Good Bye to The Pool....................

I hope you all enjoyed your week end....

We took the opportunity to get some work done around the place as it was a long week end here for Anzac Day.

We have decided to take down our above ground pool. It was getting very rusty around the edges and starting to fall apart. It is all a bit of a mess at the moment but Bruce has been working hard.

The stones that were around the pool filter have made a lovely path through this large garden down to the pond.

The pond also got a make over with a new water feature made from a log Bruce found on the farm.

A great spot to sit with a drink and cool down after a hard days work, and admire the work we have done.

Still a bit of work to do down here but we will finish it all next week end as it too is a long week end.

It wasn't all work, on Sunday we went to Alanah and Cams out at Dalby for lunch. 

Cassie and Ben were staying there for the long week end so it was good to catch up with them.

Then Monday we went into Helidon for the Anzac Parade.

A busy but productive week end.

Lazy Days.....

School is back on and our 2 weeks of Lazy days are over.

Spending time with William in the garden and just slowing down has been nice.

I love the light of Autumn and how it shines in through the door and warms the now cool mornings. I do love Autumn, I start to feel the need to sew and crochet and just make....

I am going to do some more sewing for the grand babies, Charlie has his first birthday coming up and the theme for his party is Indians so I am going to make him a out fit...

Also a dress for Sieanna and some little pants for Henry to start with..

I have also been experimenting with soap...

Below is Himalayan salt soap. Great for exfoliating your skin and help with healing blemishes.

Experimenting with soap making is so much fun and you are only limited by your imagination.

I am still doing 2 markets a month and enjoying them, but that is going to change soon as I start doing a weekly market.

Last Thursday I went with my friend to help her at the weekly Farmers market here in Toowoomba.

Bronwyn sells eggs and chickens all pasture raised. Well she got talking to the lady that is running the markets about my soap, and I was invited to have a stall. Very exciting.....We will share a stall for now  and I will see how things go..

One advantage of your best friend owning a chicken farm is I have stopped doing my own chickens and just get them straight from Bronwym....Having a brother move in that is also a poultry butcher helps in the piecing of the birds as well...

I still do something though.......the cooking,

 nothing like a nice chicken pie for dinner...

Today I am looking after this little princess for a couple of hours which has been lovely.

 I hope you all enjoy your week and in Australia the long week end coming up.

Blessings 

Mandy

Happy Birthday Sieanna May......

This sweet little girl is one today....

Happy Birthday 

Sieanna May

This after noon we will be going in to have cake with 

the birthday girl..

The sewing room has been put to good use making Sieanna her out fits. You have seen the little top, well I also got the  romper made , just in time for her birthday.

I will post some photos later of her in it.

The spare room is all clean again, Bruce and Robbie moved the large table in here for me so I have plenty of room now.

Next on my list is getting back into scrap booking. I really want to do a album up of Greg's life for the kids.

Nice to have this room all girly again after being a boys room for so long.

Below is a rare moment when it was a clean boys room...Really no such thing is there? Clean and boys hahahah

The vege garden is coming along well with the cooler weather.

My brother who you can see in the pic has moved in here with us, and he is loving being able to 

get into the garden..

He reminds me of my Pop who was always out in his vege garden...

Love the cooler weather and being able to be out in the garden again. It got very hot this summer and I am looking forward to this cooler weather.

The asparagus is going wild and I am cutting it every day..Have you ever had it straight from the garden? Tastes just like fresh snow peas. yummo.

Enjoy your week All

Blessings

Mandy

Birthday and Sewing

This most handsome young man turned 13 yesterday...

Its hard to believe my youngest is 13,,,

Family birthdays are getting smaller all the time now that 4 of 7 of the kids live away...

We tease Will that he is like a only child hahahah

Robbie has moved out to the Donna the Donga
This was my sewing room that I loved, then Ben moved in there and now that he and Cassie are married and moved away I thought I would get it back...
Wrong...

Robbie being 18 (and the fact that it has air con) has moved in there,,,
So I get a spare room...
I will keep the single beds in here for now, but I have also moved my
sewing machine in here.

I also have more storage for my craft supplies that have been packed away

for over a year now.

I know this Horn sewing table is ugly, but it is so good to have all you need handy...

Yep this is it now, I've been sewing..

So I needed another table O and bring in the ironing board as well.

Next minute!!!!!! A mess..

I made my youngest grand daughter a little Easter dress and am busy making a romper as well.

Nice to have it all in the house, so I'm glad Robbie took Donna.....may be I should call it Donald the Donga now it belongs to Robbie...

A last photo of the birthday boy...

Markets tomorrow if its not raining.

Enjoy your week end

Blessings 

Mandy

Lets talk Pantry's...

Sighhhhhhh

drooooolllllllllll

Perfect,

 no this is not my pantry, I wish...

Pinterest

What about this one.

Look at the abundance in this pantry or more like a larder.... WOW...

I wonder what there veggie garden must look like.

Pinterest

Unfortunately my  pantry isn't Pinterest worthy...

It is a hard working room.

Starting with the door which is a black board to write lists on...

Not having a  lot of storage in our house this is the main 

store room.

The top shelf that runs all around the room is used for those items that don't get a lot of use.

Egg cartons, Christmas dinner sets, flasks etc.

All my empty jars are kept in here as well.

There is a sink in here and we also keep a small freezer, dishwasher and fridge in our pantry.

This bench is where I make the lunches and prepare salads as it is close to the fridge.

My pantry is the most used and visited room in the house....

So it was nice to get in and clean the shelves and sort it out.

Not as clean as this one, I wonder if it really looks like this.

Pinterest

 And this one! I can't even see any food in it....

Pinterest

We do have a large pantry, I guess that comes with buying a very old farm house.

I do love my pantry and am thank full for it as many don't have a room like this to hide every thing away in.

Do you have a pantry? 

Is it a hard working room or a food cupboard in your kitchen...

Have a great week 

Mandy...

Back To Normal............

What is Normal?

I ask myself this question many times around here.

Is it the normal to be have havoc all around, always busy with planning the next event.

For now today at least the house is clean, I have found my floors.

Found my kitchen bench and can walk a straight line with out dodging boxes of wedding stuff.

It will be normal I suppose to help my new child bride daughter pack her bedroom up and move

to her new life in Glenn Morgan.

Also Ben has lived here in Donna the Donga so that room will also be packed up.

2 spare rooms you are thinking lucky me, but alas no that is not the case.

My brother has moved here and is staying until he can find his own place. He will move into

Cassie's room.  Robbie wants to move out to Donna so that is that room gone....

What is normal?

I think this is normal

Change

Change is a normal part of your children growing up marrying and leaving home...

 Like weather life has seasons and they are always changing.

 For now I am going to enjoy having just my 2 boys at home and

visiting my other 5 when I can. Our family is growing and will continue to grow..In fact my eldest David and his wife Karen are expecting a new baby in July...

What is your normal?

Blessings

Mandy