Ag May ...

You know what I think is a really cruel word... "LISP".  If you think about it from the point of view of someone that has it... Have you ever thought about the complexity of the english language?  Hmmm...yes... try teaching your little one how to communicate in spoken english.  All I've got to say is... Thank goodness for sign language! At the sewing machine... Little Miss M : What are you making mama? Mama : I'm making a bean bag for you. Little Miss M : A bean bag? Mama : Yeah - like the ones that you sit on in the library. Little Miss M : Oh, ok.  It doesn't look like a bean bag. Mama : Well, when I finish sewing it, I'm going to put in some bean bag filling. Little Miss M : Bean bag filling?  What is bean bag filling? Mama : The stuff that I put in the bean bag so that it becomes fluffy when you sit on it. Little Miss M : Do you put beans in it? Mama : Ummm... yes, I suppose you can call it that. < A bit of silence; a bit of s...

We took a mini vacation over the weekend - so last minute (planned on Friday afternoon) and so much fun.  Especially for Dear Husband as it was a trip down memory lane. First priority stop - Freshwater Creek Cakes.  Aaah - the infamous "Passionfruit Sponge Cake" from years past .  I have to admit - this is a gooooood memory to have.  And now I understand my Dear Husband's obsession for it and how it is in a class of it's own. This cake is light; it's airy; it has the right combination of sweet balanced by the creamy balanced by the most tender crumb.  It's not sugary; it's not buttery; it's not moist nor is it dry.  What it is - is perfect.  And divine.  And so, so, so delicious. Surely it can be improved upon?  Yes - by taking a fork to it and devouring it on the pristine sands of a gorgeous beach. Definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. And the other highlights include... A play on the beach even though i...

The Muffin Man? Yes, the Muffin Man?  Do you know the Muffin Man that lives in my house? Cheese and Poppy Seed Muffins Yes - it's my Dear Husband.  Now, my Dear Husband is an accomplished cook in his own right.  Unfortunately, for some silly reason (that reason being me!), he is rarely in the kitchen.  My mind is always 10 days ahead with the meals that I'm going to cook.  I don't know why I don't "assign" any meals to my Dear Husband to cook for us.  But now that I've stated "aloud" this flaw in my personality, I think I'm going to start doing something about it. Blueberry Muffins Anyways - my Dear Husband does sometimes make it into the kitchen.  Lately, it's during those early morning wake up calls when he is kind enough to take the girls and give me a little bit of a sleep in.  And what does he do with the girls?  He bakes muffins for breakfast!!!  Isn't he a treasure? Raspberry Muffins And what's more - he...

The hardest part of sewing, for me, is choosing fabrics.  There is so much gorgeous fabric out there and finding the right combination is agonising.  AG-ON-IS-ING!!!!! What colour palette do I like?  What prints will go with what prints?  Are they too matchy-matchy?  Do they blend too much?  Will the pattern show on a smaller item?  Will the person like it?  Does it suit them?  Is it elegant/retro/vintage/childish/adult enough?  AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!! And the worst part - I don't normally subscribe to pink; I don't have many clothes that are pink or furnishings that are pink or stuff that is pink but I'm always drawn to the pink palette when it come to fabrics.  Sometimes I hate my taste. And so, it is with great pride, that I present this skirt that I made - in Yellow and Orange!  No pink in sight. And my delightful Little Miss M has named it her Sunshine skirt.  How lovely is that! The nitty-gritty detai...

Hi y'all!!! I hope that you've had a wonderful Easter break and are fully refreshed to take on whatever is coming your way. We've had a real treat - Dear Husband has been home for 5 days now.  I'm not sure how I'll cope when he goes back to work. And, we've got a couple of exciting "projects" in the works, so more of that in the next few weeks. But for now... food!  More specifically, the feast my sister put on for family and friends on Easter Sunday.  How she did it frazzle-free, especially with attending Church in the morning, remains a mystery to me!  It was wonderful and here's a sample of what was on the menu... Home made spring rolls and two different types of chicken nibbles - YUM!!  (And even better the next day, if you can believe that there were leftovers :) ) Gumbo - yeah, gumbo!  Big sis did an amazing job to adapt this recipe to our aussie palates and aussie grocery stores.  How many times has she lamented on not being...

Have you ever struggled with your identity?  Like how you define yourself; how you think of yourself?  I do.  I have been.  I still am. Rather than simply stating "I am Ag May", I need to add labels.  I'm a mother.  I work but I'm on leave at the moment.  I'm a crafter, but I just make things not really create things.  I bake.  I cook.  And right now, I'm confused. I wonder if the lack of varied adult interaction has made me lose sight of how I define myself.  My wardrobe is probably a good metaphor... I've cleaned it out.  So now I'm left with 2 pairs of jeans; a pair of light coloured pants; a pair of tracksuit pants; a handful of t-shirts; and a handful of dresses.  Add to that a few jumpers and a couple of cardigans and that's my wardrobe.  No more "smart casual"; no more "office-wear"; no more "formal wear" or "going-out on the town wear".  I think I donated my personality to good will alongside my c...