A Wee Break.

Hullo my lovelies, just a quick note to say I’m having one of my what seems to have become somewhat regular blog sabbaticals.

I had a fabulous time in Sydney & couldn’t wait to get back to tell you all about it, but I was blindsided by R U OK day today. A great cause, a great idea, a great concept… but something too raw for me to deal with right now. I can’t bring myself to talk about why & at the same time I can’t talk about something else, so I’m just not going to talk at all.

On top of that, I think I have been putting too much importance on blogging. In the grand scheme of things, it is barely a blip on the radar, but it has been taking up too much of my time & thought; not an obsessive amount, just more than I think it should. For example, I ate all sorts of things while I was away, for all sorts of reasons, but I felt a bit guilty because I had grandly declared the whole vego thing here…. pure stupidity, I know. I was also having so much fun that I hardly took any pictures – again feeling fleetingly guilty… crazy town.

You don’t need to write & tell me “It’s your blog, do what you want” or “Don’t feel guilty”, I already know that, which is why I won’t feel guilty about going awol for a bit, including from blog reading; the blog world will keep on turning & everything will still be here when I return; plus there’s always twitter – leaving that now would require some SERIOUS will & perhaps some sort of intervention.

Later peeps, perhaps for Blogtoberfest?

Our free not-so-crappy portrait.

When I saw Katie & Reuben’s Free Crappy Portrait a while back, I KNEW we needed one too, but me being me, I thought “I’ll email them later”, then promptly forgot all about it. Finally I did email them though, & I’m so glad. Look!

Not at all crappy, in my opinion, and terribly flattering for Mr & I. He doesn’t look like a hobo & I look like a trophy wife who can knit! Nice. My favourite part is Suspence with a mouth full of dirt & the sausages in hotdog buns…

This is what I sent them;

“I have sent through a few pictures as it seems impossible for everyone to get into a photo together at any given time. We are a little family of four with a cat & two dachshunds that we refer to as "The Sausages". We live in a teeny tiny house with nothing but vegetables growing in the yard. I like to make things, draw & blog. My 3yo daughter likes to pretend to read, the man of the house, surprisingly, likes to grow nothing but vegetables in our yard & the baby has just learnt to stand up, so, after eating, that's pretty much his favourite thing. I am currently obsessed with the colour mustard & crochet blankets. My 30th birthday is imminent.”

I totally forgot a picture of Morgan which is why he’s white – we shall pretend he’s been rolling in flour.

Don’t pretend like you don’t need a Free Crappy Portrait too. You SO do.

We’re going to have this one printed & framed, it’s that not-so-crappy.

*Serving Suggestions

Add to a burger; do-able.

Squeeze over a hotdog; easy.

Pour over an un-appetizing dinner; I’d rather not, but okay (This is gross by the way. Mr’s misguided purchase. ALWAYS make your own gravy. Sorry. I seem to have interrupted the flow. *cough* Continue….).

Add to a stir-fry; raising the difficulty level, I’m up to the challenge.

Make into a tomato: …

Fortunately, Unfortunately.

Punk borrowed a book from the Library a while back, it was called “Fortunately, unfortunately”, it was an amusing read, but when it happens in real life… it isn’t so funny.

So, today is my birthday;

Unfortunately, I woke up not feeling too hot.

Fortunately, I was well enough to go out still.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t fold the pram down to put it in the boot.

Fortunately I finally realised that Mr had messed with it, so I fixed that, & it folded.

Unfortunately, when everyone was finally in the car with all the supplies required for a day out with two kids, the car died at the bottom of the driveway.

Fortunately, it started again & I managed to creep to the servo.

Unfortunately, the website I’d referred to for how to get to the market gave me the wrong address.

Fortunately, I found the market anyway.

Unfortunately, the cupcake lady wasn’t at the market (the whole reason we were even there…).

Fortunately, there were other things to eat, including a large, hot, very necessary coffee.

Unfortunately, the coffee tasted like melted rubber.

Fortunately, there was a great park to run around in.

Unfortunately, it was FREEZING.

Fortunately, I’d looked up some vintage stores to check out.

Unfortunately, the GPS failed me again & it took ages to find the shops.

Fortunately, they were still open when we finally made it.

Unfortunately, there was nothing I wanted to buy.

Fortunately, I found a sushi place for Punk to have lunch.

Unfortunately, they didn’t have anything I wanted to eat.

Fortunately, we decided to go paint something at the Plaster Funhouse.

Unfortunately, Punk broke something as soon as we got in, even though I asked her not to touch anything.

Fortunately, she had fun painting & we have a lovely technicolour pony money box.

Unfortunately, I had to change Suspence’s STINKY nappy in the car park (in the pram). I always feel like such a bogan skank if I get caught out like that.

Fortunately, we headed off to the Mill Markets for a bit more retail therapy – I needed to buy SOMETHING…

Unfortunately, Can you believe it? Can you guess? I couldn’t find a single thing I wanted.

Fortunately, Punk was being beastly so I didn’t mind having to leave.

Unfortunately, the dear GPS sent me home on an entirely different – longer- route than it had used to get us there in the first place.

Fortunately, the kiddos fell asleep in the car.

Unfortunately, it started raining like a mo’fo.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to pull over & there were not “incidents”.

Unfortunately, Suspence woke up 40 minutes from home & cried for about 20 minutes.

Fortunately, he fell asleep again & was quiet the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, it was raining heavily again when we got home, so we were stuck in the car for a bit.

Fortunately, Mr was home to help me get everyone & everything inside again.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get my camera out all day, not even for the fortunate bits.

Fortunately, I’m heading to Sydney ALONE in THREE MORE SLEEPS, & that is going to rock, so help me.

A Day Out.

Mr is working on my Birthday so I guilted him into taking us all out to lunch when he finished his short day today.

I must have found my licence to blog in a cereal packet because I was too interested in EATING my lunch rather than taking a photo of it, I know.

I disgust me too.

I really don’t want my birthday to come, & not because I’m moving into a whole new age bracket, but because I’ve been milking it for months & I’m going to be a bit lost without the whiny excuse “…but it’s my BIRTHDAY…!”.

I guess Christmas isn’t that far away.

What is this?

I keep seeing this fabric thing in the linen section at the opshop & I keep picking it up because I like the fabric & it catches my eye, but I haven’t the foggiest what it is. A fellow opper suggested last week that it was something to carry a baby in, but I should think that would result in a speedy dash to the Emergency room.

I’d say it’s about 45cm X 45 cm in size, has handles sewn into the inside (if it IS the inside..) & each corner has a folded over piece of the outer fabric secured with a button. I should have taken a photo with my phone but I forgot I had it, so you get a hastily drawn mess instead.

…so…? What is it? If you have any idea what this could be, in spite of the crappy drawing, please tell me! I will be wondering for weeks to come unless somebody buys the bloody thing.

Cross bunting off the list.

Yes, I can cross it off the “things I have to make for a swap” list, that’s true, but I can also cross it off the “things I can make to get rich selling my wares” list.

In fact, I would suggest crossing anything to do with sewing off that list too while we’re at it… mass production is just not in me.

I get SO. BORED.

And annoyed.

And distracted.

Some people (most, I wonder?) enjoy the act of sewing. They enjoy the whir of the machine & feeding the fabric under the foot, I however, do not. I sew, usually quickly & haphazardly, to get to the finished product. I sew just so I can have or give the thing I’ve made, not because I particularly enjoy stitching seams.

Am I the only one?

I said I’d make 10 bunting pieces for this swap, but after 5 I emailed Rach late last night & begged her to revise that number down to, surprise, 5. I actually made 6 pieces, but the first was an experiment that turned out badly, which probably contributed to my general bunting dismay.

After the failure I went with the idiot-proof “put a sausage on it” philosophy. Basically like “put a bird on it” but with Dachshunds. Dachshunds make everything better. I used a post-it page from the pad that my mate Jodie sent me as the basic template & cut them out of felt… also tedious.

I DO like the end result though, & wish I could make more for myself… but, really, I just can’t. If you’re in the bunting swap & you end up with a piece of my bunting you can rest assured that they are extremely limited editions. Only 5 ever made in the world.

So, if I ever am to get rich & famous from craft (stop laughing!), it’s going to be with one off pieces. Pieces of what I don’t know, but I’m sure it will come to me. One needs to get in “the zone” to enjoy what they’re doing & create something great, & that so far only happens to me when I’m doing up a piece of furniture or drawing a picture, I envy those of you you that can sew in the zone. You must rock craft markets with your productivity & get a hell of a lot done.

The Vegan Police

After browsing around some websites & forums for new recipes I have been reminded of the existence of a certain type of people; The Vegan Police.

(Found here, from Scott Pilgrim VS The World)

Like The Breastfeeding Police, The Immunisation Police, The Recycling Police & The Exercise Police, The Vegan Police are full of their own importance & drunk with the “knowledge” that they are right.

The Vegan Police take it upon themselves to educate you about what is & isn’t vegan. The Vegan Police like to chastise you for knowingly or unknowingly ingesting something “wrong”. The Vegan Police award themselves medals of honour depending on how long they have been “hard-core” vegans for (“20 years? That’s NOTHING! I was vegan since before I was even born. Since before my MOTHER WAS BORN MAN.”). The Vegan Police, in simple terms, are dicks who don’t do anything to promote the vegan cause but everything to harm it, put succinctly in this piece from veganoutreach.org;

“It is imperative for us to realize that if our veganism is a statement for animal liberation, veganism cannot be an exclusive, ego-boosting club. Rather, we must become the mainstream. Fostering the impression that “it’s so hard to be vegan – animal products are in everything,” and emphasizing animal products where the connection to animal suffering is tenuous, works against this by allowing most to ignore us and causing others to give up the whole process out of frustration.

The way veganism is presented to a potential vegan is of major importance. The attractive idea behind being a “vegan” is reducing one’s contribution to animal exploitation. Buying meat, eggs, and/or dairy creates animal suffering – animals will be raised and slaughtered specifically for these products. But if the by-products are not sold, they will be thrown out or given away. As more people stop eating animals, the by-products will naturally fade, so there is no real reason to force other people to worry about them in order to call themselves “vegan.”

We want a vegan world, not a vegan club.”

I don’t ever want to be a member of The Vegan Police, but at the same time, since something about them seems so clearly unhinged, I don’t want to piss them off too much either, which is why I hereby revise my dietary status from “Vegan” to “Vegetarian”. “Already?” I hear you ask, obviously bemused. “Already.” I solemnly reply, & here is why;

Yesterday, I was asked a question that I was never asked in all my time as a “hard-core” vegan, & it was whether or not I would eat eggs from pet chickens, not only pet chickens which I had seen with my own eyes, as well as their pen & the way they are kept, but chickens that we used to keep ourselves. Our very own chooks which we had to rehome when we moved, their new owner had swapped the Mr some eggs for some Spinach, Broccoli & whatnot.

Of course I would. My whole argument for a vegan diet is not to eat things that I wouldn’t be willing to go out & get for myself, so saying I wouldn’t eat eggs from the very same chooks that I used to take Punk out to see while we collected their eggs… that wouldn’t make much sense, would it? But that would make me a vegetarian, not a vegan, & an ovo-vegetarian at that. I don’t like that term in the slightest, it seems a bit perverted to me somehow, so I am going to say, as I read here, that I am a vegetarian that eats a mostly vegan diet, vegan ‘cept for those damn eggs from 5 lovely chickens, living out on a farm nearby.

So there you are, Vegan Police. I have admitted my sinful thoughts & am resigning from the ranks of The Vegan Army. I will not perturb you by saying I am “…mostly vegan” or “vegan except for…” & in return, you can’t arrest me or kick me in the head with your pleather stomping boots when I make a veggie frittata.

Om Nom Nom.

One piece of internet speak (or is it lolcatz speak? Or Cookie Monster speak…?) that has made it into my real life vocabulary is “Om Nom Nom”. I say it when I see something yummy I want to eat or if Suspence is chowing down on a banana, I’m not necessarily proud of this, but it’s how it is. It’s a fact.

Another fact, is that these fritters I made last night are the business & assuredly om nom nom.

Zucchini & corn fritters with tomato & avocado salsa:

 

1 cup corn kernels (I just used a 310g tin)

1 medium zucchini, ends cut off, grated & squeezed to remove excess moisture.

1/4 of a red capsicum, finely chopped

5-6 shallots, chopped

2 tbs parsley, chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup of flour

1/2 tsp bicarb soda (can use self-raising flour in place of plain with bi-carb)

2/3 cup of water

Oil for frying

“Salsa”; Tomato & avocado chopped, drizzle with lemon juice.

 

Mix flour, salt & pepper, paprika & bicarb in a large bowl, add water & mix well. Add more water if required to create a nice smooth batter.

Add vegetables & parsley & combine.

Heat enough vegetable oil in a pan to fry; coat the bottom of the pan.

Fry in batches, using a heaped tablespoon of mixture for each fritter, then drain on kitchen towel.

Top with salsa & serve!

Om. Nom. Nom.