Bocconcini thingies.............

My work is producing a cookbook.  One of those ones where people contribute their favourite recipes and the book is sold for charity.

I thought I would make some contributions.  Here is one of them.

Tomato & Bocconcini Bites

Ingredients:

Roma tomatoes, sliced

Bocconcini cheese, sliced

French bread stick, cut into 2cm slices.

Pesto sauce (fresh is preferable)

Fresh basil leaves.

Method:

Butter each slice of bread with pesto sauce.

Top with slice of tomato.

Then add a piece of bocconcini.

Lastly add a basil leaf.

Continue until all bread has been topped.

Season to taste.

I should really call these "Maree's Bocconcini things" as many years ago my friend Maree  showed me this recipe and suggested I bring a plate of these to a party.  Since then they became a bit of a signature dish as everyone would say to me "did you bring those yummy bocconcini things".  My friend Maree got quite annoyed as she said "that was my recipe and now everyone thinks it's yours".  Sorry Maree!!  Maree went to Christchurch NZ about 10 years ago and i haven't heard from her since.  Hope she was ok in the earthquake.

Well, better go.  Australia is still beating NZ in the rugby in the background and that's got to be good news.

When do you start feeling old!!

I turned 46 a few months ago.  Shortly after i read somewhere that at the age of 46 a woman becomes invisible and becomes disillusioned with life.  It gets better in your 60's.  Apparently.  Just reading that made me feel quite disillusioned and depressed.



Anyway then I decided that you are as old as you feel or the person you feel.  My husband is a few years younger than me so that shaved a few years off.  And my kids are young, 5 & 2.  So that has shaved a few more years off.

No this isn't me but a fellow 46 year old - courtesy of http://www.theplace2.ru/

Until last week when the culmination of migraines, tummy pains and an excruciating pinched nerve all came together.  It made me feel about 100. 

This is not all a doom and gloom story!  My migraine went away, my stomach ache is almost gone and yesterday i went to the physio to sort out my leg.  Things are getting better.  And then tomorrow we are going to the Ekka!!!

Magazine Day!!

Yesterday was magazine day!!  Wahoo!
Usually the mailbox is not a very exciting place to visit these days.  Now that snail mail has more or less disappeared the only things that seem to be there are bills from utilities (that seem to get higher each time), real estate flyers (which can be interesting depending on which property they are trying to sell) or junk mail of some description.  So depressing!

I can't wait for magazine day.  I love the feeling of the glossy mag with the new articles - in my hot little hands just as it hits the newstands.  I love to skim through the magazine first and then go back through it in a bit more detail to read the stories that have taken my fancy.  Or just gaze at the photos and dream. 

Well, better go now - back to my mag.

Biting Kids

What do i do when Master 2 comes home from daycare with a big bite mark on his little hand?  The little vampire even drew blood too!.  I didn't ask the day care ladies who the vampire was but they said he (at least i think it was a he) was a chronic biter.  Great. 

I tried to ask Master 2 who it was and kept suggesting names to him but didn't really get very far.  Poor little lad kept pointing at his hand and moaning "oh oh".  That means "yes it hurt mummy and i'm only 2!". 

I wasn't sure what to do about it.  So i consulted the fount of all knowledge - Google!!!  It suggested that the vampire could transmit an infection or some forms of Hep and that i should consult my doctor.  So far i have washed it and put some antiseptic cream on it.

I'll see how i feel in the morning........................

Stinky Shoes!

For the past 3 days i have noticed a strange and unpleasant smell coming from our walk in robe.  I had a quick look around the room but couldn't see anything that might be causing the smell. 

Today was my day off.  I vowed that i would get to the bottom of it and clean out that room. 
Hmmm.  What did i find.  Hubby's stinky football shoes in a bag.  He just spent last weekend playing in a football carnival. 

He plonked his bag in the room, hopped on a plane and has been out of town ever since.  Bless him.

I have sprayed lots of air fresheners in the room but the smell still lingers.

As for the shoes - well i've put them in the garage which is at the other end of the yard.  I told my husband that they can't come back into the house.

Men!!

The Big Day is almost here............

It's hard not to get caught up in the excitement of the royal wedding.  I hadn't taken much interest in it until recently but now i'm soaking it up.

A wedding is always a good excuse to bring some joy into people's lives.  After all the bad news stories that we have had in the first few months of this year - floods, cyclones, earthquakes etc - it's great to see a couple who are obviously in love and literally have the world at their feet.

All this wedding talk is also bringing back memories of my big day 6 1/2 years ago.  What a special day!

Easter, Birthdays and Anzac Day

At this time of year we have a lot of family birthdays - husbands, stepsons, sisters, fathers, brother-in-laws and of course darling 2 year old sons.  Combined with Easter and School Holidays this year makes it a very busy time.

Yesterday we hosted Easter afternoon tea and BBQ dinner.  I thought i would be a bit more clever than usual and try and prepare a lot of things well in advance so that there was minimal to do on the day.  Doesn't seem to matter how prepared i am - there is always some chaos.  I decided to try some new and old recipes this year:

- mum's tiramisu - always yummy.
- potato bake - a new addition to my repertoire. It must have tasted ok as i spied my brother tucking into a big serve of seconds.
- Devils Food Cake - this doubled as Master 2's birthday cake and was a favourite of mine when i was a kid.  Another one of my mum's loved recipes.
- Caprese Salad - Another newby.  As per Guy Grossi's Woolworths recipe.  Really simple and impressive - bocconcini, tomato, basil, onions and dressing.
- Bunny Biscuits - as per a Woman's Day little cookbook.  Another easy one and Master 5 enjoyed helping me ice them.  He was so proud of his efforts.

                                                           (My famous tiramisu)

Hubby and I enjoy all of the cooking associated with these sorts of occasions. 
Happy Easter and Anzac Day............

Holidays!

Yay!  It's day 3 of my 8 days of holidays!.  Have been so looking forward to it.  It's been a long term for the school kids and a long term for long suffering mum. 

This holiday is going to be a "staycation".  The last few holidays we've had have been either flooded or rained out so we are a bit gun-shy.  Anyway it's a good opportunity to take things easy, sleep in and get some long overdue jobs done at home.  My list of holiday must-do's:

- catch up on sleep and have sleep-ins.  (Hoping Master 2 has that on his list also).
- catch up on good quality fun with the kids.
- catch up on all my women's magazines.
- watch some more "Mad Men"
- just have some time to do 'nothing'.

Alleluia.
Oh well better get stuck into that list!

Technology and Sickness!

The past week has been such a struggle.  Firstly I succumbed to the flu (or something like that). A temperature, the shakes, hot and cold.  Not much fun when hubby is out of town and you have two little boys to deal with.  Blah!!!  Boy was i glad to see hubby when he finally got back later in the week.

An then IT Issues.  So annoying when your pc keeps getting bugs!!!  Grrrrr.  Time for a software upgrade - maybe.

I am so excited about the upcoming royal wedding.  I'm not a royalist or anything but i am a real girl when it comes to weddings and pretty frocks.  I think William and Kate make a lovely couple and i'm sure they will both have a successful marriage.  Only 11 more days!

The pleasures of shopping.

Once upon a time (pre-kids) shopping was a pleasurable experience.  I would go on a Saturday, have lunch, maybe catch up with a friend, look in shops, try clothes on, go to another shop, try clothes on, go back to the original shop and buy the item i originally saw anyway.  That was called browsing. 

Nowadays i go to a shop (with my list of course, no spontaniety) and look for a specific item - it's in the right size, i look semi-decent in it, and it doesn't cost $9999 so i'll take it.  This takes all of about 3 minutes! Then i spend the other hour looking for things for the kids and then i go home because i've had enough.

Shopping used to be so pleasurable.
Maybe again one day. 

On another note, to my million and one followers i will upload some photos eventually.  I'm not the quickest to master technology - but i get there eventually!

Is Blogging the New Black!!

Or is it just me! 

It's taken a year of reading other peoples blogs to finally get the courage (and time) to set up my own blog.  So what have I learnt in that year?  That there is a little community out there.  That blogging is a legitimate way of communicating with the outside world.  I have shared the good times and bad of many of you.  I've heard about pregnancy, babies, holidays and some of the everyday stuff which I can totally relate to.

So a bit about me.  I am a 40 something woman, with 2 young boys and a wonderful hard-working husband.  I work 4 days a week and live in Brisbane.  I love all things real estate, home renovating etc and faithfully read the magazines and websites regularly.  I am a busy mama who just tries to keep the kids fed, clothes ironed and get out the door each morning.  Some days it sort of works.  Some days it doesn't work so well.