Oh Canada...
I'm getting ready for our Vancouver Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony dinner on Saturday night. It's probably the most excited I've ever been about Canada.

For the Beijing Summer Olympics, I put together a stir fry and made fortune cookies and paper lanterns. It was hard to come up with a Canadian theme, but I'm quite pleased with what I've got to work with this time. There are some surprises, but I will say that there was paper-mâché and also flowers...



Once Upon a Time
I used some of my Christmas money to purchase Family Tree Maker 2010, a genealogy program. With it I got a six-month subscription to Ancestry.com.

I had been doing a little research and was using Geni.com, which has a great interface. However, the more I looked into doing genealogy "for real", the more I realized I needed to keep track of my sources, which isn't something that Geni does well if at all.

So over the last month, I've spent most of my evenings pouring through the resources that Ancestry has available... censuses, vital records, and my favourite, the newspaper archives. It's amazing how the society columns in the small-town papers were like the Twitter of today. So and so visited so and so on Sunday afternoon.

I found the wedding announcement of my parents' wedding in the local paper. I also came across this one of my Great-Aunt & Uncle from 1936. (Love her shoes!)

Tales of Christmas
It was hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit again this year. It's just too hot to feel like going through all the trappings of the season.

Instead of hauling out the tree, I ended up buying a couple bunches of arborvitae branches, and put them in a vase with some red pom-pon looking dries flowers. Decorations = complete! All the gift bags from America fit underneath.


A couple days before Christmas I raided the 50%-off holiday bins at Spotlight, Australia's equivalent for Michael's. I came home with some placemats and "peace" candles.


I didn't feel like doing our traditional Christmas Eve dinner, because it was too hot to have the oven on all day. So we opted for a fresh broccoli salad and risotto with mushrooms and peas.


It was lovely. Gift highlights include a sparkley ring and earrings, lots of goodies from Anthropologie from the US givers, and the parasol of my dreams. ♥

Queens Park on Queen's Birthday
After reading about all the get-togethers of the Sydney American Expats, I thought I should mention that we've got a few in Brisbane, and we know how to have fun too! So today we had three Americans and a Kiwi celebrating the Queen's Birthday at Queens Park.

We joined Brisbane-newcomers Nat & Chrissi at the Nature Centre to have a stroll through the animal enclosures. I must say that the more times I visit, the more I'm starting to love those ugly emus.


We had afternoon tea at the cafe and saw the resident cockatoo Cocky. He can dance and say "scratch my head", and he made a friend in Chrissi when she did just that. I believe I snapped this photo just before he attacked my camera and gave me a fright.


It was a beautiful day and lots of fun hanging with some American peeps who share a lot in common with us. We leave Friday on a mission to partake in white cheese dip in remembrance of them.

Money, Money, Money... Must Be Funny
Last night we pulled out The Money Drawer. We throw all of our loose change into a drawer at the end of the day. We've been accumulating for years, only taking out the gold coins when we're desperate. I've been worried about losing the bottom of the drawer, because it was so heavy it could hardly be pulled out anymore.


At our bank, they want you to count out the coins and put them into bags before you bring them in. So we watched Wipeout and sorted coins until we ran out of bags. What you see below is $1000 in $1, $2 or 50¢ coins. One THOUSAND dollars. In CHANGE. That was sitting in a drawer in our house.


And that's not even all of it. We have a ton more $1 coins. And then there's all of the 20¢, 10¢, & 5¢ coins to go. I'd bet there's at least another $500 at least. I feel a bit like someone with a mattress full of cash, but it's a nice little stash to deposit right before we go on holidays!

Three Years and Counting...
It's so hard to believe we were married three years ago. In some ways, it feels like it has been forever, and in other ways, it feels like just yesterday. I think we're just lucky that we remembered our anniversary at all. I guess neither of us are super-sentimental in that regard.

He slipped an orange gerbera onto my desk when I wasn't looking this morning. And we're going for a little tapas lunch at Simpatico today. Then on Friday we head to our little getaway for a long weekend. We're staying at Glass on Glasshouse. It looks absolutely perfect and peaceful. I'll let you know!

Crafty
I've had a couple of projects set aside that I finally took action on this week. I've been wanting a bulletin board in the kitchen for quite a while for two reasons. One is for the obvious use of tacking up notes and photos. The other is to showcase my pins.

Back when I was on the road, I tried to get a lapel pin from every area where we stopped and put it on my backpack which went everywhere I did. Some were the touristy type which said specifically where they came from, and others were a bit more generic. But each one invoked a memory.

I have picked up a few so far over the last few years, so I thought the cork boards would be a good place for them. I originally wanted to get the cork trivets from Ikea, but I found these at Bunnings. They fit perfectly between the picture rail and the top edge of the kitchen nook, so I settled. I gave them a light mist of white spray paint, but I may go over them again to make them a little more even toned and whiter.


Now I just have to find the rest of my pins. Hmm...

Pain in the Neck
Two days ago I woke up with a horrible pain in my neck. I don't know if I just slept wrong or if the new chilly weather at night cramped me up, but I haven't been able to turn my head for two days. I'm starting to feel kind of silly. Any of my chiropractor and/or massage therapist friends out there have any advice?

The Bitchin' Kitchen
This weekend I dove into my latest Donna Hay Magazine, and we have been eating like royalty. Friday night we had the slow-roasted chicken pictured below. I put my version of the recipe up at TastyPlanner. Seriously, this one was SO easy and SO delicious. The aroma will start to kill you with hunger about 35 minutes into baking. I wanted to go sit in the kitchen for the next hour just to SMELL it!



We had the Puffed Cheese Omlette (below) yesterday along with toast and yummy maple baked beans. This morning we had Creamy Scrambled Eggs with leftover beans. Yum! And tonight we're having the Sage & Cauliflower Risotto.


I don't mind being domestic when it involves food.

Funny Business
A couple weeks ago, after months and months of meetings and coffees and chit-chats and note-making, we finally (mostly) launched our business. It has kind of gone without fanfare, because nothing has really changed. We are just now in charge of making the graphics department grow wings.

I've been a little busy with all that, but I think we're all starting to breathe a sigh of relief. Yay.

Shoes Cure the Blues
After a breakfast meeting yesterday, we saw a friend working at a nearby vintage clothing store. As we were talking, my eye wandered to a wall of shoes. I finally couldn't resist trying a few pairs on and ended up buying two pairs. ♥




They're both size 6, and a little itty bit tight. But they are also leather and hardly worn, so I'm hoping they'll stretch slightly. And if not, I will grin and suffer.

Perplexing Packages
My mind is exploding from two packages sent in the mail -- one received and one not.

First, I woke up this morning to find a package from my uncle. Inside was a DVD. Cannot get the DVD to play anywhere. Suspect a bad burn, but am dying to know what was worth sticking in the mail. My mom said that my grandma also got one which didn't play, however neither they nor my siblings got one. Hmm...

And then the other package was an order I placed in January for the non-toxic flea spray that we have tried in the past. It still hadn't arrived as of this week, and I thought I had given it enough time to make it through customs and all that. So I emailed the company to see if they could look up the tracking information for me.

This morning I had an email saying that they had credited my card back and asked to let them know if we eventually receive it, and they will charge my card again.

Umm... but... I kind of just want the flea spray.

So now I'm weirded out. I feel like our relationship is over, like we've broken up through email. Do I place another order? Do I have to source another company who sells it? Do I write back and clarify? Did I ever imply that I didn't want my order? Is it because they're British?

Links for Later Perusal
♥ Painted Fish Studio: She's from the heartland. She finds pretty things. And she's crafty. Note: Paper Bead Bracelet, Trip Collages, & Fern Prints, for starters.

♥ 3-Day Weekend: Found this one when searching for ways to hang cork trivets on the wall without necessarily damaging the wall. They use self-sticking foam mounting tape. (Do I know what that is? And can it be removed later?)

♥ At Home with Kim Vallee: I don't know who this is, but lots of pretty household goods there.

Ugh, more later. I have to go officially boycott the decision to have Subway for lunch.

Try This Recipe!
A while back Kris in Sydney posted a recipe for Spicy Shredded Pork. I was quite interested, because pork has become like a new friend to me ever since we started going to our little butcher. (Seriously, I love the women there as much as the meat. They're all of Eastern European descent and are boisterous and such a hoot!)

So yesterday we planned to have dinner with the brother- & sister-in-law (who just broke her foot), and I said I would go to their place to cook and keep her company. That was just my sneaky way to try this recipe in a fully air-conditioned home, instead of baking myself out of our house. Teehee.

I must say, that I am now in love with Spicy Shredded Pork. It's dreamy. It's so delish. We had it on tortillas with homemade pico de gallo and guacamole. I also had lettuce, tons of cilantro/coriander, lime wedges and sour cream on hand. A-MAY-ZING!

Also, for those who cower at the word "spicy", I'll just add that it is spicy in that it has spices in it, but those couple dashes of chili powder won't give it much more than a completely mild rating. I'd serve it to children, no problem. I'd also look into adding some chili peppers if you want any sort of heat.

Inspirational Thoughts
I came across this site with all sorts of ideas to motivate people to go out and do something beautiful.

For example: "Start a worm compost. Use it for your paper junk mail. Use the soil regenerated from the decomposition of your junk mail to grow flowers. Pick the flowers and give them away to people. If anyone asks you why you are giving them flowers, tell them that it's junk mail."

Computer Woes All Over Again
Remember a couple of days when I broke my computer? Well, I thought I had tricked it into working by creating a new user profile. And for a few days, it magically worked with no issues. Until it realized it was being fooled, and now it doesn't work again much at all. iTunes and LOTRO are the only programs that don't seem to crash it... which is great if I was after a gaming/music-listening machine, but I have needs, people. Internet needs.

Hanslis gung-ho about getting me a new laptop, but the one he's looking at for me seems to have some heat issues. (As though my other one didn't already have heat issues, this one gets up to 10 degrees hotter in some places.)

While I ultimately just want a computer that works, I'm finding all kinds of joy in finding the hilarity in the situation.

Me: Hey, can you preheat the oven to Dell Laptop for me?

Him: Do you know if it's supposed to be cooler today?
Me: It's going to be Dell Laptop until this afternoon, unless it rains.

Him: But it's so much cheaper than the other ones with the same specs.
Me: Yes, but have you considered how much the skin grafts for my legs are going to be?

*sigh* I laugh, because otherwise I'd cry. My poor baby is dead.

I'm Not Down with the Sickness
Because I am totally awesome and stuff, I got me a computer virus last night. Fun times ensued. And though the virus is now gone, a possible pre-existing condition has flared, and the computer will no longer boot on command. It's more of a "I'll start when I'm good and ready, thank you very much, and that may not actually be today" sort of situation.

So I pretty much want to die, because I have three years of non-backed-up photos and video on there. (I AM aware that this makes me a stupid person. Please don't leave comments to remind me.)

There is hope, because the one time it did start again, I was able to burn off one year of photos. So at least I know things are still there and in tact. I just won't breathe easily until they are all safe and sound on a drive that ISN'T going into self-destruct.

I was going to get a little Lacie Rugged drive to take to the States, so I can copy over all my cds. Looks like I may get it sooner than later. (Plus it's orange. How cute!)

Herbie!
On a happier note, I am loving this French herb dryer. Le sigh. If I had that, I would definitely use Straight from the Farm's advice on preserving fresh herbs.

By the by, Australians say the "h" in "herbs", and I think I say it now too. But anytime I consciously say the word, I have a hard time remembering which way to say it.

In General
Things are picking up. We still have no Christmas decorations out to speak of, but I'm feeling a little more interested in the holidays. We braved the mall on Sunday, and I'm feeling very confident in my gifts for He Who Buys All He Wishes For. He may not necessarily know that he wants what I've gotten, but I'm meeting his needs in one way or another.

Methodology
I just found out about Method Lust over at The Dieline. Even though we have some Method products at the grocery store here, I do have their holiday air fresheners on my Christmas list for my parents.

Artsy-Farsty
I'm loving this: Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today?. She draws what she buys. Simple as that.

Short of making a resolution for the new year, I really would like to do more drawing in 2009. I seem to remember saying that a couple years ago too. Hmm.

On that note, for future reference: Doodlers Anonymous.

This is Your Birthday Song / It isn't Very Long
Hans is the magic number today. We woke up and opened presents in bed. Then we raced to get ready so we could play Little Big Planet before work. (He has rehearsal tonight. I don't. Hehe!)

And We're Done
Wow, so today ends the three-week vacation of 2008. My parents left on Thursday, and I'm still a little bit sad. The introvert in me didn't always love the constant being with people and all the go-go-go we scheduled, but overall, it was so great. I think the best part is just being able to talk to them about stuff now, and they will have a better picture of what we're talking about.

We really did pick up the pace, which was good considering the amount of rich food we also ate. But I am really hoping that we can continue that on our own. Sure we won't be hiking through the Bunya Mountains or walking along the rocky shores of Western Australia, but it's not too much trouble to find a park or bush trail around here.

I also have had a bite from the travel bug. I'm excited about finding new treasures in new places, even places close to home.

That being said, I've heard about a new park, we've got the foodstuffs for a picnic on hand, and we have yet to try out our new picnic blanket. Today might just be the day!

Linky Links
♥ The Paupered Chef - I may have put this one before.

♥ Oh, Sunday School - cute

♥ Red Bubble - for all you artsy folk, they'll make cards and t-shirts and prints of your work for your customers.

♥ Quick Indian Cooking - because someday I'll make it from scratch.

Day One: Survived
We got up before dawn and managed to get the parents from the airport. We had an easy day with hanging around the house and a light lunch. Then we took them to Queen's Park in Ipswich. Their nature centre is really quite good. It's not quite Australia Zoo, but it IS free. No koalas or crocs, but it has wombats, goannas, wallabies, emus, kangaroos, lizards and birds of all sorts.

We also had a walk around the Nerima Japanese Garden. While you can tell it has been affected by the drought, it still is the greenest place I've seen in quite a while. It really is so peaceful and beautiful. I reckon we'll be having a picnic there one day soon.

Then tonight we cooked dinner for both sets of parents. No culinary catastrophes to speak of. No embarrassing childhood stories. No lack of conversation. It was quite impressive for a first-time meeting.

Now we sleep.

Here in My Car I Feel Safest of All
It's New Car Day! Hooray! We have the day off, and I thought we would sleep in and then go later in the afternoon. But no, I think I was awake by 7:30 and raring to go. It's so exciting. Our CAR is parked underneath me as I type. We went and got groceries in OUR CAR. I went through three roundabouts in OUR CAR. I'm ready to take a roadtrip in OUR CAR!

We're a little split on the name. I wanted it to be sort of "Man from Snowy River" themed, since it is a Colt. The thing is that I can't remember any of the horses' names from the movie. Bess was the one who died at the beginning, right? And then I'm not sure any of the other ones had names. Just "the Brumbies", I think.

But we've got it narrowed down to either Clancy or JESSICA!. Not Jessica. You have to say it like you've just spent the night looking for her in the rain. JESSICA! Maybe the car can have two names. Clancy for when it's behaving well, and JESSICA! when it's giving me grief.

In Other News...
* It's fricking FREEZING.

* Hans's tante and oom from Holland are in town this weekend. I can pick up only the slightest bit of their Dutch, but they are such a hoot. We're arranging a visit with them in 2010 when we go for Sail Amsterdam.

* As a thank-you for watching my in-laws' pets last week, I was given some Soul Food Kitchen Cajun Spices. So last night we made red beans and rice. With the Cajun blends that I've found here, I usually put in two Tablespoons to get it to my heat level. So I did the same with my new stuff. OMG. We nearly died. I thought my lips were going to swell shut. I think Hans was hallucinating. I'm scared to try it again. It definitely is NOT the Australian version of spicy; it's legit.

Linky Links
♥ Dutch Word of the Day -- I'm newly recommitted to learning the Dutch that I abandoned quite a while ago.

♥ CraftGossip -- lots of crafty ideas, and from there I found Jon's Thread Escapades, a blog about tatting. I started learning to tat from my Grandma years and years ago. That's another thing I feel like I should consider taking up again.

♥ Vinyl Record Headbands -- here's a craft for Alyda!

♥ Cake Wrecks -- I can't remember where I found this one, but it shows when cake decorating goes wrong, all wrong.

♥ Basic Instructions -- Another one I've had open for a few days, so I can't remember where it came from. But it's a pretty funny webcomic. (Even though I hate them for not having their top banner return to the home page. Who doesn't do that?)

Stay off the Sidewalks
In case you missed the Tweet, I got my Queensland Driver's License the other day after only the slightest bit of drama. Oh, and I also had my eyes closed the first time, so I had to take not one, but two, horrible license photos. But woo... no test!

Crazy Town
When I'm home alone, I am acutely aware of the sounds around the place, the dogs in the neighborhood, and the noise of the gate. So when I heard the gate open a little earlier, I started to panic knowing that it was an unexpected visitor. Footsteps on the stairs. Oh... poop.

"This is the police". Oh... crap.

I opened the door and was met with a flashlight in the face. It was a very nice officer asking if I had called the police. Turned out that the lady next door had actually called them, as we have sort of the same house number. (Don't ask.)

So of course, I stood outside like the rest of the neighborhood trying to figure out why there were three patrol cars and six officers walking around. Oh, it must be the guy off his face sitting on the curb screaming that he needed help and didn't want to die.

From all appearances, he was being helped and was not, in fact, dying. But he kept up the screaming, nonetheless. Even as they all drove away, you could hear him in the back of the patrol car. Erm. Right. Back to "So You Think You Can Dance."

Linky Links
The Traveler's Notebook and The Nine Commandments of Travel Writing via Write to Travel.

We Got Wheels!
Three years ago I left my last car in Nashville and rode back to Iowa in a moving truck with my folks. And yesterday we finally replaced it.

We've been talking about how we should have a car by the time my parents get here just so that it's easier to get them around. We'll still use public transport, but it's nice to have the option of getting away to some place that isn't necessarily on a train line.

We, being who we are, however, hadn't really done much looking at cars. We sort of had our hearts set on at least test-driving a Swift. But then the soccer mom in me started leaning towards a CRV. This was all virtual searching though.

Then yesterday, we had gotten back from our McAmerica trip, and Hans's brother came to the door with a flyer describing this Mitsubishi Colt. A test drive and some smooth talking later, we had the guy down to our price range with a 3-year warranty. Next thing we know, we're signing papers.

Of course, neither of us can legally drive it yet, but I'm guessing I should do something about that this week. Eeep! I need so much practice. I've driven my in-law's car down the street to the grocery store, but I've managed to avoid all roundabouts thus far. I'm freaking out, but it will be okay.

It's kind of cute in that ugly sort of way, which is totally our style. It's amazingly roomy, and it'll be great for hauling band gear around. I'm excited.

Ocean Moonrises
Then last night we went down to the Gold Coast for dinner. Someone had recommended Matsuzaka to us for the Teppanyaki (where the table is around a chef who cooks for you), and I'm recommending it to you. Be sure to request Chef Phil. He is personable and really made the experience enjoyable.

So enjoyable that I completely overate and was miserable well into the night. But it was so delicious. We had chicken and beef and fried rice and scallops, prawns & I tried morton bay bugs for the first time. I'm not a huge seafood fan, but the sauce they put on the bugs was incredible. We nearly licked our plates.

Another special moment for the night was when we were walking to the restaurant along the shore. The huge orange moon was just coming up and reflecting over the ocean. There have not been many opportunities for this Iowa girl to see such a magnificent sight, and I almost didn't want to go inside just to savour a few extra moments.

In Other News
I'm completely addicted to the Pack Rat game on Facebook. Let me know if you want an invite!

A Bit on the Homesick Side
It's weird. My great-uncle from California passed away last week. They are having the funeral in Iowa tomorrow. I only saw them once a year at most. I can't remember having any one-on-one conversations with him. And if I were in Nashville, I probably wouldn't be going home for the funeral unless I had already planned on being home for the 4th.

So why is my grief crippling me today?

Maybe it has to do with getting information like this in casual "oh by the way, has anyone told you yet" emails. Maybe it's the realization that it's only a matter of time before it's Grandma or even someone younger. Bleh.

Linky Links
More expats to peruse:
* Suzer's Expat Adventures
* A Girl Named Supermindy
* Florida Girl in Sydney

I'm pretty sure that I got this link from one of the above. A Year of Crockpotting - someone who is using their crockpot to cook every day this year. (Allison & Steve, I think we all need to try some of these recipes and share the good ones!)

McYum!
This past Saturday we had what I consider to be one of my all-time favourite days in recent history. We had a bit of a sleep in, which is one of my greatest pastimes. But then we hurried to get ready so that we could walk down to McDonalds before they changed their breakfast menu.

The goal was to have the limited edition McAmerica. I may have completely lost my taste for what American bagels are supposed to be like, but this was the closest I have come to bagel perfection in the longest time. The taste, and, more importantly, the texture were EXACTLY what I was looking for in a bagel.

I'm in love with a breakfast sandwich, people. One that I will love until it goes away on August 5.

We then walked past the shops to pick up some food to get us through the weekend and had a lazy stroll back home. It was so glorious outside and getting a little exercise really recharged me.

After we got home, we spent pretty much every last minute of the day playing Lego: Indiana Jones. Freaking awesome. And we're finally getting some use out of the world's most expensive dvd player.

And We're Done
I have to say that the launch was so much fun and so unbelievable. People came! You know how you plan something big, and then you start to wonder if anybody will even show up? Well, over 250 people did. It was so wonderful.

I didn't even take my camera along. Knowing I would be running around the whole day, I didn't want to have to worry about lugging it with me. (That, and it's not on our insurance yet... oops.) Plus I knew there would be way-more-competent photographers there. *ahem*McGaws*ahem* So I haven't seen any shots yet, but he looked pretty hot if I do say so myself. (Although, I think the girl who was bummed to find out that he was married would agree.)

And then it worked out that a friend was able to come and shoot the set on a Red, which should make for some really great footage. I can't wait to see that either.

So we're just floating in a haze of post-show afterglow. It's nice.

The Tax Man Cometh
Probably the worst part about being in Australia, besides the obvious lack of Dr. Pepper, is their financial year ending June 30. And because I'm never good about doing these things in a timely manner, it seems like I am under the constant weight of having to hurry and get my taxes done for one country or the other.

So this year, I'm making a vow that I am going to stay on top of this so that when it comes time for somebody to know what I've earned, I can just fill out the form and be done with it instead of having to dig through files and folders and making phonecalls. It will all be right there.

I spent the afternoon modifying the PearBudget Spreadsheet to suit my needs of tracking deductibles and things like that. While I would really love for us to be a by-the-letter budget-keeping family, we're not quite to THAT point. But baby steps, right?

In List Form

• The CD Launch is in 8 days. The CDs arrived today. I'm pooped and can't wait for it to be over. Next time we hire event-planner extraordinaire Miss Tash.


• We are in the middle of changing banks. Very un-fun.


• Our chickens are getting so much bigger. So are their poops. But they are irresistible, and I sat on the kitchen floor until after midnight last night holding them as they tried to eat my freckles.


• I'm still in love with putting my recipes on tastyplanner.com. The pea soup looks terrible due to bad light.


• One of these days I'm going to finish the post I started about our recent truffle experiences. (The gourmet deli by our work is now ordering fresh truffles from a farm in Perth -- delish!)


• We know the guy who is the voice of Big Brother during the nightly shows, and that's my excuse for watching. I'm so lame.

Spaced Out
Last Monday we were both home sick. I happened to discover the news article about Phoenix landing on Mars. I don't know why I care about that stuff, because I tend to think that money could be better spent trying to save life on THIS planet instead of trying to find life on others. But yeah, there is still a sense of mystery and adventure that consumes me. Witness:

I only have this picture because the person who is supposed to love me most in the world thought I looked hilarious and wanted to show me. That's our marriage in a nutshell.

And yes, I'm wearing a scarf and sweater. And yes, that is my stocking cap on the couch next to me. What can I say? It's cold in our house in the morning.

♥ Two Years ♥