New Blog..

Thanks to those of you that read this blog, but I have now started a new one.. planning to be much more exciting and reliable than this one! lol.
Feel free to follow me there.. :-) A Wishful Whimsy

Sick..

Seems like its that time of year again for viruses and illness to run rampant. The weather doesn't know whether its Arthur or Martha - one minute hot and sunny, the next cold and windy! Today is was cold and rainy, *yik*.

Needless to say I was oblivious to this and parked my car in the open air at the local shops when the sun was shining brightly this morning and came out, trolley full of groceries , it was raining cats and dogs! After getting the groceries into the car, jeans and shoes super soggy from stepping in a rather large puddle (ever so inconveniantly placed in the middle of the crossing) and sheltering my Son from the rain (human umbrella's tend to get quite wet) I was feeling rather miserable and hard done by! It was bliss to finally get home and change into a tracksuit, which is a rare wardrobe occasion for me, but bugger the fashion statement I was over it!

I'v been feeling sick since Saturday with what seems like the 'Neverending Flu', at least thats what i'v called it. I'm happy to say I feel like I may be at the tail end of it all, I didn't feel like hosting the virus much longer, it had overstayed it's welcome after all - a couple of days off work is all good, but a whole week is just harming my shopping allowance!

I must say it was nice to be 'looked after' though, hubby bought me a 'sick pack' containing soup, magazines and codral cold n flu tabs, cooked dinner each night and placed a heat pack behind my aching back.. The kids, genuinely concerned were very well behaved and considerate, maybe I could chuck a sickie for the next few months, see if anyone notices! LOL.

Some of the things that I have adored about my week long sick 'vacation' that comforted me and made me feel all the better, were; having my lovely family nearby, water and lots of it, playing squares and hangman with the kids, lots of sleep, my lovely soft heatpack I bought from bubbachenille the other weekend, lots of vitamin C, pumpkin soup and lots of cuddles from my little man, who spent the past 2 days at home sick with his Mum.. Its amazing when your child gets sick, you start to feel better to help them out too..

Hoping next week is a 'better health' week and that the weekend eventually gives us some of the sunshine we have grownn to love over the past couple of weekends! :)

Loving this warmer weather..

Finally after all of that rain, we have beautiful sunshine again! Not that I am complaining too much about the rain, it has done wonders for our gardens and lawn, but it is so nice to see the sun shining and feel the warmer weather on one's skin. On the weekend, after a few hotter days, I decided to set up a 'drinks station' for the kids to pour their own water throughout the day. I bought a nice red jug from Target for $15.00 and added to it their 4 cups (Each of the kids has their own coloured cup, to minimise washing throughout the day) The idea so far has worked really well and it has increased the amount of water that I have been drinking too, which is always a bonus!

It's Raining It's Pouring!

Its raining its pouring..

Its been raining pretty much every day since we got back from our holiday on Stradbroke Island. Not that im complaining, although it has made the school holidays quite difficult being cooped up indoors all day long. But the rain is doing wonders for the grass, gardens and beautiful spring flowers that I planted earlier this month. I wandered down to my washing line this morning to take advantage of a patch of 'fine weather' and admired the freshness of everything. A much better view than a few months ago when everything was dry, crispy and brown..

At night I fall asleep to the sound of the rain on the roof and it is so calming and soothing.. Im sure tomorrow when 2 of my friends bring their kids around for morning tea, it wont be so soothing with 5 children under 7 running about! As a relief teacher I tend to stay at home and decline work on rainy days, I quite enjoy my lunchbreaks without 30 children joining me in the classroom for it! :) It can't all be positives when it comes to the rain now can it?

Today I took a trip to my Mums place, its only a 45 minute drive away but once you get there you feel like you are on another planet. The country air, no traffic just beautiful mountain veiws and fresh air. Iv posted previously about my Mum's fantastic fresh veggie garden and today did not dissapoint. My Son happily picked cherry tomatoes by the dozen and ate fresh strawberries off of the plant. I also came home laden with spinach, eggplant and fresh herbs.. yum. I still must get around to planting my own veggie/herb garden.. another one of those things on my very long 'to-do list' that doesn't seem to be getting any shorter as the year wears on.

Lately I love taking out my camera and photographing nature.. usually done so on my iphone so the picture quality is not fantastic, but I don't mind.. it makes me smile.. :) And on that note, im off to bed.

Daily note to self: Go to bed BEFORE midnight in future!!!!

Been Awhile.. Room for thought..

Seems like forever since I last posted.. its been rather busy around here with painting and reorganising our home.. we are part way through with all of the bedrooms now complete. The next room we are going to tackle is our new 'spare room' its so exciting to have a spare room again! Makes me wonder what we will end up using it for... We want the room to take some of the pressure off the rest of the house so ideally it will house another TV for the kids to watch at times & play their Wii on. Also hopeful for a sofa bed that guests can use.. Space for a computer nook/scrapbooking table would be nice and the very full bookcase needs to find a home in that room also. So many things for such a little space, but I think im confident in pulling it off..

Finding a home for all of our excess items has also been fun. As a past 'hoarder' I wanted the 'new rooms' to be free of clutter & items that weren't being used to their full potential. I figured there is no point in having a vase on a cupboard if that vase if covered in dust.. or a picture frame that falls over etc.. I figure no matter if iv donated to friends, freecycle or ebay - the people who have recieved my old items will be able to give them a better home and will treasure them. And at the end of the day, it is nice to breathe easy & walk into a room that is simply us.

Red will be a feature colour of my 'spare room'.. love red.. it is sooo inspiring & is hands down my favourite colour - no one can be bored or unhappy in a red room!

Im hopeful this room will give me a little space of my/our own that we will eventually evolve into a room where we can add another little member to our family.. but in the meantime Im happy to call it our 'spare room' because when the time is right, we'll once again be left with no spare rooms.. but I guess I wouldn't be unhappy about that either :)

*~Daily Note to Self~*

Tidy, quickly.. procrastinate little & get this room ready!

School Holidays.. Week 1

Well, week 1 of the school holidays has nearly come to an end.. why does it have to go so fast?? Normally I fill school holidays with activities and outings, however, due to Indi being unwell and the cold weather, these holidays have been a welcome change of pace. We have spent many days at home playing, painting, making collage, watching movies (or in Indi's case endless episodes of Scooby Doo) baking and catching up on those jobs that needed doing around the house.

Not sure what we will get up to in the second week, a lot of the shopping centres, libraries, art gallery and parks in the area have free attractions that keep the kids amused and are cost effective when entertaining 4 children so we will probably check them out. Picnics are a favourite as are visiting with family. There are many things out there that people can do without breaking the bank, but sometimes staying home and playing is a child's best day of all.

For those of you at home with your kids on holidays, enjoy!

A Day in the life of..

I saw this fun little blogging activity a few months ago and decided I would give it a go. You have to take a photograph every hour on the hour of what your up to in your day. And although it was a few weeks ago now, iv finally fixed the issues my laptop was having so now I can upload all the piccies I took and finally finish off the blog!

6am: Wake up! And get organised for the day.. No work for me today :-)

7am -Breaky and checking emails/facebook/ebay etc..

8am: Replace kids old drinking cups with new brightly coloured drinking cups I bought at Target on Saturday!

9am: After school drop off, I decided to come home and clean up my desk.. I spared you from the before shot, it was too hideous! LOL. (P.S - Just dont look in the draws :P)

10am: Last housecleaning task of the day, dusting.. nicely dusted tv cabinet!

11am: Mum is popping down to visit shortly so I thought I'd catch up with my Project Life over an early lunch.

12pm - Gorgeous day outside, nice breeze blowing through the trees.. Off to the shops with Mum.



1pm - Towel and bathroom accessory shopping for when I eventually get around to painting the bathroom! Chose some really nice Mocha coloured towels from Target. Layby'd them til Im productive!


2pm: Bought the groceries back home to pack away before heading back to school. Got a few jobs done today during my kid free hours thankfully!



3pm: Back in my car..


4pm: A bit of outside time.. good to see Jessie is loving the new bed we got him on the weekend. Looks so cosy now the cooler weather is setting in.
5pm: And so the animal feeding time begins, the cats congregate in the kitchen and wont leave you alone til dinnertime.. its usually a relief to feed them cause then they all go back to sleep!



6pm: Yummy Pork roast for dinner.. Cooking away nicely..




7pm: Catching up on some homework before bedtime.. wanted to cut out all of the pictures fromthe magazines for his letter of the week.




8pm: Dinnertime! Turned out really yummy!





9pm: Watching Desperate Housewives & Brothers and Sisters my 2 fave shows... Monday night is my night in front of the telly! :-)





10pm: Desert.. nothing too evil.. a Nestle Diet Creme Caramel.. my favourite desert with not as much fat as the regular kind... And then after Brothers and Sisters I dozed off on the lounge! LOL.



So that was my day...

Meals of convenience!

I'm slowly getting the hang of this working Mum thing.. making the most of my down time getting washing done, making lunches at nighttime and getting some extra sleep to see me through the day. Up until this week my poor slow cooker was sitting in the cupboard feeling rather neglected but I dug it out and made a really yummy Sausage casserole for Thursday nights dinner - It was ever so easy too and so ideal to come home to a home cooked meal all ready to go! (unfortunately I forgot to take 'after' pictures!)

Ingredients;

8 Thick Beef Sausages

2 Onions

2 Carrots

2 Potatoes

Tomato Paste

Large jar of Tomato Cooking Sauce

Herbs - fresh or dried (I used oregano and basil)

Salt and Pepper

2 tins of crushed tomatoes

Kalamata Olives

Add whole sausages, sliced carrots, onions and diced potatoes to your slow cooker casserole dish. Add 2 tins of crushed tomatoes, cooking sauce and herbs and give a stir - add salt and pepper, tomato paste and herbs to suit your tastes.Toss in the olives and any other vegetables you desire..

I placed my slow cooker on low for 8 hours, however, you could use the automatic or high settings to cook the meal faster. Served over a bed of rice this dinner was super filling and very yummy for a wintery evening! Other dishes I like to prepare in the slow cooker are beef casseroles and silverside. I came across a recipe for rice pudding in the slow cooker this evening and cheese and bacon rissotto, i'll have to road test these and see how they taste.

I have decided to start using a recipe/meal planner to plan out my weekly meals which will make our grocery shopping and daily routine a little smoother. There are plenty of printable menu planner

templates online I personally like the one on the following website;

The Project Girl - Menu Planning Board Free Download. After I sit down tomorrow afternoon and map mine out i'll post how mine looks all set out for the week..

Cupcake Monday..

I fell in love with cupcakes at the markets one Saturday morning when I saw the sweet creations that the Cupcake Parlour make. I then sought out a cupcake option for my wedding cake, which unfortunately didn't work out (due to the lady changing her prices at the last moment) instead my Mum made gorgeous cupcakes for the children attending the wedding and they worked out so well. This inspired me to start making ones of my own and partake in 'Cupcake Monday'. Im only finding my feet with it all so my cupcakes are only topped with icing, sprinkles and cupcake toppers but eventually I would like to go into fondant and other fancier things.. Simple but they still taste soo yummy! I even bought this cute little cupcake mug tonight at the groceries that hubby bought me a yummy warm milo in.. 2 marshmallows of course! *spoilt!*

Things that I have LOVED this week!

Things that I have loved this week!

1. Mothers Day - last Sunday. Loved it, I love seeing how excited the kids are over the gifts they make at school and how proud they are of them. Got some gorgeous PJ's, Brain Training on the DS and some yummy chocolates.

2. Getting warm! It has been so cold here that flannie PJ's, dressing gowns, marshmallow socks and thick cozy blankets have been our everyday norm! Digging out my winter jacket (which has a nice fluffy neckline) and my red cardi which I love all winter long has been a delight this week.

3. Finding a doctor that comes out to the home.. only came across this ingenius idea the other night after my poor Pop had to sit up at the hospital for 5 hours and STILL not be seen. The doctor was waiting at his home ready to see him by the time we had driven back from the hospital! I also got them to come out and check on my son and were seen within 2 hours. Bulk billed and very professional! YAY.

4. Deciding that we are going to start PAINTING! the house sooo needs a freshen up and although it is easier said than done.. I am going to make a start this week!

5. Catching up with friends at a Birthday BBQ for gorgeous Jake who turned 1! The afternoon seemed to go so quickly and before I knew it, it was dark.. don't get to catch up with friends often, so it was nice!

6. Seeing my Son play his first game of soccer by himself without parents on the feild! He did get a little upset here and there when he was unsure of the game, but overall he did a wonderful job and im very proud of him!

7. Watching the Wedding Singer last night on telly, love that movie.

8. Having a lazy lie in today and making the yummiest Sunday morning brunch ever! Toast with avocado, cheese, grilled eggplant, baby spinach leaves, poached egg and grilled mushrooms and baby tomatoes! YUMMO!!!

Fresh is best!

Mum and Dad live on acreage outside of town, 120 acres of gorgeous mountain views is on their front doorstep. Mum who has always been blessed with a green thumb has taken advantage of the space and grown a massive vegetable garden full of organic produce. Today she dropped in and left us some fresh homegrown vegetables, how good do they look! We have zucchini, squash, cucumber and lots of little cherry tomatoes, all fresh from the garden. I have already eaten a fair few cherry tomatoes and they taste absolutely devine! Nothing like home grown, organic vegetables. Tomorrow I am going to turn some of the zucchini's into a eggplant and zucchini gratin! YUMMO..

Old School Memories..

I went back to my old school this week to do some relief teaching, how odd that was! 2 days with a year 2/3 class in my old year 2 classroom! And how ironic it was in this classroom that I had my heart set on being a teacher 22 years ago!

An older school with its original buildings now being 143 years old, I love the stairwells, brick buildings and gorgeous huge trees that landscape the grounds. I hadnt been back in many years so it was nice to go for a wander and see how I remembered things compared to my memory. Isn't it funny that everything seems so much bigger when your a kid? For example the Library used to seem quite large, but yesterday with the class of kids in it, it seemed quite small - I used to feel like I could get lost in that library. Toilets and drinking taps are another thing that seems to shrink as we get older; as little people sometimes we had to stand on our tippy toes to reach.

Walking down the familiar hallways felt the same and seeing my old friends names up on the school captain/house captain board was a blast from the past. Other areas that bought back memories were the tuckshop, the big tree on the oval (notorious year 7 kissing spot!) and the area where us as year sevens were allowed to 'hang out'.

Things that have changed are obviously new playgrounds, room changes such as the staff room now being in the old special education unit and smart boards instead of blackboards. The school population seems so much smaller than I remember but the general ambience of the school is still the same.. I also went to my Husbands old primary school the other day and he also asked questions about the layout of his school.. its funny how our primary school's can make such an impression on us!

Now I'm Hungry!

Im certainly no 'Master Chef' and dont make a lot from 'scratch' but this week inspired by some yummy cookbooks I was given, we've had some really nice dinners (even when I cooked which is amazing! LOL)

Sunday night was a Pesto Fettucini and it was gorgeous mixed with bacon, cherry tomato's, mushrooms and kalamata olives - it was truly devine! and tonight my 5 year old came up with a recipe that he wanted to make (he just thought of it off the top of his head the other night when we were making garlic bread) 'Garlic Balls'. They were so delicious and it was good fun making them together;

Ingredients:

* Bread (we used damper with its crusts removed) any soft loaf would be suitable, something that is going to hold together.

* Butter

* Crushed garlic

* Salt and Pepper

* Chives or similar (we added a dash of oregano also)

Remove the crusts from your chosen bread and set the bread aside. In a bowl place the butter and garlic (use as much as you need for the chosen serving size) and melt this down in the microwave. Add salt and pepper and herbs to the melted butter/garlic. Roll the bread into balls and coat with the butter mix. Heat the grill (I used a high setting) and place the garlic balls under the grill until the are cooked. take out and serve with your favourite meal.. We had ours with pumpkin soup and it tasted fantastic! Definitely a recipe I will use again.. Maybe there is a mini 'Master Chef' in our family after all!

Have You Missed Me Blog?

Welcome back to my blog! I know it has been ages, naughty me..

**This week for me has been all about the cooler weather.. Sorting through the kids wardrobes and checking what they need for winter, buying them new slippers and warm woolly bedsocks, washing the flanelette sheets & blankets in readyness, browsing through the stores for new winter clothes and of course rugging up in my own pink fluffy dressing gown and gorgeous 'marshmallow socks'. I am usually one who deems winter weather to be awfully miserable but this year I am welcoming the cool change, not because I like it or anything, but because there is no sense in complaining - it will come no matter how much I whinge.. so I may as well make the most of it!**

**The warmer weather will of course be missed.. I have loved the summer bbq's, fishing, playing in the backyard til dark, drive ins, swimming and playing in the park. But with Autumn/Winter comes a whole new set of activities/traditions to participate with the kids, after all it isn't cold each and every day! When I have woken up the past week it has been dark outside still, which makes it all the more harder to drag oneself out from underneath the warm doona but once up, the air is crisp and fresh and the world is lovely and quiet.. The past two mornings I was up early setting up our garage sale and market sale and iv come to realise that 5am is probably my favourite time of the day (as long as its tackled with a warm shower and hot chocolate/tea!) you really do make the most of your day waking up that early.. (although kind of grumpy by mid afternoon!)**

Things I have loved this week!

* Using the rule of tidying or ommitting 5 things a day from your life that annoy you.. it could be as simple as dusting an ornament you find at the back of a cupboard or finally throwing away that pair of jeans that you will never fit back into.. no matter how hard you try! I had a garage/market sale this weekend and I found it so uplifting to get rid of some things I had been harbouring for years.

* Chatting to people at markets/garage sales.. often people have a good tale to tell and enjoy a good chat.. so many friendly people out there.. its nice to see!

* Getting ready for winter! dressing gowns, blankies and winter socks..YUM!

* Hazelnut 98% fat free hot chocolate (cough cough although I do add milk!)

* Seeing my Pop.. although he was in hospital it was nice to take the kids up for a visit twice this week..I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful Grandparent and its so cool the kids still have Great Grandparents too.

*Seeing how well staffed and clean the hospital was.. Pop too was happy with the service so I was very happy with that - speedy recovery Pop xo

* Handwashing dishes - our dishwasher has been annoying me of late.. usually having to be run twice.. so rather than continue to waste water, power and sanity I have now decided to handwash my dishes.. they come out clean first time and there is something theraputic about washing dishes.. I think it must be the water.. I know many would disagree and im sure the novelty will wear off soon enough, but its been nice after so many years with a dishwasher..

* Seeing the fireworks display the other night.. I love fireworks.. so magical.

* Slowly but surely getting to the end of our easter chocolate..

**~Daily Note to Self~** Make a menu plan at the beginning of each week and pre-shop for the week's ingredients.. this will make it far easier to plan dinner each night and ensure you have everything ready to go in advance. Ill trial this and see how it goes this week! :-)

Things that I have loved this week!

• Counting down to the school holidays!
• Participating in Relay for Life.. Although I only walked for 1 hour, I think the meaning behind it is essential and very important.
• Seeing the kids so excited about Easter and doing easter craft, cards and handmade gifts with them.
• Planting new flowers in the garden and seeing everything grow and getting greener.
• Having everyone around for a early Easter BBQ.. was a very fun afternoon!
• Easter Egg hunts.. We had one and the kids have had them at school.. so much fun!
• Seeing my two youngest sons recieve an award for good behaviour choices all term! Well done boys! :-) & taking them out to dinner to celebrate.
• Shopping.. such a great ambience to it..
• Getting my new camera! Love it..
• Setting up for Easter! and looking forward to tomorrow :-)

Hope everyone else had a great week.. Happy Easter and Safe Holidays!

Easter Preparations.. Part 1

Just thought i'd share these cute Easter Baskets that I made for our children and the kids who are coming to our family Easter BBQ. Instead of buying individual presents/chocolates etc for each of the nephews and neices we have decided that each family coming would buy eggs toward the egg hunt and the kids would get whatever they collect (of course we'd even it out so the big kids didn't have all the fun/chocolate!) I hope the idea works well..

I bought the baskets for $2.50 each from the $2 shop and lined it with either pink or blue tissues depending upon if the basket was for a boy/girl. I then added a name tag to the front (the cute felt bunny's are actually on mini pegs.. these to were from a $2 shop! So cute..) Throw in a set of bunny ears (also $2!) and a tube of Easter Bubbles and the kids are all set to do some serious egg hunting!!

I thought this was an inexpensive way to brighten up the BBQ and give the kids a basket they can not only use on the day but perhaps put out for the Easter Bunny too!

*~Daily Note to Self~* The phone isn't going to ring at 6am tomorrow body clock... please let me sleep in!!

Project Life Tuesday - Week 3

Well technically it is Wednesday morning but its still Tuesday in some part of the world, so here goes..

Monday:Went to the park after school to take advantage of the great weather. Kids had a lot of fun, have decided to make it a weekly trip until the cooler weather/shorter days set in.

Tuesday:Starting participating in Project Life Tuesdays!

Wednesday: We played a board game after dinner, the kids love it when we do that. They had a lot of fun playing 'Whatever Next' a drama/role play board game.

Thursday: Now that the weather is getting cooler in the mornings/evenings we are in our Autumn PJ's at night and the cats are trying to find warm places to cosy up in. Here is Jack after being tucked in by hubby.

Friday: Another beautiful sunny day, quite warm - a great way to end the working/school week with a cool off at the pool.

Saturday: Met up with Mum and went off to Soccer. After soccer spent the day browsing the shops/markets and did some serious retail therapy!

Sunday: Spent the afternoon doing some of the layouts in my Project Life and planning my Easter BBQ.

Things that I have loved this week!

1. Getting lots of things done around the house & making the most of my time @ home.
2. Seeing my Pop and doing his washing.. thought it was pretty cool, its nice to help out!
3. Going swimming on Friday afternoon the water was so refreshing in one pool and warm in the other, was very relaxing and started the weekend off right!
4. Watching my Mum and Son play Soccer together on Saturday morning so nice to see them running around and laughing.
5. Spending the day with my Mum doing the local markets and deliberating over pretty hand made bags.. so many to choose from!
6. Hell Pizza.. soo yum! Hubby and I ate way too much on Saturday night, 2 pizzas & kahlua and white chocolate cheesecake! YUM..
7. Printing out my pictures for a full week of Project Life and figuring out my layout for April.
8. Making a headstart on my Easter Shopping
9. Doing the 'open home' thing and imagining how life would be in a larger home.. LOL.
10. Apricot Chicken! The meals get yummier as the weather gets colder!

Project Life Tuesday - Week 2

Decided to start with Project Life Tuesday, I am loving doing Project Life, a photo project that involves taking a photo (usually daily but people can take photographs less frequently if they wish, after all it is their 'life') and inputting it into the Project Life album alongside journalling cards to tell their 'story'. You can find out all about it here or click on the Project Life Tuesday button above to get back to other peoples 'Project Life' pages.

It is certainly making me notice and appreciate the 'little' things that make up 'everyday'. I truly do feel it is those little things that make us who we are and are a true representation of our lives.. Im 2 weeks into my Project Life and iv had people comment about how hard it must be to photograph something everyday.. but really, its not.. some days I have 4 or 5 photographs to choose from.. I will photograph my completed layout tomorrow as it looks in my album.

Monday: Spent the day tidying the house.. was so happy once it was all clean.. sat back and relished in the freshly dusted, vaccumed, mopped and tidied home..

Tuesday: My first teaching day ever! And waiting at home for me was my Project Life Kit. Felt like I embarked on two exciting journeys in one day!

Wednesday: We spent the afternoon kicking the soccer ball around the backyard. The dogs thought it was fantastic after all this wet weather to have us back out in the yard again!

Thursday: After just 2 days teaching and spending my nights planning I was completely exhausted. I fell asleep with the laptop just within reach and apparently spoke a lot in my sleep that night.

Friday: Another day of teaching and I still have a smile on my face! I made it to the end of my first week back @ work!

Saturday: Soccer Saturday and my little mans first 'big game'! YAY

Sunday: The boys set up a 'school' and played for about 3 hours the game was fantastic! They even put us into 'time out' for not raising our hand to answer a question! LOL. The room took a bit of tidying at the end of it!

Til next Tuesday..