Not.So.Domestic

An anniversary to remember...

2010-07-28T09:45:00.004+10:00

June brings one thing in this household the celebration of our marriage, this year marked 5 years!!

To celebrate we decided that we were going to finally have that belated honeymoon DH had been promising me for years...

Brampton Island our destination of choice.

We set off for the airport at a frightful time in the morning to make our way to Brisbane Domestic Airport, Mackay bound with Virgin blue.

We arrived in Mackay expecting to be transported to the Marina to make our way to the island via boat launch, instead we found out that the resort had gone through change of ownership and the new owners didn't want anyone walking up the beach so they upgraded us all to flights. Bonus!

Got to the island and met up with the lovely bar tender and booked the cocktail mixology straight away. Yumm!!

When we finally got to our room for the first time after looking around the resort we noticed the distinct lack of palm trees in the palm view room and a letter on the bed.

We had been upgraded to Ocean View for our anniversary. The room was gorgeous and the sparkling wine as part of our upgrade was nice and cold, hehe.. Beautiful views of the ocean and Carlisle island

Friday nights Meal was Gorgeous! Seafood buffet, prawns, bugs, sand crab, oysters!! Yumm. Poor DH missed out on the seafood part (allergies) so I enjoyed his share too ;-)

Saturday, Jet skiing!!! Freeeeeeezing cold winds! lucky they leant us wetsuits. The water was really rough, but the snorkelling warmed us up. We have an underwater disposable camera that we have yet to develop the photos should be rather interesting.. Exhausted for the rest of the day...

Sunday Fishing trip.. Not a single fish :( Our guide said it was possibly the worst fishing trip he has ever taken on the island. Freezing cold winds again.

Monday we headed to the 6 hole golf course for a nice quiet round while Michael tried to teach me how to play.. not sure I'm the best golfer so we spent the rest of the day walking around taking pictures of all of the beautiful butterflies. A little sunshine today.

Tuesday, time to go home :( Holiday was not nearly long enough. There were alot of walking trails on the island we were yet to discover, I could have stayed another month I think. All of the staff were lovely, not a single complaint about any one of them. I would definitely go again In..a..heartbeat!!

We both loved everything about it except the cold winds, had it been less windy we would have loved to have gone snorkelling again or tried out one of the 2 pools on the island.

We took in excess of 700 photos on the island, guess that shows how much we enjoyed our time there. Next time I think we will try and go when the wind isn't going to be so cold.

Image via Wikipedia

The resident Lorikeets were a major attraction for us, they are addicted to sugar!! In the restaurant there is a big sign on the sugar packet container to make sure it stays closed because they fly in and steal the packets, You can get them to land on your hand with an empty packet we learnt quickly, brightly coloured Bundaberg sugar packet in one hand and a rather funny Lorikeet on the other trying to figure out why the pretty sugar vessel isnt giving up the goods, makes for some nice pictures.

Project: Preservatives...

2010-07-28T09:14:00.003+10:00

Removing them that is..

I have decided its time to make more of an effort when it comes to the lunch box. With one at school and another on her way next year I am determined to use more of my time baking and cooking than playing games on facebook ;-)

First stop, Muesli bars!

I have a few recipes on my list that I want to try out.

One of them being the diary and butter free ones from Liss at Frills in the hills
and a remake of the Choc-chip Muesli bar slice from Taste.com.au with a few changes this time, the last attempt resulted in soggy bars and lets face it who likes soggy muesli bars?

Neglect

2010-07-08T13:00:00.002+10:00

Oh wow its been almost a year since my last entry.

Welcome back blogger, Cant say I really missed you all that much but I am going to make an effort to love you.

Lots has happened since our last meeting I have much to update you on ;-) Not right now though LOL, One of the gremlins is demanding we make a cake for Grandma's visit tomorrow

The Recipe for a Perfect Day

2009-07-29T09:16:00.004+10:00

So I have been a little bit slack with my BlogThis challenges so its time for me to start up again.

Here is my Recipe for the perfect day..

Image via Wikipedia

Part 1

A Batch of Pancakes
A few cups of Coffee
A slurp of Maple Syrup
and a dollop of Icecream

Pretty much explains it all really, to be eaten slowly and enjoyed thoroughly..

Part 2

A pair of well dressed clean children
A co-operative happy husband
Comfortable shoes
A trip to Dreamworld, my childrens favourite place at the moment.
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
A visit to Dorothy the Dinosaur is a must
Finish the day with a tonne of icecream

Combine all of the above into a largeish car, sing all the way there. Watch the smiles as you get through the gates.

Part 3

A hot shower
Children in bed
Wine in hand
Husband still in good mood
Popcorn
And a good movie.

Perfect end to a perfect day? I think so

Counting down

2009-06-11T17:23:00.004+10:00

I was chatting with a friend today and realised it is exactly 7 days until my 4th wedding anniversary.

So I thought, why not (for old times sake) post up a photo of my gorgeous and I this time next week 4 years ago haha.

So to all of those who also got married on the 18th of June, a Happy Anniversary to you.

Note to Self

2009-06-04T12:44:00.002+10:00

When getting excited about the prospect of eating lolly gobble bliss bombs for the first time since you were a kid, Check to see if you have popcorn.....

A day for Disney and Popcorn

2009-06-04T12:01:00.003+10:00

To calm the savage beasts I found the disney dvds that I have been meaning to put on for the kids for months now (not because I want to watch them or anything *wink wink*)

So on todays menu...

Snow white and Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs, recipe from Liss of Frills in the Hills

Perfect way to get through the day don't you think?

When I grow up

2009-05-28T10:51:00.003+10:00

I recently joined Blogged, a brand new Australian blog network and this week the challenge was: When I grow up. Here goes...

In order of my mums memories...

First it was a Check out Chick, we went on a school excursion to our local woollworths and I discovered the joys of a register... Short lived dream.

Then it was a palaeontologist, guess what we were studying at school that term??

Ballerina- that one was slightly justified, I used to dance, Never in my life would I have been ballerina material though.

I then moved on to a Vet, after work experience I decided maybe a Vet nurse was more easily obtained so I went for that instead.

Now I just want to be a good mummy. I don't really care what brings the money in as long as I have my kids.

How things change...

A Rainy Day In May

2009-05-19T10:59:00.004+10:00

Coming to you this morning from not so sunny Brisbane. It seems the rain has really settled in. Its 11am and they children have cabin fever already... Its going to be an interesting day.

As I sit in my extremely dark room (must open the curtains) Drinking my morning tea, I hear the shrieks of laughter coming from the play room. Christian and Hayley are playing with their hobby horses, every now and then they will gallop down the hallway.

Hayley has a pink unicorn that she got for Christmas from her Great Aunt and Uncle her name is Bj affectionately named after the Stallion that my husbands parents own, Yeah I get the weirdness behind her being named after a male but what can ya do? Hayley was always afraid of the horses, but has a love for BJ, She will gladly tell you he is "her horse"

Christian has a Brown one with a white blaze that a friend of ours children gave to him just before they moved to Sydney, He is named after a regal warm blood who was in our family for a short time last year before he was rehomed to someone who would ride him more- Storm. Such a gentle giant and an old schoolmaster who stands over 16hh, even though he is no longer a part of the family he is still much loved by Christian.

I give the horses probably another 5 mins of love, about as long as the dolls tea party lasted earlier this morning, All they seem to do is eat on a day like this so no doubt they will have finished their morning tea and be looking for lunch.

Crusty bread and Home made Pumpkin Soup, . The only intake of pumpkin in my diet, Through soup.
I love this weather, Not too cold not too hot.
Cold enough to snuggle under a blanket at night, warm enough to still wear shorts.
Cold enough to sit down to a piping hot bownl of soup but warm enough to still enjoy Icecream...

Red Velvet

2009-05-18T16:45:00.007+10:00

For a few years now I have been wanting to try Red Velvet Cake but never found an australian recipe, Until now Grab Your Fork has a recipe posted up.

The story goes; a few years ago a friend of mine had been looking to make a Red Velvet cake, a what you ask? Well this cake is a deep red colour and Chocolate in flavour, and gorgeous to look at. Wikipedia list it as

A Red velvet cake is a type of rich and sweet cake, with a distinctive dark red to bright red or red-brown color. Common ingredients include buttermilk, butter, flour, cocoa powder, and often either beets, or red food coloring. It is most popular in the Southern United States, though known in other regions. The most typical frosting for a red velvet cake is a butter roux icing also known as a cooked flour frosting. Cream cheese buttercream frostings are also popular.

Traditionalists believe that red velvet cakes must contain cocoa,^[1] although recipes are available that do not contain any chocolate flavoring.^[2]^[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_velvet_cake

So back to the story, She wanted to make it for her birthday but no matter how hard we searched neither of us could find a recipe that we could imagine working, Until now...

I have to say I am terribly excited about the prospect of finally trying this cake. The only thing that bothers me is the 20Ml of Red food colouring, that much colouring can not be good for anyone. So the question remains, Do I or don't I?

I Heart

2009-05-18T15:51:00.004+10:00

My ♥'s this month are:

Chinese White Tea from Kenchington Teas
The family and I go to the markets at Rocklea on a Saturday morning and Kenchington Teas have a stall there. I bought a sample of the Chinese white tea and I am in love. Going to go back and get a full size bag so I can keep on enjoying this one...

Help Me, Mummy!

2009-05-13T08:53:00.003+10:00

2am this morning I was woke to hear the blood curdling screams of my son, My heart raced as I ran to the other end of the house, Screaming and crying, The only words I could make out were, "Help me Mummy, it hurts".

I got to his room and he was laying curled up in pain. I asked him what was wrong and all he could tell me was his legs, please rub my leg mummy.

Growing pains, such a cruel pain. And why? I feel for the poor children that have to deal with it.

After rubbing his leg he eventually drifted off to sleep, but not me. My heart was racing, my poor child in pain and nothing I could do about it, what if it happened again and I was in a deep sleep, what if I didn't hear him and he cried himself to sleep?

Mum I'm a Dr.

2009-04-23T17:09:00.003+10:00

Today I come to you from the comfort of my computer chair with my feet up and my darling daughter being my Dr.

Diagnosis seems simple enough, I have lots of pain in my tummy, or so she says.
Treatment- Rub cream into my legs. Seems simple enough.
Prognosis- Seems its fatal unless I go along with the treatment of a whole bottle of moisturiser on my lower leg.

My dr. dictated to her assistant- "We need more cream, mummy will be dead if you don't help me"

Seems my life is in the hands of a 4.5yr old who doesn't listen to his sister at the best of times.

Granny Muffins

2009-04-22T10:50:00.000+10:00

So in an effort to cut some of the preservatives from my kids diets I have re-discovered baking.
I used to love baking, but the ungrateful husband type never really liked anything I made so it generally went to waste.

Now that my kids are older (the ripe ages of 3.5 and 4.5) they are getting the gist of the fun of making the kitchen a total mess, in turn my husband is starting to eat it and I am shocked to say he is enjoying it.

First up yesterday for a yummy lunch I decided to make Zucchini Slice an absolute favourite in our house, I found the recipe on the Exclusively Food Blog a fair while ago and it never disappoints.

Opening up the cupboard to prepare the midgets kindy lunch I realised I had almost no food in the house. Granny Muffins it is.

I found a basic muffin recipe a while ago that I lurve, a tweak here and there and I give you

Granny Muffins.
Makes 18 regular size muffins

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 cup Milk
2 1/2 cups of Plain Flour
3 tsp Baking powder
2 Granny Smith Apples Grated.
Brown sugar for the tops

Combine wet and dry ingredients, Mix until combined and divide into muffin trays.
Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake in a 200c Oven for 20-25 mins

I alternate between putting the apple in the mix and adding half of the basic mix to the trays top with apple and fill with the rest of the mix. The husband type generally prefers the Apple centre ones.

Magic, lunch crisis averted and now I have a nice treat to give to mum when she comes over after work.

Best part about baking.....Owning a dishwasher.

Alicia