Day 12 of the Holidays

My love of Canasta has been revived!

An old friend gave me a Canasta card set with the rules for Christmas. When I was younger I used to play this game constantly.

In a very uncharacteristic move Danny suggested we have a game and now I am hooked again.

It's strange how when something from your childhood re-enters your life you get an instant feeling of fulfillment. I am so glad Canasta is back in my life.

Now the challenge is to track down a few suckers who will play with me....

Day 11 of the Holidays

My Dad's birthday - had a beautiful roast pork for lunch, a swim and then played Scotland Yard with my brother and sister, a boardgame from our childhood.

Said goodbye to my sister and her family. I find it hard to not know when we are going to see them again but I guess that is life isn't it.... Everyone has to find their own path.

I just wish sometimes that I could have everyone I love close to me all the time. As I grow older and as I bring a child into this world I am getting the need more and more to keep in touch and see my immediate and my extended family. It's just a pity that my family don't feel the same but I am so determined to create a world where my son knows and loves all of the people in his family.

That is so important to me to make it a reality and I promise you Paddy that I will.....

Day 6,7,8,9,10 of Holidays

Christmas Eve....27 people arrived and our Seafood dinner went off perfectly. Was wonderful to spend time with my family. It makes me so happy.

Christmas Day.... Breakfast in the park, opening of presents with Danny as Santa, traditional Christmas lunch with really good roast pork. After everyone finally digested all the food everyone left - I mean everyone including my family. So it was just Danny and I on Christmas Day night which was kind of a let down from such a people filled few days. Went to bed early and was probably the better for it.

Boxing Day....Watched the Lakers game in my brother's outdoor spa and ate. Went to Danny's sister's house for another big lunch which was so relaxed. Got asked to be godparents to Danny's nephew's two beautiful babies - Samaya and Charlie. Felt really loved.

27th December....Left early for Toowoomba for baby Chelsea's christening. We stood up as godparents and felt so proud. Had a really relaxed afternoon with the O'Leary family - our other family.

28th December...Lazy day heading back from Toowoomba, slept this afternoon and am now eating chocolate.

Very busy few days. Time now to relax for a bit I think.

Day 5 of Holidays

Cooking....Shopping....Cooking...whoops forgot an ingredient - Shopping..... Cooking..... whoops forgot something else - Shopping.....and on and on.
Mixture of baby brain and unbelievable Queensland heat leading to much frustration in the kitchen.
Some consulation is that I just made choc-chip cookies from the new Donna Hay magazine. I don't know what the cookies themselves taste like but the dough was sensational. I am now sporting a rather large sugar headache from having consumed so much.
Definitely getting into the Christmas spirit!

Day 4 of Holidays

* Got the urge to make one of these to decorate the Christmas tables. Made the first flower which was a bit fiddly so thought I might just get everything else done and not get hooked - but they are so cute!

* Waved goodbye to my girlfriends. Miss them already xoxo

* Started the whirlwind of cleaning and re-organising the house for all of our visitors. It is all done now and I am so happy about that. Considering I decided to do it on one of the hottest days this year!

* Went to Mum's and saw my Aunty Kym. She lives in St George about 8 hours away so we don't get to see her much. Of all the people in my family she is the one I most identify with - I think we are very similar and I have always felt connected to her more than everyone else. So it was great to catch up.

Got a chance to have a much needed dip in Mum's pool too.

Tonight I have to plow through my To-Do List and get things organised - one day until 23 people converge on my house for two days. Started feeling the pressure a bit today but am organised so just need to not get overwhelmed. It would be much easier if I didn't have this belly to contend with!

Day 3 of the Holidays

* Finished my pencil rolls and made this no-sew tutu. If you have a little girl in your family and are stumped on what to give her I made this in one hour it was super easy to make and I think would have cost me $2 if that.

* Had my first doctors appointment at the hospital I am booked into have birth at - it was a completely confusing experience and one that left me feeling very out of control. But my ever patient husband calmed me down. Feeling a little better about it now

* Took Danny to do my last minute Christmas shopping which was a real success - Danny doesn't like big crowds and take him anywhere where it takes longer than 2 seconds to get a park and he immediately hates it. But he helped me tick off my list and we even snuck in a nice lunch together. Lots of love for him after that.

* My two girlfriends arrived - Deb and Mel. We went and got our nails done together which is always fun. I wish they lived closer.

* All went out to dinner at Saltwater one of our favourite restaurants. Not a good experience. We made a booking for 7pm and didn't get served our mains until 9pm. By that time Paddy was kicking and squirming so much. I was so uncomfortable. Because of this I got so agitated - I couldn't concentrate on the conversation, I just got more and more worried about not getting any food. It was my complete focus and completely took me over. And as soon as I had eaten these feelings just disappeared. Paddy certainly knows how to tell me he is hungry anyway....

Great day full of achievement and made even better by seeing my girlfriends.

Day 2 of Holidays

* Woke up and made a Pencil Roll

* Finished my obsession with downloading all of my CDs into ITunes - some hormonal urge that I had to do

* Hung out a load of washing only to find a basket full of towels that I had taken to the line yesterday. I hung out 3 towels and then didn't hang out the rest of the basket - yep baby brain episode for the day

* Went back to bed!!!!!

* Woken up by the rain which was lovely and refreshing - then got hit by the humidity when the rain stopped

* Made another Pencil Roll

* Ate a breakfast cooked by my husband - I know....Amazing!!

* Swept the floors (well at least I did one bit of housework for the day..)

* Exchanged gifts with Danny's Mum who dropped by

* Went for another visit with my beautiful neice and had a good chat with my sister

* Organised a cooking order for Christmas Eve - feeling better after writing yet another list.... not sure why that always makes me feel better but I'll just go with it.

Looking back this has been a lazy day!!! I am feeling guilty now so I might clean something before we go to sleep

Oh and the ultimate end to a super lazy day is that dinner is leftover Spag Bog from last night - fabulous!

Man how life is going to change when Paddy comes along.....!

Day 1 of holidays

* Woken up way too early by a snoring husband

* Made another baby smock for my neice

* Made said snoring husband take me for breakfast when he finally got out of bed

* Got my hair re-cut - I didn't like the first job she did. That's the first time I have ever done anything like that. She was more than happy to fix it and did for free!

* Hit Spotlight for some materials to make these Pencil Rolls for Christmas gifts. Plan on doing them tonight so I'll let you know how they go.

* Saw my baby niece Amaya Jean for the first time ever. She is absolutely perfect!

* Came home to a nice clean kitchen and Danny and Peter putting up Christmas lights on the verandah.

Now Spag Bol for dinner and a nice early night.....

Last day at Work!

For 3 whole weeks of holidays. I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to be busier than when I was at work. But it will be easier with with my friends and family around. I can't wait!!!

Starting off our holiday sitting on our new couch, eating an ice-cream and watching the cricket.

I am completely relaxed....so much so I think I might crawl into bed soon....

Handmade Dishcloths

These are the dishcloths I crocheted as a present for my sister. I just love them...

They are made from cotton and are really soft. They also wash really well which is a bonus.


I just crocheted 40 chain stitches for the first row. Did 3 chain stitches at the end of each row and double crocheted in each stitch along the row. You can make them as big as you need.
I did a couple of rows of a different colour in the middle to make it a bit prettier.
Be careful to do loose chain stitches for your first row so the cotton doesn't pucker.


Super easy handmade gift!

Baby Brain Strikes Again

This time I forgot my best friend's birthday. What is the matter with me!!!!

I feel so out of control. And so sick in my guts that I could forget something as important as that.

Does it end when the baby comes out? Please say it does.....

When in a Crisis, I Cook

Spent all of yesterday on and off my little red stool in the kitchen. I cooked bread, biscuits and snacks for 2 hungry little boys and 1 hungry big boy. All this with lots of cups of teas and chats with my beautiful friend. I have not felt that relaxed in a long time.

Whenever a crisis hits you will always find me running here and there with food I've cooked, forcing people to eat.

I must have been an Italian Mumma in my previous life......

Choosing your friends

Friends invited themselves over for dinner last night. They had a conversation with Danny in the afternoon saying they would bring seafood over. Great! Excellent idea - we all needed some distractions.

The last time of communication with them was 4:30pm. They didn't arrive until 8:00pm! I was so starving and was ready for bed.

This isn't the first time that they have done this - they once invited us to their house for dinner and when we arrived at 6:30pm, nobody was home.

Now it is 6am - I got to bed at 11:30pm when they finally left and feel more tired than I did last night.

The trouble is they are good people who are our age and share our interests.

But I really want to call tell them when they turn up at 8pm for dinner not to worry about it.

I find it inconsiderate - especially when I am pregnant.

Am I getting old and grumpy?

The Power of a Woman

Last night it really hit home to me the power of women.

Two women in my life got hit with huge news yesterday - one got diagnosed with throat cancer at 33 years old and the other had her husband walk out on her.

And both of these women have faced both very different crises with such practicality and strength that I am completely in awe of them both.

I just love the reserve of strength that women find in themselves for their children.

I hope that it's imbedded in every women so when I need it can be easily found.

Budgeting

Danny and I are on the verge of buying a new car. Long story but basically I want a bigger car.

Anyway, we finally signed the papers and then did the sums of what we could afford (not too smart I know...)

We have a seperate account that Danny and I transfer money into each week to cover our bills - the "Bill Account". This is where all our bill payments come from including when I pay for groceries.

We worked out that the money we put in there more than covers all of our expenses - the issue is there is never any money in the bill account. Sometimes we use it for trips and other little things that crop up. Soon the little thing that crops up will be our baby.....

So we have decided to get serious - well semi serious anyway. I have decided that I need to keep track of what I spend on groceries each week. This is something that I have never done - just buying what we need each week and meat each day. No longer.

I am going to try the envelope system - at the beginning of the week I will put money in the envelope and then try to only use that amount. I am thinking $150 to start with. Not knowing how much I spend now I have just plucked that figure out of mid-air. I'll keep all the receipts and compare from week to week. Then if there is money left in the envelope, this can roll over into the next week.

The thought of it is actually exciting for me - a bit of a challenge. This will really show how resourceful I am and also how good a cook I can be. They say the best cooks can whip up something out of nothing - my very own Masterchef mystery box challenge.

So for the upcoming weeks there may be few blogs on how my grocery budgeting is going as I learn a more frugal way to feed my little family. Any tips would definitely be welcome....

First time pesto making experience

Made from my exploding basil plant in the garden.

I used the recipe in Stephanie Alexander's Cooks Companion. What a great book that is!

Next step is to make some homemade pasta to stir all my pesto through....

It's a long way to Tipperary

Tipperary Station that is in the the Northern Territory. One of my besties, Katie, moved there to work on the station and we went up for her birthday.

It was an unbelievable weekend - unbelievable because I experienced so many things I have never done before.

Us arriving at the gate to the station -

yep you guessed it another 30 minutes to go from here.

Feeding the poddy calves

This is Buffy the baby buffalo - still tame to pat.

Fishing on the Daly River - the mountains of crocodiles in this river are currently eating my best thongs - yep they floated down the river

Fresh Mud Crabs for breakfast - new experience and I loved it!

Swimming at Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park.

The most serene setting I think I have ever come across.

Got a photo of Paddy at waterfall

All done with my bestie's, Deb and Katie

Miss you Katie - stay safe xoxo

Homemade Tortillas

Last night we had chicken wraps with homemade tortillas and an epiphany..... It was a busy night.

Cooper, Danny's son, is here for the holidays and chicken wraps are his favourite things. We usually by the bag of tortillas from the supermarket - you know the ones that are thin, perfectly round, kinda like cardboard in texture and you always get that aftertaste of bi-carb soda.

I found Julie's recipe for Homemade Tortillas on her blog Towards Sustainability and they were easy and fantastic. The test was whether they rolled up as well as the plastic ones and they passed the test with flying colours. My secret test was whether Cooper, a 10 year old, was going to like them - and the response "yeah, I like them better!" - NICE!

Last night's experience was a confirmation of a new food philosophy that we have been toying with. Danny and I read Michael Pollan's In the Defence of Food . It talks about eating real food and more plants. He talks about the food that we eat being so nutritionally plastic and that because we eat these foods with no substance we eat more and more of it to fill us up which leads to obesity etc.

We definitely experienced that very thing last night. Cooper normally has about 3 wraps to fill him up, Danny about 4 and me about 2. Last night Cooper and I were flat out finishing 1 and Danny only put away 2 wraps. This says to me, that because we took the time to make these homemade tortillas, we ate "real" food which filled us up meaning we ate far less.

One of his other mantras is never eat anything with more than 4 ingredients. This is so interesting when you go to do the groceries and start checking the labels. Actually it is quite scary. The butter we have always eaten, the jam I have every morning, the pasta we eat often, even the soy milk that I drink all have this huge list of ingredients - most of which have a number next to them and all of which contained some form of preservative. This lead us to getting serious about our new food philosophy.

Our new food philosopy is to eat REAL food which most of the time means homemade food. No more preservative filled convenience food. Instead we are going to respect our bodies.

The cost does go up, no doubt, but I pay an extra $100 for good jeans or good shoes that go on the outside of my body, why aren't I paying extra on things that go into my body..... Doesn't make much sense really.

So hurray for homemade tortillas and the cementing of our new food life!

Another Christmas Present - Heart Mobile

I made this for my neice last night.

Sorry about the photo - I hope you get the idea.

You can see more of my horrible exposed bricks than you can of the actual mobile!

I picked up a pack of materials so I wasn't hunting for ages to get patterns that matched. I cut out, hand-sewed and stuffed the hearts.

I stitched in a fair bit from the edges so that when it was stuffed it creates that ruffled look around the edges of the hearts. Then joined them all with embroidery cotten and finished it off with a ribbon holder on the top.

It is super easy to make and I think a great present for a little baby. Amaya is only just sitting up by herself so she doesn't need too much.

I've said this before but I love making gifts for people. Not only because of the satisfaction I get when it's done but when I am making the gift I am constantly thinking about the person who I am giving it to.

I am not battling trolleys and checkout lines to buy some mass produced item that I am more annoyed about buying than excited about giving to someone.

Righto that's my rant for the day........

First sewing experience - baby girl summer dress

And I did it! I have to buy some ribbon to complete my masterpiece so I will post a proud photo then.

Can't believe how easy that was. Had a little - well a lot of help from my Mum and admittedly it was a super easy pattern but it was a really fun experience.

And I checked off one thing on my Christmas gift list. Bonus!

Must have liked it because now I am up at 5am getting ready to start on sewing aprons.