Exhausted but happy!

Is there any better feeling than spending a day in the sunshine and playing hard, only to come home and feel down-to-the-bone tiredness and a big smile on your face?

Today Max had a half day of school (tomorrow is his very last day of Kindergarten) and then we put our swimsuits on and headed out to a friends' house for a end of school party! We splashed around, threw water balloons, ate pizza, cake and ice cream. We jumped on trampolines and danced silly dances. After all the fun, excitement and sugar we came home and crashed. I bet we will all sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow we're going to give the teachers some well-deserved presents. This year Max's teacher has worked very hard to bring him out of his shell. She could tell right away that Max doesn't like loud noises, being put on the spot and that he needs encouragement more than criticism and adapted to his needs. Now he's a confident little boy who loves to read and who has even taken books to school to read to his whole class. Thank you Mrs. Benson, you rock!

Crafty Kick

I have a frustrated creative person trapped inside my body and lately, she has been wanting to come out! I saw some cute little 4 inch tall coke glasses a few weeks ago and bought them on a whim. I remembered that I had some candle making things left over from a previous project (tea cup candles) and combined with some of the kids' leftover crayons, this is what I came up with



A little coke/rootbeer float vanilla scented candle. I made another batch this week that turned out a little better but of course I forgot to take photos before I gave them away.

I always wanted to learn how to crochet too, but with Mum living so far away I turned to YouTube! I found some free patterns online and then just watch instructional videos on how to do each stitch. Last year I made a few scarves and a very misshapen hat for my poor sister (sorry Nik!) and kind of got put off. But with baby showers looming I tried again and found a great pattern that comes together really quickly - using two strands at once, making a nice quilt-like blanket. Here's one that I just finished for a friend's baby shower this weekend





The finished blanket is about 3x3 ft. It's the first time I've made a flower too! My friend isn't sure if she's having a boy or a girl so the flower is just pinned on for now - just in case. Another blanket is in the works and this time I'd like to do a scalloped edge on the hat too. Any crocheting experts - please leave your top tips and links to beginner patterns below!!

11 years ago

11 years ago today, I was standing in a beautiful garden, with the sun on my face, birds singing and my heart was filled with joy.




We looked so young!



It's been a beautiful, fun and satisfying 11 years and I am happier than ever. Thank you my love.

This week in short

Tim went on a business trip to a convention in Vegas. Usually when he goes away for a few days I like to do some extra fun things with the kids to make up for Daddy being away. My plans got slowed down for a few days by some bad chinese food but on Thursday after picking up Max from school I was feeling better. We decided to go straight from school, get some good Mexican food and go to the movie theater - on a school night! Some things are just better when they're on a whim. We watched How to Train Your Dragon in 3D. Simply put it was awesome! A really great movie, not too scary for little ones, they just loved it.

Yesterday Daddy came home, loaded with free swag from the convention. Boy was he missed! Now we are all back under one roof and all is right with the world again.

When it's raining outside..

.. and the children are really bored - what do you do? If you've been watching YouTube makeup videos, you break out the makeup of course! I had been watching a video by the brilliant Sam of Pixiwoo do a futuristic look using stickers and eyeshadows. I tried it out on my hand and sure enough, the kids thought it was great and wanted it done on their faces too. They were very happy with the results and I think on the next rainy day we might try it again and create some all-over looks.

Family time!

Our week off was such a relaxing time. My in-laws live in California so it isn't very often that we all get to spend time together. We spent most of the week at my sister-in-law's home, the house where she and Tim grew up. His uncles and aunts live close by and the children had a great time visiting everyone, fishing at the pond, feeding the animals and just exploring.

Max impressed us all with his patience when he went fishing at the pond, standing very still and being quiet. He kept casting his line over and over again without getting frustrated. It paid off when he caught a bass!





Lily adores chickens (as you probably know from previous posts!) and hunting for their eggs. She laughed out loud every time we walked down the driveway and all the chickens would run along side us. Yesterday she and Tim went to the hardware store and saw some baby chicks - she couldn't stop talking about them. We can't wait to have chickens of our own some time in the future. Here she is with her haul.






She was so proud of the "jumbo egg." The next morning when she insisted on making scrambled eggs for everyone she cracked the jumbo egg and found that it was a double yolker! Thanks for breakfast sweetheart.

Noah's Ark

Two weeks ago Max had his spring break. Tim also took the week off so that we could all enjoy it together. His parents were also visiting and we had so much fun just playing in the gorgeous sunshine we've been having.

We went to Noah's Ark, a fantastic animal rehabilitation center. My favorite animals were the giant tortoises and the enormous buffalo, Max liked the monkies and Lily was rather taken with the peacocks that wandered around. I was hoping to find a peacock feather but we hadn't realised it was good Friday and the park was packed.








They have a lion, a tiger and a bear that have all been raised from cubs at the rescue center. They all live in the same enclosure and share a house. Unfortunately it was a very hot day and the clever animals decided to either stay inside or take shelter from the sun under the house. I can't say I blame them! Still, the bear was quite funny, lying splayed out on the porch, turning around to try and catch a breeze.



It really is a wonderful place to visit. It's so nice to see all the animals together in one place, with plenty of room to roam around. It gives us a wonderful glimpse of what the future will be like. Isaiah 11:6-9.