I Got To Sleep In Today

The boys didn't go to school or work placement today so I got to sleep in. A sleep in for me is any time I manage to sleep past 7 am because that's when the alarm usually goes off.

Brodie chose not to go to work today because his back was sore and he knew that he would be standing up all day. Not always the best thing to do when your back is sore. Brodz has bad posture at the best of times so that doesn't help him at all. He's taken himself off to bed right now for a mid-morning nap.

Angus's school had a special programme running today because tomorrow is Melbourne Cup day. The day that famous horse race is run. The one that is referred to as the race that stops a nation & it pretty much does for the most part. The school programme for today was optional so he didn't have to go. The main reason they have this special day is because a lot of families either go away for a long weekend or just keep their kids home. Personally I think its a bit disruptive to have a split school week although I do normally send Angus to school on these occasions but not this time. Angus is enjoying himself by staying up late and sleeping in. He's still asleep at the moment. I might go wake him up shortly or he may sleep the day away and not be able to sleep tonight.

I love days that start off nice and slow and lazy(ish). Don't you just love days that start this way? I know I do.

What's For Dinner?

Beef Pot Roast

Doesn't this look really yummy? I've just put this on for tonight's dinner. Yum! 

I'll be cooking some other veggies to go with it though. Sorry Angus but it will include peas & corn :D

What's on your menu for dinner?

Two Of My Favourite Things

Two of my favourite things: Rascal Flatts & CSI
I love this song :D

Finished Object - Baby Clothes

As you can tell I have had babies on the brain lately. Especially with all the knitting and crocheting that I have been doing. I finished this little set yesterday. There's only one problem. The little jacket needs 5 buttons and I don't have 5 that match. Looks like I need to go shopping ;-) I'm undecided as to whether I get white, clear or coloured buttons. Any ideas? What would you choose?

I used a pattern from Just Crochet. I love the patterns that Heather creates.

Thankful Thursday

Here it is Thursday again. Time flies when you are having fun! Here's what I am thankful for this week:

• the arrival of my grand-niece Moya-May Liegh (she's named after my Mum & Nanna and one of her aunties) She arrived this morning at 3:54 am weighing a healthy 8 pounds 4.5 ounces. Congratulations Allie! She's adorable! Thank you for naming her after my Mum (your Nanna)

Moya-May

• my sense of humour. Without it I am sure I would've gone crazy long ago!
• being able to go to Melbourne last weekend. The boys & I had a fantastic time!
• my Visiting Teachers. We had a lovely chat when they came for a visit this week. It's nice to be able to talk about stuff that us girls like to talk about. There are way too many males in this house :P and not enough talk about things that interest me. Sorry guys but its true.

What are you thankful for this week?

Wordless Wednesday

Executive Decisions

Do you ever get tired of repeating yourself? I know I do. I am sure that the boys think I am like a broken record stuck on that big old scratch saying that same word over and over again. So in order to save myself from the stress of repeating myself I have made a few executive decisions that will hopefully make my life a whole lot easier.

I have decided that

• if I don't eat it, drink it or use and we run out of something YOU must put it on the shopping list or I WONT buy it! That includes things like coffee, sugar, cereal, special milk, ice-blocks etc.
• if I wash the dishes and you DON'T dry them I will serve your next meal on a dirty plate. I will no longer put up with the fact that YOU want to put the dishes away AFTER they have air-dried. Tea-towels were invented for a reason and that was NOT for decorating the kitchen. Be aware that I may even put the dirty dishes in your bed. It will depend on my mood that day!
• if YOU do not put your dirty clothes in the wash DO NOT expect me to do a load of washing 5 minutes before you have to go out and you have nothing 'good' to wear. Too bad so sad!
• if YOU cannot be bothered to shower frequently don't come crying to me when your friends or complete strangers say you STINK. I will light some scented candles or some incense to survive OR if I am in a good mood I might hose you down outside with the stinky grey water!

I think that pretty much covers it for now. I am sure that I may come up with more things if I really thought about it. Teens - sometimes they just do my head in!!

Armageddon Expo 2011 - Autographs & Photos

Amanda as Samantha Carter

I asked Amanda Tapping to choose her favourite Stargate photo. She chose this one. I have to admit it does look really good. It really was worth waiting the three hours to get her autograph. Amanda has the best smile.

Robert (Bob) Picardo as the Emergency Medical Hologram in Star Trek Voyager

Angus chose this one of Amanda as Helen Magnus.

Brodie with Agam Dashi. I do believe Brodie is blushing :D

Brodz looks so happy

Brodie asked Amanda to choose her favourite Helen Magnus photo.

Armageddon Expo 2011

Yesterday the boys and I went into Melbourne for the Armageddon Expo. We had such a wonderful time!

I got so excited when I saw Adrian Paul wandering around. He's from the TV series of Highlander. He is even better looking than he was on the TV. I was in super-geek mode when I saw him. I almost wanted to shout out "there can be only one!"

CosPlayer - Doctor Who.

CosPlayer - Codex

Amanda Tapping - She was signing Brodie' Autograph here.

We had to wait several hours for Amanda Tapping's autograph. They had overbooked her photo sessions. In fact we were told that they oversold triple the amount they expected. It took 3 hours before we got to the front of the line to get her autograph. It was so worth it. Amanda has the best smile ever. She is super friendly and has a beautiful accent. I think I have a bit of a girl crush on her! I ♥ Amanda!

CosPlayers - Amy Pond & River Song

Cosplayers - Invader Zim, Gir & Piggy. (Cartoon characters)

The Delorian from Back to the Future

Cosplayers - Pokemon characters (?)

Cosplayers - Pirates

Robin Dunne & Agam Darshi from Sanctuary.
Robin is absolutely gorgeous to look at ♥

We saw Robin Dunne. OMGosh he is fantastic eye-candy! Brodie has a HUGE crush on Agam Darshi! He likes her so much that he had two professional photos taken with her. The security guy at the photo booth said that Brodie was greedy for wanting two pictures. 

CosPlayers - Storm Troopers

Sylvester McCoy (7th Doctor Who) & Louise Jameson (Leela from Doctor Who)

Sylvester McCoy & Louise Jameson were outside taking a bit of a stroll and we asked to get a photo of them. They were so happy to oblige. Sylvester even did that funny laugh that he used for Doctor Who. I was very impressed that they said yes to my taking a photo. I was told later that their minders usually stop you from doing that so we were very lucky.

How much does this guy look like Jack Sparrow?

The pirate cosplayers were fantastic. There were so many people wanting to be in photos with them. They look great though don't they. I cannot get over how the guy looks so much like Johnny Depp!

Cosplayers - Doctor Who 10th & 11th

Cosplayer - From Doctor Who dressed up as a soldier from UNIT

A very young Amy Pond & the 11th Doctor Who

I bought an adipose stress toy that they boys LOVE playing with

I bought my very own TARDIS. It's actually a cookie jar but I've put all my pens & pencils in it :D

I only have one small complaint about yesterday. Well two actually. My feet felt absolutely DEAD by the time we got back to the train station. We left at 7:45am and didn't get back home until 7:45pm. We had been standing/walking for at least 8 hours. So it's no surprise my feet hurt. My other complaint was that the boys, who got a bit stressed, kept bickering with each other. It drove me crazy.


I'm in the middle of scanning all the autographs/photos. I'll post pictures of those tomorrow :D

Recipe - Spicy Beef in Lettuce Cups

Spicy Beef in Lettuce Cups

This is a diabetic friendly recipe. In fact I got it out of the Nov/Dec 2011 Diabetic Living magazine (the Australian Issue that is). I did change it a little though as the amounts were only for 2 people. I added extra so it would serve 4.

1 medium sweet potato, finely chopped
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used 3)
2 teaspoons canola oil
250g (1/2 pound) extra-lean beef mince (ground beef) [I used double that amount]
1-2 teaspoons minced ginger (I buy mine already minced)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (I cheated and used crushed from a jar I had in the fridge)
1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chilli sauce (I used 2)
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (I didn't have any so I used soy sauce instead)
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander stalks
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
lettuce leaves, enough to line some bowls for serving
lime wedges to serve (I also added some red capsicum I had in the fridge)

Put the sweet potato in a shallow microwave dish. Add 1/4 cup of water. Cover & cook on high for 3 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan. Add the beef mince, ginger, garlic & lemongrass. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the meat in brown.

Add the vegetables, chilli sauce, lime juice, fish sauce and coriander stalks. Cook for 2 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in the coriander leaves.

Put the lettuce in the bowls. Top with beef mixture. Add the lime wedges.

This was a really quick meal to prepare. Mark & the boys really liked it. I think this is one I can make again another time. My BGL was pretty good afterwards too which was great :)

I've Been Shopping For Vintage Knitting Books

I think Mark has rubbed off on me. I've been shopping on ebay again. I recently bought some Vintage Patons pattern books for babies & children. The photo below is one that arrived early last week.

I am really pleased that it is in such good condition

I have about 8 of these old Patons books now and I am eyeing off more of them on ebay. You can check out my other pattern books here if you'd like. I love the fact that even those these patterns are old the styles are still in fashion. Everything eventually does if you hang on to them long enough. After all look at the old paisley items. They come back every twenty years or so don't they.

This was the book I ordered early last week. It arrived on Friday :)

I couldn't help myself. When I saw this pattern book I recognised it as one my Mum used to own. She had used it so much that the pages were worn out. I recall her throwing the book away :(  Lucky me though I found it on ebay.

Mum used to make all us kids jumpers with this pattern. I think it was her favourite.

I remember looking in Mum's copy at this pattern. Well the photo really as the pages were all tatty and dog-eared. In fact I think the book was falling apart at the seams. I think I might just have to have a go at making this one.

Any way, I'm off to do some more knitting :D

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week:

• the beautiful weather we have been having for the past few days (great for getting the washing done)
• tall children, Brodie can reach stuff on top of cupboards for me so I don't need to get the step ladder or a chair to stand on. Thanks Brodz!
• being able to tell Karen, my Diabetes Educator, how good things are going. You can read about it in this post here if you're interested
• being able to see the Dentist this week. I am so relieved that's over & done with :) 
• my yarn stash and how I have lots of different colours to choose from. Although I am running low on baby yarn .. Ooooo that's an excuse for a shopping trip isn't it? =D

What are you thankful for this week?

No More Nasty Tooth

I had my visit with the dentist today. Yay my nasty tooth is gone thank goodness. Now all I need to do is take care so that my mouth heals up nicely. The dentist was fantastic. I hope I get to see her when I eventually go there to get my general work done.

Some of that stuff the dentist uses tastes absolutely nasty. I'm not sure if was the injection or what but it was disgusting. I still have that icky taste in my mouth but I am unable to rinse yet. I don't want to knock that blood clot out. Thankfully I have sugar free mints I can suck on.

I am so relieved that I wont have another toothache (well at least not with that tooth).

I'm still on the waiting list for general dental work. I was told today that its a 12 month wait. When I phoned last week I was told it was 8 months. I still have 6 months to go but doesn't really matter how long I need to wait. I am on the list & that's all that matters. In the meantime if I have any problems I just phone up for emergency dental care like I did this time round.

Finished Object - Baby Cardi

Ta Da!  :D

I finally finished that bay cardi I was working on. What do you think? Pretty good huh not that I am biased or anything (okay maybe I am but it does look good). I am sure that it will look much better if it was being worn.

On to my next project I guess... whatever that is... maybe I should flip a coin or something :P

I Saw My Diabetes Educator Today

I had a visit with Karen, my Diabetes, this morning. It was a pretty good visit too :-)

We talked about the new a1c results and my cholesterol (they were the only levels I could remember) and how good they were. My GP was meant to send her the results of my tests but had forgotten too (I need to remember to ask the clinic to forward a copy on to Karen. Don't let me forget ok)

Of course we had a discussion on some other 'numbers' I need to keep track of too. For things like

• blood pressure - I need to aim for less that 130/80 & today it was really good 110/80

• Cholesterol - knowing the LDL & HDL levels not just the over all level. (LDL, the bad cholesterol, needs to be less than 2.5 mmo/l and HDL, the good cholesterol, needs to be more than 1.0 mmo/l to help protect the heart & blood vessels).

We also talked about things like my eyes, kidneys, nerves etc. That's when I told Karen I went to the optometrist a few of weeks a go to have my eyes tested & how good things were going. Thankfully my eyes & blurrier vision was 'normal' deterioration (just a sign of getting older :P ) and had nothing to do with my diabetes.

I also told Karen how my BGL's were a bit higher than normal last week when I had my toothache. She said that it's normal to have higher readings. That on my 'sick' says when I am feeling unwell, in pain, stressed or I have an infection I should test my BGL more frequently especially if I have a reading higher than 8.9. I also need to drink more water on those days. Karen gave me a print out on what to do on my sick days so I know what to do next time. It's pretty much what I was doing but just have more fluids.

Considering how well things are going I don't need to go back until the middle of April next year. Which I think is pretty good.

Here's Why You Should Carry A Camera ... part 3

Here's the rest of the photos that my friend Julz sent. How cute are these?

My Own Private Music Concert

I just had to share a couple of videos that I recorded of Brodie playing the guitar. He is super talented but I am biased. You can also hear my pet cockatiel, Jonas (named after Jonas Quinn on Stargate SG1), whistling in the background. He was a very happy birdie listening to Brodie play.

If you look carefully at the picture on the wall behind Brodie its the one of Michael Shanks that Brodz bought for me last year at the Armageddon Expo. This years Expo is on next weekend :D

Thankful Thursday

Here's what I am thankful for this week

• painkillers & antibiotics. That bear with a sore tooth was back last weekend. Just in case you are wondering yes I have an appointment with the dentist but I am unable to get into either the private or public dentist until the middle of next week :-/
• for Mark. I was unable to drive on Monday due to my toothache (I just couldn't concentrate) & he was able to pick Brodz up from work & take me to my doctors appointment. Thanks hon <3
• ebay - I love searching & finding all sorts of fascinating books from novels to patterns and pretty much anything in between. I don't always buy them but it is nice to look :)
• for school going back. It's been nice to not have the boys at home arguing with one another during the day. Sorry boys I love you but I got tired of the nitpicking you got up to over the holidays.
• that Angus got into the TAFE Course he wanted for next year. He will be doing Automotive Certificate II. Congrats Kiddo!!

What are you thankful for this week?

Here's Why You Should Carry A Camera ... part 2

Some more cute animal moments :)