TEEF!!! TEEF!! TEEEEEEFFFF!!!

there's a really hilarious game that everyone probably knows called "Hovering Bunnies" (i started writing out the How To Play Rules, but am getting myself all foncused. so you'll just have to come over and play with us, and i'll get the kiddos to 'splain the unblonde rules)

(yep, Mouse is doing that nearly-seven-year-old "smiling face" that all the kids do) suffice to say that in the "Hovering Bunnies" Game, your teeth are supposed to be covered by your lips at all times (no smiling allowed)

(Mouse: that's my "constipated face") and if anyone gets a glimpse of your teeth, soon the whole group is pointing at ya with their elbows while chanting (through semi-closed lips) TEEF!!! TEEF!! TEEEEEEFFFF!!!

the next few days are the last time we're gonna see Baby Boy's Baby Teef Grin: cos his top two teef are very wiggly... and very soon we'll have to notify the Tooth Fairy... i'd better go check that there's room in the Tooth Keeper... (cos there were twelve brothers' teeth still there when the last one fell out! can you say, "Bad, Bad, Neglectful Fairy!"??)

cupKATEs

my friend ang has recently started making the most divine cupcakes and having champers-and-cupcakes parties. she's calling her business "angel cakes" and was desiring an apron to wear at speshal functions and at the local boutique craft markets.

so ang came up with an idea: would i like to make her a *cupcake* apron... and SWAP it for *two dozen* of these delectable delights...?
ummmm, let me think about that...
*snort*
ab.so.lute.ly.

so off i went looking... and looking... and LOOKING for fabric. i wanted something fresh and cupKATEy *cupcakey* to fit ang's brief of PINK AND PASTELS, and finally i found *exactly* what i was looking for... kaffe fassett.

*squeeeee!*

is that not THE most *cupcakey* fabric in the ENTIRE WORLD? ah yes, i think it is. it shrieks *lollies* and *sprinkles* and *flossy sparkles*... well... actually it shrieks the whole of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (minus Monsieur Wonka. give me Johnny-the-gypsy or Johnny-the-poirate, or even Johnny-the-freaky-psycho-writer, but DO NOT give me Johnny-with-the-chocklit-coated-grin).

so i gathered a few other bit'n'pieces and started snipping fabric and sewing and dreaming of all things sugary... spicy... oh so nicey and lookit:

the *angel cakes apron* (lovingly modelled by a tree at the park-over-the-road 'cos my resident model is weekending at her girlfriend's place) with:

pink chick "angel cakes" lettering

dinky pinky rick-rack and frills

a scalloped "icing on the cupcake" band
and "pink stripey lollies" waist ties

a lovely big pocket
for stashing little surprises

super-delish cupcake with lollies

i had so much fun making this apron. it's A-line like a skirt and oh! so! girlie! it's made for twirling around the kitchen with a glass of bubbly in hand, sneakily dipping your fingertip in the bowl of ganache - and i hope it inspires many many more delicious *cupcakes*.

"picking daisies" swarovski bracelet giveaway

the other day a *surprise* arrived for Katie-moi. it's from my friend Laura, who we used to hang out with in our previous life when we first started homeschooling, back when Lauz was a teenager studying "School CertifiKATE Ironing" bwahahahaha (soz about the flashback-joke) and now she's a deliciously-round-mummy about to meet bubba #3!!!

so, this package was delivered to our door and we opened it and found -*Lauz's fave fresh coffee beans
*a frangipani candle "to light the way"
*a beautiful silk-covered journal with recycled paper pages
*REAL swarovski crystals in a stash that Laura's creatively named *ocean spray*

never having handled a whole bunch of these expensive-ski beads before, i immediately thought - it's time to share the love... these are so delish we'll have to have a giveaway!!! so i found some *gorgeous* daisy-beads and some little blue and green seed beads and lookit:

a glittery daisy chain!!

actually i threaded two daisy chains: one for myself, and one for a randomly-picked winner!!!
just leave me a comment confessing the state of your lawns!!
here's ours:

(yep. full of my fave daisies.

i think we need to borrow a sheep.)

and i'll draw the *bracelet winner* on the first day of october.

***the picking daisies bracelet measures 7 inches (it fits perfickly on my 6-inch wrist with a little room to *twirl*) plus a 1-inch extension chain which has a wee daisy dangle! the bracelet is packed full of daisies and swarovski crystals and looks just like my spring-daisy-lawn lol***

sunset soup

early evening found us gathered around the wooden table outside in the setting sun for the first time this summer. we dined on colourful Sunset Soup and more Boysenberry Cloud Cake and we made our Birthday Speeches to Sambo, and i found myself counting my blessings:

curly girlie,
artiste, soulmate.

affectionate poet,
songwriter, lyricist.

musician, comedian,
everybody's friend.

darling tickly boy,
still with baby teeth.

mister and missus cheese,
hopeless romantics.

and i found myself longing for the bestest big brother in the whole of the world. cos for all my ravings that i'm so happy that he's found his groove and such a beautiful life,

i really, really miss his everyday presence
and intelligence and earthedness
and quirkyness and singer-songwritingness
and playfulness and charmingness
to the bright blue sky and back.

and it occured to me again just how thankful i am for this beautiful bubble i'm in: for shared sunsets, for silly conversations, for beach romps and movie lines and songs and general hilarity, for smiles and sweetness and squabbles and general aliveness, for all these amazing peeps who grace my life. it's so good.

BIRTHDAY BOYsenberry Cloud Cake

since he was a wee 'un, Sam has asked for Boysenberry Cheesecake every year for his birthday. (i've always thought that "cheesecake" is such a weird name for it, cos there's no cheese in it. i am gonna rename it... uh... Boysenberry Cloud Cake. oh, there's no clouds in it either?)
this is the *Katie Recipe*. i couldn't find my original recipe today so i made this one up from (my very-non-elephanty) memory. i couldn't find the cornflour either, so i used custard powder instead, and would-you-believe-it? it turned out much better!!!!! the instructions might look like a bit of *faffing about* but the making of this Boysenberry Cloud Cake truly takes ten minutes (plus or minus the surreptitious licking of the bowls) which is the same time it takes to make an oven cake and i *promise*, it is divinely delish and ALMOST-vegan bwahahahahahaha.

blitz 250g malt (or whatever plain or choc-coated) biscuits in the whizz
add 100g melted butter and blitz again.
press into springform pan (and up the sides a bit) and refrigerate.

beat two 250g tubs of cream cheese with
juice of one lemon and
1/2 c sugar and
splash vanilla essence
until smooth. pour onto biscuit base, gently spreading to edges and whang it back in the fridge.

drain a 425g tin of boysenberries and pour the juice into a saucepan.
whisk in 2 heaped tsp custard powder and 2 heaped tsp sugar.
gently bring to the boil, stirring all the time until thick.
remove from heat and gently stir in berries.
when cool, pour over top of cheesecake and hide in fridge behind anything healthy for two hours...
best enjoyed with a coupla mates (make sure you all smear icecream on your faces for the paparazzi), followed by a Birthday Stay-Up-All-Nighter Sleepover!!

The Bears and *katie's spring giveaway* winner

well, i learned a new word this weekend. i was leaving a tweet which said:

needing a sunshine fix, a surf fix, a sandy fix, a sunshine mountain fix. beautiful friends are staying the weekend - a kid count of 14 here

and my friend Laura (who's about ten years older than i am and about, oh, thirty years wiser; and uses words i've never heard before like "passel" and i use small uncompliKATEd words like, "How about lunch?" and "Help yourself, Pooh!" - guess the movie line) asked:

Kid count of 14! Wow! What are you feeding that passel of kids?

at which point i realised *HOMESKOOLING MOTHER ALERT!* cos 4 + 8 = 12 *duh*...

that is truly a passel of kids.

and these are our dear friends affectionately known as Mama and Fada Bear, (um... don't bother, we've all heard ALL the "*snort* Don't ya have a television?" etc jokes) and they are all off on a global trip. together. for a year. here. i'll say that again: Ten Bears plus Grandpa are off on a world trip. here.

so this was our last weekend together. we climbed mountains, saw a newborn sheep, ate a lot of food, played, chatted, sang and danced (well i did), watched a movie, read books aloud to each other (yeah, we're eccentric eduKATEd), and thoroughly enjoyed that passel of kiddos...

and wouldn't ya know it>>> a couple of that passel of kids got a rush of blood to their heads and CLEANED OUT OUR GARAGE... AND THE LINEN CUPBOARD!!!!!!!!! wowza. i *love* you girls.

which means that katie's *intriKATE spring giveaway* is finally announced:
courtesy of a very mathsy random number generator:
*blow me down with a feather*
#19 the rather talented Mrs. G.
(i know, i have stage fright. i wanted to re-randomise the draw, but my conscience elbowed me in the ribs)
please email me and Woozie's sewing machine shall work some magic and make a tote for your very own self. or maybe Mrs. G. needs some of her own apron strings? X

chocolate daisies

daisies are my favourite flower.
sara is an autumn girl.
two days ago the
*chocolate daisies* apron
flew off my sewing machine -
a retro mix of vintage spots
and rick rack and
ah, chocolate daisies.
and today The Secret Garden
was filled with sunshine
and cupcakes and girlies
and birthday wishes.
get a load of these cupcakes -
weddings/birthdays/celebrations...
*katie whispers*
i know a secret *Cupcake Angel*
and she is taking orders...

twirling awound and awound in sookles...

in the absence of anything remotely sensible (although a sensible diet is *hardly* what ya get around here) we have a sort of Cut-And-Paste-Part-Of-An-Email-And-Call-It-A-Blog-Post kinda post. except the PSs. the PSs i wrote speshally for here lol:

ha!!! i've had one of THOSE days where ya arrive at the gym rather late and so there's only the cross-trainer left... at which point ya get the blonde-brainwave to do *thirty* minutes non-stop on the blessed machine... and nearly need a resuscitation... then ya *forget* to put the whole week's rubbish out at the gate... and have to negotiate food shopping at push'n'shove *without* the list cos ya've lost it... and can *not* remember what ya wanted... and ya get to the hair cutters with three-would-be-styley-lads... but the hair cutters send ya home again to wash yer kids' hair... and so ya arrive home again to find that it's STORMED on two loads of today's washing *and* the day-before-yesterday's washing too... and so you sort of drift aimlessly from pile to pile... until ya decide to make mushrooms in lime-infused avocado oil... and then ya remember dinner... so ya whang poh-tay-tohs (which y'are gonna be avoiding) into the oven... and think about making a delish greek salad to go with (cos ya did remember *those* ingredients at push'n'shove)... while the other oven that ya sprayed three weeks ago and *still* haven't wiped out continues its self-cleaning manoeuvre... and you go off and sew another apron... X

PS i know i *say* i'm only writing to myself here, but please oh please tell me you know *someone* else out there who has days like this too?

PPS huge apologies for my lack of Return-Comment-Love here lately... i have only uncountable *blonde* excuses... i'll endeavour to be a sweet reciproKATIE today X

ain't that the truth

i'm so upset. one phone call.
we've been with the same insurance company for nigh on twenty years and made one? or two? insignificant claims. so, in february i check with them if Danny will still be covered under our existing contents policy while at university, living away from home. sure, no problem.
fast forward six months - he loses his prescription glasses at uni.

we check the insurance policy which says
"no excess on vision correcting spectacles, hearing aids and dentures"
he comes home mid-semester and we go to the optometrist for replacement, and pay the extra $55 for the eye test, cos it's been a year since the last one.

we fill in the forms.
two days later the optometrist phones to say that the glasses are ready in record time. love that speed. and this morning the insurance company phones with THE FREAKING FINE PRINT...
if the glasses were lost in The Sunny Bay - the insurance company would pay the full amount.
if the glasses were lost in The Big Smoke - we pay $300 "living away from home" excess.
like, HELLO???

the moral of the story - honesty pays.
it's not the money so much (well of course that hurts), it's the bad feeling, the sudden desire to say "up yours" to all the Big Boys cos they win. every. time.
bad juju eyeball. i hope they come back as an ant.

shoo-shi

i think i've said before that our whole life seems to revolve around food - i've definitely thought it. i feel like the proverbial italian mamma - as soon as tonight's dinner's been consumed, i find myself dreaming of tomorrow's offerings.
this is saturday's effort, for the bring-and-share end-of-season hockey lunch. i love making sushi. it's almost as quick to whip up as peanut butter on toast, and infinitely healthier. lookit all these fresh veggies: combos of avocado, cooked mushrooms, grated carrot, bean sprouts, capsicum, cucumber... anything ya like. everyone can chose their own non-poison. and something miraculous happens when ya choose your own ingredients: ya go off and eat it: even when it's not coated in sugar and masquerading as dee-i-sert.
it's so good. the green dental floss stuff is one of our newest addictions. it's not really dental floss, but you spend the next hour watching everyone picking the wee threads outta their teeth.
hey look at that! dinner *and* a show! (movie line)

i've got the twitterbug

*tweet tweet*
i'm a twit.
i'm on Twitter.
are you?
follow me here.
look, something shiny! where? oh, it just swam over the trench! come on, we'll follow it, let's go... okay! (movie line)
yeah, ohk... it'll probably be a five second wonder...

players

last game of the season. player of the day. awesome.
a hilarious walk
along our beach,
around our mountain.
the boy, the man.
the man, the boy.
boys will be boys.
same genes.
same outlook.
same expressions.
much more hilarity.
irish accents, asian accents,
be a tree, be a rock, sing a song.
life is a game we play.
*love* how we play it.