just in time for 2009!

Happy Christmas and New Year to you!!

We had a wonderful holiday on the Gold Coast. It was everything we hoped it would be and more.

Best Bits -

Ben and I felt so proud with Elton. Elton tried so hard to overcome his fears (beach sand on his hands and feet, getting his hair wet, loud noises) and he was a champion. By the end of our holiday he could put his head under water, float by himself in his pool blow up ring, hold onto the side of the pool, request to go on a ride that had previously scared the daylights out of him, and sit in the surf and let the waves crash around. Small steps for some, but huge gigantic steps for our family.

I didn't look like a sausage in my bathers. Maybe a Frankfurt, but definitely no huge English banger.

It's ok to have white legs that reflect the sun.

10 days in the sunshine and we didn't get burnt once. Thank you SPF 30+. Apply 4 hourly.

Christmas lunch was a seafood buffet delight.

No TV. No computer. Asleep by 8pm every night.

My wicked sand castles. Photos taken of them by strangers embarrassing me no end.

Asking Elton and Audrey which world (theme parks - seaworld, movieworld and dreamworld) they liked the best and them thinking about it and telling us......family consensus - movieworld!

The Harry Potter shop at Movieworld.

The underwater aquarium at Seaworld. I could watch the fish swim about all day.

Realising that we could easily live in one room quite comfortably and very happily.


Worst Bits -

Realising that we could easily live in one room quite comfortably and very happily and that after our holiday was over, we couldn't.

I have missed my little blog and I thank you for your wonderful comments and genuine good feeling you leave here. I hope you call in now and again in the coming year.

Welcome 2010.

x

leaving on a jet plane....

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Everytime we go away I come home and say the same things "I will just pack light next time."

I almost never do this.

I tried once but it was like the universe knew I was clothes limited, so I had a spaghetti sauce incident, got wet, bush walked in heels and had to wash my hair with hotel shampoo it is not used to. I spent the whole weekend walking through doors sideways.

Luckily I have a man who doesn't complain. He does mumble under his breath, but that doesn't count because technically I can't hear what he is saying.

We are off on our holiday first thing in the morning. Our first-real-true-dinks-family-holiday.

Next post will be coming to you from sunny Queensland, from a banana lounge with a drink with an umbrella in it.

x

authe? budrey?

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I love Blythe dolls and have been on the lookout for one I can pass down to Audrey when I'm an old lady, but then who needs a Blythe when I have my very own human one.

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nigella and jamie

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One of the things I love the best about Christmas are the cooking shows.

I watch them every night leading right up until Christmas. I think they are homely and inspiring and full of good cheer and spirit.

I do have my favourites - Jamie and Nigella. I love them. I wish they lived next door.

Last night these 3 recipes stood out. Maybe because I was wiping the drool from my mouth, maybe because I was weeping (I would like to try these but I have to wear bathers in public) or maybe because they just looked so good.

Nigella's Rocky Road

First off...you make this little chocolate mountain with icing snow and put farm animals all over it...how much are your family going to love you! It just looks so darn good!

250g dark chocolate
150g milk chocolate
175g soft unsalted butter
4 x 15ml tablespoons golden syrup
200g amaretti biscuits (not the soft ones)
150g shelled brazil nuts
150g red glacé cherries
125g mini marshmallows
1 x 15ml tablespoon icing sugar
Chop both sorts of chocolate small, or use chocolate buttons made for melting, and then put into a heavy-based pan to melt with the butter and syrup over a gentle heat.
Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin to get big and little sized crumbs; you want some pieces to crunch and some sandy rubble.
Put the brazil nuts into another freezer bag and also bash them so you get different-sized nut rubble.
Take the pan off the heat and add the crushed biscuits and nuts, whole glacé cherries and mini marshmallows. Turn carefully to coat everything with syrupy chocolate.
Tip into a foil tray (the one I use is 236mm x 296mm), smoothing the top as best you can, although it will look bumpy.
Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, which will take 1½ to 2 hours. Then take the set block of rocky road out of the foil tray ready to cut.
Push the icing sugar through a small sieve to dust the top of the rocky road. Cut and make your mountain.

Recipe from Nigella

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Jamie's Hot Chocolate

I think we should just call this Jamie's Hot. Just leave it at that. :)

565ml full cream or semi-skimmed milk
2 tablespoons good-quality drinking chocolate
1 handful of marshmallows
sugar, to taste

drinks serves 2
This takes around 3 or 4 minutes to make.
First put the milk into a pan.
Bring to a simmer – not a boil – and while it's heating, put a tablespoon of choccie powder and sugar to taste into each mug.
Add a little warmish milk from the pan to each mug – you just need enough to dissolve the chocolate powder.
At this point, plonk a few marshmallows into each mug.
When the milk is at a simmer, carefully pour it into a plastic jug or flask. I normally do this over a sink as I always end up spilling a bit (the trick is to have a big enough jug or flask so the milk only half fills it – you need the extra space for shaking and frothing).
Screw the lid on tightly, place a cloth over the lid for safety, and shake hard for a minute.
Remove the lid, minding the steam, and pour the milk into your mugs. A little stir and you can slurp your way to heaven!

Recipe from Jamie Oliver

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Nigella's Chocolate Christmas Cookies

You have a cookie, but then you add chocolate topping. It's too good!

1 1/8 cups soft butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Topping
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
¼ cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
sprinkles

Preheat oven to 180°C (350F) Line a tray with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Sift cocoa powder into the mixture and beat well. Sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder, and add to mixture.
Form 1 tbsp sized balls. Place on baking paper.
Bake 15 minutes. The tops will develop a cracked appearance. Cool 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack until completely cooled.
For the topping, combine 2 tbsp cocoa powder with icing sugar, boiling water and vanilla in a small saucepan.
Heat over low heat and whisk until smooth and shiny. Cool 10 minutes.
Drizzle 1 tbsp of glaze on each cookie, spreading lightly with the back of the spoon, then sprinkle with topping.

Recipe from Nigella

planes, trains, automobiles....and boats.

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Christmas is not only a time for staying at home, but moving around using various forms of transportation.

I hope you go from A to B safely.

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When you stop moving and are looking for something to watch in your relax time, here are my Top 11 Planes, Trains, Automobile, Boats and Roadtrip movies.

Planes: The Aviator, Always.

Cars: Grease, Cars.

Trains: The Darjeeling Limited, Von Ryan's Express

Boats: Titanic, Pirates of The Carribean

Roadtrip: Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine, National Lampoon's Vacation.

get out!

At the start of the year (February) Victoria suffered through terrible bush fires. Black Saturday.

We had a fire here at home, two streets away that started in the bird reserve.

Today the weather forecast for our area is 33 Celsius, which is hot for the hills and we have to be prepared to activate our fire plan.

Our fire plan is very simple - get out!

I monitor the CFA Fire Incidents web page. We live in region 13.

Last year, I left my run a bit late, leaving the house in black smoke and not being able to see in front of me, but this year, if I see or smell anything, we are out of here.

This story was on 60 Minutes this year, called Rising From The Ashes.

I watched it and I cried for the rest of the night. I couldn't even talk to Ben.

It is extremely sad what this man went through, but at the same time, I cannot believe how strong he is.

If you live in an area covered in trees, just go. Let this man's story be a lesson to you.

vintage eye candy

It is coming down to the final days of Christmas Shopping and you might be wondering what to buy your vintage loving friend...and something hopefully cheap.

If you don't have time to bid on ebay, look on Etsy or rummage at the local markets or thrift stores, or don't trust your crafty skills, you can purchase a print of a vintage poster from All Posters for under $20.

You can frame your posters in old thrifted frames. Just take out the old poster and replace it with your new one.

You might be giving a Christmas poster to a friend expecting a baby and she wants something a little different on her wall....a vintage toy poster such as the robot, would be wonderful up on the wall.

Walking along the Seine in Paris is wonderful because you pass by the old fashioned vendors selling postcards and prints of vintage poster art such as Chat Noir by Steinlen.

Going to Paris would be lovely, but you can purchase the same poster for around $20 depending on the size and it won't cost you a plane ticket.

Your man wanders up to you and says "I would like to hang my car poster on the wall."

You gulp and look around at your granny squares and throws....

A vintage car poster fits in beautifully. Even football posters.

The beauty of vintage posters is that they come in those lovely muted colours. They are so pretty to look at and you can find just about anything to match your decor.

Even vintage pin-up girl posters work.

You might be able to add a bit of class to your 18 year old brothers room or these posters look fantastic hung in the bathroom. I have pin up girl embroidered ladies on my wall and this is the exact same pose I do when I weigh myself on scales.

True. ;)

aussie christmas

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Dani left a really cute comment on my last post about Christmas lights and I thought I would expand on what Christmas is like in Aussie land.

It is summer here in Australia and the temperature can vary. I used to live in Perth and it is very hot at Christmas. Melbourne is different and a bit of a wild card...could be hot, could be mild. One year everyone was in winter woolies at the carols.

It takes a brave person to cook a hot meal for Christmas, so the food is normally cold. Lots of salad and seafood, bbq's and left-overs that go on until Boxing Day.

Normally you eat, rest, play cricket, pile into the blow-up pool and start the cycle again.

On Boxing Day, everyone goes a bit Sport mad, Sale mad or Movie mad.

Sport is the Boxing Day Test Cricket at the MCG or the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.

It's sale day, so everyone lines up and ducks and dives for a bargain and if you are over sport or sales....you head to the cinema to see the latest movies.

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Mum specialises in trifle.

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Someone always brings a pavlova.

We have Carols by Torchlight in the hills. Bush hills and candles don't mix, so torches it is.

I love watching the Carols in the Domain in Sydney (this Saturday night) and the Melbourne Carols on Christmas Eve.

People decorate their homes like Clark Griswald and you pile everyone into the car and go for a drive to see them.

Some towns in Australia are full of Christmas spirit, such as the town of Loxton in South Australia. Everyone decorates their home.

The city is decorated in lights (like the Sydney Town Hall's 12 days of Christmas) and Federation Square in Melbourne has a live Advent Calendar that opens every night.

When I watched the Christmas Carols a few years ago, I heard this choir sing Silent Night and I have thought of them ever since.

They are called The Choir of Hard Knocks. An Australian Choir consisting of homeless and disadvantaged men and women.

It made me think that no matter where you celebrate Christmas, summer or winter, if you are poor, wealthy or have different views on life, this little choir that wandered out and sang so beautifully tied it all up.

Celebrate the day, cherish your time and even though the way you live your life is different to everybody else, you are special in your own unique way.

(if you don't have time to watch the whole 8 minutes, just zoom to 1.40 - it's so beautiful)