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Make It Perfect

Make It Perfect

Family, beach and chocolate too…

We have had lots of fun and busy times in Melbourne this week – only 2 days to go and we will be back to our usual same old routine again.

Grandie and Nana left for Sydney the day after we arrived, so we were lucky to get to spend a little bit of time with them. We will see them again in a few months when they come to visit us in Tasmania.


We spent a few hours in St Kilda on Friday as Whitney had a big drama performance at a theater there, while we were waiting for her to get ready we walked down to St Kilda beach and had fun walking on the sand and enjoying the fresh air.


Then yesterday we took Whitney, Spenser and Ashleigh to a FANTASTIC chocolate cafe we discovered last time we were up here in Chadstone called Koko Black. It has to die for iced chocolates, it is like you are drinking iced cold melted top quality chocolate, so we all indulged in one – a kilo of chocolate goes for about $90 there!!! Good stuff! Oscar was treated to a little babychino (milk and froth) and a chocolate rabbit lollypop, he was in his element and thought he was such a big boy.

My tummy is getting disgustingly large at an ever increasing rate – it is bad news!!! I am not ready for the baby yet, but I am ready to get rid of my bulge…it is only going to get bigger though!

April 22, 2007
Make It Perfect

Greetings from Melbourne

We are back….again! So far, we have managed to be in Melbourne every month since December!! Not a bad effort! But…this is the LAST time. We arrived yesterday to do some child and house minding for Grandie and Nana as they are off to Sydney today for a week to attend a Mission Presidents Seminar. So Jaron and I have taken on the duties of 3 teenagers and a house about 10 times bigger than our unit at home!!! It will be fun though, we are making the most of our time together as they will be moving to Salt Lake City after their mission is finished in July so our visits will definately not be as frequent as they have been this year. We really, really, really want to be able to save enough to go over and visit them while they are there though – I think it will be our only chance to go to America for a holiday and only have to come up with money for airfares and spending. Oscar has such a fun time in Melbourne with heaps to explore and discover and soooo much attention, it is great!

So thats us for the moment, will try and get some photos and Melbourne updates on over the next week.

April 19, 2007
Make It Perfect

Greetings from Melbourne

We are back….again! So far, we have managed to be in Melbourne every month since December!! Not a bad effort! But…this is the LAST time. We arrived yesterday to do some child and house minding for Grandie and Nana as they are off to Sydney today for a week to attend a Mission Presidents Seminar. So Jaron and I have taken on the duties of 3 teenagers and a house about 10 times bigger than our unit at home!!! It will be fun though, we are making the most of our time together as they will be moving to Salt Lake City after their mission is finished in July so our visits will definately not be as frequent as they have been this year. We really, really, really want to be able to save enough to go over and visit them while they are there though – I think it will be our only chance to go to America for a holiday and only have to come up with money for airfares and spending. Oscar has such a fun time in Melbourne with heaps to explore and discover and soooo much attention, it is great!

So thats us for the moment, will try and get some photos and Melbourne updates on over the next week.

April 19, 2007
Make It Perfect

Recipe Monday

Anyone that knows me really well will know that when it comes to lemons I am totally weak! I could live on them, I love anything that is made from lemons…they are my absolute favourite…lemon sorbet, lemon meringue pie, lemon delicious, lemon flavoured water, lemon chicken, lemon cheesecake you name it…I love it!!! So last week when I was craving a lemon tart I decided that it was time to give it a go – I haven’t made a lemon tart before (although I have tried quite a few in my time!) this one turned out really good – nice and sweet and sour and refreshing. I got the recipe from Donna Hay’s Modern Classics 2 cookbook.

LEMON TART
First you have to make a shortcrust pastry (although, if you couldn’t be bothered doing this you can always buy them already made or buy a packet mix. I made my own and it was really good.)

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
2 cups plain flour
3Tbs caster sugar
150g cold butter, chopped
2-3Tbs iced water

Process the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. While the motor is running, add enough iced water to form a smooth dough and process until just combined. Knead the dough lightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured board until 3mm thick. Place in a 22cm fluted removable base tart tin or tart ring (mine didn’t have a removable base and it still worked). Line the pastry with non-stick baking paper and fill with pastry weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the weights and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 140 degrees celcius.

Lemon Tart Filling
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Place the lemon juice and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream and eggs and stir continuously for 5 minutes. Pour into the tart shell through a strainer.
Bake the tart for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is just set. Cool completely and serve with thick double cream or ice cream.

I LOVE IT!!

April 16, 2007
Make It Perfect

A thought…

If I had to live my life over, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.
I’d relax, I’d limber up. I would be sillier than I have this time.
I would take fewer things seriously.
I would take more chances. I would take more trips.
I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
I would eat more ice cream and less beans.
I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I would have fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I am one of those people who live sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d have nothing else.
Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day.
I’ve been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a raincoat and a parachute.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and I would stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies.

Author unknown.

April 15, 2007