Christmas Brunch

We saw both my parents and my brother and his family over the recent holiday period.

Not on Christmas Day itself. But we managed a Christmas brunch two days early.

I figured that wasn't bad going!

Christmas brunch laid out (with the girl's art gallery behind!).

Having it the day after Charlotte's party meant a bit of hard work. But fortunately Grandma and Grandpa were on hand to help out. And we cheated with a few purchased items.

The fresh fruit Christmas tree prepared by Grandpa.

The menu included:

• bircher muesli (dairy free)
• parfaits with fancy granola, thick greek-style yoghurt and fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and pomegranate seeds (I invented the recipe)
• croissants (purchased from Costco)
• danish pastries, including maple pecan twists (also purchased from Costco)
• fresh fruit Christmas tree (following a picture I found on Pinterest, but couldn't locate a site to give credit to)
• Christmas cake (purchased from Costco)
• mini pancake stacks with maple syrup and blueberries (my recipe, presented as I had seen in some pictures online)
• zucchini, feta & basil muffins with cherry tomatoes (from a recipe found here)
• scrambled eggs
• roast tomatoes
• breakfast potatoes
• mushrooms with butter, garlic & thyme
• orange, apple and tomato juices

Breafast parfaits with granola, yoghurt and fresh berries.

Mini pancake stacks with maple syrup and blueberries.

Zucchini, feta & basil muffins with cherry tomatoes.

The weather was a bit cool, which thwarted my plans to eat outside. But we were able to put two folding tables together lengthwise to make one long table we could all sit at comfortably on the back porch.

I purchased four metres of hessian from Bunnings to make a rustic tablecloth, over which I placed a centrepiece I already had, and two little red planters with thyme and oregano in. The glasses had red and white striped straws, we used red paper serviettes, and there was a bon bon at each place setting. It was all thrown together pretty much at the last minute, but I thought it worked OK.

The table looks pretty - but where's the food?

The family ready to eat (Emma & Ruben not pictured).

My handsome hubby.

Lucinda enjoying herself as always.

Everyone had a good time eating, then it was time to head inside for presents.

Grandpa Santa with his three little helpers.

Charlotte unwrapping a present.

Grace doing the same.

Ayla seems pleased with this one.

Charlotte playing with the special dominos Grandpa made her.

Grace's other cousins gave her a pig dress up suit.

It is lovely to see the children get so excited. And for me, it was really nice to spend time with the majority of my family at such a significant time of year.

I wonder what we'll do next year?

A Doorway Puppet Theatre

I'm still quite a long way behind schedule in making handmade gifts for family and friends this year.

I haven't given up! Better late than never!

But to improve the motivation a little, I thought I'd take a moment to bask in the glory of an earlier gift, which I made for my five nephews and nieces in Brisbane for Christmas, 2012.

The project I chose was a doorway puppet theatre, featured in a great book called 'Cool Spaces for Kids' by Sam Scarborough (published by Hamlyn in 2009). This book is packed full of great ideas. I wish I had time to try them all!

My source of inspiration.

What the finished product should look like.

The book gives an outline of the process involved, and I didn't find it too difficult. The trickiest part was attaching the red bias binding (they used tape) around the stage, and managing the corners neatly.

Here is what my finished doorway puppet theatre looked like:

Time for a puppet show!

The doorway in my sister's home is wider than the one described in the book, so my puppet theatre was wider as a result. She didn't want to attach hooks to the wall, so my clever father made a timber frame with a rod to hang it from. So instead of tabs on the side at the top, I sewed a pocket to thread the rod through.

Laura, Joshua and Sarah put on a show.

The other issue with a wider opening was that it tended to gape at the bottom. Dad helped solve this problem too, by putting a very thin piece of timber underneath the bias binding before I sewed the back down. (I had taken the project up to Brisbane in January to finish using Mum's sewing machine).

Timmy took awhile to grasp the idea that you show the puppet and not yourself!

I gave Sarah, Josh, Ben, Laura and Timmy a puppet each, and the theatre as a group present. I'm not sure how much they have continued to use it, but they definitely enjoyed checking it out when they first received it.

Now to think of something for this Christmas ...

Hanami Day 2013

My regular Sunday morning search for something inexpensive and interesting to do led me recently to the Hanami Day at the National Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda.

Held on 22nd September, this was a special celebration based on the Japanese tradition of 'flower viewing' and appreciation of the cherry blossom.

Cherry blossom.

Unfortunately, the cherry blossom happened to bloom a few weeks ahead of schedule this year, so the Cherry Grove wasn't as spectacular as it could have been. But we really enjoyed the rhododendrons, magnolias, azaleas and camellias that were starting to bloom in other parts of the gardens.

Charlotte and Grace under a pink rhododendron.

Grace on one of many ladybird-painted rocks we saw.

The ever-smiling Lucinda.

Charlotte in front of a bed of daffodils and azaleas.

It seemed like most of Melbourne had the same idea as we did. The event was very popular. That unfortunately meant a long walk from the car just to get to the gardens, and lots of people on the paths. A few even wore traditional Japanese dress.

Girls arriving in traditional Japanese kiminos.

Grace and Charlotte enjoyed following the coloured lanterns strung in trees along the main path to the Cherry Grove, and they made a useful prompt for climbing back up the hill. "We'll walk past two more lanterns then have a rest!"

One of the lanterns decorating the path.

We were a little disappointed with the activities on offer at the Cherry Grove, which included a tent where a tea making ceremony was taking place, a few stalls with ikebana and bonsai, and quite a few stalls selling Japanese foods (where the queues were extremely long). There was also a demonstration of Japanese drumming, but we didn't fancy standing in the sun with the large crowd to watch. Instead, we had a little picnic from the snacks I had packed, then slowly climbed back up the hill for an ice cream.

Lucinda enjoying her lunch.

The National Rhododendron Gardens are free to enter, but this was the first time I had been inside. Even before the peak of the spring flower season, it is a beautiful place to visit.  Here is a selection of shots from around the gardens:

And, of course, the obligatory yet universally unsuccessful attempt to get all three little girls to look at the camera at the same time:

I'd probably prefer to visit the gardens on a day when it wasn't so crowded, but overall it was a pleasant outing. And until I can realise my dream of seeing the cherry blossom in Japan one day, this is definitely better than nothing!

Another Frozen Embryo Transfer

Allow me to introduce you to 'George'. Or maybe it's 'Georgina'. We don't know yet. But hopefully one day we'll find out!

"George"

This is a photo of the little 3 day old embryo that I had transferred this morning. A blood test in a fortnight will tell us if it has implanted or not.

I worked out this morning that this is the 11th transfer I have had. And I have three lovely daughters to show for it.

Earlier this year (while I was having a break from blogging) I had two other transfers. These are the embryos that didn't make it:

"Stumpy"

"Seraphina"

Emotionally, it helps me to have acknowledged their existence. At the beginning of our IVF journey we had a little ritual to remember each one, as it helped to bring closure to one cycle so that we could be fully present for the next. We don't do that anymore, so this is my way of remembering them.

If you are curious about the nicknames, all our embryos have had them. We pick names we are unlikely to actually use, for all sorts of reasons. We've had Aloysius, Hepzibah, Alfonso, Jemima and plenty more (there have been 15 embryos so far). Grace was originally "Jock", Charlotte was "Randy", and Lucinda was "Ollie".

I'm glad to now be in a place where I will be content no matter what the outcome. I have my preferences, of course! But I'm praying that God will have his hand over the process and that whatever happens will be His will. I can't do better than that!

Father's Day 2013

Melbourne has suddenly become sunny and warm! With such beautiful spring weather, we decided to celebrate Father's Day this year with a picnic at the Royal Melbourne Botanical Gardens. The girls were very excited, and helped me make some butterfly cupcakes. We packed them up with sandwiches and watermelon, loaded up the Kia, and set off.

A dozen butterfly cupcakes.

We were lucky to find a parking spot quite close to Gate F, and walked down to a lovely shady area on the Oak Lawn where we set up next to a bed of daffodils. Plenty of other people had obviously woken up with the same idea, but it wasn't uncomfortably crowded.

Looking across to the Western Lawn.

Here are some shots of the family enjoying their lunch:

Grace and Lucinda.

Grace with her Daddy.

Charlotte clowning around.

Grace having a cuddle with Daddy while Lucinda and Charlotte raid the Esky!

Lucinda leaning on Daddy.

This is fun!

We took the obligatory photo of Daddy with his daughters ...

Neil with Lucinda, Grace and Charlotte.

... then walked down to the Ornamental Lake to enjoy an icecream before heading home.

A view of the lake.

It's such a fun, cheap and easy way to enjoy quality family time. We're looking forward to a lot more picnics over the next few months.

A Holiday ... and No Holiday

Should you be wondering where I've been over the last couple of weeks ... I've been on holiday!

I'm sorry I didn't warn you about the impending hiatus in posts, but my list of things to do before we left was so long a few things had to give.

My husband, daughters and I flew to Brisbane in early January. We spent two weeks with my parents, hanging out a lot with my sister and her family, and catching up with friends. Lucinda was dedicated on the 12th January. And the girls LOVED being with their cousins.

All of this will feature in future posts. For now, here's a picture of my three girls with my sister's five children, all enjoying an ice cream together at Southbank (thanks, Grandma!).

The cousins enjoy an icecream together on a hot Brisbane day.

And now to the 'no holiday' bit ...

Yesterday I signed up to the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation program.

And so begins a new battle in this long standing war.

They say you should keep trying to quit smoking, because every attempt brings you closer to success. I guess the same is true with weight loss.

One of the pre season tasks involves committing to your goals, and telling others about them.

So, here it is ...

My long term (and I mean a couple of years!) goal is to lose 52.3 kg.

My short term goal (in the next 3 months) is to lose 20 kg.

As I said on Facebook, I begin this journey with a great deal of trepidation. I've had small victories in the past, but never won the war.

However, there is also determination. I will give it my best shot.

Maybe if I'm successful, I'll deserve another holiday!

New Year's Resolutions 2013

Yep, it's that time of year again.

Time to look back on how things went over the last 12 months.

And time to look forward and set goals for the year ahead.

In my New Year's Resolutions post at the start of 2012 (found here), I set out to do four things:

• Respect my body.
• Improve my parenting skills.
• Spend more time with my husband.
• Spend more time with God.

I made a little bit of progress. I read quite a lot of 'Toddler Taming', and went on about four date nights with Neil. I kept good health during my pregnancy (it has fallen away a bit since then), and read the odd devotional. But I haven't really got there with any of them yet.

Not that it is clear where 'there' is!

These areas of life will always require attention. They're not goals I can cross off as done.

However, in 2013, I'd like to frame things slightly differently. Once again I'm focusing on broad principles. But I'll try to break it down into specific and achievable goals.

I'd like to make 2013 the year I Nurture The Relationships In My Life.

Specifically, I'd like to focus on my relationships with God, myself, Neil, my children, my family, my friends, my church, and others.

In measurable terms, I will:

• Make the gifts I give to my family and friends. I'm already full of ideas. Just expect that your present might be a little bit late to arrive - especially if you're one of the seven people with birthdays in February!

• Go on one date night a month with Neil.

• Invite someone to our home for a meal each month. No matter what the house looks like.

• Go on a family weekend away quarterly.

• Spend some quiet time alone in prayer every day. Even if it is in the middle of the night.

• Look into starting a small Bible study group with other parents of small children. Maybe mums one week, and dads the alternate week?

• Find a way to convince myself I am 'good enough'.

I'm not sure how achievable that is, but I'll give it a go!

What about you? Do you have any resolutions for the year ahead?

Lucinda and her Grandparents

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a visit from my parents, Bob and Neroli.

They flew down on a Thursday morning, and returned home the following Monday afternoon.

It was the first time my dad had met Lucinda, so it was lovely to watch them getting to know each other.

"Nice to meet you, Grandpa."

"I don't mind hanging out on Grandpa's lap."

My mum hadn't seen her since she was a week or two old, so Lucinda was delighted to see Grandma again too.

"Long time no see, Grandma."

It's hard when you live a long distance from your family. We don't see them as often as we would like to. But we really appreciate visits like this which help the girls get to know and remember their grandparents.

We're looking forward to seeing you again in January!