i'm grateful for . . . 'an unexpected family week day together'

Greetings all,
Well with yesterday's post (chemical explosion in Canberra & school closures), it's no surprise we high tailed it to the countryside - to Poacher's Pantry, with the children & ate up a storm. 

 Seafood platter including locally caught salmon & trout from the lakes on the property.

 The meat platter with lamb, piggie, beef & possibly kangaroo, always a variety.

 Amazing bread selection with crackers to scoop up all the condiments & dip selection.  We also ordered fish & chips, smoked sausages & deep fried zucchini balls, as our children eat like horses!!

 As a surprise day off, it was just lovely to have a care free day at a restuarant, then all the way back into the city to the Lake to hang out with the swans, while handsome soldier & i chilled out on a rug.  My husband is all about building memories, which is gorgeous & heart breaking at the same time.

 Our children were climbing willow trees & all came back with head dresses of vines.  Naturally our middle girl was the self appointed queen of the forest people.

 This image totally sums up our 3rd born, she was truly born in the wrong era . . . who else looks this comfortable wearing a table cloth (it's a Country Road kaftan) & weaving vines.

  I swear his jeans were not this ripped when we left the house!!  I also promise to mend them tonight.

 Then again, there are so many explanations on how he rips his clothes!!

 The swans at Lake Burley Griffen are so tame, we usually find a party of 6 black swans.

SO there you have one very relaxed way to deal with a chemical explosion close to home which gives you an unexpected week day off with the family.  I have a million more photos from today, it was hard to narrow it down to a few.  We also went to a Home Improvement centre (how much work is it to design a house, every tile, every tap, every window) then a Seafood dealer, mmmm.  Making the most of soldier boy before he leaves us, again. 
For more Gratefuls, the gorgeous Brenda from Mira Narnie is hosting today.  She's all about family, married her teen love, just back from Italy & is an all round sweetheart.  Love Posie
PS the Riley book & pencil roll giveaway ends Sunday 18th, enter now!!

i'm grateful for 'sticks, stones & fly fishing - a self imposed long weekend'

Greetings all,

Oh boy, what a gorgeous long weekend our family just enjoyed.  My husband & i dropped the children at school on Friday (we slowed the car down to 40km/h & pushed them lovingly) then a spot of shopping for fishing lures & high tailing it down this gorgeous tree lined driveway to Poacher's Pantry for lunch, the famous smoked meat goods shop & restaurant.

We dined inside next to the fire & alongside the pantry, we shopped from our seats, brilliant!! 

 Remembering we had children, we headed back into the city to pick them all up from school & then headed straight down the Barton Highway to Gundagai.

 Spending time with my husband's best mate & his lovely family is one of my favourite things in the world.  After a delicious lamb curry dinner, the children baked scones.

 The best behaved child gets to lick the beaters, that's the rule!!

 Time to explore the 100 year old house where they live part time in Gundagai.  The children are wearing gloves because a) they are weird & b) husband's best mate is a butcher & has standards when preparing food for other people. 

 Our nerdy high schooler brought her parachute experiment to test in the grand old stairwell.  We deprive her of any great heights at home as we live in a single level home.

 The house has 2 levels they don't use - check out this pantry on the middle level!!  Now that is my kind of pantry, room for a lounge??

Our boy found the gym, pumping those muscles before a day of fishing.

 Then i spied this old school table & seat in the hallway, i want it - perhaps without the brick, but i could upcycle that lamp, channelling Thea&Sami??

 Before we went fishing, the men took the children for a walk down the old railway lines & found this tea pot tree, native to Gundagai.

Rounding up the children we headed for the Tumut River.

 Do you think this ended well??

 My husband's best mate teaching our eldest daughter to fly fish.

 It was about this time i realised this little girl had her top on backwards, she had flipped the necklace over & didn't have a care in the world.

 Handsome soldier hunting wild beasts for our lunch.

 Behold the lucky rainbow trout catch-of-the-day who was quickly returned to the river, after everyone had a pat of him.  I'm surprised with all the stones the children were throwing & skimming on the river, there were any fish hanging around at all.

 "Look mum, i can still go deeper!!"  I'm just thrilled he realised if he tucked the faux socks at the top of his gum boots inside, they wouldn't get wet.  One minute later, his boots were filled with water anyway & drying by the fire, along with his jeans & socks!!

 I love watching how our children play together, then one by one, branch off to do their own thing.  This one was a tad Lord of the Rings, building her own fire.

 We provided much entertainment for these Angus cows.

 Running with sticks & towards fire no less!!

 Much excitement when we found some wild bush melons & check that cow pattie!!

 Little bit thrilled my beloved scissors brand Fiskars also make axes!!

 Why did a bother with jeans & gum boots, everyone left in knickers!!?? 

 I spent a wee while lying on the picnic rug, under a gum tree, looking up to this beautiful sky.

So it was a weekend of gourmet food, home baking, children running free, country air & only confirms our family desire to move out of the city to stake our claim on some land outside of Canberra, so every weekend is like this.  Tomorrow my husband leaves us again, he's back in Brisbane & on course (minimal phone contact) & we won't see him until the July school holidays, sigh.  It was a nice little holiday with him home this past week, now back to reality.  Only 19 months to go in our 3 years of living apart, i think we should have a little party in July when we're over half way!!

To see what everyone else is Grateful For this weekend, check out Maxabella Loves.  Have gorgeous weeks everyone, love Posie
Oh & don't forget this great Lego giveaway i have running for just one more week!!

wrapping up January & we're still on school holidays . . .

Greetings all,
January is over, pow, that was quick!!  I've been reading blogs where mummies aren't really enjoying their school holidays . . . i think it's the best time of your life!!  I blasted into motherhood with 4 children in 4.5 years - back then it was a non stop 24/7 children's holiday dotted with preschool & i loved it!!  Motherhood suits my personality & i didn't try to fight it or keep up my old life.  I resigned/ changed my thinking to the fact i'm a full time mummy with a husband away, it's ALL up to me - cooking, cleaning, gardening, bins, mowing, family gifts, parties, in-laws . . . no one else is going to do it so i'll do it well & enjoy it!!  I could see the happy stay at home mummy light & devote my days to family fun (yes i was running a small business on the side, that just fitted in nicely sewing as a hobby & business at nighttime).  Now my eldest is starting high school next week, school holidays are the same blast of fun, action, craft, activities & happy memories, just with older children & it has a time limit - they go back to school.  Enjoy school holidays, your children grow up so quickly!!    

I'm a homebody, i love being at home & we embrace the free entertainment.  We don't have the cash to go shopping or buying sushi, Boost juices, ice creams, movies (times 6) just for something to do, so we go on bushwalks, swimming free at the military pool & enjoy all the wonderful tax deductible craft activities at home.  Plus my children have awesome bedrooms to hang out in & we have play dates too.  Every other day as a quiet home day, they get to . . . rest!!  They are allowed to get to the brink of boredom & find something else to do - use their imagination, play games & with each other.  I'll just make you all hate me now, my children rarely fight, they are easy to love.  If the sun is shining, there is no television either, yep, it's the 1950s at our place!!

Early in January we took a short trip to Sydney & visited family who were house sitting in Balmoral . . . eating & laughing from this balcony watching children & their cousins play.

 My niece had a little family birthday party with a pinata.  All was going well until my 3rd daughter smashed the broom.  My trauma surgeon brother was on stand by, there were some near misses i can assure you with all those big teenagers. 

 I possibly overstayed my welcome, i didn't want to leave this view & return to landlocked Canberra.

 The gardening in Summer has been a blast, the lettuce has grown like wildfire.

 We caught up with Corrie from RetroMummy & her family, my son is pretty keen on Keira!!

 Ever passing through Goulburn??  Stop at the multi award winning Trapper's Bakery, reference the big concrete Merino out the window.  It's clean, fresh & fantastic!!  Don't go the extra 20m to McDonalds drive through, stretch your legs & enjoy real food.

 Don't be fooled by the Australiana, they do amazing French patisseries.

 Up & down the Hume & Barton Highways we drove. 

 I planted sugar snaps (Donna Hay uses these in recipes), pumpkins, onions & celery.  Pumpkin seeds have already germinated, so i'm relocating them to a large box to grow in Autumn!!

 We finally took all the children to Poacher's Pantry for lunch on the weekend.  Yes 'we', my husband's surprise trip home was just wonderful.

 They chased butterflies & took photos while we waited for lunch.

 The grounds are glorious, perfect for a wedding.

 Gorgeous scented flowers . . .

 & we brought home some giant cookies for afternoon tea.

 So enjoy your school terms mummies out there . . . we still don't go back until next week, so we're maintaining the fun & games, fresh & ready for a new school year.  Yes, i'm the family cheer leader, i have to be!! 
Thanks for all the love on the weekend about my husband coming home, it was so fantastic yet bittersweet with a time limit of like 40 hours, ahhhh, holding my breath for the next visit in 3 weeks.  He's out bush training until then, so he'll enjoy the comforts of home even more.  Love Posie

wrapping up Christmas . . . on 'Christmas Eve' Eve

Greetings all,
Today was another super busy day at Shop Handmade & now it's closed for the year.  Big shout out to Rachel & Julie who i love & run the most beautiful Shop in Canberra, no THE WORLD!! 

Last night, in my spare time, i threw a party for a dozen 9 year olds, just a movie kind of thing - we watched Goonies & Gremlins, ah, the 80's!!  Lots of fun, food & Christmas themed party favours, like reindeer food!!  Just to confirm i'm completely nuts, i collected 6 of the party goers on my way home from Shop.  It was actually really lovely, i'm used to having a car load of children & the road kill (mainly kangaroos) on the 25km trip from the city kept them entertained!!

So now it's time to put my feet up (or into a soak) & cruise into Christmas, everything wrapped/ posted/ delivered & purchased, with tonight's Farmer's Market putting the finishing touches on our Christmas long weekend menu.

My last patchwork quilt for the year was collected yesterday, another bohemian style one, truly a favourite colour combination of mine now.

 . . . bad lighting, sorry, i finished at 2a.m. . . .

 clash of colours, patterns & styles in 196 squares of patchworky goodness!!

 Last minute deliveries include a donation of pashimas to HeadsUp, a Breast Cancer charity . . .

 Sue from HeadsUp at Calvery Hospital in Canberra teaches ladies how to style pashminas & silk scarves while dealing with hair loss during chemotherapy.  Love you Sue, you're awesome!!

 Now it's 'Christmas Eve' Eve . . . we might start nibbling on our Handmade Sweet Delights GingerBreadHouse (number 2) . . .

 & decide where to spread the Reindeer Food??

 I have visions of a big family platter of Christmas lunch leftovers on Christmas Night . . .

 so i can enjoy it as much as i do at Poacher's Pantry.

 Tomorrow i'll repot our plants in the Terrariums . . .

 before i collapse on the floor with these reindeer.

So there you have it, we're rolling down the hill into Christmas now.  I'm cracking open the Highland Habitat foot soak now & taking half an hour to myself in the bathroom. 

Hey, don't forget my giveaways - movie tickets to see Tangled & lifestyle books from IKEA.  Love Posie