SPRING IS HERE...

To celebrate the beautiful weather that cast us into Spring, we spent the first few days of the season:

• dying muslin for the nature table using the left-over water from my beetroot salad preparations;
• baking honey snap cookies;
• roasting apple slices basted in honey;
• picnicing at the beach and enjoying the spoils of our baking!;
• crafting with shells over and over again (Dada enjoyed some very 'beachy' gifts for Fathers Day!).

SPRING? SUMMER?

Okay, so now that I feel a little more on top of these blog entries. Having caught up with the last few months over the past week or so, hopefully I can be more consistent, at least for the next 6 or so weeks until the baby is born and the inevitable craziness (of a new type) begins.

And.. I can take this opportunity to say, what was with the weather last weekend?! After spending Saturday catching up on household jobs, crafting with Elsa and nesting (oh dear, I just can't stop!), we decided it was just too hot to cook and went to the beach for a take-away dinner and frolick in the sand. We left the beach at 7pm to get Elsa home to bed and it was still around 30 degrees! And it remained that way until sometime in the middle of the night, when we were woken by the wind beating on our bedroom window. What a strange, hot, Spring day - and we're only a few weeks in. Fingers crossed this isn't a sign of things to come for the Summer.

The warmer weather has allowed for some new nesting activities to commence (ike washing the baby's nappies!!!) and others to continue. Things we've enjoyed so far this Spring include:

- setting up a new craft cupboard for Elsa (in preparation for all the home time we'll be sharing over the next few months!);

- baking (to stock the freezer for all the snacks we'll be wanting but NOT baking over the next few months!);

- dying muslin at playgroup;

- changing over the nature table;

- Spring festivities at playgroup;

- fabric shopping and sewing (why not?)...

LOOKING BACK AT AUGUST

I started a pile of new projects early in the month during our Torquay holiday but only a few were complete by the end of the day. If only I didn't soooo need that day time nap (thankfully Elsa still sleeps for a few hours so I can still get it!). Anyhow here are some of the things that I did get finished.

Some pants for Elsa for next winter...perhaps part of her 3rd birthday gift? Given that I'll probably be busy with other things, I thought I'd start early!

Some washcloths for gifts (yet to make the new baby any - on the list though)

A hat for a new baby in our local mother's group

To celebrate the emminent return day of Spring, we made our first ever batch of strawberry jam thanks to guidance from Steph. (despite the picture, we didn't follow Tessa's recipe!).

AUGUST BEACH BREAK

We kicked off August with a week away in Torquay. It was the most wonderfully relaxing week spent building sand-castles, flying our new kite, eating fish and chips on the beach, playing in possibly the best playground ever (contentious comment I'm sure), crafting - lots of sewing and knitting, baking, catching up on magazine and book-reading, outtings for tea/coffee/hot chocolates and baby cinos and plenty more...we left very grateful for our last holiday as 'three' (plus puppy) and all that came before.

JULY WRAP-UP: MAKING STUFF

We baked a lot in July. I think this came about partly from the realisation that these are my last few months 'alone' with Elsa and as part of the rediscovery of food following so many months spent offering it back to the porcelain gods. Gosh, it was so good to have some relief from 'morning' sickness and boy did I celebrate!

Lemon Pie courtesy of a recipe from one of my sisters.

Oh my, we can't stop making 'Angie's Lemon Cake' from The Cooks Companion

I discovered that Elsa loves homemade popcorn. It was fun to watch her reaction to the 'pop, pop, popping' - she squeals in delight every time a corn pops, then giggles her head off.

Our first batch of Cumquat jam. Not my favourite fruit but were given the fruit, Dino loves it and the recipe looked easy so I obliged!

Finally finished this skirt..

We converted a skirt from Burma into a pair of shorts. The skirt was fantastic but it was in the wrap style and didn't stay on easily. So, shorts it is...added some antique-style braid around the bottom and wala!