things i'm loving . . . silver beaded heart clutch'

Greetings all,

Oh i'm super extra loving this beautiful silver beaded clutch purse from Seed (i know, again, more children's accessory products for me) & . . . half price!!  Even the sales assistant said "oh damn, i think that's the last one, i want it" with giggles.

 So that's my offering for Things I'm Loving with Paisley Jade this week, aint it pretty??

 Oh boy, so totally NOT loving this . . .

 did you see on the news - a chemical explosion (or 30) at a recycling plant in Mitchell ACT??  We're one suburb over, yikes!! 

The wind is changing, towards us!!

We're 25km from the city (the route we drive) & the cars are banked up at our house, already, at 7.30a.m. as all the arterial roads into Canberra are closed, so kind of glad we're not tackling that for the school run today.

SO slight change in plans for the romantic lunch in the country with my husband i had planned for today, our 4 children are home, their schools are closed, their lunches are back out of their bags on the kitchen counter & they're having a long weekend.  I can't even send them outside for a picnic, it's strictly 'fasten your doors & windows' here right now!!  Love Posie

our creative space . . . 'crafty customer service'

Greetings all,

Hmmm . . . i think customer service in craft/ haberdashery/ art supply shops is either - super fabulous with great interest in what you are using the materials for, offering their knowledge, experience & ideas, or . . . like you're at the check out of a super market, beeping the codes through & taking your money, smiles & friendly banter are not included.
I was on a giddy high from the Esprit, Country Road & Trenery sales this morning, shopping up a storm for Summer . . . then i went to Spotlight. 

What can i say??  I dashed in to use the 'spend $100 & get $30' off voucher as i needed some linen, threads & needles.  The linen was 20% off, aces, i can afford an extra metre.  I am served by the lovely Narell who is so well informed & offers excellent customer service, every time . . . only as i got to my last cut of linen, it was her break, nooo, she handed me over to the next sales assistant. 

 I calculated exactly how much i needed to crack the magic $100 mark & had already discussed with Narell that i wanted to take advantage of the $30 discount offer, but had not printed off the email voucher.  She said she had a magic code for people like me. 

Giggles.  Banter.  Smiles.

 I mentioned to the new sales assistant that i had chatted to Narell about the $30 voucher situation - to avoid any end of transaction drama, there was a queue forming behind me - it can get ugly at a Spotlight sale.  Well, you would have thought i had just asked her to stick knitting needles in her eyes & give me 100% off . . . she snapped at me "you need to print it off" & i smiled back with "Narell said you have a magic code".  She must have spent 3 minutes arguing/ telling me off, ME, the always right customer.  Guess what people, she had to move the beeper gun, aim it at a bar code AT THE POINT OF SALE & pull the trigger, click, beep, $30 off.  OMG!!  The huge effort.
Why are some sales assistants so hell bent on spoiling your transaction & experience??  I also said "don't worry about the metres of plastic wrap, kind of negates the no-plastic-bag message" & she said "you'll look like a shop lifter".  So i suggested, with my receipt, i could prove at the door, i had paid.  OMG . . . i had no option, she wrapped it up in the plastic anyway.  Then said "the yellow strip is what they look for" & i thought, well why not just give me that, argh!!

 I didn't care, i got 20% off linen + $30 off the total, i am a normal person with a good attitude, sucks to be her!!  It can never be a bad day when your husband picks up a copy of Peppermint Magazine for you, while you're in the post office, because he heard you mention it was out & you wanted to grab one!! 

Something to offer for our creative space this Thursday - you can win this pencil roll & retro fabric stack, my contribution to the Handmade Market Hamper - via the Canberra Times!!

Now, back to that gorgeous linen, i'm screen printing up a storm, stay tuned, love Posie  

home baked . . .

Greetings all,

I know, another food inspired post by Posie, what is going on, she's a designer not a cook!!  Well, influenced by the glamazon whom is Faux Fuchsia, who conincidentally posed the blog influence question today . . . i answered with homemade bread making.  Back in the mid 90s when i was a keen newly wed, i used to bake our bread, from scratch, amazingly non-demanding for two people in the humid tropics of Darwin where dough rises instantly. 

 Fast forward 15 years of marriage & 4 children + freezing-cold-dry-yeast-rising-unfriendly-Canberra . . . Faux Fuchsia bakes her own bread rolls (with a red KitchenAid dough hook i'm guessing) so it brought back my passion & effort. 

 Yes, i was baking boobies, thanks children!!

 Mmmm, with homemade butter to boot, they were delicious.  I'd recommend you eat the day of baking, like they're going to last longer than 5 minutes once they're out of the oven??!!  Are you under the influence of Faux Fuchsia too??

While the buns are in the oven, tee hee, i've been piecing together gazillions of multicoloured strips of fabric for a batch of pencil rolls . . . the Handmade Market is 18 days away, eekk & school holidays too, yahoo.  My darling husband is only here for a few more days sob, in the meantime, suffer more delicious food posts. 
As i've mentioned before, when he's home, every meal is a flavour sensation, he's such a great cook, i can't believe he has to eat ration packs like it's WW2 (when really it's a 21st century war) & he won't buy a BBQ for his bachelor pad in Brisbane, he considers that too moved in, it's nearly 2 years.  He doesn't like seafood so that salmon sensation in the last post was in his absence, as he dashed to Sydney on Sunday.  Last night was BBQ lamb with vegetable perfection, tonight it's that amazing tomato/ yoghurt/ butter marinade chicken he does on the BBQ, then oven, drool. 
I do notice the dramatic increase in time i spend at the sink, washing those too-precious-for-the-dishwasher-kitchen-accessories like the KA food processor/ mixer/ blender/ pots & pans, even the garlic press (i have never proposed to be anything other than a bad cook, i use minced garlic from a jar, shoot me).  I can say that i have never fed my children 2 minute noodles, macaroni cheese or potato bake, ever, not even as a side dish, they would refuse & demand meat.  I don't microwave either, man, they won't eat anything from a frozen box in the oven, i just struggle along cooking from scratch, argh.  They're totally into health.  I'm just waiting for handsome soldier to retire & cook full time.  I'm patient!!  4 more years??
What cooking/ baking/ making in your household??  Love Posie

i would spend my last $20 in the world on . . .

Greetings all,
Oh yes, i'd blow my last $20 in the world on seafood, hell yeah.  Mmmm, smoked salmon to be precise, it would fit the bill nicely. 

 Blob of horseradish cream, squeezes of lemon, salt & pepper + sprouts & dill. 

 Like my salmon rose??  One child claimed this all for herself!!  We just ate off the platter, like cavemen.  There was fork jousting between my 4 starving-hungry-salmon-lovers.

 Oh i can still taste it.  I held back 100gm of salmon, just in case . . . my son couldn't eat fast enough so i played hero mother & presented him with extra salmon after the girls left. 

The horseradish was a delicious addtion, thanks for the recommendation Jamie Oliver.  It was hot but reminds me of my mummy, she used to make a mean horseradish cream sauce for our roasted vegetables, mmmm. 

Aren't you loving Spring, Australia?? I just planted dill in my herb barrel, we eat a lot of seafood here.  Have you ever tossed dill in with chicken & mayo on a roll?? It's a winner.  Try it for lady like luncheons or just because you love yourself.  Love Posie

i'm grateful for . . . 'my social commentary Sunday series' & what today means to my family

Greetings all,

I have been toying with the idea of whether or not i would post anything about the 10 year anniversary of 'September 11'.  You can read, delete, comment, relate, smile, cry - this is my story. I receive many private emails asking about our life, do i worry, is it dangerous, how do the children cope . . . i'm the only Army wife most of you know. 
10 years ago i was heavily pregnant with twins, living in Darwin, my husband had been in the Army for 5 years (already a war veteran) & we had a gorgeous 2y.o. daughter.  When we woke that morning to see the news of planes hitting the World Trade Centres, our daughter's first long sentance ever was "mummy, look, those planes were flying then crashed into the buildings".  I will never forget it.  How do you explain that is real & not Hollywood??  Like why daddy carries a rifle & has a truck with large guns.  Life was changing.  I knew what it meant to our little Australian military family - allied with America, it was going to involve my husband eventually. 

Now i thoroughly support my husband, his career & our choices (he joined the regular Army after we met).  He is a soldier, that is so much more than a job title, it's a whole family putting on a brave face, constantly farewelling him off to war zones, with midnight phone calls & posting random mail off to the desert.  We have lost 29 Australian soldiers (Afghanistan) these past 10 years, some were our friends.  During my husband's last deployment they lost 10 guys from his base alone, in 8 months.  The families of fallen soldiers have a similar mantra 'he was doing what he loves, he had a purpose, he was well trained & his mates supported him'.  It's true, we love them, we're so proud, we understand their desire to go to war & put their training into action.  Me, i distract myself with positives & talking to my husband, honestly, as often as we can, about good days & sad days.  I try not to sound like i'm too capable, as he needs to feel needed, it's tricky, the balance, constantly thinking about how what i say & do, affects him, it can be magnified, out of context, sound like i'm living happily without him.  He might have been shot at, rocketed or lost someone & hasn't told me or can't tell me yet.  I have freedom & can go swimming; he moves about with a pistol & body armour, in 45C heat or -20C blizzards.  We are worlds apart in every possible way.

Right now, he's home with us.  We're loved up.  Look at these beautiful skies. 

 We're outside playing cricket with our 4 children & even our Khan has his own bat!!

 We're enjoying time together, with a delicous lunch - topped off with homemade butter (totally unheroic with a KitchenAid Food Processor, pour in double cream, whip, done).

 This is what we're having for dinner . . . smoked salmon, beetroot & potato salads, with Rye bread & our own butter - thanks Jamie Oliver & your 30 Minute Meals (this receipe was on last night's show & i started writing the grocery list immediately).  It will be plated up on this wonderful fishy platter.  Fresh produce from a farmer's market, a far cry from desert war rations.

So while September 11 was a shock & as a direct result my husband has been to war many times - missing large chunks of our children growing . . . we view it as a good dose of . . . live the best life you can, with the time you have.  Play with your children, eat well, say what you mean & love as hard as you can.  Trust me, sometimes i squeeze my handsome soldier so hard his back cracks!!  He is so easy to love.  
For more Gratefuls, Kymmie is hosting this weekend.  Love Posie
PS my 3 x Lego Hero Factory giveaway ends tonight!!

things i'm loving . . . 'athletics carnival, high school style'

Greetings all,
I have always looked forward to my children starting high school.  I LOVED high school, the friends, the sports, the work, the parties, it was so much fun.  I did 5 sports a year - softball, netball, tennis, cricket + athletics.  My husband was super sporty too - athletics, tennis, swimming, hockey & water polo.  I love that our children are naturally sporty, it's so healthy & great for self confidence. 

I can't believe i'm already attending high school athletics carnivals.  I was SO excited this week.  Handsome soldier took our daughter early to run the 1500m (she came a energy-less 2nd place, after her virus, i'm amazed she could run at all).  

I love the track & field centre at the Australian Institute of Sports, you can move around & watch all the events your children are (like discus way over the other side or triple jump along the edge of the track).

 I am loving my daughter's high school so much, their attitude is amazing.  They are all about participation & encourage girls to dress up (so they turn up), it's a party atmosphere.  While my children are competitive & try their hardest, in high school . . . some girls have no desire to compete in sports . . . so the school offers participation points just for entering.  They run serious races, then non-competitive, where you'll see girls link arms & run together. 

 It's a large school, split into 6 houses.  My daugther's house is the smallest & they don't win anything, not even debating or choir, but they are enthusiastic.  Their dress up theme was 'ninjas' & most were dressed in full black or karate outfits.  The green house were 'terror' so there were lots of zombies & vampires, which looked hilarious as they ran down the track, some with axes attacking fellow racers!!  The blue house were 'toys' so there were Bananas In Pyjamas doing javelin & Cookie Monsters doing long jump.  Not sure why but there were lots of red power rangers too.  EDIT: red house were 'aliens & astronauts'.  Also, the announcer/ teacher wore a scream mask all day & it was so hilarious!!    

 Our sweet daughter is officially the youngest girl in the entire school (she skipped a year) & she amazes me with her petit size that she finishes in the top 5 of most events.  She competed in a dozen jumps, throws & running races, even started off the relay for her house.  The year 12 relays were fantastic, each team included a teacher & the male PE staff stole the show.  Another really cool event was The Flash - where the fastest 100m runner from each age group, ran against each other, to find the fastest girl at school. 

My husband set up a picnic rug on the hill & we had a great view, far away from the screaming cheerleaders.  I tell you, 1100 high school girls can scream, loudly, all day.  Even i left with a headache.  For more Things I'm Loving visit Paisley Jade, love Posie

our creative space . . . 'instant cake decorating'

Greetings all,

An oldie but a goodie, when you need to decorate a cake, instantly - add fresh flowers.  It's Spring & there is so much choice for stunning fresh flowers, but how beautiful is a single, perfect, red rose??  Even better on a chocolate on chocolate cake!!

Our wedding cake was a large square chocolate mud cake with a smaller square on top, on an angle, with white chocolate ganache icing & a trio of oriental lillies on top, da dah!!  So pretty, simple & effective.  More creativity?? 

That's all folks, it's been a loooong day, love Posie