Tomato Relish

I have had way to many tomatoes left over from our fruit and vege co-op. 2 kilos just begging to be used in something more interesting than a cheese and tomoto sandwich. Here is my solution.

1 kilo of tomatoes
1 apple peeled, cored and chopped
375ml white vinegar
250 grams of sugar
2 onions
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of salt
Half a dessert spoon of mustard powder
Half a dessert spoon of curry powder

Put all ingredients into a big pot.
Mix half tablespoon cornflour and a quarter of cup of vinegar into a paste and add to the pot.
Bring to the boil. Simmer on low for about 1 and a half hours.
Stir to stop mixture from sticking.

WIP

Our entire house is a work in progress. We arrived here 8 years ago with the motto "slowly, slowly". It had potential, we could see that. All it needed was a wall knocked down, a new bathroom, a new kitchen, carpet ripped up, boards put down, a splash of paint . Gosh, I'm exhausted just making this list. Mind you, we only do these jobs when we are on school holidays. We hate to work when we work.

This is the current holiday project. New flooring for the laundry.
We gone from "Forest Green" paving paint......to this more subtle coloured lino.

A much nicer environment to do the laundry don't you think?

Michelle chose this weeks theme. More WIPs over at Bug and Pop.

The Girls

Our hens arrived yesterday. They were very quiet in the car not making a sound as we transported them to their new home.

They were a little shy at first.But after a little while curiosity got the better of them. They explored every nook, scratching and pecking their way around.

The Rooster has named his hens Pepper and Pickle. Pepper is the smaller chook and Pepper is the taller more cautious hen.

He loves his new friends. His favourite part of today was to feed them our food scraps. He thinks that it is pretty neat to have chickens to look after. I can't wait to see his face when he collects his first egg. He tells me he might even just try one.

The Henhouse

Tools had been hard at work these holidays building our chicken coup.
He has had one or two little helpers, one supervisor and alot of drizzle to contend with but at last he is done.

The chooks arrive tomorrow.

Our Rooster is very excited at the prospect of hens joining our mad menagerie.

Mealtime Malarky

A peek at our dinnertime tonight....

You may wonder what I was serving that caused such a violet reaction in my nearly 4 year old son....? Pumpkin soup. A meal that he ate (mind you, under duress and with the promise of a little toy aeroplane) only a few weeks back. Tonight I mustn't have been dangling a big enough carrot. I won't even begin to describe the state Missy was in. Suffice to say that it involved a new set of pyjamas and another bath!

At least he ate his mushroom.

Cartoon taken from The Indespensable Calvin and Hobbs

A surprise

I am a week late posting this Eyespy but I wanted to wait until this sweet little heart made its way to my letterbox before announcing my good fortune.
I arrived home Monday night after a busy Easter weekend and was utterly surprised to discover that I was the winner of Georgie Love first birthday giveaway. I think that the last time I won something I was in Year 8, nearly 15 years ago, and this Emma Grace heart surely beats the pants of that dinky fete raffle prize.

Thanks to Sally for her generous gift. Make sure that you check out the gorgeous handmade treasures that she has stashed in her shop.

Eleven years

We've just celebrated a wedding anniversary. Eleven years. The year of steel. I think at times a marriage needs to be made of steel. The pressure of children, lack of sleep, money, work, busy lives, can often work to undermine the strongest of relationships. It is easy to revel in the blessed and good times but it takes courage and determination to push yourself and your partner through the fragile phases of our lives.

I don't think Tools realised that it was the year of steel when he got me these little charms to celebrate this past year.
And here are the little charms in real life.

It's show time!

Coming home on the train tonight, I asked the Rooster what his favourite thing was at the Royal Easter Show.

Was it the racing and flying pigs that we lined up for an hour to see,

or the little pig that he patted who just happened to poo at just the right moment (little boys are little boys and a poo on queue leaves quite a lasting impression)?

Was it the sliding ducklings or the greedy goats,

The hatching chicks or the tiny mice that he now thinks might make lovely pets?

Was it those strong woodchopping men,

or the fish made of green apples in the food pavillion?

Was it his cousin Laura singing and dancing on stage

or the police horse that reared backwards and nearly knocked the pram over?

He thought about it for a few minutes, every part of the day ticking over in his memory. It is always interesting when your children answer this qusetion. Most often my guess at what his highlight will be is a little off the mark.

Today the Rooster loved the giant ferris wheel, with its slow moving pods and spectacular views over the show and towards the city. I ride taken with his Nanny and Poppy. For him this was his magic moment.

Easter Egg Hunt

"At last it is time for the big treat-an Easter egg hunt.

So many brightly coloured eggs are hidden away How will Peter rabbit and all his friends ever find them all.

Peter Rabbit carefully puts all his delicious Easter egs into his basket
to take home and share with his family.

What a good little Easter bunny!"

Words from Peter Rabbit and the Easter Egg Hunt

New developments and many discoveries

I have sat on these two Eyespy themes for a little while now. Rather than a new development and something that I have discovered, I have thought that I will try for 10 everyday things that have become apparent as I have muddled my way through this very busy year .

1. That sleep is over-rated. It is best to cheer for the hours that you have slept rather than those you haven't. It gives a whole new perspective on things.

2. That day-light saving really sucks. With a Rooster and his little hen in this house we really didn't need to wake up any earlier.

3. That little girls are little girls and that the instinct to nurture begins at a very early age. I am astounded at Missy's innate need to mother. She cuddles and feed her teddies and dolls, and our cat, who was swiftly relegated to the bottom of the food chain when the Rooster was born, has acquired a new Mama in our Missy.

4. That sometimes the turkeys do get you down. It is nice to wallow in it for a little while but most often it is best pick yourself, dust yourself off and suck it up to face another day.

5. That my children love me. Unconditionally. They rarely see my faults and are quite forgiving of my weaknesses. That truly is an amazing thing.

6. That a 27 hour day would allow me to get to the bottom of my to-do list and then some.

7. That preparing one meal that we can all eat is a simple pleasure. Tonight we had a stirfried chicken with cashews. Missy had her juzched, the rooster had rice in one bowl, his chicken on the side and his mushroom raw. Tools and I ate like normal human beings, albeit a little quickly while keeping the madhouse in order.

8. That it is best not to sweat the little things. They can so easily be ignored or overlooked and that too much energy is wasted trying to solve the unsolvable.

9. That girlfriends are the salt of the earth. What we would we do without those gals who listen to our woes over and over again and still have words of encouragement to keep you going. Those pals you can ring in the middle of the day just so you can hear voice that is older than 3 years old. And those girlfriends you can natter with for hours over a cup of tea or a bottle of wine, that you can pick up with after 1 month or 1 year as if it was yesterday.

10. That daddies are a joy. A new face at the end of the day. An extra pair of hands. An endless source of mirth. This precious relationship needs just as much attention and nurturing as our children. That it is best to go to sleep without a heavy heart and that almost every problem can be solved if we stand united as a team.

Thanks to A little bird told me and The Byron Life for such challenging themes and to Cindy for hosting.

Mail swap

I am always one to leave things to the last minute, knowing that I will reach my optimum performance when the pressure is really on to get it done. I fear that I will pass this terrible tendency onto my children and I am afraid that it may have begun today.

We finished the last of our mail swap cards this afternoon and made the post 30 minutes before the deadline. Phew! We had the enthusiasm gunning but our momentum got derailed with the latest round of lurgies that have plagued our home.

To the little recipients of Luca's cards, here he is posting your letters to places that are so far away to a three and a half year old.

Hope you are as excited to be receiving them as he was posting them.