First date

Today is the anniversary of our (DH & mine) first date. As DD kicked beside me and DS bounced around on our bed this morning I commented that I hadn't foreseen this when I agreed to go out for dinner with him! :-)

His phone call was rather unexpected. I had been working for a while, and had various projects on the go. My last relationship had fizzled (a happy escape) some years before. While I hadn't given up hope of love 'n' marriage, I also had decided to make the most of single life. My sister and I were saving up to go on an OE together. One evening the phone rang and my youngest sister came into my room with a puzzled look on her face, "It's for you" she said, obviously wondering why some guy was calling me. A very nervous DH said,
"Hello, how's it going?"
Me: "ummm... fine" [*thinks* Who is this?]
DH: "It's Rodney here."
Me: "Oh! Hi!" [*thinks* Why are you calling me?]
DH: "I was wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner some time?"
Me: "Well..er..sure! When were you thinking of?" [*thinks* I'll give anyone at least one try]
DH: "Ummm... I hadn't decided that yet." [*thinks* Sh**! She said yes!!]
Me: "Okay - well when you've decided let me know" [*thinks* Poor guy!]
DH: "Okay - I call you"
Me: "Okay. . umm"
DH: "See you"
Me: "Bye"

I hung up the phone and turned around to see both my sisters waiting to know what it was about. No privacy in our house! LOL! The day came. My sisters were all agog of course. "Please will you let us pluck your eye brows?" they said.
He took me out to Valentines - not the most romantic venue but we were both kind of nervous so at least there was nothing unexpected about the menu.

So were there stars in our eyes and fireworks in the air? No. I can't say that there was a magical pixie pointing at him saying "He's the one!" What we did have was animated conversation and by the end of the evening we had discovered quite a bit in common. We both felt "comfortable" with each other and decided we'd date again.

Eventually, there was an another entry in my diary.
And my sister went on an OE by herself. ;-)

Saucy!

Something about this time of year makes me want to eat puddings. Specifically, carb-fat-rich puddings. Most of the time I resist this but last night I did not. I had some left over pumpkin and felt like pumpkin pie but was too lazy to faff about with getting cream and making pastry so I modified this recipe.

Banana Caramel Self-saucing Pudding

110g butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3 very ripe bananas
1 tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn baking powder
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tspn baking soda
2 cups boiling water

Soften butter. Beat in brown sugar and egg. Mash bananas with vanilla essence and stir through butter mixture. Sift over the flour and baking powder and baking soda and combine well. Spread pudding into 28 cm x 19 cm ovenproof dish. Sprinkle over topping. Carefully pour boiling water over the back of a spoon onto topping mixture. Bake at 180 degrees C for 35 mins approx.

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons custard powder
50g butter

Combine brown sugar, custard powder. Chop up butter roughly and add to the custard powder and brown sugar.

My Pumpkin "Pie" Version

Replace bananas with approx. 1 cup mashed pumpkin.
Add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon each all spice and ground nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves
with the flour. Continue recipe as above.

It was delicious. I'd probably add more pumpkin next time for more pumpkin flavour. It's probably ... actually it is best served with cream but I had it (virtuously) with milk.

World Breast Feeding Week

Thanks to Amy's blog I discovered it's World Breastfeeding Week in August.

Here's a quote about it:

What is World Breastfeeding Week?

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is August 1st – 7th and celebrates the signing of the Innocenti Declaration** on the Protection, Promotion and Support of Breastfeeding. It is celebrated in 120 countries on various dates.

* According to WABA, "Initiation of breastfeeding within the 1st hour of birth is the first and most vital step towards reducing infant and under-five mortality, by reducing the overwhelmingly high neonatal mortality rate."

** The Innocenti Declaration was produced and adopted in 1990 by participants at the WHO/UNICEF meeting on “Breastfeeding in the 1990s: A Global Initiative.” The document lists the benefits of breastfeeding, plus global and governmental goals.

I've been fortunate that both my kids have been able to benefit from good ole human milk. For me it is as much about convenience as the Good Things that are in breast milk. Learning to breast feed was difficult at the beginning and it took me about 6 weeks before I felt confident with it when DS was born. Luckily for me DD has been really easy to feed, and apart from a couple of blocked ducts I've had no trouble this time.

I know that breastfeeding isn't always possible and I don't think that formula is Evil Food from the Dark Side. But if someone asked my advice about the choice I would strongly advocate breast feeding.

Amy has a photo contest going to celebrate WBW if you'd like to enter.

Where is the strangest place you've breast fed? I think for me it would be at the lookout at Waiere Falls down near Te Aroha. We'd just walked to the lookout so DH could take some photos and DS decided he was hungry.

Meme

Five Reasons the Best Writers Come from West Auckland
1. Who can argue with the black singlet and black jeans fashion... surely inspirational.
2. Our mayor can moon with the best of the them.
3. The beaches can kill you.
4. It has the only joint library between a local body and an educational institution in NZ.
5. There is always the wine...

Need a book to read? Try some of Rosina Lippi or her other writing name Sara Donati.
This meme comes from here.

Tied to the Tracks by Rosina Lippi. July 3, 2007. ISBN: 0425215326

"[This] is a hilarious, smart, sexy novel with a heart of gold." -- Susan Wiggs

"[Lippi] turns her buoyant creative talents to the romantic comedy genre with an effervescent tale of a trio of offbeat Yankee filmmakers plunked down deep in the heart of Dixie." -- Booklist

Read an excerpt. (Adobe Reader required)| Watch the book trailer

You can find Tied to the Tracks at Amazon , Barnes & Nobel, Borders, Powells, or at your local independent bookseller.

This meme has been entered in the Tied to the Tracks contest, originating on Rosina Lippi's Storytelling2 weblog. If you'd like to enter the BUCKS & BOOKS meme contest, get the rules here.

Supermarket 2.0

Okay - I know this is probably going to appeal more to the librarians out there but this cracked me up... especially the last bit about the egg...

glumbert.com - Supermarket 2.0

Layout for Sketch Competition

There is a competition at SBO to win a copy of Nic Howard's book by creating a layout based on a sketch of hers. For once I had suitable photos to fit the sketch!

Comfort

comfort

Made with April's kit from SBO.

loser

I am now 1 kg under my pre-pregnancy weight! YAY! Last time I got this far I managed to get pregnant again mostly by surprise rather than intention.

Now I need to lose about 7 kgs to get into my BMI range (my goal).

Pity about the saggy baby tummy still but I'm pretty happy about the progress. I think breastfeeding is helping me this time (it didn't last time).

Note to self: Do not get preggers.

NZ Dare 23

Here is my entry for the NZ Dare 23.

Introducing....


The Lesser Footed Satin-Eared Sniffler (Zaitunauris micropedia)

Note: Not to be confused with the Greater Footed Satin-Eared Sniffler Taringa megapedia which is an entirely different genus.

Characteristics

1. A terrestrial species inhabiting wooded areas abundant with rotting vegetation (.e.g. The Tulgy Wood).
2. Possesses a velvety exoskeleton with 4 unsegmented appendages.
3. A tubular proboscis is used to seek small insects and grubs under logs and leaves.
4. A discus shaped body and sensitive spotted cilia on it's back enable it to find suitable crevices to hide from predators.
5. Will do tricks for chocolate.

DS kept saying, "What's that? What you making?" while this critter was created. Took most of the day too... I hope he's a lucky critter!

Attitude

Ali E had this on her blog recently. I needed the reminder.

A quote by Charles Swindoll:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do.

It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way.

We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude...I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you...we are in charge of our attitudes.

My italics...

Some things I have difficulty dealing with are entirely because I need an attitude adjustment. As someone said, opportunities are often disguised as inconveniences and so if I have the right attitude I can take advantage of them in a positive way. It doesn't have to be in a looking-on-the-bright-side-Pollyanna type of way (because some things are just not happy situations). But as a maturing adult I can change my attitude towards some situations to improve how I cope.

It's done

I posted off my resignation letter this morning. Shed a few tears about it. It's a bit of a step into the dark for me but I hope it will work out for the best. DH and I have discussed it ad nauseum and we think it is the best option for now.

There were so many different factors to consider and this seemed the simplest option. MPOW has been very flexible in the past but their situation and management has changed and I don't think they have the ability to do it this time. To be honest, I don't want to go back into the position I was in anyway. Then there is the child care issue and the logistics of two.

Anyone want to hire a librarian to work from home? Have a broad subject knowledge including natural sciences, health and alternate health science, and engineering. Highly web literate. Could do cataloguing at a pinch....

*sigh*

She's going to hate me...

... when she grows up. I made myself a red winter skirt after hunting the shops for something I liked and not finding it. Giving up in disgust I went to Spotlight and found some nice wool cashmere poly-something-or-other mix. It was expensive but fortunately I didn't need too much just for a skirt. I got enough to make a little dress for DD as well.

"Mother and Daughter matching clothes! That's so 70's!" I can hear the cries of a teenage daughter already. I am making the most of the chance I have now to dress her how I like.

I got some felt and wool to do the decorations so now I feel more confident about decorating Mel's bags I'm giving to my sister and SIL for their birthdays in September.

kindy boy

kindy boy

A layout using SBO's April kit and loosely following Donna's sketch.

interview

interview

You may recall the interview I did with DS. I finally finished a layout of it.

Some curious goods

I occasionally read Popgadget blog for fun. Check out these ones and tell me which one you'll be requesting for Christmas.
Animal bike seat covers





Then there are the Glass fishbowl bookends. Or the Panda chair. Or the fridge recorded message thingo.

Mysterious Box

Present

DH came home the other day and instead of coming directly into the kitchen to the fridge (like normal) he went down to the garage. I wondered what he was doing but thought he might have some work tools to unload. Instead he comes and sheepishly says, "There is a parcel in the spare room. Don't open it. I tried to find a safe place in the garage for it but couldn't, so it's up here. It's your birthday present."

Knock me over with a feather! My birthday isn't until July so he has been super efficient! I had been teasing him about remembering it and obviously he has taken it to heart.

The brown paper is too opaque and I can't see what's inside it. RATS!

(I have my suspicions though. Do you think a red Kitchen Aid cake mixer is about the right size? I hope so.)

Apparently he has informed all our families what it is because it has been known for me to get duplicate presents. Which is why I have 2 wheel barrows.

20+ Questions

DS constantly asks questions right now. Some of them are tricky.

What do Pukekos say? Waaark! Pip!
Why do pukekos have beaks? Because they need them to eat.
What's that truck carrying? What's that truck got? (Have to make up answers for this one sometimes).
What do pukekos eat? seeds, grass, weed and stuff
Is your roof open? Huh?
What's Nan doing? ummm... I have no idea. Having a cup of tea.
Why is Daddy at work? To earn money so we can eat food and live in a house.
What's on that man's face? Shhhhhhhhhhhhh... whiskers

And the million dollar question at present is "Where is Toby?" He's been put somewhere and I have no idea where he is. Luckily it isn't Trevor who is missing else there really would be serious wailing happening.

Stocktake

Had a look through my spice cupboard the other day in order to see what needed topping up. I impressed myself with the range I've got!
Check out this list:
Star anise (whole)
Baharat (home made)
ground chillies
ground cardamom
dried marjarom
curry powder
dill seeds
dried sage
sambar powder (home made)
juniper berries
asafoetida
gr. black pepper
white pepper (whole)
fenugreek seeds
mixed spice
brown mustard seeds
belacan
black peppercorns (whole)
caraway seeds
dry mango powder
poppy seeds
chinese 5 spice
tamarind
lemon pepper
cinnamon quills
kalonji seeds (nigella seeds)
smoked paprika (hot & sweet)
ground turmeric
celery seeds
gr. coriander
gr. cayenne
anardana powder
gr. nutmeg
whole nutmeg
gr. cumin
gr. cinnamon
paprika
cumin seeds
prickly ash/Sichuan pepper
dried oregano
dried tarragon
dried galangal
gr. ginger
saffron
dried chillies (birds eye)
cloves (whole)
mace
vanilla pods
all spice
coriander seeds
panch phoran
sesame seeds
fennel seeds
cardamon (whole)
ras el hanout (home made)
rose water
garlic powder
brown cardamon pods

no wonder I'm running out of space in the cupboard! And yes, I have used all on that list. Some more than others naturally. I find spices and their history fascinating.

BTW: Thank you for your comments the other day when I was feeling a bit stink. I do appreciate it! Much better now. The trouble with the mini-pill is I get PMS every other week complete with chocolate cravings... gonna do something about that!

Book Sale for Charity

Random House (the publisher) is going to have a book sale in Auckland on
Sunday 20th May
9am-2pm
12-14 Poland Rd, Glenfield

A large selection of books priced from $1 - fiction, non-fiction, children's, gardening, self-help, art books and many more.

Proceeds to Literacy Aotearoa.

Swap Pins

I'm hoping to get to SENZ07 next week (probably on Friday). Can't do any classes because of DD but I still like to go along.

So I've made some swap pins on the off chance there is somebody who will want to swap with me! Apparently the recommended amount is 50 but there is no way I could imagine needing so many so I've made 10. I figure I'm not a famous scrapper or blogger so there won't be that many people who'll recognise me or want mine. Just being realistic.

If you're going to SENZ and see me there please do say hello (and you can have one). I'm not an extrovert person despite how I appear on this blog; I'm actually pretty shy but if I recognise you I will make an effort to say hello.

I'm having a mediocre day today. Feeling like I don't excel in anything. An average scrapper, a good-enough mum/wife, average crafter. I probably was a good reference librarian but only an okay web librarian. Just one of those days I suppose. Need a hug from hubby or something.