Teapots

 
How darling is this picture?

I usually have a thing for Tea Cups & Saucers. I've been collecting them for a few years and often receive a beautiful set for a birthday or Chrissie present (thanks Mum) and display them in a cabinet. But, when I saw this image on my new favourite website (finally found it!!) it sparked my interest in collecting and decorating with Teapots.


What do you collect?

How To Be A Domestic God-Awful-Mess

What do Nigella Lawson, a White Chocolate, Coconut & Raspberry slice and I have in common? Other than we were all in my kitchen at the one time (one of Nigella's books that is, not the fabulous woman herself), absolutely nothing!

This mind-blowing discovery dawned on me last week when I was elbow deep in melted butter, white chocolate and descicated coconut, holding E in one hand while trying to pour the mixture into a slice pan with the other. As I attempted to spread it evenly across the pan, backwards and almost upside down, the mixture dripped down my arm and across the stylish pages of Nigella's classic cookbook How to be a Domestic Goddess.

'Sorry love.' I kept saying to her as more and more mixture fell on the book instead of the pan. 'It's all I can manage I'm afraid.'

I was working hard to create the tasty treat for our weekly Mother's Group get together, but I should have known when moths flew out of the open (and very old) Self-Raising Flour bag that my attempt to emulate Ms Lawson and wow all the other Yummy Mummy's with my home made decadent slice would not be a success.

It started a few hours earlier when I'd finally decided I'd attempt to make something. The slice seemed like the easiest option because I had most of the ingredients in the cupboard, sans white chocolate, but I knew I could duck into Coles quickly on the way home from taking Teach to school and have it ready for the 11.30am catch up. Easy.


After waking E from his comfy car slumber to race in and buy said chocolate, then wrestling him back in the car seat - all while singing 'Doin' It' by the lovely Justine Clarke so he'd grin along with me and forget I was pulling him from pillar to post - we arrived home with just enough time to get the ingredients mixed, in the pan, baked, then out the door again. Ok...Go!

I don't know what came over me or why I was so determined to make something. Anything. I wanted it to be interesting, a little different, yet completely delicious and satisfying. If the ladies uttered the words 'Bloody Marvellous' I wouldn't have been disappointed. But baking only makes me crumble under the pressure.

My last two attempts at baking desserts were miserable. I left the kitchen leaving a trail of nutt-meggy baking powder fluff in my wake. One cake sunk so much in the middle it could have passed as my Year Nine Geography Volcano Experiment.

This time though, I read the recipe several times before I started. I had everything pre-measured, weighed and ready on the kitchen counter, E was happily playing with his new truck in the living room and Nigella by my side.

'You can do this.' I said to myself. Hang on. What page number was it on again? D'oh!

After what felt like an eternity looking for the recipe (which was starting to induce a skin-of-the-teeth panic in me), my preparation went out the window when E decided he must sit between my legs, play with my toes and whinge if I moved my feet. The butter had melted so much in the microwave it was now boiling and the white chocolate had formed into a hard sludge in the pan. Bugger. Poo. Wee. 

Why can't I ever bake anything? 

I picked E up off the floor and was determined to start again. 11.30am start time be damned. I was NOT going to let a five step recipe beat me.

COME ON!

I managed to scrape all the ingredients together again, get it in the pan and bake it before we had to haul ourselves across town. The thought of showering and dressing up for the occassion had me spinning too, but we got there in the end.

E and I arrived dazzling, fresh faced, smiling and slice in hand. Eventually.

'Hi Sian. Hi E. Wow, did you bake that?' Our host asked. 'It looks lovely.'

'Thank you, yes.' I replied and looked down to see the gladwrap had started to melt over the still-warm slice. 

Not thinking, I had just picked up the original baking pan, wrapped it up and ran to the car. I didn't even put the slice on a serving plate. SHIT!

I asked our host for a dish to serve up the slice and walked away from the kitchen thinking, 'That'll do Donkey. That'll do.'

Our little Crawler

He's up on all fours then crash! He'll get up on his knees then fall forward on to his face. Splat! He'll use his arms to push himself around in circles and backwards across the floor.

But yesterday, E put it together and moved his little knee forward under his belly as if to move forward then... Boom! Belly dive straight into the carpet. Yes our little man is learning how to crawl and we're very excited. (Though I'm somewhat nervous because our house is a jungle gym waiting to be explored.)

E is nine months old today, so Happy (sort of) Birthday to our beautiful boy.

Brisbane's Hot Coffee Spots

A fix from Jamie's Espresso Bar

In anticipation of my brother's arrival from Melbourne last week, I decided to update my knowledge of Brisbane's coffee scene. Let's just say in the 15 years he's lived in Australia's coffee capital he never misses an opportunity to declare he's yet to find a half-decent Long Macchiato in "your town" to stir his little sis.

This time I was prepared to prove to him once and for all that Brisbane knows coffee. Plus, any excuse I have to get back on my old stomping ground of inner-city cafes and I'm there with more than bells on.

I started off slowly and took him to the usual, trustworthy coffee spots (intelligent) locals have come to know and love.  We buzzed from Campos Coffee (Fortitude Valley), to Flamingo Cafe (Fortitude Valley), then down the laneway to Brew (Brisbane City).

The down-to-earth aesthetic of each venue had him feeling at home, but it was the obvious respect the staff had for their jobs, the coffee and the brewing process that won him over. Now can you see what I was working with?

Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try out the new PUK Espresso (Kangaroo Point), but we did make time to drop by The Rabbit Hole Ideation Cafe (West End) before he jumped on his flight home.

Love, love, love it! It's cosy, quaint, groovy and down right funk-tastic! If I still worked in the area Rabbit Hole would definitley be my daily go-to place for my early morning, mid-morning and afternoon caffeine fix.

Got family and friends visiting for Christmas or just sick of your local cafe serving sewage water as coffee? Here are a few more must-visit hot coffee spots I highly recommend:

Jamie's Espresso Bar (Robertson Street, Fortitude Valley): One of Brisbane's original hole-in-the-wall coffee spots. Pick up a great cuppa to enjoy as you walk around the James Street fashion precinct.

The Birds Nest Coffee and Collectables (Montague Street, South Brisbane): Stop here either before or after your day at the Gallery of Modern Art. Talking and walking? If you hit The Joynt you've gone to far.

D&D: Delectable

Dandelion & Driftwood (Gerler Road, Hendra): An adorable cafe for both tea and coffee lovers. It's one to keep up your sleeve for afternoon tea with your ladies.

Clarence Corner Bookshop & Cafe (Stanely Street, Woolloongabba): This is another personal fave. Who could possibly go past coffee and books? Plus you can text them your order, your ETA and it'll be ready for your arrival. If only it was my corner shop.

I recommend you bunker down with a brew here

Bunker (Railway Terrace, Milton): Named after the World War II bunker it now calls home, this cafe is home to the best brew on the West Side.

Do you agree? Please let me know if I've missed the one you love.

Have Prize Will Travel

Three days ago I started drafting a post about the importance of 'Being Optimistic' but found the words were MIA.

I was hoping the post would inspire me to stop dragging my heels on a personal business venture, but no matter how hard I tried or how many times I'd make a cuppa to spark inspiration, the delightful, witty and insightful post did not magically appear. Optimistic, I was not. 

Today, however, is slightly different because optimism found me in the most unlikely situation.

It all started when my mobile rang at 7.30am. The phone number wasn't blocked and I recognised it as a Brisbane number, but who would call me at this hour?

It couldn't be my bank. They appear as BLOCKED. Actually, my brain registers any blocked number as a warning signal that screams DO NOT ANSWER.  

It couldn't be Optus. I remembered to pay my overdue phone bill two days ago, plus they're based in Sydney so the area code doesn't match.

Surely it's not Greenpeace asking for another donation. I'm almost broke people. You should donate cash to me to put an end to this hungry mammal feeding her family on cans of tuna. You know, two birds, one stone. Now bugger off!

It's definitely not Mum because I haven't telepathically asked her to call me yet. I was planning on thinking about her tomorrow night after we both watch Neighbours and before I put E to bed.  She never fails to call within an hour of me thinking 'I haven't spoken to Mum this week.'

Maybe it's the Lotto people? Hang on, I don't play lotto. Oh well, best answer it.

'Hello, Sian speaking.' I said excitedly.

'Hi Sian, It's Bianca here from Peekaboo Magazine.' The cogs in my brain go into overdrive. Bianca from Peekaboo? Nope, nothing.

'You entered a competition for a trip to Fiji,' she started slowly. Did I? Oh, that must of happened the day I spent five hours on the Internet looking for a way to escape a teething, screaming child that never wanted to be put down.

'Yes, I sure did...' I was waiting with breathe that was bated.

'Congratulations. You won!'

I couldn't believe it. 'Really? Wow, thank you so much.'

After several weeks of waiting for the world to open up and swallow me whole, I suddenly felt it's weight lift. My self-imposed gloomy outlook changed instantly.


Teach, E and I have won a five-night holiday at the five-star Outrigger on the Lagoon in Fiji. Prize includes return airport transfers, breakfast each day, two one-hour spa treatments and child care. Fan-bloody-tastic! 

Not only did optimism find me thanks to a very welcomed phone call, but it carried me through the rest of the day and allowed me to get so much else done.

I got to thinking, if something this magical can happen when I least expect it, what else can life bless me with if I am open enough to let it?

My simple change in mindset impacted the rest of my day, week and maybe my month. The more positive energy I put into my day the more finally happened that I'd been waiting for. Talk about a great chain reaction.

So finally, I must say a very big thank you to Peekaboo Magazine and Outrigger on the Lagoon for a wonderful prize. We are greatly appreciative and can't wait to take full advantage of it in 2012.

Yippee!

A Family Trend

Remember the craze of little gold and blue Suns and Moons plastered on everything? It took off in the 90s.

I loved it and got sucked right in. I was known far and wide (as far as my immediate friendship circle) for my addiction to the whimsical icons. From my doona cover, to table lamp, to throw cushions, to floor rugs, to wall clock, to a dinner set for one - plate, side plate, bowl and coffee cup decorated in yellow stars, suns and moons in a dark blue background. I remember sitting down for breakfast in my star covered boxer shorts with my own pretty porcelain. Awwwww.

Tragic? Totes! Therefore I won't go on to shame myself further by admitting I even painted my bedroom blue and yellow on my 19th birthday AND asked Mum to make me sun and star themed curtains for my present. That's tragic!

It seems every few years a new trend comes along to make ordinary people into unreasonable freakazoids addicted to, well, crap - for want of a better description.

Several years ago you couldn't throw a hub cap without it hitting a car covered in frangipani stickers. Oh, how I grew to detest those ridiculous pink, white and yellow stickers parading across the rear window.

Today, however, it seems everyone wants you to know who is in their family. They plaster stick figures of Dad, Mum, oldest daughter Janie, middle child Timmy, youngest brother Billy-Bob and their supply of farm animals over the window to, what exactly, boast that mine is bigger than yours?

It is my belief those family stickers should be replaced with a sign that reads WE HAVE A LOT OF SHIT SO PLEASE FOLLOW ME HOME AND ROB US BLIND. Because, let's face it, no one has any time to do anything these days (or so we keep being told) so why beat around the bush and just state the bleeding obvious. Surely, we'd all be better off.

In fact, why stop there? I think you should add pictures of your surf boards, bicycles, iPhones, iPads, LCD televisions, surround-sound entertainment units, Wii, X-Box, personal gym equipment and your credit card number and expiry date. Now that's interesting.

In an effort to extend its 15 minutes of popularity to 30 minutes, family stickers are now available to add to your everyday items. That's right folks, not only will we learn who is part of your family while we're stuck behind you in traffic, we can read it off your shirt, stationary, mobile devices and kitchen appliances.  Well, thank the Lord! I was so worried I'd forget.


I should go easier on you, shouldn't I? I understand this post is ironic coming from someone who writes a blog (another trend). So, to try and understand why you'd want to graffiti your car with that crap I'm going to put this sticker on my car....

What do you think?

Hey Big Spender!

The EU isn't the only one battening down the hatches in an attempt to save its economy from going belly-up.

Teach and I are tightening our purse strings in preparation for Christmas and our upcoming sojourn to New Zealand.  

We're making the obvious cutbacks such as no meals out; drinking instant coffee at home instead of ordering two delicious take aways from the nearby deli; renting DVDs on $1 Tuesdays - and taking them back before they are overdue and spending another $12 in late fees; eating ALL the food we've got instead of buying more or dumping left overs because it's 'gone bad' (read: it looks icky because we didn't cover it before it went in the fridge); turning off lights when we leave the room; flicking off powerpoints after using the appliance; and we've stopped buying unnecessary extras during our fortnightly grocery shop.

Oh, those delicious extras. They are the hardest to say no to. You know the ones. The packet of Tim Tams or three you buy to have in the cupboard when girlfriends come over when in fact they magically disappear as you pass through the kitchen on your way to the bathroom / laundry / living room / any other room in the house!

I've also stopped myself from stocking up on products that are supposedly on sale. I tend to get sucked in to buying items with price tags declaring "Buy any 2 for only $5." How could I possibly pass that by? I'll save a bundle! As soon as I know I can get more for less I MUST have it even if I had no intention of buying it.

Teach caught on to my interesting shopping habits during one grocery expedition not long ago. "Why are we buying two 1 litre bottles of white vinegar? We've still got half a bottle in the cupboard which we've had for 12 months."

"But they're on sale, it's an awesome deal," I proudly declare. "I'm saving money!"

"We'll just spend more. Besides we don't need it." He was right. Of course. I put the two bottles of white vinegar back and walked away making every effort not to look behind me. I felt like I was abandoning a cute little puppy that needed a good loving home.

Another trap I'm slowly trying to change is paying up front for a group of classes before I've tried them.

Three months ago I enrolled and paid for E to attend a semester (yes a FULL semester) of Baby Sensory classes. I had every intention of going each week for an hour long class of singing, dancing, games and baby sign language for E to grow and learn.

In seven weeks, we've been to two classes! I really loved those two classes, we did have a great time - not to mention it got us out of the house. But I know in the deep recesses of my mind we're not going back.Why? Pure laziness. Sometimes I even try to fool my brain into thinking we're going and say, "I'm making an effort today." Then all of a sudden I look at the clock, we're 5 minutes late and I think, "Bugger. We can't go now we're already late."


What a brilliant way to save money Sian - good on you! What else can you waste hard earned cash on?

Give me half a chance and I can make money disappear faster than you can say 'Brittney Spears' underpants'.

Unfortunately my Buy-Now-Waste-Later lifestyle isn't foreign to me.

Four years ago I enrolled in French Language at the University of Queensland. I was so excited to have taken the steps to learn the language I'd dreamed of speaking since I was a kid, plus I was off to Paris in six months and wanted to know the basics.

The numbers were limited so I was very lucky to be accepted. Guess how many classes I managed to attend? Go on...

Un.

I made every excuse under the sun about why I couldn't go. Work was extremely busy so I could never make the 6.30pm start time. Traffic along Coronation Drive to St Lucia was horrific so my 10 minute drive always took closer to 45 minutes. And on and on and on....


Maybe I need to put a post-it note in my wallet that reads 'Hey Big Spender' as a reminder of the bigger picture. Unfortunately when I see it I'll be standing at the cash register waiting to pay for something else, I don't need and I won't use.

C'est la vie.

I Love Showers

When the weather in Brisbane gets hot outside, people tend to move inside - unless they are at the beach.

Shopping centres, movie theatres, restaurants, cafes and even cars get busier as people go about their day trying to avoid the heat.

You see, why we want it to be hot, we'd prefer not to have to deal with it, get sweaty or generally feel sticky and icky. It's a love/hate thing.

The majority of Brisban-ites are very well adjusted to dealing with Queensland's sunny, dry (most days) and humid weather. We tend to embrace it, because it's one of the many things we love about this city.

From 5am you'll see runners, cyclists, walkers and general fitness freaks taking to the streets and pathways around town in a bid to get their excercise on before work and the real heat of the day starts close to 8am.

Our buildings, homes, offices and extra-curricular activities (think sport in sheds etc...) are more often than not air-conditioned to keep us cool, and more importantly, sane.

I stay sane during summer with showers. A quick jump in and out of a freezing cold shower is the best way for me to get through the day. I love my showers so much I'd even stand under one at the beach for longer than I was in the ocean. 

I'm not joking. Hear me out. 

We don't live in an air-con'd place so alternative ways to cool down are a necessity, but I don't go overboard. I'm very aware our Lucky Country has only just recently came out of a drought (if we are indeed out of it completely) but you can be guaranteed that if the thermometer reads 30 degrees or more, I'll take great pleasure in a quick 30 second shower at least twice a day... in addition to my morning wash of course.

However, if the temp is really extreme - you know the really abhorrent heat smacking us between Christmas and Valentine's Day - I do exchange every second rinse for a minute of frozen bliss in the deep freeze.

You must to try it! Make sure you don't open the freezer for at least several hours before the scheduled immersion in order to keep it as cold as possible. If you're running out the door and need a quick fix (I tend to do it after I've applied makeup to avoid melting) open the freezer door and let your face, neck and shoulders embrace the cool brillance of modern technology. You'll get instant reprieve from the sun for up to five minutes. It's just enough time to gallop to your car and blast on the air-con without fear of looking like Cruella de Vil's ugly sister.

I learnt my fail safe freezer trick growing up in Townsville. We didn't (and still don't) have air-con in the family home so we had to create ways to beat the heat. Correction: beat the UNBEARABLE heat.

As a good old-fashion Townsville summer tends to hang around longer than an unwanted house guest, my brothers and I came up with more than enough strategies to maintain our cool cat status.

One of our favourite methods was soaking a beach towel in cold water and covering yourself with it in order to sleep at night. The combination of the ceiling fan on full force and the wet towel simulated an air-con'd atmosphere...that is until approximately 2am when the towel was as dry as cardboard and you had to get up and soak it all over again. I still do this as an adult, but I've swapped the towel for a face washer and just place it over my forehead. Try it.

The freezer trick was always useful after we got home from school and needed an immediate refresh. It never failed to satisfy - so much so we'd often hear Mum yelling, "WILL YOU GET OUT OF THAT FREEZER!"

Oh, those were the days.

This year, as E crawls his way towards his first summer, Teach and I are already devising plans to keep our bub cool. Blow up kiddies pool? Check. Baby bath tub? Check. Hose? Check. Buckets? Check. Floaties and super cute baby boardies? Check. Check. But he'll have to wait for the shower. It's ALL mine! 

How Waz Ya Weekend?

Hello. How was your weekend?

Excellent! Sounds delightful.

Mine? Well, E is starting to get up on his haunches in an attempt to start crawling. By the look of his technique I think it'll still be a few weeks away yet, but it won't be long before we'll have to baby-proof the house, re-arrange furniture, books, magazines, kitchen appliances etc... to make it more child friendly. Eeek!

We've also got internal stairs in our place, so the task of setting up child-proof gates at each end will not yield favourable results. I can NEVER work those useless things!

Yes, I'm a fun-size adult, but an adult nonetheless. You'd think I'd learn after the second or third attempt to open the wretched gate (friends of mine have them and I HATE, yes HATE, the sight of them), I could just climb over it instead of standing there fidgeting with the awful, never-bloody-works latch, making a complete fool of myself. Knowing my luck, E will catch me trying to open it one day, pull himself up and flick it open with his tiny little fingers just like he's learnt to turn the television on an off.  Grrrr...

Unfortunately my baby boy has had a bad fever for the past few days and taken the opportunity to live each day in a wonderful I-Only-Want-To-Be-Held-By-Mother mood. So I'm afraid this post comes to you with a serving of deep fried Energy Levels, a super sized cup of Can I Give a Damn and a delicious side order of Get What You're Given and Like It - a meal Teach is not fond of at all...I wonder why?!

To make it up to you, please enjoy this visual feast I have lovingly...cough...prepared.

Tea cup in a frame...Adorable.

Clever framing.

Yummy

This would make great wallpaper for E's room.

It's no longer Winter, but I could really go a hug mug of goodness right now!

In Other News: Anyone who previously subscribed to receive emails when this blog was titled 'Be Lost in Thought' will need to resubscribe to 'This Beautiful Life'. My apologies for any inconvenience.

Best,
Sian x

All Aboard the Workforce Express!

I've been on maternity leave since December last year, even though E wasn't due until February. I decided to take off early in order to wind down from work, have Christmas at home with family and enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy at home nesting. 

While the year is almost up. It feels like it has gone by in the blink of an eye.

When E first arrived I would sit with him and think, 'Imagine the day when you'll sit up by yourself.'

Then I would say to Teach, 'Just wait until he's crawling around, we won't know what hit us.'

Now, I'm thinking (and somewhat pleading to the heavens), 'Where's my baby gone? He's such a little man now,' and he's only 8 months old.

Being able to stay at home and care for E in his first year has been incredible, for him and me. We've definitley had our moments of desperation, exhaustion and frustration (especially on my behalf) but I wouldn't change our time together for anything. I'm very grateful that Teach and I have been able to afford the luxury of me not working...until now.

Yep, the time has come for me to haul my tired arse back to the work force, but it goes with a degree of anxiety and confusion because it's taken me a good part of the year to forget Career Girl Sian and comfortably settle into Mumma mode. How do I mix-it-up and do both? 

Yesterday, I joined the other Yummy Mummys at our weekly Mothers Group catch up. A majority of us are passengers on the Workforce Express boat so the conversation consisted of many personal questions such as: Would you recommend Child Care or Family Day Care? Should I look for vacancies in a centre near home or work? What sort of standards are we searching for? What is a good benchmark to compare child care centres? What is the average cost for one child per week? Does anyone know of a centre that is happy for you to use cloth nappies?

The one burning question I had, that I didn't voice was, how the hell will I cope not looking after E each day?


It was incomprehensible to me one year ago that I could survive as a Stay-at-Home Mum. I thought I would  'lose myself' in Motherly duties and go a bit batty (more so than usual that is). But it seems the opposite is true.

I love being the main carer for E during the day. We play adorable little games that no-one else knows. We sing songs together that no-one else knows (Ok, I sing and he just nods along). We go to the park, to weekly Baby Sensory classes, Mother's Group and on shopping expeditions.

I know his little idiosyncrasies and he knows mine - maybe better than Teach? Yes, we have our moments like many others do, but I sincerely cherish this time we've had together and I know I will miss it - I completely understand now what people mean when they say 'This time goes so fast'. Fast? It's bloody lightning speed and I'm holding on for dear life!!

Needless to say, SJP's new movie I Don't Know How She Does It is very timely. I might need to organise a Mother's Group catch up at a Babes in Arms session to watch, listen and learn what to do and what not to do.    

If you have any tips on how to cope with this transition, I'd love to hear it.