Making Life Easier - the Gift Box

When I was growing up, my mother always had a 'Present Box'.  A large box of carefully selected treasures - for babies, for boys and girls, for adults.  Oh how I used to covet the items in that box.  I recall one beautifully wrapped scented soap - it's embossed paper featured a swirly floral print in lilac, white and charcoal, and I loved to cradle it, sniffing and stroking, each time my mother pulled out the present box.  Who did the soap go to in the end?  I cannot recall!

Now that I am a little time-poor, I have started my own present box, an Aladdin's cave of enchanting small gifts.  I really enjoy stocking it up!  Whenever I see something which would make an excellent gift - for a baby, child or adult - I buy one (or two!) and squirrel them away.  Sometimes I have someone in mind as a recipient, but often not.  Every item in the box is something I would be personally thrilled to receive.

Now, if I have a gift-giving occasion, I can go 'shopping' in my present box, pouring over the contents and selecting something just right.  Often, of course, I still go out shopping with the intent of purchasing a gift for someone.  For example, this morning I bought a colourful, fluttery kite for one of Tabitha's friends.  The kite is the same as hers, and is thankfully simple to get up in the air, even for a toddler.  This morning, however, I bought two of this kite - one for the intended recipient, and one to tuck away in the present box.

Here are some things which have lived in my present box - feel free to copy, if you have (or want to start) your own:

Jellyfish Kite - a single-string kite with beautiful fluttery tails.  Recommended as a 'first kite'.   Australian-made by Windspeed Kites.

Edison Trainer Chopsticks - not your standard joined-at-the-top full-sized pair, these are the right size for small children, and have loops for the fingers and thumb, thus placing the hand in the correct positioning for chopstick use.  Within five minutes of using her pair, Tabitha was able to eat most of her meal with her training chopsticks, and enjoys playing games with them (e.g. picking up small toys and placing them into a bowl) for practice.  Great for fine-motor coordination too!  Oh, and they come in super cute styles.

Eggling ceramic planter - I am totally in love with these.  A realistic ceramic egg, crack it open, water, and a tiny garden will grow - you can get flowers or herbs.  Hand made in Japan, the plant will grow for a few months in its egg home, then can be planted straight into the garden.  I think these make a lovely gift for children or adults!  The company also has some other cute mini plant products for children, on their website.

Queen B Candles - these 100% pure beeswax candles are made in Australia from local beeswax.  Free from any nasties, and smelling divine - like honey sitting in the sun - these are a nice gift for many occasions.  I personally love their tealights which come in clear cups and jam jars (we have them hanging along our back decking in THESE holders, which look spectacular in the evenings) and their Bee Lights - skinny, pretty little mini tapers, which make elegant birthday candles or beautiful bathtime lights.  Their roll-your-own tapers and poured candle kits are great for older children.  Not particularly gifty, but a favourite of mine, is their furniture polish.  Take ten minutes to click around the site, and I promise you will find something gorgeous!  I had these candles all around the house when in labour with both Tabitha and Zachary, and love supporting an environmentally friendly small Australian business as well!

Stockmar Crayons - these come in blocks and more traditional crayon shapes, and in small or large sets.  The saturation of colour, the smoothness of the draw, and the divine pure beeswax smell combine to make these my absolute favourite crayons.  I can sit and draw with these for hours with Tabitha.  You can also get a nice combination set here.

Sarah's Silks playsilks - These 90cm square silk scarves some in the most divine colours - rainbow and starry night sky are favourites here - and are the ultimate playtime accessory for small children.  They can be used as dressups (superhero capes, princess skirts), baby doll blankets, a circus tent for the dollhouse, some 'water' for the farm animals to swim in...  I wish we had one in every colour!  Sarah's Silks also make a gorgeous silk rainbow streamer that will bring out the inner rhythmic gymnast in anyone!  In fact, the company makes dozens of beautiful silk products, well worth having a browse through their range.

Knitting Mushroom - when I was small, I had a 'knitting Nancy' doll, which produced endless feet of knitted tubes.  I used to stitch them into little circular dolls' rugs.  They are sort of pointless however encourage good fine motor coordination, and children always seem to enjoy them.  This knitting mushroom is one of the sweeter versions I have seen.

Le Toy Van dolly family - these also come in fairy and princess styles.  I think these are some of the nicest basic doll families out there, and make for hours of engaging rollplay games for small children.  Tabitha loves putting a tiny baby doll (sold separately) into a small cloth 'wrap' on the mother's chest.  Teeny Tiny Babywearing!

Le Toy Van Honeybee Cake Stand Set - what child (or adult) wouldn't enjoy playing with these?  Always a hit gift, Tabitha also adores her set, and they seem to encourage plenty of imaginative play - preparing tea and cakes with her tea set, but we also sort them into categories together, e.g. 'cakes with chocolate on them', 'fancy or plain' etc. which gets her little mind ticking!

Stockmar, Sarah's Silks and many other beautiful Steiner type products can also be purchased from my aunt's gorgeous shop in Hobart, Lyrebird.  She doesn't have online shopping BUT she will happily post anywhere, and her prices are generally cheaper than 'mainland' shops, particularly for larger items.  You can also follow them on Facebook.

Dragonfly Toys and Honeybee are two of my favourite toy shops, worth a browse online for gift ideas.

I'm not great with adult male gifts.  Any ideas?  I tend to go with a good, interesting bottle of wine.  Or an art / travel / architecture book.  Not that those are terrible things!  But it would be nice to mix it up a little.

For babies, I generally make or buy something specifically, however for unexpected babies (obviously not unexpected to the parents, but for people I don't know as well, and haven't followed the pregnancies) I keep a small stash of pretty bits and pieces - lovely soft organic muslins, embroidered bibs, handknit beanies.


For female friends, I also tend to buy for the individual.  When in doubt, Champagne or a box of Koko Black chocolates.

Stored next to my present box is a stash of wrapping papers - geometric prints, florals, tissue papers, alphabet prints and others - and some ribbon and cards.  I keep a decent stack of cards - birthday cards, get well cards, thank you cards, new baby and wedding cards, and some blank ones.

The last category of gifts I often give?  Small handmade gifts, most often given as hostess gifts.  A jar of fragrant Spaghetti Spice (a Nigella Lawson recipe, I will post one day), a jar of homemade roasted almond praline, a jar of glittery, lavender-scented playdough (for a child, naturally).

Of course, I am always happy to bake something as a gift - a tin of gooey chocolate brownies, two dozen decadent triple chocolate fudge cookies, a wholemeal apple cake.  Most people are happy to receive baked goods!

What are your favourite gifts to give?  Or receive?  I love to receive anything beautifully wrapped.

Oh and finally - since we were talking about toys - I can't resist a couple of quick snaps of my kiddie winkies, playing with their toys earlier today.

Zachary (at just on 5 months) has 2 teeth completely through, and more on the way - he is constantly chewing and licking his lips, poor dumpling.  He loves to chew on fabric (felt teething rings, scarves and cloth books, teething rag dolls) but also on smooth wood.  Both of the below colourful toys are popular with him:

Tabitha received her dolls house for her 2nd birthday, and nearly a full year on, it remains her favourite toy.  She can play in it for hours, with all of her little dolls and animals.  Hours.  And she likes me to play dolls house with her.  My friends, there are only so many hours of doll-talking I can handle without loosing my marbles a little.  Plus, she is a bossy britches, and gets cranky if I am holding the dollies wrong (they must be held forward-facing, with one finger / thumb on each side of the waist - never the head - and must move slightly while they are talking).  But then she tells me she wants me to play with her because, and I quote, "You're my best friend Mama and I love you so much" so of course, I play.  Little darlings!

Toadstools, Pretty Paints and Hot Dogs

Now that the weather is becoming cooler, the garden is starting to die back.  The last of the basil has been slashed to the ground and turned into 1.5kg of pesto.  Many of the flowers - including my beloved 'ribbons and bows' petunias - have withered away.  But the new plants in the ground are thriving beautifully in the damp soil, still with plenty of strong morning sun.  Carrots are poking beautifully feathery, vibrant tops through the soil, leeks and spring onions are glossy, decorative kale, bok choi and Brussels sprouts seem to grow an inch a day.

We bought some colourful toadstools at the Byron Bay markets.  I had my eye on a set of 5 red ones, of varying sizes, but of course Tabitha wanted multiple colours, so we have rainbow faux fungi out back!

Pretty little violas and pansies are putting in a solid effort, keeping colour sprinkled around the garden.  I love their 'faces', which always remind me of the floral chorus from Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

Some bumblebee bunting along the weathered back fence is cheering on even the dreariest days:

The cool weather breakfast of choice is porridge - cooked slowly on the stove, with plenty of full cream milk, sliced banana, chopped pecans and a little maple syrup sloshed on at the end.  Cooked with a spurtle of course!

We have two new chookies - hatched from tiny bantam eggs in November.  Here is Nugget - gold nugget, not chicken!  Not sure if she will be sticking around, as s/he is possibly a rooster.  Only time will tell.

We have another new pet as well - a caterpillar.  It's a cabbage moth, I believe, so I was about to toss it to the chooks as a treat, but then I thought Tabby might like to take a look.  It's been living on mint leaves for a week or so on the kitchen bench, and Tabitha has been very good about 'looking not touching'.

Can you spot it below?  You wouldn't believe how much it eats!

Tabitha was given these beautiful powdered paints last birthday.  They are made from plants and herbs, smell like delicious jelly, and mix into gloriously rich colours.  The brand is GLOB.

Painting on the back decking in a cosy oversized hand knit from her 'Great Grand Godmother'!

Comfort food season.  The Daddy and I love hot dogs (in natural casing, grilled in a buttery pan, with a bun steamed and toasted, face-down, in butter).  Shhhh, it's our guilty pleasure dinner!  I made mac'n'broc'n'cheese as a side:

To make the mac'n'broc'n'cheese, make a roux from 20g butter and 30g plain flour, whisk in a cup of milk to form a thick white sauce, add 1.5 cups (firmly packed) of grated cheeses - I use a mixture of Gruyere, cheddar, mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano - and stir through to melt.

Meanwhile, boil 200g macaroni or penne in generously salted water, and throw in a cup of broccoli florets in the last few minutes.  Drain, and  stir through the cheese sauce.

Spread into a greased shallow baking dish, top with panko breadcrumbs and extra grated Parmigiano.  Bake in a hot oven for around 30 minutes.

New Babies and the Freezer Solution

No, I do not recommend freezing your baby.  I don't even recommend letting them get chilly - babies like snuggly warm socks and blankets.

I do, however, strongly recommend freezing vast amounts of food before a baby arrives.  Whether you make it all yourself, or you have an army of fabulously helpful friends and family to stock a freezer, it is a marvellous idea to stash away as many pre-prepared meals as possible.

I froze a fair amount of food while pregnant with Tabitha - maybe a good month's worth of meals - however this time, I knew I needed to pull out the Big Guns.  Not only would there be a new baby, requiring hours of cuddling and feeding, but Tabitha would still need plenty of stories and play time.  I knew that the time leading up to dinner (say, 5-7pm) would be the most frantic and difficult, and being able to pull an instant dinner out of the freezer would be a blessing.

My lofty aim was to have a full three months' worth of frozen dinners.  That is, a minimum of 90 meals (each enough for the three of us food eaters).  Did I do it?  Oh yes, I did!

Step One was securing the freezer space.  We have a reasonable sized freezer, but there was no way it could hold this much food.  I thought about distributing the meals between the freezers of a few friends and family but a) this was a bit of a logistical headache and b) I would still struggle to get enough room.

Ultimately, we decided to purchase a stand-alone freezer.  My research suggested that a chest style freezer would be best (cheaper and more energy efficient) however The Daddy felt that a chest freezer would be a giant pain, leading to UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) lurking deep at the bottom, covered in ice.  Whereas an upright freezer allows easy access, and with drawers or shelves, you can segment foods into vague categories (helpful when keeping tabs on what you have left).

We shopped around a fair bit (didn't need anything fancy, as it lives in the garage, but also wanted something vaguely decent, as I've heard too many horror stories involving freezers dying suddenly, hundreds of dollars' worth of food lost, and shonky warranty repairs).  We went with this one - a Fisher and Paykel 389 litre freezer.  It's been great!  You could also look int renting one for a few months, or possibly borrowing one - you'd be surprised how many people have an empty chest freezer in the garage, particularly empty-nester types.

One point - once the freezer is full of your precious food, representing hours of cooking, shopping, planning, and possibly hundreds of dollars of food, it would be a tragic disaster to loose the lot due to a freezer power failure.  How can I be so sure?  Alas, I have experienced this nightmare firsthand, during the Great Freezer Disaster of late 2012.  While moving around some heavy furniture in the garage, The Daddy knocked open the freezer door and it did not close properly.  I didn't discover this for a while (at least 24 hours, possibly more), by which point the top 1/3 of the freezer was defrosted (cold air drops, so the bottom part of the freezer survives power outages and door openings the best.)

I screamed, I sobbed, I blamed (I was 8 months pregnant and very hormonal).  Quickly, I pulled myself together and was admirably pragmatic, in my opinion.  I retrieved my Thermapen instant read thermometer (don't have one?  Put it on your Christmas list) and was able to quickly ascertain the temperatures of all the items in the freezer.  In case this happens to you, here is what you can do:  

• Anything that remains frozen (less than 0 degrees, or with a nice coating of icy frost all over it) can stay in the freezer.  
• Anything that has risen above 6 degrees (for more than a few hours) should be tossed - although The Daddy ate a whole bunch of chicken curries that has been sitting at 14 degrees, and he didn't get sick!  I personally would not, though.
• Anything sitting in the 'refrigerator zone' of 1-6 degrees, you can either re-freeze (depending on who you listen to, but there are certainly official health bodies out there who say you can) making sure you heat thoroughly when you do eat them, or you can transfer to the refrigerator and cook as soon as possible.  In the case of raw plain or marinated meats, you can safely cook them, then re-freeze.

My Thermapen allowed me to get an instant, accurate core temperature for all of the items, very quickly, which was great as it meant I didn't have to pull all the items out, poke them, examine them, and generally melt them even more.

Instead of using the above information, however, I recommend preventing freezer failure in the first place.  Clever, aren't I?!  How do you do this?  Duct tape the power point and the plug, so that they cannot accidentally be knocked out.  Also, check if your freezer tends to swing closed automatically.  If not, like mine, you need to be really vigilant about giving it a good press each time you close the door.  Also - a partially empty freezer will loose its coolness very quickly (e.g. in case of blackout etc).  So it's a good idea to fill the freezer with big bags of ice or similar, which will help keep your foods cool in case of a disaster.

What containers should you freeze 90+ meals in?  Not Tupperware, that's for sure - unless you are far wealthier than I.  I am a big Tupperware fan, but that many freezer containers would send a small nation bankrupt.  You could buy cheaper versions (which I don't find as good) or do as I did, and use a combination of snap-lock bags and bulk-purchased takeaway containers (which can be washed and reused a few times, and are Dirt Cheap from places like Lombard).

Snap lock bags are particularly great for marinating meats.  I lined up rows of bags filled with chicken drumsticks or pork fillets, dolled out the marinade ingredients into each bag, sealed up (squeezing out the air) and massaged with my hands, before laying in the freezer.

So, here is the big question - what was in my freezer?  Here goes (when I say 'meal' I mean that it contains enough for myself, The Daddy and Tabitha):

• 5 x bag of 10 marinated South African drumsticks (a Nigella recipe)
• 6 x Char Sui style marinated pork fillets
• 6 meals of paprika chicken, and 6 containers of frozen spaetzle
• 8 meals of homemade sausage rolls (using free range pork mince and lots of grated veggies)
• 6 meals of chicken satay, plus 6 packets of frozen satay sauce
• 6 meals of tuna and veggie pasta bake (12+ truly enormous serves)
• 4 meals of veggie lasagne
• 6 meals of meat lasagne (also half a dozen sticks of homemade garlic bread)
• 5 Thai green curries
• 5 meals of diced chicken thighs, with enough homemade teriyaki sauce in a jar in the fridge
• 5 meals of Thai chicken patties
• 2 meals of Moroccan lamb curry
• 2 meals of lamb veggie curry
• 2 meals of minestrone soup
• 4 meals of roast pumpkin and cumin soup
• 2 meals of chicken Kiev
• 2 spanokopita (with spinach and pumpkin)
• 4 family sized pies (chicken and veggie, steak and mushroom and beef pastie - these were purchased, from Rolf's Pies)
• 4 meals of crab croquettes (purchased from Suzuran Japanese grocery store)
• 6 packets of 100g homemade frozen pesto
• 6 meals of chicken Provençal

The above came to 96 meals, each providing plenty for the 3 of us.  This is what was in the freezer (garage, our indoor freezer and some stashed in my parents' freezer).  

Where possible, I added loads of veggies to the frozen meals (for example, double veggies in the curries, lots of grated veggies in the sausage rolls) so that we could get away with not cooking separate veggies for many of the meals.

Sometimes, we needed to cook some rice or pasta, or add some extra veggies or salad, but many of the meals were perfect without any additions.

In addition, I had:

• Frozen peas and corn, raspberries and blueberries, and bananas (for smoothies - I drank loads of banana/blueberry/yoghurt/oats/LSA smoothies in the early weeks);
• Dozens of date scones, and plain buttermilk scones.  Cook until just beginning to brown, then reheat directly from frozen in a 180 degree oven.  Again, great for quick snacks or when people were visiting;
• A few whole, unbaked apple pies;
• 200 balls of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough (14 minutes in a 180 degree oven from frozen);
• Around 50 small dark chocolate walnut brownies;
• Several slices of cheesecake, which freezes brilliantly, defrosting with no discernible decline in condition in just a couple of hours on the bench.

With the baked goods (brownies, cakes, cheesecakes), I recommend wrapping them really well to prevent freezer burn - two tight layers of clingfilm, and a layer of aluminium foil.  They should keep just fine for a good month or so.

I also stashed away several large bags of scallop dumplings, prawn dumplings and pork steamed buns from an Asian grocery store.  These made a nice quick lunch on several occasions.

I made around 70 per cent of the food myself, with the rest contributed by friends and my dad.  You can also buy 'nearly' homemade instant meals at many markets, and there are many small retailers specialising in homemade type instant meals - some even deliver!

I personally think that a freezer-stocking would make an excellent baby shower / Blessingway idea.  Many women have a baby shower for the pure joy of getting together with their friends before the baby arrives - but so many of us don't need the gifts.  How about throwing a shower for a pregnant friend and asking the guests to bring a homemade frozen meal instead?  You could easily put together a full month's worth of dinners this way - what a spectacular gift for a new family, a month of wholesome, healthy dinners without having to cook!

If the mother-to-be lacks freezer space, you could spread the meals between a few people, and arrange a weekly drop-off.  Or you could all put in to rent a freezer for a month or so.  If the mother has special dietary concerns (gluten free, vegetarian, an intense dislike of meat / fruit combinations...) then you could even provide some recipe ideas that the mother might like if the guests are into cooking?

One final note - after the baby's arrival, you may well find that you actually feel like cooking - particularly if your partner has some leave, you may in fact have more free time to cook than ever before.  Very well.  Use this time to continue stocking the freezer - I did several great big batch cooks while The Daddy was home after Zach's arrival, and even though Zach is now 5 months old, we still have a nice full freezer!


What else should I have stashed in the freezer?  What are your favourite meals to freeze?

The Biggest Photo Post Ever

So, I've been a bit busy.  I haven't been blogging.  Instead, I have been drifting around in a loved-up haze of baby and family.

On 3rd December, we met Zachary.  The most divine, enormous, happy, mellow, cuddly giant baby boy I've ever had the privilege of knowing, let alone producing!  But more of that later on.

What's been happening since I was last on here?  In October, about 7 weeks before Zachary was due, we went on a holiday to Palm Cove.  I waddled around on swollen ankles, complained about the heat, napped, and ate enough for 2.  I was very ill right up until the final days of pregnancy, so I must confess I was a bit of a wet blanket on the holiday, but Tabitha had a marvellous time, spending hours floating around the pool in her swim ring.  We went with my parents, sister, and good friends of ours, M & M, with their twin daughters.

I stayed in the shallows, despite Tabitha's constant attempts to pull me in:

Thankfully, my little sister Q was on hand to entertain Tabby:

After reaching near hysteria over horrendous options in maternity swimwear, I managed to cram myself into a regular pair (albeit size 16).  They were actually quite nice!  The trick is to find a pair with a very low cut back, so that the fabric can pull forward over the bump without stretching too much.  I am most certainly not a bikini kinda gal, so I was pleased with this discovery.

Tabby enjoyed riding the 'baby beanbag':

And told me she was 'playing sand games with the baby brother':

Thankfully, the pregnancy passed relatively smoothly.  Apart from the shocking sickness, that is!  But we made it to 10 days over (as I did with Tabitha) before Zachary decided his time had come.  Unlike Tabitha (43 hours of labour), Zach was fairly obliging with his arrival.

Despite being 10 pounds, 56cm, with enormous shoulders, labour lasted only 5.5 hours from first sign to babe-in-arms.  No drugs, no stitches.  Quite a breeze, all things considered!  Unfortunately, we decided to transfer to hospital for the final half hour - he was born 30 minutes after we arrived at the local hospital - however my midwife was a little concerned that pushing was taking a long time for a second baby, and we decided that it was better to be on the safe side.  As it turned out, he was taking so long because of how enormous he was!  You see, everyone had predicted that he would be around 8 pounds or so, so it was a big shock when he was so large.  He arrived in excellent spirits, quiet and cuddly, 8 and 10 APGARS, and we were back home a couple of hours later, snuggled into our own bed with Tabitha, who was beyond thrilled to be cuddling her beloved baby brother.  After such a straightforward labour, I was pottering around the house that very afternoon, doing loads of washing and baking a cake.  It was nice to spring back so quickly - it took me a few days to even feel like walking after Tabitha's birth.

I will post more of a birth story (although there isn't much more to it!) and some photos from labour soon.

Here are some photos from when Zach was 2 days old:

All of the family hanging out in bed breathing in the beautiful newborn smell:

Tabitha has taken to her role as big sister beautifully, and is the most loving, protective, entertaining big sister Zach could possibly hope for.  His face lights up when he sees her, and she makes him laugh constantly.  Likewise, each morning Tabitha runs into our bedroom, to see "Mumma and Zachy" in bed, and tells him, "I love you Zachy!  Awww Mumma he's so cute!  His hair is so nice and fluffy!"

Lots of cuddles for my big girl, too, in the newborn period:

Miss T counting Zach's tiny toes:

And showing off her 'baby' for the camera, too:

Right from a couple of days old (below, too), Zach has been quite alert, so it's been very fun getting to know his personality.  He is the most happy, delightful, cheerful and easygoing baby - and he loves his mumma cuddles, around the clock if possible!  So he sleeps in my arms at night, and often snuggled into me in a wrap during the day.

Of course, he is also very happy to sleep snuggled into Daddy.  Below, also 2 days old.  He's not exactly tiny!

One of the best parts about a new baby?  The constant refreshing of beautiful new bouquets of flowers on the side table!  Here are a couple of the arrangements I received from thoughtful friends - along with all the new-baby essentials (water, tea, Kindle, skin salves and nipple creams!)

Finally, here are a few quick snaps of Tabitha over the past 5 months, just to get us up-to-date before I launch back into 'business as usual' blogging.

Fluffy hair and Mumma's shoes:

Pigtails:

That's Dr Pigtails to you, Mumma!

Helping The Daddy in the garden - in regulation toddler uniform of tutu, gumboots and a sunhat:

No more sunscreenm Daddy!

How about I put some on you, instead?

Cuddles with Pudding:

Best friends:

Zach loving the beach (holiday in Byron Bay over Easter):

 Tabby's favourite part of the Byron Bay holiday?  The swings.  Ahh yes, travelling 3 hours by plane for a week to swing - toddler logic!

Mr Happiness, AKA the Gentle Giant:

Zach had his baptism in February.  Tabitha got another wear out of her gold dress, from her 2nd birthday party:

Yep, she's still a cutie:

Still loves eating cake:

And helping to bake cake:

Thankfully, she's just as happy with a big bowl of fresh corn:

And here is a visual of overdue mumma (about a week overdue here):

But still smiling!  I actually got a second wind after 40 weeks - I suddenly felt a little lighter and healthier, and started to suspect the baby would never arrive:

Here I am the morning of the day I went into labour, out at Yum Cha (10 days overdue).  I thought maybe if I stuffed myself very full of dumplings, the baby would be pushed out!

Well, actually, it worked, because here I am less than 24 hours later:

Typical new baby photo, right?  He's about an hour old here, and I think I look completely exhausted but very content.

So there you go.  Up to date!  Let's get things back to normal, with some food and some cooking and some baby gear tips.  Stay tuned...