Weekend Happenings

So we have been through 5 tester pots now and have definately definately decided on the colour scheme below. Really. The house will be a light bone colour, the trims are off-white and the gutters are a darkblue/gray called Ironstone. I love how it looks, Dave painted one side of the old loo out the back.I have been trying to get all the vegie beds ready, adding manure, casting and getting the mulch happening. In the last week the weather has really cooled off and we may get the first frost before Anzac day!This morning we headed out to the strawberry farm and picked just over three kilos. There were quite a few people out there and that was before nine. I wish more farms opened their gates like that, I wouldnt have to go to the supermarket at all.

I still haven't gotten rid of the roses in the front yard but I am still planning on ripping those suckers out. I just don't like them! I thought they might grow on me but alas no, they are not for me. What flowers/plants do you not like????

Decisions, Decisions

Who knew that picking out paint colours would be so involved? We have our painters quote which thanks to our builder was heaps better than we had even hoped. Now its picking paint time.

We got a tester pot of "Confetti Shower" but twice as deep as the original and tried that but it was too light (thats the colour that looks light blue but its not). Went back this morning and got the colour done at 4 times as deep as the original and I think this is what we will go with (thats the main colour you can see). The thinking is that we will have white trims and eaves and charcoal gutters and balastrades. I think.

You can see the current house colour on the window. Yes someone did think the pinky/purple trim was a good look and no I cant believe it either.

Here is the finished bench. Dave has done three coats so it is all good to make our yard look pretty.

It's All in the Name

Tonight I have made Pastitsio for dinner and will have a salad with it. Doesn't it sound lovely? You know what it really is? Beef Macaroni Bake! Sounds posh enough to be served at Aria!

I love my cookbooks, actually I love most cookbooks whether I have bought them or not, however there are a couple that just rub me the wrong way. The worst offenders are chefs/cooks who just keep bringing out book after book with nothing really new in them. Or the ones that fill the books with ingrediants so hard to find and/or expensive that most average joes can't afford them. Who wants to spend $50+ on one meal???

I am not a fan of Donna Hay cookbooks. Yes the recipes look gorgeous but that is just styling and its done exceedingly well. The recipes in general just don't appeal, though I know heaps of home cooks who love her books - aspirational maybe but certainly not inspirational, at least to me.

I also don't understand the Nigella love. Other than being excellent at using adjectives I don't feel that she is that good. Maybe that is it, folks can see themselves making her stuff. Hmmm still not feeling the love.

There are heaps that I love though like Bill Granger, Jamie Olivers early books and AWW (Australian Womens Weekly) books! Alot of my books are theme based rather than author based if you know what I mean? I found at least two books today that I would love, one is recipes for a High Tea/Morning Tea and the other is a great book with every Indian recipe you could ever want in it. They might just have to go on the Mothers Day list!

What cookbooks do you love?

Pimping the Deck

I really love bunting, I have made some for Amelia and some for little bubs but I really wanted some just for myself. Grown up bunting!

We put up the new laserlite over the back deck (can check that off this years to do list) so we will be using it more and more since we can now use it in all weather. And I grabbed the opportunity to do some bunting for the deck (that means me!)

Its pretty much made of scraps. I can see a bunch of things I have made in it, Kelly & Lukes aprons, Megans penny purse and Wesley's school apron. I kept it to a red, black and white theme to make it a bit more adult-y and have tacked it up so I can get it down to wash it when needed.

The laserlite makes a big difference, it reduces heat and cuts out nearly all the UV so thats huge for us and makes the deck that much enjoyable.

Blast From The Past!

I have some great cook books that I hardly ever use. You know how you always seem to cook the "old faithfuls"? After watching My Kitchen Rules I decided to cook something different. Something I hadn't cooked a dozen times before.

I dragged out the 1989 edition of Australian Women's Weekly's Cakes & Slices and found the following recipe! It's delicious and even more so with a small bit of butter on it.

Moist Treacle Gingerbread

Ingredients: 3/4 cup plain flour, 1/4 cup SR flour, 1/2 t bicarb soda, 1 t ground ginger, 1/4 t mixed spice, 1/4 t ground cinnamon, 1/2 caster sugar, 1 egg lightly beaten, 1/2 cup milk, 60g butter and 1/2 treacle.

How To: Grease a 14 x 21cm loaf pan, line base and sides with paper, grease paper well. Sift flours, soda and spices into large bowl, stir in sugar and combined egg and milk. Combine butter and treacle in saucepan, stir constantly over heat without boiling until butter is melted, stir hot mixture into flour mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven for about 50 minutes. Stand 5 minutes before turning on to rack to cool. Enjoy!
It really is yummy!!

Porch

Well I have just finished searching for a photo of my porch without the roof and do you think I could find one?? Of course not! The best I could find was a "just started" pic, so that will have to do.I think it will look really good when its finished. It will really make the front porch a usable space for us.

Catching Up

The last two weeks have felt really busy, though to say I had no time to blog would be a big lie. But finding where to start was a lot harder, so I didn't write but I read a lot of other blogs!

Have now been in the new work space for two weeks and I am still trying to decide if I like it or not. It has a lot of pluses going for it but of course there is a couple of negatives that I am going to have to learn to live with. I am really hoping it will grow on me cause I love my job!

I have made up some adult bunting for the back deck and bought a garden seat for the back garden. Ripped out alot of plants that have finished and started getting ready for the winter plantings.

My front porch is still coming along and the end is almost in sight! It is even better than I had hoped. We have organised for the house to be painted and now are trying to pick out colours. I had a specific colour scheme in mind, then I thought - If I had to sell the house tomorrow what colours would be ok?- so we are still thinking.

Buying nothing new in Feb went really well and we saved a good chunk - even in just four weeks! I didnt buy anything after we took the kids to the town show and think I did ok for the month. Mum and Megan just never got into the swing of it.

Tomorrow I am going to put up the before and nearly after pics of my porch!