Kitchen poetry: 1

Simple Sparrow is hosting a week of kitchen poetry and I thought that I would join in.*



I could get used to this...


P. is home for a few days so that I can find more time to do my PhD before my annual progress review. In addition to getting more study time, this also means that there are more hands around the house for us to get nice house-y stuff done (well, more specifically, for P. to do lots of nice house-y stuff and for me to benefit). Yesterday that meant yummy oat & raisin cookies (yes, I did suggest choc-chip, but P. decided to set a good example for Lily) and handmade pasta!

Naturally I was forced to join in the fun, because it looked so cool. Here is P. (master pasta maker) in action:




The pasta machine was a very lucky op-shop (thrift-store) find last week. It was only $20, despite being shiny-brand-new-never-opened-still-containing-instructions. I was rather pleased with myself when I stumbled across it.

The results were very yummy too, particularly when coupled with some tofu ricotta, tomatoes & olives.

*Stumbled across on Pea Soup - thank you Suse!

Tripp Trapp

Until recently Lily was using a very cool high chair that was loaned to us by P's sister. However, her gorgeous little one was ready to start eating big-people food and so we gave it back.

We thought for a little while that we might just graduate Lily to the normal chairs at our table and Lily thought that this was a great idea. However, we have quite a high dining table and it really didn't work too well. Lily wasn't up high enough to really eat her food properly and when we tried to use a cushion the result was too unstable and awkward.

And so P went shopping for a new high chair.

He came home with this (well, more acurately, he came home having placed an order for it and then picked it up a couple of days later):



It is the Tripp Trapp - "The chair that grows with the child". It is made by STOKKE and it is very cool. I love the fact that Lily can get in and out of it so easily; that it is so easy to adjust; that she will probably be using it for many years to come; and that it is so good looking.



In fact, it is so good looking that it has inspired P to start painting a bunch of our other furniture in the same red colour. More pictures to follow...

Veg*n Meal Plan Monday

Another Monday, another meal plan. Feel free to play along - I have found that it makes the week (and the shopping) so much easier. Another bonus is that it is really encouraging us to be more experimental with our cooking - although it is also becoming clear what are favourite cookbooks are.

Monday
B: Homemade muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
L: Falafel & tabouli sandwich on sourdough bread (odd combo, I know...)
+ P. is making choc-chip cookies (VWAV*) as I type, but these aren't really part of any meal plan...
D: Millet polenta with sun-dried tomato pesto (VWAV)

Tuesday
B: Homemade muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
L: Tempeh salad with a creamy tahini dressing
D: Fresh pasta with tofu ricotta (VWAV)

Wednesday
B: Homemade muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
L: Nut burgers (FTWF**)
D: Asparagus quiche (VWAV)

Thursday
B: Homemade muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
L: Guacamole and corn thins and a banana, strawberry & almond smoothie
D: Dahl and rice

Friday
B: Homemade muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
L: Nut burgers (again)
D: Friday night pizza

What's in your meal plan for the week?

*Vegan with a Vengeance
**Feeding the Whole Family

And so begins summer...

Snow in October?
Sadly, no. In actual fact, our front garden caught on fire.

The flames were as high as the house, apparently. I didn't see them because I was feeding Lily with the front blinds down (to block out the hot western sun). What I did see was an enormous cloud of smoke blowing past in the wind. When I went outside to investigate there were people in our front yard trying to extinguish a fire with our hose. Stupidly (in hindsight) it was connected to our rain water tank and so it wasn't helping them very much. I tried to help reconnect it to the mains, but the smoke was going inside and Lily was upset and so they ushered me back inside to care for her.


Not long after, two fire engines arrived and the fire-fighters took over. They covered our garden in a fancy new foam to stop the fire from re-igniting.


Then the police came to investigate. At first they thought that something in our bins caught alight, but then they realised that it was only the lids that had burned when they were blown into the fire. The final conclusion was that someone had flicked a cigarette butt from their car and it had started the fire.



I am not fond of the habit of smoking, or of some smokers.


I am very fond of the random passers-by who stopped our house from burning down. And of our neighbours who helped them.

THANK YOU

Breathe, breathe, breathe

To do

1. Finish preparing documents for annual (phd) progress review by 7 November.
2. Finish re-writing chapters 1-3 in time for review. (Ha!)
3. Care for sick little person. Move towards getting more than a few hours sleep at some point in the near future. (Double ha!)
   
4. Continue to assist ACT Greens with confidential task... (vague, I know, sorry).
5. Help grandparents re-draft Will and Powers of Attorney. Do same for us now that I think about it.
6. BREATHE
   
7. Respond to growing flood of emails from students regarding upcoming exam. Remember own time limitations and try not to agree to do too much.
8. Figure out when on earth to mark above mention exams.
9. Stop stressing about Christmas - despite having (crazily) agreed (actually offered!) to host three consecutive family events over two days.
10. Turn 30.
11. BREATHE
    
12. Celebrate (10) with a low-key afternoon with friends. [Remember not to go overboard in preparations and that one kind of cupcake will be quite sufficient].
13. Purchase birthday present for brother-in-law.
14. Tackle disaster zone that is study/studio after the great house re-arranging fest that was last weekend. Take opportunity to throw out more stuff.
15. Send photos of Lily to family members before they are completely out of date.
    
16. BREATHE
17. Revise handmade Christmas list in light of above list, and start on some of the sewing projects - particularly the felt food for the little people.
18. Consider writing a real blog post sometime in the future. [Pictures of fabulous op-shop (thrift-store) finds and yummy food will have to sit patiently in my camera until then.]

I hope that you are all well!

Veg*n Meal Plan Monday

Sorry that this is a little late. Lily is just getting over a cough and has been napping on my lap a lot lately - limiting my free time considerably. She is asleep in her hammock now though and so I thought that I would quickly post our meal plan for the week. I should be getting started with dinner, but the Farmers' Outlet doesn't open until 2pm and so I don't have any veggies in the house yet (because Lily slept right through the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning).

Sunday
Dinner: Tempeh burritos with guacamole (adapted from Feeding the Whole Family 159)

Monday
Breakfast: Weetbix and Carman's muesli with soy milk
Lunch: Blueberry bagel with almond butter
#[Go to shops and buy real food!]#
Dinner: Yakisoba

Tuesday
Breakfast: Bircher muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
Lunch: Tempeh salad with tahini dressing
Dinner: Morrocan tangine (Vegan with a Vengeance 178) with couscous

Wednesday
Breakfast: Bircher muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
Lunch: Beans, mushrooms and a toasted sesame bagel
Dinner: Mediterranean quinoa (adapted from FTWF 143)

Thursday
Breakfast: Bircher muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
Lunch: Tangine leftovers
Dinner: Stewed tofu & potatoes (VWAV 147)

Friday
Breakfast: Bircher muesli with soy yogurt and grated apple
Lunch: Quinoa leftovers
Dinner: Friday night pizza

Toddler sensibilities

I went to a clothes swap the other week. They are all the rage these days and I can see why. You go along with a bag full of clothes that you never want to wear again and come home with a bag full of new clothes that you do. In between you get to catch up with friends and eat yummy food. What's not to love?

However, that isn't really the point of this post... What I wanted to tell you was about the denim peddle pushers that I obtained at said clothes swap. You see I took them home because they seemed to fit me quite well and they had a bit of stretch in them, which made them really quite comfy too. Sadly, however, the waist band on them is a little bit too big - meaning that they do that terrible slide when I squat down.

Last week while I was sweeping the floor, I squatted down to use the dustpan and brush while wearing my 'new' peddle pushers. The slide occurred and the top of my bottom was exposed. Just them I felt a little hand on my backside and Lily declared: "Mama's bottom!"

"Yes it is, sorry," I replied.

"Put it away!" she told me, firmly.

It seems that I had offended her...

On my desk...

Sadly there is nothing creative on my desk today. Instead it is covered in tax-related papers (yes, we finally did our tax and we are actually getting a refund - yay!). Hidden amidst the mess are also a couple of fun new purchases - some tailor's chalk and a big fat fancy sewing ruler. Next to my sewing machine is also a print out of Hollabee's fabulous tote bag tutorial. I actually made a tote for a four-year old's birthday present last week and (crazily) failed to photograph it before gifting it. The sad part about that was that I was actually pretty proud of the bag - although I was concerned that it might not be very suitable for the actual (4-year old) recipient since I was quite tempted to keep it...

19 months

Dear Lily

Last week you turned 19 months old. (I am sorry that I am writing you this letter so late. Last week was pretty busy and so I am little behind schedule.)

Last month you continued to morph into a little girl - leaving your baby-self almost completely behind. It has been amazing to see you grow up so quickly. I would be getting all sad and nostalgic about my little baby, but you still seem quite little and fragile when you breastfeed and sometimes when you first wake up so it is still OK for now...

However, it is also lovely to see your big-grown-up-self enjoying being out in the world. I have written before about how socially confident you are and how much that came through while we were on holidays in Vanuatu. Often we would be eating out and you would climb up and "dine" with other families for a good part of the meal - seemingly completely comfortable to just fit in with total strangers. The more familiar people in your life are also becoming increasingly important to you. You will frequently mention family members or friends that we haven't seen in quite some time and ask if they are coming over or if we can go and visit them.

You are also extremely confident around animals. Actually, this is an understatement. You simply love animals and will hang out with them and 'cuddle' them at any opportunity. I am always worried that you will go racing up to a vicious dog with disastrous results, but thus far you have shown remarkably good judgement. Your favourite animals are, of course, Midnight and Freya, and you ask to see them several times a day even though you know full well that they live in Sydney.

I also love it that I can now have conversations with you. You are incredibly articulate. For example, yesterday we were in the car waiting for your papa to finish the shopping (we had been sitting in the front seat so that you could have a feed). You climbed into the driver's seat and said to me: "This one; papa's car."
"Papa's car?" I said. "Why is it papa's car?"
"Papa drives it."
"Well that's true," I replied. (Although I also do drive it sometimes when he is at work)
"Lily drive it too?"
"No darling, you can't drive it. You're too little."

Then you looked at me with a conspiratorial grin and said, "Let's turn it on."

Cheeky monkey!

love
mama
xox

Sydney

Driving into Sydney last week P and I were both overcome with a desire to move back. I am not really sure what it was that struck us both so suddenly. Certainly proximity to some family was part of it, but we have a lot of family here in Canberra too. The milder weather is appealing - particularly in the depths of a Canberra winter - but I also like the seasonality of Canberra with its dramatic autumn colour and drawn out Spring.

I guess the fact that there are so many Universities also added to the appeal (in addition to the fact that my PhD is actually based at UNSW). However, at the end of the day, it was probably the fabulous beaches that pushed us over the line.

How good is a day at the beach?