Holy Hot!

Steve and I went for Asian food tonight at a restaurant down the street from us. Every dish on the menu had a spicy rating...
1 little chili pepper picture = mild
2 little chili pepper pictures = spicy
3 little chili pepper pictures = super super hot!!!

Being the wimp that I am with spice, we opted for a dish with 1 little chili pepper picture. Oh. my. gosh. I almost died. My mouth and lips are still burning. Holy hot!! It was loaded with fresh red and green chili peppers, as well as dried chili peppers. Even Steve, who loves spice thought it had a pretty good kick! It just makes me wonder, what the heck must the 3 little chili pepper dishes be like? Yikes.

It was still a pretty lovely dinner out. Plus, it's Friday tomorrow, so all is right with the world!

An evening stroll...

I've had a few challenging days lately. It's been tough getting into the routine of working full time again and making time to take care of my health, my dog, my house, etc...all while having the time to do the fun stuff life is really all about. Balance is hard to achieve and I'm learning that without balance, I'm unhappy. I'm slowly finding my groove again though and more optimistic it's achievable with each new week. One thing that always, always helps to clear my head and put things in perspective is a walk around our neighborhood with Steve and Jesse...

There's just so much to see and I'm so grateful to live in the neighborhood that we do. Our evening walks have become something I really look forward to, even on the days when I'm exhausted and cranky!

Did you know that Melbourne is home to the largest tram network in the world?

It's been cooling off lately. I'm wondering when autumn will make it's grand entrance. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it just yet...

The Shrine of Remembrance.

This is Jesse's buddy. He lives around the corner from us and Jesse will actually refuse (put all paws in a full halt position and not move) to cut down the street that means not going past this puppy's house. So, we always pass his home and as we approach, Jesse cries and whines the entire way to the gate, pulling hard on the leash until we reach the place where this oh so cute pooch awaits. I've never seen Jesse so in love with another dog. It's pretty cute! They sniff, play through the gate and make lots of crying noises to each other. Maybe they are soul mate puppies torn apart by humans and large iron gates...?

Haha! There's construction going on everywhere in our neighborhood at the moment. This is Steve being a dork. Pretty funny though, if I must admit! :)

I miss my family today. Lots. Just sayin' is all. I miss you guys! xoxo

Fruit salad, yummy, yummy.

Did anyone else just sing that title as the Wiggles song? I don't even have kids and I get those catchy little tunes stuck in my head! I was hoping to post a few photos from our Monday evening stroll around our neighborhood tonight but blogger is refusing to cooperate. So, I'll leave you with the yummy fruit salad we enjoyed upon arriving home from our lovely (although chilly!) walk. Could it be that autumn is in the air already? I'm feeling inspired today and am looking forward to the coming week. Four goals for this week, in an attempt to maintain some balance between work and living;

~ Run 2 times.
~ Blog 3 times.
~ Bake cookies.
~ Paint my nails.

Wishing you all a joyful and well balanced week!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I had such a special Valentine's Day, it really couldn't have been better! Steve surprised me with tulips (my fav!), and a heart necklace that reads "Wherever you go, go with your heart". Steve knew he was going to be stuck at work late tonight, so we went out for a Valentine's Day breakfast instead of dinner and I found $50 in the pocket of a coat I haven't worn in awhile...score! Tonight, while Steve is at work, I got take away noodles, drank a nice glass of wine, walked J and now I'm watching Sleepless in Seattle on TV. I'm looking forward to my Valentine coming home soon, as a wonderful end to a very happy day! Wishing you all a very magical Valentine's Day with a great big sprinkle of romance!! xoxo

Happy Valentine's Day Eve!

One more sleep until Valentine's Day! I've been really looking forward to it and in honor of the special day, I made a few little Valentine's Day treats. Just in case you're wanting to make something sweet for your sweetie, here's a recipe I think you might enjoy...

Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup hard butter or margarine (softened)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well.
Combine dry ingredients. Add to butter mixture in two additions, mixing well after each addition. Divide in two portions, shaping each into flattened discs. Wrap in wax paper. Chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Roll out dough on lightly floured board to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Arrange on a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until just golden brown around the edges. Let stand on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool. Decorate as you please...that's the fun part! :)

I also made some vanilla and chocolate cupcakes but cheated and used a mix. They're still pretty yummy though and oh so pretty!

Happy Valentine's Day baking!! xoxo

Hello!

I was looking here for a photo saying "hello" because I wanted to say hi and check in with you guys. That's when I stumbled upon this picture and fell in love. How cute is this? What a special picture!

Anyhoo, I haven't been around much this week. It's taking a little bit of practice getting back into the routine of working full time again. I'm sure I'll get in the swing of it all in no time but if you could just bare with me until I do, that would be much appreciated! :) For now, just want to say hi! xoxo

Imagine found here.

Holy Rain!

We kicked off the weekend with a crazy rainstorm that dumped an insane amount of water in a very short amount of time. Steve enjoyed playing in the ankle deep water on our street and the water that poured out of our gutter. I enjoyed staying dry and snapping photos from inside!

A big thanks to everyone for the best wishes on my new job. My first day went really well and I'm very happy to be back to work again!

I'll be back tomorrow with a longer post. For now, I'm going to go enjoy the last few hours of my weekend. I have to take full advantage now that I'm a working woman again! :)

Get a job. Check.

Remember yesterday when I said 'job hunting' was on my to-do-list for this week? Well, check that off the list because I GOT A JOB!!! I found out late yesterday afternoon. It's an administrative job in my field (early childhood) and I couldn't be happier. I'm really glad I held out for something I really wanted! I start on Friday and I have to say, I'm nervous! It's always a little stressful starting a new job but especially after you've been off work for awhile. I feel out of practice! It will be really nice to be back into a routine again though and be getting a regular paycheck!

Steve and I celebrated with a very fattening dinner (pasta, Caesar salad, bread and wine!) last night....

...and it was so yummy!

Keep your fingers crossed for me that all goes well on Friday!

Weekend Recap...

The highlights of this past weekend included;

...catching up with our friends Dan and Amy for Friday night drinks and Greek souvlaki, while they were in Melbourne for a visit...

...going to the osteopath for a much needed tune up (holy sore hip!)...

...enjoying a delicious Saturday night dinner at our neighbors' house, followed with watching the tennis finals...

...going out for Sunday morning brunch with our Brisbane pals, delicious eggs benedict and a cappuccino...

...ice cream on a very hot summer day (40.5 degrees Celsius!)...

...followed by a lovely stroll along the beach in St. Kilda, where all these pictures were snapped...

All and all, another fabulous weekend! On the to-do-list for this week;

...get all documents in order for our permanent residency application, including our medicals and X-ray appointments (check!)...

...swim laps at the pool...

...more job hunting (boo!)...

...babysitting Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday 8:30 to 5...

...drinks with a friend on Thursday evening...

...dinner with a friend on Friday night...

...and just for fun, paint my toe nails and use my new nail art stickers I bought for $1 yesterday! :)

Wishing everyone a happy week!