Reno #3

Day 1 of works and the bathroom is almost completely gutted, except the slate floor and 1 wall of the tiles. Vanity shower etc all removed. Plumbing for the bath mixer has been completed.

Toilet removed. Laundry tiles removed, 2 power points moved, plumbing for the sink has been installed and parts of the floor have been lifted. Wow. Looking good so far and not too much mess in the house yay!

Reno # 2

Husband Deluxe and I picked away all weekend completely clearing the space. Now that the bath mats, towels and blinds are missing it is cold and a real echo chamber.

Poor old Buster has one more night in his old digs and then he'll be moving out into the lounge room, lucky bugger.

Things are all stations go 7.30am tomorrow morning: excitment!!!

Fuzzy Update

Fuzzy was too sick to hop into the pool today. He still managed to find plenty to keep himself amused by playing with Squealy's classes equipment and wearing Husband Deluxe's glasses. Lots of cuddles and two stories later and it was time to head home.

Swimming at last.

We've been putting off Squealy's swimming lessons till he turned 3 but given that's just around the corner, as is Spring, he's starting a bit early.

Loving it as you can see. Constantly smiling and extremely confident. He gives everything a go and nothing fazes him. He is currently in a Transition class and by the time he's 3, should be good to go into a K1 class solo. Husband Deluxe will be overjoyed.

Just in case

I'm pulling this off the lovely Ainslee's blog and popping it here, as I would hate to lose it.

Photos courtesy of Ainslee Mc.

Op-travaganza

On a whim yesterday I popped into the local Vinnies and boy did we score. Due to recent weight loss I've basically had to replace 90% of my wardrobe, op shopping making it a cheap and fun experience. I do love Op shopping and have been inspired by E over at Consumption Rebellion and her recent blog post to actually share my Op Shopping treasures and finds.

So we were lucky to score:
Photo 1 for Suzy Boo.

• red paisley skirt with black tulle trim (woot!!!) Picture doesn't do it any justice at all.
• 1 pair Novo flats (BRAND NEW!)
• brown embroidered and beaded skirt
• a replacement denim jacket (I donated my old one as it was falling off me).

Photo 2 for Husband Deluxe.

• well worn but lush jeans
• a pair of grey dress pants
• a pair of black pin stripe dress pants
• a vintage copy of Little Women and a copy of Peter Rabbit for the kids.

Total cost: $40 all up! Bargain... I LOVE Op Shopping.

Blueberry Crumble Slice

A special request and who am I to say no to a friend? ;-)







Photo and recipe courtesy of New Idea.

Blueberry Crumble Slice

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 cup hazelnut meal
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 185g cold butter, chopped
• 125g cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp grated orange rind
• 2 x 150g punnets blueberries
• Icing-sugar mixture, to decorate

Method
1 Grease 19cm x 29cm rectangular slice pan.

2 Process flour, sugar, hazelnut meal and cinnamon until combined. Add butter and process until mixture is crumbly. Press 3/4 of mixture over the base of pan. Press remaining mixture into a ball shape. Cover and freeze until firm.

3 Cook base in moderate oven (180C) for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool in pan.

4 Beat cream cheese, sugar and orange rind in a bowl with an electric mixer until combined. Spread over base, then sprinkle with blueberries. Coarsely grate remaining frozen dough over top.

5 Cook in moderate oven (180C) for 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Stand slice in pan for 10 minutes before cutting.

6 Serve slice warm or cold dusted with icing-sugar mixture.