Too Much Excitement ...

We had a very busy day yesterday, between a church even for some of us, a play date for some of us and an appointment down in the depths of the suburbs. Not just the depths of the suburbs but in the very bowels of Chadstone shopping centre. I hadn't been there in years and I was very glad to leave after conducting the business that took us there.

In all that busyness I neglected to leave the digital box on and I missed out on taping 'Nigella Express'. Oh the disappointment at 4am when I realised! I might see if I can get a hold of the DVD through the library. If they ever have a copy available!!!! Or perhaps I'll just put a whole set of her DVD's on my birthday wishlist.

The reason I was awake at 4am? A bunch of yobbo's outside our house making quite a hullabaloo.

Ahead of the Game

I'm much the wiser for having studied last year. I haven't started yet, but I'm almost certain that as part of my 'practical placement' for the Cert 4, I will, again, have to plan small group activities. Rather than having to write up activities retrospectively from six months prior, I'm writing the lesson plans as I go this time.

The fact is, I am never in a position where the teacher says "here you go, YOU plan the activity and run with it". I often get "Could you do this, here is the stuff you need, and these are the students I want you to work with". Regardless, the College wants to see that I'm capable of doing teaching-related tasks and so I'm writing lesson plans for the activities I supervise as I go this year.

I've also begun keeping notes of the tasks I perform during my day, because they will also want that information as well. So last night I propped the laptop on my knee in front of the telly and got stuck into it. I'm feeling very on-top-of-it. I'm sure that won't last too long!!!

I was also very excited to learn, this afternoon, that I will indeed know someone at the PD workshop I'm attending on Monday....my son's teacher's wife will also be there. Apparently I'm too look out for 'the most beautiful woman in the room'.

Family Reunion

The girls are home.

Miss Mischief fell into my arms outside Mr Busy's classroom door...Miss Sunshine collapsed at my feet between his classroom and the office (which are right close to each other).

By all accounts (so far) they've had a marvellous time. Miss Sunshine is relatively unimpressed with the whole idea of surfing. But I'm proud of her, simply because she gave it a go. A couple of years ago she wouldn't have!

And I've inherited a cow, I think. At least Miss Sunshine is impersonating one, with mooing noises emanating from her with great frequency. It's a female version of grunting, I think, but as with many female, even their grunting is more verbose than the male version. In any case, she has not the energy to speak if it's really not required.

Am I glad I'm out this evening. Oh yes, I am! Dh can handle the crankiness that is inevitable as the afternoon wears into evening and bed times approach.

New Idea that Wasn't So New!

Photo from 'Once Upon A Plate'

Turns out the magnificently creative idea I came up with last night is not so new to other people. Ever made some amazing discovery, only to find out you're a little late? Yep. That was me. No matter. Dinner was still tasty!

My inspiration came from a late arrival home, only three of us to feed and a menu plan that stated 'Quiche'. Really, what was I thinking? All that preparation and then waiting for the quiche to cook when it was already well after 5pm? And that's when I remembered those little wonton wrappers lingering there in my fridge, just waiting for its moment to shine. Mini quiches! Of course, what a great idea. I had those wrappers all snuggled up with eggs and topped with spring onion, chopped walnuts, mushrooms and cheese and into the oven in very short order. Jacket potatoes had already gone into the oven and I really then, only had time for those frozen vegies to make an appearance again.

Mr Busy was quite taken with the crispy little corners and simply couldn't understand how eggs do that. It took quite some explaining to get his young mind around the fact that there was a 'pastry' case there too!

Voila, a very quick way to make mini quiches.

Tardy Tuesday's Menu Plan

I had a double whoops yesterday. I realised a little while after I'd posted that I should've posted my menu plan. When I went to look at it, I discovered I'd not yet finished planning this week. Ugh. My shopping day is back to Thursday's, so I'd stopped there...and am just now wracking my brain over what to have on Sunday night for dinner.

Instead of pizza for dinner last Sunday night, we had Red Prawn and Mango Curry, as mentioned the other day. Absolutely divine...and just as good a day or two later for lunch. I wanted to remind my girls that we will miss them as they headed off to camp and I knew they'd think prawns and mangoes in one meal would be a little piece of Heaven. Much more so than a pizza could have expressed. Indeed they were thrilled.

So this week is now looking like this:

Monday: Chicken, mushroom and bacon pie, oven chips, frozen vegies
Tuesday: Bacon & mushroom quiche, jacket potato, vegies
Wednesday: Homemade Pizza, to spoil the girls on their return
Thursday: Pasta with lemon, garlic, thyme & mushrooms
Friday: Pork chops with cranberry sauce, vegies, potato
Saturday: Roast chicken, vegies, roast potato & pumpkin
Sunday: Sweet and sour pork, rice

Mr Busy and I were on our own for dinner last, so he was indulged a handful of chips from the freezer (cooked of course!) as a treat and I felt quite justified in digging out my bag of mixed seasonal vegies from the depths of my freezer. Last time I bought that packet there were more winter things like cauliflower and broccoli. This time there were lots of beans. Fine by me, but Mr Busy thinks them evil and will do nearly anything not to eat the wicked little things. Despite all that fuss I was impressed that Aldi do indeed provide the most in-season items in their frozen vegies and it does, in fact, change with the season. And how luxurious to have carrot sticks I'd not peeled or sliced! Not to say that I will be dispensing with fresh produce, but frozen is definitely better than take away when I have run out of time or energy (or both!).

Must be off to find some tasty little morsel for Mr Busy's afternoon tea before heading back to school. I have a section meeting this afternoon and a little boy needs his sustenance to make it through to dinner time.

With a Long Term View

Last year at a Christian Education National parent partnership conference I took the Camps and Excursions elective. Not necessarily because I wanted more information, but because I was quite disinterested in the other options available. A pathetic reason to make such a choice, I daresay. I've been on my fair share of excursions and have been on a couple of camps as well and I do love them. The tack that was taken at that Workshop was looking at the long term value of education to be found within a camping and excursion program. These experiences tend to focus on character development and investing into the worldview of our students rather than academic learning. The value of the non-academic rose in my view when I learned that we are currently educating children for jobs that do not exist that will use technology that has not been invented yet. Wow!!! All of a sudden those personal development learning experiences seem so much more important.

My daughters are, as I type, hopefully having the time of their life and enjoying activities like canoing, snorkeling and something or other else. Tomorrow they'll be surfing. They'll be learning much about the things they love to do in their leisure, the things that scare them senseless and they may discover what they can accomplish if they are daring enough to try.

It's going to be rather peaceful at our place for the next couple of days!

Rediscovering Aldi

When a person finds themselves a little time-poor, things like shopping in two supermarkets is often one of the easiest things to dispense with. Certainly, I found myself making that choice. The silly thing is, that Aldi is just across the hallway at the Shopping Centre I frequent. My perception of the time I had was a little skewed by the inevitable fatigue that comes at the end of the day when you've been at work the four previous days.

Last week I decided to see just how much of my shopping could be done at Aldi and how much it would save me. In my defense, Aldi had slowly crept up in price so that many of their products were very similarly priced to that of Safeway's 'home brand' products. Our greedy Australian supermarkets have been making some 'permanent' pricing reductions of late and Aldi has reportedly joined in the action.

For the first time in many months, I found that I was able to shop within my budget quite easily, even though it included a couple of extravagences like frozen prawns and mangoes. While I still found that there were some items that remained similarly priced to Safeway's equivalent, there were a large number of things that were significantly cheaper, like mangoes, potatoes and milk.

What does all this mean for a busy mum who is often feeling quite bedraggled and drained by Thursday evening? It means I've rediscovered an incentive for commiting myself to the pursuit of financially wiser grocery shopping. I really didn't need more than $40 worth of groceries from Safeway and it wasn't so painful to go to two supermarkets, after all.

On a side-note. The prawns and mangoes were delicious in the form of 'Red Prawn and Mango Curry' on page 15 of 'Nigella Express'. Definitely worth chasing the more affordable frozen prawns and mangoes in Aldi! Yes, my obsession with Nigella continues unabated and I have tonight's episode recorded and ready for me to watch later.

Vogue 7302

I fell in love with this skirt pattern when I saw it on a mannequin in Spotlight, quite some time ago. I bought the pattern and then gagged in horror as I saw that my preferred view (B) requires 6.3m. Oh my. At an average price of $15/m that would end up around the $90 mark, just for fabric.

I was reading a recent post by Imogen at Inside Out Style that really resonated with me. She suggested examine some favourite pieces of clothing and ask yourself why you love that item so much. I happen to love skirts that have plenty of femininely flowing fabric that come to just below my knees and have a more fitted waist. Gathers and pleats just don't suit me. But a waistband free fitted style with flare is just my thing. I have a few skirts with variations on this idea and I adore them above all others.

So...tonight I'm going to find time to pop over to Spotlight whilst I'm on a shopping errand nearby and see if there's any fabric a little cheaper and somewhat usable. After all, Spotlight is not know for its quality fabrics...but it's the only option I have close by.

Don't you think Penelope would love a little job to do?! She's been so quiet in the corner, of late.

Shrove (Pancake) Tuesday

Frances from 'Left Handed Housewife' and Mr Busy's teacher both reminded me very late in the peace, that yesterday was Shrove Tuesday. Seeing as how we're ahead of some of the world, it's Ash Wednesday here...the first day of Lent.

It's funny you know. We don't go to a church that makes a big deal of Lent. Indeed, Ash Wednesday, where I live, has more to do with a significant bushfire day back in 1983. Despite my lack of observance of these religiously traditional seasons, I still usually make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? Why, you ask? Partly because it's fun. We like pancakes and in our home they are a treat...not something that is eaten regularly. But also, because it does remind me that Easter is coming. Whilst Lent isn't a big deal for us, Easter surely is. Not just because we overdose on chocolate for a few days either. No. I'm one of those super sooky people who sit in church over Easter and really should remember to bring tissues, to save myself the embarrasment of using toilet paper to swipe at tears that seem inevitable. The fact that Jesus thought I was special enough to have a relationship with, and gave His life up so that I could have that privilege always completely overwhelms me. The magnitude of that thought is so incredibly humbling and I'm tempted to feel completely unworthy of that kind of love.

The more rational, unsooky and pragmatic side of me whops me over the head and reminds me that if God thought it was worth the life of His son so that I could have a relationship with Him and eternal life then one shouldn't argue and should just accept that amazing gift for what it is.

So I will enjoy some pancakes and revel in the love of a God who loves me so purely and so unconditionally despite who I am. And now I'll go find some tissues for the inner sook that continues to rise to the surface.

Tiring Tuesday...but fun!

It never ceases to amaze me how entirely productive a day can be outside of the classroom, and how you can bond with students in a very real way. Even the obnoxious adolescent ones! Outside of the classroom those rebellious, self focused children become completely different people. I love that my job offers the opportunity for that kind of bonding...where all the kids hear from their teachers is words of praise and encouragement. All. Day. Long.

Our Year 7 & 8's had an interschool volleyball day, today. A successful, team-spirited day filled with fun, laughs, joy and no pens or pencils. And marvel of marvels, the Year 7 girls won. We rarely win a thing on these types of days, so we were all pretty stoked.

Can I go to bed early tonight? I'm really tired LOL.

Monday's Menu Plan Rolls Around Again

I always feel bolstered by the realisation that I am not alone in my floppy I've-had-enough-today mode that comes after lunch on warm days. Or even not so warm days. And certainly it comes by the end of a school day if I've managed to get through afternoon classes without feeling so. Mr Busy's teacher had his eyes shut during our staff meeting after school. Were I a braver soul I might've kept him company from my position on the other side of the room!

The day is not yet done, but fun awaits me when I head off to a new fortnightly evening sewing group at the quilt shop. It seemed the perfect compromise to my lack of ability to attend on my preferred Thursday morning. The ladies in the new group are lovely and I enjoyed getting to know them....not to mention the fact that I actually picked up my stitching for the first time since mid December!

Dinner is on its way, with chicken in the oven. A few vegies to go with it and we'll be ready to eat. Do you know, I finally found savoy cabbage in my local Safeway. I was so excited...I'm sure the fruit & veg department man thought me quite silly when I exclaimed over my discovery. Savoy is my preferred variety, especially for coleslaws. Tonight, however, it'll be sauted with bacon and spring onion.

On my table this week, I must confess, lies more Nigella-inspired adventure.

Monday: Honey Sesame Chicken, potatoes, vegies
Tuesday: Peanut Chicken Curry, rice
Wednesday: Chicken Parmigana, potatoes, vegies
Thursday: Sweetcorn chowder, toasted cheese tortillas
Friday: Ricotta Gnocchi & tomato pesto
Saturday: Sloppy Joe's
Sunday: Homemade Pizza

Things to do....

Perfect Day for a Picnic

It's meant to be Valentine's Day. Did you know that? In the flurry of last minute picnic preparations and getting us all out the door at 8.15am so that I could get to music practice I completely forgot about it. After all...we had more important things to be concerned about. Like getting to church in time for me to pick music for communion!

For us, today was Family Picnic Day at Our School. We gathered on the school oval at 1pm, picnic rugs and food in hand, and enjoyed a sunny afternoon of relaxing together. And I know I said I try to find a new topic of posting....but our picnic included two more recipes from 'Nigella Express'. There, I won't say another word!!!!

My acknowledgement of Valentine's Day? Chocolate Brownies freshly made this morning and still beautifully gooey when we ate them at lunch time.

A Feast of Nigella Proportions

I know, I've been harping a bit this week....I promise I'll try and find a new topic to post about by tomorrow. However, for now I'll continue to espouse the wonderful treasures to be found in my 'Nigella Express' cookbook.

Mr Busy bounced in as I entered the kitchen last night pleading to help with dinner. Now there's a good way to get the dishwasher emptied and refilled with the dirty stack sitting on the bench above it. I told him that if he did those two jobs he could help me. Meanwhile I emptied the dish rack that was piled high and then we were ready to dive in.

Together we chopped and whisked and sliced our way through three recipes from 'Nigella Express'.

I had already chosen the Brandied-Bacony Chicken from page 36. Well, it was meant for Sunday, but yesterday was the perfect day weather-wise. This recipe was incredibly simple and tasted divine. The next recipe on page 39 was designed to accompany the chicken. Who am I to argue with such common sense?! So Potato and Mushroom Gratin joined the chicken on the plate.

And then, thanks to some Store Cupboard inspiration and a trip to Aldi I had a jar of morello cherries languishing on a shelf in my pantry. They've been calling to me since I bought them, so Clafouti from Page 377 was my next inclusion. Nigella was right. The sourness of the cherries works beautifully to contrast the sweet batter. And Dh was thrilled to find dessert on the menu....with no visitors in sight!

There you have it ~ three recipes in one meal. They looked exactly as they ought and tasted precisely as I imagined.

Vietnamese Prawn and Glass Noodle Salad

I found a fabulously simple recipe while tootling about Nigella Lawson's website the other day. Vietnamese Prawn and Glass Noodle Salad. Mmmmmm. I must confess to using tinned prawns, because the recipe called for small shrimp. I couldn't imagine any smaller than the tinned variety, not to mention the price fitted my grocery budget more ably than the fresh counterpart would have. So, this was my lunch today, with a nice amount left for lunch another day (or two!).

I'm not sold on the sugar snap peas in this recipe. Don't get me wrong, I love sugar snap peas when a little more cooked. I think they were a tad too raw for my taste, and I might be inclined to leave them out next time I make it. Then again, those of you who love raw sugar snaps and snow peas would probably love it.

Look at that ~ I actually got a photo out of my kitchen before the food was devoured! That's what happens when I'm home without the kids! I'm off to cook up more Nigella-inspired magic for a picnic lunch on Sunday at school....buttermilk roast chicken drumsticks. I even managed to plan my grocery budget to fit in the splurge of real maple syrup for the occasion.

Unpracticed at Illness

You know how some families always seem to be sick....or they just take turns and go round and round with some bug or another? And then there are families where children complain that they never get a day off school because they're always well?

We're the latter. Very healthy people...constitution of an ox, so to speak. So when a certain 9yo decides he's going to get a bit head-achy and a bit tummy-achy we scratch our heads and wonder what we should do with him. We also roll our eyes at the m-o-a-n-i-n-g and g-r-o-a-n-i-n-g sounds effects that emanate from him who does not know what it feels like to be unwell. And then we're left with the dilemma....what to do when we're both working for the first half of the day?!

A couple of doses of pandol over a day did wonders. I'm sure the little night-time excitement Dh dealt with helped immeasurably as well. Although, Dh had it easy. Mr Busy made it to the bathroom and all was very easily handled. I'm completely certain that a day at work with Daddy may be just what the doctor ordered and that Mr Busy will be back at his normal break-neck speed tomorrow. The only reason the office staff phoned me yesterday was that he was sitting still!!!!

A little 'Get Up and Go' Wisdom

"The thing is, whenever people - perhaps showing a slightly patronising amusement at how often I cook (and maybe it's this that irks) - claim that they never have the time to cook, it makes me feel uncharacteristically aggressive. What I want to point out is that they are hardly using the time they save by not cooking to write 'War and Peace'. I don't suggest that finding time to cook makes you a better person, but nor do I think that being "too busy" too cook means that your life automatically has a higher purpose. And I say that as one who often professes to be beyond busy but somehow finds time to slump in front of the TV watching CSI repeats for hours on end."

~ Nigella Lawson: 'Nigella Express'

I read this last night, at the beginning of Nigella's 'Get Up and Go' chapter and I wanted to cheer. I'm really enjoying watching 'Nigella Express' on ABC1 on Saturday's (6pm) for the inspiration I gain about balancing a busy family life with eating food that is tasty but not burdensome to have prepared. I try and record each episode so that I can rewatch them as often as I please, with the recipe book on my knee as I do. As I rediscovered yesterday, a hearty home-cooked meal (or snack) is as far away as a little bit of planning and a well stocked pantry.

I have a feeling a full set of Nigella's DVD's may be on any gift list I might be inclined to scribble down, not to mention more of her books!!!

Feeling a Bit Clever

I'm sure there are many posts out there from far more organised women than I, who are completely organised and will scratch their heads in wonder that this is somewhat of a revelation. Not a new one...but a very much appreciated one!

I knew I would be late home tonight. I knew Dh would be heading out early in the evening. This morning I ducked home between staff devotions and the lessons I was required for and got dinner into the crockpot. Now I know this is nothing new, indeed I've used my crockpot for such occasions previously. However, when I'm leaving at 8am, getting a crockpot going is not usually on top of my to-do list. I'm flat out getting four of us out the door, each with the things that are needed for the day.

It was wonderful to have about an hour to pop back home and get myself prepared for the evening ahead, so that I would not be stressed about how long the 'section meeting' went for. I've come home to a dinner prepared without undue flurry and tension this morning and I had the foresight to put the cooling on too. Now what could be better, I wonder, than coming home to dinner cooked and a cool home when the day is again hot....currently 30C.

I think working in the middle of the day has some benefits I had not thought of!

Monday's Menu Plan and other things...

Oh my word, it is HOT. Currently in the city it is 34C. I knew I should've left the cooling on throughout the day, even though we weren't home for much of it! In any case, it is pure bliss to come home and press just two little buttons and have cool air flowing through the house, pushing all that yucky hot stuff out!

My day at work was had its share of stresses, which had me a little hot under the collar at one point, adding to the heat. Suffice it to say the new student I work with will travel a very up-and-down kind of road and we've not yet figured out how we, as staff, do that with him. We will figure it out and it will get better. In the meantime, I've faxed my enrolment form off to TAFE to begin my Certificate 4 course. I'm looking forward to getting on with it and getting it done. This level is a pathway into University, so I wonder whether it will be more full-on than the Certificate 3. Time will tell....

Now because I must not be hot enough...cooking. Ugh...I think I'll just melt myself now and be done with it! In case I decide to keep myself in one piece, here's the plan for this week:

Monday: Ricotta fritters, salad
Tuesday: Chicken Cacciatore (in the crockpot)
Wednesday: Pork with apple & celery, potatoes, salad
Thursday: Pasta with bacon & mushroom sauce....or a sausage sizzle at Girls Brigade!
Friday: Chicken wanton soup, prawn crackers
Saturday: Chicken & rice noodle stir fry, thanks to Miss Sunshine
Sunday: Brandied Bacon Chicken, roast spuds, vegies (recipe from 'Nigella Express')

Stay cool. Or warm, as the case may be where you are....

Looking Beyond

I feel a little reluctant in posting about Black Saturday...a year ago today. Reluctant, because I didn't suffer the loss and tragedy that people in the fire areas did. Life, for us, has danced on in the same way that it had before that day. As I was thinking about what I might post I was reminded of something we saw along the road into Mallacoota over the summer. A tract of land that had been scorched and scarred by fire, and a myriad of these little grass trees that had sprung up along the blackened area. These grass trees often only flower after the earth has been scorched by bushfire. Indeed they are regenerated after such tough conditions.

This unusual little tree reminds me that good things come out of hardship and tragedy. God doesn't intend for us to get stuck in our sorrow, but to follow His plan as it plays out for us in the environment He created ~ we need to allow regeneration in our lives and let God lead us on.

"For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations."

Isaiah 61:11

Lots of Catching Up....

I finally got around to having my kangaroo lasagna. I don't know what I was expecting. A stronger flavour...a different texture? I'm not sure. It just tasted like lasagna should. Red wine and spices hid any gamey flavour there might have been and we all enjoyed our meal. Pretty good for seven bucks a kilo!

I went out for lunch with 10 other mum's from school today. Ahhhh, the bliss of laughing and chatting and eating and laughing some more with good friends....as well as sharing our trials and sorrows. Yep, it was a lovely relaxing way to spend the day! I'll not need dinner tonight. I suspect that lasagna might make itself useful again tonight. Or maybe some other treasured leftover waiting for someone to find it in the fridge!

I received my enrolment forms from College to start my Certificate 4. I have received my Cert 3 and have the piece of paper....very pretty. I even got clever and managed to scan and email it to the business manager at school so I can get a pay rise. It wasn't even that hard, and the pay rise, as meager as it is, will be nice and fun!

Book club tonight. I'm so excited! We're chatting about 'Veiled Freedom' by Jeanette Windle. She's one of my many favourite authors. Her books are well researched and filled with all the elements that make a good book....to me, anyway! Things like intrigue, drama, a little romance, fast pace and fantastic writing. We've emailed her our questions and I've been waiting with baited breath. Rel tells me they've been answered brilliantly.

I had the best moment this morning. A new student I'm working with this year has been a little edgy about venturing into the wide world of specialist classrooms. Since I was there for morning cuppa anyway I offered to go up to Art with the kids and hang about for 10 minutes. We bargained back and forth and I agreed to 13 minutes....he ended up getting his 15 minutes out of me. I'm too soft! I was ecstatic that he was engaged and content when I left. When I saw him after school he said he'd enjoyed the class and reckoned he'd had the best day all week today. YES!!!!! I love sharing those little steps and triumphs with kids who just need a little bit of support. I'm off to phone a good friend whose daughter is finding the adjustment from homeschool to 'regular' school a little bit more challenging than her siblings.

Cheese & Zucchini Pancakes

Frances commented the other day on my menu plan about my cheese and zucchini pancakes and asked for the recipe. I have to say, with just a small amount of pride, that this is truly a made-it-up-myself recipe. Perhaps born out of a glut of zucchinis from my garden in previous summers or just wanting something a little bit different for lunch on school holidays...I really can't remember, but I know they taste really good.

I thought I'd better check my sidebar before I started typing out the recipe. Guess what? I've actually gotten ahead of myself and posted the recipe last year.

So, if you want to know how I make my cheese and zucchini pancakes all you need to do is click right here. If you get a bit lost, you could also click on 'pancakes' on my sidebar. I was reading a post by Anna at Pleasant View Schoolhouse the other day and she posted a recipe for 'Popovers'. To me, it looks like pancake mixture made into a muffin, so my mind started whirring and I wondered whether I could make cheese and zucchini popovers as well?!

So. Who wants to join me for a virtual dinner on Saturday night? I can see it now. Cheese and Zucchini pancakes (or popovers!) right around the world. Now that sounds like fun.

The Seasonal Shopping Rant

I'm going to preface my post with this comment: I don't like shopping. At all.

Now that you know that, you can only imagine how much more frustrating it is for a non-shopper to walk into a shop like Target and discover that summer clothes are hard to find....even though it was 37C on the day I went to buy things that were necessary.

I really, really don't understand what makes retailers tick. It's the hottest month of the year and they've already begun switching over to Autumn wear. I'm sorry...but I just can't try on long sleeve anything while it's so hot outside, no matter how air conditioned the shopping centre is. And come Autumn, I won't be able to find light-weight long-sleeve fabric choices...they'll have moved into full-on winter. OK, that's an exaggeration. In Australia there seems to be an issue with selling clothes that will actually keep you warm on a cold winter's day.

Someone needs to stop this nonsense and sell clothes that actually suit the season we're currently in. You don't want to try on sleeveless and short things when you're freezing and you don't want to try on long stuff when you're too hot already. Especially when the non-shoppers of the world already struggle with the whole idea of having to buy clothes anyway.

There the rant endeth. I told you I don't like shopping!

Back to School Menu Plan

I relented with very little arm-twisting. We came to school a little earlier than necessary. The kids were so excited and driving me crazy! So I figured they could come and drive all the other very excited 'staff kids' crazy instead!

So here I sit, in my new little corner of the school...window open and sounds of gym-building going on. They're laying floor boards, which look like pizza boxes from a distance. According to Miss Mischief!

On my menu plan this week:

Monday: Lamb chops and cranberry sauce, potatoes, vegies
Tuesday: Roo Lasagna, salad
Wednesday: Pasta Salad
Thursday: Marinated Chicken, Asian salad
Friday: Crisp skin fish, fried rice
Saturday: Cheese & zucchini pancakes
Sunday: Nachos

Pretty unremarkable, I'd say.

I'm off to devotions....have a lovely day, all you who have children returning to school today :)