My sewing room is waiting

It's such a busy time of year. We've just said good bye to one set of visitors and expecting another lot today. Plus my sewing nook was packed away entirely because we held my husband's work xmas party here. This is the neatest it's ever going to look!

New year resolutions

I've been thinking a lot about my new year resolutions - like some of the people I'm following in blogland. One thing that has really captured my imagination is Michael Pollan's book In Defence of Food. He's made it very easy to understand:

1. Eat real food (that means you need to recognise the ingredients - so none of that oxyhydrogised whatever!)
2. Don't eat too much - so smaller plates, smaller sizes, and don't eat until you feel full.
3. Mostly plants - and he says eat lots of leaves.

One way of looking at it is only eat things your great grandma would have recognised, so that rules out things like those tubes of yogurt.

So I'll be expanding my vege garden this year. Shopping more at farmers' markets. And I think I'll invest in some new crockery.

I think it's all good life lessons for kids. So hopefully they'll teach their kids and their grandkids...

Andrew's back flips

Andrew's been practicing on the trampoline these holidays. He can do forward flips, side flips and now back flips - all landing on his feet.

Quiet time for poetry

Ben has made himself a hideaway.

Yesterday he tucked himself away for half an hour or so, and came back with a notebook with three poems. He didn't show me, I thought he'd come back with such an odd collection of things, so I read through the notebook. One of the poems was great - and yes I know I'm biased. It's all typed as he wrote it, so excuse any stray apostrophes.

I know a cat
That is very fat
Once it found a rat
It gave the rat a pat
The rat said: hey!
Please stay away
The cat looked hungry
it's hair looked hairy
it's mouth looked scary
it looked at it's lunch.
there was a big CRUNCH!

Ben's notes

I've been photographing a few of Ben's notes in the last two days. The first two are on his bedroom door.



No Andrews allowed (Andrew is Ben's brother)



Take your shoes off

 

The next is because Ben and Andrew had an argument today. Ben was trying to be friends again.



Love the little sad face underneath!



Gingerbread men

Gingerbread men
Originally uploaded by Linseed2010
Been doing lots of Christmas baking. Had Mark's Christmas work party here. Now tomorrow is my m-in-law's birthday, and then Christmas. Gingerbread men are just so cheery!!

1. Ginger Bread Men Ornament, 2. The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pans, 3. dirty ginger man, 4. ginger bread man, 5. The Ginger Bread Man, 6. Ginger Bread Man Cookies, 7. ginger bread man, 8. Ginger Bread Man Two, 9. no, not my gumdrop buttons...., 10. Ginger, 11. Order your giant ginger bread men and ladies now! http://bit.ly/gxJihu Have them personalized to look like you., 12. Order your giant ginger bread men and ladies now! http://bit.ly/gxJihu Have them personalized to look like you., 13. Orecchini GINGER BREAD MAN 114. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

Cup cakes

The boys and I braved Christmas shopping today, a quick run into the city. I bribed them with the promise of cup cakes. I've been going to the gym every day, so I had one too.

Ben's dress ups

Ben went through the toy box before we went out today. It's cold for December in Australia, so two beanies and a balaclava and jumper were bearable! He wanted to go to the bank dressed like this. I explained that banks get very nervous if someone walks in covered up like this!

Kathy York's Little Cities quilt

Kathy York's Little Cities quilt
Originally uploaded by Clothworks

Love, love, love this one. I have January without the kids. I think it'll be a very quilt productive month!

Kathy York's Little Fish in a Big City quilt

Kathy York's Little Fish in a Big City quilt
Originally uploaded by Clothworks

Enjoying looking at Kathy York's quilts - lots of them feature fish, they're just amazing.

Andrew's graduation

Liz, Andrew and granny.

Andrew will be in high school next year. Here's a few photos from his graduation.

The kids cross this bridge - the transition from
primary to highschool - but it was raining today.