Ben had the most wonderful surprise this week. His cousins stopped in on their way home from holidays and stayed for a sleep over. Ben just loves when his cousins visit.
We love when cousins come to visit (and their Mum’s and Dad’s)!
Author: Belinda
Catch Up..
Blogging has been put on the back burner for a few weeks…… but I’m back and ready for a catch up. Just a few little things that have been happening in the Lattimore house….
Kindy Visit – I had a wonderful day at Kindy with Ben. It was lovely to see him engaged and enjoying himself. Such a huge step for this little man!
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Growing – Our garden is a little behind schedule. I am still waiting for the second garden bed to magically appear (Andrew!! In his defence he has been a little busy xo). But the seedlings are growing beautifully…..nearly time to pop them in the gardens. I get super excited just thinking about it!!
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Mr Fiddle Fingers – Ben is always fiddling with something….. usually Lego. We are huge HUGE Lego fans in this house. But is has been a little refreshing to see him fiddle with something other than Lego. This was a Christmas present from Aunty Claire.
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Little Notes – Ben has taken to writng little notes for people. I can’t explain how excited this makes me. I love love love early literacy development. He writes his notes in magic writing (that is what we call his scribble lines. Sometimes they have letter formations and sometimes not). It is magic because only he can read it. So he does his writing and comes to tell me what he has written and who it is to. It is a super sweet concept. A little concept passed to me by my Sister-In-Law Tina when I started teaching…. many years ago but I still love it! Ben and his cousin Hugo did some lovely magic writing earlier in the week. Oh did I mention Ben sticks his messages up around the house.
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Little Visit – Hugo and Evie (Ben’s cousin’s) came for a visit earlier in the week. Here they all are (with Bonnie) visiting the chickens. The photos are not great as I gave Andrew the camera and didn’t change the settings…. opps. But I just thought they were super cute! Yep that is Hugo pushing our dog Bonnie in the toy pram…. super cute hey!
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Just Squeeze – Andrew made the most delicious orange juice this week mmmmm…..
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A New Favorite – Ben has a new favorite. Gramma popped around earlier this week with this:
Ben has died and gone to heaven……. he loves it. We have watched it like ..well… maybe a hundred times already!! He has even made himself a name badge just like Han in the movie. I secretly love it…. don’t tell anyone.
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Yesterday – I got sick of sitting around the house resting so yesterday I did this……
Ben helped Andrew sort his tools into his new toolbox. I’m not sure exactly how much help he was..
And this is how Ben finished his day…… having a swim in a teeny tiny pool (called a bucket)!!
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So that is the Lattimore’s all caught up xo
Recovery…
It is so lovely to be home with family. What amazing weather to come home to. Ben made the most of it this afternoon!
Linking with Life Made Lovely Monday
A Little Rest
dig, plant, water, grow, harvest, chop and cook
YAY it’s my favorite time of the year…. Spring! The air smells sweet and the nights are warmer. It’s time for BBQ’s and vegetable gardens!!!
We (well I do) have big plans for the vegetable garden this spring. I am hoping my thumbs are a little greener this season! I will be keeping Andrew busy building one (or even two) more raised garden beds. I have already purchased my Heirloom Seeds (traditional cultivators of food plants that were bred for their flavor, disease resistance, adaption to various local conditions and for their long harvesting period. These are not hybrids. Australia is a leader in ‘saving’ these seeds and reintroducing them into the market. The seeds from heirloom fruits and vegetables can be saved and replanted the following season). I also purchased the ‘bible’ of all home gardeners and home cooks – Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion. We are hoping to grow over Spring and Summer:
a herb garden (it’s just ridiculous what we pay for fresh herbs at the supermarket!), cos lettuce, a few varieties of climbing beans, jap pumpkins, carrots, passionfruit, sweet corn, lebanese cucumbers, oxheart tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, capsicums, zucchinis and golden squash.
It may sound a little ambitious but we’ll give it a good go. I will need to figure out how to keep the Australian King Parrots out of the vegetable patch this time around. If you have any tips for us we would love to hear them.
This weekend we will be digging, planting, and watering. We hope to share the growing, harvesting, chopping and cooking with you soon. I just can’t wait to share our harvest and cooking with family and friends. There is something a little magical about growing your own fruit and vegetables xo
Food Connect
In our endevour to be more proactive in knowing what we eat and where it has come from we have joined Food Connect. An company that works with local farmers collecting seasonal produce. Food Connect’s aim is to supply local, sustainably produced food to the community in South East Queensland. It has only been one week and I am seriously impressed. What impresses me the most is that with a click of a button I can see the farm that the food my family is eating came from. It’s almost like meeting the farmers!! Well …… you can actually meet the farmers as Food Connect have tours!!! There is a real community feel. This really gives me peace of mind that the produce is fabulous. I love that Food Connect sorces produce from local farmers. Food Connect really are passionate about looking after farmers. So so so impressed!!!
This week we only ordered a fruit box. Aren’t these just the yummiest strawberries you have ever seen!!!
There was a couple of inclusions that I wasn’t particularly familiar with.
Tamarillos – While I have eaten a tamarillo before I have never bought them. They are native to tropical America, the tamarillo is a member of the Solanaceae family along with potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. It produces shiny red or yellow egg-shaped fruit which tastes like a cross between a passionfruit and a tomato. Only the pulp is edible – the skin is very bitter. They are tasty. You can spoon the flesh out similar to a passionfruit.
Pomelo. – Thought to be the ancestor of the grapefruit. This giant citrus fruit is native to Malaysia. . A pomelo is the largest of all citrus. The rind is very thick but soft and easy to peel away. The resulting fruit is light yellow to coral-pink flesh and can vary from juicy to slightly dry and from seductively spicy-sweet to tangy and tart. We tried the pomelo last night. My first thought was YUM but then there was a bitter after taste (not so pleasant). But another great thing about Food Connect is that their site contains recipes. I am sure there is something I can make with this huge citrus fruit!!
Did I mention that Food Connect is not just about ordering fruit and vegetables. But there is so many other delicious groceries available. Next week we will try locally sourced sour dough bread, wholemeal flour and creamed honey.
I am a little nervous that we won’t eat the contents of the box each week and that we will waste food. I think I have become so lazy with the supermarkets supplying produce all year around regardless if it is in season or not. I don’t really know what fruit and vegetables are in season anymore. My challenge is to cook with what is in season. Trying new recipes and stepping out of my comfort zone. I am forever telling Ben it is important to ‘try new things’. So it is now time to listen to and take some of my own advise. This way I can ensure the best produce is on my table!
Thanks Food Connect for making this so easy!!