Cheeky muffin

Someone has recently hit me over the head with the "happy homemaker stick". This is quite possibly the culprit: Doesn't eat his dinner but slyly whips off with the biggest muffin before the others even know they're out of the oven.
I'm actually not often this domesticated, but was inspired by a large harvest of poppy seeds when I went out to finally tackle the garden yesterday. I made 3 dozen muffins with lemon and poppy seeds to go in the freezer for school lunches. Perhaps being in the kitchen was a good way to avoid the garden where there is so much work to do I don't know where to start.

Got the gherkins bottled and made sauce as well.

Picked an armload of cucumbers, I'm struggling to know what to do with them all. There are still "bread and butter pickles" in the cupboard from last season. Anyone who visits has been sent home with them, the pet rat likes them. I think maybe I'll slice some up and rest my eyes awhile.

Anyone else have any good cosmetic recipes for them?

Giving back

One of my fabulous Aunts has worked for most of the school holidays helping PJ with her reading. I feel very guilty that PJ doesn't find reading easy like the big boys did. I know that the effect of me working night shift when she was small is showing now, she simply didn't get enough storey telling as I rushed off to work at 7 o'clock every second night and then slept late each day. The red head who was a surprise baby, was such a blessing as I gave up my night shift of course and got the family back into a better routine. I feel such guilt though when I she her old Playcentre friends enjoying reading so much. I am not sure if PJ has something going on that makes it difficult to read but the school don't seem to think so. We're all reading alot more these days to try and support PJ.
To thank "Aunt" I made a few cloth shopping bags, she has commented on mine several times when I've been getting extra strawberries at the family farm.

I should also thank Mum as she drove PJ to Aunt's house every day before she went to work. Mum is harder to make things for though so I shall have to think on it a little longer.

My other fabulous Aunt was the classic 50's farmers wife. Excellent cook, mother and make do-er. She told me that she use to bottle her grapes with peaches for a yummy winter fruit salad. My peaches are all finished but I gave the grapes a go yesterday.

I had very good intentions of making strawberry jam for all the people who made meals for me recently, but I jolly well burnt it! Not too badly but it's not perfect enough to give away. I shall have to think of something more fabulous for my friends.

If anyone else wants to enter for some lovely possum wool or a "gillybean" brooch let me know before I do the draw. I love to do giveaways as I "meet" a whole lot of new people, so say Hi.