1st Halloween

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This was our first ever attempt at Halloween.  Our neighborhood children seem to really enjoy the whole thing.  Why wouldn’t they….. FREE LOLLIES!!

We had Trick-or-Treaters from  4.30pm.  It was mostly boys and some of them were so focused on the lollies they forgot their manners.  Most children came in great costumes but we did have the odd teenager in no costume with a shopping bag (shocking hey!!).  Ben had the best time handing out the lollies and yelling out ‘Happy Halloween!”.  He didn’t want to Trick-or-Treat….YAY!  I turned our lights off and took down the decorations at Ben’s bedtime but this didn’t seem to stop the lollie hunters.  To be honest I’m not sure if I am really that into Halloween…….I’m not convinced it is a celebration at all  – maybe just a very large lollie hunt!! (I always knew this really but it’s nice to look at something fresh through the eyes of your child)

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First Pumpkin

Halloween has never really been a major celebration in Australia…… well not for us anyhow.    But last year we had so many Trick-Or-Treaters.  So this year we thought we would do a little to join in.  Ben and I bought our first pumpkins to carve.

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I cut  lids and opened them and thought ewwwwww really??!!!!  I wasn’t expecting so much slop!!  I also didn’t really have any idea of what we would carve.  So I did what every good researcher does and ‘Googled’  it – Halloween carving templates and How to carve a pumpkin.    I had everything I could possible need right on the computer screen – Thank you Mr Google!

Ben and Andrew picked a scarey design and I picked a more smiley one.   I used a small stanely knife as I found that the easiest.  This is what we ended up with (don’t look too closely!).

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And  in the dark…..

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It was a bit of fun.  Ben is excited to put them out tomorrow and hand out lollies to the Trick-Or-Treaters.  So I think this is when I am supposed to say ‘Happy Halloween!’ (I’m a Newbie).

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Linking up with Life Made Lovely Monday (I know this is my second link up but there is so many lovely things happening!)

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.

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Picnik collage

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).

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

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But ended like this…….

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Some serious FUN!

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Linking with Paisley Jade – Things I am Loving  and

It's Playtime at hands on : as we grow

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  –

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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!!!

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Picnik collage

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMBO!

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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.

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