Forever waiting.

I'm tired of waiting. My patience is wearing thin.

Wedding preps

I have been rather productive over the past week and a half... I really need to get all the plans for the engagement party in full action, along with the wedding/reception plans. We have a ridiculously busy February and March. I've got all my guest lists done and today went and looked at paper for the invitations. We have chosen and bought part of the paper needed for my wedding invitations. I have found one of the two types of cardstock I need for my engagement party invitations. I am still on the hunt for the other one. I have 3 fabric swatches from different stores for bridesmaids dresses. Even though I don't think they are the right fabrics yet I now know what I'm looking for. I have been to hire stores and have chosen seat covers, tableclothes, pedestals, floral arrangements, I have chosen my cake and the place I'm having it made and will be going back in January to do a taste test of different cake flavours, tomorrow night I am going to set up my gift registry too... I have been looking into flowers for my bouquet, i have jewellry, my dress is on its way.

I'm happy with the progress of everything. The engagement party is pretty much all planned out. We jsut need to start getting together decorations and the things we need for it. The wedding is alot more detailed but the plans are progressing very rapidly.

It's very demanding to get it all done and I'm lucky in a way I haven't been working full time so I can commit more time to getting it all done, but it's also hard to not have a good amount of money coming in. I have done a little bit of hairdressing but not enough to make some good money out of it. I have been busy trying to find a full time job too. I'm looking for a government job primarily, because they have good conditions and incentives, but at the same token wouldn't turn down a good job somewhere just cause it's not government.

It's hard planning a wedding when parents are paying. This might seem a strange comment to some, but unless you have done it before I don't know if you can fully understand what it's like. When you are planning a wedding using your parents funding, it means it's not 'your' wedding. Every decision is not 'your' decision. 'Everyone' has to decide on one thing. You can't just go to the store and choose table decorations and chair covers and chair sashes, and how the invitations will be.. you go to the store and spend 2 hours looking at paper for invitations, and you finally find one pattern of paper that all parties agree on. It is extremely frustrating. Keeping calm is the goal of every day.

I just can't wait till it's all over and Daniel and I are finally married and living our own life. He's worth all the stress.

Holzy, Franky and Kily Kids Christmas Dance...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

You know youre getting older when..

1. You are at a church dance and a whole bunch of your what you thought were 'little' cousins rock up and you find out they are 2 years older then you thought.
2. You sit in a chair and when you go to stand up you go all stiff.
3. You can't read without glasses.
4. The Bold and the Beautiful just isn't that great anymore.
5. You stop shaving your legs.
6. The thought of going upstairs to get something is too great of a challenge.

These are some of the things I am suffering from... I think it's only going to get worse haha!

Australia

Last night I went and watch Baz Luhrman's "Australia". I had heard mixed reviews over the past week prior to going last night. I generally like to wait a week or so before going to see a big flick so I can know what to expect. Alot of people said it was just ok, or they were a little disappointed, and others really enjoyed it. So I went into the movie with low expectations.

It truly was an incredible movie. I think the people that thought it was just ok and were disappointed completely missed the reasoning behind this film. It is not a fun little dramatic comedy set in the outback of Australia. It is a film about the history of our people. It is a film to open the eyes of others who didn't know of the extent of the persecution and mistreatment of Aboriginals. It was not for entertainment.

I went with a friend and we both felt the strong emotion of the movie. It touched both of us. I'm so glad Baz made this movie. Hopefully he will open alot of eyes.

And for those who were disappointed, perhaps rethink what you went in expecting to see.. it wasn't for your entertainment, is was for your enlightenment! I couldn't recommend this movie highly enough.

Kitchen adventures!

I am home alone tonight (again) and I needed to have dinner. I was tempted to just make a sandwich and be lame but I decided to go find some meat in the freezer, and while it was defrosting find a new recipe online. I went to www.taste.com.au This website has some of the most delicious recipes. I found a Steak and Pasta recipe and thought I'd give it a go. We had all the ingredients but one so I found an alternative to that ingredient. It took about 45 mins to prepare everything and cook it. It was SO delicious that I had two helpings of it!! Here is the recipe below.

(Instead of cooking wine I used Vegeta which is a Gourmet stock. I also added bacon. Regular parsley did the trick for me and I didn't have peppercorns so used regular cracked pepper.)

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400g fettucine or spaghetti
• 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
• 50g unsalted butter
• 450g rump steak, trimmed
• 1/2 onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 1 tbs green peppercorns in brine
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 200g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 200ml dry white wine
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup (125ml) beef stock
• 1/2 cup (125ml) thickened cream
• 2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, then drain.
2. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. Heat butter and remaining oil in a large frypan over very high heat, add steak and cook for 1-2 minutes each side, remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until soft. Add the drained peppercorns, garlic, mushrooms and wine, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
4. Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, stock and cream, season well, then allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
5. Slice the steak thinly and add to the pan with the pasta and parsley, then toss gently to combine.

Give it a try.. you won't be disappointed! :o)

Let it begin!

Well firstly I am rid of my awful flu that I had during my flight home and had for about 1 1/2 weeks after I got home. I was feeling good for about 2 days until WHAM sinus infection invaded. So basically I feel like crap BUT I don't care cause sinus infections for me here in australia are pretty common.

So last night I talked over with my parents the wedding budget. We worked out some ideas of how we want things to happen, what kind of place we want to have it at, approx no. of guests, engagement party.. all of those lovely things. So this week I need to come up with my reception guest list - for numbers sake, because that will influence what kind of reception venue we will go to. I am going to start doing inquiries and all of those lovely things. I need to find a park for my engagement party too.

So the fun starts now! Only 123 left till I get married!! I better get crackin!