Long Live ORIGINAL Vegemite!

Its black. Its beautiful.
Its unique. Its an Australian icon.
The fact is, Vegemite has been around since 1922. The jingle is known to basically every australian - the orginal Vegemite commercial has been seen by almost everyone down under. Its on every grocers shelf. Little packets of it can be found at restaurants, along with those nifty little packs of butter, and there are even little lunchbox packs. Everyone and their Grandma loves vegemite

"We're happy little Vegemites
As Bright as Bright can be
We all enjoy our vegemite
for breakfast, lunch and tea..."

...and its being messed with...
Sacrilage I tell you! Sacrilage!!

Its a sad time for happy little Vegemites everywhere.
Very.
Sad.

Let me give you a little history.
God created the Earth,
then He created man,
and man brought forth the Fred Walker Cheese Company.
And God was pleased.


Then God invented Cyril Callister who invented Vegemite.
And God was EXTREMELY pleased.
And Australians were very happy.
And that's really as far as we need to go.
The end.

Dubbed "The new Vegemite experience" as reported by Australian newspaper The Age , an American company and new owners of Kraft Foods LTD have decided to combine Vegemite with Cream Cheese to create a new version of Vegemite that is smoother and easier to spread.

Can you hear me weeping yet.

But one issue the company may not have thought about is that Vegemite can be used in cooking, for stews, casseroles, gravies, barbeque and other wonderful and delightful works of culinary goodness. I don't think the combination of cream cheese and original Vegemite would work quite as well.

*Gag*

Ok, good news for Australians is that we still get to keep the original version too - which is obviously much better to cook with...I can tell you that was good news to me because I was about this ----- close to beginning a Vegemite stock pile for the apocolypse.
(There 'aint no vegemite in the US, folks).
Of course I'm sure the company did think of the cooking side of things too, and were apparently very careful before deciding to mess with a national icon.

whew. that was close wasn't it.
But be warned company that bought Kraft Foods LTD (wagging finger)...just be careful

Construction Street

Where I had grown up, people always seemed to be around. Lawns were mowed on a saturday morning by every dad on the street, wearing a button down shirt or in very warm weather, sporting the most practical in lawn mowing fashion, a white Bonds singlet.

I woke every saturday to the scent of freshly clipped green grass and the sound of mowers humming, up and down the street. I would listen to the sound of mowers waaay up the road. Eventually, there would only be the faint, unmistakeable sound of one, and by 10am most, if not all the lawns had usually been diligently processed and the dads had sauntered inside out of the heat, for morning tea.

Our neighborhood is quiet. We don't have many lawn mowers out on a saturday morning yet, but our street is amazingly full of activity. We have construction, which I find interesting. And by interesting, I mean the sheer rate of how these houses are built. None of these houses were here 2 months ago.



All these house are to the left of us. They are beautiful. All the houses in Texas appear to be brick. Lots of brick and no siding. And no basements. Its a little different from the Midwest.

Its a little odd seeing houses there insead of vacant lots too.



This is the other side of the street to the right of us. None of these houses were there 4 months ago.

Again, amazing how fast they go up.

Perhaps soon, we'll be hearing those lawn mowers going. I wonder sometimes what kinds of memories my girls will have of the neighborhood, and if they will think of our lawn being mowed, smelling that freshly clipped green grass, construction or neighbors. Life in the 'burbs, life in the US. I'm not sure if I am noticing the contrast of the generations, or the societies and countries we live in.

Giveaway winner!

AMY!!!

My youngest chose your name out of a hat! Congrats.
Your prize is on its way as we speak.

Thanks to those who entered!

Win a Treasures Journal Jar!

I'm happy to announce my first giveaway! These journal jars are beautiful. Really. I love them! These are not wimpy jars. They are antique white ceramic, a great size 4"w x 6"l x 3.25"d,
come with a beautiful enameled metal face plate embossed with the phrase 'Lifes Moments' hanging on a beautiful sheer ribbon, and a pad of 40 sheets of paper.

Sorry, this journal jar is currently....


Would you decorate it or use it as is?
To enter, leave a comment and let me know.

Entries from now until midnight 3pm central time today (july 22) July 23rd
I will announce the winner at 12pm tomorrow, the 23rd. 4pm today, july 23

Ready for a giveaway?

Remember the journaling jar project I showed you?

Its your chance to win a beautiful ceramic antique style, Creative Memories journaling jar of your own to decorate, or just use as is.

Check back tomorrow for details and photos!

The Rodeo - Mesquite, Texas - Part 2

from part 1...and stadium seating. STADIUM SEATING. very wrong. But very right at the same time. It was a very mixed day. What was, and is now. Progress.

We sat smack in the middle of the stadium with great views where my friend waved to someone. I had to wonder there for a minute if she was trying for her 15 minutes. There was a camera man...



The kids did get in on the act too, but not by jumping to get a peek at the action (did I mention the fancy stadium seating?) They had a chance to chase calves for a prize. That was a sight, I mean for the calves. Can you imagine being led into a ring where approximately 500,000 prize hungry children stood, lined up ready for the big chase. And you are the chasee? And you're a baby!! I almost felt sorry for them.
No animals were hurt or injured..not physically anyway, emotionally maybe...NO I'm kidding. The calves couldn't have cared less.

Then theres this...



Steer wrestlin'..or something like that - hey, I don't pretend to know the terms, I call it how it is.
A steer, a man.
In the dirt.
wrestlin'



and these...




Unfortuantly, this cowboy was disqualified.
Taking a nap maybe?
kidding.
I imagine its pretty hard to sit up once you're in the wrong position on a bucking horse. Whiplash could be a concern at the wrong time.


Connections - default or otherwise, paid off at half time (ok, I know its not half time. But it was the equivalent in rodeo...whatever that's called) Here's my youngest in the 'even fancier than stadium seating at a rodeo' box, above the camera man that my friend was waving to so furiously, while in fancy stadium seating...as it turned out, she wasn't looking for 15 minutes. So the people behind us didn't really need to move back further after all.
Silly people.













The End.

PS I should note here that 13 year olds might actually admit to enjoying rodeos after all. And they might admit they were glad they went, after all. AND they might even say they'd like to go to another one! I KNOW!! amazing huh!

The Rodeo - Mesquite, Texas. Part 1

I remember being at a rodeo for the very first time as a kid. I had some of my best clothes on, and knee length brown boots. Not cowgirl boots, just boots. And an apricot skirt with a shirt to match (ok, that's what I looked like in the photo)

Forever engrained into my mind are the fences. Then the dust, the rusty brown dirt, the smell of horses, or moreso, cattle.
At a guess, we went because my uncle was riding and it wasn't too far away this time, from where we were living.

When a friend of mine called me last week and mentioned tickets for the girls and I to see the rodeo along with her and another friend, my first thoughts were of the fences, the dust, and dirt and the heat. It has been so warm here, I couldn't imagine how we'd stand it, however it seemed to go hand in hand. Rodeos, noise, dirt, dust, heat and sweat. That's how it should be, right? Especially in a place called Mesquite!
I imagined kids jumping up and down, trying to peek between viewers and over the shoulders of adult patrons for quick views of the action. I looked forward to it. Who would have ever thought an aussie from a little town would have the opportunity to go to a rodeo in the US, let alone here in the big T! When we were living in Michigan, I can't say it would have been the first thing to cross my mind...no. I really don't think it would have.
Though my first child refrained from showing too much interest. 13. Need I say more?

I had mixed reactions when I discovered the rodeo was indoors - not bad necessarily, it just didn't fit with my vision. Who has ever heard of an indoor rodeo? Especially in Texas! Especially in a place called Mesquite, in Texas. Something seemed very wrong with that.

On the other hand, it has been getting into the 105 - 108f (40 - 42c), with humidity. Indoor and air conditioning sounded very pleasant. My friend as it turned out, also had connections in Box seating - oh la la. Who knew. She didn't know either - it was a very random incident - being well connected, that is. :)



As it turned out, the rodeo began at 8pm, indoors. In air conditioning. It was very pleasant. It was all there; the familiar cattle pee smell, the rusty brown dirt, the fences with paint scraped off here and there, hats everywhere, cowboys, horses...

...and stadium seating. STADIUM SEATING. very wrong. But very right at the same time. It was a very mixed day.

summer in a cup!

What WAS this?

This. was. Delicious!
You have NOT LIVED until you have had one of these. I kid you not.

I don't normally gush over something as simple as a drink but boy..
This is summer in a cup. This is joy defined.

at the risk of sounding like an ad - this WAS...

A Culvers strawberry smoothie. But its not a regular smoothie, that's the thing. It has this little hint of tangy lemon sorbet in the background, right along with the strawberries and custard icecream. 'Custard' in the US is not the same as people from Australia or Britain would consider it. It is a very smooth, denser, creamier version of ice cream with a traditional custard base. My first ever custard experience was at a Culvers just outside of Rockford, Illinois. Then of course, living in Wisconsin...I probably don't even need to explain that.
Lets take another look shall we, this time in black and white -




mmmmmmm....
Was this the best EVER!
If you ever get the chance, you have to have one.

Just thought I'd let you know.

My public service announcement for the week.
Next up, the Mesquite Rodeo.

July 4th, 2009.

There is one thing I've learned since occupying myself with moving all over the US, and that is Americans are usually very passionate about July 4th. Naturally. Flags flying, anthems playing, fireworks, family, friends, party, party, party! whoohoo!

Autralians are still warming up to the whole idea of being emotionally swept up in patriotism about Australia Day. Not that we aren't just as passionate about our country, but we're not really used to actually showing it as much. We're not really a soppy bunch. We're tough and ready for anything - to wrestle wayward crocodiles at a moments notice, swat more than one fly at a time, eat burned sausages off the grill and LIKE it. Yep, we can mow lawns in 100 degree heat and NOT sweat! No, not really. I bet I tricked you huh. Before I left, I hadn't seen a crocodile in the yard since the cane toads ran the last one off.... really!
no, not really. I'm pulling your leg.



But July 4th is something else. I haven't been in one place quite long enough to collect any recipes specifically for the 4th to grill out, but this year, we hung out with new friends.

This is my oldest AKA the Willow half of Willow and Wattle, I guess (left) and her friend.



Hubby took a flight down from Missouri, where he finally relocated to his new job , I was so happy to finally have my camera back in time for the 4th! Even as an immigrant, its easy to get caught up in the festivities, and as a new citizen, even a little emotional.



Its assimilation. I feel like a Borg recruit. Adaptation is eminent, resistance futile. Then I visit sites like The Pioneer Woman (who is beyond amazing) and see sumptuous recipes.

Yep. Futile.

Get Journaling! Jars

Love these! Antique Style Ceramic Jars you can play with, alter to your hearts content.

These come with a beautiful enameled metal face plate for the front. So if you don't want to decorate it up with various rubons and ribbon like I have here, you can just hang the face plate over the jar knob with the ribbon, it is very elegant. It also comes with a notebook/journaling pad.

Creative Memories is sadly discontinuing it in July. However, I might just have a giveaway soon. One of the very last! More details soon!

Oooops.

Due to a blogging mishap..(yeah, I know), we are currently undergoing some changes. We will be keeping this blog, but partially moving to a Wordpress site, and possibly utilizing a Wix website...

...as soon as I work out how to use the thing...

yay! Fun!

Our apologies for the inconvenience.

W&W

Texas Alleys and Shorthorns

When you move to Texas, the first thing you tend to hear about, other than the heat and humidity, is Longhorns and even Shorthorns. The variety will very much depend on where you live. This might not necessarily be the bovine variety. There is an affiliate breed, generally recognised by the emblem on their posse while driving over the speed limit down the nearest freeway hahaha... um... nope, not those ones.

These ones:

Lucky for us, the neighborhood we live in has bovines. Not any bovines, TEXAS bovines. Real in your face Longhorns! Just up the road a bit and around the bendy road. This is quite new to us after spending close to 7 years looking at dairy cows, particularly in Wisconsin. I bet that was a surprise right? Dairy cows in Wisconsin. Hah! Reminded me of growing up. I actually know how to milk a cow, thanks to Mr Burke, the shameless milk smuggler. It was the neighborhood secret. But that's another story, we're talking about longhorns...and shorthorns.  We have shorthorns just one block over from us. 

Just up the road and down an alley...Texas has alleys, they're behind most houses that have garages in the back...I never really got that when watching King of the Hill until we moved here, it makes sense now...just never seen it before...anyway...there is the Texas ranch. All that is left is just over 6 acres, with shorthorns, mostly bulls. Houses surrounding the perimeter. I intend to get a photo of the gate plate before the property is sold. Yep, its for sale. It seems sad. I'm not sure if it was part of the other ranch on the other side of the neighborhood or not...the one not far from Super Target on the Big A...

Reposted from old blog

Sorry, comments were lost.

Back on that road...

You really never know where a road will take you, what that big picture is.

Just like Mr. W. Nelson says,

roads can take you to places you've never been before,

or places you'll never see again, and as ironic as it was for me to remember that one song out of the hundreds that Mum and Dad cued so frequently on those afternoons and mornings before their radio show, I had until the last couple of years been traveling, riding along oblivious to the concept of it being a literal journey, I reached an epiphany, quite suddenly - somewhere it changed.

Journey [jur-nee] Option 2

2. a very complicated passage or progress from one stage to

another that seems to get worse as you get older.

As Willie Nelson has his penchant for traveling, I have one for taking photos of roads. I have photos of roads we've traveled on in Arizona, snow covered roads in Michigan, roads that lead towards farm houses in Wisconsin, rural county roads in summer, skirted either side by prairie wildflowers - they all lead somewhere.

I probably took them while I was singing "On the Road again" to myself. I've been singing it for years. Quietly.

Our road is currently between a smallish town in Texas, and a city in Missouri. Hubby has taken his new job, and has now relocated.

While driving the 10 hours back home to Texas this morning, I was amused, annoyed and amazed.

Amused at the quirky small town things discovered in the morning daylight of rural Oklahoma. Signs that said things like 'Bobs Good Junk' Maybe because it was in the middle of...well, nowhere actually, I found it to be humorous. Straight to the point irony.

Annoyed because I didn't have a camera and didn't stop to get the disposable variety, and amazed at where we were going, I mean, in life.

Reposted from Old blog.  

Sorry, comments were lost.

Your Favorite Neurotic?

Have you ever seen House, or Monk? I love those shows - recognize the song playing? Both characters are brilliant, each with his own hang ups and one definately a tad more neurotic than the other. Sadly, Mr. Monk has just one season left - this summer, or winter, depending on where in the world you live. I will diligently watch every last one of those episodes!Their characters are portrayed well enough to make you stop and think from a different perspective. It can be quite eye opening. Vague resemblences of neurosis ensue as you suddenly recognise at least a couple of symptoms in yourself. The characters seem real and even somewhat familiar.Ask any university psychology major, or anyone studying several psych classes and they will tell you about neurosis.

Why?

Simple.

You read the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and come to the likely conclusion that you have every disorder in the book.After a brief episodal period, you come back to the real world and months later, after everything is forgotten, you speak with a practicing psychologist or two, who recall in jester like fashion, that very strain of thought that occured to them while they were in University years before.

Its a fact that everyone tends to have some symptom of 'something in the book'. So this is the thing. 97% of genius's have some emotional issue or disorder to varying degrees.So, when something happens, you can just put it down to brilliance, right? Of course you can!! Trip over yourself in public, burst into tears due to the ever uncompromising PMS, and its simply your brilliance dripping so shamelessly and effortlessly - you have no control over it - one vote for psuedo delusional ego-um-parasodial....brilli... whatever....

Ok, just run with it.


Reposted from old blog, early 2009
Sorry, comments were lost.

Is it Murphys Law, or Just Some Funky Supporting Music?

I remember this corny joke Dad used to tell on a very regular basis. We ALL knew the ending.
We all had it memorized (and still do - thanks Dad)
Ants running quickly down cereal packets ... it reminds me very vaguely of cars and people.

'...and all of a sudden the first ant started running
very quickly across the top of the cereal packet
the other ant watched him fly past,
and when he finally caught up with him,
asked why the first ant had suddenly taken off running like that...'

Having lived in the frozen north of the midwestern states, and having driven on those winter roads for 12 years, one tends to learn that driving on ice and snow can be somewhat interesting, at the best of times. Though not so bad because really, when you are used to it, sliding a little really isn't a big deal. You learn how to stop and start slowly. If you have a bomb of a car, you learn how not to crash into anything if your brakes lock up...aaahh, good times...

We all went out and had fun regardless of the weather. We'd happily* rug up into our 10 layers of clothing, trudging, shivering out into the frozen tundra that we called our home state, knowing that if we EVER dared to stay still, we would surely freeze to death...
ok, from where I sit, I KNOW that freezing to death in a couple of seconds in the midwest is pure FACT! You probably haven't seen me in winter, but if you did, you are truely likely to believe me. Midwesterners used to laugh at me, they seemed strangely immune to this.
But I know!!

We drove over ice and through snow storms, we'd slide, laugh, drive some more, on occasion, gripping the steering wheel till our knuckles turned white while watching for deer and guessing where or if there was black ice.
And, if you are lucky enough to live in Iowa, then you know ALL about winter lasagna. Its different. Ice, snow, ice, snow, occasional sleet, ice, snow, ice, snow, ic...oh wait, I think thats enough layers. It was a lot of fun*

Not once, in all this time did I get a citation, a warning or get in an accident.

'....and the first ant said,
'the packet said tear across dotted line''

Drivers Ed 101.
Question 10a. You may _______ across DOTTED lines.
10b. You may NOT ______ across solid lines.

So, then we arrive in the very dry state of Texas, where all the roads are clean and ice free; blacktop for miles, with barely a blemish and 9 months of beautiful weather. Here where we don't turn purple or look like the walking dead in 'winter'. Roads with solid white "DO NOT CROSS THIS LINE" lines that separate the lanes. Particularly lanes that go around corners. Sometimes that lane is OCCuPIed.
go figure.
Sometimes, its occupied by people like me, who have kept thier cute little sporty model fast mobile in top notch, accident free condition EVEN in the dead of winter in the frozen tundra of the midwest.

*sigh*

And so it goes. My side is crunched in. That was a naughty driver who failed question 10a and b and crossed the solid white line, and tried to occupy the already obviously occupied lane. My very first accident. But on the bright side, my very first rental car...wooooohooooo! What should I get? a corvette, a convertible...the possibilities....

Ok, the ant joke was a stretch, but you know what, I had to share. Its not fair of me to be the only one remembering that thing...and the nervous wreck and the frayed knot.... I'll tell you about those later.
* any apparent and uncanny resemblance to gleeful, happy optimism in weather where I would turn several different shades of dead, is purely coincidental.
Helen.

Orignally Posted by Willow and Wattle at Saturday, April 25, 2009
Sorry, comments were lost

Willie, and those roads he mentioned.

I know about Willie Nelson. He apparently had a penchant for traveling. I guess singing all over the world, it has to be said somewhere doesn't it.

'On the Road Again
goin places that I've never been...'

- I remember that playing often at our house when I was growing up. You are singing along aren't you? It was initially Mum who was into country. Dad eventually grew to like it, enough to co-host a country music show with Mum, on community radio in Roma, a small town in south west Queensland, Australia.

I remember the cueing of endless. country. music. in advance for programs. LISTS- of songs, chosen for variety and entertainment value that had my teenage mind reeling and running for cover before trance set in (yeah, you know what I'm talking about)

I can't remember most of those songs, but I do remember Willie Nelson getting back on that road. A lot. Who knew, that one day I'd be singing that song to myself (yeah, yeah, don't say it) as I accompanied my husband all over a foreign country. And yes, we are considering yet another move, but not by choice. 7 states.

The economy might not be as bad as some polititians like to make out, but I can tell you that professional jobs are being hit just like any other. We've experienced the economy first hand this time.

We're on the road again. Hubby has offers, will be relocating at some point, thought its complicated because well, entry level Criminal Justice/CSI/legal jobs for me, are not as common where his job offers are, and then with kids... we'll see what happens.

Hooroo
helen


Reposted from old blog
Sorry, comments were lost.

Welcome to the Willow and Wattle blog.

We're currently under construction, but will be here soon to offer our outback edgy, urban romantic, and whimsicle handmade or custom items with a personal touch: that friendly, family like service, info and conversation that was so common in stores so many years ago.

Here you will see our new shop items as well as other fun. We're excited to be here!

Sincerely,Willow & Wattle


Reposted from old blog
Sorry, comments were lost.