a little firend facebooked me and asked me had i forgotten about my blogspot... and i had. what chao's we have undergone in the last few months. first there was the joy of puppies being born, 24 hrs guiding my very worried dog who is the size of a small horse through her first labour. As it teemed down rain steadily, she and I sat in the cubby house as her kennel was flooded out, and she birthed every hour for the first 10 pups, then 12hrs later our last, a still born emerged. 3 days of guidance and Cheyanne was a brilliant mother.in total, 3 pups died, and the favorite of all, we named Xavier and kept him as one of our own family members. he was abriliant grey harliquin with blue eyes. bull mastiff x great dane. And oh how i loved him.
Then the good times ended quickly with threat of divorce after a certain "love of my life" did the ultimate betrayel and lied about attendng a gentlemans club in the land of TEXAS... all work overseas trips will now be done under strict supervision... which means he isnt going anywhere without me going too... esp if it is overseas. But as the old saying goes, love conquers all as does a bloody long conversation and the threat of removing ones testicles if all information is not disclosed, no matter how painful it might be to take.
After my love came home and we moved into surburbia ( all in a matter of 3 wks),
i went home to the land of salt and sea with J.J and Bruiser, my hometown known as Umina, the town where i grew up and I thoroughly enjoyed a full week renting a unit opposite the beach, where i spent time with all my dearest girlfriends and only wish that i had stayed longer, had finances permitted. there is nothing like the smell of the salt air and lots of girlfriend time to cleanse my spirit, i came home to Qld a renewed woman.
We moved from Farmville into modern surburbia, very much to my happiness, and most importantly this meant a NEW kitchen! this house we are in is BRAND NEW, its so nice to live in a brand new house, i beleive it was Gods way of saying " you get your new house" as my dream home is still unfinished in Jandowae, as we moved before it was completed due to drug addict neighbours who liked to be the neighbours from hell. i would rather rent elsewhere than live nextdoor to that kind of drama, in my own house. It is a bit sad that we did have to move, but i love this little town of Chinchilla, Unfortunatley not all good things last, our beloved pup Xavier died on November 15th, another heart break for the turmoil filled year of 2010... and i felt as though one of my children had been lost. he died of Parvo Virus. 2 weeks later, our beloved Cheyanne, mother of xavier and my "little girl" was taken to the vet, bitten by a black snake. i pulled over on the side of the road terrified that we would lose her too. However strong as she is, despite being paralysed from the waist down, she came home 3 days later, and the past month has consisted of me carrying her back end around ... not an easy feat when this said loved one weighs 65kg! more than i weigh! However she is well worth the effort and i am very grateful for the blessing to have her in my life.
This year has certainly been full of surprises. Not alwasy the greatest surprises to have, some surprises like a new house are good, others like a loss of life are not good. Although the best surprises often come when we least expect them.
speaking of surprises, my resident green tree frog has joined me in this corner of the house, as he sticks to the glas sliding door, peering at me as if to say " when are you coming out for your cup of tea... im sure it is about the right time of night for you to join me on the patio"... always reliable, froggy eats the bugs that would otherwise come in through the screen door.
So it is time to progress outside, wouldnt want to disappoint foggy, who has been my companion since the 1st of Jan 2011... lets hope its a sign of good luck with him around, i hope it is...
Despite if froggy is around or not, i have high expectations that this year will be a very good year!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
potting up a storm
It seems as the warmer weather is upon us, the yearning for heading out into the sunlight becomes somewhat addictive for me... you see i am part Lizard... so i have been told by my mother when i was younger... so i tend to be drawn to the heat. If it gets below 22 degrees C, I'm rugged up in a jumper, socks and long pants... in Queensland there is a misconception that it is always warm here all year around... i fell into this misconception when i moved here 7 years ago...as i moved here in summer. Come winter and the ground sparkled with frost in the mornings, ice crystals splattered the windows and the thermometer read -4 degrees C in the kitchen one morning in June... -4 !!!! well for quite a few mornings actually. but then the smell of spring hits the air, the insects start to come out and play and BITE and Aeroguard graces our legs after 4pm every afternoon.
Which leads me to Potting up a storm...
We are moving in 3 wks to a lovely residential clone hole, otherwise known as a new estate. As much as i love my space, i dislike the cow who has decimated my efforts to grow vegetables in the ground over the past 12 months, and now she has a calf who kicks air like an overdosing heavy metal guitarist on stage and also finds my garden a delight to taste on a regular basis. no amount of electric fencing can stop these two... they are geniuses, with horns! so there fore i have decided to pot up my vegies in order to salvage the last of the survivors and take them to a safer place, where they can grow wild and free.
As the cows are in the back paddock, this gave me ample opportunity to transfer the newly sprouted celery, leek, tomatoes, spring onions, beetroots, cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, spinach and broccoli seedlings into pots. i am on budget, so found 99c buckets from the IGA to be perfect POTs (with a few holes drilled for drainage along with cheap potting mix. - no weeds in potting mix)
I carried on transplanting each delicate seedling, care taken so as not to rip the roots, and as the heat swirled around, the air became humid and the sky began to rumble. then as i placed the last pot on the veranda and cleaned up my hand shovel, the heavens opened with lightning flashing above the clouds, and sunlight still shining from the sky. it was a magnificent sight to see sunlight streaming down from the sky while lightning flashed in the dark blue clouds and rain steadily and heavily poured down on my freshly planted seedlings ... and me.
Closer to nature is Closer to God, ...so i have heard.
Which leads me to Potting up a storm...
We are moving in 3 wks to a lovely residential clone hole, otherwise known as a new estate. As much as i love my space, i dislike the cow who has decimated my efforts to grow vegetables in the ground over the past 12 months, and now she has a calf who kicks air like an overdosing heavy metal guitarist on stage and also finds my garden a delight to taste on a regular basis. no amount of electric fencing can stop these two... they are geniuses, with horns! so there fore i have decided to pot up my vegies in order to salvage the last of the survivors and take them to a safer place, where they can grow wild and free.
As the cows are in the back paddock, this gave me ample opportunity to transfer the newly sprouted celery, leek, tomatoes, spring onions, beetroots, cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, spinach and broccoli seedlings into pots. i am on budget, so found 99c buckets from the IGA to be perfect POTs (with a few holes drilled for drainage along with cheap potting mix. - no weeds in potting mix)
I carried on transplanting each delicate seedling, care taken so as not to rip the roots, and as the heat swirled around, the air became humid and the sky began to rumble. then as i placed the last pot on the veranda and cleaned up my hand shovel, the heavens opened with lightning flashing above the clouds, and sunlight still shining from the sky. it was a magnificent sight to see sunlight streaming down from the sky while lightning flashed in the dark blue clouds and rain steadily and heavily poured down on my freshly planted seedlings ... and me.
Closer to nature is Closer to God, ...so i have heard.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
to scrap or not to scrap
i have an enourmous pile of fabric that i have kept, just in case i needed that square, just in case that would look good in a quilt. the reasons go on and on and i have carted this ever growing collection of fabric with me where ever i have moved over the past 8 yaers. today i sorted through it, today i decided to make something of these scraps.
at first i questioned myself, should i just bin them??? what a question to ask, my friend Sari would have surely slapped me and lovingly conviscated and re ironed the scrunched up pieces of vibrant fabrics, trimmed and stored them away in her own pile. But as it turned out, i too could not part with these scraps. some of them patchwork squares which i had hand sewed intricatly when J.J was a bouncing baby and i didnt even own a sewing machine... leftover squares from baby quilts which had been re designed half way through creation and cut outs which also went into the re-design colour scheme pile...
so i ironed them all, lovingly while chatting to my best friend over a cup of tea whilst she searched the latest bargains on ebay late into the afternoon. i sewed them into mish mashed concoctions, a bit of green here, blue there, red, yellow,, purple ... the scraps were coming to life in the form of an abstract piece of fabric that looked fantastic, i eyed off my dressmakers doll and wrapped the large loud piece of patchworked fabric i had created from scrap around the bust, it reached the hip line area, and i was inspired...
so i got out my pattern for dress and started cutting, suddenly the depths of hell stirred and in ran my 2 sons, screaming, jeering and laughing. they ran over my beautiful piece of bright passion filled fabric with dirty feet, ripped my fragile paper pattern and dismissed themselves as quickly as they had barged in. i swore in italian and fixed my pattern and continued on my journey of the great dress. applying my pattern again, and i cut some more, through those glorious colours to make the Ultimate of beautiful dresses...
Those nasty children ran thru and landed square on the fabric again... this time with mud on their feet.
"Why !" i ask myself "must they come to this art of the house and land smack bang on my fabric, why have they destroyed my hard work why why why???????????????????????????????"
i damp clothed the fabric, wiping gently with genuine care... then i realised i had cut my pattern back to front the second time and totally stuffed my small but well loved piece of fabric, no amount of cotton and thread could repair those cuts and i finally followed my first thoughts and Binned the scraps of fabric...
i have more though, 2nd time's the charm, right?
at first i questioned myself, should i just bin them??? what a question to ask, my friend Sari would have surely slapped me and lovingly conviscated and re ironed the scrunched up pieces of vibrant fabrics, trimmed and stored them away in her own pile. But as it turned out, i too could not part with these scraps. some of them patchwork squares which i had hand sewed intricatly when J.J was a bouncing baby and i didnt even own a sewing machine... leftover squares from baby quilts which had been re designed half way through creation and cut outs which also went into the re-design colour scheme pile...
so i ironed them all, lovingly while chatting to my best friend over a cup of tea whilst she searched the latest bargains on ebay late into the afternoon. i sewed them into mish mashed concoctions, a bit of green here, blue there, red, yellow,, purple ... the scraps were coming to life in the form of an abstract piece of fabric that looked fantastic, i eyed off my dressmakers doll and wrapped the large loud piece of patchworked fabric i had created from scrap around the bust, it reached the hip line area, and i was inspired...
so i got out my pattern for dress and started cutting, suddenly the depths of hell stirred and in ran my 2 sons, screaming, jeering and laughing. they ran over my beautiful piece of bright passion filled fabric with dirty feet, ripped my fragile paper pattern and dismissed themselves as quickly as they had barged in. i swore in italian and fixed my pattern and continued on my journey of the great dress. applying my pattern again, and i cut some more, through those glorious colours to make the Ultimate of beautiful dresses...
Those nasty children ran thru and landed square on the fabric again... this time with mud on their feet.
"Why !" i ask myself "must they come to this art of the house and land smack bang on my fabric, why have they destroyed my hard work why why why???????????????????????????????"
i damp clothed the fabric, wiping gently with genuine care... then i realised i had cut my pattern back to front the second time and totally stuffed my small but well loved piece of fabric, no amount of cotton and thread could repair those cuts and i finally followed my first thoughts and Binned the scraps of fabric...
i have more though, 2nd time's the charm, right?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
AC/DC and a long distance wake up call
ding dingaling ding, i leapt from my sleep and hit the green button - "it didnt even ring on my end"... i heard the familiar and distant voice say. My darling had called, finally! Relieved to hear his voice as i layed in bed, i closed my eyes & imagined he was beside me, as he is every other sunday morning when i wake... but finally i opened my eyes and faced the cold reality of the day, the cold wet rain drizzling reality... and also the reality that it was actually monday.
i hadnt even heard the kids wake, they sat in the lounge room watching sesame street eating their weetbix which "J.J" had prepared for himself & his adventurous toddler brother, who we call "Bruiser"... and they were quiet... QUIET??? i considered checking their pulses at first... but they were still alive and
amazingly had not both choked on their weetbix and passed out... but they were just quiet and happy. i walked out with the phone on my ear listening to my husbands vague description of Dubai and Texas... but also wondering, have the angels heard my prayers, have they come to silence the children???
the previous 3 days had seen me tearing my hair out and veins popping from my temple, teeth grinding and a sore throat from trying to be heard above these 2 boys, their loud games of driving plastic fisher price toy cars around as fast as possible while squealing, laughing, yelling, fighting and the noise of the toy itself. on the wooden floor. loud screams of POOOOO! FAAART!!!! blaines a poopy head!!!! JAYYY! BLAINE!!! NOOO! SHHHHUUUUTTTT UUUUUUUP! At the age of 7 years old, J.J is a professional at the horrid sounding "Arm fart", the boy has talent i have to say, they sound like the real deal... So for 40 minutes on both days, ARM FARTS invaded the ailes of the IGA and Woolworths, in both Chinchilla and Dalby, hence doing the monthly shop a highly embarrassing torturous event, as old people looked at me and my children in the canned goods aisle, like they were devils from the south and i was a delinquent single mother... you could see them looking at my hands as the rested on the trolley handle...i had forgotten to put my wedding ring back on after i had been cleaning the night before. Disruption rang through our shoe box sized house from morning until night. even meal times were engulfed with the mindless prattling of a toddler with a mouth full of food and unthinkable noises coming from J.J. at lightning speed. Cleaning the house seemed an endless task, beloved Blaine squishing banana's into his canvas fold up chair, yogurt being opened left right and centre, and always making its way to the floor several times a day... I JUST mopped that floor... again!.... sigh.
Laurence and i got a chance to talk for a full hour, and for a full hour no one budged from the lounge, ABC kids had engulfed their attention and i was riding this wave of peace and tranquility for every second i had it. As laurence tried his hardest to describe the other side of the continent, he made a point of telling me he had gone to the small mall in town, which was the biggest shopping centre he had ever been in, and that he was going to visit the bigger one next week. He proceeded to tell me that he bought levi's for $30 a pair, and that everything was fairly cheap retail wise. He had met another australian who pulled up a chair next to him at a cafe.. not like he was inconspicuous...wearing his QLD state of origin jersey ( he forget to mention his new friend was a female until asked... and then he assured me she was in her 50's.... I'm SURE she was!!!!) But back to the shopping... when he asked me what i wanted from over seas, i said a fridge magnet from wherever he gets out of the plane... and also asked him to get me my (long overdue) eternity ring... to which he said he has seen about 9 jewelerey shops since he got there. BRILLIANT i thought.. he has no excuse NOT to get me that long overdue sentimental piece of metal with white stones! but then i thought...BUGGER!!! he was in what i regard as retail therapy paradise and i was stuck here in farm ville! Literally Farmville... the cow was approaching the front verandah as i sat out there having my 99% fat free sachet style cuppa chino... thank you Mr Moconna! and GO away "Dinner" (which the grown calf is so lovingly known as and called.)
The woman at the end of the phone advised laurence that his $5 call card time had expired, pretty good for a full hour conversation from the other side of the world and we arranged to speak tomorrow morning and said out i love's and sent spiritual hugs and kisses to each other, hoping the wind would catch the love and blow across the pacific ocean to greet him in the USA.
The morning remained quiet, the children behaved, we paid the bills, and came home. it was 11am by this stage and it had been a blissfully peaceful lovely day, despite the rain. The kids put on the new Astro Boy DVD and sat quietly in their room with the door 3/4 shut.
and...
I PUT ON AC/DC FULL BLAST AND SHOOK MY BOOTY!
... sometimes it can be tooo quiet. :)
i hadnt even heard the kids wake, they sat in the lounge room watching sesame street eating their weetbix which "J.J" had prepared for himself & his adventurous toddler brother, who we call "Bruiser"... and they were quiet... QUIET??? i considered checking their pulses at first... but they were still alive and
amazingly had not both choked on their weetbix and passed out... but they were just quiet and happy. i walked out with the phone on my ear listening to my husbands vague description of Dubai and Texas... but also wondering, have the angels heard my prayers, have they come to silence the children???
the previous 3 days had seen me tearing my hair out and veins popping from my temple, teeth grinding and a sore throat from trying to be heard above these 2 boys, their loud games of driving plastic fisher price toy cars around as fast as possible while squealing, laughing, yelling, fighting and the noise of the toy itself. on the wooden floor. loud screams of POOOOO! FAAART!!!! blaines a poopy head!!!! JAYYY! BLAINE!!! NOOO! SHHHHUUUUTTTT UUUUUUUP! At the age of 7 years old, J.J is a professional at the horrid sounding "Arm fart", the boy has talent i have to say, they sound like the real deal... So for 40 minutes on both days, ARM FARTS invaded the ailes of the IGA and Woolworths, in both Chinchilla and Dalby, hence doing the monthly shop a highly embarrassing torturous event, as old people looked at me and my children in the canned goods aisle, like they were devils from the south and i was a delinquent single mother... you could see them looking at my hands as the rested on the trolley handle...i had forgotten to put my wedding ring back on after i had been cleaning the night before. Disruption rang through our shoe box sized house from morning until night. even meal times were engulfed with the mindless prattling of a toddler with a mouth full of food and unthinkable noises coming from J.J. at lightning speed. Cleaning the house seemed an endless task, beloved Blaine squishing banana's into his canvas fold up chair, yogurt being opened left right and centre, and always making its way to the floor several times a day... I JUST mopped that floor... again!.... sigh.
Laurence and i got a chance to talk for a full hour, and for a full hour no one budged from the lounge, ABC kids had engulfed their attention and i was riding this wave of peace and tranquility for every second i had it. As laurence tried his hardest to describe the other side of the continent, he made a point of telling me he had gone to the small mall in town, which was the biggest shopping centre he had ever been in, and that he was going to visit the bigger one next week. He proceeded to tell me that he bought levi's for $30 a pair, and that everything was fairly cheap retail wise. He had met another australian who pulled up a chair next to him at a cafe.. not like he was inconspicuous...wearing his QLD state of origin jersey ( he forget to mention his new friend was a female until asked... and then he assured me she was in her 50's.... I'm SURE she was!!!!) But back to the shopping... when he asked me what i wanted from over seas, i said a fridge magnet from wherever he gets out of the plane... and also asked him to get me my (long overdue) eternity ring... to which he said he has seen about 9 jewelerey shops since he got there. BRILLIANT i thought.. he has no excuse NOT to get me that long overdue sentimental piece of metal with white stones! but then i thought...BUGGER!!! he was in what i regard as retail therapy paradise and i was stuck here in farm ville! Literally Farmville... the cow was approaching the front verandah as i sat out there having my 99% fat free sachet style cuppa chino... thank you Mr Moconna! and GO away "Dinner" (which the grown calf is so lovingly known as and called.)
The woman at the end of the phone advised laurence that his $5 call card time had expired, pretty good for a full hour conversation from the other side of the world and we arranged to speak tomorrow morning and said out i love's and sent spiritual hugs and kisses to each other, hoping the wind would catch the love and blow across the pacific ocean to greet him in the USA.
The morning remained quiet, the children behaved, we paid the bills, and came home. it was 11am by this stage and it had been a blissfully peaceful lovely day, despite the rain. The kids put on the new Astro Boy DVD and sat quietly in their room with the door 3/4 shut.
and...
I PUT ON AC/DC FULL BLAST AND SHOOK MY BOOTY!
... sometimes it can be tooo quiet. :)
i promised to be a better woman - 7 steps
Before my husband left for his work trip to Texas on friday, i promised him he would come home to a new woman. And he most definatley will come home to the best woman. I am in AT HOME RE-HAB!
Sometimes a girl needs time on her own to remember who she really is... i will never leave my kids, so i guess they just have to come along for the journey while i re-discover myself. i know who i am, what i want to do and where my dreams lie... i just have to remember i am more than just a mother and wife.
GOALS
1. give up bad health habits - think positive, BE POSITIVE
2. Exercise - body maintainance makes you feel strong and good about yourself - BE STRONG
3. Self Care - inside and outside - DETOX IMPURITIES
4. COOK - healthy eating - DRINK WATER, EAT NATURAL/ORGANIC & FRESH FOODS
5. Save $$$ - IT'S WORTH THE EFFORT
6. Creativity and success - DO WHAT YOU LOVE - sewing, cooking, gardening, playtime with the family.
7. Travel- EXPLORATION = KNOWLEDGE, and CREATES EXCITEMENT!
Cherish Friendships, near or far, the best friends to have are the one's who will uplift and support you at all times. Few and Far between, I am blessed with dear girl friends who i regard as extended family. Lucy, Nicole, Bridie, Sari, Kate, Jasmine... love you heaps, gals!
Below is my RECIPE for the week. It is deliciously good for you!
BEETROOT,CARROT & ZUCHINNI CHOCOLATE CAKE
Pre Heat fan forced oven to 180 degree's C
Cooking time ; 20 - 35 minutes, depending on tray used, i used a lamington tray, it took 25 minutes to cook.
Line your cake tray with baking paper.
Peel and remove stalk, then Grate 2 FRESH BEETROOT, 1 CARROT and one ZUCHINNI.
add 2 EGGS, 75g melted BUTTER, 2 teaspoons of VANILLA essence, 1/2 cup BROWN sugar and 1/2 cup WHITE sugar... as well as the 3 vegetables to the blender and hit PUREE! gradually add 1 & 1/4 cups of MILK to make a sloppy mix, when ready it should look reddy/bright pink.
Sift 2 cups of SELF RAISING FLOUR to a bowl, and 3/4 cup of COCOA into a bowl, and make a well in the centre and add puree mixture.
The entire mixture will turn brown from the cocoa and disguise all those vegetables!
Combine until smooth and all combined. POUR into tray or patty papers and bake until cooked through (cooked when an inserted a skewer comes out clean)
Let cool on a wire rack and ice if desired. These cakes are so good that you may not even need icing and can be served as muffins.
Icing: make chocolate icing: i cant even describe how to make this as i just whack it all together with a bit of milk and soft butter. But Usually a table spoon of Cocoa to 1 cup of icing mixture and a tablespoon of milk... makes runny icing. just using butter makes for thicker icing. sprinkle coconut all over the top of the cakes when iced..
DELICIOUS!
recipe by Lauren McDonald. created 15th september 2010
i promised to be a better woman - 7 steps
Before my h usband left for his work trip to Texas on friday, i promised him he would come home to a new woman.
i have had depression for 2 years now, not that i realised it as i didnt beleive depression actually existed. However after much self reflection and an actual medical diagnosis from Barb, my womens health nurse a few months back, i finally understood. i have been working through my own personal issues and have come to the conclusion that
1. i cannot live from my past experiences
2. i cannot change my past but i can make my own future
3. i cannot continue to neglect myself any longer
My first attempt at conquering this battle is exercise, and it has worked to help reduce stress and promote physical well being. We live on a small rural property that has a 100mtr long driveway. i attempted to run the length of the driveway. and was buggered at the end of it, i felt like my chest was about to explode, then cave in... that was a few weeks ago. i have a steady exercise regime in place now as well as cut my smoking to a few a day, in the anticipation that i will be completely smoke free by the end of next week and going strong when my husband returns home 10 days later... all with the help of mother nature and her vitamin supplements. (thank goodness mum works at the health food shop!)
So my second life changer is to stop SMOKING! i am terrible for it... and i came from a non smoking family, so i have no excuses except that it was my own stupid decision that i have been at fault for since i was 15 years old.
Thirdly, i began to focus on my appearance a bit more... this started off as buying one pair of high heels and then becoming addicted to the 1000's of designs out there. born a shopaholic, this doesnt help the budget, but then again, that is why i sell pretty things on Ebay. i have started with skin care as well. ALBA products which over the past 3 days since i have had them in my possession, have help clear my acne prone skin up without fail. i was very surprised as these products are only available from the health food store and do not contain any ingredients that are synthetic or toxic.
forthly: i am an avid cook, i love it! especialy mediterranian food. give me flour and i'll make bread. my most recent concoction was chocolate cake made on vegetable puree. i had heard it had been done before but made my own recipe and trialled it on 12 employees at weatherfords in chinchilla... no surprise that they didnt realise it was healthy and gobbled it all up... so did the kids. So i will commit to making healthier food and writing down a recipe every week as well.
my fifth goal was to SAVE MONEY... i opened a savings account that accumulates interest and hope to goodness that i can stick to this plan... as i mentioned before...the shopaholic genetic problem.
Number 6 came in as creativity. making the point of reading more. i usually read one book over 2 weeks, but my goal was to read 2 books per week and so far so good. this week i have read "plane insanity" and "not another greek salad"... both of which i thoroughly enjoyed, both on the subject of travel. And focussing on success of being creative and success of doing what i love
Lastly number 7, the golden number is for me to TRAVEL. small steps first then large steps, i plan to go back home to the central coast in nov, then Sunshine coast/ Hervey Bay in december, Fiji in may 2011 (family wedding), and if all goes well, ITALY in November for my 30th birthday. hopefully hubby has accumulated enough frequent flyer points from his work trips to pay for a ticket over there!
I used to travel often before i met my husband and it seems i have slackened off a bit since 2006... this is one major reason for my depression.
When lucy suggested the BLOG, i questioned it. but it may well be the release i was needing...
Below is my RECIPE for the week.
BEETROOT,CARROT & ZUCHINNI CHOCOLATE CAKE
Pre Heat fan forced oven to 180 degree's C
Cooking time ; 20 - 35 minutes, depending on tray used, i used a lamington tray, it took 25 minutes to cook.
Line your cake tray with baking paper.
Peel and remove stalk, then Grate 2 FRESH BEETROOT, 1 CARROT and one ZUCHINNI.
add 2 EGGS, 75g melted BUTTER, 2 teaspoons of VANILLA essence, 1/2 cup BROWN sugar and 1/2 cup WHITE sugar... as well as the 3 vegetables to the blender and hit PUREE! gradually add 1 & 1/4 cups of MILK to make a sloppy mix, when ready it should look reddy/bright pink.
Sift 2 cups of SELF RAISING FLOUR to a bowl, and 3/4 cup of COCOA into a bowl, and make a well in the centre and add puree mixture.
The entire mixture will turn brown from the cocoa and disguise all those vegetables!
Combine until smooth and all combined. POUR into tray or patty papers and bake until cooked through (cooked when an inserted a skewer comes out clean)
Let cool on a wire rack and ice if desired. These cakes are so good that you may not even need icing and can be served as muffins.
Icing: make chocolate icing, i cant even describe how to make tis as i just whack it all together with a bit of milk and soft butter. sprinkle coconut all over the top of the cakes when iced..
DELICIOUS!
recipe by Lauren McDonald. created 15th september 2010
i have had depression for 2 years now, not that i realised it as i didnt beleive depression actually existed. However after much self reflection and an actual medical diagnosis from Barb, my womens health nurse a few months back, i finally understood. i have been working through my own personal issues and have come to the conclusion that
1. i cannot live from my past experiences
2. i cannot change my past but i can make my own future
3. i cannot continue to neglect myself any longer
My first attempt at conquering this battle is exercise, and it has worked to help reduce stress and promote physical well being. We live on a small rural property that has a 100mtr long driveway. i attempted to run the length of the driveway. and was buggered at the end of it, i felt like my chest was about to explode, then cave in... that was a few weeks ago. i have a steady exercise regime in place now as well as cut my smoking to a few a day, in the anticipation that i will be completely smoke free by the end of next week and going strong when my husband returns home 10 days later... all with the help of mother nature and her vitamin supplements. (thank goodness mum works at the health food shop!)
So my second life changer is to stop SMOKING! i am terrible for it... and i came from a non smoking family, so i have no excuses except that it was my own stupid decision that i have been at fault for since i was 15 years old.
Thirdly, i began to focus on my appearance a bit more... this started off as buying one pair of high heels and then becoming addicted to the 1000's of designs out there. born a shopaholic, this doesnt help the budget, but then again, that is why i sell pretty things on Ebay. i have started with skin care as well. ALBA products which over the past 3 days since i have had them in my possession, have help clear my acne prone skin up without fail. i was very surprised as these products are only available from the health food store and do not contain any ingredients that are synthetic or toxic.
forthly: i am an avid cook, i love it! especialy mediterranian food. give me flour and i'll make bread. my most recent concoction was chocolate cake made on vegetable puree. i had heard it had been done before but made my own recipe and trialled it on 12 employees at weatherfords in chinchilla... no surprise that they didnt realise it was healthy and gobbled it all up... so did the kids. So i will commit to making healthier food and writing down a recipe every week as well.
my fifth goal was to SAVE MONEY... i opened a savings account that accumulates interest and hope to goodness that i can stick to this plan... as i mentioned before...the shopaholic genetic problem.
Number 6 came in as creativity. making the point of reading more. i usually read one book over 2 weeks, but my goal was to read 2 books per week and so far so good. this week i have read "plane insanity" and "not another greek salad"... both of which i thoroughly enjoyed, both on the subject of travel. And focussing on success of being creative and success of doing what i love
Lastly number 7, the golden number is for me to TRAVEL. small steps first then large steps, i plan to go back home to the central coast in nov, then Sunshine coast/ Hervey Bay in december, Fiji in may 2011 (family wedding), and if all goes well, ITALY in November for my 30th birthday. hopefully hubby has accumulated enough frequent flyer points from his work trips to pay for a ticket over there!
I used to travel often before i met my husband and it seems i have slackened off a bit since 2006... this is one major reason for my depression.
When lucy suggested the BLOG, i questioned it. but it may well be the release i was needing...
Below is my RECIPE for the week.
BEETROOT,CARROT & ZUCHINNI CHOCOLATE CAKE
Pre Heat fan forced oven to 180 degree's C
Cooking time ; 20 - 35 minutes, depending on tray used, i used a lamington tray, it took 25 minutes to cook.
Line your cake tray with baking paper.
Peel and remove stalk, then Grate 2 FRESH BEETROOT, 1 CARROT and one ZUCHINNI.
add 2 EGGS, 75g melted BUTTER, 2 teaspoons of VANILLA essence, 1/2 cup BROWN sugar and 1/2 cup WHITE sugar... as well as the 3 vegetables to the blender and hit PUREE! gradually add 1 & 1/4 cups of MILK to make a sloppy mix, when ready it should look reddy/bright pink.
Sift 2 cups of SELF RAISING FLOUR to a bowl, and 3/4 cup of COCOA into a bowl, and make a well in the centre and add puree mixture.
The entire mixture will turn brown from the cocoa and disguise all those vegetables!
Combine until smooth and all combined. POUR into tray or patty papers and bake until cooked through (cooked when an inserted a skewer comes out clean)
Let cool on a wire rack and ice if desired. These cakes are so good that you may not even need icing and can be served as muffins.
Icing: make chocolate icing, i cant even describe how to make tis as i just whack it all together with a bit of milk and soft butter. sprinkle coconut all over the top of the cakes when iced..
DELICIOUS!
recipe by Lauren McDonald. created 15th september 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
i have been advised to BLOG
My dear friend a.k.a unofficially adopetd sista "Lucy" decided i should make myself a blog.
My response was a "BLOG" sounds like some kind of a septic problem that needs urgent attendance. Considering the amount of shite that comes rambling out of my mouth most days, it seems highly appropriate. So here we are, on my first BLOG. with not much to say at this point, but im sure that 2 glasses of red wine later on this evening will prove otherwise... as there is always an adventure or 3, about farm animals, my 2 children, my husband, my travelling experiences, new recipes, memories from past, my own business and dreams and aspirations and the on going battles that plague every day life.
my motto is SEW, COOK, LOVE... so i will get back to the blog tonight, right now im off to cook that wholemeal loaf of bread that has been rising for the past couple of hours.
My response was a "BLOG" sounds like some kind of a septic problem that needs urgent attendance. Considering the amount of shite that comes rambling out of my mouth most days, it seems highly appropriate. So here we are, on my first BLOG. with not much to say at this point, but im sure that 2 glasses of red wine later on this evening will prove otherwise... as there is always an adventure or 3, about farm animals, my 2 children, my husband, my travelling experiences, new recipes, memories from past, my own business and dreams and aspirations and the on going battles that plague every day life.
my motto is SEW, COOK, LOVE... so i will get back to the blog tonight, right now im off to cook that wholemeal loaf of bread that has been rising for the past couple of hours.
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