My VERY Easy Quiche recipe published!!

My quiche recipe has recently been published on the Kleenex Mums website, feel free to check it out.

http://www.kleenexmums.com.au/meal-ideas/recipes/unsorted/100-very-easy-quiche

Weekly Thought: Gifts...

"Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third."

Marge Piercy

My Little Photographer

Every so often my little boy comes to me while I'm at my desk wanting to have a bash on my laptop, instead  I pull out my camera and show him how to take photos. Anyway one day when I left him upstairs to play while I quickly did something downstairs, I came back to the room to find my camera on the floor. I didn't think too much of it as he always likes to pull things off my desk and it's my own fault for leaving things too close to the edge. The next day when I went to use my camera I found all these 'random' photos that I hadn't taken. So here are a few of his work. 

Weekly Thought: Darcy Bussell

I came across this quote from one of my favourite ballerinas, Darcy Bussell. It was in my new book "Things to do now that your... a mum". 

"Being a mother has made my life complete."

My New Beach Bag

With the warmer weather approaching I felt inspired to make a large beach bag. I love bags and never seem to have enough of them. I wanted a bag large enough to hold all of our towels (3 peoples worth) and other beach essentials and not to mention extra items for our little boy. I made the bag out of bed sheet material (I chose this because I like the feel of cotton and it's easy to wash). I got the external sheet from the local fabric shop and the internal sheet was found in our cupboard (just white sheets that no one has used in years). There are 4 large pockets inside the bag, perfect for sun-screen, water bottles or baby wipes. 

Weekly Thought: Happiness

To start the week off I thought I'd post this thought. This weeks thought came to me through an email from my mother in-law. Hope you enjoy and have a HAPPY week. 

Weekly Thought: The role of mother...

Today's thought is found in a new book my husband got for me at the second hand shop. Every time we go there he always thinks of me and finds me lots of nice things. 

"The role of mother is probably the most important career a woman can have" 

-Janet Mary Riley

My Family Proclamation

To join in the celebration of Family 2011 I have been inspired to post a photo story of my family and how we have been influenced & guided by The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Enjoy! 

"Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny."

"We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife."

"...spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan..."

"Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally."

"THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife."

"HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other..."

"... and for their children."

"THE FAMILY is ordained of God."

Thanks to the many bloggers of "Celebrate Family 2011" who have all inspired me to blog and reflect upon the blessings of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

My Costco Experience

On arriving at Costco our little boy was fast asleep, what a perfect way to start! We began our journey with lunch trying the hot dogs, pizza, and frozen yoghurt. The food wasn't bad considering it was pretty cheap and I must say the pizza was pretty good and it was a pretty generous serve (I guess it's the American serving). The frozen yoghurt was yum, it tastes just like soft serve ice-cream. 

When we entered the store we were welcomed with many big and shiny TVs. We've recently been looking around for a TV so we had an idea of prices and it was pretty good at Costco. We were definitely tempted to buy one but decided against it as we didn't have enough room in the car. From the TVs and electronics we moved onto the jewellery section. It was a little hard to believe the lack of security they had around this section given that they had a diamond ring "worth" $400K. Moving along to something more affordable was the kitchenware. They had some nice pots and pan sets for a reasonable price, and if you like stationary there was a pretty decent range, but remember everything is bulk, so you'll be looking at buying 10 pens rather than just one.
The fresh produce wasn't too bad, but most things were pre-packaged so some things weren't as cheap because of the packaging. But the refrigerator rooms were pretty amazing and cold! What was good if you need to buy bulk was the pre-packed salads. It would be perfect for parties or church functions when you need to feed a lot of people. What I really liked was the bakery section, we got a pack of 12 muffins for $10 and I'm talking about the big kind of  muffins! Because 12 is a lot to eat at once we've put some in the freezer in seal-lock bags which will come in handy when those sugar cravings hit. They also had amazingly huge apple pies, chocolate cakes that weighed 2.5kg and black forest cakes all for a very reasonable price. 

From left to right, top to bottom-
Pizza, A few things we purchased, Nathan & Charlie in the massive refrigerator room,  A massive apple pie.

Now on to the toy/clothing/book/dvd/everything else section, there was seriously something for everyone. For Charlie- they had really cool timber cubby houses, something I really would like to get for him. Nathan and I have talked about making a cubby house for our kids but who needs to when you can buy them for pretty cheap. Just timber alone would cost about the same amount. There was also really cute patio play sets and mini kitchens and plenty of books for all ages. For Nathan- there were a couple of things Nathan had his eyes on, the US Divers Snorkel and Flipper set for only $54 and golf bag and clubs (I think was no more than $200). For Me- there was a beautiful nativity set I would absolutely love to have and I know my mum and mother-in law would want one too. It was gorgeous! There were some nice jackets too ( yes I know I have so many already, but I think you can never have too many jackets and coats). One in particular was the North Face winter jacket, it was so soft and cosy looking. 

My Costco Wish List

Now back to the food you can buy the pizza that they sell at the cafeteria frozen for $15, these pizzas are bigger than any pizza I've seen here and there is so much topping! They also had buffalo chicken wings hot or frozen, which we'll have to try next time for lunch! It was pretty cool walking around seeing all the things they sold and the bulk packaging. I can see why there was so much hype and excitement when they opened. It is a good place to shop especially for those bulk items like toilet paper, nappies, and wipes. What they didn't have much of was beauty products, there was only a handful of face creams and make up products. All in all I had a great time at Costco and you can make good savings there provided you've done your research as there were some items that could be purchased for the same price at a local supermarket without having to buy in bulk. I look forward to visiting Costco again and also trying some of our American treats! Feel free to leave a comment of your experience at Costco and what you've found to be a good buy. 

From left to right:
Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate with Marshmellows $4.79, Skippy Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter $5.69, Ocean Spray Craisins Dried Cranberries 1.36kg $9.39

Covercutie Competition

Our little boy is in the running for the Cover Cutie Competition. Please vote for him!

http://www.covercutie.com.au/vote_details.php?i=859d1498f98c1de863e8268890021cfc85ea6cf6