Flooded In

We are flooded in today.  I quite like a flood. Everything is so very green and lush. You don't have to go anywhere. You can hang around all day in pyjamas, playing games, reading books, walking down to check out the river, cooking, eating, drinking cups of tea, knitting....  (not to mention getting cabin fever with three kids!)

Check out the undies and the necklace. (Peta you have created a necklace monster!)

Flood induced pasta making. Thanks to Gourmet Girlfriend I was inspired to make some pasta again. The pasta maker was very dusty after several years sitting on the shelf. I made two lasangas - one meat, one vego. The boys also made some fettucini with the left overs.

Around here

Since returning from WA we have been quite busy playing and having fun with cousins and aunties and uncles. It has been quite wet so collecting rain to drink is fun as is a slip and slide in the rain!

Trisso finished our bed. It is beautiful and I think it is made from wood from his old family home!

Sunny being very cute and funny!

There are lots of tomatoes in the garden so I made tomato sauce from this recipe and I also made some pickled beetroot and bread and butter cucumbers.

Foxes Lane

I have been reading and enjoying this blog Foxes Lane lately.  She is a cool chick and even her name is Kate.  She makes lovely colourful things and cooks and grows vegies.  Anyway she pretty much summed up my own thoughts on happiness and goals for life in her happiness recipe......

"Love where you live.
Shake up the routine.
Love the ones you're with.
Remember how lucky you are.
Be brave and change.
You can do it.
Be more social.
Indulge once in a while.
Get active.
Eat well and drink lots of water.

Also not on that list are be creative, grow lots of stuff, read books, get outside as often as you can, beware of clutter, stop talking and start doing and remember that you are not responsible for other people's grumpiness."

No new or amazing ideas there but lovely simple things to remember for a happy life.

She also had this beautiful flower garden on her pinterest page.  I hope one day to create something so pretty (apart from Sunny!)

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!