Freedom.....

....and free stuff.  We all love free stuff, and quite frankly, this big family needs to find the free and the beautiful things in the world.  The things that are so simple, you don't think of them.  My kids don't need big holidays,  they don't need expensive presents.  They don't need anything too much.  Just a bit of time, energy and attention.  They would trade all they had for a few hours of board games in the evening with Mama and Daddy.  They would pass up all the theme parks in Australia for a day at the beach.  They would say 'no thanks' to McDonalds, for a family picnic in the garden.  They would take free every time, and thank goodness for it, because with our 'Waltons' sized family, we couldn't afford life any other way.

Last weekend we took ourselves off to a park that we had heard about.  There was a 'free' petting zoo there, we were told, and it sounded just up our street.  Unfortunately, it was my mistake for not understanding that it wasn't just a 'lone Zoo' amid a park.  When we arrived, to our horror, there was a huge Fair, with rides and stalls, lots of things to buy and do.  We traipsed our kids through the middle of it, $6 a ride and only about $5 in our pockets - nightmare!  We couldn't find the petting Zoo amidst all the activity and  David was all for hot-footing it as fast as he could out of there... we almost did.  But then it occurred to us, the park!  The whole reason that we had decided to come, was still here, and it was free.  So we stayed, the kids played I think they had more fun then they would have had for the 1.5 minute ride that cost $6 each.

I'd like to say that we all went home, satisfied with our 'free' - but in actual fact, David couldn't quite shake the 'guilt' and ended up treating them to a Daddy date night at the cinema too.  Once in a while is fine though, and Shrek 4 is really cool! :)

April Babies & Little Mothers

The number ten is a very important and special number to me.  My little tiny, brand new elf-ling sister was born when I was ten years old.  I remember it as though it were yesterday.  The anticipation as we watched our Mothers belly grow and actually thought she might pop, and the agony of the wait, the day she went into the hospital.  My first gaze at her, my first hold as I cradled this tiny little piece of perfection in my arms, her shock of dark thick hair and sweet baby smell...it changed me in a heartbeat.  Something inside me, that until then, I had never known existed, was born along with my baby sister.  I couldn't take my eyes off her, didn't want to leave her, would be the first to hold her, comfort her and keep her safe.  I would push her in her pram, feeling so very proud and privileged.  Her first words, first steps, her husky voice calling me Emmie, even her terrible two tantrums, I loved it all.  The years have rolled by, and we have grown into proper sisters.  I have my chance to be not just a little mother to her, but a sister and a friend, the age gap has closed and we are the same.  Deep down, I will always feel so protective of her, want to keep her safe, and see that little blonde girl with her sweet baby smiles and her arms so tight around my neck.  She was my special girl, and she still is.
Daisy and Lucy are so similar, with the same age gap, the same bond.  It's Em and Fona all over again.  They have something special that is so pure and lovely.  There really must be something about the number 10, and as I watch them in the garden, playing, laughing, cuddling, and I am reminded of two other little girls, many years ago.....

Garden Sprites

When I was a little girl, I spent hours in the garden, with my sister.  We had our very own version of home made perfume, taught to us by our Mother, and aptly called, 'stinky whiff'.  We would fill little jars with water and add whatever petals were available in the garden at the time, maybe a few leaves for good measure.  We dreamt, we created and we lived in our little worlds of make-believe.  Hours we spent, decorating swings with garlands of wild flower, making mud-pies, and  foraging for chives, nasturtiums petals or seeds to chew on until our breath stank and tongues were hot.   We turned chairbeds upside down, inside out, arranging them with crocheted  blankets and making tents out of them...lying there with the sun streaming through the gaps onto our little bodies.  Oh I long for those days sometimes...happy summers, just my imagination, my sister and I..
I watch my babies doing the same things, history repeating itself, little Emma and little Kate, discovering all that life has to offer.  All brand new for them.  Lucky lucky little girls, and their imaginations.

They run, they sing, they laugh, they play.  It's the beginning, just the beginning of some of the most amazing years of their lives, together.  They don't know it yet, but one day, they will.

 

Ssshhh!

After dragging my sweet girl into the garden today, to test the different settings on my camera, using the morning light, I managed to get a few nice pictures of her.  She wasn't too willing, although eventually obliged, with much eye rolling and sighing.  She would barely look at the end result and I see I have produced a daughter, about as confident as her Mother.  It's a shame, because its something that I've struggled with for years, and I wouldn't wish it on any of my children - but I think in this case, genetics have ruled.  Perhaps too, a little of it has rubbed off as she's watched me fight the big confidence fight.  One day I hope that she will understand exactly what she is, and manage to hold her head up and be really proud of it. 

And Ssshh!  Please don't tell her that I posted these, I'll be in so much trouble! ;)

Brand New Baby!

She's here, and I can breathe again.  Its been a tough few weeks, with no working camera to keep my spirits up.  I actually think I'm a camera-aholic!  I think I need to take myself down to a Camera's Anonymous meeting and declare my addiction, once and for all.  And how liberating it is to get my hands on such a nice piece of equipment.  Granted - I'm still learning, just getting a feel for her, but she's really quite spectacular.  The lenses are good, but not the best, and I'm now saving up for my 50mm, after which I will, (hopefully) relax and enjoy the ride....

So here are a few of my first test/trial pictures...not too shabby for a first time!

My cute widdle puddy tat!

And of course, I couldn't just stop short, at one of the little girls that I had kicking around the house today...

And here we are, the two of us...it was love at first sight - my brand new baby and me!

Banana-tastic!

We LOVE Bananas in this house - get through a ton of them every week, but it's nice to kind of shake it up a bit sometimes.  So today we made Banana Bread.  Not just 'plain old average Banana Bread' - oh no, we took it to another level!    Try this - if you dare! :)

And a few little people watched, waited and drooled.....

And now for the fun part....on loaf number two, we heated, poured and heated under the grill until hard, a delicious toffee crust....

And then, we devoured every tiny little last morsel of it...while still warm... Happy Days!

Indescribably Delicious Banana Bread
Batter
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Topping
6 tablespoons butter
10 tablespoons dark brown sugar
5 tablespoons milk
1 to 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
Cream butter and sugar. Mash bananas. Beat 2 eggs and add to bananas with vanilla extract and buttermilk. Mix well and add to creamed butter and sugar.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and beat well. Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until bread pulls away from sides of pan. Cool.
To prepare topping, melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar and milk. Cook until very syrupy. Remove from heat and add chopped pecans. Pour over bread, spreading to all corners; place under broiler until brown and bubbly. Watch closely, and DO NOT let it burn.

A Daughters Request

My little Poppy Princess, Poptart, Poopy, Pops, Poppy Doppy, she is a tender little flower sometimes.  Her Daddy has only been home a few weeks, and she is just beginning to centre her little self again, to get used to the idea that he's home. It's so hard on all the kids, but on a 4.5yr old, somehow it seems just downright cruel.  I watch her little face, big saucer eyes, and trembling lip whenever he leaves the house, and each time a little piece of my heart breaks with hers.  She runs around the house checking to see that he's still here, calling him and the panic on her little face if he's not there, is the saddest thing to see.  She's like a little fairy, so tiny, weightless, with her candy floss hair, husky voice and sweet heart shaped face.
She's had one request, before her Daddy leaves again this weekend.  She wanted a picture of them together, so that she could see him hugging her every day, even if she couldn't really hold him tight.  She gives the tightest, most passionate cuddles I've ever known a little girl to give, she puts all her might into crushing you with her tight, tiny little arms, and when you've been Poppy hugged - you know it!   I know that Poppy hugs are one of the things that her Daddy will miss the most.
So, yesterday, we made her request a reality and I did the best that I could to do them both justice.  They are framed and ready to be hung, Daddy's last 'todo' before he leaves us early tomorrow morning.

I've looked at these pictures over and over while editing them and choosing them, and I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to look at them enough, even though they'll be hanging on my wall.  And when Poppy feels extra sad, we'll look at them together,  while I'm giving her one of her Poppy hugs!