Awaiting her Garden...

Here is the Little Angel from Nanna E & Aunty R, to go in Brenna's Garden. I had to share a photo and am very much looking forward to having the garden ready, so that the Angel figure can take her special place... I have more pictures to load later. The wings are just beautiful and the type of wings I have been looking for (feathered) as I want to find a tiny pair of feather wings about a thumb or finger tall, to go beside Brenna's footprints for the photoframe we have up.
Thankyou from all of us to Nanna E & Aunty R... xo

Custard Creams and other Themes...

Ooh if only the camera wasn't in for a service! Michael and Brooke made Custard Cream Biscuits the other day - I had been meaning to and hadn't during the day so Michael decided after dinner that right then was a good time. It's the recipe off the side of the Foster Clark's custard powder box, is easy, makes quite a few and tastes yum!

I don't know what they did the first time but the biscuits turned out HUGE lol - massive bigger than an orange - but still very yummy. I've just put through several batches in our oven and they've all come out standard biscuit size... one thing is these biscuits turn out best not browned, just cooked 10-15mins.

To other news... it looks like we may qualify for the 1500 for 1500 Grid Solar initiative! I am as you can imagine, very excited for so many reasons - reducing our carbon emissions, (we are already on 100% Natural Power) putting eco-friendly power back into the grid, reducing our power bill (esp when power costs go up soon) etc. I have also been trying to calculate our carbon emissions in tonnes per year and having varying degrees of luck. I tried through Carbon Neutral website (calc is top right of page) which rates our yearly emissions as 'well below average' however via the Carbon Cops site I've concluded that ours isn't a good result at all... I am keen however on the carbon offset purchasing via Carbon Neutral... just trying to find out more information.

I'm thinking that to truly make a difference to our carbon emissions, instead of just reducing we will need to reassess from scratch. So really think outside the square, especially for those things we 'can't change. For example, where our school is located means 15mins car travel either way, or 30mins via Christiania (which we don't have yet lol and would be at most several times a week)... so the answer, or part answer to that (haven't had much luck with regular carpooling but am still trying) is to continue to be a part of our Sustainability group at school, where we are looking at reducing the carbon footprint of the school, rainwater tanks, solar power, more composting/worm farms, edible gardens, native plants etc... so our 'share' of the benefits that school undertakes might help 'offset' what it costs in travel to get there? I dunno how that works and especially not on the maths side of it but worth a thought? esp since the children spend a significant part of the day there...

anyway, so if anyone can shed better light on carbon emission calculators please do post a comment and direct me! I've also (through the fellow who came and did our grid solar assessment) found energy friendly replacements for halogens! yay! Since we had already changed over our incandescents to the energy saver ones, the halogens (der to us when we renovated) were the only ones left to change over... so will be acquiring some of those as we can.

Jamborees & Caramel Apple Crumble...

'Let's make something...' I said to Zeke one day when Brooke and Jake were at school - but what we wanted to make we didn't have the stuff for... hmmm. Then I remembered the 'jamborees' recipe from the Simple Savings Newsletter - brilliant!
One problem... in the cupboard, no white plain flour... only wholemeal plan and self raising white. Oh well, let's experiement LOL. So I did little under half of the required flour in wholemeal plan and a little over the required flour in self raising white. The rest as per the recipe. Have to say it's a great recipe - economical ingredients and used reasonably, and most you'd have on hand. There's a couple of other good recipes in that newsletter I am keen to try. Zeke also had a ball mixing and rolling out his own dough, which we later cooked too.
So here's what they looked like beforehand, and here's the 'after' pics. Next time I will take them out before they brown, for a softer biscuit, but all in all, I think they worked well and will add the recipe to the recipe journal. Also Brooke was busy a couple of days before, making this caramel apple crumble, the recipe from Super Food Ideas issue August 2006. She did very well I think and all at dinner the next night proclaimed it a success!

We also had the chance to have a kick on Subi Oval last weekend, which the kids loved and I got some great photos (most with face in tho so can't share). Saw some 'famous' AFL faces and just generally a good thing to do. We all went and I am pleased we did.

M the hairdresser.

Even though we had a lovely hairdresser (and $25 for a wash, cut, footspa and cuppa is pretty good) it's more economical of course to cut hair at home. So I watched the last few times how she did the boy's hair, then tried it at home and it went well. So I cut Michael, Jake, Brooke and Zeke's hair, and Michael trims mine. This was last night's trim - took a fair bit off but that was what I was after, it was mid-way down my back and needed a tidy up. Thanks to my 'hairdresser' for this one ~wink~.
As usual, after a cut it's gone all curly/wavy especially at the front once there's less weight on it - if I had a half decent pic of the front of my mug, I'd put it up haha. And yep that's my natural bitsa hair colour lol

'Can I Gentle the Baby?'

Sometimes you watch your children, and you see them do something and you just sigh a happy sigh... this afternoon was one of those times. We were waiting at school for an occasion to finish and parents and children alike were sitting or standing by the fence. One of the littler ones (J) who is months old, was sitting on the lap of another Mum, and Zeke came and said to me 'Mummy... can I gentle the baby?' to which I said (because he'd been stacking pebbles from the crushed gravel pile) 'well your hands are really dirty matey... maybe you can 'gentle' the baby's feet'... so he wipes his hands on his pants in preparation, kneels down and gently begins playing with Baby J's feet... then he looks up and says 'she's so cute Mum!'... awww my Zeke... & coincidentally Baby J's Mum and I were pregnant at the same time, when I was pregnant with Brenna. (I did check and G didn't mind that Zeke was 'gentling' Baby J's feet)

And at a party on the weekend, there's my Jake, playing the clown to make little G laugh, and making sure he didn't escape out the door, bringing him back when he did escape, and sharing his lolly bag with him... another 'happy sigh'... it's so awesome to see them being so gentle and caring with littler people, and caring in general, you know?

Also Zeke and I were at the local market grocer when I spotted a coin on the floor, and showed Zeke. He picked it up and without pause, handed it right over to the lady/cashier who was putting our groceries through. She said he could keep it and he turned to me so excited that he had been given this coin...

So for all the times you wonder what you're doing, whether you're doing this or that right with your children, it's those times that you think that even thought it's just them, and they're just like that and deserve all the credit and praise for their actions, that you must be doing something right.

Our weekend with the Christiania bike...

GENERAL
Well if I wasn't already sold on the concept of the Christiania bike, (which I have to say I was haha!) I am definately sold having had the chance to ride about the place over the weekend. Saturday - Brooke and I rode down to the shops, to the Op Shop first and got Brooke some footy boots, that fit well with not much wear and $10. Then we rode across to Woolworths and picked up some groceries - parked right outside the door, no parking hassles ;) Then rode home, at our leisure, chatterboxing along the way and spotting interesting things to look at. Took us an hour - there and back and both shops and I have to say, would have taken us roughly the same time by car, with parking and/or walking from one shop to the other. This is the same sort of travel that took us an hour and forty five mins when we walked it, of course travelling at the pace of the littlest person. Also I was told that 'once you have one, you use it more than you think you would' and already I can see this is going to happen - in just two days where I wouldn't have ridden at all, I have ridden at least four times, and a combo of short & medium length distances. I think you'd also end up planning your travel a little better, when you're riding, so perhaps end up more 'travel-efficient' full-stop, both bike and fuel for car (and no it doesn't have front headlights like that lol they're the reflectors & flash of the camera). We did a night ride, it has a front and rear light and that was good fun. Wasn't long until the jumper came off though, despite the cool weather - it was nice to 'use' my body like that again - no sore muscles just sore bum bones LOL from getting used to the seat.

Footpaths/Crossings
My biggest question was going to be about the footpaths, and the 'crossings' - sometimes they have those bollard things and you need to weave in and out of them on a normal bike, sometimes the 'ramp' is a steep one or of centre etc. Well of all the riding I've done this weekend, there has only been one place I have gone 'hmmm, not sure if we'll make that one' and hopped off and walked the bike instead (and it's quite light so easy enough). Other than that we haven't had a problem, which I am rapt with.
The only other issue (which would apply to a standard bike as well at some spots) is when you stop in the 'break' in the median strip, to cross several roads at once, you have a little bit of the pbike prodruding, either front or back. That's only at one main spot that I would come through regularly, and enough room either side that it wouldn't bother vehicles.

Steering and Handling
I have been quite impressed. It's deceptively light and easy for me to manouvre (I'm definately not tall lol and not too heavy). Michael says he found the steering harder to get used to than me - however he rides his standard bike to and from the train every day, whereas I haven't ridden a bike in... mmm ... nine odd years haha so I think that may be why I got used to it easier. The biggest differences are that where you would lean into a corner on a standard push bike or motor bike, you don't with the C bike. Once you've had a practice, it's not at all hard and even right angle corners are fine for me, I quite like it actually.
Would it tip? - is the big question and I suppose if you went up or down a really steep left to right slope then it may - no different to a pram etc. In that case it's really not hard to just hop off and push past that bit, then back on and off you go. I've only had to do that once, and that was on road I wouldn't normally take.

The only negative
from today's ride, which is nothing really to do with any bike in particular, is I got bitten on the back of the calf by a dog on the way home. It certainly shook me up... I had been looking out for dogs all the way (as you do when walking or riding in general) but this one was let out of a car, chased me down the road and managed to just get a grip on me before it let go and went back to it's owner. She did yell out if I was okay and I said 'can you put it away!' since it was just sitting by her and I wasn't going anywhere until it was 'away'. So she put it in the car and came to see if I was alright. Lucky for me I (1) had long pants on and (2) it didn't get a full mouth on me - so didn't break the skin but can see where the teeth were and the bruising will show tomorrow - the photo on the left was taken tonight, bruising just setting in. Zeke was asking me all the way home 'are you okay Mummy... did the dog bite you Mummy...' Also lucky for me I was on the Christiania because on a standard two wheeler I reckon I would have stacked it, so had grazes and the like from that - nevermind whether the dog would have thought it a great thing I was on the ground... Also am happy that Zeke was out of it's reach, and somewhat safer than he would have been perhaps, in a rear-towed bike trailer... not sure, but just another thing to think about. eta the bruising is a little more this morning, but I'll mend!

SCHOOL RUN
Well, one school run complete! I took it at a leisurely pace, making about 30mins to get there (10-15 in the car). I'll work out how many kms that is later on when I check out the map. On the way there was just Zeke and I, and on the way home was Brooke, Jake, Zeke and I, so the total of just the children's weight is about 60kg (?) roundabout anyway. Stopped at school, which generated some interest from children and parents alike. Then started off home, this time probably about 40mins so only 10mins more. Only to big hills to go up and with the gears options, was far easier than the single bike I used to have. It's been wiped down, all the drink bottles and helmets are out and it's ready to go home to N&A&F... So the verdict from me? I liiiiiike it!

(Here's my earlier post of a test afternoon, and a pic with four kiddies, plus links to info)

oh and a Tuesday update (bitten Sunday) photo, it's the very back of the calf right behind the knee... you can see the two 'dots' where the canines went (from the top jaw I guess, which is lucky it didn't get both jaws on my leg)... it wasn't that far away from breaking the skin so I guess I'm lucky. I just keep thinking what if it had actually got a proper grip on my leg... I know there's far worse happen in the world, but also think far out... what if it was a child on a bike... and that's not a good thought... (and pardon the legs, they've seen better days lol) The pic on the right taken on Friday... I always find it interesting what colour bruises go along the way! So now this strange yellowy colour and I've worked out what angle the jaws were on, and actually how lucky I was not to be missing a piece of leg...

Well a mishmash of 'stuff'...

Where to begin!? (pics to come) Well, tonight the Christiania bike will arrive here, being bought around by N as they may need the trailer this weekend - very appreciative we are, and very very excited! Also, Michael's Mum & Dad came with these beautiful yellow roses when they visited last, and they have brightened the kitchen for over a week now, very lovely and a nice surprise!

Kindergarten & Zeke's first day...
Master Zeke started 3/4 Kindergarten this week, just two half days a week. I have pics to come, but he's really enjoying it despite stacking it twice on his first day - tears but cuddles from R, one of the Kindergarten leaders. I was preparing to do the 'prep talk' and this was how it went...
Me: 'Matey... you know you start Kindy soon'...
Zeke: 'I know... and Mum you can't stay... you can't stay at my class you have to go home... and you can come back and pick me up'
Me: (pause lol) 'well yep, that's right, Mummy's not staying, and I'll come pick you up at lunchtime...'
Zeke: 'and bring my lunch? When you come pick me up will you bring my lunch, Mum?'
Me: 'yep... I'll bring your lunch when I come and pick you up' and I have to say, he said it most matter-of-factly and quite nicely... he was just making sure I understood lol
So evidently, the prep talk was almost not required lol and he has been busting to go to 'his class' for some time now, and very excited about his Kindy bag, and being able to do craft and painting in his class. Had to explain he probably wouldn't be doing German (well Brooke and Jake do so that's a fair conclusion lol) just yet, but yes definately craft and painting. He's been walking around after just his second day singing the 'circle song' as well as 'come back Pizza, come back Paul' (the two little di ckie birds song)... ah my Zeke is growing up!

Op Shop Finds
Op Shop finds - four long sleeve shirts for Brooke for winter, and one thick jacket with hood for Zeke for camping, all for thirteen dollars which I thought was quite good. Our Op-Shop ladies are always an interesting bunch too! A couple of bags of clothes from A's boys means Jake is all sorted for clothes and of course, Zeke has Jakes shirts... all sorted for now!

And the Doc said...
I saw two different doctors this week... After several months of increasing symptoms (inculding a numb heel and calf amongst other things), and a conclusion from the doctor I have been seeing for sometime that I really didn't feel was a right conclusion, a second opinion reveals that yes it was more than [what she said], and in my opinion not 'that' at all... especially considering those things were there before Brenna was born.
My TFT results came back too high, the first time in about nine years that my levels have changed - and I was tested not long after Brenna was born and the levels were the same as always.
I have been on 100mcg daily of oroxin, and have been changed now to 50mcg/100mcg alternate days to bring them back to where they should be, which will take about 6-8 weeks. I am glad that got picked up by my new doctor, not just to put things 'right' and hopefully reduce symptoms, but also because either too high or low can impair conception and make the wait to conceive, longer...
Interestingly in my hunt for more information, I re-found this book, leant to me some time ago by a friend A who also has thyroid issues, and lots of things made much more sense. I had forgotten all the 'stuff' that was attributable to hypothyroidism (autoimmune)... most recently including my heel and calf muscle, and tip of tongue going numb, but also several other 'things' that have puzzled me over the years. Found this too, which is just interesting to read. I know internet isn't always reliable, but it's a start for reading up on things, and helps you think of questions to ask next time you have an appointment - even better when you feel comfortable to ask them. I've also found several forums where people are sharing very similar experiences, both with symptoms and medical responses to them. Next on the list is to see a naturopath and see how we can have 'mainstream' and 'not so mainstream' practices work together.

Baking & Michael
Last weekend Michael made a first attempt KFC-style chicken, and mastered his Apple Pie recipe... mmm yummo! The KFC chicken wasn't quite a success so we have a new recipe to try this time round from A (thanks A!) I scored a box of bananas for $5 a couple of days ago, so have been making muffins and today Michael tried a new recipe for banana cake (made it without the icing) and it turned out lovely, very moist. So we are banana-muffin baking all weekend and/or pureeing, to make the most of the banana score. Also keen to get a fruit and veg mini-coop going in the near future.

Cubby House & Garden
And some awesome awesome news... ~THE~ perfect cubby house has become available for Brenna's Garden... I am so very excited and appreciate being given the opportunity... I just need to get the space ready and am trying to find ways to make that happen quicker! LOL. On top of that... AE and R have found the perfect Angel statue to take pride of place in Brenna's garden... oh I so cannot WAIT to have this garden taking shape..! I've been treading water for now, pruning the ever-fast-growing mulberry tree to keep it at easy-picking level, trimming, re-digging garden beds etc. Slowly slowly. Oh and we also had our FIRST proper mandarine off the tree - I accidentally 'pruned' the branch lol and as I did so went 'oh oh!'... but the mandarine tasted GREAT... so we're loving up the tree and hoping for a decent harvest next season!

That's about all for now I guess... off to see what I'll get done tonight, plenty of projects await!