Sunday 16 March 2014

Made with Love ♥

vanilla yo-yo biscuits

It is birthday season although as the family expands we are quickly filling up the calendar!

I love receiving gifts that have been made with love so one of my resolutions this year was to spend more time and less money on my friends and family and I have been busily exploiting and expanding my making and baking talents!

These vanilla yo-yo biscuits helped to spread birthday cheer. I was most impressed that mine looked just like the picture on the recipe and that I had reproduced a 'Kitchen Aid' recipe with nothing more than a wooden spoon and a hand held mixer...don't worry though, I have a spot on my bench saved and a 'Flash Harry' mixer on my birthday wish list.



A fellow yarn enthusiast is now the owner of the crocheted market bag. I had lots of fun making this. There was not much talking to my family as I was too busy counting in my head but I conquered the pattern and I know that this bag will most certainly go to the markets.

(link to pattern)

wash cloth and soap
 
Thank you to Pinterest I am continuing to share the love with this beautiful wash cloth, flannel or face washer (depending on where you're from, so I've found!) and some lovely hand made soap, made by a clever lady who frequents our local markets.
I think I will make a few more of these wash cloths as it was quick, easy and the perfect excuse to sit still for a while. There may or may not have been a movie on in the same room!

None of these gifts are my own inventions so thank goodness for the generosity of others who share their ideas, inspiration, recipes and patterns. Thank you!

Do you like handmade gifts?
Do you make anything to give away?
Do you while away many hours on Pinterest...or is that just me?!

Have a great week ahead

Kate x
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Saturday 8 March 2014

Medical Chest Madness


Anyone who has anything to do with remote areas of Australia knows that people serviced by The Royal Flying Doctor Service have a medical chest which is like a Super First Aid kit. It contains bandages, creams, saline, syringes etc as well as some medication that will hopefully get you through an emergency until help arrives.



Someone special we know has been unwell and has spent much time with doctors and hospitals. This has meant much time in town.The medical chest has not been of any help at all. There is very little we have been able to do to help but my little family fancied ourselves as clown doctors and put together a medical chest that if nothing else, would spread cheer.

We all had a hand in it, manufacturing the box, shopping for the 'medicine', writing the words, making the labels. putting it all together. We even got help from some of our friends.



The children were very keen on this as they did think there was a possibility that some of the 'medicine' could be shared. Maybe the Jelly Disguises (lollies) for the placation of grandchildren, the Vitamin X Chews (licorice) or even the Sundown Flakes (Pringles) to be consumed at sundown to help cure a niggling throat!























Not only did it brings smiles to those it was intended for and even some of their visitors, it made us all smile too, at the thought of the cheer it would bring, at the ridiculousness of it all and the thought of helping others. It is true what they say about that!

Here's to using the Mad Medical Chest and not needing the other far more serious and boring one!

Kate xx


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Tuesday 4 March 2014

Inaugural Family Feast

We often get together as a family for birthdays and holidays. We live close enough (some of us quite close) to see each other often but life tends to get in the way. We contend with school, sport, travel, work, and at the moment drought and cantankerous water pumps so we decided we needed to make an excuse to stop, breath, enjoy each others company and eat!

The Family Feast was born and as this birth was at my house I was lucky enough to host the inaugural Family Feast last weekend. The challenge was thrown out and to keep it interesting the theme was Greek.

 

 
 
There was Greek music and some research by the younger family members on Greek dancing. Thank goodness for You tube and Aunties and Uncles willing to get their Greek on while we tended to the food, drinks and requests for train sets from young nephews!
 


There were so many good things before lunch even started...


We slow cooked some lamb, added lots of salad, yogurt and wraps to the table...


Desert was a work of art with ruffled filo pie with pistachio and honey


and the children enjoyed creamy blackberry frozen yogurt (we are still enjoying it! It is UNBELIEVABLY good!)



We had lots of fun but I will hasten to add that the closest to Greece anyone in my family comes is a sister-in -law with relatives who live there. We dabbled on the edges of Greek cuisine but we ate things we may not normally have cooked and that was the whole point.

The food was delicious, the dancing made us laugh, the house was full and there was lots of washing up but the most important thing was that we spent the afternoon in good company, making memories and enjoying ourselves.

Kate x
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