Book Week Parade - The Short List

We have exactly 14 sleeps till book week parade.

Above are the short listed faves for my darling eldest boy.

This 'short list' is my darling little Minnie's faves for book week.

And these two books above are Mum's short list that have

'mysteriously' gone missing for the few weeks before and during

the book week selection period. I don't feel slack at all in

not giving my boys the option to dress as Walter. I just couldn't

do it to their teachers.

Now we have our short lists, we go through them, discuss what we like most about the characters, read and reread them, and in this way eliminate all but one book.

We love book week.

I have a question for you, and will share my answer as well, tell me what books are on your favs short list?

I love anything by Bryce Courtenay and Enid Blyton,

Ben Elton cracks me up,

I also got right into Stephenie Meyers Twilight series, yes, I certainly did (however am neither Team Edward or Team Jacob fan - just loved the books)

We of the Never Never - Mrs Aeneas Gunn

The Saffron Kitchen - Yasmin Crowther

Then there is Angela's Ashes and 'Tis - Frank McCourt

and my most recent purchase are two books by Dr Catherine Hamlin, The Hospital by the River and Catherine's Gift, which I am yet to read.

Thanks for stopping by my place, I hope you are having fun today, and I can't wait to see your short list. I love being recommended a good read.

What's On Your Table - Tuesday.

Not much again this week I am afraid.

This is my lunch for today, leftovers of broccoli and cauli cannelloni with avocado, tomato and pine nut salad. It's rather very yummy, I must say, and there is just enough left for another yummy warming lunch tomorrow - lucky me.

So tell me, what's on your table this Tuesday?

Grow, grow, grow, little seeds of goodness.

This is what I found when I visited my garden late this afternoon. We have two little flowers on our sugar snap pea vine. 'Oh joy', exclaimed Joyce. I have been watching them ever since we planted the seeds and to be honest, thought we may have had a dud batch, because they are just taking forever to get going.

Oh and the vine isn't up high or really mega tall, I just pointed the camera from the ground up to take this shot, instead of looking down like I normally do. Our skies here this last week have been such a pretty shade of blue and it would be sinful to waste such a pretty colour.

I hope your Saturday has been lots of fun.

Little Miss Muffet

'Little Miss Muffet

Sat on her tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey;

Along come a spider,

Who sat down beside her,

And frightened Miss Muffet away.'

There was some speculation this morning at preschool as to the word 'tuffet'. Some of the staff thought it was ones 'bottom'. Myself and some others thought it was a small seat/stool, you know, similar to a little wooden milking stool with the round seat and three little legs.

We were rather interested to see, so one of the staff took to the office and googled. . . . . . .

meanwhile, . . . . . .

what. . . . .

do. . . . . . .

you. . . . . .

think. . . . . .

a . . . . . . . .

'tuffet'. . . . . .

might be . . . . . . . ?. . . . . . .?

To check out your answer click Tuffet and you will see if you are correct. I was sort of close. Rather interesting, and very, very cute. It's amazing what you learn at preschool you know.

Oh and here is some information you might like to read in regards to the nursery rhyme itself.

This cute little ditti above was used by the WPA (Work Projects Administration USA) in 1940 to promote reading in young children. It was on the wikipedia site, and I just had to add it here, because I so love the little poster. I think I would like a dress just like that.

As for a tuffet, well I have found some very cute versions to share with you below.

Found here

Found here AND you have to check out all of her blog, it's awesome, I forgot about my post and have been sitting here reading. *sigh* go, go now, say hello and have a look at all the wonderful goodness.

So ok, now you know what a tuffet is, and now you know what they look like, you also know that I want a dress just like the poster oh but not the socks, and now you also have a new blog to have a look at too.

You probably know now, that I am just a tad 'strange' and not your average chic, but I can't be any other way, so I hope that you are ok with that.

Have a wonderful Friday evening, have a wonderful weekend, and may the spiders at your place not cause too much frightening acts of scaring anyone.

My Creative Space

This jumper is still going, but getting there, for my little nephew. I have done the back and this is the almost finished front. I love this colour, it's not so olive like the photo shows, but a lovely green. I am doing a beanie to match, he is just going to look mega handsome in this colour for sure.

I have joined Kootoyoo: My creative space..., so pop over and check out

what everyone else has been busy with this week, you will be impressed, I know I am.

I needed a little background in white to show you my purchases this morning, however, don't have time to go to the trouble of sticking, cutting, glueing. I should be studying - like right now, this very moment, as in, not playing on the computer and taking photos of jams and the like, but should be head in book, pencil in hand, making note type notes for my assignment, but I am here, instead, having fun, being rather naughty, and not focussed at all.

I will study, . . . . in a moment. . . . . just give me six more minutes. . . . and I will go.

But first, I wanted to share something with you and say hello. It's nice to say hello, it's polite to say hello, it's lovely to share and chat and swap creativeness, and . . . . oh five minutes to go.

Well yes, correct, you read the above label exactly right. This morning while getting some fruit, I saw this little jar and I thought it a perfect little gift for my big boy. It's chilli salsa and well not that he needs any encouragement for 'bum hummers' but I did get the giggles in the store when I saw it, the other wonderful thing being it's made here in Australia, well really, as if anyone else would have thought of the label *giggle*.

If you want to get some of this great Aussie food, go Riverina Grove - About Us it's 'goo' free, as in there are no preservatives, no fake stuff, no germy stuff, so you know, it's good for you basically, it's real food type food that grows with sun and water, and maybe being chatted to as well. (yes, of course, I talk to my plants!)

I also purchased these two jams above which are both made on the Mid-North-Coast of NSW, now I can tell you that I have just had some toast with this raspberry jam above and oh my goshness, my tastebuds are in love. I so heart this raspberry jam, and yes, I bought it because the jar called out to me as well as 10% of their profits go to womens drug and alcohol rehabilitation, but the jam inside, ooooohhhhhhhhhhh. I have long been a fan of locally made jams at our markets, but this has certainly cinched it for me, no more mass produced, big company, international rubbish.

Yikes, three minutes to go Joyce.

I haven't forgotten to show you how I made my white background. I just felt I needed to share my little pots of Aussie delish and oooohhhhhhh and *giggle* with you as well.

So as you can see, cheating Joyce, just used a piece of white A4 cardstock to do the background. Too easy, and I can just pop the cardstock back away in my stash for the next photo shoot.

I think it shows up the little jars perfectly, yes, I really do.

One minute to go, see, I can be focussed if I try.

Have a wonderful creative day at your place and next time you are shopping, buy yourself some yummy local goodness to delight your tastebuds and appreciate homegrown, and 'goo' free. Oh maybe you make your own too, would love to know if you do.

Don't forget check out here... for heaps of wonderful creative spaces.

Stick your creative space on the list too, I would love to come visit you.

What's On Your Table - Tuesday.

Yes I am back, what is on your table this Tuesday. It can be any table, your coffee table, bedside table, hall table, dining table, work table, study table, kids table, even your times table, *giggle* yes, even your times table.

Today I show you my coffee table. My dining table is completely item free today.

From top left we have a little wooden noughts and crosses game, five lonely socks waiting for their partners to show, the front of my little nephews jumper, below that, the cast on back and pattern for my nephews jumper, and lastly some card games we have been playing of an afternoon. I was going to take the socks away, but that would not be quite truthful, I like the messiness of family, it's real, it's natural, and one day these socks are not going to fit my little boys feet anymore, so it will be lovely to stop by here in a few years time and just remember how little their feet were and how I will never solve the missing sock saga.

This is short and sweet for me today, I am off to work at preschool the next two full days. I am so excited and can't wait. I will be back on here tonight to check out what is on YOUR tables today, I can't wait to see what you have been doing at your place.

Have a wonderful, wonderful day.

Eyebrows, just who is responsible and why?

Whose big idea was the eyebrow anyhow?? I know, I know, to stop the driplets of sweat getting in ones eyes. . . . yes. . . . true. . . . apparently. Also, the eyebrow helps detect any small specs of debris which may enter the eye.

So ok, that's great, really, the eyebrow is a very busy part of our body, every single day, all day, working hard to keep out the specs, making sure the sweat diverts away from the eye, and showing surprise when surprise due.

*Phew* and all this, without us even thinking about this little hairy, busy wonder that sits so quietly and functioning away all on its lonesome above our peek-a-boos.

So now tell me, why the heck do women feel the desire to pluck the crap out of that little curved line of hair that looks after our eyes so well all day, every day, without us even knowing they are there, looking surprised when surprised is required, keeping away the debris and sweat and protecting our eyes? Hmmmm, I am one of those women, and with dark hair and lots of eyebrow, I seem to be tidying and plucking and *ouching* and yet I still seem to end up with alot of eyebrow. Since having no fringe of hair to hide behind, it's even more time consuming sorting them out. Don't even go there with keeping them even, that is a whole other post.

My Mum has the BEST eyebrows, they are just so lovely, so perfect, and she doesn't touch them. Not fair, not fair at all. Actually my Mum has such a beautiful face all over now that I think of it. She has the loveliest eyes, sort of a pretty almond shape, they turn a little 'up' at the corner, just a perfect natural shape. Her eyebrows sit perfectly evenly above her eyes, she also has dark hair, but for some reason her eyebrows are so lovely and neat and don't look too dark at all.

*Sigh* which doesn't at all help me with my little, looking-surprised-when-surprised-is-required,-keeping-out-debris-and-sweat-from-my-eyes,-eyebrows. I really don't like them very much at all, but I don't want to go saying anything too loud, otherwise they just may stop doing their job and well, you know, let in the debris and sweat, and not look surprised at that momentous surprise looking required time.

So back to the tweezers it is for me, there isn't quite enough there to take myself to the beauty parlour to get sorted, however, there is just enough that I really need to do a little 'housekeeping' if you know what I mean.

After a little research, I have not necessarily found out who is responsible, but I do now know why they are there. If you would like to delve deeper into the understandings of the quiet life of the very busy and humble eyebrow click here for the goss. For some pictures of eyebrows over the years, you can click on here, and if you are curious about a little history then here is where you need to go.

How do YOU eyebrow?