Mini Pizzas - Lunchbox Lunches

I got up nice and early this morning (well, perhaps a little too early - I was wide awake at 4am!!) and decided I was going to make the kids mini pizzas for their lunch.


Complete with dough from scratch.  Well, in the breadmaker, because kneading dough really makes my hands, wrists and arms ache (thanks arthritis and RSI).


This is what they got:-

 Dough rolled out into circles.  Oops, well circular-ish shaped objects!  We did a bit better on the next batches.

 All the things you need to make mini pizzas.  We used tomato paste with some dried herbs and water all mixed together, chopped ham or thinly sliced Danish Salami and mozzarella cheese.

 Ready to go into the oven.

One batch of dough made 16 mini pizzas.

The children got to eat some warm on the way to school (goodness knows why they couldn't eat them at home, but anyways...).


They seem much cuter than giving the children a great big slice of pizza.  My daughter informed me that all her friends will now want one tomorrow.


Dear friends of my Daughter.  Sorry, but I don't think I can wake up at 4am every morning.  I will turn into a grumpy psychopath!

Valentines Flowers...My Garden Loves Me!

I don't get flowers from my husband from Valentine's Day.  In fact, we don't celebrate it...another commercial day that Phil and I don't need.  He says we don't need a particular day of the year that tells him he must buy me flowers.  He can do that any time he likes.  Or I just go and get my own anyway ;D

My garden has mostly loved the rain we've had, apart from the flooding which has killed off plants.

 All the snapdragons in flower at the moment are purple.  On four separate plants.  Odd, but I'm not complaining!

 More sunflower buds

 A red impatiens peeking through. It nearly drowned!

 I don't remember what this is called any more, but it's very pretty!

 Another mystery plant that I used to know the name of but can't remember any more.  It is thriving where the capsicums used to be.

 Not a flower, but I'm so glad this ginger root is growing.  Mr Storm sat on it after he chewed the top off.  I thought it was gone forever!

My least favourite thing on any day of the year...those green grubs chewed my bean plants and apple cucumbers to bits.  My Daughter found this one on the basil.  I asked her to check every leaf carefully, so she did and found 3 more even smaller than this one.  So small in fact, that my camera wouldn't even focus on them.

Anyone Else Have a Kitchen Like This??

Those days when you hope the doorbell doesn't ring, and no-one sees your house the state it is in, let alone your kitchen?

Well, I'm feeling brave today, and I'm going to let you walk in on my mess.

Here it is:-

 Wow, what a mess!  I had stuff everywhere, the remains of a pancake breakfast, a full sink, dishwasher to empty, a deep fryer to put away and a floor to clean.

After 30 mins, what a difference!  Just a floor to clean and some odds and ends to put away :D

I Have a Secret...

Shhh...it's in here...

 Let's take a closer look, shall we?

 Hmmm...

It turns out I have a lot of skin care product.  This is my secret stash of unused products.  The ones I use every day are in the bathroom in a basket with my perfumes and my husband's colognes.  These will make it in there.

I have a lot of Natio stuff, because they have lots of special deals such as "Spend over $35 and get free products".  Since I use their alcohol-free toner, cleanser, facial scrub and intensive moisturiser, I easily spend that much every 3 months.

Other products I have received as a product tester.  You can sign up to do that, but you never know if the products are going to react badly with your skin or are going to be good.  Scary!

Some are gifts that I have been given.  I really do like this stuff!

There are a few hand creams as well, and that's probably a good thing because Phil really likes those!! I have tried buying him his own, but apparently that's not the same thing. ;D

This stash also comes in handy for times when I donate to a local women's shelter.  They require hand/face creams and lip balms, and it's just easier to pull some out of this stash than have to duck out to the shops.  I think it's win-win all 'round.

Apricot Muffins - Easy Lunch Box Snack

Using my recipe from here: http://denleydiaries.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/apple-and-prune-theromix-muffins.html, I decided to omit the other fruit, and add a handful of dried apricots instead.

I blitzed the dried apricots in the Thermomix until they were little chunks, then added the rest of the ingredients.

This time I turned the mixture into miniature muffins so I could freeze them for school lunches.  These muffins ended up nice and crunchy on top.  Mmmmm!  There was enough mixture to make three large muffins as well.

They freeze really well, and are a fantastic thing to grab out of the freezer if you need breakfast on the go.

My February Garden

It has been raining so much lately that when I went out to look at my garden, all I saw was mud. Perhaps a reflection on my mood this week (I like sunshine but not heat...sunlight keeps the depression away).  Then I had a closer look.  There is beauty...I just had to look for it...

 Like these tiny, delicate rose buds from my climbing rose

 Storm realising that his 'broom friend' was inside, and he begged to be let in to play.  He was told a very firm "NO!".  So he took his frustration out on my unfortunate door mat (he is chewing it...bad bunny!).

 This injured Blue Tongue Lizard decided to scare the living daylights out of us and wait for food right outside our back door.  Its tail has been chewed off and a  hind leg damaged, but it will be safe here.  It has developed a fondness for watermelon, and yesterday was the first day it didn't hiss at me when I placed bite-sized morsels of watermelon in front of it.  It started licking at it before I had even taken my fingers away :D

 My Frangipanni tree is in full bloom.  It smells delightful.

 It's not as much fun when the flowers all fall in the pool...

 and turn into this.  All clean now.

 I found this on my new bean plants.  How could one fat caterpillar...

 do this much damage?  Decimated my plants :(  I hope they spring back quickly.

 I smiled when I saw this.  Somebunny decided to sit their big fat furry behind in my plant pot, just like his Daddy.  I planted some more spring onions in there.  Charcoal demolished my spring onions just before he passed away, and now Storm appears to have developed a liking for them.  Surely spring onions can't be good for bunnies!!??

 My passion fruit vine is loving the rain.  Will we actually get any flowers though?

After a hard days' work, I feel the same way.  Storm flops down very suddenly on his side when he is content.  It freaks me out, because when they have their eyes closed, they look dead.  Notice his ear flopping down?  That's a sign of a very relaxed bunny.

My Music Studio

I had a little bit of sorting out to do in my studio.  Over time, things get into a big mess no matter how organised I start out.  I don't like wasting student's lesson time, so I grab things in a hurry if needed, then have to do a bit of a tidy up at the end of the day.

 First on the agenda was to sort out this shelf.  I have a lot of weird stuff on that shelf!

 I laminated some flash cards for students.  I'm not a control freak, but I do like to keep their musical minds nice and tidy too ;D

 I called my teacher and booked myself in for lessons again.  Oh how I have missed those!!  So now I have made a big effort to not only review what my students are learning, but to practice music for my level as well.  It hasn't been easy, I tell you!!

Theory, Theory, Theory and more THEORY!  Lots of pencils, erasers, highlighters and items my students need for Theory classes.

If I'm organised, I can think clearly. And that, my friends, is a very good thing!