Nursery Spruce Up

Cot sheet trimmed with Black Skipping Boy fabric from Sprout Design

Box covered in faux fur is a great space to store things out of sight

Wall Decal from Wall Allure

Recently I have had a little time out from Tees 2 Knees and despite not having a huge amount of time to spare I did find some time to get a little creative and spruce the boys rooms up for a very little amount of money and given that I was pretty happy with the final outcome I figured I may as well share them and maybe inspire others to get creative in the process.

For anyone who hasn't heard of Sprout Design then you don't know what you are missing out on. I purchased some the the very adorable skipping boy fabric in black and used it to trim a lovely set of crisp white cotton sheets for Monty's cot.

The walls of Monty's room were spruced up with a delightful decal from Wall Allure which I just love and my beautiful mum helped me recover a very daggy old rocking chair that despite not being very stylish just so happens to be super comfortable and works a treat to get an unsettled child off to sleep in the middle of the night. Practicality over style in this case unfortunately.

An old wooden box belonging to my grandfather was also recovered with some faux fur and it has proven to be a great space to hide all sorts of things away and out of sight and the artwork on the walls were easily created with a little inspiration, cheap canvases and bright paints.

Anyway it is not magazine material but it is a practical space that is bright and fresh which we love.

Kitchen Chaos

My husband and I recently renovated our home which included a new kitchen fitout and removing and relaying new tiles. It was such a learning experience for both of us and as we discovered a renovation can be a nightmare. We encountered numerous hiccups, three of which I could declare as major. Not only this we also welcomed the arrival of our newborn Monty in the midst of it all adding a whole other dimension to the mix of things. Thankfully there were no issues with his arrival.

The experience was character building to be polite and I secretly shed some tears along the way as a means of ventilation and frustration. The outrageous levels of hormones circualting in my body probably didn't help the cause however I think I did okay.

We are really happy with the final outcome and still have some finishing touches yet to make but I think we achieved what we wanted to achieve - an open and caual space that was practical and functional. We really wanted to make the kitchen a central point to gather in our home so the incorporation of an island bench with an open space to casually dine, laugh and chat around was how I thought I could do this.

One thing I did learn about this experience is that what makes a home or space beautiful is not acutally what material things are in it but the experiences and people that fill it and that is why I cannot wait to sit around our island bench as a family with our two beautiful boys and hear about their tales of adventure over a beautiful meal. That in combination with our beautiful qld climate and the beautiful sunshine that filters through the bifold window on a cold winters morning is something we are enjoying very much.

Zuchinni Bread

I couldn't help but share this delightful creation which I made yesterday for lunch. After reading the recipe which I discovered on 101 Cookbooks I couldn't resist making it out of curiousity. A combination of ingredients such as curry powder, crystalised ginger, vanilla extract and zuchinni left me wandering if this was a savoury or sweet bite. Having made it for lunch I was leaning toward it being savoury but turns out it was a lovely sweet loaf much like a banana bread and can i say the flavours were amazingly delightful on the palate. So much so that i followed up with a second helping and so to did my 2 1/2 year old. Well it was just out of the oven after all and there is seriously nothing better (any excuse). Try it for yourself and see what you think. I think it will becoming a regular on our baking list as it also proved to be a tasty start to day toasted with a little fresh ricotta and maple syrup drizzled over the top.

Little Monty Moo

Honestly I am not sure where the year has gone but as part of it we welcomed our new son Monty William into lives. He arrived on a Saturday evening and added a sparkle to the end of our not so pleasant week that we had been having. He is now eight weeks old and despite being sleep deprived and still trying to figure out a routine and adjust from one child to two and the extra workload that comes with it I am enjoying him greatly. Not sure whether at this stage he is a better baby than my first or if I am a little more relaxed with motherhood the second time around.

When Things are Clean

There is something ever so nice about having things neat and tidy. After tidying my working area the other day everything just seems a little clearer -- I think!

Hope that everyone out there had a great Xmas and New Year. Looking forward to 2009 and looking even more forward to not being pregnant after April. In saying that however, that is when the real work will start right!

Healthy Kids

Our busy lifestyles and the convenience of prepackaged foods have made it easy to fill our kids up on some not so nice things which contain artificial additives and preservatives so with the New Year here and the beginning of a new school year fast approaching we thought it appropriate to share some healthy snack and lunch box ideas and do a bit of research into what really is in our food.

Slices of Fruit
Banana Slices Coated in Coconut
Dried Fruit (Apricots, Sultanas)
Fresh Dates
Frozen Fruit
Roasted Veges
Vege Sticks with Hummus/Cottage Cheese or Avocado
Raisin Toast
Pikelets with Ricotta and Honey
Rice Cakes with Vegemite
Weetbix and Honey
Jaffles filled with Baked Beans, Tuna,
Sandwiches – Egg and Lettuce, Ham and Salad, Peanut Butter (if no peanut allergy)
Mini Pizza on English Muffin
Cheese and Dried Fruit
Lavash Bread Roll Ups with Hummus, Grated Carrot, Cheese and Avocado
Frittatas or Vege Slices
Yoghurt with Extra Fresh Fruit
Baked Potatoes filled with Tuna, Creamed Corn or Baked Beans
Fruit Smoothies

Of course there are heaps more great things to put into our kids mouths so if anyone out there would like to add their suggestions then please feel free.

In terms of additives and preservatives if you are feeling confused then take a look at this site for some clarification http://www.fedup.com.au/ Here you can download some really useful information to help decipher what all those numbers mean on the food ingredient list and most importantly which ones to avoid.

Whilst visiting this site consider taking part in the Kids First Campaign which is a bid to demand Australia’s Food Standards Australia New Zealand follows the UK’s lead and puts consumers first by banning six additives in question from Australian Food. Additional information linked to this was recently featured on Sunrise and clearly outlines the colourings in question.

Also an Australian List of Foods which contain the nasty colourings in question can be found by following the below link:

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/features/colours/colourfoods.htm

Please feel free to make commnet about this topic as i would to hear about some of your thoughts and experiences.

Merry Markets

Market Stall

What a great day the BrisStyle markets turned out to be and the setting was just lovely despite the opressive heat. The leafy courtyard where I was situated was such a quaint and intimate setting - perfect for this style of market. And I have to say that the quality of craft on offer was superb and rather impressive as were the lovely ladies that makeup the BrisStyle Group. We are definately looking forward to the next one that

is for sure. But for now we will leave you with some photos of our stall.

Orange Doggy Woggy and Lenci Ladybird Tees