from somewhere in my imagination

A New Beginning - Our Backyard Farm

I don't know how many years I have waited for today.  The day where we finally started to build our own proper vegetable garden.  I have dreamed about it forever.

We have our beds mapped out and should have the wood to build them in the next few weeks so today was the day to make a start on growing the seedlings to plant when we have our beds made.

I also loved the idea of growing a few things in empty tins as pictured on the inside of Backyard Farming.  We have started by planting them with lettuce, marigold and coriander.  I need to get some more herb seeds to plant for the next lot of tins I collect.

We have been collecting toilet rolls since christmas to use as our seedling tubes.  With six bums in the house we go through a fair bit of toilet paper and it always feels good to reuse something.

We filled our tins and tubes with compost and popped in the seeds.

Steven, who was still grumbling about this project this morning, took over and insisted that we still give tomatoes a crack.  January is close to December after all.  We also planted pumpkin, leek, cabbage, radish and chilli.

I bought a little pink watering can, perfect for watering seedlings and J has been put in charge of making sure that the job gets done each morning and night.

So very excited about this project!  Hit me with your best veggie gardening tips!

Hope that you have had a great weekend!

Tatum xx

Saturday Morning

I love Saturday mornings.

Eating breakfast actually sitting at the table.

Snuggling in bed with Steven (and usually at least one or two of the kids).

Being up with the first one and watching the others wander out all sleep rumpled....or sometimes being the one who stays in bed and sleeps, but that it rare these days, I've got places to be.

Steven will get up to watch the Yankees game and wander around the house doing things like hanging out washing and help tidy children's rooms.  He is a good man.

I'll head off for a run, or to the gym, or both.  He might head off for a ride on his new bike.

Sebastian and Jasmine start a game of some sort, they are so funny to listen to when they play.  The big girls avoid being asked to do jobs as much as they possibly can.

It's relaxed and we have the promise of two whole days together, and we cherish it.

Bliss.

What is your favourite thing about Saturday morning?  What do you have planned for the weekend?

Tatum xx

9 Reasons I Want to go Back to Disneyworld Tomorrow

A few weeks ago I was sitting at work and was overcome by the desire to go back to Disneyworld.  Tomorrow.

It truly is one of the most magical places on earth.  On the bus that efficiently delivered us from Orlando airport to our resort at Disneyworld we were shown a short magic of Disney video that had me all teary.  The effect it has on you is hard to describe but it a warm fuzzy one that you want to hold on to forever.

This week Veggie Mama posted a Disneyworld Chilli recipe that made me feel all nostalgic again so I wanted to share with you a few reasons why I want to go back to Disneyworld.  We are planning our return for October 2014. 

April and October seem to be the best times to travel there from Australia and are also off peak times for the US so you can get great rates at Disneyworld.

Mickey Mouse.  Enough said.

There are princesses, real life princess and they are truly gorgeous.  Princess Belle will forever remain our familiy favourite because she was just so lovely.

We all need to wear mickey ears at least once in our lives.

The attention to detail and creativity is mindblowing.  There is something new to make you smile everywhere you look.

Where else can a 33 year old man pose with a cartoon character who shares his name without looking silly?

The rides...I mean hello?  Who doesn't love rides?  The fastpass system that they use at Disneyworld means that you have a good chance of doing everything you want to do without spending hours lining up.

Forget broadway, in a week at Disneyworld you will see enough amazing, short stage shows within the parks to mean you can go to new york and not feel like you are missing out if you don't get to see a whole bunch of shows.  Nemo was our absolute favourite, I hope that it will one day be made into a full length show and toured because it was amazing.

There are so many resturants and so much awesome food to choose from.  Contrary to what we are led to believe in Australia the diversity and quality of food that you can choose to eat in the USA is extraordinary and Disneyworld has so many choices.  I am still dreaming about this mexican meal we had in Epcot on our first night.

Disneyworld is a place that brings people from everywhere together.  Much of epcot is dedicated to celebrating the diversity of planet earth.  Families come together for annual holidays and big celebrations.  We are sooooo taking our entire family to Disneyworld for our 30th wedding anniversary and making them all wear matching T-shirts.

True to the claim, and as cliched as it may sound, it is a place where memories are made, memories that you will look back and smile on forever.  It will make you happy in your heart to be there.

Have you been to Disneyworld, or any of the Disneylands?  What is your one word to describe it?  Do you have any questions for me on planning a trip there?  I'll put together some tips on planning a trip there and would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Tatum xx