Frozen mail

My place in time #13 - What arrived in the post

#61 - Postage stamps from my country

One thing I know this morning is I have two happy little girls.

The girls were so excited, I had told them to expect some special Frozen mail, and yesterday it arrived. The shirts were worn straight away, and even slept in!

I hadn't realised how many times they had watched that movie until I heard Izzy singing 'For the first time in forever' quietly in her room.

We skyped with my niece and her husband last night, who are currently in Greece. Izzy and Summer love those two, it's the first time they had ever skyped and the first time they had seen and talked to Ben and Bon since early March. Summer took great pleasure in singing 'let it go, let it go, let it go'. like a stuck record and they loved it. 

I actually only saw the movie in it's entirety the other day, I had never watched the whole thing which isn't anything new. There are few movies lately that I have the opportunity to watch without interruption. 

I know that may change tonight. My SIL is having the girls so Brett and I can have a night to ourselves. The movies maybe? I have to laugh, I think we will be at a loss as what to do! We haven't had a night out by ourselves for donkeys.

What awesome stuff has come in the mail for you lately?

What do you do on a kids free night?

Has Frozen infiltrated itself into your life?

Before the rain

Winter's less than a week away. I am not looking forward to it, I don't mind the rain, but I hate being cold.

Yesterday was bitterly cold. I wasn't keen on being outside. Izzy was home, she had croup on Monday night. Croup sucks. Neither of us slept very much at all. I took her to the doctors earlier in the day, I wasn't keen on her being outside either. She had different ideas and a bit of fresh air was probably not a bad thing.

While she rode her bike in the driveway, Summer followed me about as I took photos of flowers. Izzy soon joined us. It wasn't long before the rain started to pitter patter, we retreated indoors and on went the heating!

Wordless Wednesday

Seedy Porridge

Did I mention I was on a bit of a health kick? Well having a good crack anyway.

I've been using loads more fresh produce and less of the processed, unrecognisable as food, stuff.

Breakfast most mornings is fruit, yoghurt, or porridge. Occasionally I will cook an egg, but mostly I don't have the time. Porridge is quick.

This is how I've been having it, with lots of seeds and honey to sweeten it up.

You could add sultanas, or fresh fruit on top like strawberries or banana.

The food combining way of eating, that I'm currently doing, doesn't allow fruit to be eaten together with other foods. I eat fruit before a meal and not during or after. It goes on the principle that fruit digests quicker than other food, so should be eaten separately.

Also proteins and carbs aren't mixed together as a rule, so I use water to make the porridge. By all means use milk if you want to. Just cook the porridge according to the direction on the oats packet.

Don't ask me how it works. Sometimes it sounds like mumbo-jumbo, all I know is I feel better and I lost a bit of weight. Can't argue with that.

Porridge with seeds and honey

1/3 cup of quick oats
1 cup water

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. 

Take the porridge off the heat and stir through -

1 tablespoon of pepitas(pumpkin seeds)
1 teaspoon sunflowers seeds
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 Tablespoon of LSA(a ground mixture of linseeds, sunflower seeds and almond)

Drizzle with some honey. Sit and eat.

What do you usually eat for breakfast?

Do you like porridge? How do you have yours?

An InLinkz Link-up

The car I do own

My place in time #65 - The car I do own

I will wait while you get the Ford jokes out the way.

*Found On Rubbish Dump
*Fixed Or Repaired Daily
*The majority of Fords are still on Australian roads, some even made it home.
*Found in Rednecks driveway

I was once told by someone that the 2005 Falcon is a good model so these may be more appropriate 

*For Only Real Drivers
*First On Race Day
*Fastest on Race Day

Whatever your perception, I know that this little beauty, needs less maintenance, and is more neglected than hubbys Commodore and just keeps going!

The girls washed my car on Monday.

Seconds after this shot, I had to get out the way too!

Yesterday, while Izzy was at kindy, Summer helped me collect rocks for a garden bed around their cubby house. We went down a side track in the pines looking for rocks, only to hit the rock jackpot!
\ 

The scab on her nose is healing after she face planted at the playground last week.

Working hard collecting rocks. 

Do you have an alliance with Ford or Holden?
What was your first car?
Mine was a Royal Purple Datsun. After that I'd only had Holdens, and an amazing Mitsusquishi Magna, that was sports kitted and I loved it.

This Ford was firstly owned by the Wattle Range Council, purchased from our local Ford dealer, Mac Ford. Then my mum owned it, and now I drive it around.


Wordless Wednesday

Roasted capsicum pasta sauce

Something different and veggie healthy to put on your pasta, is this simple sauce. Easy to make, when you get over peeling the skins, with all the flavour and goodness intact. 

Roasted capsicum pasta sauce
6 red capsicums
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper

Roast the whole capsicums in a 200C oven for 20 minutes, until the skins start to brown and blister.

Let them cool a bit, remove skins, stalk and seeds.

Puree the capsicums, then place in a pan with the cream and cook for about  four minutes. Season with salt and pepper and toss through cooked pasta.

Feel free to add some parmesan to the sauce.

Try browning some cubed chicken in the pan before adding the puree and cream.

Follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ 

An InLinkz Link-up

Lunch at the pub with granny Wanda

Wednesday, the girls, my mum and I went out for lunch at the pub with my Gran, to celebrate her 85th birthday.

We all arrived at the Sportsmans. Mum went and fetched Gran from the pokies lounge.

She balked about how beautiful all her grandchildren were, and just quietly, she's absolutely right in doing so. I'm gorgeous. She was obviously talking about my girls and marvelled at them.

She talked about her age and how she was lucky to get to 85. Her legs are failing her, her health is sketchy. She counts herself lucky, as the women on her mothers side of the family generally died at an earlier age. 

Whereas the blokes on her fathers side lived well into their 90s.

She chuckled as she reminded me, that all her brothers were dead. All that remained were Nora(her sister) and her. God love her. Imagine being alive after most of your siblings had passed away. It would be like pieces of your heart had gone missing. I can imagine it would hurt.

I hope to reach such an awesome age and be still getting around and active, even with a wheelie walker, after your legs could not carry you properly anymore. How useful are those things?! Walking support, somewhere to sit and storage under the seat for your handbag! Sound like something anyone could use on a good night out at the pub!! 

As far as my mum is concerned, and rightfully so, poor old Wandy(no, that isn't a typo, that's our nickname for our granny Wanda), drives like someone who's been on a bender and should have her licence taken off her sooner than later! I don't know what the government was thinking when it cancelled the old age driving assessment! I don't think she would pass to be honest. 

When we lived on the corner of Enderby Lane thirty years ago, when I was a teenager, Mum swore she saw her go up on two wheels coming around the corner. It's always been a running joke and one we laugh about often.

We love her all the same and I am so thankful, so thankful, that my daughters can know her, go out for lunch dates with her, mum and me. Four generations, enjoying each others company, laughing and loving. 

She is the only close surviving grandparent I have. Boris, her husband died when I was 15.

My dad's parents I haven't seen since I was 8. They came over from Spain, I remember the trip to go get them from Tullamarine in Melbourne. They didn't speak a word of English, but the grandie cuddles were all I needed. I still remember the chunky woolly socks my Abuela knitted for me. She died a while ago, she had Dementia. My grandfather Daniel is still alive, but as distant to me as the seas that divide us.

Summer was a little shy, she doesn't see Wandy much, but she opened up. It makes me realise that maybe we don't drop in on Gran enough when she is at home. I have to change that, I have great memories of my Grans' house in Southend, where I spent a whole heap of time when I was a kid.

Roadtrip to the footy

After reading through a few #IBOT posts last night, I got onto cooking cupcakes for the photo day/morning tea at kindy tomorrow. It's not usually a kindy day for us, I'd have rather bummed around the house than had to be there at a quarter to 9 on our 'day off'. Oh well.

While the cupcakes cooked I uploaded these photos from our weekend in Adelaide. Twas a good one, except for the bit on Mother's day on the way home, where I sat in the back squished between two car seats with my annoying darling children either side.

It was like a little holiday. Except when we got home, I felt like I really need a holiday. Alone!

We stopped in Kingston, across the road from the Big Lobster to eat our ham sandwiches. The girls ate chips.

Keeper of the stereo aka Jake

So glad my boy decided to come with us.

On our way home, Mother's Day. We stopped at the Hahndorf Farm Barn. Rubber boots
is the best footwear. You tread on a lot of poo.

Summer was fearless. I was worried the goats were going to eat her jumper off her back!

See the paper feed bag. A deer would later take it and eat it, food, paper and all! It was hilarious.

Colouring in and paddicks

Izzy has been really getting into colouring in lately, and mazes, she loves mazes. I love it that she can sit in one spot quite happily for a while. 

I've been going to websites like ABC4kids, you know, the Giggle and Hoot channel, and Nick Jr, for printables of all her favourite TV characters. The printer is almost out of ink! 

I have a folder in the filing cabinet labelled 'kids printables', where I put all the extra ones I print out for a rainy day.

Back in my day, in the dark ages, when not every household no one I knew, had a computer and printer, my mum used to just do scribbles on paper and we would colour in the spaces. Turns out Izzy loves doing this!

Colouring in is quite addictive, you will get sucked in.

I did notice that one of the things on the four year old health check, that she will be doing in a few weeks, is colouring in a shape. I reckon she'll shit it in!

Refrigerator d'art nouveau 

I remembered this game too, that we called 'Paddicks'. Is that a word, or is it just paddocks? Maybe it's an australian thing. 

Anyway, the page is gridded full of dots. Each person take turns connecting the dots with a line. When a box is formed, the player puts their initial in the box. When the page is full of 'paddicks', the player with the most formed is the winner. My brothers and sisters would play this 'til the cows come home. The worst bit is putting all those dots on the page to start with.

I have made a printable game of 'Paddicks' to make the work easy, if you are looking for something to keep kids amused for hours! You can download it here. It could possibly be a good travelling game for older kids, or a game for rainy days to keep them occupied, besides screen time. 

Does your fridge look like mine? 
Remember doing any of this in your childhood?

*Follow One Mother Hen on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ 

Homemade crackers and simple avocado dip

I make these crackers quite often, usually when there are no other savoury biscuits in the house. They are so moorish.

The ingredients are so simple and if you ever took any notice at the ingredient list on a box of supermarket crackers, most probably a lot more natural and healthy.

Speaking of natural and healthy, a simple avocado dip to serve them with. I have been enjoying this dip with veggies like celery and capsicum for a mid afternoon snack. It is strange for me, because I have never really been much of an avocado fan.

I first saw this cracker recipe at Maria's farm country kitchen. She used wholemeal flour and you could too, if you'd like to.

Homemade crackers
2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup of water
1/3 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together to form a dough.

Using olive oil on the bench and rolling pin, roll out dough to about a 2-3mm thickness. Place in two large baking trays, or three medium size trays, greased with olive oil. You might have to stretch them out a bit to the edges. Don't worry if it is uneven in some bits.

Using a knife, or a pizza cutter(this is what I use, it's easier), cut the dough into whatever size crackers you want.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and whatever flavours you would like. Sumac, parmesan, dried herbs or just plain.

I've also mixed in flavours into the dough itself, like mixed herbs, Za'atar spice mix or parmesan.

Bake at 190C for 15 minutes.

Avocado dip
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt
grind of black pepper
1/2 tablespoon chopped chives, more if you want
squeeze of lemon juice

Mash all together with a fork.

You could add more to it, like finely chopped onion and tomato, and corn kernels, for a chunkier dip and more flavour.

**********************
Follow on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ 

***************

An InLinkz Link-up

Misty May morning flowers