Impending mailbox project

This is my mail box. It came with the house. Those who know me know me will know that I love getting and receiving mail. The highlight of my day is when the postie drives past my house. Since taking up postcrossing and getting a high volume of random postcards coming to my house, I have noticed the mailman stops an extra while at my box. I suspect he is reading my postcards!

My mailbox is the same colour of my old car. It is a pale yellowy cream. It's numbers 3 and 2 are different sizes. It has a love heart on it, and I think that is cool! We once had a party with balloons on a very hot day. The balloons burst and melted into the pole. There is some curling ribbon left there too.

I see people do creative things on Pinterest and then think why didn't I think of that. I want to be creative too. Somebody has probably already stolen my idea, but nonetheless, this is my design for my humble letterbox:

Okay, my design doesn't do it justice. 

First of all I want to paint it red. Because we are chinese and red means good luck! I will need to find out what paint works best for letterboxes. I'm sure my Auntie Leanne would know. Or the people at Bunnings.

I want to get rid of the yucky uneven numbers and put lovely stylish silver ones. Silver is the colour (okay, white gold) of our wedding rings and I think just that little more classy.

I think it would be cool to put one of those little flag things on that you see in American movies, but that is completely an optional extra.

Then the pot. Plastic vs. Terracotta? As much as I definitely prefer terracotta, I think I will go plastic. It being placed next to the driveway would be less devastating if I somehow came into contact with it with my car. I will paint it red and purple. I will print out and make my own stencil of the words thirtytwo in a really classy font and spray paint it on. Again I will need to investigate which paint is going to be best for all of this.

I actually thought of putting the words tigapuluhdua (thirty two) as we are Indonesian after all.

Then I will put some pretty flowers in. I'm thinking geraniums or potted colour. Something not too expensive because I simply don't trust some of the kids in the neighbourhood. Perhaps even succulents, but I think flowers, tough flowers, will be prettier.

Now I just need to work out how I will go about it. Whether I bash the bottom out of the pot all together and put it over the existing letterbox. If I take the letterbox out of the ground and cement it into the bottom of the pot. Maybe even reposition where my letterbox is all together. And then there's the question of whether the soil will be drained enough for the flowers.

If this plan does ever come to fruition, perhaps the postie won't be reading my mail anymore, but instead stopping and smelling the flowers?

Keep Indonesian Alive!

I didn't just learn Indonesian,
I danced too.

I want to tell you a story. It's usually the story I tell when people ask me, "kok bisa Bahasa Indonesia?"

I grew up in a small town in South Australia. I went to primary school in this town, and then had to make a move over to Victoria to complete high school. I commuted with a time difference, that was fun. Not to mention the time when the Olympics were on, and Victoria started daylight savings a month before South Australia.

In Victoria, I began to study Indonesian. Being a naive country girl, I thought Indonesian was the language of India.

In year 7 I hated Indonesian. In Year 7 I hated the world though. Then in year 8 I grew to like learning another language, and decided to keep it as an elective in year 9, as it was only compulsory until year 8. In year 9 I liked being one of 4 Indonesian students, and although I had only committed to doing Indonesian for one semester, I opted to do it for the full year because of a time table clash.

There were plans for our school to go to Indonesia in 2011, but then September 11 happened and any trips overseas by the Department of Education were cancelled.

I was about to quit in year 10, and then the trip was reconsidered. There were now plans for a trip to Yogyakarta and Bali. I wasn't all too sure that I wanted to go, but then my Mum insisted as I was 1) studying Indonesian and 2) She never had these opportunities when she was at school (my Mum went to my school too!). I then had to go through the process of getting a passport, immunisations and all of that fun and I found myself on a bus to Melbourne with a few different schools. We took a plane from Melbourne to Denpasar, and then Denpasar to Yogyakarta. It was a long day.

Sammy in Yogyakarta

As soon as I got to Yogyakarta I fell in love. Perhaps so much not with the heat, but it was beautiful! I think that what I love most about Indonesia is the people. Furthermore, when you can converse in their native language it makes the friendship even more special.

I was thinking to give up Indonesian in Year 10, but after going to Yogyakarta, and falling in love, I studied it right until Year 12. I was then determined to complete it on a tertiary level.


I had heard great things about the Indonesian program at La Trobe University in Bendigo, and that the program was conducted by a native Indonesian speaker from Yogyakarta.

Sammy in Bali

I was very blessed to get into University in Bendigo. What I studied wasn't important to me, as long as I did Indonesian. Initially I was doing a Bachelor of Arts but at the last minute switched to Education. It seemed Education had more of a direction career wise.

In my third year of uni, I got the chance to go to Kendari, South East Sulawesi with La Trobe. Every time an Indonesian person asks where I have been in Indonesia, and I say Kendari, they have no idea where it is! La Trobe had a lot of students from Kendari studying kemajuan masyarakat (community development). This not only strengthened communities in Indonesia, but made the relationship with Australia and Indonesia stronger.

Sammy in Kendari

And now they want to cut this fabulous program and introduce online learning. How can one learn a language or culture through online means? We will have teachers in schools not being able to pronounce words properly.

Sammy in Bandung

I feel we should have more value for language, especially that of our closest neighbour. In Singapore, it is compulsory to be bilingual. Being bilingual is a great super-power. Not only can you talk behind peoples backs (he he), you can learn more about your mother tongue.

"why do we learn Indonesian at school when the kids can't speak English properly!?"

Believe it or not, but I never 'got' English grammar until I studied Indonesian. The comparison and contrast of the two languages taught me how language works. And the study of Indonesian, be it at school or university is not just a study of language, but also of culture. Indonesia, being so rich and diverse in culture, promotes a wider world view for our children, something that is ever so important in this increasingly multicultural Australia.

Sammy in Jakarta

This is something very close to my heart, so please, wherever you are in the world, it will only take a minute...

CLICK HERE AND SIGN THE PETITION TO SAVE INDONESIAN AT LA TROBE UNIVERSITY

And also because my lecturer, Nita, is the loveliest lady in the world and deserves to stay there!

Thank you!!

Hearty Sore Throat Chicken Chowder

So I mentioned in my previous blog post that I began to feel sick. Sore throat. I got some Difflam from the pharmacy - apparently it's better than Strepsils. I took one. It was raspberry flavoured. Initially it tasted quite nice but then it seemed to numb my tongue, and I felt this strange sensation that I wanted to vomit.

Luckily the sensation went away. But then while we were driving home in the car, I thought, hmmm... I'm breastfeeding, should I be taking these? Am I being paranoid? I became suspicious because I wasn't allowed to have Strepsils when I was pregnant. I called the Maternal Child Health Nurse Line, and she told me to see the pharmacist. After seeing the pharmasist I found out that I couldn't take Strepsils or Difflam, and that only panadol could be taken.

Earlier, Hendrik had shared with me an article that mentions the superfoods for sore throats: bananas, honey & lemon, chicken soup, egg, ginger or honey tea, oatmeal, sage, boiled carrot and brown pasta.

And thus, with the help of this recipe, I made this one up:

HEARTY SORE THROAT CHICKEN CHOWDER

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, diced
4 crushed garlic cloves
2 large carrots
1 turnip or swede, diced
1 small can of corn kernels
1 cup brown pasta
500g shredded chicken thigh meat
4 cups of chicken stock
2 cups cold water
eggs (1 per bowl)

How to make it:


Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Put the leek and garlic in and stir until soft. Add carrots and turnip and stir until also soft.

Add chicken stock, cold water, chicken, corn and brown pasta and bring to the boil. Turn back down to low heat and let it simmer for about an hour, partially covered, stirring occasionally.

Before serving, put an egg in the bowl you will be pouring the soup into. Whisk with a fork. Put the soup in the bowl and quickly stir. This will cook the egg and spread it throughout the soup.

If you're Indonesian like us, garnish with fried shallots and sambal (chilli) - unless you have a sore throat!





I instantly felt better after making this.. And today am feeling so much better!

Earl Grey Butter Cookies

This weekend we decided to just spend around home. It was the perfect weekend for some experimental baking. Hendrik made the casserole. I made the cookies. I went for a walk to Coles to get some extra ingredients that morning, and also we went out for breakfast. It was sunny in the morning, but sunny in Melbourne doesn't necessarily mean it's warm. I didn't rug up enough and could feel the cold wind go right through me. By the time we got to the shopping centre my ears were stinging. On the way home I used a muslin wrap as a headscarf to try and keep my ears warm and out of the wind. Sunday I woke up with a sore throat, and I suspect I inflicted it on myself by not rugging up.

I made the following cookies inspired by this recipe for Earl Grey and Poppyseed Muffins - I make these all the time! I also used this basic butter cookie recipe to help me out.

EARL GREY BUTTER COOKIES

• 125g Butter - softened
• 1/2 Cup Caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 2 earl grey teabags

Preheat oven to 180'C (350'F). Line two baking trays with baking paper (yes two... I only did one and the biscuits ran into each other).

Put the milk into a bowl and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds, until it's just warm. Be careful not to curdle it! Place the Earl Grey teabags in the milk and set aside to infuse.

Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add egg to the mixture and combine. Sift flour and baking powder, add milk mixture and combine.

Using a heaped teaspoon at a time, roll dough into balls and lay on baking paper. Allow PLENTY of space for them to spread! Flatten cookies with a fork.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool on tray for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. Dust with icing sugar. Serve with a cup of tea!

five minute friday: dance

DANCE

GO

After reading a green blog about saving the planet through parenting, I thought that I could try it. I have a box of 50 or so flat nappies and I could totally give it a go. I searched on youtube on how to fold a flat nappy, my heart danced. I am the origami drop out. If I can fold a flat nappy, it's a good start.

I took Luke to the change table and prepared the flat nappy once again. I danced. I sang, "you make me feel like dancin'"...

Luke was dancing too. He loves 'Nappy Off' time. His legs were swaying in the air and he was singing along too.

But then the setback. My dance didn't stop. It changed. It was no longer a happy-dance. It was an angry-dance. In Indonesian, the word sebel would be how I describe it. In fact, this dance I was doing was making me break out in a sweat. An angry, frustrated and anxious sweat.

I blame it on K-Mart and their $2 safety pins. Inside the pin I danced the needle around. It wouldn't budge. I used all of my muscle on my still sore wrists to manipulate the needle to get it out.

Then I danced again. The painful dance. The 'it-bit-my-finger' dance.

As I finally got the nappy on, I felt a sigh of relief. Only to know later the 'hot-water-stinging-my-fingers-while-I-wash-fresh-poo-out-of-this-piece-of-cloth' dance.

STOP

Wholemeal, kangaroo, chia-enriched, slow cooker lasagna

Tuesday night is lasagna night at our house. But not just any lasagna. We like to try and make our food healthy, and this lasagna sure has some healthy properties (perhaps not-so-much the cheese). It uses Kangaroo mince, which is healthier than beef as it is leaner and is packed full of iron. I use wholemeal lasagna sheets, as they are less refined and lower-GI than your typical white pasta. Then there's the chia seeds - full of protein and omega 3. I also chuck in some veggies, because if vegetables are in it, it's bound to be healthy, right? The best part is, it's in a slow cooker! It's a bit more moist than the typical lasagna, but it is equally as yummier and much easier to clean off the crock pot!

This recipe serves 4, and is based on this lasagne recipe.

You will need:

• 500g Kangaroo Mince
• 3 teaspoons of chia seeds
• 1 cup of frozen vegetables (or you can use some fresh ones!)
• 1 jar of pasta sauce (whichever flavour. I usually go for a garlic and herb one).
• 1 packet of wholemeal lasagna sheets
• 500g cream cheese
• 1 x 250g packet of Perfect Italiano Mozzarella, cheddar and Parmesan cheese. (or if you have these ingrediants separate, just use a combination. Personally I would leave out the cheddar, and there is another packet available without it but I couldn't find it in my local Coles today. Bum.)
• 1 tablespoon of italian herbs. (it comes in a shaker in the spices aisle of your local supermarket).

The cheese combination!

Heat some oil in a pan and brown your kangaroo mince. You don't have to go overboard with making it brown - remember it's going to cook for many hours in the slow cooker. Add frozen veggies, chia seeds, and pasta sauce. Stir. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine all of the cheeses and some italian herbs.

Get your crock pot and spoon about a 2cm layer of the kangaroo mince mixture on the bottom. 

Brake up the lasagna sheets to cover the kangaroo completely. It doesn't matter if some overlap.

Put about 2 cm of cheese mixture on top of the lasagna sheets. 

Depending on the size of your crockpot, this should make 2-3 layers of meat-sheets-cheese.

Cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW.

***

Sometimes I like to add spinach in the meat or on top as a bit of decoration. You can obviously add what you like. Salt & pepper to taste, perhaps even chilli. 

If you have a variation, what is it? Leave your comment below!

Five minute friday: risk

Five Minute Friday:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. 

GO

RISK

It's friday. I love the way Fridays are. Something about them feels so relaxed. I dropped my husband off at the train this morning and got a coffee. It was a risk. I got it from the drive thru Krispy Kreme here. It is cheaper than what I usually pay for coffee and not too bad. Perhaps I can go there again, as I can get skinny milk in my coffee and not get out of my car.

Further risk I took today was some experimental cooking. Living in the Masterchef era I feel like I am adventurous with my cooking. Funny, because I didn't grow up out of a strong cooking background (my Mum is a good cook though). I adapted my muffins from this recipe. I made half the batch 'wholemeal banana sultana chia enriched muffins' and the other half 'earl grey, poppyseed and banana muffins'.

It's a risk. Hopefully a delicious one.

The bananas looked over ripe, but they were actually still really good inside. Not the consistancy I want but hey - that's the risk.

Luke is asleep on the couch. I thought he may wake from the banging and crashing - another risk.

He is still asleep.

It has been well over an hour....

STOP