AUGUST: MY FAVOURITE BITS.

Wasn't August amazing? Winter has gone, and spring is just plain showing off. Today is one of the most beautiful ways to begin a season, if ever I did see. Here's a little of what happened here in the days of August:

Noah and I enjoyed a few more lad dates this month. We visited Bella Claire and Darrawill Farm. I love these dates and especially this picture above. I can imagine Noah in years to come, finishing actual conversations instead of running around, and reading the newspaper with this intense serious look, sipping from a cup (without the chocolate around his lips, perhaps).

This month I pondered on what has been the greatest gift I've ever given myself (what's yours?), whether living in the city or the country is better (what's your choice?), and I've also looked at my home in a different way. I'd love to know what you think about these topics too!

We revealed more parts of our little beach cottage in Port Fairy. Starting with the kitchen, and then moving into the kids bedroom. We then revealed what was happening with the extension, and some of the little details. We also talked about what life is like living without a toilet, bathroom and laundry (and hot water)! Our time in Port Fairy is quickly coming to an end, but the work has been extremely rewarding. We will reveal two more rooms in September.

We discovered some more of the south-west coast, enjoyed Friday nights in front of the fireplace, and met with new friends, despite the freezing wintry conditions. There's certainly magic in the air, especially when the ocean is nearby.

Christening the beach cottage's brand new kitchen has been so much fun! The little lad helpers and I made the prettiest breakfast you ever did see, some of the best ever (and easiest) choc chip biscuits you'll make, some decadent apricot choc chip cake, good old Australian bandicoot ginger biscuits, and for the more savoury minded tandoori pizza complete with tomato chilli salsa and cucumber coriander salad - oh my! (Diet starts tomorrow.)

The 52 series has included photos that will be awesome for the lads' 21sts. Including this one with Cheeky smiles, these taken at Griffiths Island Lighthouse, and the ones at home when we dressed up for fun and practised skipping.

And the kids have said some funny things this month. Like this one about snot, and a more grown up take on bedtime lullabies. Who would have thought living in an igloo was cool?

And finally, there was some serious energy during the photographing of Fancy Pants.

Hello Spring. I'm so glad to meet your acquaintance! Thanks so much for stopping by and seeing what we've been up to here in our little world.

What have you been up to this month? Are you glad to see the end of winter/summer (depending on where you are on earth)?

  Bloglovin’ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

22 DAYS

22 Days from Nick Lindsay on Vimeo.

Happy Friday! This was some footage that my very clever nephew Nick Lindsay, who is a film student in the USA, put together over his 22 day holiday back in Australia (including the Grampians and Great Ocean Road). It's so perfect that it should be an promotion for Tourism Australia!

It's also so beautiful that I can't stop watching it, and it makes me so very proud to be this guy's aunt, be part of a gorgeous crazy family (featured), to be Australian, and be so blessed to live in this beautiful part of the world.

 Tell me, what makes you proud to be Australian?

WHAT HE SAID NEXT...

"I've always wanted to live in an igloo."

RENOVATING THE BEACH COTTAGE: THE LITTLE DETAILS.

Back before helicopter parents, and during the times when our mothers made us go outside, we roamed the streets unsupervised. We made our own fun. No iPods, computer games (unless a Commodore 64 was your thing), or endless text messages with your friends on your mobile.

Yes, those were the days. When I was a teenager, I use to visit a new development nearby our house. There were homes being built. Not one or two, but whole streets. An empty building site was heaven for a young thing. Never mind about cubby houses, when you could pretend that a real house was yours. Many hours were spent trespassing, er, playing here.

Now I've grown up, I still love exploring a building site. A neighbour's, even our own. The joy of the little details, walking from room to room, guessing the spaces, looking out through the windows (even if they're not windows yet...), and getting a feel for a place. It's a little bit of heaven for me.

That, and watching my husband dance on the trusses. In the sunshine, in the wind, in the rain. Gosh, he's so talented. Plus he has amazing balance. The hours he has put in our little cottage leaves me knowing this. He sure loves us. A lot.

Do you love building sites as much as me? Did you trespass a lot when you were young?

(This is part of our renovating series. You visit all the posts here.)

  Bloglovin’ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

 

EAT: OVERNIGHT OATS

SERVES 4 | PREP 5 MINS + OVERNIGHT SOAKING TIME | VEGAN, GLUTEN FREE

My friend Erin has the best Instagram photos. They're usually of food, which I'm always drawn to. Because, well FOOD. What I love most is that her food is clean. Vegan. To die for. Although I've never personally tasted her food, I know it would be just amaaaaazing. She really ought to have her own blog with her fabulous recipes and amazing pictures, but instead she said it was okay if I shared it over here on my lil ole blog instead. I've changed this recipe to suit my tastes, but the joy of this recipe is that you add the bits you like and take out the bits you don't. I find that overnight oats are really filling and keep me not thinking about food until the next meal (or at least my next visit on Instagram). But if I don't eat between meals, that's a day that a miracle happens. This girl is always hungry! Snacking between meals is my kryptonite.

LATELY...

Zip, zip, zip... there goes our life. Like that *clicking my fingers*. This week we enjoyed our first play date with a kinder friend and had dinner with new friends at one of the local pubs. The boys are enjoying spending time with their new friends at home, school/playgroup. Work is happening steadily on the extension, as we start gearing up for our last two weeks before heading back to Melbourne to work.

We've been cooking more (I think we ought to start making more healthy things though), playing more (Uno, Monopoly, Pick up sticks, anyone?), and enjoying our regular trips to the library.

The building inspector has given us a little more to do, but overall he's happy (and we are too). This means that we might have a roof on by the end of the week!

We popped back to Melbourne for the weekend, and it was CRAAAZY. It was my husband's birthday, and he was the keynote speaker at a family retreat. So we got to go with him too. It was so lovely to chill out, and we might have been excited by an ensuite in our cabin. Tonight we arrived again safely at Port Fairy, and now we've unpacked (after packing, unpacking, and re-packing), we're back into building mode.

Pick up sticks with Noah | morning reading in mum and dad's bed | a meander to the beach on Saturday | discovering a goanna in the backyard | Madison smelling the flowers at Port Fairy Lighthouse | The birthday boy | I was able to take a million photos at Kinder Playgroup this week - twas so much fun! |Madison's very first nail biting flying fox adventure | Anyone for violet crumble birthday cake? (recipe coming soon!) | While visiting many restorer's barns, we found this classic (but very rusty car). The lads thought it was really cool.

34/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013.

Madison: Preparing for his school skip-a-thon. He can already do crossovers and double jumps.

Noah: We take walks, and we always hold hands. Or we skip, run, or hop.

My favourite photographs this week was the gorgeous framing of one adorable child at love and syntax, and always Lamb loves Fox.

Linking in with Jodi @ Che and Fidel

LAD DATE: DARRIWILL FARM

Three lad dates down, and we're really getting in the hang of this sitting down business. Noah is an active four year old. He doesn't sit down for long. And besides the benefit of hanging out with him, while trying out new places to eat or enjoy morning tea, my offside goal is to really engage with him long enough for him to just sit for ten to twenty minutes.

Today was a huge success. We chatted about baby teeth, and why it's rude to kick people while we are sitting at the table. I guess we are almost there. Half the fun was actually kicking me under the table!

There is a cult following for their sponge cake, but it's hard to judge a food, gift and wine merchant by their soy chai latte (which was a bit watery and tasteless). I know that their coffee would be better.  (If I drank the stuff.) But the sponge was so good, it rivals my food club friend Julie, who knows how to Make Serious Sponge.

This Lad Date lasted almost half an hour. After our morning tea of sponge and hotties, we were able to walk around (not run) and look at the gorgeous gourmet food and homewares. Noah showed real restraint today as we walked around with our hands behind our back (thanks for the awesome tip Alli!) We ended up purchasing some home made apple sauce and lemon curd as well as the cutest sugar holder and milk jug.

This is the first time that we've been to Darriwill Farm in Warrnambool. I would go there again for their friendly service, their gorgeous home made goodies, and desserts. (But perhaps not their soy chai latte.)

WE VISITED Darriwill Farm | 101a Liebig Street, Warrnambool | (03) 5561 4457.

NOAH WEARS LONG SLEEVED TEE, Milkshake by Myer. TEE, Target. BEANIE, La Loon (handmade using recycled materials).

Do you often find that the drink you love most is hardly made well? (Or is that just me?)

Thanks for popping in! For the whole Lad Date series, visit here.

THROUGH NEW EYES.

It's been two months since we were in our Melbourne home. And for a few days we are here.

Last night as I lay in bed (after a hot, hot shower in my very own home!) I looked at our beautiful high ceiling, its centre rose, detailed architraves, gorgeous paintwork, and homely furnishings. I love our home. It's not big, in fact, it is just three bedrooms and one bathroom (toilet included). But our home is over 100 years old - it's like owning a large piece of antique furniture. The ceilings are 12 feet high, giving us a feeling of more space. The floorboards make our home echo. And I like it.