Moving on

I think about blogging a lot more than I do these days, but things are a bit hectic, so I feel I have somewhat of an excuse for my lack of effort. We've bitten the bullet and organised a rental to move into. Given we settle on our current house in a little over two weeks, it's probably about time too! The thought of packing makes me feel nauseous, but I've decided Friday is the day I'll get started.

Maisie almost has two new teeth and she's just reverted from two naps to one. I had been dreading this day...there goes my solo morning time to enjoy a coffee and actually get things done. But, surprisingly I discovered, it's actually a good thing. By noon we've already been out for lunch, to the park, done some shopping and read some books, then I get a minimum of two whole hours to myself to get some actual work done! (not packing that's for sure, but getting quotes for removalists, cooking, checking out blogs, doing washing...snore..you know, the boring stuff)..Oh and house hunting...still.

Winter sunshine

I am loving the gorgeous winter sunshine, but have been mostly too busy to make the most of it. Today was the exception. I ignored my urge to work and instead went swimming, hit the shops and played at the park. Maisie scored herself some new converse sneakers. She was pretty glued to the teal pair (the right choice in my mind too), but I endured the slight tantrum to save $20 on a purple pair. Seriously, a tantrum over shoes at 14 months?? Scary view to the future..

So I had a quick look at the new Zara last week, and despite my serious enthusiasm for it hitting our shores, I was sorely disappointed. Perhaps when I've visited Zara in the past, I've always viewed it through European holiday glasses. The clothes just just don't have the same sparkle when the store staff have an Australian accent and you don't have to convert the price tag into AUS dollars. I'm sure I'll go back, maybe it's just their current collection. I'm about to start a new craft project, so I'll post soon..

Cheeky chicken

When I grow up..

I have started reading Maisie some of my old Little Golden Books and found this one particularly amusing. According to LGB wisdom, a little boy can grow up to become a policeman, a lion tamer, a doctor, a cake icing expert, a fireman, a diver or an astronaut. Our little female tike's career choices are limited to being a damsel in distress awaiting rescue from a brave fireman, marrying a baker, being a policeman's helper, becoming a mermaid who serves ice-cream and tea to those hungry divers or a proud waitress dishing up "Moonburgers" to those hungry astronauts. Then, there is always the option of opening a beauty parlour for animals while pining the return of her lion tamer husband. The future looks bright.

Special things

Just thought I'd share this gorgeous quilt with you that Maisie's grandma gave us on Mother's Day. The middle section includes scraps of school uniforms, clothes and other meaningful bits and bobs that were quilted by Maisie's great-grandmother. The card is a treat from creche. I love how the fingers are smeared showing how the impatient little minx was trying to escape from the enforced art project.

It's all in the jeans

Little Maise is coping well with creche and I'm enjoying the return to work, so the week has been really good. And, now that the house inspections are over with I can bring back some of the clutter including the sewing machine! Over the Summer I turned an old pair of my jeans into shorts and saved the cut-off legs for another project. Inspiration struck this week and I turned them into a little pair of homegirl jeans for Maisie. They're a bit baggy, but she seems very happy with them. So simple.

Long time between drinks

Hello and apologies once again for the long absence...hmmm let's see....we sold our house (!!), Maisie had a further two or three hideous ailments contracted through creche, I'm back at work (well, one day so far, does that count??) and little miss Marple turned '1'. Yep a whole year gone in mere seconds. I baked for three days straight, we had a lovely party in the park and she received a carload of beautiful gifts. Of course her favourite is the most annoyingly loud and glaringly bright....So, no more mummy leave for me...from here on in, my life is less ALL about Maisie and a little return to me. I'm looking forward to it and I think Maisie will enjoy hanging out with some other kids more regularly too. It's also time to find a new house to live in, given we're now on an eviction deadline. Then the re-decorating posts begin...

What sound does a puppy make?

Ok I'm back. One diagnosed chest infection and a serve of antibiotics for young Maise, plus the appearance of two ginormous teeth and I think we're back on track. Phew. As for the house, well let's just say that being a little obsessive about cleaning at the best of times has resulted in a truly treacherous amount of cleaning throughout the last few weeks that it has been open to the public. Fingers crossed, it will all be over in a few days and the new house hunt will begin. Pics are of Maisie mastering the sound of her new favourite toy "oof, oof".

Happy 11-months

Happy 11-months busy bee.

Pencil it in

The past week has been manic to say the least. A sick baby, a husband working interstate and a messy house needing to be shown to the masses. However, the sick baby got better, the husband returned and the house is now spic and span. Maisie and I headed to Hawthorn yesterday to celebrate with a bit of window shopping and a spot of lunch. Hawthorn has some very cute shops including Est (where I picked up some of the beautiful Farb-Riese pencils I was covetting down the coast), the cute Nord Living and a very special fave Mac Pelican.

Fairies at the bottom of the garden

Gotta love a long weekend..we had an action packed one and I'm a little sad it's over. Here's a few pics from a fairy party that Maisie attended.

Golden days

Maisie finally had her first official stay at childcare this week, official in the sense that I could actually leave the building. She wasn't such a fan and refused to eat her lunch. I can't blame her though, she knew that mum's homemade tuna casserole was waiting for her at home. The rest of the afteroon she spent permanently attached to my leg, just in case I was planning on doing a runner.

These were my books from when I was little. Maisie is loving sneaking off to her room, pulling them off the shelf and chatting to the characters on the pages.

Here's a nice easy mid-week meal recipe courtesy of Real Living mag.

Lebanese prawn and fish salad

2 large Lebanese flatbreads

Olive oil spray

1 Lebanese cucumber

1 green or red capsicum de-seeded and roughly chopped

3 vine-ripened tomatoes chopped roughly

1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

420g tinned cannellini or butter beans rinsed

1 small handful parsley

3 tbsp roughly chopped mint

1 small handful coriander leaves

2tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Cracked black pepper

200g fish fillets of choice (I used swordfish)

200g raw king prawns, peeled and deveined, leaving tails intact

1 tsp sumac

(Plus I added sliced radishes)

Dressing

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp lemon juice

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 150 degrees. Separate each flatbread into 2 then tear into 3cm or 4cm pieces. Spread single layer of bread in baking tray and lightly spray with oil. Bake for about 15 mins or until golden brown and crisp.

Meanwhile toss cucumber, capsicum, tomato, onion, beans, parsley, mint and coriander in bowl.

Make dressing by bruising garlic clove with heavy knife. Mix with lemon juice and olive oil.

Coat fish and prawns with olive oil and some salt and pepper in clean bowl. Pan-fry over medium heat until coked to your liking (fish should flake when tested with a fork).

Flake fish into large pieces, leave prawns whole and add both to salad, along with toasted bread.

To serve, remove garlic from dressing and pour over salad. Sprinkle with sumac and toss well.

Happy anniversary

To my very best friend who makes me laugh, tolerates my cleaning frenzies and continues to surprise, support and inspire me. I love you to smithereens. Happy anniversary.

Speedy weekends

I can't believe it's Monday already, the weekend just zipped by. We spent it down the Mornington Peninsula where we hand-balled Maisie to her grandparents and had an early anniversary celebration, starting with drinks out on the lawn at the Pavilion followed by dinner at Ten Minutes by Tractor. The next morning we checked out the cutely refurbished Somers General Store. Now I'm busy tidying up the yard and attempting to make this house look less cluttered in preparation for auction day. Oh, that and looking forward to watching the Oscars tonight(!!). Happy birthday Grandma J.

Happy 10-months little busy bee

Little hurricane

Waiting for daddy

Wee little chuckles

Happy birthday to Maisie's new little cousin Charlie who finally made his appearance last night. Another little boy for her to boss around...(for a short while until her cousins outgrow her and the tables turn..) As for the pics...Maisie trying to perfect her 'Blue Steel'.

Tickling the ivories

Wow, what a weekend! Check out the amazing breakfast Maisie's papa cooked for me yesterday. Delicious corn fritters with an avocado and coriander salsa. And this was just a little something to get us energised for the very BIG present pour moi. Yep, a HUGE present, one that requires its very own truck to deliver and possibly requires its very own room in the new house...a spanking brand new piano. Soooooooo excited...What a thoughtful and generous husband I have. The piano is on layby and ready to be delivered whenever we move. Actually, I'm not sure if I actually gave an update, but the Year of the House has started in earnest. We have listed the house for sale in April and the tidy-up has commenced. I'm dreading the cleaning required for the open for inspections, but hell it's only four weeks of pain. Four weeks closer to getting my piano. Ahh, the piano..

A Day in the Life

Wake up happy, squealing while 'talking' to toys. Quickly turn from smiling to grumpy because breakfast has not been served. Eat breakfast and smear porridge all over hair and furniture.

Commence morning checklist:

• Remove all books, newspapers, magazines, phones and remote controls from the coffee table
• Extract all dvds from the TV cabinet and spread over floor
• Commence play with aforementioned items, drooling on disks, tearing up pages of newspapers and magazines and getting face and hands covered in newspaper print
• Explore house for prohibited items...mum's glasses, mum's lightbulb collection, expensive books
• Grunt excessively while filling nappy
• Optional extras: Vomit on the floor and commando crawl across the mess, smearing it into the carpet. Attempt to stand without holding onto anything, then fall, knock head and cry. Possible repetition of previous item.

Nap. Wake happy and 'talk' to toys. Eat toast and smear vegemite over clothing and general vicinity. Commence day's activities.

A good day: Go to the shops (bonus points if this involves sitting in a shopping trolley). Meet up with mum's friends and gawk at people in a cafe for an extended period. Swim lesson, bike ride or lay under a tree on a windy day. Point out "dada" to any person who rides a bike, motorbike or wears a suit. Watch dogs.

A bad day: Watch mum try to clean the house, do gardening or generally catchup on emails or the blog. Listen to mum talk incessantly on the phone. (Ways to thwart aforementioned activities include consistent whingeing, crawling behind mum crying "mama", "mama", "mama" ad nauseam. If that fails, cry loudly and allow snot to escape down face).

Commence evening checklist:

• Latch on to mum's clothing as she attempts to prepare your dinner
• Smear pumpkin, broccoli, pasta or other such dinner delicacy over the vicinity paying particular attention to up nostrils and over hair
• Sit at window awaiting dad's return
• Splash majority of bath water over either parent and on floor
• Crawl all over couch and parents speaking gibberish for up to an hour
• Listen intently to book while attempting to rip pages
• Scream blue murder when either parent attempts to put you to bed. (Continue screaming for up to 40 minutes with additional emphasis obtained by standing up in the cot).
• Sleep through until morning and start again

Kidding around

I never thought I'd complain about not having time to do mundane things like cleaning the house, but this week I've endured a crying, snotty child latched to my foot...leg...hip...I just want to vacuum, is that asking too much? The poor little tacker is teething and as soon as she senses a hint of me moving more than an inch from her, the tears start flooding, along with the snot, down her puffy little face. If I persevere and try to engage in anything as self-indulgent as cooking her dinner, she sniffles and wails after me leaving a snot stream on the floorboards in her wake. The good news is she loves getting out in the car and cycling along in her little bike seat, so the house is a mess, as am I, but at least she's not crying. One such adventure this week was to the Collingwood Children's Farm where Maisie tried to kill the baby goats with her version of gentle patting.

Peggy

I am so over the childcare thing and she hasn't even officially started. Maisie is being the delightful drama queen that we know and love, and floods tears of despair as soon as I leave the nursery. Her carers have suggested I come every day next week to get her used to the place. This absolutely makes sense, but I've already taken her there 6 times and I still haven't left the building!! Ahhh, I think she'll enjoy the place once she gets used to me leaving, but at this rate, they'll need to put me on staff....Her second little peg broke the gum this morning, so I can forgive her for her grumpiness yesterday. Have a good weekend y'all, I'm looking forward to mine..food, drink, friends and nana naps.

Foggy daze

I lost my house keys over the weekend and was trying to retrace my steps from when I last used them on Friday. It was kind of depressing that by Sunday afternoon I had completely forgotten what I did on Friday. Even sadder that the more I tried to recall of the week, the more I drew a blank. I've been taking Maisie to childcare two mornings a week to try and get her used to the place before I am forced to leave her. (Let's just say she likes childcare with me in it..the place loses all appeal once she's flying solo.) Anyway, this orientation regime is pretty mundane, so it's no wonder I had a foggy recollection, but it reminded me to make the most of my days off. We did do a day-trip to Healesville to pick up her new bike seat from the Mud Factory. It's so good to have wheels again! Oh and in the end, I found my house keys...in the dirty washing.

Happy 9-months

Miss Marple is 9-months old today and celebrated with her first tooth finally cutting the surface...its little gummy neighbour is set to follow suit and I don't think it will be long before she has a mouth full of choppers. Here's some pics from our action packed weekend, lazing at the Botanical Gardens, a kids party in the park and some splashing at the pool.