I Love to Write

I really really do. Sometimes I can't think of a way to coherently tie my thoughts together, so I avoid putting pen to paper..... or fingers to keyboard...... but not today. Today, I want to write. So I will.

It is Friday. It is late winter but already you can smell that spring isn't far away. The coming weeks will bring warmer weather and longer days. I'm looking forward to that. This has been a COLD winter - and this is a very very cold house. My next door neighbour Stan, a darling 90-something year old man who lives alone ("my wife died 4 years ago dearie" he told me through teary eyes the first time we spoke at the fence) tells me he has lived in very cold places in his life, and this winter Maryborough has been as cold as any of them. He is right. Spring can't come soon enough. These houses are built for summer's heat, not winter's chill.

This morning I determined when I woke up that I wasn't doing anything until I had finished reading Water for Elephants. I had planned to read yesterday but ended up having a friend visit in the afternoon and stay through until late last night. We managed to watch "Once" and "Julie and Julia" - both fantastic movies by the way! Julie and Julia is a must see if you're a blogger. ;)

So.... I read. I read and read and read. I ate some porridge and had my coffee..... 10am came around and still I read. I finished it about 10:30 - it was so wonderful, read it please!!

I got dressed and went for a blissfully uneventful bike ride round the park. I say uneventful because yesterday's ride was erm.... not. One of the pedals happened to fly off when I was half-way round the track. Thankfully I didn't topple or hurt myself (which would have been a typically me thing to do.... still, the pedal is close enough) - but as I rooted around in the grass looking for the lost pedal two pristine-looking joggers in their "proper" running gear jogged past me. "Ha, I'm ... I'm.... just having issues with my pedal" I stammered quietly as they glanced at me. They didn't reply.

Half an hour later I was home, having unsuccessfully tried to reattach the pedal and failed (you need a spanner or wrench or something - neither of which I own and certainly didn't have with me on my morning ride) so I walked the bike home, pedal in one hand, broken bike in the other.

A friend reattached it for me last night while I was teaching a singing student. And so this morning I was thankful to make it all the way round the riding track, and home again, uneventfully. It's a beautiful day outside.

Since then I have tackled some housework, begun my next book (Ahn Do's memoir "The Happiest Refuge" - he's an Aussie comedian and the book is highly recommended), baked a dozen raspberry and choc chip and a dozen apple and cinnamon muffins for the kids' lunch boxes next week, and tidied up the front garden beds a bit. They have flowers, strawberries and herbs planted in them, but they're not mulched so I'm having to pinch the weeds and grass out of them fairly often. Picked a bunch of petunias and daisies for the dining room table.

I then looked up the 2002 blog of Julie Powell which inspired the film Julie and Julia. It's fascinating! Wish I had time to read the whole thing - all 365 entries. :-)

And now..... well, I'm here, writing. Did I mention I love to write? If I could find someone to pay me to stay home and write all day long I'd be supremely happy. So long as I could break free and (be paid to) sing on stage every so often. Sounds perfect to me - any offers?

Alas, it is time to go fold the mount everest washing pile in my bedroom. Then a walk. Then roast a chicken and make a salad for dinner. Then coffee with my dear friend Petrina tonight.

Thanks for listening!

New Home Tour - My Kitchen

It's where I spend most of my time (even the laptop lives on the kitchen bench!), so I was so thrilled to discover this house had a brand new kitchen. Yup. Never been used by anyone before me. :)

It's practical, has heaps of cupboard space, an electric cook top, a one drawer dishwasher (yay), and it's the warmest room in the house on these cold winter mornings (double yay!).

I love this feature. It's meant for pretty plates, but since I don't collect those, I've used it to display my favourite cook books!

The view outside my kitchen into the backyard where the children play. It's the one clear glass panel in the house, and I'm thankful for it! I like being able to see out. :) There is a fabulous climbing tree (mango) in the back corner, and the one covered in pink blossoms is a peach tree. Hoping to get some fruit off it in the summer. More of the backyard tomorrow!

Garlicky Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin

Garlic

Onions, potatoes, carrots, stock

Warm soup for my patient.

Oh, and the little brother!

Elijah's still not quite himself, but a little better.

And I must say a big WELCOME to my 2 new followers who jumped in today - warm greetings and blessings to you both!

Meal Plan Monday

Linking up with Vicki today for her Meal Plan Monday.

I find I stick to my meal plan better if I don't designate days on which to cook the various meals. Here's my plan for our family, for this week.

* Roast chicken with roast veggies and green beans

* Stew in the Crock Pot

* Pumpkin Soup and rolls

* Sausages, baby potatoes and salad

* Zucchini Slice and salad

* Scrambled eggs, ham, toast and sliced tomato

* Chicken and vegetable stir-fry with rice

The soup I am working on right now. Lunch for good health for my Elijah. :)

My Road to Better Health

If you have been reading my blog for a little while, you will know that last year I had a very rough "health" year. I suffered with frequent migraines (virtually daily), and developed a minor heart condition - my heart was lapsing into Sinus Tachycardia (a steady but very increased heart rate) and Ectopic beats ("extra" beats) regularly. The doctor helped me identify some triggers for my heart troubles, and I have since (mostly) taken caffeine, alcohol and take-away foods out of my diet. This has helped. The other main trigger was physical and emotional stress, and lack of sleep. This problem has been aided by the children being at school this year, and my littlest in care two days each week - I have a much calmer life at the moment! I am taking medication to prevent the migraines, which is working wonderfully.

However.

A side affect of this medication is weight gain. Over the Christmas period, just after starting on it, and then partaking in all the Christmas fare, I managed to gain 5 kilos in just a few short weeks. I was not impressed.

During my first costume fitting for The Music Man last month, we discovered that my skirt was too firm. I told the costume ladies I intended trying to lose the weight I had gained, and they encouraged me to do so as this particular skirt was unalterable. Eeek!! The pressure got me down, and I spoke to my Mum about my dilemma. 9 weeks until Opening Night. 5 kilos to lose. Medication increasing my appetite, and my weight gain, every day. No migraines though - so going off the med was not an option.

This is what she recommended.

She and my stepDad Ray have used the CSIRO lifestyle plan before, very successfully. I started that very day.

The daily portion guide went up on my fridge. Each time I ate, I marked with pencil which group I had eaten from. I cut all sugar and other treats out of my diet. It was hard. I was very hungry for the first few weeks, mostly due to my medication. The diet is actually quiet filling, if you eat all your portions each day. (The diet is fairly low in carbohydrates and quite high in protein but I don't like eating quite that much meat, so I tend not to have as much protein as is suggested - or dairy for that matter. Sometimes I'll have a handful of nuts instead, and fresh eggs are plentiful here so they can replace meat portions too).

I measured and weighed everything and gradually it got easier. It became part of my daily routine. Stuart joined me (though isn't as strict as I am ;)), and I began to feel quite fabulous!

The same week I started the diet, I also started exercising every day. This is an important part of the plan. Even though I've always been an active person, I was not a frequent exerciser per se, so this was so good for me. It has improved my heart health, and I am having very few episodes of SVT and palpitations now. I am getting more toned and my cardiovascular health is so much better.

My Exercise Routine: Basically I take a brisk walk about 4-5 times a week for around 40 minutes. 3 of those walks happen on weekday mornings, so William sits in his pram and we chat while I pound the pavement. I also have a "routine" of exercises I do 6 days a week at home (Sunday I get off :)). You don't need to join a gym to work out!! This includes 2 brackets of 100 situps (I only started with 15 and built up gradually - you can do the same!), squats, raises (going up onto your toes and down again - repeat up to 30 times), push ups, pectoral toning exercises (search the net!), tricep toning exercises, and lifting 3kg weights in various positions - again, start small and build up gradually! I've also just started swimming once a week - just starting small, and I know I'll be able to swim longer each week.

Stuart made a simple chart for us, and each morning before breakfast we do the "weigh in". Trust me, women's weight especially fluctuates throughout the month - don't worry about this. Stick to your plan, and you will keep losing fat and gaining muscle tone!

Despite my awful weight-gaining medication, I have lost 4 kilos so far. We've been going for about 6 weeks now. I couldn't be happier. And even though I look forward to adding some treats back into my life sometime soon, I know this eating plan and certainly the exercise is something I plan to stick to for life now. I just feel so much better.

And, my skirt fits! I had another costume fitting last week, and the costume is sitting much more smoothly.

Whatever your weight, whatever age and stage of life you're in, if you want to improve your health and lifestyle - let me encourage you to do it. Find an eating plan that works for you, write everything down, and stick to it. Be kind to yourself. Make realistic goals. Find time to exercise - even if it's just in little bouts here and there. If you can't walk for 40 minutes, walk for 10. Park a little further from the shopping centre and get a bit of a walk in. Clean your house as fast and as vigorously as you can! You can fit in 5 push ups here, and 20 squats there. Once again, mark it all down. Start small. And be proud of your achievements, big and small!

Meal Plan Monday

My good friend Vicki, who has two gorgeous little boys and another on the way, and lives in my town, runs Meal Plan Mondays over at her blog. This week she has invited readers to join in and share their meal plans for the week. Make sure you pop over and visit Vicki at Home Revolutions.

I don't always meal plan ..... sometimes I just take my list of jotted-down items I know we need along to the grocery store, and choose my main meals based on the meats and other foods which are reduced on shopping day. And the bulk of our fresh fruit and veggies are purchased at the Farmer's Market. But Vicki inspired me so this week I've meal planned! This is the (flexible) plan:

Monday - Tuna Mornay on brown rice with salad

Tuesday - Roast chicken, baby potatoes and salad

Wednesday - Beef and vegetable stir-fry on brown rice

Thursday - Beef and macaroni (new recipe - I usually try for one new recipe a week and stick with easy known ones for the rest of it!)

Friday - Scrambled eggs from our chooks, toast and sliced tomato

Saturday - Crumbed fish and steamed vegetables

Sunday - Either leftovers OR salad wraps with ham or sliced boiled egg

What's cooking in your kitchen this week?

The Celebrating Begins

Traditionally, I bake our Christmas Cake in early November to allow it several weeks to rest and develop it's delicious flavours. :) Yesterday was Christmas Cake baking day for 2010!

We will cut it on the 1st of December as we put up our tree and decorate the house (and celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary! :)).

__________________________________

Today (Saturday) has been very restful after the enormous week we have had getting ready to list our house. I had 3 cancellations with music students today, and must say I enjoyed the down time as Stuart did the running around town with the kids. He returned with the boys in time for me to scoot in and collect Saraya from Art Class. I hadn't had the opportunity to get in there yet, and was so delighted with the teacher and the art studio! It is a beautiful space and I plan to take my camera next week to catch some photos to share and remember this time in Saraya's life.

Stuart is at work this afternoon, assembling report cards. I have played and read with the children, pruned the roses, cut a new bunch of flowers for my vase, hung some washing, and written some dates in my newly purchased 'Diggers Gardeners Diary for 2011'. :) Yes, there are dates to go in already. And I'm dreaming gardening dreams for our new, more suburban garden of next year. The diary is inspiring me.

Happy Weekend All! And happy beginning of the Christmas season. :)

My Little Chef

As you all know, one of Saraya's greatest passions is cooking. And now that she is 8, her recipes have gone up to a whole new level. ;) I often forget to photograph things, but here are a few pics of some of her latest creations.

We made the Chicken Schnitzel with a fresh breadcrumb coating as seen on Junior Masterclass.

Pizza Scrolls - these are so yummy we've made them twice!

Tiered raspberry and mango jelly with whipped cream and fresh mango.

She made us all this delicious grilled pear on fruit bread for breakfast on Sunday - yum! It's sprinkled with a little brown sugar and grilled until it's caramalised and golden.

Still, no matter what she has prepared for us to eat, the other passion is never far away. The book. We have a rule now that there is no reading at the table, but her book is in her hand directly before and after the meal is eaten! Unbelievable! She has just re-read a whole stack of books as she has nothing new to read at the moment. There was a 3 day block during which she read 14 books, then another 10 or so the next 2 days. I'm wondering if we should start saving for glasses for her for when her eyes start giving in! :/

Anyway, I'm really proud of her efforts in the kitchen. And she's a great help with the dishes too. :) Love you my little chef.

Recipes Promised!

Here are the recipes Saraya cooked for our dinner last week. I promised I'd share them, and here they are.

Baked Potato Soup

2 rashers bacon, cut in strips

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1 chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

3 tbsp plain flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups of milk

10-12 small potatoes, diced

1 cup grated cheese

Garnish - chopped green onions, additional cheese and bacon

Fry bacon in a saucepan, place on paper towel to drain and preserve 2 tbsp's bacon grease in the pot. Add celery, carrot, and onion and saute until they soften (5 mins). Add flour and stir. Whisk in stock and milk (we actually used 3 cups stock and 1 cup milk). Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 mins. Add cheese and stir. Season as desired with salt and pepper. Serve out and garnish with sliced green onions, extra grated cheese and strips of bacon.

And to have a change from serving the soup with bread or toast, she made...

Parmesan Twists

1/4 cup olive oil

sea salt

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 sheet of puff pastry

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Place the oil, salt and garlic in a bowl and stir to combine. Brush the pastry with the oil mixture and cut into 2 cm strips. Sprinkle with parmesan, twist and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake for 5-8 minutes or until puffed and golden. YUM!

Spring has Sprung!

We have been ever so blessed this week to have my Mum staying with us. She arrived Monday lunch time, and gave me her company and encouragement and cooking and cuddles and time out and time to get things done and rest and reassurance. I feel amazingly better than I have in weeks. Thank you Mum!!!!!

She got the kids in the kitchen and made strawberry & raspberry jam with them.

It's delicious! Mum also took them on a couple of outings which gave me time here at home. Amazing.

And we woke this morning to the signs of Spring, everywhere. The sun was warm, and the breezes were blowing. We discovered a nest of baby minor birds in our front garden, to the delight of the children!

Spot the nest?

Sadly, one of the babies must have fallen out of the nest (it was quite windy today) and our cat Molly brought her inside. :( I think they only hatched this morning - they are tiny with no feathers yet. The children spent ages watching the mummy and daddy bird flying back and forward with food for the babies.

Then later today we spotted a whole family of wood ducks! Mummy, daddy and their 3 ducklings waddled across our land and swam across the dam. We ventured down to watch them - they were SO cute!

Mum went home this afternoon and I miss her so much already.

I am back to the doctor tomorrow morning to get the results of the heart monitoring. I've already been told I need to have an Echo (like an ultrasound of the heart) - not sure if that is routine or if they picked something up with the monitor. I also feel a bit of a lump in my breast so I'm getting that checked out too. Please pray for me - I just so want to feel well again.

And this is for you, Amy. Just 'cos you sent the boys these gorgeous shirts and I thought you might like to see them in them. ;)

Photos of our Friday

Today was better! Praise God!!

My faith in homeschooling is restored, my faith in my family and myself and our way of life is filling my heart once again. A good day, a happy day, a productive day!

I went through today snapping pictures for me to remember, moments to share with those of you who would like to share them.........

While I was working through housework early this morning, the children were 'cooking' with dry pasta and utensils (actually, Elijah was being a superhero, cape and all, and helping me to clean..) Dress-ups were enjoyed!

Doing maths, still in chef costume ..... :)

Making a little paper dog - Elijah and I looked at the letter "d" today - he is loving learning his letters and letter sounds!

Playing with all the trucks in the dirt kept both boys busy while Saraya and I read her science lesson.

I had set aside some time for a few gardening jobs before lunch time.

It was a really happy time. These autumn days are glorious!

A friend gifted me with a Gooseberry bush for my birthday, so today we planted it into the orchard.

Digging a hole for our new plant.

A bucket full of good broken-down cow manure.

My willing mulching helper :)

All the fruit trees got fertilized with cow manure, and fresh mulch.

A wonderful surprise....... our first peach blossom! I know the tree is too little to bear fruit, but just seeing those lovely pink blossoms is promising!

This morning Saraya and I learnt about the interesting nature and habits of the lacewing.

Until today I knew little of this fascinating insect - but now I know lots! Oh the joys of homeschooling! So this afternoon Saraya was determined to find an adult lacewing, and some of their funny bead-like eggs extended on small 'threads', in our garden. I was doubtful........

............. but soon came the cry of "Mama, here they are!!!" Yep, and there they were.

We spent an hour in garden this afternoon......... swinging,

practicing our throwing and catching,

and climbing.

Hehe, this is Elijah cutting the grass hair of his "funny Mr Hair man" he made!

He was enjoying a creative game of being a Hairdresser while Saraya and I were inside preparing dinner. :)

Also, Saraya told me today that she wanted to bake a chocolate cake, completely by herself.

And she did it. She looked up the recipe, found all the ingredients, measured everything, mixed, greased the pan, set the oven timer.... everything.

I must admit I was amazed at how capable she was.

It turned out beautifully and made a welcome dessert!

And delicious icing............ mmmmm. :)

"He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." J.W. von Goethe.

Lots of peace here today, for which I am so thankful.