Sunday, February 27, 2011

Keeping the boys occupied

Eli walked home from church today and arrived with an armload of twigs etc. He wanted to make a fire like Bear Griles does on "Man vs Wild".

He wanted to use a flint to start the fire. So first we built an oven. 

then we made the pikelet mix

then the fire needed to start.
Start the cooking!!! Very pleased with the result

Yum Yum

All the better for the eating.

A chook house for a chocolate cake.

the said cake
 I made a deal with my wonderful brother in law. I made a gorgeous dense chocolate cake (real chocolate, ground almonds - Kris Parkinson's recipe) and he was to help me make a chook house. In reality he made the chook house and I did labouring. The only bit I had to make and measure by myself (the door) I completely stuffed up. So much for girl power! But in four hinges and a bit of plywoods time, I will have a fantastic new house and my chooks wont know where to turn.
being clamped in with no escape!

this is where it got finished to.
Looking almost finished and gorgeous.
a lovely entrance for the chooky girls.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Mieke is with us again


Yes it has been horrendous and we did not expect to have to live through a second event like this. But the earthquake does have it's upsides. We have Jess, Stephen and Mieke living with us again. The boys are estatic and fantastic baby entertaining machines, Morris is thrilled and has managed to stop licking her every time he sees her and we are lucky to have this time with her.

The boys snuggling up together in one room. Eli having moved for Mieke.



The Eigth Birthday Party

 Yes Jakob has turned 8. Amazing. Sunday 20th February was a great day. Two days later the pool
we went to was severely damaged with fences falling on cars etc. 
Jakob was smooth and stylish

We took 6 kids out for the day. First 10 pin bowling. Spencer won with an amazing 107 points (that is more than I normally get!!) and Brooklyn who had never been bowling before came in a point behind. (But he did get two strikes). After 10 pin bowling we went to the Waltham swimming pool. A lovely outdoor pool in Christchurch and the added attraction that it has a free open hydroslide.
Eli's great moves
Jorja


Jakob

Eli

Liam and Jakob making the dash to start again

the duo - Brooklyn and Eli
Spencer the hoon

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Third family tramp

When: Feb 12 & 13th, 2011
Where: Into the first hut on the St James Walkway - Magdalen Hut.
What: our third tramp as a full family. Jakob 7 (nearly 8 as he tells everyone), Eli 5, Karen 43, Aaron 34
Why: because we can and because it has no big hills, which means my heart will stand up to it.
How: By car to Hanmer Springs on Friday night. Stayed the night at the Hanmer Springs Forest Camp in a lovely cabin with a bunk bed and a queen. Cheap at $58 for the whole family. Then on by car where we parked in the Boyle River Township. A lot of people arrange to park in the Boyle  river outdoor education centre.Then on foot to the hut (about 8km).
Across the Bridge              
About a third of the tramp done
Through the bush
Looking gorgeous

Over streams and gullies
Have some tucker
Over the grassy plain




Arrive at the hut
Cool off (it was a hot day)
Chill out and eat more food

Sleep get up and do it all again - but in reverse
Arriving back at the car. Not as fresh, tired legs but happy.

Kids Art work

When I picked the kids up from the afterschool programme on the floor was an amazing collage. Eli, Spencer and Jorja had spent the time being arty.
Eli said that it took a long time. It is a collage of a picnic area with a rock pool on the bottom tight corner. Bottom left corner is trees and the car park. The sea is inbetween. Then the blue area is the sky, the green material the sun and the shells in the sky are seagulls.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The harvest is beginning

Last night I was blanching beans to freeze. Butter bean, french beans and purple runners. Chopping mushrooms that we Jakob found in the park (he had been told off and went away to sulk. When he came back he said that he found mushrooms. While picking the mushrooms and exclaiming regarding the find, Jakob suggested that I tell him off again because it may mean that he finds more mushrooms!!). Lastly I made Annabel Langbein's Onion Jam. Great on sausages and mash and fantastic as a base for Pizza (which I will do on thursday for dinner).

 

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The big sleepover



Eli and Spencer cuddled in bed sharing the MP3 player
Jakob and Liam in bed reading cartoons.
We came back from holiday and immediately organised the sleepover for Liam and Jakob. This had been cancelled twice last year due to someone not being well. Then I decided that if I am going to do the extra work I may as well get it over in one hit and Eli had his friend Spencer over for the night too.
It was fantastic, so much easier having four kids than three. Then the next day we had Mieke for the night. It was a great weekend.

Mieke and the boys all in our bed in the morning.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The boys on holiday

 The making ......                                                                   The potion......


Drinking it....


This morning the boys were getting into their dress ups and decided that they were Getafix's apprentices from Asterix. They dressed up and then the magic potion making started. This potion was to make you brainier. It was made from Milk, old cream, red food colouring, hot chocolate powder, hundreds and thousands, lots of pepper and salt, ice cubes, lots of chives and parsley, cinnamon and sugar. Then left in the sun and stirred. What got me was they drank it!!!! and worse they made me have a taste. It wasn't too bad but had a real pepper kick.

Monday, January 24, 2011

restyling a shirt

Well back at work after a fantastic break. The weather is hot and even though I have been given a lot of tops by a friend when on holiday, they are all too hot. Short sleeves were needed. So this was last night's project.
From this...... To this.....

 This is a closeup of the strip I put around the shirt.  The shirt was a good brand but from the Op shop for $0.50 and the band I put on was taken of a dress I had when I was 20. I chopped the dress up a couple of years ago and took the banding off. Not knowing how I was going to use it but it was too lovely to throw out.

A gorgeous break in Rarotonga

Woo hoo, A holiday with no kids for 11 days. Bliss, relaxing and warm! BTW it was an early 20th wedding anniversary present to ourselves....