Our weekend update: part one

With such a busy weekend just gone I have decided to post about our weekend like this:

Part one: the birthday - five, footloose and fancy free.



Despite a late night at our wonderful school musical, Miss Moo Moo was up early and into our bed. When I wished her happy birthday she said,

"Look at my teeth Mum, can you see how big they are. They are very big now that I am five"

As is our usual birthday ritual, she opened her presents in our bed. A pile of dress-ups and some 'Angelina Ballerina' books.



Straight away Miss Moo Moo was into her dress-up's. The 'much wished for' ballet dress. A brides veil, a mermaid costume, some 1950's nana slippers and frilly pink 1950's brunch coat. All thrifted over the last month or so. She was over the moon.



Daddy made some special pancakes for the birthday girl.



Then we drove to Maleny and to the Maleny Dairies that was to be our outing for the day. It was really fun, but oh so very cold!

More about the Maleny Dairies tomorrow.



Before we went on our farm tour, we had some morning tea cupcakes in the car park.





After a wonderful morning at the farm we went to the nearby Maleny Cheese Factory for some cheese and into Maleny to find a sunny spot in the park. We sat here for hours protected from the icy, biting winds by the local library.

We enjoyed a simple, delicious picnic. Homemade zucchini slice and yesterday's cupcakes from home. Maleny cheeses: triple cream brie and tuscan cheddar, wood fire breads: a crusty white called 'snow cap' and a walnut and rye. A punnet of very ripe cherry tomatoes and sliced ham from the local butcher.



As I sat in the sun and watched the children happily playing, I savoured the simple food that I was eating. Happy in the fact that 80 percent of it had been produced within a kilometer of where we sitting.





After a long day the children both slept (yes slept!) in the car on the drive home. Home just in time for some quiet play and a bath before dinner. An easy barbecue of sausages and marinated chicken that had been requested, followed by cake.

Mr Moo's chocolate cake topped with coffee icing. We had to light the candles three times - you know what big brothers can be like. Eventually Miss Moo Moo got to blow out her own candles and we all enjoyed a piece of cake.

The perfect end to a perfect day.

Sustainable House Day

(this image is from here)

Don't forget today is Sustainable House Day. Go here to check out what houses are open in your area today (10am to 4pm).

We are off to have a sticky beak in a house near our place and then we are going to a food festival. YUM.

We are having a great weekend, I hope you are too.

Happy Birthday Miss Moo Moo

Miss Moo Moo turns five!

Miss Moo Moo : A time capsule of sorts for my baby girl. 
• You are my little princess. In quiet moments I watch you in awe. 
• You are mad for everything ballet, although you don't want to go to classes.

• You love, love, love to dress up.

• You love all things French: croissants, hot chocolate, baguettes and cheese, the Eiffel Tower, poodles. However you don't want a beret, you tell me that only artists wear them.

• You really like playing with baby Liesl (doll) You named her after Leisl in the Sound of Music. You love changing her nappy, feeding her and putting her to bed. Apparently she does a lot of poos and vomits.
• I love your bedtime routine - every night you get your favourite toy of the moment, have a drink and when you are tucked into bed, you ask me "What was your favourite part of the day?"

• I can't believe how smart and wise you are. Much smarter in life than me sometimes. My little teacher.

• I like to watch the determination in you face when you are trying to do something that you can't.

• In the middle of the night you sometimes get up to go to the toilet. You come to me and we silently do what we have to do, both of us half asleep, trying not to bang into the walls. The only words spoken are when you are back in bed and I am leaving the room. Deep from under the covers your tiny voice speaks: "Love you" It melts my heart every time

• I love watching old movies with you when the boys are not home. Funny Face and Singing in the Rain are your favourites right now.• I wish that you wouldn't change your clothes seven times a day.

• I love to secretly listen to you while you are playing with your barbies.

• You are desperate for me to make some more dolls clothes. You really like to dress up your dolls.
• You love all Disney Princesses: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Snow White. You often ask for your hair to be put up like Belle's.

• I love to see you playing with my dolls that I had as a little girl - Wendy the Wendy doll and Christopher the Cabbage Patch doll• I love your hair. I love how you wake up in the morning and it still falls beautifully. Actually I'm a little jealous

• When you watched the original Batman movie, you told me you liked Cat Woman and hated The Penguin. (just like me)

• You don't like it if I know all the words to a song and you don't. You ask me to stop singing and give me a funny look.

• I love to watch you dancing to the Flashdance LP. You know all the moves because I showed you once on you-tube.

• You make me laugh when you sneeze, you add a deliberate "achoo" at the end of your actual sneeze.

• I love that you little hand reaches out for mine as we walk along to school, at the shops or on a walk.

• You have just started to eat (some) salad, a month ago you only liked potatoes, pasta, bread and meat.

• You will often jump up from the dinner table and 'act out' an event or a feeling rather than just telling the story.

• You love to make funny faces.

• You sometimes laugh with a over the top, wicked laugh. You love the reaction you get from this laugh.

Happy birthday my lovely little princess.

One day until someone turns five

We have just finished decorating 30 cupcakes to take along to Kindy this morning. It is Miss Moo Moo 5th birthday tomorrow and I am the 'mummy helper' at Kindy today. So... let there be cake.

Miss Moo Moo had been very specific about the cupcakes: chocolate with chocolate icing and white sprinkles. After going to three shops (the things you do) the best I could do was pink and white sprinkles. She is a little worried that the boys won't want to eat them. One of her little friends, Master D, does not like pink at all and she is worried he won't want one. I am confident that he will.



I cooked the cupcakes yesterday but half way through baking the power went off for hours, completely upsetting my day (no oven, no mixmaster, no phone, no computer, no re-heated lasagne for lunch and no cups of tea) I finished baking as dinner was being prepared. It was all too crazy to be decorating cupcakes before bed. But it is done now and we are ready for another busy day: Kindy, grocery shopping, school pick up, more cooking: baking and dinner and then we are out to a school concert tonight.

And sometime after all of that, I'd better wrap Miss Moo Moo's birthday present. Opps!

Olive Juice - so yummy

Katie Shorties



Buttercup Blouse

I am such a sucker for little girls clothing. Design Mom always seems to point me in the right direction for lovely 'little people' clothing. Today I discovered "Olive Juice Kids" through Gabrielle's blog.

I love the old fashioned simplicity of these gorgeous clothes. This is just a peek of their range, I love it all. I know for most of us reading, the cold weather is on it's way out - but there is always next year!



Elsie Skirt and Classic Wool Cardigan



Gabrielle Dress



Natalie Dress



Jacqueline Cardigan



Liam Topper



Claire Beret

To cute!

Happy Father's Day

Daddy, Spunky Monkey and Miss Moo Moo in their house (Spunky Monkey)


Daddy, Miss Moo Moo and Spunky Monkey having a water balloon fight (Miss Moo Moo)

Happy Father's Day Mr Moo, Poppy, Grandpa and Poppy Don.

We have just cooked daddy a 'boy' (read unhealthy) Father's Day breakfast. Our plans for the farmer's market followed by a simple picnic by the river are a little shaky due to the big black clouds that are hovering in a otherwise blue sky.

We will go now to the farmer's market and keep our fingers crossed.

I hope you enjoy a special day with the Dad's in your life. Sunshine or not!

I absolutely love the pictures that the children drew for Father's Day, both at separate times, kept private until we wrapped daddy's presents yesterday afternoon. Both of them had drawn only themselves, their brother/sister and their daddy. No mummy. That's OK. I love that they realize that this is daddy's special day. But that doesn't stop this mummy bursting with pride.

Today and everyday.

Spring!!

Last night when I woke up to Miss Moo Moo in the middle of the night, the soft, sweet scent of jasmine came drifting through my bedroom window to greet me.



Today I see that:

Spring has Sprung!

The sun is shining. We have happy 'sunshiny' music playing on the CD player - loud. We have been to the vegetable garden to inspect for slugs on the young lettuces. Miss Moo Moo has skipped off to Kindy in a floral dress.We have eaten apple pancakes.

A time for new beginnings. I love it.

(sorry about the slightly fuzzy photos, my camera seems to be on it's last legs - clunking and groaning into action most days. Santa if you are reading - a new camera is 'number one' on my christmas wish list)