Edenbrae

So, as predicted, the farm was pretty cold over the weekend, but it was such a nice escape from the every day. So peaceful and quiet. We all had fun celebrating my Dad's Birthday and had a great time catching up with my siblings. Part of me wishes I could live in the country on a permanent basis but I am one of those people that needs to be surrounded by my family and friends who aren't too far away. 

But the peace, the quiet and space that comes with being on a farm does wonders for the soul.

I love it there.

Dam partially frozen

Grazing sheep

New piglets! Omg they were so tiny and cute!

Me (front right) & my siblings

Sisters :)

I got up one morning at about 6am (predawn!!!) because one of my darlings needed the bathroom. I decided to go for a walk since I was up and took my trusty camera with me to take some photos. 

So eerie and still but so beautiful.

A rusted out old car on the property. It has half sunk into the ground.

This tree (middle) looks deceptively small in this photo. 

It is actually quite enormous. 

I love it's shape with the morning light silhouetting it in the mist

My sister made this swing that hangs from a tree that overlooks the house (down the hill).

Yes, we camped. That's why I was up walking around before the sun came up. I couldn't resist the morning light...

Do you love visiting the country? What is your favourite part of being out of suburbia?

Homemade PJ's

I am so excited! We are going down to the farm this weekend for a family birthday. I love getting together with family, it's always a lot of fun catching up (I am sure there will be a post about that next week)

As it is going to be absolutely FREEZING down there, I whipped up these PJ's for the kids over the past few nights. I was lucky enough to find the fabric on sale and the pattern is ridiculously easy to follow.

At first Miss 5 decided she didn't like them because the colours were all wrong (colours that she chose...) and they looked too "Clowny" so I said I would just sell them or give them away which resulted in an immediate change of opinion (funny that).

Another funny thing was that Mr 2 is now being called Jester by the other two (which is completely unrelated or so I am told).

(This photo curtesy of Miss 5)

Anyway, I think they make cute & fun pj's/clown/jester suits and they are very warm :)

What have you sewn lately? How did it turn out?

Holiday pics

Here are some more photos of our Easter weekend.

The weather was gorgeous while we were away and we spent a lot of time at the beaches at Fingal Bay and Shoal Bay. These photos were taken the day we came home - stopped off for one last play. It was so relaxing and nice to get away from everyday life.

Where did you go for your holidays?

Happy Easter

We are away on holidays at the moment at Fingal Bay enjoying time with extended family, going to the beach, bike riding, surfing and exploring. It is an Easter tradition in our family to get together in one big house to spend some quality time together. We always have so much fun with each other. It's so nice and relaxing and of course Easter Sunday is a big hit with the kids!

Easter morning 6:45am

So my car had a tantrum today...

We started today just like any other day; got up, fed and dressed the kids, made lunches and then out the door for school. That all went smoothly enough and we got to school with plenty of time to spare. We were even early for a change! Second stop was to drop the boys at their grandparents. 

Get in the car, it starts and then dies on me. A friend had a look to see what the problem was and worked out it was something to do with the fuel lines/pump. We tried starting it again without any luck.

 Called NRMA. Waited for NRMA. NRMA gets it going again and tells me its the fuel pump. I need a new one (well, the car, not me). 

I made it half way to the mechanics and it dies on me again. At a set of lights. At a busy intersection.

Called NRMA again and arrange for a tow truck to come and get us out of there. 

They did, much to the delight of my boys. 

Riding in a tow truck is a very exciting (and bumpy) adventure.

So now the car is in getting fixed. 

Fingers crossed it's all sorted before we go away for Easter!

Have you ever needed to be towed? What was your experience like?

A new project

Two weekends ago, we took our family half way across Sydney to collect this little yacht that we won on eBay. It is a Hartley TS 16.

It has been neglected over the past few years and needs a fair bit of work done (thankfully my husband knows how to fix things like this) before she is ready to sail again but once it's all finished, we are planning on road tripping to the Whitsundays to spend some time sailing around the islands. 

I love the shape of her and can just imagine sitting out on crystal clear waters and relaxing. It has been a while since we were up that way (pre-kids) and we can't wait to get back!!

I will post some progress photos as we get her fixed up.

We want to raise the cabin roof a bit higher so there is a bit more headspace when sitting in the cabin - at the moment, my husband can't even sit inside without bumping his head.

The kids have loved playing on her and can't wait to take her out.

We will also be trying to think of some suitable names for our yacht so any suggestions would be fabulous!

What projects have you taken on lately? Are they big or small?

Meet Maz - an unexpected addition to the family

This is our new little kitten, Maz. 

She unexpectedly joined our family on Wednesday afternoon while we were at my cousin's wedding up in the Hunter Valley. This poor little thing was trapped inside the engine bay of my auntie's car (a Mazda, my cousin came up with her name - it seemed rather fitting) and almost impossible to retrieve without getting stuck ourselves. Eventually she bolted out from under the car and had about 4 people chasing after her before disappearing underneath another car and then back under my auntie's car. My brother was the one who caught her. Unfortunately, we don't know where she came from, if she was abandoned or just got lost, how old she was or what sex she was but she was terrified and I couldn't stand the thought of her just being left to fend for herself so I kind of just decided, spur of the moment to keep her (without even consulting my hubby...), so she came back to the place we were staying with the extended family before coming back home with us on Thursday afternoon. She wasn't eating and I had to syringe feed her to get some fluids into her. I took her off to the local pet store to get checked out and they gave me heaps of information and answered all my questions about looking after cats. She is estimated to be about 6-7 weeks old. Thankfully she is in good condition despite her scary adventure the previous day. 

 Now, we aren't really cat people (we both grew up with dogs) and I have never owned one before but I can tell this is going to change very fast. I have to say that cats (with my whole 2 days of experience) are a lot easier to look after than dogs (which I still love btw). All they need is a quiet place to sleep, some food, water, toys and lots of love. Easy!

By the second night (back home) she seemed to have settled and was quite happy sleeping and purring on the couch. She started eating and using the the kitty litter which was a relief (no pun intended, lol).

She is very affectionate and a bit psychotic when she plays. She loves a cuddle and is very funny to watch. I think she is going to be very loved here (despite the fact that she is terrorising the kids with her curiosity - they quickly realised she has really really sharp claws and teeth)! 

She enjoyed sleeping on me this afternoon, she's so cute.

So tell me, have you ever had an unexpected addition to the family? Were you completely clueless and unprepared like me and just had to wing it?