Home Made Volcanoes

We thought we would end the last day of Summer with a bang - well, a fizzle.

My 4 year old (5 very soon) is a very self directed learner. He can't seem to put his shoes and socks on but he can tell me most of the flags of the world (lol). He has a passion for a subject and almost gets obsessive about it. He has taught me about so many flags, hence the flag counter on my blog. He gets so excited when we have a visitor that adds a new flag.

This passion has branched out to maps of the world and now it moving on to volcanoes. He builds them at pre-kindy in the sand pit and pours water in them. We went to a friend's place this week and her and her son built their own volcano. My son was so excited. So, I decided to build one of our own.

How to build your own volcano! This is messy so it is best done outside.

Step 1:

Get air drying clay (we got ours at the discount shop in Springwood. 2.5 kg for $7.95), a plastic container (I used a shampoo bottle), a board to put it on and some little helpers (Little Loopity Lou was sleeping).

Step 2:

Add the clay to the plastic container. This is the fun bit.

Step 3:

We added some little rocks we found around the garden.

Step 4:

Get some white vinegar and mix a little bit of paint to make the colour of lava.

Step 5:

Get Bi-carbonate of Soda. Pour some in the middle of the volcano then pour in the vinegar mix.
Watch it fizzle.....

... and have fun.

Wooden Dump Truck Opp Shop Score!

After story time at the Library we usually have a quick look in the Opp shop. Yes, a quick look...

Little Loopity Lou has a short threshold like most kids his age, so it's a quick lap around the opp shop. As the lady was wheeling a trolley of goodies to be put out on the shelf, I spied a wooden dump truck. I love wooden toys - especially well made ones found in opp shops.

It was $8 and in good condition. Little Loopity Lou loves playing with it. The back tips up and out falls all the treasures he has picked up around the house (with lots of giggles).

I got the play cloths from Sarah from Colour Bazaar at Lorien Novalis seasonal markets - she has a beautiful stall.

I have also been awarded 3 Lemonade Awards from these 3 lovely ladies. Thank you Linda from Slightly Unconventional Purple Pathways, Louise from The Figtree and Lisa from 5 Orange Potatoes.

Sorry for not leaving comments sooner on your blogs. My computer has been silly buggers with me and was not giving me word verification, so I couldn't post on your blogs.

Here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.

2. Nominate blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude

3. Link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link this post to the person from whom you received your award.

Now, time for tagging (in no particular order).

1. Julie at Four Leaves. I love looking at her beautiful photos. She makes ordinary objects look beautiful.

2. Karisma - a wise funny lady.

3. Karen Jane - Bare Feet and Free Spirit.

4. Mountain Pulse

5. Ariad - Rainbow Love Farm

6. Yarrow

7. Mermaid Dreaming

8. Scarlette Rose Fairy - our paths keep crossing over the years and she does beautiful tattoos.

9. Stacy - The Barnacle is My Totem

10. Happy Hippy Mad House - I hope you're feeling better soon.

Banana Date Muffins With Rose Petal Spice

What funny weather. Summer one day and wintery autumn weather the next. Good recipe for a cold, which little Loopity Lou has had for nearly a week, which means not much sleep for his mummy!

While little Loopity Lou was sleeping, his big brother and I did some baking. It was a nice rainy indoor day so we made Banana Date Muffins with Rose Petal Spice (I got the spice from Macro Whole Foods. It's to put into cakes & muffins and its fragrant sweet spices with rose petals smell like chai tea. Yum!).

I love this old mixer mum gave me. When I was a child, mum used the same mixer and I have many memories of birthday cakes with all sorts of ingredients put into it. It is still going strong - it came from an era when things where made to last.

My son loves cooking.......

.... and what's even better is when you get to eat what you've made while it is still hot. Yum!

Sunday Market Shawl

Last year a friend of mine, Christy, went back home to Amercia to visit her family. I asked her to get some wool for me that you can't get in Australia (well, I know I can buy wool on line but I like to feel what I'm buying). She brought this back for me. It's Ellyn Cooper's Yarn Sonnets Hand-Dyed Yarns, Peru (the colour is Chinese Poppy).

It's Cotton. I love the colours - it has purples, reds, oranges and hints of yellow and green. I love purple and that's a colour that I mosty wore a few years ago. Now I'm branching out into the rainbow. I seem to wear purple and yellows/oranges or green at the moment. I have my clothes hanging up in rainbow order (LOL) and pick out the colour I'm drawn to that day ......:)

Anyway, I got 3 cotton hanks and I wasn't sure what to do with them. I came across this free pattern on Ravelry by Knit Fish called Sunday Market Shawl.

The cotton is nice it knit with in this heat. I'm a good way into knitting the shawl/wrap but it seems to curl up on itself on each side.

I'm deciding if I will continue because if it is still going to curl up on the sides, the finished product it is going to annoy me when I'm wearing it. I'll see when I drop the stitches (part of the pattern) on how it will sit. So, I'm at a standstill. I might put it on a stitch holder and try the same pattern with some Noro Silk Garden (yummy rainbow colours) that I bought a month ago down at Berry.