Silent Sunday - My girls

Weekly 10: 31 August - 6 September

“It is not enough to be busy... The question is: what are we busy about?”

I'm ecstatic that I got stuck into these things quick smart this week. I'm very happy with what I've got done and am looking forward to a more relaxing list this coming week. Let's have a look at how I went.

1. Blog every day. Try to think of some daily themes/series. Nailed it! Every day. Thank goodness for scheduling and iPhone cameras!

Silent Sunday

Monday - Mama Kat Prompt

Tuesday - Tasty Tuesday

Wednesday - Words for Wednesday

Thursday - Me new girl

Friday - Things I'm loving

Saturday - This post.

2. Gymboree book - post it pages  Sunday

This is a cool little book I bought ages ago and have been itching to get into. The first chapter (which is what I wanted to post it note) has heaps of activities for 3 year olds. So I've noted up the ones I want to do over the next wee while. I'm determined not to let having a little one tarnish all the fun things I do with Leah now. Leah will remain just as important as she already is... I just have to work harder!

 

3. Tidy drawers under the oven in the kitchen. Monday

Would you look at the before of these drawers? How did it even fit in the cavity? Jeez. So much happier with them now. It's also meant things have been moved to other cupboards though... the whole kitchen needs a work over in the next few weeks me thinks.

Here they are before I attacked them...

Here they are after...

4. Begin cleaning netting and windows. Sunday - Managed half the house.

5. Tidy spare room and cupboard in there. Tuesday

Room before:

 

And after:

6. Have a fun, hands on activity for Leah to do each day, after daycare through the week. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (we were a bit tired after Butterfly Creek on Friday to do anything structured!) I'm sure you can forgive me for not having one on Wednesday? Kinda had a baby :P I'm  doing a little series of toddler activities which I'm planning to start on this coming Monday. You'll be able to see what we've been up to then. In the meantime, here are some photos of the fun:

7. Go to Butterfly Creek and the midwives on Friday. Friday

I didn't go to Butterfly Creek, but Leah got to, and that's all I'm worried about.

8. Sellotape the labels onto cooking containers in the pantry. Not done! Bugger. I was planning on doing this on Wednesday. I have bought the tape and will pop it on next week's list.

9. Get Damien to put the bird house up in the tree without it falling down again! Sunday

10. Bake and freeze some meals for when we have a little itty bitty baby in the house. Sunday and Tuesday

Sunday: CCC pie, Zuchini and Brie Muffins, Louise Tart

Tuesday: Mince and Cheese pie, Chocolate Slice and Banana and Blueberry Bread (recipes in this coming week's 'Tasty Tuesday').

So I don't mind saying that I'm quite chuffed with myself indeed. I did good considering! In doing this too I've also remembered why I began it. It's so fulfilling to see things getting done and to cross things off a list - both mentally and in an actual list!

Which brings me to this coming week...

1. Do Leah's birthday quiz with her.

2. Take Leah's age photo and her wedding dress photo.

3. Sellotape the labels onto cooking containers in the pantry.

4. Order Willow's Pocotots keepsake box and take a look at ordering her christmas ornament and stocking.

5. Organise the 'bowls' kitchen cupboard.

6. Get Damien to fix the kitchen tap.

7. Finish reading 'The Tea Rose'

8. Start reading '19 Minutes'

9. Sell bits and pieces from kitchen clean out that I don't want anymore.

10. Do some blog post idea scheduling.

Things I'm Loving - What's not to love right now?

"Every week may not be good but there is something good in every week."

 

What a week! In my need to be busy and 'get everything done' this week, I really managed to get everything done - our new addition was born and came home on Wednesday. Couldn't have predicted that if I had time travel capabilities!

There's so much to love at the moment. Let's start at the beginning.

I'm absolutely adoring this little gremlin. Willow Grace was born at 12 minutes past 7 on Wednesday morning weighing in at 8 pound 3 ounces and measuring 49cm (fatter than Leah but a weeny bit shorter). She promptly let us know that she was voice trained by a pteradactyl whilst in the womb and can imitate the cry of one perfectly. Luckily she only uses it when she really needs to (to let us know that in fact it's not time for a nappy change.... ever). Everything went incredibly fast and incredibly smoothly - we only spent just under 5 hours at the hospital in total. Neither Mr. Man or I could quite believe it. She is an absolute delight and we're all loving her (Leah and Jake included).

I'm loving my wonderful husband. What a rock he is. I know most men nowadays help out with babies and everything else around the house. I'm just very thankful I have one that does and without a fuss. I'm a lucky girl.

Loving a little girl that is a great big sister. Leah has read stories and sung songs, she's patted Willow in the basinette when she was being grizzly and she wants to help out with all the ins and outs of a newborn. Along the same vein, I am very much loving and extremely thankful for a flexible daycare provider that let Leah attend a trip today even though she's not booked in of Fridays and they're down a parent helper as I can't go. She's been so excited about the trip, talking about it every night and it was awesome to know that even though we had an unexpected change in schedule this week, my little girl wasn't going to miss out.

I think I better be succinct with this post and keep it to the bestest 'people' in my life, so seeing we've had Gremlin, Mr. Man and Leah, I will have to say that the last loving this week goes out to big brother Jake. Who, although overly excited about his new sister, has been a very good boy. I love how he checks up on Willow through the side of the basinette when she's fussing, as much a part of the family as anyone else. He's had a bit of a rough night last night though, can you tell?

What are you loving this week?

xox

"You are the closest I will ever come to Magic"

I am absolutely gung-ho about making sure I keep to my Weekly 10 list this week. Luckily for me, I had scheduled yesterday's post because I was a tad bit busy with a new addition! I can't quite believe it myself but...

I can't quite believe it myself. It was all a bit quick and to have a newborn here and back at home all within 6 hours is a tad surreal. I'm loving it though, she's just lovely, Damien is home with us and Leah is a fantastic big sister. I am one very, very lucky lady.

Welcome to the world Willow Grace, it's been waiting for you <3 Catch up on her 365 Photos page in the next little while.

Words for Wednesday!

I've posted Wordless Wednesdays quite a bit. It's a great way to get in a post when I have plenty of photos and nothing to say, BUT I also do this on Silent Sunday. So, I wanted to be a bit cheeky this week and spice things up a bit with 'Words for Wednesday'. A bunch of quotes that I'm enjoying at the moment.. essentially pics, but with lots of words, as opposed to none. Cheeky monkey hey?  Lol

You're welcome!

Tasty Tuesday - Freezing Galore

A new series? It might take off. I'm always posting recipes, why not bring them together on one day? Plus, how about that cute little banner hey? Gotta love free graphics.

At the moment I'm in the process of making and freezing some goodies for the first few weeks after the little one arrives - a few dinners and a few goodies that I can take out of the freezer in the morning so as to not worry about cooking for the day. Perfect.

Leah and I started on this yesterday by making a CCC Pie for a dinner and the following two free flow items. Enjoy xox

Strawberry Louise Tarts 

A yummy little take on the more traditional Louise Slice that always went down a treat in my house when I was a kid. I'm sharing the recipe from the 'Food in a minute' site, a NZ site and mini TV ad series that has a tonne of easy recipe ideas. Definitely worth a look!

Here is the Louise Tart Recipe. I'm keen to see how the meringue layer is going to freeze.

Zucchini, Bacon and Brie Muffins
125g Brie
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup grated zucchini
2 rashers of rindless bacon, chopped
2/3 cup Buttermilk
125g Butter
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Lightly spray a 12-hole muffin pan with oul.

2. Cut half the brie into 12 small wedges and set aside. Chop the remaining brie.

3. Sift flour into a large bowl, stir in zucchini, bacon and chopped brie.

4. In a jug, combine buttermilk, butter and egg. Season to taste.

5. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Add milk mixture all at once. Mix lightly until just combined. Do not over mix.

6. Spoon into muffin-pans until 2/3 full. Bake for 15 minutes.

7. Top each muffin with a wedge of brie. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until cooked when tested. Serve muffins warm.

Be sure to check back for more tasty Tuesday creations. There will be many in the next wee while while I'm off work. I pass my time in the kitchen!

Enjoy xox

“Things don’t have to be extraordinary to be beautiful. Even the ordinary can be beautiful.”

Each fortnight I get emailed a set of writing prompts from Mama Kat. I've used them previously, but only a little bit, and had some really good writing come out of it. The emails keep rolling in each fortnight and I continue to ferret them away in a folder on my email application, but I haven't used one for a long time.

With the zhuzh up of my blog over the next little while, when I don't really have anything to say I thought these would be good to use to make sure I'm getting a post in. So here today I present to you, a prompt that was supposed to be used last week, but it's only Monday, so I'm only a weeny bit late:

A blog post inspired by the word: ordinary.

Not many people know about a subset of my life at the moment that is a slight bit off track, and even less people know all the ins and outs of what's happening. Hell, I don't know all of them. It's a complicated little matter in relationships and for me it comes down to the crux of what I really want in my life, or don't want as the case may be.

So here's a bit of an open letter to the person in question. One who I'm struggling to understand at all at the moment, but who's taking up a whole lot of my thinking time.

The ordinary comes in here. I can see why you might be able to completely eradicate your life of me pretty happily, I'm fairly ordinary. I can be a proper pain in the arse most of the time. I'm a professional steering wheel and shower singer, I'm about as stubborn as you get, I wake up, go to work, come home, repeat, I'm obsessively tidy, I am vocal about things I care about and extremely lackluster about the rest. I'm leading an ordinary life. I know that, and I can see how not having me in yours wouldn't be that much of a big blow. I'm cool with that.

What I can't possibly fathom is how you could happily not have this little wonder in your life.

Because she is incredible.
Loving, caring, articulate (as much as a 3 year old can be!), funny, inquisitive, beautiful, inspiring, heart-melting, happiness inducing... about as far from ordinary as you get. She's extraordinary, and she always will be. As will her partner in crime who's about to come into fruition very, very shortly.

So forgive me when I roll my eyes and laugh at the ludicrousy of any argument that would have you taking yourself out of these wonderful lives. I would give all my limbs to stay in their lives given your situation, and I would do so happily. I would do so knowing that I was doing the best thing - making it possible to know these extraordinary girls.

Don't be like me, don't be ordinary. Make a point of staying around these two extraordinary little ladies.

Silent Sunday - Our Weekend