A Collection of Thoughts

Month in Review - October

 It feels like I'm coming back into myself.

 I have systems in place. I have a routine. I'm feeling Ok.

 It's evidenced by the fact that I made it through the month with #fmsphotoday.

Here are my tips for success - and honestly I don't know why I didn't think of these before.

• I set a reminder on my phone for 4.00pm each day to take a photos of the day.  ( I know not earth shattering or rocket science but it brings it back into consciousness )

• I open the prompts on a page on my phone and leave it there all month - so when I'm like what's the prompt - I can flick to it easily.

• If I don't like the prompt or it's too hard or I've missed it ( like say morning and its already 4.00pm  then I take a photo of SOMETHING ELSE.

• If you get to the end of the month and you still have a blank spot or two- go back and choose a favourite shot and pop it in there --- I did that on the 25th - the prompt was people - I didnt take a photo that day so I just used another shot I liked of something else we had done this month that wasn't featured.

You see there is no photo a day police checking that you've followed the prompts. While some poeple use the prompts to be super creative I use them just to grab snippets of our days. Now I can look back on my collage and remember some highlights.

 went to wet n wild, had a great night out with my trainer for the end of 12 week challenge, trained hard, watched some favourite shows, found an awesome new bling jewelery store, celebrated at a pink breakfast, started back at work, made some arty decisions, continued in my quest for clean eating, had a great birthday, visited bangalow, attended academic awards, decorated for halloween

 Life is good :) and I have the photos to remind me if I lose my way.

So what say you? Are you going to do November? The link is here

 

Clean Eating Breakfast Ideas

We have had a bit of a mutiny in our house when it comes to breakfast. Since I have started work again I am flat out getting myself out the door so Richard gets the girls happening - and on the days I don't work well honestly I stay in bed - so Richard is still in charge. The girls leave by 7.20 each day so it's kind of hectic.

via pinterest.com

 

AGGH How cute are these egg cups? I so have to get some cute ones - we have boring plastic ones that aren't even nice colours.

Before clean eating breakkie was usually a bowl of cereal which was simple but now we are more concious of what's in things most cereal doesn't cut it.

That being said

Carmen's Fruit Free muesli is yummy -  Here is the list of what's in it

Wholegrain rolled oats, nuts 10% (almonds, hazelnuts, pecans), honey, sunflower seeds, sunflower oil, sesame seeds, cinnamon.   ( YAY words I know! ) - Check out the details here

In comparison to  say Special K which we used to eat most days

Cereals (62%)(rice, wheat), wheat gluten, sugar, wheat flour, minerals (calcium carbonate, iron, zinc oxide), salt, barley malt extract, vitamins (niacin, vitamin B6, riboflavin, thiamin, folate).

via pinterest.com

So the girls have been complaining there's nothing for breakfast. I have written a list that we have placed on the fridge now they can choose happily from the list and hopefully the call of there is nothing for breakfast will be banished.

 

• Muesli with yoghurt
• Porridge with honey
• Fresh fruit and yoghurt
• Toast with peanut butter or almond butter and banana
• Toast with avocado and tomato
• Fruit smoothie ( takes seconds to throw in the processor - banana or berries, milk, protein powder (optional) splash of honey dollop of yoghurt
• Boiled egg and toast
• Scrambled eggs
• Poached eggs
• Fried eggs in toast - cut a hole out of the bread - circle - crack an egg into the middle of it and pan fry
• Omelette with tomato and mushrooms
• French toast -  slice of bread dipped in beaten egg - fried with some cooked banana and a splash of organic maple syrup

 Have you got any awesome breakkie ideas to share that I can add to my list ?

 This is our last post in our Happy Lunch series - I do hope you have enjoyed it and have lots of great ideas - No doubt at the start of next year we will revisit this topic :)

Vintage Goodness

Our weekend has ben filled to the brim with happy things.  Op shopping,  a visit to the girls and my favourite cafe down the other end of the coast, the drive in, a trip to Bangalow and the markets, making for the girls halloween party at guides tomorrow night- so many stories to tell but I'll share just one.

While we were in one of my favourite stores in Bangalow  one of the girls needed to go to the toilet instantly - what is with that? They never say I can hold for a bit it's always I need to go NOW. I was cross as I was really enjoying the store and I had no clue where the toilets were- Richard said he'd take her and he disappeared - I was following but I stopped to see one more thing and in that 30 sec they were gone. I rang him - now getting super cross - where are you ? He said turn left from the shop and go down the lane you can't miss it. 

So I did. Holy dooly I was Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

There in front of me was the most glorious place I have ever seen. It was like something out of the movies - or something off instagram from the US - where people go junking in these great big old sheds and find all manner of amazing things. I have never seen anything like it.

Funnily enough I never found the toilets - they had to ring me to ask where I was. I told them I had found my new home and I was never leaving.

as I came down the lane all I could see was racks and racks of glassware -  glass jars and milk bottles.

These coloured ones were so so tempting but you can see the prices. I had to walk away very very slowly. Fortunately there was plenty more to see.

Crate upon crates - chocked high to the ceiling. I so wanted a heap but they started at about $70. They had every conceivable style.

This was just outside. When I ventured in it was almost too much to perceive. I gasped out loud when I saw the row of printers trays lined up. I didn't even look at the prices for these.

There was even a whole glass cabinet filled with bakeware.

Tins, wooden shoemakers dummies, books, cigar cases, cocoa cola bottles, scrabble letters, lead stamps from printing presses, ladders the list goes on.  Needless to say I  will be back and next time I won't be leaving with just a few bits. Richard has been warned. If you are ever in that part of town it's called Heaths Old Wares and they do have a website with some of the treasures listed.

Sigh just looking at the photos makes me want to be back there right now.

Hope you had a lovely weekend :)

Christmas Countdown - Party Platters

With just two months till Christmas the stores are starting to ramp up their christmas decorations and today I went and paid off nearly all my laybys. I'm excited that I have a beautiful nativity set to put out too and despite what Richard says, it's so going out on November the 1st.

Our calendar is starting to fill up too with parties and get togethers that inevitably ask you to bring a plate. While I'd love to be able to always whip up something totally awesome for each and every party I do find myself reaching for my purse and stopping at the store on my way far more than I would like.

Therefore this year - I'm getting organised. Here are my top ten Party Platters - some healthy some not so much but there is enough here to keep me planned for whatever invite comes our way.

No 1  Rainbow Kebabs

Easy but impreesive looking a rainbow platter of fruit. If you want to be fancy add a bowl of yoghurt for dipping. Really fancy  ( and depending on the invited guests ) crushed nuts as well. You can either thread them to kebabs or just chop the fruit and leave them in chunks in the colours.

source

Ingredients - fruit, kebabs, yoghurt, nuts ( optional)

No 2  Marshmallows and strawberries

Less healthy but always a big hit. The girls regularly take these to guides nights. I found this example over at Planning with Kids. We usually just use toothpicks and do one strawberry with one marshmallow. Once again if you want to do fancy you can serve with melted chocolate.

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Ingredients - strawberries, marshmallows, toothpicks, chocolate ( optional)

No 3 Capsicum with hummus 

I know it doesn't sound very gourmet but it's really yummy - and if you want it to be festive get green and red capsicums - cut them up and then add your dollop of store bought hummus ( or make your own - see the source link for a great recipe)

source

Ingredients -   Capsicum and hummus

No 4 Roasted sweet potato with aioli

Ok I promise not everything requires a kebab ( these are good though! )  I confess with this one  I cheat and buy an aioli or I will also use a pesto if I have some already made. I also buy the sweet potato and diced pumpkin that you get from woolies already cut up - waaaaaay faster. Serve hot or cold

Source

ingredients - sweet potato,  macadamia nut oil, kebabs,  store bought aioli

No 5 Jacket potato buffet bar

Now this one might seem random but quite often we also get called to bring a dish to help complete a meal. Sometime back on face book Jen Hall mentioned that she does her jacket potatos in a crock pot!  Genius I say. So you just prep all your potatos in their jackets and in alfoil and put them in the crockpot all day ( or overnight ). Easy to transport - easy to keep warm. Make a  potato buffet - with sour cream cheese diced tomatoes avocado bacon whatever you like. YUM and simple.

source

Ingredients - potato, alfoil,  cheese avocado sour cream tomato bacon ( whatever options you like )

No 6 Watermelon Pops

Simple as anything - chunks of watermelon - now if you want to be very impressive pop the paddle pop stick in.

Source

 Ingredients - watermelon, paddle pop sticks

No 7 Watermelon and Feta Bites

While we are talking watermelon these are one of my favourite treats. I love Nigellas Watermelon and Feta salad and this comes in a close second. (I don't make the dip ) -  I also sometimes add a black olive. Slightly more fiddly than the salad but looks so pretty and is always welcomed.

source

Ingredients  - watermelon, feta, basil leaves, black olives (optional), toothpicks. I also sometimes drizzle with balsamic just as I'm serving.

No 8 Raspberry and Chocolate

Super easy to do the hardest part is to find decent priced raspberries!  We have made these with dark chocolate chips too - YUM

 

source

 Ingredients raspberries choc chips ( milk dark or white )--- this makes a special addition to a cheese platter too.

 No 9 Healthy Truffles  ( by Teresa Cutter )

I haven't tried these yet - but they are on my to make list for sure.  I think they'd be lovely for a coffee date. Recipe here

source

Ingredients -  Almonds, cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla paste, dates

No 10 Spiced Ginger Cakes by Roost

If you do have a bit of time and want to take something that can either be shared or left as a gift then this is the perfect choice. I am not a fan of ginger - but this is a DELICIOUS bar loaf. I use macadamia nut oil and I think the spices are very christmassy. If you flick to the link you'll see they team it with a home made apple butter which sounds lovely but I am yet to try.

 source 

Ingredients - almond flour,  salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, ground ginger, eggs, honey, macadamia nut oil.

There you have it ten relatively easy, mostly healthy ideas for taking to parties through the festive season. Don't forget to visit Mel - she has ten stocking fillers to share. - see you again in ten days when we hit the 50 days to go mark YAY.

 

 

Birthday Recap

Here is a little peek back into my celebrations.

I really really wanted a party with a magician. - Just saying! But honestly I couldn't get it sorted so instead I just went with the flow and it turned out perfectly.

 

Last night we had friends Margie and Phil ( and my godson ) and Paul and Rhonda over for dinner - the girls cooked a simple meal of salad and chicken.  Margie bought champagne and Paul bought chocolate cake and then boys watched the wallabies and yelled at the TV.

This morning we headed to Harbourtown for breakkie and the kids sat at their own table and spent the morning chatting and telling jokes - oh sorry that must have been some other children because ours spent the morning glued to their electronic devices. The adults drank coffee and chatted:)

We then popped round to my grandparents to find  Nana Eve on the roof and  Great yellign instructions form the ladder - sigh... after we made them get down we all had tea.

On to Robina to swap a gift - Richard had bought me some boxing gloves but I wanted a different sort ( I know I'm naughty I should have been grateful) and then I indulged in some window shopping. This is the new dinner set I told Richard I really really really want to start collecting.  The nativity set I coveted last year at Bed Bath and Table but it was $90 so I didn't buy it. Fast forward to this year and it's there again and still $90 - BUT if you go to harbourtown they have it for 50% off - true story! So this morning after breakkie we bought it - I can't wait to put it out - I think I will on the first of November.

A quick snap of the girls and I halfway through the day. David Jones toilets - why not i say LOL.

By three o'clock I was ready for afternoon tea and so I requested a high tea much to the girls delight! We then went grocery shopping - Exciting huh? Reality.

My Ma and Pa dropped round in the early  evening so it was a good excuse to have some more champagne. Richardd cooked a roast dinner and  tonight I am totally indulging with these yummy baby macaroons and raffaellos which are hands down my favourite chocolates in the whole wide world. No doubt tomorrow I will have a sugar hangover and I'll be craving clean eating again. Lucky birthdays only come once a year!

 

One Year On

This weekend I turned 41 :)  Without sounding all maudlin and blah there were times over the last year that I didn't think I'd make it to 41 ( I wasn't the only one! )- Now I'm pretty confident I'm going to get to at least 42. YAY go me ! 

I look at these photos and think so many things

1. How much have my girls grown in a year? They are my absolute pride and joy and have kept me focused through everything.

2. I see the worry I had in the first photo and in the second I think I have aged about ten years.

3. Being bald was the least of my worries - though the girls hated it with a passion.

As I flicked back through my instagrams to find last year's birthday shot I was grateful that I took the time to document the year for what it was. I am ever so grateful that I had no clue of what I was in for. That first shot I was two sessions in to chemo with 9 months still to go. I was sick then but I didn't have the foggiest about how much worse it would get.

Truly I thank God for not knowing.

It's only now that I can look back and see what it was like.

This morning I got up and went for a run because I could. I had a cry along the way because I have come so far and it feels amazing.

I don't believe that I will ever be a person who says that breast cancer was the best thing that ever happened to me - there are many who do say that but that is not me. However I will conclude I'm not the person I was and there's plenty about that I am grateful for. 

Jesus said unto him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes.

 Mark 9:23

41 years and counting.

Safe Cleaning Products

On my list of things to investigate for some time has been the cleaning products and soaps through our home. I have of course thought of making my own - and I take my hat off to those who do that but I knew that I needed a readily bought solution. The other day on my instagram stream popped some pretty pictures of bottles and like a moth to a flame I had to check it out. One of my friends had just purchased from a company called Method.

Some googling and reading and I had found a solution :)

Fast forward a few days and yesterday these goodies arrived. Seriously I am in love already. Not only do they look pretty and smell good and contain no harmful products - they also actually clean! Go figure :)

  Method does not use 

• parabens which have been detected in breast cancer tissue
• phosphate which pollutes rivers + lakes
• chlorine bleach
• phthalates
• triclosan
• ethylene
• formaldehyde which is a known human carcinogen
• ammonia

You can read all about whats in their products and why over here

Apparently they are available in woolies and some IGAs  - you can email for a list  which I did and they are supposed to have stocks in bth my local woolies but neither do. So I think online is esiest at this stage. This month they are offering free shipping for orders over $49.

In terms of price I found them very reasonable and on par with what we nornally pay for cleaning products - This month the hand wash is on special for $3.99.

So far I can recommend  the pink grapefruit and the hibiscus flower hand wash and the water flower and sea minerals body wash. They all smell divine. The girls love the hibiscus flower.

So tell me are you already converted to Method or a similar product ? Do let me know :)

Christmas Countdown - Girls Gifts

The countdown is creeping up! yesterday marked the 70 days till Christmas milestone.  still not the time to say agggh I promise.

 If you visited Mel's blog yesterday you'll see she was sharing her home decor. I have to admit I haven't really got a plan yet for mine - though I did go shopping the other day to check out what was at bed Bath and Table -they have their display out and it's so gorgeous as always. I do have to confess that I only ever buy when its on special. I know retailers are ringing their hands in despair but that's just the way it is - they always mark them down and if I miss out on a favourite - well never mind.

I promise to share some thoughts on decor over  the next few weeks but today I thought I'd show some of the goodies that I have found. We have the added delight of birthdays in november with our girls so it becomes a bit crazy with  the two present giving seasons only a month apart.

I don't get alot from Amazon as I find that I'll often get to the checkout and they will say they don't ship to my address and that can be frustrating but I did find these. Thanks to Mel for the heads up.

 

• Makes 22 Friendship Bracelets
• 4 looms help you make 2 styles and 8 patterns of friendship bracelets
• Includes 22 colors of floss, beads, beading needle and more
• Colorful, convenient suitcase for keeping it all together  $20.13

It's a large pack - very sturdy and I'm really thrilled with what it looks like from the outside.  I'm thinking this will be a birthday present because it will keep them occupied for ages - we have just on one million weeks of school holidays to entertain ( I know exaggerated but they sure get alot more than me LOL)

It is currently on special at Fishpond for $26.99 but when I looked originally it was $39

Alex Toys Friends 4 Ever Bracelet Kit

 Next up is from Book depo - really really cute stuff

 

via www.bookdepository.co.uk

Stationary sheets stickers and envelopes $8.59

via www.bookdepository.co.uk

This cute die cut journal- blank lined inside with a little bookmark - so so nice - great quality  $11.69

via www.bookdepository.co.uk

This one is surprising - doesn't look super excting but it is- HUGE and cute as anything $13.49

Finally because we are big Hello Kitty fans I couldn't pass up these and they are totally adorable

via www.bookdepository.co.uk

 A little notebook with lovely thoughts on what would hello kitty do in a whole series of situations - so sweet  $7.39

and for my party planning girls

via www.bookdepository.co.uk

 They will love this one- menus games themes - so good:)  $10.29

How are you going ? Do you have any gifts crossed off your list ? Next up we will be looking at party take a plates - easy things to take for the party season.

Top 5 Clean Eating Treat Recipes - Take Two

I'm always on the lookout for good clean eating recipes (no processed stuff and butter sugar free) for in lunch boxes. While there are lots of recipes out there that fit this category there are plenty that are not very appetizing and quite honestly don't work or don't taste great. Not much point in eating a treat that isn't yummy just because it's healthy.

Here are my top 5 favourite cakes and loafs which I have had work and are delicious guilt free goodies at their best.

1. Pumpkin Bread by Teresa Cutter

2. Carrot Bread with Apple Glaze - by Clean Eating Magazine - I replace the sucanat with honey

3. Almond Lemon Honey Cake by Urban Baker

4. Hazelnut Honey Cake by  Roost - I serve this with a raspberry coulis made from frozen berries and a drizzle of honey

5. Lemon Coconut Loaf - by Anjya - I swap the coconut oil for macadamia nut oil.

Like these ones? Here are 5 treats for lunchboxes I shared a few weeks back.

Happy clean baking

 

 

Christmas Countdown - Cards and Wrapping

With 80 76 72 Days to go til christmas ( sorry I got distracted)  we thought it was time to start discussing cards and wrapping especially for those who like to make their own and need to get them posted for overseas. If your children are anything like mine you'll also get the call of we have to give out cards Mummy - one to every single person in our class - yep that's 56 cards for our family- I do put my foot down though and won't let them make them because I know for sure that I will end up having to finish them off. That being said we do like to make some style of card each year ( just not for every child in the class!)

Handmade Cards

So here is your little to do list --->

• Work out about how many you need
• Set a date for your card making.
• Come up with a design.

 Here is a great article on ideas for family portraits for cards

via www.tipjunkie.com

I love this one - because you don't have to have one perfect picture and it shares a little about your family.

Last year I received this card from Kate - which I love. She is amazing getting those little munchkins to all participate - but what I really love is her little handstamped Christmas and hand written word Joy ? on the side. Such a simple idea yet carries so much meaning.

I haven't decided exactly what we will do this year  but I love the idea of some version of these cute props

via www.etsy.com

The whole moustache thing is everywhere at the moment and it would be cute to look back on in years to come as one of those "what were we thinking trends".

The nice thing about a photo card is that taking the photo is the hardest bit - print as many as you need add it to the front of a card.  Pop over to pinterest and put in a  search for - christmas photo cards - a whole heap of lovely ones come up.

If you prefer to make something that is not photo based - there are a whole slew of ideas on pinterest  - Here are some of my favourites and none of them require any special "equipment" ( stamps etc )

via pinterest.com

 

via pinterest.com

 Last year Mel sent this one to  me - using just washi tape, doilies ( apaper and crochet) a tag and a button. It's the fresh colour combination  of Red, Aqua and Lime I think that makes this card stand out.

 Mel has a lovely tutorial over on her blog for Christmas wrapping. 

I'll be back again in a few days with our 70 days to go countdown - Home Decor - one of my favourite parts of Christmas :)