Keep Your Valuables Close!!!

Let me set the scene......

Just before Xmas DH decided that he'd surprise me with a gift that was destined to save me a hell of a lot of wasted time on the business front - a Smart Phone... I was SO EXCITED!!!!! I was now able to email and blog as well as catch up on all my other Internet Stuff 'on the go'... I loved my Smart Phone and treated it accordingly...

That was until last Monday night, my first night away at camp, when after less than 15mins of sitting on a bench top in our hostel, unattended as I bathed my Connie Girl, my new Smart Phone went missing... At first I assumed that it was simply misplaced, I searched and searched and searched and searched - for a whole week and nearly went crazy in the process - but now after confirmation from my provided I know that my phone was in fact stolen.....

Although I cancelled my SIM as soon as I misplaced my phone there are still precious pictures that remain on the hard drive of my missing Smart Phone...

I am absolutely devastated!!! Even as I type this post I still can't believe that something like this has happened - surely I must be mistaken??? Right???? Why would someone want to 'steel' my phone??? Are there really people out there like that????

So now, I sit here without a phone. Being isolated like we are out here it's a 10 day, minimum, wait before my replacement phone will arrive but do I really want it???... I'm not a religious person but I do believe that you should 'do unto others as you would like done unto you' - right??? I could never imagine taking someones private possession for my own gain - could you?

At least I managed to download this pic off my Smart Phone the day before School camp.....

Take Care and Keep Your Valuables Close... xx

Another Liesl....

This week, in between School lessons, I've been putting the finishing touches on another Liesl cardigan....

I simply love this pattern!!!! For some reason it just seems to fly off the needles and no matter how many times I make it, each and every time is a pleasure.... For this Liesl version I've gone with a capped sleeve and wide neck opening. I made the size 42' even though I am only a 38' - I wanted a lot of give this time round'!! I used 7mm needles and my yarn of choice is a DK weight - sorry but the brand is a secret for now... All I can say is that I'm very excited to now be stocking this gorgeous Australian yarn in my Shop and as soon as I open back up I'll tell you all about it.....

Yes that's right - I've had the doors of Jellywares closed for the past 5 weeks through the heat of Summer. This has given me just the right amount of time to do a little Spring cleaning while I take a well earned break spending time with my family... As most of you know I school my Connie girl from the farm and this year we have moved our schoolroom to the heart of the house to make it a little more interactive. Next week we are away on a School Camp and as soon as we return things should be back to normal... I'll be returning to my Shop in Cobar town for Friday and Saturday, while Monday to Thursday will be School on the farm... 

So here's hoping you've had a fantastic start to the first School Term for 2012 with your little ones - we've been reading lots of 'Pamela Allen' books and enjoying many an old fashioned nursery rhyme....

{{{Hugs}}}

Jodie

Poppy and Connor....

Just before Xmas we were very lucky to welcome 2 new little kittens to our tribe..... Meet 'Poppy' (and yes that's me, raw as raw, with all my lines exposed - something I'm trying to embrace)...

 

And here's Millie's 'Little Connor'.....

 

 

 

 

We sure do love our cats 'round these parts.... :)

Pebble....

I love knitting for babies, there's just something special about it - don't you think???....

 

And if I had to pick a favourite pattern for a newborn it would have to be the 'Pebble'...

 

I love the way this little vest is designed to open out flat - it makes those sometimes awkward newborn  change times seem oh so much more simpler.....

 

If you've followed this blog for a while you'll know that this is my 3rd 'Pebble'. This one I've made for a lady who has been nothing but warm and generous to me since we met a few years back. She and her family have welcomed the most sweetest little girl, Tilly J, into the world on a very special day - Xmas Day!!!

 

So with another knitted project off the needles a new one has begun... This time using some scrummy silk/cashmere and a gorgeous Kirsten Kapur pattern - I can't wait to tell you all about this new yarn once this project is finished...

but until then - Happy Knitting!!!

Seasonal

Last week we were gifted 2 big boxes full of the sweetest home-grown Nectarines I think I've ever tasted (thanks Hansen family) so what were we to do with this yummy, juicy, extra ripe seasonal fruit apart from eat it??? Make Jam of coarse....  

 

Having never made Nectarine Jam before, and a lack of being able to find a recipe in my trusty old preserving book, I decided to 'wing it'.....

 

My girls started by removing the seeds from the fruit and slicing the flesh, thinly, until they had enough to fill a 4 litre pot. I then placed the pot full of sliced fruit on the stove over a low heat for approx an hour (do not add any water or your jam will be too runny) - the flesh will be all nice and gooey like baby food after this time.

 

We then added 4 cups of sugar to our baby food goo and bought it to a simmer. Because Nectarines have a very low pectin level we had to simmer our mixture for approx 2 hours before the 'setting' stage was reached. A good way of telling if you've reached this 'setting' stage is to have a small plate handy in the freezer, place a teaspoon of your hot mixture onto the cold plate and freeze for a couple of minutes. If, when removed from the freezer, your mixture wrinkles and separates when your finger is run through it than your jam has reached the 'setting' stage - remove it from the heat and bottle it. If the mixture doesn't wrinkle simmer for a further 10 mins and repeat....

 

We've also got an abundance of passionfruit here on the farm at the moment so I tried my hand at some passionfruit syrup, so far so good it's a hit with the whole family!!!!

 

For our syrup we took 2 cups of fresh passionfruit pulp, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water and bought it all to a rapid boil for 10 mins.

 

While it was still hot we poured it into some sterilized jars....

 

And then I couldn't help but pour it all over a butter cake that we'd made the day before and fill it full of cream - so delicious!!!!!

 

I'm still knitting away happily and have been dying to share this shawl with you all...

 

The pattern is Sand and Sea from the Coastal Knits book and the yarn I've used is Malabrigo (lace for the green and sock from the edging)

 

What can I say.... I simply loved making this shawl. There was just enough detail to keep me interested the whole way through and I even learnt something new - picking up wraps from a purl side. I can see another one of these simple lightweight Summer shawls whipped up very very soon....

 

And thanks to my little Millie, it's being modelled just beautifully..... :)

{{{{Big Hugs}}}}
Jodie

Summer Afternoons

The windy weather this past week has been just perfect for kite flying....

 

So we've been making the most of it, as you do, getting our fill of windy action with some friends!!!

 

Connie (my 5yr old) even enjoyed a fly,

 

and loved every minute of it!!!! Next time she might even be ready to go solo...

 

 

Summer afternoons spent like this - finished off with a BBQ of coarse, are up there with my favourites - how 'bout you??? What's your favourite way to spend a Summer's afternoon where you come from???

Absolute Bliss

WOW!!! Can it really be the 10th of January 2012 already???

The past 18 days since I last posted have been absolute bliss.... Loads of things have been happening, here's a brief run down - there was Xmas (of coarse), a gorgeous trip to Sunny Queensland for one of the best 6 day holidays we've EVER had, a delightful New Years Party on the gorgeous over flowing Darling River with a group of friends (both new and old which is always nice..), A visit to Nanny's place, a perfect pool party here on the farm for my little Millie who is now 3 - OMG!!!! And to top it all off we were blessed with a visit from some special friends this morning - they've travelled all the way from Victoria for a week away.
  

Also, in amongst the excitement we've been trapping goats like crazy (which is usual for this time of year) but with the scorching temps reaching well up and into the 40's for the past week (thank goodness today is a mild 32'C) the new Jumpoline (thanks Santa... *wink*), some bubble bath and a sprinkler come in very handy for cooling everybody down a little - and yes I mean EVERYBODY!!! 

Thanks for all of the Xmas and New Year emails that have come through. A few have been wondering where I've been and if all is well - I promise, all is well here on the farm, a little chaotic at times but still very very well....

So................. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!! Sorry it's 10 days late....

Here's hoping you bought 2012 in with a bang and that this year finds you taking a little more time out to appreciate the simpler things in life.....

Extra Squishy

I love gardening and nothing brings me more pleasure than a nice, squishy, green  lawn!!!!

 

I love taking my shoes off and sinking my toes into it on a warm Summers day....

 

All the while watching my girls roll, jump and play on its vast expanse as they hope and wish that if their extra good Santa might just bring them that jumpoline they've been praying for (don't you know that's what they call trampoline's these days... LOL)....

So with only 2 sleeps to go I do so hope that Santa got their Xmas letters this year - we really would love a jumploine for our squishy lawn...

Merry Xmas - Jodie xx

Last Minute...

Can it really only be 16 days til Xmas???? 

Now that our tree is up the mad last minute present crafting has begun. Is it like that at your home??? Do you seem to leave A LOT of things to the last minute like me? For some reason I thrive on the thrill of getting things accomplished at the last minute - stupid, I know, especially when I still have 2 quilts to finish and a dress to make.....But, here's a pic of something which I do have finished - the package of goodies that I sent off to my Festive Swap Partner... 

 

And thanks to this gorgeous recipe over at 'The Shady Baker' I am now totally hooked on Basil Pesto - and what a great way to use up all of the excess that I have in the garden at the moment don't you think...

Stirred through some gorgeous home-made pasta with extra sharp cheese on top - DIVINE!!! 

Sweet and Tender

This week I've been busily harvesting golden onions from my garden - bunches and bunches of them... I like to plait mine and hang them in my dark pantry to dry out, this way they last us all the way through Winter (that's if we don't eat them all ofcoarse... LOL!!!). Nothing quite beats the fresh, sweet, tender taste of freshly grown onions... What do you do with yours???

 

We've also been lucky enough to be picking tomatoes and sweet hungarian peppers.

Have you ever preserved peppers??? I'd love to have a go at roasting them and preserving them in some kind of vinegar brine - got any recipe ideas?? I'd love for you to share them with me if you do...

 

Over the past couple of days I've had quite a few emails from my Swap ladies letting me know that they've sent out their parcels. This is great news as there is still a week until the deadline.... I'll be sending my parcel off tomorrow. I've made my (secret) partner the 'Grandmother's Fan Dishcloth' that I wrote about here. I just love this pattern and can see many more of this dishcloth made in the lead up to Xmas....