4/52...

Huckle :: happy to be out and about, also sporting his first hair cut

Arlo :: always staring at the Mama bear


52

spring feeling...

The sun shone today. It was glorious. 

It's still quite cool around these parts, so when sunny days come a knockin we dance the merry jig of happiness. 
I feel a sense of renewal. Like my mind is in spring mode as well. Perhaps I am emerging from the baby haze, everything is feeling just that bit easier to deal with.

Little rituals that I have been wanting to implement are finally becoming a habit. Flowers are finding their way from the garden to the table and we've been lighting a candle at the dinner table every night. 
I'm also trying to keep the clutter off the table. What is it with horizontal surfaces? 
I'm on a witch hunt to clear out the clutter. We have so much stuff. Toys that don't get played with, clothes that aren't ever worn... so much. I took six bags full to the Vinnies bin today. I'm on a roll... hide your treasures husband! {insert wicked witch cackle here}

Bread is being baked again. I had a bit of a failure with my sourdough... let's just say it got very sick and is no longer with us... ok! I forgot to feed it. I'm building up the courage to start again. I feel so defeated. So we're sticking to my old faithful recipe until I get a new starter fermenting. 
Huckle is enjoying the responsibility that comes with having his own little lump of dough. Mixing and prodding {luckily the dough is very forgiving}, watching me plait it, putting it in the oven and then finally getting to eat it. Slathered in butter and jam of course. Yum.

Are you in spring mode too?
Are there flowers on your table and bread in your oven?
Go on, it will make you happy.

Have a glorious week. x

right now...

I am...

:: dreaming of sunny days, of barefeet and barbeques, cold drinks and warm nights.

:: grateful that while we don't have our own patch, we're able to buy super fresh produce from a local farm.

:: keeping my boys nourished with delicious homemade food. (and me too for that matter)

:: feeling loved by the husband who makes me posies on our walks about the countryside.

:: munching the last of the locally grown pink ladies.

:: breathing myself through the trials of toddlerhood

:: hoping to catch up with my mates again soon, I miss them

:: driving my viking battleship (volvo) through rolling green hills while the smalls nap

:: enjoying the peace and scenery while they nap

:: thinking of the future

:: taking the small steps that will eventually become the big steps to where we want to be in life

:: knowing that although life is overwhelming at times... it's all good

:: glad I can get away with point form blog posts, sentences aren't my strong point right now

What's happening in your world right now?
Have a lovely week, won't you.

3/52...

Huckle :: "I want to go faster!" 

Arlo :: discovering grass... and trying to eat it

52

noticing :: spring blooms...

Spring is definitely here. If not in temperature, then at least in flowers.

These pretties have been snapped whilst walking about our little town.

The second and third photos are of the round-about. 

I love how country towns celebrate round-abouts with such glorious colour.

cooking with huckle :: apple oat loaf...

I've received some wonderful Mama wisdom on my last few posts. Thank you sweet ladies for your words of encouragement. I am so grateful.

Despite the toddler shenanigans that are going on around here, there's still good times. It's like a big swinging pendulum... only nobody knows which way it will swing!

Last week I set up a little experiment. Huckle loves to help cook, so I thought I could give him something to cook all by himself (so to speak). 

I measured out all the ingredients into individual bowls and placed them onto the table with a mixing bowl and spoon. I then invited him to make Apple Oat Loaf.

He was so focused and didn't ask for help at all. He took his time sprinkling a little bit of each ingredient at a time, tasting each flavour as he went and mixing them all together.

I only stepped in to help mix it thoroughly at the end.

This is a great recipe for little ones to make, as there is no special method at all, you just throw it together. It kept Huckle occupied for a good half hour and he was proud as punch to serve his loaf for morning tea.

Apple Oat Loaf

1/2 cup rolled oats

300ml milk - we used cows, but you could use soy or almond milk to make it dairy free

1 & 1/2 cups of spelt flour with 3 tsp baking power mixed in

2 apples - peeled and grated

1/2 cup sultanas 

1/3 cup rapadura sugar

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup walnuts roughly chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together. Bake in a loaf tin at 180 degrees celcius for 45-60 minutes. Check with cake tester, as all ovens are different. Allow to rest in tin for 5 minutes before cooling on cake rack. Enjoy with butter. Also good toasted. Freezes really well too.

more toddler shenanigans...

Another of those days again today. Three words... poo. on. wall. No further comment.

I found these photos on my old camera disk. Arlo was perhaps a week old. 

Look at them both. Naw, so cute. Butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. 

Well it mightn't melt in Arlo's... but Huckle on the other hand is turning into a very intense little person.

Short of pulling my hair out or banging my head against the wall, I'm doing a lot of research into toddler behaviour. Hopefully something will click and things will start to level out again. Hopefully soon...

a lovely list of loveliness...

It's a new day, a new week. An opportunity to clear the slate of last weeks crazy and to find fresh thoughts, exciting ideas and new-found patience.

I've written myself a little lovely list. A list of things that make life truly lovely. That lift you out of the mundane  and make those everyday moments beautiful.

Life with two little people can be exhausting and overwhelming, and before you know it you've tumbled into a mossy hole... or something like that... you know what I mean. (or maybe you don't... if not, please nod and smile)... moving on... 

The mossy hole isn't terribly bad. It's just a little damp, a lot mossy and well... a hole. 

The plan is for this list of lovely to lift me up. Lift us all up. 

I think it's high time that we be swinging from the blossom tree with the sweet scent of spring wafting in the breeze.

Here's the list...

:: pick flowers for the table

:: light a candle at mealtimes

:: look after me :: yoga and regular skincare

:: take a walk everyday (unless it hails again... call me a princess, but I don't do hailstorms!)

:: visit a nature reserve once a week :: go on a bushwalk

:: craft it up (seriously. I'm completely and utterly failing in the crafty stakes at the moment. MAKE something already woman!)

So that's it. 

Give me a few days and I'll be singing Billy Holiday with flowers in my hair.

Do you ever fall into mossy holes?

What do you do to lift yourself out?

Hooray for monday.

Have a lovely week, won't you.

top :: a thrifted baby cardigan (I'm not so secretly hoping she's having a girl.)
middle :: a few of my current reads :: the Kylie Kwong book is surprisingly good
bottom :: a sticky note found in the Kylie Kwong book :: the previous borrower felt they needed to add their two pennies

2/52...

Huckle :: testing out the tinny for our camping adventure

Arlo :: kicking time on the mat surrounded by toys delivered by Huckle

52

* I just realised Huckle is wearing the same outfit as last week. The Lumberjack look is popular with my boys. He loves dressing like Dada.

days like today...

Today was one of those days. 
The toddler questions (times infinity) made my head want to explode, the house in a state of total chaos, Huckle decided to play with his wee (and wash his cars in it!) and the misery that is winter weather knocked upon our door once again.
Mostly I let it wash over me, but I am grateful that now the kidlets are asleep and the house is quiet. Aaah, to hear my own thoughts once more.
I try not to put too many expectations on days like this. We do the basics and anything else is a bonus.
Thankfully, Arlo loves to sleep. That makes things that little bit easier. 
While Arlo had his morning nap, I managed the will power to take Huckle out to collect the eggs... in the rain! I really don't like getting wet. 
We released the broody black Hattie hen from solitary confinement, fed the ducks and chatted to the ever curious cows over the fence.
We came in cold and wet, but quite refreshed and a whole lot calmer.

So, tell me... 
How do you deal with those days?
And why, oh why must toddlers play with their wee?!?! Ick!

spring sun and other things...

We've been enjoying the spring sun this week. 

Which really translates to... lolling about in the garden, while dishes stack high and laundry overflows, crumbs collect and the floor disappears beneath a sea of toys.

But it's raining again now, winter is revisiting until the week is out. 

Spring, you terrible flirt.

So, if you're looking for me and my merry men, we shall be straightening out this wonky house. 

A spring clean, if you like.

The only part of our house that is neat! 
Our two bikkie jar coin collectors. 
Mr Tooffin Chat (pussy cat in Hucklish) collects silver and Mr Ulnant (elephant) collects gold.

I hope your week is just lovely.

Have you been soaking up the spring sun?

Is your house wonky too?

Where do you keep your spare change?

Ta ta!

1/52...

I've just purchased an old 50mm lens for my camera and apparently it's just the thing for taking beautiful portraits. 

So in effort to get to know my new lens and improve my photography, I've decided to join Jodi (and friends) in her 52 project. 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2012."

There's not an awful lot left of 2012, so 52 weeks from now it shall be.

Huckle :: dressed like his Dada, enjoying the spring sun
Arlo :: sleeping sweetly 

boys...

A couple of outakes from Arlo's three month picture.

These two are going to be best of friends.

I tell them this all the time.

I'm a little bit jealous of all the adventures they will share together.

What fun!

exploring :: south gippsland railway...

Father's Day snuck up on me and I hadn't made any plans for this wonderful Dada. 

I asked Huckle what we should do for "Happy Dada Day" and he muttered something about a train and fried rice. Hmmm. I said I'd see what I could do.

It was rather serendipitous then, that at a toilet stop on our way home the day before I noticed a sign for the South Gippsland Tourist Railway. Bingo!

Some sneaky research that night and I had me a plan.

We had such fun watching the countryside roll by. We saw wallabies, crazy train chasing dogs, waterfalls and endless rolling green.

I love adventuring with my boys.

If you're ever in our neigbourhood, I strongly recommend it. Jump on at Korumburra and hop off at Loch for a few hours fossicking through the antique stores, then catch the little blue wonder back again in the afternoon.

Have you caught a cute train lately?

What marvelous adventures do you have planned for the weekend?

Happy weekend folks.