Monday Menu 27 September

This week I am going to be away on holiday so my menu will not be posted.  Instead I am going post this new recipe I tried tonight.  Mmmmm.  Thanks to Deb for sharing it will me

Quick Quiche


Serves: 6

Points per Serve: 3

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:


Olive Oil Spray

Asparagus Spears 1 bunch, cut into 4 lengths (OR 1 tin. Drained)

Weight Watchers Bacon 4 slices cut into thin strips

Feta Cheese – reduced fat 60 grams, crumbled

Self-raising Flour ½ cup (75 grams)

Eggs 3

Evaporated Skim Milk 375 ml can

Preheat oven to 180 C. Spray a 23 cm pie or 4 cup (1 litre) Quiche dish, lightly with oil. Place asparagus into a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Stand for 2 minutes, then drain well.

Spray a medium non-stick frying pan lightly with oil and place over medium heat. Cook bacon for 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Sprinkle feta, bacon and asparagus over the base of dish.

Sift flour into a bowl and gradually add combined eggs and milk, stirring with a whisk. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and pour in the dish.

Bake for 35 minutes, until set and golden brown. Cool slightly, then cut into wedges to serve.

I was so hungry when diner was ready that I forgot to take a photo with the food.  Instead here is the empty dish...yes the dish was made by me.

My Voice

My voice is my tool.  I can't go to work without my voice as I am a teacher, I cant make conversation.  In fact there is very little that I can do without my voice working.  So this week, as I have been working everyday, my voice has been affected by a common cold.  Yes that's all it can take to interfere with the power I need to talk all day. 

It is amazing though how well children can respond when you use your voice differently to preserve it.

I don't doubt that my voice will return when the school term has finished and I can actually rest it.  Having a sore voice then having to use it complicates it and now it is strained a little.  Not good.

So in order to save my sore voice and add a bit of humour to my day here is my sore voice.

I guess I had better stop talking now so that my voice has a chance to recover for my working day tomorrow.



Wordless Wednesday 22 September

Spring is here.

Steak and Kidney Crockpot

I have frequently over the last few months made a steak and kidney crockpot meal.  This has happened out of necessity and because I happened to have a plentiful supply of this meat in my freezer.  So I thought that I would take the time to blog this recipe because it is simple and when you are a busy mum like me that is essential.

Steak and Kidney Crockpot

500g of steak and kidney
 1 - 1 1/2 cupts any leftover veg washed and diced
1 cup frozen mixed vege
curry powder to taste
salt and peper to taste
1 tsp beef stock
1400g tin of diced tomatoes

Throw all the ingredients into your crockpot and cook on low for about 8 hours. 

Serve over a bed of rice.

So I will be back to update this post with a photo as mine didn't turn out in focus.  Sorry.

Monday Menu 20 September

The final week of the school term and my menu is very easy this week.

Monday    Steak and Kidney Crockpot

Tuesday  middle eastern pizza and salad

Wednesday   flafel with fattoush

Thursday  Ham corn and cheese pasta pie 

Friday  wraps

Saturday  Whole chicken with baked potatoes and green veg

Sunday  bbq the first of the season.

Electricity

The electricity went out on friday night.  Not because we hadn't paid the power bill but because a storm the size of Australia hit New Zealand and light struck something it shouldn't have.  This is really unusual for Auckland to be powerless but luckily for me I was a little prepared.  The bedside cabinet has a wind up torch, the pantry has a supply of candles for such occassions and a lighter and finally as it was diner time the bbq was ready to be used.  Nothing like a little preparation really.

So after fumbling around in the dark for a little time, settling the children and finally locating the candles dinner could be organised.  I then realised that an hour had passed and we had no chance of knowing when things would be returned to normal and there is nothing less desirable than going to be dirty.  Finally, at 7.30pm I was feed, showered with nothing to do and by 8pm was in bed asleep.  Boy I must be tired.

So in honour of our power outage here are some pages.

With the credits found here at Pickleberry Pop

and

Credits found here at Pickleberry Pop

Oh and I am determind this holidays to make sure I am a little better organised for such events in the future....not pedantic but organised.



An 8th birthday

On Monday it was Haydens 8th birthday.  For me it was, and always is, a time of reflection and thinking back and about what might have been.  In fact I always shed a few tears at these times.

I know that the what if can not be changed but also know that as Hayden gets older his cognative differences between him and most other 8 year olds will get larger, his face with mature so he will look more disabled etc etc.  I know that these are my issues as he does not have any comprehension of what is going on outside of his little world.

So on with the birthday.  Hayden was thoroughly excited about everything but especially blowing the candels out on his cake.  Isn't it great when the simple things in life excite us.

Wordless Wednesday 15 September

Spring is here.

The Kowhai Tree flower

Monday Menu 13 September

I cant believe that the weeks are going so fast.   Here is my menu.  It is linked to I'm an Organising Junkie

Monday   wraps

Tuesday   Slow cooker chicken

Wednesday  Mediterranean Fetta Pizza

Thursday  Thai Chickpea curry with Thai Basil

Friday  fish Hamburgers homemade

Saturday  steak and salad

Sunday  leftovers

My word Embrace

I have been plodding away with the word I have adopted this year Embrace.  I blogged about it with some enthusiasm.  Sadly some things have gone by the wayside but others are coming along fine.  Firstly my music library is slowly increasing.  Not all music is straight out of the music to relax to category but mostly is music that I can sit and enjoy or even enjoy while I am exercising. 

Speaking of exercising, something that I have been endeavouring to keep up....it has not happened in the last month.  Sadly I have been working way to much and will be doing so until the end of the term.  Come the holidays though and I will be back into it.  Winter sport will be over and done with so I will have plenty more time.

As I have got tired this term I have got a little lazy with the food thing.  I am promising myself right now that I will be fixing that up for the rest of the term while hanging out for the holidays.

I have also been getting my photo taken more.  Yes that means my face will appear on my blog from time to time and even in scrapbooking pages.  It is a shock to see myself fully covered in the wrinkles, spotty skin and all.  I know though that it will be worth it when looking back from the future.

So in saying that here are two pages with me in them.

I dicovered I am Human After All

credits

and Self Portaitaholic

credits

Finally I am trying to embrace life a little more by expanding that things that we do.  Not necessarily the things that cost money but things that mean more to family life.  I am trying not to let Hayden be too much of an anchor when it comes to such things.

Hockey is nearly over

I am not sure if I should be happy or sad that the hockey season is drawing to an end.  Tonight Andre played his last game of the season.  It was his last game of hockey indoors and if he wants to play again next year he will be playing on the turf outdoors.  I am happy that the after school committments are less for the final term of the year resulting in less of the grumpy tired child.

Selfishly I am not looking forward to all those practises outside and the games in the cold and wet that next years season will bring for him.  I have been spoilt but I guess 4 years of indoor hockey...2 with McKenzie and 2 with Andre what more could I expect.

Luckily over the years I have gathered together the gear to keep me warm and dry gear that is required to keep me warm and dry while being the hockey mum.  (I should mention here that I hate the cold)

So here is Andre after his final hockey game.  He score a goal and is feeling very positive.  A Fabulous way to end the season.

Wordless Wednesday 8 September

This weeks photo is all about the weather.  Don't you just love the rain.

I am linked to the Wordless Wednesday blog.

Monday Menu 6 September

Here is this weeks plan.  I can't wait for summer to really arrive so that we can eat more salads.

Monday  Steak, potato and vege

Tuesday  Flaffel with rice and salad

Wednesday  Fritata with potato and salad

Thursday  Crockpot  my own recipe.  Will try and post it up this week.

Friday  Homemade hambergers with salad vege inside.

Saturday  takeaways (Hayden turns 8 and it is his choice.)

Sunday leftovers.

P365 August 2010

Here I am with the month of August.  It is getting a little harder to get those photos done but I am hanging in there.

Here are my pages.  They are all made with SS 8 kit from Weeds and Wildflowers along with tekton pro font.

week 1

week 2

week 3

week 4

week 5

Kutus

As I primary school teacher I am fully aware of all the bugs and things that children can catch.  Most bugs are not selective about who that attach themselves to either.  So rather than being surprised I was rather embarrassed when I discovered that not one but all three of my children have nits....kutus.  I was embarrassed because I had checked a number of times and missed them.

Andre had been complaining about an itch head for weeks.  Everytime he mentioned it it was night time and the light is never good then.  So I saw nothing.  Last weekend though in full daylight there they were those little creepy crawlies.

photo from here

Andre must have had them weeks as his skull was covered in bites.  So checked the my other two childrens hair and Hayden has just got them and McKenzie well she has had them some time too.  Needless to say last Sunday was spent cleaning hair, combing hair and washing linen etc.  

You can tell from this photo, smelly hair product has just been applied and that McKenzie is not happy.  She wants them gone like, yesterday.  Sadly today, one week later she still has them and I am predicting that it will take this weekend and possibly next to be totally be clear of them.  Andre doesn't seem that bothered any more by the itching and Hayden well he did not like that comb going through his hair and wont again this weekend.  I don't blame him either because it hurts.

I have been reading up about preventing another reinfestation and thought that I might try tea tree oil as discussed at this site.

I will keep you posted how it goes.

Of course I made a page about this.

The credits can be found here at Funkyplayground Designs

Wordless Wednesday 1 September

Here is my Wordless Wednesday post.  My post this week would not be current if it was not taken in reference to this post.

101 Hospital Entertainment

So I missed my Friday blog spot about hospital entertainment.  This souly because I was busy using these skills and many more while I was sitting there with my son who had caught a grastro bug and for him this can be fatal.  this time nothing so extreme was imminent.

Anyway  I got a chance to retest all I have posted about.  Of course it all starts with the important hospital bag...

It is full of all the necessary supplies from the art and craft thing I might need at a moments notice to hospital teddy, a book to read all the personal needs and of course that list saying what I must put in at the last moment and an open letter.   Without this the night I spent in the hospital with Hayden would have been less comfortable that it was. 

This bag is kept packed at all times ready for the next visit.  I had been caught so many times without even a tooth brush or a change of clothes that this was necessary.  When my other children were much smaller they each had a little bag with a list of thing to pack in case their Dad was away and Hayden was rushed into hospital and they needed to spend the night with their grandparents.

So onto the photos of what it is like with Hayden when he is sick.

So he is sick enough to want to watch the little DVD player we take with us.  You can see he has been pricked for blood from his fingers twice at this stage, hooked up to IV fluids and has hospital teddy to keep him company.

Finally he is feel just a little better.  He is hooked up to both fluids via his peg and Iv fluids, the glove games have been in action and he has spent a little time drawing.  This is only the first day of his stay.

I found that the there are a couple more games Hayden really liked so will post them in the next couple of weeks.