How to make a dinosaur
I work in the homewares department of a large department store, and this keeps my kitchengeek self well supplied with toys.
So when I saw this:
Now, generally I am not a fan of these jigsaw pans but I immediately knew *EXACTLY* what I wanted to do with it. And then it went on clearance and I paid like three dollars for it. Of course, that was months ago, and it’s been sitting in my cupboard ever since, because, well, time it is lacking.
Add a comment December 5, 2012
Tags: cake, dinosaur, justcoz
In which I have a heart attack…well almost
I haven’t been overly well for quite a while, and then a few weeks ago I had a good old fashioned “funny turn”. It involved fainting and prolonged dizziness and a few other symptoms. (Some of which had been around for a while and deliberately ignored.) And led to quite a bit of medical investigating. And some not altogether pleasant results.
Of course, any sensible person would realise they should probably slow down in what they’re doing, but nooo, I’ve never been accused of being sensible. In fact, this seemed to be a trigger into ramping things up. I decided it’d be a fun idea to hold a quiz night, (and it was!) but at the same time I also got talked into increasing my hours at work. Now generally I do around twenty hours a week, and that suits me just fine. I have the weekend, two full week days and two afternoons off. Suddenly my hours are almost double and I wonder my I feel like I’m losing my grip on things?!
A few years ago I started to live by the One Four Formula {OFF} – 1 thing a day. 4 things a week. Initially it meant I only had the spoons to do one thing a day – shopping, meeting, housework, service, coffee date – with a limit of four things a week. Anything more than that, particularly on a consistent basis, would see me in floods of tears on the couch for days at a stretch.
Over time I’ve been able to increase what I do,but I still kind of hold to the OFF. Now though, it refers to extraneous activities. Things like work, meetings, housework and service don’t really count. Well, not when I’m doing my regular work hours they don’t, at the moment I’m finding they do! and then some.
What this means is I’m struggling to find time to do the things *I* like. It feels like I haven’t cooked or baked in FOREVER…at least not in a justcoz capacity. I’m battling to catch up with friends and family, and there are a few that I really need to touch base with that I haven’t, and so the guilt from that is also piling on.
I just have to make it through December. There is a light at the end of this tunnel and it’s called JANUARY!
1 comment December 2, 2012
Tags: health, OFF, work
It’s all about me!
I’ve had an insanely busy week, and the fortnight ahead is not looking much better. I’m not sure that I’m not getting something because I ache all over, and I feel exhausted.
So, I decided today would be for me. I am going to spend this afternoon doing “me” things. After getting the important things accomplished (meeting, and then Doctor Who) I’ve reached a problem. I’m so far behind I have a list a mile long of fun stuff I want to do that I’m a little overwhelmed and have no idea where to start, so I’m in danger of either sitting on the couch doing nothing, or wasting this opportunity on something like housework!
- Baking (any one of about eight cakes I have planned. Or even just a cake Because I Can!)
- Mass Effect replay – I was hoping to get through this series replay by next Friday (new game day) but that is so not going to happen!
- Sleep (Because why not?)
- Blogging (WW series, the Cupcake adventure or a few other posts…oh, hey, guess what?!)
Now what?
Add a comment September 30, 2012
Tags: life
Winging It: S1.1 Pilot
It’s been twelve years since The West Wing premièred, and I never finished the whole series. I think we were dedicated watchers up until about season four,or maybe five, and then for some reason we stopped.
I’ve been meaning to get back to it ever since. I know its a great series – I loved it when we did watch, and so many of my friends still rave about it. So since I happened to pick the series up quite cheap (go the staff discount!) I figure I should utilise some of my public transport commute time and watch it.
As expected from the opening minutes of a new show we’re introduced to the cast.
- Sam – ladies man
- Leo – pedant
- CJ – klutz
- Josh – workaholic*
- Toby – serious
*Well, the initial moments with him asleep at his desk kind of lead you to think that, but as the story progresses you realise it’s probably more worry about his foul up.
I remember: Almost the only thing I remember from this episode was Sam sleeping with a call girl, particularly his line regarding POTUS being his boss, not his friend, and then who POTUS is. I know it’s the first time I had ever heard the term, and the way the scene is delivered makes me think it wasn’t in general use before that…is that right?
Biggest surprise/discovery: That Laurie, the call girl, was Cuddy! Also Mandy. I don’t remember her at all! Not in the entire series. When I think WW cast, she just doesn’t exist. Are we sure she was always in there, or was she maybe photoshopped in later? 😛 Actually, on review, I wonder if that was because she isn’t introduced until after all the main staff and even the admin staff.
Favourite moment/s:
- Leo: True or false, if I were to stand on high ground in Key West with a good pair of binoculars I’d be as informed as I am right now?
Josh – That’s true. - Mrs Landingham telling Leo off for how he speaks in the Oval Office
- The President giving a serve to the religious right.
Observations: And the first political issue they’re dealing with is “boat people” – different countries, a decade apart, but the reactions of individuals are still the same.
And I can’t help wondering how POTUS’ bike accident would have been handled in this age of Twitter.
1 comment September 20, 2012
Tags: politics, tv shows, west wing
I Know a Valley…(With pictures and MOAR PICTURES)
…I know a valley, My Secret Valley the world has to see
Yesterday was one of those rare moments of near perfect alignment of rosters and health and weather and free time – so (almost) on a whim, we seized the moment and headed to Araluen for a picnic.
We’d been as far as the tea house across the road for my cousin’s wedding a hundred (13) years ago, but had never made it to the gardens themselves.
The day was glorious, and the setting is stunning! Meandering along winding paths, laying in the sunshine. Admiring the poppies and tulips. Oh, the tulips…
Araluen is set in this gorgeous valley, and was originally a youth holiday camp, starting in the 1930’s, so it is very Secret Valley-esque.
But instead of being all native bush,
and wildlife,
waterfalls, both natural,
and cultivated,
there are large gardens of roses. velvet green lawns, and stunning fields of tulips
I’d been told the tulips this year are particularly magnificent, and I have to agree.
Hmm…that’s probably enough of tulips for now.
There were also stone cottage ruins, and carved log thrones scattered around the place.
The upshot is, if you haven’t been, then GO. And now is a good time, because, TULIPS. Another warm weekend or two and it might be too late.
Add a comment September 14, 2012
Tags: araluen, flowers, tulips
In Search of My Macaron Mojo
Macaron’s. That sweet little bite of heaven. So quickly devoured, so melt-in-your mouth. The bane of so many who venture into the kitchen.
Of course I had to try making them.
One reason is because they are gluten free, and since I’ve had to move into GF cooking as a general way of life now, I figured it’d be handy to know how to make them. But also, you know – they’re challenging, and I do like a bit of a kitchen challenge.
The first time I attempted them I had never actually tried one, so perhaps that wasn’t the wisest move. Not that I’ve let that stop me before.
They tasted fine, at least, I thought they did, but they were eggshell thin, reminiscent of crazy paving, and had no feet to speak of.
Since then I have tried macarons from several places, so at least I have an idea of what I’m aiming at.
I made some more last week:
Taste wise they rocked! Cranberry & Salted Pomegranate = yum!
Aesthetically, not so much. I obviously under mixed it as all my shells had nipples. Some of them cracked, and the oven was obviously a fraction too high because they lost their pale pink colour and started to have a toasty look.
So, I read more blogs and recipes and guides on What Can Go Wrong, and I tried again today.
Things started off okay…they certainly looked better than my last attempts
The one batch of mix was able to give me three batches in the oven. Each batch came out a little differently.
Batch the first:
The second:
And the third:
As you can see, the third lot is overcooked…I’m trying to find the fine line in my oven temperatures to give my macaron’s a nice foot without toasting them,,,so far, not overly successful.
The second lot are my best. A few cracks here and there, no feet, but could be worse. And they kept their colour nicely.
Batch one was undercooked…which left me with something that looked like a Macaron Massacre – lots of gutted bodies.
They might not have ‘footed’, but I could still make them into wanabee ‘rons.
I still had some Salted Pomegranate filling left over, so I made some with that, and then the others I made White Chocolate & Raspberry
And look at this! ONE (semi) FOOTED MACARON:
Just don’t look at the back of it! However, I’m taking that as proof positive that it can be done!
Add a comment August 26, 2012
Tags: macaron mojo
CBCA Book Week Challenge: Under the Covers
Over on her blog, Tansy Rayner Roberts is celebrating the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week, and she has challenged people to talk about their childhood reading.
I decided this year I want to do something fun on the blog to celebrate Book Week, as I usually forget about it until it’s too late. So I’m going to write some posts about my childhood reading, not only favourite books, but how I read them and why I still remember them.
So I thought I might try and take up her invitation.
Under the Covers
Today I’m not talking about what I read, so much as how I read.
As a kid, if I was on my own, my nose was seldom out of a book…walking to school, at school, walking home from school, even during school if I thought I could get away with it. Trips in the car, to the shop, or on holidays. And in bed. Especially in bed.
There’s probably very few avid child readers who didn’t read under the covers. I know I did, which is a big reason I was able to read five or six novels a week.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t fortunate enough to possess a torch, so I had to Make Do. and for a long time the only source of light I had was my digital watch. This tiny little thing that Dad brought back from an overseas trip when I was eight. I would hold the light on and move the light across the page, line by line, word by word. It was tedious, yes, and I’m pretty sure I developed a callous on my thumb from holding the light button down, but when I finished a book at three in the morning and curled up asleep, I was sure it was worth it. The good thing about the digital watch light was that it didn’t cast a glow that might be seen under my door, which meant I didn’t need to hide under the covers – a good thing, too, as our house wasn’t air conditioned and temperatures were in the mid 20’s at night time, so it could get a bit stifling under the bedspread.
Eventually my watch battery died, and I had to find a replacement. I was at a loss for quite a while, until I discovered Brusome’s calculator. It had luminescent green numbers, so I would press 88888888, and add it to the (M)emory to maximise the light output, and then continue happily reading.
When I had children of my own, my daughter would read by the light coming through the crack under her door, or by the light of the tiny little sewing machine my mum had bought her.
Did I just live a deprived childhood? Were you lucky enough to have a torch? Or did your parents love you enough to provide a LAMP? 😛
Add a comment August 22, 2012
Tags: Book Week, books, CBCA, childhood, reading, under covers
CBCA Book Week Challenge: Choose Your Own Adventure
Over on her blog, Tansy Rayner Roberts is celebrating the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week, and she has challenged people to talk about their childhood reading.
I decided this year I want to do something fun on the blog to celebrate Book Week, as I usually forget about it until it’s too late. So I’m going to write some posts about my childhood reading, not only favourite books, but how I read them and why I still remember them.
So I thought I might try and take up her invitation.
Choose Your Own Adventure
I was eight or nine when these started appearing in the local newsagency, and for a couple of years they were an important part of my life. My brother and I were immediately captivated by them when they first came out. Brusome was four years older than me, and most definitely didn’t! read! at! all!
We actively saved our pocket money for these books, and would check the newsagency every time we went passed, just in case the new one was early.
And when a new title was finally released and we had it in our possession, we’d sit at the kitchen table and take turns reading it. At times I think the kitchen timer (aka mum) had to be employed, but generally each read through was very quick. And, when we were sharing, a “no cheating” rule was introduced – if you weren’t sure of what choice to make and you peeked ahead, you would forfeit your turn. And if we went ahead and bought one on our own, there was as a certain respect this commanded, and the book could be used as a bargaining chip – “If you do the dishes for me, I’ll let you read it through once.” At times they would even become a form of currency – “I’ll trade you my newest book for…”
Many of the titles were SF oriented – I’m pretty sure time travel was a recurring theme, but aliens and the future were always popular as well, and it’s quite possible this is where my love for the genre started, as neither of my parents had the slightest interest in anything SFish, Mum tends towards life stories, and Dad reads…well anything that isn’t SF really – .in his words, it leaves him cold. So we didn’t read, or even watch, science fiction until Choose Your Own Adventure came into our lives, but after that it seems to be a constant in my memories.
As an eight year old, it was very exciting to have an element of control over the narrative, knowing that one wrong choice could end my life/story, but if you chose wisely you could get your “happy ever after”. and I’m sure reading CYOA books was also my springboard into text based adventure games when Brusome got his Commodore 64 – first Zork and others, and in later years games like Space Quest, Quest for Glory, and Police Quest. Games that I spent many, many hours days weeks months playing.
It’s quite possible that even though they were really only a part of my life for maybe three years before I outgrew them, Choose Your Own Adventure books were some of the most influential reading I did as a young child.
Add a comment August 21, 2012
Tags: Book Week, books, CBCA, childhood, choose your own adventure, cyoa, reading
CBCA Book Week Challenge: Nancy Drew
Over on her blog, Tansy Rayner Roberts is celebrating the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week, and she has challenged people to talk about their childhood reading.
I decided this year I want to do something fun on the blog to celebrate Book Week, as I usually forget about it until it’s too late. So I’m going to write some posts about my childhood reading, not only favourite books, but how I read them and why I still remember them.
So I thought I might try and take up her invitation.
Nancy Drew
How I wanted to be Nancy Drew. She was level headed, and smart. She got to travel, and she drove a blue convertible! (Mine would have been red) Nancy could do anything! In fact, I’m pretty sure Nancy could do EVERYTHING! Nancy and I became firm friends – firm enough that mum started to curtail the amount of time I was allowed to spend with her. Seriously, eventually I was limited to TWO ND books a week from the library. That was partly because I would stay awake all night reading them…but also partly because I may have been getting a tad obsessive about her.
After working through a substantial number of my library’s collection, I started interspersing them with the Hardy Boys, which was basically a male version of Nancy Drew, but nowhere near as cool, because they needed TWO boys to solve a crime when Nancy could do it on her own for the most part. Even if you counted Nancy’s best friends, girlie girl Bess and tomboy George, at most that only equalled things, because Frank and Joe were often accompanied by their well meaning, but often inept friend, Chet.
And then they released a few books where Nancy, Frank and Joe teamed up, and I thought all my Christmases had come at once…even if I don’t actually celebrate it. The thing is, I think they must have been pretty disappointing, because while I remember a lot about the various ND and HB books, I remember nothing but the covers of these, yet I know I read them.
And in a bit of side trivia, one of the very first things I looked up on the internet when I first got online (way back in 1995) was information on Nancy Drew and Carolyn Keene – I was devastated to learn that she DIDN’T EXIST! Betrayed, I tell you! But it did explain the inconsistency in writing quality that even as a twelve year old, I could spot.
Add a comment August 20, 2012
Tags: Book Week, books, CBCA, childhood, Nancy Drew, reading
CBCA Book Week Challenge: Enid Blyton
Over on her blog, Tansy Rayner Roberts is celebrating the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week, and she has challenged people to talk about their childhood reading.
I decided this year I want to do something fun on the blog to celebrate Book Week, as I usually forget about it until it’s too late. So I’m going to write some posts about my childhood reading, not only favourite books, but how I read them and why I still remember them.
So I thought I might try and take up her invitation.
Enid Blyton
For me, Enid Blyton is the obvious place to start when talking about my childhood reading. I can’t remember when I first discovered her, she just always seemed to be *there*, which, given the amount of books she wrote, probably wasn’t a hard thing. And although I was growing out of her by grade five, for the my early and middle primary years, her books probably formed the most substantial part of my literary diet. Not that she was high brow literature, but she entertained me.
I think I kind of started with the various adventure books, wishing I had a family that owned an island on which I could escape and have adventures. My cousins and I would play adventure games where we pretended to be the Terrific Three, since we were two short to be the Five, and we’d spend our school holidays building hiding places under the stairs or in the hedge, and making adventures. But we were better than the FF because we didn’t need boys to take the lead and show us what to do. And then, when I was alone, I would try my hand at writing Famous Five stories. Yes, there it is – I wrote fanfic.
Eventually the time came when I had read all the FF books in the library, (for some reason I never could get into Secret Seven) and then moved into the boarding school series, kicking off with the Naughtiest Girl where I found myself wishing that I could get sent to boarding school, so I could indulge in midnight feasts with lashings of ginger beer, despite the fact that I didn’t like ginger beer at all.
I think though, that my favourites were the various books that involved visits to other lands – The Wishing Chair, and The Faraway Tree particularly, because those books stayed with me. I was reading them at the same time as I was having adventures on Kirren Island, and I continued to re-read them (albeit covertly) in high school (and beyond) as a comfort thing. As a matter of fact, I still have several of them in my bookshelf now.
3 comments August 19, 2012
Tags: Book Week, books, CBCA, childhood, Enid Blyton, reading
Musings of a Crazy Cake Lady... 
