Time to Dust Off the Cobwebs

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 Enough is enough!

Time to brush off the cobwebs and get this blog back into action.

I can't believe it has been almost 4 weeks since my last post.
Where have those weeks gone?

Can I let you in on a little secret?

I did have a thought that perhaps this little blog had run its race and 
that maybe it was time to close the door.............

But I know just how much I would miss it.

I have finally come to realise that this blog truly feeds my soul and gives me something 
to aspire to. 

It allows me to dream big dreams, indulge my creativity, share my joy
and then put it all on paper to share with whoever may be 
passing by. 


Without it - I know I would not have the incentive to try different things or discover new projects. 
The days would simply merge from one to another without any real 
sense of achievement or accomplishment.  

It is what keeps me alive and fresh and current. 
(Who would have thought a little ol' blog could do all that!) 

 

 So I have given my header a bit of a revamp -
Revealed my face for all to see (Hmm... I kinda liked hiding behind that kookaburra!) - 
and 
Injected some re-newed energy into these ramblings.



Hi everyone - can't wait to see what you have all been up to. 


It feels good to be back!
 

Put a Little Twinkle in your Life

Here's a super easy little project I put together over the Christmas holidays using my ever growing stash of "used" candle jars.

This little display of twinkling tea light lanterns positively lit up our festive season and provided the perfect backdrop for long leisurely family dinners out on the verandah.

Now I make no excuse for the fact that I am an absolute candleholic!  Along with fresh flowers - scented candles are the one thing I cannot live without.

Glasshouse Candles are my absolute favourite.

At the moment beautiful "Miami" with its unmistakable pomelo and grapefruit fragrance is wafting its way through the house.  Ah, bliss.....

A vase of flowers and a scented candle -  all is well in my world!

Equally as beautiful (and a good bit cheaper!) are the range of Glade scented candles which are available in most supermarkets. 

I usually have a couple of these on the go as well.  

"Vanilla" - "Wild Raspberry" - positively scrumptious!

Problem is - what to do with the jars once the candles have finished burning?

So this is where my little tea light lantern project was hatched.

I have put together this  tutorial as a perfect New Year recycling project.  

Step 1 :  So for this project you will need an empty candle jar (or 2 or 3);  wire; jute (string); pair of pliers/wire cutters; scissors, tealight candle.  (Gosh - my father's old pliers look positively antique!)

Step 2 :  Cut a piece of wire long enough to wrap around the base of your jar and cross over at the side.  

Step 3 :  Grab your pliers and twist the wire until the wire is firmly secured around the base of the jar.  

Tip :  Because the jar is slightly tapered, i.e. smaller circumference at the bottom than the top - if you secure it firmly at the base it won't slip up over the top of the jar.

Step 4 :  Snip off an excess wire with a pair of wire cutters and then twist your little wire knot slightly towards the top.

Step 5 :   Cut 3 lengths of jute/string depending on how long you want your lanterns to hang.   I staggered mine so that some lanterns were slightly shorter than others.   Hmm... not sure about the colour? of this string but it was all I could find at the time and it does look slightly festive looking - don't you think?

Step 6:  Remove the wire cradle from the jar and tie lengths of string equi-distant around the circumference of the cradle.

Step 7 :  Place your jar back in its wire cradle.

Step 8 :   Now gather your lengths of string together and hold at the top.  Lift off your surface to make sure it is hanging straight.  Adjust your string lengths if needed.  (Last thing you want is a crooked candle!)

Step 9:   Once you are happy that your lantern is hanging straight - tie a knot with the three lengths of string around 5-10 cm from the end.

Step 10 :    Then tie another knot right at the end. 

Step 11 :   Snip off the excess string

Step 12 :  Grab your tea light.  (I picked up a box of 100 tea lights from Target for $7)

Step 13 :    Place tea light in the base of the jar.

Step 14 :  Secure (between the two end knots) to a nail or hook.   Yes, that is a jungle out there!

And then once dusk comes.......

Light up and enjoy!

(I love my little lanterns so much that they are staying up ALL year).

I hope you manage to get a little twinkle in your life in 2012!

Linking up with

Hard to Let Go

Well, the time has finally come!

Time to take down the decorations and pack them away for another year.

Time to put an end to the procrastinating.

Why do I find it so hard to let go?

To be honest - I have been in two minds about continuing with this little blog in 2012.

My blogging mojo seems to have taken a bit of a battering over the holidays.

Surprising really - because the creative juices have been well and truly in overdrive these past couple of weeks and my "To Do" list (which was looking rather daunting at the start of the holidays) is now looking extremely achievable.   Yah!

I have had heaps I could have blogged about - but for whatever reason - couldn't be bothered really.

(Come on Sharyne - snap out of it!)

On top of  all this - Picasa 3 seems to have had a bit of a hissy spack attack over the holidays and now all my photos seem to have disappeared!!??##

Hmmm....time for a deep breath and reawakening of some positive energy.

Time to re-energise this little blog and get going.  (I know just how much I would really miss you if you were no longer around.)

Time to take down the festive header and put up some new photos (luckily I had these ones saved on a USB!)

Time to re-focus and start making plans.

Time to start taking lots more photos!!

Welcome 2012 - can't wait to see what you have in store! 

Goodbye ol' Friends

Alas, the time has finally come.   Time to take down the decorations, disassemble the tree, pack up the Christmas lights and put them away for another year.  

The seasons come and the seasons go. 

It will be sad to say goodbye.

I have become quite used to having them around - just like old, familiar friends.  Memories, keepsakes, family treasures (all gathered together in one little corner of my home).  

Reminding me of Christmases past and the overwhelming excitement of my children on Christmas morning.   

Reminding me of friends and family - (who are no longer with us) and just how much I miss them. 

Reminding me (that just like a few of our favourite ornaments)-  we too are starting to get a little tarnished around the edges!

As I carefully place each decoration away (ready for their long hibernation)  I can't help but wonder what the year ahead will bring?  

It will be another 11 months when next I cast my eyes on them again.  If only I could look into a crystal ball and know what awaits us.   But would I really want to know?......... 

For me, the taking down and packing away of the Christmas decorations symbolizes the end of an era. The end of a time we will never get back again. I used to wish (particularly when my children were little) that I could just "freeze" time and that no-one got any older and we just stayed the way we were.   In some ways I used to look to each  new year with trepidation - fear of the unknown.


However I have come to realise that with every new year comes new beginnings and new opportunities to capture special times and special moments.   It may be the end of one era but the start of a fantastic new one as well.  



So, here you go my beauty!  As I tuck you away safely in your box I look forward to seeing you again in 11 months time and sharing with you the stories of 2011.    Hopefully the year will be kind to my family (and the planet) and that when I lift you from your box and string you once again in your rightful  place over the dining room table, I will be able to say - "Wow - 2011......what a year.  I can't wait to tell you all about it!"
 

Christmas Wrap Up!

Well Christmas has come and gone for another year.  We had a rather "different" Christmas Day here in the Valley.  

We awoke to the sounds of palm fronds crashing onto the roof and vertical rain pelting against the louvres.

And then........

"Cyclone Tasha" swept in from the Coral Sea

We lost power (electricity) for 2 days!

The mighty Mulgrave flooded leaving us no access to the outside world!

Ah yes, this was certainly going to be one of our more challenging Christmas Days.......

First things first - we needed to assess the situation and see what damage had occurred.   Fortunately for us Cyclone Tasha was only a Category 1 cyclone so the wind damage was minimal however the RAIN was torrential. 

So much so that our access bridge across the mighty Mulgrave was 9 metres over the railings!   Between these 2 clumps of trees is where our bridge usually sits.  

Somehow I don't think we will be making the Boxing Day Sales!

Resigned to the fact that we were not going to get out for a couple of days we headed back home (safe and sound high on the hill) for the opening of gifts and a bit of "creative" Christmas breakfast cooking.

This year we had Kendall's Irish boyfriend joining us for a typical Australian Christmas.  I'm sure it will be a Christmas he will never forget!  Here is the little Christmas stocking I made for him.  Note the cute little shamrocks I included  (just to make him feel at home!)



Here's Kendall's Country Angel stocking.  I couldn't resist including the cowboy boots.  Very Kendall-like!

Thank goodness for my Gasmate portable cooker!  It's amazing just what you can do when faced with the prospect of preparing a Christmas feast for 6 (with no electricity).   It reminded me in some ways of what Christmas must have been like for the pioneers - Christmas turkey cooked in a camp oven over an open fire.   How amazing is it that in the 21st Century we are still at the mercy of Mother Nature.

After countless games of "Celebrity Heads";  "Name that Tune";  and a clever little Christmas Quiz that Alan managed to whip together - we were well and truly over all our family bonding time and kept looking longingly at the fairy lights on the Christmas tree just hoping (once again) to see the twinkle and sparkle of those lights.  "When do you think the power will come back on?"  I wish I had a dollar for every time someone asked me this question......

Eventually the power did come on and the river height dropped and my children (and their partners) hastily made their way back into civilisation (vowing NEVER to cross the mighty Mulgrave again if ever there was the likelihood of them being marooned together again under the one roof with no electricity!) 

Ah yes ......  Christmas 2010 - certainly one I will never forget.


PS - I did invite them back again for New Year's Eve for another family get-together.  Somehow it seems that they have ALL made other plans - funny thing about that?

My Wreath - Finished At Last!

I have FINALLY  put the finishing touches to my all natural Aussie Bush wreath!   It has been a long process. 

Thanks to the inspiring Sarah at Modern Country Style I embarked on this little task about 2 weeks ago. 

Sarah posted a fabulous tutorial on how to make a natural wreath (from scratch).  It has taken me this long to gather all the bits and pieces - but at last it is finally finished and I couldn't be happier.

In  many ways it is symbolic of not only the Festive Season but also of the journey I have been on this past year.   At the start of 2010 I set my sights at conquering this little mountain below.   It is known locally as "the Pyramid".    In (almost!) reaching the top I have not only proven that am capable of the stretching myself physically but also mentally, given my extreme fear of heights.  I have to pinch myself to believe I have actually achieved this feat.  Who knows what challenges I will set for myself in 2011?

So it seems fitting, that the leaves for my little Christmas Wreath have come from trees at the top of this mountain.   Matthew, Alan D (affectionately known as my Sherpa Guides!) and I made the climb on Tuesday and we gathered the leaves from these magnificent gum trees here.

Just to put things into real perspective - this is how far UP we were!

So, together with some sprigs of lavender (which I managed to find at the local markets last Sunday) and the beautiful red sprigs of flowers from my glorious Ixora - I have managed to put together a Tropical Natural Wreath.   It looks so pretty and festive on my front door and frames my two kookaburras perfectly!

Thank you so much Sarah for inspiring this project and for your encouragement and help.

Here it is Christmas Eve and it is absolutely pouring here in the Valley.   Most certainly we will be flooded in for Christmas as the mighty Mulgrave continues to rise.  However we are all safe and sound on our little hill. The  pantry and fridge is full.....the presents are all wrapped and  I have my family around me.  What more could I ask for!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!

Jingle Bells

One of the true joys at Christmas time is the giving of gifts and coming up with interesting ways to wrap them. 

For many years, particularly when my kids were younger, it was all that I could do to grab (multiple) rolls of Christmas paper, arrange the presents the bedroom floor (making sure that the door was firmly locked just in case there were prying eyes around!) and quickly wrap and tape.  I actually became quite an expert at (lightning speed) Christmas present wrapping!  There certainly was no skill or finesse in how I went about
it.  My main aim was to get them wrapped as quickly as I could and then find a safe hiding spot!   I swear Adam, Matthew and Kendall had the noses of "blood hounds" at Christmas time. 

Now that my "assembly line" gift wrapping days are past, I love nothing better than deciding on a theme for my Christmas gift wrapping and then having the time to leisurely primp and preen my gifts.  This year I decided to go with "Jingle Bells" and together with Kendall's homemade "little" gingerbread men (in fact they were the biggest gingerbread men I have ever seen!) packaged them into cute little boxes to give to work colleagues.

The wrapping was dead easy.  I photocopied (A3) copies of  "Jingle Bells" sheet music which I downloaded from the internet.   Got some lovely lime green satin ribbon and then tied bows with clusters of bells.  They just looked so pretty.

Kendall has now officially become a "gingerbread man" expert.  They way she churned out those little (huge!) men - well, it was just like an assembly line.   (I can see that she too will become an expert in lightning speed gift wrapping when her turn eventually comes!)

They were delicious (and crunchy) and although she could only manage to get 7 "big boys" from each batch of mixture (due to the HUGE cutter she used) the recipe actually makes 20.  

Kendall's Gingerbread Men

Ingredients :

Melted butter, to grease
125g butter, at room temperature
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
1 egg, separated
375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Plain flour, to dust
150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
8-10 drops red liquid food colouring

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.
2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy.
3. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined.
4. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda.
5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
6. Press dough into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
7. Meanwhile, place egg white in a clean, dry bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. 
8. Cover 1 bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Add red colouring to 1 bowl and stir until combined.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
9. Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use a 9cm gingerbread man cutter to cut out shapes. Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
10. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool. Place prepared icing in small plastic bags. Cut a small hole in a corner of each bag. Pipe icing over gingerbread men to decorate.

Allow 30 minutes resting time.

Can you guess who these two are? 

Of course - the one on the left is "me" and the one on the right is Alan (with moustache and all!)  Thank you Kendall - very creative.....