Wordless Wednesday ~ Easter Favourites

Toasting marshmallows ...

Old tractor

Free Milo at Milo Bar #MILO80 ...can you believe Milo is 80yrs old

CAPTION THIS ?

A very busy day at the Easter Show !

An InLinkz Link-up

 ♥

Countrylink Royal Easter Show & amaysim mobile deals iPad mini {giveaway}

Countrylink Promotion and amaysim data & iPad mini Giveaway

Kids go a long way for a dollar.

Remember our Countrylink Dinosaurs in the Wild adventure well we are off again - RAWR ! ...no Moo-moo, Quack -Quack ...  with 14,000 animals on display. (That's a lot of .... !)

Thanks to Countrylink we are off to the Sydney Royal Easter show, which is celebrating 190yrs this year. WOW ! We leave tomorrow afternoon and the Show opens Thursday (21st March- April 3rd).

Countrylink has an exclusive offer - Buy 1 entry ticket to the Sydney Royal Easter Show and receive 1 ticket of the same type FREE when you purchase a return CountryLink train or coach ticket to Sydney. They have some great accommodation deals in Sydney to make it more affordable too.

The offers are only available for Sydney Royal Easter Show tickets purchased through a CountryLink sales outlet traveling to Sydney between 20 March and 4 April 2013.

The Sydney Royal Easter Show brings  the  smells of  country to the city every year to celebrate the best Australia has to offer, hours of family fun, carnival rides, free entertainment , carnival rides and showbags ! Something for everyone. Perfect to distract me from worrying about other things.

2012 -Milkshake making classes, Ashton's circus, Equine Entertainment and Circus school.

I am looking forward to the Arts and crafts, woodchop, fireworks and live entertainment. The boys love the animal nursery and showbags on display. Hubby is keen to check out the cows and rodeo !

CountryLink offers a great value kids' fare - what can you buy for one dollar ? up to four children from the one household can travel to any of more than 365 destinations on the CountryLink network for just one dollar each  (each way)! [Unfortunately under12's must be accompanied by adults :) so you can't just pack the kids off as tempting as it sounds]

The journey is half the fun and $1 kids' fare will help make your family holiday, short break or visit to friends or relatives that little bit more affordable. As well you can take time on the way to notice the countryside you are passing through, play endless games of snap, colour-in or read and EAT ...plenty of food available on board too. They have chocolate hot meals to order. You can book sleeping accommodation on some trips.

I recommend charging up all your idevices and electronic games too (no charging facilities on the train). My boys loved the excitement and freedom of the train.The time passed quickly and we had very few "ARE we there YET ?"

For more information and to book, call 13 28 29 or visit your nearest CountryLink Travel Centre.

---

I'm so glad I have my iPad2 when traveling. It kept the boys entertained while traveling and when we stayed in Sydney I still had access to internet. I cannot cope without my iPad and internet. Sad , but true. My iPad mobile broadband worked in a few locations luckily !

In a completely unrelated promotion I am so excited to be giving away an iPad Mini thanks to amaysim.

amaysim is Australia’s low cost mobile service provider with multiple award winning mobile deals.[Money magazine‘s best of the best awards 2012 and 2013].

- amaysim UNLIMITED mobile plan won gold, as did amaysim AS YOU GO. For everyone in-between, they have got amaysim FLEXI. So whether you‘re always on the phone, or just an occasional user like me, they have you covered.

- Say goodbye to lock-in contract forever with amaysim MOBILE BROADBAND data packs– perfect for those who need mobile broadband on the go ...anywhere you 97% of Australia is covered (Optus network)

- If you need mobile broadband for your i devices , tablet, smartphone, or SIM compatible laptop just add a great-value amaysim Data Pack ...from $9.90 for 1GB and up to $99.90 for 10GB’s. When I next re-charge - I'm switching to amaysim - I paid nearly twice that much for my current iPad mobile broadband data pack.

-You can forget paying sneaky costs like flagfall within Australia or payout fees and even unlocking costs. 

- amaysim have an Australian customer service centre too -lots of great reasons to switch!

 Visit: www.amaysim.com.au

This amazing giveaway they have offered for my readers ...

amaysim MOBILE BROADBAND 10GB data pack all in Oz, 365 expiry. r.r.p $99.90
Apple iPad Mini, 16GB with Wi-Fi and Cellular. r.r.p. $509.00

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please use Rafflecopter to enter - then leave a comment below - In 50 words or less what is your best traveling tip or where you would travel with an iPad mini and why ?-  [at nearly half the size of the regular iPad it still packs a punch and you can take it anywhere . Perfect to keep the kids (or yourself) entertained these holidays and especially on a train trip!]

1. Only Australian Residents are eligible to enter.
2. Entries not answering the question will be deemed invalid. The winner will be chosen by originality and creative merit, not by chance. Judges decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.
3.There is one prize iPad mini Apple iPad Mini, 16GB with Wi-Fi and Cellular. r.r.p. $509.00 plus amaysim Mobile Broadband 10GB data pack all in Oz, 365 expiry. r.r.p $99.90
4. Entries - Open 19/3/2013 - Close 11.59pm  8/4/2013 AEST. The winner will be notified by email, and posted to mylittledrummerboys.blogspot.com.au - the winners have 7 days to respond or a new winner will be drawn.
5. Prizes are not transferable, changeable or redeemable for cash.
6. Prizes sent out by PR firm directly will not be replaced in the event that they are stolen, lost or damaged in transit.
7. Subscribe to my blog  to receive MLDB updates.
8. Follow via Facebook or Bloglovin on the sidebar >>>>

---

Disclaimer : Countrylink have offered me 3days3nights package with accommodation & breakfast only and Easter Show entry . No monetary compensation was provided nor offered. All opinions are my own.

The amaysim MOBILE BROADBAND 10GB data pack all in Oz, 365days expiry. r.r.p $99.90
Apple iPad Mini, 16GB with Wi-Fi and Cellular. r.r.p. $509.00 giveaway is not related in any way to the Countrylink promotion.
 
amaysim is not sponsored , it is purely a giveaway for my readers - no monetary compensation was provided nor offered and I did not receive a iPad mini .

---

PS - I totally recommend CountryLink's three-day, two-night packages starting from only $404 per person twin share to Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Packages include return rail and accommodation and entry.I wasn't asked to mention this but I love our local zoo.

---

 

♥

Death by Easter Egg brownies

Almost ...

 

My Mission : Sunday afternoon I drove 5kms to the main farmhouse , risking life and limb, to do some Easter baking .

The recipe is easy, the hardest part was whacking away the hands that wanted one of the Caramel Easter eggs peeling the foil off 16 Mini Easter Eggs .

Ingredients :

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180 ° C /160 ° C fan forced. Coat the baking dish with a non stick spray.
   
   
2. Place butter and chocolate in heatproof bowl of simmering water on low heat. (Don't let bowl touch water)
   
   Cook, stirring, for 2-3 mins until a smooth and combined. remove from heat. Stir in sugar thoroughly until you have a silky smooth consistency. Set aside for 5 mins.
   
   
3. Stir in beaten eggs and flour. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Spread top evenly with spatula. Press chocolate eggs in brownie mixture.
   
   
4. Bake for 25 mins or until brownie is firm to touch. The brownie should be slightly springy on the outside but still slightly gooey in the middle. Cool in dish. Cut into 15 squares. Serve with dusted cocoa powder. *recipe from taste.com.au
   
   

They are very decadent and chocolaty, nom, nom scrumptious even if i do toot my own horn. 

Next time I might half the eggs because it was a hunk of solid choc to bite in too where the Easter eggs had melted and kind of caramel oozed out...mmm.

The riskiest part of my mission was smuggling the Easter Egg brownie out of the farmhouse and the STABBY looks I got ...(mostly from the dog)

I almost didn't make it because I was tackled to the ground ...not really  

I got distracted by my BIL's Labrador dog, stealing the remaining...

butter 

from my bag I'd put near the car ...arghhhh 'ruddy' dog !

 

I got to the first gate and had to reverse back to get my Brownies (from inside the house no where near the dog thankfully - he also got J's Easter Bunny over the w/end ) quick LOL.

They didn't take long ...

I don't dare weigh myself when I get home tonight ...


 ♥ Never miss a post

Run , rabbit , run ...

Sunday Selections #1

Love this little song ...

Run rabbit run

I found Gold

S missed it

J got it

(ok ok I know bunnies don't have nests)

Which way did that wabbit go we better warn him?

Counting their luck

 

This is a big critter we found too! What do you think it is ?

 

I'm linking up to Kim's@ Frogponds Rock's Sunday Selections

As a Christian Easter for me is more than Chocolate eggs & bunnies but we still let our sons have a bit of fun on Easter Sunday. They were so excited until I mentioned baking Rabbit pie for lunch ( I saw this on another blog LOL).

I celebrate that Jesus is risen today and I've been set free. 

 ♥ Never miss a post

Grateful Saturday - Cattle grids , pizza ovens and contracts.

So much to feel grateful for and not enough time to scribble it down.

Cattle grids - We are grateful to be at the farm for Easter.We are 5kms away at one end of the farm from the rest of the family at the big farmhouse. There are 20 of us in total.It's lovely to have everyone here.

They are grateful the small boys are here and not there :)

I'm grateful we get invited for dinner but I hate opening and closing gates ...just saying - I'll be grateful when DH puts more cattle grids in soon. 

The 20' somethings left a gate open too so DH had to chase a few cows back to another paddock...then we realised a mum & calf were separated. 

So we had to turn around, get out of the car again and chase the 'Mum' back through. 

During dinner we heard the 20' somethings had their own adventures chasing the same group of cows/calves after they realised the mistake of not shutting the gate ;) .

Pizza Ovens ~ J - our niece's gorgeous hubby is coming to start building us an outdoor ,wood fired, pizza oven today - I am so excited.It won't be ready to cook in this weekend though I'm grateful that we are making a start.

Contracts ~ Wednesday, we signed up with a Real Estate agent to list our house in Sydney for sale. I'm grateful we finally did it but also anticipating an incredible mix of emotions when it comes time to move.... after we find a buyer.
   
 Maxabella hasn't got a grateful link up today but feel free to share your link or gratefuls in the comments if you wish.
 ♥ Never miss a post

It's never too early to be thinking

about chocolate ...

Happy Easter

I'm just wondering how to explain why all the chocolate Easter bunnies in the house came without ears...

PS My Easter prayer is that you'll be blessed with all that makes you happiest, you'll travel safely & that you feel loved. Remember the message of Easter is a message of celebration; a celebration of the ultimate triumph of hope and love..

Never miss a post

Be still ...

My days run into nights, then weeks fly by . Life seems to have been spinning out of control the last few months.

I feel disconnected ... from the lists and from my plans.

I don't get done half of what I set out to do.

Do you feel like you can't keep up with life ?

Do you feel there aren't enough hours in the day?

I do... and I bet I am not the only one.

That quiet, still, peaceful time always seems out of reach unless it is midnight LOL.

Be still ... and know that I am God ~ Psalm 46:10.



PS tomorrow I am going to attempt a 24hr technology free day - no mobiles, no internet , no facebook, no emails ... it is easy when the access isn't available. Cheat !


Have a Happy, safe, blessed and restful Easter ... I doubt I'll be resting much (too much food chocolate to eat people and of course my 10,000 steps ) but I'll try.
♥

Never miss a post

Easter 2008

Phew - Easter flew by in flash and boy did I miss my Internet connection (but my DH didn't)
On the upside I read 2 books, one a 440 page on an Aussie outback mystery drama and the other a Patricia Cornwall horror mystery(no more leaving the windows open)

We travelled 390 kms to Dubbo - Grandpa's 1100 acre farm

with grazing cattle and a few bulls.

Very small by comparison to the large outback ones I read about in my book of 100,000 acres.
A little family reunion becoming a tradition with 16 of our clan and a ringin' DS's friend. Plus a few day visitors one day.My sister in law, nephew and niece traveled from Queensland for Easter.

Our trip there was a good run ... the Sydney SIL & BIL were supposed to follow us because the farm is hard to find in the dark. Then he decided not to wait for us - they left 20 mins ahead of us ....

They don't remember what it is like to pack with toddlers tugging at your leg and unpacking everything as you pack.
Still they got caught in the traffic snarl heading out of town and with our local knowledge we almost caught up to them.

We all met up in Lithgow and after a scout for the best tucker choice we had a hasty non too tasty, dinner at one of the fast food joints and off we went. Next a brief pit stop in Mudgee for a driver reviver break and a b00b stop for the Brothers.
The skies were dark but light, and the night clear (full moon rising), the roads long and only a little windy.The few cars we passed were well behaved but the semi's were passing too close. Suddenly we noticed some erratic behaviour blinkers flashed left and right, we were overtaken by our 'unnamed' BIL ... more flashing blinkers but there was no where to pull over. DH thought it must be one the bikes or the trailer... after a few kms we found a grassy shoulder to pull off the road.

NAH ... Their fuel light was flashing ominously - * empty * hey did you forget something genius .Fortunately we had jerry cans of unleaded petrol for the motorbikes and perilously close to the passing traffic at 10.30pm we poured petrol in ... d'oh ! DH joked it was $2 a litre ... it was almost at $1.48 .

Finally, we arrived and found our room - after much 30 mins of cursing, sweating and crying toddlers plus Grandpa getting uptight at all the ruckus and furniture shifting - moving and swapping one single bed from outside our room to swap with nephew, swap mattresses with nephew, so single bed was same height, remove the bedhead (that the Brothers might topple over) balanced on bedside tables, change queen bed from left to right, move two bedside table to fit the two beds side by side, make the beds, find Pj's and peg the curtains together rearranging we were able to head to bed.

Day 1 - we cooked ,we ate, we washed up, we drank tea, we ate lunch, we ate muffins, we ate snacks, we ate dinner, we drank wine, we sang happy birthday to my SIL - whose 50th birthday was in February. I chased the Brothers and ate most of the day ... the big boys rode motorbikes and drove the paddock bashers, just turning up to eat.That night while movies played I retreated to my room with the Brothers and my book. I missed my blog *sigh*
Day 2 - I caught up on more sleep ... I still dreamed about blogging but
It was the same old ... wash the dishes rinse the dishes dry the dishes and repeat ... eat , eat and eat !
We had a quick run to Dubbo for supplies but the others didn't wait again so we just filled up our tanks we are not as stupid as others bought a few supplies and came back to the farm. The Brothers loved the tractors. I finally ventured away from the food out of my comfort zone and explored the farm with the Brothers and Daddy.They loved the shiny tractor and the old ones too.
Day3 - More of day 1 & 2 . ... with added chocolate.
Plus mending a fence taken down by a branch and checking out a stray bull.
My niece spent the weekend testing out a lot of the recipes given to her for the kitchen tea surprise. Her choc chips cookies were heavenly and her muffins divine.

Someone decided we DH should tow drag the old tractor in the top paddock back to the house paddock.
It had been there goodness know how long (maybe 20-30yrs). Mind you DH a bl00dy legendhad to drive the tractor in reverse about 2-3kms at 5 kms per hour over a rough grassy track, down the hill ... while I sweated it out... heart in my throat and prayed

Then Dh found a few extra props ... a rusty old piece of farm machinery and an old windmill very mangled ? unknown mishap.

Day 4 - repacking especially the mess the Brothers had made took me a few hours while Dh went searching for a missing bull with his Dad . We ate lunch and then it was time to head home back to my beloved computer and blog.... unpack and cook chuck in preheated oven some shop bought but fresh pizza, eat ... settle down with my faithful friends.


Ps. I did pause briefly in memory of 4 yrs ago when I first realised I might be pregnant but was too far from anywhere to buy a test. I didn't know then how it would all end ...

Three years ago at Easter ... I was very depressed. Going there, although another farm, was a very painful the reminder of what should have been. My husband's cousin's partner had also just had a new baby and that was all everyone could talk about ... nothing was mentioned about my baby. I went for a lot of long solitary walks to shed tears.

Two years ago at Easter I was 23 weeks pregnant with the Brothers and I refused to go anywhere away from my OB and hospital.I also started having strong braxton hicks contractions- my DH had thankfully stayed home with me and I got very nervous counting them but it settled down by Monday. I remember being terrified it was too early to save my twins so I did nothing.
We still sent our eldest son who went to the farm with my SIL... I wanted a little peace and he was desperate to go. I was terrified of mishaps and gave my DH a long list of don'ts to tell his sister ( they probably ignored them) - but DS came home in one piece.

This year I am so thankful for my two little boys that I shared Easter all the chocolate with this year but I just realised I forgot to put on their Easter Bunny rocks T shirts over the weekend D'oh ! .


♥