SCORE!

So whilst Lily was pretending she was a future football star...

(sorry couldn't resist posting that photo)

...MrL was busy cleaning up our old MacBook. Our plan since replacing that laptop with our current one, was to give the old one to Monet to use.  She's been nagging us since about December asking "is my computer ready yet?"  Whilst I'm not too computer savvy so I wasn't going to be cleaning up that computer and MrL seems like he is always working so it has only been this week (*ahem*, about 6 months later) that he has found time to clean it up (transferring old pics, deleting iTunes and the like).  The grand take over happened on Monday arvo.  It's been hard to wipe the smile off Monet's face since....

We set up an email account for her, so she was emailing both MrL and I and we were emailing her back etc.,  Surprisingly, she is a pretty good emailer.  As her Grandma has recently been introduced, not only to emailing, but also to a MacBook, I think Monet might have found herself a daily emailing pal....

June 29, 1996

2 people.
12 house moves.
1 interstate move.
1 international move.
15 car changes (approximately).
4 London trips.
1 apartment purchase.
(Too many to count), joyous moments.
2 beautiful daughters.
15 years together, today, June 29, 2011.

Happy 15th year together Lyndon.

xx

The Banana Bread Baker

I promised Monet something a couple of weeks ago.  I'm not sure if it makes me stoopid or trying to earn a Mother of the Year nomination. I have promised her that, over the course of the summer holidays, I will teach her to cook. Well, guess what? Summer holidays are here. So now I have to put what I said into action. She used to always 'help' me bake, back in our Cairns days but since then, nah, not so much.

Official day one of the holidays I got Monet to make some Banana Bread, with my guidance.  (We used this recipe.)  She helped me measure out the ingredients, sifted the flours, did the old egg-cracking, mashed the bananas, mixed everything together, helped pour it into the tin....

The result was yummy!  It was especially delicious fresh out of the oven and smothered in butter.

Tonight, Little Miss Monet will be cooking our evening meal for the family.  We have collected all the ingredients for a basic Vegetable Lasagna (her request), from a recipe we found in a Women's Weekly Kid's cookbook.  That'll be interesting, considering her father isn't a big lasagna fan.  I hope he grins and bares it....

Get an 'Eiffel' of these Skirts....

I was a bit busy last week to do a lot of sewing but I did manage to make two. *phew* hey?

The first one I made was with fabric from my local IKEA (of course) and I was quite happy with the outcome.  I'm going to make a couple of skirts in this fabric in a couple of different sizes.  Nice too for me to be wearing a different coloured tshirt rather than black (it's grey).  I hope too, that you like my baby model whilst I took a photo of my bee hind. ;P

During the week I had an idea of jazzing up plain skirts, after me trying with this skirt last week.  I got my hands on some different black fabric from a little seller in Abu Dhabi, the same guy I purchase my zips from.  It's a heavier but comfortable black fabric, though I had to buy the stuff by the yard (soooo old school).

Back at home I made a quick template of the Eiffel Tower, copying a photo I had taken of the tower back in 2000.  I dug out some red fabric and cut out, then sewed on the 'tower' via a small zig-zag stitch onto the black skirt....

I have more ideas flowing around in my brain in regards to cutting out shapes, adding stuff etc., so I hope that they turn out as well as I imagine in my head.  Lol.  Today I wore this skirt with a white with thin black horizontal striped t.  I felt very 'french'.  Ooo la la. 


Stay tuned for more, but only of course if they're successful outcomes.

De-Construct, Abu Dhabi style

After MrL taking Monet to the Doctor's on Saturday morning (bloody ear infections - I tell you, they'll be the death of me!), the four of us drove into Abu Dhabi city to purchase a couple of things and to go out for lunch.

I thought I would share with you a couple of observations.  As you know, I am married to someone who works in construction, so our eyes are always peeled for new buildings, infrastructures etc., but only here in the UAE have we ever seen building being torn down via this method;

We always gasp when we spy this type of action happening.  It is so dangerous and when the buildings are 'deconstructed' this way, it really means they could actually collapse at any moment (though I doubt they do).  This building above, would've probably looked like the building below, a couple of weeks ago.

All boarded up and ready to be torn down to make way for a brand spanking new building.  I'm not sure what happens to all the people who once called all those apartments home.  There are some real shocker buildings here in Abu Dhabi and in a way, I am glad they're pulling down the eye-sores!

MrL made his purchases on needed items and then we headed to our favourite restaurant at the Beach Rotana Hotel located next door to Abu Dhabi Mall, (see location at the end of post), Prego's.  It's Italian and we've rarely been disappointed when we've eaten there.

I cannot go past my favourite dish on the menu (it seems I now order it every. time.)  A spinach and ricotta ravioli with a butter, basil and hazelnut sauce.

Monet cannot go past her favourite pizza.  (It is a rare restaurant here that has pork items on it's menu and even rarer to find a proper pizza with out the pork substitute of beef or turkey ham!)

After our filling lunch, we browsed Abu Dhabi Mall (we both noted that it really has improved over the past couple of years) and finally made our way home by late afternoon.

Over

I cannot believe how quickly the school year has gone.  Today is the last day of Monet being a 'First Grader'.  ALREADY!  Oh my.  And what a terrific year she has had.  We're awfully proud of her, she's coming along in leaps and bounds and I'm sure she'll have no problem being a big Grade Two girl come September.

Though with celebration comes a little sadness.  Monet will miss her teacher Ms Donna, but I won't miss Monet's impersonation of her.  Monet has her accent down pat.  And some of her mannerisms too.  We have a couple of families, of whom we are good 'mum-buddies' with, who are leaving the country.  One family is heading off to Canada for greener (sic) pastures and the other is heading back home to Australia.  Another Australian family too left last week, (hi Jenny!) for new adventures.  I am going to miss my morning and afternoon chinwags with people who understand totally where you're coming from.  But this is what happens in this country - people/families come and go.

So Monet, well done my beautiful girl - you've done us all proud.  Keep up the good work in Grade Two. *mwah* =)

Beige

Beige is the colour of the sky constantly when it is humid here in Abu Dhabi.

We have days of endless beige.  It seems that the days of constant blue skies have disappeared....for a coating of beige.  That's how you can notice that it is humid.  We had 89% humidity here today.  Not exactly pleasant, not exactly comfortable, but I am used to it.  You except it when you're faced with it every day.

In Cairns, where it is also very humid during the summer/dry months, you don't have days of beige, you have days of greys.  I remember those grey skies well.  They do get depressing after a while, but then Mother Nature would surprise you with a beautiful blue day, even though it might still be humid.

Just an observation.

C. A. T.

I don't know how and I don't know why, but it seems as if Miss Lily has a great attraction to (of all animals!), cats. Now, we are not cat people, never have been and probably never will. (Sorry Lily). I guess 'cat' was one of the first words she learnt after Mum-ma and Dad-da and it doesn't help that our (rather lovely) next door neighbour owns four of the bloody creatures!

We've always got a cat crawling along our back wall which excites the little one.  There is usually one lazing about in the earlier hours of the day at the front of our villa, but they usually scatter away when they spy a curious little girl getting out the car.  Not this morning though.  Given half the chance, I am pretty sure Lily would've stood there all. day.

I'm pretty sure the cat got sick of us looking at it and disappeared underneath my neighbour's car after I snapped some pics with my phone.  Lily was being so cute waving and saying 'Bye Bye Cat' before it went.  *too cute*

One of her favourite toys is a cheetah which her Auntie Kim bought her on her recent visit when we visited the Al Ain Zoo.  Lily simply calls the cheetah 'Cat'.  Sometimes she refuses to let it leave her side.

Pic taken in early May

In other news, today is my Mother-In-Law's birthday.  Happy Birthday Nanna Marianne.  Hope you enjoy your day!