Belinda | The Lattimore Acre

Herb Garden

I’ve run out of room in the vegetable garden. It is full…… over full really. We will get to building another garden bed but I just could wait for that to happen before I got some herbs planted. I just cringe every time I buy a bunch of herbs at the supermarket. Not only do I think they are ridiculously expensive but they are never as fresh as I would hope.

Ben and I were watching Play School on ABC 4 Kids a couple of weeks ago and I saw the solution. The wonderful Alex helped me out (have a bit of a crush….. hilarious!!). I also thought it would be a bit of fun to get Ben involved as well. As it happened it ended up to be a whole family affair with Andrew and Ben helping me out.

So we began to make our Colander Face Pot Plants (click on link for instructions or it is pretty easy to follow from our pictures.

Ben’s is a scarey face in case you didn’t know that!

I had grown basil and thyme from heirloom seeds. We purchased rosemary and mint to plant as well. I realise that they will soon out grow their colander pots but by then I will have another garden (please xo).

We added them to the corners of our garden. Ben had the job of watering them. It started like this……

But ended like this…….

Some serious FUN!

Linking with Paisley Jade – Things I am Loving and

Digging in the Toy Box

I just love when old toys are rediscovered. We had a lazy day of digging in the toy box (right to the bottom) a week or so ago. I am sure we have way to many toys. It was like Christmas. Ben feel in love with his car track all over again.

Ready Set GO!!!

Home for a Visit

Last weekend we headed home for the weekend. I refer to ‘home’ as the country town Andrew and I grew up in – Chinchilla (four hours inland from Brisbane in Queensland Australia). Even though Andrew, Ben and I have made a new home there is still something about this town that feels like we are home……. I’m certain it is family. Our reason for the trip out west was to celebrate our nephew Tom’s 9th birthday and to spend the weekend amongst family. Ben was just bursting with excitement the whole week prior to the trip. There was some major counting down of sleeps. Each day (a number of times in the day!) we would look at the calendar and count how many sleeps we had left until Tom’s party. Ben made the trip home a long one! Here is a text I sent to Tina –

Ben didn’t even look like having a little nap in the car on the way. I don’t even think he blinked his eyes. He was way excited!

When we did arrive it didn’t take long for Ben and his cousin Tom to get down to some serious ‘Boy Business’. Tom had bought Ben a yabbie net so it was down to the pond.

I have to mention that we were also pulling the yabbie nets in the next morning before 6.00am!! I’m certain I am not a morning person but there we all were in the middle of the park in our pj’s catching yabbies and having a ball, especially Ben.

The serious ‘Boy Business’ also involved sling shots. I was having a mild heart attack but didn’t want to look like the crazy over protective parent I am……. so just went with it as best I could. There was very strict supervision. Now Ben wants his very own sling shot….. not sure about that!

Tom’s party was at the Weir. It was a Jet Ski Party. The boys all headed out to the weir early Sunday to secure a good position.

I was left searching the house everywhere for the keys to the car. I thought that Andrew must have had them in his pocket. But after a quick talk with Andrew’s brother I found them here.

Cameron (Andrew’s brother) couldn’t get used to me locking the car….hilarious! Who locks the car??!!

The boys (big and little) had all been in the water by the time we arrived just after ten (Ben went in fully dressed). The kids had a fabulous day on the tube, boards, wave ski and jet ski. I think the big kids had a good day driving the ski too! I have never seen Ben having so much fun ….EVER!!!

To finish a wonderful day there was cake….. chocolate cake and lots of it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMBO!

As you can gather we had a lovely time. It was great to catch up with family, old friends and met some new ones. It was also pretty special to see Ben grow in confidence amongst it all and having the time of his life. He was so warn out on the drive home he was asleep before we hit the grid (well maybe a couple of km’s out of town). We promise we won’t leave it two and a half years before we visit again…… PROMISE!

There is no picture of Tom’s sister Maggie. She was sick with the worst gastro virus I have seen. Poor Missy Moo (that is what Ben calls her) even spent Sunday and Monday night in hospital. We send you big hugs Maggie xo.

Linking up with Paisley Jade – Things I am Loving xo and Life Made Lovely Monday

Inventive Parenting

Andrew has mastered the art of – How to watch the Formula 1 car racing while playing Cubby Houses with Ben!

Planted

I planted these back in early September.

Yesterday I finally got them planted in the garden.

Ben and I planted two garden beds (well I planted while Ben played with sticks) – three varieties of tomatoes, two varieties of climbing beans, zucchinis, sweet corn, pumpkin, lebanese cucumbers and basil. We ran out of room for the rest of the herbs but I have a plan for those. More on that later. I am also working on Andrew to build another garden (in all the spare time he doesn’t have!!). Now we just add water and a little love…… fingers crossed.

We have plenty (seriously plenty) of seedings left over. Lots to give away if anyone is interested.

Happy Spring Gardening!

Colouring

I love being a Mum….. love love love it!! I am so thankful that I have been blessed with a beautiful boy. But secretly I have missed a few little treats. I would often sit in a coffee shop with Ben and think “Will this ever be enjoyable again?”. I seem to be drinking my cup of tea fast before Ben’s on the move again!! Or I choose a cold drink because that goes down quicker. Or we go to a more child friendly coffee shop where Ben enjoys himself but Mummy…. not so much!! I would look around the coffee shop at the little girls out with their Mum’s sitting and colouring. I have asked myself many times “Will my boy ever colour?”

This week my friend Di rang last minute to see if we wanted to go for lunch. I said ‘sure’ thinking all the time in my head that I can just eat fast if Ben starts complaining. Ben and I packed up some Lego men, some other essentials and headed out to lunch at my new favourite cafe – fourthchild. Something lovely happened while we were out for lunch. Ben and I had the most lovely time. We had the most scrumptious lunch, we relaxed, and enjoyed being out IN A GROWN UP COFFEE SHOP. We were in that coffee shop for over and hour and a half. It felt so good. I felt like a grown up again. I also found myself looking at my little man growing up and ‘colouring’ in his own way (well not really colouring but playing with his Lego men). Not once did he ask to go, say he was hungry or whinge about anything. He even ate vegetables for lunch. I’m so excited……….. MY BOY COLOURS!!!

And on a side note if you are local and haven’t been to fourthchild you seriously have to go. It is so refreshing. They are dedicated to food made from scratch, as chemical free as possible and locally sourced. They don’t claim to be organic but just value making food the way our grandmothers did. There is no fixed menu as they make the most of produce in season!! I love the name of the cafe….. fourthchild. The owner has three beautiful children and the shop is her fourth. You really must make an effort to go!