Things that Made me Think...

The thing I hate most about blog-rolling is that travelling around the blogdom encourages my lack of direction and my inability to focus on what I am supposed to be doing!

Here are some posts (and sites) that have inspired me this week:

1. Unschooling after Death; even for a non-unschooling family this post raises some pertinent questions around the need to Life Insurance and which LI is appropriate to your needs. How much would your family's lifestyle be affected if the main breadwinner was suddenly lost? What about if the main home maker was lost? The financial implications may be lesser but what about the lifestyle implications?
2. Sandra Dodd's site was one that I constantly referred to whilst we were homeschooling our two older children. Unfortunately my own health issues ended that part of our lives, it is however something I'm definitely considering returning to with our youngest (and every time the older children have a negative school experience!) Kim reminded me of this through her lovely interview with Sandra this week.
3. Western Sydney Institute of TAFE, course search; well, this one actually has the mind boggling, it will help me make a final decision as to what course of study to take though.
4. I wish I could be more like Super Organiser Mum; what I love about this blog more so than other organiser blogs I've seen to date is that so many of Jade's ideas seem to be either multi-purpose or very easily re-purposed. I really should spend more time utilising Jade's ideas and less time reading about them!
5. DIY Kids: Making Beanbags at Childhood 101; Christie is an Early Childhood teacher and Mum who has a lot of ideas for great tactile, fun learning experiences.
6. The Art Eater; what a fabulous way to display children's artworks!
7. Budget Friendly Mod-Chandelier; I could make this!
8. Paper "Capiz Shell" Chandelier; or I could make this, or even...
9. this: Straw Cluster Chandelier.
10. Making all those lovely things will come right after I get the housework under control which will be much easier with the help of Kelly of Be a Fun Mum who once shared her To Do Lists for each room of the home.

This list was inspired by the interwebs.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

What to Learn, What to Do...

I've been thinking and thinking and thinking about studying something and coming to absolutely no conclusions until this evening I had an epiphany of sorts. There is something I can study that should be useful wherever I decide to go career-wise in my future years.

So; I've decided, I'm going to undertake a course of management studies. Now; I have to decide (between now and the end of January) which course in particular I'll start with, whether I want to study full-time of part-time, day or evening and which electives to study. Oh, why is there never an easy option!?

I'm a good manager in many ways, great at motivating staff, team building, ensuring standards are met, etc not so great at disciplining staff 'though from what I hear that's something that a lot of people struggle with. I've never had a piece of paper saying that I can manage people, I have two pieces of paper; manual book keeping and MYOB but really, they're not worth the paper they're printed on (they were refresher-type courses.) I don't even have a Higher School Certificate so this course will give me my most valuable piece of paper either.


My starting point is to choose a course, my options are:

1. Key Management Skills Set (Statement of Attainment)
2. Frontline Management (Certificate IV)
3. Business (Certificate IV)
4. Small Business Management (Certificate IV)
5. Business Diploma
6. Management Diploma

I want to try to work out which path to take (probably starting with 1.) to cover the most electives possible and get the most out of the courses. There are a few electives common to all the courses so I could use RPL to complete the requirements of the courses I do towards the end of the journey.

This list was inspired by a desire to learn.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

My Dream House... #2

Since we moved into our current home I can't help thinking about bathroom finishes; in particular wall tiles, since there are at least three different tiles in our bathroom I'd dearly LOVE to tear them all out and replace them. Being a rental property that we're unlikely to stay in for another 12 months though, I'm not about to go to all that effort (nor the expense.) Especially the expense, since the owner of the house did the tiling himself and considers it a wonderful job, mismatched tiles, broken tiles and all.

The current trend in bathrooms seems to be for tiles between 20 and 30cm square with pebble or small tile feature strips (usually vertically.) I'm not much one for trends though and something I loath even more than worrying about trends is cleaning, surely all those little, little tiles are harder to clean than bigger ones?

I'll take my bathroom tiles in a large size please.

All this thinking tiles lead me to "wouldn't it be great if your bathroom walls could be glass; like a kitchen splash back, except the whole wall" so easy to clean. Then today over at Apartment Therapy I read about a house that had a kitchen with Vitrolite walls, go and have a look. I'd never heard of Vitrolite before, as it turns out it's a glass product which is no longer made, the people that own the featured house were lucky enough to gain the vitrolite already in place, I was very glad to read that they have no plans to replace it. Vitrolite production was discontinued due to it being known for breaking easily and it becoming obsolete due to the emergence of cheaper and stronger materials.

Vitrolite panelling (upper section of walls.)
(Photo from Apartment Therapy.)

Whilst I love the look of glass splash backs I imagine they must get quite expensive the larger the space you want to cover and expense if something that most people can do without, I know I definitely can. There are alternatives of course, such as plexiglass and acrylics. These products are already widely used in kitchen applications but I really struggled to find some pictures of them in use in bathrooms. Without further ado...

Before: Tiles as typically seen in a shower recess.

After: Tiles removed and an acrylic splash back installed.

Acrylic shower recess and vanity splash back.

According to Ozzie Splashbacks; acrylic splashbacks are the ideal modern alternative to glass or tiles. 

They are:

• Safe – No more glass or tile breakages.
• Clean – No more grout or scum.
• Stylish – Choose from a range of elegant, modern colours.
• Durable – Scratch-resistant and shatter-proof.
• Cost-effective – Save up to 38%.
• Easy to install – It usually takes only 2 hours, and we clean up afterwards!
• Convenient – We can simply install over the top of your existing tiles for glass.

DISCLAIMER: I do not work for or know anyone from Ozzie Splashbacks, nor have they sponsored this post. I also cannot endorse the quality of workmanship undertaken by Ozzie Splashbacks. They were one of the few companies on the website of which I could find pictures of splashbacks used in bathrooms. If you're interested you can google to find them and see the photos they have of acrylic splashbacks in laundries and kitchens as well as bathrooms.)


This list was inspired by dodgy bathroom tiles.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Do I really HAVE to?

Some wise words from Valery Fradkov:

With years of professional experience, I realized that when people say “I have to” or “I should,” it is not them talking but someone else, who comfortably and secretly resides in their heads… When talking on their own behalf, people tend to say “I want to.” I learned not to tell my children what they need or had to do, but rather ask them, for example, “what do you want better, to read now even though you will be tired tomorrow at your favorite Improvisation class, or to go to bed now and finish reading tomorrow?” Sometimes it works the way I would like it to, sometimes it doesn’t, but at least I never have to face those why-do-I-have-tos or I-don’t-need-anythings. Also, they know that everything they do is always their choice (and their responsibility).

A story of one of my clients (let us call him Al) provides a powerful illustration to this point. Al is a single father who, among other issues, was concerned that he did not spend enough time with his son. He had a well-paying but demanding job at a Wall Street company, with long working hours and a long commute. Al said: “I want to spend more time with my son but we need money and I have to work much.” I asked him: “Could you say the same sentence only instead of ‘I have to’ say ‘I want.’ Al said, slowly: “I want to spend more time with my son but I also want to earn more money for us.” Then he looked at me in surprise: “It sounds now like I have a choice!” Within a year after this conversation, Al quit his job in the bank and moved to a less expensive area, farther from New York. There he found another job that pays less, but is close to his house, less demanding, and leaves him more time to be with his son.

You cannot choose between what you want to do and what you have to do, but you can compare two things you want and choose the one you want more. I want my children to be always aware of their choices rather than simply following someone’s orders, including mine.

This list was inspired by blog travelling.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

My Dream House... #1

Recently I've started daydreaming about the day we buy our own house; I'm really craving the freedom of being able to do whatever we want to out home. I'm going to post about things as I come across them and save them on the My Dream House Page...

Where better to start than a bathroom?

I love the openness of this bathroom, minimalism however is not really my thing.

I imagine the people who really live in this bathroom use the recess in the (left-side) wall to house their shampoos, bubble baths and other such essentials. It would look beautiful with some coloured glass bottles in the recess and very romantic filled with a variety of different sized candles.

I love that the bath can be "allowed" to overflow as it's in the back of the shower space and that it wouldn't matter if the kids splashed water everywhere because you don't have to walk through the splash-zone to get to the handbasin.

I hope it's a heated floor because I spy an exhaust fan but no heater.

I wonder if the towel rails are out of shot or if the people who live here dress in their bedrooms (or do they have change rooms?) Is there a toilet out of shot too?

(Photo from Come Over Sunday.)

This list was inspired by daydreaming.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

'Cause we all have wings...

As long as I can remember I've always been fascinated by flight; I've always loved aeroplanes and birds.

I don't know where this love began, my parents had a pet Rosella when I was a babe and sometime before I was two my Dad enlisted with the RAAF. His first posting was to the airbase at Richmond, NSW. Either or neither of these things could've been an influence in my love of all things flying.

I think "Never Tear Us Apart" was the first INXS song I heard, it was definitely one of the first songs I really heard, the lyrics spoke to me, especially those two lines: cause we all have wings, but some of us don't know why. They seem kind of out of place in the song but I always felt like they were there just for me. We all have wings, we can all fly, we just have to know why, to understand ourselves to be able to fly.

I want to fly. One day, I will fly.

This post was inspired by the desire for freedom.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

(Graphics used in this post were sourced from The Graphics Fairy.)

Cookies...

"Dear Lord: The gods have been good to me. For the first time in my life, everything is absolutely perfect just the was it is. So here's the deal: You freeze everything the way it is, and I won't ask for anything more. If that is OK, please give me absolutely no sign. OK, deal. In gratitude, I present you this offering of cookies and milk. If you want me to eat them for you, give me no sign. Thy will be done." - Homer Simpson, The Simpsons.

I baked cookies this afternoon!

Hooray for yummy fresh cookies!

I know I said in my last post that I'm not a cook; strangely enough I look to be breaking all my own rules here. I just LOVE these cookies and every now and then I bake them, it just so happens that this time it was directly after I made pasta. Hold on to your seats though, the world might just stop in it's tracks, I actually made alterations to this recipe and didn't ruin it.

Remember though, how I said I need really clear instructions to be able to cook; I read somewhere earlier today to swap your trays of cookies top to bottom in the oven halfway through cooking to prevent them burning on the bottoms. Why didn't I think of that earlier?! Such a logical solution to the burnt cookie bottom problem, my brain obviously heard "cooking" and shut down.

Look at those nice edible cookie bottoms!

Here's the recipe for Choc Chip Rock Cakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self raising flour
• 2/3 cups of castor sugar
• 125g (melted) butter
• 250gm choc bits
• 2 (beaten) eggs
• 1tspn vanilla essence
• 1tbspn milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°.
2. Combine dry ingredients, making a well in the centre.
3. Add butter, eggs, milk and vanilla essence, stir gently.
4. Place heaped tbspn drops of mixture on greased (or papered) trays.
5. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. (Don't forget, swap the trays top to bottom after 6 minutes.)
6. Stand for 5 minutes, then place on a cooling rack.

Notes:

1. My eggs must've been bigger than "regular" so the mixture wasn't as dry as I thought it should be so I added some rolled oats, I made a double batch and probably added two cup of rolled oats.
2. I used brown sugar instead of castor sugar; I like the "caramelly" flavour that brown sugar gives to baked goods. I'm not sure what the "right" substitution would be but I just did a straight substitution.
3. I added cinnamon; I prefer the cookies cinnamon flavoured instead of plain vanilla, add 1tspn of cinnamon to the recipe above.
4. 250gm is a LOT of choc chips for this recipe. You could easily use half the amount and still have more choc chips than you'd get in store bought cookies!
5. You could easily substitute nuts for the choc chips if you're not a chocolate fan and still have a great tasting cookie.

Mmmm Cookies...

This list was inspired by yumminess!

Kindest Wishes, AJ

I'm not a Cook...

Cooking in general is not something I'm good at, cooking places me in stupid mode most of the time, unless I have very clear precise instructions I can burn anything!

There are however a few things I CAN cook; spaghetti bolognaise (don't we all learn that at high school?) lasagne, devilled sausages, beef stroganoff, apricot chicken, mashed potatoes, banana cake... that's about the extent of my kitchen repertoire. Truly; I have been known to burn water. :blush:

This evening, however, I made pasta. Real pasta; flour and eggs, mixed by hand, fed through the pasta machine pasta! Even more incredible than the fact that I got my kitchen act together enough to make something "new" was that it was edible. It is a given in this house that if I am attempting to cook something new there must be an alternative available (even if it is only beans and toast!)

There is one more stage of incredible; I made an alteration to the recipe, using wholemeal instead of plain flour. 'Twas an evening for miracles I tell you; not just because I made edible food from scratch but because it was in fact so edible that fussy husband and fussy daughter BOTH ate it and liked it. Of course D jnr liked it too; it was food, he was eating it raw as R and I were trying to get him to help turn the pasta machine handle!

Here's what I learnt about making pasta:

1. The recipe makes WAY too much pasta for 2 adults, 1 child and 1 babe. I know it can be refrigerated but flouring the finished product and putting it in an airtight container was not so effective, it has turned into a clump of pasta. I need to experiment further with pasta storage.
2. Every time you make pasta the flour quantity will be slightly different depending on the actual size of your eggs. We always buy free range eggs direct from the farm so they, especially, have quite a size variance in each pack.
3. Once you have the pasta the thickness you want it, it is much easier to cut if you have allowed it to air a little. I used cooling racks and lay the pasta sheets on them to air, those that aired slightly longer cut much more easily than those that didn't.
4. Flouring the aired pasta makes it one further degree easier to cut (ie run through the machine without it getting stuck and with the blades having cut right through.)

This list was inspired by the joy of home made!

Kindest Wishes, AJ

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal,
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation,
And a glory that shines upon her tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the daytime;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known,
As the stars are known to the night.

As the stars will be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Nor the years condemn; is it really years that condemn people though; or the people of the future who condemn those of the past. Who are the naysayers who now cry out in opposition of those who have fallen in service of our country? It is not our place, the people of today, to say whether or not a war past was right or wrong but to be thankful that our Country is what it is today.

Sure; we have a long way to go before we become a Utopia but there are many more places in the world worse off than our place. This day, ANZAC Day, these are not the days to proclaim all that is wrong with our Country but to be thankful for all that is right, all that is wonderful, all that has been fought for and won.

There are other days on which we can bemoan all that is wrong; we do not need to do so on this day.

My sincere thanks to all who have served to make our Country what it is today; to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, to their families, to those who returned and to those who continue to serve. The war may not be just or right, "we" might not want to be there but you are and I thank you.

This list was inspired by those who have fallen in service of our Country.

Kindest Wishes, AJ

This list was inspired by Remembrance Day.

Kindest Wishes, AJ

Ink in Waiting...

There are two tattoos I've been tossing up over for a while now; one longer than the other.

1. A flying pin-up girl. Not flying as in a flyer, pilot costume, faerie, etc but flying as in a person flying, without wings, like a trapeze artist mid-catch. I like the shape of the Virgin Blue pin-up girl "Virginia" for this idea she is not a very detailed little thing though so she'll need some work.
2. A phoenix. For it's traditional symbolism; rebirth, beginning again. Over the past 10 years I've had to pick up and begin again more times than I'd like anyone to have to count, that's always hard to remember in bad times though so I'd like a visual reminder.

As I've thought about it more and more I realised that the reason for getting either of those tattoos was to remind myself that no matter what happens you can always start again and as long as you believe it to be so, that anything is possible.

I'd been thinking the past few days about how I could combine the two and mentioned to a friend the possibility of adding the wings of a phoenix to the pin-up. As I trawled through tattoo photos on facebook tonight I came across one of the album cover of Led Zeppelin's Swan Song. I'd never really thought about what that picture meant before but as soon as I saw it tonight I knew what it was "Icarus". Of course, Icarus had wings, until he got too close to the sun!

A little more trawling and I came up with some images that need some work to be combined but that I think will suit my idea if I can pull them together nicely.

I also stumbled upon these instructions to draw the Led Zeppelin illustration which should be helpful since I'm not a great drawer and people are the things I draw worst!~

Funny how things that are meant to be just seem to fall together of their own will.

This list was inspired by ink observations.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Happy Anniversary X-Ray

Google's celebration of the 150th anniversary of the discovery of X-rays.

I recall reading in a book recently that X-ray's were once used as a healing measure in many ailments. Sickly constitution, let's x-ray; aching bones (arthritis), let's x-ray; melancholy, let's x-ray; got the idea? If anything was wrong with a person that could not be solved using known medical procedures it was common practice to use a patient as a "guinea pig" throwing them in front of this great new toy, the X-ray machine.

Did you know...

1. The risks of cell damage which may trigger cancers rises with repeated exposure to X-Ray and is cumulative.
2. It is thought that X rays can both cause and treat cancer.
3. Early (historical) exposures to radiation resulted in the loss of limbs and even lives.

Cyclamen

Seahorse

Starfish

Sword Swallower

Eucalyptus

I find it fascinating what things look like from the inside...

Now, what was that book...? The story was of a child who was abandoned on a mid-QLD dock and informally adopted by the Dock Master and his wife. The Dock Master told the "daughter" the truth of how she came to live with them when she turned 21 and with the suitcase she arrived in Australia with she tries to discover who she really is. Years later her grand daughter receives the suitcase in her estate and follows the clues to find out who her Grandmother really was, the grand daughter is fortunate to have come across some people her Grandmother had never met and successfully discovers the truth of her identity. (Of course, there's more to the story than that very brief outline, I just wish I could remember the name of the book so I could recommend it as it really was a wonderful story!)


This list was inspired by Google.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Apples and Oranges... #1

I've only ever had one baby carrier; a Peanut Shell sling that I was fortunate to buy online second-hand but very much like new at half the retail price. It is now very much used; in that the fabric has faded and it is almost completely outgrown; D jnr can still sleep laying in it but only with his feet hanging out which is not so ideal in crowded places.

Peanut Shell Blue Couture Pouch Sling

Whilst I was lamenting the fact that sling snuggles were almost behind D jnr and I, I was most fortunate to stumble upon an offer to trial a Baba Sling. The first thing I noticed after I 'woke to the joy of a parcel on the doorstep and hurriedly opened it was that the Baba Sling came with it's very own carry pack; completely unnecessary of course but who doesn't love a freebie?

Standard Baba Sling in brown.

The Baba Sling is made out of gorgeous, soft 100% cotton, even brand new out of the packet it didn't have the crinkly "new cotton" feel I had dreaded. Of course I wanted to put it on and use it right away but I just couldn't do so with the morning school rush; later in the day however, D jnr and I were out shopping and I took the Baba Sling along.

I had forgotten in my excitement that it would be difficult to adjust the sling when I needed to use it straight away, having only used a sized sling previously. However; use it we did and with the pleated deeper pouch D jnr fitted in easily and snuggled off to sleep quickly and easily.

The second time we used the Baba Sling was over the weekend just gone; having read the instructions and made the necessary adjustments to the straps the sling was much more comfortable for me to use (comfort was never a concern for D jnr he was satisfied from the outset when he snuggled in nice and deep.) Both D jnr and I were very happy with the sling and everyone who saw him in it commented how comfortable he looked and what a fabulous idea it was.

By way of comparison, the major factors to consider were:

1. Sizing; the Baba Sling being adjustable means one sling for the whole family, if only I could convince D to use a sling! It also means that I don't have to worry about buying the right size or fitting neatly in the middle of two sizes and not knowing which one to go with.
2. Depth of Pouch; the Baba Sling having a pleated pouch means that it is much deeper and therefore more suitable for extended use as the babe grows (as they tend to do!) For me this means that D jnr at 21mths old can still lay in the sling for sleeping (although he did also sleep sitting up snuggled against my chest.)
3. Comfort in Use; the padding in the shoulder of the Baba Sling means that it provides the ultimate in comfort for the wearer. The padded section also assists in stopping the sling from riding up the shoulder and rubbing against the neck. I also found that the padding in the rails on the Baba Sling was much softer than my last sling.
4. Safety; my previous sling had no adjustment however, it is great to know that even if the main buckle on the Baba Sling fails there is a safety buckle also holding the sling tight enough to stay on the shoulder. I found this very useful today in transferring D jnr to his stroller (so I could clothes shop whilst he slept) in that I could undo the main buckle and have some wriggle room to remove the sling with the babe still in it without having to undo it completely.
5. Functionality; the Baba Sling is very versatile, with 7 different usage positions and the large pouch which also provides privacy for breastfeeding.

The Baba Sling is a clear winner and had it been the first sling I had the pleasure of using I doubt I would've tried any other. I feel so privileged to have been chosen to trial this great sling and look forward to using it more and more in the coming years.



This list was inspired by portable snuggles.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Things I know because I'm a girl... #2

I know that Libra are now ripping me off in the trivia stakes, having taken to being more environmentally friendly using the plastic wrapping of their pads as adhesive covers and using only a third of the paper adhesive strip they used to use... Yay Environment! Boo Trivia!

1.   

I already knew that snails have teeth - really, any gardener worth their salt would realise that!

This list was inspired by Kindest Wishes, AJ

Things I love... #4

I wish I had the patience to persist with a new hobby; in particular I'd love to be able to sew.

Look at all these wonderful fabrics I could play with...

Helicopter Grey

Tegan Rose Wrens Red on Natural Hemp Cotton

Zanzabelle Green

Woodland Chain Blue Organic Cotton

Rose Charcoal

Kangaroo Paw Chalk

Karaka

Balloons Over Paris Grey

Trefle Mushrooms Black

Alice in Wonderland

Free as a Bird Blue

Ooh La La Red

These fabrics and many more (I feel another list of favourites coming up) are available from Duckcloth.

This list was inspired by range of fabrics seen at BHG Live (I told you it wasn't ALL bad!)

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Something Other Than an Apple for the Teacher?

I love buying gifts for people and often receive comments such as "oh, that's exactly what I wanted/needed?" "How did you know I liked that particular piece?" or "How did you know I even liked that?!"

Some people are of course, notoriously hard to buy for, not the ones who "have everything" but the ones you don't feel you know well enough to personalise a gift for. Such as your child's teacher or coach. I tend to avoid commercialised products such as mugs, coasters, key rings and photo frames (bearing slogans like "Best Teacher" or "World's Greatest Coach") as I can't imagine what anyone would do with 20+ of those things to add to their home/office every year; year in, year out. I have enough trouble working out what to do with the Mum and Dad ones which are inevitably chosen for us by our children every Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Birthday and Christmas!

Try to think outside the box. Ask your child/ren what their teacher/s like; their favourite colour, favourite animal, what sort of jewellery they wear, their hobbies. These things might be be apparent in their teaching methods (for example a primary school teacher who is creative and enjoys creative pursuits is likely to provide a wider creative arts curriculum, one who is musical might use song or rhythm more often in her class) or in their appearance (a favourite, often worn colour, chunky or understated jewellery) or may have been brought up in classroom conversation.

This year R's (year 5) teacher was also one of their school choir leaders therefore we know she's musical, the children also seem to complete new art projects often and Mrs C also recently came back from an overseas holiday (where she went escapes me at the moment!) Therefore I could assume that a gift to suit these traits might be a little outside the box and personalised, rather than a generic "teacher gift".

Wooden Tambourine ($25.00 Three Worlds)

30cm Baby Djembe ($39.95 Three Worlds)

 

Present some art materials in a gift basket or box:

Chromacryl Acrylic Paint ($3.50 75mL tube Eckersley's)

Micador Metallic Pencils - Tin of 24 ($19.85 Eckersley's)

Primary Art - Teachers' Resource ($52.95ea RIC Publications)

This list was inspired by Mrs C.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

What's in the Box? (Part 2)

The contents of your Halloween guessing box really are only limited by your imagination (or mine, if you're playing along!)

Here are some more ideas:

1. Goblins Ears (dried pigs ears; can be bought from pet shops as dog treats.)
2. Blood and Guts (canned, crushed tomatoes.)
3. Bats Hearts (canned, peeled tomatoes, warmed lightly in the microwave.)
4. Bloody Fingernails (uncleaned pumpkin seeds, they're a little bit slimey!)
5. Plastic Spider/s (wouldn't it be great if you could get a battery operated spider to run around inside the box?!)
6. Spiders Webs (the fake ones from a dollar shop or similar.)
7. Witches Hair (corn silk, straight from the husks or an old wig.)
8. Vomit (lightly warmed salsa.)
9. Goblins Bones (cleaned and dried chicken bones.)
10. Mummy Wrappings (wet, crinkly up and dry toilet paper, or an old pillowcase lightly starched.)

There must be more...


This list was inspired by
 H  A  L  L  O  W  E  E  N  ! 

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

What's in the Box?

I think one of the greatest Halloween games ever is the one where you have to put your hand into an enclosed box and try to guess what is concealed within.

Here are some ideas for what you can include in spooky, gross, Halloween guessing boxes.

1. Dried Tongues (dried apricots)
2. Stripped Veins (cold cooked angel hair spaghetti, only a few pieces)
3. Eyeballs (lychees, if you buy them in a tin they're already peeled and ready to use)
4. Skin (soft tortilla gently rubbed with oil)
5. Teeth (dried corn kernels/feed corn)
6. Brain (boiled whole small cabbage/cauliflower head)
7. Dried Ears (dried apple slices)
8. Worms (cooked and cooled, oiled spaghetti, add some parmessan cheese for "dirt" or real dirt if you like to give the effect of freshly dug worms. Alternatively use bait worms or oiled rubber bait worms.)
9. Dried Fingers (dried meat; "twiggies" or thin sausages.)
10. Maggots (cooked arborio rice in a small amount of cooking oil.)

More to come...

This list was inspired by
 H  A  L  L  O  W  E  E  N  ! 

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

An Apple for the Teacher?

It's nearly that time of year again; there are only 9 more weeks until the end of school, so what SHOULD you get for your child's teacher, coach or other important influential person. Some of my friends have already had this discussion, their suggestions included baked goods, chocolates, journals and pens. The best received gifts I have given my children's teachers were jewellery and fruit baskets (the jewellery was handmade earrings for L's first grade teacher and the fruit baskets were for L and R's teachers a couple of years later.)

The earrings, were hand made by myself and in this case I had simply taken notice of the jewellery L's teacher wore for the couple of months prior to Christmas so I was aware of what styles and colours she liked. The fruit baskets were, for us (in the Fresh produce industry) a cheap option, I bought some baskets from a dollar shop and filled them with as many different coloured fruits (and vegetables) as I could gather, then threw in a 3pk each of Ferrero Rochers and Raffaelos for good measure.

When we gifted the fruit baskets to the teachers all three of them exclaimed how beautiful they were, how different and how glad they were that they weren't chocolate; it seems teachers get a lot of chocolate as gifts!

Personally I would not give baked goods as a gift to a teacher as I know D won't eat anything that has been cooked in any private kitchen he hasn't been in himself. I MAY purchase some baked goods from a friend's patisserie and present them in a nice basket or gift box (including a card from the patisserie to both support my friend's business and let the gift receiver know that they have been baked in a commercial kitchen.)

Teachers must get a lot of "same-ish" gifts for Christmas and although I'm sure they'd use a lot of pens, notebooks and other stationery over a year, there only so many "Best Teacher" mugs and ornaments a person can use, surely? So, I'm trying to think outside the box and will see if I can find some ideas to post in an upcoming list.


This list was inspired by the joy of learning from a great teacher.

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Seen in My Yard... #1

Noisy Friarbird

New Holland Honeyeater

Brown Honeyeater

Laughing Kookaburra

Willie Wagtail

'Though little Mr Willie Wagtail is seen 'most everywhere in Australian suburban yards I will never tire of hearing his joyful song and watching his sweet little tail wagging dance.

The photos used in this post were taken from the website of Ákos Lumnitzer an amazing local nature photographer.

This list was inspired by the knowledge that beauty surrounds us every day...

Kindest Wishes,
AJ