Monday Menu10 January

This is a funny week for me to put up a menu.  We are about to go on holiday and I am trying to use up all the vege that I have in the fridge so my apologies because I have no links this week.  Later this week though I will be listing and linking where possible the menu I am thinking of when we go camping.  We wont have electricity just a gas bbq.  Still working on the finer detail for this though

Monday  Lamb steak (hmmmm) baked potato and green salad

Tuesday  Lamb steak with baked potato with frozen vege ( I know we have heaps of aging pototoes so I am working through them.

Wednesday  Wraps with pepers, zucchini and beans in it cooked in a bbq sauce with chilli and cummin.

Thursday  Fritatta

Thats it for this week.  We are off on holiday friday and that requires a whole new approach to meal time.

New 52 Week 1

New to me this week was the fact that I happily posed with my children for a photo.  This is a first from what I can remember and even as I look back through the archives I dont see any like this at all.  Not only that this was a first for something else.  I actually decided to run, as much as possible, some of my hiking trail.  I just don't know what has got into me.

So here is the new me in front of the camera at the start of our hike, just an hour long around the Hunia Ranges.

If you want to read more about this then pop over to Fabulous Adventures of ListGirl



P365 December

So the final month of 2010 project is done here are my final pages

All these pages were all made using SS12 kit from Weeds and Wildflowers.  They were based on a template from the same shop.

Now to go back and check everything and make a front and back cover.  I will be back when it is all done.

Freezer Jam

With strawberries at there cheapest here in New Zealand and I have some time due to holidays I thought that I would would have a go a making some freezer jam.  Now I am new to jam making but bravely set to work.  The strawberries were very cheap, just $5.00 for what I needed.  I used this recipe from Simple Organic.  I could not find any sugar free pectin but went ahead anyway with what I could find. 

So here are my six little jars just cooling on the bench. 

The ingredients I used were

• fresh strawberries  -  six small punnets made the 4 crushed cups I needed bought from the man sitting on the side of the road selling them.
• I packet of jam making pectin
• white grape juice.  I could only find the Grapetiser Sparkling White Grape Juice.
• honey - the runny variety.

I hope it tastes fine when the family comes to give it the taste test.



Wordless Wednesday 5 January

Relaxing....no more to be said

Monday Menu 3 January

Welcome to the New Year.

Monday  Hamburger and salad  ( meat patties homemade)

Tuesday  chicken skewers and couscous salad

Wednesday  Roasted vegetable quiche with salad

Thursday  Spanakopita

Friday  Fajitas

Saturday  chicken roasted, potato and salad

Sunday  left overs

I will try and find some more links for these

Have a great week

Essence - My word for 2011

This year I thought that I would start off with this topic with a group of definition to help me focus on why I have chosen this word...Essence.

• the basic, ral and invaiable nature of a thing or its significant individual feature or features
• the most significant element, quality or aspect of a thing or person
• the curcial element
• the inward nature, true substance or constituatin of anthing as opposed to what is accidental, phenomenal, illusory
• something that exists especially a spiritual or immaterial entity

Sumonyms for essence....substance, spirity, lifeblood, heart, principle, soul, core.

I bought this little book Essence.  Inspiration for a life of abundance and happiness.  Published by Affirmations Publishing House to help keep the focus.

For me I have chosen essence so I can define who I am more clearly.  I don't mean a wife, mother, daughter, etc I mean who I really am deep inside.

Now to reflect a little and get to it.

A New Year and a Fresh Start

So with the first day of the New Year almost over I am prompted to post my challenges I will participate in.  They hopefully will help me achieve my goals and help me stay focused.  So without any drum rolls here they are......

• challenge my self each week to do something new.  This is a life project.  Read more about it here
• as for reading more I thought that I would find an easy to achieve challenge to start with.  I am yet to find one but am happy to have someone recommend one to me
• to add to my Monday Menu planning I am going to regularly add a new recipe to my list comment on it and add to a post "My family loves this recipe'

I  think that is enough of a start and as today is the first of the month here I am picking up the first book I have read for 11 months.  I know nothing heavy but I love escapism in reading so here it is.

Happy New Year

From my family to you all I wish you the very best for a wonderful and fullfilling New Year.

PS We have all just been enjoying an afternoon of swimming and thus the attire.

Nothing like setting myself a few goals

With 2010 almost over I thought that I would set myself some goals, hopefully achievable.  So without saying here is my list for 2011.  (They are in no particular order)

• definitely go on regular date nights
• maintain and fine tune fitness, health and wellbeing
• increase the number of everyday recipes I can make that the whole family enjoys
• make a recipe book
• put the finishing rouches to the last two years of P365 so I can print them out into a hard bound book.
• Essence is my word for the year.  I fully intend to investige this for me. (Watch for a blog post to come)
• I know this one is a bit odd but with the challenges our disabled son brings our life we need to work out how to socialise more.  So that is it socialise more
• read more. 
• put the fun back in life by creating fun family moments
• take a trip to oz
• organise work for 2012...yes I know that is 12 months away but it will take that long to train someone to help with Hayden and then to find a place to work in town.

That it.  What more could I fit in really?