Goodness!  I've been so busy in this mad Christmas lead-up that I've barely had time to cook yummy Christmas treats let alone post on here!!

With the big day coming tomorrow, I'd just like to take this moment to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or however you prefer to hear it!

Broc, Harry and I had a fantastic day with all our friends - furry and human - at the end of year bash for the TDTC today!

Bobby, Nala and Harry

Seeing so many people come along to have a laugh, and dressing their dogs (and themselves!) up for the occasion was a real hoot.

Holly in her trendy red Christmas shirt!

There were a couple of doggy games - the Bone & Spoon Race and Musical Squares, as well as photos with Santa Claus, we all had a play with some of the agility equipment, lovely food, and general Merriment all-around.

Nala enjoys some Mutt Muffins

Denver gets his lean on with Glenn

Denver gets his lean on some more!

Group Shot

And there were Encouragement Awards!!  Alexander and Bobby got one...

Alexander and Bobby recieving their award

And Kelly, Gerard and Lucy too!

Kelly and Lucy recieve their award!

So to all my Dog Training friends, don't forget to practice, and see you all in the New Year!!  No doubt Tanya will have some more photos up later, and I'm sure Sean will put up some of his shots on the TDTC website too.

Edit:  No award for Harry, but he and 2 other doggies won the Fancy Dress competition, and I forgot to mention last week... We scored 140/150 in our test, and will be starting the new year in Grade 3!

Well, I certainly do feel Christmassy now! Tanya & family invited Broc and I to go along to the Longford Christmas Carols last night, and despite a slightly cool breeze and angry clouds, it didn't rain, and we didn't freeze too bad. Lots of Aussie Christmas songs, and a few traditional carols too - a nice mix.  Enough talking, time for some pictures!!

Bobby

Tanya & I

Alexander, Sausage & Glenn

Random group shot

My darling Broc

Glenn & Tanya - awww

Cute primary school kids in their santa hats!

Nick, Claire & Zander

Although I'm pretty sure Summer hit Tasmania several weeks ago - global warming perhaps?! - it is now officially here!!  So instead of spending the first day of December putting up and trimming the Christmas tree, we took the Australian option and went to the pool instead!

Broc splashing down on the waterslide

It was (sadly) my first visit to the re-vamped Launceston Aquatic Centre, but I must say I was impressed.  Not only with the quality and size of the facilities, but also the pricing or entry, parking and food too.  And boy was it BUSY!

Zander defies gravity

We tagged along with Tanya and the boys, as they were there for their weekly home school outing.  Was nice to meet some of the other parents too!  Got some awesome shots of the boys coming off the diving board.

Nick... falls off the board?!

Looking forward to visiting the pools there again soon...

On another note, I had planned on writing up a big Christmas post today, but I have had an allergic reaction to an anemone sting on my right hand, and have fat, itchy, swollen fingers - so it hurts to type!  Hopefully the pain goes away soon, and I can get stuck in.

My Birthday was yesterday (February 12 - mark it in for next year!), and I had a pretty damn good day considering I'm now on the far side of the 1/4 Century.

I had planned to start off with a nice extra hour of sleep after Broc left, even with the cats yelling at me for food - that I can tune out from.  The big black dog sticking his face under the doonah and snuffling his big, cold, wet nose into the small of my back is a little harder to ignore.

Breakfast, if you can call it that, consisted of mini bake-at-home Ciabatta rolls with assorted indulgent toppings including sun dried tomatoes and basil pesto, Mmmm...

Spent the day at home doing little bits of housework at my leisure, interrupted only by a relaxing visit from my Mother-In-Law with a lovely card & present for me.  Later on, Casey also dropped by with a pressie for me!

For dinner, I talked Broc into taking me out somewhere, and he picked the Jailhouse Grill, one of my favorite places to eat.  I had something a little different to the usual, their Scallop & Bacon Kebabs, which were just YUMMY!

We passed on staying for dessert, instead dropping by Coles on the way home to pick up one of our favorite desserts - a box of Brandy Snaps and a can of Cream!

Doesn't sound like a very exciting day, but the celebrations continue today with cake for lunch soon courtesy of Dan, then on to Festivale for tea & drinkies with Broc, Mum, Jeff and whoever else we run into!  But more on that tomorrow (when I eventually wake up).

9.30AM:
I didn't wake up as early as I thought I would - thankfully! To be honest, I was glad for the extra sleep.

10AM:
Mum arrived earlier than I expected her - I think she was just as excited as I was!

10:40AM:
Lisa and Ben also arrived earlier than I expected. I was just making coffee, and definitely had not had a shower yet!

11AM:
By this time I was showered, and ready to let Lisa get started on my hair. Casey was also on her way. Mum was also making yummy sandwiches for us to get stuck into - Ham, Avocado, Smoked Salmon and Philly are just a few of the fillings we had - mmmm...

11.30AM:
Brittany, Casey & Tim arrived in fairly quick succession - I'm not even sure who came first (I'm sure one of them knows!). Brittany was bouncing and raring to go, and Casey had brought much needed supplies - a couple of bottles of Zibbibo to liven up the morning.

The time between:
This became a bit of a blur for me. Lisa worked hard on my hair - and Casey & Brittany's - until a little before 2PM I think. Casey did an awesome job on her 'instant manicure' (read: false nails), I did Brittany's and my nails while my hair was setting, and then did Brittany's makeup - she looked like a beautiful little angel. Then we started getting dressed - Brittany, then Casey, then myself. Getting into my dress was fine, but getting it to sit in the right place was a little bit of a drama, as I had somehow managed to tone my tummy up in the two weeks since my last fitting - even though I tried not to!!

3:45PM:
Brent and Tonia arrived. Brent was to be our chauffeur for the afternoon - the car was beautifully shiny thanks to Broc's attentions over the last few weeks. All she needed was the traditional ribbon - and the Bride, Maid of Honor and Flower Girl of course! The ribbon was a job best left to Brent I thought - and he did a fine job. Buggered if I knew how to put the thing on! I think I was shaking a little by this point anyway.

4.05PM:
The four of us - Brittany, Brent, Casey and myself - were all ready and raring to go, but we had to wait! It wouldn't be a wedding if the Bride arrived before the guests - or the Groom! So we chatted idly, and finished off the Zibbibo. Still shaking!

4.18PM:
We just couldn't wait any longer. We all piled into the car (no mean feat with my great big dress - especially since I chose to sit in the middle!), to find that several flies had found their way in during the preceding hours. All the car windows had been left open to air the car out for us (by my always sweet Broc), but the flies had other ideas. Oh well! Turns out bouquets also make great fly swats! :D The drive there was amazing - I felt like royalty! Still shaking a little though - not nervous, just so excited!!!

4.32PM:
We arrived - greeted by my Mum, Grandad and Joe, our dedicated photographer. It's funny. You think everything will happen so quickly, but not so! You have to do everything slowly, take your time, so the photographer can get that perfect shot. I eventually made it out of the car - assisted by my beautiful girls - and thankfully grabbed Granddad's arm for him to lead me to the deck.

Well, that's it for now... Writing all that has been more draining than I thought! But I will finish it - I promise!!

What beautiful weather we've had!

I had a lovely day out with our niece & two nephews on Saturday at the Launceston Church Grammar School Fair - it was a treat to get out in the sunshine, even if I did get a little burnt! With only 12 days left until the big day, I really needed a relaxing day - if you can still call being out in a large, crowded public space with an 8 year old and very active 5 & 2 yr old boys relaxing! But I enjoyed myself.

We also went out on Saturday night to celebrate Dan's Birthday/Housewarming. Much food was eaten, many glow-sticks used in interesting ways and much Wii was played by all. A good night. (Where's the PICS Dan?!)

I still have such a long list of things to do, and it seems that every time I cross something off, there's something else to do! Will I ever get it all finished??

The sound of baby birds chirping has again graced our home - along with all the poop, early and late feeds and learning to fly that goes with raising birds! We have three little cockatiels this time, and they are growing fast - flying already!! I'm not looking forward to seeing them go so soon, but there will be more over the coming months, with plenty of pictures!!

I've had a busy few weeks, bringing together all the planning from the last 12 months, and finalising everything to get ready for our big day!!!

Yep, you guessed it - I've been a busy little bride getting all the wedding plans finalised, with all the associated stresses!!

So far this month we've... Bought Broc's suit (Oh My! So Gorgeous!), and John's shirt & tie

Picked, Bought & Sized Mine & Broc's wedding bands

Picked up Casey's Bridesmaids gown (not the same as the earlier picture, much much prettier!)

Finalised - and added to - the guest list

Printed, trimmed, addressed and mailed all the invitations

And.. well... that's enough for now isn't it?! :D

Now we just have to decide on the wording for the ceremony, finish sorting out the flowers, sort out the cake and confirm the photographer. Oh, and I need to find some shoes!!! Not too much longer and I'll have to go in for my fitting... this scares me!

Even though we decided on asking our guests to contribute towards the cost of their meal for the reception, we've decided to have a wishing well aswell, as lots of people have asked if they are still able to give us gifts. For those unfamiliar with this idea, basically there will be a Wishing Well at the reception where guests can drop in their card - or just an envelope - with a gift of cash or gift vouchers and make a wish to our future.

I had made up a little poem to include with peoples invitations, but ended up just wording things normally (so everyone can understand!). But, I'll have this little poem printed next to the wishing well on the day, but I thought I would share it here too...



Getting pretty excited now - there's not long to go!! My Hen's Night is all organised too, so if you haven't recieved your invitation yet, ring Casey and yell at her, or get in contact with me and I'll pass the message on.

What could be more fun on Australia Day than jumping in the car and going on a short road trip to Latrobe to participate in Henley on Mersey?!


View Larger Map

They've got everything, from regatta events, fun activities for the kids, helicopter rides, RC car stunts and market stalls to wood-chopping events, the Betta Milk boat race and the famous Ferret Frolic and Ferret Racing!

This year was possibly the biggest turnout I've ever seen there - cars and people galore! The parl at Bell's Parade was packed - on both sides of the river. It's just a perfect spot for this sort of event - nice cool flowing water and loads and loads of big shady trees.

We were there for the ferret racing of course, sadly we arrived early in the afternoon so missed the boat racing. :(

The Ferret Chocolate wheel is always a big favorite - in place of the traditional wheel, a plastic half-drum with ferret sized holes cut in it is used. The ferret is places inside and the barrel spun - If you are holding the ticket corresponding to the numbered hole the ferret comes out of you win!

But! I did get some awesome ferret pictures, as well as a bit of a shock! Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett was officiating at the event, which included awarding prizes & certificates, and overseeing some of the ferret racng too. I guess he was up for a change from dealing with weasles for something a little cuter ;)

On the way home, we stopped at Ashgrove Cheese to sample their latest creations, and bring some home of course! Broc stuck to the usual suspects - Lancashire and some goold old Farmhouse, but I went a little further afield (as per usual!).

I picked out a block of their new Cumin Seed cheese - a rich creamy club cheese mixed with cumin seeds. Tastes awesome on its' own, and I'm looking forward to having it melted over some tasty curries and other delights - mmm.

I found the most awesome gift - and nibbly snack for myself - taster sticks! At $1.60 each they are great for trying new cheeses that you're still not quite sure of . I bought a stick of Double Gloucester and Bush Pepper. I was tempted to get a stick of Wild Wasabi too but luckily my local Fruit & Veggie place stocks it ;)

I also bought a stick of Lavender cheese for my Nan. It sounds unusual, and the taste is unusual too, but not at all unpleasant. A nice snacky cheese.

I also picked out a nice wedge of Heidi Farm Gruyere - very ouchy on the wallet, but sooo worth it!

We also saw some of the Cow Art on show at Ashgrove - this was my favorite. The program was developed to help schoolchildren gain a greater understanding of the dairy industry. Pretty cool eh?

You can see the full album of the days photos Here.

I recieved a letter from the Cancer Council the other day informing me of the great success of the Girls Night In campaign for 2008, and thought that you may all be interested in some of the information it contained!

The Cancer Council Tasmania's target for this year was $72,000 - This target was reached and breached! In total there were around 300 hosts, with the top five hosts along raising over $30,000!!!

The top five hosts were:
Nicole of East Launceston, $11,600 +
Kelly of Devonport, $6,800 +
Carol of Seven Mile Beach, 4,700 +
Shirley of Triabunna, $3,200 +
Kathryn of George Town, $2,600 +

Thankyou again to all who participated in this years events. I'm looking forward to hosting another Girls Night In next year!

Remember, if you're interested in assisting the Cancer Council in its fundraising efforts, getting involved as a volunteer or any of their other programs, details are available by visiting their website at www.cancertas.org.au or calling 1300 65 65 85

Yep, I've been a little busy lately.

Broc hurt his back and has been home from work all week, plus there's a few Birthdays this week: My nephew Braedyn turned the Big 5 yesterday, Tonia & Brent's little man George turns 2, and Broc's Mum, Lateena, turns 60 today!

Of course, all little Boys want an awesome Birthday Cake, and Braedyn wanted a chocolate Motorbike cake. I went through a few different plans before I finally came up with this one!



It's a shop bought sponge cake (the big square ones you buy & fill with cream yourself), filled with chocolate top 'n' fill (the stuff you get in a can), and covered with chocolate icing. The motorbike is made from icing, which I then painted for a vibrant color (rather than coloring the icing). It's the same as the motorbike on the birthday card we gave him ;)

A pretty lazy cake compared to what I usually do, but you can't expect too much with a killer headache, lol!

Yep, it has come and gone (last night in fact!). A smaller turnout than usual, since some people went away for the long weekend, or are away on holidays (damn you!).

Despite the low party populace, a good time was had by all... I think - I had fun anyways! :P

As requested, below the picture slideshow are the recipes for my awesomely yummeh party foods!




Crispy Bat Wings
1.5Kg Chicken Wings
2 Tbsps Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsps Soy Sauce
2 Tbsps Honey
1 Tbsp Barbeque Sauce
1 Clove Garlic (crushed)

• Place chicken wings in a large lightly oiled/greased baking dish.
• Mix together sauces, honey and garlic and drizzle over wings.
• Bake in a moderate (180°C) preheated oven for 1 - 2 hrs, turning a few times until chicken is well glazed, starting to crisp on the outside and is cooked through.
• Serve hot or chilled. Makes approx. 12


Witches' Fingers
2 Sheets Puff Pastry, slightly thawed
¼ Red Capsicum
200g Shredded Ham
200g Pizza Cheese (mixed Cheddar, Mozarella and Parmesan)
Can of Sliced Water Chestnuts (optional)

• Cut Capsicum into thin strips. Could substitute oven roasted peppers, tinned capsicum or semi-dried tomato.
• Cut pastry sheets into 4 thin rectangles.
• Place capsicum strips, cheese and ham along one edge of the pastry, and roll into a tight roll.
• Cut each long roll into three finger-length sections, and twist to form gnarled fingers. Mark knuckles with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining pastry.
• Bake on a tray in a moderately hot oven (220°C) for 15 - 20 minutes or until pastry is crispy golden and cheese is melted.
• Drain Water Chestnuts and slice into fingernail shapes. Stick one into the end of each finger.
• Serve hot from the oven with Tomato sauce. Recipe can be easily doubled or halved. Makes 24.

With the outstanding support of those who were able to come, and extra Raffle Ticket purchases from my gym-mates and staff at the PCYC, we had a great night in and raised important money to aid in research into Womens' cancers.

Grand total for this year is $179 !

Thankyou again to all who were able to donate to the cause, and a big thankyou to the businesses who supported this event:
Harvey Norman
Paul Rosetto Pharmacy
Fancy Fingers
The Mowbray Hotel

And the Girls Night In corporate sponsors:
Coles
Curves
UnderCover Wear
Singstar
Paramount

So here's looking forward to an even bigger and better night next year!

It's here once again, and as per usual we're having a party :)

As some people will be unable to make it on the night, and not everyone will win an item in the Silent Auction, I have decided to run a Raffle aswell.

Tickets can be purchased from me and are $2. I'll draw the raffle on the night (16th Oct) at 8.30PM.

There will be 3 prizes:

First Prize: Avon Illuminating Tranquility Fountain, Valued at $29.99

Second Prize: Lavender Bath & Body Gift Set, Valued at $19.95

Third Prize: Avon Pamper Pack, Valued at $19.95

I'll take a photo later today and put it up here :)

So yo might be asking - what the hell is a Girls Night In ??

The concept is simple! Get a bunch of your girlfriends together for a night in, and ask them to donate the equivalent of what they would have spent on a night out to the Cancer Council to support women's cancers. It's that easy!

Girls Night In is your opportunity to have a night of fun that also helps to raise money to conduct research into and provide support for breast and gynaecological cancers.

I'll also be running a Silent Auction on the night. Bidding will be open for a limited time on the night, and you simply write down your bid on the paper provided at the bidding station. Before the night ends, the bidding will close, and the highest bidder will pay their winning bid and recieve their prize!

Items up for auction so far are:

• Tiffany Electric Steamer - Harvey Norman
• WAHL Personal Trimmer - Harvey Norman
• $30 Fancy Fingers Voucher
• $50 and $20 'The Mowbray' Pub Cash Vouchers

So come along, have a glass of wine (or two!), some nibblies, have a chat and enjoy a night in with the girls.

Broc and I went out to Gibbo's Birthday Party last night - Happy Birthday!!!

First night we've been out in a long time, and it was great to catch up with old friends, meet a few new people, and get to know others we had met before. I had the honor of sampling some of Gibbo's finest home brew (several large glasses of it in fact!), from tasty Ginger Beer to yummo Apple Cider.

Gibbos Birthday Party

Well, the Halloween party was a blast, and my freaky foods were a huge hit! Unfortunately, I missed out on taking pics of some of it as it vanished almost as soon as it hit the table! I haven't had a chance to get hold of all the party photos for the gallery yet, but here are some pics of some of the finger foods:

You can find the recipe for the Mice/Rats at RecipeZaar - http://www.recipezaar.com/92899
And the recipe for the Pumpkins and Eyeballs - http://www.recipezaar.com/143344 and http://www.recipezaar.com/39945 respectively

The Pumpkins and Eyeballs recipes make huge batches, and as they are essentially the same, I just made one batch and halved it - half for pumpkins and half for eyeballs.

Just remember to convert the American cup measurements for the butter from 250g to 225g if you are in Australia! All my mixtures needed extra icing sugar (whoops!).

Well it was my nieces 6th Birthday a couple of weekends ago, and I had the honour of making her a Butterfly Birthday Cake. Here's a pic of the finished product!