Banana Choc Berry Oat Muffins

1 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups of plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup rolled oats
1 banana, mashed
1 cup mixed berries

First: Preheat oven to 180 deg. Line 12 hole muffin tray with patty pans.

Then: Mix egg, milk and vegetable oil in a medium bowl until combined.

Next: In a separate bowl sift plain flour, baking powder, caster sugar, cocoa together.

Then: Stir in the eggy, milky, oily mix and add oats, mashed banana and berries.

Last: Spoon mix into patty pans, filling them to the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Husband

Today is Keith's birthday.

He does not wish to remember exactly how old he is.

We have lazed about all day, even napped in the afternoon.

For dinner we had lamb cutlets, mustard mashed potato and red wine jus.

William and I made a guitar cake.

It was a beautiful day.

Happy Birthday Schnookie Poo!

Tag. You're It

I loved doing these tag games way back when I was in high school. We would write out a list of ridiculous questions and pass it around during class time. It was fun way to get to know people, even better if you had your eye on a particular boy.


Anyhoo, the lovely Cherie over at A Baby Called Max tagged me in her 'Tag. You're It' post. What a brill way to learn a little bit about each other and revisit some old times.

Describe yourself in 7 words:
Cheeky. Loving. Perfectionist. Sometimes Chef. Sometimes Deep.


What keeps you up at night?
Apart from the wee children calling out for their over tired parents, oh and Keith's snoring. But that doesn't wake me all the time, sometimes I resort to ear plugs. Best. Sleep. Ever. 


Anyway, back on track. I am a constant worrier. Now this is not new to me, I come from a long line of worriers, my mother, my grandmother, my great grandmother, and probably my great great grandmother. We are all incredibly strong women but we worry about every little minuscule possible thing. I have had to learn to master the art of keeping the worry at bay. If I let it seep in, then it's all over red rover, I am in a pile of worry on the floor. So what do I worry about you say? Well, let's see now... Tonight it was, will Olivia sleep, what do I have to to tomorrow, will I remember to do everything I need to do, will the kids LET me do everything I need to do? I worry about not having time to relax with my husband, those precious moments after the dinner is eaten, the kitchen packed up, the kids sleeping in their beds. That hour or three that we might have, uninterrupted, chatting, drinking tea and catching up on IQ'd episodes of Home and Away. It is the only time when we are both relaxed, the only time (other than weekends) where we get to plan future activities, the only time we get to indulge in our very own hobbies - Keith plays his guitar or watches the Sci-fi channel, I like to write and edit photos. These past few months Olivia has been somewhat of a nightmare, she will wake every hour or so between 7pm and 12am. Bloody teeth!


Who would you like to be?
I don't really know who I would like to be. I am still trying to figure that out. To be honest, I wish I could be everything that I dream to be. I wish I could take bits from each and every person that I look up to and apply them to my life. I want to be the best wife and mother that I can possibly be. I want to look back on this time of my life and have no regrets, I want my children to look back on this time and have happy memories. I want to keep learning and keep improving every single day, like they say, its about the journey not the destination. 


What are you wearing right now?
It's a warm night here in Adelaide, so I have my comfy denim shorts on and a red Country Road T-shirt. 


What scares you?
That I will miss out on the great moments of my life, my worrying nature and anxiety can often get the best of me and I hate it when it consumes a beautiful day and a beautiful moment.


What are the best and worst things about blogging?  
Well I have only just started on my blogging journey but so far so good. There are so many positives and negatives involved with blogging.


Best:
First and foremost, the network I have already created. Some of you may have read my story and know that I have a pretty small support network when it comes to child minding and female support. I absolutely love each and every one of you for stopping by and reading my ramblings and even taking the time to leave me a comment or two. That seriously is the best. I am so humbled that people actually want to know about me and my little life. I feel so connected to other mothers but also other women (as individuals), sometimes I do not really know how to be a grown up woman and I need some of your guidance and advice. 


Worst:
There are only two negatives I can think of when it comes to blogging. Once you start you won't want to stop, I love the idea of blogging. I want to blog every day, I have a thousand things I want to blog about. This leads me into the other negative...time. When you are starting out, blogging can be quite time consuming and take up a large portion of thought. I have found once I let go of my own expectation, the words seem to flow. 


What was the last website you visited?
Ummm so I have something I would like to share....I love celebrity gossip. I know, it is dirty and horrible but I love it. I refuse to buy the magazines (unless it has been a particularly bad week) as they are far too expensive so the next best thing is........


perezhilton.com


What is one thing you would like to change about yourself?
OK, so as soon as I read this question the first things that popped into my head were - thighs, arms and stomach.
But as the shallowness dissolves somewhat, and look within, I really wish that I could loose my anxiety issues. They have pretty much plagued me all of my life and these past couple of years have been the worst. When I think of my very first memories they are anxious thoughts, I was an anxious kid, an anxious teen and now an anxious adult. When I fell pregnant with Olivia, I made a pact with myself, I had to get a grip on this shit. I just needed to understand how and why is operates within my psyche. I am still learning, but so very grateful that I began this journey.


Slankets – yes or no?
Definite NO.


Tell us something about the person who tagged you? 
Cherie is the most gorgeous and genuine lady. Her honesty is so very refreshing and love for her family shines through her blog. 


The fun part continues! Now I get to tag five bloggers so they in turn can share ten things about themselves. 

I tag;

Gabrielle from Neck Of The Woods

Lauren from Sunshine And Green Tea

Sam from Good Mum Hunting

Kesh from Our House On This Hill

Tamara from Tamara Erbacher

FEBRUARY - Stuff I Am Loving

Thought I would play along with Sam over at Good Mum Hunting. I love looking back at the things I was into.

Current Music
Gosh this is a tough one this month. There is so much music around that is genuinely awesome at the moment. Every time I turn on Triple J, there is usually something makes me stop and really listen.

Here is my current playlist on the iPod.

1. Intro (ft Zola Jesus) - M83
2. Sucker Love - Magic Dirt
3. Peace Signs - Sharon Van Etten
4. How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep - Bombay Bicycle Club
5. Can't Get Better Than This - Parachute Youth
6. Car Song (ft Santigold) - Spank Rock
7. Lights Out, Words Gone - Bombay Bicycle Club
8. Reunion - M83
9. Devil's Work - Miike Snow
10. Pharoahs - SBTRKT
11. What Did I do? - Kele
12. Feel So Close - Calvin Harris
13. Wildfire - SBTRKT
14. Serpents - Sharon Van Etten
15. Dirty Jeans - Magic Dirt
16. Catastrophe - Julia Stone
17. I'm His Girl - Friends
18. Hold On - SBTRKT

A couple of albums that are on high rotation at our place this month.

Tramp - Sharon Van Etten
Hurry Up, We're Dreaming - M83
A Different Kind of Fix - Bombay Bicycle Club
Bon Iver - Bon Iver
For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
Portamento - The Drums
The Essential - Elvis Presley
Mixed Blood - Gotye
Hurstville - Jack Ladder and The Dreamlanders
Watch The Throne - Jay Z and Kanye West
Lennon Legend - John Legend
Kisses On The Bottom - Paul McCartney
To The Horses - Lanie Lane
In Rainbows - Radiohead
1's - The Beatles
The Age of Adz - Sufjan Stevens
Sticky Fingers - The Rolling Stones
Goo - Sonic Youth

My picks of the month:

Tramp by Sharon Van Etten

SBTRKT by SBTRKT

A Different Kind Of Fix by Bombay Bicycle Club

Current Books
I have found myself reading a lot more lately. Can't explain that one, as I feel that I do not even have time to brush my hair, let alone read. My favourite thing to do at night is hunt through the iBooks store or Kindle store and get samples of the books that I would like to read. Then after sampling the first chapter I can decide if it is the book for me. I love this option and I have honestly found a new dimension of love for my iPad.

Here is a list of the current books I have on the go.


Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
Then Again by Diane Keaton
How I Got My Wiggle Back by Anthony Field
The Story Of English In 100 Words by David Crystal
The Double Life of Herman Rockefeller by Hilary Bonney
Not Drowning, Reading by Andrew Ralph

My pick of the month: 

“…there are those you love no matter how much they hurt you, no matter how many years have passed since you felt them in the morning.   I did not know how long it would take to get over such a love…”

John Kennedy Jr was my very first crush. And what a crush he was. This book was written by his long term girlfriend Christina Haag. They were together for five years before he met Daryl Hannah. I was expecting a bit of a dirty tell all, something trashy that I could get through in a day or two. However, I was so totally surprised to find an amazingly beautiful love story. This book is filled with beautiful honesty and wonderful reflections of a lost love. SWOOOON.

Current Colour

Yellow and orange. I cannot get enough of these gorgeous autumnal colours. I am drawn to them wherever I go. Above is my $14 Ikea step stool I painted yellow, my favourite teapot from T2 and my favourite cup and bowl from Country Road.

Current Drinks
I get dehydrated pretty gosh darn easy, so I always have water with me. Some other delicious drinks that I have a new found love for are; my morning macchiato, banana smoothies with yoghurt and soy milk, fruit whips (blend apple juice, orange juice, pineapple juice with a banana), cider, champagne, mineral water.

Current Food

Loving my fruit at the moment; bananas, grapes, peaches, berries, necterines. Also loving my salads; rocket, avocado, mushroom, capsicum, sprouts. I have found that I am doing a lot more baking. Whether that is because I am over tired and my body is craving a sugar hit or that the baking helps distract Will from his crankiness, we certainly seem to be eating more cakes and sweet treats around these parts.

Current Tv Shows

When I actually get the time to sit down and catch up on all of my IQ's shows I am loving: Kings Cross ER, Enlightened, Home and Away (of course), Selling Houses Australia, Black Books, Q&A, and Peppa Pig (wtf?)

Current Non Mummy Activities

- Drinking delicious beers with my husband at The Wheaty with my husband on a Saturday night.

- Going to Laneway with my bestie

- Afternoon tea and tarts with my favourite tarts

- Going for a walk, by myself

- Driving with my windows down and the music UP

- Birthday dinners at Melt

- Tuesday night pub nights with the gang

Current Wish List

- Weekend Womad pass for the family

- Kitchen Aid Mixer. The old Sunbeam is on the blink

- To get my little business idea off the ground

- Some new Country Road linen

Current Triumphs

- Making plans for my own future, my own goals. Actually having an interest in myself as an individual.

- Being a little more positive and combating my massive anxiety issues that have plagued me forever an always.

- Appreciating my children more and taking the time to really look at them and love them with all of my might, something that I have not always focussed on.

- Not spending as much money on pointless things, actually budgeting and sticking to it.

- Being nice to my husband, poor love.

Current William

Gosh I just love this little boy so darn much. He is crazy beautiful and I adore every millisecond that he is awake. I love to hold him and drink in his little boy scent; sweet smelling with a hint of dirt. Since he has been in his big boy bed he is more patient and loving than ever before. We love to read together, he loves to cuddle and often gives reassuring rubs on the back just to let me know that I am doing ok. He is louder and more confident than ever before, the boy is not afraid of anything.

Current Olivia

Well this little darling has been cranking out the teeth this past month. She is totally miserable but totally gorgeous, I cannot believe she is 10 months old. Even when she wakes up at 2am I cannot help but look into her gorgeous eyes and count my blessings. I am totally in love with this beautiful gal. She has been here before, I just know it. Her current loves are bangers and mash, banana, avocado sambos, pizza crusts, yoghurt, porridge and peaches.

Tell me what you are loving :)

Rapid Bay Weekend

About twenty years ago my uncle, Les and grandmother, Bunga purchased an old house on the beachfront in the little town of Rapid Bay on the Fleurieu Penninsula. We used this place often throughout the years, with someone usually down there every weekend. Gradually as we all got a little older and busier, Rapid Bay house became a little neglected. Now that my little ones are a bit older we are excited to revive the past, and bring up a new generation within the walls that could tell a thousand stories.

Some of my earliest memories are from times at Rapid Bay whether it was talking to Mr. Edgar over the side fence, swinging on the Hills Hoist, making scones with Bunga in the kitchen, eating icy poles and swimming with the neighbourhood children, walking up to the general store with Uncle Les for a chocolate sundae, fishing with Dad on the jetty. In my later years; weekend escapes with my high school pals, all night drunken evenings talking about life and love with my girlfriends, beach camping with boyfriends, creating the same memories with my husband and children.

The place is beautiful all year round, aqua blue calm water in the summertime, stunning sunsets against the backdrop of the sheep dotted cliffs surrounding the bay, the pinks, yellows and oranges illuminate its natural beauty and the burning hot pebble lined beach burning layers off the soles of your feet. In wintertime, the ocean grows dark and grey, the jetty sways, and the chains of the old dead sailors clang on the pylons below (well that's what Dad says anyway), the winds whip and lash against the window pane as the warmth of the fire dries your salt dampened face.

God, I love this place.