Heart Felt

Raspberries warmed by the sun

For me, summer in the Wairarapa means raspberries!  The warm, soft, juicy berries picked fresh off the bushes are another wonderful childhood memory.  One year when I was about 10 years old, I picked berries during our summer break for pocket money.  It was hot hard work for not a lot of pay, but we were allowed to eat as many as you wanted! 

Now you see it....

Now you don't!

Here baby, baby, baby.....

That's it....just a little closer....

Gotcha!

Hot, but satisfying work!

My favorite way to eat raspberries?

Sun warmed raspberries with vanilla ice-cream!

Wild coast

1 1/2 hour drive south/east from our town is a piece of wild New Zealand coastline called Tora. I have many fond memories of this area growing up.  Every summer we would spend a few days in a tent, fishing off craggy rocks, diving for seafood, collecting seaweed for pocket money, long hot dusty walks looking for seals and if we were lucky dolphins on the horizon.    Even though it has a wild reputation it also has an unusual beauty, wind swept hills and trees, tall thistles and large rocks jutting up from the ground.  At low tide the rock pools are a treasure trove of crabs, small fish, paua (abalone), starfish and snails.

Recently Dad has permanently placed one of his house buses out at Tora, so today the children had a wonderful day exploring the rocks pools.  The bus proved to be a homely base where we could hide from the heat of the midday sun, cook a beautiful lunch of freshly gathered paua and rest.  Dad has just finished a 'make do' toilet and half finished a deck area.  It's a slice of New Zealand paradise.

 
For more photos, please visit my Flickr.

A Heart Felt Christmas Day

Table decorations

Christmas Lunch

Cherries were a favorite!

After lunch.....a walk in the country side where we picked wild flowers

A favorite gift.....a wooden sword,

and a beautiful handmade wrap dress.

at the end of the day...

Hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas!

For more photographs, please visit my Flickr. xx

Last minute Christmas puddings

I can't remember what magazine I found this recipe in, but it's a great recipe to involve the kids in.

Mini Christmas puddings
Makes about 24
1/2 x 20cm square purchased fruit cake
1/3 cup orange juice (or brandy)
1 egg white
1/2 to 3/4 cup pure icing sugar, sifted
red and green snake sweets, chopped.

Cut cake into 3cm squares. Form squares into balls and put on a large plate or tray. Sprinkle with orange juice and refrigerate. (If the cake is a little dry, break it up into crumbs in a large bowl.  Add orange juice to crumbs until mixture is easy to form into balls)

My helper being a distraction

Using an electric hand-beater, beat egg white for 1 minute or until frothy.  Add 1 tbsp icing sugar to egg white, beating continually.  Continue to add icing sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, beating until a thick, shiny white icing forms.

Spoon icing onto each ball, allowing to drizzle down the sides.  Decorate with pieces of red and green snakes.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Hope you have a great Christmas.....

Love from Heart Felt....xx

A painted Christmas

This year I wanted the children to make gifts for Christmas, so I bought some small canvas' stretched on wooden frames from our local art supply shop.  The night before I painted the canvas blocks black, ready for the children to add their own special touches. 

With such small children who do not yet understand mixing colors, I recommend giving them two colors at a time.  Colors such as blue+yellow = green or red+blue = purple.  That way they won't get that horrible muck color all over the picture.  Once the first color has dried you can then give them another color combination such as red+yellow = orange.  This is also a perfect opportunity to give them a lesson in color combination.

My kids love using my large paintbrushes, but you could also use sponges, cut down cardboard tubes, small wood blocks or potatoes with carved shapes.

Charlie's creations

and Sadie's.

Nurturing the green thumb

For the past month I have been hunting down children's gardening equipment for Charlie's birthday present.  I was amazed at the variety of 'real' tools available for little hands. 

Mitre 10 had a lovely supply of long handled tools and extra small gardening gloves.  Nature Baby supplys small metal tools at a very affordable price.  The Warehouse have little metal watering cans and the most adorable (and working) wheelbarrow (which despite what the box said, wasn't that easy to put together!).  But to top the package off, our friend Chris found this beautiful small leather apron which had been hanging in her garage for a few years.  It has little pockets to hold tools and seeds, perfect!   

Charlie breaking in his new tools

Sadie patiently waiting for her turn



All good things come to those who wait....

Happy 3rd birthday Charlie boy!

Image of the Day @ Parent Dish

I was thrilled that this photograph made 'image of the day' at Parent Dish.  I had to laugh at their comment about Kewpie Dolls 'freaking them out', but really they have a nice and interesting history.  Sadie found her one at the thrift store early last week.  She hasn't put it down since, it's been pushed around in the pram, tucked into the dolls cot and has gone to bed with her every night.  So, Yay! for Kewpie Dolls I say! xx

The creator of Kewpie Dolls, Rose O'Neill

I love this illustration!

Images from a summer evening

 

Green Beans are good for you..

If you are like me and prefer to purchase New Zealand made and you are conscious of using sustainable fabrics - try Green Bean clothing for babies.  They produce organic cotton and bamboo Eco-clothing from newborn up to 3 years.   Their clothing range is incredibly soft, stylish and very well made.  Using sustainable fabrics, bamboo is soft, almost silk like, it's hypoallergenic and has natural antibacterial properties....good for the planet and for your baby.

I love their girls petticoat pant - seen here in green.

Incredibly silky smooth Tee's with funky New Zealand inspired designs.

Sadie give's Green Bean a thumbs up.

If you wondering what all the white snow like substance is covering the ground...it's soft white fluffy seeds!  It was literally like soft cotton wool raining down from the sky.  I have never seen anything quite like it.  It was rather magical!

If you would like to view more photographs, please visit my Flickr.