Mundane stuff

Not a whole lot of exciting this week.  Lyle's back on the road, but will be home Wednesday.  Thursday is a public holiday, so a short week for his travel.

I have to laugh as sometimes people think that since we are living in Australia it must be some kind of vacation.  Really?  We are working, kids are going to school, and bills still have to be paid.  Traffic is a huge pain from 7:45 am until 9:30 and again from 4 until 5:30.  Yes, we are in Australia, working like the rest to get through the day, week, month.  The weather is quite nice, but other than that, it is pretty much what we have done every other place we have lived.

Annika will be marching in the parade on ANZAC Day with her Girl Guides troop.  They will lay flower wreaths at the war memorial at school.  Ian can march with the Camp Hill school group as well as Alex with the Cavendish Road group, but my bet is they will stay home with Lyle.  I may just roust them all to go though.  It is a big deal this year for the school community.  One of our families lost their husband and father in Afganistan last year.  The school community was so supportive of the girls and their mother, and continues to do so as well.  It will be a tough day for them, but also one that shows them the community will not forget.

Below is a recipe for ANZAC biscuits, or cookies.  This does not use any eggs.  This is a traditional recipe and you can buy these at store bakeries.  They remind me of a crispy oatmeal cookie.  Adding chocolate chips is not recommended-and keep in mind who that is coming from!  Yes, something that chocolate will NOT enhance.

ANZAC Biscuits
1 cup of each:  plain flour, sugar, rolled oats, and coconut
4 oz butter
1 T plus 1 t dark corn syrup (cane syrup or treacle)
1/4 cup plus 1 T boiling water
1 t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 and grease baking sheets.  Can use baking or parchment paper
Combine dry ingredients-but not baking soda.
Melt butter and syrup.
Combine water and baking soda.
Mix wet and dry ingredients together.
Drop teaspoons of dough onto sheets 2 inches apart
Bake 12-15 minutes.  Watch carefully-don't let them overbrown.

Cool on sheets a few minutes, then transfer to racks.
Makes about 35 biscuits

Best enjoyed with tea, coffee, or hot chocolate to dip as they are a very crispy cookie.

The weather here is getting cooler at night and the humidity is down!  Nice sleeping weather.  It even feels crisper in the mornings-at least as much as it is going to get, it feels like Fall.  Temps have been in the high 50's to low 60's overnight and low 80's during the day.  There are still a few storms working their way up and down the coast-I guess April is a traditionally stormy month, but the last decade with the drought they have not been seen much.  We had a doosie of one last week that came up out of nowhere-the sky got dark super fast, clouds looked absolutely black, it opened with a huge thunderclap and the heavens opened up.  Hail the size of large peas and sheets of rain.  I could not see 20 yards into the playground! Of course it happened 5 minutes before school dismissal-we had to hold the kids for nearly 10 minutes until it slacked off to "normal heavy rain"!!  Alex caught a ride to me with a friend instead of waiting after school for me to get her.  Good girl for thinking and texting me her plans as the cell phones freaked out and even trying to call each other, neither could be heard the storm was so LOUD.  Looks like we may have another tomorrow, but predictions are it will hit north of us instead.

I started my Monday-Tuesday job today.  LOVE it!  4th graders I get to share with one of my favorite teachers and I get to do all the science!  They love it as they get a "real" science teacher, which totally makes me laugh.  Tack on an endorsement and it makes me real I guess.

I also talked to the kids about doing guest blogs.  Alex seems interested in it, Annika as long as I just type what she dictates.  Ian, not so much.  All you'd hear about would be his quite complicated war games with his army men, hot wheels, and dinosaurs anyway!  I'm interested to hear what the girls have to say though!  How about you?

Have a super week everyone!  Miss you all.  Counting the days until we come to visit.