Time flies.....

"Time flies when you are having fun" they say.... I say "time flies when you are just stupidly busy and time poor!"

I haven't given up on blogging and to be honest my food blog, A DASH OF FLAVOUR, also has felt the effect of our busy lifestyle...

I will try and catch up and show you all some highlights that have happened over 2016.... and also make a more conscious effort to keep up to speed with all that the House of Murray are doing.

It's been so long.....

Well we certainly have been busy and I have tried to sit and blog wondering where to start?  Do I back track to where I left off or just pick some highlights or should I just start up again from this current minute?  Needless to say this is a conversation I have had in my head for awhile now especially with all the ups and downs that have happened in the the last 9 months.

 

My job changed, my world changed, we needed as a family to change as did I as an individual.

 

There is is in a nutshell....

 

CHANGE!!!

 

So I decided I will start with the here and the now.....

 

If I can get extra spare time to back track I will as there are many many beautiful memories I really need to write about to have that keepsake that hopefully one day when I am long gone be treasured by our future generations.  A little melodramatic... oops sorry!!

 

So here's to creating more special memories and looking into the future.....

 

Another weekend over.....

Either I am getting old or the weekends are just going very fast.

Tonight saw another Sunday finish for what was a busy weekend. 

Football being the major focus today with Round 5 - both kids played away.  Alex played Frankston Dolphins at Overport Park and her team won.  Ollie played at Mount Eliza and lost.  They are a few players down at the moment but their spirits are still high.  During awards Ollie recieved an encouragement award.

The football club has a good buzz this year with family volunteers, a few fundraising events and the dinner service going well.  Tonight Spaghetti Bolognaise and Garlic Bread was for dinner followed by Mixed Berry Cream Cheesecake.

Spaghetti Bolognaise for the footy club - great effort by Noel for all the preparation.  Brilliant work as usual.

It's been a while.....

To be honest it has been so long and so much has happened I really don't know where to start.... so I will start from now.

The kids are in Queensland with my mam - having a ball I might add. It is school holidays here in Melbourne so with both of us working the only option we had left was to send them up to her, which I know she was so excited about! I could tell in her voice and still can even though they have been there for a week. Mam keeps saying to me "Don't worry about the kids they are fine" and I keep replying "I am not worried about the kids I am worried about you!!" LOL my kids are not feral so she knows I am only joking! I just worry that they will misbehave or argue and she could end up having another heart scare etc.

Last week I spent the week on the road with traveling to the South West of Victoria to conduct some training. What a long drive - 4 and a half hours to drive home from Warrnambool on Friday and I was buggered. I enjoy my job and travelling but sometimes it is hard especially being away from my family (or in this case just Noel this time around). I am meant to be travelling this week but it looks like I have to change my priorities to fit in some other things that have now become urgent. I love the fact that I see so much scenery and visit towns that I had never heard of some of which are becoming regular stop overs. I am starting to get know where the good hotels/motels are along with the restaurants... LOL the perks of the job!!

This windmill is near Hanson Heywood Quarry.

Something SPECIAL has happened though... we had a new arrival in our family on Wednesday. Clare and Grahame welcomed into the world Charlie Lee Ahrens!! YAY another girl in the family! We cannot wait to get to Sydney (over Easter) to meet her and to see Clare and Grahame!

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Menu Plan Monday (19th March - 25th March)

Please don't think I have neglected my blog (all my blogs) it's just that we have been so busy and my time management skilss have been running on random happenings lately.... should be called timeless management but I do believe I see a light at the end of the tunnel or it's a freight train and I am in the wrong tunnel!! LOL!!

I know it has been such a long time since I posted properly. Hopefully this week brings back regularity of some sort and things will go on smoothly once more.

So on the House of Murray Menu Planner this week is:

Saturday ~ Alex's 10th Birthday - Disco Party

Sunday ~ Portuguese Grilled Chicken, Spiced Couscous, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Monday ~ Fish and Chips served with Salad
Tue ~ Chargrilled Steak with Creamy Mushroom and Mustard Sauce

Wed ~ Chorizo and Spinach Tagletelle

Thu ~ Lamb and Rosemary Pot Pies with Vegetables

Fri ~ Oliver's 13th Birthday - Hogs Breath Cafe

As you have probably gathered by now, I LIVE for menu planning! By menu planning it ensures that we have a weeks worth of meals organised which is especially useful Monday through Friday when there is not much of the day left after finishing work, picking up the kids from school and having to deal with the tasks of homework, clothes washing, showers, etc., and to do without the hassle of worrying WHAT we are cooking for dinner each night. Honestly if I left deciding what’s for dinner until I go home we wouldn’t eat until midnight!!

I know that our week starts on a Saturday but that’s just for the ease of fitting in with my grocery shopping which is normally done on a Friday night or Saturday afternoon. As usual more great menu ideas can be found at Menu Plan Monday over at I’m An Organising Junkie, don’t be shy pop over and have a look at other’s menu plans. You never know you may just find something different to have for dinner.

Some recipes for things we cook can be found over at our cooking blog, A Dash Of Flavour, normally posted after they have been cooked or just click on the links for each meal when they appear.

Happy cooking,

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Happy New Year 2011

I cannot believe that it has been so long in between blogging here. Shame on me I must say.

Firstly Happy New Year ~ from our family to yours we hope that 2011 brings all your dreams to reality and that it is a wonderful year for you all.

So what have we been up to - I can honestly say a lot!! We have been busy busy with the silly season and then New Year and so much more. We have caught up with family, enjoyed some relaxed holiday times and eaten way too much.

Daniel was Christened in early December which was a nice ceremony and a relaxing day back at Sean and Vicky's.

My two men looking very sharp!

Proud parents!

Proud Parents and God Parents

I travelled with work for most of December which was very tiring and included a trip to Tasmania. I also went on site for my first Concrete pour... quite exciting - well I thought so!!

Pouring footings for a garage.

Decorating the tree is always good fun.

Hanging baubles.

The important part of tree decorating - the fairy!

And our newest editions... our reindeer family.

We caught up some old friends at a bbq just before Christmas. People I have worked with over my years at Hanson and it was really nice to catch up.

Donnie and Willy - the bbq kings of Harkaway!!

Joe sharing some festive cheer!

Mark sharing the love!!

Alex had her Christmas concert which was nice. Unfortunately I was the only one that made it as it was during school hours but she was happy that I went. As always she really looked like she was enjoying herself up on the stage.

Grandma arrived from Brisbane the week before Christmas and is staying through to the end of January. Grandma, Alex, Ollie and myself went to a special preview of Yogi Bear in 3D. It was a really good movie. Grandma had never been to a 3D movie before so she really enjoyed it.

Not only were Yogi and Boo Boo there but Santa was there also.

Christmas Eve was an exciting evening with Jamie and the boys coming over for a bbq. It was great to see them during the Festive Season and as you can tell it was a nice night.

A proud Grandma moment!

Opening some presents.

Also with Christmas Eve comes new pyjamas.

Christmas morning arrived and the tree was surrounded by presents. I love watching the kids faces on Christmas morning, madly unwrapping the gifts to see what they have recieved only to be excited by some, occasionally surprised especially when recieving a rubber chicken.

The rabbits and guinea pigs go a new hutch.

And even grandma looks surprised with her new Salt and Pepper Shakers.

We spent Christmas Day at Noel's mam and dad's. An enjoyable afternoon with the whole Murray family including Clare and her partner Grahame that flew in from Sydney that morning. Mam and Dad did a wonderful job with the Christmas dinner - all the trimmings of course.

Plus the usual balloon animal competition.... which turns rather serious!






We relaxed Boxing Day but made sure we still had plenty to eat....


A day trip into the city to catch up with a friend from work saw us walking around. Along Southbank you never know who you are going to bump into?


And near the casino you are never far away from an expensive car....


On the 30th of December the Murray family did a road trip of our Pennisula's to show Grahame what Victoria had to offer in the way of beaches and coastlines. Starting off at Hastings we ventured to Point Leo, Flinders, Ocean Beach, Gunnamatta, Arthurs Seat and finishing off the day at Steeples Bistro in Mornington. Clare and Grahame spent the night at ours then which put a nice finishing touch to the day.

Hastings Pier

Point Leo Surf Beach

Playing "stacks on" Noel

Lunch at Flinders Beach

Brothers having fun with a sea sponge

Noel chasing Christian with the sea sponge!

Ocean Beach, Flinders and the paragliders.

Alex crabbing

Sean and Vicky walking along Ocean Beach!

Gunnamatta Surf Beach

The view from Arthurs Seat

New Years Eve was a quiet affair - just us and mam at home. We had a make shift chinese banquet with nibblies, satay beef and nice chicken followed by sparklers and champange at 12am to welcome in the New Year.

As you can see it has been all go with lots of fun and laughter to close out 2010.... now looking forward to having an even better 2011!

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com