she loved it all :) She was also very good at fishing for ducks and won 3 prizes! I just love to see the delight on her face...click on this pic if you want to see it bigger... We brought strawberries on the way home and then after lunch I had another sleep. Mum did some more gardening...I was helping but I don't achieving much...mainly entertaining the dog and so on! E loves gardening too!
We have painted most days this holiday...which although is a bit messy it is great to see what E comes up with....usually first thing in the morning...
I have nearly done the "theme park" layout for the Retreat class so stay tuned...

So that was our weekend - hope you had a good one too....don't forget that BLOG ACTION DAY is tomorrow - Lissy

presents...

....so here are the gifts that we were given when my mum, sister and Ace returned home... all very spoilt....

mine...a table runner from Florence from my sister, a perfume bottle for Prague from mum and chocolate from them both....yum!

Evangeline got a very cute mouse from Prague from Ace and some fabulous French and Italian clothes and shoes from mum...I know she has more for Christmas and birthday presents...so she will be a very well dressed little girl...
And for the baby....this very cute singlet...look at the detail..so adorable...the rest is being saved for when she arrives :)So very spoilt we all are :)

The family were here this morning and they have all done back to the farm. Mum and I have been outside deciding on how to reduce and clean up the garden...with a lack of time and water restrictions we are going to minimize all the garden...

So that is it for this Friday - hope your weekend is starting well - Lissy

they're home....

My mum, sister and nephew arrived home yesterday....so nice to have them back...

I asked Ace ( nearly 9) what his favourite bit was....and can you believe he said Versailles....he said he loved the gardens....this is a kid who went to Hamleys in London (I went there when I was 8...amazing...5 floors of toys!), Disneyland Paris and all the usual sights in Italy, Prague, London and Paris...but I should not have been surprised as he was mostly looking forward to going to Venice!
Of course they bought wonderful presents which I will share later....and I have some great Disneyland Paris pics to make another sample layout for my class at the Retreat...Lissy

today so far....

A very busy day around here so far!

E had to do some painting this morning.....she also painted yesterday and made things...I got into trouble for taking photos...lol..as she said she was trying to concentrate!
I dropped E at a friends for a play this morning then dashed off to gets some jobs done....

Spotlight...polka dots...to go with some fabric for some clothes for E and the pink is for the edge on her curtains that I have to make wider...see previous post...lol...
Then to Target and Big W to get a few birthday and Christmas presents...nearly sorted now...one more child to go...and a couple of adults...but decided that soon I will not want to go and then with a new born it may be impossible....so I am being super organised! And I did the food shopping.....phew...all in a couple of hours....

I picked E up and then came home and she decorated the paper for Ace's birthday present...

Then Ike and my brother in law arrived from the farm for lunch and Ike stayed for a play...they have just left to go and get my sister and Ace from the airport...I will go and pick up mum at the airport at about 5pm (different flights) and then go to East Perth for tea with them all....it will be nice to have them home :)

Yesterday I busily worked on my baby album....that is the album for the baby on the way...I am using Mel's Birdie Album...available from Tarisota....I've had it made for ages and the cute bag...but needed to start filling the pages...here are some pics so far...I am not good at photographing these things sorry! Click on it if you want to see it bigger....I added some acetate pages to the album too and obviously more details to add yet!

E loves the snow peas and sugar snap peas growing in our garden and picks and eats each one that appears...so unless we suddenly get a prolific growth i do no think we will get many for a salad or anything...but this was my hope that she would love to eat the food that we have grown!
Oh and these totally gorgeous hair clips arrived in the post....they really are superb.....from Pink Owl Creations on Etsy....not a great photo sorry... Hope you are having a good day - Lissy

blog action day

So this is happening on October 15th.......blog action day.....this years theme is the ENVIRONMENT...I am joining in but have no idea how yet....lol....

Go and check it out and get your thinking caps on!
Now I just have to actually remember when the day comes around...lol...

Other news....

Ben did his usual last minute job frenzy last night....putting up curtain rods in the girls bedrooms....so now I can finish the curtains...from past experience I have learnt that the curtain rods have to go where Ben puts them so to have some leeway including leaving the hems until the rods are up....fortunately E's curtains are far from finished as I have to make them wider....lol...so will head to Spotlight tomorrow and get something to make some sort of border down the sides!

And so Ben left today in a taxi at 4 a.m. off to work for 5 weeks...so he gets home a few days before E's fourth birthday and about 3 weeks before the baby makes her appearance...but he also has to be in Tasmania for a few days in late November....so hope the baby waits until he gets back! I have mum and a couple of friends lined up to help if not!

E and I are home all day today - YAY! No plans other than cleaning etc...including my studio - YAY! I am not promising to perform miracles but my work station is looking a lot better already!

And my sister and mum and nephew get home tomorrow - YIPPEE! It has been very quiet without them :)

Happy Wednesday all - Lissy

looking good...

Here she is...sleeping away...at 32 weeks...all is well...she is about 2.2kg... It is amazing to get hints at what she might look like!

And that is it for today - Lissy

fish and stuff

Well Ben completely exhausted himself spear fishing yesterday but did - as requested - not get eaten by a shark and did come home with some fish....E wasn't too keen and was not getting close...She wouldn't eat it but it did taste great!

Yesterday E spent most of the day walking around the house in my flippers..and then had to wear them in the bath with her goggles so she could swim with the dolphins and whales...lol...

The dog is growing way to fast!We made a yummy chocolate cake today with chocolate butter cream as Alli and boys were coming to have lunch...We also had Livvy to play as well so had four very excited kids playing in the house because is is WET here today....and rain has gone through to the farm - YAY! So I can put up with it! No photos but Alli and I had a lovely lunch of sushi and stuff - which Alli made!

And here we are at 32 weeks....very bad photo sorry!
I have printed out 4 years worth of Christmas photos as I have decided to get those scrapped at the Retreat next week in between teaching classes! And I hope to make a mini album for E's birthday photos....

Hope your week has started well - Lissy