Strange weather

We have been having some awfully strange weather here lately.
During the week it was lovely and then the weekend came and we had a major electrical thunderstorm on Friday night.  Yes, and i went sailing in it!

I can't describe how much fun i had... i spent most of the time on the bow of the yacht so i had to hold on tightly so i wasnt thrown overboard... rain pelting down on me...thunder and lightning all around.  Just awesome.  Sooo far out of my comfort zone it wasnt funny... and i guess thats why i liked it so much!  Here are some photos i took...

As you can see at the beginning of the race it was quite calm but with grey skies.

Then we were hit by the storm and get drenched.. but still had a fabulous time! 

Alarna lost her sailing shoes!

Then today it was a stinker!  Quite low humidity but very hot and gusty westerly winds made it very uncomfortable to be outside.  Got the washing dried on the line in not time flat though :-)  Must be weird from people overseas to see this sorta weather this time of year.  I went to the UK for Christmas one year and it snowed on christmas day for me.  WOW.  Im so used to hot days and swimming.

I swear im not cut out for this heat, born and raised here yet i sometimes think i was born in the wrong country... i have very fair skin, freckle and burn easily and find the heat extremely uncomfortable and draining.  I would like to live in Alaska or Scotland i think... where the weather is cooler... i love rainy days lol.

Busy Tuesday

Yesterday was a fun filled day for me.
I dropped the kids of at Homeday Care... you remember Renae kids????
Then i jumped on a train heading for North Sydney to meet one of my favourite authors; Diana Gabaldon.
Here is a link to her webpage: http://www.dianagabaldon.com/
I have read all her books, its a story that has now spanned 8 books and i cant wait for the rest of them. 

Thanks to my friend Renee for coming with me.  She only just started reading the books this year so has a few books to go before she finishes!  They are very big books!

Finally got home around 5pm and hubby had already picked the kids up so they were happily playing outside.  I of course rushed in the door just dying to see them, and R ran up to me for kisses but promptly ran back to the sandpit.  J finally came over, begrudgingly from Sophies house to give her Mum a cuddle!!!!

Then it was off to the final vegetarian cooking class.  Unfortunately i didnt take any photos of the meals, but i will be cooking some of them tomorrow night so i will post these Friday.  Lets just say the  Quesadillas with Guacamole was fabulous... and for dessert the apple enchiladas with pear cream was divine.  If anyone wants recipes please let me know!

Cooking, Disco's and Milestones.

Yes a lot to cover for the week that's been.

On Tuesday i went to the Vegetarian Cooking class again.  They cooked Spinach Gozlemes (my favourite), couscous and apricot pudding, Almond Horchata and various dips.

Looks delicious huh!  Next Tuesday its Mexican.

So i decided to make my own Gozleme's...

This one has baby spinach leaves, fetta, roasted capsicum and tasty cheese.

I also used wholemeal flour, extra virgin olive oil and topped with lemon juice.

On Friday night it was J's preschool's disco.  It's great fun and she gets to see all her friends and it also raises much needed funds for the non-profit school.  R loves it too of course.

I cooked a pizza last night....

Left over lamb, fetta, my baby tomatoes and snow peas from the garden, avocado, pine nuts, rosemary and oregano from my garden topped with a light sprinkle of tasty cheese.  Served with fresh baby spinach leaves.  YUM.

And the milestone goes to R.. who did his first wee on the potty!  Well done son.

 

 Hope you're not reading this when you're older and cringing LOL.

Yesterday...

We had a fun day yesterday....
I took some photos of the kids beds after they woke as they look so cuddly!

R's cot.  He still fits so we will leave him be for the time being!

J's bed.  Can it be pinker... or more princessey?

R has just woken up and they both have their Pooh bears to cuddle.

A very dear friend of mine was diagnosed with Leukemia earlier this year.  I have know my friend, L, for 18yrs now and she has been one of my best friends and such a great person to be around.  When she was diagnosed with Leukemia it was such a shock to all but we knew she would fight it... and she did!  Yesterday while visiting me she got the phone call saying she is in remission.  A few tears were shed... and few hugs were had. 

 

A glimpse of the white tube in the chest... its comes out on the 1st December! YAY!

During the week i donated some blood to the Red Cross and its something i will now do every 12 weeks.  I found out that Leukemia patients need blood transplants after nearly round of chemotherapy.  So thats a lot of blood!  It's just so easy to give..... and thanks to other donors, my beautiful friend is alive and healthy today.

Ladies Day Sailing

On Sunday, our sailing club held their annual Ladies Day Sail...
The men can sail too of course but they must look after us and bring
a plate of food to the party afterwards.
This years theme was the Melbourne Cup i.e horses and hats.

What a fabulous Horses head Alarna, well done!

And amazingly he stayed there the whole race...

The hats were great too.

That hat didnt want to stay put!

Crazy boys.

Me and Alarna with her horses whip lol

 Popping my head out of the cabin

Back at the club.  J with the horses head and tail.

Still cant believe they both stayed in perfect condition

throughout the race.

Food glorious food!

I love cooking and i love eating!!!
I also love my vegie and herb garden here's some more food recently picked from the garden...

(btw: those cherry tomatoes were self-sewn, dont know where they came from but just popped up amongst the strawberries one day LOL.  So last weekend i cleaned them up and watered them and they are pumping out the tomatoes like there is no tomorrow!!)

The snowpeas went on to make my favourite stir-fry: 

Which is bascially chicken, snow peas, chicken stock, onions, garlic and cashews. 

So easy yet so delicious!

Happy customer number one... nearly finished the ice cream and sprinkles.

Oh yes definately satisfied customer number two!

Jacaranda Trees

I love this time of year as we have so many Jacaranda Trees everywhere!  I was surprised to read they aren't native, the word Jacaranda sounds Australian for some reason... i suppose like the word Jackaroo.
Anyway i took some shots of some trees yesterday from my trusty mobile phone camera...

 

 

They are so beautiful and im sorry my phone doesnt pick up the

vibrant purple colour that can clearly been seen in person. 

My daughter loves them too and always yells out when she sees another tree.

Today's photo theme: Temper Tantrums.

Hi Kids...
Today's theme is temper tantrums.
Of course, you are the most perfect children...
BUT sometimes you would test my patience and if a camera was available i would happily click away.
99% of the time you are happy little chaps...and then theres times like these..

We were at a Macca's party and i cant quite remember why you had a tanty...

but you recovered quickly enough!

 

 

Oh J... wonder what happened here.  You didnt look too happy did you!

 

This is at playgroup one day.  Obviously you didnt get your way and threw yourself on the ground.  Thats my left foot getting in nice and close for a shot!

 

 OK so R  you are only a baby but you didnt look like you were enjoying this cuddle with Daddy and big sister.

Well kids these are the only tantrum photos i could find, so im not that horrible a mother and took heaps.  I have thousands of happy shots which will come later.  Love Mum xx

Cooking classes

Firstly i must say that i am NOT a vegetarian but i do like eating lots of healthy food and trying new foods.
So when i saw in the local paper some info about a vegetarian cooking class just near where i live i couldnt say no.  I also told me friend Suzanne about it.. and since she has just moved in with her vegetarian boyfriend i thought she might learn from this too.

The first week they cooked Lentil & Walnut Loaf, Sausage Rolls, Cranberry Walnut scones and broccoli salad.  YUM YUM YUM.  Sorry no photos but gee they tasted fabulous.

This week we ate Vegetarian Hokkien Noodles, Malaysian Satay and Sticky rice and mango.

 

 

Taken on the mobile so not really clear sorry.

We dont get to cook these ourselves, the chef stands at the front of the class while we all sit and watch.  After the demonstration, food is brought out in huge platters for everyone to try.  For $7 i get to watch the food being cooked, take home the recipes and best of all get to eat dinner.  There is sooo much food i love it!

Have some people lost their minds?

OK
I will be honest, im not THAT into Christmas sorry.  I find it too commercialised and just a little bit silly!!! 

What i do love is spending time with my family and giving my kids presents and passing out with the heatwave in the afternoon... you know the drill (unless you are from the UK, USA etc when you have snow - too strange for me to think about lol).

But honestly, i think some people have lost their minds!  Theres a house near us that has (i will admit) fantastic christmas decorations.  BUT they started to put them up 2 weeks ago.  When it was still October.  Give me a break!

Can you see the reindeer on the roof?

That in itself is a bit of a crack up. 

Its 33C (91F) and all our decorations are for the snow!!!

Took this on my mobile while driving very slowly past.

Missed most of the house lol.

I will post more photos in DECEMBER when they have the lights on.

To my children...

Hi kids,
When i first started to write this blog i did it mainly for family and friends who live distances away and couldnt see you all the time.

Then, i thought gee it would be fun to meet some new blogging friends on here (and i luckily have and hopefully many more to come in the future years...)

It was only recently that i realised that the most wonderful thing about this blog, is that is a diary for YOU TWO.  You can see the date, see the photos and some small description from me of what we are up to at this stage in our lives.



So J, when you read this know how much i love you and you are the most wonderful daughter a mum could ask for.  You have your own sense of humour and are so sweet and kind and loving.  Not to say you dont drive your mum and dad crazy ocassionally, but know that we love you dearly.

Minutes old but two weeks late!

4.36kg (9pd 10)

57cm long

We got you home and didnt know what to do with you!!!

We layed you in your cot and just stared and stared.

My big girl now.

What a spunk!

R, my baby boy.  You entered the world at 10pounds (and 57cm)and you havent looked back since LOL.   You are full of energy and like to already eat us out of house and home at only just past 2yrs old.  I look forward to being your "Mumma" for many years to come.

You entered the world not breathing and i in those few seconds it

took for the doctor to resusitate you were the longest few seconds

of my entire life.

You have always been a great sleeper... and eater.

I breastfed you to you were 2yrs old.

So happy and healthy and  my (big) baby boy.

Using the growth charts you have always been

above the top line in a % all of your own!!!

Love you both xxx