Quick Update

I've been quite busy lately so sorry about the lack of posts.

I have had to reapply to the Department of Education in order to be able to teach in schools again so that has been a time consuming and tedious process involving much paperwork.

I've also become a Curious Kids demonstrator. It's a party plan business, which I know makes a lot of people groan but I was finding it harder and harder to find good quality educational toys and games for Rhianna.

This company has fab stuff ,not like anything that is in the stores and a lot of it is wooden which I love.

In fact one of the toys, I have to say is one of the best toys/games I have ever seen. It's called Camelot. Have a look for it on the website:

www.curiouskids.com.au

Wish me luck, I am having my first party tomorrow night.

Our Very British Weekend

As it was the Queen's Birthday last weekend and I have 2 friends about to depart for the UK any day now (hi Libby and Natalie) we thought we'd have a bit of a British weekend in our little house.

Now I wouldn't be me if that didn't involve some sort of naff (look, my first English slang )

craft using a photocopier and a toilet roll. Rhianna got to colour in the Queen and no we don't mind that she looks like a third degree burns victim.

We also had a crack at the Union Jack. ( Hey, I'm rhyming again)

Then it was time for a lovely pot of tea... now this was blissful.

More craft was to follow - a "bobby" to colour and stick together. We said "gobsmacked" and "bollocks" a lot while we crafted just to get in the spirit of things.

Then yesterday on a day out we found the British Lolly Shop at Darling Harbour. The lovely ladies there let us do some taste testing before we purchased. Oh my lord....what a heavenly place.

Maybe next week we'll do Mexico.........

Landscaping and Lemon Divas

What a beautiful Queen's Birthday Weekend. Such perfect weather. All the better to landscape in. Not me of course....oh no... I mean other people. We have what I like to call "a dog's breakfast of a backyard" and we are trying to very gradually turn it into at least a dogs dinner.

On Saturday all these ugly tiles came up and lots of earth put in its place. Tomorrow the lawn arrives. I'll do an udpated shot when the project is complete.

The dinner party went well on Saturday and it was lovely to see old friends again - especially those with a small baby that I get to cuddle. The massaman curry was divine. It's an easy recipe and it's in this months SFI if you'd like to try it.

Today we finally got around to those Masterchef Lemon Diva Cupcakes. The best bit? Playing with the piping bag.

The taste test

We decorated in Socceroo colours to try and lift our spirits after our demoralising defeat by Germany. Have to say that the icing was a bit much for us - we scraped most of it off whilst eating. It overwhelmed the cake a bit.

Now I'm off for a long relaxing bath as I've just found some dried up icing in my eyebrow.

Have a nice week everybody.

Simple Woman's Daybook Meme

For today - Friday

Outside my window... it' s a beautiful but very crisp Blue Mountains morning.

I am thinking.....about all the things happening tomorrow. We are having some landscaping work done in the backyard so lots of grubby men walking around and I'm having a small dinner party.

I am thankful for...good friends who are there when I need them. And hopefully they feel I am there for them also.

I am wearing....my pajamas with a scarf wrapped around the lot. I actually drove Miss R to school in my jammies and added the scarf so people who looked through the window thought I was dressed. I also prayed that I did not break down somewhere.

I am remembering... how my Mum and I used to cook together when I was a little girl. I've recently purchased some vintage pot holders from Etsy and as I was hammering them into the cupboard, oops, I mean displaying them, I thought of Mum. We used to have a great time baking scrummy things to eat and she had crocheted pot holders also. Such nice memories.

I am going...out soon to buy dinner party ingredients. The main course is a new recipe (wish me luck) and then I'm pulling out an old (very easy) favourite for dessert. Just in case the main meal does my head in.

I am reading..... cookbooks for inspiration. The main course is Massaman Curry from this month's Super Food ideas and the dessert is Apple crumble from the 4 Ingredients Book.

I am hoping... that the weather stays nice for tomorrow so the backyard can get completed.

On my mind......the upcoming school holidays and planning some activities and adventures with my 6 year old daughter.

Noticing that....I'm spending too much time and money on Etsy. But everything is sooooooo cute.

Pondering these words... A little saying that stops me literally in my tracks sometimes is "Action that is actionless". It means that you don't always have to have a "knee-jerk" reaction to things. That sometimes the wisest course of action is to do nothing - to be actionless. That doing nothing is also in fact, doing something. By remembering these words I stop myself from rushing into situations and making them worse when sometimes doing nothing and sitting on my feelings is the best course of action.

In the kitchen...leftovers. A bit of Chilli con Carne, some fish to get grilled and homemade Pumpkin soup. First in, best dressed tonight.

Around the house....Ironing, cleaning up the laundry and some vacuuming.

One of my favourite things.....watching all the little people trundle into school in their winter uniforms. So cute.

Have a great weekend everybody

Op Shop Opportunities

Some days I am in the mood to op shop and other days I just can't be asked to poke my head in. And similarly, sometimes my visits are rewarded and sometimes they are a complete waste of time - like a lot of other things in my life (crochet anybody?)

In the last few weeks I've found these couple of bargains:

I've been hunting and stalking Ebay for some vintage tapestries and I really wanted some vintage rose tapestries. Well, what did I spy in my local cancer support Oppy. These 2 beauties - just sitting on the wall waiting for me to grab them. $10 each. Bill later remarked he wouldn't have paid 10 cents for the two of them. But that's a different matter. He kindly put them on the bedroom wall for me. And ohhhh I do love them.

In the next op shop along the way, I found this gem of a book - full of everything a young girl needs to know - if she was living in 1972 which I very happily was thank you. What a trip down memory lane.

And in the same oppy, this vintage eiderdown. It had a few suspicious looking stains but I took a gamble and parted with a whole $5 to own it. Napisaned it overnight and there you go. More vintage loveliness for the little persons room.

And finally I have worked out the cause of my almost constant headaches. At the age of almost 42 my eyes are failing me. Although goodness knows how many books these poor eyes have had to read over the years. I guess it was high time that they had a little help. And the up side is that Bill thinks I look like a librarian and he's very attracted to librarians. So my glasses are a success in more ways than one.

Have a great week.