Whydiss

I have moved

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 06:12:00 +0000

I have moved my blog into it's very own domain. You can me at:

www.whydiss.com

Sewing a patchwork advent calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 04:29:00 +0000

I have sewers block at the moment, similar to writers block. There are only a couple of days left in November and I need to sew my denim patchwork pockets together however I face a delema.

If I sew on the numbers before sewing the squares they could be out of alignment.

Sew the patches together and then adding the numbers?

I am hand sewing on the numbers and it will be easier if the patches were not joined. But I run the risk of them not sewing aligned.

Does this really matter in the big world picture? No.

However I will be annoyed each year when I hang up the advent calendar if I get it wrong.

Can anyone help?

Weekend photos

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 12:20:00 +0000

Here are five photos from my weekend:

I finished my second crochet pillow

My street supported my decision to host a garage sale and four house holds participated. We sold our stuff to strangers, friends and each other. It was a huge success and my neighbour rock!

Here are the goodies I brought off my neighbours. I did managed to sell more than I brought :)

The weather has been storming. I remember as a child my mother told me that loud thunder was Santa in his workshop making toys for the good kids.

I have made progress on my advent calendar, hopefully I will have it finished by the end of this month.

My weekend was busy and each week is getting busier. How was your weekend? Can you remember five interesting things about your 48 hours?

anaphylaxis in children

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 13:05:00 +0000

When your child has anaphylaxis there is a constant worry that never leaves you. My son will be having his yearly check up tomorrow and hopefully we will have news of an improvement. Scenes like the above movie have been rare and thankfully that was the last time he spent time in an emergency room, while in my care. His Dad has spent time in the emergency room with our son too.

Even when you triple check and try to keep all known allergens out of his environment and food there is always a chance something could go wrong.

Medical advice for anaphylaxis is at your fingertips via the internet, however my understanding it that the main problem is the immune system and what it will tolerate and what it won’t. Funny thing about immune systems are they are constantly changing.

If I had a dollar for every time a well-meaning person told me that my child will outgrow his allergies I would be able to pay for fancy private schools for my children. My son will have to be monitored for the rest of his life to find out what his immune system is tolerating and what he is reacting too.

For the first 9 years of his life he could not eat any nuts and last year we got the green light for hazel nuts and almonds, Nutella was on the menu. These new ingredients were to be treated with respect, eaten at home only, required two adults present with an epi pen at the ready, in case his immune system changed again.

I am hopeful and yet a little scared for tomorrows outcome, will we have new items on the menu or will they be taking off. Regardless of what happens I am thankful that we've had no emergency room visits for two years and modern medicine gives us comfort that he will be able to ‘manage’ his reactions.

Does allergies plague your family?

PS - The appointment went well and we do have new food items on the menu. This means his immunity is building in strength, however he will always have the peanut allergy and the test showed an even stronger reaction. I am grateful and give thanks for each and every step in the right direction, as it has been a long and painful journey.

Taking stock 1

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 11:07:00 +0000

I am following along with Pip who has started a taking stock list:

Making : hedwig softies for the Mirabel Foundation
Cooking : chocolate fruit cake
Drinking : red wine
Reading: load of blogs from my fellow students
Wanting: a good night sleep
Looking: at my unfinished crochet dish cloth for a swap at jellywares.com
Playing: Harry Potter audio book - Order of the Phoenix
Deciding: on what to write for my 750
Wishing: that the rain would keep falling all night long
Enjoying: the cool that comes after a down pour of rain
Waiting: until Monday when I will be able to use data download on my iphone again
Liking: that I got drenched in the rain helping my neighbour
Wondering: how much damage the storm created
Loving: my quiet weekend
Pondering: career options
Considering: moving
Watching: nothing but this computer screen
Hoping: to keep my balance
Marvelling: at all my neighbours who joined in the 'street garage sale'
Needing: a massage
Smelling: rain
Wearing: t-shirt
Following: Pip on a blogging journey
Noticing: my children need more of my attention
Knowing: I am not perfect
Thinking: of all the possibilities and working on a solution
Feeling: mixed emotions
Admiring: Louise who keeps a calm and centered at all times
Buying: 2 cushions from a neighbours garage sale
Getting: my neighbours to buy my stuff at my garage sale
Bookmarking: historical reference to my 750 word project
Opening: my mind to new possibilites
Giggling: at funny videos on facebook (sad but true)
Feeling: accomplished because most of my neighbours supported the street garage sale

Hedwig softie

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 22:03:00 +0000

My softie for Mirabel Foundation has turned into a family effort. We are Harry Potter fans and Hedwig was the inspiration for this softie.

My son and daughter both lent a hand in constructing Hedwig and gave the opportunity to talk about children who have parents that are drug and alcohol affected. What would that feel like living in that house?

There are other lovely ladies crafting over here.

UFO crochet

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 11:55:00 +0000

This started out as a placemat, got bigger and when I finished it, wasn't sure what to do with it.

This UFO crochet sits on the arm of my lounge and awaits finishing off.

Where are your UFO's?

Softie progress

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 12:08:00 +0000

I have changed my mind about the softie pattern after seeing this little beauty. This is a coloring-in sheet over at madebyjoel.com

My deadline is end of November which is also clashing with a heap of other deadlines happening in my life. I am planning on tracing this stencil onto material, sew the outline, sew together and stuff it and send it off by the end of this month.

This is Pip's gathering of softies for Mirabel.

Family time and rules

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 12:06:00 +0000

The children always come first in any parents life or you would like to think so. Due to our living arrangements our children don't get to spend a lot of time together. When they are together what rules apply? Do they live my my rules, my partner (when at his house)?

Fruit and melted chocolate for morning tea.

What happens when those children are not yours? Do your rules apply?

These are some of the questions parents in blended families must answer.

How would you answer them?

Even more harder questions to answer:

How would you judge someone else if their answers didn't match your own? What if that person was your partner?

There are no right or wrong, black or white. A carefully negotiated mind field to ensure everyone's needs are met equally. Which can be impossible all at the same time and is not unique to blended families.

What is your opinion?

My partner loves giving the children chocolate for morning or afternoon tea. I don't agree this is suitable for young children. Can a compromise be chocolate covered fruit?

Lazy afternoons

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 01:06:00 +0000

Here in the land of Oz we are deep into Spring. By midday the weather is hot and as the sun sets the cool evenings set in.

I love this time of year.

The heat if the mid day is a teaser for the hot summer months ahead. I am embracing the last of the cool and celebrating the arrival of blooms in the garden.

Old craft items

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 10:27:00 +0000

About 30 years ago I learnt how to make these covered soaps.

I have forgotten who gave me the lesson on how to make them. I remember my sore fingers and thumbs from pushing in thousands in pins.

I make heaps and sold them to friends with the goal to have spending money at the local show (county fair).

I made enough to supply a local craft store and for a couple of years I would receive cheques. Years after I had moved away from this small town (Hughenden) I was still receiving $20-$30 cheques. Finally the cheques stopped and I had forgotten all about my first crafting business until recently when I discovered one of my products floating around the bottom of a box.

The plastic flowers that sat ontop have gone and it still smells lovely.

This old craft was to keep your clothes smelling lovely in your cupboard or draws.

Do you still have any craft projects lying around? Are they pride and place or hidden in a back cupboard somewhere?

All is new again and I will be digging out my old craft eg long stitch log cabin, cross stitch and putting it on display and be proud of my crafting adventures.

Sending love and respect to all my new found crafty friends.

xxoo

Softies for Mirabel

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 02:51:00 +0000

This year I will be participating in Softies for Mirabel.

Each year Pip hosts a handmade soft toy drive for the Mirabel Foundation. The foundation helps children who have been abuse and/or abandon due to parental drug abuse.

Each year I have been a follower of Pip's blog Meet Me at Mikes and have told myself I am too busy and will do it next year. This year I am terribly busy, more so than other years and I am not going to let that stop me.

This year I am going to make one soft toy and hopefully next year I will make two etc

Will you join me? It will only take about two hours to make a plush toy from scrap fabric! Yes you can do it!

Here is the monkey that I am going to sew.

Thanks Pip!

P!NK Concert 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 02:09:00 +0000

My beautiful daughter follows my taste in music and loves Pink just as much as I do.

A couple of years ago I saw Pink in concert for the Fun House Tour. Pink was amazing and my over enthused mind promised my daughter when Pink visited out city again I would take her.

For months I saved and tried several times to buy tickets however didn't have an Amex Credit Card and kept missing out. Pink had Amex as a sponsor so the fans with this card got preference and when a concert can sell out in minutes I had buckleys.

One afternoon I saw on Facebook that the last concert was in my home town and that tickets where going on sale to the general public in five minutes. I clicked on the link and never believing in my wildest dreams I would get through, so kept clicking one link after another and found out that I had purchased 2 standing tickets. I didn't want to go through to the seating section because I had never been successful before and I still didn't believe that I got the tickets until they arrived in the mail.

The day before the concert I told Miss 9 that she was going and in her usual way stayed calm about going to see Pink in person.

We qued to get in, qued to buy Miss 9 a t-shirt, qued to put out bag in the cloak room, qued for the toilet and finally qued to enter the Standing Area of the concert.

I was worried how Miss 9 was going to cope with all the big people around her and planned to piggy back her while the concert was on.

Prior to the concert I gave her permission to sing the rude words in Pinks songs, for one night only.

I held my daughter tight all night, we danced, we sang, we hugged and got to sign Pink "Happy Birthday". It was a magical evening and loved every second spent on my Mummy and Daughter date.

The noise cancelling headphones worked perfectly and her ears were protected from the loud band. She stayed out of harms way as she used my body to climb all over like the play equipment at her school. I used my arms and hands to make a comfortable seat where she could rest. And we got in trouble from the security guards, who knew that sitting on shoulders is not allowed?

Pink you are amazing and I felt tho that your energy level was not the same as the last time I saw you in concert. This is said with love, as I appreciate you are a working Mum now. You set such a high standard with your last concert and nothing can top in my mind your 'Glitter' performance.

Thank you Pink for sharing your amazing talent and for the opportunity to take Miss 9 to her first concert. She was disappointed that you never used one curse word and she slept all the way home.

We wish you and your family love and happiness!

Strawberry and rhubarb

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 01:36:00 +0000

Another batch of strawberry and rhubarb jam done!

Hopefully this year I will make enough to last 12 months. I thought 10 jars of jam would last 12 months but I was wrong :(

Here is the recipe:

1.5 kg of fruit (50/50 strawberry and rhubarf)

1/4 cup of water

4 tablespoons of lemon juice

1.5kg of brown sugar

1 packet of jam set

1. Prep the fruit by cutting off the green leaves of the strawberries and halving them. Roughly chop the rhubarb into slightly larger chuncks than the strawberries as they cook quicker.

2. Add the prepped fruit, water and lemon juice into a large sauce pan and on the stove, gently bring to the boil, stiring constantly.

3. Place the sugar into a large microwave container and heat/warm it up in the microwave (6-8mins)

4. Add the warm sugar and jam set to the fruit mixture on the stove.

5. Gentle boil the mixture until the jam has set (40 mins - 90 mins)

How I check if the jam has set, is to place a small plate in the freezer and drip some jam onto the cold plate and if it is thick and wobbly, it is set.

Chocolate fruit cake

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 05:58:00 +0000

This is the first fruit cake I have made this year. Last year I made 5 or more and kept trying different recipes.

This recipe is a modification of a recipe that my Mum gave me. I substituted some of the coffee for brandy and flour for almond meal.

It would be very easy to convert this recipe to gluten free and I might try that next.

Why do all my fruit cakes appear slightly burnt?

My iphone is not the best camera to capture close up shots of brown colors.

Here is a slice of cake, on a white plate in my back yard.

Here is the recipe for Chocolate Fruit Cake

1 cup of black coffee

1 cup of brandy

150 grams of dark chocolate

1 kilo of mixed fruit

1 cup of self raising flour

1 cup of almond meal

1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1. soak over night the mixed fruit, coffee and brandy

2. preheat fan forced oven to 150 degrees

3. break up the chocolate and melt it in the microwave

4. mix into the wet fruit the flour and almond meal

5. add the melted chocolate

6. line a 20 x 28 tin or alternatively use a silicone round and you don't have to line it

7. pour the mixture into your baking pan

8. cover the mixture with baking paper

9. bake for 2 hours (your cake will be very moist due to the chocolate)

Some of favorite paintings

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 01:08:00 +0000

Recently I attended an exhibition at the Royal Queensland Show and these were my favorite paintings.

I am not sure what copy right artists have over pictures that are on public display. There were no signs saying not to photograph the paintings only the photography section.

These are not my work but oh how I love them.

It was the look of love and laughter that caught my eye on this sketch. Only two people in love can look like this and the artist captured it perfectly.

Denim quilt

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Fri, 16 Aug 2013 00:07:00 +0000

Here is my son's denim quilt almost finished. I have yet to bind the edges.

This quilt is made up on squares cut out of my old jeans. These jeans I have been hanging onto for the last 20 years. There are old work jeans, party jeans, pregnancy jeans and a large square of remnant jean fabric I picked up in a discount bin at a fabric store. The dark blue squares are the remnant jean fabric which I didn't prewash and you can see how it has strunk a little *sigh*.

As this is my first ever quilt I have learnt a lot during the process and feel this was the perfect beginner project for those that want to quilt yet don't have all the fancy gear.

All the only new 'stuff'' quilting products that I brought was a rotary cutter, square template and batting. Everything else I already had and I managed to sew it all with my $200 sewing machine from k-mart.

My son is already using this quilt and I have to steal it off him to work in it. He loves the quilt already and that makes me want to finish it properly and not rush the process because he will hang onto this quilt forever.

Pinterest has heaps of tutorial on how to make these rag quilts or just google denim quilt tutorials. Happy Sewing :)

Banoffee Pie - 4 ingredients

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 05:51:00 +0000

Here is my quick Banoffee Tarts:

Using a patty cake tray heat the biscuits in a moderate oven for 4 minutes until they become soft. With gentle press the Individual biscuits in the hole of the patty cake tray and form little cups.

Once the biscuit has cooled fill with caramel, slice of banana and top with cream.

Great for a quick and easy desert or afternoon tea with guest.

I shared my with the neighbor because they was no way we were going to eat them all.

Chocolate pudding

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Fri, 26 Jul 2013 09:39:00 +0000

Here is a quick and easy pudding.

1 cup of SR flour
1 cup of almond meal
1/4 cup cocoa
1 & 1/4 cup brown sugar
150g melted butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Whisk all ingredients together.

Bake as a whole pudding for 40 minutes at 180 degrees or bake in silicon cupcake holders for 15 minutes.

Make 18 mini puddings that can be heated up in the microwave individually for 20 seconds.

These are crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle.

You can use any sauce eg carmel or raspberry, orange glaze or double cream.

Smoked salmon and trout pate

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Thu, 25 Jul 2013 02:09:00 +0000

For the love of sunshine this is a wonderful pate for summer.

I was first introduced to this pate one hot summer a few years ago. We use sit out on the back deck with a glass of white wine, toasty bread covered in a thick layer of this wickedly, good spread.

This makes a lovely canepe on small toast or plain crackers.

Here is the recipe

100g Smoked Salmon

100g Smoked Trout

250g Cream Cheese

150g Double Cream

30g Clarified Butter

1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

Juice of a Lemon

White Pepper

Chipped Onion Chives to garnish (Optional)

Place all the ingredients except the chives into a food processor and blend to a paste

Check your seasoning and store in a glass container in the fridge.

I love when food is part of a great memory.

12 distant

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:09:00 +0000

11 Important

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:27:00 +0000

Our fur friends are important members of the family. The whole family feels sad when it sickness or accidents happens. Our pooch got tangled in garden string and we took her to the vet, who discovered she has an enlarged heart. After 13 years together I am not sure if we can say goodbye just yet.

10 Mt Warning

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:25:00 +0000

Our weekend was fantastic at Mt Warning, shame the national park was closed. I love this photo of Mt Warning behind a sign of Mt Warning :)

9 we made fire

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:23:00 +0000

Rain didn't stop us making a fire that burned out to ash in the wee hours of the morning.

8 pretty and pink

noreply@blogger.com (Rochelle Ryan) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:18:00 +0000

A beautiful rose in my front garden with the night rain still on the petals.