birthday dinner with the family

foo wah chinese restaurant collins rd willetton, not cheap but nice food

shopping!

we all know i have a not so secret stationery obsession, which is one of the reasons why i teach,
i stay nice and close to cute stationery - whether they are totally functional or not..hehe

anyways, the stationery scene in australia is getting better and better
we have 3 dedicated stylish stationery stores that target different categories of the market, plus we have officeworks, target and kmart dabble a bit here and there with their own budget collections.
this keeps a lil stationery whore like me on her toes - keeping up to date with sales and the latest collections.

anyways, in my email box the other day i got notice that 'typo' is having a 30% sale [online store www.typo.com.au] and if you spend over $55 they throw in free shipping!!

nothing like a sweetener like that to get me going!
anyways, i dutifully checked out their website and sussed out all the great bargains, and here are some of them

white magnetic tree, will hold necklaces and stuff, very decorative and not much function
$10.95 [ i wanna order 2 for my baby shower but i dont know if i will or not...]

made with love aprons $6.95
these will be super cute as the prizes for the baby shower

white lace filigree pencil holder $3.47

baby blue duffle bag $17.47

birdcage key organiser and hanger $20.97

filigree heart book end $20.97

babushka book end $20.97

pink heart lanyard $2.07
i need one of these, my old one just died - keeps my keys organised

after spending too long browsing and chucking things into my cart, i ended up with 25 items at a total of $109.95, which i must say is pretty darn good...

happy shopping y'all

xoxo clio

antacid

so i have decided to do something for my heartburn
went to the chenist to get some relief
got the mylanta chewable tablets [$4.95 for 20]

hrmm.. i got to say im not impressed
it taste like powdery minty bi carb soda
its pretty gross
i wish i got the liquid form instead

but i must admit it does do the job
oh wells
beggers cant be choosers
ill just finish this packet before i get the liquid pack

xxoo

grumblings...

my mum just rang and things arent so good at home
i have a really sick dad
really sick

his sickness isnt really that bad, but my dad plays the victim and demands sympathy from everyone
yes we know he has slowly degenerated over the years and im sure its horrible feeling yourself decline slowly into a vegetable, but my poor mum is not coping well anymore
she has been his sole carer for 3-4 years now and he is slowly making my mum really sick herself

it makes me really angry listening to the stupid shit that happens at home
the 'silent treatment' he gives my mother
the hard time he puts her through
even though she does everything for him [literally wipes his ass and more]

unfortunately my dad is a really sick bitter person
he has not accepted his situation and is pretty much angry at everyone
for how he is today
he cannot find peace or comfort from family
he cannot find peace or comfort from religion

i cant wait until he moves on
because it would make life a lot more easier for everyone
but that is such a horrible thing to say as well

its hard to talk to him
because he doesnt want to talk
my dad just shuts up like a clam and wants everyone to read his mind
and do what he wants
seriously its like talking to a brick wall but worse
and the bad part is
when he does talk, he has a lot of difficulty talking
he can barely speak english [my preferred tongue]
and when he talks it is hard for him to pronounce his words [they slur]
it puts him into a coughing fit and effects his breathing

sigh.... what ever he has ... its horrible... really horrible.. it robs you of your life
but it takes it away from you so slowly and so painfully

my dad is the not the dad i know and remember when i was younger
which is the saddest part
dad was always a good guy, strict, tough but fair
i want to remember him always in the good days

not the bitter horrible person he is today that treats my mum like shit
god its depressing
its no wonder i dont like going home much
its too depressing and too much effort
but i guess as the good dutiful daughter i have to

i guess you cope and just do your best
what else?

xxoo

my dinner

this was my dinner tonight
a seafood basket from winthrop fish and chip store for $15

i've been craving for fish and chips for months now
but because hubby doesnt like fish and chips at all
this is something i rarely eat

and i waited till he left to go to jakarta before i could indulge
and indulge i did :) [grin]

chips were super crsipy and piping hot with the right amount of seasoning
the batter was crispy and crunch
and the seafood just yummy

its such a large portion, you could easily share it between 2-3 people
depending on how much you eat
however i didnt finish my meal but my naughty dogs polished it all off for me
while i went outside to collect the laundry
lil bastards

now im craving vanilla cupcakes :P
ill just have to make some and satisfy my craving

xxoo
clio

my lunch

this was my lunch today

i had some coriander and mint hanging around my fridge and i wanted to use them up before they went all crappy. so after hunting around the internet for mint and coriander recipes i came across this, a yoghurt, mint, coriander and cucumber yoghurt or otherwise known as a raita. Super easy to make and delicious with turkish bread, naan and other indian breads. Anyways my lunch ended up being a hodge podge of dips and stuff with turkish bread from the kebab shop in winthrop village. The turkish bread there is AMAZING!! its soooo fresh and made daily, my bread was still warm in my hand when i bought it at 12pm for lunch.

Anyways, onto my super simple recipe...

Raita yoghurt dip
1 lebanese cucumber
1 small bunch of coriander
1 small bunch of mint
200 ml of plain greek style yoghurt
salt, pepper and sugar to taste

1. grate the cucumber, and squeeze out as much water as you can from the shredded cucumber
2. finely chop the coriander
3 finely chop the mint
4. add cucumber, mint, coriander and yoghurt into a bowl, mix with a spoon, add salt, pepper and sugar to taste.

you can adjust the quantities of herbs to suit your taste buds as well, i like mine heavy with herbs, i love the flavours of mint and coriander - so im rather generous with them, if you arent so keen, start off bit by bit until its just right.

the other condiments i had in the small bowls were olive oil, sweet balsamic vinegar and homemade dukkah [got it as an xmas present from a student- super yummy!] it all goes well with fresh turkish bread. [i dont bother buying turkish bread from coles or woolies - its the same price as the kebab shop but no where near as fresh!]

enjoy!
xoxo

heartburn

i dont normally suffer from heartburn, but now that im mid going into my third trimester - all i can say is that heartburn is a bitch! it really makes it uncomfortable for me to lie down and im scared of throwing up. my stomach is all squished up (thanks bub) inside and all of my insides are pushed aside to make room for bub. its hard to find a comfy sleeping position that will stop the heartburn and take pressure off the tummy... sigh... as much as im enjoying the pregnancy, theres parts im not enjoying at all