A Minor Victory, on the Pug Front

Every day this week I have got an email at work from Mr Mel (works from home) along the lines of "the pug's in the bad books again, he's #*#* on the concrete".

To explain, the pug doesn't like getting his feet wet, so when it rains, which it's done all week, he won't cross the wet grass to get to the palm tree to use the amenities so to speak, he just relieves himself on the concrete in front of the garage, under carport roof.

By the time I've got home I'm faced with one annoyed Mr Mel, and a pug very happy to see me, who doesn't get why Mr Mel won't come play like usual.

I asked Mr Mel if he'd done the 'angry voice' with the pug to let him know it's not a game, and that he should be doing his business up the back where he knows he should. Mr Mel has been reassuring me he has been, but with the pug being my dog originally, and Mr Mel not being a dog person till he met the pug, I had my doubts.

So last night I got home to same situation, I stormed out the back, grabbed the pug by scruff of neck, walked him up to the evidence, pointed at it and said 'naughty naughty dog' in a really growly voice, the pug absolutely hates that voice and whenever you say naughty like that to him his ears drop, and he looks sheepish, he knows he's in trouble.

So I gave him a few naughty dogs (after he tried jumping on me wanting to play after not seeing me all day), and closed the curtains so he couldn't see us.

Later in the night, we've opened the curtains again, and there goes Mr Pug, off his bed, crossing the wet grass, up to the palm tree, and does his business.

So I have a bit smile, turn to Mr Mel saying 'woohoo', his response? 'Bleeping little bleeper wouldn't listen to me would he', then he started smiling, so I think under the male ego hit, he's enjoying our minor victory.  :-)

Butter wouldn't melt!

Till next time,

Have I Said How Much I Hate BAS?

I don't think I have, so I'll say it again I HATE BAS, HATE HATE HATE IT.

The worse thing of running a business, especially a small business, is all the paperwork, it is just depressing.

I work full-time, and Mr Mel & I have a business that we both work at/in (home based), his working it full-time, I'm doing it whenever I can. I'm also in charge of the paperwork side of it, the evil MYOB & more evil BAS.

I usually work around a 9.5 - 10 hour day at work, and when I get home don't really feel like getting stuck into spreadsheets, MYOB, tax, filing etc, so inevitably I end up a couple of days out from BAS deadline, running around like a headless chook.

So needless to say tomorrow 28 July is the deadline for the next BAS, and I'm one headless chook.

Ahhhhhhh, at least it'll be over soon, for another couple of months!!

I've promised myself, and made Mr Mel keep me to it, that over the next 2 months I'll get caught up on all the paperwork, so next BAS isn't so bleeding painful!

We shall see.
Till next time,



Update 28th July - I finished the BAS last night around 10pm, after 2 coffees, a bit of foul language, and some unappreciated laughing from Mr Mel!!   Till next time we meet evil Bas.........

Easy As Pumpkin Soup

Since meeting Mr Mel back in 2005, I have had to listen to his constant running down of the majestic pumpkin. Until he ran into my Easy As Pumpkin Soup......

My favourite is the Kent, probably because I grew up on it, our meals as kids were meat (generally chops), with potato, pumpkin & peas. Because both of my parents worked, I was the vegie prepper, and I loved it, I still love chopping/prepping food for cooking.  I would battle with the biggest knife we had (yes not the safest thing to do as a 10 year old on her own with younger sister), and would carve pieces from the whole Kent pumpkin. 

Kent Pumpkin, aka Jap Pumpkin

On Sunday morning we were up and at it doing some household chores, I was washing clothes, Mr Mel washing cars, Mr Mel called out what do you wanna do for dinner. I couldn't be bothered getting dressed more than I was, to go out, so searched through the kitchen. Sitting in the fridge was 1/2 a Kent pumpkin, and in the freezer some left over home made sweet potato chips, and some sourdough rolls from a few weeks back.  So I thought pumpkin soup, this was at around 11am, by 12pm we were sitting down having a delicious lunch, sooooo easy.

My recipe is:

• 1/2 peeled and chopped Kent pumpkin (about 3cm cubes)
• 1 sweet potato, peeled & chopped as per pumpkin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon ricebran or grapeseed oil
• 1 litre vegetable stock

- in a large saucepan, sweat onion, with garlic, mustard seeds & curry powder in grapeseed or rice bran oil, just till really starts to smell yummy, no colour

- add pumpkin, sweet potato & stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 mins

- scoop out all the pumpkin & onion with a slotted spoon into food processor

- add a couple of ladels of left over stock from saucepan (tip out the rest, or freeze to use again later)

- blitz in processor till smooth

- pour processor mix back into saucepan

- on low heat, add 1/2 tub (I think it's about 125ml) cream, grate about a 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, add salt and pepper to taste, not too much cause add it in when serving too, mix it all together

- once all mixed and warmed through serve, with a crack of black pepper over the top, and a spoon full of sour cream if you like, we've had it with and without

- next day might need to add a bit of water/milk to thin it out, but not much, I like it thick, but depends on taste

I put my faith in the pumpkin and am pleased to report that my pumpkin soup has become a favourite of Mr Mel's, I've even got him eating pumpkin risotto, enjoying caramelised roast pumpkin, and sharing a pumpkin & goats cheese salad with me when we head out for dinner.

Conversion complete :-)

I've also made a lovely pumpkin soup grating then sweating the pumpkin, but this ones alot quicker.


Till next time,

Can We Do It - Update 3

The third of my monthly updates on our 'Can We Do It' goals/challenges:

Mortgage

We bought our home in July 2009, settlement was 13 July 2009, so we're just passed our 1st year anniversary :)  We're aiming to have our mortgage paid off in 7 years from starting out, which would make it July 2016.

Start of mortgage - 13 July 2009

As at today (23 July 2010) - mortgage reduced by $110,103
% of home owned - 52.38%

We locked away our redraw so we can't redraw it, and had our minimum recalculated, so we'll be paying more off the principal each week. If we can continue on the track we're on with the mortgage, even allowing for a year or 2 of 1/2 wage for me (hopefully with kiddies), we should meet or beat our 7 year deadline.  

Other debt

Our total non mortgage debt includes a car loan (as part of mortgage package, at same interest rate), and a VISA we've since closed.

Start of car loan - 10 May 2010

As at today (23 Jule 2010) - reduced by $580.62
% of car owned - 3.52%

Start of VISA - 1 Dec 2009

As at today (23 July 2010) - reduced by $3,961
% of VISA paid - 80.50%

Total non mortgage debt (May 2010) - $15,633
As at today (23 July 2010) - reduced by $4,541.62
% of debt paid - 29.05%

Weight

My weight covers a few areas, getting healthy & fit, getting my body in the right place to conceive (and fit in a near 'normal' wedding dress!!). I am easily distracted from weightloss, so hoping this blog can keep me on the straight & narrow!! C'mon me, you can do it!!  We've been talking wedding options over the past few weeks (even though Mr Mel hasn't proposed yet!!!! don't get me started!), so have to keep on keeping on!!

Weight loss as at 1st March 2010 - 0kg 

Weight as at 23 July 2010 - 8.6kg 
% of goal weight loss achieved - 15%

Business

At end of financial year, our business is actually going better than expected, equates to about .6 of Mr Mel's previous wage, which we're happy with after our first year, when Mr Mel only started working on it full time from mid Feb this year. We have some plans and ideas, so looking forward to implementing and/or researching further in the 2010/11 FY.

Mr Mel has picked up a bit of extra work, he's very happy, and quite busy, the .6 of previous wage is creeping up :)

Till next time,

Sydney Good Food & Wine Show

Mr Mel and I gave ourselves a long weekend, and headed to Sydney on Friday for the Good Food & Wine Show at the Exhibition Building on Darling Harbour (16-18 July, 2010).

We left home at about 6.45am and got there at around 9.30am, it had a 10.00am start, luckily I had booked our tickets online, so didn't have to line up with the hundreds wanting to buy at the door.

I booked us in to see Gary & George from Masterchef at 10.30am, and they were great. So much more personality than on the TV. Unfortunately they had a late start, and I think we got a bit of a condensed show, we saw Aaron from Masterchef in the wings before the show, however he didn't come on stage.

Last year we saw them and Matt plus Poh and a few other contestants came on stage, was a shame they didn't do the same this year, but still very enjoyable. And yes I have a slight crush on Georgie Porgie :-)

After the show we headed to the other end of the hall, to try and dodge the crowd of sheep filing out of the auditorium, up here for thinking :)

The highlights for us:

• going toe to toe with Hamish from Otway Estate Brewery, I'm from Warrnambool, close to where their brewery is, they say they're based at Barangarook, but it's really Colac, and everyone knows you only go through Colac to get to Warrnambool!  It was an amusing stoush, Mr Mel was shaking his head, in between laughing.  The beers were ok, Mr Mel thought they were a bit light, but I didn't mind them.
• some gorgeous & different sausages from Market Town Family Meats
• a surprisingly tasty chicken & bacon risotto made in a rice cooker with a McCormick mix
• Baileys coffee, 3 samples later tasted even better, yummo
• Petersons Champagne House, I'm a member but always have a tasting when out, great staff, great bubbles
• Birch & Waite mayo, bleeping beautiful stuff, and the girls were helpful, not pushy
• Honey from Beechworth Honey, I love honey, after tasting everything (about 10 versions) we went home with a fig & ginger creamed honey and a blackberry honey, delish
• Bondi Chai Latte, we loved it last year at the show, loved and bought some again

Things didn't really enjoy:

• people space cadetting it while dragging trolleys, people don't you realise you take up triple the room when you drag your trolley at arms length???
• weird English guy flogging brooms, he seriously looked like they'd got him off the street in London and shoved the broom in his hand
• Super Shammy - enough with the Americans flogging these, sooooo sick of them, even if they're Super Amazing Buy 1 get 12 free Shammys
• Playboy Energy Drink - what the?  lots of 8 - 15 year old boys lining up to get their photos taken with the bunnies, by their mums no less!

Last year we met Ben O'Donohue, and got to taste Manu's (drool) spelt risotto, we didn't see any celebs in the hall area this year.

Not sure if we'll go again next year, we'll maybe give it a year off, then do it again in 2012.

Till next time,

Hello Bright Sparkly Gorgeousness Thing

After 18 years driving old cars (my cars 1991 - bought a 1980 car, 1994 - bought a 1987 car, 1999 - bought a 1992 car, 2004 bought a 1996 car), I, well we have bitten the bullet and bought a new car.

At this stage I'm calling him/her 'Bright Sparkly Gorgeousness Thing', I'm sure we'll shorten that quickly :)

We bought a 2007 car in April, and got an excellent deal on it ($5k under what current listed for on Carsales & Redbook), so when my 1996 Mazda blew a radiator ($600), then blew a water pump ($700), then blew something else enginey (we didn't get fixed), we thought that'll do, and decided to get rid of it and get a 'new' 2nd car.

Little did we know a few weeks later did we know that 'new' 2nd car would actually be a New 2nd car :-)

We sold the Mazda through Gumtree, I listed it last Wednesday, warts and all, said needs mechanical repairs, etc etc, and low and behold 9am Sunday we got a call, they came to inspect at 11am and we were waving the Mazda goodbye at about 11.30!

We went round to the local dealers, we'd done the same a few weeks ago, and had put together a list of options. We've been researching madly, speaking to friends in 'the business', and came to realise that a new car isn't as awful as we'd always thought.

We ended up with a Hyundai i30, we got a 2 litre one for the price of a 1.6 litre, and negotiated a discount off that, plus got tinted windows & metallic paint thrown in. It has a 5 year unlimited km warranty, plus an additional 3 year dealer warranty.

It's got room in the boot for a pram & shopping (for the near future hopefully!), and NRMA rated it the best car under $30,000 in 2008 & 2009, plus it has a high safety rating. So while we said we'd never ever buy a new car, we have. Our offset has taken a bit of a hit, but we're happy with our decision :-)

Here's Mr/Ms Bright Sparkly Gorgeousness

Till next time,