Filling in the gap.

So it's been a fair while since my last post.  So much happens in a year and a half.  Here are some of the highlights:

• We have painted the grotty minty green bedroom white (antique white USA for those interested in their paint colours).  
• We built a chicken cage (FINALLY) so our chickens no longer had to sleep in a breezy cold and sometimes stifling hot tin shed.  
• We cruised the mighty Murray River on a house boat with some amazing people (such a highlight!)
• Obtained a membership to the Diggers club to inspire me to do something about our poor overlooked veggie garden.  I am happy to report that as of this lovely winter season we now are successfully growing snowpeas, spinach, beetroot, broccoli, potatoes and tons of rocket.  Ive also planted some nasturtiums, coriander, basil and parsley for some herby goodness.  Im still missing my rosemary and thyme so that is still to come.
• I turned 30
• Best of all: A beautiful little man entered our lives and turned our worlds upside down mid June last year.  Heath is a funny little creature with loads of cheek.  He loves nothing more than helping me around the house, visiting his family and friends, being out doors and getting into mischief.  Did I mention he is cheeky?  Heath is now 1 and is walking talking (well to the best of his knowledge he is anyway).  I have never experienced so much joy or cried so much as Ive done in the last 13 months, but crikey, all those late nights trying to get the little bugger to sleep are all worthwhile when he pulls his dummy out his mouth, tries to give it to you and giggles.  How could you possibly be upset with that.  Yep, parenthood has been a roller coaster of bodily functions/fluids, sleepless nights, tantrums (from parents as well as the baby), smiles, giggles, kisses, cuddles, adventures and milestones.  And here we are, we've made it through his first year alive!!  I love my men xx  
  

So here I am.  A fresh start.  All inspired after a day which involved friends and a couple of sewing machines I thought its time I ought to do something about the gap in my blog.  Hoping I can keep it up.  Inspiration welcome!  Enjoy this lovely July day.

XX

Chill'n with the family

Lucky me got to hang out and play with my bro, sis-in-law and adorable little nephew!  Nothing better than a pies, pasties and cakes from Beck's Bakery and chilling out on the lawn at Port Norlunga with my family.  Aahh, I love summer!  Thanks Liam for entertaining me during the car ride to your Great Grand Poppy's house (today South Road was hilarious!) and for making me laugh when you projectile vomited into Poppy's lap as soon as you saw him.
I am so grateful for such a wonderful day.  And while I wait for Andrew to come home from work I have been sitting on the couch watching my now 22 week little bubba move around my belly!  It's cool that you can actually see on the outside what I'm feeling on the inside!

The back yard transformation begins... Goodbye fern garden.

About 2 weeks ago on a Sunday about 10:30ish Andrew and I discuss ripping out the fernery.

Nek minit...

 Of course, wanting desperately to have some part in the transformation I decide to pull a few ferns too, although it didn't take long for me realise that I may have over done it.

 And so I became the official photographer for the rest of the transformation, helping every now and then to pull a few more out whenever I felt like I had recovered enough.

 The Chickens feasted on 20+ courses of snails, bugs and geckos.  They ate so much I'm surprised they could move!

 About half way there and I make Andrew stop for a well earned lunch break. 

 An amazing effort for only 2 and a half hours work.

 Tired and dirty I am really proud of Andrew and the final result.  Eventually we will rip down the retaining wall we are sitting on, flatten the back yard and extend out the pergola.  Baby steps Jude, baby steps...

What to paint the green room...

So after being bored to tears (literally) yesterday I am getting myself out of the house today to find some paint swatches.  The minty green isn't really cutting it as a appropriate colour for a baby's room.  Not only are the walls green but the guys who owned it before us painted the built in robes green as well.  The room itself is quite dark so a lighter colour is probably going to be the way to go.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  Keep in mind the fact that we are not going to know if baby Spad is a girl or a boy until June.
Here's a bit of a visual...

Pillowcase Dress

Oh, Adelaide.  You really do summer a little too well sometimes!  It's a little too hot to be down at the beach (especially while pregnant!), I don't fancy tackling crowds of crazy shoppers at the local shopping centre just because I want to look around and all my friends are back at work again.  What's a girl to do?... 

I know!  How about a trip down to Spotlight!  It was my friend's little girl's birthday on Boxing Day.  An afternoon spent making her a pillowcase dress sounded like the perfect plan.

So out came the good ol' Janome sewing machine again.  I scrolled around for the perfect pillowcase dress patter and came across this one from Baby Rabies.  It has very easy to follow step my step instructions with photos and sizing from 6 months to 4 years.

Within 2 hours I had 2 little dresses.  Note that I am still a beginner so everything takes me longer than what it should.  I can't wait to see what it looks like on!

What do you think?

Our New House - Before Renovations

 On the first week of December 2012 Andrew and I moved from our rented house in Netherby into the Adelaide Hills.  For me, moving back into the Adelaide Hills is like moving back home.  It's where I grew up.  Our house is located on a quiet street, close to an oval and bushland.  We have lovely neighbours who have all gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.  It's almost a case of worst house on the best street and it is going to take some work to get the house up to scratch.  But I enjoy a challenge and I love that our house is going to be a work in progress.  By the time it's finished it will well and truly have our mark on it.  So before we do anything to the house I thought I would take a few photos of our first week in the house.

Lets begin with the interior...

The top left photo is of our very blue kitchen.  Blue walls, blue cupboards, bench tops, blue lino on the floor, I only wish you could see the dark blue 'textured' feature wall!

Next, in the top right we have the very blue laundry.  It's in desperate need of a coat of paint, maybe a new cupboard, new floor to replace brown daggy tiles and a new laundry sink to replace the one with no door.

The bottom left is our bathroom.  When we bought the house three years ago the bath was rusty on the edges.  Andrew gave it a coat of paint before we rented it out.  Again, the brown floor tiles need to go.  We also need to replace the rest of the tiles and the shower screen door that is coming away from the frame.

Lastly, we have the minty fresh baby room.  To be honest, I'm not sure what they were thinking when that painted it spearmint green!

We come to the backyard... 

The backyard is lovely!  That is apart from the fence that is coming down at the back, the fernery which has been taken over by the grass, the pile of bricks and sheet metal in the back corner of the yard (which was home to a juvenile brown snake a week ago).

The veggie patch is overgrown with weeds, grass and garden clippings at the moment.  I'm really looking forward to getting it ready for our winter crop very soon.  Again, it's a work in progress and one that I am quite excited about.  Andrew and I are dreaming about our pergola area.

Eventually we will rip out all the ferns, remove the shade cloth and wooden structure and start again.  This time we will make sure that there isn't a pole in the middle of what would be a very usable space!

In a place where there is so much to do it's difficult to know what to do first.  We have armed ourselves with paint swatches from the paint shop, drawn up some rough plans for the back yard and have done some research into building a chicken coup.  Watch out house!

So we're in and we're are settled.  It's a work in progress but one I am very proud to call ours.

Have you ever renovated or have any renovation tips or ideas?  I would love to hear from you!

Fregon, my heart breaks for you.

Fregon, my heart breaks for you today.  He was a great man, full of wisdom, love, openness and cheek.  I will have forever etched in my mind images of him greeting us as we arrived at Walalkara for the very first time, proudly showing us around his land, directing us with his hands as we drove in the car, drawing with a stick in the ground, painting his story on a canvas in the arts centre, the smile and wave we recieved as he proudly drove his 'Toyota' around the town at the cracking pace of 3km/h, asking for another jam sandwich made by me (I apparently am a little generous with the jam).  We overcame language and cultural barriers together.  Knowing him has been a real honour and privilege.  The more I found out about him the more I have been amazed.  This man was the glue that held people together, that took people in and cared for them, that has been so welcoming to the other, that has passed on his stories to us in a mix of English and Pitjantjatjara, that proved to all his innovative nature and who remembered seeing his very first white man as a boy.  He taught me so much about Anangu language and culture but most of all he taught me the value of silence.  A traditional man who has also been described as a healer.  May all that have met you be inspired.  May your family live with the wisdom that you have lived with.  Your 80 something years of life have impacted so many.  As I sit here contemplating a life lost I am reminded of a life about to begin as I sit on the couch feeling Baby Spad moving about.  I can only hope that Baby Spad will learn a little of the wisdom of such an amazing Anangu man.
Love to my Fregon Family. 

New Years Eve: Tim Tam Tarts and Raspberry Friands

Scrolling the Internet and looking through my cookbooks this morning I became inspired to cook up something a little special for New Years Eve.  It seems there is a fair amount of competition between friends for the best baked goods: the best brownies (Megan), the best macaroons (Laura Love), the best hummus (Big Laura, although its technically not baking), the best slap it together biscuit with your 5 year old (Heidi).  Not to be outdone this New Years I decided to get the oven tins out and see what I could come up with.  Today I found Tim Tam Tarts courtesy of the gorgeous Fat Mum Slim blog and Friands courtesy of my well used Donna Hay Modern Classics cookbook.  Two appropriate yummy sweets for a very appropriate occasion, a wine and cheese themes party!!  Being pregnant I figure there won't be much in the way of cheese I can eat as the soft varieties are out (boo!) and I'm not sure how much Andrew or baby Spad will like me having a glass of McLaren Vale Shiraz.  Guess where I plan to go as soon as this little munchkin arrives?  Watch out Vale Ale, Echidna and Foggo!  You have 6 months to prepare for my coming.  Haha!

Anyhoo, I was all excited about sharing the cooking process but it seems a certain someone has changed my camera settings and now I can't upload my photos.  I guess that means that you get the end result!

Tim Tam Tarts

(Recipe by Fat Mum Slim)

Ingredients
100g Tim Tams {equal to half a pack, which is 5 and a half biscuits}
15g butter, melted
100ml cream
100g chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg yolk

Method
Process the biscuits until all nice and crumbly. Add butter and pulse until combined.
Grease 2 loose bottom 8cm tart tins (I used a cup patty pan tin as I wanted to make the mixture go further). Press the crumb mixtures into the tins, make sure you put it up the sides a little {about 1cm (or half a cm if you're doing it with the cup patty pan tin)} so it will hold the chocolate filling in later.
In a pan over low heat place the cream and bring it to almost boiling point. Remove from heat and toss in the chocolate. Mix until smooth. Cool slightly.
Add in egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Pour into tart cases and chill for 15 minutes.
In the meantime preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Cook for 15 minutes or until chocolate is set.
Chill completely before serving. Serve with cream or ice cream. And raspberries if you like.

Friands

(Recipe by Donna Hay, Modern Classics, Book 2)

Ingredients
125g butter
1 cup almond meal
1 2/3 cups icing (confectioner's) sugar, sifted
3/4 cup plain (all purpose) flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 egg whites
1/3 cup fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries or sliced strawberries.

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Place butter in a saucepan over low heat and cook until melted and a very light golden colour.  Set aside.
Place almond meal, icing sugar, flour and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine.
Grease 10 x 1/2 cup capacity muffin tins.
Spoon 2 tablespoons of mixture into each tin and sprinkle the berries over top.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden and springy to touch but moist in the centre.

T'was the night and the day of Christmas...

T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house,

The only creature that was stirring was Judy, as quiet as a mouse,

Her male side-kick Andrew in bed fast asleep,

As he waltzed in 4am that morning after drinks with his peeps!

Baking was finished, and Christmas paper lay across the floor,

Christmas carols playing not so quietly through open windows and doors.

She sang as she wrapped the last of the presents,

Soaking up all that she could of 2012 Christmas essence.

Andrew awoke from his slumber feeling a little more fresh,

And off they both went for the 11:30pm Christmas sesh.

After reflection on Christ, hope, joy, peace and love,

They wished all their friends love and peace from above.

The next morning Judy and Andrew awoke and sat by the tree,

Excited about their presents, what could they be?

A helmet for his bike Andrew unwrapped,

And some body butter for Judy, and boy was she wrapped!

It was off to the Lawrence house to catch up with bro Andy,

and to spend time with the family plus nephew Liam who to me is just dandy!

So much love and giggles, giving and sharing,

Before moving onto the Spads with more gifts we came bearing.

Brunch at the Spads was awfully nice,

Pancakes, muffins and a surprise chicken with tandoori spice!

Doing the dishes for 20 took over an hour,

Andrew's 83 year old Nonna proving she still has the power!

Tired and exhausted we slumped in a heap,

Before I declared ,'I need a rest or even a sleep.'

We drove back to my parents for an afternoon kip,

At 6pm to Aunty Marlene's we merrily skipped.

More eating and drinking and partying on,

More catch ups and jokes and carrying on.

Till Charlotte declared that she had something to show,

Some scooter tricks outside she has started to grow.

Charlotte entertained the crowd of uncles and aunts,

And of cousins and friends who looked on in giggles and trance.

Chasing a laser was the game for the night

before Charlotte went to bed all happy and bright.

T'was the end of Christmas and the families had fun,

Now we look forward to Christmas next year with our new daughter or son!

Rainy Day Maxi Skirt Project

I woke up this morning feeling less than well and decided that going out for any great length of time was probably not going to be an option.  With all this new found freedom I have since finishing Uni I really struggle sometimes with what to do with myself while at home.  I don't wanna be that person that knows all the day time telly shows back-to-front.  I always somehow manage to talk myself into going to the local shops, usually the local Foodland (I really quite enjoy food shopping), to buy that really important thing I didn't know I needed.  But today, it was wet outside and I was housebound and needed to do something with my boredom.

Hrmm... I know! I'll drag out that green jersey knit I have had stashed away and finally make that maxi skirt I found on pinterest! 
And so with a mix of day time telly (ok, so I gave in) and later, some Crowded House I got to work on this rainy Summers day while our chickens were enjoying splashing around in puddles outside.  Armed with scissors and a tape measure I began to mark out and cut through the yards of green fabric, carefully measuring up and stitching each piece together as per the instructions.  I am really impressed with the end result!  Easy to put together, easy to adjust as you go along, and best of all it is sooo comfy! 

 

Check out Crazy Little Projects website for this awesome maxi skirt pattern.

A little tip...
Because I am a newbie to the sewing gig I did a little research on working with stretch fabrics.  If anyone would like to attempt this I suggest you use a test piece of fabric and have a play around with the thread tension, and stitch width and length.  For this project I had my tension set to 2, my width set at 1.5 and my length set at 2.  All pulling and puckering was avoided.

So here's the end result.  My teeny little 14 week pregnant belly sticking out in this photo.  What have you attempted to make from scratch?  Have you any sewing or fabric tips?

It all comes in 3s!

I promised there would be some exciting  blog posts to come.  And like everything seems to, it has all happened in threes!

So...

Number 1.  
I've finally finished my uni degree! 5 years blood sweat and occasional tears, but I would not change a thing.  Studying a Bachelor of Social Sciences at Tabor Adelaide has helped me to grow personally, professionally and spiritually beyond belief.  I have met so many fantastic people within that time that have helped me to become who I am today.  It'll be different not walking the grounds of that old orphanage next February and sitting under the big shady tree next to the refectory waiting in anticipation for the academic year to begin.  I'll have to make an effort to pop on by to sit and chat with all the other youth workers.

Number 2.

After much anticipation, stress and a whole lot of help Andrew and I have finally moved into our very own home!  Many thanks must go to the myriad of friend and family who have offered their time, hands, strength and cooking abilities in helping us make the transition from the bottom to the top of the hill as seamless as possible. From walking in and not knowing where to begin cleaning, to our erratic power issues (not having power when it was supposed to be on and getting it switched off after we moved in), to finally getting some sort of working order, I must say the last 2 weeks have been quite an adventure!  An unwelcome tummy bug the following week after the move has meant that I really haven't had a lot of time just to sit and enjoy the place yet.  Being a hills girl originally I feel like we have moved back home.  I hope we can find some time soon to really enjoy each others presence in our new abode.  Poor Andrew has been working like a trooper each night from the moment he walks in the door until the late hours of the night putting up new towel rails, unpacking boxes, cleaning dishes and cooking dinner to look after his tired, sick and pregnant wife...  Yes, I'm pregnant!  That would take me to...






Number 3.
After what can only be described as a spiritual experience while casually washing dishes one afternoon when I was told in no uncertain terms 'you're pregnant,' followed by two weekends of crazy emotional carry on while away for our 2 year anniversary and again the next weekend for a 4WD drive trip with friends in Robe, I took the plunge on the Monday of the October long weekend and decided to do a pregnancy test.  Those two precious pink lines came up crystal clear!  'So, Andrew.  Looks like you're going to be a daddy!'  It was kind of funny.  We did what we usually do when we get excited about something, jump around the house making silly noises!  We celebrated that night with a giggly walk to the local petrol station, bought a chocolate bar and sat on the undercover seats at the back of the council chambers.  10 weeks on I am now 14 weeks pregnant.  The morning sickness is starting to eeze but the hormone induced mood swings have not.  But all is well and our little 'baby cino' is healthy; 2 arms, 2 legs, a head, body, bladder, stomach and a beating heart!  I'm not sure why I'm so surprised at this, after all it's a baby!  Ha ha!


So for our little family 2013 is going to look dramatically different.  Although scary, I am really looking forward to the challenges of home ownership and motherhood.  I love how everything happens in threes!

Much love to all who read this little blog.  Hope your day is wonderful.
xx

6 month update... Oh gosh, it really has been that long!

I should be studying right now but instead I have been scrolling through pinterest and friends blogs.  It's been ages since I've updated my little blog.  I could make the excuse of lack of time but I think I will put it down to priorities.  I'm the biggest time waster ever at the moment!

Its been an exciting 6 months.  I have become an aunty twice over.  My beautiful niece is 5 months and adorable nephew is 3 months.  Another little niece or nephew is on the way, due to greet the world in late February.  Yep, our families are changing.  It's exciting!

Andrew and I are also moving into our own house in December!  We have been renting for a few years now but finally we are able to move in.  The thought of being in our own place is exciting.  We are already talking about painting the two hideously coloured bedrooms, one minty green and the other baby pink with baby blue skirting boards.  The dark blue kitchen complete with blue lino floor, blue bench tops AND blue cupboards will have to go too.  The bathroom and toilet is also a renovators delight.  We are going to have fun with this place!  I'll post pictures when I can.

A new camera that I got for my Birthday back in July has inspired me to start taking photos again so I thought I would kick off my first post in 6 months with a photo of the day challenge, courtesy of the blog Fat Mum Slim, something starting with 'C.'  This is my very inquisitive Chicken!

I promise I'll update more often.  Heaps more exciting things to blog about in 2013, including crafty stuff, sewing projects, house rennos, cooking, holidays and heaps more!

So Ill leave you with the question:  What are your plans for 2013?

Andrew's birthday Spit

I wish I have had more time to blog this week.  There has been lots of things going on and lots more yummy smells coming from the kitchen.  Lets begin with Saturday...
I was Andrew's birthday about 2 weeks ago now.  Andrew's sister decided she would like to do a spit for his birthday.  Saturday, the day before the spit, we went to go pick up a trailer from Andrew's uncle's in-law's house (yep, this is how the family works).  We were greeted by an old Italian couple (who didn't know us from a bar of soap) with open arms.  We were invited in and asked to stay for a cup of coffee when Andrew and I noticed the vegetable garden outside.  Being keen veggie gardeners we couldn't walk past it.  Seeing how impressed we were with his garden, one very proud Tony proceeded to take us outside to show us around in the misty rain.  The veggie patch took up at least 2/3 of their huge back yard and was laden with late growing tomatoes and capsicums and some very healthy looking spinach. The other 1/3 of the garden was taken up with a massive shed kitchen for cooking (so the kitchen in the house doesn't get dirty) and another building used for wine making (yep, he makes his own wine) and salami making (even better)!  A small portion of the garden is dedicated to a proud Hills Hoist surrounded by a small patch of grass. We drove away from the house with a trailer, 4 bottles of home made wine, a bag of capsicums and a belly full of coffee, grog and waffles!  Amazing Italian hospitality!
That night Andrew and I drove into the hills to pick up the spit Andrew's friend had made form the locally owned pear orchard.  We got talking to his mate's dad who proceeded to tell stories of the things he and his son's made together and took us to see a beautiful fully restored water pump, something that you would have seen about 85 years ago.  It was a great reminder of my Grandpa, who made these things with his bare hands while he was alive.  It was a lovely stroll down memory lane!
Needless to say that obtaining the spit was a whole day out and I was exhausted by the time we got home.
While Andrew's sister and brother in-law spent the morning driving to pick up the 18kg lamb, Andrew prepared the spit.  The beast was basted with garlic, lemon, rosemary, oregano and seasoning, sewn up with the help of Andrew's uncle who drove for 20 minutes just to help baste and secured to the spit where it mesmerised Tom and Andrew for almost 4 hours.  It was their baby.  The baste was almost gone in the first hour.  I think they may have been a little excited!

Meanwhile, I had some Kiwi fruit in the fridge which I had been dying to turn into a cake so Joy and I made the Kiwi cake a reality.  Not something you would usually find in a cake but it totally worked!
Needless to say we ate like Grecian royalty that night.  Greek salad, tzaziki, amazing spit roast lamb yiros and an abundance of sweets.  No one went hungry, in fact i think we could have fed the whole street with our left overs!

A lesson learned...

Never go off to a meeting and  leave a clean freak in charge of a meal you have prepared when there are text books all over the lounge room.  Result:  one very burned spiced creamy tomato chicken.  On the plus side at least the house looks clean.  Can't help but be a little disappointed though.
Oh well.  Will just have to try this one again later.
Another great looking recipe courtesy of  Fig & Cherry that will have to be attempted another day.

A fresh and welcome distraction

Everything is better than study at the moment...
While trying to write my paper on youth work and CBT I had a knock at the door.  Standing in front of me was a very blue Irish lady with two very blue bags in tow.  My first thought was, no thanks, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  I'm a bit of a push over like that.  She introduced herself as being a representative for Aussie Farmers Direct.  I have an uncle who is a farmer and I know how much the big supermarkets screw him over so they can sell milk for $1 per litre.  She got my interest and i was hooked.
As I'm sure many of you are aware the big foodies Coles and Woolies do their best to put smaller companies out of business.  I have seen a Woolworths petrol station planted strategically next to a independent petrol station.  Out of sheer desperation the owner of the independent has put a sign out the front urging consumers of petrol and gas not to support "Woolies the bullies."  Anyone who has driven North along Marion road will know exactly what I am talking about.  It breaks my heart every time I see it.  In the meantime, until people choose to go local or independent, Woolworths and Coles will continue to consume the entire world until it reaches breaking point.  Selling petrol, products and food at reduced prices is by no means sustainable nor is it particularly ethical!  I could go on...
Anyway, as a result of a normally intrusive door knocking technique I will now be getting fresh fruit and veggies, dairy products and  meats delivered.  It is a little pricier than buying from the supermarkets but I figure it will save me from buying stuff I really don't need.  No longer will I be tempted to impulse buy...that is until I need flour, toilet paper or spices!  I'm heaps excited to be supporting a cause that I have for so long believed in.  Go you Aussie Farmers!  May all those years of battle become a healthy partnership with a company that actually has your best interests at heart!
It really feels just like the old days where we used to have the milkman come to deliver milk right to our door.  I have such fond memories of seeing the pegs sitting on the letterbox each week communicating to the milkman how many litres we required.  These days, the pegs may have been replaced by a web ordering service but the great feeling you get when you wake up to find your milk on the doorstep will still be the same.  I can't wait to put my blue cooler bag out for the very first night!
There are no contracts, no entry or exit fees.  I figured 'why not give it a red hot go?'  If it doesnt suit me I am not obligated to stay on the delivery round.
So, if a lovely Irish lady dressed in blue comes to your door promoting fresh local produce, invite her in for a cuppa and a chat.  What a welcome distraction from study the last 20 minutes have been!

Interested?  Check out the Aussie Farmers Direct website here

Brave 1

Easter.  It's symbolic of death and new life.  Death of an old way of life and a resurrection into a new direction of life.  Although I am a proud Christian I don't believe that it is just Christians that benefit from this concept.  We all have choices and our choices impact our attitudes, decisions and our actions.
I don't want to say too much at the moment because its not place to do so but I have been journeying with someone who was sexually abused as a child.  She is not alone in this.  Take 5 people you know under the age of 18.  According to statistics one of those children is likely to have been the victim of sexual abuse.  That means that most of us would probably know someone that has been a victim.  For many, telling others about their experience is out of the question and they live their lives suffering in silence.  It can slowly eat away at them from the inside out and can impact their ability to function normally, manifesting in various psychological disorders.
For my friend, her suffering went for long enough.  We have seen her take something terrible and make the decision to turn it around and use it in a positive way.  She counts herself as a survivor, no longer letting this negatively impact on her life.  Now, she is ready to use her experience to help others.  A death to letting her experience eat away at her and a rebirth to changing the way her experience effects her life and attitude.
Through the past 12 months she has relived the trauma she experienced as a child and has recognised that even after 20 + years there is still no support for those children.  She has started a campaign to set up a Bravehearts foundation in South Australia.  Bravehearts aim to educate, empower and protect young people against sexual abuse through prevention and early intervention.  Not only do they have National crisis hot line (1800 BRAVE 1), they also provide preventative education in schools and specialist counselling for those at risk or have been a victim of sexual assault.  Braveheats is the go-to place for victims and their families and can guide them through the process of reporting and seeking help.  Can you see the value in this?
I don't usually get so fired up about these things but I know of at least 4 people that have survived sexual abuse.  I look at my friends kids, my pregnant sister in laws, the young person I mentor and the young people I work with and want them to be able to feel and be safe.  I urge anyone who has been through this hell, knows someone who has been through sexual abuse or wants to see children grow up in a safe environment to get on board with this cause.
If you want to find out more or make a donation (specify SA) please go to www.bravehearts.org.au
If you have been the victim of sexual assault please call 1800 BRAVE 1 (1800 272 831) Monday to Friday 9am-4pm.

Hot Cross Bun Goodness...

I've been wanting to make these since Easter last year!  I was inspired by Fig & Cherry's review of the Bron Marshall recipe for Hot Cross Buns.  Today was the day that I finally pulled out the box of white bread mix from the pantry and kneaded my way to hot cross bun bliss.  I made a few little tweaks here and there and adapted it to what i had in my pantry.  I have to say I am mighty impressed with the result!

Hot Cross Buns

• 1¼ cups of warm water
• ½ cup of soft brown sugar
• 3 teaspoons of dry active yeast
• 4 cups of strong white flour
• 2 tablespoons of milk powder
• 2 teaspoons of mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• A pinch of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ cup of dried currants
• ½ cup of saltanas
• 50 grams / 2 oz of butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup of extra flour
• 1/3 cup of water

Add the warm water to a medium sized bowl and stir in the brown sugar until dissolved.
Sprinkle the yeast granules over the top and put aside.
Melt the butter and set aside.
In a large bowl or electric mixer sift the flour, milk powder, spices and salt and then add the dried fruits.
When the yeast mix is frothy add to the flour and fruit and pour in the melted butter. Mix to combine and knead by hand or in a mixer with a dough hook for about 8 minutes or until lovely and smooth.
Cover and set aside to at least double in size (2 hours or more).
Cut and shape 15 buns (I like to weigh mine for even sized buns!) and place in a warm lined or greased baking tin.
Place the buns in a warm place to continue rising for at least another hour, a little longer if possible.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, 390°F or gas mark 5½.
Gently brush the tops a little beaten egg wash.
Mix the remaining flour with enough water to make a firm ‘pipe-ible’ paste.
Using a piping bag or a small plastic bag with the point cut off, pipe the paste in lines across the buns to form the crosses.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until cooked through and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottoms.
Makes 16.

Hot cross buns are one of my favourite things.  I may have to make a few batches before we go away at Easter!

Lent Challenge

In addition to my lent challenge of reading the daily lectionary I have also decided to give up my two main addictions: coke and chocolate.  My decision was not based on what is going to benefit my health the most but rather to keep my attention toward the one that truely sustains me.  Its been almost 3 and so far so good.  It so happens though that giving up both may actually have some health benefits (who knew!)

10 Reasons to give up coke

1. The sugar content.  10 teaspoons of sugar in 1 can is A LOT!
2. Diabetes.  Having gone up to the APY lands I  have seen the extent of what the extra calories can do to your health.  If only I took a photo of the fridge in the store with the warnings for diabetics and its redirection towards the diet drinks
3. Kidney and liver damage.  Again another thing I have seen in the APY lands.
4. Dental health.  After visiting the dentist 3 times in one week and getting 1 major filling done, its really enough to put anyone off!  The acid in Coke eats away at tooth enamel
5. Increased risk of osteoporosis.  Again this is related to the acid in Coke.
6. Increased blood pressure.  I have a family history of this.
7. Causes dehydration.  Ever said to yourself on a hot day, 'a Coke would be good about now.'?  Well take note of how thirsty you are next time after you have had one.
8. Causes cell damage.  I have actually heard somewhere that it will make you look older.
9. Toxins contained in the drink. These can be broken down in the body and turned into carcinogens which are cancer causing.
10. Its unethical!  I really dont want to support dodgy work environments, poor pay or slave/child labour.

10 Reasons to give up chocolate

1.  Again with the sugar.  Even dark chocolate contains a fair amount.
2. Palm oil.  Its not good for you and its production means that rainforrests are being culled to make way for the plantations.
3. Many cocoa plantations use slave/child labour to havrvest their crop.  Conditions are dodgy and pay is barely enough to feed the child or their family.
4. Dental health
5. Diabetes.  We have so many processed foods that contribute to this health problem
6. It can become addictive 
7. ....

Ok, so maybe it's not so easy to find really good legitimate reasons to give up chocolate.  I have noticed that i have lost a little weight but that is not enough to make me give up chocolate forever. Infact a lot of what I have been reading is all pro chocolate!  My  advice to those wanting to give up chocolate and coke:  GIve up the Coke, be ethical about chocolate consumption.
What I've given up isn't the focus, it's what I've gained.  Denying myself of the luxuries  keeps me focused on God and His amazing work.  This has been an incredible journey so far.

Coffee Syrup

Tonight my brother and his wife are coming over for tea.  I sat down with Andrew and worked out a rough menu.  Mains: Roast Sammy (the ex-cow from Andrew's parent's place at Mylor) with veggies.  Dessert: a Jamie Oliver Banoffe pie.  We have some beautiful overripe bananas just waiting to be turned into something delicious!
The banoffe pie recipe calls for something called Camp Coffee.  I wasn't real sure what Camp Coffee was but I can imagine that it would be some sort of coffee syrup.  I started thinking about walking down to the local shopping centre to get some Bickford's Coffee Syrup.  Then I started thinking about all the coffee we have in our cupboards.  'Surely I could make my own,' I thought.  So I went to work and found a recipe for Coffee Syrup.  I'll let you know how the banoffe pie turns out later.

Coffee Syrup

3/4 cup Sugar
1 1/2 cup Coffee (I used a generous amount of ground coffee in my plunger)

Heat the coffee and sugar on a medium to high heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Turn the temperature down and simmer until the mixture reduces and becomes syrupy.  Keep checking  to ensure you get the perfect consistency.  How thick you want the syrup is up to you.  For me it was about 25 minutes.  The mixture should yield about 1 cup of syrup.  Store in a clean jar or container in the fridge.  Use in iced coffee, on ice cream or whatever recipe you choose to make that includes a coffee syrup.

Excuse me while I make myself a iced coffee...

Pumpkin Muffins

I've had a butternut pumpkin sitting in the crisper in the fridge for the last two weeks.  I figured it was about time that it found a home in some sort of cooking.  Scrolling through recipes I found a great recipe for pumpkin muffins.  Lots of sweet pumpkin recipes call for canned pumpkin.  Not that I've actually been looking but I have never found canned pumpkin in the stores.  Anyway, not to be defeated by the fact that my pantry doesn't posses canned pumpkin I found a great way to make the most of my beautiful butternut and made my own and more than likely better version of the canned stuff. 

So if you do want to attempt this recipe and don't have the canned pumpkin this is how I made it.

Pumpkin Puree
Set the temperature on you oven to 150 degrees.  Cut 1/2 of a butternut pumpkin into pieces with the skin still attached.  Place pumpkin in a baking tray with 1/4 inch of water.  Bake in the oven for at least and hour or until pumpkin is soft.  Remove skin (this should be easy to do) and puree with a stick mixer.

Another hurdle I came across was that I have never heard of pumpkin pie spice.  I googled again and found the recipe here.  All it involved is cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg.  Most stuff I guess you would find tucked away in your pantry so save yourself the expense!

Ok, now we can get to the fun part.

Pumpkin Muffins.

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see above link)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sultanas
• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I didn't have any brown sugar so I used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/3 cup golden syrup)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin (see recipe above)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (1/3 cup of milk with 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar left for 5 minutes)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 210 degrees. Sift flour and baking soda into a large bowl.  Add dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Make a well in the centre and add the rest of the ingredients and fold in until just combined.  Place into 18 greased muffin tins.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Always important to taste test!

Guaranteed you will never look at pumpkins the same way again!