Slow Readers Book Club

It seems all I am doing is joining up to things but when I heard about the Slow Readers Book Club at Down and Out Chic I loved the idea.

Reasons I want to join a book club.....

* I need to broaden my reading horizons - I tend to only read a few authors and I just don't know where to start to find new good authors.

* I love the community feel of reading together with other people. And being able to see other's views on something that you have just read is priceless. Look forward to it!

* I am addicted to reading and hope that this continues when Paddy comes along. I am so conscious of not getting sucked into the daytime TV trap when I am home with him all day. This might help turn off that TV and get me reading as much as I have alway done.

* And I am the slowest reader in the world so this suits me down to the ground!

So check out the Slow Readers Book Club if you want to start the year off with some new books in your life......

I have joined this challenge over at Hip Mountain Mama

Wanna join? I think we should all give it a go!

If we all made one small change towards sustainability for every month of the year think about impact on the world.

Yes, we actually can make a positive difference to our environment.

Because I am a late starter I think my one small change for January can be my bread making. We haven't eaten bought, processed bread for months.

This means we are reducing waste as there is no packaging. Also we are buying local, organic, stone-ground flour to make our bread which contributes to smaller local businesses who are environmentally aware. And we are eating Real Food which gives us more energy to do the things we love.

So my one small change for January is the eating of Real Homemade Bread...

Better World Books

Not much to report lately other than working and crashing when I get home from work. I think the third trimester is coming up on me pretty fast.

I saw this on Nikki's blog and can't believe what a great idea it is.

I will be buying all of my books from this online bookstore from now on. Any way we can help, no matter how small.........

My new mission

To change this....

Into this!

To do that I have cooked a new meal every night this week. I write the good recipes on recipe cards and put them in my new box.

I created a menu plan for the week complete from loose bits of paper with recipes I tore out of magazines years ago.

There have been some winners and some losers (fish pie was terrible!) but it has been fun finding new, easy recipes.

Here is a marinade for pork chops I made last night....

4 tbsn maple syrup

2 tbsn grainy mustard

1 tbsn olive oil

This is for 4 pork chops....only marinated them for 1/2 hour but longer would have been better. They are really nice....

I'll let you in on some easy recipes as I come across them.

MEN!!!

My husband had a typically Aries day yesterday - that is completely selfish.

On thinking about it I realised just how much of my day is spent making sure that he has food, his clothes are washed and he is comfortable in a clean house. I plan ahead for the meals, I plan ahead for the washing and I even put in my diary what to clean.

His day is spent not thinking about making me more comfortable at all. He gets up to breakfast, goes to work - the same work that I go to for the same amount of time, he has home-made sweets to have with his cuppas, he gets lunch made for him, he leaves work and rides his horses, comes home to dinner and then sits on the counch watching TV until bed.

Very busy day he has!

I really get a great satisfaction from having good food to eat and our house in order (50's housewife mentality I know but it is how I feel). But when I don't feel loved for it or I feel ignored that's when I crack it.

So I went to bed cranky which ruined my sleep and now I am up at the crack of dawn still harping on it.

Hopefully this post will help me let it go..... But can't men be so selfish sometimes!!!!!

Last day of the Holidays....First day at work

Spent our last day of holidays at the races watching a friend's horse come last - not too good.

The highlight of the day was cooking my first lamb shoulder. I have only ever cooked the legs of lamb and now I have found out that the shoulder far exceeds meat on the leg.

Get your butcher to bone the lamb shoulder. Lay flat in a baking dish with 1 cup of water in the bottom. Wrap in 2 layers of al-foil. For a 1.5kg to a 2kg piece cook it for 4 hours total. You can take the al-foil off for the last hour to crisp it up. The meat just falls apart - it really is beautiful.

And today I made flour tortillas and we had kebabs with the leftover meat. I made up a tzatiki type sauce and salad. Yummo!

Made the first day back at work not so hard to handle.

Now that I am back at work I am full of inspiration and excitement about what 2010 holds. We have our 3 monthly goal meeting tomorrow and I can't wait to get cracking on all of our ideas. It's a great feeling to want to be at work and to be excited about the future.

Pity I am so tired by the end of the day..... Must keep going!

Day 22 of the Holidays

Danny got back today so not much to report - loved up couple laying in bed all afternoon with a movie thrown in. Can't believe how much I missed him.

Finished off with dinner and drinks in Caloundra. Perfect xoxo

Day 20 & 21 of Holidays

A visit from a friend who I adore, my mum coming to stay, a Spotlight shop which resulted in new curtains for Paddy's room and my mum making doll nappies for Ra-Ra - all made up day 20.

A walk of my dog to the beautiful beach we live so close to.

Got an invitation in the mail to my girlfriend's wedding which is on the same day that Paddy is due on Magnetic Island! So upset we won't be able to go.

Purchase of Bio-Oil to try and get rid of these magically appearing stretch marks on my butt!

Another Spotlight visit to purchase lining for previously purchased new curtains (reason they were on special I think).

Lunch with Sal and the girls at our favourite Moffat Beach restaurant (dessert was a meringue with strawberry gelati on top - to die for!)

Slept the afternoon away while Mum cleaned my house, then had a huge one-on-one chat with Mum which I love - lasted to 8pm so had to scramble together dinner which was rice, peas and cheese - an old favourite of mine from uni.

Watched a new series of a show on SBS called The Nest - it's a really interesting social experiment looking at 3 families who need to create some work/life balance. If you get a chance have a look - I assume I am going to get completely addicted to this one.....

Day 19 of the Holidays

Saw my husband off - he has gone mustering for 4 days. I was a bit hormonal about the whole thing. I think I am spoilt because I am so used to having him with me all the time.

Plan on getting the house sorted before we start work next week. Instead of getting a start on that I rented 4 girlie movies and watched two of them in bed this afternoon.

Definitely getting a start on the house tomorrow! Well that's the plan anyway......

To butt in or to butt out....

I have a moral dilemma.....

There is a young girl (couldn't be more than early 20's) who I saw about 4 months ago jogging past my house. She didn't have any shoes on, really straggly clothes and was really, really thin.

Over the last few months I have seen her again a handful of times and each time she is getting thinner and thinner.

This morning at 5am she jogged past the house again looking extremely thin and really sick, again with no shoes and straggly clothes.

I want to go to her next time and ask her if she needs help - I want to reach out to her. But, I have no experience with any type of anorexia disease and maybe it just plainly isn't my business.

But how can I, in good conscience, watch this girl do this to herself.

When does moral responsibility take over from just minding my own business?

Day 18 of the Holidays

My sister-in-law's birthday. Had a great lunch and then headed to an Irish Bar in Caloundra for the afternoon where the girls got drunk on wine, shed tears during the deep and meaningfuls and the "I love yous" flowed. I was the driver of course but had a really good time.

Danny was involved in all of this but when the deep conversations started headed to make friends with an Englishmen at the bar. Best move I think.

Spending the day with my sister-in-law always highlights to me her strength and my respect for her just grows and grows. She is a true women who has always and still puts her children before anything else, but who is now gaining a new confidence and independence for herself. You can't help but admire someone with two jobs, four kids and who studies full-time to gain back her qualifications she had before she had children. What a women!

She is a major contender for the godmother role, let me tell you.....

Day 17 of the Holidays

Danny and I went to Maleny for Ra-Ra's real birthday. When we arrived Danny was confronted with 5 mothers and their children all there for the birthday party. He promptly went upstairs to watch TV - poor guy.

It was a great morning talking to other mothers - I met a girl who is due 2 days after me. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in how I was. I really, really loved being in that environment and it only made we wish to be up in Maleny full-time and involved in that circle of support. Soon....

When Sal came to visit a month ago she saw how I was making bread and eating naturally. She also washed up with my homemade dishwashing liquid. The whole time she seemed uninterested and a little put off by these things.

However, over lunch today she spoke about really thinking about all of these things - she said she looks at the ingredients on the labels now and has changed from margarine to real butter. We live by the "no more than 5 ingredients rule" and she is starting to take notice of the labels. She has also changed to organic, natural washing powder and hand wash.

Sal said she has spoken to her mum about it and her mum has started getting interested in these ideas and has even spoken to some of her friends about it.

Danny and I were both so excited - we didn't force these ideas onto Sal. We simply told her how we have decided to live and she took the time to make up her own mind about these ideas.

It's also really good to have a girlfriend who understands our ideas rather than thinking we are "hippies".

I am very proud of her open mind and excited about what we can achieve together. The natural way of living has become a real belief for me and Danny but it is something we have to really work at in terms of changing old habits. Now we can do it with a friend.

Mini Journal Album - is this Scrapbooking?

So I have no desire to take up Scrapbooking but I came across this Mini Journal Album and was completely drawn to it.

Am thinking of doing one for the year.

Is this doubling up on my blog for recording memories? Is this another unneccessary project that I won't be able to finish when the baby comes along?

Or is this something that we will be able to record our baby memories in?

Ever since I came across this album I can't stop thinking about it - I think I absolutely love it!

Oh what to do....what to do....?

Day 16 of the Holidays

Up early to bake bread then back to bed.

Breakfast complete with pancakes and maple syrup.

Lunch at the neighbours and a swim in their pool.

Then home to the couch, more food, start of a new book, cricket on the TV and my husband next to me.

I am definitely in holiday mode!

Day 15 of the Holidays

Mathew & Kimberley arrive to stay with us for a few days - Danny's best mate and his girlfriend.

Phil & Sal's for lunch for Ra-Ra's (our goddaughter) birthday. She loved the scooter we bought her. Already had a million falls off it before we left. Don't you love the fearlessness of some children.

Ate my first Struesel - no not Struedel - from the Swiss Bakery in Maleny. Not sure what the difference is but with double cream it was to die for!

Pub crawl on the way home - Pennefarthings in Montville and the Woombye Pub.

Take-away pizza for dinner and straight to bed.

I love these days full of friends eventhough I don't seem to have the stamina I used to....

Day 14 of the Holidays

Lazy, lazy, lazy day!

Drove to Mooloolaba for breakfast only to be told they had stopped serving. Bought a muffin to tide me and Paddy over - when I paid $5.70 for an ordinary banana muffin we decided we were over Mooloolaba. Headed back to the quiet and better end of the coast for a nice seafood lunch at Kings Beach.

Slept the afternoon away, fitted in another game of canasta, updated my recipe card box, sausages and mash for dinner.

Now time for my book and bed. Goodnight!

Day 13 of the Holidays

New Year's Eve - and I made it to midnight. I even bought a new dress for the occasion.

Stood on Alex beach watching the fireworks as the new year rolled in.

It was my first New Years Eve's with no excitement in my belly which kinda got me down. But it is just one in many more...

New Years Resolutions - leave them with me but I guess my list is a good way to start. Also I think if I get through all that is involved with having this baby then I am doing pretty well.

2010 is going to be a cracker of a year!