Challenge 14- New recipe

For challenge 14 in the 30 pictures in 30 days challenge, I have to take a picture of a new recipe.

Ahhh, lamingtons.  They are deceptively difficult to make.  I mean, how hard can it be to dip cake into chocolate and roll them in coconut.  A lot harder (and messier) than you'd think.  The cake doesn't hold together quite enough to be dipped for too long and the chocolate cools fast enough that it becomes harder and harder to dip.  I also used the wrong coconut.  I had no idea that there were all different kinds of coconut and the shredded kind was the wrong kind to use.  Oh well, they were yummy!

In other news:

• After quitting diet coke again for over a month.  I have managed to have three today.  No idea why, just did. 
• We are getting ready for my parents to visit.  We proclaim that we will not procasinate, but we always do.  Now, it is 6 days until they visit and we still haven't bought a heater. 
• The third State of Origin game is next week.  My poor parents will have to be subjected to Jay and Dave watching Rugby League. 
• I need to do laundry, but I missed my chance.  It is now raining again for the next two days and I can't very well dry laundry on the line in the rain.
• I don't want to cook dinner tonight.  Of course, it is a Weight Watchers meeting night so I shouldn't have to cook as I won't be here.  However, I have a feeling that Jay will forget that he needs to be home early and I will not go to my meeting...so I will be cooking anyway.
• I haven't scrapbooked since March. 
• I jog 4 days a week now.
• My knee is killing me, probably from the fact that I jog 4 days a week.
• At playgroup, I got to hold 2 1/2 month old baby April for 45 minutes while she slept.  Nothing beats a baby sleeping while being held. 
• Can you tell I've had three diet cokes today?

Rest of my life and gender roles

So, I've come to a point in my life where I need to decide what I am going to be doing.  14 years ago, or so, I kinda had a plan.  I was in my senior year of high school and had an idea about where I wanted to go. 

Then, I didn't like that first plan any more, so I made a new one.  Nope, didn't like that one either. How about plan C?  I stuck with plan C for a long while, until I engaged.  Jay and I talked about having kids and how we'd have kids earlier rather than later.  So now we have a new plan.  Plan D. 

Fast forward to now. 

I am a point in my life where I need a new plan again.  At this point, it is pretty much plan M or so. 
I waited and waited for over 8 years to have my very own, regularly scheduled days off.  I dreamed about all the fun things I could and the naps I could take.  Now that the days are a reality, I'm bored!

In the States, I was a very busy gal, with lots going on.  Part of moving to Australia was that I'd do less and be less stressed.  Well, I have succeeded  in that plan.  Now I need to find something to do.  I have been thinking about what to do for months and months now.  I haven't really made any progress.  Not from a lack of ideas though.  I have been given plenty of ideas.  None of them have struck my fancy though.  I feel like I need to find something that I will really enjoy and want to do.  There's no point in getting a job at the grocery store just to fill time, as I wouldn't really enjoy it. 

I've looked into taking some classes, but the local community college doesn't offer much.  Barista training, emailing for seniors, Brazilian Samba, termite proofing your home, fishing secrets, and food safety supervisor training are just some of the course offerings.  The local college does offer a few courses that are a possible interest, but I will have to wait until next term as then one has already started.  There is a digital photography course I might take, as well as a cake decorating class.  I will pass on the How to Sell on Ebay and the Skyping for Seniors though. 

Jay asked the boys one night at dinner what they thought I should do with my free time.  Here are some of their answers:
Tom:  Scrapbook.
Joe: Come to school with me.
Sam: Shop!
Joe:  You could play my DSi or the Wii. 
Tom: Babysit.
Sam: Go to the store.

These answers give me some pause.  I have a bad feeling that my boys are getting the feeling that moms are only supposed to do certain jobs.  These answers come a week or so after the boys made up a new game.  The game is called Star Fighters.  In the game, I am their Star Sister, who stays at home and does all the chores.  I asked them why I had to stay at home.  Their answer was "that's what girls do."  Of course, it doesn't help that my kids only know stay-at-home moms or teachers.  No wonder that's what they think women do. 

Always in my mind, I bucked the gender roles.  I never had any interest in doing the traditional "woman" things.  I've gotten slotted right into that though.  Sometimes, life just works out that way.

Can I get a time out?

Please, I will lay in my bed and stare at the ceiling.  I don't mind, really.  Just a time out from the kids, the bank transfer woes, the furniture advance snag, the lack of crafting, the lack of Mexican food, the lack of margaritas... 
Yesterday was cold and damp.  It didn't rain all day, but was wet enough it was hard to enjoy much.  We went to Kmart in search of pants for Tom.  He ripped the knees out of 5 pairs of pants in 6 days.  He only had two pair left.  He is starting to outgrow size 6, so I bought size 7.  (Come to find out, size 7 is HUGE!)  I think that this size 7 is more like a US size 10 or something.  The pants were only $7 each, so I may have to find some more in a smaller size.  After Kmart, we went to Macka's (McDonald's), ate an unhealthy lunch and played on their playground.  Later in the day, we walked down for ice cream.  Not the best day for my diet. 
Today is cool and rainy.  The rain has been going all morning long.  It seems to have let up just a little and the sun is peaking through, but everything is soaking wet.  The forecast is pretty much for rain all day long.  I am leery about going out to do anything outside because of the wet and rain.  I am also leery about going out for any indoor activities because of the crowds.  Since schools are on holiday, things are a bit crowded during the day. 
I think that it's just been too many days without any sort of me time.  I can't remember the last time I had any time to myself.  I understand that it is part of the moving process, but still, I am ready for a little relief.  While I type this, Sam is hiding in my closet and going through the drawers and the suitcases in there and singing his ABC's.  Very cute, but also no so much since I asked him to please play somewhere else.