easter is in da house : coloured eggs & bunny ears

Happy Easter! We're off to the park for our annual Easter Picnic - hope you have yourselves a relaxing day.

This years Easter crafting included new bunny ears (next year if I get myself organised I'll put together a tutorial on how to make them) and colouring boiled eggs. One project for me & one for the kids. Typically left to the last minute - yesterday. Aaah I wouldn't know myself if it was any other way!

Good Friday: Cleland Wildlife Park

Yesterday was family outing day. Perfect weather for an afternoon stroll through the Cleland Wildlife Park . The last time I visited I was a child myself - so many fond memories that I am now able to share with my own children.

We started with a packed lunch - Ruby started with a lippy touch-up!

We tried feeding the Roos but they were in afternoon snooze mode

Getting up close with the koala is my fondest childhood memory - infact this photo is a little deja vu - I think I had my hair in plaits that day too! Is it bringing back memories Mum??

This duck had beautiful markings - the patterns & textures could inspire a handful of design ideas...mmmm

little legs were getting weary....

heading home with some new friends

sun. sand. squid. seagull. smiles

Ask and you shall receive! Thankyou for the sunny Spring weather today. Yes, it was I complaining earlier in the day about a lack of such. I now bite my tongue and share with you the lovely afternoon it turned out to be.

us show day. me pooped.

Ah it was a mighty fine day but I'm simply too tired to verbalise so hoping that the pictures tell the story. Weather was perfect. Entertainment was abundant - magician, music, fairies, hoola hooping, juggling, sword swallowing, wizzy rides, lollipops, icecreams, cows, roosters, goats, jumpy castle, super slide, flying kites, and so much more squeezed into 9 short hours!!

We love the Royal Adelaide Show...... bring on 2010 we say.....

pyjama crafting

Oh I'm sorry did you think I meant crafting OF pyjamas? No no, just the glamorous act of crafting IN pyjamas. Yes. Very attractive.

We have a special event coming up in our family - Miss Ruby turns 4 on Wednesday. When given a choice of party themes she decided to go with UNDER THE SEA. Of course she had an ulterior motive with this idea. As a big fan of Ariel (the mermaid) this meant that Ruby could come dressed as her favourite character. I, Mum, in a moment of madness suggested we make her outfit together. Aaahh....I'm now feeling a little perplexed at the thought of coming up with a mermaid outfit that will not disappoint Miss Ruby and her expectations, but alas, Monday (tomorrow) is the day for Ariel creations. Wish me luck! I'll keep you posted.

Keeping with the theme, we have been getting crafty over the last couple of weeks making decorations for the party space. Most of our ideas have come from here - a fabulous weekly newsletter about crafting projects for kids.

This morning (in our pyjamas) we got busy making these jellyfish. We used my sewing scraps as the dangley legs and stuck them with tape onto plastic plates.

We also made these crabs out of kitchen sponges, pegs and pipe cleaners. We're waiting for the sponges to dry in the sun before we stick their eyes on.

Look out! This crab is about to snap your finger!!

I've been...

....enjoying the sun on my skin in lovely Brisbane. A quick unplanned 5 nights in Queensland to spend some time with husband who was working up there.

If you were wondering (picture above number 3 on top of his RH foot), yes he does number his socks! He has about 5 pairs of identical running socks of varying age that I struggle to pair together - he thoughtfully numbered them to make it easier :)

So anyway, I haven't been to Brisbane for several years and must say I was amazed by the amount of construction going on (including the 6am jackhammer outside our hotel window). The city felt alive and kicking - something that winter lacks down south here where most of us tend to hide indoors.

We loved the Queensland & Scienceworks Museums (so much so we spent 2 days there)

and couldn't resist visiting the late Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, or Bindi's Zoo as it is referred to in our family.

Then a couple of days at Southbank where the mid-20 degree weather was perfect for swims and walks and that finished our time in sunny Brisbane.

Batteries re-charged.

gingerbread biscuits

Ok so here's one of the recipes I promised. It was handed down from my Mum. If you have the time and the patience the fun is in the icing. We created our own piping bags by cutting a hole in the corner of plastic zip-lock bags.


Eating these biscuits takes me back to the days of the Pizza Palace in the 1970's (Adelaide readers may remember this on Anzac Highway at Klemzig - it was taken over by Pizza Hut in 1978) where by the cash register they sold gingerbread biscuits coated in white icing sugar and sprinkles - it was such a special treat to take one home at the end of the night :)

Be warned! These biscuits are so good you will find yourself sneaking them when the little people are not looking. Our most recent batch didn't even make it to the icing stage!

125g butter

1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 tsps ground ginger

2 1/2 tbsps golden syrup

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg yolk and beat well. Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and syrup, mix well, knead lightly. Divide dough into six portions. Roll each portion between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper to 3mm thickness (I find the thinner the dough the crisper the biscuits).

Gently remove greaseproof paper from the top. Cutout gingerbread figures with biscuits shapes or cut around cardboard shapes (be creative) with a sharp knife. I cleaned and used the kids playdough tools. Remove any excess mixture around the cutout figures and roll again.

Lift gingerbread figure by the bottom sheet of greaseproof paper then turn onto greaseproof oven trays. Peel greaseproof paper away and cook in moderate oven for 10 minutes (about 180C). Cool on trays. Prepare icing and pipe on features/clothes.


Royal Icing

1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar

1 egg white

4 drops lemon juice

food colouring

Sift icing sugar. Beat egg white lightly in a small bowl, using a wooden spoon. Add icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. When icing reaches piping consistency (firm) beat in lemon juice and desired food colouring. Spoon royal icing into small plastic bag, snip off one corner to make a piping bag.

it's raining it's pouring

It's always hard to come back when it's been so long. Where do I start? Which bits should I share? I could start by saying my life is finally back to an enjoyable pace. After the crazy whirlwind of the past year it's time to smell the roses again.

Winter in Adelaide has been wonderfully wet wet wet. It's the most rain we've had in 20 or so years. Nothing beats being at home in a warm house with the rain beating on the tin roof. Plenty of time for cooking, baking, drawing, pasting, sewing, re-arranging, un-packing, sorting, organizing, puzzling and playing, all of which we have done plenty.

Oops, just looked at the clock and must dash for the pre-school pick-up.

I'll drop back in later to post the recipes for the gingerbread biscuits and marmalade.

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos - I think I've uploaded them strangely.... how quickly one forgets!!