Something my mum told me...

Since I was a little kid, my mum has always told me if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. So that's the best explanation I can offer for my silence lately... Sigh.

Daydreaming...

 

 

About meat pies, sausage rolls, lamingtons, and Tim Tams... It's almost Australia Day! And no matter how long we live in the US, we'll always celebrate in our own little way :D

 

Love this sausage roll recipe... Unless I'm feeling too lazy. In which case I'll pick up some frozen sausage rolls and meat pies - they have pretty legit ones here. And lamingtons, I usually buy an angel food cake at the grocery store and modify this recipe. I'll get my Aussie treats, one way or another.

Something I need to remind myself of...

Song I can't stop listening to...

What's for dinner?

As part of a new year's effort to find a little more balance in my life, I have been working on finding some healthy recipes that are easy to throw together after a long day at work. This one was yummy and SO easy to make. Seared chicken breast with lemon herb pan sauce - so quick and delicious - and on the table in no time. We'll definitely be having this again soon! Check out Simply Scratch for more great recipes - I'll be sure to post about others I try and love.

Click here for recipe

A new year...

We celebrate every New Year's Eve with a big celebration, elaborate decorations and laughter, lots of it! Surrounded by people we love, family and friends, having a great time. And at midnight, we all count down together, and ring in the beginning of another year. Usually, I'm tired but happy, and filled with anticipation for the new year and all that it will bring. This year, not so much. I am a little more apprehensive about the new year than I am filled with anticipation, to be completely honest. I don't know what this year will bring. December seemed to put a bit of a damper on the end of 2012... And as I contemplated the start of this new year, I felt a little overwhelmed by all the worries, big and small, that were occupying my mind. And then tonight, I heard a sermon that can only be described as an answer to my prayers. A reminder - to trust God. Reassurance that no matter what we face in this world, nothing is too big or scary or complicated for Him. It's a few days late, but I'm ready to take on the new year! Grateful for so many blessings. Hopeful, because of miracle after miracle that God has done for me. Ok 2013, let's go! Ready for new things, whatever they may be! Happy New Year!!!

Gnocchi fail...

Gnocchi - starts off like this...

I love being home from work! Love the luxury of time to do things you have been needing/wanting to do for months. Like sweep up all the lint dust bunnies that cover my laundry floor. (Check!) Or make gnocchi from scratch and revel in my success. There are few things in life I adore as much as gnocchi - it is absolute perfection, the way I see it.

And ends up like this... ideally!

Well, not the way I made it. I will probably try again. As soon as the disappointment of watching my little dumplings dissolve into floating lumps of potato lessens slightly. At least I can say I've tried it! Here's how it went:

Me: They might not work. I've never done this before.
Hubby: They will. Everything you make works. Except for that one time.

NOTE: There were actually two times - the time he forgot, I cooked a delicious steak with the BBQ closed (hazard of being raised by practically vegetarians, no idea how to cook red meat!), and it shriveled into a tiny, jerky-esque piece of crispiness, so we went out for dinner. And another time, I tried some spanish lemon chicken recipe I found online and it honestly tasted like poison. Either there was a typo in the recipe or I misread it, but it was hilarious becaue we'd been arguing and it was completely feasible that I'd be trying to poison him - we laugh about it to this day.

Anyway, the water boils, the gnocchi are plopped in and...

Me: It didn't work :( We should get take out!
Hubby: What do you mean it didn't work? I mean, can we still eat it? What would it taste like?
Me: Really soggy, lumpy mashed potatoes
Hubby: Yum!
Me: We are NOT eating that.

A bag of penne saved the day, sauced with the sauteed mushrooms in brown butter sauce that I'd made for the gnocchi. I'm not quite ready to try again yet!

Snow day!!!

I'll admit it - I was the naysayer. It started raining before we left and I said they'll NEVER let us up the mountain. We're going to need chains. Thank goodness they didn't listen to me. I mean, it would have been smart to have chains, but the fact is, we arrived at the perfect time, spent a few hours in the most beautiful, magical snow and drove (slid) very carefully down to the city again. I could get used to living someplace like that. Where the air seems cleaner, world seems shiny and fresher and all the problems and challenges of real life are a thousand feet below... I don't know how a little Aussie who spent six years living in the desert of Arizona ended up being a snow bird at heart. But I LOVE it. Best day of vacation so far.



Winter wonderland!

Christmas Eve...

Most years on Christmas Eve, I'm as excited as a little kid. I cook a big dinner, we have friends over or just make it a dinner for two. This year, I am laying next to a cozy fire, feeling a little blue... There's no one reason, it's a combination of things. Like the annoyance of having a broken sump pump and therefore a flooded driveway. Like the exhaustion that can only be expected after a successful, two night run of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' - it was amazing. Like the 'headache' in my eye that I recently discovered is shingles. Like the many responsibilities of being a grown-up becauce let's be honest, Christmas really IS for the kids. Like the fact that I never got to decorate a mantel this year, because it seemed a little complicated for us to build a mantel... Whatever the reason I'm feeling a little blue, the truth is a cozy fire, Christmas music and a beautiful tree are the best kind of remedy... That, and a reminder that this night, we celebrate the miracle birth of our Savior. Which makes me believe that in the midst of our busy, mundane, overwhelming, ordinary lives, miracles can happen for us too! Merry Christmas!!!

Speechless

There are few times in life when I feel like words escape me. But there are no words. Only tears for the parents of those sweet children, heartbreak and a sense of overwhelming sadness. When I look at their little faces, their happy, carefree smiles and think of their presents wrapped and waiting for them under Christmas trees...

There are no words.

Oh Christmas tree...

We finally got one today. I took a terrible blurry picture (which blogger isn't letting me upload now! frustrating!!), and my eyes are itching (in serious denial about my Christmas tree allergy :P), but right now, with a fire burning, music playing and hot chocolate in hand, I am happy.

Working on it...

 

The next few weeks are going to be crazy. CRAZY! It seems like every time I look at my emails, I get a mini anxiety attack, between knowing how much has to be done for work, Christmas, and the Christmas musical I'm directing for church, those little 'Last Chance to by...' and 'Order Before it's Too late...' email headlines send me into a bit of a tailspin. I LOVE Christmas, but I can't help but think that this year, it's going to be a little crazier than usual. I have already accepted that I might not get to make tamales, bake and decorate cookies, or host a Christmas party. I just have to keep calm and carry on - and remember the REAL reason for all this hoopla!!

Tamale Festival!

Moving to Tucson when I was fifteen, there were a LOT of things that were new to me. Sure, we speak the same language, which is a BIG common denominator, but things are still pretty different here. And in the Southwest, there are more unique experiences that were completely new to us. Take, for example, tamales. I love them. Like tasty little presents, wrapped in corn husks and served steaming hot on wintery nights. I make a little batch every year, for my hubby and I. Anyway, this weekend, we found ourselves in Indio, at the International Tamale festival. Apparently that's a thing!

There were tamales from everywhere (even Canada, I heard, although I didn't see those while wandering around), all different kinds and it was a fun atmosphere with live music on several different stages, carnival rides and arts and crafts booths. I can't say I'd drive out to Indio especially for it, but lots of people do, apparently thousands of people attend over the course of two days. I'm glad we were able to enjoy a day there!

Saving the best for last...

So thankful for my wonderful hubby. It's funny to think that we have been making memories together for more than twelve years! That seems like a loooooong time. I love spending time with him, whether it's just running errands together, traveling the world, or everything in between, he makes me laugh more than anyone else I know, helps me find my adventurous side, and has a way of making me feel like together, we can take on the world.

We had a nice little date night tonight, with some gift cards we'd been saving for a rainy day (and it kind of WAS a rainy day too!). As I sat across the table from him, eating and laughing and chatting, I was reminded of just how lucky we are, to have found each other, to be building a life together. Some people can only dream of what we have, and it's a good reminder not to take each other for granted. Thankful for him. Every day!

So many reasons to be thankful!!

This whole month of gratitude has been a LOVELY of just how blessed I am, and of how important it is to make my perspective one of GRATITUDE every day. Focusing on the wonderful things in life has a way of reminding me that I am living a pretty wonderful life - imagine that! Thankful that Christmas is right around the corner! It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!

Home and cozy...

On a cold, rainy night - and I am SO thankful! For cozy socks, comfy PJs and rainy, wintery weather!!

Two more things...

I am thankful for a fun night spent with friends at the Angel Tree lighting in Lawndale. There was snow, sledding, hot chocolate, Christmas music and the whole evening just felt like Christmas is already here. Which it kind of is!

 

And I'm thankful that when we found our house, it came with a fireplace. I LOVE my fireplace, and how cozy everything feels when it's lit. We had our first fire of the winter a few days ago. There was a little experimentation over the weekend, while we tried to figure out a way to build a fireplace surround mantel (the gas key is in the way and the wall is at an angle so we can't make the mantel too big), and we are in the rethinking phase at the moment, but for now, I LOVE my fireplace, even without a mantel to decorate. Although I am thinking something like this, painted white or stained a darker color, might work:

And if it does, I can't WAIT to decorate it!

Thankful for my house...

I know I haven't post pics of my house, and I will eventually get around to it, but I am SO grateful for it! It still blows my mind that for less than $100 more a month, we have three times the space we had in our apartment. And we are buying it! I am so grateful that it's ours, for all the doors God opened to help us get in here, and for every morning I wake up with the sunlight streaming in through the skylight about my bed.

It's easy to be thankful...

When your day includes a visit to Burke Williams Day Spa... The truth is I hadn't been planning this visit, just found myself with an open afternoon, a gift card and a sudden urge to visit. Spontaneous spa day! The cherry on the top of it all was when I discovered my favorite facialist had an appointment open! I spent a few hours circulating between the sauna, the eucalyptus steam room and the cool misting room. Sigh. BLISS! My facial was perfect and I left feeling relaxing, happy and determined to return SOON! So many things to be thankful for today :D

On Black Friday...

I can't say I'm sorry I missed this!

I am thankful to be home, cozy in bed, laying in even if I couldn't manage to sleep in! I am one of those people who LOVES Black Friday shopping (not the crazy, kill someone for a Wii kind of shopping, but the fun for a few hours Macy's has great prices on stuff kind), but I have to admit it was really nice to just lay in bed, flip open my laptop and shop a few online sales in my PJs. I didn't fight the crowds, stress over parking, or drag myself out of bed super early for the sake of saving a few bucks. And I'm not even sorry! I even have some cute boots on their way to me! :)