sandy & beauty

We were given these cute little pups back in November & this time, we all agreed on the names – Sandy & Black Beauty (Beauty for short).

They’re about 6 months old now, have grown so much & are full of energy! They also love cuddles & belly scratches. So when Bear fell off his bike today, Beauty was there to give him sympathy. Then later in the morning, I looked out the window & saw Bear hanging upside down from the monkey bars, giving Beauty a scratch. There’s no doubt they adore each other!

his cake

Was a sandcastle – a simple but brilliant idea from a donna hay magazine. All you need are 2 tubs of vanilla ice cream (the perfect bucket shape) & a packet of milk arrowroot (plain) biscuits. Crush the biscuits in a food processor & spread over the slightly softened icecream like sand. Then refreeze. Its the perfect beach party cake!

I wish i’d captured a photo of little Miss H’s face when she 1^st saw it – she thought it really was a sand castle!

Master B enjoyed every moment! 

We had a small but lovely party with friends. The kids swam, built sandcastles in the real sand (DH brought in with the tractor especially for the party), rode bikes, played dress-ups & cards & pin the teeth on the shark. It was indeed a perfect day - i’m sure everyone will sleep well tonite!

his birthday!

One of my favourite photographers always lists fun facts about her kids on their birthdays

So here goes:

6 fun facts about Bear on his 6^th birthday

1. He loves machines & wants to be a excavator driver and a helicopter pilot when he grows up
2. His favourite thing is to go across country on the motorbike with dad
3. His balance & determination saw him progress from a 3 wheeler to 2 wheels in a day & he would so love his own little motorbike
4. He has his own toolbox and is not afraid to spread his tools around the garage “fixing” stuff (just like dad!)
5. His favourite snuggle toys are his sheet & diggedy dog (they’re still what he wants when he’s feeling sad or tired)
6. He loves cuddles, is VERY ticklish & has the cutest giggle ever!

Stay tuned for more photos!

dinosaur dig

Master B got this great little dinosaur dig kit for xmas. This afternoon he was excited to finally uncover the bones!! Then it was an easy task to snap the dinosaur together. As you can see, he was very proud of his achievement!

banana cake

Mmmm! Can you see the tell-tale sign from when Master B sampled it?! I shared my SIL’s recipe here & its divine! So moist & more-ish! We used a shaped silicone mould today & it was disappointing to find some of the cake stuck to the mould leaving a less than perfect shape (again!). Is it possible to get the perfect cake out of these things??

Its 2 sleeps til my baby turns 6 & he is SO excited!! We’re planning a beach party complete with a sandcastle cake (made from icecream!) & I’m hoping to capture some great photos of his special day!

clouds

In school today, we talked about clouds & investigated how they’re made. It was a great day for cloud watching! The sky was clear & blue in the morning but as the day went by, the clouds grew & changed providing lots of real examples to observe & discuss.

I love the light & shadows in this 2^nd shot!

Thanks for sharing your favourite websites! Keep ‘em coming! J

Here’s another gem I found today

puppet show & more links

Madi did such a great job making these puppets! Here’s a scene from her presentation of Amy’s Monster

Yesterdays post wet my appetite for foodie/photo blogs so i’ve got a few more to share:

Milk & cookies

http://coconutlime.blogspot.com/

http://dessertfirst.typepad.com/

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/

todays Q - what are your top 5 favourite blogs?

pancake tradition

With the intention of getting back into the daily photo/blog routine, an early post today J

Even tho my DH is away, I decided to continue the pancakes for Sunday breakfast tradition. Both kids helped with preparations & the quiet familiar routine was a lovely way to start the day. It was definitely worth the effort!

My spread looks rather simple compared to the feast below!

While we were on holidays, a friend recommended we try a great little cafe where they make the best pancakes on the coast. Let’s just say, they lived up to their reputation! This dish, appropriately called “buttered nuts” consisted of a huge fluffy pancake, caramel/butterscotch sauce, macadamia nuts, cream & icecream!! Rich & delicious & so big, I could only eat about half!

Beautifully presented food is an artform don’t you think? Maybe that’s why I’m inspired by magazines like donna hay where the food is always photographed so brilliantly (I especially love her xmas & kids issues – they’re packed with great food + decorating ideas!). Maybe that’s why I’m less likely to bake something that isn’t accompanied by a great photo. Maybe that’s why I feel compelled to photograph it too.

Here are some posts/blogs you might like to visit:

Shimelle’s kitchen diary – a visual feast + eloquent writing

I love the way donna captured these dinner preparations - she’s got everything here – colour, details, motion, the whole enchilada!

Recipe journal – a variety of dishes organised into categories for easy access

Want to know How to take Mouth Watering Photos of Food?

This blog has got some great recipies too!

Sometimes I feel self-conscious lugging my camera around & photographing things like food, coffee etc. But i guess that’s something i need to get over, because without a camera, how can you capture the everyday stuff, the details & the important moments as they happen.

A few Q for you … Do you carry your camera with you all the time?? Are you comfortable taking photos anywhere anytime?? When you’re not, what do you do?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

friends

good friends, goodbyes & golden light

random thoughts

Sorry about the lack of posts this week – I had migraines & a nasty tummy bug & was out of action for a few days. So glad to be feeling better! If you’ve asked a Q & are waiting on an email, i’ll get to them soon!

Thanks for the suggestions of what to put behind the stained glass doors of the unit – I love the idea of putting a collection in there! Now i need to think about what kind of collection … food for thought!

This week’s blue bazaar portal saw the whole DT using fabric in their creations. Its hard to see in the scan, but I’ve attached tulle to the cardstock with modge podge, then handsewed a swirly design & cut felt flowers to match Madi’s sweet t-shirt.

Oh & I had to share this one created for valentine’s day – love this photo from our wedding day!

Today, I tried something new – usually, I detest the harsh on-camera flash preferring to use natural light wherever possible. But this am, i read an article at photojojo about how to make a flash diffuser so I gave it a try & was pleasantly surprised! I think it’s a great option for those times when you need more light.

This shot is a tad blurry cause he started giggling when the flash went off, but i was pleased to note his features haven’t been flattened & there’s no sign of nasty shadows. I also used the flash diffuser & the wide end of the standard 18-55mm ef-s lens to capture the action in the new kitchen at 6.20pm.

Thanks for stopping by!