The Weekend. Mostly In Pictures.

Spike, aka Psycho Spyko, aka Spike-a-licious, chilling out on the couch.

We went shopping for vegie seedlings.

Then Hubby and the kids planted them.

I sat around drinking tea, reading the paper and not doing an awful lot else. It was nice. Really nice.

A neighbour was wanting to get rid of some plants. Funnily enough they were exactly what we wanted for out the front. Hubby and the boy-child wandered off and dug them up, loaded them into the trailer and brought them home. Then Hubby and the kids planted them. I took photos. That was helping. Sort of.

Look. Girl-child was obviously helping a lot. You know, if dirty knees are a measure of how helpful one is.

Here's the ever helpful (NOT!!) puppy. She's now 5 months old, completely naughty, far too clever for own good and apparently she quite likes to dig. She really likes digging my roses. I really don't like that.

I did manage to spend most of today playing in the kitchen. And covering every inch of the kitchen bench.  Look, you can see my computer at the top of the photo - I promised Kaz ages ago that I'd put a picture of it on here so she could see it. It's on a swinging arm attached to the end wall and I can have it facing me when I'm working in the kitchen or turn it around when I want to sit on the other side of the bench. The very clever Hubby sorted that for me.

And I had my first ever attempt at making Macarons. They weren't a complete success but they worked well enough that I want to have another go. I also made custard from scratch for the first time ever. If I'd known it was that easy I would have done it years ago. 

Time For A New Challenge

Remember last week when I told you about that job I was offered?  Initially it was a relief/acting type position filling in for someone over the next month or so and I said no. My current position is a casual contract position and, while I've been in it for over 12 months, I wasn't prepared to ditch it for something else that might mean I'd end up with no job at all.

Then it turned into a contract till the end of the year with a good possibility that it will be extended and some chance that it will lead to a permanent position. And my current boss all but promised (as much as she could, considering it's government and all) that I'd have something to come back to at the end. And head office all but promised that they'd make sure my current boss would have something for me to come back to.

So after a few phone conversations, a bit of negotiating and a whole lot of thinking... I said yes.

I finish up next week and start the new position the week after. I'm so excited. So excited that the nerves haven't set in yet. But they will.

Gratituesday: The Hubby Lovin' Edition

Just in case you're new to my little blog and don't know what the heck Gratituesday is... it's a weekly event where I tell  you about something I'm grateful for. As you can probably tell it all happens on a Tuesday and I'd love you to join in, either by leaving a comment here or making your own Gratituesday post on  your blog.

Fifteen years ago today, right around this time, I met my lovely hubby. Of course he wasn't my hubby then. Just a terribly polite, very nice young thing who'd agreed to collect me for a social event for my brand new workplace as a favour to my brand new flat mate. Fast forward just a few short weeks and we were in lurve, moving in and planning a life together. Fast forward fifteen years and here we are - married, mortgaged and as deliriously in love as ever. Actually more in love than ever.

And just to further prove how wonderful he is...

Offspring #1 desperately wanted to visit Sizzler during the school holidays. I hate Sizzler. I hate buffet style meals so, to be fair it's not a hatred that's confined to Sizzler. The thought of eating at a restaurant that deals in buffet style dining makes my stomach turn. Scratch that. It makes my stomach heave. 

I worked today and hubby and the kids were planning their day out. Wonderful, clever, brave Hubby organised to take the kids to Sizzler for lunch while I was at work.

Two birds, one stone, everyone's happy.

Monday Musings, a Menu Plan and More!

Okay, there's not really More but I couldn't think of a catchy title for the post!

Hubby and I went to see the latest, and last, Harry Potter movie yesterday. Loved it! But was also a little disappointed by it - won't go into too much detail as I don't want to give stuff away (though if you haven't read the books you have no place seeing  the movies, so there!!) but I felt that  there were lots of characters who just kind of stood around and didn't really have any lines, Ginny especially didn't get to do much where in the book she had a fairly huge part. Also there were lots of deaths but they all happened so fast that for some of them I didn't even realise they'd happened until later in the movie. But... still totally loved it and can't wait to see it again.

As a result of seeing Harry Potter yesterday... (and you might have already seen this on twitter) Hubby was annoying me this morning and I totally waved my hand at him and shouted "Expelliarmus." He stopped annoying me. Mostly to fall about laughing but still, he stopped annoying me. Proof that Harry spells really do work!

We went out to collect firewood today. My whole body hurts.

Made this slice this afternoon. I used dried apple and dried apricots in place of the choc chips in an effort to make it a 'healthy treat'. I fear that the butter and sugar in it may have cancelled out those efforts.

And the menu plan.  I'm sad to report that the week of junk food wasn't the success I thought it would be. Despite her input , and my efforts to please, Miss Fussy still turned her nose up at dinner more nights than not. If she won't even eat the meals that she chooses, what hope have I got? You can see I'm suffering from a lack of inspiration as we move into the second week of school hols:

Monday: Spaghetti Bolognaise (we didn't get to it last night)

Tuesday: Beef and Vegetable Pie

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Curried Sausages

Thursday: ?

Friday: ?

Saturday: Lancashire HotPot

Sunday: ?

Baking: Choc chip slice (with dried fruit instead, see above!), date loaf.

What are you planning for meals this week? Quick, inspire me. Please.

School Holiday Fun

I did a bit of juggling with my work hours today and managed to end up with the afternoon free. Yay! Except it was bucketing with rain. Not to be put off I raced home from work, organised Hubby and the kids and off we went. First stop was the lighting shop to collect our new kitchen lights (more on them later in the week), then onto Ikea to look at bunk beds and loft beds (more on that in another post too) and then onto the proper bit of the holiday fun. The beach.

We hit Scarborough where it was freezing cold, windy as all get out, threatening to rain and the sun was about to set. And still the kids wanted to take their shoes off and run along the beach. Ummm... no. We vetoed their idea but stood out looking at the ocean at sunset and oohed and aahed as the kite surfers fooled around in the wind and the surfers did not very much in the tiny little waves, pointed out the hotel where Mum and Dad spent their wedding night and exclaimed over the enormous houses along the beach front. When we were all thoroughly frozen, which took less time that you might imagine, we jumped back in the car and headed on to part two of the fun afternoon.

We drove south along the beach a little way and ended up down at Cottesloe where we found a fish and chip shop that had tables inside.  We ate some seriously yummy food across the road from the beach, watching the waves and licking our salty fingers. Yummo! 

And onto part three of the fun. A 50 cent ice cream cone from one of the fast food stores on the way home. And then home to a nice warm house where we tucked the offspring into bed only a few minutes after their regular bedtime. Now that's a good way to do it!