new graduate

he's graduated, the newest MBA in town.


it's been a fast and furious ride over the last 13 months, lots of coffee, lots of outings to the park to give him the space to study, and now a fair dollop of uncertainty until a new career is launched.

now it's my turn to take over the study space and finish my last few subjects. i'm loving my work experience in the school library. it's also giving me a tiny insight into what's it like to be a mother working outside the home. those days are run with military precision, and there's lots of getting in and out of the car; dropping the children at kindy and school, making 3 lunches, remembering hats and water bottles. the enjoyable part of these days for me is talking with adults (about books mostly which i love), a bit of solitude here and there, and listening to my choice of music in the car when i'm by myself! it helps me appreciate the slower paced days at home with picnic morning teas, reading books on the bed after lunch, and preparing meals with the children. Actually, i like both sorts of days, and i guess that's the key to a balanced life.

it's good to know what i'm aiming for :)

is for gorgeous.

i had to try this beautiful letter for myself.

Daily Drop Cap http://dailydropcap.com/ is a blog that posts a new decorative initial each day to drop cap into your blog. There are simple instructions on how to do it.

no piccies today. more soon.

back to the beach

the dust has settled and is being gradually cleaned away. so it was back to the beach late this afternoon. the beach was in the shade and the wind was a little cool, but it's always amazing to visit the beach, and we always vow to return more often, it's only a few minutes from home. daily life can just get too much in the way sometimes!

these foam swords are beach toys only now (ahem, not good inside the house at all) and they like to carry them ninja or pirate style and whack down abandoned sandcastles

we're off for a night's camping at a friend's farm - just 5mins from our home actually. i'm looking forward to an evening of torches, squeals, conversation and stars.

cooking, snakes and koalas

we love ginger in our house - ginger beer, gingersnaps, fresh ginger tea, and gingerbread men are a special treat. the kids can virtually do it all themselves now, and while the dough rested in the fridge for 30mins, i whipped up some banana bread. and then froze it before we ate too many baked goods in one day!

and then thawed it out 2 weeks later for a last minute afternoon tea with friends.

life is good here in the springtime. the weather is glorious. the snakes are about though, harvey's school has had 2 or 3 snakes a day in the last few weeks. the snake man comes and tries to catch and release elsewhere, however they usually slither away only to appear a day or so later. 2 metre eastern brown snakes are fatal, so we're all watching where we put our feet even in our own small garden. but there's also been plenty of koalas around at school, two were moving from tree to tree outside the school library where i was volunteering today. the preps had a teddy bears picnic in some bush near the school oval, and a koala scurried past. they're so lucky to have such a "bush" school.

we're going along ok whilst the man-of-the-house researches and seeks new employment. his MBA is complete as of last week, and graduation is in october. it's great to have him back with us after 13months spent working and studying solidly. we're enjoying some dad-cooked meals (i think we're all a little tired of my cooking - i certainly am!), a clean pool and yard, and lots of wrestling, giggling, tickling and walks around the neighbourhood. and i am particularly enjoying my time out of the house at yoga and the gym. i could get used to this. but an income for the family would be an excellent idea too.

fairies in the park

our littlest girl is 4 now. we met some other 4 year old fairies at the park on a sunny morning and ate cupcakes and strawberries. it was such a fun morning and so lovely to see sasha greeting her friends and delighting over her gifts "oh i love it, thank you for giving it to me", holding hands with her friends, and exclaiming over each other's fairy outfits.

new horizons

it's not a new photo, just a reminder of what i need to keep my eyes on - the blue skies and new horizons.

yesterday we lost our family income when the man-o-the-house was made redundant. with 5 weeks of intense study left to complete his MBA he's hardly in a position to job hunt - but he's doing it anyway. well done him, keeping all those plates in the air and smiling all the while.

so we're stayin' in, drinkin' more lattes at home, beachin' and looking to those blue skies.

cardboard boxes

a cardboard box, it's always fun.

a dolly's bed

hold on, i could fit in that

tuck me in please

a kiss goodnight

night nighty sleep tighty

we can both fit in i'm sure

remember muskettes from darrell lea? the kids bought a packet each in the last school holidays and limited themselves to 5 each day. needless to say, there's still some left and i've been munching on them. musk just tastes like pink doesn't it?

i was going to get them a little bottle of "dolly mix" but it's a glass bottle. i couldn't even see them getting out of the shop without smashing to the floor! remember those? i remember getting them as a special treat and loving how each one was like a little plump striped - and sticky - pillow.

we've been feeling very smug with warm sunny days up here in currumbin. t shirts and a cardigan in the afternoon. but today the expected cold snap blew in with a cold windy day. back on went socks, tracky pants, long sleeves and even hats. the markets this morning were great but very blowy. there are strawberries aplenty this close to spring and we've been enjoying our favourite indulgence - cooked strawberries.

a punnet of ripe or overripe strawberries, leaves trimmed off and cut in half if they're huge

a splash of water

1-2 T sugar

simmer gently for 10-15mins. cool and serve over icecream or porridge.

if there's a lot of juice left over that you don't want to use (???) add it to the next batch of cooked strawberries instead of the splash of water and these ones will be even more syrupy.