You’re going to be extra-especially spoiled this Sunday. Because we got a new camera this week, Mayana has been even more photographed than usual! I mean, she’s such a perfect and gorgeous model, can you blame us?
So photo-overload; here we go!
Monday | Dinner at Pop & Nan’s house. Mayana REALLY enjoyed her watermelon. All of it. At once.
My favourite salad at the moment is this delicious Thai beef salad. It’s sooooo easy to make, and very, very yummy.
So I hope you enjoy it too.
You will need:
* A couple of handfuls of baby spinach or rocket, or some other variety of leafy greens
* 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 a red onion, sliced
* 1 piece of steak, cooked then sliced into thin strips
* A couple of sliced mushrooms, which I usually cook off a little while I’m cooking the steak
* 1 sliced cucumber (unless it’s one of those really long continental ones, then you’ll only need half)
* A chunk of feta cheese, cut into small cubes (not strictly thai I know, but it just fits so well in this salad!)
Combine these ingredients. You can do this in a salad bowl, but I prefer to use a serving platter and just layer the ingredients evenly.
Then you make the dressing, by whisking together:
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon of fish sauce (which is stinky, but really makes this dressing so delicious, so don’t skip it!!!)
* 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
* 1 (or more) tablespoons of finely chopped corriander. I use the one you can buy in the tube, because it keeps for longer, meaning I can always have it in my fridge. If you chop fresh stuff, use about half a bunch or so. I always use more than the recipe says, because I love it!
Pour your dressing over the salad, and serve ASAP. Enjoy!
You should totally try this one, it’s delicious, healthy, and keeps you full for ages. The perfect breakfast. It’s a favourite for all three of us in this house!
Put all of these ingredients into a container. Just make it into the bowl/container you’re going to store it in – saves washing up! I also add about 1/4 cup of chopped up almonds. I like that bit of crunch.
Mix it all up, pop it in the fridge at least overnight. Serve with a dollop of yoghurt, and fresh fruit. Enjoy!
Yesterday, Peter and I became the very proud owners of our dream camera!
A Pentax K-X (digital SLR). So pretty and clever and I just LOVE it!
We chose this model because a) it’s in our price range; b) it’s a fabulous camera; c) We can use the lenses from our Pentax Film SLR camera – saving us from the need to double up.
So far we’ve taken about 300 photos, in less than 24 hours. Most of them are of Mayana of course.
I’ll post some soon!
On Monday, uni starts. Finally. I’m actually looking forward to it. Summer holidays are sooooooooo long and by the time uni gets back I’m usually rearing to go. Especially this year. Why? Because this is it. The last year. Ever. (Unless I someday do my masters of course!).
Two more semesters, 10 weeks of prac, 4 courses, an interview with Ed Qld… and it will all be over. I’ll wear that mortar board and gown, and someone will hand me a pretty piece of paper declaring me to be the proud owner of a bachelor degree in education.
And then…. well I’m not entirely sure yet.
I want to get this part over first. And it’s not something you can really plan for. It’s in God’s hands and not in my mind at the moment.
All that’s in my mind is The Final Chapter. Monday. First day back, Mayana’s first day of daycare. We’ve been approved for the JET scheme through centrelink, meaning we basically only have to pay around $1.00 a day for her care. Which is a major blessing because daycare is not cheap. And we ended up finding an awesome daycare that we’re so happy with. Lovely staff, lovely facility. They provide food, milk, nappies, linen and suncream. And really good care. And I’m trying my best to not feel nervous about leaving her there alone.
But for now… I’m going to enjoy my last few days of freedom. Of all-day-longs with my sunny little bean.
Three more days.
You know, those moments where your world stops a bit. That dread encroaches, and your brain refuses to process what’s being said.
Monday… on the phone to my dad and another call comes in. I can hear snatches of the female voice on the other end… police… daughter… hospital…
And my dad’s side… Is she okay! Where is she? I’m leaving now.
Just enough to know what’s going on. And that it’s not good.
My sister was driving to my grandparent’s house. A patch of road, only a couple of km’s long, in-between where the roads have been fixed up. Narrow bitumen and dusty, dry gravel on either side. A long stretch, with one blind corner. And a truck.
You know those roads, you have to drive onto the gravel when something else comes toward you – and trucks don’t usually move. So Bethanie did. And hit the gravel badly. Her car rolled.
The truck driver saw it happen in his rear-view mirror. Saw her lose it on the gravel, her car disappear over a ditch. He couldn’t stop, he couldn’t turn around. He kept driving to find some space.
Bethanie finds herself in her car, which has rolled onto its passenger door. Her seatbelt locked in with the pressure of her body. She wedges her feet against the passenger door to take the weight off, and her seatbelt clicks. She realises her window is down. Unusual, because usually they are up, tight, with the A/C blowing. But today, she felt like the wind in her hair, and she wound it down. She manoeuvres her body out the window, and climbs up onto the side of her car. Stands on her door, crying, screaming. A farmer is across the road, on his slasher. He doesn’t see her and he can’t hear her. She screams anyway, Help me.. please. She can’t jump – it’s too high. She can’t slide down – the car is still so hot. Help! No phone reception – can’t call anyone. Minutes roll by. Fifteen of them. And then the rumble of a truck. The truck. He had to find somewhere to turn around, but he came back as fast as he could. He jumps out. Are you okay? He helps Bethanie from her car, calls for help – police, firemen and ambulance.
And then they called my dad – while I was on the phone to him. And told him that my sister had been in an accident. Rolled her car. She’s okay – in shock but not hurt. The ambulance has her, they’re going to the hospital. Meet us there.
And my heart stops. My brain knows she’s okay… but she might not have been. And she didn’t hug me goodbye. It could have been so bad.
God and His angels were watching my sister. If not for Him – well it doesn’t bear thinking about. So glory be to Him.
And we never leave without hugging goodbye ever again.
Bethanie is fine. They gave her some oxygen to pick her back up. Her voice was raw – from that and the screaming. She spent a few hours at the hospital, then my parents took her on to my grandparents for some TLC.
Bethanie told the police that she was driving well below the speed limit, because those gravel bits on the side of the road make her nervous. Their investigations show that she indeed was. And that it probably saved her life.
Miraculously, her car is barely damaged. No broken glass, even her side mirror is intact. The steering column and drive shaft have had it, but all up there is under $700 of work to be done!
What a day.
My very good friend from high-school days, Peter Wilson, is putting on a show. He’s a very funny man, and an incredible mime artist, and I promise you his show is going to be fantastic! He’s doing a one-man show, aptly named ONE, of which he is the star. It’s running between the 11th-21st of March, at the Lind Lane Theatre in Nambour, and tickets are only $15!!
But even better, another friend, Talia, is running an awesome give-away over at her blog, Life’s Visual Journal. Peter has given her TWO tickets to give away to one very lucky reader!!! All you have to do is leave a comment on her post.
Even if you don’t win, $15 is a great bargain for a night of quality theatre and a good laugh. Details of the show are as follows:
Where: Lind Lane Theatre, Mitchell St, Nambour, QLD
Dates: 11th, 12th, 13th, 17th 18th, 19th, 20th March @ 7:30pm
Matinées: 14th, 20th & 21st @ 2pm
BYO alcohol (soft-drinks, tea & coffee available)
Bookings open on 22nd of Feb on: 5441 1814
So go on…. enter!
As promised:
Wednesday | More chair-climbing.
Wednesday | Hanging out with Nana…
Thursday | Blowing Poppy’s 80+ year old scout whistle!
Friday | Little drummer girl. Mayana has discovered Oom Jordan’s drums. She’s actually pretty good at it, and has a fairly decent drumroll happening on the snare over there. But she drums on other stuff too. Clearly.
Friday | We went out to dinner at this really cute rock’n’roll diner in Pomona. Mayana LOVED the dukebox, and thoroughly entertained everyone with her sweet dancing skills. So adorable!
Lots of blogs lately have had Valentines Day Posts. A lot of them ask, “what does Valentines day mean for you?”.
Well, for me, it doesn’t mean roses or chocolates… or sadly, even romantic cards from my husband. For some reason, Valentines day has taken a bit of a backseat for us in the last few years.
So no, for me, Valentines Day does not equal romance… it means it’s time for another Heart Sister’s Reunion!!!
I have blogged about Heart Sisters before. It’s a lovely program, and I love being part of it.
The reunion is when you get to meet the lovely lady who has been writing to you for a year, and meet the one you’ve been writing to. It’s also a time for meeting lots of other ladies, and being spoiled by all the work the organisers put into the night. It’s very special.
Each year has a theme, and this year’s was a special celebration because it’s the Heart Sister Program’s 10th birthday. So we had to wear a crazy party/birthday hat. This is the one I whipped up:
This year, I didn’t get to meet the lady who had written to me, which is a little disappointing. I did, however, did get to meet the lovely Melanie, whom I had written to all year. And she blessed me with this lovely bunch of chocolate hearts:
And then the fun begins. Once a month you make contact – be it a little note of encouragement or a little gift, or a bunch of flowers…. just something to say you’re thinking of her, and that you care. And it’s the most special thing to get those little things in the mail, that always seem to arrive just at the right moment, when you need a little pick-me-up.
I love it! If you ever get the chance to be involved in something like this, I’d highly recommend it.
Please excuse my blogging slackness lately! We’ve been holidaying with my grandparent’s at their house, and been having too much fun to get time to go on the computer!
Mayana too has been incredibly busy. I swear the child never stops moving. Ever. She loves being at Nana & Poppy’s, running after the dogs, stealing grapes from Poppy and not leaving Nana alone. She’s a bit of a leech with Nana and cries if she leaves the room. She has even started to differentiate between dogs, and realises they’re not actually ALL called Jack. She’s nearly got her mouth around “Sham” (Sam), “Ded” (Jedda) and “Top top top top” (Topsy). Other new words include, “Duck” and “Nananananananana”.
She’s been playing/’helping’ at Great Aunt Nelly’s video shop. She’s allowed to touch the buttons on G.A. Nelly’s computer, eftpos machine and till…. and the etfpos machine and till make cool beepy noises! She runs around the shop and collects all the ‘do not touch’ signs and delivers them to Aunty Nelle, and tries to chew on the dvd packing beans. Luckily they’re made of potato starch so they won’t kill her. Ha. Great fun.
Anyway.. here are some photos from the last week…
Wednesday | Mayana climbed onto the couch to chill out for a while. She had to use her little purple couch to get up, but I don’t think it will be too long before she can get up all by herself!
Thursday | Ready to go out for lunch with Mama and her friends.
Friday | Treats for dessert at Nana’s house. Chocolate mousse!! Mayana was highly impressed. 
Saturday | Mayana had a bath in Nana’s sink. Here she is washing herself with the soap. Clever little bean.
Saturday | Enjoying the sink-bath.
Saturday | Traditional photo: Nudie run up the hallway at Nana’s. One day I’ll dig up the photo of us grandkids doing the same thing… lol.
Sunday | Mayana has a thing for Nana’s potato. Any chance she gets she’s in the potato basket, where she picks one out, and wanders about the house with it under her arm until someone takes it off her. Way cooler than a dolly apparently.
Tuesday | Little monkey. I was making dinner in the kitchen, and heard Mayana yelling out to me. I turned around, and there she was rocking in Nana’s chair. She got up there all by herself. I’m still not sure how. She then amused Pop by climbing up onto his lap with no help about 25 times while he was watching the news.
Stay tuned for more!!
I have been inspired by my friend Hannah. Hannah blogs over at A Mother’s Creations – (you should check her out, her daughters are gorgeous and her photography is beautiful). Anyway… as I was saying she has inspired me to make my own laundry detergent. Chemical free, good for the environment AND good for my budget :)
Last year, just after Mayana was born, we bought this massive bulk pack of laundry powder, on this massive clearance for about $18.00, because the corner of the box was all smashed in. Cos that really affected the laundry powder (which was inside the box sealed in plastic vacuum pack)…. but anyway. We’ve just run out. We did well eh? So for the first time in about a year, we’re fresh out of laundry detergent. Unfortunately there are no damaged massive boxes on clearance anywhere I’ve looked. And then I was talking to Hannah about how she makes her own, so I decided to give it a go.
You have two options when you make your own laundry detergent. You can make a liquid, or a powder. Hannah makes the liquid. You make this massive 10L bucket of awesome goop, and use about half a cup in each load. I decided to go with the powder. Mainly because I don’t have a big bucket, and also because it has less steps and seemed easier. We’ll see how this one goes, and maybe next time I’ll make the liquid, maybe I won’t.
And because I know you’ll all be wondering – yes you can use either the liquid OR the powder in both front and top loaders. It’s totally low-suddsing (is that a word?). You just use about half as much in a front loader than you would in a top loader. I have a front loader, in case that matters.
So here we go: my first ever tutorial:
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN LAUNDRY POWDER
You will need:
Lectric washing soda ($4.06 for a 1kg bag)
Borax ($6.00 for a container)
Here’s what you do:
To the grated soap, add the following:
* 1 cup washing soda
* 1/2 cup borax
Whizz together in a food processor until you get a washing powder consistency. Apparently you can do this by just stirring it with a spoon or whatever, but this just seemed quicker and easier to me.
And then you’re done!
I’m storing mine in an old formula tin. A double batch would fill it perfectly, but I’ve just done a single one for now, until we know we’re happy with it. You need to use 1 tablespoon for each wash. The scoop that comes with our formula is around 1/2 a tablespoon, so that makes it super easy for me.
And voila!
How easy is that?
And super cheap. I’ll be able to make at LEAST another three batches out of what I bought, and each batch should last a good while I’d think.
I will update you on how it all goes, and how long it lasts for etc. Meantime… anyone else done this before? Hints? Tips? Tricks? Please share :)
This song has been on my heart and my mind soooo much lately. And it was the first song I downloaded with iTunes. It speaks to me in such a big way, and I’ve decided it needs to be my theme-song this year. I want to live it.
If you haven’t heard it, have a look at this youtube video.
These are the lyrics:
LIFESONG – BY CASTING CROWNSEmpty Hands held high
Such Small sacrifice
If not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight
May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to you
Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign your name
to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You
LORD, I give my life
A Living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be your hands and feet
So may the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You
Yesterday I bought my very first iTunes card. I’m not totally sold on iTunes as a program, and I don’t have an iPod or iPhone (I have a sony ericsson mobile with 2gig of memory, and use that as my music player). But I do like that I can buy individual songs, and albums at a more reasonable price than at most stores.
So I bought a $20.00 iTunes voucher. And I bought three songs:
Lifesong, by Casting Crowns (more on that in another post)
Nothing I Would Rather Be, and All the Way Jesus, from the Bran Nu Day soundtrack.
That movie is sooooo funny by the way. I went with my sister, and the whole thing was a laugh out loud moment for us. We LOVED it. ‘Nothing I Would Rather Be’ is a satirical, tongue-in-cheek song and so funny. ‘All the Way Jesus’ is a song sung in the church service, lead by Jessica Mauboy, and it gives me goosebumps.
So I’ve spent about $5.00. I want to buy ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ from the Glee soundtrack, but I think my sister has that on her iRiver, so I’ll have to double check before I spend money on it.
And now I’m trying to figure out what to get next. Decisions decisions. And too many choices!!!!!
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