Finding joy in the everyday

I told a woman at work that my husband had bought me a can-opener and how excited he was at finding one that worked so well and looked so sturdy. She replied by say " I hope my husband doesn't buy me gift like that ".     I, on the other was thrilled and very touched. Whilst flowers are very nice, they die . . .  whilst chocolates are lovely, they add calories to my waistline - a can-opener, however, is very useful indeed!! I am a very practical girl. This is one cool can-opener. It is sturdy and it works.  Dear husband also made sure that it was red. I have a number of red kitchen items so this matches beautifully with everything else in the kitchen. He took great care to show me all the details and how it works.  How sweet is that.  It is when our husbands do these unexpected things, that make it all worthwhile. It brings joy to the heart.

O ver the last few months, the newspapers have been full of stories on the arrival of the latest boat people — illegal persons coming to Australia by boat (many in un-seaworthy vessels) from Indonesia and wanting to claim refugee status in Australia.   It has been become a political football with both sides of politics saying the other is wrong and no one is solving this complex issue. Comments, such as the one below, by the Opposition Leader don't help in any way. "I don't think it's a very Christian thing to come in by the back door rather than the front door. ... I think the people we accept should be coming the right way and not the wrong way. ... If you pay a people-smuggler, if you jump the queue, if you take yourself and your family on a leaky boat, that's doing the wrong thing, not the right thing, and we shouldn't encourage it." ( source ) I doubt there is any easy solution to this problem and I doubt one solution will be the fix-al...

I love eating meat but I really hate the idea of animals being killed or suffering.  I grew up on a farm where my dad would kill the calves for eating, my brothers would trap rabbits, we ate chickens and lamb. I could never watch the killing as it would make me feel very sad, however I was perfectly happy about eating the meat once it no longer looked like the original animal.  Even today I don't like watching animals dying (or being killed) and avoid TV programs that contain animals dying in the wild (on DVD I speed over those parts) even though that is completely natural. I buy organic eggs, milk and butter hoping (in the romantic view) that my chickens are free to roam and the cows are happilery eating grass free from pesticides - it probably isn't quite like this (it was my dad's farm) but I am always hopeful.  In saying this, I still eat meat and really enjoy the taste.  It is all very contradictory I know but I doubt I can give up meat anytime soon....

N is for NICE Do you think that being nice is going out of fashion? I was taught to be nice to people, people that I know and to those that I don't, but I fear that its not being taught to young people the way it was taught to my generation and we are seeing far more rudeness about.  Of course, not every young person is rude, but I think it is becoming far more noticable. However it isn't just young people who can be rude . . . older people can be just as rude or selfish as well. How hard can it be to: Smile at other people (but not a fake smile) Say hello with warmness Remain civil even when meeting a person who doesn't like you or you feel uncomfortable with (no need for rudeness)  Start a conversation Offer compliments to others - it can make their day Send a card to someone who needs cheering up Be polite to others Saying thanking Offer to help Treat people the way you like to be treated Do things that are fun to lift the spirits of someone...

I decided I would try something I have never eaten or cooked before - QUINOA . Considering its health benefits I thought it was worth trying and it might be something we can eat more often.  I found a recipe I liked the sound of, and after getting some advice from my brother (who uses it because it is gluten free) I made Indian Spiced chicken quinoa pilaf  from Taste.com.au.   The recipe was easy to make, however I only used one cup of quinoa (which I had washed before cooking) and halved the stock (from 4 cups to 2 cups) which I think was better.  I also added spinach and capsicum to the recipe as it was lacking in vegetables.  I think you could add any vegetables to this recipe, depending on what you liked. But I did like the cashews that gave a lovely crunch.  My husband didn't think it was spicy enough, next time I will add more chilli to the dish.  Quinoa really didn't have any taste, the texture was fine and it wasn't gluggy lik...

The lazy leaf racker Artist: David Zinn Temporary sidewalk artist, illustrator, poster artist, logo designer David Zinn is one talented man and does many different styles of art - today I want to share just one style - his "temporary street art" because it is wimpiscal, makes always make me smile (and even chuckle at times) and not your standard street art.  According to his website " David is a self-taught artist with a B.A. in Creative Writing and English Language from the Residential College of the University of Michigan. He has taught creative writing, scenic painting, and theatrical makeup design, performed in and directed several Gilbert & Sullivan operas, recorded audiobooks, and hosted two children's radio shows (The Rug Rat Revue on WCBN-FM and The Mud Pie Cafe on Michigan Radio). David is also a passionate sidewalk chalk artist, an avid whistler, and a haphazard ukulele player. " David Zin does most of his street art, posters ...

S ome really neat ideas for around the home: Source For those who love the smell of coffee and it looks really nice too. I wonder if you could use rice with lavender mixed through it and would release a gentle smell. Source This would be great when having a barbeque. Source You could use this for pens and pencils etc - what a great smell! Source I'm thinking of giving this one a go - a space saver. Source This is one way to display old recipes written by older women in your family. I think it is a wonderful idea - would make a wonderful gift. Source Another gift idea - a great way to use those spare mugs. Source A great use of old jars - these are baby food jars - such a pretty for afternoon tea. source Use a cake tin, cover with pretty paper and use as a magnet memo board.  It would be easy to "update" the paper when you wanted a change. This is a great idea. Source A cheap and easy bookend solution ...