And going home soon! Travel medical insurance bought, most of our shopping orders have been done (thanks for receiving all the stuff Mom and Dad!), leave request in for me at work, and sorting all the stuff we are bringing and leaving has commenced! Our bedroom looks like some sort of strange assortment of munchkins have whirled through it. Snowsuits, sweatshirts, dresses, hats, games, all sorts of goodies coming home for everyone!
You will all be shocked by how much the kids have physically grown this past year. Alex is less than an inch shorter than me! Her hair is halfway down her back and beautiful shade of blonde, and her teeth have really lined up (hope that means less time in braces!) and her skin is amazing. She has a funky sense of style I am sure she will show (I personally love the short flirty skirt with boots and girly butterfly t-shirt she rocks-Dad, not so much!) in her daily routine. She looks much older than 13, acts like it most of the time too. Shoo the boys away. . . Annika is her usual spunky self. She is very fashion aware, but I don't allow her to wear the "cool stuff like Alex" as it is really not age appropriate! She wants to do her own hair most days for school and the oddly placed pony tails are giggle worthy. Just DON'T say anything out loud. You pay for it. She has decided Barbies are no longer cool, but Monster High dolls are. Don't ask. Just look them up. And Sigh. I prefer Barbie. Ian is rocking the gap toothed grin and talking like a fool all the time. He is big into Army stuff and just earned an Army tank and accessories with meeting his last reading goal. His next desire is a Nerf gun. Sensing a pattern here.
Would you believe taxes still are not done? We get to visit with the accountant Saturday morning to find out why we owe money to the government AND to the company. They had to pay our estimate tax when they filed the extension and it does not show on our return as paid. Ought to be interesting if nothing else. To think, I considered accounting as a career! I think I would be really stark raving mad if I had! I know I am a documentation freak on some things, but there are lines even I have decided are not worth crossing. Someday we aspire to doing our own taxes on TurboTax again. . .
And, to finish the blog with the latest YUM recipe we found! This comes courtesy of my partner teacher and was a homework assignment last week. I made for my house apes Saturday for breakfast and had to make AGAIN on Sunday! Really is that good. I'll write the original recipe (I converted AUS measure to US standard) and my mods to make it even better!
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 T plus 1 t butter
Mix flour and sugar, making a well in the bowl. Add milk and egg. Use wooden spoon to mix. Heat pan on medium low until hot, grease pan with butter as needed. Pour spoonfuls of mix onto hot pan (suggest heaping tablespoons-and they spread out!) cooking until bubbles form on the top. Turn over and brown other side.
Serve with butter, jam, whipped cream, nutella (OMG good), peanut butter
Now my notes: Melt butter and mix in when the egg and milk are mostly incorporated. Add 1 1/2 t cinnamon. Put 1 T vinegar in the measuring cup and then fill to 3/4 cup with milk (makes them airier). If you don't have self raising flour, add 1 1/4 t baking soda and 1 1/4 t baking powder to the measuring cup, then fill to 1 cup with regular flour. Add in the 1/2 cup plain flour with no additions. Cook on fairly low heat as they won't cook in the middle but get burned on the outside! I doubled the recipe for my crowd. Just right and no leftovers.
Happy breakfast everyone!
The fairy wren is still obsessively pecking on every window of the house all day starting at dawn and going until dark. Ian had me get an Australian bird book to read all about it and other feathered friends. We spotted several at the seaside this weekend when we went for a bike ride and run! He was pleased, as was I. We didn't remember the names, but recognized from their photos and looked them up when we came home.
You will all be shocked by how much the kids have physically grown this past year. Alex is less than an inch shorter than me! Her hair is halfway down her back and beautiful shade of blonde, and her teeth have really lined up (hope that means less time in braces!) and her skin is amazing. She has a funky sense of style I am sure she will show (I personally love the short flirty skirt with boots and girly butterfly t-shirt she rocks-Dad, not so much!) in her daily routine. She looks much older than 13, acts like it most of the time too. Shoo the boys away. . . Annika is her usual spunky self. She is very fashion aware, but I don't allow her to wear the "cool stuff like Alex" as it is really not age appropriate! She wants to do her own hair most days for school and the oddly placed pony tails are giggle worthy. Just DON'T say anything out loud. You pay for it. She has decided Barbies are no longer cool, but Monster High dolls are. Don't ask. Just look them up. And Sigh. I prefer Barbie. Ian is rocking the gap toothed grin and talking like a fool all the time. He is big into Army stuff and just earned an Army tank and accessories with meeting his last reading goal. His next desire is a Nerf gun. Sensing a pattern here.
Would you believe taxes still are not done? We get to visit with the accountant Saturday morning to find out why we owe money to the government AND to the company. They had to pay our estimate tax when they filed the extension and it does not show on our return as paid. Ought to be interesting if nothing else. To think, I considered accounting as a career! I think I would be really stark raving mad if I had! I know I am a documentation freak on some things, but there are lines even I have decided are not worth crossing. Someday we aspire to doing our own taxes on TurboTax again. . .
And, to finish the blog with the latest YUM recipe we found! This comes courtesy of my partner teacher and was a homework assignment last week. I made for my house apes Saturday for breakfast and had to make AGAIN on Sunday! Really is that good. I'll write the original recipe (I converted AUS measure to US standard) and my mods to make it even better!
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 T plus 1 t butter
Mix flour and sugar, making a well in the bowl. Add milk and egg. Use wooden spoon to mix. Heat pan on medium low until hot, grease pan with butter as needed. Pour spoonfuls of mix onto hot pan (suggest heaping tablespoons-and they spread out!) cooking until bubbles form on the top. Turn over and brown other side.
Serve with butter, jam, whipped cream, nutella (OMG good), peanut butter
Now my notes: Melt butter and mix in when the egg and milk are mostly incorporated. Add 1 1/2 t cinnamon. Put 1 T vinegar in the measuring cup and then fill to 3/4 cup with milk (makes them airier). If you don't have self raising flour, add 1 1/4 t baking soda and 1 1/4 t baking powder to the measuring cup, then fill to 1 cup with regular flour. Add in the 1/2 cup plain flour with no additions. Cook on fairly low heat as they won't cook in the middle but get burned on the outside! I doubled the recipe for my crowd. Just right and no leftovers.
Happy breakfast everyone!
The fairy wren is still obsessively pecking on every window of the house all day starting at dawn and going until dark. Ian had me get an Australian bird book to read all about it and other feathered friends. We spotted several at the seaside this weekend when we went for a bike ride and run! He was pleased, as was I. We didn't remember the names, but recognized from their photos and looked them up when we came home.
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