Christmas went by in a blur of food and wrapping paper. For every present Cara, Toff, and I opened, we would alternate opening a Trip present (to Trip: Thanks buddy! And don't give me that pout, you can't even hold onto wrapping paper yet). I must say, I was super excited to see what Santa brought him. Duh. We went to the beach on Christmas Eve, and although we opened presents and ate tons of food and drank Christmas drink, it really wasn't Christmas. No chill in the air. No crazy Wal-Mart stampedes. No Christmas sweaters. Another American in the house, Rosie, has decided to celebrate Christmas in Oz in June. Brilliant idea, and the weather agrees.
Then New Years Eve came, and even though Cara is a sleep deprived new Mama, she loves me so, and took a nap, then sprung back up in time for me to get off work. We strolled down to the beach, leaving Trip and Toff to sleep look after each other, and drank a bottle of wine, watching fire works. We didn't cure world hunger or find everlasting peace, but we did get serenaded by a swimming naked drunk Australian. Hands down one of my favorite nights of this visit. Duh.
I absolutely cannot/will not believe I only have 5 weeks left in the land of Oz. How did this happen? Where did it go? Packing planning saving spending waiting, then BOOM, I'm on an air plane to Australia to pack plan spend collect and wait, and then BOOM Trip is born, and it is time to plan save play kiss giggle... pack. I still have loads to do before I board the plane home, like head to Big Day Out on Friday, see kangaroos, and drink more wine. Duh.(P.S. If you thought I'd be bringing wine home with me, I regret to inform you that I have consumed all of it. Many apologies.)
BOOM.
Cara and Toff have decided I am no longer allowed to say I can't cook, because it turns out I can. Last week I made portobello burgers with grilled red peppers, arugula, and garlic mayo. Tonight I am tackling a roasted veggie lasagna, complete with pumpkin and eggplant. AwhatWHAT. Awesome.
A song to be serenaded to. Naked. Of course. It's Australia.
I can't believe that Christmas has literally flown by.. and now it's New Years Eve down under. And in true down under style (and casa de baby style) we will hopefully be sleeping ringing in the new year on the beach. Until then, can't help but dance.
Except around here, it isn't fall. That's right people, it's springtime in Oz (and I have Charlotte spinning her web behind the toilet to prove it ... or she has decided to entertain herself by tormenting my every pee). But enough about baby spiders, there are a lot of wonderful things about spring. It's finally warm enough to go to the beach (yay!) and get sun burnt between your shoulder blades (where is Ma's awesome lotion paint roller when I need it?). I know the Australian sun is hot/awful/blistering but it isn't really summer until I get sun burnt. And with Thanksgiving last week and Christmas music starting to be played, I am trying to subconsciously tell myself that it can be Santa time while sweating like a maniac. My subconscious isn't buying it. This time of year, you should be out smelling leaves. Piles and piles (and piles and piles at casa de Newcomb in the CVL). And apple picking. And sweaters and scarves. And be able to tell it's going to snow by the smell. And see obnoxious Christmas lights plastered throughout every American suburb. Without the increased electricity bill subtle hints that the time has come to eat too much turkey and chop down a tree, how am I supposed to sing Christmas carols?
So I did what every good American should do - I baked and sugared the crap outta some pumpkin. And then I blasted Mariah Carey as loud as it could go.
See my apron!
It's not a holiday until a Newcomb does a Jaeger bomb
Pecan blue cheese sweet potatoes
Apple cider pear brussel sprouts
I won't lie, even the pictures of everything I've cooked look good. The secret is out, I can feed people. And thanks to inspiration a la Mimi Fitzpatrick, I got myself a fun apron. And in case you haven't heard, I am in love. With a mister baby named Trip. Here's an old video from Trip's first visit to Adelaide and his first ever Belgian Beer Cafe experience (BBC is my haven, good beer on tap! Shocking for Australia) and his pesky hat.
Sorry that it's sideways... (computer illiterate, and even though I can only watch it vertically, the interweb insists you watch it horizontally) but it's definitely still funny.
XOXO Kiki
Apple cider pear brussel sprouts:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in fry pan, place brussel sprouts cut side down and brown for about 10 minutes, flipping only once. Add a diced apple and diced pear, sprinkle with cinnamon (I bet ginger would be good, I added candied balsamic vinegar and it was a poor choice). Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, add 1 cup apple cider (I used The Hills hard cider, if you like to drink it, why not use it?) and simmer until all the liquid is gone. Yum!
As many of you already know, C+T don't have cable television. They do have a TV and DVD player thanks to Nan (who I am surprised hasn't stopped by with an iron yet). So we can enjoy family movie nights and all pile onto one couch, trudge the 12 inch screen in from under the ping pong table, and cushion the floor with an extra mattress. There is no sitcom watching marathons or randomly checking into whats happening on the New Jersey coast. I will admit, I was a little scared of not having a television, no access to the news or learning how to renovate the bathroom I don't have thanks to HGTV or TrueBlood. No swapping Jeopardy answers with Papa Newcomb. Occasionally, I still have one of those days or moments where I would love nothing better than to just curl up on the couch and watch something mind numbing, but for the most part I don't really miss it. It does mean that sometimes, when we are bored and don't want to read a book or work in the garden or paint at the shop, we have to get a little more creative to entertain each other and ourselves.
Just the other night I decided to sing Trip an actual baby song. And so it began hush little baby don't say a word Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird and if that mocking bird don't sing Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring and if that diamond ring don't shine Mama's gonna buy you ... buy you ...Only two lines into the song and I couldn't quite remember the rest of the words, so what did I do? Call it a night and pack up my singing voice? Re-sing the same two lines over and over and over again? Wrong and wrong. I ploughed ahead, and although I will never actually be able to sing the exact words again, there were some amazing purchases made for baby that night, including a large piece of pie, a thing of hay, and my personal favorite pants like Sinbad's. The song only ended when Toff suggested an Aunt Kikiand if that Aunt Kiki isn't great, oh wait! Aunt Kiki is always great, the end.
And so, what began as a random stumbleupon when I was back in the States turned into an actual project. It's no secret that Trip's main animal theme right now are owls (thanks to a gorgeous owl quilt made by Great Meme) and what's an Aunt to do? Why make a sock owl mobile! Pleased to introduce the newest members of the family:
Natasha and Boris
Simba and Rafiki
Cher and Sonny
And although they are still being placed sporadically around the house, they will become a mobile at some point... whenever I am done playing with them. I also may be slightly obsessed with making them now, so if you would like a sock owl ornament for your Christmas tree, just tell me where to send it. And lets be honest, even if you don't tell me you want one, you may just get one anyway.
Last night I just may have topped myself with Morroccan Lamb Meatloaf: garlic, ginger, carrots, mint, zuchinni, cinnamon, onion, bread crumb, spice deliciousness.
