Back To Our Normal

It's been a week and a day since my mom went back to Manila and things have gone back to normal in the home.  Back to our normal means:

(1) Not doing any touristy stuff
(2) Eating out is a once a week reward and a break from all the cooking we do at home throughout the week
(3) We are back to our weekly schedule of cleaning and de-cluttering the home
(4) Staying in is the first option during the weekend not unless we need to go somewhere
(5) Going back to our regular eating habits in the home: more fish, veggies and fruits; less meat and sweets.
(6)  Being wrapped up with work during weekdays

So there.  That is exactly the kind of lifestyle we have sans special visits from family and friends from overseas.  Not many know and it is not obvious (because I always blog about our gimiks--but then why would I always blog about what we do at home, right?) that we love spending our free time at home.  The only reason why we have a social life is because we have relatives and friends that we love to spend time with once in a while.  However, if there are no invitations from loved ones, we do spend our free time just hanging out at home, cooking or baking, doing TV series/movie marathons or playing games.

My mom's vacation was one of the most relaxed vacations ever.  She came here not to do touristy stuff but just to spend time with her family.  Before she came to visit, she told me that she didn't want to go anywhere much.  With that in mind, I told her I'll share my love for food, leisure and theatre with her when she visits.  And that's what we did.

We took her to the Good Food and Wine Show and watched a cooking demo of two of the most famous Australian chefs.  We took her to restaurants that served great food.  I took her to Yum Cha so she can have a taste of the most delicious roast duck I've ever tasted.  We took her to a farmer's market and together we got to know the local producers in our area.

I took her to the Capitol Theatre to see one of my favorite musicals, "Wicked".  She enjoyed it immensely.

For the first time, my mom met up with a friend here, my Tita Beth.  My mom and I enjoyed the company of Tita Beth as we played tourist guides for a day.

Best of all, my mom celebrated her birthday here. 

She was here for seven weeks and time passed by so quickly.  Now, we just look forward to seeing each other again in a few months (we hope). 

Recipe: Marinated Steak with Gravy

I usually just lather garlic salt on our steak before putting it inside the oven to grill and it's good to go.  One Sunday night, I decided to make my steak more flavourful.  So I marinated the meat with more than just garlic salt.

What you need for the marinade:

4 rib eye steaks (or any other meat you want like T-bone or Rump)
Garlic Salt
1/4 cup of dry Red Wine
Rosemary Leaves
6 cloves of Garlic, peeled and smashed
4 tbsps of Olive Oil
4 tbsps of water
Pepper

What you need to do:

1.  Place aluminum foil on top of baking pan

2.  Sprinkle garlic salt on the steaks and place each one on the baking pan.

3.  Smear crushed garlic on each side of the side.

4.  Pour red wine, olive oil and water on the rib eye steaks.

5.  Sprinkle a dash of Rosemary Leaves and Pepper.

6.  Leave for 15-30 minutes.

7.  When ready for grilling, place baking pan inside the oven.

8.  Oven-grill at 180 degrees for 20-30 minutes depending on how tender you want your steak is.

What you need for the gravy:

3 tbsp Gravox Traditional Powder
2 tbsp butter (or canola spread)
3 tbsp red wine
300 grams slice mushrooms

What you need to do:

1. Boil 3 tablespoons of Gravox Traditional Powder in 250ml water.
2. Mix in 2 tablespoons of butter/canola spread and 3 tablespoons of red wine.
3. Throw in your sliced mushrooms.
4. Stir until smooth and mushrooms are cooked.

Serve with salad on the side.

Bon appetit!  Happy weekend too!

No Going Out, No Spending Month

A Project of the Mr & Mrs
From 8 August to 5 September, the Husband and I will officially have a "No Going Out, No Spending Month".  Last year, we hibernated for three weeks right after our parents left for Manila.  We called it "hibernation" but in actuality, we avoided going out and rested our pockets from spending.  It was the first time that we were able to observe not going out for three weeks.  In earlier years, we have tried this project for a week...then two weeks...then last year, three weeks.  This year, we are officially tagging this as one our household projects and we're leveling up to four weeks (!!!).

Let's Define Things, Shall We?
No Going Out means no parties, no eating out, no dinner out with friends, no road trips, no movie dates.  We will still go to work (just had to clear that hehe) but we will avoid hanging out at restaurants and shopping malls after work.  Also, no overstaying in supermarkets.  My Husband and I sometimes have dates inside Woolworths on Friday nights and before we knew it, we find ourselves at the counter paying for stuff we don't need yet.

No Spending means we will only spend for the usual monthly expenditures like groceries, bills and maintenance/repairs in the home (if ever something does come up).  It is very critical that we stick to our budget for four weeks so we have both agreed that we won't shop for unnecessary things (read: things we DON'T REALLY NEED) and we won't give in to sales (which is usually the culprit--those freakin' tempting sales).


Reasons That Turn Into Goals

We want physical rest. Initially, we planned this project for the whole month of June because we thought it would be great to re-charge in the middle of year and at the same time get ourselves ready for the 2nd half of 2010.  However we had to postpone it because my mom arrived in June for a short vacation.

We want rest from eating out.  We want to stay away from restaurants for awhile and just observe eating in.  Sort of like a detox.

Exercise the discipline of not spending for unnecessary things.  Last year, one of the things that we learned from not going out and spending for three weeks was the things we have are the things we need and there is no need to buy things just because it is on sale.  Sometimes we want a certain item is one and found out that it is on sale, we immediately think "We've got to buy this, it's on sale already!"  But the truth is, we don't really need it.  This doesn't happen all the time but this project is a good reminder to my Husband and I to always count our blessings and always ask ourselves "Do we really need this?" before purchasing stuff.

We want to de-clutter our home.  We have the usual weekly de-cluttering at home but we'd like to do more de-cluttering in the next four weeks.  We plan to sort out our clothes and shoes, pack up some of the things we don't wear or doesn't fit and give them to church.  We want to box up some things that we don't use in the meantime and store it properly.

We want to finish up on our photography projects.  We will take this opportunity to finish up on two events we've covered. 


A Bit of Preparation

1.  We checked our calendar and made sure we don't have family or friends who will be having parties. 

2.  We informed friends about it.  We also announced the project via twitter and FB.   It is of great help when people around you know that you have a project like this.  We really appreciate all the positive reactions and support we got from friends (thank you!).


A Little Provision

The Husband and I are still entitled to a little breather and small pleasures.  The last thing we want is to splurge and pig out as soon as the project is over.  So we have agreed:

To have dinner at least once a week ---take note: with a budget.  The dinner should not be more than AUD$20.00, and that covers both of us (so that's AUD$10.00 per person).

That I'll still have my weekly coffee "me" time.  I will work on a budget of AUD$10.00 or less per coffee date with myself. 

That the Husband is also entitled to coffee "me" times when at work.  His coffee at work is only AUD$2.00-3.00 a cup so in a week, he will only spend about AUD$10-15.00, which is about the same cost as my weekly coffee time.



A Feeling of Excitement
The moment we decided to make this project official for four weeks, we had a bit of nerves about it.  Who wouldn't, right?  Four weeks of avoiding temptations seems kind of overwhelming.  But we are really excited about this project.  We have faith in each other (teamwork to the max!) and in this project.  We are very positive that we can do it because we really want to rest most of all. 


Wish us luck!  Since this is an official project, I will be taking notes and will share on how things turned out for us.




Thanks the Husband for the very cute logo he created for this project.

Edited (6 September 2010):  IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE RESULTS OF THIS PROJECT, click here.

 

Stop For A While

This Tuesday indulgence is brought to you by...

Magnum Minis on a winter's night! 

I don't know why but even if it's so freaking cold, all the more that I crave for ice cream or paddle pops.  And always I would crave for it in the afternoon or evening, when the weather's colder.  I guess I'm just weird like that.

When the weather is so icy cold, my mouth craves for cold delights.  I try to avoid it most of the time because eating ice cream at night usually results to tonsilitis or cough.  

But tonight, I just had to indulge on this blissful treat.  The moment I opened our freezer (I was supposed to take out some food for thawing but now I seriously forgot! gasp!) and saw the box waving hello at me, I gave in.  My defenses are low tonight as I had a long day at work.  This Magnum Minis (at least mini, hindi yung regular size hehe) are perfect as I sit back, relax,  and have my mini "me" time before I end my today and move on to things I have to do.

As I'm enjoying my dessert, let me share with you this quote and practice I learned from one of my favorite authors:

Make a practice of stopping every so often to simply be present to the present; what you see, what you smell, who is with you, how this moment feels physically and emotionally. - Victoria Moran

Everyday, I stop for a few minutes, indulge in a little silence, sometimes with food I love, and just enjoy the present. 

I stop for a while before I move on. 

I do this after spending quality time with a loved one whom I had coffee and good conversation with.  As I walk out of the scene that took place, I stop for a few seconds, utter a few words of gratitude and acknowledge the moment. 

I do this as I come out of the office, as I walk along the pavement, I'd literally stop and close my eyes for a few seconds and breathe.  With eyes closed, I mutter "Thank you for a productive day at work, I'm grateful for this moment that I'm now going home to be a wifey."  This is my way of leaving behind my work where it should be--in the office.  

When I arrive home, I have a few moments of silence before I turn on any electronic gadgets inside the house.  I savor the quiet as I sit down on our dining table and have a fruit or biscuit.  I stop for a few minutes before I'm caught up in my wifely duties.  After this breather, I'd feel revived and more inspired to cook.  And when the Husband comes home, he finds me a happy wife with an eager smile and warm embrace to welcome him home.

Tonight, I'm stopping for a little longer than usual because the next few days will be hectic.  My mom and I will be hanging out 'til she leaves for Manila on Saturday.  In preparation for her leaving, we will do a few more shopping and I will be doing a lot of packing for her.  I'm also preparing for her Despedida dinner on Friday night.  On top of that, I am also organizing a get-together/baby shower/prenatal shoot on Saturday.  It's busy, it's fun.  And even if I'll be busy, I'll surely find time to stop a while and cherish the moment I'm in.

Enjoy the rest of the week everyone!  Smile!