Sweet Fabric:
Friday

For about 15 minutes making this super speedy, super cheaty kind of dinner for some friends tonight. After school soccer & gym means I need to be prepared. As far as I'm concerned Friday night should be all about the drinks anyway. But it is very tasty.

Then spending the rest of the day on the sewing machine. The buttonholes are being quite good to me so I haven't resorted to buying the foot....yet.

Baked Sweet Potato - Friday night meal
1 garlic
1 onion
250g mince beef
300g red kidney beans
1 tbs tomato paste
1.5 cups salsa

Fry onion & garlic in olive oil until translucent.
Add mince to pan & brown.
Stir in remaining ingredients & simmer.

To cook sweet potato. Peel & rub with olive oil. Cook on a rack in a 200C oven for about an hour.

To serve: Slice sweet pototo in half & spoon mince on top. Serve with sour cream, avocado & cheese.

Happy Friday.

I'm feeling a little out of control.

Spinning on the spot.
Getting no where fast.
& frankly I can't focus on anything.

...I guess it's the time of year but I'm normally much more on top of things.

I need to get myself organised & make some lists (or have a pretty drink - lucky it's Friday).

BUT...

Trace is in her jammies.
Gray is in Perth.
Lizzi is at Wildflower.
& Dave is at the boat.

So the date & I are about to have a pretty drink alone...it's foreign for a Friday night.

I'll be drinking vodka mixed with lime & some lovely ginger beer.

& just so you know - I fear that my Opping luck may have dried up! I visited 4 Op Shops today & I didn't find what I was looking for.

Making this day happy...

the sound of the rain
my uncanny ability to buy fits-like-a-glove jeans from the Oppy
getting stuff done
raw edges
crafty ironing (not houseworky ironing)
making plans
the promise of a pretty drink in about 3 hours

Friday is the long run day which means I think a lot - probably too much.

Today I was thinking about craft & dating. This seems like a bit of a weird connection (stay with me).

One of my really good friends used to say that she was addicted to the beginnings of relationships. At the time it was true ... she had lots of love em & leave em boyfriends. Many of them had a fair bit of bastard about them too (which of course only made them more appealing). Brief affairs really, flirtations, experiments but satisfying nonetheless.

She's now happily married to a fine upstanding guy. Marriage, of course requires a deep commitment, compromise & the making of promises you really mean. You need to be patient & dedicated & determined. The rewards are plentiful both along the way & at the end. Something to be really, really proud of.

Then I started to think about me & the craft thing. I too love a new beginning. I like to think long & hard about the how. I flirt with ideas, experiment with techniques & then have a one night stand with the actual crafting. It's quick & it's usually dirty (with varied results) but satisfying nonetheless.

Crochet (I'm trying - really I am), knitting & quilting require a deep commitment, compromise & the making of promises you really mean. You need to be patient & dedicated & determined. The rewards are plentiful both along the way & at the end. Something to be really, really proud of.

I'm married to my bags & the music boxes but I'm one night standing with plenty of other stuff to get my new beginnings fix.

I'd be interested to know if you're married to your craft, married & cheating (like me) or all about the thrill of a one night stand.

I'm going out on a very Non-Kirst type excursion today.

There's going to be lots of fake tan & plenty of salon-up-styles & blow waves & new fancy frocks.

I've gone for the budget option...

Winter glow "tan". FREE
Straightener from the third drawer. FREE
Vintage dress (courtesy of my Grandma). FREE

Friday Archives hosted by Loobylu

Shot of the school girls at my big fat bogan wedding - 1995.

Eeek...one of my very bestest friends from school has just started a blog.

I owe her a lot. If she hadn't helped me pass Art by giving me all her art history assignments in Year 10 I'd have been doomed to a Year 11 full of Accounting & Economics (no pre-requisites). Instead I spent a glorious year swanning around the textiles, garment construction, ceramics, print making & painting studios.

Anyway, she would really love some feedback on what I KNOW will be a journey in creative writing worth following.

I'm loving reading all about the life & times of Jamie (much like many of us with small kids & an exec husband) & her twin sister Lisa (humanitarian & student of life).

She's really good at drinking games. So if you feel like a relaxing Friday afternoon this is the place.

As any girl knows the Football Club Dinner Dance is THE social event of the year!

It's a 60s, 70s & 80s night (which means you could come dressed in just about anything...I know).

I've whittled my rather extensive collection of classic vintage dresses down to these two. Both were owned & worn by my Grandma. I'd say they would have been purchased in the 60s as this would have been when she was about the same size & shape as me.

The black number is "Made in Italy" & the white is "Made in Hawaii".

I think I'm leaning more towards the white because it looks a bit more dress uppy. I'm really loving that black number though & I think I'll be adding it to my real wardrobe. But I'd really appreciate your opinion.

I've got my eye on the Tackers coach & I want to make a good impression. He's got excellent taste in music, is really good behind the bar & plays a mean game of golf.
.

you don't know about me.

I was not so recently tagged by the lovely bricolagelife. I'm mixing it up a bit.

6 crafty talents I'm a wee bit jealous of.

1. cathedral window quilt, 2. Kath, 3. April CAL square - Chocolate Delight, in Lime, 4. First Etsy Listing!, 5. Ciabatta, 6. tcb08

I wish I could:

Quilt like Leah (& Vicki if she had a blog).
Crochet like Lara.
Draw like Claire.
Take photos like Angela.
Cook like Pip.
& do anything 1/2 as well as Anna Laura. She is one multi-skilled crafter.

I'm tagging anyone who is secretly (or not so secretly) jealous. Let me know if you play along.

I was tagged ages ago by the lovely Chalk & Cheese. I'd decided today was the day & then Arthur's Circus tagged me too.

• Seven is the number of rings I wear all the time. It's ridiculous for a girl with hands my size & I look like a mafia wife but I don't care.

• Friday is my favourite day of the week - I run like a demon, drink with friends & fall in a heap.

• I love mornings best of all. The crispness of the air makes me feel alive.

• My favourite piece of jewellery is my wedding band. One of my school friends told me it would be & I didn't believe her. I was so in love with my engagement ring I couldn't imagine that a little piece of gold would be more treasured - but it is.

• I've known the date since I was 12 years old & we've been together for more than half my life.

• Grant Caroll made me remember than 7 8s are 56. He tortured me with that table in year 4 it's just about the only "times" I can remember - I was always bad at tables.

As for tagging other players - if you want to play consider yourself tagged.

I should just warn you that I am on my 4th date made Capiroska (read double shot of vodka).

Inability to touch type making me giggle......tragic!

I love Friday - it's the trigger to exhale - friends come over to have a drink & a laugh - it's gorgeous.

I had planned to have a crack at Pip's delicious sounding curry tonight...I'd printed off the recipe & everything...then I got all involved in a bit of Brown Owlishness & instead we ate dip & cheese & a LOT of Red Rock Deli Honey Soy Chips...oh & Vodka...I'm SURE that's in the healthy food pyramid!

Preview for Sunday: I had my haircut today...yay!

tomorrow night.

We are catching up with some friends who are moving to Singapore tomorrow night & I'm bringing Strawberry Slushies.

The arm's a bit sore from juicing all those limes but it's so worth it. The kitchen smells all strawberry sweet.

I've got a few mates popping in for a drink tonight. I'll be having capiroska. Perfect weather for a nice and icy kind of drink don't you think?

I like Friday.