Wordless Wednesday...

This is a cross stitch that I have hanging in my bedroom. I love it.

Teacup Tuesday...

This is a teacup, saucer & plate set (Royal Albert "Serena") which belonged to my maternal Grandmother.

I love the delicate rose pattern. It is quite well worn so she must have used it quite often.

Cheers - Joolz

The Simple Woman's Day Book....

For today - Monday, October 27, 2008

Outside my window... cars stream by and there are children playing in the school yard opposite my work.

I am thinking... what on earth can I cook for dinner tonight?!

I am thankful for... my washing machine. It wigged out last night, overflowed for no apparent reason, flooding my laundry. Today, it is working perfectly and has done 5 loads. Go figure.

From the kitchen... cooked really good pancakes yesterday morning for B15's friends. Maple syrup or Lemon & sugar. Yum!

I am wearing... coffee coloured capri pants, navy shirt and navy slides. My work attire.

I am creating... christmas presents for my sisters. I have all the supplies now so I can finish them.

I am going... to my Mum's after work. She needs her air conditioner filters vacuumed and then I am taking her out to the cemetary to put flowers on Dad's grave.

I am reading... the 3rd book in a series by Stephenie Meyer - Eclipse. I have already read Twilight and New Moon. All about teenage vampires and werewolves. Fascinating, page turning reading.

I am hoping... to have some more time off work this week. I like having the mornings home to potter and just do things as they need doing. See a dirty mark on the wall - clean it off!

I am hearing... the cleaner at work, she is washing the coffee cups.

Around the house... my garden is looking a little neater, A mowed the lawns yesterday so they look neat. A few more hours weeding out the back and it will look good again.

One of my favourite things... watching B15 hang out with her friends. They are a great bunch of girls and are very amusing to listen to and they genuinely like being around her.

A few plans for the rest of the week... just hoping for a few mornings off to potter, B15 has an orthodontist appointment on Thursday and I must look up some baby photos for K17 so she can plan her 18th Birthday invitations.

Here is a picture I am sharing...

Looks like I am getting the hang of adding pictures...

Cheers for now - Joolz

My baby turned 15 !!!!

It was B's 15th birthday on Thursday. We went out for dinner in Mt. Gambier at the Vanilla Bean Cafe - delicious! Then on Saturday, she had 6 friends come over and sleep in our new shed.

They are a nice bunch of girls but they had me running, keeping them fed! They consumed popcorn, savoury biscuits, M&M's, chocolate fondue with strawberries and marshmallows, 3 layer ice-cream cake (homemade with smashed Clinkers, Crunchie and Maltesers - oh yes, it was goooood!), chips, puffy dogs and chicken crunchies - on Saturday - then on Sunday I did pancakes for breakfast then we had a BBQ for lunch. They were all gone by about 3.30pm on Sunday but the house was dishevelled.

I have just finished tidying up, the kitchen is back to normal, walk-in linen press is tidy, putting away sleeping bags, folding sheets, laundry is on the 4th load with about 4 more to do - because I didn't do any Saturday or Sunday.

I think for her 16th we will go to a restaurant with a few of her friends and that will do it. I just don't have it in me. And I still have to get thru K17's 18th birthday in November. No idea what we are doing for that yet. I think we will book out a room at a pub, guests can pay for their dinner and we will pay for drinks. No tidying up afterwards, just leave! :)

Well, must hang out another load - I've had the morning OFF - then get ready for work at 1pm. When I get home it's more laundry, folding, put away, plan dinner, take B15 to basketball, make dinner, tidy up then bed. Phew!

Cheers - Joolz

Just call me butter...

...'cos I'm on a roll !!

Now that I have mastered sewing (ha!), in the next few weeks I intend :

1. to make soap and liquid soap
2. to make a loaf of Barmbrack bread
3. to do a small patchwork project - if B14 can do it, so can I!
4. to finish off a stitchery that I started (Rhonda Jean's design)
5. to make Lemon Cordial - very refreshing.

That might keep me busy for a while.

'A' and I went to a lovely brunch at a winery in the Coonawarra today. It was a great day, meeting people we knew and making new aquaintences.

Now we are back home (K17 picked us up as we had a few wines) and deliberating over the chinese menu for dinner. I feel like I have had a day off today. Back to reality tomorrow!

Cool and only about 16C here today, although the rain stayed away. A sprinkle would be nice.

Until next time -

Cheers - Julie :)

A sewing I will go...

Wow! I am feeling like the cat that swallowed the canary! In a single afternoon, I have completed presents for my 4 older sisters for Christmas. Each year, we pick a theme and hand make the presents. Last Christmas we made presents made from 'paper'. This year the theme is 'anything made from fabric'.

To anyone who sews, this would be very easy and many ideas would spring to mind immediately. I can only sew straight lines and even then they are a bit wobbly so the simpler the better.

I have seen so many ideas on different blogs but they are mostly outside my skill level. Anyway, I finally chose a project, easy enough for me to attempt. I am thrilled - each of the four projects turned out and I got better as I went along. I amazed myself!

All that is left for me to do is to get ribbon of different colours on Monday and finish off the items totally and print out a poem that goes with it. Can't wait to see the finished articles, ready for wrapping. :) Oooh, and it's only mid-October. The pressure is off!

I even offered to make similar pressies for k17's 3 female teachers. She thought that was a great idea. B14 might like a couple for her teachers as well. There is no stopping me now.

My other thought for a pressie was:
1 linen teatowel - either applique a heart/flower on it in contrasting material
Then make small batches of eg. tomato chutney, lemon butter, spice rub for meat, small
bottle of home made lemon cordial, small batch of my Melting Moment biscuits or Rocky Road. Buy a $2 gift box from cheap shop, lay teatowel inside and fill box with goodies.

That might be something I could make my Mum and Mum-in-law.

I'll try and post a photo when I've got them properly completed and tweaked. For some reason, a photo takes about 10 minutes to load so it is a tedious process.

Till then,

Cheers - Julie

Spring has Sprung...

It is an absolutely beeeeautiful day here in Millicent. Around 23degreesC, bright sunshine and barely a breeze. Gorgeous! But I am stuck in the office today. :(



I spent most of yesterday in my back garden, weeding and cutting back some plants. My roses look healthy but have some aphids on them so I must deal with them. I bought two 'Strawberry' pink agapanthus plants which I split into 6 plants and dotted them through the garden bed. They will thicken up and mingle with the other things growing there. I filled our 'green waste' wheelie bin with weeds so I was feeling very pleased with myself. The aching muscles came later! Dinner was chicken & bacon in a Dolmio Red Wine sauce, parm cheese and kaiser bread rolls. Easy and satisfying.



Ande at The Burger Six had been tagged with an interesting list to complete. Here I go...



8's GALORE



8 TV shows I watch...



1. Packed to the Rafters (Aussie dramedy (drama/comedy)

2. Spicks & Specks (Aussie music quiz show)

3. Hairy Bikers Cookbook (They're big, sweaty and hairy but they know how to cook!)

4. Gilmore Girls (got all 7 seasons on DVD so it is constantly playing on one TV or other)

5. Cook & The Chef (Aussie cooking show - lovely Maggie Beer & Simon Bryant)

6. Good News Week (Aussie satire/news/comedy show, dissects the current news in a funny

entertaining way - great laughs)

7. Dancing with the Stars (Aussie version at the moment - 1 hour of glamour and sequins. Cha

Cha Cha!)

8. Can We Help? (Aussie Question/Answer, general trivia, word origins/history, find my missing

loved one etc.)



8 Favourite Restaurants...



1. Sorrento's - Mt Gambier

2. Belgiorno's - Mt Gambier

3. Sage & Muntries - Mt Gambier

4. McDonald's - Mt Gambier (fancy having to drive 50kms to go to McDonald's!)

5. Concubine - Adelaide (Chinese cuisine at the next level)

6. Live Bait - Melbourne Docklands

7. Milano Cucina - Adelaide

8. Amalfi Ristorante - Adelaide



8 Things that happened yesterday...



1. I went for a 5 km walk with KP and K17. It was chilly.

2. I tidied through the house and it looked great.

3. I re-did my entrance way, using a 1/2 round table my sister gifted me. Re-arranged

ornaments on it. Pleased. :)

4. Got out in the garden and put in about 4 hours of weeding and planting.

5. Folded washing and put it away. Always a good feeling.

6. Cooked dinner - as above

7. Watched Hairy Bikers and Cook & The Chef

8. Fell into bed with aching muscles from said gardening.



8 Things I'm looking Forward To...



1. Harvesting the salad lettuce's that I planted out yesterday.

2. Sunday in the Coonawarra at a wine brunch and tasting day.

3. Having my nails done next Thursday. I have a damaged one and it's driving me crazy.

4. B14's birthday on Thursday 23rd. Then she will be B15! Mwa mwa, love you, Breeza Bear!

5. Dinner in Mt Gambier for B14's birthday. No dishes! Yay!

6. More of this weather. It is great living weather.

7. K17 finishing her exams in mid November. Good for her to get it out of the way.

8. K17's Yr 12 Graduation Dinner in November. I hope it is a good night for her.



8 Things on my Wish List...



1. New digital camera, with SLR and macro lens so I can compete with other photographers

on their blogs.

2. Getting my home-made presents sorted out for my 4 sisters for Christmas. I have an idea

of what I want to make but now I need the time to get them done. Wish me luck.

3. More of this weather!

4. A few more days off work. It is a bit quiet at the moment so I hope to have the odd day off.

5. I hope the world economy levels out soon. It all seems a bit crazy/scary at the moment.

6. I hope the American people get the President they voted for. I am not sure that is what

happened in Australia at the last election with our PM.

7. The kids helping around the house a bit more. Would'nt it be nice...

8. A healthy, happy family and good friends around me. Goodness me, I think I have nearly

everything I need.

That was fun, give it a try yourself.

Cheers - Julie

Rippa Rissoles....

This is what we are having for dinner tonight. They are Rippa Rissoles from the Annette Sym 'Symply Too Good To Be True 4' recipe book. This is how I prepare them.

Serves 6: (best refrigerated 2 hours before cooking)
1/2 cup raw brown rice
3/4 cup carrots, grated
3/4 cup zucchini, grated
1 small onion, finely diced
500g very lean beef mince
1 tspn beef stock powder
2 tblspn oyster sauce
1 sachet Spring Veg Cup-a-soup (Continental brand)
1 egg white
pepper to taste
cooking spray/little oil

Cook rice until tender. Rinse and drain well. Place vegies in micro bowl and zap for 2 mins to soften slightly. In a large bowl, combine cooked rice, the vegies, meat and remaining ingredients. Use your hands to achieve a good consistency with the rissoles. Shape 12 patties. Refridgerate for a few hours before cooking. Generously coat a large non-stick frypan with cooking spray (I use a little olive oil too) and fry 3-5 minutes each side or until cooked through and browned on both sides. Serve with tossed salad or mashed potato and veg.

Variations: replace beef with lean chicken, lamb or pork mince.

These are very tasty and my fussy girls eat them everytime. They are quite good cold the next day, sliced up in a salad sandwich or roll.

Annette has 5 books out and they are full of homecooked recipes which she has modified to be low fat, low GI, low salt and low sugar - without compromising the taste!

Ideal for Diabetics and those who want to watch their weight without starving. These recipes are not bland or boring.

This is the link to her website: http://www.symplytoogood.com.au

Hope you have all had a great day. It was a lovely sunshiney day here with the night about the set in cool.

Cheers - Julie

Ford wins Bathurst 1000!!!

Just watched Ford win Bathurst 1000 (V8 SuperCars)! A great result for Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

I haven't got up to much today.

7am - got up and made a batch of Melting Moments for my eldest sister M who turns 57 today! I bought a nice plate and put the biscuits on it and did it up with celophane and ribbon. Also included 2 acrylic wine goblets, one filled with after-dinner-mint chocs and the other with 2 small tubes of hand cream (ideal for handbag etc) together with a cute bath bomb, all wrapped in cello. Looked a treat. I took my Mum78 around to M's for a coffee this morning at 10am so we had a good catch up and yack.

Term 4 school starts tomorrow with only B14 going back. K17 only has a tutorial here and there now until Week5 when exams are on. B14's uniforms need taking down a bit, she has grown since end of Term 1. She alternates between PE uniform and normal so will get my sister J to hem them for me. Mwa J! :)

Here's what I've been up to:

Doing- washing, ironing uniforms and A's shirts, tidying. Tomorrow the pantry gets a birthday! Big chuck out!

Reading - nothing the past few days but I am into the 2nd Stephenie Meyer book, New Moon. Finished Twilight in just over a week - very good.

Hair colour - had blonde streaks last Thursday so that brightened me up a bit. I have very short hair.

Computer - behaving fairly well today - hopefully it will let me publish this post before it sh*ts itself. Hee hee!

Watching - tonight is the premiere of US Kath & Kim. Will wait with mixed reaction I'm sure. Love Aussie K&K - hilarious!! ....then Dancing with the Stars, then Shall We Dance with Richard Gere and J-Lo. A good night on the couch.

Dinner - some good Scotch fillet steaks, BBQ'd alah A, potato bake and tossed salad. Glass of red or two. Yum!

Outside it's - been really warm today but very windy, change brewing. Great washing day, aired the bedding and washed sheets and quilt cover. Lovely.

In my washing machine - is another load of bath towels. They breed in the laundry, I am sure!!!

I love - my husband A, K17 and B14! And the rest of my big family and I love days like this where there is no pressure to do much at all, except what gets done. Yay!

My Wish For YOU - Sunny days, star filled skys and cool crisp nights!

Cheers - Julie ;)

A Quick Road Trip...

K17 and I zipped to Adelaide yesterday so she could attend a Tuition School tutorial this morning. Hopefully it will help her with her Yr 12 exams coming up. She did 3 tutes (Chem & Geog) last week but missed the first Geography one because our plane was delayed last Monday. So a quick road trip (400kms each way) was in order. I need the practice of driving to Adelaide as K17 is 'hopefully' heading to Uni next year. I have always relied on 'A' when we drive to Adelaide and I don't know my way around very well. So this was about the 4th time I've driven around Adelaide by myself. Phew - a few white knuckles but otherwise not too bad! :)

When she is in Adelaide next year, I can zip down with B14 anytime the need arises for girl time (okay..at designated mum breaks during the term... maybe she'll need some home made lasagne, choc chip cookies, melting moments, spag bol...) nah, I think she'll be just fine. For a country girl, I think she'll fit in fine.

We recently went to the open days for the Uni's and residential colleges. 'A' and I looked at each other and said...'"wouldn't this have been fun!" Neither of us went past Yr 11, but I left school at 16 years old to go to a job I was asked to apply for at a Stock Agent. 'A' has worked since he was 16 years old also. He started work as a 'floor sweeper/junior salesman' at a local car dealership in 1980 and in 1989, bought that dealership from his boss who he classifies as his best teacher and a great family friend. Nineteen years later, we are still at it, making a good living, supporting 10 staff and going down life's highway. I wonder how different it would have been if we both had chosen Tertiary eduction way back then?

It will be different with K17 away, but B14 will keep us entertained. Oh, she is the consumate entertainer! B14 has the knack of being able to recite lines from any movie she has ever seen, verbatum, with accents! A joy to have around! She will start Yr 10 next year which is an exciting time in high school. The curriculum pathways she chooses will ultimately be her destiny towards her career.

Wow, things are really gonna change around here next year. I'd love to hear from other 'Aussie relinquishing mums' who are sending their kids off to Uni for the first time. Especially country mums.

'A' has a lamb roast and vegies in the Weber, I'm chillin' and lifes good!

Cheers - Julie

Saturday Snapshots

These are the melting moments I made for Yasmins birthday. Yummo!

This is a sweet Mammy doll my sister Leanne, made for me.

This is a wall hanging that my sister Leanne, made for me for my 40th birthday. It says Sisters always, care and share, love and laughs.

I love blue and white china - here are a few of my favourite pieces.

I love hand made things gifted to me from my family.

Having a little trouble with the internet and placing the photos so I have taken over k17's laptop. My connection just failed but her wireless connection which runs on the same account as mine, is fine. Technology, Bah!

Will try and post more photos soon, till then - Cheers - Julie

...I'm back!

Wow, time flies! Haven't posted since Sept. 25th - where did all those days go?

Doing - laundry, spot cleaning, ironing, lazing about drinking coffee.

Making - a stitchery for one of my sisters for Christmas. Just traced the pattern (Rhonda Jeans Live Simply design) and now picking out the colours for the cottons. Must get stuck into it.

Reading - Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - my two girls have read all 4 of her books and now I must say I am hooked. Vampires!

Watching - Packed to the Rafters, Open All Hours - Ronnie Barker.

Dinner - 'A' is cooking tonight, he's been rifling throught the cook books so perhaps I'll let it be a surprise!

Outside it's - sunny and warm with alight breeze. I should get in a bit of weeding this afternoon. See how I feel later. I'm still getting over this cold/sinus thing that I have had for 3 weeks now.
Blech!

Going - to Adelaide tomorrow with K17 so she can do a Geography tutorial at a tuition centre. Hopefully it will boost her exam results.

Wearing - trackies, windcheater and my new white Havaiana thongs with silver logo. My feet are cold, though. Anyone outside of Aus should know that thongs are flip-flops, not underwear! He he he!

Lunch - "A' just got back from town and we are having bbq sausages in fresh bread with tomato sauce for lunch and some left-over lasagne from last night. Yummo. He likes to cook on weekends - who am I to argue!

Wishing - everyone a lovely, relaxed weekend. I hope you do just what you want and nothing more.

Until next time, stay safe

Cheers from Julie