clackline post quarantine

we fiiiiiinally got to go and visit my family home in clackline over the weekend after zoned borders were listed a few weeks back. it was so nice to be home in the country, i love it out here!

we went over to one of the neighbouring towns - york to go to their rummage sale at the local salvation army, where we did great - i found some awesome stuff and walked away with 28 items for just $14. most of the time i am convinced that that the old guy who charges you gets sick of counting. on the way back we stopped off at the clackline lion to say hello.

seeing dad in his shed is the best bit. somehow (like every other dad in the world) he just magically knows where everything is and it's so funny. he's restoring an old ute in there bit by bit and it's absolutely his pride and joy. i can't wait to see it finished one day.

i love hearing their girls clucking away throughout the day. they've always had chickens as long as i can remember and it used to be my job to go and feed them, clean and fill their water and collect the eggs. can't say i minded actually, other than having to clean their water tub out, that was pretty rank.

my brother jareds first car, a hr holden sedan, is still parked undercover by the chook pen, waiting for the day that someone takes it to restore or it rusts away to nothing...

i love all the little details at mum and dads. like the water tower with a little house at the bottom. i am dying for the day mum sets it up as a cubby for the kids.

the farm house, which will always feel like home to me

so, funny story, i apparently left alex's bag in perth. we went to change his clothes when he got wet and discovered it wasn't there, meaning no nappies either, so maddie and i had to make another trip - off to northam to find him some clothes and supplies. he is wearing one of the jumpers i found in thi pic and i just love it!

everything at nannas is fancy. even bath rime. she ran little alex a bath then added some rose petals in. i swear the poor kid had no idea what was going on hahah.

i just love it out here. it's the most beautiful and peaceful place to run away to every now and then.

new dishwasher

sooooo, a while back, our dishwasher died. only that's not quite correct.. i bumped the waste pipe where it joined at our drain and it broke through. which meant, next time the water drained, it went into the cupboard and onto our solid wood floor. i didn't know what had caused a huge wet patch and thought there was a leak somewhere, but didn't work out where it had come from for a day or two, but thankfully didn't try to use it again before i located the issue.

so, the floorboards went all sharp from where the water had been and the sealant had cracked and i was devastated. our flooring is so nice and i was convinced it was ruined. thankfully this has now dried out and has gone nicely back into place. but when we disconnected the dishwasher and checked it out, all the pipe cracked along the back as we pulled it out, so it was basically an accident waiting to happen.

here comes the fun part. after we found out it couldn't be repaired, i had to then start the search for a new one, only to find out our hole was 2cm smaller than a standard model. oh my gosh. i must have looked at a hundred dishwashers online, going through their specifications, to find one that would fit. finally, i was able to locate one. just one. it seems there was only one option haha. so we bought our new dishwasher and here it is! 

we bought from appliances online and were so impressed with them. way cheaper than the regular recommended retail of listed products, free next day delivery and the installation was worth every cent! highly recommend them. the only sad part was that alex was sad that his little cubby hole he had staked a claim was rudely taken away haha, but this mum is stoked with her new well-fitted dishwasher. i'm working my way through that things to do list and loving the results. 

home made pizzas

josephs favourite thing to eat right now is pizza, which is fine by me, as i have a quick and easy way to do it! here's some shots from our last effort. i buy a pack of 5 of lebanese wraps from the local fruit and veg shop or just 99c and this mum is thrilled because they come in wholemeal and white. yes i am that person, i love wholemeal bread.

so, 20c per base, add some sauce (i used to use tomato paste, but i have since found that tomato or bbq sauce from the bottle works just as well) and then your toppings. believe me when i say you can add anything. pictured above are the leftovers from our roast dinner last sunday. corn cut off the cob, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes... pieces of chicken from the cooked chicken we had bought the day before, cut up zucchini, tomatoes, capsicum, tinned pineapple... i have cooked up silverbeet, chinese vegetables... you name it. it's probably been on a pizza i've made at some stage.

and these ones. joseph was so happy. he also loves sausages and dougs mum had brought over cooked breakfast on the weekend, leaving us with a couple of sausages left over. i sliced them up and threw them on hahaha. 

add some cheese on top, bake at 200 degrees celcius for 12 minutes and enjoy the heck out of them. we always do! easiest pizzas ever! 

acctv mothers day baking competition

a few days before mother's day i was doing my part for the school p&c and was packing orders for our online mothers day stall (thanks covid-19 ugh) at one of the other members house. of course i had alex with me and although he was doing his usual climbing onto to everything, he wasn't being too bad, or so i thought. oh my word. at one stage we heard something smash and there he is, pointing to a snowglobe that he's just dropped on the floor. ughhhhhhh. i was very apologetic and offered straight away to buy a replacement, but i was kindly assured that it was old and not sentimental and not to worry about it. thank goodness. but although i did not worry about it (a miracle for me), i still thought it would be a nice gesture to do something to apologise. cake. everyone loves cake. 

so i baked my favourite carrot cake (recipe here) and boxed it up nicely and took it around the next day. i was met with "you didn't need to" (i know) but they were very happy to have been thought of and it left me feeling good about what had happened - and what i had done to make it better.

then i saw a competition on the acctv facebook page asking for people to submit their cooking they had done during iso, in honour of their mum or related to mother's day. i thought what the heck, i'll enter, definitely related to mother's day and other mums - and what do you know, a week later...

i won!!!!!

i won a baking pack, including the anniversary edition of the cwa cookbook and i am stoked!!! cannot wait for it to arrive. what an awesome thing to have happen, something crappy, turned into something great. yay!

reunion day - borders are open

after weeks and weeks of the intrastate borders being closed while our state works on keeping the risk of covid-19 at bay - they have finally opened it up between perth and the wheatbelt... which means mum and dad finally got to come and visit! 

mum called it reunion day haha and brought me my favourite flowers and my favourite cake, then hung out with us for the afternoon and well into the evening before heading home. it was so nice to see them in real life and just have them here. mum cooked dinner with the older kids, dad played duplo by the hour with alex - nothing special or out of the ordinary, but it was special to me.

we are so lucky to be in western australia through all of this. our cases are so low now and dropping by the day and being the most isolated capital city in the world certainly has its advantages in times like this, when we have an awesome premier who has been firm on his decisions and is not risking the health of anyone. i feel so safe here and it is amazing.

steve's headstone

last week we went out to pinnaroo as a family and put stephen's headstone in place. we had it made up by a local woodworking company owned by a friend of ours, who has recently started to etch on acrylic as well as wood, and surprise - now marble too! we had ordered acrylic and when doug arrived to collect it, there it was in marble. we are so, so happy with it and think it is the most wonderful tribute to him.

we had it done up in time for his birthday and gave it to oli then - she was so touched. traditionally in her samoan culture, they wait for the one year anniversary of the passing to unveil the headstone, but we felt like now was a good time. we chose her favourite photo of stephen (which had also been on the cover of the funeral booklet) and a photo of the new zealand temple where they were sealed... then when the proof was sent to us, our friend had added an outline of new zealand in the middle to complete it. we couldn't have asked for anything better, it was just perfect.

so now he is here, rest peacefully with a beautiful marker, for those who come to see him. the sun was setting right as doug finally got it in place and it was a really special moment for all of us.

alex was trying to help (trying being the correct word) and kept flinging dirt straight back onto the headstone as doug would clean it off again and it was so funny. the kids chat away to stephen whenever we visit as though he is still there and i love that they got to have him around them for so long, to have such a special bond with him. all of this happened because dougs parents were brave enough to make the move here to perth and we have been grateful every day since. 

we miss him terribly, but he's still here with us in our hearts.

sister shortland

last week this incredible and very talented lady passed away and dozens of lds girls in wa felt the world grow a little dimmer. erica shortland made hundreds of dresses over the years, my wedding and bridesmaid dresses included.

all of the dresses in this picture other than my flower girl lauras (which was made by my mum) were made by this amazing lady. she managed to make so many, to all be exactly what we wanted and always made them happen, no matter the time restraints, your budget and how many you needed. she was quite simply a magician.

not only that, she was so incredibly kind. in the fifteen years i have known her, she has always found the time to say hello and ask how i am, even in the last few years when her voice hadn't been as strong as it once was.

i loved this dress and the lady who spent hours making it for me. she was just a wonderful lady and i will certainly miss seeing her at the landis get-togethers we are often invited to.

thank you for my dress dear sister shortland.

i will be eternally grateful. 

alexander is nineteen months

another month has come and gone and this adorable orange nugget is now nineteen months old

during the last month he:

-walked up and down the table, climbed onto chairs and onto the table at any chance he got

-watched hey duggee non stop

-his favourite words were bup-iss, t-kss

-he started shouting amen! at the end of prayers

-scrunches eyes shut for prayer time

-now says hey ducka for hey duggee

-and still isn’t sleeping that well (send help!)

but he (and we) are still alive and somehow make it through the day. he might be full of mischief but he is certainly very cute.

mothers day with borders

i have been so blessed to have these two amazing mums helping me every step of the way. those of you who know my mum (let's face it, if you are reading this you probably do) will know how incredible she is. she is so talented, can make anything... she cooks, she sews and when you need anything, if she doesn't have it, she will find it. she truly is life goals and i hope that one day i'll be just like her. 

a lot of you don't actually know my mother in law, but she is also amazing. she is so generous, always looks out for me and would do anything for me. sometimes she calls and says i have made dinner, come and pick it up. seriously so blessed. i am twice as lucky to have them both and absolutely treasure them. happy mother's day to the women who made me who i am.

i saw this on facebook this week leading up to mothers day and it is so true. love it so much. mum truly is the best friend i have ever had. i can tell her anything and never have to worry about it, because she listens, she understands and always does her best to help. i love you mum. ❤

 

this mothers day was a little different with regional borders in place... we couldn't go and visit mum! so i took advantage of some amazing local businesses in her area, owned by my best friend jennifer, who makes custom cookies at baked on benrua

and another friend chloe who runs a flower farm not far from mums house - called the grange farmhouse. they put together these amazing presents for mum and i was so stoked, it was almost as good as seeing her, knowing she was looked after.

my gifts from the kids were so cute - they bought one each from the school mothers day stall (all done online thanks to covid-19) a candle from madeline and a beaded bracelet from joseph, plus a cute keyring from each of them that they had made in class. i was quietly cracking up. madeline's had a bunch of flowers drawn on it and she had written "you smell nice." i must have cracked a smile when i saw it, she very quickly said, it's cause you wear deodorant every day! hahahah. this is from the child that spent years sniffing my worn t-shirts, so obviously she must like my smell. she also made me a coupon book and a card and joseph made me a "fill in the gaps book" about his amazing mum. super cute!

these little people test my patience on the daily but i love them madly and am so, so grateful to be their mum. ❤

primary mothers day gifts for quarantine

we have always made sure that the mothers in our ward receive something lovely as a gift each mother's day... after all the work of a mother is never done and i know firsthand that it's blooming hard work! when i was relief society president i did the gifts 3 years in a row and now that i'm in the primary presidency, i had my eyes peeled for a cute idea for our presidency to deliver to the primary mums.

it was actually on one of the lds young women pages that i found my inspiration, they were delivering a facemask for each mother and daughter to do together, under the excuse of "masks are required during coronavirus" and i thought we could do something similar here... 

so. off to big w for 40% facemasks @ $2.37 each

pack of cello bags from the reject shop (30 for $1.50)

2 x large boxes of cadbury roses (1/2 price at woolworths) $7.75 each

and a little card in each - 10c per print at harvey norman

a facemask and a "bunch of roses" thank you once again cadbury for making it possible for us to use chocolates as a "bunch of roses" haha

"masks may be required right now, so here's one we hope you will actually enjoy wearing, along with a bunch of roses... to brighten your day. we love and appreciate you so much! love, the ellenbrook primary"

they looked so cute and we had some great feedback from the mums who had theirs delivered today. hopefully they all love them! 

happy heavenly birthday

steve would have been 66 today. instead he gets to be seniors card age forever, while he rests peacefully on. what we wouldn't give for one more birthday with you, but we all know you're in the best place possible waiting patiently until we are all reunited. 

we had birthday dinner in his honour, complete with chocolate cake (which my mother in law, who doesn't often offer praise, absolutely loved) and even sang happy birthday to him as madeline insisted on holding his photo in his honour. it is hard to believe it has been 4 months without him already, but i really feel like he has remained here and watched over us. all of the extra money that's appeared with his finalised insurances and accounts, and times when we think of him at random moments... he's definitely around us.

well old man. we love you and we are always thinking of you... 

-when alex fitted his new all blacks onesie that was already too small for joseph when you bought it

-when joseph threw a fit last week when something wasn't just right

-when oli called to ask how to put oil in her car

and when i saw a great covid-19 meme about ducks.

stay safe up there, cause your memories are safe with us.

little changes for a (possible) big change

we've been toying with the thought of buying a bigger house, with a granny flat so that doug's mum could live with us, so we've spoken to a broker - and in the meantime started doing things around the house to make sure that if we decide to go ahead, it's ready to sell. i thought the list would be soooo long, but when it was all written down it wasn't long at all and consisted of some rather random things like:

-new dishwasher (current one doesn't work simply because it has a broken pipe and we can't repair it grrr)

-putty and paint holes from curtains in kids bedrooms (it's about time considering the plantation shutters have been in for a couple of years now)

-have garage door serviced (cause it's noisy as all heck)

-new locks on the doors (current ones are breaking and super hard to open)

-new plants out front (cause the old bushes were half dead and ugly - see photo below)

so little changes are being made, bit by bit... ticking things off my "to do" list gives me such a sense of accomplishment, especially when they are things we can do ourselves.

for example. the side gates are openable for the first time in years after doug discovered he had a pair of boltcutters and got busy with the wd-40. look at that! alex is so excited about it and keeps running down the side of the house in the hopes that he can go and play out the front, but i have to be careful because he also loves to run on the damn road. yikes. 

 

my friend pippa that works at bunnings made the suggestion of rosemary to replace the bushes in the planter out front and i love them! i have always been a huge fan of rosemary. it must be all those years in the funeral home, it's traditional to have it at funerals. rosemary is for remembrance as it leaves a scent on your hands after you've touched it, that help to remind you of things, so much so that you'll often see it growing around post offices. there's your useless fact for the day.

two of the bushes were salvageable and are now in our backyard where we had gaps and look much better. i just don't think they liked that front spot.

**update late may**

after careful deliberation as a family and financially... we have decided to stay put for now, but we are still very much working through our to do list and it's going well. hoping to have it all done by mid year! i would be so stoked.