Rapunzel

I've always fancied myself as a bit of an artist...but perhaps I'm deluded. I used to do a bit while I was teaching and really enjoyed it.

We have bought a fair bit of art since we've been here in Australia in preparation for filling the walls of the house in NZ, when it gets built. Now it's getting a bit crowded on the walls here, to be honest. But there will be a lot of wall space to fill when Le Manoir is built!

Two of my favourite pieces are by a local Camberwell artist and illustrator called Anna Walker. She exhibited at the Canterbury Primary School Art Exhibition for the last couple of years and we commissioned her to do "Into the Woods" last year and "The Princess and the Frog" this year. Ours are similar to these but Red Riding Hood has a wolf too! The leaves and dresses are made from tiny bits of fabric.

Anyhoo, I was inspired to try to emulate Anna's work when I saw Heather Ross' Far Far Away Collection of fabric. Here is a very bad photo of the Rapunzel fabric (sorry!)

I started this about a month ago so not much progress made yet, I'm afraid. Bear in mind, this won't be the finished product as it would just be a copy of the Fabric design (or what I think passes as a copy!) I'm just trying to get a feel for the watercolours and how they go at this stage.

God knows if I'll ever actually finish anything worth framing. And I have the frame all ready too (ever the optimist!) Shame the paper I bought is the wrong bloody size!

Bulbous

The biggest little boy is still sick. Sounds like he's got a 40 a day habit. He's been off school all week but we were going to send him today as the fevers have stopped.

That was until the tears welled up in those little eyes and a little, whispery voice proceeded to tell us that he didn't think he should go to school as he would cough all over his friends and give them germs and it still hurt his chest and head when he coughed.

I'm glad I didn't send him now. He's sitting on the couch, playing a game on the iPad in PJs, coughing ...and coughing.

I haven't been to the gym since Saturday. But I did manage to get into the garden on the first day of winter, which was cold in the morn but gloriously sunny for the rest.

With the help of my smaller gardening companion, I planted some of these, hoping that...

these will emerge in the spring!

I also planted some of these by the front door. They don't look like this yet, sadly!

Now I'm going to sew, but will go out and plant my vege seedlings later.

And before you ask - no, I haven't done the dishes yet!

Etsy, Etsy, Etsy, Etsy... I wanna be craaaafty! (think Rocky Horror if you're confused!)

Me and a few sewing buddies gather at Sniffy's house on Friday arvo's for a bit of a Chat, Sew (and eat) session. Little Man comes along, mooches about with the dog and the iPad, batts his eyelashes at the girls, who bring him lollipops and gingerbread biccies as payback.

Sniff's had to buy a new table to fit us all around. Some of us mend, some sew, some google dirty ditties on the iPad and sing them to the group (to those of you in the know, you'll guess who they are!)

The laminator has been in hot demand recently from the lovely Lisa, who makes the most fabulous themed Chairs upholstered in tea towels and is participating in this gorgeous event on Friday.

Lisa saw the placemats I was making on Friday and declared I should be selling on Etsy. I pooh-poohed the idea at first, but it lolled about in the back of my mind until I thought, bugger it, why not?

So you saw it here first, compadres. Partito Y Monito's Etsy shop.... nothing listed yet...(bit of a faff to get the wording right and all that, to be honest) but but watch this space.

Yello!

Prints Charming linen panel

An idea from Lynne  at Lily's Quilts

A few little somethin' somethin's I've been working on....

...plus the pretty pink presents for Pretty Chloe were gifted on Sunday.

Hot feet

Saturday morning in our house does not yet mean getting up with the sparrows to stand around a cold (and usually wet) sports field cheering on a team.

The boys are still young and there is no mini-midgets rugby readily available - that is what you do in NZ when you have boys and a rugby-mad husband.

However, we go to dancing. This is what you do when your mother was a music teacher and wants you to be confident performing (this is what she tells herself)

Far be it for anyone to accuse me of not encouraging the boys to embrace their inner Broadway star! They both have singing and dancing lessons, and Dom does Tap on Saturday mornings as an extra.

He's the only boy in both the tap and song/dance classes, and at the moment he doesn't care, so until he does, I'm going with it. He often gets to be the centrepiece (read STAR!) of the dance they do because of the 'only boy' factor. This fact does not escape him!

There are a couple of little boys in Charlie's group, and lots of little girlies in tutus! He is always first to put his hand up to sing into the microphone (just like his mummy!)

They can both sing beautifully in tune and have the confidence to stand up in front of friends and family to give an impromptu concert, so mission accomplished.

Even better is the fact that my darling husband is more than happy to take them and sit around with the other parents on a Saturday morn (the other parents being mostly Mums, a lot of whom constantly bang on about how well little Penelope is doing at school, so much more focused and talented than everyone else!)

He has his iPad, and his favourite coffee shop just down the road, and a bit of bonding time with the boys to alleviate the Golf Guilt that descends upon him most Sundays!

Thermomix love...

I have a Thermomix.

When some people hear that, a curiously mocking grin lurks around their mouths (thinking, I suspect, "suburban housewife, too much time, too much money"). When some people hear, they look at me as if to say WTF is that?! It is a talking point, that's for sure.

Well it's a whizz bang, in your face, beautifully masterminded little bundle of awesomeness as far as I'm concerned! I LOVE it. I use it every day.

Knackers to your bloody store bought pesto, mayo, hollandaise sauce, salad dressing, jam, custard.....I make them all and they taste like proper! I'd never made any of those things from scratch before (because, quite frankly, they sounded like too much of a Bucking Fitch to be contemplated.)

No more caster or icing sugar for me! I mill my own. I could even mill whole wheat into flour. (but truly cannot be bothered going that far!) I made a cake in it last night for school lunches. It was mixed and in the oven in 5 minutes.

I hate kneading stuff. All that crapola about feeling the love in the dough... I hate the stuff sticking to my fingers!! Bread dough, including kneading, 2 minutes. Pasta dough, including kneading, 3 minutes.

Anyhoo....one of my faves is


Mushroom and Prawn Quinoa Risotto. Here's the recipe with or without TM.

Grate 50g Parmesan ((10 secs on Speed 9) - set aside

Chop 1/2 an onion and 2 cloves garlic ( 3 secs speed 7)

Add 25g Olive Oil, saute (2 mins, Speed 1, MC off)

add 1/4 cup of Arborio Rice and 3/4 cup Quinoa (whole cup of either if you prefer) and 100g Verjuice (or White Wine) Saute 2 mins (100 degrees, Reverse Speed 2)

Add  200g Swiss brown (or any) Mushrooms
*Add 2.5 cups Chicken Stock to Thermomix and cook 17mins 100 degrees, reverse Speed 1)


**heat 2.5 cups of Chicken Stock in microwave or saucepan till nearly boiling, add a half cup at a time to risotto, stirring constantly till absorbed.

Add 20 Frozen Raw Prawns in the last 2 mins of cooking. 1 min for Fresh/Thawed.

Season with Salt and Pepper, add the parmesan, rest for at least 5 mins before serving.

I add a bit of Goats Cheese into the serving dish at resting time, just dotting it into the top of the risotto. Also stir in Basil or Spinach leaves in the 5 mins resting time. Whatever you like really.

Pretty healthy, especially as it's mostly Quinoa, and delicioso!

x

Not the terrible twos but...

My youngest child is undoubtedly charming and cute as a button. Shopkeepers give him free samples (one memorable moment at Queen Vic market with an oyster springs to mind ) and people smile indulgently at him.

The other day in Spotlight the lady at the fabric counter made some comment about what a nice little boy he was. "Do you think I'm beautiful?" he asks her while gazing into her eyes. "Yes, your very beautiful!", she exclaimed. "Is it my curls?", he asks winsomely with a little curved smile on his face, prompted cooing from all the ladies in the line. I roll my eyes but am secretly proud!

However, turning four bought a change in behaviour that I never experienced with my eldest  darling. He can turn from angel to feral in the drop of a hat. I had heard there is a testostorone surge at four and by god, it's surging in him!

Last night he was an angel until the last 15 minutes before bed when he turned into the antichrist. It's like he's got no control over what he's doing! Bedlam, then peace when he calmed down, having decided he'd better behave if he wanted any story at all, and sat in for the last 5 minutes.

The "Terrible Twos" were a little bit of an issue but the "F*&#$n Fours" are doing my head in!