On Going Home

Last week was my first visit back to Christchurch following our move south a couple of months back. It was nice to be home. Nice to spend time with family and friends. Nice to see my girls playing with their cousins. Nice to be able to buy a few bits and pieces from the bigger chain stores we lack down south. It was not so nice to be around for another 5.4 quake but I was relieved my girls both slept through it.

Coming back to our new home, I am grateful for the easy life we have here. Life is so normal. My children behave normally here, they go to playgroup, pre-school, they play at the playground. All the things I used to take for granted, but never again. We are happy here.

And a little update on Holly's eyesight. While we were up in Christchurch, Holly saw the specialist. Her eyesight appears to be on the improve in the eye that was deemed blind. We will continue occlusion therapy and she will have more testing in another three months but things are looking good!

Another First

I told you this little girl of mine has a lot of 'firsts' going on at the moment.

This week she had her first day at preschool. She was so excited about starting, wanting to know when her first day was going to be.  The morning of the big day, she excitedly packed her new bag and was eager to get going. When we arrived, I got a quick kiss and she was off to play with her little friend whom she had spied across the room. I was meant to go back after an hour but the centre rang me to tell me she was having fun and in her words "did not want to go home yet". When I did pick her up later, she couldn't stop chattering about painting, play-dough, the slide and the animals.

Today was her second day and she still appears to be feeling the preschool love. She came home to proudly tell me she "made a little boyfriend"... gotta love 3 year olds.

Firsts

This girl of mine has lots of firsts happening at the moment. The latest, her first haircut. It has taken me over 3 years to build up the mummy courage to take my baby for her first haircut, but the time finally came when her hair was just getting too knotty. We knew it was time to chop off those baby ends.

She was so excited, she was literally bouncing when we arrived at the salon. She hopped up into the seat happily but did look more than a little surprised when they popped the cape on her shoulders. She was a little gem though and sat still for the entire cut.

And now we finally have the answer to our question, will she have curly hair like her daddy, or straight hair like her mummy?.... looks like she takes after her mummy.

Rosehip Syrup

Around the lake here, there are so many rosehip bushes, laid heavy with their deep red berries. So we decided to pick some for making herbal tea. My lovely new neighbor suggested trying to make some rosehip syrup... and so we did. I thought I would share with you just how we made it. It is beautiful, sweet, kind of like a fruity maple syrup. But best of all it is packed with vitamin C and my girls seem to love it.

Rosehip Syrup


Pick 350g of rosehips, break off any stalks, chop rosehips in a food processor to break them up.
Put rosehips into 500mls of boiling water, bring to the boil them remove from heat and stand for 15 minutes. 
Strain mixture through a tea towel to drain off the fluid but leaving the pulp behind. Keep the fluid. 
Return the pulp to the pan. Add a further 500mls of boiling water, bring to the boil again, then let stand for a further 15 minutes. 
Strain the second batch through the tea towel also. 
You can now discard the pulp.
Return the liquid to the heat. Add 250g of sugar and bring to the boil for a few minutes. 
Pour mixture into clean jam jars to the top. Put lid on and as the syrup cools it will cause the lid to air seal itself. 
Store in a cool dark place and refrigerate after opening. 


Makes a delicious drink, hot of cold. A yummy topping for porridge, ice cream or any other sweet treats!

My Creative Space

I finished off this little cardigan last week for Isla. It is made from the Elizabeth Zimmerman baby surprise jacket pattern. Unfortunately, it is too small for her. The pattern said for a 1 year old but Isla is too big for it at 1.5 years. So, if you know any little girls who would like this, I think it would be ideal for about a 9 month old. It is made from wool, so warm and snuggly for the cold winter months.

If your interested, just send me an email. I am going to be selling it for $25NZD +postage.