winter photos...

As I was sifting through some old pictures - I came across these ones that I had taken last winter whilst we rented, waiting for the house to be built

We were out in the back paddock, all of us, all rugged up, chopping and collecting firewood...

  

As you can see I was being super dooper helpful... pulling my weight and all..

just taking in the sights of winter

 

dewy grass...natures treasures...

I really wanted hubbie to ask if we could bring this stunning old shed with us and then well, just somehow anyhow make it happen...

He flatly reported it was impossible = heartbroken..

 
These original floorboards made my heart flip flop....

Don't even get me started on that door...

I miss that old shed...

Just saying..

Melissa xx

"Muuuuum what can i draw?"

Because I hear "mummmmmm what can i draw?" several times a day from my picture drawing obsessed cherubs, when I came across the below picture on pinterest I knew we needed to make some of these here drawing dices as a matter of urgency.

                                                                                Source: howsweeteritis.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

Given the recent build it was not hard to find some pieces of timber laying around outside. Daddy chopped them into squares and we sanded the corners down so no splinters in little fingers..

Then we got busy with the paint and whilst the drawing dices were drying,  got even more creative with the paint...

                                                                       

Once dry, the girls chose animals and feelings to write on each side of the dice..

never short of ideas for drawings now!

Melissa x

big girl room

some snippets of my big girls, new big girl room...

mmm unironed pillow case and all.. please forgive me, nope, not even going to pretend that i would normally iron pillow cases...don't.

She specifically wanted no other color than white (mamma's girl) in her room but we decided that we would incorporate her love of the good old doily into the theme for a little contrast

Her collection of pretties on her bed side table..

 the rock she made and wrote on without guidance, her own words, her own ideas..

and the fake flowers that she made me buy for her years ago.. 

I think she was 6 years of age...and begged me to buy her white fake flowers... 

The lamp she already had, we just hot glued a doily to it and made a sweet little doily flower and pinned it to the lamp..
The pearls - her addition after mumma had finished, only just noticed they were there when writing this post..

Glass jars from the op shop with doily's hot glued on..

mumma's rushed attempt at a little pillow for her bed... Don't look too closely.. I can sew but I am not careful, not patient and like a speed demon on that machine, eager to cross the finish line... I am learning to slow it down...

 my beautiful "big girl"

finding her groove, knowing what she wants..

I have also painted her buffet in her room and when styled I'll post it...

It was a little disastrous actually... I decided to mix my own hue for the cabinet...
I had to paint it twice, the first color was hideous.
She was not overly impressed with the second color either,  I coined the color - "The White Verandah greige blend"  she coined it "yukky greeny grey color"...
 I wooed her with a gorgeous floral curtain to break it up.. She is sold for now.

Now I have you intrigued.. promise I wont take too long to post it..

Melissa x

Gourmet Garden "Blog off/Cook off"

I decided to take part in the Gourmet Garden "Blog off/Cook off" not because I am particularly fantastic at either... but more because I love and appreciate anything that can make cooking the family meal quicker and easier...

So after receiving these little guys in the mail and direction that the meal didn't have to be anything fancy (phew!) I got busy making one of the family favorites...Lasagne..

Onion and Chunky garlic straight into the pan..

Add the mince to brown - no photo required... not very attractive!

add a tin of diced tomato and tomato pasta sauce

slice and dice zucchini and capsicum, throw that in too..

a good squeeeeze of Thyme and simmer away..

normally i buy bechamel white sauce but thought I'd show off especially for the occasion. Not really... just didn't have any.

So this was a basic bechamel sauce off Taste.com here

then layer upon layer upon layer - meat, sauce, fresh lasagne sheets... and so on..

Sprinkle the top with cheese.. in the oven at 180 until the cheese melts..

I got side tracked and left it in the oven a little long, so it was nice and super crunchy!

Kids loved it = big red stained grins!

I'm sure you all know how to make Lasagne... honestly... the Thyme, real bechamel sauce and fresh pasta sheets made such a difference.. and so quick and easy!

Just having a lovely quiet weekend at home this weekend..Long overdue... Pajamas until 12pm this morning, houseworking and fluffing... Fire lit and uggies on - ready for a quiet night in...

Melissa xx

a week in i phone snaps

The past week in pictures...

Loving up Instagram.....I can be found now at whiteverandah..

playing along again with fat mum slim and the photo a day challenge..I'll see if i can actually make it through for the entire month..

Happy cold day all..

Melissa x

blackboard pebbles

 I have one tin of blackboard paint... And nothing is being spared from my brush...

I have had this bucket of pebbles for so long.. I posted about them long ago and how much I loved them, and how i would do something with them...

They are now blackboard pebbles... well some of them, because I just love them so, all natural..

the girls painted their own little blackboard pebble

so much fun to draw on...

they are sitting in the kitchen awaiting some more words...

We are going to make them "chore" pebbles..

Yet to name these little white buckets...

But they will be named..and when the girls do a "chore" they will write it on the pebble and put it in the bucket..

Good way of adding up who has done what and pocket money payment..

Well. good in theory...will see how it works..

Otherwise the pebbles will just be lying around waiting for someone to write something inspirational on them..

Either way.. better than these gorgeous little pebbles just sitting around in a bucket.

Hope your enjoying this cold miserable day!

This is the view out the kitchen window today...mud as far as the eye can see...

We just had the backyard leveled.. but the plumbers are back finishing off the storm water.

The sun flower has again avoided destruction..

Standing tall still

Happy Wednesday xx

Melissa x