Another trip around the sun.....

A new year, a new beginning.  I love the start of a new year, with it comes renewed enthusiasm and zest for life.  New goals and projects.  As usual there are lots of things I want to do.  The most important is to ....

and

Next  is "Go health".  I want to exercise and get fit.  Three kids later and nearly forty  I definitely need to exercise more! With both boys at school this year I should have some time.  (I'm sure I say this to myself every year, but this time I mean it!)

This sounds good in theory I think in reality a lovely  brisk morning walk or bike ride is more realistic (and more pleasant!)  Maybe even a zumba or dance class!

Do more stuff! (and sometimes do less stuff) Have adventures, go to new and different places, meet and talk to new people, cook different foods, listen to new music, read lots of books, write letters to my friends .....

Be creative.  Make some cool colourful things. (Like these cool mittens)

or perhaps I'll redecorate the house like this.....

I better get some sheep!

Lastly remember and practise the very good advise of Gandhi......

Also I will try to keep these few things in mind too....

Hooray for holidays!

One night in Sydney..... so we check out the crazy Christmas lights.

Over in Western Australia at my favourite Borranup Forest.

Down at Augusta loving the aqua blue water.

Canoing up the recently burnt Margaret River.

This sand dune used to be thickly covered in coastal scrub. Burnt to a cinder!

Beautiful Redgate beach.

Christmas Day

The Hacienda - our home for three weeks.

Funny Sunny.

Thanks for having us Mike, Peta, Max and Reuben ! We had a ball!

Gimmie Shelter

I can't get this song out of my head this week, I love it!

End of year shananigans

Happy Christmas everyone. A beautiful tree drawn by Django the reluctant drawer!

The reptile man came to preschool. This was a huge black headed python. It was beautiful.

We all got to hold Snap the crocodile.

This is the beautiful peacock that often turns up at preschool. It wanders about, honking at the kids, pooing on the veranda and sitting on the roof.

Django was 'The Hat Peddler' in his Preschool concert. It was his last day at Preschool.

Nelson won the Art competition to have his drawing on the front cover of the school cookbook.

The Girl Effect

I am lucky to have a lovely little daughter.  She is lucky to be her.  She can do what she wants with her life.  She has a loving family, clean air to breath, water to drink and fresh healthy food to eat. She has room to run and play and the time and space to have a happy childhood.  Other girls around the world are not so lucky.  It is Sunny's birthday tomorrow and so I am going to make a donation through Global Giving to help another girl somewhere in the world who is not as lucky as Sunny.   You can choose to donate to specific programs.  By donating just $25 I have provided school supplies for 20 girls for one month in a school in India.  Hopefully the money really gets to where it is needed!

Sunny's Birthday Party

Two already. Not a little baby anymore.

I finally made these little wings this week - nothing like leaving a job to the last minute. I have been meaning to make Sunny some since i first saw them earlier in the year.

I had to make her a sun cake.   It was actually very easy to make, just two circles and one cut into triangles.

Sunny was very pleased with the singing of the Happy Birthday song just for her. The whole day was worth it just for that very happy, pleased smile.

Partied out.

What we are eating

Onions. I have pulled up lots of onions lately - including some huge ones. This one on the right weighed 600 grams!! All these onions means....Onion Jam. Yum. I have tried a few recipes but my favourite one is Libby's recipe (from Delicious I think).

For the relish

1. 2 tbsp sunflower oil
2. 3 red onions, thinly sliced
3. 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
4. 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
5. 1 tsp cumin seeds
6. 3 tbsp brown sugar
7. 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
8. Large pinch crushed chilli flakes

Method

1.  Begin by making the relish as it can be served warm or cold. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan and cook the onions for 10 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and seeds and cook for 1 minute more. Add the sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, vinegar and chilli and bubble for 5 minutes until the liquid evaporates.

   But we cook the onions for longer about 30 mins to start with then another 30 ish after adding the vinegar etc.  I also usually double the recipe.  So yummy on a sandwich. Actually on anything.  I put it on my dahl last night, it is good on fritters, vegie pies.  Yum.

Cabbages.  We have been eating alot of cabbage - usually as a coleslaw (cold sore).  I like to use a simple dressing of 3 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tbsp of light olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar.  Adding orange segments to the slaw is nice too.  We also love the purple cabbage salad like Bob makes and last night I made an Indian cabbage dish which was good!

Zucchinis are just coming on.  I have made some yummy fritters from a recipe thanks to Gourmet Girlfriend as well as the old faithful zucchini slice.

Cucumbers are going crazy - i picked the first one yesterday then found another 5 today.

I planted heaps of sunflowers but only three survived.  This one is getting very tall.

The boys harvested the garlic the other day, we got a wheel barrow full.