Do you need to go on a Yarn Diet too?

I came across this video today via here,

I had a good old chuckle. 

I thought I'd share it here so you can have one too!

Happy Sunday to you and yours!

around here lately

*some snippets of recent happenings around here:

an evening by the bay waiting for that big ship

a date night with my Mr

a crocheted granny vest

a morning spent teaching a friend how to crochet a granny square

knitting another wash cloth

harvesting potatoes

an early morning walk with my big girl

a tv-free night finishing off small projects

enjoying the evening rain and thunderstorms
watching bees at work

breakfast with my smallest

and loving every minute.

What have you been up to?

vintage sheet parcel

My return parcel of vintage sheet FQ's arrived earlier this week.
Just look at this rainbow of loveliness;

This fabulous stack has made my vintage sheet stash just that little bit extra special and bigger!
My mind is abuzz with thoughts and ideas of what to make with these beauties, I am hoping that I will find the time to start the first idea this weekend.
Thank you again Kel for your time and energy in running this fantastic swap!

chilli

The chillies have been generous in their production, unlike other things growing in the veggie patch this summer.

I did a little Internet searching for a chilli paste recipe (mentioned in this post) and came across an easy Sambal Oelek paste. I honestly thought that I had enough chillies, however my home grown chillies are very light in weight and this recipe calls for 200gms of chillies!! So I did need to purchase a small amount.

Ingredients:

200grams red chillies

1 cup water

1 tspn salt

1 tspn sugar

1 Tblspn white vinegar

1 Tblspn oil

Method:

Place de-stalked and roughly chopped chillies into a pan with water.

Bring water/chillies to the boil and reduce to a low heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

Place the chillies/water into a food processor, add other ingredients and blend until finely chopped.

I also made Sweet Chilli Jam. 

This one is a favourite and has become a regular on my stove top.

Ingredients:

1kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped 

500g sugar

3 Tblspn lemon juice

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

6 long red chillies*, sliced (leave the seeds if you like a bit of heat)

2 tspn salt

Method:

Place the tomatoes and sugar into a large bowl, cover and leave overnight at room temperature.

Transfer this mixture into a large pan and add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat, simmer mixture for approx 1 hour or until a nice thick consistency.

Place into sterilized jars and seal.

*I use my home grown small chillies and use approx 12-20. 

Enjoy!

How do you use up your chillies?

Swap Parcels

This afternoon the Postie delivered a little package! 

I have been looking forward to receiving this parcel with great anticipation!

I received the most gorgeous gifts!

I love the angel wash cloth - it is very special and I am not sure I want to use it to wash the dishes with! 

Also in my swap parcel was some lovely handmade soap, a gorgeous printed napkin, and the cutest little Christmas charm! 

Thank you very much Jenni - your gifts are very special! 

Thank you to Jodie for organising a great swap!

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

I posted about my swap items here.

And here is a picture of the gifts that I sent to my Swap Partner.

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

I really enjoy participating in swaps. 

Do you participate in swaps? 

Do you know of any swaps that have sign ups happening?

I will be on the look out for a good swap or two in the New Year!

* * * * * * * * *

Bestie's Blue Keepsake...

Something special for a Bestie who is turning 10!

A lightweight blanket to provide years of comfort and warmth.

Abbey chose the colour scheme and with the Bestie in mind, together we picked out some lovely material.

We hope the Bestie loves it as much as Abbey and I do!

R & R

............................ on a sunny spring Sunday afternoon,

Hope you have had a lovely weekend!

knitted tunic

A quick and easy knit, perfect for this time of the year! 

I love it!

You can find the details here on Ravelry

Today

On this gorgeous sunny winter's day, I'm loving;

little hands catching rainbows in my kitchen

avocado and tuna for lunch

using my home-made citrus cleaner for the very first time

watching this beauty opening up

washing drying outside in the sun!

almost ready to eat broccoli

water droplets on a cabbage leaf

discovering the first snow pea

freshly spread mulch

time playing outside

a cup of tea and a bit of knitting. outside!

What are you loving today?

Hummus Recipe

I made my first batch of Hummus and I am kicking myself for not making it before!!

It is delicious, so much better than the store-bought hummus!

This Hummus is SO good - you really must make some for yourself!!

Ingredients:

400g tin chick peas (I used dried chick peas - soaked and pre-cooked by me - approx 300gms)

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons  Tahini

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

salt and pepper

juice of 1 or 2 lemons

1/2 - 1 cup olive oil

Place chick peas, garlic, cumin powder, salt & pepper into your food processor. 

Turn processor on and pour in lemon juice first, then drizzle olive oil in. 

Blend until smooth.

* if your hummus is too thick you may need to add more lemon juice or olive oil. (I tweaked mine with a little of both several times until I was happy with the flavour - I like mine with a bit of twang- and consistency.)

Place into a bowl and pour a little olive oil over to prevent Hummus drying out.

Enjoy!

It's chilly outside....

but this is where I've spent my Saturday afternoon;

Enjoying 2 of my favourite things,
and unwinding in preparation for Mother's Day tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful Mum's out there!

x

First Fire

Autumn.

The most perfect sunny days and cool nights.

My favourite time of the year.

We lit our first fire this Easter/ANZAC day long weekend.

It was lovely.

 Little Miss Mischief got up to this;

and also a little too much of this!

Abbey went camping - her first time out in the bush for 3 nights!

These are some photos she took with her camera.

She loved it. We missed her.

The tomatoes were pulled out, and new seedlings put in.

 I am a little proud of my home-made climbing frames for the snow peas. 

I found the wire on a nature strip - 3 large pieces!  Some one's trash was definitely my treasure.

All I had to do was slip a wooden stake through the wire and I had 3 frames for climbing vegetables!

Leeks, swede, cabbage, turnip, and snow pea seedlings in amongst the broccoli, onions, lettuce, spring onions, and beetroot.

Garlic was also planted out. 

I also had time to do a bit of this.

and this...

yes, 2 on the go at once!

I like a bit of variety....that's my excuse anyway....