Sunday Morning Muffins

Okay, so I don't have a muffin or bread tin... so here is a trick that I learned from my friend Susanne many years ago. And it really worked, I couldn't believe it!

(My friend Katie, read my blog about not having some cooking supplies. She was so sweet to lend me a mixing bowl, Pyrex dish, and some other utensils that have come in really handy! You are the best Katie.)

Everyone loved the Banana Muffins!

photos courtesy of Kaylea Wait

Play Dough

Every time I download the pictures onto my computer... these are all these new ones that I don't ever remember taking! ummm, wonder why? So, thought I would show you the things that Kaylea thought it was important to document. Morning play dough time. The kids were so quiet making their creations, that Scott and I got an extra 30 minutes of sleep. Can't complain with that.

Grandma's Gift

Samuel is our designated mail checker, so when he found a slip that said we had a package at the Post in Coogee, the kids couldn't contain themselves. Of course we had to go immediately to get it. Daniel had asked grandma to send him some new flip flops since both of his pairs broke and we couldn't find any less than $20. So Daniel was the one that wanted that package more than anyone else.

Well, Grandma didn't disappoint. Along with the flip flops the girls were all excited about their new hairbands, which were much needed. And more sunscreen for the kids faces, (apparently the hole in the ozone is right over this area and it doesn't take long before you are burnt to a crisp!)

Thanks grandma for the gift! If anyone didn't know, I have the best and most thoughtful mom ever! I love you!

chocolate chip cookies

It all started because my best friend, Amanda Maughan, moved 800 miles away and she no longer supplied my husband with her famous chocolate chip cookies. The prepackaged chips ahoy weren't cutting it for Scott, so... I reluctantly decided to take a stab at baking and try to be successful at the ultimate c.c.c. Well, I really have been trying to reach the status of Amanda's baking abilities and I know I will never get there but I could come close... maybe? I have to say that it probably took me over 20 batches before they were edible and at least another 20 more before he said that they were pretty good.

But one Sunday afternoon, I heard some words that I never would have even been expecting... Scott said, "Regina, I think these cookies might be better than Amanda's." I couldn't believe my ears... was he saying that I may finally be successful at something that comes out of the oven AND it's not burnt?

Really though, what I think it was, is that he had gone without Amanda's cookies for so long. And when I finally made some that were somewhat soft and pretty tasty he decided to really butter me up so I would continue to make him cookies. But I know for sure that they weren't better than Amanda's.

Which brings me to my story.

After about a week in Australia, I was craving some ccc and decided to make some... well, I forgot that the measurements here are different, you know, grams and milliliters. And when it comes to the butter, I am so confused. Trying to convert cups to grams was not very easy. (just found out that the American girls here go to Martha Stewart.com to find out all that info.) All the cookies came out either too flat and buttery or too hard. Long story short... after 6 batches, I got it. AND Scott said they were the best he has ever eaten! Again after so many mess ups, he had to say that.

Oh, I forgot to tell you that they don't have chocolate chips here either. Well, actually they do, but you have to go to certain stores to find them. Apparently they just started making them within the past two years. So, I buy this gigantic chocolate bar and then chop it up into small chunks.

So now that I have the measurements and understand what I am doing, I decide to experiment with this cereal that I bought. It is horrible... I can eat most anything but this is the worst! I have been buying all the Home Brand food items, much less expensive, at Woolworth's grocery store so I knew that the cereal had to be okay. Wrong! Well, I couldn't just throw it away, now could I! I had to find a use for it. So, I decided that I would crush it up and put it in my ccc, just like you do with oatmeal in a recipe. Guess what, it worked! Yep, It Totally did! delicious! My family raved about how they were the best cookies that I have ever made. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me! Is this the start of learning how to bake and make things taste even better. Daniel said that I should write down the recipe. But let me tell you, no one would buy this cereal in the US! I mean really, it is that bad. But for now, the Home Brand wheat Biscuits will be in our ultimate chocolate chip cookies.

Just had to share my success in baking!

Wheat Biscuits anyone?

Sydney Museum

Sydney Museum

Basically the Sydney Museum is a Science and History Museum of Australia. Today, my friend Katie and her kids Olivia and Joshua, were our tour guides. She planned it all! What great friends I have made to do all the work for me. And all I have to do is pack some lunch, ask what time, where, and of course bring along my kids. Riding the city bus is such a treat for the kids... they just love to people watch, and let me tell you, there is some great people watching in this city.

(that will be another post all on its own!)

Of course everyone knows that the Koala and Kangaroo are natives to Australia but....

did ya know that the Tasmania devil and the snake head turtle are too. These animals are the kind where you touch, pick up, and climb on, once alive... but now stuffed, animals. Some kinda scary, I might add. (even Daniel didn't like touching them if that gives ya an idea of their authenticity.)

Of course there is the dinosaur exhibit in most every science museum... but it still fascinates me that these creatures used to live on our plant. I mean really, can you even imagine what it would be like to live with them now!

The favorite of everyone was the Backyard Adventures exhibit. There were so many fun things that the kids could do, play with, paint, dress up, and roll around on.

I have to give the museum a thumbs up because in every room with the different exhibits, there were bookshelves with books pertaining to that particular subject. I noticed that they were mostly for children's but some for adults too, along with a sitting area in which you could sit, relax, and read. How smart is that!

For me I was totally impressed with a game for the kids, that you see Daniel playing. You were a fish and had to try to eat the bugs before the other fish gobbled them up.

The other was a ocean/desert activity. It really is hard to explain... I will do my best. There was a white table that was about 20 feet long and 4 feet wide. It was divided lengthwise into two sections, one desert and the other ocean. (above you can see that I was able to get a picture of Samuel and Kaylea's hand.) Anyway there were four movie projectors directly above and they were shinning down on the table. So, on the desert side there was a tiger snake, funnel web spider, and a bull dog ant, all of which are deadly animals. And these animals looked like they were alive right there in front of you. Whenever you put your hand in the sand and moved it, the sand would appear that it was moving. As the snake slithered by, you could cover him with sand. Then suddenly and unexpectedly, he would reach out and bite your hand/arm. A red bubble would pop up and say that you have just been bitten by one of the worlds deadliest snakes and what you should do immediately. Once you finished reading it, you hit the x with your finger and it would close and then another bubble would pop up telling you about the snake and where it lives and what it eats. Everything was totally controlled by the person interacting with the screen. It reminds me of one of the "smart boards" that the teachers uses at school.

In the ocean there was a great white shark, box jellyfish, and saltwater crocodile. Whenever you put your hand in the water, there would be ripples out to the edges. But under those ripples were deadly animals that would try to attack. I was totally taken by surprise when the shark came up out of the water and bit my arm. So surprised and realistic. It is so amazing what people are doing with technology these days.

We have passed by this beautiful cathedral many times and the girls always ask if it is a temple. So I had to take them in to see what it was all about. The summer I traveled to France, I really enjoyed all the amazingly beautiful cathedrals that sat in the middle of each village. They would tower above all the small houses. Each one very unique and different. This one is just as breathtaking. But the real reason that I wanted to go inside is because I want Daniel to be my architect, (he is going to design my house one day). So I felt this was a great teaching moment for him to look at the structure and the detail that goes into building something like this.

On the way home Kaylea wanted to document some of what we see on our walks around Randwick. (The spider is always in the same place every time we walk by it... but this time he had 6 more friends today.)

Oh, and here is Daniel's Australian Two Dollar coin that he got from the tooth fairy. ( yep, she delivers the currency in the country where you are located)