Lamingtons...

Had our State Elections on today and had a lamington stall. Been up since 6am and making a heap of lamingtons... Tasted soooo awesome. They were massive in size too! 

Love doing stuff for my local school. Our kids need a new playground and it'll cost at least $40000! Other one is not safe and therefore condemned... Had a great morning ;)

Russell did a fantastic job doing up the labels... Saved us allot of writing... Thanks Honey!

Blessings,

Growin' stuff...

So at the moment I'm growing Kombucha and making the tea... I've started doing the Water Kefir again also and am about to get some decent grains back from my Mum... My other ones were a little dismal... Must remember to feed more! Also trying to get my sourdough starter going...

Love having our own goodness growing right on my counter top ;)

Blessings,

Candy...

That time again...

This Kombucha mother was soooo thick. I ended up having to tear it so I could get it out of the jar...  Four layers of Candy made, of which Tim will probably have most of it ;)

Yummy... Love the smell... Love the taste...

Blessings,

Trialling...

The first pear is off the tree. Others, I'm busting to pick ;) It comes off as a hard fruit and ripens well. Doesn't keep though, which off course is not a problem for this household...

Can't wait to taste our first pear!

Blessings,

A new school year...

Today's the day... Josh hits Year 11! His new shoes and orthotics have him eye level with Russell now! He's a giant and he Loves it...

45mins before he's supposed to leave, he's got his breakfast done and dusted and lunch has been made. He's ready to see his mates, and play basketball! ;)

Have a blessed, fruitful, enjoyable and industrious year, Josh... 

Blessings,

The Wonder of Weather...

A marvel really... One cloud, albeit a massive one... And a lightening show like I've not seen in a very long time... The lightening just won't stop! It's been going for about 45 minutes, non stop! Little bits of rumble can be heard but all we're getting here is a most divine breeze... Oh, and the most amazing light show...

My iPhone 6 takes burst pictures... Love how these following pictures are bursts of 24-68 frames and then the camera makes them into one shot ;) Very cool... 

Feeling so very blessed...

Blessings,

Watermelon...

Oh my oh my...

Oh how yummy... Just can't outdo something homegrown and sweet on top ;)

Blessings,

Tiny egg...

This one that our largest chook has laid is by far her smallest egg... Just 12g... 

Two days ago, I noticed a large bulge under her vent... A small amount of feathers are missing also. She's still a very happy chook, eating, drinking and socialising as normal. I thought there was a little bulge there when she first arrived but nothing changed for a long time... Just kept producing very small eggs for her size...

This increase has been dramatic and over a very small amount of time and after allot of searching on various chook sites, I think it's either a fluid mass, which can be drained, or a hernia... Unfortunately, I believe she has the latter. I'm still going to try and see if there is a fluid mass just in case but if not I believe she'll be in pain, if not already and will have to send her to chooky heaven. I can't have her here just for us when she's in pain... She's such a lovely chook... I do hope I'm wrong...

Blessings,

So tiny... 12g

Comparing...

Next to a 70g egg...

Chicks are Out!!!

Yay for freedom... All 15 were so excited about getting out and being able to explore whatever they wanted... They're soooo funny to watch. After two nights, they still insist on going back into one of the cages but that'll change with time...

Having the chicks out has given me the great opportunity to put our three broodies in a cage :) :)

Can't wait till they're non broody anymore. Two weeks should do them as previously I had only sent them in there for one week and within a week, they'd go clucky again!?! Not what you want when one is after eggs hehe...

Blessings,

What a blood clot!!!

Tim has been having very heavy nosebleeds for the last two to three months. The come out of nowhere. He could be walking along the hallway at home or filling chook buckets with water.

The flood is incredible... Won't stop for ages... Last Monday, we just had to go to the doctor as he even had a huge blood clot come out of his right nostril... Always the same side. And no, no nose picking involved...

The doctor had 7 vials of blood taken. We find out the results on Saturday. Next Thursday we have an appointment at a local church goers' Kinesiology Clinic. I can't wait to have this and his debilitating eczema healed either ;)

Looking forward to working with Carolyn on our family's issues ;) Can't wait to get started...

Blessings,

Sourdough...

I used to make the bread all the time... At the end of my last stint making the bread, I gave all of my starter to my Mum, who's kept it going...

I've now gotten some of that starter back again. I've reduced my hours at work and used to really enjoy making bread. I really wanted to get back to doing just that...

Today, after having the starter in the fridge for 5 weeks, I got the courage to try again. I was amazed that I'd forgotten so much of what I needed to do... It was actually daunting for me. 

With Mum's help (and four phone calls lol), I skimmed off the top layer and used the bottom part. I used measurements the first time but then used the correct weights instead. Just changing the way I did it made a huge difference from one starter to the next. Amazing to see :)

I'll grow it for the next couple of days... Building up a good starter. Just love that yeasty smell ;) I've got a spare in the fridge also. I grew the first one with the wrong flour too. 

I'm hoping that early next week, I'll make my first loaf... Can't wait for the smell... Ahhhh, heaven on earth!

Have so enjoyed exchanging receipes in the past with Mum and again this time... She really is a wonderful teacher... It's times like this I wish I lived closer... Thank you for your help and encouragement, Mum. I so appreciate it... And you xxoo

Blessings, 

Normal coloured liquid on top but gotten rid of all the same...

My new baby...

10.378kg of...

Bones... My Homegroup leader works at the local abattoir... Tonight, I was blessed with two huge bags of bones!!!

Jasper was just about beside himself... On his back legs doing his dance...

He will get plenty over the coming months! There's also heaps of soup to be made and frozen :)

Feeling oh soooooo blessed!

Blessings,

Just one of many surprise packages for Jasper...

Beans, beans and more beans...

While we were on holidays, all our beans ripened at once. The bushes were loaded up but no one was here to pick and eat them... We've let them dry on the vines instead and now have plenty for future seasons...  Will give a heap away too :)

Still have more to pick...

Blessings,

Watermelon...

We have picked our first one this season...

Sounds perfect, when tapped... On the weekend we see if it is ;)

Blessings,

Apple Pie...

The biggest I've ever seen and had the pure pleasure eating. Loved the ice cream that came with it! Yummy...

Will be back to have more. Love what the Sutton's do!

Blessings,

Crepe Myrtles...

I love seeing them flowering everywhere at this time of year. We have found some that will be 6 and 8 metres high, eventually...

Have been busily planting... And watering... They will be very hardy, which is just what we need here...

Blessings, 

Cookin' time...

Love it when the boys cook dinner... Tim's turn tonight and he did a fantastic job!!!

He got it incredibly close to the 4 Ingredients book :) Tasted... AMAZING!!!

So grateful for these cookbooks... So easy to follow... So easy to use as a teaching tool...

Blessings,

Ice world....

Had a great time, the boys did... What a great way to spend a Friday :) Soooo many people...

Blessings,

Josh has upgraded...

His own compound ow was getting too small...

Russell can't use his anymore... The issues with his neck prevent him from drawing back the string... Josh now has it :)

One smaller compound bow for sale :)

My boy is growing up...

Blessings,

Three broodies...

Yep, the three regulars... The problem at the moment is that I'm using both my cages to raise 15 chicks.

Now, it's causing issues as some of the layers are laying near the shed again... 

Looking forward to the chicks being all grown up and the broodies being in a cage to 'unbroodie'...

Blessings,

Tiny egg...

Amazing how small an egg they can lay... 

If it's like the last one, it won't have a yolk...

Wonder if it was laid at the beginning or the end of a laying season, or just because...

Blessings,

What a Surprise...

So we got our table at the Theme Park we were at today... The only table and chairs left were ones not comfortable at all. Seeing I had a massive headache, I knew I wouldn't be going in the water and the brilliant sun much. I hoped for a little bit of comfort.

And what do you know... As we picked our table, we found a beautiful leather chair right next to our table. There were other tables taken in the same area but no one was using the chair...

So, after asking if others in the family wanted it and everyone saying 'No', I made myself comfortable. An extra rolled up towel helped support my head better and eventually the headache left me for about a hour. Had it for the rest of the day. Also, my wrist was able to rest very comfortably all day. Sooooo blessed... We wondered all day where it had come from as we could see no others the same anywhere else in the park. Park workers would be in the area but never gave it a second glance... 

The looks I got were funny. Allot of second looks ;) 15 sets of metal table and seats around us and here I was in a beautiful and comfortable leather chair... Very much a 'What the???' moment. 

Blessings,

Blue Wrens...

It seemed so normal... We were at Wet n Wild Theme Park today and the Blue Wrens were all around. Shy, they were not. They'd come right up to people's feet...

There seemed to be one family consisting of a set of parents and two babies around our table most of the day, picking little crumbs where they could. 

Oh, their singing was such a joy to behold... So beautiful to be able to watch such beautiful creatures up so close...

Blessings,

Our very own grapes...

We have been waiting for what seems like forever... Today, Russell took the bunches of the vine and we devoured them... So yum, so sweet...

Blessings,

The grapes before their tidy up...

Ready for devouring... Which they were...

Pressie...

Made this for a lady I work with... She's very precious to me and is an incredible lady. Her strength is inspiring and she never ceases to amaze me... I take credit for her working there, as I prayed for her ;) I've learnt soooo much from her in the year... So honoured to be working with her...

She's so very 'Worthy to be Loved'... I just love the meaning of her name... She is truly amazing... She loves butterflies and pink is her favourite colour. I pray she likes them ;)

Blessings,

1st time...

Today was the day... He had no lead up to it. Just a 'Please get dressed and come out here and get onto the slasher, you need to practice' 

And with that, Timothy went out grumbling to finally get onto our tractor. He needed the practice badly and as parents we feel it's time for him to also slash this property. It'll be an advantage for his continued study also!

At the end of it he was much more cheerful. Just as well too, as he'll be doing it again Saturday :)

Blessings,

Ninja star attack time...

Josh and Jackson folded diligently for a long time. I made a couple of pairs of earrings and had breakfast in the meantime...

Then the battle commenced. All three boys got in on it, then Russell also joined in. Oh, what fun... They even all made sure they wore sunnies or glasses to protect themselves...

They let each other have it. Ganging up on one another was funny to watch and all done in good fun ;)

Blessings,