Sunday.....Baking day

We have always encouraged our little ones to cook and bake. When I left home I couldn't even boil an egg and I use to boil the old element kettle dry all the time because I forgot to fill it up. Our kitchen was very small when I was growing up, no room for anyone except my mum....our kitchen is very big here, room enough for everyone to get in and have a go.

On Sundays my big girl Rani, usually takes over and creates a yummy (usually sweet) 'something' for us all.

This week it was MOIST CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM from "The Farm Chicks" blog.

She uses beetroot juice to make the icing pink.

They were soooo yummy and moist - just as the title says!!!

Do/did your little ones cook? 

And could you, when you first moved away from the family home???

Happy Baking ♥Jo

a day of sewing.....a day of joy!!!

I love school holidays.....no getting the kids out of bed, out of the shower, out the door. Everyone can slip into their own little routine. They can wake up when they are ready and I CAN SEW ALL DAY if I want to. Justin's mum is staying with us at the moment and is an amazing knitter/sewer - an all round clever person when it comes to 'making.'

So for Wednesday Jude, myself and Rani all booked ourselves into a day of sewing on the verandah. It is the perfect location as it has huge tables and plenty of room to spread out and cut out, and pin together and what ever else needs doing on a 'SEWING DAY'.

Rani actually was still outside well into the evening as I think I 'kind of' dominated the sewing machine during the day. She chose a beautiful piece of fabric that I had stashed away in my fabric cupboard for about 15 years. I had bought it from an op shop just after she was born and it was perfect for a bag...

And here it is.....she is sooooo clever and extremely patient.....much more than I am when I am sewing.  

I made my first skirt with a zip..........out of a sheet I picked up at the op shop. 

and my first bunting......I was pretty happy with myself. I had fun shooting a 'bunting photo shoot' 

Guess which one is my favourite....?

Have you dedicated a whole day to something lately? 

Would love to hear from you ♥Jo

a day of celebrations....

Today is Fathers Day......

Almost every Sunday we have a lazy family bacon and eggs breaky. We cook up fresh tomatoes and mushrooms and squeeze fresh juice from our fruit trees, with cups of tea and the paper. Today though was a little bigger than usual. My parents are visiting from Sydney and all of Justin's family came over as well to celebrate a combination of Fathers Day and his sisters birthday.

We had four fathers, one very soon (as in any day now) father and one birthday to celebrate. We had our yummy breakfast cooked on the bbq with cups of tea, then the birthday cake and coffee......our tummies were a little full....

We then decided to take my mum and dad for a drive up north a little to a picturesque little village called Tumbulgum. It is on the Tweed River and has a cafe called "House of Gabriel" which is in a one hundred and twenty year old historic homestead which has been restored to its former glory. It has a really cool antique shop out the back and a clothes/gift shop.

My dad's name is Monty and on the drive home we saw a stall on the side of the road - 'Monty's Strawberries' so we couldn't drive by without a photo.....and buying the yummiest ever strawberries.

And because every Sunday night we have a roast with Justin's parents and another family we finished the day off with more yummy food....I don't think I will need to eat for a while.

What else is happening this week.....
Eating: very excited to say - the first very mulberries of the season....I will take a photo of the poor tree laden with fruit....branches almost touching the earth.
Reading: the latest issue of Mollie Makes.
Working on: frantically getting ready for Shearwater - The Mullumbimby Steiner School Spring Fair this Saturday.
Lovin': this sunny weather....it means all my wool dries faster...yeh
                                                                 
                                                    ♥Jo