We have spent much of this spring rehabilitating our vegetable garden. We documented each step from digging, collecting manure and through to labelling each row as it was planted. The rhubarb had been flush with growth for the last few weeks. Then to my horror, as I tried to find the photos, I found the memory card had corrupted. That will teach me to procrastinate, but for now we still have rhubarb.

We have been eating stewed rhubarb on cereal, rhubarb muffins and best of all rhubarb cake. Here is the recipe for my favourite, Rhubarb Cake.

Rhubarb Cake

150g Butter
3/4 cup Sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 c Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Topping:
250g rhubarb chopped
1/2 cup sugar
1Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C and line a 25cm square tin. Mix topping ingredients and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Gradually mix in eggs. Sift together flour and baking powder. Stir in the flour mixture, alternating with the milk.

Spoon batter into the tin, leaving it in lumpy mounds. Add spoonfuls of the rhubarb mixture between, around and on top of the mound. Tip the remaining topping over the batter before putting into the oven.

Bake for 40-45 minutes.


Forgive me if I have shared this recipe before. I am nothing if not consistent.

After planning, cutting and stitching, my work for the Modern Christmas Table Runner Swap is done and in the post. After leaving it hanging on the wall for a few days, I decided that I really needed to add some french knots above the "e" before posting. I have even managed to get to grips with machine quilting using metallic thread.

For now, I will keep quiet about where it is going, but can only say it will be accompanied by two swift flying birds.

We tagged alongto the Teddy Bear's Picnic, clutching Lucy and Giraffe. Despite being bearless we won a spot prize and had a wonderful time. It was so nice to see so many kids about from all over the Wairarapa, with parents and grandparents making the time to have a great day.

We are discovering the 4 is a pretty awesome age. You learn to pepper your conversations with slang from the playground.

For real ! I'm not lying. Trust me.

How the last two got to be popular phrases I am not sure, Maybe we have a used car salesman in the making. When I asked E what she thought "Trust me" meant, she told me it was"Just do what I say!"

The coolest four year old trick is eyebrow wriggling. Her face almost creases with concentration and fixes you with a stare before some earnest brow wriggling starts. It is very hard to keep a straight face.

Then there are the tricks she makes up herself. Above you can see E "talking with her eyes". this consists of covering her mouth, talking and pretending the sound is coming out of her eyes. Very strange. Also strange, but not at all surprising is when she is talking with her eyes, pretending to be mummy - 'What's in the op shop today kids?'

No idea where she's heard that one. None at all.

All up, four is pretty cool. We're loving it. Excuse me now, while I go and ask how the hip kids say that these days.

School fairs, scarecrows, facepainting and iceblocks. I think summer might be on it's way.

We have been wrestling our vegetable garden into shape over the last few weeks and rescuing it from the clutches of weeds and errant tree roots. Little did I realise I would need rescuing myself.


Fortunately, I won a bundle of goodies from Ange at Mushroom Lane . The Hypercal came in handy when I found some nettles and again when the mosquitoes found me. In order to be prepared the mossie repellant came out as well and then at the end of the day, foolish me, also needed the sunburn lotion. I highly recommend all of them and she promises to have some in her felt shop soon.

I have often wished for something magical that did your dishes while you were not looking. I think I may have found one. As you can see, Miss H had some time to spare while waiting to go trick of treating.

It has been a full on week in the Seven Stitches household and I feel like I am only just coming up for air. I'm looking forward to a day with the kids tomorrow, doing kiddy things and hoping for another visit from the cleaning fairies.

On another note, the Small Hands Christmas Swap partners have been emailed out, so everyone should be making or thinking of making at the moment. Wonderful, I'm off to put my feet up.