Mamma Musing

52 Weeks of Grateful - Kindness

2012-01-28T12:29:00.001+11:00

This week's 52 Weeks of Grateful topic resonates loudly with me.

I am fortunate I don't have to look far to find kindness.

Take my friendly neighbour who mows my (and every other neighbour's) nature strip each Saturday in rain hail or shine.

The kind act of a passerby who dropped their shopping to leap to my help in smoothing my skirt down when it lifted in a big gust of wind. My dignity was saved and her kindness made the moment one I now remember and laugh about rather than cringe in mortification.

Just prior to Christmas and on my way to work I arrived at the train station to find I'd forgotten my purse. I didn't have time to go home to get it and didn't want to risk a huge fine travelling without a ticket. The lovely guy selling espressos on the platform leant me enough money for a daily fare. I've been buying a morning latte from him ever since.

I wonder have you experienced or given a random act of kindness lately? I hope you have.

pic

Wordless Wednesday - Happy Australia Day

2012-01-24T22:31:00.000+11:00

To my fellow Aussie's I hope you have a wonderful Australia Day however you choose to spend it :)

pic 1, pic 2, pic 3

Clever storage

2012-01-23T14:53:00.000+11:00

This weekend Amelie and I took a drive to a shop that specialised in storage solutions.

Who'd have thought there would be a business in selling only storage related items. A later walk through the wardrobe department in Ikea convinced me there is indeed a market and it is a popular one!

The reason for our visit was to look at storage containers for my laundry but I'd barely made it through the door when I spied modular wine racks selling for only $30!

I've been wanting to fill an empty void under the timber console in my dining room and knew straight away that the wine racks would be the perfect solution.

Originally I thought they stacked in three rows of four and thought I'd put them to one end of the buffet and fill the other space with baskets or the like.

Imagine my joy when I got home and not only realised you could connect them in one long row, but that one row of three pieces fit perfectly!

Grateful for girls weekends

2012-01-21T16:05:00.003+11:00

With hubby away for a boy's long weekend, Amelie and I are enjoying a girl's weekend.

It is the perfect kind of weekend to stay in pjs and read a book.

We might get dressed tomorrow and go to the movies to watch The Muppets or we may just stay in our pjs and read some more.

Either way I'm grateful for our girl's weekend.

What are you grateful for?

Boombah-Free Pizza

2012-01-19T21:21:00.001+11:00

With a name like Boombah-Free Pizza how could I resist this recipe.

Jane Kennedy's ultra healthy version presumably gets its name from its zucchini base (sort of like a thin zucchini slice mix) rather than a pizza dough base.

I gave it a go and it got the thumbs up from my hubby. You could use any topping but I made roast pumpkin, fetta and pinenuts.

Boombah-free Pizza

1 large zucchini, peeled

1 egg, lightly beaten

100g grated light mozzarella cheese, plus some extra

2 - 3 tbsp passata

handful of cubes of roasted pumpkin

1 tbsp crumbled fetta

pinenuts, lightly toasted

1 small handful of rocket

Preheat oven to 190 degrees.

Line a shallow baking dish or pizza tray with baking paper.

Mix together the grated zucchini and egg, stir to combine. Add the grated mozzarella and mix.

Pour the mixture onto the lined tray and bake for 15 mins or until a pale golden colour.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Turn oven up to 220 degrees.

Spread passata over cooled zucchini base, then scatter with cubes of roast pumpkin and fetta and some extra mozzarella.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Remove from the oven and scatter with pinenuts and finish with a handful of rocket.

Cut into wedges and serve.

Voila and there you have it. Boombah-free pizza!

Pic and recipe from here

Wordless Wednesday - Early Start

2012-01-18T06:15:00.001+11:00

Painful early start

Helped by this

Before getting on this.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sneaky peek of Amelie's "big girl" room

2012-01-15T18:38:00.000+11:00

This weekend we reorganised Amelie's room and have set about created her a little big room.

The cot and change table have been packed up and tucked away in a spare room.

In its place is a shiny new bed.

I have a few little touches to create a reading nook and then I'll be ready for a big reveal.

In the meantime here is a little sneaky peek...

The new bed!

Pretty prints for Amelie's wall.

It will be nice to finally finish Amelie room. Since moving into our new home a year ago we half heartedly replicated her nursery decor from our previous house and had grand plans to do more. It never happened so the transition from cot to bed was a great incentive to dress up Amelie's room.

I can't wait to do a proper reveal.

I hope you've had a lovely weekend!

Wordless Wednesday - Graffiti that made me chuckle

2012-01-11T08:25:00.001+11:00

Have you seen any clever graffiti lately?Images: google images- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wordless Wednesday - oh My(er)

2012-01-04T17:04:00.002+11:00

Can you spot the embarrassing punctuation mistake?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Birthday to my sweet Miss Amelie

2012-01-03T19:00:00.000+11:00

My little Miss Amelie turned 3!

Melbourne turned the weather on and some more with the mercury hitting 40 degrees!

Thankfully we had planned a little soiree indoors and the air conditioner chugged along just enough to keep us cool(ish).

It was just a small affair with family but a birthday is a great excuse for an extravagant cake for my purple fairy.

The cake was a hit and my little miss had a deservedly wonderful day.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T23:45:00.001+11:00

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a lovely celebration to see in the new year.

Tomorrow we celebrate my sweet Amelie's 3rd birthday!

So it is Christmas

2011-12-28T10:53:00.000+11:00

Phew Christmas is over for another year. What a Christmas it was too. This year, for the first time, Amelie understood the concept of Christmas. As the big day neared her excitement was infectious.

The night before Christmas she prepared some some milk and cookies for Santa.

Oops mind the mess

The next morning it was Christmas! In true form I woke at 3.30am bursting with excitement. Alas I was the only one and had to stare at the ceiling until a more respectable hour. By 6.30am Amelie and hubby stirred and it only took a few wipes of the eyes for Amelie to realise it was indeed Christmas and that meant presents!

Once the fun of present opening was over we headed to Amelie's Granny and Pops house for a day of lovely food, drinks and an all mighty storm!

Melbourne turned on the worst storm we've seen in a long time. We watched on helplessly as the cars in the driveway got pummelled by hail storms the size of golf balls (it was just our luck we were in one of the worst hit suburbs). Shortly after we had to retreat from under the patio to inside as the hail storm continued its destruction and punched holes in the pergola roof!

Not that we allowed it to dampen our Christmas spirits.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas too.

Christmas Countdown

2011-12-04T16:52:00.000+11:00

It is Christmas countdown at our house.

Amelie is a having a ball choosing an ornament each night from her advent calendar to place on the tree.

The tree is up and looking better by the day.

At our entrance I've hung the Christmas wreath I made and posted about last year here. It held up well after a year in storage.

How is your Christmas decorating going?

Grateful for a rainy Saturday

2011-11-19T16:39:00.000+11:00

It is a rainy 'ole day in Melbourne so I enjoyed an inside day today.

Amelie was unusually snoozy and while she slept I got busy making a photo montage of Amelie's 2nd year. It was a good excuse to sort and organise the thousands of photos I have and put a little keepsake together.

Some of my favourite 1 - 2 year pics

A lil sleepy after a big three weeks of celebrating her birthday (yes we went a little over the top with three separate parties)

No question...Amelie is a Daddy's girl

Little Easter Bunny

Playaing in the snow in New Zealand

Pretty girl :)

Once she started walking there was no stopping her.

I have another hundred or so favourite photos but I should stop there.

While I was hunting for music to play in Amelie's video I came across this. Too uplifting not to share. If you didn't catch wil i am on sesame street there here he is. (I hope this link works!)

Amelie's Advent Calendar

2011-11-15T08:09:00.003+11:00

Christmas 2011 is shaping up to be the best ever.

Amelie is at an age now where she understands Christmas and is old enough to join in the Christmas fun.

While I doubt I'll ever get a photo with Santa (she is one of those kids that breaks into tears when he is within arms reach) I do look forward to enjoying other Christmas traditions with Amelie.

I have started work on an advent for Amelie. I have strung a line of twine under our breakfast bar and pegged 24 Christmas ornaments. Each day from 1st December, Amelie will place an ornament on the tree.

My pegged ornaments.

An assortment of sweet ornaments I picked up for a steal from Ikea.

All that is left to do is create little numbered tags to peg with each ornament and we're done.

What Christmas crafts are you planning or creating?

A big giveaway - winners announced!

2011-11-13T16:46:00.000+11:00

Firstly thanks to all of you who entered and shared your tips for keeping your home fresh.

I figured the only way to pick a winner was to try your tips. I'm exhausted but my house smells very fresh if not somewhat confused with scents of lavender, bread, various essential oils etc.

A big congratulations to my first prize winner: Pam

$250 Coles Myer Gift Card

Pam suggested washing down walls with sugar soap so I did. Not only was I so surprised when on closer inspection I saw just how smeared my walls were were with vegemite and goodness knows what else. Hardwork but very rewarding. It did also leave my house smelling very fresh.

A big congratulations to my second prize winner: Judy

$100 Coles Myer Gift Card

It wasn't a condition of entry to mention Acqua Mist but you did and it rhymed! Tre clever! Lavender is my favourite scent too.

(Winners I'll email you for your postal addresses)

Would you like to sign up to our loyalty program?

2011-11-10T20:44:00.000+11:00

The change in seasons has given cause to add to my wardrobe.

It's been a while since I've gone on a shopping spree and what struck me was the prevalence of loyalty programs. There is a membership card for everything!

As I approached the counter and upon being asked if I were a member I would rummage in the side pocket of my handbag and see if I held a card. Sure enough yes I did. Heck I even have a card from a salad bar!

Is there a record for the most held number of loyalty cards?

Out of this pile I'd say there is probably three (at most!) that are actually used and provide me with rewards. One of is my coffee loyalty card!

How many loyalty cards do you own?

A Big Giveaway!

2011-11-09T20:53:00.004+11:00

As I mentioned two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to product trial a selection of Air Wick Aqua Mist scents.

My house smells so fresh thanks to this!

Now I'm back with news of a giveaway and it is a ripper!

The team at Soup and Air Wick have generously put up two Coles Myer gift cards for you to win!

The first prize is valued at $250 and second prize $100.

Winning is easy. All you have to do is comment and tell me:

What is tell me what is your best tip for keeping your home fresh?

This competition is open to Australian residents.

I'm hoping to pick up some tips and you can be in the running to win a Coles Myer gift card. It's a win/win.

Entries close 5pm Saturday 12th November.

Good luck!

ps - for those of you that said you'd like to try a bottle of Air Wick Aqua Mist, I'll be in touch soon to get your addresses.

Spring Racing Carnival - the finale

2011-11-07T08:49:00.001+11:00

The Spring Racing Carnival is over for another year.

Despite my 2nd sister, her kids and my mum being unable to join us as originally planned, we were still determined to enjoy ourselves.

On Melbourne Cup Day we frocked up and ventured out of the city to the Yarra Valley Races. What fun!

On our way.

Best view of the track.

On Stakes Day we ventured back to Flemington to cheer on Black Cavier.

After all the good food, champagne and sun I'm now ready to take it easy and detox for a while.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Spring Carnival

2011-10-30T20:39:00.001+11:00

Spring time in Melbourne means one thing.

The Spring Racing Carnival.

It is such a wonderful time of year and for anyone that loves fashion it is a real feast for the eyes.

My spring racing starts with Derby Day and finishes with Stakes Day.

This year my niece joined hubby and I for Derby Day.

I decided to wear flowers rather than a fascinator

Hubby and I frocked up and ready for racing!

Derby Day was a great success. I even backed a few winners!

Next up is Stakes Day. If Qantas get their act together I will have my sisters and mum join me together with a little niece and nephew. We plan to make it a family day at the races.

I have my fingers crossed they find a way to fly over.

Organising my laundy

2011-10-23T17:49:00.005+11:00

One of the things that excited me about my house when we were looking to buy was that it had a dedicated laundy.

The interest in a laundry took me by surprise because it is no secret I have an aversion to domestic duties. It was certainly not the prospect of actually using it that had me excited.

I think it was more curiosity than anything. All the houses we'd lived in prior didn't have a dedicated laundry. We'd put up with pokey Euro laundry cupboards and tiny bathrooms that also housed the washing machine.

My curiosity was satisfied and then I soon became really annoyed that this dedicated space called a laundry seemed to be in reality a magnet for anything that didn't have a home.

It didn't take long to look a mess!

Today I decluttered and boy what a job. I filled a recycling bucket with junk that was sent to the garage. There were paint cans, rollers, a drill (?!), and other assorted junk.

My cupboards are now sparkling and bare. I've created a space for shoes so I can stop tripping each time I walk into the laundry. I have also created a linen closet under the bench so I can finally move the mountain of towels that were sitting on the floor of one of our spare rooms to a home of their own.

It is now very clean and organised...and boring.

Best idea was to unstack the washer and dryer to open the room up

Much better!

The cupboard sitting on the bench is an integrated ironing station (genius!) It is just a pity the previous owners didn't put a power point inside the cupboard.

No more tripping over an assortment of shoes that seem to migrate to my laundry

To maintain such a clean and uncluttered look I'm thinking of buying three woven baskets and placing them on the top shelf in one of the cupboards and using them for wash baskets. One for hubby, Amelie and I.

I'm also going to install a bench over the washer dryer and hang a fold down drying rack above it.

Then I need to give thought to how to turn such a boring room into something a little more interesting. I would like to invest in a few vintage laundry tins to place on the bench. Practical and pretty. I've been pinning various wall art ideas like made on pinterest. Am I going too far?

I'm curious what is your laundry like? Do you have one? Is it spick and span and orderly or chaotic like my former laundry?

What's in the box?

2011-10-20T12:46:00.005+11:00

My work colleagues were abuzz with anticipation when a large box arrived on my desk. "What's in it?" "Quick open it!"
Upon opening it I discovered it was a box of bottles of Air Wick Acqua Mist air freshener. Thanks to Soup I am trialling three different scents. This caused great excitement amongst my colleagues and a rush to rummage through the box to take their supplies. Taking liberties I say! Lucky there was plenty to go around.

One colleague declared her love for the Magnolia and Cherry Blossom scent and the others dived into the box snapping up Wild Lavender and Mountain Breeze and Fresh Waters. It seems there a few fans in my office. I learnt from one colleague that the Air Wick Acqua Mist is safe to spray around kids and it won't irritate their little eyes and noses. Perfect!

After plenty of spritzes into the air, what immediately struck me was how pleasant the scents are. There was no suffocating articificial sweetness commonly associated with air freshers and there were so fresh smelling.

Are you interested in trying some? I managed to wrestle a few bottles out of the arms of my colleagues and will happily post one to you if you're interested. Write me a reply letting me know you'd like to try one and which scent you'd like. First in best dressed!

Also thanks to Soup I'll shortly be running a fantastic giveaway and you can be in the running to win a $250 or runner-up $100 Coles Myer gift card!

Stay tuned for further details.

Kate xx

Dining with kids

2011-10-15T21:11:00.000+11:00

Last night hubby suggested we go out for dinner.

Never one to turn down a dinner invitation I leapt for the phone and dialled our local Japanese restaurant to reserve a table.

Miss Amelie insisted on dressing herself for the occasion. Not sure what you call this but it pained me and my natural inclination for a coordinated look.

We had a lovely dinner. Amelie jumped into her seat and eagerly awaited her apple juice and yakatori skewers.

When we left we realised we'd been in the restaurant for close to two hours without any shenanigans from Miss Amelie.

It reminded me of a conversation I'd shared with a girlfriend over brunch a few weeks earlier and her marvelling at how well behaved Amelie was when we were out dining.

With only one I admit I didn't know anything different but she insisted the norm is an impatient child who has lost interest in being confined to a chair within about 20 minutes of being seated. She knew we'd been taking Amelie to cafes from a very young age and asked was that the secret? I admit I don't know?

What is your experience with dining with kids. Is it easy going or do you avoid it at all cost?

Busy Mum Hairdo...Genius!

2011-10-09T16:48:00.000+11:00

There is a mamma blogger by the name of Chelsey from Paper Mama whom I owe a huge thanks to.

She has single handedly saved me 30 mins each morning with her ingenious 5 min hairdo tutorial.

Rather than slave over my hair with a GHD I can now walk out the door with a shake of my hair.

Curious?

Here's Chelsey's photo tutorial.

I tried it last night and it works!

Dressing up my sideboard

2011-10-02T16:47:00.001+11:00

For a long while my sideboard looked a little bare. After an afternoon of browsing and pinning on Pinterest I decided a terrarium was just what I needed.

I sourced a fantastic vase in the shape of a pear. I'm not sure of the name of the plant I've filled it with or whether it'll like its new environment but for now I think it looks pretty good.

I also scored myself a lovely Eames rocker. I have wanted one of these for the corner of my dining room for a while and while out browsing in a few shops on my birthday I took advantage of the occasion and hubby's obligation to spoil me and suggested to him it was just what we needed.

I think I'll drape a sheepskin rug over it and it'll make a nice little nook for me to sit and browse my recipe books.

Happy Days

2011-09-24T19:15:00.001+10:00

Last night Hubby and I went to the footy to cheer our team on and they won in a nail biter! They are now into the Grand Final...hooray!

We've got plenty to keep ourselves busy in the lead up to the Grand Final which is being played next weekend.

Hubby and I are taking the whole of next week off work. We are going to spend the entire week in the garden with the aim of having a completely replanted front garden by the end of the week.

We've been talking about this project since June. You may remember three months ago I was trying to decide on a letterbox. In the end I decided on no. 2.

I have insisted Tuesday is a rest day. I'm not prepared to spend my birthday covered in dirt and look forward to seeing what hubby has in store for me. Hopefully it involves a sleep in and breakfast in bed!

I can't wait to return with new garden pics soon.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

A day in the sun

2011-09-19T21:05:00.000+10:00

It was a wonderful weekend in Melbourne. The sun was shining and just calling out to us to get outdoors and soak it up.

Hubby, Amelie and I piled into the car and drove to Torquay for the day.

We set up a picnic and introduced Amelie to the beach.

She was so funny running on the sand. The last time her toes touched sand she was just over one and recoiled in horror at the feel of the sand shifting under her toes. This time was more successful and she took great delight at running in the shallows.

Falling over in the water just added to the fun!

Amelie had a little friend join her for the day and they had a ball exploring the beach together.

I can't wait for the sun to show itself again so we can make a return visit to Torquay.

An awesome find

2011-09-16T10:19:00.001+10:00

Following on from my earlier post about making a terrarium, my online search for inspiration led me to this pretty arrangement.

I quickly established I wanted one of each and set about finding a local supplier.

My hopes were soon dashed when I could only find one American based supplier and they didn't ship to Australia.

Not to be deterred I persisted in my search and have managed to track them down!

My task for tomorrow is to go and buy them and assemble them.

Now I'm unsure whether to follow my tutorial of potting soil and moss or keep it simple and place an air plant in water or sand like this picture.

What do you think?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Terrarium

2011-09-11T12:42:00.001+10:00

I've been racking my brains with what to fill the empty space on my console with. When I don't have a vase of fresh flowers there it looks very bare.

I quick search of the internet for inspiration and my problem is solved. I'm going to make a little terrarium.

I'm going to follow this tutorial I found on mygreenaustralia.

Materials needed:

A glass jar with a lid
Potting soil
Terrarium charcoal - this can be found at a local pet store or acquarium (or you can use charcoal tablets from the chemist)
Small stones, gravel or pebbles
Sheet moss (or known as preserved sheet moss). You can buy this from garden stores or if you have moss in your garden you can use that
Chopsticks

Method:

Clean and prepare the jar you're using
Add an inch layer of pebbles or gravel at the bottom of the jar
Add a thin layer of charcoal over the top of the pebble layer. This will filter the water and also absorb any odour
Add approximately 3-4 inches of potting soil. Make sure you leave enough room in your jar to add greenery
Add your moss. Best way is to tear pieces of the moss up and place them in a single layer in your jar. Easiest way is to use chopsticks to position it in your jar. You can add little plants too (like a small fern etc)
Add other decorations if you wish (like a little ceramic bird)
Water your new ecosystem lightly. Pop the lid on you're done.

I can't wait to try this!

Thanks to mygreenaustralia for the nifty idea.

Spring sprang then bolted

2011-09-09T08:50:00.000+10:00

Bah! What happened to the beautiful Melbourne spring weather? In typical Melbourne fashion it has gone from warm sunny days to blizzard conditions in the blink of an eye.

I'm shivering my way through one of the coldest days we've had and to add to the misery our ducted heating requires a pilot light and we turned it off only days ago. I've no idea how it is relit so I'm sitting here with two jumpers and a rug on my lap.

On the bright side my vegie patch is getting a thorough watering and I'm flicking through my cookbooks looking for something warming to make for dinner.

A chicken and mushroom casserole (that is gluten free too) looks just perfect!

(serves six)

1/4 cup gf cornflour
2 tsp smoked paprika
salt
black pepper
1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 stalk celery
3 carrots, diced
250g button mushrooms, cut into quarters
410g can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup pureed tomato passata
3 potatoes, diced
140g baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups gf chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Place cornflour, paprika, salt and pepper in a plastic bag and shake to mix well. Add the chicken pieces and toss until well coated.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic, celery, carrot and mushrooms and cook until the celery is golden brown. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato passata, potato, spinach and chicken stock and heat gently for 1 -2 mins.

Place the chicken in the mix to combine and transfer to an oven dish and bake covered for 50 mins.

Serve with brown rice, pasta or just as is.

Spring has sprung!

2011-09-04T20:01:00.001+10:00

Today I spent the morning folding sheets of newspaper into biodegradable pots for growing seedlings.

I followed the instructions I posted about here http://mammamusing.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-make-origami-newspaper-pot-for.html?m=1

Now I have 48 pots filled with seed raising mix and fingers crossed in a month or so I'll have zucchini, cucumber, butternut pumpkin, radish, basil, tomato and watermelon seedlings ready to be planted.

I hope you had an enjoyable father's day weekend. Happy father's day to my dear Dad and wonderful hubby.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wattle Festival

2011-08-29T20:47:00.001+10:00

On Sunday hubby, Amelie and I jumped on the train and headed to the end of our line to Hurstbridge for the Annual Wattle Festival.

Hubby and I have always been avid supporters of local festivals and were keen to experience this one. Thinking it would be a small affair we were blown away by the sheer crowds. The major drawcard was a beautiful steam train chugging between Hurstbridge and Eltham or for the train enthusiast all the way to the city.

Travelling on the train it didn't take us long to work out why it's called the Wattle Festival as we passed wattle trees in full bloom on the side of the track.

In true local festival style, despite the sheer numbers we managed to bump into several friends who were also enjoying the festivities.

Amelie loved her very first pony ride.

Hubby and I loved the rare Melbourne sunshine. It has been a long time between rays and we were happy to feel it on our backs.

I hope you too had a lovely weekend.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cooking with friends

2011-08-21T09:52:00.002+10:00

This weekend I have resurrected an old tradition with a friend. Pre-kids we'd get together most Saturday's and consume bottles of wine while experimenting with new recipes. Looking back I wonder how we managed to create such delicious dishes in the midst of several empty bottles of wine.

This weekend Hubby is away and so I wasted no time getting my girlfriend over for a cooking session. With my girlfriend pregnant (eeek yay!) we skipped the tradition of guzzling wine but we did still crack open the recipe books and started experimenting.

On the menu was:

Mushroom and vegetable dumplings
Sesame chicken salad with an asian dressing
Gluten free vanilla cupcakes with strawberry filling and topped with strawberry cream

I've never made dumplings before. They were served in a small amount of sweet/sour broth and absolutely delicious. So delicious I have to share.

Broth
3 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp caster sugar
1/4 cup black vinegar
1 tbsp light soy sauce (or tamari)
2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
10 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted

Dumplings
50g firm tofu, finely diced
2 stems steamed choy sum, finely chopped
1 oyster mushroom, finely chopped
1 fresh shiitake mushroom, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, finely diced
16 round wonton wrappers
peanut oil
enoki mushrooms to garnish

To make broth, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Cover and bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer to reduce slightly.

To make the dumplings, combine tofu, choy sum, mushrooms and ginger in a bowl. Season to taste.

Place one wonton wrapper on a clean surface and put a heaped teaspoon of the mixture in the middle. Using wet fingers, moisten the edge of the wrapper. Folder over, expelling all the air, to form a semicircle. Crimp the edges to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and lightly fry the base of the dumplings until golden. Slowly pour in a cup of broth and place a tight fitting lid over the pan. Steam the dumplings for 3 mins.

Place enoki mushrooms in remaining broth to soften.

Arrange dumplings in serving bowls, pour over a small amount of broth and top with enoki mushrooms.

Enjoy!

ps - I've joined in the fun at Maxabella Loves I'm Grateful For

How to make an origami newspaper pot for growing seedlings

2011-08-13T20:47:00.000+10:00

Now that my thumbs are turning a slight green tinge I thought I'd try my hand at growing my own veggie seedlings ready for spring planting.

I came across a great tutorial on For Greenies for making your own seed raising pots from newspaper. With a few origami folds you have a ready made pot. When your seedlings are ready you plant them into the garden paper and all!

Step 1

If you are using large newspaper, rip in half. Turn piece of newspaper so the long side is facing you

Step 2

Fold in half, left to right.

Step 3

Fold it again, bottom to top into a quarter size.

Step 4

Fold it in half again, left to right.

Step 5

Now fold the bottom right corner (marked with an “A” in Step four) up to the middle along the spine.
The crease in the center shown by the red line, was the bottom in Step four.

See how the “A” has moved up now?

Step 6

Flip it over on the other side and do the same thing you just did in Step five.

Step 7

Open the wings up to make a smooth shape like this.

Step 8

Fold the wings in to the crease in the center.

Step 9

Fold them in again.

Step 10

Now flip it over and repeat Steps eight and nine. It should look like this when you are done.

Step 11

Fold the top flaps down and crease them well.

Step 12

Now you can open up your pot! Make sure to square the bottom so it can sit well.

If you don’t like the ears on your pot, you can fold them into the pot. When you fill it with soil, it will keep them locked in place.

If you want, you can also drop the ears into adjoining pots to make a four or six pack, like you find in the garden shops.

Fill with seed raising mix and plant your seeds and water them. It is best to keep the pots in a tray. When the seedlings have their first pair of leaves just plant the whole thing in the garden.

I'm going to get started tomorrow.

A Lifestyle Change

2011-08-11T09:36:00.001+10:00

I’ve recently made the switch to gluten free living and have never felt better!

The change was prompted by a desperate desire to rid myself of the discomfort of a swollen belly. Each time I ate pasta or bread my stomach would swell. Crazily it took me a while to register. I’m a pasta fiend from way back and even went through a vegetarian phase for a few years where I ate nothing but pasta and tomato sauce for dinner every night! The thought that it might not agree with me simply didn’t register.

Then I decided enough was enough and started to canvas friends for advice. A few friends had recently switched to a gluten free diet as result of a diagnosis. One is Coeliac and the other suffers from fructose malabsorption. Who knew such things existed! Soon after they convinced me to seek medical advice and testing after lecturing me that allergies and intolerances can come on at any time in your life.

I dutifully toddled off to the doctors and he was a wealth of great information and resources. He seemed convinced it was a mild intolerance and sent me off for blood tests.

This is where things get tricky. I was surprised when the results came back negative. It turns out by eliminating gluten from my diet over a month prior to having a test meant the result was a likely false negative. Doh! Of course! The solution was to reintroduce all things gluten back into my diet and re-test.

I tried. Honestly I did but I just couldn’t hack re-experiencing the awful bloating that came with eating it. Eliminating gluten was a revelation and I just couldn’t face six weeks of discomfort from eating gluten in readiness for another test.

So I’m maintaining a diet of gluten free and feeling wonderful for it and have decided for now that is good enough.

My dr referred me to a fantastic resource for gluten free living http://shepherdworks.com.au/

Afternoon Tea

2011-08-08T14:05:00.000+10:00

Yesterday we went to a family catchup with hubby's parents and sister (plus her beautiful new baby).

Our weekend catchups are turning into a fairly regular affair.

Now that we have little ones on the scene it makes the catchups all the more special.

We weren't catching up until late afternoon so I decided to use my early afternoon to whip up some afternoon delights. The catch was I had to use whatever was in my pantry or fridge because I'd already been out for a long walk and quite frankly couldn't be bothered going again.

Thank goodness for pantry staples and a weekly fruit and veg order.

On the afternoon menu I served:

Roast sweet potato, eggplant and zucchini frittata topped with hummus and olives
Hummus dip
Smoked salmon dip
Gluten free toasts (I've recently embraced gluten free eating and oh what a revelation. Perhaps best saved for another post)

Having now made my own dips I must say I don't think I'll ever buy shop bought dips again. Both were easy peasy and very tasty.

It was absolutely delish, easy and all made with ingredients readily at hand.

Hummus Dip

420g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp olive oil (I used about 2 tbsp and a little water)
Juice of 1/2 lemon or more to taste
salt and pepper

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and wizz until smooth.

I topped mine with a big dollop of tomato relish.

Smoked Salmon Dip

1 can of John West smoked salmon, drained
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tbsp whole egg mayo
1/2 tsp fresh dill (or use dried)
2 tsp capers, finely chopped

In a bowl flake salmon until broken down into small pieces. Stir in yoghurt, mayo, dill and capers and mix with a spoon until combined

Counting down to Spring

2011-08-06T09:51:00.000+10:00

This week in Melbourne we had a glimpse of sunshine. It has been a long miserable winter and I am well and truly over dragging my body out of bed in the dark and cold.

For the two marvellous days that were I found myself springing out of bed and racing to my wardrobe to find some colour to match my mood.

I feel I have wrapped myself in grey and black for over six months and it is now time for a splash of colour.

To kick start my spring wardrobe I've invested in these.

Highwaisted flare jeans

Splash of colour with green and navy (the navy is less dark in real life)

A fun pair of espardrilles to wear with my new jeans

The short-lived sun has now run away and I'm counting down the days until it makes another appearance.

Have a wonderful weekend. I hope your day is filled with sunshine.

What do I have in common with...

2011-07-23T10:58:00.003+10:00

So what do I have in common with Gwen Stefani, Tom Cruise and Katherine Heigl, to name a few?

Wearing braces as an adult!

On Wednesday I made an emergency dash to the dentist to fix a crack in my back tooth. I expected to leave with a numb mouth and a filling.

I wasn't prepared for was the news that my overbite is causing significant stress to my back teeth and I will need to fix it with braces.

I've had an overbite for as long as I can remember. I've always been self conscious eating anything that requires front chompers to cut.

Once I recovered from the dreaded prospect of wearing metal braces for at least two years I suddenly found myself getting excited at the prospect of perfectly straight teeth. Not to mention the idea of biting into a salad sandwich without being hit on the chin with a slice of tomato.

Most importantly it'll save my back teeth so I figure it is an investment for the future.

I just know I'm going to be very self conscious and will soon be sporting my awkward closed mouth smile.

This weekend I'm grateful for shortcuts

2011-07-17T16:50:00.000+10:00

This weekend Amelie and I went to visit Amelie's great Nan for afternoon tea.

Not wanting to go empty handed I decided to bake some cupcakes. I found a packet of vanilla cake mix in the pantry (yes!) and whipped up the batter and popped the cupcakes into the oven.

Our morning raced past as Amelie and I busied ourselves with her new found interest in the toilet and all things toilet training. It is surprising how quickly an hour passes when you have a little Miss who is on and off the toilet every 10 mins...just for fun as you do!

Before I knew it we needed to leave and the cakes were still uniced.

With no time to whip up a buttercream from scratch this is where motherly ingenius steps in.

Take:

One can of this (can't actually remember buying this but was grateful to have found it in my pantry)

Plus this

Using electric beaters mix in equal parts with a dash of milk and voila you have creamy hazelnut frosting.

Finish with these

Then you have something like this...yum!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend :) I'm joining in the grateful for fun at Maxabella Loves

pic: I was running late remember so unfortunately no time for pics so I borrowed a pic from whimsical affair to give you an idea just how delicious they looked

Help I'm shrinking

2011-07-12T19:49:00.001+10:00

Yes you did just read right.

I've shrunk!

Last week I took advantage of a company funded total health check.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I breezed through the cholesterol and glucose tests. Actually I tell a little lie. The finger prick to extract a little blood hurt and then my glucose reading revealed I was on the verge of a coma so it took another two finger pricks to get a correct reading. Not comatose...phew!

Next out came the scales and tape measure and it is at this point things really went downhill. It seems I've lost 1.5 cms in height and to add injury to insult it seems to have found a home on my hips!

After protesting and remeasuring it was confirmed...I've shrunk.

After sharing my news with a small circle of friends it seems I'm not the only mum to have shrunk. Weighed down with the weight of so much responsibility perhaps?

I figure I've got two choices. Up the height of my heels or limber up. I've opted to limber up and have just finished my first yoga class in a long while. If I see the 10 week course through I might reward myself with a new pair of towering heels.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Grateful for new friend opportunities

2011-07-10T10:25:00.002+10:00

Yesterday we went to a party. We didn't know the hosts and we didn't know the guests. Those with kids in childcare may relate. It was of course a party invitation to a little friend of Amelie's from childcare.

When we first found the invitation in her pigeon hole at childcare my immediate reaction was "how cute". As I drove home it struck me I'd be rocking up on the doorstep of people's I've never met! Eeek!

I felt uneasy about spending four hours in the company of strangers. Having never crashed a party before the notion didn't come easy.

I canvassed the idea with colleagues at work. The reaction was all the same. Been there and done that. Grin and bare it.

So Saturday morning Amelie and I were up early and off the shops to buy a present for a child whose age I was guessing. Next we frocked up and with hubby in tow for moral support we followed google maps to the address.

The result a really fun afternoon. Four of Amelie's childcare friends were there accompanied by their lovely parents. It was great to meet the parents of the little kids I see each Thursday and Friday and to watch our kids run around playing.

I'm touched that Amelie is making some great friends for herself. Having recently moved we've left all her friends on the otherside of town.

If another invitation lands in her pigeon hole I'll be accepting it for sure.

Have you been in this position? Did you like it or loathe it?

I'm playing along at Maxabella Loves Grateful For.

pic: Cruel Fairytale

Winter Warmer

2011-07-07T15:46:00.000+10:00

I've just had my Mum visiting from interstate.

As per usual she spent her time here cooking up a storm (really need to think of a way to repay the favour!) and when she left I had a new collection of recipes to try and a freezer filled with yummy leftovers for easy mid-week meals.

In the past few days we've finished the leftovers and it is time to start cooking again.

One of my favourite meals Mum made was an Thai flavoured sweet potato soup. I'm familiar with combining curry flavours but have never thought to add fish sauce or lime juice. The result is spectacular and too good not to share.

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5kg sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks
5 cups chicken stock
400ml coconut cream or milk
2 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
1/3 bunch coriander
2-3 tsp sweet chilli sauce

Heat oil in a pot and saute onion and garlic until soft.

Add sweet potato and chicken stock and simmer until potato is soft.

Puree until smooth and add coconut cream, fish sauce and lime juice and return to the boil to heat through.

Add sweet chilli sauce and coriander and stir through and serve.

I hope you enjoy!

It is freezing cold in Melbourne and I love nothing more than a bowl of steaming soup to warm me through. This would be lovely served with some warm roti bread.

pic: The Kitchn

Getting started on our front yard

2011-06-13T20:47:00.000+10:00

Our front yard is a mess.

I am embarrassed to look at it and everyday as I pull up in my car I ask myself how much longer can we keep it looking this way.

We have moved to the 'green wedge' of Melbourne and it embarrasses me that our front yard is an overgrown mess of non-native trees and shrubs.

Tonight we received a call from a local gardener giving us an excellent quote to clear the lot stumps and all.

So now the wheels are definitely in motion to recreate our front yard. My head is abuzz with ideas.

I'm envisaging a few strategically positioned gums teamed with rocks, native grasses and shrubs. To modernise the front of our house I'd like to lose the ugly standard letterbox that currently exists and replace it with something more modern.

I like the idea of a modern stainless steel letterbox set amongst the rustic native trees and grasses.

Can you help me choose?

No. 1

No. 2

No. 3

No. 4

This (long) weekend I'm grateful for blue skies and cool playgrounds

2011-06-11T16:45:00.000+10:00

Having returned to full time work I appreciate long weekends more than ever.

They are a chance to spend some much loved extra time with Amelie.

This long weekend we are blessed with beautiful clear skies. The sort of weather that is just calling out for a big long walk and today that is just what we did.

I bundled Amelie into her new stroller, plugged in my tunes and powered on for an extra long walk to one of the best playgrounds I've laid eyes on. On our way Amelie spied every mini playground we passed and I kept reassuring her the wait would be worth it.

We then arrived at this beauty.

It is a huge timber structure set amongst native trees. The interior is a maze of tunnel slides, ladders, steps, tunnels and the odd dead end just to keep things interesting. For the older kids there is also swings, a flying fox, monkey bars and fireman's pole.

Amelie had a ball playing. Luckily for us it is a long weekend so if the weather is fine I may just take her back tomorrow and the next day :)

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

I'm playing a long at Maxabella Loves I'm Grateful For

A weekend away

2011-06-05T14:19:00.000+10:00

Hubby, Amelie and I have enjoyed a wonderful weekend away.

We stayed in a self contained cabin on a hobby farm looking out towards the Otway State Forest. Amelie had a ball feeding the animals.

Amelie collected eggs for our breakie

We loved the communal gathering spot and I'm pleased to say I beat hubby at Fuse Ball!

In the afternoon we helped ourselves to the yabby lines and nets and caught ourselves a supply of yabbies for entree. This little guy was too small so we threw him back.

It was such a relaxing weekend away. I want to go back again!

I'm playing along at Maxabella Loves I'm Grateful For.

Patience

2011-05-31T21:21:00.001+10:00

When it has come to Amelie's bedtime battles I've never had any patience.

I flunked at sleep school because I couldn't cope with the prospect of Amelie crying and I've had many a sleepless night with Amelie in my bed because the alternative would have been endless crying from her.

Tonight I surprised myself. I discovered I do have the patience to ride out a bedtime battle and I can do it without getting worked up.

On the weekend we dismantled the cot. I was nervous at introducing Amelie to a bed. Hubby and I debated whether she'd climb out as soon as we closed the door or whether she'd embrace it excitedly.

For the first two nights Hubby was right. She was so excited to sleep in her new bed that she'd start asking to go to bed at 6pm. When bedtime finally came around she did indeed dive right in and wave us out the door.

Tonight was different. Tonight Amelie wanted to sleep in 'mummy's bed'. The more I replied 'no Amelie's bed' Amelie would cry harder.

I had a battle on my hands. It is at this point that I'd usually scoop Amelie up, kiss hubby goodnight and head to my bed with Amelie under my arm. Anything to stop the tears!

Tonight I made myself a cup of tea and sat down beside Amelie's bed and calmly lined her toys up at the foot of her bed. While Amelie stood in the doorway crying I preoccupied myself by tidying up her room. With my mind ticking over I thought to myself how do I distract her. So I started counting the owls on her new quilt cover. This is her new quilt cover that upon seeing it Amelie thanked us over and over again for buying it for her.

So I started to count. I didn't make it to three before curiosity pipped Amelie and she wiped away the tears and wandered over to inspect the owls. Then without any prompting she picked out a few stuffed toys and arranged them on her pillow.

I held my breathe and watched her climb into bed. She said goodnight and pulled up the covers. As I backed out the door I realised I was still holding my breath!

Exhale!

pic: perchancetodream

Today I'm grateful for convertible furniture

2011-05-29T14:19:00.000+10:00

Today we bit the bullet and decided to convert Amelie's cot into a bed.

She is afterall nearly 2 1/2 and extremely determined. We figured if we didn't remove the bars she'd dive head first out of the cot.

The cot is an Ikea convertible number. It is really handy and economical to remove the bars and 'voila' have a little bed. We have a bookcase from the same range that had a removeable change tray. We took the change tray off a few months ago and now have an attractive and functional bookcase in Amelie's room.

I'm a big fan of convertible furniture. It makes you feel like your money is going further.

Whenever we upgrade Amelie to a proper single bed her little 1st step bed will make the perfect day bed in her playroom.

Finally what is a post without a photo? Here is Amelie enjoying her 'new' bed!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend. I'm playing along over at Maxabella Loves I'm Grateful For...

Quick and Easy Sweet Treat

2011-05-22T13:38:00.001+10:00

Yesterday I had girlfriends popping over for morning tea.

I had planned to make hummingbird cupcakes but decided early on in the piece that with a demanding toddler underfoot cupcakes wouldn't eventuate.

So I turned to my ever faithful quick and easy pear tarts. So simple to make and always enjoyed.

Pear Tarts

(one sheet of puff pastry makes 4 tarts)

Ready rolled puff pastry sheet
Small can of pear halves (I used leftover fresh pears poached in red wine)
Your favourite jam. I used a strawberry jam I bought from a local strawberry farm
Butter
Raw sugar

Cut pastry sheet into 4 equal squares. Place on a tray lined with baking paper.

Using a cup or anything else round lightly press into the centre of each square to leave a circle mark.

Spread jam within the circle and top with pear slices.

Brush the outside pastry with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with raw sugar.

Place tray in a 180degree preheated oven until pastry is golden.

I've also served these as a dessert topped with thick custard or vanilla bean icecream.

Dining Room: Before and After

2011-05-14T15:07:00.004+10:00

Our dining room is almost complete. It is one of the most noticeable makeovers in our house.

Today hubby installed our new light pendant. It took forever to choose. Upon seeing all the pendants on my wishlist I decided they were all too modern looking for our room.

Then we spied a simple oversized white pendant and decided it was perfect!

Here's a before and after of our dining room.

Before (hopefully you worked that out!)

After

In this room we tore up the floor tiles and replaced them with spotted gum timber floors. We installed dual rollers (sunscreen and blockout) blinds on the window and sliding door. We bought a new console (hiding behind the table) and teamed the existing table (left for us by the previous owners!) with white leather chairs. Oh and replaced the light pendant. We've also hung various prints on the walls which I blogged about here.

$5 bunch of flowers and enough to fill two vases and what a transformation!

Now I need to turn my attention to putting the finishing touches in my lounge room.

I hope you're having a lovely Saturday!

ps - for some Saturday fun why not pop over to Maxabella Loves to join in some grateful for fun.

A Thousand Thank Yous

2011-05-07T20:24:00.001+10:00

Mother's Day brings to mind
The thousands of things you did for me
that helped make me happier,
stronger and wiser,
because I had you as a role model.

I'm grateful for all the times
you healed my hurts
and calmed my fears,
so that I could face the world
feeling safe and secure.

I'm thankful for all you showed me
about how to love and give
lessons that now bring
so many blessings to me
each and every day.

Your sacrifices and unselfishness
did not go unnoticed, Mum.
I admire you, I respect you,
I love you.
And I'm so glad you're my mother!

Author: Joanna Fuchs

Happy Mother's Day to my special Mum!

xxx

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Getting to 10,000 Steps

2011-05-04T17:11:00.001+10:00

This morning when I got out of bed I clipped on my pedometer for the start of a workplace challenge I'm participating in.

For 10 weeks my team and I will track out steps daily.

I've surprised myself with the seriousness with which I'm taking this. Perhaps it was the overindulgence on chocolate at Easter time or one too many bowls of comforting pasta; whatever the reason I'm determined and focussed on achieving 10,000 steps daily.

Given I'm taking myself from a starting place of zero physical exercise it is quite a personal challenge.

At lunch today I slipped on a pair of comfy walking shoes and power walked across the city and back adding a cool 4,000 steps to my pedometer. I'm already making plans to walk to the furtherest station in the city to catch my train home and if that doesn't get me to 10,000 steps I'll have to run up and down my stairs at home to reach my target.

I'm feeling rather exhausted at the prospect of keeping this up for 10 weeks but at the same time I'm excited by the challenge.

I'm hoping it'll kick start a habit of increased physical activity and being able to cinch in a few extra holes on my belt.

Wish me luck!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Leftover Easter Eggs

2011-05-01T10:24:00.001+10:00

This was the first year that Amelie joined in the spirit of Easter with an Easter Egg hunt.

She had a ball searching for Eggs throughout her Aunty's house.

By the end of it her basket was overflowing with enough chocolate to last a year.

If Amelie had her way she would have eaten it all but by 9pm Easter Sunday night with Amelie bouncing off the walls I had to declare the following day to be a chocolate free day.

As a chocoholic myself, I couldn't let good chocolate go to waste so instead put them to delicious use and made choc filled muffins.

Makes
12

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
2/3 cup caster sugar
125g butter, melted, cooled
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
12 small caramel-filled or solid Easter eggs

Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 12 x 1/3-cup capacity muffin pan with paper cases.

Sift flour into a large bowl. Stir in sugar. Whisk butter, milk, eggs and vanilla essence together.

Add butter mixture to dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix until just combined (don't over-mix or your muffins will be tough). Spoon batter into cases so each is one-third full. Place an unwrapped Easter egg into the middle of each muffin. Spoon over remaining muffin batter.

Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until light golden and cooked through. Stand in pan for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

recipe: Taste

Please Stop and Remember

2011-04-22T08:30:00.000+10:00

This Monday we will set aside our chocolate eggs and pause and remember our diggers that have made brave and monumental sacrifices so my family and yours can be safe.

25 April is ANZAC Day.

This year I hope the importance of this day isn't lost amongst Easter celebrations and we all stop and remember.

Hubby and I are heading to the traditional ANZAC Day AFL blockbuster between Collingwood and Essendon. The pre-game tradition includes everyone standing to their feet to pause and remember. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about a 90,000 plus filled stadium of crazed footy fans silent for one minute!

Later that afternoon Amelie and I will hit the kitchen to make delicious ANZAC biccies for afternoon tea. Who can resist the chewy yumminess of an ANZAC biscuit?

Here's my favourite recipe.

Makes 24

Ingredients

1 cup (150g) plain flour
1 cup (90g) rolled oats
1 cup (85g) Ward McKenzie desiccated coconut
3/4 cup (155g) brown sugar
125g butter
2 tbs golden syrup
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the oats, coconut and brown sugar.
Put the butter, golden syrup and 2 tbs water in a small saucepan. Stir over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda.
Pour the butter mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls. Place on the trays, about 5cm apart.
Press with a fork to flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Set aside on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack so it cools completely.

Enjoy and remember!

pic and recipe: Taste

Cooking with George

2011-04-19T09:28:00.000+10:00

A few weekends ago I had the fun experience of cooking with George Calombaris.

Last year Bulla ran a competition calling for recipes featuring cream to be loaded on their website. The ten winning recipes chosen by George were awarded two seats at George's masterclass. My hazelnut cakes with strawberry cream blogged about here won me a seat. My sister flew over from Perth to join me.

George was a surprise. He was so down to earth, engaging and very funny. He had me in stitches as he took the mickey out of his head chef and his head chef took the mickey out of him.

The day started at Raw Materials with George and his chefs greeting us with a delicious entree of prawn kataifi, popcorn, pickled vegetables with creme fraiche and a bottomless glass of sparkling.

Following a warm welcome from George we then gathered around the kitchen, Masterchef masterclass style to watch George cook. On the menu, which we would later recreate for lunch was:

Duck and Blackberry Pie, Mushroom Sauce and Coffee Crumble
Potato, Cabbage and Bastourma Gratin
Cypriot Grain Salad with Pomegranate and Crème Fraiche
Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse, Pear, Red Wine and Spice

Then it was our turn to cook. We were divided into teams of four and hit our workbenches to busily recreate George's dishes. My sister Min and I were made the dessert and salad.

After we'd all made our dishes we bought them to a communal table to enjoy. To say they were delicious is an understatement!

To recap:

Cypriot Grain Salad with Pomegranate and Crème Fraiche

Potato, Cabbage and Bastourma Gratin

Duck and Blackberry Pie, Mushroom Sauce and Coffee Crumble

Olive Oil Chocolate Mousse, Pear, Red Wine and Spice

Our fun day was captured in video and uploaded on the Bulla Cream Masters website. Recipes are posted there too.

pics: from a video uploaded on Bulla, and pics from Jeroxie and Iron Chef Shellie

Easter Preparations

2011-04-17T18:12:00.000+10:00

I'm really looking forward to Easter this year.

The chocolate ban that existed the previous two Easters has been lifted and Amelie will for the first time get in on the Easter egg hunt fun.

Growing up my memories of Easter always include an Easter egg hunt. My mum was incredibly clever and turned the average Easter egg hunt into something spectacular. From a small age we hunted eggs as we got older the hunt turned into a follow the string maze that would have taken many many rolls of kitchen string and turned the entire house into a spider web of string. Then the hunt turned cryptic and we would go from spot to spot solving clues before moving onto the next one.

Amelie's hunt will be a little more basic. Although it will be very pretty because I've taken inspiration from Kidspot and created colourful cones to hold eggs.

We're heading to Torquay to spend Easter with hubby's sister and parents.

What are your plans for Easter?

Today I'm Grateful for Pink

2011-04-16T15:12:00.000+10:00

How glad I am that I have a little girl to play with her hair, dress her in pink and share tea parties with.

When I found out I was pregnant I prayed for a little girl.

My wish was granted.

This is my little reflective post inspired by Maxabella Loves I'm Grateful For...

I hope you too are enjoying a wonderful week.

Wall Art

2011-04-12T12:03:00.000+10:00

We've lived in our new home for 8 months now.

Times flies when your knee deep in a home makeover.

We've ripped up tiles and replaced them with spotted gum floors, re-carpeted elsewhere, installed new dual roller and plantation blinds, painted the house white throughout, installed new interior doors and hardware throughout, replaced all lights shades and light switches. Aside from the kitchen which desperately needs a makeover and some minor touch up painting we're on the home stretch.

This month we put our first nail in the wall and finally added some wall art to our bare white walls.

Adorning our dining room wall are these cute vintage posters.

On an adjacent wall is this print based on the famous Famille Summerbelle hand paper cut of New York.

Perched on a bookcase also in the dining room is perhaps my most precious piece of wall art.

I've been searching everywhere for a poster of the gorgeous skipping girl. Last night I found one and I'm counting down the days until it arrives.

I searched everywhere for a simple large round mirror to hang above my fireplace. I found this bargain beauty at Ikea.

Also awaiting hanging are some gorgeous screen prints I blogged about months ago. Here's a pic of one of them. I have finally framed them and am now waiting for hubby to hang above my bed.

Cheap and cheerful wall art and it is making my house feel and look like a home.

Update: bedroom prints
are up!

Reclaiming A Friendship

2011-04-06T11:47:00.001+10:00

I have a wonderful friend who has been in my life almost as long as I've lived in Melbourne.

Sadly when Amelie came along I found myself spending less and less time together.

It wasn't a deliberate move on either part it just seemed a consequence of a friendship suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a new baby.

I know my friend was hurt and most probably felt I wasn't putting enough effort into our friendship.

I look back and I can understand why. When Amelie arrived and particularly in the first year I really struggled and withdrew from any semblance of a social life. I walked around in a semi permanent fog of sleeplessness and was petrified if someone who cared actually asked how I was coping I'd collapse in tears and probably not stop.

So I tended to keep the company of other new mum's who were experiencing something similar and who I trusted would empathise. Also who I knew understood when I yawned, lost my train of thought and struggled to string a sentence together. They were easy catchups.

Boy did I feel guilty though!

Now it is time to reclaim my friendship. I'm fortunate my friend has a heart of gold and is very forgiving.

Tonight we're heading out for a drink. We have so much to catch up on.

Did your friendships suffer when your kids came along?

A Girl's Weekend

2011-04-03T19:37:00.001+10:00

My big sister joined me in Melbourne for a wonderful girl's weekend.

We kicked off our weekend extravaganza with a visit to the renovated Myer. One word Wow! I haven't stepped foot in Myer since it commenced its renovations. When it was nearing completion I heard snippets from friends marvelling at its makeover. Still I resisted the temptation preferring instead to visit once it was complete.

I'm so glad I did. Myer is back and it is beautiful!

Next stop was the Langham where we were camping down for the night.

After a little pampering befitting a girl's weekend we changed and headed to Melba for a delicious dinner.

Melba at the Langham does dinner buffet style. Now I'm not normally a fan of buffets but this is no regular buffet. Rather a five star variation. They have cuisine chef stations where you choose your delights with many cooked before you. I marvelled at the sushi chef and his delicious offerings. We both kept to an Asian theme and after starting with a seafood plate laden with oysters, prawns, crab and smoked salmon we moved onto our next course. I couldn't resist the peking duck and steamed dumplings and after a few serves we took a deep breathe and sampled the dessert bar. I love the fact that each dessert is served in a petite size so you can sample a few delights.

The night ended respectably early. We both wanted to squeeze in a decent nights sleep before we doned our aprons the next day for a masterclass with George Calombaris!

What an experience it was and totally worthy of a separate post dedicated to George.

We ended our stay in the city with a few cocktails.

On Sunday we ventured to the Yarra Valley for lunch and an afternoon of wine tasting.

I hope your weekend was equally enjoyable.

Complimentary

2011-03-30T13:50:00.000+11:00

Today I unexpectedly received two compliments from strangers and all before 9am!

As Mark Twain once said ‘I can live for two months on a good compliment’.

What is the loveliest compliment you’ve received?

pic: flickr

Spontaneous wonders

2011-03-27T10:19:00.000+11:00

As parents we have assumed Amelie's learning as a priority.

It is important to us that she learns and adopts manners such as saying please and thank you. We want to teach her to be considerate and kind. We recite the alphabet and count our numbers and sing our playschool rhymes. We encourage her to be gentle with our dog and to pack up her toys.

Hubby and I take our responsibility seriously and take every opportunity to teach Amelie.

How is it when today she plucked a dandelion she instictively knew to blow on it?

Meeting Gilbert the Cat

2011-03-20T17:21:00.001+11:00

Amelie is a big lover of animals great and small.

Today we visited my friend Mili and her cat Gilbert.

Gilbert was such a patient cat enduring many up close and personal inspections from Amelie.

After a while Gilbert retreated and Amelie was left to explore Mili's courtyard.

She was most excited to find green bunnies.

Amelie then proceeded to spend the remainder of her visit redecorating Mili's house and hunting for Gilbert.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Moomba Fun

2011-03-14T20:40:00.001+11:00

Today we headed into the city to join in the Moomba festivities.

Moomba is one of the longest running festivals in Australia and is as Melbourne as the AFL Grand Final and Melbourne Cup.

Hubby and I have been going for the past 15 years.

An excited Amelie

A quick lunch at Chocolate Buddha at Federation Square

Soaking up the Moomba festivities

Catching a distant glimpse at an outstanding waterski jump by an Australian contender

A ride with daddy

We had a great day out and it was a very weary Amelie by the end of the day

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This Week I'm Grateful for Fond Memories of My Wedding Day

2011-03-11T22:08:00.000+11:00

On Thursday I celebrated my fourth wedding anniversary. My hubby and I have enjoyed 15 wonderful years together.

Sadly he was working night shift and I barely got to see him all week and on our actual anniversary while he slaved away at work I sat on my lonesome at home (with Amelie soundly snoozing in her bed).

Feeling a little nostalgic I browsed the many hundred photos taken on my wedding day and ended up having a lovely evening reminiscing fond memories and funny moments from my wedding day.

Hubby mistook our photographers suggestion to close his eyes (and snuggle in) with touch his eye...Ben touched his eye and our photographer was like...what tha?

Mistake realised and moment lost!

Oh now he gets it?

...and we just kept on laughing

Happy Ever After

Thanks for tolerating my grateful and indulgent little wander down memory lane.

I'm playing along at Maxabella Loves I'm Grateful For...

My Love Story

2011-03-10T19:58:00.000+11:00

Today marks 15 years with my true love and also marks our 4th wedding anniversary.

On Sunday 10th March 1996 I arrived at Melbourne airport bursting with nerves and excitement. On a whim and with some encouragement from my best friend I had packed up my life in Perth and followed her to Melbourne (she had visited for a holiday three weeks earlier and loved it so much had decided to stay).

That night she took me out for a night on the town. Being a long weekend and coinciding with the F1 Grand Prix the city was rocking! After a bit of bar hopping we found ourselves in Richmond and it was there my hubby (to be) approached me and offered to buy me a drink.

Full of bravado or perhaps a few too many vodka and tonics I accepted a drink and later hit the dance floor with him. At the end of the night I refused his request for my phone number and my best friend and I continued on our merry way home.

Imagine my surprise when my best friend's phone rang the following day and it was for me. It turns out my best friend had an eye for a good thing and slipped him a number to reach me on as he opened the door to our cab the night before (I was touched to find years later he kept the crumpled bar coaster with my number on it).

We agreed to meet for a drink the following Friday. That night I almost got cold feet. After all I was a single fancy free gal on an adventure and the last thing I was looking for was a boyfriend. I saw him enter the bar and jumped behind a pillar planning to escape out the door as soon as I could. As he walked towards me my best friend gave me an almighty shove and I landed straight into his arms. One look at his beautiful green eyes and I couldn't resist and from that point on we were a couple.

Nine years later seated for dinner at the Stokehouse to celebrate our Nineth anniversary Ben proposed. I screamed, then cried and it took me a while to realise the restaurant had started to clap and cheer and there was a tinkering of knives on glasses. That night we made plans to marry two years to the day on what would be our 11th anniversary.

On the 10th March 2007 in front of close family and friends we exchanged vows in the Japanese Gardens at the Melbourne Zoo.

It was then on the 10th March 2008 over dinner at Nobu celebrating our 1st wedding anniversary we decided we wanted to start a family. Nine months later Miss Amelie Mae came into our world and our lives were changed forever.

Happy Anniversary to my hubby and how I wish he was here. Instead he is slaving away doing a stint of nightshift and I'm languishing at home. We will thankfully get to celebrate this weekend...a long weekend as it is every anniversary :)

The Seven Year Itch

2011-03-09T19:26:00.000+11:00

I'm breaking up with my hairdresser.

It's been seven years. In that time I've gone from a bad home dyed brunette to varying shades of blonde, without fringe, with fringe, back to blonde, with and without fringe and sadly it is time to move on.

Having moved to the other side of town a 1 & 1/2 hour travel time on top of three hours spent in a salon is just too long.

It occurred to me in the near 15 years I've lived in Melbourne I've had just two hairdressers and broke up with each in the 7th year.

Well I suppose I'd sooner experience the 7 year itch with my hairdresser than my husband!

Which leads me to my next dilemma of finding a new and trusted hairdresser.

On Saturday my husband dutifully acted as my guinea pig and trialled a local hairdressing salon on my behalf. The result was a great cut. It's a proven method and how I found my previous two hairdressers.

I figure if they can cut a contemporary men's do they can weave a few foils in mine.

Well that's my theory and my Saturday appointment will tell.

As for breaking up with my hairdresser despite having done this before I'm not sure what approach to take? A card and an explanation or just pull a Houdini?

What is your tip for breaking up with a hairdresser?

Flying solo

2011-03-08T21:14:00.000+11:00

This week hubby is working a rare nightshift. It's an opportunity to earn a little extra cash to put towards our home decorating projects.

It is night two and I miss him already. A sleepy yawn as I left for work and a quick call this afternoon is the only contact I've had with him in two days.

The timing is pretty rotten. Amelie is struck down with a cold and is a snotty coughing mess. Ahhhh the joys of childcare perhaps?

I thought I'd challenge myself even further and try and break Amelie's recent habit of sleeping in our bed. It started a few weeks ago with a cute little pre-bed enquiry "mummy's bed?". Awwww seriously who could resist. I couldn't. The novelty soon wore off though and I decided it was time to encourage her back into her own bed and there was no time like the present.

Flying solo last night I poured myself a glass of wine. Countered Amelie's requests to go to mummy's bed with gentle suggestions she sleep with her cuddly friends (teddies) in her bed and popped her in with minimal fuss. Then the crying started. Not having my significant other to distract me while Amelie's settled I instead grabbed my wine glass quietly entered her room and plonked myself on the floor of her room and gently encouraged her to go to sleep all the while enjoying sips of my wine. Unconventional yes but hey it didn't take long and she was snoozing.

Tonight we've had even less fuss and here I am sitting quietly enjoying a little (rare) time to myself to catch up on a few favourite blogs.

Have a lovely evening.

pic: www.wayn.com

Today I'm grateful for a big backyard

2011-03-06T09:28:00.000+11:00

We are experiencing a rare sunny day in Melbourne and it is today of all days that I'm grateful for a big backyard.

After 7 years of living with a small paved courtyard I used to dream of planting a big vegie patch where I could pluck ripened vegies each night for dinner.

I've been living my dream for 8 months now. (Wow time flies!) Today Amelie and I need to clear out the first of our expired vegies to make way for new plantings.

Hubby has munched on cucumbers on an almost daily basis whereas sadly the zucchinis weren't so successful. I think in total we picked about 9 or 10 but still we enjoyed each one either grilled on the bbq, sauted in a ratatouille, or grated and made into a zucchini slice.

We are about to start enjoying capsicums and eggplant with both plants bursting with fruit (or should that be vegies?) and the tomato plant is a vivid display of red mini romas.

Amelie loves nothing more than exploring every corner of the garden and being a multi-level garden she has become very adept at navigating the various steps required to get around.

So after my morning cup of tea we're going to both pull on our gardening gloves and get outside and enjoy a little sunshine.

I hope you too are having a wonderful weekend.

I'm playing along at Maxabella Loves I'm Grateful For

Happy Friday

2011-03-05T09:41:00.000+11:00

Hello friends

It has been a big week.

My first week in my new job and a return to full time work.

I've had a great week albeit an exhausting week!

I've deserved a glass of this.

A little celebration with my hubby to a great future ahead.

Have a lovely evening and I'll be back this weekend to share some of my musings with you.

Delicious Greens

2011-02-27T19:54:00.001+11:00

I've recently rediscovered broad beans and peas and I'm loving every mouthful.

Childhood memories of unappetising grey pods and floury oversized peas have given way to vibrant and tender double shelled broad beans and baby peas.

Might I please clarify before continuing that the above unappetising beans and peas were never served by my mum who has fabulous cooking skills. Those memories must have been formed during one of many overnight stays at a friends house.

Okay so I've cleared that up.

Now let me share with you my latest and tasty creation involving both of these delicious greens.

This salad was a spur of the moment creation with the only deliberate ingredient being broadbeans which I bought especially to experiment with. You could recreate as I have since with anything green in your fridge.

My Broadbean Green Salad

1/2 packet of broadbeans
1/4 packet of baby peas
1 bunch asparagus
Two handfuls of snow peas
1 zucchini
1/2 packet of crumbly fetta

Steam broadbeans, peas, asparagus and snow peas until just tender.

Shell the broadbeans and place in a bowl with other steamed greens and place in the fridge to chill.

Using a peeler create zucchini ribbons and place in a bowl. Add a few spoons of dressing and marinade while other greens are chilling.

Dressing

1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp oil
2 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Combine in a jar and shake.

To serve add chilled greens to zucchini and add extra dressing to taste. Pile on a serving platter and scatter crumbled fetta over the top.

Enjoy!

12 Things About Me

2011-02-27T14:30:00.000+11:00

Inspired by Felicity at Gifts of Serendipity I thought I'd cast aside the misery that goes with a wet and rainy summers day and think and post 12 things I like about me.

Don't get me wrong. I didn't just whip up a list in five seconds flat. This takes thought. A lot of thought and several cups of tea.

Twelve things I like about me:

1. Blue eyes. I think my blue eyes are pretty.
2. Patience. It is true that patience is a virtue and I have buckets of it.
3. Listening and problem solving skills. I'm a skilled listener and have a knack for giving friends great advice in times of uncertainty or trouble. I am able to balance the skill of listening and the giving of advice. I don't just listen and go blank nor do I rush in with loads of misguided advice. I listen and then I share my advice.
4. Conflict Resolution skills. This is a skill I've honed through years of investigating complaints and brokering resolutions in my line of work. I've achieved some great results in really challenging scenarios and I'm really proud of that.
5. I appreciate beauty. I admire beauty in others and don't get swept away with jealousy over greater beauty in others.
6. Long Hair. Predictable for those that know me well but hey you can't have a head of high maintenance long hair and not love it. Right?
7. Cooking skills. A most valued trait passed on by my Mum. I love cooking and love even more playing with flavours and creating new dishes. My love of cooking is equalled with my love of eating.
8. Style. I have a love of fashion but I'm not a slave to it. Sure I've pulled off some tragic looks in the past but as I get older I have learnt what suits me and have learnt to dress to flatter my figure as opposed to dress to keep up with the fashion.
9. Loyalty. I'm a loyal daughter, sister, wife and friend.
10. Helpful. I get a real kick out of helping people. It is one of my most feel good moments knowing I've helped someone.
11. Love of animals. I love all creatures great and small. It is why I was a vegetarian for many years and why to this day I don't eat red meat. I'm a supporter of a number of animal rescue charities.
12. Amelie. Saving the most important thing to last. What I especially love about me was that I produced the most gorgeous little girl and ever so cleverly passed on my pretty blue eyes and ensured hers were even prettier.

I'd love to hear what you like about you.

Today I'm grateful for weekends

2011-02-25T21:39:00.000+11:00

As the weekend approaches it has dawned on me that I'm going to appreciate weekends all the more when I resume full time employment.

It is a dramatic adjustment to make. For the last 12 months I've been working 3 days per week. My Thursdays and Fridays were a balance of catching up with my mother's group, planning playdates with other SAHM friends and their kidlets and letting in a stream of tradies to go about their business improving our home.

With my last non working Thursday and Fridays upon me I had planned to take Amelie to childcare to finalise her orientation program and spend those days relaxing, mentally preparing myself for the new road ahead and shopping for a new work look.

Well all plans were thrown out the window when Miss Amelie developed a rash. A rash that ever so slowly covered her entire body. It came and went and taunted me with a slight purpleish tinge. So it was off to the emergency department where to my great relief we were advised it wasn't anything they were concerned with and most likely a viral rash.

So this weekend is the weekend before I resume full time employment.

I have so much to do before Monday but am most focussed on Miss Amelie and ensuring that this weekend and every weekend to come is all about her.

I've joined in the fun at Maxabella Loves. You can join in here

Work Goodbye

2011-02-24T11:48:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was my last day of work at a Company I worked at for nearly 8 years. I spent the day in great spirits happily saying my goodbyes. Then came time to give my speech and I was almost overcome with tears. I started my speech with the intention of mentioning a few key people and that is when I was swept with sadness. I quickly changed tact and instead talked about what rather than who had made my time such a great experience and recovered my composure.

My farewell gifts including a stunning Wedgewood crystal clock.

I drove home last night and reflected on how sad I was to leave the strong friendships I'd made over those years. It is the positive relationships you have at work that keep you going back each day. It then dawned on me that some of my closest friends are friends I'd met through work and those friendships had in fact flourished once we'd parted ways professionally. I know the same will be said for this chapter in my professional life too.

I'm really excited that one of the commitments I made yesterday was to join two friends in a bookclub. One friend is already a member of a bookclub and we're going to jump on board. The bookclub meets once a month at a cafe where everyone has a bite to eat and a glass of wine.

My first bookclub read

Have you found your friendships that formed through work have become stronger once you left?

A Little Weekend Away

2011-02-22T10:18:00.000+11:00

Hubby and I have just enjoyed a little weekend away in Perth.
I’m originally from Perth and my family live there. We decided at the very last minute to pop over and see everyone.

When we logged on to purchase tickets we received a rude shock to see Miss Amelie who has just turned two would cost us another adult fare. Suddenly our impulsive weekend getaway was looking prohibitively expensive. I wish the airlines would start a price war on the Melbourne Perth route!

So we made the difficult choice to leave Amelie with her Grandparents and we hightailed it over on Friday night and returned Sunday night.

Hubby was rather chuffed to fly an AFL themed plane. Yes I know small things!

My favourite part of our visit was going to Fremantle for lunch. Fremantle is such a charming place and I especially love the hustle and bustle of the Harbour. Where in Australia can you enjoy a casual bbq seafood lunch piled high with fresh lobster, prawns, oysters and calamari for $60?

Why Freo of course!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sweet Dreams

2011-02-17T22:19:00.000+11:00

Whether you're an old or new reader I'm sure you've picked up along the way that for a time I was severely sleep deprived.

My wellbeing dramatically changed when Amelie started to sleep. I began to relax. My appetite returned. I stopped snapping at my hubby and the luggage under my eyes went into storage.

Two key things happened. Firstly Amelie gave up the fight and started going to bed without protest. Secondly when she woke she'd snuggle in for a cuddle and happily lay beside me in my bed and go straight back to sleep.

The second point is the most pertinent. For the longest of times Amelie refused to lie down with me. If she woke I'd find myself either hovering over the cot attempting to settle her for the upteenth time that night or pacing around her room rocking her in my arms to sleep.

Then one night in utter exhaustion I lay on the floor of Amelie's room with her still in my arms and she didn't protest! I woke four hours later still flat on my back on the carpet feeling incredibly stiff and squashed but refreshingly well rested with Amelie sprawled across me.

A trend sooned formed with me sleep walking to
Amelie's room upon hearing her squeak and me spending the remainder of the night with her asleep on me. We graduated to my bed and rather than begrudge the interruption to my sleep I looked forward to it.

There is nothing I love more than snuggling up to Amelie especially seeing as it barely interrupted my sleep.

Then it stopped.

Amelie hasn't woken for the past three nights and I miss her.

Now I know most parents would expect that kind of super sleep from a two year old and given the sleepless hell I've lived you'd think I more than anyone would be rejoicing.

Alas no. I instead want Amelie to wake so I can give her a massive cuddle and a reason to bring her in to my bed.

It's utter madness I know!

Fussy Eaters

2011-02-16T20:49:00.000+11:00

Miss Amelie has become such a fussy eater.

When she was six months old I remember excitedly offering a teeny amount of porridge only to have it promptly spat out. I soldiered on and diligently offered it each day with the same result.

I remember the panic started to creep up on me as we approached the seven month mark with me wondering would I always be faced with such a fussy eater? Little did I know.

Then things turned and Miss Amelie started to devour everything in sight!

My little one became a great eater!

Then it frustratingly changed again!

That was at least six months ago and it has been a battle to get Amelie to eat ever since.

I'm told a child won't starve but not surprisingly when Amelie refuses breakfast lunch and dinner I find myself questioning that statement.

Please share with me your experiences!

If you've overcome this hurdle I want to know all about it!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:15:00.001+11:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Home Grown Tomatoes

2011-02-13T09:05:00.000+11:00

My vegie garden is bursting with ruby red cherry tomatoes.

I love little cherry tomatoes roasted in the oven. While my cherries are roasting I'm going to make some fettucine. Then for dinner I'll toss them together with some zucchini sliced into ribbons, and basil both from my garden and some goats cheese fetta.

My pasta recipe is basic and comitted to memory. 1 1/2 cups of flour, three eggs and a pinch of salt.

Despite being a vegetarian dish it happens to be a favourite of my hubby.

Roast Tomato Pasta

Ingredients (serves 2)

One punnet cherry tomatoes, halved (or if like me you have a garden brimming with tomatoes you'll need roughly two handfuls)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

200g fettuccine pasta

Handful baby spinach leaves
1 zucchini sliced into thin ribbons using a peeler (optional)
1 tablespoon basil pesto (I made my own by wizzing some fresh basil with a little olive oil, tiny amount of garlic and pinenuts. I omitted parmesan from my usual pesto recipe)
60g feta cheese, crumbled
shaved parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Place tomatoes in a roasting pan. Combine vinegar and sugar in a small jug, stirring until sugar has almost dissolved. Pour over tomatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until tomatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and return to pan. Add spinach, zucchini, pesto and feta and toss gently over low heat until just combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide pasta between bowls. Spoon over roast tomatoes and any juice. Top with parmesan.

Enjoy

Today I'm grateful for an afternoon of pampering

2011-02-12T08:36:00.000+11:00

Inspired by Maxabella Loves today I'm grateful for the prospect of some much appreciated me time at the hairdressers.

I've got long high maintenance hair and it takes about 3 & 1/2 hours in the salon to cut colour and dry. Broken down that is realistically 2 hours of actual hair time and another 1 & 1/2 sitting around in between other Client's getting their hair done.

I used to begrudge those wasted hours and took to my own hair with a packet of chocolate brown hair dye. The result over processed black layer and murky blonde underneath. Some things it seems I'm just not capable of achieving DIY.

So in the first year with Amelie I'd nervously take her along with me. At first it was fine. She was after all just a baby and slept virtually the whole time. Then she required a bit more attention, some food to bride quiet time and a bag full of toys. Then she started to move and visits with Amelie were all over.

So that leads me to a whole new take on spending hours on end at their hairdressing salon. It is now my opportunity for a little me time. I think I'll say yes to the optional extra conditioning treatment and will zzzz my way through a head massage before burying my nose in all the latest trash mags.

If the salon is extra busy and I'm forced to spend more time waiting I really won't mind. I'll just ask for another latte.

I hope you have an enjoyable start to your weekend too.

pic: Hair Color Corner

New Job New Look

2011-02-11T08:54:00.000+11:00

After working for an organisation that considered heels teamed with jeans to be dressing up I'm looking forward to stepping out of casual wear and into something special.

I don't want to use the word 'corporate' because for me that conjures up images of boring matchy suits. Perhaps I'll use the word 'professional'.

I can't wait to go shopping to build my new professional wardrobe.

So far I've purchased

This dress looks impossibly short but trust me it sits tastefully on the knee. Ditto the one below.

On my wishlist is this versatile blazer

I also plan to ditch these...

In favour of these!

Do you dress up for work? Where are you favourite places to shop?

100 Thank Yous

2011-02-07T21:31:00.000+11:00

The last few months have been a really exciting for my humble blog.

I've connected with so many wonderful bloggers and have discovered some firm favourites. I shared in return many random stories about me, my random musing and most dear to my heart the adventures of my little Amelie.

I was rather chuffed to log in today to find I have 100 followers!

I am grateful to each of you.

I deeply appreciate every heartfelt comment and as an avid follower of many blogs I know the time it takes to read and even more the time it takes to comment.

So again a sincere thank you and I look forward to enjoying what 2011 brings each and everyone of us.

Daddy and Daughter Time

2011-02-06T20:05:00.000+11:00

On a Sunday my hubby will often sweep Amelie into his arms and declare they are off for a little daddy and daughter time.

Today I decided to snoop and see just what daddy and daughter time entails.

How surprising I saw this

But what I wasn't expecting was this cute little scene.

Those little trolleys that are bound to catch your shins are so much more adorable (and tolerable) when you have your own little poppet hanging off one.

I hope you had a lovely weekend.

This week I'm grateful for...

2011-02-05T10:08:00.000+11:00

This week I'm grateful for sisters!

I consider myself to be the luckiest girl in the world to have two sisters I can call friends.

Friends who don't judge just listen, friends who give advice when asked rather than force it upon me and friends who even if we don't speak in a while can just pick things up where we last left them.

It is really difficult living on the opposite side of Australia to my sisters but lucky for me they love Melbourne as much as I do.

There is generally always a sister either visiting or at least planning a visit.

I've just enjoyed one of the best visits from my sister Chrissy.

The last few years have been a haze of newborns and sleep deprivation but this time we had the energy to get out and about and enjoy ourselves.

Celebrating my new job!

Nadal action at the Australian Open

Australia Day celebrations in the city

Our much anticipated night out for dinner

Just a small selection of our Yarra Valley haul

Now I am looking forward to my other sister visiting and I just hope it is soon :)

I'm playing along over at Maxabella Loves.

The Return to Full Time Work

2011-02-04T13:13:00.000+11:00

After 10 months of maternity leave followed by another 15 months working part time I am taking the plunge and returning to full time employment.

To say I have mixed feelings is an understatement!

On Monday I handed in my resignation and confirmed acceptance of a new full time role with a new company. I am bursting with enthusiasm to start.

In spite of my enthusiasm there is a good dash of trepidation too. Of course I worry how Amelie will adjust.

She currently spends three days a week with my mother in law and will now spend a further two days in childcare. The fact the childcare centre I have chosen makes me feel at ease everytime I've walked through the door is certainly making the decision much easier.

I have another three weeks to prepare before I take the plunge.

I've been racking my brains to come up with ways and means of ensuring I can dedicate my entire weekends to Amelie. I am determined not to spend those precious days doing housework or grocery shopping or any other necessary but menial task.

First on my list was to sign up to home delivery service for my fruit and veg, bread, milk and juice order. I'm also arranging to have my groceries delivered on a weekly basis. Occasionally we'll supplement that with a morning trip to the markets for fresh meats and fish.

My sister and I have decided to meal plan together. I'm sure this will also save me a lot of time and will help me when it comes to placing my grocery order.

House cleaning is my next challenge. To organise a house cleaner or not? That is the question?

I would gratefully accept any tips you may have on making the transition to full time much easier!

There is nothing like a cup of tea in the morning...

2011-02-02T21:43:00.000+11:00

...so says Amelie and her favourite cousin Oscar.

Hiring a Professional

2011-01-30T16:06:00.000+11:00

House painting. It is one of those home improvement jobs that many people tackle themselves. We on the other hand having never held a roller before decided to bring in the professionals to paint our house.

You can imagine how happy I was to see not a few months later patches of paint peeling off the doors.

It seems my professional painter failed to prep the surface before slapping on some gloss paint. Grrrrrr!

Now my poor husband, the amateur will have to painstakingly remove the paint, sand and prepare the surface before repainting.

Although judging by the good work Amelie did on the door above removing a patch of paint perhaps I should give her the job of removing the old paint?

On a brighter note I'm about to embark on a bedroom makeover on a shoestring budget and hope to be back soon with some after photos.

Fun in the Sun

2011-01-23T22:28:00.001+11:00

Amelie and I have been having a ball entertaining her favourite cousins Oscar and Mathilda.

Ossie and Tilly are visiting from Perth and Amelie is loving every minute playing with her cousins.

Little Tilly

Amelie bravely negotiating the rocking bridge with a little help from Daddy

Then it was Oscar's turn to play on the awesome play equipment at Birrarung Marr Park.

Today we went to the Australian Open. Amelie and Ossie refused to let the heat spoil their fun.

There is an awesome kidzone at the tennis where Amelie and Ossie had lots of fun trying out all the activities.

I found out later that Amelie and hubby were on tv. It seems Amelie caught the eye of a camera man and was filmed in closeup running away from her Daddy outside Rod Laver Arena.

I wish I'd seen the footage!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Feed the man...

2011-01-18T22:26:00.000+11:00

My husband is a carnivore. I on the otherhand am a reformed vegetarian that eats chicken and seafood but really prefers a vegetarian diet.

My long suffering husband has politely chewed his way through thousands of vegetarian meals with barely a wimper.

Over the years of torturing him I've discovered which meals are a hit and which are a miss and continue the ridiculous saga of introducing a new meal with much anticipation and to be generally met with a polite that was nice...thanks (for nothing!).

There is no denying the benefits of introducing the odd vegetarian meal into your diet. The cost savings are enormous, as are the environmental benefits and the health benefits are worthy of considering a few meat free meals a week.

Seeing as I'm the cook in our household I choose the menu. Interestingly when I'm cooking vegetarian meals I find I make more of an effort to make it flavoursome.

I though I'd write a post now and again about a vegetarian meal that got the odd thumbs up from my meat loving man. Perhaps this will inspire you to cook more vegetarian meals if you don't already :)

Tonight's dinner was Silverbeet and Mushroom Pie and got the required thumbs up.

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
500g mushroom cups, thickly sliced
1 bunch silverbeet, roughly chopped
Pinch nutmeg
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 eggs
300ml lite thickened cream
1/2 cup grated reduced fat Swiss cheese (I substituted cubed fetta cheese instead)

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a moderate heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 5 mins or until soft. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 2 mins. Add the silverbeet, nutmeg and season. Cover the saucepan and cook until the silverbeet wilts. Remove from the heat, stir the silverbeet through the mushrooms and drain any excess moisture.

Transfer the silverbeet mixture into a large 6 cup capacity baking dish. Whisk the eggs and cream together, season and stir through the grated cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the silverbeet mixture, swirl the egg mixture through the silverbeet using a fork.

Bake the pie for 40 mins or until golden and set. Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

We had this a simple garden salad picked from my vegie garden.

Thanks Taste for the recipe and pic

Congratulations to the winners of my giveaway

2011-01-17T20:59:00.000+11:00

As you know I've been trialling Finish Quantum dishwasher tablets thanks to Soup.

The amount I received was very generous so I was able to share some around to my colleagues at work.

These dishwasher tablets were a resounding success with everyone I know who tried them thought they were far superior to regular washing powder.

I'm their newest fan and will definitely be putting them on my shopping list when I run out!

My opportunity to trial the Finish Quantum tablets also gave me the opportunity to run my first ever giveaway.

I'm glad I gave the responsibility of judging to Dana from Soup because all the entries were amazing and I could never have chosen a winner.

Without further a do I'm thrilled to announce the winners.

First prize winning $150 gift voucher is Melinda.

Second prize winning $100 gift voucher is Kirrily.

Congratulations gals. Please email me your address details!

Thanks to everyone that entered. I really enjoyed reading your comments.

Pay it forward...come on jump onboard!

2011-01-14T15:16:00.000+11:00

Nothing like setting a big challenge for a non-crafty person such as myself to sign on to 'pay it forward' but I have.

Not to deter you I promise to make something you'll love.

Thanks to Maxabella, A Country Wife and many more for inspiration I introduce Pay it Forward

I promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here. However, to be eligible, you must repost this message, offering something handmade to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade by you, and it must be sent to your 5 giftees sometime in 2011. Ready, set, GO!

Dinner tonight is from the garden

2011-01-13T20:04:00.000+11:00

After a slow start my vegie garden is up and running!

To the left of the steps you can see a glimpse of my lettuce and herb garden. At the top is my vegie garden which is overflowing with zucchinis, pumpkin, beetroot, cucumber, tomatoes, basil, radish, eggplant and capsicum.

For tonight's dinner I picked a mini pumpkin, some beetroot, eggplant, basil and lettuce.

Dinner was a delicious roasted vegie salad with chickpeas with a balsamic, garlic and basil dressing.

It was very satisfying to know this came from my garden.

RSPCA QLD is calling for donations

2011-01-13T12:13:00.000+11:00

I'm haunted by the images coming out of flood ravaged QLD. The devastation will be felt for a long while to come.

Please spare a thought and some cash if you can afford it to help the beautiful domestic pets, livestock and wildlife that too are suffering.

RSPCA QLD is calling for donations.

$2000 can rent a helicopter to support rescue efforts.
$1500 can rent a semi trailer to transport feed and animals through affected areas.
$1000 can purchase a large animal rescue sling.
$500 can purchase a field medication kit.
$300 can help to purchase equipment to rescue, transport and house wildlife stranded in the floods.
$250 can purchase a domestic animal transport crate.
$150 can help to get a rehabilitation kit to a carer to assist wildlife who have lost their homes.
$100 can help with Veterinary Treatments for multiple animals.
$70 can help with equipment to assist with rescue efforts.
$60 can provide special dietary requirements, a pouch or a perch for wildlife.
$50 can purchase a pet care pack for stranded domestic pets.
$40 can buy a bale of hay to feed stranded livestock.
$25 can buy a pet food pack for stranded domestic pets
(respectively lifted from the RSPCA NSW blog)

I send my heartfelt thanks to this wonderful organisation for all you are doing. Thank you.

All mamma and no play...

2011-01-12T20:58:00.000+11:00

I'm a girly girl at heart.

I love to frock up and kick my heels up.

Take Derby Day races for instance. The ultimate in dressing up!

This photo was taken at Derby Day 2008 pre-babies!

Life has changed you see. I've ditched heels for sensible flats and pencil skirts for comfy jeans for the ultimate ease in kid wrangling. Even my workplace has a casual dress so I can't even find the excuse to frock up for work!

You can only imagine the excitement building as I prepare for a night out on the town with my sister Chrissy when she visits from Western Australia in just over a week.

Chrissy and I will be leaving our babes with our husbands and frocking up and heading out for a night of delicious food and no doubt a cocktail or two.

As we ponder the menu of many a fine restaurant in Melbourne you should ponder my giveaway and enter for the chance to win either $150 or $100 in gift vouchers! Here's the link to my giveaway here.

An Award...why thank you!

2011-01-10T23:04:00.000+11:00

The blogging community is a wonderful place indeed.

I have met some wonderful people through some wonderful blogs. I have a follow list that expands so long I can't display it all on my blog.

How chuffed was I to check in to see Cat from one of my favourite blogs called Life in Cat's Pyjamas has nominated me for a Stylish Blogger Award.

Cat's blog is raw, passionate and honest. It is a must read really! Thanks Cat for my lovely award.

My requested tasks to receive this award are:

Thank and link back the person who gave me this award
Share 7 things about myself
Pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers
Contact these bloggers and tell them about my award.

7 things about myself

1. I'm the middle chick between two sisters who I adore immensely
2. I find it difficult to accept a compliment but I'm working on changing that
3. I'm insanely jealous of anyone that keeps a neat and tidy house (but I'm working on achieving that myself
4. I'm addicted to salt and vinegar chips and they have to be of the Smith's Chips variety
5. I learnt to bake recently but fail miserably in the cake decorating stakes
6. I'm originally a Perth girl and upped and left in 1996 and haven't stopped missing my family since
7. I'm healthily obsessed with my little poppet Amelie

15 Blogs I've discovered which I think are great and think if you aren't already familiar with you should check them out:

1. Life in Cat's Pyjamas - my nominator!
2. Happiness Is...
3. Mother Me
4. ...From Toushka
5. My sis A Country Wife
6. Gifts of Serendipity
7. Homely One
8. Red Dust Love
9. Skinflint's Blog
10. Undomestic Mumma - who when linking her blog I realised she has nominated me too! Thanks Melissa :)
11. The Lonny Report
12. Life on Planet Baby and her new look blog!
13. Mummyhood

Just to be different I'm going to stop at 13 and leave the last two for you to suggest. I'm always on a hunt for a new blog to read. Have you found a fabulous one lately that I too should discover?

Please let me know!

Getting Organised for 2011 and a Giveaway!

2011-01-07T12:14:00.000+11:00

This year I've lowered the New Year resolution bar. I'm not swearing off my midweek glass (or two) of wine, I'm not vowing to join a gym and I'm certainly not making plans to get off my couch to run 10kms. Instead I've made a goal to keep my house tidy. I'm not resolving to do it but I'm certainly aiming too.

I'm so envious when I pop in to someone's house unannounced and it is sparkling clean and tidy with barely a glass sitting by the sink.

I want that to be my house!

I've been giving my dishwasher a workout and testing what will and what won't wash. It is so tedious hand washing pots, pans and Amelie's intricate cups that come with so many different parts (lid, spout, straw...you get the idea). So in a bid to rid my kitchen of dirty dishes and save myself some time I've been throwing it all in the dishwasher.

I'm getting great results with the Finish Quantum dishwashing tablets I'm trialling thanks to Soup.

My assessment so far:

Pros:
Safe to use around inquisitive little toddlers. (They are individually wrapped and you throw them in the dishwasher wrapped and all.
Effective. They wash really well! I've pushed them with fiddly muffin trays and tea stained mugs and everything comes out sparkling!
Time saver. No need to pre-rinse. Although it isn't something I normally do I am now putting pots and pans in the dishwasher and have been tempted to give them a quick rinse but have resisted and I'm saving water.
Reliable. Everything has washed really well.

Cons:
Price. These little beauties are definitely more expensive than your regular dishwashing powder. A week into using them I'm almost ready to overlook the price for all the pros I've listed above.

Now I'm excited to announce my first ever giveaway!

Two lucky readers of my blog will share in gift vouchers worth $250!

First Prize = $150 Coles Group & Myer Gift Card
Second Prize = $100 Coles Group & Myer Gift Card

To enter please respond below in the comments box in 100 words or less and tell me 'what is amazing, every time?'

Your answer can be about anything and everything and the most original and creative answers will win!

Competition closes Friday 14th January and the winner will be announced on my blog on Monday 17th January.

The competition is open to residents of Australia (apologies to any lovely readers from o/s) and judging will be made in conjunction with Soup.

So get writing and I can't wait to read what you come up with. I'm sure it'll be amazing!

Sun Smart

2011-01-06T19:16:00.001+11:00

Amelie had a wonderful day at the Collingwood Children's Farm on her birthday.

That night she developed a red patch on one side of her nose. Later it came up on the other side. As it emerged I developed a growing sense of dread as I realised it was sunburn!

Nooooooooooooo!

My greatest fear and it was realised when upon inspecting her face closely I could see a distinct sunscreen path and had missed spots either side of her nose.

Sadly my poor little poppet has my pale skin rather than her Dad's beautiful olive skin.

Once burnt twice shy. I'm determined not to make the same mistake twice.

Luckily Amelie is very patient when I apply sunscreen and will happily wear a hat. Today to my joy she wore the sunnies I've been trying to get her to wear for over a year!

No more sunburn for this little poppet!

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Today I am grateful for my dishwasher

2011-01-03T17:06:00.000+11:00

Stealing a line from the lovely Maxabella Loves blog I indeed declare today I'm grateful for my dishwasher. Actually more than just today, I am just grateful for it fullstop.

What with hosting an extended family Christmas brunch, lunch and dinner the plates and glasses soon piled up!

You can imagine how pleased I was when I took delivery of these.

I'm participating in a Finish Quantum Powerball product trial courtesy of Soup.

I'm normally a powder and rinse aid kind of girl and am very impressed by the cleaning power of these tablets.

I couldn't believe it when a few tea stained mugs came out sparkling white. Amazing!

Speaking of 'amazing' I have an amazing giveaway coming up next week! Thanks to Soup I have a $250 giveaway for a loyal reader of my blog.

Once I've fine tuned the t and cs I'll be back next week to launch it.

In the meantime I'm off to test out a few more hard to clean dishes with the Finish Quantum Powerball tablets.

My little girl is 2!

2011-01-02T19:28:00.000+11:00

Oh my how the time flies.

Amelie was once just a wee little thing.

Two years on she is full of energy, chatter, laughter and is oh so pretty!

Pretty wrapped pressie

Happy 2nd birthday to my baby girl Amelie. I love you so much!

Tea time

2011-01-01T23:41:00.000+11:00

This funny looking thing is a Teddy bear biscuit.

It used to be a favourite snack of Amelie's and now she has gone off them and much my dismay (yeah right!) I've got a container full of them in my pantry.

Now they are my favourite snack to enjoy with a cup of tea and a few quiet minutes catching up on some lovely blog reading.

So I find myself sitting here the night after New Year's Eve without the slightest sniff of a hangover and a cup of tea and a biscuit.

How times have changed and I wouldn't change it for a minute :)

ps - It is my darling Amelie's 2nd birthday tomorrow so I'm praying for fine weather so we can enjoy an outing to the Collingwood Children's Farm.

Summer lovin and a sneak preview of a big giveaway!

2010-12-29T15:12:00.000+11:00

The sun is finely shining in Melbourne and there is actually some bite in it.

Hubby, Amelie and I are off to the coast for a spot of sun and quality time as a family.

For the next few days it'll be all about icecream, champagne, sun and surf although not necessarily in that order!

I look forward to saying hello in the New Year and sharing with you all a wonderful opportunity for you to win $250 via my blog!

Have a wonderful New Year's however you choose to celebrate and see you in the New Year.

Kate
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