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So easy to make wonderful pizzas at home, really not tricky at all.

I guess we're a thoroughly modern family in that we don't often get to eat together as a family. When I was growing up every night we were all together, mum, dad, me and my brothers (if they were home) and I honestly can't recall a time when Dad wasn't there. We would eat early too and always be finished in time for Dr Who on the ABC.

Geoff, like most fathers we know, works long hours and isn't home before 7pm each night. By the time he gets in the girls are fed, bathed and in their pjs ready for bed. He gets a few moments with them, story time and then that's all the time they get to share. On the weekends we try and have a family dinner at least one night and sometimes it can be fraught. I think I try to make things too perfect at times, the girls don't care what we eat, just that we're together, but tonight was just perfect. It was Ella's suggestion to make pizzas, which we all did together, and it was as I said perfect. We were laughing the whole time. We're probably very poor parents as after one of us burped accidentally it set off a chain of faux burbs by everyone (including Leila) which had us in stitches.

I say, whenever there's a jackpot, that I wish we could win the lotto. I don't want for material stuff, but I do want for being together. If we won the lotto, we'd be able to have dinner together every night.

An overview

of our weekend thus far.

You can never have too much fuss

made of you on your birthday, at least that's how I feel.

Tomorrow someone very special in our life is celebrating his birthday. We have got an adult present too, but this is what Ella wanted to make for him. The picture is of nan and pa dancing together while the band plays on the piano, guitar and tamborine in the background.

The spoils of birthday cake making, is the kitchen ever as quiet as it is when little ones are licking the beaters?

Quick brag ....

I sold FIVE (5) dolls today!!! I can't believe it I'm so thrilled. Now though, the pressures on, I have to restock so you know what I'll be doing tonight - stuffing.

Muffins and Rye

Years ago I saw something about food stylists and how they prepare food for photo shoots. They had amazing tricks with dry ice for making roast chickens look as if they'd just been pulled from the oven. There were also weird and wonderful things, which of course now I can't remember any of. Must look it up, think that would be quite a cool job.

Bushland so close

There are a couple of blogs I read that are from people based in New England, US and on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver. Now these are parts of the world I have been lucky enough to visit and which count amongst my favourites, so perhaps my judgement is coloured. It does, however, seem as if they have so many natural riches at their fingertips. Farming land so close, gorgeous woods and streams to explore, seeming wilderness around every turn. I do forget that we too have riches so close to us.

In trying to shake the funk that has descended on our house we got our picnic together and head to Westerfolds Park for a couple of what turned out to be, glorious hours. My shots are poor, I admit, my girls are firstly too fast for me to capture and I have a very sad very compact camera which has few tricks and a poor operator.

You'll also notice from the photos, we didn't have to share with many others - ours was the only one in that carpark.

Ella has been feeling the loss of companionship with friends since our confinement and today we met two separate groups of lovely boys her age which she played with so happily for the hours we were there. Is it just my daughter who always asks her new "friends" over for a sleepover?

Perfect afternoon, so worth dragging ourselves out, you rarely feel worse after a good dose of fresh air and sunshine.

Sick of Sickness

I know it's not just our house but oh lordy, when will the bugs leave! Life is so dull right now - we're cancelling all our activities left right and centre. I think out of a term of 12 lessons so far we've made 3 swimming classes and they're not free you know. We've had to cancel play dates, we've had the tears that result from that. We've spent copious amounts of money on aloe vera tissues and we're all fed up with the same four walls. For the last week now Ella's had an ear infection and Leila conjunctivitis. I've been sick, Geoff's still sick and now my parents are down with it again.

Today I think we'll just have to brave the cooler weather with scarves, hats, more of those tissues I mentioned at hand and just refresh our perspective.

I have managed some craftiness however and have dolls to go into the shop today or tomorrow. I've had to put my prices up. However much I love making these dolls, they're a steal for the amount of work and materials that go into them. Although I wouldn't want anyone to feel sorry for me, it's not about that, I just have to have their value reflected a little more in the price and even now I feel $57.50 for what they are is cheap. I also compare to other like type items and it confirms that I they should be priced much higher. For now though, I'll just allow this rise to cover the lack of gain on currency exchanges now (good time for a US trip) and the increases in just about everything else. Aren't they cute though, I think they just keep getting better.