Happy Friday!!! (and fruit picking!!)

Today, it's just strange. Apparently there is a cyclone on it's way and you can just feel it in the atmosphere. A chilly breeze from the north, a humidity you can see in the air. It's all quiet except for the cicadas. So while we have the chance, today was spent outside for a long long time. Because I'm sure the next few days will be relentless and horrible with two bored and ansty beasts running around. Yikes!

Lately, the boys want to go outside a lot. I think mostly to eat the ripening chilean guavas. Dodgy sneaky men! Today I was finally able to get a small handful to save for Jacob and me. They are sooooooo tasty! They are a cross between cranberry-blueberry and somewhat tropical. Jacob has done such an amazing job growing them, but sadly the boys seem to have taken over the pruning of them... Hopefully they survive Cyclone Lusi and Cyclones Hendrik and Willem....

Have a good weekend! And stay safe if you're in New Zealand!!!

xx

*finally. on holiday...

I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas! I've chatted with the family back home, and yes, I am jealous they had a white Christmas - Jacob and I had our first Christmas alone... with Timmy of course! It was lovely!

My stay-cation started with a new van Hulst Christmas eve tradition... Tandoori Chicken that Jacob marinated for 2 days and popped on the BBQ. Very nice! We decorated our mini-tree and watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (one of the 2 best Christmas movies ever, only tied with A Christmas Story). We were also visited by the Christmas Huntsman... Bahhh!!!(Apologizes for the iPhone pics on this one... )

And sweet little Timmy fell asleep waiting for Santa....

Christmas morning is for sleeping in. But saw my xmas pressie from Jacob. Yay!!! New big canvases! And some adorable artwork he mastered on the plastic covering. I almost don't want to use them and ruin his artwork!! I crocheted him a neck warmer with some nice merino wool and some sweet old vintage US Navy sailor buttons I had. I'm going to make myself one. I love it!

We had a few soy flat whites, a few mimosas with super freshly squeezed orange juice (thanks to Jenny's xmas gift from about 10 years ago, yes, my fancy 1950's orange juice maker..), a couple crossiants with my homemade cherry plum jam.. and then Jacob went nuts in the kitchen... Eggs with Gravalax and onions and chili. Oh goodness - Yum!!!

They rest of the day we lounged, went for a walk around the park with Timmy. Then came back to make dinner, Bugs!!!! I made some potato salad and peach salsa. Yes, we basically just pigged out all day!
 

Yum!!!

I spent some time later in the day with my camera around the house. The light was perfect and I couldn't resist.

 

Jacob scored heaps of fruit from a friend... Fruit salad, stewed applesauce, and the cherry plums from the tree in the front yard...

 We played Rummy on Xmas Eve - proof I won!

Timmy's new hobby. Chewing books. Ugh.

 

And my catching up on the crochet projects. Including Jacob's xmas gift.

Anyway. Back to doing some domesticness that is catching up on laundry and grey-watering the garden.
xo

*my image made an Etsy Treasury!

Thanks to Vicki! She was nice enough to include one of my photos for sale on a collection of hers.

Thanks!!
xo