Pie Competition

In June last year there was this pie competition that I entered and didn't win. Well it was on again this year and boy was it on. I had set out to win this year and I was determined to create an award winning pie. 

I was a little worried this year, as the pie competition was the weekend after my last exam. I can honestly say that I had not spend much time in the kitchen the past few months, and was a little rusty.

This is last years photo before the dance.

And this years photo. Some, a little taller, others, a little wider. 

The girls had so much fun dressing up this year. Hanisi is turning in to a real girly girl. While we were making the chocolate stars for our pie, she said to me,

"Daddy...... Daddy....... Daddy........ DADDY!

(I was concentrating on the stars, and I thought she was just going to ask to have another one.)

Me: "Yes Hanisi."

Hanisi: Why do we have hair on our arms?"

Me: I'm not sure Hanisi, but I am sure it is there for a good reason.

Hanisi: But Daddy there is too much, and I don't want it there, I want it on my head. I want my hair to grow longer.

Me: Hanisi your hair will grow longer, you will just have to wait for it to grow, and we will have to stop cutting it.

I thought to myself, only a girl would be worried about the length of her hair, and the amount of hair on her arms. I hate to think what will happen when she discovers the hair on her legs! hahaha

Here they are all dressed up, with some extra freckles for fun. They are cute!

The dancing as usual was lots of fun. Hanisi and Milly just love to dance. Milly was ok for the first couple, but then her tiredness went in to overdrive, and she was going crazy, and needed an adult to stay with at her at all times. She made a run for the door and ran outside a few times with no jacket on in the freezing cold.

 

Hanisi was doing a great job considering the complexity of some of the dances, and not understanding what it meant to dosey doe, or strip the willow, or even to do heal toe heal toe. One lady said to us as we were leaving that our children were so entertaining, and that they were glad we were having another. I have had that said to me before. 

It is strange how your children turn out. Mariah and I are very introverted people, where our children are..... I call it crazy, some say noisy, some cute, and others entertaining. What is important is that they had a ball and they love to be themselves. 

 My two dance partners, one being a bit difficult, and lifting her feet off the floor all the time. 

After all the fun of dancing it was time to get down to business. It was announced that the winners of the pie competition was about to be announced.

I was feeling a little nervous as I had snuck in to the judges area a few times to have a look at some of the other entrants, and I have to say, I thought I was going to miss out again. I am amazed at the talent of some of the other men in the ward. It is good to see.

I had been sitting with Job Tai, and talking to him about his pie. He kind of put the wind up me a bit, as he had said that he found a recipe that had won a lot of awards in other competitions. I saw him come in and then went and had a look at his pie. I waved my nose over it and it smelt delicious.

I was a little worried.

They announced the winner, and said that it was a very close decision between the top 3 pies.

They pointed to the one with the stars on top!!! MINE!!!

I was so happy to have won. It you are familiar with my previous blog, you would have read that I said I prepared a speech. (which I didn't). I wish I had this time, as they gave me the mic and I had no idea what I was going to say.

You can see in the picture that Hanisi my by my side, she was so happy that "WE" had won. She did help me with the stars, but it meant more to her than winning, it meant that she got to have a chocolate star.

As we were leaving home, the girls were pestering me for a chocolate star. I kept saying no, we had to wait. Then as we were getting in the car, they asked again if they could have a chocolate star. Again I said no, to which Milly said to Hanisi, we can have one after we win. I am so glad that the pie won. I think the girls would have been gutted if we had lost.

So this is the pie. It doesn't look like much, but when you open it up.... MMMMM.

I had two names for it, Black Forrest Pie, or You can't make this in a thermomix pie. (i'm not sold on the whole thermomix idea).

Any way it is a home made sweet crust pastry, choc caramel custard, lightly whipped, a layer of black cherries 1/2 injected with a secret ingredient, the other half plain, a layer of mildly tart cherry jelly with secret ingredient added, a layer of cream and topped with crated chocolate and dark chocolate stars.

It took me two days to assemble. 

Is there a recipe? No. I laid in bed awake at 1:00am  2 nights before my exam, trying to think of what I will make. I had two ideas, but I was trying to work out, which was going to taste better. All the "mind tasting" made me excited. I liked them both, and still hadn't decided which to make, until I went to the supermarket and brought the cherries. The other one I will save for next year.

 

The prize. 

Everyone was awarded a prize for the night. I think there were a few disappointing people, and some that are asking for my exclusion from the competition next year. We will see. 

Everyone got to taste the pies at the end of the night, and I was determined to have a taste of most. There were some great pies. I am even surprised that I won after tasting some of the others. 

I was full of pie and pride at the end of the night, but not as full as some. I did see these ladies return to the pie table a few times. I think the picture speaks for its self. 

 

A huge thanks to my little helpers this year may we be triumphant again next year.

13 weeks of FUN

If only this was how all our days could be spent. Soaking up the sun, feeling a relaxed, and not concerned if the fish are biting or not.

This was a rare occasion during the past 13 or so weeks that I had the opportunity to take a day out and relax. This semester at uni was particularly difficult, time was not my greatest friend.

The girls and I did manage to find some time to have a bit of fun in between sitting at the computer, or sitting in class.

We begin the 13 weeks in 13 photos with Mariah's Birthday.

This is a little something that I whipped up in the morning as our table decoration, while we indulged ourselves with specialty foods and drink. (honestly, I can't recall what we ate that morning)

 

The girls found time to take Mariah to the park. 

 

 

I showed Milly the joys of working with machinery. 

 

We celebrated Easter. Believe it or not there is still the tail end of an Easter Bunny in the pantry.

While Mariah visited with the dentist, the girls and I went to Trevelyan Dam to take a look. The water was not high enough for a spectacular display, but the daredevil goats entertained us for a while.

 I taught Milly the pleasure of lid licking.

Our good friend Stu, helped us out with some projects that we had been wanting to do for years but never got around to doing it.

We made sure that we took some time to relax and be grateful for the beauty that surrounds us. 

Bubble baths are twice the fun as a normal bath, and Granddad's special bath puts on a spectacular display.

 Believe it or not we went on a cruise.............. down to the wharf at Hobart to check out a HUGE ship that was there for the day. 

We let someone else do the hard work for a change. 

I was a volunteer for Targa Tasmania for my second year running. Judging by the photo they may not ask me to officiate next year! ha ha... 

 We discovered the joys of Free Transport. The Launceston City Council has a free bus service which runs around various attractions of Launceston. The girls love the Tiger bus.

And we helped Aunty Alice and Uncle Josh cut their wood for the winter. I am sure that they will have enough this year. 

In amongst those things we managed to do a whole heap of other things. Hanisi and Milly moved in to a room together, in preparation for the new baby. Milly no longer had a bottle of a night. Hanisi is getting better at going to bed by herself, and I successfully completed another semester at Uni. 

Next semester will be my last, and then I will return to the real world, where to don't get to see your family for hours a day. We will have money to do all the things that we have wanted to do, but will not have the time to do them.

I have appreciated these past 13 weeks, the girls are amazing people. They are unique, and special in their own way. I lookforward with anticipation to see how our next child will turn out. Mariah hopes that he will be a better sleeper than Milly. I just hope that he is a Daddy's boy!

Picking a Name.

The time is fast approaching and we will soon have to name our baby boy, our first Son. I have been feeling him move around of a night, so for me it is starting to feel a bit more real.

Those that know us well know that Mariah's two exercising buddies are also pregnant and are due at similar times. I think Mariah said that one is due on the same day. This was not planned by the way! Well Mariah came home the other morning and said they Kym and Leona have their names picked out all ready. Crikey I said that was quick. I had not given it any thought at all. (school has been a bit crazy this semester).

So this week we have been talking a lot about names. Mariah had one that she liked, which was already used by some one that we know.. and I was not too keen on the name.

When Mariah was pregnat with Hanisi, I was hoping for a boy, and was all set on calling him Enzo. I like the name, and the car.

Mairah's mum is not too keen on Plain names like JOHN, even though she married a JOHN... So it looks like he might have to settle for a middle name??

I like masculine names, names that have to do with the out doors, I would call him Bruce if Mariah would let me. Or Barry even. Bruce reminds me of the shark on finding Nemo.. a good movie.... I would hope that fish would not be friends.. I want a fishing buddy.

We have searched lists and found unique names like Magnus.. I liked that one at the time, but then it was late and had been though a lot of names. The next day I said to Mariah, that the name had outgrown me but I felt like we were on the right track.

I am a recreational hunter, so thought along the lines of hunting and guns. I thought of Chester, as in Winchester. Whenever I say it though I think of a Jester. I'm not sure if the name would suit. What about Hunter I thought. It's a nice enough name. Links in to what I was thinking, but is it manly enough?

Maybe I'll get some inspiration watching swamp people tonight.. Billy-Bob, or maybe just Junior, JR? Yeah that would work, J for John (Mariah's dad) Robert (My dad). JR, sounds good.. Who knows what it will be...  I guess we will find out in July.

Bit of a sore back.

From my early teenage years I have had issues with my back. It would ache after a big day of lifting and moving. So for me growing up this was almost every day as I worked in a warehouse and lifting was my job.

It would give way on very rare occasions, I can now read the warning signs and slow down or avoid lifting when it is real bad. It would often bother me after sleeping on a hard floor. When I traveled to visit with other missionaries while in Fiji, I would quite often end up sleeping on the floor. I recall being a stiff as a board the following mornings and marking off the dates until I returned to a more comfortable bed.

I have had a few x-rays on my back; however, my most recent one was a sit shocking. It seemed to appear worse than I had remembered. Maybe it was. It certainly felt a lot worse and was difficult to get comfortable. I can't find my old x-ray to compare. But this is what it looks like now. 

The Dr says that it is Scoliosis. To my untrained eye it looks like it is a mild case, however the sharp angle at the top of the back is where I get the ache and where I get the most pain after a hard days work. I have had some trauma to that area of my back which wouldn't help either.


In looking at Scoliosis and what it is all about  I came across this on Wikipedia. I am glad that my back is not like that.

Despite the few aches and pains here and there I feel fine. I have exercises that I do (sometimes) that helps. I feel for those that suffer with any injury that just lingers.                           

20 July 2012

It will soon be 12 months since I became a stay at home dad/student. I remember when I finished up at work that I wondered what I would so to fill in all my time. I have to admit that some has been used wisely and some no so productively. Mariah and I talked about how it might be a good opportunity to expand the family and try for another baby. I wasn't so sure, I mean I would be at school a lot, be under a lot of pressure to do well in my final year, as well as all the other responsibilities that come our way, Me in the Young Men's Presidency, and Mariah the Primary Presidency. So we decided that if it happened we would be over the moon, and if it didn't we would remain happy for the two beautiful girls that we have.

The year went on, things were great, we were happy, Mariah was developing great relationships with Kym and Leona through her morning exercise group. I was happy to be at home with the girls, getting cuddles, and helping out where and when I could. Then school started, and I was home a little less.

School was great this year. I did well in my exams, I even topped the class with one of my final assignments with an almost perfect mark. The weather was warming up and it was beginning to look a lot like camping season. We love camping. But, before camping season could begin, I had 4 exams to sit, two take home and two at school. My take home exams were both due in the first week of exams, so Mairah and the girls packed up and headed to Hobart to stay with Mairah's family so that I could have quiet while I studded.

During the time away Mariah called on numerous occasions, on this particular call she mentioned that she had to go to the shops to buy some "that time of the month stuff." It is always a little disheartening when it comes around. This time though her period was late, quite late and we thought that this might have been it.

When the girls returned home, Mariah mentioned that it wasn't just a normal period, but a miscarriage. She had found an embryo, and later, what looked to be a placenta. Mariah of course was devastated and upset. I was, in my own way saddened. Mariah received a blessing from bishop and that helped her cope. Now Mariah is not one for sharing intimate details about her life, I may be asked to pull down the post, but I believe that there are others that can relate to this and share experiences, as it is more common than people are aware. Some research suggests that up to 50% or more end in miscarriage. So for Mariah, 2 successful pregnancies out of 3 is better than what the research suggests is common. .

On the 20th of July 2012 Mariah will better those odds again when she gives birth to our third child. That is right, we are expecting another. We had our 12 week scan just this week and they say that things are fine.

Mariah has been told to rest up with this one, and do as little as possible. Her mum has been up this week helping out and getting things in order, just as the kids pull them out of order again.

All we know at this stage is that the baby is 13 weeks old, and has all the appendages that it should.

We are excited, the girls are not too sure yet what to think. We went camping with Dan and Rachelle, who are due to have a baby in a matter of weeks, so I am wondering if Hanisi is wondering why Mummy's tummy is not big like Rachelle's... it will be Hanisi, when the baby grows.

Petal Point (Cape Portland) Camp

I had been texting a mate during the week leading up to Christmas about going camping soon. He called on Friday to see if we would be ready to leave in a couple of hours. I was in the city at the time waiting for one of our cars to come back from the mechanic. It was a race, but we made it, minus a few food items.

Petal Point (Cape Portland)  Was our destination. I went there with Mick Reid the year before, this time I was with Dan Reid, Micks older brother. I have know the Reid boys for years, and appreciate their friendship. They are good people and would do anything for any one. Dan and his fiance Rachelle gave us a little extra time up our sleeves to pack because Dan had stopped to help an elderly couple with a flat tyre on his was in to town. That's the kind of people they are.

This is our camp site and the view.

The camp site to the left and the boat ramp/beach access to the right.

This small photo does not do it justice. It is a nice spot. Not over crowded, a few families, no bogans (other than us) and a million miles from no where. We arrived about 7pm Friday night, set up camp had some supper, put the kids to bed and then went to bed ourselves.

On Saturday, Dan suggested that we take a drive and see the sights of the area. I have been to this area of the state many a time. My father grew up in this area. Some of his family still call it home. There is a lot of history here for our family. I am told that in the hills to the right are the ruins of an old homestead where a John Vincent Terry lived, and I assume died. I have not been to the site, however, other family members have. For those of you that don't know my middle name in Vincent, after John Vincent Terry... So this place kind of has a bit of meaning to it for me...

Although I had been here many times, there were places that I had not been to, and neither had Rachelle or Mariah. So Dan and I, who love to explore, took our families to a few places that we thought might be of interest.


Stop number one was Deep Creek, at Eddystone Point. Here we stopped for a swim and a look around the rocks and to build some sand castles.

Dan spotted a Blue Tongue Lizard, so I stopped to pick it up to show the girls. They all had a feel and a play and then we moved him off the road where he was safe.

 
 Milly didn't like having to too close. 

From there we drove around to the Eddystone Lighthouse, which is still in operation and can be seen for miles down the coast. While we camped at Swimcart beach recently we could see the lighthouse at night.

On a TV show that the kids watch there is a character called GRAMPY RABBIT, who works in a lighthouse. So they were calling this Grampy Rabbit's lighthouse and singing the songs that he sings.

In the end it all got a bit much for the kids and they were getting a little hot and hungry ...  Can you tell?

This is the view south from the lighthouse. (looking towards St Hellens way) I believe that these beaches are the Bay of fires.

 

 From there we went and had a look at Anson's Bay. We didn't stay too long as it was full of shacks and a dark gloomy bay. From there we went to Gladstone, the home of my Dad. We had to go here because I had forgotten to bring something for breakfast, and also to have an ice cream and a play at the park.

Just as we were leaving, Dan Spotted an EMU.

We enticed him over with an icecream.... and I almost lost it... He was quick.

We headed back to camp, with just one more stop before we made it back. This time we went to Little Muscleroe bay. The water here was great and we went for a little swim and played with the sand. After a while another family turned up with a million kids. Most were a little older than Hanisi. They had fun burying Hanisi in the sand. They were from Western Australia and were driving around the state. They were going to drive to Strahan from Muscleroe bay.. .WOWZERS.. we explained that that would be about a 6 hr drive from where they were. We left Muscleroe bay about 6pm.

Back at camp it was time to put our feet up .....

Have some dinner.....

Light the fire......

And relax and enjoy our last night of camping. We had fun.. We came home tired, sandy, salty... and ready for our next adventure. We almost decided to head south as soon as we got home... I think we will have a couple of days rest before we head off on our next adventure.

Big Thanks to Dan and Rachelle for the great experiences. Look forward to camping with 'Peanut'

Ahhh what a great time of the year... The weather warms up, things in the garden just explode... and the best thing of all is that I have finished uni for the year and get to be at home to enjoy all the things I love. Yes I love my garden, I spend a lot of time in it. I also love being at home with the kids.. watching ABC4 Kids in bed till Mariah gets home from her morning. There is no rush to be anywhere, we have all that we need right here at home.

Mariah took the girls to an 'Active Launceston' event this morning where they play and have a ball. The girls came home last week with a whole bunch of new games to play. It is great that Mariah takes them to these things. It was planned that I go with them, but a neighbor needed some help for a couple of hours this morning.

While they were out I got stuck in to some gardening. I planted our sunflower seeds, put up some wire for a new climber that we have. I don't recall the name, but it has the most beautiful scented flowers.. I'll add a pic when it flowers.

I also had to transplant some pumpkin seeds, and look what I found in the strawberry patch.

The first piece of fruit for the year... if you don't count rhubarb as a fruit. We washed it off and then all four of us took a bite. MMMMmmmmm I'm not a big fan of strawberries, but when you grow them yourself they are always better.

We also picked some of the first peas for the year, enough for a pod each.

We had some people here for tea on Saturday and Sunday. We had a Lovo (Fijian) Hungi (New Zealand) or an Umu (Tongan) for earth oven. It was great.. and I believe there is a blog somewhere that is on the way for that. Anyway on one of those days some one said (I think) that they don't like having to shell all the peas in preparation for a meal. I don't believe that any of our peas make it that far... I know we did shell some last year.. but  I think we just ate them all before they got cooked... that is the best way to eat peas.

For tea tonight we will have a stir fry I believe.. and too that we will add..

 

Bok Choi

So there it is ... that is what I did today. Mariah said that there were thousands of people rushing around in town shopping.... I know where I would rather be.

:)