What an outstanding save!!

Hockey season has started again - at least for the seniors.  Juniors don't start till May, although training is well under way.  We had club day weekend before last and the Masters grass team played a scratch match with the Men's 1 turf team.  I missed the match but got sent this awesome photo of DH at full stretch saving a goal that the goalie just couldn't get to.

He couldn't believe he'd done anything special - until he saw the photo.  They went down 2-1 in a hard fought battle, and are now ready for season proper.

Lego minifigures...

FJ has quite a collection of Lego minifigures.  Recently we decided that we would grab them all out of their sets and boxes and divide them up into bodies, heads, hats, hair, legs, accessories etc.

He loves it like this and wanted to show you some of his latest creations.  First we have my personal favourite - General.

Then Captain...

Bat Ninja...

Bonehead Cop...

Colonel Pink...

Fishman...

Irondriver...

The Not So Abominable Snowman...

Jimmy (the hero)...

Leo the Lion...

Lord Cyborg...

The Rookie...

Sensei Skull...

And last but not least, The Medic...

FJ is open to suggestions from cousins about what he should create next?

A finished UFO...

But not mine unfortunately.  Miss Blondie has been working on these characters for a year or so and today "The Flash"...

joined "Batman"...

in the fight against "Killer Croc" and "The Joker".

FJ thinks they are really cool - the next request is "Robin".

Growing up so fast...

My baby is growing up too fast.  Here she is ready for a big night out as a siren for a sea themed birthday party.

The dress is actually more turquoise than it appears in the photo.  She found it in Salvos for a whole $12. Then she went through all my bead boxes and her shell collection and made all the accessories.  And, yes, she is slightly sunburnt - too much marching in the band without a hat on!!

The next party is a Disney themed one and she wants to go as the girl from Brave.  Lots of little french plaits, please Mum, to make her hair all frizzy.

Oh, and I measured FJ this morning.  Since we returned from our Christmas jaunt to Queensland, he has grown 3 cm and lost 3 kg.  Miss Blondie is resigning herself to being the short one in the family.

Growth charts - are they accurate?

I was doing some very overdue filing today and I came across my kids "Child Health Books". When they were young I was very careful to record their heights carefully on the charts in them.

I was talking to a friend the other day and we were musing over whether the charts were very accurate or not.  So I decided to have a look.

Miss 15 always hovered between the 90th and 97th percentile on the chart which predicted that at age 15 she would be about 173 cm (about 5' 7") tall - and she is!

Miss Blondie was always the shorter one of the three kids, about the 80th percentile, which predicts that she might reach my height of about 170 cm (about 5' 6").  She's about 162 cm now.

And FJ?  Scary reading.  He always hovered above the 97th percentile and still does.  His growth chart predicts that he will be 193 cm (about 6' 4") tall.  I am going to feel like a midget!!

The cheese making adventures continue

I've been inspired by my step-mum to take up cheese making.  I showed you the ricotta I made a couple of posts ago.  I can confirm it is delicious in lasagna.  I've made it again since and we're eating it on rice crackers and it is just as yummy.

My latest experiment is 30-minute mozzarella.

It made seven balls - but we ate one sliced on crackers.  Stretchy and delicious.

I'm using recipes from the e-book "Keep Calm and Make Cheese" by Gavin Webber.  I have a link to his main blog "The Greening of Gavin"on my sidebar, but he also has another blog called "Little Green Cheese" where he puts all his cheese making recipes and ideas.

Hubby has promised me a "cheese" (wine) fridge for my birthday, and the kids are getting me a cheese press.  Roll on semi-hard and hard cheeses!!

A Lego windfall

Our lovely next door neighbour, Sarah, has two boys aged nine and eleven.  The elder is into soccer and Xbox. The younger is into art and destruction.  They are both gorgeous boys, but both have grown out of Lego.  So in the middle of a massive clean-out, Sarah texted me and asked me whether FJ would like their Lego.  Of course the answer was, "Yes, please!!!!!"  So back they came with a huge crate of Lego (and other bits and bobs).

This is the box all tipped out.  The kids and I sorted the Lego from the rest, and then decided it was very grubby.  Food, sand and general dirt.  So out came my lingerie bags.  Ten bags later through a delicate cycle in the front loader and here is the Lego drying - good as new.  Not even the stickers were affected.

FJ can't wait to add it to the general Lego.  I reckon a couple of days in this heat will take care of drying it. Now I just need to find another box.  Thank you Sarah, you've made my boy very happy.