My Quilting Education Has Begun

Last night I began my 'official' quilting education. Above is my evening's work (2hrs of sewing, unsewing and resewing!) So far, I've either followed instructions or muddled through different projects on my own. But my local quilt shop does various classes through the term, and this term has begun with a Block of the Month class that will teach participants lots (if not all) the different piecing methods, some applique and all sorts of other bits and pieces necessary for would-be quilters. Already I've learned that my ruler (the light green thing behind my block) has diagonal lines, and how to use that to make a diagonal cut on a triangle. I hadn't even realised those lines were there, really!!!! I also learned that I need a 1/4" foot for my machine (hence the unsewing mentioned previously!).

Over the next month I will need to make three more of these blocks for the completion of the quilt later. Next month we will do a different block, and again make three more for homework.

I have plenty of Thimbleberries scraps and pieces and leftovers from my 'Safe Haven' quilt (yet unfinished) so I've only had to buy a 2m piece of fabric thus far. Very cheap BOM project, I'd say!!!!

Odd Tummy Bug

I seem to have picked up some kind of tummy bug. I don't make a good patient I'm afraid, as I rarely get sick. So I had Dh, Miss Mischief & Mr Busy making their own dinner last night ~ see, I told you that creamy pasta meal was easy peasy! I hid under a quilt trying to avoid the onion smell!!!! I won't go into details, but by the time I went to bed I did feel a little better ~ you can use your imagination to figure that one out. I just hope the kids at school don't get it too. I spent all morning in the 5/6 classrooms.

Today is my day at home, and so I will be just napping and taking it easy before I have a Quilting Class to go to tonight. I'm determined to have nothing wrong with me by then. A bit of rest and a lot of prayer goes a long way, after all.

Recipe Request Fulfilled

Michelle left a comment yesterday asking for the recipe to my pasta with creamy bacon & mushroom sauce. Firstly, welcome Michelle! I took a quick peek at your blog and discovered that we have a lot of similar interests and joys. I don't know anyone else who even knows of the movie "Chocolat". I loved it!

So...that recipe, which you'll be pleased to know is fast and simple and cheap. Everything a Mum wants on a busy day!

Pasta with Creamy Bacon & Mushroom Sauce

Pasta, boiled to your family's taste ~ enough to feed your family and any shape you like. Dry or homemade...whatever suits you.
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 rashers bacon, diced or in thin strips...whatever takes your fancy and you have time for!
Mushrooms....I don't know, about 10? Thinly sliced so you get the most out of them
Cream
Parmesan cheese to serve

Saute the onion & garlic in about 20g of butter.
Add the bacon & mushrooms and saute until the bacon is cooked and the mushrooms have softened nicely.
Add the cream. For our family I use about 200ml. Allow that to come to the boil and thicken just a little bit. Then add the cooked pasta.
Mix well and serve with grated fresh parmesan cheese.

There you have it ~ very simple and very tasty. Miss Sunshine has Bible Study tonight so we need something that I can have chopped & ready to go before I take her to her transport (we share with another family that is close to us), and then cooks quickly once I get home.

Finally...Menu Planning Monday

It's been a fabulous Monday for me. I have had Miss Mischief's teacher and a fellow parent compliment me in the highest possible way...both suggesting that I have what it takes to be a teacher. I think I'll settle for facilitating parenting education programs instead ~ that's where my passions lie. However, it is immensely satisfying to know that my time and effort are appreciated and valuable to those I seek to encourage and serve.

So, in amongst all the time I spent at school in classrooms, and cutting up birthday cake for Miss Sunshine's 5/6 class, I DID manage to get this week's menu plan done. It looks rather lonely, with all those empty spaces for the rest of the month, but at least I can shop tomorrow, knowing what I will need!

Monday: Tuna & Rice
Tuesday: Pasta with Creamy Bacon & Mushroom Sauce
Wednesday: Vegetable Lasagna (with homemade pasta)
Thursday: Cottage Pie and garlic bread (recipe from Apples for Jam)
Friday: maybe, Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni. Need to check with the child who is sleeping over that night
Saturday: Hamburgers (may just swap this with Friday, if that works)
Sunday: Lamb shank & Barley Soup

There you have it. At last! Simple, hopefully cheap, healthy and filling.

'Some Facts About Me' Meme

Tracy at Sunny Corner Farm has tagged me for this little Meme. So whilst you await a tantilising menu plan for this week (read, I haven't even thought about it yet) this will have to suffice!

Some facts about me.

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.



What I was doing 10 years ago:
Good question, what was I doing? I had a toddler and a baby 10 years ago. Miss Sunshine was 2yo and Miss Mischief was 6mo. So I was going to playgroup each week, attending a KYB bible study group at my church and changing a LOT of nappies!

Five Snacks I enjoy:
Not sure I have 5! Let's see....
1. Crackers with camembert cheese
2. Popcorn, with salt and real butter (h/m in a pot, not an air popper)
3. Dark Chocolate....lindt lindor balls are the thing that does me in!
4. One of Jennifer's flourless orange cupcakes (from Crabapple Cupcake Bakery)
5. A multigrain salada cracker with real butter

I'm either extraordinarily exotic or quite boring, aren't I?!

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

I would buy a couple of acres in the town I live in, so that I could be a little more self sufficient with vegie patches and chooks.
I would give money to organisations and charities that I am passionate about.
I might buy a new caravan and sell the old one we have now.
Otherwise, I can't imagine that my life would look too different. I like where we are at right now.

Five jobs that I have had:

1. Admin at the Department of Community Medicine at Monash Uni.
2. Reception/Admin at Youth For Christ.
3. Reception/Salaries/Accounts at a Christian School.
4. Mum
Sorry...I just haven't had five jobs!!!!

Three of my habits:

1. Getting up early (by early I mean b/n 6am & 7am)
2. Reading in bed before I turn out the light
3. Menu Planning

Five place I have lived:

1. Melbourne, Australia
2. Mt Hagen, PNG
3. Wewak, PNG
4. Back to Melbourne...but I've lived in 2 suburbs and 2 semi rural towns on the outskirts of Melbourne, does that count as more than 5?

I'm tagging whoever wants to join in. In deviating a little from the rules I'll create one of my own ~ if you decide to take this on, on your own blog, then please post a comment here to let us know. If you don't have a blog, then feel free to post some facts about you here in my comments.

The Mummy Tax

Picture from art.com

Miss Mischief insisted I should tell you about the 'Mummy Tax', having been taxed herself, last night!

A friend of mine introduced this to me, by default really. She had opened a little packet of chips for her son and declared "Mummy Tax" and proceeded to take one chip out of the bag for herself and passed the rest to her son. Her son didn't bat an eyelid, but simply accepted that Mum does stuff like that! My children thought it was quite funny, and somehow where once they were reluctant to share one chip with me they were quite accepting of the "Mummy Tax". They knew it would only be one chip (or a bite of anything they happened to be enjoying). They will now share quite willingly, knowing we have no intention of depriving them of their entire treat.

Last night we were out for dinner for my Mum's 60th birthday and the children had chips served with their meals. Mr Busy handed me a chip and said "Here Mum, Mummy Tax". Miss Mischief, on the other hand, had to pay a "Daddy Tax" and feeling slightly miffed to lose one chip off her huge pile, said "You should tell people on your blog about this". I think she feels that if she has to share, then so should every other child on the planet!

Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jig

Picture from art.com

We're home again. The girls and I had a fabulous camp! We went to the IMAX theatre, had a sail on Port Phillip Bay in 'The Enterprize', a replica tall ship. Then we spent one a half days at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, exploring the difference in life between now and 200 years ago, as Australia was just getting started. We did some fun things like gold panning, candle dipping, played a 'Gold Fever' game and learned what life was like for children in the 1800's. Miss Sunshine's teacher learned a lot about the difference between teaching now and teaching then, I think! He was able to put some of those new skills to use a dinner time that night with one of the parent helpers!!!! The kids voted to have him come back and join us ~ apparently he has some friends, not to mention that he was our bus driver and we needed home to get home LOL.

The kids were absolutely fabulous. We spent a lot of time on the bus, given the 2-3 hours of traveling each way to camp. They told jokes over the buses PA system, they sang songs. Two boys made up a rap song about the camp and the kids encouraged them when the boys finally pushed through the nerves to perform it...again, on the bus! We had a Bus Idol competition. As a parent I was able to witness the ways that our teaching staff encourage and nurture the faith of each child throughout the camp. And I was able to really spend some quality time with some of the kids, chatting about how tough things are at home, with one boy. Praying with some of the girls who had gotten a bit scared, cuddling another one who just wanted to go home to Mum. Teasing a boy who had broken his promise not to tell anymore jokes. It was a great bonding time for us all. The kids got to see that us parents are regular people who enjoy having fun!

I'm going to need the tissues when it comes to Year 6 graduation now, I think LOL.