To Carry A Heart.

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

E. E. Cummings

This beautiful piece of poetry was read at our wedding, it had special meaning to Luke and I as I had the first line engraved in a ring I gave him during our first year of dating. Now I carry two hearts in my heart and they beat together like a beautiful melody.

8/52

"A portrait of Audrey, once a week, every week, in 2013"

You are still suffering with your molars so we treated you to some "real" ice blocks. You savoured every mouthful, every lick and every drop that ran down your little chin. We have had lots of smiles this week (even though your teeth are not playing fair) and you have discovered your cheeky side, which we love!

- Joining in with Jodi and a world of talented bloggers -

The Dinner Series - Curried Eggs

OK so this is lunch but curried eggs are just so quick and easy to make, especially if you have boiled the eggs earlier. Making curried egg sandwiches for my family always fills me with memories of my Nan, maybe that is why I make them so often. This recipe is a little different but I hope you like it...

Curried Eggs Sandwiches
6 Eggs (firmly boiled)
1 Avocado
2 Sticks Celery (finely sliced)
2 Cups Shredded Lettuce
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley (chopped)
1/4 Cup Milk
1-2 tbsp Curry Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
* Bread for as many sandwiches you wish to make

- Peel eggs, add avocado and milk and mash together
- Add celery, parsley, curry powder, salt and pepper and mix
- Spread the egg mixture thick over a slice of bread (we use brown bread or rye)
- Cover mixture with the lettuce and second piece of bread
- Cut into shapes for the bubbas and in half for the adults.

mix it all together

little love hearts for my little frog

parent serve

frog getting stuck in

always inquisitive to whats inside

fresh fruit to share for dessert

she loves her fruit and this vintage barbecue plate

hands dripping with fruit juice

The Dinner Series - Shepherds Lasagna

In an effort to eat healthier (and maybe even lose a little weight) we have decided to eat as clean as possible. During my research I found a recipe book that was about using mountain bread instead of pasta. Using this as my inspiration I made lasagne today replacing the pasta sheets with mountain bread and a little twist on top. Hope you enjoy...

Shepherds Lasagne

500g turkey mince

2 diced carrots

1 1/2 cup spinach leaves

1 grated onion

2 cloves crushed garlic

400g tomato puree

1 tbsp tomato paste

3 cup vegetable stock

4 sheets mountain bread
1 sweet potato (boiled and mashed)

1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup low fat tasty cheese grated (so not clean)

fresh parsley and basil

coconut oil cooking spray

pepper to taste

- preheat oven to 180'C

- brown mince, onion and garlic in pan with coconut oil

- add carrots, spinach leaves, tomato paste and puree, vegetable stock and herbs

- simmer for 45 minutes

- cut mountain bread sheets in half

- layer mince thinly, top with mountain bread and repeat until baking dish nearly full

- mix sweet potato mash, cottage cheese and pepper and spread on top of last mountain bread layer
- sparingly sprinkle grated cheese (to keep husbands happy)
- bake in oven for 30min

fresh herbs

simmering away

layers

Audrey's serve without the mountain bread

hmmm, this looks nice Mumma 

digging in

trying out the cutlery and doing a brilliant job

finished product

yum!

Teething Pains.

Some things in life aren't fair, I could list many but one that is heavily on my mind at the moment is teething. Why cant we all be born with a mouth full of teeth? Yes breastfeeding would be twice as hard but any mother will tell you they would happily take their child's pain if they could. Audrey is normally the happiest and easy going child but as soon as those gums redden and swell she is miserable, she cant sleep and she finds it hard to eat. When she is teething Audrey becomes our baby again, no longer the independent little girl we have come to know, she needs lots of cuddles and back rubs and the only way to get her to sleep is to wrap her as we did when she was a newborn. I know as soon as that pearly white breaks its way to the surface she will be herself again but for now we are giving her all the cuddles and homemade icy poles she needs to feel better.

Love, Elle

teary cuddles on daddy's shoulder

wrapped in love

her chu chu is always close by

not wanting to leave mumma's side at a friends party

7/52

"A portrait of Audrey, once a week, every week, in 2013"

You haven't been your cheery, happy self this week and it breaks my heart to see you sad. You have been suffering with the pain of your teeth breaking their way through your tender gums.

We attended a friends birthday party over the weekend and instead of running amok as you normally would, you were happy to just sit with your Mumma and Daddy or play with the baby farm animals. The most you smiled all week was when you were gently patting the hamsters and baby chickens "chick, chick" you whispered.

Ps: I think we may have finally persuaded Daddy to buy some chickens for our yard, stay tuned...

- Joining in with Jodi and a world of talented bloggers -

In Her Own Time.

One thing we have discovered about Audrey is she learns things on her terms and in her own time, some may call it stubborn but we prefer headstrong......

When Audrey was born she refused to breastfeed, I was heart broken, every feed was a battle between mother and daughter which mostly ended in tears. I took to expressing and feeding her with a bottle in hope she would eventually change her mind. One day in the wee hours of the morning (when lack of sleep and exhaustion turns all hope on its head) I was about to give up when she latched on perfectly and started to feed.

When most of Audrey's friends were crawling and climbing our little one preferred a method we affectionately nicknamed the worm. She would get around by pulling herself forward with her arms, sliding her bottom up in the air and pushing with her legs. Luke and I tried everything to encourage her off her belly and onto her knees but our pleas fell on deaf ears. Then, just as we resigned ourselves to having a little worm and not a crawler, she decided to crawl on all fours and off she went.

Now its time to walk and of course Audrey prefers to crawl. Now don't get me wrong, Audrey can walk! She happily cruises around the furniture and has even taken her first steps but its like she tried the walking thing and has decided its not for her. So we wait, we know better now, we know she will do it in her own time and when she does we will celebrate as we have before. In the mean time I will continue to wipe clean grubby little hands and soak dirty knees...

Love, Elle

Che and Fidel Giveaway.

If you are not already a follower of the very talented and generous Jodi at Che and Fidel I suggest you hurry over and have a look at her blog. Jodi leads a wonderfully simple life which she shares through photos and beautifully written words. She is the inspiration behind the 52 project and I feel so privileged to be attending a workshop run by herself and Tim Coulson in July. Jodi has an amazing giveaway at the moment so hurry over!

Love, Elle

Audrey Lane.

Our dear Audrey was the very lucky recipient of a beautiful package from the lovely Brooke at Audrey Lane this week. Brooke's facebook store is full of stunning handmade bunting, beautiful headbands and gorgeous outfits for little girls. The postman delivered Audrey a beautifully wrapped package with a pair of sweet floral high waisted shorts and pretty headband inside. Both items were so soft, made beautifully and their colours true to how they appear on the site.

Love, Elle

You can find Brooke at http://www.facebook.com/Audreylaneaustralia

beautiful wrapping always makes me smile

her chubby little hand, she was so excited

special treasures inside

"ta" she wanted to wear her headband straight away

soft and pretty, the perfect headband

can't wait till these fit our Frog, they are so soft and made
beautifully

a very happy little girl, a very lucky little girl

The Dinner Series - Breaky Muffins.

We are a little fed up with porridge and toast for breakfast around here so I made a batch of breaky muffins. They are so easy and you could really have them anytime of day. Enjoy!

Breaky Muffins
3 grated carrots
2 grated zuchinni
2 stalk grated celery
2 diced roma tomatos
8 diced mushrooms
1 clove crushed garlic
12 eggs
1/3 cup cottage cheese
Pepper to taste
Coconut oil cooking spray

- pre heat oven to 180'C.
- spray muffin tray with cooking oil.
- whisk eggs, garlic, pepper and cottage cheese in a bowl.
- combine veggies in separate bowl.
- fill muffin trays to approximately 1/2 full with veggie mix.
- pour egg mixture on top to fill trays 3/4 full.
- bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned and egg cooked through.

getting the veggies ready

from this....

to this!

Yum, something tasty and healthy to get the day started.

I love her morning hair "hmmm this is different"

6/52

"A portrait of Audrey, once a week, every week, in 2013"

Your love for your Daddy amazes me, the simple sound of his voice puts the biggest smile on your little face. One of your favourite things to do is listen to him read, I watch as you hang on his every word and he transports you to a world of poky puppies and saggy baggy elephants.

- Joining in with Jodi and a world of talented bloggers -

School Days.

When I drop Audrey at school her hair is neatly brushed in place, her face is freshly washed, her clothes are pressed and her little hands are sparkling clean....

When I pick Audrey up from school she is covered in paint and dirt, her hair is a disheveled mess, her face appears to be absorbing leftovers from lunch or afternoon tea and she somehow manages to bring home half the sand pit in her clothes. But what I notice most about Audrey when I pick her up is her big smile, she loves to play with the other children and explore their world of sand, bugs and craft. I often find her 'talking' and giggling with the other children and her teachers. It is so comforting for this working Mumma to know my little girl is happy where she is spending her days while I am at work.

Love, Elle.

The Dinner Series - Hodge Podge Chicken Meat Balls

We were in need of a quick and easy meal for the whole family tonight. This is a family favourite and it makes HEAPS so there are always left overs for lunch the next day.

Hodge Podge Chicken Meat Balls

1 cup brown long grain rice
2 cup water
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
1 carrot peeled and cubed
A good handful of beans
500g of chicken mince
1 egg
1 onion
2 clove garlic
4 roma tomatos
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs olive oil
Basil and parsley

Sauce
- Brown diced onions and crushed garlic until brown
- Chop tomato roughly and add with tomato paste and herbs to pot
- Allow to simmer on low heat until tomatos are soft

Rice
- Add water and rice to separate pot, bring to boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for half an hour.

Meat Balls
- Mix mince, egg and cracked pepper in bowl and roll into small balls
- Heat olive oil in pan and cook meat balls until golden brown

Veges
- Steam veggies until firm (I boiled our veggies tonight as we were time poor but I much prefer to steam)

Mix all ingredients together and serve! Its a bit of a mess but its a delicious mess!

Doing the weekly shop

Fresh beans, yum

Everything simmering away

Size of meatballs

Adult serving V bubba serving

Audrey getting stuck in

Ahhh Im so full Mumma!

5/52

"A portrait of Audrey, once a week, every week, in 2013"

We have had some crazy weather this week, one minute it was hot and sticky and the next cold and raining. We are not complaining though as there were many people who suffered devastating loss from the rain. You were happy to relax on the lounge in the heat (with my drink bottle) and rug up to play during the cold.

You have really grown up this week, you are becoming very independent and have decided you no longer need me to help you with many things. I cant help but miss the days when you needed me to do everything for you but I am so proud of the little girl you are growing up to be. 

- Joining in with Jodi and a world of talented bloggers -

The Dinner Series - Nasi Goreng

Here is another easy and kind of quick (the rice takes time) recipe, its my version of a child friendly Nasi Goreng and Audrey loves it!

Nasi Goreng
1 cup brown long grain rice
2 cup water
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup corn
1 carrot peeled and cubed
4 mushrooms cubed
1 tin tomatos
1 tsp garlic
1 egg
fresh basil
coconut oil cooking spray

- add water and rice to pot, bring to boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for half an hour.
- once rice is cooked add veges, garlic, basil and tomatoes to pot and stir until combined.
We actually serve the above as a side with meatballs or chicken
- heat pan, spray with coconut oil and add ingredients from pot and stir until it is less "watery".
- mix egg in saucer and add to pan, and heat until egg is cooked through.
- and as always allow to cool before serving to your little one.

Yum!

Little fingers

This looks good Mumma

Mmmmmm, it sure is!