Australia Day Cupcakes

I was feeling in the spirit of things, so I couldn’t just take plain cupcakes to an Australia Day BBQ… no…no…no!

Lemon cupcakes with lemon icing…. 2 colours… green and gold!!! (ok, more a “mint” and “lemon”…subtle colours, as I know some people don’t like bright coloured food)

I’d been dying to test out 2 colour icing for a while…. you just put one colour on one side of the bag, and the other colour on the other side. Its not as easy as it sounds though, as once you put one lot in, the bag wants to stick together, but I got the 2 colour effect I was after, so I was pleased.

The cake itself was marbelled green and gold… though this cake wasn’t a good example of the marbelling as it turns out.

I’m still a piping novice, and I was literally doing these before running out the door (already an hour late!)… so they are a bit rushed and not as neat as they could be.

New Doona Cover

🙂 Yes, hardly earth shattering news, but it is a bit newsworthy…. we’ve been searching for a doona cover we both like for a while…. and we can never agree. I want something “me”, hubby wants something “him”. And we wanted something that would go with the dark purple sheet set if possible… But we couldn’t find anything, or if we did it had sold out in Queen size, or was too expensive. But we finally found one, and on special for only $16!!!! (Love spotlight crazy sales) so we bought 2 🙂

Not too fond of the pillows, but I love the Indian type look, and it’s an indigo blue, so hubby is happy, and it goes well with the purple sheets. YAY!

meme

Stolen from Tracy’s blog

Everything I’ve done is purple

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band (sort of – we grew up with a drumkit, organ and several guitars [I played bass])
4. Visited The Great Barrier Reef.
5. Stood under the stars in the outback, the real outback – think Uluru.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to the Gold Coast’s theme parks – anyone, you take your pick.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sung a solo.
11. Bungee jumped, jumped out of plane, been paragliding or hang-gliding, hot air ballooning – you get the idea, you’ve been hundreds of metres about earth in a seemingly flimsy contraption.
12. Visited Melbourne.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Had a child. Raised a child. Worked with children.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Been to the Snowy Mountains.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Visited the Brett Whitely studio in Surry Hills, Sydney.
20. Slept on an overnight train or bus.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Been backpacking.
23. Taken a mental health day.
24. Been buried in sand with just your head and toes sticking out.
25. Held a possum, kangaroo or koala – or any other native Australian animal.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Been in a fun run.
28. Been on the Blue Mountain cableway.
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Played, or watched, summer cricket.
32. Sailed, kayaked or canoed our beautiful waterways.
33. Seen the Daintree.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Visited an Aboriginal settlement or mission.  (Does a Maori village count, it doesn’t specify Australian Aboriginal)
36. Learned a new language. (some of one)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Toured the Sydney Opera House.  (I’ve been outside of it)
39. Tried rock climbing (indoor or outdoor), abseiling or just simple bush walking.
40. Visit Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art.
41. Been to the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
42. Sunbaked at Bondi.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Broome.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone fishing.
49. Seen Tasmania’s old growth forests.
50. Been to the top of Q1, on the Gold Coast.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Driven the Great Ocean Road.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Norfolk Island.
60. Served at a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Guide biscuits.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Got flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma.
65. Gone jet boating.
66. Visited Port Arthur.
67. Bounced a cheque.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Australian War Memorial.
71. Eaten Caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Federation Square.
74. Been on the Murray River.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Travelled, or climbed, over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Three Sisters at Echo Point, Katoomba.
80. Published a book.
81. Visited St Mary’s Cathedral, in Sydney.
82. Bought a brand new car.
83. Been to Hermannsburg.
84. Had your picture in the newspaper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited Parliament House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox.
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Saved a pet.
95. Been to the site of the Eureka Stockade.
96. Swum in The Whitsundays.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a mobile phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Meal plan

Just have to work out what I’m doing on what days, but we finally got around to doing a proper weekly shop, which ended up being a 2-4 week shop 🙂 since I got rice and tinned goods that won’t be used in the first 2 weeks.  I’ll need to get some chicken (the supermarket I went to doesn’t have free range)..

Steak & Vegies (had tonight)
Mushroom & Spinach Cannelloni
Lasagne (will do 2 nights)
Spag Bol (making a full slow cooker worth so will do about 5 meals?)
Pork Chops & Veg
Beef & Chive Sausages & veg
Lamb & Rosemary Sausages & veg
Chow Mein
Chorizo Stirfry
Beef & Wild Rice Stirfry
Savoury Mince
Bean Burritos
Sausage rolls
Vegetable Party Pies
Mushroom & Pumpkin Risotto
Chicken & Potato layer bake with mushroom soup
Chicken and Vegetable parcels

Feeling Glamourous

I had some glamour photos done for hubby for Xmas (Normally I’m camera-phobic, so I rarely appear in photos, much less actually volunteer to be in one). I figured I like them so much I’d share 🙂 Even though I also hate having pics of me online for all the world to see.

So consider yourselves lucky 🙂