midge & judy

:: aus style ::

we have been taking advantage of the beautiful summer days here. the weather has been quite moderate. we usually get some long stretches of unbearably hot weather. so far this summer we have enjoyed sunny hot days and cool nights for comfortable sleeping.

 
we celebrated australia day with family, enjoying a BBQ lunch and ubiquitous australia day treat such as pavlova and chocolate ripple cake with peppermint crisp sprinkled on top (i'm not sure how it happened but the ripple biscuits may have found their way into a bowl of tia maria before the cake was assembled, and they might have accidentally soaked up vast quantities of the delicious liquor)


we have spent more time on the coast hence the absence of blog posts.mobile phone access is scant down there and so internet access is out of the question.
sometimes it is good to have a forced break from technology. it leaves me with a lot more time to read, hook and watch tennis into the wee small hours.


somehow enjoying slow food is also high on the priority list. food seems to taste better when eaten outside in the fresh air.
my number one favorite dish at present is this delicious asian coleslaw, presented here with lemon grass chicken. if you are cooking it when the household budget is in the black substitute the chicken tenderloins for prawns-i use meaty green prawns with the head and shell removed and tails left intact.

ASIAN SALAD WITH LEMONGRASS CHICKEN 

marinate the chicken or prawns for at least one hour in
3 stalks of lemongrass (soft white part only) 
2 garlic cloves
3-4 tablespoons of peanut oil
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of fish sauce 
pound the lemongrass and garlic into a fine paste using a mortar and pestle then add the remaining ingredients

shred a half of a small white cabbage and a brown onion very finely  (i use a mandoline)
a lebanese cucumber cut longways into fine ribbons
2 carrots finely julienned
handfuls of coriander, vietnamese mint, thai basil and traditional mint leaves.

make a dressing by pounding
2 garlic cloves,
1 long red chilli
2 tablespoons of caster sugar
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
2 tablespoons of lime juice
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
together in a mortar and pestle 

cook the chicken & prawns on a BBQ or hotplate
dress the salad with half of the dressing, divide it between four serving plates, top with chopped dry roasted peanuts and fried shallots.
top with the chicken/prawns
and serve with lime wedges and a cold beer 

enjoy. this recipe is adapted from les huynh's blue ginger-one of my favorite asian cookbooks

summer in australia, kids, the beach, great food, beer, tennis what more could a girl ask for? 

:: summer daze ::

on a melbourne sunday, when the temperature tips 31〫and the family are at a loose end it seems right and good to head for the beach.

 it's a simple matter of throwing some food into a cold-bag, grabbing the boards  and heading down the highway.

 a mere hour later we are happy to be back on our familiar patch of sand at torquay surf beach.

 the usual choices of beachy activities were at our disposal.

 i needed no encouragement to choose the lie on the beach and read option.

 a little while later there was the drink cold beer and vodka option 

 followed by the home in time to watch the aussie open on the teeve option.

now i will admit that one does not need to look too far  to see those with more energy

and i applaud them for their effort and admire their enthusiasm,

 

we all have a role to play, and some of us just do it in more lay-back fashion

some of us have youth on our side and energy levels consistent with youthfulness

and then there are some of the youthful crew whose energy levels are more consistent with those many years her senior

we all enjoyed our day in our own individual way.
there was not too much wrong with it at all.
how was your sunday? 

:: silver linings ::

i wrote a post last week in which i was lamenting my sad tale of a nasty quip that was made about my blog content. it was no big deal, just thoughtless criticism from a family member who isn't a happy person and feels the need to spread the negativity.
in response to the post i got lots of positive feedback in the form of comments left and emails sent from long term followers who offered words of encouragement and support.
it seemed that the universe sensed my dissolution  and sent gifts of love and fellowship from afar.
the first delightful surprise arrived in the mailbox.
it was from the lovely bron in WA who had a gorgeous blog known as taylor made.
she sent me a crafty parcel, wrapped in a blue floral (my favorite kind of rosy goodness) containing a book with it's very own handmade vintage linen bookmark-because in brons wise words-every book deserves it's own.

 the book was originally gifted to bron by mandy at fell 4 u 

 i decided that once i have read the book i will gift it with it's own new bookmark and pass the book on to another bloggy recipient.

 i will keep and treasure my bookmark and the new reader can have the new bookmark.
i plan to write the names of the readers inside the book
mandy-fell 4 u
bron- taylor made
michelle- midgeandjudy
who's next?
watch this space.
thank you bron, you are ace.
another of my big loves in life is baking.
enter gift #2 

 a set of ducky measuring spoons gifted to me by my kids half sister.
so sweet.
and finally (as seen here earlier)
on a day when i was searching for the perfect receptacle for my hooks my brother arrived with a reclaimed snail planter.

 he is quirky and cheeky and sits so perfectly on the shelf in the crafty cottage holding my family of hooks.
and so the moral of my little story is simply this,
every cloud has a silver lining, especially in the land of blog. 

 

:: playing in our backyard ::

those of you familiar with my blog will know that i make no secret and no apology for my sadness at the finish of our road trip. a three month adventure that ended all too soon. an adventure that we desperately want to progress to the second installment.
given that we returned from the road trip in mid november we agreed that we would not take holidays over the christmas school break. that said the kids and i have been suffering a little dose of cabin fever. the school holiday weather has not been great and we have been somewhat lazy choosing to sleep in and potter around rather than get cracking and make our own adventures.
today was the first day that the mister has been rostered off in a long time and so we decided to go exploring in our neighborhood.
a 15 minute car ride up the calder highway landed us in the
organ pipes national park.
so named because the basalt rock formations look like organ pipes.

they formed after a volcanic eruption over a million years ago. the larva followed the natural water flow lines and quickly cooled to become the column shaped rocks that remain.
some of the formations have an interesting rosette appearance.

 the place was teaming with bird life. we even spotted a falcon nesting.

(apologies for the blurry zoomed in pic)
miss 12 was feeling quite stylish and ignored our advice regarding sensible footwear. opting instead for the strappy roman sandals and a fashionable handbag.
in spite of her newfound fashionista passion she found time to commune with nature the mister slipped easily back into the cammo gear and quickly morphed into his harry butler alter ego.
his well trained eagle eye got a workout and spotted the smallest of teeny tiny lizards lurking in the undergrowth
mr ten and his BFF were happy to clamber over rocks and search for wildlife and occasionally throw a rock into the river.
it was lovely to get back to the routine of looking and listening, exploring and discovering, even if only for a couple of hours.
we felt like we were back, until the roar of a jet taking off from the all too nearby tullamarine international airport broke the sounds of the bush. still, it was a fun day out and just a hop, skip and jump from home. 

 

:: finding positives and putting my feet up ::

from the day that i started this blog i felt that i was fairly clear in my mind about what i wanted from it. i had been a long time reader of great blogs. i knew what i liked. i love gorgeous photos that capture moments in time. i like short narratives and i appreciate humour. it was on this basis that i threw caution to the wind and plucked up the courage to tap tap my way into the bloggy kingdom.
sometimes my blog has a purpose.

it facilitated a daily record of our caravan adventure. when we got home after three months on the road it was a gift to be able to look back at my posts and go back to the moment when those magical days were lived by our little family.
upon our return i converted my blog posts of the road trip into a book to gift to mr midge for christmas.we are all so thrilled with the result. it is better that any photo album with words and pictures of three months of exploration and adventure captured in 220 pages of glossy goodness.

on the other hand sometimes my blog is about absolutely nothing. sometimes it's about a rainy day at home with the kids, an afternoon playing games or watching movies or baking biscuits.
when it's about the simple things in our home life it's all about helping me to focus on a small but positive aspect of the day.
recently a negative comment made me question what i do in this space. it robbed me of my confidence and my purpose. it took away the pleasure of spending time here.
i have thought about it for the past week or so and have decided that letting another person's negativity creep in and invade something that you love is a waste of time.
this space was never about making an announcement to the world that i can bake biscuits. it is about loving my family and my home, my craft and my friends and  it is especially the bloggy people who understand it. 
and so it goes. i will continue to look for good things to blog. i will smile at the lovely comments and friendly emails that come my way from the blogging community. and i will try to develop a thicker skin when it comes to negative people who feel the need to spread their grumpy ill will.
on a lighter and much happier (and more positive) note we have been kicking back and enjoying the holidays here at club midge.

the new chook house has been constructed (well converted from it's flat pack state) and awaits some occupants.

 my dear brother hung my shelf in the crafty cottage giving me the impetus to get sorting and organising.

 and the same dear brother gave me this cheeky snail pot that he found abandoned on the nature strip.
it was grubby and had weeds growing in it but it scrubbed up beautifully to be the new caddy for my hooky friends.
i hope that you are finding some time to kick back.
i hope that your day is packed to the rafters with positive comments and cups half full. 

  and loads of homemade pizza for lunch.

:: HNY ::

2012

how did you welcome in the new year?
our family tradition has become to pack the kids and us off to a city hotel for the night. we did it last year and enjoyed it so much that we decided to go again this year. an afternoon swim at the hotel, too much food and too much to drink and then off to the yarra river for the festivities.

in the shadow of the setting sun we took up our piece of turf in the park and waited for the show to start.

mr 10 was in the mood to party. he found bubbles to chase and yellow suited roving entertainers to high five. 

the city of melbourne was resplendent in the late afternoon light. the crowd was large (600,000 reportedly) families were well represented and the atmosphere was happy, friendly and welcoming.

 before we left home i packed away all of the christmas decorations. i like to start off the new year without all of that tinsel clutter. something about january first makes me want to get in and clean. i have been decluttering since our return from the trip and this week the plan is to continue the cull.

 i don't make a big thing about new year resolutions. i think they set me up for failure. it usually goes well for a couple of days and then opposite day  comes along turns it into rubbish.
 
in consideration of new years resolutions if i were to make them i think they would be quite simple things like drinking and eating less. it occurred to me this afternoon that if my track record is going to continue in 2012 then maybe i should resolve to eat and drink as much as i possibly can, then in a few days time when opposite day rolls around i will be virtuous and achieve my real objective. so far today i am on target having consumed my weight in celebratory drinks, post drinking bacon and egg breakfast and a peach frangipane after dinner. 
how did your celebrations go? did you make it to see the new year in?

do you make new year resolutions? and, how do they work out for you?

 are your celebrations loud, proud and in a crowd or are they layback and intimate?

however you choose to celebrate-

 i hope that all of your fireworks go off with a bang in a shower of light and colour,
i hope that all of your hopes and dreams come to fruition,
i hope that your cup is half full
and that 2012 is all that you wish for and then some.
happy new year 

::2011 looking back, 2012 looking forward::

in just over 24 hours it will be the beginning of a new year. looking back over my photos of the year almost gone i can scarcely believe that this time tomorrow we will be gathered in the city again, waiting for the clock to strike twelve and the fireworks to explode and welcome the new year in.
it has been a huge year of achievement and adventure. 
mr nine became mr ten

miss 11 became miss 12

 the sweet little pigtailed girl who started school seven years ago finished primary school.

 she and her partners in crime celebrated with a traditional shaving cream fight.

miss half century became miss even more ancient 

 the creative cottage in the garden saw many happy hours of sewing time,

 during which time many pairs of shoes, bibs, monkeys and the like were produced.

 the highlight of our year was setting off on our three month caravan adventure. it was an amazing time. i am so grateful to have shared it with my family and now dream about the next chapter.

 arriving home just in time for the christmas shopping and end of year celebrations was a challenge. we managed to get it all together and spend a beautiful, relaxed christmas day enjoying each others company.

and now the gate opens on a new year. what adventures, laughs, tears, achievements and disappointments will it bring?
i want to become more self sufficiant this year,  grow more vegies, raise some chooks. i think a cow on a suburban block is probably pushing the boundries but we'll see.
we are exited to see our miss 12 embarking on an exciting year at secondary school.

what are your hopes and dreams? have you made any new years resolutions? how will you welcome in 2012?  i hope that you have a happy new year in the company of those that you love. 

:: girls day in ::

i find the days following christmas day quite enjoyable. there is time to relax and unwind following the build up to the big day.
the smalls are usually quite happy to stay around home and enjoy their new treasures.

today the smallest man in the family  took off to a friends house for the day. the biggest boy in the house headed off to work leaving miss 12 and myself to amuse ourselves.

the big girl had a gift voucher for the pet store burning a hole in her pocket and so against my better judgment i took her to the enormous shopping barn to get some supplies for the newest member of the family.

i am not a fan of shopping and/or shopping centres at the best of times. when it comes to boxing day sales i would rather sit at home and eat dirt than spend the day fighting crowds for the holy grail of bargains.
that said, we beat a hasty path to the shops, embarked on a mission to make our purchase and escaped to the tranquility of home.

before christmas i visited the local bargain shop and purchased a $3 rice paper shade and $12 worth of cocktail umbrellas with the plan to transform them into a pretty light shade for the wee girls room.
clive the cockateil was not too far from the action. he has been a constant companion since santa delivered him on christmas eve. the sweet girl and her new charge are bonding quite well and so he was very happy to be involved.


armed with scissors and a hot glue gun we set to work opening out the umbrellas, snipping off the sticks and gluing the parasols onto the shade.


the three of us had a lovely afternoon and we were well pleased with the colorful result. it is pastel and pretty in the daylight and bright and cheerful in the dark with the light shining through the umbrellas.


miss twelve has had a long standing love of all things japanese for quite some time and so was very happy with the result.


it was a quick and easy project, the only problem was my failure to wear gloves to protect my poor hands. the resulting ten blisters on my fingers are very sore. ouch. 

:: best present ever ::

i have almost made it to the finish line. christmas eve, one more sleep.
tree decorated✓

presents shopped and wrapped✓

 gingerbread houses (one to keep, two to gift)✓


it was a very slow start. i couldn't quite reconcile that we had returned from our adventure and walked smack bang into christmas.
it all finally came together yesterday when my sister gave the best christmas present ever.
she informed me that christmas day is on sunday, not saturday. i had magically gained a day.

 and so now we are left with the shop for the christmas feast and then it's ho ho ho all the way.have a very happy christmas, i hope your day is filled with love, laughter and much good cheer. 

:: handmade christmas ::

this year i am trying very hard to concentrate on keeping it simple. we arrived home too late in the year to get caught up in the hectic running and rushing that usually plagues the end of year festivities.
our  Christmas day is  going to be a low key affair. we plan to share our backyard with the closest of family. we will eat seafood and sip cocktails under the branches of the evergreen alder.


i have not found time to post here lately. my days have been pleasantly busy with stitching away to create some special presents for small special people.


one of the gifts that i made is a family of picnicking bears. they sit quietly on a gingham tablecloth sharing a honey pot, some wholemeal honey sandwiches (because bears need fibre too) and a cherry topped cupcake each.
when their day is done and they are ready to go home their little rug becomes a draw string bag for the journey.


i think that little Flora will have many hours of fun feeding her little teds on their picnic food and i think she will feel quite glamorous toting them around in their drawstring bag.


how are your preperations going? not too hectic i hope.