Collaborate for a Cause . . . raising money for the RFDS

For those who haven't heard about Collaborate for a Cause yet, please pop on over to the Facebook page and become a fan and spend some time going through the auction album. So many amazing handmadies have come together and collaborated to produce some amazing items up for auction.

I have collaborated together with Pink Apple and 4 Little Babushkas to bring to the auction this item below. A one of a kind ruffle front dress (prehaps something new for the summer collection) with matching accessories by Pink Apple & 4 Little Babushkas. We are donating our winning bid to the Royal Flying Doctors Service - a charity that is close to my heart.

Hubby and I come from a mining background. We met in Kalgoorlie, WA when we were both working in the mines, myself as a heavy machine operator - trucks, graders, loaders & water tankers - yes little old me was driving those massive machines, and hubby was a heavy duty diesel mechanic. As fate would have it we both drove into town on the same day - me from Victoria and him from Tasmania and ended up booking into the same caravan park, right across from each other! Friendships were formed and love blossomed. A few years later we made the move back to my home town, me pregnant with Tom : )

Hubby continued working in the mines, driving in and out from a site north of home in outback NSW. One horrible day that still sticks me everytime I visit my hairdresser bought our world crashing to a halt. When Tom was just 4 months old, and hubby was working away, I took a much needed visit to the hairdresser while my mum looked after little Tom. I received a phone call right towards the end of my appointment from hubby's boss to say there had been an accident on site and that they were waiting for the flying doctor to arrive to assess the injury. I was numb. No-one could tell me what was happening, how bad the injury was, or whether they were planning to fly him to Adelaide, Melbourne or Sydney. So we waited.

Two hours later, with the car packed and Tom and my mum with me we headed to Adelaide and arrived late in the night, with hubby already in surgery and nothing we could do but wait until morning.

Walking in the hospital ward and seeing him still haunts me. So many doctors I couldn't count them all on my fingers. Hubby suffered a severe crush injury - it turns out 3 tonne of heavy machinery doesn't agree with landing on the human body.

Thankfully hubby's injuries were something he can live with and we will always be grateful for the RFDS for saving his life x

So please, pop on over the auction album and if you can, show your support for this cause. There are so many amazing charities that could all do with the support x

Back to blogging . . . again!

I am a terrible blogger. I have so many posts on my list (yes I am list girl!) to write and I just can't seem to find the time to sit at the computer for long enough to get posting!

I am slowly putting together a new trans-seasonal collection for boys and girls for my label tillytom as well as the day to day chaos that comes with my 3 little cherubs at home with me all day. You can visit my facebook page for photos of what i have coming up, some available now, some in the next few weeks.

Sickness has come and gone and come again in our house over the past month and I am looking forward to warmer weather, spring, summer and more!

So, here I am . . . back to blogging . . . again : )

{Kids in the Kitchen} The Vegetable Mission #1 - Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcakes

This is the beginning of (hopefully) a regular Tuesday blog post from me. My children rarely (ok, they don't) eat vegetables, with the exception of little Nate who most of the time will eat anything and everything in site, including non-food items ; )

So I am on a Mission.

To get those vegies in disguise, to wiggle their way into some old and new recipes, and put food on the children's plates that they WILL eat, that they WILL enjoy and that they WILL ask for more of!

So what have I baked today and did I succeed! Pumpkin Chocolate cupcakes is on the menu today for morning tea - but did they eat them??? Continue reading to find out if they did!

Pumpkin Chocolate Cupcakes

1/2 cup SR Flour

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/4 cup Milk

1 egg

1/2 tblspn vanilla essence

1 1/2 tblspn butter

2 tblspn cocoa

1/2 cup cooked Pumpkin (steamed and mashed)

This will make approx. 12 mini cupcakes. If you want to make more, just double the recipe : )

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, fill your cupcake wrappers with the mix and bake for approx. 15 minutes in a mod-oven. Cooking time may vary, so best just to keep an eye on them and test with a knife - if it comes out clean they are cooked : )

(Now I have a new oven that the temp is always too hot when reading recipes and it seems to cook things faster too ; ) So in my oven I cooked these for approx. 15 minutes at 170 C fan-forced.)

Of course, once I had popped them in the oven Matilda asked if she could lick the bowl and spoon. I was hesitant, what if she tasted the pumpkin and decided that she was 'definitely not' eating those cupcakes. Well, she licked the bowl clean . . .

and when they were cooked? She ate 2 for morning tea . . .

as did Tom . . .

Success!!!

Stay tuned for next weeks recipe : )

Photo of the Week #11

double rainbow . . .

p.s. finally blogger is working again for me, so it will be back to more regular posting and finally I can actually comment again on other's blogs : )

Photo of the Week #10

my tiny dancer

Photo of the Week #9

it seems our weekends are consumed by the outdoors and weekend gardening at the moment. this is our work-in-progress 'nature trail' at the back of our block where we back onto natural bushland.

{GRATEFUL} for sleeping babies

Today I am grateful for sleeping babies. In fact, not just today but for the past 5 years! Yes, I have been blessed with 3 happy sleeping babies, much to the disgust of some mothers - my apologies. I don't know what the secret is. They all have their own sleeping styles, upside down, back-to-front, inside out - anywhere on or in the bed they like to snuggle with their favourite blankets or toys. For me it has meant being able to work from home with my 3 little helpers with me each day and for that I am truly grateful being here to share each and every day with them as they grow.

For more grateful blog posts, pop on over here : )