Spring has sprung in the land down under!

About a week ago, I knew it was coming.

That time of year that is so bright & cheerful yet can be the most painful.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!!!

Now in our household, you know it is on it’s way when the eldest child sneezes all day, when she moves, when she sleeps basically 24 hours a day! This started about a week ago, no need for a calendar in this house. We know the seasons but the amount of sneezes!

I have done my best to not have any plants that irritate her hay fever but I can not say the same for the other houses in the area.

Here are some of the beautiful plants that are blooming in my yard right now

(that are low irritant!)

I have even given the blog a spring clean & changed the look!

A lot of lace lamp shade

There is a lot of cheap plain lamps around. These are a perfect starting point for something a little out of the ordinary. This is what I made for Georgia’s new bedroom.

This is what it started off as…….

It was just a plain lamp. It cost only $15 to buy & I already had the lace. Yes. I know, hard to believe that I may have an addiction to lace!

This is how I went about it.

I measured lines onto the lamp shade, 1 inch apart.

I then started hand sewing the lace onto the shade, using the lines as guides.

And this is what it looks like!

I had considered using fabric ruffles but Georgia uses this lamp to read by of  a night time so I still needed it to give off a decent amount of light.

She loves it because she said that it looks like an old fashioned dress. Georgia’s favourite thing in the world id pretty dresses so it is perfect for her!

Cheats Chicken Casserole

So this morning when I was wondering what to cook for dinner, I really did not feel like cooking a big feast that would take hours of preparation & cooking.

To be honest, I just couldn’t be bothered!

Aha! I had one of those light bulb moments!

I have been hearing a lot about a Cheats Chicken Casserole & I have been meaning to try it for years but I have never got around to it. I even brought the main ingredients a couple of weeks ago.

(luckily they are tin food & keep well!)

The main ingredient is, of course, chicken but the secret ingredient is a tin (or 2) of cream of chicken soup.

The recipe that I cut out of a magazine many years ago, calls for 1 tin for every 1 large chicken breast.

I have used 2 chicken breasts & 2 tins of soup.

Now all I did was throw the diced chicken breasts into the slow cooker this morning with the 2 tins of soup & I can tell you, it smells so yummy!

I opened the lid to the slow cooker just before the girls got home from school so I could throw in a cup of peas & a cup of corn (both the frozen kind). When the walked through the door, they made a beeline for the kitchen with a chorus of “What smells so good?”

I am going to throw in a handful of fresh herbs from the garden & serve it with some yummy creamy mashed potato.

Now, I would love to show you a picture but it seems as though that nasty fairy has been in the house & moved the camera & now I can’t find it anywhere!! You will just have to take my word for it that it is super easy, super delicious & that you should try it for yourself! (if you haven’t already heard of this cheats chicken casserole!)

Home, recharged & ready for creativity again!

Well, we are home. The hardest part about having a holiday is that it seems to end too soon. So we loaded up the car & headed back but not before promising the manager of the resort that WE WILL BE BACK!! It would not be a holiday without forgetting to bring something back, well, we left garage at the resort full of pool toys! The car was way to big to fit in the garage (joys of owning a massive 4wd ute!) so we used it to store all the pool toys so we didn’t have to keep taking them back up in the lift!


Here is a few photo’s of our time at the beach……

We are already counting down till we return!

Day 1 of the girls getaway!!

Well, today we arrived at our destination.

Georgia was so excited to go for a swim that she jumped in with her clothes still on!

After a few solid hours of shopping before we checked in, I needed to relax & put my feet up.

It was lovely to sit on the balcony & watch the goings on….

The kite surfers spending the afternoon in the waters just in front of the resort……..

The cargo ships cruising past…..

And now I am going to top off the day with a cruiser or 2 & some yummy strawberries…..

While the girls are enjoying foxtel……

Looking forward to a nice sleep in & then spend the day at the beach & find somewhere yummy to go for dinner.

Whatever you are up to this weekend……Enjoy!!!

The versatile blogger award! Yes, ME!!!

WOW!!!! I have just gone through the million & one emails sitting in my inbox & came across this lovely email from Kissed by a frog 
 
Thank you so much for linking up with the Frog last week! It means so much to me! I hope you will join the party tomorrow! Plus, I am giving you the Versatile Blogger Award so stop by and check it out.
 
I was so very honoured! I have not heard of this award before so I was very chuffed to read that Kissed by a frog thought that I was deserving of this award.
Here are the rules for this Award:

Rule number 1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
 
Thank you so very much Jenni!! I needed to hear something good today & this was just what the Doctor ordered! Thank you

 
Rule number 2. Share 7 things about yourself

 
1. I am addicted to fashion!!

2.  If I don’t sew at least once a week I can be known to go a little crazy!!

3.  I started blogging just to share what I had been cooking & sewing but now I feel so comfortable with my blog followers that I feel I can blog a little more about my personal life.

4.  I am addicted to chocolate & Oreos! That is why I have so many chocolate & Oreo recipes on the blog!!

5.  I love summer! I really, really love summer!

6.  I am still scared of thunder storms in though I am in my 30’s (ooops, I just admitted that I am in my 30's!!)

7.  I may be married to an interstate truck driver but I have no sense of direction!

 
 
Rule number 3. Pass this award along to 15 recently discovered blogs (contact them to let them know).

 
These are the top 15 blogs that I have found & love to read….
 
Whoa Mumma  a blog that makes me smile!

Tater tots & jello  a blog that is full of great ideas

Made it on Monday  a great DIY fashion blog that inspires me

Retro Mummy  Corrie does not know this but she is the one who inspired me to start blogging!!

Vintage sheets for her love of all things vintage

Shanty 2 chic WOW, what this woman can do is amazing!!

Happy Together  A lot of my inspiration comes from this blog.
 
Here are some more,

Craptastic
Violet le Beaux
Lil luna
Sew much a do
Sew stylish Boutique
Cup cakes for Alice
Sew pretty dresses
A little delightful

Thank you to all the blogs mentioned above for adding a little bit of fun, creativity & sparkle into my life!

Mothers need a break too!

When was the last time you gave yourself the day off for your own mental health? I think as mothers/wives/life partners/girlfriends,  we all need to look after ourselves a little better. Now, I know that we still have our things to do. We can not just leave the children to fend for themselves (although some days it may seem like a good idea!). We still have to feed them, nurture them & be there for them. But why can’t we just pack them off & take an adventure. Where would you go? How about going to the country & finding a little hotel/motel/bed & breakfast/farm stay in a little country town?

Or going to the beach, finding a lovely apartment/hotel/resort/cabin in a caravan park near the water?

I have got you thinking now, haven’t I?


Well I am no longer thinking about it, tomorrow, I am doing it! I have booked 2 nights away at the beach for my chickadees & me. A girls only weekend. Just Mum & the kids. As the title of my blog goes, Sew, Cook, Laugh & Live, I need to spend time laughing & living again. It may just be what the Doctor ordered. I need to feel the sand in my toes, the wind in my hair, the salt water on my skin & let the sun recharge my batteries.  I think I should look at doing this every couple of months. Not on school holidays when there is a million & one people but just a normal weekend when everyone else is working, cleaning & all those things that we just have to do. It doesn’t need to be a 5 star resort, it could even be in a tent in a caravan park if that is all the budget allows. The point is, it is a get away. It is away from the house.


Most men get to go away a lot. They could go to the pub, play sport with their mates, fish, golf or even work away like the man of our house does. So why can’t women? I would love to see more women do this. Before we had kids, girls nights out or weekends away were allowed but it seems that when you become a Mother, they stop. Life get too busy, you feel like you are always treading water.

So go on, what are you waiting for????

Down in the vegie patch, again!

Over the last months, my veggie patch has seen better days. I had become so caught up in the house renovations & I had neglected my garden. I had used all the herbs up, let the eggplant go a bit too long & had paid no attention to the patch’s needs. I needed to do something. On Sunday, I spent under $20 at our local market & brought enough herbs to fill the patch. I find that buying from a local market is a lot cheaper than buying from a shop or nursery. Most of these plants are grown in the same climate as where you live so you can be pretty sure they will grow well in your garden. These are my staple herbs.


















































Every year, just before spring, I like to plant a new fruit tree. This year I brought a black mulberry tree. As a child, my brother & I used to pick mulberries till our hands were stained purple! I love the taste of mulberries when they burst in your mouth. I hope my children like them as much as I do!




Now is the perfect time to plant your herbs & vegies so what are you waiting for!