Did It!

Have a craving?

I did.

Current craving status...

.satisfied.

That's right folks, we did it.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with no canned pumpkin.

Who knew fresh pumpkin would work too?

So proud.  So proud.

It was easy peasy and the hubs just kept telling me that in October (fall time) he is

"so glad I'm American"

(just his stomach speaking I'm sure)

The office loved them too.

So if you ever live in Oz, don't fret, 

you can still have your pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Phew!

We Carve

Yes, I may live in Australia, but gadzooks my American roots are just so rootin' tootin' deep!

October = Fall

October in Australia = Spring

.blast.

I can't complain too much but I do love Fall and I love pumpkins, so what did I do?...I brought Fall to Australia.  

I know, clever Kaylee right!?

Ha...or just crazy. Whatevs.

I got SO excited when I saw that Coles was selling 'Halloween Pumpkins' that I had to buy some.  I chose my pumpkins and marched right up to purchase them...without even looking at the price tag. 

(I'm getting good at that here in Oz)

I'll spare you the pricing pain, but just keep in mind, 'Halloween Pumpkins' are not normally in Australia meaning: not cheap.

Luckily Phil was SO excited too.  He'd never even seen an orange pumpkin in real life before let alone carved one.  

He couldn't get over how orange the were.  Bless his little heart!

We shared his first pumpkin carving with Caylee and Dan.  It was their first time too.  So much fun!

Here's to Phil's first incision .ever.

Ha! Check out his face.

You wouldn't know it by that lovely face of his, but he loved it.

Every bit of it.

Pumpkin guts and all.

See!...there's the smile!

We just had a dandy ole time.  Phil and I each carved our own and we gave Caylee and Dan one to share.  Dan's contribution turned out to be minimal when he decided the couch was his best friend. 

No offense to carving pumpkins mind you-Dan was just tuckered out.

Little Georgia helped too!

There no joking around with this pumpkin carving.  Nope-no funny business at all.  These guys went all out.  I'm used to just some basic triangle eyes and a crooked grin, but no, that does not suffice in Oz I tell you!  This was a first for me too!  

I was super impressed.

Caylee's is on the left.  We call it Mike Wazowski.

Phil's is the middle bloke.  We call him Cheeky.

and mine is on the right.  We call him Boogly Boo.

(okay maybe not 'we call', more 'I decided'...but still!)

Boogly Boo

 Cheeky

Mike W.

We are so proud.

Now you'd think that would suffice.  

Not for my hubs!

Friday night = first pumpkin carving

Saturday = this is what he came home with from the shops...

Yup, two more!

The middle on is little Cheeky.  Not a chance next to the new guys.  
We upgraded.

Round #2:

Oh how I love my Philip.

He got out his hobby knives and all.  This was not going to be just an ordinary pumpkin like last night's.  

He pulled out all the stops.

Paid off hey!?

He did this 100% by himself.  Not even an experienced American like myself had ever pulled off something like this.

I was amazed.

Mine again was a step up from my usual triangle eyes again, but nothing like Phil's.

Dagnabit.  

Outdone again by the hubs!

We really had a fabulous time.

We even attracted a bunch of trick-or-treaters

...to our landlord's door

...cuz our is through the side gate

...whoops!

and that is how we do it.

we carve.

the end.

xoxo

-9- Thank You Australia

.Australian Football.

A little while back our friend gave Phil and I some tickets to an AFL game.  We cheered loud and proud for the 

SYYYYYYD-NEEEEEEY SWANS.

{check out my team scarf-yup, we're true fans!}

That there with me is my fancy clapper, that they gave me FOR FREE.  

Just bend and clap-simple as that! 

Psh, nothin's free in Australia so we were pretty stoked.

It was heaps of fun. Freezing, but fun!

 Perhaps you are thinking, there is no such thing as this 'Australian Football' but folks, I'm here to educate you.  There is such a thing, and contrary to popular (well maybe just Kaylee's) belief, it is not at all like Quidditch ...

(darn!-even with the three goal posts and all)

...anyway, AFL is huge here in Oz.  The rules were easy for me to catch onto making the game fun to watch.  Now if I could just figure out how to keep my eye on the ball, cuz mate!-these blokes are quick!

None of those heavily padded big brutes plunkin' around on the field.

None of that giving the players some rest while switching teams for offense and defense.

None of that-NONE!

 Guys, this is intense!  

Honestly, after watching AFL I just thought, 

{oh NFL players...you are such whimps.}  

Sorry America, I'll have to go with Australia on this one.

AFL = Legit.

...and so to you, Australia, today I say

Thank You.

That One Time

Remember that one time Halloween wasn't celebrated in Australia?

Remember that one time I was sad that I'd miss seeing cute little munchkins dressed up as ghosts and princesses at my door?

...well...

forget those times baby cuz they're long gone!  

Just take a gander at what we did this past weekend.

Trunk-or-Treat!

Now let me just tell you something; these Aussies, they didn't just semi trunk-or-treat it, more like they 

semi TRUCK-ed 

their trunk-or-treat.  

It was massive!  It was epic.  I loved every single last bit of it.  I've never seen anything like this back home.

Yes they are capital LEGIT.  I guess warm weather on Halloween provides for elaborate trunk decorating.  Who knew?

The kids were the best part.  Pretty sure that a lot of them had never even been trick-or-treating.  They'd come up and timidly hold out their bag.  Caylee, Phil and I taught them well and made them say 'trick-or-treat'. 

Phil & I were a bit timid to dress up not knowing if it was an adult event as well, but once we got to 

Caylee & Dan's

or should I say 

Lady Gaga & Jack Sparrow's

our fears were wiped way.  These guys were great!

Phil whipped out his school lab coat and I rummaged to find an old 7th grade cheerleading outfit of mine.

Mad scientist + cheerleader = ♥♥♥

Thanks Caylee and Dan for letting us tag along to your ward activity with you.  We were good just like we promised!

Geez we had so much fun.  

I was grinning ear to ear the whole time. 

Word for Word

Mom...this one is for you

Isn't this what we all lived through growing up?

Perfectly, word for word.

Thanks mom for putting up with me. :)

enjoy.

Get Jealous

We went.

We watched.

We lived.

Sydney Speedway

 "Greatest show on DIRT"...oh bless our hearts.  

Dad B. was in town and he couldn't pass up his favorite outing.  Phil has always gone with pops so I decided to tag along.  

Such a treat I reckon!  Now, I am def not a huge fan of speedway but spending time with family and the hubs is a plus.

Check out what our night consisted of...

Still there?  Whew-you made it.  It's a rip-roarin race lasting a smashing 3 hours.  Check it! 

We're definitely with a different breed out there at the speedway...like-unto a rodeo back him in the US: all these people that you did not even know lived around you come out from hiding and they are surely not afraid to show their true colors.  Mullets, beardies, the whole shibang.  Bonus for Australia!...we get a whole bogan accent to go along with it.  

Yes, just listen folks.

Catch all that?
Yes, that's how people talk where I live.
I am in a foreign country.

Thanks speedway for culturing us.

Oh and thanks for confusing us too.  This befuddled me.  These signs were within 20 yards of each other facing these exact ways, with no exit in between.  I just hope there isn't an emergency anytime soon!

And who will ever forget our trash can guy?  

Cheap way to re-chalk the course?-no problem.  

A four wheeler & rubbish bin will do the trick.

Don’t even fret. There was a nice demolition derby to finish off our night.  Oh boy, I never thought I'd say {demolition derby} and {our night} in the same sentence.

Crickey!

Now for a final smash to leave you with.  

Note to self: 20 sprint cars on the track = crash and rolling cars.

Even touched a sprint car, yes yes we did. 

 That is us-right there. Don't get jealous now.

xoxo

Elephant

From the diary of a Pre-School Teacher:


My five year old students are learning to read.


Yesterday one of my students pointed to a picture in a zoo book and said, "Look at this!  Its a frickin' elephant!"


I took a deep breath and asked..."What did you call it?"


"Its a frickin' elephant!  It says so on the picture!"


And so it does...

"A f r i c a n Elephant"

Hooked on phonics...ain't it great?

xoxo