A day in my life

6:45 The alarm sounds. It is not unexpected. I hit snooze and hunker down for 'five more minutes'. I grab my little radio and earphones and start listening to Radio National (Aussie NPR) to catch up on events. I am a total news junkie and will listen to my little radio in bed in the morning and night time.


7.00 I am awake now but recalcitrant. I stay in bed and check emails (and yes, shame file, Face book and Twitter).


7:10 When I finally actually get out of bed I am officially late-ish. I brush my teeth and 'get dressed to shoes' (thanks Flylady). I am a night time showerer. I cannot stand getting in to bed without washing the day off me. It is also much easier with blow drying hair, and I usually exercise at night.

A splash and dash freshens me for the morning, then into hair and make up.


Despite already being late-ish I decide to experiment with a new up-do. I am looking for a fancy lady lawyer do suitable for court that does not interfere with the pulsating pain emanating from my brainstem.


After wrangling pins for 20 minutes I give up and go with a loose-ish ballet bun with a bit of volume up front.


7.45 I prod hubs awake (again) and this time it takes. We make the bed together (only sure-fire way neither of us will get back in) and he heads down stairs to forage for food.


My clothes are ready. I get them all out and select accessories the night before (Flylady again).


It is Fashion Friday and I have a big case starting so I am wearing a favorite lacy skirt that ALWAYS draws compliments (not that I expect the Judge to be impressed by my skirt, but it will give me extra confidence in Court).

I realize I will never be a truly successful blogger if I cannot take photos of myself in the mirror. Must work on this!

7.55 I head downstairs and get ready to leave. Hubs hands me the pre-conception vitamins I must take with food. I am nowhere near hungry so I chew down half a muesli bar (is that food for these purposes?) and take my vitamins.

I grab a bagel for the road to appease my husband (doubting it ill be consumed...) and my coffee. My one, precious, 150mg coffee I get in a day. 

8.10 I am now officially late. I step outside and remember I live on the Yorkshire Moors and not in suburban Sydney.

I kiss Heathcliff goodbye and set out. My usually 40 minute drive is lengthened due to the uncharacteristic mist and fog. 


9.05 Walk in the door to my office. I prepare to be bombarded! I supervise a team of solicitors and support staff, as well as running my own practice. I know my staff will have loads of questions and problems for me as soon as I walk in. I also know I am trying a huge case and it starts today. I will need time in my office to focus and prepare.


The first person I see is my assistant. She thrusts a post-it at me stating that a lawyer from another firm wants me to mention something for him today. I hand the post-it off to the solicitor handling that particular matter and keep going.


Before I get to my office three more staff approach me. I love supervision but it does eat in to the time I can spend on my actual cases! I am lamenting the extra time in bed and hair styling this morning. My brain stem continues to pulsate.


I deposit the bagel in the fridge with every intention to eat it. One day.


9.20 I gather up all the files and documents I need for this hearing. 

I realize it will not all fit in the suitcase I take to Court so I off-load a few volumes to the junior solicitor assisting me to carry.


A final check of my inbox (virtual and physical), a whip around the staff to make sure they are all set for the day and I head off with my posse. There are four of us walking to court together.


9.30 On the way out my boss wishes me luck. She knows this is a huge case and how demanding it has been.


9.40 Arrive at Court and chat with the other solicitors in my matter.  The case involves two profoundly deaf parties so we need sign language interpreters. There has been an ongoing argument about the qualifications of the interpreters the court has previously booked. One solicitor informs me that if Level 2 interpreters arrive she is applying to the Supreme Court for a stay of the proceedings. I am glad I wore my fancy skirt.


10am Parties are called into Court. We have three level 3 interpreters and one is on the way. We are told the 4th person is a level 2. The Judge stands us down until they arrive. 


I take the time to properly unpack all my files on the bar table and get situated.


10.10 The fourth interpreter arrives and is a level 3! Hallelujah! The Judges allows the interpreters to re-arrange the room a little to allow the best visual line. They advise him how they will conduct the translations and that they rotate every 15 minutes.  We are reminded to speak slowly and clearly to assist them.


10.30 Evidence finally commences. Due to the interpreters it is slow going. Very shortly a huge argument erupts over some documents that were not contained in the discovery. The Judge goes off the bench and the lawyers all look at the new document.


Legal argument continues and we do not get very far at all.


11.30 The Judge calls morning tea and orders all the lawyers to get together and work out an agreed version of the document. I feel physically and emotionally like I have been slamming my head on the bar table all morning.


11.55 Cross-examination of the first witness continues.


1pm We brake for lunch. I had to the cafe across the road and grab my favorite felafel zataar and a coke. Full strength coke! Very unusual for me. I need it today.


While all my colleagues eat at the cafe I return to court to review the newly discovered documents and refine my cross.


2pm I cross examine the first fitness. I go last in the order, just before re-examination. I call for some documents which the witness now says never existed. Legal argument arises again.


3pm The second witness is called. Her evidence in chief last 45 minutes.


3.45 The judge realises we will not finish this witness today so he excuses her. We spend 20 minutes on legal argument and housekeeping. The matter has 4 more days, but not until 9 August. We confirm the order of witnesses for the remaining days.


4.20 Pack up my bags to head to the office. One of the lawyers in my case (who I support) wants to debrief. We have a quick chat and agree that we cannot decide where the Judge is leaning. It is too early.


4.30 I walk back to the office. I seriously consider heading straight home.


4.40 I arrive in the office as people are packing up to start the weekend. Although I have been in court all day I have not actually got any work done! I spend and hour on paperwork, emails and correspondence. I prepare the files I need for court on Monday.


6pm I leave work for the week and head home! Hooray! It is raining so the drive is still slow. Un-hooray!


6.50 Arrive at home and Hubs is already in his music room working on The Full Monty. We agree on Pizza for dinner (hey people - i know this would be a big day and actually wrote take-out on the meal plan!).


7.30 We settle down with pizza, cheesey garlic bread and shows on the DVR.

Is there a better site on a Friday night?


9.20 I am fading fast. I give in to my patheticness and head upstairs. After a quick shower I get my ballet clothes ready for the next morning. Hubs sets up the coffee machine and timer (bless him).


I read for a while and indulge in my latest obsession - Tetris on my DS. 


10.00 I put the news on my little radio and settle in for sleep. Hubs is still reading.


Soon it will be time for ballet.


Note - my husband's name is not really Heathcliff.

Appliance love

I do love  good kitchen appliance. There is a hierarchy of love. Those on the counter like the toaster and kettle are a bit passe. My love for them has faded. They are regular, comfortable. A comfy pair of socks. A snugly sweater stretched in just right.

The coffee machine is my wild crazy love. It is a forbidden love. Coffee is dangerous and exciting and I know it is not good for me, but I must have it.

My slow cooker? My beloved crock-pot? Let me count the ways.....

My crock-pot is constantly surprising me. I am never bored with it. Never grow tired of it. It reinvents itself all the time! It has never disappointed me.

This week I tried a new recipe. I was nervous. Each new recipe is like a first date. I have heard ceramic crocks can be temperamental. A recipe that works for one will be dry and burnt in another. Cooking times vary.

I calculated these risks and took the plunge.

Sweet potato pork roast.

Risky. A gamble. Not flavors that usually go with pork. Would I be happily surprised again?

I chopped up a large sweet potato, large onion and some garlic and tossed it in the crock. On top of that went a rolled piece of pork, drizzled with olive oil.

No searing, no pan-frying. All in - uncomplicated.

When I got home from work I was dazzled by the aroma. The sweet potato and onion had dissolved into a sweet garlicy sauce to pour over the pork.

As the supper was keeping warm I had an inspiration! This is the kind of love that takes me to new heights. How about spinach?

With my heart racing I lifted the lid and threw in a huge handful of spinach leaves! The heat from the crock wilted them down perfectly.

When hubs got home he too was dazzled by the aroma. I did absolutely nothing to disabuse him of the notion that I had been slaving in the kitchen for hours.

I plated up with the mashy sweet potato on the bottom, a layer of spinach topped with the pork. I drizzled the sauce all over it.

Then I washed out the beautiful shiny ceramic crock.

One of my best dinners EVER took about 8 hours to make. I was only there for about 30 minutes of it!

I do love my slow cooker.

I am such a bad mid-week blogger. I lurch through the week and then realize I have not blogged once. I read blogs everyday. I just don't post on my blog.

I blog in my head. That's right. As I go about my business I draft witty and insightful posts in my head, I chronicle my activities, I comment on the modern existence. I just don't actually type any of it. The blog in my head is SO popular and has 100s of followers and comments every day.

Sigh.

I have enjoyed the EA Designs blogs -  A day in the Life of - series. My absolute favorite thing about blogging is the window into people's worlds. What they eat, how they fix their hair, what dishes they use, routines and regular every day things. I love that!

I am going to chronicle a day in the life of me. Tomorrow. If I remember.

We have had a crazy week. Hubs is in full rehearsal mode now for The Full Monty (band not cast thank goodness!). He also has his big student concert in September for all his guitar students. My girlfriends teach piano, singing and drums so all the teachers get together for a big show. It is a rock extravaganza. This is no piano recital. I get to do programs. I have zero rock credibility!

We had a fun weekend. We were out of coffee (DAH DAH DAAAAAH evil sounding music) so we headed to Starbucks. Before we left, hubs asked if I wanted to "spruce up".

What the....?

Yes, we are still married. Just.

Admittedly I was in my PJs when he asked this, and my hair hadn't seen a hairbrush in about 12 hours, and my shiny face was sans makeup. No excuse. I remember when he thought I looked beautiful all the time.

Correction. I remember when he said I looked beautiful all the time!

So I grudgingly put on actual clothes. No makeup though! On principle! (Also Starbucks is a 15 minute drive away and the chances of seeing anyone I knew were slim to none!).

I only have myself to blame for how I look in this picture!


Sigh.

Fairy Godlady

Why can I run an office, yet I run out of milk at home? Why can I supervise ten staff and their caseloads but not keep track of medical appointments? Why is my desk at work super tidy, and my study at home is the Room of Doom? How come I can cross examine expert witnesses, run appeals and kick butt in court, yet I can't get dinner on the table?

I filed my submissions in time - but forgot the dry cleaning. My affidavit is AWESOME... but do I actually have clean underwear for tomorrow?

My friends, I am a SHE. A Sidetracked Home Executive. I am a high achiever. I am driven, motivated, confident. Dare I say it...I am a perfectionist. For some reason, I can juggle a hundred plates in the air from 9 - 5 but when I walk in my front door I am stepping on broken china.


I would like to introduce you all to someone special. This is Flylady. She is my Fairy Godlady!

A few years ago I was in an accident and had some serious physical and emotional issues afterwards. I was suddenly turned from a high achieving dynamo to a bleh - too hard person. Things I could previously do with ease were hard and impossible.

Some higher power brought me together with Flylady. I was desperately reaching out for other women who were struggling with juggling all our different roles and getting everything done.

Flylady has developed her amazing website into a one-stop shop for advice, motivation, guidance and support. Through email testimonials I got to know the journeys of other women (some who were walking my journey but with a bunch of children to care for!).

Slowly I worked the Babysteps and built my routines. I regained my confidence and my home began to shine! Flylady focuses on decluttering and doing things one step at a time. By working with a timer you will be AMAZED at what you can get done in 15 minutes.

Not everyone is a natural Domestic Diva. Some of us have to work at it. If you struggle to keep the dishes washed, the laundry folded or enough food in the pantry - have a look at Flylady. She saved my life and my sanity.

The best part is that Flylady is a free service! Go have a look. If you are a SAHM or a Payroll She (which I am) there are different plans and tips for you.

My husband and I frequently stop and acknowledge how great our life is thanks to Flylady.

Now, we ALWAYS have milk, I often get dinner on the table and we usually have clean underwear!

Trying times

Do you want to know the biggest secret in my secret wife life?

Lean in real close and I will whisper it.

We are trying for a baby.


SHHHH! The only people that know are you and my sister.

When I think of "trying to get pregnant" I imagine thermometers and calendars and darting off into broom closets and dashing home at lunch. We aren't trying that hard!

It is month two. I have a great doctor who I trust and genuinely love. He assures me most perfectly healthy fertile couples fall pregnant in about six months.

Six months??


This is killing me! When I decide to do something, it gets done. I cannot imagine this taking six months, or longer. I made up my mind, and now I want to get on with it.

I know everyone (the doctor, books, many of you) say don't stress or obsess about it. relax and it will happen.

That is not how I role. I plan, and organize, and list, and study, and arrange, and strategize.....

I know this is out of my hands. There is a plan for me and my family. I get that. Could you at least let me in on the plan?


I will say honestly I was disappointed after month 1. In my mind I did not expect it in the first month. In my heart? I am ready to be pregnant.

I will give it one more month then I am getting a thermometer and visiting a voodoo priestess.

The Ex Files ~ the final chapter?

I took a breath and went to find my mother-in-law. Either she was with the Ex, or she was alone and maybe needed someone. I was determined to find her whatever the outcome.

I found Beryl alone downstairs, crying quietly. Large family gatherings like this still upset her. It would never be the same without Walter. It was painfully obvious to me, so it must have broken her heart.

I embrace her and whispered some comforting daughter-in-law words to her. We headed upstairs arm in arm. I was reminded that this huge loud noisy group was my family now. This crazy little old lady was my mother in law. Forever.

As I write this, almost three weeks later, I still get a sting when I think about that night. About her. The other woman. The earlier woman.

G and I weren't teenagers when we met. I was in my late 20s and he in his early 30s. We both had a past. We had both lived and loved before. The sudden appearance of an old girl friend was a shock to me, but not a surprise.

I am the girl he proposed to on the Ferris wheel at Luna Park. I am the one he married on Hamilton Island. I wept with him at his father's grave. I am the one he has chosen. Forever.

The family started to trickle away as the night grew to a close. The baby was sleepy. The children were stuffed with cake and ice cream. I ordered Beryl a latte to sip with her Hawks cake.

I felt good that we had given her a nice 75th birthday.

As we were leaving I overheard Beryl's friend Robin say "it was so nice of Donna to bring you that coffee".......

The Ex Files Part 2

I pulled my shoulders back and raised my chin. I tried to channel Princess Mary, Bree Vander Camp, June Dally Watkins and Carrie Bradshaw all at once. Anything to give the courage to endure this evening.

Donna approached our table and I made a quick assessment. Looks older than hubs (but he does have that Dorian Grey painting in the garage). Washed out hair scraped into a pony tail. Miss matched inexpensive silver jewellery. No evidence of a wedding or engagement ring. Waitress.


I quickly chastised myself for being so bitchy. Where was this coming from? She didn't choose us. She didn't arrange this. She probably isn't happy to arrive at work and see her ex and his entire family seated in her section. I took a breath and told myself to calm down. I was not in a movie or a sit-com. This is just life.

That zen moment lasted about 8 seconds.

Then she grabbed my husband and embraced him in a HUGE hug. That lingered. Hubs arms hung down and he shot me a desperate look over her shoulder, not hugging back.

"G! It is so good to see you! I made sure I was assigned to your table. I cannot wait to see everyone!" Ignoring me the entire time.


"G and I used to date." Oh, you can see me sitting here? Well I am his wife and get your arm off his back lady!!


"I've made all the arrangements. Do you like the brown and gold balloons? I thought it was a nice touch." Pretty sure that was my idea! I arranged for the restaurant to get the brown and yellow balloons.

"I have seated your mum up here. This is the empty chair I have kept for your dad. I made sure we had a chair for him." Ahh, also my idea. we had an empty chair at our wedding for Wal and at my birthday dinner.


My husband is frozen and mute this entire time. Not only does he not introduce me he does not even acknowledge me.

She rushes away to tend to another table. You know, because she is a waitress.  Before leaving she squeezes hubs arm and then rubs it.

"Does she know you two broke up?" I snap. "We have been married 18 months and I am not sure she got the memo. We were together 4 years before we got married. You actually did break up with her didn't you?"

The look on my husband's face suggested he wished that the Knight in armour would come to life and joust him so that he would either die or at least have to leave and seek medical attention.

He asked if I would like a drink from the bar.

"What? No table service? Vodka lime and soda and keep them coming."

While hubs was at the bar his sister and brother in law arrived. Kathy is next eldest to Glenn. She did a reading at our wedding and her son was a groomsman. I love Kathy and her husband Ian. They really did make me feel welcome when I joined their family.

As soon as Kathy sat down Donna made a beeline for her.

"Kathy!" she squealed. "Remember me? Donna? I used to date G". Does this woman have no dignity? No decorum? Was she raised by the bar dancers in Coyote Ugly?


Kathy shot me a woman to woman look. "Hi Donna. What a surprise. Good to see you."

"Do you still live down the coast? Haven't seen you for ages! How are the kids? Do you still have the salon?" Be quiet waitress. This is not your family. It is none of your business where she lives. You haven't seen her for ages because YOU AND G BROKE UP 10 YEARS AGO!!




The next to arrive was G's niece and her family. She has a 10 year old son. "Hi Cass! Hey Liam" ruffling his hair. Liam at least stayed loyal to me. He looked at the lunatic waitress ruffling his hair like she was, well, a lunatic. Liam must have been a tiny baby when you were with G. How do you know him?


As more family arrived and warm greetings continued my blood pressure started to rise. With every hug and kiss I felt more and more invisible and insignificant. It was like I was invisible. She inserted herself into every conversation. Knew every person.

Every so often she would come over and lean over hubs and whisper in his ear. Were we ready for entrees? What time did we want cake? Innocent thing. It was the way she asked them that upset me. Draping her arm over his back. Leaning in close to whisper in his ear. Totally familial. She knew my husband before I did.

My only solace was my wing-woman Rae. She was a friend of mine who ended up marrying hubs best friend. (I know, sounds like a rom-com again.) Rae shared my pain. While her husband laughed at me and my discomfort she squeezed my hand and traded bitchy comments with me.

It seemed Hubs entire family was so happy to see this woman. So happy to catch up with her. She was so inappropriate. Overly familiar. Butting in to conversations. Acting like one of the family. I was ignored. I had no stories of the good old days. It was before I existed in this family. Remember the house on Peacock st? Remember the holiday to blah? Remember the time blah blah happened?

I felt betrayed and humiliated. Was I being overly dramatic? Rae didn't think so. She suggested a casual foot extended as Donna carried a stack of plates, or a wayward elbow.

I rose above physical retaliation.

"She may have been in touch with my mum a bit over the years." WHAT? "Mum always really liked Donna. I think they have stayed in touch." Really liked Donna? As opposed to what? For 10 years? The woman who only ever calls your mobile phone and never our house?


At one point during the meal I noticed Beryl, my mother in law, was missing. I thought she may be a bit emotional. I decided to go look for her. Then I realised Donna was also not in sight. Should I go look for Beryl? What if I see them having a cosy private chat? It would be so embarrassing?

The Ex-Files Part 1

It was my mother in law's 75th birthday. It was her wish that the whole family to go out for dinner.  She chose a little restaurant in our town. More of a cafe really. At night they opened a bar and spun a disco ball for evening ambiance.

Hubs and I had arranged the party. Even though he is the youngest in the family he/we usually arranges these things. We arrived early, toting the Hawthorn football team themed cake, to make sure the arrangements we requested had been made.

The cafe is set in a little sandstone cottage-like building that looks like it may once have been a church, but it wasn't. It is renowned for the artsy / crafty items for sale in the gift shop and spread throughout the premises. Is your skin crawling yet?

We climbed the cobble steps and entered the bright gift shop at the front. Our every sense was bombarded with nic nacs, bric a bracs and every type of kitch souvenir and memorabilia you can name.

Coffee mugs, pencil cases, door plaques, aprons depicting male and/ or female genitalia and body features, stuffed animals, paintings......... Signs with corny sayings like "Kiss the cook" that I would never hang in my kitchen, or "Working Hard? Or Hardly Working?" that I would never hang in my workplace.

The worst kind of crass Australiana mixed with crass commercialism that made my teeth hurt and my toes curl.

We were greeted at the door by a lovely 11 year old waitress who had the perky demeanour that suggested "when I am done with my shift here I am going to a night club to dance until dawn, not sleep, and will still look like a Nutrogena commercial tomorrow!"

She showed us upstairs to the room where parties are held. The decor upstairs was no less surreal. At one end of the cavernous room was a small dance floor and a raised platform that made do as a stage. Perched atop the stage was a dapper middle aged man with a guitar, strumming some dinner music. He was joined on stage by a Hawaiian themed back drop and a life sized Marilyn Monroe cut out (thing 7 year itch. I know you know the one).

To his left was a large and real looking suit of armour (actually the coolest thing in the whole place). At the other end of the room, opposite the old Knight, were three of the hugest teddy bears I have ever seen. Let me tell you, I am not sure who I would bet on in a fight - the Knight in the armour or the humongous teddies.

I surveyed the room and found two large tables decked out with brown and yellow balloons - representing Beryl's beloved Hawks. We palmed the cake of to the perky waitress and had a look around.

Suddenly, Hubs grabbed my arm urgently and said "Sit down, I need to tell you something". I immediately panicked, and contemplated his timing. If we are having one of those talks why now? In public? AT his mother's birthday? If he wants his letterman sweater back he picked a BAD time to ask.

"Don't look, but that waitress over there? Her name is Donna and we used to date."

My head IMMEDIATELY snapped around to see the waitress. THANK GOODNESS it was not the perky 11 year old who I would have had to have killed.

Hubs gestured to an older, washed out looking waitress in the back. I heaved a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry. I will introduce you and tell her you are my wife."

"No. Smile at her if you must and then we can pretend we do not know her." I retort. I had no intention of getting into that awkward mess.

"That will be difficult when my mum arrives. She will remember Donna. She loves her".

My stomach turned. This would be a long night.

Blog Gremlins

It has been brought to my attention that there are some gremlins in my blog. My beautiful Ashley Brooke Designs header is being chopped off! Also, weird yellow spelling alerts are popping up no matter what I do  to the setting. (Excuse me Blogger? NSW is where I live. It is NOT a typo or a spelling mistake.)

Anyhoo, time for a makeover! I am putting my little blog into the hands of the Design Girl. She does great work, and is being to generous to Send Love to Cohen!

It will be a few weeks in the making. The hardest part will be deciding what I want!

Hubs and I are off to see the Karate Kid tonight. Believe it or not, it was MY idea! Hubs thinks I am having a psychotic break.

I am also making macaroons this weekend. Maybe. Or really, macarons. The french ones. The hardest things ever to make. Also, I have gremlins in my oven, so it doesn't bake well.

The macaroons will be a whole other post! Suffice it to say, Tuesday in my office is Macaron Madness day. Wonder if I could find another job by Tuesday?

4th Food & Drink

If someone asked me what was traditional Australian food I would struggle to answer. We are such a heterogeneous culture. Maybe meat pies, lamingtons, pavlova? Snags and prawns (shrimp) on the BBQ?

When we were picking our menu for the 4th BBQ it was SOOO easy to find American recipes. I basically used a two stage process:

1. What did we have and like in America?
2. Does Pioneer Woman have a recipe for it?

Here is what we came up with:

Krispy Kreme donuts! I used the beautiful cup cake stand Megan sent me. They were a great decoration piece with the little flags. Also, everyone got one to take home as a favor! (Plus their goodie bags).

PB & J sandwiches of course. Are these really prolific in America? They certainly are in TV shows!

Red white and blue lollies for the kiddos (and the big kiddos). 

P Dub's pico de gallo and guacamole. 

All the fixings! I had a condiment stand with ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, relish, pickles, horseradish, onions and peppers. Did I leave anything out?

I made little signs for all the food using the same Smile Box design we used for the invitation.

We had heaps of corn chips and a Mexican layered dip (my usual one and it was a HUGE HIT! Seriously, you layer three or four things from a jar and spread it with cheese. This was all gone. People ate this more than the pico and guacamole, which was  - like - from a proper recipe!! What is with my friends and family??.)

We had Miller, loads of cokes and mountain dew and & 7 up, plus ice tea (unsweet with lemon. I am with you Whitney).

Here is the real food. Hubs grilled / BBQed ribs (which I had marinading for about 2 days) and little versions of inside out cheese burgers.

Inside I made little hotdogs, philly cheese steaks and macaroni and cheese!

I cannot believe I didn't take photos of the other food. I made PW's potato salad, a creamy ice berg salad and Maggie's Orzo salad.

For desert I made PW's Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Peanut Pie and Apple Pie. I cooked all day Saturday and was EXHAUSTED by the time we went out for my MIL's birthday.

I decided to cheat with the apple pie. I bought a pie base and apple filler. Shame I know. I made the crumbly topping from the PW recipe. Nobody could tell it was half store bought...

Guess what? Everyone ate the Key lime and ate PB Pie.I had 3/4 of the apple left. How strange!

We Skyped with Amy and Neil in Boston and had a wonderful day.

I hope all my American friends had a great 4th! Let me know if you want to celebrate Australia Day and I'll give you some tips! You have until January to prepare!

4th of July Decorations

We had so much fun planning and arranging our 4th of July Party. As you can imagine shops in Australia do not carry a great range of Americana products. So we turned to the trusty interwebs!

You can buy all kinds of amazing things online. We ordered fun flag bunting to mark out our house.

We got red cups, blue plates and white cutlery and napkins (these were from a local party supply store)

The bunting worked well on the staircase and across the back door.

We hung a flag in the back garden. It looks very festive with the light shining on it!

Do you like my red white and blue outfit? Hubs wore his Dodge shirt. 

I cannot wait to post the food. I went a little crazy. Someone should regulate my access to Pioneer Woman Cooks. It is a bit addictive!

Happy Birthday Beryl

Last week was my mother in law's 75th birthday. Hubs is the youngest of 7 children and there is a 13 year gap between him and the next oldest. His oldest brother is my parents age! He has nieces and nephews older than us. I am technically a great aunt by marriage. All crazy.

We had the party at a local restaurant. Hubs dad had his 70th birthday there some years ago (before we met). You may not know, but my dear Father in law Walter passed away a mere month before Hubs and I were married. It was very poignant that Beryl wanted to have her party where Walter had his. The family had lots of memories of him there>

Here is the cake Hubs ordered. His mum is a WILD Hawthorn fan. She scares me when games are on. For a sweet little old lady she can ROAR at the football.

Of course we had brown and gold balloons and decorations too. The staff at the restaurant were so helpful! (More on that in another post. Major ex-girlfriend alert!!)

The star of the night was little Matilda! She is our -great-niece! She is the grand-daughter of hubs next eldest sister. They live several hours away on the South Coast of NSW and we don't get to see them often. Matilda was a tiny baby at our wedding - only 8 weeks old. It is amazing to see what a big girl she is now!

Here is my sweet mother in law Beryl. She is a crazy broad but I wouldn't trade her. She is sitting here with Liam, another great grandchild. He wore his Swans jacket just to taunt her. I am surprised she let him sit at the table! (I mean that quite literally).

Here is Walter. He joined us at the head of the table. The photo is from the birthday he had at the same restaurant a few years ago. We all miss him desperately and it was so nice to remember him on Beryl's birthday.

xx Elle

4th of July

I had a 4th of July party.

Why, you may ask, is this lunatic Australian girl celebrating the 4th?

My sister moved to America on the 4th last year. To Boston no less. I cannot believe she has been gone a year.

I know that if we let the day pass my parents would get sad and lament the year Amy has been away. I want to celebrate the one year milestone in her big adventure!

When we visited at Christmas hubs and I did the Freedom Trail in Boston, went to the Massachusetts Archives at the JFK library (which we randomly found and I thoroughly recommend), visited Mt Vernon and paid a call to General and Mrs Washington and saw the original Star Spangled Banner in the Jeffersonian (yes I know it is the Smithsonian but I can pretend).

When I chatted to the National Parks guide at the Washington Monument he laughed and said I knew more American History than a lot of Americans.

Hubs and I were a bit jealous of the revolutionary history of America. The English just left us here in Australia and we didn't even have to fight them. The Queen pops in every few decades and we get to participate in the Commonwealth games. Not quite the same.

So we had party! We  ordered all kinds of decorations and I have been refining my Americana menu. It is winter here of course. We did BBQ and luckily had a beautiful day!

I have lifted most of my recipes from the Pioneer Woman of course. I had hoped she would come help me cook them. Apparently she was busy. OK, and on another continent.

We made an invitation on Smile Box. We used photos from our trip at Christmas. It played like a slide show of turning pages. The file was too big to email so we put it on discs and sent it to everyone.

Here is how it turned out:

We had such a great time planning the invitation, the menu and the decorations.

I will post photos of the party tomorrow.

Hope you all (the Americans I mean) had a great 4th!

10 Things I Will Never Do in Front of My Husband

Are you one of those couples? Do you use the bathroom in front of your husband? Does he ask you to tweeze that annoying hair?

Never will I be this wife. I do not care if we have been married 50 years. It is a bit like sausages. You like the finished product, but do NOT want to see how it is made. (odd analogy for a vegetarian, I know. Work with me.) I want him to see me clean and pretty and think I am always like that! Let's not spoil the illusion...

Here is my list of things I won't do in front of G.

1. Use the bathroom

2. Wax anything

3. Tweeze anything

4. Shave anything

5. Epilation of any kind

6. Floss my teeth

7. Pedicure

8. Put deodorant on

9. Weigh myself

10. Squeeze anything

Check back with me in 2049 and we'll see how my record stands!

Do you have an all-access relationship? Or do you maintain Secret Women's Business?