Escape 2 Create 2012

Escape 2 Create 2012

This weekend just gone was the Escape 2 Create retreat and again, the girls wowed us with their attention to detail, wonderful ladies teaching classes, food, prizes, goodie bags... the list goes on. 

Again, like I am after every retreat wether it is a mini one or the big cahuna, I come away feeling so refreshed and inspired, creativeness just feels like I want it to burst out of me... I had ideas galore.

Some photos!! (which I did upload 'in order' but are now not in order... oh well!!)

I love these two and right now am feeling ultra sad that we live so far away, just feel like I am too far away! Have lots of feelings about this but oh well!! Love that we all can go to E2C together!! Yeah!! 

Carrie Speed made Fridays afternoon tea, a gorgeous selection of sweets, and a gorgeous Carrot type of cake which I did not try but everyone loved to bits!!!! 

Dinner Sat night, Scotch Fillet wrapped in bacon, and look at the gorgeous salads!! So spoilt, it was all delicious, we are certainly spoilt for food when we are there! 

Desert on Sat night too... An Apricot Danish sort of thing... I'm not totally keen on Apricot puree or stewed apricots so it wasn't my favourite, but everyone else seemed to love it! I think I saw Tatum have two!! (a few hours apart I might add)

Tatum and Lauren re-enacting part of their flash mob routine!! Lots of laughs Saturday night. Tears rolling down cheeks type of thing. Absolutely funny!! 

T

A snap of my workspace.... Love it!! And a newfound love of washi tape, I have HEAPS coming!! Oops! 

Our table... I love photos like this. A total creative mess. A fabulous mess. At our table we had Nat May, Kate Mason, Mardi Winen, Tatum, Lauren and I. I was in such wonderful company. Everyone creates so differently. To watch Kate and Mardi work at their spaces was very inspiring indeed. And what wonderful women they are. I have met Kate a couple of times, and always thought she was beautiful, but to spend this extended amount of time in her company was truly fabulous... Her mixed media work is absolutely jaw dropping, I was in my element... And totally inspired by the techniques I learnt in her class!! 

Mardi Winen is such a beautiful talented lady!! Smaller than I had imagined... Teeny tiny!! But how gorgeous? I loved Mardi's class, we did two layouts, I have a brand new appreciation for glue dots and the wonder that they bring!! I too have loved reading Mardi's blog for years now, and to sit right next to her, and get to know her a little bit was special. She is into a lot of lovely crafty things, which I love to hear about and drool about!! 

And Nat, well I actually went to Kindy with Nat and we were besties as teeny tiny kids... But then I went to Public school and Nat to private school, and we did rekindle a friendship in High School by writing letters for a little while when she had moved to Adelaide but lost touch again. So it has been lovely to get to know her a bit again since Tatum's birthday high tea in March 2011... To see her LO's in progress and see her ideas come out and onto paper was fantastic. I really love that we are in each others lives again. I'm really enjoying that!! 

Our names on EVERYTHING!!! Loved it!! 

My view from where I sat.... Tatum across and Mardi next to me... Meredith having a chat about something... I won't say what!! LOL!! 

The shed. I love this photo... Can I go back now?

Having a glass of Moet with Tatum and Lauren Friday afternoon....

I love love love my name on my belongings!! Oh yes!! 

Friday nights welcoming!! 

Another pic of the general rabble on the table!! 

I can hardly believe that it has come and gone for another year. I ALWAYS come away feeling creatively rejuvenated, more so this year I think... I have so many crafty/creative things that I want to get into, I think I have better start putting some ideas down and start learning different techniques and get on with it!! 


I can't wait to catch up with my table mates at some stage!! Probably in about a year the way every one is going!! All so busy!! 


Leave me a message if you visit, I do love a message!! 

Neglected

Hi there, well I have been totally neglecting my blog. 

To be honest my Canon kept coming up with ERROR 99 when i was taking photos and I lot the plot with Fat Mum Slims prompts.... I have still been taking photos everyday on my phone or using my Lumix, but it's not the same to me. Just not the same.

Thank God for Google. I googled Canon and the make of my camera and Error 99 and up came a solution. (either body, card or lens)  So I was able to change my lens and the problem has been fixed. I love taking my photos but am severely lacking in the tech side of things... Time to take it up a notch I think, before the end of the year anyway, it will be time for a new camera I think and get right into taking better pics... (I think I have said this before!) 

Anyway, a few pics of the last however long it has been since I have been here!! 

 Overcooked baked Apricot Swirl Cheesecake that I had been promising one of my bosses for about 6 months, I thought I had better make it before I left.... He had one slice and that was it!! Wouldn't even take some home!! LOL!! 

 Hot cross buns that Kelly (a Mum of a classmate) spent ALL day the Tuesday before Easter at school making for her class!! Dedication... I went along after I had finished work for moral support!! 

 My crazy little one!! Enough said!! 

 Special time with Dad!! 

 Beautiful view while drinking a cider and having nibbles at Pt Neill after we arrived and took the kids to the beach for a splash and a play!

 Lexi chilling out in the caraban (that's what she calls it) playing her DS...

 All the kids with their eggs after Triona made them a treasure hunt on Back Beach.... SO much fun for them!! 

 Helping Dad paint the front fence. Mia OMG got so much paint on her clothes, in her hair, up her arms.... She was a happy little helper though! 

 Homemade wonton soup. Very good although must remind myself next time to not put prawns in them, I reckon it made them too sweet.... But it was really really good regardless!!!

 In Mia's bed just before lights out (or not out in our case!!) A cute moment... Just trying to delay sleep time!! 

 New yummies that are going in the garden tomorrow!! 

Mia and Lexi today. 

My girls are growing up so fast. Time is whizzing by. 

Mia is growing like a flower!! She is getting so big physically and mentally too... Have to buy her size 9 clothes and she has big feet too... Almost ready for a size 3.... Such a good girl most of the time. Pushes buttons sometimes but on the whole really helpful and caring... 

Lexi is finally toilet trained and has been for 2 weeks. There really was no training involved, she just did it. Even at night, no pull-ups for her which is totally different from Mia. Lexi has wet the bed twice but both times she was so so tired. She also wakes me up to go to the toilet! Good girl. 

I haven't been working for almost 2 weeks now and although I have missed Leonie, I haven't missed work. I am so enjoying my girls company and we have been kept busy doing things. Easter, Art classes, Playgrounds, Mia has gone with her different Grandparents, and so has Lexi, and we went to Louth Beach on the weekend... All so much fun, and throw in a few coffees here and there too, and it has been a whirlwind.. I'm loving being at home and know now that we made the right decision for us right now!!

x

...

Day 29.

Feet.

Day 30.

Toys. 

Lexi's dressing table. Ok I cheated and took my last 3 pics today. But her dressing table looked just the same on the 30th... HAHA!! Toys and books everywhere...

Day 31. 

Where you relax...

One of the two pictured here. I like to sit up in the recliner or lay on the lounge occasionally after the kids go to bed. If I lay down though there is a good chance I'll go to sleep, so I don't do that so often. I try to hang in the playroom a few nights a week lately. Scrapping is on my mind, but sometimes I just sit at my desk and watch tele there. Weird? yep! 

April. Day 1.

Your reflection. 

I have been grumpy, tired, and picky at the girls all day. Everything is getting to me today. For example, Mia has been asked for nearly 4 years to make sure she puts her stickers from her apples in the bin. But nup, I find them everywhere. I ask her to clean up and she cries. I ask her to help Lexi and she whinges. They say don't sweat the small stuff and I try not to but when there are about 200 small things pissing you off, it's hard not to get sweaty. I simply can't wait for Easter. Get out of this house for 4 days. Drink heaps of alcohol, eat the bestest yummiest foods like my have Camembert, Quince paste, crispy bikkies and let the kids have a ball without a care in the world. Easter Bunny may just visit, I just know he is going to bring me a Darrel Lea easter egg hand rolled in peanut brittle. He let me know a bit earlier what his plans were!! lol!! 

Yesterday I had a Thermomix Demo here. I will admit I was sceptical. I went to my cousins demo but got there too late and didn't really see what it could do. 

 Above we have the most yummiest dip I have had for ages, made from cream cheese, parsley, garlic and probably a couple of other things I can't remember, and also the parmesan cheese that was grated in the TMX ready for the risotto. Apparently grated cheeses have an anti-caking agent in them which can be quite bad, I learnt a few things about what companies put in food and what restrictions Australia has lacking in compared with Europe. I saw Karyn (the rep) make fresh fruit sorbet in next to no time with minimal fruit and ice and home made icing sugar. Which again, icing sugar that we buy has not so good things in it to stop it from being a lump. I saw her make icing sugar in less than a minute. The sorbet was so good. And Karyn said she has no qualms in making her kids sorbet every day in Summer as she can easily control the sugar content. I froze the left over sorbet into block which was lovely in the champagne once the demo was over. 

A beetroot 'salad' that was probably more like a dip which we had with the risotto. It was so quick to make and also was ultra tasty.

Blurry photo of the mushroom risotto. Once things were in the TMX, it took only 16 minutes to cook. And was actually very nice. I would have added a little salt while it was cooking just because I felt that it needed  that little bit of a boost, but other than that, delish. And 16 minutes?? You couldn't even drink a glass of wine in that time. One of my friends said, 'but I really like standing and stirring the risotto when I make it' which Karyn replied that yes, there is still a time and place to do that but when you are busy and want to put a quick and very healthy meal on the table, this is where the TMX is handy.

Karyn, Reah, Michelle and a tiny bit of Monique (sorry) in the photo. THe TMX is on the counter if you want to have a better look. 

And the bread. 

Once I know I am on my way to getting a TMX, my bread maker is definitely going. I am simply going to sell it. I watched as Karyn ground her grain, added salt, yeast, warm water, all in about the space of 5 minutes. She bought the dough out of the TMX and kneaded it for about 1 minute. She wrapped  

up the dough in a silicone mat with room for it to prove. It sat there for a while while she got on with other things and Reah shaped it into knots and the rolls were put in a cold oven, the second prove happened while the oven was warming. Then they were out... And so yummy. Different from bought bread of course as there was NOTHING added extra. I had left over bread rolls with left over dip for dinner last night, the taste of all the food begin so wholesome without extras was really good. 

I didn't take photos of the desert we had which were lemon cupcakes that were made by Karyn's daughter for us and a custard with them which was absolutely divine. Again, made in the TMX with ground raw sugar and milk and so on, I have never tasted such a beautiful lemony custard. Ever. I am so happy to have the leftovers in my fridge...

I am smitten if you can't already tell. It can even help to clean itself. Amazing. I am now going to be on a mission to sell un-needed and un-used things in my house in a garage sale in a couple of months to accumulate the money I need to buy this machine. We can afford one, no question, but I know Brenton won't approve, and now that I quit my job (haha) I will buy this thing off my own back. It won't be bought with any of Olympic Dams money. I am looking around my house thinking, I can sell this, I can sell that, we don't use this, we don't use that. I know already that it is going to be fantastic. I won't be buying dips, custards, yogurts, icing sugar, I will be able to grind my own coffee beans in an instant, truly the possibilities are endless. And making passata, relishes, chutneys, all will be so easy. And wholesome. And quick.

Sorry for the spiel if you even happen to read this, but I just am in love. 

Anyone wanna buy a never used Pie Maker? A Kenwood food processor perhaps?? A Breadmaker used less that half a dozen times?? LOL!!! 

x