Daisy Chains and Picnics

I bought a large Nutcracker at Spotlight in the after Christmas sales a couple of years ago. I was hoping to get a decorated one but was too late, they were all gone, so I bought this plain silver one instead. This year when I unpacked him for Christmas I had forgotten how boring and plain it looked, so we decided to 'vamp' it up a bit. Jodie took on this project with huge enthusiasm, she drew a sketch of how she wanted it to look, mixed up some leftover craft paint we had in the shed and set to work. Once the paint had dried, she lightly brushed the blue coat with clear glue and sprinkled on some iridescent blue glitter.  Then glued on a jewel button and feather to his hat and jewel buttons on his boots. And he is finished 👍 Makes such a difference to see him painted and looking like a proper Nutcracker.

This is a great activity for the kids to help with. Fun and easy to do, these gift tags are perfect to attach to gifts for grandparents, teachers, aunties, uncles, cousins, I mean who doesn't enjoy getting handmade things from the kiddies.    What you will need: Plain gift tags Assortment of buttons or craft decals Sharpie pen (fine) Glue The first step is to outline a border around the edges then draw various Christmas shapes onto the plain gift tags using the fine sharpie pen. My little budding artist enjoyed getting crafty with these. Next glue the buttons and craft decals on to the tags where you want them to go. Once dry, thread the string through the hole and knot. And there you have it, simple yet effective Christmas gift tags. Merry Christmas 🎄

This quiche was made using barbecue leftovers. Serve with a side salad or vegetables and fries. Ingredients 1 quiche or flan pastry case 1 onion, finely chopped 6 eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/8th tsp ground nutmeg 1/2 tsp dried chopped chives leftover cooked BBQ meat, chopped or sliced 1 tomato, thinly sliced grated cheese Method 1.  Preheat oven to 190°C.  Prepare pastry or quiche case. Blind bake according to packet directions. 2.  Whisk eggs, milk, nutmeg and chives together in a jug. Season with salt and pepper. 3.   Fry onions in a little oil until softened. Layer on base of pastry case. Add the chopped or sliced meats. Top with tomato. Pour over egg mix. Sprinkle the cheese on top. 4.  Cook for 35-40 minutes or until golden and puffed up. Enjoy

The last time my mum and dad came out together before my dad passed away in 2014 was November 2012. We had decided before they came out that we would celebrate Christmas the day after my dads birthday, which was 24th November, so the 25th seemed appropriate.  As he was struggling badly with memory problems we thought it would be a good idea to give him another family Christmas because we knew he would never manage to come back out to visit again.  We didn't go as far as the whole buying and handing out gifts but we went all out on the other Christmas day things..cooked a big Christmas lunch, played Christmas music, wished everyone a Merry Christmas (the neighbours must have thought we had gone mad!!), set the table with Christmas attire, wrote a menu for him and pulled crackers. Bless him, he really got into the Christmas spirit as did we all, it was actually fun having two Christmases that year, and knowing we will always have that 'last' Christmas memory with da...

This morning the Mercury reported that Hobart had reached a record six-day stretch of hot weather for the first time in 127 years.  According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest weather observations for Hobart, the temperate at 11am today was 26.2C — smashing a record set more than a century ago. The weather forecast for today shows a high of 31°C. This is the 6th consecutive day where the temperature has reached at least 26°, making it "the hottest November stretch since the beginning of the 20th century," according to  climatologist Ian Barnes-Keoghan, who also stated that above-average temperatures are expected to continue throughout the Tasmanian summer.

My mum recently shared this post through Facebook, so I thought I would share it here. Some sound advice  from  Fully Aware Mind . (Image is my own) 1.  Rest in silence for ten minutes on a daily basis. 2.  Go for a 10 – 30 minute-walk on a regular basis. While walking, do not forget to smile. Smile is the best antidepressant. 3.  Consume foods that grow on plants and trees, not foods that are produced in plants. 4.  Make at least 4 people smile every day. 5.  Even though life is sometimes not fair, it is good. 6.  You do not have to be right in every argument. Give your agreement or disagreement. 7.  Do not compare yourself to other people. Every person’s life is a different journey. 8.  No matter if the situation is bad or good, it is going to change. 9.  If you envy other people, you waste your time. You have all you need in life. 10. Before going to bed, pray to God and thank him for what you have. ...

How cool are these pool floats from K Mart and Big W, I just think I may have to get one or two for the beach. Inflatable Flamingo float found  here Inflatable Unicorn found  here   Inflatable Otter found  here Inflatable Pineapple found  here Popsicle float found  here Ice Cream float found  here Pineapple float found  here Watermelon float found  here

The kids have been on at me to try and make a pumpkin spice latte, they also  adore chai tea latte so I decided to combine the two.  I thought I would try it in the same fashion as my green tea hot toddy found  here  by simmering a cinnamon stick and cloves in water for 15 minutes to get a deep infusion of flavours which also gives off a delicious aroma that wafts through the house, 2 for the price of 1, oh yeah! I use whole milk because I think it gives it a creamy flavour, but any milk would work. Ingredients 1 cup water 1 cinnamon stick 2 whole cloves 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 1 chai tea latte tea bag 1 cup whole milk 2 tbsp pumpkin puree 15 ml or 3 tbsp vanilla syrup 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Method 1. Put water, cinnamon stick, cloves and nutmeg in a pan. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, discard cinnamon stick and cloves. Add tea bag, allow to steep for 5 minutes. 2.  Remove tea ...