Louise & Zoe - I am thinking of YOU right now...

I know it is a little late for Christmas wishes - but if I could wish something for you girls it would be a shoe closet just like this one!

Pic from here

Note to self: DO NOT MAKE THIS RECIPE!

One of the most perplexing things about being pregnant is that my taste buds have totally changed. I don't mean that things taste different, but I desire different things than I used to.

A couple of examples...

Whilst I have always liked fruit, since I have been pregnant I can't get enough... and when I eat it, it tastes so beautiful I wonder if I have ever tasted something so yummy in my life. Last night pineapple and cherries were my victims - and they quite possibly were t.h.e BEST tasting cherries and pineapple of my life (I'm not joking). Incidentally, my husband thinks I am mad - I am constantly chucking fruit in his mouth and making him verify how beautiful it tastes...

Milk - I have n.e.v.e.r been a milk drinker. When I was a kid my nanna used to have a milk glass for each of her grandchildren. I never had one cause I never drank milk (and yes, it has scared me)! It's not that I don't like milk, give it to me in coffee aNy day and I am a happy chappy, but I have never been one to drink a straight glass of it. Since I have been pregnant, I am constantly dreaming of tall icy glasses of milk (with a few drops of vanilla essence) - YUM!

These two changes I can cope with, in fact, I would be quite happy if they stuck around after the little critter was born (no disrespect intended, that's the name we/I have given to our little munchkin) - BUT - the next one can disappear as fast as it came...

I have always been a savoury girl - ALWAYS! I worked in a gourmet deli through High School and I am well and truly on the savoury side of the fence - except for now... from the minute I fell pregnant I have had a crazy sweet tooth. It is so weird for me cause I have never been one for chocolate.cake.sweets.desserts.lollies. Ok, well perhaps I have always had a soft spot for ice-cream... but now I can't get enough of the sweet stuff. I now understand when people say that they can't open a pack of biscuits without wanting to finish the entire thing in one go.

This for me is weird, super weird. Going from the girl who would always chose a bag of crisps over a piece of chocolate, I cannot understand how, being pregnant, can change your self of taste. I am constantly amazed by it, and am constantly hoping that I will revert to my normal savoury self! I am not looking forward to the gestational diabetes test - if ever there was a candidate, it was me!

Anyhow, I digress... the reason I started this rambling was to explain that my former, un-pregnant self, would never have though twice about this homemade nutella recipe - I would have admired the gift idea and moved on... but now, oh no, I am a changed woman. This nutella recipe has to be made (and consumed) asap. Doesn't it sound divine. I have no idea what cocoa nibs are, nor whether I can get them in Hong Kong, but I am determined to find out!

The worst thing of all, if I make it, I will have to eat it... ALL!

Photo and recipe via Bon Vivant

A woman should have...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a youth she's content to leave behind...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a part juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
one friend who always makes her laugh...
and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honoured...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without;
ruining the friendship

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder.. and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect...but it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone...even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table...
or a charming Inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day... a month...and a year...

I love reflecting on this. Every time I read it it gives me a sense of empowerment, and a yearning for self improvement. Whilst there are many things I can tick of the list, there are many more I still need to work on.

I have two younger sisters - 16 and 20. If I was given a piece of paper and told to impart my wisdom for how to live their lives, this would be it! Not because I have conquered it, far from it in fact, but because I believe that as women, you need to be empowered. Empowered and in control of your life.

It doesn't mean that there won't be times when you need to lean on someone for support, emotionally or financially. What it means for me is that you are not dependant on someone for emotional and financial support. That if that person was to disappear, however devastated you may be, you could pick up the pieces and carry on, with the knowledge and ability to know that you can take care of yourself.

Whilst I am c.o.n.v.i.n.c.e.d that we are having a boy... if I am blessed with a little girl, these will be the lessons that I will try to impart on her as she grows up. Easier said than done, I know...

Photo - I am really sorry but I don't have any idea where I got this pic from. If you know, please tell me so that I can properly credit the author

Most of all...Be Happy

I spent some time over our mini Christmas break sorting out the study (I know, not very festive...). Since the minute I fell pregnant I have had the most overwhelming need to clean/cull/sort out our apartment. My husband jokes that if he sat still long enough he would be thrown out too;-)

As we will be converting one of our spare rooms into a nursery, we needed to decide whether the other room was going to remain a study or become the guest bedroom. It was a tough decision... whilst we do get quite a few visitors, that is the o.n.l.y. time that the room gets used. There must be weeks when I don't even go in there. The study on the other hand (it's actually my craft room, but I call it the study so that my husband appreciates it's purpose and doesn't complain...), we use EVERY day. It houses my craft table and all of my craft supplies, our reference and cookbooks, a stack of containers full of storage items, and my husbands wardrobe. Yes, we need a bed for guests to sleep in, and yes, we are likely to be getting a billion more next year when the little one arrives, but, we also need storage space, and I NEED my craft space:)

The decision was made to make it both a study and a bedroom. Soooo, boxing day we re-arranged all of the furniture to accommodate a bed, whilst keeping all of the other stuff in there too. This meant lots of cleaning/culling and sorting (which I was extremely happy about). Whilst going through a pile of papers, I stumbled across a few verses which I had kept (some since I was a little girl). I wanted to share them with you (and truth be told, I also wanted them recorded on the blog so that I could throw the pieces of paper out - see what I mean about the culling, it has taken over my life - and now my blog!).

I thought this one was a timely, following the most indulgent and consumeristic (is that a word?) time of the year.

Most of All...Be Happy!

Always see the goodness in this world, do your part in helping those less fortunate,
walk hand in hand with those of less talent,
follow those of more knowledge, and be equal with those who are different.
Find your special purpose in this world so full of choices and help lead those who stray.
Become your own individual - set yourself apart from those who are the same.
Have the self-confidence to say no when it is necessary and the strength to stand alone.
Give yourself the approval to love and respect everything that you are and will become.
Reap the fruits of your talents, walk with pride down the road of life, be humble in your successes, and share in the praises and joy of others.

Most of all, be happy. For when you are happy, you have the key that will open all the world's doors to you.

Jackie Olson

Photo via Mary Ruffle

A little news to share

WE ARE!

I think I may have been T.H.E. most slackest blogger in the history of blogging recently. I have been following all my fav blogs on a daily basis, but just haven't got around to updating my own. It's a sad state of affairs really and I feel ever so guilty for soaking up loads of inspiration from all my favourite blogs, but not contributing anything myself.

Well hopefully that's all about to change... I set up this here bloggio to keep our family & friends back in Australia in the loop with the goings on in the Holden household in Hong Kong. Truth be known, the Holden household has been busy, busy making babies that is:) Not really something that I could share with you all at the time... but now, it's a different story.

On 5 June 2011 we are expecting our first little bubba. Very exciting news. Given that our family & friends are so far away, I am going to try and make sure that I update the blog regularly so that they (and you) can be involved in watching this little human develop.

We are in Week 14 now, and things are sailing along nicely. Would be a whole lot nicer I have to admit if I hadn't spent the past 14 weeks feeling so sick. Haven't felt sick since Friday so hopefully (fingers & toes crossed) I have turned the magical 14 week mark and that will be a thing of the past. I can tell you, there were times in the past 14 weeks when I didn't think I could handle it anymore. I have always been prone to car/motion sickness, and living with that feeling constantly for 14 weeks ain't pretty.

Aside from the morning sickness (how the hell it ever got the name "morning" sickness, I'll never know), things are all going well. I think we spent the first 12 weeks freaking out about what it meant to be having a baby, what change it was going to bring to our lives, and whether we were ready to cope with it. We have spent the past 2 weeks contemplating the millions of purchases that we will need to make - it usually goes like this - walk into a shop, look around, get heart palpitations, walk to book section, buy a "how to" book and then run out of the shop.

Now, in Week 14, I am happy to report that the heart palpitation moments are slowly decreasing, and it is starting to become a reality.

Don't get me wrong, we desperately wanted this child, even planned for it in fact... But I am not sure that any amount of planning can calm your nerves when you eventually pee on that stick and find out that you are pregnant. The thoughts that race through your head, the anxious feeling you feel when you start contemplating the e.n.o.r.m.o.u.s. responsibility you are about to take on (have taken on...), it's all a bit overwhelming.

The fact that I am able to blog about it now, means that things are starting to sink in, we are slowly getting used to the idea, and even in fact, starting to get a little excited:) Ok, a LOT excited!

soul symphony

something to aspire to...

How good are Saturday mornings!!

My friends, what are you up to on this lovely Saturday morning?

I woke bright and early to bake a dozen Lemon & Raspberry muffins (a-la-Nigella). Ah, the simple pleasures - how {good} is the smell of freshly baked treats in the morning. The raspberries were so juicy and sweet, I couldn't wait to pop one in my mouth...

Life never stops for the Holden's, we were back in Oz last week to celebrate the nuptials of Kristy & Matt and Gen & Tim. Both weddings were amazing celebrations of LOVE...but mmoorree on that later...

No sooner did we arrive home, the house was filled with visitors. We have 2 of Will's brothers and one of their friends staying with us for 10 days. The boys are off to Macau for the day on a "boyz day" = go-carting, sight-seeing (not sure how much of that they will get done), big feed of Portuguese at the fabulous Fernando's and then on to the casino's. Watch out Macau - the Holden boys are on the loose...

I on the other hand am off to visit a lovely friend and her fam to enjoy mani/pedi's before packing the passport and heading over to the dark side (TST) to help a friend at the Food & Wine Festival. Last years event was H.U.G.E. and no doubt this year will be even bigger. If you are at a loose end (and happen to be in Hong Kong), come visit us at Booth D118 (Margaret River Wines).

Thankfully, we have been blessed with perfect weather today. The humidity is all but gone and the temperatures have dropped - the sky is even blue!

As the boys won't be back till late, I am SOOO looking forward to a quiet night in. I am planning on testing some recipes out of Jamie Oliver's {newish} recipe book Jamie does... I have my eye on the Spring & Summer Minestrone (my motherly instinct has kicked in and I feel compelled to feed the boys vege's), and the Beef Tagine. Full report to follow...