Treasure.



The moment i saw this dish at The Salvos i fell in love with it, it's actually a very pale yellow colour (didn't show up too well in the photo) & it cost me $15 - which is more than what i usually pay for something from an oppy.......but i'm sure it's worth more (it has all the important wording & numbers underneath). Besides it was screaming at me from under the glass counter "Take me home!" & who am i to ignore those desperate pleas?

Pop over to Her Library Adventures for more treasures.

Four happy things on Friday.

This week i've decided to join in with Kel over at Green Tea and Red Nails & share with you four happy things on Friday from our week.

Planting a new succulent garden. (Note to self: should've removed weeds before taking photo). Can't wait til all the succulents grow & spread across the space.

Finally made this skirt for Scarlett, i'd had it cut out & waiting to be sewn up for months. It's made from a fine cord fabric & will be perfect for winter with some white tights & a little cardi.

Some footpath art. Please ignore Amity's 'just got out of the pool' hair.

And reading the newest additions of my two favourite mags with a cup of tea. I love magazines....sigh.
Happy Friday to you all, time to switch the alarm clock to 'off' & enjoy the weekend! Hope you all enjoy yours. x

Proud Mumma.

So proud of these two right now. They have settled into school beautifully & are both really enjoying it. Amity received a Star of the Week award at assembly on monday, she is one of the first in her grade to do so. What a lovely surprise that was! She is loving learning all the letters & is looking foward to bringing home readers.

We just had parent-teacher interview with Chas' teacher today & we are so pleased with him! She said he is a 'smart little cookie' & a very popular boy among his peers, he's reading very well & his maths is amazing (definitely got the math gene from his dad). So wonderful to hear it. The thing is though, he doesn't realize how clever he is  - so it certainly doesn't go to his head. Only his mum's! haha.

And little Scarlett, her new trick is pointing at everything & asking "dat"? Which we all think is pretty clever too! So tonight we took them out for a celebratory dinner, which is something we never do, however we were once again very proud of their fantastic behaviour.

Cosy.

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Sometimes all i want to do is sit all day in a cosy spot & read, undisturbed.

This would be the ideal spot - don't you think?

Treasure

Once again i'm playing along with Sophie's Flea Market Finds over at Her Library Adventures. Isn't this never-been-used crocheted bib gorgeous? I couldn't possibly have left it behind, those chickens are just too cute........it was a whole whopping 50 cents! Go check out what other treasures have been unturned this week.

Where we're at.

Trying to get back into the swing of things here with both kids back at school, we are so not good with routine, we are actually a very spontaneous family. Amity has just started prep & is really enjoying it - she comes home & plays 'schools' everyday, it's quite funny to watch (i now know who all the naughty kids in her class are!). Oh that girl has an imagination! Chas has also settled into grade one nicely, which is a relief because last year he had a hard time settling in. His teacher is so lovely, she's such a nanna - but a very trendy nanna - i love seeing her daily outfits, she has style! As you know Scarlett has just turned one, the poor little thing has been very miserable lately & just wants mummy cuddles. She came down with a cold the day before her birthday & i'm also suspecting another toothy might be cutting. She has an intolerance to bananas, which i'd never heard of until she got extremely sick after eating them. On her last visit to the Health Centre the nurse told me to wait until she's 12 months then give her a tiny piece of banana to check her reaction (apparently she'll probably grow out of it), well i did that yesterday & oh my - never again! The poor thing vomited violently for 2 1/2 hours!! It was her worst reaction yet & it was the least banana she's eaten. Has anybody else had an experience with this kind of thing?

And me? I've become addicted to Pinterest........wow how much fun is it? I must admit i've been 'pinning' away like a woman obsessed (and in the process spending waaaay too much time on the computer!) 
And just because, here's a little scene from one of our walks - Scarlett loves them, it's one of the only times i never hear a sound out of her. So peaceful. Hope you've had a lovely week & a fun filled weekend. x

Made for Mumma.

Whilst i was browsing in my favourite clothing store recently, i saw this top & very nearly purchased it, then on a second thought i said to my sister "I could so make one like this!". So off i went to Kmart & bought myself a good old five buck tank. Luckily i still had enough of that lovely Japanese cotton leftover from Scarlett's dress for the heart & some lace in my stash. Honestly it probably took me a whole 15 minutes to make..........and it sure was a heck of a lot cheaper!

I love it so much! And i especially love that i got to choose my own colour scheme.
When Amity arrived home from school, she was upset because apparently i don't make anything for her anymore.............so now there's a smaller version sitting on the table ready to be stitched.

She's one!

My baby girl turns one today. Oh how quickly did that year go! It honestly only feels like a couple of months ago that we were sitting in the maternity ward gazing at our little dark haired girl. Those who know us, know that we weren't planning on any more children........but little Scarlett had other plans. And what a lovely surprise she was. Her pregnancy was my worst & her birth was my longest & hardest too - but oh my, i'll never forget the moment i first laid my eyes on her - i was on cloud nine! She has brought so much love & happiness into our lives, it has been wonderful to watch Scarlett grow & develop through Chas & Amity's eyes - they just adore her so much. And i must say, it has also been nice to hear people say how much she looks like me - the other two are very much like their dad. So Happy Birthday Munchky.....we all love you so much xxx

P.S Isn't the quilt beautiful? My mum makes one for each of her grandchildren for their first birthday. I love the colours in Scarlett's - it's such a wonderful keepsake for her.

Treasure.

Here are some more of my finds from a recent op shop trip........

This has three very cute wooden vintage kids puzzles inside.

And a few more of these embroidered thingys (what are they called - i can't think of it right now?!) I love these & can never resist buying them. I have quite a few of them stashed away, don't know what i'll ever do with them all though!

Pop over to see what Sophie & others have found this week at Her Library Adventures! Hope you all have a lovely week.

From The Patch - Tomatoes.

The last couple of years we have had good crops of tomatoes - which is great because there is a lot of things you can do with them. They are especially nice on toast with a bit of salt & pepper.....mmmm.
Every year i make Oven-dried Tomatoes & a yummy Roasted Tomato Sauce, which is delicious as a pizza sauce or with pasta - especially gnocchi..............i'm drooling just thinking about it! (Think i have tomorrow night's dinner covered now). I don't use a recipe with measurements for either of these, they are both just something i have tweaked over the years.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes
Place cherry tomatoes or larger tomatoes that you have quartered onto a baking tray. Roughly chop 3-4 garlic cloves & sprinkle over tomatoes along with fresh basil, oregano & rock salt. Drizzle with olive oil. Place in a very slow oven  & cook for a few hours until the tomatoes are slightly blackened. The smell of these cooking is divine! I store these in the fridge in a container with the oil they were cooked in. So, so yummy!


Roasted Tomato Sauce
Line a tray with cherry tomatoes or roughly chopped larger tomatoes, sprinkle with rock salt & then drizzle with olive oil. Bake the tomatoes in a slow oven until they skins have blackened. Allow to cool & place in a processor with 2-3 garlic cloves, fresh basil, oregano, a dash of balsamic vinegar & sprinkling of sugar. Blend to a smooth sauce. If you don't use this immediately, you can keep it in the freezer.

Two very yummy recipes that are similar & i really look forward to cooking every year : )

*I must also note, that i do not take any credit for the produce that comes from The Patch - The Bloke takes care of all that, i just pick stuff every now & again. I can only take credit for what becomes of the produce in the kitchen.

Always, sometimes, never.

Something fun i found while browsing blog land over here (lovely blog too!). Thought i'd join in - i enjoy doing these things.

I always:

• make sure the car is locked before i go to bed, every night
• have fresh flowers in my house
• take my time having breaky
• need to have something to read

I sometimes:

• walk to the shops instead of driving - it's a fairly long walk
• stay up way too late
• wish i lived back in the 1940's
• just love watching a bit of trashy reality tv

I never:

• eat veal
• go out in public without makeup
• wear socks
• want to live in an urban area

Made for Scarlett.

I had the sewing bug last week & made a couple of things for Scarlett. It seems like i'm sewing a lot more for her than the other two, but considering she's now the only one who doesn't need to wear a uniform & is the fastest growing - it makes sense doesn't it?
First up i made this little dress.

I fell in love with this beautiful Japanese cotton & actually wanted to make it into a top for her, but silly me didn't buy enough fabric. So instead i found this vintage pattern - which ended up being perfect because she'll be able to wear this in any weather. The two lovely vintage buttons were from a recent op-shop find.
In the same op-shop i also found this granny nightie. I loved the colour & pattern of the fabric.

I did consider wearing it to bed, but i think The Bloke would've had a fit! hehehe.....so instead i turned it into this.

I used a basic peasant top pattern & made it even simpler by using the existing hem on the nightie & the sleeves had a lovely pleated frill on them, so i used those too. Oh & the model - aren't her chubby little cheeks gorgeous? She's made by me too :)

Window sill.

Who needs a stunning view when you have a window sill as pretty as this?

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Treasure.

I walked up to my local Salvo's on Friday, all week i had this niggling feeling that i had to go there - and boy am i glad i did! The op-shop gods were looking down on me. I did however blow my budget........ooops, so no thrifting for me for a while - but i did get so many goodies i'll post them all over a few weeks.

This week i'll share my vintage baby girl dresses - these are not for Scarlett, i have plans for these wonderful old dresses.

Hello Sailor! Isn't it gorgeous? And it comes with matching little bloomers.

And this pretty little pink number - she's never been worn, still has original tags attached. But of course i've saved the best until last...........

I've done a bit of research & i'm guessing by the tags & the fabric, that this beauty is from the late 50's - early 60's. It is quite long, so i'm thinking it was probably a christening gown? It needs a good wash & press (which i'm a little afraid to do). I still can't believe my luck at finding this & i can't stop pulling it out of the cupboard & looking at it!
Check out more thrifting goodies over at Her Library Adventures & don't forget to call back here next week for some more of my finds.

From The Patch - zucchinis

It's that time of year here - we have an abundance of zucchinis.........and if we're not quick enough they grow so friggin big, they almost become marrows. So i've been down at The Patch stalking the zucchinis & grabbing them whilst they're a respectable size. As we all know, size does matter - when it comes to zucchinis. My favourite thing to make with them is Chocolate Zucchini Cake, it's a lovely moist cake & you'd never know there was zucchini in it. Last week i made Crispy Stuffed Zucchini Flowers, which were absolutely delicious! The kids even loved them - even after i freaked Amity out when i told her the flowers i picked were for dinner....haha! Last week i made Creamy Zucchini Soup using this recipe & it was actually quite yummy!

Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp grated orange rind
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
1 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup milk
Topping:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or almond slivers
1/4 cup choc bits
Method:
Sift bicarb, flour & cocoa - set aside. Mix together oil, sugar, orange rind, vanilla, zucchini & egg, until combined. Add to dry ingredients, then stir in milk. Pour into a greased ring tin, sprinkle with the topping & cook in a mod oven for 30 minutes.

Delicious!

The holiday is almost over.

I don't want the holidays to end, we've been having a really good time.

I'm going to miss them when they're at school.

The Walton's House.

Amity & i often watch re-runs of The Waltons (she actually calls the show 'John-Boy', lol). I love their house & would love to live there - with all their stuff in it!
The beautiful quilts, crockery, the old furniture, the piano & those awesome old iron beds.................oh, I'd be happy there.

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And yes, every night we would yell out "goodnight" to each other before flicking off the lights!