Tuesday, April 28, 2015

100 days of creativity - week 2.

week two was a little slow going up onto instagram as the shorter days are definitely impeding on my photo taking time. i did get there eventually though ha ha!



a finish up of the beanie i started last week, as well as a start to a swatch for work, and a baby blankie with some yarns i was gifted as part of a yarn swap. ooh and there was a little fixing of my crocheted blankie that was developing a few holes after being on the couch for the last couple of years. and also a little end weaving on some wash cloths that my mum got to knitting.
i'm finding it quite hard to take interesting and different photos of my projects each day, so i think i'll keep juggling projects for the 100 days, so i don't bore everyone to tears...

what creating have you gotten up to this week?

Monday, April 27, 2015

meal planning monday.

so organised last week with my meal plan going up on the blog nice and early in the day, this week, not so much!
it's been a very interesting past few days, with lots of nights out. bit exhausted actually and thoroughly looking forward to a pj night tomorrow night ha ha!



tonight, i've just gotten home from a staff night out at an afghan restaurant. had never had afghan food before and it was delicious!! will definitely be going back i think.

tomorrow night, relaxing night in for sure. i might pick up some meat from the butcher in my lunch break, and cook up lotsa veggies to go with whatever i find. i need some plain and simple cooking!

wednesday night is supposed to be ncb week, but i think i'll need another night at home... i have the day off from work, but have lots to do with some grocery shopping needing to be done, as well as having the car booked in for a service. hoping i'll have enough time to come home and whip up some tandoori chicken. i planned it for a couple of weeks ago, but it never happened!

thursday night, i'll be working late, so i'll pop some osso bucco in the slow cooker. pasta and some spinach stirred through in the last few minutes will be the perfect.

friday night, i'm heading into the city and getting my bowl on with bb and his work crew. should be super fun!

saturday, my mumma is coming to visit during the day. i might pop something in the oven to roast in the afternoon when she leaves so i can relax and chill out while it cooks. can't wait!

and sunday, i'm hoping to maybe head into the city and check out an expo that is on. we'll see if that actually happens or not though. more likely it'll be a pj day with leftovers for dinner ha ha.

what are you eating this week? have you had afghan food before? are you a good bowler?

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

100 days of creativity - week 1.

as i mentioned in my april post, i've decided to play along with #the100dayproject, though not officially on the website... i didn't realise there WAS a website sign up until it was too late TO sign up. oh well!
i'll be playing along on instagram though, and sharing week by week on this here blog too.

being a day by day challenge, there's lots of little snippets that add up to a whole project at a later stage...



a start and finish to a wee little green beanie, a start and finish to a teeny red sock as well as a start to a second to make a pair. oh and the start of an additional adult sized beanie, to send off to the beanie festival next month.

with one week down, i feel like i'm making a start on the list i shared back here and i'm staying super motivated.
hopefully it lasts!

follow along with my adventures with #nicolegetscrafty on instagram if you'd like...

are you playing along with the 100 day project?

Monday, April 20, 2015

meal planning monday.

now last week's meal plan? well that didn't exactly go as i'd expected...
a combination of me forgetting to take the appropriate thing out of the freezer at the appropriate time, as well as bb taking a few days off from work. but onwards and upwards.
it's a new week and i feel as though i'm starting things out the right way, with an early morning, a steaming bowl of porridge and a nice big cup of tea.



for tonight, there is bolognaise sauce defrosting in the fridge right this second. should mean a delicious easy and QUICK dinner. just as well as i have lots planned for tonight!

tomorrow night, i'll grab some marinated chicken fillets out of the freezer and serve them up with everything i can find in the vegie crisper.

wednesday, i'm hoping to spend most of the day at home! i have my fingers crossed for inclement weather enough to make it to the local greengrocer and stock up on soup making supplies. a big pot of soup on the stove will be perfect.

thursday night, i'm heading into abbotsford to catch up with some of my cousins. should be great fun!

friday, i'm heading out again! this time for a friend's birthday drinks. heading into the unknown territory of the western suburbs but it should be a fabulous time!

saturday, i'll be in need of a quiet night in for sure! here's hoping for a homemade pizza.

because sunday, i'm heading out again! staff night out and i think indian is on the cards. can't go wrong!

what are your plans for the week ahead? are you healthy monday thoughts being thwarted by that dessert spread above too? such a good night out for ncb last week!

Monday, April 13, 2015

meal planning monday.

just sneaking in with a meal plan while it's still monday... it's been a big day!



today has been mammoth! a flat out day at work, followed by a staff meeting, with lots of rushing to get from one to the other... needless to say, there was take-away for dinner. it was delicious. the perfect accompaniment to the first episode of season 5 of game of thrones (!!!)

tomorrow morning i'll grab some bolognaise out of the freezer, and cook some pasta when i get home. quick, easy, lots of knitting time. perfect.

wednesday night is ncb night and it will be awesome!

thursday night, i'll grab some chicken from the butcher and use up the tandoori paste that i found in the fridge after rearranging everything on saturday when we made pizzas. haven't had tandoori chicken for ages!

friday night, i'm working late. will throw some osso bucco in the slow cooker before i leave i think.

saturday night, i'm in two minds about going for home-made pizzas again. they're a) delicious and b) will use up all the pizza stuff we bought last week for pizzas.

and sunday, i'm hoping to have that big freezer stock up... it never happened last week. oops!

what are you eating this week? what's your favourite pizza topping? are you a game of thrones fan?

Sunday, April 12, 2015

april.

ok, so we're more than a week INTO april and i haven't even written my monthly intention post yet! oops!!
i've been thinking about it a lot, but a long weekend away in the country saw me having a little too much fun outside and hanging with my family. time well spent me thinks!

now i share a little bit of what i'd been up to in march already, but i'll share what i was up to for the rest of the month too...



making the kitchen pretty while preserving some chillies.
taking walks around my neighborhood, racking up steps to get to 10k steps each day, well most days in march anyway.
hung out with the cutest puppy in the universe, and some most excellent ladies too.
oh, AND, i bought my wedding dress! bb and i got engaged on our anniversary in december last year so now i'm slowly SLOWLY planning bits and pieces to bring it all together. hopefully by our anniversary THIS year. lots to do!

and now for the month ahead?
well i'm playing along with...



and i'm taking the challenge to do a little crafting every day. my crafty to-do list is getting out of control...



so i thought it would prove an opportunity to get it whittled down... now if only i would stop ADDING things to the list ha ha!

last month i didn't quite get to organising mine and bb's birth certificates so that will be high on the priority list for april. especially seeing as now there might be an overseas adventure planned post-wedding. woohoo!

what's on your agenda for this month? are you joining in the 100 days of creativity too?

Monday, April 6, 2015

meal planning monday.

well hello! after an amazing 4 day weekend, i'm feeling pretty energized for the week ahead.
i figured the best way to capitalise on that bit of energy, would be to get a meal plan happening! yes!



tonight, i'm throwing together saliccia al forno for the first time, being that i haven't been at work and have a little bit of time to fiddle around in the kitchen. so excellent!

tomorrow night, i'll grab some fish out of the freezer and bake it in the oven along with some chippies! perfect tuesday night dinner, nice and simple.

wednesday night, i'll grab the last of the ravioli out of the freezer and whip up a tomato-ey sauce for another quick and easy dinner.

thursday, i'm working late. old faithful satay chicken in the slow cooker will be the perfect thing to come home to i think.

friday night, bb is hoping to catch up with his brothers and watch the football. i'll bach' it up at home, and whip up one of my faves, spaghetti carbonara. bb's not a fan, so i like to whip it up when i'm home by myself!

for saturday, i'm thinking homemade pizzas! it's been AGES and they're just so easy and SO delicious! plus it will use up some of the bits and pieces that are building up in the fridge. perfection.

and on sunday, i'm hoping to spend a bit of time clearing out, and re-stocking the freezer. we're almost out of our little stockpile of assorted meats, and i'm planning to put together some little packs with protein and all the ingredients for slow cooker meals. that way i can just grab everything out the night before, and throw it in the slow cooker in the morning. if i'm visiting the butcher to stock up the freezer, i might grab a little roast or something for us to have for dinner on sunday. should be delicious!

what are you eating this week? how was your long weekend? have you tried any of trish's recipes? her blog is a treasure trove of amazing recipes, excellent photography and awesome stories.