Aussie Road Trip Day One and Two

April 8th and 9th Traveling from Mackay QLD to Griffith NSW

The day had finally arrived, the car was packed and we were ready to go. Thanks to Gaye and Peter we were also pretty sure we wouldn't get lost as they lent us their GPS which we of course had to name and in the end the name was Nancy. So we left Mackay and headed towards Rockhampton. This was a destination for two reasons. 1) It would be the first fuel stop and 2) it is where we would head inland instead of continuing down the coast. Let's just say its not a joke when people talk about how horrible the drive from Mackay to Rocky is. Nothing between the towns, so it was a relief when we finally hit Rocky and could take a much needed break. 

And so we kept driving, the first day was set aside for this, just putting a dent into the 2,500 km we would be driving until we got to our first hotel. The plan was to stop in Condamine and sleep in the car, but once we got there we realized we weren't very tired so we kept going until we hit the border of QLD and NSW, the town of Goondiwindi. There we pulled into a truck stop, pulled out our sleeping bags and caught some Z's. 

One of our coffee stops before Goondiwindi

One of the many shires we would drive through

The next day we were up and gone by 5 am with the goal in mind of getting to Griffith. 

The Sunrise as we crossed from QLD to NSW

Along the way we saw Coonabarabran.

Dubbo

And one of the many Australian Big Things, this one of course being the big racket and ball.

Finally we made it to Griffith and with it still being a bit early as we had gotten more driving done then expected we decided to hit a movie. It was perfect timing as we got there only 5 min before the movie started and it was awesome. We saw The Croods, which was a great movie and it felt like watching a movie at home with the exception of the big screen as there were only 4 other people in the whole theater, so we stretched out over the seats all comfy like and enjoyed the flick. 

That evening we again slept in our car, this time though was a bit more un-nerving as we couldn't find a truck stop to pull into. So we found the local Info Center and parked in the back corner hoping we wouldn't get in trouble from anyone. The night passed without a hitch and again we woke up early to get a move on towards Stawell. 

Here a few extra pics from those first two days of driving, driving, and more driving. 

Our awesome M&M car freshener

Driving along 

Practicing the good ol selfie, not easy with a bigger camera

BBQ - Assembly - BBQ...Oh My

Ok, so yes as of this moment we are on our road trip, but we will fill you in on all that once the big 3 day drive is complete. Until then, this is a quick catch up blog as a lot happened just before we left. I know, we should have done this post last week, but with so much going on we waited so we could do one big post.

First, at the beginning of March as many of you know, we moved from staying with Emma and Andrew to staying with Gaye and Peter Downing. This was awesome as they are an older but awesome couple. They really made us feel like family, I cooked tea (dinner) every night and we all ate together which was really nice and we played Wii and went in service together and it really just made for a great month.

So, before we left, these awesome people let us have about 22 from the congregation over for a BBQ. This is one of two, and since pictures speak louder then words, I will let them do the talking.

Then we had our two day Assembly, which both Siyani and I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved the 9 questions, it helped me to look for more in the talks and to have those specific points at the end to reflect on are great for our family study time. Siyani found the District Overseer very interesting as a person as he put  personal stories into his talks and had some fun things to say about his dog and prize tomato plants. It was also great to see so many from Bowen as I have not yet seen them on this trip and many of them had not yet met Siyani. Lets just say there was lots of hand shaking, hugging and cheek kissing.

This leads to the following pictures of an art project I attempted. It was a gift for a brother and good friend who got baptized at the assembly. The inspiration comes from Shaina and a gift she once gave me. It is a wall hanging with the love never fails scripture on it.

The first night of the assembly we had a second BBQ, complete with torrential rains (thankfully it was a covered patio). This time was mostly Bowen ites, Dale and Cheryl Williams and their boys and Reece and his sister Ashley and of course as always Taija and Rowen.

Now we will finish up with my favorite new things, which include the coolest pair of flats ever, they have spikes and the new camera which thankfully arrived before we left.

Hope you all enjoyed the pictures and keep tuning in as the Road Trip will be uploaded soon. The first big feature will of course be the drive but that drive takes us to something I have been so excited about, The Great Ocean Road. Until then, love to everyone.

Megan and Siyani

CC's Crazy Hair

The (short) Story of Siyani and his desire to have Hair

Siyani has been working at Avis now for 4 months now and every now and then he works quite a few days in a row due to a need for extra workers on his days off. When this happens Siyani decides not shave because it irritates his skin if he shaves to often. Not to long ago Siyani ended up doing 12 days in row, combine that with not having had a hair cut before we left and you get Siyani the bushman. He was really enjoying having facial for the simple fact that he just didn't have to shave. It was actually looking really good for a while, it gave him a mature look to his face but before to long the combination of long hair and facial hair was just to much. So I asked Emma for the clippers and buzzed CC's head then made him shave the beard. Wow what a difference that made, he looked so young and baby faced. It was fun while it lasted but the bushman look really only stays in style for a short period of time. I have a feeling though the beard will make a regular appearance. Check out the before and after pictures below. 

Rain, Shoes and Yummy Stuff

Rain, Rain go away come again........once we leave!

So what happens In February/March in Australia? I can tell you it has nothing to do with hot sunny days at the beach, no it is the opposite in fact. RAIN!!! Lots of rain, so much rain the drainage system outside the house looks more like a geyser and the back retaining wall looks like a really cool fountain. The kids across the street seem to love it as they set up what appears to be a permanent slip and slide on their front lawn. To be honest I am a little jealous, as I have fond memories of large black plastic soaked in water and dish soap at Grandma Fricke's in Smithers.  Now we had real fun on that thing as the trick was to stop before the end for two reasons, a) if you were going to fast you got grass burned cause the plastic ended but you kept going and b) there was a barbed wire fence at the end, so after grass burns was a potential for a little more hurt. So the rain continues and we soldier on, yes it is a fight to enjoy being in a whole different country when all it does is rain for weeks on end. (As a side point, that last statement was drenched in sarcasm in my head).

Rain isn't such a bad thing, it makes stuff green and all that other positive stuff. What I really love about the rain is it gives me even more of a reason to be in the kitchen. Now I must apologize as I made one of the best tasting things ever but I did not take a picture of it. I have the recipe to share but alas nothing to actually show you. Mostly cause I forgot and also kinda because CC loved them so much he ate them before I could think to get a picture. So what is this awesomeness you ask? Cookie Dough Truffles. Now there are two recipes one for Chocolate Chip and one for Oreo. Personally I loved the Oreo ones the most and they are the easiest but the Chocolate Chip one is nice to have when you just feel like eating cooking dough. I found these on StumbleUpon, my favorite button to push. 

Now I did remember to get a picture of the oh so yummy Apple Cinnamon Rolls I made. These were made on a whim due to having bought a bunch of apples then getting sick for two weeks that they weren't crunchy enough for me to just straight up eat but not bad enough to condone chucking.  Oh they were good, like really very awesomely good. So you have that recipe to, so easy for a base roll that you really can add any fruit combo you like. It comes with a cream cheese frosting, but this time around they were so sweet it just didn't need it. 

Finally to my new shoes. This is important, just saying everyone, a shoe update is always news. Especially when they are the cutest orange wedges. I'm not gonna talk to much about these, I will let the pictures do the talking, aren't they just the best though. 

To everyone I apologize once again for not having more regular updates, this time though is due to both Siyani and I being horribly ill with whatever disease all you jealous people sent our way. Ok we don't really blame you but it was curious that so many back home were sick right around the same time we were as well. Just saying, (Trina I know it was you) we forgive WHOEVER made us ill. Now that things are back to fairly normal, we should have more regular updates, that and some exciting stuff is coming up. Love you all. 

Meg and CC

Recipes

 

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

3 teaspoons dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

4 cups flour

Mix all ingredients until a smooth ball forms. Leave in warm place until double in size then roll it out to 1/2 cm thick. Fill with cinnamon mixture

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1/2 cup melted butter

Once the filling is spread on place chopped and peeled apple in the center leaving space around the edges. Roll, cut and place in greased pan. Sprinkle leftover filling on top and place a small butter chunk on each roll. bake for 10 to 15 min. at 375. 

Original recipe found at bestrecipes.com.au

Home away from Home

A visit to Bowen & the Snake

First off we would like to apologize for it being a while since we posted anything. Truth be told, there hasn't been much to write home about as life has gotten into a nice routine. Siyani has continued to work at Avis which he is enjoying very much and we have been living at Emma & Andrews since we first began house sitting for them just before the holidays.The routine has been good but hasn't left much time for adventure or even just visits, especially when Siyani gets called in on his days off which resulted in a 12 day straight work period. We did however manage a quick trip up to Bowen to see my other family, the Williams. Funny enough that is moms maiden name so it really is like family. The video below is a snapshot of the 5000 acre farm and the Bruce Highway back to Mackay. It was also the start of some interesting rain, which is featured near the end of the video. 

Back at Emma & Andrews is something I like to forget lives in the garage. Andrews pet snake. I hate snakes, they freak me out and this other video I think is good reason why. Emma had to feed her and suggested we video it so everyone can see the snake feed. I stayed in the kitchen for most of it, seeing as how even writing this is giving me shivers, don't ask how I managed to edit the video. So enjoy the snake feed and we promise to update sooner rather then later next time around. 

Also, I was going to put music or something over top of all the talking, but hearing what everyone was saying is so more interesting, you can hear me nagging CC about it actually recording, Emma talking about the snake and the boys Cooper and Dexter asking questions. Snakes still freak me right out, but its a kinda cool video.

Movies, Tea & Bunk Beds

Movie Night 

While staying at Andrew and Emma's we had Taija and Rowan over. I made a couple of pizzas and we watched Wild Wild West on TV. Movie nights seemed to happen frequently with Taija and Rowan, on another occasion we watch the Bourne Legacy (still not sure how I feel about that one) after my attempt to have everyone watch Step Up Revolution failed. On this particular night Taija was feeling a bit girly which I love cause girly means painting nails and Taija always does a bang up job. I got purple with silver OPI shatter on top and a jewel on each ring finger. Even Rowan got in on the fun with some pink and black detailing on his nails. Siyani didn't get a chance, I think after the spa incident where he got a pedicure that included black polish he is a bit wary of my reactions to his polished nails. 

Afternoon Tea

For a while now I have been wanting to have the sisters from the West Congregation over. It is one of the best ways to get to know people, so I organized to have them over for a Sunday afternoon. This also gave me a great excuse to bake some more.It was a great afternoon filled with nice conversation and yummy food. I am really enjoying the congregation here, West is small, only about 50 people but they are being very warm and kind to Siyani and I. 

Bunk Beds

After the sisters left Taija stayed and we had Rowan come over cause there is no one more qualified to finish off goodies. Of course my efforts continue to get him "soooo fat" so it worked out well that he came over. Andrew also arrived home that evening and had the boys new bunk bed with him. As the house was full of "men" they put it together. Well Rowan and Andrew put it together, Siyani did dishes and Taija and I drank beer and sangria while playing with transformers. Also I made sure to have picture proof that a) men do read directions and b) they also do dishes. 

Andrew reading the instructions and Rowan helping while Taija and I drink and CC does dishes

Love to everyone and their should be a post very soon about our visit to the farm because I hope to very soon go visit Dale and Cheryl in Bowen. 

Baking Day

This is what happens when you leave me alone in a nice kitchen!

We have been house sitting for the last week and have until the 10th of January here. Andrew and Emma are friends of Rowan and in turn that is how I am friends with them. They have a house they just built and very graciously invited Siyani and I off our couch and into their home while they visit family in Brisbane. 

The nice thing about new houses is new kitchens and we all know how much I love kitchens. On Wednesday Siyani went to help the brothers dig trenches at the Kingdom Hall as they are laying power lines for lighting in the lower parking lot. This left me on our 2nd day in the house alone with the kitchen, and boy did I do some damage. 

Brownies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Vanilla Cupcakes

Sticky Date Pudding

and Impossible Pie

Impossible pie is awesome, the easiest dessert and perfect for last minuet guests and get togethers. No method, no complicated ingredients and no real skill needed to make this mouthwatering yummyness. I first had Impossible Pie on my first visit to Australia and enjoy making it when I really get stuck into baking. So here it is, Impossible Pie, make some right now, it is so good. 

Impossible Pie

4 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup coconut

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons vanilla

Mix all this together in a bowl, put into a deep baking dish and bake for 1 hour at 330*. 

Impossible pie creates its own crunchy crust, soft custard inside and pie like bottom. 

Check the other yummies I made as well.