things i'm loving & i'm grateful for 'our cute & fluffy family Easter'

Greetings all,
Combining this week's 'Things I'm Loving' with Paisley Jade & 'I'm Grateful For' with Maxabella Loves this week to bring you a long week double post of Australian family Easter cuteness.  I love it when my husband is around, we do so many fun family things. 

 Full marks for cuteness with this family.

 Ok so they sleep like 22/24 hours . . .

 but this koala was super active, climbing, jumping & stretching.

 Oh who doesn't love a great petting zoo??  Don't be fooled by the high schooler's facial expression, she is not loving her smile or photo being taken at the moment.  It's a faze.

 I really like goats, not sure why, everyone complains about them but surely if they are in proper fencing & entertained, they'll be great on the farm.

 This animal lover of course wanted to take them all home with us.

 Animals bring out the best in children, don't you think??

 Wallabies . . .

 a huge reason why i want a farm, space, animals & a simple family life in the country . . . it's based around the fact we'll have 4 teenagers very soon.  They can go & complain, cry & let out all their tension in their own space with the animals at the end of each day.

 These were very chilled wallabies & kangaroos.

 Best of all, we have handsome soldier with us.

 So wishing you all a great slide into Easter from my family to yours.

Relax & enjoy your long weekend!!  Love Posie

Happy Australia Day & the Qld Flood Raffles end at midday

Raffle WINNER:  Congratulations # 96 . . . Anna from TillyTom Designs & Sew!Busy!Mama blog, you have an autographed copy of Handmade Living, a pencil roll, fabric & more crafty goodness coming to you!! 

Giveaway WINNER: Congratulations #45 . . . Bronwyn from Whippet Good blog, you have 4 Japanese printed FQ of fabric coming your way!!

Sorry for the delay in the annoucement & to leave 138 very generous entries hanging, my middle girl cut her foot open getting into the shower, i know, safer in the pool, bathrooms are the danger zone!!  Thanks for your patience!!

Greetings all,
Happy Australia Day everyone.  Still flat from my migraine but up for taking the children swimming & having a fun day.  In Canberra we have all sorts of free concerts to celebrate but i find them a bit of a mosh pit & with 4 children on my own, someone always needs the bathroom (um, me)!!  I think swimming, a BBQ, ANZAC biscuits & lamingtons is more our scene this year. 

Like the chalk flag my middle girl drew on the back of the house??  I'm sure Defence Housing will enjoy it too!!  She did it last week while they were playing cricket in the back garden, she was meant to be fielding at silly mid off.

 A happy shot of my 4 with some of their cousins in Balmoral (Mosman) 10 days ago.  Cousins are the best people in the world, my children have 19 of them, aged 4 to 21, all living in NSW.  We have a combination of cousins with Italian, Austrian, Hungarian, English, Irish, Scottish & French heritage, how typically Australian is that??!! 
Wondered why 3 of my children have olive skin??  Paternal northern Italian great grandparents - the genes are strong!!  My husband is very olive, with blue eyes, dimples, oh & his smile . . . sorry, got a bit carried away there . . . i miss him . . . anyway, in Italy everyone speaks Italian to him, he's just a tall sporty style Italian.  

 The iconic kangaroo, we have gazillions around our place & chat to them on our family bush walks.  They are pretty timid & some are enormous!!

 Thanks for a wonderful response to the auctions & raffles run by Make it Perfect (check out the master list!!) we're raising a whole tonne of money for the flood victims in Qld.  Today the raffles end at midday.  The grand total of money raised will be announced late this afternoon, what a wonderful way to show off our Australian spirit, helping our neighbours, on Australia Day!!
 

 I can't wait to draw my lucky raffle winner after lunch (for an autographed copy of Handmade Living, a pencil roll & fabric + craft goodies) & a runner up for 4 Japanese FQ fabrics.  Good luck everyone, over 100 125 entries & counting!!
ALSO, can't wait to see if i've won any raffles too??  Have you seen the competition over at Jodie's Ric Rac raffle for softies or Lisa's The Red Thread raffle for a sewing machine, fabric & patterns . . . i've entered both, several times, fingers crossed!!

Want more ways to support the Qld Flood Appeal??  Lots of designers at Shop Handmade in Canberra are donating 10% of January sales & . . . the amazing Rachel & Julie who own Shop Handmade are matching them dollar for dollar!!  Yahoo, imagine that mega donation??  When my children resume school, i go back to Shop Handmade - come & visit the most beautiful Shop in Canberra!!  Support Australian handmade, small business, local produce with excellent customer service (if i do say so myself). 

Thank you everyone for participating in any raffle, auction, donation, prizes, giveaways, shopping, baking, sandwich making & every other little thing you've done to support the Qld Flood Appeal, victims & volunteers.
Have yourself a wonderful Australia Day, love Posie

a very Australian bush walk

Greetings all,
After an exciting morning of stationery shopping for high school supplies, yawn, actually not too bad as our eldest is in the laptop programme, i took a couple of our girls on a bush walk over the road. 

 We've done this walk before & know what to expect . . .

 a big walking adventure . . .

 & tonnes of kangaroos!!

 I took the little digital camera as i'm excellent at tripping over . . .

 so no fantastic telescopic shots on the fancy Nikon SLR today!!

 I think these shots show just how close we got . . .

 to all the kangaroos we saw!!

 I kept one eye on the kangaroo poo . . .

 & one eye out for snakes . . .

 while the girls spotted kangaroos for me!!

 Just across the road from this massive reserve is our home.

 We just climb through the inviting hole in the gate past all the warning signs of wild dogs (have never seen a dingo in Canberra) & rabbit poison.

 Then on the way home a little chat to the ducks.

Who said all exercising has to be on a treadmill or pounding the pavement??  We would have covered a good 5km up & down the mountains in the late afternoon heat on a bush walk, plus it was far more interesting!!  Free school holiday entertainment, right at your back door, love Posie
EDIT: LAST CHANCE for the IKEA lifestyle book giveaway, drawn tomorrow night!!  Good luck, 10 books to giveaway, fantastic odds!!