Pie Off - May the best man win

It's not every day you get to have a pie off. In fact I'm pretty sure I cracked my pie-off cherry a few weeks ago when a series of texts turned into a dare, double dare and ultimately...physical challenge.

For those of you who have never been in a pie off, let me explain...The rules were....hang on there weren't any rules! And that's where I let myself down. So the aim for the day was to create a pie for dinner - simple. I had the added advantage of using Theo the thermomix while my opponent had the luxury of being able to stand at the stove all day. Add that to the fact that she can take a good photo and I was questioning my pie off challenge. I DO NOT LIKE LOSING!

I took a commanding lead early in the day as Theo turned my leftovers in the vege drawer into mince, and then minced some chicken for me. Then while he worked his magic I sat on the couch and texted pics of my flying start to Anna (my opponent).

She was still chopping up lamb and onions at the time but if I'm honest I was feeling uneasy already. Lamb is hands down my favourite and I just wasn't sure my chicken dinner was going to hold up? Time would tell...and speaking of time, I had literally none to spare. It was all very Masterchef like, watching the clock, watching the Theo timer tick down and then the horror of realising I needed a few extra minutes that I just didn't have. Arghhh - time to get in the car and hope I'd get back in time to whip up the pastry.

En route to Bunbury things took a turn for the worse when I received this picture...

And just to rub salt (well OK butter) in my wounds she followed up with this.

I still had to get back from Bunbury, take Lachy back  to school, get home and make pastry, then back to pick up three kids, then roll pastry and get the pie in the oven. I resisted the urge to call past Woolies for some Mrs Macs and ploughed on. It was on the way home that I decided to think outside the box (Masterchef style) and make a shepherds pie. Ooooh - I hear you say, chicken shepherds pie...Anna may have the hero lamb but I'm thinking my twist may just get me over the line, especially with the awesome mash Theo prepares. Things were turning in my favour until I got these texts....

Fuck my life - I want to lick the screen and SHE MADE RELISH!! Arghhh - my mash on top of chicken stuff just isn't going to cut it. How can I turn this around again? Even if I get Instragram happening her pics beat mine....I need something more! That's it - we have no judge....I WILL BE JUDGE! (Insert evil laugh)

Finally the pie hit the oven, and it was time to begin clean up. Of course she had already done hers! I was starting to feel like I'd dropped my head, given up before the final siren... I decided to have a beer with the judge and see if I could sway her opinion while the pie baked. Then Anna's self appraisal  came through...

Then I sent her mine....

A few other factors that went into the final decision...

Anna -  250g of butter in pastry and one vegetable plus onion.
Miranda - 100g of butter in pastry and five vegetables plus onion.
Anna - fighting fit and healthy
Miranda - bruised and battered after a fall in the bath the previous night
Anna - photographer
Miranda - not a photographer

And the winner was: Anna!!!

Hold the applause please, I said Anna, not MIRANDA...I HATE LOSING, not to mention I didn't get to use the phrase winner winner chicken dinner! Oh wait...I just used it. Sweet.

Righto - that's the end of the pie off blog post! Phew I hear you say - that's a few minutes you'll never get back but damn it was fun for us! What will we think of next....

Avoidance & Distraction - sooooo close now

Arghhh – 9 days until my exam and I’m loitering dangerously on the thin line between nervous wreck and, well nervous wreck! On Thursday and Friday I managed to spend my study time wisely except for one moment of weakness that saw me download The Corrs album for old times sake.

Given this current head space I may just break my 4 month sober record post exam. Yes, I admit I got quite merry last week, and perhaps even a little merrier Friday night, but with no memory loss, no spews, no losing my legs and no having to be carried - I’m still calling myself sober. The times they are a changing...here’s to going home in a trolley and actually remembering it!

Seriously though – I’m squeezing in every painful study minute I can find and missing out on lots of fun in the meantime. I’ve passed up trips to Pingelly, trips to the beach, and trips to the park all for the cause. I did however manage to find time to put together an IKEA box after I got sick of looking at it.

 

 Despite what I’ve missed I’m also trying to strike a balance with play time and have managed to squeeze in lots of fun days and nights out during this study block. I normally say no to everything in April but couldn’t resist a ball, a night out with the girls, and a wedding…could I? I guess the exam results will speak for themselves after my April shenanigans.

 

While we're on the night out with the girls, this girl has impeccable taste in sisters! And the other, impeccable taste in blazers! I was supposed to instagram this photo for my yellow blazer buddy but I can't remember her name!

 

 

One thing I haven't deprived myself of during the study period, is food. Why must I insist on constantly chewing to get me through the hours? I’ve been like it as long as I can remember. When I was 8 months pregnant with Lachy, and in my final semester of full time Uni I nearly left Kris during a last minute cramming session because he refused to go to IGA and buy me a jam roll. At the time I didn’t even like jam rolls but during that pregnancy sugar was my BFF. (Purposely leaving out Rolo story here Tones and Elle!) I had to drag my own fat ass off to the shops for my jam roll so you’ll be pleased to hear I didn’t share it with Kris, or the Whistler chocolate licorice logs. Looking back now I can’t believe Lachy didn’t come out looking like a Whistler log.

The iPhone has yet to hit the tea towel drawer but I can feel it coming. (Yes I sang those words like Phil Collins - hope you did too?) Without it these past 11 weeks I’d have been lost. During the week I was toying with the idea of a room ‘clean’ off just to avoid study. Thankfully my studdy buddy Cass and I decided beer sounded better. Phew that was close though :-(

Next weekend is my last chance to master Strategic Management Accounting. I’m having a lock in, and may just move the bar fridge into my room so I don’t have to get out of bed to get a coke? Sounds like a plan….I’ll be sure to keep you posted on my progress!

In other news - I often overuse the old !!! I'm tempted to go back over my blogging history and see how many I've let sneak in as the weeks have rolled on. (I just deleted 9 from the text above!!) I promised myself at the start of this blogging adventure I WOULD NOT OVERUSE THEM! But damn it everything I have to say is just so bloody exciting!! I think that doing a countback of !!!! is a great study distraction and as such I'm saving it up for October when I'll be doing this bloody study thing all over again!!!!!!! Back to the books for now...

Project Life 365 - March

Wow - a quarter of the year down! Time flies when you're having fun. I must admit I'm looking forward to the winter months so things can settle down a little...well I hope so anyway. Here are my fave pics for Project Life 365 for March.

Day 1: You today - a selfie in Dunsborough

 

Day 4: Big personality - my Wilby

 

 

Day 6: Daily commute  - always in the bloody car

 

 

Day 8: Dreamy - how nice to be in winter PJ's

 



Day 9: Contained - it's a study lock-in

 

Day 10: Doodle - Em's wall doodling in the toy room. Yes I played this one safe...Kris is a good sport but he wasn't up for this one!

 

 

Day 12: Roam - Lachy roaming the countryside on Tash

 

 

Day 13: Message - Good luck message from Nanna and Pop

 

 

Day 15: Beware  - did somebody say SALE?

 

 

Day 17: Cheers - a sneaky drink or two with Anna

 

 

Day 20: Fresh - I'll be glad when Kris STOPS making these

 

 

Day 21: Weather - always pays to keep an eye on the local weather - just never know when I'll be off

 

Day 22: On the wall - My favourite wall in our house - family pics by Shari & Pebs

 

 

Day 24: Currently reading - hmmm - not very far in, will let you know how I get on with that

 

 

Day 27: Book - "THE"  book

 

 

Day 29: My peeps - yep that's us

 

 

Day 31: Renew - I will renew my committment to Michelle Bridges one day soon

 

 

And on to April we go!!!

 

 

A love story...when Molly met Bruce

It is hard to believe that this time 15 years ago I first met ‘Bruce’. I remember going home from the nightclub (I shouldn’t have been at) and waking Mum up to tell her I’d met a guy (actually not just a guy but THE guy!!) – but I didn’t really like his name. 'Bruce' was out and about in Mandurah with a few Dwellingup boys and I was pleased to hear a few days later that he had been asking around town about me. I was also pleased to hear his name was actually Chris – oh wait - Kristion. Who cares what his name is, he was tall, dark and handsome and it was love at first sight! His version of the night we met is almost the same – except he always tells me how sticky my lips were from the red Sub Zeros I was drinking! Oh wait – AND he remembered the song that was playing when we met and went and bought the CD. How romantic!!

Fast forward a week or so and he had tracked down my address and called in one Thursday night when I was out. This note was my confirmation that I had indeed met Kris, not Bruce and I have never been able to throw it out. Keen to pay him a visit I called in a favour from my mate Coza and arranged to catch a lift with him up the hill in his Datsun 120Y. This trip coincided with footy training so I sat on the edge of the Dwellingup oval and watched Kris strut his stuff. Coza then took me for a drive past his place, told me he had a cool car (VN Commodore) and in general approved of the match! If Coza says someone’s OK you go with it – he has always been a wise man and pretty much says it how it is.

The groundwork was done - a few days later I caught the school bus up the hill and went to Kris’ house for my first visit. The rest as they say, is history, but here are a few moments from the memory box.

In August 1998 we went to my school ball – look at all that hair! The necklace I'm wearing Kris bought me for my 17th birthday and I rarely took it off. In 2010 it fell off in the Captiva and I have never been able to find it. So as long as I keep the car forever I should still have the diamond forever.
 

                                                                       

Obviously things were a bit different back then and he woo’d me with words. Here is my first and only valentine’s card, post card while he was away for work and anniversary card. I’m glad I kept all these things – I didn’t know at the time they would NOT be annually added to my collection.

Things progressed and so in 1999 I moved back to Dwellingup and moved in with Kris. Scruffy (my cat) was part of the deal and got along well with Tiger the Jack Russell thankfully. Over the years in the CALM share house we had many housemates and often would be cooking meals for 10, rather than just us two. So when Kris started looking at places to transfer to, the thought of it just being us two was a bit daunting. He now admits at the time he thought he’d either have to break up with me, or keep me forever! I’m so glad he chose to keep me.

In January 2001 we made the move to Katanning. Kris transferred to CALM there and I got a job with RSM Bird Cameron. Neither of us knew at the time just how long we were going to stay.Katanning will always hold many special memories for us. We got engaged, married, had two babies and bought our first house in our time there. Not to mention the arrival of Tessa the wonder stray in July 2001. Before we knew it our 3 years had turned into 8, but eventually the lure of the trees, and being closer to family before the kids started school won out and we moved to Harvey in December 2008.   

So in April 2003 after 5 years together we officially said “I Do”. Back then digital photography was still very new and our wedding DVD was an optional extra. The video was standard but I’m thankful I had the foresight to order the copy on DVD for something crazy like $60! I used to make Kris (and anyone else in the house) watch our wedding DVD each April 5. I can remember watching it once here in Harvey so I’m guessing April 2009 might have been its last run. I’ll be sure to dust it off for 2013.

 

I just have to stop my train of thought to insert a random paragraph here! It might be 15 years but he hasn’t lost the ability to surprise me! I just got a Facebook friend request from Kris Narducci – what the fuck! This will be fun – now I can declare my love for him online for the world to see! He’ll love that! God I hope we don’t break up now – the thought of having to change our relationship status on FB is scarier than the ‘who gets the couch’ in the custody battle. Seriously though, life as I know it will now be over. EVERYONE loves Kris – I won’t even get any Facebook lovin’ anymore as ‘my’ friends gradually make the transition to him. This could spell disaster!

Back to the memories…where was I? Somewhere along the way, Kris started to lose his hair and we managed to keep adding kids to the family although we are both convinced we’ll stop at three. We’ve said goodbye to Tiger, Scruffy and countless fish and hermit crabs but Tessa the wonder stray remains…for now.

Over the years we’ve wrangled a few kid free holidays, and taken them all on holidays with us at times too. As the years roll on the memories all start to blur and we resort to thinking about possessions to remember times and places. We started our life together with cream couches, followed by green couches, blue couches, red couches and now THE couches, so a quick glance at the couch usually tells us roughly when and where we were.

While we’re on the boring stuff you may be interested to know in our 15 years we’ve been through 3 dining tables, 3 washing machines, 3 dryers, 2 fridges, 4 computers (3 still in use) and only 2 beds! Although getting rid of our first bed was a big call and it’s still in the spare room so we can sneak in for old time’s sake and a good night’s sleep when our bed is overrun with kids.

We’ve decided to celebrate the 10 year anniversary by taking the kids to Bali. I’m still not sure we made the right decision, I’m sure it would have been much more romantic just the two of us! Watch this space for an update when we get back in May. And never fear -just in case the holiday is shit I've bought myself a 10 year anniversary ring as a backup. Thanks Krisso xxx

I may nag him, pick on him, laugh at him instead of with him but all in all, I'm a very lucky girl and I'm thankful he chose me almost every day! Looking forward to the next 15 years!