Pumpkin Patch

What's the collective noun for pumpkins ?

One word comes to mind .... but I don't think I should type it here.
Eliza has a 'swear jar' and I'm already in debt to the tune of $11.20.
So you get the picture .... we have a heap of pumpkins - actually a mountain of pumpkins that our tiny inner city back garden has produced. We harvested them yesterday.

We picked 15 pumpkins altogether and they're huge.
We've given a couple away already but if anyone has some inspiring ideas for pumpkins .... let me know.

We have a s***load of them!

In Rushed Autumn

It's been so long coming and then this morning it came in a rush.

Autumn is finally here.

The poor trees are so confused. We're almost at the end of April and one day last week hit 31 degrees.

We had rain overnight so this morning the garden was lovely and drippy. The leaf litter formed a golden carpet (look closely and you'll see the sheep poo we tossed on the garden last weekend).

The white crepe myrtles we planted last year are giving some lovely colour in the front garden.

So the season has changed as the year hurtles on.

Autumn is here and I'm into my cook books looking for inspiration for quinces, apples, pears and chestnuts. I'll also need to find some exciting things to do with pumpkin .... but more on that later.

Swap-a-rama

A huge thank you to Beck at Dandeloin for my pin cushion which arrived this week.
While I didn't get the initial thrill of opening the parcel (see the previous post) I was thrilled to add this gorgeous heart to my sewing box.

















Turn it over and lookie see!
Isn't her label great?


















As well as the pin cushion there were matching pins and a little red thimble.
Thanks Beck. I love it.

















And a huge thank you to Kate at Fox's Lane for organising the Pin Cushion Swap. It's created lots of excitement in blog land with pin cushions criss-crossing the country in the name of crafty goodness.
It's been lovely to be part of it and Beck, your pincushion will be put to good use.

I'm already gearing up for the next projecct.
Watch this space as I take on my next crafty swap.

You've got mail

" Mummy .... some special mail has arrived for you!"
I got the phone call at work this afternoon. Little Miss Pink was so excited she just had to call.
"It's your pincushion. It's arrived."

How do you know it's my pin cushion?

"I opened it!"

I love getting mail and I love parcels even more. So does my daughter. Obviously.

My pin cushion has indeed arrived - part of the pin cushion swap, organised by Kate at Fox's Lane. It was too dark and too late to photograph, it but it's a gorgeous heart shape, which I love. I'll post some pics as soon as I can.

In the meantime, my pin cushion has found a new home at 2 Pink Possum Lane where I'm sure it will be well loved.

heart to heart

This paperclip fell out of my sister's handbag the night before her wedding.

Just like this.

Perfect.

Wedding Belles

A collage of snaps which capture my sister's Easter Sunday wedding.

What a special day it was.

Homemade Pasta

I've always wanted to make my own pasta and today was the day.

• Bakers flour - check
• eggs - check
• recipe - check
• pasta machine - check (given to me a couple of years ago and never used)
• and most importantly TIME - check

I made a basic dough using flour and eggs, kneaded it for 5 mins and let it rest for half an hour.
The pasta machine was fun to use. And aside from the handle of the machine dropping on my toe, it was relatively easy going.
The sheets of pasta it produces are silky smooth.



















My niece Zoe was a my helper.
She reckons this pasta sheet looks like a big smiley mouth.
She's right.



















Once the dough is passed through the machine about 12 times ... we fed it through the cutter to make tagliatelle.



















We spread the freshly made pasta on a tea towel to dry.

Tonight, I'm making a chicken and mushroom sauce with fresh thyme from our garden to go with the pasta.

Can't wait to taste it !

Easter Goodness

I love Easter ...
It's usually cooler (although this year has been the exception with the temp hitting 27 degrees).
Four days break is very welcome after a fast start to the year.
It's a time to refresh and enjoy the family.
Traditionally I decorate the table and make hot cross buns ...



















I managed to adorn the table, and the girls made Easter cards and special nests in the garden for the Easter Bunny .... but there was no baking this year.

My gorgeous sister got married on Easter Sunday ... so there was lots going on in the house and no time for Easter buns.
I'll post some pics of her special day, once we've caught our breath.

Pin Cushion Swap - Part 2

My pin cushion for the great Pin Cushion Swap is complete!
I raided my stash for supplies and surprising whipped this up after dinner one evening last week - which is a very good thing because my time for craft is limited at the moment.















The fabric looks like it's covered in hundreds and thousands which means the pin cushion looks like a special cake or iced donut. Sweet.















I confess I'm quite nervous about sending this little treasure to it's new owner. I've been over to check out her blog and let's just say she's a very accomplished crafter.
But I loved making this pin cushion and already have plans for more.
Anything that I can create in one evening, after dinner, with a glass of wine (or cup of tea) beside me, gets a big tick.

Thanks to Kate for organising the inaugural pin cushion swap. Great idea!

You've got me crafting again.