9 Years

To My Love: Cant wait to spend the next 9x9 years with you!
L xx

13/52

A & H: Big sis teaching medium sis maths early in the morning - such a beautiful patient teacher, and a great student (despite your posture in this shot!)
H & L: Medium sis reading a story to little sis later that same day - an ever keen listener and such a wonderfully sweet reader.
L xx

Joining in with Jodi @ Practising Simplicity

You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug

Almost every time I do a Friday song post, I am seeing the video for the first time. Often the video and the way the song feels to me dont match up or not at all what I expected. Today's song though, had me grinning from ear to ear as it did not detract from the way I felt about the song at all!
Enjoy lovelies!

L xx

Show & Tell: Ping Pong Autumn

Well hello there, come in, come in!

How's the first quarter of your year been? Great? Warming up? Full of promise?

For our Autumn party last weekend I whipped up some necklaces to adorn our wee Autumn Fairy Princesses...

Strung on some wool considering I didn't have any suitable string...

Super simple little crochet balls, in autumn colours.

They've been worn non-stop and the girls love them! Always a bonus :)

What seasonal crafts have you been making?
Looking forward to seeing what you share!
L xx



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An InLinkz Link-up

Little Treasures

We found these little treasures at the oppy recently...

This one is destined to be pulled apart and repainted into a special little treasure box.

This one was just too cute to leave - a little pail, a pot, a vessel of sorts... it's been used plenty in the girls play.

What wee delights have you found lately?
Do tell!
L xx

Whammo Jammo

A wee while ago I saw a pin for a simple raspberry jam... Obviously it planted a bit of a seed as sometime later I found myself looking for simple berry jam recipes online.

There are a number of chia and berry combinations out there and all slightly different ways of throwing it together.  I've never used chia seeds before and I still cant believe how rediculously easy and fast making  these jams are!  So I've experimented with a few recipes and here's what our family have been enjoying lately.

Blueberry Vanilla Chia Jam

- 1 punnet blueberries
- 1 tbls warm water
- 1 tbls chia seeds
- 1 tbls honey
- 1.2 tsp vanilla paste

Raspberry Chia Jam

- 1 cup of defrosted/fresh raspberries
- 1 tbls warm water
- 1 tbls chia seeds
- 2 tbls honey

For both: Chuck it all in a blender and whizz till you're happy with the consistency. The more you whizz the thicker and more jelly-like it will become as it sets. Eat straight away (on some yummy fresh bread!) or let it set in the fridge for a little while. Keep refrigerated and it should last well for a couple of weeks, unless you eat it up quicker!

A few extra notes: We keep ours in washed and cleaned jars in the fridge. We just have a stick blender and it does the job fine.
Chia seeds are what give the 'jam' it's jelling/setting properties as it goes sticky/thicky when in liquid. They are rich in Omega-3, fiber, antioxidants and minerals, so are really good for you too!

I'd love to hear if you try these! We have a few fans around here!

Have a great week!
L xx

12/52

H: Seriously at work threading leaves for Autumn garlands.
A: You are so full of life and joy and enjoyed every bite and moment of our apple picking adventure :)
L: Taking stock of your loot - so many apples, so little room.
L xx

Joining in with Jodi @ Practising Simplicity

I've invented a momentum that will never slow me down...

Forget that! You can do anything! Yeah, love it!

Have a great weekend peeps.
L xx

Show & Tell: Creature Comforts

Hiya, hows it going?

Ages ago, this mad idea came into my head. Right there and then I made a "sleeping bag" and pillow for H's Zebra. Why? Still not sure...

It was super simple though - some fabric, a blanket and some stuffing. The binding to the bottom is probably not ideal but pfft, you can't tell and I was winging the whole impulsive thing ; )

Anyhoos, Bebe gets put to "bed" in her sleeping bag most days but of course sleeps with her gal at night. That whim was a hit :)

What mad impulsive ideas have you had lately?
Looking forward to seeing what you've been up to!
L xx



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An InLinkz Link-up

Sew Sweet Swap - Rainbow Received

I had some lovely mail on Monday - my Sew Sweet Swap Pouch/Package arrived!

Tracy was my partner and I loved everything about this parcel!  A super sweet zippered rainbow pouch with lots of rainbow lollies!  And the extra goodies were perfect - gorgeous ribbons, trinkets and twine!

It was a perfectly sweet package and I loved how much thought Tracy had put into it.  

Thanks Tracy, the girls and I loved it all!
L xx

You can see what I sent here.

Sharing is Caring

Sooooo, first off, I have to declare that I am not a collector.  Except for fabric and crafty stuff...of course : )

But then we stumbled upon these stupidly adorable little Care Bears... For the girls initially as rewards for filling their pompom behaviour jars... and then they just sat around blinking, winking and waving at me in their adorable cuteness...

So a wee sale, alot of fiddling with blind bags, and 12 days later...

I found and cleaned an old trinket display box that my grandfather made me when I was about 8 and now, well now those little tummies give me a wee smile everyday.  My very own little complete collection.

Tell me they're not cute?  Tell me you don't feel them sucking you in and making you smile?
A friend tells me it's cause I was deprived in my childhood... hahaha... I think I'll roll with that!

What silly little things do you collect?  Please tell me I'm not alone!
L xx

The Cookie Connection - Part 3

The Cookie Connection: Deliver a batch of baking once a week to a neighbour in your street and make some connections in your neighbourhood.

Within 4 weeks we had delivered a batch of biscuits to every house on our street - turns out there are exactly 52!

Cards and gifts started arriving - we were gobsmacked! Such lovely words and lovely things - baking, calenders, chocolate, hand-knitted toys for the girls!!! Each little card and item got me everytime. Not to mention all the personal interactions along the way.

The power we hold to make a difference in our communities and in our own lives is truly amazing.  A simple batch of biscuits, a little note and a smiley delivery has brought so much joy to us, and it would appear to many on our street too.

It's been such a rewarding experience and we still enjoy waving and saying hi to our 'neighbours'.  The girls were a bit distraught that we'd finished our street and want to expand our "catchment area"!   If we ever move into a new area - guess what? We will be doing it again!

Thanks Lisa for instigating such a simple and lovely project!
Have a happy week cyber-neighbours!
L xx

You can read about Part 1 and Part 2 here.
Linking up with Lisa @ The Cookie Connection 

11/52

L:  Studying and analysing items on a leaf and acorn collecting expedition.
H:  Hunting for more cicada shells... you and your little sidekick.
A:  Such delight in getting stuck into things, your hair in your face half the time.  When you're on a mission, you seldom notice anything other than your objective.
L xx

Joining in with Jodi @ Practising Simplicity

But they're just afraid of something they cant understand...

Am gonna pee my pants seeing this on Sunday!!

Have a fab weekend!
L xx

Show & Tell: Heffalumps are purple

Good Morning!
How's your day going?

A sweet elephant-obsessed little girl had a birthday recently. I'd wracked my brains for gift ideas, but wanted to do something a bit different than the obvious...

Then came the eureka - a bit of hoopy goodness! I found this gorgeous collection of mother and baby animal designs and set to work.  My experience with little girls(!) is that they love Mummy and Baby combos... and also that baby heffalumps are purple!

I really really adore how it turned out. And hopefully it will be a reminder forever of this point in her life. An elephant never forgets : )

So what's your latest obsession? Something big, something small?

Looking forward to seeing what you've been up to!
Have a fab Thursday!
L xx



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An InLinkz Link-up

Once upon a time there was a Zebra and a Sheep

They languished away in forlorn days at an opshop... who would love them? Who would care?

Ahha!  A Zebra lover and friends stumbled across our little Zebra and it was love at first sight... never shall they part!

Lambie rose to comfort a crying and miserable hot tired girl...all others have been forsaken in favour of our beloved Lambie...never shall they part!

Needless to say bonds were cemented after a number of washes...
The couples were simply meant to be : )
L xx

The Cookie Connection - Part 2

The Cookie Connection: To deliver a batch of baking once a week to a neighbour in your street and make some connections in your neighbourhood.

Armed with supplies, and 3 super keen helpers we took to our street...

The girls loved running along and picking out bags to deliver. Some were left on doorsteps, but many more were handed over in person.

The girls are super outgoing kids and loved talking to everyone they met. We had such a great time meeting many new friendly faces.

There were lots of hugs, chats, a few cups of tea and even a watergun fight!

If people didn't know who the loud family of girls were before...they sure did now! These were some of the most fun-filled hours of our summer : )

Part 3 concludes our adventures next week!
L xx

You can read about Part 1 here.
Linking up with Lisa @ The Cookie Connection