Filling in the gap.

So it's been a fair while since my last post.  So much happens in a year and a half.  Here are some of the highlights:

• We have painted the grotty minty green bedroom white (antique white USA for those interested in their paint colours).  
• We built a chicken cage (FINALLY) so our chickens no longer had to sleep in a breezy cold and sometimes stifling hot tin shed.  
• We cruised the mighty Murray River on a house boat with some amazing people (such a highlight!)
• Obtained a membership to the Diggers club to inspire me to do something about our poor overlooked veggie garden.  I am happy to report that as of this lovely winter season we now are successfully growing snowpeas, spinach, beetroot, broccoli, potatoes and tons of rocket.  Ive also planted some nasturtiums, coriander, basil and parsley for some herby goodness.  Im still missing my rosemary and thyme so that is still to come.
• I turned 30
• Best of all: A beautiful little man entered our lives and turned our worlds upside down mid June last year.  Heath is a funny little creature with loads of cheek.  He loves nothing more than helping me around the house, visiting his family and friends, being out doors and getting into mischief.  Did I mention he is cheeky?  Heath is now 1 and is walking talking (well to the best of his knowledge he is anyway).  I have never experienced so much joy or cried so much as Ive done in the last 13 months, but crikey, all those late nights trying to get the little bugger to sleep are all worthwhile when he pulls his dummy out his mouth, tries to give it to you and giggles.  How could you possibly be upset with that.  Yep, parenthood has been a roller coaster of bodily functions/fluids, sleepless nights, tantrums (from parents as well as the baby), smiles, giggles, kisses, cuddles, adventures and milestones.  And here we are, we've made it through his first year alive!!  I love my men xx  
  

So here I am.  A fresh start.  All inspired after a day which involved friends and a couple of sewing machines I thought its time I ought to do something about the gap in my blog.  Hoping I can keep it up.  Inspiration welcome!  Enjoy this lovely July day.

XX

Chill'n with the family

Lucky me got to hang out and play with my bro, sis-in-law and adorable little nephew!  Nothing better than a pies, pasties and cakes from Beck's Bakery and chilling out on the lawn at Port Norlunga with my family.  Aahh, I love summer!  Thanks Liam for entertaining me during the car ride to your Great Grand Poppy's house (today South Road was hilarious!) and for making me laugh when you projectile vomited into Poppy's lap as soon as you saw him.
I am so grateful for such a wonderful day.  And while I wait for Andrew to come home from work I have been sitting on the couch watching my now 22 week little bubba move around my belly!  It's cool that you can actually see on the outside what I'm feeling on the inside!

T'was the night and the day of Christmas...

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house,

The only creature that was stirring was Judy, as quiet as a mouse,

Her male side-kick Andrew in bed fast asleep,

As he waltzed in 4am that morning after drinks with his peeps!

Baking was finished, and Christmas paper lay across the floor,

Christmas carols playing not so quietly through open windows and doors.

She sang as she wrapped the last of the presents,

Soaking up all that she could of 2012 Christmas essence.

Andrew awoke from his slumber feeling a little more fresh,

And off they both went for the 11:30pm Christmas sesh.

After reflection on Christ, hope, joy, peace and love,

They wished all their friends love and peace from above.

The next morning Judy and Andrew awoke and sat by the tree,

Excited about their presents, what could they be?

A helmet for his bike Andrew unwrapped,

And some body butter for Judy, and boy was she wrapped!

It was off to the Lawrence house to catch up with bro Andy,

and to spend time with the family plus nephew Liam who to me is just dandy!

So much love and giggles, giving and sharing,

Before moving onto the Spads with more gifts we came bearing.

Brunch at the Spads was awfully nice,

Pancakes, muffins and a surprise chicken with tandoori spice!

Doing the dishes for 20 took over an hour,

Andrew's 83 year old Nonna proving she still has the power!

Tired and exhausted we slumped in a heap,

Before I declared ,'I need a rest or even a sleep.'

We drove back to my parents for an afternoon kip,

At 6pm to Aunty Marlene's we merrily skipped.

More eating and drinking and partying on,

More catch ups and jokes and carrying on.

Till Charlotte declared that she had something to show,

Some scooter tricks outside she has started to grow.

Charlotte entertained the crowd of uncles and aunts,

And of cousins and friends who looked on in giggles and trance.

Chasing a laser was the game for the night

before Charlotte went to bed all happy and bright.

T'was the end of Christmas and the families had fun,

Now we look forward to Christmas next year with our new daughter or son!

It all comes in 3s!

I promised there would be some exciting  blog posts to come.  And like everything seems to, it has all happened in threes!

So...

Number 1.  
I've finally finished my uni degree! 5 years blood sweat and occasional tears, but I would not change a thing.  Studying a Bachelor of Social Sciences at Tabor Adelaide has helped me to grow personally, professionally and spiritually beyond belief.  I have met so many fantastic people within that time that have helped me to become who I am today.  It'll be different not walking the grounds of that old orphanage next February and sitting under the big shady tree next to the refectory waiting in anticipation for the academic year to begin.  I'll have to make an effort to pop on by to sit and chat with all the other youth workers.

Number 2.

After much anticipation, stress and a whole lot of help Andrew and I have finally moved into our very own home!  Many thanks must go to the myriad of friend and family who have offered their time, hands, strength and cooking abilities in helping us make the transition from the bottom to the top of the hill as seamless as possible. From walking in and not knowing where to begin cleaning, to our erratic power issues (not having power when it was supposed to be on and getting it switched off after we moved in), to finally getting some sort of working order, I must say the last 2 weeks have been quite an adventure!  An unwelcome tummy bug the following week after the move has meant that I really haven't had a lot of time just to sit and enjoy the place yet.  Being a hills girl originally I feel like we have moved back home.  I hope we can find some time soon to really enjoy each others presence in our new abode.  Poor Andrew has been working like a trooper each night from the moment he walks in the door until the late hours of the night putting up new towel rails, unpacking boxes, cleaning dishes and cooking dinner to look after his tired, sick and pregnant wife...  Yes, I'm pregnant!  That would take me to...






Number 3.
After what can only be described as a spiritual experience while casually washing dishes one afternoon when I was told in no uncertain terms 'you're pregnant,' followed by two weekends of crazy emotional carry on while away for our 2 year anniversary and again the next weekend for a 4WD drive trip with friends in Robe, I took the plunge on the Monday of the October long weekend and decided to do a pregnancy test.  Those two precious pink lines came up crystal clear!  'So, Andrew.  Looks like you're going to be a daddy!'  It was kind of funny.  We did what we usually do when we get excited about something, jump around the house making silly noises!  We celebrated that night with a giggly walk to the local petrol station, bought a chocolate bar and sat on the undercover seats at the back of the council chambers.  10 weeks on I am now 14 weeks pregnant.  The morning sickness is starting to eeze but the hormone induced mood swings have not.  But all is well and our little 'baby cino' is healthy; 2 arms, 2 legs, a head, body, bladder, stomach and a beating heart!  I'm not sure why I'm so surprised at this, after all it's a baby!  Ha ha!


So for our little family 2013 is going to look dramatically different.  Although scary, I am really looking forward to the challenges of home ownership and motherhood.  I love how everything happens in threes!

Much love to all who read this little blog.  Hope your day is wonderful.
xx

6 month update... Oh gosh, it really has been that long!

I should be studying right now but instead I have been scrolling through pinterest and friends blogs.  It's been ages since I've updated my little blog.  I could make the excuse of lack of time but I think I will put it down to priorities.  I'm the biggest time waster ever at the moment!

Its been an exciting 6 months.  I have become an aunty twice over.  My beautiful niece is 5 months and adorable nephew is 3 months.  Another little niece or nephew is on the way, due to greet the world in late February.  Yep, our families are changing.  It's exciting!

Andrew and I are also moving into our own house in December!  We have been renting for a few years now but finally we are able to move in.  The thought of being in our own place is exciting.  We are already talking about painting the two hideously coloured bedrooms, one minty green and the other baby pink with baby blue skirting boards.  The dark blue kitchen complete with blue lino floor, blue bench tops AND blue cupboards will have to go too.  The bathroom and toilet is also a renovators delight.  We are going to have fun with this place!  I'll post pictures when I can.

A new camera that I got for my Birthday back in July has inspired me to start taking photos again so I thought I would kick off my first post in 6 months with a photo of the day challenge, courtesy of the blog Fat Mum Slim, something starting with 'C.'  This is my very inquisitive Chicken!

I promise I'll update more often.  Heaps more exciting things to blog about in 2013, including crafty stuff, sewing projects, house rennos, cooking, holidays and heaps more!

So Ill leave you with the question:  What are your plans for 2013?

Andrew's birthday Spit

I wish I have had more time to blog this week.  There has been lots of things going on and lots more yummy smells coming from the kitchen.  Lets begin with Saturday...
I was Andrew's birthday about 2 weeks ago now.  Andrew's sister decided she would like to do a spit for his birthday.  Saturday, the day before the spit, we went to go pick up a trailer from Andrew's uncle's in-law's house (yep, this is how the family works).  We were greeted by an old Italian couple (who didn't know us from a bar of soap) with open arms.  We were invited in and asked to stay for a cup of coffee when Andrew and I noticed the vegetable garden outside.  Being keen veggie gardeners we couldn't walk past it.  Seeing how impressed we were with his garden, one very proud Tony proceeded to take us outside to show us around in the misty rain.  The veggie patch took up at least 2/3 of their huge back yard and was laden with late growing tomatoes and capsicums and some very healthy looking spinach. The other 1/3 of the garden was taken up with a massive shed kitchen for cooking (so the kitchen in the house doesn't get dirty) and another building used for wine making (yep, he makes his own wine) and salami making (even better)!  A small portion of the garden is dedicated to a proud Hills Hoist surrounded by a small patch of grass. We drove away from the house with a trailer, 4 bottles of home made wine, a bag of capsicums and a belly full of coffee, grog and waffles!  Amazing Italian hospitality!
That night Andrew and I drove into the hills to pick up the spit Andrew's friend had made form the locally owned pear orchard.  We got talking to his mate's dad who proceeded to tell stories of the things he and his son's made together and took us to see a beautiful fully restored water pump, something that you would have seen about 85 years ago.  It was a great reminder of my Grandpa, who made these things with his bare hands while he was alive.  It was a lovely stroll down memory lane!
Needless to say that obtaining the spit was a whole day out and I was exhausted by the time we got home.
While Andrew's sister and brother in-law spent the morning driving to pick up the 18kg lamb, Andrew prepared the spit.  The beast was basted with garlic, lemon, rosemary, oregano and seasoning, sewn up with the help of Andrew's uncle who drove for 20 minutes just to help baste and secured to the spit where it mesmerised Tom and Andrew for almost 4 hours.  It was their baby.  The baste was almost gone in the first hour.  I think they may have been a little excited!

Meanwhile, I had some Kiwi fruit in the fridge which I had been dying to turn into a cake so Joy and I made the Kiwi cake a reality.  Not something you would usually find in a cake but it totally worked!
Needless to say we ate like Grecian royalty that night.  Greek salad, tzaziki, amazing spit roast lamb yiros and an abundance of sweets.  No one went hungry, in fact i think we could have fed the whole street with our left overs!

Brave 1

Easter.  It's symbolic of death and new life.  Death of an old way of life and a resurrection into a new direction of life.  Although I am a proud Christian I don't believe that it is just Christians that benefit from this concept.  We all have choices and our choices impact our attitudes, decisions and our actions.
I don't want to say too much at the moment because its not place to do so but I have been journeying with someone who was sexually abused as a child.  She is not alone in this.  Take 5 people you know under the age of 18.  According to statistics one of those children is likely to have been the victim of sexual abuse.  That means that most of us would probably know someone that has been a victim.  For many, telling others about their experience is out of the question and they live their lives suffering in silence.  It can slowly eat away at them from the inside out and can impact their ability to function normally, manifesting in various psychological disorders.
For my friend, her suffering went for long enough.  We have seen her take something terrible and make the decision to turn it around and use it in a positive way.  She counts herself as a survivor, no longer letting this negatively impact on her life.  Now, she is ready to use her experience to help others.  A death to letting her experience eat away at her and a rebirth to changing the way her experience effects her life and attitude.
Through the past 12 months she has relived the trauma she experienced as a child and has recognised that even after 20 + years there is still no support for those children.  She has started a campaign to set up a Bravehearts foundation in South Australia.  Bravehearts aim to educate, empower and protect young people against sexual abuse through prevention and early intervention.  Not only do they have National crisis hot line (1800 BRAVE 1), they also provide preventative education in schools and specialist counselling for those at risk or have been a victim of sexual assault.  Braveheats is the go-to place for victims and their families and can guide them through the process of reporting and seeking help.  Can you see the value in this?
I don't usually get so fired up about these things but I know of at least 4 people that have survived sexual abuse.  I look at my friends kids, my pregnant sister in laws, the young person I mentor and the young people I work with and want them to be able to feel and be safe.  I urge anyone who has been through this hell, knows someone who has been through sexual abuse or wants to see children grow up in a safe environment to get on board with this cause.
If you want to find out more or make a donation (specify SA) please go to www.bravehearts.org.au
If you have been the victim of sexual assault please call 1800 BRAVE 1 (1800 272 831) Monday to Friday 9am-4pm.

A week of bottles and jars

Wow! Its really has been a crazy week!  It started with a very boring last Wednesday.  Too much day time tv over the uni holidays was starting to send me a little crazy.  I decided to go up the the church where my mum runs Friendship Centre, a place where people (mostly over the age of 60) get together mid week, chat, do crafts and eat waay to much afternoon tea.  After being told I wasn't doing my little craft project the right way, being given a 2 hour tutorial on how to do it correctly and eating buttered scones to my hearts content people eventually started to pitter off and go home.  Thankful for my little lesson I said goodbye to my new 70-something friend only to notice someone had dropped off a few bags of plums.  I decided to take a bag of overripe plums home with me. On the way home I dropped into see Nonno and Nonna to give them a hand with preparation for sauce making for Saturday morning.  They had the copper boiler out and were trying to connect up the gas bottle but to no avail.  While Andrew went off gallivanting the suburbs of Adelaide for the right connection, Andrew's beautiful pregnant sister, Claire, other gorgeous sister Joy and I began picking all the ripe figs from the beautiful fig tree canope in Nonno's backyard.  All inspired by the fruit I had just acquired I went home and started to create.  By Friday I had stewed the plums and made burnt fig and almond jam.  Both ended up becoming a screaming success!  I will post my fig jam recipe later.

My Breakfast: Stewed plums with yoghurt and muesli

Figs all ready to go

My friend Sarah has become interested in the authentic Italian sauce making experience and had been invited to come and join in on the process early Saturday morning.  Joy had organised a room full of tomatoes that would be made into sauce and divided among the family members.  4:30am the sauce production began and people made their way over to Nonno and Nonna's house bleary eyed and not so bushy tailed to help out.  Step one, put the tomatoes in the copper.  Step two, put the boiled tomatoes through the mincer to get rid of any seeds and skin.  Step three, repeat step two to get the most from the tomatoes.  Step four, pour the freshly made sauce into long neck bottles.  Step five, cap bottles filled with sauce.  Step six, boil sauce bottles for maximum longevity.  Step seven, take a seat around the table in the back yard while Nonno cooks you sausages at 10:30am.  By 11am it was all over.  Andrew and I went home with 20 bottles of freshly made sauce.  People have asked me if the real Italian sauce making experience is anything like it is in Looking for Alibrandi.  I can't tell you because I haven't seen it but according to Sarah, it is.

Not sure how to flip the photo the right way but you get the idea

It doesn't stop there.  Andrew and I came home that afternoon and decided it was time to bottle our home brew apple cider too! 

Filling up bottles with home brew cider

At the end of the weekend we had 6 jars of fig and almond jam, 1 large container of stewed plums, 20 long necks of sauce and 40 odd bottles of apple cider!
Yes it has been quite a weekend!