Good Food. Relaxation. New Magazine.

So since my last post.... I don't know how many people are still reading or lurking (I'll settle for lurking). Guess I may just have to start from scratch and build up my 'readership' again..... tee hee

Jorja and Eric invited my family over for dinner on Saturday night. She also had Ruey and family, as well as her friends, Roula, Koulla and Katerina whom I met when we went out to see the movie, Sex and The City. Peter got to meet some new Greek friends and they hit it off straight away. Kids had the Wii to keep them entertained. Of course I had great food and company, the best combination. Jorja, like a typical Greek host, cooked enough food to feed 3 villages. It was an awesome night. My son was upset with me when I called it a night at midnight. Of course, he fell asleep in the car before we even hit the main road. Jorja told me the next day, that her son, Darius commented that Ellen must be a very smart girl. She corrected him that her name needs to be spelled with a capital letter E, and also some other word that was supposed to have an apostrophe. He asked her, "are you the smartest in class?". Being the 'humble' girl she is, came her reply, "Sometimes."

On Sunday, I decided to have my FIL, my SIL and my nephew over for dinner. I saw this Roast Pork from Better Homes and Garden with perfect crackling I had to try making. So we did some shopping for the right cut of pork. I was determined to succeed..... and it turned out exactly like this... MMMmmmmmmmm

http://au.video.yahoo.com/watch/3091341/8797655



I was very impressed by myself. For the first time, we had perfect crispy crackling, as opposed to part crispy part chewy. So were my guests. :) :)

On Monday, I went for a Hot Stones Massage just before I saw my chiropractor. All I can say, is hot-stone me anytime babe! If you live in Melbourne, you would know how ridiculously cold this winter has been. The hot stones on my body felt like hugging your hands around your hot cup of coffee. And the massage was excellent. The warmth, comfort and relaxation ..... I swear I imagined I was in a tropical resort, having an outdoor massage in a hut overlooking blue seas, with my red cocktail next to me just like those postcards you remember seeing. The hour ended too soon.

Tuesday night, I decided I want a seafood dinner. I bought Basa fillets (Ruey got me into this fish) and some prawns. Fish fillets in plum sauce, and Prawns in black bean and garlic sauce. My family loves the way I do basa fillets. My son still won't try prawns but I'll work on that. He's been getting better at trying new foods. My kids' palate are getting more workouts as they get older. We went for Vietnamese Pho (beef noodles soup) and they were slurping the noodles and the soup like a real Asian! I know they'll eat greens like baby buk choy, snake beans, beans, garlic shoots, broccolini, asparagus and peas and I don't need to disguise them, and they'll even ask for seconds. Ellen is obviously more adventurous with food than Phaedon is. Lately, she has upgraded to Birds Eye's crumbed fish fillets (ones I eat for my lunch!) for her school lunch instead of just the kiddy fish fingers! But.... I'm a typical mother.... I'm just happy that my children will eat what I cook. :)

I will be working on some Scrapware albums and some cards for Creative Cardmaking magazine. If you haven't seen the revamped magazine, you should. I hardly call myself a cardmaker but this magazine has cards to suit all interests. If you have been meaning to try cardmaking this magazine has plenty of variety and really clear instructions. The supplies lists are detailed and the photography is amazing. Julia Matthews, previously at For Keeps is now at Derwent Howard Media, and the new look for this magazine, has got her clean style all over it. I also saw on Aussie Pub Calls that she is looking for submissions and has made a call for a magazine DT. It’s past the deadline but she probably hasn’t made any decisions yet. Send submissions to letters@creativecardmaking.com.au

Here’s the press release from Julia:

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Press Release
August 19 2008

We’re very excited to be revamping Creative Cardmaking and Papercraft. Our philosophy is simple. We’re filling the magazine with cards you will love to make and everything you need for foolproof results!

There’s something for everyone, and all levels of experience. The Spring issue is packed with projects, 50 cards to recreate plus scrapbooking layouts. The magazine is beautiful to flick through but it’s much more than a gallery, it’s loaded with simple-to-follow instructions and many of the projects come with helpful ‘step-by-step’ photography to refer back to. Each issue also features articles, interviews and reviews to enjoy leisurely over a cup of tea, and plenty of product reviews. More than ever before, cardmakers can break out their supplies with total confidence, knowing that making great looking cards has never been easier!

Creative Cardmaking is onsale in newsagents nationally and in New Zealand. Look out for the free stickers on the cover!


Julia Matthews
Associate Publisher –Craft Division
Derwent Howard Media

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