A Bircher Breakfast ...

 

I have re-written this post a couple of times. All versions have sounded 'oh woe is me' which lets face it, is boring.

All I will say is that this week we have all been sick, and without sounding too harsh, the men in my household do not cope well with sickness. 

Nurses are generally far more patient with the people they care for at work than the one's at home - or so it would seem, or so I have been told ;) - either way, enough said.

 

Moving right along ....

 

Living in Queensland you are right, is pretty sensational. Spring is just gorgeous, but with that comes early sunrises and noisy birds. Are you getting where I am going with this?

At the moment, lets just say that I am very 'anti-kookaburra'.

In fact, I hate them :)

You see, if the sun is rising and the birds are singing, or as it may be laughing (at my expense I am quite sure), then it must be time for two year olds to get up! At 04.30 ....

 

I am a Child Health Nurse. I work at a centre which assists parents in getting their children to sleep!(ha!!)

I have tried every trick in the book to support/encourage/gently force my little friend to sleep longer but this it would seem, is where we are at - 04.30 starts.

So I am trying very, very hard to 'suck it up'...

 

With all this drama and my determination to continue to eat healthily, particularly since I am working night shifts and now seemingly getting up at 04.30, I have made a conscientious effort to consistently prepare myself a scrumptious, no fuss, healthy breakfast.

 

A lovely friend of mine Piera, put me onto this book by Saimaa Miller. It is here that I found my new favourite breakfast.

This is just one of the great healthy recipes in this book. Check out Saimaa's website for further inspiration. Either way, Easy Bircher Muesli is yummy!

 

 

Easy Bircher Muesli

(Aussie Body- Diet and Detox Plan, by Saimaa Miller page 78).

 

Serves 2 (Although I have been known to eat a whole bowl and go through until lunch).

 

45g oats

2 tablespoons of oat bran

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

70g mixed berries example goji, acai or blueberries ( I have just used frozen blueberries which are delicious)

1 small banana (75g)

1 tablespoon (20g)shredded coconut

1 tablespoon (20g) raisins or sultanas

500mls rice or dairy free milk (I have recently started using a lactose free milk called Zymil).

 

Mix it all together in a bowl and let is soak overnight.

 

 

A nutritious breakfast like this, even at the earliest start to the day, is guaranteed to put spring in your step. Things never seem so bad when you go to a little extra effort to do something nice for yourself - don't you agree?

 

I hope you are having a good week friends.

Apologies for the late post.

x

 

Unexpected surprises.....

Today has been one of those days. I finished my night shift this morning at 7 am and I am yet to have a sleep. It is a long boring story - we have had tree loppers here all afternoon which although exciting, has prevented Dominic and I sleeping. The end result is impressive though, and will make such a difference with the landscaping we have planned. Either way, I think it is fair to say both Dom and I are only just hanging in there. 

 

Despite the chaos of today, I unexpectedly received the most beautiful gift from my gorgeous, incredibly thoughtful cousin Jessica. Yes, that is the Orla Kiely storage jar I had been eyeing off from Lark, and I also received a beautiful cutlery set that is so lovely, it is worthy of a post of its own.

So, stay tuned.  

 

Thanks for thinking of me Jess. You rock!

 

 

Happy Friday friends!

My your weekend be a good one.

As for us, I think it is time for bed.

x

 

Marimekko

One of my consistent decorating themes, no matter where I have lived, is my love of colour and pattern. I am not talking about outlandish wall colours (yuck), but bright coloured cushions, canvases and prints. A colourful bunch of flowers can regularly be seen in our house too - bringing a smile to me, even on the most dreary of days.

 

Marimekko fabrics have long been a favourite of mine. The great use of colour and pattern in Marimekko homewares could brighten up any space, but they are not for the faint hearted.

I would love a big Marimekko canvas in our living room - maybe I will be brave and buy some fabric and make one myself? In the meantime, I will lust after Marimekko fabrics and try and pick my favourite. The Marimekko dress below is kind of adorable too - don't you agree? A Marimekko store opened in Sydney last year. Maybe they will come to Brisbane too? Eventually everyone does :)

Here is the stores feature post from The Design Files archives.

Do you have a decorating theme that has been carried across the different places you have lived? Colour? Pattern? Or may be you prefer the classical look with heavy fabrics?

Don't be shy people.... share your favourite decorating themes....

 

x

It's a Flapjack.....

My new favourite food blog is written by the ever talented photographer, Kate Berry.

The food/home baking blog that she writes accompanies her photography website and is called 'hello lunch lady'...

The photos are just beautiful and her recipes are simple and delicious.

I have now whipped up a few of Kate's recipes, but our favourite to date is the infamous 'flapjack'.
 I won't provide the recipe here cause I want you to check out her blog. So, here is the flapjack recipe and link. 

My mum popped over this afternoon and in no more than 15 minutes, I whipped up my own batch of flapjacks. They don't look as good as or as scrumptious (and in fact now that I look at my photo, the plate isn't even centred??) as Kate's, but they are the bomb - and healthy (enough) too.

In the batches that I have been making, I have been substituting golden syrup for rice malt syrup which tastes just as good, but not quite as sweet. I have been smothering our batches with Sunflower seeds, Chia seeds and Pepita's. Check out Kate's blog either way. You will not regret it.

 

Happy Friday lovely readers - this week has flown!

Have a lovely, relaxing weekend

xx

Jasmine or Jacaranda?

Queensland at this time of year is truly something special. The tree lined streets, lit up with the brightest of purple Jacaranda trees, is truly a sight to be seen. But for me, it is all about the Jasmine.

Whether it is Jasmine hedges or Star Jasmine grown over little gate houses, I cannot get enough of it!

I am not sure whether it is because I have a big nose (I do!), but the smell of Jasmine as we go for our daily walk absolutely overwhelms my senses. I stood outside a Jasmine covered little gatehouse, similar to the one below the other day and couldn't help but take the deepest of breaths - closing my eyes I remembered the Jasmine hedge that grew outside my bedroom window when I was growing up. Waking up to that smell was heaven. I must have looked like a mad woman standing outside the front of this house, but when you live somewhere as beautiful as Brisbane in Spring, these things simply cannot be helped.

 

It is the end of the weekend friends. Hope your weekend has been as enjoyable as ours

 

x

 

Favourite blogs...

Being the obsessive blogger that I am, I have decided that each week as able ( I have learnt now not to make promises that I cannot keep!), I am going to do a post on one of my favourite blogs. There are so many, it is quite ridiculous!

 

I have long been a fan of the blog Design Mom written by Gabrielle Blair.

 

Gabrielle, among other wonderful features on her blog, has 'home tours' that talk about 'living with kids'. As she says, her blog is about 'where design and motherhood intersect' - love it!

 

Earlier this month she featured the home of Courtney Adamo from Babyccino kids.

 

I am seriously in love with this home. Here are a few of the photos featured from the post.
If you want to see more lovely photos from this home, read more here.

The concept is simple really. A grey and white colour palette, with splashes of green from the beautiful garden and indoor plants, make for quite the visual feast. I have always been a big fan of grey and yellow together, but grey and green should also be seen!

Click on the actual photos for Pinterest links or the direct link above to Design Mom.

 

How are you doing? Are you feeling weak at the knees?

Me too.....

x

Friday - snapshots of home.

This week has been a challenge. I have found myself many a time exasperated by the behaviour of a certain two year old, and with 5 am wake up calls to boot (this is not something we are accustomed to), the days have been long. Thankfully amongst the chaos, we have still laughed :) 

Determined to put up a post to end this week, I have flown around the house this morning and taken a few rushed, imperfect snaps. No kitchen or bedroom shots yet. I can't get the lighting right.... but in the meantime...

 

 

Here is the beginning of a photo gallery in our hallway. Yes, that is a toy trolley in the bottom right hand corner and the top of my Birkenstocks on the left :) Notice the original light switch!

 

 

I seriously love lying on our couch and staring at our pressed metal ceilings and original light fittings.

 I doubt we will ever replace these. They add so much character!

 

 

This is one of the quirky light fittings in Dominic's playroom. I love it!

 

 

The camellia bushes at our front door. There are plenty of buds on them, so hopefully they will flower again soon.

 

 

My kitchen herb garden :) I have started growing pots of veggies too. - they are coming along beautifully. Will post some photos in the upcoming weeks ..

 

The Jacaranda Tree in our backyard. It is huge and the majority of our backyard is purple! Although it is beautiful, I must admit, it is making a dreadful mess.

 

And finally at our front door. I re-potted this gardenia a fortnight ago. It was miserable. Look at it now! Seeing this little bud this morning has made my week. I will also take a photo of the gardenia hedge at the front of our house if/when it flowers too.

 

Enjoy your weekend lovely readers. I am off to a conference in Toowoomba with work colleagues tomorrow. Ironically it is on mindfulness which after this week, feels awfully appropriate! x

.