You know it's been a while when...

your blog doesn't even come up as a recently visited link in your browser's history! 

So another few weeks have zoomed by, and I am slowly getting used to working from home, rather than going into the shop each day.  It is actually rather gratifying to feel like I am keeping up with the laundry pile!  Whether this domestic bliss lasts, is another thing!

I have been making so many labels, and sewing kids hats for a lovely new wholesale account, but tonight I couldn't sleep and felt the urge to sew something for myself.  A half-opened jelly roll of French General fabrics (Lumiere de Noel) was calling my name, so I got out of bed and starting cutting it into 6.5" strips, and sewing them together.  I am quite pleased with the results so far, but owing to it being nearly midnight, there are no photos to show... so I will just leave you with a photo of the FG jelly roll that I have used... aren't the colours gorgeous?

Happy Mother's Day!

Sitting on the couch this evening, I said to Brad "Can you believe this is my 5th Mothers' Day?"  I still can't believe it myself. 

Five years ago I was 29 with a 3 month old baby, and living in a permanent state of exhaustion thanks to Naomi's total inability to sleep for more than 39 minutes at a time, day or night.

Now I am approaching 34, with Miss 4 and Mr 2 making life interesting at every moment.

I have so many memories of my own mother.  She was (and still is) such a strong person, who quietly supported my Dad in his ministry, and his full time work as a teacher.  Despite often having little in the way of worldly things, we children were never aware of our family lacking anything - we had all the love and support we could ever need.  She went back to work full time to pay for our University educations, and subsequently nursed my Dad with courage and love, until he joined our Lord.

I honestly hope that I can be half as good a role-model as I had.  So for Mothers' Day, I say these would be lovely....

But the smiles on these little faces are even better.

I love you Mum xx

* cough cough *

mmm hmm * cough *

You may want to put on a mask and gown to read this post.  The lady in the pathology collection put them on to take a swab from me yesterday.

Why??  Well.... it seems that things our children are immune to, such as whooping cough, are fair game for their parents, for whom immunity has worn off.

I am waiting for the test results, but our Doctor suspects that Brad and I both have whooping cough.  Not deadly, but extremely irritating, debilitating, tiring, and so not what I needed for the next few months.

Oh well, I did see my lovely friend Tonia at Malanda Sewing & Quilting today, and had some wonderful fabric chat, and a few little things might just have found their way into my bag :-)

Yours in exhaustion,

My Easter prayer

Lord, on the day when you prove to us that you are the bringer of all things - life, death, love - my small prayer is for improving health in our family....  we are really trying to take care of ourselves, but your helping hand would (as always) be gratefully appreciated.  Amen.

We took our little Easter break, for 2 nights in Cairns.  Apart from the kids being much rattier than usual, Brad has come down with a chest infection that has him coughing and gasping.  We had a trip to the medical centre, and he is on antibiotics etc, but we are all so tired, we feel like we have come home for a rest, when of course that was what the break away was supposed to be!

But the Lord is Risen today, Alleluia!

My daily 'done' list

When I start to feel like I spend all day chasing my tail and not achieving anything, I know it is time to start writing a daily 'done' list again.  Instead of an impossible 'to do' list, that never seems to get smaller, try writing a list of everything you have done that day, and be impressed by how much you did achieve....

* Snuggled with kids in bed
* Breakfast, dress, pack kids for day at Family Daycare
* Quick grocery shop with kids
* Drop kids off
* Print, cut, package and post 9 orders of labels etc
* Start sewing kids hats for large wholesale order
* Start listing new ready to go label designs
* Shop for dinner, and get kids Easter baskets & eggs sorted
* Book 2 nights away over the Easter weekend - we need a break!
* Go to Post Office
* Collect kids, admire their new artwork :-)
* Cook dinner
* Race kids to pharmacy before it closes, for emergency 'my nose hurts' cream!
* Dinner on table,
* Bath duty
* Bedtime routine
* Check and respond to work emails
* Ahhhhh... glass of wine :-)

How is your 'daily done' list going today?

When life hands you lemons....

I mope around for a while, feeling like I'm not coping with anything.... and then I make lemon slice :-)

I have been playing with a camera that is not quite new, but that I have never really taken the time to learn about.  And the fruit on the lemon tree in our backyard is just ripening.  Recipe for the lemon slice comes from the Women's Weekly 'Cook' book -  my kitchen Bible!

Tangy Lemon Squares

Base

125g butter, softened

1/4 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)

1 cup plain flour

Lemon curd

3 eggs

1/4 cup plain flour

1 cup caster sugar

2 tsps finely grated lemon rind

1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to moderate (180'C). Grease circular springform pan.  Beat butter and icing sugar in small bowl with electric mixer, until smooth.  Stir in 1 cup sifted flour. Press mixture evenly over base of pan, bake, uncovered for about 15 mins or until lightly brown.

Place eggs, caster sugar, 1/4 cup plain flour, rind and juice in medium bowl; whisk until combined.  Pour egg mixture over hot base.  Bake, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until firm. Cool in pan on wire rack.  Run knife around edge of pan, then release springform to remove slice.  Dust with extra icing sugar.

I hope your lemons are turning into yummy lemon slices this week :-)

Indulgence is...

an easy childrens' bedtime

a quiet house

a handmade chocolate

a glass of dry white; and

my ultimate indulgence... home renovation shows on the Home Lifestyle channel.

..... if only the dish fairy would visit my kitchen .....