June Update

Well - I'd have to say that our June has been very quiet indeed, compared to normal that is! I guess this is in part due to the fact that everyone except me has been sick.  Both girls required three or more days off school - Jazz with a chest infection and asthma, and Eliza with a virus (and later a middle ear infection).   

We started the month off with a trip to Tunza Fun in Belconnen.  I had purchased two double 3-hour passes from Living Social, and decided to use the vouchers on the first weekend in June.... and we did have Tunza fun.  The passes covered a game of bowls, a game of laser tag, the dodgem cars, 15 games on the red machines and unlimited games on the yellow machines for three hours.  I think I paid about $30 per double pass, so it was great value for money.  I'll have to keep my eyes out for more deals of this type.  We all agreed that the laser tag was our favourite - but next time I bags being on Jazz's team as she got the highest score (the Legend indeed!):

Mid June we went back to Goulburn for my Dad's birthday - which is combined with my mum's cousin's birthday.  She is 20 years older than my Dad and their birthdays are only a couple of weeks apart.  Mum and dad spend a bit of time with Barbara, and she has become a constant at family functions over the last 10 years.  She doesn't have a lot of close family left.  We had a Chinese banquet - Fiona, Hellie and I each made a shared dish each, and combined with some fried rice, as well as some fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls, it was all very filling (and much better than doing the normal run to get a heap of pizza's). Eliza was particularly looking forward to going outside after lunch to meet one of the new additions to the farm - a black and white sheep called Sam, a playmate for the existing sheep - Mary and Joseph!

We managed to enjoy a couple of trips to the movies. Once to see Brave - which the girls and Dave and I really enjoyed, and the second time to see Snow White and the Huntsman. The girls saw the preview at the beginning of MIB III the other day, and have been asking to go and see it ever since.... so we did (but only after I found out that it wasn't too violent for them to go and watch). The girls enjoyed it, but I wasn't overly impressed with Kristen Stewart's performace - looks like she can only really play one character (herself!). Lucky there was some eye-candy in the movie in the form of Chris Hemsworth!

The biggest thing to happen this month was Jazz going to school camp.  I really don't know who was more nervous - her or me?  As soon as we got down to the school lots of kids were running up to say hello to her, and her friend Cameron (yes, a boy) asked whether she would like to sit with him on the bus.  He told her that he had a bag of chocolate frogs and a bag of lollies - so of course she agreed.  He's a nice boy and we often walk home from school with him, so I know that he will take good care of her during the day. I guess the hardest things were seeing the buses driving away and knowing that not only was I not going to see her for three days, but I wouldn't be hearing from her either.  At least when the girls go for sleepovers with family they can call you!

Jazz with her friend Cam:

Jazz with all her gear - ready to load it onto the bus:

Scrapbooking and Photography

A couple of favourites this month.  This first one is a simple design using punched butterflies in three different blue patterned papers.  Kept the page to orange/blue colour scheme which I love.

This layout documents the fact that we tend to eat our dinner at the coffee table during the week (Monday to Friday):

Eliza has really taken an interest in cooking lately - so I documented some of her efforts - fantastic for a six year old. I feel quite assured that the girls will still eat well if something happens to me - they have more cooking skills than their daddy whose idea of cooking dinner is dialling for pizza, or wandering down to the local take-away or chinese restaurant!

I got inspiration for this layout from a card that I saw. I just enlarged the faux ribbon, so that I could place the photograph on it.  Used a combo of Websters as well as Echo Park:

Thought I would do a layout on my workspace - now that I have had it for a year or so! I love it - plenty of space for storage of my scrapbooking supplies as well as all my work and business stuff. I love working in this room with it's turquoise walls - I find it very soothing!

I really loved these pictures of Jasmin frollicking on the beach in January. I added some simple quilling to the page to represent waves, a shell, and some bubbles:

I finally got to use one of my Paris scrapbooking papers and a stamp I had purchased from work, to document Jasmin's newly decorated room. We have been getting bits and pieces since Christmas, as she now has her own room.  It is very pretty and cosy as well, being the smaller of the bedrooms.  We all want to go to Paris one day, the girls have been learning French since kindergarten, so I hope this will help when we eventually get there!

I created a stamped background for this layout - inspired by a Jen Gallacher Memory Keeping Monday on Two Peas in a Bucket.

A couple of my favourite Black and White photographs from the photography course I am doing:

This one is called rough and tumble - it's also looks good in colour as you can imagine - as all those leaves are autumn leaves (this pic was taken using my iPhone and Instagram):

I was surprised at how good these red roses looked in black and white.  Dave surprised me one night and bought home a bunch of 12 roses - how romantic (I did ask him what he wanted, or whether he had done something wrong?):

Reading

My favourite for this month was Lost on Planet China. As I am not normally a reader of non-fiction it was a lovely surprise.  Very entertaining read about a man's trip to China, looking at the good as well as the more disturbing aspects of Chinese culture.

43.  Fifty Shades Freed - E L James

Last book in the series done.  I probably wouldn't recommend reading them, they just needed more plot and less sex!

44.  Fever Dream - Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston

Generally a good read if you like books of this nature - crime, mystery starring FBI agent Pentagast.

45.  Lost on Planet China - J. Maarten Troost

A really enjoyable read - educational and entertaining. An insight into China, it's people and culture. The author wrote the book as a tourist, but didn't stop at just telling you all the nice things that tourism guides give you. He had a really good sense of humour as well.

46.  The Temporal Void - Book # 2 - Void Trilogy - Peter F Hamilton

Another good book in the series if you are into Sci-Fi.

47.  The Girl in the Steel Corsett - Book #1 - The Steam Punk Chronicles

First steam punk style book I have read. An enjoyable read.

48.  The Clockwork Angel - Book #1 of the Infernal Devices - Cassandra Clare.

I really enjoyed this book as well - set in 19th century London, with Nephilim, Automatons, Vampires and other creatures.

49.  Destined for an Early Grave - Book # - Jeanniene Frost

50.  This Side of the Grave - Book # - Jeanniene Frost

Nice quick reads, but I think I need a break from these as well - getting a bit same-same!

Cooking and Eating

My father gave me some quinces the other day - he has a tree. Normally I would make another batch of quince paste. Normally a kilo of quinces yields about 12 batches of quince paste, sure beats paying $5+ for a little tub of quince paste at the supermarket!  The paste stores and keeps well, and it also goes well with pork - you can coat it with the paste and grill it - gives you a nice sticky delicious outcome.  Anyway this time I didn't make quince paste - I made poached quinces in orange and vanilla syrup, and had it with Crème Anglaise - I will try this again, it was divine!

I also made a slow-cooked Bolognese Sauce during the month - 10 hours of slow cooking.  It was made with Pork and Veal Mince instead of Beef Mince.

When I just don't feel like cooking, and I don't feel like take-away, then this is a nice compromise - a platter of antipasto with all the stuff I like on it!

On the wine front this month - I scored!  Bought a case of what used to be called Montana Sauvignon Blanc for less than $10 a bottle. It's now called Brancroft Sauvignon Blanc as they now export to the US and apparently couldn't use the same name as the state of Montana.  Anyway - this wine is normally about $18 a bottle, so I was pleased with my purchase from Winemarket.com.au.

Hope everyone is rugging up - seems like the coldest winter we have had in a while. Until next time!