Lemons, anyone?

{scheduled entry whilst I traipsed about Sydney for my year end holidays!}

We have a HUGE lemon tree at our backyard and it's overgrown with many a lemons. I've been wanting to pluck them, put them in a basket and give them out to people for ages but life just keeps happening. 

Finally, last Friday, I made time to go plucking the deformed-but-huge-and-organic-lemons. I left two baskets full, out in the driveway. 

Alas, it was not a hit and no one took a single lemon!

*wails*

But my persistency paid off. I left it out on Saturday morning till evening. After our trip to the city and back, we reached home to find only 6 lemons left back. There was definitely more than 25 lemons before that.

Pretty awesome, I reckon!

Feeling mighty please with myself and you should have seen me... smiling from ear to ear.

Shall be doing this from month to month whenever the tree is too filled with 'em. :)

Christmas is here!!

When Mr. C was out one night, I sneakily wrapped three presents for him and placed them under our own blue themed Christmas tree.

The three presents I bought for him- a present that he needs and has had a need for it for some time now, a present that he can use with something he likes to consume and finally, a present he has looked at a few times and exclaimed he likes it big but he has never bought it, somehow.

The one he can use with something he likes

The one he has eyed a couple of times

The one he needs

Christmas Eve - Our awesome blue themed Christmas tree

 

The clock hit 12.00am Christmas Day and Mr. C said," Merry Christmas baby" and rushed to the tree where his pressies lay. 

He start shaking his presents one at a time and unraveled the carefully wrapped gifts. Still such a kid at heart! We're really loving the place we're living at the moment. Feels like our own place (almost) and our own playground. LOLS.

Our first time doing gift exchange and putting it under the tree and all.

Next year, perhaps we'll have our party on Christmas Eve instead of few weeks before.

Blurry picture due to him shaking... 

Green and red 

The opening of Pressie #2

Last but the most valuable 

 

have a HAPPY, MERRY CHRISTMAS all and sundry !! 

Beautiful Christmas lights on Curie Road

After dinner at Springvale, our usual pho and fried pork springroll at Pho Chu Le, we detoured to Big W's at Waverly Park. After trying shirt after shirt and pants after pants, I concede defeat and we left. 

Keep saying I'll lose weight but it's not going to really ever happen, is it? *sigh*

Bummer.

Anyways, as we exit the parking lot, we saw Christmas lights and I prompted the hubby to check out the house as I've been on the prowl for beautifully decorated Christmas theme houses. 

Mr. C, the-ever-affectionate-and-indulging hubby, drove to the house for me to have a look. We parked down the road as the house is situated at a cul-de-sac with no through road.

The sight that greeted us was rather spectacular. Rendered me speechless for a few seconds. 

Greeted by a rather elaborated display of decorations, one can't help but wonder the time and money spent on this project. There was a group of people outside the house, like us, fascinated and snapping pictures way.

 

 

 

 

Three houses were lit with Christmassy lights and what not but the one in the centre stood out the most. It has the navitiy scene at its roof top, Santa on the front porch, reindeers and the sleigh, the whole works! 

 

 

As we left, we noticed cars upon cars driving past and then making a u-turn as the house is at the end of the road. Walking towards our car, many more calls pulled up and parked by the curb to get out and watch the beautiful lights of Christmas.

That house sure made me feel rather Christmassy. :)

Office Christmas break off

Today is the last day of work as we break off for Christmas and New Year holidays. Most companies in Australia shuts down their company's operations (especially manufacturing ones) for this festive season.

The company I work in is of medium size and differs from the big four accounting firm I worked with in the past. It does not have annual department trips nor does it have annual dinners but we had a Christmas break off luncheon.

The party began at 12pm in the factory area. 

The food spread was simply yet tasty; we had chips and nuts to start off followed by pork and beef meat, potatoes, buns, salads and what not. It was a time to mingle and be merry. Gary, the boss gave a simple speech after and one by one, we slowly made our way back to our office, gathered our things and head off about 2pm.

A few of us colleagues then headed off to Chelsea Beach near our office since it was still early and hang around and chatted some more. The beach was splendid; beautiful blue seas and sandy beach with small crowd.

Awesome life, isn't it? :)

Glorious food

Desserts of cookies and cakes

Entertained by the boss's grandson

No points for guessing who loves kids

Awesome possum!! We each receive a Christmas hamper of goodies!!

Frankness train line at standstill 'cos someone apparently committed suicide

Lovely flower display at Woolies 

Magnum ice cream to cool us down

The men 

Just me

To the end of the pier 

At the beginning

Happy us

 

 

Christmas presents

... for the ladies at work.

I hope they like them.

Testing 1, 2, 3

Wonders if the below pictures will show on the blog??

'Cos the pictures in the 1st December backdated entry posted earlier aren't showing. Dang!

UPDATE : Wheee... pictures in 1st December post is showing... for now. Shall check it again tomorrow.

 

Hiatus in my happy place

These days, time passes by pretty quickly.

Hours to days to weeks and before you know it, a month has gone by. And the next thing you know, it's mid December! A blink and we'll be saying goodbye to 2012 and hello 2013.

Unless you're one of the believers that the end of the world is here.

I know I've said I'll be more diligent in my blog posts but it seems that I've been re-missed.

I guess,  you can say it is sort of a good thing. It means that I am keeping myself SUPER occupied! Or rather, I have just gotten plain lazy. ;p

So much has happened in this second half of the year.

I finally gained a full time job and have been working happily for slightly more than a month.

Besides that, I moved house.

And 10 days ago, I hosted my first ever Christmas Party with Mr. C.

In between, we've been traipsing about to plays, soirée and eateries.

All I can report to you, dear readers, that right now, I am in my happy place.

Lol. That and also my uploading picture quota via Picasa has reached its limits. So, whilst I rectify the problem. It'll just be pictureless entries.

Bummer though 'cos I've come to rely on pictures to do all my talking for me.

So much to write about; food places, activities and what not. Stay tuned for backdated posts on places I've been and what I've been up to.

I really will try my best to be more consistent with my updates.

My first advent calender

{backdated}

Advent is a time of preparation leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus. 

My ecstatic look of glee

Yesterday, we were at Big W's in Dandenong when Mr. C saw this. Being a huge fan of Winnie the Pooh from many years ago, the hubby bought it for me. That and 'cos it was on special at $1.36!! 

Got to love their specials here. 

And I love, love, love it! 

Brought it to work today and aim to eat a chocolate a day till we break off for Christmas break on the 21st.

Christmas Flowers ...

{backdated} 


...from Aunt M for our Christmas party

She is ever thoughtful and always great at remembering special occassions.
Feels like she's my personal Santa.

Thanks Aunt M!!

{Recipe} Choc Ripple Yule Log

{backdated}

{whoopiee!!! somehow, my pictures are showing! wonder what happened to my 'past' the quota limit? aaahh.. who cares? wheee.. now I can post more pictures, again!!}

Every week without fail, we'll get hoards of brochures and catalogues from hypermarkets and retailers advertising their products and any ongoing specials for the week.

I love to browse the ones from Coles and Woolies (aussie slang for Woolworths) especially as they come with easy-to-follow recipes and the products to purchase.

With Christmas time around the corner coupled with NiNi's birthday, I attempted to make a birthday Christmas Log! Came across this easy peasy recipe from Woolworth's catalogue. 

The steps to making this is just too easy to be true. But I tell you, it is that easy. Not only that, it tastes yummy, too!

Ingredients

 - 1 x 250gm packet Arnott's Choc Ripple biscuits (or any chocolate biscuits with no cream)

- 600ml thickened cream

- 1 tsp caster sugar (yup, that little amount)

- 1 tsp vanilla essence

- 20gm cocoa powder

- Grated chocolate or cocoa powder, to decorate

- Candy Spearmint leaves, to decorate (optional)

- Raspberries, to decorate (optional)

 

#1 Use an electric mixer, whip together cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff

Note : I was not sure what constitutes as stiff and Googled it. Lols. Basically, when it's thicker like cream you see spread over cakes.

 

#2 Once cream is stiff, add in cocoa powder until mixed

 

#3 Spread a little of the cream along a long serving plate to make a base

 

#4 Spread one biscuit with 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream then top with another biscuit.  

  

#5 Top with another 1 1/2 teaspoons of cream then place biscuits on their side on the cream base on the serving plate

 

#6 Repeat until all biscuits have been used to form a log

 

#6 Spread remaining cream over entire log reserving a small amount for the tree branch. Cover loosely with foil than refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours to set

 

#7 Just before serving, on a clean platter, cut cake diagonally about 1/4 the way in and use that piece as a tree branch on the main log. Patch up with some more cream so it looks attached

 

 

#8 Use a fork to make some lines along the branch to give it a tree look and then dust log with cocoa or sprinkle with some grated chocolate, if desired

#9 Finish the log with some candy spearmint leaves and raspberries and serve

Note : I didn't have candy spearmint leaves, hence, I sprinkled some Christmas shaped sprinkles for a little Christmas feel and stucked a 'Happy Birthday' signage.

You can always be creative and come out with your own version of Christmas Log. This first attempt was rather chubby looking.

If you like, you can also try this other recipe from Arnott's and decorate it like the below.

Happy Birthday dear NiNi!!

May you have a truly special day...