A new job title......

My Mother is an incredible woman. Actually she is my hero a wee bit. She was reasonably young for a modern day mum when she became pregnant with me. Yet despite the circumstances being far from convenient ones, she chose to not only to continue with the pregnancy but to raise me as well. That’s a big decision for a young woman to make. I respect her for that alone, but I do respect her for much more too. She was a good mum. She was honest and open yet able to bring correction well, she let me be my own person and took the time to learn who that was every time I decided to change. She taught me many things like how to dance to the radio and how to hypnotize a garden lizard by stroking its belly. She also taught me how to make healthy meals on a shoe-string budget and sparked my passion for beautiful homes and decorations.

I say all this because what I need to clarify that she was(is) actually a very good mother.

I say all this because what I am about to say next may have alone painted her as something else.

She’s a lousy housewife.

My Step-father once bought her a copy of Mrs. Beeton’s book on Household management, I still haven’t figured out whether it was a joke or he actually wanted her to get inspired….probably a little of both.

Okay, okay, ‘lousy’ might be a bit harsh, but household management certainly isn’t her strong point. However, to be fair, it’s a trait I too have taken on. My house does have the deception of being cleaner and more organized than hers, but for one reason and one reason only……I have less stuff.

 I’m catching up fast.

There have been so many changes these last few months; it’s been hard to keep up with it all.

I am no longer working and earning which firstly leaves me with more time but less money. And where the general running of the house has been a shared responsibility, the cleaning now falls to me, as does the paperwork, bill paying, emailing, errand running and while, ‘of course still the cooking’, it’s now on a much stricter budget which means more function less creativity in the kitchen.

Oh what will I ever do?? This is potentially a disaster waiting to happen.

 Everything is changing.

I am now in the training process of becoming a mother and household manager.

Pray for me.

Breaking the silence

Im going to tell you a secret, a secret that is going to change this blog at least for a little while longer. A secret that has lead me to quit my job, avoid my kitchen and despise even the thought of cooking toast.

I’m all knocked up.

Im also all spewy and bawled up on the couch watching day time tv.

Its great news really and im very excited. My husband and I have been just a twosome for almost five years, now we will be three. The downside is that it looks like I will be out of the kitchen for a few months till the morning sickeness clams down. Till then we are living off pre-made meals and banana sandwhiches. Thankfully there are some really great little shops and deli’s around our current dwelling that make some half decent premade meals for the husband and as for me, I’m living off what ever will stay down.

We found out about the same time we were looking for a new rental which was a rather intense journey in itself. Did you know that looking for a rental property in Perth is fast becoming like trying to win the lottery? It’s insane. Most houses we looked at we were competeing with around 25+ other couples per property. One property we viewed shuffled through over 100 people in less than 15 minutes. On top of that people bid on the rental price to up their chances. I began to fear we end up in one of those cockroach ridden super-flat-stacks. Id rather live in a tent in the bush. Despite the stress we did end up with a very clean little house near the river…cant complain about that.

So we have been a little distracted by life the last few months. Added to that I have been starring at this blog wondering how on earth I am meant to write about the one thing I am struggling with the most?....Food. I can’t cook, I can’t eat out, I can barely eat in for Pete’s sake. Why I cant even sit and watch a tv show about food. Even the thought of food is nauseating. So how do I write about it? Truth is I just haven’t been able to hence the long scilence.

Things are improving now though thank goodness, oh there is still a long list of foods I must avoid, chicken being at the top, and cooking is about the last thing I desire to do. but may be there is hope. At the very least, when this baby comes out, it will be like releasing a monster….a big, hungry, mummy, monster cook. I think the first thing I’ll do is bake a big apple pie and then may be a red velvet cake, then….the world my friends….the world will be oyster once again.

Discovering the Summer Roast

I realise that it is summer and that roast dinners really have their moment in the spotlight during winter, but every now and then a situation calls for more than a simple salad. The last six months have been a real adventure of uncertainty and in the short time Teej and I have been camping out at our friend’s house the three of us have shared both the good and bad parts of that journey. The one thing we really hadn’t shared much of though was food.

A decent meal.

This is surprising considering Hazel (the friend in question) and I head the kitchen at our church. That’s more than 60% of our relationship right there. Despite the different ages and the diversity of our individual cooking histories, we make a stellar team. If I were to ever open a restaurant, there is no one I would rather partner with to do so.

Thank God for Hazel who this month decided to finally end that lack of communal feasting.

Inviting around some Kiwi mates we all partook in a summer roast meal or perhaps I should say a summer banquet. Frankly put, the woman knows how to entertain guests.

 I have a lot to learn from her.

Starting with dips, then onto to prawns, we began to feel like royalty moving from course to course. The star attraction being a summer roast platter served with a light gravy and lime chutney.

As I watched the boy’s reposition themselves from the dining room table to the lounge room floor groaning with over satisfied stomachs, I re-pondered the place of the traditional roast in the different seasons. It appears I have really been limiting the roast all these years. Unconsciously confining it in one room of the house and not really discovering its full potential. Of course, winter will always be its time to shine, but I can tell you I am truly looking forward to a year long friendship with the roast dinner.

Thanks for everything Hazel <3