Dragonfly Cupcakes

The first cupcakes we made out of our new cupcake cookbook were dragonfly cupcakes.

You can tell that it's a dragonfly, can't you?

This was my daughter's choice, which gave her decorating rights, although she did have some 'help' from her younger brothers.

The dragonfly's body is made out of white Nestle choc bits, with shredded coconut 'feelers' and chocolate freckle 'wings'.

I am very happy to hand over fiddly food preparation tasks like this to my children. And they think I am doing them the favour!

Little brother's proud creation (I love his new dark blue shoelaces too, don't you?)

Easy Cupcakes by Colour

For months, every time I have wandered down the magazine aisle of the supermarket I have been tempted by the Australian Women's Weekly's Easy Cupcakes By Colour cookbook. Many a time have I leafed through this book without buying. That is, until today.

I couldn't hold off any longer. Spring is just around the corner and with it comes the desire to bake pretty, spring-like cupcakes. Lacking inspiration of my own, I knew this cookbook would provide ideas. And it does, in abundance.

Easy Cupcakes By Colour is divided into five chapters based on colour: pink, white, yellow, blue and green, and chocolate. There are over 100 pages of scrumptious pictures of cupcakes and descriptions of how to decorate them. Pictures of the various decorations, along with cake and frosting recipes, are at the back of the book. Included are dairy and gluten-free cupcake recipes for those with restricted diets.

Mind you, I have had very little opportunity to look at the book since I arrived home as the kids keep disappearing with it. I can see that cupcakes are going to feature heavily in next week's menu.

Let the baking begin!

Perfect Drying Weather

Especially in winter, when it's least expected, perfect drying weather makes me smile.

A Scaly Old Hag

I have always had a lackadaisical attitude towards skincare, that is to say, I have rarely moisturised, ever. Every so often I try to set up a beauty routine of sorts, but it never lasts for long.

Unfortunately, like many natural redheads, I have very fair, dry, sensitive skin -- skin that I am sure will turn into a mass of wrinkles over the next decade unless I do something about it now. You'll see a scaly old hag strolling down the street and it will be me. Or maybe I'll go into hiding. Or wear a burkah.

It's just that I blanch at the cost of most commercial skincare products. And the few that I've tried don't seem to make much difference. Sometimes they even seem to dry my skin out further. And I worry about all the strange things they have in them.

So tell me, can you recommend a not-too-expensive commercial moisturing cream or treatment for someone with dry, sensitive skin?

Do you have a home-made recipe that actually works?

If you tell me of a recipe that I like I'll publish it, acknowledging you, of course.

I know that I'll never look 18 again, but I would prefer not to have a future where I am regularly compared to a crone/a sharpei dog/a prune/a walnut shell.

image is a 1939 Ponds ad

Beautiful Bathers

Like most women, especially those who have had several babies, I cringe at the thought of shopping for a swimming costume for myself. However, I almost swooned over the Fifties' fabulousness of the cossies in the video below, which I filched from the 50s times. Anyone for a Wingding?

Have You Versed Anyone Today?

No, I am not talking about spouting poetry or quoting Bible verses.

When two sporting teams play against each other, the preposition 'versus' is commonly used. For example, a game might be described as Australia vs. the USA, or New South Wales vs. South Australia. 'Versus' comes from the Latin vertere meaning turned (in the direction of) or opposite.

However, when my children refer to a sporting competition they turn 'versus' into a verb. They say, "we are versing Lothian Park in netball next week" or "they versed South Adelaide and lost."

I first heard my children speak this way in Melbourne but friends have commented that their Adelaide-born children say the same thing.

So I wonder, is this an expression that children use and that they grow out of? Do children everywhere say 'versing' or is it just Australian children? And, from an etymological point of view, is this a new expression that we will see adults using next?

So tell me, do your children 'verse'? Do you?

image is from www.allposters.com

Hello Daisy

The daisies are beginning to dance in the garden:

another sign that spring is near.

Raindrops on Roses (and Ten of My Favourite Things)

While they don't quite make my top ten list of favourite things, raindrops on roses are certainly exquisite. In a dry city like Adelaide all rain is a cause for celebration. There are very few experiences quite so wonderful as seeing a parched garden revive after rain, with raindrops glowing like jewels on every blade of grass, every rose petal.

While I am in a Sound of Music frame of mind, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite things.

Ten of My Favourite Things

1. The smell of a new baby, especially at the back of its head and the nape of its neck.

2. The pleasure of baking a cake from scratch; creaming the soft butter and sugar with a wooden spoon, beating in the eggs, then sifting in the flour.

3. The smell of damp earth in a well-tended vegetable patch after rain.

4. Summer at the beach; warm sand between my toes; the smell of salt; the shrieks of happy children

5. My beautiful children and husband; I often wonder how I got to have such a wonderful family; what did I do to deserve such joy?

6. A hot bath with bubbles and a good but not too serious book; a guilty pleasure with our water shortages but one I enjoy greatly.

7. Classical and jazz music; I shut my eyes and soak the music in; I wish it would never end

8. A meal cooked by someone else: while I love to cook, I also relish being cooked for -- especially when I am not responsible for cleaning up afterwards. And because I cook all the time and know what work it is, I value the effort made by others when they cook for me.

9. A quiet, clean house: a rare but joyous experience!

10. Time spent with good friends: I value friendships all the more because I have had to move interstate twice and start again. New friends are a blessing, but old friends, where you share a history and feel accepted even on your bad days, are even better.

What are your favourite things?

Sneezy and Wheezy

Sneezles

Christopher Robin

Had wheezles

And sneezles,

They bundled him

Into His bed.

They gave him what goes

With a cold in the nose,

And some more for a cold

In the head.

They wondered

If wheezles

Could turn

Into measles,

If sneezles

Would turn

Into mumps;

They examined his chest

For a rash,

And the rest

Of his body for swellings and lumps.

They sent for some doctors

In sneezles

And wheezles

To tell them what ought

To be done.

All sorts and conditions

Of famous physicians

Came hurrying round

At a run.

They all made a note

Of the state of his throat,

They asked if he suffered from thirst;

They asked if the sneezles

Came after the wheezles,

Or if the first sneezle

Came first.

They said,

"If you teazle

A sneezle

Or wheezle,

A measle

May easily grow.

But humour or pleazle

The wheezle

Or sneezle,

The measle

Will certainly go.

"They expounded the reazles

For sneezles

And wheezles,

The manner of measles

When new.

They said

"If he freezles

In draughts and in breezles,

Then PHTHEEZLES

May even ensue."

Christopher Robin

Got up in the morning,

The sneezles had vanished away.

And the look in his eye

Seemed to say to the sky,

"Now, how to amuse them to-day?"

- A.A. Milne, Now We Are Six

Like poor little Christopher Robin I am beset with aches and pains, sneezles and wheezles. I have been in bed most of the weekend. Right now I feel a little better and hope to be well enough for work tomorrow. I need to save my sick days in case the children get sick and I have to stay home with them.

Meanwhile, I'm trying not to breathe on or kiss anyone; this is a more difficult task than it may seem!

Blossoms in Winter

The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.

~Gertrude S. Wister

Out walking with my son last week, I was thrilled to see that the first blossom trees have burst into bloom.

Despite the grey sky and chilly air, spring must be just around the corner.

Walk-Along Learning

Have you ever noticed how effectively children, and boys in particular, learn when they are doing something active. I have had some of my best conversations with my children when we have been going for a walk, or baking a cake, or looking for eggs in the backyard.

Today was a case in point. My youngest son and I were walking along when he said, "Mum, you know the word territory, like, 'you are in my territory!' -- that's got four words in it hasn't it, 'ter-ri-tor-y'."

I told him that those sound groups are called syllables, and a syllable is a group of letters that make a single sound group. If a word changes direction, then there are two syllables. We discussed how some words only have one syllable because they only go one direction, such as "crack", but other words change direction, such as hap-py.

I knew he had it worked out when he said, "Some words have two syllables when they go in the same direction twice, like 'poo-poo', don't they?"

Boys will be boys, won't they, even when they are learning!

Blue Sky in Winter

And they were canopied by the blue sky,

So cloudless, clear, and purely beautiful,

That God alone was to be seen in Heaven.

Lord Byron, The Dream

How to Choose a New Mattress

Goldilocks was very tired by this time, so she went upstairs to the bedroom. She lay down in the first bed, but it was too hard. Then she lay in the second bed, but it was too soft. Then she lay down in the third bed and it was just right. Goldilocks fell asleep.

Having recently purchased a new queen bed mattress, I was amazed at the range and types of mattresses now available. The decision was not as easy to make as I thought it might be.

Here are some tips and hints based on my experiences choosing a new mattress.

Tips and Hints for Choosing a New Mattress

1. If you are sharing the bed with someone, then take them along with you: It seems that women as a rule prefer softer mattresses than men, so to avoid marital disharmony for the next decade or so, choose a mattress that you both like.


2. Consider the dimensions of the mattress: Check that the mattress is a standard bed size (single, double, king, queen) or it may not fit a standard base. Your sheets won't fit either. Also consider the depth of the mattress. Many modern mattresses have a layer of extra padding or foam that makes them too deep for a standard sheet set. That is only fine if you want to replace all your bedding.


3. Is the mattress reversible?: Most modern mattresses are one-sided and cannot be turned over. This came as quite a surprise to us. Your shop assistant may not volunteer this information (our's didn't and we had to ask). A mattress that cannot be turned will wear faster and will need to be replaced sooner than one that is turned regularly.


4. What is the warranty on the mattress?


5. How many springs are there per square foot?: Good quality mattresses have a higher ration of springs per square foot than lesser quality mattresses.


6. Consider any health issues: If you suffer from lower back pain you will need to consider carefully the mattress you buy. Here is a link to an article on Choosing the Best Mattress for Lower Back Pain which provides some useful tips.

Finally: You get what you pay for. Your new mattress is an investment in sleep and health for the next decade, so a cheapie may not be the best deal in the long run.

What did we buy?

We eventually decided on an Adriatic Slumber Back Rest Luxury Firm mattress. This mattress was about medium-priced, is reversible, is quite firm, and has just the right amount of padding for us. You can see pictures of our new bed here.

Image is courtesy of http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/goldilocks/images/woodroffe_3bears1.jpg

New Bed

For some time I have suffered from an aching back that has affected my ability to sleep. I have been working on improving my posture, especially when sitting at my desk at work and have been doing stretching exercises - all with limited effect. I eventually realised that my bed was part of the problem. We have had the same mattress an base almost our entire married life (18 years).

The time had come to look for a new bed.

After shopping around, my husband and I chose a Federation-style timber bedstead and a firm but well-padded mattress, and today they arrived.


There was great excitement with everyone wanting to try out the new mattress.

I have never had such pleasure making a bed. My daughter helped style it for the photos.

I can hardly wait to go to bed tonight!

My next post: How to choose a new mattress