A bit of holiday magic

 Family Christmas Day 

New Years Eve with Friends 

Lots of riverbed walking to fantastic swimming holes 

Sleeping after swimming

Still have screens to play on when in the caravan. 

The boys always gravitate to the dogs 

Chickens wild at the river 

Another Christmas Day photo

Home-made Raspberry Jam and scones.

Home made raspberry jam - made on the day the raspberries were picked. So fresh, red and delicious. We came home from camping early, as did a lot of people in New Zealand, due to bad weather. I rushed to pick the berries so they would not rot from the rain. My recipe is so quick and easy. In the jars and finished within 15 minutes.

Then the next day after church I made a batch of scones and we had the luscious jam with scones and cream. Delicious.

My four favourite holiday shots so far.

Jakob at the river with the camera set only to recognise bright green.

Eli in absolute hysterics as he learns how to hypnotise a chicken. 

Me at the river. If you look closely you will see I am laughing. 

My three best men. 

A quilt as you go bin for my sewing space

So yet again I started a new project. I wanted something small that I could actually finish!! As that 

has not been my forte at all lately.

 

In my new house my sewing space is still incredibly disorganised. I have made a cutting table, of which I am very proud, that has been a life changer with being able to just do a bit of sewing anytime I want. This photo shows the messy corner. The shoe box is my rubbish bin and it needed to go!! The pile on the left is three unfinished items.

I took out my scrap bag that is strips only 

Sorted the colours and materials I wanted 

I then found a left over piece of batting and some fusible reinforcing and commenced sewing the strips on. 

Once it was all sewn I decided that even though I had completed it as quilt-as-you-go, it just did not have a good visual effect.  

So I completed half inch spaced quilting.

I then sewed it all together and it was way way too big. I nearly parked it to be another unfinished project. But as I read Anna's post at Noodlehead (about picking up abandoned projects that were not quite right) I decided to fix it. I am thrilled with the finish and have a gorgeous rubbish bin in my sewing space.

Not a bad start to the New Year.

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Yip -- I sure did start another project

 So it is the end of the year. I am tired. Do I finish one of the 1000's of projects I have? Definitely not, so much more interesting to start yet another thing. It relaxes me. 

All around the web and in magazines etc I have been seeing the naughts and crosses - XO - Tic Tac Toe quilt. So many different versions depending on the material you use.  

I have a great fondness for quilts that use a cross pattern so love that this puts the cross on point. I wanted one colour as the background and I love grey. Ros over at Sew Delicious has made the block and it looks so different to mine. And it appeals to the frugal side. The extra's you cut off every block, I sew a seam to make them into a half square triangle before cutting them off and it so each cross I make I get another block for yet another quilt!!! I followed the trail on her blog to find the pattern - you can find it here at Blossom Heart Quilts. They used it for a theme month against violence.

I was thinking of the red cross  and the fantastic job they do with the NZ Blood Service. So I made two blocks red. I do not have any other reds really, shame. My husband now gives blood and although the direct link does not happen, others who give blood in Australia are keeping gorgeous Kerryn well, alive and living a good life. 

It also looks a bit like Christmas colours.

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Summer camping, something for everyone in the family

The boys finished school on Thursday and so Friday lunch time we headed out for the weekend camping. This is what Christmas and the holidays is about for us. There was a bit of everything for everyone this weekend.

Barkers raspberry jam

Lots of fresh produce from the Geraldine Farmers Market, the butcher and Barkers.

hiding in the bunk

Hiding in dark corners to keep the light of the screens, as well as swimming and lots of walking. 

 Family time talking.

Just what we needed. And we missed the hail, the tornados and rain. Well done I say!!

Finally feeling like Christmas... The Elf arrived with the presents

After school last week we finally go down to the serious business of Christmas. I put Pandora Christmas station on and the boys and I got down to work.

Well.... the reality is Jakob was putting Pandora on as I needed help and Eli appeared out of the blue announcing Santa had arrived!! (first picture) so I was laughing. Then five minutes later all I heard was "quick quick it is itching like mad". I rushed to the lounge to see the tinsel, not on the tree as instructed, but on Eli. Took a quick photo before we all had to untinsel him and it must have been seriously itchy as it left him very red around the torso.

The tree was dressed - yes it is small but we figure that where Jesus lived it is mainly Olive trees to so we use that, with various decorations made over the years. Presents under, and may I say that Mr Aaron Schulz somehow has the bulk of them!! The nativity scene is up and it is one that is added to, advent calendar style, during the run up to Christmas.

Then it was onto making teacher and friend gifts for school. Lining up the candy canes, the kit kats etc and production line started. Then the last wee treat to show it really is Christmas came in the form of the first raspberry. Yummy yum yum

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Family Food Friday - easy meals

Sometimes I just don't feel like cooking and I do not want takeaways. So I do super easy food but try to keep a bit of a health kick in. Today it was sausages. Everyone in my house likes them and these were another short life, half price bargain at the supermarket.

I had ciabatta bread in the cupboard so sliced that and toasted one side in the sausage pan. Picked greens from the garden, a bit of chutney and some yellow capsicum (pepper). Delicious, simple and a bit healthier than takeaways. 

I am also a big fan of teaching my children to cook and look after themselves. Eli is now very adept at making pancakes and will do that for breakfast on any non school morning.

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I am the proudest mum and Auntie

Eli on the left and Jakob on the right.

Last night I felt that the awards my children and nieces won were all my effort. I felt that I won. I was so excited and hyped and and proud and ......

My son Jakob got Dux of the primary school! and my son Eli got academic top of class as well as receiving Distinction for the ICAS international exam in English. I could have burst. Not only that but Jakob and my two nieces also got academic top of their class. So when they read out the names for the 8 classes it went like this ....

name, name, Schulz, Schulz, Schulz, name name, Schulz - Wow it was a thrill to be there.

Jakob celebrating with some of his class mates. One of the things that occurred when his name was called was his entire year group and some other kids stood and acknowledged him very loudly. What an honour it was to see that.  

Eli receiving his certificate for Distinction for the international award.

I actually had time at the sewing machine

Heading into Christmas and my grand plans to make everyone a homemade Christmas cracker. Why do I have such ambitious goals? Last four headbands done. So most females will have a home sewn hat in their cracker but the guys, hmmm maybe paper!!!

Nice to sit at the sewing machine for a change. Every week I make a resolution to spend more time on the sewing chair. But life seems very busy with travelling for work, embedding a new role, juggling school and boys and trying to get a new garden going well.

If you want to know how to make these I put a link into this post for the tutorial.

Yay for a finish though.

Linking to these places and crazy mum quilts

Family Food Friday - Labneh

Well my family food tip is this - make the most of the reduced price items as you can. Our supermarket puts most of them in one area for meat and another area for dairy products. I buy them all the time after checking the date. If it has a day to go I can freeze it or like yogurt, turn it into something gorgeous. Often for half the price.

 

Labneh is just a strained yoghurt. But it goes super thick and creamy and don't forget to keep the whey as it makes the most amazing pikelets or pancakes. Then I use it with fresh strawberries for breakfast as my protein. Or on souvlaki when making wraps and the list goes on. What I like about this is it saves money and gives variety.

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