A Collection of Thoughts

Hope and Picnics

On Sunday a friend popped round to see how I was holding up. She had walked a similar path just over a year ago and she very kindly left with me a lovely book that helped her get through.

There is no place like Hope  -  A guide to beating cancer in mind sized pieces by Vicki Gerard

I want to share with you a little section that spoke volumes to me. It's how I have lived this whole journey and just reaffirmed that I need to keep walking the same way one step at a time.

How do you ever feel totally safe again ? It's difficult, In my case I was told that I could never get cancer free and then they hedged their bets by saying that even if I did, it would likely reoccur. Jeez, the power of positive thinking- how do I deal with that ?

Well I dealt with it by choosing to live my life somewhat like a picnic on a cloudy day. I went ahead and planned the picnic, made the food, packed the car, went to a great location, and had a blast - even though the weather man kept saying there was a chance of showers.

You have two choices: You can either let the prediction of rain ruin everything as much as the rain itself would (and this still wouldn't stop the rain from falling if it's going to). Or you can throw some rain gear in the car just in case - in the trunk, out of sight - and enjoy every minute of sunshine that you have. It may not rain at all or, if it does, it may just sprinkle - but you've make up your mind that the mere possibility of rain will not rob you of even one second before it falls.

 Enjoy the sunshine, If the rain falls, you'll deal with it, but you'll have some wonderful picnics in the meantime.

And that is what I am doing - what if this is as good as it gets ?- this is as well as I'm ever going to feel?

I'm packing my umbrella along with the chocolate cake :) I'm not missing out on a second.

Happy Picnic Days

Photo Credits

1. picnic, 2. Picnic, 3. 20100606_CBC02-Picnic, 4. CBC Picnic, 5. The classic Flickr umbrella photo..., 6. Picnic Basket, 7. picnic in the backyard!, 8. Picnic en el parque, 9. Picnic in a Suitcase

In our house - Tefal Steam Generator Iron

Last week I tweeted about receiving some happy Nuffnang and Tefal mail in the form of a great big box. It was my brand new Tefal Steam Generator Iron. I'm so excited to be writing this Product Talk by Nuffnang because we are huge Tefal fans in our house. Our last two irons have been Tefal and now we have this whizz bang steam generator one. When I told Richard that I was going to do this he laughed at me - he said who is ??

So I do have to confess that I don't do the ironing -at all - that would be Mr Tarisota - aka Richard. I unpacked it from the box and told him to check it out.

The biggest difference between this one and our previous irons is the size - the unit the steam is created in is huge.

As Richard was ironing I asked him if he would recommend it to my readers - I told him to be honest I didn't want cranky readers saying had gone and got one on his recommendation.  The next part is our little interview - his comments are in blue...

Yes he said It's really good. The steam steams up quickly ( sigh? what kind of comment is that ?)

What do you like about - what will my readers like do you think ?

It's going to be great for tablecloths, sheets, jeans and things that need plenty of steam. The base bit holds lots of water so I won't be constantly filling it up like I have to now.

The other thing I like about it is I don't have to use ironing spray.

Actually Tamar it's so easy to use and works so well I think you could even iron with it. ( ha ha - he is so funny )

How does it compare it to our current Tefal iron.

Oh it's totally different. ( sigh I tell ya hard work! )

This isn't just an iron it's a steam generator.

This one has a retractable cord which is good. It makes packing it up faster. I don't have to worry about waiting for the iron to cool down before wrapping the cord up.

It also gives you the flexibility of the length of cord that you require depending on where your power point is in comparison to your ironing board. The cord doesn't tangle around while you are ironing.

It locks into the base.The advantage of the locking system is if you bump the base system it won't tip the iron over.

The reason we liked Tefal irons in the first place was because they all have calcification removal system ( which is just a fancy way of saying self cleaning ) and more importantly they turn off automatically after a certain time. We need a self turning off iron in our house because if Tamar ever does iron she usually forgets to turn it off. She has also been known to burn through the ironing board cover with the iron left face down. ( sigh yes that is true although it pains me to type it )

The base unit has indicators on it to show you the water levels too.

When you rest the iron without putting the lock on you can pick it back up easily because of the ergonomically designed tilted iron rest.  It's very stable.

Have you ironed anything that doesn't need steam ?

It works great - it has a non stick soleplate so I find that it glides nicely.  The advice in the instruction book is to sort your ironing out into different materials and work from lightest items up.  

Are you going to do that ? Because that sounds like a good idea.

I might.

 Richard is happy to take any questions you have just pop them in the comments :)

 Oh and my opinion?

Anything that keeps him ironing makes me happy and it's a really pretty colour. I have to also add that I am very impressed with the steam generation - I tried to take a photo to show you but I couldn't do it justice.

Thank you so much Tefal and Nuffnang for organising this review.

Edited for comments 

 

and Richards response

Of course One Crafty Mumma -  Provided you make me some of your cinnamon scrolls and a cup of tea - Richard

Home Again

I snapped this as I was heading into surgery yesterday.

Time moves so quickly.

I am home now and have been snuggled up resting and watching TV for most of the day. I am a bit bruised and battered but had the loveliest nurses and was very well looked after.

I even managed to sneak in a coffee while I waited for Richard to pick me up so all good.

My surgeon popped in to see me early this morning he will see me in his rooms later in the week with the results and plan.

I'm not worried yet. I have learnt to take each stage as it comes. The next part will be here soon enough.

A deep heartfelt thank you for the lovely cards that arrived, texts and emails. And to my work colleagues for the beautiful flowers ;) You all keep me moving one step at a time.

Week in the Life -Sunday

This is my last week in the life post - I have enjoyed it this year especially as I have documented nearly each night. Certainly using the templates makes it easy and Im thrilled I have a full week just like this to add to my Project Life.

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The boys were fascinated to learn that
not only did Ma write a children’s story
she was also in the process of illustrating it.

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We skipped mass today as we waited to see what the weather held and what Lisa’s plans were.  As it turned out Will’s family came down from Brisbane so they spent the morning with them in Surfers. We headed off for brunch at our favourite cafe and then went shopping for some colouring books and activities for the boys.
I managed to revitalise the lovely floral arrangement Richard’s team had sent us last week by replacing the wilting flowers with fresh ones. I am quite chuffed with how it turned out.
This morning Richard taught Sofia how to play triominos.  She took to it quickly and beat him in just three rounds. Mid afternoon she challenged me and won again. Beginner’s luck I say.
I joined Lisa and the boys to visit Ma and Pa for afternoon tea. She has such a small house filled with precious treasures we were a bit wary about how the boys would cope. They were so well behaved except when Chase asked for a ham sandwich - that’s never good in a Jewish household. Or when I went to take photos and he kept turning his back to me. He couldn’t even be enticed with his banana milkshake. Later on though he was all smiles and cuddles when Lisa snapped a shot of him with me. Lisa’s three boys are all so delightful but I keep threatening to keep Chase the littlest. He is so so cute. They all turn on the charm in a way my girls have never done.  Ma fills her days with an amazing number of things. She is currently writing some children’s stories and illustrating them. I am not sure if she plans on ever having them published but she is enjoying the process. Today she shared some of  her illustrations with the boys. They were so fascinated.
After we headed back to our home for dinner. Will was at his work course so it was just the 5 kids, Lisa, Richard and I. We used our extension on our new dining room table for the first time - it worked a treat. The girls would have loved their cousins to stay  all night but tomorrow is school and the boys were tired so the evening ended far too soon. It’s  lovely having them here even though they aren’t staying with us. I so wished they lived here. Lisa wishes we lived there. I’m not sure we will ever live close unfortunately.

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I'm yet to take a photo that I can use on the title page - I think it would be good to do something that includes all four of us ... will have to organise that.

I'll be interested to look back next year on this years one that's for sure :)

Thanks so much for following along.

Digital Credits
Memory Circles Brushes and Stamps – Ali Edwards
Week In The Life Layered Template Set 12x12 Vol. 04 – Ali Edwards

Week in the Life - Saturday

I am still taking photos with just my iphone - not ah uge amount a dozen or so if that but still able to tell the story of each day quite well. I used the kindle photo from the web as I dont have one yet it's just to document my research :)and of course the movie image too.

 

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We tried not to allow the weather to interrupt
our plans for the day too much.

The rain continued with vengeance today hampering our plans. We headed off early to vote in the local council elections. Our plan was to spend the day at Seaworld with Lisa, Will and the kids. After much discussion, everyone went except me. I can’t get ill right now so it wasn’t worth the risk. They had a fun time despite the weather, with the bright spot being that there was no waiting for rides or shows. The park was quite empty unsurprisingly. As expected, Richard and the girls took zero photos. I made vegetable soup for afternoon tea in preparation my three wet and tired lovelies. I took advantage of the quiet and continued with my research into E readers. I have finally decided on a Kindle Touch without the 3G and now I am waiting not too patiently for Richard to get it for me. Lisa and I had planned on a movie so we turned it into a real treat and went to Gold Class at Robina. She had never been before. We arrived early and sat in the lounge with a hot drink and chatted. It was our first chance to catch up alone since they arrived. The movie was soppy and predictable but enjoyable. Afterwards we headed to Max Brenners to indulge with dessert. It was my first Max cappuccino in eight months and I loved every drop.

Digital Credits
Memory Circles Brushes and Stamps – Ali Edwards
Week In The Life Layered Template Set 12x12 Vol. 04 – Ali Edwards

Week in the Life - Friday

I had my camera out much more on Friday - though I have realised that I am yet to actually get in a photo - I will have to fix that tomorrow.

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Our day was filled with a whole heap of ordinary just the way we like it

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Today was filled with lots of ordinary.
Friday is a busy work day for Richard so I try to leave him in peace.  I do a long workout at gym and shower there before heading off on an adventure. Today was Helensvale. Westfield held a fashion show and I received a goodie bag filled with vouchers.  I had a little shopping list of new Pjs for me and a gift I needed to get. I also came away with new Pjs for the girls. I really enjoyed my day and managed to make time for two coffees and some lunch which more than made up for my unhappy yesterday. I came home to a huge box with our new iron arrived courtesy of Nuffnang and Tefal. Richard is reading the manual and will be trying it in the next day or so. The bus runs late on a Friday due to high school inter school sport so Richard spent some time yet again trying to explain to me how Facebook works. I am still none the wiser. I wish there was some download that I could just pop into my brain. I get a mental block when I hear the word Facebook.
The girls were so chuffed with their Pjs and were quick to jump into them once we picked them up from the bus. The rain has been heavy and so we decided it was a perfect DVD  night. I chose Tin Tin but they didn’t want to watch it. 
I wish all our days were filled with such ordinary things.

Digital Credits
Memory Circles Brushes and Stamps – Ali Edwards
Week In The Life Layered Template Set 12x12 Vol. 04 – Ali Edwards

E Reader Advice Please

via liverpoollibrary.tumblr.com

I have been contemplating an E reader for some time. While I have the first Ipad and I do use it read sometimes I find it too heavy to hold for long periods, the rest of the family want to use it constantly, and I can't take it readily out with me to have while I'm sitting waiting for all the things I wait for these days.

Up until now it hasn't been a huge issue as I wasn't reading so much but over the last two weeks I have got back into my reading groove.

The variety is quite overwhelming and have done some research but have to say I am none the wiser.

I know I want to be able to read library books using overdrive and that's about all I am sure of. Also I find it incredibly annoying the number of books I can't get because I am in Aus - ( Amazon and Kindle ).

So tell me please  if you have one which one and what do you like or not like about it- Where did you buy it ? Where do you get your books from ?  Please let me know if you aren't from Australia :)

Thanks in advance !

 

Week in the Life - Thursday

Yesterday was a tough day with Drs appointments - while there were no surprises it was still not what I wanted to hear. It's the sitting waiting and the continual realisation that life as you once knew it is still on hold. Here is my Thursday WITL project.

 
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 Just a little note on Thursday's pictures. When I went to pull this together I realised I only had 6 pictures- the 6 that I have here. I thought oh no that hardly tells what the day was about especially when you look at Ali's blog with her many many beautiful images that she has to choose from. Then I thought oh well I will just write a bit more - but I didn't need to I had the perfect number of pictures and it all came together easily.

Pictures that I should have taken

• We had meatballs for dinner
• Talia dropped a plate and it shattered
• Richard had meetings all day
• I missed lunch while I was waiting at the Drs
• I went to gym and chatted with a lovely new friend
• I wrote some blog entries
• I designed yesterday's Day in the Life pages
• I researched E readers
• There was no need for grocery shopping Richard pulled dinner just from the pantry and fridge
• I finally watched the first part of Titanic
• Sofia started work on her assignment- I have to get her some cardboard
• Tals lost her first soccer game
• Sof lost her first newcomb ball game

But I didn't. So I have gone with the pictures that I do have and written the story that they tell. Its oen of the things that I love about this project each year - It encourages you to grab some shots and tell some stories that you may not normally. Its not about documenting every minute.

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I have spent far too many hours staring out
of these windows waiting for doctors appointments.

Today was no different.

I am in time loop waiting....

View From Hoca, Gold Coast

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 It would be so easy to get lost in my own story this week but running alongside are these two little girls who keep me grounded. They came barreling in after school happy because they were done with homework thanks to the public holiday yesterday and the fact they had worked on it on the bus. They were quick to tell me they had heaps of time to play on the trampoline. Later that evening Sofia was in tears for the umpteenth time this week. It is hard to work out what is going on with her right now. So I asked her to come talk to me and share what the problem was. She didn’t want to. I left her to herself. It was not too long before this note was pushed into my hand as I sat talking to my sister on the phone. I love that she wrote it as an invitation.  A long chat revealed there is nothing too deep about the tears - a lost game for interschool sport, a harsh word from her sister, some friends choosing to play with someone other than her today had left her with a general “feeling of sad”.  (her words)  I shared with her that I have “feeling of sad” days too even when I know I have lots of happy happening. She wasn’t all smiles but there were no more tears at least. I worry about how they are both affected by everything that is going on.  We try to keep things moving along as they would if I wasn’t sick but I guess it is not always going to work.

 

and the rest

Too much of my day was lost in finalising the details for surgery on Monday. I thought that I had seen the end of those circles on the carpet but unfortunately not. My appointment with the surgeon was routine and fast but he sent me back to my hematologist. My frustration grew with every single minute that passed as I sat waiting. My feeling was irrational as I was so lucky they had fitted me in. I didn’t have an appointment. I was ( still am ) struggling with the idea of going back to those twice daily injections of clexanne.  As I sat for an hour waiting to be told what I didn’t want to hear, instead of having a coffee which is what I planned, I silently fumed.  His receptionist finally had mercy on me and sent me away with the promise of phoning through the details. Somehow I need to learn to focus on the good and be grateful for the skill and compassion of my medical team. They are really wonderful. My issue is with needing them at all. A bit like Sofia really, today I had a “feeling of sad” too for no real reason. I need to take my own advice and focus on the  happy I have happening.

 

Mini Cheesecakes

I made these mini cheesecakes yesterday for our BBQ. They are really good and REALLY easy.

You need patty pans/cupcake pans. I use the ones from woolies that are silver with a white lining.

I adapted it from this recipe

Makes 18 Mini Cheesecakes

• 750gm cream cheese
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• juice from one lemon
• 4 eggs
• 18 ginger nut biscuits
• Berries and icing sugar

1. Preheat oven.  Line muffin pans with a patty pan and  place a biscuit in each one. I found the ginger nuts fit perfectly - I  would also like to try chocolate ripple biscuits next time.
2. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time.
3. Top each biscuit with the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly risen and just beginning to crack a little on the surface.
4. Leave in pan for 10 minutes then place on a cooling rack.
5. Top with fresh berries and dust with icing sugar.

Week in the Life - Wednesday

 I had such a big day yesterday that after our guests were gone I just curled up and watched  The block - go the boys!  Offspring and The Good Wife. I'm really spoilt for choice with TV at the moment :)

So its only this morning that I have finally sat down to document our lovely day yesterday for my week in the life project.

 

 

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Without doubt our favourite way to spend a day is
with family and friends over for a meal.

Happy Days

 

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Wednesday this week was Anzac Day. Usually I am involved with services for school so it felt unusual not to be. Instead we had a BBQ planned with Lisa and her family all being here on the coast for the week. I love to cook and love it even more if I have the chance to plan an event. I did keep it easy but I am loving having a reasonable level of energy. The kids and the Dads all went off to the park for an hour while the Mums stayed back and finished organising the food.  None of my family is keen on photos - I find it really hard to document these types of days as I am focussed on the meal and keeping everything flowing and it’s only every now and then I think to grab the camera. We loved our new table from Ikea which was so easy for the kids table. It was great for Ryan to have boys to play with. For a change the girls were outnumbered. Lisa and Will’s boys are so adorable I want them to stay forever. If only they lived closer.

Digital Credits
Memory Circles Brushes and Stamps – Ali Edwards
Week In The Life Layered Template Set 12x12 Vol. 04 – Ali Edwards

I'll be back later with that cheesecake recipe - they are the best ever and so simple you will want to add them to your to make list next BBQ I promise.