Ag May ...

As if having another baby in the family is not enough, we actually thought it felt like the right time to do this... Yes - it was a quick and painless process to buy, but now we're having to deal with small improvements before moving in.  So, we are simplifying and decluttering.  This makes moving so much easier and it's needed because we're moving into a place smaller than what we are living in now! As part of the simplifying process (and because I'm, you know, that a-retentive kinda gal), I'm trialling a new filing paper system.  I hoard paper so I feel I need to get a system down otherwise I drown in paper.  As it is, I can't find my marriage certificate or the birth certificates of my 2 eldest, but I can find the last 3 months worth of grocery receipts!!!  If the system works then I can invest in nice containers and possibly holes in the walls in the new place. Don't worry - this kind of craziness only happens when you're awake and...

Phew - it's been a whirlwind past couple of weeks.  While I should be resting and relaxing and nesting, it's actually been go-go-go!  And every night passes that I ask the little one to just wait one more day while I get this "last" thing organised. Dear Husband had his wisdom teeth taken out.  I nearly cried when they wheeled him out of the hospital to the car (standard operating procedure).  He looked so.... operated on.  That was a couple of weeks recovery time. Then we bought a new car (to fit the third car seat). Then we sold our old car. Then we bid on an apartment (and was successful!) Then we organised financing and settlement. As you can see, little bubs has been very patient.  She had dropped a couple of weeks ago, but then decided if she was going to wait then she would wait a little higher up probably where it is more comfortable (for both of us!). In amongst all that, I've been trying to "nest".  But, I have to say that nesti...

Hey there!!  Are you still around?  I've been MIA lately ( sorry! )... but now with lots of updates and ready to rock 'n' roll in the blogosphere. Let's see... where to start? So it's been a BUSY 4-5 months.  I started back at work in a new role; Dear Husband started a new role with a new company; Baby Mac started in daycare.  It would seem that Little Miss M was the only one cruisin'. Add to this the effort of keeping house and home.... it's been exhausting. Unfortunately, this has meant that all crafting projects had to be put on hold.  Save for one - this project was determined to meander along, demanding sometimes a lot and sometimes a little of me every day. Yep - another little one on the way.  *sigh*  It seems like only yesteryear that Baby Mac blessed us with her arrival.  Actually it was only yesteryear!! Uh-huh - after 6 home pregnancy tests over the space of 2 months when Baby Mac was only 8 months old, we finally accepte...

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...

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...

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...

That is the question... I have a new addiction (surprise, surprise!).  While I still favour Morning Tea and Afternoon Tea and all of its delights, I have recently been replacing the mandatory "tea and cake" with an Iced Tea or an Iced Coffee. These tea delights are so wonderfully refreshing on those hot summer days.  And it satisfies my "drink and sweet" craving in one shot - which saves me on baking time and calorie count (like I do that anyway!). Seriously, I could drink Iced Tea or Iced Coffee all day, but I have limited it to either Morning Tea or Afternoon Tea.  Got to keep it special!  (Hence the continued use of CAPITALS :) ). The best thing is that these drinks are so easy to make at home and, to my taste buds and stomach anyway, are a lot better than most of the ones that you can find in your local cafe.  I can control the strength, the milkiness, the sweetness to suit my picky palate. The other best thing is that I no longer feel the ...

Hi Cousin C!  It was lovely to have you over and make some Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes with you!!!  (oops - sorry no pics of that one). So, a bit more time was spent in the kitchen this past week.  It was a pleasant time in the kitchen.  On the menu board was Cinnamon Pull-Apart for an afternoon tea at a friend's house.  Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes made with the little ones.  Caramel Popcorn for a little self-indulgence.  And then German Pancakes, Aussie Meat Pies and Filipino Adobo - I went international this past week!  Also, we finished the last of our Farmer's Market steak cuts, so that will be the last of our steak indulgences until next month. Sizewise - not really a party pie, and not really a four 'n' twenty pie; more like a muffin pie !  (Ps new recipe) Cheesy ham and broccoli pasta - soooo yum! Garlic and Basil pesto salmon with rice furikake - good for the body; good for the soul.  Yep - that's my "I need ...

Never!!! This project has been a long time coming.  I started it a while ago, but I needed to tweak the design, which I did and the project just rolled on from there.  And now here - for your eye-rolling, you're-so-anal-Ag, viewing pleasure... the disaster zone (or more corporately correct - the opportunity) the design the prototype the implementation the pat on the back No - really - I don't miss working much. Have a lovely weekend, everyone!!!

I have a confession to make... Little Miss M is only 3 years old (no, that's not my confession.  Read on).  She's the sweetest thing.  Really she is.  And she just loves to talk.  She just can't seem to stop. However, even though she loves to talk and can have quite grown up conversations, she doesn't really know how to "fight".  I don't think so, anyway.  I mean, I'm right in the throes of guilt at the moment, so that means my child IS AN ANGEL with a HORRIBLE mommy. So, at this point in time, my dear sweet child is, in my mind and probably in reality as well, incapable of fighting.   And when I report to my Dear Husband that Little Miss M and I had a fight, what really happened is that mommy (that's me) had a hissy fit.  That's right.  And if I report that I had a bad fight with Little Miss M, it probably means that I threw a tantrum.  Not an adult's equivalent of a tantrum, but a real screaming, hair-pulling (my o...

There's something about blogging that begs for alliteration.  Corny, I know.  But, I like.    Menu Monday, 'cos I talkin' about menus on a Monday.  And not Monday Menu because that just looks like I forgot my "apostrophe s" and this post is not only about Monday's menu. So, here's to Menu Monday!! Al-righty then.  (Hmmm... too Jim Carey-ish you think?  Whatevs.) Anyway, back to the topic at hand... Here's a snap shot of last week's menu (meals and snacks) here at the Ag May household.   Sausages and chips (made from our home grown potatoes) Lamb and Haloumi Braise with mashed potatoes Garlic and Pesto Salmon with Furikaki rice and vegetables Sour Cream Pound Cake (I'm still addicted to this!) Chocolate Chip Cookies (can you smell it?) Granola Bars (ohh - is that a healthy snack you see???) We also had some divine (and I mean DIVINE) eye-fillet steak, rubbed with an Argentine Steak rub accompanied...