Germs … why do you love us so?

The two younger munchkins were home sick again today coughing like they smoke a pack a day … just awful.

Late in the afternoon when they were busy playing (a.k.a making a mess lol)

I was lucky enough that Eyad decided to snooze

and I got some cooking done. First up was this Tuna Quiche with rice base …

Last night I made a Turkey Bacon Quiche on a rice base (just cook up 1/2 cup of brown rice and then press into the base of the dish). Then to make it “deceptively delicious” I spread some butter nut squash puree over the base before adding the cooked onion, cherry tomatoes and bacon. Then pour over the egg / skim milk and cottage cheese mixture. Throw some slices of tomato on top and sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese.

(This one today was much the same except I substituted canned tuna for the turkey bacon as I knew I making this one solely for me to freeze for myself).

The verdict – mostly good. Laith had two pieces and Ali and I liked it but Lulu and Sami were not so keen. Given that they were both poorly I will let this one slide

Tonight I tried the Mozzarella Sticks from Deceptively Delicious.

Very easy to make up. They were a success in fact there was two requests for more! Sami … well he was a little fussy. He ate one but that was it then again he is not a big cheese eater at the best of times.

Mine (on the right of the picture) were not as nicely shaped as Jessica’s and you have to work quickly with them in the pan and coat them really well with the breadcrumbs. What lurked within you ask? Cauliflower, sesame seeds, and nice whole grain breadcrumbs. These were a winner and I will definitely make up a batch to freeze now.

While in the kitchen I made up a batch of butter nut pumpkin and cauliflower puree. Someone asked me how I store them so this is what I do…

I place 1/2 cup of puree in small zip lock bags. Roll out the air, seal and then write what it is and the date. I freeze them flat as shown in the picture then once frozen I transfer them into my bottom draw standing upright so it is easy to see what is there.

More material folded today but I can see now that I will only be able to eliminate 6 boxes from my room and I was secretly hoping for more but it will be much more efficient and I just love staring at the fabrics and being inspired to make things. Now if I can only find a little more time …

Thanks for stopping by …

Sorry posted late due to internet challenges!

Sorting the Stash

Fabric stash that is … and oh what a job. For years now I have stored my fabrics in large plastic tubs. Our place gets loads of dust especially with the Wave and Airport constructions so it is important to keep the fabrics stored away.

The problem is having them stored away I tend to forget about them

I recently purchased an IKEA billy bookshelf cabinet with glass doors and thought it would make a nice storage solution for my stash.

Slowly (i.e. when the kids and baby let me have 10 minutes) I have been folding my fabrics to fit on the shelves of the new cupboard.

When I took this picture I had 2 boxes done and luckily today I have folded about another half a box.

My question is to all my dear blog readers (ok to the two of you who are reading lol) is ….

HOW DO I SORT IT?????

By colour, type of fabric, yardage, end use, etc. etc.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by …

Deceptively Desperate Chocolate Cake

Today I decided to try the Deceptively Delicious (DD) Chocolate Beet Cake.

I was very skeptical about putting beetroot puree in a chocolate cake and after all the effort of making it and the cream cheese icing / filling I was half expecting to throw the cake in the bin when refused by my fussy trio.

But ladies and gentleman (well I know my brother reads this so there is at least one guy!) it was a success.

Again my version looked very little like Jessica’s but as long as the kids liked it I was not worried.

The cream cheese frosting / filling is quite lush and a small slice is very filling.

The proof is in the pudding which Sami is enjoying here

I will freeze up portions of this now so there are some nice healthy-ish treats in the freezer when the kids need a quick fix.

Also on today's menu was DD Rice Balls.

These took a while to prepare but now that I know what I am doing next time will be a breeze. Sami wolfed these down and let me share with you (she says cackling like an evil witch) what is in these beauties that my kids would normally not eat …

Brown rice, butternut squash puree, potatoes (only because I had not sweet potato puree) and even some broccoli!

I am chuffed because it means that however small an amount Sami ate beetroot, pumpkin and broccoli today!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! Again I have another two meals worth done now for the freezer which will help me on those “what’s for dinner dilemma” nights.

My other culinary effort was to make a meatloaf for me. It was yummy for lunch and now I have several portions ready to go in the freezer too.

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Discover Oman & Happy Australia Day

The kids have just finished a wonderful week of “Discover Oman” at school.

They had lots of different activities, outings etc. Laith went to the souk and fish market, another day on a hike, another to a farm and also a ride on a Dhow (traditional Omani boat built using no nails).

Lulu and Sami both went out to the Natural History Museum and loved seeing the huge whale skeleton and all the animal exhibits. They also did some cooking with their Omani teachers and they were very proud of their efforts.

Yesterday was the last day and the children were to dress in traditional Omani clothes if they wished. Here is Lulu and Sami ready for the “Heritage Day”.

Oh yes and here is Laith annoying them!

I feel so lucky to have the kids at this amazing school.

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY (ok this post is a day late but I was too chattered last night to post LOL).

The night before I thought about it and thought I should send the kids with something Australian to school so I set my alarm a little earlier and googled Anzac Biscuit recipes. Well as fate would have it Eyad woke at 3am for a feed and was quite unsettled so by 4.30am when we were both still awake I decided to head for the kitchen. Eyad fell asleep in his swing pretty quickly and I proceeded to make 3 batches of biscuits for the kids. Actually I made four but the first burnt a liile in my very temperamental oven which I have now decided to call it The Scorpian (my Sister will like that!). Sorry no photos as I was in a bit of a rush to get the kids off to school. They went down a treat with kids and teachers alike and I have promised Laith that it will be lamingtons next year

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Desperate and Delighted with Jessica Seinfeld

The other day I saw Jessica Seinfeld’s book Deceptively Delicious on sale in Borders and thought … hmmmm maybe I will give this a go again for Sami.

I say again because a few years back I got the Sneaky Chef book and cooked for the kids when Laith was going through his fussy eating stage and it worked well. While flicking through the book I liked some of the recipes and thought it could complement the ones I had already tried from the SC.

My darling Sami refuses outright to eat most foods in fact I can probably name all the foods he will eat in two lines ….

bread, some cereals, peanut butter, nutella, plain chicken, beef sometimes, rice plain, and the occasional egg. Yep that is it. (well except for ice-cream, cakes, chocolate and popcorn of course ).

It pains and stresses me to no end that he has not had any fruit for over a year! Sometimes he will eat banana bread but if you try to put a banana in a smoothie he spits it out like you are trying to poison him (sigh).

So lets get started.

I have made up a couple of purees for the freezer …cauliflower, carrot, butternut squash, and sweet potato. We tried the Mac and Cheese which was good (had cauliflower and butternut).

For dinner last night I tried the Cheesy Chicken Cigars (carrot and butternut purees). I used pita bread instead of tortillas and skeptically mixed in my butternut squash puree. He ate it! I could not believe it.

Is this a fluke?????

Tonight I tried the Egg Bakes (which we renamed egg muffins)

Ummm mine did not look so peppy, lol.

Yet again we had success, I almost cried as I watched him eat. OK so I did bribe him with a chocolate if he could show me that he could eat the whole “muffin” as we called it, but as I said I am desperate!

So thank you Jessica. I know that Missy (SC) got me going a few years ago and now I have both of you to help me try and be a very sneaky and deceptive Mum who can at least go to bed knowing some veggies went into her spirited little one today. Oh and by the way the kids raved about the dinner the last three nights so HURAY!

If you want to give it a try here is the site for the Sneaky Chef with some free recipes on it. And this is Jessica’s site which actually focuses more on her latest book but still there is some info there.

Thanks for stopping by …

How to Sew with a Baby

It is not easy but for me there are a few rare moments when Eyad is happy to sit beside me in his bouncy chair.

Here he is while I was making the car seat cover. I attached the neck holder from a previous name badge holder thingy that you wear at conferences etc. I clip it into the tag and then slip my foot into it and give the bouncer a little jiggle.

When I stop he gets restless so I TRY to keep it up. Do you remember as a child when you use to try to pat your head and rub your tummy at the same time? Well it is just the same, jiggle one foot and use the other on the pedal of the sewing machine … if you don’t think about you can do it but once you start thinking about it all goes haywire LOL and you start jiggling the wrong foot.

My sewing efforts also extended to this wrap I made from some lovely soft organic hemp I had in my stash from my Bubbas and Mummas days. E is very happy snuggle on me and it means I get some things done. The support is very good across the back so I don’t feel sore after carrying him for a long time.

I have since made another one from some knit fabric I had in my stash for ages. These were both based on the Mayya Wrap.

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Baby Car Seat Cover

It might have taken me 10 weeks to finally get around to making it but I am pleased to say that one day last week I managed to get a little sewing done to produce this cover. These covers are great for keeping the sun out, a nice dark place for baby to rest his eyes and better still it keeps all those well meaning germ laden hands off bub (you have not idea how many kids want to pinch his cheeks!).

I initially looked at this tutorial over at Vanilla Joy blog however I got a little OCD about having the design of the print turned the wrong way so I just fudged it and came up with this …

The material is from IKEA and I made the binding from some fabric I picked up in the local store, not sure who it is by.

This is the cover over the car seat which is fitted into the stroller frame.

I needed a nice large one that I could also use to block the sun out while he is in the car.

Another thing I was not keen on with many of the tutorials was the fact that you needed to velcro the strips to the bar (noise when a baby is sleeping can be deafening LOL) and that you have to thread it under the bar to secure it. So I made a little peep-hole that sits on top of the bar that allows you to carry it and it also acts as a peep hole when the cover is on and you are out and about with bub to see if he is still snoozing away. (Can you see him below he is snoozing on the school drop off run)

The other reason for the length is that I wanted to also cover the distance from the pram hood to the foot rack so that I could use it in both situations.

There are many tutorials on the web and a few patterns for sale too so if you have been thinking about making one of these then go for it, mine took only a few hours (with lots of interruptions) then again it is pretty simple in design.

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Auntie Sharon’s Visit

Although my sister has been gone for some time now I had this post half written in my drafts and finally I am getting the time to finish it.

Sharon came over just before Eyad’s birth. She kindly offered to donate her blood for me which was required before my c-section however after all the effort she could not donate as she was on a visit visa and the blood bank would not accept her.

Blood or no blood it was brilliant to have her here. The kids of course think she is the best thing since sliced cheese as she is the doting Autie, you know the fun one compared to grouchy old mummy who always enforces the rules etc. ,

She did the really cool things like make the kids their own special planes so they could go on their “holiday”.

And lots of cooking cookies … yummo.

And playing games, puzzles, arts and crafts …

Sharon pretty much had daily activities for them so they were kept busy while I had a baby, looked after a baby etc.

She was even delegated school run driver /  liaison officer not an easy task getting all three to school on time with all the things they need to bring and to the right place etc. She was also my party planner for Lulu’s 5th Birthday party which was ever so kind as that was actually her birthday too!

Everyone was so exhausted we celebrated her birthday the next day.

The only downside is that when she left the kids expected me to step into the Activity Director’s role … ah yeah lets face it that was not going to happen, ha-ha.

So a HUGE thank you to my darling sister for being so wonderful. Until next time, we love you heaps!

Thanks for stopping by …

Slinging into action.

Sewing, it is a wonderful substitute for therapy at a fraction of the cost

Since Eyad’s birth I have not achieved a great deal other than tending to the needs of this beautiful boy who is asleep on my lap as I type this post. I don’t mind really because that is my job right now. I am fortunate enough to have home help, co-operative understanding children and a husband who is very helpful which makes my job much easier. However, I do miss my sewing / therapy. It relaxes me, it inspires me, it motivates me and it destresses me.

Today I was fortunate enough to get a little sewing done in the form of two slings and some flannel baby wraps.

Sling #1 is pouch style and made for me as I was not too keen on the fabric I used for my last one.

Still having “baby brain” I forgot that I made my first one as a double layer and after making this one as single I immediately preferred the feel of the double. The fabric has been in my stash for some time and I even have a little left over so maybe a skirt for Lulu?

Sling #2 is the same style only I made this one a reversible pouch. The green camo fabric with butterflies is one of my all time favourite fabrics and I had only this little bit left which I was saving for the right project.

(isn’t my hubby a darling to model for me!)

I wanted to make a sling for my dear friend who had a wee baby girl six weeks after Eyad. I combined both fabrics and she can choose depending on her mood. Her little one likes to be held allot just like Eyad so I hope this will make life a little easier for her.

Finally I made three big flannel wraps for Eyad.

I like to wrap him up at night and I fool myself into thinking he sleeps longer LOL.

Lets see if I can continue with my therapy this week as it really does pep up my spirits.

Thanks for stopping by …