frugal friday {on a monday...}

Whew, I'm over the bugs and banes of last week, and thanks to three double shots of caffeine before 10am am ready to blog for my life. I spent all of Friday in bed, hence my lack of post, however, I was still thinking frugal. Here's how.

I used the first of my frozen wine iceblocks in a minestrone soup - and it worked superbly. Homemade soup must be one of the most satisfying and frugal meals around. I threw in some basic veg {onion, garlic, celery, carrots}, diced up around 200g of speck {bacon on steroids, mmmmm}, threw in a handful of lentils du puy, a tin of tomatoes and some chicken stock and simmered for a couple of hours with nothing but a few bay leaves and sprigs of thyme adding flavour. Nearing the end of cooking I tossed in a cup of risoni and simmered for 10 minutes before serving. This fed four of us that night, and me for lunch on Saturday and Sunday - cost per serve - around $1. Nutritional value - enormous!

Making your own ingredients is the best way to jazz up a meal for little cost. I have a few different oil bottles so now have regular olive oil, garlic oil and lemon oil on the go. The garlic oil is simply a couple of cloves sliced up and infused in the olive oil, while the lemon is just a few slices of lemon rind {no erky white bits - just the vibrant yellow skin} in olive oil. It costs next to nothing, but adds a bit of an edge when drizzled over any food.

Letting nothing go to waste is the best mode of frugality. Leftover stale bread can be grated and frozen in small portions in a ziplock bag - or, if you're short of time,  just throw the pieces in the freezer and grate when you need them - frozen bread is a lot easier to grate by hand than fresh bread. If you have any leftover herbs, why not finely dice them up with some leftover breadcrumbs and a little garlic and lemon zest and freeze to have the tastiest crumbing mixture for pork cutlets or salmon cakes ever. 

This week my aim is zero food waste. If it's in my fridge it's going to be eaten - even if I have to think outside the square. So before making up my menu for this week, I'm going to see what's in the fridge, freezer and pantry - I reckon I'll have the basis for a couple of meals hanging around in there - saving me a motza at the supermarket.

happy mother's day

This was the delicious mother's day breakfast that was presented to me this morning {I had to crop myself out - seriously, first-thing-in-the-morning photos, not attractive - particularly after a few days of feeling distinctly poorly!}

My hubby was inspired by the thick batons of 'eggy bread' they made on MasterChef this week, and oh-my-lord, they were delish. One-inch-thick, a couple of inches long, perfectly soaked in an egg, sugar, milk and lemon zest batter and caramelised to crispy perfection on the outside, soft and melding on the inside. Yumarama.

I was also spoiled with many pressies - including a fabbo pizza cooking stone and mega spatula for pizzas on the bbq, a little blowtorch for the perfect creme brulee, Chanel nailpolish, two beautiful french cheese knives, and other foodie-related goodies. All wrapped up with home-made cards from my gal. Sweet.

We're headed out for afternoon tea now. A baguette with butter and smoked ham barely dented my appetite at the moment {three days of chicken soup will fuel a voracious hunger!} then I think it's quattro formaggio and pancetta and egg pizza for dinner. With a glass or two of wine...

it's shoe time

This week's shoe is brought to you by Maison Martin Margiela. They have a pale blue lining and stitching which is the perfect foil for that shocking shade of patent. I also like that bit of quirk, turn this way, they're a cute little bootie, about face, they're sweet sandals. Just what I needed today.

After sending my daughter off to school I crawled back into bed, wrapping the bedding up around my very sore throat. It worked. After waking at 11.30 my throat feels like it's in the recovery position. Handy. I feel like I've been consistently ill with silly little niggles for weeks now - probably because I have. 

Oh well, I'm making up a big pot of minestrone today - with bucketloads of garlic, made on chicken stock - surely that will totally revive me!

when i'm feeling bleu

I'd quite like to hide away from the world cocooned in these dreamy colours. I think I need my very own copy of Marie Antoinette - just to bring a little beauty into every corner of my life...

that's better

I've been feeling a bit blah today. No real reason. I've had a niggly sore throat for a few weeks, off and on, and other annoying, yet trifling, niggles that are just irksome. But these flamingos cheered me up! How can a person be glum when flamingos exist?

My autumn cleaning's also coming along nicely. I've blitzed all the annoying bits and pieces that have cluttered up my home for ages and now I'm ready to do the actual clean. Surely I'll feel healthier when that's complete.

fabulously frugal

For tonight's dinner I'm jazzing up the leftover risotto from last night's meal. I've oiled a mini muffin tin and scooped in a little of the saffron risotto - just enough to cover the bottom. Then, I've popped a teeny square of mozarella in the centre, covered it all up to fill the muffin tin and I'm baking them in a hot oven for around 15 minutes. I'm hoping they're brown and crispy on the top, but moist inside.

I'm serving them with chicken kebabs, sliced rounds of sweet potato 'chips' {baking on a tray, drizzled with garlic-infused olive oil}, broccolini {boiled for 10 mins in salted water, then tossed in salted, peppered olive oil to serve} and a green salad.  

I love leftovers...

tutu cute

Oh Karl... These limited edition shoes have a removable tutu - a novelty I'm finding darned endearing. And isn't crisp black on white such a classic? So Chanel...

I, of course, would have to have the black heels - but I'm finding the cuteness of the flats damned enchanting. 

oh coco

There is a rumour {yes, you're right, I'm spreading it...} that Coco avant Chanel opens June 25 in Australia. Oh, please, please, please let it be true...

And, um, hello, the prettiness of these pics? From French Elle, naturellement...

finishing touches

Surprising little bits and pieces are what completes a home. I'd love to pop a dovecote in the box-hedge bordered garden. On one side we have the bird bath with its little stone birdy, in the centre is a gorgeous blossom tree {we didn't plant it and I'm still trying to identify it!} so I think a pretty painted dovecote could look just gorgeous before we start the vegie and herb gardens.

I'm trying to keep stock of what I use the most of when I'm cooking and am now positive I need thyme, garlic, french shallots, Italian parsley, rosemary, basil, many types of lettuce, some spinach, teeny tomatoes, tarragon, a bay tree, lemon or lime {ooooh, I'd love both!} as just the bare essentials. I'm really keen to plant things I'll use on a near-to-daily basis. If we can espalier the lemon and limes against the fence then I'll have even more room for other bits and pieces. 

It's a grey, drizzly day here today. I'm attempting some work and am soon to resume scrubbing the pot that cooked the osso buco - which was, delish! Then at 1pm I'm hitting a restaurant with a friend for lunch. We've got a 'buy one get one free' voucher so although it seems an extravagance, really, it's verging on a bargain. Now... what to wear...

birthday boy

It's my hubby's birthday today so we started off with a breakfast omelette {his new fave} and he's having the day off to 

1. Improve his golf game on the Wii

2. Go for a run and time himself with his new sports watch.

Tonight, for dinner, he's requested Osso buco Milanese, so I'm off to the butcher soon to buy some veal shanks, canaroli rice and saffron for the risotto. 

Birthday's are bliss.

Osso Buco Milanese *

serves 6

6 3cm-thick centre-cut milk-fed veal shin

plain flour, seasoned to taste

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

20gm butter

2 sticks of celery, finely diced

1 onion, finely chopped

250ml (1 cup) dry white wine

500ml (2 cups) beef stock

3 fresh bay leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

2 pieces of lemon rind

gremolata

1 cup firmly packed flat-leaf parsley

Rind of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic

Milanese risotto

50gm butter

100gm beef marrow

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups canaroli rice

1 pinch saffron

1 litre (four cups) chicken stock

40gm grana Padano, finely grated

1. Dust the veal shin with flour, removing excess. Heat half the olive oil in a large casserole, and cook veal in batches over medium heat until browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining olive oil and butter to same pan. When butter has melted, add celery and onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine, stock, bay leaves, thyme and lemon rind. Bring to boil and simmer for five minutes. Return osso buco to pan. Cover and cook at 180 degrees celcius for 90 minutes, or until tender.

2. For gremolata, place all ingredients on a chopping board and finely chop. Place in a bowl and season to taste, then cover and refrigerate until required.

3. For risotto, heat half the butter in a heavy based pan, add marrow and cook for five minutes or until browned and almost dissolved. Add onion and garlic and cook for five minutes or until softened but not coloured. Stir in rice and cook for another two minutes, then add saffron and 1/2 cup of stock at a time, stirring until stock is absorbed before adding more. Stir through remaining buttr and grana Padano and season to taste. Divide risotto among bowls, top with osso buco and pan juices and serve with gremolata on the side.

* recipe from Gourmet Traveller 

seasonal cleaning

Well, it's not Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, but we're getting into the spirit with Simple Mom's Spring {Autumn} Cleaning Party. My husband's getting stuck into the guest room, I worked on the pantry today and cleaned a particularly pesky corner, and from next week I'm going through room-by-room. Bliss.

kid stuff

We had the most delicious breakfast this morning - prepared by two nine-year-olds! Our daughter had a friend for a sleepover, and upon awakening, they googled for breakfast inspiration and decided upon omelettes. After taking our orders they proceeded to whip up very tasty omelettes indeed. For each person they separated yolks and whites from two eggs and whipped up the whites till fluffy. They they folded in the yolks and two tablespoons of water. Throwing in some salt and pepper I heated the pan and let some butter brown. Then, I poured in the eggs and each girl took turns bringing the filling to the middle and pouring the top bits to the side. When it was nearly set they popped on the fillings (ranging from grilled, diced bacon, ham, cheese, olives and tomatoes) and pulled one side onto the other. I helped them remove it from the pan and then we ate the best omelettes ever.

the garden at grey gardens

I've just been on The New York Times website checking out some before and after shots of Grey Gardens. I utterly adore what they've done here. Absolute bliss.

frugal friday

Here's a weekly post for you - premiering today. Ta da, it's Frugal Friday. Each week I'll be trying something new to save money - and letting you in on the secret. Today, it's cunning ways with leftovers...

Because there are only three of us in our household {the cat doesn't really count in this instance} I tend to have leftovers from most meals. Often, because my hubby works nearby, he'll come home and we'll have a hot lunch together. But I'd like to jazz things up a little, so today we're having leftover coq au vin - soup! Because I cooked the dish in the slow cooker all the meat fell into tender shreds, and it was much more liquid than if I'd cooked it in the oven, so what I'm planning on doing is adding some extra chicken stock {in fridge!} seasoning it with more salt and pepper and simmering it for 30 minutes before serving.

Another frugal tip is with leftover wine {shut up, sometimes I have some... well, cooking wine anyway...} If it's left in the bottle it oxidises and is only suitable to make salad dressing {use it in place of vinegar}. Of course, it's an option to decant it into a smaller bottle, but who has those? The best option is to freeze it in portions, well I don't know about you, but my ice cube tray is always filled with ice cubes for spontaneous vodka tonic moments - I don't have any spares for wine. But what I do have is frozen ice block makers - you know, to make ice blocks (or ice lollies) for kids. A six pack of those is just the right size for three quarters of a bottle of red, and once it's frozen, I'll slide them out and store them in a zip lock bag so I'll have 1/2 cup red wine frozen and ready to go... Just label them so your child doesn't think you've whipped up some apple and blackcurrent ice blocks!

an ode to masterchef

As you probably know, I adore cooking shows. Coming late to the meat-cooking game, after years as a vegetarian, I'm constantly picking up new ideas. Now, one of my favourite shows is a British one {surprise} Masterchef. I la la love that show. When I heard they were making an Australian version I worried - would it be a cringe-inducing version like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy or Top Gear - or would it succeed, like Biggest Loser? Well, I reckon we have a winner.

It may have only started on Monday night but I'm already in love with the three judges - and the host? Don't get me started on her. When I heard a former magazine editor was to host I quickly put on my judgement pants - I know her as former Cosmo-editor, not a foodie journo - but within moments I was charmed. Sarah Wilson is a total delight and totally makes the transformation to telly. She's utterly scrumptious to look at, seems to have a real empathy with the contestants - and manages to read her lines eloquently {I shouldn't have to comment on that - but man, so few people can work their way around a script these days!}

The traditional format's changed to reflect a more dynamic program and I can't wait to see what the contestants come up with. So far I've yet to see a great deal of genius - in the most recent UK Masterchef I was able to pick the final three in their first round. 

Of course I'm kicking myself for not following my friend Victoria's suggestion to enter, but I still don't think I'm there. I'm a slow-cooking, long-marinating gal and have yet to devise myself a menu I could manage to complete in 30 to 90 minutes... but maybe next year...

a few of my favourite things

A swoon-worthy pantry idea if ever I've seen one - candy striped tins perfect for filling with sweet somethings...

Oh my.

perfection in pink

I needed cheering up {really bad sinus is blocking my ears making me deaf and cranky} so Mr McQueen was happy to come to the party. With such a purdy pair of electric pink pumps to carry you around, every step would have to be bliss. I hope these bring a little bit of sparkle to your day too!

They've inspired me to slick my lips with an electric shade of pink for my luncheon. I might be dressed all in black - but my lips will scream siren.

home work

Working from home it's easy to be distracted, so I'm aiming to set up my perfect home/work life. One of the things I realised that I really, really miss is regular contact with others. Just sharing a morning coffee or lunch and chatting with a friend really makes the day complete. While I get the usual "hi" and "bye" when I drop off and pick up my daughter on the school run, I miss the one-on-one time, so now I'm scheduling a regular Ladies Who Lunch catch-up with a friend. Today's our first date, so I'm hunting down a suitable café {preferably not the same one where our husbands are having their regular boy-zone!}

I'm also trying to catch up, once a week, with lovely friends for a coffee. Inviting them here, firing up the espresso machine and sitting in the autumnal sun in the pavillion is the ideal way to start off a working day. This catch-up serves two purposes: I get to stave off loneliness and feed my friendships, and I make sure the house is relatively tidy the night before so that housework doesn't distract me from paid work. Good huh!

Now, onto today's bargains... I just dropped off my gal's pile of games and puzzles at the salvos and bought myself two great working from home tops - one a pretty cream marle {does that exist? It's kinda like grey marle pattern-wise, but in cream} and the other a gorgeous rich blue. Then I saw the perfect winter working dress. Long, black, cotton/jersey. Ideal with a pair of tights and a cardi - and if I sling on some beads and slick on some lipstick I'll look tres professional. But, bargain of all bargains was a silver cocktail shaker for $3. Hello Margaritaville...

sweet dreams

How gorgeous is this bedroom? Sweet dreams must be created in such stunning surrounds. The nights have developed a chill these past few weeks, and it's almost time to bring out the cozy flannelette sheets. Mmmmmm. Is there any more joyous moment than when you first snuggle into your bed? I think not!

this

Hey, you know how earlier today I said I wanted to make a slipcover for my ugh-ly black office chair? Well I reckon this kind of thing would be perfect - except in a floral, or toille. Taking it down almost to the ground, with a bit of lace could almost make it appear as though it has these nice claw and ball feet, rather than casters... Happy!

a room of one's own

Oh my + sigh...

clutter busted

Home from her first day at school, after completing her week's worth of homework and eating a gazillion snacks, my daughter was 'bored'. So I told her to clean out her toy room - and oh boy - did she. We now have two teetering piles of games and puzzles, plus a big bag of toys, to give to the salvos. Along with bucketloads of rubbish to go in the bin and recycling. 

The toy room {effectively just a closet off the living room - not as grand as it sounds...} is now organised, clean and looks damned tidy. And hopefully, because Miss A did it herself, it'll stay that way.

My hubby's also gone through all our mags and I have a stack the height of a small child to take to the salvos as well. Any decorators in the Newcastle area should head to the Salvos in the next few days as there will be plenty of recent pickings on offer. 

I'm longing for a bit of minimalist bliss {in my more maximalist manner}. I've also decided to put redecorating the study firmly on the agenda. I want to rip up the carpets and paint the floor boards white, look into a cheap, vintage desk that I can paint white, and, eventually, have floor to ceiling bookshelves covering the walls. Now I work from home full-time I need a lovely space to create.

what a crock

Very disappointed! As I was checking on dinner's progress at lunch I discovered my bowl for the slow-cooker has developed two cracks on the outside edges - not happy Jan! When I called customer service to ask after the cost of a replacement I was informed that it would cost $49.83 for a new bowl. Considering that the whole slow cooker cost $55 on sale less than two years ago I think NOT! 

I've been careful with it, mind. It's not that cracks have developed due to my lackadaisical level of care. This is planned obsolescence of the highest order. 

So I've got my fingers crossed that the cracks don't lengthen into the bowl in this cooking - and then I'm going to think about how I can patch it until I buy a new slow-cooker - a different brand with a better bowl!

frugal foodie

My menu plan's still going along swimmingly - yay. Today, after running alongside my daughter who rode to school, I came home and chopped up food for the slow-cooker. On the menu tonight is veal ragu {because veal steaks were super-reduced - cheaper than chuck steak!}. This recipe is based on a wild boar ragu Jamie Oliver cooked on his Italian Adventure. Using white wine gives it a milder flavour than the traditional red wine - I reckon that veal and white wine are perfectly married {I used chardonnay because there was a bottle in the fridge with a glass left in it. Yeah, I don't know how that happened either...}

Veal Ragu in the slow cooker:

600 grams of veal steak, diced

2 sticks celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 bay leaves

4 slices of bacon or pancetta, diced or cubed

700g passata

1 cup white wine

Throw all the meat and veg into your slow cooker and then brown bacon in a pan. Throw bacon on top of meat and veg, and deglaze the pan with the wine. Pour in passata and then wine over the top and give it a stir. Cover tightly with a sheet of baking paper, pop on the lid and cook on low for around 6 - 8 hours. Feel like the best cook ever.

Serve over strips of pasta topped with parmesan shavings. 

eye of the beholder

I've finally got to acknowledge that I'm a bit of a princess {surprise!}. I now totally put my hand up to the fact that I need to be surrounded by pretty things - if not, I become despondent. I don't care if it's useful, or practical - I need it to look good at the same time. I went to a tupperware party recently and while I know that the products are fabulous, I couldn't buy anything because the retro-themed colours {avocado green, dark brown, mustard yellow} don't float my boat. It's why I work on a pretty iMac rather than a staid PC. I'm a pretty-ist - I might as well admit it.

However, with people, oh, with people I accept the quirks and differences {but not ugly fashion - I won't go there}. I can't abide sameness or anything bland. To me, beauty that stands out offers up a difference. Look at the editor of French Vogue - she's stunning and yet in no way a typical, pretty woman. 

On our weekend talk turned to plastic surgery. One of the women is ready for her breast reduction - which I totally understand. She's not trying to conform to a norm, just wants a life free from back and shoulder pain. However, when people start wanting to shave a little off their nose, or liposuction their thighs... that's where I have my issues. I used to loathe the bump on my nose, for years I despised it. But now, I reckon it gives me character, and balances out my features. It's my nose. I'm always sad when I see gorgeous roman noses given the ski-jump treatment - people's faces never look the same when parts of their septum are shaved away. It's the same with thighs - some of us have thin thighs, others are more generously proportioned - vive la difference...

So here's to beauty, in all its guises.

life is sweet

You know what? Life's better as an optimist. I'm not unrealistic, I'd just prefer to look on the sweeter side of life. A glass half-full is much more appealing than one that's half-empty. So even though today's monday, possibly my least favourite day of the week, I'm going to think happy thoughts {such as these pretty cupcakes - how spesh!}, get on with the unpacking from our camping, muddle through the tidying and prepare myself for my daughter's return to school tomorrow!

My hubby's taken the day off work to spend with our gal today, so I can get some work done. They're just about to start giving their bikes a wash before going for a ride. I'm loving how our camping holiday has given our daughter the riding bug.

back on track

Whew, we're back from what may quite possibly be the best family holiday. While we may have totally mis-read the accommodation information and actually requested the cabin that we'd said "Who'd stay in that?" {um, der-brains like us apparently} we still had a fabuloso time. Staying with four other fab families, we parents spent the day idling away, reading mags and books, wandering the grounds, lolling on couches... while our children spent the daylight hours either racing around on their push bikes, swimming {oh, yes, sometimes we lolled on sun lounges by the pool - supervising} or taking part in kids' club activities. We only saw our daughter a few times as various children {there were 12 children amongst us} called in for water, food or sunscreen. It was fabulous to see the kids just running free, doing the kind of random activities that we'd been able to do in our neighbourhood when we were young. Our lass is now keen to ride her bike to school, so on Tuesday we'll strap on the helmet and I'll run alongside her on the trip - benefits for two!

I'm just back from shopping after vowing to get back into the menu planning and once-per-week grocery shop. We're having roast pork {with extra crackling} and veg for dinner tonight, grilled t-bone steaks {on special} with veg and salad tomorrow night, veal ragu in the slow-cooker on tuesday {veal steaks on special}, coq-au-vin in the slow cooker wednesday, meatloaf and veg thursday and caramel chicken with rice and steamed greens on friday. I feel organised just thinking about it!

Having all my meals planned and organised also means I'll get back into my regular, daily walk - I'm thinking about just tacking it on to the end of the school run {if I'm not too exhausted keeping pace with the cycling gal}. After a weekend spent drinking, nibbling and lolling, I am keen to get a move on!

 

anzac day

It's Anzac Day tomorrow, so I'll be nibbling a biscuit or two in honour of the diggers. Last Anzac Day I had to work {newspapers only recognise Christmas Day and Easter!} and as I was walking from Central Station to my office, I saw a very old digger being wheeled down the road by his family. Bless. Next thing, I saw this utterly gorgeous bloke come running down the road and for a second, was a bit concerned that he was going to be an anti-war protester {which is admirable} and say something mean to the digger {not admirable at all}. So I hovered, just in case. 

As gorgeous young bloke came up beside digger, he bent down and said "I just wanted to say thanks Mate, thanks for all you've done." Double bless. I got very teary, and still well up thinking about it.

Now, I'm very anti-violence, and you can't get much more violent than war, but I think we need to show our elders respect - and to respect their opinions. So happy Anzac Day to all the diggers. Bless your little socks.

the great escape

See this? This is the expression of unmitigated joy and glee on my cat's face when he escaped down the side of the house today {can we pretend that the verdant weed situation is some kind of freestyle native garden?}

Mulberry is meant to be an indoor cat, but lately he's been apoplectic about that title and would prefer to be known as The Happy Wanderer. Now, if British Shorthairs weren't such good hunters I'd probably be okay with that, but the lizard population in my garden would beg to differ. After pouncing on them for about an hour, my husband came home and coaxed this recalcitrant kitty into his arms. Maybe I need to create a little kitty run for him in the courtyard - or pop him on a leash...

define camping

My husband objects to my using the word "camping" in relation to this weekend's visit to an eco-resort. I still stand by my theory that it's not in a house - but a cabin, there's a bunch of similar accommodations - with communal swimming pools etc - ergo: camping.

halston, we have no problems

Ooooh, me likey. I'm having a bit of a Halston moment - at the moment. After watching Gok's Fashion Fix, and seeing a few deeevine Halston frocks I'm harkening back to the Studio 54 era. Now, while I'm not a boot gal {I have calves and calves + boots = no} my heart stopped upon spying these. I adore the heel height, the buckles, the cutouts, the suede, the colour - delicious. I think my divine friend Ms M would look perfecto in these - particularly with her grey tulle skirt...

two much?

The whole size-ism debate has reared its lollypop head again in the US. Last year I was at first thrilled when I read Jennifer Love Hewitt's impassioned plea against size-ism, appreciating women for their variety, loving curves, or straight lines... until she said "A size two is not fat" and I did the classic quadruple take {you know, like a double take, to the max}. While some aspects of society may worship at the altar of size zero* of course they're not saying size two is huge - that's crazy! And then of course came all the calls that if JLH is a size two then her stylist has been seriously cutting out labels and replacing them with those of a size two.

Now, of course, Kim Kardassian, in what is for once, not just a bid for relevancy, has chimed in. After being featured in a mag with a caption stating she was a Forever 21 fan {a company who've now released plus sizes} she took to her blog, singing the praises of plus sizes, curvy girls... before stating that she's a size 2 - um, maybe one of her arms is... Honestly, why chime in with something like that? Why not just leave it with the praise? Why state that you're a specific size, when, really, those breasts and butt cheeks would suffocate in a size two. I have no idea what size she really is, maybe a six {I'm thinking Australian size 10 - 12} nor did I care. Once again the point becomes obfuscated by vanity.

I can't imagine a time when we'll just appreciate the wide variety of body shapes. Whether you're thin, curvy, pear-shaped, muscular, voluptuous... if you're healthy and happy shouldn't that be the ultimate, not the number on a label?

* Okay, this whole size zero thing is repellent, and I'm so glad that our sizings in Australia preclude it. What does it mean? You're so teeny that there's nothing of you! Even naturally skinny gals would be pressed to fit into a zero - instead you have the increasingly scarily thin Lindsay Lohan embodying {sic} the size zero - and with it the whole 3 Cs of the celeb diet world {caffeine, cigs, crack...} Soapbox removed.

ode to a nana nap

Oh, I do so adore an afternoon nap. I have them very rarely, say every month or two, but when I do, oh bliss. Today I finally dropped my daughter at her cousins' house for a sleepover, came back home to do some work and realised that my time would be much better spent napping - and so to bed. I slept for a little over 90 minutes and feel ever-so-refreshed.

We're off to dinner tonight, and have decided to walk down to a local favourite - Lime, a great restaurant at The Junction. I'm hoping that there's pork belly on the menu as the last few days have helped satiate my duck cravings {or at least stifle them for a week or two}. Tomorrow I'm going to sit down and work like crazy so we can head off camping on Friday morning with a clear conscience. 

I think I've also decided to re-decorate my home office. I'd love a girly, ornate white desk, to rip up the carpet and paint the floorboards white, to make a floral slip-cover to hide my ugly black office chair and to finally install a wall of white bookshelves. I think it'd make me work better - don't you?

weather tis nobler

We've had the wildest few days of weather here later. Torrential downpours that had far too many of us thinking back to the floods just a few years back. Then, when it wasn't bucketing, we had wild winds which sent our already crazy kitty into a frenzy of naughtiness. Today, however, the sky is blue and I was able to wash the most enormous amount of dark clothes - five day's worth. They're all blowing in the wind and drying nicely. Just like you can only appreciate happiness if you've experienced sadness, I believe that crazy, awful weather really helps you welcome back the good. 

Hopefully the weather will hold as we're off camping on the weekend with a few other families. Oh, and by camping I mean staying at an eco resort in cabins - I'm so not a tent gal. Actually, I'm not a shower block or long-drop toilet girl to be really specific. However, we will gather around some sort of communal camp-fire at night {even if it's only a bbq} and it's on lots of land for the kids to ride their bikes around - so really, that's camping. It's all in the definition: am I staying off-site, in a wooded area, in relatively primitive lodgings? Yes? Then it's camping.

Tonight our daughter's off to her cousin's for a sleepover, so hubby and I shall frock up {well, I'll frock up, he'll just put on a nice shirt and stuff} and hit one of Newcastle's restaurants. I'm tossing up between Bacchus and Silo, both perfect - and, excitingly, Manolo-worthy. Yes, if the weather holds my black satin Manolos will be removed from their box - not just to be gazed at adoringly, but to be worn, what all Manolos ache to do.

woo hoo drew

I caught Drew on Ellen last night, and oh, I adore that girl. I love how she's thrown herself into her character for Grey Gardens {which I will DIE if I can't find on-line - or if they don't screen it in Australia asap!} The dedication and respect she's shown to Little Edie is humbling. 

She's also a rare performer, one who's giving of themselves in order to help her film perform. Her frocks, hair and make-up during the press tour for Grey Gardens have been sublime. I can't imagine myself wearing them, but they've worked as pieces of art and the strength of her personality allows them to shine.

Drew's Oscar de la Renta frock on Ellen last night though, oh my. Delicious. Apparently they're auctioning it on ebay to raise funds for the American Humane Society - it's got to raise a bucketload of cash for prettiness sake.

study in contrast

This is one of the magnolia Little Gems that we've added to our courtyard - don't they look gorgeous against the charcoal fence? I love the rusty underside of the leaves, which is the perfect foil for the antique garden bench they both flank. Oh, and that massive white bloom? Smells like lemon sherbet...

karl's creations

Oh

My

pretty little things

We've planted the prettiest cream and lilac violas in our front garden and they brighten my life with their lovely little faces. If only I had some scented violets to create little nosegays... oh, what a life that would be.

meat market

Oh, we had such a lovely weekend filled with friends, laughter and food. Saturday night saw us get together with our dearest friends, and added some new friends to the mix - which made the evening positively pop. We laughed, chatted, drank and ate "Fred Flintstone Chops", the size of which delighted the boys, and the texture which entranced the girls. {I'm talking about the standing rib roast, cooked on the bbq - recipe a few weeks back} I'm thrilled I've finally mastered the art of cooking red meat - it's taken a while, but by jove, I think I've got it!

On Sunday my dear friend M and I went to our favourite antique store, where we fell in love with numerous bits and pieces, but I'm holding strong and only buying what I need! Speaking of what I need... is a white day bed for the pavillion. After browsing through the big antique store, we went to my favourite shop next door, Auld and Grey. The owner is a kindred spirit, and I just adore wondering through her treasures. As we were leaving I happened to ask if she had any day beds in storage, and she said "Oh, yes, I have a split cane day bed... painted white... I can bring it in on Tuesday for you!" Heart be still. So tomorrow, I'm heading over, hope in heart. Wish me luck!

Last night we had fellow francophile friends around to share our massive pack of duck confit. At first hubby and I were disappointed that it was confit duck breast, not leg, but once I opened the vacuum-sealed pack I was delighted to find breasts with skin intact, and, excitingly - bones! Just like on the real cooking shows!! I placed them on a hot oven tray and baked them in a hottish oven for about 10 minutes, before turning on the grill to crisp up the skin. {okay, salivating now at the memory}. I served it very simply with a plain potato mash and green beans, tossed in garlic olive oil and topped with roasted slivered almonds. Oh, wow. We drank a Margan Semillion with the duck and it was the perfect accompaniment, balancing out the juniper and star anise flavours in the confit in the most divine manner. 

Tonight, we'll be having the last of the duck, tough job, but someone's gotta do it. I'll serve it sliced on a julienne salad with rice noodles and an asian dressing - after the indulgence of this past weekend, a wee bit of detoxing respite is in order!

Today's a big working day for me. With school holidays I haven't managed to fit much work in. So my darling friend G is having my gal over to play with her gal. Bless. It's wild and grey and windy in Merewether today, perfect weather to plonk myself before the computer and get on with it!

chicken tonight

Why yes, a real stylist would have wiped off the smears of sauce around the outside, but let me say, free-range chicken drumsticks, in the slow cooker with plenty of sliced onions, sliced red capsicum, a tin of tomatoes, a sloosh of pinot grigio, tomato paste, olives and selected herbs and spices, then served over spaghetti = yum.

ad sense

There's an ad on tv at the moment that drives me completely insane. In it, there's a woman in a lovely house {naturally} who goes toward her bin, wrinkles her nose and sprays it with air freshener. Of course, that's not good enough says the voice over, so she reaches for her Glen 20 which kills the germs that cause the smell. Next she wafts around the house spraying the dog's bed and then a pile of stinky sports gear. 

Now, my nine-year-old saw that ad last night, turned to me with an incredulous expression and said "Why doesn't she just empty the bin and wash it out, wash the pet's bed and WASH the stinky clothes?"

Exactly!

What kind of world are we living in where spraying something is considered some kind of viable alternative to cleaning it. Gross!

couture comfort

Emily Blunt looks utterly exquisite in the pages of Vanity Fair - I think I'll be tracking down an air freighted copy of this one at Borders. I adored Ms Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada, caught her in The Jane Austin Book Club the other day while I was lying on the lounge feeling poorly - and on Sunday night, was mesmerised by her turn in Dan In Real Life. She's so transfixingly beautiful that I could watch her in anything, but what's most amazing, is that there's a bundle of talent within that glorious skin.

parterre perfection

Now that my hubby's been excavating the side yard, ready for gravel paths to be laid, I feel mere moments away from my parterre vegie and herb gardens. Having a little potager out the side of my house will be bliss. It's a pretty sunny spot, so I imagine most herbs and veg will do well. 

I'm also dreaming of an espaliered lime or lemon tree on the fence behind the garden beds - we don't have room for a full-sized tree, but if we strap it down to the fence I'll have plenty of citrus for recipes and vodka!

Now that I'm working from home I'll also have more time for watering, so raising plants from seed is an option. I'd love to look into the range of heritage veg on offer from The Diggers Club. That's their garden in the picture and I know they'll have varieties that will not only make my garden look divine, they'll tickle our tastebuds as well.

maxed out mary janes

You know what, I don't think I've featured a pair of Louboutin's on my shoe of the week - so here's la premiere. I adore the scarlet sole, but was bored to death with seeing them on every starlet's hoof around town. Now every wannabe is wearing those Vuitton numbers that look like the set of Survivor I can re-embrace Louboutin's - and what better way to do so than with these multiple Mary Janes? Classic black patent is my go-to fave for shoes, it always looks fresh. 

flat out

My daughter is not at all fond of school holidays, which is a shame, as we're currently in the midst of them. We've been trying quite a few things to keep her entertained, but doing tasks around the house seems to be top of her list. Yesterday she ironed my napkins - and did a magnificent job. Just in time for my guests who're coming up on the weekend.

Oh, and in exciting news, we've nearly finished the courtyard. We're having two plants delivered today to go either side of this gorgeous antique bench that's now sitting against the wall. It'll really make the whole yard complete. 

And yes, I will try to post some pics!

belle blanc fleurs

Foxgloves are just the most magnificent flower. With their spires towering over a metre high they're the perfect backdrop to a garden. I haven't had any foxgloves for a few seasons, and I miss their lanky prettiness - so I'm buying a punnet of white foxgloves this year, and planting them around my pink Gertrude Jeckyl rose and in front of my cream and pink climbing Pierre de Ronsard rose. The border in front is dotted with varying Iris so it should make a pretty site come next spring.

My hubby spent the whole long weekend doing some serious manual labour, getting our side yard ready for the final stage of our renovations - a drystone retaining wall, cute little shed and vegie and herb garden. Today I need to find a means of getting rid of around six cubic metres of clay that he's dug from paths. Time to dial a skip I do believe.

quick quack

Every member of my family has had a craving for confit duck recently, so short of shelling out around $35 per serve at our favourite restaurant, I needed to source some of the stuff. So imagine my delight when I was buying my coffee beans this morning and spied a pack of 10 confit duck legs at The Essential Ingredient. Apparently they freeze well, so we won't have to stuff ourselves stupid - or invite other duck-loving friends around {luckily, as our fellow duck-obsessive friends are on holiday this week - although I'm sure they'd do the eight hour drive back to share with us!}.

Now I just need to google some serving suggestions - which will be interesting as none of us are into the whole duck and fruit combo. When it comes to fruits, serve 'em to me with cream or icecream... I'm fussy that way.

grill girl

I think I've finally mastered my bbq. I've just had family to dinner, cooked up a honey and rosemary marinated butterflied leg of lamb, garlic and olive oil smashed potatoes, and tuscan spatchcocked chicken. Yummy. I par-boiled the potatoes then smashed them down with a potato masher and drizzled them with garlic-infused olive oil before putting them on the bbq hot plate to brown. The lamb was studded with rosemary, drizzled with organic honey and left to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours, before being brought to room temperature. 

I let the bbq heat up then turned off the middle two burners before searing the lamb and marinated chicken for a few minutes on the grill plate. Then I popped them in the middle, closed the hood and left them to cook for around 45 minutes. After the lamb was cooked, I took it off, covered it with foil and left to rest for 15 minutes before slicing finely. It was served with a tuscan bread and tomato salad, green salad and the smashed potatoes. Because I was feeding a crowd I made my chocolate sponge, icecream and raspberry number... Oh, it was good.

I reckon that barbeques are the ultimate entertaining accessory. Everything tastes amazing, you can leave it to cook while you chat, and it's all done in the great outdoors.

easter goodies

Hope you all have a lovely easter filled with special times with your family and friends. Wouldn't it be nice if one of said friends were crafty enough to make pretty easter decorations like these? I found them on CountryLiving.com and think they're impossibly divine.

loooooooong weekend

I'm a bit excited about the Easter long weekend - specially as my hubby's taking a five day break. We're planning a mix of relaxation and action. There's still quite a few jobs on the to-do list {as there always will be...} but we can do them relatively simply just by chipping away at it. 

It's my mum and step-dad's last night here tonight, so I'll have to plan a vegetarian feast to bid them farewell. They seem to have had a nice, relaxing week here - mum's certainly got her money's worth out of the pavilion - every day she'd sit by the pool, magazine in hand, coffee by her side. I agree that it's going to be a lovely spot for morning coffee with a warm winter sun streaming in. We've completed a few jobs with their help, and my step-dad's offered to help Matt with paving, gravelling and draining around the side of the house {one huge job left to do}. Perfect drainage is obviously essential now we get such downpours for days on end in this neck of the woods.

Easter Sunday will of course, start with an easter egg hunt - hopefully it won't rain so the eggs won't get soggy! And hopefully my daughter will sleep in a little so the easter bunny won't have to get up toooooo early...

Mum's invited my aunt and uncle here for afternoon tea, so I'll be making Nigella's scones and some rosebud madelines to tickle tastebuds. Mmmmmm.

i heart marc

Bless, it's a pair of wedges with a heart cutout - cuteness! The touch of whimsy this adds to these shoes makes me just want to smoosh Marc Jacobs, my lips always turn up at the corners upon spying his creations.

oh coco

It's impossible not to adore Audrey Tatou - so the thought of her in Coco Avant Chanel has given me chills. The film's released this month in France and is on my must-view list. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for it to hit the screens in Aus.

well dressed

I'm seasonally cleaning today. My mum and step-dad are up from Melbourne, so I've roped them into helping me do stuff that I'd prefer not to do on my own. We're halfway through washing all the crockery on my kitchen dresser, and, um, there's a lot of it. A 12 piece service, with many plates, serving bowls and dishes, platters, tea service... now it's all sparkly and clean. 

Next step is to remove all the vases, ramekins, bowls etc on the shelving above the stove... it's pretty scary up there, so I'm steeling myself. Wish me luck...

musical score

Don't you think that everything goes better with music? Shopping centres know this; that's why every time I go to Coles, I find myself humming, and often singing and dancing down the aisles to tunes that hold a special place in my past. Depeche Mode, Abba, Village People - either the person who programs the music in my local store is from my generation - or knows that I'm the core demographic and plays music accordingly. I cleaned the kitchen cupboards the other day to a stirring rendition of Elton John and Kiki D's Don't go breaking my heart, and it certainly made a drudge-ridden task flow more smoothly. It's also why you see so many people out running with iPods. 

However, my daily walk is one time when I don't need a soundtrack. Every step I take is my meditation. I walk, I breathe, I peek into peoples gardens and windows {hello, voyeurism - but only at their decorating style - I don't want to see actual people!}

I'm now feeling the urge for a big iTunes splurge. There's a few tunes that have been rattling round my head that would be much better served on my iPod. After all, I've got one final burst of painting to undertake - that needs some serious accompaniment from either some New Romantics, or 90s grunge!

colour coding

Isn't this a pretty idea. This vignette, in a farmhouse featured on countryliving.com exemplifies spring. A collection of simple bottles, that rejoice in their colours and shapes celebrate that glorious spring bloom - the daffodil. Of course it's autumn here in Aus, but still, couldn't you just imagine a bloom for every season?

zen and the art of home maintenence

I've blogged before about my loathing of certain tasks: unloading the dishwasher, packing away clean clothes... etc. But reading Buddhism for Mothers has given me an idea. When your life's busy, taking the time to do these tasks mindfully can be a great way to meditate. I've never been one to meditate - never been able to shut off my mind long enough to sit. Plus, I feel a strong urge to multi-task - if I'm sitting, I might as well be reading, and if I'm reading, I might as well be drinking a cup of tea, then I might as well think about what colour I should paint my nails...

No more. Now, I'm going to just focus on the task and be. I'm not going to be cross or cranky about it, or begrudge doing it - I'm just going to do it. I do that now with food preparation - I adore chopping, slicing, dicing, sauteeing, so why not do it with other tasks? It's just a matter of finding a method you enjoy - and doing it often enough till it becomes a habit. So I'm going to try doing things in reverse. I'll try taking the washing basket into my daughter's room and unloading her folded laundry directly into her wardrobe and drawers, before heading into our room. With the dishwasher, I'll start at the bottom shelf and unpack my way to the top. Hopefully this'll confuse my brain into setting into a new habit with glee - where I can just breathe and get on with it.

strap me in

Today's shoe of the week had to be Manolo's. My hubby's been designing wardrobes for our bedroom and showed me his plans for my 'shoe wall' and, oh my. Seriously, a wall of shoes? 

If I had some of these gorgeous critters, I'd make sure that each individual shoe pigeonhole was backlit and with a teeny glass door to keep the dust off my pretties. 

Until then, a gal can dream...

meaty moments

Well, I seem to be over my crappy cooking phase. Phew. So allow me to share with you the delicious meal with shared with friends on Saturday night. I'd bought a standing rib roast, divided into two - with two ribs in each piece. After lunch on saturday I stabbed these all over by plunging a knife into the meat and then stuffed them with slices of this gorgeous purple garlic. I popped them into the cooking trays, grated lemon zest over the top, strewed them with thyme sprigs and drizzled over some olive oil. After massaging all this in, I poured some red wine over the top and popped them in the fridge.

The night before I caramelised some finely diced french shallots, added thyme and a cup of red wine which I simmered for an hour so it was rich and reduced. I then popped that in a jar and kept it in the fridge.

An hour before I started cooking I removed the meat from the fridge to bring it to room temperature and started warming up the bbq with all burners on high. When it was time to cook, I turned off the middle two burners, brought the meat out and seared it till it was brown on all exposed sides before popping it back in the aluminium trays and placing them in the middle racks. Then I pulled down the hood, and settled back to drink more champagne. In an hour they were roasted to rare perfection {I had my trusty meat thermometer to ensure that they were} and I pulled them out onto a plate to rest. Then, in the trays with the juices, I added the red wine and shallots that I prepared earlier, deglazed and reduced for around 15 minutes.

All this was served with cubes of potato cooked in duck fat {also on the bbq} and a green salad with walnuts. The meat was then sliced into a huge Fred Flintstone cutlet each, the red wine jus drizzled over top and we all enjoyed it immensely.

After this? A chocolate tart and caramelised pistachios with vanilla icecream {I couldn't find any creme fraiche anywhere on Saturday!}. Yum.

dirty girl

How could you not want to seriously immerse yourself in household chores with products as beautiful as these? I do so adore Cath Kidston's eye for design, wandering into her store in Wimbledon my delighted peepers didn't know where to alight. 

Products as pretty as these wouldn't be stashed under the sink - they'd be left proudly on display - and I'd have no excuse for dirty dishes or stains on my clothes - now would I?

Oh, and with my in-laws on holiday in the UK... surely they could sneak me home that teensy bar of stain removing soap... Must go on-line and check out what's available and write up my begging list,

ouch

Sorry for the lack of posts today. A v bad headache's kept me away from the computer screen {but not the tv screen so I now have a new love for Ellen and Halle Berry!}

Back tomorrow with, hopefully, a clear head.

xx

due credit

Are you a credits lover or do you dash to leave your seat before the first name rolls up onto the screen? 

I'm a stick it till the end gal - for me, a movie's denouement is when the final credit has rolled. Luckily my hubby's content to sit with me - the final two patrons in a cinema, staff cleaning up the popcorn around us.

I've also started a tradition with my daughter. In the holidays she takes a friend to a kid's film and as the final credits roll, they're allowed to rush down to the front of the cinema to dance in the space below the screen while I sit there alternately reading the cast-list and smiling at their antics.

ma toilette

I love how french women attend to themselves. Dedicating a period each morning to grooming is a rather lovely way to start the day. I can be rather slapdash in that area, but am determined to allocate a little more time each day to putting myself together. I'm currently in love with a new skincare regime. I treated myself and my sad old skin to the Olay Definity range and I must say that I'm loving what it's doing. The cleanser has gorgeous little microbeads to buff away impurities and I adore the mousse moisturiser {they'd sold out of the regular stuff at Coles - obviously the advertising's paying off}. After spending too much time swimming and inadvertently sunning, dodgy blotches have taken up residence on my face. Apparently this range positively revels in fighting blotches and splotches - so, ding ding, let the first round commence!

day of judgement

Generally I couldn't give a toss what others think. Catch me on a good day and I'll simply raise an eyebrow, shrug my shoulders and not even give judgement a second thought. But this week, a few events have conspired to make me realise how judgy judgy so many women are. The whole working mum v stay-at-home mum raises vitriol and now it appears there's a new round - domestic goddesses v domestic drudges.

Obviously, if you've read a post or two on this blog, you'll know that I lurve cooking. Adore it. I enjoy cooking for my family and for my friends. It doesn't define me, but it makes me feel pretty bloody good. Sure, I work full-time {from home} but I also like to do the odd housekeepy thing. I like a nice clean sheet on a bed. I don't usually get around to making said bed until just before I climb into it again, but hey, freshly made beds every morning aren't my priority. That said, I don't judge women {or men!} for whom they are. If you leap out of bed, smoothing sheets and doonas before your feet touch the floor good for you. 

Now, how's this for a domestic moment? Last week I went to a Tupperware party {I know!} and one of the friends of the hostess brought along a lovely tray of nibbles. Delicious they were. Looked gorgeous, tasted sumptuous. I dug in wholeheartedly. However, another woman had to say, "Oh, how on earth does she find the time to make something like that?" Um, she prioritised that's how. Yes, turning up at a house with a tray of nibbles at 7pm is impressive - and laudable, not derisible.  If you're one of those people who can't do it - fine - I'm not going to judge you. If you are, again, woo hoo - no judging here.

Let's all stop, appreciate what others have done, and unless it somehow negatively impacts upon us {and not in a egotistical, jealous manner} let's just allow others to do what it takes to make themselves happy - and continue on our merry way.

raindrop rhapsody

Oh, it's raining at the moment - and more blissful timing we couldn't have asked for. My hubby had the day off so we spent the morning, after dropping our child at school, having a gorgeous breakfast at a new cafe called The Kitchen. I had a delish croque madame with chilli jam while hubby dug into some pretty spesh eggs benedict. Then we came home, hung out, then Matt went outside and pruned away in the front garden.

Our murraya is now the most perfect sphere, the buxus hedge perfectly squared off, vines have been tamed and the indigo spires is no longer taking over the perennial bed. After all that pruning it's heaven to receive a nice quenching dose of rain.

My mum and step-dad arrive on the weekend, so we're setting them to work helping us lay the stepping pavers in the courtyard and helping us finish off a few other jobs - they like to keep busy! I'm sure they'll be stunned to see how green we are in this part of NSW after coming up from their parched and charred area of Victoria. 

Ooh, rain on a tin roof - is there a more blissful sound?

pudding perfection

See this? It's pudding perfection. On Sunday we invited my hubby's sister and husband for lunch and I thought I'd make a bread and butter pudding - with croissants. Oh. My. God. Now, some of my puds have received acclaim - this received the equivalent of a 10 minute standing ovation - and it was dead-easy.

Slice up four to five butter croissants and spread them with jam - I used rhubarb spread and smoosh them into a buttered pie dish. Then mix together 3 tablespoons of caster sugar with three eggs and then add 300ml of pouring cream and 200 ml of milk. Mix until well combined and pour over the top of the croissants. Then {and here's the really yummy bit} drizzle the top with a tablespoon of golden syrup. Bake in a 180 degree oven till the top is golden and the custard is thickened - around 25 minutes. Cover it with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Serve with a dollop of vanilla icecream and bask in glory with words such as "Best pudding I've ever eaten in my life" ringing in your ears.

into the void

While I'm loving working from home, I'm not so fond of the isolation. Sending off my work via email is ever-so-handy, but it seems that people are becoming so increasingly busy that having the time to acknowledge a received email isn't happening. I'm normally ridiculously prompt answering my emails with a quick "Thanks!" - unless they're something I need to dwell on, in which case they may sit on the backburner for a while. But it seems that lately I'm spending a reasonable chunk of my working time wondering if a story or invoice has been received, dwelling on it for a week, before sending off another email to question the arrival of another email.

I wish my Mac Mail had a received mail function - where I could attach a read-receipt. But as it doesn't I think I'll just have to get over it, assume my emails have arrived and if they don't, then assume someone will ask me to send it again. I'm not taking on any more stress - it doesn't suit me. 

lift me up

I was reading Gala Darling yesterday and she had a phenomenally long list of super-cute things to do to banish the blues - check 'em out, even if you don't have the blues they're brilliant things everyone should do. 

My blues banishing list is short: find something pretty to look at. Here's my something pretty for today - Fendi sandals in my fave colour combo, and they're patent. Every frown would turn upside down with these decorating your tootsies.

web of lies

Obviously I love the internet. It fuels my working life, my social life and is a major part of my r & r, but it bugs me when it's used for evil instead of good.

The other week I needed to buy a new washing machine, and, as I was happy with my current brand (Fisher & Paykel) decided to go with their eco-friendly aquasmart washer. My mother-in-law has one and she just adores it. So off I trot to the Black Friday sales, bag myself a bargain, then come home and do something stupid. I googled it.

This caused me to happen upon a review site where page after page caused my heart to plummet - and nearly stop. Every review dripped with vitriol. The loathing of this machine was phenomenol - you'd read better press for Pol Pot. Complaints varied, and praise was thin, until I happened upon a review that urge "Read the manual people!". See, the complaints seemed to be about lint, creasing, water levels and many other issues, that yep, were covered in the manual. See, Fisher & Paykel recommend liquid - or a low-sudsing front loader powder - and many complaints were about their regular powder not dissolving. Or they'd complain about creasing - when there's a no-iron wash. Or that there were problems washing sheets - easily resolved by selecting the sheets mode. Every complaint had a ready solution - in the manual.

I've had my machine for a few weeks now and I adore it. It washes beautifully. Spins dry so well that clothes need much less time on the line. Removes stains better than before - and wishes me a nice day when it's finished. I love it, but if I'd just read these negative reviews I would never have experienced it - and would have bought a less eco-friendly machine. And would that machine have wished me a nice day? Doubtful.

So now I need to hunt out this site, and do what others have done - post dozens of posts under different names - except mine will all be singing the praises of this wonderful machine. {ps: I won't post heaps of different posts - you know I'm far too law-abiding for that!}

great expectations

There is possibly nothing I love more than having friends over for dinner. I adore planning the menu, shopping, cooking and eating and drinking with good friends. However, lately I've had a few shockers. I've never been afraid to mess up when I'm cooking for friends. They know I've tried, and if something's completely inedible, there's always enough baguette or other ingredients to go down - or champagne to wash down a total failure. But the other week I had two shockers in the one meal. The first was seriously incinerating the caramelised radishes. Of course, my friend should feel honoured that I was so entranced by her company that I allowed them to char so violently - but I was peeved with myself. Then, my bernaise sauce split - irredeemably. Poop. Luckily my rib-eye steaks were still tender, but, it shook me.

So this weekend we have good friends coming for dinner for the first time. I'm not sure why, but even though we've been friends for years, I've yet to have them over, and because it's the first time I'm a little nervous. It's Thursday and I still have yet to finalise a menu. Working backwards I'm making a chocolate tart with creme fraiche and a few rasberries. For starters I'm doing a nibbles platter with chorizo, garlicky potatoes, olives, chilli haloumi. For a main I'm making a caramelised onion and red wine reduction... to serve with something beefy - but what? Maybe a standing rib roast and roasted vegies - all cooked on the bbq? Could I? Would I? Shall I?

Oh, what the hell - it's gotta taste good. And we went to Dan Murphy's on the weekend so I have bucketloads of wine and champers to wash it all down...

coaching clinic

I'm three weeks into coaching my daughter's netball team, and loving it sick. In three short weeks I've already noticed the power of positive. When we first started I refused to hear the words "I can't" as in, "I can't shoot" or "I'm crap at defence..." I've told everyone to say, "I'm learning how to shoot," or "I'm getting better at defence". And it's worked. In those three weeks, one of my players who swore she was "crap at shooting" {ps: crap - another word I've banned, despite it being one of my faves...} has shot some goals - that's four more than she's ever shot before. Guess where her confidence level is now? I'm also teaching them that when our team has the ball, every single player on the court is an attack player - and when they have the ball, everyone is defence. I'm already seeing their confidence rise, so I want to see it continue this Saturday for our first game, against one of the best teams in the comp. Gulp.

Positive gives you power. 

bad habits

Procrastination is probably my biggest vice. It causes me angst, stress and just makes me damned annoyed with myself. For example, for a few weeks now I've had piles of, well, crap, on the floor in front of my bookshelf to the right of my desk. Some of it was good, like novels a friend had passed on, some was bad, you know, stuff you keep 'just in case' and other stuff was unidentifiably odd. Now it's gone. I sat down with a bag and ditched 90 per cent of it, then went out, put all the paper in the recyling, anything for the salvos in my salvos bag, and pitched the rest. The books went on the actual bookshelf and now it's all blissfully organised and tidy - and now I have no more reason to procrastinate.

I can't bear my habit of saying, "oh, I really must do this," and am now determined to set a time and date and get on with it. If something really bugs me, I'll do it straight away. I won't walk past the overflowing recycling bin grumbling that I have to empty it soon - I'll empty it now. If there's a sticker on the floor for some unknown reason {not totally unknown, I do have a nine-year-old} then rather than stepping over it, I'll bend down, prise it off and walk off with a free space in my mind. I know, simple, but for some reason not something I've done in the past.

Setting a few must-do tasks for each day helps. Keeping the sink clear for example has a flow-on effect that spreads through my kitchen and helps the whole thing look cleaner. Spending 10 minutes before heading to bed tidying the living room means that the mornings go much smoother. Wiping down the bathroom sink and toilet daily means no massive one-a-week effort. Same with writing up the weekly menus {yep, week two and I'm still loving it!}.

Off to start a productive day now, with my lovely tidy study helping motivate me and get me moving!

ain't life grand

When I was growing up I was lucky to have all four of my grandparents living. Actually, until I was 10 I also had great grandparents - three of them. And I saw plenty of them, which is one of the best memories I have of childhood. Every week my mum would visit her mum, my nana, and then we'd drive out to my great grandparents' house for lunch. They had the best garden, which is where my love for gardening began. You'd walk out the back and then through a gate into the secret garden, a glorious area framed by hedges and filled with flowering shrubs and rich green grass. My brother and I would play out the back before coming in for lunch. I remember always being amazed at how little my great grandmother would eat - one lamb cutlet, a spoonful of mashed potato {it seemed like a teaspoon-ful} and a little of a green veg. After lunch my great grandfather would lie in their teeny little sun-filled porch, on the floor, and have a nap. Then he'd wake up and give us a lolly from his secret stash.

We'd also spend time visiting my dad's parents. Every morning my dad would get up early and walk down the road {about a kilometre or so} to have breakfast with his mum and dad. Grandma would make fresh juice, and then serve up eggs. If we got up early enough, we could go too. I loved Grandma's poached eggs on toast with vegemite - yum. When I was really young my grandfather would get up at six, walk down the the lake in front of their house, dive in and swim for a mile. Every day. Every season. Even though he'd had a serious motor bike accident in his late teens, and had a seriously bunged-up leg, he still swam every day. It kept his body moving, and his mind active. My grandfather taught me a lot that I'm still putting into action.

That's why I'm glad that my husband's parents live nearby. I try whenever possible to involve them in my daughter's life, particularly as my parents live on opposite ends of Australia {North Queensland and Melbourne!}. At least when my parents come to visit they spend a few days to a week here, so it's a nice, intensive visit. Thinking back on my childhood has made me determined to make even more of an effort to spend extra time with Matt's mum and dad when they get back from their UK holiday. It's those simple things that create such special childhood moments and I want to do my best to ensure that my daughter's childhood memories are filled with magical moments.

global warming?

Okay, it's autumn and it's meant to be 30 degrees today. Crazy. My golden robinia out the front still hasn't lost any leaves, positive that it's still summer. The poor thing will probably just dump every leaf mid-winter, and then start sprouting new buds the next day.

My mum and step-dad arrive in a week, on their way to a kombi jaunt up north. This crazy unseasonable weather will at least mean they can take advantage of the pool. It'll be odd as they haven't seen any of our lengthy renovations - just the starting point and the end result - none of the mess in-between. We'll also be asking them to knuckle down and help us get a few things finished off. Now that the grass has settled in the courtyard we can lay the stepping pavers to the pool gate - and use the lawn we dig up to patch our front lawn with lovely Sir Walter buffalo - rather than the mutley breed we've got out there now.