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Life on two acres of arid dirt, on the edge of the Australian outback.

Friday, December 19, 2008

This week's progress

This Huntsman spider scared the life out of me last night. The laptop was sitting on the table and when I went to pick it up to put it away there was the 'spider'. When my heart rate settled down, I gingerly picked up the case and very carefully took it outside to the garden and brushed him off. I really didn't want the spider to run otherwise, I would have dropped the laptop.


Onwards with the cleanout. The nice clean and tidy linen cupboards.



The pile of rubbish that came out of the cupboard. Shame on me.


This is what I pulled out of our son's messy cupboards. Most of this has gone out.




And now the new room.





This year we decided to buy ourselves an early Christmas present. On the left, a new fridge that is badly needed this time of year as Christmas is always at our house. I have put the upright freezer that was in this space out in the rumpus/family room.


These recipes are taken from Debt free, Cashed Up and Laughing. I have only tried the Cappuccino one so far.

CAPPUCCINO MIX

1/2 cup good-quality instant coffee

1/2-3/4 cup castor sugar9depends on the strength of coffee)

1 cup instant non-fat powdered milk

1teaspoon ground cinnamon


Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz well. Wait for dust to settle and transfer to an airtight container. Use two tablespoons per cup hot water (I use 1 heaped tblspn and I add milk so it is not too hot).




CAFE AU LAIT MIX


1/2 cup good-quality instant coffee

1/2 cup castor sugar

2 cups instant non-fat powdered milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz well.

Wait for dust to settle and store in an airtight container.

Use 1/4 cup for each 2/3 cup of hot water.



SWISS MOCHA


1/2 cup good-quality instant coffee

1/2 cup castor sugar

1 cup instant non-fat powdered milk

2 tablespoons cocoa powder



Combine ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz well.

Wait for the dust to settle and store in an airtight container. Use 1 tablespoon for each 3/4 cup of hot water.



As I may not get time to blog leading up until Christmas, I want to wish my friends that kindly visit my blog a Very Merry CHRISTmas. I have made lots of friends over the past year and I want you to know that I appreciate your friendships. I look forward to reading over your blogs whenever I get a chance. (I think I am addicted actually! Could this be true?)
I will be back soon,
Please stay healthy and safe over this holiday break.
Tania xx

10 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas Tania and family!

    OMG!!!!! - that is the biggest, fattest hunty I have seen in a long time! I am totally arachnaphobic and probably would have had a cardiac arrest if I had that in my house!!! The rain brings them out, if find.

    You've been a busy lady - all that cleaning and chucking out. I'd love the chance to do that. We have been in our new house for 4 years and I have not had 2 days home from work to potter - weekends don't count!

    Have a great Christmas and enjoy the time with family. We're off to the cricket in Melbourne after we have lunch with my family on C/Day.

    Cheers for now, Joolz

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  2. Wow, you can come organize my house anytime! :) In fact I am on the computer...and putting off housework right now, shame on me!

    OMG, Spiders freak me out. I was just complaining about the field mice that like to try and come in the house when the weather gets real cold like it has been..but I didn't know in Australia you have spiders that are bigger than mice! I won't complain anymore!

    Nice blog, glad I stumbled across it today!

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  3. I am impressed with the clean out. Inspirational.

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  4. Ah, that's just a little baby spider! *snort*
    I don't know why, but I love Huntsman's and try and encourage them to hang around. (OUTSIDE... only outside!) Other spiders can go live elsewhere as far as I'm concerned, or they get squished.

    Can you come do my house next? I have lots of popped balloons laying around the house and I can't be bothered to do anything about them.
    (How long does it take for balloons to break down and decompose??)

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  5. So very nice to hear from you again. I just wanted to let you know it is snowing right now. This is not usuall weather for us. If we get 1 or 2 snow days a winter we feel blessed (because we love the snow) But it has been playing around with the snow off and on for a week now. We might get a foot of snow before tomarrow, then they say freezing rain. That is the bad one because we loose power, trees crash and loose limbs, not mention all the car crashs. Thanks for stopping by. P.S my daughter not only would have dropped the computer she would have thrown it. She is VERY afraid of spiders. TTFN

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  6. Tania, that looks like a big spider. Do they bite?

    You have certainly been busy. Could you pop over and sort out my house next? Just make sure you bring warm winter clothes and boots as its snowing AGAIN!!! I will post photos of all the snow tomorrow (Monday).

    I wanted to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy the holidays,

    Gill

    P.S. My goal is to have a post everyday, which should work, as I have already got a couple of posts completed ready to go.

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  7. Congratulations on all that cleaning - must feel fantastic!

    Happy CHRISTmas to you, too!

    Love Cath

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  8. Hi Tania, I found you on Wanda's blog Roses In Winter, after she visited my blog...and so it goes!
    I couldn't resist popping in and checking out your blog; I haven't seen many that are based in our own Outback. Love seeing the photos and reading about life out there.
    I'm in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, by the way!

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  9. Hi Tania, it was so nice to read your comment with the Happy Anniversary included. It was happy, I just wish we didn't have to rush off because of the snow. Speaking of snow it is starting to melt we meassure 17" of it on our back deck. That is the most we have had in 40 years. But we just arn't used to it here and it really causes problems. See you soon.TTFN

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  10. Wishing you a blessed New Year!

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Your comments really make my day. Thank you for taking the time and for being so kind.