Here are a few of my favourite things...

One of the best things about taking Halfpenny Home out and about to a craft fair is the packing up of all our most favourite things...this Aspalls bag has been used an awful lot and not always just for the lovely Aspalls Cyder bottles it was originally designed to carry - it's also perfect for transporting the handpainted knitting needles that we love using!

It was my turn to choose which of our favourite goodies from HH HQ I wanted to take along to the Saint's Fair in Ipswich, a BRILLIANT craft fair organised by the rather wonderful Jess and Chris combo imakefunstuff - it's always a lot of fun!

As you can see I decided to show off just some of the ribbons, ric rac and trimmings that we have along with some rather wonderful Knit Collage and Gedgrave Flock yarns!
It was lovely to meet people that had read about Jacqui and I in the EADT piece by Steven Russell 'The Tweeter and the Tax Investigator' BUT the highlight (for me!) was meeting up with a fellow Tweeter @katiewardwriter ! Katy has just had her first novel Girl Reading published and as we are all local writers Ipswich Waterstones have been so very supportive and organised events for us!
Twitter brings the most unlikely people together - crafty girl meets a proper author! Katie is as lovely in real life as she is on Twitter! (as this bit of the blog is all about my obsession with twitter I should add a :-) right about now...) as I also met up with @katyark who I have met a lot in real life but didn't realise she was her...and she dodged the camera, tsk!

Look at those scrumptious yarns...irresistable!

The other great bit of Sunday was that on arrival I found that the HH stall was right next to a great friend of both Jacqui and I! Anita is a glass blower and she runs amazing workshops where you can transform old glass into beautiful pieces of art for your home!

Some of the fantastic cheeseboards that Anita makes from old wine bottles.

All this socialising and chatting about craft can build up quite an appetite but I never bother with taking along a picnic (unusual for me!) for the Saint's Fair as the food on sale there is always fab!

The lovely stallholders even delivered...

What a lovely day, Nic x

Simple Pleasures- Comfort Food

As we are completely immersed in our Winter with the cold and often rainy days then to be followed by some beautiful sunny blue skied days we just seemed to have a need want for what I call comfort food and yet a SIMPLE PLEASURE as well.

Now there is nothing more comforting on a cold wintry night to have some warm, smooth homemade custard and I would love to share the recipe with you. This is a recipe I have had for many years and it ALWAYS turns out.
Now I always make two jugs for our family of 14 and we love to have it with canned peaches.

Beautiful Custard~
Ingredients:
2 eggs
6 tablespoons of white sugar
3 heaped tablespoons of custard powder
3 heaped tablespoons of  cornflour
8 heaped tablespoons of milk powder
2 liter jug for stirring ingredients

Method:
1. Put sugar, custard, cornflour and milk powder into a jug and mix
2. Add eggs and mix in
3. Add cold water in very small amount and stir until it forms a FIRM not a runny mix.
4. Beat until smooth with a spoon
5. Boil water and pour into mixture in one continual stream STIRRING THE WHOLE TIME and afterwards for a couple of minutes.
6. If for some reason it isn't thick enough just put in the microwave for one minute ( I have done this maybe 3 times in over 10 years)

Another favourite amongst the family is Yorkshire Pudding once again it is a no fail recipe and no wonder as it is Tasha Tudor's form her Cookbook
We have this with our Stew recipe that is in this post

Yorkshire Pudding by Tasha Tudor ~
1 cup plain flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. In a bowl mix together flour and salt, then gradually add the mild to make a smooth paste.(I actually use our Kitchen Aid mixer with the whisk attachment for the whole process including the eggs)
3. Stir in the eggs and beat for 2 minutes
3. Pour the batter into a pan with a little oil (do not skimp here) and bake for 20- 30 mins
4. Cut the pudding into squares and serve immediately.

I am joining in with Dayle for Simple Pleasures this week

Blessings to you and your homes,

Everyday Achievements or Natural Learning

Today was a day where we had very little 'real organised learning' today.

Over the last week especially we have not been following to the full our Homeschooling plans we have made. We have had the children's grandparents visiting and dear Anna-Lisa too.
Some days we have achieved some lessons and others have had appointments and just doing whatever we could  that day.

Today as I was outside playing basketball with the little ones and then looking at the activities they wanted to share with me I thought about the fact that while we were not 'officially' doing lesson work that the children had achieved some great things during the day, some of which I will list below:

Arwen learned to climb trees

Vellvin chopped a whole barrow load of wood for the first time and broke the axe handle, make two cakes and did do set lesson work as well as general home helping

Myffwyn started drawing in a sketch book, played shops which we all went to  and played in the trailer with Rogan, Corbyn, Moran and Arwen having dressed up in character.

Corbyn was building behind the shed a major woodworking project and played the trailer game too.

Rogan climbed in a tree and built a desk and shelf then proceeded to continue to  write the story he has been working on up in the tree.It is very high up and hard to see.

Autumn learnt about the 1920's era while doing some research for her 18th birthday theme party we are planning on. She was able to share this with us.

Autumn and Arwen also went on a nature walk and brought back 'leaf letters' (below) which have been written on (hard to photograph) for some of us.

Poor Saxon was sick in bed and so just slept and read when he was up to it.

Eden read some of the Redwall series books for the umpteenth time as well as some planned lesson work and general helping too

Anna-Lisa helped with  jobs and spending time with the little ones did some of her own school work she brought with her. Anna-Lisa also was creative with the Menu Board - writing out tonight's menu.

Moran made  the shop with Myffwyn  and did some drawing and the trailer game too. She also cleaned up the shop game mess completely with out help and without being asked. Moran also worked on climbing trees, this is a big achievement for her as she is scared of heights.

Mummy: well I  played basketball and soccer with little ones for a while, looked at all the children's games etc and spent most of the day settling Trahaearn which is why this is a shorter post. I am still trying to get him to sleep!

Kynan played on  his I -phone, he is on holidays anyway, chopped wood and helped me as well as with the younger children.

Of course Braedon was a work today.

So although we did not achieve much in the way of set curricula I can see as I start to categorise ( this is not a complete list) that we live a lifestyle that gives all of the children opportunity to learn through out the day and I am thankful that we life a  lifestyle that encourages the belief that.....

LEARNING IS A LIFE LONG PROCESS THAT WE LIVE EACH DAY

Blessings to you and your homes,

52, EYES OF BLUE...

Actually they're hazel...

But that doesn't rhyme does it?

Yesterday was my birthday...

I turned 52...

52...

Don't get me wrong, it really is just a number to me. I'm not bummed out, freaked out or burned out.

Really I am mostly amazed. How did I get to be 52?

My daughter~in~law asked me how it felt to be 52...

Well, pretty much like it felt to be 51 the day before...

I'm not getting older...

I'M GETTING BETTER.

Sticky Tape: or entertaining a two year old

Today Moran brought me her very much used and loved picture bible to put the cover back on it and re-attach the pages back into it.

As I was cutting sticky tape that I had stuck to the table to the right lengths Arwen came along and climbed up beside me.
To try to keep her busy (and not helping me) I handed her a pair of  scissors too and some paper.  However  she couldn't get the idea of cutting it yet.

So I got an idea, perhaps not an original one but it was inspired at the time.

I asked her to get some paper and then tore up some paper tape that just happened to be lying around near me too and then I stuck them to the little coffee table so she could just pick it up and stick it on her paper, a bit like stickers.

It actually provided a long time of entertainment for her and she had great fun putting them all on her paper and then pulling them off and putting on again.

Sometimes the simplest things are the most fun!!

Blessings to you and your homes,

Hearts for Home - 27th June ♥

 In today’s busy and aggressive society mothers at home are not given much encouragement to be committed to their role in being home.

In my weekly 'Hearts for Home' post I am encouraging myself and others to commit to thinking about what 4-6 things we can do each week to bring our thoughts, prayers and actions to keeping our 'Hearts for Home'.

I am praying that a spirit of gentleness, generosity in thoughts and time along with loveliness and grace would lead us to be all that God wants us to be.

I pray also that each person involved in 'Hearts for Home' would also pray for any others involved as well.

May you be blessed by this initiative. I pray it brings you and your family many blessings.

So each week list 4-6 things you will commit to that will keep your "Hearts for Home'.
Please leave a you name and a link to your blog (if you don't have one just leave your list in the comment box) and perhaps a comment so we can all see and encourage each other.

If you would like, add the 'Hearts for Home' logo to your side bar as a reminder of your goals.
May God Bless you this week.

♥ Please leave a link to your Hearts for Home Edition on the Mister Linky at the end of the post, so we can all come and visit.
I would also appreciate you linking back here too.☺ ♥ ♥

Enjoying our lives on the 27th June by doing ♥ ♥
First off -  please forgive me for not commenting and visiting last week to you all. I just did not seem to get it all together with spare moments and the baby.

We seem to be improving on Trahaearn's Colic with a natural remedy we have found. So try to monitor his reactions to this.........and hopefully get his little internal clock reversed as he thinks night is day and vice versa.

I am planning (with some help) for Autumn to go to Melbourne for a ball which she is very excited about.

Continue working on the Beret, now I have it worked out with Adrienne's and Bernadette's help.

Make some plans for Autumn's 18th birthday, which is hard as she has no set ideas or expectations.

Try to get the dentist appointments on time and keep our highly sensitive children, namely Corbyn and Moran calm for this time

Praying you all find peace and joy in your own homes this week,

2011 Goals – How are you doing?

Can you believe we are only a few days away from the half-way point of 2011? The first six months of this year have just flown past way too quickly. Summer is officially here and it won’t be long until another holiday season will be upon us. Yikes!

At the beginning of the year I participated in The Nester’s 2011 Home Goals Party. I am guessing many of you did too. You may remember instead of making a laundry list of things to buy and projects to complete around my house, I choose to create seven simple goals which focused on appreciating my surroundings and using what I already had to its fullest potential.

Since half the year is gone, I thought it would be a good time to revisit these goals to see how I am doing. More importantly, I also hope to inspire you to do the same!

Here is my list with an update of my progress:

Plan my garden before planting
I am happy to say this goal has been achieved. Instead of randomly buying plants as in years past, we have designated sections of the garden for herbs, vegetables, and ornamentals. It was worth the small amount of planning and I will continue to plan before planting from now on.

Use the herbs I plant
This one is in the “kind of category.” I have used some basil and a small amount of the oregano. The dill, cilantro, thyme and parsley, however, have been neglected. Time to get cooking!

Be a tourist in my own town
This is the goal on which I have made the least progress. I hope to remedy this during the coming summer months by taking advantage of all the local things my home town has to offer.

Organize and clean out
I have been doing a pretty good job. I started the year off with a bang by cleaning out a lot of unused items but have slowly let things return to normal. I need to regain my enthusiasm and continue where I left off.

Learn how to use my sewing machine attachments
I have played around with some of the attachments but as you can see from the picture above I definitely have a ways to go. I have to admit it has been fun seeing all the different stitches this old machine can sew!

Learn how to use my camera settings

My photo taking skills have improved as I have moved beyond the auto setting and I am now playing with the aperture setting. Next on the list is learning how to adjust the shutter speed.

Continue to remember a house is just a house. It is the people who live inside and the friends who come to visit which are most important.

I consider this to be my most important goal of the year. I try to remind myself daily to remember what is truly most special in my life.

There you have it. Overall I believe I am doing well but have room for improvement. Luckily there is still time as there are as many months ahead in 2011 as have already past.

So, how about you? How are you doing on your 2011 goals? I would love to hear the goals you have accomplished and the ones you need to start focusing on. Thanks for sharing!



Great Granny's Gift

First off I need to say.......isn't this the sweetest little precious boy??

Can you see that little smile and his little hands clasped together in excitement?

Trahaearn was given this lovely  aqua jacket beanie and booties for his birth present by his great Granny.
We have been blessed to have been given a similar gift for each of our children except  for one or two (I think)

Great Granny is turning 96 next birthday so I think this is a wonderful gift from the heart.

Blessings to you and your homes,

The String Of Pearls..............

I read this today from a friends Facebook page and was very touched by the story. I hope you are blessed as well ♥

The String of Pearls:

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

'Oh mommy please, mommy. Can I have them? Please, mommy, please?'

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

'A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.'

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, 'Do you love me?'

'Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you.'

'Then give me your pearls.'

'Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite.'

'That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night.' And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, 'Do you love me?'

'Daddy, you know I love you.'

'Then give me your pearls.'

'Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll.. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.'

'That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.'

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.

As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

'What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?'

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, 'Here, daddy; this is for you.'

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

Blessings to you and your homes,

GARDEN COTTAGE PRESS

So happy to announce that my GARDEN COTTAGE has been featured in STORAGE SOLUTIONS magazine!

Page 141, upper right corner. There it is, my little cottage! It even got a "best case" tag! I picked my copy up at Home Depot and was surprised that it has alot of good articles and suggestions in it.

Who would think all those years ago when it was built that magazines would find it worthy?

Pinchin' myself again.

Preparing for the Day

This morning as I was preparing for day, you know getting dressed before the baby needed me, I was pondering the preparations that I tend to make each day to achieve this physically.

Not the spiritual preparations that I need to sustain me each day but the outward side that is seen by anyone I come in contact with.

Now I know that we as christian women should not dwell too much on our outward appearance BUT I also believe we are ambassadors for Christ and that as such we should present our best physical appearance as well for most people will judge us on our appearance and we should give them some interest in seeing what it is about us that is worthy of note.

Now I also believe that as a home maker I spend most of my time in the home surrounded by those special persons God has placed in my life and as such I should present a worthwhile image to them as well.
For these are the most special people in my life and so I should dress and be well presented for THEM as much as I would for an guests or for going out into the world.

Most of the time I achieve this by wearing clothes that do not require me to get changed if I need to make a quick trip to town or if someone arrives unannounced on our doorstep. I wear shoes as well ( boots actually) because I feel incomplete with out my shoes on.

My wardrobe is by no means extensive or excessive: my standard of dress involves a skirt (usually quite long) a skivvy or long sleeved blouse in the winter or t-shirt/ shirt sleeve blouse in the summer.
I also wear a cardigan in the winter and have a lovely selection at the moment built up over some years.
I also have pull on jumpers (or sweaters for my American friends) that once again I have had for some years. When I am not breast feeding a baby I also wear dresses!
This for me is my 'uniform' so to speak. I add my apron when cooking and doing other jobs that require it and am quite content and even feel very homey and fulfilled in this 'uniform.'

I wear make up most days and am trying to get back into the habit of everyday. For many women this isn't a staple but for me it is one of those things where I feel more confidant and 'finished' with make up on too. I have had times when I let this slip and I know it when one of the younger children ask me if I am going out if they see me putting make up on.

When I have made all these physical transformations I feel ready to take on the day with all its challenges and all it's joys.
I am prepared for battle.

I feel that this is another area of LACE management for me because due to the  imperfect person that I am I find that the qualities that Trish asks us to adhere to, those being .........
Philippians 4:8 Whatever is..Lovely. Admirable. Cheerful. Encouraging. ~ LACE
that I am more able to stay focused on these qualities and share the positive that results from this with the precious and very dear people in my life.

I would ask you if you would share how you manage your LACE to be all that God has called you to.
Joining in Trish this week....

Blessings to you and your homes,

Yarn Along: 22nd June

Once again I am joining in with Ginny with Yarn Along this week.

I am crocheting a beret after dear Adrienne sent me a pattern to do this. I am making it for Vellvin in this lovely soft pink wool that I just love.

I am also attempting to sew up the knitted lamb I knitted for Trahaearn a while ago. I must admit the instructions for knitting up are a little hard for me to interpret, hence my ending up with a two legged lamb to start with and my having to un-sew it and start it again. The book I use for this is Toymaking with Children

I am continuing to read in bits and pieces the books still from last  week's Yarn Along. 
However I am starting The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosmary Sutcliffe. I have read this before many years ago and we as a whole family love the  series of these books BUT as we are eagerly awaiting the release of The Eagle on DVD  and I am just giving myself a reminder of the plot.

So once again I hope you enjoy seeing what we are creating in our home and visit the other interesting Yarn Along entries.

Blessings to you and your homes,

What I bought for $1.98

Like many of you, I enjoy seeing all the wonderful garage sale and thrift store bargains people purchase. It is amazing to me what can still be found with patience, a little bit of luck and imagination.

That being said, since I do not have a shop or an established way to resell, I try to only buy things which I can use and truly love. To me, a bargain isn’t a bargain if you are just buying something because of the price. So in all honesty, I do my best to limit yard sale and thrift store stops. However, every once in a while I do visit the local Salvation Army. Most times I leave empty handed but a few days ago I was lucky and found a few great deals.

Here is the brake down of my purchase - two silver-plated utensils at 10 cents each, one milk glass vase at 79 cents, and a large vintage ironstone platter for 99 cents. My grand total for the day was $1.98!

Not bad if I do say so myself!

Have you found any great bargains lately? If so, I would love to hear about them.

Linking up to:
Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous
Show and Tell Wednesdays at Blue Cricket Design
Whatever Goes Wednesdays at Someday Crafts

Hearts for Home - 21st June ♥

 In today’s busy and aggressive society mothers at home are not given much encouragement to be committed to their role in being home.

In my weekly 'Hearts for Home' post I am encouraging myself and others to commit to thinking about what 4-6 things we can do each week to bring our thoughts, prayers and actions to keeping our 'Hearts for Home'.

I am praying that a spirit of gentleness, generosity in thoughts and time along with loveliness and grace would lead us to be all that God wants us to be.

I pray also that each person involved in 'Hearts for Home' would also pray for any others involved as well.

May you be blessed by this initiative. I pray it brings you and your family many blessings.

So each week list 4-6 things you will commit to that will keep your "Hearts for Home'.
Please leave a you name and a link to your blog (if you don't have one just leave your list in the comment box) and perhaps a comment so we can all see and encourage each other.

If you would like, add the 'Hearts for Home' logo to your side bar as a reminder of your goals.
May God Bless you this week.

♥ Please leave a link to your Hearts for Home Edition on the Mister Linky at the end of the post, so we can all come and visit.
I would also appreciate you linking back here too.☺ ♥ ♥

Enjoying our lives on the 21st June by doing ♥ ♥

Trying to be patient in the time from 9pm on wards till the wee hours of the morning with our colicky little boy.

Enjoying the time with our visitors - Stephen's parents and Anna-Lisa who are with us for some time.

Work on the crochet beret I started on Sunday after the Baptism. Thank you Adrienne for the pattern and Bernadette for getting me started. Have I mentioned I love to crochet!!

I need to spend more time in my reflective time:prayer and bible reading. Finding time for this when Trahaearn is settled and I am not too tired is a struggle at the moment. So I need to be more attuned to finding snippets of time.

Look at at all the ways I can plan for a more self sufficient lifestyle and some more imaginative play equipment for the children

Praying you all find peace and joy in your own homes this week,

"Our Possum"

Well after some very interesting computer problems over the last two days, hence my absence again,  I just had to share these special photos of our little dumpling.

Don't you just love those big possum eyes he has????
So wide and trusting and loving.......I just soooooo love our babies.

After trying to get this photo- this is the best we could do.......
You know how it is they fall into a natural pose and you JUST HAVE to get a photo, it is so cute, and you finally get the camera loaded and by then the baby is not cooperating now.

He looked just adorable with his bunny rug over his head, just like a little Joseph from the bible but of course we couldn't get a great shot of this .

I will be back later with my regular Tuesday Hearts for Home Post

Blessings to you and your homes,