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.

 

screen time

I must see this. After happening upon the actual Grey Gardens one evening, I've developed an obsession. As soon as I heard that this film was in development, with Drew and Jessica Lange, well, I died. However, after squealing my way through the trailer last week I was devastated to learn that it's screening on HBO - and do we have an HBO in Australia? I think not. Please tell me that someone's picking this up to play in Aus... Someone? Anyone? C'mon, if only for the fashion! {and those roses in the background, oh my}

monday moaning

Mondays always bug me, but I'm determined to get over it. So today, I started off well. I washed up the remainders of last night's feast, rinsed too many bottles and popped them in the recycling and put on a load of sheets. I arrived at the laundry just in time to see my load finished and to discover that my machine tells me to "have a nice day". Why, thank you, I will! I've also written up this week's menu plan all ready to take to the supermarket later this afternoon. Organisation is the best drug.

All this busyness put me in a really good mood. So good that even though I'm still chasing the only person I need quotes from for a story, and she STILL hasn't got back to me a week later, I'm okay with it. It'll come. I just need to do whatever I can to get them. It'll happen. Oh, and I feel so good that even when my husband emailed me to say that someone had smashed the quarterpane in his car I didn't scream in frustration, or curl into a ball of angst, I just called my mechanic and asked for a recommendation and now have a guy coming to fix it in the morning. 

I know why they broke in - my daughter had left one of her handbags on the backseat and they obviously saw it, broke in, and then were sorely disappointed with its contents {oh, and they were blokes because I found, lying next to it in the gutter, a pretty pink Chanel lipgloss that my daughter had obviously 'borrowed'...}. Live and learn. I know never to leave anything of value on display in a car - but I didn't even think that a child's bag would fool someone - except maybe a drunk thief...

So now I'm about to get stuck into work, stuck into the PR gal who needs to get me these quotes and get on with it all. After all, it's a glorious day... who can't be happy? And I'm super-happy knowing that I'll be sleeping soundly on freshly washed sheets, dried in this glorious autumnal sunshine. What's better than that? Ah, that would be nothing!

cheezburgers anyone?

I reckon I've had about 20 or so cats in my lifetime, but none have had such a love of lying prone, fluffy tummy exposed, as Mr Mulberry Toulouse. It gets me every time, despite his naughtiness and total disdain for my existence.

See, cats love me. I go for a walk, cats come sprinting into their front garden, knowing I'm a sucker for a good patting session. Every cat I've ever owned has adored me - except this little blue number. Mulberry's a daddy's boy, and if he can't have Matt, he'll take our daughter. Me? I'm just the staff - I feed him, water him and change his kitty litter. Maybe that's it - a disdain for those "downstairs". When we bought him his registered name was Lord Rajah... Typical upper class...

Actually, I think he's warming to me - two years on. He probably realises that as I work from home I'm his best option for daytime affection. The other day he actually plonked himself down next to me and allowed me to scratch his head for around five minutes. Yep, I'm blessed.

oh baby baby

This was my lunch - blackened baby barramundi on a salad of leaves, tomatoes and bread - with a lime mayo. Oh baby. It was divine! My hubby had a fabbo pasta with prawns and baby calamari, which was utterly perfect. Even served on plastic plates it was mouthfillingly beautiful.

blue hues

How pretty is the sky today! I had to take this shot of two of my gorgeous red roses against the perfectly azure hue. Seriously, my roses at the moment are just kicking serious butt - gorgeousness! We're having a pretty spesh sunday. After breakfast we walked down to a friend's house and then meandered down to the Wine and Waves festival at the beach. There we had a few glasses of wine {rosé, verdello and semillion were the tipples of choice between us} and then a plate of delish food from a stall set up by our fave restaurant. Then home for a swim, a few chapters of a new book, coffee, and now it's nearly time for another swim. Maybe we'll get some gardening done - or maybe I'll just content myself with having a blissful day of rest.

self-sufficiency

I believe in teaching children cooking skills from an early age. For a start, it shows them the whole store to table process that food goes through, they develop an understanding of the basics, and they're more likely to eat what they've prepared themselves. 

My nine-year-old and her friend are on the back veranda eating scrambled eggs that were totally completed, go to whoa, by the girls {Annabella took great delight in showing Hollie all the steps}. They're smooth, creamy and delicious and would give Bill Grainger a run for his money {Annabella follows Bill's method, but doesn't need to use a cookbook anymore.}.

I keep reading about a generation of people growing up without the most basic of domestic skills, of being unable to identify the most ordinary vegetables {when there are kids who can't identify a potato you've got a problem}. That's so sad. There's nothing more satisfying than choosing a delicious, nutritious meal, shopping for the best ingredients, preparing it and serving it up. I adore the challenge of coming up with new ways to 'eat a rainbow' so we get all the nutrients we need.

Tonight our nephew's coming to dinner so I'm making my new love - rib eye steaks - on the bbq and serving it with fresh beetroot relish and a rainbow 'coleslaw'. I've got red cabbage, spanish onions, carrots, zucchini and walnuts for the salad - and I'll dress it with a red wine vinegar and chilli dressing. Yum.

job lot

We've been spending most weekends just pottering away at the odd job. Last weekend I went through my piles of mags and got rid of two categories {apparently so our cat Mulberry could have somewhere new to rest his head!}. This weekend we're heading outdoors to de-weed the construction debris down the side of the house. We'll slash it all down just in time for the green waste collection next week. Then it's time to work out what to do down there. I'm hankering for some soil to plant some herbs and veg - and maybe even espalier a lemon and lime tree along the fence... In time.

all white now

Is there any such thing as too much white? We're tossing up what to do with the decking in the pavillion by the pool. Paint it white, leave it to weather to grey {and introducing a new entrant in the mix} paint it grey...

Oh, and I need that sofa/daybed, although I have a sneaking suspicion it's a v pricey Lloyd Loom kinda number. Can I find something similar, pile it with cushions and still feel the love?

just wow

As an avid booklover, my dream is to have bookshelves everywhere an eye can alight. So, ahem, how cute is this reading nook? I found it on Black Eiffel today and am beyond smitten. Am really in a decorating mood {but should probably do a little cleaning and tidying first...}

dare to dream

I think I could live like this...

write way

I may only be a few days into my whole menu-planning scenario - but I'm liking it. Earlier this week I devised a week's worth of meals, wrote them in a word document and allocated a day of the week to them depending on degree of difficulty and time requirements {busy days meant an early start with the slow-cooker - or a quick 15 minute kebab and salad dish}.

Under this I wrote out a shopping list for each meal and then went to the supermarket to buy all the essentials that'd keep for a few days {most veg, tins of beans, tomato passata...} and I'm buying any remaining fruit and veg fresh every few days. Well, it's worked, I haven't hit Coles for a few days which means I'm not spending up big. We've had really yummy meals - remind me to post last night's chorizo pasta bake - omg. And I feel organised and in control. The best part is not having to do ask myself that endless "What shall we have for dinner tonight?" question - cos you already know it.

Tonight's dinner's easy - sausage sandwiches at the school's family disco. What a way to start a weekend. Oh, and Saturday, as we're off to our fave nursery to look at plants and a couple of stores to look for a daybed for the pavillion, I'm making chilli con carne in the slow cooker. I haven't had this childhood fave for yonks, so am really looking forward to a steaming dish served with brown rice. Heavenly... Sunday night we've got our nephew coming for dinner. He's a big, body building bloke so he's easy - a big rib eye steak on the bbq with a big salad will serve him well. Oh, and plenty of beer - he's a boy that's not big on sweets.

Oooh, I do love a friday. Off to walk down the road to watch my gal singing in the choir. Cuteness!

stew hoo

Last night's stew was delicious. Here it is, freshly served, with steam rising from the most tender and moist meat to ever grace a plate. Here's how I made it in the slow cooker:

Beef and guinness stew

1kg of chuck steak, cut into mouth-sized chunks, fat removed

1 onion, finely diced

1 stick celery, finely diced

1 carrot, diced

275ml guinness or dark ale

275ml of beef stock

2 bay leaves

2 tbs of tomato paste

a good sprinkling of dried, mixed herbs.

Throw everything into the slow cooker, give it a stir then place a sheet of baking paper over the top, tucking in the edges. Cook it on low for 7 hours, then remove the lid, take off the paper, turn the heat to high and stir. Add cornflour {I added about 4 tsp mixed with water to a runny paste} and stir well. Throw in some salt and pepper. Leave on high for around 30 minutes, or until thickened. Serve with mashed potato, and, if you remember, some freshly chopped parsley. Bask in adoration of husband who thinks it's the most tasty stew you've cooked. Have leftovers on toast for lunch the next day and feel like Nigella's smarter sister!

beady eyed

Rushing to get out the door on the school run, I had to stop to untangle a set of bead that had been entwined through one of the many that hang on my hall stand. "Why do you always have to wear beads?" my daughter asked, and it made me think. I believe that beads are the punctuation point to my outfit. I no longer have my ears pierced, only wear a rose gold wedding band, and bracelets tend to get in the way of typing and other daily activities. But beads can dress up an outfit no end.

I don't have any expensive beads, I think the most pricey were a couple that my mother bought me for my last birthday, and maybe my nanna's old crystal beads. However, in the old cost-per-wear category, some of my beads are now paying me. I'm wearing a long strand today that's varying shades of green 'glass'. Each bead is a different size, and shade, and looped around my neck twice is the ideal option with any oufit. Today I'm wearing a sky blue tank from French Connection {originally, but bought at the Salvos...) and a white skirt with a blue and green floral print - the beads bring it all home.

On the mum's night out last friday I wore a simple black dress, but jazzed it up Chanel-style with a long strand of faux pearls and layers of black beads. Tres magnifique.

I can go out without lippy {but probably not lip balm}, don't fret if I've forgotten my mascara {that's what tinting eyelashes is for!} but if I leave without beads - well, I feel half naked. What's your outfit punctuation point?

home scents

Yesterday I discussed annoying ads, and ads that always irk me are ones for spray home fresheners. Erk. I reckon that if your home is clean, and preferably cleaned with scrummy essential oils, then it should smell fresh - particularly if you open some windows to let more freshness in. Don't get me wrong, I have my room sprays - lavender in the bathroom, peony on my desk, vanilla in the living room, rose in the bedroom... but these are all gorgeous scents and I don't use them to cover another smell, I just use them to add a punctuation of pretty after I've finished cleaning.

At the moment my home has the best scent of all - my beef and guinness stew bubbling in the slow-cooker. Can you imagine the bliss when we come home after netball training to be welcomed with such a homely aroma? Personally I love a cooking smell, which is lucky because as it's over 100 years old my home tends to retain aromas - and I love reminding of that delicious lamb roast, or the caramelised onions for a frittata, or even the coffee the espresso machine pumps out at regular intervals. 

Oh, and at the moment I have so many lush roses blooming after their summer prune that even one house away their aroma starts to blossom and by the time you walk through my front gate you're enveloped in their heady perfume. Bliss.

life lessons

As I mentioned yesterday, we're in frugal mode. Yep, lock down those purses, put away the credit card and scrimp and save every penny. Luckily for us it's out of want, not need. Having finally renovated the backyard after seven years of living with a useless eyesore the red side of our bank balance is exceeding the black. So we're tightening the budgetary belts to help pay it off.

The best part of it is, that it's a really good opportunity to teach our daughter some financial skills. She's only nine, so the lessons are small, and never preachy, but I think you can never learn financial nous too early. When I was young I always learned to save for what I bought, and with the exception of our house, and renovation, I've stuck with it. If we don't have the money, we put off the purchase - unless it's an emergency like a hot water service {two years ago} which is when we dive into the emergency reserve.

So, about my child... At the moment we're reading Milly Molly Mandy, the most delightful girls stories on the planet. Milly Molly Mandy lives with her mother, father, uncle, aunty, grandma and grandpa in a white thatched cottage, and in last night's bedtime story, finally got a bedroom of her own in the loft. They painted the walls pale primrose, died some old curtains and her coverlet green, grandpa came home with an old dresser {again, which they painted green} and aunty and uncle donated their old mirror. Milly Molly Mandy was delighted! Now, none of this stuff was new or purpose made, it was all adapted, or they made do. In Annabella's room she has a wardrobe, painted white, that's been in my husband's family for decades. Her dresser is an old 60s chest of drawers, painted white with new glass handles and her desk, used to be her aunts when she was a lass. Her sheets and doonas are new, but she knows that these things are all perfectly serviceable - we just needed to tweak them to suit her.

When it comes to shopping she helps me spot the items on sale and we'll often refrain from buying something as it's too expensive, or we can't afford it. Kids need to know that instant gratification isn't sustainable, or even desirable. When I went to Uni I wanted to buy a second hand computer so I borrowed $1000 from my grandfather and paid him back, with interest, in twelve months. Sure, he could have waived that interest, but he was teaching me a lesson - if you borrow money it always costs you more.