MonkiSee Action Words DVD

I was recently privileged to receive a copy of the MonkiSee Action Words DVD so that I could review it.

I have a daughter 14 months, and I found the DVD a little old for her, but she still loved it.

The DVD had big words in red, with an arrow going across left to right to show what direction we read.

Olivia the presenter and Skip and Howie the monkeys were delightful, and kept Rona enthralled throughout the DVD.

The video clips to show what the word meant were very cheerful and displayed the meaning of the words very well.

The song that had all the action words in it, was repetitive and had the lyrics clearly displayed.

This is a fantastic DVD, one that Rona and I will enjoy watching again and again. I rate this DVD a 9/10.

Thank you to MonkiSee

Not quite as little things

At the moment I am in a house proud mode.

I am trying to keep the house tidy, but not only that, but also not neglecting the maintenance of the house.

So things like the garden hose



This was left by the previous owners, so goodness how old it is, and it is perishing



So I got a new hose!

And 'tis the season



For baby proofing!



My house is now adorned with baby proof locks!

I am going to be trying to tackle more things around the house, so be prepared for more pictures of my house.

A Vision of Lucy

A Vision of Lucy (A Rocky Creek Romance) by Margaret Brownley is the third book in a series but it stands alone well. I really enjoyed reading this book. It starts out slow but after a few chapters it kept me interested in what was going to happen. This is a quick read.

Lucy is a strong-willed young lady who wants to make it on her own without the help of others. She has a father who disapproves of her. She tries everything she can to make him happy and love her. Her brother wants to become a doctor and she has been trying to find work as a photographer to put money aside for his schooling.

David has some unsettled business from his past he comes back to town to finish. He wanted to settle his business quietly then return home to his professional of cabinet making. He has held on to things for too long, and that almost ruins Lucy and David's relationship.
These two lives become intertwined when Lucy stops a wagon from being robbed and has feelings of love and hate at first sight! David finds Lucy a nuisance for awhile until he realizes he has actually fallen for her.

This book was fun, exciting, and romantic all at the same time. Margaret Brownley has a writing style that is easy to read and makes you want to read more of her stories.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Christian historical romance! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The little things

As a mum to a toddler, it is hard to keep the house clean and tidy...

I often look over the vista of discarded toys and books, and wonder if the house will ever be tidy again.

So, while looking at the big picture, I am trying to not forget the little things.

Like the loose threads on Rona's shoes



Now, it may not have made much of a difference to the house, but it made me feel good to fix Rona's shoes



And to shine the silver

Filing and organising

Well, with deciding that I needed to get organised with documents.... I really should do it then :)

So here goes



Overful and terribly disorganised files



A work in progress



The files, all organised

I had a box full of documents to shred at the end, and all our important documents are in one place and all the other paperwork we need are easy to find!

My Tuesday (Ten)

Here is a fun linky party

{one} at the moment I am reading How To Multiply Your Baby's Intelligence by Glenn Doman

It is an interesting book so far, not sure that I would do everything written, but it is definitely food for thought









{two} it is winter over here in Australia, which means that Rona and I are inside most of the time. Our favourite game at the moment is rolling around on my bed (it gets quite messy).


                                        {three} I would really love to do this project

It is a beautiful book strap from How About Orange


I really would love this to carry books around.... ah so many projects, so little time!







{four} I have taken Rona and her cousin Grace to Featherdale Wildlife Park and they had a great time, and ended up totally covered in mud as it was rainy when we went

   

Aren't they the cutest thing ever?!?!

{five} Husband is now on leave for 6 weeks! It is lovely having him home with us

{six} I have been asked to do the church newsletter..... I am not sure if I should do it....

{seven} Wittle, Husband's brother has torn his anterior cruciate ligament while playing soccer, which is not good, what is worse is that Angelica, his wife is 6 months pregnant... hopefully he will be on the mend soon and be much better when the baby comes

{eight} I have joined Pinterest, it is so much fun! Come see my boards here

 {nine} Come over here and see a Moon Sand Recipe!

{ten}   I am so excited about the new Jane Eyre movie coming out in August..... now I only have to convince Husband to take me :)

DIY Important Information and Document Folder

I have been thinking that I need a central place for all my important information, so I am getting together a folder.

I have just bought a standard accordion style file and have put in all the information that I can think of that I would need.


You can get my template here

I now have to go and fill mine in, and find all the documents! (And then make it pretty!)

Happy organising

Your Baby Can Read

I bought today the Your Baby Can Read kit.

I bought it not because I am worried about Rona's development, but because I would like some way that I know that I am teaching Rona well.

I can do my best, but I have no idea how to teach children.... all my close friends/family are teachers, so I don't think that they understand how lost I feel.

So I am going to give Your Baby Can Read a go

Work around the house

A while ago I bought some vinyl wall art for my house.

I have already put up one in Rona's room here

And I had bought another one from Etsy and hadn't put it up yet...

So, I bit the bullet and did it by myself (I had been hoping that Husband would help me, but he is too busy)

So, I started by making sure that a line was level and at the right height



And started sticking it all on

And here it is all stuck on, with the backing plastic on



and then all done and dusted



I LOVE it! It makes my day whenever I look at it

Now, to convince Husband to put up a cupboard that has been waiting for 8 months...

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

 The Paris Wife

by Paula McLain

At the end of Ernest Hemingway's memoir, A Moveable Feast , he writes of his first wife, Hadley, "I wish I had died before I loved anyone but her." After their divorce, Hemingway marries three more times. "The Paris Wife" is the story of the woman that loved him before he was famous. 

This book is well researched, and fabulously written.

I am not a big fan of fiction based on real people, I find them trite and forced. This book, however is well written, the characters seem real and similar to how they are written by Hemingway.

Hadley and Ernest

The book is well written, written in the vernacular of the time. The book focuses on the Hemingways in Paris, of course, and they soon become involved with artists such as Gertrude Stein, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Ford Maddox Ford and Jean Rhys. 

This is a book well worth reading, and a must for fans of Hemingway

The Party

For the party, we invited HEAPS of people!

We ended up having over 40 people and had about 20 people who couldn't come.

It was a rainy day, which was a shame because we had planned on having the party outside.

But it was a fantastic day, everyone had a great time. Rona loved playing with her cousins with her new toys



And, of course, Rona got to have cake!

Making aprons

I have been wanting to make some aprons for a while, so I lately bought a pattern from Etsy

And then I bought some pretty material




Then started work



And, finally....



And



I am quite happy with them, and feel so pretty while I am doing housework!

Rona is very helpful

Rona is helping me with her cake!

Rona's cake

So, we had a party for Rona's first birthday, and of course, I needed to make a cake!

It was all going well until I put ganache on the cake, then covered it.... when I got it back out of the fridge and took off the cover....


A gaping hole!

Thank goodness for more ganache, no one could tell by the time I was finished.

And then I needed to make the decorations to be like Rona's invitation





And then I put it all together.....



Voila!

Rona's birthday

My baby girl is one!

I cannot believe it... it has been a fantastic and exhausting year.

For the birthday, Rona had cake for her breakfast, her first taste of cake ever.
Then for lunch, we went in to see Husband at work, then we went to my mum's for the afternoon, and saw a family friend.

It was a crazy busy day, and wonderful too



Rona is pictured here playing with one of her presents, a doll pram

Spring for Susannah

Spring for Susannah
Catherine Richmond

This book is about Susannah and Jesse, Susannah is a spinster who goes to Dakota to marry a man she has never seen before. Jesse is a homesteader whose brother, a minster sets him up with Susannah.

This book takes place in the 1870s and the story line lasts for about two years. You get to experince the couples hardships (grasshoppers destroying their crop) and joys (Susannah gets pregnant). I cannot wait to read this book over and over again!

The thing I liked best about this book was the characters, I felt them to be realistic and could empathise with them.

While Christian historical romance can be formulaic, this broke through the mold and impressed me where I didn't expect.

There is some frank, but discreet sexual references. This is surprising, as most Christian writers shy away from this, but I found it refereshing and realistic without being vulgar or even very revealing.

The ending is a little abrupt, but if it did not end there, I think the book would have needed a lot more written. I would enjoy a sequel to this book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Links for June

Some great cake decorating tutorials for June

One from Sugar Belle

A pretty petal effect on My Cake School

And a great racing car from Cake Journal