Makeshift Living Room

This is our makeshift living room. Yes folks it's the dining room. Cosy aint it!

We moved all the furniture out of the living room and dining room and either sold it or gave it to friends and then put the rest in storage. The only furniture that's going back into the living room is the tv cabinet and tv. I'm glad I kept my old sofa bed now, it's not very comfortable but it does fit perfectly in this small space.

There's a few benefits of being so close to the kitchen ...

I don't have to dash into the kitchen on the ad breaks to attend to whatevers bubbling on the stove because I can see the tv from where I'm cooking now. Pete's pretty stoked he can pretty much grab a beer from the fridge without getting off the couch. If you always see the bright side of any situation you'll get through it a lot easier!

Has anyone else had to turn another room into the living room while you renovated?

What room did you choose and why?

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My Slow Cooker Recipe Disasters

It’s official - I've now had more fails than wins in my electric Slow Cooker.

It was a present for my 30th from my parents and paired with some of the best cookbooks around, they still couldn't save me from these kitchen disasters. I can laugh about it now but after waiting for something to look for hours it's pretty disheartening when it turns out inedible, lumpy, pink or smelling like vinegar (read on and you'll know what I'm talking about!).

From the Kitchen Classics cook book I've had nothing but fails. The flavours are there but not the technique and mine looked nothing like the picture (don't you hate that!)

My slow cooked Creamy Tomato and Chicken Stew turned out a not so appealing shade of pink. Pink is fine for sweets aka strawberry icecream, but not for a main meal sauce. I was therefore exempt from cooking for the rest of the week. Fail

Next were the Italian Meatballs with Tomato Sauce and every time I peeped at them another meatball would fall apart and crumble before my eyes. If I wanted lumpy spaghetti I would’ve made it that way. Damn you meat balls. Fail

The Drunken Chicken on Rice smelt like I was bubbling up a new cleaning product when I accidentally used a cup of Rice Wine Vinegar instead of Chinese Rice Wine. Nothing could fix that vinegar smell and it ended up in the bin and a mercy dash to McDonalds was necessary. Fail

I've even tried those McCormick recipe bases which they sent me for free for buying the Slow Cooker.

These are meant to be foolproof, just add your meat and veg and the packet and turn it on and bam it cooks itself.

The Morrocan Lamb Casserole cooked itself down so much I came home to a dried out blackened mess. It was only eaten with the promise of double ice cream afterwards. Fail

On the plus side I've had some wins from this trusy Women's Weekly cookbook

I made this Chinese Chicken Hot Pot which came out so tender the meat fell off the bone when I lifted it out and was absolutely delicious.

The Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding turned out chocolately and springy like it was meant to and these Vanilla and Red Wine Poached Pears turned out  pretty impressive as well served to friends for dinner.

So I don't know if it's the recipes I'm following, the products, or if I should just leave the Slow Cooker in the cupboard until next Winter when I have the courage to try again.

Has anyone else had any disasters with their Slow Cooker?

Do you have the perfect fail proof recipe you’d like to share with me (please do!)

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[Cookbooks can be found here and here]

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Birds N Cages

I'm so obsessed in love with birdcages n cute lil birds, anything I see with them on it and I have to buy it. Full price too (so not like me!). They've become a bit of a trend which is probably why they're on everything from clothes to decorating. I've recently added to my collection teatowels, drawer liners, a jumper, silver ornament, wooden birdcage and now these mirrored wall decals.

They were easy to put up, just remove the protective film from the mirror side and then from the back to remove the sticky. Use a spirit level to get them straight on the wall and hold for a few seconds and they stick like glue.

I did have to pinkie swear I wouldn't want to take them off ... ever ... as they'll probably remove the paint as well. Ain't guna happen look how sweet they are all clustered in the corner like that.

The wooden birdcage and sequined bird I bought from one of the antique shops in Guildford and drilled a ceiling hook in to hang it from. I've got to get some decorative chain for a more authentic look but the black ribbon will do for now.

I'm loving the feminine touch in this room and how its coming together bit by bit ....

Mirrored Wall Decals Kmart $14

Wooden Bird Cage Guildford $27

Sequined Bird $13

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Because your worth it

I  nearly ripped the front door off the hinges this morning running for the bus and late again
But I stopped in my tracks when I saw there was a padded envelope left on the step
My morning grumpies suddenly dispersed into a big wide smile as I realised it must be a gift
*Grins*
The front was stamped from L'Oreal
*Grins wider*
Ripped it open
*squeals*
I won this hair pack L’Oréal Professionnel Série Expert Vitamino Color valued at over $100

There are so many great comps online - I won this from Cosmopolitan (ok so I'm a bit too old to read the mag but doesn't stop me from entering the comps online!) and also L'Oreal Beauty Confidential is a good one too.

Because your worth it!

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Hole in the Wall

As promised we've made a start on the living room. As we now have the luxury of ducted air conditioning this old wall unit air conditioner was the first thing to go.

Undid the screws, jimmyed off the frame and pulled the baby out. Went to brick up the hole with the bricks we'd picked up from my parents place the day before, thinking we were prepared and nothing would go wrong. Turns out the bricks are the wrong type we needed the double sized ones. So then we had a big hole in our wall and nothing to fill it with. Awesome. The flys think it's great they're coming in quicker than I can say "What the bleep do we do now!"

Being a Sunday there wasn't any place open that sold bricks (not even Bunnings sell bricks surprisingly). So then it was calling family and friends until someone answered our prayers with the right size. Mission accomplished but we'd have to wait until the next day to get them so we boarded the hole back up with some wood from the outside and cardboard on the inside.

As soon as we had the right bricks Pete whipped up some mortar (sand, cement and lime) and laid the bricks in the hole and stuck them there. Then the front was trowelled with mortar to make it smooth n pretty and ready for painting. 

Is it just me or do little jobs sometimes turn into big jobs when you least expect it? 

Has not having the right materials ever set you back? 

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Living Room As It Is

How exciting we’re starting on our next room The Living Room. We want to paint it, move the aerial, remove the old wall unit air conditioner (as we've had ducted installed) and then the fun part buying new furniture. I’ll be so stoked if it’s done by Christmas and I’ve been assured and promised and given lots of exasperated sighs meaning of course it’ll be done by Christmas that's weeks away. Please please please I hope so! Not being able to watch TV will no doubt be motivation to get this room done in double time as I just don't know how I'll live without Packed to the Rafters or Master Chef.

So you can get an idea of how the room looked BEFORE this is us before we moved in sanding the floorboards back and sealed them with Tung Oil.

From this side of the room you can see the front door on the left (still taped with plastic from sanding), the white door on the right takes you into the kitchen area and the alcove is where the TV goes.

This is the view you get from the kitchen with the front door on the right and looking out the gorgeous big window to the street view. We've since replaced the blue venetians with timber blinds and had the huge pine trees removed from the front as they were overshadowing the house and becoming dangerous.

This is the back wall facing the TV alcove with the kitchen through the doorway. This is how we've had the living room set up for the past 12 months. That ugly black cord trailing across the wall to the other side is the TV aeriel which we plan to relocate to the TV alcove. There use to be a fireplace against the wall where the couch is but they bricked it in years ago and rebuilt the wall so I'd say that's why the TV use to be used from there.

The 2 fish tanks on the stand we've sadly passed onto friends as they were a bit too much maintenance with the house renos we're trying to tackle and we don't really have the room for them. We've kept 1 (yes we had 3) which is currently in the 'Man Room' and my plan is to move it into the dining room. But the kitchen has to be renovated first so that may take some time!

OK so that's the BEFORE and AS IT IS. After the weekend I'll be able to show you some DURINGS and hopefully before Christmas the AFTER. How excitement.

Does anyone else have renos or any projects your keen to get finished before Xmas?  

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The Race That Stops The Nation + A Champange Cocktail

The Race That Stops The Nation ....
Yes I'm talking about the Melbourne Cup!

We are probably the only country in the world which has a Public Holiday for a horse race! 

Well our lucky fellows in Melbourne do anyway. The rest of us Perth-goers still head into town in our pretty little frocks and fascinators (or the brave ones in beautiful feathery hats) dressed for our office functions. The lucky ones are off to Ascot to watch the horses race around the track, although many don't actually get to see a horse they're too busy sipping champagne and looking fabulous.

At 12pm it's like magic the phones stop ringing, people stop working, and gather around to watch The Race That Stops The Nation. 

It's 3 minutes of exciting panting as the announcer calls out the 20+ horses as they gallop around the track. I managed to pick up the office sweep (twice) for first place woo hoo.

My office had a Lounge Lizard themed luncheon and enjoyed race style cocktails aptly named Moscow Mule, Phar Lap, The Horses Neck and my favourite Classic Champagne Cocktail.

Here's the recipe from my Cocktail Bible (which I've bragged about before)

Classic Champagne Cocktail

Serves 1

1 sugar cube

Dash of Angostura bitters

30ml brandy

Chilled champagne or sparkling wine

Place the sugar cube in a chilled champagne flute.
Add the bitters, then the brandy.
Slowly top up with champagne or sparkling wine.

Fashions come and fashions go but the true classic is untouchable!

How did you spend your Melbourne Cup Day?

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[Images from here and here] 

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