Falling Behind

Sorry it's been awhile between posts but a 3 day migraine will do that to a person. I know 3 days right...NOT FAIR especially because I thought the pill was the cause of them. Guess not, and nothing seems to help with it either, even prescription stuff (just makes me feel like crap). But it's hopefully resided now (I won't say gone because I still feel it lurking - don't want to poke the monster) and just in time for heading down south for my Aunty's 70th.

Very excited and all stocked up with (mostly) healthy snacks for the drive down. I love the big family gatherings with my Mum's side of the family and the boys always take Hubby under their wing (so long as he avoids my pot smoking bikie Uncle he should be ok ha-ha...but seriously I love that guy and when I say bikie I mean the good kind!).

Hopefully lots of photos to post, I should really hunt down my camera and pack seeing as we're leaving at 9am tomorrow. Oh and add shaving my legs to the list...I swear why do women get stuck with all the horrible things!

Monday Yummies

So I'm trying to make a conscious effort to eat better. (Excluding the fact that I made extremely sugar-ey Coconut Ice Cakes). This lead to a last minute sort of stir-fry dish with lots of yummy veggies. I actually felt like a proper cook for the first time - I prepared all my vegetables and had them laid out on my bright red chopping board. Scraping them into the fry pan I got that little thrill knowing that whilst I might not be a 'chef' in the making I'm going to make a damn good Housewife ;)

So without further ado let me introduce you to my dish, please ignore the cheat part where I used bottled plum sauce (I told you I wasn't a chef!).

Plum & Ginger Chicken with CousCous

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts (enough for 2 people)
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 3/4 bottle of plum sauce
• GENEROUS dashes of soy sauce
• 2 squirts of ginger out of one of those tubes (again with the cheating...please forgive me)
• 2 small carrots sliced kinda thin
• Big handful of snow peas
• Big handful of bean sprouts
• Big handful of frozen peas
• Pearl Cous Cous 
• 2 cups vegetable stock (& maybe a bit extra, see step 4)

Method

1. Slice up the chicken and stick it in a bowl. Then cover it with the plum sauce and 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Mix and put in the fridge covered for as long as you can wait.
2. When you're ready to start cooking prepare all your vegetables and put them to the side. Boil the vegetable stock.
3. Stock boiling? Then throw in a packet of couscous (sans packet if you're anything like my Hubby and follow instructions to the letter!). At the same time add peanut oil to your pan and throw in the chicken.
4. The couscous should take 10 minutes and you need to make it simmer. I kept it going for longer and added some extra veggie stock at the very end to cook it through a bit more. 
5. Meanwhile stir the chicken and once its started to sizzle away add your vegetables (turn the heat down to medium, or whatever you feel comfortable with). Add extra soy sauce & the ginger. Cover the pan stirring every once in awhile give it a nice big ol' stir.
6. Stir the couscous, stir the chicken and veggies. Have a look over it all and when it's done plate it up.

A very simple but yummy dinner!

Mrs Sometimes Gardener

On Saturday (before a wonderful afternoon tea with my niece & nephew and siblings-in-law) we started preparing for finally fixing up the garden. Mum had made it exactly the way she wanted and then left and, even though we have the same taste in things I hated half the stuff she'd put in. We grabbed some herbs from Dawsons along with some plants, a hanging basket and potting mix. They were left outside until we came back from a yummy breakfast (I highly recommend InContro but getting the yummy food takes FOREVER, it's good for footy player spotting though!). On the way there we'd seen a Swapmeet that I'd kept wanting to go too and we finally got to go after returning from breakfast. There was so much crap there but it was fun to poke around and look at everything. Also on sale were heaps of plants (silly us should not have bought anything at Dawsons everything at the swapmeet was half price) and we came away with herbs (sage, lemon mint & basil), a guava tree and some cool pink spiky flower plant. I also bumped into an old boss as we were leaving, it's funny because everyone who hasn't seen me in ages keeps commenting on my hair. I always think it's because it's blonder now but it's actually because it's gotten quite long (still not the length I want it at but nothing to sniff at either!)

So we now have two mini herb gardens and a garden which is more OURS than BORROWED.

Does anyone know what this plant is?

End of the week

Bring on the naps!

Finally I can have a little break, granted only 2 days, but at this point it feels like heaven. Work has been insanely busy but I love it and this week has been nice because my 'Employee of the Month' award is up and everyone keeps congratulating me.

This weekend we're having our niece & nephew over (along with their parents of course). I'm planning on making yummy (hopefully) coconut ice cakes and the Hubby bought his favourite chocolate milk. I think cold drinks will be in order, I'm a bit scared if they ask for coffee because even though we have an awesome coffee machine I can't make anything fancy with it. It's funny what scares me I just feel silly for not having the confidence to make them coffee and how stupid is that!

I can't wait to see my little kids, they are both just too damn cute, although I have to admit that my nephew is a lot more fun that the new bub. It must be something to do with her being a premmie because I was looking at photos of him at the same age and he was just so much more happy and didn't mind who held him (except for Hubby's little sis for some odd reason).

I got a call from my Mum today and finally she has my wedding dress back. Although she's now blackmailing me and won't let me have it unless I come and see her. So I blackmailed her right back and we scored a free Sunday dinner out of it. Hopefully we'll even get to go horse riding on Sunday afternoon. I bought us 2 $19 trail rides and have to use them soon because horse riding whilst pregnant is a big NO NO and we all know that I'm planning on (hopefully) getting knocked up at the end of Feb.

Lately I've been going back and forth between getting pregnant. Even though work is so intense at the moment I'm still really enjoying it and I'm not sure that I want to give it up. On my way home I always drive past this day care centre and I was actually contemplating working 1 day a week after having a baby. I don't want to become a SAHM for the rest of  my life (there is nothing wrong with that at all it just doesn't suit me) and coming from a human resource background I keep thinking how it won't look good on my resume if I don't work for ages. That and I will go stir crazy I need to get out of the house and keep my brain active - I know I'd just hide behind my baby if I didn't have something I had to do outside the house. But I'm not even there yet so that is just something floating in my head at the moment.

The other reason I'm second guessing myself is money, it would be great to be earning lots of moolah with both of us working. But then we both think about the reality of that and how little time we might have with each other (we've never both worked full-time at the same time). But I know noone is ever ready for a baby so we're just going to try and see what the universe has in store for us.

I hope everyone else has lots of fun this weekend. Yippee for Friday!

What's in my Bag

So I've seen this kind of thing on other blogs and thought what the heck I'll give it a go.

This is my go-to work bag and ever since I bought it on sale at a sort of multi-shop garage sale it's been my awesome work bag. I love the colour (which is distorted in this photo) and it just goes with everything (and fits everything as well).

And now without further ado, welcome to the inside of my bag:

My iphone cover, an HBF little note pad, cheapo ibuprofen, a name tag along with a random love heart from my SiL's baby shower, rubber band, lipstick (cover girl), hair lackeys and lots of bobby pins, small change, a 2011 diary I still haven't used, Ralph Lauren sunglasses case (sans sunglasses), dove deodorant and 'A Feast for Crows' novel.

Health Month

Surely I can dedicate 28 days to being healthy right?

Right! So I've put in place some steps to get my butt into gear. I was doing another blog search and stumbled across Sarah Wilson's (aka former host of Master Chef) blog. What first drew me in was that Sarah had announced she was quitting sugar. I was really keen to start this as I'd done something similar in my last year at high school. After trying to find some books for cheap, I realised that I definitely don't want to give up sugar with our splurge trip to Sydney and Melbourne (Zumbo here I come). Afterwards though (and especially when I start my family) I want to cut out on the sugary sweets.

Instead I have signed up to participate in FebFast! Zero alcohol for the month of February to "to help reduce alcohol and other drug related harms amongst young Australians."

I'm aiming to raise $500 and already our awesome Best Man has donated $100. So if you would like to donate (and it would be greatly appreciated) please do so via my FebFast website.

On top of participating in FebFast I have also signed up for a lose weight club at work. I can't remember the exact name but I think it's something along the lines of the Flabbies Fiasco. My co-workers have a warped sense of humour. I'm looking forward to it even though I don't really need to lose weight (according to the BMI I'm in the normal range). But I would love to have a flat stomach and if we do decide to get pregnant learning to be healthy before hand is a great thing. Although it will probably mean I won't win the Flabbies prize at the end because I'll be putting on weight (ha-ha).

So hopefully February will be the month I lose that little bit extra I want to get rid of. Is anyone else starting a health revolution this month?

Congratulations are in order

Congratulations to one of my first blogging buddies Emmie at Desert Darling. Her gorgeous daughter formerly known as Skellie and now called Bay (such a pretty name) has finally arrived.

I told my Hubby and I think my brain has now gone into full BABY BABY BABY mode. Looking forward to starting out journey towards our own little one.