Cute things

This week a friend of ours (Clarisa) gave birth to a little girl (Johanna). 
Being the crafter that I am I decided to make the new mum and baby some gifts.

For Johanna made a cute stuffed toy elephant.  I used some flanalet for the body so it woul be nice and soft.

For Clarissa I made a nappy clutch. It has a pocket for wipes and nappies and rolls out to use as a changing matt. I picked up some laminated cotton for the inside (foe easy cleaning) and cute elephant fabric for the outside.

I must admit I got both these present ideas fron pintrest. And I feel they both turned out rather well.

New Phone

I got a new phone.

And it's not an iPhone. :O

So what phone did l get?

A Samsung Galaxy Note 2!

So now in having fun playing around with all the new fetures.

Bow Ties Are Cool

Two week ends ago I went to a rover ball with my crew.

We all got dressed up in our fancy clothes (I made myself a dress) and headed out for a nice dinner and socialising.

So for the special occasion I decided to make my boyfriend a special bow tie. In fact I made him a dinosaur bow tie.

It was actually the fabric that inspired me to make a bow tie as it was just so cute. I also made myself a matching hair bow. we were super cute.

Food is Good

I am a big fan of food. I like eating it and I like cooking it. I especially like cooking for others. I like how it makes people happy. Fortunately I’m pretty good at it. 

Today for morning tea at work I made burger cupcakes. My mother made burger macaroons (yes I work with my mum). The people at work couldn’t believe it. Lots of photos were taken.

Tonight I made dinner. Simple coconut bun and little pork sausages. And simple as it was, it was also delicious.

One of my favourite things to make is pavlova. Making pavlovas started as something to do when procrastinating during high school. It turned into a bit of an art.

I love to eat too. Cheese, steak, fresh bread but especially anything sweet. 

I Have Been Slack

But I can admit it at least. 

I haven’t blogged in almost a month. but I have been busy (mostly). I moved house & I went to Sydney for a weekend for my cousins wedding. 

My boyfriend and I moved house a couple of weekends ago. Not very far mind you, we are still on the same street, but it doesn’t matter how far you move it’s a tough and tiering process either way. The new place still looks like a bomb has hit it but since we invited friends over for a BBQ on Monday so we have a deadline for when we have to have it looking presentable.

The weekend after we moved we headed off to Sydney for the wedding of one of my cousins. It was a beautiful ‘back yard’ wedding on the water. I had a great time catching up with some of the rellies.

Since then we have been slowly un-packing, making more of a mess in the process, settling in and mostly chilling on the couch watching movies.

So yes I have been slack about blogging but I’m back now and I’ll try and keep up. 

A Leap of Faith

‘Just take a leap of faith’ he said. And so I did.

I signed our intention to leave papers before we even filled in our application for another place. The planner in me did not like this at all. Especially as we did it without a plan B. It was get the place we were hoping for (that he had found that day) or frantically look for a place to live.

It paid off. We will be signing the new lease tomorrow and moving next weekend.  And the big plus? It’s just down the road. Literally.

So now we have to get ready to move. Have we started packing? No.  Have we organised anything? Nope. But that’s ok we’ll get there (or so he tells me). I spent the weekend cooking. I made cupcakes, pudding, peppermint patties, pavlova, and cookies which I have been decorating (I haven’t finished yet). It’s been great and its kept me from worrying (as I tend to do against my will) about the move and how unorganised we are for it.

And so next weekend we move. I’m sure it will be as hellish as all moves but I’m not going to worry about it because I have taken a leap of faith. And it paid off. And I have my man to thank for holding my hand while we jump. 

My Valentine’s Day

I got spoilt.

My boyfriend and I had agreed that we were only going to give each other cards because it is so close to my birthday and he is so hard to buy for in general.  So I made plans to make a fabulous card and was wondering what cute card I would receive.

But as I said I got spoilt.

I definitely got a cute card (it had owls on it) but that wasn’t all. Firstly I got a very nicely bound copy of pride and prejudice. It’s bound in pink leather with the writing embossed into it. It is a fabulous addition to my pride and prejudice collection. I also got a charm bracelet (like a Pandora one but not) with a crown charm.

Then he cooked me dinner. Roast spatchcock with salad and purple sweet potato mash. Then he gave me another charm (a heart this time) to add to my bracelet.

Spoilt.

But the problem was I was slack. I didn’t even get around to making his card until my lunch break that day and it wasn’t the fabulous creation I wanted it to be but he liked it all the same.

Overall it was a fabulous day.

J

My Weekend in a Nutshell

This weekend:

- We cleaned the house (we have an inspection on Wednesday).

- I got to sleep in, both days (it was heaven).

- We caught up on MKR and Master Chef Professionals (still behind on the block though).

- We had sushi!!!!(with my boyfriends parents)

- We had dinner with my parents (yummy pepper steak)

- I went to a small re-enacting event for a scout group. (and I went as a girl this time)

- I used my new set of kitchen scales for the first time (retro ones)

- I failed at making meringue (that doesn’t happen oftenL)

- It was bloody hot!

And thats my weekend in a nutshell. 

A Magical Day

How is it that when you have a day off during the week it’s so much more magical then the weekend?

On Wednesday I took the day off work to celebrate my birthday (which was on Monday). I slept in, I relaxed, and apart from the really lovely lunch I was treated to I didn’t really do anything much differently to what I would do on the weekend. But somehow the day seemed so much more magical and wonderful. Maybe it’s the knowledge that I would normally have been starting work at the time I woke up or maybe it’s that it’s just one day and not two. 

In the end it doesn’t matter why it just matters that it was and it made my 22^nd birthday that little bit more special then it would have been without it. 

It's My Birthday!

Well tomorrow is anyway but the celebrations are underway. last night I was taken out to a fancy dinner with my boyfriend's family. they even got happy birthday written on my desert plate in chocolate. It was great. They also gave me a hot chocolate machine. 

Today I've been relaxing. We had sushi for lunch and watched Doctor who: the movie. I also got to open one of my presents from my boyfriend. I got a really nice fountain pen. It's wonderful to write with. I really like writing with ink. I have a few quills that you have to have ink for but this is the first one I have with the ink built in.  

Tonight is dinner with my family. We’re having Chinese food (my choice). Tomorrow I have work where I will at least get macaroons and maybe cupcakes. Then I’m taking Wednesday off work to spend with my boyfriend. So all in all birth week is off to a great start. 

It's raining, It's pouring...

It's been raining for about three days straight now. The first day was fine as I was at work so I didn’t even notice much. Yesterday I watched chick flicks while my boyfriend slept to recover from his all-nighter. Today I have been watching doctor who. I also had to go move my sister’s car as it was starting to look like it needed floaties. At least I live on the 3^rd floor of my building so I know my place won’t flood and that is giving me piece of mind. Who knows what ill do tomorrow as for us here in Aus it’s the Australia day long weekend so no work for me. Maybe a Harry Potter marathon is in order, or LOTR, or Star Wars or maybe even Firefly/Serenity. But most likely more Doctor Who.

Today I’ve also been crocheting. But on days like this it’s always hard to decide which craft project to work on. Or wether to read instead. Tough decisions indeed.

Now as I write this and while I’m waiting for my man to return home (I don’t want to lose where we are up to in doctor who) I have put on singing in the rain (for the irony) in French. It’s funny because the songs are still in English but I hope it’s still subconsciously helping my French during the dialog anyway. I learnt French in high school but haven’t really kept it up since so I’m trying to work on improving it again and maybe even get better. I’ve always loved languages and I’d love to learn lots of them.

Well that’s all from me for now. Stay tuned. If your luck you may get another update tomorrow.  

My week in a nut shell

I worked.

We had Thai food. Twice. (or was it three times?)

I successfully made a stir fry.

It was too hot most days.

My family had a planning meeting for my sisters 21st. This also involved testing out some sangria recipes. 

I worked out that it’s probably cheaper to drive to work than it is to catch public transport.

I decided that I wanted to be a cooler (read nerdier) nerd. i.e. I have started carrying my wand with me at all times. And chocolate in case of Dementor attacks. And I’ve been looking around for a good sonic screw driver. 

I did some knitting.

we went to Sushi Train (Tonight we ate 18 plates between 2 of us. and that was around $80. The main problem is we have an addiction. we just can't help ourselves. Let’s just say it’s a dangerous place for my wallet/bank account.)

And tomorrow I am going to the lifeline book fest (another dangerous place for my wallet) and I may even start on the dress want to make. 

Soft Pretzles are delicious!

Until this year I had only tried a soft pretzel once. They aren’t something you can get very easily over here. So on new years day, after having pinned quite a few recipes for them, I decided to try and make some. Since then I’ve made 5 or 6 batches.

Suffice to say I’m a little addicted. I’ve made a few different variations on the recipe; white, wholemeal, chocolate filled, brie filled, caramel filled and garlic salted.  My boyfriends favourite is chocolate filled. I think I’m liking the cheese ones I just made best, though the mini garlic salt ones are fantastic too. 

I believe I’ve found something I will be making at least once week for a very long time.

A Little Bit About What I Do

I am a service co-ordinator.

This statement is often met with a quizzical look. It’s not a job you hear about at school or dream of having but in my opinion a fun job all the same. My favourite way to describe my job is to say that I tell people where to go all day. While this is not exactly accurate it does bring a smile. So what do I actually do?   

A bundle of things that help with the running of the service department but mostly I organise and look after the techs. I decide where they go and when and then I enter their paperwork into the computer system. I also take the majority of calls/enquiries for service and where possible do my best to get them going over the phone.

It’s all about trying to keep a number of people happy simultaneously and while it can be a bit of a challenge some days when the customers are particularly demanding or when there are not enough jobs to keep the techs busy, I work with some great people and that can make all the difference. 

A very busy new year

I can't believe it's only the 6th. Already asking myself where has the time gone. All my good intentions to write every day went down the drain with my 4am start on the second.

The second started with feeding the masses, the masses of Victorian scouts headed to jamboree that is.  My rover crew joined the rest of our scout group in providing breakfast for the Victorian contingent (aprox 3000 people) on their way up to Marybrough for the 23rd Australian jamboree.

Then it was off to work for me. And though I wasn’t particularly busy at work this week due to the nature of the industry I work in, working and all that surrounds it (like getting ready and going to and from) makes life busy.

Thursday night was dinner out, Friday we took down the Christmas decos and packed for Saturday, and Saturday was off to Marybrough to visit the jamboree.

Three hour drive then three hours walking around the Jamboree and then dinner out with the rovers. It was a big and exciting day. It was great to see all the kids having fun and all the tired rovers talking about their days.

This morning we spent an hour on site then it was time to head back. Why head back so early? It’s my mothers birthday and we are all having dinner tonight.