Matching Pegs

Amelia’s 10th Birthday Sewing party was a great success.

Button Gingerbread biscuits were consumed (along with plenty of other treats).

The “Birthday Cake” was a plate of flower cupcakes which Luke made with the kids.

“Hoop Face” stitcheries were stitched by all.  This one is Amelia’s, you can tell by the very neat stitches.

Rory is more of a speed stitcher, he really enjoyed working on his Robot.  I need to track down a couple more 4″ hoops, so that his can have a properly sized face.

While the kids were stitching, they also took it in turns to rifle through my fabric stash to design themselves a cushion front featuring their initials.  Next time I will give you a peek.

We have three birthdays in our house, within 12 days in June.  Mr Matching Pegs (Luke), Rory and finally my birthday (which technically I share).  That’s why things have been a little bit quiet on the blog front.

There was a certain amount of switching celebrations around, to fit in around the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.  This meant that Rory celebrated his birthday yesterday, with 6 of his friends over for a “Masterchef” birthday party.

The boys made 2 mini pizzas each (with dough prepared beforehand).  They shaped their bases, and topped them with their favorite toppings.  After pizza, they moved onto decorating biscuits as footballs, and then in their football team colours.  There was probably too much colouring involved – 8 year old boys do not need extra hyping up – but they had a great time.

Luke outdid himself, making “The Ghostly Galleon” from the much loved “Women’s Weekly Kids’ Birthday Cakes” cookbook for the party.  We put the candles in, on an angle, in order to keep the flames away from the paper sails, but we thought they also looked like cannons.

On Rory’s actual birthday, Luke made “Zappo the Alien” from the same book, which the kids decorated themselves.

The most meaningful cake experience for me involved a very humble, store bought cake, last Friday.

I was able to blow out the candles with my twin brother Julian, who has spent exactly a year in hospital, and has just been discharged.  The last year has been very, very, hard.  My family is feeling like we are emerging, tentatively, from the depths of a very dark tunnel.  We are all very changed by the experience, but so amazingly grateful that we are coming out the other side.  It was really the best birthday present possible, to be able to share it with Julian, (which is as it should be, when you are a twin).  The photo of us is less than flattering, being an action shot of us blowing out the candles, but it amuses me that Lotta, who is on Julian’s lap, looks like she is blowing out the candles too.  Oh, and you can see my new red glasses!

My birthday present from Luke arrived this morning, some Lilac Ugg Boots to warm up my tootsie this winter.  As you can see out the window, it is cold and grey, and foggy.  They match the cake at the start of the post, which is a little something I am working on for someone else’s birthday.

So, have you made any amazing cakes lately?

Sometime I hear people trade stories about the size of their ironing pile, about the enormity of their backlog.  I keep pretty quiet, and I must admit, slightly mystified. I have never really been an ironer.  My iron sees a lot of action – but about 95% of that is for sewing.

All our washing is line dried, (or occasionally dried on airing racks inside) – business shirts and the like are hung straight onto hangers to dry, and Mr Matching Pegs irons his own shirts when he needs to wear them (about twice a week – he is a designer, and does not wear business shirts every day).

For this reason, starch has always been a historical item to me – something I knew people used to use, to stiffen a collar, or a special linen tablecloth.  I had never used it myself.  I don’t even know if there are people out there of my generation that use it (are there?).

After having trouble ironing under the 1/4 inch seam allowance of my little Ohio Star, (so that I could sew it on the back of my quilt) I decided to give some starch a go.  It made ironing a crisp, thin edge a piece of cake.

Now I have started using it on the remaining “New House” string quilt blocks.  It really helps the ironed fabric sit flat against the paper, ready for the next piece to be added.  I am hoping that it also helps to hold the block stable once the paper has been pulled off the back.

Here are some more recent blocks – making them is really quite relaxing.  I think I will run out of the green for the middle, before I run out of cut strips, my pile does not seem to be diminishing.

While I was musing on starch, I wondered what people had made it out of in the “olden days”.  My guess was potato (the starchiest thing I know of) but I knew the Internet would have an answer for making some at home.  It seems it can be made using corn flour (corn starch in US speak).  I assume that it can be made of other things – I am sure it would not have been made from corn in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries to stiffen neck ruffs! Make your own starch recipe found here.

Just one word of warning about starch – apparently the bugs love to eat it.  Only use starch on things that are going to be washed in the not too distant future.

So tell me, do you use starch for anything?

This weekend required an activity to keep small people entertained, and it ended up involving the whole family.  I was the designated goop chef, and I made up this batch of papier mache glue, using only the ingredients you see here – Flour, sugar, water (and heat).  I found the reciepe here.

We blew up small balloons for the kids, propped them some jars and glasses, and got dipping with our ripped up newspaper.  Luke and Michaela are collaborating on a chirpy bird.  Rory and Amelia are making frogs.  Best of all, I think this project will provide amusement for days to come.

We stored the goop in the fridge overnight, and this morning it was the consistency of good old Clag.  It was great to be able to whip it up in our own kitchen for free, and we now have enough goop for a papier mache house.

Speaking of houses, here is another activity to keep the kids amused (found via Simple Mom) – celebrating our favorites, Charlie and Lola.

What did you get up to this weekend?

Something seems to have happened with the last Wordpress (or Firefox) update, and I am having trouble uploading images.  I have several lovely ones to share with you, thanks to our weekend in the country with family for Easter.  Alas, you will have to make do with an old one, which seems to upload just fine.

The kids had a lovely time over Easter catching up with cousins and eating chocolate, as well as enjoying the huge box of Lego that lives at Nanna and Poppa’s house.  There are a few more days left of the school holiday before they head on back to school.

The weather has turned cooler here in the evenings in Melbourne, and last night we had the first casserole of the season – Kangaroo Stew – followed by delicious Bread and Butter Pudding.  Yummy!

I have not cooked much with Kangaroo, but I have to say it is just fantastic meat.  Not only is it a very lean, healthy red meat, (which is easy to overcook but lovely if you get it right) but it is wonderful for the environment.  Kangaroos are of course perfectly suited to our dry climate, and don’t damage the environment in the way that introduced farm animals do with their hooves.  They do not require any clearing of land, nor maintaining of fences.  They need no drenching nor vaccinations.  Best of all, in comparison to cows and sheep, they do not produce much methane – a greenhouse gas (read all about it here and here).  Kangaroo meat is readily available in supermarkets here and apparently it tastes like venison, slightly gamey – I couldn’t vouch for it, as I have never tasted venison.  In my limited experience, it makes a great hearty meal, cooked with things you would traditionally pair with beef.

More random and unrelated news, Kirsten of Tollipop is having an amazing giveaway of some of her beautiful paintings, to mark her one year blogging anniversary.  If you have not seen the beautiful people that she creates, pop on over and have a look.

Hopefully I will get the image thing sorted out soon, (with a lot of help from the in house technical support, otherwise known as Mr Matching Pegs, Luke) so that I can show you progress on my painting which I have worked on a little more lately.

Finished!  The Emmeline Apron Pattern is lovely, and the Mexican Ladies so bright and cheerful (thanks for your generosity Lily).  I am really happy with the result.

I probably should have worn a few less layers to model it – it looks less shapely than it should, but it was cold and windy here in Melbourne today.

I will definitely be wearing this a lot, and I will be sure to make this apron up again.

Look who I found soaking up a little bit of winter sun in my garden yesterday. Like any other cat, this one looks quite comfortable perched in an unusual place – the handle of my rotary clothes line. This little aqua cat just needs a name, any suggestions?

It was quite a busy weekend here, among other things Michaela had her first swimming lesson. She was a star, and was smiling whenever she didn’t have a concentration face on. Some of the other little people in the tiny pool with her cried and cried, which was distressing for everyone, but didn’t seem to get to Michaela. Of course I would love to share how adorable she looked in her new speedos and goggles, but apart from potentially attracting creepies, I didn’t want to take a camera along to a kids’ swimming lesson.

On Sunday, while I took Rory to a gymnastics birthday party, (what a fabulous idea, Rory loved it) Luke opened up a craft box we have had for a while, and made some soap with the girls. It is still not dry, but the lavender in it smells wonderful.

Finally, have a look at this, the first of our Magnolia buds is starting to open. In no time the tree will look spectacular.

Don’t forget to leave a comment to help me name the cat, who now has a little heart on his/her chest like the bunny rabbit.

After Wednesday’s events, we have had lots of school holiday family time – just what the doctor ordered!

On Thursday the kids were busy in the kitchen making dough creations, that we “fired” in the oven and then painted.

This weekend there was a great deal of construction going on in the back yard.

It went from this, which was built last weekend,………………. to this…………

And finally this. So far it is an elevated platform, which will have rails added around the sides, and a nice wide step and eventually half of it will have a roof. The kids are very happy with Luke’s log constructions.

Meanwhile inside I was working on a log construction of my own.

It went from this, to this below.

It is one of several cushion covers in the works that I have finally gotten around to. I just have to finish sewing on the binding. Stay tuned for more construction efforts

It is a glorious Melbourne autumn Sunday, (crisp morning, very sunny day-but not too hot) and we have been enjoying the delicious treats above.

Rory and I went to a birthday party yesterday, and have another to visit late this afternoon. While we were gone yesterday, the girls and Luke made gingerbread, but Rory was home in time to enjoy decorating them too. The ones above are the Happy Gingerbread People. Those below are the Angry ones….

We have been taking advantage of the “extra hour” today, after the clock switched from Daylight Savings Time overnight, doing lots of odd jobs around the house. I have been washing our windows after the amazing windstorm that we had during the week – Much of Melbourne was without power and some people still are, so a bit of dust is no big deal.

As the birthday parties are now here (I am sure you are not peeking Debbie, just an hour before the party) I can show you the sewing I have been doing – 2 Piratical Aprons!

It was somewhat of a struggle to get Rory to agree to model one for me, but he gave in eventually.

So, we are off to a party shortly – I had better get out of my cleaning windows gear – but I will leave you with a laugh. Here are the Sad Gingerbread People. Mr Gingerbread was devastated to discover that his wife had been attacked by an enormous “little” girl, who could not wait to try……..

Mum, can you please put a photo of my play-dough face on your website?

Sure!

Recipe for Homemade Playdough (or as Amelia called it when she was about 2 – Squish-Squish).

1 Cup Plain Flour

1 Cup Warm Water

2 Teaspoons Cream of Tartar

1 Teaspoon of Vegetable Oil

1/4 Cup Salt

Food Colouring

*Add a few drops of food colouring to the water, then mix all ingredients together in a large saucepan.

*Stir over a medium heat until the mixture changes from liquid to solid.

*Remove from the saucepan and knead until it is blended smooth

*Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Have Fun.