Here is just one days collecting – and that hasn't been the most we have gathered either. So what do you do when you have too many tomato's?
The first is give some away. We have been doing that, keeping a few of our neighbours well supplied. 
Then you eat them – for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fortunately there are so many ways to prepare tomato's that you don't ever have to tire of them. I love to eat them straight off the bush as I am picking them. Growing organically lets you do that. Although I usually recommend a wash down first.
If it wasn't for the dust storms we have been having I could do that. You can see these are covered in dust. So they need a really good wash inside then wiping off with some paper towel.
I really enjoy having them on toast for breakfast. Here is my quick and easy way to prepare them.
Roughly chop up some white or yellow onion.
Do the same with some tomato's. Just quarter them. This amount will do 2 people.
Toss the onion and tomato into a small pan. If you are not on a diet you can put butter and olive oil in at this point. It really amps up the flavour. If you are dieting then leave those out.
You don't really need the butter or olive oil to cook as there is enough liquid in the tomato. Let this cook over a low to medium heat for a while.
While you are waiting for the mix to soften and stew down, run out to your garden and grab some Italian Flat leaf parsley and chop it up.
You don't have any – doesn't matter!
You could use dried, or leave it out. I just love the flavour kick it gives. It is so easy to grow. Even in a pot on your window sill.
Add plenty of black pepper, salt and a dash of Worchestireshire Sauce. Make sure it is the real stuff! Not one of these varieties that is appearing now in bigger bottles that is full of corn syrup and other "stuff".
When cooked to your liking, add in the parsley at the last minute and top a piece of lightly toasted wholemeal bread with it.
Enjoy!
Some of you will know from past posts that my Mum had Alzheimer's when she died. It is a terrible disease, not only robbing the person with it of their abilities to function normally but also robbing those around them on so many levels.
In fact Mum having this disease was one of the reason why I started this blog way back when. My life and hers had been altered and I wanted a way to share where I am now – with the future. Mum left little that explains about her. Little that tells her story. That hopefully won't be the same with me.
This week the papercrafting, scrapping, stamping and digital scrapbooking world comes together to raise funds to Stamp out Alzheimers. There are challenges, freebies and over $350 dollars worth of prizes to be won and given away over the week.
The event is called Stampin Out Alheimers and my online friend Jen Tapler, who is dealing with this on a daily basis as her father suffers, is heading it up. Along with her co-cordinator Susanna Boyd they have put together a wonderful site where you pay to play.
In Jen's words…
SOA is an exciting "pay to play" virtual papercrafting event to benefit the Alzheimer's Association. My father, like so many others, suffers from Alzheimer's disease. It's a horrible disease that really takes it's toll on an entire family.
Susanna and I, along with a group of generous sponsors and challenge hostesses, have teamed up to create a temporary online community where members can take part in a variety of challenges, contests, classes and workshops, and download several free products (a special digital kit, a printable 3-d template, tutorials, etc) in different papercrafting categories (stamping, cardmaking, paperscrapbooking, digi scrapping, hybrid, etc). All this for a suggested donation of $5. 100% of these funds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association to help with their efforts to provide and enhance care and support for all those affected by this heartbreaking disease.
You can click on the Paypal box in the sidebar to give your donation – you can determine the amount you donate using the drop-down menu, but we suggest a minimum $5 donation. Once you've made your donation, go register on the Stampin' Out Alzheimer's site.
The challenges, other content and freebies are all there ready to play.
I am hosting the Inspiration Challenge and have two wonderful prizes to give away for participants. So give today, be generous – then come and play.
Or if you don't feel like playing – please donate anyway.
The paper towel holder seems to have made it's home on the kitchen bench. Everyone likes it there and I have to admit that it is handy.
I don't really like the pine!
Of course I can fix that. Which I did.
Before
Sanded it back lightly then painted it with a lovely shade of creamy white house paint. I use what is available here and also what I have on hand. Plus I just love this colour.
Here it is all nicely painted up – but it is just a bit too perfect. Not shabby enough.
No problem – just take some sand paper or a emery fingernail file and rough it up a bit. Think about the places that it would get worn and gently rub it back. Distress it a little around the edges on the top where it would get handled. Not too much though. We want it to look shabby not old.
Set it in place for a few days – see if it needs more distressing and then varnish it with a nice semi matt/gloss finish.
Perfectly shabby, very useful paper towel holder that cost me 30 cents and about half an hours work.
My control center project over the National Scrapbook Day brought me an awesome opportunity and a lovely invitation to join The Hybrid Chick team.
I was very pleasantly surprised, talked it over with hubby and the munchkins and accepted the position. I really look forward to work with this very talented group of ladies.
The wonderful projects they produce are such great inspiration. If you have not been over there yet then you need to check it out. There are all manner of project from hybrid cards to home decor.
Ultimately this will mean a guest blog post/project/tutorail each month on The Hybrid Chick blog and more involvement at The Digi Chick.
I already enjoy hanging out there and being a part of the community there. As well as participating in the challenges in the forums. They have a great points reward system to for earning kits or discounts.
So it won't be too much of a stretch.
Not to mention I'll be playing with a bunch of delicious digi goodies available there.
My first project will be in June.
I knew you would want a peak!
Watch this space and I'll let you know as soon as it is up at The Hybrid Chick
Remember this frame that I found at the op shop on Wednesday. It cost me about 30 cents and now looks like this. Add in about $1 for ink , paper and glue and you have yourself a cute little gift.
One of my girls is hoping for it.
It now looks like this.
Cute huh. You could add some extra bling and ribbons or other embellishments. This is just enough for me.
I used this gorgeous new kit {Always} Eden by Elise's Pieces over at The Digi Chick. It is the perfect blend of robin's egg blue, brown, greens and a touch of yellow. Not to mention my favourite paisleys.
I'll put a tutorial up in the next few days on how to make your own altered photo frame. So keep an eye out at those yard sales and op shops.
I also made these with the same kit.
The card is my own hybrid design. Used some brown card and other embellishments that I had along with the digital papers printed out for my design. Stamped and punched the sentiment for a pretty birthday card. Then layered them up with mounting tape for some dimension. The little button holding the flower on is tied with Karen Foster scrappers floss.
The sweet little purse is Sassy 2 purse template by Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs. With some scrunched up soft blue tissue and yummy treats it will make the cutest gift bag along with the card.
A trip to the local "new to you" store this morning turned up these.
The frame will come in handy for a project I have in mind. There will be more on that in a future post.
The hat box case thingy? Well it screamed my name last time I went in there and here it was still calling me three weeks later. I wasn't sure what to do with it but know something will come to me. I didn't have to wait long. Both munchkins girls fell in love with it. One immediately declared it had to go in the lounge as company to my vintage metal suitcase.
Now I need a third piece in that area to make a montage. Perhaps I can re-purpose something from elsewhere in the house.
The exciting thing about that whole episode was seeing the way my darlings are seeing possibilities and knowing instinctively what goes together.
Reminder. to. self. Take photo's.
The pine paper towel holder. It is well known in my family that I am not a lover of pine, unless it is painted of course.
I had planned on making it into one of the those spinny album's that are all the rage. Yet again one of my munchkins changed that plan. He grabbed it out of that bag, headed straight in the pantry, snapped up the paper towel plonking it on with a satisfied grin and declaring it "perfect".
Not being someone who likes the cluttered busy bench look I wasn't too sure about. Time will tell if it stays or heads to the craft zone to be altered.
Total cost for all three items – $1
Over the national scrapbook day weekend I participated in a card swap at The Hybrid Chick. Now I have done digital card swap's at many sites but this one was for hybrid cards.
So instead of just printing out a pre finished card you actually print it, cut it out and put it back together again. Easy peasy – right?
Not always. What if this is your first card swap? What if you have never "made" a card before. How do you put it together? What if you are a digi only girl and have never done hybrid?
Don't let those questions put you off though. Doing one of these can be very rewarding and the whole thing about doing a card swap is you get beautiful digital cards in a variety of designs. This is a real time saver and it is always lovely to see everyone's work.
This month I am joining in a month long card swap at The Digi Chick. If you like the card above – that is in the swap. So why not join us? These are a lot of fun.
Now back to my original topic. 
How do you work with one of these hybrid digital cards? You can read more about that here.
Though it is still not very clear here with a certain amount of dust just hanging in the air at least we can go out without feeling like we have a mouthful of sand.
Read down to the last post to see photo's from the dust storms of the weekend?
I came across these photos the other day, which I took back in Feb. That time of year is when we have the nicest skies. Most of the year it is just grey here…even in summer.
This is the same view out my bedroom window – you can see the high rise they are building over on the corner.
This is out the back window of my craft room. Much nicer hey? Such a shame the sky isn't this way more often.
Look at what we woke up to this morning. It blew hard again all night and this is the result.
This is out my bedroom window. Believe it or not there is a high rise building just to the left of the one you can see. One day when the visibility is better I will take a comparison shot.
Yes, I live next door to a salvage yard. No, I don't live in a prison. The extra tall walls and barbed wire are par for the course here with all the terrorist issues. It may seem shocking but we barely see it now days. It tends to lose itself in the background.
This is out my back window upstairs. You can't see the dust so well in this but it just looks grey anyway. The light is really weird when it is so dusty.
There is also a big high rise just over in this photo.
What a weekend! Not going yesterday was the right decision. The sandstorm and wind were just awful. Thankful it blew hard all night then settled around 4.30 am…not long before we were up.
The dust was hanging around in the air but dropped as the day wore on and the sun burnt a lot of it off. The wind kept up but not as gusty. More of a strong gentle breeze. Having said that that temperature was about 40 celcius so having the breeze was essential.
The meet is called the A Regionals. It is the Eastern Province finals and somewhat like a state final.
Some action shots.
Suck in the air boy!
Keep going honey.
More air?
The result of all the hard work. Both swam ten races. Miss C surprised herself with equal 5th place on the podium. The girl she shared with was the one she pipped at the post for the same spot last year. She is very sweet and it was nice to see the both of them up there together. It had come down to their placings on their last race and if Miss C had not made the right place in that race she would have not made the podium. They were both pleased to be sharing the place. Miss C swam very well over her races with five out of ten being personal best times.
Please excuse the terrible indoor photos. School gym, no room to set up the tripod, kids too far away, and terrible terrible lights. Add in my hot shoe flash piking out right as they started handing out the trophies. Not impressed!
Just look at the smile on that face. Can you tell the result?
JMan swam five out of the ten with personal best time improvements. He also took gold with a clean sweep winning all ten. First place in the A Regionals.
Nice trophy plaques for the wall.
Looking forward to the rest tomorrow. Then the focus will be on the National Championships in two weeks time.
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