This and That...

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HOME
Life is quiet on the home front. I'm not a winter person, I hate the cold and tend to become bear-like, not the grouchy bear kind but the hibernating bear kind! In saying that, I do love my winter clothes much more than my summer clothes. I'm all about, jeans, jackets and boots. While hibernating at home, I have been doing lots of cleaning, sorting, organising and rearranging, all due to my new found energy levels. The Cowboy and the Cats are quite perturbed by my sorting, organising and rearranging. It's good to keep everyone on their toes, and paws...

Diary and Planning and Lists

Rearranging

These two hate change

SCHOOL
This term I am working almost three full days and now have 18 children in my Writing Enrichment groups. It's fast and furious. They come in groups of three for 30 minutes a time, three days a week. I probably say this every time, but I really do love working with them. They are cute and it is so rewarding to see them progress and to gain confidence in their writing ability, range of vocabulary and oral language skills. It's so funny to hear them using their new-found words, they are big on the word 'pizazz'!  I don't miss being in a full class...until I visit one and then I do, but I'm not sure why - haha! Because of my increase in hours, I am now at school for both breaks and it has made me realise how much I missed spending time in the staffroom with friends and colleagues. It really helps that I am able to communicate again haha!

READING

I have got a bit behind with my book club reading. The June book was From Darkest Skies by Sam Peters. It was late arriving from Book Depository and then I struggled to read it. It's a futuristic story which is not a genre I normally enjoy and I just could not get into and eventually stopped reading it, which is most unlike me. I forgot to order the July book, Once upon a Time in the East by Xiolu Guo so missed that discussion! August's book is All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg which arrived on Friday along with July's book which I ordered at the same time. Now to read the August book in time to participate in the online discussion. Goodness, so much pressure in reading, that I put on myself!

WATCHING

After months of binge-watching, all sorts of action, suspense and violent shows we came across Schitt's Creek and binge-watched the two seasons. At first, I wasn't sure but it quickly grew on me. The character development is wonderful and the entire show is absolutely hilarious. I had a period of mourning once it had finished but fortunately, it has been renewed for a third season and also a movie. It's so annoying when you get into watching something and am left with a cliffhanger and lots of loose ends only to find it hasn't been renewed for another season.

FOOD

I've been cooking! Comfort food like soup, casseroles and curries. Last week I set myself a challenge, to cook a new recipe each week. You know, put my cupboard of recipes books to good use. Anyway, we have had Lamb Rogan Josh and Beef Ragu, both from Chelsea Winter's Scrumptious recipe book. Both dishes were, well, they were scrumptious!

Lamb Rogan Josh

Beef Ragu

FOLLOWING

Now, you must follow DreamPuffBakes on Instagram. Heidi is a former student of mine. She is only 13 years old and is a future patisserie chef. She creates the most wonderful edible confections of which I am able to testify to the deliciousness of her work. Heidi is also an incredibly talented hip-hop dancer and is the sweetest, bubbliest person ever! Go and show Heidi some Instagram love by following her!

Marshmallow Caramel Slice - DECADENT!

I may have had three slices of this...

Randomness

• Health - Amazing, I am going to do an update soon.
• beautyreview.com - I recently trialled some new skincare products and will share my reviews soon.
• Pixi by Petra - I ordered a cleanser and toner and am obsessed!
• I bought new bowls over the weekend so that my recipe challenge photos are more aesthetically pleasing. The Cowboy asked if they are like the show pillows on the bed!
• Kindness - One of my teacher friends brought me back this divine bag from Singapore. I really felt overwhelmed by her thoughtfulness and kindness and I absolutely adore the bag.
• The Princess is a real live teenager, she rolled her eyes at me twice on Saturday. I laughed!

beautyreview.com trial

Obsessed!

New Recipes = New Dishes

I'm sure I had more to share, but I have left This and That for so long that I have forgotten! Haha

Thanks for reading.
Rachaelxo

Daily To Do List

Thank you so much to those of you who left comments on my last two posts. I hope the bloggers who have been affected by the 'nasties' got to read your extremely supportive comments. Actually I hope any 'lurking nasties' read them as well!

To show how much I appreciated your comments, I made a little certificate, well actually 'doctored' a little certificate I found on the Graphics Fairy's blog (Thank you Graphics Fairy). Please take the certificate and put it on your own blog if you would like to!


Before I go on, I have put a photo of my boots on here for you Sherry! Got them in Australia 4 years ago. I love them, and wear them a lot, still. I do love a little faux animal print!!!



Speaking of Sherry, I followed her link to RhondaMum's blog who is having an amazing give away.


One of the conditions of entering her giveaway is to go to the Breast Cancer site and click on the Free Mammograms button. I am clicking daily!


Also in my never ending quest to become an organised (I was once!) on to it Domestic Goddess I have joined Brocante Home's, Vintage HouseKeeper Circle!!!!

So watch this space, come October when it starts I am going to be positively dangerous in the home!!!!

As for my Daily To Do List, well . . .

It is humongous this week!!!

Tom has exams that need him to taken and picked up from school at odd times, I am working at Babes work tomorrow, at The Princess's school this afternoon and organising the Grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary luncheon this coming Sunday as well as cleaning their house, cleaning my house, which is now not clean or tidy, loading heaps of stock on Trade Me and my Website and doing masses of paperwork. Finish the furniture I started painting yesterday and finish my little garage playroom so I can start to CRAFT again!!!

Jen, my clean laundry needs you!!!

But on a bright note, my gardens still look fabulous and I am still happy and positive, just a little tired!!!

So I won't be posting a daily to do list this week, instead I have it hand written in my Brocante Home Domestic Goddess folder I set up. I need to carry the list around with me at all times!

Ok, off now to stack the dishwasher and generally get on with it!!!!

Bye for now!

Rachaelxo

Keeping it Real!

A huge thank you to all of you who left comments on my post yesterday. We are all on the same page regarding our blogs. I always say treat others as you want to be treated. Works for me!

Nastiness is a topic that gets me very hot under the collar as you will have now guessed. It is hitting a nerve at the moment as my Princess is witnessing bad behaviour and bullying of children in her class at school. This is having a deep impact on her own behaviour and attitudes at home and at school. We are on to it and working through it very quickly. It saddens me that at 5 years old she has to witness this and that it is 5 years olds who are doing it!

Yesterday I read two blogs that brought tears to my eyes. One written by Mary at Isabellas Closet asking for prayers for the family of Poppy a 13 month old baby who tragically died and the other was written by Corey of Tongue in Cheek asking for prayers for one of her readers whose daughter in law was killed, leaving behind two little children. And then of course there is the Nielson family tragedy.

That is what I mean by Keeping it Real!!! That is real and offering your support through prayer, donation or just stopping to acknowledge someones pain is important, not the small petty stuff!

This is very real, my pretty Princess dressed for Mufti Day this morning! She is such a poser!


And I certainly won't be plucking the hat I showed you yesterday, many of you seemed quite indignant that I would consider it.

However, this one has plucking potential!!!!


Pretty, but no where near as gorgeous as yesterdays. I paid an extraordinarily ridiculous amount of money for it on Trade Me for the sole purpose of plucking it!

Today at the Rose Room . . .

I need to:

• Clean Bathrooms
• Vacuum Kitchen and Dining Area
  
• Hire Movie
  
• Fold and put away GIANT pile of clean laundry
• Tidy House
  

I am wearing:

• Blue jeans, black top, Khaki light weight jacket, fake fur Leopard skin boots with a heel, perfume and jewels (I have been out shopping!)

State of the House

• Clean but a little messy
  

State of the Garden

• Weed free

Currently at home

• Coco the Cat and Me

I am crafting:

• Nothing :(

I am reading:

• Nanny by Charlotte Bingham (novel)
• Time Out by Diane Levy (parenting book)
• The English Home magazine (bought today)
• Romantic Homes magazine (arrived in mail today)
  

I am cooking tonight:

• McDonald's for The Princess - its Friday, I don't cook!
  

The weather is:

• Raining and overcast
  

My mood is:

• Happy and positive

Bye for Now

Rachaelxo

To blog or not to blog, that is the question . . .

It would be easy to become very dis-enchanted with blogging at the moment and that makes me feel very sad.

We all have our own personal reason for blogging and I have been giving serious thought to why I blog.

Well, I blog for quite a few reasons actually. I blog because I love looking at other peoples creativity, I love little insights into other peoples everyday lives, I love looking at other peoples homes, I love seeing others thrifting finds. Some blogs are inspirational and some I read because they make me laugh!

I write my own blog because I like the online friends I have made around the world, it is a good marketing tool for my website (lets be honest here!), not that I have pushed it much . . . yet . . . and I blog because it has become my online journal, my diary.

I also blog as a form of escapism from the dreariness and sameness that is sometimes part of everyday life. Blogging has also been very supportive at times.

Recently I have been aware of some under currents in the blogging world, maybe some cattiness, some falseness, nasty comments left on blogs, copying of others art work etc.

For this reason some people have taken blogging breaks, some people have had to turn their comments off. How sad is that, when they have had to leave a medium, a form of communication which is supposed to make you inspired, happy, supported and creative!!!

The real world can be a nasty enough place, do we really have to bring it our enchanted little world of blogging. Too sad!

I am going to continue blogging FOR ME, because I need to blog. However, I have been spending too much time blogging recently and not enough time doing the 'real' stuff.

For a while I am going to use my blog as my daily motivator, my to do list. To get me back on track and to try and get my creative mojo back.

After all it is my blog, my journal, my diary. If you want to still visit I would love you to, but if you don't, well that is ok too.

And if you are guilty of any of what I mentioned, please stop it, go away and be the nice person you should be!

I do have to say that I haven't been directly targeted by this but I am upset that other people who I like have!

Anyway, I have said my piece, enough of that, on to why I am really here!

Before I type out my today's daily list I thought I would show you one of my vintage millinery confections. It was actually given to me and I forgot I had it! How could I forget this???

Is it not gorgeous! Karla, would you pluck this??? I don't think I can do it!!!!


Today at the Rose Room . . .

I need to:

• Load Baby Clothing on Trade Me
• Bank Cheque
• Post Swaps

I am wearing:

• Blue jeans, black t-shirt, purple cardigan, pink polka-dot slippers, perfume!

State of the House

• Clean and Tidy

State of the Garden

• Weed free

Currently at home

• Coco the Cat and Me

I am crafting:

• Nothing :(

I am reading:

• Glamour by Louise Bagshawe (chick lit)

I am cooking tonight:

• Chicken Casserole and Rice

The weather is:

• Raining then sunny, raining then sunny . . .

My mood is:

• Happy and positive

Bye for Now

Rachaelxo