Cravings anyone?

What do I feel like right now?! Well I have been good these last few weeks (the next time I will spoil myself will be my birthday in three weeks time) and I am craving a lovely gooey piece of chocolate mud cake and a lovely warm latte to go with it! Maybe just maybe, I will totally spoil myself tomorrow when I have to hit the shops for boots for little man for our Italian trip, coles for some groceries and do some final festive season gift shopping....I think that will work up the room for some rich goodies!

What are you craving?

Thanksgiving day

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

I am not American but I am beginning to believe that we should celebrate Thanksgiving day as we all have so much to be thankful for here in Australia. I agree there are some less fortunate here in this beautiful land but there are so many with plentiful and I don't think we stop and appreciate everything as much as we should.

At times when I get frustrated that things aren't going the right way I too need to remind myself what I have and what I am thankful for.

What am I thankful for today?

I have a loving, caring and generous husband and bestest friend - Warren,

I have the most ADORABLE and LOVEABLE little man in the world, Alexander. I LOVE being a mummy to Alexander and love watching him explore and learn new tricks. I love watching him sleep either on me (yes I still get lucky every now and then when he will fall asleep in my arms) or in his cot or carseat. I love watching him play in his bath every afternoon, he splashes about and we chat to each other as he plays. I love that he likes to copy things we do, he is such a quick learner and so full of energy and love to share.

I have fantastic parents that love me and my family to the end of the world and back, we have great laughs and it's amazing to watch them with Alexander each day.

I have wonderful brothers and sister in laws and a gorgeous niece.

I have an awesome family home and welcoming back yard for Alexander to explore and play in.

I am very lucky to now be a stay at home mum, I worked for 8 months out of Alexander's first 12 months of life and that brought me the appreciation of working mums and how hard it can be to juggle being a mum and working.

I am blessed with love and happiness....

I am also thankful for many other things....
What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday

We were browsing in David Jones the other day and Warren came across this hat;

Alex seems to have liked it!

Oh and the boys weren't meant to be colour matched....it just worked out that way!

Christmas work party

This year, we are only attending Warren's work Christmas party as Warren is away from home so much, we decided we could only fit one into the weekend that they were both being held on.

Late yesterday, I met Warren at my parents where Alexander was going to be for the evening whilst we partied away at the Fox in South Brisbane. I fed Alexander his dinner and then we waved ciao as we drove off down the street. Halfway through dinner I called my mum and she asked were we leaving our little man with her for the night? We had discussed this earlier but we had decided we would collect him on our way home. However, I became tired very early in the evening (probably from my one glass of wine) and so we agreed to leave Alexander sleeping at mum and dad's and we would collect him early Saturday morning.

We walked home hand in hand and lay in bed talking until midnight, which we haven't done in oh so long! This morning, I enjoyed a delightful cup of tea in bed and an extra long shower before we went and collected our little man from his nonna and pa's.

Alex seemed very happy to see us but he didn't appear to have missed us too much! ;-(

I missed him but I knew he was in great hands with my parents and they love him oh so much. And I did enjoy the quiet cup of tea!!! That has revitalised me for another few months!

Photo Shoot

Wow, what a fabulous morning Alexander and I enjoyed on Thursday! We had a mini photo shoot in our very own garden...don't get too carried away I was the one taking the photos, but if I do say so myself, they are gorgeous!

This morning Warren and I rushed off with our chosen photo to have Christmas cards made up so I can start writing them and get them posted! We are pleased with our mornings effort! Here are some of the pics I took as a sneak peak;

Alexander blowing me a kiss!

I love a happy story that makes the world smile at once

This morning when I woke I grabbed my iphone, as I do every morning when I wake to read the latest news both local and national. I blinked a few times and then refreshed the page I was reading as for what I was reading felt like I was dreaming, Prince William and Kate Middleton had announced their engagement! Not quite believing it, I switched on the television and yes, it was on both channel 9 and 7 early morning news!!!

I am a monarchist (and proud to be) and I love a Royal Engagement, I think this stems from my paternal grandmother who LOVED the Royal Family. So I have had a little smile on my face all day being thrilled that there is love in the air.

I am a self confessed news buff and live and breath news throughout my day, my colleagues at work think I am addicted to my iphone and sms's but nope, I am actually addicted to news. At morning tea and lunch I am checking the latest on news.com.au and brisbanetimes.com.au - I actually wanted to become a journalist when I left school but chose the career of being a registered nurse instead (I will leave that story for another time!).

There are so many "bad" news stories each day that I shake my head at, that this good news - love story makes my heart melt and brings happiness to a world that is surrounded by hatred, death, war and a lack of appreciation for other people.

I have enjoyed a lovely happy day, and it all started with the news this morning!

Christmas

As the festive season draws near, I have sat down and tried to do a list of people I need to organise gifts for, and then of course what gift to get. As I wandered through the shops last week on Thursday evening humming away to 'silent night', I found some goodies for me but no ideas for anyone on my list! My list isn't actually that long this year as my family aren't exchanging gifts except for the children and we have already done this last weekend.

So here are a few things on my list this year;

Diary from Kikki K (I love most things in this stationery haven)

Tea 2 tea pot, maybe not in red but blue!

oh and a professional family portrait!

and some....

A girl can dream can't she?!

But mostly, I wish for love, peace, happiness, laughter, fun, family and hope!

What's on your list for christmas?

Celebrations at the Sheraton Mirage, Gold Coast

I love a good weekend away!

Friday afternoon we packed up the car and headed to the Gold Coast for a Celebration weekend with my family. We were celebrating Diane's 50th (my sister in law). The Maston's sure know how to celebrate in style!!

We enjoyed a lovely dinner on the Friday evening in Horizon's restaurant which was solely for the use of the Maston's for the evening. Alexander enjoyed himself and all the attention from Aunts and Uncles and his cousin Emma, but finally fell asleep at 9pm!

John, Diane and Emma were spoilt by mum and dad and spent the weekend in the Royal Suite at the Sheraton Mirage which is equivalent to the Presidental suite!!

Saturday morning, we all enjoyed a yummy buffet breakfast and then all did our own thing before meeting up at the pool for a late morning very warm swim. The pool water was lovely and cool and very welcoming in the very warm spring sun. We all had a lovely time splashing about!

We headed back to the room we were staying in and enjoyed some very scrumptious fresh prawns from the trawler and some crusty bread. We celebrated with a few drinks and a very indulging death by chocolate cake from the Welsh Lady here in Brisbane. Pure delight!!

We spoilt Di with her birthday gifts and shared many laughs. We then all went our separate ways (most people had an afternoon sleep), Alex and I however, went for a walk to the Marina Mirage across the road and browsed some shops, oh how I love SEED. So many beautiful things!

Dinner tonight was to be experienced in a rotunda (see pics), it was a lovely setting in which to celebrate.

Sunday morning we all met for breakfast again before heading back to mum and dads room so we could exchange Christmas gifts with those we won't be celebrating with at Christmas.

It was a lovely relaxing weekend away as a whole family, there were many laughs and drinks and great food! Now we are home and back to reality.... My parents sure know what family is and what it means to welcome in laws into the family! Diane, Bron and Warren are all welcomed with open arms and the weekend away was a true example of that.

(I am very sorry but the pics are out of order!)

Alexander ready to go swimming!

My two boys!
The gorgeous sunrise.
Dinner on the Saturday evening to celebrate Di's 50th

How gorgeous!

At the pool with his Nonna and Pa
Just Us
The table on Friday evening
My niece Emma
The birthday girl, Diane and my brother John arrive for the family dinner

This week

This week has been yet another busy week in the Maston family home. Warren has been home which has been lovely but he has been sick which has been not so lovely ;-(

On Wednesday, Warren arrived home from the Brisbane office with an early birthday gift for me (my birthday is in December), he asked if I wanted it now or on my birthday. I said I didn't mind, it was up to him. I was of course curious as to what it was!!

So he presented me with a little brown box - like the one my wedding ring and engagement ring came in!?! So I very excitedly opened the box and there was the most beautiful eternity ring - or maternity ring as my sister in law calls it. So thank you my darling Warren, it's gorgeous! I love it! I feel so damn spoilt too, but I like being spoilt....

On another note, I have been busy organising our belongings to take to the coast this weekend for my sister in law's 50th Birthday celebration, yet again, Diane is another December baby but we are celebrating in style this weekend as a family. Togs are packed, novel is packed - who am I kidding, when will I have time to read?! Christmas gifts are packed for my niece Emma and Baby M. Diane's birthday gift is packed.....I just have to pack together an assortment of food and toys for little man!

On the novel front, I am still ploughing through Eat Pray Love....getting there slowly!!

Other exciting news, I purchased a new pair of shoes to support me feet - the lady in the shop politely told me I need arch support...so now I have some arch support! Oh and for the record, I have walked, in fact, little man and I have just returned from a walk and my back feels better already - fingers crossed.

Happy weekend to you all, I am off to pack whilst little man has an early morning nap!

Walking - a challenge to myself!

Well, I wake up most mornings and my feet take awhile to wake up once they hit the ground. I have a very very sore back and left hip which until now I have blamed my lifting technique and poor choice in shoes however, I think I could have osteoarthritis, I need to go and see the GP though, but in the mean time because I have a young son, I guess I need to walk, walk, walk.

So, I am going to challenge myself and since I am writing it on here for everyone to see, I think I will stick to my own challenge of increasing my exercise and hopefully weight will drop off (an added bonus) and I will become more nimble and hence my pain will disappear?! Wish me luck!!

So, this afternoon once I have run around the city accomplishing all the tasks on my to do list for today, I will pop Alexander in his strider pram and take him for a walk. I will not kid you, 30 minutes, Alexander, me and the local footpaths! I will let you know how I go!!!

Dinner Ideas?

So, I am feeling a little under the weather at the moment. Unsure why really. Alexander and I spent the day at home. Warren worked from home. Warren has the flu. Alexander is teething, which I have mentioned in an earlier post, however I didn't mention there are 2 teeth coming up at the one time! Uh oh!!!

Anyway, after much thinking throughout the day,here is what we in the Maston family home are having for dinner! Something quick and with protein and vegetables, followed by some lemon gelati! Then I am going to plonk myself in front of the television to watch those little wonders on "masterchef" and then finish off my evening with some reading. What are your plans for tonight?

Pork & noodle stir-fry

Photography by Steve Brown

Sweet soy and crunchy salad mix add oodles of flavour to this easy pork-noodle stir-fry.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 x 450g pkt fresh hokkien noddles
• 1 tbs peanut oil
• 500g pork loin medallions, thinly sliced
• 80ml (1/3 cup) kecap manis
• 1 x 250g pkt Woolworths fresh rainbow salad mix

Method

1. Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water and set aside for 2-3 minutes to soak. Use a fork to separate the noodles. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add half the pork and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pork.

3. Return pork to the wok. Add noodles, kecap manis and salad mix, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Divide among serving bowls to serve.

• Source

Good Taste - March 2007

Good Taste - March 2007, Page 38
Recipe by Michelle Southan

I love....

This little man! He is such a gorgeous little man with such a lovely personality, so gentle and scrumptious!

This was yesterday when we were playing with bubbles. He smiled and clapped his whole way through the afternoon. Panadol clearly helped his little tooth problem! We went to my parents for afternoon drinks and nibblies and Alex slept until my dad went and rescued him from the cot upstairs. Smiles all around for everyone and a game of ball with everyone in the room. Giggles and cuddles all around. Why wouldn't you love my little man!?

Sunday blues

Little man is currently teething bottom lower left and it is causing quite a large amount of this;

Of all the other 6 teeth that little man has endured, this is by far the worst! This morning the grizzling was just too much to handle on a lovely spring Sunday morning, so we bundled him into his pram and off we went for a lovely walk!

Alexander has woken the last 2 nights and cried, this is not normal for him as he normally is such a great little sleeper, we pop him into bed and don't hear from him again until the morning! Last night we gave him some panadol and warm milk and back off to sleep he went. Poor little boy! For someone who is always so happy and smiley, these teeth must be really bugging him!

We are off to my parents later for Sunday afternoon drinks and nibblies, hopefully a cuddle and kiss from his nonna will make it all better for him!

A favourite past time....reading

I started reading EAT PRAY LOVE earlier last year but didn't really get into it, so I put it down. Actually I gave it to Bron, my sister in law to read. Last weekend she returned it as I mentioned to her that I wanted to try it again. Well, last night I sat down after a long day and started again, so far so good, I have made it further into the book than the original time. I will keep you posted on how I go!

I don't usually enjoy books that everyone else is in a craze about. For example I didn't like "A thousand splendid suns", in fact I thought it was not enjoyable at all. I read for enjoyment and that to me was torture. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the happenings of the above mentioned novel happen and we need to understand we don't all have charmed lucky lives but I don't feel the need to read about it for pleasure. I hope that makes sense.

I do enjoy a good biography and actually recently on a program on the ABC there was a story about Janine Shepherd who overcame great odds of being told she would never walk again to actually walking again and learning to fly and then went on to have three children. I have read three of her novels and after seeing the documentary I decided I need to delve into my book boxes later this weekend and find these books so I can reread these. She is a true inspiration and full of courage, hope and determination.

I think we all need a little bit of inspiration, hope and determination in our own lives....and to be reminded each day that what we have in life is truly beautiful and should be cherished in the heart.

On that happy note, I love a good chick book too!! I am off to delve into "Eat Pray Love", happy reading! What sort of books do you enjoy and why do you read?

Best and worst of the week that was

Welcome to Friday! I am beginning to love Friday's more and more each week. I always loved Fridays when I was working as I knew it was the end of the working week, however in my chosen career sometimes that doesn't mean much because it could be the beginning of your working week!

Best of the week in the Maston home;

We have fans!

I love watching Alexander explore and giggle at everything. His new word for the week is "Pa". He is walking everywhere and being very independent, climbing on his bike is a new experience this week. I watch and encourage Alexander with amazement, all the new skills Alex learns and I love watching him experience the new experiences. The other word Alex has learnt this past week is bath, if I say let's go and have a bath now, he heads off up the stairs once I open the gate for him and he says "bath" all the way up the stairs and down the corridor, so priceless!

He truly brings such a great joy to our lives and each and every day I spend with him makes me fall in love with him as my son all over again. At the park earlier this week he watched with admiration the other children, he sat in the swing smiling away as though everything they were doing was brilliant!

Another great thing for the week is we look forward to Warren being home for at least the next ten days! Woohoo!!

Worst of the week; just simply that I have a very sore back and feet as I sit here typing this and I need to get myself some new supportive shoes! It has been on my to do list each week for at least the last 4 weeks but it certainly needs to be popped on the top of next weeks list of things to do!

Anyhow, off to pop my feet up and enjoy a cup of lovely hot english breakfast tea! Happy weekend!

What's in a name?

Yesterday at the park, Alexander and I had a wonderful time on the swings, slippery dip and generally walking around exploring. There were a few other children there one of which was called Atticus. This struck me as unusual. Now I am all for unusual names but this one really did strike me as different! So I listened intently to hear what his sister's name was and it was Ivy. This is up there in the popularity stakes at the moment and even have a family friend with a daughter called Ivy. So it got me wondering, did I choose a boring name for our son? Is he going to hate us when he gets older? These are all things we wondered when we named him, it was a long slow process of deciding on his name and we came up with Alexander Clarrie - Clarrie as he is named after his grandfathers on both sides and his great grandfather on my dad's side. Alexander is a classical name that I don't think you can go wrong with or grow out of, Alex for short.

So, intrigued by the meaning I researched the meaning of Atticus and here it is;

From Athens. A trendy name which inspires the image of noble Atticus Finch from the novel "To kill a mocking bird."

(quickbabynames.com). Then it stated it should be referred to as a traditional name....oh so my meaning of traditional varies to others! It leads me to think, what will I choose next time, will it be one off the list from when I was pregnant with Alexander or will it be something totally different?! Oh and for the record, no I'm not pregnant.

Thursday

Well, this morning we headed off in the rain to have breakfast with the beautiful Auntie Vanessa at James street. We were meant to be having morning tea, but it turned out to be breakfast for both of us! Alexander was excited to see Vanessa and sat grinning at her non stop. He enjoyed cuddles with her and chatting with her.

I enjoyed a treat of buttermilk pancakes with a berry compote and Vanessa enjoyed a very yummy looking french toast. The english breakfast tea and cappuccino did wonders to warm us up on this dreary and cold spring day! What a treat to share a lovely morning with such a special friend over breakfast - my darling hubby doesn't like to have breakfast out he would prefer lunch or dinner out, so it made for a very special occasion. We had a great chat about many things going on in each of our lives and caught up on gossip!

Afterwards we raced home for little man to have a small nap and for the friendly electrician to come and pop up our fans!!

We are thinking of a trip to the shops for some late night shopping later this afternoon. I need to get some christmas gifts for my family as we are exchanging gifts next weekend at our family weekend and the ones I am looking at are on sale at the moment. I used to love late night shopping before I had little man. I think we have only managed it once since his birth and that was a feat!

What a fabulous day we have enjoyed!

Currently - November edition

I read http://goodmumhunting.blogspot.com/ most days so this idea is borrowed from here.

Current Playlist:

Michael Buble - anything and everything

Current colour:

Pink! Such a girly, spring colour! So pretty!

Current read:

I'm currently reading a trashy girly chick book, but want to read John Howards biography and the book by Jessica Rudd

Current drink:

cranberry juice 30% and soda water 70%

nice and refreshing late in the afternoon

Current food:

stir fry's (red meat and veg), sashimi (indulged in some yummy sashimi last week at our new local Japanese restaurant), blueberries

Current favourite show:

The 7PM project, as nerdy as that is

Offspring - for light humour

Packed to the Rafters - girly show

Current wish list:

new car, new christmas decorations (but can't currently justify!)

but really for hubby to be home more!

Current blessing:

my gorgeous family!

Current excitement:

47 days until we leave for Italy

short term, next weekend a family weekend away to celebrate my sister-in-law's 50th (I know!!)

Happy November!

Welcome to November! November brings Melbourne Cup Day, now I am not one to usually get excited about Melbourne Cup day but for some reason I am this year! Little man and I will head to my mum and dads for a scrumptious lunch and they just happen to live near the racecourse, so we can check out all the glitz and glamour of the ladies and gents frequenting the racecourse. Will we get glammed up?! Of course! Why not?!

This morning we are off to a slow start as I had a rough night of no sleep, but our new fans are meant to be arriving! Yippee!! So I am busying myself with three loads of washing, cooking a blueberry bread and butter pudding for Alexander and about to indulge in some of my novel all whilst Alexander sleeps the morning away!

I think this afternoon Alexander and I will explore some play-doh and whilst he naps then, I maybe just will indulge in a dvd!

Enjoy your Monday!