Christmas Holiday List

With my holidays only four days away I am starting to think of things that I really want to do on my break. I have come up with a mix of practical and indulgent items, and thought I would share some of them with you...just for fun.

Beautiful Gifts

I have saved all of the Christmas presents I have bought...to wrap up all at once. In beautiful packaging just like my Mum (Nanna Kerrie) always did. I love this part of Christmas.

Xmas Hampers

I am going to finish off my beautiful, fancy, gourmet Christmas hampers.

Christmas Shopping

I will shop for those last minute Christmas gifts...can't wait for that!

Wake UP Croissants

I will make leg ham and cheese croissants on Christmas morning...just like Mum always used to.

We will spend some quality family time at Rainbow Beach.

                   I will re-paint all of the grey railings which are chipped and magpie-poo stained.

We will mow our beautiful green lawns.

I will experiment again with making soap

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I may even extend myself to making candles.

I want to perfect making bread rolls so I can use them for the boys lunches.

I will spend a day scanning all of my old photos onto my hard drive and making up some albums with the photos salvaged from the first flood. 

I think I will make some more chutney...and maybe even tackle jam, which I have never made before.

The Anatomy Of Wings

The Anatomy of Wings...my Writing Group leader, Karen Foxlee's, world acclaimed novel...can't wait to read this!

Breaking Bad

 I will start another television series...Breaking Bad has been suggested,

Vampire Diaries

So has Vampire Diaries...

Revolution

Revolution is another one I already have,

Gossip Girl

And so is Gossip Girl which my daughter Lauren loves.

Homeland OMG!!!

OMG!!!! This is my fav show. If you haven't seen it I totally recommend it. 

Blogging

I will spend some quality time blogging...

Beginners Knitting

And maybe re-learn to knit...I used to know how once upon a less busy time

What about you...what are you up to during your holidays?

Simple Living Sunday 8

You can tell Christmas is around the corner by the weather - it is so hot here at the moment. I have five more days of work and then I can collapse in exhaustion - we are putting in huge hours at work to get everything settled. There has been a property boom here in Gympie and everyone wants to move in for Christmas...fingers crossed they all come together. As my days have been long I haven't spent the time on the blog I would like to, nor in the garden or kitchen...but I have big plans for my weeks off if it isn't too hot.

Here's my photos for this week:

I love how the colour of my basket changes from week to week. This haul will last us until the Christmas grocery shop.

I finally have another two golden squash. I did not think I would get any more because it was not producing any more male flowers. I made a beautiful chutney a few weeks ago using one of these.

Another super-duper Lebanese squash. These last really well in the fridge and I will probably make another chutney now that I have a lot of squash.

My pride and joy for the week. I finally grew a pattypan squash. It's the only one that has pollinated correctly.

The Broccoli has changed colour. It is way too hot for it to grow well so will be interesting to see what we end up with.

One of the other plants is also flowering now

The Grosse Lisse tomatoes in the new garden bed are already fruiting. I was not sure about this soil as it has a lot of crusher dust from where a tank was...but the tomatoes are loving it.

And the cucumbers are also starting to really spread out there. The shady position will be good over summer.

I checked out the citrus tree (lemon I think?) which I cut all the swollen and bug infested branches off...and it is has come back amazingly with heaps of new growth.

The beans were not really successful. This is one of a few plants that grew well.

Sometimes you have to look up to see the beauty in your garden.

The chillies are growing really well.

I made the honey mustard for my Christmas hampers. It tasted bitter and I didn't like it so I will just use it to add to my cooking or maybe get creative with the recipe.

I emptied my bokashi bucket into the compost heap. A compost lasagne. 

I turned over the mature compost heap which has had a bit of rain, and it is breaking down well...a few too many sticks though.

I finished off my Sunday by making a cherry tomato relish for my Christmas Hampers.

I am currently making a shopping list for the final ingredients for my other hamper delicacies which I will get stuck into next weekend....when my time is my own - bliss!!

Are you busy getting ready for Christmas? How is your garden going this week?

Christmas Spirit

Christmas Spirit

I have been thinking about Christmas Spirit lately. Probably because my husband, Paul, said the other night that he was not looking forward to Christmas, that he could do without it, that all it meant to the kids was requests for what they wanted. Granted we have three teenagers each, so the requests for 'stuff' are out there, with no magic or fluffy Santa stuff. What I really want to know is....has he lost the Christmas Spirit? And, what exactly is that...how do you define Christmas Spirit?

I asked my family and friends this question and the general consensus is that Christmas Spirit is something that we find within ourselves (our heart) that enables us to show gratitude towards, and caring of, others. It allows us to be more giving of ourselves, to believe in magic, to have faith and to appreciate our families. It is about the giving, and not the receiving (this obviously did not come from my kids) of presents. Christmas Spirit is the antithesis of 'bah humbug' Scrooge and his disbelief in all things Christmas.

Putting the religious aspect aside (ie. the celebration of the birth of Christ), shouldn't we be finding this Christmas Spirit within ourselves every day? I know plenty of people that do, and unfortunately, far too many people that will never find it. It's a choice isn't it? Like mindfulness, one needs to be aware of the fact, and actually notice, that they should be a giving and caring person, and not self-centred...I know at times that I don't always see, or am aware of,  those in need (outside of my family) because I am busy working and raising my kids. It's not because I don't care, on the contrary, I do.

Someone (not sure where I read it) wrote that there is less Christmas Spirit now, that this generation is lacking in it. The unknown writer is on Paul's side, and maybe there is something in that. I know that when I was a kid, you never asked for anything for Christmas. There were no lists and my parents would have been offended if you asked for anything. It was okay to whisper it to Santa but my parents never knew...and rarely delivered my wish...but that was okay. I wondered at the motorbikes that my cousins got when we got Barbie dolls and books, and thought that I must have been a bad kid to not warrant such extravagance. It's a hard thing to explain as a parent.

However, aside from the above, what I want to share is the Christmas Spirit that I have felt and seen in Gympie lately. There are some amazing people and groups here who embrace and embody exactly what I feel the Christmas Spirit should be (or look like):

Gympie Library Donate a Book

The Gympie Regional Library assisted the Salvation Army with their appeal to donate books to kids for Christmas. Over one hundred books were donated to children in need.

Adopt a Family

Many businesses in Gympie (including my office) donated presents to an adopted family instead of doing a Secret Santa or Kris Kringle.

J Smith and Sons Christmas Appeal

This showing of Christmas Spirit just floors me. A local business employing 67 staff closed it's doors two weeks ago after fifty-plus years in business. The staff were left without pay before Christmas. So what do the amazing people of Gympie do? They organise an appeal to help the families out. Priceless.

The Victory Church organise food hampers worth over $100 to families in need for just $25 over Christmas. No family should do without Christmas dinner. They also organise a lunch on Christmas day where the pastors also attend.

These are just a few examples of Christmas Spirit...the giving, sharing, caring...that I have seen in my home town. Are you humbled by Christmas Spirit?

What does it mean to you?

Kids, Careers and Life

Kids grow up so quickly. One day you are pushing them in a stroller and the next they are starting school...then high school. I look at how much my boys have grown over the past twelve months and the whole adolescent thing has kind of caught me by surprise. In a months time they will turn fifteen and next year they will start Year 10. Already they are having to make decisions at school about what direction their life will take, so they know what subjects to select.

I remember having to make those same decisions at fifteen, and having absolutely no idea what I wanted to 'be'. For years (since I was a little girl) I wanted to be a nurse, and then when I did work experience I realised it wasn't for me...I became emotionally attached to a terminal patient and when she died I was devastated. I was too emotional to care for people only to lose them, and I absolutely admire the many wonderful nurses I know...it's a tough job. I have had many different careers in banking, pharmacy, medical and law, so I guess you really don't need to 'be' just one thing. I think it suits me to chop and change every now and then....I get bored and need new challenges.

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Earlier in the year the boys and I had a chat about where their life might lead them. They were involved with their local athletics team, physically fit and revelling in their outdoor subjects at school. One subject they particularly enjoyed was the Youth Action Program which involved bushwalks, mountain climbs, orienteering and surf camps. So, when I mentioned to them about the Army Cadets they were really keen to give it a go. The only problem was the program was full, and we have been on a waiting list for the year.

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But they finally have two places available and the boys have been accepted to start in the next intake in February! They are so damn excited. It's a big commitment for all of us as we will travel an hour down to Yandina every second Sunday to attend the Army Cadets from 8.30-3.30pm. But what an adventure they will have. The program includes, amongst other things:

• Drill
• Roping and rappelling
• Obstacle Courses
• Watermanship
• Use of Service Firearms
• Navigation
• Living in the Field
• First Aid
• Ceremonial parades
• Bivouacs

Sounds right up their alley. The main thing is they can try the Army on for size. It is a career path they are considering, so they can have a taste of it before they make any big decisions when they are older. They are also considering the possibility of working in the mining industry.

I already have my daughter, Lauren (19),  who pursued what she was born to do - hairdressing...and she loves it. 

She was lucky to find her passion so early in life. I can't say that my job is what I was born to do, but I am good at it, it pays the bills and allows me flexibility with my family...so it ticks all of my boxes for now. And I am fulfilling my creative side by doing my blog and pursuing simple living endeavours in my spare time.

Do you ever wonder what you could have 'been'? Do you think you missed the boat and would have done things differently, given the chance?

My First Christmas Cake

This year has been a big one for firsts. I have made my first relish, made my first chutney, grown my first zucchini, made my first soap...and the list goes on. So, it didn't really surprise me that after being on this planet for forty-six years, I was going to make my first Christmas cake. Truth is, until a few years ago I didn't even like fruit cake. I am not wild about sultanas (a waste of a good grape) and dried fruit, but I tried a Lion's fruit cake one year and that's the one I usually buy for Christmas....uhuh...not anymore! Look at that beautiful cake above. Tastes as good as it looks too. Just sayin :)

It was a little hot here on Saturday afternoon so I set about getting everything ready to bake in the evening. A big thanks to Cheryl, one of my readers who suggested a Christmas Cake she always makes that she got from The Women's Weekly. I did have to make some minor changes though.

Ingredients

375g sultanas
250g chopped raisins
250g dried currants
125g mixed peel
100g dried cranberries
60g chopped glace pineapple
60 g chopped glace apricots
1/2 cup brandy
250g chopped unsalted butter
200g brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons finely grated orange rind
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon of treacle
5 lightly beaten eggs
260g plain flour
50g self raising flour
Half a teaspoon of bicarb

I don't like mixed peel (I always get Hot Cross Buns without it) so I increased my quantity of raisins and currants. I also could not find glace pineapple or glace apricots so I used glace ginger which I noticed Maggie Beer includes in her Christmas Cake. To start with, I soaked the mixed fruit in half a cup of brandy for just over a week. I kept the fruit in a covered glass dish in the fridge and stirred it every couple of days...when I remembered.

This is the beautiful drunken mixed fruit. Cheryl has some tips for making a Christmas Cake which I didn't read until later, and one of those tips was to chop the fruit up evenly so the heavier fruit does not sink to the bottom...missed that one.

Add the chopped (yes I chopped after the photo hehe) butter, brown sugar and water to the fruit in a large saucepan. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved, bring to a boil, and let simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

The smell is absolutely amazing and the syrup is rich and sweet. Some of the sultanas plumped up like small grapes before settling down again. Cool to room temperature. This took most of the afternoon.

While you are waiting for it to cool, line your cake tin with four layers of baking paper. Cheryl suggested putting a dob of butter between each layer which made the job a lot easier. Also cut into the edge of the paper to make it easier to line the sides. See Christmas cake hints and tips.

My lining was not perfect but it certainly did the job and came off nice and easily the next day. I had to buy a deep cake tin especially for this cake. Wiltshire have this handy non-stick one but deep cake tins were not that easy to find in Gympie.

To your room temperature fruit mixture, stir in the grated lemon and orange rinds together with the treacle and the lightly beaten eggs.

Sift together the flours and bicarb soda and stir into the fruit mixture. I added the flour in three lots to make sure I had it mixed in well.

Pour the mixture into your prepared cake tin and bake for 2 hours at 150 degrees. Check after 1 1/2 hours in case the cake cooks sooner. Mine was not ready at 1.5 hrs but was a little over at 2 hrs so in my fan forced gas oven I would bake my next cake for 1 hr 45 mins.

My finished cake. It looks dark on the edges in the photo but that is the shadow of the lining. Once you remove it from the oven pierce several holes in the top with a skewer and drizzle over two tablespoons of brandy. The cake will sizzle and smell amazing. Quickly fold down the baking paper so it covers the cake, and cover the tin tightly with foil, leaving it to cool overnight before turning it out.

There you have it...my very first Christmas cake. I have tons of treacle and left over brandy so I think there will be more cakes made before the holidays. Plus, I still have my mini Christmas cakes to make for my hamper. I would encourage anyone who has not made a Christmas cake to give it a go. A warning though...it is a little costly, and I would imagine, judging by the ingredients, more than a little fattening.