A day in the Life of ......

This post is purely in the form of "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" , as I copy the posts I am addicted to on one of my fave blogs:  Table Tonic.  I love it for the fashion, interiors, ideas and plenty of eye-candy!  (Of course, this post will have very little of any of those ......)


What I wore:

Pull-On Ponte Pants from Witchery, long sleeve v-neck top (cypress) also from Witchery, Long line, long sleeve black cardigan from Country Road.

Shoes:

My EasyFit Boots - I have had these boots now for nearly 5 years, and they still look AMAZING!



What I bought:

How cute is this stroller?  QuickSmart Easy Fold Stroller .

Thank you Myers for having 40% off:  $219, down to $132!  I thought my last stroller (bought 2.5 yrs ago) would last the distance, but no, the wheels are cactus, the hand grips have disintegrated and the frame is hammered from No 3 (5yrs old) standing on the back basket.  This one is sleek, folds quick and flat, has it's own carry bag, and there is no frame on the back so I don't have to push 30kg worth of kiddy flesh.  And pushes like a dream ...... *sigh*.

Kiddy Heaven:

Grateful to Myers for providing Free Kids entertainment!  Not only were there plenty of Little Tikes Trucks out for them to race round in, but there was also this Jumping Castle (next to the Furniture Dept, so I also got a comfy chair to sit in) that No 3 & 4 had loads of fun in for agggggggggggggges.  And yes, that's my 3 yr old's Witchery-clad bottom.

The Lunch:

Home for h-made Socca wraps

Socca:  1/2 cup of besan/chickpea flour, 1/2 cup of water, 1 tbsp olive oil, pinch of sea salt, pinch of cumin.  Whisk together.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan to sizzling, pour in batter, let cook till golden, flip and do other side. 

Today's effort cracked so made 2 "mini" wraps, loaded with leftover lamb kofta, grated raw beetroot, cucumber, tomato, mashed avo, and some tzatziki (yes, I am aware I am mixing cuisines here).  So delish and very filling.

Soup's UP:

My soup addiction continues:  Chicken Mulligatawny & Pumpkin & Macadamia.

Me-Time:

Yes, she cooks, and Yes, her recipes are GOOD!

Inspiration:

We are reading through Esther at night with the kids and are getting SOOOOO much out of it!  I'm really feeling encouraged about how God's plans will ALWAYS come to be, even if everything seems to be on the brink of destruction.  How many times was Jesus' lineage threatened? - oh so many!  Yet, always, God's purpose was fulfilled and there were bountiful blessings.  Nothing's an accident or a mistake, God is in control.  :-)

Good News: 

I lost the 2 kgs that I'd put on.  It's all about the Mindful Eating People!!!  And lots of this ......

Super Fruit Smoothee of the Week:  Custard Apple, Banana, Coconut Water & Passionfruit, totally decadent!

And we leave for Fraser Island on Saturday and I cannot wait to chill out, do some 4wdriving, dune toboganning, and just hang with the fam.  So, see you when we get back!!!!  MWAH to you all.....

'tis the season for Fennel!

I don't know why I love fennel, but I do.  It's just one of those mysterious veg that I adore the taste of and love to incorporate into meals.  I'm not an aniseed flavour fan but I love that when you roast fennel it gets sweetness & depth, and when it's raw in salads it's really zesty and picquant & completely different.

I had a couple of fennel bulbs in my fridge, waiting for the perfect moment, the perfect recipe discovery, and I finally found it.  And it ROCKED!   I stole the recipe off of Roarfood and am over the moon I discovered this dressing, it is one of the most unctious, delicious creations I've ever tasted!  And yes, it goes perfectly over thinly sliced raw fennel bulb.

Dressing:  1 tbsp tahini, juice & rind of 1/2 a lemon, 1 tsp agave, 1/4 cup of olive oil, dozen leaves of basil (blitz in blender or food processor).  And ...... ta da!

It's a fantastic way to get a massive dose of Vit C and potassium for this Winter Season.  And did I mention how delectable it tastes?  I had this for lunch one day and cannot rave enough about the feeling of wellness afterwards, and how much it perked me up.  You must try it.

The other way I am getting use out of the fennel plant is with it's seeds.  A girlfriend told me about it's magical use at settling sick tummies when I was feeling particularly seedy one morning.  I put 8 - 10 of the seeds in my tea infuser, covered it in boiling water and then added a slice of lemon. 

Some people may not find the flavour very pleasant, but I quite enjoy it and it really does work.  Unfortunately, i have been putting it into practice a little too often lately ...... me bad.

So, get a little adventurous, make the most of the season and enjoy  a little fennel!

Walking with a headache

Doesn't sound like a very victorious heading, but believe me, I am glad the 20 km walk is over!

I was pretty excited to be truthful, about starting the walk.  I was really looking forward to doing the first 10kms on my own, at my own speed, listening to my IPOD, and enjoying the walk for what it was - raising money for the work of school chaplains. 

I dressed in what I thought would be my comfiest pants (and they were) and was relieved that the official Ks for Kids tee felt nice to wear.  I had packed an alternative outfit in the car to change into if need be at the 2nd 10 kms.  There is nothing worse or more distracting then having painful chafing occuring anywhere .......

I love my new Nike pack that I wore very comfortably and was just the right size for what I wanted to carry:

A special pocket for my Iphone so I could follow my progress on Pedometer Pro and listen to my tunes.  And then a slim pocket behind that to fit a couple of tissues, bandaids, lip balm & panadol. 

Started the day with a quick juice:

Pomegranate, Apple & Banana - nice start to the day!

I had a quick sip of water at the checkpoint before setting off on the first 10 kms at 9am.  The first stretch was actually up and over Nth Burleigh Hill so it was a good gee up to get moving.  I set a great pace and kept up with a young teen who was determined to stay in front of me, so we set a great challenge for each other, the whole way.  I then caught up with another 2 girls from an earlier group and so up Burleigh headland and through the National Park, it was the 4 of us.  We kept to a track as much as possible, and avoided hitting the beach until after Tallebudgera (such amazing scenery too).  This was when I finally succumbed to hitting a few panadol as my head had been wildly throbbing.  Thank goodness for beach bubblers, as even though there were a few officials along the route, handing out lollies - there was no water stops.  I was very aware of not guzzling water as from gym training I knew that was the quickest way to make me feel nauseous. 

The beach slowed us down and so by now there were a few more people round.  We tried to detour from the beach as soon as possible and then it got a little confusing as there were not enough markers to show us where to go.  But i made it to the next checkpoint in 1 hour 15mins - quickest 10 kms I'd done so far.

Toilet stop before a quick drink, a piece of orange and collecting the rest of the crew for the next 10 kms:



Ocean, Amber, Annabel, Eden, me & Anna

And then the fun began.  I was a drill seargeant at the start as I knew I had to get them moving from the beginning so that there was opportunity to slow down a little later and still get in sometime before the sun set.  We left at 10:30.  The first blister complaint came at around 10:40.  Sigh.

By 11 we'd hit the beach and there was nothing but beach till we reached the end at Coolangatta.  Thankfully my headache had subsided, and it was low tide so the sand was pretty hard.

By 11:15 I caved and let all the kids take their shoes off, they were way more used to walking in bare feet so this to them, was like freedom.  It certainly upped their energy levels, although we then had to carry those shoes and were definitely lagging somewhere in the middle of the group now.

On the home stretch we thankfully caught up with some guys from our church, so this pepped the kids up a bit, and gave me some scintillating adult conversation for a bit.  Awesome!

We all had to take our shoes off to cross a gushing water run-off river cut through the beach, but by then I think we were all a little relieved to have our shoes off and get some saltwater therapy.  And then it was up the stairs (ooooo very wobbly legs) to the boardwalk & into Queen Elizabeth Park.  YAY!

I just collapsed onto the grass as I was feeling pretty hot, tired and dehydrated by then.  I'd had to give my hat to one of the other girls and I could not see water being handed out anywhere so Luke had to get my water from the car while the kids feasted on sno cones and free snags on bread. 

At one stage I do remember turning to Luke and saying:  "remind me to never do this again"  but now, in hindsight, I reckone I could do it all over again next year!!

Oh yeh, and my girls & I raised just under $1500!