declaring war on bad smells and making a useful thing

We've had a few icky odours around here lately. A feline entity (not necessarily his Lordship Mr Furpurrson, although he would be pretty high on the suspect list) has been occasionally urinating somewhere in the hall way, not enough to leave a wet mark, but enough to make us wrinkle our noses in the morning, and sigh when we arrive home from the great out doors. I've been sprinkling baking soda on every inch of carpet, leaving it for a bit than vacuuming it up. I think it's worked, for now. But I also think I've developed a very low tolerance for bad smells. Either that or dog turds around Cobden are having a population explosion (and yes I checked my shoes and those of my immediate family).

Dining table clutter has been another of my adversaries. Progress is being made, I have won todays battle if not the war. I have made some very rough and ready seat covers (only covers the backs) with pockets in them to stash each persons reading material or whatever it is they leave littering the table. That way lone diners can pull out a stash of mags etc. to keep them entertained, but if we are eating together it can all be off the table in an instant.

The adults chair version I made out some curtain fabric remnant, and the pocket is made from and old cloth nappy I had done a heliography experiment on. The kids chairs are the perfect size to use teatowels :-) and I happen to have more than a few in my stash.

A Photo a day - the last 25 days

lunch time treats that don't piss me off

I have been annoyed lately. Not so much by the world economic crisis, or the destruction of the environment - I have different part of my brain for being annoyed about those - but this current annoyance has been about those very small little pottles of fruit in jelly or custard or what-not that you can buy from the supermarket for between $4 and $7 dollars for an over packaged bundle of 4 100-150 ml tubs. I had been occasionally buying 6 packs of yoghurt pottles for a small lunch time treat for the boys - good source of calcium, quick and easy ra-de-ra. Mr 7 however has decided that pottles of yoghurt no longer meet the school yard standard and he is grossly deprived by the lack of little pottles of jelly and fruit - a most high status provision he has witnessed at school. O.k - it was the weekend, shopping day - there was no way I was parting with $5 for such an over packaged ultra-instant bit of marketing. Since when did jelly crystals and custard powder become so inconvenient?? So, brain wave - bought a packet of jelly crystals, a can of fruit salad in juice ($1.70 total) and got Mr Demanding to make some, he made six (plenty to share with his little bro over the week) - and we still had some fruit left to scoff (cooks privilege). Totally fun activity, another step towards self-feeding child.

Ahh but it gets better! I remembered last time we went to stay at Mum and Dad's Mum made an old family dessert from her Granny's cook book called 'Pineapple Fruit Cream' absolutey delish and one of those recipes which although scrummy and treaty and enjoyed by almost everybody is also surprisingly nutritious (high in calcium, protein, fibre, plus low in fat and -potentially- sugar). So I've whipped up a batch - and low and behold there is enough (with less than $4 of ingredients) to make not only 8 mini puddings to go in school lunches, but also a large dollop for the four of us for pudding tonight! (secret ingredient: air!)
So, here is the recipe

Pineapple Fruit Cream (Granny Bull)
1 tin crushed pineapple (I used pineapple in juice)
2 level dessert spoons gelatine
1/2 c sugar (I used 1/4 c)
1 tin evaporated milk (I used 98.5% fat free) which has been in the fridge for at least 1 hour (helps it whip).
1. Pour juice from pineapple over gelatine, add sugar and stand bowl in hot water until dissolved, allow to cool.
2. Whip evaporated milk (I hadn't tried this before, but it work really fast!)
3. Beat both mixtures together
4. Stir in pineapple pulp.
5. Pour into containers and set in the fridge.

I assume you could use any fruit, and in the absence of gelatine you could use a packet of jelly crystals (and omit the sugar).

And here is Little and Furps nesting.

crafts and someone's really bad day

I was going to make this post about the nifty crafts I've been working on. But before I do I feel compelled to write about a boy I saw today having quite probably the worst day of his life so far. I'm not sure that I should call him a boy because he was probably late teens, possibly even early twenties, but I use the term 'youth' in jest so often that I can't use it in this circumstance. I saw this boy being arrested by 5 large police officers. The body language was extreme, the boy had his hoody pulled up over his head and his head as far down as is humanly possible. He had his back to the police men and he was hanging his arms and head over a fence almost like he was already in a cage, his feet were almost off the ground. In contrast the body language of the police was relaxed, so relaxed that I think 'how to look relaxed even when you're not' must be covered fairly thoroughly in police training. When they decided to act - manhandling the boy into a police car they were quick and his resistance was completely ineffective.

In more cheerful happenings I have made a cell phone pouch for my sister, who gave me no specifications other than 'funky fabrics' so I think I met the brief.

I also (during the last school holidays) discovered the wonderful knitting designer Hansi Singh and gave her cuttlefish knitting pattern a try. The first knitting I have done for ages and I'm definitely hooked again. I'm doing one of her starfish now and have plans to attempt the deep sea lantern fish complete with it's parasitic male.

Doctor Who sewing

Things achieved today: - made fudge - successful fudge even, although fudge performance anxiety is a thing of the past since I discovered 'failed fudge brownies' http://recipeland.com/recipe/v/Failed-Fudge-Brownies-32305
- entertained my small boys and a friends small girl (I taught them how to make paper doll chains, both boys turned their upside down and pointed out funnels, wheels, pistons and cylinders)
- cleaned up after small boys and girl
- went for a token run - my 20 minute beach and back 'mental health' run which is actually the only kind of run I do these days.
- roasted four kinds of root veggies for winter roasty salad
- sewed the guts on the squashed rat bookmark
- ate yesterdays self saucing orange and almond pudding with ice cream while watching Indiana Jones with Baggins.

Poor old Baggins spent the entire day water blasting the drive way so we can walk down it without abseiling gear.

In older news I have been sewing. First it was going to be a wall hanging - but after a few swerves along the way it is a double sided cushion cover. I did the tardis first from this awesome pattern http://www.sewhooked.org/paper_piecing/img/paper_piecing/edited/6_inch_paperpiece_tardisa.jpg which was my first introduction to paper piecing (instant addict). The Darlek was easy peasy after the tardis!

We took the boys part way up Mount Te Kinga last weekend. The boys had some good exploring in nature time. I had to do some back tracking towards the end in order to retrieve Oscar's possum which he had ejected from the back pack.

Here is said possum working it's magic.

Oscar Miro Norris with a Miro berry :-)

And Leo brought Zac Power along - first non-Tintin reading we've seen for quite some time.

A little helper in the kitchen

Tonight as I was preparing dinner Osky was pottering around about my knees as he does, occasionally snaffling slices of carrot from the chopping board. Noticing that he had dissected and distributed some carrot rather than consuming it I asked him to put the mess in the compost. Coming back from setting the table I was amused to see him carefully picking all the things he's not keen on off his plated up meal and transfering them one by one to the compost - I guess they were going to end up there anyway!!

My image of a West Coast Easter.

Took the boys out to Shanty Town for the Easter Egg hunt this morning. The actual egg hunting was a bit of a disaster, I ended up accepting a sneaky handful of tiny foil wrapped chocs from a friend and discretely hiding them nearby and encouraging the boys to look right there RIGHT NOW. Anyway, the highlight for me was the lovely gentleman who closes the doors and rides back and forth on the steam train (he probably does more important things than that, but thats what I notice) telling me that the Weka made off with many of the smaller eggs hidden around the place. There are quite a few fluffy weka chicks around at the moment so since then I've had this delightful image in my head of a Mama weka racing guiltily through the bush - you know how they do - with a beak full of choccies for her nest full of littles. Sigh. Got to be a children's story in that.

The highlight for the boys was getting a ride in the carriage pulled by Clydesdales. Although Oscar had maybe had enough excitement by then, and the sheep skin seat cover put him in zone out mode.

Leo and I worked on a joint sewing project a few days ago. We made a cape for his best friend who visited earlier in the week. L's friend is mad on Knights - so we went through my fabric stash and found suitable bits and pieces.

Leo did the rough cutting and decided on the placement of the patches - we used his best cape as a pattern. The whole thing was finished by the time Oscar woke from his nap, very satisfying!

I was inspired by last weekends sewing bee organised by Sandra (www.lettersfromwetville.blogspot.com) to make dress-ups for Christchurch Kindies.

I've also started two messenger bags - one for an adult - pohutakawa image, and the other for child - dinosaur themed. They are proving bit frustrating at this stage, too many decisions to make.