Oriental drift

Tyler seems to have a real affinity for Asian children, which I find so fascinating.

At Kindergarten, Tyler plays quite a lot with a group of Korean boys and girls. I’m not sure how much talking goes on during their play; I hear the Koreans speaking to each other in their native tongue, although I’m sure they can speak English as well. But Tyler really seems drawn to them, and they to him.

Rob doesn’t work Mondays, so he and Tyler often go to the Library on his day off. It just so happens that Japanese Storytime is on every Monday at 11am. Tyler loves joining in, which I think is SO cute! According to Rob, Tyler sits right up the front, a lone ginga amongst a sea of black, and he participates fully. Obviously the stories are all read in Japanese. But if Tyler responds in English, they will answer him in English. The children are bilingual too, so if he talks to the child next to him about the story, they will reply to him in English.
The children all seem to LOVE Tyler, and so do the adults. They involve him as much as possible. Sometimes he stands up the front holding a prop, and they always comment on how smart he is for answering questions about the story.
When he gets home, and I ask him what the stories were about, he can always tell me. I wonder if he’s picking up a bit of Japanese?!

I think it’s really cute that Tyler loves Asian people so much. And the feeling is obviously mutual; his little Korean friends at Kindy are always so happy to see him, and so are their Mums. In my experience, Asian people are always so friendly, and they smile a lot – I guess Tyler likes that. I also think he likes the fact that they are usually a bit quieter than most other kids. Which is interesting, because Tyler can be pretty rambunctious at times! It’s probably that whole “opposites attract” thing.

Who knows, perhaps one day I will end up with an Asian daughter-in-law?
I think that’d be pretty cool.

Photo meme

I was tagged by the gorgeous Tracey to do this fun photo meme.

I had to find the 6th photo on the 6th page of a) my computer and b) my photo hosting/sharing site. Since I use both Flickr and Photobucket for photo sharing, I ended up with 3 photos:

1) From my computer:

Wow, this photo takes me back. It was 2004 and we had not long bought our digital camera. Ethan was 2 years old, and I was pregnant with Tyler.
I remember him eating that entire cheeseburger! It was the first time he’d ever had one, and he loved it.
I just can’t get over those chubby little cheeks! He has grown and changed so much in 4 years. I kinda miss those days. Ethan was a very good 2-year-old. So good, in fact, that we thought the “Terrible Twos” were a myth!
But yeah, Tyler quickly proved us wrong.

2) From Flickr:

This is one of the photos Ethan took at school a few months ago.
Remember he won a certificate for his photography skills? And I made noises about possibly buying him a digital camera for Christmas?
Well, we decided to hold off on the digital camera. I just feel that he’s too young to have his own one (he is only 6!), so I will encourage him to use mine a lot more. And perhaps when he’s a bit older, we’ll get him one of his own.

3) From Photobucket:

I absolutely love this photo of Tyler, taken at Tiri Island in March. He’s looking up at his Nana. Can’t you tell how much he adores her, just from the look on his face? She is a very special person in his life.

And now I’m supposed to tag 6 people:

Teeni
Hay
Louise
Dayna
Rachel
Heidi

Down, but not out

I know I haven’t been blogging much lately. And when I have blogged, I know my posts have been awfully dull.

But I have a lot on my mind right now.

Grandma is back in hospital. Some changes are in the air at work (and no, I don’t really know any more than that). The future is uncertain.

There are only 4 MORE WEEKS of school left before the summer break. Childcare arrangements for next year need to be sorted. Work beckons, as always. I still have more Christmas shopping to do. Our weekends (and many of our weeknights) have been filled with social functions and gatherings, parties, meetings, rehearsals, and other end-of-year stuff. The next month promises more of the same.

I love the Christmas season, and I actually enjoy the busyness that comes with this time of year.

I could just do without the sick grandmother and the job uncertainty.

But I am trusting God. I am happy. I am counting my blessings. As difficult as things may be (or get), I know I am blessed to have my health, my family, my home, my job.

No matter where I’m at today, I will remember to look for the positive. I will not allow myself to dwell on the negative, to give credence to all the “what if’s” floating around in my thoughts.  I will be thankful for what I DO have, because I AM blessed.

Anticipation

The weather here from Thursday-Sunday was absolutely G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S.
We hit 26 degrees (celsius) on Friday, and the sun stuck around for the entire weekend. A sure-fire sign that summer is on the way.
Okay, so it has been decidedly less summery today and yesterday. Some rain. A bit chilly at times. But honestly, after such a stunning weekend, who cares?

We enjoyed a great BBQ with friends on Saturday afternoon/evening, and then had more friends over to our place on Sunday for another one. The first “proper” BBQ of the season at the Blair residence. We raised the sun umbrella, dusted off the outdoor furniture, stocked the chilly bin with icy cold drinks, cranked up the grill, and turned up the music. The kids played outside until dark with their friends, while the adults sat on the deck, talking, laughing and enjoying the warm sunshine.

This is why I endure winter. I live for summer; for all of this!

We definitely made the most of the weather. On Friday after school, the kids and I walked down to the beach. The boys made sandcastles and raced each other up and down the sand. The water is still a bit cold for swimming (in my opinion, anyway!) but nevertheless, Ethan had a quick dip before we headed home.

Since we live right by the beach, it’s not a huge deal to go down there for a walk, play or run around. We do it a lot; even during winter. The beach is beautiful all year round, and we appreciate how lucky we are to live here.

But there is something extra special about nice warm Spring afternoons at the beach. I love the anticipation of what is to come.
Sitting on the warm sand, smelling the salt air, listening to the waves breaking, I can almost feel Summer … she’s just around the corner.

Salami & Olive Risotto

I love risotto, and last night I tried a new recipe. Amazingly, BOTH kids loved it – almost as much as Rob did!
I sometimes struggle to find recipes that both my boys really love, as they have quite different tastes. My lasagne is one dish they both love, and I’m pleased to add this one to the list too.

Salami & Olive Risotto

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 cups (400g) arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
400g can diced tomatoes
3 cups (750mL) chicken stock
100g sliced salami, chopped
1/2 cup (75g) sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1 cup (160g) black olives, chopped
2/3 cup (50g) grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh basil
cracked black pepper

Heat oil in a pan. Cook onion and garlic until soft.
Add rice, stir to coat in oil mixture. Add wine, and stir until reduced.
Add tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Stir often.
Remove pan from heat. Stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
Stir in remaining ingredients and serve with a green salad.

Serves 4

It’s coming!

Christmas, that is!
Only 6 weeks to go … in case you didn’t know already.

I thought I would share sneak peeks of the Design Team work I have been doing for Crafty Tart. This month I’ve been working with some delightful Christmas papers, which has really put me in the festive spirit.
I LOVE Christmas; it’s my favourite time of the year.

Despite my love of Christmas, November seems to be the only time I do Christmas layouts, and I usually scrap photos from the previous year. Once the festive season is over, I tend to get excited about scrapping our summer holiday pics. At that point, all thoughts of red & green, of stars & holly, are cast aside for another 11 months.

Hopefully these sneak peeks will inspire YOU to get those Christmas photos out from 2007, and scrap them!

Christmas Envelope Letters

Over at The Sketch Book, we are posting a little “Christmas Inspiration” everyday during November. It was my turn today, and I thought I’d share my idea here too.

I made these Christmas Envelope Letters for my boys to write their letters to Santa.
They would also be great for sending to family & friends instead of a Christmas card – plenty of room inside for you to write an annual “family update”, or space for your kids to draw a picture for Granny.

Front

Back

Inside

To make these envelope letters, you will need:
* double-sided patterned paper (I used Basic Grey Fruitcake)
* glitter glue
* snowflake punch (optional)
* flowers
* ribbon
* bling
* journalling stamp or rub-on
* ink

1. Cut a sheet of 12×12 paper into A4 size, reserving the offcut to use later.
2. Fold the sheet into 3 parts, so that the top third is slightly smaller than the others. Make sure you fold the paper so that the pattern is on the outside, and the plain colour is on the inside!
3. On the top fold, draw a line from the centre to each corner to make an envelope flap, and cut off the corner triangles.
4. Ink all the edges.
5. Decorate both sides of the envelope using glitter glue, ribbon, flowers, punched snowflakes, bling, and co-ordinating strips of paper (the offcuts).
6. Just under the flap, attach a photo split to “seal” the envelope.
7. Use the offcuts to create a co-ordinating “address box” and add some lines using a journalling stamp or rub-on.

Have fun!

The Blog Friendship Box

My wonderful friend Teeni at The Vaguetarian Tea Room came up with the idea of a Blog Friendship Box. You can read her post here.

And guess what? She chose me (ME!) as the first recipient. Wow.

So how does it all work? As Teeni says, “The Blog Friendship Box is a cross between a meme and a Pay It Forward kind of thing”.
As with all memes, there are some rules to follow if you receive The Blog Friendship Box:

RULES
1. You have 3 weeks from when you receive The Blog Friendship Box to pass it on to one other blog buddy. You can choose a blog buddy by having a contest on your blog, or by just picking someone.
2. Before you pass on The Blog Friendship Box, you must alter it in some creative way – like painting, adding a ribbon or button or sequins, but only ONE application can be applied at one time by any blogger. So you can’t paint it AND add buttons, etc.
3. Before you pass on The Blog Friendship Box, you must place a small gift inside. This may be a joke gift, a handmade item, a nonperishable good, a poem of your own, etc.
4. Before you pass on The Blog Friendship Box, you must take a photo of it (if you have a camera). Then you must post the photo on your blog so everyone can see the way it changes in appearance. You must also include the links of all the past blogs that the box has visited.
5. The Blog Friendship Box MAY be sent to the same person more than once. However, it cannot go back and forth between the same people. So, there must be at least a total of 5 different people on the list of links before sending it to someone who has already had it.

I decided to alter the box by adding some (very patriotic-looking) ribbon! I wonder if all the coverage of the US election on TV this afternoon made me gravitate towards this red, white & blue specimen?
I must admit it was very difficult for me to stop at ONE application, because I feel like it doesn’t look “creative” enough. However, a rule is a rule, and I’m a stickler for them! Here’s what the box looks like now:

I have decided to send the box to Hay at Where Karma Meets Camera. She is such a sweet person, and deserves to receive some love-in-a-box. Hay was kind enough to recently gift 30 of her original photographs to her blog readers, in honour of her 30th birthday. I received a gorgeous print called “How Deep Is Your Love?” which I am going to frame and hang in my bedroom. Just one example of how sweet this girl is!

So Hay, keep an eye on your mailbox – I will be posting it tomorrow! And here is a list of links that you can copy and paste to your blog when the box is ready for its next destination:

Teeni at The Vaguetarian Tea Room
Hannah at Blairs Boys
Hay at Where Karma Meets Camera

~~~~~

I can’t finish this post without telling/showing you the lovely gifts Teeni placed inside the box for me:

The lovely sentiment card reads: “Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and to be that perfectly.” -St. Francis De Sales.

The Instant Weight Loss box really made me giggle. Here’s what it says on the back:

Become a size 2 instantly with our elastic tape measure, special stick-on clothing labels, and scale sticker. Enjoy guilt-free eating with our “Zero-calorie” nutrition labels. With Instant Weight Loss, you’ll be skinny in seconds!

Absolutely brilliant. And a heck of a lot easier than doing Weight Watchers!

Separate to the Friendship Box, Teeni was kind enough to send me these very cute salt & pepper grinders:

I saw these on Teeni’s blog a little while ago, and thought they were very clever. They have magnets on the back, so you can keep them on the fridge. I’ve decided to keep mine on the oven (also magnetic), where they will be nice & handy to use during cooking. You just squeeze the handles together to grind them.

Thanks, Teeni!