Friday, August 31, 2012

tick that one off the list...

this morning, before work, i did this...



the first official thing ticked off the list.
well to be honest... i've been drinking a lot of tea already too :D not even half way through the stash...

Thursday, August 30, 2012

my creative space.

today, i've got some commuter craft ready to go!



better get started on a father's day present...

what are you creating today in your space? join in over here

Monday, August 27, 2012

meal planning monday.

i'm a little late with my post tonight. it's taken me a little while to work out what i'm actually cooking this week (bb organised this week's meals and groceries) and also a little while to sit down and get typing.
lots of house love to get done after a weekend at work and i had some very lovely visitors this afternoon :D



tonight, well right now actually, there's a rolled shoulder of lamb, stuffed with rosemary, garlic, shallots and some thyme, in the oven with some sweet potatoes too. it smells divine and i can't wait to get into it!

tomorrow night, i'm thinking i might throw together a chicken and chorizo pasta bake. it sounds absolutely delish!

wednesday, i'll pop some lamb in the slow-cooker. slow roasted lamb will most definitely hit the spot!

thursday night, bb has requested something fresh, and not slow-cooked (not surprising at all considering how much i've been using it!) so i'm thinking some nice big pork chops! with a crunchy side salad.

friday, my late night at work, i'll have some cashew chicken in the slow-cooker, ready for when we both get home. with a bit of rice on the side, this'll go down a treat!

saturday night, i'll be dining alone, so i think i might cook up a big wok-full of pad thai.
i'm heading on a trip to sydney sunday night, so i'd best leave something for bb to eat, rather than the take-away that i'm sure he'll indulge in while i'm not there :D

for that reason, i have no idea what i'll be eating for dinner on sunday! i'm staying in the city centre so i'm sure i'll be able to find somewhere that will have something delicious on the menu!

a very exciting week ahead!


the home of meal planning monday

Thursday, August 23, 2012

my creative space.

it's been a bit slow on the creative front over here...



just keeping on with the slow knit.

what creative things have you been up to lately? pop over here and join in the fun!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

24 before 25.

a couple of weeks ago, i celebrated my 24th birthday. it was nothing big, a day at work with a nice lunch with my parents, then i came home to a lovely home-cooked meal by my love. oh and a bottle of bubbles :D

i had a few thoughts about the year ahead, the year before i turn 25, a quarter of a century, and i put together a bit of a list. completely unlike me really...

1. run 5 kilometres - I had this on my list of august goals, but it's been a few weeks since i've hit the pavement or treadmill and i'm a bit scared i've lost my fitness. we'll see...
2. get inked - this one's been on a few of my to-do lists over the years... but with the help of pinterest, i'm getting my thoughts and ideas together. it's close. very close!
3. get my passport organised - i've got the paperwork, just need to get photos done and verified and then get it sorted! overseas fun isn't too far into the future!
4. buy a bike - i live within a few kilometres of where i work, with the warmer months coming up, it'll be a good way to keep fit :D
5. make a bit more of an effort with my appearance - i have ridiculous amounts of make-up and about a zillion hair tutorials pinned on pinterest. most of the time i've no make-up on and my hair in a bun. boring!
6. visit my grandmother more often - i said to myself around new year's resolution time, i should visit my ma once a week, and haven't seen her since january. worst. grand-daughter. ever.
7. finish my granny stripe blankie.
8. sell something on etsy - i've opened my store, now to make my first sale :D.
9. finish my cert IV - i've got as long as i need to finish it, but i'd like it done sooner, rather than later.
10. have more people over for dinner - i love having guests, i just am never quite organised enough to make it happen.
11. make the backyard what i want it to be - i make excuses about it lal the time, but there aren't any. i should make it what i want it :D
12. keep my car clean - it's new to us and we should keep it looking nice.
13. call my mum once a week - i'm as slack a daughter as i am grand-daughter.
14. reduce my wool stash substantially - it's taking up a bit too much room currently... i'd like it to fit into one of my vintage suitcases.
15. keep up with my meal planning - it's a great way for bb and i to stay fairly healthy, if dinner is planned, or cooking, we're a lot less likely to eat crappy take-away.
16. RELAX! - i stress out a lot, i'm highly strung. i get fairly stressed out when things don't go my way, and i really need to work on relaxing. whether it's getting a massage once a week, or practicing meditation, i've got to get something happening :D
17. drink more tea - i have a huge tea stash! and i really only drink it every now and again. i think stopping work to have a cup of tea will definitely help with the whole relaxing thing too!
18. snack healthier - i tend to snack a lot at work. and what i'm snacking on isn't great for me. throw any recipes for healthy snacks my way all!
19. get my armchair re-upholstered - i picked this one up from hard rubbish a few years ago and it's beginning to look a little worse for wear. definitely needs a spruce up!
20. donate blood - i've donated once or twice, but the last couple of times they've struggled to find my veins. i'm working on reducing my body fat percentage so that my veins aren't so hidden. hopefully it'll work and i can donate again!
21. keep saving for a house - bb isn't so convinced that we should buy a house, but i'm SO sick of renting! rather be paying off our mortgage that someone elses.
22. take better care of my feet - they carry me around, they deserve some pampering every now and again.
23. donate to charity - there's a few charities i've been wanting to donate to for ages and i always forget! pretty poor form actually!
24. get away a bit more - this state is pretty marvellous, and i haven't seen much of it at all. working full time, i'm now getting weekends off regularly. i'd love to get away with bb a little more often!


so that's it, a nice easy goal list for the year no?

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

lol-cat sampson

i posted this picture on instagram last night...



and on the insistence of curlypops, i made it into a lolcat :D

hope your tuesday brings you some giggles :D


ps. if you don't know what a lolcat is... educate yourself... just don't blame me if your afternoon vanishes in a flash!

Monday, August 20, 2012

meal planning monday.

hello monday and hello meal plans!
the plans have been made and the pantry and fridge are fully stocked!



for tonight, i've got some lamb shanks in the slow cooker. i'll whip up some couscous when i get home from work. delish!

tomorrow night, date night, i've got some yummy looking salmon fillets from the fish man. can't wait to cook them up with some fat chips and a fresh salad!

wednesday night, i've got my fortnightly craft group, and a friend over for dinner. I'm going to try something new from my slow cooker book. they're called hedgehogs, little meat balls with rice in them with some yummy sauce. should be yummy!

by thursday night, i'll need something delicious and hearty, lemon roast chicken in the slow cooker. yep, that'll do it!

friday night is my late night at work, so i'll pop some osso buco in the slow cooker for when bb, and then later, i get home from work. just what i'll need on a cold winter's night!

after being very lucky and having the whole (or most of) the last three weekends off from work, this weekend i'm working the whole hog!
this means bb will be in charge of dinners over the weekend. fingers crossed he whips up something scrummy!


what are your plans for the week ahead?

the home of meal planning monday

Sunday, August 19, 2012

sunday snippets.

my week in pictures, mostly thanks to instagram!



pop over and join in on the sunday snippets fun with tinniegirl!

Monday, August 13, 2012

meal planning monday.

another monday, another week of meal plans.
last weeks plans came together quite well, and i'm very much looking forward to sampling all of this weeks meals :D



tonight, i'm thinking burritos! tex-mex beef in the slow cooker, some fresh salad stuff in a lovely floury tortilla. bliss

tomorrow night, date night, i'm cooking up something a little bit different... i've got pork bun plans :D

for wednesday night, i'll pop some meatballs with a spicy bbq sauce in the slow-cooker. then after a long wedensday at work, cook up a little rice and maybe even some fresh broccoli and dinner will be donesies!

thursday is my late night at work this week, so the slow cooker will be out again, this time with some caramelised pork belly. yum!

working late on thursday, means i'll be home for a friday night! unheard of! i think i'll be using the slow-cooker again though (poor overworked thing!) with another good friday night footy meal, savoury beef! with a crispy bit of pastry on top to make it a bit pie like ;) perfect!

ANOTHER weekend at home, and i've got a lovely pub type meal planned for saturday night! a nice cut of steak with a bit of green salad, some oven chips and a big dollop of garlic butter. delish!

and for sunday, who could go past a roast? variety has yet to be decided, but whatever is turns out to be (read: whatever the butcher has on special) is sure to be delicious!


what have you got planned for this week?

the home of meal planning monday

Sunday, August 12, 2012

sunday snippets.

phew! working all week will surely make the week fly!
here's some photos to show you what went on... lots of kitty snaps :D and an exciting dress fitting!



i'm playing along with tinniegirl and her sunday snippets.
you can join in too!

Saturday, August 11, 2012

a new-old thing.

a couple of days ago, i was reading some posts, in google reader, as you do, when i came across this post, by this cool lady.
she was posting about the cool technology she uses to do her thing and number 11 piqued my interest...



what is this magical next button you speak of knowledgeable pip?

after some further investigationing... i discovered the stupendous button! (fyi: it's located under the 'gear' button in the top right hand corner of google reader, under 'reader settings' and then 'goodies')
now when i'm reading blog posts, i can read them on the actual blog! and post as soon as i'm finished reading them!

i was so overjoyed, there may have been dancing.

happy days people, happy days!


what cool thing have you learnt/discovered recently?

Friday, August 10, 2012

a lesson learnt.

i have been knitting beanies for a while… since way back here and before i even started typing away on this here blog.
now along the way, i've learnt some things, how to knit in the round for example (and thank goodness for that too! i HATE sewing up seams at the end of a project, sewing in ends is bad enough!) but i still manage to learn a little something from every beanie i make.



the beanie that i started last week, i've finished, and refinished.
the first time, i made it farrrrrrrr too short. this beanie was supposed to fit a grown man's head and it almost didn't fit on mine!
so i stewed on the problem for a couple of days, and ended up ripping out all of the decreasing and knitting some more of the body.
it now fits a normal persons head length, but is still a bit narrow…

with every beanie i make, there's always a next time list, and i think i need to start writing those lists down!
so if i make this beanie again, next time:
*i'll cast on more stitches. with my 6mm circular needles and double knitting the green yarn i have, 64 stitches just wasn't enough.
*i'll knit more of the body from the start. no ripping out and re-doing the decreases thank you!
*i'll try something different with the decreases. i want that ribbing pattern to continue as far up the beanie as possible.



this guy has been making knitting nice and easy too… not.
bb has been saying i'm now on expert level knitting, trying to knit while sampson is around.
in the above photo, he's asleep on both my cardigan project AND my entire wallet of crochet hooks. trying to get my scissors and a hook out to weave in the ends on the beanie resulted in a fun game of him chasing and attacking my hands. luckily he's super cute…


what lessons have you learnt recently?

Monday, August 6, 2012

meal planning monday.

this week i'm nice and organised. bb and i sat down yesterday afternoon (having the weekend off was blissful!), wrote out our meal plan and a shopping list and then went and got everything we needed!
exactly what i need to be doing to avoid spending extra cash on take-away ;)



so what are we eating this week?
tonight i've got a pot roast in the slow cooker. topside beef and vegies. easy does it monday night.

tuesday night is usually date night. but seeing as how we're budgeting this month, i'm whipping up something delish at home. i'm going to slow cook some sweet potato and herbs during the day, to make a yummy puree to go with the fresh, marinated lamb loin from the butchers.

wednesday night, i should have my usual every-second-wednesday dinner guest over. so i'll make sure i've got something yummy cooking for her when she gets here. chicken and chorizo ragout in the slow cooker. sounds perfect with some fresh vegies.

by thursday night, i think i'll be in the mood for something warm and comforting. irish stew in the slow cooker will be just the thing.

friday night is my late working night. i think i'll have some marinated bbq pork ribs in the slow cooker for when bb gets home. they'll be the perfect accompaniment for watching the football on tv after a big working week.

saturday i'm going to leave up to bb. i've got work all day aaaaaaaaaand it's my birthday. definitely not my turn to cook nope!

and sunday? sunday i'll play by ear. maybe some nice salmon steaks, maybe some beef steaks, maybe a roast. we'll just wait and see :D


what have you got planned for this week?

the home of meal planning monday

Sunday, August 5, 2012

sunday snippets.

today's sunday snippets could quite easily go by another name, sampson snippets.
this little rascal has bb and i quite enamoured. the photo albums on our phones are filling up like there's no tomorrow.



ok, ok i'll stop now!
for some non-kitty snippets, pop over and visit tinniegirl.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

sampson.

this morning bb and i went on a bit of an adventure, to extend our little household a little...

we adopted a kitty!



his name is sampson and he's 21 weeks old :D he enjoys tear-arsing around the house, hiding under the bed and around corners and he LOVES the string that holds the yoga mat together. the ball we brought home with use from the vet, goodness only know where that is...
he's super friendly and likes to chase the cursor on my laptop screen.

just don't tell the real estate agent ok?

Thursday, August 2, 2012

my creative space.

today, i'm still on the knit.

and the problem with long, slow knits, is that when you're going back and forward, back and forward, you have lots of time to think...
about what you're going to make next...



or simultaneously...
last night i cast on a farmer boy beanie to contribute to this little project.
it feels good to be zooming around and around, as well as back and forward?

share what you're creating over here

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

yay!



so those big plans i was banging on about yesterday...
well, this is it!

after thinking and planning and thinking and thinking... i've finally opened an etsy shop!

i've popped a few of the beanies in there, as well as another couple i found, HIDDEN in bb's study! i KNEW that i'd made more than i had present and accounted for!

please, please, PLEASE pop over and let me know what you think? positive or negative, i need advice :D


as well as opening up another little corner of the internets, i've been playing around with my blog design. if you're reading this post in a reader, feel free to pop over and have a look.
it's merely the start of a big overhaul i have planned, but it's started.

i have to say a MASSIVE thank-you to my awesome little brother. yesterday i dragged him over, having got him to pull some strings to get me a dslr for the afternoon, and then got him to help me design and pull together the buttons that are now gracing my side bar.
i've got a few more buttons to add, once i work out how to link to my instagram account and email... late night googling of html lessons to come ha ha!

i'm planning to pop a few more bits and bobs in my shop, over the month, i'll keep you posted!

what do you think of le makeover? any advice on selling on etsy?