Grandma Ellie's Legacy

A long time ago (3 years ago, almost to the day!), I received a precious parcel from my aunty in the USA.  Having never really knowing my grandma (she died when I was very young, and lived in the States, while I lived in Australia before she died), it was a wonderful connection to her and I felt closer to her.  Previous to receiving the package, my aunty had also given me Grandma Ellie's recipe tin.  One of my favourite recipes in the tin was her brownie recipe, which is so easy to make and everyone who tries it, falls in love with it.

Included in the list of people falling in love with it, is a dear friend of mine.  She is a chef by trade and has recently started a new job at a cafe attached to a nursery in Cairns (beautiful cafe; if you're in Cairns, go and check it out: Vines at Limberlost!).  So, you might be wondering what this has to do with Grandma Ellie's brownies... well, my friend loved the brownies so much, she asked me for the recipe (which she won't share with anyone else in the cafe - they are her special items!), so that she could make them at the cafe.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to go in there on a day that she had made them, before we moved away from Cairns, but she did forward me a picture of them in the display cabinet, as she promised she would!

Although I call them Grandma Ellie's brownies, she insisted on calling them Nelle's Brownies.  In any case, I know what they are, and where they have come from, so this is very special to me.  I am so excited that Grandma's legacy shines through in these yummy brownies and it means so much to me that my friend insisted on having them in the cafe.

Apparently the brownies are "getting quite a reputation" at the cafe.  So, if you are in Cairns and can pop into the cafe, hopefully the brownies will be there in the display cabinet.  Order one, and know that you actually know the beautiful story behind the delicious dessert you definitely won't regret trying!

4 Legged Family Members

This cute little guy:

is about to hop on a truck and make his way up to his new home... with us!  We are so excited, of course!  He'll be arriving in Cairns on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.

We hadn't fully decided on a name... I'd had a list of suggestions, and Big Spring was drawn to one, "Mack", but he wanted it without the 'k'.  I still wasn't sure, so didn't want to make any final decisions.  However, the decision was made by default when I was walking home from day care the other day, and Little Spring and I passed a lady walking her dog.  Little Spring looked up at me and said "Mac is going to be my puppy", or something to that effect.  So, I discovered from my 3 year old, that our puppy would be called Mac!  I questioned her further, asking if there were any other good names for the puppy and she, after some thought, said "Doggy".  Mac is then!  She's so literal when she names her toys, so I wasn't surprised by her suggested name!  A blue koala we bought at the zoo was "Blue" for awhile, but has since become "Koala".  Her baby is "Baby", her dolls are "Dolly" and a plush toy that she got from her name sake (my Aunty in the States) that we can't work out if it's a bear or a cat is called "Bearcat".  As I said, very literal!  The only toys she has with 'proper' names are those that came with names... Humpty and Jemima from playschool & Gabbie and Frankie who came with name tags.  Hopefully by the time she has kids of her own (a LONG way down the track!!!), she'll have master the art of naming so her first child isn't called "excruciating pain and then came out screaming" (Epatcos for short!!).  Hmm... maybe she has Indian genes in her (will have to do more research on my mum's side of the family!).  But I majorly digress, as I tend to do!

I was meant to be talking about this gorgeous little guy!

For those of you who know Big Spring well, he will insist on telling you that Mac is NOT named after the Apple product he so dearly loves, but in fact, after Mac Powell, lead singer of Third Day (his absolute favourite (Christian) band of all time!

Having taken so long to write this post, Mac should now be on a truck, or waiting to hop on it very shortly.  The count down is on!

MICI Magazine

A friend just sent me a link to an oh-so-pretty magazine.  It's apparently been around for a little while, but next year, they are launching a printed edition.  I'm in love and planning on taking up a subscription.

Did I mention that it's pretty?  And Christian? And they give away free things? And it has interesting articles?  And there's a really cute craft idea?  And, oh, I'm not sure if already said that it's pretty?

Mici Magazine

Not Recommended

I don't recommend attempting the following:

In one same week:

• starting a major diet/exercise regime (12WBT) AND
• having your husband overseas AND
• having a job that is new in itself, so getting ready in the morning is still 'interesting' AND
• having to get your daughter ready for day care for the first time (when your husband normally does that) each morning, whilst trying to get yourself ready, and deal with her separation anxiety AND
• starting that week with a weekend away at a women's retreat, so you're already behind before you've even started your week

Nope, totally don't recommend it!

Yep, totally experienced it!  How did I 'survive' (I've put that in inverted commas, because because I don't feel I really survived it, but I'm here on the other side, still breathing, so there is some element of survival):

• being kind to myself, first by stopping the exercises.  I forced myself to do exercises on Monday, even though, after a very long day, I really didn't want to.   I decided on Tuesday that exercise wasn't going to actually help me this week: just stress me out, make me feel guilty if I didn't do it and take up precious time that I didn't have much spare of.  I'm not saying that exercise isn't important, but I am saying you have to realistic.  Even Michelle Bridges acknowledges in her preseason tasks - "external excuses outside of your control".  While sticking to just the diet aspect of the program, from the Monday morning weigh to the Wednesday morning weigh in, I'd lost an amazing 1.3kg!  By the end of the week, however, even trying to stick to the menu plan was stressing me.  With so many extra factors lumped on my life this passed week, not having flexibility with what I was eating was having me stressed.  Where possible, I tried to move the menu items around to fit how energetic I was, therefore, what meal preparation would suit.  A kind friend that I debriefed with yesterday had wonderful words of wisdom to share with me.  Be kind to myself.  It's okay if I don't stick to the program.  My expectations of myself were too high and I needed to drop them.  As long as I make sensible food choices, it doesn't matter if I don't stick to the plan.  What a weight off (pun not intended!).
• there's not much I could do about Big Spring being overseas, but obviously if we'd realised everything that was going to happen this week and how it all fell together (or fell apart!), then a few months ago, we might have reconsidered agreeing he should go to the States for a conference (the 20-20 vision of hindsight is amazingly clear!).  However, having WiFi/internet available, has been a blessing to talk to him for free and the invention of Skype is so amazing.  Every night Little Spring and I chatted with Big Spring and we had our nightly bedtime routine, including blessings and prayers together.  Such commitment from Big Spring to do this though: he had to get up at 5am to match Little Spring's bedtime.  And he's not a morning person!
• again, there's not really a lot I could have done about my new job.  If we'd realised how big a week this was going to be, perhaps we would have reconsidered me accepting the position, but for just such a short period, it doesn't seem a very realistic way of making that decision.  We maybe could have deferred my start date for a further few weeks, but I don't think that would have been very realistic for my employers.
• in regards to getting Little Spring ready in the morning, it was a matter of getting as much ready the night before, which was quite difficult at the end of an already long day!  I had teed up with work, however, that I'd be getting into work late while Big Spring is overseas, so it took the pressure off getting out the door on time.  Addressing Little Spring's separation anxiety has been stressful and emotional.  It's unfortunate that we were dealing with it in this particular week, but no matter when she started day care, we'd have to deal with this and push through.
• I could have cancelled the retreat, but it was something I was really looking forward to and, although it had me starting my week on the back foot, I was SO glad to have gone... I really appreciated the bible study and it was wonderful to bond more deeply with some beautiful women from the church.  I had so much fun!

Miracles

Do you believe in them?  Miracles? I'd like to think I do, but always get shocked when they happen, especially to me.

My latest miracle happened yesterday.  For those long time readers/friends/family, you will probably recall that just over 5 years ago, I had surgery on my ear for a perforated eardrum.  It was a successful surgery in that the perforation healed, but I never got full hearing back in my ear.

A few months ago (a week from the 5th anniversary of my surgery), through an ear infection I had, my doctor diagnosed another perforation.  I was devastated.  The idea of having to have surgery again filled me with dread, not because of the surgery itself, but because of the post-op condition.  The first time I had surgery wasn't all roses, but it was easy for me just to lie in bed and rest and not have to worry about too much.  Now, as a mum, post-op isn't quite as simple as lying in bed, getting the rest I need!  Little Spring doesn't really understand, even though she's very caring and sensitive (when I rolled my ankle at basketball, she knew that "Mummy's foot hurts" and when I had my ear infection, she understood that "Mummy's ear hurts" and would often give me kisses to make it better), but trying to help a child understand that they can't climb all over you, or get up and run around and play, that is a difficult thing!

And then, when I discovered I been offered my new job, I was dreading the idea of having to tell them that I'd need time off for a surgery, plus recovery time... not a good way to start a job!

So, I headed off to the specialist (ENT) after my GP discovered the perforation. The ENT told me to keep it dry and come back in 3 weeks after the infection was gone.  When I went back, he saw that the perforation was still there and said that we could either proceed with surgery now, or try again in 6 weeks and see if it had healed itself (50/50 chance).  I didn't hold high hopes, but said to wait and see what happened to try and avoid surgery.

Yesterday was my 6 week check up and I went with a heavy heart.  I start my new on Monday and really didn't want to go in with bad news.  I said a quick prayer to God as I was driving there, feeling guilty that this one prayer was meant to fix everything, when I hadn't really been praying about it at all since the last appointment.  My desperate plea not for surgery, but not really believing that what I was praying for could possibly be answered, especially when this was the only, almost token, prayer I'd offered on the matter.

When my name was called in the waiting room, my heart sunk (both because of the bad news I was about to hear and because I was enjoying reading a book in silence, uninterrupted - book reading doesn't happen very often for me anymore!).  I gave a big sigh and got up.

I sat in the usual chair and waited while the ENT read my file.  I was just thinking, get on with it, check my ear and give me the bad news already!  He finally grabbed his instruments and had a look.  Yep, bad news... the perforation was still there.  I didn't think it could, but my heart sunk that little bit more.

The ENT then asked me to blow air through it.  When that request was met with silence and a questioning glance, he said to hold my nose, take a deep breath and blow through my nose.  I've never liked doing that for the popping sensation and with my perforation, was even more scared to do so, so gave it a half-hearted effort.  He asked if I could feel the air and when I said, no, he said that it was possible that there was a small patch over the perforation and it might be healing itself.

So, he wanted to have a look at it through the microscope to see.  At this point I was a little embarrassed.  He was going to see that there wasn't a patch and it was just my pathetic attempt at blowing air that caused me not to actually feel anything.

We walked into the next room and I hopped up on the special chair.  It reclined like a dentist's chair and then it was time.  Time to get busted and humiliated for not blowing properly.  He stuck his microscope in my ear and had a look around.

After he pulled it out he said something I couldn't possibly believe.  There was, in fact, a small patch over the perforation and my wonderful body was healing itself!  A miracle indeed!  No surgery required!  I could feel tears stinging my eyes I was so happy and relieved!

He said that I should continue to keep the ear dry (yes, sir!) and not to blow it too hard (okay, I have a cold at the moment, but gentle nose blowing it is!) and it will hopefully continue to heal itself.  Now I just need to wait 6 weeks until I go back to him and have it checked again.

I practically skipped back to the car, holding back tears of joy.  I was in absolute shock.  My ear was healing itself.  God answered my prayer.  A miracle had occurred.  I felt unworthy of the miracle because of my doubt, but so, so happy!

Thank you, LORD, for answering my prayer.  The prayer of a woman with much faith in God, but little faith in her prayers.  Thank goodness prayers aren't answered, and people aren't healed, based on the level of faith a person has.

God be praised for God is Good!

I think Mary sums up my feels quite well:

And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.  He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.  He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.” (Luke 1:46-55)

#16 (36 to 36)

Getting caught up on some of my achievements from my 36 to 36 list!

Get rid of as much 'processed' food as possible from the pantry and fridge.  I've already been trying, but it's a definite goal.  Whether it be giving it away to the charity food bin at church or using it up, I want to get it out of the house!

Since I first shopped for my Cooking Like Grandma Experiment, my pantry has been so unorganised and I haven't been able to find anything.  I'd moved everything off of one shelf so that the week's food would all be together.  That meant everything that was on the shelf, no longer had a specific place and got shoved where I could find room.  Each time I went to the pantry after the experiment, stuff just got put back wherever and it got more and more unorganised.  It had been driving me crazy for weeks!  So, yesterday, I finally went through the cupboard and put everything back in an organised fashion.

However, not everything made it back into the cupboard.  Some got thrown and some was donated to the food box at church.  This was in line with #16 on my list.  I was pleasantly surprised, however, at how much stuff I was actually able to put back.  I didn't have too much processed stuff and the processed stuff that did make it back is hard not to have as a staple in the cupboard.

Also, I wasn't quite as strict as what I'd planned to be... I had to be a bit more realistic.  Due to the fact that I'm going back to work next month, I'm probably not going to have time to make every single thing from scratch.  As much as I'd like to, it's just not a realistic expectation.  Having said this, I will still try and avoid buying processed food as much as possible.  The experiment really influenced me in that way, and I am still keen to keep "Cooking Like Grandma" as much as I can, whilst staying realistic and in the realms of not making it too difficult for myself as a working mum!

The fridge is looking pretty good too, but I haven't provided a picture because it's actually pretty empty as I'm due to do a shop tomorrow!  With only fresh food (mostly) going in there, it gets bare much more quickly now!

Unexpected Suprises!

Thank you shopadocket!  I never check the back of my supermarket receipts because there's never any vouchers of interest on there, so don't bother.  The other day, for some reason I flipped it over and discovered a lovely little gem.  Discount voucher for the hairdressers... a very good valued voucher.  And it got better... it was from the hairdressers I've been to once before and had planned to make my regular hairdresser.  And I'd been needing a haircut and colour for a long time (with a friend's wedding coming up, I knew I really needed a freshening up!).  I couldn't believe I was looking at this great voucher!  It was perfect timing.

So, I booked myself in and arranged a friend to babysit Little Spring.  And what a fantastic morning I've had.  I knew I was in for more than just a cut and colour, going by the package that was on offer, but there was really a surprise around each corner.

When I got there, they took me to their beauty section, where they waxed my eyebrows and then proceeded to tint them and my eyelashes... something I've wanted to do for quite a while.  That was an unexpectedly nice surprise.  When they'd finished with my eyes, they proceeded to do a mini facial.  Mm... relaxation, followed by a shampoo.  Totally relaxing!

I was then taken back to the salon section, where the hairdresser cut my hair.  At this point, I figured that my pampering experience (aside from the usual cut and colour) was over.  It looked great, having a fresh new cut, and I hadn't even had the colour put in yet.  Next came the colour and waiting whilst the colour 'took'.

I was then taken back over to the beauty section, where the basins are and they rinsed the colour out.  I was once again pleasantly surprised when this was followed by a hair treatment, slight scalp massage and a hot towel wrap on the hair.  Heavenly!  This was surely the peak of my pampering.  Nope!  She rinsed the treatment out and then proceeded to perform an even deeper scalp massage!  Mm... this couldn't get any better!

With the hair rinsed, it was time to go back to the salon section for my hair to get dried and styled.  Well, that's what I was expecting... instead, once I was seated, the assistant asked if I was ready for my Indian Head Massage (including shoulders).  Oh, yes indeedy, I was ready!

Finally, the hairdresser dried and styled my hair and that was the end of my "me" time!  All whilst enjoying a delicious hot chocolate and yummy bite sized "Boost" bar!

After paying for this pampering session (well over 3 hours worth!), they handed me a gift bag packed with even more value... three more vouchers for free, valued between $40 and $80, a mini book on 'styling essentials' and hair product samples.  I love value for money and I walked out of there a very happy lady!

The eyes have it - waxed and tinted!

Lighter and more coverage than I was expecting but still love it!  I had told the hairdresser that I wanted a lighter colour this time, so it's not like I didn't actually ask for it!

So, what do you think!?

This experience has certainly taught me that I need to check my supermarket receipts in future, to make sure I'm not missing out on any more shopadocket gems!

Five Minute Friday: Risk

It's been awhile, but I'm linking up with Five Minute Friday again... here are the rules:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here at Lisa-Jo's house and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

GO

I don't skydive, or bungy jump, or jump into pools full of electric eels... but I lead a risky life.  Well, at least on my blog.  Putting something on my blog is risky; whenever I post about something I want to do, or a challenge for myself, I'm making it public.  That means accountability.  If I don't do it or achieve it, everyone will know about it.  There's nothing private about the failure.  But it gives me incentive to do it!  My "Cooking Like Grandma Experiment", my "36 to 36" challenge and many others.

I'm also taking a risk when I put my opinion out there.  Everyone has they're own view and it's often different from your own.  I've just posted about how we are potty training our daughter.  Many will disagree with our method.

I often put my heart on my sleeve... or at least I try to.  I run the risk of opening myself up to people who don't really care.  Right now I'm telling you all that our beautiful daughter was conceived through IVF.  A million reasons that can fall under the category "risk", both from the perspective of the actual procedure as well as just talking about it now and how we came to have a wonderful almost 3 year old in our lives.

STOP

Wow!  Five minutes is so restrictive!  LOL.  I always get cut off mid thought, so will need to learn to touch type much faster!

Dear Friends in Adelaide

Before coming home after our trip to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, we travelled further south to Adelaide, SA so we could attend our 18 month review/debrief (wow... it's hard to believe that we've been in Cairns for almost that length of time).

Because the wives of the graduating pastors for 2010 are so close, it was a wonderful time of fellowship and catching up, even though it was a 'requirement' and 'facilitated'.  It was helpful to share our struggles, challenges and praise points at our respective parishes as a group.  On the Wednesday night, we organised a gathering of the husbands, wives and kids (where applicable).  Many of us hadn't seen each other since the husbands were ordained; a lot had change, obviously, in those 18 months!  Here's what we captured on the night:

The Pastors from the Graduating Class of 2010 (minus one)

The Wives of the Pastors from the Graduating Class of 2010! (again, minus one)

And we attempted to get the kids all in one shot... but that was never going to happen:

 All the kids at least in one spot, even if not ready for a picture, so I attempt to take a quick snap because I don't know how long that moment will last... but someone's butt got in the way! (I won't mention who the guilty party is... lets see if the rightful owner recognises their own derriere!)

 Samuel and Little Spring staying put while the rest of the kids go AWOL before we get a chance to snap a formal picture

Almost all the kids gathered, but Micah and Grace not happy (brother and sister) and Eliza takes the opportunity to make a break for it

I give up on a group shot and try and snap some individual poses so we at least have a picture of every kid to look back on and compare at our next reunion...

Poor Samuel, he just sat patiently throughout the whole ordeal wondering what the big deal was.  He stayed in place and posed, ready for the camera!

Micah now happy as he was free from the torturous horrors of having to sit and pose for a group shot!

Unfortunately we never got a picture of all the kids together before we left the Sem in 2010 (I'm saddened by this, but wanted to make up for it with the group shot attempted above, but at least we tried this time!).  Anyway, here are the group shots of the adults from their respective ordinations and graduations (Sem Wives Graduation Celebration - an annual event for the departing wives):

 2010 Ordination Class

Sem Wives Graduation Class

A New Week

Tomorrow is Monday.  And I'll be starting my weekly planner (activity list).  I'm excited!  It means a 6am start but it also means an exercise plan, healthy eating, better time management and hopefully a more fulfilling week.  A lot to ask of a little planner, but I'm sure it's up to the challenge!

Time to head to bed and write a few more cards (#12 on my list) and spend some time listening to God through my devotion (#8 on my list).  Better get moving... it's an early start in the morning!

Manners

In my inbox, I recently received an email from "Baby Centre", a website I've been subscribed to since before Little Spring was even born.  It took me through her size in my womb each week.  Then, when she was born, it took me through her approximate development stages etc.  I'm still receiving the emails, but now that Little Spring is much older, the emails are a lot broader.

I found the latest post very interesting.  It was titled: "Your 2-Year Old: Intro to Manners". It went on to say:

"Now that your child is old enough to notice how grown-ups behave and that actions affect other people, he's ready to learn some manners. Start with the very simplest, "please" and "thank you." Role model without demanding compliance."

I was actually a little baffled by this statement.  I never considered that manners were 'age appropriate' considerations.  From the moment Little Spring was able to talk, we taught her to say please and thank you (ta).  She was even at a point quite a while ago (and still is now), where she will continue to say "ta" until you reply with "you're welcome."  (We've had to warn people of this, to ensure they don't get an onslaught of ta's because they didn't know how to be compliant!).  Little Spring has also started to pick up saying "you're welcome."

I can't imagine not having taught Little Spring until now, especially with how well she uses her manners.  Of course, sometimes we have to prompt her, but she understands the concept and will use manners more often than not.  She understands what we mean when we say "where are your manners?" and will promptly use them appropriately.

She's even learned excuse me, which I was quite surprised by!  The other day, I was doing some cooking at the stove.  Little Spring came in carrying her steps (for the bathroom, to reach the sink), which she brings in to 'help' me in the kitchen.  I was obviously in her way, which she had no hesitation in advising me by saying "excuse me" quite clearly!  I then had to politely tell her that she couldn't stand in front of the stove because it was dangerous, but I was very proud of her using her manners all the same.

I think the most confusing things for kids is teaching them "please" whenever they ask for something.  They learn the concept, but get a bit confused thinking that by using that 'magic' word, they'll get exactly what they ask for no matter what.  Unfortunately it's a hard lesson to learn that "please" doesn't actually guarantee a positive response to their request.  Please should always be used, but it doesn't always get what you want!

When Little Spring uses please to ask for something I don't want her to have, I make an effort to praise her for using her manners, but try to explain that it was right that she said the word, but it doesn't mean she'll always get what she asks for.  Does an almost (in 3 months!) 3-year old get that concept?  Poor Little Spring.  If she really wants something, she'll then plead with me, with just one word "please?".  Over and over, and over again!

Anyway, this post isn't to brag about how wonderful Little Spring is (although we do think she's pretty wonderful!), but to put forward my confusion regarding an appropriate time to start teaching children manners!

Maybe it's just how I was raised, but if you are a parent, when did you teach your children manners and if you aren't a parent, how old would you expect a child to be before they started using manners with you?

(image credit)

Game Changer

As a parent, you go through many milestones with your child.  Of course, all of them are significant, but some seem more of a Game Changer than others.  Take walking for example.  It's a gradual process with a few steps (excuse the pun!) involved.  After learning to crawl, the child then learns to pull themselves up.  They then start to 'cruise' along furniture.  Next stage is standing up for a few seconds by themselves, which turns into longer seconds, which becomes their first cautious step, mutating into many cautious steps.  Then they're walking... and low and behold, running!  Each of these stages leading up to walking is amazing and as parents, we are very proud of our child.  But it's such a gradual process, with a number of stages leading up to the actual walking stage and each stage prepares us a little bit more for each coming stage.  We're not 'suddenly' presented with a child who's running and walking all around the house.  We were eased into it a little with each stage!

Game Changers is a term I started using Thursday night.  I'm using it for milestones that a child achieves suddenly and changes your whole routine etc.  I don't think there are a lot of them, as so many things are such a gradual process.

However, over the past 2 nights, Little Spring had a Game Changer milestone.  But first, let me take you back a few months...

A 'big girl's' bed has been set up in Little Spring's room for a long time, along with her cot.  One night, she asked to sleep in the bed, instead of her cot and we said yes, as long as she didn't get out of bed, at all.  There were no chances (are we harsh parents?!) and we explained that if she got out even once, she would have to go back into her cot.  Five minutes (or maybe less!) after putting her in bed, she was out, so she was put straight into the cot for the night.

This happened a couple more times over the space of a few weeks, but each time she got out not long after going to bed, so it was straight back into the cot each time.  I don't know if she gave up on the idea, but she stopped asking to sleep in the big bed and we didn't offer it.

Flash forward to 2 nights ago... we were sitting on the big bed, after getting her into her pjs for the night.  Little Spring asked if she could sleep in the bed and I went through the rule with her - "get out even once and you have to get back in the cot."  She agreed, and climbed in under the sheets.  We said prayers while she lay quietly and after kissing her goodnight, I reminded her of the rule.  I turned off the light and left the room.

I checked on her 3 times.  The first time, she was sitting up in bed, but not out of bed, so I told her to lay down.  The second time, she was lying down, but still awake and didn't stir when I went in.  The third time I was completely shocked (I was already shocked the first 2 times as she had lasted at least half an hour!), but I was completely shocked by the fact that she was asleep... in the big bed!

When Big Spring got home from a meeting, we moved her cot mattress to beside her bed, just in case she fell out.  Because of a shelf near the bed, the cot mattress, was half under the bed, but was adequate in case she fell out.

We then went to bed.  The next morning (around 6:15 or so) I was woken up by Little Spring's cry out for me.  I drowsily opened my eyes then, remembering she was in the big bed, fully woke up and shot out of bed to make sure she was okay.  I walked into her room and saw she wasn't in bed.  I looked around the room and couldn't see her anywhere, so thought she must have gone for a wander and gotten confused where she was.  I went to walk out the room, but heard her cry out again, the sound coming from the room.

The only place she could be was under the bed.  I lifted the cover, and there she was - poor little darling had obviously fallen out of bed, onto the cot mattress.  But then she'd managed to roll off that too, so that she was on the other side of the mattress, way under the bed, near the wall!

Last night she was a very good girl and slept right through.  We propped the cot mattress up using the previously mentioned shelf as support so that it was more of a guard than a cushion in case of fall and it worked a treat... she didn't roll out at all.  Instead, at just before 6:30 this morning, I woke up and sensed Little Spring was in our room, but thought I was probably imagining it, until I felt a gentle touch on my leg!

This is why I call Little Spring's graduation from the cot to the bed a Game Changer... we no longer have control over when she gets up.  We've been blessed with a very good sleeper and often weren't required to get out of bed until anywhere between 7am and 8:30am... yep, Little Spring could be that good!  She wasn't always asleep until then, but wouldn't always call out for us until later, giving us a bit of a sleep in.

Now that she's able to get up as soon as she wakes up, she doesn't just stay in her bed quietly.  Why would she when the whole world is at her feet now!

So, goodbye 'sleep ins'.  Hello personal alarm... (There's no snooze button on this one!  When she was in her cot, she was still an alarm, but we had more control on when we had to get up!)

is for Winter.  My favourite season!  Ironically (proves God has a sense of humour!), Big Spring, Little Spring and I were sent up to Tropical Far North Queensland for Big Spring's first assignment as a graduate pastor.

We're adjusting okay, and have survived our first full wet season (technically, it's still going, but the heat of the day isn't quite so intense and the evenings are pleasantly cool!), but I still miss the cold winter which has started to hit the southern states.  I know, I know, call me crazy!

Certainly my favourite type of winter is that experienced in the States... snow!  Rugging up nice and warm to go outside.  And to make the snow even better?  Celebrating the birth of our Saviour with a white Christmas.  I love it!  It just seems to make Christmas feel more like Christmas.

One of my favourite things to do in winter is to rug up with a warm blanket or doona on the couch and read a book with a hot chocolate to warm me up while the rain falls outside.  Up here in Cairns, we certainly get the rain side of things, but there's no way you'd catch me curling up under a doona in this climate!

Never mind... it makes me appreciate the cold even more when we experience on visits down south or over the Pacific Ocean, State side!

What is your favourite season?

Cake Secrets

Sorry folks, I went quiet on my blog for a little while and am making up for it with a passion at the moment... you might feel I've inundated with you posts and I just hope that what I've said hasn't gotten lost amongst the the flurry of posts.

I think this will be my last review on specific books/documents from the package I received, but no guarantees once I've gone through the last books more thoroughly!

Anyway, getting on to this next book/document:

"Cake Secrets", by Igleheart Brothers (1925)

Background/Explanation/Blurb:
This booklet was published by Igleheart Brothers, who manufactured cake-making products (flour, bran and even cooking utensils).  The booklet is filled with many different types of cakes and with each recipe is a "complete description of what they are" by Janet McKenzie Hill, who is the Editor for American Cookery Magazine, plus variations of the cake and hints to make the cakes successfully.

My Thoughts:
It wasn't so much anything that was written in the booklet that got me thinking, but just the overall concept of the book.  Yes, there were a few different cakes and within them, numerous variations, but they were fairly simple and uncomplicated.  How they were decorated was appealing, yet simple.

Flash forward to the times we are living in now.  With so many recipe books out there, and cake decorating books, it can be quite overwhelming.  I grew up with the Women's Weekly Birthday Cake Book cakes and even before I was pregnant with my daughter, I had bought the book to ensure my recipe book collection was complete.

I love cake decorating.  I may not be any good at it (I'm certainly no perfectionist when it comes to anything creative!) but I enjoy it.  I love the challenge of replicating what's in the picture.  However, there's certainly a pressure on us today to have a theme cake, or something heavily decorated.  I'm not saying that it's wrong to decorate, but when I had the "Cake Secrets" booklet in my hands my immediate thought was that we've even managed to over complicate the humble birthday cake.

Big Spring and I were chatting after I received the package and running through with him all the thoughts I've now expressed here on my blog.  He certainly made an interesting point.  He said that back in the days of our grandmothers, food would have been used for nutritional purposes.  Now-a-days, it's used for entertainment.

Wow! I loved that thought!  I think it's so true!  Instead of simple meals with simple ingredients, it's all about complicated (sometimes) recipes, unheard of ingredients and a day in the kitchen preparing it all to make sure it's just right.  When guests arrive, instead of just focusing on conversation and fellowship, over a simple meal, its about fussing in the kitchen to serve up a lavish meal, worrying if it's turned out okay and what are the guests going to think about it - will you impress them?

Then it's time for the showdown... bringing out the food (possibly multiple times, depending on how many courses you have) and having your guests gush over how 'great it all looks' and 'how much effort you must have gone to' and 'wow, this tastes fantastic - what's in it/is it?'

If we could get back to the basics of it all, perhaps the focus might actually be on having those conversations and entertaining our guests ourselves, instead of letting our food do it for us?

I'm not saying that a lavish meal is wrong and they we shouldn't do it, but we shouldn't let entertaining guests/opening our house be something that we stress about for the week before.  Hey, don't worry... I'm guilty of this, just in case you thought I thought I had it all right and was telling you all how it should be done!  This post is as much about me needing to change my attitude, as much as it's meant to get you thinking as well!

All that thinking from a humble "Cake Secrets" booklet published in 1925!

The Pocket Cook Book

Continuing my theme writing about the books/documents I received from my aunty, I come to the next book:

"The Pocket Cook Book" by Elizabeth Woody (and members of the Food Staff of McCall's Magazine)

Another interesting and thought provoking read (okay, so I haven't read it thoroughly - 494 pages, but enough to understand the book's 'philosophy'.)

Background/Explanation/Blurb:
Published in 1942, this book was released "in order to cooperate with the government's war effort... [and] has been made in strict conformity with WPB regulations restricting the use of materials."  Woody published this book because "as a food editor I receive... many letters from women... One question has always left me up a tree:

"'Where can I get a complete and completely reliable cook book for a very little money?'"

Many cook books, it seems had been published that were 'complete and completely reliable', but none "until now has offered such completeness at a nominal cost."

The book is indeed very thorough, covering I think everything you would need to know about cooking, especially in war time (54 pages of thoroughness, in fact).  There was a whole chapter on "Good Nutrition Simplified" and went into great detail about how to buy, prepare and cook food to best preserve the vitamin and mineral content of the food.  Even a calorie counter was included (in my naivety, I didn't even realise that the concept of calories had been around that long!).  Unlike calorie menus of today, this calorie counter was purely on whole foods, back to the basics, not about how much a packet of biscuits would cost you in calories etc.  It was refreshingly simple and unrefined.

There was also a full chapter on "Leftovers".  Waste not, want not!  The first paragraphs of this chapter sum it up brilliantly:

"Somebody has said the mark of a good explorer is that he never has any dangerous adventures.  He plans so wisely they don't happen!  Similarly, it's the mark of a super-cook and a fine idea to avoid having leftovers...

"But it would take an archangel cooking for a family of cherubs to avoid leftovers entirely.  So what to do?  Certainly they should not be wasted!  And, to forget food value for the moment and talk about flavor, it's a well-known fact that good things often taste better in their second incarnation than they did in their first."

The chapter continues with a fantastic index to recipes to use those certain leftovers.

Short on funds?  It's covered in Chapter Nine, "Penny Stretchers".  It includes recipe suggestions and hints and tips.

With a few more helpful chapters, we finally come to the recipe section... 405 pages worth of recipes in fact!  You can't go wrong with that!

My Thoughts:
So, like all the other literature I've been reading, it wasn't simply a matter of reading recipes from bygone years... it actually got me thinking and comparing the then and now.

Back in Grandma Ellie's day, wasting food was not really an option - it was money wasted AND not helpful for the war effort.  These days, we live in such a throw-away, 'land of plenty' society and we take for granted so much of what we are provided with.  We look at all the easily accessible food and see it as a right, not so much of a privilege.  We just expect it to be there.  Someone else has already done the hard work to get it on the shelf.  I'm sure Grandma Ellie grew up with growing many of their fresh produce in the garden (certainly hard work) and skimped and saved to shop for necessities at the grocers; again hard work.

I'm not saying that we, as a society, don't work hard to put food on our tables, but it's a very different mind set.  Perhaps I'm generalising too much but from where I'm sitting with all the prepackaged food and aisles and aisles of products in the supermarket, I see the simple life of my grandma disappear.

I'm not naive enough to think that we could time warp our food production and diet to that of my grandma's era, but I would love to see some of the simplicity of her own growing up and raising a family included in today's world.  Just something to think about! *wink*

Master Mixes

Another document that was included in the package from my aunty was a document entitled "Master Mixes - Save Time and Money (1972)". This was actually a document used by my aunty, not Grandma Ellie, as I first thought. Not that that matters... it's just as interesting and Aunty Ellen actually gave me some background to where the document originated and some lovely memories that went along with it.

Background/Explanation/Blurb:
This document (6 pages of notes) is a list of recipes to make 'master mixes' or recipe bases yourself instead of buying premix from the supermarket (Bisquick as it's known in the USA). Each pamphlet goes into detail as to how to make the base recipe and then what variations you can make from that base, depending on what ingredients you later add to it. It also gives a cost comparison on each recipe, showing how much you could save making your own master mix instead of buying it. The master mixes were:

• White Sauce
• Cornmeal
• Rolled Oats
• Biscuit (read: scones in Australia)
• Pastry
• Pudding (read: custard in Australia)
  

My Thoughts:
Like the previous document I reviewed, this document was very thought provoking... it got me comparing today with with the past. Now, it's quicker and cheaper to buy prepackaged things from the supermarket. Things that are mass produced and contain many more additives and preservatives that wouldn't be contained in homemade equivalents. Unfortunately because of the buying power of companies, it's often cheaper to buy their prepackaged recipe bases instead of making the 'master mixes' yourself. Not to mention the time factor... we are all so busy these days that anything that makes cooking quicker is appealing. But in that, I think we've lost an art - cooking an entire meal from scratch. We've become so reliant on prepackaged food, that we just take it for granted and don't even think that there's an alternative (i.e. make the base yourself from original ingredients).

As we don't have Bisquick here in Australia, I can't do a cost comparison to see what would actually come up cheaper today, compared to 1972 (I've assumed that buying the pack mix is cheaper, because that generally seems to be accepted rule, but who knows!). There are so many packet mixes out there these days, readily available, so the mentality is to grab it and use it without thinking, but I do wonder if spending a little more time, would save a little bit of money. In any case, I'm interested in using these Master Mixes suggested and see how they turn out!

Further Background/History:
The "Master Mixes" pamphlets (handed out by the "Extension Club") hold their place in Missouri history, which my aunty shared with me...

When her kids were all small, my aunty and her family didn't have much money. They only had one car for many years and the dad would take that to work 35 miles away everyday. That left my aunty at home with 3 pre-schoolers for several years. Other than her mother-in-law, she had very little interaction with other women (I expect partly to do with living in a very small country town).

"Extension Club" monthly meetings were my aunty's salvation. The meetings were held on a rotation schedule with a different woman hosting each month. It was ALWAYS a big deal. Aunty Ellen looked forward to it for the social benefit, but it was also educational. Here is the "official" description of what they were about:

The extension program concentrated on working with farmers and their families, which comprised the majority of the nation's population, to improve their quality of life and standard of living. Extension workers demonstrated how to produce more and better varieties of agricultural commodities; how to benefit from better nutrition, clothing and housing; and how to work together to bring about major improvements, such as electric cooperatives.

Someone at each meeting gave an informal talk on something they received from the University of Missouri, which started the extension idea.

The Extension Club did fun things too. Each year they had a "come as you are" party. No one but the appointed committee knew the date of the event when they would knock on Aunty Ellen's door yelling, "come as your are" and she was not allowed to change anything about her appearance which made for some very interesting attire. The committee member would drive Aunty Ellen to one of their homes for sweets and games and then take Aunty Ellen back home.

That certainly sounds like a lot of fun, but possibly quite nerve wracking as well!